#and him having a room in the chantry

[ll-underestimated-ll]

// Know of Leo's temptation to mockingly lean in with a 'you have to Pay the Tremere? Getgud.'

[skyrim-forever]

Worst Places to Jerk Off in Skyrim

In no particular order, as they are all shit in their own ways :P

Redwater Spring

Unless you are a vampire or werewolf then you are getting all the diseases. And if you are a vampire, don't do that to the food??? Unless, you're into that 😏

2. Altar of Molag Bal

I don't even need to say why, y'all already know. If you are so inclined (I'm not kink shaming I'm kink asking why) go to the one in Castle Volkihar at least. Don't do it in Markarth my guy

3. The Dwemer Lockbox at Septimus Signus's Outpost

Okay, this might just be me but it would be impossible to have a good time inside a giant Dwemer mechanism with Hermaeus Mora lurking around. HOWEVER, I am aware I am posting this on tesblr on monsterfucker.com so if you are an enjoyer of tentacles than this may be a top spot. You do you bestie, have fun becoming a Seeker someday <3

4. The Chantry of Auri-El

Gelebor has been through enough

5. Frostfall Lighthouse

You probably don't want to anyways

6. Inside Tel Mithryn with Neloth is there

This also has the caveat as some of you (including myself to an extent) are into Neloth. That said, I feel like he would absolutely destroy you with insults that even if he didn't ban you you'd never come back

7. The Warren

Wahoooo second Markarth location! Incredibly depressing, would not be a good vibe

8. The Chill

It's fuckin cold my guy

9. Yngvild

Also cold but more importantly, Arondil has major issues. The room of dead women, the contents of his journals NOPE I am kinkshaming him

10. The Butcher's murder room in Hjerim

Let's offer the dead some peace since we cannot bring the killer to justice as the quest is always broken!!!

Feel free to add your own picks, we could also do a list of the best places ;)

[notebooks-and-laptops]

I hate the viper as the black divine btw I hate it I hate it I hate it

And no, it's not because it's a bad idea.

It's because it's an EXCELLENT idea, and the idea that they intended it to be canon (or planned for it to be) is quite frankly an insult to such a complex idea. Especially in the game series that used to explore religion quite seriously and which has decided, in the game about Gods and potentially disproving faith, it no longer actually cares about faith (the MAIN THEME OF THE PREVIOUS GAME).

Like. Firstly narratively the Black Divine being Viper could have had such an impact because you could have built to it. You meet Viper, get to know him... simultaneously you're meeting various imperial chantry officials. Maybe these chantry officials are even aligned with Venatori. They keep alluding to the Black Divine but you never meet him until ACT 3 when it turns out...the black divine was the viper all along.

And one assumes the black divine would turn to a life like the Vipers because they don't think their office is doing any real good. That's!!! Really interesting!!! Someone decked in glory and power realises their own office is a sham that is doing no good not stopping slavery or Venatori and so works to do it from the shadows...that's interesting!!! And has something to say about systematic power structures and how changing a system from the inside can be damn near impossible.

Or maybe he does this because he DOESNT want to risk his seat as the black divine but feels immense guilt about how he's not actually helping the faithful poor in his city. He wants to cling to his power because he believes he can nudge history in the right direction if he does, but simultaneously knows that by not speaking out publiclly on slavery or poverty he's potentially dooming people to death and so needs to sooth his guilt by going vigilanty. Maybe there's an interesting question in there somewhere about living in two worlds and trying to maintain the status quo in one and destroy it in the other.

Also it DIRECTLY parrellels previous characters like Cassandra and Leliana and is a continuation of inquisitions themes surrounding what good can faith ACTUALLY accomplish for people (this even goes back to da2 and Anders)? When does faith break/why? What

Also because it's not explained, it's just kinda stupid. Does Bioware think that high ranking religious officials do nothing all day? They're not billionaires sat in a mansion popping into occasional meetings, they're public figures and political leaders of giant organisations who regularly have to be on show to the masses and to their own advisors. I won't believe that they not only a) have time to be batman AND b) they also have time to just...sit around in some room in the middle of nowhere to be a performative faction leader to the protagonist of a video game they don't know they're in.

Also. Are you telling me. The venatori were going to execute the FANTASY POPE??? And nobody cared??? They were going to publiclly execute the FANTASY POPE and the viper wasn't going to reveal himself and he wasn't going to be recognised and that wasn't going to cause problems? Are you kidding me?

Tblr; the idea that the viper is the black divine is such a good idea it makes me so angry they seemingly couldn't be bothered to actually put the time into it to make it interesting

[thelibrarian1895]

For your consideration

Lucanis proposes to a Mourn Watch Rook, Caterina even gave him the opal ring for the proposal since someone who killed one of the elven gods could be arguably acceptable for her grandson.

Probably

Then it's time to plan the wedding and I would like to offer the idea that Caterina and Teia who, upon learning that Rook has no living parents and was, in fact, found in a crypt in the Necropolis by the undead, might come to the conclusion that since there are no other parental figures involved, they will have full control over the wedding planning as they are grandmother of the groom and groom's basically sister with some input from Rook and Lucanis of course.

Except no

Vorgoth appears in the room that Caterina has dedicated to wedding planning. Vorgoth is there to make sure that the Nevarran and Mourn Watch traditions are also respected. Plus this is their little crypt baby who's all grown up and getting married! Myrna comes in shortly afterwards, it takes her a little longer to travel than it does Vorgoth and now Teia has the bride's basically sister to debate with.

Debates over whether or not skeletons should be ushers or not, picking over every name on the guest list, debates about the size of the guest list, arguing over the location of the wedding (Vorgoth: THE MEMORIAL GARDENS ARE VERY POPULAR FOR SUCH OCCASIONS Myrna: It would be particularly romantic as Emmerich reported Rook would like their remains to be used in the garden after their death Caterina: No, the Dellamortes have been married in the Treviso chantry gardens for generations Teia: will the Chantry be finished cleaning up all the leftover Ventaori things in time? Caterina: I was unaware that we were dealing with any time constraints (Teia changes the subject while they debate whether or not to confess that she suspects Rook might be pregnant and thus they might want to have the wedding quickly since while having a baby first isn't a bad thing, it would make the fitting of wedding outfits difficult (Rook is not pregnant, Rook is throwing up and sickly at the moment because they're trying to develop immunity to common poisons)) catering, discovering that Nevarrans also arrange for the couples' funeral while they're putting together the wedding, determining if one of the couple will be wearing a dress, figuring out who is going to make the outfits for the wedding party (Manfred, who made their own Watcher uniform, is unaware of the careful negotiations and has already measured both Rook and Lucanis and has started to sew a very traditional Watcher wedding outfit that was in style about 2,000 years ago that Manfred thinks it cool/pretty, Manfred started this as soon as Spite told them that Spite, Rook, and Lucanis were officially a thing because I 100% believe that Spite and Manfred gossip with one another and Lucanis figures better Manfred than Spite walking around while Lucanis is asleep and spilling everything to everyone in the Lighthouse, Rook and Lucanis will wear the outfits Manfred makes for the reception), figuring out who is going to be in the wedding party (lots of debating about whether Illario is going to be part of things or not), determining who is going to be walked down the aisle (Rook), determining who is going to walk the person down the aisle (Vorgoth, this is why I say Rook is walked down the aisle), flowers, decorations in general, location for the reception, music, living arrangements in the aftermath of the wedding, conferring about wedding presents so none of them get the couple a duplicate of something, determining who is going to officiate, figuring out who will paint the wedding portraits, whether or not it would be appropriate for any contract to be fulfilled during the wedding (Teia: Unless you refuse to allow guests to bring plus ones, at least one Crow is going to bring a target to the wedding and finish the contract after the vows, it happens every time) what would happen to anyone who might die of "natural causes" during the wedding, wedding favors, Mourn Watch avoiding/ignoring the Crows probing about King Marcus, designing the wedding invitations, scheduling health check ups, seating arrangements, if Antiva or Nevarra have any tradition of dowries or bride prices then Vorgoth and Caterina discuss how that works out, determining where the couple will go for their honeymoon, and of course, determining which side of the family will pay for what and setting a budget, neither side is going to let the other get away with "I pay for it so I decide" though neither side would honestly because while they all have specific visions for their loved one's wedding, they really do want the couple to be happy with how things end up

It's quite possibly the most fun Caterina has had in decades and she and Vorgoth will either best friends or they'll be mortal enemies in the aftermath

When everything is done, Teia and Myrna will absolutely be exchanging letters in the aftermath and meet up once a month for brunch/gossip that they can't tell anyone in their own organizations.

In the meantime, Lucanis and Rook are debating if they'd survive eloping and Rook is getting Viago to coach them through building up an immunity to common poisons as well as poisons commonly used by the Crows which is not the same thing (resulting in Teia's misunderstanding) and how to best put the fear of Rook into the Crow houses most likely to cause problems/target them as spouse of the First Talon

Edit: No matter what the wedding planning group decides, all the wisps from the Lighthouse are going to be there at the wedding if only because I adore the mental image of the wisps floating around the ceremony. I think it would be pretty.

Edit: One of the wedding colors is absolutely purple

Edit: Manfred measured Lucanis for his Watcher wedding gear while Lucanis was asleep and Spite was in control and further fittings happen in the same fashion so Lucanis is actually unaware of the Watcher wedding gear until much later, Spite gets him to change into it for the reception. Rook didn't know why Manfred wanted to measure them but was willing to indulge Manfred because Rook finds Manfred adorable and is later delighted by the Watcher wedding gear and was quite pleased during the fittings

[sha-brytols]

someone: do you think anders is a good person

the part of my brain that engages in genuine critical media analysis: i think it's disingenuous to label him through the lens of a binary good/evil paradigm because what makes him such an interesting and engaging character is his status inbetween a human with complex emotions and desires and flaws that will never fully align with each other, and the singleminded focus and purpose of a supernatural entity that is literally justice incarnate and has no capacity for nuance and whose very nature is fundamentally incompatible with humanity but the two of them are so deeply connected that they make up a single identity that's constantly at odds with itself and this struggle causes him to act in ways that aren't always clean and often land him and those around him in impossible positions. i think he was morally justified in doing what he did to the chantry but i also believe he understood the magnitude of what he was doing which is why i inherently disagree with the notion that characters like varric or sebastian were wrong in their reactions because that's the very nature of violent revolution—people get caught in the crossfire and are harmed despite their innocence and regardless of the righteousness of the action at large. if someone killed your mom to protect a hundred orphans you probably wouldn't come out of the experience full of love and admiration for the person who killed your mother because regardless of the outcome they still fucking killed your mother. anders destroyed people's homes and lives and there's a conversation to be had about how he gaslit and exploited hawke, his own potential lover, into being an unwitting accomplice even though we know through meta knowledge that he was perfectly capable of doing it on his own and very likely only wanted hawke's involvement because he needed a powerful figure to become the rallying symbol for his cause. the reality is his very nature would have never allowed him to choose hawke and his friends over his goal because to do so would have been fundamentally selfish and antithetical to his newfound identity as one who champions the needs of the many at the expense of the individual. it's a beautifully tragic story about the lengths a person would have to go to in order to enact any sort of meaningful change while constrained in a system that benefits from their powerlessness, and how that process cannot exist without suffering and pain on both the individual and collective level. i also feel like if anders was written by a person with a degree of compassion and awareness for not only the character they were writing but just what living as a vulnerable and targeted minority is like then the narrative and message would have been vastly different than what ended up on screen because, ultimately, the game wants you to look at the stark injustice of a child being ripped away from their family to spend a life locked away in cold isolation where they're at constant risk of exploitation, abuse, death, and even a complete removal of their personhood, and think that there's room for compromise. it's a narrative that perpetuates the myth that passivity and tolerance in the face of oppression is more virtuous than burdening the masses with the discomfort of seeing their own culpability in sustaining it. a better game would have challenged varric and sebastian while also affirming their anger instead of just the latter. a better game would have explored hawke's reaction in a deeper manner that examined their relationship with the system, their own internal biases, and how anders affected their worldview.

the part of my brain that was on tumblr in 2014 and is still extremely petty and spiteful: he should have blown up the conclave while he was at it

[internalloops]

DA:TV rant … if you are of the mind that BioWare can do no wrong /its games can be criticize or if you truly enjoying the game and are loving everything that you’ve seen so far this post is not for you. Please move along and if you don’t want me showing up on your feed please block me.  I will not be engaging with any fan that will not allow me to take up space and vent my feelings on the disaster that is this fucking game.

*Also a lot of spoilers!!

.. it’s horrible, like I knew I was going to be disappointed but holy fucking shit …

I’m about to finish act one and .. they destroyed their entire lore … BioWare destroyed their ENTIRE lore /world build of Dragon Age

Minrathous has NO SLAVES !!! They are briefly talked about via shadow dragons but they’re are none visible at all in the city ( but they have the animation to give a poor person “fake money” )

The qunari who literally fought and tried to kill solas in trespasser have been turned into mindless brutes who willingly joined the evil gods … because they command dragons ?

The blight except for one mission is harmless. They purposely turned it into a bio weapon and then (besides the dark spawn spawning from it like something out of an MMO) due to *plot armor, no one actually contracts the blight ???

The black chantry minus one building that you go through in a side quest doesn’t exist? No chantry members , no talk of the black divine ..

Dalish are all engineers now and part of the veil jumpers ( which should not exist lore wise) and all elven magic has been converted into cyberpunk technology and artifacts. Very little talk about their oppression and they are all very willing to drop all their history , even their distrust of solas , to flight the old gods .

Varric Has been demoted to inspirational speaker and narrator he has no other role and the entire team acts like he died , even when he’s in the room with him ( I think BioWare actually planned to kill him but then chickened out ) and is a husk of his former self

Same with Morgan , you can’t interact with her at all and she’s given the same mysterious background as flemeth ( the theory that she carries mythal spirit is very strong right now )

Lyrim potions don’t exist, in fact lyrim doesn’t exist at all besides the dagger. All magic has turned into technology, and if you play as a mage mana just has an automatic replenish rate /cool down effect that you can level up.

Evil gods go back and forth between an actual intense adversary and threat to the world, and a typical Disney villain.

These are just the few I can think of off the top of my head, there is so much more than this …

The game can literally be summed up as Mass effect andromeda x2 with God of war animations and marvel style writing ( not the avengers I’m talking about the recent shit)

Also for the people who want to kill solas or simply dislike him, the game pushes a sympathetic view of him on you ,even your companions who outrightly want to kill him will feel sorry for him. And I’m saying this as a solavellan fan. Yes they’re options to be mean to him and antagonize him, but you won’t get anyone agreeing with your actions ,at best they’ll be neutral about it. Now this might play out differently for those who picked the “chooses to stop him “ option , but for those who’s inquisitions wanted to save him but they wanted their rooks to hate him … you’re not gonna be happy about what you get ..

The only thing that keeping me playing is the reveal of history of ancient elves and Titans and solas’s story. And Assan!! Assan can do no wrong !! Everything else is a slog to get through.

[baphometsss]

On Solas' Mythal regret

Alright so this is just one thing I wanted to get out there. I'm not gonna do one big meta post bc I wanna break down specific things more easily. I hope it's not too jumbled

Spoilers

The Solas / Mythal regret takes place in the Fade.

��What if you left the Evanuris, and remained with me? Surely you must want freedom from this struggle?”

Solas says it not just for Mythal’s sake but for his own; he is essentially begging for her to return to the Fade with him so they can be as spirits again... He doesn’t want to be a person, he never did, and now he can’t return to that life. He was happy in the Fade until she drew him out. Mythal says ‘love’ because she knows that he doesn’t want to be there and she needs to keep him loyal in order to keep the Evanuris at bay. We know that Mythal is manipulative af and this is just more evidence of that.

It’s a regret not just because he couldn’t get Mythal to leave the Evanuris but because it’s the moment he gave up on himself. He knew he couldn’t leave Mythal to do it alone, because he did care for her, but also he was likely bound to her after she pulled him from the Fade. We know that pulling spirits from the Fade makes them lose a part of themselves; in this case, Mythal did this to him deliberately so he would fight in the war.

It was a trauma bond, similar to the bond between Cole, the spirit of compassion, and the real Cole who starved to death in a prison cell. Solas needed to provide Wisdom to prove his purpose, and Mythal kept calling on that. In Veilguard, it’s explicitly stated that as a former spirit, he cannot resist appeals to his true nature. With trauma bonds, you do lose your agency. It’s what they hinge on. The two things combined make for a toxic dynamic.

(I don’t particularly like this personally, but it's what seems to be the intent, but I digress.)

The hidden codex in the Lighthouse’s music room—memories of a duet—is significant in understanding their relationship. To me this is very revealing of their dynamic; Mythal took advantage of Solas when he wasn’t used to having a body and moulded him to be a weapon. She moulded him into the image she wanted him to take, and strung him along the entire time. There’s a big parallel between Divine Justinia/Leliana and Mythal/Solas. Leliana’s personal quest in DAI is about her loyalty to Divine Justinia, whom she sees as a mother and great friend. You can ask her if they were romantically involved, and she says that they were many things to each other, but not that. She too carries a huge amount of guilt for her death, to the point that it can break her if you don’t soften her early on in the game, and she becomes utterly ruthless. The end scene with Mythal releasing Solas from her service has many similarities to Justinia releasing Leliana from hers. Leliana and Justinia were united in part because of their shared spirituality and hopes for the Chantry, and Solas and Mythal were united by the connection they forged as spirits. ‘Being wholly seen…’ Leliana felt the same way about Justinia.

Solas also wore Mythal’s vallaslin, and burned it off his face when he rebelled against the Evanuris. As we know, those are slave markings. He was made to become her servant, and rebelled against her too when he started the rebellion against the Evanuris. (As a side note, and especially if you’ve played BG3, you’ll know how the loss of agency can stick around even after the connection to the abuser has been severed. Astarion’s ‘you made me see that I never stopped thinking of myself as his slave’ really springs to mind here, albeit in a different context.)

This is a big part of why I don’t think he was romantically involved with Mythal. I believe his main role to Mythal in the initial war was as a kind of spymaster, similar to how Leliana is the spymaster for Divine Justinia. Mythal taught Solas to behave in exactly the way she wanted him to.

In fact, in the Inquisitor’s customisation screen when you pick your romance, Solas’s explicitly says that even he didn’t foresee what it would mean to fall in love. So… he canonically hasn’t been in love before. He was not in love with Mythal.

I wanna be clear here; I don’t hate Mythal as such. I mean, I do, because she’s pretty fucked up, but you have to consider her nature. She was a spirit of benevolence. She wanted to take a form because she was afraid of what Elgar’nan would do to the world if she didn’t stop him. Even after taking a body, she can’t change her nature. It became twisted into retribution when she couldn’t stop them from harming the elves or trying to leash the blight. Honestly I could write a whole essay about Mythal too, but I won’t because I still have a ton to write about Solas and Lavellan, but we’ll see.

Anyway I’m gonna leave this one here but I’ll be back with more meta. I have a lot of get through

[galedekarios]

down among the dead men

i finally finished reading sylvia feketekuty's short story in tevinter nights. sylvia feketekuty is also emmrich's writer in dragon age: the veilguard.

i wanted to compile what we learn about emmrich in sylvia's short story.

emmrich likes tea

"What happened then?" the older mage tilted a pot of tea encouragingly toward Audric.

his study is described in detail

Audric shook his head--he didn't feel like tea, particularly--while his eyes soaked in the room. He'd never been in a necromancer's study before. Ornately decorated skulls hung from hooks in the high, dark ceiling. One wall was made up of shelves with books and tiny labeled drawers. The other was fronted by tables full of bubbling flasks, scales, alembics, and tortured-looking glass. A smartly attired servant ground away with a pestle and mortar.

"Excellent question!" Emmrich swirled the tea in his mug, looking entirely too cheerful, Audric thought, for a man framed by so many racks of skulls.

the description of his study in down among the dead men is very, very reminiscent of his room in the lighthouse that bioware revealed a few days ago:

emmrich may have recreated the comforts of his study in nevarra within the lighthouse.

emmrich lets manfred mix tinctures

"Please, don't mind Manfred." The older mage refilled his own cup. "He'll finish mixing that tincture before you know it." Manfred, a clean-boned skeleton, held up a bowl. Audric read something helpful in the cant of its skull. The younger mage looked critical. "It needs half a cup more elfroot." The corpse pulled out one of the drawers on the side of the room, took out a withered root, and shook it inquiringly. "The royal elfroot, please." Manfred moaned and fumbled at more drawers.

emmrich compliments manfred's successes and is proud of him

"Yes! That's the one." The older mage beamed. "Very good indeed, Manfred!"

emmrich's appearance is described as well by audric

Audric dragged his gaze to the older Watcher across from him, with his silvered hair, tidy mustache, and long face full of concern. His expression reminded Audric of the Chantry scholars when they'd caught him reading by candlelight in the library. The good brothers and sisters had kindly tried to dissuade Audric from living in pages for so long he couldn't think straight in the morning.

i think they a phenomenal job bringing emmrich to life (no pun intended).

emmrich is quite informal, cares about putting someone else at ease, he treats audric as he would a living person, never forcing him to arrive at a conclusion or pressuring him

"Is there anything else you can recall about Lord Karn's funeral?" the mage asked gently. "No? I think... not much, sir. Another guard, she, well... Dellah even had to peel him off me, sir." The necromancer waved a hand. "Emmrich will do, please."

macabre sense of humour

"It's... sorry, it's a blur of screams, sir." "Some of it your own, I'd bet," the necromancer joked, but looked so sympathetic Audric relaxed by a degree.

he is indeed a professor/very scholarly

"Myra picked up the curved rib bone. One end was jagged from where Audric's boot had connected with Karn's rib cage. She handed it to Emmrich. "Excellent. Emmrich? This is your remit." "I'll have it ready before sunset." He sighed. "It would be faster if we'd managed to replace the librarian by now. The students have naturally left the books a mess."

this all fits so well with the blurb we were given about him not so long:

"Emmrich is as serious about his duty to protect innocents from the occult as he is about his studies and his interest in the mysteries of the fade."

don't leave the books in disorder, please.

emmrich is renowned to be good at what he does by other mourn watchers

"Myrna seemed content to leave things there, and took something out of a velvet purse. A rib bone. "Emmrich's prepared your trophy for us. His cathexis is very reliable." Audric felt the ground tilt downslope. "Madam?" "His magic." She tapped the rib bone. "This will now guide us to where Lord Karn's fled. Emmrich would join us, but he's been called to other matters."

i had to look up what cathexis means exactly and it's defined as follows:

In psychoanalysis, cathexis (or emotional investment) is defined as the process of allocation of mental or emotional energy to a person, object, or idea. [...] Cathexis comes to us by way of New Latin from the Greek word kathexis, meaning "holding."

myrna uses a skeleton to send a message to emmrich, presumably he might employ similar methods of communication if available

"Good." Myrna sent a mote of light into a nook in the wall. A moment later, a skeleton fell out, hissing and snapping. Myrna snagged it with a collar of green fire, tugged it like a leash. "Does that... hurt it?" Audric asked, more sympathetic to the shambling thing than he'd been a minute ago. "The sensations differ. With some of the dead, one must exert direct control." The skeleton subsided, making a strange whine. "A message," the Mourn Watcher told it. "Find Professor Emmrich Volkahrin. Tell him after some last business in the Winged Halls, we'll be joining him above without delay."

this description reminded me a bit of the brief glimpses we got of emmrich in the very first companion trailer:

emmrich appreciates punctuality & holding oneself to prior commitments

"You heard my message to Emmrich." She crooked a finger, gesturing to Audric. "We'll be expected. It won't be difficult to return from here. Audric looked around. "I can... I'm allowed to come back with you?" "Of course. Myrna lifted her skirts and stepped over a chunk of stone from the fight. "Emmrich will be put out if we don't show up for tea."

emmrich is incredibly kind when dealing with spirits and undead, no matter their rank or standing in life

"They were back in Emmrich's den. Audric had been astonished to see familiar tomes in a neat stack on the necromaner's desk. "Those... are those...?" "Yours, yes. From your home." Emmrich shook his head. "Forgive the liberty, guardsman. After you and Myrna left for the Necropolis, I had to search for a reason you might have returned so unexpectedly." "I believe we found it," Mysrna said, from where she was overseeing Emmrich's manservant transfer the contents of a bubbling beaker into a bowl. Emmrich handed the top book to Audric. It was a gazetteer of Nevarra City, stamped with a crowned skull surrounded by flowers. Audric flipped it open and read the blocky inscription. To our Son with Love. May you be Blessed in your Studied with the Chantry. "All this effort... for me? I'm just a guardsman, sir." Am? Was? Audric pushed doubt aside and held the gazetteer to his chest. He existed, knew what he loved, and that he had been loved, and that seemed enough in the moment. "The great leveler has no favourites." Emmrich smiled. "Neither does the Mourn Watch."

i found this reaction to myrna and audric quite interesting, and i'm not completely sure what to make of it yet:

"You are faced with a choice," Myrna said, coming over. "You have confronted your killer, and recognised your driving passion. You may rest now, guardsman." "Or?" "Or you may work under the auspices of a Watcher," Myrna said. "Under a modicum of magical control. To avoid anomie, the bond must be given freely." "To you, madam?" "If it's satisfactory." The guardsman ducked his head, and because that felt inadequate, knelt on a knee and held out a hand. Myrna, smiling slightly, took it. Emmrich coughed, looking away. "Please, let the poor fellow up. What position were you thinking?" "I thought it was obvious." Audric felt a slow excitement as he heard Myrna say: "We have a great need for someone to take charge of the library."

overall, i really liked this short story.

i loved how audric wasn't aware that he is, in fact, dead and has died a while ago. i loved how both emmrich and myrna didn't correct his assumption, but led him to the realisation. i love all the little insights we got into emmrich as a character, but also nevarra's culture, necromancy and the mourn watch.

it's definitely one of the best in the book. 🖤

[vigilskept]

genuinely in disbelief that this is what the devs were talking about when saying they “gave the dalish a win.” it’s so absurd i don’t even know how to go about trying to make sense of it.

how is it a win, exactly, to put an entire culture in a position where they have to abandon their religious beliefs so that they can align with you?

“well now you don’t have to kill them :)”

you didn’t have to kill them before, either. but they had their own motivations and belief systems which could clash with your character. they could be openly hostile to your character from the first meeting. but you had the choice to try to understand them better, and find a way forward that wouldn’t end in bloodshed.

elgar’nan speaks to an elven rook calling them my child. he tells them he empathizes with their pain, the wrongful oppression they’ve suffered in this world. he offers them a place at his side.

to have him extend the same offer to other elves (not ALL of whom are powerless! there are keepers! there are first enchanters! if leliana is the divine? there are CHANTRY MOTHERS) would not have been crueler, it would’ve been the perfect outlet for elven characters to express their pain, their frustration with the state of things as they are/have always been.

and you could (as you’ve ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO) offer these characters understanding. you could reach out, and find a way to work with them too.

it’s not a “win” to have no conflict with dalish or elven characters. it’s not a “win” to have what little inner conflict these characters are allowed to have reduced to a codex entry where an npc struggles with the legacy of arlathan.

the position of the veil jumpers is already so sidelined within the narrative compared to the crows and shadow dragons, there was absolutely room to expand on it.

instead, we had the agents of fen’harel scrubbed from then game, and elves who can’t express any conflicted feelings about the situation outside a codex entry. and somehow this is a win?

[cozy-fantasy-stories]

Suvi is *by far* my favorite character in WBN. Like I get Ame and her idealism, and I get Eursulon and his passion, the Fox is hilarious and a fantastic foil.

But Suvi. My god Suvi.

I’m on my first relisten and she’s magnificent at every turn.

Children’s adventure and she stays inside. Does as she’s told. Doesn’t go out in the dark. Cleans up the bathroom! Waits. Alone.

She makes it in time—Grandmother Ren calls her my granddaughter and I am slain. Casts identify on the house!

Immediately says yes to helping Ame find the sword. No question. She doesn’t have to. But she does it.

Leaves a coin for the family and helps with the damn laundry! Do you know how practical that is?!

Immediately solves the being stuck problem for Eursulon. Terrifies that horrible little man with a Wild One under his boot. She rescues the music box, no question. Eursulon is free.

And Emliss.

Emliss.

Terrifying.

She ends Emliss, the Chalice, the shadow. The thing that *kills* Ame in a single turn.

The *indignity* of having to pay a hustler (FINLEY) for her mother’s coat lining. Yeah, okay, Eursulon went and made it all right (bet he never pays her back). But Ame talking about payment when she doesn’t even have money?!

Who fights for Suvi? Who defends her? Who thinks of her?

Ame making assumptions about the Citadel. (yes yes we get it institution bad we know what we’re listening to) But come on! Ame has no knowledge at this stage, just judgement!

Will Gallows. The Ace of Wands.

They never get the sword without Suvi in that room. Ice in her veins. Ice.

Who asked for “I’d like to count you among my friends.” Eursulon has the string in his pocket, but Suvi is the one who bargained for it.

Don’t even get me started on the Chantry and Morrow. I’m not doing it.

She gets them SAFE.

Resolves problems and defends her people with confidence and conviction.

She doesn’t deserve that dressing down from Steel. She doesn’t.

And Ame vanishes.

Off to talk to a murderess goddess that would end Port Talon in a heartbeat.

Of course Suvi goes to rescue her. Immediately! NO QUESTION. You think a search party would have found Ame?! With Orima of the Reaching Green as pissed as she was? HA. (but yes she’s thinking of Steel she doesn’t want to let Steel down not again not Steel)

Three days of walking and walking and walking.

(okay but Aabria having Suvi lose it is freaking brilliant and just absolutely incredible role play absolute perfection what a way to lean in)

And then Steel. Again.

Larger than life.

With the yelling. And the power. And the telemet.

Calls her a princess (dismissive) questions her like a prisoner (her adoptive mother really) and knows about the King of Night (suspicious).

And then.

Naram.

The Wild One heeds a call. The Witch arbiters consequences.

Our Wizard saves the godsdamned day.

She doesn’t run when it’s the derrick that’s at stake. She gets it. Even though she’s said awful things (you get what you get what a LINE trap a spirit and you get what you get bet she feels that way about Eursulon she trapped him she deserves it).

Suvi’s brilliance is not about what she says it’s about what she does. Galani mentions Orima and Suvi immediately moves.

Suvi’s quick thinking saves Port Talon.

Actually saves Port Talon.

She’s the one that does it. She’s the one that leads Orima to Naram. The reaching green and its *stranglers* and its indifferent cruelty to those in its way. ON THREE HIT POINTS.

And then Steel has the AUDACITY to act disappointed. (it’s not at Suvi not really but still).

Impossible odds.

Complex character choices and she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Always thinking, strategizing, anticipating.

SUVI.

Love Suvi.

She makes the right choice. Every time.

[himluv]

From the Lips of the Dead

With Emmrich's help, Lucanis learns more about Illario's plans, but what he learns leaves him upset and vulnerable. And Davrin chooses a bad time to pick a fight.

Read the next chapter of Say My Name (Say it Twice).

When Viago had reached out to inform Lucanis they had recovered Zara Renata’s body from the abandoned Chantry, his first instinct had been to dump her in a canal and never think about her again. Luckily, Emmrich offered a better, more useful alternative. 

Transporting the body had been… awkward. Treviso was easy, the Crows knew all the ways to dispose of a body, how to move without being seen. But bringing the corpse through the Crossroads had been uncomfortable. If it hadn’t been for Emmrich’s expertise, it probably would have gone much, much worse. 

Generally, Lucanis found necromancy repulsive. Dead is dead and, in his opinion, should stay that way. It was only natural. But, if Emmrich could speak with Zara… he couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by, even if it did disturb him. 

He wanted Rook there. She was good with Spite – the demon actually seemed inclined to listen to her – and if this corpse whispered what he thought it might, the chances of his losing control were high. And, if he was being honest with himself, he wanted Rook there for himself as well. Lucanis had a bad feeling about whatever Zara’s corpse might reveal about Illario. After everything else he’d endured this past year, he didn’t want to face this alone.  

After that night in the music room, things were fragile but good between them. There were fewer heated glances, but her smiles came more freely. He didn’t freeze when she walked in the room, in fact, he usually smiled too. He still wanted her, still thought about her late at night, but the feverish quality of that desire had dissipated. 

In its place, there was comfort. She was a comfort, but he was afraid to ask for it outright. So, he wrote her a note. Invited her to join him in Emmrich’s quarters if she wanted, and he would face Zara’s posthumous confession whatever Rook decided.

Read the rest on AO3

[weaveandwood]

The Snake and The Crow: The Celebration

Pairing: The Viper x Female Rook (Bianca, an Antivan Crow mage) Words: 2.9K Rating: NSFW!

Summary: The Shadows celebrate a rebellion's beginnings. Bianca and Ashur sneak off for some time alone after a night of drinking and revelry.

AN: Something smutty and lighthearted after weeks of angst, I needed this for my mental health. Can be read as a one shot! Read on AO3! Previous Chapter

DOCK TOWN, TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE DRAGON ATTACK

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Not when she was like this—cheeks flushed red from the cheap Minrathous wine, her head thrown back, laughing loudly at a bad joke someone had made. The smoke in the room made everything hazy, but not her. She remained resplendently clear in his vision. He watched her from his spot across the room, half listening to conversation going on around him. Every time her eyes met his as she took another drink, his magic sparked to life, wanting to push him up from his spot to go to her side. 

She laughed again, the sound resonant as a bell ringing from the Chantry. He wasn’t sure if it was the mood, the smoke, or something else talking but he wanted to press his lips against hers and swallow her laughter so it could be only his. He wanted to kiss along her jawline to her ear and whisper something that only she would understand. Her smile would be accompanied by an even deeper flush, one that he knew would spread down her chest, one that he would gladly chase. 

“Don’t you agree?” Tarquin said. 

“About?” Ashur replied, tearing his eyes away from her for the first time in what felt like hours, though he knew it was only minutes. He didn’t want to miss the way the dim lighting played off the curls in her hair, or how the orange light from the fire made her blue eyes somehow deeper. 

“Ashur, have you heard a word of this entire conversation?” Tarquin’s voice had that edge to it he got sometimes when he was losing patience. “We’ve been trying to decide the next steps for taking down that warehouse. We started that rebellion today, but we need to go after the bastard in–”

“Quin,” Ashur laughed, clapping his friend on his shoulder. “Relax! We did a good thing today, and this is a celebration. They are far too few these days and will get fewer still.” He found himself drifting back to looking at her. The entire world could fall away from him when she was near and he wouldn’t notice. “So celebrate! Enjoy this night while we have it.” 

Tarquin followed Ashur’s line of sight to where it settled on Bianca. He sighed and leaned in, dropping his voice slightly.

“You could at least try to be a little less obvious, you know.” 

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Ashur said, feigning innocence. “I’m going to go talk to Rook, she fought well today.” 

“Oh, I’m sure you’re only going to talk to her. Just…remember what I said, okay? Though I know there’s no stopping you—I know that look in your eyes, and I know there is a shit-eating grin under that mask of yours. Please make sure the door is closed this time, alright? Highbloods ,” he cursed softly as Ashur got up and started to make his way across the room.

By the time he finally managed to get to Bianca, no less than ten Shadows had stopped him to offer congratulations on another successful rebellion, another threat to the Minrathous status quo. He felt her eyes on him as he told each one that they were the ones who really made it happen, that he was only one piece of an important puzzle. He heard the gentle sound of her laughter directed at him after the fifth time, then the seventh, eighth, ninth. The one downside to being The Viper, he supposed. However, the one benefit to being The Viper in this moment was that once he finally arrived at his destination, the person next to her quickly vacated their seat, leaving the two of them alone. 

“Enjoying your first Shadows celebration?” he asked, reaching across her to grab the bottle of wine at her side to refill her cup. His arm brushed against her chest, and he smiled to himself when he heard her breath catch. 

She nodded, taking a long drink. “It’s a very different feeling from Crow celebrations. You’re celebrating because you saved people. We usually celebrate when we kill someone important,” she smiled at him. “Or when a fledgling is made a full member of the flock.”

“Oh believe me, we celebrate when we take down someone important too. We’re not so different. What is a Crow party like?”

“Well, louder, for sure. Some are formal. Much more alcohol, less smoke,” she said as he took a deep drag from the hookah in front of them, filling his lungs before he exhaled, the cloud of smoke coming out from the bottom of his mask before joining the rest of the haze in the room. “Initiations are the real parties though. I honestly don’t remember most of mine. Woke up with these, in fact,” she laughed, motioning to her scars. “I had always planned on getting them after being initiated, just not that night! Shock of my life to wake up hungover and covered in bandages. Viago, my Talon—the leader of my house—had to tell me what happened and he still hasn’t let me live it down. I think that’s when he started calling me Idiot. I don’t tell a lot of people that story, for my own reputation. Consider yourself lucky,” she said, bumping her shoulder into his. 

He did. 

She smiled into her cup before taking another long drink, the memory clearly a pleasant one for her. Seeing her like this, getting to know her outside of the work, outside of whatever it was they were doing…it felt normal. It felt good. It felt right. She finished her drink and tilted it at him to refill once more. He gladly obliged. 

The two sat by each other for quite some time, exchanging stories of missions gone wrong, narrow escapes, how smaller victories felt like they meant more than larger ones sometimes, their laughter echoing off the walls of the hideout. He had no idea what time it was, but his hand was on her thigh and her fingertips were tracing lazy circles on his forearm under the table, his coat long discarded. The party was winding down, the room occupied by only a few Shadows deep in their cups. 

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked, resting her chin on her other hand.

“How about a question for a question?” he said, getting a small smile out of her. 

“Alright, a question for a question,” she nodded before leaning over to him, her face close to the side of his head, he could feel her warm breath on his ear. 

“Is your office open,” she whispered, “or do I need to use my lockpicks?” 

“It’s unlocked,” he said before lowering his voice as well. “I’ll meet you there. Don’t—”

“I know, I know, be sneaky. Assassin, remember? Sneaky is my second nature,” she smiled as she got up, taking her drink with her. “Don’t keep me waiting,” she whispered into his ear from behind him. 

He watched her walk away, already missing her presence by his side. He waited nearly a quarter hour before going after her, enough time for people to have forgotten she went down the hallway to the office instead of taking a right to the eluvian room. He made quick eye contact with Tarquin, who just rolled his eyes and shook his head, though he did see the barest hint of a smile on his face. He knew he would not hear the end of this tomorrow. 

But that was a problem for tomorrow. 

He opened the door to his office, taking care to make sure it was shut and locked before unclasping his mask. He was greeted with a small pile of clothes near the entrance and Bianca lounging on the couch, completely naked and sipping on her wine. 

“There you are,” she said. 

“Am I always going to find you naked in here?” he smiled, leaning against the far wall. His gaze raked over her body–the way her legs were folded under her, the way her curls laid on the armrest, the curve of her stomach to her hips. 

“Are you complaining?” she smiled. Her eyes flicked down his body. 

“Never. I would probably take more breaks, to be honest.”

“Then take off your clothes and come here.” 

He did not need to be asked twice, and quickly removed his shirt, pants, and smallclothes, taking her cue and leaving them in a small heap next to hers. He moved to her, finally able to act on the impulses that had been coursing through his body the entire night as he sat on the couch next to her. He took the cup from her hands and took a long drink before setting it out of the way on the floor. She laid her legs across his lap and he spent long minutes slowly tracing his fingers up and down the length of them.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long?” he finally asked, breaking the easy silence.

“I was just about to give up on you,” she teased.

“Nothing could keep me away, especially when this is involved,” he said, moving over her and settling between her now parted legs. He pressed his lips to the soft skin of her neck, sucking lightly. He wanted to leave a mark, to give her something to remember this night by, but restrained himself, just barely–his resolve nearly unraveling when a soft sigh escaped her lips. He kissed a path from her jawline to her chin before finally making his way to her mouth. He felt the sparks as he always did when their lips touched, hers parting slightly for him as his tongue pressed past their boundary to slide against hers. She tasted of wine, the sweetness mingling perfectly with the fruity smoke still on his breath.

“Noted,” she smiled against his kiss. She reached a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her, while the other hand lightly scratched up and down his spine. He let out a soft groan. Maker , he almost wanted to stop everything and just have her scratch his back for the next hour, but then her hips brushed against his and he was singularly focused once more.

His hand moved up the side of her body from her waist to her breast, covering it and feeling the nipple get hard under the weight of his palm. There simply wasn’t enough of him–he wanted to keep his lips on hers, he wanted to taste her skin, he wanted to taste her . He lowered his head to trail kisses down her neck, the hollow of her throat, her collarbone, a jolt going through him each time her breath caught when he pressed his lips against her skin. He followed the curve of her scars to her other breast, sucking and biting her nipple gently, her soft moans and the scratch of her nails now against his scalp delighting him. He wondered if her magic reacted to him in the same way his did to her. If she too was constantly sparking, swirling fire inside, waves of lightning followed by the lick of flames when they were in each other’s presence. 

He sat up on his knees and stared at her once more. 

“Beautiful,” he whispered, his fingertips tracing lines up her thighs, the soft skin marred every now and then by scars, evidence of the danger she put herself in daily. It was easy to imagine her, as fierce and powerful as he had seen, escaping every fight, every battle unscathed. These marks were proof that she was not. She had told him the first night they were together that she doubted she would come out of this alive. He wondered if there was anything he could do to make sure that wasn’t the case. 

He meandered a path across her body with his fingertips–thighs, hips, stomach, avoiding where he desperately wanted to touch the most until she laughed again at his teasing. He smiled. This laugh belonged to him and him alone. He reached her center, parting her and finding her wet and wanting. His fingers circled her clit, feeling himself getting harder each time she gasped, soft pleas of “more” reaching his ears. He dragged his fingers to her entrance, sliding in one before quickly adding a second. She was so warm around him, her hips starting to rock against his hand. 

He couldn’t resist any longer–he needed to taste her, as if she were the finest meal in all of Tevinter and he would never eat again. He leaned down, his tongue now pressed to her clit before closing his lips around it, sucking gently as he curled his fingers inside her with each slow thrust. She arched her back against the cushions and curses fell from her lips while his hand and mouth worked in tandem to bring her to her peak. She responded by tensing up and shuddering against him, cries of “Yes” ringing through the office as he tasted her pleasure. 

He positioned himself over her, kisses peppered along her body as he moved, taking extra time to kiss the scars between her breasts. He was hard as steel, pressed into her hip. He wanted her. He needed her. Needed this. 

“You never asked your question,” she said softly, flushed and panting underneath him as she came down from that blissful high. Maker, she was stunning. He thought it every time he looked at her, but it remained as true today as it was when he met her in that alleyway all those weeks ago. He lowered himself to kiss her gently. 

“You’re right. I’ll make it easy, hopefully,” he said before whispering into her ear. “Do you want me?” 

“Yes. Now.”

“Good,” he said as he positioned himself, needing to be inside her. She angled her hips just so and he pressed in, feeling her warm tightness give around him as he sheathed himself within her. “Because I want you,” he whispered as he kissed the side of her neck once more, unsure if he might have meant more than being inside her. Her legs wrapped around him, pressing him deeper. 

Slow thrusts soon quickened, driven by desire and her requests for "More, more, Ashur, more…” If anyone walked near his office tonight, they would immediately know what was happening. He didn’t care. Not tonight, when she was writhing underneath him and making those noises. Let everyone know he was with her. 

He shifted, grabbing one of her legs and moving it to his shoulder, the movement changing the angle of her hips and letting him even deeper inside her. Her thigh pressed against her chest as he held her tighter and drove into her roughly, long strokes punctuated by the snap of his hips against hers. Her hands grasped at his arms, fingertips digging into tanned skin. He wanted her to hold tighter, to leave bruises that would remain so he could have something of her after the haze of smoke and alcohol cleared from the hideout and he was left alone again with nothing but memories, waiting for the next time she would come through the eluvian. Two days had started to feel too long. 

He felt her start to tighten up around him, her body going still beneath his as she raced to her peak once more. If he had been holding back at all, he wasn’t anymore. His thrusts came harder, faster, thoroughly fucking her as he felt the edge of his own precipice drawing near. She reached between them, her fingers tracing circles on her own clit. That was an image he would keep in his memory for days when she didn’t come see him. 

“I–I’m so…” she trailed off, unable to finish her thought before she cried out loudly, clapping a hand over her mouth a second too late as she came hard around him, her body shaking as her orgasm crashed over her in waves of pleasure. 

The feeling of her pulsing and fluttering around him drove him ever and ever closer to his own peak, toeing the line between sanity and flying off the edge into the sweetest bliss. He kept a relentless pace, the tension that had settled low in his stomach moving lower and lower still, her hands on his hips, her hips rocking into his to meet each thrust. He was so close, so…

“Come for me, Ashur,” she whispered into his ear.

He came undone. With one last snap of his hips and a strangled cry, he felt himself spill his release into her. Sweaty and panting, he released her leg and collapsed on top of her, pressing praises and kisses into her scarred shoulder.  

“You…you are…” he whispered, unable to form coherent thought just yet. 

“Amazing? Wonderful? Fun to take to bed–or couch I suppose?” she laughed. 

He smiled and kissed her once more. He knew within minutes she would be dressing again, on her way to the eluvian back to the Lighthouse in the Fade. Still, as he looked down at her, brushing away an errant curl that was sticking to the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, he wished time could slow down and he would have a few more hours to spend like this, happy and blissful and at peace. Just Ashur and Bianca. 

He supposed that meant something, but he wasn’t ready to think about it.

“All of the above.”

[mrs-gauche]

Let's talk (some more) about the Red Lyrium Idol

So, if there's anyone who actually read all of this and is for some reason still interested in even more ramblings, here is Part 2 of my way too long tinfoil theory/summary post about the red lyrium idol, and I swear, it's the last one. 😂 Again, I just needed to get this out before we might get the first real trailer TOMORROW and I'm proven completely wrong, because that's just so funny to me. lol

(Note: This post was written before the title of DA4 was changed into "The Veilguard", so the implications of this title for the narrative were not taken into account for any of this. 💀)

The Phylactery Theory

"A phylactery is a vessel, often a glass vial, containing the essence of a magical being. The Circle of Magi and the Chantry use small phylacteries filled with blood, to track down mages that turn apostate."

"Phylacteries, ironically, are a form of blood magic. When a templar wishes to track down a fugitive mage they will use the phylactery as a way of homing in on the fugitive by way of a "hot and cold" situation, i.e., the phylactery glows, becoming brighter the closer it gets to its respective mage."

In Tevinter Nights, the Carta assassin described the idol to feel rather heavy, like there was "liquid inside". In the 2018 teaser, we see glowing cracks creeping up the idol's surface.

Inquisitor: "You don't need to sacrifice a slave's life to make a dagger." Solas: "I suppose it depends upon the dagger."

(- Solas when talking about blood magic)

In DAO, the Arcane Warrior specialization can be unlocked while doing the "Nature of the Beast" quest line, in the Lower Ruins of the Brecilian Ruins, south the Elven Burial Chamber. Inside a small chamber which looks like a ruined library, there is a broken stone altar. A phylactery is hidden in the far corner of the room. When you touch the phylactery you experience the memories of an elven arcane warrior who has remained trapped inside of the phylactery for centuries. It offers to teach you the secrets of the arcane warriors in exchange for setting its spirit free by placing the phylactery on an ancient altar.

In the "The Hunt of the Fell Wolf" poem in JOH, there is an idol that seems to possess a spirit that is connected to a demon wolf in a way that he can only be defeated if both him and the idol/spirit are destroyed and struck down at the same time.

As demon-stone was shattered, Ameridan struck true: Beast and spirit—both felled at once, Though neither hunter knew.

The Black Vials are six small glass phylacteries that can be found around Ferelden. When the Warden takes a vial, the glass fractures and releases a hostile revenant. A revenant is a form of undead that is created when a powerful demon, usually that of desire or pride, possesses a corpse. Upon their death, each revenant drops a scrap of vellum/codex entry that reads:

"Bound by your true name, no mortal hand shall reach you."

In the Tevinter Nights story "Genitivi Dies at the End", Rasaan and the Qunari were searching for Solas' "true name".

In the final chamber of the Solasan temple, there's an ancient inscription that reads:

Faintly carved into the stone is a figure bound in chains. Two other figures have turned their gaze from the central image. "Pride in our accomplishments and in our hearts. That same pride became (a word meaning corrupted or altered) within him, he sought to claim (indecipherable), cast from favor and so he was bound." "Hidden from mortal eyes, death lies within."

A codex about an encounter with a revenant, 5:71 Exalted:

"[…] The descriptions of the creature's abilities were eerily similar to those our brothers at Marnas Pell encountered almost a century ago […]"

Solas' hideout in The Missing was located in the Deep Roads beneath Marnas Pell.

Cole's comments in Trespasser suggest that Solas was bound to Mythal.

"He did not want a body, but she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face."

While Solas seemed to have burned her vallaslin off his face, could there be a chance that he is still bound to Mythal by his true name? Could it be that he is still bound to whatever part of Mythal is trapped within the idol?

Again, the ancient spirit in DAO can only be freed from the phylactery if it is placed on an ancient altar.

So, the question is, if the idol is indeed a phylactery containing Solas'/Mythal's blood and a part of her spirit that needs to be placed on its original location/altar to free her, and if it was ripped off its original location, then where did it originally belong?

The Place Where It All Began

In 2018, we got the first DA4 teaser, showing the idol in various close-ups as well as the focal point of this mural.

Look at how the idol is suspiciously placed in the very center of the circle/tambourine which we assume to represent the Veil.

Now, what else sits at the center of the Fade that is ever present and visible but cannot be reached?

Right, the Black City.

Again, the idol is very likely depicting Mythal's death.

Now, tell me, where do you think was Mythal murdered?

Or rather, where do you think did the Blight originate?

I'm convinced that the Black/Golden City is/was Arlathan. The place where the false gods were imprisoned when Solas created the Veil. The idol/blade was likely forged after Mythal died. The 2022 cinematic clearly shows that the Blight started to spread from the center of the Golden City before it turned black and began to consume the rest of the world, but seemed to have then been contained by the Veil preventing it from spreading further.

"Had I not created the Veil, the Evanuris would have destroyed the entire world."

Corypheus is physically covered in red lyrium. We can assume that he turned into a blighted creature when he entered the Black City, which was already black and corrupted when they opened its gates.

Red lyrium only began appearing throughout the surface of all of southern Thedas in crystalline nodes following the opening of the Breach.

In Future Redcliffe, a year has past with the Breach still open and the red lyrium has spread everywhere.

It is proven that the Veil is inedvitably getting weaker alltogether, and that it will eventually come down at some point, regardless of Solas' actions.

The Veil getting weaker correlates with the Blight spreading further. If the root of the Blight lies within the Black City, and if the Blight was contained/prevented from spreading further through the creation of the Veil, and if the seven Old Gods are connected to the seven imprisoned, tainted Evanuris and serve as seals to the seven gates/mirrors of the Black City, then this banter and these visuals make a lot of sense:

Seven semi-circles with two of them still “lit” and the “tambourine”/Veil looking more broken with each new update….

Seven Old Gods/Evanuris that were banished when Solas created the Veil…..

Seven mirrors shattering….

Seven gates of the Black City, which Kordillus Drakon prophesied will someday shatter and cover both the mortal and spirit realms in darkness….

Solas: Your Order… the Grey Wardens… Blackwall: What about them? Solas: The Wardens see themselves as the world's defense against the Blight, do they not? Blackwall: Yes… why do you sound so skeptical? Doesn't everyone know this? Solas: When an Archdemon rises, they slay it. What will they do when all the Archdemons are slain? Blackwall: Retire? Solas: Without Archdemons, there can be no Blights. Is that the reasoning? Blackwall: Right. Where are you going with this? Solas: Nowhere. I hope they are correct.

Varric: Give [the Grey Wardens] some credit, it's not like you can study the Blight safely. I may not like everything they've done, but without the wardens, we'd all be blighted by now. Solas: They've bought us some time, I will grant them that.

DA4 will likely be set ten year after the events of DAI. And the Veil has gotten even weaker/Solas might succeed in tearing it down.

In Tevinter Nights, Solas claims that whatever he's going to do will "save this world".

Maybe the idol will solely be used to destroy the Veil and merge the World and the Fade, in order for him to, quote, "casually reshape reality".

BUT, you know what was proven to be the ultimate power source for Dreamers to reshape reality in a time before the Veil?

Say it with me.....

Great. Dragon. Blood.

So let's go back and assume that the idol is a phylactery that contains some part of Mythal/blood and that Solas is somehow still bound to by his true name. Mythal was likely murdered in the Black City, which might've also been the catalyst for the Blight. Solas might want to enter the Black City with the idol. Again, the ancient spirit in Origins can only be freed from the phylactery if it is placed on an ancient altar.

So… What if Solas plans to bring the idol back to its original location and free her spirit?

The Mother's Return

"Why did Mythal come to you?" "For a reckoning that will shake the very heavens."

At last, let me put on the tinfoil hat one final time and break this all down.

*takes deep breath*

The fact that it is Mythal's mosaic that is revealed to be on the platform in that final fight with Corypheus (symbolically surrounded by red lyrium!), the same ruins that were once the foundations of the Temple of Sacred Ashes.

The Sacred Ashes of Andraste, which possesses healing qualities "unsurpassed by even the most powerful spells".

Andraste, who was said to be too weak to bear children, but then miraculously was able to give birth to two daughters later in life. Almost like something came into her life that enabled her to do so. Like, for example, drinking the blood of a Great dragon.

Andraste, who might have not only been a mage, but also an Old God Baby like Kieran, carrying the soul of Dumat.

Old God souls, which a certain person seems to be particularly interested in collecting.

Not the Maker, but Mythal being drawn to Andraste's Old God soul, like a moth to a flame.

Andraste becoming Mythal's host, but that host ultimately burned at the stake, so she had to find another one.

Fast forward a few hundred years. Mythal has found another host in Flemeth, who just so happens to make a bargain with Calenhad Theirin, making him, again, drink the blood of a Great dragon, to gain special powers, leading him to become the first king of Ferelden.

So she watches the Theirin bloodline, until the fateful day Alistair gets almost killed at Ostagar. So she swoops in again, nudging the course of history by saving Alistair and the HOF.

Next up is Hawke, whom she saves so Hawke could find the idol and free Corypheus, setting the events of DAI in motion.

In DAI, if the Inquisitor drinks from the Well of Sorrows and you listen very carefully to the super creepy background noises while playing the audio backwards, the voices of the Well will tell you to "Stop her" and something else that sounds like "She speaks the Calling".

The Calling. A voice, a song, dreams that will haunt the Grey Wardens. Just like a certain idol does.

The Calling, which will force the Grey Wardens to go mad and join the Darkspawn as a collective hivemind to wake the Old Gods, but only after they consumed the Archdemon's blood in the Joining.

A being controlling people as a hivemind?

Like the Titans guiding their children like a collective mind? Titans, whom Mythal was the first to kill and mine their blood and something else to create bodies for her own people.

"The First of my People do not die so easily." (- Solas in Trespasser)

An Archdemon cannot be killed, because their soul will just transfer to the nearest soulless darkspawn. Transfering the soul. The secret of effective immortality.

How do you kill an Archdemon?

By drinking their blood, slaying them and taking in their soul.

What is an Archdemon/Old God?

A dragon.

What WAS Mythal?

"The new ones are faithful to Mythal, but do not understand what she was in her fullness."

Mythal's entire image is based on that of a dragon, a form that in ancient times was reserved for the gods. Because before the Veil, it was the dragon's blood that gave those dreamers the power to shape reality, so powerful that they came to be worshiped as gods. But, I think, not only had Mythal the chief role in the pantheon because she had great dragon blood within her, but because…

Her true form IS actually a motherflippin dragon.

So. What did the Evanuris do in order to KILL Mythal?

They slayed her, drank her blood and each of the seven obtained a part of her soul, but instead of getting killed themselves, they sought to become essentially invincible through both Mythal's blood and the tainted Titan blood/red lyrium.

Let me quote this wonderful post by @virlath from a few years ago.

With her conquering of the titans, I think it’s likely that her blood is a part of the blight and the red lyrium corruption. Mythal ran the elves' lyrium operations. She had a connection to the titans and their children. She also stole knowledge of the Void from Andruil. Combining all this knowledge it makes sense that she could use this to her advantage once she was imprisoned and corrupted, because she had a connection to both dragon's blood and lyrium. She just needed a physical aspect- Flemeth, and now Solas, to act out her plans. The use of dragon fire in Dark Fortress is further indication that the combination of dragons and lyrium results in a massive power nexus. I think it’s possible that red lyrium is simply lyrium tainted with dragon's blood. More specifically, Mythal's blood. This is why dragons were strictly reserved for the evanuris in ancient elvhen times- because the key to their immortality and power was dragons and more specifically, great dragon's blood. Mythal had strict rules about taking on the form of 'divinity’. I think this was likely because dragons and dragon fire/dragon's blood was the true source of the evanuris' power, and is what allowed them to appear immortal. This could explain why the old gods are so inexplicably linked to the evanuris in the lore. I think the evanuris each had a dragon- an old god, and they each used dragon's blood and dragon fire to make their dreams into literal reality. No one could infiltrate their dreams because only they had access to the power of dragons, which they claimed was their right.

Before BioWare settled on dragons, the Archdemons were supposed to look very different.

Meaning that, each of the seven Old God souls…. is what?

Yeah, I think it's all Mythal's.

Again, WHAT did the voices of the Well tell the Inquisitor? WHO speaks the CALLING?

It's the voice of the one who's the real owner of that soul. The one who for centuries has been trying to gather the scattered pieces of HER SOUL, driven by nothing but vengeance.

"So Mythal endures."

If the idol contains a part of Mythal, and if Solas used the idol/blade to trick the Evanuris like in Dalish legends, maybe it was because they were desperate to destroy the idol and get rid of Mythal once and for all.

Remember the visions described in Trespasser.

“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!“ “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.” “The runes say the Evanuris fought the Titans. They mined their bodies for lyrium and… something else. It’s not clear.” “They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget.” "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." “For one moment, there is a vivid image of two overlapping spheres; unknown flowers bloom inside their centers. Then it fades.”

A sphere of fire… you mean, like the SUN? You mean, Mythal actually creating a MOON, just like in Dalish mythology?

Bear with me here.

We established that Mythal mined the Titan's blood, which I believe was then used for centuries in combination with her fire to create bodies for her own people/spirits. On top of that, I believe that, after her victory, Mythal used part of a dead Titan and lifted it into the sky to use it as a "cornerstone" to build the capital city of Elvhenan, Arlathan, on top of her "enemy's corpse".

I believe that in the moment of Mythal's death, her blood altered the Titan's blood (which also sundered the Song) and that something happened to the moon that she had created, which in turn led to the unbridled power of the sun to corrupt part of the Titan that the Golden City, Arlathan, was build on, as well as both their blood. And that's when it turned black. That's when the Blight was created.

Elgar'nan is the God of the Sun in Dalish mythology. He was likely the main instigator behind the Evanuris' betrayal and Mythal's murder.

The sun imagery keeps appearing throughout DA4's promotional stuff.

If the Old God Lusacan is connected to Elgar'nan, they would represent two polar opposites. The God of the Sun and the God of Night and Darkness. Again, Kordillus Drakon prophesied that the seven gates of the Black City would someday shatter and cover both the mortal and spirit realms in darkness.

"All the world will soon share the peace and comfort of my reign."

“Lusacan, the Dragon of Night, calls to you. He lives where it is darkest and waits for the day he will rise. Drink of his blood and know the power in darkness: either fear the Night or wield it.“ "The darkspawn yearn to awaken and corrupt Lusacan to start a new age of darkness.” “A night that will never end”

But why does this need to happen? Because Mythal needs to act out her vengeance upon the ones who murdered her and doomed the world with the creation of the Blight.

"She was betrayed as I was betrayed! As the world was betrayed!" "Mythal clawed and crawled her way through the ages to me, and I will see her avenged!"

Solas wants to save his people no matter what, and for that, the Veil needs to be torn down, resulting in the World and the Fade becoming one again…

But, to truly restore his People, I believe that he needs the Mother to come back.

Mythal represents both Justice and Vengeance. If justice is corrupted, it will turn into vengeance. Solas makes no difference between spirits and demons.

"I am sorry as well, old friend."

That last line of Flemythal to Solas. It's so simple, but what does it truly mean? Why is she apologizing to him?

Is it because none of this would have happened if she didn't die and everything that happened to the people and the world was because of her downfall? Because it was her who started all this in the first place with the death of the Titans, stealing their hearts and corrupting their blood?

With her gone and no one left to keep the false gods in check, if it hadn't been for her death, Solas wouldn't have been left with what seemed to be the only choice?

Is she sorry for everything he had to endure, from her giving him a body against his will, twisting his original purpose, to him having to live with the guilt over the death of a world and an entire civilization for a thousand years?

Or is she apologizing for using him?

"An eclipse as Fen'Harel stirred."

"Cry havoc in the moonlight. Let the fire of vengeance burn. The cause is clear." (- Solas reciting Mythal's invication)

She knew that Solas would do anything at this point to undo his mistakes and save the people he doomed. She knew exactly what Solas would do when he came to her in that after credits scene in DAI. She knew that he would need that power and the idol to complete his ritual in order to tear down the Veil, but to what end?

Without the Veil, whoever controls the dreams controls reality.

[lavellansvh3nan]

A Letter from Dorian Pavus to Inquisitor Lavellan

//OOC//: I’ve always loved Lavellan and Dorian’s friendship. In my Inquisitor’s case, Dorian and Elliana are platonic soulmates, found siblings. The idea that Lavellan leaves for the Fade with no word to her dearest friend, I just know Dorian would be so pissed and so petty. I’ve decided to write a few letters back and forth between them, Elliana in the Fade with Solas and Dorian dealing with the aftermath of all that’s happened.

Enjoy!

Inquisitor,

I want you to know first and foremost, that you are a fucking fool and I’ll never forgive you. How do you think I felt, wiping off all the grim and kaffas from my body and having to hear from that damn witch Morrigan of all people, that you were gone. Spirited away into the Fade with him.

It was humiliating to have to tell the rest of our comrades. Especially Bull. He’s told me for years that given the chance, you’d do whatever it took to be with that..absolute fucking sham of a god and a man I told him there was no possible way you’d give you power over to him again. Guess who lost that bet? Do you know what that’s going to do to his damn ego?

And now, best of all, I get the clean up your mess! Who do you think is going to have to organize the South now that you’ve taken a convenient exit? Did none of this cross your mind, or has going eight years with no sex just completely ruined your rational thought?

*there are several more crossed out words, unusual for Dorian whose letters were always near and precise, just like his spoken tongue*

Ten years. That’s how long I’ve seen you suffer. Do you have any idea what it was like to watch you go through that?

After he’d taken your arm. Told you not to follow him. Threw you aside, because that fucking bastard didn’t think you were worth taking, much less sticking around for. I’d never seen you like that. Silent, despondent. After you gave the Inquisition to the Chantry, when we returned to Skyhold to move our people, it was like you weren’t even there for months.

That one day when you finally rose from bed. I was so relieved, seeing you actually want to leave your room. I was even proud, you know, when you made your way to the rotunda. I thought, this was it, you’d put him behind you, and we’d leave. Leave Skyhold, because that place was a shrine to him. To your time with him.

I wasn’t worried at first when you’d started throwing paint on his walls, destroying what he’d painted. When you flipped the table, took your daggers to his couch, then I grew a bit concerned.

Who cleaned you when you were covered in paint and tears? Who put you to bed again? Who stayed, when he didn’t stay?

Me. Was I not enough?

After that day, I made you promise me that you’d live, and that you’d live well, because we’d both be damned if he take up any more room in your life than he already had. And what do you do instead? You went with him.

No warnings. No explanations. No goodbyes.

When we were getting ready for the final push on Elgar’nan, you knew, didn’t you? That if you saw him again, you would leave us all behind. Leave me behind.

*there is a suspicious circular mark on the page, just beside the previous sentence*

Well, it doesn’t matter. You’ve made your choice. Mine is to retire in Minrathous and see if Iron Bull can behave himself around the Shadow Dragons.

I hope you’re happy.

I don’t know if you’ll even see this. When Morrigan told me there was a chance you would, I figured why not? At least you’ll get to see all that you’re missing. We’ll be just fine without you. It’s your loss, truly. I’m magnificent company, as you are well aware. I give you six months. Maybe less. Time works differently in the Fade, after all.

But if you ever find the Fade dull, or that fucking twit of yours abandons you again, just know I will be looking forward to gloating in person.

I won’t forgive you. I won’t hear your apologies.

With abundant annoyance, disgust, and love,

Dorian

[tonati143]

Anders rant

Lowkey, I need to talk about this and Im sure other Anders fans have probably talked this to the ground.

But I feel like Anders suffered so badly at the hands of the creators and its both heartbreaking and the largest reason I love him so much. We see him, easily one of the most hated characters in the fandom, and he is not handled with nuance by either fans or anti’s because the writers never even gave room for that nuance.

You either are hate him or you love him, because there was never an option presented that allowed for a grey area.

Lets talk about easily one of the most popular options (and mirror to Anders), Solas. He easily does so much worse for even less of a reason. What he tries to do in Veilguard, what he did in Inquisition. If I remember correctly, bro gives the anchor to Corypheus bc he couldn’t understand it and thought bro would fix it for him.

If this would have been Anders, there would be outrage.

But because Solas has the benefit of writers that love him in both games, he gets the benefit of getting a grey area. There is not nearly as much hate, no one sits down to talk about how secretly he is the cause of every problem here.

I cant help but wonder what Anders did to lose out on such nuance. Cullen, one of my favorites, receives that nuance, when we are well aware what can happen with his story line if we dont play our cards right in Origins and DA2.

To have a writer that basically wants you dead is so crippling.

There is no nuance, there is no forgiveness. Even the route where your Hawke doesnt stabby stab him is made to look like you made the wrong choice. I was lucky, my Hawke in inquisition does not paint Romanced!Anders as a monster, my Hawke is much more forgiving and speaks of him as someone who needs to be taken care of. But Ive seen other people talk about how their Hawke speaks of Anders.

We lose out on Awakening!Anders in a way that almost doesnt seem natural. It is like we were given a completely different character. One is capable of facing trauma, and I would even say having to give your body to a spirit holds some form of trauma as well, while maintaining core parts of their personality. It wouldnt have hurt to show us bits of that previous Anders once in a while.

Its hard to look at really, because there are things that he says in DA2 that gives us insight to what is going on in the chantry, things that gives us insight to why he is going through such lengths. But because everything is structured around the idea that you are supposed to hate him, no one ever really acknowledges him in game or in the fandom.

I saw on a comment a few days ago that states that Anders tried so hard to be heard, to have his stance listened to but throughout the game almost everyone shrugs him off. No one takes him seriously. And yes, he can be obnoxious about it sometimes, but if I put myself in his shoes, I would also be talking and talking about it until someone acknowledges me. In smaller cases where I would have things to say in places like highschool and everyone would ignore me, I would find myself repeating it again until someone would tell me “yeah, we heard you already”. Its in a way where I understand what it feels like, to have something so important to say and to be pushed to the side, I understand what Anders feels in party banter in a way that cant be said outloud without being questioned if I agree with his decision towards the Chantry.

He could have been perfect, a way to start a conversation where we ask ourselves, at what point are extreme measures acceptable? At what point can we consider what a person did to be necessary or unnecessary? Would anyone have listened to the cause if that measure hadnt been taken?

Unfortunately, its answered for us, it ends the conversation before we can even have it. It tells us what is supposed to be the answer. It tells us it is wrong, it tells us that this is a black and white conversation. What could have been a legitimate substantial conversation cut short because of their efforts to make the fandom hate Anders as much as they do.

And I mourn that ever since 😔

[ghostwise]

4 An accidental brush of lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purpose. ohoho Yes Please

The full moons shine on Ferelden as they do on Antiva, keeping their eternal watch. Two owls call back and forth through the branches, their voices beckoning memories of old superstition in Zevran’s mind. It makes him think of home, but lately home has competition. Hamal grins down at him from the branches above, laden in silver glow.

“Scared yet?” he asks.

Zevran had boasted earlier, recounting tales of climbing Chantry towers and palace rooftops, boldly ascending across their cobbled exteriors, high enough to touch clouds. Hamal had countered these with a simple dare: to climb to the top of one of the centuries-old spruce trees in the area, if he could brave it.

Fortunately he’d offered to go first.

Bravery doesn’t even come into the picture. Zevran finds it quite easy to follow him.

“Not even a little,” he replies with a smile, and he pulls himself higher. His arms are burning. But it’s soothed when Hamal smiles appreciatively at him.

The Warden returns to his climb, seeking footholds among the evergreen. He makes it look easy. He’s grown up on such tree climbing, giving Ashalle her share of panic over the years.

And Zevran likes seeing him like this: singularly focused, relaxed, and having fun. With Orzammar less than a day's journey away, Hamal rarely gets to enjoy himself lately. It’s so captivating—he’s so captivating—Zevran barely notices when they’ve reached the half-point, already over the treeline.

He only notices when they reach a difficult point in the climb, where the next branch is just a bit out of reach for him, and the trunk has grown narrower, giving less room to maneuver. The ground, for a moment, tilts, but this he is used to; he pushes past it, calming his breathing.

His fingers grasp the coarse texture of the bark, missing the mark again, and he lets out a little puff of air, frustrated—

Hamal leans down to help him up at the exact moment he drives forward, and they collide in a graceless press of faces. The soft touch of Hamal mouth drags across Zevran’s lower lip and jaw. Clumsy. At this height, it frightens him.

They are both agile enough that falling is a distant risk. But what if.

Hamal startles first. He trembles violently upon the branch above. He is hanging on by his legs, one hand braced against another part of the tree, and he grabs Zevran by his leather cuirass to secure him.

By the Maker, he is strong enough to just carry him up the tree himself. Zevran laughs at this thought, the brief jolt of adrenaline giving way to euphoria.

“Careful!” Hamal hisses.

“I’m fine!” Zevran says. “Ah, but how thrilling this is. Just air and branches between us and certain death!”

Giggling now in dizzy mirth, looks up at Hamal. “Did I worry you, my Warden?”

Hamal stares at him, silent for a moment. He grips the branches in his right hand, squeezing, then leans down, pressing a measured kiss against his lips.

It is the most delicate thing Zevran has ever received. A kiss balanced on moonlight and spruce.

It lasts a mere moment, but it feels like longer. A soft, brassy whistle hoots out from the forest, soon answered by its pair. When Hamal pulls back, Zevran sighs and leans his face against the tree trunk.

“Shall we go back down now?” Hamal asks him.

Zevran nods. “I am ready if you are.”