#And neia was the face of the Inquisition

[anathemafiction]

So I'm thinking. Can we choose later on whether Romanus was scared of Neia, or are they always gonna be scared at the beginning? 🤔 Like, maybe feeling shocked because oh, isn't she supposed to be like, dead?

The visage of Neia, the Dawnseeker, standing where she shouldn't stand, with a dead man's blood on her sword is a vision straight out of Romanus' worst nightmare.

You are more than scared, you're close to terrified — and the text doesn't leave that interpretation on purpose.

How you respond to that fear, is up to you. You can recover quickly, even fight her, but you will always feel dread when you first lay eyes on Neia.

Romanus' fear of her and, especially, of the Inquisition, is something intrinsic to their character and not decided by the reader. But, as Ned Stark once said: "The only time a man can be brave is when he is afraid."

#some things aren't costumized by the player #Feeling scared is a part of being human #and romanus because of their backstory is TERRIFIED of the Inquisition #And neia was the face of the Inquisition #you will feel scared #plus... she is a giant muscular mean lady #Neia #The Golden Rose #MC

[anathemafiction]

Nero is definitely going to be a major reveal at some point and my brain can’t stop considering all possible theories. is our Romanus somehow a distant relative? Romanus means citizen of Rome… and he was a Roman emperor. But then why is the Witch after Romanus? Something to do with the mark? And the inquisition hunting them? Could it be for the same reason as the Witch, but then they’d both want Romanus for different things. Maybe? It could be both, honestly, I don’t trust the Inquisition.

And Vallen… I have my suspicions she was the one at the inn that took the maps. I mean, we saw her raising over there, she wants to meet us somewhere alone? Very suspicious. Like, my gut tells me she knows more about Romanus than we do.

Also, is the Golden Rose in reference to Nero’s Golden House? I feel like that’s kind of a stretch lol.

Ah, sorry to ramble, I just have sooo many thoughts and I’m so excited for all the little reveals. You have a talent for worldbuilding! Hope you have an amazing day.

All good questions and observations… I will say that Romanus indeed means a citizen of Rome. And that the Witch seeks the marked one, so it's a fair assumption to believe it has something to do with whatever it is that's at the center of your palm.

As for the Inquisition… Neia also mentioned a mark. Make with that what you will. 👀

I honestly cannot wait to reveal these mysteries. Some of these will be unraveled in Book 2, while others won't be completely answered until later, but some light will fall on them. They'll turn from dark to grey, from formless to a shape, from a distant name… to a concrete face.

#Romanus is actually the masculine name #Romana would be the feminine form #but I use Romanus as gender-neutral as a last name #TGR spoilers #The Golden Rose