Just an interesting note I picked up from Zevran in my recent DAO playthrough. He notes this in Haven when you discover the bloody altar in the house just on the left as you enter I believe. I didn’t remember this line, which has some rather interesting implications.
“I wonder… the Crows often made sacrifices of blood, and it gave them uncanny abilities.”
Reminder that there is an elven servant in the Val Royeaux courtyard who stumbled upon the temple of Mythal in his youth, supposedly directs the Venatori there, and begins having dreams of a woman whispering to him in the night and calling herself Mythal. He later gains Mythal’s vallaslin if you return to the courtyard! I transcribed the audio below - I did my best to get them in the right order! It’s been a while so the line placement may not be 100% correct. A friend was interested in this, and I decided to share this here too in case it is of interest to anyone else.
From the new ‘Making of Dragon Age: the Veilguard’ behind the scenes video: 👀
“As we’ve gone through DAO, DA2, Inquisition… magic has become more and more present, and part of that is because Solas has been slowly preparing this ritual for longer than anyone in the Dragon Age universe is really aware of.”
Just saw this posted on Twitter by @NearlyRemy and lost my mind:
My off the cuff translation:
Do not be sorrowful, my heart,
The way of endurance rewards, and
Guides you to our love,
And our joy
- Solas
(Cries happy tears in a corner)
Another one shared by @kathrynb42 on Twitter!!!
Nothing is inevitable.
Your endurance leads to joy.
Just saw this posted on Twitter by @NearlyRemy and lost my mind:
My off the cuff translation:
Do not be sorrowful, my heart,
The way of endurance rewards, and
Guides you to our love,
And our joy
- Solas
(Cries happy tears in a corner)
More information on the role Solas plays in Veilguard!!! As a Solasmancer I am SO HAPPY. - https://www.gameinformer.com/exclusive/2024/06/20/dragon-age-the-veilguards-leads-on-the-name-change-and-solas-role-in-the-story
no one:
-
DA:TV news: "On the narrative themes of the game: “For DA:TV, from the start one of the biggest themes has been regret; how regret shaped peoples’ lives, how people deal with their regrets, how people maybe move past their regrets.” Each of the characters, the stories as a whole, have elements of this tied throughout. They really wanted to have this thematic cohesiveness to the game’s story."
-
Tevinter Nights, Callback: “I am the heart of what was here. An echo that has breached the Fade. And I can still the bravest blade or magic. I am Regret! There is so much of me that's here. So much Regret behind these deeds. I wonder if you know the dread that's coming? I am the regret of a god!" Sutherland then cries out, echoing the regret that drew Regret to Skyhold: "I regret! I regret acting alone! I regret using my friends! I regret now!" Regret had never been accepted. Never owned. The regret that had drawn it to Skyhold had a very long memory. For a moment, the sunlight illuminated something within - a sliver of the spirit it might have been. Not the opposite of regret. A different flavor, or shade. Contemplation. Introspection. It felt the echo of the actions that had summoned it. There might have been a better choice, said a thought it had not been allowed. It glimpsed the spirit realm beyond the Veil, and a faraway glimmer. Familiar, and somehow far brighter than what had drawn it here. It knew where it would go. Rat hefted her hammer, brought it down on the demon, and a lazy breeze blew in the garden."
Regret saw a faraway bright light in the Fade when it died? The light called to it and that's where it went, it went home. To a Lighthouse, and a lonely god.
Food for one of my wildest headcanons. Yeah this is out there. But another point for the veil-bubble blowing dragon of Skyhold long past!
- Spire: Orlesian tavern song mentioning "skyholde" by name as a fanciful utopia, but also claiming nugs with wings and a dragon that blows bubbles.
After seeing all the speculation on Bellara’s vallaslin in Dragon Age: the Veilguard, note that we have already seen quite a bright red version of Mythal’s vallaslin on the guards at the temple of Mythal - so I don’t think the use of the colour directly connects to worship of the Forgotten Ones.
I was watching some older Ghil Dirthalen theory videos and saw this mural in one of them.
Those eye-like things in the middle have always drawn my attention but we haven't been able to come up with explanations for them. There's fourteen of them, and we haven't had anything that there's fourteen of before.
Well now there's fourteen statues involved in Solas's ritual, two of each Evanuris that he locked away. They're even arranged in the same sort of arcing shape, with a sphere below them.
(Side note, there are three statues here that are of "Beetle" aka the Evanuris that's on the right at the end of the gameplay trailer, but Ghil Dirthalen stated in (if I remember correctly) this Split the Veil episode that it's a mistake, meaning there's supposed to be two of each Evanuris.)
This makes me think that this ritual is very much a reverse of the one he used to create the veil in the first place, and he needed fourteen statues for that one too. I always kind of suspected that mural was a depiction of Solas creating the veil, and I think this pretty much confirms that.
I saw some theories about why Rook might want to avoid blood magic, and I think it’s likely as simple as because it weakens the veil. (Excerpt is from Streets of Minrathous, Tevinter Nights)
Okay so we know ancient tevene=Latin. Solas, in Latin, means alone. I couldn’t help but note the symbolism with our favourite elf apostate (worst fear is of dying alone) and how ancient elven names correspond seemingly with their states/duties. Abelas (meaning sorror) guards the Vir'abalessan, and when he leaves, Solas says he hopes he finds a new name. Is solas afraid of dying still ‘alone’ still ‘solas’? We know that elvhen words and meanings are found integrated into tevene/Latin, and that tevinter was built on the remains of the Elvhen empire. Could the dalish meaning be twisted from alone to pride? As the dread Wolf walks alone? It seems a short step in meaning after his supposed betrayal. Could the original meaning be concealed in the tevene language/Latin? Other tevene words have clearly been derived from elven words, similar to Roman’s appropriating from the Greeks. I begged Weekes for answers and this occurred.
It’s worth noting that I’ve thought for a long time that a change like this would make the nightmare demons words make more sense. (Though I think it’s possible that this ‘walking alone’ is a kind of pride, and this may be a nuance to the name). After targeting each companions fears, the demon starts accusing Solas of pride? We know from his gravestone that he fears dying alone, and I think that when Solas’ name is considered to have that alternate meaning, instead of potentially saying his pride will kill him, the demon is speaking of him dying alone. This just makes more sense to me personally.
Some wild speculation that is most probably wrong!
Although the shadow ‘demon?’ in Neve’s story, streets of Minrathous initially brings to mind figures from lore similar to The Formless One or Shah Wyrd, as @Andarateiea on twitter has spotted, there is a very similar silhouette shared between the figure standing before the golden city on the Vinyl cover art, and the shadow entity visible in Neve’s tarot art. In this post I explore the possible similarities between this figure and the Magisters Sidereal. I'll add a break because this will be a long post.
And!!! something actually far more relevant! If this figure is one of the Magisters Sidereal - he would have worshipped one of the old gods. This is central to each of the Magisters Sidereal so far. So, which are those that remain? I looked at the remaining 2 to see if there was any obvious candidate, and yes!!!!
Lusacan, the Dragon of Night, calls to you. He lives where it is darkest and waits for the day he will rise. Drink of his blood and know the power in darkness: either fear the Night or wield it. - Description for Call of the Dark weapon.
Continued below:
In Tevinter Nights, a remaining group of Venatori are attempting to break a being of terrifying power from its prison beneath Minrathous. Supposedly, Corypheus had a backup involving its release.
‘If Minrathous wasn’t ready to kneel, the demon would make sure it did. The Hour of Minrathous’s Return.’
Here I will list the collection of significant moments in the story Streets of Minrathous that stood out to me, informing on its nature and power.
Some wild speculation that is most probably wrong!
Although the shadow ‘demon?’ in Neve’s story, streets of Minrathous initially brings to mind figures from lore similar to The Formless One or Shah Wyrd, as @Andarateiea on twitter has spotted, there is a very similar silhouette shared between the figure standing before the golden city on the Vinyl cover art, and the shadow entity visible in Neve’s tarot art. In this post I explore the possible similarities between this figure and the Magisters Sidereal. I'll add a break because this will be a long post.
The Skyhold frescos painted by Solas, lined up. [source and art credit: Nick Thornborrow]
unfinished, and complete.
wait, isnt this the first time we're seeing the finished version of the final panel?
