Yeessss! We live!

Happy DA Day!

We are just about to end our day over here at the home of the Wyrd Sisters, but we would be remiss not to wish everyone a Happy Dragon Age Day.  

We hope you’ve had a lovely day wherever you are.  We’ve enjoyed so many delightful fics, delicious art, and wonderful personal stories.  

Thank you for sharing your gifts.  We hope to see you in Thedas soon!

The Sisters

Does this image remind you of anything? 

I think this imagery confirms the symbols in the mural are the Evanuris. 

And then we have the hats...

Look at the similarities in the silhouettes.  

Now...which are they?  Ghilan'nain?  Dirthomen?  Our old friend Falon’Din?

Yeah, the Sisters Wyrd are pretty much all glued to YouTube right now ready to clown it up for Dragon Age 4.  

DA4 Behind the Scenes and Reading Between the Lines, Part 1

We’ve calmed down enough here at Wyrd Sisters Central to put together a few thoughts about the art and game scenes from today’s BIoWare update.

Here is what we’re thinking so far...

Rivain Revealed?

After doing some checking, we are thinking that these egg shaped domes are likely representative of Rivaini architecture (World of Thedas Vol. 2, p. 134).

This particular picture is interesting, as it seems to be a blending of another architectural style as well, (likely Antivan, as it is Rivain’s only neighbor by land).  

Meaning this particular city would likely sit between the two countries. Looking at the map, a significant city that fits this description is the city of Ayesleigh. Ring any bells? Ayesleigh is actually the site where the elven hero, Garahel, slew the Archdemon of the 4th Blight, Andoral. 

Could this be another view of Ayesleigh? It looks to be the same building (and mountain) but from the other side.

And here we have what is likely (in our opinion) one of the major cities in Rivain. Could it be Dairsmuid? Or possibly the island of Llomeryn?

This image from World of Thedas Vol. 2 (p 129) is not captioned, but certainly has design elements that resemble the city we see in the concept art.

And speaking of Rivain and the Rivaini...

Bela in the Sea

We have a very Isabela looking swimmer present here!  And some other interesting folks as well!

Possible Dorian sighting here?  Whoever he is looks to be wearing armor like Zevran’s Black Shadow costume, who by this point might have formed his own gang to take down the Crows. If it isn’t Dorian, this character owes both Dorian and Zev royalties for his sweet style!! You also have to wonder why developers would make two characters so similar in design, but this is still early in the development process. 

And ummmmm....did y’all see the skeleton in the corner doing a swan dive into the ocean?  We would be so happy if this turned out to be Audric from “Down Among the Dead Men” in Tevinter Nights!

Assassins in the Street

Speaking of our beloved Zevran, it sure looks like the man himself “Black Shadow-ing” up behind the man in the blue, green, and gold robes. It seems Zev’s people (or our people ^_^) have business with the lady in the litter. The architecture here looks (possibly) Antivan from what we’ve seen illustrated in the comics.  Tiled roofs seemed to be a hallmark of Antivan architecture and that can be glimpsed here in the top left corner.

Who is the fellow smirking at the front of the litter with Zev and his Qunari lady friend?  He has some traits in common with the fellow pictured here on the left...

Are these pretty people new companions?  Associates of Zev’s?  We seem to see possible variations of them in several pictures.  

Decima would really like the Qunari man on the far left to be our beloved Arishock, the warrior formerly known as Sten, but who knows? Also, the guy in the front-center could be the underwater Dorian-knock-off again. If so, his style is becoming more distinct, and very HANDSOME! 

This heavy stone architecture looks much more Teviter. The triangles on the building in the background as well as the robed figure and their guards also suggest this is the Imperium.

Other Exotic Locales

We were also excited by how many locations were featured in the concept art and game preview.  Lots caught our eye, but here were some that really stood out to the Sisters today.

The Wardens at Weisshaupt

Weisshaupt in the Anderfels, am I right? I mean, the arid, desolate landscape? The huge gryffon carving? The tall-ass building you could fly a griffon off of? It’s gotta be Weisshaupt! YAY!

Could this be an inner chamber of Weisshaupt Fortress?  Notice all the Grey Warden banners and the Wardon-y looking fellow. The table, however, has echoes of the war table at Skyhold. 

And holy shit! Is that a freakin’ rift opening up outside the window? We knew there was trouble brewing in the Anderfels, but that would be a devastating development.  Especially without an Inquisitor on hand.  ;)

Not so “Stark” haven?

Okay, going out a limb here, but we really want this to be Starkhaven. Yeah, yeah. We know we saw Starkhaven in the Knight Errant comics, but let’s face it...not everything in the comics is canon (or Alistair’s eyes would be blue). 

We were disappointed with how small, and rather ugly, Sebastian’s hometown was in the comic. What gives us hope that this could be Starkhaven is the waterfalls (which are vaguely represented in Knight Errant #3) and Genitivi’s description of the place. 

Also, if Sebastian's armor was a city, wouldn’t it look like this? ;-) 

There was so much to examine in the DA4 Behind the Scenes update, that we need to break this post up.  

Stay tuned for more meta in Part 2.  We’re putting the “Air” back in aravels,  finding fine Dwarven Crafts definitely not direct from Orzammar, and your friendly neighborhood Titan Boi!

-Decima and Morta

Dragon Age 4 Bioware Update!

OMG!!  At last!!!  

All Frescos: Symbols in Dragon Age Art (Part 1)

When is a triangle not a triangle?

So....Tevinter Nights!  Still reading it, but you know me and maps.  I kind of like them.  And while the book’s map is short on details, it had one very interesting image that caught my eye.  

Let me zoom in a bit for you.

What an interesting depiction of the Veil!  Complete with spikey projections!!  Then I thought...we’ve seen those triangles before. Here they are clearly labeled as a visual representation of the Veil.  And if they represent the Veil between the Fade and the Mortal World then...

....it is very likely that they mean the same thing here.  

So this image may well be meant to show Solas creating the Veil.  

Now that alone might not be groundbreaking.  I think many of us thought that the triangles could represent magic or the Fade, but it seems to be more specific than that.  These triangles are the Veil in Solas’ art.  

Taking this as a working theory, then some interesting tin-foil hat analyses of the his other frescos is possible.  Here is what I am thinking:

2019: A Wyrd Year

It is just before midnight in our spot on the globe, and we’ve been trying to figure out a year in review post.  

We’ve been very quiet this year.  Part of our personal journey for this year may have been learning to accept quiet times. We’ve needed to focus inward to work through all of the changes to our Wyrd family this year.  There have been ups.  There have been downs.  

We are very ready for something new.  

We still love Dragon Age.  We still love to immerse ourselves in this world and fandom, but we’ve spent most of 2019 enjoying others’ amazing work rather than producing new work of our own.  Thank you to all of you!  You’re creativity is so appreciated!

We’re lifting a glass to 2020 while remembering the decade that has been.  

Thank you to all of our friends and followers!  Happy New Year!

-The Sisters Wyrd

I’m late as usual to the party, but here’s my swing for D4 Day!

While I don’t post a lot about it, Dragon Age has been a cornerstone of my life for the past 7-8 years, give or take. It’s helped to strengthen the relationship that I have with my family; Decima, Morta, and Artemis, but all three of them will be able to express that more eloquently, haha!  

Dorothea is a character that I made in the early stages of Dragon age, way way WAY back in high school when I was first getting into it, and is the source of my name on the Blog. She’s not the inquisitor, but more of a fun side character that I’ve been working on for a while now, but never really posted about, lol. It’s been kind of a trip to see how much she’s changed over the years, but with how much I’VE changed, it doesn’t surprise me all that much, haha. I look forward to seeing how much Dorothy can change, and also how much I can as well! I look forward to being more active in this awesome community!

Happy (Late) D4 Day!!

-Dorothea

Sand Through a Glass

A Dragon Age 2 Fic by Morta Mahariel, A Wyrd Sister of Thedas

Thank you to all the wonderful people who made Dragon 4ge Day so fantastic this year!  Your work was truly inspiring!  I hope folks enjoy this oneshot.  

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A warm breeze carrying the scent of salt and waves, driftwood and seagrass tickled at the edges of Mercy’s awareness.  Her skin felt all a tingle, like the last traces of a healing spell were ebbing from her body.  The thought brought with it a smile and a sense of peace.  She didn’t have to move.  There was nowhere to be.  There was no one to save.  The frantic life they had left behind seemed a distant memory in the moment that was now.  

She opened her eyes to see a tousled blonde head of hair within reach of her outstretched hand.  The longest strands, normally tightly restrained, had staged a rebellion to cascade over the face of the man sleeping next to her on the blanket.  Her smile widened into a giggle as she stretched to murmur a breath away from his ear, “Your skin has turned a rather worrisome shade of red too, Anders.”  

Without moving a muscle, other than the quirk at the edge of his mouth, the mage cast a healing spell, its blue waves of magic flowing like water over his skin leaving a tawny shade in its wake.  Mercy rose onto one elbow, her gaze teasing over his almost bare form. Mmm, half-naked Anders, she mused dreamily.   Rivaini swim clothes are...nice.

“Better?” Anders asked, his lips stretched into a cheeky smirk as his half-lidded amber eyes followed her admiration.  

Heat that had nothing to do with the sun flamed Mercy’s cheeks.  For the Maker’s sake!  You would think I would stop blushing at his flirting eventually!!  “At least you won’t look like a lobster when we get back to town,” she managed with a wink before settling back onto the blanket.  “You could take it easier on me next time.  I would like to see if a bit more sun could drown out the freckles.”

“But I like your freckles, Freckles!” the mage protested, bracing his head with his hand to stare down at her.  “In fact, I think the sun has kissed you at least a hundred more times while you were sleeping.  Look!  I’m certain that this is a new freckle!  And this one.  And here, here, and here!”

Mercy rolled her eyes and laughed as his finger danced across her face, eventually booping the end of her nose.  She pushed herself off of her stomach again to circumvent his teasing.  Sleep had settled into her frame and she stretched languidly to push the last of it from her limbs.  One arm came to rest just above her eyes, shading her from the rays of sunlight that were glinting like diamonds on the nameless stretch of white sand nestled against Rialto Bay.  The sea was clear as glass and a shade of jeweled azure that made every other day she had spent back on the Wounded Coast diminish to a dull grey in her memory.

“And here.”  A shiver danced over her skin as Anders’ fingers flited feather light across her back.  He paused at a part of skin etched with a design in white where a Rivaini artist has turned scars into works of beauty.  As silly as it might seem, the tattoos made her feel like she owned her skin again, turning dark memories of the time when she and Anders had been separated into talismans to strengthen her resolve on the path they had chosen.  

A world where we are free...  

Mercy felt Anders lips press against the brand, his hands tightening around her waist with emotion.  “It’s so...good to be here with you.  I’m happy here.  On this beach.  With you, Love.”  

She turned to look at the man she loved, cupping his face with her hands.  “Me too,” she breathed in the heartbeat before his lips found hers.  

Mercy leaned back into his waiting arms, settling like a cat in his lap, his body warming her more than a lifetime in the sun.  The sun would set, its light disappearing, but there was no darkness that they couldn’t face.  Together.

Gaiety - A Solavellan Oneshot

 by Artemis, a Wyrd Sister of Thedas.  

Posted in honor of Dragon 4ge Day.  

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The memories curling at the edge of the Fade were strong in the Emprise du Lion. 

Remnants of a time forgotten haunted the shadows of crumbling fortresses while the children of the villages played under the watchful eyes of relics devoted to gods whose names they did not know. Where once the lost elven nation thrived now occupied spires of crackling scarlet crystals thrumming with sinister power, taking root in the cold earth and in the hearts of men, turning them to crazed zealots mad with the song of corruption whispering promises of power.

The snow crunched beneath Solas’ feet as he followed the Inquisitor past ice-covered towers and looming, barren trees. The chill in the air turned the breath from the entourage to clouds and tinged the tips of their ears a rosy hue rivaling that of a sunburned nug. Glistening specks of crystalline latticework danced throughout the grey sky before falling silently to the ground, pulling an earlier memory of Kialla’s surprised remark of the quiet in the mountains of the Emprise to flit across Solas’ mind, and a fleeting smile crossed his features. 

Despite the deceptively serene landscape of the area, it was anything but. Solas could feel the energy of dark forces at work, simmering beneath the quiet facade presented by the abandoned elven fortresses. Memories tugged at the surface of the Fade throughout the ruins of his people, while the lonely howling of wolves in the distance was rivaled only by the howling of the wind past his ears.

He would rather not linger here.

As the group trekked through the near pristine powder toward their destination, Solas’ mind wandered further. He pondered Kialla, unwittingly thrust into a position of power and influence over a magnitude of frightened and desperate people. The name of “Herald” carried significant weight in Thedas as of late, and garnered her a great amount of attention that she seemed indifferent to at best on some days.

And there was the Anchor. In his days keeping watch over her while she lay unconscious closely following the catastrophic events at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, he had contemplated the drastic turn of events. Initially, he had been perplexed, and wondered at how the seemingly ordinary Dalish woman could have possibly survived receiving the Anchor at all, accident or no.

And then she woke up, fought by his side, effectively putting the Anchor to use, and tirelessly asked him question after question plucked from an endless flood of curiosity. For a moment that dissipated rather quickly, Solas was hesitant to reveal anything about himself to her, but he saw that sparkle of wonderment in her eyes as he spoke of the Fade, and soon he was speaking of the grace with which she moved in battle before he hardly had the thought to consider the gravity of the words that tumbled from his lips.

Never before, in all his many years, had he ever felt —

A shock of startlingly cold struck him mid-thought, just behind his ear. 

It was all the man could do to blink and sputter as the snow fell from his head to creep beneath his cloak and slither down his neck. Through his surprise, Solas heard a soft giggle emanate from somewhere nearby, and he scanned the trees for the source while doing his best not to squirm as he wiped the icy water picking up speed down his neck. 

A pair of impishly gleaming blue eyes caught his, and Solas glimpsed a coy smirk on Kialla’s lips before the Dalish woman ducked back behind her tree trunk. She dipped down to scoop up another handful of snow, quickly shaping it in her gloved hands before sending it soaring in his direction.

This time, however, he had the mind to sidestep the attack, so that the tightly packed snowball barely grazed the tip of his ear as it flew past and landed some short distance away from his feet with a quiet  Plat!

Ah.

Pieces falling together swiftly in his mind, Solas leapt into action, gathering his own projectile from the blanket of snow. He waited for just the right moment, when she popped out from behind her tree once more with a new pile of snow in hand, and then let it fly.

The problem with his plan, however, was that Kialla was a skilled rogue, and her reflexes were sharp. As soon as she saw his arm wind back to throw, she disappeared from the line of fire. Solas’s own snowball whizzed right past its intended target, flying through the trees to hit none other than the group’s resident Seeker, landing dead center on the back of her head.

Cassandra whirled around, hand already at the hilt of her blade, brown eyes darting wildly around in search of her attacker. Her dark brows creased when she found none. 

“What—”

A sputter of laughter burst from Varric, just a few yards away, drawing her attention, and the woman frowned deeply. The dwarf guffawed heartily, clutching at his belly.

“You — you should have seen that, Seeker!” Varric cackled out when he finally had to stop for air, bending over his knees. “Your face!”

In the midst of his enjoyment at her expense, Varric missed the scowl Cassandra wore, and the tightly packed snowball she sent sailing toward his hunched frame until it nailed him on the crown of his head.

Oh, there was no turning back now.

In a matter of moments, the friendly snowball fight escalated into utter chaos. All manner of dignity was shed and abandoned as it rapidly became every man for himself, taking cover behind trees, snowballs flying left and right, and delighted, near-childlike laughter ringing out like bells through the frozen air.

While Cassandra and Varric were preoccupied in their own battle, Solas took the opportunity to hunt down his sly beloved. Shielding himself behind the trunk of a rather thick pine, he waited, eyes carefully scanning the area for any trace of her familiar evergreen cloak, or her pale blonde hair, or the tip of her treasured longbow.

However, the Dalish-trained hunter was, evidently, exceptionally elusive.

A small and subtle movement in his line of sight caused a light dusting of powder to stir from the snow covered branches, and Solas could feel himself tense, senses honing with anticipation. Another miniscule rustle in the tree kept his eyes glued forward, snowball ready and waiting in his hand while his arm hovered on standby to throw as soon as the time was right. 

Then once more, a flash of movement in the branches that disturbed the snow, and his arm jerked back to wind up his throw...

...and a squirrel emerged from the branches, scurrying down the long tree trunk.

Brow creasing, the mage paused, and in his confusion almost missed the quiet rustling of fabric and quick footsteps approaching from close behind him. A pair of hands enclosed over his eyes and pulled him backward as he grunted in surprise, snowball dropping to the ground where his feet had been seconds before, quickly forgotten. 

A few awkward and fumbling steps backward, and the hands vanished from his eyes to spin the mage around, meeting Solas with those same impishly smiling blue eyes that he so adored, dizzying him in a very real sense.

He only had time to sputter out a dazed, “Vhenan, what are—” as Kialla pinned him against the nearest tree and captured his lips with her own. 

Her mouth was hot, a direct contrast to the bitterly cold nip in the air. The kiss sparked a flame to life between them, and it didn’t take long for Solas to catch up after his unfinished question, reaching up to take her jaw in his hands while simultaneously lessening the distance between them. They explored each other’s mouths for what seemed like hours, until their heads were spinning and they were forced to come up for air, locking eyes as their breaths mingled.

Not a minute later, a burst of cold quite literally smacked them in the face, effectively and abruptly pulling them back to reality as a high-pitched cackle rang out from somewhere behind the trees.

It seemed being taken by surprise was becoming the theme of the day, Solas noted in equal parts mild amusement and indignation as he, yet again, wiped his neck dry of snow with his sleeve, working to repress a scowl. 

“Was that...?”

“Sera?” Kialla finished his thought.

“I wasn’t aware she was accompanying us,” Solas remarked, brow raised.

“Neither was I.”

Kialla, at least, looked just as bewildered as he did, this time. As she shook her head with a quiet laugh, Solas felt his own features soften from annoyance into an affectionate smile. His hand reached out, seemingly of its own accord, to brush back a stray blonde curl from her cheek, tucking the strand behind her long, pointed ear. 

The simple gesture was so unexpected and gentle that a light tinge of pink dusted Kialla’s cheeks. She smiled, lashes fluttering as the woman looked down bashfully. 

“We should... probably keep moving.”

“Yes,” Solas agreed, running his thumb along her cheek. “Of course, Vhenan.”

As their eyes returned to one another, he couldn’t help but capture her lips once more before setting out, this time in a sweet and chaste kiss that was interrupted only by the grins that neither one of them cared to smother.

A Wyrd Sisters First for Dragon 4ge Day

As Dragon 4ge Day comes to a close here in Wyrd Sisters’ land, we have decided to do something we have never done before.  

We’ve been writing Dragon Age fanfiction for years, but we’ve never dared post it.  We love other peoples fics, but we are very shy with our own.

But this is a special anniversary, we are all feeling braver (or more manic!) than normal, so we are taking the plunge.  We hope you enjoy!

Love,

The Wyrd Sisters

Alistair/F!Cousland Ficlet for Dragon 4ge Day!

Rating: T (Is that how you do it? It’s like, maybe, PG-ish? Gosh, I never write anything below M! I don’t know what to do! Hahaha!)

I wrote this for a “Hug Your OC” challenge over three years ago and Morta thinks I should post it for Dragon 4ge Day, so here it is. I’m doing this because I love her AND Dragon Age, and would like to take part in the celebration, even if it is with this meager offering. Cheers All! 

Decima

The sound of thunder reverberated through the air, and Elissa startled awake. Her eyes scanned the room. The stone walls around her were unfamiliar in the darkness. There was a flash of light, and soon after, another roll of thunder. 

A low, yet familiar groan erupted beside her, and an equally familiar arm reached around her still reclining form, pulling her closer.

“Elissa?” Alistair's voice was deepened from his slumber. 

“Yes. I’m here. The storm woke me up.” 

He yawned. “At least we’re not in a bloody tent!” 

She laughed, “Always a good thing.” 

Nestling into his neck, she breathed deep, reveling in the masculine scent of him. To be here. For him to be here with her. It felt like it should be a dream. She smiled to herself, lightly kissing the warm skin on his neck. 

Another groan, though this one much less sleepy than its predecessor. 

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” he said after a thoughtful silence. 

She nodded, “I was actually just thinking the same thing.” 

He kissed the top of her head and held her close as flashes lit the sky outside. “For so long I dreamed I’d wake up and find you here. Night after night. Over and over. The same dream.” His voice was thick as he spoke. “And each morning I would wake up and feel…” 

“Bereft” She answered, knowing the feeling too well herself. 

“Yes,” he croaked, his voice filled with emotion, “bereft.” 

They remained like that for several moments, reveling in the euphoria of being so close. The presence of the other seemed to be strengthening their souls, like withered plants reared in darkness, finally feeling the edifying light of the sun’s rays. 

After several moments, Alistair broke the silence. 

“Lis?” In his voice she heard the vestiges of the uncertain 20 year-old Grey Warden recruit she fallen in love with so long ago. 

She raised her head to look at him, her eyes meeting his. As she held his gaze, she saw his expression change. Before her eyes his hesitance vanished and was replaced by the sureness of a king.  

“Marry me.”

It wasn’t a question. Nor was it a command. He instead gazed upon her with a certainty she could never recall seeing in him before.  

Elissa felt her heart skitter to life. 

“But Anora… The court… You’ve only just returned from Antiva. What would they say? What would it look like? “

At her words he abruptly sat up bringing her with him. 

“To the Void with what it looks like!” 

He took her hands, his thumb caressing her knuckles softly as he continued trying to keep his emotions in check. 

“Duty robbed me of 8 years with the woman I love, and Maker damn me forever if I will live one more moment without her!” 

Elissa looked up at him, her eyes wide, trying to find the words to respond. 

After a few moments she answered softly, “You mean me, right?” 

Alistair let out a burst of unfettered laughter, as an impish smile crept to Elissa’s lips. 

“Of course I mean you!” His laughter still ringing. 

Grinning she continued. “Well, good. Because if there is anything I can do to prevent your eternal Maker damning AND be your wife, then I wholeheartedly agree!” 

He leaned in to kiss her, but stopped just before reaching her lips. 

“That’s a yes, right?” 

She nodded, “That’s a yes,” and closed the gap between them.  

What Dragon Age Means to Me

Dragon Age has been such a huge part of my life for the last ten years and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. It’s brought me closer to some of my favorite people and given me a creative outlet to pour my passions into. It’s made me laugh and cry and swoon and given me memories that I will always cherish. 

It’s truly always been my favorite game series and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

-Artemis Lavellan