#circulum infinitus

[itsthetism]

i enjoyed dragon age: absolution but it's limited episodes really did it a disservice. there was no real introduction to the world and its lore, which probably impacted the enjoyment of those who aren't familiar with the original games. it should have done what arcane did, split the season into three arcs. the first act would be about miriams' life as a slave, the next about her meeting hira, and the last about the hiest.

[fresh-bungle]

“The Circulum Infinitus was created by Magister Amelia Pavus”

Me:

[felassan]

assorted thoughts on DA: Absolution -

IMDB from a month ago was right

it looks good, I'm excited

stacked voice cast

diverse voice cast & characters

Cassandra my beloved

I hope there will be a Season 2

Qwydion 🥺 Vashoth?

the fact that it's been built in close collaboration with BioWare’s creative team (including head writers and lead creative directors), and that it was a big passion project for the show creator, who spent weeks immersed in DA lore to prepare and said they want to make something fans could be proud of.. 👌

"PS: if you’ve read this far, see you on Dragon Age Day. Or maybe sooner" hellooo what does THIS mean 👁️ you have the attention of each one of my many Pride demon eyeballs. another Absolution trailer, episode one or something of Absolution dropping early as a preview, or something like Absolution character profiles or behind-the-scenes/making of reels on or before DA Day? or something for DA:D?

Lords of Fortune once again prominent, again I'm guessing they have a role to play in DA:D

Evariste Lemarque is the latest minor character to ascend in DA's time-honored tradition of Ascended Extras. he was a neat side NPC, I'm looking forwards to seeing his expanded backstory/characterization etc, I love it when DA side characters get some spotlight & fleshing out tbh. he makes sense as a group leader given his history leading the Watcher's Reach refugees. given his appearance in the scene with Cass and Leli and the fact that he can be recruited in DAI as an Inquisition Agent, I guess he is the group's Inquisition contact and that the group are being sent on this quest on behalf of/at the behest of the Inquisition (or Inquisition remnants timeperiod depending). it reminds me a bit of Bull's Charger's, Sutherland's Company, Vaea and co, and the adventuring group questing on behalf of the Inquisition in Genetivi Dies in the End. like a show about an Inquisition War Table mission :) very cool!! the world feels more alive and dynamic when we have the sense that lots of things are happening in the background off-screen around the games

3 fighters, 2 mages and Miriam/a thief, sounds like the classic DA and RPG party with a team leader setup.

the Cass and Leli scene reads like the Inquisition briefing our group on their assigned quest

Miriam's childhood looks like what Fenris' must have been like :( I wonder if the other child in the flashback is her sibling. I wonder if something happened to the other child at the hands of the woman who enslaved Miriam or because of Rezaren, contributing to Miriam's trauma :(

I am once again wondering if, given the heist and thieves plotline, some ideas and aspects from Joplin (with its "spies and heists, secret heroes nobody knows about" vision) were rolled into Absolution. I am also once again thinking about the Magrallen. so our latest macguffin is an extremely dangerous likely Tevinter magical artifact fuelled by blood magic, while the Magrallen was a Tevinter magical device also powered by blood magic which dates back to ancient times, the time of the Dreamers. Titus was using the Magrallen to augment his power, with the intent of restoring Tevinter's greatness using his augmented Dreamer powers to do mind control and brainwashing. he talked about how the ancient Dreamers commanded the fade, "mages sculpting dreams. Dreams sculpting reality". Rezaren also seems to want to build some kind of new, better, grand future for Tevinter regardless of the cost, albeit one that's more righteous and better for everyone involved not just those in power (and the question posed then is: is it ok to fix Tevinter, and create a better future for everyone in it from all parts of the society, if the cost of that is mindcontrolling everyone or whatever else? reminds me a bit of the questions posed by the Control and Synthesis endings in ME). maybe the Circulum Infinitus is a small, mobile/portable version of the Magrallen? it presumably does something similar or adjacent at least. blood magic (and Rezaren appears to be a blood mage) already allows for mind control. With a portable macguffin that boosts blood magic powers, a blood mage could probably mind control many, many people, maybe even a nation or the whole magocracy (all those in power in Tevinter)

the hooded figure with many eyes is tied to the Pride Demon I'm sure

seen a few folks wonder if the horned silhouette is Iron Bull, I don't think this is the case, I think it's the dragon skull/dead dragon from 0:12 in the Absolution teaser trailer

maybe Rezaren and possibly also Tassia are the children of the woman who enslaved Miriam before? Rezaren and the woman's hairstyles and clothes look kind of similar, and that could explain why he's (if it's him) the man at the heart of Miriam's misery. and isn't the flaming sword symbol on Tassia's hammer a version of the Templar symbol? the Imperial Templar Order falls under the authority of the Magisters and the Tevinter Circle of Magi. so for Tassia, as she's dutiful and hardworking, as a dutiful Imperial Templar that could be why she's aiding Rezaren, and her character's personal conflict will be about how much she's willing to stand by and let happen for 'the good of Tevinter', and where exactly she draws the line. if they're siblings, she'd be a non-magic scion of a noble magic house (if Rezaren being born into privilege is anything to go by), and therefore perhaps feel duty-bound to contribute towards the greatness of her house and country in her own, non-magical way, in lieu of being a mage herself.

it threw me for a loop a bit that Matt Mercer isn't voicing the character that looks like Matt Mercer hh

with the way Rezaren sees himself, and the prideful notion he has that he should be the one to build a better Tevinter.. he sounds like precisely the kind of person who would be susceptible to a Pride demon. haha we in danger

what could Hira's secret be? maybe she is a blood mage, that learned the power in order to help her crusade? with her crusade against Tevinter, I wonder if she has crossed paths with Dorian, Mae and the Lucerni

the most powerful man in Tevinter: the Archon? the Black Divine? Rezaren? I wonder if our group are stealing the Circulum from Rezaren or if both they and Rezaren are opposing forces both trying to steal it at the same time from the most powerful man in Tevinter.

[megasilly]

okay but now with DA:A this super old promo art for DA:D makes so much sense. The center is Meredith and the red lyrium statuette. The golden ring is literally the Circulum Infinitus.

[juniemoe]

tassia: what's going on with the circulum infinitus?

rezaren: don't worry kitten

tassia: okay ❤️ yay ❤️

[villainanders]

the circulum infinitus. girl are you 12

[doebucks]

Made the piss snake Magrallen circulum infinitus from Dragon Age Absolution 🐍

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[jordi-bogenstein]

Dragon Age Absolution - Netflix Series

THEORIES - SPOILER

I love that so many wonderful people out there contribute their thoughts on the Dragon Age Lore. And after I watched Dragon Age Absolution I want to do the same. I have some thoughts and theories about the show and the upcoming game. Well here you go: :)

The Circulum Infinitus

I believe that the Circulum Infinitus is in fact a elvhen artifact. The spirit of wisdom tells us in Episode 2 of Absolution, that it has never been used. Why should Dorians ancestor Amelia Pavus craft something that she didn't use in the end? Especially when the crafting dates back to Tevinter´s early evil days. No, I don't buy it. 

If you look on the Red Lyrium Idol you can see that behind the figure above is a circle with a snake on it. Which looks strikingly similar to the Circulum Infinitus. So if the Red Lyrium Idol was in fact buried many years before the early Imperium in the Primeval Thaig, how could the Imperium crafted something that existed in the minds of the early dwarfs already. It doesn't make sense to me.

What makes sense however, is the fact that the snakes on the Circulum Infinitus could be connected to Mythal. There are statues to be found in inquisition with wings and circles around their waist. I believe them to be a depiction of Mythal. Also there is a story of Mythal transforming herself into a Giant serpent in order to lure Andruil into a trap.

https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Codex_entry:_Elven_God_Andruil

I admit that those are only small hints for suggesting that Mythal created the Circulum Infinitus. But the Spirit in Absolution suggested that someone else wants to have the Circulum Infinitus. I think that most of us can agree that this someone must be Solas. If he means to resurrect Mythal it would make sense that he would to do it with the artifact that has a connection to her. Since we learned that the Circulum works only with a sacrifice of a person, I believe that Solas will sacrifice someone to bring Mythal back to life.

Question is: Who will this someone be? I believe that the Red Lyrium Idol is in fact a prophecy. Of the things that might happen in the future. We saw Solas fusing with Flemeth and holding her body in the same way as two figures in the idol. But what about the third figure? Did you notice that there is a third person without a arm below the Circulum Infinitus? We all know that the only person missing an arm is in fact our poor Inquisitor. So if the prophecy of the Idol is supposed to come true, than Solas means to sacrifice the Inquisitor to bring Mythal back to life!

[deadlydreamin]

dragon age: absolution thoughts

spoilers (obviously) - to start off with the good bits:

i love qwydion. she is so damn adorable & wholesome. honestly the best part of the show imo i love her. ashly did a good job of voicing her.

lacklon and roland were also cool, absolutely grumpy/sunshine trope which i personally enjoy as a ship dynamic. also liked what the va's did for their voices too, they were what i expected of an orlesian and dwarf.

and now for my criticisms:

would have liked a bit more background of the side characters - qwydion, lacklon, and roland, as we really don't know a lot about them. as much as i enjoy them, they could have had a lot more depth.

at the start of the first episode i thought it was cool they brought back fairbanks, though after episode three (i think?), my opinion changed. why would the remains of the inquisiton send him from helping refugees in the dales to getting the circulum infinitus from tevinter? the ending of trespasser was about whether the inquisiton would remain or disband, but the goal either way is to stop solas/fen'harel. why would they be concerned about an artifact powered by blood magic when solas plans on destroying the veil, which would destroy the world anyway? would dorian have mentioned it to them? there's some gaps i want filled.

it is very rushed. six episodes at around 25 minutes each on average. as i just said, there are a few holes that need to be filled for the premise of the show to actually make sense, and i can't imagine what it'd be like for someone who knows nothing about dragon age to watch it, as they're missing a hell of a lot of background information. they don't know who the inquisiton is, who corypheus was, even down to simple things like when they mentioned cassandra by name. the setup of the world for those totally new to thedas and dragon age in general, don't know what i would argue are the fundamentals of the world. even for someone with all that context, as i said, there are still so many holes to be filled. also it means that a lot of the sideplots (ie the three romance situations going on) are skimmed over.

why are they bringing back meredith? we know from inquisition that being fed red lyrium will kill someone after long enough, and she was turned into a red lyrium statue and that she is, in fact, dead. while red lyrium is technically alive and contains the blight, that wouldn't necessarily mean that she is alive. i assume if there'll be a next season that it'll be explained then, but i just find it odd. varric, now being the viscount of kirkwall, must have had her red lyrium statue taken somewhere, but it also would've been secured - so how are there also red templars wherever she is?

why do most of the characters have american voices? it threw me off a little bit. like i was fine with miriam, qwydion, lacklon, and roland's voices, but for a lot of the tevinter characters we see in the previous dragon age games, they have english accents, same with fereldans, dalish elves have welsh/irish accents, city elves and dwarves often have american. idk it was just weird to me that a lot of the characters sounded american when they shouldn't have imo. some of the line delivery also fell flat for me.

there's always more but those are my thoughts at the moment.

[deadlymaelstrom]

“[The Circulum Infinitus] is an extremely dangerous artifact fueled by blood magic. And I cannot recall any good coming from something powered by murder.” ―Cassandra Pentaghast

[clownboybeebop]

meredith is a red lyrium ghost of sorts, right? like obviously she turned into a statue, but i think it’s fair to assume the red templars want the circulum infinitus to bring back meredith.

[felassan]

Dragon Age: Absolution Episode 2

some random bits and pieces on Episode 2. under a cut due to length

Episode 1 post

It looks really cold down there! You can see their breath

The various glyphs and circular spells in this show really have the feel of similar glyphs and mage spell symbols from the games

The chained dragon reminded me of Ataashi trapped in Trespasser and the chained dragon in Dark Fortress

Is this ruin they're in the aforementioned sealed temple to the Old Gods? In Episode 1 we're told that part of the Summer Palace is built on top of a sealed temple to the Old Gods, and when Rezaren and Tassia exit that place they travel upwards from what looks like underground. that's interesting - it's the place where the Circulum was crafted by Magister Amelia Pavus. Was that so far back in time that it was during the time of Old God worship in Tevinter, or was Amelia an [underground] Old God cultist or simply conducting research of/in an old temple?

^ draconic figure pattern on the chamber walls

New lore: Tevinter Divine Marconius IV built the vault in the Summer Palace in Nessum as a last resort; its security system is designed to kill everyone in the palace in order to stop a full-scale coup, rather than a few intruders. sounds like a safe room tbh! also new lore: this Marconius put the bodies of dead slaves in the walls of the palace

Since it seems from a later normal conversation Tassia "has" with Neb's body later in this episode that Tassia doesn't realize Neb is dead, my reading of the 'Don't you have someone you want to bring back?' exchange between Rezaren and Tassia was that Tassia herself in her own backstory lost someone important to her

New lore: an ancestor of Dorian's, and a member of House Pavus, Magister Amelia Pavus, created the Circulum Infinitus as her last and greatest work. It brings people back from the dead - she'd be proud that her great-great-greatx9000 descendant is a Necromancer

On Memory / Enmity: aaah the highlight of the episode. Honestly I think there is soo much that could be written about this character, on themselves and as a commentary on broader things etc, even though they only appeared for a brief time. "Memory / Enmity" is how they're listed in the credits. they're a spirit of Wisdom called Memory, like how there's a Pride Demon called Audacity and a Desire demon called Caress. these are like, types of or possible aspects/things relating to the 'umbrella noun'. I think sometimes these are things it's focusing on, like how an anger demon that 'focuses on' [angry] retribution is more powerful as that kind of anger is more powerful and complex than simple anger. why memory.. There's knowledge to be found in memories, and they can help inform wiser choices in the future.

Memory has observed and remembered everything that happened in that chamber since its very founding, which as a temple to the Old Gods (from long ago) means that they've been doing that for a very, very long time and seen a great many things. this was in service of Tevinter; we already knew that in Tevinter mages bind spirits and use them as servants, so here's an example of that practise.

When Memory says they "sense" that the artifact has never been used, I get the impression that rather than sense that they just straight up know that, but were being coy about what they knew in a holding some info close to their chest kind of way. When they said that by name and nature mortals are doomed to die, I was reminded of the immortality of ancient elves, how the construction of the Veil changed elves' very nature and sundered them from themselves, and the theory that elves were once spirits/have spirit origins

Memory's descent into Enmity is also interesting. they already had multiple blue eyes, but at certain times when they're tempted, annoyed, sus etc they're drawn with additional, demonic black eye slits. there's also multiple triggers which contribute towards their corruption into Pride/Enmity and twisting away from/perversion of their purpose. Rezaren arrogantly states that just because something hasn't been done before doesn't mean it can't be done, and boasts that Magisters don't frighten easily. here, it's exposure to Rezaren's pride, like how in this Codex sonnet the spirit of Love was transformed into Desire by exposure to the lover's desire for them. Memory is further twisted when Rezaren harms them in an attempt to force/compel them to comply with his demands (forcing them to comply with something out of keeping with their nature). this is apparent from their expressions of pain (grimacing, hunching etc), and this twisting feels more like an animal's defense mechanism against being attacked, like if you keep pushing and pushing someone they may lash out. they're twisted when their own innate (hidden) sense of pride is insulted by the way that they're being treated and essentially being compared to a common shade. and they're twisted when exposed to the powerful artifact and find themselves coveting it and its power. When they say "revealing that would be unwise" it's a bit meta, as at that time Memory themselves is trying to avoid becoming their opposite (unwise... no longer Wisdom).

^ the multiple eyes + blue eyes is self-explanatory ofc, but here I was also reminded by the way the Dread Wolf's face in this mural is twisted and 'frowning'/snarling

Also poor Memory .. MEEEEEMOREEEE noooooo（；へ：）way to go Rezaren you corrupted a spirit other Magisters had been compelling and consulting without ruining for literal Ages

"Power like this draws... many... eyes": obviously referring to Meredith and likely also to get you to wonder who else, what other beings are after this artifact or want it. but it's also self-referential: Memory is drawn to the artifact, Enmity wants it believing that only beings such as they should get to hold such power, their many eyes are fixed upon it

Memory is bald under that there hood. this reminded me of bald ancient elves in wall paintings such as these and the obvious, which in turn brought to mind the theory on Solas' origins, that Mythal once called Solas (a spirit of Wisdom) out of the Fade to serve and advise her ("He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face")

The Memory/Enmity dichotomy is also interesting, it's not the 'simple' kind of axis like Justice-Vengeance or Love/Desire. we already knew it wasn't always fixed and 'linear' and or exclusive (Faith and Wisdom can both become Pride etc) but yea Spirit/Demon stuff is just soo interesting hh :D according to Professor Google there are some ideas in some types of religious thinking on enmity as it relates to pride:

"Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us. Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.”" [from a random site]

"the heart and core of pride is enmity - "hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition" - toward God and fellowmen. Enmity toward God has certain labels: rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. Enmity toward others is manifest in daily temptations to "elevate ourselves above others and diminish them."" [from a random site]

"“But Pride always means enmity -- it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God.”" [apparently a CS Lewis quote]

the Tevinter Chantry holds services in the evening (the evening chant) which have four bells, singing of the Chant and the congregation/people assembled looking for salvation

^ one last time indeed. F （；へ：）

I thought/speculated/worried that one of the gang wouldn't make it out of the heist alive, but I really did not expect it to be Fairbanks, Newly Ascended Extra and Inquisition Representation. wew!!

When Roland is rolling around on the ground like 'oh the pain' this is probably the bit mentioned here in the showrunner & cast interview from Netflix Tooned In:

Mairghread: “You get a file [of auditions]. A lot of people could bring the badass, but she really brought the warmth, and really, your voice and performance was so warm, in like, this, quieter moments where you could feel a person instead of just a phenomenal killing machine. I knew instantly when I heard your audition, I was like 'that’s it, that’s absolutely it’. […] Phil’s audition was so smooth and sexy, I was like 'oh this is so nice’, but actually what clinched it is there’s a moment where he has to like, act badly, and it’s actually really hard to get actors to act badly. A moment where he has to do a bad job of acting. And you went for it 100%, it was hilarious.”

"tell my wife I loved her" lmao

Levitation? in Last Flight there's the floating aravels and I think in the core rule book there's a bit about levitation of small items

the girl and the cook reminded me a bit of Briala and the chatelaine and Rilene the cook in The Masked Empire, only a lot darker

here's "bat" again, this time bat-eared.. is "bat" a Tevinter thing, like "rabbit" in Orlais? :|

"sky-sucking" lol

^ lockpicking looks fun and also the opened lock is a dragon!

The Fairbanks/Hira thing was a cool twist and clever misdirect. I originally thought Fairbanks was evil, a traitor/compromised or somehow not really Fairbanks in that scene

The Circulum absorbs some of Hira's spilled blood

Also I think Rezaren's mom's name is Enrichetta. That name is listed in the credits as Sumalee Montano, his mom sounded like Sumalee and it can't be the name of the cook or the girl as they're listed as "cook" and "girl", so by process of elimination and lack of who else it could be.. ^^

[aaami]

still haven’t seen da:a but more thoughts about some stuff i found spoilers about

so like......... meredith (or she is apparently now referred to as the crimson knight) wants the thing called circulum infinitus that can bring dead to back to life as long as blood of a close genetic relative is used? i might cry if she is trying to bring amelia back to life 

also, most curiously, the magister who made the thing is also called amelia?? probably a coincidence, but I find it interesting

[rma1031]

Dragon Age: Absolution

Current thoughts as of now (Episode 3)

Spoilers included I guess...

Okay, the premise of the story is going fine, but the course of action is really fast (which would be probably intended for a mini-series).

I already like some of the characters, and I can’t believe I’d have seen Fairbanks in action! (Love that guy in DA:I, even with his side character role). Particularly liking Qwydion the most and liking Lacklon and Roland a lot. Miriam and Hira’s fine by me. I’m wondering how Rezaren and Tessia are also going to be as I watch on and on.

The setting looks great, a bit of Nevarra and definitely a lot on the Tevinter part.

Can’t believe I’d see Cassandra and even Leliana in the series, even if it was some flashback part to talk about the Circulum Infinitus.

Plus the stuff they’ve mentioned too. That Circulum thing was made by a Pavus? Things said regarding the Inquisition? The Herald of Andraste? Corypheus?? I love a good connection to the games.

It seems as if also that disbanding the Inquisition is the Bioware “canon”. I mean I followed that way too with my DA:I game.

One thing though, why kill Fairbanks... like honestly though. Like why at episode 2 does he have to get killed. Is he a bad guy here? Or does Hira have a hidden motive? Honestly, I can’t see him being a traitor...

Fairbanks is a really interesting guy and I love him. I even kept his nobility and heritage hidden from the Orlesians (gotta respect his wishes) and he stands out to be some of the more memorable side characters to me. Oh well, RIP to my guy.

I’ll keep on watching and will be seeing how this goes! So far, so good.