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Every Dragon Age game has given players a title—Warden, Warden-Commander, The Champion of Kirkwall, The Inquisitor, and Rook (for Dragon Age: The Veilguard)—and assigned last names by choices made in character creation. The sole exception, of course, is Hawke. This surname approach is being slightly changed in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but only slightly, with fans seeing surnames like Thorne, Mercar, and Ingellvar so far.
Whereas Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Inquisition assigned surnames based on origins or selected race, like Lavellans for Elves, Dragon Age: The Veilguard assigns surnames based on Factions. As part of their Rook’s background, players will be able to select the Grey Wardens, Veil Jumpers, Shadow Dragons, Lords of Fortune, The Mourn Watch, or Antivan Crows, which will determine their surname, how some characters and factions react to Rook, and so forth. Each of these has its own surname regardless of Rook’s race, and I got a quick look at them at the Dragon Age: The Veilguard preview event.
Grey Warden Rooks will be Thorne, Veil Jumpers will be Aldwir, Shadow Dragons will be Mercar, Lords of Fortune will be Laidir, The Mourn Watch will be Ingellvar, and Antivan Crows will be De Riva. Interestingly, 4 out of the 6 names end with -ir or -ar, although that’s probably pure coincidence.
Dragon Age: Veilguard Last Names for Rook
- The Grey Wardens – Thorne
- Veil Jumpers – Aldwir
- Shadow Dragons – Mercar
- Lords of Fortune – Laidir
- The Mourn Watch – Ingellvar
- Antivan Crows – De Riva
At the event, we asked creative director John Epler what sort of logic went into these surnames, especially because Antivan Crow fans may recognize De Riva as one of the Houses. Epler explained that, where there would be connections, the team wanted to use them, but it largely came down to “a great mouthfeel.”
Wherever we had a thread we could pull on, we wanted to use that. Generally, it’s just what feels right when you say, for example, De Riva is a perfect Antivan Crow name. For the Wardens, it was being able to say Warden X and it feeling right. I hate to say it, but it’s just a great mouthfeel. Whatever felt best.
Indeed, De Riva features a great connection to the faction and Antiva, and it rolls off the tongue very well. The others, going on vibes alone, fit the other Dragon Age: Veilguard factions well, but it remains to be seen if there is a deeper connection between them and the factions. Fans will likely need to wait for Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s October 31 release date to find that out, but luckily, that wait is rapidly dwindling.
