i really think that the city choice is a good example of how the evanuris weaponize people caring about others
there's no way to win: they come from two directions, and they come for both of the areas that have supported rook and the veilguard. it's tactical af
they show one of the cities and its people that rook will not save them. help them, sure, but not save them. that's a wedge between that city and the veilguard
at the same time, they punish rook and the veilguard for seeking aid. they try to split the veilguard from its allies
and they did this to solas, too - i'm like 99% sure it's canon that elgar'nan killed a group of slaves and then blamed their deaths on the rebellion. it's the same tactic: make the slaves less trusting of the rebellion, and punish solas. because emotional wounds are significant
we also see this clearly in veilguard, where the evanuris literally weaponize and embody solas' own regrets. it's not random that we face his regrets - the evanuris thought they would be fighting him, and they planned their assault with that in mind
i actually think being blighted and imprisoned for so long has weakened their tactical prowess: if nothing else, due to disuse. but they also had time to plan. nothing BUT time to plan
but btwn being kinda rusty and genuinely not viewing rook and the veilguard as a threat, they don't employ the entire breadth of their tactical, manipulative assault. but they still employ some!
but this use of others is another big, BIG reason solas doesn't let anyone help him! even a romanced inquisitor who wants to help, come what may, he won't allow them to join him. because he knows that the evanuris will go after them rutherlessly
either they'd kill the inq, or they'd kill everyone the inq cares about. and this is ALSO a BIG reason why solas tries so fucking hard to not care about people, to think of them as lesser. because anyone he cares about is put at risk. his very emotional attachment endangers them, threatens their life and the lives of those they care about
like... how did it start? did elgar'nan begin it unintentionally by taking form and using lyrium? or did he start it intentionally after because he saw them as a threat to his power? or maybe he wanted to take possession of the lyrium?
i also have a lot of questions about the amount of lyrium that is needed to form a body, and the impact it would have on the titans. i mean... is it the ache of a splinter or the brief sting of a bug bite? or is it the shattering agony of a part of one's body being removed?
do they even feel it at all? lyrium is said to be their blood, and a human can lose quite a bit of blood. like a blood sample being taken, that's immaterial (barring certain conditions ofc)
so much is so dependent on things we don't know (and i like that!)
so, perhaps elgar'nan took form and it stirred the titans, either due to pain or due to the disruption itself. perhaps the continued emergence of more spirits taking form exacerbated the issue until it was the titans who made... well, not the first move, but the first move that was distinctly war-like
or maybe taking form just... wasn't a big deal, in some way. fucked up? sure, yeah, it was still using part of someone's body to make your own. but if it wasn't disruptive or painful, perhaps that wasn't the causal issue here. in which case, the war might have come about from elgar'nan. perhaps he saw - directly or indirectly - the power of the titans and saw them as a threat to empire. perhaps he wanted the world for the elvhen, and not for the dwarves. perhaps he did not view the dwarves alone as any particular threat, so went directly for the titans
and this uncertainty leads to additional uncertainty!
did mythal take form to stop elgar'nan attacking the titans? now, if mythal did take form in order to protect the titans in some manner, that sentiment very obviously did not remain - watcher!mythal, the fragment we meet in the crossroads, views the titans as monsters. and while it's possible that view developed over the course of her watching, it's also the closest we have to insight into arlathan era mythal's views. but it could have been less about protecting the titans and more about stopping elgar'nan disrupting the natural balance, or something along those lines; not protecting the titans as independent beings, but as part of the world she was more broadly trying to protect
or it might have been that she took form for the elvhen people (side note: i view the evanuris as spirits, but the elvhen as physical beings who were in existence prior to elgar'nan's emergence. ik not everyone shares this view and that's fine! but that's a cornerstone of my meta). perhaps she did so in order to protect them from the war that was brewing, or because she feared that elgar'nan would abuse them in some manner, control them, or otherwise get them to do his bidding
or perhaps she came because she did not trust elgar'nan. just that. uncertain about what she would be there to quell, but certain that she would be needed, that she should be involved
it is also unclear why, exactly, mythal asked for solas' aid. was it to stop elgar'nan? or was it because she needed his help navigating the war that was on their doorstep? or the war that had been ongoing, elvhen being slaughtered in the wake of an impossibly powerful enemy (even if that enemy had good cause to stand against the evanuris)?
whatever the reason for her request, he clearly participated in helping her "end" the war. so he was a participant in the war between evanuris and titans, and we don't know how long between his emergence and the two of them creating the dagger and his using it. it might have been weeks or months, or it might have been years, decades. hell, it could have been generations, although i find that unlikely
but the evanuris were all extremely powerful mages, and the titans were so vast that each of them is essentially a mountain unto itself, so the damage wrought by their battles would have been... cataclysmic
and if the world is destroyed, well, there's nothing left for anyone: for elvhen, for dwarven; for evanuris, for titan; for mortal, for immortal; for physical being, for spirit
ultimately, there's so much i don't know, and so many lines that can be drawn, but with so many variables that an entirely different line can be drawn right next to it. and that's neat!!!
something that's really interesting to me about lace (and i say this with love and understanding, genuinely) is how deeply unfair she is to elves as a race
because it wasn't the elvhen who attacked the titans, it was the evanuris. in fact, the elvhen were slaves to the evanuris, and she knows that. but she still - understandably! i wanna make it clear this is not a critique, it's a really good, interesting bit of characterization - blames all elves for it to a degree
the elvhen were victims of the evanuris, just as the dwarves were, just as the titans were. and it's this really messy place because, yes, the elves almost certainly went to battle because the evanuris commanded them to do so, and yes, the evanuris were not originally seen as gods but as generals, so one could assume free elves still willingly(-ish) fought for them
but ultimately, the destruction of the titans only happened after solas took form (and likely not immediately after, either - he took form to help mythal, and they developed the plan for the dagger and then created it, all of which likely took time) and solas was only called when elgar'nan was already beginning to exert control
really, modern dwarves and modern elves share a historical enemy, and it's not each other, it's the evanuris. elves have had an extremely hard history: they had what we can safely assume to be a period of freedom, taken away (presumably slowly) as they became enslaved to the evanuris. then solas' actions resulted in the unintentional destruction of arlathan and stripping the elves of their immortality, yes, but also a significant portion of their magical power, and killing a great deal of them in the process. the survivors were scattered and lacking a societal center, effectively displacing them as the "reigning race," although again, that's a faulty view of the elvhen even at the time, because they were enslaved by their own leaders
with the elves being disparate and scattered and the dwarves having been forced underground - and the kossith presumably becoming the beginnings of the qunari around about this time - the stage was clear for humans as a race to become the power in thedas, and they killed or enslaved many elves. correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't recall anything about humans enslaving dwarves: of course, trade with dwarves was necessary due to lyrium, and the cultural pressure for dwarves to stay underground (likely stemming from a fear of reprisal should they travel back into what had then become elvhen territories) means that surfacer dwarves must exist largely unchallenged. but elves provided no material benefit to humanity, and so were treated as interlopers, outliers, "savages," or - horribly - opportunities
and it's really, really interesting to see lace have to grapple with all of this, because she obviously has a great deal of sympathy for slaves, but she seems hesitant to connect the dots about the elvhen. she acknowledges that solas was right to move against the evanuris and try and free his people, but she still blames elves as a whole for what became of her people
and this is so realistic! especially because so much of this information is new to her. it genuinely fascinates me
going to say right away that this is not a horny post (although i make plenty of those too). this is genuine meta about the culture around sex in arlathan and solas' personal perceptions around sex and how they change and develop, especially with a relationship with the inquisitor
who i will be calling "inquisitor/inky" and using they/them pronouns for in this post! much love to all solasmancers
i am absolutely of the opinion that during arlathan era, sex was just normal. it was not exclusive to romantic relationships and it could have any number of meanings, or be largely without meaning
(could easily go down a rabbit hole here but i'll avoid it - maybe some other time!)
the evanuris were not always viewed as gods. that developed. and i think prior to its development, solas likely participated willingly and with enjoyment in the sexual aspects of the evanuris, as well as all else they did. but i think as time went on his participation changed... i don't think it necessarily stopped, but the meaning underlying it was different
if andruil pursued him, and he let himself be caught, it was not to experience her body, to take pleasure in her touch. if it was enjoyable, that was a side benefit, but not the goal. the goal was to see what she might say with her guard lowered. how she might behave in the bliss of afterglow. even to observe how she tried to use and manipulate him, and infer things from that
he was manipulative with it, and cunning, and strategic. and he was not alone in this. i think over time the meaning would have changed for all of them. sex as control. as changing a context. as disobedience. as subversion. as upheaval. as plot and ploy. as distraction. as coercion. as claim. as possession. as worship. as punishment. as reward.
sex does not exist in a vacuum, and it would not there, either. all of these goals are pursued in countless ways, and sex is just one tool among many, but it is a tool
none of this is to say that sex for pleasure or sex for intimacy did not exist in arlathan, even during the height of politicking. i think solas and mythal had more of that dynamic. i think andruil and ghilan'nain did as well. and while we know so little about them, i think it is fair to assume sylaise and june had that too
to me, that's pretty much solas' background with sex. it developed from something purely physical and exploratory into one of many tools in the "game" arlathan played, and his perception of it developed with it
the way solas returns the inqusitor's early flirtations... this, to me, is in line with the game of arlathan. it is so smooth, so eloquent, and so quick. someone approaches him with interest and he knows how to respond to that interest immediately
this isn't to say there's no truth in it at all, either. just that it's a learned behavior. and he gets a bit of a kick out of totally turning the tables and flustering them. but it's not anything super serious at that point
i think the fade kiss is one of the bigger, realer moments for him, but at the same time, he's still leaning on learned behavior. i truly think he wants them at this point and that there is an element of the intuitive, the reactive, the instinctual in the way he slots their legs together, in the way he deepens the kiss into something very intense, but it's also leaning a bit on what he's learned to do. it's hard to do otherwise! countless centuries of participation in these activities in arlathan, so much of this is deeply internalized
but the way he approaches them afterwards, wanting to talk... i think that's him trying to draw a veil (heh) between them, yes, and to minimize the pursuit he fell into, yes, but it's also because he doesn't want to play the game with them. he wants to know them. he's full of conflict, and is at his best, in a way, when any one behavior can have multiple benefits. in this case, he's distancing himself from the kiss, quickly steering the conversation away from physical intimacy and his own true and performed desperation, and into a much safer territory... while also being able to indulge in his own developing interest
and, lbr, this man likes to converse. i know the fandom jokes about how he talks so much, and he does, to a degree... but it's conversation that he enjoys, not monologuing. he relishes the chance to have a deep discussion with someone. he does not share his stories with the inky randomly, only when asked, and he approves of them asking him to tell him these things, but also asking questions afterwards, about keeping an open mind
but the absolute turning point in the romantic relationship is not in haven. it's not in the fade. it's on the balcony. it's after wisdom.
the inky can show solas that they understand that a spirit is his friend. that he cares about it. they can try and help him free it. (note: i haven't done alternative playthroughs of this particular quest because I Don't Fucking Wanna)
and that is the big shift. for many reasons! one of which is, of course, the fact that solas himself is a spirit. or was, but truly, i think he still is in many fundamental ways. but it is also about the inky being open-minded, not just in words, but in actions. because when they arrive, there is no gentle spirit waiting for them... there is a demon
the inky can choose to trust solas, to trust that even though it is a demon in front of them, that there may still be something they can do. that is the turning point for solas. that is why he approaches them on the balcony. that is why he brings up the kiss again. that is when he first tells them he loves them
because he does. he does
now, this is a meta about sex, and i haven't forgotten! things are left up for interpretation on whether or not solas and the inquisitor had sex. but setting that aside, i think it's worth considering what sex with someone he has fallen in love with would mean to him
now, i write him as demisexual. to be clear, this wasn't something i set out to do intentionally, but the more i wrote him the more clearly his demisexuality manifested. so he's had sex. he's also had sex with mythal, a woman he genuinely loves and is loved by (at least in my view), so intimate sex with a physical desire for the other person is not entirely unknown... but it was not something he thought to ever have again
and i think arlathan ruined sex for him for a long time. instead of a form of intimacy, it became a tool. a weapon. i suspect he and mythal's sexual relationship slowed until it was all but nonexistent, because it just felt fraught and complex
so to find his way back to it again...
i think he's fighting with himself. boldly leading, his body a tool... and he has to stop himself, because he doesn't want that. not with them. if it's during inq, he probably allows a certain amount of that. because he still has to manipulate them. he doesn't want to, but they still can't know who he is
but after... or even after veilguard, in the fade... confident hands on their arms turn to clutching ones, trembling, and his breathing sharpens. he's trying to bury the learned behavior. he wants to be here, to feel this. i can see it going many ways.... starting only to stop, maybe a bunch of times... or letting his partner lead, try to ease him into just reacting instead of guiding, to soften his learned behaviors until they eventually fade away and let something more sincere emerge
they could talk it out. they could feel it out. he could force himself to perform until the performance drops away (i doubt any partner would want that, but it could be solas' choice to do that anyway without consulting them)
and i think this is why being dommed is easier for him, in my view. and why especially being pushed all the way into subspace is easier for him. because suddenly the barriers drop and he's a raw nerve and he's all reaction. there's no performance left. and the fact that he's safe, that he's held afterwards, that as he shakes he's comforted, it makes all the difference
(because i like to explore him being in subspace in arlathan... and it being a vulnerability. whether it's used against him or not i tend to keep intentionally vague, but he knows it is a vulnerability, and any vulnerability can be exploited)
but i also think him finding his way towards his own desires - and particularly any desires around domination or sadism - would be very, very important and cathartic for him as well. anything he does with his lover is going to be completely consensual, but if they want to be dommed by him, if they are a masochist, then he can explore those desires in himself, too, in a safe way
because i do think solas probably has... a lot of kinks. ppl can have kinks for any reason, but ppl can also develop kinks based around their own traumas. so i think he'd have some where that is the origin. and that doesn't make them bad! but it's something i think he'd struggle with, and struggle with the morality of them
sex as a tool is easy. you use it to meet your own ends. you know how far you are willing to go, and that's how far you go. you're in control, even when you're play-acting at vulnerability, unless you're not in control because someone's using the tool on you instead...
but that's the complexity of it all for him. and i think being able to explore these things in a safe, affirming way would actually ease a tremendous weight that he has carried for a long time
Watcher!Mythal and Her Period of Imprisonment in the Lyrium Dagger - Two Theories
please do not add hate to this post, bring up the art book, or bring up the books/comics. thank you!
Imprisoned the Entire Time Solas was in Uthenera
Freed During the Rebellion
Imprisoned the Entire Time Solas was in Uthenera
mythal was killed by the evanuris and imprisoned within the dagger, and it is unclear whether solas was aware of this imprisonment at the time. her murder drove him to imprison the evanuris for all eternity, and while his reasons may have been primarily or even exclusively about avenging mythal, it was also something that needed to be done. not just for the elvhen but for the entire world, as the evanuris were accessing the blight
the dagger was used by the evanuris to kill mythal. to me, it is most likely that they kept the dagger, although it is also possible that they left it, perhaps even embedded in mythal as a message to solas
in favor of them keeping it: the lyrium dagger is immensely powerful and in veilguard, elgar'nan and ghilan'nain are both familiar with it and its capabilities
in favor of them leaving it: in veilguard, they arranged challenges for solas based around his deepest personal regrets, so it is entirely possible that they weaponized his regrets against him back then, too
it is possible that solas had the dagger and knew she was imprisoned within it, but did not know how to free her. it is also possible that his ability to free her was dependent in some unexpected way on the creation of the veil, itself an unintended consequence of imprisoning the evanuris
regardless of the particulars, in this view, he released her sometime after his awakening. if we are taking him at face value - a risky thing to do, i admit - then he woke a year before inq began. he could have freed her during this year, during the events of inquisition, between inquisition and trespasser, or between trespasser and veilguard
but it is felassan who noted that solas created a place for mythal, somewhere he thought she would be comfortable, and that is where watcher!mythal ends up
flemeth existed prior to solas' awakening, so that part of mythal was already in the world. whether she was unable or unwilling, it is clear that she did not release the other aspect of herself. based on what morrigan tells rook in the crossroads, she may have been wary of being attacked, and it is also possible that she was just as loathe to see that mythal as that mythal would have been to see her
with the evanuris imprisoned and solas asleep, the dagger was lost. i keep coming up with new ideas so i'm just going to jot them down real quick:
the dagger was imprisoned with the evanuris, and those mortals who broke into the "golden city" took it and, with it, introduced the blight into the world. they became the first darkspawn, at some point retreating underground, which is also where the dagger was found
it could have been left in arlathan and was plunged underground following the destruction of the city
or it might have been plundered from the ruins of arlathan by someone else - possibly from tevinter? - who chose to store it underground
or perhaps it was plundered by a human but seen by a dwarf, who either bought it or took it, perhaps recognizing it as part of the titans... if the dwarves of that time still held that knowledge. or they could have seen it as a unique form of lyrium
regardless of how it got there, it was found by varric, bartrand, hawke, and the others during da2 and brought to the surface. it is unclear when it became red lyrium, but that's certainly what varric and the rest found down there. in the dragon age keep, as well as in-game in da2, it is possible for varric to keep a piece of the red lyrium for study, which is interesting to consider when taken with the rest
solas woke years after this discovery, and at some point found out about the dagger, and knew immediately what it was. how could he not? it was pure lyrium, one of a kind. so at some point he located it and transformed it back to blue lyrium
this might have involved freeing mythal, but i tend to think the two are unrelated. she is an evanuris, a spirit turned elf. the red from red lyrium is not a byproduct of evanuris rage, but titan rage
if solas did not know her fragment was trapped in the dagger, trying to restore it to its prior state may have been when he discovered this. alternatively, he knew she was in there and something allowed him to free her: the veil, perhaps, and the subsequent weakening of magic; or the way time might have eased the power that kept her trapped; or something else, something we didn't see or hear about in the games
but he finds a way to release her, yet cannot free her entirely, and places her within that which he had built for her at some point, presumably early on in his rebellion.
in this case, watcher!mythal's line to rook about watching for thousands of years would mean that she witnessed through the lyrium dagger, and also that she possessed a level of conscious awareness while within it, although the exact manner of that awareness is up for interpretation. it would also mean that solas did not visit her over a period of no more than ten years: still considerable! but not an absolutely heinous abandonment
Freed During the Rebellion
in this view, solas becomes aware of her imprisonment earlier, and manages to free her... but it is not a clean freedom. this is true in both views, of course, but somewhat more relevant in this view. she is changed, unable to make her way between realms. it is entirely unclear if solas knew this would be the case prior to freeing her, realized during the process, or only understood afterwards
but whatever the timing of his realization, the fact remains that she was released from one prison only to be placed in another. no, the place solas had designed for her was never meant as a prison: in fact, it was designed to make her feel comfortable, welcome. but with the current situation, she is restricted to that one area, seemingly separated from all other living beings. after all, she makes no mention of any spirits visiting her
it also appears that this particular crossroad has been in disuse while solas slept, only becoming active again when the evanuris escape and begin to try to penetrate it. and while the passage to watcher!mythal's area is blocked in a similar way as all the other passages, it is also unclear if that blockage was new, courtesy of the evanuris, or ancient, perhaps even from solas
it may have even been from watcher!mythal herself... or from flemythal. there is a codex entry in the crossroads, a page ripped from a grimoire, which i firmly believe to be from flemythal. if true, then she was within that particular crossroad, only a short distance away from the imprisoned watcher!mythal, and may have chosen to do something about that situation... whether for herself, for solas, for watcher!mythal, or for the world is uncertain, but then, her having any role in this is also uncertain
setting aside mythal's (either version's) involvement and assuming for the moment it was solas who sealed the way... what was she like? how does she act, when she is freed so soon after her own murder?
in the first view, her statement about watching for thousands of years necessitates that she was conscious while in the lyrium dagger: this view does not. and if she was not conscious, then she would be waking up at the moment of her death at the hands of those she had worked alongside for so long...
and, indirectly but meaningfully, at solas' hands
to be very frank, she might have been dangerous. i think most people would be, rising after being murdered. if she was not conscious in the dagger, then the passage of time between her death and her emergence is immaterial, for it is the difference between moments for her
solas might have raised the exterior barrier we see for her own protection and the protection of others. knowing she could not leave, he creates a barrier that prevents her from destroying herself by trying... but also prevents other people, should they arrive at the crossroad, from going to her. i don't imagine at this point he thought he would end up in uthenera for thousands of years with her remaining isolated the entire time
now, the watcher!mythal we see is bitter and angry. justifiably! entirely justifiably. but she also cares about solas, openly says she loves him still. it's not unrealistic to think that the state we find her in is the product of centuries of that fury being cooled, crystallized, hardened, but also processed, to a degree. centuries of isolation, nothing but what she can think and what she can feel and what she can observe to keep her occupied...
which also brings up interesting questions all its own. how does she watch? what has she seen? one possibility is that she is still bound to the lyrium dagger somehow, and sees through it
but... benevolence and retribution. to me, neither of these characteristics would imply a willing passivity. contrasted with solas' wisdom, which could easily take the form of a passive academic observation - which is how i think he existed as a spirit, and part of why he was so hesitant to leave that life behind - mythal's nature seems fundamentally more active. whatever kindness solas tried to give to her in designing this place, whatever mercy he tried to offer by freeing her from the dagger...
in the end, he has done to her what she had done to him. puts her in a situation where her - literal, in their case - spirit is denied its own fundamental nature
actually the more i think about it, the more instances of these role reversals i find with them, and there's something to be said there about loving each other, yes, and about changing, yes, but also about mirroring, and about being changed by the other... another post someday, perhaps!
smth that really fascinates me is the timeframe for the evanuris' emergence
i mean... elgar'nan came first. but when did mythal come? days later? that year? 5 years, 10, 100? immortality factors in hugely to these considerations, because an assumed nearness in "age" (how long they've been in a physical form) would have a different scale than it would for mortals, or even physical immortals who presumably still grow at least into adulthood
so there's the elgar'nan : mythal gap. did solas come next? or did the remainder of the (known) evanuris emerge first, and solas came last?
mythal's emergence seems deeply tied in with an attempt to control/limit elgar'nan. if she was familiar with his nature as a spirit, this might have been a very early reaction; if not, or if how his nature might manifest itself in the physical world was unclear, it might have taken her much longer to recognize the threat
i don't have an answer, but i do have more questions!
setting solas aside for the moment... when dirthamen/falon'din emerged, it was as a single spirit who split during emergence. there's a lot to be inferred about the independent and self-contained nature of any aspect of the evanuris from this, but it's also worth considering how that impacted the evanuris-to-be. did this emergence slow the process? were they frightened?
if we're judging by the apparent age of the evanuris as represented in dalish legend, andruil would have come next. is this because she was brave enough to risk it, even after a "failed" emergence?
also, why did it fail?
they were drawing from the lyrium, from the blood of the titans, in order to create their bodies. this "failure" would have required twice the amount, one for each body. but why did they split? could it have been due to the titans, somehow? trying to destroy a spirit upon emergence and only succeeding in spliting them and doubling the cost in their own blood? if so, it would go a long way towards explaining why none of the other evanuris were split upon emergence
or was the technique itself faulty, still being perfected? were they not as strong, as self-contained, as either elgar'nan or mythal? or were they too strong, unable to be contained within one lyrium figure?
i have nothing but questions, but the questions intrigue me so
as usual, pls don't add ship/character/game hate on this post, ty! <3
To be fair, I don’t really have any one cohesive interpretation of things, and my interpretation has changed dramatically with the reveal that all the Evanuris (possibly barring Ghilan’nain) were originally spirits. Prior to that being confirmed, I was in the marriage of convenience camp where the Evanuris (with the possible exception of June and the definite exception of Ghilan’nain) were the literal, biological children of Elgar’nan and Mythal.
I think my primary interpretation at this point in time is that Mythal has never cared for Elgar’nan in any romantic or even really platonic capacity. I also don’t think that she really pretended she did, even to him. More than anything, I think she respected his strength, both physical/magical and his strength of will, and very possibly could have developed a physical attraction to him. And I think that he was probably satisfied with that. He may have wanted her love, but I think he would be satisfied with her respect. However, I do think they cared about one another in some particular way… but it might have had more to do with recognition and a sense of familiarity than anything else, honestly.
Now, I know that Elgar’nan desires love. The only reason I think he didn’t need it from Mythal is that he doesn’t seem to need it from the Evanuris in general. I cannot recall any point in which he discusses matters of love – romantic, platonic, or familial – with any of the Evanuris except Ghilan’nain. To quickly touch on that, I have two main thoughts about their relationship: first, that he was so close to Ghilan’nain because she was not a spirit, she was an Elvhen who was uplifted to the ranks of the Evanuris. I think he has a bond – possibly a one-sided bond – with the Elvhen, and seems to consider himself connected to them in some deep way. At the same time, the bond is not such that he reaches out to the modern elves or tries to improve their lot in life. As with Solas (who would hate this comparison lmao), I think that Elgar’nan is connected far more with the ancient Elvhen rather than with modern elves (although being blighted and imprisoned for ages is obviously a factor here as well). The other view is that their relationship grew and deepened situationally, as they were the only two Evanuris remaining in the prison at the end.
Now, back to the main point. The way Elgar’nan speaks of Mythal when talking with Solas could, of course, be attributed to many things. Whatever their original dynamic was, it has been changed by what he might have perceived as a betrayal from her, by her murder and any feelings he might have had (or not had) surrounding that, and by Elgar’nan and the others becoming blighted. So I think it’s certainly possible to read them as romantically involved despite the language used in that argument with Solas. But yeah, the way I see it, it was more that Elgar’nan was extremely powerful, and Mythal was the closest to his power. He wanted them together. So they became the de-facto leaders of the Evanuris due to them being the firstborn and their comparative strength (which may actually have a relationship to the order of emergence of the Evanuris, now that I’m thinking about it).
The way I tend to depict their relationship is that it is one where Mythal supports Elgar’nan, but also tries to soften him. Especially early on, I do not think he was inherently brutal, but he is powerful. That power needed to be tempered. It’s kind of like a human to an insect. Without being delicate, a human can easily crush a bug without intending any harm. Obviously the Elvhen, whatever their origin, are a fully realized people and not comparable to insects, but I think in terms of power differentials it’s not an inaccurate comparison. Elgar’nan is unbelievably powerful, even amongst the Evanuris, who are already unbelievably powerful.
This is also where I think Mythal’s “protector” role comes in – she tries to be a shield, tries to stand between Elgar’nan’s ever-burning flame and those who would be incinerated by it. She is still burned by it, but not destroyed. I’m being figurative and not literal here, but we know that spirits/”demons” are entities composed of emotions, and I don’t think it’s unrealistic to assume that they might be… I suppose “volatile”, especially when pushed outside the bounds of their original nature. Elgar’nan becoming frustrated and moody could have consequences; perhaps intentional and uncaring, or perhaps purely accidental. Perhaps accidental originally and uncaring eventually. Perhaps many things. But I think this dynamic was originally more delicate and mutual, but over time grows more corrupted.
Mostly, I don't believe in "evil" or "good" people. I don't think Elgar'nan is pure evil, but I think he's complex and flawed and became increasingly flawed, in part due to his nature, yes, but also due to his choices.
I also think there was a sexual component to their relationship, but that’s largely because I believe the Evanuris – as spirits-turned-into-physical-beings – were very physical, sensory creatures, and I think that sex was commonplace and not necessarily tied into romance or established relationships.
But I think the fact that Mythal could affect his behavior seems to indicate a certain mutual respect. If it was entirely one-sided, her respecting him, the entire time they knew each other, I don't think the Dalish would have the legends they do, of Mythal tempering Elgar'nan's wrath. Of course there's room to interpret that this particular legend was entirely flawed, that's just not my personal view.
So, I suppose the tl;dr answer is that I see their relationship as being one of mutual respect and some very particular form of caring for each other. Not romantic, not platonic, not familial, but more a sense of familiarity/recognition. But also that this relationship was not deep enough or necessarily stable enough to prevent him killing her, although his particular reasoning for this action remains uncertain. It could have been that he was already being impacted by the blight or that he was trying to protect this source of power, it could have been that he felt a personal betrayal, it could have been that he thought she would ally with Solas and turn against the Evanuris, or it could have been something else entirely.
Solas and Veilfall - Why it Was Necessary... Until it Wasn't
please do not add hate to this post, bring up the art book, or bring up the books/comics. thank you!
special psa for this post only: ppl who wanted veilfall are not bad ppl 💖 (personally, i wanted it, played the game, and then was happy we didn't get it, but the ppl who still want it are just fine)
the blight:
solas and mythal tranquilized the titans and, in the doing, created the blight. the former was an intentional action knowingly taken; the latter was an unintended and unforeseen consequence. one could make an argument that they are not responsible for the blight, but it is a largely academic argument about semantics and ethics; the simple, in-world fact is, their actions created the blight, and those actions were independently brutal
there's a great deal to be said here, but it's not the point of this meta
the veil:
another unintended consequence of a deliberate action. solas was right to try and end slavery in arlathan, and he was right to stand against the tyrannical evanuris. imprisoning them for eternity is another uniquely brutal solution, but it, as with the titans, also exists in a very particular context: immortal beings who are extremely powerful. solas was unable to kill them. he couldn't even stand against elgar'nan without being so wounded he needed to retreat. so imprisonment was likely the only way he found to actually stop them
and this was extremely important as they had begun to access the blight. they were already powerful, already tyrannical... with the full power of the blight - of the titan's rage - they would have been eternally unstoppable. the entire grey warden order can barely hold back one blight, and the entirety of the blight within thedas is but a tiny fraction of that which exists. had they not been stopped, likely thedas would not exist, or would not exist in any remotely recognizable way
(again, not the meta for it, but worth acknowledging that the evanuris claiming the blight as a source of power was yet another way they used the titans for their own ends... it's awful)
the original prison:
while it is not entirely clear where the blight is located, there's a chance that it is somewhere within the original prison that solas formed, although certainly separated from the evanuris. but even if not, even if it is sealed elsewhere, the simple fact is: with his prison eroding, the evanuris (blighted tyrants with a centuries-long grudge and a desire to return to their time of rule) would have been released onto a thoroughly unprepared thedas. and they would certainly have pursued the rest of the blight, wherever it was stored
if they found and unleashed it - which is likely, given both their original power, the power from the blight itself, and the canonical recognition between blighted beings which may have helped them track it - then thedas, already under threat, would have been destroyed. no ifs, ands, or buts about it
evanuris and the veil:
the evanuris were bonded to the veil and to their prison. had they all been killed as the grey wardens slayed their dragon thralls, the prison and the veil would have come down with them. this would have been a sudden and almost certainly catastrophic event... and there is a very real possibility that it would have unleashed the entirety of the blight as well
veilfall:
now, this is murkier. in the murals, flemythal agrees that the evanuris must be dealt with, but disagrees with veilfall. this could easily imply that creating the new prison and transferring the evanuris to it is not dependent on veilfall
however, it is unclear
personally, i think the most plausible explanation, given what we know of solas' magic during the time of veilguard (magic which had been taken from flemythal, who had been slowly accruing it over centuries; thus, presumably, not the same strength it was during arlathan era), is that the veil itself is essentially... raw power
solas' orb has been broken. the anchor was recovered and he experimented on it until it, too, was destroyed. he learned a great deal but was presumably unable to recover much if any of its power. his own magic had waned significantly while in uthenera, although it built up in his orb (perhaps actually drawing and storing his magic, now that i think about it...)
so all his resources have been destroyed, used up, or (possibly) rendered unusable by him (in the case of the anchor). all he has is his own meager magic and that which he gained from flemythal. while considerable, it is likely nothing near what he had when he created the prison and unintentionally created the veil alongside it
and since the physical world and the fade originally coexisted in some manner - they were separate locations, as the mural with solas' spirit worm confirms - and were easily transversed, it's clearly not a situation where two planes exist at, idk, different frequencies, different speeds, or some other fundamental difference that cannot be crossed
given that reality, the veil must be powerful. this is not an oil and water situation where power is required to connect the two - they might not connect fully, but certainly they interrelated with ease. thus, the veil has to be a power in order to keep them apart
given all that, i think it's safe to conclude that the destruction of the veil would also have released power... power which could be harnessed and used in order to transfer the evanuris from the old prison to the new one (it might also be less that the veil held power which could be harnessed, and more that it's destruction would react, producing power which could be harnessed)
now, did solas want to tear down the veil even when he anticipated having access to his orb and all its accrued power? yes, he did. that was his plan. and at that time, i would not say that the power released by veilfall would have been necessary. i might be wrong on that, perhaps it was always necessary, perhaps the veil held more suspended magical energy than anything else... but it is unclear, and i won't assume that it was necessary
and he readily admits that he wants to return that which he took: elvhen/elven power. he did not want to give them arlathan back. he fought against arlathan. but he wants to empower the modern elves, literally and figuratively. they are a deeply oppressed people, but also ones who have a history of profound magical ability which they have lost with the creation of the veil
conclusion:
some people paint solas as someone who is only doing what he is doing to soothe his own conscious. while there is certainly an element of that, this interpretation entirely fails to consider the canon these behaviors are standing within
at the beginning of dai, i would say this read of solas is accurate. he of course does want to seal the evanuris in a new prison, but he also wants to tear down the veil, and there is no inherent, canonical connection between the two (at least, none that i know of - mind you, i am sticking to in-game canon [including plot-heavy dlcs], so it might have been mentioned elsewhere and i wouldn't know about it/am not particularly interested in spoilers)
but the events of dai changes him. the time between dai and trespasser changes him. trespasser changes him. the time between trespasser and veilguard changes him
and, yes, veilguard changes him. veilguard changes him significantly
but it is not until the very end of veilguard, with ghilan'nain dead for a time and elgar'nan dead just now, that the inherent, underlying threat to the world finally ceases. or at least, ceases being so immediately threatening
solas has been committed to this course for so long. has sacrificed so much in the pursuit of it, for reasons both selfish and selfless, both cold and caring, both analytical and emotional
i think the fact that he can be stopped at this point says a great deal about his fundamental nature. and, yes, it takes everyone. just as it took everyone to beat the evanuris, just as it took everyone - in origins, in 2, in inquisition, and now in veilguard - to stem the tide, to help mitigate destruction, to save the world. so too did it take everyone who was there to stop solas
but he stopped. he was not made to stop, not forced to stop. he did not lose. he had the dagger. he had the ability. all the pieces in place
