#necroplier

[infinite-infinite-stars]

Celebrating spooky season with a drawing of my favorite "evil" ego~!

What...? Uh, no, it's not Darkiplier, lol.

...

It's not Murdock, either.

It's- look, it's the Necromancer from that Ninja Sex Party song The Mystic Crystal, okay?

[distracted-milkshake]

GET THE FUCK OUT. I'M SORRY, NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO SAY ANYTHING.

[antiivarook]

mother is.....MOTHERING

[dongtopus]

"It is unfortunate that we do not see eye to eye, Mister Forth-Wight-Berren. I had hoped that after all this time, you would see the merit in at the very least, meeting the bare nessecities of your workforce."

In one motion, Marion unfolded his legs, picked his journal up and snapped it shut. With a slight nod to the minute-taker, Marion turned from the table, leaving his seat untucked. A signal to his chaperone.

"Good manners dictate that I bid my farewells by informing you that it was 'A pleasure to speak with you'."

He passed Knell without even a glance and shut the door behind him. Marion stood for a second, and the heavy thump of Knells bootstep rattled the doorframe.

Marion felt nothing as his leg moved.

As his shoe met the carpet, he jolted awake.

The fireplace had died down considerably, and Marion was reminded that he had not smelled a fireplace in a very long time.

His heart felt cold, and heavy. Somewhere under his chitin, under his skin, he felt uncomfortable. The pale light of dawn crept in through the bay window. Marion rubbed the signet ring on his last finger briefly. He remembered that his skin was chitin now, and worried about grinding away the already faint family emblem on the surface of the sapphire.

A walk. That should do me some good.

[jaal-ama-daravv]

Are Nevarran Circles different than the southern ones, in that mages are allowed to marry, or retain noble titles? I know in previous games we had codex entries about Circles in the Anderfels, the Free Marches and in Rivain, but I can't recall anything being said about how they are generally run in Nevarra.

"Ever forward, ever deathward."

I love Nevarra and mages so this is such a good question for me! I'm giddy with excitement.

So, Nevarran Circles and their relationsip with magic are different compared to Southern and other Northern Thedas areas. I'll break it down for you:

Nevarra & Factions

Nevarra is known for it's unique approach to death and it's relationship with magic. Nevarra is unique in that they do not burn their dead but mummify them instead; they are then placed in tombs such as the Grand Necropolis. Nevarra also believes that when a person dies, their soul displaces a fade spirit when their soul crosses the veil - they can manifest as wisps that you see in the Necropolis, where some will take the form of remains or objects.

Nevarra is also unique in the sens that they have fraternitys among their mages in additiion to the Circle of Magi. One in particualr known as the Mortalitasi. The Mortalitasi are tasked with the responsibiliyu for the transfer and mummification of Nevarran Elite, other fraternites such as the Mourn Watch, will tend to the dead of other Neverrans. The Mortalitasi hold significant polital power and influence in Nevarra - the most in Thedas.

The Mourn Watch is a sub-faction order within the Mortalitasi who hold absolute authority over funeray dead. You must be invited to join this order. The Mourn Watch serve as the keepers of the Grand Necroplis and deal with magic that had gone awry - particularly corpse possession and funeray rights. The Mourn Watch assist the living and the dead with the process of death - often guiding he lviing to visit their passed loved ones in the Necropolis. It is a honour to join the Mourn Watch as they hold themselves to very high standards.

The Mortalitasi and it's subfactions (i.e., Mourn Watch) are privy to wealth, status, and political power. These mages are considered mysterious and fearful to members outside of the organisation and other parts of Thedas due to their reputation of being a death cult.

Circle of Magi

Mages within a Circle, including in Nevarra, are permitted to marry other members of the circle and individuals outside of it, with permission. Despite it being impractical, this permission is purely dependant on the circle itself. Some forbade it, and other allow it. It can also depend on the reputation of the mage itself.

For Mortalitasi and Mourn Watch mages, the rules are more looser due to their power and influence in Nevarra. Due to Emmrich stating in Veilguard that he had wished to of been married one day, it is likely that these rules for mages within these factions do not apply as strictly. This is due to the regional belief in about the relatiosnhip between death and magic and the Mortalitasi being the gatekeepers.

Whilst the Chantry still has absolute law of mages, Nevarra has more free reign due to it's culture.

Templars are welcome within the walls of the Grand Necropolis, however there is a tactit agreement that the Mourn Watch is better equipped to deal with any issues within the Necropolis.

Tldr, it is likely possible for members of the Mortalitasi to hold titles, own land, and be married due to the power and influence they hold within the region.

Hopefully that answers your question ♥

[felassan]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard art book pages, under a cut due to spoilers:

Top right: The "Lobstrocity" would plunge its face into the sand, and its tentacles would burst out of the sand around you. Top center: This was a fun creature with detailed behavior. Top left: Spitting an inky diversion. Center left: Figuring out the anatomical details of this bizarre creature. Center right: A simple land shark. This version is based on a goblin shark, for a more unsettling appearance. Bottom: The Rivain coastline is dotted with hidden grottoes, ruined fortresses, and uncounted shipwrecks.

Top: Beat boards like these help us explore the look and feel of a group in their context. How do they act? What kinds of settings do we find them in? How do they problem-solve? Center: Exploring how a Rivaini landscape might change with the tide. Bottom: Lords of Fortune having way too much fun searching for lost artifacts.

Top: Lords of Fortune have their priorities. In this case, during a perilous escape, this treasure seeker can't help but stop to investigate a curious glint. Bottom: Rivain's coastline is a mix of beautiful beaches, lost ruins, shipwrecks, and deadly beasts.

Mourn Watch The Mourn Watch are masters of undeath, necromancy, curses, and other dark magic. They probe at the borders of "known" magic, where laws fall away and vaster forces creep through. The Watchers know there's more than just spirits in the Fade. If you work with them, prepare for the boundaries between life, death, and reality to get thin. Top left: Death, science, and magic define the Mourn Watch. Their costumes combine aspects of morticians, academics, conductors, mad scientists, and necromancers. Top right: They may be necromancers, but they're not morbid. They study and admire death, and we tried to avoid designing them to be grotesque. Center left: An undead diorama. Wealthy nobles invest heavily in their life after death. Center: Some armor is built more for ceremony than for practical day-to-day duties.

Top center: The Necropolis is vast. While there's a time for ceremony and study, there's also a time to explore the depths. Top right: A mix of embalmer, anatomist, alchemist, and mage. Center left: While these scholars' studies are lofty, the Necropolis is a dangerous place. There is often a need for protection. Bottom right: The Necropolis is home to the bodies of Nevarrans from all walks of life. Some can afford splendid jewelry and clothing, as well as the required upkeep. Some give way to the natural processes of decay more quickly.

Top left 1: The standard uniform of the Mourn Watch. Top left 2: The Mourn Watch know that not everyone outside the Necropolis is comfortable with their interests, and they know how to dress accordingly. Center: A Necropolis rogue, perfect for exploring dangerous regions that require a light touch. Center right: They worked hard for their anatomical knowledge and delight in showing it off. Bottom: There are some parts of the Necropolis that are far too deadly and unstable to visit without extreme protection.

Top right: Early takes on the Mourn Watch explored the possibility that they not just studied the dead but also were undead. Top left: The Mourn Watch make great use of the undead as assistants in their work. Center: Mourn Watch weapons are based on embalming and surgical tools with added ceremonial magical elements.

Necropolis The Watchers live and work in the upper levels of the Grand Necroplis, a massive, ornate dungeon complex of catacombs, secret passages, and traps. Located right outside (and below) Nevarra City, it is constantly expanding, as upper-class Nevarrans begin planning their elaborate crypts while young. Modest tombs sit next to life-sized mansions and sealed-off royal sepulchers. Some undead are lovingly placed in elaborate tableaux where they can "reenact" scenes from real life. Others rest in coffins. The more robust corpses are armed and trained by the Watchers to patrol for thieves. Center top: The entrance to the Necropolis is like an inverted Tower of Babel. They seek knowledge in the grave instead of heaven. Top left: Occasionally a Watcher goes rogue and uses their knowledge in unsavory ways. Top right: The Necropolis is so large that it doesn't just hold catacombs and tombs but vast landscapes, mountains of graveyards, cities of mausoleums, rivers of unknown magic. Bottom left: A colossal bell whose sound keeps demons at bay.

We wanted it to feel like you could always keep going down. If there is a bottom, no one alive has seen it.

Top: There are certain archetypes that we had a lot of fun exploring. One was the haunted Nevarran mansion. Center left: In keeping with the Mourn Watch faction overall, we wanted this mansion to feel spooky but not gruesome or morbid. Bottom right: This location was home to a member of the Mourn Watch, and it was fun to fill it with details from their time in the Necropolis.

Some areas are little more than tightly packed crawl spaces. Others look like wealthy subterranean neighborhoods. Still others look like vast sunless fields littered with tombstones and statuary. Annotation on illustration near top of page reads "Ossuary built around derelict sky burial tower".

Center: The Necropolis is really huge. This is one of an unknown number of mausoleum towers that stretch up into darkness. Untethered spirits drift by regularly. Bottom left: Exploring the Necropolis. We wanted some locations to border on the surreal.

Center: An unsettling magical path in the Necropolis that forms under your feet as you walk, surrounded by a dark pit of the undead. Center right: Not all Mourn Watchers follow the code. Some go rogue and use their knowledge to create things that shouldn't be created.

An early illustration having fun exploring the exciting things we might find in the Necropolis.

Top: A sketch exploring how far along the mad scientist spectrum we wanted to go. Center: Dinner with the Mourn Watch, with helpful undead servants that have lost their grasp on the definition of "fresh". Bottom: The Necropolis can be unstable, so occasionally the Mourn Watch are required to calm things down.

Shadow Dragons The Tevinter Imperium is Thedas's evil magic empire. Magic holds the Imperium together and is used by both the good guys and the bad guys. The Shadow Dragons are the "good" Tevinters, taking on a corrupt ruling class that has power beyond imagining. They are the underdog resistance with big dreams but few resources. To redeem the Tevinter they love, they might have to make deals with demons both literal and metaphorical. Top: We thought of it like Gotham City from Batman: The Animated Series. A less-grim Sin City with magic instead of guns. Center left: We thought of the Shadow Dragons as secretive, underground, and magical. They have motifs of monks, wizards, rebels, and rogues. Center right: We wanted to create a spectrum from regal mages to most-wanted insurgents. Bottom 1: When designing a faction, we try to live like them in our heads. Bottom 2: We imagined that since many of them are in hiding, a lot of their gear would have to be repurposed than purchased new.

Top right: A disguise that's part mage robe, part Tevinter uniform. Center 1: To start, we broke down Dorian's costumes from Inquisition. If he was the "rock star", what would the average citizen look like? Center 2: What elements of his costume would be common in every market, and what elements were his own special flair? Bottom left: Magic is more accepted in Tevinter, and so their mage robe fashion has had longer to develop.

Top right: The Viper, Minrathous's equivalent of the classic character known as the Shadow. Top center: Armor made from pure magic may not be the most reliable, but it makes an impression. Center left: For each faction, we designed an incredibly lavish outfit.

Top: A common Tevinter soldier's uniform, modified for use by the Shadow Dragons. Center: Sometimes it's fun to design something over-the-top and ceremonial. Bottom left: A suit of armor designed to focus a mage's powers. Bottom right: A Halloween costume for the Shadow Dragons: a demon.

Tevinter Minrathous is where it all happens. The ruling body of Tevinter operates here. The cabal of magisters and the Venatori who oppose the Shadow Dragons are here. It is a city of magical towers and dirty streets, where wealth and luxury exist alongside poverty and suffering. There are no rules in Minrathous, except one: trust nobody. Top right: The palace was designed to be a giant crown that floats over the city. Top left: We designed a magical bridge and an elevator that can float people and goods up to and down from the palace. Bottom: One of the earliest images showing the interior of the Archon's palace. We wanted it to feel like you were high above the city in a luxurious penthouse.

Top: We built Tevinter off of the ruins found in Inquisition. It's a culture based on magic, but also tyranny and control. We wanted to have a sharp, sturdy shape language. It should look like if you tried to push a Tevinter building down, not only would you fail, but you'd also cut yourself. Bottom: The Tevinter Imperium used to be the greatest empire in Thedas. That age is long gone, a truth Tevinter's ruling class are unable or unwilling to grasp. They remain convinced of their superiority, and this complacence has led to the slow crumbling of the Imperium.

Top: It may be cramped, cluttered and humid, but this is where the action is. Don't miss the Cobbled Swan bar on your way to the markets. Bottom: Early in the game, Solas begins his ritual. We explored what that might have looked like from the streets of Minrathous.

Top: The Undercity. Center: Lantern Lane. Center right: The raised bar in the Cobbled Swan. Bottom left: Sculptors' Square. Bottom right: Potters' Path.

Top: In the early stages, we thought a lot about the layers of Tevinter. We started with the ruins of the elven empire, then built up layer after layer of Tevinter architecture. Center: At one point, Minrathous would be occupied by the Antaam instead of the Antivans. Bottom: Very early on we created a thin slice of the game for a visual target. We chose to build a small section of an alley in Tevinter. It was a great opportunity to explore all the details required to make a space feel believable.

Top: We imagined spectacular elven pillars, pulled up out of the ground by powerful elven mages. After those had fallen into ruin, they were used as the foundation for Tevinter buidings. Center: While Tevinter has an intimidating reputation, we also wanted it to be a livable city. There may be evil mages using blood magic, but there are also people just trying to get by. Annotations on the top illustration read: "Treetop motif", "Well preserved Elven pillar", "Magically extracted and farmed stone", "Destroyed Elven pillar", "Magically suspended building", "Defaced and modified Elven pillar", "Rain is collected on rooftops", "Elven foundations with different Tevinter apartments built on top", "Remains of Elven homes used as foundation"

High Town Home to the elite of Minrathous. Here the magic is on full display. Top: Inside the Tevinter chantry. Center: Terraced mansions. Bottom left: An interior view of a Tevinter mansion. Bottom right: A spectacular view of the Archon's palace.

Top: The views from High Town are expansive. Center left: The dwarven embassy. Center right: Built so that dwarves could come to the surface and always have stone above them. Bottom: The Hanging Gardens around the Tevinter Colosseum.

Top: As with all things Shadow Dragon, their weapons are themed around serpents and magic. Top right: A twisted coil of serpents for a mace. Center: In real life and in games, shields are a great opportunity for visual storytelling. Center right: In some cases, we wanted to use floating blades or blades that had been formed through magical processes.

Top: An early illustration showing the Shadow Dragons in action. Center: Graffiti painted by the Shadow Dragons or their supporters. Bottom center: The images depict serpents, mages, and broken chains. Bottom right: Hand-painted murals and graffiti like this are great for visual storytelling, but they also add variety and color to the world.

Top: Tevinter demanded an almost endless supply of book props, from the mundane to the magical. Center: We went from books to scrolls to scroll cases to enchanted display cabinets. Bottom: Some books are just better left unread.

some other pages -

Some opening pages

Foreword

Google Books preview pages Part One

Google Books preview pages Part Two

Amazon preview pages

Page batch

Page batch 2

Page batch 3

Page batch 4

Book art credits:

BioWare art: Matt Rhodes, Ramil Sunga, Albert Urmanov, Christopher Scoles, Nick Thornborrow, Steve Klit

Volta art: Gui Guimaraes, Stéphanie Bouchard, Akim Kaliberda, Alejandro Olmedo, Alexey Zaryuta, Julien Carrasco, Maksim Marenkov, Marianne Martin, Mariia Istomina, Marion Kivits, Matti Marttinen, Mélanie Bourgeois, Pablo Hurtado De Mendoza, Rael Lyra, Rodrigo Ramos, Thomas Schaffer, Tiago Sousa, Tristan Kang, Vladimir Mokry, Yintion J, Joseph Meehan, Stefan Atanasov, Julien Carrasco

Additional art: Marc Holmes, Thomas Scholes

[bitalis]

pacing in this game really is something because rook being shocked that the despair demon in the necroplis sent them to the shadow realm even though you likely fought despairs in dock town prior or even as a random enemy in arlathan 😭

[meredoubt]

I think Dirge is such an anchor of a warrior, of both knight and priest, standing vigil or ushering at the land of the dead, that he's somehow the most Dwarven elf you have ever met. Dust to dust. The stone laid atop the grave. It's so difficult to describe.

Like he has an immense spiritual gravity because of how I interpret his hybrid paladin/druid belief system. This is why it's the same character in both Baldur's Gate and in Dragon Age. Like whatever his personal history may be in either story...there's a firm, unshakable way of looking at mortality that is like he's fully developed in my head. I'll never be free of him lmao

Something more than a Templar. a paladin of life and death, the physicality of it, to experience through body and interpret through mind and express through soul (or personality, tho he believes and lives in a universe where soul is fact). Like it's because of his relationship with body (his, the dead, anyone else, just. The Body) that he draws spirits. It's why he's a serial killer priest of murder in Baldur's Gate, and why, in a healthier universe, where he was cared for, he's a high-ranking member of the Mournwatch of the Grand Necroplis. He's an important member of society in Nevarra, he's steadier there. Maybe that draws spirits to him too. He's very....Falon'din, I think, though honestly I think much like Baldur's Gate, his elven identity is almost an afterthought to him. He's interested in elven history and freedom, but almost impersonally

Anyway this post brought to you by me ruminating on what Solas trying to bring down the Veil looks like to members of the Mournwatch and to Nevarran belief in general

[shesinshambles]

For my few mutuals

Lady-necroplis -> shesinshambles

[ivuul]

~~CALBOURNE COUNTRYSIDE~~ "The ruined countryside of a long fallen kingdom, whatever had happened to this place happened long before greenwilde village was ever founded. Many neutral aligned greenwilders often study the ruins here, led by Judge Jasper and his assistant Hans Millar.

-- Calbourne Watchtower Ruins: The ruins of a watchtower sitting on the outskirts of the region. Very empty outside of the occasional researcher or person seeking shelter. Research Camp: One of the research camps by Jasper and his crew of researchers, they welcome anyone able to help defend them or assist with their research within the ruins. Calbourne Farm Ruins: The ruins of a large farmland. outside of creatures drifting down from the dreadwood forest, these ruins are mostly quiet. Calbourne Church Ruins: A large church sitting in ruins, not much seems out of place here. Calbourne Graveyard: The undead have fully taken this graveyard over, there is not a single corpse left within these empty mounds. Calbourne Castletown Ruins: The ruins of the kingdom of Calbourne, an active supernatural warzone between various undead, cursed humans, demonic creatures, and even a small remnant of vampires separate from Lazarus's vamps. Dare you get caught in the middle of this? Necropolis Forest: Nothing living calls this sea of dead trees a home… Calbourne Castle Ruins: these castle ruins are constantly contested by a very regal skeleton, and a very tired demon… Spectral Spires: 5 towers which have remained weirdly sealed and intact, No one from the research team have ever been able to break into either of them, and the undead from the nearby Necroplis Forest makes it even harder to even research the outside… ASYLUM: Perhaps some locations are best not talked about… ever…

[infinite-infinite-stars]

If Yona existed in a fantasy setting, she would be-- well, actually I have several different ideas for what she would be, but ONE OF THEM is a tavernkeeper! She runs a cozy little place on the moors, it's kinda in the middle of nowhere, yet somehow people always seem to end up there when they need to.

Yes, that's the Necromancer from NSP's "The Mystic Crystal", currently de-powered and feeling sorry for himself after his humiliating defeat by those two ridiculously-dressed champions. (Yeah I know he explicitly dies in the video, but like. He's a Necromancer, what are those guys known for? I bet if a writer wanted him to come back it would be easy to excuse how he did so.)

This might seem like a "she can fix him" situation, but actually it's more like a "she can be visibly unafraid of him and treat him cordially while cryptically implying that he couldn't do anything to harm her even if he wanted to, causing him to grudgingly behave himself in her presence because to do otherwise wouldn't benefit him in any way, an arrangement which could slowly morph into more genuine mutual respect and even fondness if he continues to play his cards right" ...situation.

Anyway, I tried to capture a similar Disney-esque art style to the one in TMC for Yona here~.

[antiivarook]

exclusively making gifs of kiran in necroplis because the lighting makes her look beautiful

[thechurchofsplatterdaysaints]

[spiritusleach]

Spiritus Nocturnus

The Rebel From The Darkside

Undead Necroplis

[strawberryamanita]

I fully accept Necroplier into my life

[scotianostra]

On 5th April 1820 government forces defeated Radical weavers at what became known as the Battle of Bonnymuir.

In 1816, the weavers in Kilsyth were making £1 per week, by 1820 they were making 11 shillings per week. A pack of meal was 3 shillings. Bread was no longer a staple, it had become a major luxury for the working class. To complain was to lose any chance of working. So it was with this background a group of Radical weavers began a march towards the Carron Iron Works in Falkirk. In the months beforehand a meeting of "radicals" was held on 16th August 1819 at St. Peter's Fields, Manchester England and was put to rout by the Kings military with many deaths and casualties. 

In Scotland the "Peterloo" deaths provoked much widespread protest, 16,000 protested in Paisley. The band with the protesters was arrested for playing "Scots Wha Hae". The Royal Calvary was called out to restore order. There were mass meetings also in Stirling.

  On Sunday April 1, 1820, a bill was posted on the streets of Glasgow, Dumbarton, Paisley, Stirling and Kilsyth calling for a general strike to sweep away the present form of government. On Monday, April 2nd, the government called for all shops to be closed and everyone was to stay in their homes. Most of central Scotland in the weaving communities went out on strike.

  On April 3rd about 70 men led by Andrew Hardie met at what is now the Necroplis in Glasgow. All were armed with muskets, pistols, swords and pikes. Hardie by trade was a weaver. The armed men marched to Condorrat and met up with another weaver, John Baird. Baird had a party of men with him. The combined parties would march on Carron Iron Works near Falkirk and secure munitions for the coming fight.

At Bonnymuir they met the 7th and 10th Hussars. The overwhelming British force soon subdued the parties led by Hardie and Baird. All of the survivors were taken to the military prison at Stirling Castle.

It emerged later their ranks had been infiltrated by government agents and they were in fact guided to an ambush.

  Hardie and Baird, the leaders of the Radicals were hanged at Stirling, with Hardie declaring "I die a martyr to the cause of truth and liberty". I shall continue on this subject on the 8th of April.