#metaphysics of thedas

[amaryllis-sagitta]

I've always disliked the spirit origin theory and I finally know why

To put it briefly: it's the cornerstone of the Thedosian brand of gnostic pessimism ingrained in the worldbuilding around both Fade spirits and elves, that subtly condemns their existence among the living no matter how hard the writing tries to compensate in the other direction (and to be fair, it hardly ever does).

I have already mentioned in several analyses that the worldbuilding in Dragon Age is trying to impose some objective moral order through the system of virtues embodied by Fade spirits and the speculated position of the Maker, illustrated through the visual allegory of The Gaze. Every place where the Gaze does not fall is identified as the Void - the realm of the Blight, demonic whisperings, evil in mortals' souls, oblivion and erasure.

This moral compass ingrained in Thedosian worldbuilding is outlined in the Canticle of Threnodies. I have always posited that we can read the Canticle's "Maker" as a purely formal locus meant to hook up some form of prisca theologia that would be partially true regardless of whom we put in the Maker's seat.

For example: the Canticle claims that when "The Maker" created the physical world from a portion of the Fade itself, then Their firstborn, Fade spirits, turned away from their perfect resonance with the Maker. They envied what they were not, and for this poisoning of the heavenly "song" with discordant (so, evil) intentions, the Maker castigated them, declared them the first demons, and made humans Their "chosen" race -- presumably, this time building them of both Earth and Spirit so that they would not envy partaking in either.

After multiple hints left in DAI Trespasser, that sparked speculation about the spirit origin theory as the dominating fan theory years ago, DATV confirmed that the "firstborn elvhen" were Fade spirits that manifested physically. They used lyrium, the blood of the Earth's Titans, to build themselves physical bodies. The Stone retaliated, and the first elvhen waged a war with it, eventually devising a way to sunder the spirit essence/ dreams from all Titans. It is heavily implied that this choice to carry out their existence on Earth as war and conquest has twisted whatever the "virtuous" spiritual nature was left in the Evanuris, and that after the end of that war, Elgar'nan simply could not stop.

Why would they do it though? While some concept art from the artbook shows spirits observing primordial dwarves dwarfing, in the end, the Regret mural that shows Mythal inviting Solas into the world explicitly tells us he had no desire to live "as HUMANS" (and the story fails to bridge that lore drop with the known lore about humans allegedly arriving to Thedas from across the seas, and only being able to thrive after the Veil).

So, despite disproving the story about the Chantry's Maker creating the Veil, the writing confirms the Chant's initial overtly anthropocentric orientation. Humans were always special and spirits were always meant to backup and store their ethically charged concepts. But the important accomplishment here is that spirits/ elvhen are doomed with an inherent moral error that snowballs into inevitable strife, destruction and error!

But wait, there's more! Because now that we have the anthropocentrism as our implied position towards the Thedosian races, the history of the elvhen race looks even more like some bizzare form of "karmic" reckoning that completely misses the point of a reckoning, to replace it with unwarranted generational punishment. First, as a result of the Great Betrayal, the elvhen are sundered from their connection to the spirit essence, and thus subjected to the Quickening, which I guess is supposed to be a way of the world giving the elvhen a taste of their own medicine and saying "Be careful what you wish for". Then, once they are finally effectively like humans in every metaphysical respect (unbeknownst to everyone except the remaining ancient elvhen), the moral corruption of the Evanuris gets passed on as the Tevinters learn to glorify blood sacrifice at the behest of their Old Gods (who are really Evanuris speaking through their Archdemons, at any capacity they still have left). This gets used to further humiliate the remainders of ancient Arlathan. What happened to the elvhen now gives Solas reason to hate the mortal physical existence of elves twofold.

The fact that elves keep being punished by the narrative is a direct result of BioWare implementing the spirit origin theory the way they did, because it was devised as a scenario of original sin that necessitates conflict and moral downfall, and ends up snowballing into dooming elves through and through.

But more than that, as I have mentioned in another post, on the metaphysical level, "pure" spirits should be occupied solely with their respective defining abstracts. Spirits should know no desire. Desire is the "unquenchable flame" that defines humans. As far as DAO, we would read that the more benevolent spirits prefer to sit back in the Fade and not interfere with the mortals, and the ones with the greatest drive to join the living are predatory demons.

And the reason for all of this is "the Maker" being bored of perfection in the Golden City, and wanting some change. That the world requires change and opposition to let its best aspects shine is not an controversial idea. However, in the Dragon Age worldbuilding, this necessity for change is not introduced under a milder Hermetic assumption that, even after being cast down into a darker realm of the incarnate, one can successfully control their mundane passions and heal their soul from corrupting influences whilst existing physically... Not on the grand scale, at least.

Once spirits decided to enter the physical world, they started acting like they were trapped and forced to fight for their lives (despite them being the trespassers). The vast majority of them got spiritually corrupted (if they didn't represent vices like Tyranny from the get-go), they dragged their hesitant kin down with them through manipulation. The elvhen race fell into tyranny as their "First" were actually the worst, yet people looked up to them for survival. One particularly inventive specimen devised two catastrophic tools -- one, to deflect onto the Titans whatever should have happened to the first elvhen in order to sunder what has been wrongly joined; the other, to sunder the tyrannical Evanuris from the rest of the elvhen and spirits and stop their corrupting influence. Yet, because the world changes, the collateral of one such tool introduced a wholly new type of rampant evil, and the collateral of the other made the whole elvhen race spiral down... even further into their entrapment in physicality!

The way they built up the spirit origin theory, it draws a full circle: first, the Southern Chantry and the Dalish demonize Fade spirits - one for dogmatic reasons, because it sees the marriage of spirit and flesh as something that is evil even in humans, the other because they can't be denied that healthy cackle of metaphysical irony even if they try their hardest. Then, with DAI Solas and Cole, we're acquainted with a more sympathetic understanding of Fade spirits as being that are fundamentally different but operate on a logic that doesn't automatically lead to a shitshow of a moral downfall. But then, we learn that a group of spirits doomed the entire world to millennia of strife because they felt curiosity for the Other and because the choice to cross the great threshold almost automatically made them forget the virtues they supposedly embodied and spiral down into the "lower" survival instincts.

Personally, I believe that spirits & elvhen could be built on a fundamental existential difference in a way that would have made their excursions into each other's realm temporary. I believe that the spirit origin theory, even if upheld, could have been taken in a direction that didn't imply instant rampant and thoughtless collonialism on the elvhen part. I believe that such choices would have enforced worldbuilding that didn't need to condemn the spirits/ elvhen with that weird version the original sin that receives completely unsympathetic treatment as the time goes by.

[amaryllis-sagitta]

This lowkey supports my lore suspicions made in this post... It is possible to read Solas's regrets as him making the wrong choices all along. This includes a pure, unmanifested spirit portrayed as capable of choice, embracing it, and remaining spectacularly bad at it for most of his incarnate existence. Again, no wonder he's so hung up on the pessimistic assumption that one cannot become effective at something one was not made for (a brand of essentialism straight out of Plato's analysis of virtue).

Yet, based on a simplified Kantian take on freedom of will, free choice is always, at any given moment, a realization of one of two mutually exclusive possibilities through sheer force of will. For a choice to occur, both possibilities must be equally probable in their fulfillment, regardless of experience and habit that condition us towards a singular option. In simpler terms, for us to speak about choice, it must always be possible to pick the option that one was not previously compelled to pursue. Even if most of our real choices happen in ruts imposed by all sorts of conditioning, it's always possible to escape the determinism of whatever history, essence or purpose we conceive of.

In this sense, the choices that do the real weighlifting are the ones that break established cycles.

This has heavy implications for Thedosian spirit lore.

A pure, singularly focused, one-concept spirit cannot be formally capable of choice. They can't be intrinsically pulled towards the opposite of their nature. If they are dragged towards the opposite of their conceptual nature by force, they become that opposite as a demon. No fork between two mutually exclusive options, no choice.

For a spirit to be capable of choice, they must be broken in their conceptual singularity just so that the "fork in the road" appears for them to manifest in two equal ways, but not enough to simply flip sides.

In other words, "pure" spirits should be blind to the possibility of joining the world as separate individuals. Not hesitant, not reluctant. They should filter it out and ignore it. Any spirit that wished or consented to join the world was already corrupt in this tiniest bit.

This is another unexpected win for the Canticle of Threnodies: spirits who chose to join the world of living were driven by a desire that wasn't exactly envy but subtly anticipated it: curiosity for the Earth's creations turned into a desire for the greener grass among a race that was supposedly harmonious with itself, self-content in its preoccupations. Spirits becoming concrete, incarnate individuals did stem from a kernel of the Void sneaking into their ethereal peace, that became a yearning for corporality that was "no longer formless, ever-changing".

Weekes on Solavellan after Veilguard

I'll be documenting everything they say on bluesky/interviews that may add more context to what we see in a game.

Disclaimer: Personally I'm happy with the ending, but the execution leaves to be desired. Still Weekes replies helped me look at last exchange between Solas and Lavellan in a better light, so hopefully others will find what they look for too.

Question: Does he want to reunite? Is it a choice he makes himself? Lavellan is open and proactive during conversation, but he almost seems resigned. “There is no fate but our love” does he realise he can say no?

Weekes: My intention was that after almost destroying the world, he does not feel he deserves love until he fixes what he did wrong (just like he couldn't move forward until he fixed the wrongs he did in Mythal's service). That's why the Inquisitor has to reach out to him.

Question: Was the nature of that solas/Mythal was more queerplatonic than romantic? And if Solas had to choose between Mythal and Lavellan, with whom might he consider sharing his life or save in the face of great danger?

Weekes: Mythal is Solas's past. Horrible mistakes made with good intentions. Lavellan is the hopeful future Solas doesn't think he deserves until he fixes the world he broke.

Question: Can you share any insights on what was going through Solas's mind after Mythal freed him and before he goes into the Fade with Lavellan?

Weekes: That one I think I need to let sit until it's been a bit longer.

Question: One more question, if you can answer! Was solas under a geas for Mythal?

Weekes: It's a possible reading, but there are plenty of people who made terrible decisions for a charismatic person and then felt like they didn't have a way to go forward. It's a story about regret, and regret requires choices.

[mythalism]

on solavellan becoming andraste and the maker, and applying the concept of mantling to dragon age

for the uninitiated, mantling is a concept from the elder scrolls series that refers to the process of a mortal becoming a god by becoming so much like them that they become indistinguishable, and thus, the same. its synonymous with the use of the term "apotheosis" within the same universe, but also distinct, because it specifically involves "re-enacting the Mythic patterns established by the [Gods] until their power is surrendered to the mantler. In the process, the mortal and the deity become metaphysically synonymous with one another, allowing the mortal to claim the office and sphere of the mantled diety for themselves, reshaping them in the process." (x)

sound familiar?

but first, there are several examples of how this works narratively in the elder scrolls universe. one of the best is probably the mantling of sheogorath by the player character in the shivering isles DLC of the elder scrolls IV: oblivion.

at the climax of the DLC, the god of madness, sheogorath, for whom you've been doing quests for for quite a while now, basically reveals that he molded you into someone who could take his place as the Mad God, as his time is running out due to a long running divine cycle of order vs. chaos called the greymarch. its all very mythological and confusing and not really relevant to this but im including these quotes from re-watching the quest (x) to refresh my own memory and give you an idea of the general vibe:

the realm is crumbling, the cycle of destruction is imminent, and its god bemoans the loss of the world he loves but cannot stop his own demise. the only way to save it is if someone else becomes him - takes the throne, assumes his office, sacrifices their individuality and mortal desires for what the realm needs and mantle it's god...... this is literally solas mantling the maker like cmon!! and if i was in charge at bioware you can bet your ass that rook would've been mantling the dread wolf as thedas' new trickster god as solas took on a different godly role considering how he literally molds rook in his image and TELLS THEM THAT.......... but thats an essay for another day.

the player character of oblivion begins as sheogorath's champion and eventually becomes him, lavellan begins as andraste's herald and eventually becomes her as she walks her path, culminating in her decision to join the maker in the golden city for eternity, effectively uniting their mythology so that they become indistinguishable.

the player character of morrowind also goes through a similar process that the inquisitor does, as a prophesied savior navigating the role that has been thrust upon them. in the elder scrolls III morrowind, the story revolves around you being the prophesised "nerevarine", the second coming of the hero, indoril nerevar, who will cast down the false gods and expel the empire from their homeland. in reality, the game makes it very clear very quickly that no one has any fucking clue if you are actually the nerevarine, but the empire is going to MAKE you into the nerevarine by making you "walk the path" laid out in the prophecy. and thats what the entire main quest is; you re-enacting the prophecy to literally become the prophet that the world needs. the game never answers whether or not you actually were the nerevarine, but at some point, the distinction ceases to matter. you've become them.

you can see how similar this is to an inquisitor walking the path of andraste, to solas being forced to walk the path of the dread wolf and later the maker. whether or not they are one and the same is irrelevant, when you become mythologically indistinguishable, when you become what the world needs you to become, who you were ceases to matter.

in my original post about this i mentioned CHIM as well and CHIM is a very unruly, not even fully canon concept within the elder scrolls. so i dont really want to delve super deep into it because its fucking insane for one but also because it doesn't fit quite as well as the framework of mantling does, but there are a few things said about CHIM in elder scrolls that just feel soooooooo similar to what we see in dragon age that i want to share them because i truly think there is a thread of inspiration to be followed here.

CHIM is basically enlightenment in the elder scrolls universe where someone within the games reaches a state of divine lucidity. its been compared to lucid dreaming by one of the tes devs, or "divine hypnagogia", and the final state beyond CHIM, called Amaranth, allows a character to realize they exist in a video game. LMAO. so when i say solas and lavellan achieve something akin to CHIM i do not mean it literally, i do not think they are breaking the fourth wall and realizing they exist in a video game, nor would i want that. i would actually hate that as a writing decision. but whats interesting is the language that is sometimes used to talk about CHIM, and the way solas and lavellan's ending involves them reaching a sort of peace and acceptance about their place in the world as mythological figures instead of individuals.

i wrote this in response to an ask once and i've reposted it several times and i'm doing it again now because honestly it was the best way to articulate this and i dont think i can recreate it LMAO; "solas and lavellan are at once both finally free of the burdens of the myths and expectations that follow them as the dread wolf and the herald of andraste because they have left the mortal world that forced them into those roles and stripped them of their personhood, but they have also completely submitted themselves to those roles by submitting to the logical conclusion of the myths that they could not escape. for the dread wolf, it is earning his redemption through his willing submission to his own trap. its the logical, full-circle mythological conclusion to the trickster who trapped the gods, now trapped for eternity himself. for the inquisitor, it is andraste's herald finally sharing andraste's fate, choosing to leave the mortal world behind to ascend to the golden city alongside the god that she loves. both (presumably, for a lavellan) have tried to reject the myths attached to them over and over and over, but in the end they choose them willingly, and that choice at once binds them to those myths forever while simultaneously freeing them from the burden of them. its giving oedipal greek tragedy of attempting to outrun your fate and it finding you anyway, just when you thought you were finally making your own choice, but with a hopeful and bittersweet spin."

this is what i mean when i say they have achieved CHIM, as "a state of being which allows for escape from all known laws and limitations" (x) the laws and limitations from which they have escaped are not the confines of a video game, but rather the confines of the mortal roles that they were both thrust into against their wills and stole everything from them, as the herald of andraste and the dread wolf. for solas, i think you can even extend this to him being able to escape the literal physical confines of the body he did not want by returning to 'heaven' (the fade), a place of mutability and possibility, without the laws and limitations of the physical world. for lavellan, we see her make a choice to pursue her own happy ending, regardless of what the world needs (though there is an argument for this being the best decision for the world considering how it will help solas heal the blight, but i think the implication is that she's doing it for herself) after losing her agency, individuality, life and freedom to the role of the inquisitor. as ameridan says, "take moments of happiness where you can. the world will take the rest." and she does. she ascends past the bounds of the physical world, the title of inquisitor, the world that took so much from her, and finds her happiness in transcending those limitations and literally fucking off to heaven. its so great.

so when i refer to lavellan as andraste or solas as the maker, it is in this context that i mean it. i dont actually think lavellan is literally andraste reborn or something, or that solas was literally the maker. i think the maker was probably slightly inspired by solas's deeds like the creation of the veil and black city, but theres plenty in the chant of light that also does not fit him or the two of them at all. dragon age has very intentionally not disproved or proved the existence of the maker, and i think that is a good choice and its far more interesting that way. solas is already responsible for like half of the problems in thedas, connecting EVERYTHING back to him is a bit lazy in my opinion. i think the idea that the concept of a creator borne out of a bunch of different myths across time is far more compelling. so i dont think they are 1:1 the same or a reincarnation or anything, and thats why the concept of mantling works so well in this context.

solas is not the maker, but he has functionally become the maker by walking the narrative path of his own story. lavellan is not andraste, but she has functionally become andraste through walking the path of her own story. its about a sort of narrative and mythological apotheosis, where the world sees you one way to the point that you become that way. it works perfectly in the context of dragon age's focus on storytelling, propaganda, and how belief creates reality.

these two are bound to a sort of narrative inevitability in a way that most dragon age characters are not (except perhaps morrigan. honorable mentions to hawke, varric and alistair) but i think its a large part of why they are so compelling. they are inseparable from their own stories. they are bound by this sort of narrative destiny to serve both the overarching story of the dragon age games, but also the mythological stories within thedas in a way thats almost in contrast to the medium of a video game based on player choice- but i think its intentional, and i also think this sort of narrative destiny functioning as its own trap or prison is part of the reason their story is the strongest part of veilguard. from an essay on fatalism, something that solas himself ascribes to by his own admission "Destiny is not so much a necessary outcome as it is an outcome that is necessary given some larger sense of purpose” (x).

in conclusion: ✓ re-enacting the mythic patterns of andraste and the maker's story via their roles in the world and their decisions, such as leading the armies of the faithful as andraste's did, or shaping the world the way it exists presently and creating the veil and the black city as the maker did ✓ become metaphysically synonymous, via becoming virtually indistinguishable in terms of their role in the world ✓ take their office - by finally reuniting within the black city ✓ reshape it for themselves - by healing the blight and making it golden

:D

[thessaralka]

you know what's always frustrated me about dragon age tho

the religions

they're built on shaky (or zero) foundations.

all major real world religions have SOME kind of powerful reason that people choose to believe in them - they're all deeply rooted in occult metaphysics, NDEs and cosmic mystical events, secret esoteric knowledge, human history, myth, generations upon generations of human blood and ritual and ceremony.

andrastianism is basically catholicism but we don't know why people believe in the maker. we just know that they do.

people believe in jesus christ as the son of god because there is powerful evidence of him existing, powerful spiritual truths there, powerful legends prophesying his existence, and powerful history (it's of course deeper than that but this isn't a post about christianity).

it's understandable why people believe in anrdraste as a goddess-figure, as she has a powerful legend.

people believe in "god/ the universe/ source/ brahman/ allah/ 'the force'" (different names for the same concept) because spirituality is an inherent part of existence, it is a foundational truth of our reality that can only be experienced individually and not (yet, quite) proven by science (unless you get into quantum mechanics and einstein's theories and so on). it requires faith, and faith only comes from experiencing "knowing" directly. it cannot be taught, and it cannot be measured.

we know next to nothing about why people would ever be convinced by the maker enough to believe in him/ it as a god.

the elder scrolls does religious lore REALLY well. the aedra and the daedra have a creation myth that goes back to the two primal forces in the universe (anu and padomay - which are basically masculine and feminine primal forces, the yin/ yang of daosim - this ties into real world religions and makes the world of ES feel very real, because we can relate to it).

as far as i know, the only creation myth we get apart from the maker's "he was displeased by his creation and turned his back on it" is from the alamarri/ avaar with korth the mountain-father who created the mountains and provides game (a god worthy of being worshipped, to offer such foundations).

like, what does the maker even do? yeah he "created the golden city" (ehhhh??? not really thoooo????) and got mad at the tevinter magisters (that was just them poking at solas's fade prison too much tho)... and created the veil (that was solas tho). so nothing the maker has done has actually happened, it's the byrpoduct of something the evanuris did. mostly solas.

thedas (particularly with the dalish worship of the evanuris) feels like a post-apocalyptic world that lost its religion and its reasons for believing in religion a long time ago, because they've been continuously decimated by blights/ war/ slavery/ loss/ degradation.

and perhaps that is the truth of it. their faith is bleak, and rootless, because the world of thedas is a post-apocalyptic world that is bleak, and rootless (thanks to solas and the evanuris who created the blight, and sundered the titans from their dreams).

the most honest religions in thedas are, in my opinion, the dwarven religion (which is not a religion at all, and instead a worship of skill and excellence), and the avaar religion, which is based in their communication with the spirit world - which makes sense! because spirits are the energy of an idea or feeling, and that energy is tangibly spiritual and powerful. andrastianism is cool too, except for the part about it being founded on andraste being the bride of the maker, so we're back at square one.

what the fuck do these people even believe in?

[dreadfutures]

Tevinter Nights: dramatic summaries

Back in March I decided to read a story from Tevinter Nights out loud to the DA FanFic server every Monday night. I figured with the number of stories, we'd hit August right as we finished - hopefully it'll be a big month for us fans!

I just love this anthology so much - there are many gems and entertaining bits among them, and they're criminally underrated. A lot of the DA side content is hit or miss for a lot of people, but seriously, some of these short stories could be published on their own without any knowledge of Thedas and still entertain!!

Here are the summaries I wrote ahead of each reading. :) All of the TN short stories are independent of each other, so take a look and perhaps you will find one you enjoy. I tried to keep them largely spoiler free :)

Also, check out @larkoneironaut 's Tevinter Nights art project! They're enjoyable in their own way :)

Three Trees to Midnight, by Patrick Weekes

After the Qunari take Ventus, prisoners are put to work chopping wood on the outskirts of Arlathan Forest. Myrion, a human mage, and Strife, a city elf who joined the Dalish, are shackled together at the ankle as a work pair. While their relationship starts antagonistic, they are quickly forced to work together to escape. This thrilling adventure is one of our first looks into the mysteries of Arlathan Forest, and the Antaam’s advance south—despite the rifts forming in the Qun’s ranks. Notably, Strife and his companion Irelin appear in another short story, Ruins of Reality, and Dragon Age: The Missing.

Down Among the Dead Men by Sylvia Feketekuty

We finally see Nevarra in this tale, and what better place to start than in the Grand Necropolis itself? Audric Felhausen, our POV character, is a city guard who is tasked with protecting a Mortalitasi mage during an investigation about some restless undead in the bowels of the Necropolis. We see how spirits and demons wander, and get stuck, in the bodies kept there -- and how possessing a body, even a long-dead one, can have significant effects on the spirit. On both a cultural and metaphysical level, this story gives us a TON of lore. And Audric, our hero, is equally curious and unsettled by what he learns. By the end you'll see why so many people are desperate for him to be a companion in DA4!

The Horror of Hormak by John Epler

Do you love Wardens? Do you miss the dark fantasy elements of Origins? Do you like the aesthetic of Dark Souls, with giant stone doors you push open with all your might to reveal a giant boss? That's the vibe that John Epler (DA4 Creative Director!) brings to this story. Wardens Ramesh and Lesha are tracking down a group of missing Wardens in Nevarra--a group, it turns out, that does not want to be found. For better or worse, Ramesh and Lesha plunge into the darkness and discover a horrifying truth with massive implications for the ancient history of Thedas... and the Evil Gods about to wake in DA4!

Callback by Lukas Kristjanson

Follow Sutherland and his crew of honorable adventurers back to where they began: Skyhold. Now defended and empty but for a handful of Chantry chosen caretakers, the fortress that once housed the Inquisition has gone dark, and Sutherland is tapped to investigate. We see Skyhold and by proxy the Inquisition itself from the perspective of one of the little guys, drawn to it because of ideals and encouraged to become their best selves. In doing so, we also see how the events of this world can shape Spirits in unexpected ways, with consequences for a world where the Veil is thin. Callback is full of callbacks and cameos from a surprising group from DAI, and an entertaining and perilous mini adventure in its own right. This is a love letter to Skyhold, to the Inquisition, and a meaningful counterpart to the memories of Skyhold kept in its frescos.

Luck in the Gardens by Sylvia Feketekuty

Hear a tale of glory and daring straight from a Lord of Fortune themself! A genderfluid, disguise-wearing, acrobat-turned-swashbuckler regales us with an adventure from the streets of Minrathous. Spy on secret meetings between Magisters, learn what the Venatori have been doing since Corypheus' defeat, and tremble in the face of things "past the Veil of our world," neither demon nor spirit. Who are the Lords of Fortune from Rivain? What lurks beneath Tevinter's streets? This may be the story that inspired many people's wishlist for the next Archon and the next Black Divine -- some beloved, familiar faces join our hero to face the terror in the gardens!

Content Warning: Body horror, Eldritch horror, mentions of Tevinter slavery

Hunger by Brianne Battye

Tevinter Nights returns to Warden business in Hunger -- or does it? Evka Ivo, a heroic warden, and her junior recruit Antoine, have to decide what counts as Warden business when there's not a Blight ongoing. As they make their way to Weisshaupt to answer their summons, they decide to make a small detour to help a village in need. Evka and Antoine are our beloved dwarf/elf romantics who feature in a DA Day short story - as well as in the DA4 lead-in comic, The Missing! Whether they may be companions or contacts to our protagonist remains to be seen, but surely they'll make an appearance after such tales of heroism and compassion!

Murder by Death Mages by Caitlin Sullivan Kelly

We return again to Nevarra from a different angle this time! An agent of the Inquisition, the multiplayer necromancer Sidony, is sent back to the home country she resents in pursuit of a killer. We learn not only about Sidony's past, but about the political landscape of Nevarra: do the Mortalitasi run the country as shadowy puppet masters? What do the common people, and the nobility, think of the death mages from the Necropolis? How are Mortalitasi trained? And what does necromancy look and feel like to the characters in Thedas? In this tale of alleyway chases and gossip-filled balls, we get another glimpse into a country we may very well visit in DA4!

The Streets of Minrathous by Brianne Battye

We return to Minrathous to learn what's become of the Venatori since Corypheus's defeat. Join Neve Gallus, special investigator (and important cameo in The Missing comic), as she navigates the alleyways of Tevinter's great city in search of a murderer. Through her eyes, we see how less-privileged mages are viewed, and how the law bends to the whims of the rich and magical in Tevinter. Neve is joined by Tevinter Templars in her investigation, and their final battle is certainly eye-opening for anyone interested in fighting mages... What lies beneath the Streets of Minrathous, if not the Cekorax? Well, you're about to find out.

The Wigmaker Job by Courtney Woods

Lucanis Dellamorte, Master Assassin (and rumored heir to the First Talon) of the Antivan Crows, prowls the secret passages and unsuspecting rooftops of Tevinter with his cousin Illario on a contract. The target? A member of the Venatori with a... peculiar hobby. From shady hotel rooms to a grand gala and fashion show, get a look at the best of the Crows doing what Crows do best. This is one of the best stories in Tevinter Nights by far.

Content Warnings: abuse of slaves, body horror, torture, gore, hair eating, lots of pretty gruesome (if cathartic) assasination, and possession

Genitivi Dies In The End by Lucas Kristjanson

The remnants of the Inquisition approach a new group of adventurers and task them with finding the secrets of Fen'Harel. The Antaam - or at least, part of it - give chase. And Genitivi Dies in the End.

Herold Had the Plan by Ryan Cormier

Our Lords of Fortune are on the run as a mission to steal an ancient amulet goes awry. They have the amulet, they have their daring escape (a Lord of Fortune knows no other kind, of course) -- but Herold had the plan for what to do with the damn thing, and Herold is gone. As Starkhaven guards give chase, only one Lord of Fortune will survive the night. But will he make it to the mysterious Squire who hired them in the first place? Join us for an adventure that will break your heart and keep you on the edge of your seat.

An Old Crow's Old Tricks by Arone Le Bray

Tevinter has sent their finest centuri to defend the shores of the Nocen Sea from potential Qunari invaders. They stake their claim on the area and set up camp, enjoying the esteem of being the proud defenders of Tevinter. But it's not the Qunari this group of soldiers should fear.

CW: blatant racism against dalish, off screen massacre of a Dalish clan, many gruesome cathartic assassinations described in some detail, hand trauma

Eight Little Talons by Courtney Woods

Antiva's crown is weak. Antiva has no army. And the Qun is at its doorstep. Antiva's Crows may be the country's only defense, but they must act fast. Caterina Dellamorte, the fearsome leader of the Crows, calls all Eight Talons to meet in secret and solitude to discuss and prepare for the threat at Antiva's borders. But perhaps they should begin by looking for threats at home. All Crows are assassins. But only one is a murderer.

Half Up Front by John Epler

A former altus who chose to be disowned into poverty to be with her elven lover takes the job of a lifetime: steal a precious, powerful, magical artifact from the Archon's Palace itself. It was never going to be easy, but the former Altus Vadis couldn't have predicted that a Minrathous heist would bring her all the way to a port in Rivain, loyal to the Qun. What at first glance seems like a classic cat burgling caper actually might tell us a lot about the forces at play in Thedas—how perhaps the people on the ground may or may not be following orders.

Dread Wolf Take You by Trick Weekes

[exceedinglygayotter]

So I've been reading a lot of Elder Scrolls fanfic recently, and I noticed that it's fairly popular to write crossovers with Dragon Age, specifically to have the author's version of the Last Dragonborn fall into Thedas at the start of Dragon Age: Inquisition and become either the Inquisitor or a companion of theirs.

I've never played Dragon Age (massive CRPGs just aren't my thing), but the idea is a really interesting one. How would Dragon Age characters react to someone who is clearly capable of magic, but has no connection to the Fade because that's just not how magic works on Nirn? How would a Skyrim character react to being thrown into a world that is so superficially similar to their own, yet so fundamentally different, with dragons, elves, and dwarves that bear only the slightest resemblance to what they're used to those words meaning?

Anyway, I had a neat idea for one of these, but since I'm sure I'll never write it I figured I'd post it here. I just think that there's a lot of potential in making the character who gets trapped on Thedas be an ohmes khajiit.

If you don't know, khajiit can be born into one of 16 different "furstocks" depending on the phase of the moons when they are born, ranging all the way from talking house cats (the alfiq) to 10-foot-tall tiger-men (the pahmar-raht), with the ohmes pretty much just looking like elves to the point that many ohmes tattoo more feline features onto their faces in order to make it more obvious that they're khajiit. This means they'd be able to blend in relatively easily since they could just pass themself off as an elf, but would still be a member of a species completely alien to Thedas. Humans are just humans, and even mer could be thought of as basically just weird elves, but there's nothing even similar to the khajiit.

Furthermore, the moons of Nirn are extremely important to every part of khajiiti society from their government to their religion, and this would mean they'd be thrown into a world where those moons just... aren't there. The very sky of Thedas would be alien to them, and a khajiit would be the most affected by that out of all of Nirn's cultures.

On a more metaphysical level, khajiit are innately tied to the Lunar Lattice, which is basically the khajiiti name for the barrier separating Mundus from Oblivion and Aetherius. Azura is worshipped by them as Azurah, a "keeper of all gates and keys, all rims and thresholds," and it's implied that Azurah created the khajiit to help maintain the Lunar Lattice in some way. Seeing as the main plot of DA:I is heavily focused on the Veil between the mortal world and the Fade, you could probably do some very interesting stuff with a character who has an innate connection to a similar metaphysical barrier.

I understand why nobody's done something like this (at least as far as I'm aware), since a lot of people don't even know that the different furstocks exist and ohmes haven't been playable since Arena, but I feel like you could do some really fun stuff with it.

[thedragonagelesbian]

Hey…can you talk more about Cyrus not being able to die? How does that happen? When does the realization happen? How does that affect his views on his body and death?

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii yes i can always say more about the headcanon plot armor/corporeal angst i made up for the specialist boy in thedas

cyrus not being able to die is an outgrowth of the innate healing he develops over the course of da2, which is the result of (a) longterm overexposure to anders' healing magic, such that it just kind of never goes away and lingers inside of him and (b) metaphysical kirkwall's possessiveness of him as its champion and unwillingness to see him fall. i often conceptualize it like how cole describes templars' ability to block magic: their bodies always want to connect to... something older. Bigger than they are. That's why they block magic. They reach for that other thing, and magic has no room to come in. cyrus' constant harm -> heal -> harm cycle creates more gaps in his body, but what he's connecting to instead isn't the titans but kirkwall itself.

subsequently, the innate healing (and the resistance to other forms of healing) begins to develop with the arishok fight: cyrus very nearly dies, and as he's bleeding out onto the floor of the keep, the twisted and lingering ancient tevinter magic at kirkwall's core accepts this as sacrifice and in exchange gives him the strength to finish the duel... at the cost of his body no longer being his own.

it's not something cyrus discovers until post-game, though. there's simply. too fucking much going on already. with the reaverisms and the heavy armor and the constant fight-or-fight instinct and the classic minimization/denial, it's just very hard to tell when or how badly cyrus is hurt, especially with his body healing minor injuries near instantaneously.

i'm not totally committed to the timeline of when cyrus realizes it, but the idea i've tossed around the most is that it happens after he, varric, and merrill have relocated to val royeaux, during the chevalier academy graduation ceremony of. slaughtering city elves. cyrus is in the val royeaux alieange trying to protect folks--no weapons or armor just his body--he isnt fast enough, a chevalier strikes him down......... and then he gets back up again.

and ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm it sure Does Not Help. cyrus is already so alienated from his body, already has episodes where it does not feel like it's real or his, already has periods where he can't tell where he begins and ends, and realizing this intensifies all of those feelings. he doesn't/can't fight much in the time between da2 and inq without drawing undue attention (which doesn't help the listlessness & depression of those years either), but when he does, he's even more reckless with himself, much to varric's chagrin. there's also a general loss of sensitivity to both pain and pleasure, which means cyrus becomes very prone to accidentally hurting himself...... and, on the absolute worst days, intentionally hurting himself just to try to feel something.

over the three years between da2 & inq, it's something cyrus learns to be more at peace with/careful about, seeking out less harmful forms of physical stimulation if not for his own sake then certainly for varric's. at the same time, it's also something he never expected could be or necessarily wanted to have fixed? because that would mean even more magic, even more tampering, even more alienation from his body. he lets merrill investigate it to a certain extent, but he prefers to try to live with it. some days, that feels like an agential choice he gets to make. some days, it feels like something fate forced upon him. but he keeps going anyway (and praying to the creators helps a lot too!)

it's also part of why his recovery from the fade takes so long-- breaking kirkwall's hold on him once and for all breaks this magic too, restoring him to mortality & fragility but also softness & vulnerability & gentleness.

[amaryllis-sagitta]

(LARGE IMAGE - use external link)

This is my tribute to one of the most profound secrets of Thedas -- the nature of spirits and their link to the presumed "Maker" of that world.

This piece is inspired by DA lore crafting through Codices, murals, stylized concept art, and in-universe research like The Grim Anatomy. Another thread is my speculation from Metaphysics of Thedas about the great metaphysical duality being at work in Thedas, one between a supposed Maker and the counter-balancing force known as the Void or primal Silence. Yet another element I used is the visual of the Tree of Porphyry - a type of diagram that medieval philosophers used to classify the universals according to the Aristotelian rules of definition through genus and differentia specifica.

Of course, spirits of Thedas are not classified this way - for what we know, some leading "virtue" types of spirit can be corrupted into "vicious" types of demons if their conceptual nature is compromised or abused. Still, the way we keep learning about the new spirit types outside the crude classification of the Southern Chantry, brings to mind a picture of a tree where spirit types spread out into more and more nuanced variants.

The corners of the picture are adorned with rudimentary depictions of the Forbidden Ones - the four mysterious powerful demons that bear proper names instead of universal names, whose nature seems more elaborate and elusive than the usual single notion assigned to most spirit types. These are: Xebenkeck, harboring an insatiable bloodthirst, whose presence was noted in Kirkwall and might have something to do with the city's history of violence; the still unknown Formless One; the duplicitous Imshael, who manipulates mortals into choices that bring out a monstrous side in their morals; and Gaxkang, a shapeshifting predator luring mortals with a false promise of riches and glory, only to bury the trace of their existence.

[amaryllis-sagitta]

I'm watching carefully how Solas straight up uses Platonic language when referring to spirits because it Must Mean Somethimg on the larger scale. Like, spirits are viewed as the key to how reality should maintain its identity throughout time and upheaval, and the threat to the state of spirit world is probably linked to the vague threat to "all existence" that Solas mentions in Tevinter Nights.

Theory: Solas isn't doing it to save the elves, he's doing it to save the spirits.

With the new information coming out about Solas's plan in in DAV and the much-memed back and forth between Solas and Varric, I think we may have gotten the wrong end of the stick regarding what is at stake, or why Solas is doing what he's doing. There has been increasing back and forth about whether the Veil should come down in the decade since DAI, but a lot of conversation has focused on a) the collateral damage necessary to do so and b) elven immortality. The assumption being that Solas has decided that any collateral damage (with opinions varying from 'some' to 'apocalyptic' in what they expect that to look like) is worth it to bring back ancient elves, aka 'his people'.

However, repeated dialogues throughout DAI and Trespasser paint a different association - Solas refers to the elves as 'our people' when convenient (eg when trying to get the Inquisitor on side following their first confrontation with Corypheus). When you or other characters ask him about what he considers to be 'his people' he either dodges the question, or to Abelas:

Solas: There are other places, friend. Other duties. Your people yet linger. Abelas: Elvhen such as you? Solas: Yes. Such as I.

While this seems pretty straight forward, it begs the question what the ancient elves, what the Elvhen actually are. Think about the origin of Elvhen as a deliberate identifier, rather than just using 'elves' which Solas repeatedly rejects. Breaking down the word the answer may have been staring us in the face this whole time: vhen is translated to 'people', and El is the root for spirit. I think there is a very good chance Elvhen literally translates to 'spirit people', and that has been the key distinction all this time.

What that functionally meant before the Veil (spirits that chose to manifest personality/bodies, spirits that were bound to bodies, perhaps 'possession' or symbiosis was the norm) is yet to be determined. But the connection to spirits is what Solas considers his people, which is why appeals to save 'this world' will ultimately fail for him, even in a state where he acknowledges mortal beings are 'people':

Inquisitor: We aren't even people to you? Solas: Not at first. You showed me that I was wrong, again. That does not make what must come next any easier. Inquisitor: You'd murder countless people? Solas: Wouldn't you, to save your own?

While many players would consider the current world state 'acceptable' to those living in it, that discounts the perspective of those trapped on the other side of the Veil. The spirits are very clearly suffering, which will not improve while the Veil remains, and it's why Solas can't just live with 'this world'.

[vaultsixtynine]

heres the deal: to give thedas an actual necromancy structure requires that Someone (me) actually put some work into "what happens to people when they die", a weirdly neglected part of da lore for some reason (it's because the general worldbuild is not really interested in building out lore for things it does not directly touch and The Fade is its handwavey answer to A Lot of things)

great! sure! however at that point i may as well just tackle the rearrangement of the basic foundations of the physical and metaphysical world. lol. is dragoned age worth that level of effort. probably Not

[therookandthecrow]

While my primary Rook Aloisius has categorically been opposed to the Venatori for quite a long time (in the ten plus years he's been a Shadow Dragon), he's going to truly go into a true ultraviolence mode against them when he finds out what they've done to Lucanis. Then it won't matter to him which Venatori they were, he's going to want to clear house of each and every single one of them.

Lucanis is going to bring out his most protective qualities and any nurturing qualities that he pretended that he didn't have before - those are going to come out a dozenfold through Lucanis. Aloisius isn't going to know what to do with these feelings that he's allowing himself to feel for the first time in what seems to be a lifetime.

He's the sort of person who'd go beyond even the reaches of Thedas to protect Lucanis and to avenge any acts of harm against him. Furthermore, he's going to prioritize looking after Lucanis, and while that is a good thing, the only way I can see that becoming a problem is if he ignores everything else going on - which I don't think that he'd do.

It's mainly that his priorities change radically over the course of the game, as he joined the Shadow Dragons initially because he wanted to use his status there to eventually be the one to rule over Tevinter (albeit in the shadows), and to direct it in what he believed to be a more optimal direction - but then he meets Lucanis, and his actions are directed by his desire to keep him safe.

His prior desire to be a ruler and all the responsibilities that come along with it wanes away, and there is nothing more he wants at the end than to spend a life with Lucanis. Aloisius loves his homeland of Tevinter, and he joined the Dragons partially because he wanted to change it for the better, but on the flip-side, he had some Machiavellian-leaning intentions.

Aloisius was used to using people as stepping stones for his agenda and moving them around on a metaphysical chessboard as he achieved comparably little goals. Likewise, he was used to seeing people as mere colleagues, if he even could call them such, and any "friends" he had before in the Dragons were one-sided where they vastly overestimated how much he considered them a friend.

He's quite unprepared to have friends such as Bellara and Davrin whom I think that he will get along with the most apart from Lucanis, but that could very well change once I play the game and see how people interact. At first, I can see him as an awkward friend, hating awkward silence, and saying the wrong thing because he's not used to being close to people.

[felassan]

ლ(꒪ヮ꒪)ლ can't stop thinking about the new cinematic. it's so beautifully storyboarded, illustrated & colored, animated and musically scored. under a cut due to length.

the first image and its accompanying sentence "I knew him as Solas, a thoughtful mage obsessed with dreams" is very "The Dread Wolf comes in humble guises, a wanderer who knows much of the People and their spirits" (from Note: The Treachery of the Wolf), right? the Solas Varric knew, the humble apostate in simple garb we meet in the DAI prologue.. "Beware the forms of Fen'Harel! [...] He will offer advice that seems fair, but turns slowly to poison. Remember the price of treason, and keep in your heart the mercy of your gods" - the Evanuris' propaganda portrayal of Solas in that memory sounds like Sauron assuming the fair visage and title/role of Annatar, the "Lord of Gifts", in the Second Age when he was trying to sway and befriend the Elves, offering them knowledge and counsel, working on his own dark plans all the while. also in comparing the first image and the second image again with the tarot cards, we're basically looking at the Hierophant and the Tower once again, only this time from a face-first/front-on perspective, rather than from a side view. and about the leaves in the first image.. leaves and twining branches etc in this franchise usually suggest elves or elvhen stuff. is all this why there were leaves on either side of the Golden/Black City within the Fade in the opening cinematic to DA:O?

on a second watch, "obsessed with dreams" for me carries the double meaning of the obvious, Solas loves the Fade, and the undertone, Solas is very committed to his plan, even though he thinks it will probably cost him his life, the lives of many others ("burn in the raw chaos") and the real friendships he formed during his time with the Inquisition. I also realized that the mountains here remind me of the mountains Solas paints in his frescoes in the rotunda, especially in the left most fresco due to coloring, lighting etc:

that's interesting as in the frescoes they represent the Frostbacks - you've got the explosion at the Conclave at Haven, Corypheus attacking Haven, etc. between this and the speculation at the bottom here ("does this show the past, Solas creating the Veil atop the mountains in the Frostbacks where Skyhold now stands, “the place where the sky is held up/back”, or is this future him destroying and taking it back down? Maybe both.") it makes me think that the mountains in the new cinematic images are also the Frostbacks. Solas, at the place where the sky was held back, where it all began (and ended) before and after the deed. I am also probably squinting far too hard at stuff, but mountains beneath the sky also bring me back to the cosmology and the metaphysical theme of  Stone/Titans/reality/immutable and sky (Fade)/spirits/magic/dreams!! as for the the ever-present triangles.. it creates the pattern of a double sun, one inside the other. (Thedas has two moons, what if it also once had two suns hh?) literal lighthearded readings aside, the triangles are in various Solas-, Fade-related and other murals and art etc (example), and seem to have something to do with the Fade/the Veil and related magics. not a surprise to see them once again here.

including the jaw bone is a nice touch, Solas is wearing a turtleneck hh, it's ironic hearing Varric (a prince of lies himself, a frequent liar) describing someone else - rather sensationally - as a "god of lies", and also is it just me but is there the suggestion of an outline of something in the sun as it fades in with high contrast? probably just seeing patterns like humans do when we saw patterns in the moon irl, but my mind is processing it as the suggestion of a structure, which would make sense as later in the center of the spheres is the Golden/Black City.

the circles around the sun being 'thicker' (more of a teardrop shape than a circle, really) remind me of the shape on a peacock feather. or of an eye.

now, this is not new info as a similar staff appears in the Hermit and in the 2020 Dread Wolf Rises teaser mural, but the staff in the new cinematic resembles the Heart of Pride, a unique staff from Trespasser. (it's found by solving the Veilfire puzzle in the Deep Roads, accessed through an eluvian. through the eluvian are a Fen'Harel statue and a mural, along with the Veilfire puzzle which says "Where the Dread Wolf's gaze blazes, paths are brought to light"). Its item description reads "Being near this staff gives one the sense of being vastly better than everyone and everything around. When holding it, the bearer hears faint laughter, and Fade energy clings to it as desperately as a drowning sailor to drifting wreckage." the laughter reminds of "Chuckles" (Varric's nickname for Solas) and the Dalish tale which relates that Fen'Harel is said to have spent centuries in a far corner of the earth after his great deception, hugging himself and giggling madly in glee. the sailor imagery reminds me of Solas, not long awaken in the vastly-changed Nightmare world he inadvertently created, surrounded by strangers as everyone he once knew was gone (greatest fear: dying alone), everything for a long time seeming like he was walking through a world of Tranquil - that Solas, seeking solace in what he knew, in the familiar, in the remnants and echoes of the past: the Fade and the world of spirits. but it's interesting as, it also reminds of the watery language employed around the Fade: the emerald waters of the Fade, the sea of dreams, the well of all souls etc.

that weapon model was also in DA2 as Freedom's Promise, a unique staff from DA2. it comes with Codex entry: Freedom's Promise, which tells us of Aldenon the Wise, Calenhad's mentor and friend. he was an apostate hedge mage, whose magecraft was so potent that it greater than that of even the Tevinter Magisters, and advisor to Calenhad. he came from the Frostback Mountains or the wildlands, didn't believe in the Maker and was stubborn about that, often getting into arguments with the pious Calenhad over it. "What Aldenon believed, only Aldenon knew, but he most certainly did not believe in the Maker." Aldenon was cunning, ingenious and a planner; with his help Calenhad overcame every obstacle, from uncovering treacheries to turning rivals into friends. Language in the Codex describes Calenhad, outside of debates on faith, as biddable, which makes it sound that Aldenon was in a way, manipulative and steered things. Aldenon was described as "venerable, certainly worthy of respect, but not commanding it. When he stormed into my master's feasthall and offered his service in a resounding voice, there was laughter at his audacity." audacity - pride. the pride is emphasized when that codex then describes him as "arrogant". he wore an enchanted hat called Wisdom's Eye, claiming that with it he could see the future. Once, when times were dire, he donned his hat and medidated (Dreamt/Fadewalked...?) for a whole day. when he awoke, he said that the Maker and the Circle institution (against whom he had been fighting) had won, and told his apprentices to run. he was then never heard from again.

Aldenon once said, "I am the beginning and the end. I am luckbinder, spellweaver, and the keeper of secrets. And I am here to build a kingdom." he was darkly bitter, but because he had a vision for what he dreamed the future could be:

Many believed his advice to be folly. He had little appreciation for the hard truths of our lands, they said. Compassion, mercy, justice—they matter not when Teyrn Simeon invades your land, subverts your nobles, and takes what's yours. He grew bitter and impatient with us and ours, and these sentiments were often returned. But others could see he had a vision of something better than the endless petty wars of teyrns and arls.

further, he also strongly valued freedom, was against slavery and was against binding mages in structures like the Circle:

Aldenon conceived a plan to enlist strong allies and Calenhad went into the Brecilian Forest to make it so. But unbeknownst to the mage, Calenhad had made contact with the Chantry. When Calenhad returned at the head of the Ash Warriors as Aldenon expected, so as well did templars and Circle mages join our host. Aldenon was in a fury such as I've never seen. He wanted a kingdom of free men, of moral people beholden to law. Where a common man could tend his land safely and in peace. He lifted his staff and his voice echoed through the hills: "A civilization cannot be civil if it condones the slavery of another. And that is what this Circle is! But by accident of birth, those mages would be free to live, love, and die as they choose. The Circles will break—if it be one year, a decade, a century, or beyond. Tyrants always fall, and the downtrodden always strive for freedom!"

Then Aldenon left. And although Lady Shayna slew Simeon that day and Calenhad ruled a united kingdom, my liege was not the same without his mentor and friend. We live in the kingdom built on the dreams of two great friends, and we are all lessened by Aldenon's departure.

all this to say, sound familiar? not sure if it's implying a literal link between Solas and Aldenon, or just making an allusion/drawing and emphasizing parallels based on the similarities, but fascinating and seemingly an intentional choice all the same.

both in-game staffs also seem to have wolf effigies bound to them. 👁️

back to the cinematic. when the Dread Wolf looms into view, it's basically what engulfs the rays of the sun and leaves it moon-like as a result of so doing. its darkness is also suggested by the way it's animated to cloak Solas in, basically, the Dread Wolf's mantle, just like how he took that name upon himself and wore it as a badge of pride (dae it now hangs there, a weight on his shoulders, an albatross?), and the mantle/cloak garment here:

this is also when dark smoke or tendrils coil around the edges, suggesting darkness, maybe corruption, Taint and the Blight. it reminds me of how that representation of the Blight spread across the map of Ferelden in the DA:O loading screen. and here everything takes on a red tone, like in the red lyrium-filled nightmare future in DA:I at Redcliffe. then the transition to the next image is also interesting - like, the suggestion of a giant third (well, seventh) eye in the center of the Dread Wolf's forehead, a loud gonglike sound, the emanating outwards like Mind Blast, and many rings or layers alternating in gold and black (Golden City.. Black City) as we witness the formation of the Veil, Solas' brainchild that he thought would save the People. and idk, but I thought it was interesting that at its most-formed point, in the pattern there are 7 gold rings and 7 black rings.

there are 7 Evanuris (minus slain Mythal and Fen'Harel who walked among both groups of gods), 7 Old Gods, and seven gates of the Black City:

And I looked up and saw The seven gates of the Black City shatter, And darkness cloaked both realms.

!!! seven gates shattering, speculated to be seven seals. like in the rings in the cinematic, it's an onion with seven layers holding it all in. layers that can be peeled off.

now for here.

to me this suggests an eclipse, celestial bodies moving into alignment, just as we see on the cover art for the upcoming Dragon Age vinyl collection (pictured right). in general the golden circles, dots and patterns here remind me of astrological stuff like moon phase charts, and the opening cinematic of The Witcher 3, where there's an illustration representing the Conjuction of the Spheres.

see what I mean? a golden 'compass' like disc, many rings, golden dots, different realms, the eclipse-like pattern when two 'spheres' or worlds overlap.. the lore in both franchises has a bit of similarity. in Thedas' ancient past, the Fade and the mundane world intertwined, they were one and the same. then there was a great upheaval/cataclysm (Solas creating the Veil), and now in modern Thedas terrifying demons sometimes slip through into the waking world. the result of the cataclysm is probably in some way tied to the Blight, and now mortals in the waking world fear mages and magic. I think the eclipse-suggestion pattern is less a literal eclipse than (or alternatively, a literal eclipse as well as) than the two 'spheres' - i.e. the realms of the Fade and the waking world - effectively colliding until they overlap once again, as they used to do as one single sphere. if they do basically collide, that could account for stuff burning in the raw chaos. there are also other circles in the pattern, reminding me of how in TN there was talk of places, of realms, beyond the waking world that were not the Fade. the Void and where else? O: Cthulu-esque.. and the dots, maybe representing some of the 'pocket dimensions' that exist between spaces, like the Crossroads or pockets you can reach while travelling through them.

about the sigils along the exterior, the emphasis is on the center-most semi-circle at the bottom, as it's the largest. as to the identities of each of the entities indicated by the symbols, I think based on the shapes, their 2020 trailer silhouettes, and some lore details you could make arguments for Elgar'nan (largest) and Ghilan'nain (last on the right, a crescent shape). Elgar'nan as it's the largest and he was the patriarch of the elven gods, and the 'horns' basically make a circle which could suggest a sun (Elgar'nan Eldest of the Sun, the sun being his father). Ghilan'nain as it's the same shape as the centipede monster in that DA:D concept art, and in TN Warden Jovis was turned into a centipede monster after contact with a pool in one of Ghil's labs. also, the wavy lines coming off the crescent-shaped one's head in the 2020 mural suggest fluid or water (hello pools..), or like, seaweed hanging off of it, like it's just burst out of the sea dripping wet (like it does in that concept art), which makes me pause as Ghil created "giants of the sea" "in deep waters", and these were the creations that she was most proud of. she was also last of the gods. thrillingly arguments can also be made for other identities for these two though :D

the arrangement of the semi-circles in a ring outside the Veil also takes me back to Note: The Treachery of the Wolf, as here again we have the Evanuris arranged in a ring, preventing something from happening, with Solas at the center of it all and the big black wolf with fiery pits for eyes looming:

The pages of this book—memory?—warn of a terrible danger, a wolf with slavering black jaws and pits for eyes. The Evanuris—the elven gods—stand in a ring around it, as if preventing it from attacking.

when the narration talks about Solas creating the Veil, those black tendrils again emanate from the now Blackened and corrupted City. in the cinematic the Veil forms a barrier keeping this blackness inside the Fade (or part of it really, the Black City), away from or out of the waking world. it's not perfect of course, like a lid with a leak, as the world still experiences 'escaped' corruption/Taint in the form of Blights etc. so like, the cost of splitting the world from the raw magic and beauty of the Fade, in order to stop the Evanuris and protect the world from the Blight, was corrupting one area in order to contain it. the waking world became fucked up (Veil as an unnatural construct, natural magic held at bay, demons possessing mages etc), but it was better than the world becoming swallowed by the Blight. the seven entities, the seven "gates"/seals.. reminding us of the DA:I dialogue where Solas is furious at the Wardens in DA:I's plans to seek out slumbering Old Gods and kill them before they wake up and start a Blight. because if the last two Old Gods are killed before being Blighted, it would unseal it and unleash a mega Blight?

what if we mush together

pride, or Pride himself? If the Golden City turned Black when Solas imprisoned the Evanuris, then this seems to imply a connection between Solas locking the Evanuris away (or more specifically, between Solas creating the Veil in order to do so) and the origin of the Blight. [from here]

with the 'Balrog Theory' (1, 2, 3, 4)? in the cinematic, inside the big hemisphere is sort of golden brown, while inside the seven semi-circles around the exterior (Evanuris in their prisons that he made) it's darker, more like black. were the Evanuris tainted when Solas locked them away? or was Blight magic the only thing strong enough to disable and contain them? the Evanuris were digging deep and mining the bodies of Titans for "something else" and seem to have unleashed something terrible while doing so, going by codex entries. we read of elves frantically collapsing tunnels ("let this place be forgotten, let no one wake its anger"), and Solas relates how the Evanuris would have destroyed the entire world. we also have Andruil who was said to have “hunted in the Void” and brought back madness and plague. they or some of them appear to have become corrupted, or maddened at least, and their actions were unleashing big bad stuff on the world. either they became corrupted by Blight and he locked them away before 7 mad super-powered Corypheuses (sentient.. Archdemon.. powers?) the world was destroyed by the "anger" from the earth, or he locked them away in there with the bad stuff the were going to end up releasing if they kept at it. "they sleep, masked in the mirror, hiding, hurting". "We are here [...], we have waited. We are crippled, we are polluted".

in the final scene, I wonder again if the item Solas is holding is the red lyirum idol, but more specifically the blade portion of it, the variant of it with the blade extended. in Tevinter Nights, that Tevinter mage when trying to complete his ritual raised the idol and a lyrium spike sprang from its base, effectively forming a ritual-blade. he slashed his hand and a wave of power knocked everyone to the ground, their minds pulled into the raw chaos of the Fade. light and color swirled around him and then the Dread Wolf arrived and began yelling. when he killed the Tevinter mage, the lyrium blade vanished. what if it's like the Subtle Knife in His Dark Materials, and you can basically use it to cut through a Veil to access the Fade to another dimension? also in this scene the lines drawn outwards, the bright light shining and the 'bwom' sound suggest an explosion, and the lens flare glinting off the item Solas holds draws the eye, and attention, to it.

lastly, again this is not new information, but when the logo appears, it's crumbling to pieces, with floating bits suggesting the floating rocks we see in the Fade. Stone, reality itself is crumbling as the Veil weakens, and bits of bright magical light are shining through.

[feykrorovaan]

Terribly sorry, but due to your post indicating that you enjoy hearing other people talk about their OCs, which was tagged with Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age, I will now use your askbox to ramble about a stupid crossover fanfiction idea I had that I will almost certainly never write but cannot get out of my head and I just need to talk about somewhere.

Anyway, there's a really common trend in DA/TES crossover fics where the premise is basically just "TES protagonist (almost invariably the Last Dragonborn) ends up in Thedas during the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition and either ends up being the Inquisitor or an additional companion to the Inquisitor." The idea is just one of those, with the TES protagonist in question being an Ohmes Nerevarine.

If you don't know, khajiit can be born into one of 16 different "furstocks" depending on the phase of the moons when they are born, ranging all the way from talking house cats (the alfiq) to 10-foot-tall tiger-men (the pahmar-raht), with the ohmes pretty much just looking like somewhat hairier-than-average elves to the point that many ohmes tattoo more feline features onto their faces in order to make it more obvious that they're khajiit. This means they'd be able to blend in relatively easily since they could just pass themself off as an elf, but would still be a member of a species completely alien to Thedas. Humans are just humans, and even mer could be thought of as basically just weird elves, but there's nothing even similar to the khajiit.

Furthermore, the moons of Nirn are extremely important to every part of khajiiti society from their government to their religion, and this would mean they'd be thrown into a world where those moons just... aren't there. The very sky of Thedas would be alien to them, and a khajiit would be the most affected by that out of all of Nirn's cultures.

On a more metaphysical level, khajiit are innately tied to the Lunar Lattice, which is basically the khajiiti name for the barrier separating Mundus from Oblivion and Aetherius. Azura is worshipped by them as Azurah, a "keeper of all gates and keys, all rims and thresholds," and it's implied that Azurah created the khajiit to help maintain the Lunar Lattice in some way. Seeing as the main plot of DA:I is heavily focused on the Veil between the mortal world and the Fade, you could probably do some very interesting stuff with a character who has an innate connection to a similar metaphysical barrier.

As for the Nerevarine part, it's for a few different reasons. Partly because (as mentioned) almost every single one of these fics has the Last Dragonborn and having a different TES protagonist would make it slightly more unique. Partly because a Khajiiti Nerevarine would likely be able to relate to an Elven Inquisitor quite a lot, being hailed as the destined savior of a people who treat most of their respective peoples as subhuman. And finally because the Nerevarine is very closely connected to Azura, with her basically being the Nerevarine's patron goddess.

I don't have a huge number of specific ideas for the plot, but the Nerevarine's presence there would definitely be a scheme by Azura. Azura is ultimately a prideful and egotistical being; not malevolent, but definitely self-centered. In Daggerfall her sphere is vanity and egotism, rather than twilight and prophecy, and those associations are very much still present even in later games. Above all else she desires to be loved and worshiped, so how could she resist a world bereft of gods, free for the taking? I imagine her plan here is two-fold: just like in Morrowind there’s her obvious and wholly altruistic goal (supporting the Nerevarine in his quest to defeat a great evil), and that goal just so happens to further her own ends. She seeks to essentially supplant the Veil; she wants to become known as a benevolent goddess who oversees the barrier between the mortal world and the Fade. Her being there to help the Nerevarine mend the Veil is partly a cover, and the person she’s really interested in is Solas, planning to gain his trust and support by presenting herself as a better alternative to his plan of simply tearing down the Veil. She/Moonshadow (since Princes pretty much are their realm of Oblivion) would serve as a twilight realm, removing the Veil without doing the damage that would result from simply tearing it down. Just like in Morrowind, she’d be a highly morally ambiguous character, never overtly doing anything sinister or malicious, but definitely manipulative and with somewhat unclear end-goals or motivations.

I imagine the Nerevarine would have a very complicated relationship with Azura. Since the Nerevarine is canonically an orphan and she’s “The Mother of All Khajiit,” he might view her as kind of a mother-figure he’s devoted to and desperate to earn the approval of, but feels more and more like he’s being used and manipulated by her (because he is). He will especially feel this way if he knows that he’s on Thedas because of another one of her plans. He probably won’t hate her or anything, and may even have faith that she is acting for the greater good, but will have something of an arc of him becoming less emotionally dependent on her and distancing himself. If he cuts ties entirely, it would probably happen right at the end, and coincide with her finally getting Solas to support her plans.

I know you said you probably won't write out a full fanfiction, but you definitely have the ground work for one. If you ever do, remember that Thedas canonically has two moons,just like Nirn. 😉

Also,I had no idea that asks could be so long, so you taught me something new. ^.^

Thank you for sharing your ideas. This was really interesting.

[morganaseren]

kicks down your door. have you considered niamh/bethany/leliana before, and if not, what is a poly ship that you think would be more effective/you like better, if you're so inclined

Friend, you are now going to take responsibility for all my rambling because now the plot bunnies won't stop with this idea. Okay? Okay! 😂 Everything shall be below the cut because of the length.

So there is a bit of an age difference between the three of them. I'm going to use their Inquisition ages here per my fic because I'm so used to writing their characterizations from that time period. That means Leliana is 37 (or roughly around that age, depending on how you want to interpret the source material), Niamh is 33, and Bethany is canonically 30 by then.

I'll preface this all by saying that I think they would work well together in an AU because so much of DA's canon world state surrounds Niamh and Bethany in such doom and gloom (both the Cousland background and the fate of the Hawkes are just so tragic), and I actually want them to be happy without having them wallow too much in that.

Having said that, you won't see the usual prejudices depicted in the games, especially in regards to mages. Circles exist only in the sense that they're schools of magic with students who can freely come and go within them. Thus, Niamh's and Bethany's respective positions in the world of Thedas would be nearly as prominent as Leliana's own status as Left Hand of Divine Justinia.

Considering Leliana's reputation, everyone outside her personal circle would assume the Knight-Enchanter and Necromancer she's in a polyamorous relationship with must be absolutely intimidating.

In reality, they're like the nicest women you could ever meet.

I've always viewed the Knight-Enchanter class to be something like a doctor in our world albeit on a completely different level. I mean, they literally have the power to resurrect people and help regrow lost limbs, and that's on top of already being able to conjure a sword made completely of magic! How mindblowing is that?!

But with any doctor comes the aspect of patient care obviously, and considering the headcanons I have of Bethany in OtSttCA taking in a lot of abandoned mage children during the Templar-Mage war, I imagine she'd be the head healer of a charitable clinic, who specializes with younger patients dealing with chronic illnesses.

That's the sweet, nurturing part of her, but anyone who has ever played the Knight-Enchanter class know all too well just how tanky these mages are. Like, holy shit, do you realize how much damage a solo Knight-Enchanter can take against a High Dragon in Nightmare mode?? Absolutely stunning! And now because of you, dear Jelly-friend, I now envision Bethany conjuring a magical battleaxe instead of the typical magical sword. It's badass, and I love that for her!

I mentioned Leliana is also dating a Necromancer, so, yes, Niamh's canonically a Necromancer in Inquisition. Outside the game, it's honestly because I already played a Knight-Enchanter before and wanted to try something different. In-game logic though? Some aspects of the Necromancer class reminded Niamh of Morrigan, and she chose it as a way to honor one of her first and truest friends outside of the Circle.

Plus, Niamh's fascinated by the metaphysical aspect regarding the class, especially when you add spirits into the mix. Beyond that though, Niamh is just an absolute nerd. Like, she greatly enjoys learning just for the sake of learning, so despite being one of the most respected figures in the magical house of dark arts, Niamh's just an absolute cinnamon roll. She'd rather talk your ear off about her work rather than resort to violence most of the time. Like with her elemental magic though, she tends to use her powers of necromancy in rather innovative ways, which has earned her some measure of fame.

For instance, there's a vase of Andraste's Grace that Leliana always keeps on her desk. Most assume that she regularly changes out the flowers within them, but no. They're actually the same flowers she's kept for years, and they were originally gifted to her by Niamh. She somehow managed to use her abilities to encapsulate the very energy inside the flowers and have it cycle in a near endless loop to keep them looking as lively as the day she first picked them.

Niamh was very proud of herself when she figured out how to do it. 😄

Keeping with that arcane user reputation of hers though, Niamh also learned shape-shifting from Morrigan—mostly because I think it would be hilarious if Cassandra or some other Chantry official would try to rouse Leliana for some incident that could just as easily be dealt with tomorrow only to find this large, black wolf sitting directly in front of the door regarding them with an air of utter disapproval.

When the Chantry officials are being particularly obstinate though, Bethany even joins Niamh by camping out in front of Leliana's door to further bar them from disturbing Leliana from her much-needed rest (that Bethany firmly insisted on and Leliana only somewhat begrudgingly agreed to after certain favors were promised in return for her obedience in the matter... 😏).

"The Left Hand has spent nearly the past fortnight ensuring enemies of the Divine were apprehended by her network if not outright routed into the Chantry's respective military forces," Bethany begins while not bothering to look up from where she's reading updates regarding her various patients. "Unless Her Holiness desires her presence herself, then I will trust you're all capable of dealing with a situation that is hardly between life and death." She barely smothers a smile when she hears an audible huff of incredulity from the wolf she's leaning against, gently ribbing Niamh in half-hearted reprimand. "Good day to you all."

But, yeah, despite being the youngest of the bunch, Bethany's usually the one making sure no one overworks themselves too much; that caring healer trait of hers doesn't always leave once she's done with her patients in the clinic. 😂 Niamh would absolutely forget to eat and just stay in her personal office for hours on end to write new academic dissertations while Leliana would be lost in the endless mindset of "Just one more report to read!" or "Just one more situation to deal with!"

Of course, while Niamh and Bethany are seen as outwardly sweet women, they can still utterly devastate their enemies with their respective magic. In that same sense, Leliana is often regarded as a rather terrifying woman, who casts a shadow across all Thedas with the reach of her spy network, but with her lovers, she's as gentle and loving as can be. 🥰

But to answer your other question, I think one other poly pairing that I'll probably have to write about at some point would be Isabela/Hawke/Merrill.

Honestly, there's a lot of women in the DA series that I would like to write about more such as Anora or Shianni, but I don't know in what context yet. 👀

Thanks for sending this in, friend! This was fun to think about!

[max--phillips]

I was double checking what time Veilguard will be playable tomorrow (fucking noon here. Lame) and i was getting this information from PC Gamer, and the second sentence of this article made me cackle.

“If you're eager to return to Thedas, you'll want to mark down the Veilguard unlock times so you can know the precise moment you're free to jump into defending the fragile metaphysical barrier preventing the most profoundly bald elf in existence from flooding the world with demons.”

THE MOST PROFOUNDLY BALD ELF IN EXISTENCE SOFJSNFKDNSJA PLEASE

[amaryllis-sagitta]

DATV Solas spoilers [trudging through late Act 1]

Sooooo I've unlocked 5 regret murals.

As someone who dwelled elbow deep in fan theories for quite a few years and tried my own speculation here and there, I'm not that surprised by the components that were already hinted throughout DAI and Trespasser. It's the way they're tied together and their overall flavor that really ties the picture together for me.

And the picture so far explains Solas's obstinate fixation on restoring the one right, seemingly objective version of the world. Ever since he has joined existence, he has contributed to some form of fundamental wrongness in the world. This "right" world state that he yearns for is the one where Solas has never crossed the threshold in the first place. He isn't just guilty of what he's done as an elf anymore. He's now shown as fundamentally ashamed of becoming.

In this context, Solas is starting to feel like some manifestation of the Freudian Thanatos, a craving to undo existence, to "correct" the tension and the burdens of joining it. If anyone in the writing room consciously thought of this twist as a part of the underlying theme of the Void as the representation of all forms of aberration imaginable, that would be kinda brilliant (though it's probably me reading esoteric meanings into stuff as always lol). Because when considered as ridden with regret about Being/ Becoming, Solas is a Forgotten One, an entity of the Void.

I admit I'm not yet sure how to digest the progressing anthropomorphization of Fade spirits in the DA lore. I still have 1 mural left to discover so I'm probably missing something, but doesn't this reveal halfway hint that spirit!Solas made a choice, however manipulated it was? Didn't he have to be willing to some degree? Didn't Mythal need to bring him over... fairly intact, not just brutally coerced to manifest - which would likely result in him instantly flipping? Otherwise, why would she use persuasion? To show a facade of respect?

If so, how was choice even possible among these supposedly reactive, reflective, singularly focused beings? Does DATV address that at all, or is Cole still our best case study on how a conceptually singular spirit can become a complex, conflicted personality? Is Imshael The Choice "Spirit" testament to the moment Fade spirits were "infected" with the burden of choice, and spiraled into becoming a cornerstone of all evil in Thedas?

Another hard punch from that reveal for me is that, while some parts of the Chant are disproven (the Golden City isn't the Maker's work), other parts of the Canticle of Threnodies are proven technically correct in their judgment. Spirits were guilty of the "original sin" of sundering the world's balance. They did follow a desire to join something that is judged as not theirs to join. The twist in here is that the main contender for the Maker's placeholder now becomes the Earth itself with its Titans, the entirety of Thedosian material life itself.