The timeline of events are very different between the Second World State (where Alba is Rook) and the First World State, where he is Inquisitor’s Sulevin’s close friend and a companion of the Veilguard.

First, Calico Aldwir, this World State’s Rook, sides with Minrathous when it is under the Blighted dragons attacks. Since Alba wasn’t around Treviso when it happened, he feels just as guilty and sad as Lucanis does, and they both bond over this. Talking about what they missed from the city, what has changed over the years, happy and bittersweet memories. Since Lucanis is Hardened by this decision, he doesn’t have the “Inner Demons” quest, where he makes a new contract with Spite and leaves his mind-prison for good. I headcanon they’ll eventually do it, but post-game. Many aspects of their relationship and the way it usually evolves as Rook!Alba changes here. Some bits happen faster, other takes much longer to occur. Especially since he’s a companion, and his personal questline happens during the game (as opposed to happening weeks after Veilguard as Rook).

Alba still adopts Jacobus as a companion, but since Minrathous was chosen, the poor Fledgling got Blighted. Thankfully, one of his additional quest is to ask Davrin, Evka and Antoine for help, and Jacobus becomes a Grey Warden.

As Rook, it took a while for Alba to understand what truly happened to Varric, due to blood magic but also denial. Here, he is fully aware his friend is gone, but the denial is almost even stronger. His feelings are heightened, and he falls back into his old ways and bad habits. Drinking, not sleeping enough, acting on a whim even more than usual, letting anger get the best of him.

In a way, Lucanis and Alba bond over their shared frustration and inner pain, unextinguishable. Together, they work on letting that fire die and take back control on these destructive emotions.

After Veilguard, the two Crows work hard on trying to rebuild and help Trevisan people. They also often visit the Wardens to check on Jacobus, and they tracked down where Davrin could be. Jacobus is the one saving Davrin and Assan, as he asked for his fathers to stay behind, and not get blighted.

Gallery of this specific Worldstate

Alba as companion in ‣ ‘s worldstate, practicing before The Curtain Call (January 2026)

Rookanis Day 2 — Open Doors & Cages, first Worldstate [Inner Demons happens post-Veilguard in this case] (February 2026)