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:

Continuar lendo

sassyseeker

The demon with veil marks on the back could be representing the change it suffered, being a spirit first and becoming a demon when passing through a tear in the veil or for coveting a way to cross the veil (abomination)

How interesting the sentinels fresco, I just noticed the blue lines in the middle (something lyrium/magic related?) Also, look how it is present over the diamond shapes. Perhaps they represent the world without the veil? Like the diamonds are a complete shape, but the veil is a half shape (triangle), since without magic the world is less. And the sentinels here could be representatives of the only ones who saw/remember the world in both states, being ancient Elvhen.

The cloak veil in Fen'Harel’s back could also be a symbol, since he is probably the only mage back then who has a grasp on the kind of magic that can manipulate it.

This is all very interesting and I totally agree that these repeated symbols from art piece to art piece represent some constant thing present in each of them. I’m interested in figuring out the blue lines and the asterisk one, the eyes, the v shape too etc Send more theories :3

wyrdsistersofthedas

I’m so glad you commented, @sassyseeker! Your thoughts about the sentinels fresco were right on par with mine, but I couldn’t get over how much the blue lines looked like stylized water. So are they magic? Lyrium? Water? And then it hit me like a facepalm. Of course it’s magic water! It’s representing the most magical water we’ve encountered thus far! The vir’abelasan! Of course such a momentous choice as the fate of the Well of Sorrows would be represented in Solas’ artwork.

Lyrium, however, we have definitely seen in Solas’ frescos and other art. More on that and other symbols in other posts. ^_^

Thanks for the support! I’ll do my best to post more soon!!

-MM

PS - I found a few more instances of triangles that are very interesting.

First up, it’s ya boi Solas. This is the Dragon Age Keep tile for marking the Inquisitor’s promise to save or stop Solas. Interestingly, the image on the left is far more ...saturated with color (If that is what you would call it. I am not an artist!). Solas has turned his back, but still casts a watchful eye over his shoulder. The circle (which Decima theorized represented the Fade, the mortal realm, or the Void depending on how they are depicted) is stark and clear as the Dread Wolf crosses it. This Solas is intent on his purpose, and there is barely a trace of the Veil in the image.

Solas doesn’t appear directly in the image on the right, but his presence is keenly felt there as well. This image is more faded, the circle smaller and more fractured, the Inquisitor moves forward with purpose while the figure of the wolf looks on with an attitude of waiting, watching, and perhaps wanting. This image implies that Solas is far less sure of himself if the Inquisitor is intent on saving him.

These next images are also super interesting and I worried that they were going to undermine my whole theory. And then they made me go “oh!!!” which, typically, is a good thing. ^_^

First up, Valta’s card. The imagery and symbolism in this one is just so damn cool! I have a lot of thoughts, but I am going to save most of them for separate analysis.

So the triangles. Look at their placement compared to any other picture and you’ll see some interesting things. First of all, they point up, not down. Valta towers over the Veil, the visual effect of making her look like she is towering over mountains (perhaps harkening back to Dagna’s experience handling a rune and feeling mountain tall). The presence of the triangles in this image probably symbolizes her connection to the titan of Heidrun Thaig while also showing that Valta has achieved a connection to the Fade that has been blocked from her people by the Veil.

This idea, that some dwarves have transcended the Veil, is repeated in the tarot cards for the male and female dwarf Inquisitor.

The lady dwarf inquisitor’s card has a diamond pattern that is more orderly and solid than the ones in Solas’ mural of the sentinels at Mythal’s temple. The male Inquisitor’s card has upward facing triangles like those in Valta’s card.

So why would the Dwarf Inquisitors have Veil in their tarot cards when no other Inquisitor's share that symbol? Because, unlike all the other Inquisitors, dwarves are cut off from the Fade, and more and more it is looking like this is not their natural state. They are supposed to be connected to the Fade through lyrium and a bond with the titans.

Dwarven Inquisitors, however, command the Veil and bend it to their will, unlike their brethren. They have the means to overcome the barrier. They can dream. They can enter the Fade itself! Pretty damn impressive!

And ummm...this post script became a whole separate post. Thanks for making me think about this more! It was fun!

#dragon age #dragon age meta #dragon age art #dragon age inquisition #dragon age keep #dragon age the descent #dragon age dwarves #fen'harel #the dread wolf #solas #dwarf inquisitor #dragon age veil #dragon age fade #dragon age titans #long post #morta's musings

wyrdsistersofthedas

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:

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age trespasser #dragon age tevinter nights #dragon age meta #fen'harel #solas #dragon age art #the dread wolf #evanuris #Solas' murals #dragon age veil #dragon age fade #long post #morta's musings

wyrdsistersofthedas

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

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age fan art #dragon 4ge day #d4 day #doodles by dorothea adaar

wyrdsistersofthedas

Gaiety - A Solavellan Oneshot

by Artemis, a Wyrd Sister of Thedas.

Posted in honor of Dragon 4ge Day.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

#dragon age #dragon age fan fiction #dragon age inquisition #dragon 4ge day #d4 day #solavellan #solas x lavellan #Solas #Lavellan #Cassandra Pentaghast #Varric Tethras #art by artemis lavellan

wyrdsistersofthedas reblogged

wyrdsistersofthedas

The Gwaren Job

I have dozens of other meta to write and this is what I can’t get out of my head!?!

So look:

Hawke took ship for Kirkwall in Gwaren.

Loghain was the teyrn of Gwaren.

Loghain’s “manse was looted and many of his personal possessions were stolen, among them the armor he wore at the Battle of River Dane”.

The Arms of Mac Tir ends up in Hawke’s possession.

Ipso facto: Hawke and company totally robbed Loghain!

-MM

wyrdsistersofthedas

Soooo if Loghain is still alive in Inquisition…..this could totally have happened!

Loghain: I had a set of armor like that once.

Hawke: You don’t say?

Loghain: I wore it at the Battle of River Dane.

Hawke: Armor like this is pretty common in Ferelden.

Loghain: I suppose it has become so.

(Pause)

Loghain: Although my armor had a square of red silk pinned to the shoulderbelt just…there. It is a rather remarkable coincidence that just such a memento is attached to your leathers as well.

Hawke: (shrugs) Weird.

wyrdsistersofthedas

Loghain: You took ship in Gwaren.

Hawke: Finally got around to reading Tale of the Champion, eh?

Loghain: While not as ubiquitous as the Master Tethras’ other work, one can lay hands on it if one knows where to look. And the Seeker would be thrilled if you would sign her copy. But to return to the matter at hand, you took ship in Gwaren.

Hawke: Darkspawn ravaging the countryside limits your options. Nice domes you’ve got there, by the way.

Loghain: Indeed. It is another curious coincidence that my manor was looted and vandalized around that same time.

Hawke: Yeah. What a pity!

wyrdsistersofthedas

Loghain: You’re wearing it again.

Hawke: There’s something about being back in Ferelden that just...makes me want to wear leather and fur.

Loghain: (sighs)

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age headcanon #dragon age meta #Hawke #Loghain Mac Tir #morta's musings #i couldn't resist adding another #we'll see how long this obsession lasts #i'm tempted to do a banter with Varric too #there is conversation he really needs to have with loghain

wyrdsistersofthedas reblogged

wyrdsistersofthedas

The Gwaren Job

I have dozens of other meta to write and this is what I can’t get out of my head!?!

So look:

Hawke took ship for Kirkwall in Gwaren.

Loghain was the teyrn of Gwaren.

Loghain’s “manse was looted and many of his personal possessions were stolen, among them the armor he wore at the Battle of River Dane”.

The Arms of Mac Tir ends up in Hawke’s possession.

Ipso facto: Hawke and company totally robbed Loghain!

-MM

wyrdsistersofthedas

Soooo if Loghain is still alive in Inquisition…..this could totally have happened!

Loghain: I had a set of armor like that once.

Hawke: You don’t say?

Loghain: I wore it at the Battle of River Dane.

Hawke: Armor like this is pretty common in Ferelden.

Loghain: I suppose it has become so.

(Pause)

Loghain: Although my armor had a square of red silk pinned to the shoulderbelt just…there. It is a rather remarkable coincidence that just such a memento is attached to your leathers as well.

Hawke: (shrugs) Weird.

wyrdsistersofthedas

Loghain: You took ship in Gwaren.

Hawke: Finally got around to reading Tale of the Champion, eh?

Loghain: While not as ubiquitous as the Master Tethras’ other work, one can lay hands on it if one knows where to look. And the Seeker would be thrilled if you would sign her copy. But to return to the matter at hand, you took ship in Gwaren.

Hawke: Darkspawn ravaging the countryside limits your options. Nice domes you’ve got there, by the way.

Loghain: Indeed. It is another curious coincidence that my manor was looted and vandalized around that same time.

Hawke: Yeah. What a pity!

#dragon age #dragon age headcanon #dragon age inquisition #Hawke #Loghain Mac Tir #morta's musings #still not done with this yet

wyrdsistersofthedas reblogged

wyrdsistersofthedas

The Gwaren Job

I have dozens of other meta to write and this is what I can’t get out of my head!?!

So look:

Hawke took ship for Kirkwall in Gwaren.

Loghain was the teyrn of Gwaren.

Loghain’s “manse was looted and many of his personal possessions were stolen, among them the armor he wore at the Battle of River Dane”.

The Arms of Mac Tir ends up in Hawke’s possession.

Ipso facto: Hawke and company totally robbed Loghain!

-MM

wyrdsistersofthedas

Soooo if Loghain is still alive in Inquisition.....this could totally have happened!

Loghain: I had a set of armor like that once.

Hawke: You don’t say?

Loghain: I wore it at the Battle of River Dane.

Hawke: Armor like this is pretty common in Ferelden.

Loghain: I suppose it has become so.

(Pause)

Loghain: Although my armor had a square of red silk pinned to the shoulderbelt just...there. It is a rather remarkable coincidence that just such a memento is attached to your leathers as well.

Hawke: (shrugs) Weird.

#dragon age #dragon age headcanon #dragon age inquisition #Hawke #Loghain Mac Tir #lol #I might be on this kick for a while longer #because the longer I think about it #the funnier it becomes to me!#morta's musings

wyrdsistersofthedas

inukagome15 asked:

Hey! :) Popping by again because I had a question! Do you happen to have screenshots of the Black City in Inquisition? Solas says it’s really close in Here Lies the Abyss but I wasn’t able to make it out. And it’s not visible when you’re with Morrigan in the Fade. Thanks so much!!

Your “requestions” are always welcome, @inukagome15! I always find something fascinating when I am working on your asks. And this one was no exception. :)

Months ago, I flycammed over to what appears to be the Black City in both Here Lies the Abyss and in The Final Piece. I was disappointed with how little there was to see and how little the Black City resembled what we could see of it in Origins. I grabbed a couple of pics for the post I was working on (whichever one that was!), closed the cam, and didn’t think much more about it…until now.

Now I think I’ve got some pics and info that is worth sharing.

First, here are the best of the screenshots I have.

Solas is looking at the pillars on the right side of this image, but if you zoom in on this area with the flycam, there is nothing in that direction of any size or seeming importance. Certainly not the Black City “almost close enough to touch”.

Slightly to the left, however, is a towering structure that is usually identified as the Black City. What we can see in Inquisition is a shell of appears to be a large complex, a tower reaching to the heavens of even the Fade. But why does it look so different than it does in Origins? I asked myself this question several times and dismissed it as another Redcliffe situation, i.e. the developers wanted to update the look of the Black City.

Today, I thought of a much more satisfying explanation.

The Black City doesn’t look like the Black City because we are exactly what Solas says, “almost close enough to touch it.” In the mage origin and the DA comics, the Black City looks like the image above. A large floating island, visible from any point of the Fade. That is not what it looks like in DAI because we are actually on the island! Not inside the Black City, but as close as any one has come since the Magisters invaded the Fade.

One last bit of interesting information, you can actually see this Black City in The Last Piece, but only if you have enough height (i.e. the flycam) to see over the statue of Dirthamen’s left shoulder.

We are literally seeing the Black City from either ends of its floating island. And both seem to be very connected to Dirthamen. An interesting idea to pursue in the future.

Thanks for the ask!

-MM

#dragon age #dragon age meta #dragon age inquisition #dragon age the fade #the black city #wend the wyrds a wondering #morta's musings

wyrdsistersofthedas

They Sleep, Masked in a Mirror

Cole: They sleep, masked in a mirror, hiding, hurting, and to wake them...

You know....when you look at it like this, they really do look like figures hidden in eluvians. Complete with orbs in front of them. Considering it is found in the Vir DIrthara, this is totally a legitimate way of looking at this mural.

-MM

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age trespasser #evanuris #solas #fen'harel #solas' murals #dragon age veil #dragon age fade #vir dirthara

wyrdsistersofthedas

"Forbidden" Lore, “Forgotten” Questions, Part 2

Thesis: The Forbidden Ones and the Forgotten Ones are two distinct groups with different goals and means of pursuing them in ancient Elvhenan. Although their paths may well have crossed with dramatic consequences, careful readings of the source materials suggest that ancient elves, especially the Evanuris, considered them to be different in purpose and nature.

Premise: The Forbidden Ones are spirits/demons who can take on physical, tangible forms, but who’ve never forgot that they are spirits/demons or chose to present themselves as mortal beings. They may have tried to “blend in” with the various cultures in Thedas in order to “feed”, but they always knew that they were beings from the Fade.

Conjecture: The Forgotten Ones were elves who knew that the Evanuris were not gods, but mages whose great power came from the hearts of Titans. This knowledge lead the Forgotten Ones to “dwell” in the Abyss searching for power that would make them the equals of the elvhen gods even while denying their divinity. Fearing that the elves would learn the truth and that their power would be undermined, the Evanuris called the Forgotten Ones “dark gods” to explain their power, but eventually waged a war against them that threatened to destroy Elvhenan.

Second verse, same as the first?

Why elves? Isn’t that a little...boring? Predictable. Why not something totally new? Like...an avatar for a Titan! Or, alternatively, something simpler such as the Forgotten Ones are just another name for the Forbidden Ones as DA2 implied. Well, sure. There are other explanations for who the Forgotten Ones are, and yet the evidence is very limited for any thesis. But let’s examine each one of these possibilities briefly.

Let’s say that the Forgotten Ones are connected to the Titans, which is a story possibility that would be cool and new (and probably something only I have thought about). Cool and new is great if you have laid the groundwork for such a revelation, but big revelations are always best when seeds of information were sown in the previous games. Now, to play demon’s advocate, it is possible that the signs pointing to the Forgotten Ones' nature could be so few and subtle that they are easy to overlook, as happened with the revelation that Flemeth was essentially Mythal’s vessel, but I probably won't see these signs until they hit me upside the face as the Flemythal revelation did. There is little other than references to the Forgotten Ones living in the Abyss to suggest that they had connections to the Titans. We certainly need more information about the Titans and the history of the dwarves, so if I’m wrong about this, I would be totally cool with it. Such a theory, however, would need way more speculation to put together than this one.

So what about the Forbidden Ones? Could the Forgotten Ones be more demons from the Fade? Sure, but that is a narrative dead end. We’ve encountered plenty of powerful demons across the three games and all the DLC, so finding out that the Forgotten Ones are more demons that we may eventually face in boss battles doesn’t really add much to the series. Having the Forgotten Ones be something else creates more storytelling possibilities for future Dragon Age games. The explanation that the Forgotten Ones were elves also already has considerable groundwork to support it and presents lots of story opportunities.

Admittedly, that explanation is a narrative based hunch, not an evidence based theory. My take on the lore suggests that the Forgotten Ones could be connected to the Forbidden Ones, but their motivations and nature are quite different. Still, the names make it difficult to keep which one is which clear in our heads, and this ambiguity is something that the writer’s play with on purpose in DA2. If you didn’t read the first part of this series, please do so! This whole post will make more sense if the first half is fresh in your minds.

Otherwise, I’ll forge ahead to examine the evidence for this idea in the lore and why the Sisters think the Forgotten Ones being elves would be a fascinating story. Perhaps the most compelling reason to think that the Forgotten Ones are elves is because it is a simple, surprisingly elegant solution for a whole bunch of mysteries.

#dragon age #dragon age lore #dragon age meta #dragon age inquisition #the forgotten ones #anaris #geldauran #daern'thal #the forbidden ones #evanuris #elvhenan #frostback basin #morta's musings #long post

wyrdsistersofthedas

"Forbidden" Lore, “Forgotten” Questions, Part 1

Thesis: The Forbidden Ones and the Forgotten Ones are two distinct groups with different goals and means of pursuing them in ancient Elvhenan. Although their paths may well have crossed with dramatic consequences, careful readings of the source materials suggest that ancient elves, especially the Evanuris, considered them to be different in purpose and nature.

Premise: The Forbidden Ones are spirits/demons who can take on physical, tangible forms, but who’ve never forgot that they are spirits/demons or chose to present themselves as mortal beings. They may try “blend in” with the various cultures in Thedas in order to “feed”, but they always knew that they were beings from the Fade.

Conjecture: The Forgotten Ones were elves who knew that the Evanuris were not gods, but mages whose great power came from the hearts of Titans. This knowledge led the Forgotten Ones to “dwell” in the Abyss searching for power that would make them the equals of the elvhen gods even while denying their divinity. Fearing that the elven people would learn the truth and that their power would be undermined, the Evanuris called the Forgotten Ones “dark gods” to explain their power, but eventually waged a war against them that threatened to destroy Elvhenan.

That’s a lot to parse, but that’s what makes it fun! This will probably end up being two posts since I can be relied on to overthink the shit out of all this!

#dragon age #dragon age lore #dragon age meta #dragon age origins #dragon age 2 #dragon age inquisition #dragon age spirits #dragon age demons #the forbidden ones #imshael #gaxkang #xebenkeck #the forgotten ones #morta's musings #long post

wyrdsistersofthedas reblogged

calwyne

Wondering where Solas went? Flycam has found the answer! Two secret images found when pressing very very close to the surface of the eluvian he leaves through. Looks like another temple with an empty well, an archway with a piece of artwork. I believe these two layers of images show us the view from the front and back of the Eluvian. Verified that the reflections in the Eluvians do this - also verified that other Eluvians display images of their destination if the fly-cam gets close enough. The first image needed serious gamma adjustment to see anything (it is very dark) - however, the colours are accurate.

I FOUND YOU SOLAS.

Ty @rhunae for telling me about this!!!

Note: The clearer images are NOT the temple of Mythal, I have checked.

calwyne

UPDATE and tysm @rhunae for showing me the heraldry of the evanuris that the amazing @dalishious found and interpreted. I had a mini freak out when one of them looked very familiar! The heraldry symbol for June looks exactly like the archway seen in the image of the temple-like location visible through the eluvian!

Is Solas hiding in June’s temple?

wyrdsistersofthedas

Through the Eluvian Glass

Thanks for the tag, @calwyne. This is a fantastic find! I spent way more time investigating this than I thought I would (a solid week and a half) but I kept finding little things that just became more awesome the more I researched!

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age trespasser #dragon age meta #dragon age 4 speculation #solas #fen'harel #eluvian crossroads #eluvian #dragon age magical tech #holy shit this post!#it was like a rollercoaster!!#you are never bothering us calwyne #so awesome!!#grats on the great finds!#morta's musings #long post

wyrdsistersofthedas

inukagome15 asked:

I'm not sure if I can submit anything, but I noticed something during my recent wanderings through the Western Approach. There's a fortress visible in the area close to the old prison region, off in the distance. I was wondering if maybe that's Adamant Fortress?

Adamant or Bust?

Yes, I think that it very likely is!

It’s clear that we’re only supposed to be able to see a glimpse of it in the distance, but if we flycam over the Abyssal Reach and we see a skeletal fortress that has the same basic shape as Adamant.

Here is a side profile of Adamant. The towers, gate, and battlements all look the same as well. Adamant is spikier than the building you can see from the Western Approach, but it makes sense to scale back when you are only going to catch a glimpse of in the distance (about 1 ½ to 2 miles by my reckoning).

You can’t see Griffon Wing Keep when you’re in the Adamant map, but that is to be expected since it would eat up valuable game resources that could be better used in the battle with the Wardens.

It would also clarify how Hawke and the Warden ally could scout Adamant and be back at Skyhold virtually at the same time as the Inquisitor. It was just over the next ridge!

All of this together makes it highly likely that Adamant is much closer to Griffon Wing Keep than I previously thought.

Thanks for the info! I’ll add this to the next Mapping Thedas update.

-MM

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #mapping thedas #thedas geography #orlais #the western approach #abyssal reach #adamant fortress #griffon wing keep #wend the wyrds a wondering #morta's musings

wyrdsistersofthedas

Anonymous asked:

Is the Crossroads essential to eluvian travel? Or could there possibly be a way to 'link' two eluvians to each other and bypass the Crossroads altogether?

Eluvian lore. I love eluvian lore! Looking through the instances of eluvian use in the games and in The Masked Empire, I would say yes, it’s totally possible to connect two eluvians without using the Crossroads. The only things that seem essential to the operation of an eluvian is sufficient knowledge and power to create a path connecting two eluvians. If the distance being traveled is sufficiently short, neither of these pose much of a problem. The longer the distance, however, the more difficult it is to gather the power to create the path.

The Path Makers

Once you step through, stay on the path, and you will find your way to the crossroads. (Imshael, The Masked Empire, p. 258)

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age the masked empire #dragon age magic #dragon age magical tech #thedas technology #eluvians #eluvian #thedas magic #morta's musings #long post

wyrdsistersofthedas reblogged

wyrdsistersofthedas

nambnb asked:

I look in wonder at your skills with Thedas' map. I have a problem I wish I had an answer to: How does Redcliffe village work? We get different maps for it in DAO and in DAI (supposed eastern part) and they don't seem to fit together. I can also not make heads or tails of Redcliff's supposed location on the world map (like with position of rivers/lake) in relation to the mini map in, say DAI. Nothing seems to add up. Could you help me make sense of this? Maybe maps need some turning or sth.?

wyrdsistersofthedas answered:

*blush* Thank you so much for your kind words! It is a labor of love…that occasionally causes me to want to tear my hair out. ;) Redcliffe is one of those places that makes not only my scalp to itch, but my eye twitch. (So at least we are in good company.)

Nothing about the geographical lore of Redcliffe makes any sense. For example, the codex entry used both in Origins and Inquisition is full of nonsensical statements. For example:

“King Calenhad Theirin once famously declared, “The fate of Redcliffe is the fate of all Ferelden.” Certainly, the castle is the first and last defense for the sole land route into Ferelden, and the country has never fallen to any force that did not first capture Redcliffe.”

Um…what? Redcliffe is on the sole land route into Ferelden? Redcliffe is even near the sole land route into Ferelden. It may be closer to Orzammar and Gherlen’s Pass than West Hill or Highever, but you could definitely reach Denerim without having to travel close to Redcliffe.

Now, you could definitely argue that it would be really, really bad idea to leave Redcliffe untouched if you planned to occupy Ferelden. By the time an invader reached Denerim, Redcliffe could muster an army and use the southern arm of the Imperial Highway to aid Denerim or attack from behind. So if this was the only incongruous information, I could deal with it, but then there are these nuggets:

“The castle, which despite being three times captured is popularly described as “unassailable,” also guards one of the largest and most prosperous towns in Ferelden. Redcliffe village is well situated near the mountain pass to Orzammar and the Orlesian border, and so serves as a center of foreign trade. For these reasons, Redcliffe is accounted an arling despite the smallness of the domain.”

Again, huh? Don’t you mean the reverse? Redcliffe is a village of about 200 people, but the arling itself is quite large. Honnleath is part of the Arling of Redcliffe, and presumably parts of the Hinterlands are also included under its protection. So it isn’t exactly small.

And whatever the scale of the map you use to calculate how far it is from Redcliffe to Orzammar, it is strange to say that Redcliffe is “near” the pass that leads to Orzammar and Orlais beyond. It is at least 150-200 miles to travel between Orzammar and Redcliffe. There are several other Ferelden towns and arlings (Kinloch Hold, Wutherford, West Hill Bannorn, Waking Sea Bannorn) that should be better situated to profit from international trade than Redcliffe. But it gets better:

“The inhabitants of Redcliffe village are primarily fishermen or merchants who ship dwarven goods through the pass from Orlais to Denerim. When the entire village smells of smoked fish on certain late autumn mornings, the merchants in their finery do their utmost to pretend otherwise.”

–From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of A Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi.

Sigh. Why would you take dwarven goods all the way south to Redcliffe if you plan to ship them to Denerim? That tacks on hundreds of miles to your journey! Just take the North Road!

None of that makes any sense…unless you look at where Redcliffe was in The Stolen Throne.

If Redcliffe were located where it was placed on this map, then the codex entry about it would make complete sense. It would be a much smaller land area, but the position of the town would make it a far more likely trade center and “first and last line of defense” for Ferelden.

There are even signs that this location almost made it into later maps.

In spite of the fact that moving Redcliffe messes with the lore about the village, it appears on the southern shore of Lake Calenhad on every other map that Bioware has published.

So why did the developers move it? Most likely it was game mechanics, or rather, button mechanics. If Redcliffe had remained where it started out, it would have made the button placement on the Origins map rather awkward. It is so close to Haven that players might have confused the two.

(There is a similar problem with where the Temple of Sacred Ashes should be. It should be very close to the edge of the game play map in the mountains to the west of the town, but in game it appears an equivalent of 35-65 miles south of Haven so it won’t be so close to the edge and it won’t obscure any writing.)

And most casual game players wouldn’t think there was anything strange about Redcliffe being so far from Orlais and Orzammar. In fact I was really glad it was so close to Lothering the first time I played Origins. Only when you are really examining the geography of Ferelden does its placement become questionable. Am I 100% sure this is the reason? Not at all, but the map sure is more balanced with Redcliffe at the bottom of the lake and easier to read, all of which is desirable in game play.

And then there’s the problem of DAI’s map. Sigh. So….I replayed a large part of the Hinterlands and did a bunch of math for this post. And I now have a bit of a problem with my own map.

I am pretty good with spacial relationships and so I used a lot of landmarks and large scale measurements to place various locations on the map I shared. That works well when adding towns, temples, landmarks, etc from the various published maps, but it doesn’t work so well for the highly detailed area maps in Inquisition.

I confess that I should have done a bit more math when I started to add Inquisition zones to my map. If I had I would realized that this small neon green dot you see above is the equivalent of about 5 square miles, depending on which map scale you use. I went with the smaller 1” = 50 miles scale. That dot is 1/16” x 1/16”. That means there is more than enough space for the whole Hinterlands map, which is about 2-3 square miles, to fit into that tiny green square. Wow.

(BTW, I went out to the interwebs to see if others people had come up with a similar area number, and found an estimate that all of the areas in the game put together (minus DLC) is about 45 square miles. They probably went with the larger 1” = 70 miles. That would make Thedas about the size of Western Europe, I think.)

So the reason it is difficult to figure out the DAI landmarks on the Thedas map is that the map is far too small for such minute detail. I’m going to have to ponder what to do now that I know the true scale we are dealing with and update my map accordingly.

Thanks for the ask! It made me do math, and we’ll get a better map at the end as a result. :)

-MM

nambnb

Woah… thx for racking your brain over this! To be honest, I was mostly confused with Redcliffe’s DAI-map you see as you enter the area. I wondered which of these god damn routes you would have to take to a) reach Redcliffe Castle, which you can only see towering in the background in DAI and which is not accessible. And b) how this relates to the town layout presented in DAO, where you can access the castle via a side way or a tunnel below the windmill. (I also wondered whether that particular windmill might be present in the DAI und I take it, it is that broken one that was destroyed in a blight).

Only thing I’m wondering in the Hinterlands area map is which road you would need to take to reach Haven from there. I’m opting for the western road/map-exit, in hope this might work. But maybe this is all of no consequence if the map’s scale is not matching up with Thedas’ overall layout…

@_@° Why you so confusing, game…

wyrdsistersofthedas

Yeah, I think we have all done a 360 in Redcliffe and wondered, “What in the Void happened to this town?” Sorry my last post didn’t quite meet your needs. I do love looking at these maps so let me take another shot at this.

There is an attempt to make DAI Redcliffe reminiscent of the village we saw in DAO but there are several things that make it difficult to match up all the landmarks, including what I think are some deliberate placement mistakes in DAI. Some of those mistakes I can headcanon away. Others are more twitch worthy.

(That is some nice face lift you got there, Redcliffe! Your once plain hills are now taller and full of nonsensical waterfalls!)

I went back to my screenshots of Redcliffe from Origins then lined up some comparison shots in Inquisition. Hopefully, these pictures will make the new and old geography make more sense.

This is going to include a lot of pictures, so let’s take this under a cut’

nambnb

Thank you very much for taking such a very detailed look at Redcliffe Village and its landmarks. It is truly hard to work through it in comparison to the old shots of it in DAO. As for my question how to enter Redcliffe, I keep wondering on that one.

The reason is simple: I’m wondering what the quickest route from Redcliffe Village to Haven would be, because I keep speculating what route Dorian might have taken when he warned the inquisition of the mages marching on Haven. He simply said that he “raced” there, but I keep wondering how he would have made his way. I have a few ideas of course, but all of it leads to me thinking he might have taken the West Road to reach Haven from Redcliffe Village, simply because, no matter where exactly Redcliffe is placed on the world map, the western exist appears to be closest to get to Haven from it.

There is an Imperial Highway snaking around Lake Calenhead and one route leading north-/eastwards in the direction of Haven, too (if Haven is placed northwards in the direction of Gherlen’s Pass). There is only one western exit to the world map in the Hinterlands, hence why I’m guessing Dorian might have taken that way to get out of Redcliffe, through the Hinterlands and to Haven (same for the mage army I suspect).

wyrdsistersofthedas

Ah. Okay, so Dorian and mages’ route to Haven. I have some thoughts, and pictures, that may help with that.

When you zoom out with the flycam, you can get a sense of where the roads would go even when the road isn’t actually there. For example:

Here is the Eastroad. It seems to only skirt the cliffs for a short distance and then levels out and would follow the topography of the land to the Northeast. This would take it around the edge of Lake Calenhad, which probably has other small hamlets and fishing villages along its banks.

Here is the path for the Westroad:

Although this appears to go the right direction, the area to the west of Redcliffe is so mountainous that there is really only one way to go. Up and around to the northwest. Again, there are probably other small villages or farms along this path, but it appears to be a very mountainous route.

From these images and the map I normally use, which has some topographical information, I can make an educated guess where these roads go. Here is the result:

Although the Westroad appears at first glance to be the best and fastest way to get to Haven, there seem to be a lot of mountains in the way, both in Inquisition and on paper. This would slow travel along this path because most roads in Ferelden appear to be little more than dirt trails.

Once you are closer to a town or a crossroads, they turn into a rough cobblestone, but the outer areas turn quickly to dirt.

So what does this tell us about the quickest path to Haven? I would suggest that the fastest way to get there would be through Dwarfson’s Pass.

Sure you backtrack to the southeast for a bit, but once a person is on the Imperial Highway, travel would be considerable faster even in places where the Highway is fallen into disrepair.

Then it would just be a matter of taking the newly cleared and improved trail to Haven.

So I am going to amend my earlier post. The Warden most likely traveled through Dwarfson’s Pass to get to Redcliffe. Dorian and the mages at Redcliffe most likely took the same route. Harding and the Inquisition’s forces, however, still probably used the Eastroad in order to come into the area without alerting the battling mages and templars. Once the fighting was over, it would make the most sense to travel through Dwarfson’s Pass because it is the quickest way to the Imperial Highway.

That’s my best guess based on the geography, anyway.

-MM

#dragon age #dragon age lore #dragon age meta #dragon age geography #thedas #mapping thedas #thedas map #dragon age map #dragon age origins #dragon age inquisition #ferelden #redcliffe #hinterlands #reference #wend the wyrds a wondering #morta's musings #long post #and it got longer!