dolallycrafts

[gamesunbound]

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[crestwood-survivor]

Chateau d'Onterre - DAI's Haunted Mansion Pt. 1

This is one of my favorite quests in the game. The notes you find around the Chateau reveal a story of abuse, another tragedy caused by the circle-templar system that imprisons and abuses mages.

It also involves magic, demons, possession and ancient elven magic.

This quest takes place in an abandoned Chateau in the Emerald Graves (A sacred place built by the pre-exalted march Dalish elves - keep that in mind). The Chateau used to belong to a noble family, the d’Onterres.

This isn’t the only abandoned Orlesian mansion in the Emerald Graves. You might think this Chateau was abandoned during the Orlesian civil war, which started shortly before Inquisition (I think around 9:40? I’m not sure). But based on notes left behind, the Chateau was abandoned around 9:27, before Origins took place (which is in 9:30, if the wiki is correct).

It’s dark inside when you enter the Chateau. Cole will say:

“They’re here, watching, waiting, wanting. Be careful.”

You’ll find a note called “Torn Diary Page” on the floor (I’m going to call it Torn Diary Page 1 because this one seems to be the first chronologically). Page 1 says:

“It’s not fair. I want to go outside. I can hear the guest’s downstairs. Another party. There’s always another party. Mother and Father bought me a present to make me feel better. To make me better. They’re just trying to shut me up. 

Cook’s scared of me. She still calls me sweets, but she’s scared. Still, she hasn’t told father or mother. She's afraid of me more than she likes them. I don’t think Cook likes herself either, these days. 

I have a new friend now.

She understands me.

She’ll help make things fair again.”

The lights will then flicker on by themselves, and Cole will say “It knows we’re here.”

It seems like this note was written by a child, likely the child of the d’Onterre family (The Mother and Father mentioned in the note). There’s a party, and the child isn’t allowed to attend. The child’s parents got them a present to make them better. Better how? Is the child sick? Is that why they’re not allowed at the party? The child says that the Cook is scared of them. Why? The Cook is also keeping a secret from the d’Onterre’s. What is the secret? Finally, the child says they have a “new friend” that understands them and will “make things fair again.” Maybe the Cook is keeping this “new friend” a secret from the parents.

We can find the Cook’s diary in the servant’s quarters of the Chateau:

“Danelle noticed my unease, and has been pestering me with questions about the girl. I told the dratted child to see to her duties and mind her own business, but at this rate, she’s going to start prying and something will have to be done about her. Danelle’s not a bad sort, even if she’s a bit lazy. It’d be a pity to have to tell Lord d’Onterre that she’s being troublesome. Maybe I could just have the child fired. She knows her letters and numbers. There are any number of places that would take her. It’s not too late for her. I wish it weren’t too late for me and the others.

I must go tend to my poor sweets. I hope today will be a good day.”

Why does the Cook say that it is “too late for me and the others”? Do they know too much about the child? Are the d’Onterres threatening them into staying? The Cook obviously cared deeply for the child and is aware of whatever is going on with them. 

In the Library we can find some disturbing books that have been bookmarked. The first is from the Canticle of Threnodies, in which we find a bookmarked passage describing the magisters breaking through the veil and entering the Golden City.

Next, we find a letter hidden inside a copy of the Antivan Kiss, Volume 2. The letter reads:

“The box seems unassuming, but I’m told it works as intended. There’s an enchantment to it; it attracted power before. If you want more details, we talk more coin. There are risks in asking too many questions.

I doubt you care, so long as it helps with your little problem. I’ll expect my fee in due course.”

Finally, we have a book of superstitions with several pages bookmarked, all discussing magic manifesting in children and how to prevent/contain it. Here are some highlights from the book:

“You can purge the body of unwanted elements before they take hold. Place leeches on each of the child’s limbs. When done, burn the leeches. Be sure not to inhale the smoke. Afterwards, wrap the child’s limbs in cloth blessed by a chantry sister”

“A child showing signs of magic may be submerged in water until the breath is nearly lost. If magic is still weak within them, it will die before the child. Should the trouble persist beyond reason, certain talismans may suppress the child’s skill.”

So, the child is a mage, and the d’Onterre’s are trying to hide it. That’s why the child isn’t allowed to attend parties, that’s why the Cook is scared of them. Considering the passages bookmarked in the library, the d’Onterre’s have likely tried using these methods to suppress the magic in their child.

This child has likely been leached and nearly drowned to death.

But let's go back to that second entry we found - the letter we found hidden in a copy of the Antivan Kiss, Volume 2. The d’Onterre’s secretly purchased some sort of enchanted box, hoping they could use it to contain or suppress the child’s magic. The box is easy to find, all you have to do is walk out onto the balcony and you’ll see:

Here’s a close up of it I took at the end of the quest (when we can actually access the balcony it’s on):

Something important to note about this box - it’s elven.

This post ended up really long so I’m going to split it into two parts - the second will be posted tomorrow. 

[chronivore]

Emerald Templars Quick Start - The Geek Lyfe | DriveThruRPG

[nadas-dirthalen]

I Saw Solas's Origin in an Achievement Icon and It Opened My Eyes on 15 Years of Lore

— PART THREE: if you haven't read previous parts, do it now! —

[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ]

Welcome, friends and travelers! I wanted to get some thoughts recorded before Veilguard's release so I could see if I am right about an absolute BOATLOAD of theories I have.

In short: I saw the achievement list when it was released. I have seen the backstory hints for Solas included in said list. AND MY MIND WAS BLOWN.

You have been warned: THIS COLLECTION OF THEORIES INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR EVERY DRAGON AGE GAME AND ALL PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL UP TO AND INCLUDING OCTOBER 18, 2024.

Come sit down with me. Make a nice cup of tea (and hide it from Solas). We've got a lot of unpacking to do.

(this photo isn't the spoiler, I just like it.)

Today's Discussion:

So far, we've covered a few things. We know Solas was "born" from (or manifested from) a branch of raw lyrium while he was still connected to a Titan. We know there were hints toward this from across all three previous games, plus a lot of external media. We know his "birth" was initiated/instigated by Mythal.

We also know that there are quite a lot of hints about memory and forgetting across what we've covered so far, from Cole's dialogue to old elvhen lullabies.

But from here, we must ask ourselves: What ARE the Forgotten Ones? And if Solas really IS Titan-born, what does that say about the rest of everything we know about the world of Thedas and its magic?

Why the Titans are the Forgotten Ones

Fen'Harel Walked Between Both Clans of Gods

The Abyss and the Fade

Lyrium: Titans' Blood, Emerald Waters of the Fade

What IS a Spirit, Then?

Solas's Magic: What Was He Born With?

Solas and Petrification

Solas and "Blood" Magic // The Red Lyrium Idol

What Did Solas Absorb at the End of DA:I?

Why the Titans are the Forgotten Ones

Okay. This, I admit, could have been its own post. There is a LOT to cover with just this topic. I was in the midst of outlining such a post when one of my favourite Dragon Age theorycrafters (girltriesgames) came out with this video, which summarizes every point I'd gave gone into at length. Go watch it, if you want the full deep-dive!

For now, I will summarize some of the video's points:

There were two clans of gods, according to Merrill. The first was the Evanuris, and the Forgotten Gods were the second.

Fen'Harel walked among both clans without fear, and both believed he was one of them.

The Forgotten Ones have been "sealed" in the Abyss, which we know is the deep underground from the Descent DLC and other sources such as the Anvil of the Void.

The Forgotten Ones are cited by Merrill and the World of Thedas books as being at war with the Evanuris, namely Mythal and Elgar'nan being at war with four Forgotten Ones; in the Trespasser DLC, it mentions that the Titans were at war with the Evanuris, and slain by Mythal and Elgar'nan.

The Hissing Wastes features codices from ancient dwarves who fled to the surface to escape a war that was ultimately... forgotten, featuring dragons being used as weapons that slaughtered their kin. Obviously an above-ground enemy!

There are countless mentions of the word "Forgotten" around the Titans and dwarves. The Titans have been forgotten. They do not exist in the Memories of Orzammar. The sleeping Titans have forgotten how to wake up.

Cole makes many mentions of forgotten songs in relation to the sleeping Titans and also to the dwarves. Curiously, he even ties these concepts to the Templars, who employ the same magic (according to Cole).

Fen'Harel Walked Between Both Clans of Gods

Once I knew that Solas is made from lyrium and that the Titans are the Forgotten Ones, everything clicked into place for me. The legends say that Fen'Harel walked between both "clans" of gods because each one believed him to be one of their own. That sentence made less sense to me before, because I wondered: how does an elf fool an entire other clan of gods into believing he belongs to them?

Understanding that the Titans are the Forgotten Ones, famously the clan of gods that the Evanuris (namely Mythal and Elgar'nan) warred with... well, it makes sense now, doesn't it? Solas was able to walk between both clans of gods because he DOES have roots in both. Solas is crafted FROM a Titan. Solas BECAME an Evanuris. The Titan would recognize him as one of its own; the Evanuris accept him as one of their own.

This is backed up even further by a piece of Solas's dialogue in The Threat Remains.

"I have journeyed deep into the Fade in ancient ruins and battlefields to see the dreams of lost civilizations. I’ve watched as hosts of spirits clash to reenact the bloody past of ancient wars both famous and forgotten."

The Titans' existence was struck from Orzammar's Memories. Cole makes endless mentions of forgotten songs, old songs. Beings that are sleeping and don't remember how to wake up. Beings that have forgotten even themselves. Solas refers to dwarves as the severed arm of a once mighty hero.

"Wars both famous and forgotten," therefore, might refer to a war that was famous among the ancient elvhen, but forgotten by the rest of the world. One side takes pride in the mining of lyrium from slain titans. The other is doomed never to know what was lost.

But the question remains: When Solas created the Veil to imprison the Evanuris, what exactly happened to the Titans?

The Abyss and the Fade

To truly understand what happened to the Titans, we must first understand what, exactly, the Veil was making a divide between. We know much of what happened to the Fade: that Solas says it was once a state of nature like the wind, flowing through everything. That now it is mutable and unpredictable, with little in the way of permanence in anything. That it takes the shape of the thoughts and memories of those within it. That magic functions unpredictably within it.

But what about what that meant for the Titans? What happened to them with this split? And, more importantly, what was the Fade in relation to them?

Let's start with what we know about the Titans' domain. Frequently called the Abyss or the Void, the realm of the Titans is below the surface. Yet, in much elvhen literature found in Trespasser, their domain is referred to as the Earth.

I believe, based on the context of those codices, that the Earth and the Abyss are not the same. The Abyss refers to the caverns in the deep underground. The Earth, specifically, is the Titans who live within the Abyss. Earth, in the ancient elvhen, pre-Veil context, may refer to the Titans' bodies—lyrium—while "Pillars of the Earth" refers to the Titans as sentient beings. The Song to Elgar'nan talks about wanting victory over the Earth, capital 'E.'

Though the Chant of Light describes the Void as more a state of being, the ancient elvhen describe it as Andruil's old hunting grounds.

One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts. She began stalking the Forgotten Ones, wicked things that thrive in the abyss. Yet even a god should not linger there, and each time she entered the Void, Andruil suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning. Andruil put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face. She made weapons of darkness, and plague ate her lands. She howled things meant to be forgotten, and the other gods became fearful Andruil would hunt them in turn.

The time of Andruil using the Void as her hunting grounds predates the Veil. Overall, we already know much of what this codex implies about the Void: that it is dark, underground, and that there is reason we know of that would send Andruil back with madness (the abundance of raw lyrium and the fact that the Evanuris are mages, plus Andruil's lyrium armor).

What I want to focus on is that the Forgotten Ones were thriving in the Abyss before the Veil went up. They were alive and, ostensibly, able to fight back. They had access to their will and to their consciousness.

That consciousness seems to have disappeared with the creation of the Veil. Let me rephrase.

The Titans lost access to their consciousness with the creation of the Veil. At the same time. And what did the Veil do? What is the SOLE thing it did?

Separated the Fade from the waking world.

A collection of facts, when taken together, lead me to my conclusion about the relationship between the Abyss, the Fade, and the Titans.

The Forgotten Ones (Titans) live in the Abyss

They were conscious and "thriving" before the Veil went up

Cole remarks that they have "forgotten" how to wake up in the time since

No one has memory of the Titans, not even the dwarves

Lyrium is the blood of the Titans

and lyrium grows in the Fade.

Lyrium: Titans' Blood, and the Emerald Waters of the Fade

I think a lot of us (me included) have been thinking about the Fade all wrong. I think a lot of people consider the Fade to be this Other Thing™ that was once a part of the world, and is now separate. Now, I believe differently. I think that the Fade and the Titans were once two pieces of one whole, and creating the Veil effectively sundered all Titans' consciousness from their bodies.

In short: I think the Fade is the Titans' missing consciousness.

That's why I think it is very important not just that Lyrium exists in the Fade, but that it grows there. It implies that the Fade is still alive, just like the Titans are still alive, but asleep.

When Solas says, "I seek... regeneration" in Vows & Vengeance, I think this is what he means: reconnecting these two sundered pieces.

We've always thought as the Fade as the realm of spirits. Those characters who contemplate the Veil being torn down immediately think about how many spirits and demons that might unleash upon Thedas.

But I must ask: If the Fade is the consciousness of sundered Titans, where did the first spirits come from, before the creation of the Veil? What relation could Titans have with spirits?

What IS a Spirit, Then?

I'm sure that I am not alone when I say that my original guess for Solas's origin story is that he was a spirit that took mortal, corporeal shape. We've all heard Cole say, "He did not want a body, but she asked him to come." We all know that the Dread Wolf's six eyes greatly resemble a Pride demon, and we have seen that Solas' Manifestation achievement icon features those same six eyes.

If you're like me, you might've seen that and wondered how exactly this is all related. How can Solas be a spirit of Wisdom turned to Pride if he came from a Titan?

I'm here to tell you: I think those are the same thing.

And the Chant of Light agrees with me.

Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew. Come to me, child, and I shall embrace you. In my arms lies Eternity. ���Andraste 14:11

Many believe that the well of sorrows and the waters of the Fade must have elemental associations with, well... water. But I'd like to put forth a different interpretation.

Lyrium exists in liquid form, once refined. The Bastion of the Pure in the Descent DLC has a literal underground sea. We know that lyrium is the Titans' blood, growing both in the Abyss and the Fade. We also know that the Fade, domain of spirits, is likely the Titans' sundered consciousness.

The "well of all souls," then, is the same as the "emerald waters." Both of them refer not to water, not to oceans, but to lyrium.

I think every spirit on Thedas, not just the dwarves, came from the Titans originally.

To test the validity of my idea, I then asked myself: what do we know of spirits and their nature?

We know that spirits all boil down to one singular quality: Wisdom, Compassion, Purpose, Love, Justice, etc etc etc.

We know that those qualities can change back and forth from "virtuous" to "demonic" depending on the spirit's own feelings and reactions to the world. The trauma of crossing the Veil or being bound can force Wisdom to become Pride (Solas's personal quest) or Compassion to Rage (Down Among the Dead Men from Tevinter Nights).

Not all spirits are named for "virtues" or "sins." For instance, there are Hunger demons, and hunger is not a sin.

Spirits can be killed outright. When that happens, they may reform, but they are never quite the same when they coalesce again. There are also "ancient spirits" mentioned throughout the franchise, which tells me that not all spirits are the same age. They were not all created at the same time.

Many spirits are mere wisps, without one of those one-word qualities. They must gain power before they take such a shape.

To me, that sounds a lot like how thoughts work.

Our singular thoughts could also be boiled down to singular qualities, if framed in a certain way. For instance, my current craving for food is very much a Hunger thought. My constant joy in reading World of Thedas stems from Curiosity. Terrible traffic conditions inspire fleeting Rage, which changes when I remember my Compassion for other drivers who might be erratic because they're going through an emergency or something traumatic.

People don't remember every single thought they have. The ones that stick with us over time? They remain with us because they are powerful. Stronger memories stick around longer; the rest fade away or become shapeless until we try really hard to remember them again.

But when we do remember things we have forgotten? We never remember them exactly the same, do we? If I remember I thought I had as a child, I have to remember it with the context of my current 30-year-old self. I will never experience the thought exactly as my 5-year-old self did.

As long as I have access to my own consciousness, I will constantly produce new thoughts and memories.

Therefore?

Specifically, I think that all spirits on Thedas are the thoughts of Titans, once either held in lyrium or free to drift through the Fade before the Veil existed. Those spirits may then manifest into a corporeal shape, like Cole does, if they have enough power.

And Solas? Solas is one such thought-spirit, who used to be held in lyrium, who Mythal convinced (or coerced) to take shape.

Which explains a great deal about every type of magic we see him use.

Solas's Magic: What Was He Born With?

Oh, Solas, you beautiful enigma. For so long, we thought of you as an ordinary mage. Then, with the big Fen'Harel reveal and the way you began petrifying people in Trespasser, we thought you were something else.

Mages draw their power from the Fade. It looks like the dwarven magic we're seeing (from Harding, from Valta, from Sandal) draws its power from the Stone, in addition to manipulating it. So what gives? How is Solas able to pull from both schools of magic? Is he a mage? Is he kin with the dwarves?

Now, with all the knowledge we've gained through one singular achievement icon jpeg, I understand: you are both, and you are neither.

We must remember that all ancient elvhen are born in a pre-Veil era. With the knowledge we have, that means an era when the Titans were not sundered from their thoughts, and all magic in the world was one thing. If all spirits are the thoughts of Titans made manifest (either as living concepts or as corporeal beings) and the Fade is just one part of Titans' whole existence, then a world without the Veil is a world where we don't need to think of those magics as two separate things.

Rather, they are both magic, but opposing schools of the same magic. When we think of the four elements here in OUR world, we think of earth and air as opposites—but in a lot of media, magic users have access to both. Often, they are weak to each other, one cancelling out the other.

We see this laid out more clearly in this codex from the Vir Dirthara.

"The unchanging world is delicate: spells of power invite disaster and annihilation. The unchanging world is stubborn: the pull of the earth fiercely resists making fire run like water or stone rise like mist. The unchanging world rings with its own harmony. Listen with fearless hearts, and great works will unfold."

This codex is actively encouraging the magic users of ancient elvhen (AKA, all people from that time) to listen with fearless hearts to the "unchanging world" to exert will over the "pull of the earth." They're not saying to avoid the Titans, or to dominate them with an abundance of their own (Fade) magic. By tapping into the Titans' rhythm, even the magic of the Fade is embellished. Made stronger.

To be alive in that time is to be able to wield both magics interchangeably—but just like Aang in Avatar: the Last Airbender, the pull of the earth is a notoriously difficult thing for "air" (Fade) magic-users to grasp, and vice versa.

(A tiny aside: I believe these discoveries about spirits and magic teach us the distinction between elven and elvhen. The latter translates to "spirit-soul," loosely—the spirits that came out of the Titans. I believe elven refers to the corporeal descendants of those elvhen that sexually reproduced.)

Solas and Petrification

Many of us speculated for a long, long time that Solas's ability to petrify people—an ability associated with Sandal and Harding—was something he took from a dwarven or Titan-aligned source. People speculated that Urthemiel, the archdemon, must be somehow connected to the magic of the Stone.

I have a different theory: Solas has always had this capability, but the power he absorbed from Mythal is what has allowed him to once again perform the magic of the Stone from whence he came.

Maybe utilizing both magics to such a powerful degree (remember his Mind Blast from Trespasser?) requires that a mage be more powerful than most, carrying two "sects" of magic within them and using both in such a great and terrible capacity (like how the Avatar is more powerful than other benders, able to carry multiple elements because of bonding with the spirit of Raava, to continue with my previous example).

Solas and "Blood" Magic // The Red Lyrium Idol

I'll preface this by saying: no, I have no idea why Solas has changed his tune about blood magic in DA:tV. I hope to find out in five days!

I do want to suggest that, for Solas, blood magic might mean something different than it does for everyone else. Solas's blood, while he has taken a corporeal shape almost identical to any other elven person, may not be the same chemical make as the blood of mortals. That might explain why he has not experimented with it much during the time of Inquisition, and might explain why he does not want to use his own blood in DA:tV.

Instead, his blood might be closer to lyrium than we expected. And the red lyrium idol might be HIS idol.

Some of you might remember that way back in part 1, I noted that a hint for Solas's origin from previous games and external media is that, in Tevinter Nights, the Dread Wolf refers to the red lyrium idol as "my idol" before slaying the Mortalitasi trying to perform a blood magic ritual with it. It confused me, for a long time, why the Dread Wolf (the big wolf form, not necessarily one with Solas) would refer to the idol as "my idol" before actually retrieving it to keep. The explanation seems simple: it was his first.

This makes me wonder, given everything we know, if the idol first belonged to the Dread Wolf because it is made from the Dread Wolf's blood. Since the Dread Wolf is a piece of a Titan, that would make its blood likely at least related to lyrium, right?

Many have also speculated that Solas's ritual dagger, which gets passed on to Rook, is made from a purified/reforged red lyrium idol. Given the blood connection between Rook and Solas, it makes sense to me that if the dagger is indeed made from the blood of the Dread Wolf (and/or Solas), that is why Rook has access to its abilities.

What Did Solas Absorb at the End of DA:I?

I cannot for the life of me find a well-cropped image, but this post on Reddit talks about a designer note from the post-credits scene of DA:I between Solas and Flemeth. Namely that Solas does not take Mythal's soul when he absorbs power from her. Before he absorbs that power, Mythal passes her soul on to Morrigan.

While David Gaider had previously advised fans to not necessarily take this as canon, it seems to be proving true in Morrigan's design change, featuring Flemeth's crown.

That means there are two things Solas may have still absorbed from Mythal, since her soul was already "spoken for."

Raw power

The soul of Urthemiel, the archdragon slain in Origins. This is true in every world state with Kieran, but I would wager that Urthemiel's soul belongs with Mythal in every world state, since Flemeth said she had an "appointment to keep" in the prologue of DA2, which is why she did not travel with Hawke. My guess is she went to Denerim, poking at the remains of the slain archdemon until, 10 years later in Inquisition, she was in possession of Urthemiel's soul no matter what.

We know, however, that archdemons are sundered pieces of the Evanuris. We've been able to suspect this since Inquisition, where we see Corypheus's archdemon is in possession of a piece of his soul and is therefore the secret to his immortality.

I don't think either of this gave Solas access to any new spells. Rather, I think either one (or both!) might have granted him the power necessary to access spells he already knows from both Fade magic and Stone magic.

However, I'd like to touch on just one thing before this post concludes.

I believe that Urthemiel is June's archdemon. The Chant of Light references an Architect of Beauty, just as it references Corypheus, the Conductor of Silence. These are high priests of the so-called "Old Gods," which were revealed as archdemons when Dumat appeared during the First Blight. Corypheus was the high priest of Dumat, the old god of Silence.

I believe the word Architect being used as the title for the high priest of Urthemiel is indicative of the Evanuris that Urthemiel belongs to. There is one Evanuris known for craftsmanship: June, who we know nothing about.

The reason I mention this is that, if nothing else, June's abilities may have allowed Solas to "purify" and shape the red lyrium idol into his ritual dagger that we see in Veilguard.

In conclusion: I believe Solas has always had access to the Stone, but it would certainly be interesting to see if each Evanuris has their own suite of magical abilities, potentially due to the Titan from which some of them originated (more on THAT in a later post, stay tuned!).

If you read this far, THANK YOU, as always! The collective hype of everyone reading and sharing these is making me all the more excited for Veilguard.

Keep an eye out for the next instalment in this series: What the Chant of Light teaches us about Solas, Mythal, and the Evanuris at large.

[thekingofwinterblog]

How to fix Halamshiral as a Zone

Inquisition is a flawed game.

I don't think there's anyone who is going to argue otherwise.

The only question is wheter you place it higher or lower than DA2.

One of the things I think it does better than DA2, is that it managed to give every place a soul, an identity of it's own, and at least a distinct, if not always amazing storyline.

The emerald graves doesnt have a very interesting plot, but it has some spectacular side quests, and atmosphere, inculding a haunted mansion, which might be my favorite possession based quest in all of DA because it shows much better than others just how dangerous untrained mages actually are to those around them.

The storm coast tells a story of what was once an important dwarven port, and shows how it fell and was repurposed over time.

The Hinterlands shows the aftereffects of the templar mage war, as well as solas stupid plan to give cory his orb, and the mage rebellion and an actually decent time travel story.

I could go on, but the point is, I usually have at least aomething nice to say about every single region.

All except one.

Halamshiral.

Halamshiral was the single worst part of all of Dragon Age Inquisition for me, and every single time I boot up this game, it's always the last thing i do before the temple of sacred ashes, despite how bizarre the game flows as a result.

And the reason is because i hate everything about it.

I hate it's unique attempt at side quests, i hate the characters involved, i hate the Orlesians who inhabit it, and i hate how this section tries to copy what worked so amazingly well with Orzammar and Denerim during the landsmeet section, and fails every single shot it lines up.

The ONLY good thing i have to say about this, is that it's at the very least relatively short.

So here's today's question. How to fix Halamshiral?

Let's begin with the three main players.

Celene, Gasparde, and Briala.

The big problem with every single option, is that they all suck.

Celene and Gasparde are both fucking awful people without any redeeming qualities, they have no charisma, and there is no prospect of the Empire reforming itself under either of them, the way Orzammar would under Bhelen.

Meanwhile, Briala is much, much better, but the problem is that we know exactly what is going to happen here if you support her.

Maybe today elves will have it better, but tomorrow, when Gasparde is gone, or celene turns on elves again as she always does all the progress will be repealed, and reversed, along with a few purged alienages.

Its an old story that's been told before in Dragon age.

In short, there is no reason at all to care about this overall plot. None whatsoever.

There were so many reasons to care about both Orzammar and Denerim in the same situation, and every single character involved had so much more charisma than either of these would be monarchs.

So let's fix that.

Starting with Celene, take the idea of her wanting to reform the empire, and actually take it to the next level.

Celene is genuine in wanting to reform the empire, and has already taken grand, successful steps to make the entire thing much better for everyone, even elves, giving them and serfs more rights, outlawing the practice of chevaliers having a tradition of killing unarmed city elves to graduate.

But the catch is, while she is genuinely making progress, she is doing so within the confines of the great game.

Celene has nonintention of changing the great game, no plans of wanting to remove this thing that holds Orlais back more than any other, this center stone of their nobility and it's culture.

Meanwhile, Gasparde is a different kind of reformer, one that takes the ideas he had of him claiming to hate the game, and actually doing something with it.

He is far less progressive, has no love for elves, is far more warlike than Celene ever was... But unlike Celene, his ideas of reform isn't going to act within the grand game.

He's going to break it.

Unlike canon gasparde, this gasparde is hated by every single noble family in the entire empire. His only support, and it's a strong one, is the army. The parts of the army that supports Gasparde, and they are a huge part, are loyal to him personally to the hilt.

And he hates them back. He hates the game, he hates the way it cripples the empire, and he wants to change things. Like Celene he plans to break the serfs free of their chains, for the good of the nation and it's power and economy if not for any progressive reasons.

And he'a going to start with Halamshiral.

For this Gasparde isn't merely positioning men to stage a coup... He's planning to kill EVERY SINGLE NOBLE in Halamshiral. Evety man, every woman, every child there.

He's going to reform this empire by wiping out it's cancerous nobility in one fell swoop, and install himself as supreme dictator to see his reforms through, and wiping out the entire Orlesian nobility that might have opposed him, french revolution style.

And thus the Inquisitor has a dilemma.

Unlike Orzammar, where only one side was a reformer, both of these Orlesians are... But you have to choose one.

Do you choose Celene? The more progressive candidate, who wants a more peaceful Orlais going forward? But who is not willing to get ridd of the grand game to do so, thus making it a permanent risk that all her reforms will be undone...

Or will you support Gasparde, and by doing so be complicit in destroying the entire nobility of Orlais, many of whom are not guilty of the shit that Celene and Gasparde here both hate so much? Gasparde is far less likely to create a peaceful Orlais going forward... But he will have obliterated the Grand Game for good and all, a prize that might be worth this Red Wedding style bloodbath.

Meanwhile there is Briala, the elven spy who has enough influence to allow, or prevent Gasparde's plans from going through.

Here there should be another moral dilemma, quite different from the base game.

Do you convince her to aid Gasparde, in exchange for the Elves getting a duchy of their own in Halamshiral? Do you then back her up with Inquisition forces and support, forcing Him to publicly announce her as such, and trust his own, twisted version of honor to actually stick to it going forward(Something he ultimately does), or do you throw her to the Wolves the moment things get rough?

Or alternatively, do you convince her to side with Celene, and bury the hatchet? And if so, on what terms? And similarly, if she actually wants to get something out of this, you actually need to back her up... Something you may, or may not choose to do.

And voila, here you have an actual story of intrigue, massive, lasting political changes as a result of the Herald's actions, and morally grey on grey choices.

Everything that Denerim and Orzammar had in spades.

Now moving on from the plot to the actual place.

Halamshiral has no soul.

It's a french villa on a mountaintop. Whoop de freaking do.

It has no interesting murals, unique art only found there, interesting geography, or anything really to make it stand out.

Compare it to Denerim and Orzammar, and the way they fleshed out the entire city's levels of power and criminal underworlds, and you see the difference.

Denerim is a very realistic, squat, squalid medieval city, with it's buildings built on top of every single bit of available space.

Orzammar is a full on high fantasy dwarf city lit up by a lake of lava.

Halamshiral is a villa presented as a city.

How do you fix that?

There is an artist here on Tumblr who pretty much showcased what Halamshiral could have been, if they had taken the idea of the Dalish(who were the original owners) taking inspiration from native americans(amongst others), and use that to build a truly spectacular city, which has long ago been paved over, but the structure is still there.

Make it a city on the water, like the aztex capital of Tenochtitlan, a marvel of canals and stone.

Make it this Venezia like city, with canals everywhere you look, and the entire city running on water. A marvel of Dalish city building, where they took something as simple as a couple of islands in a lake, and built the most beautiful city in the world.

And rather than just limit you to the palace, instead let you actually explore this city.

Expand the entire event from one night, to a week.

Let the Herald explore the city, meet the players, interact with the nobles, become friends with a few like you could with Ferelden's bans, which in turn makes the possibility of sacrificing them for the greater good hit so much harder.

Let you choose what fancy stuff to wear to the balls and meetings, rather than have this stupid motto of forcing you to wear one, pre determined outfit like this game had for some reason.

Let you discover the places where what little Elven Architecture and art still remains can be found, and talk with the elves who still live here, the descendants after the first elves the Orlesians enslaved.

Make the plotting of Gasparde and the positioning of troops be gradual, not instantly discovered and twarted.

And at the end, if you choose to back Gasparde, you mirror that scene from Dragon Age 2, where the Templars sail across the bay, and you either step aside and witness the bloodbath you just allowed to happen, or you fight them and be recognized by the nobility(most of which are horrible, horrible people) as a hero who just saved the day.

Have the venatori plot be to kill both Gasparde and Celene, rather than their involvement mostly be about handing the player the the easy knife for the knot of which monarch to pick without having to get your hands dirty.

Also have the entire group be gathered for once. Every inner member of the Inquisition just like at Denerim.

Each of whom have their own thoughts on the events.

Who supports who? What is the right thing to do? What is better for the inquisition? Are you staining your honor beyond repair if you back Gasparde? Does the Inquisitor maybe have a breakdown after witnessing what they just allowed to happen and they walk through the gardens or rooms filled with corpses? Maybe have the scene at the end with the love interest be about a moment of them truly comforting their lover in the aftermath of it all, understanding(or not) that as boss, it's your job to have to make the tough decisions. And now you have to live with them.

Or if you wanna go the other way, this could be one of the breaking points like Origins had. If you support Gasparde, Blackwall choses to tell you to get bent, and that he will die as benefits a knight. Defending the week, and calling you out on how you are just as bad as he ever was, a child killer who's going to run away from responsibility, to pretend you are some better person than what you actually are. You're a murder. Just like he was. You are just as responsible for the blood that's flowing as he was with that carriage back in the day.

It would have been a far more impressive reveal moment for his crimes, that's for sure.

Cole probably would be the one who would be second most upset, but wheter he leaves or ultimately stays should probably be depended on your other choices and your relationship with him prior to this, probably have his personal quest be the determinating factor of what he chooses to do.

And i could go on, but point is, this would be a return to Origins choices actually mattering. There were choices that could make or break a characters bond with you. Shale would not budge regarding Caridin, Leliana and wynne would stand against you if you choose to defile the urn, Sevran would choose to betray you for his old friend if he didn't like you enough, and of course the age old choices at the end of act 3 in da2, where you have to pick between templars and Mages, as well as anders fate, and chances are regardless of what you do, at least 1 person ends up dead.

If anyone reading this has any suggestions for how to further improve this storyline, feel free to share, but regardless, i think we can all agree that this is a vast improvement of what we actually got.

[opheliaorophile]

Hallelujah

(There are no Veilguard spoilers in this content, it was all created in early September, I’m only posting it now).

So I found this old Bioware article from 2014…

Its about what the writers listened to when they wrote their characters.

I was immediately struck by Weekes’ (writer of Bull, Cole, & Solas) comment that he wrote whole swaths of Solas dialogue listening to K.D. Langs cover of Hallelujah.

Because when I was playing Origins, way back in 2009, as soon as I heard the words “The Chant of Andraste” I thought of Hallelujah.

No better parallel could exist for me. Hallelujah, if you listen to the lyrics, is not really church related, yet it got absorbed into the church as a hymn. Its fucking sad, and yet we’re praising god or some shit?

Kinda like how I feel The Chantry has changed their religion, their original purpose, Andraste and the Maker and all that, into something horrible (subjugation/lobotomization of mages, feeding templars crack, you know, nOrMal StUfF).

I love the parallels there. And I love that Weekes used this sad-ass fucking dirge for our sad-ass fucking egg, especially considering what KD Lang said about it:

Canadian singer k.d. lang said in an interview shortly after Cohen's death that she considered the song to be about "the struggle between having human desire and searching for spiritual wisdom. It's being caught between those two places."       (Be still, my heart.)

And I thought about how Legends Shouldn’t Be Given The Weight of History, and how The Chantry’s purpose has been twisted, and how Hallelujah’s purpose has been twisted, and at the time, I was completing The Temple of the Emerald Knights in DA:I. I was thinking about how the Elvhen temple is littered with statues of Andraste and Mythal (dragon), how there’s a Knight, Andale (which is so obviously Andraste, prob Flemythal reincarnate of some sort).

The blending and melding and mushing of cultures and religions as time drags on, how originally good or pure purposes are changed or shifted, or corrupted.

And I thought of Andraste again.

I have been unhealthily obsessed with this artist named Aly, who is a Bard in Thedas and sings at The Dread Halla Tavern (you can find them on spotify here);  

(for clarification, this human is not me, I am not a singer, she is very good, you should go listen to all her songs-after you read this).

Anyways, I got to thinking…

What would Andraste’s Hallelujah sound like?

I had to write it.

Its sad and beautiful and tells the story of a woman flighting against forces she has no hope of defeating (But we still have to try).

[Andraste’s Lament]

And I got immediately transported to a smoky, dimly lit tavern in Southern Thedas. Aly has just sung Andraste’s Lament, and is approached by Neria, a lone Dalish Elf who clutches a scrap of paper tightly in her hand.

Aly listens to this elf tell her a story of a sad song her mother used to sing her when she was young, before she got killed by bandits. And could she sing this song for her, please, she even has a few coppers.

And Aly sits down, scans the paper, and realizes it’s a different version of Andraste’s Hallelujah.

Written in small looping script at the top, in Common, is Dirge of the Dread Wolf.

And she sings it softly to Neria, a strange story of mothers and gods and tricksters and wolves, and Neria’s eyes well.

[Dirge of the Dread Wolf]

She ends the song, the last beautiful Hallelujah trembling through the thickness of the tavern air.

Neria sniffs once, and then begins a new story. Aly listens to this Elf speak of a crumbling Dalish temple deep in the middle of nowhere, where she found a piece of paper beside a four legged statue that has since eroded to expressionless guardianship, of words crossed out and changed and smudged.

Then she shakily hands Aly a different piece of paper.

This velumm is significantly older than the first, thicker, almost crumbling around the edges.

And its Hallelujah again, but its spelled wrong, and some strange name with too many n’s in it is written at the top.

And Neria asks Aly if she can sing this.

But it’s written in Elvhen, and Aly shakes her head, she doesn’t think she can stumble through all the strange Dalish a’s and ash’s and am’s (there's so many damn vowels in Dalish…).

But, Aly halts the elfs falling face, she is more than willing to sing this in Common, if Neria will stay to act as translator.

So the two bend their heads close over the bar, and Aly pulls out her small precious notebook where she writes down the lyrics to her own tunes, and they quickly make work of the Elvhen words, Aly humming and hawing as she changes some words to better match the pattern of the song.

And soon they have a brand-new Hallelujah, and Aly asks Neria to pronounce the name at the top.

Ghil-an’nain, Neria says, and make sure you spell the hallelujah right.

H, a, l, l, a, l, i, e, u, y, a.

What does that mean in Dalish? Aly asks the elf.

And Neria shrugs. Halla is like a halla, she assumes. But this word lieu, she doesn’t know.

Aly assumes in the context of this song it must mean birth, but Neria shakes her head. Shena is the verb for born.

Well, what about victory? But Neria shakes her head again. Ena’sal’in is the word for victory, or triumph.

Aly blows out a breath. She’s a lyricist. What would make this poetic.

What about truth?

The elf thinks, and a small smile grows on her lips.

She can’t think of a Dalish word for truth.

Ghilan’nain’s Truth of the Halla?

Aly’s beautiful soprano soon fills the room, and her eyes widen when a soft Alto joins her, singing along in the original Elvhen.

[Ghilan’nain’s Truth of the Halla]   

A haunting melody, completely changed by the understanding of the root of halla lieu’ya, not a praise to The Maker, or the curse of a trickster, but the story of a young god, beaten and battered and blinded, and her creations, and her destruction of them.

[Ghilan’nan’es Halla’lieu’ya]

The tavern erupts when they finish, and poor Neria blushes furiously as her back is slapped, and her hair is tousled, by the patrons of the establishment.

Aly and her new friend make their way to the bar, where foaming tankards await them.

They cheers, and as they tip the beer back, a city elf approaches them, dressed like a Dalish, but he has no vallaslin. He pushes his cowl down to reveal a bald head and shocking purple eyes. His voice is quiet, with a deep, romantic lilt.

“Where did you find that song?”

…

Please be gentle with any constructive criticism on my voice, I am absolutely NOT a singer, I know I don’t have a superstar voice but I’m also not tone deaf, so just… don’t be shitty to me, internet. Listen to the lyrics, not the delivery.

If anyone’s actually interested, I'll message you the lyrics. I also did record all four songs (Andraste, Dread Wolf, Ghilly (English), and Ghilly (Elvhen),) but can only put one video per post. Maybe I'll link them later if people are interested.

*It did not even occur to me until after writing Andraste’s Hallalujah that someone might have had this idea already. I did a little googling afterwards, and someone has put solas’ dialogue to the tune of Hallalujah, but no ones “re-written” it yet in this context (that I could find). My query to you is, why would Solas speak in Leonard Cohen's hallelujah/iambic pentameter if he had never heard it before?

---

Obviously, this can never be turned into a real song, because Sony owns the rights to the OG Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. But the romanticism of this song, changing through the ages, was too good to pass up. I hope you enjoy it, sincerely, and if you are a better singer than I, by all means, use my lyrics and record it, and please send me the link so that I can listen to it!  

Thanks to Weekes, Leonard Cohen, & The Dread Halla Tavern for inspiring this.

Bare your blade, and raise it high.

[saintlethanavir]

New fic? NEW FIC! Cullavellan fans/Cullen romancers rejoice, I am here with a new blorbo to kiss the big blonde man! Note: MC uses any and all pronouns/titles!

Rating: M Pairing: Cullen Rutherford/Lavellan General Warnings: Depictions of Violence, Eventual NSFW content, Depictions and Descriptions of Mental Illness, Addiction, PTSD, Blood Magic, References to Self Harm Chapter Warnings: Horror, Body Horror, Blood Magic, and Moderate Gore Chapter Summary: Abaddon Lavellan, First to the Clan, has been dispatched to the Conclave at Haven in the cold mountains near the border of Orlais and Ferelden. On the night before the talks are supposed to take place Abaddon encounters a ritual that will drastically change the course of their life forever.

It was much too cold this late at night, but it had to be done. With a slow puff of breath, the elf raises up from their crouched position in the snow – ears twitching every few moments. A  Dalish mage might not be dragged away by Templars – seeing as the Circles were defunct for now – but they would certainly take offence to a slight amount of blood being spilled on a magic circle. The pulse in their hand comes quick and painful as they pull taut a rag around the laceration sliced through their palm. Had to be done, they repeat to themself, shaking out their fingers and glancing around their meagre camp. Just the previous day they had come upon their rations rifled through and their furs dragged halfway out of the previously secured tent flap. Shemlen will do anything when they suspect danger – ironic that if caught, Abaddon would be accused of exactly what they suspect the humans thought they were doing. Blood magic. Not that this was going to topple empires. It would stop nosy little brats from stealing from them however. 

Right as their fingers graze the leather edge of their tent, Abaddon’s ears perk up at the faint noise of a shout – somewhere far off in the darkness. Curiosity pricks at their thoughts and they begin to wonder if a fight has broken out finally between the conclave attendees when an arc of sickly green light practically explodes from a doorway. The doorway to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. There’s another muffled shout following the magical energy and several people begin to poke their heads from their tents, craning their necks towards the sound. For a long beat everything is silent, not even the softly falling snow can be heard, as if the entire world is holding its breath. Perhaps this is a collective nightmare, considering the high concentration of magic here. A dwarf close by shakes out his greying beard and looks over at the slight elf blearily, his small blue eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. 

“What’s goin’ on?” 

“I don’t think anyone knows,” Abaddon responds softly, unable to pull their gaze from the emerald sheen colouring the dwarfs' shadow. Something deep within the magic sings to them. It reaches out infinitesimal claws and hooks into their flesh – they are unable to, or do not wish to, pull away. The crunch of snow is drowned out by the lullaby filling their mind and consuming their thoughts, as they alone walk towards the green light. It’s familiar yet a tune they can’t quite put their finger on. Whatever it is, it’s much too sweet and enticing to let go of. No one moves a muscle, helpless while they watch Abaddon make their way towards the Temple doorway and become bathed in that horrid light. 

CONTINUE READING

[exhausted-archivist]

Evolution of DAI

I was going back through some news posts made by BioWare back during the marketing and launch of DAI and found some interesting things. In post of Exploring the Dales,

Emprise du Lion, the Exalted Plains, and the Emerald Graves used to ve one continuous map that they broke up to allow for more variation ad drastic environmental differences like what we ended up with. Dean Roskell, a senior level designer, explains that it wouldn't have felt natural to transition from a lush forest to frozen highlands, and that they needed more separation. Additionally, due to the three separate story arcs they had to consider, they split them up to allow you to play them in any order or even skip one. It aided in bringing balance to the levels in the game.

At one point, Emprise du Lion had a version where the villagers had more freedom. Meaning they had farms up and running, merchants trading; but this was changed because it didn't communicate that they were a group of people near the point of accepting death at the hands of the red templars. Making it a frozen landscape improved the narrative that it was an area on the brink of death, combining the red templar threat with the freak blizzard.

Ser Michel and Imshael being added to the area of Emprise du Lion was a decision made by the level design team as they wanted to bring in links from The Masked Empire novel that Patrick Weekes wrote.

The original starting point of the level of Emprise du Lion was actually where the three high dragons roost. When they moved the village down by the lake they had a large area they wanted to do something with and landed on three high dragons. Reportedly, it was three dragons instead of one really difficult one due to someone saying they couldn't do it.

Andrew Farrell was the level artist for all three Dales levels and came up with the idea of old coliseums surrounded by hot springs.

[daisymeade]

Vhenadahl

day 3 : veilguard 30

9:33

The trunk of the Highever Alienage's vhenadahl was wrapped in rope that boasted seashells and starfish. Sand dollars, candles, and offerings nestled at its roots and overhead sea glass tied with cord hung, swaying lazily in the early evening breeze.

Heulwen gazed at the massive oak, gripping a drink she'd been nursing for some time. Zevran was nearby telling another grand story to his enraptured audience; if not for his presence she may very well have refused the invitation to this joint celebration of her victory over the archdemon two years ago and Hahren Sarethia's recent elevation to Bann.

Though it wouldn't have been a good look to refuse when she was already in the city for Teryn Fergus's dedication ceremony in the market: a beautiful statue in honor of their fellow Highevrians, Riordan and Duncan, standing vigil over the city.

So Heulwen was here in the square where she saw her father for the last time, her screams as the templars pulled her from his arms just as shrill as that day but his face a faded blur.

There weren't any burn marks on the tree. The same couldn't be said for the other children she'd been with. Heulwen had wondered all day if they were here, but she didn't expect any of them to want to be near her.

It was a relief actually. All of these people who had cast her off so long ago, a liability, a danger, a curse, now calling her one of their own felt wrong. Heulwen didn't need to be a hero or point of pride for her papa to love her but he was gone and now there were only strangers. She reached up and rubbed the necklace Dimas had put around her neck -his hands were shaking, she'd realized later- the one her mama had gifted to him at their wedding. A Dalish pendant, emerald in an ironbark setting.

The leaves of the vhenadahl rustled overhead, the seaglass clacking together in time.

The strong hands of a workman lifting up a giggling, pig-tailed girl as she tried to tie the knot he'd shown her. "You've got it, sunshine." The cord held a shiny blue rock but papa said she couldn't take it home...

Heulwen's hand dropped to her side. That home had been gone for a long time.

[collection here]

[browniejeane]

WIP Wednesday - Another Outtake of the Fic that won't quit.

Knocked TF out by a migraine today; which is hard to take care of when the littlest spawn is full of piss and vinegar. Here's another outtake in lieu of a bit of the latest chapter, which is still being written/edited.

Returning to where the Lavellan Clan had settled before sending her off to the Temple, where they had been massacred, only felt right. That she had done it alone and on a whim while actively being hunted down by red Templars and the Venatori and an evil abomination of a man who would be a god…probably not the best idea. But she couldn’t not come say goodbye. And she hadn’t meant to come alone. Originally, she had intended to ask Cullen to come with her, visions of being alone for the first time since their stolen first kiss on the battlements outside his office. But those thoughts dissipated like the melting snow in the courtyard after they’d had a spat. It had started with how she was taking unnecessary risks while out in the Emerald Graves to get the cooperation of the Dalish clan there-which she disagreed with and held firm that she was just doing what needed to be done-and ended with him basically kicking her out of his office saying that they obviously needed a few days apart and recommending that she head off to her next location. Keyanna had only taken his advice. She left for her next location. And yes, her friends would have come along, no questions asked. However, they were needed at Skyhold. Blackwell and Leliana were combing over the latest Warden finds; Varric and Hawke were catching up and plotting their next moves; Cassandra was keeping an eye on Cullen for her in regards to the lyrium addiction recovery; Bull and Dorian had made…plans; Solas was spending all his free time talking to Alexius about the time magic; Sera had stepped out for a few days to deal with Red Jenny business; Vivienne was researching her own spell and conferring with Josie about getting the harder to come by components from some of the nobles in Orlais, and had waved Keyanna away with an uninterested glance before the Inquisitor had even opened her mouth. Which was just as well. The only person she had wanted to come with her was Cullen. Heart aching, she waded into the river just upstream from the ruins of her clan. She didn’t feel strong enough to face the remains of her home just yet. Maybe she should have dragged somebody along with her. Varric would have dropped everything at the very least. But it was too late now, and she could only hope that they weren’t too mad at her when she returned. And maybe Cullen had been on to something and there was a kernel of truth in his argument with her trying too hard to get the Dalish to their cause. The clan in the Emerald Graves wasn’t going to replace the clan she lost, but if she could save one more elf from the Venatori, she was going to do whatever she had to do to ensure that they lived. She sank neck deep in the cold, fast moving water, closing her eyes as she ducked under the surface and stayed there for several moments, letting the current wash away her worries and pull her downstream just a touch before she planted her feet deep in the silt and pushed her head back up above the surface of the water. She wondered what everyone was doing back at home. Strange, how Skyhold was more of a home now than the Free Marches were these days. She’d grown up in these lands, but she felt like a stranger or an intruder in this valley that now held the last of her family. With a heavy sigh, she shook her head, wondering if she had made a mistake in coming out here. But she wanted to say goodbye to her family. She figured that even the leader of the Inquisition deserved that much. Scrubbing roughly at her scalp with some of the soap she had packed from Skyhold, she watched fluffy clouds drift lazily across the sky. Staring up at the sky, a thought filtered through her head, flitting about like a butterfly. If she hadn’t gone to the Temple, would she be dead with her family? Or would they have all been ignored

“Keyanna!” A familiar, worried voice rang out, tearing her from her thoughts. It carried a sharpness it didn’t normally have when he said her name. Her dark brows drew together as her head swiveled about, looking for Cullen. He burst through the underbrush not far from where she’d entered the water, her clothes folded just out of his sight behind a large rock. And to his left, her horse stamped its hooves and snorted, its barrel chest heaving as though it had been running alongside him from where she had tied it up. He was too far away for her to make out the details of his face, but she saw the moment he spotted her floating in the water because his whole body sagged in relief. Then, much to her surprise, he shrugged off his mantle, and armor before he waded into the river in just his linen shirt and breeches, face alternating between stormy and relieved until he stood before her and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair as he clung to her. She wrapped her arms around his waist, clutching his sodden shirt and letting her eyes fall closed, even though she knew she was in for the scolding of her life.

“When I said for you to go, I didn’t mean alone,” Cullen began roughly, voice shaking as his hands slid over her wet skin and pulled her impossibly close. “I am so very angry with you,” he said, sounding not a bit angry in the least. He moved his head slightly and pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss before he pulled back slightly and gave her a quick once over as if inspecting her for injuries, hands sliding up to her shoulders where he gripped her hard enough that she would be sporting two hand shaped bruises for a few days. His face slowly became nearly thunderous as he realized she was fine and, okay yes, there was the anger. Keyanna clung to the wet fabric around his hips and met his gaze stubbornly, full lips pursing as she fought not to shrink under his radiating anger and disappointment.

“I needed to see for myself,” she whispered into his chest, eyes on his throat because she couldn’t look him in the eye and watch as his rage morphed into pity. “And I didn’t intend to come out here by myself. Honest.” Her hands slid up to his chest, and she plucked at an invisible piece of lint with one hand as his calloused fingers squeezed her shoulders, then dropped down to her hips as he sighed and pressed his face into her head once more.

“If it hadn’t been for Cole, nobody would have known where you went,” he mumbled into her skin, scruff scraping along the sensitive tip of her ear. “Leliana scattered her scouts as soon as we realized nobody knew where you were and Josie was reaching out to all her nobles to see if anybody had seen you go by.” His throat clicked when he swallowed hard and pulled away slightly in order to try and catch her eye, but Keyanna kept her gaze stubbornly fixed on her fingers. “I was going out of my mind. For days.” Keyanna finally looked him in the eye and saw the exhaustion that sat on his shoulders like his mantle, dark circles set deep under his eyes and the new lines around his mouth that she wanted to wipe away with her fingers. “But Cole-” she began before being cut off by Cullen’s lips. Sighing into the kiss, her eyes slid closed and she swayed further into him, arms sliding up to wrap around his neck and her chest press close to his, wet linen plastering itself to her soaked skin as his hands wrapped around her back.

“He speaks in riddles and it took far to long to understand just what he meant,” he snarled before leaning back in and giving her a series of small pecks on her full lips that felt wonderfully kiss bruised. She pulled back, ready to ask more questions about just how he knew where to find her when Cullen pulled her in closer, holding her tighter. “I don’t want to talk about Cole,” he growled against her lips before diving back in, rougher this time.

[gamesunbound]

PAX Together Intersection Game Library

For those who haven't yet heard, we're partnering with PAX Together to facilitate and support the PAX Together Intersection (PTI) Game Library, next appearing at PAX Unplugged, December 2-4 2022.

The Games Unbound team will be at PAX Unplugged to curate, organize, and facilitate the library. We're working in partnership with the PTI team to collect game submissions and materials for the library, organize playthroughs of games, and be on-site to facilitate games and answer questions.

So how can you participate in the PTI Game Library?

DONATE A GAME

We're accepting donations of tabletop board and roleplaying games. Fill out this Google form to submit a game. You can drop it off at the con, or mail it to the PTI team.

RUN A GAME (as an organization)

Your organization can demo your tabletop board / roleplaying game at the game library. There's open spots available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Fill out this Google form to sign up.

RUN A GAME (as an individual)

Individuals can run a session of your favorite tabletop board or roleplaying game. This can be a came you created, worked on, or just one you love! Open spots are available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Fill out this Google form to sign up.

DONATE MONEY

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COME PLAY WITH US!

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FRIDAY 11:30am - Kids on Hoverboards 1:00pm - Tidebreaker SATURDAY 12:30 - Emerald Templars 3:00pm - Valor SUNDAY 11:00am - History of a Storied Sky 3:00pm - This Is My Final Recording

[blindvogel]

I've recently finished my replay of DAI before Veilguard release and it's interesting what I either forgot in the past ten years or just simply didn't notice as significant. Like the fact that wolf howls lead you up the mountain after Haven to find the rest of the refugees. I like to think that my Lavellan would see the significance, and much later the pain and irony of the situation.

~~~

It is during their third day traversing the Emerald Graves that Ylva spots what she had been looking for, half hidden from view by a copse of trees and other foliage. She considers for a moment if there is an option to sneak away from her traveling party for a moment but then reconsiders given the Red Templar presence in the area. As much as she is not looking forward to the commentary she would hate an ambush even more. So she leads them off the beaten path before gesturing for them to wait. 

"I only need a moment, it won't take long," she says then quickly scurries off before anyone can ask her what this is about. They'll figure it out in a moment anyway as she weaves between the trees until she reaches the worn stone statue of a wolf resting on a low pedestal, his head lowered to look at whoever would approach him. 

She pulls a small bundle out of her pack, wrapped in wool and held together with string, and places it between the paws. An offering that she hopes is adequate for what has been given. 

"Ma melava halani, Fen'harel. Ma serannas lasa ghilan." she says, then looks up at the wolf looking down at her. He is weathered but intact which is a good sign, and what hand had carved him chose to make it just so that his eyes look kind from this angle. She is just tall enough that when she tentatively reaches up she can put her hand on the side of his muzzle. She doesn't know why the Dread Wolf saved her life up on that mountain but she believes in what her Keeper has taught her, what her own interpretation of the myths tells her. And she owes him thanks.

[aurianavaloria]

✨Sicut In Cælo Et In Terra - Chapter 5 ✨

SICEIT has been updated! Check out the new chapter on Ao3 here or at Wattpad here!

They hadn’t walked for long before they came upon more structures that must have been part of the city itself, even outside the walls as they were; among them was some sort of compound, set far off to their right in the shadow of one of the banner-laden towers. It had its own high walls and gate, with several buildings arranged inside, one of which looked to be a small chapel, judging from the shape and the golden cross set atop its spire. Outside this gate, then, stood two more warriors in white, looking very much like the Templars had save for one small difference: the crosses emblazoned upon their chests were a vibrant emerald green instead of red. “The Knights of Saint Lazarus,” Ned elaborated in a low voice, having come up beside her to explain as if he’d read her puzzled mind. “That must be the leprosarium, then.” “Leprosarium?” Tabitha repeated. “Is leprosy a problem here?” Ned gave a tiny nod. “A big one. Big enough to warrant a special place for them.” Her brow furrowed. She recalled Taniel mentioning something about the ruler of this land being a leper, and she concluded that Ned had to be right if not even the king himself could escape it…

Enjoy!

[persephoneggsy]

My canon worldstate for Dragon Age

template here, by @omgkalyppso

ages are as of 9:52 Dragon, which I'm fairly certain is the start date of The Veilguard (but I may be mistaken).

I changed the template a bit since I wasn't really sure how to word "origin" for all three girls, so I changed it to class/specialization.

Lots of misc. information under the cut bc I can't help myself:

I forgot to put it in her actual sheet because I just assumed everyone would assume this, but Fiora is married to Alistair and they rule Ferelden together.

Fiora did the ritual with Morrigan and Alistair. Her reasoning was that it would be easier for Alistair if she was there (and it was), but she was also harboring a crush on Morrigan she knew wouldn't go anywhere, so this was as close as she would get. Alistair was also aware of this, and fine with it. They already had a threesome with Isabela, after all.

Fiora's mabari is named Jorah. In universe I pretend it's the name of a storybook hero she likes. Out of universe he's named for Jorah Mormont from Game of Thrones, which I was obsessed with at the time lol.

Marian really only ever traveled with Fenris, Merrill, Carver, and Sebastian. In Act 1, before Sebastian was available, she used Isabela. She's on lukewarm to awful terms with everyone else. She kicked Anders out fairly early in Act 2.

Varric's nickname for her is "Needles" - small, sharp, and related to both sewing and healing. I wanted to use Stitches but one of Bull’s Chargers already has that name lol.

The ‘small’ part comes from the fact that Marian is 5'2'' - making her the second shortest in the DA2 group aside from Varric, the actual dwarf.

Marian's mabari is named Brick, because she found him abadoned in a pile of bricks near an unfinished house by Lothering. Out of universe, he's named for Brick from the Borderlands series, who I've always thought looked like if a mabari was human.

Hildegarde's hair was originally a chestnut brown, but interacting directly with the orb/going physically through the Fade changed it to white. She doesn't realize this until someone points it out to her fter she's named Herald of Andraste. Her eyes, already green, become a more vivid shade matching that of the Rifts. She hates these changes.

Varric's nickname for her is Bunny - she's very skittish and anxious, plus the white hair.

The mabari that Cullen finds in Orlais is named Lapin. The Orlesian who owned him named him that, so it's what he responds to. Cullen finds it amusing that Lapin means "rabbit", the animal people tend to associate with Hildegarde. He jokes that surely it was a sign from the Maker that Cullen and Hilde were meant to take him in.

Hildegarde reforms the Inquisition as Divine Victoria's peacekeeping force. She serves as Vivienne's right hand woman, dividing her time between that and helping Cullen run his clinic for lyrium-addicted templars. They live in Val Royeaux, but own homes in the now peaceful Emerald Graves and Emprise du Lion.

By the time of DA: The Veilguard, they all have children. Fiora and Alistair have a daughter named Bryce (7 years old); Marian and Sebastian have twins, Davinia and Dominic (10 years old) and Marian is currently pregnant with their third child; Hildegarde and Cullen have two children, a son named Ethan (6 years old) and a daughter named Hannelore (4 years old). They'll have three more kids after The Veilguard's story (as long as BioWare doesn't kill the Inquisitor...).

[v-arbellanaris]

as an anonymous and mysterious spokesman of the people i would like to hear a refresher on ur lavellans <3 such as their classes and specialisations and who they romance and ummm whatever u consider to be their single most character-defining decision in the game

ohohoho mysterious person, you're asking for lavellan propaganda?? WELL!!!

the first lavellan i came up with was mahanon lavellan, first of clan lavellan. he is very tall, tanned, broad - green-eyed and white-haired; he and his twin sister ellana are "fade-touched", born while clan lavellan made a journey through the emerald graves, being a nomadic clan. han is a somniari and ellana is incredibly fade sensitive herself. seeing as he was caught by templars when he was about 14, it was something he struggled to keep under control and a secret - the templars had enough reason to want him tranquil, without knowing he could kill them in their sleep. whilst in the ostwick circle, han befriended - or rather, was bullied into befriending, another mage by the name of isra trevelyan. she held fast to shem nonsense, even as the self-loathing of it ate her alive, but luckily han was much more knowledgeable about these things, and shared what he knew of the truth of magic and the fade with her. in return for this knowledge, she used what influence she had in the circle to keep him safe. it took an absurd amount of time for han to realise she barely had any influence in the circle, and exactly what these actions cost her - and by then he did, to his own frustration, admire her and care for her quite deeply. in the circle, they were close and affectionate - as affectionate & romantic as circle mages dared to be, anyway - but when the ostwick circle fell, isra chose to stay behind to destroy the phylacteries and han promised to help their friends get out of ostwick alive. when isra didn't rejoin them, han left to find his own clan, at wycome, which is where he stayed until the news of the kirkwall uprising reached them, and the subsequent mage rebellion and conclave. as inquisitor, han is deeply committed to justice, empathy and honesty - principles he sticks to, aggressively, even when confronted by orlais' game. he simply refuses to play, content to leave such things to those who know how to do so, like leliana, or isra, -- or briala, as seen when he gives her everything she needs to rule orlais from the shadows. han lavellan is elven, he is dalish, and he refuses to let anyone forget it or ignore it - he pursues elven knowledge and history, with the intent of reclaiming it for elves. it's probably unsurprising he specialises as a knight-enchanter, reclaiming elven techniques and blending them with his own keeper magic. he doesn't romance anyone, and is most looking forward to returning to his clan after everything is over.

my second lavellan is marya, a hunter of clan lavellan - cousin to han, but there's nothing special about her, really. she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. clan politics and relationships with outsiders were for deshanna and han to manage - marya's job was making sure outsiders didn't come close to camp, and that they had enough supplies, and help find any mischievous halla who made for the hills to coaxe them to come back. even her weapon, a bow, is designed to help her keep her distance. her specialisation, assassin, lets her melt into shadows, unseen. one day, she is only marya, and the next, she is the herald of andraste, and then the inquisitor. in the beginning, she's utterly convinced she's being kept hostage with a very long leash, and isn't particularly aware that she has any options - she listens to the council, and noticed they're leaning towards talking to the templars, and so that's where she goes. she conscripts them, uneasy because she's run into templars before and they're never good news for the clan - did you hear that templars in kirkwall wiped out a whole clan at sundermount? - but she doesn't realise until later that she would have been allowed to express that she'd prefer to work with the mages. the politics of thedas often escapes her, and she's disconnected from the world wround her, isolated by her identity - the situation in orlais is presented as a lovers' spat, and she so reconciles them, as you would any pair of lovers, not realising exactly who was responsible for the purge of the halamshiral alienage. the one comfort she held to, the one familiarity, was solas; the way he talked felt familiar and comforting, his knowledge and wisdom, and how he broke it down for her was deeply reassuring, and she became so steadily enamoured by his wonder at the world. where everything was uncertain, being around him felt like he pulled her forward, and made her real. the anchor changed everything about her, bleaching her hair from dark to light, her eyes from brown to an eerie purple, and when he told her to truth of her vallaslin, she declined having it removed when it was all that was left of her, but asked him to come with her to the arlathven, to talk to the clans together. and that's what it's felt like ever since, really - a huge painful truth she begs him to shoulder with her, to allow her to carry with him.

ANYWAY ENJOY UR PROPAGANDA

[felassan]

just belatedly realized that these symbols on the arm of the recent new Solas Jawbone t-shirt merch item are shown on the Hermit tarot.

Sun and Moon are fairly self-explanatory, still interesting in the elvhen lore context though as you have Mythal, the All-Mother, born of the sea (so a moon & tides connection) and creator of the moon - and opposite her Elgar'nan (Eldest of the Sun), whose father was the sun and whose mother was the earth. so in the cosmology it's like, Mythal-sea-moon / Elgar'nan-earth-sun. also interesting given the solar and lunar presence in the new cinematic, and given stuff like the Emergent Compendium:

two shadowed spheres among stars / an eclipse as Fen'Harel stirred

stirring - rising. and in the new cinematic the Golden/Black City is within one sphere, while there's another solid golden sphere just above it.

the other two symbols look like a representation of water/waves and four stones, so along with sun and moon we have stone/land/earth and water/sea. but this is Dragon Age, and given the dichotomy between the waking world and the Fade, the mundane and the magical, reality and unreality, immutable and flowing.. I think Stone/Titans and the Fade? consuming lyrium, the blood of Titans (the "pillars of the earth"), allows Templars to "reinforce" reality, and meanwhile that wavy pattern has been used to show magicky stuff like the Well of Sorrows in Solas' Skyhold rotunda paintings, and we also have stuff like "the sea of dreams" (Tevinter Nights), the "emerald waters of the Fade" and "Mythal gives you dreams". so its like. the whole or a whole cosmology u know? Sun, Moon, Stone/Titans and Fade/spirits/magic/dreams. it once was in balance, but it is no longer.