Shadows And Tall Trees

headcanon time - Lennan’s tattoos

(Copy pasted from a discord chat - so some of you have seen it already.)

The ‘crow’s wing’ tattoo is a symbol of the 'night guardian’ or 'watcher’ - a figure from the elven folklore: the keeper of secrets, the hoarder of whispers and the brother to the dead. Basically an amalgamation of the goth duo - Dirthamen and Falon'din. Linked to birds, good and bad luck, night and shadows. Can be both benevolent and capricious. Cruel, even. One eye in the waking world, the other in the Fade. You have to pass through his eyes to cross the Veil after you die. And if he doesn’t like what he sees, his Fade eye glazes over instead of showing you the way and you get trapped in the Fade forever and turn into something ugly and mean. 'May the watcher’s eye go green/dim/murky/piss/shut/stinky/rotten on ya’ is one of the many curses you may hear if you piss off a Denerim elf.  Gang thugs who get night guardian tattoos usually do it  a) to have the watcher’s protection, b) to be cool - because getting that much ink around your eyes is a pretty badass thing to pull off.  But Lenn actually likes the watcher a lot. Some of the best, spookiest alienage stories revolve around him.

City Elf Appreciation Week- Day 5 - Alienage

Day 5 - Alienage for @cityelfweek

- The only home many city elves ever know.

>Post Tabris origin scene<

The dawn had barely made a break of the horizon when the alienage began to wake. The lazy watch stumbled through their version of a patrol, the nightly curfew at an end. (Not that it stopped whom the lord wanted, just the innocent scared of what the humans might do to them and theirs.)

The first to stir were the hawkers, workers gathered, booths propped up, baskets and crates of goods set out. Next came the errand kids, their mothers at home stoking the hearths. Coin and trades swapped hands, bread and eggs for a coin, apples for a “found” silver knife.

Chatter begins. News from the night prior making its way through the people. Ears prick up, eyes cast wary glances.

‘Trouble up at the Keep’

‘Someone did what? Couldn’t have been an elf.’

“This better not bring those guards back here. Stirring up trouble.’

‘Mamae, I want a honey roll!’

'Hush child!’

The sun continues to rise, more people come out, news continues to spread.  Cicadas scream as the heat swells and the din of the market picks up to a fever pitch. Guards patrol, no more than usual, yet. The elves of the alienage are apprehensive, waiting for the angry shouts, the unjust punishments to be doled out. Even the cut purses seem leery. But it is yet to come, almost normal.

If the patrols notice the ‘knife-ears’ acting especially cautious, they turn a blind eye. There’s ale and cards to get back too.

Whispers of a Grey Warden add further fuel to the gossip as the sun begins to set. The wariness of the day sends the shops into early closure, more goods then coins in their coffers. The errand child called home before the lamps were even lit.

A crier shuffles hastily to the announcement board, stained parchment and hammer under arm. The lamp lighters spare him a curious glance, then continue with their nightly work.

Hammer falls against creaking boards disturb the dusk, shutters cracking open to watch, wait. He stops, nodding at the notice posted, then shuffles back out. The alienage gate slamming shut, loud as a thunder clamp.

[ NOTICE: DENERIM ALIENAGE TO BE KEPT BARRED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!]

some little dragon age doodles and words from these prompts :3

left is kallian and alistair's handprints, middle is the intended wedding party favour for kall's wedding to nelaros (little pots of tea, entirely made by cyrion), and right is welsh and translates to "in this house kallian tabris was born, hero of ferelden and the alienage".

Dragon Age: Origins - epilogue drawings

Winter Guardian 

This first version of my new tree amulet is now ready on my shop: the design it’s inspired by Dragon Age Origins and some of my own fantasy stories. I hope you like it!

So, about that “Nelaros lives au”… (Tabris still get conscripted in the Wardens and everything, but the sweet elf from Highever stays alive :P)

while I have nothing new to post have these random old Fenris sketches

City Elf Appreciation Week - Last Day!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated this week! Today is a free day - anything that's focused on city elves is welcome, new and old! Please remember to tag @cityelfweek or use the tag #cityelfweek24 so your works can be reblogged!

Angsty glowy man