#gryff lavellan

[felassan]

just sayin but the elvhen guardian spirits in Trespasser are also real purple

[felassan]

Thoughts/wonderings on Dragon Age: The Missing #1, under a cut due to spoilers for The Missing:

Thoughts on the first few pages can already be found here (spoiler warning for subsequent issues of The Missing at link), as they came out via preview beforehand. I'm glad Evka and Antoine made it out alive =)

"It's up to us, and only us, to find Solas" idk that was just a raw metal line. I'm ready to try (ง'̀-'́)ง

flashback scene! love a good flashback scene. that's the Hanged Man, right? I like the choice of different lightings and different color palettes for the flashback scenes vs the present, it helps distinguish them from one another and convey they take place at different times.

Charter has a new hairstyle, I guess indicating time has passed since the end of Trespasser. I like it but I'm not sure about the design choice for the way her ears have been depicted. I wonder, does this scene take place before or after her encounter with Solas in TN? I feel like we'll meet Charter again in DA:D.

Varric literally looks like '(╥﹏╥)' lmao he's so done.

tfw "The Inquisitor"

"there's no one I or the Inquisitor trust more than you" that's present tense, right? 👁️ so they're still called that old title, even now

lmao Varric keep it down man. random drunk people can hear you, never mind Solas spies and Solas agents. I feel like in two different panels the same background bar patron is listening in

Harding's scouting skills must be super amazing

In the "You know that's a terrible idea"/"But Harding sees the best in people" panels Varric is basically doing a grumpy 'but she is too good and pure for this world, precious cinnamon roll'. and he's really not pulling punches when talking about Solas is he (he's voicing things my Inquisitor would think incidentally..) like my wondering from the earlier pages (link above), this dialogue again makes me feel like Varric is kinda a reflection of the Stop Solas choice in contrast to Harding as a reflection of the Redeem Solas choice

"The Dread Wolf, who broke the world" is another metal line. "broke the world" is interesting, like.. the world healed, but into a fucked up state (e.g. Blight, elven oppression, all the stuff Solas woke up to). some people think he's doing to destroy the world to bring back the old one, but in some ways it's more like how there are procedures where to realign things and allow them to heal properly, healthily, medical professionals will re-break bones.

I wonder again if the Inquisition remnants have tried to come up with a countermeasure to the turning people to stone power? it seems like a big obstacle, yknow?

this sounds like it'll be Varric's role in DA:D, right? The person who puts together the new Team. Varnick Fury? he recruits us? maybe the various characters Varric and Harding meet in this comic series (Evka and Antoine, Teia and Viago [?], The 2 Veil Jumpers etc) are part of the wider team in DA:D, contacts, folks we meet?

"We both know what's at stake if you don't" find a way. aaaaa

oh I like Harding's cloak thing with the.. cloak-tassel-belt things. reminds me of Morrigan's belt-skirt

Evka is badass

"there's no one I or the Inquisitor trust more than you" that's present tense, right? 👁️ so they're still called that old title, even now

lmao Varric keep it down man. random drunk people can hear you, never mind Solas spies and Solas agents. I feel like in two different panels the same background bar patron is listening in

Harding's scouting skills must be super amazing

In the "You know that's a terrible idea"/"But Harding sees the best in people" panels Varric is basically doing a grumpy 'but she is too good and pure for this world, precious cinnamon roll'. and he's really not pulling punches when talking about Solas is he (he's voicing things my Inquisitor would think incidentally..) like my wondering from the earlier pages (link above), this dialogue again makes me feel like Varric is kinda a reflection of the Stop Solas choice in contrast to Harding as a reflection of the Redeem Solas choice

"The Dread Wolf, who broke the world" is another metal line. "broke the world" is interesting, like.. the world healed, but into a fucked up state (e.g. Blight, elven oppression, all the stuff Solas woke up to). we wonder about Solas going to destroy the world in order to bring back the old one, but in some ways it's maybe more like how there are medical procedures where to realign things and allow them to heal properly, healthily, medical professionals will re-break bones. like that has to be done to allow it to heal right.

I wonder again if the Inquisition remnants have tried to come up with a countermeasure to the turning people to stone power? it seems like a big obstacle, yknow?

this sounds like it'll be Varric's role in DA:D, right? The person who puts together the new Team, but not a companion per se. so... Varnick Fury? he recruits us? maybe the various characters Varric and Harding meet in this comic series (Evka and Antoine, Teia and Viago [?], The 2 Veil Jumpers etc) are part of the wider team in DA:D, contacts, folks we meet?

"We both know what's at stake if you don't" find a way. aaaaa

oh I like Harding's cloak thing with the.. cloak-tassel-belt things. reminds me of Morrigan's belt-skirt

Evka is badass

Is the Varric&Harding meeting flashback taking place in Skyhold or Kirkwall? the town around it in later panels makes me think Kirkwall. Varric looks kinda soft seeing Harding. that's nice, their dynamic there is nice. and I'm glad to hear Varric is being such a good Viscount and continuing to rebuild Kirkwall :')

Varric is going gray dfesfesffe. Solas Stress has kicked off his ascent (or descent, from his portrayal in this comic lmao) into silver fox territory. that and 'heavy is the head that wears the crown' I guess

Harding is so good :')

hm hm I think the bright sun in the sky, prominent and looming, harshly bright, in this panel, is interesting.. there's all the stuff about spheres, an eclipse, two worlds.. the sun/sphere motif is here on both pages as well in this comic alone for example

with Harding on the cover of the next issue, and the mention of her mother here, I wonder if we'll get to learn a bit more about Harding's backstory. maybe her mom is ailing? (Varric and Harding almost seem to be touching in this panel.) does "you've got more to lose" mean 'your mom would be really sad if you didn't come back from this mission, think twice about it' or 'something would mysteriously befall your mom if you went on this mission, think twice about it'? 🤔 either way its nice that he's trying to look out for her.

Varric taking off the Viscount crown is his equivalent of Ash Ketchum turning his baseball cap backwards

the Inquisition remnants are genuinely worried that Solas' plans will result in mass death

how credible is Harding's lead? how did she find it? I wonder if it's a false lead Solas or the Venatori planted?

eyeball

hmm is it really just the Deep Stalkers and/or the ogre that have been taking people tho?

Wardens Evka and Antoine didn't sense the ogre coming? is the ogre holding a severed limb as a sort of club? the ogre splash page is cool. also lmaooo... varric's face. Harding grim, Antoine in pain, Evka fierce, Varric simply dying a little more inside

a Let Varric Retire / 'Not This Shit Again' moodboard

lmao the ogre literally just yeets him across the room like a sack of fucking potatoes . hasn't he suffered enough . hes just sailing depressedly thru the air like

the ogre's red eyes.. seem kinda glowy almost.. a stylistic choice in the comic because Scary Threat/Monster, or a hint at the red lyrium darkspawn stuff..?

Antoine.. pls

poor Harding

"What I wouldn't give for someone to look out for me like that" Varric you wound me, Hawke would/does (ಥ◡ಥ) I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that and console myself by reminding myself that it's a default kinda worldstate/not my canon etc

aah, the thing's choice of weapon. so it was indeed a severed limb of some description

so they just come upon a possible former hideout of Solas' just like that, and a note advising where he's going next is the main thing left out in the open in plain view on the table? seems sus. more like he let them find the hideout and left the invitation there for them to see right? and how do they know it was Solas who was here recently? are the papers on the walls some kind of protective enchantments to keep darkspawn away (an ogre could break down a wooden door easily) or part of the research whoever was using this room was conducting? protective enchantments mayhaps, and that's what Varric means with "magical crap" in one of the next panels?

hiding close to darkspawn is smart at least, people wouldn't expect someone to do it and it would help keep wandering or prying eyes away. between them in these panels Varric and Harding hammer home the "oh how weird and surprising" that Solas is staying close to darkspawn almost four times, its almost lampshadey.. maybe he was researching the Blight (more specifically about its origins/how to stop it probably or something).

I kinda feel that it's a kind of a big deal that someone knows how to keep darkspawn and Blight away to this extent using magic

how do they know he left recently and in a hurry? hh, of course solas is up to something. the invitation is all they took? they didnt ransack the drawers, books on the desk, books in the bookcase? or take a closer look at the papers on the wall? I feel like potentially these could have contained a few more clues on whatever magic or other thing the occupant of the room has recently been studying or researching. I'd wanna bring everything that I could carry personally.

I know it's so we the readers can read the note, but seeing written English in Thedas gave me minor whiplash

also I know he probably didnt but the mental image of Solas living in that tiny room in the Deep Roads in hiding for weeks/months/[?]years is kinda funny

Antoine is simply... Evka's babygirl. overall Antoine and Evka didn't do much in the issue, which is a shame.

Harding's dialogue and framing randomly seems sus in the "What? Oh yes. Of course panel" hh

So the person trailing them is revealed to be Venatori. I guess they killed the deepstalker to keep it off Varric and Harding's backs so they would lead them to the hideout, or so they could hear what they were talking about without interruption. I wonder what is their interest in finding out more about Solas/the search for Solas? curious. also at this point I'm definitely feeling that Harding will be a companion in DA:D.

overall not a lot happened in this issue which isn't a big surprise as a] only a few pages in length and b] it's catching us up on what's been happening between Trespasser and now at the same time as explaining about the quest Varric and Harding are on, showing that quest unfolding in the present and generally setting everything up for going forward. I feel like more of note will happen in the next issues, especially issue 3. this was a prologue :)

what will happen in Vyrantium? find out next time on Dragon Ball Z :D

[felassan]

After The Blight

A timeline of the Hero of Ferelden’s movements and notes about their activities after the end of the Fifth Blight

I just wanted to collect it together somewhere. Obviously it does not apply if the Hero performed the Ultimate Sacrifice, although sections of it will apply to Orlesian Warden-Commanders. This is a mixture of canon information, suppositions and headcanons (so it’s a mix of a reference post and personal notes about my own HoF). The latter two things are clearly marked as such. This post has been updated. (Tevinter Nights spoilers under cut)

9:30 Dragon - Fifth Blight begins.

9:31 - Fifth Blight ends, events of DAO end. The Fereldan reign or service to the crown of Queen, Prince-Consort and Chancellor HoFs begins. The HoF studies the Blight. There is an investigation effort into the darkspawns’ remaining secrets.

supposition: shortly after the coronation of Ferelden’s new monarch[s], the HoF answers the First Warden’s summons to Weisshaupt and travels there to report about the Blight. if the Dark Ritual was performed, they avoid mentioning it, despite the pertinent questions they are asked about why no Warden died killing the Archdemon. suspicions in the order abound 

supposition: if Avernus continued his research in some form, the HoF begins working with him around this time

personal headcanon: Dog never left HoF’s side after the Blight, because why would he? I know what it says about replenishing in the kennels, but that could easily be done during HoF’s many trips to Denerim

9:31, 4 months post Blight - Zevran has now begun his quest to dismantle the Crows, so romanced Zevran has most likely left HoF’s company by this point.

9:31, 6 months post Blight - Queen HoF marries Alistair in lavish ceremony. If Alistair was romanced, they then tour Ferelden. Prince-Consort HoF marries Anora in lavish ceremony.

note - The timings of the events in the expansion, DLCs and DA2 Act 1 are a bit squashed and inconsistent, which is why things in the upcoming segment get a bit janky

17th of Ferventis, 9:31, 6 months post Blight, post royal wedding - The Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict and the events of Awakening begin. The HoF had been promoted to Commander of the Grey, Ferelden’s Warden-Commander. They travel to Vigil’s Keep having been tasked by the order with rebuilding the Wardens’ presence in Ferelden and dealing with the remaining darkspawn plaguing the nation. Romanced Warden Alistair could not join them as he had been assigned to the Warden parties in charge of the Thaw Hunt (a hunt for remnant darkspawn pockets). Romanced Zevran could not join them as he was away hunting and being hunted by the Crows. Romanced Leliana could not join as she was summoned for an audience by the Grand Cleric.

supposition: HoF’s promotion was given to them during their time at Weisshaupt. it’s both a reward for their service during the Blight and a maneuver by the First Warden to capitalize on the HoF’s reputation and the post-Blight state of Ferelden (which was weakened and freshly appreciative of Wardens). the goal was to leverage the Wardens back into prominence and power in Ferelden

9:31, 12 months post Blight - This basically brings things into ~9:32. The Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict and events of Awakening end. If the Architect was spared, other Wardens in other nations are appalled, but the Wardens think the ensuing conflict between groups of darkspawn might make the Deep Roads safer. If the Architect was spared, HoF begins work of some kind with the intelligent darkspawn and has interactions with them in the coming years (in 9:37, Warden Nathaniel calls these darkspawn “The Warden’s allies” and mentions information these allies provided the Wardens with). Soon after what happened with the Architect, if Avernus continued his research in some form, HoF sends him information about the Architect.

personal headcanon: HoF names Nathaniel Howe their second-in-command. Nathaniel becomes Constable of the Grey, Warden-Constable of Ferelden

favored headcanon: HoF names romanced or befriended Warden Alistair their second-in-command. Alistair becomes Constable of the Grey, Warden-Constable of Ferelden

9:31 - If Avernus continued his research in some form, Hawke finds a very important set of Warden letters and documents from the HoF intended for the First Warden, on a dead body on the Wounded Coast in the Free Marches. HoF dispatched the messenger from Ferelden via Amaranthine to go to Weisshaupt by way of Kirkwall, possibly with the aid of an agent in Kirkwall. The courier was most likely dispatched from Vigil’s Keep. Something had happened that the HoF is concerned about and wanted to inform the First Warden of ASAP. Enclosed was a message from Avernus to the HoF. This message indicates that the HoF has been working and corresponding with Avernus to aid his research, including sending him shipments of supplies. Avernus’ research has made progress but also revealed some alarming implications, and he urged the HoF to inform the FW at once. 

supposition: “supplies” includes live subjects, as in sentient beings (Ghilan’nain would be proud)

supposition: due to everything with Avernus if he continued his research, it’s around now that seeds begin to be sown in HoF’s mind of finding a way to escape the Calling 

personal headcanon: the agent in Kirkwall is Varric Tethras, or one of his people. after all, he is an information broker, spymaster and someone who knows everyone

~9:31 - The events of The Golems of Amgarrak take place. HoF investigates Amgarrak Thaig after being invited to Orzammar by Jerrik Dace, on a search mission to find a lost expedition. Most likely takes place after Awakening because Jerrik sent a letter requesting aid to Vigil’s Keep.

personal headcanon: the HoF has contact here with House Tethras, who canonically funded Jerrik’s search mission

9:32, nearly 1 year after the Archdemon’s death - The events of Witch Hunt take place. HoF searches for Morrigan through the Korcari Wilds, Cadash Thaig, Kinloch Hold and the Dragonbone Wastes. If HoF romanced Morrigan, they may vanish with her through the eluvian. In some universes Kieran has now been born. For some HoFs, they now meet their son for the first time.

supposition: it’s now that Morrigan tells some HoFs about the leads she found that point to the western lands as a place where a cure for the Calling might be found. if HoF didn’t leave through the mirror, some HoFs may now find that the “gift” Morrigan left them along with the stolen Dalish book is information about these leads. do note that some HoFs are implied to have come into the knowledge without Morrigan’s involvement

supposition: 9:32, post Witch Hunt - It’s now that HoFs who romanced Zevan travel to Antiva to reunite with him for a time, their expansion and DLC-business being concluded. they do what they can to help him in his Crow quest

9:32 on, for a time - HoFs who romanced Morrigan, fathered Kieran and left through the mirror help Morrigan raise Kieran for a while. This goes on for a long enough time that the roughly ~10 year old Kieran clearly remembers his father in 9:41.

supposition: much of this family life took place in hidden, secret places, some of which are in Thedas ‘proper’ itself and some of which are in the Crossroads and places reached via the Crossroads

supposition [?]: 9:32 on, til leaving / ‘mysteriously vanishing’ in ~9:40 - HoF most likely based out of Denerim Royal Palace and/or Vigil’s Keep, being largely occupied in this period with the duties involved in being Queen, Prince-Consort, Chancellor and/or Warden-Commander of Ferelden. The former would involve such things as advising, often being seen at court, helping to rebuild Ferelden in the wake of the Blight, and resisting the influence/incursions Orlais attempt around this time. The latter would involve such things as recruitment, training, establishing bases, sending annual reports to Weisshaupt, scouting, clearing remnant darkspawn activity, rebuilding Vigil’s Keep and/or Amaranthine, overseeing the arling etc. It’s also likely that Warden business would take them to other parts of Thedas at times. Romanced Zevran and romanced Leliana both assist when they can with rebuilding the Wardens, without officially joining. Depending on HoF’s actions during the Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict, potential events such as a riot of common folk at Vigil’s Keep can occur here. HoF continuing to actively serve in the Wardens during this time probably isn’t just supposition due to how they and Warden Alistair can refer to their duties in 9:41. Still, there’s lots of space and flexibility in this period for headcanon, for example to include things from the ‘rumors’ and such listed at the end of this post.

supposition: HoFs who romanced Zevan are involved on and off as they are able in this time period with his Crow quest, helping when they can. “on and off” refers to their involvement in his quest, not their relationship. canonically around this period Zevran is known for high profile kills of Guildmasters and having some of the others in his pocket. by 9:34 he has 2 out of 7 Guildmasters in his pocket and has killed at least one other along with Eoman, 2 Grandmasters, and 4 other members of House Arainai

personal headcanon: HoF establishes Soldier’s Peak as a secondary and proper functioning Warden base in Ferelden, and it comes to rival Vigil’s Keep

personal headcanon: HoF grows increasingly dissatisfied with the actions and attitudes of the Wardens (primarily the First Warden and other leadership in the Anderfels) during this period, and in the later years begins to consider making a play for power and seizing the First Warden’s seat

~9:33, 1 year after Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict ends - If HoF saved the city of Amaranthine, it is finished being rebuilt. Relevant because it is part of the arling goings-on, which is currently in HoF’s hands.

personal headcanon: 9:34 - HoF visits their clan near Kirkwall, having sent word ahead to Merrill. HoF is able to see Merrill and Marethari again prior to Marethari’s death in Act 3. this ties in handily with the timeframe when Warden Stroud/Alistair passes through Kirkwall on a mysterious important Warden mission. HoF, in the company of this Warden party (which includes Warden Carver), meets Hawke and is reunited with Anders/Justice and Isabela. HoF meets their contact Varric in person for the first time

~9:36, 5 years after Darkspawn Civil War/Amaranthine Conflict ends - If HoF saved the city of Amaranthine, Vigil’s Keep is finally finished being rebuilt.

supposition: ~9:37 (dependent on when Hawke did MoTA) - Not long after Hawke kills Corpheus, HoF begins digging for information about him much like the DAI Warden contact. HoF is investigating rumors they had heard and found about him, being concerned that he would be able to jump host bodies on death like an Archdemon. This happens in romanced Warden Alistair worlds in tandem with Alistair, and I don’t see why it would be exclusive to those. This can technically occur anytime between 31 and 37, but 37 makes the most sense for this to happen, as I can’t see HoF sitting on Corypheus knowledge for almost a decade before he rose

9:37 - Queen HoF is at home in the Royal Palace in Denerim when King Alistair meets Hawke in Act 3.

supposition: Prince-Consort HoFs, Chancellor HoFs, HoFs who remained King Alistair’s paramour, HoFs who were friends with King Alistair and potentially some others are also at court in Denerim at this time, either visiting or in a less temporary manner, depending

9:37 - Hawke meets Warden Nathaniel and possibly their Warden sibling in the Deep Roads. The First Warden had ordered an investigation along Hawke’s Deep Road expedition route, as Hawke went further into the Roads than anyone believed possible and the Wardens are interested in the primeval thaig. The Wardens obtained directions from Bartrand and were prepared to do extensive excavations around the thaig using explosives.

supposition: HoF had some involvement in the above, for example overseeing, organizing and decision-making on a level more local than the First Warden’s initial order

personal headcanon: Hawke’s Warden sibling has been under HoF’s command in recent years

personal headcanon: 9:38 - HoF accompanies Alistair during the events of The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, and Until We Sleep. these events canonically take longer than 3 weeks, probably ~2 months. their travels take them to Antiva City, the Tellari Swamps, Ventus, Seheron and the Fade. HoF is reunited with Sten and Isabela, and meets Maevaris

~9:40, before Cassandra interrogates Varric - HoF departs on their long-ass quest to the west to find a cure for the Calling. Romanced Zevran accompanies them. Their journey takes them far out of the areas where Corypheus is operating, to lands untouched by Blight. Cassandra initially seeks HoF now, but cannot find them, most likely because they’ve left. Romanced Leliana couldn’t go because Justinia called on her for help. Romanced Warden Alistair stays behind to investigate the mounting concerns in the Wardens with corruption in the ranks, Corypheus, Wardens disappearing and the false Calling.

supposition [?]: Awakening Warden companions that we’ve not heard from again - so Velanna, Sigrun and Oghren - accompany HoF on their quest, explaining why they haven’t resurfaced

personal headcanon: in the months prior, HoF began to grow concerned about stirrings of strange behavior in Warden ranks, much like the DAI Warden contact

9:41 - A letter arrives to Weisshaupt from the new Warden-Commander of Vigil’s Keep. Around this time Clarel is noted to have stopped writing to Weisshaupt.

supposition: there is a new Warden-Commander because HoF has now departed on their quest. the new one could be temporary in the interim or a permanent replacement. the new one is possibly whoever HoF promoted to Constable of the Grey / Warden-Constable of Ferelden, as Wardens of this rank are second-in-commands who step in when the Warden-Commander is away. [headcanon note here: if HoF had elevated Alistair to the position, it’s possibly now occupied by someone else given Warden Alistair soon goes into hiding after becoming concerned]

9:41, mid-Inquisition - It proves difficult, but Morrigan, Alistair or Leliana facilitate Inquisition contact with the HoF and an exchange of letters between HoF and the Inquisitor. HoF signs their letter “Warden-Commander”.

supposition: given how they sign the letter, it doesn’t seem that they have officially stepped down from the role yet. alternatively, a Warden can continue to use the title after stepping down, or this is an inconsistency. I think it’s most likely the new Warden-Commander in the Weisshaupt letter above is acting-WC at this time point

~9:44, post-Trespasser - HoF has returned from their quest to find a cure. If they romanced Leliana, they rejoin her. If Leliana is Divine, HoF is often seen at her side. If not, their respective responsibilities often keep them apart, but whenever they can they spend time together at a villa on the Waking Sea.

supposition: HoF didn’t come back until now, as they are not mentioned in the base game epilogue. their quest really took years

supposition: All HoFs return now, because why would only Lelimancers make it back?

supposition: HoF found a cure, given the fairly light tone in the romanced Leliana epilogues. if so, they probably step down from being a Warden, as Fiona was not allowed to remain in the Wardens after being cured

supposition: If HoF romanced Morrigan or Alistair or married Anora, they instead rejoin their respective LI, or LI and child in the case of Morrigan sometimes. Leliana, Morrigan and Warden Alistair as LIs in DAI all express the same sentiment of what amounts to “this time, when we rejoin one another, we intend to stay together”. romanced Zevran here was already with them, having gone on the quest

supposition: At this time point HoF clearly still has some continuing responsibilities of some form. work with the Wardens in an advisory capacity? ongoing service to the Fereldan crown? there’s lots of space and flexibility now for headcanon, for example to include things from the ‘rumors’ and such listed at the end of this post

supposition: It appears Leliana tells romanced HoF of the troubles to come (’for both saw the troubles that were to come’). presumably this is a reference to the Dread Wolf and related threats. I assume she would tell this to any HoF that she was good friends with

personal headcanon: the cure for the Calling is distributed to Anders and Carver. whether it’s distributed to all Wardens or made common knowledge to all Wardens is debatable

personal headcanon: HoF ‘takes care of’ some of befriended Divine Leliana’s enemies. I especially favor this headcanon with romanced Leliana

~9:44, post-Trespasser, probably into 9:45 - ‘The Bard’ reports a sighting of an unspecified Warden-Commander in an auctionhouse in Llomerryn, talking to disguised Divine Victoria. This Warden-Commander’s identity is left unstated, and this story of the Bard’s, or this part of the story, seems like it was made up.

supposition: this was made up and never happened, given the context. I do love the allusion to the apparent contact and scheming between HoF and romanced or befriended Divine Leliana, though

----------

There are also lots of things that the HoF was rumored or can be suggested to do post-game in the DAO and expansion epilogues. If desired, these could easily be woven into headcanons and stories to help fill the periods where there are large timegaps. You could also headcanon in HoF appearing with romanced Zevran and romanced Leliana at various timepoints when they resurface in the narrative, for example.

continue to have unspecified adventures and travels

travel with Sten to Par Vollen

travel with Wynne and Shale

dwarves: return to Orzammar, potentially Paragon duties

Mahariel: return to their clan

Tabris: potentially Bann of the Alienage duties

Cousland: return to Highever, help Fergus rebuild

and so forth

[felassan]

me many years ago: Gryff's Fade tombstone would read "Bana’vhenadahl", which is lyrical shorthand that roughly translates to "the ruined tree of the People". this is because pre-DAI her greatest fear is the destruction/death of her clan, and post DAI it's widened, morphed and mutated into fear of catastrophic doom befalling the People in general. post DAI and especially post Trespasser it’s something more vague, huge and shapeless, felt on an almost instinctive level. Bana’vhenadahl is a symbolic way of expressing this -

Bioware last year: check out this mural of a ruined tree on fire

BioWare now: now check out this ruined tree ensnared and infected by red lyrium

me now:

[felassan]

indulging in my Emerald Knight

[felassan]

The frick is my two handed warrior inky supposed to do missing a hand? Bruh moment

Hi Nonnie. They could retire from active combat (all Inquisitors are implied to have done this at least officially, as in to external prying eyes, anyway), as there’s lots of other things they could do, or they could possibly retrain in one-handed weapons or learn a new fighting style. iirc in the game you can complete both the two-handed and one-handed skill trees if you choose to, and switch back and forth pretty much whenever. If you choose to join the Red Jennies in Trespasser, one of the epilogue slides shows the Inquisitor, regardless of class, using what either appears to be a crossbow attachment or a grappling hook ‘gun’ attachment. In an early piece of concept art, Iron Bull is missing an arm and it appears to have been replaced by some kind of cannon. In Tevinter Nights, Neve Gallus is missing her leg below the knee, and instead has a prosthesis made out of dwarven-crafted metal; she says it doesn’t keep her out of a chase, and engages in combat a few times. At one point an enemy combatant comes at her with a dagger and it glances off the metal, the dwarven craftsmanship meaning that there was little to no damage. In Dragon Age Comic from IDW, the mage Gleam uses magic to heal the recent injuries of a dwarf named Minderel. Minderel had one arm, having lost the other a long time ago. In the process of healing him Gleam inadvertently regrows the lost limb too, although not to its former size. However, this comic is of questionable quality and tertiary [?] canonicity, so make of it what you will. You could headcanon that your Inquisitor chooses to have a prosthetic arm of some kind, which some people do. My Inquisitor is also a two-handed warrior primarily, and opted to do this. There are quite a few interesting designs in fanart and ideas for this (magical, technical, fusions), as well as posts about considerations and cares to take into account when approaching the concept of a prosthesis, floating around that you could check out.

[felassan]

Faced with the latest events and revelations in Dragon Age (TN, Comics, DAI, Traspasser e etc), do you think there is a possibility that Evanuris appear in DA4? Or did they work only in the imaginary?

Hello! The big question... Cut for length. A bit of repetition in places, pardon me.

In Trespasser the Inquisitor asks Solas, “[if you did that] Wouldn't the false gods be free?” He says “I had plans.” When you consider Solas’ track record with his plans, that they’ve worked but not quite how he expected or he has a certain intention but something unfortunately goes amiss in the process - if he succeeds in his plan to remove the Veil, which some lore hints that he will (Sandal’s prophecy and so forth), it’s a definite possibility.

I have to wonder what his plans entail - has he sorted out a new prison for them, or has he discovered some means of permadeathing them? “The first of my people do not die so easily”, Mythal endured after her murder, etc. It’s true that before the Veil was erected, elves didn’t age, but they could be wounded and die, and elven society then still had a clear concept of immortals (the Evanuris) vs mortals (regular Joe elves): “Fen'Harel has been falsely named a god, but is as mortal as any of you. He takes no divine mantle and asks that none be bestowed upon him”; “This is... Fen'Harel helping former slaves as a mortal. Not a god”; “This claims the elven "gods" were just "Evanuris" - powerful but completely mortal mages. If that's true, Fen'Harel was teaching these freed slaves the truth about these "false gods"”; “One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts” (Although that one could refer to humans?); “The gods, our Evanuris, claim divinity, yet they are naught but mortals powerful in magic who can die as you can.” There are several takeaways from these quotes:

Before encountering the other races which have their own biology and definitions, the elven definition of “mortal” meant “doesn’t age, but can get wounded and die”, not “doesn’t age, can’t die/can’t perma-die”. Human, Qunari and dwarf (and now modern elf) “mortality” obviously also includes the aging component along with the dying.

I would guess that the difference between the Evanuris and regular ancient elves in terms of this mortality is that if a regular elf got wounded and died, they stayed dead, but if the Evanuris died, they just came back. That would be part of why you couldn’t just rise up and overthrow them; if you killed them, they’d just come back and kill you or get back on their throne. Horcrux shit, possession, regenerating like some spirits essentially can if the conditions are right (consider the potential links between elves and spirits), their souls just jumping to the next body like how Old God souls in Archdemons usually just jump to the next darkspawn if ‘killed’... whatever the explanation. Solas describes this as "effective immortality" when he's talking about how he didn't foresee Corypheus gaining the ability: "I did not expect a Tevinter Magister to discover the secret of effective immortality". The way he says that it's like he's saying "[tired voice] Bruh, how did this guy figure out how to do what the Evanuris can do?"

Even the Evanuris weren’t truly immortal. That was their claim to divinity to be sure, presumably based on some ability to avoid-permadeath they somehow had or somehow acquired [?]

Anyway, the risk of them returning to the world could be part of why a PC might believe they should try to stop Solas. We’ve never encountered most of the Evanuris directly, but if what we’ve learned about them from DAI onwards is anything to go by (bearing in mind that the stuff revealed about them in DA:I could also be intentionally mis-leading or only partially true of course), by the peak of their rule at least they were far from Benign and Benevolent, and that was before they were subjected to an “eternity of torment”. What if they’ve gone mad after millennia of imprisoned torture? What if the place they were imprisoned is the source of the Blight, or a Tainted place like the Black City, or a place like the Void which caused Andruil to suffer periods of intense madness? What if when they get out they want revenge on Fen’Harel for imprisoning them, or to rule over the elven people once more, or to restore their old Empire and systems? What if they want to destroy the Qunari and the human and dwarven kingdoms, or to resume their inter-group conflicts with one another, or to make all of Thedas bend the knee to them as gods as Corypheus did? What if Mythal resurfaces to finally exact revenge on them for her murder, which has always been her goal? Can you imagine a group of maddened possibly-Tainted warring immortal god-kings who are all powerful mages that can turn into dragons hell-bent on any of that stuff roaming the land again? worrying for the little people caught in the crossfire, and about collateral damage.

“As the world burn[s] in the raw chaos” potentially refers to any number of things from a list of possibilities; the chaos of two worlds essentially re-colliding once more, chaos among the populace as the state of reality that they’re used to suddenly dramatically alters, power vacuums arising in the event of casualties of those in leadership positions, possible physical changes to the landscape as fallen pieces start to float again, suddenly spirits and demons share the world with people and all elves are mages, the aftermath of an initial big explosion, etc. Unleashed Evanuris could also contribute to that chaos.

If Whispers Written in Red Lyrium is about them (may not be), it’s ominous:

We are here

We have waited

We have slept

We are sundered

We are crippled

We are polluted

We endure

We wait

We have found the dreams again

We will awaken

I’ve wondered before if the line “Dalish father roams, will the Dalish son survive the fight?” from Maryden’s Trespasser bard song could refer to Elgar’nan as the “father”, rather than Solas:

Then I wondered why it says “Dalish” specifically.. Maybe to make it explicit that it’s in reference to modern elves, or maybe because whatever is to come will specifically affect Dalish elves the most? Solas isn’t the only ancient elf, and a side effect of his plan may be lettting the trapped Evanuris back into the world. He says he has a plan to deal with that, and maybe it will work, but what if it doesn’t? He’s failed in his plans before, and if Flemythal is still around (likely imo) and wants to get her vengeance on the Evanuris for killing her (as I think), they need to be not-imprisoned in order for her to access them to be able to do that. The Evanuris loosed upon the world again - what if it’s the Dalish All-Father doing the roaming? after he killed his wife back in the day?

Elgar’nan once again free and walking the earth, Elgar’nan with his [apparently] ferocious temper and destructive fury, Elgar’nan who’s said to wield fire and lightning. If he’s mad about having being locked up, and if he seeks to reclaim his former power and place of rule - what if the Dalish “son” is modern elves caught up between wrathful warring gods (and those who oppose them)? In Trespasser Solas says he sought to free his people from the Evanuris, who were respected generals that became kings and finally gods. some of the modern elves would refuse to be under such a rule of god-kings again. (Never Again Shall We Submit.) There’s also a fan theory that vallaslin imparted some measure of control of the wearer (or perhaps more like a compulsion to serve, like a geas?) through blood magic or something similar. Dalish now wear vallaslin for different reasons, and the application process may not be the same as it used to be, but there’s a theory that vallaslin-wearers might still be susceptible to unleashed-Evanuris-control. I don’t know about that really, but it’s not a nice image. also, would the patriarch god-king of Arlathan, which iirc once stretched across all of known Thedas as we know it, be content with reclaiming his former rule just over one part or people in Thedas? probably not. At any rate, the idea of facing off against Elgar’nan/some of the Evanuris in a future game.. in this purely hypothetical scenario they’d constitute the “overarching big bad” like the Fifth Blight/Archdemon for the HoF, and Solas would be a secondary antagonist/’false flag villain’ that you can either kill on your way (or something) or in the process get him on your side/redeem (Loghain)/work with him. elgar’nan, fite me (ง’̀-‘́)ง

[Leliana voice] Pure speculation!

yea.. and ok i really wanna meet and do battle with Elgar’nan..

There’s also the line of thinking that instead of the true Big Bad or the final boss, Solas is The Dragon to something else, possibly the Evanuris. Not in a “right hand man or he’s on their side” kind of way, but like how Loghain was a secondary antagonist in DAO, and after dealing with him - or getting him on our side - we then had to deal with the true threat, which was the Fifth Blight and the Archdemon. (Maybe there’s a more suitable trope to label this as, if anyone reading knows what it is, let me know.)

Tevinter Nights hints some more at the Evanuris as potential threats and reminds us of both their existence and their past and powers with The Horror of Hormak. “[in the vicinity of Ghilan’nain shit] Feels like... like the air hates me. Wants me to die.” “[of someone affected by Ghilan’nain shit] She’s raving mad.” “[said mad victim] Oh, yes - we know better. They taught us, gave us a lesson. We went too far. Too deep. Something’s down there, something bad. We thought it was darkspawn, but it’s worse. Because it’s different, you see? Not the same at all. Not twisted but made - created. Three died. They were lucky, I wasn’t. Escaped. But not really. Don’t make me go back. Not there, not where they are. I will not. I cannot. We must leave. This place to her, to them! They build it for her! They wait for her! I am free - I paid the price! [screams in terror and laughs humorlessly]” Waiting for her (Ghilan’nain) implies that ‘she’ will return. “[another victim] I stayed me, and it hates that. [the monster-side begins to take over, insistent] And we waited for you! Oh, yes! Now you come. [screams and the human-side fights back] Can’t let this out. Got to... bury it. Bury me. She cannot have it. Not again. Locked for a reason.” The storybeat potential is thrilling, but yeah, Thedas should be afraid

Gameplay-wise I’d really like to see the Evanuris’ character designs, and fighting them or some of them would be wild. My Inquisitor doesn’t want the false-gods returned to the world, but she’d quite like to punch Elgar’nan a Word.

[felassan]

just wanted to gather together a ‘board’ made up of DAI tarot cards that represent my Inquisitor and her narrative