#reference: dwarves

[exhausted-archivist]

Lore: Titans

What we know about titans is little and sparse pre-DA4. Somethings that we do know about them are:

Also known as "the pillars of the earth"

They created the dwarves, they are potentially "The Stone" that dwarves refer to.

Alternatively the titans themselves are children of "The Stone", but created the dwarves. They consider the dwarves to be their children.

Lyrium comes from titans, it is considered to be their "blood".

The titans emanate a song from lyrium, it is different from the Blight.

Titans use earthquakes to shape the earth, they also previously used "Shapers" to carve valleys into the earth.

Their size is so vast it is impossible to describe it according to Valta. They're large enough to support life within themselves, from plants to dwarves like the Sha-Brytol.

Titans enable the dwarves to have a hive mind connection with it and others.

History

At least one titan has been killed by the Evanuris - specifically Mythal. Though it is suggested that it was multiple titans.

Ancient elves mined the bodies of titans' for lyrium, but out of fear, they eventually sealed them with stone and magic. They cited that "what the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would destroy all in its anger."

Before the Dragon Age, the last time a titan was known to be awake was -1170 Ancient. Before the fall of Arlathan and before the First Blight. Both instances were the same titan.

After -1170 Ancient there is no mention of the titans in Orzammar's memories. Though there are two texts that mention titans, they predate the First Blight.

Orzammar became the capital of the dwarven kingdom after the titan awoke in -1170 Ancient.

Known Titans

We only have the confirmed location (specific or general) of two titans.

Heidrun Thaig - it is the focus of the entire Descent DLC

Orlais - It is a super general and non-specified location but it is mentioned on the handle of Tug's axe that "The Stone lives beneath Orlais." It is also mentioned by the Nexus Golem in da2 in the Abandoned Thaig. Given that the stone is a reference to titans, we know there is one somewhere in Orlais.

Theoretical Titans

These are locations for titans that are mostly theory and locations I've seen others in the fandom talk about.

Temple of Sacred Ashes - I have seen this one floating around and I have some doubts. Mostly since we don't really know how big titans are, we can't rule out that it is the same titan as the one under Heidrun Thaig. Which, considering they can cause earthquakes and are described as impossibly vast, more so than a giant or a high dragon, they're erring on the side of large for sure. Coupled with Valta saying she wanders through the body of the titan for an unknown amount of time and hasn't seen all of it, only adds to just how inexplicably large it is. Along with that, if you keep with the scale of Ferelden being the size of England then from the thaig to the temple is only a 16 day journey (240 miles/386.24 km). Adding on the scaling math I have for the depth of Heidrun - being deeper than Mariana's Trench - the Titan could very well stretch that far.

Primeval Thaig - If this was indicative of a titan location, let alone being tainted, I feel that there would have been a discovery of red lyrium so much sooner. We know how infectious that stuff is, how impossible it is to destroy and how rapidly it grows. Not only is the thaig not deep enough to be directly connected to the titan, but it was completely sealed off to prevent it spreading. That said, I do think there is a possible titan under the Vimmark mountains. So far the only titan we have a definite location on is underneath mountains. Considering they cause seismic activity, I can definitely see one slumbering under there.

Anvil of the Void - This one does seem a bit plausible to me depending on where you put the thaig. This post by @/wyrdsistersofthedas explains the plausibility quite nicely. It is a bit tinfoil-y as is anything about dwarves and titans at this point. Especially when the source is dao and with how much BioWare has set aside in terms of lore. In essence though, Cariden's anvil is connected and supplied by a massive lyrium vein. His anvil and its location is also the only location where the creation of golems has resulted in functional creations. The rest went wrong or were driven mad in some way. The golems Branka is making from the Casteless in DAI if you give her the anvil are still consistently failing.

Sternann Peak, Anderfel - There is a lyrium mine out here near the town of Geltberg. Which also implies that there is a thaig as well. Whether this is run by Orzammar dwarves or the Carta is unclear.

Beneath the elven crossroads - The lyrium mines in Trespasser might be connected to an entirely different titan or the aforementioned titan beneath Orlais. It is unclear where the the spaces you go through the crossroads even are.

Cryptic Comments From Cole and Keiran

Cole

"It's singing. A they that's an it that's asleep, but still making music."

"Their ancient shapers were mountains drawn of all their wills, walking their memories into valleys of the world".

"They made bodies from the earth, and the earth was afraid. It fought back, but they made it forget."

Keiran

"But you can't be taller. Not without the titans."

Titan Tidbits and Theories

Cole implies that templars have established a connection with the titans through their use of lyrium when asked for his opinion on the templars. Solas also echos this by describing how templar abilities work, that they pull in the reality of the world around them to shut out magic.

Though this doesn't quite explain Seeker abilities, the use of they lyrium brand and the touch of a spirit may forge a different kind of connection.

Cole comments on how "They (ancient elves) made bodies from the earth, and the earth was afraid. It fought back, but they made it forget." This suggests that maybe the original elves who are implied to be originally spirits, made bodies out of the titans (earth) and that this is one thing that instigated the war between titans and the evanuris. Though this is a speculative interpretation of what he means.

In the tabletop it is implied that in the past, the thaigs were carved from living rock - potentially the titans.

The dwarves of the elder days filled the thaigs, large open caverns beneath the earth, living in great cities carved from the living rock.

Adding to the above point, we see two instances where the old gods' prisons were under/nearby dwarven thaigs. In the Shimmer Stone Mine in the Western Approach and the Dead Trenches near the Ortan Thaig where Urthemiel amassed his army. If the oldest thaigs were carved from titans, it brings to question if the old gods were buried before or after the dwarven kingdom started building their thaigs given the "newer" thiags are above the old god prisons, and the prisons are above the titans.

If the old gods were buried after the start of the dwarven kingdom, which would be after the fall of the titans, it brings to question if the old gods are connected to Arlathan and the founding of the dwarven kingdom, and if this was one of the relics of the ancient dwarf and elf emipire collaborations mentioned in the tabletop that was forgotten about. Sandwiching them between titans and thaigs for safeguarding.

[chocmarss]

Reading The High Republic means I get to learn new Togruta things:

Their handshake is clasping each other’s wrists, as opposed to the normal handshaking or even the Mando version of clasping each other’s arms.

Their head of state is their Queen, who’s formally known as the Most High Regasa and Supreme Huntress of the United Tribes. She’s known as sovereign of the Togruta government, and is also the planetary leader of Shili. Very powerful. Very cool.

Like all new languages, the first thing I learned about Togruti is a swear word, which shouldn’t be as funny as it should, but I was snickering when the Captain of the Royal Guard basically cussed out the enemy and called them a bunch of fuckers.

I mean look at this

His queen is in danger and the dude’s had enough.

[beatx-mavie-archangelx]

"The Hobbit, or There and Back again"?

more like

"The Hobbit, or Bilbo Baggins and the 13 dwarfs"

[hugedwarflover]

I finally finished making this after wasting more than a month on it, even though I had all the time in the world to be able to finish it in only a day or two, but whatever. I obviously wanted to draw these two for Pride Month. For my Always Sunny AU, this is a reference to the episode when Mac and Dennis are pretending to be real estate agents who are also a couple. Both this show and The 7D are definitely very different shows, one being very family-friendly while the other is not. The 7D is, of course, an underrated show, and even though Always Sunny has been airing for almost 20 years, it is still underrated to me, at least.

[thunderboltfire]

Whew, that lamellar armor was something. Anyway, here's Haart's ref! The charred discoloration on his palms is a side-effect of concentrated magic energy flowing through his hands. It comes and goes and becomes more and less severe in random intervals. Also I couldn't find a way to fit his tower shield into the ref. *heavy sigh*

Anyway, I've uploaded him to Artfight too. The main team is complete!

[invinciblerodent]

i've not seen anyone post this with a dwarf before now, but jesus. jesus christ. jesus fucking christ.

(love how the others just stand there and watch intently as their friends make out and cuddle for a solid minute.)

(Gale is kneeling there, with his nice robes soaked in gross magical brain-juice and with armor clipping through his forehead, and they're just. watching.)

[nemxricultrix]

I had to leave the city. There are things there that the eyes shouldn't see, the things behind lamp posts, that pretend to be lampposts, that are lampposts and those that eat your shadow when you're not aware of it and it hurts to watch

The woods, the mountains have much more ancient things. The beasts from beyond that wander here are much more accustomed to mortals, having watched them scratch themselves out of the primordial madness when the gods willed it. Felt they blood, felt their sweat, their tears. Watched them since the beginning. They only attack when you threaten them, and even then, you have to dig deep to disturb the Ones That Slumbered Eons. Deeper than man, mer, or der can dig. You need to raze the ancient trees of the oldest places to even distract Those Of The Wood from their musings on existence. That's too say little of Those That Came Before.

Alas, I still see the shadow eaters in my home town. But less of them. Instead I fuss with the eyes of the Tindalons in the corners of my room, but they seem to go away after a while.

At least Miss Murya still makes the really good corn battered sausages and loaves of bread.

[ithrilyann]

Dwarwen props (from ‘The Hobbit Chronicles: Cloaks and Daggers):

- Oin’s apothecary bag

- Ori’s pack and drawing kit

- Bifur’s beard care props

- Dwalin’s and Dori’s bone combs, Nori’s knife

- pipes and knives

[birdyboyfly]

Rewatching Once Upon a Time and apparently most of the dwarves are aromantic so thats cool I guess

[mundanememorize]

taz is back on my brain and i wanted to draw smth easy about how i personally draw and differentiate the elves in it ^_^

[jadewestwriter]

THERE'S TOLKIEN CODED DWARF METAL

I'm loosing my shit

it's metal, but dwarf, so like even more dwarf! There's even jokes about it being called Mithril😭 The band is called Windrose, and that's the only kind of metal music I've ever really liked.

But like "Diggy Diggy Hole"? "There and Back Again", "The King Under The Mountain"? This is fantastic

[beatx-mavie-archangelx]

“dear Mahal, did you mean for dwarves to look like that or was it an accident.”

[hugedwarflover]

Doc: You convince yourself that you're tough, and that you're straight.

Grumpy: I am tough.

[ervona]

also need to talk more about my dwarf girls here they're kind of a package deal but I'm not so sure how they end up meeting on their adventures. I'm going to be playing each of them in nwn + 2 as I'm still playing Daggerford with Thistle and Moonsea with Glora so I'll give them even more adventures. they don't have as much drama going on as some of my other characters for now I'm still looking for their fatal flaws. the stat spread I've given Glora is begging me to minmax a bit so maybe I will make her low dex. I had a clumsy knight back in the day

[danielnelsen]

Hey first I want to say that I really like your in depth posts on Dragon Age! Can I ask if you have any information and/or insights on the Jainen Circle from Legends? And do you think it's canon?

Everything That Happens Involving the Jainen Circle of Magi:

The First Enchanter is Jendrik whenever DAL is set (it's canonically sometime after the start of the 5th blight, but imo it's more specifically set somewhere from 9:34-9:37).

Sometime before you arrive in Jainen, the Circle is overrun by demons.

The leader of the local dragon cultists, Deymour, sends his lieutenant, Guillen, to kill Jendrik. If you head too far into Jainen without going to the Circle, Jendrik will die, otherwise you save him. If you save him, he's too wounded to help you so he just...leaves, I guess. He doesn't get any dialogue or a sprite or anything.

When you fight through the Circle, you fight both templars and mages (who are fighting together). I don't think you fight any demons until the very end, which has one desire demon as a boss.

The source of the demon(s) is Deymour who, as part of the overarching plot of DAL, is hosting a shard of a pride demon's soul in him. It's not explicitly stated that he summoned the demon(s), but his whole pride demon thing and also his general involvement (asking Guillen to kill Jendrik) is a pretty good indicator.

No matter the outcome, none of this is ever mentioned again.

Is the Jainen Circle Canon?

Nothing from DAL is canon.

That said, most of the game can be stretched to fit into canon (even Eiton being 'born Tranquil', fight me), and the Jainen Circle isn't any less realistic than anything else in DAL. Honestly, the main potential conflicts with canon are probably:

The times when we've been told how many circles there are (either 14 or 15; it's not even consistent). There are more than that listed on the wiki, even without including Jainen. However, quite a few of those Circles only have references from hundreds of years ago and may not exist anymore, so even 14 is enough to include Jainen as one of them.

Kinloch Hold is generally discussed in canon as THE Circle in Ferelden, replacing Denerim's Circle in 3:87. Maybe Jainen's just smaller or too remote or something, idk.

[alhavaradawnstar]

*gelebor voice* I don't know what a dunmer is and at this point I'm too afraid to ask