And each was promised
Power and glory beyond all reckoning
If they would only come to the feet of the gods and ask.
And so they joined in secret, telling none
Who were not of the temples of their designs.
And in Minrathous, in the heart of the Archon a sliver of fear grew,
Stabbing like a wound. Though he knew not why.
—Silence 1:1-1:17, Dissonant Verse
They'll be featured in some Fade/flashback scenes later on in my fanfic 'Nothing but ambition where hearts once beat' so I decided to come up with some fun designs for these 7 bastards ♡
I was definitely going for that "you're playing with the big boys now" vibe from Prince of Egypt, lmao.
Theories (?) The Ritual Sarcophagus, lyrium, blood magic & Falon'din
I just woke up from a nap and started thinking about Fenris' comics (Wraith of Tevinter) and the origin of that Ritual Sarcophagus.
Bear with me for this one.
A Ritual Sarcophagus is "an ancient magical artifact of unknown origin" but with Veilguard, I'm even more sure than before that it is Elven, not Tevene or anything else.
First I thought they might have been created by June, but now I think they're connected to Falon'din: the "God" of Death, sarcophagi...
What if Falon'din put spirits who became elves (had a physical body) in this artifact to make them more "spirit-like" again? To give them a physical yet immaterial body? A perfect in-between to make them stronger.
What's been reinforcing the idea that this artifact is elven, is how it is used. Marquette says the ritual requires swords imbued with lyrium, but those aren't just enchanted swords. They're Arcane Warrior's sword. The description for this subclass in Dragon Age Origins says: "Among the ancient elves, there were mages who trained their magical arts to augment their martial prowess. They channeled magical power through their weapons and bodies, becoming terrors on the battlefield."
This artifact uses lyrium (Titan's blood), and we know from Solas that Falon'din used to kill his least faithful worshippers. "The blood of those who wouldn't bow low filled lakes as wide as oceans", so imagining him using blood magic with all that waste isn't too crazy. Especially since he was often fighting with Elgar'nan to prove who was the strongest.
"Mythal, in her wisdom, interceded in an argument between Elgar'nan and Falon'Din. With clever words, she convinced them to settle their grievance through a battle of their champions. Elgar'nan and Falon'Din agreed, and set their champions against each other rather than declare war among the gods"
— Codex entry: Vir Dirthara: Duel of a Hundred Years
A battle that Falon'din lost. Maybe that's why he created (or asked June's/another Evanuris help) those sarcophagus, in the hopes to make a stronger champion out of his worshippers.
What's more: Zazikel, Falon'din's dragon thrall, was not only known as the Dragon of Chaos, but also Freedom. It comes full circle when you realise it's been used on Fenris: He traded his freedom for his mother and sister. His memories, who he was before. But he also used these abilities to forge a new freedom for him, for other slaves of Tevinter, and people like them.
Zazikel & Falon'din are connected to Kios & Tenebrium, the constellations depicting what is described to be a dragon, but rather seems to be a spirit holding a blade (Arcane Warrior? One of his champion?) and an owl, which is often used as the symbol for Falon'din.
(It's also interesting because it's the same owl statues we find in Veilguard. This picture is from Inquisition though.)
I keep thinking about "what if Fenris was in Veilguard?" and how interesting it would be to hear him talk to Lace Harding about the Titans/her magic, compare it to his. For him to meet (and become) a Shadow Dragon, etc.
• Extra note 1: If Shirallas had survived, I'm sure Elgar'nan would adore him as one of his pawn in Veilguard. Blighted lyrium, blood magic, fuelled by a thirst for vengeance and bearing Elgar'nan's vallaslins? The perfect pawn for this God.
• Extra note 2: This entire post and thoughts is just making me regret we didn't get more stuff about the Red Lyrium. I thought DA Absolution bringing back "The Crimson Knight" (Meredith Stannard) was a build up to bring her back in this game haha
Anyways, I made it myself with Alba de Riva (When he isn't Rook, but a recruitable companion, it's his personal quest).
A whole questline around Red Templars activity, trying to pursue their goals of using blood magic to turn every Templars into Red Templars like she wanted to do in the Netflix series.
I present to you the second chapter of my short book covering the Blights. This chapter covers the Second Blight. Unarguably, it had a huge impact on the Thedas we live in today, with the founding of many of our key institutions. Or at least, those institutions that were key until recent world events.
I have attempted to cover the actions of the Elves with sensitivity, where it is appropriate. I believe this work remains in the minority in that regard. I look forward to my next visit, and once again thank you for your patronage.
Regards
[An unintelligible scribble of a signature]
Previous Chapter: The First Blight
Chapter Two: The Second Blight
The Divine Age was supposed to be a promise. A new age, dawning in the light of the Maker, where old superstitions and heresies were set aside and people might unite under the common banner of Andrastianism. It was not to be. In 1:5 Divine, Darkspawn began to pour out from underneath the mountains south of the Anderfels. They were to follow Zazikel, Dragon of Chaos (occasionally known as the Old God of Freedom), to its bitter end ninety years later. Hossberg was the first to be overrun (disputed in some sources), with the Grey Wardens barely managing to get the word out as their defences were whittled down to almost the last man. We do not know the names of those heroic enough to escape the slaughter to warn the world, but history is certainly indebted them. It is to them that this chapter is dedicated, as a stark reminder that every individual, no matter how small in rank or importance may have a world-changing role to play in shaping the fate of Thedas.
The Initial Invasion
After Hossberg, the next settlement to be attacked was Nordbotten, the settlement where famously the Grey Wardens achieved their first victory post-Joining against the Darkspawn. This was the first Darkspawn siege to be broken during the First Blight, and a terrifying indication that these corrupted creatures may possess a sense of historical memory. Was Nordbotten wiped out so viciously in revenge for the Wardens first victory? Did the Darkspawn tell tales between themselves of a humiliating defeat? We cannot know for sure, and can only guess at their intelligence. It is worth mentioning that the sources do differ on the matter of which settlement was attacked first, many placing Hossberg before Nordbotten. Although this book has chosen to side with the majority of sources, it is perhaps something to consider that Nordbotten being chosen first may lend weight to the idea of a Darkspawn cultural memory of some kind.
Before moving on, we should address one of the few oral stories from this era, passed down through the Dalish clans. It deals with the story of a Keeper named Iloren - at a time when the Dales were still an independent Kingdom - who led a nomadic clan through the lands of the Anderfels. This is one of the few stories that point towards the Dalish being nomadic even before the fall of the Dales, where Keepers were generally not clan leaders, but priests of the Elven pantheon. According to the story, recorded by Keeper Zathrian of a Ferelden clan, Iloren kept his people ahead of the Darkspawn by remaining in transit. However, it could not last, so as a final stand he instructed the clan to lay a circle of dry brush around them. As the Darkspawn advanced, so it was lit, and the clan survived surrounded by the burning beasts. As with all oral tales, it is possible that there is little or no truth to it. However, it certainly points to the interesting reality of the Dalish being nomadic even as they held their own land, and is included in this chapter for the sake of painting a more complete picture of Thedas at that time.
The Emperor, The Battle and The Accord
A string of military victories in the years leading up to 1:16 Divine led to the first great victory of the Second Blight: The Battle of Cumberland. Led by Kordillus Drakon, this Orlesian Emperor-to-be made the decision to make full use of mage allies in the battle, no doubt setting in motion the use of formal battlemage magics that are still key disciplines to this day. Permitted to use their full power against the horde, the Battle of Cumberland saw the destruction of a large host of Darkspawn and the mages’ contribution did not go unseen or unappreciated by Drakon. The Battle of Cumberland would be a key engagement in preventing other cities in the region from falling, owing much to its commanding general.
One of the key figures of the Blight, and indeed in general history is the first Emperor of Orlais: Kordillus Drakon. A celebrated Anointed figure in the Chantry, he is credited with many great deeds, the unification of Orlais being chief among them. Having been crowned Emperor in Val Royeaux six years prior, it was the Blight that would be his true test, and one he would not live to see the end of. However, he would lay important groundwork for those who would, including the creation of the Nevarran Accord. It is hard to say whether any agreement, treaty or document has had any bigger effect on modern Thedas than this Accord. In 1:20 Divine the Inquisition, an organisation which had been formed to fight against magical tyranny in all its forms, agreed to lay down their banner, joining with the mages who had distinguished themselves during the battle. Together, they would form the Templar Order - vowing to protect mages, as well as to defend against rogue mages - the Circle of Magi and the Seekers of Truth. Drakon’s actions during this time would also further the spread of the Chant of Light. At this battle, and many others like it, Chantry priests stood at the forefront of the army to deliver Andraste’s words before the charge. It is a tradition still carried out in modern times, especially in comparable situations. Many ages later the incense of the Chantry sisters at Ostagar during the 5th Blight and the words they spoke to the faithful must have almost masked the terrible sounds and smells of that fateful day.
The Sacking of Montsimmard and Siege of Minrathous
During the entirety of the 2nd Blight, the Dalish Kingdom in the south of Thedas remained neutral. It is difficult through the lens of history to truly know or understand why, but as a minority peoples in what may have already been an insular kingdom, we might consider the motives of the High Keepers to have been one of self-preservation. Had the Blight begun in, or had otherwise greatly afflicted the lands of the Dales, would the human armies have come to their aid? It is a question that must be fairly considered. Either way, their lack of contribution during this time would go on to further cement the divide between human and elf and contribute to tensions that, in the end, would see the end of this Elven kingdom.
In 1:25 Divine, the city of Montsimmard was almost destroyed. The tragedy occurred whilst, according to some sources, the Dalish army was positioned nearby. They would not intervene. As we know now from the most recent Inquisition’s findings in the Frostback Basin, this eventuality may have been avoided if Inquisitor Ameridan were present to impress upon his people the gravity of the situation. Instead, he would give his life to imprison the bound spirit of Hakkon Wintersbreath drawn forth by the Avvar cult known as the ‘Jaws of Hakkon,’ thus avoiding a duel invasion which almost certainly would have ended the fledging Orlais before it had chance to flourish. As much as we have Emperor Drakon to thank for modern Orlais, we must also give credit to Ameridan.
Six years after the sacking of Montsimmard, in 1:31 Divine, it would be the turn of Minrathous, capital of the Tevinter Imperium. The attempting overrun of the city by the horde would fail, however, with the forces of the Imperium able to resist the onslaught. Resistance had a price, however. With siege stores exhausted and many resources expended, the Imperium would find itself weakened in the years after the Blight and these events may have been one of the key factors in the nation’s decline.
The Orlesian Army at Weisshaupt and the Empire Beyond
In 1:33 Divine, the Orlesian army travelled north to the Warden fortress of Weisshaupt in the Anderfels. On the cusp of starvation after a long and bloody siege by the Darkspawn, Drakon’s decision to turn away from his ambition to conquer a weakened Imperium was rewarded by a decisive victory here at the Warden headquarters, and earned the respect and gratitude of the Grey Wardens to such an extent that many of them converted to the Andrastian Chantry.
Moving north, the newly delivered Wardens and Drakon’s army together moved north across the Anderfels, defeating the Darkspawn entrenched there and liberating was was left of the heavily ravaged lands. Wherever the army went, the Chant of Light went with them, leading to a wave of conversions and the annexation of the Anderfel nation to the Empire of Orlais. No doubt it is a testament both to the power of the Chant and the strength of the combined Orlesian-Warden forces that such momentous events should all take place in less than a year. And it was a testament, perhaps, to the character of Kordillus Drakon that he would turn away from his ambition for power in order to pursue a rather more lofty goal. Although the Anderfels would become part of the Empire after this action, its Blight ravaged lands were surely less valuable to Drakon than the heart of the Imperium might have been.
In the south of Empire, the Blight continued to play out. Out of the Abyssal Rift - the large chasm in the north of the Western Approach of Orlais - came the horde pouring forth, attacking and blighting the land with such ferocity its blackened residue can still be seen today. Here the Grey Wardens forces alike would fight many battles at their fortifications, the most famous being the Dwarven built Adamant Fortress. Built partly into the Rift, with halls descending below, it housed more than a thousand Wardens at one time along with weyrs for their griffons. Here these forces would succeed in beating back the horde time and again from their attempt to crawl upwards, and for many years after the fortress would become a monument to this success. Although it was not to last the ages, there is no doubt that Adamant during this time was a guarded gateway to all Thedas, a dam on which the waters broke.
The Unification of the Alamarri in the Ferelden Valley
The Blight had not forgotten the east. From the Deep Roads came the Darkspawn, whose further ravages upon the dwarves must have been great. Upon the surface lay the scattered human tribes, divided and ill-equipped to handle the new threat in their already stark lives. From one of these tribes came a warrior whose name is now legendary: Hafter. Son of another half-mythical hero, Dane, he probably rose to prominence early in the Divine Age, possibly by notable battles or heroics against the Darkspawn prior to the event for which is most well known. In 1:40 Divine, he would unite the disparate Alamarri into a single tribe in order to defeat their common foe in the Darkspawn, leading eventually to the creation of Ferelden as we know it. In the coming years, his leadership would be challenged by both Chasind and Avvar, culminating in 1:50 Divine in a combined invasion by those hostile tribes. Apparently hoping to use the Blight to their advantage, they would nonetheless be defeated, with Hafter named soon after as the first Teyrn.
The Battle of Starkhaven
The culmination of the Second Blight came in 1:95, at Starkhaven, where the Wardens came up with a daring plan to trap Zazikel nearby. The details of this plan are lost, but what is certain is that it did not succeed. Apparently somehow aware of the machinations of his enemies, the Archdemon instead surrounded the human and Warden armies that showed to the field of battle. It was a bloody business, with both the Darkspawn and the allied forces suffering heavy losses.
At some point during the battle, a key window opened up. Again, details of the exact events are sketchy, but what is known is that at the end two Wardens would change the fate of all Thedas that day. Fighting head on against a legion of Darkspawn and the Archdemon itself, the mage Neriah (who I speculate to be Elven, based on the name) and her Tevinter lover Corin must have no doubt have wondered if this was to be their end. A testament to the battle prowess and self sacrifice of the Wardens, Neriah would make herself a tactical sacrifice. Stepping in front of an emissary’s bolt, she saved the life of her lover, allowing him to subsequently make his own ultimate sacrifice. It was here the Blight would end, with Corin’s blade sunk deep into the heart of the Archdemon.
Ninety years after the first Darkspawn came forth from the mountain ranges of the Anderfels, the Second Blight was over. Many had not lived to see its end, including some of its greatest commanders, and many more would not live to see true peace and stability return to their lands. For now, the victorious forces could celebrate, many of them giving thanks to their newly found faith in the Maker.
Impact of the Second Blight
To stand over Blight Overlook in the Western Approach is to gaze upon the remnants of living death. It appears as a vast sea of an almost oily substance, although I am reliably informed it is almost hard, smooth to the touch. This is pure Blight, still not receded into the depths of the Abyssal Rift from which it came. The desertification (both ecologically and anthropologically) of the Western Approach is perhaps one of the starkest visible reminders of this time in the South, alongside the great but abandoned defensive works from this period. And other places no doubt fared worse: The Anderfels would also never truly recover, entire settlements and peoples lost to the clawing fang of the Archdemon’s horde.
Still, from the ashes of this horrific time would rise the flames of new nations. Both Orlais and Ferelden, arguably, both had their start with the Blight as the backdrop to their bloody birth. Whilst Ferelden’s foundation would be built slowly and steadily, Orlais would see fortunes rise and fall during this ninety year period. Although Kordillus Drakon I would gain much territory and power, his son would oversee a decline, with the Anderfels declaring its independence in 1:65 Divine before the Blight’s end. In addition, many settlements within the Empire’s borders would be destroyed during the reign of Drakon II.
Despite this, the influence of the Southern Chantry continued to grow. A beacon during times of darkness, its light would gain a burning influence with the subsequent Exalted March against the Dales. It had now spread to almost all corners of Thedas, and it would have a governing hand in the foundational institutions that arose during this time. The Templar Order, Circle of Magi and the Seekers of Truth would influence history for the next ages to come, monumental changes that can all be traced back to this time in history.
The next age would be named Glory: A time for rebuilding, when trade and culture could be allowed to flourish without the looming threat of death on corrupted wings. Although some prayed and perhaps truly believed that this Blight would be the last, it was not to be. For now however, many of the peoples of Thedas would turn their efforts to the new age, and to better prospects to come.
