#Andruil

[nofmischief]

some LOTR swords, can you name them all? 🤍

[crapet-illu]

Evanuris ??

The characters with beautiful helmets on the vinyl cover of the Dragon Age soundtrack obcess me !! Who are they ?

I also drew Flemeth, Fen’Harel and a character that appears in a trailer (next to the character with a pickaxe helmet)

Nine elven gods.

I have soooo many questions !!!!!

(My assumptions about their identities (from left to right) :

Andruil, Mythal, Dirthamen

Sylaise, Fen’harel, June

Ghilan’nain, Falon’Din, Elgar’nan)

[cumbiazevran]

also okay so these are my interpretations of each of the Pantheon's realm

Elgar'nan — Vengeance, protection and righteous anger. Lord over and under the sun, father of Gods, Magnificent among the rest of them. Lord of War, victory and love which knows no bounds. Bearer of loss. His is the light of the sun and the task of protecting the future of the Elvhen, there where no justice can serve.

Mythal — Justice, protection and wisdom. Lady over and under the moon, who comes and rules the sea, mother of Gods, Magnificent among the rest of them and loved by Elgar'nan. Lady of Strategy, public rejoice and stability. Bearer of growth. Hers is the hope in the night and the task of seeing over all civic life.

Dirthamen — Knowledge, Secrets and Piety*, of the unwavering loyalty and quickest of understandings. Heir to the time of Endless Creation which is to come after the War and, therefore, Heir of Mythal and Elgar'nan. Lord of Serenity and quiet but undying passion, his are the mountains and the stars. Undaunted by Fear and Deceit, all lies and betrayals are abhorrent to him. His is the task to record all history.

*Not to be mistaken with solidarity between peoples.

Falon'din — Time and death. The one untouched by Blight, who cannot be tainted by the Void. Scryer of the futures of Elvhenan because only he knows the weight of time involved in their becoming. Shepard of the Dead. Considered the Eldest in merit of the children of Elgar'nan and Mythal, first of the children to bear a realm. He's the only Creator/Evanuris who can actually understand and feel the passing of time. Because of this, he is owed reverence.

Sylaise — Creativity, diplomacy and peace. Lady of Fire and Home, who reminds of the importance of temperance in one's endeavours. She who gave the Elvhen the gift of creating beauty for beauty's sake. Lady of mourning, as she bears all that for war is lost. Hers are the arts, the gift of gab and of medicine, which she rules over with her brother Dirthamen, Heir of the Elvhen. Her is the task of peaceful resolution of disputes.

June — Resourcefulness, material creation, craftsmanship, commerce and mastery over one's actions. Giver of joy and kindness, pillar of peace as there cannot be peace in lacking, protector of quartermasters and workers alike, to whom nothing is impossible. Husband of Sylaise. His is the task of invention, as he bears the weight of curiosity and love which asks for nothing in return.

Andruil — Fortune, chances, sacrifice, births and rot. Lady of the Hunt and of Survival. Master of swiftness and over-looker of Oaths — to swear on her name and not complete the task is to invite bad luck to the oath-breaker. Lady of resolute action, who is predator and prey. Thematically, she is the most opposed to Sylaise.

Ghilan'nain — Dire circumstances, guidance, overcoming obstacles and navigation. Lady of crossroads and pathways, hers are the river-ways and trails. Protector of trailblazers and patroness of the inevitability of choice. Most beloved by Andruil. Bearer of travelling, and therefore, of yearning, distances, but also of discovery.

Fen'Harel — Deception, lies, illusions, missed opportunities and trickery. The compass to what is Not. Teacher of bitter lessons. Lord of Lost Youth, false hopes and exile. Bearer of Guilt and the cost of Pride. He is an omen of danger and is drawn by fear. Thematically, most opposed to Dirthamen.

[doorianpavus]

"-And when the Evanuris had finally went to far, I formed the veil and banished them forever."

The Evanuris + Aesthetics

[kcwriter-blog]

Always finding something new in DAI. I never noticed that when you do the Riverside Garrison quest in the Exalted Plains, the hole that has the rift in it also has one of those metal trees you see in Trespasser. Given that and what’s in the pit beneath that giant hand, I’m thinking the Plains once belonged to Andruil or Ghili’nain.

[heart-of-pride]

She fed them with people.

[mrs-gauche]

Hi! Any thoughts on the 'hidden track' at the end of the Bonus DLC Tracks for the new Dragon Age Vinyl set? "D'Read Koda" can be interpreted so many ways but 'dread bear'? Coda, the musical notation? (Do you suppose there's any connection to the bear and maiden graffiti art we see several places in Inquisition [or any connection between that mural and the one from The Missing {moon atop the bear and halla horns on the maiden?}])

Hi! Thanks for the ask! :D And yeah, I've been super curious about this as well! (And also the pre-sale for the vinyl now starting at the same day that the final volume of The Missing is coming out, May 10th 👀 but ALSO everything about the cover, like the GOLDEN CITY (omg???), the enormous DRAGON (Mythal???), the vines/tree branches (like Mythal's vallaslin/visions of her conquering in Trespasser??), the ECLIPSE in the background (according to Dalish mythology Mythal "created" the moon/"An Eclipse as Fen'Harel stirred"??), the summit/mountain beneath it (!!) and that single hooded person (with a staff resembling the headpiece of one of the two figures in the 2020 teaser mural/symbols in the new cinematic)?? The potential LORE revelations on this thing are absolutely bonkers, but I digress! 😂)

Anyway! I actually thought something similar when I first saw that mysterious hidden track name, that it has to be some kind of anagram or wordplay, given how much BioWare LOVES to do those and also with the musical term "coda" being spelled with a "k" for some reason, but what stood out to me especially was the random apostrophe that's in there, since the devs are also known for their (internal) "disputes" about the extensive use of apostrophes in DA for the elven language and names. lol

So to me the odd spelling plus the random apostrophe points more to it being an anagram for a specific elven term, but I have yet to decipher what it could be. 🤔

My second thought was if this "hidden track" could actually just be the final part in the "extended version" of the Lost Elf theme (starting at about 10:13), but then I looked up the game's files and noticed that this specific tune actually plays (though only once) when you first get to the Darvaarad and the full piece is about 2:40 minutes long (the hidden track being only 1:08), leading me to think this is probably what's titled "Qunari Atmosphere" on the tracklist. And after going through all the Trespasser music files I could find, there was nothing hinting at something like "D'Read Koda" either. :/

But you're right, "Koda" is also a term in the Dakota language meaning "friend/ally" or "little bear", but I'm completely at a loss as to what that could refer to. For all we know, it could be a reference to frigging Storvacker. 😂

As for your second question though, since you brought up "The Bear and the Maiden" painting/mural in connection to the mural in volume 3 of The Missing, there are actually a few other interesting aspects to this that I've been thinking about, but before I start rambling get to that point, let me just put the rest under a cut so people don't get spammed with an exhaustingly long text post. lol

First off, for reference, this is the painting we're talking about, featured in various places throughout DAI!

People have made quite a few speculations about this imagery over the years. For one, given that it is not exclusively found in elven ruins and filed under "Fereldan art" in the game's files, some people assume it could depict an old legend of the Alamarri. Others have suggested that it's actually just a little easter egg in reference to the "The Bear and the Fair Maiden" song in ASOIAF. lol

But by far the most popular take on this, is that this is depicting the elven gods Dirthamen and Ghilan'nain. Based on Ghilan'nain's sacred animal being the halla and the lady with her all white appearance and her antlers kinda resembling one as well. And Dirthamen's sacred animal being a bear (among others, I think). Which would pose the question though, why these two are portrayed in such a way, when there's nothing in the lore that could give us an explanation?

To me, it almost looks like the maiden is trying to calm the bear down/keep him in check, who has gone out of control and is now turning into a wild beast (that can apparently also breath fire? lol). With what we know of Ghilan'nain now, it's definitely possible that her horrifying experiments and creation of all kinds of freaky creatures might have inspired such imagery.

So, while I can see how you could draw a parallel to the mural in volume 3 with the way they're positioned/embrace each other, I don't know what else to derive from this, other than that it would point to the bottom "red one" being Ghilan'nain and the "green one" being Andruil and not the other way around, or that Andruil was maybe able to shapeshift into a bear? lol But if we're going with my assumption that the bear is losing control over itself, maybe it could refer to the stories of Andruil succumbing to madness from hunting the Forgotten Ones in the Void. As opposed to the mural in the comic, where they seem to be rather peacefully in love (to me at least).

But while we're at it, let us go back to Ghilan'nain and Dirthamen's potential connection real quick (because I've been thinking about it 😶)! What's interesting to me, is that these two have actually been mentioned together in the lore, too, looking at this ancient elven writing for example that is only revealed to you when using Veilfire at the Temple of Mythal:

"His crime is high treason. He took on a form reserved for the gods and their chosen, and dared to fly in the shape of the divine.The sinner belongs to Dirthamen; he claims he took wings at the urging of Ghilan'nain, and begs protection from Mythal. She does not show him favor, and will let Elgar'nan judge him."

"For one moment there is an image of a shifting, shadowy mass with blazing eyes, whose form may be one or many. Then it fades."

So there we have the two being involved in what appears to be a judgement on someone serving under Dirthamen, because of Ghilan'nain's actions. While we don't know how much of this actually happened, it definitely makes you wonder about their intentions here. Why would Ghil do this? And why specifically to someone serving under Dirthamen? What was the outcome? And what does this tell us about their relationship? (And now that I think about it, what if this sinner was actually the bear in the mural? lol)

As for the sinner himself. Now, I don't know about you, but when I reread this codex again after several playthroughs, particularly the “shifting, shadowy mass with blazing eyes” at the end, I thought “Wait. That kinda reminds me of something......”

Look, I know it doesn't appear that way when looking at my blog for like five minutes, but I certainly don't think that every single codex entry on elven myths should be automatically assumed to be about Solas. 😂 That being said, I can't help but feel like there's a connection to be made when looking at this other ancient inscription, that can be found in the final chamber of the Solasan Temple:

Faintly carved into the stone is a figure bound in chains. Two other figures have turned their gaze from the central image.

The script below the image is ancient, though Solas is able to provide a partial translation:

Pride in our accomplishments and in our hearts. That same pride became (a word meaning corrupted or altered) within him, he sought to claim (indecipherable), cast from favor and so he was bound.

Hidden from mortal eyes, death lies within.

To me, this text always seemed to perfectly match up with the ancient writing in Mythal's temple. A person being judged for claiming (godhood?)/daring to fly in the shape of the divine (a dragon?), put in chains and "bound" as punishment (by Elgar'nan?). And again, there are two figures involved. If the events of these writings do connect, was this "sinner" the one belonging to Dirthamen, taking wings by the urging of Ghilan'nain and them now silently accepting Elgar'nan's judgement, making those two the "figures turning their gaze"?

The thing is, if I'm presented with an ancient elven text about someone's PRIDE being corrupted in a place called SOLASAN temple, how in the world am I NOT supposed to draw an immediate connection to Solas here? 😂 I'm not saying that the sinner in this story had to be him per se, but if the age-old theory about Solas having been a spirit of Wisdom once who somehow turned into Pride is true, then there's still the question of how or why exactly this corruption occurred? And, if anything, the story of this sinner would provide at least one possibility for what happened to someone who had been corrupted in ancient times.

"Cast from favor and so he was bound."

If Cole's cryptic comments in Trespasser are actually about Solas (and Mythal?), then it's safe to say that Solas was himself bound ("He left a scar when he burned her off his face"), which does make SO much sense, considering that he values free will above everything, his furious reaction to the Well of Sorrows is SO telling, oh and also, he lead a motherflippin Slave Rebellion. 😂

But if we're looking for further potential connections between Dirthamen, Ghilan'nain and Solas... Well, Dirthamen is not only called the Keeper of Secrets, but is also always associated with sharing wisdom, knowledge and giving counsel to those in need. His symbols also include two ravens. Wolf and raven being known for pretty cool 80s synthwave music having a special bond in many real life myths and legends.

And Ghilan'nain is the only elven god we know of who was a "huntress of the People" before she ascended to become the youngest of the elven pantheon (possibly because of her relationship with Andruil or her ability to "create" things). As far as we know, Solas was also one of the People before he "became" Fen'Harel. So they were very much alike in that sense.

There's also the tale in which Fen'Harel gets captured by Andruil, because he had angered her by “hunting the halla without her blessing”. Some people have taken this to mean that Solas made a move on Ghilan'nain or that they had something going, so naturally, given that Andruil and Ghilan'nain are believed to have also been lovers, she was not very amused about that. lol (Which would make the rest of the story even funnier, where Andruil declared to “punish” him by making him “serve in her bed for a year and a day to pay her back”. lmao)

Which brings us finally back to the mural in The Missing volume 3, that could depict Andruil and Ghilan'nain embracing each other, perhaps even romantically (btw, if you want to know why I think so, check out my post on volume 3. :D).

I kinda joked about it at first, but if we assume that this mural was actually made by Solas as well, then you do have to wonder why he would even choose to paint such an intimate moment between Ghilan'nain and Andruil, people he arguably despises? Though it'll be interesting to learn what their relationship was like before his rebellion and Mythal's murder. I mean, who knows, maybe the before-mentioned tale actually happened and all three of them made out afterwards (willingly or not). 😂 (I mean, we're still talking about immortal beings here, so what else are they gonna do all day? lol) Or maybe Solas was just the Evanuris' personal portrait/mural painter at one point. lol

Anyway, to conclude, all of this is partially why I assumed for the longest time, that the two figures seen in the 2020 teaser mural could be Ghilan'nain and Dirthamen (also the fact that Dirthamen's vallaslin matched up perfectly with the silhouette of the right figure and obviously everything about Ghilan'nain and her horrifying experiments in Tevinter Nights).

...but with everything we've learned since then, I'm now actually leaning more towards it being Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan (if you want to know why, I highly recommend watching this fantastic analysis!).

The only thing that still kinda irks me with this, is the fact that the only elven god that's known for wielding a spear like this is actually Andruil.

However, it is super suspicious to me how the "goddess" seen in this concept art seems to break out of what looks like huge ocean waves and how this "grey sludge stuff" from Ghil's ancient "pools" in Tevinter Nights was described to have "smelled like the ocean" AND the mention of (capital P) Pride in elven myths having "stopped Ghilan'nain's hand when she was about to destroy her creatures of the deep sea". 👀👀 (Also, is it just me or does the figure in the 2020 mural look like she's having algae hanging down her headpiece? Not to mention the tentacles. lol) So there's that.

Also, and I know this is the silliest reason, but I don't know if BioWare would expect new or casual players to keep up with all these long "complicated" elven names, since "Ghilan'nain" and "Elgar'nan" do sound kinda similar and people might get them mixed up. lmao So having Elgar'nan and Andruil might be a bit more distinguishable, just for the sake of making it a little easier for new players lol (I mean, they have changed names before to avoid this problem, like when the Tevinter city "Qarinus" was turned into "Ventus" because it sounded too similar to "Qunari", I think? 😂).

I don't know if any of this actually answered your question, I feel like I got carried away by like a mile. 😂 I don't know how I got from "D'Read Koda" on the vinyl to tentacles, but here we are. 😂 Those are my thoughts on.... a lot of stuff. lol

[ladyofc]

Andruil- Goddess of the Hunt (Da4)

[hardwitchhologram]

I cant stop thinking about that mural from the new Dragon Age comic, The Missing #3, so I had draw it. It’s so exciting to actually see another evanuris not in shadow or busted statue form! I think it’s Andruil and Ghilan’nain.

I wonder who painted it? Probably the resident mural painter, Solas.

[abby118]

(x)

[crapet-illu]

I redrawn a painting that appears in the Dragon Age comic book « The Missing » I love them ! Are they Evanuris ? Andruil and Ghilan’nain ??

[edda-grenade]

in which i make 'the dread wolf & the tree' Even Worse

been playing da:i again and i noticed not only is there a giantass wolf statue in front of the crestwood grove, but said grove has huge deer/halla statues (which are also found in ghilan'nain's grove) And a bunch of murals that are very likely about andruil

and, okay. eternity's a long time, right? maybe solas used to actually get along not just with ghilan'nain but also with andruil, back in the real early days

me, immediately: oh, i can make this awful :D

[snugasabugbear]

The Modern Take by Mosmeisje

[lairofdragonagelore]

Brecilian Ruins - DAO

[Remade post, originally from here] 

I don't know what to make of Brecilian Ruins. Can we truly trust DAO design with its statues? Spoiler answer: no.

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]

The following post contains

Tevinter architecture filled with Elven traps

Iconography

The Well of Sorrows: DAO version

The Tevinter Artefacts

Extra minor details

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]

Tevinter architecture filled with Elven traps

The first thing we have when entering these Ruins is Morrigan telling us that, despite seeing the whole place with the same architecture we saw in the Ruins of Dalish origin, this is Tevinter. Sure, we can assume that the Dalish hunters know nothing of Elvhenan Architecture or Tevinter Architecture, so their opinion about those ruins being elven could be wrong from the first moment. They are, after all, extremely unreliable beholders of the reality. 

Anyways, let's assume Morrigan is right and we see Tevinter arquitecture with Elven traps. This is quite different of what we usually find in Thedas: which is elven structures appropriated by Tevinter humans. This makes sense when you think that the elves were the first creatures in this world, and humans came later, in addition to Tevinter always co-opting any knowledge or techniques from the Elvhenan. 

However in Brecilian forest the order of the events seems to be on the other way around. Historically speaking, it can be explained in the following way:  we know that Tevinter invaded Ferelden and built many structures with defensive purposes, like Ostagar [which was built to contain the “danger” of the Chasind in the far South]. 

We also know in the DLC: Witch Hunt, that slaved elves ran away from the North to the South years later after the fall of Arlathan. We know they hid for a while in a Thaig, but maybe some could have reached these forest and inhabit the ancient human structures, protecting themselves with elven traps to keep Tevinter slavers away from them.

Another possibility is that Tevinter simply co-opted the Elven traps and used them in their own buildings. It would not be the first time doing this.

Iconography

The Ruin corridors and chambers are filled with statues. They are the same statues we saw in Zathrian's camp: Sylaise (woman with a vessel), Andruil (woman with a sword. Why? Should not be a bow?), and Ghilan'nain (woman without head and hands). 

These are the same exact statues we find in any Chantry, Circle of Magi, or human town, so this is exactly why I never trusted DAO design in general. I don't know if the engine and its lack of resources made them reuse a lot of background details, or there is a real intention in them [I incline to the former]. Considering that DAO had almost 10 years of development, I want to believe that this is not by chance... but maybe the limitations of the engine forced them to remove most of the potential that environmental telling has to offer... I don't know.

In any case, inside the Brecilian Ruins we see a symbol or figure we also saw in the Dalish origin: a kind of dragon-head like figure, accompanied many times by one of those figures that we believe, it represents Andruil (the goddess of Hunt). This could also represent Andraste [who always has a sword or a shield in her representations] beside two figures that look like dragon heads. This would link Andraste with Dragons too, which has been a repeated association that we are not stranger to. 

In DAO we see that the dalish are deeply related to Dragons too if we pay attention to the enviromental details that are not repeated anytwhere else:  in Zathrian's clan we see many aravels with masks that are dragon-like skulls, and when you click on them, you find out it's a representation of one of their elven pantheon. 

We see the concept art of these in the credits of the game.

By now it's quite difficult to say if this is an obvious link of the Elven Pantheon with dragons or maybe Old Gods, or it's just a vestige of former slave elves whose masters may have forced them to worship the Old Gods. It is not strange that a slaved group takes the religious symbols of their slavers and worship them in the name of their own (forbidden) gods. We know that we can't trust in Dalish tales as reliable sources of History, because it's extremely fragmented and lost (thanks to DAI we are truly aware of how false they are containing barely a pinch of truth in them, twisted and romanticed).

On the other hand, I am inclined to think that this is just a representation of how the Elvhenan had, originally, a religion based on Dragons. We know that they venerated a “divine” shape that was meant for their gods and their chosen ones that implied Wings, and due to Mythal’s shape, we associate this Divine Shape with the form of a Dragon. Additional material that can support this speculation can be found in the first three comics of DA comics [The Silent Grove , Those Who Speak, Until We Sleep] where we are informed that the Dragons were the ones who controlled the skies originally, possibly had a broad power over the Fade [Dreamer-like, so from the Fade they could alter reality], and they may have been related to an original non-fragmented “song” that everythign and everyone in the world sang.  Also, Dragon Blood is “the blood of the World”, placing the Titans in a confusing position within the lore.

In these Ruins we find a codex of Falon'Din. Which is the same god that Talem told us about when we asked him if he could identify that strange winged statue. So... the confusions gets worse here: it's a Tevinter Ruin, with elven traps, and Elven God statues. 

It’s impossible to overlook the fact that this statue of Falon’Din has strong resemblance to the Old God statue of Urthemiel. As if Falon’Din wanted to have the shape of Urthemiel.

The chamber with the fire traps displays “Sylaise” and “Andruil” statues. Which in terms of Dalish Elven lore makes little sense. Andruil? Sure, she is the hunter goddess, though in these statues she is not in a aggressive stance. So is she chasing after you?. And what about Sylaise? The goddess of the domestic arts? Trying to kill you? Protecting the home of the elves? In a Tevinter structure? This makes a bit of more sense if we keep in mind what we know about Andruil from DAI and the little bit of Sylaise [read their sections in Evanuris]; Sylaise is a very agressive, envious goddes of Fire, who is described top have fire breath [like a dragon?], as powerful as Andruil’s spear [a very dangerous and brutal weapon so far we know]. Andruil is presented to us in DAI as the goddess of Sacrifice, brutal and merciless so far we can gather from the codices. So both goddesses seem to fit a bit better in a deadly trap room if we keep in mind the interpretation we had from DAI.

The Well of Sorrows: DAO version

Then we reach to our first "Well of Sorrows". Or more like "Puddle of Sorrows", lol. Once again, we find a wall covered with that Dragon-like skull statues of “Andruil” and “Sylaise” [I keep the quotation mark because we know we can’t trust little these representations]. We also find the codex of an ancient elven tablet explaining the ritual which, after DAI, makes more sense. You drink from the water of the pool, taking the knowledge left by other elves, and then you put the rest of the water in it, leaving your knowledge there [it works similar to what Abelas explained about the Well of Sorrows]. It seems to be corrupted or empty since you don’t have any whispers or sudden knowledge inside your head, and many Shades are summoned if you fail in the procedure. This chamber unlocks the following one where we find the Uthenera chamber.

Since the only Elven god codex we found in these ruins is Falon'Din’s, it could be fair to believe that this may be interpreted like a "Well of Falon'din" which gathers all the knowledge of those elves that want to stop living and go to Uthenera. 

This is consistent with the info provided in The Masked Empire, when Felassan explains that powerful mages went into Uthenera in underground tombs beneath Orlais and their servants had to take care of their bodies until they rebelled to them and slit their throats. This part of the Ruins are deep down underground. It is also reasonable in its location: Mythal’s Temple is located in the Arbor Wilds, South of Orlais, while this potential ruin in the depth of the Brecilian Forest. What’s a bit inconsistent is that some chars [Morrigan] said that this place was a Tevinter building [not an elvhenan one], but we can’t take Morrigan’s words as reliable either. She has been wrong many times along the series. 

The one thing that deeply disturbed me was that there were two spirits, a little boy and a woman, clearly humans, talking in elven. We could assume they were elf-blooded, but there is no assurance in this. I want to believe this is not a mistake, there is purpose in them being humans since this game has elven models. There is no “engine” limitations there. Now, about the meaning of it, it’s another thing entirely.

The ghost human woman is beside the altar where you find the codex of Uthenera, some elven remains, and a piece of the Juggernaut (a lot of these Ruins History can be scratched via the rare items you find, so sometimes finding a particular item in a particular place is not minor).

Another detail that annoyed me is that the platform where the elven burial lays is surrounded by Alamarri/Tevinter statues. It’s not clear the story of this building: was it originally elvhen? retaken by Tevinter and later taken by elves again? Or this was an Elvhenan ruin, taken by the Avvar or Alamarri of any tribe, and then taken by Tevinter when they invaded the South? It’s not clear neither the original construction of this building nor the succesive invations and appropiations of it, 

So the elven chamber dedicated to Uthenera is surrounded by dragon skull-like figures, there are Sylaise and Andruil statues on the outside ring and Alamarri/Tevinter statues with spears in the inner ring. Clearly this shows that we can’t truly trust much the enviromental telling of DAO due to the restriction of resources. 

The Tevinter Artefacts

Finally, when you head to the deepest bottom of the ruins, you find a big statue I can't establish to what culture belongs yet; I speculate it's Tevinter due to the places where I found it most of the time. It has a similar flavor to the ones found in Kirkwall. 

Behind it, an instrument with two tables filled with research stuff. The instrument is something that I can't decide if it is the same artefact we use in DAI to strengthen the Veil, those elven artefacts, or it's a prototype version of the Tevinter artefact to see the stars: the astrarium [which would make NO sense in the deep bottom of the Ruins, lol. What stars are you looking at?]. 

In any case, after this part you find a big chamber with a quincunx. Probably the first time we see this organisation. Which makes us remember Solas Tarot Card: the thing we find in a quincunx’s centre tends to be of great importance.

So, this disposition makes a quincunx inside another one, since each of them is also a  quincunx, but its centre must be.... a person? a sacrifice? 

 And if this symbol were not crazy enough already, the squares have a Chantry symbol in each corner. Not the Imperial Chantry (which won’t be a big fuss) but the Standard Chantry! I can’t believe this is a lack of resources... the sunburst symbol is extremelly important in DA series.

In the centre of this big chamber, once again, we found another artefact that may be an Astrarium or an Elven Artefact. We are sure it's Tevinter, since the same object can be found in the basement of the Circle of Magi. We have no idea what it does, or if it's related to any other artefact we found in DAI. (But it’s related to the one found close to the tables full of research stuff. They look the same, one only has a spherical glass around it while the other is more like the skeleton of the first one, with some missing part)

Anyway, returning to the quincunx Chamber: Here we fight an Arcane Horror. I always found these creatures with a design preeeetty close to the Sidereal Magisters. I don’t know if this means something, but in this context, it hints that a Tevinter experiment went wrong in this chamber and corrupted the mage performing it. It’s not by chance that Arcane Horrors are a product of a Pride demon taking control of a mage corpse. It has a big symbolism.

So, we can speculate that some Tevinter experiment happened here, there is no doubt. Not by chance Zathrian and the Oak tree tell us that the Brecilian Forest has a particular thin Veil, and rage demons possess the trees around. We also find a lot of revenants here (pride or desire demons bound by blood magic, explained in the codex The Black Vials). In short,  Brecilian forest has similar symptoms to Kirkwall. Tevinter made experiments here, but it’s not sure if they were performed before or after the slave elves lived here.

Extra minor details

In these ruins is where we found a soul trapped (or bound?) to a gem that will teach us the ancient arts of the Arcane Warrior. It says that it is the last of their kind, implying that if you don’t acquire this knowledge, it will be lost forever and would make no sense for Viviene to have this knowledge in DAI. 

All over the Ruins there are some rugs with a symbol that can be interpreted as an oversimplification of the Tevinter Imperium heraldry.

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore ]

[broodwolf221]

Happy friday!!! For Andruil/Ghila'nain, "Blinded by the sun reflecting off the snow" from the winter is coming prompts?

them. thank you for this, it was interesting! kinda an exploration of how i see their early dynamic @dadrunkwriting 1096 words cw: none

It never snowed in Arlathan. The climate tended to be moderate year-round, with warm seasons that stretched out - and the cold seasons were rainy, but it didn’t snow. She had never actually seen snow, although she knew of it through the books and the memories. It was a curious desire, to see it, and something she was hesitant to ask for, but Andruil had asked her what she wanted for her feastday and the truth was simple.

She wanted to see snow. Not conjured but natural. She did not want to simply witness the drifting flakes but to be immersed in it, to feel the cold and hear the hush that it supposedly brought and to see her every breath fog into the air.

“You still haven’t told me what you want, vhenan,” Andruil said as she slipped her toned arms over Ghilan’nain’s shoulders, drawing her near. She always seemed to know her thoughts. She raised her hands to hold Andruil’s arm as she leaned back into her embrace.

“It is a strange thing to want,” she admitted after a moment. “I do not wish to be a burden to you.” Andruil’s laugh was sharp but somehow charming, at least to Ghilan’nain. A bright laugh like this spoke to her good mood.

“This sounds intriguing,” the huntress pointed out. “Please, share your desires. I would see you happy.” Ghilan’nain felt herself flush at that and Andruil pulled her tighter. Her embrace was a comfort.

“I want to see snow,” she said quietly, wincing as the silence stretched on. “I know, it is strange, we can-”

“Snow?” Andruil sounded startled and Ghilan’nain began to pull away, but her arms did not budge. “No, it is fine. A surprise, but fine. Why do you want to see snow, of all things?”

“It sounds so beautiful,” she admitted quietly as she leaned back once more, Andruil’s grip easing. “I want to be in the middle of it, to hear it, see it, smell it. To know it.”

“A very simple request, my love,” she said after a moment. “Why have you not pursued it yourself? The Eluvians are open to you, and some of them certainly lead to snowy climes.”

“I...” she bit her lip as she considered her answer, Andruil waiting. She knew she was of the Evanuris, now. Her beloved had brought her into their fold, speaking fondly of Ghilan’nain’s power, her gift, her strength. Still, the Evanuris were more of a family than a position, and the title continued to feel hollow. She had been permitted to join their ranks - what would be too much, when would that permission fold? And what would happen to someone once embraced by Arlathan’s strongest, and then discarded? “It is difficult,” she said after a long pause, “to pursue my own ends. I feel as if I need permission.” She winced again, hating the weakness of the admission, but did not try to pull away this time.

“My foolish darling,” Andruil murmured, voice rich and warm. “You can take what you want. Will you ever learn this?” There was a fondness to the question, Ghilan’nain feeling strangely like an animal being coaxed out of hiding. And perhaps she still was.

“I’m trying,” she admitted. Andruil hummed, leaning her cheek against Ghilan'nain's hair, then eventually gave her a gentle squeeze.

“Well, there is time for all that. For now... let us see the snow, curious girl.” She drew away to stand before Ghilan'nain, offering her hand. She took it with a smile, one Andruil returned, and they walked hand in hand towards Arlathan's Eluvian hall, with its curved walls and arched, high ceiling, a series of mirrors facing them. All were different: some plain, others highly decorated; some narrow, others wide; some very tall, others scarcely taller than her. The distinctions helped denote where they led or their purpose - the largest served to move soldiers or equipment through, while the smallest tended to lead to either peaceful areas where an individual could go alone without fear, or to a nexus.

Not all mirrors were so distinct. In fact, many of them looked remarkably similar, an intentional design so that only those who knew their way could proceed. But, as with everything else in Arlathan, their craftsmanship was unique.

Andruil led her to one that would open to a nexus and she followed her love readily, familiar with the tactile flow of the mirror across her body. It was a disconcerting sensation, a brief, clinging pressure that always felt like it left a residue against her skin, although she knew better. Andruil was waiting before an unmarked mirror, smiling as Ghilan'nain emerged before stepping through. She followed and-

Snow.

“Oh,” she breathed, smiling at the small cloud the single word produced before her. It was so bright - she hadn't expected that, realizing now that she'd been squinting ever since she'd come through the Eluvian, but it wasn't actively snowing here and the sun was out, the white snow reflecting it like a mirror. “It's beautiful.” Another charming little cloud and she stepped forward, giggling at the unique sound as she crunched through the snow. She wasn't dressed for this in the least but casting a barrier for warmth was utterly habitual, although she released it briefly to really feel how cold it was - before quickly restoring it as she started to shiver.

She looked up, finally adjusting enough to open her eyes properly and meet Andruil's gaze - and her smile. “My strange little love,” the huntress said, her affection evident in her voice. “You are beautiful. Snow suits you.” It was enough to make Ghilan'nain blush, which made Andruil's smile grow. “Do me a favor?” She nodded eagerly. “Let down your hair.” She glanced down, her blush growing, charmed. But she didn't delay, reaching up to unknot the strip of leather she used to tie her hair back, the thick, dark weight of it falling around her face in soft waves. Andruil approached, cupping her cheeks as she stared - before leaning in and kissing her.

Andruil's own hair was braided down her back, but as usual some strands had been left loose, framing her face. Her blonde mixed with Ghilan'nain's brown, a shade so dark it looked black in most lights, although here the rich, warm tones were highlighted by the brightness. 

She never wanted this moment to end. The stark beauty around them, the gentle hush, the crunch of the snow, the way each word formed clouds, it was all so beautiful.

She felt that the snow suited Andruil, as well.

[heart-of-pride]

There's this story in which Andruil tied Solas to a tree and he chewed his way out.

We do not know the size of the tree, what sort of ropes she used to tie him, or what form he took.

So we can assume Solas has an insane strength in his teeth.