#Claw of Dumat
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The Claws of Dumat and the Tevinter Bird/Dragon
The Claw of Dumat was introduced to us for the first time, visually, in DA2, and it was not until DAI that we got information about it via a note. However, it was not alone; a second artefact that lacks of any information appeared beside it: a metallic sculpture of a bird or a dragon that I called along this blog the Tevinter bird.
[This post belongs to the series “Analysis and speculation of Statues”]
[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]
The Claws of Dumat
Where does this artefact appear? We have seen it four times already: In the Valdasine Thaig in DA2, in different places within the Fade of DAI, in Fairel's tomb in the Hissing Wastes of DAI, and in the DLC The Descent, inside a chamber of the Heidrun Thaig.
In DA2 game
The claws of Dumat appear for the first time in DA2, in the Primeval Thaig's entrance, at the sides of the main corridor that will lead us to the Thaig filled with Red Lyrium. This implies that this Thaig, which has no typical Dwarven decoration of Paragons and the writing on its walls was not traditional Dwarvish, was deeply related to Tevinter. The Thaig was located below the Deep Roads and was built before the First Blight [exact same characteristics than the Heidrun Thaig] .
We learn later that the Dwarves than inhabit this Thaig had strong trade relationships with Tevinter [they gave them lyrium, according to the codex Valdasine], and it is not clear if they were involved in the construction of Emerius [former name of Kirkwall]. The configuration of the Thaig makes us suspect that Tevinter made experiments here. There is a constant pattern along these rooms: blue lyrium, Claws of Dumat, and red lyrium, that makes us speculate that these three elements are related one another: immense source of lyrium that must have been used to feed the Claws of Dumat until the magisters used slave blood, which in the end, corrupted the lyrium and turned it into red one.
As we continue exploring the Thaig we find an interesting and mysterious codex: The profane. We interpreted it in details in the post Primeval Thaig and Red Lyrium : we assumed that these profane may have been dwarven or humans who were abandoned in this Thaig when it was closed, and hungry, started to eat lyrium, the "blood of the gods", becoming through the aeons into the "profane" creatures, that only endure hunger. Hence, they brought the attention of Hunger demons in a place where the Veil was already thin due to the experiments performed with Claws of Dumat. These profane creatures don't look similar to the abominations of the Red Templars, so we could assume that they only consumed blue lyrium and the corruption of it into red lyrium happened later.
As we continue exploring the Thaig, Varric recognises the last chamber as a Dwarven “Vault”, filled with many Claws of Dumat from which the red lyrium grows. Here, we find a staff called Valdasine, which codex says that before the First Blight, the Dwarven House called Valdasine provided lyrium to all the Empire. However, one day, they closed the doors of their Thaig and blocked communication with everyone. When the doors opened after a time, it was empty, no bodies were found, and there were no clues of what happened. From a design point of view, clearly the profane and this event must be connected: This thaig is the Valdasine’s Thaig, and the profane are all those families that were trapped here and forced to eat Lyrium. The age seems to coincide roughly: both events happened before the darkspawn existed. It's also worth noting that the presence of a staff implies that this Thaig had mages, since dwarven were unable to use magic. This reinforces the idea that Tevinter had a deep relationship with this Thaig in particular, and Tevinter mages were present here with some purpose [most likely, an experiment that required big amounts of Lyrium]. We have to remember that dwarves and Tevinter mages had shown another similar situation where Tevinter Mages experimented within dwarven Thaigs in Golems of Amgarrak. In it, a Tevinter mage was trying to recreate a fleshy alternative to Caridin's golems, crafting the mysterious Harvester.
In DAI game: The Fade
The second time we see the Claws are in the Fade of DAI. They appear at different times and contexts: In The Raw Fade - Part 1 among statues of the Free Marches eagle, implying a strong relationship of this artefact with Kirkwall. This may reinforce the idea we explored in DA2 in Kirkwall history and design and in particular with the Enigma of Kirkwall : It is likely that Kirkwall was where the breach to the Fade was done centuries ago, through blood sacrifice. This is also reinforced by the codex Claw of Dumat, where we learn that Corypheus trusted that this artefact would allow him to bring back Tevinter to its former glory.
In the section of the Fade that I called "The Tevinter Path" in The Raw Fade - Part 2 we find more Claws, implying that they were used in the process of reaching the gods that had gone silent. This event can be interpreted as the Magisters breaking into the Black City in the Fade physically.
In Flemeth’s Fade – Part 1 , we find another Claw in an intersection, where a statue of the Free Marches is shown in front of some Avvar Keepers of Fear. Again, this seems to represent the tumultuous history of the region of Kirkwall: Tevinter invaded natives of this place to build Emerius with a hidden purpose beyond the mere extraction of stones for the construction of the Imperial Highway [more details in Kirkwall history and design]
In DAI game: Fairel’s tomb
In the Hissing Wastes: Fairel tomb we find a Claw in one of the tombs, implying that the whole story of Fairel may have been related to Tevinter and its magisters as well. This makes sense if we remember that the Fairel were a clan specialised on Runecraft, and this art was used in the construction of Kirkwall. There is also a mention of runes/sigils that can only be seen from the Fade in the Heidrun Thaig in The Descent – The Sacrificial Gates of Segrummar.
The tomb where the claw appears displays a specific fragment of the story of Fairel:
Fairel, Paragon, fled from the strife his brilliance created, the strife that destroyed thaigs, sundered houses, from weapons that clan used against clan. His own clan and his two sons followed Fairel to the pitiless surface, the surface where they would hide from the war that took their home.
As we see, it is related to the exodus of Fairel and its causes: a weapon he developed, which provoked strife and destroyed clans. During this quest in DAI, we learn that this secret weapon is a kind of rune, but the game doesn't give it more importance later [it feels more because the rush of ending the game, than something lore-related]. This is the main reason why I think Fairel’s house, as runecrafters, may have helped magisters to develop Emerius [which is built following glyphs and runes patterns, for more details check Kirkwall history and design]. As a clan alone on the surface, during a time when most dwarves were underground, they may have relied on Tevinter or accepted any deal in order to survive.
There is clearly a link between the Fairel ruins and Corypheus: Corypheus knew about these forgotten ruins when nobody knew they were there, thus he commanded the Venatori to dig them and look for Fairel's particular weapon: a rune.
Also, the presence of Tevinter elements in this tomb must have been brought in the past, during the times of Corypheus when he was a human magister, since these ruins where not known by anyone until now: it was Corypheus who informed the Venatori about them. The Shaperate, the only other institution that may have had this knowledge, never knew about them since they “recorded Fairel as dead” as soon as he left the underground. So I think it’s reasonable to keep supporting the idea that this clan and these ruins were involved with the ancient Tevinters quite deeply.
In DAI game: DLC, the Descent
In The Descent – The Deep Roads we start the exploration of this region with a big Claw in the main room. It is flanked by two elven rounded trees in the dwarven style. This is already telling us that this Thaig, which predates the Blights, had Tevinter presence not only for trade: their blood ritual instruments had been incorporated to the decoration of the chambers of the Thaig Heidrun, built on a lyrium mine and then destroyed by and earthquake caused by unknown reasons [the stir of a woken-up Titan by an unknown event]. .
In front of the claw, there is a table with a game and a Dwarven stone-paintings that belongs to these strange paintings we found in Hissing Wastes: Fairel tomb, where we speculated that maybe represented Kirkwall, or another city Kirkwall-like.
Later, we find more Claws in another room where they are exposed in a way that implies worship. Since it's in here where the Tevinter bird appears, i will talk about this room later, in the Tevinter Bird section down below.
What do we know about the Claws of Dumat?
In the DAI Fade [ The Raw Fade - Part 1] we find an extremely juicy codex explaining about this artefact. The codex is written by Corpyheus’ slave who was sacrificed later. What we learn here is:
It implies that Corypheus has been developing different altars to “bring Tevinter to Glory” [Would that mean that the Tevinter bird is a prototype?].
We are informed that the Old Gods have been silent for a while and that has caused the loss of followers. This has been a source of fear in Corypheus. [This info is confirmed by Corypheus as well during Orlais: Shrine of Dumat]
This slave knows that Corypheus has been meeting with other “priests” to try to find a solution to the decline of the cult to the Old Gods.
Corypheus took his name around the time the Tevinter Magisters entered the Golden City. So we can assume this is a narration very close to the time in which the Sidereal Magisters stepped into the Fade physically.
Corypheus knew that the old elves were tied to the Fade, and the mortal elves have something of that power in their blood, hence he wanted to use their blood for the ritual of entering the Fade.
The Claw of Dumat supports the victim on its top, with shackles, and seems to drip blood along the statue to a pool with runes. [Could these runes be a creation of Fairel?]
It is implied that Corypheus used little blood magic before the silence of the Old Gods. The loss of god's voice made him fall in despair.
These words were written and reflected/preserved in the Fade at the base of one of these Claws of Dumat we find just after we pass by some Free Marches eagles. Again, the presence of the Free Marches eagles around the Claws of Dumat may be a representation of Kirkwall, but it could also represent another thing, maybe related to the Tevinter bird.
The Tevinter Bird/Dragon
It is a metal statue of something that looks like a bird or a dragon. It could be the “Tevinter” style of the usual Kirkwall eagle, or something else that escapes me completely. If one is careless, these draconic-bird-like statues can be mistakes for Claws of Dumat, but they are not. They share the same style than the Claws: they are Tevinter, made of dark metal, in an angular and pointy shape.
When we compare it with the statue of Mythal dragon shape, we can see some similitude, as if it were the same one but in the pointy “Tevinter” style. Of course, if this were the case, this metallic representation of Mythal lacks of its iconic spike.
In DA2 game
The first time we see this statue is in DA2, in the Primeval Thaig [read Primeval Thaig and Red Lyrium ], in a Chamber that Varric refers to as a Dwarven Vault but its key claims it to be a crypt. There are veins of red lyrium around these statues and around the Claws of Dumat.
In DAI game: Crestwood Caves
The next appearance is in Crestwood: Flooded Caves, at the entrance of a chamber of a Dwarven ruin.
This place seemed to be important, since it is decorated in this fashion. This entrance even has an illustration in the Book of Inquisition [image above], showing that these statues are placed at the side of the entrance completely on purpose. The position seems to be similar to Mythal statues we find in the elvhenan ruins or Temples.
In that illustration, however, we also see a big mask-face over them, reminding us those faces we saw in dwarven Thaigs in DAO, or in the Avril of Void. These faces always gave me the impression of being unconcious representations of the Titans within the dwarven culture.
Later on, I found a plaque close to this place, in a locked room, that seemed to imply this whole dwarven ruin was a route that connected Aeducan Thaig with Gundaar Thaig [another famous Thaig, and one of the first in falling under the darkspawn threat]. It’s interesting that the name Gundaar appears here, since it’s one of the three Thaigs that the lore considered lost and have been hiding curious developments [the other two are Kal-Sharok and Hormak, for more details read Orzammar, Witch Hunt, and The Horror of Hormak ].
In DAI game: Heidrun Thaig
The last appearance of the Tevinter bird was in DLC: The Descent – The Deep Roads where, despite the lack of information in a codex, we find a curious chamber in the Heidrun Thaig that may provide some insight.
The chamber in question seems to honour four statues: two Claws of Dumat and two Tevinter birds. This could have been a chamber of summoning or enhancing magic, since we know the Claws of Dumat were used with blood sacrifices to empower magic. So even though we don’t know what the Tevinter bird’s function could have been, the presence of the claws makes us infer that it may have been related to blood sacrifices and the process of breaching the Fade.
Another detail that supports this hypothesis is that, in this Thaig, blood magic has been performed long time ago: we meet an Arcane Horror in The Uncharted Abbys, Bastion of the Pure, who still performs blood magic with animal bodies [we find some dead animals that are still warm]. The curious detail is that this chamber has a lot of elvhenan objects: several inukshuk, an eluvian with the same frame that Merril's, and a statue of Humanoid Mythal. In the same chamber we also find one of the Tevinter sacrificial altars, which makes us suspect that Tevinter and Elvhenan knowledge have been fused in this place. That these elements appear in this part of the underground may be related to the fact that the Bastion of the Pure it's where we find the densest amount of lyrium [important component to cast powerful magic].
However, I'm not sure if we can assume this Arcane Horror is an ancient magister of that time. I’m more inclined to think that it is the father of the builder of The Sacrificial Gates of Segrummar, who needed to be in the Fade in order to see the sigil that is present in all this Thaig, apparently.
Speculations about the Tevinter bird/dragon
The information we have collected in here is rather scarce. We can have a good understanding of the Claws of Dumat, but it's hard to extrapolate all that to the Tevinter bird. So, I developed several hypothesis:
It's a prototype of a Claw of Dumat
According to the codex of the Claws of Dumat, Corypheus had been working on different prototypes, so we can assume this Tevinter bird may have been one of those: a mere prototype. However, if it was so, why would it be present in Valdasine's Thaig? You don't use failed prototypes. Unless its presence, in combination with the Claws, is what makes the claws work.
It's something related to Emerius
Kirkwall always had an iconic metallic statue of an eagle [1, 2]. We can even say that the geometrical symbol of Kirkwall [7] looks like an eagle extending its wings [7] even though the origin of that symbol has a strong resemblance with the original symbol of Emerius: a raising dragon [7].
In the Viscount's Keep, we see different other representations of the eagle [2, 3, 5, 6]. The origin of [3] seems to be [4] which is a symbol closer to the Emerius style than the current, geometrical one, so this design detail tells me that this symbol may have belonged to the time of Emerius. The fact that the claws of Dumat appear in the Fade close to the [1] eagle statues may represent something. Maybe the original rising dragon represented in the Emerius symbol was hidden later in a bird-like figure?
Since the dark metallic eagle represents Kirkwall [or Emerius if we are talking about old times], this draconic/bird statue may be the representation of another city with similar characteristics than Emerius, maybe less important during the time of the Tevinter Empire glory.
This idea is also suggested when we find a Claw of Dumat in the first chamber of DLC: The Descent – The Deep Roads , where we see one of those Dwarven stone-paintings, which is neither the usual painting we saw along DAO, nor the usual one representing Kirkwall in DA2.
There is also a weird "bird" statue that we only see in DA2, that I talked about it in Xenon and his Black Emporium, depicted as a humanoid bird with chains that holds a mask on it. I can't bring a decent, non-conspiracy relationship between them, but it's the only bird-like statue I can think of through all the games. This weird statue appears in many houses of Kirkwall in DA2 [specially noticeable in Danarius house].
It's a Forgotten One which, as a dragon, was taken by the Tevinter interpretation as Dumat [or any other Old God]
In the way it is presented in the Vault of DA2, and considering it has a draconic shape to it, we can even speculate that this statue is a small representation of Dumat himself.
Hence, this statue is attached to big chunks of metal and close to the Claws of Dumat in that Vault as a mere decoration.
I like to play with the thought that it may be Myhtal [as I did in the beginning of this Tevinter Bird section]: I already talked about the speculation of Mythal being of double nature [Evanuris and Forgotten One, that the unreliable oral tradition of the Dalish lore twisted to give it to Fen'Harel, details in Speculations about the Vinyl Art or Dragon Age Iconic Patterns: The Sun], and the Forgotten Ones being dragons that were worshipped by the Elvhenan until they claimed their divinity [read more in Attempt to rebuild Ancient Elvhenan History]. In that moment on, they may have erased the ancient gods turning them into the forgotten ones, who escaped to the Abyss [which is related to the underground, where we know many dragons hibernate]. Therefore, there is a possibility that these forgotten dragons were taken later by the newly arrived humans [the Neomerians] who developed the cult of the Dragons, aka The Old Gods, being completely oblivious of the relationship that these creatures had with the Elvhenan, a civilisation they hated and despised. So that, they took the image of Mythal and considered it Dumat, and for that reason, they used this statue as a decoration to place around the Claws of Dumat.
The con of this interpretation is that it's not clear what kind of Dragon was the real Dumat-Archdemon which desolated the lands during the First Blight: was it truly Mythal? Another fragment of her? or was another Dragon? We already made a lot of speculations about the true Mythal being trapped in the Black City in the post Speculations about the Vinyl Art that makes this current speculation to falter.
Considering this horrible counter-argument, we could assume that maybe this is another Forgotten One that we have no name at all, but again, why would you put it close to the Claws of "Dumat" then?
Conclusion
It's clear that all speculations are pretty weak and lack of consistency to be considered seriously. For the moment, we know this statue exists, and may have some relationship with Tevinter, the Dwarves, and Emerius, even though we can't detail how that relationship is. Let's hope that future games, if they are not meant to destroy the DA lore, may give us some enlightenment on this matter.
#Analysis and speculation of Statues#Tevinter bird#Mythal#Free Marches eagles#Dragon Mythal statue#Claw of Dumat#Tevinter objects#high speculation#emerius#kirkwall
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We know Flemeth is Mythal, or rather contains a part of Mythal. And we know Mythal came to her after she was betrayed. But Flemeth was born in the towers age, only 600 or so years before the events of origins. Mythal was murdered thousands of years before that. Where was she all that time?
I think I know
Andraste was another woman who was betrayed, and who had an entity come to her in that moment. Who had daughters who had only daughters who had only daughters. Sound like anyone we know?
But wait, there’s more
In another post I discussed the circumstances of Andrastes birth. The gist is, her mother was part of a tribe who helped the grey wardens fight and defeat Dumat during the first blight. The warden who killed Dumat and absorbed his soul was never identified, and later that year andraste was born. Andraste was a strange child, who behaved in a way that seems quite similar to the way old god Kieran behaves in dai.
I think it’s quite likely that andraste was present as a fetus at the battle against Dumat, and upon dumats death the soul went to her instead of a grey warden (not that I think being absorbed by a warden actually defeats them. I think that’s gonna be a fun little surprise for later).
Which would make Dumat Mythal. Dumats constellation Silentir is also associated with Mythal, so that doesn’t come from nowhere. Also, solas makes a comment at the temple of Mythal about how silence reigns here, and Dumat is the god of silence. Yes he could be saying silence as in emptiness, but the temple wasn’t empty and we know that the writers love a good proper noun/common noun misdirect (what Pride had wrought indeed).
This would explain her absence for so long. She wasn’t killed and then waited for a few thousand years doing nothing before finding Flemeth. She was also trapped in the black city with the other evanuris, infected by the blight. Perhaps the murder solas refers to was simply the other evanuris infecting her with the taint. Perhaps he thought she was fully dead and was mistaken.
When Dumat was defeated Mythals soul ended up in Andraste, cured of the taint. The process was likely less refined than the ritual eventually given to us by Flemeth, so she was not able to properly manifest. Until years later Andraste was betrayed, as she had also been betrayed, and she decided to help her. Notable parts of Andrastianism and the chant of light include the focus on women, and the maker having said his children caused the blight. Everyone assumed this was children in the sense of a creator god referring to his creations, but Mythal was the mother of the evanuris. She was referring to her actual children (or people she saw as her children anyway).
I think she followed Andrastes line down for a few hundred years until it ended in some way (with at some point Andrastes soul possibly being put in a dragon body), and then she moved to Flemeth and followed that line of daughters down. This is what Flemeth means when she says she has crawled and clawed her way through the ages. I think it’s interesting that she feels she has been denied justice when Solas imprisoned the evanuris for killing her. And I think it’s interesting her plan for achieving that justice involves curing the other evanuris of the blight. I don’t think Solas understands the situation as much as he thinks.
But OP, I hear you say, there are 7 old gods and the numbers only add up if you take Mythal and solas away from the 9 evanuris! Except, there aren’t 7 old gods. There’s a theory among scholars in thedas that there was an 8th old god, struck from the record. This old god would have had imagery associated with sea monsters, something ghilan’nain is associated with. She was the youngest of the evanuris, so it would make sense if she was later not considered really a god.
All that doesn’t add up is there are only 2 evanuris left to be freed when solas’ ritual goes wrong, and I feel like people have been meddling with the fade enough recently for one of them to slip through the cracks.
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A rundown of what happened in the past few days:
March 26, Sunday
Somewhere in San Mateo, Rizal. That food is yum yum. But the dessert was served in a small plate. It's a buko pandan jelly on a small plate.
Then drove back to Makati. Bomb is actually looking for a mechanic because Hanoi's handle bar lock is not working.
I can't remember what else we did. I think we went to MR DIY at Circuit and.. oh yeah, I think we went to Mcdo later that night.
March 27, Monday
So I ate the dreamy pancit canton in a cup.
We went to Tutuban Mall Center and fought. Char. Lots of pictures and videos. Naglaro din kami ng claw machine. And fuck u big brew di pala masarap.
And dumaan Intramuros hihi thank you my bomb for the roses. Also, Intramuros-Binondo bridge.
March 28, Tues
Di pumasok si bomby. Haha. Had our breakfast at Kfc Jupiter. Tapos we went to Swabz. Bilis lang. Then we had our dinner sa Andoks. Dumating pala mom ni Jc.
Thanks for the Hachimaki.
March 29, Wed
Umuwi na ako. Nagligpit ng onti bago umalis. Tapos yay. Ito may earphones na ako. Qcy T13. Goods naman.
Nag paprint kami ni mama sa tronix. Tas jabi tas chowking.
March 30, Th
Nag ayos ako ng vanity eme.
March 31, Fr
Naglaba na ako nung lingerie. Tas nag ayos nung 2nd level ng vanity eme.
Odba painting ko yan ang ganda. Paint by numbers pa more. Dumating na din yung boots ko. Makikita nyo soon.
Bye.
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Solas might have had an estimate on when the Veil would go down, and set an "alarm clock" to that time, but something happened in the meantime that might have ruined this estimations and speeded the Veil's deterioration up to the point he couldn't foresee it anymore: The Magisters Sidereal, going physically right to the Black City, expending massive amounts of sacrificial power to pierce the Veil, and leaving a permanent mark on the Fade and the world.
The magisters are remembered for bringing the Blight over to the physical world. But when we visit in the Nightmare's "Raw Fade" section, which Solas identifies as being very close to the Black City, that specific section of the Fade still reverberates with the memory of Dumat's Claw and Tevinter Old God worship, with fountains of blood pooling at Nightmare's Lair. It seems to be attracting a very powerful demon for a reason, as if there was a radius of demonic corruption around the Black City that was amplified through the memory of Magisters Sidereal.
I've always viewed Solas's scheme to get rid of Corypheus by tempting him to use the Orb of Power as... retributive, if not vindictive. Solas got a perfect chance to punish Corypheus for what he had done to the Fade the first time over.
What remains uncertain is whether Solas estimated the timelines correctly. We know that the passage of time in the Fade is somewhat illusory; memories from various timelines can appear together in a way more akin to symbolic association, presenting according to synchronicity rather than chronology (like with the Inquisitor's party seemingly revealing the Joining formula through a Grey Warden's dream). I reckon it wouldn't be the easiest thing to perceive a linear history of the physical world from there. Perhaps Solas experienced a temporal dissonance, especially after the Quickening. After all, his original ancient modus operandi seems to be based on a much slower pace of change. It is a peculiar thing that this seemingly time sensitive operation has already taken 10+ years and the ritual that Rook interrupts still isn't the end goal, and apparently Solas had plenty of time to meddle with secret agents from various factions in the meantime. But maybe the operation is time sensitive by ancient elvhen standards, when it casually took years to cast a spell, and Solas is... panicking under time pressure a little?
I'm of two minds when it comes to the information that Solas has been slowly preparing his ritual for longer than anyone in game was aware of.
On the one hand, my mind goes immediately to the idea that he has been working on this from the Fade side for hundreds if not thousands of years. There was something when the teaser to the teaser came out about a merging of the two worlds hundreds of years in the making - if I remember correctly. That would mean Solas has been up to something for a long time.
Except he seems so horror stricken by what the world has become when he wakes up. Pulling the strings from the Fade side implies he's always known how bad things are in Thedas.
The only other thing I can think of that makes sense to me, personally, is that he always knew there was a time limit on the Veil. He knew it would degrade eventually. He somehow sets an alarm clock that wakes him up when the Veil is very weak.
The entire point of the Veil is that it serves as a prison for the Evanuris. I can't see him wanting them to get out. But, what if knowing the Veil would eventually degrade, he decides he needs a powerful object that gains magical energy for thousands of years? He can take down the Veil and destroy the Evanuris with, say, an Orb.
That might be why he has been preparing the ritual. He probably thought his people would be fine and maybe even strong enough to help him. He didn't realize the Veil would mean the destruction of his people. Now he's faced with a Veil that is coming down no matter what, so he tries to move the Evanuris into another prison before continuing with taking down the Veil. With his Orb broken he doesn't have enough power to take them on. Basically he decides to move them, bring the world back to what it was and then try to figure out a new plan (given his track record, that's a scary thought).
I know I'm rambling.
On the other hand, I'm reminded of the original premise for Veilguard when it was still Dreadwolf. Then devs said that our hero would have no power and the game would be about what happens when no one in power is listening or paying attention. We see in both Tevinter Nights and The Missing that there is more magic in the world in the sense that non-mages are starting to get magical powers. Lucanis gets Fade headaches. Sister Laudine, in the short story In Genitivi Dies in the End seems to suddenly get Rift Mage powers. In The Missing Arlathan Forest is a magical disaster. So much so it's led to the creation of the Veil Jumpers. There's also the activation of Ghilan'nain's monster factory in Horror of Hormak. There are probably other examples.
So is it possible that what Epler is referring to is just what Solas has been doing for the past 10 years? We have all been thinking that Solas would tear the Veil down in one fell swoop with a single ritual. What if it isn't? What if he had to do a lot of things before he could get to the big ritual? Those things brought even more magic into the world.
In that situation, his gathering of magical objects makes sense. They may be the anchor points for pulling down the Veil. I've always suspected those artifacts we have to turn on in DAI for him were used to help create the Veil. That's why when we activate them, they strengthen the Veil and keep rifts from forming. Over time, they got picked up by people, lost, stolen and turned off. It's possible our Inquisitors are the only ones who could activate them because they had magic tied to the Fade. Solas certainly isn't activating them.
Then again it could be both. Solas was aware of what the Veil is doing to spirits in the Fade and wanted to help them by pulling it down. He starts on the Veil side and then wakes up to finish the ritual on the waking world side. He has no idea what's been going on in the world so he's pretty upset.
I don't know if any of these theories are correct but I'm glad we won't have to wait much longer to find out.
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Every time I play the Descent I’m just
Has anyone made a theory about the gates that form a Kirkwall like sigil??
You know, the ones with a creepy codex entry attached that talk about a “creator” and someone sacrifcing their only child to save everyone??
There’s nine gates and nine Evanuris???
Two of the gates have a Claws of Dumat statue next to them????
The Deep Roads are fucking weird and I love them
#dragon age#dragon age inquisition#did i boot up an old save just to jump into the dwarf dlc#yes yes i did#look ancient roads that used to be a marvel and are now dangerous and filled with evil magic#i love that shit#loved it in the wheel of time books#and i love it here
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The Descent 6/[?] - Tevinter(?) Statues
Picture 1: A dark statue seen here in the Descent.
Picture 2-6: A dark statue found in the Descent.
-:-:-
Statue #1 can also be found in the Fade at Adamant, and in several other places, and it is where you find the “Claws of Dumat” Codex Entry.
Statue #2: I have never seen this statue anywhere else in game, as I can recall at least. This statue is found near the sealed-off caravan of shipments you can unlock with a Gear Door.
Commentary:
Statue #2: I think it looks both Magister-y and also Architect-y and also potentially Divine-y.
An alliance between Tevinter and the Dwarves is canonical and very, very old. But it is interesting to find statues here. And it’s interesting to wonder what they mean.
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I just finished The Deep Roads Expedition again and like. Dude. fuck. I always am filled with so many thoughts by this part of Dragon Age 2. Like, there is just so much going on there
The creepy spikey statues that are placed everywhere, some of which bear a very strong resemblance to The Claws Of Dumat (aka the alter used by CORYPHEUS HIMSELF to sacrifice elven slaves to breach the Fade and enter the Black City)
and the smaller statuettes that almost look like a figure with its arms crossed.. possibly even depictions of dragons with their wings folded?
the smaller statuettes also look a lot like whatever the heck these fellas are on the loading screens in the Primeval Thaig. (the spiky gentlemen to the left and right of that pillar)
Then we have Rock Wraiths, aka The Profane. “Corrupted dwarves” who were trapped in the Primeval Thaig when it was sealed off, and started feasting on lyrium to survive (”Our children wept in hunger, and so we feasted upon the gods.” I think this is the earliest hint about lyrium being Titan’s blood? holy fuck?! except. this is red lyrium... so it’s really fucked them up.)
The Red Lyrium Idol, showing a decaying figure with a pointed crown, much like the one worn by Andraste and Mythal in their representations. The decaying figure is being embraced by another figure who has their face buried against her. Given everything that’s come about since DA2, I think we have all guessed by now that it is probably an ancient elvhen artifact. I have already seen people make comparisons to Mythal’s murder and Fen’Harel grieving her ‘loss’. And yet, it was “forged by the dwarves”.
Also there’s The Primeval Thaig itself. like. there are so many lyrium veins running through the place. And we know from lots of little hints throughout DAI and Trespasser that Mythal killed several Titans and had the elves mine the corpses for their lyrium, but then they “sealed them with stone and magic out of fear - what the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would destroy all in its anger.” (which sounds an awful lot like the elves dug “too greedily and too deep” and uncovered the source of The Blight, to me at least. or something equally horrible)
Could the Primeval Thaig have been one of these very sites?
#dragon age#dragon age 2#dragon age ii#primeval thaig#lyrium#red lyrium#anyway have some more very scattered Dragon Age thoughts of mine. i am going insane#DA fans act like the elves and the dwarves lore is distinct and separate but i think it is actually intertwined a lot closer than we are le#to believe by the writers. and maybe I am crazy but I feel like this is intentional and it is all building towards something#I just keep seeing all these little crumbs of lore and info and like. I can;t be obsessing over these details for nothing#so many spooky little mysteries#ruby rambles
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Lmfao it's a very small detail and doubtfully important, honestly, I just recognised it because there's something wrong with me.
Spoilers for veilguard act 3
See when I entered the fade prison I was crying my eyes out but then I looked over and saw that stupid fucking statue and I was like stunned out of my pain I was like "HUH. I RECOGNISE YOU."
It's literally only used in da2 like twice as far as I can recall - in Merrill's act 3 personal quest and then in legacy dlc. I only recognized it because when I recently replayed da2 I was like 👁️👄👁️ because the version of it in Merrill's quest has small red lyrium veins which are absent from the version used in legacy dlc which I found fascinating since it made the inclusion of the red lyrium especially purposeful. Iirc in Merrill's personal quest it's either refered to as 'strange statue' or 'idol' but in legacy it's specifically an altar to dumat.
But like if they just wanted to make a dumat reference they could've reused the more recognizable claw of dumat statues both seen in the primeval thaig in da2 as well as the raw fade in dai (and also the descent though I don't remember them in there from my recent replay)
Not only are these more ominous and stylish but they're also more recognizable compared to that random asset. Or maybe the da2 altar of dumat actually appears more and I just only noticed it these three times - but the statue itself is so strange and out of place, imo it's much more jarring than the dumat's claw, especially when seeing it fucking gigantic randomly floating in the fade prison
Bioware is so silly.
Everyone loves me because I only post half of my mad rambling and Don't include me being weirdly fixated on bioware's choice of assets in some spaces
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Kirkwall is Weird
Kirkwall is a weird city. It is known that the Veil is so exceptionally thin in the area that demons can enter the mortal world freely underground. Blood magic, lunacy, abominations, and violence all run rampant. Twice the amount of mages are unable to complete their Harrowing than in Starkhaven, a city comparable in size. The streets are a maze, confusing to even the most skilled masons.
Why is this? There are a few hypotheses, but I believe it is because Kirkwall is where the Magisters of the Tevinter Imperium broke into the Fade.
(For a quick read, look at the bold text)
Let’s begin with its history: According to The Band of Three, a Chantry taskforce dedicated to uncovering Kirkwall’s secrets, the native people of the city are unknown, but the Imperium’s army arrived with force for an unexplained reason. It was founded in -620 Ancient and named Emerius after the Magister who founded it. The location ended up becoming advantageous due to the proximity of quarries that produced valuable metals. After a slave revolt in Minrathous, Emerius was chosen to be the Imperium’s hub for slave trading with a population of over one million slaves at its height. This staggering number is made even more horrifying when we recognize that hundreds to thousands of slaves went missing every year, their blood used for sacrifice.
The mages of the Imperium created sewers underneath the city so they could run experiments and research underground; hidden away from the eyes of the average citizen. This is notable, since they had no reason to keep arcane research secret. Such tunnels are home to troves of artifacts, scrolls, and relics thought lost that show up in Darktown after the chambers get ransacked.
These sewers served a dual purpose however. The tunnels created across the city were made with grooves carved into the stone, encouraging streams of blood to reach the bottom. This blood was used for their blood magic, as the streets were built in the formation of glyphs and used to power the spells. There is no mention of where this blood ends up, only that they descend far into the earth.
The Band of Three come to an incredible conclusion:
“We've discovered the magisters were deliberately thinning [the Veil] 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?” -Codex Entry: The Enigma of Kirkwall
The Magisters were deliberately trying to thin the Veil. The Band of Three pose that this project occurred after they walked into the Fade, but there’s no exact dates.
So when exactly were the Magisters thinning the Veil? What we do know, is that Emerius was founded in -620 Ancient and the Tevinters started losing their grip on the city in -203 Ancient, but fully lost control of it after the First Blight in -25 Ancient. That is a significant amount of time.
We can narrow it further though. Looking more broadly at Tevinter history reveals more. The First Blight started in -395 Ancient, and reached the surface in -380 Ancient. This was the start of the decline in the Imperium. Due to the chaos of the time, I doubt much research was able to be done. So the idea that it happened after the breach of the Golden City seems unlikely. We also see a massive civil war in the Imperium that occurs from -575 to -555 Ancient, and this is the catalyst for many mages to turn to darker magics and demon summoning became commonplace. I see this Veil thinning project as happening after the war due to the nature of this magic.
The timeline for this project has thus been restricted to -555 Ancient to -380 Ancient. It is here that we have a massive gap with no information between. But -395 Ancient, when the High Priests are said to have walked into the Fade is within the proposed timeline.
So in summary, there were mages working towards some secret purpose beneath the city. We know that the High Priests used pseudonyms to hide their identities, even from each other. This city happened to be specifically engineered for blood sacrifice and had access to quarries and Deep Roads entrances. We also know that sundering the Veil required the blood of hundreds of slaves and most of the lyrium in the Empire. And the Second Sin occurs at the tail end of Tevinter rule of the city, allowing around 150 years of research before it occurs.
But where specifically in the city could this have been done? Reason assumes that wherever the blood in the sewers ended up is where it was used, but the only mention of where it ends up is down. No destination other than that. I may be stretching out on a limb here, but I think the Primeval Thaig is where this research was done specifically. A Dwarven thaig located beneath the Deep Roads is a rather convenient location for the collection of all that blood. I don’t think the Magisters created it, but they may have discovered it while they were researching underground. It may have even been why the Tevinters used such force when invading the area, the location whispered to them by the Old Gods. The Thaig is littered with Tevinter constructs as well. For example, the Claws of Dumat, which were used to collect the blood of sacrificed slaves are found in the sealed Thaig. These Claws are specifically said to have been used to tear open the Fade. I can’t think of a more direct connection than that.
There is even evidence of a High Priest near Kirkwall. Corypheus. He awoke from dormancy in -191 Ancient and was trapped by the Wardens in the Vimmark Mountains right outside Kirkwall in -189 Ancient. While it doesn’t prove that Corypheus woke up around or lived in Kirkwall, it does prove that he was close. He also shows an interest in the Primeval Thaig, manipulating Bianca Davri into sharing its location. While this might imply that he didn’t know where it was, the route may have changed due to over one thousand years of cave ins.
I would also be remiss not to note the similarity between Tevinter imagery for the city and most symbols for the Black City. (Sidenote: after Tevinter rule of Emerius, the name was changed to Kirkwall, for the black wall of stone that faces the sea)
The first image is the Tevinter symbol for the city, the second is the current Kirkwall symbol, and the third is a Chantry symbol for the Black City. I don’t think Kirkwall is the Black City, but I do think the similarities in the images show some type of connection between the city and the Second Sin.
So there we go. All of the evidence I have for why Emerius/Kirkwall is where the Magisters walked into the Fade. There’s definitely more to say though, especially on the Primeval Thaig and the implications for da4 with the red lyrium idol are... interesting.
Sources:
Codex Entry: Speculations on Kirkwall
Codex Entry: The Enigma of Kirkwall
Codex Entry: History of Kirkwall 1 and 2
Codex Entry: Privileged to be Wardens
Codex Entry: Corypheus
Codex Entry: Cardinal Rules of Magic
Codex Entry: Claws of Dumat
Codex Entry: Primeval Thaig
Dragon Age: Inquisition “Well, Shit” Quest
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The elven figures in Solas’ new mural
I have so many thoughts about the elven figures in Solas’ new mural. so so soooo many thoughts.
I was originally going to write off Corypheus and Meredith as filler, but the more I look at the painting, the more I wonder if Corypheus and Meredith unwittingly repeated history with the corresponding figures above them.
I’ve already written about how eerily similar the symbolism is between Mythal and Meredith. If Meredith’s actions echoed what happened to Mythal, perhaps Corypheus is a figure who embodied what Elgar’nan was all about - retribution and arrogance.
After all, Corypheus challenged his god Dumat and sought to claim his own divinity, even walking physically in the fade to do so. In Dalish legend, Elgar’nan challenged the sun who is also described as his father, and threw the sun in the abyss.
I think a lot of people think the left figure in the painting is Ghilan’nain because of the concept art from the Bioware book.
It’s a fair point and honestly I can see the left figure being Ghilan’nain and the right figure being Falon’Din, to echo the two old gods yet to rise (Razikale and Lusacan).
For the sake of theory crafting purposes however, let’s just imagine a different scenario where the left figure is Mythal, and the right figure is Elgar’nan.
We know that Mythal is known for her cities, and according to Solas, Arlathan was Elvhenan’s greatest capital. Therefore, we can assume Arlathan was Mythal’s grand design.
If the Dread Wolf is indeed breaking into the Black City in DA4 like what the painting seems to depict, surely Mythal/Elgar’nan must be involved somehow. (this is of course assuming that the Black City is Arlathan, but by now I am pretty certain this is the case).
In the new mural, the elven figures look almost like gatekeepers. Notice they aren’t inside the Black City at all, but imprisoned outside of it, just like his DAI mural below. The spheres behind each figure correspond to the spheres above the eluvians in the painting below too.
If Arlathan was Elvhenan’s great capital and Mythal’s greatest city, it would make a lot of sense that you would need something of Mythal/Elgar’nan to enter Arlathan’s inner sanctum. If they truly wanted to be seen as gods, surely they had safeguards in place to ensure only the “divine” could enter certain parts of it. And what better place to imprison the evanuris than behind an almost impossible to unlock eluvian?
In DAI, the Qunari were looking for artifacts to unlock eluvians in the network. This included anything from Solas’ self portrait to elven artifacts and even Varric’s book.
So, it would make sense that to unlock an eluvian into the inner part of the Black City, you would need a personal artifact of Mythal/Elgar’nan as they are a pair and the ruling leaders of the pantheon.
We have already seen in Tevinter Nights a Fen’Harel ‘cultist’ was after a piece of Dumat’s Folly, aka a piece of the Black City. What if this was something Solas could use or imbue with magic to unlock an eluvian into the Black City to get to the imprisoned evanuris?
The right figure
The figure on the right looks pretty manly to me with their broad shoulders and neck. The headdress also looks a lot like a sun or moon (an eclipse maybe?), and their robes looks like crab claws, which reminds me of a mosaic in Trespasser.
This is one of the mosaics in Fen’Harel’s sanctuary flipped upside down, where the rune describes the lies of the evanuris.
"The gods, our Evanuris, claim divinity, yet they are naught but mortals powerful in magic who can die as you can. In this place, we teach those who join us to unravel their lies."
I honestly have no idea what this mosaic is trying to depict, but from the way the rune is worded it seems like the elven gods figured out ‘effective immortality’.
We know Elgar’nan had numerous slaves so it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn he was the one using them to fuel his effective immortality (body hopping).
The left figure
The figure on the left looks female due to the slimmer torso and neck, and interestingly, no noticeable elven ears. Notice also the wavy lines. These wavy lines are echoed in many of Solas’ paintings and forms a part of the executor’s symbol.
The connection to the bronze statues in Trespasser is pretty obvious.
So, a few things strike me. These bronze statues seem to be a pair or diptych, depicting the sun in the crossroads, and the moon underground. The statues look female because of the bust/torso, and they also both feature very prominent wings.
We’ve already seen Mythal depicted as a dragon in her statues, and wings are always a prominent feature of that. This is why it makes a lot of sense to me that these statues are for Mythal, who represents the sun and moon because Elgar’nan was a bit of a loose cannon.
Wings are simply a part of Mythal’s aesthetic. She was after all the leader of the pantheon and the divine form of the elven gods was supposedly the dragon. All of Mythal’s statues depict her as a dragon, with wings.
Ghilan’nain on the other hand is known as the mother of the Halla. Her mosaics depict her with swirly horns and when Ghilan’nain urged the Sinner to take wings, it was considered so treasonous Mythal let Elgar’nans wrath upon him instead of judging him.
So if these statues are supposed to be Ghilan’nain, who used to be one of the People and made youngest of the gods, would Ghilan’nain’s winged statues be placed right next to Mythal?
I mean, it just seems like an odd choice.
This is why the imagery and symbolism around Mythal and Ghilan’nain are so confusing. It almost seems like the devs are trying to misdirect us, and why I’ve been saying it seems like the mythos of Mythal and Ghilan’nain has been muddied throughout history.
It’s not just the wings that confuse me. It is the theme of the ocean. It is said Mythal walked out of the sea and onto land in Dalish legend. In the concept art, the monster is clearly a humungous sea serpent, wielding thunder and lightning (which Elgar’nan is said to have wielded).
Then we have Ghilan’nain, who created deep sea creatures and experimented with brine pool horrors deep underground.
The best explanation for all this confusion is that perhaps Ghilan’nain attempted to usurp Mythal’s power and built those statues after killing Mythal. In DAO, the elven artifact found by the humans says this:
A small stone statue of a woman with antlers like a halla, with the moon under her right foot, and two hares beside her. The base of the statue is covered in strange writing.
The moon is representative of Mythal because it’s said she first created the moon as a reflection of the sun.
So, going back to Solas’ painting....I think the elven figures fit with Mythal and Elgar’nan, however I could see them also being Ghilan’nain and Falon’Din purely because they fit with the old gods yet to rise. Yay we’re back to square one!
#dragon age#da4#da meta#da theories#mythal#elgar'nan#ghilan'nain#falon'din#da teaser trailer#the black city#arlathan#drabble#tevinter nights#tevinter nights spoilers
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Fen - The Wolf From The Northern Woods
One night, as the remnants of the dreamlands faded away, a young adolescent wolf wandered into the territory of the dwindling Rowan's Shade Pack.
He was sullen and snappish, a broken chain wrapped around his neck and matting the fur of his neck. Despite his prickly personality, he was amiable to the pack wolves in his own ways, bringing small game to Caligo, who had already been elderly but had aged even more after the death of his mate, Dumat and languished in his grief no matter how hard his adopted children, the gray foxes, had tried. Though he was barely older than the adolescents of the pack, he wasn't much interested in them. Instead, he spent his free time following Eridani, his deep amber eyes fixed on her, his ears perked to hear her every word as she spoke. He fixated on her in a way that was just a little uncomfortable, but though Eridani wanted to tell him off, snap at him to keep his distance, there was something...something there that held her back.
The things she saw when she looked at him, with all her senses - physical and spirit, as her mother had taught her - gave her pause. Gave her worry. Gave her, dare she say it? Hope.
The howls of wolves, a pack so big and strong that nothing could stand before them. A stream of wolf-spirits in the sky, bounding across the wide expanse of a star studded field of black in flashes of color and a sound that she could find no words to explain. The thrill of a hunt, the chase and the capture of prey that thrummed deep within her bones. And - and the deep, dark depths of a cave, claw marks on the stones, the bright shine of amber eyes in the shadows and the dragging of chains on the ground.
And then - a chain link, broken.
Eridani wasn't sure what the visions meant, what the feeling he gave her meant - the feeling of wildness, the feeling of - she had no idea how to phrase it - true wolfness, the extreme opposite of her mother, the breath of the wind and the beating of the earth's heart within him, mixed with the feeling of betrayal, the feeling of...of justice. No, of restoring balance.
"Your time is coming, Eridani," Fen said one day, in the soft low, almost-a-growl voice of his. She was pregnant, perhaps for the last time, she knew it. She'd risked her life to meet with her mate, Naos, one more time, to speak with him and to have one last chance with him. He had to return to that place, to keep their daughter safe. And she had gone, and returned to the Rowan Tree, with a heavy heart, knowing what Fen knew as well, knowing that she grew old, that her time was coming. Fen's words weighed heavy on her, they angered her, and her hackles rose, her tail stiffened as she stared him down.
But his amber eyes held no malice, held no mirth either. His head was lowered, his ears soft, and for once that sullen, prickly persona seemed to have dropped - he looked as he should, a young wolf, and that sight softened Eridani herself, and though her heart was heavy she relaxed, and replied, "I know Fen, I can feel it in my bones, and in my soul. The spirit realm grows ever clearer to me, the wolf calls on the other sound ever louder and clearer. My time will come, I only hope that I will be here long enough to care for my pups until they are old enough to fend for themselves."
"Do not worry," Fen said, soft but strong, sincere, "Your pups will grow up, and they will see the Rowan's Shade Pack rise again. You may not live to see it, but let your spirit rest easy, Eridani - the legacy of your mother's pack will live on."
"How-" Eridani stared at the young wolf in shock. "What are you saying?"
"I am the one who breaks bonds, Eridani," The young wolf said. The visions, the feelings, Eridani felt from him swirled around her in an almost spirit-physical form, like wisps of fog. His words, however, stung her mind, his determination shot worry through her heart.
"You can't, Fen - You can't mean the, that pack," Eridani stammered, but Fen's ears came up straight, his head raising.
"The Bound will be un-bound," He said in a steady voice, "The Rowan's Shade Pack will rise again."
"That - He - he won't allow it," Eridani bristled, "You don't know what he is capable of. We've seen the...the remains, the scouts have seen what happens to those that oppose him. He is no wolf, no matter what he tells his followers, no matter what he claims - he is something like my mother Enit, a spirit but, but a bad one. A dangerous one. He has no morals, he has no mercy. You - you couldn't stand a chance, Fen!"
But Fen only continued to gaze at her steadily, resolute, his amber eyes shining with some inner fire.
"I am the one who breaks bonds," He repeated, voice low and almost a growl. He bared his teeth in a snarl - or a grin - or both? "I am the one with a god's blood on his teeth."
And Eridani thought she saw it, the red dripping off his canines and down the fur on his chin. Thought she saw the cave again, with amber eyes shining large and bright in the deep darkness, and the chain snapping like it was made of twigs.
And Eridani saw, and she trembled.
#wolvden#rowan pack lore#fen tag#there he is there is my boy!#if you know who he is you win a pack of cookies of your choice
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Flemeth’s Fade – Part 1
Quest:The Final Piece
When heading to the room with the eluvian near the Skyhold garden, we meet Leliana who tells us that Morrigan has entered the mirror in pursuit of her son. As the Inquisitor enters the Eluvian, they realise that it leads to the Fade instead of the Crossroad. A part of the Fade that seems to reflect part of the "personal" story of Flemeth.
[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]
[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]
Once we return from the Temple of Mythal, we find Leliana telling the Inquisitor that Morrigan chased Kieran into the Eluvian. This scene is completely skipped and we never have access to this Fade if Kieran does not exist. For Lore reasons, I think having Kieran is the richest option
We enter the eluvian, and what we realise immediately is that we are not in the Crossroads that Morrigan showed us before. Instead, we are in a part of the Fade. This shows that powerful mages can force Eluvians to go to the Fade and the final destination of an Eluvian is not precisely determined with its construction. This is telling us that technically, any eluvian can allow us to reach the Fade if you are powerful enough.
This Fade is more guided that the one in Adamant Fortress. In the moment we enter, we find these mabari-brazier that are so typical of Ferelden, and a statue of a The Guide.
Same as in the previous Fade, there are a lot of Keepers of Fears merger in the landscape. I find this strange, because this space belongs to Flemeth, it’s not a space of a demon of Nightmare or terror. Someone could argue that, since Flemeth may have some relationship with the Chasind, her relationship is being reflected in these statues since Alamarri and Avvar [and likely Chasind too] may share the tradition of the Keepers of Fear. We see several screaming faces, Keepers of Fear, Eroded dragon skull, and a Dwarf with long limbs. The first thing giving us a welcome is a big hand and a table.
This same table has been found in the previous Fade, in the beginning of that space too, like an invitation. Over the table, there are hanged generic dead bodies and two enormous hands: one keeping the strings of the hanged dead, and another from which a pile of keepers of fear emerges. These hands seem to work like the hands we see in the Crossroads of Trespasser, which give support to eluvians or circular tree.
Aside of this configuration, a bit hidden on the ground, Andraste statue’s head.
As we approach the second opening, we see a pair of Keepers of Fear, with heads being burnt, flanking a Sacrificial altar. The figure of a man is towering over them, and in front of these elements, there is a statue of Beheaded ram-man. The whole configuration seems to relate again the concept of sacrifice and fear.
These are the rarest version of the Keepers of Fear. In this case, we see them working: their heads are burning, maybe as a representation of the fear screams being consumed before an Alamarri goes to fight against their fate. The base of these Keepers of Fear have a drawing on it that looks like another creature, screaming.
The Sacrificial altar can be studied with great detail in this part of the Fade. We can see that it has a small platform with decorated patterns and carvings in the metal.
We have seen this human sculpture among Orlesian collections or in Free Marches-themes statues.
The Beheaded ram-man is erected on a head of a Keepers of Fear. [Fore more detail about this statue, read The Raw Fade: Part 1 ]
As we keep walking, we find Morrigan beside an enormous Claw of Dumat on one side, and a statue of the Free Marches in front of her. There are many keepers of fears around and above too.
Here, Morrigan explains that to direct the eluvian to the Fade requires immense power, which is absolutely reasonable since Kieran keeps the soul of an archdemon inside him.
Ahead, we find a very curious corridor that got my attention since I saw it. I believe the game is explicitly telling us to relate the andraste’s head with the Ferelden Wyvern through the spike. We know there is a tale in Ferelden Folklore [landmark Fereldan Wyvern Statues] where they connect both in a story that the Chantry does not acknowledges as official. I don’t know what’s the real deal with this Wyvern, but the connections with dragon-like creatures [reptiles] seems to be a pattern in the game. This Wyvern in particular is standing on two Tevinter urns. How this creature relates to Tevinter is also a mystery, but this statue has been seen in ancient Tevinter buildings as well, predating Andraste and Blights.
We step into another Guide under which a small table and chair can be found.
Behind the guide there is a skull with two metallic columns that seems to be Claws of Dumat prototypes. We saw these artefacts in Western Approach: Coracavus; Records Room, gathered around desks:
Maybe it is an artefact used to study elements, such as heads, or to record information. Still it is hard to guess its function.
When we reach to the next clearing, we find one of these Tevinter devices of several claws, diapason-like, clipped with an “injector”. This device, or at least this combination of clipping is similar to what we saw in Suledin Keep, when we met Imshael. Like in that place, at the base of the device there is red lyrium. Same as in Suledin, the area seems to be related to Horned warrior holding a sword. This is the first time that this element appears in the Fade. It’s placed at the left of the device, on a piece of rock: One on front of the rock, and a smaller version behind it.
A bit above of the device, we find a Tevinter urn merged in the stone and more versions of Keepers of Fear, one who is swallowing or regurgitating Red Lyrium, and another screaming.
#fade#the fade#Playing DA like an archaeologist#The Guide#mabari statues#eluvian#Keepers of Fear#Eroded dragon skull#Dwarf with long limbs#sacrificial altar#andraste#andraste statue#claw of dumat#Horned warrior holding a sword#tevinter design#Tevinter objects#tevinter artefacts#tevinter urn
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WIP... Day
I got tagged over the last week (or more) by talented @minilev, @refinedstorage and @p0lkadotdotdot, thank you <3 I haven’t been drawing this much, but I’ve been writing suffering because I dig it, ‘aight This is a snippet from a Dragon Age thingie I’m writing now, might seem quite out of context but I probably would have to make a long post about what, why and how and I’m sorry I suck Tagging @spicevalleys @starsandskies @xbaebsae @p0lkadotdotdot @fadedjacket @theknifegame and y’all
[...] The stone, heavy coffin cover finally gave up, falling on tnhe ground with a louid thud that echoed through the massive chamber. Chamber that should’ve been lost, buried and forgotten, which has called to her for longer than she wanted. And yet, and yet... She did want it. To hear echoes of the past, calling her, telling her what she failed to do, how she butchered her own destiny for the sake of false sense of honor. She stood by the edge of the coffin, looking down. Her father’s body was the way she remember it - massive, unnatural, malnourished, yet emanating a power that couldn’t be questioned. An ancient darkspawn, one of the first that were created, lay unconscious in front of her. Her eyes wandered, she was looking at the chains around his cloak, at the pieces of red lyrium coming out from his shredded skin. He was a monster, a body horror made real, flesh, bone and red lyrium. Corypheus’ eyes remained closed, his breath gone - he seemed like he was truly dead. But she knew that he could never die, as long as she’s breathing. Vessa crouched by the coffin, taking out her knife. Carefully she placed the harp, elven blade on thin, cold wrist, then slowly took it in her free hand, looking at the unnaturally long fingers with dark claws. With one move of the blade, she ripped the wrist open, allowing the black, thick, ancient darkspawn blood to pour into the ebony vessel. The liquid was even darker than the bowl itself, and it made her insides twist in disgust. “Blood of my blood.” She whispered with a frown, then took a deep breath and swallowed the content of the vessel. It took all her strength not to puke immediately, feeling her insides burning. She coughed, the bowl slipping from her hand and falling down the stairs behind her. She felt like if she was suffocating, the twisted blood trying to tear her apart from the inside. It took a long while before she could breathe again. She was drenched in sweat, her collarbones and forehead glistening, hair wet and untamed. She took a deep, shaky breath, looking at her father’s body. The wound on his wrist healed already, leaving only a faint scar. Losing her composure and finally giving up, she allowed her body to fall by the darkspawn’s body, curling like a cat by his side, allowing her head to delicately fall on his maimed and disfigured chest, welcoming the sharp pieces of metal embedded in his skin, feeling them lovingly cut through her cheek. “Silence.” She said, exhausted and yet full of conflict and hatred, allowing the tears to fall freely from her eyes. “You blamed and cursed Dumat for giving you silence when you faithuflly prayed to him... And it’s the very same thing I got from you. Just silence. Only silence.” And so she allowed herself to forget about the world entirely and lay down, head on her father’s chest, tears falling into his skin, marking their paths on the fragments of red lyrium on his skin. Meanwhile the dark, twisted blood stopped tearing her insides, instead calming down in her veins, becoming part of her being once and for all.
#just when you thought I couldn't make anything more weird than Irina's and Rhan's backstories#I created something even worse#I'm so proud yet so disgusted of myself you can't even imagine#whatever#WIP DAY#TAG GAME
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all the gears in my brain keep spinning madly since the DA4 teaser so get ready for some absolutely useless&unrequired dragon age shower thoughts!!
- the idol shouldn’t exist anymore in that form, Meredith reforged it into a sword?? even taking into account that Varric is an unreliable narrator, the sword is real and can be taken from Samson and even resold in DAI
- is it the same idol? is it another idol?? if it’s another one, does it mean there are other evil idols from hell lying around in the Deep Roads?? does it mean there are other Primeval Thaigs??? the one Hawke&Varric found was probably dedicated to Dumat since it was full of “Claws of Dumat”. maybe there are other thaigs dedicated to other Old Gods???
- what is the link between the Old Gods and red lyrium? there must be a link or the idol wouldn’t have been there to begin with. both the Old Gods and the red lyrium are corrupted by the Blight. maybe the Blight started from lyrium. is the Blight some kind of Titan sickness?? did a Titan catch a very contagious cold or something???
- in the Descent DLC it’s hinted that the Sha-Brytol act in a sort of hivemind and aren’t at all afraid to die. seems awfully similar to the darkspawn??
- both the Sha-Brytol and the Profane eat lyrium, but the Profane eat red lyrium (at least in DAII), is that why the Stone “rejected them”? is that why the Sha-Brytol are “pure”? or is the Titan “pure”?? does “pure” mean “not touched by the Blight”????
- alright back to the teaser now
- is that Solas? sure looks like him. almost every elven god is usually represented bald so it could be someone else, but it wouldn’t make much sense. Also he has the iconic wolf pauldron on his shoulder so i’m inclined to think that’s him
- which is strange because he seems to oppose the Dread Wolf? but why?? sure, he’s conflicted about what he intends to do, but he seemed determined enough in Trespasser??
- maybe that gesture is not directed to the Dread Wolf, but to the idol? maybe he’s not opposing, but imposing. he has a red halo around him. he has red eyes! it could be methaforical (he’s eeeevil now), but what if it’s not? what if he’s actually using the power of red lyrium to tear down the Veil?
- although it must be noted that if he’s opposing the idol and/or the Dread Wolf, he’s positioned between them and the burned/twisted tree
- the tree can be a symbol of Mythal (the leafless tree) or of the People in general, which would make more sense
- so in this interpretation he could be standing between the elves and their complete destruction, all while the entire world is going down in flames. maybe the meaning of the illustration in general is “the Dread Wolf destroys the world but Solas protects what remains of the elven people”...or something
- the seven circles, five grey, two golden.. I highly doubt that’s a coincidence, they must represent the Archdemons, five dead, two alive
- but what’s the link with the idol??
- Solas has already his own power, has absorbed Mythal’s soul, and through Mythal possibly Urthemiel’s soul too. maybe that’s not enough to tear down the Veil. maybe he needs the power of Razikale and Lusacan as well. maybe he wants to create another orb, or a similar artifact, to replace the old one??
- this brings us back on how the foci were made. this mural seems to suggest that they were made from the heart of a Titan, but obviously this process was possible at the height of the elven empire, when their power was at its peak. it’s very likely that Solas doesn’t have the resources to kill another Titan now, or there are other factors that are preventing him from obtaining another orb
- he probably doesn’t intend to kill the Archdemons still remaining (he was very clear about that in DAI), but to take their soul/power. an Archdemon cannot be killed by normal people because he respawns into the body of the nearest blighted creature. maybe it can also travel inside one of those idols, amplifying its power??? I mean those the grey and golden circles are partially inside the large circle containing the idol...what could it meeeeannnn
- side note: many people believe that the Old Gods are actually the Evanuris, excluding Solas and Mythal that are still alive (in some form at least) and not blighted, which... yeah it could be. The Evanurs were nine, minus Solas and Mythal = seven, like the Old Gods
- the Old Gods were dragons, and the form of a dragon was reserved for the gods during the elven empire. Flemeth/Mythal can turn into a dragon
- BUT the Creators weren’t the only ones who could turn into dragons. there is that ancient elven writing near the temple of Mythal that says:
"His crime is high treason. He took on a form reserved for the gods and their chosen, and dared to fly in the shape of the divine. The sinner belongs to Dirthamen; he claims he took wings at the urging of Ghilan'nain, and begs protection from Mythal. She does not show him favor, and will let Elgar'nan judge him."
- Morrigan can turn into a dragon as well, even if she doesn’t have the soul of Mythal yet. in a certain world state she even summons Mythal/Flemeth saying “from high priest to high priest”, which would suggest that the high priests of the Evanuris could turn into dragons as well.
- but we are forgetting half of the tale of Fen’Harel’s betrayal, which is fitting because I’m referring to the Forgotten Ones. In the tale he imprisoned them into the abyss, while the Creators were sealed away “in the heavens”, which to me sounds more like the Fade than the Deep Roads?
- also Solas seems to deny the connection between the Evanuris and the Archdemons in a dialogue with the Inquisitor where he says “nothing in the elven lore connects my people to the Old Gods who became dragons”
- obviously, the Dalish could be completely wrong (again) and Solas could be lying/hiding something
- also, Corypheus says that he and the other Magisters didn’t find anything in the Black City, only “dead whispers”... so, no Evanuris there, at least in theory
- by the way, after the second sin we find the Magisters in the Deep Roads?? so how did they get there from the Fade?? did they find an elevator in the Black City??? (ok maybe it was an Eluvian, but I like the idea of the elevator)
- so are the Evanuris the Old Gods? the Forgotten Ones?? the high priests of the Evanuris??????
- this stuff is super confusing and i love it ok
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Acceptance (A “GOYO: Ang Batang Heneral” one-shot)
Two weeks later, the events that happened at Tirad Pass still haunted everyone. All the way from history until the present. For too many, Tirad Pass cost them a young soldier and a hero. For Vicente, however, it had cost him not only a general or a friend; but also a brother.
Vicente was staggering as he trailed the already familiar treck up. It had been cloudy like last time, but it was still undeniably hot; even though he was absentmindedly walking the long road.
Two weeks and his heart couldn't still bear to accept it.
After everything that happened on that fateful day, when he had declared himself to be 'unfit to serve' and was asked to come along with the women and children to surrender to the Americans already to be spared from escaping, all the while that the men were back on the running... Vicente still hoped that it was all just a dream that he would wish to finally wake up from.
But the presence of the empty shells of stray bullets on the dusty soil as he made the trail, and the mark of dry blood here and there, he knew that he was the dream when the rest of the world moved on with reality. The truth hit him hard much more when he came on the spot of where it had just been sand and rocks to mark the unnamed grave.
He stopped, looking down at the spot of where he had buried his general. His best friend. His brother.
He sighed heavily and crouched right in front of the grave. His elbows onto his knees, he looked far ahead as if that will stop the building tears on his eyes.
Vicente remembered their promise to each other. That they'll be celebrating their birthdays with extravagance and flamboyance right after the battle. That they would return to Bulacan together and celebrate Christmas. But who would have thought that he would be celebrating his birthday this way?
"Goyong..." his voice hitched with just that faint call. A sob was threatening to overpower the words he wanted to say. He sighed heavily for another time. "Sinong mag-aakala na hahantong sa ganito ang lahat? Ang bilis ng panahon... dalawang linggo na pero di ko pa rin matanggap ang katotohanan. Alam ko naman na hindi ko pa rin lubos maisip kung bakit."
He sniffed. He roughly and rushly brushed the tears from his eyes as if to stop them from falling.
"Ang dami kong tanong kung bakit..." He bit his lower lip for a second. "Kung bakit naman kasi kailangan maging ganito. Maari naman pala tayong sumuko ng mapayapa sa mga Amerikano. Eh di sana di ka namatay." He hissed. "Eh di sana wala tayo rito ngayon. Na hindi ko pinipilit ang sarili kong tanggapin na wala ka na."
The soft and white fluff of clouds shyly hid the sun, but there wasn't any indication that it was to rain.
And yet, Vicente would wish otherwise. At least, he can make himself believe that the wet on his cheeks were because of the rain and not of his own tears. He gulped in hard. "Tangina naman, oh. Kaarawan ko pa ngayon, hindi ba? Pero pinapaiyak mo ako." He sniffed, closing his eyes as he lowered and shook his head. "Gago... grabe ka naman magpaalala."
Ang tanga mo naman, Enteng, he almost laughed at such a thought. On how his thinking seemed to mirror how would Goyo react if he was right in front of him right now.
"Sabi mo pa naman, sabay na natin ipagdiwang ang kaarawan ko at yung sa iyo. Dahil sabi mo... panigurado tapos na ang labanan sa panahon na iyon," he mumbled before pressing his hands against his eyes. His breathing hitched and his entire frame trembled as he tried to ease himself. "Putangina, Goyong, di mo sinabi na matatapos pala ang labanan dahil hahantong sa ganito ang lahat."
Vicente remembered that time in Dagupan when Goyo screamed that he was to die, and all he had said was to chide. Who would have thought that it would all be some sort of premonition?
"Di ko nga alam kung paano ko haharapin si Julian eh. Nakakahiya na buhay ako... samantalang ipinangako ko na proprotektahan kita." He already fell on his knees, crouching doesn't support much of his weight and his grief. Through gritted teeth, he added, "Tangina... di ko man nagawang panindigan ang pangako ko bilang kanang kamay mo." He punched the ground underneath him in despair. "Baka mas maigi pa na namatay na lang rin ako."
Yes, perhaps it had been better. But what good would it be if he was to be with his general until death?
"Goyong, patawarin mo ako. Napakawala kong kwenta. Wala akong nagawa noong namatay ka. Di naman kasi dapat maging ganito." His hands grasped for the dirt. Sand entering through fingernails that had been filled with filth and blood the last time he had been here to see his general's dead body and be forced to bury him. "Bakit kasi..." He sniffed, shaking his head another time. "Una si kuya; ngayon naman ikaw. Bakit kasi kailangan maging ganito?"
He sat back, drawing his legs close to his chest. His elbows on his knees as he kept a hand pressed against his eyes. He hated crying the most; even though he was alone. It made him feel much worse.
"Bakit ganito? Diyos ko, bakit?!" He pressed his other palm against his eye. Tears pouring out of his eyes, just as the blood on his wounded knuckles started to trickle. "Ang sakit... Ang sakit-sakit. Maligayang kaarawan sa akin, ano? Tangina..."
A few seconds later, he heard the flutter of wings and claws screeched against the stones. Vicente looked up, pulling his hand away from his tear-stricken face and stared at the bird—the eagle—that stood right there, watching him curiously with those predatory eyes. And for some reasons, the supposed-to-be vicious bird only stayed there, waiting.
Goyong? He wondered as he slowly pulled himself to reach out a hand to where the eagle was, but the bird suddenly screeched and flapped its wings, leaving him right away as it flew low in circles.
Vicente remembered that until the end of Goyo's life, the latter had lived the life of being an eagle. And truly, he slowly accepted it that his friend was now one with the clouds.
He smiled bitterly as he looked up at the sky wherein the clouds were starting to partway again to show the golden rays of the sun and the eagle still on its flight, and hear the whisper of a familiar voice be carried by the wind. He bit his lower lip for a second before saying, "Maraming salamat din sa lahat, Heneral."
The eagle screeched another time as if it responded back at him, made another round, and finally flew a much higher altitude and headed somewhere else until light shone much greatly and Vicente could no longer point out where it was.
Oo, hanggang dumating ang araw na iyon... Magkikita ulit tayo. Pero sa ngayon...
Paalam, Goyong.
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#Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral#Goyo2018#Goyo#Goyong#Gregorio del Pilar#General Goyo#General del Pilar#General Gregorio del Pilar#Vicente Enriquez#Colonel Enriquez#Colonel Vicente Enriquez#Fanfiction#One-shot#Philippine History#Philippine Heroes#Philippine-American War#Battle of Tirad Pas#GoyoAngstStories#GoyoAngBatangHeneralStories#ProjectAguilaStories
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some cool swords from various dragon age games!
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