#rip orlais

[lizzybeeee]

DATV Spoilers - The Story We Lost

Posted earlier that I was compiling a list of lore/story threads that have been dropped with DATV's handling of Southern Thedas. The sheer number of things means that I've made this into two parts - this one focusing on all the story threads that have been effectively dropped.

Spoilers for the game ahead, of course.

If you've played the game then you'll know that Southern Thedas - everything from the past three games - was basically swept away by the blight.

A double blight should have catastrophic consequences for the entirety of Thedas, I don’t deny that, it’s nothing short of a mass extinction event – the absolute worst case scenario for all of Thedas.

However, waving away the fact that Southern Thedas - specifically every area you ever traveled to and interacted with in previous games – is gone, devastated by the blight, in a codex entry and line of dialogue makes it abundantly clear that BioWare is attempting to clean the slate so that they can move forwards with the game series with no ties to the previous ones.

The Warden, Hawke, and the Inquisitor effectively accomplished nothing.

As I put it in another post: I never expected them to consider every decision in game outside of the three options they gave us, but I certainly didn’t expect them to go scorched earth on the possibility of ever seeing the results of those decisions either.

How the lore has been handled in this game, summarized to “the elves did it” and “there’s been a shadowy organization in the shadows pulling the strings on everything” is absolutely devastating to the franchise.

The lack of care with which this was treated just bleeds, “There, we’ve answered all questions and finished with this era of Thedas. Moving on now.” At the same time, this destruction absolutely obliterated whatever story threads remained from the first three games.

Could BioWare bring these threads back? Yes, I suppose. But it doesn't change that it was so carelessly thrown aside in the first place.

If they didn't want people to care about their decisions and the impact they made on the world, perhaps they shouldn't have made that a feature of all the previous games.

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Story Threads/ Plot Points that were dropped:

Limited my points to what was in the Dragon Age Keep and what points were brought up frequently in codex entries, conversations, etc...

Edit: I never expected all of these points to be answered in DATV - this is just a list of what was effectively brushed to the side through very bad handling of lore and story.

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Dragon Age: Origins

What is the line of succession in Ferelden?

Things are looking very grim for Ferelden's succession and the Theirin/MacTir line if nothing is done. And nothing was done. The entire plot of DAO literally culminated in resolving this issue, yet no one seems to have learnt a thing from it?

- Anora ruling alone is unmarried with no heir - Alistair ruling alone is unmarried with no heir - Ruling together they have no heir - Alistair and a Cousland Queen have no heir - Anora and a Cousland King-Consort have no heir

The only potential candidate that can fit into several of those world states is Kieran.

Fergus Cousland, according to lore, is the second closest to the throne that is confirmed to be alive in DAI - potentially the brother in-law to the King/Queen of Ferelden.

Ferelden's succession with Alistair as King hinges on whether or not the Warden was able to cure the blight. Alternatively, it is hinted that he may be more resistant since he has dragon blood in him from Calenhad.

The potential implications of Kieran being the bastard son of the King of Ferelden.

Kieran being used as a political pawn to depose Anora using the Theirin bloodline.

DAI took away whatever destiny Kieran had with the Old God soul – that didn’t mean that BioWare had to take away everything else too. Regardless, it doesn't matter. Denerim and Redcliffe have fallen to the Blight - it's unlikely that any of this will ever be brought up again.

2. Did the Warden find a cure?

Unknown. Irrelevant.

Ferelden ended up blighted. Denerim fell. If Ferelden rises from the ashes, it will be without any sign of their influence. Any mention of them will likely be their title alone - no mention of their accomplishments.

3. General Questions about the Landsmeet

What happened to Anora if Alistair is named King? Who rules the teyrnir of Gwaren following the blight?

What happens to Alistair if he's exiled? We know Teagan finds him in DA2 but what happens after?

If Leliana becomes divine does that mean that Connor Guerrin is potentially an heir to Redcliffe?

4. Companion Plot Threads

Morrigan's sisters - the many daughters of Flemeth.

Shale's quest to reverse the process of becoming a golem.

Whatever the hell Nathaniel Howe was going on about when you run into him in DA2 in the blighted thaig.

What, if anything, Avernus leaned from spending a literal age or two studying blighted blood.

5. Zevran's Crusade against the Crows

RIP Zevran's one-man crusade against the Crows and their child slavery ring.

DATV messed up immensely by portraying the Crows as more of a ‘found family’ rather than the horrifically abusive organization it was set up to be.

The very same organization that preys on the weak and disenfranchised - honing them to be tools for the nobles/powerful of Thedas - are now the heroic freedom fighters of Antiva.

The literal decade he spent hunting down the Crows and their leaders is up in flames. No mention in DATV whatsoever.

Wasted a perfectly good opportunity to have a schism in the Crows, with Zevran at the helm of kicking out the antaam, taking in Crows who are are sick of what's happening.

6. The Dwarves of Orzammar

The impact of Bhelen/Harrowmont's reign - ruthless progression verses strict traditionalism

The rumours of an uprising of the casteless dwarves in DAI

Will we ever hear of noble House Brosca or Queen/Lady Rica? Nope.

Will we ever hear of the son that Aeducan can have with Mardy? Nope. (RIP Duncan Jnr - I still love you)

The Anvil of the Void and potential links it may have to the Titans.

If Branka lives what happened to her?

No more fine goods direct from Orzammar

The entire caste system has been simplified by Harding in DATV to effectively be: 'surface dwarves' and 'deep roads' dwarves.

7. The Magisters Sidereal / Awakened Darkspawn

According to a codex in the Descent: one went mad, consumed another, and the final magister fled into the Deep Roads.

Corypheous + Codex Magister + the Architect (most likely) = 4/5 magisters remaining? Possibly?

Reminder that it's hinted that there's an eighth Old God that was struck from the records of Tevinter.

The Architect and his Awakened Darkspawn.

No, it was all the elves. They're all dead now anyway. Thanks BioWare.

8. The Guardian and the Urn of Sacred Ashes

"Where did you come from, where did you go? Nobody in Thedas will ever knowwwww."

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Dragon Age 2

Dragon Age 2 was pretty self-contained, with most things being tied up in Trespasser or DAI. The worst of the plot points abandoned relate to the companions in the game and the lack of closure/answers about them.

General Questions:

Kirkwalls, apparently, endless line of 'provisional' viscounts and constant political instability since Varric ran off to go after Solas.

According to DA: Absolution the Red Templars are still in Kirkwall...yet the show is set after Trespasser - when Varric is viscount? When he mentions that they threw a parade when getting Meredith out of the Gallows?

Aveline, Varric, Merrill and whoever remains of the Kirkwall crew apparently just allowing red templars take over the Gallows?

What happened to Petrice if she lived?

What happened to Feynriel if he went to Tevinter?

If Hawke lives following DAI - where are they?

I have a whole list of lore that's also been brushed over: the Sundermount, Corypheous, the Band of Three etc... I decided to put them in Part 2 since I feel they fit in more with 'lore obliterated' rather than 'abandoned plot points'.

2. Companions

Merrill's Eluvian:

Merrill spent years fixing an eluvian with a piece of string, a potato, and some gum - managing to actually do it.

And it meant nothing.

Eluvians are now a fast travel hub - all mysticism and awe at this marvel of magic are completely gone. Whatever sacrifices Merrill went through to save her sliver of elven history is meaningless.

Imagine if Merrill's eluvian aided in the fight against Solas - if having it intact gave you an advantage against him. Imagine Merrill weeping as Bellara fixes every other single eluvian in ten seconds with her magical omnitool.

Fenris and Slavery in Tevinter:

DATV utterly trivializing slavery in Tevinter is abominable.

Disregarding everything Fenris went through, everything he ever fought for, and making it something barely touched upon in DATV is insanity.

You wouldn't know there was slavery in Tevinter if the Shadow Dragons didn't drop a line or two about it.

Fenris' entire story of going to help free the slaves is diminished because no one wanted to show the ugly, dark side of Tevinter in DATV.

DATV has retroactively made this choice for him to be so unfulfilling.

Where is Anders?

What happened with Sebastian's crusade against Anders? Was he ever captured? Was he executed? Are you telling me that no templars ever pursued this man fanatically after what happened in Kirkwall?

Does his fate vary if Hawke was friends/romanced him?

Varric appointing a new Viscount’s Keep healer called ‘Banders’ who just happens to sleep in the same room as Hawke and their children call him ‘daddy’ lmao

Does his fate vary according to who is Divine? Vivienne hunts him down, Cassandra puts him on trial, while Leliana pardons him?

How does he react to Leliana abolishing the Circles? How much does he weep when the rebellion fails and the mages are destroyed? This man instigated the starting event for DAI and drove most of DA2's major plot and he's just...gone.

The Hawke Siblings:

From DAI we know that Warden Bethany/Carver are safe, but what happened to them if they're in the Circle?

Give us Knight-Commander Carver and First Enchanter Bethany Hawke, you cowards! Have them dismantle the Gallows and be the shining examples of human decency we know they are.

What happens to them after DAI and the Mage/Templar War is concluded? In a world that can embrace or reject them - how do they find their place?

Varric

Trespasser gave him a satisfying conclusion - he's viscount, he's in his shit hole of a city, he's surrounded by the people that he loves and cares about. He has the chance to truly build up Kirkwall after all the shit its gone through.

It just feels so bitter, so meaningless, that they gave him the end that they did in DATV. Varric should never have been the one to go after Solas - the only reason it was him was because he's a popular character in the franchise and was used to draw interest.

Why not Cole?! Who was literally mentioned in Trespasser as being on hand to help his friends - who has the ability to get through to Solas in a way no one else could?

No proper send off - no acknowledgement from those who loved him as to his fate...Varric was reduced to a marketing gimmick to draw people in who wanted to see if he died or not.

Isabela

Isabela's story was brought to a close in DAI - she became an admiral, got a fancy hat, helped the Inquisition, and kept in contact with those she loved/Hawke if defended from the arishok.

Imagine bringing her back in a terrible outfit, having the most sex/gender positive character misgender another person, and making her part of the group that steals cultural artifacts from others.

The tomb of Koslun and Aveline would like a word with you?!

The entire Lords of Fortune group is also extremely bland? No commentary on the ethics/effects of colonialism/cultural appropriation - because confrontational topics/ideas are not allowed in this game. Just like topics of slavery/indoctrination.

Her entire character just seems to have regressed from DA2. Why bother having her cameo in the game if she's not going to meaningfully contribute/comment on whats happening?

Edit - Thanks to bunnyiscthulhu for reminding me that Isabela's mother sold her into marriage...yet she does nothing when Taash's mother is outright forcing them into a life they don't want. Isabela, who believed that everybody should be free - that no one should be forced into a life they don't want, just...lets it happen to another person?

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Dragon Age: Inquisition

What's going to happen to the Red Lyrium that's popped up across all of Thedas?

Ferelden, Orlais, Kirkwall - all areas are reported to have red lyrium on the surface.

What happens to the Red Lyrium in Suledin?

DAI speaks about how they can never stop the spread of red lyrium, only slow it – animals, insects, organisms - whatever life is in the ground is all susceptible to becoming blighted by red lyrium. Suledin Keep in particular was utterly devastated by the Red Templars - what happens to life there?

2. What happened to Corypheous' Inner Circle?

What happened to Samson? How long did he live *if* he’s given the chance to help Cullen? Can something good come from his cooperation?

What happened to Calpernia?

Looking at previous concept art for DATV she was a companion - freeing slaves, gossiping about Samson & Corypheous. Just...what a waste. Any potential insight we could have gotten into Corypheous is gone.

3. The Mage / Templar War:

How does the world vary if you conscripted vs allied with either?

How do the remnants of what faction was not chosen fit into this new world?

How does the world deal with abominations and weird magic shit now? Is an alternative to the Order made if it's wiped out in DAI?

How is Cullen's templar clinic doing? If the templars still exist, how is Divine Victoria changing/adapting the Order to better support mages/templars?

4. Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts:

How do Orlesian politics reflect who was made ruler?

Is Gaspard looking to expand into Ferelden once more? Are the elves being brutalized under his rule like they were by his chevaliers? Does he do away with the grand game like he threatened in DAI?

How does this differ if Briala has collared him? How do his supporters feel that Briala has his balls in a vice?

Do Celene and Briala stay together? Do things improve for the elves and for the culture of Orlais at large?

Do improvements for the elves mean that Solas' arguments to his elven agents are less persuasive?

If Florianne is alive what the hell is going to happen to her? How quickly does she fall on her blade after being forced to wear flat shoes for the rest of her life?

How quickly does shit fall apart if you get all three to cooperate lmao

Friendly reminder that DATV sets up that all of Orlais, except for the Winter Palace has been overrun by the Blight - and that a coup from the Venatori is inevitable, likely resulting in any ruler dying.

5. What is the line of succession in Orlais?!

Why does every noble family in Thedas have no contingency plans for if their head of government dies?!

Part of why we needed to resolve the leadership problem in DAI was because there was no clear, direct heir if Celene died!

Celene has no heir Gaspard has no heir

Florianne planned to frame Gaspard, murdering Celene herself, leaving no clear heir to the throne - Orlais was already in a civil war, the council of heralds/nobles would have all campaigned in their own interests...that was why this was so important!

Orlais shortsightedness and pride in their nation being the greatest in Thedas led to them almost falling in a single night!

6. Here Lies the Abyss:

What are the ramifications of having the Warden's exiled verses remaining in the south?

Trespasser literally states that there's a schism in the Order because some Warden's believe they should touch grass more often and not listen to some bloke up in Weisshaupt for what they do down in the south.

Perfect opportunity to have the wardens remaining in the south mean something! Greater numbers in the south means that there's a greater chance of holding against the blight - while greater numbers in the north can effect if Antiva/Tevinter end up blighted in the first attack!

How does public perception towards the Wardens/King of Ferelden change when they learn they were exiled for committing human sacrifice to demons?!

Give us a warden coup and First Warden Alistair / Blackwall, you cowards!

7. The Well of Sorrows:

What was the point of drinking Mythal's bathwater?!

It's been set up as something that changes you. Bound to Mythal forever?!

Retroactively, Solas feels like he's going mental about nothing! One of the few times he ever breaks - he begs you not to - and...for what? Nothing.

DATV does not acknowledge that in the slightest. Such a waste and disappointment of what was made out to be an impactful decision in DAI.

Imagine if the Inquisitor drinking from the well made us forced to fight against them during the fight with Solas - imagine if Solas, in a world state who hated the Inquisitor, used them as a puppet! Just like the envy demon in DAI - and no one notices until its too late. Imagine Mythal herself, wanting Solas to go through with his plan - (or one of the other evanuris) using an Inquisitor/Lavellan he loved as a puppet - imagine the horror he feels as another one of his friends is reduced to nothing more than a mindless slave of the evanuris once more. Imagine the devastation as he watches Lavellan lose all sense of self - perhaps swaying him to, maybe, not go through with his plan?! Imagine having Cole come back to help save the Inquisitor - or Solas begging Rook to save them.

8. DLC Implications:

What happens if Hakkon is not slain? What happens to Southern Ferelden and the Avaar?

How does the rest of Thedas react to the truth of what happened at Red Crossing and the Dales? How do they react to learning that Inquisitor Ameridan - First Inquisitor and leader of the Seekers - was a dalish, elven mage?

What happens if you do not save the mines in the Descent DLC? How badly is Orzammars economy crippled? There are already rumours of riots occurring within Orzammar - it this enough to push the caste system over the edge?

9. Elven Uprising and the War with the Qun:

The elven uprising that was implied to be occuring all over Thedas as a result of years of oppression, systematic abuse, and Solas’ influence? What happened to it?

Where are the agents of fen'harel?!

It was set up that Solas was planning to use this rebellion as a smokescreen for his plans - the elves, all rebelling for good reason, rallying to his cause while Solas planned to restore the world that once was. The rest of Thedas would only see an elven uprising, not knowing the true face behind it until it was too late!

The war between Tevinter and the Qun?!

Everyone conveniently forgetting that the Qun literally attempted to assassinate every noble family in Thedas? Why was there no exalted march because of this? This should have destroyed any accord between the chantry and the qun. There would absolutely be blood for this – Tevinter could have attacked the Qun and all of Southern Thedas would have applauded - no one would have differentiated between extremist qunari and the normal qun, especially not after Kirkwall.

The implication at the end of Trespasser that we could convince Solas to abandon his plans? Him saying that he welcomed giving us the chance?!

The difference that the Inquisitors friendship, love, or hatred could have in either convincing Solas to take another path or damning him to go ahaead with his plan, no matter the cost?

Have our decisions in previous games matter! How we treated the elves - if we worked to better their lives or 'put them in their place' - can be used to convince him that the world can change! Have the ripple effects of these decisions be seen when the elven gods return, blighted - does the world turn against the elves, hardening Solas, or does the world defend the elves from those who would blame them?

Why was Sandal in the Crossroads?! Where is Bodahn?!

10. Divine Victoria!

How does the world of Thedas change with Leliana, Cassandra, or Vivienne at the head of the chantry?

How does Tevinter react to having a mage divine?!

Do relations change between both nations because of this?

Leliana allowing elves, dwarves, and even qunari to join the Chantry! Leliana also allowing members of the chantry to get married if she's romanced by the warden.

What happened to the Seekers? Are they being rebuilt?

Does the chantry inform the masses, the rest of the mages, that they can CURE tranquility?!

If either Leliana or Cassandra was romanced - what are the implications that may have on the chantry?

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No wonder the writers insisted that none of the past choices would have an impact on Veilguard - they literally went scorched earth on everything we ever did.

Ferelden is blighted - any legacy of the warden is gone.

Kirkwall is destroyed - any impact Hawke had is gone.

The hard won peace/order of the Inquisition was rendered meaningless since every single place that you went to and helped is now destroyed by the blight.

Orlais' ruler will likely be assassinated by the venatori who are plotting a coup with the nobles - making whomever you chose obsolete.

AND IT WAS ALL THE WORK OF THE MAGICAL ILLUMINATI FROM ACROSS THE SEA???

[lizzybeeee]

Manfred dancing on the bones of Southern Thedas

who said anything about spooky, scary skeletons in the Necropolis?

[mercysought]

What is the idea of justice to Asharen going into her time as inquisitor? How is it changed by the choices that she’s had to make? Is there one choice that she feels under-qualified to make or especially regrets? How does she lean on her inner circle?

unprompted asks my beloved . @extravagantliar

I had to rewatch all of the judgements, and there is something that I think I need to clarify immediately upon the start which touches upon how Asharen is slightly canon divergent from the jump given her background:

Asharen Lavellan is not the first of Clan Lavellan. That was her eldest brother who died at the conclave. She is now the last mage child of the four children. She is also the youngest. Her Father is the keeper. She was not sent as a spy. She was never trained as a leader. She was trained, barely, as a merchant when they first started going to Antiva City to sell their wares. When she becomes Inquisitior, she has been the main face / merchant for the Clan Lavellan for ten-ish years. This will be important and will inform why leadership, as a whole, was not something that Asharen was used to before becoming Inquisitor.

The following is what Josephine tells you immediately when the Judgement mechanic is introduced:

You are a beacon of law, Inquisitor, as others retreat from responsibility. But this needn't be bloody. The Inquisition's soverignty is derived from the allies who validate it. You are both empowered and bound. Justice has many tools. If their application is clever, execution may even seem merciful by comparison.

Now, putting aside that hearing Josephine say that last line given what we know about her is chilling and made my head spin. Asharen is only convinced to do it at this point because of her very, very little leadership skills at this point and she trusts Josephine and her judgement. Asharen is growing to find her space within the Inquisition but she is, at this point, realising that what she is truly interested in is studying the breach, studying the anchor and finding a way of making it so that she is not the only person who can close them. Asharen enjoys the people of the Inquisition but she does not want to be a holy figure, she doesn't want to be a figure of authority that has this sort of power.

Also, to add. I find it would be bulshit that the "Inquisition's sovereignty" is a thing, given what we know about Anora, what we know about Celene (and objectively Gaspard). The only nation I see might be ok with that is Tevinter? And that's only because they don't want to deal with the embarrassment. Especially what comes with the Exalted Conclave later, let's just say that for now these nations are just willing to push this responsibility to the Inquisitor and be done with it (which I really don't think they would, but ok)

Let's start off with the most obvious answer I can offer: The same way she feels awfully under-qualified to be the Inquisitor, she too feels awfully under-qualified (like at all) to make any and all of these judgement decisions.

She is convinced to sit in judgement because she doesn't really feel comfortable still to say no. This will come later, put a pin in it. The dalish don't deal with crime often within their ranks, and they don't hold judgements this way. And when they do, at least in my Clan Lavellan, the Keeper has the last word and he often confers with other elders. It is not up to a single person unless the situation is dire (which, I guess, all matters related to the Inquisition are)

Given this, for the judgements the order of things are important. The first Judgement the Inquisitor gets is Gereon Alexius and it's a good example on how she would operate when in judgement. And Josephine says herself upon introduction:

Tevinter has disowned and stripped him from his rank. You may judge the former magister as you see fit.

So... He's already been judged by Tevinter. And is now being brought to her? Yes, his crimes were awful, and the decision to release him to the Inquisition instead of taking him to a Tevinter prison seems odd to Asharen but why should she be the one to give one final judgement on top?

This is where we go into another answer to one of your questions: she doesn't really reach the decision alone because... that's not how the Keeper in her clan does it, and it's not how she wants to do it. She has her own feelings and ideas but to not hear Dorian's thoughts would be foolish. She knows next to nothing about Tevinter. She would confers with the inner circle as a whole, but paying probably peculiar attention to Varric (who is a Viscount, yours at least is, I don't know if it's canon and so has leadership experience) and Solas (who has...... cough memories of the fade of rulers). Cole is also an important aspect to this.

In the end, his crimes while directed towards other mages (and him being a Tevinter citizen) has also been towards the people of Ferelden specifically. So she would in the end likely ask Josephine to reach out to the Ferelden crown and see how they might make use of him to pay for his crimes. Asking that they be merciful in their choice if they can find it in them. I would assume that Anora would likely put him to work in rebuilding Redcliffe (with quite a few guards and with some Inquisition forces to make sure he does not kill anyone and escape).

The one that is most pressing and changes most things, however is when Florianne's box arrives for judgement after she saves Celene in Halamshiral. Josephine says:

First, this wasn't my idea. It is an issue born of titles and heir apparency and... (Sighs.) Halamshiral is having difficulty freeing trade routes formerly controlled by Duchess Florianne. Had she been tried, her assets would be forfeit and considerable bureaucracy avoided. So they ask that we judge her.

This is the straw that breaks the camel's back for Asharen. Regardless of what Josephine said, the Inquisitor ends up being so deeply disappointed that she would be called to sit and to look down at a box, that Josephine wouldn't have had the sense to pull her aside and warn her first or to ask what they should do that she is just stunned into silence. Some words are exchanged and the scene finishes with Asharen asking for a letter to be sent to Orlais and that they collect Florianne's body and that they give it some respect and at least bury it or whatever they do - probably burn it. It makes her sick that she, someone that killed Florianne, has more respect towards the dead woman than those of her living relatives despite everything.

She is disappointed with Josephine for having allowed it to get to that point. Especially since Orlais even has a particular situation where this has happened before (according to one of the options, idk man Orlais is strange). Disappointed in herself for allowing herself to be dragged into this deeply uncomfortable situation

The whole situation leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. From then on she is not only resistant in sitting in judgement but starts blatantly refusing to do so. "I should not sit in judgement, these people should be either judged by their victims' nations or by their own" or, eventually, "I don't want to, and I have more pressing matters to attend." (and you can't make me) end up being the reasons why she actually does not sit in judgement again. The only times she will do so is if the "crimes" are solely related to the Inquisition, like.... you know, Storvacker who is throwing goats at the walls, please stop and clean the mess right the fuck now.

This being said, she doesn't release the people that end up in judgement. She keeps them in the dungeons until everything is over, she doesn't want very powerful enemies of hers running around if their nations will do nothing about them. Once Corypheus is defeated, she arranges with Josephine that the prisoners should be judged and where (and not by her)

[frankensteined]

i love how i went through years of feeling like i was kinda over bioware's need to shoehorn alistair into every game only to immediately get emotional when i encountered him in this playthrough, my only one where he was still a grey warden😭 that's my buddy!!!! i can't believe boring king alistair cameo was all i had to sustain me for all these years!!!

[thedragonagelesbian]

one of the things that's always bugged me about this quest is that it railroads inky's response to the gift real hard: (a) you assume the gift is a serious escalation of the relationship; (b) you want to give her something in return; and (c) you have no idea what that should be

but for yiseeril, there's something very tense & vulnerable about realizing that this could be her first real relationship ever-- and all the suaveness and charm and wit melt away as it occurs to her that she has no idea what she's doing or how to love and not wanting to screw this up

and it turns out she didn't :)

[other-cullen-ficrecs]

👏👏👏

If you sided with mages they're no longer random groups, they had to unify to get the knowledge around somehow. They fought for freedom they wont just give it away.

If you sided with Templars you have them at your side. Already well trained soldiers.

If your Devine truly subdued the Chantry, she has Orlais on a leash as well. No way they refuse to work with Ferelden against the Blight.

If your Devine organized the circles, you have mages perhaps less forceful but more obedient.

Either way you have the remaining loyal templars.

If your Warden is a King/Queen, there's no way they wouldn't be getting Ferelden ready. They saved the world from the Blight once already.

Not to mention they're a monarch and a gray warden, few people have that level of power to just take whatever they need.

Orzammar is more likely to cooperate if Bhelen is the king and if they already fought the Blight with the Warden.

The South is just not as weak as you're trying to make it look just to get rid of it.

Nice try Bioware, but I know the state of Southern Thedas better than you do.

First off, it matters if the Hero of Ferelden is alive or not. When the First Warden recalled all wardens, our hero knew that was a bad call and refused, finally splitting off from Weisshaupt after years of mismanagement and taking scores of wardens with them. Their presence and leadership makes all the difference, rallying southern Thedas once more against the blight. If you have only an Orlesian Warden Commander in Amaranthine they’re less inspiring, but as long as you’ve done Awakening they are a boon nonetheless. There is someone to lead the fight against the darkspawn while other focus on the Venatori.

If you 100% completed Awakenings and also Soldier’s Peak, the Ferelden wardens have never been so prepared. They’re organized, they’re outfitted and they’ve been ready for this for years. Also, if you allied with the Architect then you have scores of strange research to give you an edge.

If Merrill completed her Eluvian then she moves south once again and joins the effort. She’s managed to cleanse the blight before and she’s ready to try it again. And her knowledge of the crossroads gives the south an edge on their movement and supply lines. If Hawke’s sibling is a Warden they accompanied her.

If the Inquisitor let Briala have power in any way, the Dales become the leaders in the war against the Venatori, forming a formidable alliance with Ferelden, Orzammar and the Marches, the likes of which have never been seen. And if you completed Jaws of Hakkon then their alliances with the Avvar and Chasind are stronger than ever.

Of course, if the Inquisitor kept the Wardens around after Here Lies the Abyss then their numbers are bolstered. It may cost Wiesshaupt later, but that’s Rooks problem. And if you completed the Descent, then the Inquisitor and Warden had a much better idea of what was coming and spent ten years getting ready.

They will not be broken.

They will weather this storm.

[notebooks-and-laptops]

The right of annulment is horrific in and of itself, but it's aftermath is a trauma minefield too. Gregor tells you if the circle is destroyed that they just send word to Orlais and get new senior enchanters in. Can you imagine that? You're a mage and you're suddenly ripped without choice from your home and then brought somewhere where a month ago they killed everyone like you. Does your office smell like blood? Do you miss your old home? Are the templars harsher on you?

[c-billbaby]

Floating in the debris field of a shattered moon the Money Maker looked for all the galaxy like a derelict wreck, perhaps the victim of one of the endless wars that had burned the Inner Sphere to ash over and over for centuries. The hull of the Union class dropship was carbon scored and pockmarked with impact craters, the obvious victim of hard fighting and long exposure to the trials and travails of space travel. In the darkness exposed wires sometimes sparked against each other sending bright flashes of light into the void.

It was these flashes in the night which drew attention to the old war machine. It was easy to assume it had gone decades or more undetected amidst the heavy metal deposits of the scattered remnants of the moon until a shorting wire lit out like an electric lighthouse to the eternal denizen of the Inner Sphere.

Scavengers.

The spotlights of the Volcano lit the darkness white and cast the Money Maker into stark contrasts of chipped paint, shadow, and ruin. The much larger Outpost class dropship was the opposite of the ruined Union. Blazing fresh orange paint covered every surface and the emblem of Clan Hell’s Horses, a stallion’s head with flaming mane, proudly looked down upon the wreckage ahead as with tiny busta of its thrusters it maneuvered through the maze of stone around it.

It was truly a machine of war, bristling with weapons, its bays designed for BattleMechs and Combat Vehicles stripped bare in preparation for the meal of technology it was about to tear from the bloated carcass of the Money Maker. Its spotlights continued to caress the slowly spinning ruin until they came upon a protrusion from the armored shell that stood cancerous upon its surface.

Lashed down with ferro fibrous cable it clung to the surface of the Money Maker black and gleaming like a spider in its web. What at first seemed to be monstrous hollow eyes inbedded in a metal carapace soon revealed themselves to me the muzzles of massive cannons. The Fenris BattleMech powered upb fusion engine thrumming to life as the twin heavy gauss rifles in its chest rose, adjusted, then fired with deadly accuracy.

A pair of quarter ton tungsten slugs slammed into the cargo loading doors of the Volcano at hypersonic speed and tore it completely from the hinges. Technicians, engineers, and crew were ripped into the void, their screams both surprised and silent. From the far, dark side of the Money Maker a half dozen shadows crawled across its skin, then lit in flame and fire as the battle armor’s jump jets sent them racing towards the breach.

Across the radio channels came the cry of the Money Maker’s mistress, Gemma Orlais in her suit of power armor leading the charge. “Let ‘er have it lads! But don't break me new ship!” Then space was alight with energy blasts, missiles, and explosive shells streaking from the supposed wreckage into the pristine clan machine.

[viamutationis]

OH GREY WARDEN, WE'RE REALLY IN IT NOW.

ID in alt text, notes and oc infodump under the cut! PLEASE ask me about them they're my new babygirl of the week

Yeah. Ben-Hassrath Cousland is wild, I know. This was one of those 3 am thoughts that became a beloved oc and now they're my canon protag. Basically: She was being trained to be House Cousland's left hand to spy within the noble courts and intercept threats to her family's rule, and a large part of that meant being covertly sent to Orlais to train as a bard. Buuuut the bardmaster she studied under was an undercover Hissrad, and she wound up being converted to the Qun by her. Teenage Laurentia was in a spot where, like every kid, she was questioning the Andrastian beliefs she was raised with and all the unfair things she noticed in her society, so she was very open to the Qun.

Her role once she was sent back home was basically just to send reports detailing the inner workings of the Ferelden nobility and to be aware of any Tal-Vashoth activity in the area. Pretty benign shit, and the former task is what she was doing for her family anyway. Still recruited by the Wardens the normal way, via Duncan doing his "come with me if you want to live" shtick after the fam dies. None of the Blight Crew find her out save for Leliana, because Leli knows everything. She only reveals it to Sten just as he's about to hop on a ship back home LMAOOO.

They're genuinely very compassionate and sweet. A lil whimsical. Highly loyal and protective. Very lawful good (emphasis on lawful). It's a weird sort of internal reconciling - they are genuinely kind to most people and love listening to others' issues and helping them out. It just so happens that this makes them an excellent spy, because they're exactly the sort of person people feel comfortable opening up to, and they see no issue with passing relevant information on to the powers they spy for. The kindness is genuine, but it's also a tool, if that makes sense. Their duty comes before any attachments. On that Master Coercion grindset.

No romance because they're aro, but they do have a little homoerotic espionage cat and mouse goin on with Leliana (singing campfire songs and trading stories and braiding each others' hair included). They get along with all their companions besides Morrigan and Oghren, and even Morrigan is more just.. cordial passive aggression.

They exist in the same worldstate as my Orlesian Warden-Commander Gavriel! He's a veteran warden who joins them on the road after Lothering because his ass snuck into Ferelden to help the Wardens solo, and then he'll later become the WC while they become Arlessa because they have more political experience and he has more military experience.

They generally make the nicey nice choices, albeit not where magic is concerned, and even then it's purely out of an abundance of caution. They do NOT annul the Circle, they do that secret third option where you tell Greagoir there could still be blood mages so he puts the mages into quarantine and Wynne still joins you but the game counts it as siding with the Templars. They let Isolde kill Connor, rip lil dude. (Not like they have a choice, they would rather that than the blood magic anyway, but they kill Jowan soooooo.) Besides that, all nicey choices. Bhelen on the throne, Anvil destroyed, Zathrian reconciles and everybody lives, Ashes are not tainted, Loghain recruited, Alistair and Anora rule jointly, Gavriel and Morrigan know they'd never agree to the Dark Ritual so they do it behind Laurentia's back and nobody dies lmao.

Small notes on their disabilities: Wynne was the healer that did their cleft lip surgeries as a kid!! Their last surgery was when they were 6, so they do remember her :D & their hearing aids are lyrium-infused lazurite, the runes are all enchantments that combine to make it collect and amplify sound like an actual HA does. I love bullshitting magic technology.

Their mabari is named Princess, because they got her when they were 10, okay.

[songofamazon]

30 for the codex asks!

This took forever and a half, but it was s really fun. Thanks for the ask!

I cannot for the life of me find the original ask post, but #30 was a codex that was a letter Rook wrote and never sent. This has been spinning around in my head since December, but I couldn't figure out how to put it in to typed text. (Transcription below the cut).

Elanna Lavellan is Velmithra Aldwir's older cousin and role model, but she has a huge chip on her shoulder that her cousin is so famous and powerful,and is afraid to ask for help.

So, I didn't. Haha. And this stationery seemed appropriately Veil Jumper themed. She would totally collected pretty paper, notebooks, and stationery. I am sure there are fancy stationery shops in Orlais, Antiva, and Tevinter.

Now I head-canon that Vel has handwriting as awful as mine.

Image Description: A crumpled, tea-stained, and ripped letter lays on a wooden desk with a Veilguard "V" symbol badge over the top left corner. The stationery is decorated with illustrations of gold bobbles, mirrors, devices, and a tea cup. Many words are crossed out and corrected, and the margins are filled with notes-to-self.

9:53 Dragon, 4 Cloudreach

Elanna,

I need could really use your help advice. [too desperate?]

We stopped Solas from ending the world, but now he's stuck in the prison meant for the gods and they're free, Blighted, and evil. (It's Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan by the way, and they have evil, Blighted dragons.)

[Also, your boyfriend is in my head and blames me for everything. How's that for something I should literally never tell her?]

Varric got hurt when he tried to stop Solas, and he's ^ not been himself since. And how I'm supposed to lead everyone to fix my mistake stop the gods.

How do you do it? How do you get everyone to listen? How to you stop beings so ancient and powerful, when it's just you, some random Dalish girl versus evil?

[Be some Andrastean prophet? Have a power literally no one else does?]

~Vel

[Who am I kidding? Elanna had a shemlen holy army. And Fen'harel. Not in her head. Or made at her. She's too busy anyway...]

[mynameisalanwake]

i stopped my most recent playthrough of DATV and restarted the series instead after i got my first letter from the Inquisitor - the only reason i'm able to go back is because i rewrote all of the Inquisitor's letters and wrote my own that reference my world state

i'm a brand new Dragon Age fan and started replaying the whole series after the first time i finished Veilguard - i'm currently on my THIRD world state but i'm struggling to finish the Veilguard playthrough for my second world state

in this world state, i have the HoF and Alistair alive & still Wardens, an Anders with a Hawke in the Fade, and while i disbanded the Inquisition, my Inquisitor is married to Mr. Ferelden Dog Lord himself. how the fuck am i supposed to believe that southern Thedas would just implode and Anders wouldn't be trying to rip through the Veil himself to find Hawke

it was a lot easier to play all the way through in my first full world state - Cousland HoF who romanced Morrigan and had the OGB (this guy doesn't have time to come around on her witchy adventures), Hawke who romanced Isabela (pirate girlfriends who don't want to be involved with this BS anymore), and an Inquisitor who romanced Dorian (i got more than just one single letter which was great!!!). the decisions i made felt appropriate for the world state set up in Veilguard, which is what i tried to do.

now that i've almost completely deviated, i feel like the hundreds of hours i put into my second world state were for nothing. if BioWare made decisions for us, i would rather they tell us than be vague about it - did the Hero of Ferelden die in the Veilguard's world state? who is the ruler of Ferelden? who went into the Fade? who rules Orlais? Veilguard feels empty because southern Thedas has no character. i would be less upset about an established world state in Veilguard than i am about the lack of an established world state. i don't care that there's no importing decisions, as long as someone's making those decisions instead of pretending they weren't important.

in my third world state, my HoF is also the QUEEN of Ferelden - if BioWare wanted to ignore that possibility, they need to grow a spine and establish it in-game. i don't even know if i'll want to do a Veilguard playthrough for this world state!!!

i really enjoyed Veilguard!!! it is a very fun game with very fun combat. the references to past games are genuinely enjoyable, like Rainier's toy griffon and the Joining Chalice, or Isabela's little joke about Kirkwall (in my second world state she DITCHED ME so that joke was even funnier). it's tied for my second favorite DA game with DA:O. BUT if we had been able to make world state choices and they ONLY impacted codex entries/missives from the South, i would've been so much happier. i don't even need extra dialogue about anything. a ten year in-world time gap, while enough time for cultures to change, is not enough time to completely forget how the past impacted those changes.

[fomagranfalloon]

I like Hans Zimmer. I like Lorne Balfe. The new Veilguard theme they released today is plenty epic.

I still wish Trevor Morris was doing the music for Veilguard.

Imagine the Dark Solas/Lost Elf theme reworked for this it-all-falls-apart version of Solas? How everything he touches turns to shit? The Evanuris looms, he is trapped...so many places that theme could go.

I would have liked to hear Morris' take on Tevinter. How different it is in a music language from Orlais and Ferelden.

And if, as I suspect, the Dwarven Titans come into play in Veilguard, let's hear that rip-roaring Descent music updated for waking stone. (Admittedly Morris' Titan theme has a lot of Hans Zimmer bwah horns in it, so maybe we're covered there. 😅)

I do know this is how lots of people felt when Bioware switched from Inon Zur to Trevor Morris. On a personal level, I liked Zur's work on Origins and DA2 but never developed the attachment to it that I did Morris' scores. This is a very self-centered take I have about the scores, I know.

[yes-these-obsessions-are-healthy]

tbh i dont know how you could dislike Solas because even if I didn’t like him, I’d sympathize with the fucked up history he had and the impossible choices he was given. Either allow the elves to be wiped out or neutralize the titans. Either sit by and allow Elgar’nan to become a tyrant or lend your council in the hopes of maybe changing his mind. Either rebel to free the enslaved Elvhen or sit by and permit it. Either banish the Evanuris or allow the war and bloodshed to claim countless more spirits and elves forever.

In Trespasser, Solas intimates that the Veil was purposeful, but in Veilguard it’s said that the Veil was meant to be restricted to the “holding cell” of the Evanuris but it leaked out and spread across the world. The Veil was never meant to be a global phenomenon, which further justifies his desire to take it down in his mind. It was a slip-up caused during the (very grueling, dangerous, difficult, complex) ritual to seal away the Evanuris. If anything the Evanuris are the reason why the Veil is a huge blanket over reality instead of a small concentrated barrier in one pocket of the Fade.

The Fade should come down, I think, but Solas’s way is far too wholesale fatalist. There has to be a way to take it down in a way that causes the least amount of discord and chaos. Instead of ripping it off like a shroud, could it perhaps be “thinned” over time, like how fabric is worn with friction? Gradual leakage over time like climate change, except it’s not going to spell the end of civilization. I don’t know, I’m spitballing. If the change is gradual, then wouldn’t the heat be off the elves, too? So long as you keep the truth a secret. I don’t know. What I do know is that at the very least, all of Thedas needs to install leaders who are sympathetic and progressive about elves. The Divines are huge keystones, as is the king of Fereldan, whomever is in charge of Orlais and Tevinter. That is imperative regardless and again, I feel like there was a huge missed opportunity to use the Agents of Fen’Harel to do some covert politicking during Veilguard to secure those liberties and rights for elves. Davrin’s concern that the elves would be blamed for everything is as pressing as it is because the gamea don’t seem that interested in granting us avenues to secure protections for elves. They’re just the permanently marginalized group. Even in the European and Middle Eastern medieval period, there were kings and such who secured protections for marginalized groups (of course they were lifted, reinstituted in a never ending cycle, but it happened). We are allowed to advocate for elves as HoF and then a tiny bit with Briala as Inquisitor, but despite having all of this supposed political sway we can’t fulfill the fantasy of making lives easier for elves? Lameeeeee

[wendynerdwrites]

Pretty cringe on Bioware's part

Okay, so I do not work for Bioware, don't have connections, and what I'm writing is based only on some background and experience in social media and online marketing. I HAVE NO INSIDER KNOWLEDGE AND CLAIM NONE.

But... It VERY MUCH LOOKS TO ME that this new name change is a plot to try and circumvent SEO on the new Dragon Age release being about how delayed the game is and all the layoffs and the severance lawsuits and shit.

And yeah, maybe this'll seem obvious to some of you, but I kind of just want to word vomit: (and this is a further musing on a TWITTER thread I made earlier. Sorry I just have to get this manic-episode cynicism out)

Why else at the supposed 11th hour would you change the game title to one that is just, so bad for so many reasons?

(It should be obvious that I'm editorializing here, but I like to cover my ass more these days)

So yeah, reasons why I think this name change is so bad and nonsensical it could only be made for desperate reasons:

Okay, so because I like to overthink stupid shit like video game name changes and have become quite Dragon Age fixated over the years, I was going over this bullshit too much.

Like, I tried to explain things to myself because sometimes I want a break from feeling cynical even with shit like this.

So I read this and mulled it over:

"BioWare general manager Gary McKay explains that while Solas is “still very much a part of the story of Dragon Age: The Veilguard,” the team wanted a title that reflected a “really deep and compelling group of companions.” --- Kat Bailey for Gameinfomer.com

Okay, fine, well, the last game is called "Dragon Age: Inquisition" and not "Dragon Age: Corypheus" or "Dragon Age: Elder One." And you know, stuff like "Leliana's Song" focuses on, you know, Leliana."

But you what, me? That doesn't hold up.

For one thing, Leliana's Song is a DLC. No one is going to mistake a main series Dragon Age release as being not about an ensemble cast of characters and just being about Solas because of a naming convention in the DLC. Especially given how common that can be in RPG's anyway.

First thing you often learn about Dragon Age as a series is that it's story focused RPG with strong cast of supporting characters and a lot of lore. Granted, that may not be the case for EVERYONE depending on when they or how they got acquainted for the series; but that's how it's commonly characterized.

In one game, Solas was given far more significance plot and character wise than Corypheus had in two.

Corypheus has good points. He's got a backstory that is couched comfortably by the lore and significant to the story. He's got motivation - he's pissed about there not being Gods and Tevinter falling, so he's trying to become a God now to restore the world he wants. He's got one of the most FUCKING BALLER VILLAIN REVEALS:

He also works very well thematically. He's a good symbol of corruption and the results of hubris and tyranny when Thedas is being torn apart by it's various authorities and their abuses of power. Civil War in Orlais. Templars have broken from the Chantry, the mages from the Templars, and they're all at war. From the first game we know that this is what is left of the peace and safety won by your Warden and their people. And we know a few reasons why. In Dragon Age II, we know how that happened and SO MANY MORE reasons why. THERE'S CORRUPTION IN THE WARDENS AND WTF IS EVEN HAPPENING IN WEISSHAUPT??? OR THE DEEP ROADS??? We add in an Orlesian Civil War and also, boom! Whoops! THE GUY WHO CAUSED ALL THOSE BLIGHTS WE'VE DIED IN IS BACK AND HE WANTS TO RIP THE SKY APART! OOH LOOK HE JUST DID!

He's the anthropomorphic personification of all of that.

But, uh, even with fabulous voice acting, Corypheus is not much of a character in his own right. He is more of a device for both plot and theme than, like, a person. As far as more humanizing antagonists, we get that from Samson, Calpernia, and Alexius than Corypheus.

Corypheus wants to restore Tevinter to the Empire he wishes to be God of. He's pissed at there being no Gods. So now he wants to rule over everything (while also destroying it.) "THIS CORRUPT WORLD NEEDS TO BE MADE ANEW BLAH BLAH BLAH I'M AN RPG BIG BAD"

And that's fine with me. Never had a problem with Corypheus turning into Darkspawn Skeletor.

Corypheus is a dick who wants to be God. But he works as a device to save the world from and lead to lore revelations and shit.

I don't know if Corypheus ever had anyone he cared about. I don't know what he like(d?) to eat. He has no goals that don't serve glorifying himself and being a tyrant. I don't know if he hates Thedas as anything other than standing in the way of the Tevinter he can be god-emperor of. I don't know what he really thinks of anything in the world of Thedas other than "inferior, kill it." He doesn't have complex motivations or thoughts on the world we're playing in. We don't know if any of his thoughts or perceptions have changed over the course of the thousands of years he's lived. If there's anything he enjoys. We don't know what kind of personalities he's drawn to. What he actually enjoyed about the world he came from.

We get all of that shit and more from Solas. Even if you don't like him, don't play with him much, he has a distinct personality. And his significance to the lore of the world actually reveals a lot more than Corypheus's. Solas CREATED THE FUCKING VEIL. ALSO THE ELVEN LEGENDS ARE ALL FUCKED UP. FLEMETH IS ACTUALLY HIS ANCIENT DIVINE PLATONIC DOMMY MOMMY FROM BACK IN THE DAY WHEN THEY WERE BOTH LITERAL GODS! DID WE MENTION HE CREATED THE VEIL?! BECAUSE THE DALISH ARE FUCKING WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING! AND TEVINTER DIDN'T DESTROY ARLATHAN! AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO LEARN SOME SHIT ABOUT THE FORGOTTEN ONES! ALSO DID WE MENTION HOW THE VEIL CAME TO BE????

All this through this Elven God of Bad Decisions:

Also, yes, Solas has got major thematic importance but I feel like that's a whole other rant and this is getting too long.

Point is: Solas is, flat out, more significant to the world all of these characters inhabit than Corypy-tits. The literal fabric of their plain of existence is woven by him. The entire way magic has worked and been handled, (something that is extremely significant character-wise for at least a third of this game's cast) is because of him and his history. There was a century between the fourth and fifth Blights. And, you know, the veil he created played a part in their origins.

Even putting aside that legacy characters like Varric, Cullen, and Leliana all have personal history. Solas is why Circles exist/ed. Those Magisters who started the Blight did so by fucking with his creation. He is why elves age and live as a diaspora.

And that's just what we know him to be responsible for. What about those hints about the Forgotten Ones? Exactly how did his rebellion work? What is his plan for the other Evanuris and will it work? [(No.)] What will that reveal about what the others are/were capable of? And what exactly happened between them and the Titans?

Look, I'd go on, but I don't want to go on too much longer like the Solas girlie I totally am. Point is: Solas's backstory alone has had significant ramifications for everyone in Thedas. And the ways he's affected their lives varies between races, generations, magical ability, etc. And that's through creation of the Veil alone.

And we know a shit ton about who Solas is as a person.

You don't need to be a Solas pro, Solas-anti, neutral, or Solas-mancer for this to be true.

So yeah, I would say he's "very much a part of the story." But also, in a way that informs and contributes to the characterization of the ensemble cast.

Inquisition's antagonist was no Fen'Harel. And you're not going to subtract from your ensemble, but rather enhance them (if you care at all about writing them well) by having a focus on him.

Now, I totally think the idea that the final big antagonist will be the Evanuris or someone else lurking behind the veil has merit. But Solas will ultimately be that catalyst.

"Okay, but maybe Bioware doesn't see it that way. Maybe they saw some social media complaints about too much Solas focus and did a hasty rebrand."

Well, for one, that complaint has been around for years now. And it's valid. The problem isn't a lot of Solas, it's that we got so little else. The promotion is bad, not the character or their role in the story. But if that's really it, why now? Why are they only changing the name now?

Now, okay, but Inquisition was still called Inquisition.... This game is about the Veil Guard. It's called Veil Guard.

Cool, but once again, then why hold onto Dreadwolf for so long? Why focus so much on Solas? Why haven't we gotten any glimpses of companions?

And, um, if this is really what you want, shouldn't the title be... better?

Inquisition is a good, solid, and communicative title. While the Inquisition of Thedas is not exactly the Spanish One, there is enough association there to give a general idea. Origins had a group of dumbass misfit fugitives drawn together to save the world. II was similar except they were mercs who get drawn into shit against their will and unwittingly. Inquisition: okay, so this time they'll probably be more of an official, religious-quasi military organization. It'll probably be controversial.

You can be a complete noob to Dragon Age and figure that out.

Veil Guard sounds like something last minute they got from Game of Thrones at the last minute. Okay, the Kingsguard are cool. They guard the king. We're stopping the veil from being torn down, so Veil Guard.

Here's the thing: none of the main ASOIAF series is called The Kingsguard, and you don't need to know anything about A Song of Ice and Fire to get it. Everyone knows what the fuck a king is and why he should be guarded. So even if there is a book called "The King's Guard" we'll get it. It's a book about fuckers guarding a king.

This game is about fuckers guarding... a veil....? The veil?

If you're up on your Dragon Age lore and are really into it, yes, you know what that means. If you're a noob or a casual who hasn't given much thought to Dragon Age in, say, a decade, uhh...:

Noobs: "The game is about fuckers guarding... a veil...? The veil???? Is it some sort of artifact, like it has Jesus's face on it? Or if they mean veil between worlds like some Lovecraft shit, is the new Dragon Age a horror game? Are people trying to travel to different worlds and we're trying to stop them? "

Casuals: "Or wait, is this about that dream world thing? That demon place that spits out demons? Didn't we just get done fixing that in the last game??? Wow, real original. Bioware Magic! "

It also just sounds uncool. Inquisition is an imposing title. Dreadwolf is an imposing title. The Veil Guard sounds like a sartorial maintenance product.

You want people to focus on your ensemble cast? SHOW IT! Because as long as all the promo keeps giving us new Solas anyways, it's just weak sauce.

Nah, this has panic move all over it.

Now, I'm trying to spin this optimistically in that I think this means we may actually get the game within this decade. Because I refuse to believe a) "Veil Guard" is the best they got out of a proper round of workshopping and b) That if this was truly about trying to avoid focussing on Solas too much, they'd announce this without a bunch of promo for the rest of the cast to accompanying it.

Bioware: "We wanted people to know the story is just all about solas, but more about our ensemble cast! We wanted this enough to change the name this late in the game!"

Everyone: "ALRIGHT! SHOW US THIS ENSEMBLE!!!"

Bioware:

Nah bitch, that's not what this is about. Bioware needs this to be a hit, and they need a hit soon. But they don't want their long-awaited blockbuster release to be mired in bad press. They don't want the general audience googling their new massive title only to find articles and reddit threads about layoffs, labor disputes, Mary Kirby's departure, the massive delays, the contract non-renewals happening in the midst of severance lawsuits.

BioWare wants to get their title out finally and they want to bury all the bad shit that's been plaguing this project. All the stories about the labor disputes, layoffs, firings, and lawsuits have mentioned the "Dreadwolf" team.

And quite frankly, it's just shitty. It looks bad. It's desperate.

[saintlethanavir]

Wolves Without Teeth Chapter 8

Rating: M General Warnings: Depictions of Violence, Eventual NSFW content, Depictions and Descriptions of Mental Illness Chapter Warnings: Panic Attacks/PTSD flashbacks, Dissociation, Hallucinations/Delusions, and descriptions of light to moderate gore.

Chapter Summary: The ragtag team of Solas, Cassandra, Varric, Cullen, and Calliope find themselves in a challenging position dealing with the Herald's magic that's spiralling out of control -- all the while something odd is happening in the city of Val Royeaux. Haunted by the meeting with Dorian Pavus the previous night, Calliope is on edge, only to find that something incredibly sinister is brewing just as they attempt to leave for Madame de Fer's soiree.

When the world fades away and the silence finally creeps in, there is no rest for the so called ‘Herald’. Usually there isn’t – nightmares are a regular occurrence, Calliope’s father says they are wounds attempting to scar over and heal. ‘ When one witnesses traumatic things they blossom into a concept the mind can deal with while we sleep’ , he mused one evening – or very early morning – when Calliope could not and would not sleep.  ‘Do you not wish to heal, da’len?’ A sharp pain seizes their lungs and sends them into a coughing fit while their fathers words echo against their skull. Eyes snapping open, however, they realise with a start that they are not in a bed safely within the confines of Val Royeaux. There’s a sinister chill to the air that makes it hard to breathe and snow clings in large clumps to their bedclothes – only a light linen tunic for the late summer weather of Orlais. Certainly not meant for the dead of winter, much less a howling blizzard. The gale buffets shards of ice into Calliope’s face, cutting up their cheeks and stinging their eyes as they attempt to stand. At least this isn’t real, it couldn’t be unless a rift opened and swallowed them whole - right? In the whirling storm a spot appears, growing darker and darker – a spreading stain in a sea of white. All Calliope can do is stand there on trembling legs, hoping and wishing for this nightmare to end. Anything but this corrupted memory. They know what’s coming, the clatter of steel and the shouting of a templar over the storm – a splatter of blood steaming in the tall drifts of snow.  ‘Child! Are you alright?!’ If only it could have been stopped, if only they had listened to their mother and not strayed too far for that one halla. There would always be another come spring, but it had been the runt, and they had grown attached. Too bad they never did find that halla, no doubt buried within a snowbank somewhere. Agony slices up through the soles of Calliope’s feet into their calves, making one of their knees give way and they fall ungracefully to the ground. Their strength has gone entirely, ripped away with the wind – and it is terrifying. With every crunch of the templar boots hitting the frozen ground and the screech of his armour, Calliope’s heart quickens to a maddening pace. The telltale buzz of magic builds beneath their flesh and rattles their marrow, threatening to implode and take both of them with it. They know if the templar survives that he will whisk them away to a tower where they will rot in a damp, musty dungeon – never to be seen or heard from again. Just like that night.

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[miladydewintcr]

Ooh so excited to see you playing the Protagonist Swap Game, and I especially love a Dual Protagonist Situation, soooo what are Evie and Eleri up to in Inquisition for any selection of 1, 4, 5, and 6? (Also is one of them the Herald and the other the Inquisitor?) <3

Thank you so much for making this game!! It's so much fun omg

I answered um all 4 of them, for both girls, so I'm gonna put everything under a read-more because it got a little long rip

So usually, Eleri is the HoF. I've played around with Evangelina as the HoF on her own, but I think my favourite verse for her at least atm is that she's just a noble for most of DAO, who married Thomas Howe before the game started. She maybe? pops up in Denerim around the Landsmeet? And provides some Helpful Info for Eleri to use when she takes down Arl Howe (or maybe goes with her as an Extra Companion??) And then she's probably recruited to the Wardens during Awakening sometime since they're setting up base in her house.

Protagonist swap game !!

Backstory - Does your character fit into one of the potential backstories for the game they are now in? If not, how do they end up in the situation? Do they bring any key characters with them?

Evangelina's backstory fits in pretty well I think? The Couslands are pretty close to the Mac Tirs in my heart since they're the only two Teyrnirs left in Ferelden, so I can see Queen Anora sending her along to the Conclave as her representative. I was going to say I'd probably have her be unmarried in this AU, but then I realised I can have Thomas go with her and then Oop he dies at the Conclave. For extra drama >:)

For Eleri, I can't think of a reason for her to be around at the start of the game, BUT. I think she'd be all about the Red Jennies. And since Sera is from Denerim, too, I think it'd be fun to say they knew eachother already. Maybe Sera mentions her after she joins the Inquisition, and suggests they go pick her up too?

Of course, this means Evangelina is the only one there to get the mark and become the Herald. I do think, though, that once they pick Eleri up, she'd slide into the actual role of Inquisitor, even if not necessarily publicly. Eleri actually has the strategic sort of mind that works well in a position of power. Evangelina does not lmao. But to a lot of their allies and sponsors, Evangelina is going to look a lot better for the Inquisition than a city elf from Denerim.

Romance - Do you think they would find love among their new companions? If not, why not?

For Eleri, I kind of love the idea of a friends-to-lovers situation with Sera for her? It's like !!! The world is ending!!! I'm so grateful that I'm here with you, my best friend!!!! It could very easily slip into romance territory with a little nudge, I think.

Evangelina would be all over Cullen, and I think also Krem once they recruit the Chargers. I can only really see Krem being into it, however, and I don't think it would last post-game. Evangelina needs pushback in her romantic relationships, and she flirts by being as annoying as possible to get a reaction. She wants that reciprocated. I can't see Cullen putting up with it for very long tbh (I actually think he'd be convinced that she hates him), but Krem?? I can see being a bit taken aback at first (purely because she's?? the Herald of Andraste???) but once he cottons on he's like Okay. I can work with that. They'd be good for each-other I think tbh, and post-game it's a relationship they'll look back on fondly.

Choice - What in-game decision would have the most impact on your character? What would be the most dramatic change they would bring to the worldstate?

High-key Eleri is making all the major decisions. She's just steering Evangelina in the direction she wants her to go. That said, Evangelina is extremely thrilled that "she" got to choose the next Divine, and brags about it endlessly, to everyone, for the rest of her life.

For Eleri, there are 2 choices that stand out. The ruler of Orlais, ofc. I can see that whole questline really hitting home for her as a city elf, and being able to ensure Briala has the power to stand up for their people in Orlais going forwards would mean a great deal to her, I think.

I can also really see the Well of Sorrows being a big deal to her. Eleri grew up on stories about the Dalish. Despite being very real people, in her mind at the start of her journey, whatever game she's in, they feel almost like a fairy tale. In Origins, she names her dog Revas, mostly because of that. In being recruited, she was given a "freedom" in a sense. She names her dog accordingly, because in her mind, there is no-one more free than the Dalish.

So the Well of Sorrows would hit her hard, I think. And Morrigan, bless her heart, might have been raised by literal Mythal herself, but all Eleri is gonna see in that moment is another human trying to take a piece of their history (which breaks my HEART because Origins!Eleri would consider Morrigan her best friend)

Endings - Where do you think your character would end up at the end of their reassigned adventures?

Evangelina is 100% using her newfound influence to secure a good marriage for herself. My girl is not interested in marrying for love, she just wants a castle. Bye Krem! #sorrynotsorry (She will absolutely miss Krem later and regret this choice, despite what she will say if asked)

Eleri, I can see sticking around. She'd be on the Hunt Down Solas taskforce for sure. She isn't someone that likes to stop. If things need to be done, it might as well be her doing them. At least then she can make sure it's done right. I like the thought of her and Sera travelling with Harding and Varric for a spell and then splitting off before Veilguard starts.