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janehaster · 5 months

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Dreadwolf won't be centered around Solas

Dreadwolf's big reveal won't be Solas' plan.

It'll be the Titans. More accurately, their connection to Arlathan, the Golden City and the true source of its magic.

The big magical mystery revealed in Inquisition - actually, in Descent - wasn't the Elvhen empire. We already knew the elves made a magical empire where they were immortal.

Sure, we were hit with a few surprises, like the fact that the elven magisters thrived due to slavery, to enslaving their own people.

Other surprises were: part of the empire was located in the realm of dreams, immortality ended with the creation of the Veil, spirits served the elven magisters, etc.

But the biggest reveal was the DEATH OF A TITAN. And by the hand of an elven magister, no less.

By now, every DA player knows about it. And how the afresco where it is presented is in a secret area. As if hidden on purpose.

Add to that Kieran's mysterious lines about ancient magic and a time before the Chantry, such as the ominous line to the dwarven origin Inquisitor - you can't be taller. Not without the Titans - and Shaper Valta's discovery of a living Titan, plus how she broke the age old taboo that dwarves cannot cast magic and you have one of the biggest magical mysteries of Dragon Age.

There are several other indications that Titans will take center stage in DA:D (such a weird acronym):

One, the arrangement of the eluvians around a water pool in the Well of Sorrows mirrors the shape of the Titan's core, where its beating heart is located and where we fight the Guardian. This means the kings and priests of Arlathan were aware of the existence of Titans and where their heart lay. They likely traveled inside a Titan for some unknown purpose. And if they did, they learned that the Titan is the source of magic, and that their blood is a way for you to acquire magical powers, even open portals to other realms, such as the Fade and possibly...the Beyond and the Void.

Two, plenty of codexes show the Titans were destroying the cities of the People. For what purpose, we do not know. But the discovery of Titan magic hints that magisters may have mined their bodies for lyrium, angering the stone giants, which lead to Mythal having to kill a Titan.

Three, we find a strange poem in the Fade in DA:I that hints at creatures of same nature being sundered, tainted, asleep and enduring while they wait for the moment to awake. There's every reason to believe they are the Titans, and that the Sundering might refer to when the Veil was created and they lost their connection to the Fade.

Four, Shaper Valta's fate teaches us that dwarves were actually made Tranquil for some reason since their connection to Titans was severed. The reason for it may be the creation of the Veil by Solas' hand.

I want to call your attention to parts three and four because I believe this is the most important fact we know so far: the Sundering, caused by the creation of the Veil was felt by the Titans and turned all dwarves Tranquil.

We never see this said directly in the game because not even the dwarves are aware of it. They completely forgot that part of their history. It's not recorded in the Shaperate, and Shaper Valta hints that the implications of it are quite severe. The entire early period of dwarven history was erased, and it revealed the existence of the Titans and their role in Thedas in the time of Arlathan.

Hence why I believe Dreadwolf will inevitably reveal this big truth, this missing big chunk of Thedosian lore, one that is behind the secret of Arlathan's magic, Elvhen immortality, the true nature of the Golden CIty, of the Fade, the Beyond and the Void.

Once the Veil is no more, the Titans may possibly awake from their slumber. They will be fully connected to the dreaming world, and that can have terrible consequences to the physical aspect of Thedas. If they awaken, they might destroy entire continents, kill millions, entire kingdoms may disappear overnight. They can literally reshape the surface of Thedas. Hence why I believe the consequences of Solas' actions will be apocalyptic. And he's fully aware of it.

As he states to the Inquisitor, as the world burns in the raw chaos, I will rebuild it. What he doesn't mention is that the chaos will be caused not by the arrival of demons or even the Evanuris, but by the cataclysmic actions of the Titans.

I'm really curious to see the full impact of this revelation on a dwarven protag and if they will suddenly develop magical powers once the Titans awaken...

#dragon age #dragon age 4 #dreadwolf #dragon age dreadwolf #dragon age speculation #da: dreadwolf #dreadwolf theory #dragon age theory #solas #solas dragon age #dwarves #titans dragon age #arlathan #golden city #theory

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kirstinetheartist · 1 year

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Finally got the bark-eater's nose right 🌿

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roguescorner · 1 month

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PC’s from Arlathan DnD!! Cant wait for nothing bad to ever happen to them or the elves ever

#art #dnd #my art #dragonage #dragon age #Arlathan #dragon age dnd #dragon age inquisition #dai #dragon age oc

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lethendralis-paints · 1 year

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Had the absolute pleasure painting another commission for @fairfaxleasee, this time featuring her charismatic OC Ayala and Abelas from Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Loved working on this scene, depicting them both enjoying a hot spring in Arlathan!

This was my first time doing a full piece in CSP too! I think I've gotten used to it now and I love the painting utikities there! Still struggling with the technical aspects, like filters, textures and file exporting tho.

Let me know what you think!

#my art #fan art #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #art commission #original character #abelas #arlathan #украрт #укртумбочка

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echoes-sounds · 5 months

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Fen’Harel and Elgar’nan (in that respective order) - Ruthlessness: Epic

This only took me like 30 minutes, but this song gave me a brain worm so I rushed to make it fr

Elgar’nan concept art

I’ve been neglecting my tumblr, my bad ya’ll

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #art #dai #dragon age dreadwolf #dreadwolf #Elgar’nan #Fen’Harel #solas #Elvhenan #Arlathan #ancient elves

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frelynart · 1 year

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A study of rendering gold, an Arlathan-inspired outfit

#dragon age #dragon age fanart #dragon age art #art #lavellan #da art #da:i #arlathan #dai #illustration #fantasy #digital artist #darhya lavellan #myart

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thekingofwinterblog · 10 months

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So, i see a lot of anger in the Dragon Age fandom regarding the Evanuris turning out to not be real gods/being evil, and it being planned from the start.

I don't think the reveal was handled particularly well(Like most dalish reveals in DAI)... But I very much disagree with the notion that it was a retcon, not planned out, and there were no hints at all.

This is a statue of Falo'din, one of said elvhen gods, as portrayed in dragon age origins.

And this is the kind of imagery you will find all over darkspawn lairs as they constantly build shrines to this image.

The same image is also raised in a secret blood mage tevinter cult in Denrim...

And in the same house you will also find statues that are similarly revered by the blood mage cultists that are flat out Falo'din statues. Only with more hands.

And when we see concept art for how the arch demon was supposed to look like we have the key that ties all these statues and imagery thats worshipped by three different people together.

Urthemiel, the dragon of beauty, the fifth Old God to be awakened by the Darkspawn, is Falo'din, the Elvhen God of death and fortune.

And in case you still aren't convinced, notice the giant gold plate that all of these(except the Dragon form of Urthemiel) has on it's forehead?

This is the symbol later games gave Urthemiel.

The foreshadowing and evidence that the Elven gods were not what they appeared, but were evil and on top of that was the old gods, was there from day one.

I do wish they had handled this better, and given some more context and clues when the obvious form of the Archdemon(and the implications it had) was changed, but its abundantly clear that when they designed the first game, they really did want to make the ultimate plot twist rather obvious.

I really wish they had stuck with that foreshadowing, rather than keep their secrets tight to the chest all the way until tresspasser. There were so many times they could have foreshadowed this connection between the evanuris and the old gods before that, but they chose not to, in order to keep the twist as long as possible, rather than using foreshadowing to enhance the story.

#dragon age #falo'din #evanuris #old gods #archdemon #archdemons #dragon age origins #urthemiel #arlathan #tevinter imperium

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misculenica · 2 years

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Solas; the petulant child

"You have waylaid all his other plans. Now, as a petulant child, he will destroy the game board rather than admit defeat. Be ready for anything. He still believes himself a god, and gods do not fall gracefully."

We all presume (likely correctly) that Solas is referring to the Evanuris when he talks about Corytheus after you prompt him; how they acted, and how their actions would have destroyed the world.

What if he was actually referring to himself as the petulant child who destroyed the board instead of admitting defeat, not the Evanuris?

Solas himself described his 'younger self' as a hotblooded and cocky know-it-all. (And given he -presumably- got drunk and pissed magic in his past, that only adds to the not-so-great/immature former self). He wasn't really that great a person.

And then, take into account;

Elgar'nan, Falon'Din, Dirthamen, Andruil, Ghilan'nain, Sylaise, June.

7 Evanuris (the most powerful beings -at the time- in existence), all working against Fen'Harel. What chance did he really have against all 7 of them, especially after they killed Mythal?

Solas was losing the war/rebellion. And we assume he created the veil as a 'last resort' to seal the gods away to protect the world. What if he wasn't motivated by a sense of 'must protect people/the world' and it was more 'if I can't win, neither can you'? I don't think he really intended to survive severing the world's ties to the Fade.

We know from the story about Falon'Din that he spread war to garner more followers, to the point where all the other Evanuris had to step in, and 'bloodied him in his own temple' to get him to stop. It's not so far of a stretch to say they would do the same to Fen'Harel, given he's taking their slaves/giving them freedom and has been a general pain in their asses for ages.

They beat him in all of his plans, backed him into a corner. But he still had one last thing he could do; create the veil, and destroy their world (everything in the time of Arlathan ran on magic, and without that... It crumbled, it died - the board was destroyed).

And Fen'Harel was forever remembered as the god of betrayal, the reason the elves became enslaved and impoverished and mortal. The Dread Wolf fell disgracefully, remembered not for his wisdom, but for his petulance and his trickery.

And Solas had to deal with the consequences for thousands of years "in dark and dreaming sleep", unable to do anything to impact the 'real' world outside the Fade, except speak to dreamers/spirits and experience only memories of what's going on 'outside', knowing that everything he accomplished was torn down, and his people are now going extinct, all while he sleeps with nothing but whispers and his own thoughts - for thousands of years.

Imagine how much that would kill you inside, knowing that all of it was your fault, and those thousands of years of suffering and contemplation were your own doing? You can't even be mad about it, not at anybody but yourself.

But you can undo it.

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ekalita-blr · 16 days

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Ancient Elvhenan mermaid🧜

#dragon age #dainquisition #dragon age fanart #lavellan #ancient elven inquisitor #inquisitor lavellan #da ocs #arlathan #dai #dragonage #Thia Da'halla Lavellan #mermay #mermay 2024 #mermaid art #mermaid #elvhenan

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janehaster · 10 days

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Mythal and Solas: Could both be lying, selfish bastards?

I'm not convinced Mythal was the victim of a plot by the Evanuris to murder her, as she claims. She could be lying about the circumstances of her demise, as well as about many other things, such as her image as Saviour of the People. No, no, hear me out before throwing rocks at me. I promise this will be interesting:

We don't know what happened in the time of Arlathan. The idol shows "a crowned figure" in terrible pain with her followers, and that's it. And by making a blood magic ritual, you can open a rift in the Fade that leads you to a place guarded by presumably a Pride demon in the shape of a wolf - we know it's Pride because a Spirit of Wisdom possesses many eyes and is the only one that turns into Pride - and that many people have speculated to be the Black City, the Seat of the Maker, the Center of All Creation, etc

Mythal claims she was betrayed and murdered. Solas also states the Evanuris killed her. But WHO orchestrated the whole thing? And who carried out the deed? And most importantly, WHY?

Now, Mythal is presented as this motherly figure, one that takes care of people and represents justice. But as we learned from the DA games, the stories about the Evanuris are all wrong. They're not Gods or Creators. They were Elven Magisters whose society thrived due to slavery and oppression. They were selfish and cruel, with Solas even stating one of them enjoyed blood sacrifices to their name.

Now tell me: where did Mythal's stories originate from? Not from the People. The records that exist and that told her past are the same fairy tale that the Dalish used to learn about their other gods.

And Solas is the only person who lived in ancient times that the Inquisitor knows. If he speaks well of her, then players will assume we have no choice but to believe him. However, we do know he was quite fond of her. Hell, they could even be lovers. And what lover is going to badmouth someone they miss and still care about?

"But you gotta take into account ALL that Flemeth did for the HoF and for Hawke! She's a good person! She helped our characters survive! She SAVED the HoF from that tower and carried Hawke all the way to Gwaren!"

Did she, now?

Do you remember exactly what Flemeth did in the past two games? Origins and Exodus (aka DA 2)? Let me help you remember:

In Origins, she doesn't help the Wardens. Not really. She was in dragon form. If she wanted, she could have decimated most of the darkspawn horde from above. Hell, she could have probably plucked both Duncan and King Cailan from the battlefield if she wanted. Yes, the darkspawn are evil and the taint is contagious, but who tf would mess with a dragon? I bet they give even an Ogre pause.

But no, she took the easier route and saved the two Wardens that were farthest from the battlefield and stayed out of harm's way.

What does she do, then? Being a powerful mage, one that could probably keep the HoF alive through most of their journey and make sure we don't die or become horribly maimed along the way?

She sends her daughter instead. And a daughter that, for reasons that become clear later in the game, has plenty of reasons not to trust her.

Now here is where Mythal's intentions become clear.

She doesn't accompany us not because she's old, since her age doesn't hamper her AT ALL, as proven when you choose to battle her and when she wipes out the darkspawn horde attacking the Hawke family in Exodus' prologue. She sends Morrigan because she's using her daughter to recover something of HERS. The piece of soul stored within the Archdemon likely belongs to her. She retrieves that piece through Morrigan.

In short, she risks her own daughter's life for SELFISH reasons. Morrigan learns Flemeth has MANY daughters, scattered across the world. And she's not wrong when she says her mother uses them when it's convenient.

Now get this: Morrigan clearly tells her mother "she's not ready" when Flemeth suggests she accompany the Wardens on their mission. You can hear in Morrigan's wavering voice how fearful she is of what her mother is asking her to do. Nonetheless, Flemeth insists Morrigan must go, under the guise of helping the Wardens, who "desperately" need her help.

Turns out in the end of Origins you DON'T actually need Morrigan's help!

You really don't.

What happens if you refuse to perform the Dark Ritual with Morrigan? Why, you or your Warden companion die while fighting the Archdemon. You vanquish evil and hurray, the day is saved! Flemeth doesn't get what she needs, her piece of soul dies with the dragon and the 5th Blight ends.

So how come Flemeth helped you in Origins, eh? She didn't, pal. Morrigan doesn't know shite about the taint, she doesn't know of any magic capable of shielding you or your companions from the contagious blood of the darkspawn you kill in your travels, she doesn't even know how you're supposed to win against the Archdemon! She DOES know about the Warden's little secret, but she doesn't know ANY magic that could easily defeat it. No, you have to fight your way through and beat the shit out of that dragon until it's actually dead. And that's it.

"But, but...she RESCUED you from the tower! She SAVED you from the darkspawn horde at Ostagar!"

You're forgettting something, pal. She NEEDED a Warden for her daughter to successfully perform the Dark Ritual. No Warden, no sex ritual, no reclaiming her soul piece. Again, she's using people - her daughter, in this case - to accomplish her own selfish ends.

Now let's look at Exodus.

Flemeth shows up and saves Hawke from a darkspawn horde. Granted, she didn't need to do it. HOW-E-VER, she did.

Remember the magical medallion/necklace/thingy she asks Hawke to take to Marethari, the leader of the elven clan staying at Sundermount?

She needed someone to take her precious Horcrux all the way up there. So she USES Hawke after doing something that would make them indebted to her. She saves their life and then names her price: take the medallion to the mountain.

Not only do we become agents of her will, she also flat out refuses to explain anything to us by being cryptic and speaking in metaphors.

And just what the hell did she have to do in Sundermount, so close to Kirkwall? What was so damn important?

Something tells me she was watching Morrigan from afar, discreetly following her to see what became of Kieran (she does mention her daughter when you speak to her)...but that's just speculation on my part.

Now let's take a look at Inquisition, and how it all comes together.

Flemeth is instrumental in helping the Inquisitor win against Corypheus. When Morrigan doesn't drink from the Vir Abelasan, it's Flemeth who teaches them how to summon a dragon in the fight (rather than becoming one, a skill only someone trained in it, like Morrigan, could dominate).

We also enter Mythal's temple in the Arbor Wilds and learn there are still elves SUBJECTED TO HER WILL.

I write this part of the sentence in capital letters for two major reasons:

This relates to how Cole, a spirit, was supposed to turn into a demon by remaining unprotected from Corypheus, and, therefore, subjected to his will. Mages are able to submit spirits in that fashion. And it seems the Evanuris found a way to do the same to non-spirits!

Notice how the elves all wear vallaslin at Mythal's temple, which means something very important and that probably went completely unnoticed: that Mythal MADE them wear blood writing on their face and that they were not free.

Read that again.

The elves like Abelas were not servants. THEY WERE SLAVES TO MYTHAL.

Remember how Solas removed the vallaslin from slaves who wished to be free? And why did he perform that ritual? Was that symbolic?

The answer is no. There's more to Solas' ritual than just represent freedom.

The reason is because the Evanuris likely mind controlled their slaves THROUGH BLOOD MAGIC.

The vallaslin likely contained blood from the Evanuris. And through that blood they subjected their slaves to their will.

"But we KNOW that's not HOW Mythal controlled her servants! What about drinking from the Well and Solas saying you were now bound to Mythal? What then?"

My dear reader, drinking from the Well doesn't make you obey her because that is done through the vallaslin. Drinking from the Well means you absorbed the souls of all the previous Mythal priests and are now bound to THEIR will, thus forcing you to obey her as well, even against your own will!

That's what Solas was warning you against. That's why the Inquisitor IMO should NEVER drink that shit. Especially after we learn the Inquisitor is one of the few people aware of Solas' insane plan.

So what was the point in Flemeth helping the Inquisitor in that mad fight?

Truth be told, Flemeth's role wasn't very clear in Inquisition. She was supposed to make an appearance at the temple and be betrayed by Solas (really, now, Mythal has a history of being betrayed several times over...).

Other than that, her appearance was meant to conclude her arc since Origins, by making her finally find Kieran and transfer her soul to him, turning him into the true inheritor, which was her plan from the start. A plan which Morrigan aborts and, surprisingly, which leads her mother to just...give up. Flemeth walks away and doesn't mind about her own fate anymore. She lets Solas steal Mythal's life flame and accepts her own demise.

HOW-E-VER...

We do get a glimpse of her true intentions in Mythal's warm family reunion.

You see, when asked by the Inquisitor why she's doing all this, Flemeth states it's "for a reckoning that will shake the very heavens". That's when she goes on a tirade about how she was betrayed, as the world was betrayed and how she carried Mythal through the ages, "seeking the justice denied to her".

Now this is where things become muddled in players' heads.

The Inquisitor states that FLEMETH helped heroes throughout history. Flemeth, not Mythal. And while Flemeth's backstory is tragic, it's not necessarily similar to Mythal's. Did Flemeth pursue justice for herself? Yes. Did she help people when needed? Of course.

Does that mean Mythal was behind those actions all along?

That's where I draw a big, fucking line and shout a resounding NO.

It was Flemeth's choice to help the HoF. It was Flemeth's choice to help Hawke. But did she help them out of the goodness of her heart?

The answer is another resounding NO.

The reason why she helps them both is SELF-PRESERVATION.

In the same dialog with the Inquisitor, Flemeth states that Mythal is as much a part of her as your heart is a part of your chest.

The one goading Flemeth to send her daughter Morrigan to retrieve the missing soul piece from the Archdemon is Mythal. We understand that after playing Inquisition.

But THE REASON why Flemeth goes along with that plan is because SHE ALSO DOES NOT WISH TO DIE.

"But...then WHY did she transfer her soul to Kieran? Isn't she going to die anyway? Doesn't that save Mythal? What about herself?"

My dear, naive reader. Didn't she just confess to you she became one with Mythal? Their souls are forever linked. In short, by saving Mythal, Flemeth is actually SAVING HERSELF.

Which brings us to the conclusion of this long ass post and the reason why Mythal is NOT a cute motherly figure, saviour of the oppressed, with innocent intentions toward the world.

Her personal quest begins in Origins. She finds a couple of Wardens and sends her daughter along with them for them to produce a vessel for her. She then tracks said vessel and, once it's ready, she'll fill it with her own soul and Mythal's.

And that's it. That's Flemeth's big motivation. Flemeth's, not Mythal.

Now comes the one million dollar question, the one burning in your mind, dear reader:

And what is Mythal's intention?

That's what Dreadwolf will have to answer.

But if you stayed with me so far and still believe Mythal is this holy saviour, then you haven't been paying proper attention...

Let's recap what happened, shall we?

Mythal had slaves, like every Evanuris.

She left clear instructions for them in the event of her demise (protect the Vir Abelasan).

She sees no problem in manipulating people to get them to do her bidding.

She likes to challenge authority (Flemeth, Andraste), placing the people she "possesses" in great danger.

She's vengeful and obstinate, having waited millenia for her revenge against her "betrayers".

She was Elgar'nan's wife, which means she was accustomed to being treated as a queen.

She's powerful (killed a Titan, can turn into a dragon), which would make her a formidable adversary to anyone who challenged her.

Solas, who we know to be a big LIAR - yes, omission classifies as lying -, states that Mythal was "the best of them" and that she was murdered.

Mythal is around not to save the world from impending doom. In her own words, she lingers for a reckoning that will shake the very heavens. That's to say, she no longer wants justice. She wants REVENGE.

(Thought about Anders, now, didn't you? What if Anders was a way for the devs to hint at Mythal's leitmotif?)

Now let's try to tie all this together without falling into Solas' or Mythal's fabricated narrative:

The Evanuris - one or many - brought Mythal's life to an end. Was she a tyrant? Was she a benefactor? Did she bring this on herself? We don't know. The player doesn't know. We only know of Flemeth and her personal quest since Origins. That's what we covered in this long ass post so far.

Their action seems to have fucked shit up and caused Solas to lock them up in the Crossroads, behind eluvians.

Afterwards, he raised the Veil and destroyed Arlathan, screwing the elves over in the process.

From here on, everything becomes foggy.

Solas went into uthenera. What was left of Mythal wandered into the waking world until it found hosts to possess. She then spent a long ass time creating vessels - her daughters - to ensure her ongoing existence.

The Magisters Sidereal murder tens of thousands of helpless elven slaves in a blood fest and open a fucking portal to the Fade.

They not only find out Thedas is a godless land, but contract some sort of magical black plague.

They return ugly as shit and contaminate thousands of unsuspecting innocents in the process. The Blights begin. Nearly everyone fucking dies.

A group of people concoct a potion using their knowledge of blood magic and convert the first willing soldiers into Wardens. The First Blight is vanquished.

Somewhere down the line, Mythal possesses Andraste and, after her betrayal and death, a new religion is born.

Time passes. Four Blights happen.

Mythal possesses Flemeth and both are now trying to take advantage of the Wardens to create a new vessel.

Some time, either now or in the future, Solas awakens and hands his Foci to Corypheus in an attempt to destroy the Veil and kill the big, evil magister. His plan backfires, because of course it does, and a lot of innocent people die in the process.

The Divine dies. A temple burns. There's demons and red lyrium everywhere. And the big, swirling green ass in the sky is formed. Along comes the Herald of Andraste and the Inquisition.

Solas skedaddles and forcibly takes what's left of Mythal's soul to himself and Flemeth's physical form perishes. To say we're screwed would be an understatement.

We meet Solas yet again two years later and he spews whatever bullshit to make the Inquisitor believe Mythal was such a wonderful person and unfairly killed while revealing his insane plan to reset the world for no rational or logical reason other than his desire to play god. Sounds like you should take what this guy tells you with a grain of salt, huh?

Finally, dear reader, we come to a conclusion. The truth is, we know nothing of Mythal save for her ardent desire for REVENGE. Not justice, but REVENGE. And what form will this revenge take is troublesome, to say the least. She has some spite against the Evanuris, but truth is in the eye of the beholder.

We DO know some of the Evanuris were downright evil, like Falon'Din - who enjoyed blood sacrifices in his name - and Ghilan'nain - who turned people into monsters. Does that mean every Evanuris or Elven Magister was necessarily evil? Did they all deserve to be locked away? Was Solas doing it to avenge Mythal or was something else going on?

And if they were indeed evil, then...why is Solas working so hard on recreating Arlathan?

Just think about it. The moment he brings down the Veil, he's giving the elven people a chance to go back to being as they were. This means that elven mages will find themselves detaining unimaginable power over their peers. And the most powerful among them will just commit the same mistakes the Evanuris did in their time: wage war on their rivals, search for more powerful forms of magic, sacrifice their people in the pursuit of power and prestige and name themselves gods.

Is that world really better than how Thedas is now? Should magic really roam free and unrestrained, as Solas wants?

Or, rather...as Mythal wants?

Because I'm still not convinced this is all Solas' plan...

...just as I'm not convinced that "wolf spirit" isn't ordering Solas around, rather than the other way around.

A reckoning that will shake the very heavens...

Solas and Mythal having a long history together since the time of Arlathan...

Mythal manipulating people for millenia with promises of power and an extended lifespan if they let her "possess" them...

I think Mythal will return in Dreadwolf...but she's not the heroine many people were misled to think she is.

#dragon age #dragon age flemeth #dragon age mythal #dragon age speculation #dragon age theory #solas #mythal #flemeth #arlathan #solas dragon age #dragon age 4 #bioware #dreadwolf #dragon age dreadwolf

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kirstinetheartist · 1 year

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FUCK YOU *puts my friends ocs and my oc in slutty little dresses*

Commission Info | Gaelowen (left) belongs to @drag-on-age & Virelan (right) belongs to @rosella-writes

#I personally think they should all make out #also please observe the size of Mellan's thighs <3 #dragon age #lavellan #dragon age inquisition #dai #bioware #arlathan #arlathan au #solavellan #da4 #elf #elves #art #artist #painting #my art #falon'din #evanuris

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bryants-things · 1 year

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So I’ve been thinking about the ancient elves and the Dalish. And how apparently there is nothing left of the elves. Of course a lot was destroyed by the Humans but still such a big influential society just don’t disappear into thin air. The ruins scattered across Thedas are proof of just that.

Language and culture evolve such is the way things. So even with the elves being oppressed it’s very unlikely that their language and culture is completely gone.

It’s more likely that the information we have access to throughout the lore and codexes are seen through mostly human eyes. With exception of characters who have reason to know more aka Solas, Morrigan, Ablas and Fellasan to mention a few. And such the information regarding the elves is at best incomplete.

It makes sense that the Dalsih know a great deal more about their culture than humans an even Solas believe. After all he has (in game) not actually spent a lot of time with the Dalish only seen whatever remains spirits have picked up in the Fade.

And if we apply this theory to the games, one could imagine that Lavellan in particular would posses a good deal more knowledge than he (my Lavellan is male) lets on.

Something as simple as the glyphs in the exhalted plains. Lavellan get short burst of information from lighting them up. (This of course is probably true regarding every inquisitor no matter the race) but if we go on the in game information veilfire is elven magic. And so one would think one would need an elven mage to access them which I presume would be Solas with other races.

Although from a pure lore standpoint Solas claims he’s never seen veilfire only heard of it. Of course he could be lying but bear with me on a in game lore rant. Solas lived in a world where the Fade and Thedas was one. So the need for veil fire would be non existent. My guess is that the Dalish might use veil fire to write secret messages such as the way to Dirthramen’s temple or the location on an arthlahaven. And that the veil fire we find in the crossroads during Trespasser is purposely placed there by Solas to get Lavellan to follow the trail. Just a thought.

Another hint at this that I find interesting is the boy in the Exhalted plains that run away from his clan to impress the keeper. He found the location to Elandrias talisman but could not break the seal on his own and tries to summon a demon. How would he find the way without any information? Rumors might be a start but he would need something, say that there is a written account of Elandrias legend which would make sense. And that this is written in common tounge is unlikely. Why would the elves write down something so precious so a human could find it. No it would have been written in elven.

And there is more in the temple of Mythal Lavellan (going head cannon here) recognizes the language as ancient elven. He can’t translate but he does understand it’s elven. Which makes no sense unless he would know both how to read and write modern eleven and probably some ancient elven.

I’m Norwegian and interested in languages but I can tell you I would not be able to read Viking runes but because I’lve learned a little at school and through my own curiosity I can recognize that a text is indead written in Viking runes and not let’s say Latin or Celtic just for comparison. This would not be possible without pré knowledge. And I dare say that if you play a mage you are the keepers apprentice which mean he is very likely to have been thought a good deal of eleven even the ancient one. But he will say the same as a rouge. Which mean that at least the Lavellan clan know how to read and write elven and have been thought enough that they can recognize a language that is millennia old. I assure you the Norwegian I read and write now is nothing like what the Vikings used.

And from a pure evolutionary point of view. Language and culture evolve continuously and societies will have accounts a big one like Elvenan would have lots and no not all of it would be hidden in the crossroads or lost with Arlathan.

One does not stop speaking. So the elves that built Hamshiral, the emerald knights and last noble houses of Arlathan would have kept using their language.

If one think about it, speaking a language that no human in Thedas understand would have been an advantage they would have used.

When the dales fell the only elves who would benefit from not speaking elven would be the city elves.

And those who speak also write, messages, letters, lists and so on. Interesting fact there is a mosque in Istanbul that has a Viking rune carved in it. We’re talking 800 years ago some Viking dickhead with a knife carved Erik is awesome into a temple wall. So yeah. People leave traces. Not that I think the elves went around and carved dicks into chantry walls, but the plausibility is there.

The arrow stuck in the roof at Skyhold(just above the garden go check) has elven carved into it. Now someone at Skyhold would have translated that, highly likely someone went to Lavellan and asked.

Again people like marking there territory so to speak, the elves that fled the dales probably had quivers full of arrows saying things like “fendis shems”, or bags of herbs or food marked so one didn’t accidentally eat Raveshine which from what I understand is poisonous.

And they would have had beautifully carved weapons, cutlery, jewellery, books and other nick nacks. One does bring the most precious things.

Clothes as well, tack for their Halla. All of these things have as much impact on a culture as oral stories and legends.

The Dalish work to preserve what was, Bioware have chosen to focus on religion and how it evolves over time. But from a historical perspective religion is only a small part of what make our a culture. And a culture as powerful as the elven one are no small matter to erase.

So it makes no sense at all that all the Dalish are left with is a warped religion, useless tools and simple phrases.

But in a world like Thedas where the elves are hated and feared it makes more sense to hide.

The Dalish keep their cards close to their chest. What would make sense is that they speak elven amongst themselves and common tongue when needed. Coming from a minority language myself there are benefits to doing it that way.

And what we hear in the games might be as simple as that some words are difficult to use in any other language than elven.

In Norwegian “hæ” is a very oral way of saying “what” it’s so stuck in my speech pattern that even when I speak English I end up saying hæ. But I have lived on the British îles for such a long time I say Sorry instead of “unnskyld” And “au” which roughly translates to “ouch”.

Such is the way when one deal with several lanauges on a daily basis. I have a Belgian friend that grew up in Dublin and she can figure out using “pradon” and “great craig” in the same sentence.

I’m a handweaver I work on a loom that has not changed it’s design for 500 years or so. The loom itself is 10-15 years old, things that work move on. And things one always need like clothes, bowls and tools. A hammer might be made of steel instead to iron but it’s still a hammer.

My point is the Dalish elves have learned to adapt to stay alive, but when no one is looking they speak the same words sing the same songs and cook with the same things the elves of Arlathan did.

Right game rant done

#dalish #inqusitor lavellan #dragon age #elven #arlathan #language #culture

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