It’s no secret the anchor has given Ambrós trouble from the beginning. It wasn’t always as severe as it became near the end, however. During his time in Haven, it was merely an annoyance. His hand shook a little and it felt warm, but nothing uncontrollable or uncomfortable. It didn’t keep him awake at night, it didn’t shake violently, and it didn’t shock or hurt him.
After Corypheus attacked and tried to take it off him and control it, the anchor had began to start being troublesome. His hand shook more, it woke him up every now and again, and it had started making him feel tired. As time went on, he began to feel more drained, more sore, more weak.
When having to face Erimond, the anchor was made worse. He used magic to control it, and in doing so, made it go against Ambrós even more. He became more violently ill, his hand uncontrollable and constantly shaking, feeling like fire in his palm and leaving him unable to sleep, but on the brink of near constant tired.
It made his body reject everything. No food, no rest, no movement. He was bedridden, too weak to move and walk around. He couldn’t eat, only able to take water and nothing more. The anchor was sucking out everything he had and leaving him an empty shell of who he was.
At the end (or so he thought), the final fight with Corypheus was his do or die moment. The last straw, his last stand. The anchor had nearly swallowed him as it had Corypheus. It claimed his arm, but left him alive. He felt a change immediately; he was still weak, but inside he felt calm. He could finally recover.
When the resurgence of the anchor came during the Exalted Council, Ambrós panicked. The anchor felt worse than the years before. His whole body on fire, his prosthetic arm losing control, feeling weak and ill once again. He thought he would really die this time.
When he found out the truth of what it really was, a part of him wanted to keep it, his only weapon against what Solas was doing. However, the magic was too strong for him. If he kept it, he certainly woud have died. Solas forcibly took it from him, leaving him once again with a shell of who he was.
