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lairofdragonagelore · 2 years ago

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Solas sharing Lore - Part 2

This post is focused on what Solas says about the lore of the world of DA series. It's not about Solas as a character [although I would try to explore his nature as a way to understand the nature of the Elvhen and the spirits]. Since Solas is one of the living elvhen who knows the truth of what happened with the Evanuris and the Tevinter expansion after the fall of Arlathan, I consider his words one of the most valuable ones in the series. He does not lie, but omits what he doesn't want to speak about or adds technicalities that make his statements true yet misleading if we don’t pay attention to the context. Unlike Flemeth, he speaks with less riddles, so I considered worth listing all the knowledge he shared with the Inquisitor in order to have a reliable information of how “the world” of Thedas truly works.

The list of topics related to the lore shared by Solas is

Dreamers and their powers

The Elvhenan and the Dalish

The Demon/Spirit Nature

Solas’ Personal quest [deeply related to Spirit’s nature and his own]

Solas’ nature

The Fade and the Veil

Magic

The Orb

The Evanuris and worshipping

Organisations/Institutions/Empires

The Blight and the Grey Wardens

Maker

Miscellaneous Knowledge

Trespasser Revelations

Solas sharing Lore: Part 1 - Part 2

The Fade and the Veil

The tears in the Veil allow spirits to enter this world physically. Small tears occurs when magic weakens the Veil or when spirits cluster close to an area that has seen many deaths.

When spirits press so tightly on the Veil, a dreamer can slip across it.

The Circle defines the Veil as a barrier between the Fade and the Waking world. For Solas, this is an oversimplification but he doesn’t elaborate. Then, we can conclude that the Veil is not a “mere wall” between the Fade and the Waking World. It makes sense in my opinion. The nature of the barrier isolating the Black City seems to be more different than the Veil and the main reason why Solas created the Veil.

Solas defines Fade not as a place but as a state. Spirits would enter this world and be part of them like a river. [Honestly, Solas' explanation is a bit poor in my opinion].

The Fade reflects this world or its memory. The history of Thedas is reflected in the Fade, and this is a key lore concept in my opinion: things that happened in the past may have a proof in the Fade due to its reflection, including the event that Solas hid underground, the sphere of fire, and the assassination of Mythal.

Due to the reflections in the Fade, Solas speaks of Ostagar, and sees the complexity of Loghain’s emotions, telling us that he may have been a man who craved power for his daughter and for protecting Ferelden, but also was a man who refused to let his army be slaughtered by the darkspawn just because royal whims. Solas is not saying it explicitly, but he keeps telling us that everything, specially motivations, are complex things that are fed by different desires and purposes. And like in the section of “Solas’ Nature”, he keeps telling us that everyone, even “villains” have personhood, and are “humans”, with flaws and virtues.

Blackwall: You've seen many things in the Fade, how do you know they're true? Solas: I don't. Everything in the Fade is a memory and memories are all too easily muddied. Just like your history books, they contain truths, but reason and sense are required to extract it.

Solas explains that the Fade is a guidance but in the end, it’s a reflection of memories that can be inaccurate. One needs to be sharp and use reason to distinguish the truths.

Cassandra: You say you've witnessed past events in the Fade, Solas--or the memories of them. But the Fade distorts reality. Surely it cannot offer a true reflection of what occurred. Solas: Are your own memories any different? The truth is never precise, regardless of where you are.

Of course, we are also informed that we should not worry about the “Truth” reflected in the Fade to be inaccurate, because the truth seems to depend on other things. If DA series has taught us anything is that the perception of the truth depends on the narrator, and Solas is pretty aware of it.

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

Here we can see again Solas’ warrior nature, who had to take hard decisions and now he deals with Regret. Cole says that Solas created the Veil to save “them” [the elves], and Solas recognises it was a mistake, because created this world where people are disconnected to the Fade in ways that feel like tranquils, and elvhen lost their immortality.

Other bits of info we have from the Trespasser DLC [the screenshots and the details are in the section “Trespasser Revelations”]

After the death of Mythal and sealing the rest of the Evanuris, Solas created the Veil out of necessity. Any other alternative was worse.

He repeats and implies several times that the Veil is protecting the world from a big danger that will destroy it. This implies that he is doing what he is doing to save the world, since the danger once sealed will return anyways.This is important because so far Bioware wants to present him as the Big Selfish Evil, who only thinks in returning to the old world of the Elvhen, not caring about the current world, when in reality, there is no way to save this world in his eyes, simply because the ancient sealed evil will return.

The Creation of the Veil destroyed the elvhenan civilisation, which were deeply entangled with magic: their cities were made out of magic related to the Fade, which fell apart when the two worlds were forced to be separated by a Veil.

The immortality of the Elves seems to be related to the Fade too, so when the Veil was created, the elves lost their immortality.

Magic

Solas implies that human magic and elvhenan magic is the same kind of power but used in different ways.

He claims that magic is a legacy from the elvhenan [when the elves were immortal].

He dismisses the bad reputation of blood magic. What matters is how it's used, which puts in question a lot of beliefs that Tevinter and the Chantry have been repeating over centuries.

Blood magic is forbidden in the modern world of Thedas, so it’s practised only by criminals performing crimes or the Tevinter to fight each other for power. He is implying that through the use of Blood Magic only as a mean for power it has lost the other potentialities it has. This reminds me the curious codex [Responsible Blood Magic] we find in The Still Ruins where we are informed for the first time that Blood Magic can be used to heal a strong illnesses at the cost of the life of the person who is casting it. Maybe blood magic can be a strong healing magic, but that knowledge has been lost due to its criminalisation and exclusive use for power and control.

Elvhen were similar to spirits, so they were immortal. This was a side-effect of magic: the fact that they used magic that required years to cast turned them naturally into immortal in order to be able to cast it. All of this brings me the impression that Solas is talking about Uthenera or the song that Cole refers to when speaking about Solas: the elves have a song to them related to magic and their connection to it. There is an unending symphony. More details in Songs and elements that sing and whisper in DA Lore.

Vivienne: Corypheus is a complex creature. To draw upon so many different sources of power. He has his own magic, he draws from the blight, the artifact he carries is elven… And now, he uses a demon to create a false Calling to fool the mages. Solas: The false Calling was blight magic. The demon merely amplified its power. Vivienne: This ancient magister is like a man drinking from three wineglasses at once. Solas: And one of the glasses is poisoned.

Vivienne: You disapprove of Corypheus using the magic of the blight, Solas? Solas: Every intelligent creature should. Vivienne: Yet you raise no objection to the Grey Wardens using blood magic? Solas: Blood magic is no worse than any other. Properly used. But the blight... The blight corrupts everything it touches. Those who believe themselves capable of using it safely are mad. Vivienne: I understand that Grey Wardens are connected in some way to the blight. Solas: Then that explains why we saw no old men at Adamant.

Solas also has some bits of info about the Blight Magic. Clearly, still in DAI we have blood magic and blight magic that I’ve been fearing for a while to be retconed in some ways. According to Solas, Blood magic is not a dramatic, evil magic. He is not opposed to it, since it may have strong bening effects that the ignorance of this world lost them to the ages. But the Blight magic is a big No for him. He despises it and despises any living creature who embraces the Blight for any reason [Magisters, Grey Wardens].

He describes the Blight as it “corrupts everything it touches” and feels a lot like Elgar’nan fury, which destroys everything it touches [The Judgment of Mythal ]. I always wondered if the Blight is not a corrupted version of an Evanuris power, such as Elgar’nan’s, specially since his fury and the fire sphere hidden underground seem to have this element of anger in common. More details about this in Ancient Elven codices; Vir Dirthara.

Inquisitor: What happens to these "weak" mages? Augur: Their teachers [spirits/gods] stay with them and the other gods watch them both, so neither soul turns sick. If one does sicken, or the mage stands in risk of harming the hold… One day, they do not wake in their bed. It is very sad. It is what must be done. Solas: It is kinder than what happens in many mage Circles.

Sigrid: It has taught me with patience and kindness since I was a child, frightened of the fire I could suddenly call down. Solas: A great comfort. But you are no longer a child. Sigrid: Some mages need the help of a god all their lives. Solas: Very well. Perhaps, however, ask yourself if it is help you need, or companionship.

In the DLC of Hakkon we learn how the Avvar deal with their mages: they remain in community and are willingly possessed by gentle, kind spirits who work as teachers. The mage in this way avoids any possession of malign spirits, while leaning to control their powers. There is also an implication that this possession brings comfort and companionship. They even have a successful process to de-possess the mage in question. This is mind-shocking. We were always told in all the games and books that removing the possession was impossible. Only in books we learn about an exceptional de-possession [Fiona]. Even Marethari Talas, who has an ancient knowledge of Dalish mages, tells us that removing a possession is very rare, and when it happens, the creature remains like a beacon, attracting spirits for future possessions. Nothing of this happens among the Avvar.

Their relationship with the spirit is so strong that, eve if the Mage is weak, the possession will not be reversed in order to protect the mage and the hold. This is so amazing: the avvar mages remain inside a community that values them, that depends of them [let’s recall that Avvar move all the time among holds and live preparing to endure the winter, which is always challenging, so the use of mages may be key in the survival of the community]. Although mages are dangerous, the Avvar keep them in the safest possible way. When the mage or the spirit may be corrupted, other spirits that remain vigilant of the permanent possession will inform the augur of the community and he/she will kill the corrupted mage. This prevents further corruption of the spirit [so they avoid situations like Justice-Revenge] and do not endanger their community gratuitously [while not torturing their mages into a kind of slavery as some Circles do]. Honestly, this is the smartest way to work and incorporate your mages in your society, without risking too much any of the parties. The only thing you need is to trust in the spirits and feed the positive ones. This is impossible in the modern Chantry which catalogues any spirit as a demon.

Solas approves [and sometimes he is even surprised of] the use of spirits and the way mages are treated among the Avvar. He considers it kinder than in most Circles.

Blackwall: What happened at Redcliffe, have you ever seen its like, Solas? Solas: The distortion of time? I have seen magic accomplish many things, but ... no, that is new.

With this we assume that Solas did not see distortion of the time through magic before. Personally, I think this is strange, because we saw Ameridan being able to delay magic, and due to the visual effects of it, we also could suspect that Ameridan was a kind of “rift mage” [same as Solas]. So, in principle, it seems natural to think that rift mages are able to distort time to a certain extend, or at least, only delaying it. We also know that Ancient Tevinter were able to stop time [The Still Ruin] and so far we know, everything that Tevinter did was, in part, because they stole it from the Elvhenan, so I don’t know if this was an overlook from the devs, or there is unrevealed lore here.

Cassandra: Solas, I assume you know it's possible to reverse the Rite of Tranquility. Solas: I did hear of what you learned, yes. Cassandra: I know of only one mage thus cured, and... he had no control of his emotions. He was distraught. Do you think that would have passed? If the Tranquil are cured only to end up thus... Solas: They would be a danger to themselves and others, yes. It is difficult to say. In your Vigil, you were Tranquil for but a moment. They have suffered much longer. Such control is like a muscle, atrophying without use. Given time it might be restored, but until then... Cassandra: That may be a risk we are obligated to undertake. Solas: They will be grateful... even the ones who do not survive.

Solas claims that tranquils can be cured and can recover their emotional stability as normal mages. This makes me wonder in Solas’ comparison of this world as a place “filled with tranquils”: If the Veil is destroyed, Thedas will pass through a process similar to what Tranquils suffer when cured. This connection with the Fade in the world of Thedas may cause out of control in many, but at the end, they will be grateful, even those who did not make it. At least, this is the vision of Solas, and probably the main source of “chaos” that will happen when the Veil collapses.

Vivienne: I confess, Solas, I expected you to be back at the Temple of Mythal. Some powerful magic yet remains there... if it can be trusted. Solas: For once, we agree. Many relics were lost for good reason. Vivienne: You explore the Fade to ferret out such secrets, do you not? Solas: When I awaken each morning, all I have with me are those secrets. The power at the Temple of Mythal is tangible, potent... and far too easy to misuse. Vivienne: We are not so different after all, my dear apostate. We both believe magic must be limited safely. Solas: Only a fool would ignore such a stark reminder of the destruction of an empire.

We know that Solas understands that power in a group of people is a recipe for abuse and disaster, while power and secrets entrusted to one selfless person can be done with positive results. He has been that person for millennia, since we know via the codex Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads that he has hidden a terrible magic underground in order to avoid others to know about it [details in “The Death of a Titan”] or even to avoid the creation of its reflection in the Fade [it may be related to the barrier that surrounds the Black City]. I personally think that his line of “relics were lost for good reasons” may be related to the Red Lyrium Idol.

Also, Solas and Viviene claim the Temple of Mythal has a strong remain of magical power. I’m not sure if we can assume it’s related to the humanoid figure we saw emerging from the Well of Sorrow when Corypheus tried to chase after the Inquisitor.

The Orb

Solas was confident that the orb would resist a tremendous blast

Since the anchor is the energy of Solas’ orb in the Inquisitor’s hand, it seems reasonable that it would help him not only to focus in his dreams, but also to manipulate the Veil in the way the game allowed them. Certainly Solas may have not predicted the consequences of having all his energy in someone else’s hand.

After Haven, Solas discloses the details of the orbs:

The orb contains power accumulated for ages. Later, we will know it’s his own energy accumulated [ potential explanation in Forbidden Oasis: Solasan Temple], or Fade energy related to him. Part of this is implied in the Forbidden Oasis: Solasan Temple, where parts of “souls” or fragments of Fade return to the Inquisitors because they have the Anchor and want to be “whole” again.

Unlocking the orb caused a blast that destroyed the Conclave. Solas was counting on this to kill Corypheus. He is genuinely surprised that the magister survived.

The orb enhances the abilities of the person who holds it, so this implies that the elvhenan orbs allowed an increase of power [and therefore, of the perception of Divinity which was deeply related to magical powers].

When solas has a private conversation with the Inquisitor in the balcony, we can suspect that Solas is surprised of knowledge he doesn’t know: how the Anchor is reacting inside a mortal body. By the nature of the questions he makes we can infer he is wondering if that power, his power, changed the Inquisitor’s mind, morals and even soul.

Due to the hesitation in his words “You show a wisdom I have not seen since….” I suspect his mind is recalling Mythal [the wisest Evanuris, according to all the more or less reliable codices we found, and he also describes her as wise: “the voice of reason”]. So we can assume that the friend!Inquisitor may remind Solas of Mythal.

He highlights the subtlety in the actions of the Inquisitor and their understanding of the world [this only happens if the Inquisitor has a sharp, curious mind willingly to ask questions, hence Solas’ constant approval]

If the Inquisitor has a bad relationship with Solas, this scene works differently, and Solas simply reinforces his biases against the race of the inquisitor in question.

Other bits of info we have from the Trespasser DLC [the screenshots and the details are in the section “Trespasser Revelations”]

The Anchor of the inquisitor is a mark given by the Orb of Fen’Harel,

The Orb of Fen’Harel gathered Fade energy for a millennia.

Solas let his agents guide Corypheus to his orb, expecting him to die when he unlocked its power. He was not counting on Corypheus knowing how to master effective immortality.

The Evanuris and Worshipping

Solas: You have seen a great deal of battle. Blackwall: We all have. Solas: Not all, not like you. You live and breathe war. You understand it. It is home to you. Blackwall: What's that supposed to mean? Solas: I intended no offense. We have both seen terrible things. We have watched death and destruction render that which we love unrecognizable. It is calming to see something familiar in another.

Blackwall: You spoke of seeing death and destruction. Did you fight in a war? Solas: There are struggles across Thedas at any given time. I doubt you would have heard of it. Blackwall: An elven skirmish? Solas: In a manner of speaking. You? Blackwall: I was a soldier. And I... well... you know how it is. Solas: I do indeed.

Blackwall and Solas speak about war, and this highlights Solas as a former warrior/soldier, who reinforces the idea that war is a terrible thing that destroys what it’s loved. This may imply all his fight against the elvhen would-be god Evanuris.

Solas says in here that there is no connection between the Old Gods dragons turned into Archdemons and his people “in Thedas lore”. The last clarification makes me suspect that, it is true that there is no lore in Thedas making the connection, because there is a high chance that this knowledge was lost or “Forgotten” to the ages. And the fact that the Forgotten Ones are as mysterious as the Archdemons, one start to suspect, only through a discarding process, that they may end up being related.

In videos of low approval paths [here] we see how much resentment, disapproval, and disdain Solas has for those who think they are gods and want worshipping. We know that he may have had a bad story with Falon’Din, one of the most vicious Evanuris who wanted so much worship that would attack other Evanuris to earn those followers [Temple of Mythal: Part 2, Humanoid Dirthamen]. In these conversations one cannot stop thinking that maybe Solas is speaking while thinking in Falon’Din.

With low approval, Solas implies that worshipping is a lie and he dismisses the power that it gives. He claims that things like Pride, Defense, Love of Family or even the concept of the Inquisition are real things to use as tools for inspiring hope. While worshipping--making people believe one is a god--is a way to keep them ignorant, and he has a raw hatred to those who force ignorance [and the control associated with it] upon the people, as we saw in the section “Solas’ Nature” or when we see his opinions about the Qun.

After the quest of Winter Palace, Solas tells us that he has missed court intrigue. Which I think says a lot about his methods during the Rebellion he led against the Evanuris. When we asks him if he was in a court, he hesitates, as few times he does. He was not expecting that question. The answer is a bit generic and I’m not sure it gives any lore information about the Evanuris except for the fact that, it seems, they also played intrigues similar to the Orlesian Game, and there is a chance that the Evanuris were divided in groups that rivalled one another.

After the quest of the Well of Sorrows, if the Inquisitor drank from the Well, we can explore different options that give really bland hints of Solas’ time with the Evanuris:

From Solas’ words we can infer that once you are a creature of an Evanuris, all what you do will be for them, even unconsciously. You “give up a part of yourself”.

Drinking from the Well made the Inquisitor bound to Mythal. It’s not clear how this bound works once the Evanuris in question is dead.

I’m surprised how Solas despises the fact of the Inquisitor being a servant of Mythal [he calls them a “Mythal’s creature”] even though he deeply respects and loves Mythal. However, it makes sense if it removes the individuality of the Inquisitor. Solas will always want all creatures free to make their own choices and deal with the consequences of them. In this case, the Inquisitor becomes a puppet of Mythal, from Solas’ point of view.

Solas says explicitly that the elven gods existed, but they were not gods but some powerful entity. “Legends start from something”, and I think this line is worth keeping in mind all over DA series.

Solas curiously asks what the inquisitor will do with the power of the Well once this is over. Depending on the branch picked, Solas provides small bits of info:

If the inquisitor says that they will put things in the way they were before, Solas will be grateful and will drop a line that seems to be his inspiration in DA:D “You honour the past and work to recover what was lost, even if the cost is high. I respect that, and I am indebted to you for the reminder” [which makes us infer that, at the end, it was the Inquisitor who "reminded” Solas to do what he is going to do in DA:D.

In another option where the inquisitor says that once all this is over the wisdom of the Well will be shared with all the Inquisition to avoid arrogance; Solas’ answer is very curious; I think it speaks of what he experienced when Mythal was killed: “You think to share your power, to avoid the temptation to misuse it. A noble sentiment… but a mistake. One selfless man may walk away from the lure of power’s corruption… no group has ever done so”. This line speaks deeply about Fen’Harel story, I think.

The way it’s spoken sounds like “personal experience”, which makes me wonder if maybe this reflects Mythal’s story about destroying the titans, removing/draining their hearts, and creating orbs with them that, as we can see with Corypheus and Fen’Harel’s orb, these artefacts gave them god-like powers. Maybe Mythal thought it was good to share it with the rest of her fellow mages, to avoid any misuse, and in the end, they used that power against her, killing her. Again, this is only a speculation guided by the codex Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads. More details about this train of thoughts in “The Death of a Titan”.

If the Inquisitor asks him why this interest in your decision of what to do with this power is so important, Solas answers that it’s because Regret [in Tevinter Nights we know that Solas has been feeding a demon of Regret, so these words are deep and important for him, they speak of his raw wound], “there are few regrets sharper than watching fools squander what you sacrificed to archive.” We also know that Flemeth has a good amount of regrets too, that may or may not be connected to this, according her words in the altar of Mythal in DA2.

Another interpretation is that Solas regrets deeply the state of the world. He broke and sacrificed his old world in which he lived with spirits [what he loves the most] to make the elves free. But when he woke up, he saw a world that had forgotten completely the subtle ways of the spirits. “It’s like walking among tranquils”. And like he says in Trespasser to a romanced Inquisitor, the Dalish not only forgot everything, they kept the worst parts of the past, the slavery proudly tattooed on their faces, and in their Tales, Fen’Harel became a malign figure, instead of a rebel to inspire disobedience when needed. No wonder the spirit of Regret is so big in Tevinter Nights.

In another branch of the conversation Solas speaks of the Evanuris with certainty, forgetting his usual line “I saw it in the Fade”:

The Evanuris were arrogant and fickle, warred among themselves.

They had feuds and vendettas.

If the inquisitor speaks of controlling the Inquisition once they shared the power of the Well with it, Solas says, “You will be the first among equals. Good”. He seems to approve the option in which the power is shared, but it has to pass your judgement first.

Another option that reflects Solas’ personal experience with the Evanuris: if the Inquisitor promises not to return to the way things were before, but push forward, Solas asks him from personal experience: “would you sacrifice all just to gamble and hope the future will be better? […] what if you wake up to find that the future you shaped is worse than what was?” It’s such a bitter question if we think this is how young Solas thought about his actions back then. This question is so personal that he uses the verb “wake up”, giving us an obvious detail that he is speaking from his own, personal, painful experience

Bitterly, Solas says “such confidence” if you bet on the future. He clearly does not believe is worthy. His own experience tells him that this option is always disappointing and tragic.

While in a similar branch, if the inquisitor says “if that happens, it happens”, Solas gets the same idea than in the previous branches: “You have offered hope that if one keeps trying, even if the consequence are grave… that someday, things will be better.” It’s not something you “reminded him”, but it seems to follow the same line than the answer of keeping the old ways. This puts some responsibility on the Inquisitor about the actions that Solas will take in DA:D.

Solas: So, Seeker, your Inquisition grows. Cassandra: It was never my Inquisition, Solas. Solas: You did the brutal, thankless work putting the wheels in motion. Do you feel no regret at letting that power pass to another? You surprise me again, Seeker. Cassandra: Your opinion of me must be very low to surprise you so often. Solas: Not low, but realistic. Very few, however honorable, release power they have won.

In the same line of thinking than previously, we can see here that Solas seems to have a well known experience of this situation with the Evanuris: those who acquire power, never releases it. Except for the honourable ones. I may speculate that maybe Mythal spread her power once she discovered the power of the Titans. Since she is always described as honoured by Solas, it makes sense to link this with what he is saying in this banter.

Dorian: Solas, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. The elven city of Arlathan sounds like a magical place, and for my ancestors to have destroyed it... Solas: Dorian... hush. Empires rise and fall. Arlathan was no more "innocent" than your own Tevinter in its time. Your nostalgia for the ancient elves, however romanticized, is pointless. If you wish to make amends for past transgressions, free the slaves of all races who live in Tevinter today. Dorian: I... don't know that I can do that. Solas: Then how sorry are you?

Solas has little patience for the romantisation of the past coming from Dorian [or the Dalish in general]. He states plainly that empires rise and fall. He compares Arlathan with Tevinter, so we are being informed that this city was a disaster in slavery and power-hunger. Curiously, it’s the city where the first elven Grey Warden shared knowledge about in order to create the Joining, meaning that this city made use of Blood magic, and it is where the humans think blood magic was originated [check Tarohne, the Fell Grimoire, and Xebenkeck]

Other bits of info we have from the Trespasser DLC [the screenshots and the details are in the section “Trespasser Revelations”]

He tried to free his people from the slavery of the Evanuris.

He freed all those who wanted to join him.

When the Evanuris went too far [he says it was caused by the death of Mythal, but we suspect it has something to do with the event he hid underground in Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads] he sealed them, and created the Veil, destroying the world of the Elvhenan.

We may relate the death of Mythal with the angry sphere of fire that seems to be hidden with vines in Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads.

Mythal was the best of the Evanuris. She cared for her people, and was a “voice of reason”. In Altar of Mythal, we learn that she was the embodiment of motherhood and Justice but also of Vengeance in a very curious way that makes me wonder how much of Elgar’nan exists as a single entity and not as another face of Mythal, considering how silent he is in general in most the lore we find in DA series.

The Evanuris killed her in their lust for power.

The Evanuris had to be sealed and banished, but not killed. Solas claims that they are not easy to kill, implying that they may have some mechanics of immortality. Maybe it’s similar to Corypheus. So far we saw this mechanism with Flemeth: she needed to leave a piece of herself inside an object and then be released to return to life.

The Evanuris are remembered as Gods because the legend grew: it started with a War [we assume it is the War against the Titans which endangered the elvhenan civilisation]. “The war breeds for a desire for simplicity”, making things white and black, good and evil. After the end of that war, the general became respected elders, then kings, and finally gods.

Organisations/Institutions/Empires

Cassandra: I noticed, Solas, that you did not seem surprised by what I uncovered about the Seekers. Solas: No? They are an organisation. Cassandra: You think organisations to be inherently corrupt? Solas: Given enough time, yes. To survive, an organisation must devote resources to maintaining itself. Those resources inevitably accumulate until the original purpose, however pure, is all but lost. Cassandra: You make the Seekers sound like a mindless beast. Solas: A beast, no matter how mindless, will die and give way to a successor. An organisation is eternal. There are always corrupt men who hoard power for their own gain and there are always honourable men who hoard power to fight them.

Here Solas explains how the nature of the organisation itself is doomed to corruption: noble purpose or not, the hoard of power will always cause and unbalance that not all people can endure in an honourable way.

Solas: I heard about your organisation, Sera. I am impressed. Sera: Is this a trick? Solas: Hardly. But it is an opportunity. You have already divided your group's membership. That is wise. No one cell can betray all your secrets. The next step is to establish a rhythm. When your enemies pursue, you vanish. When they become complacent, you harass them. When they are weak, you strike in earnest.

Solas: Once you have the aristocracy weakened, Sera, you will have to redirect your lieutenants. Sera: Oh, this again. All right, what am I doing? Solas: Some of your forces, valuable until now, have no interests beyond creating disruption. Chaos for its own sake. They must be re-positioned where they can do no harm, or removed if necessary. You replace them with organisers willing to build a new system and carry out the ugly work that must be done. Sera: What? Why? What ugly work? Solas: That is up to you. Do you wish to disrupt the nobility, secure a title? Or change the political structure entirely? Sera: None of it! I don't want any of that!

Solas: I do not understand you, Sera. You have no end goal for your organisation. 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 organised 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.

Solas’ advice to Sera about her organisation speaks a lot of what must have been his own organisation of followers of Fen’Harel [in the past and in the present]: they are divided in small cells, following a rhythm of attack, and any member who only wants disruption will be eliminated [as we saw it with Felassan]. Solas’ rebel nature can be seen so easily in these banters, he wants deep root-based change, modifying the structures that are corrupted from the core itself, however, he find himself lost at the lack of purpose in Sera’s organisation.

Solas: I find the fall of the dwarven lands confusing. Varric: What's so confusing about endless darkspawn? Solas: A great deal, although that is a different matter. Dwarves control the flow of lyrium. They could tighten their grip on it. Varric: It's hard to get the attention of the humans when the darkspawn aren't up here messing with their stuff. Solas: You're active in the Carta. You know your people could tug the purse strings. You could claim sovereign land on the surface, or demand help restoring the dwarven kingdom, but you don't. Varric: You're not saying anything I haven't said myself, Chuckles. Orzammar is what it is.

Solas: Is there at least a movement to reunite Orzammar and Kal-Sharok? Varric: What is it with you, Chuckles? Why do you care so much about the dwarves? Solas: Once, in the Fade, I saw the memory of a man who lived alone on an island. Most of his tribe had fallen to beasts or disease. His wife had died in childbirth. He was the only one left. He could have struck out on his own to find a new land, new people. But he stayed. He spent every day catching fish in a little boat, every night drinking fermented fruit juice and watching the stars. Varric: I can think of worse lives. Solas: How can you be happy surrendering, knowing it will all end with you? How can you not fight? Varric: I suppose it depends on the quality of the fermented fruit juice. Solas: So it seems.

Varric: All the "fallen empire" crap you go on about. What's so great about empires anyway? So we lost the Deep Roads, and Orzammar's too proud to ask for help. So what? We're not Orzammar and we're not our empire. There are tens of thousands of us living up here in the sunlight now, and it's not that bad. Life goes on. It's just different than it used to be. Solas: And you have no concept of what that difference cost you. Varric: I know what it didn't cost me. I'm still here, even after all those Thaigs fell.

Solas: You truly are content to sit in the sun, never wondering what you could've been, never fighting back. Varric: Ha, you've got it all wrong, Chuckles. This is fighting back. Solas: How does passively accepting your fate constitute a fight? Varric: In that story of yours—-the fisherman watching the stars, dying alone. You thought he gave up, right? Solas: Yes. Varric: But he went on living. He lost everyone, but he still got up every morning. He made a life, even if it was alone. That's the world. Everything you build, it tears down. Everything you've got, it takes. And it's gone forever. The only choices you get are to lie down and die or keep going. He kept going. That's as close to beating the world as anyone gets. Solas: Well said. Perhaps I was mistaken.

Solas also speaks to Varric trying to infuse in him the need for “bringing back the ancient Dwarven empire”. Solas is mirroring his own desire in Varric. Because he is ancient, he knows the true story about the Dwarves, the “true cost” of the fall of the Dwarven Empire, and it seems to be as dire as the Elvhenan fall. However, he finds that Varric values more people than empires and pieces of history. Being the last of one’s kind is not as important nor tragic for Varric, than a life without friends and stories. This keeps Solas thinking.

The Blight and the Grey Wardens

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.

In Solas’ style, he is not saying explicitly that this general knowledge is wrong, but he places seeds of question. He implies that the end of the Archdemons will NOT end the Blights.

Solas claims that nothing in any lore connect his people [and I suppose he is referring to the Elvhenan] to the Old Gods that became Archdemons later. Sadly, the clarification of “in any lore” makes this line a bit useless for us. We already know that there is no lore in Thedas connecting these two groups of entities, but it doesn’t mean they are not; DA series is, after all, a story about multiple unreliable narrators.

Mythal certainly had an interest in keeping Urthemiel uncorrupted, and it’s hard to believe that Flemeth would allow this if Urthemiel would have been one of the Evanuris that killed Mythal. Why would Flemeth save Urthemiel if Urthemiel was part of the plot to kill her? Clearly, there is a relationship between the Old Gods and the Evanuris, but it’s really hard to guess because, as Solas said, there is no lore helping us to connect them yet.

Solas simply knows that Corypheus’ dragons is not an Archdemon, nor an old god. So, once more, we have a subtly detail that implies Solas, and the elvhenan, may have had some relationship with the Old Gods to understand and know this with such confidence, even though it’s impossible to guess it with no hints given at all.

Solas suspects that the unique powers of Corypheus come from the Blight, the rest from the orb. When it comes to their effective immortality, one can see the analogy of what Flemeth did when she died, and what Corypheus or the Archdemons do. It’s similar but not the same. Flemeth needs to personally put a piece of herself in an object. If she doesn’t do this beforehand, it seems that she dies permanently. Corypheus, instead, does not need any preparation. His body jumps to any blighted creature, destroying it [as it happens in DA2 even though later, in DAI, it was retconned in order to state that the dragon had a piece of Corypheus that allowed him these jumps]. Maybe it’s the same mechanism, but due to the Blight it was corrupted and has extra enhancements. This procedure is not super clear. We can see its common details but they are not clear in lore.

After the quest of Adamant Fortress, Solas enrages as few times we see him when the plan of the Grey Wardens is disclosed: they were creating an army of demons to go after the remaining Archdemons in order to kill them all.

For Solas this is more dangerous than binding themselves to demons. He claims that using demons is a tool and nothing more [here]. The true problem of this plan is to destroy the last two Archdemons: he literally says “The blight is not something one smugly outsmarts”. This once more gives us the idea that the Archdemons are “guardians” of the Blight, they are preventing something worse from happening.

In [here] Solas straightforwardly says “ the real problem of Thedas IS the Blight”, not Corypheus, not the red lyrium: the Blight. And he emphasises again in a subtler way that ending the Archdemons will not end the Blights. He talks about the Magisters Sidereal as fools that went to the Golden City for power and ended up unleashing the Blight in this world.

Solas seems to never put in question that the Old Gods are Dragons.

He reinforces the idea that killing all the Archdemons is a bizarre attempt to prevent the Blight. And in more than one occasion he claimed it will release something worse than the Blight.

The metaphor he uses to describe the Grey Wardens shows what a great mistake killing all Archdemons could be, and how the whole world will “fall” in this attempt.

Clearly Solas does not approve what the Wardens do, and the less their numbers, the better in his opinion.

In low approval, he tries to deflect the fact that he may know more about the Blight, using basic logic: he reinforces the idea that choosing to corrupt themselves by drinking blood of darkspawn is not better. Now… it’s curious he speaks here in the open about the Joining process as if it were well known by everyone. Unlike any other non-Warden creature, Solas knows what the Joining procedure entitles.//

Cassandra: Solas, the dragon Corypheus commands - could it truly be an Archdemon? Solas: One assumes that if it were, we would be facing a Blight. Cassandra: So what is it, then? A corrupted dragon, simply another darkspawn? Solas: It is connected to Corypheus. Such a relation goes beyond mere control - it is a bond. Cassandra: It makes you wonder if that's all the Archdemons themselves are: pets to beings who no longer exist. Solas: I would not go as far as that. This dragon is a replica, spawned from a creature who aspires to greatness. No more.

We learn that Corypheus’ dragon is a bonded animal. Solas dismiss the idea that this is the usual procedure that Archdemons show. I’m not so sure how to understand the last line: is the dragon spawned from Corypheus? A piece of himself? Does this part imply that the Archdemons have nothing of the like?

Cassandra: Solas, what do you think this Corypheus actually is? Solas: A darkspawn, as he appears. Cassandra: But what of the orb he wields and the dragon he commands? This is no ordinary darkspawn. Solas: His true advantage is the red lyrium. It is corrupted by the Blight as he is, thus taps into its power twofold. Whatever he was before, that is what makes him dangerous now.

Varric: Give them 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.

However, Solas seems to recognise that the procedure of the Warden, despite being far from ideal, is what delayed a wild spread of the Blight in the world.

Maker

Cassandra: I know my abilities do not come from the Maker, as I had once thought... Solas: Your abilities declare the world real. Who, if not the Maker of this world, could grant such a gift? Cassandra: You believe in the Maker? Solas: I am always open to new ideas.

Basically, Solas is telling that Cassandra’s abilities are a gift of a “Maker”. If we trust in Solas’ words, and we also remember the following lines of lore:

Templar abilities work as “reinforcements of Reality”.

Lyrium also has a propriety of reinforcing reality. It may be implied that Templars have stronger abilities in this way when consuming lyrium.

Titans shaped the world and reality itself. Hence their blood do the same.

Titans were the sharpers of this world.

So, if we combine all these pieces of lore, I wonder if Solas is not implying that the “Maker of this world” is, in fact, a Titan. This would put in equivalence a titan with the Maker. This also would fit Andraste’s story of meeting the Maker, who is presented more like a Titan than an entity of power without shape [for more details, read Andraste 1 in Chant of Light - Part 1].

It’s also true that these skills were given, as we learn later, by a spirit of Faith that touches the Seekers. This would put in equivalence a spirit with the Maker. Sadly, by only following and reading Solas’ words we can’t guess if the Maker that Solas is referring to is a spirit or a titan.

Solas says that seeking godhood, to prove oneself as such, is madness or a lie. In a way he is implying that there are no gods in the world of DA. Hence why he appreciated the idea of the Maker: an idea that does not claim godhood at all. It inspire people who want to follow it, but in the end, it does not serve to a creature that will use this power in their advantage Let’s remember he hates worshipping [read the section of “Evanuris and Worshipping”].

Cassandra: Solas, if you do not mind me asking, what do you believe in? Solas: Cause and effect. Wisdom as its own reward, and the inherent right of all free willed people to exist. Cassandra: That is not what I meant. Solas: I know. I believe the elven gods existed, as did the old gods of Tevinter. But I do not think any of them were gods, unless you expand the definition of the word to the point of absurdity. I appreciate the idea of your Maker, a god that does not need to prove his power. I wish more such gods felt the same. Cassandra: You have seen much sadness in your journeys, Solas. Following the Maker might offer some hope. Solas: I have people, Seeker. The greatest triumphs and tragedies this world has known can all be traced to people.

Solas basically says he is open to new ideas, but he doesn’t seem to truly take seriously the concept of the Maker. He respects that the Maker does not need to prove his own power, as the Evanuris did. He also seems to imply that similar process that happened with the elven gods [mages who grew in legend to become “gods”] happened with the Old Gods of Tevinter.

Cole: They can only return to the Maker if they become real. Why can't they be forgiven as they are? Solas: People say they lack the ability to learn or grow. Cole: Yes. Solas: But the more contact you have with this world, the more ability you gain. Cole: Why would they want to prove the Maker wrong? He's already far away. Solas: It isn't about right and wrong. It's about attention, when you think you have been forgotten. Cole: And rolling the ball so it goes in the hole.

This cryptic banter seems to state two things clearly: the Maker is “already far away”, and the Maker is something you return to if you “become real”. And we know that reinforcement of reality is always a thing related to lyrium, and most of the time, related to Titans. So once more it feels that part of the “Makers” we read in Cole may be referring to a Titan.

Miscellaneous Knowledge

Old ruins

Solas saw Barindur, a city which is a Fantasy Pompeii that predates the foundation of the Tevinter Imperium. In the lore of DA, we know a legend that says that the city disappeared when its king turned away an envoy from the High Priest of Dumat [The Lost City of Barindur]. With Solas’ words we see the legend grew from a tragic episode: it was not Dumat who destroyed the city, it was a natural disaster [eruption of volcano].

This speaks of a Thaig that an earthquake exposed it. We can potentially make a weak connection between earthquakes of this magnitude and Titans stirrings. We know through Valta that there was another stir of a Titan in history which may have been caused by deep alterations in the Veil and destroyed the thaig Heidrun [The Descent – The Deep Roads]. It’s likely that the incursion of the Sidereal Mages in the Fade caused this earthquake so deep that exposed a Thaig. Maybe it was the original place where the first horde of darkspawn poured out. He describes how the dwarves tried to defend a child making a circle around them. Beyond these speculations I can’t say more about this memory.

Solas visited Flemeth’s abandoned hut’s reflection in the Fade. He claims the “world fears her return”. It sounds ominous as if he were talking about Mythal’s return, and her “reckoning that will shake the very heavens”.

He met a matchmaker spirit that guided love in a small town.

Solas met the spirit that the Alamarri called “the shadow goddess”. Because of this spirit, the Alamarri crossed the Frostback Mountains, escaping from it. Solas says this spirit walks the Fade along the tundra, weeping, lonely, and forgotten. Then he assures us that this spirit was preying on the alamarri.[“she drove her prey away”]. He claims that the Ferelden developed as a consequence of this spirit. I feel there is a good important piece of lore here, because it may explain some of the bad shape that the map of Thedas has at its West, but it’s so brief that it’s impossible to squeeze out more speculations.

Not to read too much into it, but this sounds like another Forgotten One [we don’t know how many truly are, after all]. As ancient elves, they were “more spirit” than bodies, so it makes sense to be described as “ancient spirit”. Solas claims this spirit was undisputed king of every land he discovered, and represented an emotion that the world has forgotten. Maybe peace? Or maybe forgiveness? Mutual understanding? I mean, we can make a long list of forgotten emotions in the convoluted world of Thedas and still we will not be sure about it.

Another interpretation is that this emotion is something from the time of the Elvhenan, an emotion related to the elvhen and their unique nature. We know they were everywhere on Thedas before the creation of the Fade [Sera’s banter with Solas], and with the fall of this empire, this sentiment--widely spread--died with it. Now nobody remembers it.

Old memories from the Fade

He saw a savage human horde [would he mean Avvar or Chasind?] singing to keep formation. We know through Shartan 1 in Chant of Light - Part 2, that the alamarri tended to sing songs while marching. We also know that the Avvar pull a similar trick to keep spirits in the battlefield to help them.

He emphasises the detail of the harmony [and once more we see the pattern of the songs and music and harmonies when it comes to elves perceiving these things]. Their cause was hopeless, and sang a song that made the spirits weep. This memory, if I have to relate to it to any, may potentially be one of the many marches that Andraste’s people did, or the Nevarran armies against the Neomerian in Threonides 5 and 6 from Chant of Light - Part 1.

First time a dwarf emerges and sees the sun. The dwarf cries, not because the light but because he is leaving the Stone. This memory could represent any dwarf, including Fairel. It is too generic to be pointed out unequivocally.

Here, he relates the memory of a Qunari baker, who changes some rations in the ingredients as a gesture of rebellion. I think this is very telling of Solas who, if he embodies any concept, is rebellion itself. Originally he may have been Wisdom/Pride [hence his name Solas=Pride] but over time, out of necessity to help his people, he changed and became Rebellion too. So he treasures rebellion in any form, even in this one memory, absolutely secret to any qunari but himself.

Dorian: Solas, that little flare you sometimes do with your staff... You're redirecting ambient energy to your personal aura? Solas: Yes. The effect clears magical energy and creates a minor randomized barrier to impair incoming magic. Dorian: Fascinating. It's a Tevinter technique. I've never seen anyone in this part of the world do it. Solas: The technique is not Tevinter. It is elven. Dorian: Oh! That means we... never mind, then. Solas: But do go on about the wonders of Tevinter magic.

Dorian: That orb Corypheus carries... are you certain it's of elven origin, Solas? Solas: I believe so. Why do you ask? Dorian: There are paintings in the Magisterium's archives of men holding similar orbs. They were depictions of a time long before the magisters. The ancient Dreamers, perhaps. The texts called those orbs "somnaborium"--"vessels of dreams." Could they be the same thing? Solas: Perhaps. The humans of ancient times took much from the elves. Dorian: And Corypheus isn't far removed from the time. Hmm.

Solas very explicitly says what we have been noticing all over Thedas: Tevinter always had a lot of elven arcane knowledge, even in the smallest details like magical techniques as well as artefacts of great power. Tevinter has co-opted and has been claiming as its own a lot of elvhen magic since ancient times.

Solas: Our people used to be here. Sera: Pfft, you say that everywhere. Solas: It is more true than you want to believe.

This means that elvhenan were everywhere, in the Fade but also in the Waking World when there was no Veil separating the two regions, which makes sense if we think in Mythal’s Temple: it has been there since before the war against the Titans.

Solas: Is it true that the entire dwarven economy relies upon lyrium? Varric: Mostly. We've got the nug market cornered as well. Solas: And the dwarves of Orzammar have never studied lyrium? Varric: If they have, they certainly haven't shared anything up here. Why? Solas: It is the source of all magic, save that which mages bring themselves. Dwarves alone have the ability to mine it safely. I wondered if they had sought to learn more. Varric: The folks back in Orzammar don't care much about anything but tradition.

This implies that there is more to lyrium than what we believe, apparently. Or maybe it’s just Solas wondering if the Dwarves would have realised it was Titan’s blood had they studied it.

Solas: I am sorry to have bothered you with my questions about your people Varric. I see so much of this world in dreams. Humans, my own people, even qunari. Dwarves alone were lost to me, save scattered fragments of memory where some spirit cared to watch. Now I know why I see so little. Varric: And why is that? Solas: Dwarves are the severed arm of a once mighty hero, lying in a pool of blood. Undirected. Whatever skill of arms it had, gone forever. Although it might twitch to give the appearance of life, it will never dream. Varric: I'd avoid mentioning that to any Carta, Chuckles. They might not take it the right way.

This line seems to hide more about the nature of the Titans than what it looks like. If this is the case, Solas is describing indirectly a Titan as a “hero”, defeated, bleeding, and maybe even incapacitated. His words also seem to imply that this incapacity is severe, they can’t return to what they were, and their lack of dream ability is permanent.

Trespasser revelations

The mark of the inquisitor is a mark given by the Orb of Fen’Harel,

Solas was first “Solas” [Pride], then he changed his purpose. We can even interpret that this happened in the way he says that spirits change purpose: through the interaction with other people. I imagine that Solas seeing The People suffering may have changed him, so he turned into Fen’Harel [something along the lines of Opposition and Rebellion, see codex The Rebel God], which has some degree of pride, after all. However this new name was given by the Evanuris, he did not pick it.

He is not a “piece” of Fen’Harel, like Mythal is in Flemeth. This elf we see has always been Solas, after he took his current shape, I guess.

He tried to free his people from the slavery of the would-be-gods, aka The Evanuris,

He freed all those who wanted to join him.

When the Evanuris went too far [he says it was when they killed Mythal, but we suspect it has something to do [too] with the event he hid underground in Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads] he sealed them, and created the Veil, destroying the world of the Elvhen.

We may relate the death of Mythal with the angry sphere of fire that seems to be hidden with vines in Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads.

Mythal was the best of the Evanuris. She cared for her people, and was a voice of reason. Despite of that, Solas will always be angry and oppose the Inquisitor who drinks from the Well of Sorrow and becomes a servant of Mythal.

The Evanuris killed Mythal in their lust for power.

After the death of Mythal, and the seal of the rest of the Evanuris, he created the Veil out of necessity. Any other alternative was worse. I always like to highlight this, because this shows that Solas tried to pick the less damaging option. He always tries this, the problem is that there are not many good options to pick from.

The Creation of the Veil destroyed the elvhenan civilisation, so deeply entangled with magic: their cities were made out of magic related to the Fade, which fell apart when the two worlds were forced to be separated by a Veil.

The immortality of the Elves seems to be related to the Fade too, so when the Veil was created, the elves lost their immortality.

He repeats and implies several times that the Veil is protecting the world from a bigger danger that will destroy it. This implies that he is doing what he is doing in DA:D to save the world, since the danger sealed in the past will return and destroy everything anyways.

The Evanuris had to be sealed and banished, but not killed. Solas claims that they are not easy to kill, implying that they may have some mechanics of immortality. Maybe it’s similar to Corypheus’. So far, we saw an analogous mechanism with Flemeth: she needed to leave a piece of herself inside an object and then be released magically to return to life.

The Evanuris are remembered as Gods because their legends grew: it started with a War [we assume it is the War against the Titans which endangered the elvhenan civilisation]. The war breeds for a desire for simplicity, making things white and black, good and evil. After the end of that war, the general became respected elders, then kings, and finally gods.

After the creation of the Veil, Solas “lay” in dark and slumbered [he did not call this Uthenera because it was not final] to recover from the effort. History passed and he awoke, still weak, a year before the Inquisition was formed.

He wants to restore the elvhen world, even if it means to destroy this one. On the other hand, in combination with what he said previously, if this world is slowly losing the ward that has been protecting it from the big danger he hid with the Veil, it’s just a matter of time for this world to fall.

Solas takes no pleasure in destroying this world to recover the old one.

The Orb of Fen’Harel gathered Fade energy for a millennia.

He let his agents guide Corypheus to his orb, expecting him to die when he unlocked it. He was not counting on Corypheus knowing how to master effective immortality.

Solas says that had Corypheus died as he had planned, he would have entered the Fade with the Anchor. This implies that Solas is not able to enter the Fade physically anymore, and holds the idea that there seems to be a duality or a separation between Solas-elf and Solas-wolf. We also saw in many codices and the murals that the Wolf figure of six eyes seems to be roaming the Fade, vigilant, while Solas is in the Waking World. This also bring to my mind the line of Cole: “He broke the dreams to stop the old dreams from waking. The wolf chews its leg off to escape the trap.” I don’t know how much of this line may be referring to a potential separation of Solas’ nature into two, leaving the “dread wolf” in the Fade [or more likely in the inner side of the Veil preventing the entrance to the Black City], as a guardian.

The destruction of the world with the fall of the Veil is more metaphorical than real. It’s not like the Waking World will “fall apart” in the literal ways as the Shattered Library did. However, it certainly will be a place with a lot of spirits and demons in a world where the Chantry taught everyone to see a spirit and think in a demon, so it’s most likely that a huge amount of spirit will end up reflecting that, causing “this world to burn in raw chaos”. The “destruction” of this world is not as physical as words seem to imply, but simply a great amount of demons everywhere given the bad, terrible education that the Chantry spread everywhere. Certainly the Avvar will be as chilling as always, lol.

Solas acknowledges that his role as a leader of a rebellion always implied dirty hands. It was the price to fight mage-kings. He recognises he has been used a lot of people in hopeless battles.

When he awoke in this world, it felt to him as if the world were filled with tranquils.

He recognises that he did not perceive the people of this world as people at first, but the more he saw the struggles and the humanity of each living creature throughout DAI, he recognisef their personhood. If Solas is your friend, he will claim it was you who showed him the personhood of the living creatures of Thedas and that there is value in this world. He recognised he was wrong in his previous impression.

Like all organisations, Solas says that the Inquisition suffers betrayal and corruption.

Solas now controls the eluvians

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