#Letters from Orlais

[kauriart]

wip Tuesday: silk

“I shall endeavor to be what you deserve,” Cullen rasps. It’s a vow she knows he'll kill himself to keep. 

Ever a complicated man.

And a simple one.

He undresses her slowly, one piece of armor at a time. Taking a sort of reverent care, as though the silk and leather and silverite are all made of spun glass. As if she herself will shatter against his blunt-fingered touch.

[wardenbeag]

would still really like to understand what the thought process was when they were writing those letters that just obliterated southern thedas off screen

[briala-of-orlais]

so what's the next game going to be, Everybody Rebuilds Ferelden (For The Third Time)?

[thewardenisonthecase]

my thing with the south being destroyed is that before the game released, they were on and on about how we're not talking about the south in this game guys, we're in the north, don't think about the south, we're not even doing worldstate choices.

and i made my peace with that y'know? like ok it sucks that we won't get to see ferelden or kirkwall or orlais or whatever again, but yeah its the north i GUESS it makes sense.

and then i open the game and suddenly my inquisitor is teling me about how the south is being attacked. like my small moment of joy for hearing the word Denerim is completely killed by the following other terrible words. And like ok. the south is in trouble but they're gonna be fine, rigth?

and then every single letter afterwards goes on and on about how shit is absolutely terrible, how they're fighting a loosing war, how ferelden has been SO decimated that its ENTIRE POPULATION FITS IN SKYHOLD. That the Avvar and the Chasind are still hunting but there probably won't be anything left to hunt soon. That Kirkwall had to be evecuated.

and they do make a point of naming Every Location That Might Be Important To The Player. They mention Redcliffe and Denerim and Lake Calenhad and Kirkwall and Skyhold, all places you've gone too and protected in the past, that most players have an attachment too, and they proceed to tell us that this place that is important to you is fucking razed to the ground, and that the people are fucking dead. its hard for it not to feel like a goddamn spit in the face.

and from what i gathered, this was apparently something added during the Alpha? I have this memory of one of the devs saying that halfway through they were like oh shit we need to show how the blight is affecting the south too and how big and bad this blight is and i'm like you really dont need to, i can see how bad it hurts the north and just imagine that on the south. and the worst part is that it feels like ONLY the codexes talk about it bc even the inquisitor is just like "sigh yeah its tough down there but we're managing" and i'm like by your letters no the fuck you're not, why the fuck is harding going to redcliffe with emmrich when you just told me redcliffe is fucking gone

and people saying the south will rebuild and like i have SERIOUS DOUBTS about that because remember, the blight fucking destroys the land. and in inky's last letter, they explicitly say that the population of ferelden has been cut down to Skyhold's size and that they all might starve soon. Kirkwall is essentially fucking gone considering it was evacuated and is now overrun by blight.

like seriously who the fuck thought anyone would be happy to read that places they spent 3 fucking games protecting are now destroyed WHO

[lizzybeeee]

Someone on reddit posted a pic of the concept art characters from the DATV artbook and I'm just...so tired and disappointed.

We could have had Calpernia as a companion, not even mentioning Imshael.

This clearly shows that they initially - in whatever iteration of the game it is - cared about incorporating aspects of previous games. Imagine having Calpernia, Harding, and Imshael as companions and not having them comment/acknowledge the events of Inquisition! Imagine Calpernia talking and giving insight into Corypheous or Samson, or arguing with Harding in banter! Imagine Imshael talking about Michel deChevin or complaining that the Inquisitor stabbed them! Not to mention the other concept art that had Dorian and Isabela interacting - try making anything like that happen without acknowledging DA2 or DAI!

Can you imagine having all these characters in the game, then having the nerve to drop 'the south of Thedas is blighted and destroyed now lol' in a letter? No!

We live in the worst timeline with DATV - a game that utterly watered down, sanitized, and obliterated everything that came before it. A game that removed all mystery and intrigue, condensing it to "solas and the ancient elves did it lol' - telling us with no gravitas, bluntly stating it with the subtly and care of a fucking dragon in a tea shop. A game that, with no shame, went scorched earth with Ferelden, Kirkwall, and Orlais with the sole intent of clearing the board so that they can cultivate some new IP with the existing Dragon Age name.

What a fucking waste.

[grymm-gardens]

Cassandra and the Nevarran Accent

and how it is a perfect recreation of the dead Gothic language

Accidentally discovered that Cassandra Pentaghast's accent matches up flawlessly with the extinct language of the Ostrogoths, and the Visigoths of pre-medieval Europe a few years ago and many of you wanted to see my notes so ive polished them up as much as I feel like and I am blessing you all with them now

I'll start by just going over the gothic language basics and then giving some good examples of Cassandra speaking, I am not a linguistics or etymology expert by any means, I am just a dumb ass who really likes ancient languages so bear with me, and ask questions if i make no sense

Gothic Language Basics

Phonetics-

Gothic does have very similar pronunciation to other Germanic languages with a few differences from it Frankish, and roman neighbors.

I am focusing on the basic and grammar and pronunciation as well as the phonetic alphabet, Gothic had a runic alphabet so there are a few letter without direct cognates and those will be spelled as they are pronounced for convenience

Rules - E, and O are always long, I is always short, A and U have both short an long variations EI digraph pronounced as long eye IU falling diphthong as in ew AI and AU digraphs each with numerous pronunciations

Short vowels - a, aí, i, aú, u Long               - ā, ē, ai, ei, ō, au, ū Diphthongs - ái, áu, iu Consonants  - b, g, d, kwa, z, h, th, k, l, m, n, ya/ja, p, r, s, t, w, f, x/ks, hw Significant Phonetics and Grammar

A lack of a short o sound, shift to an au sound instead

typical pronunciation of th, as well as V and W

light emphasis on the "hwh" sound of WH

Guttural sounds on vowels a, au, o ,u, and on consonants k, g, h

partly pitch, partly stress accent (think swedish as a very melodic example, german for a more stress based example)

no switching of the v and w pronunciation as seen in some west germanic languages

no rhotic r

no evidence of the Germanic umlaut

The way that i was going to have audio of her speaking here but tumblr is being a fucking menace so you will just have listen for yourselves, but pay close attention to how you will hear inconsistent pronunciation of the short o sound as in cot, no pronounced rhotic r's, proper th pronunciation, as well as her unique stresses on many other vowels

this isnt even to mention her hallmark guttural ugh sounds which are so unbelievably consistent with gothic it makes my heart sing

Some bonus Geographical Evidence if we look at the neighboring countries and languages at the time gothic was in use we see The roman empire - heavy use of greek and latin, the Franks - origins of the french language, the saxons -an ancestors of modern germans, the britons -ancestor of modern day britain and the empire of hispania - modern day spain these match up extremely well with nevarras neighboring countries being Orlais, The Anderfels, Tevinter, The Free Marches, even the way the Antiva is seperated from Nevarra by Tevinter matches the way The roman empire is positioned bewteen the goths and hispania The direct equivilents match up as Nevarra -The Goths Tevinter -The roman empire Antiva - Hispania Orlais - The Franks Ferelden/The Free Marches - Briton/Germanic States The Anderfels - Saxony Considering how much this geography influenced the gothic language its reasonable to assume Orlais, Tevinter, The Anderfels and The Free marches should have had similar effects on nevarran language.

maps for reference

Primary source was this Gothic Grammar Guide by Joseph Wright from 1910 that was based on the king james bible translation done by 4th century gothic priest Ulfilas

[ohallows]

man it's fucking crazy how we went from literally finding outposts that were created from skulls of the tranquil in dai and literally learning about a ritual to *reverse tranquility* in dai to fucking. nothing in veilguard.

like it's been said a thousand times im sure but, sorry, bioware can't just wave a magic wand and say "these aren't things in the north :)" as if tevinter isn't the only non-chantry affiliated nation we visit. chantry doctrine is absolutely the letter of the law in half of the places we go to in vg you can't just wave away this shit it's crazy to me. pissing half their own lore down the drain for convenience and now we just never get to know if anything with the tranquil got resolved. like I would accept these not being addressed if we were based solely in tevinter. did bioware forget that circles were fucking annulled outside of just Ferelden and orlais?? the south/the free marches are not unique in how they treat mages or their allegiance to the chantry. come on. give me a little closure about the tranquil come ON

i wish we had gotten project joplin

[vigilskeep]

i’m a bit late, but it’s time to talk abt the thedas festival of wintersend!!

this festival is celebrated at the beginning of guardian, which is what the people of thedas call february. (isn’t that a little early for the end of winter? no wonder i missed it! anyway.) back in tevinter’s day, wintersend was called urthalis and dedicated to the old god of beauty, urthemiel. (yes, that’s the archdemon from origins.) these days it’s a celebration of the maker, presumably because when light and warmth returns to the world, you feel like celebrating whoever created it? same reason it’s a good time to celebrate the old god of beauty i suppose

wintersend is celebrated with tourneys and contests all across the continent, from the gladiators in the proving grounds of minrathous to the swordsmen and archers of what are said to be the particularly grand tournaments of nevarra, for which the nobility spares no expense. good day to be a rook mercar or ingellvar, if you’re into that! free marchers never miss an opportunity for that kind of thing either, i’m sure kirkwall puts something on and the champion is the favourite for the win, great day out for the whole party. it’s also said to be a day of gathering for trade or theatre. the trade aspect might be because mountain passes are said to open up as winter eases; the first travelling merchants might arrive, and for templars and mages in circle towers, perhaps the first shipments of lyrium if heavy snows prevented travel from orzammar? i think the theatre aspect is super cute because i bet that ranges all the way from the kind of high standard orlesian drama josie and leliana might attend, to, in smaller towns and villages, the kids preparing all winter to put on a little play. maybe the crows flock to the villa dellamorte’s opera house for some more normal reasons than they do in the game; maybe the inquisition’s soldiers stage a production or amaranthine puts together its best performers for the warden-commander

and my favourite of all: in some areas, wintersend is the day to arrange marriages! if you or your love interest is determined to do things properly, this is the day to take three goats and a sheaf of wheat to someone’s mother

probably because it has a snappy name, this is a festival that gets mentioned on occasion by characters. vivienne talks about wintersend gift lists and met her duke at orlais’ imperial wintersend ball. (dorian asks josie for an invitation to the wintersend ball in lydes—they must be the orlesian tradition for the season.) nadia and elio from the vows & vengeance podcast met at wintersend, too! for a grimmer tale: in the soldier’s peak dlc, you can find a letter about an arl’s entire family killed by a tyrant king whose wintersend spending he criticised. more cheerfully: emmrich’s mother made that nevarran hazelnut torte every wintersend

[skittyusedcharm]

Not sure if I’m amusing myself or tormenting myself by thinking about this but after complaining about how there are no Orlesians in Veilguard, I have realized that it is probably a good thing because imagine the rebranding they’d have done on the chevaliers:

Their main goal is to protect Orlais—it’s what they’ve always claimed to be, but there would be more emphasis on how they protect all Orlesians, especially commoners and elves. Of course there are now elven chevaliers. Some of them are Dalish. There are also dwarf and Qunari chevaliers to show that they are diverse and respect all cultures. Also you don’t have to be from nobility to join. They tell Rook that they’re like a family. Chevaliers only kill Venatori and darkspawn and never any good innocent people. You can read a letter inside the Academie des Chevaliers faction hub from Michel de Chevin where he says he’s deeply ashamed of how some chevaliers abused their positions of power in the past, but they’re working very hard to be better.

Fandom argues that this is a reasonable change since the game is set 10 years after Inquisition and things are different now.

[crypticcanidae]

what's happening in the south of thedas?

throughout veilguard the inquisitor occasionally sends us messages from the front. they paint a pretty bleak picture as to what's going on down there and honestly, by the time vg ends, i think it's safe to say southern thedas is absolutely fucked. like irreparably so.

but! several times now i've seen the argument that it's not as bad as it sounds, that everyone down south will recover and be fine, and that anyone even slightly upset abt southern thedas being destroyed in a series of easily-missable notes is just overreacting. (that's probably a little bit of an exaggeration. but not by much.)

so. maybe i read those letters wrong and missed some obvious improvement to the situation! therefore, i've gone through all the missives and done my best to put the events in them onto a map. cause i'm very bad at visualising things. and it turns out uh. yeah no i'm pretty sure it's as bad as it seems down there. maybe even worse! i've also ended up with. yknow. even more questions tbh. i hope these fucking maps are readable. !! beware long post ahead !!

the fight for the south (obtained after meeting the inquisitor for the first time)

ostwick's shipping - what do they export? to where? whatever it is, the disruption's obviously enough for the inquisitor to notice and mention. (also, isn't a trevelyan inquisitor from ostwick? i suppose they don't say anything more about this?)

the antaam corsairs - are they harassing any other ships? have they cut the waking sea off from the amaranthine ocean entirely?

venatori-aligned nobles - which nobles, and where? are they spread across the country? do they have noticeable regional strongholds? more importantly, why have they allied with the venatori? what are they getting out of working with a fringe tevinter cult that was mostly dismantled ten years ago?

'far southern wilds' - is that just the korcari wilds in ferelden? or are the arbor wilds in orlais also seeing blight appear? (the blight consuming orlais later has to come from somewhere, after all)

the fall of weisshaupt (obtained after. well.)

'wherever darkspawn once had a presence' - every place that's had darkspawn? all of them? cause thats. most of thedas? including several regions we visit in vg, but i don't remember hearing anything abt darkspawn appearing in the silent plains, which you'd think might come up in the graveyard of nevarra's capital city. at the very least, this might explain why the south's hit so hard despite lusacan and razikale being on the other side of the continent, i guess? anyway i marked what i think are the the three largest, worst blighted spots, and i left my blight notes on the map too for lack of a better place to put them. you can see how many places might now be getting swarmed.

^^ - if i'm right and darkspawn are appearing everywhere they've been before. well. this could have been a fun way to incorporate worldstate choices? if the inquisition allied with the wardens orlais has warning of a horde emerging in the western approach, if the wardens were banished orlais suffers heavier casualties from having to fight unexpected darkspawn on top of the venatori. something like that.

'reports of darkspawn advancing to its very gates' - advancing to weisshaupt's gates? the fortress we just lost to the darkspawn? this sounds like the inquisitor's getting reports that weisshaupt's just under siege, not overrun entirely and abandoned?

'erasing all the gains that the wardens and dwarves had made' - the darkspawn getting to weisshaupt is erasing dwarf-warden gains on the surface, in the anderfels? or do they mean progress reclaiming the deep roads has been lost? because weisshaupt's gates are on the surface, and haven't had to be retaken before now (weisshaupt has been sieged by darkspawn before during blights, but it's never fallen entirely). unless they're meaning that darkspawn numbers in the roads during the siege were so high they've overrun dwarf-warden positions? or the loss of wardens assisting the dwarves and recalled to weisshaupt was that damaging?

'called them all back to weisshaupt' - once again. worldstates. past events. what happened to that warden civil war that was brewing in inquisition? what happened to the orlesian wardens possibly breaking off from weisshaupt entirely? what about the wardens in amaranthine, possibly allied with the architect, possibly working with avernus to research the blight? all of them got orders to up and head to weisshaupt, and they all obeyed, despite the internal conflicts we've been hearing whispers of for the past few games?

the tide turns (obtained after fighting the dragons in hossberg)

the felicisima armada - nice to see the armada mentioned, obviously, but it might have been even better if we got to actually learn anything new about it. instead of the half-baked beach and arena we could have had a hub in llomerryn/estwatch, experienced some of what makes rivain so distinct from the rest of thedas. we could have seen isabela acting as an admiral of the armada, maybe had some quests that lead to the armada harassing the antaam. yknow, gotten to be involved in the interesting things happening in the world, instead of hearing about them after they've already happened. (mostly i just. really don't understand where the lords of fortune came from in the first place? a rivain-based pirate faction already exists? it seems like isabela's a leader in both groups? what's going on here?)

the venatori - did the inquisition just do a really bad job ten years ago? i was under the impression the venatori as a group were finished, that they'd failed their plans, lost their god, and splintered apart. hadn't tevinter even publically denounced them? i know that doesn't mean much really, but yknow. after inquisition it sure seemed like whatever group succeeded the venatori would be starting pretty much from scratch, or having to use a new name, at least. but they're not only openly back in power in tevinter, they've got the resources to stoke conflicts across the continent? yet again. worldstates. thedosian politics. what happened in the past decade??

val royeaux to kirkwall - so the venatori are marching forces across nevarran territory into the free marches, these forces presumably including some amount of orlesian soldiers? i know kirkwall/the free marches are apparantly busy right now (getting blighted?) but as far as i can tell. nevarra doesn't really have anything going on? but they're just letting hostile orlesian forces cross their borders to attack the marches? i would have thought that would provoke some sort of response, given that nevarra (and parts of the marches) have been invaded by and fought wars against the orlesian empire several times?

the coming storm (obtained after speaking to the inquisitor again)

'little trace remains of the antaam dreadnoughts' - i'm assuming the antivan resistance has picked up enough momentum for the antaam to struggle to maintain control by now, and that combined with the efforts of the armada has lead them to pull their fleet back somewhat to keep from overstretching their forces. but i do like the idea that the antaam, competent trained soldiers, were beaten and driven off by a pack of pirates.

the drums of war (obtained after discussing how to attack tearstone island)

'the free marches have unified' - i know extraordinary circumstances can force things like this to happen but also. we know the free marches are divided enough that city-states will make alliances just to spite their neighbours. we know blights don't really bring people together without effort. i would love to know what sort of political manoeuvring has been going on for the entirety of the marches to unite to assist ferelden - or just the inquisitor? if the inquisition disbanded, why does the inquisitor still seem to have so much influence? also. the marches are doing this when they're in the middle of conflicts? hasn't kirkwall been entirely evacuated to starkhaven now?

blight in ferelden - putting those words onto a map makes them look way worse, doesn't it? the darkspawn now have redcliffe, much of southern ferelden, and most of denerim (if not all, by now), they'll spread the blight everywhere they go, and the blight itself has reached lake calenhad. as a reminder, this letter in da2 tells us the land around lothering is poisoned so badly by the blight it'll take decades to recover, if ever, after only a year. other places still haven't recovered after centuries. vg's blight might be changed in some way, but it doesn't seem to be any weaker, and only the blight in minrathous is destroyed at the end. assuming vg only takes a couple of months, it ends with ferelden blighted even worse than after the fifth blight.

the beginning of the end (obtained after escaping the regret prison)

blight in ferelden - (continued from above) by now, ferelden's certainly lost the korcari wilds, brecilian forest, hinterlands, and a decent chunk of the bannorn to the blight, as well as possibly all of lake calenhad and its shores, depending on how blight spreads in water. that's the majority of the country's settlements, farmland, and natural resources uninhabitable, unusable, or obliterated - again, the blight poisons the land, it takes decades to centuries for anything to grow there again. on the bright side, the tiny amount of unblighted land left in the bannorn will probably be enough to support the surviving population, since the refugees were few enough to fit into skyhold. from veilguard on, ferelden is likely reduced to amaranthine, highever, west hill, the northern edge of the bannorn, whatever region runs above lake calenhad, the island of brandel's reach, and the islands home to jainen and alamar. the new ferelden capital would probably be highever or amaranthine, possibly amaranthine given the arling's run by the wardens, and they'll likely become far more influential now that ferelden's blighted nearly as badly as the anderfels. at least they got to keep the circle in jainen!

blight in orlais and the free marches - it would make sense to me if the blight here has spread out from the wastelands of the western approach and the silent plains. honestly i might have overestimated how much land's been consumed? but equally we're told the blight's moving fast so. maybe i'm underestimating. who knows. regardless, orlais has probably lost it's southern regions, as well as a large part of the heart of the country. like ferelden, it looks like a lot of what's probably farmland has been blighted, as well as several major cities. that combined with the venatori-supported civil war they've been fighting this whole time means orlais is. possibly in a worse state than even ferelden! i don't know how they'll recover honestly. maybe orlais will fracture into a dozen smaller states, maybe they'll somehow have enough military strength left to attempt to expand and claim nevarra's unblighted land. either way, they're probably not a major power anymore. also, the dales are probably blighted too, though maybe not entirely? which is unfortunate for the dalish, assuming they haven't been completely absorbed by the veil jumpers and given up on the dales for arlathan. for the free marches, again assuming the blight's spread from the silent plains, kirkwall, wildervale, starkhaven, and tantervale are most likely to have been hit, if not lost entirely. the eastern city-states are likely alright. also. a lot of nevarra's probably been blighted? most of it, even. including the capital. and grand necropolis. cumberland might be fine though.

blight in tevinter? - we aren't told anything about what the blight and darkspawn are doing in tevinter, i think? aside from minrathous being miraculously cured so it can become the center of civilisation in the future, obviously. we're bringing back the pre-andrastian empire! anyway. the silent plains would be the main threat here, and if the blight spread up to the nocen sea it could split the imperium in two, which could be fun i think. and the blight from the anderfels could affect the western border somewhat too.

orzammar - yet again, worldstates could have had an impact here, affected whether orzammar has alliances that could help it hold out or not, things like that. but honestly, considering everything else that's been going on, it seems safe to assume orzammar's been entirely wiped out. kal-sharok might be the last surviving population of underground dwarves, aside from the ambassadoria in tevinter. who might now have lost their home entirely.

blighted leviathans - *blackwall voice* i would have liked to have seen it. but yeah once more the cool things are all happening in the background. seems like we could have run into these in a felicisima armada questline, or possibly with the wardens if the ten year old griffons were adults instead of hatchlings still. i don't even know what to say here honestly. this makes recovery even harder now, i suppose. orlais and nevarra have lost sea access, ferelden and the southern marcher city-states might struggle depending on how far the leviathans spread towards the amaranthine ocean. fishing might be a little difficult now too.

conclusion

rivain and antiva seem to have come out largely unscathed by the blight, and we know from rivain that andrastianism, the qun, mages, and spirits aren't entirely incompatible, so there's a real chance for things to improve there. the eastern free marches are probably fairly stable, all things considered. tevinter and the qun might be forced into peace, however temporary, given that the antaam's been decimated and the imperium's apparently going to be doing some restructuring. ferelden and orlais have effectively suffered an apocalypse. nevarra and the western free marches are likely only doing slightly better. the anderfels are. probably largely unchanged, tbh. very cheerful! what's happening in the south? nothing good!

as i've seen some others say, i don't inherently dislike the idea of the south, the places we're most attached to, suffering some catastrophe in service of underlining how high the stakes are. my problem is the way it's executed. all these events were thrown together into a handful of codex entries that were very easy to miss entirely. there was no attempt to work with the very different worldstates people could have, despite marketing reassuring us that our past choices would be respected. it felt like an afterthought added into the game to try and cheaply increase the emotional impact of a somewhat lacklustre story. many of the things people felt were missing from veilguard - the politics and intrigue, the relations between nations and peoples, etc - aren't missing at all, it turns out. they've simply been relegated to the background. we can see where they might be happening, guess at how our protagonist could have been involved, but we aren't allowed to actually participate anymore. and i think that's unfortunate for a series that used to be so determined to think about those things, even if it didn't always handle them very well.

[cursedhaglette]

Letters We Should've Sent

Eight years pass and they both keep track of it, words they didn't share but should have. Words that might have made all the difference.

(very minor DAV spoilers sprinkled throughout)

Rating: T? If that? Word Count: 4,880

[ao3 link]

Preview

Solas, 

I am on my way to Orlais, and the sunrise is clearing the fog from a meadow where I’ve made camp, and I am thinking of you. Thinking of moments like this from years past, where we would rise before the others and walk to the edge of our campsite for a few stolen moments alone at dawn. I cannot help but wonder if you might think of them too, wherever you are now. Is it warm there? Are you in a city? The mountains? 

To have known it all, or what felt like it all, for so long, and now to have nothing is a wound I fear will never heal. How am I supposed to look at these places we once walked together the same way? How am I supposed to continue on like this - like everything is just how it was?

You are gone and I am…this. A woman broken by grief and anger and duty. Someone I no longer like or recognize and I’m sure you wouldn’t either. 

All anyone sees anymore is The Inquisitor. Even with the inquisition disbanded. 

I am no longer a woman or an elf or a person at all. I haven’t been in so long. I have become something other, entirely not my own and yet not belonging to anyone in particular either. I am not a figurehead of the chantry or a single nation, I do not belong to the humans or the elves or anyone else. It feels as though I have given away a small piece of myself to everyone that’s ever asked and now I am hollowed out, staring at a sunrise and wishing I had left it all behind to end the world with you. 

I can’t keep myself from writing letters, filling pages and pages with thoughts I wish I were mindlessly sharing with you, knowing I’ll never send them.

I don’t even know if I ought to write vhenan on these letters anymore. To write my love on paper feels foolish, even if you’ll never see it. But then you know - you have to know. I will never love another as I loved you. I will never see another sunrise and think of anything but the mornings where you told me you loved me and always would.

Were you the god of lies even then? 

-Morinne

[thesummerstorms]

It is fascinating to me to imagine Leliana as Divine during Veilguard.

Here is the Southern Chantry, historical tool of Orlesian Imperialism, with a literal hero of the fifth Blight at its head as the South is threatened by Blight (historical catastrophe) and Venatori (with Tevinter being a historical enemy the Orlesians define themselves opposite of).

But even a literal war hero who has fought the Blight head on, who represents the religion and savior-figure they so loudly proclaim devotion to, who has years and years of experience as a Spymaster and in playing the Game, who to some extent is responsible for the current ruler holding the throne, cannot meaningfully unite them against the threat.

And yeah, maybe it's because she pushed hard on reform, made enemies early and fast, because her alliances were shaken loose in a way the grasping could take advantage of.

But we watch on screen as Fereldan builds an alliance with the Chaisind and Avvar who the have historically rejected.

(Message From the Front: The Fall of Weisshaupt: "When I returned south after speaking with you, I sent envoys to both the Chasind and the Avvar. They and the leaders of Ferelden have agreed to an alliance, at least until this present threat passes.")

As the Free Marches come together under a single banner and start marching South towards the blight to help fight it back when the Inquisitor is forced to abandon southern Fereldan and take refuge in Skyhold.

(Message From the Front: The Drums of War: "The Free Marches have unified under a single banner and even now march south to aid us in our struggle.")

Yet Orlais is sold out from within by its own rebels seeking power...or to maintain their power.

(Message From the Front: The Fight For the South: "In Orlais, a splinter faction of the nobility has made common cause with the Venatori and launched an assault on both the royal forces of Orlais and the border keeps of Ferelden.")

Orlais has been so long fixed on the "Game", on personal advantage, on traditions rooted in keeping the powerful in power, that they can't unite at a meaningful level to fight back, even if the Divine of the Orlesian Chantry is a Hero of the Blight.

(Message From the Front: The Drums of War: "The Free Marches have unified under a single banner and even now march south to aid us in our struggle.")

"But those are the rebels-"

Yes. But! The Inquisitor's letter flat out states that her alliance is trying to help the Orlesian Royal Army and they refuse to cooperate.

(Message From the Front: The Tide Turns: Not all have chosen to ally so openly and directly with us. The Venatori and the Orlesian royal armies clash daily in Orlais. Val Royeaux is now under control of the rebels, and from there the Venatori launch attacks as far east as Kirkwall. Yet Orlais still refuses to join us. We've sent several companies to assist, but while the Orlesian troops don't attack them, they refuse to coordinate tactics.)

Now, the good news is that Orlais has apparently finally pushed back the Venatori enough to take some power back by the last letter from the Inquisitor.

(Message From the Front: The Drums of War: "and reports from Orlais suggest that the Venatori have been fought to a standstill.")

But what position are they going to be in now? Literally everyone else seems to have united on some level to work together. The Rivaini pirates are shipping goods from Ostwick to both the Fereldan Alliance and to Antiva. We have two potentially powerful new multi-people alliances in play. Nevarra, Antiva, and Rivain all have had some sort of presence in the final battle in Minrathous and have been connected together through Rook.

But Orlais has only managed to spend its resources fighting itself and you can bet everyone is going to remember their unwillingness to cooperate later. So now they're one Civil War weaker but also out considerable political influence given that by sitting out they missed out on any alliance building.

Nevarra has been tense rivals with Orlais for years anyway, the Fereldans are still distrustful, and the Free Marches are united enough to push back.

If Orlais tries to walk right back into the game, I think they might find things are not the same old favorable position they've long held for themselves.

[where-i-hide-my-shame]

Look, I know some people are upset with how the South is handled in DATV. But this isn't the writers invalidating what came before, they're not erasing the people and cultures we loved.

Just because it's tragic does not mean it's bad writing.

Ferelden and Orlais and the Marches haven't collapsed. They were on the brink, yes, but Origins saw the entirety of Ferelden blighted for a year and by Inquisition, it was healed. This is not the end for the South, even more so if you consider that the Hossberg epilogue slide straight up says that the Blight is dying. Solas went off into the Black City to "soothe its anger" and it's working.

This taste of apocalypse might even jolt the South into finally showing some of the reforms we made since Origins, like Elves and Mages getting better treatment, that have been ignored for years.

The writers are giving the characters from the previous games stuff to do, which is more than we got in DA2 and arguably with the Warden in DAI (yes we got the letter but I for one will take no letter and the presumption that they're fighting the Blight over "yeah i know the world is ending but I'm too busy saving my own life, peace out" any day).

Where do you get the notion that every single past character needs to be namedropped in all sequels for their story to matter? Most of them had their time, their story is over, and we have to learn to let them go, because the series carrying this kind of ever growing load of cameos is unsustainable.

[lana-writes]

a soft, silly dream

A Solas x F!Lavellan fanfic

Word Count: 2.3k

Rating: Teen & up

Tags/Warnings: Some suggestive content, kissing, fluff, angst

Summary: After the ball in Halamshiral, Inquisitor Lavellan indulges herself in private by reminiscing about the better moments from that night when she receives an unexpected but not unwelcome visitor in her chambers.

Read on AO3 | Masterlist | Character Letters (Etsy)

They had only returned from Halamshiral three days before but after taking a day to rest, Althima spent the next two in meetings with her council as they planned for their next operations. There were still the Grey Wardens at Adamant to deal with among what felt like a never ending list of other tasks awaiting her attention. It was Josephine who chose to break for the evening, noticing they were all weary but that their Inquisitor was also visibly fatigued. They had already decided on the council’s tasks and given Althima their recommendations for where to direct her attentions next. She accepted them graciously and would determine her own next steps in the next day or so. For now, she was tired. Tired of talking and correspondence and people asking her for judgement or opinions or favors or blessings or whatever else. 

She took her supper in her room and afterward, paced around the space as she mulled over the day, allowing her mind to wander for the first time since they returned. Memories of the ball in the Winter Palace were still fresh in her mind. Gaspard and Florianne were dealt with. Brialla and Celene were allied once again, now with the Inquisition as well. And all that was a relief but she still thought about the sight of it all. The grand ballroom and her announcement and presentation to the court. The fine silks and brocades and jewels glistening in the candlelight. Music, laughter, and whispers alike all drifting through the air like smoke, as potent as it was transient. In another context it might have seemed like a fairy tale or something out of a novel she’d picked up while traveling with her father to sell his wares near some human settlement. 

Solas standing in a shadowy corner, out of the way and observing, glass in hand. He seemed somehow more at home there than most other places she’d seen him. He lit up at the machinations of the court. His comments about the power, danger, and sex that permeated events like this had lingered with her. If they had more time and perhaps less eyes on her, she might have asked him to elaborate, but they hadn’t the opportunity. 

Their dance, though, was the sweetest way that night could have ended. Not only had they achieved their goals, emerging victorious, leaving Orlais safer and more stable, gaining a powerful ally in the process, but after all was said and done, she still got to sweep around her own private dance floor in his arms. A small moment of joy amidst the chaos and danger. She felt safe there with him, without fear or worry. Their mission didn’t exist for a short while. 

Alone in her chambers, she tried to recollect the tune they’d danced to. As she hummed it to herself, changing her pitch or the melody as she searched for it, she swayed in place, then took a few steps back and to the side. Before she realized what she was doing, she was retracing their steps with her arms slightly raised as if on his shoulders, her hand in his again. Her eyes closed and she could feel it again, almost. The rhythm and sway of their movements. The cool breeze coming over the mountains and the vibrations of the crowd and orchestra just on the other side of the doors. 

When she opened them again, she wasn’t alone. Her hand flew to her heart as she gasped at Solas leaning back against the railing in front of the stairs. He had that same gentle smile on his face and his hands clasped together in front of him. 

“I apologize,” he said, “I did not mean to surprise you.”

“I didn’t expect you,” she breathed. If she was still catching her breath from the dancing or the shock, she wasn’t sure. 

“I had not seen you today, but when I arrived, I did not wish to interrupt,” he said. “It was beautiful to watch you move so freely.” Heat filled her cheeks as she smiled.  

“It feels silly almost,” she said, shaking her head, “to be dancing and daydreaming when everything is so dire.” 

“Perhaps,” he said, standing again. He began to walk towards her. “I would not recommend dancing in the throne room or a council meeting, but myself and the birds,” he glanced towards a crow sitting outside her open balcony doors, “do not mind.” He stopped and bowed to her, offering his hand as he had that night. “May I?” With a grin, she let her hand slide into his. 

“But we have no music,” she said. 

“That has not stopped you before.” He drew her close, his hand on her waist. His face inches from her own. It took nearly everything in her not to lean forward and kiss him. “Besides, I believe I can recollect a tune or two.” He smiled and began to hum as he took the first step. 

Like the birds rising and falling in the clouds outside her window, they glided about the room. His tune was not one they heard in Halamshiral nor one she’d ever heard before, at least she didn’t think she had. It was quicker and brighter than the dance they’d shared before. After a minute or two of it, the tune was nearly forgotten but for the guiding rhythm it offered them. He continued humming intermittently and she began to pick up a few notes of it, repeating the melody where he faltered. Breathless and grinning ear to ear, they twirled a bit more beyond where their breath began to fail them. Finally though, she spun away and back into his arms again, her back against his chest and both their arms wrapped around her. With that he stopped and they stood there, their breathing quick and light. She let her head fall back against his shoulder, eyes closed but her lips parted in a smile. 

It was as she imagined. It felt that way, at least. It’s so simple and childish, she thought, to find such joy in a man’s arms like this. But she was grateful for how indulgent he was. 

“Where did you learn to dance?” she asked. Her hands in his refused to let go and leave this embrace, not that he was trying to release her. 

“You remember I spoke to you of my witnessing balls like those of Halamshiral while in the Fade,” he began. His breath brushed against her ear and cheek as he spoke. “I found an echo of one long ago near where Denerim is in the waking world. A spirit of love still lingered there and saw me watching the couples dance and court one another. They offered to teach me so that I might know how to court someone similarly one day, when love should find me again.” 

“I should thank them,” Althima chuckled. 

“If we cross paths once more, I will be sure to thank them again,” he said, pressing his lips against her flushed cheek. She loosened her grip and turned in his arms to face him. Leaving his hands on her hips, she brought her palm to his cheek, resting her other on his neck. 

“And what of the song’s origin? Where did it come from?” She studied his face, endlessly fascinated by him. There was so much he knew and had seen through his walking in the Fade. 

“That is a similar story but far more precious and rare,” he said. “I happened across the echoes of a pair of elven lovers separated by circumstance before the Fall of Arlathan. Memories that old are extraordinarily rare, but this one was guarded by a Spirit of Hope that never let the young maid lose faith her lover would return to her. He did, eventually, but for a very long time, she sang that song given to her by the spirit in the hopes that it would keep the joy of their love alive even as their world seemed to crumble around them. As with a memory so old, the words have been lost as the shadows of the lovers have dwindled and all but disappeared except in the memory of that spirit, but the music persists, as music often does long after its lyrics and composers have been forgotten.”

“That’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s good that they found each other again.” 

“Yes.” 

“I’m very glad you found me,” she added. “For a number of reasons.” 

“As am I.” His hands spread across her hips further, pressing her more firmly against him. Her thumb stroked his cheek as she studied his face. For as much as she felt that she knew him, he was still so much of a mystery. The breadth of his experience continually felt both fascinating and far more extensive than she could ever truly know. There was so much uncertainty about him too. He hesitated so often and yet, they’d still shared such bold flirtations, such fiery kisses. He’d expressed an uncertainty and indecision regarding their relationship followed by confessions of love. What else was she to take from this dance but further confirmation of his affection? Regardless of his wavering though, she knew how she felt and in that moment, with her golden eyes meeting his grays, she couldn’t not speak what was in her heart. 

“Ar lath ma,” she let the words tumble from her lips. He had not heard them from her before. He hadn’t given her the chance after walking away as soon as he had said them himself. The softness ever present in his eyes shifted for a moment as he smiled at her again. There was a sadness in him. She’d seen it before but he had not spoken of it, and it seemed as though he would not speak of it. It scared her but like his uncertainty, it did not deter her. There was enough between them already that she knew whatever else he might carry with him would not sunder it. Her feelings were that strong even now. 

“Ma vhenan,” he whispered as he leaned forward. His forehead met hers and he took a deep breath. Their noses met, brushing back and forth. She wanted to kiss him so badly, she crept forward until his lips met her own willingly. Gentle and closed at first until his reluctance left him once more, then his fingers grasped at her hips and he lurched forward hungrily into her. She had a hand on the back of his neck and one clutching at his tunic as she parted her lips for him. For as strongly as they felt, they’d spent far too little time just like this for her tastes. He felt similarly though he was loath to ever admit it. 

She had never wanted someone like this before. Physically, completely, desperately. Little had ever felt so thrilling as his hands upon her body or his breath meeting hers. His tongue reached for her own as she allowed him in. Their breath was hurried yet stilted and their hearts pounded as his hands dipped up beneath her tunic just enough to feel the bare skin of her back. She wished he’d pull it off as her own fingers reached beneath his collar, eager to feel any ounce of his skin she could reach. What little he offered wasn’t enough to satisfy her then. She wondered if any touch of his could ever satisfy her if that touch would always end. 

Their lips broke apart and though their noses still touched, she felt him shake his head. For fear he’d pull away, she pressed forward and kissed him again. He didn’t, not at first. He kissed her again firmly, intently, while holding her against him with more force than he’d dared before, only to release her and take a step back. His hands drifted from their place at her back to the sides of her hips. Her own fell to his arms and down to his wrists as he backed away. She wouldn’t hold him there if he wished to leave but her wide eyes and soft, parted lips were begging him without saying a word. His hands found hers and held them tightly, thumbs drifting back and forth across her knuckles. Was this meant to be soothing? Would he leave again?

“Solas,” she said. “Will you–” She shouldn’t say it, she knows, but she can’t stop the words now. “Will you not stay,” she continued, “here tonight? With me?” His face, his eyes, they looked so sorrowful but then his smile returned. The sweet, gentle look he offered still couldn’t hide the other look in his eyes and that was the one that scared her, that left a pit in her stomach instead of butterflies. 

“I should not,” he said. “You need your rest, vhenan.” He brought her left hand to his lips and kissed the mark. 

“If you do not wish to,” she began, but wasn’t sure where she was going to end that sentence. 

“That is not– I–uh,” he stopped and sighed, looking down at their hands. “It would not be appropriate now. The last days have been long, and I should leave you to your rest.” His eyes met hers once more, careful in their expression as he sensed her unease and disappointment. He gave her a smile as he took another step backward towards the stairs, hands slipping from her own. 

Hands and arms that were once so full of love were now left empty as she watched him walk to the stairs. He seemed good at that, she thought, making the world feel so full and alive and larger than she ever considered, then leaving it feeling so small and dim and bare the moment he turned away. It seemed a trend with him, offering her understanding and affection then pulling away the moment that things became too real, too intense, the moment that she reached for him too. He stopped at the top of the stairs, giving her one final, loving look before he descended.

“Sleep well, vhenan,” he spoke softly and sincerely as though he were apologizing.

“Goodnight, Solas.”

Check out my other works on my masterlist

[avernusreject]

I've been outlining the entire events of the fall of the south to elaborate more on what happened in my world state, because I'll be damned if I let EA ruin this series for me. Honestly, it just makes me mad cause the ideas they had for the fall of the south could've been so interesting and heartbreaking.

This is gonna be a long one so I'm going to put it under, in case your interested in my rant.

Tbh its such utter bullshit when the writers said (paraphrasing) "don't ask for a cameo from your favorite characters because that means bad things will happen to them" then precedes in game to nuke the entire south. You're telling me that absolutely nothing bad happened to any companions or beloved NPCs during the double blight because we didn't see it. If your going to kill off the characters, at least give us something. What are their last stands? What are their last words? What are they defending? Did they have doubts or fears in their final moments? How does that affect their actions?

How does Amaranthine fall? What does the warden commander and awakening crew do when it does, if they're there. This I'm assuming would be happening pretty early on because it seems that from the inquisitor's letters the blight hits first in the east and south in Ferelden. I think it would've been heartbreaking but great to set the tone early on in the game, if you play as a the warden commander one last time, in a last stand for Amaranthine. Having to rally the remaining Awakening crew, knowing full well you are asking them to go to their deaths. Choosing only one of them, to lead the refugees to safety. The longer you stay alive, the more refugees escape the city, the more resources you have at the end of the game for the final fight.

How does Denerim fall? What does Anora and/or Alistair do to help the city prepare? How does the battle turn in the darkspawn's favor? Do the people in the alienage get access to the help or defensives that other areas of the city do (probably not, but who knows)? What is their breaking point of making their court flee to Redcliffe? Does Alistair put up a fight, wanting desperately to fight for Denerim as long as he can? Does that stubbornness lead to resources lost? Would Anora leave sooner realizing Denerim would be a lost cause, saving resources for later?

How does the inquisitor get the Avaar and Chasind to work with the inquisition to the point they are providing food for Skyhold when the resources start dwindling? Do they have to do rituals or rites to prove themselves in the eyes of these communities?

Will the person on the throne of Orzammar affect how fast the remaining Thaigs fall to the darkspawn? If Bhelen is on the throne, we know he has a lot of sympathy for the casteless. Is he able to make enough headway with his reforms in dwarven culture to get the casteless fighting alongside the warrior class, buying the thaigs time? Is Harrowmount be too stuck to tradition, that he doesn't see the necessity of recruiting from other castes?

How do Briala/Celene/Gaspard fair against the Venatori in Val Royeuax? When the city falls to the Venatori rebels, where do they go? How do they rally the remainder of their troops? Which noble houses turn against them? How does the leader of Orlais justify their hesitance to ally with Ferelden given the current state of affairs?

How does Divine Victoria play into this? Does she work to foster cooperation between Orlais and Ferelden? Does she take the chaos as a chance to increase the chantry's control? How do their methods differ? Does Leliana fall back on poisons and blackmail? How does Vivienne's knowledge of the game help her pull in some of the nobles sympathetic to the Venatori? Has Cassandra increased the strength of the templars in the past tenish years?

How does Redcliffe fall and the remaining forces end up in Skyhold? Skyhold, sure is a big fortress, but to house all of the remainder of Ferelden? No, there's no way. Are there tent cities along the pass on the way to skyhold? Is there chaos trying to push the refugees back when skyhold is at peak capacity? How does the inquisitor defend their supply lines? How will they defend those desperate outside their gate? Does disbanding the inquisition mean the inquisitor had a harder time protecting all these people?

What the hell is happening with red lyrium Meredith in kirkwall? Did we just forget that she's back? Is she a main reason the city falls? Not to mention, how do Hawke's companions play into this except for Sebastian and Aveline (as we've already heard about them)?

One that's been driving me crazy: WHO IS IN SKYHOLD? Who from the inquisitor's inner circle comes back? Who doesn't? If they don't come back, why?

Where is the south's last stand? You've been building up all this narrative tension of the forces of Orlais, Ferelden, and Orzammar being beat to shit and fragmented. Do they all realize that they need to come together at the last minute or do they remain fragmented to the end?

Honestly, this is just the tip of the iceberg of my questions. I haven't read all the codex (because tbh I just got so detached from the game's superficial lore) so maybe some of these get answered. I get that there would be a lot of moving parts to including this in gameplay, but codex entries? Really? I'm just writing vignettes of these small moments in the south. It's been a lot of fun tbh going through world of thedas books for information that I can pull from. If I can do it, why can't a triple A developer with a massive budget? I get it, EA is a bastard, but come on guys. I shouldn't have to do all the work myself because at that point what's the point of Bioware owning the IP. Why am I buying their product as a consumer? My imagination is free.

I'm not saying I hate this game, because honestly I don't. It does have redeeming qualities. Is it literally just the Antivan crow NPCs (when I ignore the sanitization of the organization), the companions, and the final battle in Minrathous? Yeah, but its enough for me to at least like some of this game. But its not dragon age to me. Its a fantasy rpg cosplaying as a dragon age game. Ngl I've read fanfiction that has deeper lore and a better understanding of the universe of Thedas then this game does.

Idk I just had to scream this into the universe.

[loquaciousquark]

[Fic] Lavellan, A., Pavus, D. [1/1]

Rating: G Characters/Pairings: Solas/Lavellan, minor Dorian/Bull Fandom: Dragon Age Word Count: 6.2k Summary: Dorian and Adahla exchange letters and write an academic paper. Set post-game, pre-Trespasser.

—

Dear Dorian,

I’m glad to hear you’ve arrived safely in Minrathous. Leliana’s scouts informed us some of the caravans north had been waylaid by bandits, but I should have known with Bull and the Chargers along, nothing could delay you. Everyone sends their love except Sera, who’s instead defaced every page in this sheaf and then run laughing up to the roof. The rude gesture in the corner is from her.

Varric has asked twice now in his offhanded way if the Inquisition might be traveling along the Imperial Highway in the next few weeks. He’s eager to return to Kirkwall, even if he’s allergic to saying it straight out, and Vivienne has wished to speak with a band of Aequitarian mages in Val Royeaux for some time, so I expect we’ll bivouac our own way north shortly. Please post your next reply to Halamshiral and we’ll pick it up on the way.

As regards your last letter: I appreciate your concern, but I’m quite all right. I know I was unlike myself on our recent adventure into the Deep Roads, but your forbearance with me (and my uncharacteristic impetuousness) was very generous. I’m fully recovered now, I assure you, and have put all distractions behind me. My solemn oath to stop jumping off ledges without looking is inscribed here for your approval.

Speaking of approval, please look over the changes I’ve made to the Ameridan paper (enclosed). The green ink is addition, the red revision, and the blue strikethroughs have been cut. In particular, please review the section on Ameridan’s known—and most incontrovertible—history, especially the citations from Renaures and Bescond. There’s a Genitivi monograph I’m trying to track down which would do a great deal to preempt Chantry objections, but I’m having difficulty laying hands on an unaltered original. I have high hopes one might be hiding in a University of Orlais library, but until I can coax the librarian to pack it in goosedown and ship it east, Renaures is our strongest advocate.

—

Links: FF.net, AO3