#De Montfort rug

[lairofdragonagelore]

Western Approach: The Still Ruins,  Viridis Walk and Inner Sanctum

Tevinter researchers performed a magical experiment in this palace a long time ago. Their objective was to tap into the essence of the Fade, but in doing so, they created a breach through which demons started pouring out. A fail-safe built into their experiment was triggered and froze time within the place.

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

Viridis Walk

In Viridis Walk [meaning green walk] we can see a bit the structure of the Gallows from Kirkwall as a style: Main stairs, golems at the sides of the stairs, and iconography all around to cause some impact in the moral [I suspect many items around this place are for religious purposes, so their impact on the soul is more positive than the statues of tortured slaves in Kirkwall, after all this place was meant for Tevinter mages, not for slaves]. In fact, this place looks like a garden showing with pride the rich culture of Tevinter.

The garden has many statues and devices spread all over the place: the stone lid of Razikale Ceremony, the Horned warrior holding a sword, those diapason-like claw-like devices, golems, etc.

All of them have a symmetrical configuration in this garden. It must have been beautiful to see, green surrounded with these metallic and stone sculptures.  I think it would have looked similar to Razikale Reach.

On the chamber of the Inner Sanctum, we see once more two Ferelden Wyverns.

The Inner Sanctum is an isolated chamber which decoration has two strange things in addition to the Ferelden Wyverns:  it’s door is elven [it’s an Elven Ancient Shard-based door], as the ones we saw being used by Alexius in the future, or the Ancient Temples in Frostback Mountains or Forbidden Oasis. They can only be opened with shards. This means that this Still Ruin was built around an ancient elven temple or they just brought the door from an ancient temple they may have ransacked.

The second details is at the top the door frame: there is a Tevinter symbol hiding another: a sun that belongs to Free Marches design. So far I’ve noticed, we only see it when we use the Free Marches decoration in Skyhold.

This looks to me like a choice. Why would you bother to put an element of this nature when you can do your work easier by not putting it?

Anyway, so in this garden we have Non-Tevinter elements: a hidden Free Marches Sun, a pair of Ferelden Wyvern, and an Elven Ancient Shard-based door.

The elven door prevents us from entering immediately, so we need to collect the shards first.

By exploring the small rooms around Viridis Walk, we get more insight of the experiment that was performed centuries ago.  Research Notes explains how Helladius thinks that they can draw energy from the Fade, even though it may causes Breaches. The power in this manipulation seems to be important. We are also informed that this experiment uses blood “of six strong” ones. Sarpedon, opposed to this experiment, keeps casting doubts about it, and trying to delay it.

When we see the shape of the shards, we realise they are of the same nature than the ones we have been collecting to open the temple in the Forbidden Oasis. 

In another room of Viridis Walk, we find more elements of research, Tevinter paintings on the wall [exactly, the six-headed snake that seems to be related to the representation of Tevinter arcane research], and the Skull bud with sword. The reason why I think this statue belongs to Tevinter culture is because this place: Still Ruin shows all Tevinter design everywhere, and the only two statues that seem to be strange in this place are the Griffons at the entrance of the Hall of Silence and this one. We know the Venatori are the only group who had explored this ruin, but I don’t think they may have brought statues into it.  So these statues may have been here from the pre-blight time. It’s the strongest argument I have to connect this statue with Tevinter, sadly.

Once all shards are collected, we open the door of the chamber in the middle of Viridis Walk: The Inner Sanctum.

Inner Sanctum

Once we enter, we see the main chamber with a hole in the space and blood floating around it.

If we look down before approaching, we find a rug that belongs to Orlais. A rug with the symbol of the De Montfort family, also called the Montfort dynasty, a noble family from Orlais with ties to Empress Celene I. This family is not that old, so it’s strange to find this symbol here. A mere reuse of assets? If it were DA2 I would not doubt it, but in DAI they have a lot of items to use in all environments, and this ruin is in particular very detailed since there is a lot of Concept Art for this and Coravacus placed with a lot of care. To place this rug carelessly in the most important part of this ruin, in the moment of “truth”, seems unlikely. There is some intention in this.

The room is decorated with less conflicting elements: All Tevinter artefacts. These are presented in the Fade as “Temple of Dumat”, another artefact we can’t guess its function but it’s related to experiments that open access to the Fade.

There are some kind of vessels, that resembles the design of the urns used in DAO for many purposes, and one of them was to carry Andraste’s ashes.

For more details check Haven and the Temple of Andraste.

And finally, we reach to the object that has stopped the breach: this hole in space and time; clearly blood magic. I like to highlight that there are tendrils of blackness spreading out of the hole. They are floating as much as the blood around it. The artefact which is causing the time stop is this staff which has a skull. We also see a person lying dead at its base, the man who triggered this fail-safe when the experiment went out of control: Sarpedon. Behind all this, there is a Veilfile rune, which is not strange; we know Tevinters knew this art already.

At the hole’s base, beside the body, we find the note  Journal on Certain Experiments, in which we read Sarpedon, the only person who seems to have been against this experiment since the beginning, activates the security measure to preserve the Western Approach from the Breach, in a time when there were no ways to seal it.

Once we take the staff, the time-stop effect is cancelled and the bodies that have been kept in time disappear [probably as Ameridan said in the DLC, you can delay the pass of time but not escape it].  Rubble falls, bodies dies, and the breach, which has been frost in time, returns to its activity pouring new demons into the place.

When heading back to deal with the Breach, we find a desk almost covered in rubble where we can read a curious codex: Responsible Blood Magic , which dates from before the fifth Blight. I assume it must be something from the Venatori since the Still Ruin has been closed until now. It tells us about the dangers of blood magic from a Magister point of view, questioning how much good it has when it requires the death of good people. Not the usual opinion you read among Tevinters. This shows in -game what Dorian told us once: there have been always a group of magisters who were against blood magic from old times.

In one of the corners that usually are ignored, we find some minor loot and a rug with Templar symbols. I don’t know what to think about it. The most reasonable explanation is that this is where the Venatori were working or resting so they introduced several non-Tevinter elements to the scene [I assume this too because there is a sacrificial altar behind the rubble, a very Venatori element in most of their camps]. Because otherwise, it’s hard to explain this unless we reduce it to re-usage of assets, and I try to avoid it simply because in Art of Inquisition they keep telling us, over and over, that everything in this game has been thought and has a meaning and a tale behind it, so... I will go with that.

As we make our way back to the Breach, and seal it for good, we can see the effects of time returning to its normal way: there are no bodies, they all turned into ashes like Ameridan, and everything is in calm again. A ruin lost to time and decay from now on.

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore ]

[lethaderr-blog]

is named one of the most beautiful villages in .

As I traveled by barge along the Canal du Midi, I had the opportunity to visit many South of villages that I’d never heard about in my life. was one of those small towns in that I didn’t even know existed. Maybe you’re in the same situation as I was, and you’re learning about for the first time through this blog post. Whether I’m introducing you to this spectacular medieval village or it’s on your bucket list, do yourself a favor and go there as soon as you can. You won’t regret it.

Brief History of

Herault is a village in the Occitanie region of southern . It’s strategically positioned high up on a hill, surrounded by fortification walls (many of which are still in tact). You’d never know while wandering around peaceful, quiet that it has such a violent history.

In 1210, a group of Cathars sought refuge in after the bloody Massacre at Béziers. Then, Simon de Montfort and his army besieged the city for six weeks before it surrendered. He set up four catapults to destroy the ramparts and the town’s well. After their water supply was cut off, finally gave up and surrendered to Simon de Montfort. When 140 Cathars refused to give up their faith, they were burned at the stake in the village square.

Even though this treacherous history is part of the town’s heritage, you’d never know it nowadays. It’s such a small, quiet town, surrounded by a beautiful gorge and rugged cliffs. The River Cesse only flows during the winter; the river bed is completely dry during the spring, summer, and fall. I recommend walking all over the village and the trails surrounding it.

Things to Do in

Looking to experience ? It’s all about exploring the town on your own two feet. Discover this magical medieval village by walking up and down every narrow street. Continue your explorations by venturing down below the town to view the cliffs and caves.

Walk Around Village

You’ll certainly want to wander up and down each narrow, cobblestone street and path. When you enter town, you’ll notice one tall, narrow column. That’s the Candela (castle) dating back to the 13th century, and only this solitary column remains. Another notable site is the Church of Saint Etienne, an 11th century Roman style church in the middle of town. Its altar dates back to the year 456.

If you’d like to learn more about , visit the tourist office for information. maps, guidebooks and pamphlets. If you’re a fan of museums and history, I recommend stopping at the Museum of Archaeology and Prehistory in . You can learn more about the history of the area, and check out their collection of fossils and tools used by ancient civilizations.

Hike the Trails of the Gorge

Part of ’s allure is its captivating nature. From up above in the village, you can enjoy stunning views of the treetops, cliffs, and canyons all around. But, don’t stop there. Continue your trek by walking down to the paths below the village. You can hike right to the riverbed below when it’s dry to explore the carved limestone caverns and rugged natural bridges.

Beyond the village of , you can explore this lovely landscape by foot or bike. If you continue your journey outside of the city, you’ll come across the vineyards of Minervois, as well as numerous other villages and hamlets.

Shopping, Restaurants and Cafes

As you wander around , there are many souvenir shops, restaurants, and cafes. Paroli is a delightful bookshop with new and used books, postcards, and art. Throughout history, is the capital of the Minervois wine region. As such, you’ll be able to sample local wines at many restaurants and cafes. Wine not your thing? Stop for a coffee as a pit stop on your journey around town.

Visit on a Tour

To gain the best understanding of a new place, I recommend traveling with an experienced tour guide. I was grateful to enjoy a guided tour by Matthieu of the Athos du Midi. He told us so many fascinating details about that I otherwise wouldn’t have gathered on my own.

However, if you aren’t visiting from a canal cruise, you might want to book an excursion yourself with a knowledgeable guide. On this tour, you’ll travel to , Carcassonne, and the Canal du Midi. If you’re into wine tasting, book this tour for a wine tour around the Languedoc-Roussillon region, including a stop in .

Helpful Tips While Visiting

Here are a few things to plan in advance of traveling to :

Cars aren’t allowed right in the village itself, but there are parking lots just outside of . It’s a short walk into town from the parking lot. You’ll be able to enjoy gorgeous views of and its natural surroundings as you approach the village.

Pack lots of sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. When you’re hiking around , especially by the cliffs, there really isn’t very much shade. You’ll want to protect your skin and avoid heat stroke by applying sunscreen and protecting your eyes with shades.

Don’t forget to bring a water bottle as you can easily get dehydrated walking around.

Never leave home without travel insurance. I recommend comparing travel insurance rates online to find the best plans and prices.

Where to Stay in

While I visited on a day trip excursion from my canal cruise aboard the Athos du Midi, you can most certainly spend the night in . While it’s not necessary to spend more than a few hours in , staying overnight always allows you to gain a better understanding of a place. It’s not always possible, but I recommend traveling as slowly as you can to fully experience and immerse yourself in each destination.

There are plenty of Airbnb rental rooms and homes in . Some of them look to be quite luxurious and even have a swimming pool. As village is very tiny, there really aren’t that many hotels or places to stay. However, you’ll find a couple of accommodations to book by clicking here. You can also read lots of hotel reviews from others who have stayed in .

.kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap {background:rgba(206, 249, 248, 1);padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover {border-color:rgba(238, 238, 238, 1);background:rgba(206, 249, 248, 1);} .kt-blocks-info-box-media {color: 0px 0px 0px;padding:10px 10px 10px 10px;margin:0px 15px 0px 15px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-media {color:#444;background:transparent;border-color:#444444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-title {color: 0px 0px 0px;margin:5px 0px 10px 0px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-title {color:#444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-text {color:#444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-text {color:#444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore {color: 0px 0px 0px;padding:4px 8px 4px 8px;margin:10px 0px 10px 0px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore {color: <div id="" class="wp-block-kadence-infobox"><div class="kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap kt-blocks-info-box-media-align-top kt-info-halign-center"><div class="kt-blocks-info-box-media kt-info-media-animate-none"><div class="kadence-info-box-icon-container kt-info-icon-animate-none"><div class="kadence-info-box-icon-inner-container"><span style="display:block;justify-content:center;align-items:center" class="kt-info-svg-icon kt-info-svg-icon-fas_camera"><svg style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle" viewbox="0 0 512 512" height="80" width="80" fill="currentColor" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M512 144v288c0 26.5-21.5 48-48 48H48c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48V144c0-26.5 21.5-48 48-48h88l12.3-32.9c7-18.7 24.9-31.1 44.9-31.1h125.5c20 0 37.9 12.4 44.9 31.1L376 96h88c26.5 0 48 21.5 48 48zM376 288c0-66.2-53.8-120-120-120s-120 53.8-120 120 53.8 120 120 120 120-53.8 120-120zm-32 0c0 48.5-39.5 88-88 88s-88-39.5-88-88 39.5-88 88-88 88 39.5 88 88z"><div class="kt-infobox-textcontent"><h4 class="kt-blocks-info-box-title"> Want to see more photos of ? <p class="kt-blocks-info-box-text"> Check out my whole collection of pictures from . You can buy prints, canvas art, housewares, and more made from my photographs. Click the “buy” button by any pic! <div class="kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore-wrap"><a class="kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019&sref=rss">Learn More <p> is worthy of a half day trip when you visit the South of . It’s certainly one of the most beautiful places in . Be sure to check out some other small towns in that I visited on my cruise on the Canal du Midi: <strong><a href="https://justinpluslauren.com/marseillan-france/">Marseillan, <strong><a href="https://justinpluslauren.com/pezenas-france/">Pézenas, and <strong><a href="https://justinpluslauren.com/narbonne-france/">Narbonne. <ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3-683x1024.jpg" alt=" : Reasons to Explore this Beautiful Historic Village in the South of data-id="18457" data-link="https://justinpluslauren.com/?attachment_id=18457" class="wp-image-18457" srcset="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3-200x300.jpg 200w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3.jpg 735w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2-683x1024.jpg" alt=" : Reasons to Explore this Beautiful Historic Village in the South of data-id="18456" data-link="https://justinpluslauren.com/?attachment_id=18456" class="wp-image-18456" srcset="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2.jpg 735w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1-683x1024.jpg" alt=" : Reasons to Explore this Beautiful Historic Village in the South of data-id="18455" data-link="https://justinpluslauren.com/?attachment_id=18455" class="wp-image-18455" srcset="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1.jpg 735w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /> <p style="text-align:center">PIN one of the above images to Pinterest for future reference. 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[sophisticated-angel]

A True Love of Mine - Part 7

Character: Sam Winchester

Warning: Implied sex

Word Count: 766

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six

Summary: Sam returns to Brickenden Manor one night in Winter. It seems nothing is going his way, and he pays a visit to the baron’s daughter.

Story

   Brickenden Manor is shrouded in silence and darkness at the end of January. The thick blanket of snow absorbs everything, and the sky burns cold and clear with the light of a billion stars. In the stables, an old thoroughbred nickers and chuffs when a late visitor lights a lamp. The visitor’s cloak is caked with ice and mud, leather shoes ruined from trudging miles through filthy slush, shoulders hunched against the cold and hanging heavy with despair and despondency.

   “Hey, old boy,” Sam greets his equine friend. “Did you miss me?”

   Alexander chuffs and nudges Sam’s arm.

   “You won’t anymore. Looks like I’m here to stay.”

   Sam sighs. His hands, feet, nose, and ears feel frostbitten, the rest of him feels itchy and grimy, and he hasn’t stopped shivering since leaving for the manor. He’s exhausted and could really use some food and a good cry. Wrapping his arms around Alexander, he warms himself with the horse’s body heat, and then he notices that the next stall is empty. The white stallion is gone. Merek is away, then. Now Sam knows what he needs.

   He leaves the stables and heads for the manor. He slips in the same way he did almost every night last summer, climbs up the same staircase, walks down the same hallway. The room at the end of the hall has its door closed. Praying silently, Sam pulls the handle. It opens, and from inside come the sounds of a dying fire and someone crying. The baron’s daughter looks up from the rug by the fire with red eyes and wet cheeks.

   “I don’t love him.” Her voice quivers. “I don’t love him at all.”

   Sam goes to her, sits in front of her, and gathers her in his arms. Their foreheads touch, and a tear escapes his eye. Relieved to have this beautiful woman in his arms again for the first time in ages, he shudders with emotion. The sound of her sadness gives him life even as it breaks his heart.

   “Sam,” she murmurs, “I love you.”

   “I know.”

   He kisses her forehead, her cheeks taste of salt, and her lips tremble. She sobs into the kiss, hand clutching his cloak. The shift from comfort to passion is so slow, so subtle, that Sam doesn’t realize what’s happening until their clothes are on the floor. Her skin is so wonderfully warm, and he hesitates to continue for fear of hurting her with the chill that has settled in his bones, but she pulls him to her. By the time she’s asleep beside him, the chill is gone, and he doesn’t care if anyone finds them.

~    NINE MONTHS LATER    ~

   One cool day in the middle of October, Baron Brickenden becomes a grandfather. Sam learns from Alice that there are two babies – a boy named Anthony and a girl named Alwynn. Her and Rebecca’s workload will increase now that they will be caring for the twins and the new mother, but she speaks of the babies in an adoring tone and explains to Thomas that they must have one of their own soon.

   “We’ve been married hardly a year, lass,” is Thomas’s reply. “We’ll have one soon enough, don’t rush. Ye said yourself, you’ve got two now ye must care for.”

   In the next month, a delightful buzz infects everyone. After a customary month has passed, a grand party is thrown on the estate to celebrate the continuation of the Brickenden and de Montfort bloodlines. Breaking customs, the baron insists that all his servants come and celebrate with the guests as equals once they’ve completed their necessary duties, and Sam finds himself drinking wine and eating expensive food beside Thomas far into the night. He knows (y/n) is off to the side with her newborns and handmaids and gives his congratulations, but he mostly sees her across the room, shares quick glances and little smiles.

   When the festivities finally come to an end, Sam retreats to his room, starts a small fire in the fireplace to warm it up, and flops down on his bed with a grown. He isn’t stupid. He can see evidence and timing and recognize what it means, and judging by the way (y/n) looked at him tonight, so can she. They know exactly who fathered Anthony and Alwynn. For a good while, no one else will be privy to the truth, but what happens when the children are older? What will people think when the twins start to look not enough like Merek and a little too much like one of the stable hands?

READ PART EIGHT HERE

@pureawesomeness001 @27bmm @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes @super-not-naturall @gabriel-themightysugaraddict@mogaruke @mrswhozeewhatsis @hexparker @kdfrqqg @little-castiel13@18crazybutcutealsopsycho @wildfirewinchester @sandlee44

[lairofdragonagelore]

Emerald Graves: Din'an Hanin

Din'an Hanin is a large elven ruin found in the southeastern region of Orlais, in Elgar’nan’s Bastion. It is the final resting place of the Emerald Knights. Since the end of the Exalted March of the Dales and the fall of elven Halamshiral, Din'an Hanin has remained abandoned and largely forgotten.

It’s important to notice this is not exactly an “ancient elvhen” ruin. It’s an Elvhenan building taken by Ancient Dalish and turned into a ruin after the Exalted March of the Dales. This is very important to highlight to understand the iconography we are going to see here.

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

In my opinion, the clarification of the time in which  Halamshiral shone is key to understand this ruin. This tomb will reflect exactly the same spirit that Ameridan showed in the Frostback Mountains, DLC of Jaws of Hakkon.

As we enter Din'an Hanin, we see a stair surrounded by the undeniable shape of elven buildings with statues: we find a broken Humanoid Mythal’s statue on the ground, and two howling Fen’Harel. Mythal statue triggers fragments of the codex The Emerald Knights. The first fragment we have here seems to be a warning to me: Curse the past where lies were born. There is also another detail in this fragment: they call Andraste as “Lady”. There is respect to her. If contemporary history is to be believed; we know she helped the Dalish to have these lands, so it seems reasonable for them to respect her.

On the other side of the stair, we find one of the most strange statues to see in elven ruins: The cursed Skull bud with sword.

As we continue going ahead, we see more parts of the place that was attacked during the Exalted March, the rubble sinks deep enough in the terrain to assume it’s old destruction.

When we are reaching the entrance of the building, we meet another strange statue. We know with total certainty that these statues are Andraste, in her shape of a warrior. We have seen them everywhere in the game, and specially in Val Royeaux, triggering codices and notes about her. So, this is speaking to us that in a ruin of the time of Halamshiral, Andraste was honoured among the Dalish. She triggers another part of the codex The Emerald Knights.

We see more attacks of those days, collapsing parts of the ruin and making it inaccessible. This rock is likely to be from an Orlesian attack.

In the Hall of the Knights, we see ceilings that speak of ancient elven ruins, and statues of Owls which triggers the codex of Arlathan: Part One, an unreliable tale of Gisharel. Curiously, there is another statue hidden among the shadows:  The Strange Idol‘s face. It’s repeated in most of the arcs.

Continuing the path towards the tombs, we reach the corridor of the first floor, finding another strange element that speaks about how these elves were Dalish and not Elvhenan: the rugs in these parts display the symbol of the family of Celene’s mother: De Montfort. 

This is very curious because this family begins to raise in prominence around the time of the Fourth Blight, while these Emerald Knights of the  Exalted March were alive around the Second Blight. That this rug is here could mean that this place was explored before, or this family has very old ties with elves, specially during the time it was not an important family. With the context we were given about the Dales and the interracial examples of relationships, it’s not strange to assume that maybe this family is elf-blooded. But this goes into the speculation field. The only fact we see is that this rug with the De Montfort symbol is here, during a time [around the Second Blight] in which the family was not prominent.

At the end of the corridor, we begin to walk downstairs to head into the tombs. We see the strong elements of the elvhen decorations and the Orlesian rug.

We make our way to the Hollowed Tombs. I think this name explains a bit the structure we will see inside. The entrance welcomes you with howling Fen’Harel statues at the sides.

The place is already underground. It shows a mixture of Dalish, Elvhenan, and Chantry elements. Exactly the same kind of amalgamation of cultures we saw in Ameridan during the DLC Jaws of Hakkon. These elves were less radical with their culture as the current Dalish are, and they allowed the Chantry to permeate their elven temples to the point of placing statues of Andraste in them. 

This brings a natural question: if they did this centuries ago, how much were their tales changed when they added Andrastian flavour in them? The culture that the modern Dalish want to preserve has been altered centuries ago by their own people too, not only Tevinter. The Dalish cultural process and attempts to recover their culture is an incredible tragedy and irony at the same time. 

Going on with the exploration: at the sides of the entrance there are some pits interconnected with corridors. They show the inuksuit we always see related to funerary places. High up, close to the ceiling, we see Dalish banners. 

This is the object that says this place of elvhenan origin has been taken by Dalish at some point.

The central figure of this temple is Mythal, no doubt. The pit surrounds her, and her statue stands out among the others. Behind her, there is one of the typical paintings of ancient elves, this one I call “the shifting” halla or the bounded halla [for details read Nation Art: Elvhen].

Exactly in front of this Mythal statue we find an entrance with the face of The Strange Idol on its top, flanked by two statues of Andraste that trigger more fragments of the codex The Emerald Knights. This entrance is blocked with rubble, but if you cross it with the fly cam and follow the path of the stairs, you reach exactly to the entrance of Elandrin’s tomb, where The Strange Idol is. 

At the left side of the statue of Mythal, we find columns decorated with elven owls, and beyond them, a vandalised figure of Mythal. This is quite strange to me. It’s the statue of humanoid Mythal, with a skull on her head. The only  detail I remember seeing in similar fashion in the series was in the Fade of DAO, where a statue of Andraste had her head replaced with a skull. 

I can only find two potential reasons for this: 

The ancient one: I imagine that so many iconography with broken statues of Dragon Mythal along the game, and this vandalism of her statue may be related to the hatred that she earned from the other Evanuris. We know that after all, she ended up being assassinated by them. And unlike the Temple of Mythal, where there are really few statues of broken Dragon Mythal, the rest of the elvhen ruins depict a lot her dragon figure without her head. 

The modern one: maybe these Old Dalish elves related Andraste to a representation of Mythal, and her death [which happened before the complete fall of Halamshiral] was represented by them this way.

The configuration of this place is similar to the one we will see in Elandrin’s tomb: the main figure, [in this case Mythal] is in front of a pit. If the pit were filled with supplicants, they would be seeing her from a very low place. Unlike the Elandrin’s tomb, this pit doesn’t seem to have  a system to raise the lower platforms. It must have been destroyed with the collapse of the place or simply it never had it.

What’s most intriguing is the symbol on a side of one of the pit walls:  these golden rings are Elvhenan. We saw them in the Shattered Library. The Elvhenan statue of the owl always has one of these on its talons. 

In here, there are three rings of the same size, all aligned, and one bigger and thicker, surrounding and containing the middle one.

As potential links, we can have a quick reading of the many codices in the Shattered Library where concentric spheres are overlapped, or world in spheres are created. There is also a link with the red lyrium idol: the main figure has an arm crossing the same kind of ring than these. This figure has several links, specially if we take into account the murals of the series [For more details check:  Red Lyrium Idol  and Nation Art: Elvhen. It’s safe to assume that this is a symbol that belonged to the Elvhenan, and can’t be a representation of the creation of the Veil. When Solas created it, all the temples and tombs of the elvhenan had already been built, depicting this ring in their monuments or murals [More details in Nation Art: Elvhen].

If we explore the pit below and see what its corridors have to offer, we can see that at our left, the corridor is quickly blocked. It’s filled with funerary inuksuit...

...while the corridor at our right side allows us to explore many other rooms. We see in these pits a lot of arcs that were filled with bricks before. When you destroy them, you have access to new rooms. This is curious, but given the name of this chamber [hollowed tombs], it seems to be a characteristic of this place: hollowed rooms are sealed with bricks containing mostly urns and/or special runes and veilfire messages of mourning. 

Some of these pits have stairs that allow you to leave these corridors, but they have a strange feeling when you see the ancient paintings of slaved elves on its walls. If this is a tomb and we are right in assuming that Falon’Din was meant to guide the dead, but also this was a misunderstanding of his vanity that caused the death of many just for his whims, I wonder if these pits had an “elvhenan” function related to the slaves. What I mean is that maybe the Ancient Dalish used this ruin to give sepulchre to their warriors or honour Andraste, but this is an ancient elvhen ruin which must have had a different function long time ago. 

Anyways, returning to the main statue of Mythal, we see the painting detail on the back, and if we see the rooms behind this wall, we find more elvhenan paintings and sealed rooms of dead.  We see the painting of the dark armoured figure and breached walls [which I think it’s safe to assume it must have been the Venatori we find inside.] On a table, we see a book that triggers the Arlathan: Part Two, again an unreliable tale by Gisharel.

In the sealed rooms, we find dead, urns, paintings, and bones. Occasionally some of these structures trigger codices or notes about fallen Emerald Knights.

Sometimes these rooms are just locked but have no much difference with the others funerary rooms. 

Close to the Andraste’s statues in the main chamber of Hollowed Tombs, there is a stair that allows you to reach the highest level of this tomb.

As we walk upstairs, we find the typical mosaics of the Evanuris: Dirthamen and Falon’Din, one beside the other, and a painting of a “shifted” / bounded halla along the stairs [Read The Lost Temple of Dirthamen - Part 1 to understand my supposition of how this halla could also represent “bounding process” specially when it is related to Dirthamen and Falon’Din]. 

Around this place we find more mosaics: June with his anvil and Mythal with her babies. 

Mythal and Falon’din, which we know they had a confrontation [Solas’ words in the Temple of Mythal]. All these mosaics are normal ones in terms of colours [meaning, there is none red or weird so far I noticed].

From the highest level, we can see the main statues and the pits. It gives the impression that this is a place where high priests could oversee all the rituals below, but since it has fences, it also seems to be a place for observation instead of imparting rituals. If we compare it with the Temple of Mythal, where the highest places were big, high stages for the priests to impart their blessing on the petitioners. This one here seems more like a mere overseer level.

Along these corridors in the highest level we find more of these objects that trigger Dalish epitaphs.

The last statue that triggers the final part of the codex is beside a corner that seemed to head to Elandrin’s tomb, as the face of the strange idol on the top may indicate. Once more, we see these entrances sealed, likely as part of the tradition: seal the rooms of the dead.

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore ]