#true facts with Dirthamen

[dirthara-an]

"You know... the fancy, curled tails on actias dubernardi serve no aerodynamic purpose. If anything, they even hinder the moth in its flight. Some theories suggest, however, that they do still serve a survival purpose. They are useful to deflect the echo-location of bats, their natural predators. So, these mesmerizing beautiful accessories essentially serve to distract those, who want them harm."

The old god carefully adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves.

"It is well and good to keep a low profile, d'alen. But in some instances, being flashy is more effective to avoid being truly seen."

[zaahvi]

dirthamen and ghilan'nain's intertwined history — a theory

the relationship between dirthamen and ghilan'nain within the lore has always been unclear but incredibly fascinating to me, and after these past few months of being haunted by it i think i've finally figured it out!

in this *very* long post i'll be breaking down their connections and piecing together theories to make sense of their dynamic and history, investigating the more puzzling elements of dirthamen's lore, and exploring how this all ties into the evanuris' eventual betrayal of mythal. i've kept this theory free of veilguard spoilers so everyone is able to read it!

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the connections

the reason why dirthamen and ghilan'nain's dynamic is often overlooked is because most of the ties they have to each other can be easily missed or are sometimes misinterpreted. there is only ONE codex entry that explicitly mentions them together, and while that is already widely discussed, there are many smaller connections between them. so here is everything i've found!

the bear mural:

this mural in dai shows a white antlered figure embracing a green bear. to me, it looks like the bear is being protective of the figure (judging by the fact that they are reaching up to it). the art style looks elven and it's used in a few locations, such as the skyhold barn...

...aaand at calenhad's foothold in the hinterlands:

and well well well, that's dirthamen's statue seated just above it...

so this mural seems to depict dirthamen as the bear and ghilan'nain as the antlered figure, specifically how the dalish may depict them in their legends:

dirthamen's sacred animal was the bear (x), (source is a dalish elf, this info is not found anywhere in elvhen lore)

ghilan'nain had "snowy white hair" and became the first halla (x), (source is a dalish elf, this info is not found anywhere in elvhen lore)

it should be said, the amount of actual elvhen lore we have is very limited, so these could in fact be true and not just misinterpreted by the dalish. though they've been twisted, dalish legends came from somewhere, and especially in ghil's example it makes complete sense to portray her as a woman with antlers and white hair when her sacred animal has antlers and white fur. and while dirthamen is mentioned only with corvids in ancient elvhen lore, they are mentioned as seperate entities than him, so the bear could in fact be the representation of himself. in any case, i'm proceeding with the assumption that this mural is indeed supposed to portray them.

so, as the figure is reaching out to the bear herself, i'm ruling out any possibility of the bear being hostile towards her. it looks like the bear is protecting her, from what? or who? above them is the moon, perhaps it's an indication that mythal is watching, and/or that the bear is protecting or hiding the antlered lady away from her?

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mosaics in the lost temple of dirthamen:

the design of dirthamen's temple is really fascinating. there's elven imagery scattered all throughout, but mosaics of himself are completely missing. there are, however, mosaics of two other elven gods...

there are five green mosaics of falon'din... and two red ones of ghilan'nain. next to one of ghil's there is also this:

falon'din being there makes sense given that he and dirthamen were "twin souls", which we're not entirely sure what that meant, but either way they had some sort of deep bond. ghilan'nain, however... and this specific mural... less so. this art in particular really reminds me of this description of the bas-reliefs from the horror of hormak:

"The halla were different, wrong. They had too many horns, for one, and a harder, more rounded look than normal. A look that was almost insectile. And the horns themselves were longer and ridged. Organic, somehow."

so, why would dirthamen have put her mosaics in his temple? clearly they had some sort of connection, close enough that he decided to honour her within his own place of worship. you don't just put some other god in your temple for no reason, you know?

on why dirthamen's mosaics are missing:

my best guess is that they were defaced/taken down afterwards, either by his own priests or by invaders. the codex entry for the lost temple mentions madness caused by the secrets they held...

"We will not have it, will not have it! The secrets are madness in our ears, but they are ours The Highest One cannot take them from us. Only Dirthamen, our Keeper, only he And if he does not take the secrets They are ours forever."

...and unless dismembering your high priest was a holy tradition to dirthamen then yeah, it doesn't seem like they were entirely sane. for whatever reason, in their madness, they could have torn down the mosaics.

though invaders seem more likely here, simply because they would have just... done a better job defacing mosaics if they truly wanted to. and to remove only dirthamen's mosaics, and not falon'din's or ghilan'nain's.

"They will come for us in the night Those who could steal the words from our lips And our god no longer rises to our defense."

this part of the codex implies that there were attacks on the temple by those who would steal the priests' secrets, and that dirthamen would defend them against these invaders. when he was locked away, he couldn't defend them anymore, and so these attackers could have easily gotten in. interesting... breaking in and removing his mosaics but not falon'din or ghilan'nain's would indicate a hostility towards dirthamen himself, but not the other gods...

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the sinner:

by now we've all seen this widely discussed codex entry:

"His crime is high treason. He took on a form reserved for the gods and their chosen, and dared to fly in the shape of the divine. The sinner belongs to Dirthamen; he claims he took wings at the urging of Ghilan'nain, and begs protection from Mythal. She does not show him favor, and will let Elgar'nan judge him." For one moment there is an image of a shifting, shadowy mass with blazing eyes, whose form may be one or many. Then it fades.

so apparently "taking the shape of the divine" was a crime bad enough that it counts as high treason and mythal referred judgment to elgar'nan for it, which is REAL bad. this sinner claims ghilan'nain urged him to do it, but why? one would assume the sinner didn't survive elgar'nan's judgment, and if you really wanted someone dead there would be easier ways to kill them... so to me this reads as an attempt to sow discord, either between dirthamen's worshippers or to paint them as troublesome and dirthamen himself as irresponsible in the eyes of the other evanuris? at least that's my takeaway here.

———

the next few are going to be smaller hints that basically rely on subtler location design and stuff like that. i could just be picking at nothing but it's worth mentioning either way!

ghilan'nain's grove and the crow fens:

there are two inaccesible areas in the exalted plains for which you need to complete war table missions to access: ghilan'nain's grove, and citadelle du corbeau. ghil's grove specifically leads you to two other areas: the dead hand, and the crow fens.

the crow fens are interesting because of dirthamen's connection to crows and/or ravens, as written in his dalish legend and by two of the runes from his quest:

"The revealed symbols show what appears to be Dirthamen, the elven god of secrets, on the back of a large crow."

"The revealed symbols show two ravens. One grips a heart in its talons, the other a mirror."

seems like the ravens are fear (heart) and deceit (mirror) while the crow is... idk, just some Big Bird he has. i guess.

so a location named after one of dirthamen's favourite animals right next to ghilan'nain's grove — and let's also go back to that other unlockable area, citadelle du corbeau:

there he is again! the structure is elven, maybe the citadelle was once a place of worship dedicated to him? it's interesting that it's in such close proximity to ghilan'nain's grove, and what's also interesting is the massive statue of fen'harel watching over the entire area:

finally, the description of the quest Rifts in the Fens, which covers the fade rifts in the general ghilan'nain's grove area, says this...

"Active Fade rifts has been spotted in Montevelan Village, Dirthamen's Grove, and the Crow Fens."

seems like it was mistakenly left in, but it definitely implies that ghilan'nain's grove was originally named dirthamen's grove. alright...

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elven pantheon codex entry placements:

also a smaller one that may mean nothing, but anyway. each of the elven god codexes are scattered through the exalted plains, with four of them being located in the ghilan'nain's grove/crow fens region. these are:

Dirthamen: Keeper of Secrets & Falon'din: Friend of the Dead, the Guide — both found within the dead hand puzzle area

Andruil: Goddess of the Hunt & Ghilan'nain: Mother of the Halla — both found within the crow fens area, on halla statues standing opposite each other

these two pairings found in the same zone is really interesting, especially that dirthamen's is in an area closer to ghilan'nain's grove and ghil's is in the crow fens. :)

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mosaic placements in the temple of mythal:

most of the elven god codexes in the temple of mythal are scattered about, with the exception of three who are bunched up in the same room together:

elgar'nan, dirthamen, and ghilan'nain.... interesting bunch to put together considering there are no documented interactions between them so far, save for the sinner codex (and ghil & elg now i guess....) in addition, there's also two golden owl (usually representing falon'din) statues flanking dirthamen and a mosaic of fen'harel to the left of elgar'nan, but those don't grant any additional codex entries.

the reason i find these placements interesting is because of the placements of the falon'din and andruil murals in the temple. they're both on either side of the door to the inner sanctum and both of their codex entries mention mythal fighting them. it just seems very deliberate to me, so maybe this is too.

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the varterral:

i've seen a few theories about the varterral being one of the creatures that ghilan'nain created - valid, by the way, since it does look like a mix of creatures and something she may create. however...

"...On the fourth day, Dirthamen heard them. He whispered into the mountains and the fallen trees of the forest gathered, shaping an immense and agile spider-like beast. It was the varterral. With lightning speed, vicious strikes, and venomous spit, it drove back the serpent. From then on, it was the guardian of the city and its people." — Codex entry: Varterral

here dirthamen is credited with the creation of the varterral. but it's worth noting that, 1. this is a dalish tale so it may have happened differently, and 2. it's not stated that he created the first varterral or anything, just that he made one. regardless, he made a creature, and an awfully ghil-flavoured one at that.

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theories on dirthamen & ghilan'nain's relationship

so what we know now is that they're placed next to each other a lot, there's a mural of them embracing, ghilan'nain was clearly important enough to dirthamen for him to put her mosiacs in his temple, and she may have turned against him later.

firstly, an idea: in ancient elvhenan, a lot of the population were enslaved to the evanuris, whether directly or indirectly through a noble that served them. we don't know if the nobles, or any of the chosen, also had vallaslin like the slaves did. but consider that ghilan'nain was once a normal elf; she became an evanuris later. so the two possibilities here are: 1. she was one of these nobles or chosen, or 2. she was a slave. either way the question remains: which god does someone who makes monsters serve?

the most likely suspects:

andruil: in dalish lore ghil is often mentioned as andruil's favourite, her beloved, a huntress who served her, etc. in the elvhen story of her ascension, it is andruil who approaches her with the offer of godhood. it's possible ghil was making monsters for andruil to hunt (she is specifically mentioned in the story as hunting them,) or perhaps andruil simply intervened when the monsters were getting out of hand first, and their relationship came later?

dirthamen: ghil was a scientist... she made monsters yes, but she conducted experiments and collected research (remember the taken shape?) — she gathered knowledge. that seems just like the kind of thing dirthamen would encourage and value: maybe that's why her mosaic is in his temple, and that's what the bear mural means — he was like a patron to her, she reached to him for assistance, and he granted it?

as for the servant/slave question, i personally think she was not a slave, just based on all she was able to do (she had free rein of all those thaigs, seemingly got subjects delivered to her, had that massive gemstone wall — basically, it's clear her experiments were funded) although i do think it would be super badass if she was a slave beforehand, as well as kinda tragic. like... she broke free of her bindings and became a goddess, but eventually turned into those who once oppressed her... sigh anyway

onto some ideas/possibilities:

ghil served andruil, and made monsters for her to hunt. the connection to dirthamen isn't clear.

ghil served dirthamen freely, and he supported her research. after she ascended, she turned on him for unknown reasons. her relationship with andruil began after ascension.

ghil served dirthamen, and he supported her research, but she did technically "belong" to him. after she ascended, she turned on him, perhaps as revenge? her relationship with andruil began after ascension.

ghil wasn't aligned with any god, and could have just been a noble with her own funds. she could have interacted with and formed relationships with multiple gods, as she wasn't bound to a single one.

i personally think number 2 is the most probable here. going from dirthamen -> andruil rather than andruil -> dirthamen makes more sense, considering that the ghilandruil mural from the missing was clearly drawn after ghil's ascension (since she has her headpiece) and also, from what we've seen of ghil so far, she seems very proud of her creations. why would she want them hunted? again, the bargain she made was to destroy her creations in exchange for godhood. it was a sacrifice.

finally, considering her resources it makes more sense for ghil to have been a servant rather than a slave. what remains now is the question: why would she have turned on dirthamen?

a reason for betrayal

between the missing mosaics in his temple, ghil convincing his followers to commit crimes, and the stabbed fade statue, you can probably tell by now that something's different about dirthamen. remember the fen'harel statue looking over the citadel? there are more potential connections to solas if you look close enough:

fen'harel statues in the lost temple:

dirthamen's mosaics in the elven mountain ruins (note: these are the only evanuris mosaics in the entire area, not counting the forgotten sanctuary):

mosaics in the forgotten sanctuary (on each wall: dirthamen - mythal - fen'harel - falon'din - dirthamen)

symbol of the two ravens in the forgotten sanctuary armoury

so what does this all mean? well u/eravas on reddit had a theory that these are hints that dirthamen could have potentially been helping solas and mythal with the rebellion. remember how morrigan said it was weird the temple of mythal had fen'harel statues? and the mountain ruins were a sanctuary, so why keep the mosaics? (there are also a few other hints eravas mentioned that i missed, but these are the most important!)

and remember how i said that attackers on the lost temple of dirthamen could have torn his mosaics down specifically and left the others? and i came to the conclusion that they must have had a grudge against dirthamen specifically. well, there is some other defaced imagery... in the form of these decapitated statues of mythal:

so, why would dirthamen have helped solas? i don't know, but we don't really have explicit answers as to why mythal helped him either. and then, why did solas trap dirthamen along with the others? well, there is one last thing...

the statue in the fade: the final piece of the puzzle

and now, the part that lives in my head rent free!

if kieran exists in your worldstate, then during the quest The Final Piece you will find him and flemeth in the fade, and above their meeting ground there is a massive statue of dirthamen with a blade in his back, with blood pouring out of the wound and his eyes:

alright so to be clear this takes place in the raw fade, not the "dreaming" fade; we know the fade usually reflects the dreamer, but know less about the "raw fade" when we aren't dreaming. it's complicated, but from the random statues and scattered memories we see in the fade during here lies the abyss, it's safe to assume that some of the aspects of the dreaming fade (such as it being ever-shifting and a reflection of the waking world) are also present in the raw fade. therefore, i'm guessing that this statue's presence here is mirroring something that happened in the waking world... so what is it?

i think there are two possibilites:

someone betrayed dirthamen, and this captures the moment of his betrayal

dirthamen betrayed mythal, and this statue is a "reflection" of this

while 1 is more of a direct mirror and is more likely, we don't have that much info about who could have done that to him. yeah, ghil maybe, but she was only stirring the pot and this seems more... severe. 2 is what i believe due to flemeth's deliberate choice to use that specific area as a meeting spot. also, if one of the other evanuris had betrayed dirthamen, well solas said they fought among each other all the time, so that would seem pretty insignificant. on the other hand... mythal was betrayed by what we assume was all of the other seven evanuris. why portray dirthamen specifically?

the betrayal of mythal

so now we have the idea of dirthamen helping solas and mythal, and we have the fact that solas trapped all seven remaining evanuris for their murder of mythal, which includes dirthamen.

that is the missing piece: dirthamen helped murder mythal, despite helping her and solas, and presumably sharing their goals. why? let me go back to something i said about the sinner codex...

this reads as an attempt to sow discord, either between dirthamen's worshippers or to paint them as troublesome and dirthamen himself as irresponsible in the eyes of the other evanuris

consider that ghilan'nain and dirthamen were close, and she was this young elf who had just gotten into the ranks of the gods, probably trying her hardest to fit in. consider that perhaps she stumbled upon her friend's - and now fellow god's - involvement in a rebellion against the gods. but she was the youngest of them. she could not just go to the other evanuris and say, "dirthamen is plotting against us", because she was so new to their group that they would just simply not believe her word over mythal and dirthamen's. so what else could she do to discredit his word? cause discord among his followers, maybe? to paint him as irresponsible, untrustworthy, and suspicious?

and maybe she succeeded. maybe the evanuris found out about the rebellion, and mythal and dirthamen's roles, or perhaps only mythal's? either way, it all ended up with them asking dirthamen to join them in their plot to murder mythal - if his involvement was revealed, perhaps he was threatened or promised to be spared if he helped. either way, the question is: why did he agree? did he change his mind and side with the evanuris? or did he do it for preservation reasons? to save himself, and all he'd acquired? honestly, i cannot imagine a god who gathers secrets and knowledge agreeing to throw away his life like that.

so there you have it. i think dirthamen betrayed mythal, and solas, with a much deeper cut than any of the other evanuris could have possibly delivered. and for that he was trapped alongside them, paying the price for his treachery.

the full narrative, summarised

to break down all my theorycrafting and brainstorming in a short summary:

dirthamen was ghilan'nain's patron, until she ascended to godhood and discovered his involvement in solas and mythal's rebellion. unable to simply tell the other gods, ghilan'nain began to sow discord in attempt to discredit dirthamen's word. when the evanuris eventually turned against mythal, dirthamen went along with them in order to preserve himself, and ultimately paid the price by being trapped in the fade alongside the others. the end!

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final note: companion parallels

i first touched on this briefly here but i have a small theory that part of bellara and davrin's characters will be to sort of act as parallels to the gods whose vallaslin they have. what i found curious about veilguard's early marketing was the focus on companions and how important they will be, and i specifically noted the multiple times the writers said that the companions were all deeply thought through and are significant to the plot. it's clear the companions were thoughtfully crafted in order to provide different perspectives and experiences, which is why i found it incredibly interesting that they decided on two dalish elf companions — in a game about elven gods terrorising the world, you'd think that one dalish elf and one city elf could provide more differing perspectives, but bioware specifically picked two dalish elves instead. it implies that, despite their similar upbringings, bellara and davrin may have completely differing opinions about the current threat, or about solas, or something else we don't know about yet. it was clearly a very deliberate decision, and with how important the vallaslin is to dalish elves, it has to mean something.

bellara is an elven lore nerd who loves exploring ancient ruins and uncovering secrets. dirthamen was an easy guess, and the design - although new and very unique - matched up to patterns on his inquisition vallaslin. as of sept 19, it has been confirmed her vallaslin is indeed dirthamen's.

davrin is a grey warden and a monster hunter. his vallaslin design was harder to figure out, at first i thought it was june's but the lines and layout really remind me more of ghilan'nain's.

the parallels are pretty clear. bellara is more similar to dirthamen, being interested in secrets and knowledge and such. whereas davrin and ghilan'nain are at odds: davrin being a grey warden monster hunter, ghil being a blighted monster maker. one similarity, and one anithesis, which makes them unique to each other. and for all the gods bioware could have picked, to choose dirthamen and ghilan'nain... well, ghil is of course one of our antagonists, but dirthamen has no direct connection to the plot...

........ or maybe he does? we'll have to find out :)

[sanshofox]

Ok, so after a lot of going through the lore again to remember all kinds of dragon age facts (because let’s be honest…it’s a huge and complex kinda lore with lots of details and also lots of riddles) and watching/reading lore theory stuff, I guess I kinda have my idea that is the course of events, what caused solas to create the veil. So please skip if you consider this as kind of a spoiler. I try to keep it as short as possible.

How red lyrium came to be is still unknown. If artificial or natural is a big secret, but we know that there is the abyss or void where it lingers and the forgotten gods are kept. It never came into touch with the outside world until the elvhen gods (old gods) started to meddle with it.

The elvhen gods were always described as smth pristine and sophisticated, but throughout the games you see and read stuff that predicts otherwise. Could it be that the red lyrium corrupted them over a long time and then made them hunger for more power (as described in inquisition and also a description that as an example fits i.e. for meredith and her red lyrium corruption)?

My guess that it all started with ghilannain becoming part of the pantheon through relations with andruil. She is too often mentioned in inquisition and content outside the video game series as to not be an important key part in what transpired. She is a scientist of sorts, creating all sorts of new stuff and when you read through codex entries, the book „tevinter nights“ or look at the murals in inquisition and other tidbits in DLCs it sounds more like she was a mad scientist without morals or ethics, creating various monsters and thirsting for more. Murals showing creatures and elvhen slaves in red colors being transported to what is assumed: ghilannain. What if she needed red lyrium for her experiments? There is a dwarf in the games that says that through red lyrium he created his best weapons. But did she start it or get corrupted first?

We know of a story within the games that andruil hunted for the forgotten ones in the void and came back crazier each time. Got an armor made from parts of the void (red lyrium of course) and brought plague to her lands. The other gods started to fear her, so mythal ambushed her and took her powers and knowledge where to find the void and peace came back. But did andruil enter the void just for the hunt? Or did she bring ghilannain some from one of her journeys as a gift? Doesn’t matter how but both were close to each other and it somehow transferred, driving ghilannain slowly insane.

Two other elvhen gods often mentioned outside of andruil and ghilannain are dirthamen and falondin. Dirthamen depicted with what seems to be ghilannain in some murals. Dirthamen also being the twin to falondin. So maybe a accidental chain reaction in corrupting them. Solas doesn’t speak kindly of neither of them. So we can assume that these four were involved in mythal‘s killing, as solas said „hungry for other elvhen gods‘ power“, due to red lyrium infection. But why did mythal get rid of andruil‘s power, but not ghilannain‘s then? It was mentioned that ghilannain lived far apart from other elvhen and deep underground. I guess that is how she and her corruption managed to go unnoticed for long. Killing mythal was described as smth like treachery and an order. So maybe one day ghilannain was under suspicion and she in her paranoia ordered mythal’s death (by presumably dirthamen?). Or these four corrupted elvhen gods conspired together.

Then we all know what happened: Solas acted out of revenge and created the veil. But what if solas caused the true red lyrium blight? Ancient texts and murals show elvhen and/or elvhen slaves fighting a war in times of the elvhen pantheon. If Solas alone fought with an army against the elvhen gods to be free of their tyranny he wouldn’t have a chance. So what if mythal once told him of the void and he up and used red lyrium as a weapon himself against them to have a chance(that for example could be for one why he created the red lyrium idol??)? Causing a wide field of corruption. Him realizing what is actually happening and then closing off the rest of thedas from this corrupted area by creating the veil. We have three different scenes in inquisition indicating this:

1. cole questioning solas wanting to do the right thing and not knowing and solas acknowledging this sadly like „I was young and stupid“

2. corypheus saying to the inquisitor that there was no golden city but instead only corruption and emptyness

3. solas apologizing to mythal/flemmeth saying smth of the sorts of „I slumbered for too long and now it can‘t be contained anymore“ As if he knew of the blight and wanted to wake up earlier to have more time to find a solution

My guess for it to get this far is, because of their powers it took longer for the elvhen „gods“ to be corrupted so they couldn’t and, ultimately when fully corrupted, wouldn’t realize what red lyrium entails. It was talked about more than once in dragon age lore that dragon blood cured someone from blight. But when we see corypheus‘s dragon or the archdemons it can still happen, but lower. Which also would explain why yavana protects and raises dragons (also her needing alistairs blood to raise them because maric‘s bloodline has dragon blood in it because of some historical figure. So alistair killing yavana may have fucked up the cure for the future.)

In their hubris they thought it would be just another tool to serve them. From all we know red lyrium was smth unknown in that time.

[rosella-writes]

BTV Satinalia: My Works and Gift!

It was super fun to be involved in this exchange this year, and to have the opportunity to try some new things! BTV was one of the first servers I ever joined and it’s been great to be a part of it.

My Gift 💚

I received a gorgeous, thoughtful, atmospheric fic from @melisusthewee about Loghain in the Inquisition, and what about him is true vs fabricated. Seeing him through Cole’s eyes touched me deeply.

Teryn Loghain Mac Tir is whatever people say he is - hero, murderer, traitor, king, exile - because that Loghain exists only in the stories of others. Grey Warden Loghain is something else, something more perhaps. Or perhaps he is somehow both. Cole doesn’t know, and he can’t untangle the knots of pain that weave around the man until he does.

What I Made 💚

I have fic to give, so that’s what I did. These were a joy to make and I’m lucky to have gotten to know these folks (if I didn’t already) through their characters and their love of Dragon Age.

For @thedastrash. Rated E for smut of the Cassandra Pentaghast x Solas variety.

She said it back as a whispered matter of fact. The sky was blue. Water was wet. She loved him. Cassandra kissed the truth of it into the edge of Solas's jaw, the lobe of his ear, and then his mouth when he turned to kiss her back with a desperate groan of his own. I love you, I love you, I love you.

For @jarakrisafis. Rated E for smut of the M!Aeducan x Gorim Saelac variety, featuring a new OC of mine.

His lord’s shield leans against his hastily unbuckled breastplate. His lord’s sword, in need of sharpening and spattered with the blood of his vanquished challengers, rests on the floor at his feet. His lord’s hair tangles in his clenched hand.

For @dreadfutures. Rated M for sexual themes of the Ixchel x Dirthamen variety.

She surprises him, always. Ixchel is a secret to unweave, a mystery to pick apart, but in these moments he steals with her, it is better, almost, to sit in the unknowing of it. Dirthamen is a secret-keeper, after all, and who better to appreciate an unknown than he?

For @plisuu. Rated G for queerplatonic friendship of the Connor x Solas variety.

He tucked close to his friend, glad for the surety of this one moment with him each day that they were both at Skyhold. It was a simple daily ritual, unlike any chant or whispered prayer or set of candles lit to mark an occasion. It was merely the both of them preparing to face the day, before they allowed their respective masks to settle into place. But here, in the privacy of this liminal space, Solas and Connor could be themselves with the other.

And that’s all, folks. 💚

[nadas-dirthalen]

This complete dissection of triangles made me think of valasslin and where triangles show up in some (not all!) valasslin. And, my friends — I dove too deep.

Walk with me.

I was looking at this picture of Bellara, right?

And I was trying to figure out her valasslin, what it could be. Well, I think, right away, I see Dirthamen. That design on her forehead, to me, looks like two ravens sitting opposite a "third eye." (Forgive the terrible phone-drawing, okay.)

See? Birds. But also, that close, under the branches? Triangles. And under those? Diamonds.

That's what got me thinking about triangles, diamonds, the Veil, and the Fade. All from the above post.

Now, I won't repeat the analysis of the above post (read the whole thing! It's good!) but suffice it to say: I think this valasslin is telling us a story. Namely, Dirthamen is on one side of the Veil — and it's not the Fade side. It's our side, the waking side. (Because triangles in the middle, Dirthamen above, diamonds — the Fade — below).

I think the message to be taken from this valasslin, if there is one, is: Dirthamen is on the waking side of the Veil, and he is watching.

This intrigued me so much, I thought I'd take a peek at my Inquisitor's Dirthamen valasslin. Now, bear with me: the screenshot I used is from That Crestwood Scene, don't judge. It's one I had on hand. (Don't judge the penmanship either, just keep walking with me, that's it.)

For starters, I am interpreting this valasslin as a raven flying down the elf's face. Its beak is on the tip of the nose. Its wings span the cheekbones. Its tail feathers fan out on the forehead, as part of what's inside that (broken) ring. If there is a "third eye" (we'll get to that), it's on the chin.

Once again I'm talking about triangles and diamonds. On the ring that's on the forehead, there is a very notable line of triangles surrounding that (broken) ring. To me, this could symbolize the Veil. And inside the ring? Diamonds, again. To me, this symbolizes that the Fade is inside the ring, which is the Veil.

And the raven is breaking free. Breaking the circle, flying downward.

Now look close. There's a triangle on each wing. There's a triangle in the beak.

And, on the chin, where I haven't written anything? The largest triangle of all is at the bottom of the face, resting under that third eye. Potentially pushed down by it — or, in my interpretation, pushed outward by Dirthamen's magic/wisdom.

To me, these two valasslin tell a story. The Inquisitor's valasslin is its first chapter: Dirthamen breaks free of the Fade. Bellara's is the second: Dirthamen roams the waking world, and he is watching.

Honestly, the fact that Bioware have explicitly said Bellara is a knowledge seeker, regardless of if that knowledge comes from the Evanuris, makes me wonder about this theory even more.

Bellara is a knowledge seeker. She wants to find out what's true, what's not; she wants to find the pieces of who the elves used to be and really understand what their story was, where they came from [...] but also to maybe find a little bit more of who they used to be. Because again, you're dealing with these elves that were around millennia ago that have now reemerged into the world, and who better to teach her who the elves used to be than them.

I'd love to know if any others agree! I'm relatively new here, so if I'm missing lore of any kind, please let me know!

All Frescos: Symbols in Dragon Age Art (Part 1)

When is a triangle not a triangle?

So….Tevinter Nights!  Still reading it, but you know me and maps.  I kind of like them.  And while the book’s map is short on details, it had one very interesting image that caught my eye.  

Let me zoom in a bit for you.

What an interesting depiction of the Veil!  Complete with spikey projections!!  Then I thought…we’ve seen those triangles before. Here they are clearly labeled as a visual representation of the Veil.  And if they represent the Veil between the Fade and the Mortal World then…

….it is very likely that they mean the same thing here.  

So this image may well be meant to show Solas creating the Veil.  

Now that alone might not be groundbreaking.  I think many of us thought that the triangles could represent magic or the Fade, but it seems to be more specific than that.  These triangles are the Veil in Solas’ art.  

Taking this as a working theory, then some interesting tin-foil hat analyses of the his other frescos is possible.  Here is what I am thinking:

Keep reading

[dreadfutures]

for ixchel / dirthamen: death is the only god who comes when you call.

GOSH TAS this is so metal and perfect, I can't wait to expand on it more seriously.

But for now: @dadrunkwriting

-:-:-:-

His brother may have been the one to develop the practice of memory storage, but Dirthamen is the one who saw the true value in them, spent time archiving them.

His brother had been the first to discover the farthest paths of the Fade, but Dirthamen was the one who guided him back.

For all the ways in which they are different, they remain twins, mirrors and shadows to one another, all depending on the slant of the light in which they are observed. In godhood they are distinct, but they answer to all the same names: "Friend of the Dead" may be his brother's title, but Dirthamen is the one who wears the mantle.

Falon'Din is more likely now to create the dead than grant them company on their journey. But Dirthamen cannot resist.

Even now.

Few now dare to summon him to their side when they are ready to depart. Even fewer do so without warning. What once had been a fundamental truth in Elvhenan has now become little more than a quaint saying:

Death is the only god who comes when you call.

The wizened, the scholars, the proud—they are the most likely to send for him. They will barter their memories for passage, a tale for a new adventure. He walks the shifting paths with elders, with the world-weary, and they share their lives with him even as they leave it all behind. In return, he leads them deeper and deeper into the Dreaming until it begins to Fade where they will part ways. Dirthamen has seen much of that place, but to them, it is new, and he is always glad to deliver them to the experience that will last them beyond lifetimes.

As the ages pass and the myth of the Evanuris becomes more and more obscured in their lengthening shadows, even these calls become rare. No one believes they have anything of value to a living god. No one believes that their company alone might be worth the request.

So he finds himself longing of those journeys, when he had been spoiled for company beyond that of his blood-soaked brother. Dirthamen has hoped to take her there someday; in fact, he dreams of it, sometimes, even when he is awake.

Someday they will discover the secret to unlocking the chains that keep her mind fixed to her form, unravel the strange magic that is unraveling her. Then she will be free to see how time wraps around itself in the deepest Dreams, and he will share memories of the past and tellings of the future that the Fade offers only to those who know how to look.

He will show her the echoes of her footsteps, how they shape the arc of the world every time she bends a blade of grass. He dreams of following her, as she leads the expeditions into that liminal space where he believes she was born. He sees her dressed in starlight; he hears her laughter dancing with the songs of birds nature itself has not yet produced—his little sparrow, vun'ean, a bird with the heat of the sun trapped in its delicate breast.

But Dirthamen had never dreamed of this.

The cry erupts in his mind, pierces his breast, then vanishes. But her call leaves its shape in his mind indelibly. It is like one of his sister's arrows that pierces the fabric of the air and leaves a single thunderclap in its wake.

Perhaps that is what struck her.

It has been a long time since Dirthamen has been called in this manner. He must have made this journey a thousand times before, but the familiar paths are twisted. Fear comes to meet him, its black wings crowned with his golden vallaslin.

She is not afraid, Fear whispers to him. She knows you will come before the end.

Ixchel may not be afraid.

But Dirthamen is.

[yes-these-obsessions-are-healthy]

Lots of people who write about the Evanuris seem to have a habit of painting Dirthamen as third to Mythal and Solas as “okay ancient elf mages”, but I disagree completely. I imagine Dirthamen as the propaganda/spymaster for the Evanuris, the one that sows discord among people with conveniently times “reveals”, the one who trains his patrons to be soulless assassins akin to the Faceless Men. In fact for all we know, Dirthamen was the dude tasked with spreading the lie that Solas was bad news.

And! The ancient runes make it sound like he had his priests/followers soak up all the knowledge they could for him to extract somehow. So he juiced them. Or downloaded their knowledge, or brain transference. Something. I say something this weird and sci-fi because it’s intimated that someone in the Evanuris is doing weird Frankenstein experiments, so why not just make everyone in the Evanuris an anime villain in terms of weirdness.

We will not have it, will not have it!

The secrets are madness in our ears, but they are ours

The Highest One cannot take them from us.

Only Dirthamen, our Keeper, only he

And if he does not take the secrets

They are ours forever.

Now this is me just being dark and wanting the Evanuris to be dark, but my fan headcanon for Dirthamen is that he was like Solas in that he loved knowing things, but he was so obsessed with knowledge and secrets that he wished to be the only person who knew them, and found nothing wrong with destroying others who held the knowledge once he got ahold of it. Essentially:

Some Poor Fuck: This will be our little secret.

Dirthamen: *stabs them* This will be my secret :)

Why? Because he craved that sense of superiority and pride of being the only one who *knows*. Basically like a conspiracy theorist, except everything he believed in was verified and true. This man needed to be the most knowledgable in the room, needed to be the most informed. Like Orochimaru from Naruto or Varys from GoT but even more self-destructive.

Personally I hope if the Evanuris are shown in DA4 it gives Dirthamen more of a sordid character than just “yeah I like to read and know things”.

In fact! It would be cool if all the Evanuris were set up as corruptions of seemingly neutral things. It is common for the pursuit of truth to be portrayed as good or neutral, but it’s not always portrayed as bad. “Knowing something you shouldn’t leading to bad things” is a trope people have played with since the Garden of Eden, but it’s not as common for it to be played as “the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake leads to people hurting others for it”. Not to do anything with the information, but simply to have the knowledge, simply to know something more about the universe.

[dreadwxlf]

~ A small smile grew on his features despite the tenseness of the situation, and Solas reached to take on her hands clasped against her knee. ~

~ " And I would off on worrying over my condemnation; there are few things left in this world that surprise me. Ma emas banal enfenim, har o geal o em. " ~

~ A moment passes as Sontna calms her nerves, idly rubbing the back of her neck. He too takes a moment to think as the other elf asks him what he knows about their people's immortality. " ...I know that the Dalish tales of our people's immortality are in fact true, " he began. " ...But I do not believe it was the arrival of the humans that caused them to begin aging. Some catastrophe occurred -- likely the same catastrophe that caused the fall of Arlathan, and the complete erasure of our history. As for Falon'din... ". For a moment, something dark seems to flash in his stormy gaze; in a blink, it is gone, and Solas has returned to his neutral expression ( as if it never changed at all ). ~

~ " ...From the Fade, I have observed memories of his followers working hand-in-hand with those of Dirthamen. Secrets and death create a rather unsavory combination, as you can imagine. Necromancy was the frequent practice of his worshippers; though when a necromancer lives among an immortal people, one must become...creative in order to advance their practice. Needless to say...Falon'din's worshippers seemed a people of few morals, and unfathomable cruelty...Why do you ask? " ~

~ Uncertain if Sontna needed space, he took a seat at the chair beside her desk, turning it to face her. He regarded her silently, giving her all the time she needed to collect her thoughts. A simple nod came in response as she asked if she had told him that she was not born Dalish. ~

~ " You mean in regards to your past? " Solas asked. His stormy gaze fell to the floorboards for a moment before meeting Sontna's once more, a deep focus in his eyes. " ...We are all haunted by the shadows of our pasts; oftentimes they are things we never wish to share with anyone. Whatever you have to tell, I shall not blame you for concealing it. " As many faults as he had, Solas would not call himself a hypocrite. ~

[redinkofshame]

Arranged Marriage

Hipster AU did not spark joy, so I used the Arranged Marriage joker for day 3 of the @augustwritingchallenge. This is probably the last one I’ll do, unless I also do an arranged marriage for Cedric/Cassandra. It’s also my favorite one :D

The evanuris have survived to the dragon age, Fen'Harel included amongst them. In order to make peace with the free clans of elves a marriage is arranged between the Trickster and one of their own. Like all of Solas' plans, it goes awry.

1882 words, mature for smexiness but no actual hanky panky. Read on AO3

Wedding Night

“You still intend to go through with this, then?” Mythal asked.

Fen’Harel sighed, eyeing her reflection from where he stood surrounded by attendants. They made last minute adjustments to his wedding vestiments, buffed his nails, applied cosmetics. “I gave my word, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but even you must admit you have a proclivity for… last minute ‘tricks’. We must make peace with the free clans—”

“Easiest done with a marriage, and I am the only one amongst us who is yet unmarried, yes, I know,” he said, biting his tongue. He knew better than the rest of them how important this was; they continued to underestimated the power of the free clans.

“It’s merely surprising that you haven’t proposed some other crazy solution to avoid being tamed. You’ve been the lone wolf, all alone all these ages…”

He shooed away his attendants and sunk into the nearest chair. His hair dresser immediately made her move, beginning the bothersome process of brushing, curling, and braiding. An annoyance. A necessity. Long hair; the status symbol of a spoiled man who, supposedly, knew nothing of hard work, nor manual labor. No more a threat than a bunch of unaligned clans who could scarcely produce mages.

That is, of course, until he used this marriage to forge an alliance with his spouse’s people. The final key to in his plot to take down the Evanuris once and for all.

“All good things must come to an end,” he said with feigned disinterest. “Remind me the name of who I’m to wed again? That man from the garden with the curly hair?”

Mythal gave him a scathingly admonishing look. “Really, Fen, the least you could do is remember your intended’s name.” She kept up the look for another moment but when he gave no response she simply sighed. “You’re thinking of the ambassador they sent to announce that your bride was chosen by vote of the free clans at Arlathven.”

“She is important to them, then? A powerful mage?” he asked hopefully.

Mythal snorted. “Hardly. They say she has some skill with the arcane, but she’s better known for her sewing— no, embroidery.” He grunted in disappointment and she continued, almost to herself. “She’s no particular beauty, either. I can’t image she’s the best they’ve got to offer. Frankly, I’m tempted to take offense at the offering, but we already granted them permission to choose for themselves…”

He waved his hand dismissively. “It hardly matters what she looks like, so long as they care for her enough to lay down their arms.”

“I suppose. Her name is Keria, by the way, of Lavellan’s clan. Do try to remember it during the ceremony.” He felt her eyes on him, but kept his head bowed as his hair was adorned with golden toggles. “You know that you will have to gift her with her vallaslin during the ceremony as well.”

“Of course.”

Mythal stepped closer and lowered her voice. “A true vallaslin, Fen’Harel.”

The girl working his hair froze. He didn’t have to look at her to know that she, as all his servants, his “slaves”, wore a convincing imitation of his vallaslin on her face. He’d marked each of them with enough magic to keep them safe from the others, but it held none of the controlling or manipulation that a true vallaslin held.

He saw to it that his people followed him voluntarily, not due to fear or power. Many of them were agents of his grand plan playing a role until it was time to strike at the heart of their oppressors.

None of which Mythal was supposed to know, of course.

He met her eyes. “I understand.”

She held his gaze for a long moment, a silent threat, gauging his sincerity. At last, she nodded.

~~~~~

He remembered the name, of course, the ceremony lines, and the spell to apply a proper vallaslin to her pale face in front of everyone. Mythal’s assessment had been harsh — she was pretty enough. Her unruly black hair was short, of course, as was her place. He supposed she would grow it out, now. Her eyes were a shockingly bright blue, when he could get a good look at them, but she largely kept them averted. Her gown was a work of art. The cut of it was common enough, classic, but every inch of it was covered in painstaking embroidery. Her doing?

Not that her beauty mattered; he cared only whether or not she would become his willing ally in their fight, or if he’d have to use her new position as leverage. He’d expected her to fear him as the clans always did — with good reason. He was Mythal’s general, the attack dog she released whenever they stepped out of line or needed to be taught a lesson. At first he thought her unwillingness to meet his eyes was because she was afraid, or worse, because she loathed him. He would not hold it against her.

Surprisingly it was shy glances and flustered smiles he was met with. A blushing bride indeed.

The day was filled with much pomp and posturing, dancing and music and feasting and well-wishers and veiled insults and vague threats. Elgar’nan and the others were jumpy, so certain he was going to ruin this for them that they never considered it had been his idea to begin with. It was many hours before he and his new wife were able to retreat to his suite.

Or ‘their’ suite, he supposed, though he’d happily grant her separate chambers if she requested it. His rooms were plenty large enough for the two of them, but he didn’t relish the loss of this ability to move freely.

He left her for a moment upon entering to get familiar with the space as he stepped into the dressing chamber. He sighed in the relative privacy.

It was fortunate that Keria seemed to be a willing — perhaps eager — partner in this charade, but thus far she seemed too timid of a girl to bring honestly into his machinations. It would take some time to discern best how to proceed from here. In the mean time it was his wedding night…

He was certainly willing to bed her, but he would not press the issue. They needed to discuss rules and freedoms, what would be asked of her and what would not. What she could ask of him. He striped out of his vestiments and pulled on a pair of simple sleep pants. He did not bother with a shirt. He stepped back into the room.

“I think we should discuss our expectations…” He tailed off, not seeing her immediately. He found her in the dimly lit bedchamber, sitting on her heels at the end of the oversized bed, sheets pooling around her hips. She was naked except for the sash from her wedding gown tied loosely about her waist. When she saw him enter she raised to her knees, spread wide, and the blanket fell from her lap, exposing her fully. Her teasing smile beckoned him closer.

Well, then.

All thoughts of planning left him as his blood spiked, and he went to her. He stopped when he stood at the edge of the bed, inches from her, and pointedly looked her offering up and down. He reevaluated his own underestimation of her beauty.

“Lovely…” he murmured. His hand dropped and she arched her back in anticipation, her nipples tight, but it was the tail of the embroidered sash he took. “Did you make it yourself?”

To his surprise he laughed and shoved him playfully, illiciting a snort from him. “I did, in fact.” He ran his thumb over the intricate stitches and she shifted her weight nervously. “Do you, um, know a lot about embroidery?”  

“I don’t know much of the textile arts, I’m afraid,” he admitted, letting the silk slip through his fingers. “Perhaps you could teach me.”

She smiled coquettishly. “Oh, there’s a great deal I could teach you, Fen’Harel.” She sensually unknotted the sash.

He forced his eyes up to hers, determined to seem unaffected. “And here I thought I was wed to someone sweet and innocent.”

“Sweet? Sometimes. But innocent?” Keria flipped the sash up and over his head, where it settled like a scarf. “Certainly not.”

She tugged the ends of the sash and pulled him in for a kiss and he went easily, intrigued by this woman. He felt the brush of her lips but didn’t realize in time that she whispered an incantation, though his eyes flickered open just in time to see the hidden runes among the embroidered flowers light up, paralyzing him instantly. Her hand dashed beneath the covers and came up with a dagger that she plunged towards his chest.

The vallaslin on her face lit up as he activated it and staggered back, spell broken. She was frozen in place, mid-strike. His heart hammered in his chest in a way it hadn’t in decades, a mortal danger he rarely faced unwittingly.

No mortal blade could hurt him, but she would know that. Still shaken, he wrenched the dagger from her hand, careful not to nick either of them as she grunted, struggling to break free. He appraised the weapon, recognizing it easily even without the ravens in the hilt. It indeed would have been able to kill him, and was undoubtedly coated in enough poison to finish the job even if her aim ad been off. Smart.

“Dirthamen sent you, then?”

She still fought her bindings. He released her just enough that she could answer his question. “Yes.”

He tilted his head. She’d answered too quickly. He could see her tells, now that he knew what she really was. “A lie. Interesting. I’m only supposed to believe it was him.”

“You’re supposed to be dead,” snarled his darling wife.

“Ah, a fair point. Me, murdered on my wedding night, and Dirthamen to blame. To what end?” She answered by spitting at him and he paced as he thought it over, able to see how it would have played out — Mythal would exact justice before Elgar’nan could stop her, and Dirthamen’s twin would retaliate. The rest of the evanuris would choose sides. War, distrust, ample opportunity for more little assassinations.

A simple enough plan. One that damn near worked.

He lifted the dagger and it hovered in the air between them. With a twist of his hand he rendered the shining, poisonous thing inert, watching as it turned dull and clattered uselessly to the floor.

Keria looked like she was ready to tear him apart with her teeth instead. “It doesn’t matter what you do with me,” she growled. “Others will succeed where I have failed. You cannot stop us all! Your days are numbered, Dread Wolf — you and every other evil, murderous, slaving evanuris!”

Wordlessly he walked to a wardrobe, feeling her eyes following him as she waited for him to strike her down. How much of her shaking was from anger, he wondered, and how much from fear?

He pulled out a dressing robe and turned back to his bride, every inch of her radiating defiance despite the hold he still had on her.

He tossed her the robe. “Get dressed, vhenan. We need to talk.”

[dinrenan]

OC Interview: Dinrenan.

I saw this going around and I am having a slow day at work so...why not?

This takes place after Trespasser, in her hidden place, the one asking questions is Amelan'lin, who wants to know more about the High priestess he, and his own ancestors, have been seeking for so long.

Introduction Can you introduce yourself?

She looks at Amelan'lin with a confused expression.

"You know who I am, but for the sake of this thing...Dinrenan, also known as Falon'din High priestess, Death singer, and other titles...Dinrenan is just fine"

What is your gender identity, orientation, and relationship status?

She chuckles

“I am female, I go by she and her, I don't have a real orientation, You could be male, female, neither, both, as long as you are willing to cuddle, and I say CUDDLE, for me it matters not” She stops for a minute to think and looks at Dinlin who is telling stories to the children all around him, somewhere far from them, then looks back.

“As for relationship status, I would say taken but that would be a lie, so...open for anyone who is willing to share a cuddly partner”

Where and when were you born?

She blinks for a second, then answers “As to where, in Arlathan, in a very fancy room...if you want to know where I was reborn, then into one of my Mast- Falon'din's temple, in a pool, thanks to blood magic. I cannot tell you when because I lost track of time. Why do you ask this if your whole clan passed this information for generations!"

What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?

"My weapon of choice...what am I supposed to say...I use whatever can get me out of trouble, be it daggers or magic, as, for the fighting style, I favor magic, it makes me cast afar from my enemy AND flee if need be.

And finally, are you happy?

She smiles fondly in the distance, towards Dinlin

"Yes, I am happy right now, at this moment, who knows about the future"

Family and friends

What is your family like? What is your relationship like with them?

She glares at the ground, trying to remember her parents.

“It's complicated, I don't remember much about my childhood with my parents, during Arlathan....I know that my father loved me dearly, while my mother always wanted a living child, but overall acted like I was made of glass.” she chuckled unamused "Considering what happened next I don't blame her" she looks back up " I did not hate them, nor did I resent them for never coming back for me. As for Falon'din and Dirthamen...I deeply cared for both of them, no matter what they did to me, I always tried to impress both of them, silly I know. Regarding my time with the Lavellans I have nothing to say apart from the fact they cherished me until I heard someone mentioning that I was just some relic or prize they wanted to keep near and never let go, as you may imagine, I started to distance myself from the whole clan and adoptive parents, but as before, I don't actually hate them, they are long dead to me anyway."

Have you ever run away from home?

" Of course! how do you think I ended up with the Sabrae clan in the Free Marches?" she raises an eyebrow and smirks.

"Would you want to get married or have children?"

She just fixes him down with a hard stare and does not answer.

Do you secretly hate any of your friends?

"If I hate them how can they be my friends? The answer is no, I may not tolerate someone in my sister's circle, and some of my own sentinels, but hate is a strong word"

What friend knows everything about you?

She points at Dinlin in the distance without elaborating.

Asked by fans Can you read and write? Did you go to school?

"I...had spirits teaching me how to read and speak in Elvhen, especially in Dirthamen's care, writing wasn't that hard to learn. I admit I had some problems with the Trade tongue once awake, it was so strange, but I had Asha'len teaching me step by step" she smiles at the memory.

The scariest prediction you made that later came true?

"That I would end up looking like a monster in the eyes of other people once they found out what may happen if I starve...Varric always made sure to stay away if I mentioned I was hungry”

What is something you embarrassingly realized too late?

"Uhm...that I cannot go around always barefoot and that sleeping naked during summertime may be a problem around men..."

Do you have mental or physical problems?

“Does Cannibalism and Instincts count? if so, yes, I have a mental problem., physical...not yet"

What’s your main goal right now?

She smiles brightly

"I achieved half of my original goal, living in a place where elves can learn more about their past, the next step would be for them to regain some of the magic in them. You would be amazed at how many freaked out once I tested with their blood" She realizes to have said too much and sheepishly looks around "I don't harm them, I just use a needle to pinch them and see if in their blood has the faint music of magic, if there is, then I can wake it with my own magic, the hidden magic responds..." she then goes silent, waiting for the next question.

Drink or eat?

She looks troubled for a moment

"Depends...an animal is food to eat, water is considered a drink. Normally speaking I would say both, but I am not much for Alcohol, I don't like it...ask me when I am starving and you are both drink and food."

Cats or dogs?

"I love all animals, dogs are fun to run with, but I am a cat person" she looks around searching for some of the cats the people brought with them.

Optimist or pessimist?

"Ehrm...pessimist...although I think myself more of a realist pessimist"

Sassy or sarcastic?

"Worst combination ever, sarcastic and cuddly, at least that's what Dinlin says"

HAVE YOU EVER: Been caught sneaking out?

She laughs then answers. "Never, shapeshifting has its own benefit"

Broken a bone?

"Not on my own no, I had other people breaking them for me and other people putting them back together..."

Did you get flowers?

She looks confused for a moment

"Why would someone ever give me flowers..."

Ghosting someone?

"No...yes, maybe. There was this man, Servis, charming lad, he really was trying to understand my behavior and relationship with others, when he wasn't working as a smuggler that is. At some point, I saw a look resembling one of Dirthamen's...I started to ghost him like he had the Taint, then spoke to him about, the dangerous look, not Dirthamen, and we laughed it off, I still write to him from time to time..."

You pretended to laugh at a joke you did not get?

"I don't get jokes often, so I don't laugh if I don't get it...sorry to disappoint all those bad jokers around"

I had fun with this!

[virlath]

environmental lore ~ Dirthamen and Falon’Din

Part 1 - origins and the four armed statues Part 2 - their alliances Part 3 - the origins of humans

===

Part 2  - their alliances

There is a lot of environmental foreshadowing surrounding Dirthamen and Falon’Din in DAI, which is interesting considering they were extremely mysterious in previous games. Among these are many hints they worked closely with Fen’Harel, Mythal, and Andruil at some point in time.

The most solid evidence for this are the mosaics within the elven ruins in Trespasser, which is only safely accessible using Mythal’s passphrase.

The mosaics are clearly old, but you can definitely see they represent Dirthamen, Mythal, Fen’Harel, and Falon’Din in that order.

A double raven standard is also clearly seen within the weaponry used by the freed slaves, indicating Dirthamen actually helped the rebels either in secret or even as a leader in battle.

Two archer statues surrounding the eluvian leading out of the ruins also suggest Andruil was similarly involved in their alliance. 

Evidence for this alliance is further strengthened through Falon’Din and Andruil’s shared symbolism of the owl, which is also seen as a terrible omen of loss by the Dalish.

Andruil would send her messenger, the owl, to show the People the way, and they would follow him to where the land was blessed.

Always keep an eye out for the noble owl. You never know: Andruil might have a message for you.

Falon'Din sought someone to be his messenger and companion. The wind was swift, but Falon'Din refused to chain it. The People were loyal, but could not live where Falon'Din walked. Then the owl came to him and said, "I am not cowed by darkness. Let me serve you who also has no fear of night." Falon'Din accepted gladly, and took the owl as his servant, who thereafter helped Falon'Din guide the People through the passage of the Veil.

I theorise the symbol of the owl was in fact Falon’Din himself, flying between the Void and the real world to pass Mythal’s verdicts on to Andruil so she could deliver judgements in the form of her hunts.

Falon’Din’s mastery of the dark and shapeless worlds and airless skies also fits in line with Andruil’s hunts in the Void, which is otherwise known as the place of nothing. I believe Andruil and Falon’Din’s journeys both inevitably led to the Void, simply because that was the only place judged culprits could hide from Mythal’s justice. 

This also brings to mind the puzzle we find at the Darvaarad in Trespasser.

“One sees the hunter, one flees from it, one hunts it in turn, one outwits them all.”

Or in other words...

“The owl(Falon’Din) sees the hunter(Andruil), the halla (Ghilan’nain) flees from it, the dragon(Mythal) hunts it in turn, the wolf (Fen’Harel) outwits them all.”

Personally, I think the riddle strongly hints at a fallout between Andruil and Ghilan’nain, either due to conflicts of interest in their duty to Mythal, or on a more personal level as Ghilan’nain was once considered “beloved” by Andruil. 

My current theory is that Ghilan’nain hid in the Void after the event with the Sinner in an attempt to raise a coup against Mythal. Mythal sought Falon’Din and Andruil to bring her to justice, and so they hunted her while Dirthamen tried in vain to stall them/protect her, either out of love for her or because she held a secret he didn’t want getting out (perhaps their relationship was the secret, and Ghilan’nain was cheating on Andruil with Dirthamen).

This results in Dirthamen getting neutralised by Fen’Harel to resolve the situation which was spiralling out of control, but this is all a distraction by Ghilan’nain to lead Mythal’s allies away from her so she can be cornered and “killed”. We don’t yet know the movements of June, Sylaise, and Elgar’nan, so it’s unknown if they also had something to do with orchestrating Mythal’s death.

Whatever the case may be, I think it’s likely Dirthamen was backstabbed by Fen’Harel because Dirthamen’s pose in the fade mimics Solas’ unfinished fresco- both he and Mythal feature a sword sticking out from their back. However I don’t think Solas acted out of malice in both cases, but rather out of regret and perceived necessity.

Consequently, my current theory is that the owl statue in DAI solely represents Falon’Din and Andruil is represented by the archer statues.

The owl statues are also always seen carrying a circular object, of which I believe to be an eluvian/elven artifact to transport or imprison criminals hunted down by Andruil. 

Owl statues can also be found at Skyhold, which is interesting in itself because it is strongly hinted at that Skyhold is where Solas created the veil. 

The owl can be seen in the Great Hall, as well as in your own quarters which I think is kinda creepy considering the underlying symbolism.

What’s even more interesting to me is the painting above these owls. It clearly shows the Inquisition logo, but the art style is similar to many other artworks we find around Ferelden, meaning it is likely older than the Inquisition itself, and possibly even painted by the Avvar. The mountain in the artwork seems to be a reference to Belenas, a mountain that may have been the original location of Arlathan before it became the Black City.

The art is similar in style to the artwork in the stables mysteriously depicting Dirthamen and Ghilan’nain.

Another notable example of this art style can be found on the mayor of Crestwood’s house.

The symbolism of this artwork is peculiar, because it shows lightness and darkness divided, encircled, and guarded by a raven and a wolf- animal symbols representing Dirthamen and Fen’Harel respectively. The circle comprises of twelve equal divisions with a weeping sun in the centre. Solas’ tarot cards also features twelve stars, three of which are disintegrated. A very peculiar coincidence...

The owl statues also feature prominently at Suledin Keep, which I think was once Falon’Din’s stronghold based on the statues and symbolism found there.

The red lyrium mist emanating from the entrance is particularly foreboding, especially since Falon’Din is the master of darkness and shadow- themes also associated with the Void and the blight.

The People swore their lives to Falon'Din Who mastered the dark that lies. Whose shadows hunger Whose faithful sing Whose wings of death surround him Thick as night. Lethanavir, master-scryer, be our guide, Through shapeless worlds and airless skies.

──Song to Falon'Din, found in the Temple of Mythal, author unknown

In fact in most areas where the owl statue is seen, death is also often associated with it. The best example of this can be seen at the Knight’s Tomb, where they flank a beheaded Mythal statue with a skull in place of it’s regular head.

While it’s clear the owl is strongly linked to Falon’Din, Dirthamen is a lot more mysterious. Dirthamen’s most beloved animal is the bear, however he doesn’t seem to have any clear statue depicting himself in the main game. In fact, at the Temple of Mythal his mosaic is flanked by two owl statues. 

If you do the rituals, Falon’Din’s mosaic can also be seen next to Fen’Harel and Mythal next to the owl puzzle, however no depiction of Dirthamen can be found.

Similarly at Dirthamen’s lost temple, no mosaic or depiction of Dirthamen can be seen, however there are green mosaics of Falon’Din and one red mosaic of Ghilan’nain. And most interestingly of all, the locked inner sanctum shows two gilded statues of Fen’Harel, which is not something you would expect at a temple dedicated to Dirthamen.

This is further evidence to me Dirthamen and Fen’Harel were once close allies, and this is compounded by the fact the imprisoned high keeper in the temple awakens from an elven artifact. This is the same artifact Solas uses to measure the veil, and also an item he constantly describes as an “artifact of his people”.

But to sum it all up, I think the Vir Dirthara in Trespasser best displays these web of alliances because it is also one of the few places Dirthamen is represented in the form of a raven.

Mythal was the adjudicator in the center, and Fen’Harel was her wingman ensuring her day to day ran smoothly. Falon’Din was the messenger who travelled between worlds, passing Mythal’s judgements to Andruil who in turn hunted judged culprits. Dirthamen represents the ravens at the edge of the scene, monitoring events in the background and keeping tabs on everyone in the shadows, much like Leliana’s role as spymaster.

It is interesting to me that Dirthamen is portrayed as a raven instead of a bear though, because his ravens are described in current known lore as his bound minions, not as true allies.

Nevertheless, raven statues can be found in the Fade in the main game, as well as seemingly random locations such as Redcliffe.

Raven statues can also be seen in the Crossroads, right before these magical red eggs that trigger the visibility of new pathways to different floating islands.

Considering the fact Dirthamen/Falon’Din are considered twins that walked the shifting paths beyond the veil, I think this is further evidence these raven statues do in fact represent Dirthamen.

===

Part 1 - origins and the four armed statues Part 2 - their alliances Part 3 - the origins of humans

[dirthara-an]

@dreadwxlf ⋙

~ Though he didn't completely trust Dirthamen, he wasn't going to refuse his help. Solas had little options, and few allies. But before the other god could finish his thought, one of the ravens shot from its perch, shifting to its Elvhen form in midair. Solas simply leaned back as Harellan berated him, his expression ever neutral. ~

~ Thankfully, her brother dragged her outside before she could attack him. ~

a~ " She has never liked me, " the mage replied simply. " I doubt she will come around now, especially after what I have done. " He sighed through his nose, leaning back in his chair a bit. ~

~ " ...And if your ravens find traces of the others? What then? Most likely, they will seek to kill me, if I do not kill them first. " ~

Dirthamen sighed yet again. He should have expected this, yet it still pained him to think about just how much resentment must be between his brethren by now. The urge to just lay down and wait for the end of his existence, became more and more insistent.

"That is a problem to be thought about, when matters are confirmed. So far we don't even know, if your suspicion is true. My stumbling upon that rift was mostly due to the fact, that I had escaped my original pocket of confinement ages ago, already."

He was not bragging, as he said this, but he emphasized enough to make Solas understand, that his little scheme was never destined to successfully bind the Keeper of Secrets.

"For now, I believe we have more urgent matters to attend to, no? Someone apparently tore a giant hole into your carefully designed veil and I'd like to think, that this is surely enough of a distraction for whomever else might be out and about in these times."

He tilted his head and gave Solas an odd look, before adding: "That is, of course, if you intent to stay here and help this child, you've picked."

There was no room for doubt in Dirthamen, that Solas was taking the Inquisitor under his tutelage, for whatever that was worth. So, he saw no reason to pretend this wasn't a thing.

[actual-mammal]

Solas and the Original Elvhen Gods

For about five years I've been sitting on my theory regarding Solas's origins and the true Elvhen gods, and the new BTS trailer has me just revved up enough to post this. (Buckle up, this is gonna get long...)

Since Solas's first concept art was released back in 2014 I couldn't shake the impression that his design strongly resembled a monk/priest of some kind.

Let's attribute this assumption to 50% my loving ALTA and another 50% because I spent a ridiculous amount of time watching The Mummy movies in my youth. And not for Brendan Fraiser, oh no.

Ahem... anyway.

Aside from his very bald, bald head, Solas tends to wear robes and other more ceremonial looking garments. You could attribute that to him being a "god", but I think Solas himself would probably dislike the comparison. Before the DAI came out, we also got some shots of the companions on the armor inventory screens - including some of Solas in his all white base armor.

The Ancient Dreamers

At the time, this was a super exciting detail. I could count on one hand the amount of information we had on the ancient elves, but it was made pretty clear back in DAO that dreamers who achieved perfect Uthenera were clothed in all white. Once my theory of Solas being an ancient elvhen dreamer turned out to be true, I nearly forgot their cultural importance until long after Tresspasser came out. Mostly because I didnt realize so many people believed the rest of the Evanuris were dreamer mages as well.

So quick question, but do we have any evidence to assume that the Evanuris besides Solas were dreamers? Pre-inquisition codex entries made the dreamers seem a separate group of individuals - tasked with the protection of Arlathan specifically - and slain by the elvhen citizens once their magic failed to protect the city from Tevinter. If this lore hasn't been retconned or "misremembered" by the Dalish, Solas was part of an ancient order separate from his involvement with the Evanuris, which he would have felt deeply connected to because of the rarity of their shared magical ability (Marethari tells us dreamers have always been rare in DA2 when you assist with Feynriel).

Prior to Tresspasser, I assumed Fen'Harel was a lone wolf because he turned his back on his "pack", the other elvhen gods. But Solas paints a very different picture in his way of talking about the Evanuris throughout the game. In fact, he seems intent on not associating with them at all, even before their murder of Mythal or his open rebellion. I never get the impression that Solas was fond of the other Evanuris, or considered them enough of a family to warrant the "pack" analogy.

So who were the members of Solas's first "pack" that the Evanuris never lived up to? Probably the original bearers of the other foci. Wolves, up until the fall of the Dale's were seen as guardians and protectors in Elvhen myth (see the Emerald Knights). Perhaps they were also the sigil of the ancient dreamers of Arlathan, who were the city's protectors? That would certainly make more sense as to why wolf statues are everywhere in Thedas, despite Solas full tilt rejecting godhood. This is backed up by the murals in Vir Dirthara, full of wolves, individuals with bald heads, and foci. And they're fighting the titan.

But more on the Titan later.

I find it hard to believe that Solas personally had more surviving sculptures than all the rest of the Evanuris, particularly after he rebelled against them. It would make more sense to me if the wolves represented something greater than Solas individually. Particularly since he's titled, very specifically, The DREAD Wolf, as if there are other wolves that are not.

The Dreamers and Foci

In his first moment of really opening up, Solas tells the Inquisitor that the foci were used to channel power from "our" gods, which is the first time we hear him sounding so connected to Elvhen religion in 20 hours of gameplay. Solas never refers to the Evanuris as gods in a serious tone, so on replay this dialogue caught my attention. Why would a god need to channel power from himself? Do we ever get any hint of a foci belonging to another member of the Evanuris? Checking back on this topic throughout my playthrough, I can't find any instance of the foci being tied to the Evanuris. However Dorian is happy to tell us about the association between the orbs of Tevinter and the Ancient Dreamers. And Solas having one certainly lends credibility to his statement. My next thought became "so what if there were gods that predated the Evanuris, who were powerful spirits worshipped by the Ancient Dreamers using foci?." This assumption certainly makes sense given everything we know after JoH, since it uses the same structure of the Avvar religion (which Solas feels is highly enlightened for their time). It also provides a stronger story link for why we got that DLC in the first place, and hints what may have happened to these god spirits to facilitate the rise of the Evanuris.

The Original Gods

Surely we would have some hints as to who these dieties were this far into the games though, right? Oh wait, we do. My brain hurts to realize the writers even call them THE OLD GODS to make it easy for us. ::headesk:: Combining the lore of the old gods with the myths from the Astrariums and the archetypes of the Evanuris who supplanted them, we could try to guess their original forms. So let's line up the potential original pantheon:

Dumat/Silentir: The God of Justice, the Dragon of Silence. Supplanted by Mythal.

Zazikel/Kios: The God of Freedom, the Dragon of Chaos. Supplanted by Elgar'nan.

Toth/Ignifir: The God of Love, the Dragon of Fire. Supplanted by Sylaise.

Andoral/Servani: The God of Unity, The Dragon of Chains/Slaves. Supplanted by Andruil.

Urthemiel/Bellitanus: The God of the Artistry/Craft, the Dragon of Beauty. Supplanted by June.

Razikale/Eluvia: The God of Wisdom, the Dragon of Mystery. Supplanted by Dirthamen.

Lusacan/Tenebrium: (Owl) The God of Purpose, the Dragon of Night. Supplanted by Falon'Din (Lethanavir)

This makes so much sense when you consider Solas's hatred for the Grey Wardens, who have been systematically destroying the souls of the old gods once they're corrupted into archdemons. But how on earth did ancient elvhen god spirits get bound to dragons and trapped underground anyway?

The Fate of Gods and Dreamers

Back to Vir Dirthara and the Titan murals. We know the foci were used to seal away the blight in some way, because Solas told us (the angry red eyes are always the blight in his murals):

The rest of this will be pretty tin foil, but I think this mural helps illustrate my assumptions of the dreamers' involvement with the Evanuris.

The (bald) dreamers of Solas's order assisted Mythal in defeating the titan.

Sometime afterward, the "dead" titan returned in the form of red lyrium and threatened all of Elvhenan. This assumption is supported by the last codex entry in Tresspasser" where the Elves attempt to "seal away" a danger in the deep roads.

However they accomplished this, part of it required the dreamers to use the old gods power by binding their spirits to the forms of high dragons (just like JoH). These old god dragons are keeping the Blighted Titan "sleeping" which is why darkspawn seek to corrupt them (to free the source).

I believe the sinners judgement from the temple of Mythal also indicates that the dreamers themselves were the high dragons (taking the form of the divine), and why their foci were passed on to the Evanuris after the binding. The Evanuris were then able to use the power of the foci, as well as the vacuum left by the dreamers' absence, to establish themselves as the "new" gods.

So... thoughts?

[noire-pandora]

Day 6-Elvhen

“This is driving me insane.”

Elluin’s voice echoed in the silence of the rotunda. She has been there for a few hours, struggling to decipher the scrolls found in Dirthamen’s temple. The Elvhen writings turned out to be more difficult than she expected and could not grasp their meaning.

The outburst made Solas smile. His Vhenan was an intelligent woman but had a fiery temperament and short patience. Her passion always made him smile.

“What seems to be the issue, Inquisitor?”

“This scroll is the damned problem! I can’t understand it. I’ve been at it for three hours and nothing makes sense. I can’t do it anymore. I give up!”

“Give up? This is not an expression I expected to hear from you. You do not give up that easily.”

He teased and hoped to receive a similar answer from her. To his surprise, she got up from the table and began to pace around.

“I know Solas, but for sixteen years I’ve been struggling to recover our history. Ran around from one place to another, to comprehend the meaning of being Elvhen. And now, when I was so confident I found something important, I can’t understand it!”

“You have no idea how frustrating this is. Even when I discover any material, I can’t truly trust it. What if the Chantry decided it was better to cover up facts? Solas, how can I be positive I respect my ancestors and my legacy when I hardly know their history? I wish to give up the search, but I can’t live without learning the truth. I can’t lie down and live in ignorance. And now this whole mess with Corypheus.”

“Sometimes I don’t know who I am anymore. I roamed the world, and parts of me got lost along the way. Am I Elvhen? Some times I don’t know anymore.”

She stopped in place and tears stained the floor as she wept, hands covering her face.

“I am so tired of this, ma lath. I’m tired of not knowing.”

Solas got up, ready to soothe her. As he hugged her, a bitter feeling engulfed him. He held the truth that could set her free. He could tell her all she desperately wished to know, but how to do that without giving up his true nature? How could he let her know she represented the embodiment of what it means to Elvhen?

“Come, Vhenan. Let me aid you. Together we will succeed. No scroll can stop you.”

He could not tell the truth, but a gentle nudge in the right direction was crucial. He will not let her lose the passion for uncovering the truth.

[thevikingwoman]

Fandom: Dragon Age Words: 3508 (this chapter)

Art for this chapter! by @galadrieljones

Iwyn Lavellan x Solas | post Crestwood, time travel | romance, angst rating: mature, romance, pining, fluff, angst, breaking and entering, eventual happy ending

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Temporal Arrangements, chapter 7

Alina is fussing with Iwyn’s hair, weaving gold into it, and arranging it into a braid draped over her shoulder.

“It’s a bit short, but it will do.” Alina narrows her eyes, and purposefully tucks loose a few tendrils.

Iwyn looks at herself in the floor length mirror. Her dress is long and sage green, and draped of soft fabric. It leaves her arms and her back bare, with ribbons tied over her shoulders. It is nothing like the stiff Orlesian gowns with corsets and underskirts and structure. This dress is light and breezy, beautiful but intricate.

She twirls and smiles, she can’t help it. The dress is lovely, and it suits her perfectly. Her makeup is light and pretty and completes the look.

“It is beautiful. Thank you, Alina,” she says, as the other woman leaves.

It is time for Dirthamen’s party, and she looks as ready as she is going to look.  She hopes they are ready in every other respect as well. She wants to go home. Iwyn flexes her left hand, the anchor dormant under her skin. She needs to go home. She hopes Corypheus hasn’t laid waste to all of Thedas in the present; that the Inquisition, her friends, her clan, and her family are all still there when she gets back. She will go home.

Iwyn steps out of the bedroom, and into the study. Solas has been finished a while, and he is wearing a soft white shirt and grey tunic, brown pants and piece of wolf fur across his shoulder. His hands are clasped behind his back, like always.

Solas stares. She knows she looks great, and part of her enjoys his staring. The part of her that isn’t fed up with him, fed up with the fact that he is clearly interested, but he also isn’t. She can’t figure out if it’s purely physical attraction he can’t get rid of, or if he’s just stubborn enough to turn back on any true feelings he may have.

She tells herself she doesn’t care, she is done waiting for him, done with this push and pull. She had hoped that forcing action would have pushed him, would have made his walls break down; instead it made them higher and now she shouldn’t bother to scale them.

“Iwyn,” he says. His voice is crumbling as much as her determination.

She notices his collar is folded back under the fur, and she reaches to fix it, fingers brushing against his skin. She wants them to linger there, but she can’t.

“Ready?” she asks.  They have a job to do.

Solas nods.

-

When they arrive through the eluvian in Dirthamen’s foyer, the party is already in full swing. The halls are swirling with colorful magics and people. It is so much brighter and livelier than she expected, she had imagined the God of Secret to live in a dark and dreary place, full of shadows and whispers. She tells Solas much, and he mentions she will find the whispers soon enough, but they are not Dirthamen’s alone.

They circulate, and she can barely keep track of everyone, despite the preparations. Solas seems to slip right into it, playing along with the intrigues and mysteries as if he was born to do so. He probably was, of course, and Iwyn is the only stranger here.

There are conversations along trays of food in a lavish room behind the mirrored hall filled with dancing couples. The walls are white at the bottom, gradually turning blue and indigo. The ceiling is dark and infinite, littered with tiny magic stars. She wants to reach up and touch them. People are eating and idly gossiping, smiling and flirting. This has none of the oppressive air at Andruil’s gathering – though Andruil herself is here, somewhere, her mean laugh echoing along the halls.

They need to be seen, and to be remembered as party guests. It is all part of their plan to let the evening progress until they can slip away and find Dirthamen’s study.

So they dance, a little later, and it’s a good thing they practiced that too. Solas’ hands are firm and he is far too close, and far too tender. Alone, it had been somewhat careful, stifled, but not here, when they are putting on a show. She loves it and she hates it, drawing every last bit of pleasure from his nearness.

When they get off the dance floor someone gestures at Solas, and immediately starts a conversation about some magical theory. Solas introduces her to Lord Dirthamen, a shorter man with deep ochre skin and black hair. He has kind eyes, like her father. She can’t follow the theory, and when Dirthamen pulls Solas into a nearby room to draw up some diagram, she takes her leave of them. She goes off to mingle, giving herself an opportunity to find out how busy the side corridors are, if there are guards or servants.

The party doesn’t sprawl much, almost everyone are in the ballroom or nearby. It is not entirely empty in the side halls, though, so they should be able to explore a little without attracting too much attention. Satisfied with her scouting, she takes some time to look and observe the life around her.

Once alone she hears whispers she didn’t hear before. They don’t know her, and they dismiss her.

“Fen’Harel – he will be finished soon.”

“Dragging some no-one along. Typical. He is just a guard dog. I’ve heard Mythal will denounce him soon.”

“He is slacking, getting soft.”

She hurries away. They are not just talking about Solas, but the gossip about him is what she notices. It’s not so cordial after all. It’s worse than the Winter Palace, and she wants to argue, to yell at them all. He survived you all, she thinks. He is smarter, and kinder, and stronger than anyone.

She takes a deep breath and looks across the dance floor. Just a little longer, and their presence will have been enough. She is about to find Solas, when someone is at her side, saying her name. She turns to find a short elf with red hair and a sky-blue shirt. He asks her for a dance, and she has to agree.

One dance leads to another, and then more, changing partners as the dances goes on. Surprisingly she enjoys herself, thankful of the dance practice, enjoying the joyful informality of it, and the lack gossip. It is more of a ball than party, she realizes, the dancing taking central stage. Solas is still nowhere to be seen, when she catches her breath and drink.

“I’m glad you are here, Lady Iwyn,” someone says next to her. Sylaise. Tall and imposing, she wears a long white dress with tall slits for her legs, showing off her green pants underneath. Her black hair is braided, much more intricately than Iwyn’s own.

“It’s great to meet you again, Lady Sylaise.” It’s not entirely a lie. She is both fascinated and scared.

“A dance, Lady Iwyn?”

She nods, and Sylaise leads her into the dance again, dresses swirling about them.  

“You arrived with Lord Fen’Harel, I assume. I haven’t seen him yet.”

“I did. He went to discuss some magical theory with our host, I believe.”

“Leaving you all alone? I do hope Solas entertains someone like you properly, and doesn’t leave you wanting or bored.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m sufficiently entertained.”

“I suppose he does beg so prettily.”

A surge of jealousy rushes through her. It is one thing to know he has had lovers before her, it is another thing to meet them. To learn that the false god whose tattoos adorned her face knows him, intimately. Knows things about him that she thought was hers alone.

“He does.”

She still has a game to play. She smiles.

“I bet I can make you beg too,” Sylaise bends and whispers in her ear, her lips brushing against it. She shivers against her will, but catches Sylaise’s eyes and holds her gaze.

“I’m not so sure.”

The music swells and she twirls away and back, firmly in Sylaise arms when it comes to a halt.

“Is that a challenge?” Sylaise asks, and she holds Iwyn’s chin between her thumb and other fingers, tilting her head up. Her eyes are black pools, and it’s hard to see where her pupils begin and end. Iwyn feels the heat between them, and for moment she is curious.

It must have shown, or maybe Sylaise doesn’t care, for her lips descends, capturing Iwyn’s in a scorching kiss.

“I afraid you won’t find out,” she says when Sylaise pulls away, leveling her voice as best she can. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Solas, he must have returned to the ballroom. His face is impassive, his body rigid.

“Pity.” Sylaise shrugs and bows slightly. “Thank you for the dance.”

Iwyn bows back. “Thank you, Lady Sylaise.”

She makes her way to Solas, his eyes following her the whole way.

“Are you done dancing,” he asks. His tone is icy.

“Yes.” She smiles and arches an eyebrow.

He has no right to be jealous, but he certainly looks it. Or maybe it’s an act, as they are acting. She is suddenly tired of the whole thing and she links her arm in his and steers him towards the corridor they need to investigate. They can get this over with and leave, and he can go back to removing himself from her.

“You can do much better than Sylaise.”

“I’m not interested in Sylaise.”

“Good.”

It’s not busy here, and a cool breeze comes through the open windows along the corridor. A few party guests make their way here, but everyone is looking for privacy. They are close, like lovers looking for their own private time.

“I can’t figure you out, Solas. Do you want me or not? No – I know you want my body, but do you want me? What is it that you want? One moment you are running away and acting like you can’t wait to be rid of me, and the next you are jealous of some flirting. Why do you care?”

He stops. Turns to her.

“I love you.”

“What does that mean, Solas? You’ve said it before, and you’ve walked away. It means nothing.”

“I’m sorry. It means – it means I never stopped loving you. I know it is not fair to you. I…” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your sorries!”

“I know. I’m –” He stops himself and shakes his head. At least he doesn’t apologize for apologizing.

She sighs, and looks out the open window. Her patience is worn thin, and the enjoyment of the party seems a distant memory. There is a garden beyond the window, and she can smell the flowers, rich and cultivated roses. She wants the smell of the sea and dirt and hallas. She looks at the garden as she speaks.

“I love you Solas, but I need more than that. I’m willing to give our love a chance, to find a way forward. I still don’t know if you’re willing to do that, but sorry is not enough.”

“You love me still?” He asks quietly, surprised.

She turns back to him.

“I never stopped. I was waiting for you to find out what you wanted, from the moment you said you’d tell me everything when it was all over. Then here, when you did tell me about you and the orb and more. I was hoping we could move forward, for us to work together and be together. I still think we can. I can see the beauty here, in your world, but there’s beauty in mine too. Destroying everything can’t be the only choice, and I hope you can see that.”

“Iwyn, I – being here is difficult. It makes me remember what we have lost. It makes me remember things I have missed, and things I would rather not have remembered at all. I no longer know what my duty is, or where I belong. But no matter what my path is, I cannot bear to apart from you.”

“Then decide to be with me.”

He kisses her.

It hot and fierce, and then it’s soft. Gentle, like a sigh.

They break apart.

“Solas,” she says. “Iwyn,” he says, and their names intermingle, like a shared draw of their breaths.

They lean against each other, foreheads touching, and he has one hand tangled in her hair.

“What now,” she asks. “What now, Solas?”

“I don’t know. But I know I want to find out with you, rather than without you.”

She smiles and looks up at him. “We will find a way. Our love will find a way. I love you.”

Iwyn stands on her toes and kisses him again, gently on the lips. He opens his eyes and his hand falls to her shoulder, and she steps closer to him, breathes him in. She has missed him, even though he has been near. Now she holds him earnest, and real.

“I’ve missed you,” she says.

“And I have missed you, my heart.”

She kisses his cheek, his throat, and he groans and kisses her ear, causing her to shudder. Everything falls away, just him, here, in her arms willingly. There are entirely too many clothes between them, and she wants to peel them away, to feel his skin next to her. She has missed him so much and all she cares about is his hand, warm and large stroking her back.

There are footsteps in the hall, and she remembers they are not alone. When she looks over Solas’ shoulder, someone lifts an eyebrow and makes a go-on motion, as they glide through the hall.

They’re here for a reason, and she almost forgot.

“Solas. We need to find the study.” She nips his chin, and kisses it. “Later.”

“I know,” he says, and he kisses her again, and runs his hands up her back, over her skin. He toys with the bows at the shoulders.

She grabs his hand and pulls him down the corridor, then down another. With the kissing, no-one would wonder why they are hurrying away, or what they are doing. She hopes it doesn’t backfire, somehow. She wishes they could find an empty space and be as close as she wants to be. She has been waiting and wanting for too long, and the memory of him inside of her is not the same as reality.

“Did you talk about time travel with Dirthamen?” she asks, remembering their conversation from earlier.

“No, I could not turn to that subject without sounding suspicious. It was about plant magic, if you must know.”

“Really?”

“Dirthamen is a man of many interests. Ah, this is the study, I believe.”

She nods and regards the non-discrepant door. She hopes he is right, and that they can be done quickly.

“Is it warded?”

Solas concentrates and frowns.

“Yes. There is an interesting combination of spells here, one obvious and two hidden in the fade. I didn’t learn this technique until much later.”

“But you do know it now?”

“Yes, I know how to dismantle it without alarm. It requires a good deal of power though. I wonder… Will you allow me to pull on the magic of the anchor? That might work.”

She is reminded that it is his magic inside her hand, but she doesn’t mind. Not now. It is better than it belonging to Corypheus, she decides. She doesn’t mind Solas touching the magic either, not at all.

“Do what you need.”

He looks around and checks that the hallway is still deserted, then he grabs her hand. She feels the magic moving through her, familiar and cool. Solas casts. He makes no sound or motion; it is unlike the spells he uses for combat. He mutters something, and nods at her. She can’t feel any difference, there is still magic all around them, but she trusts him. She inspects the lock. Without magic, it’s a fairly simple one, without any trigger traps. She disarms it easily, and they slip inside.

The study is small and dark. Books and strange objects are haphazardly piled on the shelves that lines the walls. There are papers strewn on the floor. One cabinet is open, filled with parchments and scrolls and some small jars. Another cabinet is closed. There are two desks, one with stacks of books and more notes, and one which seem to be fairly clean, except for the spilled inkpot. It looks like someone dumped their letters or notes on the floor to save them from the ink, but neglected to clean up.

“We must be quick. I will examine the notes on the tables, if you want to search the cabinets and shelves.”

She nods. She goes to the closed cabinet first, and unlocks it. Inside are more notes, a pair of ornate daggers and some dusty feathers. None of it feels like the artifact at the temple, but she starts looking at the notes, sounding out the words. Elven is not easy for her to read, but this appears to be personal correspondence.

“Iwyn,” Solas says, as she is about to lock the cabinet again. “I think this might be worth a look.”

She goes to him, and curiously looks at what he found. It’s a bunch of notes, highly detailed and way too complicated for her to understand. Solas leafs through the pages and shows her a drawing. It looks suspiciously like the device they found in the temple.

“It looks a little like the device? Are these notes about time travel?”

She leans close, because she can.

“Yes. I cannot take this, but I am going to quickly read it. If I concentrate, I should be able to remember most of it.”

“Sounds good. I’ll keep looking for other things.”

She stands on her toes, and kisses him on his cheek. Solas drops the papers and turns and kisses her fully, his lips moving against hers. It’s brief and passionate and makes her heart sing with joy.

She reluctantly let go, though she halfway wants to forget about searching the study, and strip naked and have him, right here on the desk.

Instead, she turns her attention to the shelves. She doubts they will find much more than the notes Solas is studying, but it would be best not to miss anything. They probably can’t get back here easily.

Iwyn runs her fingers along the shelves, briefly looking at all the curious objects. A cat figurine, a small jewel, a piece of wood. There is no order or reason to any of it. None of it sticks out though, until she gets to the lowest shelf. She can smell it or feel it – something is familiar. She remembers the smell in the temple, the weird magic and how it filled the room. This is similar, but all the lowest shelf holds is a large ornamental chalice and lots of paperwork. It’s not until she is crouched all the way down that she notices the small dark and jagged stone half slipped under the shelf.

“Solas. I think I found something.”

He crouches next to her, wrinkles his nose and reaches for it. He stops himself before he picks it up.

“Perhaps this piece dropped when Dirthamen created the artifact?”

“Possible. We should be careful.” Solas pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket, and gently picks up the item. Nothing happens. He slips it into his pocket. “This is a great find. According to the notes, this stone is from a gateway between the fade and abyss, and has some peculiar innate properties.”

Iwyn is hopeful and relived. The notes, a bit of the item – with luck this means they can find a way to get back. And Solas seems to be willing to meet her, somewhere. Maybe not halfway, but they can work that out later. She smiles. Many things have gone well tonight.

“We should leave. We’ve been away for long, and I’m worrying about pushing our luck.”

Solas nods, and holds on to the papers a little longer, silently moving his lips. Then he places them carefully back in the mess on the desk.

They exit the room while the corridor is empty, lock the door, and Solas raises the magic back up. Iwyn hopes no one will notice anything. What if Dirthamen discover they were there, and the artifact is destroyed, or changed, or never ends up in the temple. Would it create some sort of strange timeloop where they both travelled back in time and didn’t? Best not to think of it, and try to act normal.

Solas leans close, and murmurs in her ear. “We should make ourselves visible, before we leave, to avoid attracting suspicion. Another dance?”

She slips her hand into his. She can get behind another dance, this time with no acting necessary.

[ofxelvhen]

Headcanon | FalonDin [ Falon’Din doesn’t express gender so much as extravagance, vanity, and moods. Elvhenan had many pronouns and gender choices and many either did not identify or identified somewhere outside what we now consider the binary. Falon’Din reaches for whatever catching his eye that day, everything in his closet is perfectly made to fit him and he flaunts it, even if his only audience is a (likely sleeping) Dirthamen.

One of the hardest things for him to adjust to as Aradin is the fact that society now not only has limited gender, but now has roles for the genders, even if said roles are often only loosely enforced. If asked “are you a boy or a girl” Aradin would likely just give a confused “yes” because he doesn’t identify as either, but if those are his only options he feels he is both and neither all at once. he doesn’t like the idea of being bound as one or the other and likes his freedom to dress and act however he pleases.

In Elvhenan, the twins had their own special pronouns; one used as a...kind of singular plural? I don’t want to say royal we, but it was a singular but encompassed both twins, as neither of them feel quite complete without the other. There was also a true singular that was used rarely and most commonly by Falon’Din when speaking on something he did not yet have Dirthamen’s okay on or it was a “Dirthamen doesn’t like this idea but it’s the best we got so i’ll take the blame in case it backfires.”

As a direct result, neither Falon’Din or Aradin see clothes or actions as having a gender attached to them. Anyone can wear a dress, Anyone can wear a suit. He doesn’t understand the limitations or who they may even possibly help. ]