#Dragon Age Retribution

[higheverweave]

Yall im sorry I cant get Corrupted Inquisitor (Elgarnan’s champion of vengance.) out of my head

Elgarnaan once free purposefully goes after Lavellan after hearing about the skyweaver who lost everything on so many occasions

Elgarnaan uses magic to repress everything that makes the Inquisitor a hero. Elgarnaan removes regret ,remorse, guilt and sets The Inquisitor loose as his champion of Vengeance (Bonus points if mage,female or non-binary,or non human race.)

The first place the Inquisitor goes for Vengeance?… The chantry that took the most prevalent trauma of their life and exploited it for a hero story thrusting them in a position they did not ask for or consent to… derailing the life they had and replacing it with an uncertain one under public scrutiny (Again bonus points if they have their own gods.)

For corrupted Lavellan specific The Second target would be the Duke of Wycome and everyone who works for him a Clan for a Clan. (Justice under the influence of Elgarnaan.)and corrupted Lavellan is the opposite of Inquisitor Lavellan they don’t forgive the Duke of Wycome, they don’t move on they camp out in the ruins once belonging to clan Lavellan where the bodies of all they knew and loved are buried and they hunt every one of the Duke of Wycome’s men down slowly. Corrupted Lavellan makes them feel every inch of what Lavellan believed their clan would have…. corrupted Lavellan is cold tactics only… and the Duke of Wycomes men are killed on by one brutally in a way that is the opposite of the Lavellan The Inquisition knew.

For Qunari Inquisitor this would be them going after the Qun who used them as a puppet their whole lives who stripped them of thought of choice of will… Now Corrupted Inquisitor will strip them of the exact same an eye for an eye

Now Regular Human super privilege Inquisitor would go after the Exalted Council next forcibly thrust into a position they didn’t ask for to gain eyes on them they never asked for only to have these people strip it away as soon as it was given toying with the Inquisitors life again?! Then having the audacity to say that They gave the inquisition too much power…. Maybe they should learn what too much power actually is? What it feels like to have your entire life subjected to the puppet strings of another unseen hand

Corrupted Inquisitor the champion of Elgarnaan then turns their Vengeful gaze on Their shared “Enemy.” Solas/Fenharel. The corrupted Inquisitor under the influence of Elgarnaan confronts Solas on every repressed thought and memory they had on his betrayal.

For Corrupted Lavellan its worse it is so much worse because either Solas sees the love of his life or one of his closest/only friends corrupted into the opposite of everything they stood for and acting in a way that would horrify and disgust normal Lavellan It is like looking into the eyes of a stranger and he is forced to be in the position he put the Inquisitor in. Kill them to save everyone or make them remember who they are through great effort

in freeing The Inquisitor from Elgarnaans influence Solas has to confront all his own shit to help them confront theirs and break Elgarnaans hold over them

Im sorry Im a little obsessed with corrupted Inquisitor

UwU

Yall realize Solas let out Elgarnan out most likely …. Elgarnan is the god of revenge Which character in this series would have the most reason to get revenge on a large amount of people?

The Inquisitor and it works for almost every origin

Warrior Inquisitor getting revenge on mages

Qunari Inquisitor taking out years of pent up frustration at the Qun

Dwarf Inquisitor getting revenge on the cartels and gangs of the deeproads

Mage Inquisitor hunting Templars

And elvhen specific is juicy ….

Imagine Elgarnan using magic to alter Lavellan’s morals based on their pain and trauma …. Imagine Elgarnan taking away the one thing holding Lavellan back their Empathy…and ability to feel remorse

Now imagine the roles are reversed and the Inquisitor is the big bad and Solas has to stop them

[abyssal-ilk]

elgar'nan razed the island to the ground with fire for ghilan'nain's death. his anger was so strong he lashed out not only at rook and their team, but his own forces as well. he got the dagger he needed, but at what cost? the price of his sister's life? the sister that he needed to make their dream come true, for without her the dagger is simply a weapon and not an artist's tool? will be thinking about this forever.

[waspgrave]

Solas and Mythal’s relationship is that perfect blend of fucked up and tragic I have been wanting from them for a decade. The mother and her child, the two lovers, a queen and a general, the dog and its master, the servant and the lord. Love it. I knew I sensed fuckery with the way solas talked about her despite ‘burning her off his face’. Then to see him shrinking up in front of her, how he groaned ‘mythal’ in dread and even began to hold the dagger out towards her to take bc he knows he’ll do anything for her if she asks. man needs therapy for his absolutely disastrous and problematic situationship thank you for letting me watch your traumas unfold like that king

[scribeofmorpheus]

Chapter Update!

“Please,” Solas pleaded, “stop this.”

“I have no power here,” Felassan said. “I never did, did I? It was always Mythal or the People. What of her, your Dalish bride? What of me? What of my story? Did I matter at all?"

[x]

[citrusai]

gareth david-lloyd is such a wonderful voice actor. i keep rethinking of his reading of the line "i will always go where you go." and it sounds so resigned and pained, like already solas knows he is going down a path that will lead to death and horror but his friend needs him, the people need him. they need his wisdom and guidance, and he knows taking on a physical form will not only be his undoing, but that of the world as he knows it. but still he goes, because duty comes above all.

[rivilu]

One side effect of the autistic sense of justice for me is going insane over justice and vengeance as concepts in themselves whenever applicable in media.

Which unfortunately means that thinking about justice dragon age for too long (especially with the post inq takes on spirits) makes me want to rip my hair out.

[oakthcrn]

doot doot smol starter call for Lark in her DRAGON AGE VERSE.

moots only pls, and multis pls specify muse.

[arrenkae]

Anyway my dragon age conspiracy theory is that Mythal was originally meant to be a spirit of Justice/Vengeance but devs were so committed to erasing all traces of Anders from this franchise that they had to change that as well

[hungee-boy]

i know its not the best quality of hair physics out there but just the fact that bioware can do this..... huge

[nerdsandqueens]

Thinking about Mythal again.

Last year, I started to get interested in the history of "Mother Goddesses" in mythology. In part due to learning about dnd Tiamat and her real life mythological counterpart. How a Mother Creator becomes World Destroyer fascinates me greatly. Especially because it echoes my own journey from over-responsible white knight people pleaser, into someone free from the narratives I've been spoon fed. But it''s led to me feeling deeply betrayed. I poured my heart out to people for years, only to realize they were bleeding me dry.

Imagine out of the kindness of your heart, you gave life and sustenance and love to others. You loved love and life, and so it was no worry to give to those in need. You made the world a better place. You made all feel cherished from your love, and you loved to give that love.

But imagine you did not get love. Or even worse, they hurt you instead. After all you'd done for them. After all the trust you had given them.

In my struggle with people depending on me when I never asked them to be, it feels like I let them nurse from me. Then when I realize they drain me, they feel like parasites. Insects crawling all over me. Invading me. Infecting me.

Imagine if Mother Earth was sentient, and one day felt like every living creature growing out of her skin were crawling parasites. She'd seek to wipe the face of the earth clean. How dare they hurt and infect her.

Flood myths. The sea seen as the birthplace of life, suddenly swallowing up the world it had brought forth.

Benevolence turning into Retribution. Suddenly your very existence is a grand sin to the mother who gave you everything. The life you live. The air you breathe. The world you exist in. What a terrifying reckoning for the muliebrious universe to decide to take her gifts back.

[antiqua-lugar]

sorry I got mythal brainrot, does the game ever say anything explicit about her relationship with elgar'nan except her telling to solas "don't worry I am just doing it for the greater good trust me"

like I am to assume all the stories about them being married are folktales doing their thing or am I free to imagine maybe they did bang. this is not at all because I want this to be as messy and heartbreaking for everyone involved I promise.

(because I also assumed it was a folk tale whatever elgar'nan did with the sun BUT LO AND BEHOLD)

[attractthecrows]

everyone in thedas: abominations are horrible and evil!!!

me doodling abominations in my notebook surrounded by hearts and sparkles:

[herald-divine-hell]

In 9:41, the Herald of Andraste, Alexandra Caera Trevelyan, began to preach her new Chants to southern Thedas. With the crippling of Chantry authority due to the Mage Rebellion, Orlais' fall into civil war, and Divine Justinia V's assassination, many in Thedas turned to the Herald as their new guiding light, and held fast to her as Andraste's blessed daughter, even with the passing of the Mark.

"Praise be to Your Lord and His Bride, and Their Herald, who bears the Mark, and peace be unto the Believers, who bear witness. They ask of you [Alexandra], 'Surely our Maker would not send a mage, a child nearer to damnation. Surely, he would not send the blood of the murderer that slain His Bride.' Ah, that is but only their desires! Wise is your Lord, who would send a daughter, a daughter who is blood of the two Realms, of Andraste and ancient Elvhenan, of this world and the Unseen." Wise is your Lord, who bore witness to the death of His Chosen, and has arisen something greater, more precious, and has given to all Worlds [to all the people], a gentle Mercy, a fierce Reminder." - [The Disputation, 2:1-21]1

"O', you who Believe, when you come across one of the Elvhen, be of the Dalish or of the Alienage, greet them with Peace, and say onto them, 'Our Lady remembers the Blood of Shartan, and sends Her Love onto her Daughter and onto you. Truly, she [Alexandra] is among the Blood.' [or, truly she is a part of you; or, she is part of the Elves.] Forbidden are the Believers to drink the wine of injustice. When you were of the oppress and among the lost, did your Maker not sent Guidance? Ordained onto Our Herald verily is this: when you see oppression, slay it utterly, and cast it into the Flame, so not even it's ashes can be reborn anew. A covenant is granted, to the elves and Andraste's Daughter. Restored are the Dales, and protected in trust by Andraste's Chosen, to the children of Elvhenan. Forbidden are the Lesser Thrones [Orlais, Ferelden, etc.] and Sanctified Seats [the White and Black Divines] to deny the Throne [the Maker] of anything, which They have revealed onto you [Alexandra]. Among the Elves who ascend such a covenant, with their hands clasped onto Our Herald, Our Hands are clasped onto theirs, and Truly We know what is in their hearts. So let all broken oaths before you [Alexandra] become fallen leaves cast away by the wind, and let any who make oaths, unto the Maker, and unto the Flame-veiled Bride, and Her Blessed Daughter [the Herald], and whose heart is free and aware, retain their oaths, evermore. Love and Peace and Justice and Compassion, We have ordained onto those who believe. This is the near insurmountable pass, of which we have revealed onto you. Engraved this into your hearts, for your Lord is All-Aware, All-Knowing." - [The Covenant of the Elves, 10:1-43]2

_

Note 1: The Disputation occurs when the Herald of Andraste first arrives at Val Royeux to meet and treat with the remaining Grand Clerics, which ultimately leads to the Chantry's condemnation of the Inquisition and Alexandra as heretics. Alexandra denies their claims and condemns the Chantry for denying her divinely-sanctioned role, citing the wisdom in Andraste choosing a half-elf mage to be her Herald, especially after the Mage Rebellion.

Note 2: The Covenant of the Elves occurs after the Inquisition establishes control over the Exalted Plains. Here, Alexandra reaffirms to the Dalish, and elves in southern Thedas, that the Dales belong to them, and that no nation or religious authority outside of Alexandra, as Andraste's Herald, has any right to remove the Elvish claims to the Dales, or have any right to dispute Alexandra's decisions. Alexandra also forgives any broken oaths that were made before her Heraldship, especially the commitments of the Mages to aid the Chantry and reside in the Circles. She also tactfully installs the theological belief that she must also be called upon when oaths are made. Pledging onto the Maker and Andraste is not enough. Pledging onto her as Andraste's living representative is also significant. Alexandra also discusses, briefly, on matters of ethics, referred to as the "near insurmountable pass", such as being compassionate and following justice, and that creation will struggle to follow through, but will overcome it in time.

[beeapocalypse]

do not think i have talked abt cholla here either. sphinx who was made a knight of ve-corpsis (basically just showed up demanding it and nobody was brave enough to say no because of the threat of fluisau hovering right behind them) and then went on a meandering countryside murder spree where nobody dared to strike them down for fear of divine retribution until belrath eventually confronted them + beheaded them despite fluisaus rage. had genuinely believed themself unkillable and accepted belraths challenge to a duel with a smile

[serpentface]

Dragon folklore in the Imperial Wardin region

A dragon as depicted in Wardi, Wogan, and Cholemdinae folklore

Dragon folklore is broadly similar between the three collections of human peoples who have inhabited the region since prehistory. The details of their description vary somewhat, but the core traits are the same. These dragons are described as very large birdlike creatures (standing as tall or taller than a human) with bodies like eagles, a reptilian head (usually that of a crocodile or lizard), black feathers, and trailing tail plumage. They are sometimes horned, and Wardi variants are specified as having wattles like roosters.

All variants of this folklore associates them with storms, lightning, and wildfires. They are said to only emerge during lightning storms and intentionally set grass fires in order to hunt. Some sources ascribe them power over lightning itself, which they capture in the clouds and send to the ground with the beating of their wings. Others state that they are simply immune to it. In either case, they set their tail feathers ablaze in lightning strikes, and then fly low over the ground to strategically spread the fire. They completely surround their prey with wildfire, and then circle overhead in wait until it has succumbed to the smoke and flames.

They are usually characterized as killing indiscriminately as fire itself, eating anything they can capture whether it be wild animals, livestock, or people. They have no appetite for raw meat, and will only eat burnt flesh.

These dragons rarely come down to the ground, spending most of their lives in storm clouds. They migrate along with the rains and breed in grasslands during the peak of the wet season, with female dragons laying their eggs hidden in tall grass. Dragon chicks are born with completely white feathers, which are gradually singed black with every hunt. The darker a dragon, the older and more dangerous it is.

They are generally non-personified and regarded as wild beasts, though are sometimes given a particularly vengeful nature. Stories of mother dragons burning down entire villages or towns in retribution for the death of their chicks can be found region-wide.

Wogan folklore is an exception (though this is more an aspect of a broader animistic worldview rather than a unique quality of dragons themselves), in which the dragon is personified and credited with first teaching the people how to practice controlled burns for agricultural purposes. The Wogan dragon is a very powerful and dangerous spirit and communion with it requires wisdom and caution. Many stories describe people enslaving dragons or capturing their chicks order to utilize their power to destroy enemies, only to be annihilated with fire themselves.

A dragon as depicted in the folklore of the Hill Tribes, ft. an unfortunate horse

The dragon folklore of the Highlands has some connection to the aforementioned (particularly in their association with storms) as a product of centuries of cultural interchange, but stems from a wholly separate tradition brought from overseas, bearing much in common with analogous legendary creatures in Finn and Royal Dain culture.

These dragons are heavily personified, being wholly sapient and capable of speech, and are said to be either extremely long-lived or completely immune to aging (though not immune to being killed). They are described as very large birds with the wings and bodies of eagles, the spurred legs of pheasants, the wrinkled necks of vultures, and the head and tail of a snake. Dragons are almost always red, brown, and yellow in color, resembling golden eagles (like their father). They kill prey with their venomous bite, said to be the deadliest of all animals. They are uniquely menacing to people, having little to no interest in wild prey in favor of the tender, domesticated meat of horses and cattle (or humans themselves)

Dragons are all males, and all brothers. They are the progeny of the goddess Ariakh and her spirit husband, the King of Eagles. Ariakh reproduced with her husband twice- first in the form of a human, in which she gave birth to the Winds, her four eldest sons, and second in the form of an eagle, in which she laid a clutch of eggs that hatched all dragons. These dragons are smaller and less powerful beings than their older brothers, and they're ascribed a sense of profound bitterness about this.

They are jealous and vain in nature, constantly squabbling amongst themselves for rank and admiration and menacing humans to gain recognition. Folktales often center on heroes taking advantage of their competitiveness and insecurity in order to defeat them. They occasionally play neutral or positive roles in tales, where they assist human protagonists in exchange for sabotaging one of their brothers, gifts of horsemeat, or excessive flattery.

[corvus-frugilegus]

Spite Meta! Riffing a bit on a solid post from @antivancathedral and some thoughts i've been stewing on about spirits and demons for a hot minute here.

I've been chewing on this line from Morrigan towards the end of regrets of the dread wolf for a while now:

"But like any spirit when ANGERED or twisted against her purpose, a more violent aspect arose." (emphasis on angered mine)

This is the line for me that really cinches the idea that Spite isn't a demon. And reinforces that spirit-demon seems like it's maybe a false dichotomy. Sure some spirits get stuck at an extreme, but vascilation along a scale of emotion feels normal right? Like Wisdom and Pride can't strictly exist in isolation they go hand in hand and aren't necessarily always in conflict either. So while spirits in the Dragon Age universe tend to focus on a single facet of human emotion it's also true that they're a reflection of the mortal world and we know that spirits struggle with the idea of the world as a static entity- So why would their very natures be fixed?

There are a few things that support this fluidity to the nature of spirits that we see throughout the series.

Mythal and Solas both in some ways vascilate between their two aspects. We see in conversation with the fragment of Mythal that she manages to hold the duality of both benevolence and retribution. Even as a fragment she carries both. We see this in Solas too, he's wisdom twisted by pride but even as he misses the big picture on things he's close to it's true he simultaneously shows wisdom in how he speaks and acts and the thoughts he shares. This is perhaps more good natured in inquisition, especially so in a Lavellan romance, but even in veilguard his cunning and trickery relies on wisdom too- he knows when to be subtle and when to push. He too is simultaneously embodying both ends of a spectrum.

So coming back to the Morrigan quote above: Angered is a really key word here. It's easy to focus on twisted beyond their purpose, and I think that's what we see most often in the series. The back against the wall possession of mages and this extreme depth of feeling / extremity of circumstance that forces a spirit to stay within a more violent aspect of its nature. It's also true that most of the examples of possession we see and the way demons are framed earlier in the series is that malicious spirits are always lying in wait to take hold of the mortals to exit the fade (in light of the elf knowledge this feels much sadder actually, especially given the camaraderie we see between spite and manfred). This is largely the Chantry line. The examples of "good" natured spirits and spirit possession we do have feel much closer to the version of Spite we see in veilguard (if less inclined towards stabbing- arguably this is the influence of Lucanis).

So angered is what I keep coming back to with Spite. Is Spite a permanent state of being- the totality of Spite's being? Or has both Spite and Lucanis's experiences pushed Spite into fight or flight. (let's be real it's fight Spite loves a knife). This really tracks with Spite's role in the narrative too- Spite is an allegory for Lucanis's trauma, and like all spirits a reflection of the world, in this particular case Lucanis's mental state.

Anger is a protective emotion. Anger is something we tend to feel in repsonse to a violation or an injustice. Both Lucanis and Spite have SO MUCH TO BE ANGRY ABOUT. It's through the violation and injustice Spite and Lucanis have experienced that Spite's nature has shifted in the way it has. Spite is the determination to survive. Spite is what carries both of them through the Ossuary. Spite is what keeps them "safe" (heavy on the quotation marks here) when Zara and her lackeys are doing everything in their power to break them. Spite is Lucanis trying to protect himself. Spite is this spirit of Determination trying to protect itself.

At Spite's core the facet of the human experience it reflects is Determination. Anger pushes it to something more intense, but Spite has never actually shifted away from its original purpose. And, in a route where Rook completes Inner Demons, as Lucanis heals and begins finding peace, It feels like Spite does too. Given time I suspect Spite will find its way back to determination.

This is probably a whole separate post and deep dive but Spite's role as an allegory for Lucanis's trauma is really important here too. Lucanis has lived through so much and kept going anways, even before the Ossuary. He carries all of these deep wounds and bottles up his emotions so tightly, and I suspect there is so much anger in him deep down from all the hurt and abuse he's endured. Knowing Lucanis it's probably anger he's afraid of. And Spite reflects these feelings too (here as a narrative device more than in a literal sense), Spite reflects the things inside Lucanis that he tries his best to avoid acknowledging. Spite forces him to confront this, forces him to confront the Dellamorte family dynamics. And again, as Lucanis starts to heal and move forward, we see a shift in his relationship with Spite too- because what's also happening is a shift in his relationship with himself. He's accepting the ugly parts of himself and starting to address his problems. As as result Spite itself seems calmer and more agreeable.

Spite was never a demon, Spite is Lucanis protecting himself and we only think of Spite as a demon because Lucanis does. Because that's how Lucanis sees himself.

Spite is a benevolent spirit simply responding to its environment.

There's so much more to this too! Spite's nature is so interesting and there's so much in the lore that I think really solidly supports that 1. Spirits and demons aren't that cut and dry and 2. Spite falls more into a benevolant nature than a malicious one.