BioWare may not be making an appearance at EA Play, but executive producer Christian Dailey recently took to Twitter to reveal some interesting news about Dragon Age 4. The post showed off a piece of the upcoming game's concept art with a detail that caused a flurry of speculation among fans of the franchise.
In the bottom right of Dailey's image was the emblem of the Antivan Crows, an organization of assassins that has only had a peripheral role in the series so far beyond Dragon Age: Origins companion Zevran. The inclusion of the Crows' emblem could mean a number of things for the plot, but with Dragon Age 4 seemingly focusing on the group more than previous games, here's what the series has revealed about the Antivan Crows so far.
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Antiva is Dragon Age's rough fantasy counterpart to Spain, with some influence from other parts of southern Europe. Characters from Antiva, which borders the Free Marches, the Tevinter Imperium, and Rivain, tend to reference Spain's history and language from Zevran's occasional "sí, amor" to the unsubtly named Felicisima Armada. Although Antiva houses the Crows' headquarters and gives it part of its name, however, the organization of assassins has spread across the human kingdoms of Thedas.
The generally held view in most of Thedas is that Antiva's assassination tradition began with the "hassarans" of the First Blight, warriors trained in hand-to-hand combat. In fact, the Antivan Crows began as a group of Chantry monks who began cultivating poisonous herbs in their abbey, eventually using their produce to kill an Antivan duke. From humble beginnings, the Crows eventually grew into an organization to rival Antiva's army and aristocracy.
Like the aristocracy of Thedas, however, the Crows are divided into "family" houses, each with a leader overseeing the assassins beneath them. At the top of the Antivan Crows are the Eight Talons, the rulers of the most powerful Crow houses. The other houses are known as cuchillos - knives - and hold less prestige.
Many of the Antivan Crows are orphaned or formerly enslaved Elves, with their nimbleness, stealth, and attractiveness to humans coming in handy for assassinations. Unfortunately, their new lives are no less brutal. Crows are forced to go through a series of increasingly risky trials, sometimes involving killing their fellow recruits.
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The Crows have been responsible - or are presumed responsible - for a number of high profile assassinations throughout Thedas' history. In 3:09 Towers the Crows were contracted to assassinate the top brass of the Antivan Templars. The region's Templars had recently invoked the Right of Annulment, executing as many of Antiva's mages as they could get their hands on.
The Chantry's Seekers of Truth, however, discovered that the Right of Annulment may have been initiated after a massacre had already begun, without proof of demonic possession. The Antivan Knight-Commander and the Knight-Captains under him were served lemon cake laced with Maferath's Embrace, a poison named for Andraste's husband and betrayer which would cause the victim's blood pressure to rise until their agonizing death. The incident became known as the Templar's "Just Desserts."
It is generally believed that the Antivan Crows had some hand in the murder of Antiva's Queen Madrigal in 5:99 Exalted. The Queen went missing on a hunt, only to be found impaled on multiple swords, giving the Steel Age its name. Several Crows were tortured but none would reveal the organization's role, if any. It gets more complicated, however. In his book "Hard in Hightown" Varric Tethras claims that the Executors took credit. One of the blades was also identified of a replica of the sword supposedly used by the Imperial Archon to put Andraste out of her misery, known as the Blade of Mercy.
Another high-profile Crow case involved opera singer Carlota "the Songbird" Montivecchio, who had tried to strangle a rival with a pearl necklace. The attempt failed, and her rival hired the Crows to cut her throat before curtain call at one of her performances. Antivan Prince Estefan was also killed by the Crows for his multiple affairs.
It's clear that the Antivan Crows don't just take contracts, but have political goals in their own right. In Dragon Age: Origins Antivan Crow Master Ignacio can explain to the Warden that, when they accepted the contract on the Warden's life, they did so under the belief that Loghain Mac Tir was Ferelden's best shot at repelling the Fifth Blight. As such, his political adversaries needed eliminating to make sure that happened. Origins also revealed the penalty Crows like Zevran face for a failed contract - death.
Dragon Age: The Silent Grove - which takes the potential for Alistair to become king in Origins as canon - also reveals more about the Crows. Alistair, Varric, and Isabela break into the Archive of the Crows, a base in Antiva City which houses Crow contracts, history, and blackmail material. In Dragon Age: Inquisition it is revealed that several high-ranking Crows have been assassinated in recent years by a figure known only as "The Black Shadow." If Zevran survived to Inquisition, it is heavily implied that he is the Black Shadow.
In Tevinter Nights the Crows' First Talon Caterina Dellamorte calls a meeting of the leading Crows to discuss defending against a possible Qunari invasion. One of the Crows betrays the others on behalf of the Qunari, however, who plan to send the Crows into disarray before a "peaceful" invasion of Antiva. Several high-ranking Crows are killed before the traitor is stopped.
The Crows could be a fascinating organization for the player to get involved with in Dragon Age 4. Unlike the Grey Wardens or the Inquisition, its goals are far less fixed and rarely altruistic. As ruthless with its own members as it is with its contracts, Dragon Age 4's protagonist could end up on the run from the Crows even if they're a part of the organization themselves.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.