#also Solas will have a new name (or rather his true name) by the end of DA4

[mrs-gauche]

Ohh, that was wonderfully put and I 100% agree!

OKAY, SEE, this is a theory I've been subscribed to for YEARS, so I would like to refer back to this line of posts, and also this one... and ALSO, like, all of Solas' dialogue in DAI, actually. lol

I'd also like to quote myself again. 😂

In this banter, Cole reveals to us that Solas’ mind immediately goes from “It’s hard for me to accept I’m not a spirit” to “the people that were lost when Solas created the Veil”. To me, this pretty much confirms that the people of Elvhenan and spirits are connected, if not one and the same. It’s assumed that the Evanuris mined the Titans to somehow create bodies for spirits to manifest, and that Mythal gave Solas a body against his will. There’s also the theory about the creation of the Veil having caused the separation of body and spirit.

This part in particular, is especially interesting to me.

Cole: They are not gone so long as you remember them. Solas: I know. Cole: But you could let them go. Solas: I know that as well.

The thing about spirits is, as Solas himself told us, that "If a spirit dies, it may only rise again if the idea giving it form is strong, or if the memory has shaped other spirits" and that spirits have the ability to make people forget. And everything in the Fade IS a memory after all. So... if Cole is referring to spirits in this banter, who were maybe corporeal people before Solas created the Veil, then what does it say about Solas being perhaps the only one to remember them as they were?

BUT... in addition to ALL of this, there's one other very simple thing I've never brought up here.. and honestly, in the many years I've read people's theories, from what I've seen, I'm surprised this hasn't been talked about more.

When Solas describes to the Inquisitor what a world without the Veil would be like... this - and ONLY this - is what he says:

"Imagine if spirits entered freely. If the Fade was not a place one went, but a state of nature like the wind. Imagine if spirits were not a rarity, but a part of our natural world, like a fast-flowing river. A world where imagination defines reality. That is what the world could be, if the Veil were not present... For better or worse."

Isn't it interesting that there's not a single mention of elves or Elvhenan here? Like... at ALL?

I'm aware that he says "I will save the elven people. Even if this world must die" in Trespasser. I just think that the elvhen's connection to spirits/their souls or their potential spirit origin was why they were immortal (the hints are all there in the Old God souls or Solas' very suspicious use of the word "soul") and when Solas created the Veil (which was actually intended to be solely a prison for the Evanuris), he severed that connection, trapped the spirits in the Fade, and in doing so, "took everything from the elves, even themselves".

"Spirit self, seeing the soul, Solas, but somehow sorrow."

I think the hints are everywhere, and I will hold onto this until I'm proven completely wrong. lol But for now, this is the hill I'll die on. 😂

Theory: Solas isn't doing it to save the elves, he's doing it to save the spirits.

With the new information coming out about Solas's plan in in DAV and the much-memed back and forth between Solas and Varric, I think we may have gotten the wrong end of the stick regarding what is at stake, or why Solas is doing what he's doing. There has been increasing back and forth about whether the Veil should come down in the decade since DAI, but a lot of conversation has focused on a) the collateral damage necessary to do so and b) elven immortality. The assumption being that Solas has decided that any collateral damage (with opinions varying from 'some' to 'apocalyptic' in what they expect that to look like) is worth it to bring back ancient elves, aka 'his people'.

However, repeated dialogues throughout DAI and Trespasser paint a different association - Solas refers to the elves as 'our people' when convenient (eg when trying to get the Inquisitor on side following their first confrontation with Corypheus). When you or other characters ask him about what he considers to be 'his people' he either dodges the question, or to Abelas:

Solas: There are other places, friend. Other duties. Your people yet linger. Abelas: Elvhen such as you? Solas: Yes. Such as I.

While this seems pretty straight forward, it begs the question what the ancient elves, what the Elvhen actually are. Think about the origin of Elvhen as a deliberate identifier, rather than just using 'elves' which Solas repeatedly rejects. Breaking down the word the answer may have been staring us in the face this whole time: vhen is translated to 'people', and El is the root for spirit. I think there is a very good chance Elvhen literally translates to 'spirit people', and that has been the key distinction all this time.

What that functionally meant before the Veil (spirits that chose to manifest personality/bodies, spirits that were bound to bodies, perhaps 'possession' or symbiosis was the norm) is yet to be determined. But the connection to spirits is what Solas considers his people, which is why appeals to save 'this world' will ultimately fail for him, even in a state where he acknowledges mortal beings are 'people':

Inquisitor: We aren't even people to you? Solas: Not at first. You showed me that I was wrong, again. That does not make what must come next any easier. Inquisitor: You'd murder countless people? Solas: Wouldn't you, to save your own?

While many players would consider the current world state 'acceptable' to those living in it, that discounts the perspective of those trapped on the other side of the Veil. The spirits are very clearly suffering, which will not improve while the Veil remains, and it's why Solas can't just live with 'this world'.

[mrs-gauche]

If the Spirit!Solas theory happens to be true—and I’m confident it is—then it really gives you a new level of respect for how much restraint this guy has.

I’m talking specifically about his interactions with Dorian. The part where Dorian is trying to convince Solas that enslaving spirits is cool and neat and not wrong because ‘spirits aren’t people.’

Imagine having the strength of character to listen to someone tell you to your face that you are not a person and therefore undeserving of the most basic civil rights without immediately decking them in the face.

Solas puts up with tool much, man.

Oh yeah, definitely! 😂 (As much as I feel for Dorian just trying to find some common ground...) I guess that one line in Tevinter Nights does a great job of putting Solas' attitude on this matter in a nutshell.

[…] roared not in anger, but with quiet contempt. "From this moment, should you ever bind a spirit, then your life is mine."

Keep in mind, Solas has witnessed spirits suffering from the consequences of creating the Veil for at least a thousand years at this point, if only from the Fade. When he's saying "It hurts. It always does." to the Inquisitor after returning to Skyhold and Wisdom's death, he's referring to the countless times he had to watch his friends being drawn to the waking world, either forced, or to see them “wish to join the living”, only to be twisted, bound, corrupted, killed, you name it.

"How small the pain of one man seems when weighed against the endless depths of memory, of feeling, of existence. That ocean carries everyone. And those of us who learn to see its currents move through life with their fewer ripples."

Much like a lot of his banter with Sera taunting him about his grief for the past, at this point, Solas is so old and has witnessed so much history, so much pain, that Dorian's remarks couldn't possibly evoke any real anger from him. It's so insignificant compared to what he has seen. There's a reason why Weekes keeps emphasizing how friggin tired Solas truly is. This is after all the general perception of spirits in present Thedas, aside from a few cultures like the Avvar. He can't blame Dorian for Tevinter raising him to think of spirits as nothing more than "amorphous constructs", just like he can't blame the Dalish for the knowledge lost to time. Similarly to any other argument he has with the other companions, Solas' frustration/resentment is almost never aimed at them personally, but rather at the current state of the world that shaped their perspective. (As is also evident in how his banter always ends up with them eventually coming to terms and grow a mutual/respectful relationship. The only exception being a low approval Inquisitor and Iron Bull if he chose the Qun over the Chargers… In that case, the hostility was definitely personal. 😂)

(That being said, I'm SO hoping for any kind of serious emotional outbreak from Solas in DA4, since there's still like a thousand year old trauma that needs to be addressed. lol)

But yeah, I think, going by his actions in Tevinter Nights, Tevinter is definitely not ready for what's probably coming for them in DA4, now that Solas is actually able to change things. 👀 And isn't it interesting how he will now be facing the Imperium, which was essentially built on the ruins of the empire he brought down/the same slavery based system he once rebelled against, so history kinda repeats itself? lol

I think it's also very telling how Solas will immediately counter Dorian's comments on the treatment of spirits in Tevinter by directly comparing it to slavery.

Dorian: "There's no harm putting them to constructive use, and most mages back home treat them well." Solas: "And any that show any magical talent are freed, are they not?" Dorian: "What? Spirits don't have magical talent." Solas: "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were talking about your slaves."

But the beautiful irony in this, as I've talked about in this post, is how this draws a direct parallel to how Solas, in return, doesn't recognize the people of the waking world as real either, at least not until after the Inquisitor considers Wisdom a living being worth saving. This and his admission to the Inquisitor after he returns to Skyhold is imo the turning point in his character development. Imo, this is what leads him to say "Not at first. You showed me that I was wrong." in his high approval ending in Trespasser.

And this is also why I think that the theory of Solas intending to save the spirits first and foremost would make for such an interesting story actually.

The waking world doesn't view spirits as real people. Just like Solas can't accept the people of the waking world as real. So, what will happen if he tears down the Veil, and the Fade and the waking world become one again? The Inquisitor was potentially willing to save Wisdom despite it having already turned into a Pride demon. And in doing so, the Inquisitor unintentionally put up a mirror in front of Solas' face and basically went "If I can see them as real people worth saving, why can't you?".

And if the spirit origin theory is true, then it could make for a fascinating inner conflict. Solas, living in both the waking world and the Fade, having been a spirit and a corporeal person, is now facing the question of who "his people" actually are. Where does he belong? After all, his biggest fear remains to "die alone".

While this was said in more of a joking manner, Weekes' words from 2016 really put it into perspective here. Solas sees himself in that old fisherman he saw in the Fade. He is "the one who lived". So, I picture it like this… Solas is left alone in the Fade after the creation of the Veil. Spirits are now his only company for the next thousand years. Whether or not those spirits were the remaining souls of the elves he tried to save, we don't know, but regardless, I truly believe they are his people. But he is not a spirit. At least, not anymore.

Cole: "You don't need to envy me, Solas. You can find happiness in your own way." Solas: "I apologize for disturbing you, Cole. I am not a spirit and sometimes it hard to remember such simple truths." Cole: "They are not gone so long as you remember them." Solas: "I know." Cole: "But you could let them go." Solas: "I know that as well." Cole: "You didn't do it to be right. You did it to save them." Inquisitor: "Solas, what is Cole talking about?" Solas: "A mistake. One of many by a much younger elf who was certain he knew everything."

In this banter, Cole reveals to us that Solas' mind immediately goes from "It's hard for me to accept I'm not a spirit" to "the people that were lost when Solas created the Veil". To me, this pretty much confirms that the people of Elvhenan and spirits are connected, if not one and the same. It's assumed that the Evanuris mined the Titans to somehow create bodies for spirits to inhabit, and that Mythal gave Solas a body against his will. There's also the theory about the creation of the Veil having caused the separation of body and spirit.

You know, I've written so much about this in previous posts and I don't want to sound like a broken record, but if we consider all those little clues and look at all of his dialogue in that context, it just makes so much sense to me, that what he wants to do is primarily to save the spirits/destroy the barrier for them to enter the waking world without their purpose getting corrupted. There's also still the matter of the Blights and red lyrium otherwise probably consuming the entire world. 😅 I think that's what he's referring to when saying "What I am doing will save this world" in Tevinter Nights.

And remember, "Dread Wolf" is still literally an anagram for "World" and "Fade". 😂 Both worlds colliding is quite literally in his title. lol Whatever the six eyed high dragon sized Dread Wolf actually is, as far as we know, he only seems to exist within the Fade, but how exactly is he connected to Solas and what will happen to him if he tears down the Veil (which btw is also definitely gonna happen… I mean, besides the fact that the Veil is getting weaker regardless of Solas' actions)? ANYWAY.

Sorry for rambling so much (and I feel like my English is a little rusty, too 😖), but I haven't talked about this stuff in a while and the lack of news is killing me. 😂 But your message gave me something to think about again, so thank you! :)

[dreadfutures]

Having FEELINGS about inquisitor Ixchel and Rook Terinelan so can I get either "to the ends of the earth, would you follow me?" or "please don’t say i’m going alone" for dadwc?

This is noncanonical but it is based on vibes and certain things from the DA4 gameplay we saw, so if you’re wary of that, stay out! :)

for @dadrunkwriting

Pairings: Ixchel Lavellan & Terinelan Lavellan AU: #shadows in the sun : First Lifetime!Ixchel survives her poison and continues to fight.

ixchel thinks Clan Lavellan is wiped out

Terinelan, the First, survived and has reached Arlathan Forest, joining the Veil Jumpers

After the events of The Missing, Ixchel comes back with Varric and Harding to find their Rook.

The meeting with Strife and Bellara ends on a dark note. The activity around Arlathan Forest is increasing, and it seems that after ten long years, Solas’s ritual is nearing completion.

Harding had given Ixchel a look of—it had to be pity, Ixchel thinks. She has spent years researching obscure lore and tracking down artifacts and ancient rituals to find any alternative to Solas’s plan, and she has come up with nothing. The Veil is fraying regardless of his actions; it was never meant to be eternal. The evil gods that Solas had trapped long ago will escape someday, and Ixchel has managed to convince her inner circle at least that Solas would not be trying to bring that about early without good reason.

But they don’t know the reasons.

They don’t know how to prepare. How to mitigate.

He has left them with no other option but to stop him.

Ixchel won’t lead the fight against Solas—while she can still hold her own in battle against a Venatori thug or a demon, she wouldn’t do well in battle against a god, and she simply wouldn’t fight Solas. Couldn’t. And everyone knows it.

Ixchel doesn’t know why they invite her to these meetings anymore.

Well, that’s not true. Varric, for all his charm, can’t manage anyone to save his life (or the world, as the case may be). After many turbulent years of experience, Ixchel has learned to command a room: war councils of bickering commanders, conferences of terrified Enchanters, the halls of Empresses and the field of battle—she can maneuver all of them with grace or force as the moment requires. And when faced with the end of the world, she has found that the arguments can spiral quickly if left unguided.

She is as exhausted by it now as she was when she was sixteen and had to get Cassandra, Leliana, and Cullen to stop arguing about Circles.

Today, she has navigated them to their grim conclusion, and the grim reality: they need someone strong enough, smart enough, pissed enough, to stand against Solas. Someone with the grit to withstand anything on the field but also the cunning to know when and how to disappear.

Varric knows he can’t pull the trigger. Harding, as pragmatic as she is, has to know that Solas is still Solas—and she can’t kill a friend. After her surprise meeting, Charter has said she never wants to meet Solas face to face again. Kieran has his own priorities.

Ixchel has run out of options.

Fortunately, Strife has someone in mind.

Varric, Harding, and Ixchel wait in grim silence for him to fetch this new person. Ixchel sits in an empty windowsill, eyes closed and head turned toward the sun. If the others really need her judgment, she’ll provide it, but since she really would rather be anywhere else, she hopes she can ignore the goings-on until someone calls her.

She feels no curiosity at all when Strife brings in his candidate. She knows already it is a Dalish mage who left their clan name behind to join the Veil Jumpers. The Dalish are difficult for Ixchel to work with, these days. She sees the ghosts of her dead clan in all of their faces, and she thinks she hears their suspicious thoughts: is she just a flat-ear they dressed up in vallaslin? Is she a traitor? They say she was a pupil of the Dread Wolf himself.

Ironically, Harding is far better at interacting with their Dalish recruits. Ixchel leaves it to her.

The tones of the conversation are hard, like an interrogation. Figuring out this person’s strengths and weaknesses, motivations. Ixchel hears not the words but the feelings instead and is satisfied that Harding and Varric have found their new recruit. Whether they will prove to be the field leader that they need will remain to be seen.

“Alright. Looks like we have our Rook,” Varric says with satisfaction.

“Is that my name?” the recruit asks dryly. Their voice is deep but not loud and has an almost wispy quality. The words dissipate into the air like smoke.

“Well, seeing as you didn’t offer one, I figured it’d serve as good as any,” says Varric. “Rookie, rook—like that game Dorian plays so much.”

“Chess, Varric,” Harding says, but they all know that Varric was trying to lighten the mood. “I can’t promise you Varric’ll ever use it, but I’d like to know your name, friend.”

“Terinelan,” their Rook says. “Terinelan Lavellan.”

Ixchel doesn’t know how she ends up standing in the center of the room, facing the young man she had thought dead for nearly a decade, but she’s there, and he’s there, and—

“Leave,” she says to Varric and Harding. “Now.”

The man claiming to be Terinelan Lavellan is not the boy she once knew. The last time she had seen Ter, his vallaslin was still raised and fresh over his eye. His voice had been strong, calm, and always full of cheer. Warmth. He was unblemished in every way and shone in her memory as the perfect First—the perfect son, the perfect friend.

In front of her is a mangled facsimile of that boy.

His vallaslin and half his face are marred by burns, and his ear on that side has been docked with a knife. His staff, the one his life-giver had made him when he was chosen as First, was gone. He wore the golden armor of the Veil Jumpers, and a helm was tucked under one arm. He looked ready for war.

The Terinelan she knew was not a warrior. He was a hearthkeeper, a peace-maker, a healer.

The Terinelan she knew was dead.

“Are you okay?” she asks. It’s the wrong question, but nothing is right in her mouth, just like nothing has been right since she heard of the clan’s demise in Wycome.

Terinelan smirks, tugging at scars all across his face. “With faces like ours, do you even need to ask?”

Like ours. She is not the girl who left the Clan for the Conclave so many years ago. Bare-faced. Unblemished. Her hair barely tamed into a braid for the first time. Whole. Now her face is a constellation of brutal scars, mapped by vallaslin like an astrarium; her left sleeve hangs in a knot, empty of an arm; her hair is styled pristinely, ready for battle. Her eyes are milky, washed over like the dead's. She is a ghost, a corpse.

She, too, had not been touched by war when last he saw her.

But she is more than a soldier. She is a commander. A Champion. She knows what she can inspire when she rallies her troops, but he is different. How could he come to her banner after all that has happened to him because of her? How could he not blame her, hate her?

Would it be a liability?

Would it be a blessing?

“After all that’s happened, you would still follow me?” she asks.

“To the ends of the earth,” he replies. “I don’t know everything you’ve been through, lethallan, but it’s written across your face. You’re a survivor, as am I. Who else would I follow to survive the end of the world?”

She trusts it, she trusts him.

But in that moment, she doesn’t trust herself. She doesn’t think she can survive the loss of her family—not again.

Ixchel lets out a breath and nods, and with that, the tension between them dissipates entirely. He crosses the remaining distance, tossing his helm aside carelessly, and they fall into a tight embrace.

“Is there time for you to tell me your story?” he asks into her hair.

“Only if there is time for you to tell me yours,” she says. “Fuck Solas—fuck everyone. Tell me everything.”

[extravagantliar]

We all know that I love a good foil. I don’t need to break down what a foil is overall, but foils do have categories, and some of these foils overlap thematically, interlinking the story further together. They can be in grammar or in tone; they can be reflective or in multitude. Foils are themes that continue to rise and fall within a story, and we all know that themes are ideas that artists continue to return to, time and time again. This is part one of two pieces regarding Varric Tethras and Solas, sourcing details from DAI but not DATV spoiler-free on a technical foul.

Introductory & Narrative Foils --

To start at the end seems wrong; let us start in the middle of the story, upon a hill as most things start. We do not know how Solas and Varric met; however, we do know they were both in the same place at nearly the same time. One was implored to be there by want, and the other was implored by the need of others, via an arrest. Neither of these are self-serving or selfless as they are inaction in a greater action at play by the underlying narrative within DAI, which is presented as our narrative villain, even if the villain is still unseen and is painted as a hidden threat oncoming. 

“I am a prisoner, just like you - Varric Tethras, storyteller, rouge, and unwelcome tagalong.”

“My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions.” 

Our introductions seem simple but can be broken down and become more complex with tone and movement. Varric is fanfare and flourishes over his name, quickly moving away from who he is and what he wants people to see him as. It leads to a sense of arrogance and almost pride around those words. Varric’s introduction is also longer, punctuated with a full stop that he will not be allowed in the valley, whereas Cassandra had no qualms with Solas, at least outwardly. 

Solas makes his opening in the middle of a squabble—seemingly humble. However, while Varric waited for an opening with his words, Solas seeks an opening, a glimmer of one and takes it, introducing himself with less flourish and fanfare, which at least thematically makes him seem more trustworthy. No additional names are given and no status, but it is the first time that a nickname appears—Varric states that he is Chuckles, a new name. 

“I am pleased to see that you still live.” 

“What he means is - ‘I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.’”

I also find this dialogue interesting, as Solas is more than keen to let others leave things as he states them; however, Varric is not content with those words. He allows the whole picture to be seen, rather than obfuscating a half-truth led by the other, as Solas leads the dialogue even when Cassandra and Varric bicker. The words are also a foil on their own; one is sincere, and the other is not - one is a joke, and the other is a truth. 

Which is which all depends on how one hears those words and the headspace one is in. Both are friendly and outgoing; only one comes off as prideful. This does not mean words are prideful, nor are words demure or as they seem. Instead, it is, in fact, two men obscuring their true paths intentionally and unintentionally. 

This continues through banter within the game - a test and trial of wit between the pair. It is a long game that becomes a test of mettle and glib almost. They are intellectual matches and physically - yet that will shift with time and space to come, deepening a breech in narrative much like Varric’s in his years away from his own family. 

Artistic Foils --

Art is a craft in many forms.

Buon Frescos (true fresh) - Wet lime plaster, limited timeframe to lay colour and place the art. Frescos in English have come to mean any painting plastered to a wall, regardless of the style or mineral used. While we will never know the style or pigments that Solas uses, it is easy to imply that this is his favoured medium (not fresco-secco - or dry frescos) as the pigments that dry in the rotunda are bright and throughout the game, you see many frescos that have withheld the test of time. Fresco-Secco is something that flakes and does not take to the stone and tends to fade in time. Many known Buon Frescos still survive today, while those of the Secco style are beginning to fall to the test of time.

Buon Frescos are also a race against time. They are wet plaster; you have one chance to place the colour and limited hours to ensure it is correct. There is little margin for error, and any misstep can be detrimental to the lime or the workstone itself. Most Buon Frescos are finished within a day, if not hours, and large images are done in sections so the artist can control the drying time. These frescos are customarily used to tell and hold religious information or cultural context rather than any lettering, as writing does not hold up in the lime. Yet, names are rarely lost to time for those who create large frescos due to the amount of work and money they require. 

Novels - Words on parchment and circulated wildly on paper or wrapped in leather. Historically, literature was much more anonymous, as typically, stories written and published were retellings of religious stories or publications of travels. Secular novels were not the norm, but they did exist and did not have the same support of religious arts. Bards and Scops would generally tell the stories far and wide, rather than an author making a living off those works.

Novels and books overall would take days or weeks to edit, and copies would either be crudely copied or printed off a smaller press, leaving them open to errors or changes depending on the printer. Printers would also print regardless of who asked, with no regard to medium - instead, wanting to be paid for the work. Hand copying would be tiresome and expensive. 

Frescos take hours to dry; words take hours to edit - Solas has seven completed new frescos and one incomplete by the end of DAI - Varric has seven completed books and one incomplete by the end of DAI. 

Opposing art forms do not make a foil; however, the duality of how these forms work must not be overlooked. Both are considered fast art forms; one must be completed quickly, while the other can be completed quickly, which is not always true. One is a man out of time, lost to the art form he is reviving, and the other is a wash in time and written word, as if they, too, will not be lost in the river of time.

Foils and Names --

Solas - from Old Irish for Light. Canonically - Pride

Varric - from Old German, wandering power or leader who defends  Canonically - not given

I love linguistics. This doesn’t need an explanation. 

They both carry a multitude of titles, and I am not going to unpack DATV’s wrench in it. However, the titles they carry can be considered of an astral one for one and an earthly variance for the other. However, considering their paradox at the end of it all - that too can be flipped if one frames it just so. 

Foils and Finality --

This was written before DATV, and I’m not changing a word:

Fates and Finality are always hard, but the long march towards the ending of a story that one man cannot put down as the other tries to repair the wrongs of a past, and they can be swapped. Grief is a funny five-lettered word that makes the most settled and structured person reach in desperation. 

Pain is a shared medium between the pair; loss is something that they have known and cradled in a deep-cutting way; however, one who wallows isn’t living; it is the one who is walking who is. 

[sxrensxngwrites]

The Inner Circle Crushing on Someone from a Different Background -- Part One

this request comes from anon, who asks: 'Head canons for the main dragon age squard (if you feel up to it of course!!!!) About them crushing on someone from a different background (example: cullen and someone rich)'

I ended up splitting this up because I got carried away... my bad. If you want any of these to be revisited or you want me to go into more detail, feel free to shoot me another ask! The same can be said you want DA characters from different games. I ended up omitting the portion of the post with Solas, Varric, and Vivienne for various reasons, but if anyone wants to see those: please send me an ask and i'll try my best to get to it.

Part One (Blackwall, Cassandra, Cole) Part Two (Cullen, Dorian, The Iron Bull) Part Three (Josephine, Leliana, Sera)

BLACKWALL:

Blackwall is a good example of “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Or that’s what he thinks at least. Despite his efforts to join in on the group atmosphere in the Inner Circle of Inquisition, I think he sticks to what he knows best: being on his own. 

In the instance of meeting his opposite, I don’t think it’s necessarily someone from a different social or economic standing (although that could be true as well). In this case, Blackwall meets someone who is the embodiment of community. Someone who truly believes that being around like-minded individuals brings out the best in everyone–someone who believes in second chances and inclusion. Said someone would also be less militant than Blackwall, likely having grown up in a community or place that didn’t require them to be fighting at every chance.

When Blackwall begins to catch feelings, he thinks it’s a pipe dream. To him, it’s unreasonable that someone like him–a liar, stuck in self-imposed exile–would be deserving of someone so open minded and forgiving. He shoves every thought he has away, resorting to isolating himself more. He doesn’t want to ruin anything else.

His crush, being someone that believes in inclusion, would refuse to leave Blackwall out (even not knowing the circumstances of his isolation). They would pull him right back into the fray of the Inner Circle and whatever shenanigans they get into in between quests. Their insistence on including Blackwall makes him believe that he really might have a chance after all.

CASSANDRA:

Cassandra has an interesting relationship with her social status. She’s technically in line for the Nevarran throne, but she wanted nothing to do with the nobility. She gave up that claim and gave herself to the Seekers of Truth–but even there she couldn’t remain unremarkable. Cassandra is so good at most everything she does, so she finds standing at the right hand of Divine Justinia. 

Cassandra would likely find interest in someone who came from a different station than she did: humble beginnings and no titles. She finds it refreshing. There’s no nonsensical rituals that need to be done every time they speak, and the lack of formality makes her feel like she’s being treated like a real person. For her to even develop feelings in the first place, the object of her affection would need to be able to stand on their own–she likes someone who doesn’t hide behind orders, organizations, and titles.

When Cassandra meets anyone at all, she doesn’t dare bring up her family name. This is especially the case with someone who catches her interest–and especially if they have nothing to do with the nobility at all. Cassandra wants to be perceived for herself and her skills, rather than the family that has come before her. Not to mention, getting Cassandra to talk about her family history takes a considerable amount of trust.

It takes months of traveling together for Cassandra to begin to let her walls down. When she sees that this person she might have feelings for can be their own person, fights for what they believe in, and stands up against the unjust, she starts to let her own walls down. Sharing her past, her family and her titles is the next step for her–it’s probably the best sign of trust you could get from her. That trust is enough for her to see her crush in a serious light–that this is someone who understands her for who she is, rather than where she came from. 

COLE:

Cole’s origins are so different from the rest of the Inner Circle, having been the amalgamation of a spirit and a human boy. He doesn’t really remember the life that preceded him joining the Inquisition, and his days are shaped by the people that he’s helped rather than the things that happened. Everything about him is rough around the edges since he was never taught much of anything.

When Cole meets his crush, many of the Inner Circle think it’s a disaster waiting to happen–of course he decided to fall for someone with a very prestigious upbringing. They have a noble background and were always taught to be on their best behavior. Even around their friends, they’re formal and use proper titles. It takes a while for it to begin to wear off (only after Varric has insisted that it’s okay that they use first names).

Cole is immediately attracted to them. He doesn’t entirely understand the formalities, but the way that they speak to him on the same level as they do everyone else makes him feel special. That’s how it begins; He enjoys being treated with respect. They’ll even call him “Ser Cole” even though he doesn’t have a real title. And to them, Cole’s interest in everything is adorable. It’s so different from all the possible matches in the nobility. They often turn their noses up at everything, but Cole seems to find joy in even the smallest things.

The relationship begins smoothly. Most of the Inner Circle thinks it’s sweet, so there’s little objection. It’s likely the family of Cole’s love that objects. When they meet, Cole is immediately overwhelmed–all the unspoken rules that are going over his head, and the copious feelings he’s hearing all at once. The evening is a disaster, likely culminating in a family member saying something heinous to Cole. After that Cole begins to think that maybe he’s not worthy of loving someone like them, that it’d be easier to give it up just so he’d never have to do that again. Yet, his love finds meaning in the smaller things, and they’re willing to give up everything they grew up with if it means getting to stay with Cole.

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE

[corseque]

It is wild that DA4 is going to be the first DA game for lots of people and their first impression of Solas will be this badass hot god. Meanwhile, we will always remember him as the unassuming hobo that stealthily stole our hearts. Some stories are about discovering the people inside the monster, others about finding out that your lover has claws. Do you think that Lavellan knowing him first as Solas, rather than the wolf, is core to their romance? From a writing perspective?

Yeah, I do! Their love story is a fairy tale. Their love story is about a mortal falling in love with an immortal god who is in disguise, and loving him just for himself, despite thinking he is powerless and poor and “nondescript.” And this is why I get a little feral when people talk shit about how Solas looks, like... that’s a key part of the love story, lads! congrats for being too shallow to pass the test of noticing the value of the god disguised as the bald homeless man, this simple test found in a hundred fairy tales. All of the conversations between Solas and Dorian and Vivienne about appearances and fashion and using how you look to invoke a certain response, all of those manipulations really worked on you. You learned nothing from Beauty and the Beast. Deceived by appearances. Beauty is found without, I guess.

What also makes me laugh about this is that Solas’ sense of pride in himself and his own worth is absolutely, utterly divorced from his appearance. He is dressed in rags and delights in it. He doesn’t give a shit. Literally nothing could make him think differently about himself. Your opinion means nothing. His opinion of himself is a conversation that he is holding only with himself.

At the same time, I don’t think there is a difference between Solas and the Old Wolf. That capability within himself is an inseparable part of who he is. I remember him being my favorite in part because there was this incongruous ruthlessness that came out of this kind gentle wise wizard sometimes that surprised and delighted me. Long before the ending of the game, I knew he had claws. I just didn’t know how long they were, or that the wolf was quite so large.

As to how he’ll be portrayed to a new audience, sorry if this doesn’t address your exact question, I’m kind of rambling with too many thoughts.

But this is something I’ve been thinking a lot about since Tevinter Nights dropped with new info about the tone they’re going to use to portray him in DA4. With the shockingly light (but at the same time, dark) tone of his appearance in Tevinter Nights, it seems like the #1 goal of this character is to keep him humanized the way you knew him in Inquisition. I think they understand that his humanity is what’s the true draw of the emotional reaction to his character. They are constantly (and I feel, kind of desperately, against the great tide of the fandom) working now simply to remind the audience that he’s a person and not a great monster. There’s a story 100% dedicated to exploring what Solas’ true internality and regrets were in Inquisition. There’s a story that had Solas dress up in a mask and ringlet curls and use a “oui oui” French accent as an elaborate disguise, and Solas gets called out for doing it and he gets all sheepish about it. He still a person. “He’s always someone who can be like that,” as Weekes says. He’s dark but light, unintentionally funny but tragic, all sorts of diametrically opposed opposites contained in one single person.

I’ll probably get disagreement about this (and I do think that in certain key plot scenes he was being sneaky), but especially from listening to the interviews, I don’t think it was the canon writing intent that Solas The Apostate Mage was a fabricated lie of a personality, or something Solas lives above and pretends to lower himself to be. I think Solas in Inquisition is pretty much his true self, who he would exist as without any of the bullshit going on. “Solas” is really his name, that’s what he called himself long before he was called anything else. And because his story is so un-guessable, he barely concedes to the need to lie in Inquisition. He doesn’t really need to give a grand or constant performance, and he doesn’t pretend to agree with you at any point if he doesn’t agree with you. “The most interesting thing about the trickster god is that he’s actually not that great a liar” as Weekes says about him. He does wear masks, especially his “polite mask,” but Solas even admits that Lavellan sees the real truth under it. So the real truth was and is there to be seen.

In Tevinter Nights, when he’s actually trying his best to hide and wearing a mask, Charter calls him out and he removes it, showing his true (mildly embarrassed) face. So this is telling us - he’s not a character who can’t be known. And he’s still the character we know he is.

It’s a difficult balancing act, to have a god of deception and to get people to genuinely care about them. So Solas as a character lives in genuineness and dips his toe in fabrication, because the writers know that genuineness will resonate with an audience. When he talks, he genuinely deeply cares about what he’s talking about. When he’s passionate, those are his true passions. Those are genuinely the opinions that he has.

All of this is to say (and sorry that I was rambling here to try to get my thoughts in order) that in DA4, I think even the new players may see his humanity. Weekes talks in interviews about how important it is for them to remember his humanity, even while writing Low Approval Solas. So I’m sure there will be moments where the new audience will want to play the previous game just to know more about him. Especially after Tevinter Nights, I don’t think Weekes will be able to resist trying to give that experience to everyone, not just the people who played the other game. 

[blind-alchemists]

Meta-Analysis of the Rift Mage Specialization

I said in February I was going to do it, and it only took me seven months to follow through!

Anyway. Analyzing game-play elements for narratives purposes has become somewhat of a hobby of mine ever since I really got into GameLit. Then, I started "fangs" and felt that my fight scenes were boring, so I build ability trees reminiscent of DA:I's for my OCs. You know, as you do. During that process, though, the lack of banter acknowledging several choices struck me as odd. Especially regarding specializations. Especially when it comes to Solas'.

We’ll be taking a look at (in order)

1. Description

2. Codex Entry

3. Skills

a. in comparison to DA: II’s Primal & Force Mage

4. Specialization Dialogue with Solas

5. Conclusion

Disclaimer: I talk a lot (this post might have about 2.5k). And, I promise you, you'll be tired of seeing 'the Fade this' and 'the Veil that' at the end of it.

Description

“These mages draw upon the force of the Fade, either pulling matter from the Fade to attack or twisting the Veil itself into a weapon to stagger or crush their enemies.”

[source – DA wiki; bolding mine]

So, lore-wise, mages do ‘draw upon the Fade’. Sure. But do they ‘pull matter from the Fade’? Absolutely not.

Physical things and the Fade rarely mix well. Plus – this is mainly my theory – the way magic is utilized (the 'drawing upon the Fade part') requires it to pass through the Veil. Magic being a form of energy, and thus not physical, does not constitute to ‘pulling matter from the Fade’.

That's the first thing other mages (read: Dorian, Vivienne, possible the Inquisitor) should (or could) have referenced in banter/dialogue.

The rest of the sentence ('twisting the Veil into a weapon') is also highly interesting, since there is little known about the Veil. Nobody knows how it works. And, thus, nobody should be capable enough to manipulate it consistently enough to use it as a weapon. But considering it's Solas who gets this specialization - well. He knows the Veil well enough, don't you think? (Which is why I think Rift Mage should have been Solas' personal, individual specialization like Fenris' Lyrium Ghost, but I just really like personalized skill trees in general.)

However, having answered that question, connecting magic so closely to the very thing can be described as a “magical vibration that repels the Fade”, I'm curious about how it would work. Since, you know, mages are inevitably tied to the Fade. Wouldn't the Veil repel a try to manipulate it by a mage? Is using mana the same thing as drawing energy from the Fade? If so, it would be straight-up impossible to actually use such a method for any ordinary mage (read: not Solas). If mana can be used without the Fade, it would be possible, but is such a thing feasible? Can you switch between spells and Veil quickly enough without horrific consequences such as possibly tearing yourself apart?

Very interesting topic. Would love to go into it more, but at that point, I'd become subjective, so let's end it here.

To summarize: Rift mages do things (physically pulling things from the Fade plus using the Veil) normal mages don't do. There is also a chance, logically speaking, that no one else but Solas (or mage!Inquisitor) can accomplish such a feat without dying a horrific death.

Codex Entry

From "Power Bleeds: Harness the Flow." Your Trainer's words make one passage stand out:

There are no tomes dedicated to this manipulation. There has been no time for academics, only the practical—and not in a manner that mitigates risk. Power in a raw form has found an outlet, both visible and in ways that only we of arcane proclivity can sense. The risk is great.

An account:

From this page forward, these are the notes of Thelric. They began as the work of my mentor Julion, and I will continue in the research she began, as she cannot, because she is dead. The rift we were examining did not react well to her last investigation. We believed ourselves prepared for demonic manifestation. We were not prepared for how the energies we expected would be encountered. Well-versed in the forces that magic can produce, my senior was surprised by an alteration, a deviance. That which previously had to be coaxed is now a flood that must be staunched. The same amount in different intensity, quick to expose fault in the way it is accessed. She drew too much, expecting resistance. There was none, and her form suffered the brunt. Tread carefully in studies of new matters, for I cannot unsee the end of her.

Scattered symbols and sketches follow.

[source – DA wiki; bolding mine]

Apparently DA:I has a thing for hiding the true horror in Codex Entries and off-hand comments.

Here, we learn one key fact: The school of Rift Magic is relatively new ('no tomes dedicated to this manipulation'). I think it's safe to assume the possibility - and thus research concerning it - emerged around the time the Breach appeared. So it's new, people have no idea what they're doing, but it somehow works. A little like the whole time magic thing, funnily. (That brings me back to a lot of questions I have about the Veil: Just how powerful is it? Just how deeply is it intervened with Thedas?)

Reading further, the entry seems to (only) stress how dangerous Rift Magic is. Who would have thought! No, really, it's a fair point to empaphize. I'm not certain the Trainer and his previous teacher (or anyone else but Solas) know what kind of role the Veil plays in this, and so of course experiments are going to get ugly. The Veil holds a much greater importance than the people of Thedas realize.

And, in a very similar vein: The people of Thedas don't know much about directly interacting with the Fade through, say, a rift, which poses another risk. The wiki entry establishes two things in particular that are relevant here: Using spells (in the Fade itself) has unpredictable results, and one can draw unprecedented power from it while sleeping.

The codex entry cited above proves that. A rift is a direct connection to the Fade, and thus unpredictable ('She drew too much, expecting resistance. There was none') and that power is too much to handle ('her form suffered the brunt').

My theory is that, while a certain flunction is natural to the Fade, the Veil also plays a role here. Which I'm not sure. But it has one.

Personally, I wouldn't be sure the risks of a horrific death outweigh the benefits of power, but let's look more in depth at that!

Skills

Which brings me to the abilities themselves.

The first two you can choose from are Veilstrike and Stonefist. (Which I think should have had their names changed but, oh, well.)

Veilstrike: “You recreate your own fist from the essence of the Fade and smash nearby foes to the ground.” (Upgrades being Punched Down and Wounded Veil, but they don’t have anything interesting for this analysis. Note the names, though.)

Curious here is the 'recreate [...] from the essence of the Fade' part here. On first glance, it sounds like a rather ordinary spell, right? But it's not. That's just the 'hiding in plain sight for the first playthrough' aspect of Solas' character.

Mages do shape their spells with energy from the Fade (as far as my assumptions go). Maybe they can also recreate something. I'll give them that much. But the essence of the Fade - the inherit, unchanging nature of it - can't be manipulated by them. I think that's specifically a trait only Dreamers can have. (More evidence for my 'Rift Mage should have been Solas' personalized, individual specialization' hc!)

There is an argument to be made if this already constitutes for 'pulling matter from the Fade', but this isn't even the funkiest part yet.

Stonefist: “You summon a boulder from the Fade and smash it into your target, sending them flying.” (Upgrades being Shatterstone and Unblockable Force.)

'Summon a boulder from the Fade', you know, as in, bring physical matter from the Fade to the other side of the Veil. A thing that is pretty much unheard of. Remembers what happens to spirits when they pass violently through the Veil? There is an entire game dealing with that. (I mean, stones won't hopefully turn into demons, but my point is that bringing things through, usually, is not a wise idea.

Another thing someone could have commented on.

Passives: Restorative Veil, Encircling Veil, Smothering Veil, Twisting Veil.

Unfortunately, neither of these descriptions give me much, but they all have the ‘Veil’ component in their name, so that’s interesting.

Upon closer inspection, the Veil can function in a variety of ways: speeding up mana recovery, further weakening enemies, boosting your own damage. (Veilstrike being an example of a means of attack.)

Now, my question here would be: Do over mages notice changes in the Veil? Do they feel it shift and bend? If not, well, that's one thing. if they do, even subconsciously, I'd want banter. (I want a lot of banter, though. Just generally speaking.)

Pull of the Abyss: “You create a tiny rift that pulls enemies toward a central point.” (Upgrades being Shaken Veil and Devouring Veil.)

I can live with never hearing anything about everything else. Sure. But this one? This damned skill? You're telling me I read that the first time I played the game, nodded, and that was it?

'You can create a tiny rift-' I'm sorry, do you what now? After a good a couple of hours of learning just how bad rifts are?

And the upgrade names. Shaken Veil, Devouring Veil - is there anything this thing can't do, except for becoming more and more horrifying and giving me bad vibes ofr whatever DA4 will do with it?

Firestorm: “You summon flaming meteors, raining fire down upon enemies all over the area for the next several seconds. This ability consumes and is powered by focus.”

This one is ... honestly, I don't like it being here. It's an AOE skill, which does fit in with the rest, but it's fire and it seems rather randomly assigned compared to other focus abilities with a more personal note (Haste, Rampagne, Cloak of Shadows, Mark of the Rift).

Doesn't give a lot here to analyze, except that raining down flaming meteors is the level of (global) destruction I can see happening in the future if Solas isn't stopped. So. That's fun.

(It's the ultimate skill in the Fire/Ice tree in DA:II, or at least the ability there has the same name.)

DA: II Comparison

Nearing the end, I'll take a brief look at the Force Mage specialization from DA:II and the Primal base skill tree for mages. Both have some interesting similarities.

First, Primal.

Stonefist: “The mage hurls a stone projectile that strikes with massive force.”

It's only the name and the effect, honestly, but it is curious to see it in a skill tree that focuses exclusively on the elements earth and lightning. (Because Pride demons also use electricity ... yeah, yeah. I'm reading too much into this.)

Petrify: “The mage entombs an enemy in stone, leaving the foe temporarily unable to move. However, the target becomes more resistant to damage for the duration of the spell.”

This has nothing to do with Rift Mage, but in light of Trespasser, I'll just leave it here for your consideration. Petrifying people is neither new nor exclusive to Evanruis.

Now, onto Force Mage.

Fist of the Maker: “The mage slams enemies into the ground with incredible power, against which armor is no protection.”

The effect sounds like Stonefist (Primal) and Veilstrike.

Pull of the Abyss: “The mage conjures a maelstrom of energy that draws enemies to its center while slowing them to a crawl.”

This one is similar to the Rift Mage skill with the same name, so it might have served as an inspiration (or base).

Overall, though: nothing much to say here. Maybe I could talk more about Rift Mage being focused on crowd control, but that is probably for game-play balance. I could connect that to Solas' character and analyze every little thing to death. I'm not doing it, though.

Specialization Dialogue

Solas: You have begun practicing new magical forms. Interesting. You seem to be drawing upon the raw substance of the Fade, likely using your mark as a catalyst. I use similar techniques, although it took me years to learn that. Why did you choose such an esoteric area of study?

Inquisitor: (if chosen) I hoped that studying such magic would me help better understand the Fade.

Solas: While our fight affords little time for formal study, the wise can better themselves even in the midst of battle. Perhaps especially then. I hope your new studies serve you well.

[source]

Let’s go through this slowly.

‘You seem to be drawing upon the raw substance of the Fade-’ Alright, we’ve talked about that. Makes sense he’d comment on it. ‘likely using your mark as a catalyst’ Sorry? The Inquisitor is doing what? I’m not saying it’s not possible, I’m just saying it might not be an overly smart idea to use the Anchor in that way. Because it’s attached to the Inquisitor’s arm. And because the Inquisitor knows what happens if it snaps out of control. So, purposefully doing something that might cause you agonizing pain? Mh. Yeah. No, thanks.

Also. The 'drawing upon the raw substance of the Fade' part makes me think that the Anchor does give the Inquisitor Dreamer-like abilities. Forcefully, and possibly difficult to control, and the Inquisitor might not be aware of it, but. That would be an interesting aspect to explore.

‘I use similar techniques, although it took me years to learn that’. Well. Yeah. Mostly a sound response, except I’m not really sure it's true. Why does he say years? Because he didn’t go right to sleep after creating the Veil, or because he studied such methods theoretically beforehand? I doubt he refers to the time Inquisition spans, because it’s not that long, cannocially, (isn't it like ... a year? I forget what the devs said), but … I don’t know. It doesn't sit right with me. Solas never truly outright lies, so there is probably some merit in it.

‘Why did you choose such an esoteric area of study?’ That’s … an interesting way to ask. Sure, there is a very small group who has this specialized knowledge, but it feels a little like deflection.

The rest of the conversation doesn’t give much for me to analyze.

Conclusion

TL;DR: There should have been banter. Or Rift Mage should have been a personalized, individual specialization.

Pull of the Abyss is the funkiest skill in the entire game, from a meta-perspective, because tearing a hole into the Veil is the opposite of what the Inquisitor is trying to do.

There are also many more questions than answer to take away from this regarding the Veil and the Fade and how Solas manages not to blow his cover, but I believe there are theories about at least the two former points out there.

I thank you very much for bearing with me for this long!

[bluewren]

14 Days of DA Lovers - Pride

Pairing: Solas x Taliesen Lavellan

@14daysdalovers

This piece was a strange one for me, because it also confirmed to me that Taliesen lets go of her vallaslin. The both of them talk about the meaning of pushing forward their goals and how there are multiple paths to the same thing. All of this happens right before WPHW, where Tali finally learns to let go of her burdens.

“You take this cause as your own, but have you thought about where this path might lead?”

The two elves sat at the campfire set by their tent. Tired from days of relentless marching in between bouts of fighting with the Red Templars dug into the vast trees of the Arbor Wilds. Their one retreat from war were the endless conversations that they had with one another. 

“Does it matter?” the Inquisitor asks, she wraps her hands to hold her knees tight. “If it’s not me then who else would be able to step up?” She lets out a small huff, “it’s the first time in hundreds of years an elf had the power to affect so much change.”

“Would you be prepared to be hated? To be vilified? And in the end, all your deeds will be undone?” Solas spoke succinctly, knowing fully the possibility of failure but cannot speak of them.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, grabbing her knees closer.

“One must be prepared to sacrifice everything that they are to achieve such a victory,” Solas continued. He sighs, it was a fate he knew too well. He turns to carry over his vhenan’s personal weapon.

There was a momentary shiver and a crickle of his nose when Solas recalled whom this bow was dedicated to. It was a memory long past and the beautiful craftsmanship can not be denied. The weapon had sleek delicate design, shaped from rose gold, its limbs were shaped like daggers swirling out at the tips. The only mark breaking its sleek curves was the inscription, dictating it to be a Gift from Andruil, and a hilt for channelling a magical blade welded to the top.

“But it is not all for nothing,” he places the bow into its owner’s Marked hand. There was much to admire in the skillfulness in which the weapon was restored, “you’ve shown great care in recovering whatever bits of Elvhen history that still exist.” He had a grin that almost met his eyes, “for all that was carelessly lost, some it still remains in this world thanks to what you’ve accomplished.”

With a single finger, he gently presses close the wielder's fingers onto the grip one at a time, and a quick motion from her palm to the top of the bow. He directs the magic of the Orb to run power to the hilt, the beautiful icey blue blade it formed belonged with the night sky.

“And the world is already brighter with what you added to it.”

There was a small snort when Taliesen slowly swivelled her bow hand to watch the finished effort from days of work, it was true that she took a great deal of pride in forging a new life into a weapon so elegantly made. Yet she wondered if such a small act was enough for all her People, she sighs and commands the blade to extinguish.

“It wasn’t my goal to restore items like this one to keep its history,” her eyes gave a slow tired blink, “I wanted to assure that my People didn’t start from nothing when we finally find a place to rebuild.”

“There is still great value in what you have accomplished. That should not be trivialised.”

“Are scraps of what we once were all that we have to look forward to?”

“It isn’t and that’s why your work shouldn’t be trivialised. Scholars and intellectuals are important in building all cultures, battles come in many forms.” Closing his eyes, Solas recalled the details of a war long over, “there was once a scholar who became a warrior to free his people. Through a path of fire and blood, his name was lost and his papers forgotten. Yet he pressed forward, knowing his people needed him to.” 

He presses a kiss on Taliesen’s cheek where the scar crosses her tattoos, hoping one day that this would she carries would heal. “You’ve already lost enough of yourself to the Inquisitor, I would rather that spark for creation not be extinguished too.”

The gesture brings a smile to her face, even as conflicted as she was. “Is that one of the stories spirits tell in the Fade?”

“One of many lost through time,” he hopes the wisdom in what he spoke of can be carried on, his eyes had a tired aged squint looking at the fire. “Everyone has a role to play in the grand story of this world. You need not choose a role that is ill fitting for the needs of everyone else”

“But still... My People have divided out into every corner of Thedas. We wander and aimlessly search for a time that was lost to us,” her fists clenched the bow almost tight enough to snap it into two.  “That scholar was a symbol that his people rallied towards, we don’t have that now. We neglect the suffering of the elves in cities, because we believe them to be lesser. We hope for one day that humans are weakened enough to reclaim our land, and then we keep hoping. That can’t last forever.”

“Then what of the work that Briala and Celene have done? Briala is an admirable woman that has done much for your People, even more so now as our ally. Their work will slowly lead to the world you dream of. Is that not a cause to rally towards?” Solas had a brow raised, positing the question. 

“I want to believe it’s enough, that her work can provide us with a place to rebuild from. But is there nothing more that can be done?” her hands wavers as she reaches for the fire. 

There was a need for light, burning bright as a star in the night sky, inked onto her face and body, a reminder of what her perpetual quest was. Her aspirations to give a future to all her People had left her cold many times, yet her hand still reaches. But it was a hand that now grows bitter and less patient after being denied so many times, and the ink that marks their suffering starts to fade.

Solas held that twitching hand steady, taking the bow out her hand. Taliesen’s goal was one he confided in. Freedom is something that is won, but it was a battle that he wished didn’t burden another soul. His thumb caressing the heart inked to her hand, the markings that she calls for her purpose also binded her to a struggle too heavily for a single person to bear. 

Yet he knew too well that her path wasn’t one that would be easily strayed, he cannot try. Instead, he will provide whatever momentary comfort that she needed, in the time they still had together.

[sky-scribbles]

Party banter with Inquisitor Essek

(Because this ridiculous crossover has taken over my life. A brief explanation, as much as explanation is possible: a mis-cast spell has yote a post-campaign Essek through a planar rift and into Thedas, and he happened to land in the Temple of Sacred Ashes. These banters go up to the destruction of Haven, which is why Cole isn’t here - but he will be in later instalments!)

Cassandra: Leliana has found no information about you. Not a thing. Essek: Considering that most mages are met with disgust and imprisonment, it would be... imprudent of me to advertise my presence. Cassandra: Living in secrecy is one thing. Leaving no mark on the world at all is another. Essek: And you would prefer, I think, for all my secrets to be at your disposal.  Cassandra: Are you surprised that I suspect you have something to hide? Essek: Is hostile intent the only possible reason for secrecy, Seeker?

Solas: It would appear that your mark is affecting you physically, Herald. Essek: My hand was not green before, no. Solas: Aside from the obvious. While I tended to you after the conclave, you did not always seem to be asleep. At times, you lapsed into true unconsciousness. At other times, you seemed to trance, half-sleeping. Essek: Ah. Yes. I suppose... the connection to the Fade has altered the way I sleep. I find I can enter these trances at will, as a substitute for sleep. Solas: That is fascinating. The ancient elves could enter an endless dream called uthenera. Perhaps this is a related phenomenon. Essek: So one would assume.

Essek: So, Sera. I was going through  my research notes - Sera: [Sniggering] Essek: And I found that they had been expertly illustrated. Sera: That's what your weird rifty timey magic shite needs. All the butts. Essek: They certainly add interest. Although... that drawing of me closing a rift full of demon butts? You should have shaped my cloak so that it looked like a dick. Sera: [laughs] Like a dick! You're all right, Herald Weirdyhand. Essek: And you are quite the jester.

Varric: How is it you can just walk around pitch-black caves without a problem? Don’t tell me you're part-dwarf and it's stone-sense. Essek: Ah, no. I would assume it is yet another change from the mark. Varric: So this thing lets you fix the sky, and it's a free torch? Who knew that being Andraste's chosen came with a multi-purpose toolkit? Essek: There is no evidence for my being chosen by anything other than political convenience.  Varric: You’re not crazy about the whole Herald business, are you? Essek: About people deciding that I am the mouthpiece of an unproven god who does not speak to anyone, and yet whose name and teachings people use as an excuse for war and conquest, without investigating the truth behind those teachings? No. I am not.

Blackwall: So what does an apostate do, if he's on his own for... I don't know, how many years? Essek: Arcane research, mostly. Why, what does a Grey Warden do when he's on his own for however many years? Blackwall: Kill darkspawn. Recruit for the Wardens. Kill more darkspawn. Essek: And your fellow Wardens do not accompany you? Blackwall: You don't need more than one person to say 'how do you feel about fighting darkspawn for the rest of your life?' Essek: Did you... ever find yourself becoming lonely, in your solitude? Blackwall: I... sometimes, I suppose. Never gave much thought to it. Easier that way. Essek: Mm. I know the feeling.

Dorian: So you think Alexius’s perception of time was fundamentally flawed? Essek: I do. Time is not a straight line, through which one can jump ahead, skip back and rub bits out. Dorian: How would you have done it differently? Aside from the whole ‘conjure a world infested with red lyrium and catastrophe’ part. Essek: Imagine time as a branching thing. Every choice we make causes potential timelines to fade into non-existence. Essek: But their potential remains, waiting to be tapped. Alexius should have attempted to manifest a timeline in which I was never here, rather than removing me from this one. Dorian: Well, don’t tell everybody how to make it work. Wouldn’t want them to get ideas. Though perhaps you’d like to compare notes, later? Essek: I... would like that. 

Vivienne: You carry yourself remarkably well, Herald. Almost like nobility. Essek: Only 'almost'? I shall have to try harder. Vivienne: And despite your youth, you deflect personal inquiries with the deftness of a seasoned player of the Game. Quite remarkable, from a hedge mage. Essek: I'm mildly curious: 'hedge mage'? Vivienne: A self-taught mage, dear. One who has gone without the instruction of a Circle, or even a Dalish clan. If you ever require tuition, I am at your disposal. Essek: I’m sure you are. But I am not especially interested in whatever you think you have to teach.

Sera: You’re proper weird, you are. You go all swanny around the noble piss-bags, all smiles and pretty words like Lady Josie, but you put teeth in it, like Vivvy. Essek: Like Vivienne? I should hope not. Sera: And then you screw the nobs over like Josie does, ‘cept she makes them love her for it and you make them scared. Leliana kind of scared. Essek: When people don’t know you, or what to make of you, they fear you. It makes them... malleable. It’s something I’ve learned to use. As has Leliana, it would seem.

Varric: You doing all right, Smiles? Essek: 'Smiles'? An intriguing choice. Varric: Same reasoning as Iron Lady and Sparkler. Meet as many messes as I have, and you get good at spotting masks. Essek: Indeed? Varric: You fell out of the sky, got attacked by a shit ton of demons and put in charge of an army, and never once stopped smiling. Kind of impressive, actually. Essek: Thank you. Varric: Also, creepy as shit. 

Solas: I'm curious about your name, Herald. Essek: My name? It's Essek. Sera: [laughs] Solas: I meant that it isn't elven, though your family name sounds very like it. Solas: ‘Thelyss’. I wonder if it is is a result of syllables from the name 'Lethallas' being lost and altered over the years. It means, 'a gift to one's kin.' Essek: Ha. Solas: You don't find that likely? Essek: Me being a gift to my kin? Highly unlikely.

Iron Bull: So, boss, what do you make of my guys? Essek: They clearly have an array of talents. Iron Bull: Oh, come on. I didn't ask for what the Herald thought of his new recruits, I asked what you make of my guys. Essek: Very well. They are... unusual. Enthusiastic. I think that some would underestimate them, some would be thrown off-balance by them, and many would do both. Iron Bull: Ha. Yeah, we like to keep people guessing.  Essek: I like them. They are... lively.

Sera: I don’t get it. You can screw over noble shite-faces without being scary. And you’re not scary! I know you and you’re not scary, so why be scary? Essek: Well, I don’t find you scary either, Sera. But I’m sure our enemies do, when they’re on the wrong end of your arrows. Sera: That’s different things, though. I learned arrows because arrows mean nobs are dead and I’m not. Essek: Exactly. Like you, I have had to fight for survival in my own ways. And unlike you, for a long time, I was without friends. Sera: So... you learned how to do scary because you’re scared? Essek: I would say more... aware of potential dangers. Sera: So, scared.

Solas: As for your first name, the final syllable is not even a sound that occurs in elven. Is it Qunlat? One of your parents is Qunari, I assume? Essek: Ah. Yes, of course. Solas: So it is Qunlat? Iron Bull: Nah, that’s not Qunlat, whatever it is. Almost sounds like it, though. Kinda like ‘isskari’. Name for Ben-Hassrath who get hold of weird magic crap. Essek: Oddly appropriate. But since I'm not in contact with my family, the truth shall have to remain a mystery.

Blackwall: Are you all right, Herald? Essek: Fine, thank you. I simply have somewhat sensitive eyes and skin, and it is a very bright day. Blackwall: If you need to stop, I could... I don’t know. Hold a shield over your head? Essek: I appreciate it, but no, thank you. It is tolerable. Blackwall: Didn’t meant to offend. Essek: It is all right. I - [sighs] I apologise. That would help, if you could. Years of solitude have made me... reliant on my own self-reliance, I suppose.  Blackwall: I know what you mean. Shield parasol it is, then.

Sera: Don’t need to be scared, right? Anyone gives you shit, I give ‘em arrows. Or just pies. Or worms in their shoes. Essek: [chuckles] Thank you, Sera. Please do. Sera: Did think you were scary at first, you know.  Essek: What changed your mind? Sera: Scary wouldn’t grin when I drew butts on things.  Essek: ... Are you at all fond of cupcakes, Sera?

[roguelioness]

OC questionnaire

Tagged by @noire-pandora and @cleverblackcat - thank you! ♥

Tagging @kagetsukai, @ma-sulevin, @rosella-writes, @shannaraisles, @thevikingwoman, @redinkofshame, @wickedwitchofthewilds, @hoochieblues, @a-shakespearean-in-paris, @ejunkiet, @hoochieblues, @iarollane, @funkypoacher

THE BASICS

Character’s name: Neria Lavellan

Role in story: Reluctant Inquisitor, even more reluctant Herald.

Physical description: Neria is short (5′4) with a slender, willowy build that only marginally improves once she has access to regular meals. She has platinum-blond hair and forest-green eyes, both of which were part of the reason she chose Ghilan’nain’s vallaslin. There’s a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks that deepens in color with increased sun exposure. She bears an assortment of scars of all shapes and sizes covering the length of her body.

MBTI/Enneagram Personality Type:

ISFJ [the Defender] -  The Defender personality type is quite unique, as many of their qualities defy the definition of their individual traits. Though sensitive, Defenders have excellent analytical abilities; though reserved, they have well-developed people skills and robust social relationships; and though they are generally a conservative type, Defenders are often receptive to change and new ideas. As with so many things, people with the Defender personality type are more than the sum of their parts, and it is the way they use these strengths that defines who they are.

Type 6 [The Loyalist] - The committed, security-oriented type. Sixes are reliable, hard-working, responsible, and trustworthy. Excellent "troubleshooters," they foresee problems and foster cooperation, but can also become defensive, evasive, and anxious—running on stress while complaining about it. They can be cautious and indecisive, but also reactive, defiant and rebellious. They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion. At their Best: internally stable and self-reliant, courageously championing themselves and others.

INTERNAL LIFE

What is their greatest fear?

Loneliness. Neria had a typical childhood, with friends she played often with, and she never felt alone. Once she she developed magic, however, she had to train to control her power and could not spend as much time with her playmates and so grew apart from them. Being appointed First made that gap wider. Even though she was well-liked by everyone in her clan, she often felt quite alone. In the Inquisition she made good friends who gave her a place where she felt like she belonged, and a lover who offered her the security she so desperately desired. Losing either would be painful; losing both would send her  spiraling into misery.

Inner motivation:

She strives to do what’s right. She went to the Conclave because the hunter who was to go was in love and wanted to get married, and it did not seem fair to her. She joined the Inquisition because the Breach needed to be closed, and Corypheus needed to be defeated. It is also why she strive to redeem Solas, even though several of her friends would rather see him killed.

Kryptonite:

Indecision. She worries often if the decisions she makes are the right ones, especially around the war table where a wrong choice can have disastrous consequences.

What is their misbelief about the world?

That humans are inherently selfish and are only concerned with their own gain.

Lesson they need to learn:

That despite doing her best she cannot control the outcome of situations.

What is the best thing in their life?

Her friends. All of them come from varied backgrounds and they have helped broaden her mind and her experiences. More importantly, they’ve given her a place where she feels truly welcome.

What is the worst thing in their life?

The shattering of her beliefs. Learning what she did at the Temple of Mythal shook her greatly. Everything that happened after - learning she was bound to a mostly-dead goddess, the truth of the vallaslin, the truth of the previous Inquisitor, the truth of the elven gods - it stripped away all of the things she had once been secure in, and leaves her incredibly uncertain and out-of-control.

What do they most often look down on people for?

Intolerance, and judging people based on what they look like. She also dislikes people who are inflexible and rigid.

What makes his/her/their heart feel alive?

The small moments. Sunrise over the Frostbacks. Wildflowers near the road. Laughter over mugs of ale. Quiet conversation around a campfire. Holding hands with a lover, fingers twined. 

What makes them feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?

Compassion and understanding. Though she misses Solas terribly she won’t say he’s the last person who offered her love because she knows there are different types of love. Her friends make her feel loved in their own ways, and she appreciates that.

Top three things they value most in life?

Knowledge, compassion, patience.

EXTERNAL LIFE:

Is there an object they can’t bear to part with?

A necklace that belonged to her great-great grandmother. It’s a circular disc of halla horn onto which is carved a rune of protection, hanging from a leather cord. Her great-great-grandfather, who was the clan’s keeper at the time, made it for his wife, and it was passed down to the eldest. She offered it to Solas, but he knew how much it meant to her and instead suggested she make one like it for him - which she did.

Describe a typical outfit from top to bottom.

She tends to favor simple cuts, but develops a fondness for fabric. Highever weave, royale sea silk, imperial vestment cotton and dales loden wool are some of her favorites. She prefers tunics and pants, with some amount of embroidery, and her boots are well-crafted and sturdy.

What names or nicknames have they been called through their life?

What is their method of manipulation?

- Da’len (her parents, adults in the clan, the Keeper)

- Silver (Varric)

- Ner-bear (Dorian, though Bull uses it to annoy her)

- Fenor (Solas)

Neria doesn’t actively manipulate; most of the time she uses the way other people view her against them. She knows a great many people see her as only a knife-ear, as uneducated and unintelligent and “savage”, so she’ll play into that, all the while gaining information from them that she passes on to Leliana and Josephine.

In battle, her small size and build means she can remain hidden as she attacks. If someone does attempt to fight her they soon discover she’s not as weak as she appears to be.

Describe their daily routine.

With clan Lavellan it was more relaxed; there would always be some time spent learning, mending, aiding other people, but there was no routine set in stone.

With the Inquisition, her routine varies wildly depending on whether she’s out on the field, or at Skyhold. Even at Skyhold no two days are the same. The only things she sticks to for herself is an hour or reading in the morning (usually with tea) and dinner with Solas.

Their go-to cure for a bad day?

Hot, fragrant tea, lots of finger foods, a trashy novel.

GOALS:

How are they dissatisfied with their life?

Post-Inquisition she’s lost, and steadily gets more so. Everything she thought she knew turned out to be wrong, and she struggles with regaining some of that sense of self.

What would bring them true happiness or contentment?

Security. A sense of steadiness. A place that she can call her own, where she doesn’t have to be alone. 

What definitive step could they take to turn their dream into a reality?

Neria wishes she knew. She could go and create a home for herself, but she would be alone. Or she could go after Solas to demonstrate to both of them that they don’t have to be alone, but it means she can’t have a home. She doesn’t know how she can get both.

How has their fear kept them from taking this action already?

She tries her best, but between the loss of her arm and the knowledge that Solas is so much more powerful than her, she fears she won’t be able to succeed.

How do they feel they can accomplish their goal while still steering clear of the thing they are afraid of?

She very deliberately does not think about it. When she does, she thinks about what Varric once said: heroes don’t get happy endings. (She hopes, desperately, that he’s wrong).

[phylophe]

I did another full playthrough of Dragon Age (well I still have Trespasser left but I know how it’s gonna go down for my inquisitor). I call this the Footshooter worldstate because while for the Canon worldstate I’d picked characters who I thought would make a good protagonist, these three are mostly just stumbling into things, trying their best, and often shooting themselves in the feet.

Templates by Marian Churchland.

More of each character’s key decisions and notable notes under the cut.

Eryth Surana

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Themes: Freedom. Experience. Fulfilment

Specialisation / Build: Mage - SPIRIT HEALER > Blood Mage

Other significant decisions:

Gave the guard’s lunch to the prisoner at Ostagar

Sacrificed Isolde to go into the Fade herself and free Connor

Brought along Genetivi, preserved the Urn of Sacred Ashes, let Genetivi go back to report to the Chantry

Agitated Ruck to the point that she had to kill him, then told his mother the truth

Helped Burkel form the Chantry in Orzammar

Recommended Dagna to the Circle

[Stone Prisoner] Refused to agree to Kitty’s terms and solve the puzzle, killing Kitty and getting Amalia killed

[Warden’s Keep] Killed Sophia and had Avernus continue his research ethically

Kept Alistair softened, hardened Leliana

Was not betrayed by Zevran when facing off against the Crows in Denerim

Had Alistair duel and execute Loghain

Had Alistair complete the Dark Ritual with Morrigan

Left to travel (with Leliana) after the Landsmeet

Trivia:

She has no memory of life before she was taken in by the Circle.

She belonged to the Libertarian Fraternity in the Circle and was irreverent of the Chantry.

Aside from Leliana, she had the highest approval with Sten of all her companions.

While she had persuasion skills, her emotions and naivete often got the better of her, and ended up escalating many conflicts.

She learned blood magic from Jowan (my headcanon for how she could access the Blood Mage specialisation despite never making a deal with a demon) mostly out of rebellious curiosity.

She hardly used blood magic, but when she was going about Denerim and a group of rogues closed the portcullis behind her and cut her off from her party, she used Blood Wound to kill them all in desperation.

Alistair was the one who got her first kiss, however Leliana was more forward in her advances and ultimately sealed the deal with her.

She was close to allying with Branka, until she mentioned enslaving her people.

She put off going back to the Circle for as long as possible.

She lost against Ser Cauthrien and was imprisoned with Alistair; she decided to break out, and met Morrigan and Leliana on the way.

While she gathered all the evidence and people to speak out against Loghain at the Landsmeet, she got too emotional, and the event devolved into an all-out brawl before the duel was called by Grand Cleric Elemena.

She disliked Anora, but prioritised Alistair’s happiness to remain as a warden and his reluctance to be crowned king.

Despite her distaste for the Circle and her disagreements with Wynne, she had confidence in the senior mage’s abilities and put her in charge of the defence team during the final battle.

She called on the dwarven army for most of the final battle, but had the mages fight by her side against the Archdemon.

Ilya Hawke

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -> True Neutral

Themes: Survival. Spite. Perseverance

Specialisation / Build: Warrior - REAVER > Warmonger

Other significant decisions:

Worked for the Red Iron mercenaries

Returned the cargo of poison to Martin

Killed Kelder

Matchmade for Aveline and Donnic

Killed Idunna

Sent Feynriel to the Dalish, freed him from the Fade demons, and he went to Tevinter

Gave Ketojan back to the Qunari

Spared Gascard

Of Yevhen’s sons, saved Merin instead of Iwan

Made it clear to Isabela that he intended to return the relic to the Qunari; she ran away and did not return

Killed Javaris

Duelled the Arishok

Told Emile to escape

Did not fight Merrill’s clan, thus they survived

Had Merrill destroy the Eluvian

Had Bartrand killed and did not give Varric the red lyrium shard

Betrayed by and killed Fenris in the final battle

Trivia:

He was aggressive towards most people, but almost always diplomatic and forgiving when it came to family, and often held back his temper with authoritative figures.

While he wasn’t intentionally hostile to his friends, he also didn’t mince words and tended to be brutally honest.

Before Isabela fled, she was his rogue-of-choice for the party.

His closest friend among his companions was Anders, closely followed by Fenris. He had high rivalry with Merrill and moderate rivalry with both Isabela and Aveline.

At the start he would do anything to ensure his and his family’s survival at Kirkwall; once he got comfortable and secure he tried to do better morals-wise.

He stood for mage rights for the sake of Bethany and the freedom he thought she and people like her deserved.

He befriended Alistair on the basis of his looking after Bethany after she became a Warden.

He executed Anders as a mercy-kill. He disapproved of his actions, but was sympathetic of his motives, and would rather his friend dies at his hands than anyone else’s.

He was heavily scarred (his face included) from the final battle at the Gallows, since he no longer had Anders with him, on whom he had heavily relied since the start.

Veika Cadash

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -> Neutral Good

Themes: Hope. Renewal. Inspiration

Specialisation / Build: Rogue - TEMPEST > Double Daggers

Other significant decisions:

Declared the inquisition be led under her name, but eventually became devout

Upgraded Skyhold with a Chantry garden, a training ring, and a Mage tower

At Theinfal Redoubt, raised the flags in descending order of people, Chantry, Templar

Dissuaded Cullen from continuing to take lyrium

Went the long and diplomatic route to deal with Josephine’s assassins

Retrieved Blackwall the complicated way, using underground connections to avoid bloodshed

Freed Blackwall as Thom Rainier for him to atone

Helped Solas free his friend

Made Cole more human

Saved the Bull’s Chargers thus making Bull Tal-Vashoth

Saw Sutherland’s group succeed and stand on their own

Killed Imshael

Pursued Calpernia through the fissure, thus disrespecting the rituals at the Temple of Mythal and antagonised the guardians

Convinced Calpernia to betray Corypheus

Leliana inspired (softened) and made Divine

[Jaws of Hakkon] Shared the truth about Ameridan

[Trespasser] Freed Ataashi

[Trespasser] Wants to stop Solas

[Trespasser] Inquisition disbanded

Trivia:

She initially had reservations about divine intervention in her circumstances, but gradually became inspired by Andraste, and grew to believe in the Maker’s will.

She was close with Sera, but they grew apart as she became more devout and open-minded about history and beliefs. They broke up over an argument following the events at the Temple of Mythal.

She’s on decent terms with all her companions, but liked Cassandra and Dorian the most.

While she was grateful for her life in the Carta, she saw being the inquisitor as a precious chance for a new life and becoming a better person, and eventually embraced the role and all that it entailed.

She had experience in dabbling with alchemical concoctions even before she took the Tempest specialisation; her hair was bleached as a result of this.

She favoured Leliana’s suggestions at the war table.

She preferred exile and deferral (e.g. referring to precedence, giving Erimond to the Wardens) in judgement.

Initially she led the Inquisition under her own identity, but eventually led by faith.

She allowed Hawke to take the fall for Alistair as that was what Hawke would want, since Alistair watched over his sister and he had otherwise very little left to lose.

She didn’t want nor care to kill all the dragons, as she believed they were there first and people should learn to compromise.

[felassan]

Endless DA4 BtS vid thoughts

The speed lines around the rogue in “Action Shot” remind me of like, passive rogue skills/abilities that increase movement speed or evasion chance. Or maybe a mage has cast Haste?

The elf guy’s staff is quite simple and not really being wielded in a mage-archtypal way. The thing I’m reminded of here is how Irian Cestes, a rogue-like elf from Tevinter Nights, is an expert staff-fighter. She also taught Vadis, a mage, some staff-fighting tactics.

About the airship shot: doesn’t the giant statue head bear a bit of resemblance to this one, which is located in the crypt of a wealthy Nevarran? I’m also reminded of the Dead Hand, a big stone hand which is a landmark in the Exalted Plains in the Dales. According to the lore, it is “something of a mystery”. It’s assumed that “it is a piece broken off from a larger whole”, a much larger sculpture. But where was the rest of the statue? “It is difficult to imagine how something so large could go missing.” The Wiki presents 2 theories about how the hand got there (see Trivia section). The second one is especially notable given the elfy-ness of and floating objects in this piece of concept art and the fact that we know floating objects from the time of Arlathan fell when Solas raised the Veil and disrupted the magic (ambient dialogue in Trespasser etc).

While we’re on the subject of that shot - floating, floating.. Some objects like chandeliers and buildings float in Tevinter. Levitation magic is part of established lore. It’s also a hallmark of the Fade, ancient Arlathan, the Crossroads. But also! In Descent, Renn tells a story of a soldier of his that once got lost in the Deep Roads for three days after falling down a hole. After they found her, she spent a whole day telling them of the strange things she had seen: “A golden longboat floating in the air... packs of hairless children hunting nugs... a giant skeleton on a throne”. They never found out if it was true, and she had forgotten it all when she woke up the next day. Floating longboats?

On reflection, if Warden Davrin is a companion, I think I’d like him to be a rogue rather than a warrior. In main games, we’ve had warrior Warden companions (Alistair and essentially Blackwall) and a mage Warden companion (Anders). Rogue pls to complete the set. (Awakening expansion notwithstanding). If he’s a rogue, could he be the third from the left figure in the lineup?

According to Google, “Bellara” is an Australian town/place name, a word of Aboriginal origin. The meaning is apparently “good”, or “magnificent / majestic” (India), but I can’t say how reliable that information is. I can’t really find anything for Davrin (not that there necessarily would have to be anything obviously).

If Skellington is Audric: Audric as an entity is a “higher dead”, seemingly a spirit that needed to find balance between its two aspects, Curiosity and Anger, or else he’s “caught between two spirits: anger and curiosity” (compare our previous experiences with Justice/Vengeance, and Wisdom/Pride in All New, Faded For Her). When I was thinking about him though I got hit by the nostalgic memory of speculating about Cole, pre-release but after he’d been confirmed as a companion. His personal quest ended up being a more Spirit vs more Human choice, but I remember speculating if his arc would involve turning more to Compassion or to Despair depending on, for example, the PC’s actions (good choices vs evil choices). Rage might not be the same as Anger, but: in DA lore, Rage demons are noted to be simpler and less devious than other types of demons. At first thinking about the idea I was like ‘hmm’ because that doesn’t sound like a very exciting concept, but then I remembered Scout Grandin in JoH, Harding’s friend who went missing. He, a mage lacking in talent for magic, willingly allowed himself to be possessed by a Rage demon after Hakkonites killed his good friend and attacked his patrol. When you meet him he expresses a wish to fight for the Inquisition, stop their enemies killing more people, and protect the Inquisition’s people. Solas asks him “And what then? Will you stop or will the rage take you?” You can allow him to serve the Inquisition’s cause rather than killing him, and he swears to it. This Rage entity was more complex than the usual ones we encounter, and at the time I found him pretty interesting. I don’t really know what my point is here, especially since Audricuriosity is a very good bean, but there’s an example of how that side of it could work on the PC’s side, and also, yeah, I’ve been punted back into the days when I wondered if Cole’s arc or ‘choice’ in-game would be Compassion vs Despair, and am thinking about Curiosity vs Anger as the dual aspects in maybe-Audric, and what that could be like to explore in a character arc.

And I might have said this somewhere already, but the Grand Necropolis would make a fantastic candidate for a critpath story-heavy mission setting like our explorations through the Temple of Mythal in DAI. I’d be here for them utilizing it in such a way and us discovering tasty lore and !!! revelations and stuff on the way.

[roseategales]

SOLAS & ORPHEUS I: YOUR NAME IS LIKE A MELODY. (THE POWER OF EPITHETS, TITLES, & NAMES.)

                                                           EPITHETS & TITLES:

VGS: Where do you see a character like Solas ending up? Patrick Weekes: [Sighs] Musical theatre.

The above exchange is from an interview with Video Game Sophistry, where Patrick Weekes goes into detail about the creation of Solas and how we ended up with the character and romance we got. Although said in jest, I do believe Weekes honestly recognised that Solas is a character who could easily be adapted to the medium of the stage musical, due to how musicality is baked into the foundations of his story and the world of Dragon Age. In fact, Weekes compares the fantasy and romance of Solavellan to The Phantom of the Opera earlier in the interview, and anyone familiar with Phantom can see the parallels, as Solas and his arc share many tropes and archetypes in common, not just with the Phantom, but with other male characters in musicals. If I told you I was going to see a show about a Morally Conflicted Soldier, a Trickster in Disguise, a Rebel Leader, a Decadent Noble, a Mythic Legend, or a Monster Boyfriend, I’m sure several examples would jump to mind.

Solas is all of these. Layer upon layer, stitched together, and then taken apart, whenever he needs to be whatever he needs to be. And he is also, if we are borrowing the epithets from Hadestown, The King and The Poor Boy Working on a Song.

It has to be noted that Hadestown’s use of epithets is itself a nod to ancient oral poetry, particularly in the vein of Homer. In Homeric convention, important characters, settings, and objects weren’t described by adjectives, but with epithets that would change based on context. (e.g. Much-enduring Odysseus, who is another paradoxical Trickster figure in ancient myth.) The use of epithets is a signifier of the origins of Homer’s works, serving as a mnemonic device and a way to fit the scenes of the stories to dactylic hexameter, as they were first oral poems that were composed and sung in front of audiences before they were written down. However, because of our modern understanding of the English language and what the word epithet connotes to us, what Anaïs Mitchell has done by using this device in Hadestown, is turn it into something that’s closer to the definition and function of a title rather than an adjective. Hades is always “The King.” Orpheus is always “The Poor Boy Working on a Song,” or “The Poor Boy With a Gift to Give.”

Solas bears his names in a similar fashion. When introduced to us as merely Solas, he is the “Humble Apostate” (or “Unwashed Apostate Hobo,” if you have Vivienne and Dorian in your party), or the “Fade Expert”; he is nicknamed “Chuckles” by Varric and “Fade Walker” by Iron Bull. Descriptors that comment on his lowly, outsider status, beaten and betrayed in this strange new world, that endear us to him. When he again dons the badge of Fen’Harel/Dread Wolf, he is “He Who Hunts Alone,” “Lord of Tricksters,” “The Great Wolf,” “Roamer of the Beyond,” and “Bringer of Nightmares.” Bynames that, of course, evoke those given to deities in ancient cultures (e.g. Hades is also known as Plouton in Greek myth, “The Rich One.”), that make him out to be fearsome, malevolent, and unknowable beyond the legends.

When I separate Solas into these two personas and archetypes, of Solas and Fen’Harel, The King and The Poor Boy, I don’t want us to make the mistake of thinking he is someone who bifurcates himself so completely that one part of him is unrecognisable from the other. His is not a situation of one identity hiding another or two identities battling to control the fore. He is Solas and he is Fen’Harel; the way Lavellan is “The Dalish Elf” and “The Herald of Andraste.” He is simply someone who has some impressive compartmentalisation skills (displayed in a conversation he has with Sera on the tactics of the Red Jenny group), and who has a thorough experience of a line he says to Cole:

“We all have a face we want to show, and a face we do not.”

                                                                      NAMES:

Perhaps the best way to convey Solas’ complexities coming together to form the whole of him, is by examining the construction of his name. How cyclical it is, beginning and ending with the letter S, as effortlessly smooth and slippery as he. The L in the middle like a delineation, a fork in the road of choices before him. O and A on either end like they’re mirrors or masks. How it’s composed of five letters, the way iambic pentameter is composed of five syllables that you must stress and unstress—like the two syllables in his name itself. And depending on which syllable you stress in your pronunciation, your voice will either rise and fall or fall and rise when you say it.

I may be giving Gaider and Weekes too much credit here, but Solas’ name is quite literally perfect for him. Change any single one of these components or his characteristics, and you will no longer have Solas but someone else in his stead.

There are layered meanings to the sound of his name, too. Solas is a homophone for Solace and Soulless in the English language. The former recalls all the times he might’ve provided solace to his friends or lover, or received it from them; and the latter recalls how he does seemingly soulless things to achieve his goals, or becomes someone who is soulless altogether if you don’t reach out to him with kindness. Angela D. Mitchell explores this wonderfully on her blog Dumped, Drunk and Dalish, along with homonyms in other languages. Among them are:

Latin: Solus Meanings: Solitary, alone, sole, only, uninhabited.

Irish: Solas Meanings: Light, Bright, Clear; Brightness; illumination; lucid, intelligible; light-giving, lamp flame; enlightenment, insight; revelation, disclosure; the light of existence; vision. Also: self-interest; limelight.

Old Irish: Solus Meaning: Light.

Scottish Gaelic (derived from the old Irish "Solus" or "light"): Solas Meaning: Light.

Old French: Solaz, Sollas, Soulas Meanings: Joy, pleasure, enjoyment.

She also explores the Latin root of ‘Sol’:

Lone, alone, solitary, lonely, desolate, dismal, gloomy The sun (also can refer to the Sun in a personified sense) A source of comfort, calmness, soothing "To be accustomed" (as found in such words as: insolent, obsolescent, sullen)

These are all such apt descriptors for various facets of his personality and story, it shows the amount of thought and care given to him in the writing process. And of course, there are the Elven meanings: ‘Pride’ or ‘to stand tall.’

Because of the level of thought involved, I wondered how far back Gaider chose his name and decided it would mean ‘Pride’ in Elven, and how that might’ve informed Weekes’ writing of his character. @maythedreadwolftakeyou, @felassan and @lesbianarcana (my heroes!) helped me out and did some top-notch digging.

The first instance we have of the word Solas was found in a codex acquired from Dragon Age II’s Black Emporium, which was released on March 8, 2011. After that, it appears with its Elven meaning and on a map in World of Thedas Volume 1, released on April 30, 2013.

Since we have an enormous amount of foreshadowing for him by way of Shartan in Dragon Age: Origins and Merrill in Dragon Age II, I think it’s safe to say the first concepts of what Solas would mean and who the character who would wear the name would become began as far back as DAO. (Note: I believe Gaider or another Bioware dev confirmed this on social media, but I couldn’t find the post anywhere. If it crops up and you see it, please let me know. I’ll amend the post and credit you.)

In any case, the power of names is yet another running theme that links the storytelling of the ancients, Hadestown, and DA:I. Orpheus pays attention to the composition of Eurydice’s name, and remarks on how it’s “like a melody,” and his arrival in Hadestown reminds her of it when she’s been stripped of it and has forgotten who she used to be. Solas tells Abelas he hopes that he finds a new name after he leaves the guard of the Vir Abelasan, because it means Sorrow. The Qunari in Tevinter Night’s Genitivi Dies in the End have a special interest in finding out what they believe to be Solas’ “true name,” so they can then “track [him] back through the best and worst of [himself]”; “find flaws”; “exploit weaknesses”; “know what [he] failed to be.”

To be named is to be given an identity, personality, and, in most cases, personhood. To be named yourself and to be able to name others is power. Whether that comes as the name you’re privately called, your title, or your epithet.

[a-cai-jpg]

it's startlingly easy for the line between reality and fantasy to blur

(hold on tight, don't lose your grip.)

glossary:

S. - novel by Doug Dorst and J.J. Abrams Ship of Theseus - fictional novel by V.M. Straka S. -  character in Ship of Theseus "S" - collective of writers Ekstrom, Durand, Summersby - part of "S" Filomela - editor for V.M. Straka Signe Rabe - daughter to Ekstrom and Durand (contested!) Desjardins - Straka scholar, married to Signe Rabe

For the past few days, I've been reading and re-reading a book titled S.

S. is a novel co-written between Doug Dorst and J.J. Abrams. (I believe Dorst did most of the writing and Abrams came up with the idea.)

I was taken by the novel when I first saw it because of the handwritten notes in the margins and the inserts.

(I don't know if y'all remember those huge, flip books in Costco that would have inserts and pop-ups about dragons and faeries and stuff. I used to spend hours standing in that aisle flipping and perusing through all of them.)

But damn, S. is so much more than margin-notes and fake post cards.

S. is a novel with three different storylines.

When you first take the physical book out of its booksleeve, it's a book titled Ship of Theseus by V.M. Straka, a novel published posthumously by Straka's editor, Filomela, after his untimely death in 1946.

Within this 456-page book, you become privy to the lives of three groups of people. Firstly, there is the protagonist of Ship of Theseus, a amnesiac man simply named S. Then, there are the authors of the margin-notes, Jen and Eric, two students at Pollard State University trying to discover the secret behind the mysterious and elusive author of Ship of Theseus, V.M. Straka. Lastly, there is the story of Straka himself.

(I feel like I can't talk about the book without explaining what I found in the book, so heavy spoiler alert.)

After some extensive note-taking and reading, I've more or less figured out the three storylines. I will allude to two of them, but the following is an in-depth-ish synopsis of Ship of Theseus itself. 

In Ship of Theseus, S. wakes up in an unnamed town known only as The Old Quarter, washed up from shore. He hears voices of those suffering, and he meets a girl who introduces herself as Sola. She is reading a novel titled The Archer's Tales. This is a real book (real, in the sense that it exists in the second level, the Jen and Eric level), written by Sobreiro. In Spanish, it is El Libro de Ese (The Book of S).

S. is kidnapped and wakes up on a ship, which is later revealed to have the name Sobreiro etched on its hull. After a storm, he ends up in a town called B--- and finds himself amidst a worker's rebellion against a factory. He sees a woman who looks similar to Sola, but goes by the name Szalómé, and in his pursuit of her, he realizes that there is a man planning to bomb the factory and kill the workers. He hesitates between warning them and following Sola, and ultimately retraces his steps back to the factory, but he is too late.

He and four crucial persons of the rebellion survive the blast and escape. In the getaway, the four are killed by the Detectives who work for Vévoda, the malicious owner of the factory hiding a dangerous secret. S. jumps off a cliff into the ocean. Somehow, he ends back up on the ship. It looks different, a patchwork of different types of wood, but he knows its the same ship. 

Something interesting to note about the ship is that the sailors have their lips sewn shut. There is a rotation system, where one sailor at a time goes to the orlop, but S. is never allowed to go there.

(i didn't know wtf an orlop is, but apparently, it's the lowest deck of a ship lol)

S. searches for his identity through writing and scrawls his stories into the wooden walls of the ship with a nail. When the ship approaches land again, he is rowed to shore by a crewmember. He follows a guide on the land through a town, El H---, and realizes that decades have passed since he last stepped foot on shore. In El H---, he arrives at a library/museum where the residents are packing up art and literature to protect from an impending invasion by the Agents, who are the evolved version of the Detectives. There, he sees a portrait of a woman who looks like Sola, but is told her name is Samar. He is given a valise and then told to return to the ship. The invasion arrives, but he successfully makes it back to the ship with the help of a person that he believes is Sola.

The valise is filled with material and notes on how to make various poisons and a stack of 57 photographs of individuals.

The next time he arrives on shore, the crewmembers haul boxes and boxes of cargo from the ship into a warehouse for safekeeping. He climbs a volcano and meets a very old woman who shows him a book of the Ship of Theseus. She tells him to make a decision, and that the question of Sola is always there. He races back to the ship, enters the orlop, and sees a solitary writing desk, ink, reams of paper, and boxes identical to the ones currently being packed into the warehouse. He sits down and begins to write. 

(It's clear that when the sailors go to the orlop, they too, are writing.)

The sailors return and sew his mouth shut. 

S. embarks on his new mission, having made the decision the old woman had presented him. He begins his journey to kill each and every one of the 57 people photographed, who are Agents of Vévoda. With every person killed, a page of a book is tucked into his or her pocket. In Vévoda's retaliation, a similar signature is used. 

In a mission to kill the governor, another one of Vévoda's people, he recognizes the governor as one of the original four who had escaped with him from the rebellion. Not only does he realize he's been betrayed by someone who believed in the cause even before he did, the guides who are with him are killed, and he thinks he sees Sola and his younger self.

After a stint in the Winter City, S. finally meets Sola, who travels with him to the château to kill Vévoda and his guests, who are all powerful statespeople and businesspeople from around the world. During the operation, which is to poison the black wine that Vévoda has created, he realizes that this is not what he wants. He asks himself if it matters what he wants, and makes the decision for the very first time that yes, it matters. So he doesn't kill them.

Instead, he persuades Vévoda's heir to drink the wine, and the young man ends up spilling the intentions of the Vévoda powerhouse, which is to create the opportunities and provide the resources for power-hungry people around the world to have their way, utterly disregarding the powerless. 

At the end, there is a vision where S. and Sola return to the ship and, as they sail, spot another ship that he says is "one of theirs."

Just Ship of Theseus by itself, ignoring the other two storylines, is packed with allegories and metaphors.

The novel itself is difficult to get through and vaguely existential, but I think Straka's message ultimately distills to the notion that the struggle against greed is both overwhelming and relentless. To join in the fight is to lose your identity and free will, but sometimes, it is the decision that you have to make.

S., therefore, is not a singular person, but rather, one link in an ongoing "tradition" starting with perhaps Sobreiro, in the 1600s (I quote "tradition" here because it is the term used in the book). He wakes up with no memory and is pushed into and along this revolution against the growing power of Vévoda, likely like the many people before him and the many after him (the younger S. that appears with Sola). 

(Hence why he has no name, but instead, a placeholder, because this is a story that will be lived many, many times by those who hear and answer to the calls of the suffering.)

(I write about S. in a very passive manner, because he is just that.)

The Ship of Theseus is a thought-experiment exploring whether or not the ship is the same ship if you replace all of its original parts. The answer presented in the novel is a conflicted one. The author argues that the next Vévoda, the heir to the corporation, may or may not be the same as his father. Furthermore, the author writes an S. that deviates from the original plan--who chooses Sola over the tradition. Both Vévoda and S. are placeholders for two ideas--the former being the corrupt and greedy, and the latter being the opposing force. Using the Ship of Theseus as the title implies that each iteration of Vévoda and S is identical, yet the author challenges that notion in the last chapter.

Why would the author do that, you may ask?

BECAUSE the message Dorst and Abrams tries to bring with S. is much more nuanced. 

NOW.

NOW IT'S TIME TO BRING IN THE NEXT LAYER.

WHO IS V.M. STRAKA?

That is the question asked in the foreword written by Filomela, the editor, but also the question Jen and Eric try to answer throughout the book. 

There is one compelling theory that I love very much, which is V.M. Straka is ultimately a figurehead for a movement started by a collective of radical literary scholars who are trying to uncover the corruption and greed of businesses and governments around the world, sometimes with very extreme methods like murder.

This is true. To a certain extent. (The group is known as "S.")

(Yes. I know.)

(Guess what their signature is? A page of a Straka book tucked in the pocket of the corpse.)

But, Straka was also a person.

(This is where Dorst and Abram's novel grows beyond Ship of Theseus.)

In the original Ch. 10 that Straka writes, Sola and three others die, and he returns to sea feeling like he has failed the people he's tried to protect. At the ocean, the point-of-view suddenly shifts, and the reader begins seeing through the lens of an unnamed young man.

The young man boards the ship.

WHAT BEGINS AT THE WATER SHALL END THERE, AND WHAT ENDS THERE SHALL ONCE MORE BEGIN.

See, Ship of Theseus is semi-autobiographical, regardless of how much Eric tries to argue that you can't assume everything a writer writes is about him/herself. Ship of Theseus is Straka's final reckoning with the movement in which he's immersed himself. This is why it’s titled Ship of Theseus.

In Straka's original manuscript, with S. standing in as himself, he writes that he's failed his fellow comrades. He despairs that the next generation will similarly be both humbled and tortured by the fight.

Because this original manuscript is lost after Straka's death, Filomela writes a happier ending, in which S. loses neither Sola nor the fight. S. and Sola continue the "tradition," along with numerous others after them. This is the ending she wishes for them, because she was in love with Straka, but the ending Straka never dared to choose.

Ugh, and that's what's so fucking powerful about S. It is a conversation amongst three S.'s and three Solas. There's the original S. and Sola in the novel, where S.'s preoccupation with the "tradition" ends in Sola's death. There's Straka and Filomela, where Straka's fear of choosing Filomela ends in his own death and a missed opportunity with Filomela. Then, there's Eric and Jen, where they choose each other AND Ship of Theseus.

They choose to continue embarking on this journey to prove who Straka is together, possibly outing the powerful corporation the “S” was fighting against in Straka’s time, and ultimately, reconciling the indecision of S. and the fear of Straka.

Before I leave you, there is one other thing Ship of Theseus discusses that makes my heart skip a beat when I think about it.

S. writes. His crewmembers write. Their writings are protected in a warehouse. They no longer have the ability to speak, but their power comes through the words that they write and leave for the next generation.

(Eric was right to be fixated on the "generation" theme.)

When S. is on the Territory (where he kills the governor), Vévoda's people are blasting mountains carved with images of the Old Village's history for natural resources to build formidable, destructive weapons.

The erasure of indigenous stories for the benefit of the greedy and powerful and the erasure of stories in general is a prominent theme throughout Ship of Theseus.

(similarly, our world is plagued by the same problem, both in the past and today. see: cultural terrorism. but also colonialism and imperialism in general lol.)

However, what is striking is the black stuff that Vévoda is manufacturing. This black stuff is the puddle of grotesque liquid that burns through the flesh at the top of the mountain when S. and his comrades flee from B---, it is the exquisite wine Vévoda saves for his most important guests and markets as his greatest weapon, and it is ink.

His most powerful weapon is ink. What all the rich and powerful want is the power to write the past, present, and future.

After Vévoda's son drinks the wine, he has a choice to make. He can continue on the Vévoda tradition and bring destruction about the world under the guise of creating something greater, or he can rewrite the future. He chooses the latter. (and unfortunately dies.)

BUT.

Straka writes, 

"He passes a barrel on which no mark is visible, as its contents have leaked through a split stave and blackened the wood below....He kneels down and touches a finger to it, and all at once, the mad chorus of voices in his head goes silent. 

Silent.  

Settled. Returned to the earth and settled. Voices and narratives, re-absorbed into the ground on which we walk. And this is the key, he realizes, the thing that makes the purpose of all that work on the ship and in El-H--- and on the Obsidian Island and in Budapest, Edinburgh, Valparaíso, Prague, Cape Town, Valletta, the Winter City, and a thousand others come into focus. All that ink, all that pigment, all that desperate action to preserve that which had been created--it is valuable because story is a fragile and ephemeral thing on its own, a thing that is easily effaced or disappeared or destroyed, and it is worth preserving. And if it can't be preserved, then it should be released and cycled. To write with the black stuff is to create and, at the same time, to resurrect. We write with what those who've come before us wrote.

Everything rewritten. Part o' the tradition."

We all have the power to write our own stories and the story of the world around us. We all have the power to choose to destroy or create. Destruction is not a necessary precursor to creation.

(I lied, I'm not leaving yet.)

There is very, very important note that Jen writes in the book. She says that for every person who betrays the "S," there is someone who is their ally. This applies to the collective "S" and S., the character.

I think the most irresistible part of S., this larger novel written by Dorst and Abrams, is the "S"--this collective of radical writers (the pen is mightier than the sword!) dedicated to bringing about a just world. 

I--

Oh my god.

Many of the members of "S" are parallels to the characters in Ship of Theseus (and this is the most exciting part with Jen and Eric's research, as they match each real life person with the characters).

There is one person in particular, Durand, for whom my heart sings. After her lover, Ekstrom, passes away (possibly due to Straka's carelessness), she writes and researches relentlessly. Before dying, she is determined to fight for women's voting rights and to untagle the stories of history so they are not forgotten. 

And then there is Filomela, who singlehandedly tries to rewrite the accepted "tradition." She falls in love with a person through the words, never meeting him, but dedicates ten years of her life to waiting for him. She isn't part of the "S," but she's part of the "S" because like how Sola has The Archer's Tales at the beginning of Ship of Theseus, the "tradition" is passed to Filomela, unbeknownst to her. But she fucking kills it.

I mean, she even fakes her own death and manages to live until over 100.

In her parting letter to Eric and Jen, she writes, 

"Please remember, though, not every question must be answered. Matters of the past may be allowed to remain in the past; matters of the present and future may be allowed to go unexplored. The world will not end in any case....I will tell you what matters most (although you must know this already, as you know my story): it is love. When you fall in love, friends, let yourself fall. It is my fondest wish that this note finds you both happy, healthy, and falling."

As Straka's editor, she must know that "falling" is a prominent theme in Ship of Theseus. As privy to part of the "S," she must also know that falling is ultimately how many of the members find their end. And yet, she uses and repeats this word, because falling is terrifying and negative and unwanted, but falling in love shouldn't be feared. 

I like that last line, but I really, really, really like, "...not every question must be answered. Matters of the past may be allowed to remain in the past; matters of the present and future may be allowed to go unexplored."

See, V.M. Straka is a person with flesh and blood, with history, with emotions. 

But he is also something greater than that. He is a collection of writings influenced and contributed to by a number of skilled authors and scholars with a singular vision. He is a fight against the corrupt and evil.

So, when Filomela fell in love with the words written, whom did she fall in love with?

Jen is convinced that she fell in love with the person, Vaclav Straka, who disappeared after a suicide attempt by drowning in 1910 and had his future erased to become V.M. Straka.

But, I think she was in love with the person who embodies a revolutionary spirit. She suspects who Straka is, she must have after so many years working with him, but she's okay with not knowing and loving the ideal in her mind, especially after Straka dies. 

(maybe i'm just projecting)

There's another arc in the storyline that I love very much, which is that of Signe Rabe.

In the "Interlude" chapter, Filomela writes a question to V.M. Straka into the text, asking, "Who is Signe Rabe?"

Jen and Eric ultimately discover Signe Rabe to be the wife of Desjardins, a Straka scholar, but also, the daughter of Durand.

The identity of Signe's father is contested. Some people think it's Straka, others think it is Summersby (another member of the "S"), but I like more answer more.

Signe Rabe is the daughter of Durand and Ekstrom, raised by Summersby and Straka (there's a margin-note where Eric talks to Summersby's lawyer's daughter, who mentions a little girl whose parents were killed and chased around the world by bad people so she's raised by two uncles).

I love that--I love it so much more than Signe being raised by her real father and his friend. 

(that's awful, i know but shh)

Because, the "S" is more than just a collective of radicals--it is a family bound together by their vision for a better world, a greater ideal. And Straka--Vaclav--who was like a son to Ekstrom, who was saved from ending his life by Ekstrom in 1910 to live this extraordinary life, atones for his sins and raises Signe, who forgives him.

WHAT BEGINS AT THE WATER SHALL END THERE, AND WHAT ENDS THERE SHALL ONCE MORE BEGIN.

UGH.

Ok, I'm done.

-ish.

(My favorite character is Desjardins, who is first described as "too old + senile to take on students" by Eric.

But God, imagine. This man who marries a woman he loves, a woman who dies far too young and leaves him with a secret about who she is. And because he loves her so much, he looks for Filomela for twelve years, possibly decoding everything in Ship of Theseus just like Jen and Eric did, and hands her the final chapter that Straka wrote. 

And he continues to pursue the question of "Who is V.M. Straka?" for the rest of his life, embroiled in this larger conspiracy for the simple reason that he fell in love with Signe Rabe.

And he ultimately dies, falling out of a window in the same hotel Ekstrom, his father-in-law, died in.)

(I HURT.)

( Filomela describes him as a nice, polite man "moving with great sadness.")

(I imagine him to be a wily, tall, young man who falls in love, who becomes sad and serious, who begins to hunch over as the years pass him, who finds someone--Eric--to continue on his work, who is okay with dying after passing his documents to Eric because someone will continue the tradition.)

(Ok, now I'm really done.)

(Thank you for reading. Farewell. Next time I will not write so much.)

daily song rec:  任贤齐 - 天涯 (cover by 任贤齐 & 刘宇宁)

(sometimes i hear liu yuning’s voice and i’m like oh yes this is why girls wore wedding dresses to his concert)

[theharellan]

Guess who read The Dread Wolf Take You!

The Assassin’s Tale:

Three agents. First elf is Dalish, second a city elf, third an ancient elf, which is a good demonstration of the diversity of elven experience among the ranks. I’ll be making another post about Solas’ resources and reach later, likely after I’ve finished reading the other stories, as I know I have comments about some of the other stories where agents are involved.

The Dalish elf says he wants to awaken his gods with the idol, indicating that there’s either differing motives for joining Fen’Harel or he was lying, believing that it would allow him to get what he wants sooner. Both are honestly believable possibilities.

Solas (and his agents, whose ranks also likely include other Dreamers) can kill people in their sleep, even dwarves. This isn’t new information, we’ve known it since Feynriel in DA2, although I am surprised dwarves aren’t immune. I wonder if it would work on Surface dwarves and not Orzammar’s, as magic resistance is explicitly lessened when dwarves leave Orzammar. I imagine it would at least be harder. Based on the Bard’s comments I think in this particular instance and the importance of securing the idol, Solas himself was involved in the assassinations of the sleepers.

Dreams also seem to be places people get instructions/orders, which would confirm a headcanon of mine. 

The Mortalitasi’s Tale:

The red lyrium idol is elven, depicting either “two lovers” or “a god mourning her sacrifice.” I should note again that if Mythal/Solas is ever confirmed as romantic I will be going canon divergent on that, but for now it’s still unclear.

The Tevinter mage uses blood sacrifice to get the idol to do its thing, using slaves. Whatever ritual they were doing was interfering with whatever Solas had been doing at the time.

His behaviour in this story reminds me of something he says to the Inquisitor at the start of the game, the first conversation in Haven: “Posturing is necessary.” I’ve long held the headcanon that a lot of Solas’ weight after he became Fen’Harel was a result of deliberately making himself seem scary, what we get in this is a glimpse of the intimidation tactics I think he’s used since Arlathan.

The Mortalitasi thinks he must have bound spirits/demons to accomplish his attack, but this seems unlikely. Solas has his hypocrisies, but Cole notes in Trespasser “he knows how to speak so spirits listen” re: the sanctuary guardians, and it seems more likely the spirits are aiding him freely.

Again, the binding of spirits continues to play a role in Solas’ anger and frustration in the world-- his problems cannot be addressed just by improving the lots of physical elves.

The Bard’s Tale:

I’m rather doubtful of how much of this is true, I do believe he went to Llomerryn and retrieved the idol and that he now has it. Other than that the story is mostly a lot of name drops or references, with everyone from the Warden to Divine Victoria to Xenon to Tallis being referenced.

He describes Solas as touching the idol reverently, clearly it has personal meaning, although given his reaction to the focus breaking it’s probably nice to not find it’s cracked after some human put their hands on it.

I also believe the Ben-Hassrath didn’t listen to his warning at the end of Trespasser, although tbf the vidassala wasn’t in a position to pass the message on.

Addition: Lisa reminded me that the Bard described the idol, and likely has the most accurate interpretation -- “crowned figure who comforted the other” -- again, like the end of Inquisition. This isn’t the first time Solas has had a sad in Mythal’s arms. Why he needed comforting in the scene depicted here is unclear. It could be anything from Mythal’s impending death, to the Veil, to depicting Solas’ feelings after he took physical form at Mythal’s behest.

General Notes:

More wisps being used for really casual things that really could be done by hand, or potentially even just magic by hand, rather than ordering something else to do it for you. From the description of the Mortalitasi putting it away it seems its in the spoon permanently.

First, some notes about The Bard, headcanons included --     ◦ As others have pointed out, Gauche, the name the party is booked under and his alias, means “awkward,” but it also means “left.” It’s a fitting name both because like “Solas” it’s a feeling/state of being, but also the Anchor was on the left hand (and therefore it’s the hand he removes in Trespasser).    ◦ Opal inlays, which were apparently in fashion a few years back according to Vivienne banter.    ◦ Resembles a dragon, again leaning on Mythal imagery.   ◦  My headcanon that Solas knows Orlesian came true (although I also hc it as being limited in DA:I, I think he would have improved it since then).   ◦ His manner and accent were coached by agents, specifically I like to think Adélaïde (found on @ourdawncomes) played a role in that, among others. Miraen (Joly’s OC, found on @ancientimpudence) likely helped with the outfit.

The little tells Charter picks up on kills me, like her noting that his hair toss is clumsy and the lack of tan lines indicating he doesn’t typically wear rings. I guess when you’ve been bald a while you forget how hair works, which as sb who has had a pixie cut for a few years... yeah, it tracks.

He can freeze people without turning them to stone, and can also freeze golems.

Solas literally can’t pretend to like tea so he just doesn’t drink it. Like I think he’s physically incapable of not making The Face.

The second he drops the act he sounds more like as we know him, Charter immediately noting he sounds “tired.” His voice falters, he smiles sadly, and smiles again when Charter points out that he’s hardly one to talk about the Executors being dangerous. Speaking of, he doesn’t like the Executors, and frankly they do seem pretty odd.

What he says to Charter after she asks for her life -- Ar lasa mala -- features in the phrase “ar lasa mala revas” or “you are free/I give you your freedom.” Since “revas” Means freedom, my guess is this just means what he says in Common, “I grant it to you.”

The second thing he does after allowing Charter her life is freeing the spirit/wisp in the stirring stick, a detail for which I owe Mx. Weekes my life.

Charter does more than just see through Solas’ disguise, but the line “perhaps we are not the only ones you lied to” is probably one of the best assessments of Solas’ character in the series. It also indicates that Solas’ motivations for approaching in Trespasser were, in part, a lie-- or rather, I think, not the whole truth. Lines about how he hopes to be proven wrong and his appearance here it reinforces that he has self-sabotaging tendencies for this plan, like he wants to be stopped but won’t, possibly can’t stop, which brings me back to Regret: There might have been a better choice-- a thought it had not been allowed.

His plans may not be as destructive as first assumed, it’s noted Tevinter will likely take the brunt of it, but also he notes “the elves who still remain” may find it better when his work is done. I headcanoned ages ago that Solas doesn’t lie to those he allies with about the consequences of his actions, aka the destruction it’ll cause. He’s honest with the Inquisition and telling them the truth, allowing them to know the truth while lying to those he’s working with would be inviting unnecessary betrayal. Solas saying this to Charter is further evidence that the modern elves working with Solas are well-aware of what’s happening and as a whole not being lied to, although I also wouldn’t be surprised if some joined up with different ideas, as the Dalish elf at the start may have.

That Solas’ next move was the lyrium idol (which is also his? Or Mythal’s) indicates that if there are other foci out there, they can’t be wielded by him. This makes sense given his could explicitly only be wielded by him without killing him, so I imagine if there are others out there they’re specific to that evanuris/whatever mage created them.

That he regrets involving and revealing himself in Trespasser is pretty funny considering Solas showed up here in-person for like. Really minor, personal reasons. Again. Then revealed more of his plans. Again. Did I mention the self-sabotage?

It looks like this Solas was neutral-to-high approval, almost definitely not romanced. “Tell them I’m sorry” is a pretty general message, so for the purposes of roleplay he would say different things to everyone’s Inquisitor.

In conclusion: Solas is a loser but im still trash for him.

[crystalessenceswrites]

You’re Enchanting--Chapter Two

Summary:  Delphine always told Elazar she would do anything to help him if he was ever in trouble, even knowing his knack for finding it. She didn’t expect to be helping him save the world after someone blows up the Conclave and tears a hole in the sky. Nor did Delphine expect to be falling for anyone, let alone a troubled, former templar, while she’s watching her best friend shape the future of their world with a green glowing hand.

Pairings: Cullen/Trevelyan & Dorian/Lavellan

Warnings: none I think? Includes discussion of mage/templar opinions of the other but nothing extensive 

Can also be found on AO3

[Chapter One] [Chapter Two] [Chapter Three]

Chapter Two- Focus

“So, you don’t have a clue as to how you got the mark on your hand, except that it happened during the explosion, which also opened the Breach that’s allowing demon rifts to open and terrorize the good people of Thedas. And knowing this, you joined the Inquisition because the mark closes rifts and they want to seal the Breach in the sky and save the world.” Delphine sat on the edge of Elazar’s cot, rubbing her temples. “Do I have that all correct?”

“Pretty much,” Elazar shot her a half-assed grin. She knew he was getting too much enjoyment out of watching her try to wrap her mind around the events of the last week.

“And people are believing that a Dalish elf is the Herald of Andraste?”

Elazar’s fingers lightly traced over the blue ink below his eye. “That has surprised me just as much as you… but it’s better than people calling me some sort of darkspawn.”

“I can agree with that,” Delphine sighed. If becoming a religious icon protected Elazar from such accusations, she would let it stand for now. “Does it hurt? The mark, I mean.”

“Not so much anymore. Right after the explosion, when the Breach was still growing, the mark was spreading. Solas and the apothecary here, Addan, managed to keep me alive long enough to seal it… and once we did, the mark stopped consuming my arm. We think…”

Delphine could spot his fake optimism a mile away, but he wasn’t just trying to convince her that the mark was no longer a danger but himself as well. She hated that he felt the need to do so around her. They hadn’t been apart for that long, had they?

“Well, I guess that’s good to hear. There’s still the fact that it’s there at all, but that’s a problem that needs a solution later on. You will let me know if it starts bothering you again, won’t you?”

“Yes, of course, Del. You’re the last person I could hide it from anyways,” Elazar chuckled.

“That’s true. I can read you like a book.” She grinned back.

Maybe it hadn’t been that long after all.

“Which reminds me! I lent you a copy of Early Orlesian History before I left the Circle. Please tell me you left that in the tower and that it didn’t go up in flames in the explosion.”

The color draining from her elvish friend’s face didn’t give Delphine much hope.

“Ha- I was hoping you forgot about that.”

Delphine pressed her palms over her eyes, all hope of possibly appeasing her uncle next time she saw him was gone. That is if she ever saw him again…

“My uncle lent me that copy! I’ll never hear the end of it from him, ever!” The man could hold a grudge, which stands as quite a testament to character considering her family and their reputation.

“I’ll apologize to your bookworm uncle myself if I must. And I’ll see if I can find another copy to replace it with.” This was not the first time one of his books had been destroyed by Elazar’s mishaps, and apology and a replacement might not cut it this time around.

“Elazar, between worrying me and destroying my uncle’s prized library, you will be the death of me.”

.

In short order, Delphine found herself in the presence of the Inquisition leadership. Elazar, true to his charismatic nature, cheerily introduced her to Leliana, the Left Hand of the Divine, who eyed her with unabashed curiosity. Delphine was used to being ogled like an exotic pet but considering it was the Divine’s spymaster looking at her with such intensity gave slight cause for concern. Next, she was properly reintroduced to Cassandra, the Right Hand of the Divine. Despite knowing the woman was formerly a Seeker, Delphine was not nearly put off in her presence. Maybe it was the fact that her eyes weren’t nearly as cold and sharp as the other Seekers she’d crossed paths with over the years.

Josephine greeted Delphine with a practiced gleaming smile and a myriad of questions, the first of which was on her relationship to the Bann Trevelyan of Ostwick. She shouldn’t have expected any less from the ambassador.

“He would be my father.”

Delphine wondered if she should be more concerned about the ambassador considering the glee that washed over Josephine’s face at the answer.

“Lady Trevelyan, you and our ambassador are soon going to become fast friends.” Leliana sounded thoroughly amused at the development.

Josephine quickly voiced her agreement before Delphine had a chance to correct the Spymaster. Delphine had not been considered a lady since she was a child, and honestly, she held little desire to return to that position. The only title she savored was the one she had earned through dedication to her studies and craft.

Lastly, Elazar reintroduced Delphine to the Commander, who stood near the back of the room, his hands resting crossed over the hilt of his sword. The stance was as close to relaxed as any templar could allow themselves while still being able to perform their duties. Delphine did her best to keep her skepticism from showing as he greeted her in return. She also tried to ignore the way he looked her over in a not so subtle manner.

“I have asked Delphine to stay and help… after all, she is the smarter of the two of us. She may prove to be more helpful to the Inquisition than I.”

Delphine had never been fond of how Elazar put himself below her. He was just as talented in magic as she was, if not more so.

“That’s not true. We’re no longer in the Circle so I will not have this argument with you again,” she scolded. “And you are the one with the glowing hand in all this, not me.”

Cassandra looked rather amused but did not interject, deferring to Leliana. “I am sure we all agree that any assistance Lady Trevelyan can offer would be most appreciated, Herald. She is most welcome here.”

Cullen and Josephine nodded, the ambassador looking more pleased with the development than the commander.

“With the settled, we should discuss the names that Mother Giselle supplied us with. I believe having the Herald address the clerics is not a terrible idea.”

Elazar had briefly explained why he had been sent to the Crossroads following the developments at the Temple. Delphine was skeptical that any in the Chantry would even dare to gather in public right now.

“You can’t be serious.” Cullen balked, and Delphine had half a heart to agree with him.

“Mother Giselle isn’t wrong: at the moment, the Chantry’s only strength is that they are united in opinion.”

“And we should ignore the danger to the Herald?” Leliana shot back.

“Let’s ask him.”

Elazar shrugged, “what can they do? It’s just talk.”

Had he skipped all of his history lessons while they were apprentices?

“Don’t underestimate the power of their words. An angry mob will do you in just as quickly as a blade.”

Delphine nodded in agreement, Leliana had more than a fair point. “Never doubt the power of public opinion.”

“I will go with him to Val Royeaux. Mother Giselle said she could provide us names? Use them.”

Cassandra was a woman of action, and deserved credit for that, even if the idea did seem rather fruitless. All the Chantry would do for such a meeting would be a charade. Leliana seemed to be of the same opinion.

“But why? This is nothing but a-”

“What choice do we have, Leliana? Right now we can’t approach anyone for help with the Breach. Use what influence we have to call the clerics together. Once they are ready we will see this through.”

Begrudgingly the rest agreed, Leliana and Josephine would begin sending out letters and agents to bring together those they could in Val Royeaux in a few weeks’ time. Delphine offered Josephine any help she needed. She had not seen this list of names yet but it was entirely possible she knew of or was related to one of two of the clerics suggested to be amenable. It was the most she could do, for now.

“In the meanwhile, I plan to return to the Crossroads. There is still much to do,” Elazar declared. Always one to make such decisions on his own. At least that much had not changed.

.

The pair spent the rest of the day settling into Haven and planning what they could. Due to the already apparent lack of housing it was decided Delphine would bunk with Elazar. Another cot appeared rather quickly and was situated across the cabin from Elazar’s. It was more privacy than she had expected upon her arrival in the small village. Someone else came by not long after with fresh clothes more suited to the mountain winter. Delphine heartily thanked the elvish woman who looked at Elazar with wide eyes.

After bathing, something Delphine needed even more than fresh clothes, Elazar sat with her on her new bed and combed out her long sandy locks. Her elvish friend had been enamored with her hair since they had met. There had been plenty of nights over the years where he would sit behind her while she studied, dutifully combing and braiding. Delphine had tried unsuccessfully, on many occasions, to convince Elazar to grow his own hair out. She thought he would look rather charming with long dark hair. He always shot the idea down, content with his current messy floof.

“It makes me appear more the dashing rogue, don’t you think?”

Delphine would always roll her eyes, “if that’s what you believe, El.”

Maybe he would be some dashing heartbreaker had he been left to live his life outside the Circle tower, as his people intended.

Elazar’s hands lingered across her shoulders as he finished styling her hair. “I missed this- I miss you, Del.” He wrapped his scrawny arms around her shoulders, leaning across her back. “I’m glad you came… I don’t know if I could do this, whatever this is, without you.”

She couldn’t remember the last time he had hugged her. They hadn’t been on speaking terms last time they saw each other face to face. It had been too long.

“Well someone has to keep you out of trouble, El.” She lay one hand over his, rubbing soothing circles across his knuckles. “So, you won’t be getting rid of me so easily again.”

“Thank you, Del.”

.

Delphine felt much more prepared to face the day as she readied herself the following morning. Requisitions had supplied her with suitable clothing that actually fit, unlike the hastily bought traveling gear Del had purchased for herself upon her arrival in Ferelden. It was much easier to tromp around Haven in fur-lined boots that weren’t threatening to fall off her feet. She admittedly was also more comfortable going about her business in a skirt than the leather trousers she’d been wearing.

“You almost look like a proper Ferelden lady.” Elazar had snickered as she finished dressing.

She rolled her eyes in response. A brown lambswool sweater, cream skirt, and sturdy boots just made her appear ready for the weather, not Ferelden. Perish the thought she would ever be anything besides a Marcher.

After breakfast they parted ways, El wanted to discuss plans for returning to the Hinterlands with Cassandra, while Del wanted to see about having armor prepared. Next time Elazar went out on one of these missions, she wanted to be prepared to go with him. Del would leave nothing up to chance or fate now, she would have her friend’s back, defend it if she must.

Most of her day was spent in lively debate with the blacksmith, Harritt. He was hesitant at first, Delphine assumed because he spied the staff at her back the moment she entered his forge, but began to open up the longer she was able to hold a conversation with him. Back in the Circle Delphine had studied mage armor as a purely academic topic. It was not something they would ever be allowed to make or own as they weren’t permitted to fight, but there had been plenty of books and schematic references in the tower library. She may have never had the opportunity to craft but the theory behind it was one she understood, and it was the theory she needed now. Harritt would concern himself with the actual creation, Delphine simply had to supply the instructions.

Harritt was the first person outside of the Circle who seemed to enjoy, and dare she say, respect her knowledge. For the first time Del wondered if Elazar was right about people outside the Circles. Maybe it was possible for people to find common ground with mages. Could it be that the rebels found sympathy for their cause outside of their own kind? Delphine had plenty of time to sit and ponder the thought as Harritt got to work on her enchanter armor. It would take a few days to complete, as the blacksmith also had to manage the growing need for standard armor and weapons for the new recruits. She was not in any particular hurry and went about helping Josephine the best she could in the meanwhile.

Like everyone else Josephine had plenty to do. There wasn’t much Delphine could do concerning politics, a subject Del was much more removed from outside of mage and Circle politics, but she had decent penmanship and some tact with words. She did what she could helping pen the letters out to the Chantry Mothers, and offered what insight she could on the clerics themselves. One was a distant cousin by marriage to Delphine’s mother and another had been one of her brother’s sponsors when he had pursued his calling. Giving her name to those two letters did not feel like much but Josephine reassured her that every bit of influence that could gather would help.

“You do not understand the power of your name?” Josephine seemed rather confused by it, but Delphine decided it was not something to hold against the Antivan woman. How was she supposed to understand the hesitancy of a noble turned mage?

“It is not a name that is truly mine,” it was difficult to put to words, although it was her name and would forever be the family she shared blood with, any power it held had been stripped away along with her title all those years ago. Most days, Delphine was alright with that fact. “I have not been a proper member of the Trevelyan family since I was sent to the Circle.��

Josephine’s usually bright face dropped, “I see…I did not consider that fact. There is that much separation between mages and their families?”

“Most never see or speak to their relatives after entering the Circle. I was lucky due to my family’s position in the city.”

“I see…”

The Ambassador was rather apologetic the next few times Delphine stopped by to offer her assistance, though there was no need for her to be. She was not offended by the topic. Delphine imagined most had little to no knowledge of what life as a mage entailed. It was not something she’d ever consider holding against the woman, especially when Josephine had been otherwise nothing but kind to her. Delphine wanted to do what she could to help the bustling woman but found there was not much she could take off her hands.

Delphine soon found herself with more time on her hands than she knew what to do with, particularly after Elazar departed for the Hinterlands. It was a different kind of lonesome that Del was not accustomed to. Much of her isolation in the Circle had been self-imposed. This was the kind of where she sat and prayed, hoping Elazar would return in one piece.

.

Eventually, she fell into a routine, checking in with Josephine and Harritt in the morning to offer what help she could. If there was anything for her to do, it was usually wrapped up by midday, so Del would spend her afternoons sitting on the side of the main steps of the village, taking in what sun she could and watching the soldiers train by the frozen lake. It was oddly satisfying to watch them continuously drill and spar. Delphine had enjoyed people watching in the Circle, this was just a kind of people she had not had the option of watching before. Additionally, it seemed to annoy Joshua. He would often spot her staring and shake his head or act as if he was shooing her away. They had been playing this odd game of theirs for just over a week when the Commander caught Joshua in his usual display of displeasure.  After what seemed like a thorough chewing out by his superior officer, Joshua waved her to come over.

Delphine made a point of approaching solemn-faced, worried she too would be getting a lecture from the former templar. “Yes, Lieutenant?”

“The Commander asked to speak with you.”

She must have grimaced because Joshua looked absolutely thrilled to usher her towards the blond soldier.

Delphine wasn’t frightened by the ex-templar, per se, but after a lifetime of being watched by men and women like him, she had been instilled with a healthy sense of wariness around them. It did not matter if she was in the tower or at one of her family’s estates being guarded by one of her uncles or cousins, they all viewed her as a potential danger and they acted as such. She didn’t necessarily disagree with their view. Delphine understood the dangers of possession, but she had no reason to trust someone who already mistrusted her. Delphine had yet to see the Commander interact with any of the mages who remained at Haven, besides in their initial meeting. Most seemed to avoid him, which stood as no surprise. She had yet to see him mistreat one of her kind but that did not mean he didn’t either.

She wanted to make up her mind about the man, but there was a small voice in the back of her mind that urged her to look closer. She had not heard him utter any disparagement towards mages, even in the few war room meetings she had attended in the absence of Elazar. There was also a certain steel that he lacked. He was gruff, yes, the lip scar and light stubble made him appear the rough soldier, but his voice lacked a certain bite that Delphine had become accustomed to with templars.

“Ser, you asked to speak with me?”

In the time she had spent watching from afar, Delphine had concluded the Commander had two kinds of days. On occasions she could read him like a book; these were the days when the stress seemed to overwhelm him physically, leaving him looking sickly and gaunt in his bulky armor. The rest of the time, she could not discern what he was thinking. There was no doubt that the man was strait-laced and knew how to act the part of a leader. As for today, Delphine stood cautiously next to the former templar as he looked out over the training recruits, she could not read his hardened stare.

“The Herald said you two studied together in Ostwick, correct?”

Delphine blinked for a moment, she still did not associate Elazar with his new title, despite the advisors all referring to him as such. “Y-yes. Elazar and I met in the Circle.”

“Then you received some proper amount of training?”

A proper amount of training? Maker’s balls she was an Enchanter!

Not trusting her voice to not give away her frustrations, Delphine gave the ex-templar a cautious nod. She wondered if he was worried that she wasn’t aware of the threat of possession she faced? As if she had not been living with the constant reminder for nearly twenty years.

He appeared satisfied and quickly turned to shout at the soldier currently sparring with Joshua. “You there! There’s a shield in your hand. Block with it. If this man were your enemy, you would be dead. Lieutenant, don’t hold back. The recruits must prepare for a real fight, not a practice one.”

“Yes, Commander.” Joshua quipped before he promptly knocked down the younger man with a shield bash.

Turning back, the Commander seemingly returned to his earlier point. “We’ve received a number of new recruits- locals from Haven and some pilgrims. They are progressing well but some have never even met a mage before, let alone faced one in combat.”

Delphine had an idea of where this was headed now.

“I believe it would be beneficial for the new recruits to practice defending against magic. Would you be willing to assist with this?”

“I…I want to be as much help as possible, ser. But in truth I have next to no combative magic experience.” He was an ex-templar, surely he was aware of the fact that Circle mages were not trained in such magic. Any “combat” primal magic Circle mages knew was self-taught, personally developed, or from banned literature. Delphine had been taught healing, crafting, and barrier magic, disciplines meant to protect and serve.

Yet the Commander looked a bit surprised by her admission. “The Herald said he had been part of the group who rebelled against the templars at Ostwick so I assumed you had as well. Did you not agree with the others?”

Delphine thought it best not to mention that Elazar had been the one to lead the rebellion at Faxhold.

“No, I left the tower before Elazar and the others rebelled. My family is made of templars, ser, I couldn’t find it in myself to fight against those in my Circle either. I took the cowardly way out and ran away so I wouldn’t be forced to choose one side or the other.”

He paused for a moment as if to wrap his mind around the fact that there were mages out in the world that did not inherently desire the death of all templars. “Well, I do appreciate your sentiments. But now might be the time to come to terms with the fact we are in the middle of a war, with a giant hole in the sky.”

“I have been thinking long and hard about that,” Delphine quipped back. She was not so naïve to believe she would walk away from this all without raising her hand against another person. When it came to Elazar, she would do all in power to protect him, fight for him if the need arose, but it was a sense of defense, she did not seek out violence. Yet in this case, the Inquisition was the force trying to quell a rising storm in their world, using her magic in defense of that idea was not inherently violent, was it? And by helping these soldiers with their training, she could possibly be saving lives down the road. Wasn’t that worth it?

“I want to assist you, ser. I’m just worried that despite what training I do have, I am going to hurt an untrained recruit instead of teaching them properly.”

His lips pressed together into a thin line as he ran one gloved hand through his hair. “You have a valid concern, Delphine. The freshest recruits may not be ready to face an untested mage. It may be best to stick with demonstrations for now. Would you be comfortable sparring with a trained templar instead? Someone who already knows how to handle your attacks?”

Delphine was surprised by how quickly he was taking her concerns into consideration but nonetheless appreciated it. Perhaps the Commander wasn’t such a typical templar.

“That would make me worry less. Thank you, ser.”

“You really don’t need to keep calling me “ser,” Delphine. You’re not one of the recruits.”

“Oh, that’s a bit of an old habit, I suppose. Is Cullen alright then?”

“That’s perfectly fine.”

Delphine could have sworn she saw his lips twitch up into a small smile but it was so brief and with the afternoon sun reflecting off his well-polished armor she could have been seeing things.

“Whenever you are ready, come down to the field and I’ll have someone set to run demonstrations with you.”

.

Elazar returned from the crossroads the following day to find Del throwing balls of fire at a shield wall while Cullen explained how the stance was an effective way to defend against an apostate mage or rouge’s fire attacks.

“Cullen has even roped your friend into training the new recruits.” Elazar jumped about a foot off the snow, not having heard the Spymaster approach. “And it seems to be going well so far. What she lacks in experience she makes up for in talent.”

“She did always have a good grasp on her studies. And she spent more time with her nose in her books than I ever did, if we’re being honest.”

“Are you worried about her Herald?”

“Perhaps a bit. I know she’s capable, more than capable really. But I am the reason she’s here and I don’t know what I would do if something happened to her. At the same time, I also don’t know what I would do without her. She was the only person in the Circle I truly trusted.” And she was all Elazar had left from the Circle. Everyone else they had ever known was gone.

“Well, the faster we can seal the Breach, the faster the two of you can head home.”

“That’s what I hope.”

[Masterlist]