#every time I think of the red lyrium idol being a dagger I think of that line from Crocodile Dundee

[lizzybeeee]

Missed opportunity to have the 'magical god-killing macguffin' weapon be Andruil's spear. Rather than have an idol somehow become a dagger (not to mention cleansed of the blight and somehow expect us to just accept this - no questions) it could be this?

Veilfire writing from a ruin in the Arbor Wilds; the script is so ancient it defies translation. There are whispers from the Well of Sorrows. It's impossible to understand the entire text, but certain parts suddenly reveal a shadow of their original meaning. "She shook the radiance of the stars, divided them into grains of light, then stored them in a shaft of gold. Andruil, blood and force, save us from the time this weapon is thrown. Your people pray to You. Spare us the moment we become Your sacrifice." There is a brief image of an elaborate golden spear, glowing with unbearable heat. Then it fades. Codex entry: Unreadable Elven Writing, DAI

She began stalking the Forgotten Ones in the Abyss and became mad from it.

Andruil put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face. She made weapons of darkness, and plague ate her lands. She howled things meant to be forgotten, and the other gods became fearful Andruil would hunt them in turn. Codex entry: Elven God Andruil, DAI

She made weapons and hunted Gods? The Evanuris, according to this myth, were frightened enough that Mythal had to come battle her?

Also imagine Ghilan'nain being killed by Andruil's spear...raised to Godhood by Andruil's hand and then slain by the weapon forged by her hand???

[felassan]

Excerpts from this IGN article, under a cut due to spoilers:

"John Epler [on the Executors & the secret ending]: These voices have been influencing events in very subtle, very light touch ways to get towards a specific outcome. As to what their ultimate goal is, we're not going to get into that quite yet. But the idea is that they've always been kind of in the background. They know how to say the right thing at the right time to nudge towards an outcome that they want. It doesn't mean that any of these characters, any of the people shown in that ending don't have free will. They all still made their choices. Loghain still chose to betray Cailin because of his fear of what the Wardens were going to do. Bartrand still locked Varric and Hawke away in the Deep Roads because of greed. But who gave Bartrand the idea that this was the expedition worth taking? Who was the soldier in the room with Loghain who maybe just casually mentioned, "oh, I'm sure glad the Wardens are on our side this time”? No one's being pushed. No one's being forced to do anything, but [the voices] are very good at knowing the right person and finding that little place where they can, with a gentle nudge, shift events in their favor. Corinne Busche: I like how you say that, John, because it's almost as if through their gentle nudgings, their whispers, they're just stoking those feelings and those desires or insecurities that these characters within the world already had. That was already within them. Loghain, Bartrand, the magisters, and the Breach are the largest figures in these illustrations. Why them? Why, for example, Bartrand versus Meredith and Orsino? Epler: Without getting into what maybe the future holds for them, their goal is to remove the elven gods from the table. Again, [the gods] are the most powerful forces on Thedas up to this point. And whatever [the voices’] plans may be, another powerful magical force on the table like that is going to pose some obstacles. And I think the other thing about the Executors, they're very risk averse. They've been playing the extremely long game because the one thing they don't want to do is leave any of their pieces in check. They're always going to go for the option that keeps them the furthest away from harm, while also advancing these goals. The gods are a big unknown for them. No one really knew just until the Veilguard what was going to happen with them. So if you look back chronologically to Dragon Age: Origins, there's definitely a chain of events that leads from then to the gods being taken off the table. Solas' dagger is the red lyrium idol from the Deep Roads. Corypheus obviously had a big part to play in weakening the veil and setting events in motion. One thing that I think is fun to think about is Thedas has been around for a very long time, but these world ending events are happening with such incredible frequency all of a sudden. Why now? Why in this age, why this specific time? You start to get a sense of why that might be – not because anyone's going in and controlling kingdoms or taking over armies. Someone is seeing the end game coming and maybe they're setting up for it. Hopefully we get to see these voices explored a bit more in a potential Dragon Age 5? Epler: Never say never."

"I know that some people were surprised to let go of the Keep this time around. Now that it's all said and done, are there more choices you wish you'd carried over or included? Busche: The big thing for us is we wanted to make this story, every single choice you make, feel relevant to it. One thing that we could have stated more clearly or maybe alluded to more clearly in the game is the idea that just because these choices from the past library of games didn't necessarily impact this particular story, that doesn't mean they're gone. This is a chance for us to really key in to what matters with these events and what's happening in Northern Thedas. I do fully expect that these choices going clear back to Dragon Age Origins will again matter. So just wanted to be on record with that. Every one of your choices that people have made throughout their Dragon Age journey, those are still your choices. And if you've seen the secret 2D ending we talked about, some of these events being quite pertinent. It's easy to see how those choices can and will be relevant into the future."

"What were ways that the Evanuris itself changed in development between Inquisition and The Veilguard? Epler: It’s funny because in reality there hasn't been a significant shift in how we perceive the Evanuris from the end of Trespasser to now. If you have the art book, if you look at some of the old visual designs from [Project] Joplin, we had this idea of this very clear distance between Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain. Ghilan'nain is the mad scientist. She's in search of creating the perfect form. She's all about experimentation. Elgar'nan is much more the tyrant. One thing that I love about Elgar'nan – he spends a not inconsiderable amount of his magic power looking handsome, looking normal, because he's also incredibly vain. I think that speaks to his character. In Veilguard, he doesn't show up until Fire and Ice because one thing he is also extremely, extremely cautious. Busche: One of the things that was really interesting in development, one of my favorite stories is we knew we were going to explore some of these themes through the regrets that the Veilguard witness together in the Lighthouse. When we actually saw those come together and we saw the potential of the Crossroads, that's when we decided, actually we want to go a little bit deeper and let people relive some of these moments through Solas' rebellion and even see Ghilan'nain before the full extent of the Blight, the corruption, the changes to her had taken shape. And I think it was just really an interesting sign that there was something there that captured our imagination as well and to be able to explain that and have players relive it was a really fun discovery."

"Can you tell us about the fate of the other elven gods like Sylaise and June? Are these gods now mortal in the Fade after the defeat of their Archdemons, or were they weakened enough to die in their prison? Epler: Yeah, I mean, so we haven't been super explicit about what happens when the gods die. In my mind, they're either dead or they're the closest thing to it. When a Warden kills an Archdemon, in Origins and DA2 and DAI, before the Gods are out in the world, there is part of that elven god's spirit that is bound to that dragon. It finds the nearest source of Blight. Now, if it's a darkspawn, a darkspawn has a direct connection to the Blight. There's enough energy there for it to rebuild a body, rebuild itself as an Archdemon. When it goes into a Warden, that connection is very different and what ends up happening is essentially the fragment of the God spirit and the fragment of the Warden annihilate each other. So nothing to go back to the god. So if they're there, they're a shadow of their former self. But obviously when Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain come out, there's not that distance. There's not that need to use the Blight as essentially an in-between medium and they can just regain that fragment of their soul. They're now mortal, but they're just as powerful as they were before. Busche: And this is part of a theme within The Veilguard. We're tackling some pretty big subject matter, some of the largest outstanding mysteries within Dragon Age lore. So we want to tie up some of those loose ends, give really satisfying answers, but we also want to leave the door open just a little bit. So questions like that, what happens to the rest of the gods? Those are themes that we want to be able to explore, but also be able to advance the franchise. We learned that the Tevinter Old Gods were just the dragon thralls of the elven gods. What are the implications for Tevinter here? Will this totally reshape how they understand their history and their culture? Epler: There's going to be a lot of people seeking power in various ways through the process of rebuilding Thedas. Because again, no matter where you are in Thedas, the war against the gods had an impact. And I think speaking of Tevinter in particular, there are going to be those who feel that sharing the truth is going to be the best course for people. There are going to be people who are motivated to lie. There's going to be people who are seeking to be proclaimed the new prophets of the old Gods and saying that that person over there is liar. In a world with so many unreliable narrators, smart and savvy political operators can use that to their own benefit. And, I mean, Tevinter is rife with people who bluntly were maybe not openly on the side of the Venatori, but certainly wouldn't have been too upset if they'd won – they're going to have their own motivations. Busche: It makes me think of the choice at the end of Bellara's arc, in fact, where you're literally taking this repository of ancient elven knowledge and choosing to share it, to make it known or not. At the time, that seems like perhaps an inconsequential decision for the moment, but when you look at the future of Thedas and what it means for the elven people, it's perhaps one of the biggest."

"After everything the team learns through Solas’ memories, Harding wonders if they’ve disproven the Maker exists. Is that the case? Or is the Maker, like the elven and Tevinter gods, real just not in the way that we think he is? Epler: That's one mystery that I personally don't want to ever give a definitive answer to one way or the other. The moment you start to try to explain it or try to provide a definitive answer, I do think that takes some of the mystery out of the world. For what Harding’s saying, the question you asked: is the Maker what we think it is? Maybe, maybe not. There could be something completely different to what the Chantry is saying. I think that's one of those wells that we are always going to want to keep open because I do think it adds some interesting context. What the Maker is to Andraste followers and what the Maker could be to everyone else could be two completely different things. Busche: I also love what it does, from a world building and storytelling perspective, to the power structures and then the more personal and intimate. For instance, there's a conversation where Rook and team are sitting around the table in the Lighthouse and Rook gets to lend their perspective: “I still believe,” or “I never believed,” or “maybe we did disprove it.” Those are questions of faith that I think are so interesting to character and world building. And then consider the power and political influence that the Chantry has. If these questions are raised, does that power go away? Well, I doubt it. Epler: In a world that's rebuilding, in a world that's just had these massive revelations occur, I can see people in the Chantry are probably going to use that as an opportunity to try to seize more power. The more we shy away from ever being a hundred percent clear, the more interesting stories we can tell there. The reveal that the first elves came from spirits is huge, obviously. Can you speak to that a bit? When do we see the shift from spirit-created elves to the elves we know today? Epler: One interesting thing about that reveal actually is originally it was going to show up as part of Bellara's personal quest. That was going to be how Anaris was able to turn elves into demons so quickly and so easily, how he's able to start creating his army. We realized maybe putting a massive reveal that changes the state of an entire lineage of the world? Probably not something that needs to go directly in a personal quest. But yeah, I mean, it is a massive reveal, it does change a lot of their history. That's something that is the theme of opening these questions about where all these groups came from and what their origins are. Busche: And I do personally really love what you just touched on there, John, which is the differences but also parallels behind the origins of each of the lineages. Taash's arc explores having dragon's fire in your veins. We know dwarves are the children of the Titans. They can hear the song of the Stone. Knowing now elves have their origins from spirits. Really fascinating parallels that, again, create some interesting storytelling possibilities."

"Speaking of the Titans: we learn Solas effectively made them Tranquil. We've heard rumblings that the Rite of Tranquility can be reversed. Do you think that's something that could happen with the Titans? Epler: I mean, in the fullness of time anything can happen. I will say that's one of those mysteries that we're probably going to keep close to the chest. Have some of these reveals always been part of the history of Thedas? Or were certain things developed as part of The Veilguard? Epler: It's a tricky question because I've been on since Origins, but I used to be in QA and Cinematic, so I wasn't as privy to the deep lore discussions back then. I will say since Trespasser, since Inquisition, these are all things that we've been talking about for at least that long. So it's part of the franchise for as long as I've been around on the lore side of things. But I mean, that's the thing, as we tell stories, as we start to figure out where we want the franchise to go, what we want to happen, ideas change. Another reason why I'm so hesitant to just drop lore into the world without a storytelling reason is sometimes something we thought we wanted to do we realize maybe isn't the most interesting way to handle that. And then we go back to the drawing board. The balancing act is always, you never want to have lied to the players, and you never want to outright contradict something you said before, but the beauty of unreliable narrators is you can twist the truth about 45 degrees to the left and do something interesting without ever contradicting your past self. Busche: I will say that I think the simple answer is that both approaches are true. There are elements that were heading through to a pretty clear conclusion. There were some that were a little bit more mysterious, but some of the most fun that, at least for me we've had are those moments when you and I are looking at these follower arcs and the impact of the stories and conceiving of how does this tie together when we revisit some of these themes. So there is an intentionality about what we do going forward. And again, we don't want to share too much on that, but certainly it influenced some of our decisions and some of the reveals along the way."

"Varric – may he rest in peace – reveals that Solas’ dagger is actually the infamous red lyrium idol. How was Solas able to restore it to its original form? Epler: Would it surprise you to know it was another ritual? Solas does love his rituals. Classic Solas. Epler: Yeah, so in the time between Trespasser and The Veilguard, Solas was able to cleanse the Blight from the dagger and restore it to its former shape. One of the reasons it was hidden in the idol was to keep it hidden. It's an incredibly powerful artifact. It's not the kind of thing you want falling into the hands of a Venatori magister or an Antaam. Obviously, at the end of DA2, Meredith tries to use it, turns it into a sword. We all know what happened there. Rest in...I would say rest in pieces Meredith because she's now a giant piece of red lyrium. But it is an artifact that is tremendously powerful. Only Solas knew how to make it its most powerful, which was the cleansed version of the dagger. As long as its red lyrium, it still has the Blight in it, which means you're always going to be susceptible to the whims and whispers of Blight. We saw it happen with Bartrand. It drove him completely mad. Even when Varric picks up the piece in DA2, he can still hear some of the whispers. So for Solas, before he used this thing, he needed to make sure it was purified, it was cleansed. Obviously, the Evanuris made their own dagger out of red lyrium. They don't care, they're already blighted. It's all the same to them. But for Solas, it was a ritual that he had to do. We talk about the elves following Solas at the end of Trespasser. It's not said explicitly in the game, but one of the things they're helping do is getting this ritual ready so we could cleanse this dagger. Busche: One of the interesting properties of the idol has always been how inherently malleable it is. That's something very unique to it that we absolutely wanted to lean into. What was so fun for us is there were theories we saw out there in the fandom YouTube videos about what was this idol? And indeed did Solas convert it to the dagger and a credit to those fans that figured it out. I don't know how they pieced it together, but cheers to them."

"I've always wondered what the idol is actually to. Epler: Solas is a very nostalgic person. I'd say an idol to Mythal. It's his guilt, his regrets poured into this thing. Because, as Corinne said, it's malleable. That's the shape it took. The final act has choices with resounding consequences. Solas’ fate, for instance, can vary wildly. How did y'all land on the different endings for him? Will his fate affect future games? Epler: I can't answer the second one yet. It was the three fantasies of dealing with Solas. We have Solavellans or people who like Solas, they want to redeem him. They think he needs to come back to the good side. At the end, we wanted to make sure that those players had that opportunity, especially Solavellans who wanted their Inquisitor to have that tragic embrace in eternity with Solas. We were very vague about what happens on the other side of that, but it was important to us to make sure that Solavellans had that opportunity. I will say I was personally the one who really wanted an opportunity to punch out Solas. I was the big advocate for the fight ending way back when. I had it pictured as a big knockdown drag out fight where you and him basically fist fought. In my mind, it was very over the top. I think what we got was a better ending, but I wanted to make sure that the players who chose the option in Trespasser where they said “Solas, have I ever wanted to hear one of your big long explanations?” That's for them, that's their opportunity to say: "nope, Solas, you're the bad guy. I'm just going to beat the crap out of you. Here we go." I think outsmart is a very specific fantasy. Because here's this guy who's been kind of needling you the entire game, he's been kind of a little condescending. Even if you build a rapport, you can always tell he thinks he's just a little bit more clever, just a little bit smarter than you. So getting the opportunity to outsmart the Dread Wolf was something that we thought was important to allow players to do because what more satisfying way to deal with this smug jerk who's been in your head barking at you for the last 40 to 60 hours at the end where it matters the most, than to be the one who outsmarts him. It was important to give players that opportunity to pull one over on him. And I love the line he says at the end. Because in fight, obviously he goes off, he's screaming, he's frothing, he's angry. At the end of outsmart, he says, “And I have finally met my match.” There's just this acknowledgement of, yes, that's right, Solas. I was smarter than you, eat it. And yeah, I think there's just those three fantasies of dealing with it. Busche: Even in that moment, John, he still can't quite get over that little bit of smugness of how well he's taught you. And that one has to sting a little bit, that had to sting. I will absolutely confirm that in so many meetings, more than I can count, John would tell me about this fantasy of punching out Solas and that knockdown drag out fight. Put 'em in the ring! Busche: And, look, as the resident Solavellan, that's appalling! I could never. I will say I absolutely love that there's two variants of the redeem ending as well, whether your Inquisitor romanced Solas or not. Very important to us that you could have that satisfying ending whether you were sympathetic to Solas, even if you know he was misguided. But, also, if you cried like I did at that epilogue slide at the end of Trespasser with the Solavellan romance we knew we needed to pay that off. And my goodness, that one matters to people. It was really intimidating to approach that with the weight and reverence it deserved. I will say also, we didn't touch on the sacrifice ending."

"Let's talk about it. Busche: Everybody dies. There's a moment there that I think is one of the most powerful, where you see Solas, your friends rushing up to help you and to try and stop Solas, and seeing him unleash his powers to turn people to stone on your companions, seeing them fall in that way, that sense of helplessness, that one really rips my heart out. It does. It's such a reminder that all of these events have always been on a knife’s edge. John, like you said, these world-ending events have happened with so much frequency. It's only been because of luck, in some cases, that a person has stopped it. Epler: Well, yeah, exactly. I mean, you had the Warden who happened to fetch the treaties. You had the Inquisitor who happened to be in the right place at the right time to get the mark instead of Corypheus. And I mean, that is ultimately, I think one of the, just kind of circling all the way back to the beginning. One of the characteristics of all the heroes is they act in unexpected ways, and that's how they're able to thwart the end of the world so many times in a row is they're just the right person, at the right place, at the right time. I think, yeah, the sacrifice ending is a great example of sometimes that luck can run out. You need luck and preparedness. One of the things we really wanted to emphasize with that ending is it's still a victory, but it's more of a pyrrhic victory than the other ones. You won, you stop the end of the world, but the example that you set kind of dies with you to some degree. There's a monument set up, but Thedas is going to be in a dark place at this point. I think it's an interesting way to look at that ending in particular."

"In the final act, there are two major companion choices. First, whether or not Neve and Bellara are blighted and captured by Elgar’nan. Second, perhaps the toughest choice: whether or not Harding or Davrin will lead a distraction team and, ultimately, die. Why these choices and why these companions? Epler: So for Neve and Bellara. The two groups that have been the most directly affected by the gods up to this point are obviously the elves – it's their gods that are back – and Tevinter, Minrathous. You know, the Venatori have either fully seized power or have made some pretty big inroads in Minrathous, depending on which city you save. And the gods have come back and brought their dragons and proclaimed them as the gods of the Tevinter people. So both Bellara and Neve have a direct investment. Not that everyone else doesn't, but they have the most direct investment in stopping the gods at this point. We wanted to give you that choice between these two characters who, again, have a very personal score to settle with the gods and are both mages whereas Emmrich obviously wants to stop the end of the world, but doesn't have quite that same connection to the events that are going on. So those two made the most sense as to who would disable them. The other thing is something that shows up in the visuals. Minrathous, Tevinter in general has always been kind of...there's echoes of ancient elven magic in everything to Tevinter and Minrathous does because it's meant as almost a cargo cult imitation of what the ancient elves were capable of. The ancient elves worked lyrium into their buildings, Tevinter uses gold and jewels because they don't have the capacity to work lyrium. So it made the most sense for them. I'll say for the other choice, we knew Harding had to be one of them, and then we had to ask ourselves: we've got a fan favorite returning character from Inquisition. Who could possibly equal that in terms of making this difficult choice? It's like, well, Assan. Assan and Davrin. Davrin obviously has a direct link to this at this point because of Weisshaupt. He's got a very personal stake in it, and it made sense for the two of them to be the ones to be the choice to lead the distraction team, because again, we want to find those personal connections between the characters and the events that are going on. And, you know, the case of Harding, she has so much investment in this story because she's been living it since Inquisition. And then Davrin. Davrin's entire order just fell at the end of the previous act. He's going to have a real strong investment in stopping the guys too here. Busche: One thing that's so interesting about that choice too, the Harding and Davrin choice is it actually presented some interesting complexity and some emotional investment we could tie into, which always makes for a more satisfying, I will say harder choice to make. I'll say in one of my playthroughs, Taash and Harding were in a relationship together and I happened to be romancing Davrin. Impossible. Impossible decision in that moment."

"I do have one last question. We hear during Taash's personal quest about this “coming storm.” Does that have anything to do with the voices across the sea? Is it something we're going to explore? Epler: How do I put this? There are a lot of clues scattered throughout the game of how all these things may connect. I would say Taash's arc is obviously a good one, the end of Bellara's arc and some of the codex entries in Arlathan may be another place to start digging for clues. I'm a big fan of scattering a lot of little hints and seeing what people pick up. Alyssa Mora is an Associate Syndication Editor at IGN. Gaming & Entertainment are her lifeblood, particularly when they involve romance and/or moody vampires."

[source]

[seeker-ophelia]

IGN Articles out for DA DAY

Channeling my inner @felassan with this one.

SPOILERS ALL

With the dust settled, IGN sat down with Dragon Age Creative Director John Epler and Game Director Corinne Busche in a 45-minute conversation to dissect lore and talk spoilers for the conclusion of the game. This includes the chilling secret post-credit scene which features a group of sinister voices whispering their plans for the future of Thedas and, potentially, a future installment of the franchise.

Epler Re: The Executors:

The gods are a big unknown for them. No one really knew just until the Veilguard what was going to happen with them. So if you look back chronologically to Dragon Age: Origins, there's definitely a chain of events that leads from then to the gods being taken off the table. Solas' dagger is the red lyrium idol from the Deep Roads. Corypheus obviously had a big part to play in weakening the veil and setting events in motion. One thing that I think is fun to think about is Thedas has been around for a very long time, but these world ending events are happening with such incredible frequency all of a sudden. Why now? Why in this age, why this specific time? You start to get a sense of why that might be – not because anyone's going in and controlling kingdoms or taking over armies. Someone is seeing the end game coming and maybe they're setting up for it.

I know that some people were surprised to let go of the Keep this time around. Now that it's all said and done, are there more choices you wish you'd carried over or included?

Busche: The big thing for us is we wanted to make this story, every single choice you make, feel relevant to it. One thing that we could have stated more clearly or maybe alluded to more clearly in the game is the idea that just because these choices from the past library of games didn't necessarily impact this particular story, that doesn't mean they're gone. This is a chance for us to really key in to what matters with these events and what's happening in Northern Thedas. I do fully expect that these choices going clear back to Dragon Age Origins will again matter. So just wanted to be on record with that. Every one of your choices that people have made throughout their Dragon Age journey, those are still your choices. And if you've seen the secret 2D ending we talked about, some of these events being quite pertinent. It's easy to see how those choices can and will be relevant into the future.

[Seeker Ophelia Groans]

Click the article to read more

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There's Also this one:

Which I have feelings about that I will save for a reblog, in the essence of keeping emotion out of news (Felassan you are so strong)

[icharchivist]

I am a bit behind on my DA replay (which is fine as I have a final assessment due soon after Veilguards release so I really SHOULDN'T play on launch).

But I just start DA2 and ahhhhh i had forgotten how much I love this game and Kirkwall. It's such a shithole but it's such a fascinating place!! I really want them to tell us more about the weird Kirkwall lore

aaah omg!! take your time anyway, there's no point in rushing (and good luck on your assessment!!! do focus on that <3)

and AAAA YEAH!!! DA2 is so good. Kirkwall is really a shithole but it's home and that's what matters. I feel you on the weird lore!

i don't know if you watched the webseries "Redemption", it's not very great and the live action makes it awkward, but there's a lore bomb about Kirkwall in it that got me bluescreening for years. I'll put the lore under the cut if you don't want to go through it and/or if it may make you want to get through it, but i'm haunted by it. i don't know how canon the webshow is supposed to be however at this point. (though i'll also mention something from tevinter nights in the cut that shows it may be canon)

but yeah Kirkwall being so weird is so fascinating to me. Sundermount still haunts me, and everything we learn about it is such a mess.

I was reading the RPG rulebook the other day (i have issues) and so far they talked about Kirkwall in the Tevinter's entry about things that matches the lore of the Bone Pit but with more precisions here and there and i was just gwhaaaaa. can't wait to read the Kirkwall entry especially.

it's wild how for one city state it has sooo much lore like that. But i love it so much. it's home. hell home. but home!

anyway about the lore precisions in Redemption (and Tevinter Nights):

In Redemption we follow Tallis in her job for the Qun that had led her to Kirkwall before she had to check on Hawke for Mark of the Assassin. In here, she teams up with a washed out templar and an apprentice Keeper to recover a Saarebass who had escaped from the Qun with one particular goal in mind: finding the Mask of Fen'Harel and awaken him from his slumber.

By the end of the show, Saarebas manages to do just that -- he goes up to Sundermount and he rip a rift in the fade where Fen'Harel seems to be asleep. The gang stops the ritual, but it only closes the rift, as growls are still heard from the other side assuming Saarebass managed his ritual.

And it SHOOK ME TO MY CORE. Because the implications?????

i assume that Sundermount was the perfect place (becauseitpromotedda2) because the veil was extremely thin and sundered to start with, but then Tevinter Night got me thinking when it confirmed that the Red Lyrium Idol that started the whole mess in Kirkwall by being under it used to belong to Fen'Harel. Which raise SO MANY QUESTIONS!!! i feel like Fen'Harel wouldn't have used Red Lyrium on purpose and from the implication of the story i think he got the idol back, cleansened it, and it is the Lyrium Dagger we see him use in the Veilguard trailers.

But therefore it may imply that Fen'Harel has ties to Kirkwall at least. It is said that the elves of Sundermount fought their final battle here fiercely, and despite crows statues all over the town, the only altar on top of the mount is Mythal's. and the Idol seems to represent Mythal, possibly her murder. I feel like this may have been a key place in the Rebellion that happened back then-- that it may be why it's so fucked up now. Because it used to be important enough that every bad powers converged here to try to tap into this specific source and it ended up corrupting it.

and that's if it doesn't just downright mean "Fen'Harel was sleeping here".

and if "Redemption" is still canon despite everything this would imply that this is the reason Fen'Harel woke up right before the event of DAI.

SO i confirm even more: what the FUCK was happening in Kirkwall!!!!

[jackdawyt]

Well, punch me in the teeth and call me the Dread Wolf! BioWare have already revealed another trailer for the next Dragon Age this year! The Game Awards 2020 premiered a beautiful-cinematic trailer that showcased many locations, factions, characters and foes we’ll witness in the next instalment. As per usual, we have many thoughts, theories and tinfoils on everything this trailer revealed!

However, before we break down the trailer, we have two descriptions of the next Dragon Age game shared separately on YouTube and Twitter.  

On YouTube, the trailer’s description said:  

“The world of Dragon Age needs a new hero – someone who can take on the evil forces threatening Thedas. Get a first look at some of the new locations you’ll discover and the factions fighting by your side in the next chapter of Dragon Age.”  

And shared on Twitter, the post said:  

“The world of Thedas needs you, a new hero. The next #DragonAge will see the return of Solas… and an old friend.”  

https://twitter.com/dragonage/status/1337198092957839365

Of course, the old friend no doubt refers to Varric who narrated this brand-new cinematic trailer. That’s right, the one, the only, our storytelling-chest-haired dwarf is coming back in the next Dragon Age, so we’re already going to have some familiarity in the next adventure.

With that said, let’s breakdown the entire contents of this new trailer and what it means for the next Dragon Age!

Meredith & Corypheus

The trailer started by revealing the first piece of a brand-new stone-etched mural.  

Knight-Commander Meredith was shown, infused with red lyrium, holding her sword “Certainty”.

Followed up with Corypheus holding Solas’s orb towards the heavens. During this point, Varric said: “I’ve faced tyrants and would-be gods.”  

These two shots clearly showcase the previous events of Dragon Age that have somehow circulated towards Solas’s scheme to destroy the Veil and deal with the Evanuris.  

Meredith took the Red Lyrium Idol and forged it into a sword, the idol itself apparently belongs to Solas, and he cares for it and recognises its depiction. Meredith was turned into a thawed red lyrium statue, and the red lyrium idol was found and retrieved inside her statued body. The idol’s current whereabouts are unknown.

"The Dread Wolf wants that idol, and he’s not afraid to get his hands bloody to get it." (The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 490). “He intends something for the Fade, and if he wants the idol, then whatever he intends will be terrible.” (The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 498).

Whereas Corypheus intended on using Solas’s orb to usurp the throne of the gods for himself. Solas, banking on the magister’s failure, sought out to regain his orb after Corypheus unlocked it, and died doing so. In this ideal situation, Solas would then use his orb and destroy the veil.  

However, that didn’t happen. Instead Solas’s orb was destroyed by crumbling rocks with Corypheus’s defeat. The elven god strives to find alternative ways to destroy the veil.

Both these foes at the start of Solas’s new mural show that what’s coming next will be much worse than any catastrophe in Thedas and that these events have always been set in stone for the Dread Wolf. It’s like he’s drawn Corypheus and said, you thought he was tough, wait till you see what I can do.  

Two Evil Gods

The trailer continued with the next pieces in this mural, two carvings of very enigmatic figures. The first engraving has an arched headpiece, red eyes, a spiky torso, and wavy lines coming from their head, with a haloed sun or moon behind them.

Immediately, this spooky figure reminds us of the evil god shown in BioWare’s Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development. However, we believe the figure shown in this book resembles the elven goddess “Ghilan'nain, the Mother of the Halla” who created giants, monsters, and beasts that spanned across the sky, water, and earth.

While this depiction of an evil god is concept art, there is one key difference between the two figures - the evil god in the concept art has four arms, whereas the mural figure has two arms. So, are they depicting the same god? We’ll certainly come back to this figure later on.  

The next figure has a very curved headpiece, elven ears, and clawed-looking shoulder pieces. With another haloed sun behind their head, this leads us to believe this is yet another evil god.

Personally, this figure reminds us of Dirthamen’s statue we saw in Inquisition, but this could honestly be anyone... And we’ll touch on that when we get to the finished mural.  

While these two figures are shown, Varric said: “Seen friends lose life and limb, but there’s always someone bent on breaking the world.”  

Obviously referring to allies previously lost, like potentially Hawke, and even the Inquisitor’s anchor. However, the enemies bent on breaking the world paint the figures shown as evil and malevolent. Of course, it’s not Dragon Age without someone trying to destroy the world.    

BioWare Logo

In the next sequence, a golden BioWare logo appears with a sun behind it, perhaps this relates the previous figure to Elgar’nan considering Elgar’nan was said to be born of the sun?

Anderfels/Grey Warden

Taking our minds away from the mural for a moment, the trailer began to explore iconic locations and factions that are going to feature heavily in the next Dragon Age.

The first location is a blazing desert with rough sands, cobblestone, and huge puddles. We think this is the Anderfels, Thedas’s blighted western lands. Over the horizon are multiple, huge reptile creatures. They look like turtle monsters similar to the Ankylosaurs, which is a kind of armoured dinosaur with a clubtail.

During this sequence, Varric said: “It’s time for a new hero.” As grey boots entered the shot. No doubt, referring to the next protagonist. The boots are instantly recognisable as a Grey Warden’s. You can see a dark blue tint on their leggings, as grey and blue are the Warden’s colours.  

Not to mention, the biggest indicator that this character is a Warden, is the location. A Grey Warden being in The Anderfels makes complete sense considering Weisshaupt, the Warden’s headquarters are located there.

More importantly, the fact that Varric said: “it’s time for a new hero” while showing this Grey Warden, and the trailer continued to show different factions, while still talking about the idea of a new hero. We think this indicates to the overall message of this trailer, being that perhaps this time around we can choose the faction our new hero belongs to. Like origin stories, our hero can choose between at least 4 or more different factions within Thedas.

While the Grey Wardens and many other factions will join our fight as key roles in the story like “Davrin” who was hinted at in the Gamescom trailer, having the choice to choose where your hero is from would make for an epic RPG, and a great callback to the series' roots.

Antiva/Antivan Crow

The next location revealed the most elegant nation of Antiva, looking absolutely stunning with its gold accents, and regal aesthetic. When compared to the Behind-the-Scenes concepts, we can certainly see the similarities between the early concepts and the CGI reveal. Most notably, the Disney-like palace that encompasses every shot.

Still sharing about our new hero, Varic said: “No magic hand, no ancient prophecy.” As a zoom-in shot of Antiva City revealed an Antivan Crow stirring a goblet of wine. The palace behind the goblet had magical energy emerging into the skies.

The shot pulled back, and revealed an Antivan Crow sat on the rooftops of Antiva, looking over the city. With Varric talking about the next hero being a nobody, with no magical anchor, and no ancient prophecy, can we choose to play as an Antivan Crow?

If this Crow is not showcasing the option of a new hero, then perhaps this is a Crow who will join our journey, like one of the Antivan Crow Talons. I see a lot of similarities with this cinematic shot and the recent short story - “The Wake,” which was all about the Talons mourning their lost friend.

Antiva as a whole, looks astonishing, from the rivers flowing through the city, to the picturesque sky, the city looks like a delightful place to take a love interest. However, we’re most curious about the magical energy emerging from the palace. Perhaps Antiva City prepares for the imminent Qunari Antaam invasion?

Tevinter Imperium/Siccari

The next location revealed the most prideful, gothic nation known as the Tevinter Imperium. This beautifully macabre shot is most likely showcasing Tevinter’s capital city, Minrathous.  

Once the motherland of the ancient elves before the veil’s creation, Tevinter was founded on the ruins of the elven kingdom, we can see many magical marvels and wonders in this cinematic shot. For instance, we have magical neon lighting guiding you through the city and the floating structure that stands in the centre.  

Perhaps this haunting structure is the Magisterium, or Minrathous’s Circle Tower? Regardless, the ferocious architecture and dark themes truly define Tevinter as a remarkable, and otherworldly nation. A lot of these undertones look similar to one of the concept art pieces shown at Gamescom.

Followed with this shot, Varric said: “The kind of person they will never see coming.” As a new hooded-character was revealed pulling out a winged-dagger ready to attack a blurred figure in a Tevinter alleyway. Not to sound like a broken record, but again, Varric is mentioning the new hero, so is this character one of the potential factions we can choose, and if so, what faction?

Well, because it seems like we’re in the streets of Tevinter, we think this character represents the Tevinter Siccari. This faction was recently introduced in Tevinter Nights, they are the Imperium’s best shadow network, made of highly skilled and secretive agents who each come from slave families, they are formidable and honourable warriors.  

“I have heard many things of the Tevinter Siccari,” the Mortalitasi added, “but I have never heard them called cowards or traitors. Most of them come from slave families, and those families are kept safe as both promise and threat, ensuring the Siccari never flinch from their duties. (The Dread Wolf Take You, page 503). ““Tevinter’s intelligence network declined to answer our request.” (The Dread Wolf Take You, page 485).

This hooded-figure has what-looks like keys on their chest, along with a very golden logo on their shoulder, which looks like an owl? The dagger also looks to have a winged bird on its helm.

If this figure doesn’t represent a faction the player can choose between, then perhaps they’re a shadowy Tevinter character from an unknown faction, or they could be someone like Neve, who was introduced in Tevinter Nights as a private investigator working out of Minrathous. However, we feel like Tevinter Siccari is the best bet, because they’re literally the Imperium’s spies.

Executor/Ancient Elf?

Followed by that, a most intriguing character appeared walking through a snowy forest. The figure has a three-horned headpiece, with trims of red on their outfit, holding a bow made of floating triangles.

The location of this area is the exact same as the sexy tree we witnessed at EA Play, the gloomy, midnight snow graveyard, with infected red lyrium and Ferelden architecture. The tree appeared on the right, as this mysterious character shot their enigmatic bow. With the location being the same as the tree, it can be anywhere close to the equator where it can snow, like southern Tevinter, northern Nevarra, or it could literally be anywhere in the mountains. The Ferelden architecture really throws us off though.

This new character is also a mystery, who exactly are they, and what faction do they represent? Well, we've never seen anyone like this before, so they could totally be something brand-new.

However, we can piece a few things together, like the magical, triangle bow. We saw this exact design in a concept piece at Gamescom, with many thinking that this design was ancient elven. On top of that, in the “Ruins of Reality” short story art piece that featured the Starkhaven elf known as Strife, he wore a red cloak with floating triangles on it.

However, even more intriguing, his cloak had the Executor’s logo on it - “a downward-pointed triangle with two wavy lines drawn through it.”

So, does this new character represent either The Executors, or an ancient elven clan? The Executors are mysterious beings who come from beyond the sea, they’ve been described to wear “dark robes of Vyrantium samite, with a thin mesh dropping down to cover the hood.”

I see a gold trim covering their face, but I don’t know if that headpiece constitutes as a hood? Even so, we don’t know what Executors look like.  

If this character represents an ancient elven clan faction, that would explain why they have this magical bow that fires as if projected with Fade magic, also illustrating the more alien look to this character.

Regardless, we think this character is quite the enigma, they could just as easily represent a Tal-Vashoth clan, a new Nevarran faction, or something brand-new that hasn’t been explored in the games yet.

Varric Tethras

During this entire sequence, Varric said: “We’ve got your back, I’ve got your back.” By, “we’ve got your back” we assume he’s speaking on behalf of the Inquisition’s remnants like the Divine, Scout Harding, Charter and company, who’re pursuing after the Dread Wolf. However, even more than that, Varric said, he’s got our back. So, Varric is coming back in the next game as a pivotal role it seems, hopefully, this time around we can romance our chest-haired friend, please?

Fen’Harel

Varric followed that up and said: “Demons, dragons, darkspawn, even the Dread Wolf.” As the next sequence revealed a very familiar Fen’Harel...

Solas is pressing one of his hands on this fresco that depicts him as the Dread Wolf rising. He’s touching the mouth of the Dread Wolf, as the beast’s teeth appear red, most likely to resemble red lyrium? Does Solas’s plan involve ingesting red lyrium? The substance does weaken the veil after all, so is Solas going to become blighted in order to fulfill his scheme?  

As Solas approached, we can see he has clothed himself in ancient elven robe-like armour with varying tints of green. He looks very stoic, but also a little bit sad.

New Mural

The cinematic mural that featured behind Solas was posted as a painting on the Dragon Age website, so we can take a greater look at it, and decipher its meaning.

https://twitter.com/Nthornborrow/status/1337521623084093440

Straight up, we can see the Dread Wolf with six blazing blue eyes, previously the Dread Wolf was depicted with red blazing eyes, however, this time around, his eyes are blue? This clearly has something to do with lyrium Maybe the Dread Wolf’s eyes will turn red once he has become tainted? Or Perhaps there’s a chance we could stop him from becoming tainted before it’s too late?

As stated, the Dread Wolf has six eyes, exactly like his description in Tevinter Nights. A Mortalitasi mage witnessing the Dread Wolf explained the description of a lupine, monstrous six-eyed Wolf the size of a High Dragon.

“Lupine in appearance, but the size of a high dragon, with shaggy spiked hide and six burning eyes like a pride demon.” (The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 496).

With the proportion of his eyes, there could be some significance to them, or it could honestly just be an art style. However, I wouldn’t deny anything relating to Old God souls or the amount of Evanuris left. But we feel the size of each eye shows us that the Dread Wolf is dealing with some sort of distortion with his appearance, like absorbing Mythal’s power metamorphosing him to become more draconic.

The Dread Wolf is bursting through the Black City which is imbued in red lyrium.

We can see the Dread Wolf has destroyed the Veil by the representation of the spheres that have exploded with a roaring fire. With its destruction, the Fade and the waking world of Thedas have become one. With the world burning in the raw chaos, Solas could then restore the time of the elves.

Two Evil Gods Identity  

These statues are old. Better shape than anything I've seen on the surface. Many of them are for Mythal, though. And Fen'Harel. Not in a spot of honor, but guarding, attending.

Protector and All-Mother, why are you honored here, so far from the light of the sun? And why was the Dread Wolf at your side? — Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads

The two evil figures on the left and right side look like the eluvians and statues from the Vir Dirthara, the ancient elvhen Library. And according to Tevinter Nights, there are many elvhen libraries throughout the land of Thedas like the one near the Imperial Highway. These ‘headpieces’ the figures have are slightly different and differentiate each member of the Pantheon from one another.

it’s honestly hard to tell who these figures could be Pantheon-wise, but here are some of our tinfoil bits that can correlate to their appearance:

When we reacted to this trailer live, we stated that these two figures could resemble the elvhen twins Falon’Din and Dirthamen. Their statues look very similar to these figures, but now that we have studied it, the figure on the left looks more feminine with long hair so this could be Ghilan’nain who has been mentioned a lot recently in the Dragon Age’s short stories and Tevinter Nights. If that figure on the left is Ghilan’nan, then the right still has to be Dirthamen who we know has a closer relationship with Ghilan’nain through Dalish and ancient elvhen legends.

"His crime is high treason. He took on a form reserved for the gods and their chosen, and dared to fly in the shape of the divine. The sinner belongs to Dirthamen; he claims he took wings at the urging of Ghilan'nain, and begs protection from Mythal. She does not show him favor, and will let Elgar'nan judge him." — Old Elvhen Writing

On the other hand, these figures could represent Elgar’nan and Mythal, who are closely related to Fen’Harel’s redemption to break the Veil.

“Long ago, when time itself was young, the only things in existence were the sun and the land. The sun, curious about the land, bowed his head close to her body, and Elgar'nan was born in the place where they touched.” — Codex entry: Elgar'nan: God of Vengeance.

“And that night, when the sun had gone to sleep, Mythal gathered the glowing earth around his bed, and formed it into a sphere to be placed in the sky, a pale reflection of the sun's true glory.” — Codex entry: Mythal: the Great Protector.

We could say that the masculine figure represents Elgar’nan who is represented as a sun. And Mythal, who represents the moon. If these two gods are side by side with Fen’Harel, then the Emergent Compendium’s reference could come true:

‘Two shadowed spheres among stars, an eclipse as Fen’Harel stirred’  

However, this could be a stretch knowing that Solas already has the remaining power of Flemeth, and Elgar’nan also has barely been mentioned, it is worth knowing that these figures have a similar reference to these gods either way...

Another connection these figures could resemble are the remaining old gods that bring forth the blights.  

In our Dread Wolf Rises mural breakdown back in 2018, we talked about the centrepiece of the artwork, with the massive moon that had two golden circles still lit, while 5 of them were greyed out. Most certainly referring to the past and future blights.  

In our new mural, behind these two figures there are the same golden circles. If we are comparing these two murals together these figures could be the two remaining Old Gods left who aren’t blighted, Razikale and Lusacan.

According to Solas, if there is any chaotic event in Thedas, spirits will pull against the Veil, weakening its forces. So, if Razikale and Lusacan were to become Archdemons at the same time, that could potentially tear the Veil hence the Dread Wolf rising in the moment to change the world once again.

Razikale is the only Old God to be confirmed female, so according to the mural, this theory might not be far off from this depiction. These Gods have not been tainted and have been left somewhere sleeping for centuries, to awaken them will require most of Thedas to become blighted in order to escalate the timing of two Blights happening at once.  

However, that’s just a theory, as we know, evil gods have Thedas in their sights, it really just depends which gods we’re talking about. We lean more to the Evanuris in this mural, however, the old gods are not out of the picture yet, as shown in The Dread Wolf Rises mural. We feel a double blight is in store for the future of Thedas.

Dragon Age New Font

Anyhow, the trailer ends with a new Dragon Age font and colour, I wonder if gold is going to be the main tone of the next game.  

Varric ended the trailer, and said: “This is your story.” No doubt referring to the fact that the narrative will be shaped by your choices and consequences.

Regardless, this trailer was amazing, and we’re so happy we actually had another look at the next Dragon Age game! We want to know all of your thoughts and speculation down below, how excited are you knowing that Varric is coming back?

[jackdawyt]

Solas: “I walk the dinan’shiral. There is only death on this journey. I would not have you see what I become.”

Lord of Tricksters and He who Hunts alone, kin to His People. He who could walk on both sides of Gods without fear, they all trusted him, and all of them were betrayed. He told the Creators that a blade was forged in the heavens and the Forgotten Ones that it was hidden in the abyss, and when they went searching for it, he sealed them both in their realms forever, paying the ultimate price. He comes in humble guises but strikes those who are vulnerable, Thedas has never been in more peril than ever before, Fen'Harel will rise again.

Hey guys, Jackdaw here! Given the many revelations of Tevinter Nights, we have a lot of plot threads and teases hinting at what Solas may do next in his grand scheme to destroy the Veil and restore the Elven Kingdom. Indeed, the Dread Wolf has risen, and we’ve got a lot of theorising to do!  

So, with that said, I ask that you don your tinfoil hats, respectively, as we examine the Dread Wolf rising, and the next stages of Solas’s scheme that will inevitably destroy Thedas.  

Sandal: “When he rises, everyone will see!”  

Fen’Harel has risen as a beastly and ill-natured creature held from within, mantled in the disguise of an elven mage.  

Discovered in “Callback”, the final Fresco that Solas drafted out in Skyhold’s Rotunda before leaving the Inquisition, revealed an outline of a beast stood over a stabbed dragon; two figures painted on either side of a pane of glass with confused forms. The beast is shown to be a horrifying wolf, having absorbed the dragon’s power, stood crooked over all.

“The eighth and final panel of the fresco, meant to commemorate the battle against the blighted magister Corypheus, was unfinished. It showed only rough shapes, outlines that the mass of color crawling around the room now rushed to fill. And as detail and depth emerged, something was wrong.” (Callback, Page 121).

The depiction of the unfinished fresco relates to Solas’s embrace with Mythal at the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition. For many years, we’ve been scratching our heads about this exchange between Mythal and Solas. Thanks to Tevinter Nights, and more aptly, Solas. We have the truth.  

“But here, unfinished, was the outline of a beast that stood over both dragon and sword. This was not the battle, or the victory. This was after. And the beast was not a dragon. The outline alone might have allowed that assumption, but now, filling with black and red, it was something other. The creature was reptilian, but also canine. The snout was blunted and toothy, but edges came to a point in houndlike ears. As the mass of plaster filled the shape, it began to rise, revealing scales and tail, and paws with talons. It looked like two figures painted on either side of a pane of glass, then viewed together, their forms confused. A wolf that had absorbed a dragon, and now stood crooked over all.” (Callback, Page 122).

This fresco uncovers that Solas absorbed an unknown quantity of Mythal’s power, with her essence he can rise as the Dread Wolf. For what purpose, we’ll discuss later. However, an essence of Mythal, somewhat lives on, as she seemingly placed a piece of herself into an eluivan before Solas took the majority of her power, in order to rise.  

Mythal: “It was only a piece, but that’s all I needed”.

I certainly don’t think that’s the end of Mythal. I believe quite the contrary, I think Solas’s scheme that has been set in motion was Mythal’s idea in the first place. Without her power, Solas wouldn’t be able to rise as the Dread Wolf. It’s only because of her immolation, he can rise! I think Mythal too will rise in the future, perhaps in another body.  

Regardless, the fact that Solas engraved rising as the Dread Wolf with Mythal’s power in Skyhold, before the orb broke, proves that Solas always intended on meeting Mythal, to take an aspect of her power.

Mythal’s sacrifice was never a backup plan to Solas, regardless of his orb’s destruction. Solas always planned on paying her a visit, with or without the orb, having the same intention of absorbing her power so he could rise.  

The orb would only fulfil one purpose, and that’s to rip a hole in the Veil. Whereas taking Mythal’s power had a different purpose – to prepare for Solas’s transformation into the Dread Wolf. And, so with that power now invested, the Dread Wolf has risen.  But only willingly on Mythal’s part.

Solas: “I would have entered the Fade, using the mark you now bear. Then I would have torn down the Veil. As this world burned in the raw chaos, I would have restored the world of my time…the world of the elves.”

With the orb’s destruction, Solas will be looking for a new way to destroy the Veil. Perhaps the Red Lyrium Idol is his backup attempt, and tracking down the Idol is his current quest, so he can successfully destroy the Veil with it, as intended.  

If that solves how Solas could destroy the Veil, then what’s Solas’s plan behind rising as the Dread Wolf? He’s not rising as the Dread Wolf to destroy the Veil, so, what is the Dread Wolf’s purpose?  

Perhaps Solas needs to rise as the malicious Dread Wolf so he can vengefully deal with the many hostile forces after the veil is destroyed.  

Although there will be plenty of opposition against Solas destroying the Veil, like the Executors, Qunari, Inquisition and so on. Nothing in Thedas today can equal what lies beyond the Veil, lingering in many places like the Void and the darkest depths of the Fade.  

Ancient beings, things left forgotten, and The Evanuris.  

Solas is rising as the Dread Wolf to slay his ultimate adversaries. The next protagonist may think that we fall among that category, but nothing can measure against the insane, wicked powers of those who dwell across the Veil, and will soon be released from their shackles if Solas succeeds, and destroys the barrier protecting Thedas against the Fade.  

Inquisitor: “If you destroyed the veil, wouldn't the false gods be freed?”

Solas: “I had plans.”

Solas: “They killed Mythal. A crime for which an eternity of torment is the only fitting punishment.”

Mythal was murdered by her own people, the Evanuris, in their lust for power, they betrayed her. When the Veil is destroyed, Solas will rise as the Dread Wolf, seeking justice for Mythal’s murder, he will find and kill each member of the Elven Pantheon that wronged his queen. The deaths of the False Gods will bring forth a new elven empire ruling over Thedas, with Solas and Mythal at the top.

Flemeth: ”Mythal clawed and crawled her way through the ages to me and I will see her avenged!"

I believe that Mythal exchanged the majority of her power to Solas, so he could follow her scheme of vengeance/justice against the Evanuris. Through the ages, Mythal seeks her own reckoning against those who betrayed her, her one aim has always vengeance. With Solas waking from his long slumber, the two have since schemed an ending against the Pantheon. Solas, using Mythal’s power, and rising as the Dread Wolf will be the False God’s demise.  

Solas and Mythal will have their vengeance, and a new world for the Elven people. However, the Veil hasn’t been destroyed yet, and there’s still time to stop Solas from reaching that reality. The best lead on Solas’s plan regards the Red Lyrium Idol.  

"The Dread Wolf wants that idol, and he’s not afraid to get his hands bloody to get it." (TDWTY, Page 490).

“He intends something for the Fade, and if he wants the idol, then whatever he intends will be terrible.” (TDWTY, Page 498).

The Red Lyrium Idol is still a mystery, and I say that with exasperated lungs, because I’ve talked about this blasted relic in every lore video I’ve created since The Dread Wolf Rises trailer back in 2018. Because of that, I’m going to rush through the details on this Idol.

It’s been described as: “a couple hugging, too thin to be dwarves”, or “a god mourning their sacrifice.” However, disregarding what it supposedly looks like, this idol belongs to Solas. It’s his, and he wants it back, he has a purpose for it.  

“YOU USE MY IDOL CARELESSLY TO VANDALIZE THE SEA OF DREAMS. NOW FEEL THE PAIN OF WHAT YOU HAVE CREATED.” (TDWTY, Page 496).

For what? Well, Red lyrium is known to thin the Veil, and this idol has magical properties too. It’d be a pretty good catalyst for the Veil’s destruction.  

Secondly, when the Idol was used in a blood and binding ritual, it revealed a most intriguing ritual blade, perhaps Solas wants or needs this blade. Could this be the blade to end all wars? Does he need it to finish his ritual? Or is it just a nice sharp dagger to cut Lavellan’s heart out again?  

“It was not merely an idol, but a ritual blade. He slashed his own hand, and a wave of power pulsed through the cavern.” (TDWTY, page 495).

And my final reason for justifying Solas’s genocidal actions.... In “The Hunt of The Fell Wolf” codex, Ameridan killed a great canine beast with a mysterious ‘fade touched’ Idol. This Idol was the only thing that ‘could prove the monster’s doom.’

“The wounded knight in darkness

Found within the cavern's gloom

An idol of fade-touched stone,

Which could prove the monster's doom.”

(The Hunt of the Fell Wolf, Stanza 15)

Perhaps this Idol from Ameridan’s story is the very same Red Lyrium Idol, and Solas is looking for it because the Idol is one of the only things that can stop and kill Solas, just like the beast in the codex. So, if Solas finds the Idol before anyone else, he’s got full security over his own victory, and no one can stand against him.  

The Red Lyrium Idol belongs to him, perhaps it’s like a ‘Horcrux’, you destroy the Idol, you destroy an aspect of Solas? If that’s too far-fetched, then perhaps the Idol is just very strong with its magical properties, and Red Lyrium compound, and that’s what can defeat Solas. Or, potentially, the ritual blade released from the Idol is the ultimate blow against him? It’s really a matter of tinfoil at the moment.  

What’s unknown is the Idol’s location. Does Solas already possess the Idol? If not where is it? More apropos, who has it?  

This seemingly pre-veil artefact found in the Primeval Thaig by Hawke, which was then stolen by Varric’s Brother, Bartrand. And then sold to Knight Commander Meredith, who crafted it into a greatsword, that granted her, and the sword magically capabilities.   Apparently when Meredith went boom and almost destroyed half of Kirkwall, the sword made from the idol was also destroyed, however, the idol stayed with Meredith as she transformed into a red lyrium statue.   It lingered for a while, until the Carta extracted the idol using a potion created by a Dalish Elf. It was then sold to House Qintara in Tevinter, the house traded it to House Danarius for information, then a Magister from House Danarius took it to the Grand Necropolis for a ritual.   The ritual ended in chaos and flames as the Dread Wolf was summoned, however, the idol escaped Fen’Harel’s grasp, as a noble’s son grabbed it and fled into Tevinter lands.   At this point, the idol’s location gets a tad fuzzy, apparently the idol somehow made its way to an auction, off the coast of Rivian, on the Island Llomerynn. Supposedly, the Dread Wolf made a physical appearance and took his idol back, and that’s the end of it. However, it seems that this could’ve been framed as a lie, or bluff, so Solas could retrieve the Idol, and stop those who seek it from getting it. (TDWTY, paraphrased a lot lol)  

In short, the Idol’s whereabouts are set up for interpretation in “The Dread Wolf Take You”, by the end of the story, we don’t quite know where exactly this idol is, and even if we take a guess, it doesn’t feel concrete... Did Solas actually take the idol from an overbearing auction, with quite the hysterical crowd located off the coast of Rivian? (doubt face) Or did a Noble’s son smuggle the Idol safely back into Tevinter war-torn territory?  

While, I lean to the side; Solas lied throughout the story, so therefore he doesn’t have it, and it’s somewhere in Tevinter, in the occupancy of Maker-knows who.... That still doesn’t give us any clues.

Fortunately, we have some new information, so we don’t have to continually guess, like a dog chasing its tail. Thanks to Dark Horse, Dragon Age comic writer Nunzio DeFilippis, we have an understanding of where this idol was originally supposed to go, before the comics were reworked with Dragon Age 4’s iteration reboot.  

Nunzio recently mentioned in the Unofficial BioWare Forum that the comic characters from Deception were originally chasing the Red Lyrium Idol. The original plan for the comics would've had the characters retrieve the Idol. Only to have Solas take it back. Eluding to the idol's planned whereabouts before the plot changed.  

So, regardless of where the idol may be right now, is Solas’s retrieval of the blasted thing inevitable considering the comics would’ve had this plot solved before the next games launch? Is it a matter of time before Solas finds his idol? Or has the plot changed a lot since then? Maybe we’ll have a shot at grabbing this idol before Solas gets his hands on it in the next game?  

With that, we don’t have a solid placement for where the Idol is, but we can assume that it will end up in Solas’s hands soon enough. However, regardless of the Idol, Solas already has set-out an ominous ritual to destroy the Veil.  

Solas {He} sighed. “It was a moment of weakness. I told myself that it was because you all deserved to know, to live a few years in peace before my ritual was complete. Before this world ended.” (TDWTY Page 506).

Whatever this ritual is, beats me. Solas mentions that it’s going to take a few years until it’s complete. And then boom, it’ll be down with the Veil, and the Dread Wolf shall rise.  

This once more begs the question, if Solas had made plans to destroy the Veil, then why does he need the Red Lyrium Idol? But again, like I said, perhaps he needs to retrieve the Idol because it’s his greatest weakness if used against him. Once he has it, he can destroy it, or throw it in the rubbish, so no one can stop his plan.  

Back to Solas’s ritual. The Dread Wolf has taken residency in the Fade, where his ritual has started to affect.  

“But whatever fear the name Dread Wolf carries, he has earned. While we might visit the Fade, it is his natural home, and the spirits there serve him gladly.” (TDWTY, Page 498).

The Mortalitasi organised their own ritual to push the Qunari back home, using blood magic and binding spells. These types of magic are undoing the work Solas has set in motion, they’re a hinderance to his ritual. Therefore, the Dread Wolf made his presence known at the Grand Necropolis, in Nevarra, forbidding both types of magic, if anyone dare binds a spirit, or uses blood magic, your life is his for the taking.  

“And as clear as the Dread Wolf’s anger at what we had done— the Mortalitasi binding spirits he considered his own, the Tevinter mage using forbidden blood magic— was the feeling that we had disrupted his own work.” (TDWTY, Page 498).

“FROM THIS MOMENT, SHOULD YOU EVER BIND A SPIRIT, THEN YOUR LIFE IS MINE.” (The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 496).

So, clearly any magic that requires demons and spirits, or changes a spirit’s original purpose, is undoing Solas’s ritual. Most likely because the spirits of the Fade serve Solas willingly, they’re probably required in his ritual. Taking them away from that purpose, is undoing Solas’s work. Spirits and demons want the Veil to come down so many of them can pursue their desires to enter the physical world, so it’s no surprise they serve Solas freely.  

Regardless, what exactly is this ritual doing? It’s already affected the Fade.... So, is Solas slowly decaying the Veil over time? Is he reaching into the Black City? Does this ritual have something to do with the Old Gods? Is it in preparation for killing the Pantheon? Is Solas’s ritual going to take him back in time to restore the Elven Kingdom? So many ideas, very few answers.  

Also, to change the pace from the ritual. Let's say Solas is successful and the Veil is destroyed, how are the elves going to survive the Veil’s destruction? When talking to Charter, Solas tells her that the world will be better off for the remaining elves that survive. But how can anyone survive the Fade crashing into Thedas?

“I have no choice. What I am doing will save this world, and those like you— the elves who still remain— may even find it better, when it is done.” (TDWTY, Page 506).

Is Solas taking those he deems worthy to a safe place, so they can rebuild the elven empire once the Veil is no more? Is he building a metaphorical ark, gathering the elves, as his flood destroys all of Thedas? How can he guarantee safety to the elves? Surely, he has a plan for them to survive this calamity?  

Ultimately, more questions that we’ll need to answer for ourselves when Dragon Age 4 arrives. Although we still clueless on Solas’s ritual and the Red Lyrium Idol’s purpose, I can say; without doubt, that Solas has risen as the Dread Wolf. A lupin, evil creature that seeks the end of the Evanuris, and Thedas as we know it.  

Solas may think that his plan is for the greater good of his people, but I believe he’s naïve to the one who’s fundamentally been pulling the strings of his scheme all along. The one who has set his very purpose in motion, and that is Mythal. A Queen he would not see go unavenged, and someone he’d do anything to achieve justice for in her name.  

I believe this trust Solas has for Mythal will be the end of him, that he is nothing but a puppet to Mythal’s plan for vengeance. I believe this conquest for justice, will send Solas down a path of anger, decay, and ultimately death.  

The biggest threat against Solas is himself, as he admits, he’s foolish, prideful and doing what he must. Will we be the one to stop him before it’s too late, changing his mind?  Or will we grant him a finishing blow, silencing our once beloved friend?