#astrarium

[dragonagegallery]

Exploring the Astrolabe by Matt Rhodes

The astrolabe was a recurring puzzle where you'd trace out a constellation. We spent a lot of time trying to design a prop that was both astrological and magical. A lot of these designs ended up being needlessly complicated, but they sure were fun to work on.

[astrariumofficial]

So with the introduction of tumblr blaze, we wanted to give it a go on another promotion for Astrarium!

So welcome to our blog dedicated to our story, Astrarium: The Adventures Between Realms! It's going to be a written story all posted online. Our new release date is still TBD but launch date will see the launch of our website, the first seven chapters and more, with a new chapter to follow every week to every other week. This is being written by myself (Kenzie) and my boyfriend Jonathan, and we also run our own small production team that this will be published under known as BADG3R Productions!

Astrarium is set in a universe that is home to seven Realms -- Hydra, Auriga, Ursa, Cygnus, Orion, Lepus and Lyra -- that are ruled over by the Dragons, who are near immortal masters of time and magic. Created by the Original Dragon and left to watch over the rest of his creations, there are those of the Dragons who are granted the role of Watcher, to act as a god of their chosen universe.

The story will follow Artemis (nicknamed Ari), a human girl that was adopted by the Watcher Arabella, and has wanted her entire life to prove that she is worthy to be among the Dragons and how much she loves her people. Passing the Trials to become a Watcher and spending the next four years of her life training and traveling the Realms is her big break. We'll join her in on those four years as she meets friends and foes alike, gets to experience everything each Realm has to offer and watch as she learns more about herself and what kind of Watcher she both wants and needs to be.

The Realms are all unique to each other and there's something for everyone in each one! We also have a huge cast of characters we've lovingly put care into and are so proud of. On this blog, we also post different worldbuilding facts, character facts, aesthetics, incorrect quotes and more!

Want a sneak peak at the story? We have the first 3 chapters available over on my personal writing blog!

We hope that you'll come check us out and give us a follow and feel free to ask any questions, we love getting to answer them! We still have plenty more to share as well!

[ammocharis]

Astrarium concept art

Can't believe I haven't seen these concept artworks being widely shared in the Dragon Age fandom before. Don't they look awesome? I've stumbled upon concepts for Solas or Sera or Bull plenty of times, but I had to leaf through the artbook myself to marvel at these.

Source: The Art of Dragon Age: Inquisition, p.222-225

[gaming-thoughts-by-an-idiot]

[lairofdragonagelore]

Through the Crossroads [DLC Trespasser]: The Darvaarad - Part1

The Darvaarad [Qunari term for a magical quarantine site] is a Qunari island fortress controlled by the branch of Ben-Hassrath called "Dangerous Purpose" who are lead by Viddasala. The Qunari in the Darvaarad investigate inner workings of the eluvians and brought in, catalogued and studied various artefacts, including red lyrium, astrariums, ocularum, ancient elven statues and murals. They stockpiled knowledge and power, which allowed them to open several mirrors.

This place is divided in the exterior areas:

Fortress Approach

Courtyard

Research Tower

And the interior areas:

Darvaarad Barracks

Study

Gaatlok Factory

Venom Extraction Chamber

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]

After confirming the presence of Qunari in Val Royeaux and their threat against the South of Thedas, the agents of the Qunari and Fen’Harel are immobilised, while the Inquisitor explores the Crossroads for the last time, reaching the Darvaarad.

Fortress Approach and Courtyard

With the passwords and the key obtained in the Shattered Library; Inverted Ward, we can unlock the  Darvaarad, an isle which is under the control of the Qunari but seems to have been belonged to Elvhen. I'm not sure how to understand it: there are some statues in the distance that imply the isle had some elvhen presence in he past, as we see the Elven hart statue at the peak of a cliff.

Or this big hand that we only saw in the crossroads and in the Exalted Plains: the Dead Hand. These statues do not seem to be placed by these Qunari in the general surroundings for further study, instead they look like original decoration.  In a sense, this whole fortress reminds me of Skyhold, a building that belonged to elvhen long time ago but passed over so many hands that its original shape changed.

This island displays some statues of female and male qunaris, and a lot of broken eluvians. Clearly the Qunari have been studying and collecting an insane amount of magical artefacts.

Close to us we can see a Saarebas working with an Eluvian.

This fortress looks like a generic “Ferelden” architecture. Nothing in it calls to any particular group, though it displays a banner we saw with the Highwaymen of Crestwood. So maybe it is implied that this fortress belonged to this group of bandits a bit before the Qunari took over when this operation started. Now it displays banners of the Qun.

On the top of the fortress we see some stained glasses that we can approach.

This surprised me a lot because they depict a big tree, that may be related to the Vhenadahl, and below it, red triangles that, for me, represent red lyrium. In Skyhold, we can have this glass by picking Dalish decoration. This image is such a curious thing if we think that DA:D has shown already a Vhenadahl infected with red lyrium in the trailer of Dread Wolf.

In the distance we see an Elven hart statue, below which there is an active eluvian that we will reach at the end of the exploration of this place. That Eluvian leads us to the abandoned elvhen ruins where we will meet Solas.

This eluvian is guarded by two Sitting Fen'Harel statues and behind them, a Golden Ring. The disposition of this makes it look like it was in the isle before the Qunari started this operation.

Research Tower

In this area, the Qunari have a tower completely dedicated to store magical artefacts, statues, art, and everything else they find remotely related to elven magic [which, of course, includes Tevinter]. Observing each of these elements we find fascinating things.

The artefacts are kept inside cells, ironically:

Here we find Tevinter artefacts: A molten rock pyramid, an Oculara, a Tevinter books, and a dismantled Astrarium.

Among the Elvhen artefacts or art: we find an Elven Owl statue, a broken Elven Orb, and a Shard 

There are also skulls for study and an Iron maiden we easily recognise as a typical decoration from DA2.

In the next cell we find a Sitting Fen'Harel statue, behind it there are two cells filled with books and this hexagonal Tevinter decoration where two dragons eat each other.

In the next cell, we find a Teviner Thrummer, a Tevinter artefact with spikes, and three things we never saw before in any game:

A Dark Hand connected to gears. The hand has long fingers, and a chain in its thumb. Is this a prototype to some metal golem? A Tevinter metallic golem? I don't know, it's not the same style than the Tevinter golem.

Then, hanging from a corner, a pinkish cocoon, that looks like the Flesh Pods we used to find during Dragon Age Awakening. So far, we didn't find any of this kind in DA2 or DAI. I would love to read the name of this object in the archive files.

And the most disgusting thing I found so far: a metallic circular structure that keeps a glowing ball of something in the middle and pieces of worms or tentacles around.

There are some more minor Tevinter objects we talked about in previous posts.

We also find red lyrium on a table without any safety measure around it, as if it were nothing.

Cole says here that the red lyrium has a different song to the normal lyrium, but they “fit together”.

We also find a statue of Dragon Mythal

and a whole wall that the qunari removed with a Mural paint by Solas. By the type of stone on this wall, it suggests it belonged to a generic Fereldan-like fortress. We have no idea when Solas painted it, or where. 

And another Elven hart statue.

They even found one of these ancient Stone in Razikale-Ceremony-style. Once again this stone gives a hint to solve the puzzle to open up the elvhen box in the paws of Fen'Harel. This keeps confirming that this stone is elvhen.

Inside the box we find Bloody Bargain. Again, the description of the weapon talks about a man called Harlan from the Coterie of Kirkwall, rumoured to be an abomination, or an apostate, or a demon of rage, or even a mere title passed onto the most bloodthirsty member of the Coterie. Nothing of this story seems to be related to the elvhen.

In this place we find the note Eluvian Studies that shows that the Qunari had some people working in understanding them; Logs of a Darvaarad Gatekeeper which shows how careless the Qunari are about the catalogue and the study of these artefacts, and Saarath,  which is a letter to Tallis written by a Saarebas. 

It is implied that this person was a scholar who developed magic as an adult, and then was treated as a Saarebas. He drinks lyrium and says that it has a song he uses to study the Veil which holds magic at its source. But clearly it's costing him his sanity or focus. The many crossing out along the letter show how intruding this song is in his mind.

I find this letter almost a narrative letter to Solas himself, with the allegory of walls and Veils and darkness as creations of the self because one cannot see the truth that no one is alone, the illusion of being so feels too real, though.

Unlike the religion of the Chantry, so based on the Elvhenan history, the Qun and the image of Koslun represent a very different vision in Thedas. What I mean is that it's so original within the History of Thedas, that it's hard to link it as a co-opt of tales and myths from another culture or cult. But that will be for another post about the Qun and potential origins.

[chantry-scholar]

As much as I hate to admit it, the Tevinter Imperium did rather well with their mapping of the starts.  Depicted here: Fervanis, Eluvia, Satinalis and Servani. [Images via World of Thedas V.II]

[scharoux]

~Constellations Of You~

Needed to get this idea out of my head, and thus we have a piece of my Solavellan in Astrarium style.

Please give credit, do not alter or edit if reposting.

[daicamgirl]