Delve into Mysterious in the World of Thedas

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[dalishious]

This thing is like a cursed object that doesn’t go away huh

[rhunae]

Colored mosaics via Restored Mosaics mod

[dalishious]

What does it say about the Carta in Faces of Thedas? It would tremendously help me flesh out the background details of my Cadash/Brosca characters!

The Carta has been a thing almost as long as Orzammar has existed

Post-DA:O after Jarvia’s death, the Carta switched focus from Orzammar to the surface world (though they’ve always had their hands in both).

There’s actually more than one Carta organization, broken down into in different regions, all in an informal alliance with each other making up “The” Carta syndicate.

Additionally, there isn’t any single leader at the top; different groups have different bosses that interact/work with each other, but it’s also not uncommon for there to be disputes between said leaders, sometimes ending violently.

Under the boss is a lieutenant. 

If there’s an illegal activity you can think of, the Carta are probably part of it. This includes smuggling (what they’re most noted for, having a monopoly on dwarven smuggled goods), supplying thieves, fencing stolen goods, protection schemes, assassinations, and spying/selling secrets.

They’re also known to work hand in hand with the Merchants Guild. If you piss off a Guild member, you could end up with the Carta on your ass. The book goes as far as to say “it’s impossible to pinpoint where the Guild ends and the Carta begins.”

The Cadash family as a whole are “major players” in the Carta.

[dalishious]

Some miscellaneous Dragon Age lore bits sprinkled into Hard in Hightown (the book)

(Specifying the book because there are differences from and more than in the DA:I codex entries)

Nevarrans use beetle wings for decorative purposes.

Hightown can be divided into three types: The Dwarven palaces in their enclave, the Foreign Quarter subdivided by place of origin, (“where the wealthiest merchants from Orlais and Antiva stay during their twice-yearly visits to criticize the ship captains and shop clerks in their employ”), and the noble mansions of the locals.

The noble Hightown neighbourhood is colloquially known as “the Garden.” There are no house numbers, instead metal plaques with family heraldry hang over the lintels of estate doors.

Most nobles in Hightown can trace their lineage back to Orlesian conquerors and Tevinter landlords.

Kirkwall neighbourhoods are designed following old fault lines and veins in the rock, making it hard to navigate for even people who’ve lived there for a long time. Dwarves however, do not have this problem.

The Chantry has someone in the choir tower singing the Chant of Light at all times, “taking her turn at keeping the Chant of Light heard at all times in all the corners of the world.”

Apparently there is some kind of pension plan for Kirkwall guardsmen when they retire.

This could just be Varric bullshitting his readers–wouldn’t put it past him–but apparently the Kirkwall Guard uses trained nugs on patrol.

[ourinquisitorialness]

THEDAS THOUGHTS: ON TEVINTER SUCCESSION LAWS, OR, WHY DON’T NOBLE TEVINTER FAMILIES HAVE MORE GODDAMN KIDS?

(Warning: Contains spoilers for DA:I and Trespasser.)

Seriously, though…why do all these prestigious Tevinter families consistently seem to have just a single blood heir? Both Felix and Dorian are only sons and heirs of their fathers, and other noble-blooded Tevinter characters such as Maevaris Tilani and Livius Erimond also appear to be only children from what little we know about them.

In a society where bloodlines mean everything and Altus children are forced to memorize their family genealogies, where assassinations are so ubiquitous that a dinner party’s practically a dull affair without one, you’d think parents would take especial care to safeguard their bloodlines with as many children as they could manage.

I could see maybe in the case of arranged marriages – such as Halward Pavus and his wife Aquinea, who according to Dorian can’t stand one another – sharing a bed for long enough to produce a single child might be all they could stomach. But that doesn’t explain Alexius, who genuinely loved his wife before her untimely death. (WoT Vol. 2 describes Livia Arida as his “longtime sweetheart and fellow researcher.” That’s right, Alexius and his wife were mage nerds who married for love instead of ambition. D’awww.)

The only logical explanation I can find points to the Tevinter tradition of naming apprentices as heirs instead of one’s blood progeny. This seems to be fairly commonplace with Archons specifically: “Archons usually inherit their titles; they are the sons, nephews, brothers, cousins, or apprentices of previous Archons.” (WoT Vol. 1 p76)

Most notably, Archon Almadrius once started a bloody civil war when his Laetan apprentice, Tidarion, succeeded him as Archon and the Altus magisters refused to recognize his legitimacy. (WoT Vol. 2 p38)

I wonder, though, if these “apprentice heirs” aren’t a common practice among magisters and noble families, as well – perhaps even something akin to the ancient Roman tradition of “adopting” sons among the upper class. Roman “adoption” wasn’t the adoption we think of today; it was a way for noble families without sons to ensure that their names were carried on into the next generation, and a way for families with too many sons to be spared the expense of raising a dozen children.

Although Tevinter magisters don’t appear to actually “adopt” their apprentices from what we know of DA canon, there’s evidence to suggest that they might serve as heirs or at least protégés in the absence of a suitable blood heir.

Here’s a passage from the WoT Vol. 2 (pages 250-251) about Alexius and his wife Livia Arida:

Their only son, Felix, was born a few years later, and while the child displayed a little magical ability, it quickly became clear that Felix Alexius would never be much of a mage. Even with all his parents’ tutoring, he could cast simple spells only with immense effort. Gereon’s father, concerned that his future heir was, he said, “just barely more than a Soporati,” tried to have his own grandson assassinated. His gambit was effortlessly countered by Lady Livia, who then had her father-in-law killed, making Gereon head of House Alexius and safeguarding her son.

Gereon doted on his son. Since Felix could not learn much in the way of spells, Gereon brought in tutors to teach him history, music, literature – anything that the boy could study was offered to him on a silver platter. When Felix’s interests and talents turned out to be mathematical, his proud parents sent him to the University of Orlais to work with the best mathematicians in Thedas.

Since their son could not be part of their research, Alexius and Livia brought in apprentices. Livia took half a dozen of the most promising young scholars of the Fade and the Veil from across Tevinter under her wing, but Gereon chose only one: an exceptionally gifted student of thaumaturgy from the Minrathous Circle by the name of Dorian Pavus.

For the next few years, Alexius and Dorian worked on breaking the boundaries of magic itself, while his wife and her team of apprentices sought to determine the effects of such magic on the Veil.

First of all…can we all take a moment to appreciate Alexius’ badass late wife? Livia found out her own father-in-law wanted to get rid of the “embarrassment” of her magically challenged son and fucking murdered him. Mama Livia don’t play around. Alexius’ reaction to his father’s death isn’t mentioned, but I like to imagine the conversation went something like this:

Livia: Amatus? Gereon: Yes, love? Livia: You know how your dickhead old man wants our son dead? Gereon: Oh yeah…I’ve been meaning to talk to him about that. Livia: Yeah, I killed him. He’s dead. Gereon: Oh…well, good, then. Thanks, sweetie.

And can we take a second moment to appreciate that Felix was a fucking mathematician at the University of Orlais? Am I the only one who finds that incredibly sexy?

Anyway. I digress.

We see in this passage that even though Felix remained his parents’ heir apparent, Alexius and his wife took on apprentices to serve the role their son would ordinarily serve, had he been born a more gifted mage. Dorian further confirms the idea of apprentices as their mentors’ trustees in his dialogue with the Inquisitor in DA:I Trespasser:

Inquisitor: What did you do in Tevinter while you were away? Dorian: I went home…twice. Father was only there once. Mother was drunk both times. I also went to Qarinus, to see my good friend Maevaris. Then I settled some of Alexius’ affairs. That wasn’t fun.

With Felix dead and Alexius either dead with him or condemned and stripped of his titles, his apprentice Dorian was the one tasked with settling Alexius’ legal affairs. It’s not discussed whether Dorian actually inherited any status or holdings from Alexius, but I like to imagine that he did.

Dorian talks about heirs yet again in Trespasser during the conversation about his own father’s death:

Dorian: I received notice this morning: a perversely cheerful letter congratulating me on assuming his seat in the Magisterium. We only met a few times while I was home. He didn’t say anything about keeping me as his heir.

The way he says that Halward “didn’t say anything about keeping me as his heir” suggests that Halward had others he might have appointed as his heir in Dorian’s place. Since Dorian is an only child, it’s fair to presume that he might be referring to Halward’s apprentices – or perhaps he simply meant cousins or nephews who belong to the Pavus bloodline. It’s hard to know for certain.

In any case, it’s something interesting for us to ponder about Tevinter culture and the significance of the mentor/apprentice relationship among mages both academically and socially.

[wyrdsistersofthedas]

DA4 Behind the Scenes and Reading Between the Lines, Part 1

We’ve calmed down enough here at Wyrd Sisters Central to put together a few thoughts about the art and game scenes from today’s BIoWare update.

Here is what we’re thinking so far…

Rivain Revealed?

After doing some checking, we are thinking that these egg shaped domes are likely representative of Rivaini architecture (World of Thedas Vol. 2, p. 134).

This particular picture is interesting, as it seems to be a blending of another architectural style as well, (likely Antivan, as it is Rivain’s only neighbor by land).  

Meaning this particular city would likely sit between the two countries. Looking at the map, a significant city that fits this description is the city of Ayesleigh. Ring any bells? Ayesleigh is actually the site where the elven hero, Garahel, slew the Archdemon of the 4th Blight, Andoral. 

Could this be another view of Ayesleigh? It looks to be the same building (and mountain) but from the other side.

And here we have what is likely (in our opinion) one of the major cities in Rivain. Could it be Dairsmuid? Or possibly the island of Llomeryn?

This image from World of Thedas Vol. 2 (p 129) is not captioned, but certainly has design elements that resemble the city we see in the concept art.

And speaking of Rivain and the Rivaini…

Bela in the Sea

We have a very Isabela looking swimmer present here!  And some other interesting folks as well!

Possible Dorian sighting here?  Whoever he is looks to be wearing armor like Zevran’s Black Shadow costume, who by this point might have formed his own gang to take down the Crows. If it isn’t Dorian, this character owes both Dorian and Zev royalties for his sweet style!! You also have to wonder why developers would make two characters so similar in design, but this is still early in the development process. 

And ummmmm….did y’all see the skeleton in the corner doing a swan dive into the ocean?  We would be so happy if this turned out to be Audric from “Down Among the Dead Men” in Tevinter Nights!

Assassins in the Street

Speaking of our beloved Zevran, it sure looks like the man himself “Black Shadow-ing” up behind the man in the blue, green, and gold robes. It seems Zev’s people (or our people ^_^) have business with the lady in the litter. The architecture here looks (possibly) Antivan from what we’ve seen illustrated in the comics.  Tiled roofs seemed to be a hallmark of Antivan architecture and that can be glimpsed here in the top left corner.

Who is the fellow smirking at the front of the litter with Zev and his Qunari lady friend?  He has some traits in common with the fellow pictured here on the left…

Are these pretty people new companions?  Associates of Zev’s?  We seem to see possible variations of them in several pictures.  

Decima would really like the Qunari man on the far left to be our beloved Arishock, the warrior formerly known as Sten, but who knows? Also, the guy in the front-center could be the underwater Dorian-knock-off again. If so, his style is becoming more distinct, and very HANDSOME! 

This heavy stone architecture looks much more Teviter. The triangles on the building in the background as well as the robed figure and their guards also suggest this is the Imperium.

Other Exotic Locales

We were also excited by how many locations were featured in the concept art and game preview.  Lots caught our eye, but here were some that really stood out to the Sisters today.

The Wardens at Weisshaupt

Weisshaupt in the Anderfels, am I right? I mean, the arid, desolate landscape? The huge gryffon carving? The tall-ass building you could fly a griffon off of? It’s gotta be Weisshaupt! YAY!

Could this be an inner chamber of Weisshaupt Fortress?  Notice all the Grey Warden banners and the Wardon-y looking fellow. The table, however, has echoes of the war table at Skyhold. 

And holy shit! Is that a freakin’ rift opening up outside the window? We knew there was trouble brewing in the Anderfels, but that would be a devastating development.  Especially without an Inquisitor on hand.  ;)

Not so “Stark” haven?

Okay, going out a limb here, but we really want this to be Starkhaven. Yeah, yeah. We know we saw Starkhaven in the Knight Errant comics, but let’s face it…not everything in the comics is canon (or Alistair’s eyes would be blue). 

We were disappointed with how small, and rather ugly, Sebastian’s hometown was in the comic. What gives us hope that this could be Starkhaven is the waterfalls (which are vaguely represented in Knight Errant #3) and Genitivi’s description of the place. 

Also, if Sebastian’s armor was a city, wouldn’t it look like this? ;-) 

There was so much to examine in the DA4 Behind the Scenes update, that we need to break this post up.  

Stay tuned for more meta in Part 2.  We’re putting the “Air” back in aravels,  finding fine Dwarven Crafts definitely not direct from Orzammar, and your friendly neighborhood Titan Boi!

-Decima and Morta

[chantry-scholar]

Lake Calenhad docks, and Kinloch Hold, which used to house the Circle of Magi. 

[maythedreadwolfbreakyou]

Crazy New DA4 theory incoming...

Part 1

Okay, so hear me out. I was thinking about this last night, and only got around to writing this today. But apparently I am not the only person who was having this theory.

Here is why this is a really interesting theory. First off, we have these lines from Mythal.

Now, how could Mythal possibly get revenge if the Evanuris are locked away somewhere in the vast and endless Fade? Flemythal is powerful, but even they cannot navigate the Fade that successfully. So, the only answer is that Mythal likely found Flemeth after the Veil had been erected. Now she is steering events to how she believes will best benefit her and her plan for revenge. It is very possible that the veil being erected was not part of her original plan. If the magisters who cracked open the Black City were actually influenced to do so by Mythal, perhaps as some kind of test trial, and they failed, perhaps that is what fueled this new path in her plan to instead have the Veil torn down by Solas. Thereby freeing the Evanuris and making her plan for revenge easier to carry out. There is already a theory that the Black City could be where the Evanuris is locked away.

But why would Mythal be so hellbent on vengeance? That is another part of the theory. We need only look to these lines from Mythal:

Does this not sound familiar? Let's take a look at our old friend Anders...

Anders had the same thing happen to him with a spirit of Justice. And as we have learned, many spirits have mistaken themselves as people who have died. Having no memory of NOT being that person (examples are the spirit on Lady's Rest, and the Down Among the Dead chapter in Tevinter Nights). Mythal was an icon of justice, protecting her people and being a voice of reason. What if a spirit of Justice, unknowingly mistaking itself for Mythal, went to Flemeth because that is what the real Mythal would have done.

And in Flemeth's anger, along with perhaps the last remnants of Mythal's anger before her death, Justice was perverted into a spirit of Vengeance?

Knowing this, and remembering how Anders tricked and manipulated Hawke into doing his dirty work so he could blow up the Chantry, is it really that farfetched to believe Flemeth would trick and manipulate others, including Fen'harel who wallows in his past mistakes and holds a strong desire to protect the People?

[maythedreadwolfbreakyou]

Part 2

Then remember that we were treated with this little scene:

In this scene, we see Flemeth putting a piece of herself into the Eluvian. We have seen Flemeth put pieces of herself elsewhere, such as she did in DA2 for a reason unspecified. Not to mention she seems to show up at the beginning of DA2 regardless if your Warden killed her or not in DA:O, which leads us to speculate that she may have pieces of herself elsewhere. Like Voldemort and his Horcruxes.

There is also the matter of this scene where it LOOKS like a sad friend who made a mistake coming to another friend for consolation, only to rob her of her power. I know many wonder that, if that was the case, why is Flemeth putting a piece of herself into the Eluvian like she knows what is about to happen?

I think she did know. And she knew because the scene at the end isn't a friend coming to another for help and consolation. It is a minion apologizing for failure to their master. Though, perhaps Solas does not see this flip side of their interaction where Flemeth does. And he is acting out how she planned and intended. Even unknowingly. That is why she knew he would take that power from that piece of herself, and create another one.

It may still come down to saving Solas/redeeming him or killing him even with Flemythal potentially being revealed to be the BBEG. But whether he dies or not at your hands may very well influence whether or not you have an ally.

[mackie-n-cheese]

Found this on Reddit, and I 100% agree

[livia-arida-deactivated20201018]

I may have made these screenshots before, but lost them when I switched computers. So here they go again! From Alexius’ and Felix’s backstory in the World of Thedas, Vol. 2 (page 250-ish iirc?). Plus my ‘witty’ remarks. 

I highly recommend that the person who expressed disbelief in Alexius’ viability as a ‘good’ LI on my RP partner’s blog carefully consider this information. ^^

[felassan]

The Origins of the Halla

[theory]. cut for length, Tevinter Nights spoilers and because it’s not very pleasant

Keep reading

[felassan]

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but... How exactly does lyrium potions work? I mean, lyrium can't be digested because it's literally poison, right? So how do mages replenish their mana during fights, given that they are unable to simply sip the mixture and throw the bottle away? Is there any explanation of this process?

hi Nonnie, no you’re fine, it’s not stupid. I encourage folks who have questions or things they’re wondering about to hmu like this becuz I genuinely enjoy talking about this stuff and tryin to help :) I put this answer under a cut because it became quite long (although Tumblr coding is doing something whack with it idek).

as you say, lyrium is a really dangerous and volatile substance, and can cause both psychological and physical harm, especially to mages. there’s not an out-and-out explanation on your query or how lyrium potions work that I’m aware of, but there’s a few things at work here. (mages are definitely able to sip the mixture of a lyrium potion and replenish mana for the record! we see this in the books, and drinking lyrium potions also grants mages such things as the ability to enter the Fade when fully awake and temporary short-term access to power levels far greater than their natural magical potential. this is supported in the lore. mages also don’t need lyrium potions to perform magic, it only enhances what they can do and speeds up the replenishing of their strength. the average combat-experienced mage can probably cast more than three spells in battle without needing to chug a potion.)

now first, the explosive and seriously dangerous kind of lyrium is actually lyrium in its raw form, the ore as it is untouched in the earth. the most experienced members of the dwarven Mining Caste are capable (just about) of safely mining it. they can do this due to their natural resistance, though it must be noted that they’re not immune, that the resistance is only partial, and that if they go to the surface it’s lost over time. they then process and refine it into a form which is less dangerous. it’s this processed, refined lyrium which is in lyrium potions. the reason why we don’t know much about how the dwarves go about this mysterious process of processing and refining is because they keep it secret, and a jealously guarded one at that, to the point that only a handful of Mining families know how. but whatever they do, it renders lyrium into a variant form which is less dangerous, although not harmless of course. it needs to be processed like this for mages to even be able to approach it.

next, only a small quantity of lyrium is in a given lyrium potion (per the item description they have in one of the games). I suspect this (what feels to me as essentially amounting to dilution) also has an impact in lessening the potential for harm, or the extent of the harm done. this idea is supported by lore: “mages [consume it in a] diluted form... [overindulgence is bad,] particularly in more concentrated amounts”. in addition, to make a lyrium potion, the lyrium is “mixed with liquid”. this is just a feeling of mine, but I can’t quite imagine that a lyrium potion is simply a small quantity of lyrium diluted/dissolved/mixed up in a larger quantity of water. this is bordering on headcanon, but it’s possible that whatever other ingredients are in there, they help to render the lyrium to be.. more inert? more stable? less harmful to the body.

the lore also does actually acknowledge that lyrium potions have a damaging effect on the body for mages (see Vivienne’s comments on mana imbalance). there’s an element of what’s called gameplay-story segregation here. mages in Thedas aren’t truly chugging lyrium potions all the time on the field of battle the way we do in-game to restore mana, just like Dragonborns in Skyrim don’t really stop in the middle of a battle to eat ten wheels of cheese and five loaves of bread in order to regain HP. as a function of gameplay, spells require mana to cast, and so we require a way to restore mana. in reality mages wouldn’t be drinking lyrium potions anywhere near as often, and use of lyrium potions by (sensible) mages would be considered and measured. this is because the lore does actually say/acknowledge that long-term or excessive use of lyrium (i.e. potions) by mages can even lead to physical mutation (the uppermost magisters of the ancient Imperium reportedly became unrecognizable and inhuman-looking due to this). so it’s a resource that would be used sparingly and at time points which would be ‘spread out’, so to speak (or so I think). it should also be noted that unlike templars in the later stages of lyrium addiction, which is progressive and doesn’t get better, mages with mana imbalance are somehow able to recuperate from the effects. whatever the reason for this is, it’ll be do to with their being mages.

also, during the development of DAO, the effects of lyrium use and addiction were originally going to be shown in both mage characters and those with the templar spec. drinking the potions was supposed to yield diminishing benefits. DGaider wrote once on this saying:

The implementation we had was that, if the addiction developed, the use of lyrium had diminishing returns. You needed more and got less. The problem we encountered, is that mages pretty much needed to drink lyrium potions [note: this ties to gameplay-story segregation as mentioned above]. Addiction was practically guaranteed. So there needed to be some method of dealing with the addiction without rendering it pointless, and ideally some kind of story implication...

...and you can see why it suddenly became costly. If we could come up with some other implementation that was meaningful, I'd like to see return in the future -- it was something templar characters were meant to face as well as mages, after all.

ultimately they dropped it because they couldn’t find a way of implementing it that was both playable and cost-effective. the fact that this was dropped in this way contributes [on a meta level] a bit to the origin of where your question comes from.

hope this helps make sense of things somewhat :)

[dragonageconfessions]

CONFESSION: I always wonder how injured my Inquisitor was when they escaped Haven. Considering the fact the Dragon’s flames threw them back, & then Corypheus threw them against the trebuchet, then they fell down a hole, I figured some bones had to be broken

[gerundsandcoffee]

AHEM.

*taps mic*

Friendly neighborhood student PT here.

Let’s talk about the hits the Inquisitor takes from Corypheus’ attack on Haven.  Basically, the things we see in cut scenes that are canon (i.e. I am not going to address normal, body-weight force falls, even though people can and do break bones in those situations all the time).  Whatever injury the Herald endures as a result of fighting a slew of Red Templars is between you and your head canon :D.  

First of all, without radiographs (AKA the film that comes from an x-ray) we can’t know about hairline fractures, and without manual muscle testing, we can’t know the damage to soft tissue structures (AKA everything that’s not bone).  So, let’s look at the trauma:

Initial blast from the ‘arch demon’ that blows up some red lyrium; the Herald goes flying, lands first on their ribs and then bounces onto the shoulder before rolling to a stop where they are, understandably, quite dazed.  And likely, already in some significant pain.

Corypheus lifts the Herald by the wrist, but it’s not actually a very forceful lift.  I’m going to assume that if a Herald can jump off house-height surfaces and land without too much injury, they are probably OK supporting their own body weight at the shoulder joint.  Think about doing a one-armed pull-up. There is more to say about this, which I will address below.

In the trebuchet throw, the Herald lands on the shoulder already injured (and friend, hope you’re not right-handed) and then has a secondary hit on the neck, with a kind of tertiary head smack (head smack is a technical term).

After the Mulan-esque snow cascade, the Herald jumps down a hole partially covered by wood slats, which are not very forgiving at all as wood is an excellent construction material simply for the amount of weight it can take, and they hit their right lower back.  This unilateral trauma is going to need a miracle to fix (OR A SKILLED PT, AYYYYYYYY).

I’m going to assume, without video reference of the Herald getting up, that because the last you see of them is falling face down, they probably put their hands out to break their fall before still end up landing face down.  We know nothing of the shaft down which they fall, if it’s possible to catch one’s self, and that, despite what movies tell us, without base-jumping material, it’s impossible to create a moment arm large enough to turn yourself in such a short distance. So, they land on their wrists, and then have some rib and face-smacking going on.

Now let’s take a look at the result of those injuries, and the overall loss of function the Herald will likely experience, based on actions of those muscles, and, in one situation, the neck hit.

I’m actually studying the upper extremity right now, and I can tell you that the Herald likely sustained a ruptured coracoclavicular ligament.  The CC lig is responsible for helping lift the scapula when the clavicle elevates.  There are different degrees of blow out, but because we play Dragon Age, let’s assume the worst.  It’s a 3rd degree rupture.  Herald, sucks to be you, but your clavicle is now popping up through your skin like Quasimodo’s hump (only on the front) and you are not lifting that arm. You have also compromised your latissimus dorsi and probably your teres major after that rib fall, if you didn’t completely dislocate ribs from your spine (maybe not since there is a bunch of muscle between your skin and those bones).  But, the lat injury and the shoulder injury mean that even if you could lift your arm overhead, which you can’t, you would not be able to pull heavy things back down. Don’t even get me started on your rotator cuff.

When the arm lifts overhead, it needs to externally rotate from the humerus to fully anatomically flex.  If you do not turn it outward a bit, the tendon of the long head of the biceps brachii catches on the Greater Tubercle of the humerus and will not go into full flexion (AKA raise all the way up).  Coryphicus does NOT bother to do this for the Herald, and the arm is clearly still internally rotated.  It’s not likely to cause a huge injury, except maybe straining that biceps tendon, but it sho nuff is uncomfortable.

OK, these are the doozies.  First of all, there is serious aggravation of an area that has already been injured.  If there isn’t swelling, There’s swelling, which is going to create all kinds of stiffness and reduced motion issues.  There may be a fracture at the neck of the humerus, which will still be movable but hurt like the dickens, except now you’re making me talk about the Rotator Cuff muscles (YOU DONE MESSED UP, A-ARON). JK, these are muscles that lift the arm, pull it away from the body (like jumping stars), and pull it behind you.  Haha, you’re jacked.  Think about what that motion looks like in every day life. The neck hit, if vertebrae were not fractured, could still cause irritation in the spinal nerves.  Any time that happens you risk losing function.  LET’S DO IT:  the neck hit is lower neck, so upper thoracic and lower cervical vertebrae.  Herald, C3-4-5 keeps the diaphragm alive, you’re luck you’re still breathing.  Oh, but you know what’s not lucky?  Nerves C5-C8 are the majority of your brachial plexus.  That’s right.  Your arms.  BOTH of your arms. T1 is also there, and you hit that one, too. Let’s skip the rest of the thoracic, which mainly covers your autonomic nervous system (because you’re already in full sympathetic nervous system response: “fight or flight” amirite?), which is working just fine, and your other extrinisic back muscles, which are already screwed up. The part of the head that is struck is clearly the occiput.  But the Herald stands up and looks at Corypheus, so I’m assuming they’re not blind; probably really, really concussed, though.

See latissimus dorsi injury above. Also, that hit could have easily injured part of the external oblique (whose aponeurosis is also attachment for the lats) which is going to seriously impede your ability to turn side-to-side and bend.

After all that, assuming you can still use your arms, landing on the hands/wrists would not necessarily shatter them.  A likely break would occur at the styloid process, AKA the big bump on the outside of your wrist.  However, other fractures are unlikely because we assume you’ve been drinking your milk, have good bone density, and have a stellar interosseous membrane that does its job to transmit those forces up your arm.  Oh, you’ll be sore, Herald, but that is going to be the least of your worries. I don’t even want to talk about your broken ribs or how hard you smacked your head.  Let’s just say when your own body weight lands on rocks under some nice mass x acceleration, you definitely hit hard enough to break stuff.  Maybe punctured some of the soft structures beneath like lungs?  Or heart?  Definitely a possibility. You were unconscious for several hours, minimum.

Basically, the Herald’s ability to lift things with that right arm is super compromised, and their spinal nerve irritation is probably causing problems for both arms.  They have likely broken bones, at the very least sheared some articulations (AKA joints) with serious translation, strained muscles and probably blown some ligaments, which are as important as muscles when it comes to guiding/directing and stabilizing motion of the body.

Me?  This is just me, but I think that Before the Dawn scene likely happened daaaaaaays after Corypheus’ original attack.  The Journey to Skyhold would not have seen any normal Herald jumping on rocks and clip-climbing up snowy mountainsides.  Nor would they have been lifting a gigantic sword a few days later to accept the title of Inquisitor.  They are going to be lucky if they can wipe their own bottom and feed themselves.

This is, of course, assuming that the Anchor does not possess supernatural healing abilities as well.  Who knows?  You know who knows, but we have to find him first.

[dragonageconfessions]

Reblogging this for the confessor who sent in the confession. Its also pretty fascinating and informative. :-)

[scrptrx]

As an osteologist with 2.5 semi-related degrees and training in forensic anthropology as well as years of experiencing PT on herself, I can attest to at least the general accuracy and awesomeness of all the above. Also, major kudos to gerundsandcoffee, and thank you for the bone nerd pr0n.

Adding to the nerding out…

Assuming the Inquisitor had any broken bones at all (likely, as fall injuries in which you brace yourself can Fuck You Up - I would know…) they would not be able to walk for days or weeks, depending.

If any bone in the wrist was shattered, Maker help them. I guess when there are mages and Andraste has your back, you’ll be helped out a little more than the average Joe.

Broken bones begin to heal themselves almost immediately, which is why they need to be rebroken and then set if not set fairly soon. If a bone is not set properly first or rebroken and then set, it will heal to look like this (which is not fully healed yet, nor properly set). Even days after a break, the soft tissues surrounding bones repair themselves (pending more serious tears). 

Here’s hoping there was a mage healer around there somewhere, because there isn’t much to do (lacking surgical pins?) for a broken clavicle or rib (as far as I know) nor fingers or toes. In most cases, ribs and clavicles will heal fine (better if you don’t move around all the time), but will never be without a twist, bulge (callus), or off-set line compared to their natural state. 

With modern casts, a broken leg takes about 2 months to heal (depending on severity). Arms, a little less than that (my wrist injury, as a child, was 3 weeks full cast 3 more half cast, and children heal faster than adults).

Fun fact: If your Inquisitor is under the age of 30, some bones are still growing/fusing, and if the growth plate (epiphysis) is broken, could irreparably compromise growth and formation (though maybe not as much in a child).

Inquisitor is between 18 and 30: Their medial clavicle (collarbone) is still fusing. Injury area: severe blow to the center of the chest right below throat (if it doesn’t kill you). Result: possible shortened clavicle and resulting muscle compromises (mostly shoulder/chest). 

Inquisitor is between 16 and 22: Most limb bones (not already fused) are starting to fuse,also rib heads (by the spine). Injury areas: broken elbow, hip joint, knee area, shoulder joint, outer ankle (that bump, you know the one), wrist, spine, some finger/toe bones. Result: weakened arm and leg strength; foot issues; possible issues with muscles attaching to ribs (anything that can hurt when you breathe), but not severe; possibly shortened fingers/toes.

Inquisitor is under 16: Nothing is completely fused, and if the growth plate is broken and a healer can’t fix it, you’re going to be deformed with small and weak limbs.

Naturally, severe injuries to muscles and bones are going to be bad enough as an adult and need serious external help, and even without having the possibility of compromised bone growth (teens are almost “full sized humans” anyway), you’re going to be out of commission for weeks.

Thank fuck for Andraste (and mages).

[gerundsandcoffee]

It got BETTER.  Thanks scriptrixdraconum!!  

Reblogging this because of added input from an osteologist and because bones are awesome.  I love them.  Bones are amaaaaaazing, but setting their breaks is definitely outside of my scope of practice :D.

Also, wanted to add that in my number 2 explanation, I incorrectly said it was the long head of the biceps tendon that would catch.  No, it is instead accurate to say that when the arm externally rotates, it is the acromion process that the greater tubercle needs to clear for full extension.  Perhaps no one else but me would notice that was incorrect, but I accomplished more studying after this, soooo- correction!

[fromorzammarwithlove-deactivate]

Dwarves are titans

We all know that the Shaperate of Orzammar is tasked with writing the memories of Orzammar, which are hewn into lyrium. But where does this tradition come from? Why do the dwarves do this?

When a dwarf dies, the saying goes that they "Return to the Stone". Dwarves can even sense the Stone. But in The Descent we find out that 'The Stone' is actually a Titan and the titan's body is lyrium.

The three things are interchangeable. The Stone is lyrium is the Titans. And they store the memories of the dwarves.

The Stone has a rhythm, lyrium "whispers" and the Titan we meet in trespasser communicates with Valta. This clearly means that they have sentience.

When Dagna peers into her lyrium rune, her 'thought' was 'all the thoughts'. I think this quote is a key indicator for the nature of lyrium/Titans/The Stone. Because if we play an elaborate connect-the-dots-game, we come to a conclusion that explains it.

When dwarves die, they return to the Stone. Their memories aren't just metaphorically stored in lyrium, but literally. When a dwarf dies, their entire consciousness becomes part of the Titan. And the Titan, the amalgamation of every dwarf's thoughts and memories, communicates with the living dwarves via lyrium. More than that, if a living dwarf is exposed to unprocessed lyrium, they establish a connection to it, its 'song' invades their own thoughts and they develop an intense desire to go into the deep roads, the primeval home of the dwarves, where the heart of the Titan lies.

As of DA:I post-Trespasser, the Titans are dormant, but there have been nice little teasers in various DLCs and arguably some of the promo material for DA:4, though the latter might as well be about the evanuris, archdemons or the Forgotten Ones. Needless to say, it is possible that the Titans will awaken in a future installment of the game. And that would have huge reprocussions for the dwarves.

Not to mention what a catastrophic effect the blight could have on dwarves, lyrium the Stone and the Titans.

[rivainisomniari]

Elven word for “Dalish”

So, I was looking for elven words to make up a name for my Original Dalish clan and I noticed that I couldn’t find any word in elven for “Dalish”. I found it quite odd since I’m sure Dalish comes from Dales ( The Dales → Dalish ) and it’s how the humans call the elven homeland in the common language of the game (forgot what it’s called). 

It seems weird to think that the Dalish elves wouldn’t have a word in their own language for ‘dalish’, especially considering that they take huge pride in being so. 

To fix that, I decided to take matters into my own hands:

In DAI, the Dalish clan you find in the Exalted Plains say that, in elven, the plains are called Dirthavaren (The Promise). I assume that this name can be used when talking about all of The Dales’ territory. 

To make an elven word for ‘dalish’, we can simply take Dirthavaren and combine it with Elvhen. 

Dirthavaren (The Promise) + Elvhen (People) = Dirthavhen (People from The Promise).

So here it is, a fanmade word for ‘Dalish’ in elven: Dirthavhen.

Feel free to use it in your stories (or make your own!). I would like to be given credits tho XD

[scholarsofthedas]

Void’ Memories - Disorientated Time in Confinement.

Hello everyone! Researcher Minaeve here, I truthfully should not browse through research material early in the morning. Despite my better judgement, I did it to pass some time. And this very morning I stumbled over something potentially or is it theoretically dark? Concerning one of the most infamous apostates in the Dragon Age. I am referring to the notorious Anders, formerly of Kinloch Hold a mage who passed his Harrowing. We are familiar with his story, seven escape attempts. And during his seventh attempt;

The Ferelden Circle allowed its inhabitants a weekly period of supervised outdoor exercise until one mage used the time to stage an escape attempt. In the same Circle, the punishment for a crime like that earned the perpetrator three years of complete isolation. By now you may be asking. But Anders was only in isolation for a year? Right? Or was he really isolated from social interactions for a whole three years? I will admit from here on out I am going to venture out into theoretical territory and a dash of tin foil further down. Don’t worry I will add a reminder when we reach tin foil territory! Humans are very social creatures. We generally thrive being in larger groups, talking and interacting. Just a simple smile and a “Good Morning” or “Hello,” is enough to fill our social meter for the day. 

When we play the mage origin we get a chance to explore some of this dungeon space in Kinloch Hold. Some of the rooms are used as storage, and there are some doors as a mage we cannot enter. There is the chance of Anders cell being one of these locked doors.  

Now we don’t know the exact conditions for the duration of Anders isolation cell. I will give the Templar’s of Kinloch Hold some credit here, they are not the worst kind of templars we meet throughout the games. Estimated that Anders was fed three times a day. Switching out the empty food tray, for another one. I will assume they were kind enough to remember giving Anders water skins to drink from too. But the Templars in charge of guarding the door to Anders cell were likely not allowed to speak to him. Complete and utter isolation, torture almost sounds like mercy compared to that kind of seclusion.  As I mentioned earlier humans are social creatures. We are not equipped to endure an extended period of isolation and being completely alone. And our minds will try to come up with ways to lessen the impact of that kind of loneliness. As I mentioned earlier humans are social creatures. We are not equipped to endure an extended period of isolation and being completely alone. And our minds will try to come up with ways to lessen the impact of that kind of loneliness.

(Excerpt from an article explaining what isolation does to a person. I will give a link in sources below.) 

Now this part; may have problems processing information. Like losing track of how much time has passed since being sent to isolation? When I first read this I instantly thought, this reminds me of Anders, doesn’t it? Which instantly lead me to the thought; Was it only one year of isolation or was Anders well within his third and last year of isolation? Did his mind somehow mash together three years into just one very long year of loneliness?  Was this Anders coping mechanism to prevent himself from going mad? His assumed one year release happens just before Uldred’s coup during the Broken Circle quest. I cannot fault Anders to being more than, a little disoriented and confused. When he found his chance to escape from the cell.  After Uldred is dealt with the templars dispatched half a dozen of their best mage hunters to bring Anders –now a presumed maleficar– back dead or alive.   The Templars outside Anders door knows the Circle is wrought in chaos because of Uldred. Now due to their templar training, they may have tried to put down a potential maleficar/abomination, fortunately, they did not succeed. Now perhaps we can thank Mr Wiggums for fusing with a Pride demon and taking out the three templars outside his cell. Which made it easier for Anders to escape during the chaos. (Thank you Uldred!) (I will get back to Mr Wiggums in a bit.) After Uldred is dealt with the templars dispatched half a dozen of their best mage hunters to bring Anders –now a presumed maleficar– back dead or alive.

(Excerpt from an article I found. The link below in sources.)

Now consider this;

 Anders is within his rights to be not entirely in the right state of mind. His hatred toward the Circle of Magi most likely grew stronger in his year(s) of isolation.

 On a subconscious level, he is likely aware that more than a year has passed. But to avoid being fussed over. He has mentioned to his friends more than once that it was only one year of isolation. Enough times that his brain is starting to believe it truly was one year and not three years.

The excerpt above to me is uncanny in how it appears to match Anders altered more Justified-self. After Anders permitted Justice to share his body. 

(I’m sorry Justice but you did not make it better for Anders by borrowing his body from time to time.)

The times we see more of these traits become more pronounced.

- Is if you take Anders with you to the Fade to Help Feynriel.

- If you bring Anders with you in the Legacy DLC

-  His entire personality during Act 3 of DA2

It is not as noticeable in DA:O Awakening when we first meet Anders. But in DA2? We can easily pick up that some things have certainly changed in Anders since we last saw him. I will let Curator Justine, take over from here. She explains it better than I ever could.

You gave me too much credit dear Researcher Minaeve, but thank you. Anyhow, 

Mr Wiggums three possibilities of existence:

(Warning; Tinfoil time, you have been cautioned.)

 There was a mouser cat in Circle (& Anders is already fond of cats), but not during his confinement; thus this Mr Wiggums is simply an imaginary friend

Anders’s story is true:  Mr Wiggums is a smart cat that manages to find a way to Anders’s cell (presumable holes in the centuries-old Tower) and later possessed by a rage demon.

The nature of “Mr Wiggums” that Anders engaged with is actually of a benevolent spirit that forms itself into a shape of a cat (bc it’s how Anders perceives it, which is possible due to theory 1); similar to Compassion, was attracted to Cole [in Asunder]

(+: Anders is a Spirit Healer, he already has a natural affinity with spirits,) overtime they have bonded. And when the Templars attempt to attack Anders in order to put down the mage. This is what prompts the spirit to turn into a rage demon in order to protect Anders + provide enough distractions and time for Anders to escape the Tower.  Thank you, Curator Justine. I believe this concludes our theories. Now, what about you dear reader? Did you take notes too? Do you have something to share with us? Were we completely off the rocker with this? Feel free to give us an ask or offer your insight in the notes and/or reblog (at your leisure, of course,) I’m grateful you were able to follow my morning research. - Researcher Minaeve ✧ - Curator Justine ✹ ————————————————————- Sources:  World of Thedas Volume 1.                   World of Thedas Volume 2. What are the effects of total isolation an expert explains; https://theconversation.com/what-are-the-effects-of-total-isolation-an-expert-explains-109091 Perceived Social Isolation and Cognition; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2752489/ Dragon Age fandom wiki; https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Circle_of_Magi

[factorykat]

Wow, this is INCREDIBLY fascinating! Honestly, it only adds more fuel to my love for this character and how layered and interesting he is.

[scholarsofthedas]

I’m so glad you like it. When it comes to Dragon Age there is not just one side about a character. They are layered and have their flaws, I’m aware that Anders has been through quite the wringer. Most blame on his recent actions (Yes, blowing up the chantry may not have been his nor one of Justice’s better ideas.) But far too many forget to look for. What could have been the reason why he came to this conclusion in the first place? Kirkwall only added fuel to a long-standing resentment towards the Circles. 

- Researcher Minaeve ✧

[dalishious]

Chevaliers are nothing but Glorified Bullies

Upon asking for preferences between me working on a post about chevaliers or the Right of Annulment, the selling point for me was that someone said they don’t really know a lot about the chevaliers. And I can get that, because while there actually is a fair amount of information about them, it’s all spread out in bits across media. Some of it paints a very romantic picture of knights in shinning armour, ready to rescue princesses from dragons. But it wouldn’t be part of upper class Orlesian culture if there wasn’t shit underneath all that armour polish now, would it?

In order to become a chevalier, one must attend the Academie des Chevaliers, located in Val Royeaux. And in order to attend the Academie des Chevaliers, one must be nobility. As such, like so many organizations of power in Thedas, non-humans are barred entrance, unless you can pass as a human and have a forged background, like Michel de Chevin. While women can become Chevaliers, it is rare and discouraged. 

Because all chevaliers are nobles, the organization itself is directly tied to the Orlesian aristocracy. If a noble wants an army to do their dirty work, they can have it at the snap of their fingers. Some nobles keep a personal army of chevaliers serving them at all times.

That the chevaliers are nobles also means they make good use of the classist system that favours them. Especially the “Right Majeste.”

The Chevaliers are a noble military order, the most eminent in Orlais. Often a refuge for landless nobles and children destined to not inherit, the Chevaliers’ training regimen is famed for its brutality. Those who survive it are legendary for their fearlessness and absolute devotion to their code of honour. The Chevalier history is a roll of glorious battles won against staggering odds; even faced with certain death the Chevaliers have never broken, their units dying to the last man on the battlefield when their commanders demand it. In Orlais, the Chevaliers hold the Right Majeste over all commoners, meaning that they have complete authority to do whatever they see fit, with no recourse for justice against them. For this, the Chevaliers are nearly as loathed as they are celebrated. –Dragon Age RPG Book, pg 373

Chevaliers have the power of life and death over any commoner; lower-class citizens must heed any and all of their demands. If they refuse, they can be killed with all legality, as chevaliers can have anyone executed on their word alone. This is prone to abuse but rarely challenged. 

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