#he found them in the Fade then outmastered them

[felassan]

this post is under a cut in case anyone would consider it to be DA:D spoilers, as the things it mentions came from the leak a year ago (spoiler warning for link) that included screenshots and a gif of the game. (the things this post mentions are therefore not new information and this does not reference a new leak)

I'm just thinking again about Rook (which seems to be the PC's name or title) and the imagery conjured by the name. ◕‿◕ this post is just speculation and overanalyzing for fun. also this post is a now-finished draft from my draft section from a while back.

I think it would work as a surname (like "Hawke") or a codename (think Leliana's spies and contacts such as "Butler", "Farrier", "Butcher", "Charter", etc although these are all professions that end in "-er" or "or" iirc). it could also be a title (like Warden, Hero, Champion, Inquisitor, Herald) or a nickname - like maybe it's short for "Rookie", it's a Varric-assigned nickname and it references how the DA:D PC is the newest member of the team after he recruits them?

I think it sounds catchy, and cool - it's snappy and short, Hawke-like in this way. and it sounds like the kind of name a spy or secret agent might have in a fantasy, superhero or sci-fi-type setting.

a rook is a black bird, Corvus frugilegus, a member of the corvid family. rooks have been perceived as vermin and nuisances by people in the past, and persecuted due to this. they bear a resemblance to their crow and raven relatives, both birds which have a large cultural footprint and lots of symbolism in areas such as folklore and art. Hawke obviously also had a bird motif going on from their surname and associated art pieces. corvids also bring to mind the Antivan Crows (assassins, thieves, & spies), reminding of the stuff about how in this game the PC may be trying to operate under the radar, and the reporting on a previous iteration of DA:D which had the game concept as being focused on spies and heists. rook plumage is inky black, bringing to mind darkness and shadow.

from the bird angle, a "rook" sounds neat opposite a "wolf" imo. wolves are obviously another animal that have large footprints in culture, myth and folklore. in the natural world there is symbiosis sometimes between wolves and corvids when hunting/feeding. there are lots of photos of wolves and corvids together.

a colony of rooks is called a rookery. of course, the fortress of Skyhold has a rookery. it's from there that Inquisition Spymaster Leliana operates (operated) sending her black birds on missions with letters and messages to her many agents and spies throughout Thedas. what if Rook is one of Leliana's... "rooks"? a spy or agent of the remnants of the Inquisition.

A rook is also defined as "A cheat or swindler; someone who betrays" [noun], "mist, fog" [noun] and "to cheat or swindle" [verb]. it's also a type of trick-taking card game. these sorts of things bring to mind a rogueish, stealthy aspect, and the shady, shadowy dealings and card-game played in Minrathous Shadows.

a rook is also a chess piece. they're castle-like (since "rook" can also mean a castle or fortification) and usually have their top in the shape of a battlement. they can move in any direction along a rank or file on a chessboard on which they stand (horizontal/vertical, not diagonal). they can also do the "castling" move. in history, rooks have also been called towers, castles, rectors and marquesses. in chess, each player starts the game with two rooks at opposite ends of the first rank. chess itself is a game of strategy and tactics. "the chessmaster" as a trope is a character type who manipulates events, tugging on strings and moving 'pieces' into place on a metaphorical chessboard. [Solas' DA:I dialogue about his past, like the one he has with Sera about cells of spies/agents, hark to this]

in the castling move,

"Castling is a move in chess. It consists of moving the king two squares toward a rook on the same rank and then moving the rook to the square that the king passed over. Castling is permitted only if neither the king nor the rook has previously moved; the squares between the king and the rook are vacant; and the king does not leave, cross over, or finish on a square attacked by an enemy piece. Castling is the only move in chess in which two pieces are moved at once."

castling rules often cause confusion, even occasionally among high-level players. historically the move has its roots in the "king's leap", of which there were two forms and which arose in part it seems due to increasing importance of king safety as other pieces were given increased powers through time as the game developed. "the king would move once like a knight, or the king would move two squares on its first move. The knight move might be used early in the game to get the king to safety or later in the game to escape a threat." basically it moves the king away to safety and the rook to a more active position. there is also kingside castling and queenside castling. I wonder, symbolically.. is Rook more the king's rook, or the queen's rook? (reminds me of the Left Hand and Right Hands of the Divine hh). who or what is the king in this hypothetical analogy? the World of Thedas itself? as a castle or fortress.. Rook is the bulwark against what's to come? [over-thinking ik ik, tis just for fun hh].

by now we're all familiar with the chess game Solas plays in banter dialogue with Iron Bull during DA:I. in the in-world chess game, rooks are called towers. Solas moves his right-hand tower once. at a later point in the game, Iron Bull's "Arishok" piece takes Solas' left-hand tower, getting a check and leaving him feeling triumphant. Bull asks Solas wth he is doing as Bull takes Solas' remaining tower. "Your last tower, by the way". Bull, a spy and liar himself, bears down on Solas' pieces "with his full army", thinking a win is in sight. Undeterred, Solas executes a few moves in a sneaky plan and entraps Bull in a checkmate, winning the game after sacrificing various pieces to enact his plan.

rook also brings to mind the Tower tarot card and its meanings. it's associated with sudden, disruptive revelation and potentially destructive change. it connotes danger, crisis, sudden change, destruction, higher learning, and liberation, as well as adversity, calamity, deception, ruin and unforeseen catastrophe. reversed, it connotes things such as negligence, carelessness, apathy and vanity (vanity.. pride). in this depiction of the Tower tarot, lightning strikes from the sky, striking a crown (hubris) off the top of a tower and setting it alight as people fall from the tower to their doom. this imagery and the upright meanings of the card bring to mind the sudden massive change Solas seeks to bring about (destroying the Veil), the revelations and liberation for some that it might bring, his identity as Fen'Harel Lord of Tricksters (deception) as well as the destruction he seems to think the Veil destroying action will cause ("as the world burns in the raw chaos"...). the 'Tower scene' has also already played out once before in Thedosian history, when Solas created the Veil and sealed the Evanuris away, leading to the fall of Arlathan and its wonders. in modern Thedas, Morrigan and Flemeth (as well as possibly some side 'prophecy' type things) both allude to a big change coming to the world.

in DA:I, the Tower tarot card is ofc none other than Solas' ending card, if he is not romanced. in the DA:I version of the card, we see Solas, cloaked in a dark robe and holding a mage staff under a half-moon or eclipse. darkness seeps from his shadow, stark against the orange sky, and blends with the giant black Dread Wolf, looming ominously and open-mouthed above him with its many eyes. (the Tower tarot card Solas scene is later referenced in DA:D promotional art and DA:D-era in-world murals). it makes sense to have assigned this to Solas given the above discussed meanings of the Tower tarot card, but it's a verrry inchresting choice imo to then give "Rook" as a name/title for the DA:D PC.

and most inchrestingly, there's the symbol from the front of Mark Darrah's mysterious Red Book. this mysterious red book shows "a flaming rook" on the cover. the book was an internal guide for developer and publisher eyes only that summarized the vision for DA:D, in its Joplin iteration. we know that the Joplin project has since been revised to an extent that it was the newly codenamed Morrison instead, but the red book is known to still contain plenty of ideas likely to appear in DA:D. most pages of the book remain highly classified. it's the symbol on the front that's of most interest to us though for the purposes of this post. there is a castle, tower, or rook, like a fortress or the chess piece. above the tower, a fire burns, reminding us of the burning tower from the Tower tarot card imagery and what that symbolizes, as well as Solas' "world burning in the raw chaos" line from Trespasser. inside the fire is a wolf, the Dread Wolf, in a now very-familiar and repeated motif in DA:D art, merch, murals, teasers etc. whatever else "rook" may connote, it feels like it's not an accident at all that the PC's name is apparently "Rook", given this depiction of a fiery rook and the Dread Wolf together.

what do you think? ^^

[daughter-of-the-prophet]

Dirthamen

Dirthamen is the elven god of secrets and knowledge.

Dalish Legends

In Dalish stories Dirthamen and his twin brother Falon'Din are the eldest children of Elgar'nan and Mythal. Dirthamen gave to elves the gift of knowledge and taught them loyalty and faith in family.

Legends tell that the twins were inseparable spirits from birth to adulthood. They were parted when Falon'Din ventured beyond the Veil, to a place where his brother could not easily follow. Dirthamen wandered the grey paths of the Fade until he found and outmastered two ravens, Fear and Deceit. The ravens took him to Falon'Din, and the twins swore to never be parted again. Together they accompanied the elders who would enter uthenera and walk the shifting paths in search for the secrets of dreams. Dirthamen provided such elves with counsel.

In one tale Dirthamen gave each creature a secret, but only the bears kept it and therefore were honored by him.

Elves also tell that in the days before Arlathanthere was a city in the mountains. It was beloved by Dirthamen, who shared his wisdom with its people. When a high dragonattacked the city, Dirthamen created the first varterral from the fallen trees of the forest to serve as its eternal guardian.

The Dalish believe that Dirthamen was banished along with the other gods, and his city crumbled to dust. They bury their dead with a cedar branch to scatter his ravens who are now without a master.

In Elvhenan 

Dirthamen and Falon'Din were "twin souls" with no family connection. Their bond was not romantic, beyond even the strongest friendship. The oldest elven stories never even name them directly, referring to Falon'Din as "Dirthamen’s shadow," and Dirthamen as "Falon'Din's reflection."

The unnamed sinner who dared to fly in the shape of the divine belonged to Dirthamen.

Symbols and shrines

Dirthamen’s symbols are two ravens, a bear and a varterral. Dirthamen himself is sometimes depicted as a cloaked kneeling figure. Ancient glyphs scattered across the Exalted Plains reveal the location of the Lost Temple of Dirthamen.

[yolandiehorak]

I’ve never done this before, but here goes. :) I’ve found some possible evidence of the Old Gods and the Forgotten Ones being linked. We know that the Evanuris were spirits, or something akin to that. According to the wiki: ‘Solas, who is actually revealed to be Fen'Harel, states that the ancient elven gods were not really deities as the Maker is perceived, but rather very powerful beings. Whether they were mages or spirits or something else entirely unencountered and forgotten, Solas says they have a deep and powerful connection to the Fade, where they dwelled and spoke to the elves through various rituals performed in certain locations.’ We also know that the Forgotten Ones were the enemies of the Evanuris, the other side of the coin: ‘Where the Creators are gods of justice, knowledge and craft, who seek to guide and protect the elven people, the Forgotten Ones are a dark mirror presiding over the worst aspects of existence: disease, terror, spite and malevolence. [4]They serve not as shepherds of the elves, but rather as figures of fear and dread.’ Some theories go so far as to claim the Forgotten Ones couldn’t create, but I haven’t found any official proof of this, though I believe it. So, if the Creators were spirits, the Forgotten Ones were demons. Makes sense. It also strengthens the idea that the Forbidden Ones, demons, could be a part of this pantheon. Despite the popular belief that there are 8 Creators and 8 Forgotten Ones (with Solas as #9 in both pantheons), that’s unconfirmed. In fact, the wiki opposes this idea. ‘Legend suggests the Forgotten Ones were many, but even the names of most of them have been largely lost to time, making their title exceedingly appropriate.’ We have the names of 3 Forgotten and 4 Forbidden Ones. So, if my theory is correct, that puts us at 7 (discounting Solas for now). Forgotten:  Anaris (according to an old tale he was once tricked by Fen'Harel while duelling the Great Hunter Andruil[10])  Geldauran  Daern'thal Forbidden:  Gaxkang  Imshael  The Formless One  Xebenkeck There’s a codex entry called Geldauran’s Claim that goes like this: ‘The script is an ancient elven dialect. Upon further observation, it twists, the words becoming visible: There are no gods. There is only the subject and the object, the actor and the acted upon. Those with will to earn dominance over others gain title not by nature but by deed. I am Geldauran, and I refuse those who would exert will upon me. Let Andruil's bow crack, let June's fire grow cold. Let them build temples and lure the faithful with promises. Their pride will consume them, and I, forgotten, will claim power of my own, apart from them until I strike in mastery.’ So, he’s planning to strike back. We’ve been discussing Solas’s role in these pantheons for a while now and I think I know the answer, though I have no official proof of this. I reckon Solas was a demon, who chose to be a spirit, like Cole. That’s why he was OK in both pantheons and why he could banish both. He probably didn’t feel a particular alliance with either, but just wanted to help, like Cole. He *does* do a lot of helping throughout history, from freeing slaves to helping Andraste and the Inquisiton. Now, Mythal and Yavana were trying to SAVE the Old Gods. Also, if the Old Gods can be counted among the Forgotten Ones – folks who already hated the Evanuris before Solas banished them – they become instant allies to Mythal. It would also back the idea that she *needs* Solas to bring down the Veil, because it would free the Evanuris so the remaining Old Gods/Forgotten Ones can ‘shake the very heavens’ when they attack the Evanuris. And, knowing Mythal has knowledge of how to find the Void via Andruil (she absorbed Andruil's power), she can probably let the rest of the Forgotten Ones out once the problem of the Veil is solved. In fact, she might even be saving and raising dragons through Yavana so the Forgotten Ones have vessels to possess. This is just me, I have no proof on this account. I happened upon this codex entry from the Well of Sorrows: ‘This elven writing found in the Arbor Wilds is so old there seems to be no way to learn what it means. 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. "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." For one moment there is an image of a shifting, shadowy mass with blazing eyes, whose form may be one or many. Then it fades.’ He ‘dared to fly in the shape of the divine’. I believe this means one of the Forgotten Ones tried to mimic the shape the Evanuris could shift into, dragon. I know the codex says the sinner was one of Dirthamen’s followers, but there’s a story from his wiki page that could support this: ‘In Dalish stories Dirthamen and his twin brother Falon'Din are the eldest children of Elgar'nan and Mythal. Dirthamen gave to elves the gift of knowledge and taught them loyalty and faith in family.[1] Legends tell that the twins were inseparable spirits from birth to adulthood. They were parted when Falon'Din ventured beyond the Veil, to a place where his brother could not easily follow. Dirthamen wandered the grey paths of the Fade until he found and outmastered two ravens, Fear and Deceit. The ravens took him to Falon'Din, and the twins swore to never be parted again.’ Fear and Deceit sound like demon names, right? Dirthamen outsmarted them and they helped him find Falon’Din. That’s why I think they might have become his servants. We also know the Evanuris were power hungry from what Solas says, so Dirthamen might even knowingly have forced Fear or Deceit to take on the dragon form, so he could grow his own power or create a new weapon against the others. Like the Forgotten Ones, the Old Gods aren’t creators. ‘The true nature of the Old Gods is unknown. The Old Gods are not creators and even the people of ancient Tevinter attributed the creation of the world to the Maker, although by a different name.’ The Maker, by the way, might very well turn out to be this ‘Formless One’ who is a member of the Forbidden Ones. But that’s just a personal inkling. 😛 Additionally, none of the Old Gods have positive attributes. Their domains are fire, slavery, chaos, mystery and night. OK, Urthemiel’s beauty isn’t inherently good or evil, and the same can be said of Dumat’s silence. But then, Imshael’s choice falls in the same category, neither good nor evil, but rather twisted to what he wants it to be. So, this doesn’t sway me from this theory. 🙂 In fact, it could even be that the seven Old Gods are the twisted counterparts of the Evanuris. Elgar’nan had a quick temper and is said to have fought with fire, lightning and thunder. All the tales about him end in anger and violence, except where Mythal was able to calm him down. What if Dumat’s silence is a mockery of Elgar’nan’s tempestuous nature? Almost like indifference. And Urthemiel’s beauty could very well be a mockery of Ghilan’nain being trapped inside a halla. In fact, his constellation Bellitanus, is of a maiden, even if Urthemiel is male. This could be a coincidence, but it supports my theory so I’m keeping it. The same kinds of distortions can connect the other Evanuris and Old Gods. Then, the number thing. As I mentioned earlier, we know of 7 Forgotten Ones. Discounting Solas and Mythal, who has been out of play, we have 7 sealed Evanuris. Add the 7 Old Gods and we have a double ratio of Forgotten Ones to Evanuris. 7 is a sacred number in the Jewish faith, which is interesting, considering the developers based the elves on Jews. ‘The initial inspiration for the Dragon Age elves came from the Jewish people (lost homeland, ghettos).’ As a last point, the Gaider himself made this connection. ‘David Gaider hinted that the Old Gods could have been based on the elven gods or the Forgotten Ones, and that the second group had more reasons for that.[1]’