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exhausted-archivist · 6 months

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Thedas: Not a Middle Ages Fantasy But an Ahistorical, Pre-Industrial, Mega Fauna Fantasy

Part 1: Mega Fauna

The long and the short of it? Thedas is an ahistorical world with magic, two moons, giant fauna - giants, dragons, giant bears, giant arachnids, and has some "ancient" and recent technology that would reach as late as the 1800-1900s in our timeline - such as bunsen burners, smokeless coal, table saw, thresher, heliography, and theodolite. Nothing about Thedas is a 1:1 equivalent for Earth and never has been, we know from the devs that it wasn't the intention either. From a fantasy perspective it is a blend of your typical fantasy stories with adventure, dragons, magic, elves and dwarves, varying mythology, and culture ending events; mixed with a venture into a "what if" ahistorical history.

In the case of Dragon Age, Gaider mentions it was a "what if our own history had magic and elves and dwarves?" and "how might Christianity be different if, instead of Jesus, it had been founded by Joan of Ark?" and subverting tropes of fantasy while still being recognizable: elves being brought low vs aloof and immortal; dwarves bring political schemers vs stouthearted Scotsmen; mages who were feared for good reason.

These were the basic foundations going into Dragon Age, and the spirit of those things is evident through out the series. While there are clear moments of parallels, allegories, and themes of the modern world, our world; I think that, for better or worse, the series has kept to the spirit of those foundations. Keeping things recognizable while exploring the world they've crafted, that grows as the team grows.

Its the spirit of that foundation that really lends to the idea of Thedas being a mega flora and fauna world.

Disclaimer and Considerations:

Take all of this with a grain of salt, whether you take it or leave it. Aside from the actual lore mentioned (with sources next to it) all of this is estimations and based off of known art standards or "canon" as the term is called.

Size is a hard thing to nail down in Dragon Age, the scaling and modeling between the games - main and all additional third party installment - are inconsistent at best largely due to limitations and scope of the game. Such limitations we see reflected in Bull not being 8' and instead is 6'9, the fact that the nightmare demon was scaled down because of scope. Then there are the cinematic scenes, they aren't reliable as they often have models float, sunk into the ground, or given camera angles that force perspectives.

ALT Concept art is a touch more reliable in the idea of the intention but isn't any more hard fact due to the question of if the intention was carried through or not due to tech limitations or design choices.

In consideration of concept art I want to clarify a principal used in art that I will be referencing. Traditionally when drawing characters, artists will use proportional canons. Which is when one uses the height of the character’s head as a unit, to have the proportions of the body match natural ratios. A good write up of this concept is linked here and here.

Content warning for everyone, there will be mentions and/or depictions of the following:

Multi-eyed creatures

Scorpions

Spiders

This post also includes images from the following:

The Missing comic

Dragon Age Absolution

Part 1a: Does Thedas Actually Have Mega Fauna?

Yes, they do. Now the first thought might be the obvious dragons, giants, wyverns, titans, and some magical creatures. But there are some creatures of which we have actual measurable sizes for.

I have the more "concrete" fauna separated into two categories: known sizes and comparable sizes. Known is as stated in lore, if we're given fixed numbers at any point, while comparable sizes are for creatures who we either have vague descriptions or equated to something we know the sizes for.

Comparable sizes are also separated from known sizes as they either have variations, or I am unsure of the lore for them still holds; as with anything dao, game guides, and ttrpg on this blog, these are treated and considered as canon unless clear contradictions are available.

Known Sizes

Giant spiders:

Their scale isn't measured by how high they stand on the ground or by body length but from leg to leg. Or rather that is what you would expect for them to be measured by, but it is hard to say for sure. I run with the leg to leg measurement for the provided size in canon; where they are/can be 12' / 3.65m. [Codex]

Looking at extracted game models (which aren't reliable for in-game models) the giant spider stands at 3' 11.28" / 1.2m and measures 5' 4.2" / 1.63m leg to leg.

Griffons:

Their length is 12' / 3.65m or larger with even larger wingspans. Males can weigh over 1,000 lbs / 453.59kg while females are a little less. [Last Flight ch. 2 p. 31]

For context of how big both of these are length wise, on average: Javan rhinos are 12'5 / 3.8m in length, Indian rhinos are between 10.8’-12.5’ / 3.3-3.8m in length, African forest elephants are between 7.22’-12.13’ / 2.2-3.7m in length, African Bush elephants are 10’-16.5’ / 3-5m in length, thresher sharks can be 10.5’-20’ / 3.2-6.1m long, female great white sharks have an overall length of 15’-21’ / 4.57-6.4 m; males 11’-13’ / 3.35-3.96 m. Most crocodiles exceed that with an average of 13-14' / 3.96-4.26m.

If you're like me and that just is a jumble of words, below are the size comparison to a 6' / 1.83m male figure, the scuba diver is roughly the same length as well. I had to edit the horizontal figures to compare lengths but scale wise they are still 6' / 1.83m. I also spliced together multiple images so they would be easier to see (and tumblr has a 30 image limit).

ALT [Image Sources from left to right, top to bottom: Rhinos: Javan Rhino, Indian Rhino Elephants: African Bush Elephant, African Forest Elephant Crocodiles: American Crocodile, Mugger Crocodile Sharks: Thresher Shark, Great White Shark]

Comparable Sizes

Mabari:

Stated as being as tall and as wide as dwarves*; going off the dwarf heights from Inquisition game models would put them at a range of 4'9-5'3 / 144.78-160.02cm.** This is unclear if they mean from the head or shoulder, which typically you would measure quadrupeds from the shoulder. Something to note however, the mabari extracted models from Inquisition measure at 3' 4.6" / 1.03m at the shoulder but 4' 2" / 1.27m at the head.

ALT

This is also roughly echoed in the concept art, where the shoulder height lines up with the shoulder height of the extracted model from Inquisition, however is closer to the dwarf height range when measuring from the top of the head.

Either way mabari are considered giant breeds when looking at dogs. Regardless of if they are the height of a dwarf 4'9-5'3 / 144.78-160.02cm or the height shown in the extracted model or concept art of 3' 4.6" / 1.03m at the shoulder but 4' 2" / 1.27m at the head. The largest dog in the real world was a great dane at 3' 5.18" / 1.046m.***

*[Dragon Age Tabletop (da ttrpg), Blood in Ferelden] **[Source] ***[Source]

Deepstalkers:

There is a bit of a variant with their sizing scale across all entries. From being able to curl up to be the size of boulders or large rocks.* To The Calling describes them as follows

The “stalagmite” unfolded, revealing a serpentine creature with a long and wormlike neck that ended in a maw full of sharp teeth. Its mottled skin was almost perfectly camouflaged to match the stone around it.

He noticed where the creature’s limbs folded up under its carapace, where it tucked its long neck under its body. Hidden in plain sight, the disguise was almost perfect.

Meanwhile the Missing comic shows them as being much larger than Harding, a dwarf. The ttrpg also describes them as "small reptilian creatures". There also seems to be sizes difference noted between each type of deepstalker: deepstalker, leader, and matriarch.

ALT [Image Sources: BioWare Promo Material, Dragon Age Wiki, and The Missing Comic #1]

Additional measurements include the odd 2' 6.3" / .77m from the extracted model from Inquisition which doesn't line up with the in-game sizing as they're proportionally much larger when next to a dwarf. Then when looking at the concept art scaling from the red dev book shared by Mark Darrah, they stand nearly 6' / 1.83m.

ALT

So there is a stark range of size difference as well as really any consistency when it comes to the bipedal, raptor-like, predators.

*Note the range for what is a large rock and what is a boulder is pretty vague. **This is based on various screenshots as pictured above. Comparing them to Shale, a human character, dwarves, and an elf. *** [World of Thedas (WoT) vol. 1 p. 163, Origins game guide, da ttrpg, The Calling novel, and The Missing Comic]

Dragonlings:

Specifically when they are newly hatched are the size of a deer. At the shoulder they'd be 2'8 - 3' / 81 - 91cm. Their length could be from 3'1 - 7'2 / 95 - 220cm. [Dragonling Codex] *Note the ttrpg does denote that they are the size of a young deer, which would be about 1 1/2 years old. This is distinctly different from a fawn and they are the same size height wise as a mature deer. It is simply a difference in muscle mass.

Here is a helpful comparison of a white tail deer, one of the more common deer:

ALT [Image Source]

Below is concept art from Tom Rhodes that I have cropped for a much clearer view. The shoulder height of the dragonling reaches roughly the same height as deer above.

ALT [Image Source]

Part 1b Sizing from Concept art and Development

Here, I want to look at the concept art of creatures, while acknowledging that they don't always end up on the same scale in game - due to a variety of technical reasons. As we see with the fact that spiders are not 12' / 3.65m in game nor are they close to that.

But with that in mind, we can at least glean the intention if not what might be more reflective of the lore. As we know, not all of da lore is game engine/mechanic friendly and thus there is merit in seeing if we can measure through comparison of in dev work. Especially thanks to the human comparison in some of them.

One piece of such concept art that suggests mega fauna is the design guide for da4 that was teased to us by Mark Darrah in 2016 and in the BioWare: Secrets and Stories From 25 Years of Game Development (B25) p. 274.

ALT

Using this, we can tell what might have been the intended -- again if it is not reflected in game -- size for the animals in Thedas. However, I will note for the sake of clarity that this isn't perfect reference; as some of the scaling seems to be questionable/warping. This is after all, an image of a picture in a book. I would be thrilled to see if we ever get to see a flat image of this.

But what we can see when we clean it up, and line up everything while cross referencing other concept art; the scaling seems to work out something like this with the human figure in the center being the "hero" proportions/ideals that would make his height 6'2 / 1.88m.

ALT

Great Bear

Some of the concept art that we can use for comparisons are pieces such as the concept art for the Great Bear and Quillback (development name dragon bear and vulture hyena):

ALT

Going off the stock hero height for female it is 5'6 - 5'7.5 / 1.67 - 1.71m and for males it is 6' - 6'2 / 1.83 - 1.88m. That would make a great bear roughly 10'11 - 11'2 / 3.34 - 3.42m in this concept art. However in the red book, the scaling suggest it is around 14' / 4.26m. Which is an example of how the book as reference might either be unreliable or the new updated intention for the scaling/design.

Regardless of which numbers you favor, when you look at those scales in contrast to our two largest modern bears:

Kodiak Bear: 3'4 - 5' / 1.02 - 1.52m at the shoulder, 6'5 - 9' / 1.96 - 2.74m in length, and 9' - 10' / 2.75 - 3.05m standing upright

Polar Bear: 3'7 - 5'3 / 1.09 - 1.6 m (male) or 2’8 - 3’11 / .81-1.19 m (female) at the shoulder, 7’10 - 9’10 / 2.4-3 m length, and 8’ - 10’ / 2.5 - 3.05 m standing upright Note: I have edited together the sourced images for clearer scaling.

ALT [Image Sources: Bears: Kodiak Bear, Polar Bear]

Additionally when looking at the tarot cards, which also tend to echo concept art more than the final game we see this massive and dramatic height difference for great bears.

ALT

Another varying size reference we have from concept art is this piece by Tom Rhodes comparing the great bear to the normal bear/brown bear. This is in direct conflict with the scale illustrated in the dev book, though this could simply be due to the stage of development this was created in as it looks to be a draw over of a game model when looking at the great bear.

ALT [Image Source]

Nightmare Demon

The Nightmare demon, or "Blinky" as fans call it, or "Smilely" as Varric calls it. This is however a demon so it's appearance and size can change due to influences outside of its control, I want to acknowledge that. This one was something I wasn't expecting to make a comparison with, as we know that not only was the final version of this demon scaled well as it seems that part of it was cut off in the dev book. But I found this concept art from Heroes of Dragon Age (HoDA) and I believe it roughly matches up with the dev book in terms of scale. It might be scaling larger however, I cannot say with any certainty. And when comparing it to the game model in DAI, this is actually a little smaller in comparison. The extracted game model of the Nightmare demon is 93.47' / 28.49m, while in comparison this concept art implies that it is 54.5' / 16.61m when you measure the silhouette which we can estimate to be 6'2.

ALT [Image Source]

ALT You can see how much they sized down the nightmare demon for HoDA (which is understandable given the constraints of a mobile game), especially when you scale them down to show the actual difference. Which is funny considering the nightmare demon is greatly scaled down from the original concept.

Phoenix

Another piece we have, is concept art for the phoenix. Unlike with the hero figure from before, we are estimating Orisino's height based on the height of elven game models. This would put Orisinao at 5'9 - 6' / 1.75 - 1.83m for an elven male.

ALT [Image Source]

This height reference is echoed and reinforced when we look at the dev book from B25 and Mark Darrah. When you bring the phoenix over to line it up with the hero character in the center, it puts the shoulder a phoenix is roughly 6'2. Implying that, at least for this art, Oresino is within that 5'9-6' / 1.75-1.83m range as his height is lower than the shoulder.

ALT

As you can see the extracted game model is not comparable due to the fact it, like the bears are not at all the same size as their in-game models. They are being scaled up a great deal to what we see in game. The extracted model height for the phoenix is 2' 7.4" / 0.8m, which is much shorter than their in-game counter part that shows it to be around the height of the human/elf character if not a little taller.

Quillback

Shown in the concept art with the great bear, we do have scalable concept art with the quillback and we are able to see that it does line up with the scaling for the dev book. It is also roughly the same size as the extracted game model. It's shoulder height being 4' 10.6" / 1.49m. The quillback also seems to be one of the few creatures where their in game counter part matches up with their model and concept art.

ALT

Part 1 Conclusion

As we can see with all the comparable or confirmed sizing of these creatures in Thedas, most are predators and scavengers, fairly large ones at that. So much so, it would dictate a high oxygen content in the atmosphere, plenty of prey to fuel animals of this size, and plenty of land area to allow for the biodiversity that we see. Even down to the subterranean level as well.

We know that gravity also works differently in Thedas, to a degree it is requires as to allow creatures the size of dragons and griffons fly, and giants roam the surface. But also to allow dwarves ranging from 4'9-5'3 / 144.78-160.02 cm to live 2-4 miles / 3.21-6.43 km below sea level + the distance from the actual surface. To give context, the deepest cave we've explored on earth is the Veryovkia cave at 1.37 miles / 2.12 km deep and the entrance to the cave is 1.41 miles / 2.28 km above sea level. Meaning the deepest cave doesn't even go down to sea level.

But with all that said, I'm only wrapping up here as I'm running out of image allowance for this post. I'll continue this in the next part, and if you've read this far, thank you.

Wanna support this blog? You can check out my ko-fi.

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felassan · 11 months

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In a recent email from Spacelab, there is some new info on Dragon Age/potentially on DA:D, and on the DA vinyl.

first of all, a simple thing - as part of the pre-sale, there will be additional merch available, including a t-shirt and art print, of the beautiful vinyl cover art piece:

secondly, the official names of these two vinyl color variants/patterns have been given. the turquoise and gold one is named "Golden City" Merge, and the golden one with black 'explosion'-style lines is named "Black City" Splatter - artfully bookending/contrasting Thedas' past and the present, the Golden City and the Black City, the pre-Veil world with the world post-Veil:

in a previous post I mentioned that the first one reminds me of an eclipse, and the second one reminds me of an explosion. with the reveal of the naming of these two color variants, I've finally realized what both 'color swatches' remind me of, and it's Trespasser, or rather the key art for Trespasser.

you could easily imagine the palettes for both color variants being sampled from or inspired by this image or ones/DA settings like it, right? the Trespasser key art also includes element of both patterns - the sunbeams emanating as the dragon's 'wings' remind me of the 'exploding' lines in "Black City" Splatter, and the light/dark color contrast, bright light and splotchy patterns of the clouds along the top of the dragon's 'wings' remind me of the design of "Golden City" Merge. for me I found being reminded of the Trespasser key art interesting, as in it the eluvians are teal/turquoise, like the color in "Golden City" Merge - whereas eluvians are sometimes (not always) colored purple or shown with a purpley 'tone' in the setting. idk, I just found that interesting :) other feelings that I had from these were 1) that in "Black City" Splatter, the black (Blight, corruption, Taint) lines extending outwards made me think of the Taint entering the world and corruption spreading after the City was blackened and corrupted. and 2) that in the "Golden City" color variant, the two colors are turquoise/teal and gold. to "merge" implies mixing something together to create something new. in the setting, green is a color often associated with or used to represent the Fade - there's the Anchor, the "emerald waters", the green glow of Veilfire, the general green tinge often present in depictions of the Fade, etc. and if you merge or mix turquoise and yellow, you get green. hh, its probably overthinking, but I just thought it was fun/neat the different thoughts and feelings the images/art & their names bring to mind. :)

oke so, as a reminder, we had also previously seen official flavor text for the cover art, describing it thus: "The beautifully detailed artwork presents a pictorial timeline following the lore of the Dragon Age series, beginning at the dawn of the Golden City, throughout the City’s Fall and culminating in its re-emergence as the Black City, seat of the Old Gods" and "From the land of Thedas, at the dawn of the Golden City". in the email, there is also an image containing two all-new art pieces:

on the left, in the black and gold color themeing that we've now become so familiar with (one, two, three) is a picture of a shattering eluvian. the eluvian sits on a Fadey-style floating rock piece. it's the 'tri'-style of eluvian (highlighted in purple below), rather than one of the simpler single archway-style eluvians. this is the style of eluvian that Solas meets Flemeth in front of in the post-Trespasser scene. it's always been an interesting eluvian shape - like the shape you'd get if a 'simple' arch eluvian was flanked on either side by beasts (wolves, dragons, or one of each), or the shape a stylized dragon could make if looked at front-on with its wings folded, like in this dragon Mythal mosaic or this Mythal dragon statue. it also resembles the shape of the shrine to Fen'Harel in the Crow Plains. the shattering is also interesting - shards of glass fly outwards from the center, thereby resembling "Black City" Splatter. shatter, splatter, "and I looked up and saw the seven gates of the Black City shatter, and darkness cloaked both realms"... are those clouds of smoke in the background? what's caused the mirror to shatter - an explosion? just what is this scene depicting or representing? lastly, the shattering eluvian is flanked by two of those familiar ancient elven 'tree' sculptures (highlighted in yellow below). this is a familiar scene, no? there have been various theories/speculations over time about these DA:I 'trees', what their purpose was/is, what they are/what they represent. for example, Mythal vallaslin resembles branches without leaves, and on the front of Flemeth's grimoire is intricate stitching in the pattern of a leafless tree.

the second new art piece, on the right, is a variation of/accompanying piece to the cover art. they should be compared side by side. Twitter user Hrungr was able to manipulate the image of the second new art piece to be front-on, and here it is on the right compared to the 'original' [image source]:

suddenly, the pre-existing artwork blurb and the color variant naming choices make sense. :) on the left is the Golden City, as it was. pure and uncorrupted. sculpted and shining, splendid and supporting growth/life. on the right, the Black City, having been blackened and corrupted. Blighted, blackened, dying, crumbling. gnarled and withered (...leafless...?), dark and sinister. "a pictorial timeline" of Gold->Black City indeed. we've seen this motif play out many times now, from the DA:O opening cinematic voiced by Duncan right through until the in-game Dragon Age: Dreadwolf cinematic that came out a few months ago.

these two versions of the City echo the color variants & patterns. :) in one, the Golden City with a cloud-like pattern in a teal/turquoise sky, and in the other, a golden setting ruined by blackness and 'faultlines', emanating out from the center.

apart from the obvious Gold to Black change, there are some other differences between these two pieces to unpack. on the left is a hooded figure on rock promontory, holding a horned or moon-like staff while looking at the dragon. this figure is absent after the City's blackening. on the right, that rock promontory and the other floating rocks are absent, presumably having fallen or crumbled away after the 'ruining'. on the left, in the center behind the dragon is a half moon-like shape. on the right, this changes to a sun-like golden disc complete with sunbeam-like 'rayed lines' emanating from it. the eclipse-like imagery of these is obvious, and the disc with rayed lines is an element we have seen before in the updated DA logo.

here it would be silly not to revisit previous related references and imagery such as:

two shadowed spheres among stars / an eclipse as Fen'Harel stirred [the Emergent Compendium]

and

and I looked up and saw the seven gates of the Black City shatter, and darkness cloaked both realms.

there is also the eclipse-style imagery in the in-game Dragon Age: Dreadwolf cinematic and a bunch of previous sun/moon motifs/references floating around e.g. Dalish lore holds Mythal created the moon and was born of the sea (so a moon connection there via the tides), and that Elgar'nan opposite her is the Eldest of the Sun, the guy who buried the Sun, the Pools of the Sun etc. also those art assets of overlapping spheres, repeating/concentric circles etc.

I also would like to highlight that it's either two different dragons we're seeing, or that the dragon changes at the corruption of the Black City. is the dragon on the right a depiction of inworld lore of an Old God becoming corrupted? or is something Evanuris-y afoot? (dragons, a shape "reserved for the divine" etc). who do/does the dragons represent? who is the figure with the staff?

additionally, the horns and general structure of the dragon is totally different on the right than it is on the left. the first thing this reminded me of was the "Double Blight???" DA:D concept art piece 👁️ -

the differences in the horns also reminded me of this stuff:

I'm not saying both dragons' horn shape match these, just that one seems to and that there's something going on here with all this anyways. there are of course other symbols around the outside of that ring beside just these two, and other types of dragon, including the style/type of dragon associated with Mythal.

the shape of the figure's staff is also curious, given all this.

left, silvery dragon - Mythal? right dragon (which is gold-toned despite the blackening) - Elgar'nan, after he's approached her [maybe as the figure on the rock promontory] and then murdered her and taken her place as the god, ruler, dragon who presides over all? moon and sun, moon dragon and sun dragon, beauty and destruction.. the shape of the 'right-hand' dragon's horns match the evanuris headpiece on the ring which is in the biggest hemisphere, and of the 7 gods those headpieces apply to (9 Evanuris, minus Mythal and Fen'Harel), the 'biggest' naturally is the patriarch leader opposite Mythal, Elgar'nan.

And so is the Golden City blackened With each step you take in my Hall. Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting. You have brought Sin to Heaven And doom upon all the world. --Threnodies 8:13

🌙 ◕‿◕ ☀️

#dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #bioware #video games #long post #longpost #solas #mj meta #pls this post is just wild speculation for fun ok

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lavenderstobins · 29 days

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Here’s a masterlist of all the fics I’ve posted, as well as some of the various AUs I post about! Mostly Robin/Nancy and Steve & Robin 💜

AO3 | AO3 Masterlist | Twitter | ☕️Ko-Fi

🪻Highlights

➤ love will tear us apart Steve & Robin | T | 12k Robin gets Vecna'd. ➤ leave the speaker on and stay Steve & Robin | T | 8.6k | stobin month 2023 Steve and Robin meet in 1984 instead. ➤ through the years we all will be together (if the fates allow) Steve & Robin | T | 19.6k Steve and Robin work on Christmas. Everyone brings a little bit of Christmas to them.

🦋 Series

Josieverse | Robin raising her daughter

➤ bright as the morning sun Steve & Robin & Josie | G | 1.4k | stobin month 2024 A slice-of-life oneshot revolving around Robin, Steve and Josie. Eddie's there, too.

➤ here's to my future (here's to my yesterday) Steve & Robin & Eddie | T | 3.3k Robin’s three months pregnant and still only two people know. They’ve been invited to Dustin’s Halloween party, though. She can keep it a secret. Probably.

➤ all for freedom and for pleasure Steve & Josie & Eddie | G | 0.8k Eddie discovers that Robin’s daughter has learnt how to blackmail people.

➤ half of my heart is in your chest Steve & Josie & Eddie & Robin | T | 0.6k A collection of ficlets from Josieverse.

Spider-Man AU | Steve and Robin grapple with being superheroes

➤ in the web that is my own, i begin again (WIP) Steve & Robin | T | 3/8 | 20k Steve has powers. Robin doesn't... yet.

Dragon Age AU | Stranger Things in the world of Thedas

➤ in war, in peace, in death Steve/Eddie, Steve & Robin, Robin/Nancy | T | 7.8k Steve realises Robin's alive, trapped in the Fade.

🌿 Multichapter Fics

➤ you're out of touch, i'm out of time Steve & Robin, Robin/Nancy, Steve/Eddie | T | 12/12 | 75.5k Steve and Nancy travel back in time to 1983 and try to fix things.

➤ one more or one less (WIP) Steve & Robin | T | 1/20 | 2.5k After Starcourt, Steve realises that Robin's missing.

➤ holding my last breath (WIP) Nancy/Robin | M | 1/9 | 3.6k When teenagers start being killed in Hawkins, Nancy’s determined to solve the mystery. (A Scream AU)

➤ neck full of mockingbirds (WIP) Robin/Carol | E | 7/60 | 5.7k Carol and Robin, from start to end

➤ chasing visions of our futures (WIP) Stevie/Eddie, Stevie & Robin, Robin/Nancy | T | 1/7 | 1.9k Stevie's dead set on nudging Robin and Nancy together. She's not expecting to realise her feelings for Eddie along the way.

🧡 Oneshots

➤ you got light in your eyes Steve & Robin | T | 7.2k Steve can't stop thinking about what Mr. Hauser had told him about Robin. (Sequel to Out of Touch)

➤ the pleasure, the privilege is mine Steve & Robin | T | 7.6k Robin won’t let Steve go alone. Not even at the end of the world.

➤ share the same space for a minute or two Robin/Nancy | G | 2.4k Nancy isn’t yet sure what to do with herself now that the world isn’t ending. Robin helps.

➤ the future's unwritten, the past is a corridor Nancy & Eddie, Steve & Robin, Robin/Nancy, Steve/Eddie | T | 7.2k Robin and Nancy have just moved into their new house with their son, next door to Steve, Eddie and their daughter.

➤ guess i'm a coward (i just want to feel alright) Steve/Eddie, Eddie & everyone | T | 7.2k When the bats attack, Eddie sticks to the plan, and he runs, and he lives. He thinks, maybe, that he’ll hate himself forever for it.

➤ every time it rains Steve/Kali | G | 1.6k Kali wouldn't class herself as someone fond of walks, but she is fond of Steve.

➤ cracks in your ceiling Robin/Nancy | T | 9.9k Nancy has a movie night with friends, invents a new disease, and quite possibly has her life ruined by Sigourney Weaver.

➤ if this feeling flows both ways Robin/Nancy | E | 9.1k Nancy accidentally receives a sext from Robin and can’t stop thinking about it.

➤ now i've found a real love Robin/Nancy, Nancy & Mike | T | 8.7k Nancy Wheeler deserves a good Christmas. In fact, they all do.

➤ used to be you but now it's you and me Steve & Robin | T | 2.4k | twin stars stobin zine contribution It's only natural to cry on your birthday.

➤ 'cause i'm gonna be free and i'm gonna be fine Steve & Robin | T | 7.5k Two decades after the Upside Down closes for good, Steve's daughter goes viral on TikTok, and things quickly escalate from there.

➤ this dream isn't feeling sweet Lucas & Robin, Robin/Vickie | T | 13.1k Lucas finds himself struggling at the post-championship game party.

➤ i wanna be adored Nancy/Eden | G | 1.9k Nancy's lonely. Eden's there, though.

#remaking this bc i accidentally broke the last post #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #steve harrington #stobin #ronance #steddie #stranger things #eddie munson #sapphirerays #lavenderstobins #lesbianancy #my fics #ao3 masterlist #ao3 writer #st fic #st fanfic

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anneapocalypse · 10 months

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Anyway here's the Guerrin timeline as best I can piece it together, if it's useful to anyone!

Updated 7/14/23 with corrections & additions.

~8:84 Blessed - Eamon is born. (The Calling - He's 15 at the time of the Battle of West Hill, which occurred in 8:99 Blessed.)

8:99 Blessed - The Battle of West Hill. Arl Rendorn Guerrin, Eamon's father, is killed in action. Maric Theirin is presumed dead but reappears in Gwaren, which is then taken by the rebels. The Battle of River Dane deals a decisive defeat to the Orlesian forces, though the conflict is not completely over. It will take several more years to completely drive out the occupying lords. However, Emperor Florian officially withdraws support for King Meghren.

9:02 Dragon - Eamon, 18, returns to Redcliffe to claim his place as arl, but find it still under Orlesian control, and works with the rebel forces to reclaim it. Isolde, the daughter of one of the Orlesian governors, is sympathetic to the rebels and becomes infatuated with Eamon, who does not return her feelings; nevertheless, she feeds information to the rebels, and chooses to stay in Ferelden after her family is driven out. Isolde is four years younger than Eamon, making her 14 at the time. (WoT v.2 p. 102, 106)

9:02 Dragon - Maric kills the usurper King Meghren in a dual, officially ending the occupation and winning Ferelden's freedom. (There is a noted discrepancy in the dates between the epilogue of The Stolen Throne, and World of Thedas vol. 1, the latter of which puts the duel at 9:00 Dragon. Given other events, the later date seems more plausible.)

~9:08 Dragon - Six years after their initial meeting, Eamon (24) meets Isolde (20) again in Denerim. They quickly become involved and are married. (WoT v.2 p. 103)

9:10 - Alistair is born to Fiona and King Maric. His parents give him up to be raised at Redcliffe Castle, inventing a story about his mother being a human serving girl. (The Calling.)

~9:20 Dragon - Isolde becomes pregnant with Connor after difficulty conceiving. This causes rumors about Alistair (10) being Eamon's bastard to resurface, and Eamon sends him away to a monastery to spare his wife's feelings. Connor is born soon after.

~9:29 Dragon - Short of taking his vows as a templar, Alistair (19) is conscripted into the Grey Wardens. (WoT v.2 p.79)

~9:30 Dragon - Connor Guerrin (10) shows signs of magic. Isolde hires an apostate, Jowan, to tutor Connor in secret. Eamon (46) is poisoned by Jowan and falls ill. (Origins.)

~9:31 Dragon - Following the Blight, Eamon decides to stay in Denerim, serving as an advisor to the throne, eventually declaring his brother Teagan the new Arl of Redcliffe. (Origins, WoT v.2 p.104)

?:?? Dragon - (If Connor is dead) Rowan Guerrin is born to Isolde and Eamon. After a difficult birthing, Isolde dies. (Potential Origins Epilogue slide.)

?:?? Dragon - Rowan Guerrin shows signs of magic and is sent to the Circle, though her father continues to visit her. (Potential Origins Epilogue slide.)

#eamon guerrin #isolde guerrin #connor guerrin #dragon age reference #blunders of thedas #dragon age origins #the stolen throne #the calling #please feel free to let me know of any errors #with sources please

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kaija-rayne-author · 10 months

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Is Solas a Villain?

Spoilers for Dragon Age Inquisition and Trespasser DLC. Maybe DAO and DA2 too.

So is he a villain?

Nope!

That's not me being a Solas apologist.

That's me being a pedantic AF writer/editor/word and literary nerd.

Solas, no matter how players feel about him, is an anti-hero.

Firstly, what is an anti-hero?

1. A character who is a hero to some, a villain to others.

Solas was a hero to the ancient enslaved elves, even if he did end up basically destroying the world. If he does what I suspect, he'll also end up a hero to the current generation of enslaved elves, too. He's mentioned he has spies, many, indicating that many people, even good people, serve him. Because they think of him as a hero.

2. A character whose existence offers a critique of social morals and reality.

Can you think of any other character in DA:I who calls attention to the problems of the status quo more than Solas? I mean, truly pointing out the uncomfortable truth?

This convo w/Dorian sort of illustrates that point.

Dorian: Solas, for what it's worth, I'm sorry.

Dorian: The elven city of Arlathan sounds like a magical place, and for my ancestors to have destroyed it...

Solas: Dorian... hush.

Solas: Empires rise and fall. Arlathan was no more "innocent" than your own Tevinter in its time.

Solas: Your nostalgia for the ancient elves, however romanticized, is pointless.

Solas: If you wish to make amends for past transgressions, free the slaves of all races who live in Tevinter today.

Dorian: I... don't know that I can do that.

Solas: Then how sorry are you?

3. A character who is the focal point of conflict in a story.

Rather a no-brainer on this one. I truly think the actual villain/s of DA:D won't end up being Solas. I think, as he was in DA:I, he's a massive distraction. A misdirection of attention.

4. A character who is particularly engaged in the conflict, typically on their own will, rather than for a specific call for the greater good. As such, the anti-hero focuses on their objective first, and everything else is secondary.

Solas, if Romanced, gives up his heart's desire, the Inquisitor, the only person that has ever drawn his attention from the fade, for his goal, even though you can see how much it destroys him to do it.

His heart, hers, his friends... NOTHING can get in the way of the goal. And it's a goal he's taken on of his own will. He's taking the responsibility of fixing his fuck up because he fucked it up. (He's foolish because if he'd just stop and think for a second, he'd realize he's really bad at fixing things.)

5. An Anti-hero is still operating for what they think is the greater good. Solas truly believes that fixing what he broke is for the greater good of Thedas. Not just his own people, (that's an enjoyable side benefit XD) but Thedas itself. Because it was never meant to have the veil in the first place. (We'll just brush that whole evil self-absorbed mage-gods being set free at the same time under the carpet? Because he has "plans". Solas, Solas, just stop and think for a minute!)

6. They tend to be flawed heroes in the sense that they do wrong things/screw up/cause harm.

Welp. That's pretty much a dictionary definition of Solas, isn't it?

So how is that actually different from a villain?

A villain is a malicious, often cruelly malicious character, who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime or hurting others for their own sake. One who contributes evil agency (motivation) to the plot.

The literary purpose of a villain is to stand opposite the hero to help the plot move forward.

In contrast with the hero (which is defined by ingenuity, bravery, pursuit of justice and the greater good), a villain is most often defined by their acts of selfishness, evilness, arrogance, and or cruelty. They are often cunning and display unilaterally agreed upon immorality that can pervert or oppose justice.

In short, an anti-hero is a character who does too much good to be truly bad, and too much bad to truly be considered good.

Solas, as a character, gives unflinchingly of himself to the Inquisition. He gave them his home, if you believe Skyhold is actually his.

He gives of his blood and flesh in battles.

He gives his knowledge.

If Romanced, he gives his heart to a mortal inquisitor.

And he's willing to give whatever is left of his heart, his soul, and very possibly his life to fix what he broke.

Sorry, Solas haters, he's just not the villain you want him to be.

And that's what makes him so bloody fascinating!

Humanity loves our anti-heroes.

Did you know the term anti-hero was used as early as 1714, but that the character archetype has been used by Homer (Theristes), in Ancient Greek drama (Medea), in Roman mythology (Hercules), and in a lot of Renaissance literature (Don Quixote)?

At some point, the existence of an anti-hero character eventually became an established form of social criticism. Which Solas is very good at.

Other examples of anti-heroes most folks will likely recognize

Wade Wilson/Deadpool

Huckleberry Finn

Lou Bloom/Nightcrawler

Bruce Wayne/Batman

Mad Max

Captain Jack Sparrow

Lisbeth Salander (Girl w/dragon tattoo)

Han Solo

Pinnochio

James Bond

Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview w/a Vampire)

Geralt of Rivia (Witcher)

Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)

Dexter Morgan (Dexter)

Indiana Jones

John Rambo

T-800 (The Terminator)

John McClane (Die Hard)

The Beast (Beauty & the Beast)

Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

Magneto (X-Men)

Logan/Wolverine (X-Men)

Riddick

Shrek

Stitch (Lilo & Stitch)

Harley Quinn

Hellboy

John Constantine

Frank Castle (The Punisher)

V (V for Vendetta)

Tony Stark/Iron Man

Sherlock Holmes

Judge Dredd

John Wick

Maleficent

Venom

Angel & Spike (Buffy)

Dean & Sam Winchester (Supernatural)

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow

The Mandalorian/Din Djarin

Wednesday Addams

I'll stop there, because the list could probably go on for a looong time (as if it hasn't already? 😅)

My work of words is my only income. Please consider a tip or becoming a patron. :)

#dragon age series #solas #solavellan #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #inquisitor lavellan #solavellan hell #dragon age confessions #solas dai #dai

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vigilskeep · 1 year

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i do not video game at all i only got into dragon age because i was stealthing through the tags to find out where all the good art came from and then i got way too invested for months bc of the mental illness and then i was up at 1am after a bad day and i was like you know what if i download origins onto my laptop right now whats even the worst that could happen. and the rest is history

#my obsessed with dragon age without even playing it era was not the highlight of my fandom career it has to be said #i bought world of thedas vol 1 before i ever played a dragon age game and thats all there is to be said abt that

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musicfeedsmysoul12 · 18 hours

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Okay so Dragon Age/MHA crossover 1.

Izuku is the son of Solas and Mythal who was kidnapped by the other evil mages pretending to be gods (by stealing the names of their actual gods because I fucking HATE that plot twist in canon) and sent to the MHA world because Solas was leading a rebellion and Mythal was dead and they wanted to hurt Solas. So Izuku is raised in Japan by his adopted parents who sadly never tell Izuku he’s adopted and would aggressively pretend he isn't.

Izuku though begins developing magic in his teen years much like how in Thedas they develop them as teens. Izuku is convinced he's just a late bloomer. At least until then dreams start and he begins to see things. He is kind and curious, looking up what he sees and deciding it's like the Fae. He promises nothing and gives nothing. No deals either.

Then one day he stumbles upon what's left of Mythal (actual Mythal and not the fake who played with Solas like an instrument) and learns the truth. Solas is actually a God, the belief in him ascending him. Meanwhile the actual Gods got all the power while the fakes didn't get anything. This Mythal tells Izuku everything. She begs him to find his father to speak with him. She knows if he ever awakens he may see Thedas as nothing but a world of fakes.

Izuku travels in his dreams, hunting for his father. He goes to UA and still tries to find his father. He hunts and hunts for him. Eventually he does find Solas- who woke up a year before and is actively working to take down the Veil.

It takes a while for Solas to believe Izuku, until everyone is agreeing and pointing out the truth. But he refuses to listen to Izuku talk about how his plan is stupid.

Izuku by this time is twenty having lived through a war. He's lost friends, his adoptive parents are dead and he looks around at a world that hasn't changed. Despite everything they still have the same systems in place. They still are on the same damn wheel. Bakugou (who never changed. Izuku doesn't have OFA, no he has a Quirk that lets him do so much more and Bakugou can't stop seeing it as looking down. Can't be given trust that makes him look back on his life) is rising the ranks fast and his actions are pushed aside.

Izuku, age twenty, turns to his surviving friends and their teachers. Uraraka (down an arm but still fighting), Iida (still strong even after everything), Todoroki (alive and just as furious), Yaoyorozu (Burned and broken but standing) and Shinsou (mute now but applying the parkour he was given years ago to heroics) are all he has left as friends. Aizawa (lost a leg and an eye, lost his best friend, learned another was a puppet and lost his husband), Nezu (who tried his hardest to change society after what he went through but nothing has changed even now) and Midnight (who clawed her way back after being injured. Who has scars and stopped being ‘useful’ as a hero without being sexy) are the teachers left with Eri (shaking and scared as the hero commission pushes for training for her).

He asks if they would leave with him. They say they will.

So, a week after the Chantry explosion, a group of strange people show up in Haven. Two women, a child, and five men, along with a small person who is covered in a coat. One of them calls out for his father, Solas, who is shocked but delighted.

“I will not change my mind,” the elf warns his son. “You do not know how it was once.”

“I’ll keep trying,” is what Izuku replies with.

(he doesn't tell his father the one to strike down All for One after Mirio died, taking One for All with him, was Izuku. Doesn't talk about how he’d sobbed learning who the man was.

Doesn’t talk about how Midoriya Hizashi was a facade and that Izuku had loved him still.

He's killed one father for the world. He can do it a second time if needed.)

#bnha #bnha au #dragon age #izuku has pointy ears #things never changed #so they just left #a bunch of videos got sent to the media #and shit went down #nezu hides himself away #or well fakes being human #he hates it #but he hated their old world more #boku no hero academia #my hero academia

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lairofdragonagelore · 1 year

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Solas sharing Lore - Part 1

This post is focused on what Solas says about the lore of the world of DA series. It's not about Solas as a character [although I would try to explore his nature as a way to understand the nature of the Elvhen and the spirits]. Since Solas is one of the living elvhen who knows the truth of what happened with the Evanuris and the Tevinter expansion after the fall of Arlathan, I consider his words one of the most valuable ones in the series. He does not lie, but omits what he doesn't want to speak about or adds technicalities that make his statements true yet misleading if we don’t pay attention to the context. Unlike Flemeth, he speaks with less riddles, so I considered worth listing all the knowledge he shared with the Inquisitor in order to have a reliable information of how “the world” of Thedas truly works.

The list of topics related to the lore shared by Solas is

Dreamers and their powers

The Elvhenan and the Dalish

The Demon/Spirit Nature

Solas’ Personal quest [deeply related to Spirit’s nature and his own]

Solas’ nature

The Fade and the Veil

Magic

The Orb

The Evanuris and worshipping

Organisations/Institutions/Empires

The Blight and the Grey Wardens

Maker

Miscellaneous Knowledge

Trespasser Revelations

Solas sharing Lore: Part 1 - Part 2

Dreamers and their powers

Sommniari or Dreamers can sleep close to a ruin which has endured time, or battlefields that had been steeped in death, they attract spirits and it will help a dreamer to see the past of that place.

Solas claims to be able to walk “deep into the Fade” [which reminds me the codex The Deepest Fade and Walking the Fade: Frozen Moments]. The deepest Fade is, potentially, the place where the Forbidden Ones were exiled. It’s not clear how much literally he means “deep into the Fade”.

It's important to set wards when entering the Fade through dreams [we saw this with Felassan in The Masked Empire]

Solas claims that seeing those pieces of the past make him thrill, even though I suspect it is for different reasons than mere enthusiasm, they were part of his living past, one he yearns deeply.

I’m not so sure if I should catalogue this information as part of the dreamer’s power, but we know by all what Marethari said in Feynriel - Somniari and Fade, a dreamer can use the power of the Fade in a similar way as it’s described by rift mages.

We learnt in Solas’ personal quest that tea and blood magic interfere with the Dreamer’s ability of entering and walking in the Fade.

The Elvhen and the Dalish

During the first minutes of the game, Solas will share with us that he was attacked by Dalish when he tried to question the Keeper's knowledge of their gods and customs. This means that he tried to approach the People, these mortal elves that are so different to the Elvhenan, and tried to share his knowledge of the past, being rejected by them, and suffering what the game has subtly called the Dalish Pride. It’s quite an irony that the group that wants to treasure the old ways rejects the one who lived them in his bones.

Solas insists that Dalish Tales are misheard stories that were repeated wrongly thousand of times. This line is the main reason why I do not trust Dalish Tales for any kind of analysis. Solas assures us many times that, despite having some distant resemblance or detail to something that has happened in the past, they are mostly wrong.

He emphasise that the Dalish try to remember Halamshiral, not the Elvhenan time. Halamshiral was a time where the Dalish tried to recreate the Elvhenan empire, but they ended up accommodating and changing a lot of their own tales due to the influence of the Andrastian faith [as we see in Emerald Graves: Din'an Hanin].

The original [true] elven Empire was called Elvhenan, and Arlathan was its greatest city. He does not say what potential main god may have been central in it [we learnt that elvhenan cities seem to have a Temple in honour of one of the Evanuris around which the city develops, The Temple of Mythal].

Arlathan was made of spires of crystal twining through the branches of trees and of palaces floating in the skies. Elves [he makes the subtle detail of calling them beings, maybe because these elves were more elven-spirit] were immortal and magic was natural in this world. It may imply that, since magic was natural, all elvhenan had some degree of magical power.

Solas: The Dalish remember fragments of fragments, but that is more than most.

Solas: It is a shame, Sera, that you were denied an elven life. Even one as patchwork as the Dalish interpretation.

The Dalish lifestyle, separated in clans, developed a cultural diversification of the Dalish. Some clans are more bandit-oriented, others are more mercantile, and others disappeared into the forest [this is probably an allusion to the Dalish living in Tirashan; which seem to be quite a curious clan according the tabletop corebook of DA]. This implies that the Dalish, the “holders of the ancient true knowledge”, have followed a path that inevitably causes diversification and inaccuracy in the lore they want to keep, and this is even worse if we think they lore is usually kept orally, a form of transmission of knowledge very fragile to loss and modifications over time.

He is convinced that Dalish only hold fragments of an already fragmented History. We later discover in the game that the Dalish have been embracing a lot of slavery icons thinking it was part of their cultural history, which ironically, it is. The “old ways” was a lot about slavery and power of the Evanuris and noble over the less powerful elvhen: The People.

If we have low approval and kill Abelas’ people, Solas angrily says that the Inquisitor has destroyed the few “true elves” that were left. So, Solas is totally convinced that City elves and Dalish are not true elves. We see this same attitude with Abelas when he meets the elven Inquisitor, and it’s also believed by Felassan in the The Masked Empire. The only ancient “elvhen” who sees the Dalish as The People is Flemeth/Mythal, who has been “changed”, according her own words, due to her death and the suffering of betrayal [check “The Fade - Flemeth: Part 2″].

With low approval, he claims that the only way he can save the “elves” is to bring down the Veil, bring the Fade into the Waking World, and reshape reality, which is, ironically, exactly what he plans to do.

In Din'an Hanin, when we interact with a statue of an Emerald Knights, Solas says

Solas: The Emerald Knights. They once patrolled the borders of the Dales, protecting the Elven people. The Dalish saw them as romantic heroes. The Chantry called them ruthless butchers. I suspect both sides have some element of truth.

This reinforces the idea that he knows that situations are greyer than what the groups tend to believe.Especially when it comes to Dalish.

The Demon/Spirit nature

Solas is against the oversimplified explanations of spirits and demons made by the Chantry. The distinction he does between both is that demons are spirits that wish to join the living but the wish "went wrong".

In a world separated by the Veil, it's not possible coexistence between living creatures and spirits. But in a world without Veil, this is possible. [In fact, we saw this coexistence in Vir Dirthara: Attentive Listeners]. My personal speculation about why he says this is probably because most spirits that cross the Veil get extremely confused with the unchangeable nature of the Waking World and some twist into demons as this world makes no sense for them and they try to adapt to it but fail, making impossible to execute their purpose. We see that only through shape they can adapt a bit: Justice took Kristoff’s body in the beginning, and Cole created his own body reflecting the original Cole.

The presence of the Veil makes difficult true understanding between living creatures and spirits.

Solas has travelled and made lasting friendships with spirits of wisdom [who shared knowledge with him], and spirits of Purpose [helped him search].

These benevolent spirits don't seek the living world because they can't survive the exposure to the people. Wisdom and Purpose are easily twisted into Pride and Desire.

Solas explains that the reflective nature of the Fade makes the spirits try to reflect what the living creatures think they are. So spirits reflect all the time the intention that others want from them. In Solas’ personal quest we saw this clearly: If a person wants a fighter from a spirit of wisdom, the spirit reflects this expectation and ends up turning into a “demon” because it goes against its purpose of learning and teaching. Instead, if the person reinforces the wisdom, expecting from that spirit to teach them, the spirit becomes stronger in its own purpose and can exist more comfortable in this world. This is also confirmed by the Avvar, whose whole lifestyle is supported by their interaction with good spirits.

This lore makes the Chantry as the main cause of corruption of spirits through their teachings: they tend to teach that anything non-living is a demon, and a gentle spirit may end-up feeling the compulsion of becoming a demon just because the living are expecting that from it. We can see how terribly wrong the Chantry is, and what a deep understanding of the spiritual world the “savage” Avvar have in contrast.

If one understands the nature of the spirit and reinforces their nature, the spirit remains as a friend.

Solas brings here an interesting philosophical discussion about the nature of a “person”, making us remember another we had with Owain, the Tranquil mage of the Circle of Magi in DAO. The reasoning is the following: spirits are bound to their nature and purpose and not their shape, as it happens with people, hence they are people too. It’s explicitly said that the nature of the spirits may change depending on its contact with people [this contact is what can make them demons or stronger in their own purpose]. This concept brings us a lot of potential explanations about Mythal’s cryptic lines about she being changed and different to the embodiment of motherhood she used to be when you, as an elf, asks Flemeth why Myhtal was silent to the prayers of the People [The Fade - Flemeth: Part 2] . I think it’s clear that Mythal’s has twisted her role and nature after her death. In fact, she may have changed it even previous to that event, when she started to impart justice in the name of Elgar’nan [The Judgment of Mythal, then she ended up being a goddess of Revenge before her death: Arbor Wilds: Altar of Mythal,].

Solas says that anyone who can dream can make friends with these spirits if their natures are respected [this would explain why the Avvar mages seem to do so well with their willingly possessions, I really can’t stress enough how amazing and admirable are the Avvar in the way they see the world and treat their mages. Like… if the Chantry says that free mages always end up as Tevinter, they truly never saw the Avvar. They are probably the only humans who “got it right”.]

Solas defends the idea that spirits are people, despite not having a form as "we understand it". This brings to our mind several Ancient Elven codices from Vir Dirthara, where shape doesn't exist truly. One in particular is Vir Dirthara: Birds of Fancy where two spirits make love in the most amorphous way ever. So, it’s clear that in Elvhenan society, shape did not exist, and the personhood was given by the interactions with others and the personal purposes that each of them had. As an inference, we can assume that the basic sexuality in the Elvhenan society, if it existed, was pansexual since shape is always an ambiguous amorphous thing.

In Banter we have a reinforcement of all this information:

Cole: I didn't know there were spirits of wisdom. Solas: There are few. Spirits form as a reflection of this world and its passions. We will never lack for spirits of rage, or hunger, or desire. The world gives them plenty to mirror. The gentler spirits are far more rare. We can ill afford the loss of even one spirit of wisdom, or faith...Or compassion. Cole: I will try not to die. Solas: Do that, please.

Solas says that there are few spirits of wisdom because Thedas has little desire to learn and teach, instead, there are many spirits of rage, hunger, and desire, because that’s all what Thedas is filled with. The gentle spirits are rarer, specially, compassion, faith, and wisdom.

Solas: How go your attempts to ease the pain of those at Skyhold, Cole? Cole: I made the scullery maid stop crying and one of the boys in the stable is happier. Some of the servants are angry. My help makes work for them. Do you want me to stop? Solas: No. You exist to help others. You are kindness, compassion, caring. If you stop giving comfort, you would twist into something else, as you did before I suspect. Cole: Yes. I will not be that again. Solas: Good. Never forget your purpose. It is a noble one, even if this world does not understand

Here, we have a reinforcement of the vital importance of letting the spirits keep on their purpose, otherwise they twist into something else. Cole, however, is special. We know we can humanise him and in any case, he will evolve into something different but not demonic. I’m going to talk more about his case when talking about “Solas’ Nature”.

This concept is reinforced again in Crestwood when we meet the spirit of Command.

Cassandra: Solas, I am sorry about your... friend. Solas: Thank you. Cassandra: I knew demons and spirits were similar, but I did not know one could become the other so easily. Not similar, Seeker. The same. The Chantry sees black and white, but nature is, and always has been, grey. A spirit is a purpose. A demon is that purpose perverted. Cassandra: That might be true with a spirit of compassion, but what is the purpose of a hunger demon? Solas: Survival. Satiation. The pleasure of taste, of feeding. True hunger, however, is much darker. Think of all those who starve in this world. Mankind has itself to blame for the existence of demons.

We learn in this banter many things:

Seekers, and by extension Templars, had no idea that demons and spirits are the same but just a twist or corruption is what makes the difference.

Solas reinforces, once again, the idea that spirits and demons are the same.

Nature is grey, never black and white, no matter how much the Chantry wants it to be.

What Thedas produces is what the spirits reflect, and since Thedas is currently dominated by humans and their perception of the world, Mankind has a lot of blame in the existence of demons.

Cassandra: I had not considered how fighting in our world might affect the Fade. Is it always thus, Solas? Solas: It is worse this time, with the Breach pulling spirits through against their will... But, yes. Every war, no matter how just, leads to hunger and rage... and so come the demons. Cassandra: It is said that generals should avoid fighting in the same battlefield too many times... Solas: The deaths, the rage - all of it weakens the Veil. But nothing is ever said of the effect war has upon the world of spirits, what we might be doing to them. Every war has unintended victims. All too many go unnoticed.

Solas keeps reinforcing the idea that what happens in Thedas is reflected later in the Fade and in the spirits.

Dorian: Do you use spirits as servants, Solas? You'd have no trouble capturing them. Solas: No. They are intelligent, living creatures. Binding them against their will is reprehensible.

Here we can see how Solas sees spirits as people, and this comment is probably the reason why some frictions between Solas and Dorian can be seen later.

Blackwall: Do you have any advice for fighting demons, Solas? Solas: Survive the first thirty heartbeats, and you'll have already won. Blackwall: So I should try not to die? Helpful. Solas: I mean that demons are rarely intelligent enough to change their tactics. If you focus on defending yourself, you will see the full range of their abilities within the first thirty heartbeats. By then, you should be able to find a weakness and exploit it. Blackwall: Ahh, that is helpful! I will try to remember that. Solas: Also, try not to die.

Solas seems to claim that demons rarely change their tactics. Probably this is based on the most emotional demons, such as Rage or Hunger. I have my doubts when it comes to the Pride demons, who are considered the most powerful ones among the demons and the most cunning too [not by chance the book Tevinter Nights .

Cole: Is there a way to save more spirits, Solas? Solas: Not until the Veil is healed. The rifts draw spirits through, and the shock makes demons of them. Cole: Pushing through makes you be yourself. You can hold onto the you. Being pulled through means you don't have enough you. You become what batters you, bruises your being. Solas: Yes, exactly. Deliberately crossing the Veil requires that a spirit form will, personality. That concept of self gives a spirit the chance to maintain its nature. Wrenched into this world unwillingly by the rifts, spirits suffer the same fate as my friend. Cole: Then we will help them.

This is something quite interesting lore-wise. It says that the only spirits that can pass through the Veil without being turned into demons through the shock are those who had developed personalities: the spirit has become complex, it can fulfil its purpose from different perspective and aspects, therefore it becomes stronger in their own purpose. I suspect the elvhen were in this level. So far we know, Mythal embodied things such as Wisdom, Motherhood, Justice and Revenge. Solas is a combination of Pride, Wisdom, and Rebellion. Abelas was also a combination of things we don’t know because we don’t know his previous names, but apparently, he changed his name every time his purpose changed. Cole is a rare exception as usual. Another spirit I can think of is Justice. He was certainly pulled into the Waking World, but it seems he had enough personality to survive as Justice, but the exposure to other people started to make him feel other things [remember he realised about Jealousy and Love with Kirstoff’s wife]. His change of purpose into Vengeance was more caused by the direct feeling of Anders’ rage inside, sadly.

Cole: If it helps enough people, it becomes more... wandering, wishing, touched by them, Maker loves you, and it grows. But I am me. Will I be more one day, if I help enough? Is this a task, timed, temporary? Solas: No. It is a mistake to ascribe human motivations to them. Cole: So I am always this? Solas: You are always you.

Here, Cole repeats the idea that reinforcing the purpose of the spirit makes the spirit be more themselves.

if Cole becomes more human:

Solas: How do you feel, Cole, now that you dealt with the Templar? Cole: I don't know. He hurt me... hurt the real Cole. I'm angry at him. I can't let that go. I have to become more, let it make me real. Solas: You may well become fully human, after all. I never thought to see it. Cole: When did you see it before? Solas: I did not say that I had. Cole: No, you didn't. It's harder to hear, sometimes. Sorry. Solas: Good luck, Cole. You have taken a difficult road.

Here, we can see that Solas saw this process once. Let’s remember that Cole, as he becomes more human, can hear less the depth of the creatures around him, so I’m pretty confident this banter means that Solas thought something along the lines “ I never thought to see it again”, but only said the first part. If we also remember that spirit-Cole says: "He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face." we can suspect that Solas was implying that the other creatures who became mortal were the elves, or himself.

Solas personal quest

He teaches us that some spirits want to come to the Waking World, but not all.

By the description of it, this spirit friend of Solas sounds similar to the one giving the lecture in Vir Dirthara: Attentive Listeners.

The perversion of a spirit of wisdom can be done too by forcing them to speak or release a piece of information they don’t want to.

I’m not sure how important or meaningful is the fact that this quest happens in a place called Enavuris. Sadly, we don’t have any means to understand this word.

Demons are spirits whose purpose has been perverted or forced to be another. What corrupted Solas’ friend was to be summoned and commanded to do something different to its nature.

I think here we can see some details about the bound process and how a demon is created: summoning a spirit, bound it to obedience, and force it to do something different than its purpose. Forced change is different to a spirit changing itself due to the people they interact with. Clearly here the key is the willingness, as it seems to be key in all spirit-related matters [we need to always remember Flemeth’s words about “A soul is not forced upon the unwilling”].

The inquisitor can propose to remove the binding circle, so free of orders, the spirit should return to its previous form.

Once the spirit is free, we see that it speaks Elvish, and you only understand this if the inquisitor is an elf.

We don’t see its ears, but its physique looks like a human. I suppose this shape is consequence of the mages that summoned it, so it reflected a human shape. Its eyes are full of Fade.

Solas asks for forgiveness for having failed her. The spirit is grateful anyway because it recovered its nature. I find it curious how it asks him to guide it into death. I also wonder why it dies, as a spirit who recovered its nature and was not harmed in the process of releasing it… why does it die? I wonder if this is just a small incoherence to continue Solas’ story.

Solas will endure as yet another spirit of wisdom dies.

When Solas is back to Skyhold, he says he went to the Fade to see the place his friend inhabited. He claims it’s empty now, but “there are stirrings of energy in the Void”. I’m confused with the capital letter in Void. We know that Void and Abyss are exchangeable in DA lore, and they are deeply related, ironically, to the depths of the underground [The Uncharted Abyss, Forgotten Caverns, Bastion of the Pure, and The Wellspring], and the more lore we learn, the more we relate it to the Titans and the Deep Roads.

He says that something new will grow in that spot. So… is this a subtle detail about the nature of death of spirits? Does a death of a spirit cause a stir in the Void that will produce something new there, inspired by what was lost? Can anything of this be related to the “dreams of the Titans”? No real clues to follow.

Once more, I’m a non-native English speaker, and I can’t stop noticing how the verb “stir” is used in DA: it has been used explicitly with Titans, and then left vague in less explicit cases like this. “The Stir of the Void energies”, which seem to be related to the underground, could also mean that this comes from some residual power of a Titan? Did the Titans create the Spirits and the Fade in the skies as well as the dwarves in the underground? There is so little information to explore this question that I doubted to even write it here. We know that the future of DA may be related to Titans, as Exaltations from the Chant of Light - Part 2 as well as the Mural of “The Destruction of the Veil“ seem to imply. We should never forget this is a game where, obviously, dev choices lead the story, and the fact that Exaltations is a text which talks about the return of the Maker implicating creatures such as Titans and beast-humans should not be overlooked. This is, after all, a lore element used by the devs as an in-world prophecy.

Anyways, Solas explains that death is different for mortals than for spirits [implicitly he may be saying that death is also different for immortal Elvhen and for mortal elves]. The spirits return to the Fade; if the idea giving shape the spirit is strong [meaning, there is enough idea in the Waking World for it to have a strong impact in the Fade], or its memory has shaped other spirits [meaning, other spirits will remember the dead one and such memory, if strong, can reconstruct it in the new reborn spirit], it may raise again as a consequence of reflecting what others reflects from its previous life [ this is exactly what he explained to us in the beginning of the game, in Haven, when talking about the nature of the spirits and their personhood]. However, due to the semi-existence nature of the spirits, the return produces a reset in their memory and personality. This doesn’t seem to be the case for Flemeth or Corypheus, but they are more complex than mere spirits.

Solas’ nature

Cole: You're different, Solas. Sharper. You're in both places. Solas: I visit the Fade regularly. Perhaps you are sensing traces of it. You are a spirit who crossed the Veil and took human form. Cole: Spirit or demon. Solas: The two are not so dissimilar, Cole. While the world may exert a pull in one direction or another, the choice is ultimately yours.

Cole says that Solas is in both places. This plays beautifully vague: Creators and Forgotten Ones, Fade and Waking World. This may suggest that Solas’s shape as an elf and as a wolf may have been dissociated [ “Self-portrait”] and his Wolf shape is the one roaming the Fade or the inside the Black City, vigilant as we conclude in several murals [ “The actions of the Inquisitor”, “The Creation of the Veil”]

if Cole becomes more human:

Here, we can assume that Solas saw the process of a spirit becoming mortal once, and considering the line of Cole: “He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face" we can suspect that the other creatures who became mortal were elvhen, or Solas himself. So there is a set of subtle details that may suggest that the process that Cole passed through to become a spirit with shape or even a human was similar to the one that Solas himself passed through long, long time ago.

Blackwall: I am sorry about your... friend. Losing someone is difficult. Solas: Thank you. The death itself was less painful than what came before. Seeing a good spirit twisted, its nature defiled. Those mages knew nothing of my friend. Worse, they did not care. Blackwall: I... don't know what to say. Solas: Nor will you, until you've seen ignorance snatch away all that you love. Pray such a day never finds you.

Another reinforcement of how spirits are twisted when forced against their purpose, which is a constant thing in Thedas, filled with so much ignorance about spirits due to, mainly, the Chantry’s teaching.

Blackwall: You make friends with spirits in the Fade. So... um, are there any that are more than just friends? If you know what I mean. Solas: Oh, for... really?! Blackwall: Look, it's a natural thing to be curious about! Solas: For a twelve-year-old! Blackwall: It's a simple yes or no question! Solas: Nothing about the Fade or spirits is simple, especially not that.

This is a very interesting concept that we saw and read in the codex Vir Dirthara: Birds of Fancy where, effectively, we can see the complexity in the lack of shape that creatures in the Fade had. Of course Blackwall makes it more like a joke, but we know that there is more to it.

Blackwall: For all your experience, Solas, you don't carry yourself like a soldier. Solas: You should have seen me when I was younger. Hot-blooded and cocky, always ready to fight. Blackwall: Ah, youth. Solas: It is a delicate balance for those who fight. If they lack sufficient passion, they never become truly skilled, and die or leave the life. Blackwall: But too much passion, and they end up dead; or monsters better off dead. Solas: Yes. It is a rare soldier who can fight without letting it define him.

Here, Solas speaks of soldiers and fighting as things that produce a change in the purpose of a spirit or an elvhen. He may imply that his fight may have changed him at some point, and hence my suspicion that he was more like a spirit of Wisdom or Pride, who due to Mythal’s request, he changed purpose and embraced shape, as it may suggest Cole’s cryptic line: “He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face.”

Iron Bull: Nice job in that last fight, Solas. You really kicked the crap outta that guy. Solas: I suppose. Iron Bull: What, you don't think so? You ripped him a new one. It was great! Solas: Unless the fight is personal, violence is a means to an end. It isn't appropriate to celebrate. Iron Bull: I don't know. Gotta wonder about anyone who fights as much as we do and doesn't have some fun with it. Solas: We have fought living men, with loves and families, and all that they might have been is gone.

Solas: You fought the Tal-Vashoth for a long time, Iron Bull, did you not? Iron Bull: Every day. I'd kill some of them, they'd kill some of my guys, and then I'd kill them some more. Solas: No man can kill so many people without breaking inside. To survive... those you fight must become monsters. Iron Bull: The ones that kill innocent people, yeah. The rest... I don't know. Solas: The mind does marvelous things to protect itself.

This is something very impressive that Solas says, since it’s part of the process that many soldiers make up in their minds so they can kill innocents, specially in countries they invade, and keep it like “it is duty and shit”. Solas is basically comparing this mechanism with the one that the Qun uses in their soldiers. This speaks not only of the brainwash that the Qun causes and that Solas despises deeply, but also may be subtly speaking about Solas: he never stops repeating the Inquisitor that all those people they kill had families and loved ones, he is always making them “humans”, reminding their individuality and personhood, even if it fills the killer with a lot of guilt. These lines probably make sense only after a time of Solas living in the Inquisition to make him recognise the personhood of the current mortals of this separate world [we need to remember that in the Tresspasser DLC he confessed that he did not see mortals as people when he woke up from his slumber, it took him a while to recognise it]. So, this constant “humanisation” of the people they kill has been feeding the Regret demon that has been following Solas for millennia. Solas is a soldier, a smart one, that has killed innocent people or at least, people that did not deserved it, specially those that showed acts of rebellion [like Felassan] but he needed them out of the board so he could accomplish a “greater good” in his eyes. This makes Solas more like a rebel who has become a bit of a martyr because his motivations and “duties”, than an evil villain, for what he is going to do.

This is also why Solas is presented at the end of Tresspasser as a man who will follow a plan and will take hard decisions that will destroy the world as it is now, but always embracing the regret and the pain of such actions, because he is not forgetting that he is destroying people as he recovers a previous world. It’s also true that such current world, as it is, is doomed too [remember that the fall of the Archdemons is going to unleash the “true evil” in this world].

Solas: I wish to apologise for what I said to you, Blackwall. Blackwall: You were right, though. I deserved it. Solas: My people had a saying long ago - "The healer has the bloodiest hands." You cannot treat a wound without knowing how deep it goes. You cannot heal pain by hiding it. You must accept. Accept the blood to make things better. You have taken the first step. That is the hardest part.

In several parts of his banter, we learn that Solas has a deep old pain, caused by a “mistake” he did when he was younger. This mistake was the creation of the Veil and the end of the elvhen world and their nature. Through the acceptance of such mistake, he has put in movement a new plan to restore it, to make “things better”, in his eyes.

Cole: You are quiet, Solas. Solas: Unless I have something to say, yes. Cole: No, inside. I don't hear your hurt as much. Your song is softer, subtler, not silent but still. Solas: How small the pain of one man seems when weighed against the endless depths of memory, of feeling, of existence. That ocean carries everyone. And those of us who learn to see its currents move through life with their fewer ripples. Cole: There is pain though, still within you. Solas: And I never said that there was not.

Inquisitor [who romanced Solas]: Perhaps Cole can get a better answer from you than I did. Cole: He hurts, an old pain from before, when everything sang the same. You're real, and it means everyone could be real. It changes everything, but it can't. They sleep, masked in a mirror, hiding, hurting, and to wake them... (gasps) Where did it go? Solas: I apologize, Cole. That is not a pain you can heal.

Cole has several banters where he reinforces the concept that Solas has been in pain for a long while. In here, we also have a curious piece of information: “Old pain, from when everything sang the same”. We already saw that there are a lot of things in DA lore that sing [check Songs and elements that sing and whisper in DA Lore] which suggests that Solas is a very ancient soul.

There is also a reinforcement of the idea that through the romance, Solas may have changed even more deeply his vision of the personhood of the mortals of Thedas. I think this applies too for a friendly path, since he confesses in the DLC that, after a time, he began to see mortals as people.

Occurs after completing Solas’ personal quest:

Cole: Bright and brilliant, he wanders the ways, walking unwaking, searching for wisdom... Solas: I do not need you to do that, Cole. Cole: Your friend wanted you to be happy, even though she knew you wouldn't be. Solas: (Sighs.) Could you... if you would remember her, could you do it as I would? Cole: He comes to me as though the Fade were just another wooded path to walk without a care in search of wisdom. We share the ancient mysteries, the feelings lost, forgotten dreams, unseen for ages, now beheld in wonder. In his own way, he knew wisdom, as no man or spirit had before. Solas: Thank you.

Here we see again the repetition of the concept of Solas’ pain; this time added to the pain of losing yet another spirit of wisdom, or a gentle spirit in general. It is implied here that Solas looks for wisdom, in a word play that may represent the spirit he just helped to die now, or wisdom as in general. He has a deep understanding of wisdom [maybe the ideal or the spirit] that no other creature has.

When first encountering the Black Wolves in the Hinterlands:

Solas: The Breach may have driven them mad... or perhaps a demon took command of the pack. Cole: Do you know a lot about wolves? Solas: I know that they are intelligent, practical creatures that small-minded fools think of as terrible beasts.

This implies that Solas, whose animal associated with him is the wolf, is an intelligent, practical person who has a terrible reputation given by small-minded creatures.

Solas: Yes, exactly. Deliberately crossing the Veil requires that a spirit form will, personality. That concept of self gives a spirit the chance to maintain its nature. Wrenched into this world unwillingly by the rifts, spirits suffer the same fate as my friend.

This was already treated in the Demon/Spirit nature section, but it seems to me it can apply to Solas, if the suspicion that he was a spirit who took shape is true. He may have preserved his purpose mostly because he always had a personality.

Solas: You spied upon your own people. Iron Bull: Is that so different from Orlais or Ferelden? They have all kinds of people policing them. Solas: What they say and do, yes. Not what they think. Iron Bull: What you think is what you say and do. Solas: No. Even the lowliest peasant may find freedom in the safety of her thoughts. You take even that.

Solas: Surely, even you see, Iron Bull, that freedom is preferable to mindless obedience to the Qun. Iron Bull: How so? Last I checked, our mages weren't burning down Par Vollen. […] Solas: Do not equivocate. Would we or would we not be better under the Qun? Iron Bull: It's not that simple, Solas. Solas: It absolutely is.

Iron Bull: Alright, Solas, been thinking. You wanna know how this place would be if the Qunari took charge? Orlais, Ferelden, all of it would be healthier under the Qun. […] Oh, come on. I said I didn't want us to invade you! Solas: No. You said this world would be brighter if all thinking individuals were stripped of individuality. You only lack the will to get more blood on your hands.

Iron Bull: Tell me something, Solas. Do you think the servants here are happier than the people living under the Qun in Par Vollen? Solas: It doesn't matter if they are happy, it matters that they may choose! Iron Bull: Choose? Choose what? Whether to do their work or get tossed onto the street to starve? Solas: Yes! If a Ferelden servant decides that his life goal is to... become a poet, he can follow that dream! It may be difficult, and he might fail. But the whole of society is not aligned to oppose him! Iron Bull: Sure, and good for him. How many servants actually go do that, though? Solas: Almost none! What does that matter? Your Qun would crush the brilliant few for the mediocre many! Iron Bull: And then people feel like crap for failing. When the truth is, the deck was stacked against them anyway.

Solas: If your Qun is so wonderful, so fair and perfect, how does it create so many Tal-Vashoth? Iron Bull: Most Tal-Vashoth are nothing more than savages. Killing's all they know. The Ben-Hassrath are trying to lose fewer people to that sickness. Solas: It isn't a sickness. You are losing them because they see a chance for freedom! And most of them are "savage," as you say, because your culture taught them nothing else. They know nothing but the Qun. So even as they fight against it, they are guided by its principles. Iron Bull: Watch it, elf. You haven't seen the Tal-Vashoth like I have. Try watching a Tal-Vashoth kill a Tamassran and her kids. Then we'll talk.

When siding with the Qun:

Solas: The truth is, Iron Bull, you are Qunari. I cannot be disappointed in your decisions. As a mindless, soulless drone, you could never make any.

When not siding with the Qun:

Solas: You are no beast, snapping under the stress of the Qun's harsh discipline. You are a man who made a choice... possibly the first of your life. Iron Bull: I've always liked fighting. What if I turn savage, like the other Tal-Vashoth? Solas: You have the Inquisition, you have the Inquisitor... and you have me. Iron Bull: Thanks, Solas.

Gatt: Have I done something to offend you? Solas: You joined the Qun. Gatt: After they rescued me from slavery. Solas: And put you into something worse. A slave may always struggle for freedom, but you among the Qun have been taught not to think.

Solas has a strong sense of Freedom that he wants to give to all creatures. He values choice, hence he detests the Qun. This is also related to his sense and embodiment of Rebellion. Let’s remember that Solas’ latest purpose was/is, before anything else, Rebellion. He will always defend the smallest gesture of Rebellion. Rebellion also comes at a high price; he never denies it. Rebellion can cost you your life, and he is alright with that. The rebel has to be cunning to survive as well.

Solas also sees the Qunari as people without the ability to make decisions, defined as “mindless, soulless” drones; which I cannot help but relate with the dwarves: the elvhenan saw the “workers of the Titans” as “witless and soulless” creatures that they despised them [Old Elven Writing, Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 3]. The link between dwarves as a race created by Titans, with the Qunari, another race artificially created by someone else [Tevinter most likely] seems to give the impression that Elvhenan detested created races due to their lack of freedom.

Solas, as an entity that represents Rebellion and Pride, despises mindless obedience, and as an entity of Wisdom, the lack of thinking. In thinking by your own, you show individuality that may or may not obey a greater force, but the act itself is rebel enough to make Solas happy. This is why he has such a strange approval system all over the game: the more you question, the more you show him curiosity and a sharp mind, who thinks about the events and do not accept them as they come, so the more he approves. He disapproves all your actions that simply accept the world as it is without wondering about it.

These bits of banters also imply that the Qun has been a tool to control and tame a race that may have been seen as beasts. This coincides with the fragmented details we got throughout the game: Corypheus calling the race of a Qunari inquisitor “a mistake” and their blood as “engorged with decay”. Later Kieran says that the Qunari blood “does not belong to them” and that he “feels bad about what happened to the Qunari people” [details in Frostback Mountains: Somewhere North]. All this seems to suggest that the Qunari may have been a crafted race [I’m not sure if by the Elvhen or the Tevinter created them, I am inclined to the second one] which was tamed and forced into slavery and passivity through the usage of the Qun, which reinforces the idea of roles and “serving to the community” at the expense of the personal individuality.

Other bits of info we have about Solas and his nature from the Tresspasser DLC are the following [the screenshots and the details are in the section “Trespasser Revelations”]

Solas was first “Solas” [Pride], then he changed his purpose, likely due to the interaction with other people, and turned into Fen’Harel [Rebellion], which has some degree of pride, after all. However this name was given by the Evanuris, he did not pick it.

He is not a “piece” of Fen’Harel, like Mythal is in Flemeth. This elf has always been Solas, until he took shape, I guess.

After the creation of the Veil, Solas “lay” in dark and slumbered [he did not call this Uthenera because it was not final] to recover from the effort. History passed and he awoke, still weak, a year before the creation of the Inquisition.

He wants to restore the elvhen world, even if it means to destroy this one. On the other hand, in combination with what he said previously, if this world is slowly losing the ward that has been protecting it from the big danger he hid in the Black City, it’s just a matter of time for this world to fall anyway. Thedas is already a doomed world.

Solas takes no pleasure in destroying this world to recover the old one.

Solas acknowledges that his role as a leader of a rebellion always implied dirty hands. It was the price to fight mage-kings. He recognises he has used a lot of people in hopeless battles.

When he awoke in this world, it felt to him as if the world were filled with tranquils.

He recognises the people of this new world was not perceived as people at first, but the more he saw the struggles and the humanity of each living creature throughout DAI, he acknowledged their personhood. If Solas is your friend, he will claim it was you who showed him the personhood of the living creatures of Thedas and that there is value in this world. He recognised he was wrong in his previous impression.

Cassandra: Solas, if you do not mind me asking, what do you believe in? Solas: Cause and effect. Wisdom as its own reward, and the inherent right of all free willed people to exist.

Pretty clear what Solas’ beliefs are.

#solas #Dreamers #Somniari #elvhenan #elvhen #Dalish #demon #spirit #Spirits #solas' nature #qun #qunari

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