A secret society for ancient magic?
I think many people have noticed the statues of women with their head covered by a hood and carrying staffs with sun and moon symbols on them that are scattered throughout the dungeons we explore in the game.
Here they are for exemple in Korrow Ruins.
All the possible types of hooded statues and the staffs they hold.
But I haven't seen anyone try to theorize what these statues could mean... (If there is such a theory around that I have missed please let me know!).
For starters, do you know where several of these statues are found? In front of Isidora Morganach's house in Feldcroft!
That's right! The statues are placed all along the path leading from the main road to the entrance of the house. It's almost like they were placed there to show the way to... something.
And then, once you enter Isidora's house, one statue is placed right in front of the entrance to the Undercroft. Coincidence? I think not!!!
The same statues can be found in several other dungeons in the game. They are present in the mine in Cragcroftshire where Isidora has one of her little workshops (the place where we find the second canvas piece). They are also found in the sanctuary where the snidgets are kept or other places not related to Isidora or magical creatures (Korrow Ruin, Henrietta's Hideaway,...)
What are these statues? What do they mean? Who placed them there?
My current theory is that they are the remnant symbols of a secret society that Isidora was working with (or that Isidora even founded?) to help with her work on ancient magic. But who knows? My investigation is ongoing!
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Ten By Ten Starter House Bundle
I wanted to see if I could build a nice house on a 10x10 lot... and of course that experiment grew rapidly! So, for the blog anniversary (12/8) and my birthday (12/13)... and Christmas and New Year.., I’m sharing this 10x10 starter house set with you~
All houses are base game compatible (and play tested). No CC, expansions, store, or stuff packs required!
Enjoy, and thank you for following!
DL everything: Box // SFS
House details and Downloads (click the rooms for Box link):
1 Carrie’s Cottage | Loft, 1ba |
§15,105 furnished / §11,928 unfurnished
2 Bungee Point | Studio, 1ba |
§12,674 (F) // §8,062 (UF)
3 Benny Bay | Loft, 1ba |
§14,833 (F) // §10,536 (UF)
4 Rhea’s Ranch | 1br, 1ba |
§14,450 (F) // §8,010 (UF)
5 Maven Moderna | Loft, 1ba |
§16,354 (F) // §12,964 (UF)
6 A-Fjord-able | 1br, 1ba |
§16,379 (F) // §11,820 (UF)
7 Stucco On You | 1br, 1ba |
§16,423 (F) // §12,360 (UF)
8 Yul’s Yurt | Yurt, 1ba |
§13,853 (F) // §7,229 (UF)
9 Henrietta House | 1br, 1.5ba |
§15,978 (F) // §12,621 (UF)
10 Hana’s Hanok | 1br, 1ba |
§11,849 (F) // §9,260 (UF)
No secret layout links this time because Tumblr breaks them a lot. With that said: Have fun :)
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While Geralt was dreaming the dream in Toussaint with Fringilla, Dandelion was dreaming it with Anarietta. Only, Geralt managed to wake up on his own because he had the hanza (and other stuff). But Dandelion didn't have anyone, he was alone, he was separated from the others and never returned, so the dream consumed him, and he didn't wake until he was forcefully removed from the situation. Or maybe it's not that deep... Why do you think Sapkowski removed him from the equation?
i've seen others explain this more straightforwardly, reasoning that dandelion simply isn't be able to ride with the rest of the company to stygga castle simply and practically because he's less suited for combat than... well, as regis puts it:
‘(...) I’m going with him.’
‘Me too,’ Cahir said at once.
‘And me and all!’ Milva barked.
Dandelion pressed to his chest the tube with the manuscripts which, lately, he wouldn’t be parted from for a single moment. He lowered his head. He was evidently struggling with his thoughts. And the thoughts were winning.
‘Stop meditating, poet,’ Regis said kindly. ‘For there’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re even less cut out to participate in a bloody swordfight than I am. We weren’t taught to carve up our neighbours with a blade. (...)’
though this thinking is undeniably correct (what would dandelion be able to do in the harrowing final battle if they had brought him? no, the strong must protect the sweet...) i think the matter is simultaneously a little deeper than that, as you nod to.
dandelion is more connected to the enchanted valley of toussaint and the city of beauclair than the rest of the company, including geralt, is.
for starters, he's heavily thematically linked to the aesthetics and activities of beauclair:
‘’Pon my word, there’ll be everything at Beauclair,’ Reynart de Bois-Fresnes assured them. ‘Balls, feasts, banquets, revels and poetry evenings. You’re friends of Dandelion’s, for heaven’s sake … Of Viscount Julian’s, I meant to say. And the Lady Duchess is most fond of the latter.’
doesn't the aforementioned just embody dandelion? these activities are truly his domain of existence, and he takes perfectly to this natural environment, like a fish to water:
He [Geralt] found Dandelion in the knights’ hall. The poet was wearing a crimson beret, as big as a loaf of sourdough rye bread, and a matching doublet richly embroidered with golden thread. He was sitting on a curule seat with his lute in his lap and reacting with careless nods to the compliments of the ladies and courtiers surrounding him.
more importantly, dandelion connected with the duchess six years ago, before the invasion from nilfgaard began. considering the timeline, this is before the majority of the short story "something more" took place, in other words, it's "pre-ciri" in geralt's life, it's the time of the short stories, where everything was more open to exploration (for both the author and the characters). though he's not the only one of the company who has been to the valley in years past (angouleme hid from pursuers in toussaint before), this history in beauclair is why he's unable to leave.
because the other members of the company are simply enchanted by the valley... but dandelion is enchanted by the duchess herself:
And the Duchess and Lord Dandelion … Ha, Beauclair is strange indeed and spellbinding, full of amatory enchantment … You shall see for yourselves. As the Duchess and Lord Dandelion learned then. They noticed not, from verse to verse, from word to word, from compliment to compliment, posies, glances, sighs … To put it briefly: both came to an intimate understanding.
anna henrietta herself, as the ruler of this little enchanted valley, is like a fairy queen of a fairy land. she's the object from which all the magic emanates, the most powerful and important individual who not only rules, but symbolizes and embodies toussaint's dreamlike state.
you mention "the dream"; relating back to regis' analysis about toussaint, love, and destiny:
"The dream that the Witcher is dreaming, I humbly submit with respect, is an enchanting and beautiful one. But every dream, if dreamed too long, turns into a nightmare. And we awake from such dreams screaming."
anna henrietta herself is like this, dream-like:
Anarietta thanked them with a faint nod of her head, decorated with a diamond-encrusted tiara. She had so many diamonds on her that she could have scratched glass just by passing. Beside her sat Dandelion, smiling foolishly.
and then, owing to her fickle nature, turns into a nightmare, from which one wakes screaming:
The pointy-nosed duchess suddenly fell into a fury, and one of the barons fell out of favour and was escorted to the tower for some imprudent word. Few–apart from those directly involved–seemed bothered by the matter.
what's truly captivating about anna henrietta and dandelion, though, is that unlike geralt and fringilla, they seem to have truly fallen in love.
geralt and dandelion, of course, are always opposites and run contrary to one another. dandelion's flightiness and noncommittal (and misogynistic) nature during the time of the short stories is a direct contrast to geralt's yearning and committal to yennefer, for him no other woman will ever compare. consider the events of the short story "a shard of ice," where geralt (arguably) attempts suicide when he believes yennefer will not choose him. can you imagine dandelion committing suicide, over a woman? for him, it would be like committing suicide over a sandwich or some other such consumable meal: for which the individuality of which is largely unimportant: though pleasurable, easily replaceable.
but in beauclair - a kind of fairy tale, magical, opposite-land, they reverse roles. geralt and fringilla are in a lustful but loveless relationship, using the other for information and playing a "long con" where they manipulate one another to get what they want, whereas dandelion and anna henrietta are seemingly truly in "love." for instance, compare and contrast geralt leaving fringilla's bed willingly, denying her sex (ch. 4) with dandelion allegedly enjoying breakfast in bed (ch. 3), likely the bed he and anarietta share.
this kind of role reversal is even noted by dandelion himself during his confrontation with geralt in chapter 3; consider "blind" as being in love, and being "an attentive and astute observer" as being a non-romantic.
‘Aha,’ Dandelion said slowly, tightening his lips. ‘What a curious reversal of roles. I’m a blind man, and you meanwhile have suddenly become an attentive and astute observer. It was usually the other way around.’
dandelion doesn't leave beauclair, because unlike geralt, well, maybe as regis says when they're looking around the foot of mount gorgon:
‘I’m no longer searching, I’ve found it.’
this brings us back to - what else? - sapkowski's favorite motif: woman as grail.
of course, ciri is "grail" in the broader story of the witcher, and the pursuit of her is NOT for romantic love but for either power or familial love (depending on which search party you're talking about ;)), but the search for the grail is also embodied by romantic love for a woman, as sapkowski discusses the concept in his world of king arthur, and also how he depicts it in "something ends, something begins." it's even dandelion who explains the concept to the dejected galahad:
Galahad thought again, frowning.
"And the Grail?" he asked finally. "What has become of the Grail?"
"What is Grail?"
"It's something we're searching for," explained Galahad, setting his sad eyes on the troubadour. "Something that is the most important. Without which life has no meaning. Without which we're incomplete and imperfect."
The bard pressed his lips and looked at the knight with his famous gaze, a wise gaze mixed with a jovial honesty.
"You fool," he replied, "you've been sitting next to your Grail for the entire evening."
dandelion's own words about anna henrietta are enough to understand his motivations for staying:
"We set off in pursuit like idiots, like madmen. But I didn’t utter a word of complaint, Geralt. I didn’t call you a madman. I didn’t ridicule you. For you had hope and love in you. You were being guided by them on this reckless mission. I was too, as a matter of fact. But I’ve caught up with the mirage, and I was lucky enough that the dream came true. My mission is over. I’ve found what is so difficult to find. And I intend to keep it. Is that insanity? It would be insanity to give it up and let it slip through my fingers."
dandelion doesn't leave because he found what is so important, his own "grail." and he and geralt part ways, because whereas dandelion has found what will complete his quest, geralt is still looking for his grail - his daughter ciri.
though of course, dandelion, by his own foolishness, loses his grail... just as geralt recovers his! just as geralt returns to beauclair with ciri, dandelion is sentenced to execution by his beloved duchess. (and losing the grail isn't unheard of in the witcher - i recall percival's (apropos namesake) humorous story from baptism of fire, of exchanging an opal goblet for a mule).
again, they take contrasting roles to one another - in the last two chapters of the saga, geralt has completely changed. he has the stony countenance of a weary man hardened by his losses and horrors, the responsibility of a married man with a daughter. dandelion in contrast, though he's indeed achieved character development throughout the series, remains mostly similar to his beginning state in worldview, expectations, outlook.
‘Geralt, no,’ groaned Dandelion. ‘Don’t do anything, I beg you … Don’t get involved …’
The Witcher turned his face towards him, and Dandelion didn’t recognise it.
‘Get involved?’ he repeated. ‘Intervene? Rescue somebody? Risk my neck for some noble principles or ideas? Oh, no, Dandelion. Not any longer.’
but tl;dr, dandelion remains a dreamer in beauclair because his character's purpose is to run contrast to geralt. dandelion finds what he's looking for, and thus can enjoy the dream. geralt had not yet found what he was looking for, and thus was trying to fight the dream, resolving to wake up and pursue his destiny:
‘Beauclair, they say, is naught but feasts, balls, junkets, boozing and amour. A fellow, they say, only grows idle and stupid, and wastes time, instead of thinking about trade. And one should think about what’s really important. About the goal guiding us. Without let up. Not distract your thinking on mere bagatelles. Then, and only then, is the intended goal achieved.’
‘Indeed, Mr Fierabras,’ the Witcher said slowly. ‘I’m content with our shared journey. I’ve gained a great deal from our conversations. Truly a great deal.’
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dependent multi-muse blog for hiddenwashington, written by j.
main tags : anna of cleves, anthony bridgerton, cato hadley, diego hargreeves, effie trinket, felicity bishop, finnick odair, guinevere pendragon, henry turner, isaac lahey, kate denali, lucerys velaryon, marcel gerard, mark sloan, maximum ride, river song, sansa stark, silas serpeni, simon lewis, stefan salvatore & teddy wolfe
all tag drops !!
connections page !! ( under construction )
under the cut, you will find a starter call. this is for random starters/if you want a new one for any connections, just reply to this post with who you want it for. it will be capped at 5 until the next update and i will update regularly.
last updated 13/04/2024.
anna of cleves (1/10) - diana holland
anthony bridgerton (2/10) - simon bassett, edmund bridgerton
cato hadley (0/10) -
diego hargreeves (0/10) -
effie trinket (0/10) -
felicity bishop (7/10) - francesca bishop, lilo pelekai, abigail bishop, molly bishop, marley bishop, alec lightwood
finnick odair (0/10) -
guinevere pendragon (0/10) -
henry turner (0/10) -
isaac lahey (1/10) - malia tate
kate denali (3/10) - yoon chi woo, alec, renesmee cullen|
lucerys velaryon (0/10) -
marcel gerard (4/10) - hope mikaelson, kol mikaelson, rebekah mikaelson, davina claire
mark sloan (1/10) - jack shephard
maximum ride (0/10) -
river song (0/10) - roman roy
sansa stark (1/10) - scarlett thomas
silas serpeni (2/10) - imogen montgomery, satana hellstrom
simon lewis (2/10) - aurora nightheart, jj maybank
stefan salvatore (2/10) - bonnie bennett, henrietta beckford
teddy wolfe (4/10) - ariana dupont, thea hughes, emilia cai, juliette dubois
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