#Trespasser mosaics

[vabonesyart]

Guess

What's

Finished!!!!

I'm so happy. It was a labor of hatred and love and I discovered many things and I have *so many* tiny paper mosaic tiles left over oh god. Lmao

And LOOK WHERE THEY SIT IN MY HALLWAYYYYY

[lairofdragonagelore]

The Crossroads [DLC Trespasser]:  Shattered Library; Inverted Ward

The Shattered Library, or Vir Dirthara, are ruins of an ancient elvhen library, suspended between the Waking World and the Fade. It was the living knowledge of the elvhen empire that comprised libraries of every city and wisdom of every court. When Fen'Harel created the Veil, it weakened magic, making elvhen cities and structures crumbled. Vir Dirthara was one of the countless elvhen marvels that were intrinsically tied to the Fade and dependent on its presence that the Veil fractured. Now it is a series of floating isles that barely have any connection one another.

This place is divided into different sections:  

Entrance

Courtyard

Broken Tower

Scholar's Retreat

Sundered Hall

Lower Archives

Inverted Ward

The first curious thing we see is that the floating isle of the Inverted Ward has two columns decorated with Female Kossith/ Desire demon /Tevinter Warrior: the same statues that decorate the Imperial Highway in the Waking World. Why something Tevinter would appear here? Unless this is something Elvhen co-opted by the Tevinter, but the fact that the warrior is undeniably a Tevinter fighter, I do not contemplate this option of the co-option here. The only thing I find, lore-wise, to explain this, is what Solas told us at the end of Tresspasser: the Shattered Library was connected to the Fade, so maybe it reflected some bits of the Waking World onto the library. We know the Imperial Highway has been developed for decades before the events of the Magister Sidereal. It was, in a sense, a connection between cities of the Waking World. If we remember the codex The Laws of Nature in the Fade, we can understands that the objects with the purpose of connection will appear in the Fade reinforcing its purpose. If the Imperial Highway helped to connect cities, it seems natural to have a reflection of it in this Shattered Library which connected, according The Archivist’s words, cities through records and elvhen through shared memories.

The benefit of seeing them here is that we have a more detailed access to the bottom of these statues that I didn’t have in “Hissing Wastes: Venatori main camp”. We can see the female demon/kossith is standing on a spiralled arrange of skulls and bones. Similar to the warrior.

Once we visited all the small isles around and activated the red eggs that allow the reconstruction of the main bridge, we have access to this golden hand which holds a nicely decorated eluvian. This one will send us to the Inverted Ward, the massive chamber we see in front of it, upside-down.

We are welcomed by the Viddasala. There is no much important information going on here. The Qunari think that the Inquisition works for agents of Fen’Harel.

The central part of this chamber is decorated with two paths of yellow mosaics with the symbol of the asterisk. From the statue of Humanoid Mythal  flows water and fills a rectangular pool in the middle.  

There are Howling Fen'Harel statues in a protecting position, slightly below Mythal statue.

The configuration, so symmetrical [taking into consideration that some of the statues may have fallen due to the events that happened in this place] seems to suggest that Mythal was honoured in the centre, and had protection from Fen’Harel in three different levels [low front, by her sides, and above her]. The owl also seemed to offer some protection from a bigger distance [if we assume there was another one in the other side to keep it symmetrical], as well as the Eagles [which to me seems such an odd sight in elvhen ruins. Maybe it’s simply a reflection of the Waking World filling the space that the owl should cover? I don’t know]. 

And from above and behind Mythal, the most curious detail of all this configuration: Andruil.

At the sides of this place we see small platforms that have access to other eluvians. They are decorated with Dragon Mythal statue.

There are small rooms beside the central chamber that contained more books and tables, maybe to have local dissertations and private reading. The upper part of these rooms have particular arcs that we saw on the roof of the Forgotten Sanctuary.

When we explore these side-rooms where the Qunari have been sleeping, we trigger some codices like The Risk of Saarebas. It explains two details:

It justifies why the Qunari are here: they have been studying the creation of the Veil. They think it was done by stripping power from the evanuris. They want to repeat the process to strengthen the Veil.

In order to do so, they are using their own saarebas, “immersing them in a sea of magic until it seems impossible for them to do anything but drown”. This may explain why we have been reading and seeing Saarebas overdosed with Lyrium and why the need of mining so much lyrium in the Deep Roads.

In this room we find an owl statue that we had seen in some Andrastian places like Therinfal Redoubt and in Skyhold, in the war table room as well as the Inquisitior’s personal library.

These places are decorated with a rug I can’t identify.

As I said before, the configuration of the Inverted Ward places Mythal in a central, honoured spot.

Behind her, there is a small corridor with an eluvian that heads to the Courtyard.  

On top of this corridor’s eluvian, we see once more this peculiar symbol: two Golden Rings, one inside the other, and an elven orb in the middle.

Behind the Elven Owl statues we find two mosaics of Fen’Harel.

At the left corner, there is a broken eluvian blocked with purple fire. Solas must have destroyed this access. The interesting detail is that inside the chest we find here, we find the schematics of Elgar’nan Enaste [Bless or favour of Elgar’nan], a powerful bow.

At the right side, we see another broken eluvian

Behind Mythal’s statue, we find the last piece of The Archivist.

There is something interesting how you see Mythal’s statue when you are coming out from the central eluvian:  The light scatters around her giving a feeling of powerful and angelic and divine.

[felassan]

In a recent email from Spacelab, there is some new info on Dragon Age/potentially on DA:D, and on the DA vinyl.

first of all, a simple thing - as part of the pre-sale, there will be additional merch available, including a t-shirt and art print, of the beautiful vinyl cover art piece:

secondly, the official names of these two vinyl color variants/patterns have been given. the turquoise and gold one is named "Golden City" Merge, and the golden one with black 'explosion'-style lines is named "Black City" Splatter - artfully bookending/contrasting Thedas' past and the present, the Golden City and the Black City, the pre-Veil world with the world post-Veil:

in a previous post I mentioned that the first one reminds me of an eclipse, and the second one reminds me of an explosion. with the reveal of the naming of these two color variants, I've finally realized what both 'color swatches' remind me of, and it's Trespasser, or rather the key art for Trespasser.

you could easily imagine the palettes for both color variants being sampled from or inspired by this image or ones/DA settings like it, right? the Trespasser key art also includes element of both patterns - the sunbeams emanating as the dragon's 'wings' remind me of the 'exploding' lines in "Black City" Splatter, and the light/dark color contrast, bright light and splotchy patterns of the clouds along the top of the dragon's 'wings' remind me of the design of "Golden City" Merge. for me I found being reminded of the Trespasser key art interesting, as in it the eluvians are teal/turquoise, like the color in "Golden City" Merge - whereas eluvians are sometimes (not always) colored purple or shown with a purpley 'tone' in the setting. idk, I just found that interesting :) other feelings that I had from these were 1) that in "Black City" Splatter, the black (Blight, corruption, Taint) lines extending outwards made me think of the Taint entering the world and corruption spreading after the City was blackened and corrupted. and 2) that in the "Golden City" color variant, the two colors are turquoise/teal and gold. to "merge" implies mixing something together to create something new. in the setting, green is a color often associated with or used to represent the Fade - there's the Anchor, the "emerald waters", the green glow of Veilfire, the general green tinge often present in depictions of the Fade, etc. and if you merge or mix turquoise and yellow, you get green. hh, its probably overthinking, but I just thought it was fun/neat the different thoughts and feelings the images/art & their names bring to mind. :)

oke so, as a reminder, we had also previously seen official flavor text for the cover art, describing it thus: "The beautifully detailed artwork presents a pictorial timeline following the lore of the Dragon Age series, beginning at the dawn of the Golden City, throughout the City’s Fall and culminating in its re-emergence as the Black City, seat of the Old Gods" and "From the land of Thedas, at the dawn of the Golden City". in the email, there is also an image containing two all-new art pieces:

on the left, in the black and gold color themeing that we've now become so familiar with (one, two, three) is a picture of a shattering eluvian. the eluvian sits on a Fadey-style floating rock piece. it's the 'tri'-style of eluvian (highlighted in purple below), rather than one of the simpler single archway-style eluvians. this is the style of eluvian that Solas meets Flemeth in front of in the post-Trespasser scene. it's always been an interesting eluvian shape - like the shape you'd get if a 'simple' arch eluvian was flanked on either side by beasts (wolves, dragons, or one of each), or the shape a stylized dragon could make if looked at front-on with its wings folded, like in this dragon Mythal mosaic or this Mythal dragon statue. it also resembles the shape of the shrine to Fen'Harel in the Crow Plains. the shattering is also interesting - shards of glass fly outwards from the center, thereby resembling "Black City" Splatter. shatter, splatter, "and I looked up and saw the seven gates of the Black City shatter, and darkness cloaked both realms"... are those clouds of smoke in the background? what's caused the mirror to shatter - an explosion? just what is this scene depicting or representing? lastly, the shattering eluvian is flanked by two of those familiar ancient elven 'tree' sculptures (highlighted in yellow below). this is a familiar scene, no? there have been various theories/speculations over time about these DA:I 'trees', what their purpose was/is, what they are/what they represent. for example, Mythal vallaslin resembles branches without leaves, and on the front of Flemeth's grimoire is intricate stitching in the pattern of a leafless tree.

the second new art piece, on the right, is a variation of/accompanying piece to the cover art. they should be compared side by side. Twitter user Hrungr was able to manipulate the image of the second new art piece to be front-on, and here it is on the right compared to the 'original' [image source]:

suddenly, the pre-existing artwork blurb and the color variant naming choices make sense. :) on the left is the Golden City, as it was. pure and uncorrupted. sculpted and shining, splendid and supporting growth/life. on the right, the Black City, having been blackened and corrupted. Blighted, blackened, dying, crumbling. gnarled and withered (...leafless...?), dark and sinister. "a pictorial timeline" of Gold->Black City indeed. we've seen this motif play out many times now, from the DA:O opening cinematic voiced by Duncan right through until the in-game Dragon Age: Dreadwolf cinematic that came out a few months ago.

these two versions of the City echo the color variants & patterns. :) in one, the Golden City with a cloud-like pattern in a teal/turquoise sky, and in the other, a golden setting ruined by blackness and 'faultlines', emanating out from the center.

apart from the obvious Gold to Black change, there are some other differences between these two pieces to unpack. on the left is a hooded figure on rock promontory, holding a horned or moon-like staff while looking at the dragon. this figure is absent after the City's blackening. on the right, that rock promontory and the other floating rocks are absent, presumably having fallen or crumbled away after the 'ruining'. on the left, in the center behind the dragon is a half moon-like shape. on the right, this changes to a sun-like golden disc complete with sunbeam-like 'rayed lines' emanating from it. the eclipse-like imagery of these is obvious, and the disc with rayed lines is an element we have seen before in the updated DA logo.

here it would be silly not to revisit previous related references and imagery such as:

two shadowed spheres among stars / an eclipse as Fen'Harel stirred [the Emergent Compendium]

and

and I looked up and saw the seven gates of the Black City shatter, and darkness cloaked both realms.

there is also the eclipse-style imagery in the in-game Dragon Age: Dreadwolf cinematic and a bunch of previous sun/moon motifs/references floating around e.g. Dalish lore holds Mythal created the moon and was born of the sea (so a moon connection there via the tides), and that Elgar'nan opposite her is the Eldest of the Sun, the guy who buried the Sun, the Pools of the Sun etc. also those art assets of overlapping spheres, repeating/concentric circles etc.

I also would like to highlight that it's either two different dragons we're seeing, or that the dragon changes at the corruption of the Black City. is the dragon on the right a depiction of inworld lore of an Old God becoming corrupted? or is something Evanuris-y afoot? (dragons, a shape "reserved for the divine" etc). who do/does the dragons represent? who is the figure with the staff?

additionally, the horns and general structure of the dragon is totally different on the right than it is on the left. the first thing this reminded me of was the "Double Blight???" DA:D concept art piece 👁️ -

the differences in the horns also reminded me of this stuff:

I'm not saying both dragons' horn shape match these, just that one seems to and that there's something going on here with all this anyways. there are of course other symbols around the outside of that ring beside just these two, and other types of dragon, including the style/type of dragon associated with Mythal.

the shape of the figure's staff is also curious, given all this.

left, silvery dragon - Mythal? right dragon (which is gold-toned despite the blackening) - Elgar'nan, after he's approached her [maybe as the figure on the rock promontory] and then murdered her and taken her place as the god, ruler, dragon who presides over all? moon and sun, moon dragon and sun dragon, beauty and destruction.. the shape of the 'right-hand' dragon's horns match the evanuris headpiece on the ring which is in the biggest hemisphere, and of the 7 gods those headpieces apply to (9 Evanuris, minus Mythal and Fen'Harel), the 'biggest' naturally is the patriarch leader opposite Mythal, Elgar'nan.

And so is the Golden City blackened With each step you take in my Hall. Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting. You have brought Sin to Heaven And doom upon all the world. --Threnodies 8:13

🌙 ◕‿◕ ☀️

[mogwaei]

[Dragon Age: Ouroboros Codex - Precipice]

~

[Fen’Harel ⚔ Ouroboros]

The bad ending.

(codex text below cut)

“You are my dream. When you think yourself a nightmare, becoming or living one…remember that.”

He gripped her hand, heart lurching, “How would you stop it? If it exists within me?”

Her mouth twitched, briefly in to something forlorn, “Let our fortress protect you from it. You say I am a knight? Then you will have my sword and shield. Slip through the secret door and be free. I will follow, when I can.”    

The simplicity of her answer stunned him into a silence of deep contemplation and he could only watch her walk away, returning to the camp alone. ‘A fortress to protect us from ourselves. Swords to cleave through the darkness. A secret door for the two of us.’

That night when he lay alone on his bedroll, Fen’Harel dreamed of a knight in the Fade that shattered a crumbling pillar holding the sky apart from the earth. As the heavens crashed into the land, through the chaos he witnessed the knight gather the pieces of the pillar heedless of the danger around them. Then, without looking back they secreted it away to a fortress built in a remote reach of the world. Far though the knight ran, they were pursued, for the pieces once holding apart the domains were highly sought after. He could not discern their hunters, whether they were armies mortal or mindless darkness, he knew only that they were intent on destroying their quarry in totality and finality.

Within the walls, the Knight prepared, shutting and barring all the doors and drawing up the bridges. Ghostly sentinels patrolled the battlements and he overheard talk of setting wicked traps and calling forth beasts from the Fade to guard the inside.

He felt a wrenching sorrow when at last the enemy arrived at their threshold and beat upon the walls with steel and magic. He did not know why, for any of it.

He found himself gripped by the dream as he watched the walls finally give way and the invaders flooded inside. He followed behind, through the ruined portcullis and into a wide courtyard, only to find that the shadowy invaders had come to a stop, emanating a perplexed air. He saw why.

There were no traps nor grotesque guardians. Of the sentinels there was no trace—perhaps an illusion all along.

Instead, they were greeted by frescoes adorning every surface, painted with pigments no mortal in present could possibly imagine. A thousand beautiful scenes that shifted and changed before his very eyes—mosaics made of gems and glass and stone glinting as though each piece contained its own soul. Gardens flourished all around that could only have been grown from dreams themselves.

The ache sank ever deeper, where no sword could reach as he watched the army disperse in search of the Knight and the Pillar. He seethed with anger, as they tore apart the sanctuary they had made. But he was powerless to stop them and he was filled with hate as desolation replaced beauty. Though he did not understand why they sought to capture the two, nor the enmity between the sides, he hoped the Knight and the Pillar would not be found.

After following what appeared to be the leader of the force, it seemed his hopes weren’t for naught.

They encountered a hidden door, overgrown by syl’sils. His throat constricted as the rare and fragile blooms were crushed and torn by hacking sword and clawing gauntlet.

When the door was finally revealed, only then did the hateful trespassers cease their assault.    

For the secret door was already cracked open. They had escaped after all.

He treaded forward, not quite believing what he was seeing propped up against the wall, just to the side of the portal.

But before he could get a closer look, the cobblestones dropped under his next step and the dream collapsed around him.    

When he woke, his cheeks were wet and he had no explanation why.    

[ammoniteflesh]

finally coming back to Trespasser with Maryam

...and like. I am sceptical that this is how the devs are intending it but HOLY SHIT. the mosaics about Fen'Harel are the most sinister shit I have ever seen.

[cityandking]

2, 10, 15, 25, 33, 40 for both your girlies 🥰🥰

tyyyyyy // questions for your inquisitor

2: On which path did your Inquisitor choose to lead the Inquisition?

VESPER — I truly cannot remember. I think she either declared the inquisition as a mage or to to stop corypheus, something bound up in duty and standing for others NARAYANI — declared the Inquisition to do what was right. the funny thing is, no one ever stopped to ask what right meant until it was much too late.

10: Are there further beliefs/religious perspectives your Inquisitor is interested in or perhaps despises?

VESPER — vesp is andrastian in her own way, but she's at best skeptical of the chantry—the whole institution is a mess of bad dogma and worse practice. she's interested in the old gods and the old elven beliefs in an academic way mostly, and then in a very much practical way after trespasser. but she's not particularly faithful in any direction NARAYANI — despises the chantry and its teachings, and she keeps the old elven faith. even before meeting solas she understood the fragility of those traditions and how far they (may have) strayed from their original shape, but if anything solas' disapproval of dalish faith only brings her closer to it. they talk sometimes about the merit of creating something meaningful and symbolic out of the scattered dregs of the past, about what it means to take those embers and fan a new flame. it haunts them both, afterwards, for different reasons.

15: What does your Inquisitor think about the Grey Wardens? Did they choose to banish the order?

VESPER — vesp grew up hearing stories of the heroism of the wardens. her mom was a big fan, so they were always these larger-than-life hero on the rare occassion that her mother would tell a tale to the trevelyan children. the reality at adamant was a disappointment, and worse a danger. she sent them back to weisshaupt—not forever, just until they had their own house in order. she regrets the hastiness of the choice NARAYANI — she'd heard a tale or two about the wardens but she never really knew one until blackwall which... yeah. she doesn't have much opinion about the order one way or another, but they're useful, and the inquisition needs useful things. she conscripted them.

25: Name a person they respect.

VESPER — josephine. maker above but vesper has no idea how anyone can do josephine's job. vesper has an immense respect for (and slight fear of) her. NARAYANI — bull. she respects him as a spy first, and then as an ally, and then as a friend. she finds his loyalty admirable.

33: Which place at Skyhold does your Inquisitor spend the most time at?

VESPER — high up on the ramparts, in the war room (or her advisor's offices), or in a small workshop she keeps off the gardens. she generally tries to avoid any particularly public-facing spots, if only to avoid being ambushed by someone who wants something from her (unless she's at the tavern late, drinking privately). josephine is somehow always able to find her, no matter where she holes up. NARAYANI — she spends a fair bit of time in the library (solas, dorian and leliana are some of the people she likes best), but mostly she's wherever people aren't. she just wants everyone to leave her alone. she's definitely got a bit of a bolt-hole in one of the abandoned towers; josephine kindly pretends not to know about it except in emergencies.

40: Mosaic or Fresco? Is there a painting, that impressed your Inquisitor the most?

VESPER — fresco. she's done a teensy bit of studying of some old ruins and she finds them simply incredible. the fact that solas paints them in skyhold, reproducing an ancient technique, is simply marvelous (it's much more bittersweet after she finds out the truth) NARAYANI — fresco. she likes solas' the most, because they're his

[eruscreaminginthedistance]

Ever wondered how long it takes to get through all of the content in Dragon Age: Inquisition, get all the shards, astrariums, mosaics, all the side quests, the rifts, the DLCs, all the way through to the end of Trespasser?

I know now. I know...

[grandpasauce]

@arlathvhenan tagged me for some WIP goodness so here, have this unfinished WIP that’s been sitting in my notes app for an undetermined amount of time.

This is set a few years after Trespasser.

Solas/f!Lavellan obvs

-

This is something that dawns on her one grueling evening, when the hairs on her neck stand on-end. She’s in an abandoned temple—ancient and degraded enough to be mistaken for any of the Evanuris’—where vines entrench the crippled mosaics, uproot long-standing pillars and make home between the rubble. And that’s all it really is: Rubble. That Solas values it more than the lives of every living creature doesn’t make it anything more.

The thought lurches her stomach, perseveres despite the dread that braces her body the moment she senses someone nearby. Venatori, most likely. She’s barely evaded them three days now. Comparable to ants, typically, but three days of brisk and sleepless travel make even her muscles weary. Not only that—her mana is nearly sapped. And she’s never been one for hand to hand combat, lyrium-laden prosthetic aside.

“You must leave.”

That’s when she realizes it’s probably not Venatori. Turns out, she would have preferred Venatori.

He’s indistinct—shaded by the backdrop of that blasted, blistering northern sun—but his voice is unmistakeable. Solas stands under the archway of a glimmering ruin, obstructing her only exit from the shrine. Figures she would have sought refuge in the one fully enclosed space this wreckage offered.

“The Venatori make to surround you.” Solas continues, evenly. Sunlight glares off the point of his golden shoulder plate. “They will not wait much longer.”

She scoffs, “You don’t say.”

“I will not ask why you were out here alone.”

“Alright.”

“Nevertheless, you must leave. There is nothing for you—“

“—what are you doing here?” She cocks her head, “How did you find me?”

He’s quiet then, moves out of the walkway until she’s able to make out his features entirely. There’s a heaviness under his eyes, something hard in the crease of his brow she’s not comfortable seeing. The air fluxes, pressing against her—a split moment of contortion as though reality were flickering around him. And yet, it is all so familiar to her. The makings of him are seared into her memory even still, like his face were as commonplace as the back of her hand. She hasn’t seen it in years. She sometimes wonders if she’d even recognize her own hand, were it to reappear by some miracle. Now she knows. She would.

She would.

“They are my doing.” Solas says evenly. “And, as such, I will deal with them. I’d prefer it were you gone before that happens.”

Danyla nods, thoughtfully.

When she doesn’t move, Solas inclines his head ever so. “You will leave, then?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Where do you suggest I go, Solas?” She shrugs, “You’ve said as much—they’ve surrounded me.”

“If you make haste, you may—“

“—and why would I do that?” Danyla snaps. “I’ve been running for days. I’m exhausted. If you’re going to kill them anyways, I’ll just wait until then.”

Solas’ jaw flexes, gaze hovering over her shoulder while he deliberates. Or fumes. It’s reasonable to assume there’s a factor beyond Danyla’s Safety that begs her absence. She can’t begin to theorize what, but it’s causing him enough strife to make her curious.

Solas nods after a few moments. “I may have a solution.”

There is an eluvian nearby, apparently. Solas shows her to it, only a few minutes walk from the ruined temple, through an illusory tangle of verdant shrubbery. His steps fall uncannily silent as they walk. She follows in his shadow, paying close mind to keep him decidedly ahead of her.

Once they arrive, his eyes flash—the mirage dispelled—and he motions for her to enter the unveiled eluvian.

“You first,” She insists.

They emerge somewhere in the crossroads—at least, that is what she deduces. The room is dilapidated, stone ceiling crumbling into a crude skylight, and the kaleidoscope of colors that filters in is recognizable—in an unnerving and otherworldly sort of way. Otherwise, she might have mistaken their surroundings for an old, elvhen room somewhere in Thedas. There’s no windows, just stone walls smothered with tattered bookcases and veilfire sconces. If not for the four poster bed in the center, she’d equate the space to the Vir Dirthara.

It’s certainly derelict enough to compare. She nearly falls flat over something the moment she walks forward.

“What is this place?” Danyla asks, squinting into the darkness—the aperture in the ceiling only lending so much aid. “It’s a mess.”

“I have not used this refuge for some time,” Solas stands beside her, hands clasped behind his back. “You will not remain here long, I assure you—and we have limited options, as you seem fit to remind me.”

“Oh—it’s ‘we’ now, is it?” Danyla bites back, if a little lackluster considering her preoccupation with the skylight. Or rather, the writing desk hovering precariously over the skylight. At first, she thinks it merely crossroad debris—but it fails to drift along with the rest after a time.

Solas sighs, a sound both exasperated and resigning. Her chest aches.

She looks at him, the corner of her mouth twitching at the unimpressed quirk of his brow.

“Well, go on.” She waves him off. He blinks, igniting the room’s veilfire. It washes the bookshelves blue and flutters across Solas’ pensive demeanor. He leaves her, then, with the halfhearted request to not touch anything, though he doubtlessly knows she will.

She is tired, though, and figures if there were anything damning to be found, Solas wouldn’t have left her here to begin with. So her snooping is more cursory than inquisitive, picking at the plethora of books that have managed surprisingly well through the ages. Most of them are not new to her, recommended once upon a time by Solas himself. He apparently has favorites.

When her reading grows stale, she checks on the writing desk from before, finding it tempting only for the fact that it eludes her. The eluvian’s reflection allows her to cantrip the muck of the past three days from her gear, her face, and her gnarled knot-of-a-braid.

Then, she sleeps—too exhausted to bother with sitting up worried for the safety of a figure from legend. If there is mercy to be spared, let it be granted to the Venatori. Solas had a way of terrorizing even hardened Ben-Hassrath before their deaths. Maybe wariness would be the wiser reaction under the care of such a man—if she could even call him one anymore. But she’s also wise enough to understand if Solas wanted her dead, she would be. That he even cared to warn her of the Venatori shows he is not entirely lost. Not yet.

She will be gone from him soon, regardless.

She wakes to a shift in light. It flits against her eyelids, lulling her from slumber until she notices him. His feet settle near the foot of the bed, like he were touching ground from the air. And then she realizes, perhaps that is exactly what he was doing. The implications of flight magic are too exhaustive for her to ponder so soon after waking up, though, so she files the thought away for another time.

His back is to her, but he knows she’s awake. The shadowy drape of his robe drifts to a stillness against his knees, and she considers how she misses his old attire. Homely as it might have been to some, at least it would be familiar.

“How long have I been asleep?” She utters, rolling her neck in a stretch. The bed is massive. The ancient elves were not gargantuan in stature, but the furniture certainly gave that impression.

“Not long. You are free to go.” Solas says, still turned from her. He strides to the eluvian, activating it wordlessly before finally regaling her with, at least, the side of his face. He’s expectant, and strangely eager to be rid of her.

She decides not to comment that only prisoners go free.

-

Thanks for tagging me!!!!

[boo-moved]

The Trespasser DLC hits so fucking hard when you are looking through Fen'Harel's temple and seeing all the mosaics, the sheer emotion brought on by that is astounding and an amazing job was done with that

[mantleoflight]

Trespassing || Open Starter

Arc energy hummed as the Eliksni energy shields barred the tunnel at both ends, the white-cloaked kell glaring at the guardian caught between them. These barriers had been effective at keeping guardians at bay in certain locations, but you never knew with light bearers.

Yyventriz paced along the perimeter of the shield, her armor displaying her house's colors of white and red - the angled mosaic on her cape displaying the emblem of House Shard.

"Do your kind not honor their word?" She growled, her voice rumbling behind her mask. "We agreed not to impede the rising of you 'new lights', yet still you scrabble into our home like rats. What do you want, Light bearer? Why do you intrude here?"

[dreadfutures]

For Dorian & Ixchel (and Solas can be there too if you like) on this spooky dadwc friday night!

The despot of our days and lord of dust Needs but, scarce heeding, wait to drop Grim casual comment on rebellion's end; "Yes, yes . . Wilful and petulant but now As dead and quiet as the others are." And this each body and ghost of you hath heard That in your graves do therefore lie so still.

To The Dead in the Graveyard Underneath My Window, Adelaide Crapsey

I love getting your poetry prompts for @dadrunkwriting!! I look up new poets and sit and chew on the verses for so long...and then lose track of things and they spiral into what I hope is good but I DONT KNOW MAN.

Have Dorian, Ixchel, and Felassan ruminating on hope and mortality.

Words: 1571

Rating: G

Pairing: Dorian, Ixchel, Felassan

-:-:-

Wherever the refuge lay, it was summer, too. The dusty ruin baked all day in the unrelenting sun, surrounded all around by the blue of the lake and the blue of the sky. Halla still roamed the grassy island upon which the ruin had been built, though Ixchel wondered how they found enough sustenance in the now-gold grass. She vaguely remembered that there had been flowers here during the Exalted Council, but it seemed they had all been swallowed up by the dry, dead foliage.

Dorian's coat rasped across the hot stone as he stepped off the bridge and tilted his head back to take in the cathedral. She had seen Minrathous, and she knew how much of its architecture had been lifted—perhaps literally, in some cases—from that of Elvhenan, and she wondered if Dorian saw that truth now, too.

She did not ask, however; her memory was already echoing with the conversations they had had, in another life, as they traversed the Temple of Mythal. She knew of his conviction to redeem the morally bankrupt foundation of his homeland, knew how it had been both disturbing and comforting to learn that the grandeur of Elvhenan had not been wiped out solely at the hands of his people. He had learned some of that history already, though he had not seen the Temple of Mythal in this life, nor seen evidence of ancient elven survivors.

Yet.

Ixchel did not ask Dorian his thoughts, because her voice had gotten stuck somewhere in her ribs as she watched him drink in the faded banners of the rebellion that swayed almost imperceptibly around them. He remained in that spot for a while, twisting his head to take in all the details, all without speaking.

Dorian's cane clacking on the stone as he set off again at last broke Ixchel from her own reverie, and she followed him into the cathedral, and her new shadow followed a few feet behind her. She was careful not to look back at him for the moment. Instead she focused on Dorian's heavy steps and how the sun beat down on her own dark hair, and she tried not to think of how this place somehow still summoned the smell of gaatlok and charred Qunari flesh to the back of her throat.

The cathedral interior was just as she remembered, yet she was still surprised by the chill as she passed into its shadows. Greens and golds shimmered in the gloom above them; the sun never seemed to trespass inside here, as though even the memory of those rebels who slept in the rows of bunks and prayed in the seats and bled across the tiled floors was condemned to fade away in the cold. Dorian wandered among them, never drawing close enough to disturb the dust on the sheets and careful not to step too heavily on the loose shards of mosaics that had fallen from the roof.

He paused again to drink in the mosaics of the Evanuris stained black with mold and seemingly selectively exposed to the elements compared to the rest of this place. And then—then he reached the painted vestibule.

He chuckled and shook his head. Then, Dorian looked back at Ixchel as he pointed his cane at the iconography of the orb, with its fingerprint-like whorls, painted plainly on either side of the door ahead. "Now where have I seen that before?" he asked, one fine eyebrow quirked at her. "Alright, mula. What do you know, and how long have you known it?"

-:-:-

The sun had set by the time Ixchel finished answering all of Dorian's questions. They had taken seats out on the little balcony behind the statue of the wolf, watching while they spoke the sun set over the mountains in the distance.

Ixchel had hardly dared to look away, afraid of what she might find on Dorian's face despite his patient and mostly curious tone as she lay the truth at his feet. But now, as silence stretched between them, she dared a glance in his direction.

He was watching the sky too, as the bloody reds of the sunset faded once more into the deep indigo blues of night. His eyes reflected the scene, though they shivered with tears like stars.

"Dor?" she asked softly, reaching for his hand. "Are you alright?"

"I already know what you'll say," he sighed. He took her hand and passed it around his shoulders, then wrapped one arm around her waist and hauled her even closer.

She appreciated his warmth against her side, but she sensed something in him that felt heavy and cold. She squeezed him as tight as she could in return, and he sighed again. She snorted quietly and closed her eyes, ready to wait patiently for him to continue—though she knew he was waiting for her to ask.

At last, he broke. "Fine, fine," he said with an assumed dourness that made her snicker. "Save the copper for my thoughts—I'll offer them, free of charge."

"What a deal," she muttered, and he dug his fingers into the soft part of her waist where he knew he could make her shriek with tickled laughter.

But then he abruptly stopped, and tilted his head back to look up at the roof above them. "Inventions and accomplishments the Imperium can hardly dream of, let alone emulate…" He sighed. "And yet the ancient elves were plagued by the same bloody corruption, and greed, that I sadly must admit is nearly synonymous with 'Tevinter' these days. They could shape the world down to its very fabric with a pretty thought, but they couldn't stop that. Fen'Harel and his rebellion could lock away gods, create the Veil, but the cruelty and the cowardice of this world remained." His throat worked painfully around his words as he tried and failed to hide the tremble in them. "No wonder it's futility that haunts you, Ixchel."

She drew a sharp breath at that, but he did not let her pull away.

"Andraste, Fen'Harel—how many over the ages have tried to change the structures that govern this world and failed? And what have I got that a god doesn't?" Dorian asked, disbelievingly.

"Nothing," said a voice behind them.

Ixchel and Dorian turned in each other's arms to look up at Felassan, who had come to lean against the doorway. He, too, did not make eye contact with them. Instead, he looked inside the cathedral at the paintings on the wall, his arms crossed and his expression utterly inscrutable.

"Have you not been listening, Magister?" he scoffed. "That god is not the one who led the rebellion. No god sustained them through the centuries."

"Yes, yes, 'sustained,'" Dorian said with a frown. "And where are they now? Like every other rebellion before and hence, they're all as dead and quiet as the others are, and time and cruelty continued on. Isn't that why Solas wanted to open that cursed orb of his?"

Felassan turned his marked face to them at last, his eyes creasing with humor. "The rebellion lives," he said. "It was not Fen'Harel who sustained them, just as it's not the Maker who fueled Andraste's rebellion or brought Shartan to her side or however you believe the story, and it's not the Brave Guide leading anyone now."

"Hey," Ixchel muttered.

"Be wary, da'len," Felassan teased. "Belief makes you more."

Dorian's eyebrows shot up at that, and he turned more fully to face Felassan. "Is this supposed to be a sermon about how hope and a smile should be enough?" he asked acerbically. "If we're not fighting for a better future, if it is all but certain that the toil will accomplish nothing—"

"Then I invite you to jump from the tip of Andruil's bow," Felassan interrupted, and he flung an arm out in the direction of the monument to the Huntress up in the heights of the mountains above the valley. "But if not you, then who, Dorian Pavus? Or do you want someone to look at you, too, and your abandoned dreams, and see their defeat in your resignation?"

Felassan fixed his violet gaze on Ixchel as the twilight fell across his face. "We did not have a concept of time before the Veil. Many have cursed it for all it stole from us, and the unique suffering it has brought. We look at you shemlen and see the walking dead."

Felassan blinked rapidly, though Ixchel could not see in the gloom if it was tears that plagued him. He pressed on in a steady voice, however: "But I don't. You accomplish more in small lifetimes than we did with eternity. You rise up and make progress and dare to keep dreaming, while these people you call 'great' forgot that they could make dreams reality if they fought hard enough, or they grew weary of fighting. So don't allow yourself to grow weary. Especially not because of failures that were not yours."

With that, Felassan turned and disappeared, swallowed by the darkness that filled the cathedral.

For a few moments, all he left in his wake was a silence like an undisturbed grave.

Dorian swallowed hard beside Ixchel. He had been rubbing her shoulder as Felassan spoke so passionately, and now he gave her as squeeze.

"So…let me guess," he said under his breath. "Solas isn't the only ancient elf in our midst?"

[vabonesyart]

I slept in today so I had less time which means less progress. 😔✌️

[lairofdragonagelore]

The Crossroads [DLC Trespasser]: Elven Mountain Ruins ,  Forgotten Sanctuary; Vallaslin Removal Chamber and Hidden Armoury

In the time of Elvhenan, this valley was a sanctuary created by Fen'Harel to give shelter to elven slaves. He rejected the divine mantle himself and taught the refugees the truth about the Evanuris in the surrounding towers. In the Forgotten Sanctuary, Fen'Harel removed the vallaslin, giving the now free slaves the chance to join his army in order to fight back against the pretender gods.

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

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]

The Vallaslin Removal Chamber

Here, we find one of the murals of DAI [I make a deep analysis of all the murals in “Murals in DAI”]. For now I can say, briefly, that I’m not so sure if this one was made by Solas. 

We know his technique is not unique, it belongs to the ancient elves [proof of this is given by the archivist Banon of Skyhold in The Rotunda and the Fresco]. Technically, any educated elf of the past could have done it. 

We already saw how much of a romantisation of Fen’Harel was done in the mosaics of Fen’Harel’s mountain ruins, so this mural may perfectly be part of them as well. My main argument to put in question this is that we never saw Solas draw himself in the way he is presented here, so I’m a bit sceptical about his authorship.

This mural pictures Fen’Harel as a person wearing a wolf cape and a fine robe. The intricate patterns of the fabric makes him look more important, more “Evanuris”,  when he usually draws himself with the same kind of robes than the slaves are wearing: a black and green simple robe. I think there is an intent of idealisation of Fen’Harel by making his outfit fancy and more elaborated.

The figure is covering his face with a wolf mask [so, technically, anyone can take this role] and removes the vallaslin of the slaves. To me, this figure represents, ironically, a “priest” of Fen’Harel, a representative that embodies Fen’Harel’s (romanticised) ideas and shares and applies the power that Fen’Harel himself gave them [aka, the spell to remove the Vallaslin]. This figure could be a mage that knows the spell and removes the Vallaslin in groups of recently arrived slaves. 

We saw the removal of the Vallaslin in the romance scene of Solas: it’s a mere spell that doesn’t need any great material or fashion to perform, it’s easy and doable if you know the spell. Another extra detail to support this suspicion is the figure’s staff. That’s not Solas’ staff.

We know his staff from his tarot card (number 1), it is a kind of a “halla profile” with a very messy set of horns. In the mural of the red lyrium idol, he painted his staff (number 3) closer to the design of 1 than 2.  Staff 2 seems to be a generic branch made into a staff. 

Continuing with the mural, the elves come from a blue water pool which contains inside the shape of an elven orb.The water is drawn with undulating blue lines that can represent mere water, or lyrium pools [if we want to link this to The Horror of Hormak]. These waters are a product of the Evanuri’s power: from these waters, the elves come out, slaved and branded. Similar undulation can be seen in the vallaslins coming out of their faces, and in the borders of the aravels, giving us some hints to point out to The Horror of Hormak. These undulating lines appear too in the spheres of the Mural of “The Creation of the Veil” that we find in the Shattered Library. The relationship between undulating lines, orbs, and vallaslin seem to be rather consistent, and I trust this interpretation more than others.

Now, something that I will owe, because I have no idea about yet, are those white drawings over the heads of the elves. No clue what those could be.

For some unknown and unsettling reason, this mural has the face of the The Strange Idol repeated four times, with its mouth stained in (dry, I assume) blood. We have seen this exact circle with his face in Emerald Graves: Din'an Hanin and in Emerald Graves: Din'an Hanin, Elandrin’s Tomb. One of these heads holds the brazier from where you can cast Veilfire. 

Does this have any meaning? I’m not sure. We are not sure who this figure represents yet. The furthest we reached was Elgar’nan, thanks to the description in Signs of Victory as I commented in Ancient Elven codices; Vir Dirthara and thanks to the name of the zone [Elgar’nan’s bastion] where we find his statue in the middle of Elandrin’s Tomb. But we don’t know who named this place like that, so we don’t have anything truly reliable to identify this statue. So far, we can only suspect it to represent Elgar’nan, while some Tevinters considered it Dumat. More details about this unsettling figure can be read in The Strange Idol.

The Inquisitor and their companions make remarks about this mural: we are introduced here to the concept that the Vallaslin was a different kind of mark [this knowledge is only truly known by female inquisitors who romanced Solas]. For more details, check the post about “Murals in DAI”.

To activate the statue of Fen'Harel, we have to solve a small simple puzzle.  Curious detail, in front of the Sitting Fen'Harel statue we find a Stone in Razikale-Ceremony-style. This combination of elements will be repeated along the Crossroads and the small pocket worlds we visit: The stone that gives us a clue to solve the puzzle of the Sitting Fen'Harel statue is a Stone in Razikale-Ceremony-style. Mere reuse? I'm a bit lost with this stone since it appeared in the Fairel's burials. More about this stone was discussed in Razikale Ceremony and Dumat’s Warrior tablets.

Once we solve the puzzle, Fen’Harel statue moves, opening the entrance to the basement. We have access to the last mosaic:

It narrates what we saw in the previous mural: the removal of the vallaslin. For more details, read Ancient Elven codices; Fen’Harel’s mountain ruins.

As the mosaic disappears, it gives us access to the Hidden Armoury, where we see the arsenal of weapons that the rebels had to fight against the Evanuris.

In the Armoury, we read a report left by a qunari agent about an elven artefact in the box laying between Fen'Harel's paws. However, if we return to it and inspect it, we realise it is not elven [this shows how little Qunari know about elves and elvhenan craftsmanship]. Here we find Arrowwood which is associated with ... well, many things.

It speaks of a Ciriane tale, an alamarri tribe from which Andraste comes from.

We don't know the race of the main char of the story, we assume is human [but we know that the Alamarri have been mixing with other races without much problem, so they could be a half-dwarf].

He removed his heart to have mastery in the bow. There are two stories related to a creature that removes their heart: Korth, and the story that the elves narrate with the mural of the Titan: “The Death of a Titan”

This char shot the Sun, causing eternal night. This concept links him with Elgar'nan who fought the Sun or pushed it down into the earth depending on which unreliable story you based this on.

The queen of the Ciriane [called gothi] sent a messenger to the Witch of the Wild to stop him.

Depending on the story, the messenger never found the Witch and made a deal with a demon. Or worked for the witch and her daughters for a year. Or found the Lady of the Skies. In all three versions, we can interpret the same: the messenger found Flemeth [since she is an abomination with certain anomalies she qualifies as a demon for many tales. She is a also a witch of the wild, and she has a big potential to be the Lady of The Skies in some shape or form]

In all cases, the messenger received a coil of silk that he used to replace the string of the bow of the Arrowwood.

When Arrowwood tried to use the bow, his heart shattered and he became dust.

The queen took the weapon, encased it in an iron chest, and dropped it in the Nahashin Marshes.

Now, how and why a weapon of Ciriane nature, that has some resemblances with titans, Korth, and Elgar’nan, ended up in an ancient elvhen chest, from a time before the arrival of humans to the world? If it's not an elven weapon, it makes no sense for it to be here. And one can argue that this could be similar to the case of finding the Chapter ??? of Hard in Hightown in the Lower Archives, but I feel that such chapter makes more sense as a way for the devs to tell the players that whoever was left in the Fade, died in peace. It’s closure to a narrative. Now, this doesn’t make sense in that way either. One could assume this is just pure game mechanics and thinking too much about it is wasteful. It’s a good weapon after all.

Hidden Armoury

The first thing we see when walking downstairs is, besides all the weapons, a curious statue of two birds in a strange amalgamation. So far I'm aware, we never saw similar statue anywhere in the game [I tend to overlook Orlesian stuff, but I feel this statue would have got my attention anyway] .

It's two birds [maybe ravens due to their beak?] joined by their backs, and struggling to fly. The first idea that came to me when i saw it for the first time was the two ravens of Dirthamen: Deceit and Fear [if we indulge in the unreliable Dalish tales]. But it makes little sense. It's true that Dirthamen is present in this sanctuary more than we have expected, and he is also present in the first tower where we enter [ the Vine-covered Tower]. But what would be the meaning of placing his ravens, fused, in the armoury? This symbol here escapes me.

This place is filled with elvhenan weapons and armours [similar to the ones we saw Abelas and his elves wear in the Temple of Mythal].  

We find in addition to more Dalish supply boxes, Hallas statues that we know in game have been used by the Valmont family to create a system of locking doors in the Winter Palace, and three different kinds of rugs: 

One red and black, with geometrical patterns and small "fishes" in it. It's a rug we can find in Skyhold under the basic option [meaning, Skyhold may have had a link to the activities done in here]. On its corners we see two small dogs [?] attacking a simple-horned halla/deer.

There are smaller rugs in the rooms, featuring stars of 12 points. These rugs are the same ones we saw in the Temple of Mythal, placed in front of the Mosaics, giving the idea of being used to kneel and pray.  And a last carpet that, in a first impression, seemed to be Chasind, but it is not. It is an old red carpet which has a border pattern that looks like a half-sunburst [similar to the Chantry symbol indeed].

In terms of drapery, we find two main options: the typical Dalish drapery, with the "mask" that in DAO represented Mythal, with a pattern of spherical trees on the background.  And the second drapery that caught my attention was a series of ragged, discoloured flags hanging along the entrances of the armoury. It had a very curious symbol on it that I retraced. I've never seen this design. It looks a bit [with a lot of will] like "tentacles", which is not a big thing in DA series anymore, since in DAO the option of making the Old Gods as strange Eldritch creatures was removed due to the limitations of the engine or to add dragons instead. 

This symbol, however, appears in another place: in Skyhold, when you pick the basic decoration. Once more, it seems that Skyhold and this hidden armoury may have had some link in the past. Who knows if some of the broken eluvians in this place may have been related to Skyhold long ago. We also know that Skyhold was used by elves long time ago, and suffered strange damage, specially in the section of the jail, that the game leaves it free of any explanation [Prison Structural Evaluation]. At the end of Trespasser we know that Skyhold was Solas’ fortress at some point, so the link with this armoury is not that strange anymore. 

The eluvian to gets us out from this Armoury is flanked by two archer.

Extra Details

Along the exploration of these ruins, we find details worth mentioning.

The purple fire

In some parts there is a purple fire that, no matter what you do, it kills you. The only way to cross it is through powers that provide you invulnerability for a while, one of them is the use of discharge of the Anchor. What this means lore-wise?

This fire is visually the same kind of fire that the Archdemon from DAO breathed and it’s now Solas’ current power. I fear so much to connect excessively things that are unrelated, but on the other side, DAI in particular has proven to be such a detailed game, that something of the like, so visual, has a good chance to be intentional. I’m not going to say that Solas is an archdemon, because we still don’t know what truly is an Old God [the non-corrupted version of an archdemon]. We only know that Urthemiel was worthy to be protected according to Mythal’s actions, so the relationship of these powerful elvhen mages with these old dragons is not clear yet but the relationship seems to exist. 

The design in general

I like the design of the Elvhen banner and how it relates to Dalish and Tevinter design. That the Dalish banner is a more elaborated version of the Elvhen banner is not a surprise to anyone. It’s the same object with some extra “orlesian-like” ornamentation that can be justified for the years of coexistence between the Ancient Dalish and the Orlesians in the Dales, before the Exalted March. 

However, I think it’s worth noting how Tevinter design is, yet again, based on Elvhen design, specially the one related to arcane. Tevinter banner has a shape on its top that resembles an oversimplified raising dragon [like the symbol of Emerius, ancient Kirkwall] but it also can be seen as a thicker and compressed version of the top of the Elvhen banner. Both of them inspired, at the same time, by the shape of a dragon or an owl extending its wings. 

This comment is not meant to relate crazy lore stuff, but it is basically to highlight how the design of these objects is also related to the History they represents, and who co-opted what. Dragon Age Inquisition is such a detailed game in terms of design that, for that reason, I’m doing this extensive comparison and studies of the statues and art we see in it. It’s not mere whim, they truly worked a lot on this stuff. The director art and the artists who worked on this game, REALLY thought a lot how real life civilisations base their design, culture, and religion on previous ones, modifying them or mixing them with others, to the point that it’s hard to identify the original inspiration. And I’m truly convinced that DA series is a lot about the exploration of this concept in many levels and cultures. 

[arlathmyheart]

The dalish know little as do teventer

Each elven "god" represents an aspect of their ancient civilization, each story a metaphor for this aspect. June's is least understood. Depictions stretch back to ancient Arlathan, but he appears most seldom of all their deities. Dalish legend says June is a god of crafts and building, but the oldest depictions have none of the tools the Dalish associate with him.

I think the evanuris has history dependant on the dwarves and Kossith races. I would not be surprised if the evanuris were not all elves. Mythal for one now resides in flemeth and the mural shows people with horns.

June for instance in the mosaic had patterns similar to the art deco of dwarves styles and also what appears as an anvil or a font. If it is an anvil that reminds me of cardin’s construction of golems. This may share some similarities to the process of creating lyrium knights such as what happens to Fenris and shirallas.

Falon din and dirthamen (twin souls?) have knowledge and ties to uthenera and the fade. - vain, bloodied in his own temple. (Has Wings of death)

Elgarnan has fire and lightning and wrath. He can bring wings of death (falon din) on his enemies (the dwarves?/ titans?) the pillars of the earth.

Andruil, goddess of sacrifice, made weapons and armour of the void and hunted all the creatures her lover ghillernan made. So stuff to do with blood magic, the blight? And the abyss?

Ghillernan seemed to experiment with races and magic such as the armour found in trespasser. Seems pretty crazy like the changing pools of the horror of hormak.

Sylaise appears to be the creator of foci as she is linked with fire and mentioned in raising the solanium it is described as channeled power from the fade. I think this may be like the foci as these dream vessels would provide power for magic.

[ask-the-anomalous-linguist]

((What's the story behind Ash? Were they Former Foundation now on the run? Or did they join the Serpents Hand or something? I'm a bit new and a bit conrused}}

//OOC: Aisling Gallagher (born in Dublin, Ireland, and moved with their parents to Colorado when they were only a few months old) was contained two years ago under the designation SCP-590-B due to their anomaly being very similar to TJ's. They became friends with their world (the Mosaic Construct)'s Jack Bright through puns (no, I'm not joking; there's a reason Ash likes puns so much), and soon after became friends with TJ as well.

//OOC: They eventually met and adopted themself as Jeremiah Cimmerian's younger sibling and Clef's sibling-in-law (the Clef and Cimm in Ash's world are married for tax benefits). They eventually busted out of containment alongside TJ with Clef and Cimm's help.

//OOC: It eventually came to light that Ash's abusive ex (who is now dead) was the one who reported Ash to the Foundation in the first place to be able to "keep a closer eye on them", as he worked in intel for the Foundation at the time. His blog, which is currently known as @trinity-oakley, is now run by his younger sister, Trinity.

//OOC: Ash eventually got a girlfriend who they are absolutely not deeply in love with (/j /sarc), moved to the Library with their Thousand Mirrors alternates, Trespasser and Dusty, and are currently in hiding from the Foundation. They aren't technically sided with the Serpent's Hand, but they do live in the Wanderers' Library.

//OOC: Some additional information is that they are the grandchild of @the-great-phantom and cousin of @2371secretadmirer (mod is currently on Hiatus)

[wolint]

FRESH MANNA

OFFERING

2 Corinthians 9:7

An offering is that which is presented in divine service as an animal or a portion of bread or corn, or gold and silver, or other valuable articles, presented to God as an atonement for sin, or as a return of thanks for his favours, or for other religious purposes. An offering is presented as an expiation or atonement, a gift, a sacrifice, and an oblation dedicated to God. Various kinds of offerings were specified under the Levitical system, and laws were given as to how the offerings were to be presented.

In the Mosaic economy, there were burnt offerings, sin offerings, peace offerings, trespass offerings, thanks offerings, wave offerings, and wood offerings.

A lot of people assume that offering is only about money, it could be anything brought freely and cheerfully, a voluntary donation to the church or charity that goes beyond money.

An offering can be volunteered time doing God's work to help humanity and not expecting any monetary or material reward.

If we are alive, eating, warm and with roofs over our heads, and if we have a job, then we have been blessed by God. Then a sacrificial offering is to be brought to the Lord always. The Lord says not to come to worship Him empty-handed in Exodus 23:15. We should therefore offer to the Lord as we desire and as laid on our hearts and do it willingly, not under compulsion or persuasion but from conviction of heart and spirit.

We’re far from the days of burnt offerings but there are still ways we can honour the Lord with our offerings, and they must always be sacrificial like David’s in 2 Samuel 24:24, who wouldn’t offer God what didn’t cost him anything, even when it was freely offered to him, he was still willing to pay for it.

Volunteering is an integral part of the social-economic system in the marketplace; that’s giving our time freely to an organization to boost our marketability, but nobody wants to give God anything for free, not their time, talent, skill, or money. We justify why we don’t give at all or why we give so little and still expect God to keep giving us whatever we ask Him. The same measure we use to give the Lord our offering is the same measure we get out declares Luke 6:38.

We must freely give back to God!

I once saw a minister pretend to put an offering in the collection basket, I was shocked, another time, another minister gave a £1 for offering from a wallet full of notes. As a minister, I don’t have a right to ask people to give generously if all I can offer the Lord is nothing or a £1, if we don’t like people giving us something without value, why expect God to accept our thoughtless token or remnant? Our best should always be offered to God as demonstrated in John 12:1-8.

Most of our contributions to the work of the gospel are through our offerings according to Exodus 25:2, so, whatever we offer the Lord should be reverently, freely, willingly and cheerfully, doing so increases us according to Proverbs 11: 24, for we’re not giving to man but to God, so, let our offerings be a pleasant smell to God.

Our thanksgiving is an offering says Psalm 50:14: so, offer to God what He deserves and pay whatever vow you make in thanksgiving; remember that your offering is a seed of service to God and humanity and whatever you offer to God is not yours but God’s, to begin with.

We give back to society, work, family, and friends because of what we think they’ve done for us. What about giving back to God in any way for all He’s done and continues to do for us?

PRAYER: Lord, giver of all things, thank you for all you’ve given and continue to give me, help me recognise and accept the honour of giving back to you when an opportunity for offering arises in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shalom

Women of light international prayer ministries