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herald-divine-hell · 3 months ago

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My Theory on Veilguards' Dragons

This sort of popped up with my friend, @this-is-something-idk-what, when they suggested a theory about the dragons/possible archdemons in Veilguard's Release Trailer. I'm just going to put it here, though I will worn. I feel like I read elements of this in the past, so shout out to any original theorist, but also I'm not exactly the greatest at remembering the direct lore of Dragon Age, and I'm also just dumb.

- So This-is-something-idk-what mentioned a potential theory where the archdemons were the Evanuris or the blighted gods, which I do admit is a very interesting term of phrase for Solas to use. While I'm not particularly against it, I have a few problems with it (which isn't exactly mean to attack this-is-something-idk-what). For one, the only god mentioned to be particularly associated with dragons is actual Mythal herself. I don't think this is a later revionisist take on the Elves part, when they began to directly associate different creatures to their gods potentially after Arlathan's fall, like Ghilan'nain's sacred animal being a halla. We know that Mythal was associated with dragons, even during the times of the ancient elves - the final scene with Solas and Mythal is notable with their depiction of a wolf howling on one side of the eluvian, and a dragon bowing it's head on the other. The only Evanuris, that I am aware of and what the wiki mentions, that is associated with dragons is Mythal. (Though, oddly enough, Elgar'nan, the head of the Evanuris, is notably without a sacred animal, being only noted to be symbolized with fire, light, and lightning, though I could imagine Mythal and him may have shared some elements of draconic influence.)

What I think may have lead to the establishment of the archdemons is primarily because of Mythal. According to the Veilfire Runes in the Deep Road:

"Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!"

We know that Mythal had a hand in slaying some of the Titans, and that the Evanuris halted expeditions after they acquired significant portions of Deep Roads, as the Veilfire Runes codex mentions:

That codex also makes mention that:

"What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all."

Who is making this claim is not entirely known. It is entirely possible it's a follower of Solas, but the codex doesn't give us much to go off, so I digress.

However, what I think it is interesting is that it is very likely Mythal herself, as the Elves retreated from the Deep Roads, established the dragons as a sort of safe guard against a potential attack from either the Titans, or whatever could be found that could threaten them as the codex talks about. Could it be the Blight? I'm not entirely sure. Some people have suggested that the Blight was made from the Elves, but I can also possible see that it has another originator, the Forgotten Ones - whom is curiously absent in discussion from Solas or from the recent DA material. As for the dragons...who else would place dragons, creatures of flight, who take to the heavens, within the binds of the earth? The presence of the potential archdemons all seem to point toward Mythal, though entirely why she did so is up in the air.

But that's not what I'm really trying to discuss. What I think Veilguard is utilizing the possible archdemons as seen in the Release Date trailer is something that was rarely touched upon, or kinda forgotten, in the fandom (but again, it's been nearly ten years since Trespasser, so it makes sense and we could had talked about it back then).

Solas mentions in Trespasser, at his bewilderment that Corypheus could actually succeed in unlocking his foci:

"I did not foresee a Tevinter magister having learned the secret of effective immortality."

How do we see Corypheus remain immortal? By corrupting an high dragon into his vessel. What is curious is that Solas says "the secret", and not a secret, as if the true way to remain effective immortal is to bind your life-source with another entity, powerful enough to retain it. Of course, Solas does say the Elves were immortal, all of them, but I assume that they could die or be in a state of inability. What we find with Flemeth and Mythal may hint that, which I'm like 90% was talked about in past theories. Why else would he refer to it as "effective" rather than simply "the secret of immortality". Because you don't have to technically worry about dying, even if your body is destroyed. You can simply possess another body.

Which leads me to also believe that to secure Mythal's complete dissolution, the Evanuris went beyond just attempting to kill Mythal. They went on an effective purge. It is my theory, not entirely backed I believe by any real source in the lore, that the vallaslin of ancient Elvhenan were not simply just be slave-markers, but points of restoration when an immortal died, as we have seen Corypheus have done in the Temple of Mythal. Though it could be argued that it is done through his usage of the Taint, similar to the jumping of souls of the archdemon, I am not entirely sure. After all, would Corypheus even need to learn that through the foci? Why would Solas mention it as an the secret of effective immortality? Given Flemeth-Mythal's tendency to jump into the bodies of her daughters when their older body begins to wan, I think it is less a utilization of the Taint and more an Elven invention in which Corypheus adopted, thanks to Solas' foci.

The Purge of the Mythalites seem to be implied in the Temple of Mythal in the Unreadable Elven Writing:

She shook the radiance of the stars, divided them into grains of light, then stored them in a shaft of gold. Andruil, blood and force, save us from the time this weapon is thrown. Your people pray to You. Spare us the moment we become Your sacrifice." There is a brief image of an elaborate golden spear, glowing with unbearable heat. Then it fades.

The full poem comes from both Andruil's Gift and the Unreadable Elven Writing:

She took the gathering storm, trapped its fury in golden limbs, and strung it with the screams of the south wind. Andruil, blood and force, your people pray to you. Grant that your eye may not fall upon us. Spare us the moment we become Your prey. She shook the radiance of the stars, divided them into grains of light, then stored them in a shaft of gold. Andruil, blood and force, save us from the time this weapon is thrown. Your people pray to You. Spare us the moment we become Your sacrifice.

I think it is clear, to keep Mythal from accessing a readily available form through her own practitioner-slaves, the Evanuris ordered and acted toward the slaughtering of Mythal's people, leaving her unable to access the world in a meaningful way until Flemeth (and possibly, if it is to believe, but by God I hope it is not true, Andraste).

Such, what we do find in Veilguard with the dragons/possible archdemons is the usage of the effective immortality Solas mentions in Trespasser. And it is very possible that the Evanuris are blighted, in someway, relating specifically to the Blight.

But again, this is a theory - put together in a short amount of time, at 11pm-12am, and I think my first in-depth Dragon Age theory, so please be gentle. 🥺🥺🥺

#dragon age #dai #da #dragon age the veilguard #dragon age veilguard #da:v #dragon age mythal #dragon age theory

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daitranscripts · 17 days ago

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Trespasser (Optional)

Unknown Ruin

Trespasser Masterpost Previous: The Qunari Plot

The PC returns to the Deep Roads after obtaining the Anchor discharge from the shattered library.

PC: It’s completely submerged!

Varric: Did I mention lately that I can’t swim? Just… keep that in mind.

Iron Bull: I wonder if any of the workers got out.

Dorian: We do get dramatic results, don’t we?

The PC finds a pile of rubble blocking a doorway.

PC: We should see where that leads.

They go through the eluvian and emerge in a ruin. They obtain a veilfire torch nearby.

PC: Look at this mural! Hold on… I see something hidden in it.

Varric: If it’s like Solas’s paintings, it’s probably depicting how some elf felt real broody about shit he wouldn’t talk about.

In the light of the veilfire, the runes seem to shift, coiling and uncoiling like snakes. A thunderous voice shatters the stillness, shouting: ㅤㅤ ㅤ "Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!" ㅤㅤ ㅤ For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire. ㅤㅤ ㅤ The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy. ㅤㅤ ㅤ A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. ㅤㅤ ㅤ Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast. ㅤㅤ ㅤ A voice whispers: ㅤㅤ ㅤ "What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all."

Descent DLC completed PC: The runes say the Evanuris fought the Titans. They mined their bodies for lyrium and… something else. It’s not clear.

Descent DLC not complete PC: More about the Evanuris, and a war, maybe? The elves were mining lyrium here and… something else. I’m not sure what.

Next: The Darvaarad

#dragon age inquisition #dragon age #dai #dai transcripts #dragon age dialogue #dragon age transcripts #dai dialogue #dragon age inquisition transcripts #dragon age inquisition dialogue #dragon age trespasser #trespasser dlc #dai trespasser #trespasser dialogue #trespasser transcripts #long post

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hoboblaidd · 24 days ago

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runes in the deep roads

In the light of the veilfire, the runes seem to shift, coiling and uncoiling like snakes. A thunderous voice shatters the stillness, shouting: "Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!" For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire. The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy. A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast. A voice whispers: "What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all."

#this is less on the nose than the others but it jives with his take on the old gods & archdemons #lore #queue

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lairofdragonagelore · 2 years ago

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Murals in DAI: The Death of a Titan

This mural is found in an Unknown Ruin, which location is unknown. We have access to it via a blocked Eluvian in the Deep Roads.

[This post is part of the series “ Murals in DAI ”]

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]

On the titan’s body, we find a veilfire rune that triggers the codex Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads. I already worked on some interpretations of it in Ancient Elven codices; Vir Dirthara. If we read the codex while observing this image, and assuming that both of them describe the same event, we can conclude that the mural is narrating the codex in “three panels”: The elvhen attack, the death of the Titan, and the “something else”.

The codex, for a quick review:

For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire. The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy. A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast. A voice whispers: "What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all."

The attack

According to the codex, the elvhen on the left could be Mythal. Her cape/cloak is made of “green/emerald water” which is usually the description we have of the Fade, which was once the kingdom of the elvhen and spirits. This part of the mural seems to imply “elvhen from the Fade used a god-like power to attack a titan”. I assume the god-like power because the elvhen is casting a circle of gold in her hand, which is a colour that we have seen used a lot to represent god-related iconography and decoration.

We also know that Mythal was different and special from all the rest of the Evanuris. This idea is given to us not only because her statue always is present in all the Temples we visited [included Dirthamen’s], more often than not in a central place or in a place of importance. We also saw that, from all the Evanuris, she is the only one with a divinity halo behind her in the mosaic series [check it in Evanuris]. So, one can assume her power was far over the rest of the Evanuris, so she has a good probability of killing a titan. In any case, this elvhen could represent any Evanuris anyway, but again, I’m also working in relating this mural to the codex.

The Death of a Titan

Then, the next “panel” would be the way in which the Titan was killed

In the centre we can see an undeniable humanoid figure that has been attacked. It’s made of a brown colour, giving the idea of an earthy creature. Its dimensions are so big that it does not fit completely in the sphere. It is the titan. It has an eye drawn on it. This particular kind of eye has been seen in the murals “Self-Portrait” or in the “Removal of the Vallaslin”, which gives us the confirmation this is an eye in the fresco elven style [if we had any doubt].

The body of the creature has been cut in two, across its heart/core. The heart has the asterisk symbol surrounded by a “halo” of gold [or it can also be understood as a Golden Ring]. Once more, we can see that the figure of a golden halo, or gold sphere or gold ring may be implying “Divinity”-like power and control. We also need to remember that in DA lore, divinity has been set as something related to the amount of power that a creature has instead of a particular nature [Solas’s and Morrigan’s words].

Around the golden halo wrapping its heart, we see a fading glow of green. This colour matches the “emerald waters�� of the figure on the left, so it’s a colour related to the Fade: this may imply a relationship between the heart of a Titan and the Fade [could this be related to the codex Vir Dirthara: The Deepest Fade, where the skills to reach the deepest Fade are described very titan-dwarvish-like?] The interpretation of the heart needs a whole section apart.

The titan’s head has been removed. The cut in its “neck” seems clean, while the side of the head is “blasted” which may imply that it was affected mentally. Thanks to Cole’s lines along Overlook, Excavated Caves, and Lower Walkways, we know the Titan has been removed of its will, it is sleeping, unable to awake, as the elvhen mined its body and did something with its heart.

The creature is surrounded by blue lines which branch shape represents lyrium veins. All are drawn in a radial way, with its heart as the central origin of all these extensions: we are seeing the Titan’s circulatory system.

The colour of this sphere where the Titan is trapped is coloured in red. On the bottom we see a bit of orange, giving the idea of fire. This is the “fire sphere” that the codex speaks about. So the fire sphere is about something done to a titan, that angered it, and produced something terrible that had to be hidden later and avoid “its wake”.

Titan’s Heart

The interpretation of the heart of a Titan and the elvhen orbs is very complex and vague. It requires some lore details first that seem to be unrelated:

The Elvhen Orbs

The Elvhen orbs have been shown in these murals represented by the asterisk symbol. This symbol has also appeared in the ground yellow mosaic, in the centre of what seems to be related to a sun surrounded by four eluvians/Mythal dragon shaped Gates:

It’s the same asterisk made of eight “rays”.

Tevinter co-opted [or maybe were taught?] about these orbs before the time of the magisterium and the Old Gods. The Tevinter orbs, called somnaborium, are translated as “vessels of dreams”.

Dorian: That orb Corypheus carries... are you certain it's of elven origin, Solas? Solas: I believe so. Why do you ask? Dorian: There are paintings in the Magisterium's archives of men holding similar orbs. They were depictions of a time long before the magisters. The ancient Dreamers, perhaps. The texts called those orbs "somnaborium"--"vessels of dreams." Could they be the same thing? Solas: Perhaps. The humans of ancient times took much from the elves. Dorian: And Corypheus isn't far removed from the time. Hmm.

These Tevinters that Dorian refers to may be the same ones related to the Astrariums. They seemed to have had a deeper relationship with Elvhenan culture. They also had interest in the constellations and the astronomy of Thedas in general, which originally had a lot more of elvhenan representation. This brings a lot of unanswered questions about this particular ancient group of Tevinters and the posterior Magisters Sidereal [title related to celestial bodies and constellations].

The “vessels of dreams” can easily be interpreted as “vessels of Fade energy”, the same energy we saw in the codex Raising the Sonallium, which allowed the creation of worlds. Now, this brings a question: is this energy infinite? What’s its source? Is it merely Fade? If the elvhenan created worlds from it, is this not an energy that seems to have “shaper/titan” properties? In codices like Attentive Listeners or Homecoming, we see that the main power of the elvhen is to bend what already exists, not to create.

I always questioned the real reason why the architects are fighting in Raising the Sonallium. I think it may be related to some unethical procedure in the creation of the world, or a question about the use of the energy of the Fade for this kind of useless creations. We know it cannot be about an aesthetic colour choice.

Sadly, there are no many other sources to explore this train of thoughts, but certainly the idea that the Fade energy may be provided by the Titans themselves would have terrible in-lore consequences if it’s true: it would mean that the elvhenan kingdom was just the typical story of the created creature taking the power of their creators, rebelling against them, and abusing of the original power.

Anyways, continuing with the orbs: through the analysis of Fen’Harel’s orb, we know that the main function of these orbs is to accumulate Fade energy, which is used to the creation of worlds. Solas tells us at the end of Trespasser that he slumbered during a millennia while his orb kept accumulating energy that would allow him to destroy the Veil again.

We don’t know the origin and construction of these orbs, but we know there were many during the time of the Evanuris. In the Shattered Library we even find several of them, empty, spread at the borders of the Lower Archives. Why are they not accumulating energy? What process has been broken that the accumulation function has stopped working in them? These seem to be discharged or useless. Maybe the accumulation of energy needs of someone directing that energy?

These orbs also seem to be used in the procedures of creating pools such as the Well of Sorrow, through which the bound process of the servants of a given Evanuris is executed, according to the mural Removal of the Vallaslin:

So, when we connect the elven orb with the asterisk symbol, the mural of “The Dead of a Titan” can be understood in three different ways:

1) The Creation of the Elvhen Orbs is made out of the Hearts of Titans.

We can think that these orbs are made of “extracted” Titan’s hearts. So, when the Evanuris won the war against the Titans, they took their hearts to create these orbs and the rest of their bodies were mined in order to obtain their lyrium to potentiate magic and to perform vallaslin slavery-rituals.

Pros of this idea

Titans are always spoken in plural, meaning that there were many of them and since some codex speak of “pillars of earth” and some victories over then were attributed to Elgar’nan too [Vir Dirthara: Signs of Victory ], it seems that some kind of harvesting may have been possible in order to create several elvhen orbs.

This concept allows the speculation that the red lyrium is Blighted lyrium even though we were hinted in books [The Calling] and in games [Uncharted Abyss] that some parts below the Deep Roads, potentially related to the interior of the Titan, are immune to the Blight and reject the darkspawn: it seems reasonable to think that while the heart exists, the lyrium in the veins is purified through a “circulatory system”, so we can find places likes the Uncharted Abyss where there is no Blight nor darkspawn. But once the heart is removed or dead, and the remaining lyrium gets stationary, the possibility of being blighted does not contradict the apparent immunity to the Blight that places like these seem to have.

Cons of this idea

Size. I bet a titan’s heart is too big to compress it into that small ball that we see in the elvhen’s hands. Note: remember that the heart we saw in the DLC was not a Titan’s, it was a Guardian. Even the wikipedia of Dragon Age has that information wrongly [check The Wellspring].

If we assume Occam’s razor, there is no much sense in thinking a living creature could stay alive without their heart. Besides, there is no lore that states what happens with a titan once their heart is removed. Is it still alive? Is it dead? Is it in permanent sleep? According to Cole, the Titan is still singing and sleeping, which seems to contradict the idea of “removing heart”=“death of a titan”. Two possibilities arise if we assume Cole is the one who holds the truth: Or removing the titan’s heart removes their consciousness but keeps them alive; or the heart was never removed.

The only hint we have of a creature without a heart that still lived is the Tale of the Avvar about Korth the Mountain-Father. But he not only kept alive, he became cruel and violent. This image would fit an “angry titan” too, though. Was this tale shared with the Avvar via the spirits to represent what the Elvhenan did ages ago to a Titan? Hard to say for sure.

2) With the power of the elvhen orbs, the Titans were killed, including their hearts.

This idea brings similar consequences from the point 1. The difference lays that it does not make use of the heart of the Titan, and uses the concept that the Titan is killed in the process.

Pro of this idea

Similar to the previous interpretation. It solves the problem of keeping the size of the heart into consideration as well as a potential “life” after the heart is removed. We assume in this option that the titan is completely killed.

This idea allows the concept of accepting that a titan dead body can be susceptible of being tainted, potentially giving the explanation of the origin of red lyrium as part of the procedure of decay and rotting of a titan’s corpse.

Cons of this idea

This is a good interpretation of the Mural we are seeing, but the cons are similar to the previous one: Cole keeps telling us that the Titans are alive, but in a vegetative state, sleeping, unable to awake because they forgot how to do it. So, the titan doesn’t seem to be dead. This argument is so strong that I would say that the whole idea of the point 2 should be discarded. The Titans are sleeping, stirring with big Fade-related events, and singing. Their minds seem to be trapped, but they are very much alive. We even can bring into this idea the potential interpretation that their minds are trapped inside Redy Lyrium, since Whispers Written in Red Lyrium can be interpreted as the voices of trapped evanuris as well as titans .

Even if we consider this titan in the mural being the only one who has been killed in the history of the elvhenan, it seems a bad assumption because at the end of the codex we know that, whatever the Evanuris made experiments with the titan, it is still alive thanks to the sentence “Let no one wake its anger”, which implies that it is slumbering but alive.

We have a good amount of reasons to assume that these titans were not killed. So, the title of the Mural is a fallacy, but I will keep calling it that way because we are not sure what truly happens with the Titan. The key is in the “something else”-part which we had no idea about.

3) With the power of the Elvhen orbs, the Titans were defeated, stealing their “mind” somehow, siphoning their powers into the orb, while the elvhen mined their vegetative bodies. Maybe they even experimented with the titan’s body.

Both the centre of the titan and the elvhen orb have the same symbol: an asterisk, but the colour of it is different, and the ray hitting the Titan maybe it’s more about a siphoning effect than an strike: the elvhen orbs may have become “vessels of the energy of a Titan’s heart” [this, again, would suggest that “the Fade energy” of the orbs is related to the mind/heart of a Titan, to their “dreaming” ability]. The “attack” of the elvhen may be the “golden ring” around the heart, implying control as the golden ring seems to represent in many the elvhen paintings, removing “heart and mind” [like it happens with the slaved elves]:

The centre of the titan [asterisk symbol] seems to have been accessed through a tunnel that has the same colour that the background around the asterisk. This structure makes me remember the Uthenera chamber found in the Deep Roads in Trespasser: Lower Walkways, we see a long deep well with an intense lyrium-light deep into it, suggesting that the well and the whole chamber is close to the lyrium spring. My speculation is that the Uthenera chamber may keep the Titans sleeping or without will [keeping the effect of the golden ring, maybe?], as Cole explains to Sera in Overlook: “Their [referring to dwarves] ancient shapers [Titans] were mountains drawn of all their wills, walking their memories into valleys of the world". In the Uthenera chamber Cole says: “Songs screaming far away. It wants to wake up but can’t remember how”. The Uthenera chamber may have a role in the process of making the titans “forget how to wake up”, as Cole seems to imply in "They made bodies from the earth, and the earth was afraid. It fought back, but they made it forget."

Once again, Cole repeats that the Elvhen made the Titan forget, and that seems to be a reasonable role for the Uthenera chamber found there, because as I said in other posts, it seems that the Ancient Uthenera had nothing to do with what the Dalish think it is [as usual in the Dalish pattern]. The main reason to suspect this is why would immortal beings go to sleep eternally in the Fade if they were already living in the Fade? It always felt suspicious.

If the Elvhen drew energy from the heart/mind of the titans, who had the power to create worlds and shapes and bodies, the conflict with the Titans may have been more complex than only the shaking effect of the Elvhen cities that we read in Song to Elgar'nan.

Pros of this idea

This hypothesis would explain why the titans were disconnected with their children: the dwarves. The elvhenan made the Titans forget too much, or may have even severed the Titan’s connection to the dwarves as the tranquils are severed from the Fade. If a Mage’s mind is severed with a brand of Lyrium [The Rite of Tranquility], maybe an inverse process may exist where a titan’s mind is severed by branding their mind with some Fade energy [golden ring?].

This interpretation gives sense to most of Cole’s comments: the titans are not dead, but vegetative.

Cons of this idea

This makes the explanation of the red lyrium as tainted lyrium a bit less possible, since they naturally seem to be immune to the Blight. However, we only have one source who claimed that knowledge, which so far seems unreliable: Bianca, who at the same time, got this information form an unknown source [read Emprise du Lion: Suledin keep]

Ironically, when we activate the puzzle in front of this mural, the heart of the titan has to be lighted with Veilfire, so there is an implicit message that the heart of a titan is burnt with Veilfire or fire. Or a titan’s heart/mind is the fuel for the powers of the Fade and Veil. Could this be the origin of the “weakening” stone that the dwarves believe in, where the power of a Titan is consumed by the Elvhenan orbs and this progressive weakening is what causes aberrations such as being susceptible of the Blight and then turn the Titan’s blood into red lyrium? Depleting a titan’s heart causes a progressive corruption? So many questions.

In any case, as we can see, the option 3 seems to be the most reasonable of all. The Titan has not been killed [it can sing and stir as they have been shown to do in repeated occasions], but turned into a vegetative creature that allowed the mining of its body for lyrium extraction and “something else”. However, the option 1 as a consequence of the end of the siphoning effect, as the effect of “what happened when they killed one”, still seems to apply to at least one titan, but not as a general practice executed on all titans. The problem is: if the option 1 is possible, it means that dead titans can still sing “angrily”. It ends up contradicting a lot of logical statements and assumptions done along this section. The only way to “save” this is that the Titans are not killed but weakened, and end up being corrupted without being “dead”.

The “something else”

From the three options proposed above, the only one which provides a “secret” to be considered as a “something else” [while keeping the Titan alive, which is the case since they sing], seems to be the third one. Keeping this option in mind, we can try to interpret the “third panel” of the mural:

Here we find an elvhen holding the orb/sphere with the asterisk symbol, which is not the same one than the titan’s core. The Heart of the Titan is a yellowish sphere with a black asterisk. The sphere held by the right elf is a green sphere with a yellowish asterisk, the same colour than the sphere of the titan’s heart and the ray. This could mean “redirection of the power”, encouraging the idea of the siphoning power.

The fact that these orbs in Tevinter are called “vessels of dreams” makes us also wonder if they don’t drain the consciousness of a Titan [its dreams] as well and trap them inside an orb. And once more, we have to remember that it’s in this place of the mural where we put the Veilfire, giving the idea of “Fade-presence” in the “heart of the Titan”, or a Titan’s heart being burnt/consumed by the Fade powers.

The golden ring around the asterisk symbol in the Titan’s heart, now is seen as a halo in the elvhen head, a God was born [in terms of being a creature more powerful than anything else]. So through the heart of a Titan, Divinity is seized. Similar iconography can be seen in Valta’s tarot card

The divine halo melts and falls behind the elvhen, giving the impression that it transforms into a mountain, implying that now the elvhenan control more than the mere Fade with the siphoned power: they can control the Waking World, the world where shape is strong and can create like “titans”.

Hence the image of a range of mountains below. The left side of this elvhen also has some Fade-green colour as a way to show transition or also Fade nature [light blue square].

A second interpretation is that through this power of shaping the world, they may have abused of it, creating new bodies [Cole: "They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget."], changing the shape of creatures, and experimenting with them, as The Horror of Hormak implies. Hence, the perfect halo of divinity is falling apart and becoming the underground of the mountains that had sealed horrors such as The Horror of Hormak. Sealing horrors seems to fit the last part of the codex Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads. Like, “playing to be gods”, creating and shaping, ended up in a horror that “elvhen had to hide below collapsed caverns”.

The “something else”, then, can be related to the experiments and the abuse [The Horror of Hormak] that the elvhenan may have done by using the powers siphoned from a titan’s heart/core.

Extra details

The background of the mural shows elongated inverted triangles, suggesting a world where Waking World and Fade were mixed, which is correct; by this time the Veil has not been created yet. They are painted in gold.

Neither the mural nor the codex said what exactly went wrong in this process, but something did it as the whisper in the codex says that they should not wake “its” anger [the “it” treatment seems to mean the Titan as usual] and suggests the people to raise against the Evanuris [I personally think this whisper is Solas’].

The dev’s notes say that this mural was drawn by Solas, in a determinant point in which he decided to stop the Evanuris, but making sure nobody learnt again what they were doing [probably to avoid temptation]. These notes seem to confirm that the whisper in the codex is Solas’. He is the first voice who speaks about the need to raise and stop the Evanuris.

If we consider Solas’ words as hints of truth, the event shown in this mural should be part or be linked to Mythal’s death. Why? Because Solas said that the last straw to banish the Evanuris was her death, while here, the Dev’s notes tell us that the reason was this painted event. Solas has a good history of telling truths that need a particular context to be understood exactly in the sense he says them. And I think it’s not by chance that this mine has so many statues of Mythal in big sizes. The death of mythal, the corruption of this titan, and the red lyrium idol seem to be connected one another even though it’s all speculation what we can say about.

According to the codex, this Titan, who is trapped or it’s part of a sphere of fire, was contained with vines. The detail of the vines immediately reminds me of the Blight, because as we saw in Murals in DAI: Basics and in all previous games’ presentations, the thorny vines were always related to the Blight and Darkspawn. These vines in particular were originally green and enchanted [since later they are described as runes], but after eons they weakened. Maybe the codex shows in this image the origin of the Blight as a degradation, or rotting process of a sleeping, angry Titan. I can’t help but relate “angry” energy with Red Lyrium, although the Red Lyrium seem to be more related to the Evanuris according the analysis done in The Creation of the Veil. However, nothing is completely said after all.

This sleeping, angry Titan was buried underground according the codex. “Terrible place sealed underground” can also be related to the The Horror of Hormak.

Integral interpretation

The first part of the mural seem to represent an Evanuris attacking a titan. Most likely, it is Mythal, according to the codex Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads. Her power wraps the heart of the Titan with a golden sphere or a golden ring. The golden ring is usually a symbol of control as we saw in some paintings of Nation Art: Elvhen.

We know the Titan’s will has been removed, so it is sleeping, unable to awake, as the elvhen mine its body for lyrium and do “something else” with its heart. If we understand the golden sphere around the core of the Titan as a golden ring, it would support the idea of an alive titan being "zombificated" as we saw the golden ring seem to do on elves. This forced slumbering of the titan may be done via Uthenera-related processes, since we find a chamber that Cole identifies as such, and he assures that these singing elvhen interact with the Titan’s song.

Siphoning the power of a Titan's heart may give the elvhenan powers related to creating worlds and shaping creatures. Abuses such as the ones seen in The Horror of Hormak may have been done with them, justifying the line “something else” said by the inquisitor about the codex/mural.

However, if this siphoning process was continuous and ended up destroying the heart and killing the Titan, there are chances that the circulatory system of the titan, that may have given to it some immunity to infections such as the Blight, stopped working, turning the Titan into a creature of red-lyrium. This may refer to the angry energy of the sphere of fire.

The problem with this hypothesis that seems to offer a reasonable in-lore explanation for the origin of the Red Lyrium, is that it assumes the death of the Titan, which would mean Titans should not be singing and stirring as they do when big Fade-related events happen. So I’m inclined to think in the option where the Titan remains alive but corrupted.

Side note: I’m annoyed that is not clear yet which was created first: the Blight or the Red Lyrium, or if both are the same thing. Clearly both diseases are related to Titans and Evanuris, but the truth is still quite away from our grasp.

#DAI murals #titan #titans #evanuris #red lyrium #High speculation #uthenera #Golden Ring #golden halo #inverted triangles #asterisk symbol #elven orb

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felassan · 2 years ago

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Some brief wonderings on Dragon Age: The Missing #2.

so it's Solas that they're looking for after all, sometimes the most obvious/simplest answer is indeed the one hh.. Varric and Harding are basically getting their own Wolf Hunt DLC. I'd be so excited if the two chars on the front cover behind Harding are Crows, Teia and Viago!! (they look so cool) and I'm thrilled Scout Harding gets her own cover page 🥺

Lady Chrysanthus seems to be a new char. 'chrysanthus' is part of the scientific name for a species of crocus, meaning goldenflowered, and was also the name of an early Christian saint. I wonder if elements of her character design such as wardrobe will be gold-themed? I'm assuming she's a mage. and what is her angle - is she remnant Venatori trying to entrap Varric and Harding, or one of the Tevinters who oppose the Venatori? maybe she's aligned with the Viper, or is a contact of Dorian and Mae's?

for the Crows, well, per The Wigmaker Job (which also takes place in Vyrantium) someone mysterious has been hiring Crows to take out a bunch of prominent Venatori. maybe that's why their paths will "cross" in this comic, especially given Lucanis and Illario had been hired to take Venatori out in TN and then in the short story The Wake with Illario, Teia and Viago Lucanis has died (or 'died').

In Genitivi Dies In The End, the adventuring group were on their quest in the Deep Roads by special commission of the Inner Circle, an expedition to find the true history of the elven pantheon. their expedition report was sent to Varric - maybe this trip into the Deep Roads and so on regarding Solas is him following up on some of their findings himself?

and :D we're in danger. Varric and Harding went into the Deep Roads in pursuit of Solas. so some lead they and the Inquisition remnants had placed him, an agent or interest of his down there. Solas in the Deep Roads.. why? what plan, or concern, of his takes him down there.. Rasaan and the Antaam were down there looking for details about his true name, the Genitivi expedition was down there looking for details on the true nature of the elven pantheon. shattered fragments like ancient elven libraries are down there, maybe there's knowledge or an artifact that could be found in one of these fragments that he's seeking. or it's something to do with the Blight, which he seems concerned about in DAI (we worry about a Double Blight, maybe he's checking how bad it is down there or he's heard about the Ghil pool darkspawn/Ghil labs). I'm reminded of the Fen'Harel statues in the Deep Roads (Codex entry: Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 1):

Now the Qunari bring me down into the lightless depths, and for what? Because the nursery rhymes I remember from childhood make me an expert on ancient elves.

These statues are old. Better shape than anything I've seen on the surface. Many of them are for Mythal, though. And Fen'Harel. Not in a spot of honor, but guarding, attending.

Protector and All-Mother, why are you honored here, so far from the light of the sun? And why was the Dread Wolf at your side?

and Codex entry: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads:

A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast. A voice whispers:

"What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all."

and also for some reason of the Architect? ancient mage beings skulking around in the Deep Roads doing or looking for who knows what.

#dragon age: the missing #dragon age #bioware #video games #solas #long post #longpost #dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4

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dragon-age-codex-entries · 1 year ago

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Codex entry: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads

In the light of the veilfire, the runes seem to shift, coiling and uncoiling like snakes. A thunderous voice shatters the stillness, shouting:

"Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!"

For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire.

The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy.

A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic.

Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast.

A voice whispers:

"What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all."

#dragon age #codex entry #magic #elves #dalish elves

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virlath · 3 years ago

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Some details about the idol concept art

Concept art of the idol was posted on Twitter so of course, I had to do a quick breakdown because there are some new details which weren't in other versions of it.

The most obvious new detail is the snake-like creature on the right. I originally thought it was a tail of some sort, but if it is in fact a snake, it is a peculiar difference. It instantly reminded me of the Tevinter heraldry which features a dragon and snake/serpent.

Mythal is the embodiment of the dragon, and she has also been described as a serpent in the lore.

The snake detail in the concept art makes me wonder why exactly snake symbolism is so widely used in Tevinter when dragons are surely considered more powerful. There must be something about snakes we don't know about yet..? It could also just be a reference to the ourobouros, which has featured a few times in the games and art.

The central figure in the idol also looks like they have black tears running from their eyes. This corresponds to characters in the series who have used blight magic; their eyes form inky black tears.

Mythal stole the knowledge of the Void from Andruil so I have wondered what she did with that knowledge, and if that knowledge could be found within the Well of Sorrow's voices.

Could the Evanuris have killed her for access to that information, and destroyed her temple with hopes of finding that knowledge of the Void? Solas even makes a point of saying that he has never seen a group share their power equally, no matter how noble their intentions.

Then, there’s the vines.

Dark Fortress spoilers below.

In Dark Fortress, Francesca uses her vine magic to bury the sarcophagus deep underground where it can't be found. When I saw the concept art, the vines just reminded me of the panel below.

It could just be an uncanny resemblance...but still.

If Mythal was corrupted in some way, it makes sense that the ancient elves would attempt to bury her body underneath the stone, as this is a method that has been used in other events in the universe to prevent evil from escaping (veilfire rune in the deeproads / Horror of Hormak).

Francesca's magic is also supposed to be reminiscent of the magic the Emerald Knights used, and they had some rather interesting connections to the ancient elves if you go deeper down the rabbit hole.

Mythal's knowledge and power could have been used in an attempt to create a monster- something that made the earth afraid.

In Tevinter Nights, the dread wolf claims the idol is 'his', but is it Solas' or is it Mythal's?

Solas can turn people into stone, a sign of magic derived from the titans who we know Mythal defeated in a war. Solas can also affect people through their dreams, even dwarves who have no connection to the fade. This seems to confirm the note we found in the deep roads, the one that says Mythal gave dwarves dreams.

I am empty, filled with nothing(?), Mythal gives you dreams. It fills you, within you(?), Making our leaders proud. My little stones, Never yours the sun. Forever, forever.

When the dread wolf claims the idol is his, he could really be referring to Mythal's ownership of her being within the idol, because she is technically now a part of him.

The idol was found deep underground in the primeval thaig, which was untouched for centuries. It was also found on an altar, and was seemingly revered by the dwarves.

I have a theory the dwarves had access to a fragment of her, and this is how she oversaw the elves' lyrium mining operations. When the dwarves learned that Mythal was killed, they could have crafted the idol in an attempt to bring Mythal back.

So at this point I would be more surprised if Mythal wasn't involved in the origin of the blight, considering all of these weird connections.

#dragon age #da theories #red lyrium idol #bioware #drabble

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planesofduality · 4 years ago

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"The tide of enslavement has reversed itself. It is now we gods who are the slaves, and the mortals our masters—though they know it not.”

- Steven Erikson, Gardens of the Moon

On worship

“Worship makes you more.”

– Cole, Trespasser

Ancient elven "temples" were no simple shrines. Extensive digging shows that buildings radiated out of the main edifice, much like a city wrapped around a palace. Indeed, these temple complexes must have been cities once, with a veritable army of functionaries running them. Each cult had different rituals, ablutions, and prayers to their chosen patron that ran all hours of the day. The time and effort devoted to them must have been staggering.

– Temple of Mythal Codex; from an essay by Atronus of Antiva, scholar and naturalist to the Antivan royal court

I do not believe they sing songs about Falon'Din's vanity. It is said Falon'Din's appetite for adulation was so great, he began wars to amass more worshippers. The blood of those who wouldn't bow low filled lakes as wide as oceans. Mythal rallied the gods, once the shadow of Falon'Din's hunger stretched across her own people. It was almost too late. Falon'Din only surrendered when his brethren bloodied him in his own temple.

– Solas, at the Temple of Mythal

This is a lot. Mythal is never described as vain, but if the codex above is to be believed, it seems like a lot of her people spent the whole day worshipping her – and I suspect some of the rites were at least somewhat similar in nature to the Petitioner’s Path. Solas actively approves of the Inquisitor paying respect to Mythal via the Petitioner’s Path (as well as participating in the spirit ritual in Frostback Basin), so I wonder if his real issue with Falon’Din is that he accomplished the same ends through fear/manipulation – which is something Solas would not support.

Fen’Harel actively pushing “the Evanuris are false gods” propaganda is about the biggest F you and most effective way of removing their power if this is true. The timeline of his rebellion, Mythal’s betrayal, and the decision to create the Veil is most interesting, because we still don’t really know the precise order of the events. It is possible his original plan was to simply strip the Evanuris of their power via his rebellion, until they were sufficiently weakened, but it went horribly awry.

Anyway, this is all to say, if I were an Evanuris and my power depended on how many worshippers I had, I would definitely look for a different source of power. Which, they probably did...

"What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all."

– Veilfire rune; Trespasser

#dragon age #dragon age lore #solas #mythal #the evanuris #just spirit things #cole's quote got me thinking about Ghilan'nain #girl had a vision #its almost admirable

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jackdawyt · 5 years ago

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Hello Thedosians, I am here today to explain 6 fan theories that must come true in the next Dragon Age instalment.

Saria and I have been researching and tinfoiling away on many popular fan theories that plenty of others have theorized as well. Please note, these are all theories, and we would love to hear your ideas in the comment section below. There is no right or wrong when it comes to speculation.

But without further ado, put those tinfoil hats on, and strap seatbelts to your ears because we're going to take them on the ride of their lives!

Theory: I believe the Blight emerged from a Blighted Titan

The origin of the blight is quite the mystery throughout Thedas with many sources having their own validation on how the blights began:

Chantry-folk talk about a Maker casting a blight onto his failed creations as a plague for punishment of man's excessive pride.

The blight was to be the tool by with the Maker would end all of creation. They preached that it came from the Void, a place of nothing. (Codex entry: Lyrium).

In Threnodies, The Chant of Light exclusively condemns the kinsman of the Tevinter Imperium for the blight's existence.

Threnodies 8.13: "The Chant says that the Maker created the blight as he cast down the seven magisters who blackened the Golden City. Twisted and corrupted, the seven found the Old God Dumat snoozing, their taint spread onto Dumat, cursing the dragon and unleashing the first blight onto Thedas."

However, Tevinter's Imperial Chantry claims that The Chant of Light is a fabrication, a lie to spite the Imperium. Henceforth, the Imperial Chantry believes that the darkspawn have always existed, even before the blights. The main culprits for the blackening of the Golden City and mankind's corruption are the lies of the Old Gods, not mortal pride.

Contradicting the chantry's tale of the blight. As history recalls, it was the Dwarven Kingdoms that were the first to fall to the darkspawn. While the Dwarves don't care for the blight's origin, or what causes it, a pair of Dwarven scouts do believe that the Darkspawn were created by a queen broodmother - the first in existence - responsible for breeding all darkspawn.

Perhaps at the very heart of our world sits a queen—the first mother. Instead of focusing on her children, we should target broodmothers and ensure that future reinforcements will never be born. Codex entry: The Eternal Battle: Darkspawn.

Even The Grey Wardens believe that the Blight is a spiritual corruption that pervades all that it touches, and that all Archdemons must be destroyed in order to stop any future Blights.

Now, According to Solas this is untrue - he indicates that killing all the Archdemons would not stop the blights, the hordes of Darkspawn would still continue to ravage Thedas. He knows that there is something much worse that's behind the blight.

So, the majority of humans in Thedas believe in either the Maker creating the blight, or the blight already existing in the Black City. While the Dwarves don't care as long as the blight can be stopped, and the Grey Wardens are adamant that the Archdemons' death will end the blights.

In short - it seems no-one in Thedas knows what caused the Blight, and those few who do dare say a word. *Stares at Solas*

However, there is something that we do know regarding the origin of the blight! The substance known as "red lyrium" is intrinsically tied to the blight, because red lyrium actually has Blight within it, spreading the taint:

"Red lyrium... it has the Blight."

—Bianca Davri

Regular lyrium is the blood of the world-shaping Titans, the substance empowers magic because it is a conductor that "bridges the gap between the dreamer’s world and the waking world." - (World of Thedas, Vol. 1).

It's used by mages to strengthen magical spells and abilities, while Templar's use it to maintain their immunity to magic, and repel spells.

However, Red Lyrium is blighted Titan blood - corrupted and distorted - carrying this plague throughout the land. Unlike regular lyrium which requires you to digest it in order for it to impact you, just being around red lyrium will significantly affect you.

The substance is most unique, it can thin the veil, allowing spirits and demons to interact with the "real" world. Prolonged exposure will change not only your mental outlook but your physical appearance too. When a templar ingests red lyrium, it improves their powers, grants them new ones and pushes their strength beyond measures.

Once consumed you can become easily become addicted. The more a Templar ingests, the more likely it is for the red lyrium to manifest - descending the subject into pure madness and crystallizing their body until it's pure red lyrium, not being recognized as having once been a human.

What's most concerning is how Red Lyrium came to be, the mystery still alludes us today. However, we can assume that it comes from a Titan, more apropos - a blighted Titan.

Based on Codex entries, we know that in the time before the veil, the Kingdom of the Elven hunted and declared war against the Titans.

"In this place we prepare to hunt the pillars of the earth. Their workers scurry, witless, soulless. This death will be a mercy. We will make the earth blossom with their passing."

Mythal, the God of Justice, personally slew a Titan, destroying the dwarf kingdom.

"Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!" - Trespasser DLC.

With the defeat of a Titan, the Ancient Elves discovered lyrium from its body. The elves continued to fight with the Titans, mining their bodies for lyrium and "something else". Potentially, their hearts that control the will of the Fade.

"The runes say the Evanuris fought the Titans. They mined their bodies for lyrium and... something else. It's not clear." - Trespasser DLC.

Lyrium has plenty of benefits to a mage, however, if Titan's created the Fade, perhaps their heart's can change the will of the Fade and that's why the elven people needed to slay one, so they can acquire a heart and change their reality.

Believing that the Titans were slain, the elves resumed their lyrium mining operations, until something changed. The normal lyrium became red lyrium, affecting the workers at an alarming rate, nothing could stop this.

"For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire. The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy. A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast. A voice whispers:"

"What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all." - Codex entry: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads.

The blight spread through red lyrium onto the Elven workers, killing and turning them into tainted ghouls. With their meddling, the Evanuris already knew what the Blight could do even to them and their people...

"One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts. She began stalking The Forgotten Ones, wicked things that thrive in the abyss. Yet even a god should not linger there, and each time she entered the Void, Andruil suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning." Codex entry: Elven God Andruil.

They figured out that the Titan was not really dead and since the Blight infects only living beings, they had no choice but to seal the mining place.

The Evanuris returned, using red lyrium as a weapon, becoming mad. Mythal protests and is betrayed and "slain", Solas forges a trap for the remaining Evanuris, creating the veil and sealing the tainted "gods" away. Not only did the veil's creation lock away the blighted Evanuris, but the veil was needed to prevent the Titans from waking up.

"He broke the dreams to keep the old dreams from waking."

- Cole

In some regards, Solas saved the elven kingdom by severing the connection the Titans had with their "children".

Finally, we make it to the theory: I believe that the blight originated within a Titan.

Before the veil, the Titans exacted their revenge, blighted and breaking the seals of its prison with its newly acquired slaves - the elven people. it mentally called the dwarves and made them break the seals from outside thus freeing it and in turn, it infected them with the taint and made them its slaves - a corrupted form of a hive-mind.

It planned to strike vengeance upon the Evanuris. After some time, through its newly acquired slaves, it found the prisons of the sleeping Old Gods and decided to infect them too. planning to unleash the Taint upon Thedas.

The Old Gods, slaves of the blighted Titan and the generals of its army: they command the entire Darkspawn horde and in turn, they are commanded by the Titan to do its bidding.

Whether the blight came from the Titans like a defensive mechanism, or a plague to defend itself from hostile forces, or if the ancient elves/forbidden ones concocted the blight by using blood magic on a slain Titan. It's still unknown.

The blight could be a natural infection. Red lyrium might just be Titan cancer, a piece of their biology mutating mid-life and turning into something destructive and dangerous. That's why the blight has so many Titan properties. It has a Hive-Mind because Titans have Hive-Minds. It Sings, because Titans Sing.

With the veil in place, the Titans returned to a remorseful slumber. Angry because they can't reconnect with their children, awaiting the chance to embrace them once more. This yearning anger has manifested throughout the years with the growth of red lyrium, and the blight's progress.

The Titans have a strong connection to The Fade, or at least an association with it. When the Magisters used blood magic to physically cross the Veil and enter the Black City, the reestablished connection between the physical world and the dreaming Fade unleashed the blight again.

With the veil's destruction, surely a blight the likes of which have never been seen would be released onto Thedas. The Titan's pain will be heard by all.

We are here

We have waited

We have slept

We are sundered

We are crippled

We are polluted

We endure

We wait

We have found the dreams again

We will awaken - Whispers Written in Red Lyrium.

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Theory: I believe Solas is a Spirit of Wisdom/Pride in the time of Arlathan

Let's start at the beginning. His name:

Solas - In elven, means: 'Pride’

Pride is mentioned a lot in ancient elven texts, and it's used in the common dialogue of ancient elven tongue. But the only time Pride is mentioned throughout the knowledge of spirits and demons, Pride is represented as a demon.

Pride Demons are known as probably the most powerful demons out there.

"because they, among all their kind, most resemble men; as clever and manipulative as the desire demon, with a penchant for cruel irony that is almost human" -Beyond the Veil: Spirits & Demons.

In it's corrupted form, it's a malicious beast, known for it's 7 eyes. Much like the Dread Wolf’s depiction in it’s given mural…

Now there's a lot of spirits we have met in the Fade throughout Thedas, in this case, Wisdom Spirits are known for giving knowledge. Knowledge of either lore or history from the past ages.

The thing about a spirit’s nature is that it's evident who they are, and what their name describes them as, so it's easy to interpret their purpose. Cole as Compassion fixes up relationships, mourning those of the dead, and help resolve hard situations in which is hard without the need of Compassion.

The hard thing to notice is that if a Pride Demon resembles so much of humanity, and Wisdom is the opposite spectrum of Pride. Wisdom would also resemble this trait, of being human. Making Solas that much easier to tie into our reality.

"Wisdom and Purpose are too easily twisted into Pride and Desire" -Solas

The Chant of Light, says, the Spirits are the first children of the Maker. He turned his back on them because they lacked a soul – they could twist the Fade to their liking, but lacked the ability to imagine and create, and thus emulate their creator.

The only entity we can come across in ancient elvehn would be Elgar'nan,

‘Elgar’ translated in elvhen means "spirit"

‘nan’ translated means "revenge, or vengeance"

So it directly translates as ‘Spirit of Revenge/Vengeance’, whom Elgar’nan’s purpose as a God is as well...

Thus, the Evanuris could all be implemented as spirits first and came into existence to a body…

The Fade began as an "ocean of dreams" and was reduced to a well when the Maker used its "emerald waters", lyrium. He "took from the Fade a measure of its living flesh" and created men.

"They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget ." — Cole

Solas begins to tell the Inquisitor that the Evanuris were remembered as Gods due to war against someone else. Either the Forgotten Ones or the Titans, it doesn't seem to matter when the result seems to resonate in Solas much more than we would expect...

I believe that when Mythal came to seek Solas for more wisdom when he was a spirit. She actually needed him for this war. What I mean is that he would now become seated as a left-hand man to Mythal - a general to help the People into the justice needed for their power.

Solas; probably being convinced, for the time being, comes into a body:

He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. — Cole

He becomes a guardian to her side, a servant of Mythal. Mythal describes those into her service more of a gift than a boon. So those who felt convinced for seeking knowledge or power must have been willing to be at her side just like Solas was.

“You didn’t do it to be right, you did it to save them.”

Solas, what is Cole talking about?

A mistake… One of many made by a much younger elf who thought he knew everything…”

Solas, as a Wisdom spirit had no desire to enter this world with a body, (such as limiting things), but for whatever reason 'she' asked him to come, she being Mythal.

‘He wants to give wisdom not orders. He isn’t that kind of wolf’ — Cole

Solas loathes his purpose. He’s Pride, but he hates it, he wants to change, wants to be Wisdom, but that’s not his purpose at this moment….

He envies Cole’s purpose as a spirit of Compassion:

‘You don’t have to envy me Solas.’ — Cole

He is sad to see his friends depart this world, knowing things are being forgotten, broken, and lost. He will endure, and he will be their Pride.

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Theory: The Griffons Are Alive, And The Wardens Know It

The Weisshaupt conspiracy:

Fortress Weisshaupt has stood through the ages as the Grey Warden’s headquarters, it is located in the southern Anderfels. During the height of the Wardens' power, the fortress was a thriving place, accommodated thousands of Wardens and a large stable of griffons.

Griffons are heroic winged beasts that joined the fights with their Grey Warden counterparts in the previous blights, as warden and beast shared an unbreakable bond throughout Weisshaupt's history.

Each of the defeated Old God’s remains are memorialized in Weisshaupt’s treasury, declaring the grand victory that the previous wardens had claimed in the name of the group.

The castle is a reflection of everything the Wardens have stood for, throughout the ages. However, in the current Dragon Age, Weisshaupt has become a barren place with a garrison of only a few hundred, the griffons are long extinct, and the reigning First Warden is rarely present.

The Grey Wardens have become irrelevant in the current age with the last blight that occurred over 10 years ago. In actuality, the Wardens have become a hindering, reckless group. During the crisis of Corypheus’s ascension to Godhood, the Orlais Grey Wardens submitted themselves to Tevinter, so they could defeat the two remaining Old God and “end the blights” once and for all.

Once Thedas’s only protectors, and now blinded by their own cause. The Wardens couldn’t even see the real enemy in front of them. And since those events, the group has become even more corrupt with rumours reporting on broken ties between the leaders at Weisshaupt, and how a civil war awaits each of them.

“Rumors abound that they severed ties with their leaders at Weisshaupt, and that a bitter war now rages between them.”

“What becomes of Hawke/Loghain/Stroud/Alistair is unknown – save that all news out of Weisshaupt soon ends.”

“Does the sudden silence indicate a battle within... or something far worse?”

Morrigan, Epilogue

Weisshaupt fortress remains silent, having gone dark from the rest of the group, but why? What caused the Wardens to stop communicating with each other? Was it merely to stop the corruption of the group from spreading, or is something even more aloof?

Have the Wardens finally met their own demise? Has each brother fought their sister? What has truly become of the Weisshaupt Wardens?

Well, perhaps it’s not as suspect as everyone in Thedas is making it out to be. The Wardens have always been a highly suspect group with many secrets, most of the general public don’t understand the Joining, there are plenty of things that the Wardens keep hidden from the average Thedosian.

So, what exactly could the Wardens of Weisshaupt be harbouring, that would force them to isolate themselves from the rest of the group?

Well, in 9:41 Dragon, several Warden-Recruits are assigned to Weisshaupt and begin a research project into records from the Fourth Blight. While there, one of the recruits discovers the diary of Isseya, a Grey Warden from the Exalted Age which reveals that there is a clutch of live Griffons hidden in the Anderfels. The new Wardens successfully rescue the griffons and resolve to return them to Weisshaupt where they will have the facilities to help the griffons re-establish themselves.

Valya; one of the recruits who found the griffon clutch, shows hesitancy at informing the wardens of her discovery. Valya says of the First Warden, Chamberlain of the Grey and High Constable:

"I don't trust them to place the griffons' well-being over power or politics." (pg 280).

Could the Wardens of Weisshaupt be fighting over what is to come for these griffons? Who controls them? How they will be raised? What will their purpose be?

The sheer existence and resurgence of Griffons in the Dragon Age could have caused the need for a sudden silence across the group, if the people of Thedas knew this secret, it could be dramatic.

And with the corrupted Wardens in the South, it may not be in Weisshaupt’s best interest to share this information with the rest of the Wardens for fear of this secret being revealed.

Perhaps this has caused a rebellion inside the Fortress, splitting the group’s leaders over the future of these griffons, and if the people of Thedas deserve to know. With factions within the Grey Wardens both agreeing and disagreeing with sharing this news to the rest of the Wardens.

A civil war brews in the Wardens HQ, will what’s left of the Griffons preserve in this Age? Or will the ignorance of the Wardens once more be an obstacle for the existence of these beasts?

Can the Warden’s rise up to their former glory? Or will they soon meet their demise? As it stands, Weisshaupt remains in the dark, the Wardens are waring amongst themselves, while the fabled Griffons return to the Dragon Age.

__________________________________________________________

Theory: I believe the Evanuris will return once the Veil is torn.

Solas' plan involves tearing down the Veil and restoring the 'time of the elves'. It is stated that when the Veil is torn, the Evanuris will return. But why does that not bode well?

'They were fickle, they amassed wars against one another' — Solas

The Evanuris are known to be power-hungry tyrants that used the bidding of their slaves for power. The more power they received, the more the threat they posed against the world.

'Had I not created the Veil, the Evanuris would have destroyed the entire world' — Solas

It is stated that Falon'Din began wars to amass more slaves, and filled lakes as wide as oceans for those who wouldn't bow low to his shadow.

Andruil, made armors of the Void, hunting the Forgotten Ones in the thrill of the hunt. And brought back plagues and speaking about madness, things forgotten.

‘One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts. She began stalking The Forgotten Ones, wicked things that thrive in the abyss. Yet even a god should not linger there, and each time she entered the Void, Andruil suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning.

Andruil put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face. She made weapons of darkness, and plague ate her lands. She howled things meant to be forgotten, and the other gods became fearful Andruil would hunt them in turn.’ — Translated from ancient elven found in the Arbor Wilds, source unverified.

Ghilan'nain made monstrous beasts that threatened both the skies of the heavens and the depths of the earth. Even rumored to have used the body of slaves and animals as armor.

Elgar'nan cast down the sun unto the earth, seeping the life's blood onto the land. Eidolons were made by thousands of slaves built upon mountains, screaming his worship upon the lands.

'You said that the Elvhen Gods went too far. What did they do they made you move against them?' — Inquisitor

'They killed Mythal' — Solas

The Evanuris plotted out the kill the All-Mother of the Pantheon. They were crazed by reaching for ultimate power, by killing even their own kin to do so.

“She cared for her people, she protected them, she was a voice of reason, and in their lust for power, they killed her” — Solas

The Evanuris warred against one another commonly, this civil war began first with them being generals against the Forbidden and Forgotten Ones.

'Long ago, there were two clans of gods, the Creators, who looked after the people, the Forgotten Ones preyed upon us' - Merrill

'After the war ended, they became respected elders, then kings, and finally Gods, the Evanuris.' — Solas

They banished those of that kin and were rose up into godhood for their power. Sent them to belong in the Abyss, and thrive on things forgotten to somehow bring their People into glory. However, that did not last, slaves represented power in the Pantheon.

Such power was not given freely, all were threatened by each of their knowledge and striked against one another to become divine. When Mythal became a voice of reason to protect her own People, they killed her and began planning to gain power against all who opposed them, making them almost unstoppable.

Solas then began a plan to stop this once and for all:

'Fen'Harel was clever. He went to each side and told them the other had forged a terrible weapon, a blade that would end the war.' — Merrill

Solas trapped both the Gods, by putting them in their respectful places, banishing them to an eternity of torment.

'He sealed them both in their realms forever.' — Merrill

'And when they went too far, I formed the Veil and banished them forever' — Solas

'You banished the false Gods, you didn't kill them?' — Inquisitor

Solas then created the Veil to trap the false gods into their respective prisons.

'Hiding, hurting, and to wake them.' — Cole

The Evanuris were now trapped from destroying the world, Solas begins to state that he finally freed the elvhen people, but their results ended in destroying their world as well...

But there are still some remnants of being alive to return once again:

“You meet Mythal did you not? The first of my People do not die so easily” — Solas

Since the Evanuris will return, I believe their remnants must already grasp some remains of beings of Thedas. Just as similar as to when the Breach stirred the Titan, the Evanuris could be having the same effect as well.

"There are no gods. There is only the subject and the object, the actor and the acted upon. Those with will to earn dominance over others gain title not by nature but by deed."

"Let Andruil's bow crack, let June's fire grow cold. Let them build temples and lure the faithful with promises. Their pride will consume them, and I, forgotten, will claim power of my own, apart from them until I strike in mastery." — Codex entry: Geldauran's Claim

__________________________________________________________

Theory: I believe the Dread Wolf will Rise.

'When He rises, everyone will see' — Sandal

It is already claimed in the teaser trailer that the Dread Wolf will rise. Solas, the next antagonist will rise up against his opposers in the next instalment.

However, the Dread Wolf rising doesn't have to be him doing so physically, but rather, rising up to take responsibility in ending our Veil-like world to restore his elvhen People.

'I will save the elvhen people, even if this world may die' — Solas

Particularly, what will Solas 'rise up' to do when ending our world? The mural we saw looks as if the Dread Wolf is rising much higher above the elvhen bald-figure, and poses as a threat with its red eyes. Could Solas be looking for a source of power to rise against the Veil?

'The shadows will part, and the skies will open wide.' — Sandal

'I would've entered the Fade using the mark you now bear, then I would have torn down the Veil. As this world burned in the raw-chaos, I would've restored the world of my time, the world of the elves. ' — Solas

At the beginning of the Inquisition, Solas kept at a nearby village to retrieve the Orb that carried power over a period of time for millennia. Solas' plan was to retrieve the Orb after Corypheus had died unlocking it, and then have the mark which the Inquisitor bears.

His plan the whole time for this world, was to destroy it and revive the world of his time with the elvhen and also the evil Evanuris. He gave the orb to Corypheus so it could gain enough power to tear down the Veil, which is what he wanted all along. He would have risen up to power and created a plan to destroy the Evanuris before they got their chances of gaining ultimate power.

I believe not only his first personal plan involves him rising up to power against the Pantheon. But that he also 'rose' from a slumber he took. Solas now has awoken to a Tranquil-like world, and will begin his journey to go against the forces of this world. Seeking help where he can reach with spirits and the elvhen, and then opening the Veil in the sky and render the Fade into the Waking world as one.

'I was too weak to unlock it after my slumber' — Solas

He seemed quite sad when the orb broke after all the orb was key to opening eluvians and the Fade.

After defeating Corypheus, Solas’s last chance after the Orb broke was to reach out to Mythal and gain enough power to tear down the Veil. He takes the remnants she bestows to him, and he begins his journey to rise up against the Veil. He starts by taking over control of the eluvians, unleashing spirits to fight against the Qunari threat.

Solas isn't messing around this time, he finally has some amount of power to break the Veil and restore a world before it becomes bad. But how will he rise?

Thedas knows very little of the Dread Wolf, known as a treacherous, merciless, figure that is heavily feared in Dalish tales, the Evanuris fear it too.

'The pages of this book-memory?- warn of a terrible danger, a wolf with slavering black jaws and pits for eyes. The Evanuris-the elven gods-stand in a ring around it, as if preventing it from attacking.

"Beware the forms of Fen'Harel The Dread Wolf comes in humble guises, a wanderer who knows much of the People and their spirits. He will offer advice that seems fair, but turns slowly to poison. Remember the price of treason, and keep in your heart the mercy of your gods."'

— Note: The Treachery of the Wolf

This depiction of Solas having pits for eyes, and slavering black jaws, they warn those of the terrible danger coming. Wherever the Evanrus are hiding, they are surrounding this Dread Wolf to prevent any attacks. What could be speculated is the factor that Solas and the Dread Wolf could be different aspects of each other, like Corypheus puts an aspect in his Red Lyrium Dragon. This, could be closer to a red lyrium wolf.

What if, as described in the codex, Solas is going to finally reach the place were the Evanuris are hiding, use this aspect of himself, the Dread Wolf, to rip open the Veil?

However, the Veil is to be known recently to be weaker than it has ever been since the Breach:

The Tevinters once theorised that the Veil is thin in places that have seen great bloodshed. — Codex entry: Tears in the Veil

Demons seize every opportunity, every tear in the Veil, to enter our world. The Breach is living proof of the chaos it can unleash. In Hushed Whispers was living proof of how the world can become...

But it is theorized that the Veil tends to be weaker in places that feature, or have experienced, extensive death or use of magic.

‘Small tears occur naturally when magic weakens the Veil or when Spirits cluster at an area that has seen many deaths’ — Solas

The tear occurs because spirits are attracted to death and they press against the Veil. The Veil is particularly thin at night when most people sleep and spirits are most active. The use of blood magic can allow the Veil to be torn so that demons may physically pass through it into the waking world.

Once the Veil is torn in places, it is extremely difficult to mend, and some might even say impossible. "Mending" these Tears, i.e. strengthening the Veil, is extremely difficult. Depending on the level of damage done to the Veil, it can be closed through several methods ei. The Anchor.

One place that is particularly known to have the Veil thinner, is Kirkwall. A lot of chaos was constantly influenced upon that city, and that is ultimately where we first located Red Lyrium as well…

It is well known that the Veil is thin in Kirkwall, small wonder given the suffering in the city. But we've discovered the magisters were deliberately thinning it even further. Beneath the city, demons can contact even normal men. Did they seek the Black City to compound the madness of their previous efforts? Or was it something else? We've found a chamber where the Veil is at its thinnest, long-since looted, but the power is still there. — Band of Three, The Enigma of Kirkwall

What is known is that places around Thedas where deaths/chaos have occurred more than frequently are now further weakening the Veil. For Solas, that only means an easy key to breaking the barrier that separates the Fade from the Waking World.

“You’d murder countless people?” — The Inquisitor

‘Wouldn’t you to save your own?’ — Solas

The sky may have never healed ever since the Inquisitor sealed the breach, which may prove worthy for Solas’s plan to destroy the veil. His execution to tearing down the Veil might work once and for all.

And the sky is healed. Healthy, whole, there’s just that left to remember.. - Cole.

A new dawn is appearing, the dawn is coming upon Thedas.

‘One day the magic will come back - all of it. Everyone will be just like they were.’ — Sandal

Solas will rise as the Dread wolf to take the Veil down, and whether his plans are fully executed, could be the end of our time…

‘We aren’t even people to you?’ — Inquisitor

‘Not at first, you showed me I was wrong, you were people and you deserved better. Like all the rest I used after one hopeless battle after another.’ — Solas

__________________________________________________________

Theory: I believe that Mythal is the true Antagonist of Dragon Age.

'For a reckoning that will shake the very heavens. She was betrayed, as I was betrayed, as the world was betrayed! Mythal clawed and crawled through the ages to me, and I will see her avenged!' — Flemeth/Mythal

All Mother, all Protector, a voice of reason, who calmed Elgar'nan's rage, has been betrayed by her own kin. She is the Goddess of Justice and is due for her bidding.

In Ancient times of Arlathan, Mythal, born out of a sea of the Earth's tears.

"In most stories, Mythal rights wrongs while exercising motherly kindness." — Morrigan

She was the aducator of her Elvhen People. Making sure threats were kept at bay, and opposers stuck down for justice.

“Let fly your voice to Mythal. Deliverer of justice. Protector of sun and earth alike.

Pray to Mythal and she would smite your enemies, leaving them in agony" — Morrigan

Mythal was a speaker for all people and even the Evanuris, yet her actions were recorded to be sinister like the rest of the Evanuris:

'Other paint her as dark, vengeful.' — Morrigan

Being more than the other Evanuris gave Mythal an edge, a way to take any of them on and win. hence her dark side being interpreted in tales. She demonstrates this ability in confrontation with Andruil.

So Mythal spread rumors of a monstrous creature and took the form of a great serpent, waiting for Andruil at the base of a mountain.

When Andruil came, Mythal sprang on the hunter. They fought for three days and nights, Andruil slashing deep gouges in the serpent's hide. But Mythal's magic sapped Andruil's strength and stole her knowledge of how to find the Void. After this, the great hunter could never make her way back to the abyss, and peace returned.

— Translated from ancient elven found in the Arbor Wilds, source unverified.

This also makes her nigh impossible to defeat, but she has one glaring weakness: her desire to protect the People. In the time of Arlathan, Titans were threatening the Elvhen, and Mythal sought out the Titan to stop the chaos of their lands.

"Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!"

— Codex entry: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads

So, when the People kill their first Titan, and in the process unleash the Blight:

'The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle as if filled with angry energy.

A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic.

Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells, is cast.'

— Codex entry: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads

Mythal, having a closer association with the Land (the Stone, the Titans) knows exactly what has happened and sacrifices herself to keep the Taint at bay. She splits herself into aspects and buries them as a magical seal against the Taint, replacing the lost Titan. One aspect she keeps on the surface world, to remain among the People. This sacrifice made her vulnerable and the other Evanuris did not hesitate to strike.

'they killed Mythal, a crime for which an eternity of torment is the only fitting punishment.' — Solas

Then Solas moves against the Evanuris, creating the Veil and banishing them into their respective prisons until the bidding of Mythal comes. In which, she has put herself into aspects that effect chaos throughout the lands, buying time for power, until she becomes one again. It awakens and takes form when an uncorrupted piece of Mythal is found by a Tainted priest, their form becoming malicious and broken, until an effective ritual to retrieve the soul uncorrupted...

Flemeth, as we know now to be Mythal, has been manipulating the Ages ever since, she enforces the effective immortality unto her bodies of her daughter to live an abnormal life to endure the ages, all the while.

'Seeking the Justice denied to her' — Flemeth

Mythal has been quite busy after her death when Solas created the Veil, it seems that

'Mythal still endures' — Solas

Solas is now enforcing her plan, it seems to pain him that his mistakes cause further action to take place with Flemeth.

'I am so sorry' — Solas, Epilogue

Solas respects Mythal. He once sealed away the Thedosian versions of heaven and hell and shook the world to its foundations in order to avenge her murder. Now, his own mistake—getting the Orb to Corypheus—means that he himself will now have to take her life and do her bidding.

She plans to seek revenge for the Evanuris, she does not care for the Veil-like world, she believes it was a last-minute effort against an enemy, she seeks to bring all into the new Age, where she rules, the Dragon Age.

'A soul is not forced upon the unwilling, Morrigan, you were never in danger from me.' — Flemeth

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seeker-ophelia · 14 days ago

Text

Honestly, what would I do without Tumblr Mutuals?

(Have a life outside of Dragon Age, Maybe? lol don't be ridiculous)

LOL Nadas I had at least half of this already written for a separate post (mostly on Dragons and The Blight which I will link here after I post it), LETHALLAN WE ARE ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH....

kinda.

Ok a few things before we begin.

We don’t KNOW. We don’t know that Solas was made from Lyrium. We THINK. But we actually know very little.

We know nothing, John Snow, until we play the game in 4 days

Moving on

Lyrium: Titans' Blood, Emerald Waters of the Fade

I am not ready to admit that these are the same thing and I cannot articulate why.

In short: I think the Fade is the Titans' missing consciousness.

Ahhhhhhghhh then how do you explain

This Vir Dirthara: Attentive Listeners Codex?

The pages of this book—memory?—show a solemn group of elves in an ampitheater of living wood, entire trees grown into seats and stairs for the listeners to recline on. Two other elves and a spirit of learning are speaking in turn on ways to bend the properties of the material world when casting spells. At the end, the spirit, with the air of a senior lecturer, floats forward and booms in a surprisingly deep voice. "The unchanging world is delicate: spells of power invite disaster and annihilation. The unchanging world is stubborn: the pull of the earth fiercely resists making fire run like water or stone rise like mist. The unchanging world rings with its own harmony. Listen with fearless hearts, and great works will unfold."

It was from after the fade separation for a titan?

I take this: The unchanging world rings with its own harmony.

To mean: Earth-Magic (Titan-Magic) is different from Fade-Magic (Elf-Spirit-Magic) but it has its own beauty, its own power.

BUT.

I wasn’t ready to agree with you, and then you hit me with this:

And the Chant of Light agrees with me. Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew. Come to me, child, and I shall embrace you. In my arms lies Eternity. —Andraste 14:11

Well Fuck Me I mean, you’ve certainly got me there.

But, since when has the Chantry ever been right?

Re: What IS a Spirit, Then?

What do we actually KNOW about The Veil:

The Veil separates the living Thedas world from the world of the spirits, and it also somehow acts as a prison for the Evanuris.

It was created by Solas/The Dread Wolf

And, that’s it. That’s all we know about the veil.

What else is The Veil doing? Does it have an effect on The Titans? Some people have said Solas is using The Veil to hide The Titans, protecting the last that exist from the Evanuris. Some say that The Veil has no effect on The Titans, because they’re made of earth and The Veil effects magic/fade, so they’re not the same. Some say it makes The Titans sleep.

Truth is, we don’t know yet.

Reminder:

In the light of the veilfire, the runes seem to shift, coiling and uncoiling like snakes. A thunderous voice shatters the stillness, shouting: “Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!” For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire. The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy. A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast. A voice whispers: “What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all.”

What happens when a titan gets sundered (blocked off from its dwarves)? Is it dead? Can it regrow? Or is it lost forever? Where do the memories go?

Dorian: That orb Corypheus carries... are you certain it's of elven origin, Solas?

Solas: I believe so. Why do you ask?

Dorian: There are paintings in the Magisterium's archives of men holding similar orbs. They were depictions of a time long before the magisters. The ancient Dreamers, perhaps. The texts called those orbs "somnaborium"--"vessels of dreams." Could they be the same thing?

Solas: Perhaps. The humans of ancient times took much from the elves.

Vessels of dreams. The dreams of the titan. Are in the orb. The spirits and the memories and the songs and the lives of the dwarfs are inside the foci, inside the orbs (not all of them, a piece of each titan in a thousand orbs). In my opinion, in other words, the SPIRITS of the dwarVHEN is in the orbs. The MAGIC of the Dwarvhen is in the Orb. The Orb itself is a vessel, created to leash the power (magic) of the Dwarvhen.

What happens when that “vessel,” that orb, breaks?

The dreams are gone. The magic is gone, the power is gone.

What happened to it? Is it lost forever? Dissipated to the winds? Truly gone?

At the end of All New Faded for Her:

Inky: What happens when a spirit dies? Solas: It isn’t the same as for mortals. The energy of spirits returns to the fade. If the idea giving the spirit form is strong, or if the memory has shaped other spirits, it may someday rise again.

What happens if a million spirits were to die at once?

Wouldn’t they still return to the fade?

What if a million titan-dwarf-memory-spirits died at once?

Would they return to the stone the titan?

I think its also important to note, that orb is not hollow. It is stone. Black stone. Most likely mined from *drumroll* Emerius. Aka Kirkwall.

The place where the magisterium mines the rock that it builds their temples out of, the City of Chains, the Bone Yard, I think there is special magical properties in the jet stone mined there.

Lets put a pin in this for a minute.

Solas and "Blood" Magic // The Red Lyrium Idol

I'll preface this by saying: no, I have no idea why Solas has changed his tune about blood magic in DA:tV. I hope to find out in five days!

Let’s remember, Blood BINDS. Think Phylactery.

It also makes it harder to get into The Fade, as per Solas. Probably because... it binds, you, to this world, this plane of existence.

If you remember anything about our egg, its that he never wants a person’s will taken away. He will never bind a spirit, or pervert one against its will. (From TN: “From this moment, should you ever bind a spirit, then your life is mine.”)

I do want to suggest that, for Solas, blood magic might mean something different than it does for everyone else.

There's too much to go into here, BUT essentially (does this sound familiar?):

I offer a way out, a way out for all the Grey Wardens that there need be no sacrifice, a ritual, performed on the eve of battle, in the dark of night. It is old magic, before the circle of magi was created. Some might call it blood magic, but that is but a name. there is far more to fear in this world than names.

The Dark Ritual.

Maybe he hates blood, because BLOOD BINDS.

Oh god I have to go deeper into this.

*Please keep in mind at this point all this is my Opinion now and I have little (zero) evidence to support this

You (Nadas) think of the fade/titans/elvhen/dwarvhen as two sides of the same coin. Which, isn’t really wrong, but I think that you’re missing a huge part of the puzzle.

What makes Dragon Age, Dragon Age.

It’s the Dragons.

If you haven’t, read up on Yavana’s wiki page, and The Great Dragons wiki page, they’re short, I promise.

But the most important line is this: The blood of Great Dragons is enormously powerful.

The Tevinter Imperium echoes this, Qunari stories echo this, and its suggested King Calenhad gained his power because of the blood of a Great Dragon.

We don’t know what separated The Evanuris (at the beginning, only Elgar’nan & Mythal) from the rest of the Elvhen (or spirits) of their time. You might claim that they were literally the first two beings on Thedas (like Adam and Eve), I do no subscribe to that theory.

Trespasser:

The Evanuris were Elvhen Mages? How did they come to be remembered as gods? Slowly, It started with a war. Ware breeds fear. Fear breeds a desire for simplicity. Good and evil. Right and wrong. Chains of command. After the war ended, generals became respected elders, then kings, and finally gods. The Evanuris.

Because of Descent, we think maybe a war with The Titans, but (if the information in the wiki is right), Elvhen were around for a few THOUSAND years before they met the Dwarves. How could they gather power without them?

Well, what about killing the giant fire-breathing bitches in the sky who are probably killing your people/animals?

Let’s stick to only Mythal and Elgar’nan now, because I’m going WAY back in time.

One or both of them found out how to kill a Great Dragon, and when they did, they got his power. Maybe they drank the dragon’s blood and that bound the spirit of the dragon to them.

Namely, a Blue-Dragon-Soul.

Sidebar? Let’s look at Elgar’nan for a minute. The first Evanuris. Who Destroyed The Sun. (In Elvhen, Elgara) Who (IMO) was the first to bind a Dragon Spirit (In Elvhen, Elgar) From that Deep Roads Codex: Though I remember my Keeper telling a story about how the dwarves fear the sun because of Elgar'nan's fire. I think Dragon Fire = The Sun = Evanuris Magic = Dragon Magic = Dragon Spirit Let’s get a little more tin-foilery: IN elvhan the suffix -an means place. A physical location. What if the suffix -nan means bind, like consume. A meta-physical place. That would literally make his name Spirit Binder, or Bound-Spirit-Place. (Not Elgar'arla: Spirit-trap; a binding circle to hold a spirit or demon, because that does exist in the wiki I feel I should put it here)

Back to the Blue-Dragon-Souls

As you so kindly pointed out in that reddit post:

Designer's Notes: This is Flemeth from the previous two games. In this game, Flemeth's story comes to a head -- she knew that Solas would summon her, and that he would need to steal her power to further his plans. She knew that because they are both elven gods...yet Solas has slept for a thousand years and his power dwindled, while she was killed long ago and a spark escaped from her into the body she now holds. She has nurtured that spark, and knew that Solas would need it. He was once her oldest friend, but she knows in his drive to save the elven people he will kill anyone -- even her. She intends to let him have the power, so long as she can pass the essence of her god-hood onto Morrigan, a gift Flemeth had always planned for her daughter yet one Morrigan misunderstood as hostile possession.

The Essence of Mythal is not the Blue-Dragon-Soul (as I had originally thought). The Blue-Dragon-Soul is the first thing that separated “The Evanuris” from their peers. Morrigan will now be Mythigan (Morrithal?), but it is SOLAS who has the power of the dragon (Meta: THIS IS ALSO WHY THE WELL DECISION DOES NOT MATTER).

AND, if I might take it a step further, because I never really thought of it this way until you brought up the fact that Solas is Titan in origin –

Solas walked both worlds, because he was a lyrium spirit, a titan memory, in an Elvhen body. But he was never a true god. I don’t think he ever had a Blue-Dragon-Spirit. I think he just had his orb.

I am going to change the word demon used in the game/wiki to spirit here for emphasis:

In the Hissing Wastes when you complete Fairel’s Tomb, Inky remarks “I’ve never seen a rune like this before.”

It’s a Superb Demon Slaying Rune Schematic. Cool.

What’s a Superb Spirit Slaying Rune Do? (+50 Damage vs Spirits).

What’s it made of?

A blank rune, and 6 units of Pure Dragons Blood.

Dragon Blood Kills Spirits. Magically.

Dragons kill Spirits?

Dragons are effective at killing Spirits?

Dragons have a natural predilection to kill Spirits?

Im just gunna jump all the ways back up there and ctrl C this…

You think of the fade/titans, elvhen/dwarvhen as two separated sides of the same coin. Which, isn’t really wrong, but I think that you’re missing a huge part of the puzzle.

Because its not two sides of the same coin, it’s a Rock/Paper/Scissors triangle.

Dragon Magic, Fade/Elf Magic, and Titan/Dwarf Magic.

*Now I admit, you say that lyrium grows in the fade and that worries me, cuz that kinda shatters my hypothesis to bits. Unless the lyrium is not supposed to be in the fade.

Again, I have ZERO evidence for this, its just where my brain goes.

SO. What does this mean.

IF, the Emerald Waters of The Fade is the Literal Refined Lyrium of a Titans blood,

That means that Fade and Titan are inexorably linked. Elf magic and Titan magic are linked. By Lyrium. Isana.

Why? Because, as you say, The Fade is the Titans brain/consciousness/spirit?

We don’t have the time to go down the WHY rabbit hole right now, but we can think about the HOW:

If lyrium is the blood of a titan and also the life-water of the fade, why can Dwarvhen touch it/work with it and Elvhen cannot?

Well, because Mythal created a barrier to prevent the Dwarfs from accessing their magic, Dwarvhen cannot dream, they cannot magic, so that they could safely mine lyrium (bonus power) for the Evanuris (more slaves, essentially).

But, IF, The Fade is a Part of A Titan, that would make Dwarvhen and Elvhen related. They would be children of the same mother.

And maybe instead of the Elvhen meeting the Dwarvhen (in -4600 Ancient or whenever it was) they CREATED the Dwarvhen. Dwarfs are Elves, Elves stripped of magic ability (like tranquil) to mine lyrium. And that makes them short and look like Dwarfs.

I don’t know if I'm convinced of this. This would completely erase Dwarfs as a species of Thedas.

I DO think, that a spirit is to The Fade as a memory is to a Titan.

It is the paradigm, the structure, of how magic works in Thedas.

Spirits float through the fade as memories flow in lyrium.

And the Evanuris stole the… power/magic (memories? spirits? dreams? songs?) of the Titan’s by putting (parts of) it in a barrier, an orb. A stone sphere. A foci, something.

They separated the Titan (Dwarvhen Fade) from the Dwarves, by removing the memories, the dreams, the songs, the spirits. And the Dwarvhen were separated from their Fade.

Golly Gee Willickers that sounds a whole lot like what Solas did with The Veil, does it not?

Not as “opaque,” we shall say, because humans and Dalish can still dream. But certainly similar. Replace Dwarf with Dalish in that paragraph and you have The Veil.

I have to wrap this up now oh my god its so long, but there is actually a reason why I vehemently hate this idea.

It makes me unbelievably sad.

Lets take out that Pin I put in up there.

Cuz it all goes right back to our handsome, hurting eggman.

This thing? This power that was Solas’?

Solas’ Foci? Solas’ Orb?

The thing that he left you because of?

That means Solas’ Orb was bound dwarvhen spirits. (Or if you are right, bound Elvhen Spirits)

“From this moment, should you ever bind a spirit, then your life is mine.”

Why is there such a difference in his mind? Why is it okay to bind Titan/Dwarf-Memories/Songs but not Fade/Elf-Spirits? Especially if they are the same thing?

Little hypocritical of our eggman to say that of fade-spirits, of Elvhen-spirits, but not a dwarvhen spirits.

FML I’m sorry this is so long.

**Something that will be its own post if I have the time:

More Question About: I think the Fade is less literally part of a Titan and more that this magic framework is the paradigm or blueprint of how magic works in Thedas.

A spirit is to The Fade as a memory is to A Titan.

It is the paradigm, the structure, of how magic works in Thedas.

Spirits float through the fade as memories flow in lyrium.

Elf Spirit = Memory/Song, // Fade = Lyrium //

Elf = child of fade, Dwarf = child of stone.

And if I am right, If Lyrium is the blood of a titan, Why is it in the fade?

Why/How is The-Fade & Pillars-Of-The-Earth linked?

Do titans make/grow the lyrium?

Does the fade have its own lyrium-growing capabilities or does the Titan Share?

How does it then get into the fade?

Are the Dwarvhen spirits/memories/songs INSIDE liquid lyrium?

Then why are the Fade-Spirits just floating in the Fade (air)?

Is lyrium INFECTING the fade? (Titan moving to take over the Elvhan magic realm in retaliation to the Evanuris blocking them from the Dwarvhen?) Then what are “The Emerald Waters”? And why emerald when lyrium is blue?

I Saw Solas's Origin in an Achievement Icon and It Opened My Eyes on 15 Years of Lore

— PART THREE: if you haven't read previous parts, do it now! —

[ 1 ] [ 2 ]

Welcome, friends and travelers! I wanted to get some thoughts recorded before Veilguard's release so I could see if I am right about an absolute BOATLOAD of theories I have.

In short: I saw the achievement list when it was released. I have seen the backstory hints for Solas included in said list. AND MY MIND WAS BLOWN.

You have been warned: THIS COLLECTION OF THEORIES INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR EVERY DRAGON AGE GAME AND ALL PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL UP TO AND INCLUDING OCTOBER 18, 2024.

Come sit down with me. Make a nice cup of tea (and hide it from Solas). We've got a lot of unpacking to do.

(this photo isn't the spoiler, I just like it.)

Today's Discussion:

So far, we've covered a few things. We know Solas was "born" from (or manifested from) a branch of raw lyrium while he was still connected to a Titan. We know there were hints toward this from across all three previous games, plus a lot of external media. We know his "birth" was initiated/instigated by Mythal.

We also know that there are quite a lot of hints about memory and forgetting across what we've covered so far, from Cole's dialogue to old elvhen lullabies.

But from here, we must ask ourselves: What ARE the Forgotten Ones? And if Solas really IS Titan-born, what does that say about the rest of everything we know about the world of Thedas and its magic?

Why the Titans are the Forgotten Ones

Fen'Harel Walked Between Both Clans of Gods

The Abyss and the Fade

Lyrium: Titans' Blood, Emerald Waters of the Fade

What IS a Spirit, Then?

Solas's Magic: What Was He Born With?

Solas and Petrification

Solas and "Blood" Magic // The Red Lyrium Idol

What Did Solas Absorb at the End of DA:I?

Why the Titans are the Forgotten Ones

Okay. This, I admit, could have been its own post. There is a LOT to cover with just this topic. I was in the midst of outlining such a post when one of my favourite Dragon Age theorycrafters (girltriesgames) came out with this video, which summarizes every point I'd gave gone into at length. Go watch it, if you want the full deep-dive!

For now, I will summarize some of the video's points:

There were two clans of gods, according to Merrill. The first was the Evanuris, and the Forgotten Gods were the second.

Fen'Harel walked among both clans without fear, and both believed he was one of them.

The Forgotten Ones have been "sealed" in the Abyss, which we know is the deep underground from the Descent DLC and other sources such as the Anvil of the Void.

The Forgotten Ones are cited by Merrill and the World of Thedas books as being at war with the Evanuris, namely Mythal and Elgar'nan being at war with four Forgotten Ones; in the Trespasser DLC, it mentions that the Titans were at war with the Evanuris, and slain by Mythal and Elgar'nan.

The Hissing Wastes features codices from ancient dwarves who fled to the surface to escape a war that was ultimately... forgotten, featuring dragons being used as weapons that slaughtered their kin. Obviously an above-ground enemy!

There are countless mentions of the word "Forgotten" around the Titans and dwarves. The Titans have been forgotten. They do not exist in the Memories of Orzammar. The sleeping Titans have forgotten how to wake up.

Cole makes many mentions of forgotten songs in relation to the sleeping Titans and also to the dwarves. Curiously, he even ties these concepts to the Templars, who employ the same magic (according to Cole).

Fen'Harel Walked Between Both Clans of Gods

Once I knew that Solas is made from lyrium and that the Titans are the Forgotten Ones, everything clicked into place for me. The legends say that Fen'Harel walked between both "clans" of gods because each one believed him to be one of their own. That sentence made less sense to me before, because I wondered: how does an elf fool an entire other clan of gods into believing he belongs to them?

Understanding that the Titans are the Forgotten Ones, famously the clan of gods that the Evanuris (namely Mythal and Elgar'nan) warred with... well, it makes sense now, doesn't it? Solas was able to walk between both clans of gods because he DOES have roots in both. Solas is crafted FROM a Titan. Solas BECAME an Evanuris. The Titan would recognize him as one of its own; the Evanuris accept him as one of their own.

This is backed up even further by a piece of Solas's dialogue in The Threat Remains.

"I have journeyed deep into the Fade in ancient ruins and battlefields to see the dreams of lost civilizations. I’ve watched as hosts of spirits clash to reenact the bloody past of ancient wars both famous and forgotten."

The Titans' existence was struck from Orzammar's Memories. Cole makes endless mentions of forgotten songs, old songs. Beings that are sleeping and don't remember how to wake up. Beings that have forgotten even themselves. Solas refers to dwarves as the severed arm of a once mighty hero.

"Wars both famous and forgotten," therefore, might refer to a war that was famous among the ancient elvhen, but forgotten by the rest of the world. One side takes pride in the mining of lyrium from slain titans. The other is doomed never to know what was lost.

But the question remains: When Solas created the Veil to imprison the Evanuris, what exactly happened to the Titans?

The Abyss and the Fade

To truly understand what happened to the Titans, we must first understand what, exactly, the Veil was making a divide between. We know much of what happened to the Fade: that Solas says it was once a state of nature like the wind, flowing through everything. That now it is mutable and unpredictable, with little in the way of permanence in anything. That it takes the shape of the thoughts and memories of those within it. That magic functions unpredictably within it.

But what about what that meant for the Titans? What happened to them with this split? And, more importantly, what was the Fade in relation to them?

Let's start with what we know about the Titans' domain. Frequently called the Abyss or the Void, the realm of the Titans is below the surface. Yet, in much elvhen literature found in Trespasser, their domain is referred to as the Earth.

I believe, based on the context of those codices, that the Earth and the Abyss are not the same. The Abyss refers to the caverns in the deep underground. The Earth, specifically, is the Titans who live within the Abyss. Earth, in the ancient elvhen, pre-Veil context, may refer to the Titans' bodies—lyrium—while "Pillars of the Earth" refers to the Titans as sentient beings. The Song to Elgar'nan talks about wanting victory over the Earth, capital 'E.'

Though the Chant of Light describes the Void as more a state of being, the ancient elvhen describe it as Andruil's old hunting grounds.

One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts. She began stalking the Forgotten Ones, wicked things that thrive in the abyss. Yet even a god should not linger there, and each time she entered the Void, Andruil suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning. Andruil put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face. She made weapons of darkness, and plague ate her lands. She howled things meant to be forgotten, and the other gods became fearful Andruil would hunt them in turn.

The time of Andruil using the Void as her hunting grounds predates the Veil. Overall, we already know much of what this codex implies about the Void: that it is dark, underground, and that there is reason we know of that would send Andruil back with madness (the abundance of raw lyrium and the fact that the Evanuris are mages, plus Andruil's lyrium armor).

What I want to focus on is that the Forgotten Ones were thriving in the Abyss before the Veil went up. They were alive and, ostensibly, able to fight back. They had access to their will and to their consciousness.

That consciousness seems to have disappeared with the creation of the Veil. Let me rephrase.

The Titans lost access to their consciousness with the creation of the Veil. At the same time. And what did the Veil do? What is the SOLE thing it did?

Separated the Fade from the waking world.

A collection of facts, when taken together, lead me to my conclusion about the relationship between the Abyss, the Fade, and the Titans.

The Forgotten Ones (Titans) live in the Abyss

They were conscious and "thriving" before the Veil went up

Cole remarks that they have "forgotten" how to wake up in the time since

No one has memory of the Titans, not even the dwarves

Lyrium is the blood of the Titans

and lyrium grows in the Fade.

Lyrium: Titans' Blood, and the Emerald Waters of the Fade

I think a lot of us (me included) have been thinking about the Fade all wrong. I think a lot of people consider the Fade to be this Other Thing™ that was once a part of the world, and is now separate. Now, I believe differently. I think that the Fade and the Titans were once two pieces of one whole, and creating the Veil effectively sundered all Titans' consciousness from their bodies.

In short: I think the Fade is the Titans' missing consciousness.

That's why I think it is very important not just that Lyrium exists in the Fade, but that it grows there. It implies that the Fade is still alive, just like the Titans are still alive, but asleep.

When Solas says, "I seek... regeneration" in Vows & Vengeance, I think this is what he means: reconnecting these two sundered pieces.

We've always thought as the Fade as the realm of spirits. Those characters who contemplate the Veil being torn down immediately think about how many spirits and demons that might unleash upon Thedas.

But I must ask: If the Fade is the consciousness of sundered Titans, where did the first spirits come from, before the creation of the Veil? What relation could Titans have with spirits?

What IS a Spirit, Then?

I'm sure that I am not alone when I say that my original guess for Solas's origin story is that he was a spirit that took mortal, corporeal shape. We've all heard Cole say, "He did not want a body, but she asked him to come." We all know that the Dread Wolf's six eyes greatly resemble a Pride demon, and we have seen that Solas' Manifestation achievement icon features those same six eyes.

If you're like me, you might've seen that and wondered how exactly this is all related. How can Solas be a spirit of Wisdom turned to Pride if he came from a Titan?

I'm here to tell you: I think those are the same thing.

And the Chant of Light agrees with me.

Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew. Come to me, child, and I shall embrace you. In my arms lies Eternity. —Andraste 14:11

Many believe that the well of sorrows and the waters of the Fade must have elemental associations with, well... water. But I'd like to put forth a different interpretation.

Lyrium exists in liquid form, once refined. The Bastion of the Pure in the Descent DLC has a literal underground sea. We know that lyrium is the Titans' blood, growing both in the Abyss and the Fade. We also know that the Fade, domain of spirits, is likely the Titans' sundered consciousness.

The "well of all souls," then, is the same as the "emerald waters." Both of them refer not to water, not to oceans, but to lyrium.

I think every spirit on Thedas, not just the dwarves, came from the Titans originally.

To test the validity of my idea, I then asked myself: what do we know of spirits and their nature?

We know that spirits all boil down to one singular quality: Wisdom, Compassion, Purpose, Love, Justice, etc etc etc.

We know that those qualities can change back and forth from "virtuous" to "demonic" depending on the spirit's own feelings and reactions to the world. The trauma of crossing the Veil or being bound can force Wisdom to become Pride (Solas's personal quest) or Compassion to Rage (Down Among the Dead Men from Tevinter Nights).

Not all spirits are named for "virtues" or "sins." For instance, there are Hunger demons, and hunger is not a sin.

Spirits can be killed outright. When that happens, they may reform, but they are never quite the same when they coalesce again. There are also "ancient spirits" mentioned throughout the franchise, which tells me that not all spirits are the same age. They were not all created at the same time.

Many spirits are mere wisps, without one of those one-word qualities. They must gain power before they take such a shape.

To me, that sounds a lot like how thoughts work.

Our singular thoughts could also be boiled down to singular qualities, if framed in a certain way. For instance, my current craving for food is very much a Hunger thought. My constant joy in reading World of Thedas stems from Curiosity. Terrible traffic conditions inspire fleeting Rage, which changes when I remember my Compassion for other drivers who might be erratic because they're going through an emergency or something traumatic.

People don't remember every single thought they have. The ones that stick with us over time? They remain with us because they are powerful. Stronger memories stick around longer; the rest fade away or become shapeless until we try really hard to remember them again.

But when we do remember things we have forgotten? We never remember them exactly the same, do we? If I remember I thought I had as a child, I have to remember it with the context of my current 30-year-old self. I will never experience the thought exactly as my 5-year-old self did.

As long as I have access to my own consciousness, I will constantly produce new thoughts and memories.

Therefore?

Specifically, I think that all spirits on Thedas are the thoughts of Titans, once either held in lyrium or free to drift through the Fade before the Veil existed. Those spirits may then manifest into a corporeal shape, like Cole does, if they have enough power.

And Solas? Solas is one such thought-spirit, who used to be held in lyrium, who Mythal convinced (or coerced) to take shape.

Which explains a great deal about every type of magic we see him use.

Solas's Magic: What Was He Born With?

Oh, Solas, you beautiful enigma. For so long, we thought of you as an ordinary mage. Then, with the big Fen'Harel reveal and the way you began petrifying people in Trespasser, we thought you were something else.

Mages draw their power from the Fade. It looks like the dwarven magic we're seeing (from Harding, from Valta, from Sandal) draws its power from the Stone, in addition to manipulating it. So what gives? How is Solas able to pull from both schools of magic? Is he a mage? Is he kin with the dwarves?

Now, with all the knowledge we've gained through one singular achievement icon jpeg, I understand: you are both, and you are neither.

We must remember that all ancient elvhen are born in a pre-Veil era. With the knowledge we have, that means an era when the Titans were not sundered from their thoughts, and all magic in the world was one thing. If all spirits are the thoughts of Titans made manifest (either as living concepts or as corporeal beings) and the Fade is just one part of Titans' whole existence, then a world without the Veil is a world where we don't need to think of those magics as two separate things.

Rather, they are both magic, but opposing schools of the same magic. When we think of the four elements here in OUR world, we think of earth and air as opposites—but in a lot of media, magic users have access to both. Often, they are weak to each other, one cancelling out the other.

We see this laid out more clearly in this codex from the Vir Dirthara.

"The unchanging world is delicate: spells of power invite disaster and annihilation. The unchanging world is stubborn: the pull of the earth fiercely resists making fire run like water or stone rise like mist. The unchanging world rings with its own harmony. Listen with fearless hearts, and great works will unfold."

This codex is actively encouraging the magic users of ancient elvhen (AKA, all people from that time) to listen with fearless hearts to the "unchanging world" to exert will over the "pull of the earth." They're not saying to avoid the Titans, or to dominate them with an abundance of their own (Fade) magic. By tapping into the Titans' rhythm, even the magic of the Fade is embellished. Made stronger.

To be alive in that time is to be able to wield both magics interchangeably—but just like Aang in Avatar: the Last Airbender, the pull of the earth is a notoriously difficult thing for "air" (Fade) magic-users to grasp, and vice versa.

(A tiny aside: I believe these discoveries about spirits and magic teach us the distinction between elven and elvhen. The latter translates to "spirit-soul," loosely—the spirits that came out of the Titans. I believe elven refers to the corporeal descendants of those elvhen that sexually reproduced.)

Solas and Petrification

Many of us speculated for a long, long time that Solas's ability to petrify people—an ability associated with Sandal and Harding—was something he took from a dwarven or Titan-aligned source. People speculated that Urthemiel, the archdemon, must be somehow connected to the magic of the Stone.

I have a different theory: Solas has always had this capability, but the power he absorbed from Mythal is what has allowed him to once again perform the magic of the Stone from whence he came.

Maybe utilizing both magics to such a powerful degree (remember his Mind Blast from Trespasser?) requires that a mage be more powerful than most, carrying two "sects" of magic within them and using both in such a great and terrible capacity (like how the Avatar is more powerful than other benders, able to carry multiple elements because of bonding with the spirit of Raava, to continue with my previous example).

Solas and "Blood" Magic // The Red Lyrium Idol

I'll preface this by saying: no, I have no idea why Solas has changed his tune about blood magic in DA:tV. I hope to find out in five days!

I do want to suggest that, for Solas, blood magic might mean something different than it does for everyone else. Solas's blood, while he has taken a corporeal shape almost identical to any other elven person, may not be the same chemical make as the blood of mortals. That might explain why he has not experimented with it much during the time of Inquisition, and might explain why he does not want to use his own blood in DA:tV.

Instead, his blood might be closer to lyrium than we expected. And the red lyrium idol might be HIS idol.

Some of you might remember that way back in part 1, I noted that a hint for Solas's origin from previous games and external media is that, in Tevinter Nights, the Dread Wolf refers to the red lyrium idol as "my idol" before slaying the Mortalitasi trying to perform a blood magic ritual with it. It confused me, for a long time, why the Dread Wolf (the big wolf form, not necessarily one with Solas) would refer to the idol as "my idol" before actually retrieving it to keep. The explanation seems simple: it was his first.

This makes me wonder, given everything we know, if the idol first belonged to the Dread Wolf because it is made from the Dread Wolf's blood. Since the Dread Wolf is a piece of a Titan, that would make its blood likely at least related to lyrium, right?

Many have also speculated that Solas's ritual dagger, which gets passed on to Rook, is made from a purified/reforged red lyrium idol. Given the blood connection between Rook and Solas, it makes sense to me that if the dagger is indeed made from the blood of the Dread Wolf (and/or Solas), that is why Rook has access to its abilities.

What Did Solas Absorb at the End of DA:I?

I cannot for the life of me find a well-cropped image, but this post on Reddit talks about a designer note from the post-credits scene of DA:I between Solas and Flemeth. Namely that Solas does not take Mythal's soul when he absorbs power from her. Before he absorbs that power, Mythal passes her soul on to Morrigan.

While David Gaider had previously advised fans to not necessarily take this as canon, it seems to be proving true in Morrigan's design change, featuring Flemeth's crown.

That means there are two things Solas may have still absorbed from Mythal, since her soul was already "spoken for."

Raw power

The soul of Urthemiel, the archdragon slain in Origins. This is true in every world state with Kieran, but I would wager that Urthemiel's soul belongs with Mythal in every world state, since Flemeth said she had an "appointment to keep" in the prologue of DA2, which is why she did not travel with Hawke. My guess is she went to Denerim, poking at the remains of the slain archdemon until, 10 years later in Inquisition, she was in possession of Urthemiel's soul no matter what.

We know, however, that archdemons are sundered pieces of the Evanuris. We've been able to suspect this since Inquisition, where we see Corypheus's archdemon is in possession of a piece of his soul and is therefore the secret to his immortality.

I don't think either of this gave Solas access to any new spells. Rather, I think either one (or both!) might have granted him the power necessary to access spells he already knows from both Fade magic and Stone magic.

However, I'd like to touch on just one thing before this post concludes.

I believe that Urthemiel is June's archdemon. The Chant of Light references an Architect of Beauty, just as it references Corypheus, the Conductor of Silence. These are high priests of the so-called "Old Gods," which were revealed as archdemons when Dumat appeared during the First Blight. Corypheus was the high priest of Dumat, the old god of Silence.

I believe the word Architect being used as the title for the high priest of Urthemiel is indicative of the Evanuris that Urthemiel belongs to. There is one Evanuris known for craftsmanship: June, who we know nothing about.

The reason I mention this is that, if nothing else, June's abilities may have allowed Solas to "purify" and shape the red lyrium idol into his ritual dagger that we see in Veilguard.

In conclusion: I believe Solas has always had access to the Stone, but it would certainly be interesting to see if each Evanuris has their own suite of magical abilities, potentially due to the Titan from which some of them originated (more on THAT in a later post, stay tuned!).

If you read this far, THANK YOU, as always! The collective hype of everyone reading and sharing these is making me all the more excited for Veilguard.

Keep an eye out for the next instalment in this series: What the Chant of Light teaches us about Solas, Mythal, and the Evanuris at large.

#Certified LONG POST #Long Post #Lore Dragon #Dragon Age Ramblings #Homemade Lore #dragon age #dragon age: the veilguard #Dragon Age: Inquisition #Help Me Im Insane #Lore Ramblings #Dragon Age Lore Dragon

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