#idk the other Inquisitor from jaws of hakkon

[crows-of-buckets]

I like the idea of an extremely pro mage/ anti chantry warden getting watered down and basically propagandatized by the chantry

Like Aviae hates the circles with a passion, and is actively outspoken about that. Shes killed templar's by the end of awakening, and has almost zero remorse about doing so because they hurt her best friend! Her whole life has been spent under Templar control and she's angry and pissed off about it. She may have played the perfect pupil in the circle (only because she was terrified, she was so scared of the brand that it made her sick to her stomach) but now that shes out? She refuses to be quiet about it

However. The chantry can't have someone that important speaking ill about them, can they? Luckily, Aviae has a distaste for politics (even if she becomes fairly okay at them out of necessity), and generally avoids the public eye so the chantry does what they do best (and lies). The hero of Fereldan? Oh yes, she was a Circle mage. Yes she was the epitome of a good mage; she followed the rules and did as she was told. In fact, her success just proves how well the circles work! If it weren't for her years of discipline, surely Fereldan would have been doomed to fail.

Idk I really like the idea of the hof being used as a form of propaganda by the circle, especially non human and mage origins. Even better if they died killing the Archdemon because what are they gonna do, contradict them? They cant! They're dead and their image is being used as propaganda

[broodwolf221]

Tevinter Nights: The Horror of Hormak - major spoilers!

also some spoilers for Jaws of Hakkon & Trespasser

note: if you do interact with this post, you can obviously talk about this particular short story, but please don't talk about any others in the collection! I'm still working through it!

first little caveat: this is not @ing anyone's reads on ghilly! just sharing my own thoughts and reactions. if others see her as fucked up, that's cool too, it's a very fascinating read for sure!

Ghilan'nain is not present within this story.

That's maybe obvious, but also crucial: she is not physically here. She is represented in the art within the chambers:

It was perhaps the oppressive nature of the place acting upon his worst fears, but it seemed to him that the priestess’s smile grew a little wider, and a little crueler, with each subsequent image.

Ramesh admits that his reading might be skewed, and that's entirely possible, but at the same time, I find it likely that he's interpreting this correctly - but what that means is not so clear-cut.

Shifting gears for a moment, let's look at Trespasser.

The story told through the ruins we travel through paints Fen'Harel, Solas, as a savior, a hero, a rebel who saves slaves. He says that it paints him in too favorable a light, a myth in a different direction than what the Evanuris believed, or what the Dalish now believe of Fen'Harel.

And all through Inquisition, there is a thread of the myth surpassing the person. It happens to Cassandra, the heroic woman who single-handedly slayed a dragon to save the Divine, supposedly; it obviously happens to the Inquisitor; and it happens with Inquisitor Ameridan, a man whose entire reality has been erased and supplanted with myth. The individual is lost in the face of their mythos.

So. Ghilan'nain.

According to the Dalish, she is a guide. Turned into the first halla by Andruil, after a hunter took his vengeance against her for cursing him to never be able to kill again - and that was only done, supposedly, because he had killed a hawk, one of the creatures associated with Andruil. So their tales are interwoven in this particular version, where Ghilan'nain defended Andruil, and then Andruil sought to save Ghilan'nain, and finally transformed her.

Is this the favorable telling?

Here, the implication is that Ghilan'nain is not only the source of this - which I agree with - but the deliberate mastermind behind it - which I question. The increasingly cruel priestess imagery isn't necessarily any more true than the Dalish legends. In both, they are representing a single figure as an extreme, one end of the spectrum of good or evil.

There's a pool of transformative fluid. Creatures walk through the fluid, are cocooned, and emerge changed. This is what we know to be true.

Where the fluid came from, where the lyrium came from, what connection it has with Ghilan'nain in the present, if any, when she is supposedly sealed away by Solas... none of this is known, or knowable, really.

For instance, some possibilities:

The fluid is Ghilan'nain. Grim, this, but she who changes so many things became so changed that she no longer resembles anything remotely living, instead becoming a part of the (un)natural world. I don't think this is the case, but it does kinda fit the tone of the story!

The fluid is part of Ghilan'nain. My instinct is to say her blood, perhaps mixed with something else, and left in these 12 sites for some reason. If so, was this her doing? Or was it something someone else did? Was it done to her?

The fluid is what empowers Ghilan'nain. No evidence for this anywhere, but idk, it's a possibility. In which case, these 12 mountains could be seen as places to seal her powers away, that were perhaps infiltrated eventually.

With that in mind, the artwork could be a warning. While the obvious is that it's a warning about Ghilan'nain herself, it could be using her image as a warning of the power that lay here. Increasingly disturbing imagery created by those who wanted this place to be left alone.

But then, why the beauty of it all?

At the same time, if this was Ghilly's will, why the horror of it all? Why is all the art just that edge of wrong, when presumably if it was being made for her or to honor her - whether out of respect, fear, or both - it presumably wouldn't have that wrongness about it?

Of course, there are reasons for that, too. Little things added near the end as subtle warnings from those desperate to communicate but unable to leave any more obvious signs.

Pretty much my takeaway here is that, as compelling as this story is, and as much as I genuinely really enjoyed it, I feel no closer to knowing anything about Ghilan'nain than I did at the start 😂

And I'm kind of glad about that! I like how open-ended the Evanuris really are. I was wary about reading this in a way because I didn't want to end up with a narrower view of her, but it honestly didn't seem to narrow anything down whatsoever.

[mrs-gauche]

Hi! I'm playing JoH for the first time and I came across this codex entry "The Hunt of the Fell Wolf", which I'm pretty sure describes and encounter between solas and Ameridan. I feel like there's sooo much foreshadowing in that single entry. Idk if you've discussed this before but I'd love to hear your take on it :)

Hi! Ohhh yes! :O I do know that codex and I remember actually gasping out loud when I read it again on my second playthrough and AGAIN even more so after reading Tevinter Nights! 😂 Thank you so much for the ask, I hadn't thought about this in a while! *rubs hands*

There is quite a lot of super interesting stuff and potential hints in there, but I also feel like it heavily depends on how you interpret the story and I've actually seen many different interpretations in the past.

But let's reiterate real quick.

For those who don't know, "The Hunt of the Fell Wolf" is a tale written as a poem about former Inquisitor Ameridan and his friend Haron who fought and ultimately defeated a beast in the form of a demon wolf. The codex can be found in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC, near the location where you find Kenric's assistant Colette. It's also quite long, here's a link to the whole thing. So let's take a closer look. :)

First off, before getting into it, I think you're totally right in that it's only natural to conclude, after reading the entire thing, that the beast described in this tale is most definitely the Dread Wolf, right? It seems almost too much on the nose, looking at the words used to describe it, especially given what we know now after Tevinter Nights. So overall, like you've said, this has to be about Ameridan fighting Solas then, right? Well, I have to argue that a bit. 😁 Yes, the similarities and parallels are almost uncanny. But remember, this is only a tale. And this is where different interpretations come into play.

Because what I think this is (or what would be the most interesting possibility here imo) and what actually seems to be the most popular assumption, that this tale should not be taken in a literal way, in that Ameridan actually encountered and fought Solas once, as that would appear kinda strange, given that the story (talking specifically about Ameridan's part here and not Haron's, but we'll get to that 😁) seemed to have taken place in the waking world and not in the Fade, but what if this whole tale can instead be read as some form of metaphor or like you've said, foreshadowing for what might happen in DA4? (..And probably just the devs again having a blast to tease us with yet another vague hidden clue in some codex entry, goddamnit 😂).

The thing is, if there's anything that can be taken from all of Jaws of Hakkon, it's that Ameridan's story, now entirely misremembered by the history books, and the current Inquisitor's story mirror each other in many different ways.

That being said, there are three main characters in this story.

Ameridan, Haron and the wolf.

Before I go into the details of the tale, let's put on our tin foil hats for a second and assume that this whole tale really is a metaphor for what might happen in DA4, in which Ameridan's role is that of the Inquisitor (quite literally) and the wolf is Solas, which leaves us only with the question of who Ameridan's friend Haron is supposed to be.

Now, I'm not the first one to say this, but let's just go crazy and say that Haron's role in this tale is that of the next protagonist. Because it makes for some very interesting ideas and it's fun to think about (and DA4 is not coming out any time soon, so what else are we gonna talk about 😂)!

So, with ALL of this in mind (and the tin foil hat still on), let's dive into it.

Okay, so the tale starts off with a panicked woman running up to Ameridan and his friend Haron, telling them about a terrible beast they've seen in the moors.

"Upon the lonely moors," the runner cried, "A loathsome beast now dwells. As day gives way to night, it strikes. All in its path, it fells."

Ameridan and Haron are then being lead to the beast that turns out to be a wolf with very familiar features.

Favored like a wolf it was, In size like a Woodsman's Death. Within its eyes burned eldritch fire, The Fade in every breath.

So, to sum this up. A giant demon in wolf form, only striking at night when everyone's asleep, who has burning red eyes and "the Fade in every breath". If that doesn't sound like the Dread Wolf, I don't know what does.

Swift as thought, the hunters struck. The demon wolf fell back, But mortal strength alone could not Prevent the beast's attack.

So Ameridan and Haron try to fight it, but "mortal strength alone could not prevent the beast's attack". We've already seen a glimpse of what Solas is now capable of in Trespasser and Tevinter Nights and if that is anything to go by, it will need something far beyond mortal strength to counter these god like powers.

Ameridan is then struck by the wolf, sending him flying across the moor in a watery grave, leaving Haron alone with the wolf.

Jaws like a dragon's clamped down tight Round Haron's armored chest, And with the knight it sped away From moonlight, to the west.

The wolf then takes Haron with him, vanishing into the night, leaving Ameridan behind in the believe that his friend is dead, so he swears vengeance by killing the wolf and taking its head.

So I take it, Solas will just kidnap the next protagonist in DA4 like they're Bowser and Peach and Inquisitor Super Mario has to rescue them, only to realize that the princess is in another castle. lmao

Notice the dragon connotations here, much like the description of the Dread Wolf in Tevinter Nights. I'm curious as to why the wolf chooses to take Haron rather than killing him instantly though. A hint at Solas still being redeemable?

Whilst the wolf across the moor Bore Haron to its lair, A labyrinth of winding cave Any mortal should beware.

The wolf takes Haron to its lair and now it's getting interesting. The most popular assumption seems to be that "the labyrinth of winding cave any mortal should beware" is referring to the Deep Roads. But why would Solas go there of all places? Well, the answer might actually be right up in the next verses.

Haron manages to free himself from the wolf's jaws and strikes it in the eye, leading it to cry out in pain and flee into the dark.

The wounded knight in darkness Found within the cavern's gloom An idol of fade-touched stone, Which could prove the monster's doom.

Woah okay, WOW. This can't be a coincidence, right? It's so on the nose that it's almost baffling. Remember how we first found the red lyrium idol with Varric in the Deep Roads in DA2. And since then, the idol has only gotten more and more attention, whether it's the lastest comics, the very first DA4 teaser in 2018 or the entirety of the last chapter in Tevinter Nights. And here it is again, in a codex entry from 2015.

"An idol of fade-touched stone, which could prove the monster's doom."

Whether you believed the Bard's story at the end of Tevinter Nights or not, it is certain that Solas needs the idol for whatever he's planning. But what if he's so desperate to get it, because it's the only thing that could make him vulnerable? His weak spot so to speak?

Back to the tale, while Haron found the idol, Ameridan followed the wolf's tracks, which lead him to the cave where he finally finds the wolf again at the cavern's end.

With burning blade, Ameridan And monster met again Whilst elsewhere did Haron valiantly With demon-wards contend.

As demon-stone was shattered, Ameridan struck true: Beast and spirit—both felled at once, Though neither hunter knew.

This has to be the most intriguing part!

The way it's written, you would think that what's happening here is Ameridan striking the wolf with his sword as Haron elsewhere destroys the idol at the same time and only through this combined effort, the wolf can ultimately be defeated.

But what stood out to me here was this line:

"Beast and spirit - both felled at once"

It sounds like two seperate entities who are connected in a way they can only be defeated by killing both at the same time. Beast and spirit... in two different places... as in the physical body and the spirit maybe? As in the waking world and the Fade?

What if Ameridan struck the wolf's body in the waking world as Haron killed the spirit in the Fade? And what on earth could all this imply for DA4 then, if we are still applying all this to the Inquisitor, Solas and the next protagonist?? 👀 Is this how we can stop him? The Inquisitor confronts Solas in the waking world, while the next protagonist has to fight the Dread Wolf in the Fade? Or what if it's the other way around? Sooo many possibilities here. 😂

I won't go into the whole theory that assumes that the creation of the Veil lead to the separation of the ancient elves' bodies and their souls/spirits, assuming that before the creation of the Veil, the Evanuris somehow made bodies from the Titans/lyrium for spirits to inhabit and then enslaved/bound them to their will by marking those bodies with their vallaslin.

But, keeping all this in mind.. you have to wonder.. in all the murals, tarot cards and illustrations, the Dread Wolf and Solas are always depicted separately.

I always liked to think that the Dread Wolf we see in the murals is a form that Solas himself can take on, but maybe that's not the case? Maybe the Dread Wolf is literally like his spirit animal (or demon animal, if you will lol)? Like a separate entity, that is still somehow part of him, connected through the Fade. We also have to keep in mind that before the creation of the Veil, the nature and connection between spirits/demons/physical forms/elves had to be something completely different than it is now... And who knows, maybe if Solas manages to tear down the Veil, it will all be reversed and everyone becomes one again? 😂

OR could all of this just be a metaphor for the Inquisitor in DA4 keeping Solas occupied to distract him from the next protagonist, while they can figure out another secret way to deal with him? It would definitely fit the whole "finding someone Solas doesn't know/never sees coming/underdog" narrative they've been going for.

OR am I just overthinking all this SO hard, because I'm so desperate to get some answers after such a long time and DA4 is not coming out any time soon and I'm slowly turning insane. 😂

Anyway, the tale ends with the wolf's death, Ameridan and Haron reunite and argue over who takes full credit for the defeat of the wolf.

So to conclude, there's a lot to take from this tale as far as speculations go, but it all depends on how you interpret it, really. 😁

Maybe some of this really happened after all and it was just Ameridan who had a really bad dream one night and all these parallels are just the devs messing with us. lol

(Oh and btw, it's also interesting to note that the location of this codex entry apparently moves to the final temple where you meet Ameridan if you take too long to complete the quest from Kenric's assistant, where you can find it originally. Seems like the devs went out of their way to make sure we would definitely find this tale, so there's that. 👀)

Again, thank you so much for the ask though! I hadn't really thought about this for a while and to revisit it after everything we know now was super interesting! :D But what do you guys think?

[dragonageoutlet]

I love Cole

I didn’t think much of him on my first playthrough but on the second one I gave him a chance. He’s great at opening up things from other companions pasts and thoughts and the fact that his whole existence is all about helping others.

I have him with me now for Jaws of Hakkon, and upon entering the Augur’s hut, the group gets surrounded by spirits to whom he wants to introduce the Inquisitor. When the spirits spring up, Cole greets them cheerfully. 

Cassandra: What is this?  >:(

Cole: Hello! 8D

Dorian: They’re not harmful... I don’t think.

And later when the Inquisitor bombards the Augur with questions, Cole (More of a spirit in my game) gains his attention by commenting on one of his answers...

Augur: Who is this one? He is blood and bone, but there are bonds about his form.

Cole: Yes. I am Compassion. I know that now.  I want to be here.

IDK, that’s just precious. Cole is so wholesome. Colesome.

[liderfin]

questions thing

Tagged by the super wonderful @flightofthedragon :)

to answer some questions:

1. One thing you would change in your personality?

number one: be less shy :)

2. What is your DA rare pair?

Cass and Varric   ;) and maybe Inquisitor/Abelas :)

3. A song that made you cry?

I don’t think it ever happened, and I’m actually quite emotional. I try not to concentrate on lyrics when I listen to music, so maybe that’s why :p

4. The best movie ever?

Blade Runner, always.

5. Food you will never eat?

any animal organ that is not meat (except for liver maybe, I can eat that)

6. Your celebrity crush?

ehhhh  I have this thing for Jon Snow wearing all that fur cloaks right now. But it’s more because of the character than Kit Harington himself I guess.

7. Your favorite DA location and why?

Frostback Basin because I really like that story and also the beautiful scenery in Jaws of Hakkon DLC. And just for aesthetic reason: Emprise du Lion, all that blue and red (and pretty Dragons!).

8. You’re a night or a morning person?

definitely night :) but I still need to get up early and it’s always so painful :D

9. You have any tattoos?

no. I once thought about covering a scar I have on my foot with a tattoo, even found designs I loved but then I though I may get bored with it and then what? :D so it probably won't ever happen.

10. How many languages you speak?

2 - Polish and English. I knew quite a bit of Spanish but I forgot most of it, it was so many years ago and I haven’t used it since. Then I can also read some French but I’m not able to say anything :p 

11. Where would you most like to visit?

some great landscapes with vast spaces, also anywhere where mountains meet the sea... so, I would revisit Scotland any day if I could, and I’m dreaming about visiting Patagonia, New Zealand and all those amazing national parks in US :)

12. What’s the best book you’ve read?

oh no, it’s difficult to pick one, maybe Wind-up bird chronicle by Murakami. 

13. Who is your favourite BioWare character?

hehe Solas?

14. Who’s your least preferred BioWare character?

Kaidan (aaahh sorry!) even though I romanced him and stayed so faithful. for unknown reason he annoyed me so much, maybe it was the voice?

15. What’s your favourite game?

I’ll stick to Planescape Torment.

16. What’s your spirit animal?

IDK, so I made a test and got a tiger :) 

17. Cake or ice cream?

cake like a cream cake? then ice cream, salted caramel please :) but if it’s a brownie or any other chocolate cake, the cake would win.

18. Dogs or cats?

I have to say dogs because I cannot get near cats. I’ve became so allergic, especially to black cats. It’s annoying, so many of my friends keep cats and now I cannot visit them anymore :( sometimes I take lots of pills and go anyways and then I cannot stop myself from playing with their cats and 2 hours later and cannot breath...

19. What was your favourite DA romance?

Solas and Fenris, because anything else was pleasant when it lasted but then I quickly forgot all about them.

20. Do you prefer sunshine or are you a winter person?

Sun please, give me sun, it’s such a crappy summer this year, at least here in the north of Poland. I love my garden and I could barely use it this year :(

I’d like to tag (but only if you want to!): @thevikingwoman @galadrieljones @smuttine @littleblue-eyedbird @kejj @tel-abelas-mofo @dreadhobo @lisutarida @hansaera @bearly-tolerable @love-in-nature

[a-shakespearean-in-paris]

I saw you reblog it so I thought I'd give it a try. Male inquisitor x Cassandra, when I played the game it will always end with Cassandra being a Divine and I hate it. I know before the election she asked you to support her, but for once I think he deserves to be selfish. I mean he saved Thedas and lost an arm in the end. Don't you think he deserved a happy ending and a family or something? I mean he can't shoot from a bow with one hand, I know he will be depressed because he can't fight again

Ah thanks anon! I’ll fill it out for the pairing!

The ship is my: I don’t have any strong feelings towards this ship, but I do find the scene in the glen when they consummate their relationship very romantic. Plus I’m basically Cassandra when a dude hits on me. Like yeah. I need that ideal too Cass, lol. Flowers, candles, poetry.....

I consider this ship’s feelings: Mutual | Mixed | Strange | Awkward | Platonic | Sibling-like | One-sided | They don’t really like each other |

I say this because while (in my interpretation of the romance) they do come to care for each other, Cassandra seems too focused on duty first before eventually deciding she’s going to F and do something that makes her happy. It’s awkward at first but eventually they become very loving. 

I’d consider the relationship: Healthy | Awkward | Abusive | Doesn’t work properly | They’d never get together |

They grow to care about each other :)

Children: No | Yes | They’d think about it

I don’t see why not. 

To answer your question, I think both the Inquisitor and Cass deserve some happiness, and a family if they so chose. Personally I never really believed Cassandra wanted to be the divine, she just thought she had a duty to it. I always have Leliana as the divine, and Idk, Leliana always seemed to be the one that believed in Justinia more, and wanted to carry on her legacy more, so I don’t feel guilty about giving her the sunburst throne. And I just like the idea of Cass rebuilding the Seekers into something better. 

But yeah, as Ameridian says in the Jaws of Hakkon, (paraphrasing here,) you have to take your happiness where you can, so there’s nothing wrong with your Quiz to want to settle down with his woman, and maybe be a little selfish :)

Send me a ship