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?

Now we’re wondering about Solas’s inclusion of Knight Commander Meredith and Corypheus in this mural.  Tin foil hat time: We’re they unwitting agents of the Evanuris?  We’ve long wondered whether the Elvhen gods were awake enough behind their mirrors to pull the springs of the puppets in Thedas. Such abilities are certainly implied as being possible considering the Old Gods, who are connected to the Evanaris is some way (although we don’t know if they are the Evanuris, their Chosen, the Forgotten Ones, or something else, or somehow all at once!) whispered to humanity from the Fade.  

Something called to Meredith from the Red Lyrium Idol.  Corypheus was changed by his contact with the Golden City.  Their inclusion in so many of the promotional images for DA4 suggests that these are not coincidences.  They may truly be agents of the Dread Wolf’s true foes.  

His kin.  

His fallen family of Elvhen gods.

And the world will tremble as the Veil sunders.

Cloak and Shadows

Hey buddies!  Hey friends!  Hey pals!  That (↑) is fucking Falon’Din, my dudes!! (So says Artemis.  So say we all.)

The Wyrd Sisters of Thedas and others believe that the figure depicted in the Mark Darrah tweet is Falon’Din, the elven god of the dead, and that he will play a major role in Dragon Age 4.  He may even be the true big bad of the next installment of the franchise.

Want to know more?  Equip your tinfoil hats and follow us below the cut….

Keep reading

So in chatting with @hanginwithhelsdim and looking at the images in question, I think I did get this wrong.  I highly encourage everyone to check out the original post! It turns out that more elvhen masks were hidden in plain sight in the DAO credits.  We only see June and Elgar’nan’s mask in Origins, and I mistakenly labeled the effigy on the right as being the elvhen All-Father and resident vengeance monger:

Turns out Elgar’nan’s image was in the end credits:

The center image, as you can see, matches the icon in the Temple of Sacred Ashes, which is all sorts of interesting.  If @hanginwithhelsdim is right, which I think is highly likely, then the mask below represents Mythal.

I would also note that there are a few design elements from Flemythal’s makeover, both dragon and human, in DA2 that also might be nods to this mask like image.

That may indicate that all of these “masks’ are related to the evanuris’ dragon forms.  But let’s set this thought aside and think about what it would mean if that particular mask represents Mythal.

Reassessing the Ruins

Something I’ve wondered about for a while now was why there were so few images of Mythal in DAO.  Given how important we now know her to be, that absence was very pronounced.  Well, turns out Mythal’s iconography is all over the place, including some really curious ruins.  The Gauntlet of the Temple of Sacred Ashes is just the beginning.  

The Brecilian Forest - Lots of Mythal throughout this ruin, including near what is very likely a rebuilt Well of Sorrows.

The Ruins in the Dalish Origin - There are more images of Mythal in this temple than any other member of the elven pantheon.

The most interesting thing about this revelation is that both of these ruins had to have been created after the arrival of humans and the creation of the Veil.  According to Tamlen and the elven spirit in the soul crystal, the structures are human architecture and yet they are filled with effigies to the evanuris.  And, at least in the case of the Dalish Origin ruins, there is a connection to a dwarven city somewhere in the Deep Roads.  That’s a lot of cultures crossing in Ferelden.

Mythal’s image is found throughout these ruins, along with Andruil, Sylaise, and Ghilan’nain.  There are almost no images of the male members of the pantheon, save one, admittedly important, statue of Falon’Din.  Why weren’t Elgar’nan, June, and Dirthamen honored in these temples?  

Falon’Din’s statue was also prominently placed in the grand entry hall of the Temple of Sacred Ashes.  Given how tenuous the relationship between Mythal and Falon’Din is implied to be, it is curious that he alone is featured in these post Veil temples, especially in one that was almost certainly dedicated to Mythal before it got an Avvar makeover and Andraste’s ashes were interred there.  Why is Mr. Merciful One, Friend of the Dead dude, the only manly member ( ;) ) of the elven pantheon included in these human temples?  I hope there’s a story here.  

Mystery of the Masks

So who are the other two masks in the credit image?  

Andruil and Ghilan’nain?  Dirthamen and Falon’Din?  ......Sylaise?  Honestly, it is almost impossible to say for certain, but I am leaning towards the ladies because they are depicted with statues that are reused all over the place, regardless of the context.  @hanginwithhelsdim also is leaning towards Andruil for the one on the left, but again, go read the original post!  The last could be either Ghilan’nain or Sylaise, both of whom seem to have a fondness for fancy headdresses.

So why not the boys?  Well, Falon’Din already has his creepy ass statue in DAO, and it’s likely that the nearly identical, and equally creepy, one seen in the center of the image below is Dirthamen.

But what do you think?  If any of you see some iconography that could identify the two remaining masks, send your thoughts our way.

-MM

PS - @hanginwithhelsdim​ The Invasion mosaic seems to have the same staff and headdress as the other credit image you cite.

(There are so many interesting details in these mosaics that everyone should check out @higheverrains posts with clearer images of them.  They can be found here.)  I really need to do a write up of what I see in the mosaics.  Is it just me or are there similarities to the statue in the Wending Woods or the credits image?

And yeah.  They could be the evanuris, but they could also very well be their Chosen.  I’ve got another “ask” in my inbox that is causing me to delve into that topic further.  Hope to have it ready to post soon.  Thanks again for the images and the info!

The Figure in Black

@ladyresma , I think I’ve got an idea. 

So the picture is grainy and blurry, so we have to take into consideration when assessing it. But by looking at it, it’s probably a single figure, height unknown, in a cape with a mask or some sort of head piece on. 

Most people believe this to be the maker consider the headpiece resembles this picture: 

But I think the headpiece is something a little more than just a crown. I think it’s a mask, but not just any mask, one depicting an owl. 

Now I know I'm bringing Overwatch into this, but it’s going to serve me well.

But Reapers mask look very similar to that of the one seen in the photo. Now Reaper’s mask was designed after a barn owl. (I’m not into Overwatch lore so correct me if I’m wrong) 

Now imagine if the one in the picture was as well…

But, and it’s a big but (lol), if Solas succeeds in releasing the Elvhen Pantheon, (which will be a shit storm all on its own) who has a connection to owls? That’s right, Falon’din. ‘God’/ Friend of the Dead. 

Also, he has a constellation based off of him. 

Just wanted to focus on the little tid bit in bold there for a sec. ‘Cloaked and hooded pointing figure.’ Guys, look back to the first picture and tell me that it doesn't fit that description. 

I’m just saying, I think that the figure is Falon’din. That or another Elvhen god. 

I fully support this. I mean, how fucking cool would that be to add another god into this mess? We didn’t get to see any interaction between Fen’Harel and Mythal. Just that tid bit at the end. I mean I need more of this. My question is, would he be for or against Fen’Harel?

We already know he is vain. He craves attention. If Fen’Harel tore down the Veil and he helped, that would make him an accomplice of sorts in a new world. Eventually leading up him perhaps ruling. 

But we also know how attached he is to Dirtamen. Would he be angry that he is till separated from his kindred soul? Would he lash out at Fen’Harel? Or would some sort of deal be made? I like the idea of them clashing. 

I haven’t played Trespasser, yet (I’m getting close) but I am hella down for this. Aeva wears Falon’Din’s vallaslin. I mean, it was mainly a “fuck you” sort of deal. But the dark place suites her. Anyway… wicked cool theory. Two thumbs up.

I think it would add another element of power to the game. We already have to contend with:

And to battle an Elvhen ‘God’?I feel like it would be overwhelming, but highly interesting to play through/ with. Especially if it turns out that it’s Fen’Harel vs Falon’din vs The Qunari vs Titans. And the Main character gets caught in the middle. 

I think it would be amazing

It wouldn’t be a Dragon Age game if it didn’t have multiple chaotic situations to deal with. How many Old Gods we got left? Let’s just wake them up, too. 

I 100% agree, but there had to be a ‘morally grey’ option which is really just black and white. 

As for the remaining Elvhen ‘Gods’, you’ve got 9 if you count Solas as part of them. Now we already know that Solas and Mythal are awake (Mythal is probably dead, but she’s resistant, she can walk it off) that leaves us with 7. Now the fun part is when you get into Tevinter religion, like old religion, and you figure out that there’s 7 old gods. Coincidence? I think not.

We just finished the 5th blight, so that eliminates 5 of the pantheon members. (for all intense of purposes I think they killed off:  

That leaves us Falon’din and Elgar’nan as the two remaining Old ‘Gods’/ Elvhen ‘Gods’. Falon’din waking up and finding his twin soul was tainted and murdered would not end well. Same for Elgar’nan and Mythal (though she was killed by Solas, so that might not end well either….)

So in conclusion, we’re screwed.

This is brilliant.  We came to much the same conclusion but from the imagery associated with Falon’Din in Origins.

And the way Solas talks about Falon’Din in Mythal’s Temple totally supports the idea that he and Falon’Din were not on friendly terms.  Adversaries to say the least.  

I also wonder about the Nightmare demon in Inquisition and whether it was a harbinger of these tidings.  Dirthamen was said to have tamed the demons Fear and Deceit, and he is the twin soul of Falon’Din.  Would the return of the evanuris have been heralded by a giant-ass fear demon that feeds of the Blight? Makes a girl wonder…

If that’s really Falon’Din, then Thedas is more fucked than we believed, because none of the elven gods (Mythal included) were good and pure like the Dalish believe.

That’s why Solas doesn’t spare any of them: all of them are all equally guilty of having tortured the People, killed countless of them with their petty wars and arrogance, and even threatened to destroy Thedas (probably using the Blight).

So even if Solas is the one who tells us how cruel and power-hungry Falon’Din was, even if he might be biased, we have no reason to believe the contrary: there are enough proofs and claims coming from other people and sources that show how terrible these “gods” were and how frightened of them their subjects were, so much that even in late elven folks tales they are remembered as “tyrants” (same tales which inspired the Dissonant Verses of Shartan) and the Qunari themselves admit they were more dangerous than any other ruler of the south.

For this reason, anything and anyone that will come out of the Fade after the destruction of the Veil will probably not side with Solas: Falon’Din has no reason to do so, but not because he has been “separated” from Dirthamen. If anything, they have been trapped together for thousands of years! (And we aren’t even sure what kind of relationship they have, what they really are, whether one is possessing the other as a spirit or not)

Not only that, but I doubt the elven gods were directly bound to the Archdemons: if they could be killed as easily as that, Solas would have done that much long ago. Also he would be aware of their death. On the contrary, he states that they are all still trapped wherever they are trapped and he is against the idea of killing the Archdemons in the Deep Roads (why would he be if they really held the spirits of the Evanuris?)

What I believe, though, is that the Evanuris convinced ancient Tevinter and the early people of Thedas that those dragons were indeed gods. They knew there were those special dragons underground (put there by Mythal to act as a bait against the darkspawn?), so they pretended to be them for a long time, using once again the same connotations that their elven subjects had given them centuries before (Beauty, Secrets, Sacrifice etc.). The human habit to steal all lore and ideas from the elves also worked in their favor.

The humans listened to their voices in their sleep, built temples in their honor, and worshipped them, not knowing those mighty dragons were in reality elven tyrants trapped somewhere in the Fade who were making the biggest ruse of all time.

Then, when the Evanuris realized they had to hurry (that is, when the worship of the Old Gods started to decline), they reached the Sidereal Magisters through dreams, and asked them to finally release them from their prison meet them in the Golden City to receive their blessing. Corypheus and company just received a heavy dose of Blight and unleashed it into Thedas… which was probably the Evanuris’ objective since from the start, even though they didn’t gain their freedom.

So if this theory is right and the Evanuris are indeed trapped in the Black City and the Black City is full of Blight, that would confirm Solas’ words: “A crime for which an eternity of suffering is the only fitting punishment.”

What better punishment than put someone in a room full of Taint and let their body and mind rot beyond recognition? 

And if this is true… then the Evanuris are more dangerous than ever. Not only they will never forgive Solas, but will actually do everything to finally see him dead. They will forget any pettiness and past war and ally with each other to finally defeat the Dread Wolf.

Also, they are probably insane because of the Taint (if they weren’t before), but the Blight might also have given them more powers, like it did with Corypheus.

We’re screwed. 

Another point to consider...

Solas’ plans are going to go to pieces because they have to in order for the possibility of stopping him to even exist.  Whatever his plans for dealing with the Evanuris are, the story potential of having them fail spectacularly at a critical moment is too great to not have it happen.  The only question is: How?  

I suspect part of the reason he was in uthenera for so long (in addition to the complete exhaustion of his power) was to make sure the Veil would hold against any efforts the Evanuris could make against it.  The fact that the other gods couldn’t make much headway against it in 4000 years or so years is telling.  Falon’Din seems to have liked hanging in the Fade as much as Solas does, even started wars to gather more worshipers there, but he and the others don’t seem to have made any real progress in breaking free of their imprisonment.

Whether or not the Evanuris, the Old Gods, and the Archdemons are the same beings, it seems the Evanuris were able to communicate across the Veil with humanity for the next 2000 years or so even with the Veil in place.  They seem to have influenced Tevinter’s rise and taught them blood magic in an attempt to break free, which seems to have failed.  So what went wrong?  And why didn’t they try again?  

The Blight may be playing a role in keeping them in check.  I agree with @lafaiette that it is likely affecting the elven gods mental state and powers.  But it may be the means of their deliverance as well.  Maybe...  

Even spirits and demons fear going too near the Black City because of the taint.  That has probably limited the Evanuris’ options for breaking free of their prison since it began.  But what if a demon gains the means to withstand the taint long enough to enter?  The Inquisitor may have unknowingly delivered them a means to escape on their own or at least to begin their own machinations in the mortal world.

Nightmare and Envy both seemed anxious to serve Corypheus in order to gain entry into the mortal world, and while they are down, they are not necessarily out.  Especially Nightmare.  The Inquisitor left him a gift, after all.  Three of the four people who could be left in the Fade are tainted Grey Wardens.  And the other is Hawke, the human natural disaster (Love ‘em, but ‘nuff said).  Using their bodies, Nightmare could enter the Black City without fear of being corrupted for at least a while.  Anders and Justice prove this is possible.  Now let’s suppose that Nightmare and Envy are Dirthamen’s Fear and Deceit. They may well be waiting for Solas.  Might even be able to work agents into his ranks. Could be a problem.

The Figure in Black

@ladyresma , I think I’ve got an idea. 

So the picture is grainy and blurry, so we have to take into consideration when assessing it. But by looking at it, it’s probably a single figure, height unknown, in a cape with a mask or some sort of head piece on. 

Most people believe this to be the maker consider the headpiece resembles this picture: 

But I think the headpiece is something a little more than just a crown. I think it’s a mask, but not just any mask, one depicting an owl. 

Now I know I'm bringing Overwatch into this, but it’s going to serve me well.

But Reapers mask look very similar to that of the one seen in the photo. Now Reaper’s mask was designed after a barn owl. (I’m not into Overwatch lore so correct me if I’m wrong) 

Now imagine if the one in the picture was as well…

But, and it’s a big but (lol), if Solas succeeds in releasing the Elvhen Pantheon, (which will be a shit storm all on its own) who has a connection to owls? That’s right, Falon’din. ‘God’/ Friend of the Dead. 

Also, he has a constellation based off of him. 

Just wanted to focus on the little tid bit in bold there for a sec. ‘Cloaked and hooded pointing figure.’ Guys, look back to the first picture and tell me that it doesn't fit that description. 

I’m just saying, I think that the figure is Falon’din. That or another Elvhen god. 

I fully support this. I mean, how fucking cool would that be to add another god into this mess? We didn’t get to see any interaction between Fen’Harel and Mythal. Just that tid bit at the end. I mean I need more of this. My question is, would he be for or against Fen’Harel?

We already know he is vain. He craves attention. If Fen’Harel tore down the Veil and he helped, that would make him an accomplice of sorts in a new world. Eventually leading up him perhaps ruling. 

But we also know how attached he is to Dirtamen. Would he be angry that he is till separated from his kindred soul? Would he lash out at Fen’Harel? Or would some sort of deal be made? I like the idea of them clashing. 

I haven’t played Trespasser, yet (I’m getting close) but I am hella down for this. Aeva wears Falon’Din’s vallaslin. I mean, it was mainly a “fuck you” sort of deal. But the dark place suites her. Anyway… wicked cool theory. Two thumbs up.

I think it would add another element of power to the game. We already have to contend with:

And to battle an Elvhen ‘God’?I feel like it would be overwhelming, but highly interesting to play through/ with. Especially if it turns out that it’s Fen’Harel vs Falon’din vs The Qunari vs Titans. And the Main character gets caught in the middle. 

I think it would be amazing

It wouldn’t be a Dragon Age game if it didn’t have multiple chaotic situations to deal with. How many Old Gods we got left? Let’s just wake them up, too. 

I 100% agree, but there had to be a ‘morally grey’ option which is really just black and white. 

As for the remaining Elvhen ‘Gods’, you’ve got 9 if you count Solas as part of them. Now we already know that Solas and Mythal are awake (Mythal is probably dead, but she’s resistant, she can walk it off) that leaves us with 7. Now the fun part is when you get into Tevinter religion, like old religion, and you figure out that there’s 7 old gods. Coincidence? I think not.

We just finished the 5th blight, so that eliminates 5 of the pantheon members. (for all intense of purposes I think they killed off:  

That leaves us Falon’din and Elgar’nan as the two remaining Old ‘Gods’/ Elvhen ‘Gods’. Falon’din waking up and finding his twin soul was tainted and murdered would not end well. Same for Elgar’nan and Mythal (though she was killed by Solas, so that might not end well either….)

So in conclusion, we’re screwed.

This is brilliant.  We came to much the same conclusion but from the imagery associated with Falon’Din in Origins.

And the way Solas talks about Falon’Din in Mythal’s Temple totally supports the idea that he and Falon’Din were not on friendly terms.  Adversaries to say the least.  

I also wonder about the Nightmare demon in Inquisition and whether it was a harbinger of these tidings.  Dirthamen was said to have tamed the demons Fear and Deceit, and he is the twin soul of Falon’Din.  Would the return of the evanuris have been heralded by a giant-ass fear demon that feeds of the Blight? Makes a girl wonder...

More Signs from the Inside

Oh Maker!!!!  Or Creators!  It’s Falon’Din!  

After all we’ve written about that bastard, how could we have missed this last night?!?!  (It was midnight when I finally posted this.  And look where we are now.  You people are amazing!)

The headdress really does look like Falon’Din as you see him in the Dalish Origin.  And then there are the statues in the Temple of Sacred Ashes...

If it is, well...  I’m just going to go there.

I, Morta Mahariel, am sort of obsessed with Falon’Din.  I can’t tell you how often I bring him up when I’m talking with Decima, Artemis, and Dorothea. He is always in the back of my mind as I work on posts (Orbs, Eluvians, Temple of Sacred Ashes).  

In point of fact, he inspired my first series:

Thedas is on the Brink of Chaos

The Prime Suspects

Shadows and Secrets  

I put forward the case that Falon’Din is the real big bad of Dragon Age.  Which we really need to revisit now we are post-Trespasser (I was so naive!  Why Solas? Why?!?!)  Especially if this really is Falon’Din.  

Have you noticed that we go into Dragon Age game thinking we are going to defeat one enemy, only to end up fighting someone unexpected?  Origins: you have to defeat Loghain before the Blight.  DA2: You think the ultimate danger is the mages and temples, only to have your companion trigger the end game.  Inquisition: Mage-Templar War? Solved before the game even really starts only to reveal Corypheus as the real big bad.  Is DA4 next?  We think we will have to fight Solas, but instead face off against Falon’Din (and the other Evanuris perhaps)? 

I...love the idea of it!

-MM

More Signs From the Inside

Many thanks to @the-tale-of-the-champions for the note mentioning Falon’Din.  We saw that and.... Well, let’s say the flailing was mighty.  Checking out @the-queen-of-thedas ‘s theory now.