#i mean dalish were mentioned

[felassan]

Some thoughts on this article from Game Informer [source]. ^^

Teia and Viago as the 'face' of the Crows/the Crow 'agents', pretty please..? 🥺 👉👈 And I hope maybe Strife and Irelin can be the same but for the Veil Jumpers..? :D

Customizing qunari Rook's horn type and material reminds me of Taash's gem-horn design

Which faction do you think has the coolest casual threads? in my mind's eye [wild speculation] it's a toss up between Mourn Watch and Antivan Crows :D

What do sword and shield warriors 'hip-fire' with?

What is a "night blade" :D

Faction selection/backstory (while not playable) determining who Rook was before, how they met Varric, and why they travel with him reminds me of the different origins in DA:O and how each possible HoF crossed paths with and was recruited by Duncan in a different way.. 🥺

Factions and groups in the world working together to save it.. it felt like there were hints of this in Tevinter Nights. In that book, we saw different groups and factions from across Thedas working with the Inquisition, with varying degrees of cooperation, on being concerned about Solas. Yet other groups were also interested in keeping tabs on him. now we see the same kinda thing in DA:TV with different groups being involved in saving the world from the Evil Gods.

"'You help them, they help you now" but first they all have serious problems you need to solve' has echoes of how in DA:O, the HoF solved a problem for each major group (Dalish elves/werewolves, Circle Tower/templars, Orzammar etc) before they would obey the Grey Warden treaties and agree to help fight the darkspawn for the final battle

Do you think that some of the voices in the Thedas Calls teaser trailer were some of the 'faces' of the factions? For example, the Antivan Crow woman speaker as the face of the Crows, and the Nicholas Boulton-sounding Warden man speaker as the face of the Grey Wardens?

Each spec being tied to a faction explains the faction symbols being on the specializations, as here. From this, we can see that the faction each spec is tied to is as follows:

Mage: Death Caller - Mourn Watch Evoker - Shadow Dragons Spellblade - Antivan Crows Rogue: Duelist - Antivan Crows Veil Ranger - Veil Jumper Saboteur - Lords of Fortune Warrior: Champion - Grey Wardens Reaper - Mourn Watch Slayer - Lords of Fortune

The Mirror of Transformation returns. Do you think that means Rook will also be able to go to the Black Emporium, like Hawke in DAII and Inquisitor in DA:I? Will Xenon the Antiquarian also return? ^^ Maybe not though, since it's said the Mirror is in The Lighthouse

I'm not sure about "If you find yourself unhappy with your lineage or your class, you can change them using the Mirror of Transformation". It was previously reported that "You can change your character’s physical appearance at any time during the game, but not their class or backstory" [source] [prev post mentioning it]. I guess one article is incorrect, but am not sure which. or maybe this aspect of the game changed in development. ^^ UPDATE: please see here re: an update/clarification from Game Informer on this. it reads:

"Editor's Note: This article previously stated players can change their physical appearance, class, lineage, and identity using the Mirror of Transformation. That is incorrect as class, lineage, and identity are locked after you first select those. The article has been updated to reflect that, and Game Informer apologizes for any confusion this mistake may have caused."

What do you think is the problem[s] faced by each faction that we have to solve? :D We got some hints about this already. For example, for the Crows, something "is amiss" in Antiva and they're trying to uncover the source. The Qunari have also invaded Antiva. For the Wardens, they just recently discovered one of Ghil's underground monster labs and learned there are 11 more (Tevinter Nights), and ominous tremors of unknown cause have been creating disturbances in the Anderfels lately. The Lords of Fortune have lost dominion over the coasts of Rivain and dragons are laying waste to their ships. The Shadow Dragons probably have the Venatori, who are still around and up to mad shit, to contend with. Arlathan Forest is currently all timewarped, reality-fragmented, awash with darkspawn and corruption etc. For the Mourn Watch.. maybe the Veil rips and weakening has caused more premature possessions of corpses and demons possessing corpses and wreaking havoc in the Necropolis, or the Nevarran politics stuff? In TN Dorian also mentions learning from a Mortalitasi mage that there are things "past the Veil of our world, neither demon nor spirit". maybe they're having problems with those things?

[source]

[vaiyamagic]

With the new Dragon Age game looming on the horizon, I wanted to reblog an old theory I had, but I can't seem to find it. So, either tumblr search is being stupid again, or I've never actually shared it, so, here goes:

Solas mentions once, that Corypheus had learned the secret of "effective immortality" by jumping into the body of a blighted creature and taking it over, just like the archdemons do (and why only Wardens are able to kill them.)

This means he, Solas, also knew the secret of effective immortality, whether he used it or not. And since it's pretty obvious at this point that the achdemons are the old tevinter gods and also the evanuris, that means the evanuris were using this same secret before they were corrupted.

But what did they use before the blight existed?

Well, they had slaves, didn't they? Slaves that were marked. With tattoos made from blood.

It wasn't just that Solas was taking away the marks of slaves, Solas was saving them from being possessed, and in the process, literally taking away the "gods'" immortality.

It makes me wonder if the way vallaslin is made and applied today is the same way it was done back then.

Will all Dalish suddenly become a liability when the evanuris are set free? (Just like Anders and the other Wardens were having trouble keeping their own minds when they first met Corypheus.)

[telanadasvhenan]

Solas, Lavellan and Home

I've been thinking again, unfortuantely, about solavellan and the idea of home. I read an extraordinary think piece regarding Solas & Leaving by @/gangrelslut that everyone should go read because it is BEAUTIFULLY written & has changed the way I see him, and it's made me consider what home is to Solas.

Solas only mentions his past in brief, vague sentences. A village long lost to time, barely ruins, was his birth place. But it is not home. What we know about Solas is surprisingly so little that most is speculation, but i like to believe that to him, People are home. I don't mean specific people either, but the concept of them. The feeling of community, of togetherness and love, that is home. He has been a leader, of a rebellion and a saviour. He lives his life for others, specifically, the Elvhen. They are his home, where his feet take him and where he finds his peace. And they are gone. Lost. Barely ruins.

There is no physical place for Solas to return to, yes because Arlathan fell, but because the people are gone. All he knows, that love, the community and the connection, is gone. He can never go home and how could he? What could compare in his adoration and commitment to his people, so much that he destroyed them for it. Cole is somewhat a foil to Solas sometimes: Compassion is precious and far too uncommon, but it can kill without mercy. Solas, like cole, did not know his actions were wrong until it was too late. His love killed his home.

Then there is Lavellan, Dalish and far from home. It is interesting that for the Dalish, their home is so similar to Solas'. Home is the people, the love. It is not so much a place but a tangible thread to keep you connected. She knows what it is to miss and ache for a people, and what it is to find comfort in that home, even if you cannot be there.

This is purely my own feelings now but I like to believe that Solas first felt home once more when he met Lavellan. She is wise, wonderful and open minded. She reflects his favourite colours of the world and sings like the morning birds he'd forgotten the song for. She is real. What must it be, to feel a connection after years of slumber, only to awaken to a horrific tragedy? She wraps her love around his pinkie finger and kisses his knuckle. Vhenan. Heart. Home. Elven as a language is inherently poetic there is something striking about the simple meaning of the word. You are my home. In that grove, crestwood, where he almost gives in, you can see the ache and yearning in his eyes. It is so clear, to me at least, that he wishes to confide in her and allow himself that, to allow himself a home once more.

But lessons are lessons, and Solas knows to learn them. He is wisdom as much as he is pride, and in that moment he falters. He lies about his intentions, and sees Lavellan for what she is and what she could be to him. Lavellan could be his home, but what would he do to it? "There is only Death on this Journey. I would not have you see what I become." In trespasser, Solas tells us of what he is and what he became for his people, and what he will become for them yet. How could he call her home, knowing what he is and what he must do? What cruelty could he conjure, kissing her and promising her heart whilst his hands are bloody for a home he can never truly forget?

The people need him. The love between them is there and it matters. But it is not enough. Lavellan cannot be his home. Look at what he did to the last.

[weavewithshadow]

she, the mender; he, the break. (2)

solas/lavellan, rated T.

previous entries: (1)

synopsis: The Dalish elf that closed the Breach has woken. Immediately faced with a world that no longer looks at her the way she expects, Ithalia must piece together what transpired.

How did she survive at all? And who, if anyone, has an interest in her life?

content warnings: canon-typical violence mention, canon-typical depiction of racism, canon-typical profanity, canon-typical religious references, canon-typical depictions of depression.

read on ao3!

Two Ithalia

Something is wrong, deep in her bones, when Ithalia wakes.

Some things, plural. A gap in her memory where, apparently, a trip to the Fade should be. A mark in her palm whose cold burn she cannot pinpoint as coming from… anywhere.

A hole in the sky that she can feel, somehow, from her place on a too-warm bed in a too-comfortable room, is… gone. The quiet left behind is jarring.

Before—there’s no way to know if it’s been days, weeks, a decade—the quiet would’ve been a boon. She’d wanted it, before, a Dalish spy in the Conclave, a watcher sent from home. She’d been meant to watch. That was it. The quieter, the less imposing, the better.

She’s an explosion or two past less imposing, probably.

But what could take a Dalish elf from a prison cell to the plush of a clean bed?

One thing at a time. She cracks her eyes open—those still see the same, even after the last flash of blinding green she remembers. To her right stands a wall, simple wood planks. To her left, everything else: a bedside table, a desk, a flaming sconce, several pelts hung around a small window, a bookshelf—

A tray that clatters on the floor, dropped by an elf standing frozen in her wake. 

“O—oh,” they stammer, sweat beading on their brow. Young, no valasslin—probably not Dalish. At the sight of her, their head starts shaking. They backpedal, one step and then another. “I—I didn’t know you were awake, I swear!”

An elf, of all people, ready to run as soon as she props herself up on an elbow.

“Don’t…” Mythal’enaste, her temple throbs. Her hand, moreso. “... Don’t worry about it. I only—”

The elf falls, and Ithalia jolts upright.

They collapse to the floor—not to faint, but to kneel.

“I beg your forgiveness and your blessing,” they plead, palms to the floor, even their brow touching the stone. “I am but a humble servant.”

A servant. A city elf, bending to kneel before one of the Dalish, as if Ithalia is something… more. Something else.

Some things wrong, indeed.

“I…” Ithalia lets her voice fade to nothing. She what, exactly? What does this elf, or anyone, think of her? Why is she here? And where is—

“You are in Haven, my lady,” the younger elf says, lifting their head to meet her eyes. They swallow when they spot Ithalia still watching them. “They say you saved us. The Breach stopped growing, just like the mark on your hand.”

She turns her attention there, to the mark, if only to… spare… the younger elf from it. It lights with the twitch of a finger, the same way a person might look up at the sound of their name. It thrums, warm yet impossibly cold, in an arc from the heel of her palm to the curve between her thumb and forefinger.

It looks like an open wound, the color of the Veil.

What she thinks is the Veil.

Probably.

“It’s all anyone has talked about for the last three days.”

Three days. The Breach, gone. Three days.

“So you’re saying…” She tries another look at the elf, who winces. She doesn’t hide her own stammer, as she’d learned to do under Keeper Ishmaetoriel’s guidance. Let this elf hear her disbelief. “They’re… happy with me?”

“I’m only saying what I heard. I didn’t mean anything by it!” The elf rises, standing on shaking knees. Again, they step backward, hands raised like at any moment, Ithalia might lunge. “I—I’m certain Lady Cassandra would want to know you’ve wakened. She… she said, ‘At once.’”

Lady Cassandra. Ithalia grits her teeth before she remembers the younger elf would flee for less. She pauses, finds a smile, rubs a temple. Lady Cassandra…

Seeker Cassandra.

She fights to rise, stifling a groan. “And… where is she…?”

“In the Chantry,” the younger elf answers, their full-body tremor in their voice, now, too. “With the lord chancellor. ‘At once,’ she said!”

They all but fall into the door as they push through it, and then they are gone.

Quiet blankets the room again—but just outside, a wave of murmurs rises, rippling out from this lodge. This Haven lodge, now that the Breach has been closed for three days.

Haven. Breach closed. Three days. She can cling to those, even when…

She will have to face the outside. Soon, probably.

In the meantime, maybe someone has left something behind more informative than the elf who somehow dropped down before her in worship. With precious little time and through the haze of a headache, though, little stands out save for a pile of loose papers left on the room’s only desk.

She chews a lip, looks down at her fingertips. Hands this clean—washed? By whom?—won’t leave any obvious prints that she’d need to make excuses for. If she did, would she have to make them? Or would anyone besides that lone elf drop down and do…. That?

No time to ponder long either way. She tests her steps, finding her own knees shaking, and ambles over to the desk. Elbow on the wood, she bends down and lifts the paper close to her eyes, cursing her headache for at least the third time in as many minutes.

Day One: Clammy. Shallow breathing. Pulse over-fast. Not responsive. Pupils dilated. Mage says her scarring "mark" is thrumming with unknown magic. Wish we could station a templar in here, just in case.

Ithalia sucks in a breath, releasing it only at the end of the passage. Mark must mean her—and unknown magic, while it ties her stomach in knots, matches her assumption.

Mage—she does remember, tangled insides tightening. A flash of green: once, twice, again, then for good before all went dark. A hand clamped over her wrist—no. Loosely. It’d been the Seeker’s grasp that was rough. Cassandra’s, not—

Solas’.

Where is he, now? Where are any of the others, aside from Cassandra and…

Lord chancellor. Haven. Breach closed. Three days.

She sighs, closing her eyes to keep the words from blurring on the page. It takes a moment for the room to return to stillness, for her stomach to stop threatening a heave.

Under the page of notes, there’s nothing discernible. Only a collection of pages with a series of numbers in two columns, marked with what looks like the time over the course of several days and nights. The measurements have no labels. The notes in the margins are packed too tightly, in too intricate of a shorthand to attempt deciphering.

Even one in elvish, which is all she really gleans from the pages. Multiple pages, packed with writing on both sides.

He means, ‘I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.’

The dwarf’s voice—one of precious few things Ithalia remembers. Varric Tethras: rogue, author… something. He didn’t look ready to cut her down, for either her heritage or mark. He didn’t look ready to collapse in reverence, either.

“My lady?” a voice—soft, high—asks outside the door, scarcely audible over the rest.

Something brushes against the opposite side of the wood, then stops.

“Shhh! Are you mad? Leave the Herald be!” another hisses.

The Herald. Haven. The lord chancellor, with Lady Cassandra. 

Scarring “mark” thrumming with unknown magic.

The Breach, closed, three days.

She’ll have to face them all, now, with nothing else to go on. No blade to ready herself for anything that might not be instantaneous adolation.

How many, in Haven? To what end?

She can’t know, until…

Ithalia opens the door with a tremoring hand and finds a parted sea. Rows of onlookers, standing politely to each side of a cobbled path, some with heads bowed, some with eyes shining. None of them notice the icy wind that shudders down her spine. None of them care for anything but what is in front of them.

A Dalish elf, Dirthhamen’s valasslin upon her brow, down the bridge of her nose, across her cheekbones, under her lip. Unmistakable from every angle as not them, a probably-Veil-green gash pulsing visibly on her palm. Washed by hands that were not hers, dressed in clothes she’s never laid eyes upon, emerging from a lodge she never chose.

Stepping out under a sky scarred the same as she: a waving line of green to split the blue, like a scar over pale skin.

I am not this, she fights not to say, for they should already know.

Have they forgotten?

She has learned, all her life, to run from human worship. To see the sight of red and learn from the bull’s mistake, fleeing opposite, never giving in to anger when survival is never not at stake.

Her Keeper has told her stories, since she was old enough to catch their meaning, of forests made of graves, canopies thick enough to blot out the sun.

Yet this tableau—this human tableau, scarcely an elf and not one Dalish in sight—stays perfectly still. They bow, not for the red of their Chantry, but for the green of her palm.

A magic that is not hers, a name—Herald—that is not hers, a mended sky that is not hers.

For if it were hers alone, she would be dead.

It is because of one that she is not.

[niofo]

it's always weird to me when ppl say that there's too much dalish and that games pander to solavellan content, when the dalish were always treated like shit by bioware. you can literally murder/cause death of an entire dalish clan every game, your dalish character is constantly converted to andrastianism, dalish companions are treated either as stupid (merrill) or mean and violent (velanna), not to mention you barely even can interact with your own heritage in a meaningful way (the fucking "who is mythal" dialogue).

should there be more city elf or more dwarf content? absolutely, but it should not be introduced instead of the dalish content. you know who already had way too much screentime? the fucking chantry, gtfo with it finally. i don't really care about solas or solavellan, but don't lie to me that the dalish had some sort of a special treatment bcos of that, they were a butt of a joke ever since da2, and we don't even have a dalish companion in inquisition. instead of looking at others who are getting bare scraps, let's look at who is always getting a whole ass cake no matter what.

[crabs-with-sticks]

For Ghilara and Solas, how about 86 and 15 :)

15- How do they comfort one another when the other is upset?

Solas would try to create a space of normalcy for Ghil, a place where she doesn't have to be the leader or the herald or the inquisitor. Whether its being able to chat about meaningless things, or just hanging out with Solas sketching or reading and Ghilara being able to do her mending/crafts, or just letting her hide in his room with him for a bit.

I think Ghil would comfort Solas with a lot of gentle physical affection. The man is so god damned touch starved he needs to be enveloped in a hug. I'm talking full on smothered. I think that Ghilara gets that there is a lot he can't/won't let himself talk about with her, so she makes sure she's there for him and in a space where he can talk about whatever is bothering him on his own terms.

86- Who gives the best gifts? Who gives the more thoughtful? Who goes for expensive?

Solas is 100% better at gift giving. He'd be the type who would be like 'you mentioned one time 3 months ago that you were missing X from home so I got some made specially for you'.

Ghil on the other hand would probably give boring gifts in comparison, but it would all be stuff that she hand made and that will be useful. Being dalish they don't have as much of a trade economy, and being nomadic would mean that useful practical gifts would be common and appreciated. Like 'oh well Skyhold is pretty chilly and with lots of stone floors so I knitted you some socks' or, 'you're always complaining about how messy your desk is so I wove this lil basket for your trinkets/small stuff'

[vigilskeep]

Hi I saw you mention wanting to talk about schools of magic and specializations; do you want to talk about the arcane/primal earth DAO -> force mage DA2 -> rift magic DAI transformation and what that says about the different places that various protagonists learned their magic/what the fade is like in Kirkwall (I feel like I saw you mention that "fade is thin in Kirkwall" + "yeah rift magic, which has all the force mage spells, is a new school since the giant hole in the sky" was a bit of an odd take)?

Alternately, would you like to talk about the arcane warrior -> knight enchanter thing and how the chantry getting ahold of ancient elven battle magic might have occurred? And what that means for the Greater Lore?

Anyways love your blog and you have the best takes ❤️

i actually just made a joke about the obvious similarities of force magic and rift magic and it’s @miraculan-draws who had the really great take about the veil in kirkwall that made me take this seriously!

it really can’t be overstated how fucked the veil is in kirkwall. the sheer amount of demons out and about! the way you can just become an abomination with a snap of your fingers no trip into the fade to make contact with demons necessary! good lord! it’s also worth noting that it’s not even just the mass suffering and slavery that has happened here and is literally painted onto the walls; kirkwall, insanely, is intentionally built in the form of giant glyphs and iirc it’s implied it was used by magisters as a mass blood ritual for entering the fade, possibly even THE entering the fade? not to mention corypheus’ prison nearby or keeping the mages in the GALLOWS of all places or the histories of occupation or sundermount. mass death and suffering causes tears in the veil. nobody should live in kirkwall. nobody should fucking live there. it would totally make sense if force magic, a brand of magic specifically noted to be popular in kirkwall, required the same closeness to the fade as rift magic. kirkwallers don’t need a breach they literally just live like that

as for arcane warrior/knight enchanter, it’s covered really interestingly by ariane in the witch hunt dlc and velanna in the awakening dlc that a lot of the circle’s magical knowledge is essentially appropriated from ancient elven knowledge that they were able to preserve while the dalish were robbed of it. that’s what’s happening when you take ariane to kinloch to get information on eluvians and some random young human mage knows more than her and her keeper, and ariane talks about this at the time. velanna and anders also have this banter:

it comes up a lot in anders’ banters with dalish mages that he is coming from having grown up in a place intended for the sharing and discussion of magical knowledge, where bickering academic rivalries as well as political ones are commonplace, and learning from each other and living side by side is what makes them better safer mages. (which is one thing abt the circle i think he actually misses and tries, however awkwardly, to seek out. imo he’s just parroting “great civilisations are built on the sharing of ideas” here, it sounds way more like something that’s been said to him than something he would think. he wants to talk abt magic bc he’s lonely and on the run and used to be surrounded by people to talk abt magic with! vivienne talks abt this more intentionally, she makes good points abt mages thriving when they’re together among those who can understand them.) whereas merrill and velanna grow up in a background where magic is quite individual and private, shared from one keeper to one first and (according to merrill) never practised in public, and that’s a safety measure to protect them from templars and to protect elven knowledge from being taken away from them as it has been previously. so obviously they’re not engaging with the first human mage trying to blunder his way into discussion with no sensitivity at all by picking the kind of fights he’s used to, which velanna and merrill obviously wouldn’t have context for

that’s a tangent abt characters bc i love talking abt anders merrill and velanna and the way i think they think abt magic, ignore me. anyway. my POINT is i imagine the ideas behind knight-enchanter came into the hands of circle mages and the chantry in a similar way to finn’s knowledge about eluvians in witch hunt. that seems natural enough. i believe you can have a conversation with solas after taking the spec where you discuss what the ancient elven arcane warriors might think to see their abilities in the hands of the chantry?

[fl3shm4id3n]

𝓐 𝓓𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓔𝓵𝓯

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ɴᴇᴛᴇʏᴀᴍ ᴛᴇ ꜱᴜʟɪ ᴛꜱʏᴇʏᴋ'ɪᴛᴀɴ x ᴅᴀʟɪꜱʜ ᴇʟꜰ! ᴍᴀɢᴇ! ꜰᴇᴍ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Tw: blood magic, mentions of cutting palms, demon, reader had facial tattoos, reader is between 5'1-5'3 in height, reader has pointy ears and big eyes, reader is an outcast, racisms towards elves, slur is used such as knife ears, some angst.

A/N: I always had the idea that the Omaticaya were a bit similar to the Dalish Elf from dragon age, so I thought of something involving an elf and an alien.

Masterlist

It all started with a demon, you had been in the forest doing your daily hunt for food. It should of been fast, but instead you had come across a voice. This voice sounded very nice and not so demonic, this voice had promised you knowledge not even the Clan's Keeper knew. So being the foolish child that you were, you had accepted since it sounded promising. That was a huge mistake.

When the rest of your clan had found out about what you did, they were not happy. They wanted you to leave, considered you a danger since you had made a contract with a demon and they feared you might bring the clan into it's down fall. But the Keeper did not allow this, she knew what you did was wrong, but it could of happened to anyone, you were a victim of this demon.

You had also began to practice blood magic, this kind of magic was still Taboo since it was dangerous and could attract bad luck to yourself and others. Since then, the Keeper had been keeping an eye on you, making sure that you are kept in line and not cause any danger to yourself or others, she knew that you did was wrong, but you were still a part of the Clan as well as a child.

Day by day, the other members were not afraid to show you that they disliked you for the magic you now processed. They didn't want you near them, or their children. You had been basically isolated from everyone except for the Keeper, majority of the time you were seen with her, she was the only person who didn't see you in a bad light like everyone else did. The demon had began talking to you, trying to convince you into using your magic to harm others for their mistreatment towards you, but you didn't let the demon get to you. It was understandable since the clan was afraid.

That day you had gone into the forest to clear your head from everything, you hated being the black sheep of the clan due to your new magic. You've also been learning some basic and less dangerous spells that didn't involve you cutting your palms. You had also heard of a spell that allowed you to teleport from one place to another, you had been meaning to try it, but you didn't know if this could attract demons due to the spell involving blood.

This was a risky spell, but you were curious about it, so you decided to perform it. You got your hunting knife then you began to work on the spell, as you chanted the spell you then cut your palm, allowing the blood to leave your hand. Then everything had began to shake drastically, but you didn't noticed since you were very focused on your spell, until a light had began then hit you, causing you to get knocked out.

Who knows how long you had been knocked out, all you knew that you had been asleep for a while when you woke up. You were still in the forest, but something didn't feel right about this forest, sure it was just as green as the one back home, except this place was much bigger and brighter. Could the spell had possible worked? You noticed how your palm had been healed, it must have happened while you were asleep. You thought it would be best to explore the forest, just to get a good look at it.

As you explored, you saw some unusual animals that you had never seen before, they were strange yet beautiful and colorful. You now knew that the spell had worked, this forest was not the forest that you were used too. You continued to explore, seen the different plants that you came across, they were unique and beautiful just the animals you had seen. You got a better look when you had began to climb on the trees and jumping from one to another, this place was beautiful in your eyes, maybe because you were from the forest and not the city, your clan had always avoided going to were the humans were, since they had done horrible things to your kind. You remember when you first came across a human, they had called you knifed eared and a tree huger.

What you didn't know was that you had been watched by someone. That day Neteyam had wanted to go hunting, to get away from his duties for a bit. What he didn't expect was for you to show up, he had been hiding around some bushes, trying to catch something, but you had scared it off. Then he saw you, a human? Wait, you were not human, sure you were small like one, but your features were unusual. You had pointy ears, your eyes were almost as big as his and you had face tattoos. Neteyam grew curious about you now, he had never seen anyone like you.

The whole time you had been exploring, he was right behind you, watching your every move. He also noticed your love for the forest, you were almost similar to the people, who loved and cherished the forest, except your appearance was different. Now he really wanted to know where you were for sure.

Dusk had began to show, the sky was going from that blue into one of yellow, orange and purple. You were exploring the forest, you noticed how the plants were now glowing, some more than others, It was a very pretty sight to see. Then you began to hear noises coming from the bushes.

Alarmed you got your bow that had been on your back and two arrows that your quiver that was also tied to your back. Looking around, you placed the arrow on the wood, ready to aim. Then you heard someone step out of the bushes. Right away you pointed your arrow at them, causing their figure to lift heir arms.

"It's okay, I'm not going to harm you" he said, getting closer to you. Thanks to the light you saw how tall he was, and not to mention his features. He had wide yellow eyes, his skin was blue like the sky with some stripes on the cheeks, forehead and allover his body, his ears were also big and had feline like nose. His hair was black and styled in braids that really suit him. His attire involved a loincloth, a leather waist band, an arm band and he also had a bow but he had it on his back.

You lowered your down and placed your arrow back on the quiver, but you noted that you had your hunting knife on your hip. "I apologies, I have no Idea where it I am, I was practicing a spell then something went wrong." You rambled, now feeling embarrassed. "It's okay, let me help you." Neteyam said kindly, keeping his distance to not scare you any further. "How rude of me! I'm y/n, of the Sabrae clan" You said politely, seen his look of confusion. "Sabrae? I've never heard of that clan" he said. "Oh, It's my delish clan, we live in the forest... but I don't think what that is either" you smiled shyly.

"Well, I'm Neteyam of the Omaticaya clan" he said sending you a toothy smile which made your face heat up a bit. "Nice to make your acquaintance" you said still a bit shyly, forgetting about how you were just about to shoot him. "It's already dark, it's not really safe out here, we should head to my village." Neteyam mentioned in which you replied "oh! its okay, I'm out in the woods almost all the time" you said, but Neteyam raised his non existing eyebrow. "I believe you, but here, it's not really safe." He mentioned, he was right, you didn't know these woods. "Alright then" you said.

Neteyam lead the way back to village, he was pretty fast for your comfort due to his long legs. You had to catch up as much as possible. Until finally you both arrived at a small camp. You followed behind him, seen that others like him, they eyed you and murmured in a language you didn't understand. He lead you to a much larger hut, which had people in them. A much older male, a young female and a elder.

"Where were you?" The male asked the boy who had lead you here. "I was out into the woods then I came across the her, she was lost and needed help." He pointed to you, now you got their attention. Their yellow eyes were on you now, you felt smaller then you already did. Before anyone could say anything, the older woman was the first to approach you. She looked like a leader, she must be leader due to her attire and not to mention that wisdom she carried with her. "What are you called?" she asked, in a heavy accent. While she examined your features, you answered "I'm Y/n, of the Sabrae clan" you mentioned feeling her touch your pointed ears, then she moved to your big eyes and face markings.

"I see that you're not from here" she mentioned, seen your attire. You stayed silent while she continue to look at you. "How did you end up here" she asked. "I was doing a spell, then it backfired and sent me here." You told the older woman, you felt her eyes go right through you, as if you felt her seen your soul. "I sense that you mean no harm" she asked, in which you nodded. "I see, you will be allowed to stay, my grandson will teach you our ways, but I do see that we are not very different from your kind" she mentioned. In which you nodded respectfully.

Afterwards you were introduced to his parents, Jake Sully and Neytiri, who were still a bit not very trusting of you but were willing to give you a chance. Then you met his younger siblings. Kiri, Lo'ak and Tuk, they were curious when they saw you. They had seen humans but never an elf until now.

Your time with the Sullys, they were just like any other family back home. Except they didn't avoid you like the plague. You were introduced to Miles Socorro, but he prefers to be called Spider. Just like the kids he was curious about you since he's never seen an elf. The kids actually made you feel as if you were one of them, sure you were the size of a human and had different features, you weren't really any different from them.

You climbed trees, loved the forest, knew how to wield a bow, ate almost the exact same food, and so on, what really needed work was you learning the language, it was easy to learn since the dalish also had their own language. Just like how they taught you na'vi, you thought them how to speak it as well. Even though you were away from home, you still did things you'd normally do. You crafted your own clothing and arrows, hunting, worked on your magic, along with weaving other materials that perhaps the Sullys could use.

When they heard about the magic you processed, you weren't sure in showing them at first since you had a demon literately living in your head and your magic was blood magic. But it wouldn't hurt showing them some safe magic tricks. You showed them how you can manipulate some plants, creature illusions, make plants grow and so on. They were hooked in seen your magic, they were really interested in seen your perform magic tricks.

When it came to Neteyam, things were more different, besides him teaching you more about the Omaticaya, he also spent a lot of time wish you. With the excuse that he needed to teach you this or that, but anyone with common sense knows full well what his intentions are. You and him exchanged info about both your clans, along with other things. He had been the one to take you on a ride on his Ikra, it was scary since you weren't used to heights, sure you have been on tall mountains but never had you floated on the sky. Not to forget how kind he is towards you, he is kind to everyone, but when it came to you, he was just the sweetest.

He also began to give you extra arrows he makes, as well as giving you a new knife he had made for you as a welcome gift. Soon you began to think that he was actually courting you, in delish costumes gifting was part of the courting rituals. Maybe that wasn't the case, he was just being friendly, but you couldn't help but also feel some kind of attraction towards him. It also felt wrong since you were both different species, it wouldn't work. He was a Na'vi, the Son of Toruk Makto and Paluluka Makto. You were no one, you're an outcast in this land, you were just a mare dalish elf with a curse.

[7classyantiquestores]

I made the (possibly questionable, considering proximity to the Elden Ring DLC) decision to start playing through Inquisition again, just to get my memory refreshed before Veilguard comes out (further questionable because I rarely buy games on launch anyways but whatever lol).

Long and the short of it, I decided to just focus on the main story this time (instead of clearing the majority of the side content like my first time), and I am stunned how much better the story and overall experience is. Like, there is so much bloat in this game that could have been cut out, leaving more time and budget for the core game.

It’s a pretty transformative experience, because I borderline hated this game the first time. I pressed to the end, because I’m completionist to a fault, but I found myself entirely unable to understand what people liked about it. The story felt stale and scattered, the main quests felt like an afterthought (and were often too easy due to my being overlevel), and the bulk of work (ie side quests) my Inquisitor did was boring, repetitive, and poorly justified within the context of the story.

But by ignoring any quest that the main plot doesn’t put me in the direct path of, I’m actually kind of getting it this time, which is crazy to me. I also played a character that was more tailored to the story (a human Faithful rather than a diplomatic but ultimately agnostic dwarf), which is also helping. I think they clearly had a kind of story they wanted to tell, but nearly destroyed it (to my eyes anyways) by weighing it down it with unnecessary extra content. But there’s some really good stuff in there, if you sweep away all the bloat. It’s still not a perfect game, of course. But no game is perfect, and I do really think the things I have gripes with would have been given a bit more love if the team didn’t be stuck with the impossible task of turning a tight story-driven tactics-based RPG into a huge open-world action RPG. I really hope that BioWare learns from this (and from their stumbles with Andromeda and Anthem, not to mention), and return to form with Veilguard. Tight, focused, narrative-driven RPG. Not being everything to everyone, just doing a couple things very well. This is what BioWare has always been good at, and above everything else (including my precious logic-based tactics system lol), that’s what I hope to see them do in Veilguard.

TLDR; if you ever bounced off Inquisition but feel the urge to try again with the approaching release of Veilguard, I recommend giving it a shot, with the following advice: 1) Ignore everything in the game that didn’t come up along the path of a main quest, unless it actually sound narratively significant (sorry farmer with the missing druffalo, I’ve got a world to save). 2) Beyond that, I advise trying a human or elf PC, and be either Faithful (meaning to believe in Andraste, not necessarily fully embracing the Herald title if you don’t want to) or else be really into the Dalish stuff (mainly if you’re an elf). That’ll make your character actually feel meaningfully integrated in the main story. It’s made a big difference for me, anyways.

[broodwolf221]

Happy Friday!

"i've given you plenty of opportunities to tell the truth." - from the hiding prompts - forrrrrrrr maybe Calpernia/Solas? (I'M INTRIGUED OK haha)

okay bless u for this bc i just went off the deep end these two mean?? sm to me?? it's the weirdest ship but i love them ;o; @dadrunkwriting 1354 words cws: slavery; war mention notes: trespasser spoilers & calpernia's arc spoilers

Her fury was evident as she finally approached—as he finally stopped running and let her approach.

Her chase was unending, but it had to end. She had sent her Venatori to scour the land for signs of him. Her spies. Varric’s own spies were subtle but still present, and Leliana’s were powerful and precise. The weight of the foregone Inquisition bore down upon him with a singular intent, and there were simply too many forces arrayed against him—even with the Eluvians, even with the Beyond and the Fade, he was becoming trapped. He needed someone to stop the pursuit.

Varric’s was the least threatening, and the dwarf was incredibly stubborn. Leliana would not stop so long as she drew breath, and although she presented the greatest risk, Solas would not kill her in order to stem her spies.

That left only Calpernia to dissuade. Calpernia to meet with, Calpernia to argue with. “Why,” she hissed as she approached, her expression tight with her anger. Despite all that had changed, all that had happened, she was dressed in the same armor, wore her hair in the same way… if he closed the distance between them, he thought she would smell the same, that she would feel achingly familiar in his arms.

He kept the distance. He had to.

“There is no other option,” was his paltry answer.

“There is always another option!” She snapped, and he felt the weight of her meaning crackle across the space between them. Her words were thread through with her power, a transfixing display of might and magic and anger. “You taught me that!”

“No,” he said softly, “you knew that long before you met me.” Her expression faltered then, anger giving way to grief for a brief moment… but then she took a deep breath and drew her fury back around her. A shield, a strength, a well of power to draw from.

She would not yield the day easily.

“You have always known there were other options,” he continued. “You taught yourself everything. How to read. How to wield your magic. How to change the world.”

“Like you!” He nodded, conceding the point.

“Yes. Like me. Except…” he scoffed, glancing away briefly. “You were never as naive as I was.”

“You’re being naive now!” She shouted, perhaps sensing a weakness. Perhaps accurately sensing a weakness. But he would not yield to her. He would not spoil all he had worked for, all he had still to do.

“Perhaps,” he admitted after a moment. “There is still no other option.”

“Fen’harel.” She spat the name like a curse… he supposed it was, anymore. “The deceiver. The liar. The betrayer.”

“Yes.” His voice sounded hollow even to his own ears. “Yes. So I was. So I am.”

“You betrayed me,” her pain overtook her anger for a moment, her voice thick. “You betrayed the Inquisition! Your friends! Why, Solas?”

The real question. One which required a real answer… or as much of one as he could give. He met her eyes once more.

“I am Fen’harel,” he confirmed again, “the Dread Wolf. When the Elvhen dominated the land, when Arlathan was the center of power in the known world, when the Fade and the Waking World were as one… that was my existence. My time.” She said nothing, staring hard at him. He was uncertain how much she had been told of his conversation with the Inquisitor, and she did not seem compelled to clarify the matter. “The Evanuris were powerful mages, but not the gods the Dalish think they were. Not gods at all. They were masters, slave-owners, who branded their people with the vallaslin.” Her face was a mask, her emotions contained. But he knew her, knew she felt this—she couldn’t fail to feel this, a slave her entire life until Corypheus “freed” her to use her.

“There had long been murmurings of rebellion,” he continued, “and in my naivete, I fueled them. I organized in secret, freed slaves, removed their vallaslin and smuggled them out of the city. In this way, I slowly amassed an army—and when we were powerful enough… when I thought we were powerful enough… we stood against the Evanuris.”

She stared at him, waiting for the rest of the story, although they both knew how it ended.

“We lost.”

“They died fighting for their own freedom,” she said and his eyes slipped shut, wanting so badly to let her words soothe him. But he could not permit it—this was his burden, his mistake. And it was hardly his only one.

“Even if they did, it was for naught. The war made the Evanuris more determined, more ruthless. They pursued a weapon that would destroy the world. To prevent it… I sundered the world.”

“And now you seek to restore it,” she concluded. So she had been told. He was not surprised—she knew the value of keeping the truth to herself, so long as it suited. Her cunning, her tactics, it was part of what he admired about her. Part of why he had grown, in time, to love her.

Such an unexpected thing, to love a human woman. But he could not deny that she had intrigued him from the start, that her drive and determination and tireless effort for her people had done nothing except inspire him. She was not always right… but when she had learned the error of her ways, the mistake of trusting Corypheus, she had turned on all she knew to stand against him. She wanted to restore her homeland to something worthwhile, to liberate the slaves, to raise them up as citizens. She used all the means at her disposal to do so.

He saw so much of himself in her, but also something so much better. She was not as jaded as he had become, not as despairing. She was lush and vibrant and so passionate it bordered on desperate.

“Yes,” he said at last.

“Then let me come,” she said and he shook his head, even knowing this was coming. Knowing it must come. Her drive, her determination, her need for restoration… of course she would want to be at his side. But she only knew the outline of his plans, and he could not condemn her to live the reality of them. To suffer the consequences alongside him.

Better that she live a life free of him, free of his influence.

“You deserve to live your own life,” he told her, watching as her fury soared again. “Not to chain yourself to mine.”

“How dare you,” she snarled, taking a step closer. “How dare you. I chain myself to nothing! I offer this willingly.”

“You do not know the gravity of your offer,” he protested and she took another step closer. He wanted to back up, wanted to flee, but instead held his ground.

“You think I followed you all this way to pledge myself to you? To bow down, become a slave to your whims?” He winced but she did not give him room to reply. “No, Solas. I have done nothing except be with you. Learn from you. And I have never prevented you from telling me this truth about yourself. There have been so many opportunities–”

Her voice broke again and his heart ached. He wanted so badly to wrap her in his arms, to press apologies against her skin, her hair, but…

“I cannot allow you to join me,” he said instead, forcing a distance in his voice that he did not feel, “and I could never tell you the truth. There is too much at stake.”

“You’re lying to yourself,” she snapped and it took everything in him to not react. To not indulge in the belief that maybe, maybe she was right, that he could allow her to stay at his side, that it would not be cruel and selfish and—

No.

“I am sorry,” he said instead, watching as her expression hardened. “Please, stop pursuing me.” With that he turned and left through the Eluvian he’d come from, although he did not miss her final response:

“No.”

[felassan]

Let's talk about the new short story, As We Fly!

The title is a nice reference to the phrase "As the crow flies", an idiom for the most direct route between two points. Or Crow, as the case may be. :) and our hero Crows do 'fly' in this short, on a cool zipline thing.

The accompanying art piece is a zoomed out version of the concept art piece that debuted here which is cool, as we can now see more of that scene! I love the architecture of the city and the drama of the whole scene :>

The big takeaway from this short is that the Antaam have now made good on the hints in Tevinter Nights, and have invaded Antiva. O: they have taken and are occupying Treviso, a coastal city in northern Antiva (which is an important city for the Crows, whom historically originate as a faction in the surrounding areas). so then, the Llomerryn Accords have been broken? Σ(°ロ°) that feels like a big plotbeat and major development to tell us in a short story on the website?? anyways, all nations but Tevinter signed that treaty. during the Qunari Wars, the Qunari invaded Thedas, and entrenched themselves in Antiva and Rivain for like a century. they first took Treviso in 6:35 Steel and now they're back again.

this means that this short must be set after the Crow stories in Tevinter Nights e.g. Eight Little Talons, as in Tevinter Nights we were told that:

the invasion passes Ventus (which fell in the comic Deception) and moves into Rivain

in Tevinter, the Antaam have crushed the Tevinter opposition in the east and that it was possible that everything east of Vyrantium would be under their control inside a year, and northern Antiva as well

it seemed to be a certainty that they were going to invade Antiva

a Dalish elf dispatched a messenger to warn the clans in/beyond Rivain of all this

the invading Qunari tried to make a deal with one of the Crows, saying that if he did such and such then the invasion of Antiva would be peaceful and they wouldn't be required to convert

the Talons met in a sort of Talon summit to discuss the threat and come up with a plan for Antiva's defense - to plot a course of action and discuss their country's security as, without an army, Antiva’s only line of defense is the Crows. Antiva was vulnerable, with more than half her Talons dead

[non-Solas Tevinter Nights happenings summary link]

I wonder if they arrived by land or by sea? in the first story in Tevinter Nights, when the escapees are fleeing to Arlathan Forest, it mentions their ships, and "before the Qunari land there" implies by sea. So which of the other coastal northern cities, or eastern cities, have also been taken? Brynnlaw? Ayesleigh? Afsaana? in this map red shows known taken cities (Qarinus is Ventus), purple highlights Kont-aar, which is the only Qunari settlement on the continent, pink is a guess at the Qunari forces moving into Rivain (Kont-aar as a staging ground?) and the black dotted line approximately blocks off everything east of Vyrantium, including northern Antiva.

I wonder what this could mean for the plotbeats of DA:D?? choosing a side in Tevinter vs Qunari in an arc focused on that, assisting the Crows fighting the invasion, or the war as more of a backdrop to other stuff like the mage/Templar war in the Hinterlands in DA:I? I really want to learn more about the possible schism in the Qun, and I hope the Hero of Ferelden never meets Stenishok on the battlefield :'(

(Could the invasion of eastern Tevinter be part of why Dragon Age: Absolution is set in Nessum, a city in the west? If you don't want battle with the Qunari to be the focus or backdrop of your storyline, you'd need to pick a city out of the path of the invasion.)

Solas is also probably benefitting indirectly from the chaos of the invasion of the north. in TN, an agent of Fen'Harel hired two thieves to try and make it look like a Tevinter altus struck at and blew up a peaceful Qunari settlement (Kont-aar). this would have caused chaos as the Ben-Hassrath wouldn't have been able to sit out the Qunari invasion of the south anymore and Rivain and even other countries/groups might have gotten drawn in. Gatt said that if this scenario occurred the Qunari would have settled for nothing less than the total destruction of Tevinter. (reminiscent of Corypheus causing chaos during DA:I in order to take advantage of the confusion and weakened nations) if things are more chaotic in general, it's easier to carry out your plan. and the Ben-Hassrath will now be busy trying to blunt the strike of the Antaam (per Gatt), leaving them less free to act against the true threat as they see it, Solas. that's another point in Solas' favor as the Ben-Hassrath have more knowledge on his movements than anyone else, and they oppose him as they believe he threatens their people.

Treviso also has history - it was captured and liberated several times during the Qunari Wars and the New Exalted Marches. parts of Antiva still bear the scars of when the Qunari invaded northern Antiva 200 years ago. I wonder if the magical horn/voice-projection devices ("echoed across tiled rooftops via magical projection, devices left by long-retreated empires") were left by prior Qunari invasions or another empire, perhaps the Tevinter Empire when it was at its height, when it spread across most of Thedas? that would make the magical aspect of those devices make more sense.

I loved Neri, Noa and their sibling relationship, it would be fun to meet them in DA:D. it's always nice to see older characters in the spotlight, being badass while they do it, grey hair, walking stick/cane and all. the older Crow motif reminded me of Lessef in An Old Crow's Old Tricks. ig Crows are so cool they basically don't retire. It'd be good to have an older (older than middle aged) combat companion in DA:D!

I'll say that if you're an assassin, telegraphing that you're an assassin on your clothes isn't very stealthy, but the Crows are sometimes dramatic and showy, "performers" after all. and who are they descended from? one of the monks from Treviso? with the zipline, traps, rooftops and black ink markings, this short felt quite 'Assassin's Creed gameplay' and reminded me of Shadowmarks from Skyrim's Thieves Guild. could some of this sort of thing be gameplay features in DA:D? Joplin was about spies, stealth and heisty stuff after all.

I fell for the siblings' fakeout for a minute when reading and was legit like

since "They looked suddenly helpless, as though not just the Antaam but every one of their years had caught up to them." was a raw line. there is no surer enemy than Time right?

"Or out of time, like your city. And soon, the world. [...] And soon, stronger"?? what are the Antaam's "strange weapons"? explosives of some kind? gaatlok? in Trespasser, during Dragon's Breath Qunari were mining and processing lyrium to give to their Saarebas to strengthen them, to "save the South". are the Crow siblings simply unfamiliar personally with Qunari explosives, or is there something more going on here?

the "brutality", the "war lords", "controlled, not calm", commanding through fear - like it says in TN, there's no Ben-Hassrath present to judge or regulate the Antaam, and no workers and priests present to be a moderating influence. the Ben-Hassrath who investigated in TN were disappointed in the Antaam and believed that they were not acting in accordance with the Qun.

"And Kaathrata the Lash was left raised where Crows could peck at his eyes. // Come the morning, so would the birds." another metal line 👌

Ammazzacaffè, Treviso

"Did you hear—?"

"Did you see—?"

is it a bird? is it a plane? no it's a Crow caw caw

Trevisans as the denonym for Treviso is cute.

And lastly, who put out the contract, and who picked it up? Perhaps Lucanis and/or Illario?

[contreparry]

Happy Friday! How about “I’ve never noticed this scar before” from the couple prompts, for whoever suits your fancy?

Here’s some Merrill x Carver for @dadrunkwriting !

She doesn’t know how she didn’t see it before. Merrill prided herself on her observational skill. She was the First of Clan Sabrae, and even though the word “was” stung like nettle spines the title was still a part of her, for Firsts had to be observant, Firsts had to know everything about their people, and maybe she wasn't of Clan Sabrae anymore, but Hawke and her band of people were close enough to a clan that Merrill found herself looking after them in her own way. She observed. She learned.

Anders, for example, suffered from dreadful headaches, the sort that would nearly incapacitate him if it weren't for Justice coming to the forefront on those days to ease that burden. Sebastian had a bum knee (the left one), and he was self-conscious about it. Aveline loved flowers. Varric could write with either of his hands. Isabela liked her food heavily spiced, the hotter the better. Fenris had a sweet tooth.

But this- Merrill frowned and looked at the broad expanse of Carver Hawke's back and the jagged scar that stretched across his right shoulder and bony shoulder blade. This she had not known, and that upset her.

"You're awfully quiet today," Carver remarked, though not unkindly. "Silver for your thoughts?"

"I... haven't any money on me at the moment, Carver," Merrill replied.

"It's a- don't worry about it. Free of charge," Carver insisted, gruff but once again, so very kind. Merrill hesitated. Carver had never mentioned suffering a grievous injury before- and this was truly dreadful, she could tell. He might be sensitive about it. Might not want to speak about it at all, even. But he had asked, and his expression was set in that funny way that he and Hawke shared. He wasn't going to move from that spot until she told him what was wrong.

"I've never noticed this scar before," Merrill finally said. "The one on your back."

"Got it at Ostagar. Was lucky I survived, truth be told. Don't talk about it much," Carver said easily enough.

"Yes, I know. It's only that..." Merrill sighed and tried to think of the best way to explain why the sight of the twisted scar tissue affected her so deeply.

"Keepers are supposed to know everything about their clan. They're there to help. And we may not all be a clan- not in the Dalish sense- but I'm still a First. That's a part of me. So to not know that you suffered so, that you're still in pain from it..." Merrill frowned. Shame was the best word to describe what she felt. She ought to have known. What sort of First didn't know of the injuries the members of her clan suffered? How was she to care for them if she didn't?

"Don't blame yourself," Carver ordered, as blunt as he ever was. "You can't know what you aren't told, and Marian says I'm a stubborn, sullen bastard at the best of times. You couldn't possibly have known."

"Well, I know now," Merrill decided, because Carver was right- if a little too nice about it. "Which means I will make sure that you're taking good care of that scar tissue. First we ought to make a poultice to improve flexibility- perhaps Anders can help with that- and then..." Merrill lost herself in the familiarity of planning, and missed the way that Carver's mouth curled up into a small, shy smile.

[brekkie-e]

I can not stand how the Inquisitor can genuinely follow a different religion from the Chant of Light, but is not allowed in the narrative to speculate that perhaps they do have a holy calling.... it was just bestowed upon them from a different force than Andraste.

Im going to focus mostly on the Dalish playthrough since that's the one Im most familiar with. You are able to establish if your Inquisitor is religious, and if they follow the Elvhen pantheon or not. Given that is a fact, the narrative should further reflect such a character would be living their life with a different worldview than an Andrastian. Not just an "oh yeah, im an elf btw gang" comment here and there. They are percieving this world through a religious and political lens that is vastly different than Andrastians.

:readmore:

Why wouldn't a practitioner of the Elvhen gods not have hidden doubts about the mark being a gift from one of them? Or a holy calling to rally their people? Or simply a sign that yes. Your prayers were heard, despite all odds, the gods of your people never stopped listening. Or perhaps a punishment? For forgetting part of the old ways and insulting them somehow?

Consider the struggle of them trying to parce out which god it is from? The obvious hope that it is their "patron" god. Which Dalish wouldn't dream of the one who's vallaslin they bear choosing them as their champion? If not their patron, perhaps June? Blessing them with the ability to craft the heavens as he once blessed their people with the ability to craft weapons? The secret fear that no matter how much they hope that is true, the most logical choice is Fen'harel as he is the only one still believed to walk the land.

The thought they'd never voice that creeps in during the dark of night, that perhaps it is a gift from the Dreadwolf. But if it means he has decided to turn his gaze on the human world for a change and give their people a slight reprieve, they are willing to be a pawn.

Now this is all well and good for a characters internal battles over beliefs. But the opportunity for narrative conflict feels like a gaping hole in a wall. Imagine if the Inquisitor had the ability to outright contest Leliana and Cassandra's belief it's a gift from Andraste. Not in a "I dont think it's holy" way, but looks them dead in the eye and claims it's from an Elvhen god.

Could Cassandra deal with that level of heresy? Later in Inquisition, after befriending the Inquisitor, possibly. But I doubt she would have been able to at the start of the game.

Many of the companions would be pretty horrified or upset at the suggestion. Solas would most likely be extremely frustrated and get close to blowing his cover at such an outright display of Dalish religious beliefs. And he's known for being so sweet and charming when someone ticks him off about Dalish things.

Ultimately, this could allow for a much more interesting political narrative. The Inquisition is Andrastian. It is founded in the Divine's honor by her left and right Hands. That can not be denied. And if the advisors and the companions have to found the Inquisition with a "Herald of Andraste" whom has explicitly stated they think the Mark is holy in an altogether heretical way, the political maneuvering is suddenly much more evident. There is no ambiguous "who is to say" while they build the organization. They are having to build their holy order with one hand behind their back clutching to a secret that could unravel all they are working for.

I know that they toyed with the idea that Inquisition never outright stated the Inquisitor is holy. But I think raising the stakes in such a way would have made for even more interesting party dynamics, better roleplay-ability, and more outright politics. Which the latter two are things I think the game desperately needed to improve on. Yes, it's full of politics. But in a gawdy completely in your face manner that loses much of what makes politics interesting. Not to mention it ultimately did not seem to have large narrative influence.

Anyways, I am sure these are opinions that have been tossed on the internet quite a lot already, but I wanted to get my thoughts on the matter out there cause it's been rattling in my head for a few days.

[daitranscripts]

The Wrath of Heaven Deleted Dialogue

The Valley

Wrath of Heaven Masterpost

Various snippets of dialogue that didn’t make it into the final cut of the game - listed in scene order.

—

Cassandra: Maker’s breath.

Solas: So much waste.

Varric: (Sighs.) Unbelievable, isn’t it?

Cassandra: What happened here is difficult to bear.

Solas: Such destruction.

Varric: Hard to accept this could really happen.

—

Varric: What is that?

Cassandra: A greater demon!

—

Solas: None of this explains how that mark was acquired, however.

Cassandra: [They] claim not to remember.

Solas: And you do not believe that?

Cassandra: It is to convenient.

Solas: Sometimes the mind buries what it cannot endure.

Cassandra: And sometimes the guilty lie. Let us press onwards.

—

PC: Why do you call her “Seeker”?

Varric: Because that’s what Cassandra is: a Seeker of truth. A… sort of templar. Didn’t she tell you? I’ll bet they didn’t even introduce themselves properly, or mention who all these soldiers are.

Cassandra: The prisoner is accused of a terrible crime.

Varric (male PC): But you still need his help. Unless you’re taking him into the valley for a brisk walk and some air? Varric (female PC): And yet, you still want her help. Unless you just decided to take her out and show her the sights?

Dialogue options:

So who are they?

[Don’t respond.]

So who are they? PC: So who are they then? Varric: Cassandra and Leliana were the Right Hand and Left Hand of the Divine, respectively. They were the Divine’s… unofficial agents. Doing things like gathering these soldiers. PC: For what purpose? Solas: The Templar Order was once the Chantry’s army, but it abandoned them to hunt mages. A replacement was needed. Cassandra: It is more than that. Varric: So she claims. Clearly the Divine had something in mind.

Scene continues.

Cassandra: Let’s move on.

—

Varric: So you’re a mage.

Qunari PC: Qunari can be mages. Varric: True, though Qunari saarebas I ever saw was kept on a leash.

Dalish PC: The Dalish have mages. Varric: Oh, I knew one once. Pretty girl, had a thing for mirrors.

Human PC: You didn't know? Varric: I assumed if Cassandra’s prisoner was a mage, she’d have announced it far and wide by now.

Cassandra: Questions yet remain.

Varric: Just not about his guilt. Varric: Just not, “is she guilty?”

Cassandra: We don’t know why [they were] at the Conclave or who [they] worked for.

Varric: So, why not ask?

—

Varric: So you’re not a mage, and presumably not a templar.

Cassandra: Certainly not.

Varric (Qunari PC): So what was a Qunari even doing at the Conclave? Varric (dwarf PC): So what was a sensible dwarf like yourself even doing at the Conclave? Varric (Dalish PC): So what was a Dalish elf like yourself doing at the Conclave?

Human PC: I’m not a templar. Varric: So what were you even doing at the Conclave?

Cassandra: Why bother asking? You can trust nothing [they] say.

Varric: You’d prefer to guess?

Cassandra: First we deal with the Breach. Then, we learn the truth.

—

Solas: I am curious why you were not at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, Cassandra.

Cassandra: We were delayed in Kirkwall.

Varric: By “delayed,” she means “we were interrogating a dwarf.”

Solas: A fortunate delay, considering it saved your lives.

Cassandra: There was nothing fortunate about it! If we’d been there, we could have…. this might all have…

Dialogue options:

Stop tormenting her

You’d be dead too.

And yet you survived.

[Don’t respond.]

Stop tormenting her PC: Why would you ask her that? Solas: It was a simple question. PC: You don’t think she’s torturing herself about it? Cassandra: You do not know me. Varric: I think [they’ve] got you figured out pretty well, Seeker.

You’d be dead too. PC: You’d probably have died along with everyone else. Cassandra: Or stopped you. Varric: You really want to torture yourself with “what if,” Seeker? Cassandra: No, I want justice.

And yet you survived. PC: So the Divine’s closest agents survived because of a convenient delay? Cassandra: What are you implying? PC: Well, survival seems to be evidence—for some people. Varric: [They’ve] got you there. Cassandra: I don’t have the mark… but point taken.

[Don’t respond.] Solas: I apologize. I did not mean to cause you pain. Cassandra: It is a question Leliana and I will ask ourselves for the rest of our lives, I assure you.

—

PC: So you and Cassandra know each other.

Varric: you could say that. She stabbed my books.

Cassandra: I did no such thing.

Varric: She questioned me, and then dragged me here to give evidence at the Conclave.

Cassandra: Which means you are now free to go.

Varric: You ever get the feeling you’re not wanted?

—

Varric: Will all these demons, why haven’t you called for help?

Cassandra: We have.

Solas: Would you wish to come to the site of so much death?

Varric: Good point. Still, if they knew there was a chance to close the Breach…

Cassandra: They don’t know that. And neither do we… yet.

—

Varric: So… Solas, is it?

Solas: You’ve yet to come up with a nickname for me, I see.

Varric: I was thinking “Apostate,” but that might make our Seeker twitch.

Solas: It is also meaningless. With the Circle of Magi gone, all mages are now apostates.

Varric: yet none of them showed up to help.

Solas: Perhaps they do not see the bigger picture, despite it looming in the sky.

—

Varric: So let’s say you fix this hole in the sky, Seeker. What, then?

Cassandra: A new Divine. Hopefully a new attempt at peace.

Varric: You think the mages and templars will come together after all this? Mighty optimistic. And that’s assuming the new Divine would even try. I wouldn’t.

Cassandra: Of course you wouldn’t

Varric: See, this is why I stuck around. All the love and respect.

—

Dialogue options:

Stop arguing. PC: Do you hear yourselves? You’re getting nowhere! Roderick: Oh, do tell us what your suggestion is.

Let’s decide before I’m dead. PC: This thing is killing me, so how about you decide before I die? Roderick: When you die is of no consequence.

We only have one chance. PC: I’m your *only* chance at closing the Breach. I have to try. Roderick: You’re no chance at all. PC: Do you really think we can get to Val Royeaux before the breach swallows everything?

—

Leliana: There is another way: the mountain path.

Varric: There are soldiers up there? Shouldn’t you look for them?

—

Combat barks:

Cassandra: I’ll hold them!

Cassandra: Careful—more enemies over there!

PC: What *is* that?

Cassandra: Just keep fighting!

Solas: I will protect us.

Cassandra: Use a healing potion!

Cassandra: We should find more potions.

Solas: The rift respond to your mark—try to disrupt its power!

Solas: The mark on your hand—use it on the rift!

Solas: Try to disrupt the rift with your mark!

—

Ambient dialogue:

Lake Villager 4: Who is that anyway?

Lake Villager 4: Are the corpses still out there?

Noble: Is that [them]?

Assassin: This is not how we succeed.

Reaver: Impossible.

Shopper(???) 1: Maker, this is awful!

Shopper 2: This is terrible!

Shopper 3: Something must be done. It’s madness.

Shopper 4: I can’t believe this. I won’t.

Shopper 5: Who would allow this? This can’t be allowed!

Shopper 6: What a horrible state of affairs.

Shopper 1: I don’t understand this at all. What has happened?

Shopper 2: What can this mean? What do we do?

Shopper 3: Troubling. I’m at a loss.

Shopper 4: Everyone is confused.

Shopper 5: What does it all mean?

Shopper 6: I have no idea what’s next.

[Worth noting that these are the same names used for the templars in the great hall during CotJ]

Dieran: Heard he killed the Divine.

Dieran: She killed the Divine. I know it.

Esmia: Why didn’t he save her?

Esmia: What good is she if she couldn’t save the Divine?

Tavus: He survived the Fade. Only someone touched by Andraste could survive.

Tavus: She survived the Fade. Only Andraste could have saved her.

[faejilly]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💕

With the obvious caveat that I would assuredly pick five different fics tomorrow, here you go nonny, in no particular order, and attempting to NOT list just half a dozen Malec things just because they are my Hotel California fandom apparently... But I do have to have at least one for them! #BecauseMalec

out of some dreaming tree: Malec Fairy Tale Quest! A Forest That Eats "People" (and other Things)! Weird eldritch and magical lore!

This AU requires absolutely NO CANON KNOWLEDGE and I keep hoping some of the people who occasionally just read my fic for shits & giggles will try it even though they're not Shadowhunters people. But also more Shadowhunters people should also read it, I had such a great time writing it. 🤣

Vindication: M!Shepard/Jack. Did I mention I have a thing for fairy tales? AND ALSO JACK FROM MASS EFFECT? (I'm love her, your honors)

So it's almost more a series of post-game scenes than my usual prose story style (because Jack POV and that's how she wanted to tell it) and Jack's trying to learn the context of kids' stories, and take care of Shepard who is being kind of a dumb ass but mostly just, yk, trying to recover, and Miranda is Brilliant (even Jack is willing to admit it) and I am very fond of it.

souver'inan isala hamin (weary eyes need resting): DAI, Varric & a Dalish Inquisitor, friends vs family vs love... or something like that.

Having Varric be in your party again, having Hawke's shadow from the previous game spilling over your Inquisitor, was fascinating to me. (Especially as Varric & my Adelaide were family but not ever really friends, and family is a fraught sort of thing for a Tethras and a Hawke/Amell.) Romancing Blackwall and trying to be friends with Dorian, being Dalish and Inquisitor, it was just... prickly all the way through. (In a good way, imo.) My Inquisitor was also noticeably older than my Wardens or Hawkes had been, much more self-aware and dangerous in a way that the narrative of DAI seldom let me illustrate or articulate, and while I'm not sure how much of that is clear in the fic, I can still feel what it was like for Erana to despise the world she's going to save because she loves too many of the people in it to do anything else, and I enjoy wallowing in that sometimes.

Solace: DA2, Adelaide Hawke/Sebastian Vael, my darlings, my beloveds

While not the first thing I wrote for them, it was the story of their first meeting, and it meant a lot a lot a lot to me when I finally did manage to let it happen outside of my head. Also Sebastian recognizing the Adelaide/Bethany/Carver/Daryn joke made my day when I wrote it and still makes me smile.

Fine Feathers: Yuletide fic! Book!fic, which I don't do terribly often! M/F Regency Romance

An epilogue for The Quiet Gentleman which is, if you are unaware, a novel by The Lady Who Made Regency a Viable Modern Genre almost 100 years ago, which means it has a Very Specific Style and I was very pleased I managed to capture it. (Also it's both one of my favorites of Georgette Heyer's books but also one of the most frustrating, because the lead couple has like ONE HALF OF A SCENE TOGETHER so I wrote them together more and honestly now I like the original book better, which is some hellishly ridiculous hubris but I don't care.)

[rainwolfheart]

i know the reason they didn't let dwarf nobles marry Alistair or Anora in DAO is probably because the devs didn't care that much about dwarves and it would have been extra animations/dialogue for a choice few people made, but i like to think it's actually because they had to nerf the dwarf noble origin somehow.* like can you imagine??

if you're a cis female Aeducan and you marry Alistair, you're Queen of Ferelden and you have a strong claim to the throne of Orzammar (especially after becoming a Paragon, and especially if you put Bhelen on the throne). if you were to have a kid, they would have a claim to both thrones. and regardless, you've got a baby nephew (Endrin) to succeed you in Orzammar that you can manipulate.

if you're a cis male Aeducan, you can be Prince-consort to Anora, have an even stronger claim to Orzammar (since it's male-dominated), and can end the game with two biological sons (Kieran and a son with Mardy, who can easily be legitimized and raised to noble caste) plus a nephew.

and if you romance Leliana and later she becomes Divine Victoria? you've got influence over three of the most powerful thrones in Thedas. not to mention being Warden-Commander and having your own titles as Arl/Arlessa of Amaranthine and possibly Chancellor of Ferelden or Teyrn/Teyrna of Gwaren.

honestly, even without marrying Anora, Aeducan has a lot of potential for dangerous political power, maybe rivalled only by Cousland. they could very easily put their kid or nephew on the throne of Orzammar. and apparently you can romance Morrigan and still make Alistair/Loghain do the ritual?? which means you could be the stepdad to a potential Fereldan heir, plus your gf is tight with the Empress of Orlais.

*the idea of uniting the thrones WAS probably also a factor, but it's not like they didn't allow a lot of decisions in DAO that got retconned/nerfed down the line—like killing Leliana, making the Circle autonomous, or giving the Dalish sovereignty. they could have thrown in a slide or later codex entry about how Aeducan had to renounce their claims in Orzammar or whatever.