It'll be the Titans. More accurately, their connection to Arlathan, the Golden City and the true source of its magic.
The big magical mystery revealed in Inquisition - actually, in Descent - wasn't the Elvhen empire. We already knew the elves made a magical empire where they were immortal.
Sure, we were hit with a few surprises, like the fact that the elven magisters thrived due to slavery, to enslaving their own people.
Other surprises were: part of the empire was located in the realm of dreams, immortality ended with the creation of the Veil, spirits served the elven magisters, etc.
But the biggest reveal was the DEATH OF A TITAN. And by the hand of an elven magister, no less.
By now, every DA player knows about it. And how the afresco where it is presented is in a secret area. As if hidden on purpose.
Add to that Kieran's mysterious lines about ancient magic and a time before the Chantry, such as the ominous line to the dwarven origin Inquisitor - you can't be taller. Not without the Titans - and Shaper Valta's discovery of a living Titan, plus how she broke the age old taboo that dwarves cannot cast magic and you have one of the biggest magical mysteries of Dragon Age.
There are several other indications that Titans will take center stage in DA:D (such a weird acronym):
One, the arrangement of the eluvians around a water pool in the Well of Sorrows mirrors the shape of the Titan's core, where its beating heart is located and where we fight the Guardian.
This means the kings and priests of Arlathan were aware of the existence of Titans and where their heart lay. They likely traveled inside a Titan for some unknown purpose.
And if they did, they learned that the Titan is the source of magic, and that their blood is a way for you to acquire magical powers, even open portals to other realms, such as the Fade and possibly...the Beyond and the Void.
Two, plenty of codexes show the Titans were destroying the cities of the People. For what purpose, we do not know. But the discovery of Titan magic hints that magisters may have mined their bodies for lyrium, angering the stone giants, which lead to Mythal having to kill a Titan.
Three, we find a strange poem in the Fade in DA:I that hints at creatures of same nature being sundered, tainted, asleep and enduring while they wait for the moment to awake. There's every reason to believe they are the Titans, and that the Sundering might refer to when the Veil was created and they lost their connection to the Fade.
Four, Shaper Valta's fate teaches us that dwarves were actually made Tranquil for some reason since their connection to Titans was severed. The reason for it may be the creation of the Veil by Solas' hand.
I want to call your attention to parts three and four because I believe this is the most important fact we know so far: the Sundering, caused by the creation of the Veil was felt by the Titans and turned all dwarves Tranquil.
We never see this said directly in the game because not even the dwarves are aware of it. They completely forgot that part of their history. It's not recorded in the Shaperate, and Shaper Valta hints that the implications of it are quite severe. The entire early period of dwarven history was erased, and it revealed the existence of the Titans and their role in Thedas in the time of Arlathan.
Hence why I believe Dreadwolf will inevitably reveal this big truth, this missing big chunk of Thedosian lore, one that is behind the secret of Arlathan's magic, Elvhen immortality, the true nature of the Golden CIty, of the Fade, the Beyond and the Void.
Once the Veil is no more, the Titans may possibly awake from their slumber. They will be fully connected to the dreaming world, and that can have terrible consequences to the physical aspect of Thedas. If they awaken, they might destroy entire continents, kill millions, entire kingdoms may disappear overnight. They can literally reshape the surface of Thedas. Hence why I believe the consequences of Solas' actions will be apocalyptic. And he's fully aware of it.
As he states to the Inquisitor, as the world burns in the raw chaos, I will rebuild it. What he doesn't mention is that the chaos will be caused not by the arrival of demons or even the Evanuris, but by the cataclysmic actions of the Titans.
I'm really curious to see the full impact of this revelation on a dwarven protag and if they will suddenly develop magical powers once the Titans awaken...
This is part 2 of my Protagonist + Companions speculation for Dragon Age Dreadwolf. You probably will have to read Part 1 to understand the things I discuss in this part.
Some of the pictures I use here will be snips from the BTS trailer from 2020, so apologies for the cropping/inferior quality of some of them.
Much of this (or all of it, really) is speculation, based around teasers, trailers, concept art and leaks. None of it is confirmed, I just wanted to share my personal take on what our companions will beTake that as you will, going forward.
And so;
Part 2: The Companions
So, as of right now we have 3 confirmed named characters:
Rook (most probably the protagonist)
Bellara (female... something)
Davrin (male... probably a grey warden)
Bellara and Davrin may or may not be companions, but I feel it's important to note they're the only named characters whose voices we've heard (from the BTS teaser back in 2020).
There will be 8 companions, at least for the base game (without dlc companions, which I believe Bioware will not do again)
Origins had 8 (+1 secret companion to replace another who leaves late game) - 2 mages, 2 rogues, 3 warriors + a dog)
DA2 had 7 (with a switch of the siblings, based on pc class) - 2 mages (3 if brother died), 2 rogues, 2 warriors (3 if sister died) (+ technically a dog?)
Inquisition had 9 - 3 mages, 3 rogues, 3 warriors.
Let's go from left to right from the image above!
Female mage (probably elven)
I don't think a warrior or a rogue would wear a dress for obvious reasons (restrictive movement, impractical battle equipment). And flowing robe-like attire strikes me as a mage thing. I'm also getting an elven vibe from her, but not dalish - her outfit feels elven (legs for days, flowy, the front part that dips between the legs) and it looks to me like she's barefoot (elves like their toesies out)
Here is some examples of elven armour so you see what I mean;
Make sense?
I also like to believe that she is the woman on the far left of this concept art;
Literally just because she has similar hair and both characters look overtly feminine (and attractive, I must admit)
As for personality/background; I believe she will be rather confident, perhaps flirtatious, she'll probably give you a shock, and will hide some dark secret (I'm calling it, she's going to betray us). As for her background... It depends where we pick her up, really. But I'm positive she's not a dalish elf... If she is an elf at all, but I'm 70-80% sure that she is. Her ears are covered/hidden, so.
2. Female Qunari Rogue
Very obviously a female qunari (long hair on a female qunari!!). I say rogue, because, we've had 2 warriors, and all of the concept art with this same female qunari is of her wielding daggers.
She's going to be stubborn, no nonsense, and will probably question your every move. She'll also probably be romanceable, given how much she appears in the concept art/teasers (compared to others). I would like her to be a tal-vashoth- though I think it would be interesting to see the perspective of a woman who lived under the qun, and possibly left because being a woman within the qun is very different from being a man (and we've only seen men, so far). So perhaps she's a runaway from the qun? Perhaps she disagreed with the order of things? She looks closed off/no nonsense. Perhaps her character arc will be her learning to relax/express herself/trust, like we get to see a softer and more feminine side if we get her approval up?
3. Male.... Human.
I want to say rogue, but when I asked my partner, he said he doesn't look like a rogue or a warrior. So... Possibly mage? The satchels and light-ish armour make me think rogue.... Unless Dreadwolf introduces multiclassing? (I'd fucking love that, not going to lie). This could be Davrin? I doubt it, but... Maybe? I'll settle on a hard maybe - mainly because the other characters in this lineup just don't hit me with that voice. This is a man of triumph, perhaps also of loss. He has something to prove, for himself and for others - he will be... Clever but also valorous, I don't think he's the type to skulk or hide, he'll want to be up at the front and will want you to see (but not in a pompous way?).
Not much else to say on him, unfortunately.
4. Human-male Mortalitasi-mage
The armour, especially the bracers, look like bones - and I'm 100% sure there's going to be a mortalitasi mage as a companion, they've been hyping them up ever since Inquisition and Tevinter Nights was a thing - and no other character looks like a death mage.
I have nothing else on him, honestly. I'm not getting any vibes. I think he'll be interesting to talk to and will provide a great deal of information, and I suspect he'll be very interesting in stopping/killing Fen'Harel - perhaps he'll have a personal grudge?
5. Female rogue... dwarf.
The character looks female, and that looks like a gun - though I feel inclined to say it's a crossbow, just at an odd angle (perhaps one similar to Bianca?). I also say dwarf, because I KNOW there's a dwarf companion, and no other character fits in the lineup. She just gives me dwarf vibes.
This is either Scout Lace Harding, or Bianca - perhaps a completely new character (perhaps Bellara? "The good kind of rumble!" gives me dwarf vibes).
She'll be cocky, and quirky, and fun. Looks entirely like the person to does the whole *pumps shotgun* "it's Morbin' time".
Also;
If it's a female rogue dwarf, I'm 99% sure it's Scout Lace Harding, I mean- look at those freckles, that ginger hair. Maybe not. But they all look like rogues, and 2 images have crossbows... Is the original lineup picture.... Bianca-the crossbow? It looks a lot like Bianca. If so.... Is Varric going to die in Dreadwolf, and this character is going to get Bianca??
OKAY NO. QUICK THEORY TIME. BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO BOTHER ME IF I DON'T GET IT OUT THERE NOW THAT I'VE CONSIDERED IT.
So we know there's a dwarf character in the next game, who looks a bit like Harding, who wield a crossbow.
It's difficult to get the pictures of Bianca-the crossbow when it's not in active mode, so trust me, it looks a lot like the silhouette's weapon. So- in this wild scenario.... Harding somehow gets Varric's famed crossbow, the crossbow he loves and doesn't let anyone touch? He dies. Varric's going to die, and he's going to either give Bianca to Harding to prevent an enemy from taking it, or Bianca is going to take it off his dead/dying body.
And you ask; what kind of scenario permits this happening? They barely talked in Inquisition.
Well.
Varric and Harding are travelling together in the deep roads, looking for Solas (and hot on his tail), in this comic.
And what does Harding look like in this most recent rendition of her?
Now, go back up and look at the concept art images.
The scariest thing is; I could be SO FUCKING RIGHT. Varric may very well die soon (either in these comics, or in Dreadwolf - I'm guessing Dreadwolf). And Harding is going to get Bianca.
She's going to have a serious, and personal vendetta against Solas.
Okay, dwarf companion complete. Next, before I explode.
I mentioned before (in Part 1) how I believed since the protagonist is Rook, that in chess, there are 2 Rooks; and in this image;
There are 2 similar looking corvid-themed characters (left ready to grab the guy, right holding the palanquin). I guessed that the right is the protagonist Rook, and the left, is either an Antivan Crow, or a 2nd Rook (agents of the Inquisition).
Tin foil hats, galore. But it would be cool though, to go through the game with a constant companion from the beginning, like Alistair in Origins, or Carver/Bethany in DA2.
I think this is also the Crow/2nd Rook, similar design + weapon. Or, this is the main character.
I believe they're a female character, but that's purely a hunch based on the palanquin piece. Plus, they look like a crow. It'd be weird to have another male crow (I very much doubt it's Zevran).
They seem sarcastic, capable, and probably very likeable (the kind of person it's hard not to like). Probably romanceable to males and females.
7. Male.... Mage??
At this point, I'm just taking wild guesses. He looks human. But I was super hoping for a tranquil, or ancient elf companion. 1 million points if it's Felassan or Abelas. But... I really don't know what to make of this character, but I'm getting mage vibes. Hoping for a tranquil companion. So that's all I'll say for this guy.
8. I Don't Even Know - Abomination?
Looks like a sailor? Possibly pirate? From the concept art, it looks like a lot of the scenery is tropical/seaside/ocean - to that makes a bit of sense.
They look dead, their face looks like a skull, almost. So... A spirit possessing the dead?
Or... I just considered another thing, kind of.
Where have we seen a blue face glow before?
Now, I'm not saying it's Solas, or Mythal. I'm merely... suggesting that it could be... Something to do with this scene where Solas kills Flemeth, on some level. I find it interesting how I remembered this when looking at this pirate-looking character, especially when the colours and imagery are so similar.
We'd have to consider why Solas' face lights and waves around, but part of me always assumed this was like... his spirit-self? (If we're to go with the idea that Solas was originally a spirit who took physical form, like Cole).
So... It's a spirit. Is my best guess XD One that hasn't quite gotten the physical form thing right, perhaps it doesn't look human (or elven, dwarven, etc), and looks how... Hold the fuck up.
It's a spirit, at best guess, who takes OUR side... And doesn't look like a physical being. It's body is completely covered, except it's face, that you can't quite see right because of the glow. And how do spirits look in the physical world?
It's... Not a corporeal spirit, or one that took physical form. It's a spirit existing as a spirit in the physical world. Or.... The veil has come down, and spirits walk freely in Thedas.
It doesn't look like it's really wearing clothes, it looks like it's just covering itself- a mismatch of items its found or conjured by it's own guess at what people should wear, because it thinks it should be wearing things. I don't think it has a physical body, is what I'm saying, or it's not quite a body (or similar to a demon, it doesn't look right).
But if it's a spirit, what is it a spirit of?
We could guess by colour. I couldn't say; but I'd love for it to be Hope, or something else we've never seen before!
And... That concludes it I think, if I've forgotten something I'll just deal with it.
also;
I've made 2 other DAl:D Speculation Posts; Part 1 and Part 2, regarding my thoughts on who the next protagonist is and who the companions ar
After reading The Dread Wolf Take You, I've realised something.
It's quite possible Solas ISN'T the Dread Wolf itself. He merely got that name associated to him because of his knowledge on how the spirit thinks and acts.
Yes, I believe the Dread Wolf to be a powerful spirit that lives in the Fade and protects the First Titan, aka the Golden City from anyone attempting to take its power and claim godhood.
Remember how Mythal "freed the people" by striking the earth with a mighty weapon and then a sphere of fire became covered with vines, and how things calmed down for centuries? I believe that wrathful spirit WAS the Dread Wolf, probably protecting the Titan from the Evanuris (or from something else). Somehow, Mythal was able to fight it and beat it.
Then Arlathan prospered and things went downhill with the Evanuris trying to enter the Golden City to do... something. And then, Solas imprisons them not in the Fade, I presume, but in the Beyond. The Crossroads, as Morrigan calls them.
And in order to imprison them, what magic did Solas use? Who did he summon? You guessed right. The Dread Wolf, who was supposed to be imprisoned.
In their panic, the Evanuris likely attempted to escape, only to find out Solas trapped them there by locking the eluvian that would lead them back to Arlathan. And after doing so, cast the Veil onto the waking world. Or the Dread Wolf itself could have done that. I'm not sure.
That's why you NEVER see Solas AS the Dread Wolf in DA art. Rather, you see the large threatening spirit following him, or interacting with him somehow. I believe Mythal taught him how to deal with the spirit in the unlikely event the Evanuris plotted her death. Mythal probably sensed the Evanuris would try to stage a coup. So she took some precautions in case of her untimely demise, one of these precautions being to teach Solas how to free the spirit from its prison.
That's my theory anyway. I DO believe the DW and Solas aren't the same entity. Solas mererly got mistaken with it because the Dread Wolf was likely associated with the end of the world in Elven Mythology, much like it was in Norse Mythology, and because of how oral tradition isn't the most reliable form of preserving history.
Remember Fenrir and the Ragnarok? Solas plays the part of Loki, freeing the wolf beast from its prison. And in so doing, precipitates the end of the world and the demise of the Norse gods.
I think I am now fully subscribed to the idea that Solas' plan is to just wait out the lives of everyone who knows him before starting his bringing down the veil.
In theory, he's still immortal (he's been napping for x-thousands of years and is able to sustain his body from the fade) - the most logical thing he can do at this point is just outrun the agents of the Inquisition, and keep his assets away from them - until everyone who actually knows him is dead.
He doesn't have to kill people he knows personally, and has grown to care about and regards as people
If he waits long enough, there will be nobody to remember that Fen'Harel was a real person planning to effectively destroy the world, therefore his plans will go on uninterrupted.
THEORY TIME.
Dreadwolf will therefore take place (is it a 10 year timeskip?) after a time when the new protagonist interrupts his plans - either as an outside factor that (of course) he never predicted/expected, or, as an agent directly for the Inquisition - either way, we're going to confuddle the hell out of everyone.
But, of course, you're a nobody - as we've been told in the trailers.
So, then, how does some nobody- "no magic hand, no ancient prophecy, the kind of person they'll never see coming" - so how in the hell are we going to interrupt the dread wolf's plans?
Prediction:
Inky is going to die, and that'll be the trumpet for Solas' plans to gogogo. - Inky is effectively the leader of the opposition, and when leaders fall, so do their causes (typically).
In comes newcomer; Rook.
I hope the game doesn't take this route tbh, but I do think it's a possibility.
(Also want to remind people, since it's been on my mind lately... We've had nearly a decade to make Dreadwolf the game in our heads, and I have a feeling it won't compare to the ideals and theories we've set up, so when we do get there ((and note to my future self)) try and keep yourself contained and grounded, yes it's exciting to speculate and come up with storybeats, companion ideas, predictions, but realistically, we've got no idea what bioware's writers have been up to, and I have a strong feeling that we'll be both blown out of the water with what they present us, but we're going to be handed multiple hours of disappointment too)
