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misculenica · 1 year

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Dreadwolf Speculations - Main Story + Quests (loong loooong pooooooOOoost)

I've made 2 other DA:D Speculation Posts; Part 1 and Part 2, regarding my thoughts on who the next protagonist is and who the companions are. I highly recommend you read these before this, as I'll be referring to things I bring up in those posts.

This is all speculation, bare in mind, and it's completely fair to disagree or point out the flaws. This is just for fun and to get myself hyped for the possibilities!

(Red book, posted on twitter by Mark Darrah around 2017/2018 - contains costume lineups for factions/classes etc, among other things. I believe Ghil Dirthalen made a comment in 2018 that it seemed like a sort of 'mood board' for the production staff, which makes sense. Darrah also posted the following in 2016;)

Along with the most recent leak from about a month ago;

I think it's fair to say; we know what's up.

So I feel a heavy chess theme for Dreadwolf. And as I've mentioned before, I believe the next main character for Dragon Age will be called Rook (after the chess piece, and of course the bird).

Carrying on from this train of thought, I would like to make some heavy speculations into the core foundation of Dreadwolf.... CHESS. You heard me. Chess.

Allow me to explain (yes, I'm about to explain Chess and how it will relate to Dreadwolf and it's story).

There are 6 types of pieces in chess.

King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight and Pawn.

I pose that there are 6 levels to the organization of what remains of the Inquisition (whether Inky disbanded or kept it running) - I say Inquisition, because I have no other name for the forces opposing Solas post-trespasser.

King - the most important piece on the board though it is one of the weakest, it can only ever move 1 square at a time (except in 1 special circumstance with a Rook). It's main job is to not get caught/captured/cornered.

Queen - the most powerful piece on the board. It can move in any one straight direction - forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally - as far as possible as long as it does not move through any of it's own pieces. It captures/take down any opposing pieces it encounters. A very brutal and aggressive piece.

Rook - The rook may move as far as it wants, but only forward, backward, and to the sides. You get 2 Rooks at the start of any game, and they work insanely well together on the board when they're coordinated. A Rook is the only piece that can participate in castling (castling is a special move between the rook and the king that both gets your rook into play and shields your king via a switcheroo, basically. It's the only time in chess where 2 of your pieces can move at the same time, and a King can move more than 1 square).

Bishop - may move as far as it wants, but only diagonally. Each bishop starts on one color (light or dark) and must always stay on that color. Good for confusing and frustrating your opponent, especially if you work both bishops together to defend their weak spots.

Knight - Knights move in a very different way from the other pieces – going two squares in one direction, and then one more move at a 90-degree angle, just like the shape of an “L”. They're also the only pieces that can move over other pieces. Tricky, but can easily get trapped if you don't keep an eye on them.

Pawn - Pawns are unusual because they move and capture in different ways: they move forward but capture diagonally. Pawns can only move forward one square at a time, except for their very first move where they can move forward two squares. Pawns can only capture one square diagonally in front of them. They can never move or capture backward. If there is another piece directly in front of a pawn he cannot move past or capture that piece. Canon fodder, basically, but that's why you get 8 of them.

Now, how does this relate to Dreadwolf?

Well, if the protagonist is called Rook (and it's clear chess has some serious symbology), it stands to reason that the other pieces could be important, especially with how interesting in chess Solas was in Inquisition (by which I mean, he played a game with Iron Bull, but won by being a sneaky, ruthless bastard - the point is; it was a notable event for his character, because it showed his mentality perfectly and how far he's willing to go to win).

I believe the Kings on the board are the Inquisitor and Solas; the most important pieces, without whom, there is no 'game', but they are both severely limited in what they can do personally. They will not come into play until the endgame, where checkmate will be reached and most of the pieces are gone. (And a King cannot checkmate another King without putting itself into check - if this happens, in this metaphor of real (fictional) people and actions, both pieces will fall and the game in over/null).

The Queens are... Well, their the most powerful pieces. Seated at the right hand of the King, but act freely from it. I'm not sure who this would be for either of the, but perhaps it's a metaphor for their own region of power and influence; an accumulation of everything they have. Perhaps Solas' Queen is a Lovecraftian Wolf-Creature (like was mentioned in Tevinter Nights)? Think of Fenrir from GOW: Ragnarok, but when he was angry. And perhaps Inky's is.... Maybe we're looking for something to match that? That'd be an interesting plot- finding a Lovecraftian or just megapowerful creature/being to combat the opposing Queen? Perhaps we make a deal with an Old God, or a Forgotten One, or one of the Evanuris?... Or a Titan? Or whatever the hell this thing is;

Like, maybe we need to fight some great thing to prove our worthiness to have it's aid? Like the Guardian of Mythal Dragon. That'd be a cool boss battle, though, wouldn't it?

The Rooks are.... Well, the main character Rook! But I want to really really really believe the game starts with 2 Rooks; you and your fellow Rook, working in tandem (like in Origins with the Warden and Alistair, or Hawke and their sibling, throughout the game). I think that'd add an interesting dynamic to one of the companions, perhaps they betray you at some point? Rooks are meant to move fast, get behind enemy lines quick and force the opponent to move their pieces. I don't know what Solas' Rooks would be, though in his game with Bull he calls them Towers, so perhaps he looks down on them? (Like the Circle Towers?) You're guess is likely better than mine. He very very willingly lets them get taken in his game with Bull, to throw him off and lure him in.

The Bishops are..... I want to say that they'll be the advisors, given it seems they're limited to certain places? So; I imagine Doran, or Charter, perhaps, maybe Varric? (We'll talk about my thoughts of Varric in Dreadwolf later.........) Solas refers to Bishops as Mages, which I find interesting - so perhaps that could indicate the relevance of them to him strategically? Perhaps these are his spirit/demon army, given how limited they are in movement?

Knights are.... I haven't got a clue, perhaps notable characters from either faction that are in and out before you know it. Liked named characters from the serious who've chosen sides but aren't companions. Like Fenris, for example.

And last, but not least; the pawns. The common people, the unexpected, the footsoldiers... They will be essential, not just as a mass force, but somehow as individuals, perhaps? Perhaps they are more metaphors for the different nations/factions/etc?

As for how the 'game' will play out; Solas will do everything in his power to not actively attack us unless necessary. He will encourage us to move and take the pieces he's willing to lose. He'll bait, trick, and we'll be fools for falling for it. And he'll sacrifice any piece is if means winning; even his Queen (yes, I'm implying the dread-pupper will die, likely by our hand). But Bull never played the Rooks in his game, so I'm interested to see how he'll deal with them, if he considers them at all.

I just feel like that game between him and Bull was significant in understanding how Solas will operate in Dreadwolf.

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Main Story and it's beats:

I would.... Like.... For there to be origin story prologues like in DAO, but I kind of doubt it. Though, from the leaks it seems that you are able to play as an elf. And the concept art looks like you can play as at least a human or elf (hopefully also Qunari and Dwarf, and of course male or female).

We'll be a new person/character, who in unaware of Solas/Fen'Harel, but has likely heard of the Inquisitor in some capacity (for the sake of new players/people who haven't played the previous games).

With the previous track of the last 3 games; our entry into this new world (and our place in it) will be violent, and we will somehow not have a choice in joining the Inquisition. (I would suspect we were cast out of wherever we were before the Inquisition- ultimately, we were a nobody) But we will either be saved by the Inquisition, or forced into their corner.

We will become Rook, along with another character with the same role/rank/job and they will be with us throughout the story of Dreadwolf (unless they are killed or betray us, both are very likely).

In Act 1; we will somehow be shown the destructive force of Fen'Harel, that hints towards what he can do, but I doubt we will meet him. Perhaps we find a calling card, or.... Oh, I like this; our Origin is the pc stumbling upon the conflict of Fen'Harel vs the Inquisitor, and getting mixed up in it, and escaping, only to be saved by (insert past game character here- likely Varric, Charter or Harding, maybe even Dorian, but I think he's got his own things going on, and won't turn up until later as an advisor of sorts, or someone who gives us refuge in Tevinter (perhaps he owns an Eluvian to help us travel- our home base in provided by him? Maybe). This gives a lot of room for recruitment options; and will be a great way to introduce new players to the game/world and what's going on - stumble upon something to do with Fen'Harel, fight a bit to survive the conflict, before being saved by xyz named character - my money's on Varric, before being recruited). We'll be floundering in the first Act, chasing lead after lead, point A to point B kind of stuff; tutorials, introducing creatures/character/notable factions, how travelling works, meet some important characters as well as companions. I think the end of Act 1 will be some major blow, that forces everything into a new perspective (perhaps the Veil is torn down, perhaps all out major war starts -qunari and tevinter, for example-, or a new enemy reveals themself; old gods, evanuris, titans, forgotten ones, etc. Perhaps we're attacked by the Dread Wolf somewhere we thought we were safe.... Or perhaps.... Double Blight??? Weisshaupt??)

Act 2 will be the hook; where most of the side quests, personal quests, probably secure our home base, a lot of chill stuff will happen, the calm before and after the storm; an upward beat, until the second half of act 2 where things go south, enemies close in and all that.

Act 3 will be dealing with it all, things will come together, and we'll deal with Solas, perhaps kill the wolf. I really don't know, ahaa....

Notable Event's I'm 99% Sure Will Happen:

Varric will die at the end of Act 1 or Act 2, and we'll all cry, and Harding will take his beloved crossbow Bianca. In Part 2, I explain my reasoning for this.

There will be a Double-Blight. From the leaks, we can see darkspawn and an archdemon attacking Weisshaupt (they mentioned there was a dragon, and it's spewing indigo fire, I'm inclined to take that as an archdemon.

Griffons will return, and they will be important. Perhaps we will find the eggs at Weisshaupt, or escape Weissaupt on Griffon-back (narrowly escaping our demise). (Let me ride and pet a griffon, please, even if it's just a cutscene......)

Titans will awaken. They've just been hyping up the Titans, haven't they? And Dragon Age has a history of making previous DLCs plots important in future games; Morrigan and the eluvian, Corypheus in the Legacy dlc, and... I'm guessing Titans in the Descent.

A baby/young Titan? (I don't know)

A significant portion of the game will take place at sea, or along the coasts, or involve ocean travel. A lot of the concept art shows the ocean, or characters at sea. Perhaps we will visit Seheron, or other islands?

Solas will die. Well, perhaps not die die. As he's mentioned before; the first of his people do not die so easily, and if we're to assume he's a spirit (wisdom/pride?), perhaps we destroy his physical body. Perhaps the 'redeem' him is allowing him to be reborn (as a spirit whose idea is strong or shaped other spirits does) but with a new personality/no memories of before - and we see a beautiful spirit-wolf at the end, finding a new purpose (let my solavellan heart dream). Or 'stop him at all costs' is we fuck him up/actually kill him or imprison him for eternity (like he did the evanuris). Either way, he walks the dinan'shiral, there is no saving the man we knew.

Dragons will somehow aid us against Solas. Dragons are the blood of the world. They are intelligent, and they are fierce. Dragons have always been a huge part of the DA universe - hell, it's why the age is CALLED the DRAGON AGE. There has to be a reason the dragons returned after near extinction. I'm not saying, the dragons will roll up and be like "hey, roar-screech, we're gonna help you", i think they'll just actively work against Solas.

All wonderous physical forces will fight against Solas in the end to stop the Veil from falling. Dragons, Titans, whatever other great forces you can imagine. The natural state of the physical world will fight against the fall of it's reign over creation, for fear of what will happen to them once all of this tearing down the Veil shit happens ("This world will burn in the raw chaos" - I don't think the world will want that, I think it'll fight back)

That's all I have for now, perhaps there will be a part 2 for this one, perhaps not. But I'm so tired after all this typing.

Dareth shiral.

#dragon age #dragon age spoilers #dragon age dreadwolf #dreadwolf #dreadwolf wishlist #dreadwolf speculation #dreadwolf spoilers #dragon age theory

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