#Me posting about tamlen. Who would have guessed

[sweetmage]

SebastianxBethany -or- CarverxMerrill

Hi! Sorry for the late response! Well, late for me anyway, I guess it's still the same day😅

For Seb/Bethany... I don't actually ship this personally. I would try to answer the questions anyway for fun, but unfortunately I don't know Bethany very well/have never seen them together other than skimming their banters on the wiki so I don't think I can't add much😅No shame to them at all though, I have seen some of their banters and they definitely got some little thang going on!!! As for Merrill/Carver... I like them a lot 😌

when I started shipping it if I did: This was my first DA2 ship. I was sad when Carver left (and even sadder that he became a templar in my playthrough, like come on...), I wanted to see more of him and Merrill!!!!

my thoughts: I think they are very awkward and cute, love how flustered he gets around her. It's also really sweet to see the softer side of him.

What makes me happy about them: Same as above! Also height difference. They're also just very funny, I loved that she thought everything he said was an innuendo when he was being more wholesome than Hawke could ever hope to be when flirting with her. She also doesn't pick on him or antagonize him the way the other characters seem to!

What makes me sad about them: They get separated from each other no matter what (wardens, templars, or death), but I would imagine him becoming a templar in my playthrough kinda puts a huge wedge in things, I don't really see them coming back from that tbh 😅 Though perhaps there is something juicy in the heartbreak/betrayal of it ending in that way. And Warden Carver is a whole other can of worms...

things done in fanfic that annoys me: I have never read a fanfic about them. However, I do not like when any fic infantilizes Merrill or has a non-mage step in to save the day because she "doesn't know what she's doing" or whatever so I would dislike that here too.

things I look for in fanfic: I think I'd only prefer to read fluffy things about them, personally. Especially her worrying over a warden Carver, especially in a canon where one of her clanmates became the HoF so she'd have that personal experience to strengthen her concern for him. Not to mention the general issues with maintaining a relationship while being a warden, etc. I'd love to see them navigate that. I'm sure there's a million fics about that, I just don't read fics often so I'll have to look some other time😅

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I also ship Carver with an unnamed male warden I just mentioned offhand in a fic once and I ship Merrill with Isabela, my m!blood mage Hawke, sometimes with my dalish circle mage/blood mage El'la as a QPP. I also sometimes ship her in an OT3 with Tamlen (who survived) and my dalish warden Savil. I also love her having some sorta deep platonic thing going on with my canon Hawke and Anders post-canon. Same with her and Sebastian being deeply close besties. (Merrill is my favorite DA character so I think about her with everyone, she has such good chemistry with so many people)

My happily ever after for them: I think it might be asking a lot for them to ever have a normal, quiet life but I'd at least like them write to each other frequently and find times to meet whenever they can, even if only just to chat and steal a smooch for a few minutes as he's passing through.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: Carver as the little spoon is funny to me because he is so Large so I am kinda digging it. There is also something cute about the safety and security of being wrapped comfortably in her arms after many months away experiencing The Horrors. Not to mention post-nightmare too. He seems to take the whole Warden thing really well, but I can't imagine it isn't at least somewhat taxing.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Just catching up and sharing funny anecdotes, exchanging gifts perhaps. When they live such different lives that don't allow for much normalcy I could imagine it might be nice just to relax and enjoy each other's company peacefully for a while 💗

[new-austin]

Lazy days 💚

[dalishious]

Dalish Lore FAQ

This post is intended on answering frequently asked questions about the Dalish elves, with a mixture of both canon and my own assumptions and interpretations. (I will make it clear when the latter is the case.)

“How large are Dalish clans?”

This varies from clan to clan. In Dragon Age Inquisition, Hawen’s clan has only 14 members that we ever meet. This seems incredibly, incredibly small to me and I want to consider it an outlier. In The Masked Empire, it is said that there are about 50 members of Clan Virnehn.  This seems a more reasonably average number to me, as it also corresponds with the number of Dalish elves we see in Zathrian’s Clan in Dragon Age Origins, (40 total, with many more having died according to Zathrian). So, I would say a reasonable guess would be around 50 for most, with room for some clans to be much larger or much smaller.

“Do Dalish clans ever take in other elves?”

Absolutely; there are multiple examples of this:

Pol from the Denerim Alienage joined Clan Sabrae (Dragon Age: Origins)

Aneirin from the Circle of Magi escapes and joined Zathrian’s clan (Dragon Age: Origins)

An unnamed elven refugee (as he is labelled) and his family are seen with Zathrian’s clan, commenting “Thank the Maker the Dalish have given us refuge here amongst them” and “the Dalish have been very welcoming. They act like we are all one family. It is so strange to us.” (Dragon Age: Origins)

Feynriel from the Kirkwall Alienage joined Clan Sabrae (Dragon Age: II)

Vaea’s uncle Coran joined Clan Boranehn (Dragon Age: Knight Errant)

“What is the relationship between Dalish elves and city elves?”

I have a whole post about this here: [Link]

“How do the Dalish feel about spirits?”

In Dragon Age Origins, Tamlen says that Hahren Paivel warned him against the dangers of spirits, saying “spirits are jealous of us, and always try to steal our souls.” This is parallel to what is written in The World of Thedas vol. 1: “unlike other spellcasters, Dalish mages do not use any magic involving spirits, as they believe all spirits are dangerous.” However, the Dalish do not view spirits/demons as evil beings. Fellassan says in The Masked Empire, “unlike mages in the Circle, the Dalish do not think of demons as evil, but as wild animals, dangerous if treated carelessly.” Although this sentiment does not mean no Dalish elf ever deals with spirits. Merrill dealt with Audacity to try and repair her eluvian. Clan Virnhen summoned Imshael and tried to bind him. Valorin from the quest Someone to Loose summoned a spirit to try and find Lindiranae’s Talisman. It just means that they see this as a dangerous road to travel.

“How do the Dalish feel about magic?”

I have a whole post about this here: [Link]

“Does the average Dalish elf know the elven language?”

While keeping in mind that the elven language in modern Thedas times has limited fluency for anyone, due to ages of it being outlawed, yes, the average Dalish elf would have at least some knowledge of the elven language; enough to hold a conversation in the least. This is evidenced in The Stolen Throne: Maric and Loghain come across a group of elven hunters who speak Elvhen among themselves. The two humans are even surprised that they speak Common as well. One of the elves explains that among their clan, they try to speak as much of it as possible to keep the language alive.

“You speak the King’s tongue?” Loghain asked. He distinctly ignored the I told you so look that Maric shot his way. “Most of us do, though only those who go out to trade with the outsiders get to use it often.” The elf’s manner was gentle, and his eyes seemed filled with compassion, unlike the expressions of the others around them. “Here in the clan, we try to keep our own tongue alive, just as we do our gods.”

“How old is a Dalish elf when they receive their vallaslin?”

Receiving vallaslin is a mark of adulthood, and there is no specific age this occurs; it is done when the elf is deemed ready by the Keeper who applies it. There is, though, two examples of elves receiving their vallaslin before the age of 20: in The Masked Empire, Briala notes this about Mihris: “She was not yet twenty, and the tattoos on her face were fresh and sharp, a year old at most.” And in Dragon Age Inquisition, the journal found written by Valoren in the quest Someone to Loose says this: “I’m almost seventeen. I have my vallaslin; I’m ready to learn more than simple spells.” This suggests that it is normal for elves to receive their vallaslin in their late teens. There is though, also the case of elves receiving vallaslin later in biological adulthood if for example, they joined the clan later in life. One such example of this would be Coran from Knight Errant. In such a case, I imagine it would all fall back to again, when the Keeper deems the elf ready.

“What is Dalish cuisine like?”

When considering what Dalish elf diets are like, one must consider where they are located, as most clans rely on hunting and foraging, with some trading in some cases. A stationary clan might partake in some farming, but that is not as common as nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. According to The World of Thedas vol. 2’s example Dalish dish, “Deep Forest Comfort”, the Dalish milk their halla for butter and cheese. They use bugs like beetles, wildflowers like borage or chicory, and pine nuts for garnish and flavouring. But I imagine most dishes would be plain in nature, prioritizing preservation, especially in winter months.

“What do the Dalish do with their dead?”

Funeral services are prepared by Hahrens. The Dalish bury their dead with an oak staff and cedar branch to help them stay on the path through the Beyond, and to keep away the ravens known as Fear and Deceit from tricking the passing spirit. Trees are planted above the grave(s)–known as a vallasdahlen (”life trees”). In Dragon Age Origins, Merrill says it is important to return the deceased’s body to the earth if at all possible. The Dalish also have sacred burial sites with multiple graves, like Sundermount in Dragon Age II and Var Bellanaris in Dragon Age Inquisition, where ancestors were buried and where nearby Dalish clans still tend to and bury their dead in. 

-----

SOURCES:

Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: II

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dragon Age: The World of Thedas vol. 1

Dragon Age: The World of Thedas vol. 2

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne

Dragon Age: The Masked Empire

Dragon Age: Knight Errant

Codex entry: Vallaslin: Blood Writing (DA:O)

Codex entry: Falon'Din: Friend of the Dead, the Guide (DA:O)

Codex entry: Vallasdahlen (DA:I)

Dialogue with Pol about running away from the city (DA:O)

Dialogue with Aneirin about Zathrian’s clan (DA:O)

Dialogue with elven refugee about finding safety with Zathrian’s clan (DA:O)

Dialogue with Merrill about finding Tamlen’s body (DA:O)

Dialogue with Paivel about Tamlen’s funeral service (DA:O)

Dialogue with Hawen about Var Bellanaris (DA:I)

[virlath]

Analysing Solas' new mural

One of the first things I noticed about Solas’ new mural is that it echoes a mural he did in DAI. 

A mural that seemingly depicts how to gain access to the Black City....🤔

The composition alone looks like his DAI mural flipped upside down. (this is found in the Shattered Library in Trespasser)

The Black City is now at the bottom, breached by the dread wolf himself. The spheres above the eluvians now corresponds to two elven figures that are flipped upside down, with their hands crossed as if they are in uthenera. 

Cole: He hurts, an old pain from before, when everything sang the same. Cole: You're real, and it means everyone could be real. It changes everything, but it can't. Cole: They sleep, masked in a mirror, hiding, hurting, and to wake them... (Gasps.) Where did it go? Solas: I apologize, Cole. That is not a pain you can heal.

🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔 

If anything this is further evidence to me that Solas’ plan actually does include breaching the Black City himself once the veil is destroyed. 

Why / what is he planning with the black city?

I think Solas wants to restore the world of his time because removing the veil is the only way he can access the black city to destroy it. I’m guessing the main motivation for his current actions is personal responsibility.

He saved the physical world by creating the veil and quarantining the blight, but the blight managed to spread from the fade to Thedas anyway despite his best efforts.

Theoretically, if no physical being ever managed to cross into the fade, Thedas wouldn’t have to contend with the blight. Entering the fade physically was thought impossible...and yet...

The old gods managed to persuade Corypheus to break into the city to claim ‘godhood’, and as a result they brought the blight to the world. There were mortal beings after all, and we know now that red lyrium only affects organic matter. It was also Solas’ act of giving the orb to the Venatori that caused the breach in the first place, enabling the growth of red lyrium in the physical world. 

Solas simply underestimated the tenacity and will of mere mortals, because he didn’t have a true understanding of them before DAI.

So after all this, I can understand why Solas is so resolute in his dinan’shiral. I just wonder what his plans are for dealing with the evanuris. From the concept art it seems like they have plans to escape.

As to what he intends to do within the Black City, I am guessing he wants to destroy the city by means of a “sun”, or titan heart, the thing at the center of many of his murals that emanates light. His orb was likely one such thing he could have used to enter the city, as shown in his mural with the orb/eluvian, but with that gone he likely has to resort to a more brute force approach.

"Pulling back the curtain. Let the light in. Let it burn."

The two elven figures

The elements in the new artwork I am most interested in are the two elven figures on either side of the artwork.

These two figures look super important when accessing the Black City, because they seem to be imprisoned within their own eluvian and not within the Black City itself, almost as if they are gatekeepers. It also makes me wonder if the monster Tamlen saw behind the blighted eluvian in DAO was in fact one of the imprisoned evanuris.

There also definitely seems to be something evil about them. The left figure in particular is depicted in another concept art captioned with ‘...the evil gods...’ in the new concept art book.

But their actual end goals and alignment remains to be seen. Are they really just evil villains hellbent on power and control, or did they actually have a good reason for wanting to disable Mythal and her source of power? 

Personally I would love to hear an opposing viewpoint to Solas and Mythal because I don’t want to believe they are all straight cut-and-dry evil. 

Light vs darkness

At the center of the black city seems to be a “sun”, symbolised by a circle with sunrays. This element is echoed in the newest trailer, behind the logos.

It is an interesting detail because not only does it echo the chantry logo and chant of light, the theme of light vs. darkness looks like it will culminate in DA4.

It is said Elgar’nan threw down his father, the sun, into the abyss. Lusacan, the dragon of night, has yet to rise. And Drakon’s prophecy foretells the return of the Maker where light overcomes darkness.

And those who slept, the ancient ones, awoke, For their dreams had been devoured By a demon that prowled the Fade As a wolf hunts a herd of deer. Taking first the weakest and frailest of hopes, And when there was nothing left, Destroying the bright and bold By subtlety and ambush and cruel arts.

I feel like this describes a lot of Solas’ own modus operandi and it’s kinda creepy how this aligns with the evanuris’ propaganda on him in Trespasser.

Beware the forms of Fen'Harel! The Dread Wolf comes in humble guises, a wanderer who knows much of the People and their spirits. He will offer advice that seems fair, but turns slowly to poison.

This is why I wonder a lot about the treachery of the wolf, and how it could be so accurate in describing the events of the Inquisition. Like, has he pulled his Solas act on the evanuris in the past???? And in what manner?

Drakon’s prophecy also describes the return of the ‘Maker’. I seriously doubt Bioware will go anywhere near defining who or what the Maker actually is, but revealing the light trapped within the Black City seems to be important in overcoming the darkness.

In dread I looked up once more And saw the darkness warp and crumble, For it was thin as samite, A fragile shroud over the Light Which turned it to ash.

Remember in DAI, the creepy chantry lady following us around in the Hissing Wastes?

In the absence of light, shadows thrive.

I’ve long thought Arlathan was built around the heart of a titan. Perhaps by using Arlathan as a quarantine zone for the blight, Solas inadvertently allowed red lyrium to thrive by sundering the titan into two, trapping light in darkness. 

By releasing the light and restoring equilibrium of both light and darkness within the titan, perhaps the titan (and its children, the dwarves) will be free to repair some of the damage the blight did to the world. 

The Stone has a will that surrounds and directs; she guides even when we are willfully blind to her influence. But she is not pure. The Stone bears a corruption as old as balance.

Anyway these are just some thoughts I’ve had about the artwork now I’ve had a proper chance to look at it. I have a lot more things I could write about but I’ll save all that drabble for separate posts.

I mean, I just have so many questions. Who are those elven figures? Is Minrathous built on top of Arlathan? Is the archon up to something dodgy? What are those wavy lines? Are the executors associated with Ghilan’nain? Ahh I have so many ideas. 😂

[felassan]

the stuff we learned in trespasser and in tevinter nights really makes the elven cave found in the dalish elf origin make a lot more sense. especially the strange statue that reads "A strange statue commemorating the emergence of--and short-lived trading with--dwarves who dug too high and too frugal and struck elves".

Hi Nonnie! This answer is cut for length.

Ahh, the first Brecilian Forest ruins.. in a way it’s kind of where it all began. Who knew that the Dalish Origin, which arguably of the 6 seemed the most unrelated/disconnected from the main narrative of DAO, would not only come to have the ‘default’ BioWare Warden and its clan prominently featured in DA2, but turn out in the end to be so plot relevant? It’s the staging ground for everything to do with eluvians and the Taint that would come later in the series and play a key role, and it’s there that we get the first esoteric hints about these aspects of the Thedosian past and of the major overarching plot that they’ve been building towards since before DAO was launched.

[What Tamlen Saw]

Tamlen perceives the ruins to be human architecture, and notes the presence of a statue of the People (the one he and Mahariel look at in a cutscene is of Falon’Din, and Marethari later wonders if the ruins were a temple to an old god), and a stone with carvings on it which he suspects are written elvish. “Can these ruins date back to the time of Arlathan? We must have lived in other places, too. Even if elves didn’t live here, its architects knew of our gods.” “This looks like a very old human place. Why would they build this? And why would elven artifacts be here? Maybe some of our ancestors lived here, in caves, like the dwarves. Maybe whoever lived here still wrote and spoke elven.” “I'd never have guessed ancient elves might have lived here - with humans!” When Merrill arrives she also feels that the ruins are of human origin, yet with elven artifacts scattered throughout. The in-game map for the area labels it “Elven Ruins”, and game item category-wise the ruins contain Tevinter-type treasure. Duncan later says the eluvian is Tevinter in origin and used for communication, and of course we know he’s mistaken in his knowledge here, both in terms of origin and use. Were Tamlen and Merrill also incorrect in their assessment of the architecture as human?

Then as you say, if you explore a little, the Strange Statue reads “A strange statue commemorating the emergence of--and short-lived trading with--dwarves who dug too high and too frugal and struck elves". The statue visually looks dwarven to me, short and broad and blocky and with the suggestion of helmet-like lines looking like a stylized and simplified version of the head and shoulders of one of the iconic repeating dwarf statue assets. The statue’s legend itself is a meta allusion to the Dug Too Deep trope. It’s a humorous reference to and reversal of one of the archetypal instances of this trope, which is the dwarves of Lord of the Rings: “Moria. You fear to go into those mines. The Dwarves dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm... shadow and flame.” (The Balrog)

[The Balrog Theory: old post from before I named it, more recent posts one and two]

So we have “Elven Ruins”, containing elven artifacts and writing and statues, but which are read by two characters as having human architecture, and which have Tevinter items and assets, and which also contain a dwarven statue commemorating a trading relationship with the elves who lived there. Apparent evidence of three different races.. what are we to make of all that? The mystery continues in the main game with the Brecilian Ruins. Given the location in the same forest and the visual resemblance to the Origin ruins, I think it’s safe to assume they’re of a kind. These other ruins contain Elven Tombs and the imprisoned soul of an Arcane Warrior who remembers them as a place “where the Eldest [elves] come to slumber and [were] visited by those who offer tribute to the gods on their behalf”. Yet our companions notice both elven and Tevinter elements: "The ruins certainly look Tevinter, but are filled with elven trappings. How very odd,” “Is this an elven place? Did the elves live underground just like the dwarves?", “It seems that elves once lived with the Tevinter humans? Or the Tevinter built this place for them? I never heard of such thing”, "I wonder what this ruin used to be. Is it Tevinter, or elven?". The trapped soul recalls that it was humans who built this place, and that both humans and elves were there. 

The ruins stuff, despite the dwarf reference or perhaps except for it, leans away from elves and dwarves and towards elves and humans. (Saying that, we don’t have all the pieces yet, especially considering what the trapped soul remembers, which isn’t clear but is some kind of ancient war: “Something else, something that killed both the humans and elves that were here. You see images of a great battle, elves and humans both screaming and attempting to flee from some terrible presence. What that presence was is blurry and lost to time.” What was that? Other humans? The First Blight? But at the time of the First Blight elves were slaves in Tevinter, not people who they cohabited with and apparently built elaborate Burial Chambers for, for their elders? Unless it’s one of those Tevinter-built-on-Arlathan-bones situations, and the trapped soul is remembering humans who lived there who had elven slaves among them. But if they were slaves, would they even permit one of them to become an Arcane Warrior? Do you guys’ heads hurt or is it just me?)

The elves and dwarves stuff is another, different strand. I conceptualize this stuff like:

interactions between ancient elves and humans/Tevinter long ago

interactions between Mythal/the Evanuris/ancient elves and dwarves/the Titans long ago

In TN we find a Ghilan’nain lab-pool beneath a dwarven thaig. The Wardens in that story descend into areas of dwarven make then come across the ancient elven bas-reliefs and iconography and everything in deeper areas that are exclusively elven. The narrative mentions that Grey Wardens have previously found a mix of elven architecture deep down in the Roads. In Trespasser and Descent are the flags for what Mythal/Evanuris/ancient elves might have once done to the dwarves/Titans.

The Torn Notebooks in the Deep Roads are telling -

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?

These statues are older than anything I saw in my days with the clan. The area's dwarven, though. What were the ancient elves doing down here? Mining? Where were the dwarves? Easier to have them mine it. Not a trading post. You don't go into a friend's home, knock over their gods, and put up your own.

War? I don't remember any legends about our people fighting the dwarves. Though I remember my Keeper telling a story about how the dwarves fear the sun because of Elgar'nan's fire. A metaphor for the elves of Arlathan driving the dwarves underground?

Written beside each elven line is a corresponding phrase, likely a translation:

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

Hahren said we had lost some of the old words. What if they have changed? Durgen'lin from durgen'len? Little dwarves, never yours the sun? What did Mythal do here?

What did Mythal do here indeed.. Well, something caused the Titans to fall, and the fate of the dwarves with them. The Evanuris/ancient elves hunted the Titans, and saw the dwarves as “witless” and “soulless”. Their mining of the Titans’ bodies for their blood and hearts (powerful resources) is covered in the prior Balrog links. Eventually Mythal was hailed as an adjudicator and savior for striking down the Titans and giving their ‘land’ to the People. Suspect this is what sundered the dwarves’ original connection to their Titan parents. Generations later the dwarves of Kal-Repartha still feared the urtok (dragon) and had folktales of a dragon scourge that they were still worried about even then.

Skipping back to the dwarven trading relationship with that group of elves, it wouldn’t be the first time dwarves and elves struck up an amicable relationship in times past. After the destruction of Arlathan, some elves who fled formed an alliance with dwarves of the ancient settlement Cad'halash, and they took refuge and hid there to escape the Imperium, ostensibly. “The Lights of Arlathan will illuminate the scryer’s path. The Archons possessed them, but they were misused, befouled and lost, like so much the Imperium touched. Some were saved, carried by fugitives from the elven city. Their sorrow awoke the Stone and her children sheltered them. They found a sanctuary in the deep halls of Cad’halash, now known as Cadash.” It’s revealed that Kal-Sharok destroyed Cad’halash after discovering they were hiding elves there, in order to cover that up so it wouldn’t risk their alliance with the Imperium.

Not sure how to tl;dr this ramble. Maybe, I don’t know if the Elven Ruins and the Brecilian Ruins themselves are connected to the ancient elf-dwarf conflict, they seem primarily elf-human in makeup. There’s definitely a Lord of the Rings Easter egg. But definitely oh man, yeah, what we can infer about those Mythal/Evanuris/ancient elf interactions with the dwarves from Descent, Trespasser, and Tevinter Nights is.. arresting, to say the least (Titans/dwarf stuff on this front for DA4 pls 🙏). Maybe, assuming it’s even temporally relevant, the trading dwarves’ relationship with the elves they met there was short-lived and the statue legend is phrased in such a way (as to imply that them meeting the elves was a bad thing that they would have been better without) because of what would eventually happen between elves and dwarves? That legend (and potentially the Evanuris statues in the Elven Ruins) remind me a lot of “Not a trading post. You don't go into a friend's home, knock over their gods, and put up your own.”

Was the “terrible presence” killing humans and elves in that place that the Arcane Warrior’s soul remembered, an angry Titan?

[pikapeppa]

Felassan/Lavellan modern AU: Habit

Chapter 3 of Inadvisable (professor Solas AU) is posted!

In which Tamaris gets pulled into an odd conversation with a strange man named Felassan, then pulls him back into something that involves considerably less talking. 👀

Drop-dead gorgeous art by @elbenherzart​!!

~3400 words; read on AO3 instead.

- TAMARIS -

Tamaris should’ve stayed home. 

She propped one elbow on the cocktail table and idly looked around. The campus bar was full to bursting with faculty and grad students. Many of the grad students looked younger than her, and all of them were bright and shiny and enthusiastic about starting their grad careers.

Good for them, she thought flatly. She took a sip of her whiskey and raised an eyebrow at Athera. “You’re drinking that cider awfully slowly, considering the day you had.”

Athera sighed. “I wish I could get buzzed, believe me. But the last thing I want to do is show up at work hungover tomorrow and have Abelas — sorry, professor Abelas — thinking I’m a drunk as well as an incompetent baby.”

Tamaris curled her lip. “I still can’t believe he insisted on you calling him ‘professor’. What a dick.”

“Shh,” Athera hissed. She elbowed Tamaris. “Keep your voice down! He might be here. Or one of the other faculty will hear you.”

“I don’t give a shit who hears me,” Tamaris said.

“Okay, then you can find me another research coordinator job at this university,” Athera said brightly. “Make sure it’s a history or social studies lab, though. I’m a little rusty in my organic chem. I wouldn’t want to go blowing up a building by accident or something.”

Tamaris rolled her eyes. “All right, all right, I get it.” She sipped her drink again, then glanced at Nare, whose big blue eyes were scanning the room as though she was looking for someone. She was also already nursing her second cocktail of the night, which was unusual for her.

Tamaris nudged her. “What’s up with you?”

Nare glanced at her. “Hm? What do you mean?”

“You’ve been weird all afternoon since you got home from the museum,” Tamaris said. “Did you have an artistic epiphany or something while you were there?”

Nare smiled distractedly, but her eyes were still shifting around the room. “Uh… um, no. It was a good exhibit. You should go.”

“I will,” Tamaris said. “But seriously, you’re being cagey as fuck.”

Athera snorted a laugh, and Nare finally turned to face them fully. “I’m not being cagey!”

“You are too. You look like you’re being hunted,” Tamaris said matter-of-factly. “Or like you’re hunting for someone. I can’t decide.”

Athera pulled a little face. “You are acting kind of weird, lethallan. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Nare said brightly. “Just excited! First day jitters, you know. Almost first day, I mean.”

“Uh-huh,” Tamaris said. She eyed Nare skeptically, then tilted her head. “I like your dress.”

Nare smiled and smoothed a hand over the short flowy skirt of her cranberry-red dress. “Thanks! It’s my favourite.”

Athera brushed a bit of lint from Nare’s shoulder. “Isn’t this the one you usually wear on first dates?”

“You’re right, it is,” Tamaris said. She raised her eyebrows at Nare. “Why are you wearing your sexy first-date dress?”

Nare scoffed. “You guys are such stalkers. It’s not a first-date dress, it’s a confidence dress.”

Athera shrugged affably. “Red is the colour of confidence.”

“Exactly,” Nare said. She took another sip from her drink — more of a gulp, really — then looked at Athera. “So you didn’t meet Solas today at the lab, then?”

“No, but Merrill said he should be here tonight,” Athera said. “That would be nice if you met him tonight, hey? Get it out of the way so it’s not so nerve-wracking tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Nare said, and she drained the last of her drink. 

Tamaris narrowed her eyes at Nare, but before she could pick on her some more, Athera straightened up and tapped Nare’s arm. “Oh, speaking of Merrill, she’s over there with Dagna and Tamlen! Come on, you should meet them. I’ll introduce you guys.” She looped her arm through Tamaris’s elbow, but Tamaris balked.

“You go ahead,” she said. “I’ll wait here.”

Athera’s face fell. “Why? You should come meet them! We’re probably going to end up spending a lot of time hanging out with them.”

Tamaris shook her head and extracted her arm from Athera’s grip. “It’s all right. You guys go have your ancient Elvhen lab chat. I’ll be here.”

“Seriously, Tam, are you okay?” Nare asked.

Her expression was apologetic, and Tamaris frowned. Nare and Athera both knew she hated making small talk with strangers. “I’m fine,” she said testily. “Why are you asking?”

Nare pulled a little face. “I don’t know. I just… now I feel kind of bad dragging you here.”

Tamaris gave her a chiding look. “Don’t feel bad. It’s fine. You meant well.” She rolled her eyes. “Getting the fuck out of the house is apparently good for people sometimes.”

Nare smirked, then squeezed her arm. “All right, we won’t be gone long.”

Tamaris nodded and watched as Athera and Nare slipped away into the crowd. She sighed and finished her whiskey, then leaned her elbows on the table and watched the new students chattering with each other and making nervous attempts to talk to the faculty members.

“Well, you look out of place.”

Tamaris rolled her eyes at the strange male voice. Some men just couldn’t get the hint to fuck off even if it was practically stamped across the back of her leather jacket. 

She glanced dismissively at the man who’d spoken to her, then paused in surprise. He was a tall lean elf with unusual violet eyes and a cocky little smirk. But it was his hair that really surprised her. His midnight-black hair was long and lustrous, probably longer than Tamaris’s if it was loose, but it was pulled into a neat bun at his nape, with two understated braids that coursed from his temples back into the bun: a style that was both classic and foreign.

“Like you should talk,” she said. “You’re from Arlathan, aren’t you?”

The stranger smiled. “What gave me away? The accent? The sense of superiority?”

Tamaris smirked despite herself. “Definitely the accent. The superiority hasn’t reared its head yet.”

He chuckled and stepped a little closer to her. “Yet, you say? I’ll keep that in mind and try to hide it for as long as possible.”

She huffed. “Don’t bother. If you’re an asshole, might as well just admit it up front.”

“But then you would stop talking to me,” he said.

“Yeah, I would,” she said bluntly. “It would save us both a lot of time.”

His smile widened, and he held out his hand. “Felassan.”

She hesitated for a second, then shook his hand. “Tamaris.”

“Tamaris,” he said slowly. He released her hand. “That’s a classic Elvhen name. Do you know what it means?”

Oh boy, she thought ruefully. “Let me guess: you’re going to tell me,” she drawled.

“I could, if you like,” he said.

She eyed him skeptically, then turned to face him and folded her arms. “Go on, then. Tell me.”

He leaned casually against the cocktail table and folded his arms as well. “‘Tamaris’ means ‘my forever second’. The meaning is not unlike ‘best friend forever’ or ‘partner forever’.”

Tamaris barked out a rough little laugh. “What a line. How lucky for you that it doesn’t mean something unflattering like ‘thorny weed’.”

“It is lucky, isn’t it?” Felassan said pleasantly. “But then again, one man’s weed is another man’s favourite flower.”

She stared at him incredulously. That was smooth as hell. How had he come up with that response so fast? “I’m sorry, who the fuck are you?” she asked. “Are you a student?”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Do I look like a student?”

“No, actually,” Tamaris said. “You’re dressed like shit compared to everyone else here.” To be fair, Felassan wasn’t badly dressed; his black jeans and Converse sneakers were well-fitted and clean, and his Veilfire t-shirt was also a flattering fit that showcased his lean but muscled chest. All the same, he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt when every other man in the room was wearing blazers or collared shirts.

He snickered. “I could say the same about you. I don’t see any other women here in combat boots.”

“Well, I’m not a student,” Tamaris said.

“Neither am I,” Felassan said. “Not anymore.”

“Oh,” Tamaris said. “Congratulations.”

He tilted his head. “Why do you say that?” 

“I…” She trailed off, feeling a little nonplussed. “I assumed you finished your degree.”

“What degree do you assume that I finished?”

“Uh… fuck, I don’t know.” She stared at him with growing bemusement. “Did you finish a degree?”

“I did, in fact,” he said. “I finished my PhD two years ago.”

“Oh,” she said again. Then she frowned at him. “Then why the fuck were you giving me such a hard time about saying congratulations?”

He smirked. “For the pleasure of seeing the confusion paint your pretty face.”

She stared at him for a second longer, then scoffed. “Fuck’s sake. You’re a real menace, you know that?”

“Thank you,” he said cheerfully. “I try my hardest.”

She huffed in amusement and reached for her whiskey glass, then realized it was empty. Felassan nodded his chin at her glass. “Would you care for another?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you talking to me?”

“Should I not be talking to you?” he asked.

She shrugged. Now that he was talking to her, she didn’t really mind, but it didn’t explain what had brought him over in the first place. “I don’t exactly look inviting,” she said.

“That’s true,” he agreed.

“So what then?” she demanded. “Why did you bother me?”

“Because I like the look of your face,” he said.

She raised her eyebrows. “My face? You mean my resting bitch face that you totally ignored?”

He smiled, but his tone was serious. “I mean that you weren’t smiling. Yours was the only face in this crowd that wasn’t smiling.”

She shot him a look of rebuke. “So what, you came over here to make me smile? Did you think smiling would make me more pretty?” 

“You mistake my meaning,” he said. “You were not smiling, but you looked as if you were seeking a reason to smile.”

Something in her belly twisted uncomfortably. She huffed and looked away from him. “Aren’t you a fancy fucking fortune-teller.”

“Not at all,” he said. “Just someone who recognizes the feeling.”

She glanced at him once more. For the first time since he’d come over to her, his expression was completely serious. 

She dropped his gaze again and shrugged. “All right. I could use another drink.” 

A small smile lifted his lips, and he gallantly ushered her to the bar. A minute later, he handed her a glass of whiskey before lifting his own. 

“Enansal’in,” he said. “Or ‘cheers’, as you would probably say.”

“Cheers,” she said. She tapped her glass to his, then eyed him as she sipped her drink. He was undeniably smooth, which instantly made her suspicious. He’d also obviously been watching her, since he knew exactly what she’d been drinking. 

Some women might find it charming. Tamaris found it creepy. On the other hand, he was hot and clever, and she hadn’t had sex since she and the girls had moved to Orlais a few months ago. And if Felassan wasn’t a student anymore, she probably wouldn’t get stuck running into him through Nare or Athera. 

She gulped down the rest of her drink, then placed her glass on the bar. “Do you smoke deep mushroom?”

He grinned. “Deep mushroom isn’t legal in Orlais.”

“I don’t give a fuck what’s illegal in Orlais,” she retorted.

Felassan chuckled. “You really are my kind of woman.”

She scoffed. “Come on, then,” she said. She pushed away from the bar and headed for the door, and a minute later, they were standing against the wall in the empty alley beside the campus bar. 

Tamaris pulled a joint of elfroot and deep mushroom from her purse and deftly lit it, then offered it to Felassan. He took it with a smile and brought the joint to his lips, then took a deep drag and released the smoke in a series of perfect rings. 

“Show-off,” Tamaris accused. 

He treated her to another handsome grin, then handed her the joint. “Where do you hail from, then, if you smoke deep mushroom with such impunity?”

“Kirkwall, most recently,” Tamaris replied.

He nodded. “Ah, Kirkwall. I’ve heard tales. Is it true that it’s possible to get anything there if you know the right people?”

Tamaris huffed in amusement. “Pretty much, yeah.” She took another drag of deep mushroom and handed him the joint, then eyed him thoughtfully as he smoked it. “You’ve never been there, then?”

He shook his head and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Orlais is the only place I’ve been since leaving Arlathan.”

Tamaris nodded slowly. “Orlais is… honestly, there are better places to visit. You should travel more.”

“Are you well-travelled?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t say that, really, but I’ve visited a few places,” she said. “Rivain, Antiva, a few of the Free Marcher states…”

Felassan raised his eyebrows. “That sounds well-travelled to me. You have been many places more than I.” He held out the joint.

Tamaris took the joint and brought it to her lips. “Our reservation is just east of Starkhaven, so it’s pretty well-situated for making trips along the east coast.”

“Reservation?” Felassan said. “You’re Dalish, then?”

Tamaris frowned. She hadn’t meant to tell him that. She didn’t usually like getting into the ‘are you actually Dalish’ conversation with strangers.

Serves me right for smoking deep mushroom with a stranger, she thought ruefully. She took another deep drag, then held out the joint to him. “Yeah. I’m really Dalish. This vallaslin isn’t just a ‘cute aesthetic’.”

Felassan nodded thoughtfully. “That tattoo means something to you.”

“Of course it does,” she said. Then she gave him an appraising look. “I’m kind of surprised you don’t have vallaslin.”

He smiled slowly before exhaling a mouthful of smoke. “Why is that?” he asked.

“Vallaslin is an ancient Elvhen tradition,” she said. “I thought you Arlathani elves knew those traditions better than we do.”

He laughed softly and handed her the joint. “I would no more compare Dalish and Arlathani traditions than I would compare a dragon and a lizard.”

Tamaris narrowed her eyes. “And who’s the lizard in this scenario? Us or you?”

“Either,” Felassan said. “Take your pick. The dragon and the lizard are so far removed as to defy comparison.”

Tamaris lifted her chin. “You’re telling me you don’t think the dragon is more powerful than the lizard?”

He gazed at her in silence for a moment before replying. “I’m saying there might be a reason I am still in Orlais even though I finished my degree two years ago.”

Tamaris studied him wordlessly. His lips were curled at the corners with humour, but there was something about his eyes on her face that felt… piercing, somehow. Like he was seeing more on her face than just her vallaslin.

She looked away from him and took one last deep drag from the joint, then dropped the butt on the ground. She blew out the smoke in a long exhale, then turned back to Felassan.

She stepped very close to him and curled her fingers in the fabric of his t-shirt, and a wicked smile lit his face. “Is there something I can help you with?” he said.

His voice was laced with mischief and a hint of heat, and a little seed of lust bloomed deep in her belly. “Yes,” she said, and she kissed him.

His lips parted beneath hers, and Tamaris dipped her tongue into his smoke-perfumed mouth. His hands rose to cradle her neck before sliding into her hair, and Tamaris savoured the warmth of his palms on her scalp.

Felassan’s tongue slid smoothly around her own, a slow heated caress inside of her mouth, and Tamaris was surprised to feel her shoulders relaxing at the slow and soothing movement of his mouth over hers. Then his fingers tightened in her hair, and he gently tugged her head back. 

She gasped as a rush of lust fanned through her body. A second later, she was pressed against the cool alley wall with Felassan’s hands in her hair and his mouth at her throat. 

She gasped again and clenched her fingers in his shirt. His teeth and lips were trailing slowly along the tendon in her neck with a torturous sort of delicacy, and the frantic pulse between her legs was a total mismatch with how slowly and carefully he was kissing her neck. 

He lapped gently at her neck, and she dragged in a breath. “F-fuck,” she whimpered. 

He dropped another tantalizing kiss on her throat, then leaned away slightly and stroked her neck with his palms. “Tamaris, I thought you should know. I… don’t make a habit of this.”

“A habit of what?” she panted.

“Kissing strangers in alleyways outside of bars,” he murmured.

She scoffed. “Uh-huh.”

He quirked one eyebrow. “You don’t believe me?”

“With how smooth you are?” she said archly. “Of course I don’t fucking believe you.” Not that it mattered whether this was a habit of his or not; she was primed and ready for him, and she didn’t care if she never heard from him again after this, not if he was able to fuck her as well as he kissed.

He smiled slowly and stepped even closer to her — close enough that the hard ridge of his groin was pressing against her belly. Her eyelids fluttered at the feel of his hardness, and he chuckled softly. “I can understand your suspicion,” he murmured. “Words are cheap and easy, aren’t they?” 

She nodded distractedly, and Felassan tilted her chin up with one hand. “This is a conundrum, then. How to convince you that I’m not the playboy that you take me for?”

“I don’t care if you’re a playboy,” she panted. 

He brushed his lips over hers. “I do,” he whispered. He kissed her softly, then coaxed her lips apart with little careful laps of his tongue before sealing his lips over hers. 

Tamaris whimpered, but the sound was muffled by his tongue sliding smoothly along the length of hers. He was so gorgeous, and his kisses were so careful and delicious, and when was the last time anyone had kissed her like this? That anyone had taken the time to really kiss her, like the kissing in itself was an act worth enjoying in its own right rather than the necessary prelude to something more? 

Not that she didn’t want more – gods, did she ever want more. And her apartment was just a fifteen-minute walk down the street… 

She gripped Felassan’s hips and pressed herself firmly against his front. He broke their kiss and groaned: a gorgeous, bone-melting sound that trickled down her spine and lit a fresh pulse of desire through her core. 

Then he released her and stepped away. 

She stared breathlessly at him. His cock was a visible ridge in his pants, and he was smiling broadly.

“Goodnight, Tamaris,” he said. “It was a pleasure to meet you.” He bowed his head politely, then turned and walked away. 

Tamaris watched in disbelief as he turned the corner and disappeared. By the time she was able to move her lust-paralyzed limbs and step out of the alley back onto the street, he was gone. 

Un-fucking-believable, she thought. She stood on the sidewalk for a second, torn about what to do next. Should she go home and get herself off, or should she go back into the campus bar and get rip-roaring drunk by herself? She honestly couldn’t decide which option was more tempting or pathetic. 

She sighed heavily, then pulled her phone out of her purse to find a number of texts from Athera.

-Athera 22:37- Where are you? Did you go home?

-Athera 22:37- Nare abandoned me to talk to someone else lol  

-Athera 22:45- Taaaaaaaam don’t ghost me ilu ToT

-Athera 22:48- Seriously though I should probably get going soon, early work tmr ugh. Are you guys gonna come home with me? Hot choccy when we get home? I’ll make it :3

That was about ten minutes ago. Tamaris sighed and shoved back her hair, then tapped out a reply. 

-Tamaris 22:58- Just outside for some air. Coming back in

She dropped her phone back in her purse, then realized something: neither she nor Felassan had thought to get each other’s phone numbers. 

She froze for a second, then laughed bitterly to herself. Of course she hadn’t gotten his phone number. And of course she hadn’t gotten any sex. That was just her luck. 

“Fuck’s sake,” she muttered, then shoved open the door to the campus bar and went back inside. 

[bisexualryder]

Okay dude i’ll bite, can i know more about your trio wardens au ? Like how did they meet ? Who did they romance ? What happens to them after dao ? In da2 ? Dai ? (Sorry im just a huge fan of ocs and i love the wardens)

Ahhh, first off - thank you for asking! I’m happy to gush about my trio of idiots wardens :D Secondly - don’t apologize for asking! I love talking about my OCs, I’m just bad about keeping up with posting and such lately (but hope to fix that soon, especially if I make this extra sideblog). ANYWHO, gonna jump in and apologize now if this gets long, lol.

—

SO I’ll hit romance first since that’s quicker and easier. Rylee and Ise (eventually) become a thing - they’re married by the time DAI rolls around. Typical grumpy asshole falls in love with ray of sunshine and doesn’t want to admit it at first. She tries to play it cool and ends up playing it too cool until she gets some help from the couple companions she befriends (mostly Zev, since Sten doesn’t care that much, but he offers his insight on what qunari do). But they don’t actually, like, really become a romance-y thing until after ghoul!Tamlen shows up and oof that one is painful.

Eleri I… don’t know yet, to be honest. She was a re-imagining of my old Cousland, who romanced Alistair, but with Eleri I’m actually leaning a bit more toward Zevran. But uh, still not sure yet, I’m mad indecisive on this one. tbh even Nate is in the running for her *shrug emoji*

On to the rest!

DA:O

They don’t all join the standard way, I guess, but they do all meet at Ostagar. Ducan officially recruits Rylee and Isethari, Eleri recruits herself, lol.

Rylee is recruited first. Standard Tabris origin there and it’s on the way to Ostagar that they plan to stop and see the Dalish elves and that’s when they find Isethari half-dead in the middle of the woods (it was sheer luck, really). Duncan sends Rylee, carrying the nearly-dead Ise, to the camp and goes to investigate the area. Other than Rylee wandering around the Dalish camp like an awestruck idiot, most of the Mahariel origin is the same. Rylee stays behind in the camp, though, when Ise and co. are sent back to the ruin where they run into Duncan. Once they leave, Rylee earns herself the duty of ensuring that Isethari doesn’t run on their trip to Ostagar, bc let me tell you Ise is not happy about leaving without finding Tamlen.

Now for Eleri, she escapes the castle with only her mabari after her parents sacrifice themselves to buy her time to get out. She manages to make it to the stables for her horse and rides as hard as she can to Ostagar, desperate to find her brother. When she basically gets told that he’s out scouting and she likely won’t see him before the battle, she asks about the wardens and is pointed toward Duncan. At that point, she goes up to him like: “I just slaughtered my way through an army of men trying to assassinate my family. I have nothing left but this dream, please.” He asks clarification, she provides, he eventually agrees and sends her off to gather the other recruits and report back with Alistair. It’s at that point she meets Rylee and Isethari, who are hanging around close together by the quartermaster (after Rylee nearly kills Daveth for hitting on that one woman, you know the one). 

From there up until the start of the fight, it progresses as it normally would in canon. They all get their quest, go out into the wilds, etc. etc. And once they survive the Joining, they have a pre-meeting meeting thing. Alistair and Eleri join the meeting as per canon, and Duncan assigns Rylee and Ise to the remaining warden forces. So from there, canon-typical for Eleri. Go to the tower, light the beacon, get almost killed and then saved by Flemeth, etc.

Rylee and Ise, however, have a much more trying experience. Rylee takes a genlock to the face (claws? blade? idk lmao) for Ise to protect her - this being around the time they can see the battle is going south. Duncan’s already been killed at this point and Ise starts to panic (she hates fighting as it is) and manages to half convince, half drag Rylee from the fighting and they flee the battle to the nearest town (naturally, Lothering). They end up meeting up with Eleri and Alistair (and Morrigan) again and explain what happened from their perspective and then work with Eleri and Alistair to come up with a plan of action.

Eleri takes up the role of warden-commander (since Alistair and Ise don’t want to lead and everyone knows Rylee leading is a Very Bad Idea™).

Uhhh, key highlights of what they do I guess would be:

Sided with the Mages

Irving saved, Uldred dead etc etc

Put Bhelen in power

Branka’s killed

sent Dagna off to study ofc

Sided with the Dalish against the werewolves

two elves with one being Dalish and the other violently racist made it a simple choice for Eleri to lessen a headache later (she had way too much else to worry about than argue with them)

Helped Redcliffe and saved Conner

demon killed w/Jowan’s help (he does the ritual and Morrigan is sent in to yeet the demon out)

Isolde’s alive

side note: didn’t poison the Urn

Anora rules w/ Alistair

Loghain alive & recruited as a warden (recruited post-final fight)

Alistair still performs the ritual with Morrigan

Awakening

Not too much of note here. Rylee is the one that finds Nathaniel, though, and it does not go well for him. It’s only Ise that stays Rylee’s hand from killing him. When they bring him to Eleri, she immediately recruits him when she realizes it’s her old friend. He’s still pretty ticked, but softens about the whole thing a bit when he realizes Eleri is around.

With more wardens, they’re able to more easily protect the Keep and Amaranthine. And the Architect does live (much to Rylee’s great annoyance).

DA2 & DAI

Sometime in here is when Rylee and Ise get married. They have two ceremonies - one in the Denerim alienage to honor Rylee’s culture and then again when they find Ise’s clan outside Kirkwall.

Hawke and co. do run into Ise and Rylee in the Deep Roads during the expedition (as they are canon with Ashley Hawke, there’s not a twin to save). BUT the two of them help Ash and crew gtfo and back safely to Kirkwall. Turns out they saw Bodahn on their way into the Deep Roads to investigate and got a tip to keep an eye out for some lost members of the expedition (the whole leaving suddenly without them thing didn’t sit right with him).

Later on, in that mission where you run into Nate? Eleri’s with him, though doesn’t actually advertise herself as the warden-commander while chatting with Ash. Ash isn’t dumb, though, (not always, at least) and gets a feeling Eleri might be kinda more in charge than she was told. So when wardens start disappearing, she takes a chance and makes contact. It ultimately pays off when Eleri sends Rylee and Ise to help the Inquisition.

During the events of Here Lies the Abyss in Inquisition, it’s Rylee that stays behind to buy everyone time to escape. And, much like when Ise was taken from her clan, she has to be dragged out - this time by the Inquisitor herself (Olivia, for the record) - kicking, screaming, and utterly sobbing that they’re leaving her wife behind.

BUT because fuck canon, Rylee survives and kinda wanders around the raw Fade until she finds another open rift. This ends up dumping her into the ass end of Orlais somewhere and it takes her a while to make her way back to Skyhold, but dammit! She and Ise do get a happy ending. It does take a while though, it really does. And for that duration, Ise doesn’t leave Skyhold for anything after they get her back there. Resigned, more than anything, she usually perches on an empty wall away from the hustle and bustle of the main areas near the stables. She also doesn’t eat much, only what small bits that Cole brings her.

As for Eleri, she - along with Nate, Velanna, and Sigrun - are searching for the cure. And I really haven’t thought much beyond that.

MAN this got long, I hope you don’t mind! I had a lot of fun thinking about this and gushing a bit about my girls and what they do :D So thank you, again, for asking! One day, I think I plan to write something detailing their journey from start to finish in DAO and maybe beyond, but it’d probably be a series of drabbles? I struggle with long fics and flowing from one chapter to the next, but maybe.

[theconfusedartist]

DRAGON AGE

Alright, so I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a while, now that I’ve gotten back into dragon age origins and since I’m about to start doing a shit ton of fanart and fic simply bc I’m getting back in the swing of it, I figure I might as well start actually making a post about them, rather then just making a one-off post and talking about them without out any context lol.

Ok so, in this AU that I’m working on, Duncan realized that, hey, maybe only one recruit for like the end of the world in his order of grey wardens, is not the best idea, and then goes on to recruit all of the characters from the origins.

So, he swings by Orzammar first, getting Brosca and Aeducan. In this au, the name of my Brosca is Tsoyo and the Aeducan is Sariah. I’m gonna post pictures of every one of my warden later, but for now, I’m just gonna say who they are. Tsoyo and Sariah knew each other before, since Seriah hired Tsoyo’s...services in the past. Seriah doesn’t really think much of the casteless, but she does like that they can do some dirty work for her and go basically undetected for it. So, in terms of time, Tsoyo goes to the proving and wins, just like in the original, and Duncan recruits her, but in this, Duncan stuck around a little longer as the Aeducan family still had business with him and he needed to go to the deep roads to make sure that this was a real blight and I mean, hey, what better way to test the new recruit right? 

So, while Duncan is getting Tsoyo ready for what’s to come, Seriah goes to the new provings that takes place as they redid it because they couldn’t fathom that a casteless could ever win and this doubled as them holding it in honor for the Seriah getting her new post as a commander. Seriah didn’t really rise to Bhelen’s bait and didn’t go after him like Bhelen had hoped, even though she realized that there was no way that the mercenaries could’ve gotten the ring unless it was from Trian. It was quite the surprise to see her brother, dead in front of her and her father and Bhelen walking in and being accused of his death. 

She gets sentenced to walk the deep roads and meets up with Duncan and Tsoyo and from there they scout for a bit before going off to the circle. Because I mean, hey, one mage is equivalent to ten soldiers, right? 

So, Duncan gets there, with Tsoyo and Seriah in tow who are really uncomfortable being around each other as they’ve had a less than clean relationship in the past (murder, blackmail, and other stuff). Duncan gets to the tower for recruits and in this au, both ‘Surana’ and Amell are there. I’ll explain why I put the ‘’ around Surana in a minute. 

So, Amell, who’s first name is Daylen, Jowan, and ‘Surana’, who’s first name is Acici, are all there. Jowan is going through with his little plot to escape the circle and Acici has literally just had her harrowing, a few nights ago before Duncan had gotten there. Daylen has his harrowing the night before Duncan arrives to the tower and his goes very...differently. 

I’ll go into this a LOT more in a second reblog, since I want to go into everyone’s backstory in a bit, person by person, with pictures, but since I’m going with the abridged version, I’ll just put it as, Acici had the normal harrowing that we get in the game, give or take, and Daylen thought it was fun to fuck around with things that he shouldn’t. So, Duncan has his eye on the both of them and Acici, being the actual loyal friend goes around bolstering her image and getting the rod of fire, killing spiders and charming the old man to sign the form for her. She had him sign the form, but then figured that if she curried favor with as many senior enchanters as possible, then it would probably be good for her in the long run. 

As for Daylen, well, he’s sitting there like, ‘why do we have to get dragged down with Jowan?’ and goes to Senior Enchanter Irving and tells him about it. Sure, he feels bad about it, but the deal was this: if he goes along with this plan, then he and Acici have to be pardoned and get off scot free for helping with taking down Lily and catching Jowan in the act. Irving agrees and he plays double agent. And well you know how that song and dance goes, Jowan gets away, and the others are left holding the bag. Irving tries to pacify Gregoir, but he hates mages so Duncan conscripts them both into the order. Meanwhile, Tsoyo and Seriah are just really confused with all the magic bullshit going on. And then there were four recruits. 

After that, Duncan and the four recruits go to Highever, to recruit Ser Gilmore because I guess Duncan wanted a basic ass bitch (idk, I’m not gonna lie, I haven’t finished the human noble to this day. I’m still trying to, but I really didn’t see any appeal in Gilmore like that, he seemed like someone good to have as a second, but not someone you’d send to kill an archdemon when there’s only two grey wardens left) and Cousland, or better known as Luna the heartbreaker, isn’t really interested in the wardens or anything. I mean why would she be? Duncan is fine and all, but she gets to rule over a castle by herself, why the hell would she want to leave? But then, it’s not really up to her when mostly everyone gets killed anyways. So, at this point we have five recruits, good job Duncan!

Their next stop is (drumroll please) DENERIM! (wasn’t expecting that were you?)

Duncan was like, shit, lemme go and get Adaia, at least that way I know that I can have someone who knows what the score is and she can help the others and Alistair as someone who’s been around the bend and seen some shit. Only, that’s not what happens, obviously because Adaia was killed by humans a while back, but he is just in time to witness a double wedding and get threatened by a one of the brides (lol). And also see them all get carried off to get raped by the arl’s son and his guards. Luna is cross, but like ‘hey, shouldn’t we do something about this?’. Tsoyo is a bit surprised because she thought that elves were all a bunch of fig eating floofies that just lived in happiness, not squalor and fear of death, so she seconds it. Acici is ready to murder Duncan when he says that they can’t get involved (for that same reason that ‘Surana’ is like that) and hands a sword to Nelaros and Soris. Go get ‘em boys!

And now the estate is running with blood, Nelaros is dead, Shianni is traumatized, one of the bridesmaids is dead, and Tabris, Sauda the bride, has literally learned all the different ways to kill over seventy men with a dagger and how quickly rat posion kills three adult human men. Sauda, not willing to let Soris get hauled off, says that it was all her doing. Which...isn’t really an exaggeration, she tore into those fuckers like she was getting paid to do it, Soris gave back up with his crossbow, but she was very eager to spill blood for the kidnapping of her, the others and Nelaros’ death. Also Vaughn was killed, as was his friends. Horrifically. 

And now we have six recruits!! Way to go Duncan, you always find the lively ones!

This recruit wasn’t planned, as Duncan was planning to cut through the Brecilian forest to save some time, and came across two elves that are just heavily tainted. That’s right, in this au, Tamlen lives. So Mahariel, Yeva, and Tamlen are just sick as fuck, but still alive so Marethari is like, ‘let’s get a fucking move on’ and Duncan conscripts them, when they both try to weasel their way out of it. But what can you do? At least Tamlen isn’t dead (a split second decision, I’m not gonna lie). So, Duncan comes to Ostagar with seven new recruits and most of them just....do not give a damn about the king (lolololol get fuckin’ rekt Calian). They go into the wilds, save a few mabaris (mabari? mabaris?) with some wild flowers, Tsoyo gets a big gay crush on Morrigan, then they come back and do shots with the darkspawn blood in the joining. Daveth and Jory die(wah wah) but everyone else makes it out alive (Tamlen...barely made it. Bitch nearly pulled a Daveth) and then they were sent to the tower. 

The reason for them all being sent to the tower was simple. Cailan realized that a lot of the new recruits just did not give a fuck about the crown or his authority or was in grieving over their lost loved ones, and was like ‘hey, that way there’s no way that the tower ISN’T going to be lit and I don’t have to worry about them on the field’). And then he died. Duncan didn’t die tho, are you fucking kidding me? The leader of the grey wardens? Dying? I don’t fucking think so. He makes it out, but it’s a little after the battle and he makes it far enough into the wilds that Flemeth saves him. The other wardens have already left with Morrigan and they’re on their way to Lothering, but Duncan had to stay with Flemeth for a while due to the severity of his wounds and how long they would take to heal, even with magic. 

Duncan joins up with the other grey wardens around the time that they get captured by Anora’s captors (I have to play to see who would get captured or not, as most of these characters are fucking warriors and some of them in their own personal runs might actually be able to take them down where others can’t) and I haven’t decided what happens at that point. 

That’s all that I have right now, but once I get some character portraits up, I’ll update this a bit more.

[wyrdsistersofthedas]

Is the Crossroads essential to eluvian travel? Or could there possibly be a way to 'link' two eluvians to each other and bypass the Crossroads altogether?

Eluvian lore.  I love eluvian lore!  Looking through the instances of eluvian use in the games and in The Masked Empire, I would say yes, it’s totally possible to connect two eluvians without using the Crossroads.  The only things that seem essential to the operation of an eluvian is sufficient knowledge and power to create a path connecting two eluvians.  If the distance being traveled is sufficiently short, neither of these pose much of a problem.  The longer the distance, however, the more difficult it is to gather the power to create the path.

The Path Makers

Once you step through, stay on the path, and you will find your way to the crossroads.  (Imshael, The Masked Empire, p. 258)

One day I hope we get to craft eluvians (or at least have Merrill and Dagna put their respective knowledge together to make us a few) but for right now all we know is that eluvians are linked together with magic that creates paths that are neither the mortal world nor the Fade.  These paths are described in The Masked Empire:

“When her vision cleared, Briala saw that they stood on a path whose stones were carved with the same runes that had adorned the sides of the tunnel last night.  Unlike the tunnel, however, the stones shone with brilliant light.  The light seemed white, but when Briala looked away, it glittered with rainbows at the edge of her vision.  The path stretched off into the distance ahead.  Behind her, it ended at the eluvian, which looked here just as it had back in the burial chamber, only without the elaborate decorations.  

Beyond the path, everything was hard to make out.  The ground looked like grass, but it was grey and dim, despite the light coming from the stones of the path.  Briala thought she could see trees in the distance, but they were merely smudged outlines against the horizon.  

“What is this place?” she asked Felassan, who was rocking back and forth on his heels.  

“You know, da’len, I honestly have no idea.”  He leaned over and poked at the stones.  “It’s not the Fade.  The runes are elven… If I had to guess, I would say our ancestors actually created some sort of a tiny world between the eluvians.

“Can that be done?”

“Apparently.” Felassan stepped off the path and reached down into the grass.

“The demon said not to do that.”

“The demon says a lot of things.”  Felassan focused his gaze, and the gray grass around his hand filled with color, one lone spot of lush green in the strange dime meadow.  “And this little world seems to like us.”

….

“I suspect that this land was made for the elves,” Felassan said as Michel stood up, stiff and awkward, wincing against the light.  “Which they aren’t.” (The Masked Empire, p. 281-282)

So the elves made pockets “little worlds” that connect the eluvians together.  The trails help travelers stay on their designated path.  (You have to wonder what happens if you wander too far off the designated roads.  Bets on if we find out in the next game?)  It’s interesting that the trails in The Masked Empire look like a meadow while in Trespasser we have trails suspended in a void.  Does that mean that the trails in Trespasser were damaged when the Veil was created?  Or does the look of the path reflect the design of its creator?  Not sure, but the the presence of the magic eggs on the Trespasser paths suggest it could be the latter.

Depending on the needs of the travelers, the distance between the eluvians could be very long or almost instantaneous.  We’ve used both kinds in game.

The Shortest Distance

There are many instances of short distance eluvian travel that doesn’t require a visit to the Crossroads to manage.  These could be considered door, escalator, or elevator eluvians.  These types of eluvians can be found in just about all of the ruins in Trespasser and there is evidence that there were others in various Elvhen/Almarri ruins throughout Ferelden.  Some great examples of this can be seen in the Vir Dirthara.  It is likely that the paths would be so short that you would step through one eluvian and out the other without any travel at all.  Straight shot, no crossroads required.

Stranger Trails

“The eluvians are magical mirrors.  You walk into one of them, journey through a kind of in-between place for a bit, and come out the other side several days’ ride elsewhere…. Old elven magic.  Always have to respect old elven magic.” (Imshael, The Masked Empire, p. 227)

Others eluvians we know connect through a crossroads.  These mirrors are meant for long distance travel and  function more like roads than doors.  They are set up like a highway system with lots of intersections, on ramps, and off ramps for the convenience of those traveling them. This is the kind of setup we find in Trespasser.  Lots of trails intersecting so that areas of import can be accessed.  One has to wonder if this section of the Crossroads was meant for and/or created by Solas for his followers.  (An interesting question is whether more than one eluvian can lead to the same important place, like the Vir Dirthara.)  

The Nexus

The Crossroads Morrigan takes the Inquisitor to in Inquisition seems to be set up for another purpose.  It seems to be a portal convergence, a place where all eluvians can be accessed if one has the time and geographical knowledge needed to search through all the eluvians connected to it.  This part of the Crossroads seems more like an airport than a road system, given that it is capable of sending the user to a far greater number of destinations.  On could, in theory, use Morrigan’s eluvian for a quick trip to Kirkwall (if Merrill’s was in working order).  You just need to catch a connecting flight through Morrigan’s Crossroads.

The Paths of Power

So could an eluvian connect two places that are farther apart from one another without using the Crossroads?  Yup, they can.  I would label these the “high speed trains” of eluvian travel.  We have seen just these types of eluvians in at least three instances.  

The final eluvian in the Darvaarad appears to lead directly to the Elven Ruins without a stop over in a Crossroads.  

The eluvian Tamlen and Mahariel found in the Dalish Origin also seems to be a direct path, although it is strange because Tamlen can look through it and see an underground city when it is active.  

None of the other eluvians we have encountered seem to be able to do this.  

And then there is that business with Kieran and Morrigan’s mirror.  He, and it, are the best example of what is possible in eluvian travel with enough power backing you up.

Kieran basically rekeyed Morrigan’s eluvian to lead directly to the Fade, something that was certainly shocking to his mother and all together expected by his grandmother.  (A good question is whether the eluvian in the Fade already existed or if he or Flemythal created it.)  So not only is a direct path between eluvians possible, one can also repurpose them to lead to other destinations.  Useful.  

Stretching the Limits

“[Imshael] pressed his hands together, and coils of read light shone from between his fingers.  When he brought his hands apart, he held a ruby the size of a child’s first.  “The keystone,” he said.  “It will awaken the mirror nearest you.  Once you step through, stay on the path, and you will find your way to the crossroads.  From there, let the keystone guide you.  It will point you towards a chamber where you will find a pedestal that lacks just such a gem.  Place the gem, whisper anything you like, and all the eluvians will awaken, ready to use.”  He smiled.  “But only to those who whisper the same phrase.  Old magic.  Lets honored guards in, keeps tomb robbers out.”  (The Masked Empire, p. 258)

I suspect, however, that there are limits to the direct paths eluvians can take.  All of the eluvians require a power source open them, and one can assume the greater the distance it travels the greater the power the eluvian will need to work.  Sort of like needing more fuel for a long drive.  If you don’t have enough fuel, you are going to run into problems.

“These mirrors have been dormant for centuries.  It would take powerful magic to awaken one.  I might be able to do so, but I’d need the rest of you to carry me for the rest of the day.”  (The Masked Empire, p. 279-280)

Felassan is certainly no slouch when it comes to magic.  He is either being modest or the power demands of opening an eluvian are high enough to be taxing even to an ancient elven mage.  If opening a dormant eluvian is difficult, one can assume that repair one would be more so.  (Props to Merrill!)  Such efforts demand a high price, or so Morrigan says.  

Morrigan’s mirror does the prudent thing and connects to an already existing eluvian nexus.  From there she can take portals to many different places around Thedas and beyond.  

Creating or repurposing an eluvian to lead to only one place would also come with a price, and I suspect that price would become very steep as the distance between them increased.  Can it be done?  Yes.  Can you take a direct eluvian from Skyhold to Minrathous?  Possible, but that is a vast distance.  

If magical engineering is anything like real engineering then there are limits and consequences to making direct gateways.  In addition to the power drain, it is very possible that long distance direct eluvian travel would make the mirror less stable.  And the key for such an eluvian may need a very high power source.  

It is interesting that Morrigan’s Crossroads has so many elven “energy” trees.  I postulated in a different post (and a follow up) that these served as power collections and/or conduits.  The presence of so many in the Crossroads lends support to the notion that they are more than merely decorative.  Perhaps they once channeled energy to the eluvian nexus.  

So, to sum up, you don’t need to use the Crossroads to link two eluvians together.  Two eluvians could be linked to provide a more direct, and private, means of travel.  The lore suggests that one would need to create a new path through the “in between places” or reestablish an old connection.  It wouldn’t be instantaneous travel.  Any traveler using such an eluvian would still need to walk the path to the other.  And it is likely, however, that more power would be needed for such a connection and it is possible that bridging too large a distance could make the connecting eluvians less stable.

-MM

[angstofdestiny]

OC interview meme

I got it from @october-rosehip to make my day better. I think it helped. Tavaris answers post-Awakening What is your name?

Warden-Commander Tavaris Mahariel Sabrae

No, seriously, what is your real name?

*looks at the interviewer with a flat expression*

Do you know why you were called that?

Mahariel is a family name, after Mahariel the Emerald Knight. Sabrae is my clan name. I have no idea who and why came out with Tavaris.

Are you single or taken?

Very much taken.

Do you have any abilities or powers?

Uhm, I’m not a mage, if that’s what you are asking about. I’m decent with a bow. And I am a Grey Warden, that comes with some special abilities I’d rather not discuss.

Stop being a Gary Stu.

A what?

What is your eye color?

Are you blind or daft? Grey. This color is called grey.

How about your hair color?

*scoffs* blond

Have you any family members?

My Wardens and my partners. And a son, I’ve been told. My biggest regret is that I let his mother just take him away.

As for other blood family… I might as well be the last of Sabrae. *he grimaces* There are children of the clan spread through some alienages in the Free Marches, but Hawke has been so thorough with her “help” I couldn’t find them – and I’ve been looking.

I see… What about pets?

I used to have a mabari, but he’s long gone. There are some hallas I’m friendly with, but I wouldn’t call them “pets”.

Tell me about something you don’t like.

Invasive questions, for once.

Do you have any hobbies or activities that you enjoy doing?

Uhm, that was actually a matter my partners pointed out to me at some point. I never had much time for that. Now I read a lot, sometimes, when I manage to get out, I enjoy working in the garden. And singing, I like singing and telling stories.

Ever hurt anyone before?

And here I thought my reputation precedes me. I do what I must.

Ever… killed anyone before?

I’m a Grey Warden who ended the Blight; I do what I must – and that includes killing people who can’t be persuaded to let me do my job.

Or who threaten those I care about.

What kind of animal are you?

I am elvhen, not an animal. *glares* Dirty shem and their insults…

Name one of your worst habits.

I think it’s my short temper. Zevran claims it’s my proclivity to overthink things, whatever he has in mind. Spawn says that the worst thing I do is that I often forget to clean my comb after I use it. Well, I’m busy.

Do you look up to anyone at all?

I grew pretty disenchanted with people at some point, but I admire both of my partners. Zevran and Spawn are incredibly strong, smart and loving people. I am lucky to have them in my life – and I wish I was as kind as Zev or as smart as Spawn. To be honest, both of them are better men than I am.

Sexual orientation?

Definitly gay. I have checked.

Do you go to school?

I’m a bit too old for that, I think. And I am not a mage or Andrastian.

Do you want to marry and have kids one day?

I’m almost-married to two best men in Thedas and I have the whole Keep under my care. Though I wish I could meet my own kid. I’ve heard that he’s a boy and he’s smart… *sighs* I regret that I allowed his mother to just take him away. I was young though, and very, very scared.

What are you most afraid of?

Losing my partners.

What do you usually wear?

Now it’s mostly my uniforms. Though they are not very uniform to be honest. I keep the heraldry and the colors, but have them all made in Dalish manner. I never managed to warm up to shem way of dressing.

Do you love someone?

I thought I was pretty clear about that. Yes, eight years and I am still head over heels in love with both Zevran and Spawn.

What class are you? (Lower, middle, upper?)

I’m Dalish and I don’t have time for shem nonsense. Though they probably consider me upper class now that I am the Hero, and the Commander and the arl. Pity that it took killing an Archdemon for them to stop calling me a rabbit.

And imagine that some shems believe I don’t hear when they call other elvhen that.

How many friends do you have?

My friends are my family. *He pauses to think*  Other than Spawn and Zev, Oghren is probably the closest, together with Sigrun. I like to think that Morrigan is still my friend even though I haven’t seen her for years. I’m rather getting along with Shianni and Soris from Denerim Alienage as well. I have other people I am close with as well, but I’m not sure if all of them I would describe exactly as “friends”.

Anyone you still consider a friend, regardless of their current state.

Morrigan, as I said. Anders and Tamlen, both dead.

Thoughts on pie?

That was… pretty random, wasn’t it? I like pies, I guess. Mistress Dana makes a druffalo pie to kill for and I always liked pies with berries and honey my mamae made when I was a kid.

Favorite drink?

A few Dalish teas – I won’t tire you with their names. Whisky, or similar alcohol, with milk and honey.

What’s your favorite place?

Probably the Vigil’s Keep – it’s home after all. But I guess I am too Dalish to stay in one place for too long. I love coming back to the Keep, but I love leaving even more.

Would you rather swim in the lake or the ocean?

A lake. Ocean… It makes me a bit uneasy, I admit.

Are you interested in anyone?

Again with that? I am very interested in my partners, both of them, Zevran stop eavesdropping. Not much in anyone else. Having two lovers is more than enough for me.

What’s your dick size?

I’m sorry…?

Well, what’s your type?

My type of what?

What attracts you?

I will quote someone who is much better with words than me: “I fancy things that are beautiful and things that are strong. I fancy things that are dangerous and exciting.” *he smiles a bit* I guess that makes our relationship pretty balanced.

Any fetishes?

That’s for my partners to know.

Seme or uke? Top or bottom? Dominant or submissive?

*glares* Really? I just said something.

Camping inside or outside?

Outside. Unless there’s snow or rain – Zevran doesn’t like that.

Are you wanting this quiz to end?

That’s it? Creators, finally.

[spacs]

dragon age for the fandom thing

bless you child

the character i least understandThis is hard because I try to understand all of them… um Ogrhen probably? I don’t always understand his motivations for doing things. He sort of just seems like some comedic relief.

interactions i enjoyed the mostAnything and everything involving Dorian’s romance, party banter, and just general existence, literally everything Varric ever has to say, purple Hawke being a sassy mofo, Morrigan roasting Alistair alive on all of her sick burns, Zevran propositioning everyone, Fenris - just as a character and person and I love him… There’s very few interactions that I don’t enjoy in Dragon Age honestly I can’t just pick one.

the character who scares me the mostFlemeth. Hands down. No contest. She could burn me at the stake and I would say thank you.

the character who is mostly like meOuch. Um. I have no idea honestly. Probably one of my OCs (Mahon). But uh… canon character-wise…. I really don’t know. 

hottest looks character[takes a deep breath] Dorian, Fenris, Zevran, Anders, Alistair, Cullen, Morrigan, Vivienne, Isabela, Anora, Garret/Marian Hawke, all of my OCs… I’m sure there’s more.

one thing i dislike about my fave characterHow dare you. I love everything about Dorian. Okay no honest answer it’s obviously his attitude towards slavery. He’s way too flippant about it. Like, “It could be worse. At least MY family treats their slaves nicely.” No honey. Dorian has his struggles, we all know, but it’s one of those things where he grew up in a wealthy family and he’s speaking from a position of privilege. I love him with my whole heart but he isn’t perfect.

one thing i like about my hated characterOh man… I don’t like Loghain, honestly, but I would have to say I admire his love for his daughter. (He’s probably not my most hated character though, just the only one I can really find something that I even remotely like about him…)

a quote or scene that haunts meI am still not over Tamlen’s death.

a death that left me indifferentStroud. Although 95% of my world states have Alistair as the Warden so…

a character i wish died but didn’tHonestly? I hate the shit out of Justice - which I gather is an unpopular opinion. I try to be respectful and not talk about it though. There’s no point in posting hate but there, my secret is out. Though I guess he can technically die??? If you kill Anders - which I never will. So that’s who I’m counting. Although does he actually die? Like he’s a spirit. So does he move on or is he bound to Anders and dies with him? It doesn’t matter. Anders will never die, so I guess neither will Justice.

my ship that never sailedHawke/Varric. Don’t even get me started. Specifically, Marian Hawke/Varric. I don’t personally head canon Varric with any interest in men, so I can’t see him with Garrett (Garrett is reserved for Anders and Anders only though so whatever.)

Oh man I love talking about Dragon Age…

[virlath]

Hidden Trespasser mosaics

So I was researching some lore for a theory surrounding the environmental artwork in DAI, and happened to stumble upon this twitter post regarding unused mosaics for Trespasser. 

Coincidentally, I’ve been so deep in statues and elven god symbolism the past few days that I thought I’d chime in with some of my own thoughts.

From left to right in these artworks, I think we’re looking at four different gods involved in Solas’ slave rebellion.

Fen’Harel, Dirthamen/Falon’Din, Andruil, Mythal

===

If this hidden game file is anything to go by, it seems to confirm one theory I’ve had for a while- that Solas had help from some of the evanuris with his slave rebellion.

Because when you think about it, it’s kinda hard to believe he could have started a slave rebellion at all with his high profile and attachment to Mythal, especially when slaves seems to have been a big economy in ancient Elvhenan.

===

The gods in these mosaics

From left to right in the image

(Note: I actually posted some hi-res shots of the masks from DAO yesterday if you’re interested in seeing unedited screenshots, but I’ll break down my guesses here anyway.)  

1. Fen’Harel is obviously the wolf.

2. Dirthamen’s mask is easiest to spot because it matches the shape of his statues in DAO. Note that Dirthamen and Falon’Din have very similar statues and masks.

Falon’Din is the statue with the spear (recognised by Tamlen as “friend of the dead”) while I believe Dirthamen is the statue with four arms (this also strongly implies the envy demon in DAI is his corrupted raven, Deceit)

I believe Falon’Din and Dirthamen are two aspects of the same being, but how that actually works remains to be seen. Some people have suggested Falon’Din walks the fade while Dirthamen walks the physical realm and perhaps that explains their togetherness and separateness. 

Regardless, it does seem like both Falon’Din and Dirthamen were involved in Solas’ uprising due to the fact that both their mosaics are found inside the elven sanctuary before we see Solas’ mural removing vallaslin.

3. Andruil’s mask seems to fit most similarly to the third mosaic.

The overall curved shape mirrors Andruil’s bow in her mosaic, and the dotted indentation at the top totally looks like an arrow shaft. The eye placement in both the mosaic and the mask hints to me that this is very likely Andruil.

The big question- why would Andruil be helping Solas?

Perhaps because Mythal turned her to their side after she “sapped Andruil's strength, and stole her knowledge of how to find the Void.”

Or, perhaps Andruil isn’t as “evil” as people think she is.

Sure, she may have brought on the blight (although even this is conjecture, personally I feel like this could very well could be misdirection) and may have hunted “mortal men and beasts”, but who’s to say these beasts and men didn’t deserve what they got? Who’s to say she wasn’t corrupted by the void before she became the “goddess of sacrifice”?

One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts. She began stalking The Forgotten Ones, wicked things that thrive in the abyss.

This implies to me she could have simply been hunting beings that had given her cause to hunt them. Remember, she was the only god that responded to Ghilan’nain’s cries for help, and at this time Ghilan’nain was one of the People, implying she wasn’t totally evil.

Andruil also has strong links to Falon’Din, because she and Falon’Din share the same symbol of the owl. What if Mythal meted out judgement, Falon’Din brought her judgement to them in the form of the owl (thus fulfilling the role of Andruil’s messenger as well as “friend of the dead”), and Andruil hunted them in turn to render Mythal’s judgement?

“Always keep an eye out for the noble owl. You never know: Andruil might have a message for you.”

It is interesting to see that the owl statue is always carrying what looks like a mirror or even dimension to another world (another prison perhaps?), possibly intended as a way to reflect the viewer’s own self and actions back on to them. 

Anyway, to me there are a number of possibilities why Andruil would work with Solas and co. Perhaps she wasn’t as corrupted as they thought. Perhaps Mythal made her forget so much so she agreed to help them. Or perhaps Andruil was the mole in the rebellion - the person who began the events that led to Mythal’s death.

4. I think the last god represents Mythal, due to the fact the shape is similar to the bronze statues found in the crossroads and deep roads.

There are in fact two versions of this statue - the sun, in the crossroads, and the moon in the deep roads. (brightened and contrast boosted for clarity)

The moon statue is strongly implied to represent Mythal, because a note is found near this statue:

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.

Question is, why would the sun also represent Mythal when Elgar’nan is known as the Eldest of the sun? 

Well, not only does the sun statue look very much the yin to the yang of the moon statue in the deep roads, the sun could refer to Mythal being both the sun and moon to the dwarves. 

These statues are notably different to other elven statues we’ve seen- notable for the fact they have a large base of rock, and they are carved in smooth bronze.  As these bronze statues are only found in this particular section of the deep roads where she controlled a lyrium wellspring, perhaps the dwarves carved these as a representation of her.

In the third note you find in the deep roads, a poem reads:

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

It sure seems to me like Mythal was protecting these dwarves from something. Either that, or she was using these dwarves as slaves or minions in her operation and for some reason, they revered her enough to carve their own representations of her.

Morrigan says this of Mythal at the Temple of Mythal:

Let fly your voice to Mythal, deliverer of justice, protector of sun and earth alike.’

Similarly, Solas further says:

She was the mother,  protective and fierce. 

Regardless, I think there’s more evidence indicating Mythal was working with Solas over Elgar’nan. You do need Mythal’s passphrase after all to enter the elven sanctuary safely.

And if you want to take this one step further, check out the crown “Andraste” is wearing in DAO. Look familiar??? Maybe reminscent of the moon statue we see in the deep roads?

I don’t want to say Mythal was Andraste but...there are many signs that are hard to ignore.

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More theory drabble

I realise a lot of the gods’ motives I’ve come up with above are based on conjecture and tbh, the writing for DA4 could go so many ways simply because of the fact that there are so many wide open threads that could be expanded upon.

These unused mosaics does indicate to me at least that the writers have a plan for how Solas’ rebellion actually functioned however, and that to me is exciting in itself.

One thing we can assume with high certainty is that Solas started the slave rebellion before Mythal’s death, because you need her passphrase to enter his sanctuary. Furthermore, even without these unused mosaics there are in-game mosaics of Dirthamen and Falon’Din in the sanctuary before we see the vallaslin mural.

This strongly implies to me that at the very least, even without this hidden game file, that Dirthamen, Falon’Din and Mythal aided and abetted Solas’ slave rebellion.

Further adding to this theory are the the rather compelling links to Dirthamen throughout DAI. For example, the gilded Fen’Harel statues in Dirthamen’s temple’s inner sanctum, Dirthamen’s bleeding statue in the Fade, Dirthamen, Falon’Din, Mythal and Fen’Harel imagery in the Knight’s Tomb, as well as Dirthamen’s statue at Calenhad’s foothold (where it’s implied he had a thing with Ghilan’nain). Not to mention- dual raven standards found underneath Fen’Harel’s sanctuary, as well as archer statues next to the eluvian as you exit (who I believe represent Dirthamen & Falon’Din).

Something clearly happened that led to Mythal’s death, and I’m leaning towards the fact that there was a leak somewhere within Solas’ trusted circle. Dirthamen seems to have been betrayed by someone close to him before the veil was created, because his statue in the fade is stabbed in the back and his eyes are weeping waterfalls of blood. 

As Solas says “...an enemy can attack, but only an ally can betray you. Betrayal is always worse.” 

And, when you tell him you trust your friends? He responds “I know that mistake well enough to carve the angles of her face from memory” 

It is assumed he is talking about Mythal’s own betrayal when he says this, but he could also be referring to the person/people who betrayed him and his trust. Personally, I think Falon’Din and Ghilan’nain could be key players in Mythal’s death at this point. We don’t know enough about the other gods to also make assumptions on their motives unfortunately. 

All in all, it seems to me like every one of the false gods were out to get one another, and Solas never even saw Mythal’s death coming because he was too arrogant/preoccupied with his rebellion.

If Solas really was Mythal’s oldest friend and guardian, his pride would have been absolutely crushed when she was betrayed and killed. The veil was likely a knee-jerk reaction due to his pride and “hot-headedness” more than anything- if he could be outplayed and have his own power and role as “guardian” outright questioned, then of course he would retaliate and raise the stakes even higher. It’s his MO- he has a means to an ends “you didn’t invent war” mentality, disregarding the collateral damage as long as he comes out on top.

This does make me wonder what intentions he has for the false gods once they’re freed though. Obviously Mythal wants her vengeance. But what of Solas? These false gods were his kin after all and the only ones who can truly relate to him on a level no mortal can understand. After all these years of stewing and realising his knee-jerk reaction cost him the entire elven empire, it makes sense he would want to restore what he effectively destroyed when his pride was hurt. 

To me it does seem like he truly hates the evanuris...but could he still be in leagues with some of them? Something I may not put past him, considering I don’t think he worked alone during his rebellion.