An Embellishment of Lore
I think as Fanfic writers, we often add lore to our stories. It is natural for us to build upon the pillars set for us. But what about the foundations, gravel and grit? What was a piece of Lore you added to Dragon Age that wasn't pre-existing?
I will provide an example of my own below from two chapters concerning the topic. CW for Blood and Violence.
Chapter 26: Disciples of Lust, Lies and Power
Solas’s eyes rested on the table as I deliberated, they presented in a hazy hues of purple and gray, like a storm churning on the black horizon. His mind was occupied by something, clouded over by a memory.
The corners of his mouth twitched into a deep frown before sliding back up into disgust.
“You have memories you’d aspire to forget…so do I.” He stated lowly as his hand hovered over the board.
“The Veil I suppose.” I surmised as I selected my next move based on his.
Solas plucked his Pawn from its dock at A6 and observed it, twisting the stippled token in his fingers.
“It was a grand spectacle when the Evanuris played chess, they didn’t use marble carved pieces such as these. They used slaves armed with weapons.”
I relented my gaze from the board to stare at him in growing unease, no longer able to concentrate as I listened to him continue.
“Swords for the King and Queen, lances for the Knights, daggers for the rest. There was so much blood one could no longer see the checked tile. Deleterious entertainment.” Solas set the piece down, his tone tempered with notes of repressed rage.
"Is that how you became so skilled?" I murmured, thoughtlessly. "Who fought on your behalf?"
"You don't know what you suggest." He growled, his fist curling around the table. "Countless lives were lost, lives spent as if they meant nothing, no one fought on MY behalf. Do not equate me to them."
“And yet, when the mighty veil comes crashing down, you’ll free them. Those that are so evil. What happens if they escape your vague plans?” I chided, smug that I had something to wield against his supposed perfection.
“They will never see the light of day.” Solas raised those churning eyes to my own.
Chapter 27: Two Queens
(Context: Moon'Hwa is cutting his hair)
"You asked me earlier when we played chess ...if I joined the Evanuris in their deleterious game.” He stated rather than asked.
I jumped, startled, and nearly took off my own finger.
He watched me curiously with a brow held in question.
I nodded slowly.
"I was one of the Pawns...then I became a Knight...then a King and then...something more."
"You were a slave?" I asked as gently as I could, trying to recover from my surprise, my tongue coiled around the last word hesitantly.
"Not exactly," Solas explained and finished with a sorrow-drenched whisper, "She asked me to fight."
"Mythal?"
Snip.
"Yes." He answered after a pause.
"...so, you had to prove yourself."
"Not to her. Them ." He hissed as if referring to them at all was akin to a heated knife slicing through flesh.
"You became something more? Did Mythal elevate you?" I probed, genuinely interested.
Snip.
"I ascended as a general to lead her armies against them. To give orders, strategies, and plans that ensured success. Victory canonized me as a god...as one of them."
“Is that when you discovered your magic?”
Snip.
“No, I knowingly carried it, but I did not wield it.”
Snip
“Even when you fought with weapons, why didn’t you take advantage of it? It would have been a boon.”
“ Pawns aren’t granted the use of the Fade. I couldn’t strategically put it to use. The Evanuris enjoyed watching the struggle. The sword was enough with my intent provoking each strike.”
The memory that his imagery conjured struck a chord in an already fracturing symphonic resolve.
“Pawns, although simple, can accomplish great things.”
How about you? <3
Tagging @delicatefade @bluewren @theluckywizard @doomhippy83
