#especially the lyrium mine

[caffeinosis]

I don't know why people assume that Solas is one of the younger "gods", raised to their ranks like Ghilan'nain was, or had lower status than the others. I think he was there from the start and was instrumental in the war against the Titans and the lyrium mining and the new mural with Mythal and Elgar'nan seems to support it:

The wolf statue is in the way in this shot but there are three orbs with the same symbol here, the same one from the Titan mural. And he says "we are not gods". (I don't think that this mural depicts the beginning of his rebellion either. I think Mythal probably talks him into playing along with them).

Based on the Titan mural, Mythal destroyed the Titan(s) but he may have been the one who figured out how to channel the lyrium hearts into those orbs and that was what raised him from being just her sidekick/pet dog. Then they declared themselves gods to "protect" the people and it snowballed from there.

I think he was very complicit in all of this and that's why he's so suspiciously silent in the Descent or why he gets so pushy and insistent about whether Varric misses the Stone.

[felixora]

"Anders as Spirit of Freedom" DA concept

Original idea

A DISCLAIMER

Every one of you who'll bear with me and read this till the end — I love you, you're precious to me, thank you.

And this is NOT canon, simply my fan work.

(Also there's more new art in this post)

Now back to the topic

This idea was born from:

a question "If a spirit can become mortal, can a mortal become a spirit?"

and another concept that "connection to the Fade is like a bridge with a door that everyone has, but only mages can open" Ordinary people cannot open the door. Mages can open said door and enter the Fade. Ordinary tranquility puts a wall instead of a door (which can be reversed) And tranquility from Red Templars breaks the fcking bridge all together.

We all know that Anders escapes Kirkwall (if he's alive) and for some time travels with mages before leaving them due to animosity. Well, in this concept he goes on the run, hiding from the Seekers, templars, anyone who wants him dead.

This goes for a couple of years. The Breach happens, Ancient Magister comes and falls, Inquisition triumphs. And Anders is still on the run. Until one day his luck runs off. He was hiding in a small mountain village, when a squad of Red Templars came by, trying to force villagers to work in lyrium mines.

Some men tried to fight back and chaos ensued, during which Anders considered running away once again. But, as he was stealthily leaving the village, Anders noticed a group of villagers trying to run away, while being pursued by Templars.

Impulsively, Anders made an effort to divert attention from the running villagers, but as a result, he was captured himself. A few of the Templars were from Kirkwall, and they recognized Anders from that fateful day in the city.

Instead of killing the mage they decided to punish him in a different way – by making him tranquil and leaving him by their side in servitude. And neither Anders nor Justice could do anything against it at the time. And so, Anders was completely cut off from the emotional side of the world and Justice became trapped inside him.

While all of that was going on – someone was also looking for Anders.

An ancient elven being, Libera, the last Spirit of Freedom (though bound to mortality and broken by Ghilan'nain) woke up from her slumber thanks to a happy coincidence that was the Kirkwall appraising — Anders' scream for liberation.

And she searched for the one who screamed in this new world, on her travels recruiting mage students to pass on her teachings and involve them in her goals of freeing her own people. Until a long year after Anders was captured, she finally found him.

After dealing with all the Red Templars, she and her students approached the few Tranquil mages, and Libera knew it was Anders when she saw him. She called out to Justice, who were woke up to her presence, and asked if they want to make things right for Anders – to do him justice

And the spirit agreed. Libera took the spirit from Anders and broke it into pure energy that she then used to rebuild Anders’ connection to the Fade. And just as that, Anders returned to himself and Justice was no more.

However, nothing was well and done. When Anders came to his senses in the camp of his saviours, he was distraught by the loss of his friend, especially when he learned that it was to save his life.

Memories of yearlong torment by Templars were flowing into his head, making him relive it now with full understanding of what had happened. Not to mention the overwhelming guilt over events in Kirkwall and mage uprising that he now felt full force without Justice.

And through it all, Libera was by his side, helping him to slowly get back on his feet and fight the pain of the past years.

She had her own motives, of course. Now Anders carried spiritual energy, making him part spirit with a possibility of more. A perfect vessel to be moulded into a Spirit of Freedom. But for that, the mage needed to let go of the pain and willingly step on this spiritual path.

So, Libera took Anders in as her student, helping him to deal with his trauma and guilt, while teaching him and others magic. She showed him how to reverse tranquility with his affinity to spirit magic, how to traverse the Fade as a spirit and inspire desire for freedom in others

While Libera helped Anders to make him a full-fledged spirit, others (like Varrick, Fenris, other students in Libera’s circle) helped him find purpose and will to live as a mortal. To make him remember all the good he brought in the lives of so many, not just pain and suffering.

.

.

. Anyone who will call me out on putting Anders through more trauma and literal hell — is absolutely right, and I have no objections. Still love him though.

[heniareth]

Anyways, I ran out of tags, so I’m gonna continue this here! :D

The measurements for Spellpower and mana inefficiency are so cool!!! So spellpower basically encompasses the strength and duration of the spell and mana inefficiency the amount of mana lost as light, sound or heat during the casting of a spell? I love it! It really reframes the way we’d approach spellcasting as having a physical component as well as an intellectual one. After all, those measurements look a lot like something you’d see in P.E. classes, less like something from math classes. I’m guessing there’s an intellectual component to it, and having a solid grasp on the theory of how magic and mana and spellcasting works probably makes the spellcasting itself easier, but it’s not the end of it. In DAI, there’s banter between Dorian and Solas were they talk about how they manipulate the Veil to create magical effects and it does sound very hands-on. So I love that the evaluation method reflects that. You could have your standard high school plot of the 2000s-2010s happening at Kinloch Hold. Nerd mage asks Jock mage if they can help them increase their spellcasting prowess and offer to help them with the theory in return! This is amazing and I’m glad the ask gave way to have you figure out these things.

Also Rhodri tutoring the younger kids. It’s nice that, as far away as she was from her family, she got a chance to still live a bit of family life with the younger apprentices (until Broken Circles. Fuck. The templars. And Uldred).

Also also: the Tevinter letterheads. Oooooooh it’s so cool. An all official-sounding paper and it’s a tercet from one spouse to the other. It wamrs my heart. Also, it says a lot that Rhodri would use this sort of paper. I can imagine Dorian using everything BUT paper with that letterhead except when he absolutely has to XD XD XD XD I also love that Owen gets his own letterhead. Every member of house Callistus is important and has their own stationary. Yes, the nine-year-old is included in this, he absolutely needs his own stationary as well. I love that

I’m cackling over here at Zevran not only organizing this whole bet to get his hands on the tercet (which, oh Rhodri XD XD XD XD Don’t tell this man you wrote a love poem only to then not want to show him XD XD XD XD Also RHODRI IS A POET??? RHODRI IS A POET!!! I remember what you said about Tevinter and the arts (namely that Tevinters don’t really do hobbies or arts & crafts since these are things they could very easily purchase) and the fact that Rhodri pens her thoughts down as a poem sometimes, and especially if those thoughts are about Zevran, surely does things to Zevran’s heart)

...

Where was I? Oh yes. Not only does Zevran organize this whole bet to get his hands on the tercet, but he hides grapes in his pockets. Evil, evil man!! I’m guessing Rhodri doesn’t like grapes (or is it a throwback to that time Zevran was bored on the road and started throwing grapes at Rhodri?) Anyways, what a poem. Unflinching devotion paired with a complicated religious life. That Rhodri decides the Maker doesn’t exist so she doesn’t discharge all of her rage and grief over her friends during Broken Circle at him does things to me. It’s heartbreaking (and practical, I guess, but idk. Maybe getting real angry and screaming at the sky would’ve been a bit cathartic?). I hope Leliana (or Wynne) didn’t do too much poking on the matter. But really, how do you deal with this kind of pain when it’s doen by the servants of “your” god who supposedly left the world to its devices because rational beings were too sinful for him? And, and, Rhodri, as the head of a house is in a similar position to the Maker (although on a much smaller scale); and the Maker fails by most of her standards. What kind of person leaves his place as the head of the house bc he just can’t deal with the people he’s leading?

That Zevran’s faith is something she considers admirable though? That. That gets me. Of course, Zevran knows better than to pressure her on the matter, bless him. But... what an example does he have to set, what an experience does he have to communiacte that Rhodri sees something good about worshipping the Maker. It speaks volume about Zevran’s influence on her, the way he lives his faith and the high regard in which Rhodri holds him. I love it. Simply love it. Zevran probably knows Rhodri’s conflict with the Maker, right? That poem must’ve either sent the biggest grin to his face or made him tearful. Maybe both.

Also: Sēvē and Zēvē XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD Marvellous! They should get matching shirts XD XD XD XD Or aprons. This whole family has a wicked sense of humor XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD

Also!!!!!! The gif lets me imagine Owen so well with the mop of ginger hair, quietly working on his plants (what ARE Rhodri’s favorite plants is the question). I hope he and Rhodri get to spend lots of time in the greenhouse once Rhodri gets back.

This was an amazing read!! I apologize for being late in my answer, but my crops have been watered, fertilized, de-weeded and blessed by these lovely codexes. I also haven’t forgotten about the ones you sent me; they’re in the works. Hoooooo boy, so many great things have come out of this XD XD XD XD XD XD Thank you heaps!!

Hello my wonderful and lovely friend!!! I come, as I am wont to do, with questions for splendidissima Rhodri from the OC Codex prompts:

2. a letter written by your OC’s family member

3. a report written by your OC’s teacher or mentor

4. a letter from your OC to their love interest

Now, I don't know if you will spend these days celebrating or not, but they seem to be busy days for anybody regardless. Please take as much time as you like and pick whichever tickle your fancy. And have some lovely, lovely days. Off I go!

OH HI HEY ! 8D 8D Good to see you and thank you for sending in the prompts!! I had such a great time with these, both of my braincells were working overtime and it was a joy!

Owing to spacing and the sheer volume of the answers I'm sticking all this under the cut. I'd apologise but we both know I don't mean it x) x) x)

so o o o 2. A letter written by your OC's family member Here's one from Rhod's younger brother, Owen. Heirs aren't allowed to have favourites, but suffice it to say she and Owen had easy and natural compatibility. He was nine-ish and Rhodri would've been twelve.

The paper is bleached, high-quality Tevinter vellum, bearing a template header in red ink, reading in Tevene rune script, EX SCRIBIO CALLISTANI SPIRI (“From the desk of Spiro Callistanus”). At the top right of the page, the date 13 Justinian, 9:22 Era Drakonis is added in the same wobbly runic script in the rest of the letter. The language of writing is Tevene.

I love you Sēvē,

My birthday was good but sad without you, and thank you for my greenhouse. Mazarin and Evander aren’t allowed inside because they break everything now. Bethann sits with me in there sometimes but not for long. 

School is hard but Tata says it gets easier with time. When you come back we can go together. I think that would make it better. Mazarin and Evander are too loud and they don’t sit with me any more. Do you know any plant spells? Please write all of them down so I can learn them when my magic comes. And please tell me your favourite three plants. Mine are ivy, snake kiss, and butterleaf.

Please write lots more soon.

And I love you, from Owen your brother.

-

Author's notes:

Callistanus- ‘of’ House Callistus, the name given to non-heir family members. An heir is the house, the non-heirs are the members of said house. ‘Callistani is Callistanus in genitive (possessive- I know you know this; clarifying for other potential readers) case. Owen's Tevene name is Spiro, Spiri in genitive form.

The Callistanus/Amell kids did not cope well with Rhodri being taken to the Circle. Not least because they were an arm’s length away when the Kirkwall Templars were beating her to a pulp.  Mazarin and Evander, who already tended to be loud and demanding, became destructive and disruptive, and both of them developed explosive tempers that proved hard to pacify.  Bethann, the youngest and most sensitive sibling, suffered frequent meltdowns that required many years to identify causes for and address.  Owen, the middle child, was always quiet and courteous. The adults in his life, amid attending to his louder, needier siblings, frequently ‘checked in’ on him, and they would have used all the resources they had to attend to any need he might have, but if he said he was doing fine (he always did), they left it at that and assumed he was content to keep to himself. Rhodri had always made a point of keeping him by her side and giving him plenty of one-on-one attention even if he was ‘fine,’ and he soaked that up like a sponge. After she was taken away, though, and the other siblings proved to be very squeaky wheels, there was nobody to fill the gap in those childhood to early teen years. Owen ended up rather neglected, and horribly lonely, and hid it, even lied about it, to everyone but Rhodri for years. Consequently, Owen tends to have a low opinion of himself, and is disinclined to seek out something, however badly he might want it. He does a lot better once Rhodri's back, and certainly once his folks found out (to their unrestricted horror) how neglected he had felt, they did their darnedest to make it up to him as well. But Rhod's return was really what cemented that improvement.

§

On to 3. a report written by your OC's teacher and mentor

I liked this question because I like the idea of there being a very specific, Chantry-determined format to a progress report, filled with formalities that ostensibly show some level of "civility" between the Templars and the mages. Plus, grading system? How do the mages measure success? So many questions!! Thank you for making me think of the answers!! -

The paper is bleached, blank vellum of middle to high quality, with the standard Circle progress report template already written in with black ink. Irving’s handwriting is a neat cursive that is no longer taught in the Circles. -

Date: 7 Eluviesta, 9:21 Dragon

Tutor name and rank: Irving, F.E.

Apprentice name; age; specialisation: Rhodri S. C. Amell// 10 y.o.// Arcane Magic

Progress report number, AYTD: 2

Presenting compliments to the Knight-Commander and having the honour to report:

Following the discovery of lyrium affliction in early Verimensis 9:22, Rhodri Amell has completed three months of compensatory meditation and distraction management training. Spellpower has improved significantly, as has spell duration (Max. 4; 10s per HS); mana inefficiency has also decreased (less est. 2.5, now 5.5). Continuation of the program recommended indefinitely.

Despite her progress, Rhodri’s temper outbursts are increasing in frequency during lessons proper. I reiterate to the Knight-Commander my suspicion that these arise from the elemental damage and consequent pain in her hands from unsafe proximity to trained mana, particularly as her affliction prevents her from wearing the requisite enchanted safety gloves. As per my last reports, I strongly recommend that my apprentice be permitted to use a sylvan branch staff to prevent more of the same; responding to outbursts with punishment has proved manifestly unhelpful and I continue to urge its cessation to the Knight-Commander with the greatest emphasis.

I note that Rhodri continues to tutor beginner students in her free time. E. Delilah has anecdotally mentioned better performance in this cohort in comparison to Delilah’s previous cohort, and has advised willingness to allow my apprentice to shadow her for some classes. With assistance in managing the change in schedule, I anticipate further progress for all concerned.

Reiterating assurances to the Knight-Commander of my highest consideration.

Irving, F.E. 

-

Author's notes on abbreviations and measurements - AYTD: Academic year to date - Spellpower scale is from 0 (not casting) to 10 (Destruction of a single room - HS- healing spell (in this case spell duration measures how long the intended effects persist until the spell is cut off or wears off on its own) - Mana inefficiency scale measures how much unformed mana escapes when a spell is cast, from 0 (no mana lost) to 10 (all, or almost all mana escaped). .

§

And 4: A letter from your OC to their love interest!

The author's notes are long so I'd better just get to it:

The paper is bleached, high-quality Tevinter vellum, bearing a template header in red ink, reading in Tevene rune script, EX SCRIBIO CALLISTI SEVERIN (“From the desk of Severin Callistus”). At the top right of the page, the date 11 Pluitanis, 9:35 Era Drakonis is written in sharp, austere letters, as is the rest of the content. The language of writing is Common, with the exception of the tercet, which is in Tevene.

Dulcis,

I pen this letter to you with all my love and, in adherence to the conditions set by your challenge:

I admit that I stand corrected: pickpocketing is very difficult and is not “something I could do as easily as blinking.” (I will say, however, that hiding grapes in the pocket you were keeping the coins was entirely unnecessary. It feels like those bastard Void fruits are hiding everywhere, now.)

With great embarrassment, I enclose a reproduction of the tercetus I so foolishly admitted to writing and frankly, my love, I am starting to think you organised this whole bet so you could get your hands on it.  . In vitae finite stabit Formator ton, et querisit "A Incredule, quemisi exultum mihim offerti?" Et respondit humilite, "Ton Zevran, Sanctus amade" .

I must say, my love, I’m enjoying writing to you even though you’re right beside me. I think I’d like to do this more often– though hopefully with fewer tercetae. Maybe I could hang short missives off your Friday flowers. What do you think?

Also, please let me know if you would like to go to the Sidereal Telescopium tomorrow. Quirina is giving a speech on the upcoming New Constellations Room, and I have many questions for them.

My whole heart to you,

Severin (Rhodri). -

Author’s notes:

Tercetus- a traditional Tevene-style three-line rhyming poem.

A rough translation: At the end of life I will stand before your Maker, and he will ask me "You, Unbeliever, tell me– what worship did you ever offer me?" And I will say, simply and earnestly, "Holy Immortal, I loved Your Zevran."

Rhod’s got a complicated religious life. She started okay; the family wasn’t especially pious but they did Chantry things at the frequency considered respectable. Once she landed in Kinloch Hold, though, her prevailing question, for which never received a satisfactory answer, was: “If the Maker can do anything, and He loves us, why does he let us suffer? I wouldn’t do that, and I’m a child, nto a god.” After Broken Circle, she refused to believe the Maker existed, as a consolation to herself, and to avoid the sort of vengeful blasphemy that gets you hung, drawn, and quartered. There’s something about Zevran’s patient faith, though, and his willingness to offer thanks that he has what he has, however miserable his life has been. It’s impressively staunch, and Rhodri admires that, and treasures the comfort it brings him, enough that she slowly comes around to her idea of a compromise. Said compromise is acknowledging that if the Maker exists, He is as capable at unleashing bitter cruelty as He is at creating boundless joy. Rhod’s not one to praise bad behaviour in anyone, let alone a god who should know better, but by golly He did everyone a good turn when He made Zevran. Maybe age will bring other wisdom, but for now, she lets her love for Zevran be her tentative worship, because it’s the only praise she can offer in earnest. Though idk, what better compliment is there for a creator than someone wholeheartedly adoring their creation?  I like to think it’s enough for the time being. A religious journey isn’t always straightforward but I always found that complications bring their own insights.

I have no idea why Rhodri signs off her letters to Zevvo as ‘Severin (Rhodri).’ They agreed early on never to use the Tevene name to avoid the ridiculousness that comes with similar-sounding names (it gets especially bad when the siblings give him the Tevene-ised nickname Zēvē when they’re already calling Rhodri Sēvē. Agony!) Same deal with Owen signing off letters to her as “Owen your brother”. Must be hereditary.

Also I'm not sure about how ok it is to use Artbreeder generated images what with the art theft things going around now (I'm not sure where it stands on that sort of thing) so I'll leave out the artbreeder portrait I have of Owen. For a face claim, though, this feller here is pretty close (though I grant you Simon Wood is unlikely to be 9yo in this gif). Token ginger of the Amell-Callistus brood, what's up!

[vigilskeep]

i recently went through the main questline of emprise du lion and. does the game actually expain at all why there is so fucking much red lyrium there, and why its warm?? or is it just like. they mine it. its blood. no further explaining?

they are ahem “farming” it there for lack of a better word, but it’s not clear why they do it in this location specifically except being difficult to reach and thus difficult for the villagers to seek help and bring attention (though that surely equally makes the red lyrium difficult to transport out). iirc there’s some kind of note you can find which mentions corypheus said that the composition of the earth there or something (??) was especially suitable, but even the person writing the note didn’t get why, so it’s kind of handwaved unless something ever comes back to it that i don’t know about yet

okay i found it. from a knight-captain: “I asked the general why we needed a quarry if the crystals will grow anywhere. Apparently the Elder One believes the composition of the earth here will ensure that it grows more rapidly and abundantly.”

i quickly looked into the heat and what dorian says about it is “Interesting. It took being this cold to realise red lyrium gives off heat.” so i think that red lyrium always gives off heat but given that it’s not smart to get too close to it, it took the amount of red lyrium and the relative cold around it in emprise du lion for our heroes to feel it. i wonder if there’s supposed to be any implication that the “unseasonable chill” that froze over the entire river and made emprise du lion even more difficult to reach was related to the red lyrium’s impact? though you’d think the heat would melt the snow and cause flooding or something, not the other way around

[galsinspace]

Ok so here's my long ramble post about how I understand Dragon Age lore right now before the new game comes out and throws wrenches (or wenches) into this

Fen'Harel's creation of the Veil and imprisonment of the pseudo-gods trapped them in two seperate prisons: the Evanuris in one and the "forgotten ones" in the other. They were warring factions of powerful leaders, the Evanuris the current rulers and the Forgotten Ones wanting to overthrow them to grab power for themselves. According to Dalish lore, Fen'Harel walked among both these factions - likely because Solas wasn't interested in their power struggle.

The Forgotten Ones then became the Old Gods of Tevinter. According to codex entries you find in the Fade, the Old Gods used to talk to people and shaped the Empire. I assume they could talk to people in dreams through the Fade and thus had an especially strong connection with mages, the ruling class of Tevinter. And they used this influence to build this empire with the goal of pushing magical innovation and power until the magisters could perform a jail break.

And that unleashed the Blight! The magisters broke into the Black City, an ancient elven palace city that had been pulled onto the Fade side of the Veil because it was so magical that it couldn't exist seperate from it (even more magical than the Library that was pulled into the Fade only partially), and unleashed power that was far more than they could handle. They freed the Forgotten Ones but also Tainted them, turning them into the Archdemons. The Old Gods of Tevinter disappeared, stopped speaking to the people of Tevinter, because they'd been turned into something lesser than they used to be.

I've already made a post speculating that Ghilan'nain created the Blight as an experiment in full immortality and total control of mindless slaves. Maybe that's why the archdemons seem pretty mindless themselves now, because they're not Ghilan'nain and can't wield this magic she created exactly as she would. They're leaders among the darkspawn but they're still darkspawn themselves.

Which brings me to my next point.

It's also interesting that Corypheus is so physically melted together with red lyrium. That must have happened to him in the Black City! There must have been lyrium there!

[Edit: well fuck I guess he wasn't full of red lyrium yet in DA2]

It seems pretty clear in both Trespasser and that one inscription in the temple of Mythal that Mythal had a large scale lyrium mining operation and was waging war against the titans and dwarves about this (I've made another post about this that includes codex entries). So Mythal was also in the business of magical innovation, expanding the boundaries of magical power, why else would she need all that magical fuel! And then @lipsie introduced me to the theory that Mythal created the qunari because she's associated with dragons, and that makes SO MUCH SENSE with this one casual line in Trespasser that says that qunari mages are especially powerful, more powerful than other mages! Mythal created the qunari by splicing elf and dragon DNA to create even more powerful magic! And for all this she needed lyrium!! AND she has the horns!!!

The qunari are gonna be so mad when they find out...

It's also interesting that the qunari still live in a society so fundamentally built on obedience and conformity to assigned roles and values. I'm not saying that's genetic, that would be bullshit writing, but that this is a culture Mythal created to keep her new slaves under control. If their capacity for magic could be greater than her own, then she'd need to keep them on a very short leash so they'd never rebel against her.

Man I wish we'd gotten a saarebas companion...

But I think this will be another aspect of the theme of the plans of the elven slavemasters being overthrown when the people they want to control reject and fight them. I think this will happen with the Wardens (who carry Ghilan'nain's magical control virus), with the elves in general, AND eventually with the qunari. And the qunari will have to reckon with their very existence being the work of someone they hate, and the very values they hold being something designed to keep them oppressed. Which they already were anyway lmao but maybe this will be eye-opening for them. And some of them will probably follow Mythal and be villains!

Kind of crazy that I never realised this before when Mythal just HAS THE HORNS. Maybe she also gave herself some dragon powers.

So... Mythal.

First we hear that Fen'Harel killed her. Then that the others killed her. Then Solas says that was their greatest crime because Mythal was the best. Then he kills her.

Mythal was one of the most powerful leaders of a world we know now as a corrupt slave empire no more innocent than Tevinter, that's literally how Solas describes it. Mythal is known as a wise and just ruler in Dalish mythology, and this is because she was considered such in Arlathan: there's an old text you find in the Library that describes her wisdom in judging a conflict between two of the evanuris, and her solution is that two of their servants duel it out. That paints a pretty clear picture to me! It was a society where the powerful were the only ones deemed important, their squabbles were fought out by expendables. And this was seen as wise! No drop of important blood spilled! Just those chess figures whose value lies only in the purposes of their masters.

We see that Solas wasn't like this. Here are two things Cole says that I believe are about him:

Solas was a spirit of wisdom bound to Mythal's service. She wanted him to become an elf, so he did. He wore her vallaslin. But no longer a spirit but a "real" person, he was more than just a singular purpose - he came to want freedom and he took it. He burned her vallaslin off his face (leaving the scar on his forehead because he wasn't as skilled at it yet as when he does it for Lavellan so gently). He stayed friends with Mythal but he was free.

This is fascinating in regards to Cole's personal quest, Solas doesn't want to bind him and he doesn't want him to become a person because that's what he went through. (Varric stands for the other side because he's the perfect representation of the mundane, physical world. He's just some guy, he doesn't believe in much, he's a pulp novelist, he has a years-long situationship, AND he's a dwarf - antithetical to Fade-type magic.)

And it's also fascinating as a parallel to... Morrigan.

She was raised by Flemeth. They had this complicated relationship where they cared about each other in some ways but Morrigan was also kept fully subservient, and Flemeth was abusive. And Flemeth raised Morrigan not to be her own person but to literally become a part of her. Just a tool to take possession of. And then Morrigan kills her.

I think this is the true Mythal: an abusive mother who treats other people - her daughters, her servants, her slaves - as extensions of herself. I don't think Flemeth "corrupted" Mythal or anything like that, I think they became one because they're the same.

And Solas has this complicated relationship with her because she was his friend, she let him go free (just like Flemeth let Morrigan go in Inquisition...) but she was still a ruler of this massive unjust empire that had to go. The after credits scene where he comes to her crying feels so real, it feels like this has happened before, it feels like he's come crying to his mother.

And then he kills her. Just like Morrigan.

Because he was fundamentally against her empire, he wanted "to give wisdom, not orders". His temple Solasan carries memories of people meditating:

It's represented to us in the typical game mechanic of just slaying some enemies to gain a bonus but I'd say that's just a limitation of the genre, it's supposed to be a place of meditation and gaining deeper understanding of the elements and magical skill. The avvar came there to learn the secrets of the elements:

It was a place of learning, that was what Solas did with his power before he decided on a full slave rebellion and finally world-changing magical event. Wisdom not orders.

One of the main recurring themes in Dragon age is otherwise peaceful people being pushed to extreme action because circumstances are just that untenable. Another is having to become a leader because the cause simply needs to be pushed. Both of those are present in Solas.

The inscription on the outside of the temple is also interesting:

Solas became our end. Come not to his temple.

I think this was written by an aging elf who survived the fall of Arlathan. The world fell because of Solas, he's aging and dying because of Solas, he came to his old temple to use his last strength to curse his name.

And because this has become kind of a Solas post, I'll leave you with one last Solas snippet:

[whereismywarden]

I debated whether or not I should post this because ultimately I liked the game, but the decision to only import 3 choices left a really bad taste in my mouth, especially since a lot of things in the game are pretty clearly going to contradict some people's past decisions (sometimes even mine).

(under a read-more for length, spoilers, and negativity)

Choices that should have been imported into Veilguard because the game invalidates some past decisions (either explicitly or implicitly):

Which companions were recruited in DAI. Multiple optional companions are mentioned (one of them even appearing) in the game as if they were recruited: Dorian, Sera, Blackwall, and Cole are the ones that came up in my playthrough, some of them multiple times.

Whether or not Blackwall's arc was completed. He is called Rainier at some point, even though you can play the entire game without ever learning the truth. (Yes, you can learn about it in Trespasser in a codex entry, but imo the way it comes up in Veilguard wouldn't make much sense if that was how the Inquisition learned about it.)

Who drank from the Well of Sorrows. While it ultimately doesn't matter in your confrontation against Solas, banter between two characters all but states that Morrigan is the one who drank from the Well. Sure, they call it a rumour, but rumours don't come out of nowhere. Why would people assume Morrigan turned into a dragon if that's not something she's ever been capable of doing?

Whether or not the Dark Ritual was performed. The way Davrin talks about the ultimate sacrifice required to kill an Archdemon leaves little room for interpretation: no Grey Warden has ever survived striking the killing blow. If the Warden had survived, it should have come up in conversation.

Whether or not Morrigan had Kieran. DATV Morrigan's behaviour is more in line with the version of her who had a child in DAI. Sure, there are certain... circumstances that might explain her change in behaviour, but certainly not enough to justify her near-complete 180.

Who became Divine. When Harding brings up Leliana, it would have made sense to comment on her now being Divine if that were the case. Likewise, a codex entry about Cassandra doesn't make a lot of sense if she became Divine.

Cullen's ultimate fate. When Harding talks about him, it's pretty obvious from her tone that he stopped taking lyrium.

Isabela's fate. I can get behind her referencing DA2 companions since they lived in the same city and could realistically know each other even if she was never recruited. However, the way she talks about her past, it's pretty clear that she was not only recruited, but she stayed in Kirkwall for the long run.

Choices that could have made Veilguard more enjoyable, had they been imported into the game:

Whether or not Morrigan and Isabela were romanced. Like, come on, if you're going to bring back past romanceable companions, the least you could do is give players who did romance them a line or codex entry acknowledging that relationship.

Which characters became Grey Wardens and which are still alive by DATV's time frame. Some of them could have come up in background lines or codex entries, especially if every warden in Thedas was meant to be at Weisshaupt.

Who died killing the Archdemon (if anyone did). There are supposed to be monuments in Weisshaupt commemorating each Blight. Think of how much more emotionally impactful that quest could have been if you'd stumbled upon your Warden/Alistair/Loghain's memorial.

Who rules Orlais and Ferelden. With the game being set in Northern Thedas, these choices shouldn't really matter, and yet they're brought up in a conversation with the Inquisitor, so why not actually name these rulers?

(I haven't gone through every codex entry in the game, so this point might actually fit better in the previous category:) Fenris' and Zevran's respective fates. Based on their epilogues (should they survive), Fenris went back to Tevinter to hunt down slavers, and Zevran returned to Antiva to fight the Crows. You'd think this would be important since DATV features both locations and the Crow faction heavily.

Who was sacrificed during Here Lies the Abyss. It's been 10 years so yeah, they're most likely dead by now, but it's still a hanging plot thread. Fans who sacrificed a beloved character deserve a proper resolution. Why not a codex entry (or series of entries) the players could find in the Fade?

And these are only the things that I can think of off the top of my head! There might be more!

[exhausted-archivist]

Lore: Titans

What we know about titans is little and sparse pre-DA4. Somethings that we do know about them are:

Also known as "the pillars of the earth"

They created the dwarves, they are potentially "The Stone" that dwarves refer to.

Alternatively the titans themselves are children of "The Stone", but created the dwarves. They consider the dwarves to be their children.

Lyrium comes from titans, it is considered to be their "blood".

The titans emanate a song from lyrium, it is different from the Blight.

Titans use earthquakes to shape the earth, they also previously used "Shapers" to carve valleys into the earth.

Their size is so vast it is impossible to describe it according to Valta. They're large enough to support life within themselves, from plants to dwarves like the Sha-Brytol.

Titans enable the dwarves to have a hive mind connection with it and others.

History

At least one titan has been killed by the Evanuris - specifically Mythal. Though it is suggested that it was multiple titans.

Ancient elves mined the bodies of titans' for lyrium, but out of fear, they eventually sealed them with stone and magic. They cited that "what the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would destroy all in its anger."

Before the Dragon Age, the last time a titan was known to be awake was -1170 Ancient. Before the fall of Arlathan and before the First Blight. Both instances were the same titan.

After -1170 Ancient there is no mention of the titans in Orzammar's memories. Though there are two texts that mention titans, they predate the First Blight.

Orzammar became the capital of the dwarven kingdom after the titan awoke in -1170 Ancient.

Known Titans

We only have the confirmed location (specific or general) of two titans.

Heidrun Thaig - it is the focus of the entire Descent DLC

Orlais - It is a super general and non-specified location but it is mentioned on the handle of Tug's axe that "The Stone lives beneath Orlais." It is also mentioned by the Nexus Golem in da2 in the Abandoned Thaig. Given that the stone is a reference to titans, we know there is one somewhere in Orlais.

Theoretical Titans

These are locations for titans that are mostly theory and locations I've seen others in the fandom talk about.

Temple of Sacred Ashes - I have seen this one floating around and I have some doubts. Mostly since we don't really know how big titans are, we can't rule out that it is the same titan as the one under Heidrun Thaig. Which, considering they can cause earthquakes and are described as impossibly vast, more so than a giant or a high dragon, they're erring on the side of large for sure. Coupled with Valta saying she wanders through the body of the titan for an unknown amount of time and hasn't seen all of it, only adds to just how inexplicably large it is. Along with that, if you keep with the scale of Ferelden being the size of England then from the thaig to the temple is only a 16 day journey (240 miles/386.24 km). Adding on the scaling math I have for the depth of Heidrun - being deeper than Mariana's Trench - the Titan could very well stretch that far.

Primeval Thaig - If this was indicative of a titan location, let alone being tainted, I feel that there would have been a discovery of red lyrium so much sooner. We know how infectious that stuff is, how impossible it is to destroy and how rapidly it grows. Not only is the thaig not deep enough to be directly connected to the titan, but it was completely sealed off to prevent it spreading. That said, I do think there is a possible titan under the Vimmark mountains. So far the only titan we have a definite location on is underneath mountains. Considering they cause seismic activity, I can definitely see one slumbering under there.

Anvil of the Void - This one does seem a bit plausible to me depending on where you put the thaig. This post by @/wyrdsistersofthedas explains the plausibility quite nicely. It is a bit tinfoil-y as is anything about dwarves and titans at this point. Especially when the source is dao and with how much BioWare has set aside in terms of lore. In essence though, Cariden's anvil is connected and supplied by a massive lyrium vein. His anvil and its location is also the only location where the creation of golems has resulted in functional creations. The rest went wrong or were driven mad in some way. The golems Branka is making from the Casteless in DAI if you give her the anvil are still consistently failing.

Sternann Peak, Anderfel - There is a lyrium mine out here near the town of Geltberg. Which also implies that there is a thaig as well. Whether this is run by Orzammar dwarves or the Carta is unclear.

Beneath the elven crossroads - The lyrium mines in Trespasser might be connected to an entirely different titan or the aforementioned titan beneath Orlais. It is unclear where the the spaces you go through the crossroads even are.

Cryptic Comments From Cole and Keiran

Cole

"It's singing. A they that's an it that's asleep, but still making music."

"Their ancient shapers were mountains drawn of all their wills, walking their memories into valleys of the world".

"They made bodies from the earth, and the earth was afraid. It fought back, but they made it forget."

Keiran

"But you can't be taller. Not without the titans."

Titan Tidbits and Theories

Cole implies that templars have established a connection with the titans through their use of lyrium when asked for his opinion on the templars. Solas also echos this by describing how templar abilities work, that they pull in the reality of the world around them to shut out magic.

Though this doesn't quite explain Seeker abilities, the use of they lyrium brand and the touch of a spirit may forge a different kind of connection.

Cole comments on how "They (ancient elves) made bodies from the earth, and the earth was afraid. It fought back, but they made it forget." This suggests that maybe the original elves who are implied to be originally spirits, made bodies out of the titans (earth) and that this is one thing that instigated the war between titans and the evanuris. Though this is a speculative interpretation of what he means.

In the tabletop it is implied that in the past, the thaigs were carved from living rock - potentially the titans.

The dwarves of the elder days filled the thaigs, large open caverns beneath the earth, living in great cities carved from the living rock.

Adding to the above point, we see two instances where the old gods' prisons were under/nearby dwarven thaigs. In the Shimmer Stone Mine in the Western Approach and the Dead Trenches near the Ortan Thaig where Urthemiel amassed his army. If the oldest thaigs were carved from titans, it brings to question if the old gods were buried before or after the dwarven kingdom started building their thaigs given the "newer" thiags are above the old god prisons, and the prisons are above the titans.

If the old gods were buried after the start of the dwarven kingdom, which would be after the fall of the titans, it brings to question if the old gods are connected to Arlathan and the founding of the dwarven kingdom, and if this was one of the relics of the ancient dwarf and elf emipire collaborations mentioned in the tabletop that was forgotten about. Sandwiching them between titans and thaigs for safeguarding.

[daitranscripts]

Varric Conversation

Tell Me About Red Lyrium

Varric Masterpost

PC: The red lyrium we found at the temple seemed to upset you.

Varric: My brother Bartrand and I sort of discovered red lyrium during an expedition in the Deep Roads. We located an ancient thaig, so old it barely looked dwarven. There was this idol there, made of it. Bartrand brought it back to the surface and, well, everything’s gone downhill from there.

If asked before PC: I want to know more about red lyrium. Varric: I’ll tell you what I can.

1 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: What is it, exactly? [2]

Investigate: What can it do? [3]

Investigate: Why was it in the temple? [4]

Investigate (Skyhold only): Why would templars take it? [5]

Investigate (Skyhold only): How does it petrify people? [6]

General: That’s enough for now. [7]

2 - Investigate: What is it, exactly? PC: So what is it, just another kind of lyrium? Varric: The red stuff is lyrium like a dragon is a lizard. It’s not just a different colour. It has a whole host of weirdness all its own. I’ve written to every Mining Caste house in Orzammar. No one’s seen this stuff before or knows where it came from. [back to 1]

3 - Investigate: What can it do? PC: What makes it special? Varric: Regular lyrium can mess you up pretty badly, but you have to ingest it for that to happen. Red lyrium messes with your mind when you’re just near the stuff. You hear singing, get violent, paranoid. And then it does… creepy shit. Makes things float. Brings statues to life.

Varric (Varric kept the red lyrium shard): I’ve had a few alchemists studying it in Kirkwall. In shifts. [8] Varric (Varric did not keep the red lyrium shard): It also turned Kirkwall’s knight-commander to lyrium. Everyone’s been kept at least a hundred paces from it since. [back to 1] Varric (if asked before): It also turns people to lyrium. Considering what we saw on the mountain, probably worse things too. [back to 1]

4 - Investigate: Why was it in the temple? PC: How did the red lyrium get in the Temple of Sacred Ashes? Varric: I don’t know.

Varric (Varric kept the red lyrium shard): As far as I knew, there was only one small piece of the original idol we brought out of the Deep Roads. And it’s locked in a vault in Kirkwall—one I had built by the Mining Caste especially to hold it. [8] Varric(Varric did not keep the red lyrium shard): So far as I knew, the only piece to make it to the surface was destroyed. And the location of the thaig it came from is a secret. Did someone find more of it in the Deep Roads? That’s not a cheery thought. [back to 1]

8 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: You have a piece of it? [9]

Investigate: Isn’t that dangerous? [10]

[Back to 1]

9 - Investigate: You have a piece of it? PC: Why do you have red lyrium? Varric: My brother kept a sliver when he sold it. I’m pretty sure he held onto it because it was already “talking” to him.

Varric (Bartrand alive): That little shard drove him mad. I had him taken to a sanitarium and eventually found the fragment in his house. Varric (Bartrand died): That little shard drove him mad. After his death, I found it hidden in his house.

Varric: We brought the shit to the surface, Bartrand and I. I wanted to find out if there was a way to shut it up. So far, it looks like the answer is no. [back to 8]

10 - Investigate: Isn’t that dangerous? PC: If red lyrium is as dangerous as you say, why do you keep it? Varric: I’ve heard that shit “singing” to me. I know better than anyone how bad it is. In Orzammar, miners keep regular, non-crazy raw lyrium in special lead-lined containers. Actually, it’s a huge secret how they’re constructed. Keeps surface-folk from horning in on the lyrium trade. I pulled a lot of strings and got a smith to build me four of them nested inside each other. Nobody gets to study it up close for more than an hour, and they have to wait a week between shifts. [back to 8]

5 - Investigate: Why would templars take it? PC: What could the templars want with it? Varric: In Kirkwall, just having the lyrium idol made Knight-Commander Meredith impossibly strong. Before it turned her into a lyrium statue, anyway. Maybe they thought the power was worth it. Or maybe they didn’t know the consequences. [back to 1]

6 - Investigate: How does it petrify people? PC: I’ve seen it infect people like a disease and turn them to lyrium. How can it do that? Varric: That’s a good question.

Varric (Varric kept the red lyrium shard): The people I’ve had studying the stuff say you need to actually touch it to get infected. But it seems to take time. The longer you spend with it, the more likely you’ll come down with a case of the crazy. But how it works, and if it can be cured, they haven’t figured out. [8] Varric (Varric did not keep the red lyrium shard): To tell the truth, we don’t really know what that shit can do to a person. And I don’t want to find out. [back to 1]

7 - General: That’s enough for now. PC: I think that’s enough on red lyrium. Varric: Yeah, not really my favorite subject.

[deusexlachina]

Wannabe Warden Part 16: Become the Ultimate Darkspawn Slayer

In which I do everything possible to become the deadliest possible enemy of darkspawn. Short of becoming a Grey Warden.

(And, to do it, I use the ultimate weapon of the Grey Wardens: Math.)

It is now Act 3. This is the peak of Aveline's journey. This is when her story comes to a close, when her companions finish their arcs, and, most importantly, when her build is finished. Is she a deadly striker? A flexible battlefield controller? But there is only one true path for Aveline.

I build her to kill darkspawn as efficiently as possible.

Nothing says "as efficiently as possible" as the Primeval Lyrium Rune, so this is the first step in my darkspawn-slaying aspiration. I get this as a reward for doing a quest dealing with the fallout of the deadly red lyrium, which induced Bartrand to betray his brother, broke his mind, and now a mere fragment of it is making a haunted house, with floating pottery and everything, which is a feat because there's not even a ghost story here, just a really nasty rock.

As we venture deeper into the house, Varric becomes increasingly desperate to find the red lyrium shard, being uncharacteristically rough with a survivor. His mind is already beginning to be distorted by the unholy thing, but he insists on keeping the shard - he needs it to find a way to save his brother! But that's more the shard talking, so I take it from him, which he later thanks me for. I dispose of the exceedingly dangerous shard in the safest way possible: by giving the shard, which can make dwarves evil, to Sandal, who lives in my house and can make explosives.

He then makes it into a rune. That's the Primeval Lyrium Rune. I've taken it away for Varric just to use it for myself as a weapon. This is exactly what Knight-Commander Meredith does, an act that leads to her becoming increasingly evil and then a rock. But Bartrand, Varric and Knight-Commander Meredith don't have the strength of a Grey Warden. Neither do I, but that's a technicality. I just decide not to be corrupted. I'm Merrilling the red lyrium.

But I can only use the Primeval Lyrium Rune once, so the next step is to find the perfect anti-darkspawn weapon. Darkspawn have two weaknesses - spirit, because they're unholy creatures, and nature, because uh poison fucks them up I guess. My only Nature option is Desdemona's Blade, which is largely obsolete. I don't feel bad for it. It's had more than enough glory for one blade. That leaves the best spirit weapons - the Celebrant and the Edge of Night.

Most would say the Celebrant is the better of these. (Many would say Bloom, the ice axe, is better than either of these, or anything else, but they're wrong because cold damage is not the most efficient way to kill darkspawn, my true enemy). But after the Arishok fight, I'm feeling especially skeptical - not to mention spiteful - of conventional wisdom. I tanked the Arishok that you supposedly can't tank, and melted him with a one-hander, which supposedly might as well be safety scissors. So I do a few tests of my own.

I do some math and the Edge of Night is better than the Celebrant. With each equipped with the red lyrium, the Edge is just over 15% faster, which is fantastic if you're a Berserker and do lots of damage per hit. Wait! I am that thing! The Celebrant deals slightly more damage per hit...but the difference is miniscule compared to my overall damage, whereas the attack speed difference is much larger and scales better.

I need to test it in practice, and I find the perfect unwilling research participant: a High Dragon has killed everyone working at the mine, which it always does regardless of what you do, whether you save the miners from three other threats or don't even induce them to come back to the mine in the first place. I feel like there must be some kind of moral here, but the best I can think of is the dangers of unaccompanied miners.

But this is just me being scientific. Of course the Edge is better. I just mathed it out. So I confidently stride out to slay the High Dragon and die horribly to hordes and hordes of its shitty babies. I try again, in case that time was a fluke, and die horribly again and again. I'm...just not killing them fast enough. But...but the math! Did the math let me down, just like Other Aveline? The High Dragon is laughing at me so hard that its jaw dislocates.

I try with the Celebrant, and said babies aren't even a problem. I start to wonder if the consensus is a consensus for a reason. But I'm stubborn. I'm determined to prove that a one-hander can be the ultimate darkspawn slayer. I practice more, and find that - while the AOE is much smaller than for a 2-hander, with some fancy footwork, I can manipulate enemies into my small arc, hitting more of them at the same time than it looks like I should be able to with my tiny swings - swings noticeably faster than a 2-hander. I also try a different set of talents, this time taking Perception so enemies get no advantage from being behind me. They're hitting my exposed back but, uh, they aren't. Skill issue. This does a lot to help with survivability.

I also try out Adrenaline, which trades stamina for damage. This is the same thing as Berserk but even more. The tactical depth here is stunning, though not as stunning as the fact that some Berserkers don't use it. Including me, until now. Even the Mach-5 Massacre guide, probably the best build that has survived the purge of the Bioware forums, says jury's out on Adrenaline. I don't know who bribed this jury, because as soon as I fully upgrade it and start spamming it, in conjunction with my usual Vanguard, Berserker and Reaver tricks, I'm killing dragon babies so fast that I risk long-term ecological devastation. Guys I'm starting to think adding 8% to all your damage per cast with no cooldown over 8 seconds might be a little broken.

This is representative damage without any Adrenaline. I would show you damage with Adrenaline, but it's a little tricky to get a screenshot of that, because the enemies die too quickly. The High Dragon can take it, but he's so big that my damage doesn't always display, which is not a big deal at all unless you're doing some kind of damage experiment.

Seething with bloodlust, adrenaline and, most intoxicating of all, the sensation of proving other people wrong, I hack my way through dragon after dragon until the High Dragon runs out of babies to throw at me. I slay it without caring how I got up on its head, why I didn't lead with that, or what my shield is doing floating several inches from my body.

I am victorious, not only against the High Dragon, but against everyone who said one-handers were bad. With its blood, I make a rune of valiance for my gloves and a rune of devastation to make the Edge of Night even deadlier.

I am now ready to slay darkspawn so quickly that the Wardens can no longer deny my prowess. I will reunite with Bethany and avenge Carver. All I need now is the perfect chance to show off my might...

[lairofdragonagelore]

The Crossroads [DLC Trespasser]: Unknown Ruin

This particular section of the Deep Roads seems to have been abandoned. It connects to a former lyrium mining site of unknown origin, which contains statues of Mythal, Fen'Harel, and of an unknown creature. Unlike dwarven constructions, this location lacks the usual lightning and heating produced by moulting rock, turning it unusually dark. There is no trace of darkspawn activity either.

This place is divided into

Overlook

Excavated Caves

Lower Walkways

Unknown Ruin

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]

Once we visit the Lower Archives and the Scholar’s Retreat, we have access to a discharge power that blows rubble away and it can be used in the Deep Roads section against a rubble-blocked door. Free, we can see an eluvian inside a small room.

When we step into the eluvian, we are transported to an Unknown Ruin of dwarven architecture with Elvhen decorations: four golden Howling Fen'Harel statues and an Elven Owl statue welcome us. The Fen'Harel statue may represent protection of this place, while the owl, a "secret to keep".  These concepts seem to coincide with what the Dev’s note says for this room: a place where Solas reached to the conclusion that the Evanuris needed to be stopped, but their actions had to be kept in secret in order to avoid anyone else to be tempted of repeating their actions [More details in Murals in DAI].

If we see the details of the corridors, they are a rich combination of dwarven and elvhen styles: elvhen statues on dwarven-made bases. The walls are dwarven and show dwarven patterns, sometimes decorated with the golden lines or golden helicoids proper of elvhen design. 

The Elven Owl statue has Veilfire at its talons which is expected. If this statue is related to Dirthamen and secrets, it seems reasonable to see it as a source of Veilfire, with which the secrets are revealed. Fen’Harel howling wolves sit at its sides, again, almost as if he were guarding this entrance. We have seen this configuration with Mythal before: the central statue is in a position that means “being honoured”, while the wolves around it represent “protecting it”.

The small corridor we follow has typical decorated elvhen mosaics on the ground [which contains the asterisk symbol], as the walls are made of dwarven style, and decorated in golden with elvhen patterns. The ceiling is a combination of elvhen and dwarven styles. I don't know where in Thedas this place is located, since we came here through an eluvian in the Deep Roads, but what we can know for sure is that this dwarven-elvhen ruin is on the surface: we can see the Sun entering the room through the hole in the ceiling.

The corridors lead to a small room with a big mural.

Like in all the places where we find a Sitting Fen'Harel statue with an elven box in its paws, we know that a puzzle must be solved. As usual, there is a Stone in Razikale-Ceremony-style which gives instructions about it.

At a corner of the room, we find two Howling Fen'Harel statues, one fallen, the other broken, and a golden Elven Owl statue. It looks like there was a secondary altar here, with the golden figure in the middle of the two Fen’Harel statues. Here, the symbols again seem to relate in some way to Dirthamen with Solas. The pattern that Dirthamen is always around Fen'Harel's business is something that is repeated quite frequently, especially in Trespasser, but the exact relationship to understand it is never given. 

------------- A brief comment apart ------------------

Note: Even though one would think that the Owl statue is an undeniable symbol of Falon’Din, along all the posts we were visiting so far we have noticed an overlapping of “associations” for this animal: 

The owl is related to secrets and Dirthamen [The Lost Temple of Dirthamen shows a link between this statue and “a Path of secrets”, plus the whole Temple seem to imply knowing secret, horrifying spirit-bind processes that may or may not include Falon’Din].  

Tevinter art has an Arcane Flag where it’s obvious that represents an elvhen owl statue. This gives us an idea that magical knowledge is related to this symbol simply because Tevinter co-opted it from the Elvhen.

The relationship of the Owl with Falon’Din only belongs to the unreliable Dalish tales, as well as Dirthamen’s two ravens. This may represent that Dirthamen’s symbol was attributed to Falon’Din by accident given the strange symbiotic and inseparable relationship that Dirthamen and Falon’Din have. 

And in a less popular way, the owl has also been attributed as the messenger of Andruil [ Andruil's Messenger]. This knowledge is also based on the unreliable Dalish Tales. 

In conclusion, the owl is not exactly an animal we can link to any of the three Evanuris [Dirthamen, Falon’Din and Andruil] with a strong degree of certainty. However, to me, the strongest proof is the Tevinter Flag. The owl is related to arcane knowledge, and The Lost Temple of Dirthamen has shown us that Dirthamen has knowledge of bounding processes, strange manipulations made by Ghilan’nain [Her red mosaic and potential connections to The Horror of Hormak], and maybe including the scaled ones [given the paintings in his Temple]. It is also true that all of this may end up applying to Falon’Din due to the curious lack of any representation of Dirthamen in his own Temple and a lot of iconography of Falon’Din, but that may be attributed to their “twin” nature, that must mean a lot more than the Dalish Tales grasp.

Still, for simplicity’s sake, I will keep saying for this particular post that the owl represents Dirthamen but keep in mind the fragile pieces of information we have about this symbol.

For more details about the relationship between Falon’Din and Dirthamen, check Humanoid Dirthamen, the two parts of The Lost Temple of Dirthamen, and Ancient Elven codices; The Lost Temple of Dirthamen.

------------------------------------------------------

Once we solve the puzzle with the very creepy Sitting Fen'Harel statue, we can read one of the most important codices in Trespasser: Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads.

The inquisitor gives us a bit more of context: the Evanuris fought the Titans, mined their bodies for lyrium [which is a reinforcer of reality and shape that they may have used to develop a slavery system based on Vallaslins], and “something else”. This “something else” may represent some forbidden or ugly magical procedure [hence the presence of the owl statue as a symbol of secret but also arcane knowledge] .

With Cole's cryptic messages at the Winter Palace, we can suspect that the Evanuris began to create bodies from the earth, and used the Vallaslin based on lyrium as a way to "reinforce" shape onto their own kind, maybe bounding the elves into these bodies. Metaphorically, it is a similar process to the creation of Golems that has been explained to us in DAO, with Caridin's Journal. Both final creatures are slaves.

According to Cole’s cryptic line, we can infer that this may have the cause for the Titans to feel the need to fight the elvhenan back: the titans saw in the ability to create bodies of the elvhenan a danger or an abuse, while the Elvhenan felt threatened by the Titans due to the shakes their creation process caused in the elvhenan cities.

The veilfire brazier is located on the heart of the Titan, drawing all our attention to it. It has the same symbol that the orb held by the elvhen at the right. This asterisk symbol has appeared in other murals as well and I think it’s safe to associate it with the heart of a Titan thanks to this mural. It’s also where you put Veilfire. More details about this mural in Murals in DAI.

When we solve the puzzle, we obtain the Heart of Pride, a staff that, in my opinion, is not the one we see in most of Solas’ murals. The model for the Heart of Pride is a twisted branch with two dogs tied to it. Looks more Alamarri than elvhen in design.

The staff we see that Solas has [1, 3, 4] is more similar to a head of a Halla with strange, messy horns. The option [2] may not even represent Solas, as we discussed in Forgotten Sanctuary. 

The description of Heart of Pride doesn’t add anything extra. It’s in any case creepy: laughter of pride while Fade energy clings to the staff, as if an echo of creatures of pride, diluted in this Fade energy, were desperately trying to reach to this feeling that this staff gives to its user. We don’t even know if it’s elvhen-made.

[death-rebirth-senshi]

Man re-watching the cutscene it's really blink and you'll miss it to even get "Bianca gave the key to the red lyrium mine to a warden mage" and only if you played the dlc would you know that Bianca actually gave it directly to Corypheus himself. And even then it's done in such a way that it's easy to miss "Corypheus got all that red lyrium thanks to Bianca." Was always more focused on the "blighted" and "alive" part.

(Especially given that you first come across red lyrium in Haven, where it gives the impression that it just kind of grows around Corypheus. Aside from him kind of looking he's embedded with red lyrium. Where did all that red lyrium in Haven come from anyway.)

Presumably you start this quest as "cut the supply of red lyrium" but there tends to be hours between getting a quest and doing it and in that between time I usually lose the plot.

[dreadfutures]

For the director's commentary ask game thing: I'd *love* a director's commentary on your inspiration for/ thoughts on the academic texts in your amazing Dorian & Solas fic "strike a match (whisper my name)." Particularly Memories of Callistus, Magister and Scholar that shows up in chapter 3. Your descriptions of it and the passage you wrote for it were just *so* cool!!

Oh, thank you so much!

FIC: [strike a match (whisper my name)]

Rating: T | Pairing: Dorian & Solas | Multichap: 7/7

Dorian and Solas go back and forth during Inquisition, arguing over whether Corypheus' magic is powered by blood, red lyrium, the Blight itself, or some unholy combination of the two. An academic rivalry that leads to friendship - even in the face of the end of the world.

One thing Dorian expresses canonically in DAI, especially if you take him to the Fade in HLTA, is that he does not find it a beautiful place at all. Despite his disagreements with Vivienne on most things, he does align with her on the idea that everything beautiful in the Fade is a lie, a danger, and that underneath there is something that cannot be trusted and may very well be repulsive. In this fic, Solas offers Dorian a bit of an olive branch between their Blight-vs-Blood-vs-Red Lyrium tete-a-tete, and he lends Dorian a book that he hopes will show Dorian that there is beauty in the Fade, that can be trusted.

This book is a diary of Magister Callistus.

And... Callistus, the book, and the passage Dorian reads is from a Codex: Walking the Fade - Frozen Moments.

Only when I let go of my desires and humbled myself was the Fade opened to me. The spirits came and took it upon themselves to be my guides, my lanterns in the darkness. At their command, the paths grew still, and I could walk them again and again. I was shown vast oceans, containing not water, but memories, drawn from the minds of dreamers. I drifted through frozen moments, like paintings, perfect in each detail. As I explored this impossible realm, the spirits kept darker things at bay. I came to trust them, even love them, and I saw my own love reflected in them.

To know the Fade, one cannot seek to master it. The Fade is the master, the teacher. We are merely apprentices.

—Writings of Magister Callistus of Taraevyn, known to some as "Callistus the Fade-Touched"

I've been really touched that more than one person has so enjoyed the book exchange Solas and Dorian engage in! But this one isn't mine.

I go lore-hunting quite often and stumble across these codices, and then I dream up ways to include them in fics. Most often, these are notes and letters to discover, if I am trying to include them specifically, OR, they point me in directions of ideas and concepts that are known and discussed IN UNIVERSE between characters, and thus give me an idea of what people generally might know and talk about.

In this fic specifically, I knew I wanted Solas and Dorian to engage in a book exchange. Now, there aren't a lot of texts on the subject they're actually debating (blood magic, blight magic, and red lyrium). However, they are both surprisingly stuffy academics...each with a softer side that challenges and entertains the status quo. That's why Dorian was such a prodigy, a thaumaturge, becoming an Enchanter so young. He's a researcher, entertaining whimsical ideas others might write off. Solas, as both a Dreamer and an ancient elf who literally created the Veil, has a breadth of knowledge and experience beyond most - and because he values intellectual discovery, dangles that knowledge like a lure, hoping that someone else will appreciate the shiny things he has gathered.

And I needed them to be friends, after establishing them as barely tenuous, and quite contentious, allies.

So I thought: what's an event that might trigger Dorian to express an opinion that Solas can challenge? and how can Solas challenge it as an academic, rather than relying on the ol' "i dreamed about it" deal? How about a book! I listened to a bunch of Dorian's dialogue, latched on to this idea of a) Tevinter Magisters *know* about Dreamers, and have records of them! b) How do they truly view the Fade, and Demons? What do their *academics* think, versus Dorian's somewhat traumatized post-HLTA reaction? c) Are there any codices or books that relate to Dreamers, their experiences in the Fade, and beautiful experiences?

And with just a little bit of googling and wiki-walking, I found Callistus.

Now the other "text" in the fic is an unnamed tome written in both Elven and Tevene:

Dorian knows what the book is the moment he sees that the pages are mirrored — on the left hand side there is the unfamiliar and thought to be lost elven script, and on the right there is ancient Tevene.

And the pages are soaked in blood.

It is an ancient academic text, written by two collaborators studying the newly erected Veil! He has no idea where it has been hiding his whole life — or for the past several centuries — but it is the find of a lifetime, to be sure.

I knew pretty early on (because my brain is hung up on my own AUs) that this would take place in Ixchel's young!lifetime. Solas does not want to win. Solas sees modern people as people. He knows what will happen to them if he wins. And he is desperate for someone to stop him. Young!Ixchel gave up. But Dorian? Dorian, presented with a clue? Would he ever give up the search? No!

So I thought about what kind of thing might be the key to unraveling this mystery of the nature of magic and its subtypes, and the nature of time. They are all connected in DA, that's pretty clear to me. The question of how and why and when it all became that way is another mystery.

And I like to think about the peoples of Thedas as...people. Ancient elves survived the Fall of Arlathan/the Creation of the Veil. They interacted with the nascent Tevinter Imperium, exchanging ideas, religions, practices, beliefs, and skills. Surely--surely!--there were people studying the Veil, which had not been there before. What if they worked together?

People are people!

And how useful would it be, to have information from someone who knew what it was like before the Veil, and who could analyze and describe this new phenomenon in detail, and perform tests and such with lifetimes of experience and wisdom guiding them? Surely that would save Dorian a lot of time. And that would certainly be something that Solas could get his hands on, I'm sure.

This was roughly the same time as the DA Comic, The Missing, was coming out, which seems to be a game of cat-and-mouse and leaving clues behind between Solas and Varric, so it really felt in-character for Solas to leave this book where Dorian could find it.

I initially envisioned the fic to have Solas in the audience at one of Dorian's lectures, ask an impertinent question, and argue with Dorian briefly before Dorian realizes--this is Solas! but Solas would get away before Dorian could end his seminar and give chase. That didn't happen (boy, I did not want to write that seminar and question session!!! LOL just #thesis hell getting too real), so instead I implied that Solas was in the audience, had listened to Dorian's theories, and knew exactly what to give Dorian to push him to the next realization, and left it in Dorian's house.

Anyway, thanks for letting me ramble about how I find obscure codices lol. DA has so many! of them!

[dragon-age-codex-entries]

Codex entry: Lyrium (Origins)

“More than half the wealth of Orzammar comes from a single, extremely rare substance: Lyrium. The Chantry believes it to be the "Waters of the Fade" mentioned in the Canticle of Threnodies, the very stuff of creation itself, from whence the Maker fashioned the world. Only a handful of Mining Caste families hazard extracting the ore, finding veins in the Stone quite literally by ear. For in its raw form, lyrium sings, and the discerning can hear the sound even through solid rock.

Even though dwarves have a natural resistance, raw lyrium is dangerous for all but the most experienced of the Mining Caste to handle. Even for dwarves, exposure to the unprocessed mineral can cause deafness or memory loss. For humans and elves, direct contact with lyrium ore produces nausea, blistering of the skin, and dementia. Mages cannot even approach unprocessed lyrium. Doing so is invariably fatal.

Despite its dangers, lyrium is the single most valuable mineral currently known. In the Tevinter Imperium, it has been known to command a higher price than diamond. The dwarves sell very little of the processed mineral to the surface, giving the greater portion of what they mine to their own smiths, who use it in the forging of all truly superior dwarven weapons and armor. What processed lyrium is sold on the surface goes only to the Chantry, who strictly control the supply. From the Chantry, it is dispensed both to the templars, who make use of it in tracking and fighting maleficarum, and to the Circle.

In the hands of the Circle, lyrium reaches its fullest potential. Their Formari craftsmen transform it into an array of useful items from the practical, such as magically hardened stone for construction, to the legendary silver armor of King Calenhad.

When mixed into liquid and ingested, lyrium allows mages to enter the Fade when fully aware, unlike all others who reach it only when dreaming. Such potions can also be used to aid in the casting of especially taxing spells, for a short time granting a mage far greater power than he normally wields.

Lyrium has its costs, however. Prolonged use becomes addictive, the cravings unbearable. Over time, templars grow disoriented, incapable of distinguishing memory from present, or dream from waking. They frequently become paranoid, as their worst memories and nightmares haunt their waking hours. Mages have additionally been known to suffer physical mutation: The magister lords of the Tevinter Imperium were widely reputed to have been so affected by their years of lyrium use that they could not be recognized by their own kin, nor even as creatures that had once been human.”

—From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi

[vigilskeep]

Now you got me thinking Templar reclamation by:

Loved ones of mages (example; the Hawke family... especially Keir)

And Dwarves ("no soul" my ass, get 'em dwarves)

I think it'd be hilarious tbh. Like no thank you, I can take care of my mage sibling/kid/spouse/friend/neighbor myself... look see I even have your shit.

... Do you think Templars can smite and silence eachother because of the Lyrium in them or...?

i definitely think a lot about dwarves reclaiming templar abilities. those powers don’t come from the maker, after all; they very literally come from the stone, and from lyrium, the gift of the stone, that only the stone’s children can mine

and yeah i think there’s definitely something in giving communities the power to temper their own growing mages rather than it being so controlled by the chantry’s monopoly

i don’t THINK templars’ abilities would work on each other but it’s been a while since i brushed up on how they work

[l8rose]

Smith From Another Land

Chapter 75

I can hear it.”

Of all the things Ara expected him to say, that was not it. She genuinely was not prepared for that level of honesty, and it brought a hundred more questions but all of those had to wait when they came face to face with another group of Sha-Brytol.

The lyrium-clad creatures seemed intent on keeping them from moving forward. Something that apparently annoyed the humming in her head.

It was only after the battle was over that she seized the chance to ask him about it.

If he heard it like she did or if it was just the buzzing hum like Varric and the wall.

Only it seemed like she was not going to get the chance to ask as it was battle after battle and when they were not in action, the tunnel had become too small for them to speak without being overheard by the others.

Not that it stopped her but each time she tried to speak to Solas, he seemed to shy away and move closer to Ellana or Varric. Like he knew she would not bring up the questions she still had.

He’s avoiding me.

The realization did little to help the irritation that seemed to be her constant companion.

She was never gladder to encounter things to fight. Fighting seemed to help with the irritation that was named ‘Solas’ but it got worse each time she was left alone with her own thoughts.

Even the hum did little to stop the runaway wagon that made up her thoughts.

Everything from Solas to the Titan, even going back to the dragon that they had encountered on the way to the Storm Coast. Then there was the lack of the sun. And her armour was starting to rub her shoulder the wrong way. And her skin was itchy.

It was when they hit the giant cavern that the feeling stopped getting worse. It just kind of stayed at a level that was just everything in the blasted place was designed to make her angry. Even the hum was back to making her annoyed as it gradually became a headache. The kind that pressed at the back of her eyes.

Or perhaps it was that particular shade of blue that seemed to be everywhere.  

She was really starting to hate that color.

Especially once they rounded a corner and stepped into a large cavern full of jagged stalactites and stalagmites. Only these were covered in glowing blue roots.

Ara stopped dead in her tracks and just stared.

It looks like veins. Strange, glowing veins.

“Ara?” Ellana’s voice was cautious but concerned. “Is something wr-oh.”

Everyone stepped out of the narrow tunnel behind her and they were all faced with the blue glow.

“Look at that,” Ellana said in wonder. “Like stars at night.”

She could not help but look up at the elf’s words and saw the glittering dots of blue far above them. It did look like stars, but it only made her feel like they were somewhere they should not be. The lack of a moon or even a different color only added to her growing discomfort.

“All these lyrium veins,” Valta said in equal wonder to match Ellana. “And they’re completely untapped.”

Ara whipped her head towards the Shaper and just stared at her.

Out of the six of them, three were non-dwarves and she had heard from the beginning that lyrium was dangerous to them. Yet here they were striding in like this was completely normal and safe.

That hum in her head felt like it was trying to be soothing. Like it was trying to tell her that they would not be harmed by the lyrium.

Somehow, she did not believe it.

“It should be fine.” Varric quickly said. “As long as you don’t touch the open veins.”

“He’s right.” Renn agreed. “These veins are untapped so if we just keep our distance, we should be fine.”

“Should?” Ara asked.

“Raw lyrium is bad for anyone that goes near it.” Renn continued to explain, seemingly delighted by the fact that he was actually getting the chance to talk to her.

“Even dwarves?”

“Even dwarves.” Renn continued. “Deafness and memory loss are the worst I’ve seen among the Legions who came from the mining caste.”

“Great,” Ara mumbled and looked back at the lyrium tendrils. “Anything else to worry about?”

“Sometimes the veins explode.” He said it with all the candour of discussing the weather.

“This is what they force-fed me?” Ara asked in disbelief, her attention turning towards Varric.

“Hey, you’re the one who told me you tried poisons on your own,” Varric said with a good-natured shrug, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

“Plants don’t explode.”

Ara was certain the hum in her head was laughing at their banter, but she tried to drown it out. She let out a huff and started following Ellana in the only route down. She did her best to avoid stepping anywhere near the glowing veins of lyrium.

It did not help when she passed closer to one vein than she liked and felt goosebumps rise on her arm. The more they walked, the worse everything felt. Her irritation was made worse by the strange prickling that had started along her skin as she passed the lyrium veins.

It was like every hair on her body was standing but it was also like a pressure. Like something was travelling up her bare skin. It was not distinct enough to be painful or even ticklish, but it was there.

It had started out like an itch she could not scratch.

“I see no evidence of darkspawn here.” Valta’s voice echoed throughout the cavern.

“Let’s just be grateful,” Ellana said.

Ara snorted but did not add in that she knew there were no darkspawn down this far. A quick glance over at Varric and she kept her mouth closed even more. He was very subtly shaking his head to her. A clear indication that she should just keep quiet.

Guess he doesn’t want me to tell them I can smell the darkspawn.

She knew she should have been grateful that Varric was willing to keep her secrets but she just felt irritated.

“But there must be a reason they avoid this place.” Valta’s words were more of a statement than a question.

“Raw lyrium is bad,” Ara said with an annoyed shrug before scratching at the armor over her shoulder.

No one had a chance to respond as more of those sha-brytol arrived. There were more than she cared to count and this time they were accompanied by more strange-looking creatures.

At first glance, Ara had thought they were bears as they seemed to have the same kind of shape. She realized her mistake when she saw the horns and a face uglier than a troll’s backside.

Fighting them seemed easier than fighting the lyrium-infused dwarves but she made no discrimination during the fight. Somehow, they all managed not to get shot full of holes.

She could hear the others talking during the fight, but she shoved it all down and focused solely on fighting the enemies before them. Even as her irritation rose, she was still able to drown out all the other problems with the continuous swing of her weapon. That was familiar. That was easy.

Even if everything was bathed in blue, she could almost sense a faint tinge of purple beginning at the edges of her sight. She tried not to think about it as she continued to fight.

Even when they stopped for a breather, it did not fade.

It felt like the start of a blood rage, but she knew the color was wrong. Her vision had always gone red, and this color was far from that.

She gripped the handle of her weapon even tighter as she tried to focus on something other than that purple, or the hum, or the strange sense across her skin. Everything just felt wrong and loud. She wanted to cover her ears and eyes at the same time, but she knew that would have yet another round of someone asking her if she was okay.

That hum in her head grew louder and she could hear the faint words mixed in. Unfamiliar words but dimly, she thought of the word wall they had already passed.

Another must have been nearby.

She felt her body sway towards it.

“Ara?” Varric’s voice was full of concern, but he sounded louder than he should have. Not quite a yell but loud like he was speaking directly into her ear.

“What?” Ara whipped her head towards him.

Varric was some distance away and his face shared the same concern as his voice.

“I think if you hold that any tighter, the handle is going to snap.” He said softly.

She blinked and looked down at her hands. Her knuckles had gone bone white on the handle.

“Oh.” Ara quickly loosened her grip and could see the imprints her fingers had made in the handle. She quickly sucked in a deep breath of air.  “Thanks…”

Varric frowned at her, but he said nothing.

She tried to smile as she rubbed her fingernails against her scalp. Like she was dealing with itchy skin but all that did was make her ears twitch. It did little to help the sensations all over her skin.

“Why don’t you try to relax for a little bit?” Varric asked softly.

She knew it was his way of showing concern. There was a brief second that she felt bad for snapping at him earlier but then the prickling feeling just chased away any goodwill she had. She looked up at the ceiling and tried to focus on something other than being irritated at Varric.

Solas and his lies deserved her irritation. Ellana, maybe for being just so damn optimistic and bossy. But Varric always treated her the same. There was no reason to be annoyed with him.

Wait… why… am I irritated at them all…?

There was no answering hum in her head to explain it. And even trying to figure it out was just making her more annoyed.

“I’m fine,” Ara said through gritted teeth before trying to force her face to relax. “Just… miss the sky.”

“You and me, both.” Varric agreed with a nod. It sounded genuine but Ara felt like he was patronizing her. “I think I’ll sit out on any other trips down here.”

She clenched her teeth again and sucked in another lungful of air through them.

“I think we will be done soon,” Solas said quietly, just loud enough that the two of them could hear him.

“I hope so,” Varric responded.

“Ellana is just looking at another one of those strange walls.” Solas continued.

Ara said nothing and merely stared at the wall. Anything was better than having to talk with him. She felt like she was close to losing her mind. It made her really wish she had something to hit. Something, anything. Just an enemy she could vent this mind-numbing irritation on.

“We must be nearing the source.” Valta’s voice rang out through the cavern and Ara glanced towards her.

Ara was surprised to see Valta and Ellana walking towards them all from the tunnel forward. She had not realized the pair had gone off.

“Come on, this is apparently the right way to go.” Ellana motioned them all forward before she started down the tunnel with Valta.

Ara shook her head as she tried to clear her head. Another deep breath and she followed the pair.

That hum was almost overwhelming as they travelled down the tunnel. It was still much too blue for it to be truly dark, but that darkness did not last long. Soon, the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern far larger than any place they had been since they had stepped off that first lift.

“By the Stone…” Renn’s voice was low, but the words seemed to echo the feelings everyone had.

 She could see a landscape before them that should not have existed. Trees and ferns grew from raised pillars. The horizon was like a blue sky. Walkways of carved stone.  It almost looked like they were standing on top of a giant mountain and looking down into the mist far below.

A wave of smells hit Ara and she instantly regretted taking a breath of air. She could smell lyrium and plants. Water and dirt. The people she was walking with. The sha-brytol further in. It was almost too much.

“Nothing should surprise me anymore, but this…” Valta started. “Wait!”

Everyone turned to look at Valta as she leaned against the stone guardrail.

“The rhythm we followed – we’ve found the source.”

And as one, everyone turned to look to where she motioned. There, at the center of it all was a strange altar-like platform. At the center was a strangely shaped rock with blue tendrils reaching up into the abyss above.

That rock was the same color as lyrium but it possessed a glow that was somehow different than lyrium. It was almost something more.

Something about that stone felt like it was beckoning. Like that was where they were supposed to go.

It became an urge to just run to it.

“But not the titan.”

Ara winced as that hum in her head suddenly became a stabbing pain. She leaned against one of the larger parts of the guardrail. That hum overwhelmed everything, even the encroaching purple at the edges of her vision.

People said things around her, but it was like listening to the buzzing of flies. She knew they were there and that they were talking but it made no sense to her.

Someone put their hand on her arm, and she instinctively flinched away.

That purple had begun to lighten to red.

“We’ve found the Titan.” Valta’s words made that hum suddenly die down. “We’re standing inside it.”

[soulventure91]

#Veilguard30 Day 6 - Carta

Let's see what more of Rija comes out! Because it's a suitable prompt!

-*-

"Your crew was supposed to reserve twenty-five percent. I don't see twenty-five percent."

Rija kept her mouth shut as the Carta agent, Varrav, examined the crates of lyrium set aside as payoff to the 'shadow caste'. Her overseer, Jagrun, closely watched Varrav's inspection, even as the Carta agent reached into one of the crates to lift out a crystal of raw blue lyrium.

"...and where's the other color? I thought there'd be a good strain in that tunnel you just cracked."

"Not of the...other stuff," Jagrun admitted, voice reedy with nerves. "And there's not as much lyrium as expected, it's like it's...been drained out of the stone..."

"Lyrium is a rock," Varrav huffed as he dropped the lyrium back into the crate, then paced toward Jagrun. "It doesn't drain. It doesn't vanish. Which means you're just hiding exactly how much you found and mined."

Except Jagrun wasn't lying. Rija knew it. Rija had made the predictions herself and saw the results.

"I made the call," Rija suddenly heard herself say. Wait, what am I doing?! "It was my predictions. The lyrium wasn't there. It happens."

Varrav's full attention honed in on Rija, and somehow Rija didn't quaver at his black-eyed stare. He began to approach, one hand running down to the hilt of his dagger.

"So...you're the one skimming. That it?" Varrav growled as he stood in front of Rija. "Take Jagrun by the nose, lead her around -"

"Enough Varrav - we'll put in an extra shift, we'll figure it out," Jagrun interrupted, though Varrav reached a hand to ensure she stayed quiet. Rija was locked to the spot under that empty stare.

"- and finding dud veins to get around what your crew owes the Carta," Varrav continued. "Especially what you owe, Aldwir. Your whole situation means you're three breaths from being casteless. Either you hit pay dirt - or you may's well dig your own grave."

~

Rija had her prospecting kit packed up once Varrav had made off with half their lyrium. Jagrun tapped on the stone nearest her bedroll but Rija didn't look up.

"...I thought your brother was recovering," she murmured. "Or are the salves not working? It's the best stuff the Carta can import -"

"It never worked," Rija huffed. "And their "best" is mixed with nug shit, I could smell it a mile off. Imported my ass. No, if I'm going to get my brother better..."

"No. Don't you even," Jagrun insisted. "Going to the surface? That's insane, and the Carta will find you, they have surface agents all over the place, and the...the sky, apparently down south it's turned green -"

"I have to! Maybe some magic can help, maybe I'll find the answer and...find out why the lyrium is getting so weird and unpredictable," Rija argued. "It's the surface, or the Carta fillets me the second my back is turned."

Jagrun stared her down, but Rija didn't relent. That was probably why Jagrun offered a rolled oilskin - their maps.

"I've got a copy to get back to Kal-Sharok," Jagrun assured the moment Rija was about to protest. "And I've got some tunnels we've kept off Varrav's attention. We haven't gotten deep enough for the darkspawn to be a problem, so...take a knife anyway. For my sanity."

Rija stood up to hug Jagrun fiercely.

"You'll keep him safe?"

"I'll do my fucking best, unless he rises out of his bed and decks me."

"You'll just shove him back into bed before he manages it."

"So long as you send word once you get up there and haven't fallen up into the sky."

Rija still held on a bit longer. By the time the work crew would be starting back, she was long gone.