#ELVHENAN | Second to Mythal

[hoboblaidd]

Is Solas going to lose hand-to-hand combat? Probably. But he can at least be counted on to fight extremely dirty. There will be dust in your eye.

[maxx-the-queer]

One of my criticisms about Dragon Age, and this isn't unique to Veilguard, is how antirevolutionary their narratives are. (Spoilers for Veilguard ahead, naturally)

Narratively, they're not adverse to all change (since stories have to have some change in order to exist) but they're hardly accepting of it either.

Any change that happens to the status quo has to happen within the system, otherwise it's deemed extremism and wrong in universe.

Contrast that with when Anders or Grand Enchanter Fiona take actions against the systems of the Circles that spark the mage rebellion - they're vilified for it by the narrative and everyone around them. They're painted as fools at best, malicious murderers at worst. All because their steps for change were taken outside of the system. (Anders blows up a Chantry, Fiona starts a vote to disband the Circle of Magi)

In a worldstate where Leliana becomes Divine Victoria and disbands the Circles to allow for the formation of the College of Enchanters, she's celebrated because she stayed within the Chantry, rose to the top through unconventional but still allowable means, yet achieved radical societal change nonetheless.

If Dorian becomes Archon, his anti-slavery views aren't seen as unreasonable or too radical because he stays within the system. His work with the Shadow Dragons - an anti-slavery group, who by all standards aren't that different from the mage rebellion in the south, is deemed different because their leaders are still trying to work with the systems for change.

Solas gets both versions of this anti-revolutionary treatment. In Inquisition, he felt honestly quite reasonable to me in his motivations to tear down the veil, but he can't escape that same vilification as when he's trying to fit the mould of a force for rebellion, he's treated like a monster or has significantly more flaws in the narrative. When his motivations are framed as complete systematic change, he's shown to not view anyone in modern Thedas as 'real people.' In one of his approval scenes in Inq, he goes out of his way to tell the Inquisitor essentially "you're one of the good ones." He's ignorant, racist, and singlemindedly focused on destroying the world to have a second Elvhenan but better.

But in Veilguard, in order for the narrative to consider him redeemable, his reasons for wanting the veil to come down get changed from wanting betterment for the elves and restoring the Elvhen people, into personal regrets he needs to fulfill. He's no longer framed solely as a political, rebellious force for change, but as a mere man who went too far for a woman he loved. Suddenly the narrative gives the player permission to give him redemption. Because he doesn't actually want change, it's just what he thought Mythal wanted, so that's fine and different.

Your player character protagonist can never actually flat-out agree with the vilified rebel characters either. I can't have my pro-mage rights Hawke say "hey, actually, Anders was right to blow up the Chantry, I agree with him," you always have to ultimately condemn his actions, even if you agree with the outcome.

I can't have my Dalish Inquisitor or an Elven Rook say "hey, actually, maybe Solas has a point, this world does suck for elves and maybe the veil coming down would fix that," they always have to ultimately believe that the veil has to stay.

The games do everything they can to avoid letting the player come to the conclusion that revolution is a good thing. Instead, they force the idea that the only way change is ethical is if you do it within the preexisting status quo.

[brekkie-e]

Something I think about a lot when it comes to the Vallaslin debacle- whether they should be maintained as a tradition in the future and what they meant in the past- is Felassan's place in the rebellion.

Felassan and Vallaslin theory under the cut.

We see some of Solas's agent's in Trespasser, Tevinter Night's, and other media. And it's a bit of a toss up whether an ancient elf who serves Solas has Vallaslin or not. Based off the info we have about the rebellion and what the Vallaslin were, one would assume anyone who makes it to Solas's side wants theirs off. Isn't that notion backed up by the murals we see in Inquisition? Solas taking off Vallaslin by the dozens?

Which brings us back to the agents who still wear them. The first thought that jumps into my head is, "Oh, these must be spies then. People who opted to keep them as a way of offering a specific service to The Cause™️."

And…. That brings me back to Felassan. He's not a spy. He's a general. One might argue he could have fulfilled the role of a spy at some point or another. But in TME- he's not working overly hard to fit in. The guy is unapologetically behaving as himself. He doesn't care if he actually believably passes as a Dalish guy. Sure, he brings up old tales, but the whole time he's practically begging Briala to ask him if he's really Dalish.

In the memories we see of him and Solas, he's a second in command. He's leading people on battlefields. There's literally nothing he does in the name of subtlety. I don’t really see him as a character who has “cut out for spy work” in their resume.

So why does he still have Vallaslin? If any free elf of Solas's time wanted them gone, if they served no deeper cultural purpose than to mark someone as property, Felassan's decision to keep them is called in to question. His role in the rebellion that we get to witness would make sending him to spy a moot point. He's a known entity. He's the Wolf's right hand. So why does the Wolf's right hand wear the very thing that Solas hates on his face with no shame? The codexes he wrote in Veilgaurd don’t scream to me that he carried any significant devotion to Mythal, let alone in a capacity that rivaled Solas’. In TME, he tosses out “Mythal’s tit’s” or “Mythal’s bosom” whenever he finds the chance. So why would Felassan keep a mark of fealty to her when Solas, in contrast, does not.

My point being is, I stand by the idea that even before the Dalish- the Vallaslin meant something to the Elvhen people beyond slavery. To maintain such specific designs through the ages after Elvhenan fell- they had to have maintained the tradition from day one. Fought tooth and nail to keep it from dying out during the Empire's reign. When an Inquisitor tells Solas they want to keep them, he honestly reacts like it’s not the first time he’s heard that response before. Which makes sense when you think of his closeness to Felassan. I wonder if she reminded him of his friend in that moment.

Whether the writer's want us to think they were maintained with full understanding of what they were from the jump, I don't know. But it's the only conclusion I have ever been able to come to that makes any sense to me. It has never been a possibility to me that they only began the tradition of wearing them again once they made home in the Dales.

This is full fanon territory now, but here are some of my thoughts on what they might have began as. With the revelation of the Elvhen connection to spirits, perhaps it was a way to signify which variety of spirit you originated from. I know Felassan gives off the impression that he’s younger than Solas, but I still think he was a spirit that made a body. “He sat crossed-legged, calmed his breathing until he found his true self inside the shell of his flesh, and sprinkled the herbs over the fire.” This is a line in the last few pages of TME, and I don’t know about you but that sounds like someone who feels they’re a spirit inside a meat suit to me. Now, we all saw how much Solas looked like Mythal’s Vallaslin as a spirit. Part of my theory here is that her Vallaslin wasn’t a direct copy of him, but an homage to the archetype of spirit they were. If I had to make an educated guess, I would say Felassan was a wisdom spirit. His dynamic with Briala is based on guiding her to conclusions and helping her figure things out on her own. Not unlike Solas and the Inquisitor. Except Felassan looked at the young woman thousands of years his junior and developed a paternal bond with her instead of a romantic one because he’s a king with standards. Point being, if the original wisdom spirits gravitated to looking like Solas- then Felassan might have looked like that as well at one point.

I don’t think I’m the first person to wonder if the Vallaslin were all based off the Evanuris’ spirit forms, but I keep getting caught up in how that began. There’s something interesting to me about wondering if they had a hard time adjusting to their new bodies and way they experienced emotions similarly to how Cole did. Solas talks at some point about how feelings worked differently in the Fade. I can’t help but wonder if the very first Vallaslin were an attempt to identify themselves. Put their true nature on their face since it was now hidden behind a flesh mask. If it helped old friends recognize one another despite new forms.

I also like this because of how it would mean that the Dalish wouldn’t necessarily have the core concept behind the Vallaslin wrong. They have placed a misguided religious notion on it, but in the end the decision of which god they honor with their Vallaslin is also a declaration of which spirit they identify with most. It declares something about their nature that others can discern just by seeing the marks on their face. The real reason behind the practice may have been lost but in some round about way the purpose was not.

Now, I should note that there are a few holes in my theory. I don’t know that I think they entirely sink it because so much of the lore has layers, but they’re there. The first is the fact Dirth’amen and Falon’din seem to be one spirit split in two. Whether that happened before they took a body or not, I’m unsure. If the split happened before- I don’t think that detracts from my musings because it means they could have developed further into fully realized separate spirits. But if it happened after it does beg the question why people would give them seperate Vallaslin outside of slave marking purposes. The other, and most damning, point is Cole’s line about Solas burning Mythal’s mark off his face. If the mark was to represent his spirit nature then why would it be referred to as her mark as opposed to his? Unless the line between Vallaslin for self expression and slave brands was blurred very early on. Though, it’s still not out of the realm of possibility that it began as one thing and by the time he got rid of his marks it meant another.

Anyways, regardless of the origins and my theories- we have atleast one significant Ancient Elvhen character who had every reason to remove his Vallaslin but didn’t. So when asking questions about the future of the Dalish and this custom- I’m always going to keep Felassan in the back of my mind. If someone who lived the worst of their cultural meaning, and was incredibly close to Solas still opted to keep his then the modern Dalish have every right to as well.

The irony of using Felassan, the certified Dalish Hater, to advocate for Dalish cultural value is not lost on me. I don’t apologize.

[thedinanshiral]

On Solas, again.

After The Veilguard i think this post deserves an expansion.

This one will be long and full of spoilers.

Veilguard gave us a more complete version of his tragic backstory, his memories, his regrets, and showed us a different side of his character.

Here's the thing: Solas is not perfect, he never was. He's been broken for a large portion of his exceedingly long life.

He started as a spirit, presumably a spirit of Wisdom, but he was always called Solas which is heavily implying Solas may be the elvhen word for Wisdom we've been lacking all this time. How did it come to mean Pride? Evanuris propaganda, most likely. Would you listen to and follow someone who is wise or someone who's just full of themselves? Would you, as an elf in ancient Elvhenan, follow another elf resisting the oppression, or a lying, manipulating big bad wolf bent on destroying the world you know by opposing your gods? Who would you listen to, really? The Evanuris high on the blight couldn't allow Solas' name to be a positive for him, so they likely resignified his name with a negative connotation, and just as Solas ran with the Fen'Harel/Dread Wolf narrative because it scared his enemies, he probably didn't give much thought about this either. He was Solas, and whatever his name meant to them wasn't important, what mattered was the cause.

He was a calm flying, glowing nervous system with wings going about his existence in the Fade, minding his own business bothering no one until Mythal asked him to join her in the physical world, with a physical body. He was pure, fully a spirit, and a former spirit who was a friend was almost begging for his help, how could he say no? Even when he knew there would be unfortunate consequences, how could he abandon a dear friend? So he accepted, and became a man. We don't know why Mythal would turn to him for help, of all spirits of the Fade, why him? For his wisdom only, his guidance? In elvhen lore first came the sun and the earth, and Elgar'nan was the firstborn, followed by Mythal, the two of them are in their mythology the first beings to exist. Veilguard, however offers a few codices which are as interesting as they're amusing: evanuris correspondence. Letters from Solas addresed to Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain and their replies. In his letter to Elgar'nan Solas addresses him with his titles but also presents himself with his own, including "second to Mythal", and after addressing Elgar'nan as "first among the Evanuris (...) who woke at the dawn of the elves" Solas refers to himself as "who is no younger". He's "no younger" than Elgar'nan who is, as Elgar'nan's Bloodbound Desmal says on the reply, "First of the Firstborn". And he was already a spirit of considerable power if Mythal turned to him for help so Solas is even more ancient than previously thought, and possibly on equal standing with all of them. This would explain why he walked amongst Evanuris and Forgotten ones alike as if he were one of them, as the stories go. His official rank may not have been too high but they all knew who he was and at least initially they respected him.

The Blight is what changed the game, he refused to participate in it like the others, he refused to join them in their systems of oppression, so maybe the difference was never in power but in logistics. Solas' own words explain it, he was a thorn on their side, drove them to take on more of the Blight to get back at him, implying his rebellion was winning. His efforts were succeeding and in their desperation to stop him for good the evanuris relied more and more on the Blight.

When in Trespasser Solas claims he "was Solas first" i'm inclined to take his word literally. If the instance that changed him into Pride as Morrigan implies in Veilguard was when the world didn't match his expectations, that would have been after the Titans were slained, once he decided to burn Mythal's vallaslin off his face, when he decided to rebel against them. But in his memories at the Lighthouse we can see he was called Solas before all that, the name change came after the war, when the Evanuris decided being powerful general mages of the people wasn't enough, that they should be gods; it's then when Elgar'nan refers to him as a lapdog, and i think that's were the "Dread Wolf" name came from, later on. He was a dog when he was begging them to stop, and became a wolf when he actively tried to make them stop, no longer a beggar but a threat.

In his memories in the Crossroads we see a different side of him, we see him leading, plotting, making difficult choices he thought himself obligated to make because of the dire circumstances; we saw him worried, scared, desperate. His rebellion was something he did out of a necessity, not senseless pride, he had nothing to prove of himself to the Evanuris, but the people deserved better and their "gods" were not going to give them anything but pain. Solas has always made unfortunate decisions guided by his own guilt. He joined Mythal so as to not abandon a dear friend in need, he rebelled out of guilt because it was his contibution to ending the war with the titans what generated the Blight the evanuris became addicted to and took it out on the people. He's been desperately trying to fix his mistakes since he first had a foot to set on the earth. The war with the titans had already started, that's why Mythal called on him, and his first mistake was accepting her request, knowing what it meant, and he hasn't stopped feeling guilt and shame for his choices ever since.

So during his rebellion we see him gather his forces comprised of other spirits, with Felassan as his second in command. It's interesting how the spirits he relied on for their battles had names that today we would interpret as demons, like Chaos and Disruption. There's a codex in Veilguard that touches on how demons are spirits too, just different, and it's people who collectively decided to clasify and treat spirits of unpleasant feelings and concepts as "demons". This may be why Solas, at the final stretch of Act 3 and if Lucanis is in the party, immediatly recognizes Spite as a spirit of Determination; he's always seen spirits for what they are and not what people make them to be, because he's a spirit himself.

I'm of the idea that Solas doens't mean Pride, that if he was twisted from his purpose then he turned into something else, just as there are many kinds of wisdom there should be many other things Wisdom can be twisted into. Taking into consideration when and what for Mythal called for him, and how he tends to always have a plan for everything, i'd say his brand of wisdom may have been in strategy, analysing and planning ahead. They needed to win the war, makes sense they'd need someone capable of devising a way of achieving that. But strategy is a lot about foresight, measured risk, collateral damage, what is or isn't acceptable to sacrifice considering what is to gain or lose, and it's clear in the war with the titans the end justified the means and we see Solas taking a similar approach in his memories when he sacrifices countless spirits in a move meant simply to distract. I think if he turned into something he wasn't meant to be it was Pragmatism, in the sense that he put his ideals on hold and did what he thought would yield concrete results towards his ultimate goal, even if those actions demanded sacrifices he terribly regreted. In his letter to Ghilan'nain he urges her to change, but understands she's where she's at because of her relationship with Andruil and tells her she wouldn't be the first one to throw away their morals for love. Solas does this thing where he tells on himself without realizing it, he sometimes speaks from personal experience and in that line he was surely thinking of his own choice to support Mythal even when what was required of him went against his very nature and ideals.

After everything was said and done, Solas was mostly full of guilt, regret, shame. He made plans but every plan he made backfired, either he hadn't considered outside factors or miscalculated the severity of the consequences. Even if his plans had contingency plans and even though as an elvhen he perceived time and magic differently i get the impression he improvised on the go, he saw a problem, devised a plan to fix it, but in the urgency to get it in motion he was blind to the ramifications, and even when he considered those he was blind to the ramifications of the ramifications because as powerful as he may have been or is still, he's not an omniscient god. He's just a spirit turned man who did it all to help a friend and it all exploded in everyone's faces.

The thing is, when you screw up so badly by trying to do what you think is right in the way you've convinced yourself is the only or best way available, you enter a vicious cycle that's very difficult to get out of. Again, i don't think Solas was Pride, if anything once he entered this phase in his character development i'd say he was closer to Arrogance. Only he could fix what he broke, so only he could make a plan and only he could execute it and for him to succeed he had to be correct. There was no other way. But ultimately all this was driven by a degree of guilt and regret we can't fully imagine. And that guilt and regret, and the despair that came with it, hit harder than ever when he woke from uthenera to find a world fragmented, the Elvhenan empire destroyed and forgotten, and the elvhen people gone, an imperfect, minuscule version of it in their place, in an insufferable infancy and willfully ignorant of their own history. He had saved the world but the consequence was the destruction of the world he knew, the cost too heavy to process. So he stayed in that vicious cycle, he's the only one who remembers, he's the only one who knows what must be done, he's the only one willing to make the sacrifices needed to see it through. It all falls on him. During his time with the Inquisition he's still plotting, still trying to move the threads around him to get things in motion towards his goal but it was also a time of serious reflection, of revelations coming both from external elements and from within. A befriended Inquisitor, and specially a romanced one, makes him question himself and his plans, and that vicious cycle begins to crack. It's the destruction of his orb what pushes him towards a more drastic plan B, and even before that -if romanced- it's his guilt still dragging him towards his self-imposed dinan'shiral, that guilt that he probably perceives as a final duty to his people. But he had considered stopping and staying with Lavellan, and that's a small yet major crack in that cycle he's trapped himself in. He began to doubt.

Off he went on his own for almost ten years, to set the many phases of his plan in motion, sometimes doing things himself, often times relying on his agents or others unknowingly working for him. Because as a strategist, and a pragmatic one, in order for all this to work he had to detach himself emotionally from everyone involved, he had to see them as pieces on the board for him to move accordingly to what the plan demanded in order to achieve the desired results. So yes, Solas uses people, he's been using people for thousands of years, he used countless spirits during his rebellion, he used Felassan when he couldn't yet wake up, he used Corypheus, he used the Inquisition but got emotionally involved and walked out so he could continue using whatever means necessary to reach what he considered had to be the only acceptable outcome. But he was also willing to sacrifice himself, he was always ready to die if if he had to while at the same time trying to preserve his life at least long enough to do what he must. Solas has always been a creature of contrasts, from that very first moment when he was a spirit, and then he became a man.

He is, as trickster figures often are, a liminal creature. Neither here nor there yet somehow all over the place at the same time. So while he was willing to sacrifice others for his own goal, he was also willing to sacrifice himself to save others. By the end in Veilguard, in a Redeem ending, he makes that sacrifice, not by giving away his life but something he perhaps considers more precious, his freedom.

I'll be writing about his relationship with Mythal, Lavellan and that ending at length in a different post, for now suffice it to say i think it's the best ending in part because it allows a different part of him to come to light and i just love his character dearly, all sides of it.

[loredrinker]

The Distinct Eras of Solas's Existence

Solas’s life isn’t one-dimensional. He’s lived through three distinct eras of existence, each defined by transformation and struggle. What draws me to his story time and again is the tension between detachment and connection, immortality and change, and the weight of eternal choices.

Because Solas has lived through such vastly different phases of existence, each has forced him to adapt, rethink his perspectives, his morality and confront the consequences of his actions.

This constant cycle of transformation and resilience is why I believe he is capable of change.

I'm looking at his journey through 3 eras of his existence: 

Pre-Veil: Becoming a man (lyrium crafted) and living before creating the Veil.

Uthenera: Veil newly created. Centuries of slumber and existence in the Fade. 

Post-Veil: Waking in modern Thedas, reengaging with the world, joining the Inquisition, and culminating in Veilguard. 

First off: this post isn’t about the concept of Solas learning what it’s like to have a body for the first time. While I’m sure that experience was equal parts traumatic and exhilarating, that’s a post for another day. 

I’m also steering clear of the horrors and wars of Solas’s Pre-Veil existence - we already know he suffered terribly, made devastating choices, and carries immense regret. The blood on his hands and the weight of those decisions are undeniable. 

Lastly, I’m not entertaining the idea that Mythal had him bound or wielded some magical power (like a geas) to control him (you can read more here). To me, that narrative diminishes the complexity and the writers say you can interpret it how you want. I see their bond as one rooted in duty, loyalty, and complicated and twisted by shared choices. Every awful thing they endured and enacted together only deepened their connection, forged in the fire of mutual commitment and consequence. It's still a chain in it's own right, but a different kind.

Long post below. Everything below the cut is my imagination and interpretation.

Pre-Veil (Roughly 8,000-10,000 years – Time with the Evanuris / Rebellion Wars) 

I’m certain Solas’s time in Elvhenan wasn’t solely defined by war and rebellion. He served as Mythal’s second-in-command, likely handling battles and strategies, but he was also immersed in politics and court intrigue. His role was probably a combination of strategist, diplomat, and advocate for fairness and balance among the elven people. 

We know he enjoyed life in the courts, as he reveals at the Winter Palace in Inquisition: 

"I do adore the heady blend of power, intrigue, danger, and sex that permeates these events." 

He wasn’t just an observer of Elvhenan’s grandeur; he thrived in it. Heady - intoxicating. With a core essence of wisdom, Solas would have fully embraced the era’s philosophical debates, artistic endeavors, groundbreaking inventions, and empire-building. When he refers to “our great cities” and “our deepest mysteries” during his confrontation with Elgar’nan, he speaks as being a part of Elvhenan’s beauty and innovation - not separate from it.  

Solas’s Independent and Rebellious Nature - Hot Blooded and Cocky

Solas was far from a submissive figure, even in service to Mythal. He was independent, rebellious, and stubborn - “unmanageable, even by Mythal’s reckoning.” (I love this line from Elgar’nan. Even Mythal, who knew Solas best, was scratching her head at times because she couldn't control him – and also why I don’t buy the geas concept.) This fierce individuality is one reason the Evanuris gave him the name Fen’Harel. 

A Sensual and Spiritual Man 

Solas strikes me, based on the games, as someone deeply connected to life (how could you not be when you see spirits as people too), both spiritually and sensually. His conversations in Inquisition and Veilguard hint at an appreciation for the world’s beauty and experiences. He loved dancing (Inquisitor: Do you have any interest in dancing? Solas: A great deal…), savored food and drink, and created beautiful art and music. This isn’t someone detached from his physical form or the material world - he immersed himself in its richness. 

A man who composes music and paints intricate frescoes, full of symbolism and emotional depth, usually has a vibrant inner life – which makes sense for wisdom.  His art and creations are tools for reflection and introspection, ways to process his choices and regrets. But where did this come from? Did he learn these skills from a spirit? Was he taught by a wise elf or an inspiring companion? I love the mystery of these glimpses into his life - they humanize him and add layers to his character. 

Solas wasn’t a solitary figure either. He built connections beyond the Evanuris - with spirits, other elves, and likely even lovers (Ghilan’nain, anyone?). Far from being a lone wolf, he seems to have been actively engaged in the cultural, social and political dynamics of his thousands of years. His relationships, creations, and experiences paint the picture of a man tied to life, even as his long painful journey eventually pushed him toward isolation. 

Witnessing the Fall of the Evanuris 

But life in Elvhenan wasn’t all beauty and splendor. Solas witnessed firsthand how power corrupted even those who began with noble intentions. He saw the Evanuris rise to tyranny, and the defeat of the Titans - a major regret of his - became a foundational moment. While it enabled the empire’s growth and stunning cities, it came with immense moral cost to Solas. 

The Rebellion and Isolation 

Solas eventually reached a breaking point. When the Evanuris’ tyranny became unbearable - when they wouldn’t listen, not even Mythal - he walked away. He forged his own path, leading a rebellion to free the elven people. 

During this time, his relationships likely narrowed. He tells Rook it took him centuries to build bonds during this time (but he still built them). Playing a long game of strategy and sacrifice required isolation, though key connections, like Felassan, remained. Mythal’s murder drove him into despair, and he became even more isolated, pouring himself into planning the ritual that would change everything. 

The Creation of the Veil 

The Veil was a desperate solution to stop the Evanuris and the blight, but something went horribly wrong. It didn’t just destroy the world he knew - it reshaped reality. The Veil severed the Fade from the world, altering existence forever. And for Solas, it left him shattered. His physical body remained in the world he destroyed, while his spirit/mind retreated into Uthenera. 

Uthenera: The Dreaming State (3000+ years) *In Trespasser Solas says he lay unconscious for millennia, millenia is multiple thousands)

During Uthenera, his long "dark and dreaming" sleep, Solas existed in a liminal, dreamlike state - a place between worlds.

It’s striking that he entered Uthenera at the exact moment the Fade was severed from the physical world. The mental fortitude required to withstand such a monumental shift and prevent his total annihilation - or even a psychological collapse - speaks volumes about his strength. Solas’s power is undeniable, but for me, this also confirms that he is a deeply reflective man, one who cultivated a strong mind to endure such force, isolation and emotional cataclysm. (All New Faded for Her - now I must endure - again.)

I initially wrote about his activities during this time, but his claim of being unconscious in a dark, dreaming sleep suggests he was largely unaware of the world around him. Rather than delete it, I've left it in below but this more recent post shows my changed thoughts.

From this vantage point, he could witness the catastrophic aftermath of his actions: the loss of elven immortality, the severing of the Fade from the physical world, and the corruption of spirits into demons. He saw the rise of humans, the fall of empires, and the continued oppression of his people. Each new event added to his layers of guilt and grief. If the Fade reflects emotion, can you imagine Solas’s overwhelming feelings during this time? His emotions would have rippled through it, shaping the dream realm itself.  In the Fade, Solas remained detached, able to observe and reflect without directly engaging in the chaos of the broken world. He likely encountered the demons and maddened spirits born of his actions, forcing him to navigate this unfamiliar, broken Fade.  Perhaps this is where his greatest fear - dying alone - began to solidify. Without the complexities of relationships or the challenges of the waking world, his isolation left him emotionally detached and vulnerable to increasingly rigid thinking. After centuries of war and rebellion, his retreat to Uthenera may have offered recovery, but it also severed him from the connections that had once grounded him in “humanity”.  It’s assumed that during this time, Solas began to shape his plans to tear down the Veil – to fix his mistake. It also seems that it’s during this period at some point that Felassan reconnected with him, leading to yet another tragedy. Unlike Solas, Felassan had lived in modern Thedas for a time. He had built relationships, forged bonds, and seen the value in the world as it was. He urged Solas to give this new world a chance. But Solas, entrenched in his painful guilt and unable to let go of his vision, refused - killing his friend and brother-in-arms, adding yet another layer of grief and regret to his already growing burden. I wonder - Solas killed him in this detached state, in a highly emotional Fade state - could Solas have killed him physically face to face? 

For Solas, time in the Fade didn’t march forward as it did for mortals. What probably felt like yesterday to him was ancient history to the rest of the world. This disconnection from the flow of time would only deepen his sense of detachment, a gap he could only begin to bridge when he awoke in a world utterly changed from the one he remembered. 

So eventually he does wake up – a year before the Inquisition. 

Post-Veil: Modern Thedas – 14-16 years (Inquisition to Veilguard) 

When Solas woke up in modern Thedas, it was a world that had moved on without him - alien and unrecognizable. The magic he revered was now feared, spirits were seen as monsters, and elves were fragmented and oppressed. It was a rude awakening, and Solas had no choice but to reengage with life, relearning how to "be human" in a world so far removed from the one he knew - in a world that he broke. 

Solas initially tried to reconnect with the Dalish, but they rejected him (interesting how one of his first actions upon awakening was to seek connection...hmm). Then came the disaster at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, Corypheus, and the Anchor. Suddenly, Solas had a path: join the Inquisition, study the Anchor, observe the one who wields it, and figure out his next move - all while avoiding personal entanglements. 

Fail. 

Connections in the Inquisition 

Despite his best efforts to remain detached, Solas formed bonds with the Inquisition’s members, particularly the Inquisitor (in my world, low approval doesn’t exist for me but I won’t torment you either with my Solas Lavellan love).  

The exact timeline of the Inquisition is debated. While most agree it spans 1.5–2 years, there’s also an old fantastic post by @threestories that argues for closer to 4–5 years (complete with a detailed spreadsheet and timeline goodness). Either way, it’s plenty of time for Solas to weave himself into the lives of those around him – and for them to sneak their own ways in. 

During this time, Solas wasn’t an aloof observer. He shared meals, debated philosophy, laughed, argued, and played cards and continued painting. He fought alongside people like Blackwall, Iron Bull, and Cole, relying on them for survival. Solas is not the powerful being he once was. Weakened, he’s forced to navigate the world in a more vulnerable state. I believe this humility provides him with new insights and forces him to see value in collaboration and diversity once again (reflections of Elvehnan). 

The messy, imperfect beauty of life began to creep back into his perspective. Living and fighting beside mortals for this period of time forced Solas to confront the reality of their fleeting but rich experiences. It wasn’t something he could experience in the detached safety of the Fade. If romanced, his love for the Inquisitor only deepens his inner conflict, tearing him between personal connection and his mission. (He possessed knowledge beyond any mortal, yet even the Dread Wolf could not foresee what it would mean to fall in love - sorry, couldn't help myself).

Yet, despite these connections, he remained steadfast in his mission. After Corypheus’s defeat, Solas leaves. But he wasn’t quite done; he wanted the Inquisitor to know the truth of who he was. Two busy years followed, leading to one final reunion - a moment where we see a shift in Solas’s perspective. His relationship with the Inquisitor was important enough that Solas set this whole thing up. There was a part of him that would love to be turned away from his path, but not yet.  

The Decade of Isolation 

After Trespasser and his final goodbye to the Inquisitor, Solas retreated into a new kind of isolation - active but distant. For ten years, he worked through agents, manipulated events, and positioned himself for his ritual to tear down the Veil. This period seemed to harden him. If he was in love, he made the painful decision to try and sever that bond, he forced Cole to forget him so Cole wouldn’t follow him - Solas hardened his heart to a cutting edge, and put that pain to good use.   

And then, he killed Varric. 

The act wasn’t premeditated - it might even be argued as accidental - but it wasn’t without weight. Solas never intended to kill Varric, and we see the regret flicker in his expression, his eyes turning down for a moment. Yet, the symbolism of that moment is striking. If Varric embodies persistence - whether it’s the refusal to give up on life, friends, or hope - then his death by Solas’s hand reflects the cost of Solas’s mission. In hardening his heart, he’s cut away the very persistence Varric represented. 

But then came Rook.

Conduits and Catalysts

Forced to interact with Rook and the team, much like he was forced to interact with the Inquisitor and the Inquisition, Solas once again found himself entangled in the lives of others. What makes Rook interesting to me is their role as a conduit. While Solas is trapped in the Fade prison, Rook becomes his connection to the outside world. For someone who had been isolated again for a period of time, being compelled to engage with another person is significant.

Rook and Solas's conversations may seem simple at first, but they force Solas to talk, to reflect, to bring up memories, people, and choices he thought he had left behind. Regardless if he's lying to Rook, these conversations would stir things up for him, peeling back the layers of detachment he has built. They compel him to think about his past, his connections, and his mistakes - reminders of life beyond his mission.

When Solas finally escapes the Fade prison, he doesn’t retreat back into isolation. Instead, we find him fighting alongside the people of Minrathous and then eventually Rook and the team. While his goal remains focused - defeating Elgar’nan and tearing down the Veil - he’s participating in life again.

Even amidst the chaos of battle, Solas can’t help but connect. He talks with the team, echoing the camaraderie of his time in the Inquisition. In one of my favourite moments, he and Emmrich share a brief but mutual appreciation of spirits - on a battlefield, no less. It’s a small yet powerful reminder: no matter how much Solas tries to harden himself, connection finds him. And maybe, just maybe, he still seeks it.

If Solas’s experiences prove anything, it’s that he struggles to stay detached.

Solas’s Shifts 

The bonds Solas formed through his long life were personal. Sure, anyone can argue they weren’t, pointing to his lies and the secrets he kept while plotting the entire time. And yes, he absolutely had an agenda. But whether you played a high- or low-approval Inquisitor, Solas admits he grew fond of the mortal people in the Inquisition. These connections gave him new perspectives on this modern world, connections forged through the shared intensity of battle and survival, and filtered through his reflective, intellectual, and philosophical nature. 

And no, I don’t believe the Inquisitor alone could have swayed him from his path. His growth wasn’t tied to a single relationship or event. While his time with the Inquisition may seem insignificant compared to his millennia-long existence, it planted the seeds of change. I maintain that the foundation for his change was established in Inquisition. As I’ve said before in this post, his eventual shift at the end of Veilguard wasn’t an overnight revelation but the accumulation of these disruptions to his worldview (warning, that post is totally Solavellan). Rook, as a conduit and mirror, brought their own voice as well as the voices of Solas’s past back into focus, reflecting and reminding him of what he had learned.  

By the end of Trespasser, Solas went from planning total destruction to preparing a host of spirits to preserve as much life as possible in Veilguard. You can call him a liar if you want, still question this morally grey choice, but this is a fascinating shift to me.

Enter Sola's Fourth Era

And now, we stand on the edge of Solas’s fourth (and likely not final) era of existence. How will he step into this stage? As a broken, beaten man forced into submission? Or as a man of wisdom, finally able to see another way forward?

This is why, for me, the only ending that feels true to Solas’s arc (as I see it) is the Atonement ending and the only one that exists for me. It aligns with his defining trait: choice. It offers him the agency to forge his own path, just as he did when he walked away from Mythal and the Evanuris.

Whether Solas enters this stage alone or with his heart is up to the player, but the ending feels significant regardless. He returns to the Fade, not in the detached slumber of Uthenera, but with his eyes wide open - awake, active, and ready to face what comes next.

And yes, I’m a sucker for redemption stories.

A Journey of Growth 

The Inquisitor once called him a terrible liar of the heart, and I think it speaks to the core of who he is: wisdom seeking connection. At his heart, Solas is driven to reflect, connect, and understand - even when those impulses clash with his mission. 

Solas’s life isn’t a straight line, nor is it defined by detached indifference. Instead, we see a complex web of relationships, regrets, and moments of growth. His post-Veil life shows us that even an immortal can be shaped by the mortal world. While his immortality makes change slow, it doesn’t make it impossible. Every person he lets into his life - whether reluctantly or intentionally - leaves a mark. Figures like Felassan, the Inquisitor, Cole, Varric, and Rook all serve as mirrors, reflecting his flaws and his potential. That's the beauty of relationships - we are all reflections of each other.

For Solas, change isn’t the result of one grand revelation. It’s a slow, deliberate process, shaped by his experiences, choices, those around him and the experiences they shared together. If his journey proves anything, it’s that even the Dread Wolf isn’t bound by fate. 

[theharellan]

Evanuris Enansalen

The Virtues of the Evanuris

The High Evanuris (who one day become known as the main pantheon of the Dalish) were once spirits drawn, for one reason or another, to make bodies of the earth. With the exception of Ghilan'nain, the main pantheon made their bodies through their will alone, and not through the bidding of others.

The evanuris embodied complex emotions: we know from canon that Mythal was likely Benevolence, which can encompass everything from selfless love to paternalistic charity. To help represent the wholeness of their nature, they compelled spirits which embodied different facets of it to take solid form. They came to be called the enansalen, roughly translated as "blessing person," although the term Virtue might be the better translation.

These facets are evanuris in their own right, but less powerful, their will alone not enough to cut their bodies from Titan's veins. Their positions are servile in nature, each possessing vallaslin, but there are hierarchies even among servants and slaves.

Solas is- or was- one of these enansalen. The first to come when Mythal bid him, though he was known as Wisdom then. His presence at her side allowed her to compel others to join them, for his presence instills a sense of authority. If he made this choice, surely it is a wise one?

The inner court of the enansalen comes to consist of seven members, representing the seven other High Evanuris.

Mythal's is as follows:

Wisdom

Kindness

Charity

Mercy

Justice

Faith

Bounty

As the All-Mother and second of the gods, Mythal's court represents the foundations society is built upon, the first signal posts of the civilisation that would one day become Elvhenan. While evanuris like June would expand upon the foundation, hers is the base, and without it nothing further could be created upon it.

[citrusai]

i've said it before but i'll say it again i don't think what mythal and solas had was romantic. i believed he loved her, and she cared for him in her own way as well. but i think the way the evanuris refer to him as her "lapdog", her second in command, and the fact that when she releases him she speaks of service, not love, not friendship. she also willingly went with elgar'nan, her husband, down that same path of destruction because she loved him.

she speaks of the moment of when she asked him to bind himself to a human body and turned him into her sword and general. another thing is, throughout the game (and i think taash's reaction to her saying "love" was supposed to be a comedic moment, followed by bellara saying that without physical bodies holding them down life for the elvhenan was different, and love comes in all forms, not just romantic) he & mythal both refer to each other as old friends. there seems to be no fondness left between them, just the history of a god and her general. two people who were friends before that.

i also think it's very clear in inquisition as well, when she refers to him as an old friend. there's some fondness there but it's bittersweet, she has made peace with her choices and moved forward, she has been around to guide and shape the world anew, he has not.

i think her releasing him makes sense. he's traumatized by her death because he was supposed to be the wisest of them all, he was supposed to prevent all of it from happening. instead, in his changed nature he believed that his road was the only road, and through it not only mythal but everyone he's ever known spirit or otherwise had lost their lives. not to mention he basically doomed the elven people as well.

he wakes up thousands of years later, disoriented and horrified. of course he would need not only the person he cares for in this new world, but a person from the old world to say that it is not too late. that his mistake was not his mistake alone. mythal closes that door to the age of elvhenan, she releases him from his sworn duty to her and to her people. he no longer has to avenge, only heal.

[bloedewir]

I'm so thrilled to see the actual evanuris in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Mythal we've seen is like a glimpse or an echo of the past. She was connected with Flemeth for so long that they became a something undivided.

But those two kittens, Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan? Purr quintessence of elvhenan empire.

I wondering what are they like?

Ghilan'nain is an ill minded monsters creator lady; Frankenstein meets doctor Moreau, okay. It's very likely she isn't even able to communicate as normal person. Just grim cryptic sentences of one or two words. I expect she will terrify by deeds and actions and not a strategy.

But Elgar'nan.. oh boy. He's the king. Legitimate ruler of Elvhenan empire (and it wasn't a nice place). He must be truly powerful, yes, but most importantly: he has to be cunning and smart; he had to be prepared for anything and calculate every move to keep those creeps (evanurus) in line. He failed once and didn't see Fen'Harel as a real threat but now it's different. Now he's prepared.

Confession to be made: I was *slightly* obsessed with him a time ago. Actually when I just started to try draw Elgar'nan was the second art I made 🥲

So I expect so much of him. Don't let me down meow meow.

I really hope he won't be that "argh! I'm the villainous villain because I love evilness evil" kind of antagonist. Please give me somebody who's scaring by his outstanding way of thinking, give me a strategic genius who is always one step ahead, give me the reason to believe he was a real king of a rotten corrupted empire frightening enough to start a bloody war that changed the world itself.

and please announce the VA-cast already. im dying starving here thank you.

[crabs-with-sticks]

Small Tyrannies: Chapter Three

A Felassan/Ghilara Lavellan/Solas fic set in Ancient Arlathan on the eve of Solas' revolution. Rating: Explicit Content Warnings: Slavery, Abusive Relationships (not main trio), Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Power Imbalance/Dynamics, Veilguard Lore Spoilers Relationships: Felassan/Female Lavellan/Solas (Dragon Age), Felassan/Solas (Dragon Age), Felassan/Female Lavellan (Dragon Age), Female Lavellan/Solas (Dragon Age), Mythal/Solas (Dragon Age) Summary: Ancient Elvhenan sits on the precipice of great change, rebellion simmers and gods stretch their reach for power ever further. Solas, Lavellan and Felassan are drawn together from the corners of Arlathan by a common purpose of resistance and a growing mutual love. But a rebellion cannot be built on dreams alone and each of them have their own tyrannies to face. Three spokes of the rebellion. Solas; Mythal’s Second and Wolf of the Rebellion, torn between two irreconcilable visions of the future. Felassan, Slow Arrow of the Rebellion, stuck between what is necessary and what is good. Lavellan, Wayfinder of the Rebellion, enslaved but resisting, rage giving way to rebellion. NOTE: no master/slave stuff- and so much exploration of consent/power dynamics

“So what brings a beautiful woman out to a dive bar all by herself on a night like tonight?” “Beautiful woman? Are you sure you’re talking to the right person? Not some other person who has snuck up behind me?” Ghilara performed an melodramatic act of surprise, checking over her shoulder, before shooting him a grin. “I can assure you I am directing my compliment to the right person.” “Uh-huh.” “But at least now I don’t need to worry.” “Oh? Do enlighten me.” He leaned in like he was about to impart a secret that could drown their whole world, muttering so close she could feel his exhalation on her cheek. “Well, you see, I was worried you might be meeting with some darkly handsome paramour, but at least I don’t need to worry about that anymore.” Ghilara laughed, sitting back in her chair. “And what makes you say that? I could have a hundred darkly handsome paramours stashed away upstairs.” “This is true,” he acknowledged, “but you see, even if you did, if they’re not always reminding you of your beauty that then clearly they’re not doing a good job.” She smirked, giving him a clear look over up and down. “What- you think you could do better?” She could already feel the tension easing from her shoulders, the strain unlocking from her neck. It couldn’t last, such things never did. After all she couldn’t forget about all her troubles for too long or they’d catch up with her. But even if it was just for a moment… “I never said that,” the man said, stretching his arms out behind him. “No- you just implied it.” “True. But if we’re getting into specifics then I should clarify that I know I could do better.”

Read from start

[liberaquantobasta]

Here is chapter 5 of my Fanfiction The Ceiling above Us.

[Chapter 1] - [Chapter 2] - [Chapter 3] - [Chapter 4]

The Ceiling Above Us 

5. The Murder of Justice

Ainur'Len is trapped in a cage of pain and anger, unable to move. She does not need to, for her feet lift off the ground and she feels herself being pulled back into a tunnel of memories. But this time it is short, it lasts only a second, the light is close.

She is back in Arlathan, in the palace of the Evanuris. A huge throne covered in red velvet stands menacingly in front of her. Elgar'nan sits on it, the rest of the Evanuris at his side. Ainur'Len tries to make out the faces of the ancient gods. Perhaps the tall, thin, pale young elf with long black hair and ghostly eyes is Falon'din. Perhaps the silhouette with an impish smile curving his lips, blue eyes bright and cunning, is June.

Her assumptions are interrupted by Mythal's voice, she is the one who must have gathered them all there.

She begins to speak in a soft but firm tone. 

"My dears. We must not turn our gaze from what is most important: our people."

The Evanuris exchange questioning glances. Elgar'nan stares at her with a bored look, his elbow resting on the arms of his throne, his face lazily cupped by a hand. 

"Speak plainly, Mythal." he says, staring into her eyes. The ancient elf holds that gaze without a trace of fear. 

"For centuries I have soothed your quarrels." She scolds him gently. Elgar'nan leans back in his chair, betraying a hint of embarrassment. "For centuries I have been reminding you of the right path for Elvhenan."

She glances at all her brothers, from Ghila'nain to Andruil, from Dirthamen to Sylaise. Then she smiles.

"And you followed." When she turns back to Elgar'nan, her expression is serious, her eyes stern. "I am asking you to do it again."

The eldest rises from his throne without taking his eyes off her. Silence envelops the vast hall. The air is heavy.

"I suppose your lapdog is still trying to get you to come back to him." He says quietly, approaching her. "I can almost hear his howls of joy at seeing you again," he walks around her, menacing, his eyes narrowed to two slits. Mythal follows him with her gaze, but does not turn her head when he stops behind her.

"Solas has raised a terrible doubt in me." She answers calmly. "But I did not believe him."

She feels Elgar'nan move closer until he towers over her.

"Then why do you scold us, Mythal?" His mouth is so close to his companion's ear that she can feel his breath on her skin.

"I did not believe him, but I had to investigate," she says carefully. "And what I discovered broke my heart, my brother." She holds out a hand and shows him a fragment of his orb, corrupted by red lyrium.

She hears him roar in rage behind her, he quickly turns to face her and moves closer until their faces are only a few inches apart. He struggles to control his anger, taking a deep breath.

"Mythal, do not..."

"What you are about to do will doom us all." she says firmly.

The entire pantheon of elves now surrounds her. She stands still, impassive in her icy gaze.

"It was you and your lapdog who created the Blight. You gave us this power."

"It is yours, sister. You only have to use it." "Mythal." "Be reasonable, Mythal." "It is not what it seems." "It can help our people be greater." "I will be able to create wonderful creatures." "Do not let Fen'harel manipulate you." "Mythal."

The elf closes her eyes.

"Enough!'" Her voice echoes through the hall. Silence creeps back between them. Mythal relaxes her gaze.

"I will not repeat myself. I trust your judgement, as I always have. I trust that you will listen to me."

"Or else?" Elgar'nan asks seriously. "What are you going to do, Mythal? Shall you join the Dread Wolf?" A hint of pain appears in his eyes.

She puts a hand to his face and shakes her head motherly, a smile on her lips. 

"I know you will do what is right for our people, my beloved brother."

Elgar'nan closes his eyes and gives in to Mythal's touch. He squeezes her hand, sighs deeply and bows his head. 

She continues to smile and then, as she must have done a thousand times before, turns towards the door, her back to her brothers and sisters, confident that she has given them something to think about.

She is not expecting the sharp pain that rips through her back. One hand grips her throat while the other sinks the lyrium dagger into her flesh. A deadly embrace.

"I cannot let you interfere this time, my love."

Elgar'nan's face is streaked with tears as he twists the knife in Mythal's back.

The goddess gasps, her hands clutching her brother's fingers as they squeeze her throat, holding back her last breath. She stares in disbelief as she feels her life slowly slipping away.

The scene melts like ice in the sun. Only a bright shard remains, glowing with Mythal's essence, abandoned in the midst of the darkness. Solas' agonising scream, exploding with pain, despair and hopelessness, is the last thing Ainur'Len hears before she falls backwards and finally loses consciousness.

*

"No!"

Aiunr'Len returns to the world with a scream. She jerks back, her forehead beaded with sweat, her heart in her throat and terror etched in her eyes. She looks around, gasping for breath, as if searching for a way out, until she meets Morrigan's yellow eyes.

The witch looks at her, her face tired. She rubs her forehead with a pained expression, as if showing Ainur'Len those memories had drained her of all energy.

Ainur'Len realises that she has finally returned to the world of the living. It feels as if centuries have passed her by.

Her head bursts. She cannot process all that she has learned, all that she has experienced. Thousands of years of suffering crush her chest. 

"What... what happened next?" she can only mutter.

Morrigan lets herself fall back into her chair, exhausted.

"What you already know. Solas continued to lead the rebellion, but in anger and despair, until he was able to perform his ritual. But when you play with such powerful magic..."

"Something went wrong." Ainur'Len nods. 

"Indeed. His intention was to seal the Evanuris and the Blight in a safe place. The veil was only meant to be their cage, but it ended up covering the entire sky and separating the Fade from the earthly world forever. Drained of all energy, he fell into a slumber, and when he awoke, he found a horrible world. His people slaughtered and enslaved, confined to alienages or hidden in the wilderness, robbed of their immortality and their deep connection to the Fade. Shadows of what they once were, worshipping false gods, tyrants who had taken everything from them. A world deeply flawed, to be erased. Until..." she smiles weakly, meeting the elf's gaze. "...he fell in love with a young Dalish girl with a witty mind and a compassionate heart who showed him that perhaps all was not lost."

Ainur'Len lowers her head. Her legs tremble. 

"Solas..." she whispers in a hushed, heartbroken voice. She tries to bring order to her brain, overloaded with information and overflowing with conflicting emotions.

Solas was a Spirit of Wisdom. Her people are descended from spirits. Elves are responsible for the Blight. She falls to the ground, suddenly shaken by a chill that makes her head spin. 

She throws up, trembling.

Deeply ashamed to show herself in such a state, she tries to recover, wiping her lips with the back of her hand as she slowly gets to her feet. She leans against the table so as not to fall again.

"How were you able to show me everything?" she asks, not making eye contact with the witch. 

Despite her tiredness, Morrigan hides her sympathy behind her usual cold composure.

"These are fragments of Mythal's memories. I only showed you what you needed to see." she explains, finding strength in her own voice. "However..." she slowly points to the wolf statuette in Ainur'Len's pockets.

"Without it, I could not have shown you any of this. You would not have been able to see anything, for these are also memories of Solas that he wanted you to see." She pauses, not taking her eyes off the bowed head of the elf before her. "But I sense that there is still something in there - something meant only for you. That I cannot reach. No one else can."

Ainur'Len swallows hard, the horrible taste in her mouth haunting her. Not now. Now she does not have the strength to see anything else.

"This is not the time or the place." Morrigan reassures her, her tone suddenly softer. "You will know when it is."

The elf grits her teeth, doing her best not to lose control. Anger, pain, shame, horror, disgust. Love, compassion. Dozens of demons and spirits crowds her mind.

"How can you live with the weight of this knowledge, Morrigan? And how can you bear to carry Mythal inside you?"

The witch tilts her head slightly to one side, searching her friend with a questioning eye. She raises an eyebrow.

"You saw only a fragment of what was. Not enough to understand Mythal."

Ainur'Len clenches her fists hard enough to hurt.

"I have seen enough," she manages to reply, her voice a hiss.

"I made it clear that I only showed you what you needed in order to make Solas..."

"Solas is the only reason I'm still here, talking to the one who carries the monster that broke him." she interrupts, sharp as a freshly cut blade.

Morrigan flinches slightly, her gaze sharp.

"I am not her, Ainur'Len," she replies disappointed.

"I know, I'm sorry. I really am," the elf sighs, putting her hand to her face. "I've been an unforgivable bitch. I'm just really tired."

Morrigan remains silent for a long time, perhaps thinking about how ungrateful the elf before her is, or maybe she is just choosing her next words carefully.

"Solas and Mythal are both to blame for their mistakes, but I will not deny you what I think. What happened between them is a story of family, love, power and abuse. It is complex and millennia long."

She stands and approaches Ainur'Len with light steps.

"Solas' spirit is broken, his wisdom now clouded by pride. But even Mythal's spirit is not intact. Nor that of the other Evanuris, for that matter. How can the simplicity and purity of a spirit remain intact when it is confronted with the complexity of the range of human emotions? When their actions have real consequences for the world? How can they deal with it?"

"They can't."

"No. And that is why they break. I am surprised that someone as intelligent as Solas cannot dwell on this and let go of the deep regret that plagues him. He does not understand that it is not all his fault."

Ainur'Len does not have the strength to answer. She shakes her head and sighs loudly, as if to release the tension. She wishes she could sleep a billion years to recover, to have time to mourn Varric and to work out all she has learned in too few moments.

She is unaware that Morrigan is now standing before her, her usual enigmatic, mysterious gaze hiding all emotion.

"So what shall you do, Inquisitor?" She asks, her voice echoing like ancient music. "Will you be willing to let the veil rip, and unleash death and destruction upon your world? Or will you stop the Dread Wolf, no matter what the cost?"

Ainur'Len finally rises to her feet and raises her eyes to meet the witch's, who is only waiting for her answer.

"Neither, Morrigan. I have sworn to protect the world and save Solas from Fen'harel," she declares, her eyes clear of any doubt. "There is no other solution within me. I will do whatever it takes to help Solas redeem himself and stop him from destroying this world. At any cost."

Morrigan smiles, unable to hide the satisfied frown that lingers on her face.

"Very well," she nods. "Let us get back to work."

[hoboblaidd]

Regret - by zaplyl on deviantart | twitter

[ourdawncomes]

cap by antreaslovota

Felassan

triggers: slavery

Notes

Written by request only / plotted only.

This interpretation is exclusive to my Solas (theharellan).

Some details of his history are subject to change as I feel him out.

Basics

Nickname(s): - Title(s): General Age: Beyond counting Birthday: Anallas 14th, Year Unknown Race: Elf Gender/Pronouns: Cis Man, He/Him Orientation: Gay

Personality

A man endowed with more levity than his age and wisdom might lead you to expect. He has a wry demeanour that lends itself to humour well, though there is an underlying danger to his smile that dares people to underestimate him.

History

While the first of the People made bodies of the earth, Felassan was not among the first. Born the second child of seven, each of his siblings were promised to the evanuris, the great leaders responsible for ending the Titan war. A war Felassan is too young to remember.

As second, he is sent to Mythal. His role is simple, as his body is simple, not wrought of dreams and the blood of their conquests. He is a soldier, a guard, a scout, although he has aspirations of joining the ranks of the Dreamers who make up the upper levels someone of his low birth can reach.

When the Virtues of Mythal's high court fail to find Wisdom (Solas), who had been given leave to enter an extended uthenera after the Titan War, she sends out her lower soldiers in a desperate effort to locate him. It's Felassan who finally manages it, rousing the former general from his Dreams.

Learning of Felassan's ambitions, Wisdom teaches him the way of Dreamers, and the two work together closely as Wisdom (in this era of "peace") plays a protector role for Mythal. When Wisdom makes a last petition to Mythal to turn away from the path of godhood, Felassan helps him prepare, and leaves when he leaves.

Among the rebellion, he serves as Wisdom's (now Solas's), right hand. His general. Although he comes to question their methods as the fight against the evanuris grows more desperate, his faith in their cause does not waver.

When Solas creates the Veil, Felassan searches for him in the aftermath, but is eventually forced into uthenera with the rest of the rebellion's remnants. It is in dreams he finally finds him, many thousands of years after the fall of the empire they'd sought to liberate. Under Fen'Harel's orders, to secure a future for the Elvhen, he pursues a recovery of the eluvian network, entwining his fate with the fate of another empire's.

Verses

v; revolution is the question ( felassan | elvhenan )

Spans Felassan's birth to the creation of the Veil and the dissolution of Elvhenan.

v; the wandering keeper ( felassan | dragon age )

Spans roughly the decade before The Masked Empire. Can be set most places in southern Thedas with plotting, but primarily he will be in Orlais.

v; his back turned ( felassan | ghost )

Felassan was loved by many, even among the children of the air. They remember him, and embody him.

v; a story complete ( felassan | spared )

Solas fucking choked. (Description to be written)

Tags

the general ( felassan | about )

the fool ( felassan | visage )

who paid the piper? ( felassan | ic )

so many questions. so many particulars ( felassan | headcanons )

shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn ( miolvun x felassan )

[lyriumrebel]

Gameplay trailer thoughts and spoilers below

Already loved the music, creepy and melancholy and i don't even have context for a powerful feeling yet

This feels like it must be the Shadow Dragon origin and we're going to get slightly different starting points just like in DAO? But we have to get to the same ritual spot. maybe we pick up different companions depending on origin?

I like the fight style, what i can see from it. The rogue can switch from daggers to bow! The arrows regenerate with time! That's a cool, easy mechanic for me!

Didn't expect to be meeting SOLAS so early on, this is like real early gameplay. Which means who are they?

The activated eluvians are going to be a big mechanic in getting around I guess? Possibly some interesting Crossroads shenanigans to come

Love the look of the pride demons. Like they're jacked up on lyrium/fade power, or as Varric says, drawing on Solas' ego. harsh but fair assessment xD

Yeah, I saw Solas and started welling up. The fact Varric, beautiful sees the best in people Varric, is determined to talk to him. I love him, I love that dwarf.

I was almost mad we didn't get to properly hear the Varric/Solas conversation, but the echoing argument as you fight your way through? Yeah that was exceptional

Very happy to see the familiar dialogue wheel, including the purple Hawke response... and companions approval. The familiarity is just very comforting

"Hey Chuckles" T.T

Also the rogue Rook is still using static strikes, some kind of magic. This is a fascinating amalgamation of classes that i don't hate

I thought Varric was going to die fr, but the scream i made when Bianca blew up was real as hell. And Solas did that with his mind. He's really gained his powers back through Mythal...and more, maybe? Whether he's back at his full power again, I guess we'll find out

The consequences of interrupting a ritual of this scale? That feels like it'll come into play later. What kind of foreshadowing

Giving us a decision that early on that could impact your companions? Don't tell me i have to choose who is dying D: I can't

And again, Solas stopping the pillar with his mind powers alone. And Varric appealing to Solas but he still believes what he's doing is the only option. I'm going to cry big time. My Lavellan is going to be struggling

And finally. Who are THEY? Evanuris or Forgotten Ones? The silhouettes are so familiar from the elvhenan carvings and murals. And Solas looks honestly...scared? In that last split second, his frown falls away to fear. He awoke someone he didn't want to see again. And on Fen'Harel's list, that could be a few people.

[venndaai]

ok I know everyone must have already discussed this at length but I'm finally trying to put some DA lore pieces together (midgame DATV spoilers)

so archdemons = old gods = high dragons that the Evanuris used as familiars/vessels

Kieran = Urthemiel = June? But that June fragment was absorbed by Mythal? (This honestly makes me kind of sad now; I feel like the great artist/architect of Elvhenan deserved a second chance to grow and live as a mortal...)

Andraste = old god baby theory = Dumat?

Evanuris are powerful spirits that can exist as fragments, different aspects that can grow and change independently

Bellara and Neve think Dumat = Dirthamen. So Andraste = fragment of Dirthamen?

returning to the old Sera = Andruil theory... Bellara and Neve think that Andruil = Toth, who was defeated in the Third Age, centuries ago. What would that fragment of Andruil have been doing all that time? Or is that going down the wrong track entirely?

Why do Wardens die when they kill an Archdemon, and where does that soul go if not absorbed by a fetus?

[lairofsentinel]

The implications of this short dialogue is even a motivation for Solas. After all, the creation of the Veil is the reason why his people [the true Elvhenan, the generations of elves that lived in Mythal's Temple, for example] kept dying with age. It may also be a reminder of Mythal's assasination too. He is tired of seeing his people die, but as we learn in codices, there was nothing else he could do to stop or earn some bit more of time to fix the Big Evil that the Evanuris unleashed [which I personally think it's related to experiments potentially performed on Mythal that end up killing her]. According to the Murals in DAI and in particular to “The Creation of the Veil”, we know that the Veil was created to contain a greater evil, the black city, probably the origin of the Blight itself that the Vynil art [Speculations about the Vinyl Art] made us speculate it may represent a true danger for Thedas: a giant corrupted dragon [And the true origin of the "Archdemon's song", according Avernus, who places it not in the Archdemon but in the Black City itself].

In order to create this Veil, Solas used 7 sources of energy, that so far, we always associated with symbols that may represent the forgotten ones [Greater Dragons like Mythal herself], the ancient gods that the evanuris worshipped until they claimed divinity [As the comics The Silent Grove and The Missing seem to imply], or the evanuris themselves who co-opted those ancient god icons for themselves [more details in Attempt to rebuild Ancient Elvhenan History ]. But how Solas could do it? This also brings the idea that The "real" Uthenera may not be like the Dalish's think, and this process may or may not be related to the very cryptic codex found in the Vir Dirthara: A Flowering Imago which analysis I performed in Ancient Elven codices; Vir Dirthara. The Elvhenan certainly knew a strong process to capture the mind of the Titans and force them to sleep forever, breaking their link with the dwarves and, therefore, with the Fade, when they won the War against them, so this knowledge could have been used on the evanuris themselves, considering that "They are not easy to kill". This coudl have created the legend of Fen'Harel "sealing" the Creators, story twisted across the generations of now mortal elves who barely could keep record of their history as they had to endure slavery from the incipient and powerful Tevinter. If this is remotely true, the whispers in the red lyrium have some chances to be the Evanuris' memories or even their wills [we know red lyrium saves your memories, as we saw they kept Corypheus' in Orlais: Shrine of Dumat], because in the mural “The Destruction of the Veil“ we see that the Black City is not only contaminated with the Blight, but with the Red Lyrium too. So I assume the two creatures that rise in this scene are not only contaminated with Blight but also with red Lyrium, and may be Evanuris that awoke from this forced Uthenera due to the interruption of the ritual. Solas certainly doesn't look happy to see them, and for some seconds, he seems to be worried. There is so much deep, interrelated lore in all past games, I hope they are careful about all the hints spread before and remain consistent.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard | ▶ dev. Bioware

[theharellan]

My rough thoughts/interpretation/reflection of Solas and his relationship with Mythal after a first playthrough. It's subject to change on future playthroughs, but probably by inches (if I can ever get my audio fixed). Note that while I am trying to base all of this on canon, there is reinterpretation involved, as I do feel Mythal/Flemythal/Morrimythal was neutered somewhat in the writing process.

Spoilers for the whole of DA: The Veilguard.

When I roleplayed Solas I mostly played the relationship as benign, in large part due to her being another character whose role in Solas's life was gestured at but never defined. Which in some ways, is still true, but I think at this point it's impossible to deny she had a negative impact on him (to say the least). Since moving into fic writing I started to lean into the darker implications of their relationship, and while for the sake of rp I'm adaptable, I do still want to talk about my feelings regarding them.

I believe Solas, by aiding her, is culpable in many of the crimes they committed together- make no mistake of that, but he is also a victim of her. She says at the end she used his wisdom as a weapon, but she also used her benevolence as a tool to manipulate him, appealing to his knowledge of her nature to get what she wanted.

Her coaxing him to take a body after he states outright that "he has no wish to live as humans do" (I'm going to ignore the confusing implication that humans were around) is but the first betrayal she subjects him to, and imo the greatest crime she commits against him, specifically. At least in canon, the game skirts around the issue of vallaslin, but if the "he didn't want a body but she asked him to come" is true, then it would follow that the follow-up, "he left a scar when he burned her off her face" would also be true.

The second would be rising to the heights of the gods, and calling him the traitor for rebellion. Morrigan calls Mythal corrupted 'Retribution,' and that may be true of Mythal after her murder, but I believe long before that her benevolence had gone awry. From what I can tell, we have no concrete timeline for Elvhenan and what the gods did before and after her death, and therefore no idea what Mythal even means by tempering the other evanuris. Slavery almost certainly existed, which honestly is enough for me to say she was doing a bad job. Past codices indicate that her punishments were not just so much as exact:

"Mythal, in her wisdom, interceded in an argument between Elgar'nan and Falon'Din. With clever words, she convinced them to settle their grievance through a battle of their champions. Elgar'nan and Falon'Din agreed, and set their champions against each other rather than declare war among the gods. May those knights long be remembered, and Mythal's wisdom be praised." (x)

This and the codex describing Mythal's judgment characterise her tenure as a god as being far from bloodless.

There are also indications that not all had as much faith in Mythal's ability to see reason or cede power:

"Solas always thought" is the key phrase for me in this note. Not "we," but "Solas."

What this all means for Solas is that Mythal someone he has a deep, ancient connection to, but also someone who has hurt him deeply, violated him, used him.

And he doesn't want to face that.

Solas is quite capable of admitting his mistakes, even as he is moving onto the next one literally in the same breath... but Mythal's mistakes are never addressed by him, even at the finish, when he is holding the pommel of the knife out for her taking.

I think Solas navigates around the wrongs committed against him throughout the course of their knowing each other. His rage against the mages who forced Wisdom to take a body, to kill, may lead him to murdering them, but he never directs such anger at Mythal. He can't. The regrets he has about her literally flake and dry upon the walls of the Lighthouse because he can't. He can't face her remnant in the FadeAnd it's only at the end where he receives any catharsis in the matter, any admittance of wrongdoing against him (albeit without apology).

So in most interactions with Mythal, Solas will be very close with her, at best brushing up against the sides of where there relationship chafes. Always willing to believe the best of her, and her death granting him the mercy of being able to persist in that belief.

I do also believe their relationship was entirely platonic, albeit at such an intensity (on his part at least) that I'm certain there was talk. Luckily, I've spent ten years with Thora and Solas doing the ground work for Solas having deeply intense platonic relationships that match his romantic ones for their dedication and devotion.