#and Solas' comment about in in Trespasser makes it ~worse~

[potatowitch]

Hawke as Companion

Template by @little-lightning-lavellan

Is your OC a Companion in the Dragon Age series? What would it be like for a player to select them to join their party for quests (or romance them, perhaps? 👀)

I did originally plan on doing this for my Inquisitor but, as always, I've got Hawke brainrot instead, and I figured writing some companion interactions would be so much more interesting with her as a companion than my Lavellan. This got .... very long.

You have selected RIAN to join your party!

Race: HUMAN

Gender: FEMALE

Class: MAGE

Specialization: BLOOD MAGE

BACKGROUND

Marian Elaine Hawke, known also as “Rian”, “Chuckles”, “Champion of Kirkwall” and “Hawke, NO” was born in 9:06 Dragon to Malcolm and Leandra Hawke. Despite having to keep her father's magic a secret, she was never led to believe that magic was anything but a gift. Therefore, she spent much of her younger years experimenting to see if she could produce magic, eventually managing at age 9 to light the fireplace with a tiny fireball.

Growing up, she was attached to Malcolm at the hip - the two of them shared not only their magic but their senses of humor and general chaotic energy.

After the Hawke family fled Lothering during the Blight, Hawke joined Athenril’s smugglers to pay off her entry into Kirkwall. As soon as she met Varric at the start of Act 1, they became inseparable best friends - Hawke often cites Varric as her soulmate and the platonic love of her life. During the Deep Roads expedition, Carver became infected with the Blight, and with the help of Anders, Hawke was able to lead him to the Grey Wardens so he could join their ranks.

Over the years, she developed close relationships with most of her companions except for Aveline and Sebastian. Her friendship with Merrill eventually developed into a committed romance, and Hawke started to practice blood magic after recognising that Merrill could do so without being "evil". The two of them eventually also developed feelings for Isabela, and as such she joined their romance as well.

By Act 3, Hawke had become a staunch supporter of mage rights, a dedicated member of the Underground, and wholeheartedly supported Anders’ choice to destroy Kirkwall’s Chantry.

Following the destruction of the Chantry, Hawke and her friends fled Kirkwall, splitting up despite Hawke desperately wanting them to remain together. Isabela and Merrill chose to remain with Hawke, and the three of them traveled across the Free Marches, occasionally running into Anders and assisting him in rescuing mages from rebelling Circles. Eventually, Isabela managed to acquire a new crew, and her partners were more than happy to sail with her as she established herself once again as the Queen of the Eastern Seas.

INQUISITION

Depending on the player’s choices in Here Lies The Abyss, Hawke can be convinced to stay and help the Inquisition further instead of accompanying the remaining Wardens to Weisshaupt, becoming a full companion. She will move to sit with Varric by the fire in the main hall. Hawke will also be present in Varric’s companion cutscene where he invites the Inquisitor to play Wicked Grace.

Upon first being recruited to the Inquisition, Hawke’s specialisation is not available - when automatically leveled, she will put points primarily into the Inferno and Storm trees. Her unique specialisation, Blood Mage, only becomes available if the Inquisitor has allied with the mages at Redcliffe. At that point, Hawke will initiate a conversation with the Inquisitor about their opinions on blood magic, and if the Inquisitor states that they have no problem with it, her specialisation will open. Otherwise, she will refuse to admit her use of blood magic to the Inquisitor.

At this point, Hawke will also speak more openly about her support of Anders. She will eventually admit that they are still in contact, though she won't tell the Inquisitor anything that could give them an idea of Anders’ whereabouts.

Her specialisation is not open to the Inquisitor, however Hawke can offer to teach a mage Inquisitor "a neat trick", which will give the player the choice to replace their current Focus ability with Hawke's.

BLOOD MAGE

Upon unlocking Hawke's specialisation, she will gain a large increase to her Constitution but her mana bar will become considerably shorter, and conventional healing effects will only operate at 25% efficiency. If she is out of mana, she will automatically revert to using her health pool to power her spells instead.

Her spell tree is very similar to the Dragon Age 2 Blood Mage tree, however it does not include the Blood Slave ability - it is instead replaced with Blood Bomb, which is a variant of Walking Bomb. Instead of applying a damage over time curse to a target, Hawke channels a spell that corrupts the targets' blood from the inside until the target dies - at which point they explode, doing damage to nearby enemies. This spell continually consumes Hawke's mana and health while it is being channeled.

Her Focus ability is Major Sacrifice, a variant of the Knight-Enchanter's Resurgence. Instead of healing the party to full health and providing an ongoing healing aura, Major Sacrifice will instead heal the party to full health but take 25% of Hawke's current health, and will provide an aura of ongoing damage to nearby enemies, converting their health into health for the party.

VARRIC'S PERSONAL QUEST IN VALAMMAR

If the Inquisitor brings Hawke to Valammar, she will be suspiciously quiet throughout the quest - though she will pipe up to complain about the Darkspawn. Following the reveal that Bianca shared the location of the thaig, Hawke will be furious and will argue with her.

Upon returning to Skyhold and speaking to Varric, the cutscene will begin in the middle of a conversation between him and Hawke.

HAWKE: You deserve better, you know. VARRIC: Yeah, you've said that before. HAWKE: It bears repeating. As many times as it takes to get it through your thick head. You deserve so much better. VARRIC: *sigh* Thanks, Chuckles.

APPROVAL AND ROMANCE

Hawke is not romanceable, though she welcomes playful flirting from a female Inquisitor. She will eventually initiate a conversation where she makes sure the Inquisitor isn't expecting the flirting to go anywhere further, as she is already in a relationship.

RIAN APPROVES OF: Supporting mage freedom, open-mindedness with magic and spirits, sarcasm, humor, stealing from nobility, pranking nobility, loyalty to your friends, being nice to Varric, terrible puns.

RIAN DISAPPROVES OF: Chantry rhetoric, the Circles, Templars, Tranquility, authority, betraying your friends, ignorance, pomposity, being mean to Varric.

Hawke will not leave the Inquisition, even if her approval is at Hostile. When questioned about this, she will say:

HAWKE: Did you miss the part where Corypheus is my responsibility? I’m going to fix my fuck-up, Inquisitor. If I have to put up with you while I do it, then, well … I’ve always said the Maker has a sick sense of humor.

TRESPASSER

Following Corypheus' defeat, Hawke leaves the Inquisition to rejoin Merrill and Isabela.

Once Trespasser is started, Hawke can be found accompanying Varric and Bran to the Winter Palace.

During exploration of the Eluvians, if both Hawke and Varric are in the party, they will briefly discuss how excited Merrill would be by all this, and Hawke will say "You'd better be writing all this down, Varric."

She will approve of redeeming Solas, though she won't disapprove if the Inquisitor decides they would rather kill him.

High Approval

If Varric has chosen to give the Inquisitor an estate in Kirkwall, Hawke will pipe up during the conversation saying she's excited to be neighbors, offering to give the Inquisitor the key to her wine cellar - though she will complain that Varric has never given her control of the harbor, to which Bran will mutter "thank the Maker".

Regardless of the Inquisition's fate, Hawke will return to her lovers, occasionally keeping in touch with the Inquisitor via letters.

Low Approval

If the Inquisitor has low approval with Hawke, they will be informed that she left as soon as the Inquisitor stepped back out of the Eluvian following the final confrontation with Solas. The epilogue slides will state that her whereabouts are, once again, unknown.

COMBAT COMMENTS

Killing an enemy

And stay down!

One more for me. We’re keeping score, right?

Have at you!

How’s my hair looking? (COMBAT ENDS)

I wonder what’s in their pockets. (COMBAT ENDS)

Oh, ew. I’m not cleaning that up. (COMBAT ENDS)

Low Health

This is going badly!

Little help, maybe?

Why are none of you healers?

This hurts! This really hurts!

Low Health (Companions)

INQUISITOR: You good over there, boss?

VARRIC: Varric, that blood better not be yours!

COLE: Help the kid!

CASSANDRA: They’re swarming the Seeker!

BLACKWALL: Hang on, Beardy!

IRON BULL: Bull’s in trouble!

Fallen Companions

INQUISITOR: Shit! Trevelyan/Lavellan/Adaar/Cadash is down!

VARRIC: Don’t you dare leave me now, Varric!

COLE: Cole! No!

CASSANDRA: Seeker is down! How did they manage that?

SOLAS: Come on, Solas!

DORIAN: Help Dorian!

SERA: Awful quiet, isn’t it? Oh shit, Sera!

LOCATION COMMENTS

(first time seeing a High Dragon) *laughing* "Oh, this will be fun!" IF VARRIC IS IN THE PARTY: "Hawke, the last time you fought one of these you nearly died." "Yeah, but I didn't die. That's the important thing."

(approaching a campsite) "Well ... I've slept in worse places."

(when collecting a Shard) "Let me guess. We have to collect a stupid amount of these for a really stupid reason, and they're all going to be in really stupid, hard to reach places. *sighs* I love adventuring."

HINTERLANDS

"Have we been here before? Feels like we've been here before."

(upon unlocking the cabin in Redcliffe with the Tranquil skulls) "That's ... fucking Maker. Tranquil have always made me uncomfortable but ... they were still people. They were still... shit, I need a second."

FALLOW MIRE

"Eugh, that smell! Worse than my dog when he's eaten cheese, and that's saying something."

(upon killing Widris) "Something, something, crazy mages ... "

"Oh, walking corpses. That's nice."

STORM COAST

(upon seeing the dragon vs giant fight) *laughing* "Oh, that's brilliant!"

"Not to sound like Varric, but why are there so many bloody hills around here? My legs hurt."

EXALTED PLAINS

"Maker, I hate Orlais."

(finding Valorin's corpse) *sighs* "Might sound a little hypocritical coming from me, but ... blood magic is not for the careless."

(seeing the ruined bridge, if Varric is in the party) "Hey Varric - " "Don't you dare, Hawke." "C'mon, please?" "You are not tossing me!" "Spoilsport."

EMERALD GRAVES

"I've always thought it was beautiful how the Dalish bury their dead under a tree sprout. Like ... I don't know, maybe death doesn't have to be the end."

HISSING WASTES

"There's sand in ... places. So many places."

"Have I said I hate sand? Because I hate sand."

EMPRISE DU LION

(seeing Red Lyrium) "Maybe don't touch that. It'll do all kinds of weird shit to you."

"I'm fucking freezing. When can we go home?"

(seeing Red Lyrium giants) "What the fuck?"

(Elfsblood River rift - near the lady with titsicles) *giggles*

SHRINE OF DUMAT

"I'm getting the weirdest sense of deja vu." IF VARRIC IS IN THE PARTY: "You're not the only one."

DEEP ROADS (THE DESCENT)

"Why do I always end up back in the Deep Roads? Am I cursed?"

COMPANION COMMENTS

VARRIC: "I was worried about what would happen if I brought her here, but ... it's nice to have Hawke around again."

CASSANDRA: "I have to admit, I do admire the Champion. A woman who built herself up from nothing to defeat the Arishok ... there's a certain romance to Varric's stories about her."

SOLAS: "I've been informed that Varric also calls Hawke "Chuckles". I ... don't see how we are similar."

DORIAN: "Hawke? Oh, I like her. She's not as daft as she acts."

BLACKWALL: "The other night, I found her getting teary-eyed in the tavern over how much she misses her dog. Don't quite know what to make of that, really."

VIVIENNE: "She is a powerful mage, I'll give her that, but she's also a naive fool. No wonder Kirkwall fell to pieces around her."

IRON BULL: "She's fun. Got a lot going on in that head she doesn't talk about, though."

COLE: "Fleeing, fighting, falling. Failed father, failed mother, failed Beth and Carver too. Fire and freedom, and she knows it's right but it still feels wrong. Old wounds that never healed, sometimes she can still taste the blood in her mouth. You chose to save her. She wishes you chose differently."

SERA: "Thought she'd be scary, but she makes me laugh. Hasn't let owning a mansion get to her head, either, and have you seen those arms? She's strong."

CULLEN: "I'd ... rather not talk about her, if you don't mind. We've a less than friendly history."

JOSEPHINE: "Lady Hawke is charming, certainly, but I cannot imagine her being popular amongst her neighbours in Hightown. She throws the very concept of decorum bodily out of the window."

LELIANA: "I knew her when she lived in Lothering. She didn't seem to like the Chantry much, but she was always sweet, and her jokes made me laugh. It's a little odd to see the woman she's grown into."

TRIVIA

Malcolm also made sure he trained Hawke in using a sword. She's not very good at it, preferring instead to use her staff as a melee weapon if an enemy gets too close.

She has a mean right hook.

Her and Varric have matching tattoos on their left buttcheeks.

Despite being Ferelden and adoring her own mabari, Hawke has a preference for cats.

She's awful at singing. She sings a lot anyway.

[ringneckedpheasant]

putting this under a cut bc it made ME depressed. it’s just oc talk abt kiernan but tw for discussion of suicide/suicidal ideation

kiernan isn’t the only one of my ocs with depression but i was feeling really maudlin last night and came to the realization that he would be the most likely of any of them to commit suicide.

he’s struggled with suicidal feelings since he was a kid—and by that i mean since he was like, 9 or 10. and tbqh it never really went away, feeling suicidal or wishing for tranquility when things got really bad. i don’t think he ever actually attempted, in large part due to rhian’s support, but he remained passively suicidal throughout his teen years and definitely did a lot of unnecessarily dangerous shit because of it. even in inquisition he becomes a knight enchanter partially because it’s a good outlet for his anger, but partially because the resulting close-quarters combat puts him in danger.

and without rhian’s support, the main thing that keeps him going when things get really bleak is just knowing that if he does anything to hurt himself, corypheus will win. he can’t kill himself because of it, but there’s also the undercurrent of knowing that he isn’t necessary for that, it’s just the anchor.

even then, even knowing how selfish it would be to let the world suffer because he couldn’t bear the weight of his trauma and dysphoria and depression, there are still a couple of nights over the course of those few years where he thinks seriously about it. like…. pre-gay solavellan, getting to the point of writing a letter to rhian and leaving it on his desk for someone to find. going to solas one evening and starting to make, yknow, vague and ominous comments about how much solas’ friendship has meant to him, how lucky he was to find a friend like him in the inquisition. and solas knows what kiernan is doing, realizes it almost immediately because they’ve talked about kiernan’s suicidal ideation before but he didn’t know how bad it had gotten.

and it’s just. so hard sometimes for solas to find a balancing act with kiernan, because he sometimes lashes out at both comfort and criticism, or when solas guesses too accurately how he’s feeling, or pries just a little too much at something personal,,, outright confronting kiernan would be just as likely to push him away as to stop him, so instead he pretends he doesn’t know, and calmly asks kiernan if he has the time to help with part of the fresco.

it keeps him close, so solas knows at least as long as he’s there he’s safe, and it gives him time to try to think of a more permanent solution, and he ends up not needing one. because after a few hours kiernan, with paint on his face and his sleeves rolled up just a little past his wrists, confesses quietly that he’d been thinking of doing something incredibly stupid, and he doesn’t think he will now, but would solas be willing to stay with him tonight, just to help keep that impulse at bay?

and he’s not fine the next day or the day after that, but eventually it comes back down to a manageable level, and the next time he starts to get that low he tells solas outright, asking for nothing but a little extra company to remind him that things aren’t as bleak as they feel.

this post was headed in a very different much worse direction when i started writing it but i am instead choosing to think about the hurt/comfort aspect of this instead of how kiernan may or may not manage those feelings post-trespasser when he no longer has solas and no one needs him for the anchor anymore 😔

[the-lightning-mage]

Inquisition OC as a Companion

I’ve already made a post about some stuff about Holly, but I love the format @little-lightning-lavellan​ made, and it really made me think. The picture is my best attempt at making her on artbreeder. 

You have selected Holly Trevelyan to join your party!

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Class: Mage

Specialization: Rift mage

Background:

Holly Trevelyan is the second youngest of seven children born to Bann and Lady Trevelyan. Born in 9:12 Dragon, she is also the only mage of the family. She came into her magic when she was 12, and thus spent most of her life in the Circle. Due to the more lax nature of the Ostwick Circle, and her being from a noble family, she was able to regularly send and receive letters. The only person she ever really got letters from is her younger sibling. This caused them to be incredibly close despite the distance.

In her early years she spent most of her time studying healing magic in hopes it would help let her get out of the circle. After lots of discouragement, she ended up giving up on that dream. Instead she focused her studies on storm based magic, as she had always found rain and thunder comforting.

After reading several books, and hearing several accounts as to how much more advanced Tevinter magic could be in certain areas, she had a new goal. She decided to try to harness electrical based magic so that it could be used as an energy source. This path has led to her becoming one of the most powerful storm based mages in Thedas.

When the talks of rebellion began, she was a part of them. She hated being cooped up all the time, and she had heard horror stories of how other mages were treated. When the rebellion began, she was not so involved. She was horrified by the levels of wrathful violence some of her peers employed. She spent a lot of time helping people escape. When she herself did, she knew that the entirety of the rebellion could not be like that, and she seriously considered joining them. Instead she decided to go find her younger sibling. That choice only solidified when she heard of what happened to the Conclave.

She becomes a rift mage because that is what either a. Killed her sibling or b. Almost killed them.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

She arrives in Haven shortly before the party leaves to address the Chantry in Val Royeaux. She shows up not to necessarily join the Inquisition, but in an attempt to find out what happened to her sibling. She can be found just outside the gates near the stables arguing with Cullen, demanding information.

If the Inquisitor is human, and thus her sibling, the conversation to recruit her flows a lot more smoothly. She will then ask to be part of the Inquisition, saying she damn near had a heart attack when she thought they had died, and that they had been apart for far, far too long. If she is refused, the Inquisitor will tell her to go home. There will be a war table mission to ensure she gets there safely. If she is accepted, she rises through the ranks rather quickly due to her skill. Solas will accuse the Inquisitor of nepotism.

If the inquisitor is not human, she will get emtional, wanting to know where her sibling is. She will demand to join the Inquisition to get justice for her fallen sibling. If denied, she will join the rebel mages instead. If they are sided with, she will technically be part of the Inquisition, but not as a companion. If not, she discovers Dorian, gives him what info she has, and flees. If she is accepted, there will be a war table mission to find her sibling’s remains or something they had on them.

In Haven, she can be found near the Inquisitor’s cabin. In Skyhold she can be found in one of the unused towers near Cullen’s office. It will have fancy looking equipment for her experiments.

She can be used to gather rebel mage support.

Approval and Romance

As they are siblings, human Inquisitors will have an easier time gaining approval, but for certain situations, they will face greater disapproval than non-humans. For example, non-humans will get “Holly disapproves” if they conscript the mages instead of treating them as allies, but humans will get “Holly greatly disapproves.”

When it comes to the big decisions, like what to do with the Wardens, who goes into the Well of Sorrows, etc. She tends to take in all of the “what ifs?” and bases her own opinions on that rather than her own morals. She may not like a decision, but if she thinks it will ultimately have the best out come, that is the one she goes with.

She likes to view most things from every angle she can. She prefers more merciful forms of justice, and can tend to be very forgiving. She likes it when the Inquisitor tries their best to understand others, while not necessarily condoning their actions. She likes it when they help those in need, though not as much as Cole does.

She can only be romanced by non human Inquisitors for obvious reasons, and she can be romanced by both men and women. If neither she or Cullen are romanced, they will end up in a relationship together. Instead of having a big romance scene, at high levels of approval, human Inquisitors will get an emotional scene where she tells them just how much she was worried about them.

Her personal quest involves her closest friend from the Circle. He sends her a letter telling her that he alive, and would love to catch up. It turns out to be a ploy, as he betrays her. He can be killed or talked down and shown mercy.

Her romance quest involves taking her to a few different locations throughout Orlais and Ferelden.

Trespasser

High Approval: She stayed with the Inquisition over the last to years as their advisor on matters of the Arcane. She presents them a unique weapon she had been working on in free time. Romance does not change this.

Low Approval if Cullen was romanced: She spent the last two years traveling. Seeing the world she never could see before. She helps and sends word back to the Inquisition when need be.

Low Approval if Cullen was not romanced: She remains with the Inquisition, helping where she can. She spends a lot of time helping Cullen figure out how to best utilize the mages.

Post trespasser: She spends much of her time working, and when she is able to get a working prototype she presents it to whatever Mage authority there is, and gets funding. It helps propel mages into good opinion. Details about her relationship are shared.

Combat Comments

Killing an enemy:

“Block this!”

“Eat ash!”

“You shouldn’t have underestimated me!”

Low health:

“Do we have another healer?”

“Armor failed me.”

“Help!”

Low health Inquisitor and Companions:

“Inquisitor!”

“Brother/Sister!”

“I’m on my way Dorian.”

“Maker, someone help the Seeker.”

“I’ve got you, Varric.”

“Shit... Bull!”

“Cole’s down!”

Other

Approaching camp: “I’ve always want to go camping.” “I’m not expert, but this seems like a lovely place to stop?”

Approaching a High Dragon: “Are they really that big?”

Using an ocularum for the first time: “Are you sure you don’t want me to examine it first?”

Picking up shards after finding the temple: “What are these doing all the way out here?”

Location Comments

Arbor Wilds: “It’s a shame we have to fight here.”

Old Crestwood: “No wonder they’re having problems with undead. Look at all the spirits.” “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Emerald Graves: “Am I the only one who thinks this place is beautiful?” “Wow....”

Emprise du Lion: “This... this is why I wear a cloak.” “I should summon some lightning. Start a fire and destroy the red lyrium. Two birds with one stone.”

Exalted Plains: “They really could not think of a worse name.” “A place that is a monument to humanity’s evil taken over by demons. Ironic.”

The Fallow Mire: “Ugh.” “I think I saw a bug the size of my hand.” “I love nature, but I hate this place.”

Forbidden Oasis: “This place would be nice if it weren’t for the Venatori... and the giant.” “I’m confused. Why is they’re a temple here? Who built it?”

Hinterlands: “Can we visit Redcliffe?” “So much chaos....” “We can help the people here, right?”

Hissing Wastes: “How do I have sand in my armor?” “Dwarven ruins on the surface? This is a dream come true.” “Great. Venatori.”

Storm Coast: “Crossing the Waking Sea was my favorite part of getting here.” “I actually quite like the weather.” “I wonder... is this place more prone to lightning storms?”

Western Approach: “Talk about a wasteland.” “Poison hot springs and chasms into the Deep Roads? At least there are ruins.” “I suppose this is a good place for nefarious deeds.”

Advisor and Companion comments

Blackwall: “She’s very dedicated and has a good heart. She’s what people should think of when they hear “mage.””

Cassandra: “She is very dedicated to the cause, though I worry she might set fire to Skyhold with one of her... experiments.”

Cole: “Trapped. Walled in. Caged like a fancy bird. Not anymore, but she stays because she wants to help. Is helping. She’s good, like her healing spells.”

Cullen: “She’s dedicated, clever, and very, very persistent. She’s been a great help with the mages.”

If in a relationship with her: “She’s... amazing, isn’t she? I’m not sure what she sees in me.”

Dorian: “You don’t find many people so open to new ideas, or people that are that accepting. She is excellent company.”

Iron Bull: “She’s different from the other mages. Too entrenched in her work to boast about it. Way more practical. I have a lot of respect for what she’s trying to do.”

Josephine: “Though I wish we could make better use of her noble ties. She is invaluable, and holds great conversations.”

Leliana: “It’s not often you meet someone who has truly nothing to hide.”

Sera: “I dunno. She makes too much sense for a mage, ya know? At least she’s pretty.”

Solas: “Holly? Ah. We don’t particularly get along, but I approve of what she is trying to do, and has accomplished.”

Varric: “You wouldn’t guess it, but Bookworm is just as good in battle as she is in that tower of hers. Thank the maker it takes a lot to piss her off. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of her lightning bolts.”

Vivienne: “I’ll be honest, I do not agree with her on everything, but at least she is loyal. Her work ethic is to be admired as well. She dresses rather simply though.”

Trivia

At first, everyone thinks Holly is the nickname Varric gave her. It doesn’t match her personality.

While she may not believe Dorian about the time magic, she immediately believes him and Felix about the Venatori. She had heard rumors about them before the events of Hushed Whispers, but nothing concrete enough to tell anyone.

Her relationship with Cullen starts with him asking her if she can soothe headaches. She has somewhat of a reputation for her healing magic, even if she doesn’t use it much.

She is an excellent singer.

Like Solas and Varric, she acts like a parent towards Cole.

If the Inquisitor is a human man who romances Dorian, she’ll tease him for having a type.

[pikapeppa]

Felassan/f!Lavellan smut: Starve

Chap 20 of The Love That Grows From Violence (post-Trespasser Felassan x Tamaris Lavellan) is up!

In which there is smut. And a little lore. And Felassan telling stories about being a fratboy one of Solas’s esteemed agents. 

Quick CW: a very brief mention of suicidal ideation.

~8200 words; read on AO3 instead.

*******************

Tamaris gazed at Felassan in a happy haze. They were lying face-to-face in her rumpled bed with the sheets twisted around their legs, and his fingertips were tracing a slow and careful path from her waist over the curve of her hip to her knee, then back up to her waist. 

She admired the softness of his faintly-smiling lips and the dark curves of his eyelashes. Then his lovely violet eyes crinkled at the corners with a smile. 

He lifted his hand and ran his fingers through her tangled curls. “You’re staring, avise. Maybe you should paint a picture. It’ll last longer.”

Brat. she thought fondly. Trust him to use her own snarky comment against her. “Can I ask you something?” she said.

“You’ve been asking me for things all night,” he said slyly. “Why stop now?”

She smirked. He wasn’t wrong. They’d spent the entire night twisted together in her bed, teasing each other both verbally and physically. When they’d begun to exhaust each other into dozing off, Tamaris had risen to get their nightly Fade-blocking tea, but by that time, it was late enough — or early enough, really — that birds were singing outside the window to herald the incoming dawn.

They’d drunk their tea and curled up together to sleep. As Tamaris’s weighted eyelids drifted shut, her last waking thought was one of relief: relief that she was comfortable with Felassan falling asleep in her bed, and that she was comfortable falling asleep wrapped in his arms.

It was close to noon now, and they’d only just awoken. Despite her rumbling stomach, Tamaris was very reluctant to get up. Being curled in bed with Felassan was so nice, and so… surreal somehow, like living inside of a dearly-held fantasy. She’d been mentally tiptoeing around this fantasy for weeks, growing accustomed to the idea of baring herself to him in more ways than one, and the way she felt right now — sleepy and loose and soporific with the love she was still too shy to admit: this feeling was perfect and idyllic, and she didn’t want to break that idyll by rising from this bed.  

Thankfully, Felassan didn’t seem in any rush to rise, either. He looked as languid and satisfied as she felt, and she savoured the feeling of his fingers sifting slowly through her hair as she replied. “I mean that I have a question,” she said.

“Ask away,” he said easily.

“It’s a crass question,” she warned.

His smile widened. “Even better.”

She huffed in amusement before speaking. “How come…” Almost immediately, she trailed off as she realized just how tactless her question was. But Felassan’s expression was expectant, so there was nothing she could do but to try and phrase this as delicately as she could. 

Unfortunately, delicacy was not Tamaris’s forte. “I’m kind of surprised that you don’t have fire or lightning coming out of your hands when you’re fucking me,” she said. “Your eyes get all lit up, but you don’t…” She trailed off once more: Felassan was laughing. 

She rubbed her face awkwardly. “That was rude. Gods, I’m sorry…” 

“That is a crass question,” he chortled. “But it’s a very good one. And you have to promise not to laugh at my answer.”

“But you’re laughing at the question!” she protested.

“You can’t blame me. It’s a funny question,” he said. “But if you laugh at my answer, you may injure my pride.”

She scoffed. “I doubt that very much. But fine, I promise not to laugh.”

He smirked. “The short answer is this: I’ve been practicing.”

She frowned slightly. “Practicing? Practicing what?”

He raised his eyebrows suggestively, and she blinked. “Wait. Have you… you’ve been practicing how to come without making fire and lightning? How have you been doing that?”

“Masturbating,” he said baldly. “I had to practice. It… didn’t go well the first time I tried.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

He lifted one eyebrow. “I almost burned my own cock.”

She stared at him. Oh fuck, she was going to laugh. No, she couldn’t, she couldn’t, she’d promised she wouldn’t–

A snort of mirth escaped her. She clapped her hand over her mouth, and Felassan grinned at her. “You’re cruel. You promised—” 

“I know, I know, I’m sorry!” She rubbed her mouth until her face was under control, then widened her eyes. “Tell me. I want to know. I mean it.”

He chuckled, then went back to trailing his fingers over her hip and the side of her thigh. “I tried to masturbate the first night I was here, but I almost burned myself. I kept trying every night after that, but I was getting too frustrated, in more ways than one. It was only making the problem worse.”

Her belly writhed with sympathy. Now she really felt bad for laughing. “Fuck. I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice.

“No need to apologize,” he said lazily. “You helped, in fact.” He gave her a sly little smile. “Or maybe I should say that Fen’Harel helped.”

She wrinkled her nose. “What?” she said flatly.

“The mana-building exercises. The fundamentals that you reminded me of,” he explained. “I focused on my breathing and pulled the magic back from my hands while I was touching myself, and eventually it worked.”

“Oh,” she said in surprise. “That’s… But we only started doing those exercises a week before we had sex.” She peered at him with growing amazement. “You figured out how to control your magic during sex in a week?”

“I was extremely motivated,” he said dirtily. “And I’m not flattering you when I say that you helped.”

“How?”

“You kissed me.”

She gave him a quizzical look, and he tapped her hip. “You may have noticed that my magic is more out of control when I’m upset than when I’m content.”

“I might have noticed that, yeah,” she said gently.

He nodded. “The memory of kissing you was something positive to focus on while I was touching myself instead of the frustration. It was extremely helpful.” He propped himself up on one elbow and smiled down at her. “Would you like to know what I concluded from this?”

His palm was smoothing over her hip and belly now in a slow and languid circle, and Tamaris rolled onto her back and stretched happily under his hand. “Go on, then. What did you conclude?”

He slowly lowered his face toward hers. “The more you kiss me, the faster my magic will come back,” he murmured.

She quirked a playful eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“I think it’s a good deduction,” he said pleasantly.

She scoffed softly and slid her hand around the back of his neck. “I bet you do,” she said, and she pulled him down for a kiss.

His lips parted for her, and she savoured the heat of his tongue and the plushness of his lips for a blissful moment. Then he pulled away from her and tilted his head playfully. “What do you know? I feel more magical already.”

She chuckled, then gazed at him more seriously. “Seriously though, that’s really impressive. I’ve never even felt a hint of fire or lightning when you’re fucking me.”

He raised his eyebrows. “That would be insulting if you didn’t mean it literally.”

She let out a little laugh and stretched her arms leisurely over her head. “Are you fishing for compliments?”

“I’d never turn them down,” he said.

She relaxed into the mattress and patted his hand, which was still stroking her belly. “Fine. You make me come so hard that I can’t see for a few seconds while it’s happening. How’s that?”

His eyes flared with heat, to Tamaris’s delight. “It’ll do,” he said. Then he dropped his voice to a low and intimate pitch. “You, on the other hand, make me come so hard that I lose my words.” 

His words sent a sudden ripple of heat through her body — heat that was stoked by his stroking hand, which was moving ever-so-slowly toward her breast. “You? Lose your words? I don’t believe it,” she breathed.

He smirked at her. “I had better prove it, then.” He peeled the sheets away from her legs, then laid a kiss on the underside of her breast.

His cheek brushed over the peak of her breast, and she shivered in response. Felassan brushed his lips over her nipple until it was a hardened little bud, then began slowly trailing his lips down over the bowl of her belly while easing her thighs apart with one hand, and Tamaris exhaled shakily and arched her spine. “You’re supposed to be proving that you can’t, um, talk when I…” She broke off with a shaky gasp: Felassan was gently kissing her sex, and every tender press of his lips was pulling a ripple of buzzing warmth to the juncture of her thighs. 

He pressed a hot open-mouthed kiss between her legs, then lifted his face to look at her. “What were you saying?”

“Um…” She gulped. “I… we’re supposed to see if you lose your words, not… not me.”

Felassan smiled slowly at her. “We can test the theory with you first.” He lowered his head once more and slowly swept his tongue along the length of her sex, and Tamaris lifted her hips toward his mouth with a moan. 

He continued to caress her with soft teasing kisses and firm sweeping strokes of his tongue, and Tamaris helplessly rolled her hips toward his mouth. The pleasure was rising through her body in a languorous and graceful wave until it almost felt like she was floating in the blissful ecstasy of his talented lips and tongue. When she finally hit her peak, it was just as blissful and languorous: a scintillating burst of pleasure that rippled down to her calves and up to a starburst of white lights behind her closed eyelids.

“Felassan,” she cried, and she mindlessly dragged her nails across her chest. 

When she was settled on the bed once more, Felassan lifted his mouth from between her legs. “Well, you said my name,” he said matter-of-factly. “You didn’t lose all your words.”

She panted for breath, then smiled at him. “I saw stars for a second too.” 

He smiled and bowed his head graciously. “That is high praise indeed.” To her dismay, however, he sat up and shifted to the edge of the bed. 

“Where are you going?” she asked. Maybe she was being greedy given that they’d spent the whole night twisted together in her bed, but now that she’d gotten a taste of what it was to enjoy him without the burden of her own uncertainties hanging over her head, she just wanted… well, more.

He shot her a smile as he stood up. “To take a bath. Come with me.”

She dragged her eyes away from the rise of his cock and propped herself up on her stunted arm. “A bath? Why now?” she complained. He was hard and ready, and she wanted him now.

His smile widened. “Because I can taste myself between your legs more than I can taste you, and I’d prefer it to be the other way around.” 

She pulled a little face. “Oh. You know what, that’s fair.” She pushed back the sheets, then followed him into her en-suite washroom.

He was already filling the enchanted Orlesian tub with water, and Tamaris eyed the tub with a hint of caution. She hadn’t bathed with anyone in years, not since she and Solas had snuck away in the Emerald Graves to swim in the silver falls one night. 

She instantly felt a bit guilty remembering that moment, especially with Felassan standing naked right in front of her and humming softly to himself as he combed his fingers through his long black hair. But then she realized something — something wonderful: she had no lingering wistfulness for that moment with Solas in the Emerald Graves. It was a nice memory with someone she used to love, but it was no longer tainted by longing. 

“Tamaris?” 

She looked up. Felassan was binding his hair into a neat bun at the nape of his neck, and his expression was quizzical. 

She smiled and shook her head slightly; this was one memory of Solas that Felassan didn’t need to hear. Especially since the beautiful sight of Felassan’s hard naked body was driving any other thoughts from her mind. 

She sauntered toward him, and a slow smile curled his lips. “You look like a woman with a mission.” 

“Maybe I am,” she said. She trailed her fingers down over his abs, then wrapped her fingers around his cock. 

His breath hitched, and when Tamaris squeezed him, he groaned. “Seeking proof of what I said before, are you?” he breathed.

“Exactly,” she said, and she dropped to her knees in front of him. He stumbled back slightly and braced himself on the edge of the bathtub, and not a moment too soon: Tamaris was nuzzling his inner thigh, breathing in the sharp scent of sweat between his legs before brushing her lips along the length of his cock and taking him into her mouth. 

He gasped and jerked his hips toward her, and Tamaris angled her head so his cock could slide further into her throat. He tasted like a melding of himself and her, of the pleasure that they’d been inflicting on each other all night and for most of the morning, and Tamaris savoured the salt of their sex while fantasizing about the sweet feeling of his cock filling more than just her mouth. 

He moaned and slid his hands into her hair, and Tamaris’s lust trebled as his elegant fingers stroked her scalp. He began carefully gathering her hair into a bundle at the nape of her neck, and with every sweeping draw of his fingers through her hair, her blood seemed to beat more powerfully between her legs where she needed him so badly. 

He held her hair in one hand and stroked the back of her neck, then began gently guiding her as he pumped his hips toward her mouth, and Tamaris moaned around his cock. His hands were gentle, but his cock in her throat was so fucking firm. The way he was guiding her to suck him was also both gentle and firm, and Tamaris was more than happy to let him guide her as his every careful thrust brought her own anticipation higher. 

She twisted her hips restlessly and dug her fingers into his thigh, torn between the dual wishes to swallow his seed and to feel him filling her up. But his hand in her hair just felt so fucking good, both soothing and stimulating somehow, and she could hear his breathing growing faster as his hips started to move a bit more quickly…

He gasped. “Tamaris…” 

She moaned her approval and began suckling him faster. His cock was becoming even harder in her mouth and throat, and his fingertips were starting to curl more firmly into the back of her neck, and the impending signs of his climax only made her more eager still. 

She sucked him hard and savoured the desperation in his gasping breaths. Then, when his pulsing cock was a rock-hard rod in her throat, she released him and grabbed his cock in her right hand instead. 

“Try and say something,” she gasped, and she pumped him with her fist.

Felassan cried out, and his climax announced itself with a burst that spattered across her throat and chest. “Ar isala’gara’seia’vallas,” he moaned. 

Tamaris stroked him again. He shuddered and gasped, and another drop of his seed landed on her lower lip and her chin. She eagerly licked his pleasure from her lip, then continued to pump his cock until he grabbed her hand.

“Mercy, avise,” he panted. “Have mercy.” 

She looked up at him. His cheeks and ears were flushed and his eyes were glowing with satisfaction, and he was beaming at her. 

She licked the seed from the tip of his cock, then released him. “You lied,” she said cheekily. “You didn’t lose your words. You just forgot the common tongue.” 

He laughed breathlessly and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s be precise: you drove the common tongue out of my head.” He wiped his seed from her chin with his thumb. “Would you like to know what I said?”

She nodded, and a slow grin lit his pleasure-flushed face. “‘I want to rub your come into my skin’.” 

She burst out a delighted laugh. “Felassan! That’s so filthy!” 

“Hardly,” he said. “You’re clearly of the same mind. Look what a mess you are.” He leaned back and admired her chest, which was liberally painted with the evidence of his pleasure. “You know, I quite like you like this.”

“Like what?” she said. 

“Covered in sex from head to toe,” he replied smoothly. He pulled her close with one hand on her hip, then reached between her legs and smoothed his fingers over the slippery moisture that coated the insides of her thighs. 

Tamaris dragged in a shaky breath. He was petting the inner margins of her thighs without touching her pussy, and it was such a deliberate tease that she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or beg or to play along. 

She settled on playing along. “I thought you wanted to take a bath,” she panted. “Which is it? Do you like me all dirty, or do you want me clean?”

He chuckled, then tipped her chin up and kissed her, and all the while he was stroking the tender insides of her thighs. “I want you every way that you present yourself to me,” he whispered against her lips. “But for now, let’s get you clean.” He released her and stepped into the tub, and the abandonment of his hands made her so fucking eager that she was actually rendered dizzy for a moment. 

She took another deep and bracing breath, then shot him a mock-resentful look as she stepped into the tub. “You’re mean. A mean, horrible tease,” she accused.

“I’m well aware,” he said complacently. He pulled her between his legs so her back was resting his against his chest. “Now relax while I clean you up.” 

She settled herself cozily against his chest, and Felassan began rinsing his seed from her skin. He smoothed the bathwater over her throat and chest, and she blissfully closed her eyes and relaxed into his touch. 

When his palm began smoothing down her chest toward her breast, she smiled faintly. “I don’t think there was any come there,” she said.

He turned his head slightly so his lips were brushing against her temple. “I’m just being thorough,” he murmured. “Trying to get you as clean as possible. It’s a very selfless act.”

“I’m sure,” she drawled. Then she let out a slow and pleasured sigh; Felassan was cupping her breast, and his fingers were playing gently over her nipple. 

He slid his other arm around her waist and down to her thigh, and Tamaris allowed him to pull her legs apart. He smoothed his palm over her inner thigh, then gently pressed two fingers against her swollen clit, and a fresh surge of excitement stopped her breath for a moment.

He pressed his fingers against her sensitive bud with the perfect degree of indirect pressure, and Tamaris moaned and arched her spine. The firm cradle of his body behind her, his hand between her legs, his fingers rolling over her nipple… She could hardly wrap her head around how good it all was.

“You’re spoiling me with all this attention,” she whimpered. 

“I’m spoiling myself,” he told her quietly. “Do you know what my favourite sound has been since I was cured?” 

“What?” she said distractedly. His fingers were so gentle between her legs, with just the perfect sweet pressure to feel good on her sensitized flesh, and his fingers playing over her nipple were just making her pleasure rise all the faster. 

“Hearing you call my name when I make you come,” he murmured. Then he lowered his voice to an intimate purr and started speaking to her in Elvhen.

She gasped and twisted her hips; she didn’t know how or why, but the unfathomable words rolling over his tongue made her all the more desperate and desirous, and it was just the kick she needed to hit her peak. 

She cried out and grabbed the edge of the tub, uncaring about the splash of water spilling onto the floor. “Felassan, f-fuck!” she gasped, and then she was shuddering and whimpering as the rapture buzzed from his nimble fingers straight down to her toes.

When the waves of pleasure finally waned, she slumped back against his chest, and Felassan chuckled. “My favourite sound. Thank you for that.” “Anytime,” she breathed. The hardness of his cock was pressing into her back, and she couldn’t decide what she wanted more: to encourage his erection further, or to just lie bonelessly in the bathtub for a minute. 

Her body seemed to know what it wanted, however; she was already shifting in the tub to rub back against him. He sighed against her ear – a lovely growly sigh that lifted a fresh thrill beneath her skin — then gently nipped the edge of her ear. 

“We may starve to death if we keep this up,” he whispered. 

She let out a breathless little laugh. “I was just thinking that. I’m so hungry, but I don’t want to go downstairs.”

“Hmm,” he murmured, and he smoothed his hands over her thighs.  “I can make something quick, bring it back upstairs.”

He was curling his hips toward her, and the hardness of his cock riding against her back was enormously distracting. She forced herself to find an answer. “No, that’s… that’s not fair to you,” she stammered. “I’ll come downstairs with you.”

He nuzzled her cheekbone. “Perhaps I’d rather keep you naked up here.”

She smiled and squeezed his hand. “You can get me naked again as soon as we’re finished eating.”

“Is that a promise?” he asked.

She laughed. “You’re such a fucking rogue. Yes, it’s a promise.”

“Veraisa,” he purred. “All right, let’s go find something to eat.” 

With no small amount of reluctance, they got out of the tub. Even so, Felassan’s plan to fetch some food was easier said than done. He kept touching Tamaris as she was towelling off, skimming his fingers over her body and brushing himself against her as though he couldn’t keep away, and by the time her left arm was strapped on and her hair was combed, she was so wet and eager that she couldn’t be bothered with smallclothes.

She didn’t have a robe, though, and she couldn’t wear trousers with no smalls. She opted instead to wear Felassan’s wrinkled shirt from yesterday as an oversized tunic.

Felassan laughed smugly as he led her downstairs. “No smallclothes? Either you’re trying to torture me, or you’re adopting the ways of ancient Elvhenan.”

“Shut the fuck up,” she grunted, but in truth, she was feeling very cheerful. Felassan was positively chipper, and her borrowed shirt was infused with his lovely sleepy-soapy scent, and aside from her hunger and the soreness in her thighs from all the sex, she really had no complaints.

He started pulling ingredients out of the cupboards and the icebox, and Tamaris hopped up to sit on the kitchen island as always. Felassan started putting together a salad, and as he sliced strawberries and diced a ripe avocado, Tamaris shamelessly admired the veins in his forearms and the droplets of bathwater still clinging to his bare shoulders and back.

She swung her feet idly and didn’t speak, and eventually he looked up with a smile. “You’re so quiet, em. What are you thinking about?” 

You, she thought goofily. As much as she hated to admit it, she was feeling exactly like one of the vapid heroines in Cassandra’s romance novel collection: fuzzy-headed and infatuated and foolish, with no thoughts in her head aside from the man who was making her feel this way. 

This was way too soppy for her to tell him, however, so she shrugged. “Tell me something,” she said. 

“Tell you something? Like what?”

“Anything you want,” she said. 

He smiled and continued chopping vegetables and fruit. “Are you looking for embarrassing stories now that you’ve softened me up with sex?”

“I’m looking for any kind of stories,” she replied. “Tell me whatever you want.” In truth, she didn’t care what he told her; she just wanted to hear the melody of his voice.

He shook his head in amusement. “All right, let me think. I believe the next big event I’ll be reading in This Shit Is Weird is your adventure to Mythal’s Temple, is that correct?”

She nodded, and he chuckled. “I know what will amuse you. I can tell you how I know Abelas.”

She raised her eyebrows, interested despite herself. “So you knew him well, then?”

“Quite well, yes,” Felassan said. “He worked closely with Fen’Harel.” He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Abelas is an elgar’venathe, you know. He took a corporeal form some few hundred years after Fen’Harel, but still long before I was born.”

She raised her eyebrows. “He was a spirit of sorrow?”

“No, actually,” Felassan said, to her surprise. “For most of his bodily life, he was called ‘Shivan’un’ — ‘one who does his duty willingly and with joy’. Abelas is the name he took after Mythal’s death.”

At these words, a little pang of worry twisted her gut. She leaned toward him. “Felassan, I — there’s something else I should have mentioned before. Mythal isn’t dead.”

He stopped chopping and looked up. His eyes were wide, but he didn’t look as surprised as she thought he would. “You’re certain of this?”

“Yes,” she said. “I — Morrigan and I, we encountered her in the Fade when she was trying to do something to Kieran.”

He gazed intensely at her. “You encountered Mythal? And she acknowledged Morrigan as her daughter?”

“Yes,” Tamaris said. She was starting to feel a little nervous about his serious expression. “She called Kieran her grandson, too. Why?”

“Where is Morrigan now?” he asked.

“I have no idea,” she admitted. “After we killed Corypheus, she left with Kieran. She told us not to track her, and since she helped us take Corypheus’s dragon down, I let it go. No one’s heard from her since.”

He nodded slowly but didn’t reply. He set the knife down and rubbed his chin, then burst out a little laugh. “Mythal ma ghilana.”

Tamaris’s sense of misgivings deepened at this. “Yeah, she seemed pretty fucking shady to me too. Solas was all, ‘she was the voice of reason’, but… I don’t know. She’s not what I imagined. But I mean, none of the Evanuris are sounding like how we thought—”

Felassan suddenly squeezed her knee. “Tamaris, can I… can we wait until I’ve read this part of Varric’s book before we talk about this any further?”

“Of course,” she said, but he was really starting to worry her now. The worry must have been obvious in her face; Felassan’s serious expression softened slightly. “I will tell you what I’m thinking, I promise,” he assured her. “But if I have all the information first…” 

“It’s okay, Felassan,” she interrupted gently. “It can wait. I really don’t mind.”

He nodded and released her knee, then went back to chopping lettuce, and Tamaris cautiously eyed the crease between his eyebrows before speaking again. “Did you want to tell me anything else about Abelas, though?”

His expression returned to his usual half-smile, to her relief. “Ah, yes: Abelas. As I mentioned, he worked closely with Fen’Harel. It was Fen’Harel who recommended him to Mythal’s service, in fact, and he was one of her first warriors to master the dirth’ena enasalin.”

Tamaris snapped her fingers. “I knew that’s what you meant when you first mentioned that! The Sentinels all practice the dirth’ena enasalin, don’t they?”

“They do indeed,” Felassan said. “Abelas was one of the first and finest of Mythal’s committed warriors. He was absolutely loyal to her, and to Fen’Harel by proxy as her dear companion.” He glanced at Tamaris. “He was also no fun at parties.”

She smirked; his eyes were dancing with mischief. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Felassan placed the chopped lettuce in a serving bowl. “He always acted as though he was on duty. He occasionally came to Fen’Harel’s gatherings, but he always ended up guarding the door. He rarely spoke to anyone, and he almost never drank.”

His tone was carefully neutral in that specific way that meant he’d done something pranky. Tamaris tilted her head playfully. “Almost never? What did you do?”

He widened his eyes. “Me? Nothing.”

Tamaris gave him a deeply skeptical look, and he sighed musically. “All right, I confess. I may have planted the idea, but Fen’Harel was responsible for carrying it out.”

His voice was bright with suppressed laughter, and Tamaris couldn’t help but smile. “What did you do, Felassan?” she drawled.

He shot her a quick grin before pouring some pecan halves into a dry pan. “I may have expressed a concern to Fen’Harel that Abelas ought to let loose once in a while, or he would go mad and smash his spirit blade through the wrong person’s head.” 

Tamaris snorted a laugh, but Felassan wasn’t finished; he turned the stove on beneath the pan of pecans, then turned to her with a grin. “I may also have made a subtle suggestion that Fen’Harel’s parties were becoming a tiny bit stale.”

She laughed again, this time with disbelief. “And he rose to that bait?”

“You must remember that this was an earlier time,” Felassan reminded her. “The Solas of my youth wasn’t the subtle and mild-mannered man you knew. He was…” Felassan shrugged. “He was pride. He was confident and bold and… well, proud.” He smiled wickedly. “And he wasn’t fond of the idea that one of his friends might not be enjoying his parties.”

“Uh-huh,” Tamaris said drolly. “So what happened next?”

Felassan turned to the stove and shook the pan of pecans to toast them evenly. “I procured some special wine from a contact of ours in Sylaise’s household — very strong wine that doesn’t taste nearly as strong as it is. Fen’Harel persuaded Abelas into having a glass, and, well…” Felassan smirked at her. “He got completely inebriated from one and a half glasses of wine.”

“You’re fucking kidding,” Tamaris exclaimed. She couldn’t imagine Abelas — stern, huge, forbidding Abelas — getting shitfaced on less than two glasses of wine.

“I would never kid about something so spectacular,” Felassan said. “He carried on with some rambling boring speech about Mythal’s virtues until Fen’Harel persuaded him onto the dance floor, and that turned out to be the most wonderful mistake. He danced terribly but with so much enthusiasm that half of the party were in a frenzy for him by the end of the night. He bedded two women and a spirit of curiosity, and when he came to the next morning, he couldn’t find his right boot or his left… what’s the word?” He tapped his shoulder and gave Tamaris a quizzical look. “Ama’tarlavin — armour for your shoulder?”

“His pauldron?” she supplied.

“Yes, thank you,” Felassan said. “He was missing a boot and a pauldron.” He removed the pecans from the stove and spread them out on his cutting board. “He was mortified, of course. Which he expressed by not coming to one of Fen’Harel’s parties again for over three hundred years.” He shot her a long-suffering look. “Somehow he blamed me for his dreadful behaviour, if you can believe that.”

Tamaris laughed. “You orchestrated it! Of course I believe it!”

Felassan grinned, then started roughly chopping the pecan halves. “Sadly, Abelas never forgave me. Possibly because I never stopped reminding him about it, but that’s just a guess.”

Tamaris eyed him fondly. “You’re such a fucking brat.”

“Thank you, Tamaris,” he said graciously. “I try my very best.” He whisked together the dressing and assembled the salad ingredients in the serving bowl, and Tamaris watched him fondly as he tossed the salad.

He slid the bowl toward her and handed her a fork, and she smiled at him before spearing a bite of salad. The dressing was sweet and tangy with honey and lime, and Tamaris savoured the combination of creamy avocado and crunchy pecans before swallowing. 

“Tell me something else,” she said. She took another bite, this time of lettuce and strawberry.

He shot her a smile and popped a bite of salad in his mouth. “You’re in an inquisitive mood.”

She snorted at the feeble pun. “Are you not in a sharing mood?”

“I’m always in a sharing mood with you,” he said.

His tone was faintly suggestive, and Tamaris smirked. “Keep it in your pants. For now.”

He chuckled. “You really are a minx. All right, what else can I tell you?” He took another bite of salad and chewed thoughtfully. “I can tell you something that surprised me when I woke up in this time.”

“All right,” Tamaris said, and she bit into a pecan piece with a satisfying crunch. 

Felassan lifted his fork to his mouth, then hesitated. “Hm. Now that I think of it, I hope you’ll find this humorous and not infuriating.”

She gave him a quizzical look, and he pulled a little face. “It’s about the Templars. I know you have little fondness for them.”

She sobered and lowered her fork. “I think the Templar Order shouldn’t exist, if that’s what you mean.”

Felassan nodded an acknowledgement of this. “They did not exist in ancient Elvhenan, obviously. When I woke up in this time and was trying to get my bearings, it took me a while to understand what their purpose was.” He took another bite of salad and swallowed before going on. “The Templars frame their abilities as though they are the antithesis of magic, but that’s…” He huffed. “It’s essentially the opposite of the truth.”

Tamaris recoiled slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Templar abilities are a type of magic,” Felassan said baldly. 

Tamaris froze in surprise as Felassan went on. “The human Chantry doesn’t recognize it as magic because… well, they’re the Chantry,” he said with a wry smile. “Getting things completely wrong is their greatest tradition. But the source of Templar magic is not the Fade, so the Chantry doesn’t recognize it as such.”

The source of Templar magic… Lyrium, Tamaris thought dumbly. He was talking about lyrium. And now that he’d mentioned it, she remembered Solas once saying that lyrium was the source of all magic aside from the Fade. 

“But mages use lyrium to enhance their magic,” she said faintly.

“Yes, they do,” Felassan agreed. “Lyrium matches and enhances a mage’s ability to pull magic through the Fade. But for Templars who have no innate magical ability…” He sighed. “It’s tricky to explain. The lyrium gives the Templars a form of magic that… resonates in a different way than our magic. I think this is why they get addicted to the lyrium. It makes something in their blood resonate in a way that it’s not meant to do.”

Tamaris put her fork down. “So… so you’re saying that Templars use magic to cancel magic?”

“It’s ironic, I know,” Felassan said wryly. “The spells they learn are all tailored toward tamping down another’s magic, but they are still spells.”

Tamaris sighed and shook her head. “For fuck’s sake. That really is ironic.” She dragged her hands through her hair. “Fucking hypocrites.”

“Have some salad. It’ll make you feel better,” Felassan said. 

His expression was sympathetic despite his jocular words, and Tamaris managed a weak smile and picked up her fork. She took another bite of the undeniably delicious salad and swallowed it before speaking again. 

“So is lyrium essentially a poison that only mages can safely tolerate?” she asked. “Or safe-ish, at least?”

“Mages and dwarves,” Felassan said. “Dwarves in the past, at least.”

“Dwarves nowadays still have a resistance to it,” Tamaris told him. “Or some of them do. I think the ones who are born in Orzammar are more resistant than the ones who are born on the surface.” She speared another forkful of avocado and lettuce. 

Then something odd occurred to her — something she’d wondered about ever since her foray through the eluvians and into the deep roads, but hadn’t had the chance to address in detail. 

She looked up at Felassan. “Did you know any dwarves back in the olden days?”

To her dismay, his face took on that anachronistic melancholy that made her stomach lurch. “I met some, yes,” he said. “But I don’t think that’s what you’re really asking about.”

The Titans, Tamaris thought. She nervously licked her lips. This look on Felassan’s face… it couldn’t possibly herald anything good. “Maybe we should save it for when Varric is here,” she said tentatively. “He’s not… he’s not really into dwarven history, but I still think he should hear it.”

Felassan nodded. “That’s reasonable.”

They ate quietly for a moment. The mood was subdued now, as though the worries of the world were finally bleeding into the comfort of Tamaris and Felassan’s home, and Tamaris couldn't help but wish she and Felassan had stayed upstairs in bed after all.

Felassan broke the silence, as he was wont to do. “I’m sorry to keep ruining your attempts at pillow talk,” he said. 

She shot him a little smile. His thoughts were clearly running along the same lines as hers. “You really are ruining it,” she said. “Stop talking about real-world shit and tell me something good.” 

He grinned at her, and his beauty made her heart do a somersault in her chest. “Something good? Like what?” he asked.

“Like…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Tell me something you’ve never told anyone else.”

Felassan chuckled and shook his head. “You and your love of personal secrets. I will if you will.”

She scoffed. “You and your trades. Fine, then. But you go first.”

“Excellent,” he said. “Let me think, now. Something I’ve never told anyone else…” He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then sighed. “All right, I have something. But it’s not particularly light-hearted.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be.”

“All right,” Felassan said. His expression was serious now. “I told you before that Fen’Harel made me Tranquil while trying to kill me. But I didn’t tell you that I allowed him to find me in the Fade.”

Her eyes widened as Felassan went on. “I had the herb mixture that blocks the Fade; I could have used it then and gone on the run. But instead of running, I presented myself to him.”

“Why?” Tamaris asked. Did he think that he could defeat Solas in a fight?

“Because I was ready to die,” Felassan said.

Her rib cage froze with shock. She stared at him silently for a second before speaking. “Why?” she breathed.

He leaned back against the counter in a gesture that looked far more casual than his sober expression implied. “I couldn’t remain with Briala,” he said. “Staying with her would have made her a target for Fen’Harel’s wrath. I’d purposely failed my mission, so there was no other reason for me to remain in this time. I had done my piece, and I was ready to die.”

Arguments were fulminating at the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back; Felassan was alive and well, so he’d clearly changed his mind. 

He was still speaking. “When Rhys reversed my Tranquility, I thought about ending my own life. I couldn’t do magic, I could barely function…” He shrugged and folded his arms. “I didn’t think there was anything in this time left to live for.”

He sounded so casual and matter-of-fact, but Tamaris’s pulse was racing at the thought of him trying to kill himself. She took a slow breath to calm herself. “What stopped you?” she asked.

He looked up at her. His eyes were serious but warm, and the look on his face made her heart skip a beat. “Cassandra told me she was going to send me to Kirkwall to meet you,” he said. “Frankly, I was curious to meet the ex-Inquisitor who was Fen’Harel’s ex-lover. I couldn’t exactly sate my curiosity if I was dead, could I?”

His tone was still matter-of-fact, but his expression was so tender now that it was making her throat feel thick. She swallowed hard and shot him a little smile. “Yeah. Dead people aren’t very curious.”

Felassan smirked, but the warmth in his eyes remained. “The Nevarran mortalitasi might disagree, but generally speaking, you’re right. So I spared my own life and followed Rhys and Evangeline here, and…” He bowed his head in a playfully polite gesture. “Here we are.”

“Are you glad you came?” she asked softly.

His smile widened, and he pushed away from the counter. He stepped between her legs and gently squeezed her thighs. “Are you really asking me that, avise?”

His expression, the warmth in his eyes… gods, she could feel her stupid face flushing just like some idiotic romance heroine. 

She awkwardly tucked a lock of hair over her ear and shrugged. “Stupid question, I guess. I know how much you love this gaudy fucking mansion.”

He laughed softly. “Yes, of course. The mansion is the thing I love.”

His tone was playful, but his words brought a sudden rush of blood to her head. The implication in his words, the… oh Creators, was he saying—? 

He ran his palms along her thighs in a soothing caress. “Your turn,” he said quietly. “You tell me something you’ve never told anyone else.”

She exhaled shakily. She couldn’t quite decide if she was relieved or disappointed that he hadn’t continued that terrifying — and wonderful — train of thought.

She nibbled the inside of her cheek as she tried to find something to tell him. The first thing that came to her mind was the exact thing that his words had implied, and it was also the exact thing that she was still too timid to say.

Coward, she scolded herself, but with no real self-recrimination; her newly-acknowledged love was there, coiled at the back of her tongue and waiting for the right moment to be confessed, and Tamaris knew she would tell him eventually. 

She would tell him she loved him eventually. Just not today.

She said something else instead. “Remember how I almost stabbed you when we first met?”

He grinned. “How could I forget?”

She smiled faintly, then stroked his forearm. “Not killing you is the best thing I’ve done in years.”

He laughed. “I’m glad to know you don’t regret sparing me.”

“I mean it,” she said. She shuffled closer to the edge of the counter and draped her arms around his neck. “Meeting you is the nicest thing that’s happened to me in years.”

Felassan’s humour-laced smile melted into something far more tender and sweet, and Tamaris’s heart fluttered. A mere few weeks ago, this tender expression had prompted a rising of panic in her chest. But now, with the warmth of his hands on her body and the weight of her own affection in her chest, this look on his face was the most beautiful thing she’d seen in longer than she could remember. 

He stepped closer to her and slid his hands beneath her borrowed shirt to caress her bare hips. His chin was lifted in a silent entreaty, and Tamaris answered it with a kiss.

She kissed him slowly, savouring the shape of his lips and the tang of honey and lime on his tongue, and Felassan kissed her back in kind. His mouth was soft and his kisses slow, and the firmness of his lips made it clear that they were of equal mind in their languid enjoyment of this embrace. 

Without breaking from her lips, he gathered the hem of her shirt in his hands and began to pull it up, and Tamaris lifted her arms so he could pull it over her head. Then they were kissing again, kissing more firmly and urgently as his hands slid over her naked body in a slow and careful caress from her thighs to her waist, then up over her breasts to settle on her neck. He cradled her neck and licked her tongue, and Tamaris gripped his waist and petted his chest, and when she whimpered into his mouth, he abruptly lifted her up. 

She hungrily traced his ear with her tongue as he carried her to the dining table, unable to stop her ravenous mouth from tasting some part of his body. As soon as she was seated on the table, Felassan was kissing her again, hungry deep kisses that only served to prove how closely aligned their passions were.  

Felassan kissed her as he eased his breeches down, and he kissed her as he caressed her breast and tilted her hips closer to the table’s edge. When the hard ridge of his cock was rocking against her slickness and spreading her slippery heat over them both, he continued to kiss her until she broke from his lips with a gasp.

“Fuck me,” she begged. “Felassan–!”

He sealed his lips over hers once more and thrust inside of her, and her pleasured cry was muffled by his heated tongue. He fucked her in a deep and steady rhythm, one hand braced on the table while the other tilted her hips to his in such a way that Tamaris was mewling with rapture, and still he continued to kiss her, stroking her tongue with his and permitting her to nip his lip, then nipping at her lower lip in turn when she broke away from him to gasp for breath. 

She whimpered and curled her hips to meet him, and Felassan gasped against the corner of her lips. “Tamaris,” he moaned.

She cradled his flushed cheek in her palm and pressed her forehead to his. His rocking hips were filling her up in such a perfect relentless rhythm, and they were gasping together so their pleasured breaths were melding between them with the same heat that was ratcheting through her blood. Felassan’s breathing was quickly becoming an erratic storm of breathy moans, and when the exquisite hardness inside of her became even harder still, she mewled with pleasure and kissed him hard.

He dug his fingers into her hip and groaned into her mouth. The rapture took him with a full-body shudder, and Tamaris twined her arms around his shaking shoulders. She held him tightly and kissed him hard, and when the tension of climax left his body, she kissed him still, unwilling to relinquish the plumpness of his lips. 

They kissed slowly and languorously until Tamaris’s sweat had cooled. Then Felassan finally leaned away from her lips. 

He released her hip and slid his hand into her hair instead, then gently pulled her head back and placed one last sweet kiss on her lips before speaking. 

“We didn’t finish our food,” he murmured. “We really are going to starve to death.”

His voice was husky with pleasure and his smile was brimming with heat, and Tamaris gazed adoringly at his handsome face as she replied. “I can think of worse ways to go,” she said.

He chuckled and stroked her neck. “I think I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should,” she whispered. She tipped her chin up to tempt him in for yet another kiss.

He smiled and kissed her once again, then broke the kiss to laugh softly against her lips, and Tamaris smiled helplessly at the perfect lilting sound of his mirth. Their meal was sitting half-eaten and forgotten on the kitchen island, and if Tamaris was honest, she was hungry still. But with Felassan’s laughter in her ears and his body flush to hers, she had never felt so full. 

[jackdawyt]

Hello Thedosians, I am here today to explain 6 fan theories that must come true in the next Dragon Age instalment.

Saria and I have been researching and tinfoiling away on many popular fan theories that plenty of others have theorized as well. Please note, these are all theories, and we would love to hear your ideas in the comment section below. There is no right or wrong when it comes to speculation.

But without further ado, put those tinfoil hats on, and strap seatbelts to your ears because we're going to take them on the ride of their lives!

Theory: I believe the Blight emerged from a Blighted Titan

The origin of the blight is quite the mystery throughout Thedas with many sources having their own validation on how the blights began:

Chantry-folk talk about a Maker casting a blight onto his failed creations as a plague for punishment of man's excessive pride.

The blight was to be the tool by with the Maker would end all of creation. They preached that it came from the Void, a place of nothing. (Codex entry: Lyrium).

In Threnodies, The Chant of Light exclusively condemns the kinsman of the Tevinter Imperium for the blight's existence.

Threnodies 8.13: "The Chant says that the Maker created the blight as he cast down the seven magisters who blackened the Golden City. Twisted and corrupted, the seven found the Old God Dumat snoozing, their taint spread onto Dumat, cursing the dragon and unleashing the first blight onto Thedas."

However, Tevinter's Imperial Chantry claims that The Chant of Light is a fabrication, a lie to spite the Imperium. Henceforth, the Imperial Chantry believes that the darkspawn have always existed, even before the blights. The main culprits for the blackening of the Golden City and mankind's corruption are the lies of the Old Gods, not mortal pride.

Contradicting the chantry's tale of the blight. As history recalls, it was the Dwarven Kingdoms that were the first to fall to the darkspawn. While the Dwarves don't care for the blight's origin, or what causes it, a pair of Dwarven scouts do believe that the Darkspawn were created by a queen broodmother - the first in existence - responsible for breeding all darkspawn.

Perhaps at the very heart of our world sits a queen—the first mother. Instead of focusing on her children, we should target broodmothers and ensure that future reinforcements will never be born. Codex entry: The Eternal Battle: Darkspawn.

Even The Grey Wardens believe that the Blight is a spiritual corruption that pervades all that it touches, and that all Archdemons must be destroyed in order to stop any future Blights.

Now, According to Solas this is untrue - he indicates that killing all the Archdemons would not stop the blights, the hordes of Darkspawn would still continue to ravage Thedas. He knows that there is something much worse that's behind the blight.

So, the majority of humans in Thedas believe in either the Maker creating the blight, or the blight already existing in the Black City. While the Dwarves don't care as long as the blight can be stopped, and the Grey Wardens are adamant that the Archdemons' death will end the blights.

In short - it seems no-one in Thedas knows what caused the Blight, and those few who do dare say a word. *Stares at Solas*

However, there is something that we do know regarding the origin of the blight! The substance known as "red lyrium" is intrinsically tied to the blight, because red lyrium actually has Blight within it, spreading the taint:

"Red lyrium... it has the Blight."

—Bianca Davri

Regular lyrium is the blood of the world-shaping Titans, the substance empowers magic because it is a conductor that "bridges the gap between the dreamer’s world and the waking world." - (World of Thedas, Vol. 1).

It's used by mages to strengthen magical spells and abilities, while Templar's use it to maintain their immunity to magic, and repel spells.

However, Red Lyrium is blighted Titan blood - corrupted and distorted - carrying this plague throughout the land. Unlike regular lyrium which requires you to digest it in order for it to impact you, just being around red lyrium will significantly affect you.

The substance is most unique, it can thin the veil, allowing spirits and demons to interact with the "real" world. Prolonged exposure will change not only your mental outlook but your physical appearance too. When a templar ingests red lyrium, it improves their powers, grants them new ones and pushes their strength beyond measures.

Once consumed you can become easily become addicted. The more a Templar ingests, the more likely it is for the red lyrium to manifest - descending the subject into pure madness and crystallizing their body until it's pure red lyrium, not being recognized as having once been a human.  

What's most concerning is how Red Lyrium came to be, the mystery still alludes us today. However, we can assume that it comes from a Titan, more apropos - a blighted Titan.

Based on Codex entries, we know that in the time before the veil, the Kingdom of the Elven hunted and declared war against the Titans.

"In this place we prepare to hunt the pillars of the earth. Their workers scurry, witless, soulless. This death will be a mercy. We will make the earth blossom with their passing."

Mythal, the God of Justice, personally slew a Titan, destroying the dwarf kingdom.

"Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!" - Trespasser DLC.

With the defeat of a Titan, the Ancient Elves discovered lyrium from its body. The elves continued to fight with the Titans, mining their bodies for lyrium and "something else". Potentially, their hearts that control the will of the Fade.

"The runes say the Evanuris fought the Titans. They mined their bodies for lyrium and... something else. It's not clear." - Trespasser DLC.

Lyrium has plenty of benefits to a mage, however, if Titan's created the Fade, perhaps their heart's can change the will of the Fade and that's why the elven people needed to slay one, so they can acquire a heart and change their reality.

Believing that the Titans were slain, the elves resumed their lyrium mining operations, until something changed. The normal lyrium became red lyrium, affecting the workers at an alarming rate, nothing could stop this.

"For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire. The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy. A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast. A voice whispers:"

"What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all." - Codex entry: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads.

The blight spread through red lyrium onto the Elven workers, killing and turning them into tainted ghouls. With their meddling, the Evanuris already knew what the Blight could do even to them and their people...

"One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts. She began stalking The Forgotten Ones, wicked things that thrive in the abyss. Yet even a god should not linger there, and each time she entered the Void, Andruil suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning." Codex entry: Elven God Andruil.

They figured out that the Titan was not really dead and since the Blight infects only living beings, they had no choice but to seal the mining place.

The Evanuris returned, using red lyrium as a weapon, becoming mad. Mythal protests and is betrayed and "slain", Solas forges a trap for the remaining Evanuris, creating the veil and sealing the tainted "gods" away. Not only did the veil's creation lock away the blighted Evanuris, but the veil was needed to prevent the Titans from waking up.

"He broke the dreams to keep the old dreams from waking."

- Cole

In some regards, Solas saved the elven kingdom by severing the connection the Titans had with their "children".

Finally, we make it to the theory: I believe that the blight originated within a Titan.

Before the veil, the Titans exacted their revenge, blighted and breaking the seals of its prison with its newly acquired slaves - the elven people. it mentally called the dwarves and made them break the seals from outside thus freeing it and in turn, it infected them with the taint and made them its slaves - a corrupted form of a hive-mind.

It planned to strike vengeance upon the Evanuris. After some time, through its newly acquired slaves, it found the prisons of the sleeping Old Gods and decided to infect them too. planning to unleash the Taint upon Thedas.

The Old Gods, slaves of the blighted Titan and the generals of its army: they command the entire Darkspawn horde and in turn, they are commanded by the Titan to do its bidding.

Whether the blight came from the Titans like a defensive mechanism, or a plague to defend itself from hostile forces, or if the ancient elves/forbidden ones concocted the blight by using blood magic on a slain Titan. It's still unknown.

The blight could be a natural infection. Red lyrium might just be Titan cancer, a piece of their biology mutating mid-life and turning into something destructive and dangerous. That's why the blight has so many Titan properties. It has a Hive-Mind because Titans have Hive-Minds. It Sings, because Titans Sing.

With the veil in place, the Titans returned to a remorseful slumber. Angry because they can't reconnect with their children, awaiting the chance to embrace them once more. This yearning anger has manifested throughout the years with the growth of red lyrium, and the blight's progress.

The Titans have a strong connection to The Fade, or at least an association with it. When the Magisters used blood magic to physically cross the Veil and enter the Black City, the reestablished connection between the physical world and the dreaming Fade unleashed the blight again.

With the veil's destruction, surely a blight the likes of which have never been seen would be released onto Thedas. The Titan's pain will be heard by all.

We are here

We have waited

We have slept

We are sundered

We are crippled

We are polluted

We endure

We wait

We have found the dreams again

We will awaken - Whispers Written in Red Lyrium.

__________________________________________________________

Theory: I believe Solas is a Spirit of Wisdom/Pride in the time of Arlathan

Let's start at the beginning. His name:

Solas - In elven, means: 'Pride’

Pride is mentioned a lot in ancient elven texts, and it's used in the common dialogue of ancient elven tongue. But the only time Pride is mentioned throughout the knowledge of spirits and demons, Pride is represented as a demon.

Pride Demons are known as probably the most powerful demons out there.

"because they, among all their kind, most resemble men; as clever and manipulative as the desire demon, with a penchant for cruel irony that is almost human"  -Beyond the Veil: Spirits & Demons.

In it's corrupted form, it's a malicious beast, known for it's 7 eyes. Much like the Dread Wolf’s depiction in it’s given mural…

Now there's a lot of spirits we have met in the Fade throughout Thedas, in this case, Wisdom Spirits are known for giving knowledge. Knowledge of either lore or history from the past ages.

The thing about a spirit’s nature is that it's evident who they are, and what their name describes them as, so it's easy to interpret their purpose. Cole as Compassion fixes up relationships, mourning those of the dead, and help resolve hard situations in which is hard without the need of Compassion.

The hard thing to notice is that if a Pride Demon resembles so much of humanity, and Wisdom is the opposite spectrum of Pride. Wisdom would also resemble this trait, of being human. Making Solas that much easier to tie into our reality.

"Wisdom and Purpose are too easily twisted into Pride and Desire" -Solas

The Chant of Light, says, the Spirits are the first children of the Maker. He turned his back on them because they lacked a soul – they could twist the Fade to their liking, but lacked the ability to imagine and create, and thus emulate their creator.

The only entity we can come across in ancient elvehn would be Elgar'nan,

‘Elgar’ translated in elvhen means "spirit"

‘nan’ translated means "revenge, or vengeance"

So it directly translates as ‘Spirit of Revenge/Vengeance’, whom Elgar’nan’s purpose as a God is as well...

Thus, the Evanuris could all be implemented as spirits first and came into existence to a body…

The Fade began as an "ocean of dreams" and was reduced to a well when the Maker used its "emerald waters", lyrium. He "took from the Fade a measure of its living flesh" and created men.

"They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget ." — Cole

Solas begins to tell the Inquisitor that the Evanuris were remembered as Gods due to war against someone else. Either the Forgotten Ones or the Titans, it doesn't seem to matter when the result seems to resonate in Solas much more than we would expect...

I believe that when Mythal came to seek Solas for more wisdom when he was a spirit. She actually needed him for this war. What I mean is that he would now become seated as a left-hand man to Mythal - a general to help the People into the justice needed for their power.

Solas; probably being convinced, for the time being, comes into a body:

He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. — Cole

He becomes a guardian to her side, a servant of Mythal. Mythal describes those into her service more of a gift than a boon. So those who felt convinced for seeking knowledge or power must have been willing to be at her side just like Solas was.

“You didn’t do it to be right, you did it to save them.”

Solas, what is Cole talking about?

A mistake… One of many made by a much younger elf who thought he knew everything…”

Solas, as a Wisdom spirit had no desire to enter this world with a body, (such as limiting things), but for whatever reason 'she' asked him to come, she being Mythal.

‘He wants to give wisdom not orders. He isn’t that kind of wolf’ — Cole

Solas loathes his purpose. He’s Pride, but he hates it, he wants to change, wants to be Wisdom, but that’s not his purpose at this moment….

He envies Cole’s purpose as a spirit of Compassion:

‘You don’t have to envy me Solas.’ — Cole

He is sad to see his friends depart this world, knowing things are being forgotten, broken, and lost. He will endure, and he will be their Pride.

__________________________________________________________

Theory: The Griffons Are Alive, And The Wardens Know It

The Weisshaupt conspiracy:

Fortress Weisshaupt has stood through the ages as the Grey Warden’s headquarters, it is located in the southern Anderfels. During the height of the Wardens' power, the fortress was a thriving place, accommodated thousands of Wardens and a large stable of griffons.

Griffons are heroic winged beasts that joined the fights with their Grey Warden counterparts in the previous blights, as warden and beast shared an unbreakable bond throughout Weisshaupt's history.

Each of the defeated Old God’s remains are memorialized in Weisshaupt’s treasury, declaring the grand victory that the previous wardens had claimed in the name of the group.

The castle is a reflection of everything the Wardens have stood for, throughout the ages. However, in the current Dragon Age, Weisshaupt has become a barren place with a garrison of only a few hundred, the griffons are long extinct, and the reigning First Warden is rarely present.

The Grey Wardens have become irrelevant in the current age with the last blight that occurred over 10 years ago. In actuality, the Wardens have become a hindering, reckless group. During the crisis of Corypheus’s ascension to Godhood, the Orlais Grey Wardens submitted themselves to Tevinter, so they could defeat the two remaining Old God and “end the blights” once and for all.

Once Thedas’s only protectors, and now blinded by their own cause. The Wardens couldn’t even see the real enemy in front of them. And since those events, the group has become even more corrupt with rumours reporting on broken ties between the leaders at Weisshaupt, and how a civil war awaits each of them.

“Rumors abound that they severed ties with their leaders at Weisshaupt, and that a bitter war now rages between them.”

“What becomes of Hawke/Loghain/Stroud/Alistair is unknown – save that all news out of Weisshaupt soon ends.”

“Does the sudden silence indicate a battle within... or something far worse?”

Morrigan, Epilogue

Weisshaupt fortress remains silent, having gone dark from the rest of the group, but why? What caused the Wardens to stop communicating with each other? Was it merely to stop the corruption of the group from spreading, or is something even more aloof?

Have the Wardens finally met their own demise? Has each brother fought their sister? What has truly become of the Weisshaupt Wardens?

Well, perhaps it’s not as suspect as everyone in Thedas is making it out to be. The Wardens have always been a highly suspect group with many secrets, most of the general public don’t understand the Joining, there are plenty of things that the Wardens keep hidden from the average Thedosian.

So, what exactly could the Wardens of Weisshaupt be harbouring, that would force them to isolate themselves from the rest of the group?

Well, in 9:41 Dragon, several Warden-Recruits are assigned to Weisshaupt and begin a research project into records from the Fourth Blight. While there, one of the recruits discovers the diary of Isseya, a Grey Warden from the Exalted Age which reveals that there is a clutch of live Griffons hidden in the Anderfels. The new Wardens successfully rescue the griffons and resolve to return them to Weisshaupt where they will have the facilities to help the griffons re-establish themselves.

Valya; one of the recruits who found the griffon clutch, shows hesitancy at informing the wardens of her discovery. Valya says of the First Warden, Chamberlain of the Grey and High Constable:

"I don't trust them to place the griffons' well-being over power or politics." (pg 280).

Could the Wardens of Weisshaupt be fighting over what is to come for these griffons? Who controls them? How they will be raised? What will their purpose be?

The sheer existence and resurgence of Griffons in the Dragon Age could have caused the need for a sudden silence across the group, if the people of Thedas knew this secret, it could be dramatic.

And with the corrupted Wardens in the South, it may not be in Weisshaupt’s best interest to share this information with the rest of the Wardens for fear of this secret being revealed.

Perhaps this has caused a rebellion inside the Fortress, splitting the group’s leaders over the future of these griffons, and if the people of Thedas deserve to know. With factions within the Grey Wardens both agreeing and disagreeing with sharing this news to the rest of the Wardens.

A civil war brews in the Wardens HQ, will what’s left of the Griffons preserve in this Age? Or will the ignorance of the Wardens once more be an obstacle for the existence of these beasts?

Can the Warden’s rise up to their former glory? Or will they soon meet their demise? As it stands, Weisshaupt remains in the dark, the Wardens are waring amongst themselves, while the fabled Griffons return to the Dragon Age.

__________________________________________________________

Theory: I believe the Evanuris will return once the Veil is torn.

Solas' plan involves tearing down the Veil and restoring the 'time of the elves'. It is stated that when the Veil is torn, the Evanuris will return. But why does that not bode well?

'They were fickle, they amassed wars against one another' — Solas

The Evanuris are known to be power-hungry tyrants that used the bidding of their slaves for power. The more power they received, the more the threat they posed against the world.

'Had I not created the Veil, the Evanuris would have destroyed the entire world' — Solas

It is stated that Falon'Din began wars to amass more slaves, and filled lakes as wide as oceans for those who wouldn't bow low to his shadow.

Andruil, made armors of the Void, hunting the Forgotten Ones in the thrill of the hunt. And brought back plagues and speaking about madness, things forgotten.

‘One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts. She began stalking The Forgotten Ones, wicked things that thrive in the abyss. Yet even a god should not linger there, and each time she entered the Void, Andruil suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning.

Andruil put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face. She made weapons of darkness, and plague ate her lands. She howled things meant to be forgotten, and the other gods became fearful Andruil would hunt them in turn.’  — Translated from ancient elven found in the Arbor Wilds, source unverified.

Ghilan'nain made monstrous beasts that threatened both the skies of the heavens and the depths of the earth. Even rumored to have used the body of slaves and animals as armor.

Elgar'nan cast down the sun unto the earth, seeping the life's blood onto the land. Eidolons were made by thousands of slaves built upon mountains, screaming his worship upon the lands.

'You said that the Elvhen Gods went too far. What did they do they made you move against them?' — Inquisitor

'They killed Mythal' — Solas

The Evanuris plotted out the kill the All-Mother of the Pantheon. They were crazed by reaching for ultimate power, by killing even their own kin to do so.

“She cared for her people, she protected them, she was a voice of reason, and in their lust for power, they killed her” — Solas

The Evanuris warred against one another commonly, this civil war began first with them being generals against the Forbidden and Forgotten Ones.

'Long ago, there were two clans of gods, the Creators, who looked after the people, the Forgotten Ones preyed upon us' - Merrill

'After the war ended, they became respected elders, then kings, and finally Gods, the Evanuris.' — Solas

They banished those of that kin and were rose up into godhood for their power. Sent them to belong in the Abyss, and thrive on things forgotten to somehow bring their People into glory. However, that did not last, slaves represented power in the Pantheon.

Such power was not given freely, all were threatened by each of their knowledge and striked against one another to become divine. When Mythal became a voice of reason to protect her own People, they killed her and began planning to gain power against all who opposed them, making them almost unstoppable.

Solas then began a plan to stop this once and for all:

'Fen'Harel was clever. He went to each side and told them the other had forged a terrible weapon, a blade that would end the war.' — Merrill

Solas trapped both the Gods, by putting them in their respectful places, banishing them to an eternity of torment.

'He sealed them both in their realms forever.' — Merrill

'And when they went too far, I formed the Veil and banished them forever' — Solas

'You banished the false Gods, you didn't kill them?' — Inquisitor

Solas then created the Veil to trap the false gods into their respective prisons.

'Hiding, hurting, and to wake them.' — Cole

The Evanuris were now trapped from destroying the world, Solas begins to state that he finally freed the elvhen people, but their results ended in destroying their world as well...

But there are still some remnants of being alive to return once again:

“You meet Mythal did you not? The first of my People do not die so easily” — Solas

Since the Evanuris will return, I believe their remnants must already grasp some remains of beings of Thedas. Just as similar as to when the Breach stirred the Titan, the Evanuris could be having the same effect as well.

"There are no gods. There is only the subject and the object, the actor and the acted upon. Those with will to earn dominance over others gain title not by nature but by deed."

"Let Andruil's bow crack, let June's fire grow cold. Let them build temples and lure the faithful with promises. Their pride will consume them, and I, forgotten, will claim power of my own, apart from them until I strike in mastery." —  Codex entry: Geldauran's Claim

__________________________________________________________

Theory: I believe the Dread Wolf will Rise.

'When He rises, everyone will see' — Sandal

It is already claimed in the teaser trailer that the Dread Wolf will rise. Solas, the next antagonist will rise up against his opposers in the next instalment.

However, the Dread Wolf rising doesn't have to be him doing so physically, but rather, rising up to take responsibility in ending our Veil-like world to restore his elvhen People.

'I will save the elvhen people, even if this world may die' — Solas

Particularly, what will Solas 'rise up' to do when ending our world? The mural we saw looks as if the Dread Wolf is rising much higher above the elvhen bald-figure, and poses as a threat with its red eyes. Could Solas be looking for a source of power to rise against the Veil?

'The shadows will part, and the skies will open wide.' — Sandal

'I would've entered the Fade using the mark you now bear, then I would have torn down the Veil. As this world burned in the raw-chaos, I would've restored the world of my time, the world of the elves. ' — Solas

At the beginning of the Inquisition, Solas kept at a nearby village to retrieve the Orb that carried power over a period of time for millennia. Solas' plan was to retrieve the Orb after Corypheus had died unlocking it, and then have the mark which the Inquisitor bears.

His plan the whole time for this world, was to destroy it and revive the world of his time with the elvhen and also the evil Evanuris.  He gave the orb to Corypheus so it could gain enough power to tear down the Veil, which is what he wanted all along. He would have risen up to power and created a plan to destroy the Evanuris before they got their chances of gaining ultimate power.

I believe not only his first personal plan involves him rising up to power against the Pantheon. But that he also 'rose' from a slumber he took. Solas now has awoken to a Tranquil-like world, and will begin his journey to go against the forces of this world. Seeking help where he can reach with spirits and the elvhen, and then opening the Veil in the sky and render the Fade into the Waking world as one.

'I was too weak to unlock it after my slumber' — Solas

He seemed quite sad when the orb broke after all the orb was key to opening eluvians and the Fade.

After defeating Corypheus, Solas’s last chance after the Orb broke was to reach out to Mythal and gain enough power to tear down the Veil. He takes the remnants she bestows to him, and he begins his journey to rise up against the Veil. He starts by taking over control of the eluvians, unleashing spirits to fight against the Qunari threat.

Solas isn't messing around this time, he finally has some amount of power to break the Veil and restore a world before it becomes bad. But how will he rise?

Thedas knows very little of the Dread Wolf, known as a treacherous, merciless, figure that is heavily feared in Dalish tales, the Evanuris fear it too.

'The pages of this book-memory?- warn of a terrible danger, a wolf with slavering black jaws and pits for eyes. The Evanuris-the elven gods-stand in a ring around it, as if preventing it from attacking.

"Beware the forms of Fen'Harel The Dread Wolf comes in humble guises, a wanderer who knows much of the People and their spirits. He will offer advice that seems fair, but turns slowly to poison. Remember the price of treason, and keep in your heart the mercy of your gods."'

— Note: The Treachery of the Wolf

This depiction of Solas having pits for eyes, and slavering black jaws, they warn those of the terrible danger coming. Wherever the Evanrus are hiding, they are surrounding this Dread Wolf to prevent any attacks. What could be speculated is the factor that Solas and the Dread Wolf could be different aspects of each other, like Corypheus puts an aspect in his Red Lyrium Dragon. This, could be closer to a red lyrium wolf.

What if, as described in the codex, Solas is going to finally reach the place were the Evanuris are hiding, use this aspect of himself, the Dread Wolf, to rip open the Veil?

However, the Veil is to be known recently to be weaker than it has ever been since the Breach:

The Tevinters once theorised that the Veil is thin in places that have seen great bloodshed. — Codex entry: Tears in the Veil

Demons seize every opportunity, every tear in the Veil, to enter our world. The Breach is living proof of the chaos it can unleash. In Hushed Whispers was living proof of how the world can become...

But it is theorized that the Veil tends to be weaker in places that feature, or have experienced, extensive death or use of magic.

‘Small tears occur naturally when magic weakens the Veil or when Spirits cluster at an area that has seen many deaths’ — Solas

The tear occurs because spirits are attracted to death and they press against the Veil. The Veil is particularly thin at night when most people sleep and spirits are most active. The use of blood magic can allow the Veil to be torn so that demons may physically pass through it into the waking world.

Once the Veil is torn in places, it is extremely difficult to mend, and some might even say impossible. "Mending" these Tears, i.e. strengthening the Veil, is extremely difficult. Depending on the level of damage done to the Veil, it can be closed through several methods ei. The Anchor.

One place that is particularly known to have the Veil thinner, is Kirkwall. A lot of chaos was constantly influenced upon that city, and that is ultimately where we first located Red Lyrium as well…

It is well known that the Veil is thin in Kirkwall, small wonder given the suffering in the city. But we've discovered the magisters were deliberately thinning it even further. Beneath the city, demons can contact even normal men. Did they seek the Black City to compound the madness of their previous efforts? Or was it something else? We've found a chamber where the Veil is at its thinnest, long-since looted, but the power is still there. — Band of Three,  The Enigma of Kirkwall

What is known is that places around Thedas where deaths/chaos have occurred more than frequently are now further weakening the Veil. For Solas, that only means an easy key to breaking the barrier that separates the Fade from the Waking World.

“You’d murder countless people?” — The Inquisitor

‘Wouldn’t you to save your own?’ — Solas

The sky may have never healed ever since the Inquisitor sealed the breach, which may prove worthy for Solas’s plan to destroy the veil. His execution to tearing down the Veil might work once and for all.

And the sky is healed. Healthy, whole, there’s just that left to remember.. - Cole.

A new dawn is appearing, the dawn is coming upon Thedas.

‘One day the magic will come back - all of it. Everyone will be just like they were.’ — Sandal

Solas will rise as the Dread wolf to take the Veil down, and whether his plans are fully executed, could be the end of our time…

‘We aren’t even people to you?’ — Inquisitor

‘Not at first, you showed me I was wrong, you were people and you deserved better. Like all the rest I used after one hopeless battle after another.’ — Solas

__________________________________________________________

Theory: I believe that Mythal is the true Antagonist of Dragon Age.

'For a reckoning that will shake the very heavens. She was betrayed, as I was betrayed, as the world was betrayed! Mythal clawed and crawled through the ages to me, and I will see her avenged!' — Flemeth/Mythal

All Mother, all Protector, a voice of reason, who calmed Elgar'nan's rage, has been betrayed by her own kin. She is the Goddess of Justice and is due for her bidding.

In Ancient times of Arlathan, Mythal, born out of a sea of the Earth's tears.

"In most stories, Mythal rights wrongs while exercising motherly kindness." — Morrigan

She was the aducator of her Elvhen People. Making sure threats were kept at bay, and opposers stuck down for justice.

“Let fly your voice to Mythal. Deliverer of justice. Protector of sun and earth alike.

Pray to Mythal and she would smite your enemies, leaving them in agony" — Morrigan

Mythal was a speaker for all people and even the Evanuris, yet her actions were recorded to be sinister like the rest of the Evanuris:

'Other paint her as dark, vengeful.' — Morrigan

Being more than the other Evanuris gave Mythal an edge, a way to take any of them on and win. hence her dark side being interpreted in tales. She demonstrates this ability in confrontation with Andruil.

So Mythal spread rumors of a monstrous creature and took the form of a great serpent, waiting for Andruil at the base of a mountain.

When Andruil came, Mythal sprang on the hunter. They fought for three days and nights, Andruil slashing deep gouges in the serpent's hide. But Mythal's magic sapped Andruil's strength and stole her knowledge of how to find the Void. After this, the great hunter could never make her way back to the abyss, and peace returned.

— Translated from ancient elven found in the Arbor Wilds, source unverified.

This also makes her nigh impossible to defeat, but she has one glaring weakness: her desire to protect the People. In the time of Arlathan, Titans were threatening the Elvhen, and Mythal sought out the Titan to stop the chaos of their lands.

"Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!"

—  Codex entry: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads

So, when the People kill their first Titan, and in the process unleash the Blight:

'The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle as if filled with angry energy.

A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic.

Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells, is cast.'

—  Codex entry: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads

Mythal, having a closer association with the Land (the Stone, the Titans) knows exactly what has happened and sacrifices herself to keep the Taint at bay. She splits herself into aspects and buries them as a magical seal against the Taint, replacing the lost Titan. One aspect she keeps on the surface world, to remain among the People. This sacrifice made her vulnerable and the other Evanuris did not hesitate to strike.

'they killed Mythal, a crime for which an eternity of torment is the only fitting punishment.' — Solas

Then Solas moves against the Evanuris, creating the Veil and banishing them into their respective prisons until the bidding of Mythal comes. In which, she has put herself into aspects that effect chaos throughout the lands, buying time for power, until she becomes one again. It awakens and takes form when an uncorrupted piece of Mythal is found by a Tainted priest, their form becoming malicious and broken, until an effective ritual to retrieve the soul uncorrupted...

Flemeth, as we know now to be Mythal, has been manipulating the Ages ever since, she enforces the effective immortality unto her bodies of her daughter to live an abnormal life to endure the ages, all the while.

'Seeking the Justice denied to her' — Flemeth

Mythal has been quite busy after her death when Solas created the Veil, it seems that

'Mythal still endures' — Solas

Solas is now enforcing her plan, it seems to pain him that his mistakes cause further action to take place with Flemeth.

'I am so sorry' — Solas, Epilogue

Solas respects Mythal. He once sealed away the Thedosian versions of heaven and hell and shook the world to its foundations in order to avenge her murder. Now, his own mistake—getting the Orb to Corypheus—means that he himself will now have to take her life and do her bidding.

She plans to seek revenge for the Evanuris, she does not care for the Veil-like world, she believes it was a last-minute effort against an enemy, she seeks to bring all into the new Age, where she rules, the Dragon Age.

'A soul is not forced upon the unwilling, Morrigan, you were never in danger from me.' — Flemeth

[ollifree]

Found an Inquisitor-as-Companions ask sheet so I’m filling these out for Kendra/Darrell in the multi protags au

1. If not for the Conclave, what would drive your character to join the Inquisition?

They both joined because they were at the Conclave and honestly? I can’t see them joining if they weren’t. Much like in the other worldstates were they aren’t Inquisitor, Mami Trevelyan got a firm lockdown on her children after the sky literally exploded. Oh wait, did I say they both joined because they were at the Conclave? That’s a lie. Darrell joined because he was at the Conclave. Kendra joined because Darrell did.

2. How would they meet the Inquisitor?

Kendra met her (Fanari Lavellan, I’m using my own Inquisitor but I’m writing this to fit any Inquisitor) first, in the same cutscene as Varric and Solas. Fanari chose to take the mountain path rather than go with the soldiers (and got her first Kendra Greatly Approves boost). Darrell was one of the soldiers stranded up on the mountain top.

3. What would some of their cutscenes look like?

One of the caveats of their cutscenes is that both of them are always present until Trespasser; at least at the start if not for the whole thing. During the first Trespasser scenes they’re apart because they’re having a spat about Darrell going to Tevinter with Dorian. (Kendra’s having a spat. Darrell’s having a headache.)

Their first cutscene (excluding their introductions) takes place in Haven. They’re found speaking with Josephine about the memorial being planned for those who died or went missing in the Conclave: a reading of names followed by lighting a pyre. Both are insisting that if the memorial’s ready to go but they’re out of Haven on Inquisition business, don’t stop on their account. Josephine starts to argue, but Fanari, out looking for Josephine to let her know her expertise is needed, interrupts. Kendra stalks off shortly after Josephine leaves.

Fanari asks Darrell what the argument was about. He tells her that he and Kendra weren’t the only Trevelyans at the Conclave, but they were the only ones to come out of it. “It’s been hard letting the family know, but it’s helped us. Going to the memorial would just be reopening the wounds, now.” Darrell turns the conversation on Fanari, asking if she wants something different to or happening with the pyre. Cutscene goes into approval/disapproval dialogue focused on faith and grief, with Darrell showing understanding to Fanari and approving of open-mindedness for people processing those things differently.

A follow-up conversation with Kendra can occur: also used as an approval dialogue. Hers is focused on the immediate fallout of the failed Conclave. Approval is gained by sympathizing with her but not pressing her on her personal losses, and her main concerns are shown to be for those not at the Conclave who had their lives upended by the Breach.

Their second cutscene takes place in Skyhold the first time speaking to one of them there before it’s restored. Fanari comments on not knowing which parts of the castle would be best suited to what. Kendra points at she and Darrell are noble, and can make a solid guess at whatever they’re not directly familiar with. They grab Cassandra and Dorian (for the same reasons) and the group sets off to explore. It’s used as an introductory tour of Skyhold for the player and as such enough time is spent in each area to inform them what will be there.

Kendra opens one door, goes in, and immediately leaves with a “Nope.” Darrell pokes his head into the room and declares it a broom closet, but advises they’ll want to get someone up here to take care of the spiders. There’s no dialogue tree for approval, but Fanari can gain some from both of them by making humorous suggestions for what areas the player decides (gardens, tower, courtyard) might be used for.

The third cutscene happens after Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts. The Inquisitor walks up on the two as they’re discussing the outcome of the quest. Their reactions vary on which outcome happened (Celine died and Gaspard’s a puppet ruler to Briala in Fanari’s worldstate. Tragic) but generally Kendra’s content with any outcome while Darrell has concerns dependent on which leader’s in charge. More separate approval dialogue trees happen: Darrell gives approval by acknowledging his concerns and stating that for the time being the Inquisition can at least keep an eye on things; Kendra gives approval to an Inquisitor who also enjoyed The Game and comments on how Orlais’ leader can be used to the Inquisition’s benefit.

The fourth happens after Here Lies the Abyss. Both twins are rather subdued as Maria, one of the Hawke twins, remained behind in the Fade to make time for Fanari to escape after Gareth had already landed back in the physical world.  It’s a short scene, but the Inquisitor can get a Greatly Approves from each of them by saying “At least we’ve still got you two,” even if their reactions are still on the quiet side.

The fifth cutscene takes place after the Inquisitor drinks (or doesn’t drink) from the Well of Sorrows. Darrell excuses himself shortly after Fanari arrives. Kendra checks with her that she’s feeling okay after drinking from the Well. Kendra’s approval doesn’t dip in this conversation, and she reaffirms at the end of it that if Fanari starts feeling any effects to come find her.

An Inquisitor who drank from the Well can gain approval back from Darrell in his conversation by recognizing his worry and concerns for them. He ends the dialogue by confirming that he is worried for them first and foremost, but acknowledges that they were strapped for options at the time.

Both twins will ask Fanari about her reaction to the temple of Mythal, although no approval/disapproval is gained from how she answers. No, I don’t know how this goes for an Inquistor who didn’t drink from the Well. Write your own AU. For my characters.

Once both twins hit max approval a bonus cutscene is obtained. Fanari finds them out on the training ground in the courtyard sparring together with staves. Fanari asks why they don’t use the weapons out in the field. Darrell explains that they’re not much use against demons and mages, but it’s good to keep in shape. Cassandra approaches, curious about why they’re using Nevarran weapons. “Because we’re half Nevarran,” Darrell explains.

Cassandra stutters over this new information, because surely she’d know. Kendra points out a few facts for her: mainly that they’re the only two of the Inquisition who pronounce Cassandra’s name correctly (a subtle breath variation between syllables), their wording on a few phrases is a literal translation from the phrase in Nevarran, and neither of them eat beef. She drags Darrell back to training with a parting, “You’re a Seeker it’s your job to notice things.”

4. What would their romance route look like? Would they be romanceable?

Theoretically yes, both are romanceable by either gender. Fanari, however, is not romantically interested in humans.

5. If they romanced someone as Inquisitor, would they still fall for that person as a companion? How would that play out? How would they react to that person being romanced by the “new” Inquisitor?

They both do follow their romance paths with Iron Bull (Kendra) and Dorian (Darrell). They play out roughly in the same manner as they do when they’re Inquisitor. They’d both be sore over losing their prospective LIs to the Inquisitor if far enough along a romance path, but would recognize there’s bigger things to worry about.

6. Write some of their party banter.

Kendra

(On reaching the Crossroads in the Hinterlands for the first time) Kendra: Hm. Solas: Is something the matter, Lady Trevelyan? Kendra: I’m not sure if I was expecting things to be worse. Solas: We must do what we can.

Dorian: How many sisters do you have, Kendra? Kendra: Who’s asking? Dorian: Your brother was telling me his nose broke— Kendra: Oh, because of Cloud Dancer? That was me. Dorian: (laughter)

Vivienne: Are things well with your family, darling? Kendra: Well enough. Vivienne: I don’t mean to pry, dear. Just to remind you not all things are terrible. Kendra: ...Thanks.

Sera: Sun. Heat. Wind. Kendra: I’m too tired for lists. Sera: Grump.

Cole: (Darrell not in party) He misses you. Kendra: (grunt)

Kendra: I’ve heard you’re writing a book. Varric: Don’t get yourself into a tizzy. I know to keep my pen away from you.

(After Blackwall’s personal quest) Kendra: Welcome back. Blackwall: Oh. You’re speaking to me? Kendra: Long enough to tell you to stop coming to drink nights.

Iron Bull: Look at these footprints. (groan) They’re so tangled up I can’t tell how many there were. Kendra: At least a dozen. They straighten a little way out. Fanari: Do we know how recently they were here? Kendra: Rain fucks it up, but it can’t have been more than an hour. Iron Bull: They wanted this place bad. Might still be nearby. Darrell: (if in party) Well. I feel safe.

Cassandra: But, your family is so widespread there’s a Trevelyan in every Chantry. How can you not believe...? Kendra: Easier than getting you to shut up about it.

(Overheard when in the library after What Pride Had Wrought) Kendra: Have time for a question? Solas: Of course. Kendra: (hissed) Fuck’s wrong with you?

Darrell

Solas: This once was a place of learning for my people. Now even the ruins have turned to dust. Darrell: I’m sorry. Would it be possible to see it as it was? In your sleep, I mean? Solas: I think so. Our current task is more important, however.

Dorian: Sure, take Dorian along. It’s not like he hates the damp. Or the chill. Or the wildlife. Darrell: Would you have rather been kept back at camp? Dorian: It would be much more romantic to be weeping over a corpse than being wept over.

Darrell: Are you alright, Vivienne? Vivienne: Yes, thank you. Darrell: You’re sure? Vivinne: It will take more than an apostate to do me in, dear, but I am grateful for your concern.

Sera: You and Dorian, eh? Darrell: I think so. Sera: Good.

Darrell: I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say my thoughts, Cole. Cole: I do. Sometimes. But, right after, I have to stop. She doesn’t like me to hear her. Darrell: Hearing me...makes you hear her? Cole: Yes. You’re happy!

Varric: Mind if I ask your thoughts on some things? Historical books are better with different perspectives. Darrell: You’re doing a historical novel? Varric: Not a novel per-say. More a bibliographical. On all this. Darrell: Can I give you a warning? Varric: For what? Darrell: My sister might come for you just for including her name. Varric: Noted.

Blackwall: Impressive how you turn your blade into a shield when we fight. Darrell: Oh, thank you. Blackwall: That wears it out a bit faster, doesn’t it? Darrell: The blacksmiths know my name, yeah. Blackwall: I was thinking. If we fought closer together, I may be able to take an arm off before they can strike. Darrell: Depends on where you stand. Otherwise Kendra might hit you.

Iron Bull: You know, a few drinks might loosen you up a little. Why not join us next time? Darrell: When’s next time? Iron Bull: If we’re unlucky, back at Skyhold. Darrell: And if we’re lucky? Iron Bull: Next group we bust has a cask on ‘em. Darrell: (laughter)

Cassandra: I have heard one of your siblings was a templar? Darrell: Two were. A brother and a sister. Cassandra: Has there been any news since...? Darrell: No. Cassandra: I'm sorry.

(During Trespasser) Darrell: Did Kendra and I tell you we were in Kirkwall recently? Varric: No! Both of you at once? I’d have bet money! What’d you think? Darrell: Bit of a shithole. Kendra: (if in party) Bit of a shithole. Varric: (laughter) Bit of a shithole.

7. What would be on their tombstone in the Fade?

Darrell’s is drowning. “Oh because of the metaphor of being weighed down by responsibility and sinking into helplessness?” “No I literally cannot swim.”

Kendra’s is betrayal. Though, she hides it and says it’s spiders. Like the form the nightmares take for her, or the giant ones they kill every Thursday that she screams during.

(Fanari’s is loss. Loss of those important to her, loss of her identity to humans who will try to rewrite her in history, loss of her autonomy to being the figurehead of the Inquisition.)

8. What kind of Inquisitor would drive them to leave the Inquisition/confront them about their actions?

Both Kendra and Darrell would confront an Inquisitor whose underlying motivations are cruel. They can both understand the difficulty of making a hard decision and going with the unpopular option, but there’s a difference between doing it because it needs to be done and doing it to see someone suffer. Unlike the bonus cutscene, you’d only need one of them at minimal approval. The one would take the other with them. You either have them as a pair or you don’t have them at all.

9. Where in Skyhold would they be found?

Kendra has a workshop set up in the rooms above Skyhold’s garden where she mixes poisons and Tempest flasks. It’s a tidy-ish room with a desk on one side and a large Do Not Touch plant on the other. There’s a few crates lying around along with a few stacks of paper here and there. Outside of gameplay mechanics, if she’s not there then she’s at the tavern.

Darrell has a sparse room comprised of bed, desk, and music stand. He’s generally found out in the courtyard by the training field.

10. If Inquisition operated like DA:O, what would their gift items be? What would their approval and disapproval Feast Day items be?

Darrell likes books and small trinkets. His approval Feast Day item would be a violin, and his disapproval item would be the sheet music to a score infamous for being the worst composition ever put to paper.

Kendra likes practical gifts: a whetstone, maps, candles. Her approval item would be a rune-enchanted blade and her disapproval item would be anything overtly having to do with the Maker or the Chantry.

11. How would they grow as a person? How would they compare at the end of the Inquisition as a companion to who they were as the Inquisitor?

Kendra’s biggest difference is that she’s quicker to trust other members of the Inquisition when she’s a companion. It still takes time, but she mellows out fairly quickly with other party members after getting to Skyhold.

Darrell becomes more decisive in his actions throughout the game, though he remains empathetic to others and to different sides of an argument.

12. Do they believe the Herald of Andraste is really the Herald of Andraste?

Kendra doesn’t believe in the Maker or Andraste, so that’s a big fat no from her. Darrell believes Fanari when she says she isn’t the Herald.

13. If the Herald didn’t have them tag along to prep the trebuchets, what would they do during the battle for Haven? (bonus: would they join in on the impromptu Dawn Will Come choir practice in the camp?)

Kendra made herself part of the group prepping the trebuchets. She’s part of the action from the get-go. Darrell would be helping others evacuate.

The Dawn Will Come choir doesn’t happen in Fanar’s canon. She cuts Mother Giselle off partway through her speech and gets up to start organizing people so they have something to do to take their minds off the situation and get them out of it sooner. Fanari knows how to booster moral by showing steady and knowing leadership, so that’s what she does.

14. What nickname does Varric give them?

Kendra’s nickname for when she’s a companion is Knives, though tbh I’m thinking of just making it her Inquisitor nickname Junebug. So that’ll probably happen. Darrell gets Smiles, and Fanari is Starshine.

15. Without the influence of their decisions for the Inquisition, which of the companions do they get along with? Which ones do they bicker with?

Darrell and Sera butt heads at first, but they’re on friendly terms less than halfway through the game. The party members he best gets along with are Dorian, Cassandra, Vivienne, and Varric.

The only companions Kendra doesn’t get along with are Cassandra and Blackwall, after his personal quest. She does have polite conversations with Cassandra, but even in Trespasser their conversations aren’t overtly friendly. The party members she’s on best terms with are Iron Bull, Solas, Sera, and Vivienne.

Frictions arise between both of them and Solas post Solas breaking things off with Fanari.

16. What would the Fear Demon say to them in the Fade to try and discourage them?

For both it’s them losing each other or more members of their family. Darrell’s response is “I was beginning to feel left out,” while Kendra’s is “Can you tell how hard I’m thinking about killing you?”

17. Where do they hang out in the Winter Palace? What’s their thoughts on the nobles/The Game?

Both of them hang out on the opposite side of the balcony where you find Josephine. If asked, the offer advice about who to speak to and when. Ambient dialogue can be heard from various nobles about them, with approval of them as individuals going up through the night regardless of the Inquisitor’s standing.

Kendra lives for The Game. It’s putting everything she does daily (mistrusting, misdirecting, manipulating) all in one spot with new people who don’t know how she operates.

Darrell’s more ambivalent about it, what with the backstabbing and the distrust, but he’s still good at it. He has a charm about him that makes people believe his sincerity and he knows when to obfuscate an answer without the other party feeling left wanting.

18. What’s their reaction to a dragon showing up?

Both of them have an initial reaction of Fuck, though Kendra follows it with “Guess we have to fight it now,” while Darrell’s more in the “We really don’t” camp.

19. Once Corypheus is beaten, what do they do during the party? Do they stay with the Inquisition, or go somewhere else? What could the Inquisitor do to convince them to stay?

Both of them are near one of the fires in Skyhold’s judgement hall. Again, they’re a package deal, and Kendra will tell the Inquisitor that since Darrell wants to stay she’ll stick around. “Besides, the world’s not ending anymore. Might be nice to breathe for a bit. Thanks for that.”

20. How do they react to learning abominations can retain their consciousness and identity, and even live peacefully with their spirits/demons, as seen in Stone-Bear Hold?

Kendra’s intrigued. She’ll ask questions even if the Inquisitor doesn’t. Darrell’s a tad more cautious, but checks himself. They’re respectful that this isn’t a similar culture to theirs and that they have no say in how these people live their lives.

21. What do they think of the discoveries made in the Deep Roads? Do they make any comments on anything?

They both hate the Deep Roads and they’re sorry for suggesting they go there. Send word to the Shaperate about what we found and let’s go. Next time a boyfriend dumps you we’ll take you to an opera.

22. If you have another Inquisitor, how would those two get along, specifically?

Both of them see Fanari and go “that’s a whole-ass child”. Throughout the game Fanari’s unofficially adopted as a little sister. Fanari’s a tad closer to Kendra at the end of the day, but she does care deeply for both of them.

23. In Trespasser, what “gift” would they give the Inquisitor, if any?

They’re a bit too wrapped up in personal drama to have planned anything for Fanari. Though they’re both the most dedicated in getting her to the end of the DLC once her imminent death becomes known. Yeah, the mark might go off again and destroy everything in a ten-foot radius, but Fanari needs help standing upright so guess what they’re gonna do.

24. What are their plans for after the Exalted Council? Will the Inquisition staying in tact or being disbanded make a difference?

Fanari wrote the members of the Inquisition before the Exalted Council to say, paraphrased, “Inquisition’s over pack your shit and leave.” Kendra’s looking forward to going home to Ostwick, while Darrell’s going to Tevinter with Dorian.

Their squabbling over this becomes so bad Dorian confesses to Fanari he’s considered asking Darrell to stay in the south. “Gods, you are an only child,” Fanari says. Those of us with siblings, we know the tone. Maybe you without siblings do too I don’t know your life.

25. In the alternate reality, if they were corrupted with lyrium, how do they act? What’s their attitude about the end of the world/their inevitable death?

To be completely transparent this is the scenario that solidifies Fanari as Inquisitor over Kendra in the worldstate for me.

After Fanari and Dorian got yeeted forward in time, Darrell was killed in the following fight and Kendra imprisoned until Fanari and Dorian found her. What did she do for that year? Teach herself to become a templar using the red lyrium. By the time she’s released, her entire drive is focused on killing Alexius. She knows she’ll die soon, and she wants to take as many people with her as she can. “They’re going to find out what a mistake it was leaving a Trevelyan in a room full of lyrium.”

[mythalsknickers]

TITLE: Vir'sul El'u Eolas RATING: Mature PAIRING: Fen’aslan x Solas (Sollavellan) TAGS: Post Corypheus, Post Trespasser DLC, Magical Amputation, Body Horror,  Flashbacks, Liberal use of Magic, Liberal use of  Elvhen, Magical Healing, Spirits are overpowered Link for AO3

This started out as a DADWC writing prompt, however, it quickly escalated into a full-fledged fic that demanded its own part of my canon universe. Reblogs, are always appreciated. As well as kudos and comments.

There was no pain; just a sudden nothing where her forearm should have been, and he was leaving. Walking away as if he hadn’t done that, as if it meant nothing to him.

As if she meant nothing to him.

Fen’aslan tried to stand up, stumbling forward in the numbness of system shock, crying out as her knees gave way and connected with the ancient stones that made up the broken, cobbled path. Panic seized her, keeping her from sobbing by stealing the breath she would have used as she realized she didn’t have the strength to keep herself upright let alone make it to the eluvian.

“Ma Vhenan!”

Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears, full of anguish and pain she didn’t yet feel. He paused, turning just barely towards her. “Don’t, Solas! Don’t leave me, ma vhenan!” she begged, standing up on legs that felt like withered branches, liable to snap at any given moment. Without thinking, she pulled on the fade with her right hand. It was only natural; their most tender moments, the moments of greatest intimacy, had been in the fade. The mist began to form around her as she took a single, shaky step forward. A breath later, she disappeared into the fade, hoping with her aching heart that it would work, that it would distract him just enough for her to catch him.

She strolled through the doors of the Exalted Council, her bare toes and heels soundless against the mirror-like tile, light robes swishing against her legs with a faint whisper, like the summer breeze through the grass. Her passage through the crowds was marked only by the quiet jingling of the six tiny leaves adorning her collar and the quiet hush she left in her wake. On the Dias, Arl Tegan and the Orlaisian continued their heated debate around the Divine in ignorance, unaware of how rudely they were about to be interrupted.

That thought almost made Fen’aslan smile, but the book in her hands kept her thoughts anchored on the moment.

“The Herald of Andraste,” a woman whispered, reaching out to touch her like she was their savior. She wasn’t, though, and before she could react, the man next to the woman snatched her hand back.

“It is a Rabbit, Woman!” he hissed through his teeth. “She was not sent by Blessed Andraste! More likely one of the demons her people worship.” He spat towards her as she passed him, but he may as well been invisible for all the attention she paid him.

As Fen’aslan became visible to her former advisors, she could see Josephine’s aggravation melt into relief and smugness radiate from the Divine’s smile. Her plan had been shared, then. Good, this would not surprise Leliana. The effects of her sudden appearance effectively pulled the two lords from their argument, just as she hoped it would. She wanted their undivided attention.

“You all know what this is!” She raised the book above her head as she took the final steps toward the Dias, her voice ringing out in the newborn silence the way her footsteps hadn’t. Defiantly, she faced the men who would put her organization under their sway, who were even now attempting to position themselves as Judge, Jury, and Executioner over the ones whose strength had revealed their shortcomings. As Inquisitor, it was Fen’aslan’s place to pass and enact justice, not theirs.

Behind her, the crowd waited with bated breath for her next words. No one spoke, not even the man who had spit at her, and not a single rustle of fine silks hinted that anyone was stirring. They were all either enthralled with her brazen declaration or - more likely - frozen by her audacity. It was time to find out. Exhaling, she spun on her heel to face them.

“This is a writ from Divine Justinia, authorizing the formation of the Inquisition.” The sea of silent faces, both masked and not masked, raised their eyes to the book clearly visible in her hands, and she flipped open the cover showing the distinctive ink of the blood-red eye staining the parchment. “We pledged to close the breach, to find those responsible, and to restore order - with or without approval.” She turned her head slightly towards Arl Tegan, catching Cassandra’s smirk and nod of approval.

The silence held; no one dared do anything but breathe, afraid to break the tension that drew every eye to her. Fen’aslan drew in another breath to steady herself, torn between the fluttering uncertainty in her belly and the wild exultation howling in her blood. Would he be proud of her in this moment, her love? She discarded the thought to continue with her plan.

“It was not a formalized treaty that saved Ferelden or her people,” she declared, turning to hurl the words directly at Arl Tegan. Oh, how smug he looked. “The Inquisition saved them when you could not. We will not disband for you.”

She could hear a squeak as the Arl sat back in his chair, too stunned for a moment to form words. His expression said it all for her - how dare she have the gall? She clenched her jaw, keeping her smile trapped behind her teeth. She was a wolf among the sheep who thought they could tame her. Stepping along the Dias with the sharp grace of a sword slicing through the air, she moved so she was directly in front of the masked Orlaisian.

“The Inquisition will not submit to an Empress who failed to end your inane civil war, and only keeps her throne because of Inquisition support!” It spoke volumes that Celene, Gaspard, and Briala had not attended these talks and instead, sent this Lord who was not important enough for her to remember his name. The Arl had presented more of a threat, but she was done with both of these sheep now.

The silence tore with the soft sound of gasps ripped from the throats of Orlaisian women. With that intangible protection broken, men put hands on their swords and yelled, their voices colliding in the air and forming a single incoherent jumble of sound. It did not matter; she knew every insult they threw at her, but they shattered against the armor of her indifference.

“This was never just an organization!” Fen’aslan declared when the volley of words ended. “It is about people doing what is necessary. We will continue to support you as we have done in the past.” Her eyes finally met Leliana’s as the Divine bowed her head in quiet approval. “There is worse coming than anything you’ve yet seen. We will not be rendered defenseless and riddled with the bureaucracy and the so-called politics of The Game. The Inquisitions will bow - but it will not be to either of you. Now excuse me.” Her tone turned the plea into a command of respect and authority, her robes once more whispering against her legs as she strolled away from the Dais “I need to save the world again.” She thrust the book towards Josephine, giving her little time to collect it as she passed. “I will see you at Skyhold.”

Like a wolf returning from a successful hunt, she prowled through the divided crowd, gliding through the room while gasps of outrage and protests lapped at her. How dare a blasphemous Rabbit and the supposed herald of Andraste voice such insolence to her betters! She ignored it all, chin high, unable to hide her smirk. It wouldn’t be more than a handful of breaths before the muttering erupted into a storm of shouting - but she would be gone before that happened. Throwing open the doors to the chamber, she grabbed her staff from a page and handed the boy a Caprice coin. Then, with the doors swinging shut, she smiled at the mutters rising into furious protests. A muffled boom behind her was the doors closing, silencing the storm as it broke.

As she materialized out of the fade, she could see the eluvian starting to darken and she quickly pushed herself through. How dare he try to shut her out again! Once she’d stumbled forward into the crossroads, however, she couldn’t see him.

“Solas! Tel’tuaun min ea el’u i em!” She could see the mirror closing behind her as she moved away from it, and for a split second, she wanted to jump through – but she continued, away from home, away from a guaranteed future. “Lasa em’an dirth ma’lath,” she begged. They needed to talk. Each mirror she passed, she sketched and made a note of it in relation to her path. “Ma tel’isala dina sul min! Tamahn emen to ea vir!” She cried out to the emptiness, but there was no answer and she sank down to the ground, her eyes slipping closed. “Fen’aslan ma ane a felasil Fen’harel.” Tears staining her cheeks, her body beginning to shake as she curled forward, she sobbed. He had left her again.

“Ma ane las, Da’lan.”

She opened her bleary eyes at the unfamiliar voice, noting the vallaslin on an equally unfamiliar face. It was her own – Fen’harel’s eyes was what her clan named it. “Ma ane isa ghi’la,” the elvhen asserted, crouching down. “Ar ame Rashale. Las, ma ane naim; ar juhalani ma vena mar sal.” He offered his hand and she took it, standing with his help and letting him lead her over to a mirror. “Fen’harel Enasanal,” he spoke. The mirror sprang to life, and he pulled her through it.

“Rashale?” she glanced at him, and he turned back. “Do you understand me?” She asked in the common language. At his nod, she continued. “Can you speak like this?” Again he nodded, and her shoulders relaxed. “Where are we?”

“The ones who raise you call it the Tirashan,” he replied as he led her into the temple. “This was where Mythal sent you to protect you from the Veil going up.” He watched her as she ran her over the wards on the temple walls, tracing their shapes. As soon as she removed her hand, energy pulsed through them. “Temple of the Hoping Moon,” he offered as he guided her deeper into the temple. Statues of two wolves appeared everywhere.

It had been a week since she went into the Eluvian after Solas, a week since Rashale had found her and took her to this temple. If Rashale was to be believed, it had apparently been created for her. She wasn’t sure she believed any of what he’d told her, honestly. He claimed that she was as old as Solas - or rather, her soul was, and she had been put into uthenera sometime during the slave rebellion. She frowned as she wandered the moss- and vine-covered floors, letting her bare feet pick their own path while she mulled over this information.

As she walked, she reached out with her remaining hand, touching the faded mosaic wall absently. Ambient magic pulsed through the tiles as her fingers ghosted over them, strands of vivid green arcing along certain tiles, lighting them up. That caught her attention and she stared at the wall, walking back a few steps to see the design.

It was the dread wolf.

The green magic changed; this time, it was purple, and she watched as a dragon took shape. Her lips parted as the color changed to a pale silver to make the last image in the mosaic: a moon's glow lighting up a white wolf ahead of the dread wolf.

“I wondered, Las, how long it would take you to find this.”

Looking around, she couldn’t see anyone, but the voice almost sounded like-

Her eyes locked with the dragon. “Mythal?”

She watched in awe as the dragon turned its mosaic head to her. “Well done, young one. You have come a long way since we last met.”

Her brow furrowed; the sentinels had told her Mythal was dead.

“I am a fragment, placed here once you were ready for everything. I am dead, child. We both know I can not help your wolf on his path.”

She drifted forward a few steps until she could reach out and touch the moon. “I am supposed to be his guide,” she whispered before looking at the dragon. “How, though? I am not even sure any of this happened.” Exasperated, she rubbed her hand over her face.

“How did the wolf claim to known things? That path is open to you...and it is time you learn to hunt.”

An orange glow began to appear along the dragon’s throat. As it opened its mouth, mosaic flames shot out but left the wall to smash into her chest, making her scream. The dragon closed its mouth as she pulled her hand back to touch her robe-covered chest, but there was no burn. The sudden sensation that she had swallowed the fire made her drop to the ground, gasping, trying to breathe past the phantom flames in her throat.

“Child, I have nudged history and shoved it. You are being melodramatic. Take what is yours; you are Elvhen, and kin, and would be gods just like your wolf; act like it!”

At the words, a fit of burning anger formed in her stomach and for the first time since the loss of her forearm, she reached out with her left hand. Ignoring that her hand wasn’t there, she attempted to pull the fade. Magic began to course around her, creeping along what was left of her arm after her forearm had been disintegrated, sickly green magic of the fade beginning to burst through the scars and drawing a scream from her throat. Her knees threatened to buckle from the sudden influx of pain in her arm and tears streamed freely from her eyes, her skin starting to tingle as the veil strained against her crude pulling. The sickly green magic traveled up her arm, skin smoking in its wake as the scars ripped open, the wounds cauterized before even a single drop of blood could drip onto the stone floor. Blindly, she staggered forward, away from the mosaic, feeling draconic eyes watching her with interest.

Clenching her jaw, she reached out with her missing hand, her weak legs causing her to sway dangerously. The anchor spread further with each faltering step she took. As she pulled on the fade, she could feel it begin to tremble around her. Her eyes went to her vestigial arm, which was beginning to ooze green fade-magic, and a hollow laugh burst out of her. This not-even-formed plan of hers was working? It was hard to believe, but the smoking grew worse with each tremor of the fade as more and more of the ooze came bleeding out.

The fade trembled and quaked under her assault, and the anchor began to spread past her arm. Each inch it crawled - sometimes leaped - over her skin, she could feel it trying to claw her apart. A scream tore from her throat but it echoed off the stone oddly, the sound warping until to her ears, it sounded like a howl. Hunching forward, she continued to stagger down the hallway, her nose filled with the smell of burning flesh. The fade was bleeding into the temple; she stared at a distant image of Solas removing his vallaslin from her face and her right hand tightened into an angry fist. She had been blind, so blind, so many signs that he had been hiding something and she hadn’t seen them.

She tore her eyes away from the memory, her heart aching because, despite everything, she still loved him. “Ma vhenan.” she whispered, her voice rough.

Something deeper in the temple called to her, and she struggled to continue her journey towards it. Bit by bit, the oozing, burning, green magic of the fade was forming the shape of her missing forearm. Her foot hooked a branch as she approached a door frame and sent her stumbling forward, her right hand catching one side of the frame as her shoulder slammed into the ancient stone of the other side. Leaning against it, she tried desperately to slow her frantic breathing. Each pull, each spasm of the fade left her feeling emptier than the last, and the pain still tore at the fabric of her very being.

As she stared at the remnants of her forearm, she pushed off the door frame and staggered into the room. In the center was a massive statue of two wolves nestled together. The shock of seeing what could only be her and Solas made her legs give out, her next pull on the fade purely reflexive as her knees collided with the overgrown tiles. He had to know what was happening, had to know what she was doing. If he didn’t, he either was not even looking at the fade or...well, she couldn’t think past the pain to figure out an ‘or’. Fen’aslan half expected his footsteps to echo towards her down the hallway she’d followed, and she could almost hear him calling her name. Tears trailed down her cheeks, and she closed her eyes.

It was nightfall when she opened her eyes again, one of them the sickly green of the fade. There had been no rest, no dreams for her. Breathing heavily, she stood up, her copper hair torn loose from its braid, and reached out with her left arm. There were still many missing pieces, and with soft exhale she attempted again to pull the fade, to tear the veil. She would have her arm back. Sweat dripped down from her forehead as she strained, splattering onto the tile. Another piece slipped through the fade, but there was not enough time to pull the rest of her arm through before something reached out and slammed into her.

Fen’aslan went flying backward, her head cracking against the wall as she hit it and crumpled to the floor. It felt like an eternity before she was aware of a groan slipping past her lips. Again she opened her eyes, but this time her green eye was met with a blue eye. The burning, clawing heat of the mosaic warred with the creeping chill of the glyphs as she climbed to her feet and realized she’d come face to face with herself.

A mirror.

“Inquisitor, you promised a price.”

Her eyes widened. The glyphs tightened on her face, attempting to spread to the left side. Another scream tore from her throat as the two ancient magics warred over her. The anchor pulsed angrily, and the only warning of it attempting open was the distinctively sickening popping noise. Her knees almost gave out again, every bit of her body aching and burning, leaving the fade scarred and bleeding even more heavily into the temple. It had already saturated the room, she realized as she looked up. There was no ceiling anymore, just the twin silver moons.

“Give in, Fen’aslan. This is our destiny: to serve the well. Fen’harel’s magic will kill us.”

Her mirror self spoke in a mocking voice, attempting to soothe her. Her reflection’s left hand was missing and her face was filled with unending sorrow and anguish, branded with the glyphs of the Well. Fen’aslan forced herself to keep her feet as she stepped away from the wall, her breathing heavy and ragged. Anger burned brighter than a star as the anchor flared along her left side, tearing into her further. Lighting, manifestations of her anger and pain, struck around the mirror.

“No,” she growled, her body shaking with her fury, and something began to change. The anchor had once been Fen’harel’s, but now she was making it was hers. It had been hers to claim all along. Slowly, at the tips of her sickly green fingers, silver magic began to emerge, spreading and clawing for each inch as it crept up her arm. The anchor fought back with violent pulses of magic that further assaulted the fade and clawed at her.

“Accept it, Inquisitor, and stop fighting. You will always be what you are now. Come home.”

She stared at the mirror, her heart hammering in her chest. Something in that phase had caused panic to seize her. Her left hand clenched into a fist as silver magic continued to bleed up her arm. Reaching out, she raised both her hands, attempting to pull the ceiling down on her mirror, only to stare in horrified when nothing happened; the mirror still stood in front of her and the ceiling remained intact.

“I told you, Inquisitor, you need to stop fighting this. You will never survive.” The image of herself in the mirror laughed. A wave appeared behind it, and the realization hit her: the woman in the Well had been her. Then the wave surged forward, smashing into her and tossing her back into the wall.

“I..I will never surrender…” As she struggled to stand up, ice spread from her feet, slowly creeping forward and freezing what it touched. Another wave smashed into her, trying to slide her back into the wall, but the ice held and her jaw tightened. Silver magic began to arc and hiss as it slowly overtook the green fade energy, bit by bit. It mended the skin that had torn, pulling her flesh together and quenching the burning pain. Slowly the green bled from her opaline eye, leaving only blue. She turned her gaze to the ceiling and pulled on it; the rubble tumbled down in a distraction as she began to walk towards the mirror, her legs trembling with each step. “I am no one’s slave. I paid the price of the well, now yield to me!” She commanded, throwing all of her strength into it. Every fiber of her body begged her to relent, to surrender to exhaustion.

The mirror shook violently as lightning began to arc between them. “We will not be commanded by a girl so foolish that she took what was not hers twice and would not pay the price!” Another wave began to raise up. “You will relent; in the end, they all do. Become what you are, child. It will not hurt, and you can rest.” The soothing mocking was back, each word casting a grapple of fade energy to entangle Fen’aslan.

This time, her anger was more precise, the lightning arcing around the mirror to entrap it. Each breath was focused on the glyphs, and her vision went black for a moment before she spoke.

“You dare command me?” Her voice was different to her ears; something had changed. The howl of a wolf echoed from somewhere as the two statues stepped off their base and began circling the mirror. “I am one Mythal calls kin. You will yield and become mine!”

Her magic lashed out towards the mirror as her skin began to ache and burn from the grapple she had been tangled in. Turning her eyes away from the mirror, she raised her now-silver magical hand toward the grapple, letting one finger claw at the grapple until it released her. The glyphs on her face began to change, silver magical energy coursing through them, turning both her eyes into pools of moonlight as another howl echoed through the room. Lightning flashed, the stone wolves growling before launching at the mirror. They savaged it with fang and claw and soon, silver magic began to ooze from it as it bled back to her. The Vir’abelsan had become hers; the mirror dissolved, and she could feel the voices fade from her mind.

Her knees buckled as exhaustion overtook her, silver eyes fading back into their normal, opaline mauve. The statues of the wolves were back on the base, nestled together as they had been, and as she kneeled there on the ground, Fen’aslan began laughing. Another voice joined her in laughing as the careful steps of armored boots approached, and when she looked up, there was Mythal.

“Well done, girl.” The woman’s amber eyes truly did seem pleased with her. “Now you can learn how to help him.” Mythal nodded, her lips curved into a slight smile. “Help him before he can no longer be helped, daughter.”

The warning chilled her. The goddess disappeared, the fade becoming less saturated in the room with each passing moment, and Fen’aslan staggered up onto her feet. She stared at her new arm admiring, magical energy substituting for the flesh that had been lost. Then a yawn distracted her, and she rubbed her eyes. Her body was exhausted and she could feel her stomach beginning to rumble and cramp with an increasingly-desperate need to find food. She needed to find Rashale. How long had she been in the fade?

As she hobbled out of the room, she noticed that the temple seemed to be repaired: the overgrowth was gone, the walls clean, the floors smooth with no ragged edges to catch her feet. She paused as she passed the mosaic and noticed the dragon’s absence. Was…it just a dream, she wondered? A glance at her left hand dispelled that; it was neither flesh nor missing, but a construct of her magic. It couldn’t have been a dream. Frowning, Fen’aslan limped gingerly out of the hallway and into the main thoroughfare of the temple.

“Las!” she jolted alert, her magic suddenly flaring to life at the sound of her name. Rashale seemed to appear out of nowhere, jogging up to her. “Thank Mythal I have found you.” His brows raised as he noticed her left hand, and he bowed. “My lady, pardon me. I was merely worried for you; you have been gone from the temple for a week,” he said, his voice formal and respectful.

“A week. I thought…” she whispered. She thought it had been less. Gone from the temple…Had she physically gone into the fade again? “Rashale, please. I am not a lady, and there is nothing to pardon.”

He shook his head firmly at her in disagreement. “You are a lady; your spirit has changed. You have found yourself, my lady.” It was his only explanation and while it was not enough for her, she was too hungry and too tired to worry about it for now. She yawned, swaying on her feet.

“My lady? Do you need refreshments?”

She stared at Rashale, blinking for a moment before his words finally made sense. Yawning again, she nodded. He offered his arm and, reluctantly, she took it and let him lead her to the kitchens.

The kitchens were rather large for the small temple. Carefully, Fen’aslan made her way around with a plate, gathering bits of fruits, jerkies and candied meats, hardened cheeses, and an glass of some kind of drink that smelled a bit like the wine Solas had introduced her to in Orlais. Lacking any sort of table or chair, she climbed up onto the counter where she perched with her plate of snacks, eating her fill and quenching her thirst. After her meal, she quietly made her way to her room.

Once the doors had shut behind her she looked around, closing her eye and trying to prepare herself. “Two weeks since I have dreamed…” she whispered to herself, wrapping her arms around her torso and squeezing in attempts to reassure herself. She made her tired way over to the bed and lay down, curling under the blankets, slowly letting herself drift off into the fade.

“Vhenan.” The word summoned her, and she found herself face to face with him. “Where are you?”

She stood up, and the images around them changed. He was trying to find her. “Where are you, vhenan?” she countered, shifting the fade on her own. “I will find you, vhenan. I told you I would not give up.” Around her, the fade stilled. Arlathan.

“I know you will not, Vhenan…” he seemed reluctant, looking around. “Allow me to show you these before we do not have time?”

She nodded, offering her hand. "Em ghi’lana,” she offered gently as he took her it, squeezing it gently. He lead her through the glass spires of the city and she watched the reflections, seeing multiple images of her and Solas. “In another time…” she smiled fondly; in another time, they had walked these streets just like this.

“Yes, Vhenan,” he added, turning and taking her- left hand? Her brows furrowed. “This is the fade,” he whispered. She realized they were in a grand ballroom just as Solas pressed close to her and began to dance. As they moved over the glass tiles, the room filled with people. “The Evanuris held such parties often. This was the night,” he started before spinning her. “The night everything I cared for was taken from me.” He growled, and the music took a deadly twist as she watched Mythal crumble to the floor. The young dreadwolf stared in horror at his kin, letting go of her. She recognized the figure in his arms. She tried to watch what happened to herself, but the scene focused on Solas lashing out at Elgar’nan.

“Wake up, Vhenan.” He leaned forward sadly and kissed her cheek. As her eyes opened, she sighed looking at the walls.

So it had begun.

Elvhen Translations

•Vir'sul el'u eolas (way to have secret knowledge) •Solas Tel’tuaun min ea el’u i em! (Solas don’t cause this to be a secret with me) •lasa em’an dirth ma’lath. (Let’s talk about it my love) •Ma tel’isala dina sul min! Tamahn emen to ea vir! (You dont need to die for this! There has to be another way!) •Fen’aslan ma ane a felasil Fen’harel. (You are a fool to chase Fen’harel) •Ma ane las. Da’lan. (You are hope. Young one) •Ma ane isa ghi’la. (You are his guide) •Ar ame Rashale. Las ma ane naim, ar juhalani ma vena mar sal. (I am Rashale. Hope you are lost, I will help you find your soul.) •em ghilana (guide me/ show me) •Vhenan (heart)

[musingmycelium]

MMMMM gonna be THAT person and ask alllll the questions for the quizzy as companion meme for whomever you desire :D

:0! under a read more for obvious reasons ljlkjlkjlkjkj

1, 8, and 9 answered here

2. How would they meet the Inquisitor? depends on how they came to the inquisition! if he came with idrilla, and honestly that means linayel too, then he would meet the quizzy upon arrival to skyhold, having sent word of their visit beforehand [though not too far before]. if by himself he would just show up and request audience with them -making himself available as an agent.

3. What would some of their cutscenes look like?!! his haven cutscene -if triggered with appropriate approval- would be in the woods outside the main settlement, he’d take the quizzy out into the quiet snow and share some dalish mead with them and offer conversation if they would like it and silence if they don’t. at the end he’ll tell them they were looking overwhelmed and taking a step back to breathe always aides with that.a high approval quizzy can get a cutscene at skyhold in the garden: da’ean tending plants until he notices quizzy walking over, at which point he’ll ask if quizzy has ever tended plants before and will offer to show them what he’s been growing. 

4. What would their romance route look like? Would they be romancable?ever a quiet romantic da’ean is

5. If they romanced someone as Inquisitor, would they still fall for that person as a companion? How would that play out? How would they react to that person being romanced by the “new” Inquisitor?yes! so da’ean romances dorian and the iron bull in my canon, and depending on the quizzy he would romance an unromanced bull or dorian or both still. their relationship is pretty solid, though with da’ean as a companion there would be a few changes to their dynamic mostly in terms of da’ean doesn’t have to deal with the trauma of being quizzy lkjkljklj if either of them are romanced by the quizzy he’d approve so long as quizzy treats them well!

6. Write some of their party banter (in reaction to major events, scenery dialogue, or just shitting around. Askers can specify for which character/event, or leave it up to the writer).this honestly deserves a post of its own so like, i’ll do that.... later.....

7. What would be on their tombstone in the fade (what is their greatest fear)?da’ean’s tombstone read: Silenced and Forgotten

10. If Inquisition operated like DA:O, what would their gift items be? What would their approval and disapproval Feast Day items be?:o i don’t have the feast day dlc so i’ll skip that since i don’t have a base of ref for it lmao. his regular gift items would be flowers, dalish artifacts, and books. the two which would trigger cutscenes would be a small halla charm -a high approval quizzy would learn here about his sister, and an ancient looking book written in a mix of elvhen and arcaic tevene -da’ean would excitedly talk about it and with dorian’s help translate the book revealing it to be a dalish songbook.

11. How would they grow as a person? How would they compare at the end of the Inquisition as a companion to who they were as the Inquisitor?at the beginning da’ean is more reserved and less likely to actively engage with the quizzy, as he gets more comfortable and gets to know the quizzy he’ll open up quite drastically. in terms of character growth da’ean goes from someone who is still tied to the past and doesn’t look to the future into someone who actively makes the future the best it can be for himself and those he cares about -effectively taking his head out of his ass and learning to cope healthily with the past.

12. Do they believe the Herald of Andraste is really the Herald of Andraste?absolutely the fuck not. if the quizzy is also dalish there would be dialogue between them for how da’ean believes the quizzy is sent by mythal but otherwise no he doesn’t believe in the maker one whit, and andraste isn’t exactly in his good graces.

13. If the Herald didn’t have them tag along to prep the trebuchets, what would they do during the battle for Haven? (bonus: would they join in on the impromptu Dawn Will Come choir practice in the camp?)da’ean would organize the younger members of the inquisition and ensure they make it out of haven safely. and lmao he has a lovely singing voice but a chantry song will never fall from his lips

14. What nickname does Varric give them?songbird. which da’ean finds hilarious since his name means little bird

15. Without the influence of their decisions for the Inquisition, which of the companions do they get along with? Which ones do they bicker with?da’ean gets along well with bull and dorian [duh] and sera the best, though he is also friends with viv and solas and varric! he bickers the most with solas and cass.

16. What would the Fear Demon say to them in the Fade to try and discourage them?I HAVE. DIALOGUE I WROTE AGES AGO.... FROM MY LONGFIC SO I’M GONNA REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE THAT SHIT

“You’ll fail the Inquisition just like you failed your sister.” The silken voice of the Nightmare sent shivers running up Da’ean’s spine. He couldn’t explain the sense of wrong the voice gave him, even as the words it spoke wriggled their way into Da’ean’s thoughts like worms. The lie based on truth; how many times had he told himself it was his fault before, how many nights had he spent in fear of his own incompetence and inability to protect those he cared about. How long must he carry this guilt, a month ago he would have thought he would never be free of it. Helpless to his terror.

Now; as he saw the snarl on Dorian’s lips, the hard glint in Bull’s eye, the outrage pouring out from Solas’s entire body, he knew, he knew it was not through any fault of his own. His soiled past was not something he could change, but right here, right now, he could move on. He could chose to leave everything that burdened him in the hands of those who came with him. He could ease the burdens they carried without fear of making things worse.“Doubt me all you want, but you know the truth. It’s your fault the slavers caught her, and it will be your fault when Corypheus captures the world.” The Nightmare must be feeling desperate, it had already gone after Hawke and Stroud, and now it was focusing solely on Da’ean. The breath-warm air and disorienting light was causing him enough problems, but if the Nightmare grew bored of him, he would move on to his next target.

“If you think those are new thoughts Nightmare, you are dead wrong.” They were close, they had to be close to the rift. If Da’ean could hold his attention until they could flee, the rest of the part wouldn’t have to deal with it.“I’ve accepted my mistakes, I know what I’ve done.” The hard knot of old anxiety in Da’ean’s chest was gradually unravelling; his newfound beliefs, hard won and solid, slowing taking its place. “I am stronger for knowing myself, what about you Nightmare? What have you done that you regret, what things haunt your dreams?”

maker that’s old but i’m not gonna edit it bc i’m lazy and its late lkjljlkjklj

17. Where do they hang out in the Winter Palace? What’s their thoughts on the nobles/The Game?he’d be out on the open. area. thing??? where dorian is stan-THE COURTYARD, he’d be chillin in the courtyard. da’ean couldn’t give a nug’s ass about the nobles or the game and will show some harsh contempt for those in the palace with their noses in the air around him like he’s not even there.

18. What’s their reaction to a dragon showing up?“fuck this but also fuck this” and high fives bull

19. Once Corypheus is beaten, what do they do during the party? Do they stay with the Inquisition, or go somewhere else? What could the Inquisitor do to convince them to stay?during the party he’d be talking/drinking with sera and after the inquisition depends on his romance options. if he romanced dorian he’d follow him to tevinter bc Fuck You Bioware eat my entire ass to make sure he’s safe and to chill in the background since there’s no going back home. if he romanced bull or bull and dorian he would travel with the chargers as the newest member to the crew. a high approval quizzy could convince them to stay only if romanced

20. How do they react to learning abominations can retain their consciousness and identity, and even live peacefully with their spirits/demons, as seen in Stone-Bear Hold?psst. pssssssst... the dalish already know and you can take that hc from my cold dead hands.... BUT he’d be excited to see it recognized and would want to talk with the augur extensively

21. What do they think of the discoveries made in the Deep Roads? Do they make any comments on anything?Buck Fuckin Wild is da’ean’s take on the deep roads. he doesn’t like the claustrophobic feel they give him, he does have Some Thoughts on the titans and talks about them with idrilla.

22. If you have another Inquisitor, how would those two get along, specifically?UUUHHHHH i have his older sister idrilla who isn’t a quizzy normally but in an au she might have been the quizzy and they get along great!

23. In trespasser, what “gift” would they give the Inquisitor, if any?a halla charm! one linayel carved for just this purpose and it’s threaded on a strip of leather.

24. What are their plans for after the Exalted Council? Will the Inquisition staying in tact or being disbanded make a difference?he goes back to doing what he was doing before it, it doesn’t change much unless he was romanced and then its dependant on player choice

25. In the alternate reality, if they were corrupted with lyrium, how do they act? What’s their attitude about the end of the world/their inevitable death? oh fuck da’ean would fall deeper into depression, lose all sense of time/meaning and he would just end up with total and complete apathy

[theharellan]

dragon age positivity meme | accepting

i’m going to be answering these in one post for the sake of simplicity and cutting down ooc posts!

✾ your favourite da:o main quest | sent by @cuervocanto

my actual favourite quest is paragon of her kind, but i talked about why i love that one here. and yes, i don’t even rly mind the deep roads.

my second favourite is probably the landsmeet, especially taking into account that it has some sub-main quests that are grouped together under the umbrella of preparing for the landsmeet. such as resucing anora, breaking out of fort drakon, and solving the unrest in the alienage. i find returning to the alienage as tabris second to aeducan returning to orzammar, but it’s still very interesting coming back to a place where you grew up with no power, suddenly having power. and regardless of origin the worldbuilding is good, immediately the fact that you’re barred from the alienage upon initially entering denerim tells you a lot about the state of elves in ferelden. the choice at the end isn’t particularly difficult, “slavery is bad” isn’t a controversial opinion even in ferelden and so even the warden i created with the intention of being That Kind of Human couldn’t choose that option, BUT it does make for an emotional choice when playing tabris

as for rescuing anora and breaking out of drakon, i just love the humour in the quest. i never have my warden break out themselves just so i can have the companions bullshit their way in. my personal favourite combination is zevran and oghren, although i do enjoy morrigan-leliana and sten-dog, as well. i think my fave thing about oghren and zev tho is that iirc they’re one of the most successful combinations.

as for the landsmeet itself, it’s not particularly challenging, but i enjoy the variety of options you get and how it changes the game going forward. like, in every game anora is queen for me in some capacity, but beyond that i’ve had a bitter king alistair working with a warden who recruited loghain, loghain and the warden alone, etc. i enjoy the politicking and making an alliance with anora. it’s enjoyable even on replays.

❄ your favourite da:i personal quest | sent by @pentaghasted

my actual favourite personal quest is cole’s, which i talked about here. instead i’ll talk about iron bull’s b/c i’m glad they committed to what they started in trespasser and i also appreciate how the choice is set up. most of us save the chargers b/c the lot of them stole our hearts in the two scenes they were in, but unlike some other choices in the series choosing the sadder/arguably worse option doesn’t require you to be roleplaying as an evil bastard to choose it.

so like, most games i save the chargers, but my playthrough where i’m playing a practical trevelyan-- she goes with the qunari dreadnought. the chargers were assets, but a qunari alliance could have been more beneficial in the long term. heck, even my inquisitor who saves the chargers feels a lot of guilt about it-- because even if she didn’t know the people on the dreadnought, there were a whole lot of them, and her decision got them killed. she needed to show she cared for her own people first, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t matter.

which contrasts this personal quest for something like... say, fenris’s third one, which don’t get me wrong, is very emotional. but i cannot fathom why a hawke how kept fenris around for all that time and clearly spent time talking to him would just say “yeah you can take him” its just kinda over-the-top cruel. so i am glad when i can roleplay the alternate decisions i ordinarily wouldn’t make.

and i love seeing the quest’s differing effect on bull. he adjusts either way, but one puts him on a path where he’s going to be facing you, one way or another. and he pays the price for that.

♦ your favourite piece of lore | sent by @felandaristhorns & @sephirajo

i’ve answered this before the last time i reblogged this meme and answered the dalish mage lore from da:i and rivain just. as a whole. i’m going with the lore regarding elvhenan, though, b/c i think the games do a good job of subverting what we were told in da:o and da2 while also explaining how those misconceptions happened. i love going back to the previous games and seeing new angles to the lore and the places where they were building up to it. i love seeing the foreshadowing within inquisition itself.

and i just love how elvhenan is characterised, as a hyper-magic society where reality and dreams aren’t necessarily different things. and where feelings are just as physical as every other aspect of a person. it explains so much about the fade, spirits, solas, it makes even comments like merrill’s-- someone with a pretty nuanced view of spirits-- kind of sad. she calls the fade “another people’s land” not knowing that it was her land, and her people.

while i’m on that spirits in general make me sad. how perception screws with them, and how i think that just further isolates mages. for once i don’t think this is a plot by the chantry, i don’t think they’re lying about how they think spirits are, they’re just wrong to characterise them as they do. but at the same time i don’t think they’d disapprove of the effect is has on mages. it’s cutting them off from potential friendships, and not only that but friendships the templars would have 0 way of regulating given they could potential happen in dreams.

but i’m off-topic. the point is i find the worldbuilding surrounding elvhenan, to be some of bioware’s best. it makes sense, it’s nuanced and varied and doesn’t make elvhen characters wear one single hat. clearly it was a heavily flawed place, but it had a lot of merits and you can see why solas misses it or why cole, upon learning that the veil was never meant to be, feels validated by the idea that he was never wrong to want to be a part of both worlds.

♬ your favourite part of the da:i soundtrack | sent by @daggersandpoison

da:i has the best soundtrack in the series and i don’t think this is a controversial opinion. i do love inon sur’s work, and i was a little worried when i heard morris was composing inquisition b/c i found me3′s soundtrack to be overall a step down from me2′s (it lost a lot of what made the mass effect series unique). BUT with inquisition he managed to keep dragon age’s unique sound while also improving upon it. the inquisition theme gives me chills when i start up the game and even while i’m walking around in the field and a few chords play while i’m picking up my 100th elfroot.

but it’s always hard to choose my favourite. it’s honestly a tie between journey to skyhold and the dark solas theme. both of these give me specific solas feelings, the former b/c you have solas entrusting a lot of hope and faith in the inquisitor (it’s esp poignant if by that point you have a burgeoning friendship with him). and b/c it comes off one of the strongest moments in the dragon age series, aka the battle of haven and encounter w/ corypheus. also i love the dawn will come, fite me. and from my inquisitor’s perspective, esp my main inquisitor, thora, this is probably the first time she’s felt like she was worth all this herald talk. even if she doesn’t believe it, the song beginning with a soft, unsure sound and rising to a triumphant end when skyhold is unveiled encapsulates what i love about the inquisitor’s story and my inquisitor’s personal feelings.

dark solas theme i love b/c it conveys so much of the sadness and loneliness of his character. i would talk more about it b/c it makes me so sad i literally can’t listen to it unless i’m writing post-trespasser solas and even then it’s risky. it’s just a good track ok. and it caps off my favourite dlc.

ღ your favourite da:i banter | sent by @renaudtrevelyan

i talked about some banter i love here between bull and solas. i have to admit i have a hard time choosing my favourite in da:i b/c i just love so much of the banter in this game. i always tell myself not to choose solas banter, and i’m going to... choose one solas and one non-solas.

Solas: I do not understand you, Sera. You have no end goal for your organization. Sera: Nobles get rattled, and people get payback. I play in the middle. Solas: Why not go all the way? You see injustice, and you have organized a group to fight it. Don't you want to replace it with something better? Sera: What, just lop off the top? What's that do, except make a new top to frig it all up? Solas: I...forgive me. You are right. You are fine as you are. Sera: You hurt my head sometimes, Solas. Solas: Yes, I have been known to do that.

this banter is great to me (and all the banter leading up to it) b/c it informs so much about both of their characters. solas is trying to help sera, in this string of banter. he’s trying to give advice so that the red jennies could potentially become an organisation that does more than makes little people’s lives better with pranks or the occasional knife in someone’s back. it’s a conversation between two characters who are, in different ways, absolutely sick of the system and have different ways of dealing with it.

solas wants change. sweeping, societal change. sera isn’t sure change will help any, and would prefer the relative stability of a pre-breach world where she knows which way’s up. neither is wrong to deal with it the ways they are, and solas just has to look at the top he lopped off to see that, yes, they grow back just as bad. idk i just love solas and sera a lot and i love seeing what they have in common and how they handle their frustrations differently.

Sera: I don't get it. If you want to change, just change. Why this "fake Warden" rubbish? Blackwall: For one, people wanted me dead. Being someone else kept me breathing. Blackwall: And then, knowing that people thought I was good made it easier. Sera: (Laughs.) You needed them to think you could, so you could think you could! Sera: You're smart, but you're sort of stupid.

i’m picking another sera banter b/c i love her. i love sera b/c she’s smarter than ppl give her credit for, she cuts through why rainier did what he did the same way cole does. their relationship on the whole is very sweet and it was hard choosing one banter. but i appreciate her ability to both love and support thom while also calling him out on his bullshit. the two of them are good for each other and im so glad they’re friends. my only regret is i’ve never seen thom as sera’s best man in wedding art. or sera as blackwall’s for that matter. their friendship needs more love-- actually, sera just needs more love period.

☄ your favourite da:i codex entry | sent by @chantrysworn

i love this codex entry, describing wisdom (solas’s spirit friend):

When the summoning ritual was complete, the spirit appeared. Both spirits and demons have no gender as we understand it, but this one, much like the rare and dangerous desire demon, presented as female. Although its form was not threatening, the spirit carried itself with a confidence, an awareness, I suppose, that I have seen only in the most powerful of demons.

This spirit of wisdom was polite and courteous. It answered our questions about the Fade, even acknowledging the difficulty when we could not understand what it meant. There was none of the bargaining one normally associates with a summoned creature, save that the spirit sometimes asked us questions as well. Heras shared a mathematical formula he had recently proven, while Etrenne explained her study on magical themes in the Chant of Light, and young Rhys talked a little about his mother.

When we were finished, the spirit thanked us for the conversation and then vanished, although none of us had dismissed it. We soon discovered that the summoning ritual we had devised was critically flawed. The spirit had been under no compulsion to come or remain. All the time it had talked with us, it had stayed of its own volition. Heras was greatly concerned that such a powerful spirit remained free, and has updated the ritual to correct for the weakness in the binding enchantment. I understand his caution, but I also confess that I quite enjoyed the conversation. I am not certain the spirit would have talked so freely had it been shackled at the time.

—An excerpt from Spirits of the Spire by Senior Enchanter Francois

you can see so much of why they were friends in this codex. the politeness, answering and asking questions, no bargaining just a nice conversation where both parties learn things. and then you find out it never had to show up in the first place, it just wanted to-- and likely would not have been as accommodating had it not been free.

it’s great for informing us on a character we tragically don’t know all that well. and also? it’s incredibly sad when you think about what happens to it, it almost makes you wonder if the mages who ultimately bound and killed it would have had better luck simply asking for its protection. solas says something along those lines, but he also says it prefers remaining in the fade (interesting in itself, given that the chantry pushes the agenda that all spirits want beyond it. contradicted by multiple spirits we’ve met tbh, including cole, who actually quite likes the fade).

this codex is also interesting b/c it tells you some about what mages study and do with their time. and it goes back to what i mentioned previously, w/ chantry attitudes depriving spirits and mages of one another’s company.

anyway i love wisdom and it deserved better.

[buttsonthebeach]

director's cut meme, from Awakened: That scene where Solas swaps out Ashara's and Ellana's blood

how could you do this to me that scene gives me anxieties I am terrible with lore

Oh what the hell, I’ll do it anyway.

This is for the director’s cut meme! Feel free to ask me about a scene, a section, a one-shot, or a fic, and I will babble happily about it!

Spoilers for Awakened abound below, on the off chance that anyone is thinking of reading it. (Seriously it just went over 1900 hits and I am very confused and very pleased who is reading it?? Show yourselves)

When I sat down to write Awakened, the $1,000,000 question was whether or not Ellana would live. I genuinely didn’t know, partially for character reasons (so much of the arc for both Solas and Ashara hinges on their inability to accept things they can’t change, on their belief that magic can fix everything), and partially for lore-related reasons. I had already misinterpreted a line in Trespasser which is what led to the entire idea of the Anchor still slowly killing Ellana years later, so then I was faced with the idea of “…how do they save her when I have created a lore problem for which there is no known solution?”

The answer is obviously make shit up, which is what leads to this scene.

Now, I had already cheated on two major scenes in Awakened using Claudia. I wrote the scene with the first ritual to save Ellana from her POV, and I wrote the final scene in the temple of Falon’Din where Ellana scares the shit out of Falon’Din/tortures him/tortures Ashara by proxy from her POV as well. Both times, for better or worse, I wanted us to see what was happening from a more objective point of view. Claudia is calm, logical, and while she cares about the people involved in these situations, by nature she will not get as overemotional as, say, Solas or Ashara or Lucius, which allows me to focus on the ‘what’ of the events and a little less on the raw emotion, though of course we do still see that as an observer. 

I very nearly wrote this scene from her POV as well, but I decided that this one needed to come from Ashara’s POV instead. I wanted the reader to feel the immediacy and danger of what they have decided to do.

But first, the most amusing detail in this scene:

The next morning it was a series of knocks at her door that woke Ashara. She went to the door and was surprised to see that it was her mother, still dressed in her robe, which made her look fragile and relaxed at once. She was carrying with her a small tray with tea, secured carefully against her body with her good arm.

“On dhea. Where’s Papae?”

“Still sleeping, for once,” Mamae said, entering the room and finding a place to set the tray down. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the pile of clothes Lucius had left behind, and Ashara’s heart ached to remember the day before, but neither of them said anything. “I wanted to let him rest. I thought I would come to see you alone before we get underway. Tea?”

Can we all just laugh for a second about the fact that Ellana fucked Solas silly the night before and she’s just casually swanning about in her robe, pleased with herself that he’s still sound asleep and finally resting? And the fact that Lucius’s clothes are still in Ashara’s room and she’s a cool enough mom not to comment on it? That’s probably the only moment we really missed out on by not having this section from Ellana’s POV instead.

The next moment I find important:

Ashara nodded once more. She did feel something like peace steal over her then, in the still morning light, at her mother’s side, waiting to embark on the unknown. It wasn’t the peace that came with knowing the outcome, or even the peace that came with the absence of pain. It was the peace of being loved, of being home, of knowing she had done everything she could, and that now all she could do was see it through.

I want to return to my point above about one of the reasons I almost did have Ellana die, because I think this section shows something really important for Ashara. She has been frantically, desperately trying to do anything she can to save her mother for three years now. I initially thought that for her to fully learn the lesson she needs to grow - that she isn’t always in control, that she will face loss and death and pain in her life and she needs to learn how to process those things instead of trying to stop them - her mother would have to die. But as I continued to write, I realized that wasn’t the case. What happens to her with Falon’Din is enough to shake her badly. Her mother’s constant, calm insistence that she forgive herself, that she has done all she can is enough to instill the rest. She still has this moment of peace and acceptance before they attempt the ritual. She knows she can’t control the outcome - she is in fact willingly surrendering control by acting as the vessel instead of conducting the ritual - and she accepts that. Her only fear comes from the very natural fear of, you know, dying in a blood magic ritual.

The rest of the scene worked out pretty nicely in terms of pacing, and the tension of waiting, I think. I did my best to alternate those long, lyrical passages of Ashara fading in and out of consciousness, in and out of her memories and Falon’Din’s, with the short, sudden bursts of reality that the others (mainly Lucius) provide as they drag her back. In that sense, using her POV was probably cheating a little bit as well, because we don’t have to know exactly what Solas is doing at the moment. (See? Choice of POV fixes everything.)

Two cute moments in this scene that I just want to point out before the end:

She walked in a slow circle around the bed, once the bowl of blood was moved. Every now and then Papae tried to reach out to her with a comforting wave of magic, but his magic felt - wrong, now. It had the same heavy pulse as it had when he was enacting the ritual. The effect of the blood magic. She wondered how long that taint would last. Lucius caught her by the hip, at last, and pulled her down so she was sitting on the bed beside him. He kept his arm around waist.

“Just - stay,” he said. 

She took in how tired he was, though she could feel the current of his mana just beneath his skin, as alive and worried as her own. She blanketed him with her own magic, the way Papae used to with Mamae, when he decided to finally court her the way he always meant to. Lucius shivered at her side and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. She smiled, a tight-lipped thing, but a smile nonetheless. 

I think this is a moment that really captures Lucius and Ashara’s relationship, actually. He has a steadying presence that really works to counteract her general levels of energy/enthusiasm/anxiety. I love how Ashara tries to mimic what she’s seen her father do, as well. So much of her exploration of what it means to be in love is done through the lens of how she perceives their relationship.

“Vhenan?” Papae said, moving closer to her.

Mamae dropped her hand with a sigh. “Ouch,” she said.

Papae laughed - a bright, clear, unforced sound, straight up from his stomach - and then without waiting for another word bent down and kissed her.

And last, I loved including a moment where Solas can’t help but kiss her, not caring who else is there. They are generally very reserved about physical affection in front of others, and I love seeing him break that reserve. I also love that Ellana is comically blunt, right up to the end.

Bonus fun fact: I briefly flirted with the idea that this ritual could end up making Ellana a mage, which would have been fun to play around with, but I decided I’d bullshitted enough lore for one fic.

[liaragaming]

I just want to clear some things up about Solas

I’ve seen a lot of comments like, “Why can’t Solas just let the past go?”

And “If Lavellan isn’t enough of a reason to not destroy this world, then what’s the point?”

The short answer is it’s not about the lost empire of the elves, and it’s not about Lavellan.

Put yourself in Solas’ shoes for a second.

We know Arlathan was just about as bad a Tevinter, and the elven gods were a very power hungry (and in some cases blood thirsty) group. Solas seeks to free his people from them by freeing the salves and leading a rebellion against them.

Now, something happened to that rebellion. Something didn’t work out. I have a theory that Mythal played a part in it (and that’s why she and Fen’Harel are depicted together in places), and that’s why the evanuris killed her. Whatever the case, something fell through, and Solas needed a new plan.

(Or they killed Mythal for some other reason and Solas got so pissed he said, “Screw this! New plan!” That works too, I guess.)

So he decides to create the veil and trap the evanuris behind it. Can you imagine the amount of power that required? Solas sleeps for ages after creating the veil and tells the Inquisitor he awoke still weak a year before the events at Haven. He’s so weak he can’t even unlock his own foci.

Holy hell. What kind of magic knocks you out for thousands of years?

And then Solas wakes up, and not only is everything he had hoped to save utterly destroyed but the world is completely changed. He admits to the Inquisitor that the people of Thedas weren’t even people to him at first. It was like walking through a world of tranquil.

Now, we as players have spent years in the world of Thedas. And our natural response is, “Psh, Solas. Get over yourself.” But put yourself in Solas’ shoes and consider that this world of Thedas that we know and love to Solas is more akin to a post-apocalyptic world.

Solas caused the freaking apocalypse.

I would encourage you to imagine the worst post-apocalyptic world you can think of where human beings are still alive but barely making due to the point that you wouldn’t recognize them as people at first. That’s how Solas sees Thedas.

But then Solas spends some time in that world, and gets to meet and know the people, even falls in love with one of them.

That’s the moment that changes everything, and then changes nothing.

Solas realizes he was misguided in his initial judgement of the people of this new world. But it doesn’t change his goal. Because his goal was never about making this world stable to support genuine life again. He just believed it wasn’t stable at all, and that made his goal a lot easier thinking the loss of these strange people wouldn’t amount to anything.

But now he knows it will. He knows ripping down the veil will cause the end of countless lives, and their blood will be on his hands. And it will likely include the blood of the people he cares about, maybe even loves.

It changes everything, but it can’t.

You’d think this would be enough for Solas to revise his plans. But he doesn’t because he can’t. This is stressed over and over again in game.

When you think about it, Solas’ plan really doesn’t make that much sense. How is killing everyone and effectively resetting the world restoring the elves? Because it’s not. Yes, magic will come back, but at worse everyone will be reset to hunter/gatherer status and he’s just hoping after so many eons, the elves will eventually regain the empire.

Which sounds like quite the stretch, to be honest.

On top of that, this extremely thin chance to “restore” the elves will likely end in his death (possibly because tearing down the veil will also require an enormous amount of power and he’s not as strong as he was). He says this in Trespasser to a Lavellan who asks to join him.

That’s a hell of risk for such a slim chance, and then consider that Solas doesn’t even really want to do this. The whole game, he’s all about helping people and approves when you as a player do it. Even in Trespasser, banter from Cole reveals that Solas doesn’t want to hurt anyone (this coming from the spirit who has no qualms killing people who want to kill other people and yet still holds Solas dear).

Why continue down this path if (a) he’ll likely die doing it, (b) it doesn’t really restore what was lost, and ( c) he’s really not that into it?

Because he can’t.

Solas carries a lot of guilt and self-loathing.

This can be easy to overlook if you’re not paying attention and you don’t choose the right dialogue options.

I strongly suggest revisiting Trespasser and listening to the weight of his voice as he talks. Even for a low-approval Inquisitor, you can hear how hard it is for him to explain he’s Fen’Harel. He’s not happy or proud to be back in this role. He liked being just Solas. It was much simpler.

If you choose the “You fought for freedom / I know you’re not evil / My people were wrong” thumbs up option, he’ll reject the notion, saying that he doesn’t deserve the credit.

It’s also worth listening to his explanation of what happened to the elves (as he walks with the Inquisitor over to the ruins). He’s particularly weighty during that part (before you have the chance to ask questions). And he specifically tells you, he destroyed the elves.

After he explains his plan to tear down the veil and destroy the world, if you choose the “truly?” option, the Inquisitor will say that they never thought of Solas as someone who would do such a thing. His composure breaks for a moment and he says a soft, “Thank you.”

He knows what he’s done and what he’s capable of, and he doesn’t like that part of himself. And he doesn’t forgive himself for it either.

Saving Solas from himself

At the end of Trespasser, an Inquisitor set on redeeming Solas vows to “save our friend from himself.” That hit me as odd the first time because I’d gotten so caught up in the revelations and hadn’t explored the “correct” dialogue options to realize what was going on.

“Solas is determined to help the elves, right? Sounds like a pretty solid plan. What’s this save him from himself about?”

tl;dr Solas’ ultimate plan isn’t to restore the elves, but to fix his mistake. Everything Solas fought to save by creating the veil was effectively destroyed by it. The guilt of that weighs on him to the point that he can’t let it go. He will rectify his mistake by tearing the veil down, even if it means his death, even if it doesn’t actually restore the elves, even if everyone he cares about dies along with countless innocents. He is the reason the elves fell, and he cannot live with that on his conscience. He has to try.

Resorting Arlathan isn’t the point.

Finding value in this world isn’t the point.

Falling in love with Lavellan isn’t the point.

His guilt is. And it’s strong enough to take him and the rest of the world down with him.

And that’s why he needs saving from himself.

Bonus - More Guilt!

Didn’t fit above, but worth pointing out:

(1) Solas put up the veil, which took magic from everyone. And then traveling with you, he gets to see first hand the after effects of the Mage Templar War - people driven from their homes, cold and starving; families torn apart; people killing each other over fear and hatred.

I have no doubt the irony isn’t lost on Solas that this war never would have happened if the veil hadn’t been created and made magic scarce enough for people to fear it.

(2) Lavellan romance. Solas states repeatedly that his interest in the relationship is “selfish.” He says he’s “furious” with himself after breaking the relationship off. And at least once he tells her she deserves better (special mention goes to the “I’m not giving up on you” break up option where his response is “you truly should”). And even though he refuses to discuss it, that’s still weighing on him to the point that he feels he has to give her some kind of an explanation at the end game before he disappears. I’m not even going to get into how it’s still weighing on him in Trespasser.

(3) Mythal. He killed his best friend. I mean, damn. Not to mention, it’s the very act he doomed the evanuris to an eternity of punishment for and believed they - and now himself - deserve. Double damn.

(4) Solas’ biggest fear is of dying alone. He knows the path he walks is hard, that his choices create enemies. He expects to be alone at the end, with no one to mourn him.

(5) Let’s face it, there’s probably lots more, including stuff we don’t know about.

Do people realize the amount of guilt this guy is carrying around? Is this starting to make sense now? AM I SCREAMING INTO THE ABYSS?!?!

Believe it or not, I told myself this morning I was NOT going to write an essay on what’s going on inside Solas’ head.

EDITS:

(6) Thanks to @bearlytolerable​ for pointing this out, but freaking spirits! They used to exist in conjunction with reality. And now, with the creation of the veil, the shock of passing into reality is enough to turn many of them into demons. Solas’ responsibility for this isn’t lost on him.

[captain-ezri-dax]

hope ur fukkin ready for this one babe(i love u and im sorry): inquisition asks for Nova, the good twin

Blackwall
1. Did they suspect his true identity at all? Were they taken by surprise when he revealed himself? - likely suspected a little something was off but didn't expect the full extent, so was surprised ye2. What did they choose to do with him and how did they feel about their choice? Were they guilty about leaving him in cell, if they choose to do so? - would consult with Caim since Caim spends more time with him, but she'd wanna give him to the wardens3. Did their treatment of Blackwall change after discovering who he was? If yes, how so? - was a little more suspicious of him but knew he's sincere in wanting to make up for it, so would let him be4. How close was your inquisitor to Blackwall? What drew your Inquisitor to him or away from him? - not very but didn't dislike him, nothing drew her to or from him they just don't spend a lot of time together 5. Did they remain in contact with him after the events of Trespasser? - vaguely maybe, she'd have him as her contact in the wardens for the inquisition Solas
1. Did your Inquisitor engage Solas academically with questions or were they uninterested in his experiences? - definitely talked about his experiences & got along with him well because of it, she's very interested in the fade & the veil2. Did they agree with his opinions about spirits, that they were friends and trustworthy? If not, what did your inquisitor believe instead? - she didn't at first but her opinion probably changers, especially if her tiny marks let her consciously enter her dreams3. If your inquisitor was told they were “unlike others of their race” by Solas, how did they respond? Were they angry or grateful? - probably pretty pissed tbh, especially bc that's just how she is & how she grew up, and where she grew up made her how she is now? So she is like others of her race 4. Did your Inquisitor think of Solas as Fen’harel or did they continue to think of him as their companion, a friend, if he was one to them, even after discovering who he was? - definitely thought more of him as Fen’harel, especially after learning he has spies in the inquisition 5. What did they choose, stop Solas or attempt to redeem him, and what motivated their choice? Fear? Love? - she’d choose to stop him even if Caim wanted to redeem him, is very afraid & angry & vengeful especially after Caim loses his armSera
1. What did your Inquisitor think about the Red Jenny organization? Did they choose to be apart of it? - I imagine she's probably pretty impressed by it? At the least she's glad that there's someone out there looking out for the little people. Might not be part of it but does lend Sera and other Jennies equipment and shit they might need, tho not officially2. Did your Inquisitor see Sera as troublesome or simply fun-loving? Did they join in for her pranks? - both, honestly. Thought Sera is fun loving but could potentially cause trouble, so she gave her the room in the inn so an inquisition agent is always nearby and if she wants to cause real problems, can be minimised 3. How did your Inquisitor respond to the truth of Sera’s childhood (the cookie scene), if they received it? Did they empathize? - would empathise a little, tho her own experiences are v different & is hard for her to imagine what it felt like4. Did the Inquisitor attempt to stick up for the little people, like Sera, or did they have other goals? If so, what were their other goals? - probably too busy to actively try sticking up for them, but would give Sera resources and do the red Jenny war table missions5. Did your Inquisitor respond well to Sera and seek her company or avoid her? - didn't dislike Sera and certainly would spend time with her, but wouldn't seek her out a lotCole
1. Before Cole’s personal mission, how did your Inquisitor feel about him? Were they comfortable or uncomfortable around him? - pretty comfortable around him, tho some of his comments would definitely make her uneasy, especially if it's about magic 2. What did your Inquisitor think of Cole’s ability to see into people’s thoughts? - probably creeped her out quite a lot, would think dumb things to see if Cole would respond to it3. Was Cole made more human or more spirit and why did your Inquisitor choose what they did? - more human probably, both bc she was interested in what would happen & believed it'd be better for him4. Did your Inquisitor become friends with Cole? Did Cole leave the Inquisition at any point, due to conflict with your Inquisitor? - probably were kinda good friends & would get along well wth him, never left the inquisition 5. How would you describe your Inquisitor’s relationship with cole? Non-existent? Or a relationship like that of siblings? - neither? Were just friends Iron Bull
1. Was your Inquisitor wary of Bull upon learning he was a spy? - extremely so, to the point where she doesn't interact with him until/if Caim assures her that he's good2. How did your Inquisitor react to the Chargers? Did they utilize them as allies or leave them to Bull? - would Utilize the chargers for sure, are useful to have around & she rly likes Krem3. Did your Inquisitor prefer to talk things out instead of force? Did they clash with Bull in that way? - well, considering she literally isn't a fighter & her canon has her staying at skyhold//4. Did they choose the chargers or the Qunari alliance? If they condemned the Chargers to death, how did they feel? - definitely chose the chargers, wouldn't trust a qunari alliance as far as she can throw Bull 5. Was Iron Bull a valuable member of the Inquisition to your Inquisitor? Did they speak to him often? - depends on if Caim likes having him around or not tbhVivienne
1. Did your Inquisitor share Vivienne’s views on the circle of magi or disagree and why? - definitely didn't, her experience with magic is totally different so would totally disagree2. Did your inquisitor view The Game as worthwhile or did they detest court intrigue? How did that affect their relationship with Vivienne? - despite being part of it & being pretty good at it, probably doesn't rly enjoy it3. Did the feelings of your Inquisitor towards Vivienne change at all after completing her personal mission about Duke Bastian, if yes, in what way? - I havee. Never done her personal quest4. Was Vivienne ever considered a candidate for Divine by your Inquisitor? Why was, or why wasn’t, she made Divine by your Inquisitor? - probably not, was eager that Leliana become divine instead & didn't want Vivienne’s views on the circle to be given action 5. How did your Inquisitor feel about Vivienne? Friends? Allies? Rivals? - colleagues, maybe?Varric
1. Was your Inquisitor’s relationship with Varric like that of Varric’s relationship with Hawke? Was it better? Worse? - not quite like that of Hawke but got along with him well enough, liked his stories & playing wicked grace 2. How did your Inquisitor feel about Varric’s situation with Bianca? Who did they decide was right about what Bianca did? - didn't rly voice her opinions on his relationship with Bianca but would definitely think they're both in the wrong, him for giving it out in the first place and her for being careless3. Did your Inquisitor approve of Varric’s stories? Did they read any of his books? - loved his stories 4. Did your Inquisitor try to dissuade Varric from believing that they were the herald of Andraste or did they encourage it? - well, she isn't the Herald so that's up to Caim5. Did your Inquisitor leave Hawke in the fade or save Hawke? How did that affect their relationship with Varric? - again, this is probably a Caim decision since she's not one to go into combatDorian
1. How does your Inquisitor feel about Tevinter? Did Dorian change their feelings at all about the Imperium? - doesn't like Tevinter in the slightest & started out distrusting Dorian because of it, tho their relationship improves 2. How did your Inquisitor feel about the Necromancy specialization? Were they intrigued? Disgusted? - intrigued probably, tho wouldn't be too eager to learn about it cause she wants the dead to be able to rest3. Did your Inquisitor attempt to have Dorian speak to his father or not? Does your Inquisitor relate to Dorian in terms of struggles with family or sexuality? - doesn't relate to him cause I think she's straight, but keeps him away from his father since Dorian is obviously upset & uncomfortable 4. Was Dorian a good companion for your Inquisitor? Was there any personality clash between them? - definitely a lot of personality clash because of his views on Slavery & the like, but they'd get along well enough 5. Did your Inquisitor agree with Dorian’s decision to return to Tevinter? How did they feel about his choice? - did agree and hoped that he'd be a positive changing force there Cassandra
1. Was your Inquisitor Andrastian? Did their religious beliefs affect their relationship with Cassandra? - not in the slightest lmao, she'd leave any conversation that might take a turn for the religious 2. What was Cassandra’s role in the Inquisition to your Inquisitor? Was she a crucial friend/ally or an unnecessary soldier? - I think her brother is gonna romance her, so she's glad to have Cass around. Was a good friend too 3. Did your Inquisitor push Cassandra to rebuild or abandon the Seekers of Truth? Why? - probably rebuild, hoping they'd become another positive force4. Did your Inquisitor agree with Cassandra’s vision for the Chantry? Did they choose her as Divine? - absoltuely not, she disagrees with most of what the chantry is5. Does your Inquisitor know all of her middle names? - she has like 500 middles names I mean c’monThis took. A while lmao, but let me know if u want me to do the romance ones too

[unklarity]

Solas

“I have seen things in my journeys that most can only dream of. Literally.”

So the story behind this box is epic and accidental, and very long, so I will put this all under a cut:

I wouldn’t call myself Solas’ biggest fan, as most people know, but wine inspires me to do a great many things I wouldn’t dare to do otherwise - so I decided to give the idea a try, hoping I would get a new outlook on a character that wasn’t my favorite. Usually these things are quite the learning experience. I decided to seek out the help of @biotic-banshee, who I knew had both a wealth of information about Solas and a great love for his character, and boy, I was not disappointed. She sent me the most amazing essay, plus gave me a ton of help with looking up Solas’ frescoes.

For this box, I decided to resurrect my rusty painting skills. I haven’t painted in years, but I really wanted to depict one of the frescoes in the lid, and I apparently can’t do things halfway, so I ended up with this:

After playing Trespasser, I wanted to focus on Solas as a person who lost everything he had from his previous life and was fighting to bring back the world he knew, even if it was going to end the current one. There's obviously a lot wrong with that from an objective standpoint, but as we know, Solas isn't someone "of this world" and his ideals and beliefs are pretty rigid. Aesthetically, I wanted the box to look like a Fade dream, like one of the ruins Solas would be likely to frequent; something that blurred the lines between what’s physical and what’s not. I went with moss and flowers for the bottom of the box, and then started with the potions.

↑ For the first big potion, we have a tiny Skyhold (which is in a separate picture so you can see it more easily). Solas is the one who helps find it after dreaming of it in the fade- he's the reason the Inquisition is able to continue as it is. And yes, it's for selfish reasons ultimately, but if not for him, everything could have ended after Haven. 

Next, a rose, for a Solas/Lavellan romance. Last potion, yellow carnation, lavender and dried white rose. Yellow carnation is for disappointment- imagine how Solas must have felt when all of his people and his world were gone, and he'd woken up in a world devoid of magic that he was, at the time, powerless to fix. Lavender is for distrust and bitterness, which I mostly included for his relationship with elves. Be it with city elves or the Dalish, there is difficulty there, going both ways. The Dalish do not trust a stranger who claims to know about their past; also, there are a lot of things going on within Solas himself. He's really trying to fix what he caused by putting up the veil and taking away Arlathan's magic. Lastly, dried white roses represent death and decay. I feel like Solas had to deal with seeing the death of everything he loved and fought for, and on top of the fact that his actions caused that downfall, it must be even worse.

↑ Next, we have the rest of the potions. First, a dyed red flower that I saw that reminded me of blood lotus. This flower is often used in game around spirits- to attract them, or it is merely found where they frequent. In the Fallow Mire, and in the Hinterlands, in liminal spaces where there aren't many people. It's paired with mugwort leaves, one of the herbs that can cause astral traveling or lucid dreaming, and help with communication with other realms. Next, vervain, amethyst, peridot, and mugwort flowers, for Solas's travels in the fade- his witnessing of Ostagar, his comments on past historical battles and events, and all of the things he has seen in dreams. Amethyst is for dreams, peridot for seeing things in different perspectives, and vervain and mugwort are often ingested to induce meditation and dream-traveling.

And on we go! Next, in the middle, we have a potion for Solas as someone who is misguided. To me, he really has tunnel vision, ignoring the beauty of the world around him and the worth of those in it, because he is so desperate to get his world back. In that way, i think he has good intentions but is really misguided. So, for clarity, here we have sage, citrine, cloves, lavender, and lemon balm. At the end of Trespasser, the Inquisitor can choose between wanting to kill Solas and wanting to make him see reason, see the beauty in the world and that its people are worth saving -and that Solas is worth saving too.

Next! In the second to last potion, we have the quote, "I have seen things in my journeys that most can only dream of." I love this quote of his. In here, we have tobacco leaves, clear quartz, and goldenrod for communication with spirits, but also for Solas' tendency to prefer the company of spirits and be pretty withdrawn around others, like some of the inhabitants of Skyhold mention. I also thought of his relationship with Cole in this potion, and his reluctance to help Cole become "more human."

For the last little bottle, it contains thorns. For a few reasons. These are thorns from roses I have grown, and for that reason, I meant them to represent the "failed" romance between Solas and the inquisitor. I wanted them to be there because that love is not enough to remove obstacles (like thorns) that stand in the way of something beautiful. Thorns are for severity; for unbending ideals that, in this case, stop Solas from putting aside his goals to be with the Inquisitor. Even though he cares for her, he still has to do what he has to do, and so they are, essentially, enemies, after everything.

Next, we have the stones!

Starting from left to right we have: gold sheen obsidian(black stone), vessonite tower, moss agate (small green speckled one), hematite (metallic one), serpentine(green one in the back), garnet (dark red in front of serpentine), pyrite, prehnite (green with black flecks in front of pyrite), sardonyx (black- has a white bottom you can't see here), and a red tiger's eye sphere.

Gold sheen obsidian is a stone of protection, like other obsidian, but also a stone of healing. It represents manifestation, magic, and acceptance of ones truth (often an unpleasant one) and is associated with the Tower card of the major arcana, which He is depicted on. It also stands for a fight against an abuse of power, which really reminded me of his fight against the Evanuris to liberate his people before Arlathan fell.

Vessonite, also called Vesuvianite, is a stone of self reliance. Of solitude, of creating and walking on your own path. I felt this was definitely a stone for Solas. One of the things I also connected with this was the Hermit, and Solas' fear of loneliness or dying alone, despite his mission, which is definitely a solitary one.

Moss agate is a stone of nature, most obviously, but also one of clarity, and soothing emotional pain. Clearly Solas feels a good deal of regret and pain over what happened in the past, and is trying to fix the mistakes of the past.

Hematite is the stone for making the spiritual physical. Manifesting, casting, creation magic. This stone is for Solas as a hedge mage, someone who spent time alone developing theory and practice and really developing his own self and his own magic 100% at the same time. He was not taught anything, he had to learn it all himself, and really had to translate his knowledge from the fade to beyond the Veil.

Garnet is a stone of psychic protection, and one of awareness. Aside from viewing spirits differently than anyone else, clearly Solas is very adept at protecting himself in the fade, and is pretty hyper-aware of his environment at all times. The ability to be so aware in the fade is what shows exactly how different he is from all other mages.

Serpentine is a stone that, once I saw it, knew it was perfect. It is the stone of awakening, of accessing the spiritual history of the world. To me, it is both the awakening that Solas does after his long sleep to find his world destroyed, and the awakening he has when he realized exactly what he's done. Also, he spends the time in inquisition cataloging the world, what has happened in certain places, wars lost and won, things no one else can see. Things that have happened in his absence and because of his actions.

Pyrite is for standing up for what one believes in at any cost, which Solas certainly does in Trespasser, but also throughout the game, as he makes his opinions known.

Prehnite is the stone of astral traveling, of a transition into a meditative state.

Sardonyx is for courage and self control, and connected to the pyrite, I feel like Solas certainly needs those to leave the Inquisition after Corypheus' defeat, leaving the Inquisitor especially, to continue on with his plans even though he has been shown a glimpse of what this world is worth.

I chose red tiger's eye to represent the Orb that The Dread Wolf gives to Corypheus, knowing that he cannot unlock its power alone. However, the stone fits pretty well. It is the stone of motivation, the stone that can wake up someone who is lethargic and get them moving again. In this case, Solas is lying in wait, and once the orb is his again, although no longer functional, he has enough strength to do what he needs to do.

↑ There are little fluorite pebbles in the bottom of the box to represent wisdom + the protection that he offered the elves in Arlathan, and a tiny wolf for his namesake.

↑Last but not least, which I included for Solas' wisdom again, and also for his role as sometimes-mentor to the Inquisitor and Cole. Inside is a quote which I will leave as a surprise! Then, the wolf jawbone necklace and the bracelet, which was made by wonderful etsy seller TheWindFish!

Here is one last shot of the finished box!

Solas has been sold, but if you have any questions please message me! My Etsy shop is HERE and while customs are currently closed until April, I’m happy to discuss ideas for boxes at any time. Also, feel free to check out my Patreon page HERE and consider becoming a patron if you’d like to see more of my work! Thanks for reading!

[finitefantasy]

What are your opinions on the Dragon Age: Inquisition characters? (Like separately, not in general)

Oooh, I see, time to bring the discourse to this blog!

I have a lot of strong opinions I guess??

Dorian: I would live and die for Dorian Pavus and his development as a character. His plotline with his sexuality is the most accessible and human plotlines in Dragon Age. And I appreciate that as the game goes on, especially into Trespasser, he realizes his own role in the fucked up and racist politics of Tevinter.

Varric: Honestly one of my favorite re-occuring characters in Dragon Age, though I think his plotline with Biaca was weak. Which was the writing’s fault, not his. I love that we have someone so funny and yet kind as the tie-in point between DA: II (my favorite dragon age game).

Sera: I gained a lot more appreciation of her in my play through where I romanced her. I think she has a lot of shit to work through but I love her sense of humor and there’s something uniquely sweet about just eating/throwing cookies with her on the roof.

Vivienne: I really wish we got to explore her character more? I wasn’t a fan of her politics like AT ALL but I really like the glimpses we got into her private life. They were a bit ham fisted in trying to humanize her without letting us spend TIME with her and imo I can only blame racism for that :// For a character that can be made Divine, I really wish we spent more time with her.

Varric: Love this soft, sweet child. I couldn’t take him on my team with me often because a.) I always play a mage myself and b.) sometimes his comments set off my anxiety?? But I really like how he provided so much insight into your team and into Skyhold itself.

Cassandra: SHOULD HAVE BEEN A LESBIAN!! I love her and how she’s socially awkward but so passionate. I really liked Aveline in DA II so it was nice to have a variation of that archetype??

Iron Bull: Don’t like him. He’s a transphobic misogynist and in my first game my game glitched so it didn’t do his personal quest. So while the Chargers stayed around, he still betrayed us and I didn’t feel bad about fighting him. I have a real big problem with his romance–he only tells you about safe words and that stuff AFTER yoru first session and his stuff with Dorian is really gross imo, like, they first hook up when Dorian is drunk AND IB continually makes comments Dorian expresses discomfort with. IB is easily my least fave DA companion.

Blackwall: Bland cishet. Didn’t care about his betrayal because I didn’t care about him.

Cullen: I’m not a fan of how they did a ‘redemption’ of his REALLY fucked up views of Mages from DA: II. It was very lazy. They made him Alistair 2.0 (down to the fuck mabari) and gave him a half assed apology (Him: ”That was the old me” My inquisitor: “Umm It doesn’t work that way” Him: “I guess :///”). I think his romance is cute and nice (and so so hetero) and he’d be a likeable character if you ignore the context of DA:II but like… DA:II makes it pretty rough in terms of forgiveness??

Solas: Egg head. He was always too pretentious for me, too hetero, and too “I’m not like OTHER elves” which made me uncomfortable as someone who plays as an elf. He suffers from teh same problems as Anders–he cares more about his personal agenda and methods than he does about actually protecting the group he claims to be saving. His plans make things worse for elves and its gross.

Josephine: MY PRINCESS!! I love her. Imo, she felt like my inquisitor’s best friend, especially when I was romancing Dorian. Idk, it was so nice to just talk to her. She felt like a fresh of breath air away from the constant violence of the game.

Leliana: Love her to death, wish I Could romance her in this game because imo this version of Leliana is so interesting?? I mean she was always interesting but the kind of jaded but still hopeful, nug-loving woman in the shadows is so appealing to me. Especially since I always make her divine.

Also I loe Morrigan (and Kieran) and Hawke’s role in this game as well. What a great throwback. ANd I love what we find out about Alistair?? Tho some of his politics are, uh, :S.

[awkwardblushing-blog]

Chapter 59 - The Wilds

AO3 Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/8129126/chapters/21420737

Bastien couldn’t stop gaping as his mare guided them along the path behind Cullen. He could easily be riding across those roots, those branches, along that tree fungus, all of them were large enough to support his horse. The birds were loud and frequent in their calls, fluttering up from a bush and startling his horse every now and then. Overall, the trek was beautiful, the ruins, the waterfalls, the plants, the animals, the Wilds seemed like a paradise. Bastien struggled to keep in mind all off the terrible stories about this place, all the frightful rumors, but it was so hard to believe them now that he was here. Maybe people didn’t come back because they simply got lost?

“Careful, if you leave your mouth open, a bug may fly in.” Cullen teased and Bastien snapped it shut.

They crested a rise and the camp lay before them, all of their allies standing in the same ground, Bastien was awestruck. They made an impressive, if a bit destructive sight. He saw the shimmering gold and blue of the empress’ gown, briefly wondering why she wasn’t wearing armor in a war zone before dismounting in front of what was to be his tent. He tied his mare loosely the post, she wouldn’t leave anyway, and if this went sideways, he wanted her to be able to escape. He barely had the chance to catch his breath when the clatter of swords took everyone’s attention. The battle had begun, and it wouldn’t wait for them to rest.

He gathered his party, making sure they had Dagna’s rune with them, and set forth, cutting their way through the red templar forces as they made their way to the temple. The elves were a surprise. Their pale skin, long limbs and extensive tattoos caught him off guard. He tried to speak with them, but it was clear that this was their forest, and they were not keen on visitors. He tried to ask Solas about them, or even Morrigan, but the best he received were vague comments and suspicions. They would find out the truth soon enough.

They paused at the base of a massive stone wolf resting with its twin before a door, both covered in birds despite the recent violent skirmish. They each downed a much needed potion and Bastien and Dorian each gave the other a solid once over, looking for any extensive damage. Content that neither were injured, they crept through the far end of the hall, crouching low at the sound of voices. Just below, the elves were squaring off against Sampson, and shortly after, the deep, reverberating voice of Corypheus sounded. Bastien tensed, his mark flickering. They’d known he was coming, they’d known they would likely see him, but still…

Wait…the Well of Sorrows? He looked to Morrigan, who shrugged. What on earth – He ducked back down quickly, dragging Dorian with him as the statues exploded, turning everything around them to dust and ash and killing all below. They froze, breath caught in their throats, as they waited for something, anything else to happen. Was that…it? Had Corypheus been defeated? It didn’t seem possible.

They made their way slowly down the steps towards the bridge, checking the bodies, but there was no remnant of Corypheus.

“Well that was rather anti-climactic…” Dorian muttered, turning over a red templar. Bastien motioned him forward, wanting to keep him close as they neared the bridge. In the distance, Bastien made out Sampson, who grinned at them before disappearing into the fortress. He was still trying to piece it all together when something shifted behind them, growling and moaning. He pivoted on his heel as the corpse began to rise.

“Dorian please tell me that’s yours.” Even as he spoke, he retreated, keeping Dorian behind him and his now ready shield.

“Unfortunately not…” Dorian shook his head, taking several steps back when the warden’s blood began showering from his mouth. An all too familiar taloned hand erupted from the muck and Bastien turned, pushing his group forward.

“Across the bridge! Now!” He shouted, keeping himself at the back of the pack as the group sprinted away from the reforming Corypheus, the roar of the archdemon only fueling them faster. He flew back as the dragons attack impacted with the door, but it held shut, shimmering in a soft light before falling silent. He tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge. For better or worse, nothing was getting through that door.

Assuring himself no one was harmed, Bastien glanced at the long hallway leading to a flight of descending stairs.  “Well, I guess we go deeper…”

--

“What I don’t understand,” Dorian waved his free hand in the air as he swallowed his mouthful of cheese, “Is how on earth that happened. Perhaps he cast a spell before approaching? Perhaps it was blood magic? But then how—“

“Does it truly matter?” Cassandra snapped, none too pleased at Corypheus’ newest trick. They sat at the base of a grand staircase, covered in ivy and illuminated with the afternoon sunlight. It was a beautiful place for a break.

“Cassandra is right,” Solas added, “The point is that we know now that he can jump from a host. I would propose that his darkspawn nature, as well as the blight present within the grey wardens allows him to transfer, and it is unlikely he could pick a random host.”

In the distance, a gong was heard, followed by the distant curses of Bastien as he messed up on yet another puzzle.

“Keep it up, Amatus, we are almost there!” Dorian called, taking another drink from the canteen before muttering, “I hope.”

“We should be, I believe we are nearing the entrance.” Morrigan stated calmly, pacing around the room to examine different statues, though she could have also been avoiding the inevitable questions. Dorian was a bit surprised that Solas wasn’t doing the same, though the man seemed fairly at ease here. Perhaps he’d been here in the fade? Dorian wasn’t sure how the whole Somniari thing really worked, so he couldn’t truly be sure.

A chime sounded, and Bastien’s shout of joy echoed off the walls. Up the stairs, the door shimmered, unlocking. He ran back to the group, cheeks flushed from running back and forth in circles to complete the trials and he snatched up the canteen, downing half its contents before finishing his sandwich in three bites. He motioned for them to continue, mouth still stuffed with food. Things were progressing nicely, though he was worried about Samson’s progress. How much further ahead was he? They would have to hurry, though the ancient elves were not going to make it easy for them, if the row of arrows pointed to their backs was any hint. He allowed Dorian time to ask his questions, allowed him to indulge his intrigue about the truth behind the true fall of Arlathan, while he tried to decide what to say.

“Please, I mean you no harm, nor do I wish to steal from your temple. I want to stop the man who is barging his way forward, as well as his master. Let us pass to deal with them, then we will leave, I swear it.” Bastien took a step towards Abelas, palms up and supplicating. They really didn’t have time for this, but this bloodshed could be avoided.

“Your words… seem genuine.” He said after a pause. Bastien let out a sigh of relief as the elf continued, “You have followed the rites and shown respect to our temple, if these trespassers are enemies of yours, we shall aid you in destroying them. But I will not see the well desecrated, even if I have to destroy it myself.”

He accepted the offer readily, much to Morrigan’s dismay as she rushed forth. Unable to pursue, he turned, following the old mage through the ornate back pathways towards the Well of Sorrows.

[wonderlandcrows]

what's ekhan's thoughts on the other inquisition members? are they particularly close to any of them?

I remember answering something similar (you can find it here ) That was before trespasser obviously, so I’m going to answer this question as after everything happened and that he disbanded the inquisition,

Ekhan got along with everybody well enough but after the whole mess with Solas, which made him doubt a lot about himself and the dalish in general, he closed himself to them. He drifted away from Iron Bull, Cole & Vivienne. He still consider them friends but if he was in serious trouble, he wouldn’t go to them yea?

He loves being with Sera, they’re best friends! (even though I never really expanded on their relationship ; I really should). He needs someone who can simplify his worries, but still be there for him. He needs someone to keep him centred and that what she was for him. Sera isn’t in Inquisition because it’s her duty or because she wants glory, she’s there to help the little people. She keeps him grounded, and he will be forever grateful for that. Plus, Sera made him feel like home, made him feel comfortable, by her humour, her mannerisms and her prank. He felt himself and not the inquisitor.

For similar reasons, that’s also why he loves being around Varric although, they’re not as close to each other. Varric represents the family he never had. For Ekhan, Varric is that friend where you can both chill in silence doing your own things but still feel comforted by their presence. He would like if Varric told more to Ekhan, about his grief, what he’s gone through, things like that but he deeply respects Varric so he waits.

As for Cassandra, he likes a lot. She’s his hero, pretty much. He loves listening to her rambling about romance novels and whatnot and he trust her with his life and she trust him as well. Their relationship, even though it had a rocky start, is founded on mutual trust. Except when Cass makes ‘’impolite‘‘ comments about his culture, he corrects her and make sure that she knows that it’s important to him and/or that what she said was hurtful. Ekhan knows she has his back, and even with her being busy with rebuilding the order, they make time for each other to meet and to make sure everything is okay,

On Blackwall side, Ekhan admires him for wanting to be a better man, and it makes him want to do the same. Ekhan never really had any positive reinforcement or anything and Blackwall encourage him a lot. They have each other’s back. Ekhan doesn’t particularly approves or likes what Blackwall has done, but he thinks that the inquisition has done worse things and himself as well so he doesn’t really get the moral high ground on this issue. They often exchange wood sculpture and give each other advice on the matter.

Dorian and Ekhan were fantastic friends, and they keep contact through the crystal. They almost talk everyday. Dorian is obviously grateful for what Ekhan did with his father and standing up for him. Ekhan loves learning history, magic, even court manners from Dorian. They find solace in each other, they might have kissed multiple times in the library but it never went farther than this. During inquisition, I’d say Dorian is the second person he spent the most time with/around. A lot of his evenings where spent on Dorian’s chair, whether Dorian was in it or not. Also, Dorian is totally the person Ekhan’s goes to cry. He lets himself be vulnerable around him - so does Dorian. Dorian also spent a lot of time in Ekhan’s room, he’s the only person that Ekhan doesn’t mind being there for as long as he wants.

For Vivienne, he absolutely respects her and he has learned much from her even though they disagree on the circle debate, they are friends. During inquisition, they were closer, he consulted her on a lot of matters but after they disbanded they kinda drifted apart, they had other priorities. They still keep in contact, send each letters once in a while but not much more than that.

Cole; he really likes him after inquisition disbanded he was happy to see him go experience life with Maryden (I think thats her name yea?). They didn’t really keep in touch but he hopes that Cole is doing well in life.

Iron Bull and Ekhan never bonded other than surface friendship. Their relationship was empty . Ekhan was more friends with the other chargers than with IB. He thinks that they could have been good friends if IB stopped lying and if he wasn’t so prideful.