Currently writing "By Gods Forsaken" on AO3 and that's going to be a 40+ chapter, 200k+ word retelling of Inquisiton to set up for my fix-it fic for Veilguard.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Returning to Skyhold doesn’t mean returning to normal. Instead, it feels like more and more problems are unfolding and Ellana struggles to keep her head above the water. One bright light in the darkness is a blue-bound book.
Chapter 23 is out and it’s a big one :) I sometimes worry that the Skyhold chapters -- despite full of character building -- are seen as boring so I’ve got a special treat today!
I’ve started an additional series, By Gods Taken, which will contain all the sex scenes that canonically don’t fit with my close-as-I-can-to-canon Inquisition retelling. This type of writing is not my forte, but I started this project in mind to practice my prose writing so I should practice everything I can.
If you're anything like me, you made it your mission to collect every single horse breed in Dragon Age: Inquisition. However. If you're anything like me, it annoyed the hell out of you to not have good parallels to real-world breeds for art references. This post aims to help with that, using some tomfoolery and shenanigans to give some vague approximation of region, build and color in order to find horse breeds that exist in real life and would make sense in Thedas.
This will be put under a cut after the first pony because this post got LOOONG. Enjoy!
The Ferelden Forder, or the Cleveland Bay
The Ferelden Forder is described as a "proud animal ... [that] ranges well beyond its namesake, at home in stables and armies across Thedas." In the game, the Forder is a beautiful rich dappled bay, with darkened legs, mane and tail. Given that Ferelden itself seems to be vaguely inspired by the regions present in the UK, the stout appearance, tallness and shapely body of the Cleveland Bay lends itself near-perfectly to the Forders, in my humble opinion. The only thing about the Cleveland Bay that isn't truly represented by the Forders is their white markings--Forders have a big white blaze on their face in Inquisition, whereas real life Cleveland Bays are considered inadmissable in the studbook with markings any larger than a small white star.
Despite that, I think the Cleveland Bay is an excellent point of reference to use when drawing Forders, and the color variations are perfect for learning how to shade all sorts of variations of bay ponies.
The Amaranthine Charger, or the English Thoroughbred
The Amaranthine Charger is described as "spirited but not unruly" and an "uncommon mount, sure to impress." Amaranthine is still within the borders of Ferelden--or at least neighboring it--but its proximity to the Free Marches had me stumped. It's my opinion that the Amaranthine Charger could go two ways: a lighter, faster breed, or a thicker one that's been crossed with that fineness. So, there are two good options I feel are representative of the Amaranthine Charger.
The English Thoroughbred or the Irish Sport Horse (otherwise known as the Irish Hunter). Both breeds are brave, both have some speed, both are generally seen as being handle-able, and they both come in an array of colors that could be fun for any artist wanting to try their hand at some funky markings and patterns. I only chose a black coat since that's what we see in the game.
The Orlesian Courser, or the Selle Francais
The Orlesian Courser is breed that is spirited, with a "lineage longer than most noble names." While technically the Selle Francais is a newer breed, it is made of a bunch of older French breeds being merged into one studbook. The range of height (155-180cm at the withers), more elegant conformation and refinement lends itself perfectly to a faster, more 'respectable' horse that still may be capable of carrying a knight or mounted combatant.
The Selle Francais typically comes in shades of bay, grey and chestnut, but other coat colors are possible, especially when crossed with other breeds.
The Dalish All-Bred, or the 'Some Sort of UK Pony Breed'
Dalish All-Breds are described in-game as being hardy and sure-footed, as well as a breed of "humble origins." New Forest Ponies are generally well-temptered and loyal, often used as family mounts or for children. Being a breed that often roams New Forest, these ponies are also rather brave and perhaps exceptionally well-suited to navigating challenging terrain, making them great parallels for the Dalish All-Bred. Ironically, while piebalds and skewbalds (the pattern presented in-game) disqualify New Forests from being added to the studbook, it isn't entirely uncommon to find such patterning within the breed. Other options for Dalish All-Breds might be Exmoor and Dales Ponies.
Green Dales Feral, or the American Mustang
The Green Dales Feral is said to have descended from stock that escaped the Qunari invasions in the North, which sounds an awful lot like the Spanish horses that worked their way over to America and became feral. Mustangs aren't often used by your average Joe, and the Green Dales Feral is also "rarely seen on the field." The horses are hardy, sure-footed and brave, and come in a variety of fun and interesting colors and patterns that are sure to dazzle and make for fun art studies. Mustangs also come in a lot of different shapes, so you can really customize your pony however you'd like them to look.
The Free Marches Ranger, or the Oldenburg
The Free Marches Ranger is a palomino in-game, so I did want to make sure the breed I referenced had horses in this particular coat color. The Oldenburg is a German breed; it's sporty, athletic and also rather even-tempered. Other options might be Holsteiners or Hanoverians, depending on how stocky you want your reference to be. With the Free Marches being such a loosely connected place, it's difficult to really pin down each city-state as being of a certain region, so I used the idea that often gets circulated that the Marches resemble German city-states and worked backwards from there.
The Asaarash, or the Iberian Horses
The Asaarash was another one difficult to pin down, as the model in the game seems to just be an armored version of the Green Dales Feral. However, the actual information blurb tells us that the breed is Rivaini in origin, resilient, and is used to carry messages across Seheron. There's a couple different directions here, but I chose to focus on the Rivaini origins of the breed and chose the Lusitanos and Pura Raza Espanolas to represent the Asaarash. They're powerful breeds that are tall and stocky, capable of carrying heavier loads as well as being used to work cattle. They're brave and particularly adapted to war, having been used as cavalry horses. Both also come in the chestnut coat.
If looking for a horse that would more closely match the 'speed' and desert adaptability of Seheron, I would recommend Egyptian Arabians as your starting point.
The Frostback Mountain Horse, or the Trotters and Saddlers
The Frostback Mountain Horse is used by the Avaar in the Frostbacks, making the horse hardy and adapted to cold by nature. I chose to look to Scandinavian horse breeds for this and discovered the Swedish Coldblood Trotter, a horse with some feathering (hair) around the legs that matches the in-game equivalent and comes in varying shades of brown and black. The game codex describes the Frostback Mountain Horses as being "fierce, loyal and not quite tame" which doesn't exactly match the psychological profile of these Trotters, but I felt the region and build apt enough regardless to overlook it.
Other options for mountain horses would be the American Rocky Mountain Horse or the Kentucky Mountain Horse (sometimes referred to as the Kentucky Saddler/Saddle Horse).
The Taslin Strider, or the Italian Saddle Horse
The Taslin Strider is described as a refined breed and is most common in Antiva's warmer areas. It's also described as being suited to long distances and spirited charges. I thought the Italian Saddle Horse, or Sella Italiano, would best fit this particular description. The Sella Italiano is a breed with a great degree of refinement, as evidenced by the beautiful floaty trot above and pricked ears. The Sella Italiano is also bred for show-jumping, giving it a degree of power and force. The breed also competes in three-day eventing and endurance, meaning it checks off the boxes for long distance riding as well.
The Imperial Warmblood, or the Lipizzan
You may be familiar with the elegant Lipizzan from the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, with their elegant caprioles and levades. The Imperial Warmblood, being this beautiful grey and described as imposing, made perfect sense to be represented by the Lipizzan. The horses have all the refinement of a dressage horse with all the warlike structure of a good cavalry horse (the two are actually more entwined than you'd think). Additionally, the Lipizzan has near world-wide fame, lending itself further to the Imperial Warmblood's omnipresence when the Tevinter Imperium was at its height. Nowadays, the breed seems to feature more often in the Imperium's homeland, mirroring the current concentration of Lipizzan horses today.
The Anderfel Courser, or the Altai
The Anderfel Courser was a tough one, and I'm torn between two options. The Altai is a breed that is suitable for mountainous terrain as well as cold climates, which I think makes it perfect for the areas of the Anderfels that are freezing and rocky (think Hossberg in Veilguard). However, the Anderfels also has areas of arid, rocky and cavernous deserts, which left me stumped. I think a combination of the Altai and the loose 'Afghan horse' category (Qatgani would be an excellent keyword to start on those horses, or the sport of buzkashi for action-packed poses) would be best suited to this strange combination of climates. It also fits the Anderfel Courser's description of being highly uncommon across Thedas. Being bred for the Grey Wardens, I think the Altai and Afghan horses would likely be the best suited for their particular brand of excitement.
Some Quick Diagrams
I realize not everyone is as into horses as I am, and may be stumped on how to search for certain colors and patterns when looking up references. As a final little send off, I've compiled here a group of diagrams designed to help beginners look for color, markings and patterns without drowning in resources on [insert your search engine of choice].
As always, feel free to play with keywords and markings, and really, just go buckwild. These are fantasy horses, after all. But I know sometimes finding references that fit the image in your mind's eye can be tough, so I hope this post helps out, either with finding drawing references or just showing off some cool kinds of horses you may have never heard about before!
If you're interested in learning about medieval horses and their general uses and care, I would highly recommend watching Modern History TV's Everything You Need to Know About Medieval Horses for more information.
How has autocorrect gotten so bad? It has been completely changing words! I typed "project" and it transformed it to "product". It's like it's trying to predict what I mean and I HATE it. Just shame me and leave my bad spelling at this point.
There's an important document discovered in the WEWH quest:
Lady M,
I need you at my side tonight. The unpleasantness in the royal wing has convinced me there is no safety within the palace. I do not expect my cousin to employ magic, but I would hardly be surprised if he provoked another infestation; since my court enchanter is not here to assist me, I must rely entirely upon you. There is no one else I can trust.
Celene
I feel like this is clearly a letter to Morrigan, but what is she referring to with "another infestation"? Is it Gaspard's men moving in?
I've basically just finished writing the WEWH sequence and looking ahead, I'm going to need to know who I want to be the next Divine. Without Viviene for an option ... I've always gone with Cassandra, but this time I'm not sure.
Leliana does some great things (dissolving the Circles, etc) but Justinia basically told her to stop, to lay down her burden. Would my Lavellan want to encourage her to be the Divine if it meant continuing being around schemes and politics if she deserves rest?
But I fear Cassandra doesn't make any changes and she's more ... Militant? Shes got a better sense of justice after her personal seeker quest, but will she make the best Divine? She doesn't want to lead which is why she turned down the role of Inquisitor even though she would have done a decent job.
Honestly, if Mother Giselle was an option, I'd be seriously considering her. I just don't feel like Leliana or Cassandra want to be Divine and that it's actually a punishment to select one.
One bit of obscure Dragon Age lore a day until Dragon Age: The Veilguard is released
A Legion of the Dead unit once stumbled upon an empty Archdemon prison below the ruins of Heidrun Thaig. They found old darkspawn corpses with heads pressed against the stone, positioned like they were praying. Despite the prison long standing vacant, a member of the Legion noted that the darkspawn who were chasing them through the Deep Roads wouldn't enter the prison chamber. Staying inside the cavern caused numbness and "stirred the brains". In a report to Orzammar, the Legionnaire who escaped the prison chamber wrote that he'd rather fight a darkspawn horde, or even face an actual Archdemon, than go back to that place: "whatever chains keep those monsters bound, I want nothing to do with. Even among the darkspawn, there are things unnatural."
Source: Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 106
Every time I think about Blackwall I remember that my first playthrough he disappeared and I just never went to Val Royeaux again. I never saw a need to when the Emerald Graves and Emprise du Lion were there to explore. I probably didn't have some sort of quest marking thing enabled so I just never knew quests were there so Josephine never got her family reinstated and Blackwall just left and never came back.
And I'm not the only one! My friend romanced Blackwall and hated the game because he left and she never found him again, never learned he was Thom.
Now as I'm writing it, the jumping around the map doesn't make that much sense. Back and forth between Western Approach and Skyhold to prepare for Adamant when it's right there? Solas takes Lavellan out to Crestwood and just... Leaves her there? That's 3 days away by horse!
As complaints go, though, it's not that big of an issue although poor Blackwall. I wonder how many people left him at the gallows.
As the scars from Adamant are slow to heal, the Inquisition makes the journey back to Skyhold while encountering a forbidden oasis and a desperate village.
Time to process what happened at Adamant with bickering, swimming, giant fights, and saving a village! All before they make it back to Skyhold!
I didn't realize how much I would fall for Josephine after writing the Wicked Eyes Wicked Hearts sequence. If I ever do another playthrough, I might romance her.
I think I've seen fan theories before that Leliana knew about Blackwall the whole time. Is that canon? I don't like that she would be sloppy enough to lose a report, but I could buy that she let him take it. But did she know he was Thom or just that he wasn't Blackwall?
Does anyone else have a problem with obsessively listening to the Lost Elf theme from Trespasser on repeat? I have been listening to it for days. It has basically become my brain at this point.
And can I say how fucking inspirational it is? It is driving me to create art like I haven't in years. Thank you Trevor Morris. 😩
I love it deeply and I'm so upset how much Hans Zimmer gets the credit for the reprise in Veilguard (although where is it? I think the only time I heard it outside the game was on Tumblr). I would recommend Trevor Morris' Vikings soundtracks if you want to expand a little further into his music.
I'm not finding much info online. What do we know about "elf-blooded" individuals? Could two have a full elven child or elf+elf-blooded have elven children? Are there any markers of being elf-blooded or is it just... Genetic? So to uncover it one would just have to do family tree stuff?
I feel like the only two characters I know are Alistair and Michel de Chevin and their both seemingly very human.
I also feel like Ive seen this is a very controversial topic so I'm just looking for information and would be interested if people have their own canons.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Ellana and her companions find themselves physically in the Fade, trapped in the realm of a Nightmare. To return to reality, they’ll need to battle demons and face their fears or else get trapped in an endless void of dark memories and despair.
And now the conclusion of Here Lies the Abyss! The Fade excursion in the Nightmare realm.
I have not cared for the "forced truce" ending before because I hate Gaspard, but I do love the fact that the Inq gets to tear into every single person. It's just a great "you all suck and now you have to wear this get-along sweater together" moment.
Did I tweak it just a little bit? Yes, because I have my own interests and this is my fiction. 😈
But I did really enjoy diving deeper in Florianne's character so I could write a villain speech worthy of her. I like her so much better now. Poor Florianne.
