#LIKE MESSAGE WEISSHAUPT

[thewardenisonthecase]

Okay I have to talk about everyone and their mother in Inquisition calling Corypheus funky dragon an archdemon cause I'm like people, people, you had a Blight ten years ago. When there's an archdemon, there's a bunch of darkspawn going to the surface and fucking shit up. They get organized. Are you seeing any of that? No, because it's not a fucking archdemon.

ALSO, it's even more baffling they keep calling it that if you get the Wardens to join the Inquisition because then any warden (that's not blackwall) could verify that it's not an Archdemon since they're not having weird dreams, or the fact that they wouldn't sense it.

I'm just aaaaaa every time they call it an Archdemon, my girl Cousland did not go through all that for y'all to say this funky ass red lyrium dragon is an archdemon

[thatwavephenomenon]

No but the 'team meeting' after the fall of Weisshaupt was so. unorganic or unnatural. 'What a crushing defeat, maybe we should focus on our mental health now to do better next time.' Like hello??? This is not your job of which you had to take a step back from because your boss is an asshole?? You are all at war against two gods who keep Resident Eviling the world?????? I mean it's not such an awful idea but it's executed rather poorly. Like the game was this close to display a message saying 'You have just finished one of the main quest. You should focus on the companion's quests next.'

[morrigan-le-faye]

Likelihood of companions showing up in Veilguard: my thoughts

So, I was thinking about Veilguard and who I want to come back, so here’s my take on who I think is coming back!

Warden: lol no bitch, we’re never seeing them again. That would require giving them a voice and personality. Likelihood is we get another letter.

Alistair: We’re pretty far from Ferelden, if you made him king I could see him getting a mention but not marching his ass up to Tevinter/Rivain/Antiva/the Anderfels. Possibly another letter. If you kept him a warden, he’s either dead or could possibly show up in the Anderfels? I could see whoever got left in the fade tying in with the Veil Jumper plotline, maybe.

Morrigan: Possibly? Theres a possibility if she drank from the well she’s now bound to Solas because of him killing Mythal. I could see the Veil fuckery doing some weird shit to Kieran though.

Leliana: If you made her Divine, definitely. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t say so. She had such a big role in Inquisition, I don’t see her playing a huge role here.

Zevran: We’re in Antiva, we better see the boy! He is canonically with a romanced Warden in Inquisition, but I could see him taking a break from that to take care of Antivan things for a bit.

Wynne: canonically dead. Sad for her. RIP mage granny.

Sten: He’s the Arishok now, I see him tying into the Qunari plotline.

Oghren: please god no.

Shale: I hope so, but since she was DLC I would doubt it.

Loghain: He’s dead babe. Either you killed him in Origins or I’m assuming like nobody saved him in the Fade in Inquisition, and see what I said about the Veil Jumpers in Alistair’s section.

The Awakening Squad (minus Anders/Justice): doing this as a collective cause I’m not typing all that out. Probably not. Might see a couple of them if we go to Weisshaupt while we’re in the Anderfels.

Hawke: If you left them in the fade, again, could show up with the Veil Jumpers. Since there is a possibility they’re dead, I could see them just sending a “hey I’m fine in Kirkwall” message if they’re alive.

Anders: maybe, maybe not. This game seems like it’ll have less emphasis on the Mage/Templar conflict, but we haven’t seen him since 2, so who knows.

Fenris: We’re in Tevinter, I’m hoping he shows up! Let us help him kill slavers please.

Merrill: Seeing how Solas’s agents use the eluvian network, I could see her showing up again. Possibly with the Veil Jumpers

Isabella: I don’t think so. If she shows up, might be part of the Lords of Fortune plotline.

Sebastian: No. Might get referenced, but he is DLC.

Aveline: I don’t think so either. I think she’s too busy keeping things together in Kirkwall. Also ACAB includes Aveline.

Carver/Bethany: If you made them wardens, possibly show up in the Anderfels? But seeing how customizable their appearances are, I doubt it.

Blackwall/Rainier: Again, possibly in the Anderfels. Or elsewhere if he didn’t get recruited into the wardens.

Bull: I hope so, I wanna see the chargers for at least one mission. But since he can be dead if you kept him loyal to the Qun, don’t have high hopes.

Cassandra: if you made her divine, sure. I could also see her leading remnants of the inquisition if she isn’t divine.

Dorian: We’re in Tevinter. If Varric or Harding don’t mention they have a magister friend that can help, I’m going to be very disappointed.

Vivienne: Again, if she’s divine, yes. If she’s not, probably a letter writing cameo.

Cole: I could see him having a very cool plotline with the Veil breaking down and him either being a spirit with human elements or a human with spirit elements.

Sera: I could see the Friends of Red Jenny playing a role, if not her specifically.

Bonus Advisors:

Josephine: Maybe. Could see her helping with Inquisition remnants like Cassandra.

Cullen: No, cause Greg Ellis is an asshole.

[vaguely-concerned]

btw my headcanon for sophia amell in veilguard is that she has been 'oh no... I think your letter got lost on its way to me first warden... too bad, I'll just stay here in amaranthine until I hear from you, then.... is this a letter I see before me...... a tragedy. I can't read all of a sudden. my eyes. you sent a messenger? my messenger now I'm adopting them. no message received sadly try again'-ed all summons to go to weisshaupt, so she's in denerim with alistair when stuff starts to go to shit and at least they spend the impromptu superblight together. they may both be right on the edge of the calling (? we just don't know!) and ferelden might be about to fall, but at least they're king arthur and merlin-ing (erotic and romantic connotations) it up together at the end of the world and kissing and holding hands about it. and what more could I hope for for them. that's what beating the odds looks like for wardens I think.

there's a particular incident where she saves his life through the power of spirit healing and. maybe the guiding hand of Something that seems to still reside in the petals of the rose he gave her that she's worn in a little glass vial around her neck and that have not withered all these long years, and it inspires actual myths and romantic literary traditions and folk ballads and all sorts of nonsense that outlast them both. neither of them care tho they're just. hugging right now. drenched in darkspawn blood like the old days. resting their foreheads together. taking every moment they may have left just to be together. whatever you do don't go without me. wherever you go let me go too. and with you let me be buried, and where you go after that let me go with you then as well. (of course. of course. after all of this, where would I ever go without you. the one good thing about the blight is that it brings people together. the one good thing is that it brought me to you.)

[revvethasmythh]

it's been weeks and i'm still so compelled by the background storyline of hawke going to weisshaupt after here lies the abyss. like. it makes no damn sense. maybe if hawke has a living sibling who is a grey warden, you can twist the logic of it, but i did not have that and also hawke said she wanted to make sure corypheus died and neither staying in the fade NOR going to weisshaupt really accomplishes this goal. like there is NO reason for hawke to be up at weisshaupt, this is not in her lane, this is not her business, her skin is NOT clear, her crops are NOT watered. the wardens are not the responsibility of your Just Some Guy from Kirkwall who has potentially zero connections to the wardens at all except for that one time they super causally tried to use her as a blood sacrifice (maybe she and the first warden can laugh about it some day, but somehow i doubt it!).

BUT. but. the mental imagine of hawke going there and then her sibling (if alive) and her love interest ALSO going there, just to meet up with her, makes it so bonkers funny i don't even care if it doesn't make sense. wtf do you mean hawke family reunion relationship drama in the austere home of the wardens where they all show up and then the entire leadership of the wardens suddenly implodes as civil war breaks out and then their asses get STUCK there. wtf do you mean hawke inadvertently sticks her ass in the middle of yet another civil war while simultaneously having to patch things up with her LI and deal with a sibling dynamic at the same time. hawke can't catch a fucking break istg. it's just her, her sibling, and her LI as their own little three person party while some truly WILD shit goes down and the epilogues are all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about what happens other than like two lines that put the most insane images into my head. there's a sped-up video of this going down in my mind with the benny hill theme playing in the background. why does varric talk like hawke is still at weisshaupt during trespasser, which takes place two entire years after hawke was meant to go there to give a basic report and then dip. how is this THE most hawke thing to ever happen and we're just. told nothing more about it except that varric got One™️ message from her via an entire smuggling syndicate that essentially says "damn, shits crazy here" and that he assumes hawke will walk away from the building while it's exploding sometime in the near future because apparently the conflict there is not yet resolved. again, this is TWO YEARS LATER. like trespasser is fun and all but truly can we revisit wtf this was all about because WHAT

[felassan]

Hype meme!!! Which aspect of fandom are you most looking forward to? (e.g. reading/writing fic, the bounty of gorgeous art, getting to know new people, etc.)

various answers to some askmeme-related messages under the cut. :)

(hello everyone!! ◕‿◕)

^ I love seeing the abundance of beautiful art, and I'm also just really happy to see the community so active, creating, hyped and filled with people and chatter once again :')

a-tear-in-the-veil asked: "Dragon Age Hype Questions 1-4 (those are like the r questions I want to ask everyone who plays, sorry 😂)"

no worries hh :D

1. the first Dragon Age game I ever played was Dragon Age: Origins! 2. my favorite DA game so far is a rly tough question!! probably DA:O or DA:I, though an answer with two games in it is kind of a cop-out ik hh. (I do also really love DAII) 3. in games like these my go-to is usually warrior or another fighter-type class ^^ my Inquisitor is a warrior, and my Warden began life as a warrior (I only changed them in the runup to DA:I's release to create a bit more differentiation between my PCs). in DA:TV I think Spellblade especially sounds super fun 4. my worldstate is that the Inquisitor romanced Solas, disbanded the Inquisition, and then vowed to stop Solas at all costs.. ദ്ദി ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ )

celinou asked: "For the datv q&a ask game: 6, 10 and 16. Thank you for all the news and info you share with us 🤍"

(tysm for the lovely ask 🥺)

6. I have them planned to a degree yea!! I think it would be fun to play them as a Spellblade 10. 'Which location are you most excited/hoping to explore in-game?'. most excited out of the confirmed/for sure locations - Arlathan Forest!! I've been wanting to explore Arlathan Forest since forever, since DA:O. I'm so curious about all the ancient elven history, lore and secrets it might hold. runner-ups are Weisshaupt (another place I've been wanting to see since DA:O) and the Crossroads again (since it seems that it also holds lots of cool lore and secrets to find out, again). hoping to explore - speculation aside, I'm really hoping we will visit Kal-Sharok in this game. it's so intriguing and mysterious-sounding. (btw, if Kal-Sharok has now been confirmed beyond speculation like in a preview video or something somewhere, I'm not aware of it as I'm dwelling in a spoiler bunker rn - so if you're reading this and know, pls don't tell me if it is or not, or any other spoilers hh). 16. that Felassan lives. my fav crack theory is my theory that Ghilan'nain has something to do with the Executors.. I put it out there in ~March 2020. it's based on the fact that the Ghil monster pools in Horror of Hormak were said to smell of brine/salt/the sea, and the fact that the Executor in Dread Wolf Take You was said to smell of the ocean under their robes.

sophiasartandgaming asked: "16 for the Veilguard Ask Game"

for 16 pls see above ^^

ellstersmash asked: "hi! 3 & 10 for that ask game? 🙏"

for 3 and 10 pls see above ^^

sky-fire-forever asked: "7, 9, 16, and 19 for the Veilguard meme!"

7. Felassan fr 🧎🧎🧎 even if this is only in the form of some kind of Fade dream or flashback/memory sequence 9. I'm stuck between Davrin, Neve, Lucanis, Taash and Bellara :D 16. for 16 pls see above ^^ 19. I'm currently doing a re-read of Tevinter Nights to brush up on it before release! I think re-reading the other DA:TV-era/DA:TV-promo materials (DA: The Missing, the shorts) and replaying Trespasser will also be a good idea for me before release.

ruushes asked: "for the datv hype asks, 3, 6, 9? :)c"

for 3, 6 and 9 pls see above ^^

mewsly asked: "8 and 19 for the Hype Q&A? :D Also thank you so much for all that you do to keep us all in the know! <3"

(thanku sm for the lovely msg.. 🥺)

8. I think I'm most excited to learn more about the Shadow Dragons (like who leads the Shadow Dragons? do they have ties to the Lucerni, and therefore Dorian and Mae? is the Viper associated with them?) and the Veil Jumpers. I'm also excited for more Crow lore. 19. for 19 pls see above ^^

kirkwallsquad asked: "4, 13, 14, and 20 for the hype q&a please :D"

4. for 4 pls see above ^^ 13. I think the CC looks fantastic and is really cool! 14. I will miss having three companions with me. 20. 'Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!' - here is a picture -

and here is a bonus moodboard -

thanku sm everyone for the asks and questions, this was fun to do!!

[Dragon Age: The Veilguard Q&A hype meme]

[daitranscripts]

Trespasser Conversation

Varric

Trespasser Masterpost Varric Masterpost

Varric: Everything going all right so far?

1 - Dialogue options:

General (Hawke survived): Have you heard from Hawke? [2]

General: No fan club today? [3]

General: How did you become viscount? [4]

General: What’s the deal with Bran? [5]

General: We’ll talk later. [6]

2 - General: Have you heard from Hawke? PC: Any word from Hawke? Varric: I got a message from… well, best not to name an entire chain of smuggling syndicates in polite company. Anyway, Weisshaupt is apparently the special kind of mess that only appears when Hawke shows up. I’m not entirely sure how it’ll all play out, but my money’s on Hawke walking away from the Wardens’ fortress as it explodes. [back to 1]

3 - General: No fan club today? PC: I’m surprised no one from the Council of Heralds wants your autograph. Varric: You just missed them. Duke Cyril keeps asking me for spoilers from my next book. [back to 1]

4 - General: How did you become viscount? PC: I don’t understand how you could just become a viscount. Varric: When the ruler of a Marcher state dies and there’s no heir, the nobles of the city pick a new ruler. Only none of Kirkwall’s nobles actually want the throne. Most of them think it’s cursed, actually. They can’t leave it empty, though, or some other state like Starkhaven or Ansburg will probably invade. I complained about the empty office when it interfered with my reconstruction efforts. They took that as volunteering. [back to 1]

5 - General: What’s the deal with Bran? PC: So Bran used to be viscount, and now he just… follows you around? Bran: Provisional viscount. Varric: Pretty much. Bran: With a permanent appointee finally in the viscount’s office, I am free to return to my post as seneschal. Varric: He means: “My true calling is arrogantly telling people they can’t talk to the viscount.” He’s good at it, too. [back to 1]

6 - General: We’ll talk later. PC: We’ll talk more another time. Varric: I’ll be here if you need me.

[salsedinepicta]

OC(s) Questionnaire

Tagged by @greypetrel - and her characters are just beautiful, so I'd highly recommend to hop on her blog and read her version :> 💜 Thanks for the tag!

Tagging: maybe @coloricioso could be interested? No pressure as usual ✨ +plus anyone who is interested!

Everything under "Read more" after the first one, of course.

NAME: Gwydion Hawke

NICKNAME: Hawke, of course - the firstborn can take dibs on the family surname. And then Gideon, since 1. that's how most people misspell his actual name and 2. Varric uses it in his stories (it's “more suited for the hero”). He doesn't mind.

GENDER: Male, although he takes it easy. In a modern AU he would be the Hakwe sibling most likely to experiment with gender presentation - and in every universe he just knows he'd look good in a dress/corset.

STAR SIGN: Libra

ORIENTATION: Gay

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Literally a random human born on a ship – 100% conceived in Kirkwall though.

FAVORITE FRUIT: All the citruses

FAVORITE SEASON: Early Spring

FAVORITE FLOWER: Forget-me-not, snowdrops, zagare (orange blossoms).

FAVORITE SCENT: Crushed elfroot, rain, lyrium potions - and why must lyrium be toxic when it clearly smells like raspberries and tangerines? UH? Templars are gatekeeping it. He is literally the only one saying this. At some point he’ll think fondly of sewage.

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Tea, preferably cold.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: Around 7, but not consecutive.

DOGS OR CATS: Dogs AND cats AND also every single animal willing to be pet - why would you deny a centipede some love? And did anyone actually tried to raise a baby dragon? Cowards.

DREAM TRIP: Antiva, or Rivain – it sounds fun, from Isabela’s stories, and he is intrigued by their religious customs (and generally different approach to magic). Not without 50+ SPF though, have you seen Anders' skintone?

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: Just a few, he doesn’t particularly suffer the cold – and he’s a cuddly sleeper.

RANDOM FACT: Extremely tactile, hands must be occupied (almost) all the time. He makes his own bows and then whittle silly little figurines with the scraps of wood - usually they all end up looking like chunky animals of debatable identification.

NAME: Maren Hawke

NICKNAME: Mari (used only by selected people – Bethany can, Carver may or may not find nettles in his bed the next day) and various epithets by Varric (he finds her difficult to pin down, to his extreme annoyance). When she’ll get into Kirkwall’s politics people will start to call her Lady Amell, to everyone amusement.

GENDER: Female

ORIENTATION: Official not-so-mean lesbian

STAR SIGN: Scorpio

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Human, born in Ferelden, even if she doesn’t feel a strong national connection to it.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Pears, quince, pomegranates

FAVORITE SEASON: Autumn and Winter

FAVORITE FLOWER: Wild violets, daisies

FAVORITE SCENT: Parchment and ink, ambergris, wild roses’ oil, metal.

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Black coffee in public, hot chocolate with lots of spices (and something sweet to eat on the side) in more private settings.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: Better not to ask. Around 5, to avoid dreaming – she will slowly get better during the years.

DOGS OR CATS: Birds, obviously.

DREAM TRIP: For political reasons, all the cities of the Free Marches. And Weisshaupt/the Anderfels to pester the Wardens about griffin’s eggs – because what Merrill wants, Merrill gets.

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: At least 4, because half of them will be stolen by Merrill during the night.

RANDOM FACT: Does she care about fashion? Not particularly, but she is highly aware of the power of appearences, and how to convey certain messages through clothes. She prefers small and significant jewelry over flashy one, but absolutely loves a nice statement headpiece, especially with some kind of drapery or veil – so she can literally put behind a curtain annoying people with a subtle turn of her head.

NAME: Malva Surana

NICKNAME: Irving’s pet, Surana, debatable variations on her name when Jowan wanted to be annoying – after the Circle, she is just Malva and then the Warden Commander.

GENDER: Do you have a gender if the circumstances of your birth make you less than a person in the eye of society? Ahaha, anyway, female.

ORIENTATION: Very queer - preference for women, but willing to experiment for the sake of it, if she fancies so. In another world, her and Gwydion would be the monsterfuckers, let’s be real.

STAR SIGN: Aquarius

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Definitely a city elf (the tattoos are random lines, made by someone who wanted her to remember but had no idea how a vallaslin really looks like, or how and when they are done) – maybe from Denerim’s alienage? But as far as she knows, there is no past before Kinloch Hold.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Blackberries

FAVORITE SEASON: Spring

FAVORITE FLOWER: The kind of question that would trigger a half-an-hour-long aswer. For brevity sake: nightshade, hellebore, wisteria, ivy (not a flower, but impossible not to mention), and mallow.

FAVORITE SCENT: Burning wood, moss and damp earth, rosemary, wildberries.

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Definitely tea. She is the mistress of the most absurd herbal infusions. They are great and they'll cure your cavities and other various ailments - but you don't want to know the ingredients. Don’t.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: Between 6-8, can wake up every day at the same time without any alarm of sort.

DOGS OR CATS: If really pressed she'd say dogs (“They are great traveling companions”) but immediately regrets it because of all the fond memories of Ser Pounce-a-lot.

DREAM TRIP: The Thirashan forest, Arbor Wilds, Arlathan Forest – pretty much an elven history roadtrip to try to reclaim that part of her identity.

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: Just one or two, wrapped all around her chrysalis-like because her subconscious still believes that the other apprentices will steal them.

RANDOM FACT: For a moment, she was Justice's first choice for a possible living host - she never knew it, though.

[thessalian]

Molly!Rook vs Unfeasibly Big Shit

The Grand Necropolis

Emmrich: I take it you destroyed all of the Formless One's ... copies? Echoes? Avatars?

Molly!Rook: According to his last dying words, yeah. And the fact that he's had so many means he's well overdue for someone to make him shut the fuck up.

Taash: Why am I here?

Molly!Rook: Your abilities complement mine and Emmrich's, for one. Second, we're probably a little squishy and someone who can take a hit might be nice. Also given the Formless One's incredibly ironic forms, it's going to be fairly big, so--

The Formless One: *is possessing the corpse of a high dragon*

Molly!Rook: ...I was very prescient when I invited a dragonslayer on this trip.

Taash: ............

Emmrich: ...Oh dear.

Taash: ..................

Molly!Rook: ...Taash?

Taash: .........YOU! DEMON! THAT CORPSE IS NOT YOURS! GET OUT OF IT NOW! *YEET right at dragon-face*

Later, in the Crossroads with Davrin and Lucanis

Davrin: Wish you'd brought me along on that last one. Taash is still yelling about ... "that was not a dragon, that was a demon wiggling a dragon corpse around like a puppet, none of this is okay".

Molly!Rook: Eh, Taash needed the workout. Besides, she and Emmrich needed some bonding time. But now I get my favourite boom-companions!

Lucanis: Did you perhaps mean 'boon' companions?

Molly!Rook: That too, but it's more that your abilities help me make things go boom. Now. Let's see what's behind door number blight!

Behind Door Number Blight: *is a blighted dragon*

Molly!Rook: Maybe I should've brought Taash, buuuuut I guess it's your turn to kill a bilghted dragon now, Dav-- *hit with ice breath* OW!

Davrin: At least you use fire; it should be weak to--

Blighted Dragon: *breathes fire*

Davrin: ...To take a quote from Rook's book ... the fuck?!?

Molly!Rook: Will ... take ... mental notes ... for Taash ... when less concussed ... and less BEING CHASED BY A HUGE DRAGON HELP PLEASE!

Blighted Dragon: *effectively casts Darkness*

Molly!Rook: You. Are. An. ASSHOLE.

Later, back at the Surreal Estate

Harding: Um ... where's Rook?

Davrin: Lucanis is dragging them up to bed.

Harding: ...Man. Rook moves fast. But sexytimes should be later because--

Davrin: No, not like that. Sorry. Should've said "a bed in the infirmary".

Harding: ...waitwut. ...Wait, again?!? WHY? HOW?

Davrin: Get Taash, would you? Pretty sure our dragon expert needs to hear about a blight-dragon that breathes fire, ice, and lightning, depending on its mood at the time.

Taash: *apparently having very good hearing about anything to do with dragons* She did what?!? And you're sure she wasn't a demon's hand puppet?!?

Harding: Okay, you have until I see if Rook's ... okay, in the infirmary. Then I have to give you a message we got from Antoine and Evka about Weisshaupt.

Davrin: ...Wait. What about Weisshaupt?!?

Taash: We have time. Rook is skinny. Things break and healing needs to happen. TELL ME. ...Wait. Who got the final blow?

Davrin: Rook. With a concussion, a couple of broken ribs, and I think either on fire or electrified; not sure which.

Taash: Tell. Me. EVERYTHING.

Later, at Weisshaupt

Davrin: So we went through this place like shit through a goose, watched you use every balista that wasn't covered in blight--

Lucanis: And one that was.

Davrin: And one that was. Anyway, saved the blacksmith's daughter--

Molly!Rook: Who saved us right back, by the way.

Davrin: --and we're still no closer to Ghilan'nain and her archdemon. And you keep digging around for ... 'shinies'.

Molly!Rook: Well, I dunno what happens to Weisshaupt after this but I'm going to at least learn what I can on the move so that it can be remembered by someone who doesn't talk about the state of the privies more than the history of the Order. Also, here.

Davrin: *looks at shiny boot dagger* ...You do this for us, don't you.

Molly!Rook: YOU WILL BE GEARED AS WELL AS POSSIBLE SO MAYBE YOU DON'T DIE, OKAY?!?

Davrin: Okay, okay! At least we made it to the Library, but--

First Warden: Lock her up!!!

Molly!Rook: First of all, it's they, not she. I am only female for tax purposes.

Taash: *quietly* Slay, qu-- Um. Regent.

Molly!Rook: Second, bad things will happen if you lock me up. Most of them to me.

Lucanis: Oh, I don't know about that. I am generally quick and clean, but for that? I could get inventive for that.

Evka: Please do not make me call my commanding officer a "stupid shit", sir!

First Warden: We will not retreat! We will throw ourselves headlong at the enemy!

Molly!Rook: And you will die doing it. Also, you're bleeding from the ear. I've been hanging around Wardens enough to know that Blight talks to them. This is the source, right here; it's probably yelling so hard it's making blood vessels pop. I'd be freaking out too, I figure. Block out the yelling and think. You're not so blind that you'd ignore the giant sky-face in favour of that face's literal lapdog.

Literal Lapdog: *breathes all manner of fire into the library*

First Warden: Okay, fine, I'm being an idiot, go to the dragon trap.

Lucanis: *as they exit* I would have punched him.

Molly!Rook: I figured it'd be more likely that the others would follow if I convinced him. Besides, if I'd hit him, he'd have to be out cold to accept the truth, and punching someone unconscious is harder than it sounds in stories.

Lucanis: Mmph. Spoilsport.

Awhile later

Lucanis: Rook ... are you sure you want to lure the archdemon to you?

Molly!Rook: Worked in Treviso.

Lucanis: I ... yes, but ... you came close with the blighted dragon in the Crossroads not an hour ago and--

Molly!Rook: No choice. But thanks. *clears throat, raises dagger* HEEEEEERE DRAGON DRAGON DRAGON! TASTY LYRIUM TREATS!

Archdemon: *is sent by Ghilan'nain to retrieve the dagger*

Dragon Trap: *goes off, trapping the archdemon*

Davrin: ...Here goes. Take care of Assan after this--

First Warden: *staggering out with a mortal wound* The griffons are your job, Davrin. And I ... have some amends to make.

Molly!Rook: Strike true, First Warden. ...No, seriously, I don't want to have to go through this again.

First Warden: Do your job, Rook, and you won't have to. *goes to stab the archdemon*

Ghilan'nain: *screeches and basically disembowels the First Warden, dumping the contents of his body on the archdemon*

Archdemon: *melts, becomes effectively a hydra*

Taash: *off in distance somewhere* TOO MANY HEADS! TOO MANY HEADS!!!

Molly!Rook: *takes out the multi-headed bane of their existence with the help of Davrin and Lucanis*

Davrin: *kills the archdemon*

Archdemon: *dies*

Davrin: *does not*

Davrin: ...the fuck...?

Lucanis: *takes the shot on Ghilan'nain*

Lucanis: *maybe should have gone more for substance than style, because only gets a cut across her face*

Ghilan'nain: *freaks right the fuck out and has blight basically eat the entirety of Weisshaupt*

Team God-Botherer: *get out just in the nick of time*

And back at the Surreal Estate

Molly!Rook: Okay. Okay. We're all upset, but we are a team. And I am going to solve each and every one of your problems before we go do this again. And would have anyway, honestly, because personal baggage is no way to live--

Neve: Honestly, Rook, I don't expect you to lend a hand in Dock Town's problems--

Molly!Rook: I literally did a lot of that not three days ago. And I will defy any and all expectations and you know it. Anyway, I can't help with all the existential crises but I will do what I can. Lemme just get my sign that reads "The Doctor Is IN" and then take a number. Honestly, anything that gets me out of talking to Egg-Face again sooner than I have to.

Bellara: Well ... I was looking at those wolf statues - the ones like the one the Inquisitor gave you - and I think they store memories. Wanna go see what Solas regrets most before you have to talk to him? I bet it'd help when he does that thing where he insists he can do no wrong!

Harding: I mean, he was always like that. He sometimes does it in the same sentence as the whining about how hard heroism is and how wrong he got it sometimes.

Molly!Rook: Preach! But first, talking to the team, because you guys are my priority. Which means Minrathous stuff, yes.

Harding: Does this mean we can take a trip to Kal-Sharok about my magic?

Taash: Didn't you say a thing about a blighted dragon lair we needed to check out, Harding? Also. Rook. I promised you drinking.

Emmrich: Perhaps an outing to the Grand Necropolis after this is over? I have a duty, and you could use the break.

Harding: *sliiiiiding over to Lucanis* I know I said I didn't really trust you and that you and Rook shouldn't date ... but fuck it; if you don't take them out someplace nice? I will bite you. And remember, if my head is level with your waist, my teeth are level with your--

Lucanis: .........If you really want me to continue that ... situationship, shall we say ... perhaps not biting off anything I might need later.

[deadlymaelstrom]

Message from the Front: The Tide Turns

Rook,

Word has reached me of your battle in Hossberg. Taking down an Archdemon at Weisshaupt was no small feat. And now, coupled with your victory over both Ghilan'nain's blighted dragons? Fewer than two dozen people in all of Thedas could boast such an accomplishment. News of your victory―of the Wardens' victory―has had no small impact on morale. Darkspawn swarm in numbers never seen in living memory, but there is a sense of hope, of optimism, among those who added their banners to our cause.

Not all have chosen to ally openly and directly with us. The Venatori and the Orlesian royal armies clash daily in Orlais. Val Royeaux is now under the control of the rebels, and from there the Venatori launch attacks as far east as Kirkwall. Yet Orlais still refuses to join with us. We've sent several companies to assist, but while the Orlesian troops don't attack them, they refuse to coordinate attacks. Paranoia, perhaps, from the past wars between Ferelden and Orlais. Still, the situation is dire, and I only hope they recognize it before it's too late.

Whatever ill luck may come our way from Orlais, fortune smiles upon us in the east. Whatever you're doing up north, it's drawn some of the Antaam off from their assault on our trade routes. Reports have also begun to emerge of attacks on the Antaam. The work of the Felicima Armada, apparently―I owe Isabela my gratitude. The relief from the Antaam's piracy is welcome.

Nevertheless, I can't help feeling like this is the calm before the storm on all fronts, and the worst is yet to come.

Yours, The Inquisitor

[onbanksofadragonriver]

No but how do people send messages to Rook? He lives in the Fade. Okay, I assume his team send their messages by stepping out through the Eluvians and passing them to whoever can then deliver them to the right person in an Eluvian-less location. But do people know to look for specific members of Veil Jumpers or Shadow Dragons, etc., who are taking care of Rook's mail? Like, is it becoming common knowledge that this random guy from a rebel/niche/shady organization has an ad-hoc team that, at the moment, might have the most comprehensive picture about the shit going on? And the specific alliances he has with various underground criminal organizations? And the team just regularly checks in with these 'mailbox' contacts for any incoming messages?

So yeah, maybe they have a pull notification system in place, which is probably not very reliable in the sense of timeliness, but super efficient for secrecy.

I can just imagine the talks after Weisshaupt, about this guy who came out of a mirror in the basement. The one who lives in the Fade? You have questions for him, maybe concerns, or even useful tips? I dunno, have you tried dreaming that message to him? Gluing it to your mirror?

[owlsprotector]

A visit from the inquisitor was not something she'd expected, especially with the state of the south, however....With the Eluvians working, they supposed it wasn't as unprobable as it might be without them. Aenorea's fingers tensed lightly. Had they heard her whispered message? Any hint of who she was, worried them. That's why such comments were kept to the quiet corners, and the solitude she treated herself to.

"You can come in, I'm just patching myself up."

Owl figurines made of various types of wood lined the furniture, the biggest of which, sat on a dresser across from the bed-like couch that the leader found themselves on most nights. It was comfortable enough. The band on it's leg though, seemed almost ancient elven, but that couldn't be. Gold, with an emerald gem.

"What brings you to the lighthouse, inquisitor? Surely not just checking up on my crew after Weisshaupt."

a  heaviness  in  the  air  has  followed  them  even  here  :  weisshaupt  had  not  been  easy  for  any  of  them,  strange  spiral  of  success  and  failure.  an  archdemon  dead  and  a  god  injured,  but  oh  -  at  such  cost.  davrin  and  lucanis  both  are  covered  over  in  that  heaviness,  wearing  it  like  cloaks,  trailing  it  like  shadows.  but  it  was  rook  she  worried  for  just  now,  and  rook  had  vanished.  mira's  steps  are  quiet,  trained  on  land  all  scattered  over  with  twigs  that  snap  and  thorns  that  catch  -  she  makes  little  sound  upon  the  lighthouse  stone.

fight,  little  wolf,  she  hears,  and  pauses  where  she  stands.  it  is  a  whisper  only,  a  mumble,  and  yet  just  loud  enough.  da  fen  is  not  uncommon  as  a  fond  endearment  in  the  dalish  clans  and  yet  here  it  is...unexpected.  mira  clears  her  throat  and  knocks,  light  raps  upon  the  doorframe.

"i  just  came  to  check  in  on  you,"  she  says,  and  thinks  of  adamant.  a  qualified  victory  upon  great  loss,  losses  she  had  lived  in  long  after  they  were  over.  "i'm  no  healer,  but  i've  got  some  practice  at  patching  wounds  if  you  need  an  extra  hand."

[evilvarric666-archive]

those are good interesting points about the wardens as an organization. i guess i didn’t think of that because afair the game said that the warden-commanders of each nation were pretty autonomous since the only higher up they reported to was the first warden, and he was generally concerned with anderfels politics. and it seemed like the warden was pretty competent so why interfere? though that’s right he did care about the hof succeeding at commanding an arling for the wardens. he only sent someone to look after the finances and trade though, right..? i am hardly a lore buff i haven’t read any of the other books or short stores for DA or anything, I’m going off of memory and i didn’t catch that but this is interesting, thanks for indulging me haha

Literally only just now realizing that I didn't post your initial message sjdbsksjjs sorry I got excited. But yeah while the hof (or Orlesian warden-commander) is clearly competent and warden-commanders in other countries with more established warden orders are given a decent amount of autonomy, what's happening in Ferelden after origins is a special case. There wasn't a terribly heavy warden presence there before the Blight (locals are understandably skittish about outside military orders being in their business. This is gone over somewhat in The Calling), and the Ferelden monarchy granting the wardens an arling + the commander a title is kind of unprecedented. Amaranthine is kind of an experiment, and the folks up in Weisshaupt have a vested interest in it going well, as the wardens had been steadily losing popularity and relevance before the fifth blight (because it's been so long since the fourth and lots of people just thought that the dark spawn were like, gone).

[jackdawyt]

Well, punch me in the teeth and call me the Dread Wolf! BioWare have already revealed another trailer for the next Dragon Age this year! The Game Awards 2020 premiered a beautiful-cinematic trailer that showcased many locations, factions, characters and foes we’ll witness in the next instalment. As per usual, we have many thoughts, theories and tinfoils on everything this trailer revealed!

However, before we break down the trailer, we have two descriptions of the next Dragon Age game shared separately on YouTube and Twitter.  

On YouTube, the trailer’s description said:  

“The world of Dragon Age needs a new hero – someone who can take on the evil forces threatening Thedas. Get a first look at some of the new locations you’ll discover and the factions fighting by your side in the next chapter of Dragon Age.”  

And shared on Twitter, the post said:  

“The world of Thedas needs you, a new hero. The next #DragonAge will see the return of Solas… and an old friend.”  

https://twitter.com/dragonage/status/1337198092957839365

Of course, the old friend no doubt refers to Varric who narrated this brand-new cinematic trailer. That’s right, the one, the only, our storytelling-chest-haired dwarf is coming back in the next Dragon Age, so we’re already going to have some familiarity in the next adventure.

With that said, let’s breakdown the entire contents of this new trailer and what it means for the next Dragon Age!

Meredith & Corypheus

The trailer started by revealing the first piece of a brand-new stone-etched mural.  

Knight-Commander Meredith was shown, infused with red lyrium, holding her sword “Certainty”.

Followed up with Corypheus holding Solas’s orb towards the heavens. During this point, Varric said: “I’ve faced tyrants and would-be gods.”  

These two shots clearly showcase the previous events of Dragon Age that have somehow circulated towards Solas’s scheme to destroy the Veil and deal with the Evanuris.  

Meredith took the Red Lyrium Idol and forged it into a sword, the idol itself apparently belongs to Solas, and he cares for it and recognises its depiction. Meredith was turned into a thawed red lyrium statue, and the red lyrium idol was found and retrieved inside her statued body. The idol’s current whereabouts are unknown.

"The Dread Wolf wants that idol, and he’s not afraid to get his hands bloody to get it." (The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 490). “He intends something for the Fade, and if he wants the idol, then whatever he intends will be terrible.” (The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 498).

Whereas Corypheus intended on using Solas’s orb to usurp the throne of the gods for himself. Solas, banking on the magister’s failure, sought out to regain his orb after Corypheus unlocked it, and died doing so. In this ideal situation, Solas would then use his orb and destroy the veil.  

However, that didn’t happen. Instead Solas’s orb was destroyed by crumbling rocks with Corypheus’s defeat. The elven god strives to find alternative ways to destroy the veil.

Both these foes at the start of Solas’s new mural show that what’s coming next will be much worse than any catastrophe in Thedas and that these events have always been set in stone for the Dread Wolf. It’s like he’s drawn Corypheus and said, you thought he was tough, wait till you see what I can do.  

Two Evil Gods

The trailer continued with the next pieces in this mural, two carvings of very enigmatic figures. The first engraving has an arched headpiece, red eyes, a spiky torso, and wavy lines coming from their head, with a haloed sun or moon behind them.

Immediately, this spooky figure reminds us of the evil god shown in BioWare’s Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development. However, we believe the figure shown in this book resembles the elven goddess “Ghilan'nain, the Mother of the Halla” who created giants, monsters, and beasts that spanned across the sky, water, and earth.

While this depiction of an evil god is concept art, there is one key difference between the two figures - the evil god in the concept art has four arms, whereas the mural figure has two arms. So, are they depicting the same god? We’ll certainly come back to this figure later on.  

The next figure has a very curved headpiece, elven ears, and clawed-looking shoulder pieces. With another haloed sun behind their head, this leads us to believe this is yet another evil god.

Personally, this figure reminds us of Dirthamen’s statue we saw in Inquisition, but this could honestly be anyone... And we’ll touch on that when we get to the finished mural.  

While these two figures are shown, Varric said: “Seen friends lose life and limb, but there’s always someone bent on breaking the world.”  

Obviously referring to allies previously lost, like potentially Hawke, and even the Inquisitor’s anchor. However, the enemies bent on breaking the world paint the figures shown as evil and malevolent. Of course, it’s not Dragon Age without someone trying to destroy the world.    

BioWare Logo

In the next sequence, a golden BioWare logo appears with a sun behind it, perhaps this relates the previous figure to Elgar’nan considering Elgar’nan was said to be born of the sun?

Anderfels/Grey Warden

Taking our minds away from the mural for a moment, the trailer began to explore iconic locations and factions that are going to feature heavily in the next Dragon Age.

The first location is a blazing desert with rough sands, cobblestone, and huge puddles. We think this is the Anderfels, Thedas’s blighted western lands. Over the horizon are multiple, huge reptile creatures. They look like turtle monsters similar to the Ankylosaurs, which is a kind of armoured dinosaur with a clubtail.

During this sequence, Varric said: “It’s time for a new hero.” As grey boots entered the shot. No doubt, referring to the next protagonist. The boots are instantly recognisable as a Grey Warden’s. You can see a dark blue tint on their leggings, as grey and blue are the Warden’s colours.  

Not to mention, the biggest indicator that this character is a Warden, is the location. A Grey Warden being in The Anderfels makes complete sense considering Weisshaupt, the Warden’s headquarters are located there.

More importantly, the fact that Varric said: “it’s time for a new hero” while showing this Grey Warden, and the trailer continued to show different factions, while still talking about the idea of a new hero. We think this indicates to the overall message of this trailer, being that perhaps this time around we can choose the faction our new hero belongs to. Like origin stories, our hero can choose between at least 4 or more different factions within Thedas.

While the Grey Wardens and many other factions will join our fight as key roles in the story like “Davrin” who was hinted at in the Gamescom trailer, having the choice to choose where your hero is from would make for an epic RPG, and a great callback to the series' roots.

Antiva/Antivan Crow

The next location revealed the most elegant nation of Antiva, looking absolutely stunning with its gold accents, and regal aesthetic. When compared to the Behind-the-Scenes concepts, we can certainly see the similarities between the early concepts and the CGI reveal. Most notably, the Disney-like palace that encompasses every shot.

Still sharing about our new hero, Varic said: “No magic hand, no ancient prophecy.” As a zoom-in shot of Antiva City revealed an Antivan Crow stirring a goblet of wine. The palace behind the goblet had magical energy emerging into the skies.

The shot pulled back, and revealed an Antivan Crow sat on the rooftops of Antiva, looking over the city. With Varric talking about the next hero being a nobody, with no magical anchor, and no ancient prophecy, can we choose to play as an Antivan Crow?

If this Crow is not showcasing the option of a new hero, then perhaps this is a Crow who will join our journey, like one of the Antivan Crow Talons. I see a lot of similarities with this cinematic shot and the recent short story - “The Wake,” which was all about the Talons mourning their lost friend.

Antiva as a whole, looks astonishing, from the rivers flowing through the city, to the picturesque sky, the city looks like a delightful place to take a love interest. However, we’re most curious about the magical energy emerging from the palace. Perhaps Antiva City prepares for the imminent Qunari Antaam invasion?

Tevinter Imperium/Siccari

The next location revealed the most prideful, gothic nation known as the Tevinter Imperium. This beautifully macabre shot is most likely showcasing Tevinter’s capital city, Minrathous.  

Once the motherland of the ancient elves before the veil’s creation, Tevinter was founded on the ruins of the elven kingdom, we can see many magical marvels and wonders in this cinematic shot. For instance, we have magical neon lighting guiding you through the city and the floating structure that stands in the centre.  

Perhaps this haunting structure is the Magisterium, or Minrathous’s Circle Tower? Regardless, the ferocious architecture and dark themes truly define Tevinter as a remarkable, and otherworldly nation. A lot of these undertones look similar to one of the concept art pieces shown at Gamescom.

Followed with this shot, Varric said: “The kind of person they will never see coming.” As a new hooded-character was revealed pulling out a winged-dagger ready to attack a blurred figure in a Tevinter alleyway. Not to sound like a broken record, but again, Varric is mentioning the new hero, so is this character one of the potential factions we can choose, and if so, what faction?

Well, because it seems like we’re in the streets of Tevinter, we think this character represents the Tevinter Siccari. This faction was recently introduced in Tevinter Nights, they are the Imperium’s best shadow network, made of highly skilled and secretive agents who each come from slave families, they are formidable and honourable warriors.  

“I have heard many things of the Tevinter Siccari,” the Mortalitasi added, “but I have never heard them called cowards or traitors. Most of them come from slave families, and those families are kept safe as both promise and threat, ensuring the Siccari never flinch from their duties. (The Dread Wolf Take You, page 503). ““Tevinter’s intelligence network declined to answer our request.” (The Dread Wolf Take You, page 485).

This hooded-figure has what-looks like keys on their chest, along with a very golden logo on their shoulder, which looks like an owl? The dagger also looks to have a winged bird on its helm.

If this figure doesn’t represent a faction the player can choose between, then perhaps they’re a shadowy Tevinter character from an unknown faction, or they could be someone like Neve, who was introduced in Tevinter Nights as a private investigator working out of Minrathous. However, we feel like Tevinter Siccari is the best bet, because they’re literally the Imperium’s spies.

Executor/Ancient Elf?

Followed by that, a most intriguing character appeared walking through a snowy forest. The figure has a three-horned headpiece, with trims of red on their outfit, holding a bow made of floating triangles.

The location of this area is the exact same as the sexy tree we witnessed at EA Play, the gloomy, midnight snow graveyard, with infected red lyrium and Ferelden architecture. The tree appeared on the right, as this mysterious character shot their enigmatic bow. With the location being the same as the tree, it can be anywhere close to the equator where it can snow, like southern Tevinter, northern Nevarra, or it could literally be anywhere in the mountains. The Ferelden architecture really throws us off though.

This new character is also a mystery, who exactly are they, and what faction do they represent? Well, we've never seen anyone like this before, so they could totally be something brand-new.

However, we can piece a few things together, like the magical, triangle bow. We saw this exact design in a concept piece at Gamescom, with many thinking that this design was ancient elven. On top of that, in the “Ruins of Reality” short story art piece that featured the Starkhaven elf known as Strife, he wore a red cloak with floating triangles on it.

However, even more intriguing, his cloak had the Executor’s logo on it - “a downward-pointed triangle with two wavy lines drawn through it.”

So, does this new character represent either The Executors, or an ancient elven clan? The Executors are mysterious beings who come from beyond the sea, they’ve been described to wear “dark robes of Vyrantium samite, with a thin mesh dropping down to cover the hood.”

I see a gold trim covering their face, but I don’t know if that headpiece constitutes as a hood? Even so, we don’t know what Executors look like.  

If this character represents an ancient elven clan faction, that would explain why they have this magical bow that fires as if projected with Fade magic, also illustrating the more alien look to this character.

Regardless, we think this character is quite the enigma, they could just as easily represent a Tal-Vashoth clan, a new Nevarran faction, or something brand-new that hasn’t been explored in the games yet.

Varric Tethras

During this entire sequence, Varric said: “We’ve got your back, I’ve got your back.” By, “we’ve got your back” we assume he’s speaking on behalf of the Inquisition’s remnants like the Divine, Scout Harding, Charter and company, who’re pursuing after the Dread Wolf. However, even more than that, Varric said, he’s got our back. So, Varric is coming back in the next game as a pivotal role it seems, hopefully, this time around we can romance our chest-haired friend, please?

Fen’Harel

Varric followed that up and said: “Demons, dragons, darkspawn, even the Dread Wolf.” As the next sequence revealed a very familiar Fen’Harel...

Solas is pressing one of his hands on this fresco that depicts him as the Dread Wolf rising. He’s touching the mouth of the Dread Wolf, as the beast’s teeth appear red, most likely to resemble red lyrium? Does Solas’s plan involve ingesting red lyrium? The substance does weaken the veil after all, so is Solas going to become blighted in order to fulfill his scheme?  

As Solas approached, we can see he has clothed himself in ancient elven robe-like armour with varying tints of green. He looks very stoic, but also a little bit sad.

New Mural

The cinematic mural that featured behind Solas was posted as a painting on the Dragon Age website, so we can take a greater look at it, and decipher its meaning.

https://twitter.com/Nthornborrow/status/1337521623084093440

Straight up, we can see the Dread Wolf with six blazing blue eyes, previously the Dread Wolf was depicted with red blazing eyes, however, this time around, his eyes are blue? This clearly has something to do with lyrium Maybe the Dread Wolf’s eyes will turn red once he has become tainted? Or Perhaps there’s a chance we could stop him from becoming tainted before it’s too late?

As stated, the Dread Wolf has six eyes, exactly like his description in Tevinter Nights. A Mortalitasi mage witnessing the Dread Wolf explained the description of a lupine, monstrous six-eyed Wolf the size of a High Dragon.

“Lupine in appearance, but the size of a high dragon, with shaggy spiked hide and six burning eyes like a pride demon.” (The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 496).

With the proportion of his eyes, there could be some significance to them, or it could honestly just be an art style. However, I wouldn’t deny anything relating to Old God souls or the amount of Evanuris left. But we feel the size of each eye shows us that the Dread Wolf is dealing with some sort of distortion with his appearance, like absorbing Mythal’s power metamorphosing him to become more draconic.

The Dread Wolf is bursting through the Black City which is imbued in red lyrium.

We can see the Dread Wolf has destroyed the Veil by the representation of the spheres that have exploded with a roaring fire. With its destruction, the Fade and the waking world of Thedas have become one. With the world burning in the raw chaos, Solas could then restore the time of the elves.

Two Evil Gods Identity  

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

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

The two evil figures on the left and right side look like the eluvians and statues from the Vir Dirthara, the ancient elvhen Library. And according to Tevinter Nights, there are many elvhen libraries throughout the land of Thedas like the one near the Imperial Highway. These ‘headpieces’ the figures have are slightly different and differentiate each member of the Pantheon from one another.

it’s honestly hard to tell who these figures could be Pantheon-wise, but here are some of our tinfoil bits that can correlate to their appearance:

When we reacted to this trailer live, we stated that these two figures could resemble the elvhen twins Falon’Din and Dirthamen. Their statues look very similar to these figures, but now that we have studied it, the figure on the left looks more feminine with long hair so this could be Ghilan’nain who has been mentioned a lot recently in the Dragon Age’s short stories and Tevinter Nights. If that figure on the left is Ghilan’nan, then the right still has to be Dirthamen who we know has a closer relationship with Ghilan’nain through Dalish and ancient elvhen legends.

"His crime is high treason. He took on a form reserved for the gods and their chosen, and dared to fly in the shape of the divine. The sinner belongs to Dirthamen; he claims he took wings at the urging of Ghilan'nain, and begs protection from Mythal. She does not show him favor, and will let Elgar'nan judge him." — Old Elvhen Writing

On the other hand, these figures could represent Elgar’nan and Mythal, who are closely related to Fen’Harel’s redemption to break the Veil.

“Long ago, when time itself was young, the only things in existence were the sun and the land. The sun, curious about the land, bowed his head close to her body, and Elgar'nan was born in the place where they touched.” — Codex entry: Elgar'nan: God of Vengeance.

“And that night, when the sun had gone to sleep, Mythal gathered the glowing earth around his bed, and formed it into a sphere to be placed in the sky, a pale reflection of the sun's true glory.” — Codex entry: Mythal: the Great Protector.

We could say that the masculine figure represents Elgar’nan who is represented as a sun. And Mythal, who represents the moon. If these two gods are side by side with Fen’Harel, then the Emergent Compendium’s reference could come true:

‘Two shadowed spheres among stars, an eclipse as Fen’Harel stirred’  

However, this could be a stretch knowing that Solas already has the remaining power of Flemeth, and Elgar’nan also has barely been mentioned, it is worth knowing that these figures have a similar reference to these gods either way...

Another connection these figures could resemble are the remaining old gods that bring forth the blights.  

In our Dread Wolf Rises mural breakdown back in 2018, we talked about the centrepiece of the artwork, with the massive moon that had two golden circles still lit, while 5 of them were greyed out. Most certainly referring to the past and future blights.  

In our new mural, behind these two figures there are the same golden circles. If we are comparing these two murals together these figures could be the two remaining Old Gods left who aren’t blighted, Razikale and Lusacan.

According to Solas, if there is any chaotic event in Thedas, spirits will pull against the Veil, weakening its forces. So, if Razikale and Lusacan were to become Archdemons at the same time, that could potentially tear the Veil hence the Dread Wolf rising in the moment to change the world once again.

Razikale is the only Old God to be confirmed female, so according to the mural, this theory might not be far off from this depiction. These Gods have not been tainted and have been left somewhere sleeping for centuries, to awaken them will require most of Thedas to become blighted in order to escalate the timing of two Blights happening at once.  

However, that’s just a theory, as we know, evil gods have Thedas in their sights, it really just depends which gods we’re talking about. We lean more to the Evanuris in this mural, however, the old gods are not out of the picture yet, as shown in The Dread Wolf Rises mural. We feel a double blight is in store for the future of Thedas.

Dragon Age New Font

Anyhow, the trailer ends with a new Dragon Age font and colour, I wonder if gold is going to be the main tone of the next game.  

Varric ended the trailer, and said: “This is your story.” No doubt referring to the fact that the narrative will be shaped by your choices and consequences.

Regardless, this trailer was amazing, and we’re so happy we actually had another look at the next Dragon Age game! We want to know all of your thoughts and speculation down below, how excited are you knowing that Varric is coming back?

[longer-than-i-should-admit]

Okay so here it is. Had to work through my emotions first so I've found my equilibrium.

I really liked how Neve's narrative turned out as a whole. I didn't expect to get along with her because she seemed kind of cold at first but honestly? She's for the girlies. I love her. So warm once you get to know her. She's such a bestie, comparative to Leliana in DAO imo

The section I was missing was in the Heights of Athim where the well is. Killed the demon, found the chests, got the last of the statues. I didn't expect to get that achievement so I was quite proud of myself.

I didn't 100% everywhere, I'll probably try to do that next run tbh. By that point I just wanted to see what happened, and...oh boy.

I was honestly 100% happy with the game 'til I got to the third act. Now that I've stewed on it I'll confidently say it's only dropped to 90%, but that's only because I'm of the rather rose-tinted persuasion of despising even "necessary" or "worthy" character deaths. I was NOT expecting to have Davrin die (which...Lace is the alternative? my heart!). Him AND Assan, too? After everything? I know that's the whole point of sacrifice, "whatever it takes", but...idk, it just didn't sit right with me. It felt squandered. But I know that's just my opinion.

And, speaking of squandered...Varric. I'd had the gut feeling that there was more to his situation than he was letting on, especially given Solas’ little "[he] is...quite practiced at shading the truth himself", so I was thinking "oh the only reason he survived was that he got tied to the Lighthouse's energy somehow and can't leave" or “he had a reaction to the dagger like Lace did just slightly different” or smth, but the longer the game went on the more details I noticed. Lace's reaction in the start confused me. There were just enough references to him throughout to mollify my suspicions, but then I got the codex about Xenon trying to buy Bianca and Lace almost gutting him for it. Also no one ever looked at him during the table meetings, and in the scenes he spoke to Rook he waited 'til everyone else left. That all was adding up, especially when I realized that Neve had healed completely, yet Varric was still as weak as he was at first with the casts and bandages and getting tired.

So. It didn't really surprise me when I got to the Fade mission and found out the truth, but...it still upset me. I know he's been in BW's sights for a long time but I hoped he would be the one character to make it out unscathed tbh. So I accepted it, thinking that it must be worth something, that once Rook brings it up to Solas it would help to persuade him, but...nothing. The companion banter in Minrathous didn't trigger for me, so other than Rook initially confronting Solas about it I didn't get any sense of lingering remorse from Solas, which I felt was out of character for him, especially given the circumstances. (I saw Lace's dressing down later, which helped me resolve it all in my mind. It doesn't fix the fact that no one really talks about it very much, but it made me feel a little better hearing Solas say he was sorry. Really sorry.) Ultimately I felt that it was a bit cheap overall since even the Inquisitor doesn't really bring it up, so I'll be discarding that in my AU. No thanks, BW. I want my bestest dwarf intact, thank you. Moving on.

Now, the rest of Solas in the third act? *chef's kiss* Did not see him leaving us in the Fade coming at all, especially since I got the "you have earned the respect of the dread wolf " message. In retrospect I should have expected it, but I guess I forgot I was looking at him through Rook’s eyes, whom he doesn’t know, and not as "me" (who I guess I associate with the Inquisitor more atm, ironically), so it makes sense that he still doesn't necessarily trust her and was manipulating her. The blood magic thing got me, too. And what fooled me was how concerned he genuinely seemed before, like after Weisshaupt, especially when he distracted Elgarn'nan on our behalf. So it fits him, and it gave me the good moment of like "fuck you. that was clever, Dread Wolf, you got me. but fuck you."

Fade mission was the closest I got to crying the whole game. Well written, most definitely. Still don't like the character deaths but c'est la vie. Not that big of a deal since I've seen that others appreciate the stakes being so high and there actually having to be that choice. To each their own. (I'll be changing it in my fic eventually regardless lol)

Emmrich's romance got me dude. The little argument before the island genuinely had me so worried, and then them making up once she escaped the Fade? *chef's kiss* The coffin slew me on sight though lol, it was so funny to me. He's so sweet I love him so much I swear. Definitely already a favorite and I haven't even experienced the others yet lol (Lucanis will be next, for whom I am so excited)

Minrathous was crazy. I believed Solas that time, too, so caught up in his sad little puppy dog eyes. I even noticed the "by my hand" comment and thought about it and then just dismissed it like "whatever you say king I am at your disposal". Woof. Getting to fight with him again, especially at full power, was so...well, empowering. Like I said, I didn't get the banter (since I had Lace and Emmrich with me), so it felt a little empty. I'll make sure to wait for it next time. (AND I SO CALLED IT THAT HE AND EMMRICH WOULD GET ALONG. WHERE ARE THE FICS OF THEM GETTING TO INTERACT, HUH? W H E R E)

I'm so glad Bellara turned out okay, I didn't think I could handle losing her, too. And Enaste in the middle of it all? Poor baby. I wanted to hug her so bad. Morrigan calling her out was funny though ngl

I got the rune of Felassan from the Caretaker, but I had really hoped that the spirit would have some sort of greater impact on the narrative, like appealing to Solas on our behalf for our help in the Crossroads/for the spirits, or with the rune actually summoning some spirits to help fight Elgar'nan like it sounded when the caretaker described it. A little thing, perhaps, but I thought for sure the Caretaker would have a greater narrative impact than that.

And boy. Oh boy. Getting to see the Dread Wolf was something. Big boy. Big pupper. That was so badass.

By the time I fought Elgar’nan I had mostly gotten the hang of the combat so it wasn’t too bad. I really like him and Ghil as villains overall. Just the right balance of real tangible threat and silly evils.

Oh and Solas clinging to his duty right until the end? I was so scared I wouldn’t be able to convince him when I first saw the trick or fight options, but then I realized I got the good ending from Mythal’s essence and I was so relieved. And boy? Let me tell you.

That entire scene had me almost in tears. It was so good. The angles and the lighting and the voice acting and the interactions and...everything. It was everything I wanted. So heartfelt and brought such good closure. And Lavellan getting to be with him in the end is actual perfection.

So, overall, I'd say I am mostly satisfied with the game personally. It was a product of a decade of ups and downs and while it is by no means perfect, I am so grateful to have had the chance to find "canon" closure and experience this game (mostly) spoiler free the first time. To me the world building we were afforded feels more like cherries put on top of the cake that was already there rather than baking something new, although there are of course some completely understandable nitpicks I have seen other people make. However, for what it is, and where it leaves us, I am content. Even if they don't make another game, I'm glad we got this one.

Anywho...I have already started my second playthrough with my Mournwatcher rook and have already started tweaking my AU/fics to accommodate the new information we got. :)

Thirteen (point six) hours in now that it’s finally downloaded…I tired…I’ve been up since seven am lol, it’s so much better than I expected!🥰

I’ll post better images once I figure out where in the hell my screenshot folder is but my baby Fenalan turned out so so gorgeous oml🥹

Spoilers mentioned under the cut:

I’m so glad Varric is okay. He gave Fenalan a little pep talk when she cracked under the pressure a bit so she’s doing her best to hold it together for the team. She left the mayor bc he’s a shithead and she’s generally been rather purple-coded, as I thought.

She has also given Solas a hard time at first, as planned. I wasn’t expecting him to clap back like he did in that second scene lol, but now that Varric has given her more insight into Solas’ personality she’ll be more cooperative going forward (while still being a lil shit of course).

God I know I’m waiting to romance Lucanis for Khalida but I understand why people are so I love with him. He went grocery shopping for them🥹and the delight in his voice when Fenalan got him the wyvern tooth dagger? Oh my lanta, my heart. And the fact that he noted her favorite drink being tea? That slew me on the spot. By god I am going to smooch you so hard next time. Get ready for it. (Rn he and Neve are flirting up a storm and it’s so damn cute I want to die.)

Honestly all the companion missions so far have been so sincere and sweet. I can’t wait to see more! I’m starting to get all the little side missions branching out so I’m trying not to get overwhelmed with them all by taking them one at a time. I think I’ll tackle more of arlathan forest first thing tomorrow.

I unlocked the memory where Solas fights Elgar’nan, so is the elf who was with him Felassan? I’m assuming it’s Felassan. And if that’s Felassan I am going to cry bc he seems so nice and outgoing.

Also who summoned the fish in the Lighthouse? (I think it was Felassan lol, he seems like an agent of chaos. The “you summoned them, you’ll have to feed them” line took me out.)

I’m mentally cataloguing all the little differences I’ll be making with Khalida, who is more of the soft-spoken, shy, diplomatic type. Her favorite drink will be the “something sweeter” option, she’ll have supported Varric’s plan, and she’ll be more open to Solas’ input off the bat once she gets over her initial fright of him. She’s such a sweet little thing and Lucanis is going to be an utter disaster with her since she’s a bit oblivious lol

God idk if I’m going to be able to sleep after all this but hey, here’s to trying lol

On nydha, lethal’len!🥰

[felassan]

After The Blight

A timeline of the Hero of Ferelden’s movements and notes about their activities after the end of the Fifth Blight

I just wanted to collect it together somewhere. Obviously it does not apply if the Hero performed the Ultimate Sacrifice, although sections of it will apply to Orlesian Warden-Commanders. This is a mixture of canon information, suppositions and headcanons (so it’s a mix of a reference post and personal notes about my own HoF). The latter two things are clearly marked as such. This post has been updated. (Tevinter Nights spoilers under cut)

9:30 Dragon - Fifth Blight begins.

9:31 - Fifth Blight ends, events of DAO end. The Fereldan reign or service to the crown of Queen, Prince-Consort and Chancellor HoFs begins. The HoF studies the Blight. There is an investigation effort into the darkspawns’ remaining secrets.

supposition: shortly after the coronation of Ferelden’s new monarch[s], the HoF answers the First Warden’s summons to Weisshaupt and travels there to report about the Blight. if the Dark Ritual was performed, they avoid mentioning it, despite the pertinent questions they are asked about why no Warden died killing the Archdemon. suspicions in the order abound 

supposition: if Avernus continued his research in some form, the HoF begins working with him around this time

personal headcanon: Dog never left HoF’s side after the Blight, because why would he? I know what it says about replenishing in the kennels, but that could easily be done during HoF’s many trips to Denerim

9:31, 4 months post Blight - Zevran has now begun his quest to dismantle the Crows, so romanced Zevran has most likely left HoF’s company by this point.

9:31, 6 months post Blight - Queen HoF marries Alistair in lavish ceremony. If Alistair was romanced, they then tour Ferelden. Prince-Consort HoF marries Anora in lavish ceremony.

note - The timings of the events in the expansion, DLCs and DA2 Act 1 are a bit squashed and inconsistent, which is why things in the upcoming segment get a bit janky

17th of Ferventis, 9:31, 6 months post Blight, post royal wedding - The Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict and the events of Awakening begin. The HoF had been promoted to Commander of the Grey, Ferelden’s Warden-Commander. They travel to Vigil’s Keep having been tasked by the order with rebuilding the Wardens’ presence in Ferelden and dealing with the remaining darkspawn plaguing the nation. Romanced Warden Alistair could not join them as he had been assigned to the Warden parties in charge of the Thaw Hunt (a hunt for remnant darkspawn pockets). Romanced Zevran could not join them as he was away hunting and being hunted by the Crows. Romanced Leliana could not join as she was summoned for an audience by the Grand Cleric.

supposition: HoF’s promotion was given to them during their time at Weisshaupt. it’s both a reward for their service during the Blight and a maneuver by the First Warden to capitalize on the HoF’s reputation and the post-Blight state of Ferelden (which was weakened and freshly appreciative of Wardens). the goal was to leverage the Wardens back into prominence and power in Ferelden

9:31, 12 months post Blight - This basically brings things into ~9:32. The Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict and events of Awakening end. If the Architect was spared, other Wardens in other nations are appalled, but the Wardens think the ensuing conflict between groups of darkspawn might make the Deep Roads safer. If the Architect was spared, HoF begins work of some kind with the intelligent darkspawn and has interactions with them in the coming years (in 9:37, Warden Nathaniel calls these darkspawn “The Warden’s allies” and mentions information these allies provided the Wardens with). Soon after what happened with the Architect, if Avernus continued his research in some form, HoF sends him information about the Architect.

personal headcanon: HoF names Nathaniel Howe their second-in-command. Nathaniel becomes Constable of the Grey, Warden-Constable of Ferelden

favored headcanon: HoF names romanced or befriended Warden Alistair their second-in-command. Alistair becomes Constable of the Grey, Warden-Constable of Ferelden

9:31 - If Avernus continued his research in some form, Hawke finds a very important set of Warden letters and documents from the HoF intended for the First Warden, on a dead body on the Wounded Coast in the Free Marches. HoF dispatched the messenger from Ferelden via Amaranthine to go to Weisshaupt by way of Kirkwall, possibly with the aid of an agent in Kirkwall. The courier was most likely dispatched from Vigil’s Keep. Something had happened that the HoF is concerned about and wanted to inform the First Warden of ASAP. Enclosed was a message from Avernus to the HoF. This message indicates that the HoF has been working and corresponding with Avernus to aid his research, including sending him shipments of supplies. Avernus’ research has made progress but also revealed some alarming implications, and he urged the HoF to inform the FW at once. 

supposition: “supplies” includes live subjects, as in sentient beings (Ghilan’nain would be proud)

supposition: due to everything with Avernus if he continued his research, it’s around now that seeds begin to be sown in HoF’s mind of finding a way to escape the Calling 

personal headcanon: the agent in Kirkwall is Varric Tethras, or one of his people. after all, he is an information broker, spymaster and someone who knows everyone

~9:31 - The events of The Golems of Amgarrak take place. HoF investigates Amgarrak Thaig after being invited to Orzammar by Jerrik Dace, on a search mission to find a lost expedition. Most likely takes place after Awakening because Jerrik sent a letter requesting aid to Vigil’s Keep.

personal headcanon: the HoF has contact here with House Tethras, who canonically funded Jerrik’s search mission

9:32, nearly 1 year after the Archdemon’s death - The events of Witch Hunt take place. HoF searches for Morrigan through the Korcari Wilds, Cadash Thaig, Kinloch Hold and the Dragonbone Wastes. If HoF romanced Morrigan, they may vanish with her through the eluvian. In some universes Kieran has now been born. For some HoFs, they now meet their son for the first time.

supposition: it’s now that Morrigan tells some HoFs about the leads she found that point to the western lands as a place where a cure for the Calling might be found. if HoF didn’t leave through the mirror, some HoFs may now find that the “gift” Morrigan left them along with the stolen Dalish book is information about these leads. do note that some HoFs are implied to have come into the knowledge without Morrigan’s involvement

supposition: 9:32, post Witch Hunt - It’s now that HoFs who romanced Zevan travel to Antiva to reunite with him for a time, their expansion and DLC-business being concluded. they do what they can to help him in his Crow quest

9:32 on, for a time - HoFs who romanced Morrigan, fathered Kieran and left through the mirror help Morrigan raise Kieran for a while. This goes on for a long enough time that the roughly ~10 year old Kieran clearly remembers his father in 9:41.

supposition: much of this family life took place in hidden, secret places, some of which are in Thedas ‘proper’ itself and some of which are in the Crossroads and places reached via the Crossroads

supposition [?]: 9:32 on, til leaving / ‘mysteriously vanishing’ in ~9:40 - HoF most likely based out of Denerim Royal Palace and/or Vigil’s Keep, being largely occupied in this period with the duties involved in being Queen, Prince-Consort, Chancellor and/or Warden-Commander of Ferelden. The former would involve such things as advising, often being seen at court, helping to rebuild Ferelden in the wake of the Blight, and resisting the influence/incursions Orlais attempt around this time. The latter would involve such things as recruitment, training, establishing bases, sending annual reports to Weisshaupt, scouting, clearing remnant darkspawn activity, rebuilding Vigil’s Keep and/or Amaranthine, overseeing the arling etc. It’s also likely that Warden business would take them to other parts of Thedas at times. Romanced Zevran and romanced Leliana both assist when they can with rebuilding the Wardens, without officially joining. Depending on HoF’s actions during the Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict, potential events such as a riot of common folk at Vigil’s Keep can occur here. HoF continuing to actively serve in the Wardens during this time probably isn’t just supposition due to how they and Warden Alistair can refer to their duties in 9:41. Still, there’s lots of space and flexibility in this period for headcanon, for example to include things from the ‘rumors’ and such listed at the end of this post.

supposition: HoFs who romanced Zevan are involved on and off as they are able in this time period with his Crow quest, helping when they can. “on and off” refers to their involvement in his quest, not their relationship. canonically around this period Zevran is known for high profile kills of Guildmasters and having some of the others in his pocket. by 9:34 he has 2 out of 7 Guildmasters in his pocket and has killed at least one other along with Eoman, 2 Grandmasters, and 4 other members of House Arainai

personal headcanon: HoF establishes Soldier’s Peak as a secondary and proper functioning Warden base in Ferelden, and it comes to rival Vigil’s Keep

personal headcanon: HoF grows increasingly dissatisfied with the actions and attitudes of the Wardens (primarily the First Warden and other leadership in the Anderfels) during this period, and in the later years begins to consider making a play for power and seizing the First Warden’s seat

~9:33, 1 year after Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict ends - If HoF saved the city of Amaranthine, it is finished being rebuilt. Relevant because it is part of the arling goings-on, which is currently in HoF’s hands.

personal headcanon: 9:34 - HoF visits their clan near Kirkwall, having sent word ahead to Merrill. HoF is able to see Merrill and Marethari again prior to Marethari’s death in Act 3. this ties in handily with the timeframe when Warden Stroud/Alistair passes through Kirkwall on a mysterious important Warden mission. HoF, in the company of this Warden party (which includes Warden Carver), meets Hawke and is reunited with Anders/Justice and Isabela. HoF meets their contact Varric in person for the first time

~9:36, 5 years after Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict ends - If HoF saved the city of Amaranthine, Vigil’s Keep is finally finished being rebuilt.

supposition: ~9:37 (dependent on when Hawke did MoTA) - Not long after Hawke kills Corpheus, HoF begins digging for information about him much like the DAI Warden contact. HoF is investigating rumors they had heard and found about him, being concerned that he would be able to jump host bodies on death like an Archdemon. This happens in romanced Warden Alistair worlds in tandem with Alistair, and I don’t see why it would be exclusive to those. This can technically occur anytime between 31 and 37, but 37 makes the most sense for this to happen, as I can’t see HoF sitting on Corypheus knowledge for almost a decade before he rose

9:37 - Queen HoF is at home in the Royal Palace in Denerim when King Alistair meets Hawke in Act 3.

supposition: Prince-Consort HoFs, Chancellor HoFs, HoFs who remained King Alistair’s paramour, HoFs who were friends with King Alistair and potentially some others are also at court in Denerim at this time, either visiting or in a less temporary manner, depending

9:37 - Hawke meets Warden Nathaniel and possibly their Warden sibling in the Deep Roads. The First Warden had ordered an investigation along Hawke’s Deep Road expedition route, as Hawke went further into the Roads than anyone believed possible and the Wardens are interested in the primeval thaig. The Wardens obtained directions from Bartrand and were prepared to do extensive excavations around the thaig using explosives.

supposition: HoF had some involvement in the above, for example overseeing, organizing and decision-making on a level more local than the First Warden’s initial order

personal headcanon: Hawke’s Warden sibling has been under HoF’s command in recent years

personal headcanon: 9:38 - HoF accompanies Alistair during the events of The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, and Until We Sleep. these events canonically take longer than 3 weeks, probably ~2 months. their travels take them to Antiva City, the Tellari Swamps, Ventus, Seheron and the Fade. HoF is reunited with Sten and Isabela, and meets Maevaris

~9:40, before Cassandra interrogates Varric - HoF departs on their long-ass quest to the west to find a cure for the Calling. Romanced Zevran accompanies them. Their journey takes them far out of the areas where Corypheus is operating, to lands untouched by Blight. Cassandra initially seeks HoF now, but cannot find them, most likely because they’ve left. Romanced Leliana couldn’t go because Justinia called on her for help. Romanced Warden Alistair stays behind to investigate the mounting concerns in the Wardens with corruption in the ranks, Corypheus, Wardens disappearing and the false Calling.

supposition [?]: Awakening Warden companions that we’ve not heard from again - so Velanna, Sigrun and Oghren - accompany HoF on their quest, explaining why they haven’t resurfaced

personal headcanon: in the months prior, HoF began to grow concerned about stirrings of strange behavior in Warden ranks, much like the DAI Warden contact

9:41 - A letter arrives to Weisshaupt from the new Warden-Commander of Vigil’s Keep. Around this time Clarel is noted to have stopped writing to Weisshaupt.

supposition: there is a new Warden-Commander because HoF has now departed on their quest. the new one could be temporary in the interim or a permanent replacement. the new one is possibly whoever HoF promoted to Constable of the Grey / Warden-Constable of Ferelden, as Wardens of this rank are second-in-commands who step in when the Warden-Commander is away. [headcanon note here: if HoF had elevated Alistair to the position, it’s possibly now occupied by someone else given Warden Alistair soon goes into hiding after becoming concerned]

9:41, mid-Inquisition - It proves difficult, but Morrigan, Alistair or Leliana facilitate Inquisition contact with the HoF and an exchange of letters between HoF and the Inquisitor. HoF signs their letter “Warden-Commander”.

supposition: given how they sign the letter, it doesn’t seem that they have officially stepped down from the role yet. alternatively, a Warden can continue to use the title after stepping down, or this is an inconsistency. I think it’s most likely the new Warden-Commander in the Weisshaupt letter above is acting-WC at this time point

~9:44, post-Trespasser - HoF has returned from their quest to find a cure. If they romanced Leliana, they rejoin her. If Leliana is Divine, HoF is often seen at her side. If not, their respective responsibilities often keep them apart, but whenever they can they spend time together at a villa on the Waking Sea.

supposition: HoF didn’t come back until now, as they are not mentioned in the base game epilogue. their quest really took years

supposition: All HoFs return now, because why would only Lelimancers make it back?

supposition: HoF found a cure, given the fairly light tone in the romanced Leliana epilogues. if so, they probably step down from being a Warden, as Fiona was not allowed to remain in the Wardens after being cured

supposition: If HoF romanced Morrigan or Alistair or married Anora, they instead rejoin their respective LI, or LI and child in the case of Morrigan sometimes. Leliana, Morrigan and Warden Alistair as LIs in DAI all express the same sentiment of what amounts to “this time, when we rejoin one another, we intend to stay together”. romanced Zevran here was already with them, having gone on the quest

supposition: At this time point HoF clearly still has some continuing responsibilities of some form. work with the Wardens in an advisory capacity? ongoing service to the Fereldan crown? there’s lots of space and flexibility now for headcanon, for example to include things from the ‘rumors’ and such listed at the end of this post

supposition: It appears Leliana tells romanced HoF of the troubles to come (’for both saw the troubles that were to come’). presumably this is a reference to the Dread Wolf and related threats. I assume she would tell this to any HoF that she was good friends with

personal headcanon: the cure for the Calling is distributed to Anders and Carver. whether it’s distributed to all Wardens or made common knowledge to all Wardens is debatable

personal headcanon: HoF ‘takes care of’ some of befriended Divine Leliana’s enemies. I especially favor this headcanon with romanced Leliana

~9:44, post-Trespasser, probably into 9:45 - ‘The Bard’ reports a sighting of an unspecified Warden-Commander in an auctionhouse in Llomerryn, talking to disguised Divine Victoria. This Warden-Commander’s identity is left unstated, and this story of the Bard’s, or this part of the story, seems like it was made up.

supposition: this was made up and never happened, given the context. I do love the allusion to the apparent contact and scheming between HoF and romanced or befriended Divine Leliana, though

----------

There are also lots of things that the HoF was rumored or can be suggested to do post-game in the DAO and expansion epilogues. If desired, these could easily be woven into headcanons and stories to help fill the periods where there are large timegaps. You could also headcanon in HoF appearing with romanced Zevran and romanced Leliana at various timepoints when they resurface in the narrative, for example.

continue to have unspecified adventures and travels

travel with Sten to Par Vollen

travel with Wynne and Shale

dwarves: return to Orzammar, potentially Paragon duties

Mahariel: return to their clan

Tabris: potentially Bann of the Alienage duties

Cousland: return to Highever, help Fergus rebuild

and so forth