#during the bit where all grey wardens are hearing the calling-- i dont think he'd hear it tbh. or if he did- it wouldnt be quite as scary

[griffonisms]

I’m pretty sure I spoke about it before somewhere here but? alas. I’m here to do so again. Duncan, as I’ve said in his bio, is generally written in Inquisition’s timeline as his main verse, and so, the explanation given for his being alive is no longer ‘because he is’, so much as it is, ‘because he is, but here’s maybe why?’ That maybe being: 1) he’s been brought back by some unknown force, no one knows who did it, why, or how, but here he is, no older and no different than he was when he died / disappeared.  He’s confused about it too, don’t expect a good answer from him.  or 2)  he’s actually a spirit who, in the fade, lingered among the old, powerful emotions and memories and echoes of events that passed at Ostagar (the fade’s mirror image of Ostagar anyway) and though found so many lost souls and echoes of emotions and whatnot, for some reason focused on Duncan’s ((as the echo of HIS emotions/memories/feelings goes through the events, what he’s felt, the betrayal, the sense of hopelessness, of anguish, of the fear, the anger, etc. Even going so far back as to remember his other life events, old emotions, old flashes of memories, etc, since it focused on him--)). And as many spirit and demons alike, found themselves floundering, stumbling and trying not to be sucked out into the mortal realm as the breach(es) broke holes into their world. This spirit was probably already on its way to ‘becoming’ Duncan [as it undoubtedly has done with others] - or the equivalent of him, spirit wise (though, less ‘’him’’ exactly as it IS simply a spirit, and more just.. the keeper of these things; memories, feelings, etc.... kind of like.. an echo of him, through learning and feeling all of these things he left behind).   And so, the breach happens. It gets pulled from the fade like many others had, but this spirit.... has something, something new and fresh in it’s mind and body. Pretty much... all that Duncan was, up until he died on that field. So, in a desperate attempt to latch on to the fade, or to not become corrupt, or driven mad, it.... becomes Duncan. Kind of like Cole, except.... much more human. It completely takes the role of the former Warden Commander of Fereldan, and when it ‘awakens’, it’s confused. For all intents and purposes.... this spirit that self actualized as this grey warden, IS him. It has his exact memories up until he died (though details may be hazy), his feelings, his experiences and wisdom and beliefs, it has every little thing he had... and should his true nature be revealed to him somehow, and the spirit (”him”) remembers what it is... potentially even more. His abilities very well may just grow, magic and fade stuff wise. But for now, Duncan is.... Duncan. He doesn’t remember how he got there, only that he was dying on the field of Ostagar, he’d just watched Cailan die a horrific death and was on the verge of dying himself, and his emotions-- raging, so powerful and overwhelming... and then he woke up, unharmed. Had a headache, felt woozy, confused, could barely walk at first... but... unharmed, and uninjured. Mostly just... confused. Wary, and uncertain. Somehow, he knew it wasn’t.... before. Something in him knew it had been some time after the blight. The world felt... different, and with the breach, he knew something was wrong, but the blight was over. he felt that in his bones. It takes him some time to get used to you know.... being here again, alive. And if asked, he won’t know how to answer any questions asking where he’s been, how he’s still alive, or why he’s suddenly reappeared, and. has not aged a day, since. He’ll be honest about it as well, if in company he thinks will not simply kill him on basis of suspicion alone. He doesn’t know what happened, but he’s here now.