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lairofdragonagelore · 2 years

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Exalted Plains

The Exalted Plains, also known as Dirthavaren ("the promise") in elvish, is a grassland region of the Dales in Orlais. Centuries ago, the Dalish kingdom met its end here, the holdouts of the elven army making their last stand, refusing to surrender against the champions of Andraste: the templar, the sister, and the nobleman patron. The champions' cause was just, and their faith led them to victory. The plains were henceforth called "Exalted". After the elves' defeat and the dissolution of their kingdom, Ville Montevelan became the first human settlement in the Dales, presided over by Revered Mother Amity, Champion of the Exalted March.

Currently, the region is a contested battlefield during the War of the Lions until Empress Empress Celene and Gaspard de Chalons's armies agreed to cease hostilities.

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]

When entering this zone, Solas explains that this place has a thin Veil product of the battles that happened long time ago: the Exalted March of Dales. So we know we are going to see a mixture of elven ruins and human settlements.

Scout Harding will inform us that in the area there is a group of rebels who are tired of the War of the Lions, and wants the Dales for themselves.

The first thing we see when we enter this zone are these statues that, design-wise, they are very, very close to the Humanoid Dirthamen/Falon'Din. Humanoid Dirthamen/Falon'Din is a squatted hooded figure, who doesn’t have any object in his hand. This one holds a plate which works as a brazier. In fact, the elven statues are placed in this entrance, but on the Emerald Graves side:

They are called Guardians of the Path, and by the note they trigger, they are Andrastian. Still the striking similarity between these statues and the one we associate with Dirthamen makes me suspect that, once conquered, the Orlesians repurposed the native statues.

The first ruin we find, which surrounds the camp, is an elven one, with a dragon painting on one of its columns.

Besides the path there is a rectangle statue which on its top has a star-shaped fountain with a dove. On a side there is a reused elven/dwarven relic tablet that will trigger the codex Memorials of the Second Exalted March which will be updated as we read all these stones spread in the region. They explain how the “battle” against the elves was happening, mixing Andrastre’s tale with probably bits of History. It’s very curious how this piece of information depicts the elves as proud and murderous, far away from the Maker and Andraste, which is clearly a lie when we analyse Di’nan Hanin; these Dalish, unlike modern Dalish, had fused Andraste cult into their elven pantheon, not without reason: It had been some decades since they had recovered these lands thanks to Andraste’s promise.

The zone has several ramparts where the imperial army [either side] is trying to retake control from the undead and the demons. Recovering each of these is quite a repetitive task all over the place.

The only important comment about these ramparts is that they give us some idea to understand the function of these Strange Skull-Dragon totem : They seem to hold barriers around pits that allow the dead to rise, and also as columns surrounding zones with many undead or demons. They seem to be related to summoning rituals.

Along the region we find several Andrastian statues and the typical orlesian style in the remnants of the houses that still stand.

Fort Revasan shows the standard elven patterns of any elven ruin. The Orlesian occupation built extra, less durable additions with chess-like floors and decorated wooden elements.

Close to Fort Revasan there is a sealed entrance that requires a war table operation to be solved in order to open. It shows a Fen’Harel statue, guarding the entrance. It’s a nice detail to see that the base of his statue shows an eluvian-like pattern worth to keep present.

Very far away in the North, over the mountains that surround this region, we see a big Fen’Harel statue observing the Exalted Plains. It’s hard to guess what this zone represented in the time of the Elvhenan [not the Dalish kingdom]. This place has 3 main elvhen ruins: the one in the North Rampart, the Ghilan’nair’s grove, and the Graveyard Var Bellanaris. There are more than these, but they are too destroyed or small. It’s hard to ponder if all of them date of the same time.

At some kilometres of distance from the Fen’Harel’s statue, we see a tower of radical different style. At a single glance, we can see it’s Tevinter. More details of this in the Post about Exalted Plains: Citadelle du Corbeau.

Riverside Garrison is another elven ruin which patterns make it look like Elvhen: flower pattern, square pattern and swirl pattern.

Inside, we find more elements that allows us to suspect this is Elvehan from the time when the Veil did not exist. There is an elaborated tile that we will see in puzzles in the Temple of Mythal, and one of those rounded trees, growing out of it.

With the exception of the rounded tree, the decoration looks like an elvehnan crypt; its style is the same one we found in the crypts of the Temple of Mythal. There are bodies, skeletons and urns everywhere. Of course, DAI has several bodies and skeletons that they use for everything dead, so I won’t focus on the armour or the details of these objects. They are always the same no matter what kind of dead you are looking at: an avvar body, an elven body or a dwarven body.

Close to Revasan Fort, there is a collapsed bridge decorated with a statue of Andraste and a landmark called Pont Agur. It explains with dubious accuracy that after the Exalted March of the Dales some villagers drown trying to cross the river, so the mayor built this bridge and dedicated it to humans and elves too. This started a rumour about the mayor having elven blood, and had to step down. I think this shows how complex was this land after the March; these things [elves and humans in relationships] have been happening since long time ago, as the Tomb of Elandrin shows us with the incident of Red Crossing. For more details read Emerald Graves: Din’an Hanin, Tomb of Elandrin.

Beside Port Agur we find villa Montevelan, where this story of the mayor happened. This was the first human settlement after the Exalted March of the Dales. It’s all destroyed now.

Inside some ramparts we can see big trees that got my attention: I don’t know if they can be considered the original vhenadahl, the trees that the city elves try to grow as a memory of their Dalish roots. These trees can be found in ramparts as well as in the Citadelle du Corbeau. In many times, they show bodies hanging from its branches, so they inspire some murderous sentiment to such an elven symbol [if these tree are supposed to be vhenadahl, I’m just guessing since these can’t be found in other elven ruins, so they seem to be more Dalish than Elvish to me.]

In this rampart in particular, we find a difference in comparison with the rest of the ramparts in the area: there is a small tower which construction date is hard to guess. It could have been built during the Exalted March or a bit earlier. The entrance is decorated with these enigmatic tablets, depicting the Razikale Ceremony and the Horned warrior holding a sword. We have established they were Tevinter due to their presence in Coracavus and The Still Ruins. Inside the tower we find a Tevinter inspector, Tevinter containers, and minor, decorative Tevinter elements. Inside this tower there is a codex about Legend of the Three Sisters: Book 3, which makes the player aware of how stories change depending on factors such as historical-political situation, countries or censorship. This is yet another call out that the game does to us, players, to not take every single story we read as 100% true.

It seems that Tevinter mages were present in the Exalted Plains at some point in History and performed some magic or experiments. Considering the Strange Skull-Dragon totem and the undead all over the place, I would be inclined to think that some faction during the Exalted March invited Tevinter mages to provide efforts in the battle. Which is a very odd concept if we remember that it was a war between Elves [many of them coming from families who had fought Tevinter by Andraste’s side to recover their freedom] and the Chantry of that time [which always had some frictions with Tevinter].

I thought in a possibility to explain this Tevinter presence: since many of the elves that fought in the Exalted March belonged to families that had been former slaves of Tevinter mages, some of them could have developed a vast knowledge of Tevinter arcane magic. I have the impression this is more or less proven in the Citadelle du Corbeau, where elves may have installed a Tevinter defence system in an elven ruin. Because of this last fact, I’m a bit inclined to think this is the reason why we find Tevinter elements in this region. However, that doesn’t add up that we find these tablets, which are more related to Tevinter gods and ceremonies than Elven ones. I can imagine elves resorting to Tevinter devices against the Chantry, but hardly performing rituals to Tevinter gods.

As a conclusion I don’t think we can make a decent explanation of why we find so many Tevinter objects in the ramparts and elven ruin when there is no Tevinter building in the whole region.

We see this rock with an eye in many places of Exalted Plains, usually, but not exclusively, representing the attack of Orlesians [at least in the context of Exalted Plains and Emerald green]. During the main quest, in the attack to Adamant Fortress, it was the Inquisition who used these stones. Clearly a reused asset with little meaning, so I will skip it.

In Victory Rise we find more Elven ruins: we can see the elven patterns of swirls and flowers around this door. In this place we find the codex of Legend of the Three Sisters: Book 1.

In Enavuris [such a name to confuse it so easily with Evanuris] we find a ruin that, after inspection, allows you to follow a quest to look for ancient elven glyphs. The power that the note The Elven Glyphs talks about ends up being the “Dirthamen’s wisdom”, a strange shield that can be found at the end of the exploration of the Lost Temple of Dirthamen which has an oddly Tevinter look. [See the post related to the Lost Temple of Dirthamen]. It’s hard to understand what each of these symbols that appear in the glyphs mean. Clearly, all of them are secrets, such it is the nature of Dirthamen. A brief, potential analysis can be found in the post of the Lost Temple of Dirthamen.

In Halin’sulahn we find a very small Dalish clan. They are placed close to a rock which shows the usual painting of a yellow halla, and the one that looks like a battle with many elves on hallas. There is also a statue of a hart. After talking with the Keeper of this clan we are informed about several elven-issues that the War of the Lions has caused.

The encampment shows the typical Dalish symbols: these fences with ragged hides and tree branches paint in red or green on them.

I always like to highlight that the Aravels keep these undulating lines that make me remember the undulating patterns in many, if not all, murals found in DAI. It is also worth remembering that the aravels were prison-ships filled with slaves that sent elves to dwarven cities [check The Horror of Hormak].

In search for those ancient elven glyphs, we explore a zone called Ancient Baths. By its name it seems to be an elven building which allowed baths in the river. Its entrance is decorated with two archer statues, and two wall paintings: the yellow halla, and the black twisted halla with white elves wearing vallaslin [the Dalish “remember” that golden hallas guided The people to places where they needed to be, specially in desperate times. The truth behind that probable is more twisted]. Every time I see these paintings I suspect that this building was meant to be used by slaves.

As we proceed, we find a point where we need to jump off. This chamber, in its configuration [not grandeur], looks like the Temple of Mythal's main chamber where the priest stays in a high place, inaccessible to reach [no stairs in this chamber], looking from above down to the petitioner.

This section has ancient elven decorative elements: two inuksuit decorated with red swirls and a central squared stone, both elements used for the elven dead. More than half of the ruin has fallen apart but it seems to give an idea that this building was meant to be used to see baths in the river.

As it can be seen, the decoration is ancient elvhen.

As we explore the map, we find this statue which triggers Andruil's Messenger, a codex that produces more confusion than understanding of who is the god behind the owl symbol. There is a painting of a yellow halla beside the statue. Since it is an information given by Gisharel, it may be extremely wrong. The tale almost hides a command: the people, aka the slaved elves, will follow Andruil, she will tell them when to hunt, when to raise hallas, and when to settle down. And for that, she will use an owl. Since we do not truly have better sources confirming that the owl, crow, or raven are Dirthamen’s sacred animal, it’s hard to suspect how much of this tale has been twisted along the Dalish history.

In the open we see more of these four painting together: The row of slaved elves, The Armoured Figure, The Vallaslin shifting halla, and the black halla with elves wearing vallaslin. All these paintings together seem to speak about elves being capture, alienated [ they have no face nor heart] under the control of a symbol we have seen a lot: the golden ring, and these slaves are related to vallaslin and deformed hallas that shift. For more detail, see the post Nation Art: Elvhen.

Several times in the open we can find these owl statues or the archers. Sometimes even marking a path, as if they were guiding us to some places. Sometimes they are accompanied with the paintings.

The Path of flame, a name designated by the Chantry to this part, looks like the entrance of a bigger elven ruin, which is protected by two big Fen’Harel statues. The landmark we trigger around this area, extremely unreliable, suggests that this place was an elven arena. I hardly believe it, but certainly there is something about gathering many elves and forcing them to walk certain paths [aka, a path to mark slaves? considering the paintings]. The truth is, that the game has showed us two elvhen arenas already: In Emprise du Lion, called currently by orlesians names since the original ones were lost to the ages: Etienne’s Ring and Leontine’s Ring, which are now used by dragons. So, I have to say that despite not trusting this source in the slightest, the Ruined Arches of Exalted Plains have a similar look to those we see in Emprise du Lion. So maybe elves had rings after all but the purpose of them is completely unknown.

In this zone, we find a solitary statue of Fen’Harel on the waterfall.

Some meters away from it, there is a Shrine to Sylaise, which entrance is decorated in the same fashion than the Ancient Baths: two archers indicating the entrance, and two paintings depicting a yellow halla and a black halla wtih elves wearing vallaslin.

When we enter the temple, we only find crypt-related elements: inuksuit and urns, and a codex of Sylaise is triggered: Sylaise: the Hearthkeeper, which is the usual one we find in DAO, and extremely unreliable.

Inside the temple there is a small corner covered with a barrier, where a body can be found. This body has a valuable historical talisman of the Dales elves, and an ancient elven robe. It's not clear to me how to understand the situation in which we find it.

This talisman belonged to an historical warrior of the Dales, and since we find a Robe that looks like the same one than the Keeper of the Clan we met, I assume this body was an ancient Keeper who wanted to protect that talisman from the shemlen, and made a barrier with themselves inside, or they activated some trap of the small shrine and got caught in it..

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore ]

#Exalted Plains #elven design #Andrastian design #guardian of the path #paintings #Strange Skull-Dragon totem #Sitting Fen'Harel statue #Razikale Ceremony #Horned warrior holding a sword #Tevinter objects #aravel #dalish design #elvhen design #Elven Owl statue #Elven hart statue #Elven Archers #playing DA like an archaeologist

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weepylucifer · 2 years

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So good to know that we're all thinking that Arthur and Seward are happily married To Each Other. Love that for them 💖

#dracula daily #listen they had like. a Commitment Ceremony in secret with the rest of the polycule #van helsing officiated #jonathan speaks of it like a lawful marriage bc to him and the others it makes no difference #little quincey just has 4 dads (and one guardian angel dad who's there in spirit)#posts by me

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thatndginger · 8 months

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my approach to witchcraft is a very... lazy approach? I'm a big proponent of "if it feels right" methods and doing only as much as you feel capable of

which leads to me wandering around my kitchen holding a teacup full of burning paper and thyme, clutching some coyote foot bones in the other, and muttering grumpily at my household guardians that we don't have to do this ceremony shit they can just eat whatever food I forget to put away because ~ADHD~ mean I will always leave food out

#k does witchy shit #thyme and foot bones to make the spell work quickly #because thyme is a pun on time #guardians got cookie bits #that i DID put on the altar because i'm not a complete animal #im just annoyed at the insistence on ceremony lol

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telemna-hyelle · 2 years

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The fact that I have a dad who knows who I'm talking about when I say my doorstop's name means everything to me

#love you dad #for those curious my doorstop's name is Sir January Speckles and he is a hedgehog #the January is for Janus #guardian of doorways #and the Speckles is partly because he is speckled but mostly because speckles=spots=Cerberus who again is a guardian of a doorway.#and the 'Sir' is because he is a knight. I held a knighting ceremony with a real dagger and everything #tellie talks

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aresmarked · 2 years

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yea getting a patron firearm really is just Gun Confirmation huh

#arknights #right down to ceremony guardian mentor

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littlekingbergara · 2 years

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my diploma is supposed to come tomorrow. :)

#nyu is like hey btw you will not be walking across the stage at graduation your ceremony will be everyone sitting in msg for hours while #a slideshow plays and it's not gonna be in any order by major or name or department or anything so you dont even get to know when your name #will come up. also there will be speeches by people you've never heard of and we're giving faculty members awards instead of congratulating #students aka the ones who are actually graduating. we couldn't possibly give those faculty awards at the faculty award and honors dinner.#but dont worry you also get an all university commencement at yankee stadium! taylor swift will be there!#the entire day will be about Her and not you! but you get a pompom and a hat. :)#also every speech will include the words this is not about you this is about your parents/guardians/support system.#and your diploma will come in 12 weeks k byeee.#so ready to be done with this fucking school and feel like i actually did something. even though... i still don't think i will.#ri.txt

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wedontdeservethestars · 14 hours

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Damn. Cannot believe I’m graduating…

#i dont think its sunk in yet tbh #that i will never be taking classes again #but like. damn.#WAUGHHH #im so exhausted lmao lets hope the ceremony is short tomorrow #ANYWAYS #gotg #guardians of the galaxy #i saw this on pinterest and thought it was cute so i tweaked it a bit #very proud of how it came out tho!#swear to god i struggled over my cap more than i did my entire college career tho💀

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hijodelagua · 11 days

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The Issue of Truth in Initiation

Original article at:

As we journey along the initiatory path, we develop a unique relationship with that we perceive as "truth".

Ideally, upon traversing the first initiation, known as "Chapel Perilous", as pointed out by Robert Anton Wilson, we emerge ensconced in a radical, all-questioning skepticism. We learn to navigate the astral realm with ease. This dimension breaches into our mundane existence, engulfing us, and amidst the ensuing confusion, we discover that a reality devoid of rigid laws is not as daunting as anticipated. This approach serves to alleviate, and perhaps even eliminate, the oppressive weight of the astral plane. Its emergence compels us to weave countless narratives in an attempt to comprehend the reality we once thought we understood.

Equipped with this skepticism, we are better prepared to navigate the astral triangle within the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, encompassing the three sefirot: Yesod, Hod, and Netzach. Without the experiences and attitudes acquired through Chapel Perilous, confronting the kaleidoscope of illusions within these realms poses a significant risk.

It`s all too easy to become ensnared in the astral realm, where all forms appear conceivable, and we might mistake a Mermaid for an Angel. Within this domain, one encounters a plethora of astral entities, some of whom may eagerly masquerade as the "Holy Guardian Angel" envisioned by Abraham of Worms and sought after by Western ceremonial magicians, potentially leading us astray. Thankfully, our radical skepticism serves as a safeguard, helping us to discern our true objectives, such as when we encounter the Serpent of power, known in Jungian terms as the "anima/animus". Having faced the tumultuous astral currents of Chapel Perilous and caught a glimpse of our Angel there, it becomes easier to recognize the Serpent as our sought-after power, even if the Unconscious manifests it as the "anima/animus" rather than as the "shadow".

Upon achieving the second initiation, the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, the dynamic appears to shift. Hearing the Angel`s Voice feels like experiencing Truth with a capital T for the first time. The skepticism we once cherished, which served us faithfully, dissipates as the intuitive mind awakens.

But although first impressions are often dazzling, careful perception reveals details that are hard to observe when there is too much light.

Dion Fortune, in her work "The Mystical Qabalah", discusses this aspect in relation to the Knowledge and Conversation, portraying the Angel as the "Higher Self" and emphasizing the emergence of "formless intuitions" devoid of astral forms:

"It is the prime characteristic of this higher mode of mentation that it consists neither in voices nor visions, but is pure consciousness; it is an intensification of awareness, and from this quickening of the mind comes a peculiar power of insight and penetration which is of the nature of hyper-developed intuition. The higher consciousness is never psychic, but always intuitive, containing no sensory imagery. It is this absence of sensory imagery which tells the experienced initiate that he is on the level of the higher consciousness."

On the other hand, good old Plotinus, who in the third century A.D., called Intelligence, Nous or second divine hypostasis that which nowadays we associate with the Knowledge and Conversation in ceremonial magic, also believed it to be closely connected to a faculty he called the "intuitive mind", distinct from the usual "discursive mind". Through this faculty Plotinus apprehended the World of Ideas as envisioned by his esteemed Plato; the intuitive mind had the capacity to grasp the essence of things.

While the discursive mind uses language to construct narratives a series of more or less solid perceptions, the intuitive mind is capable of apprehending the essence of things without any mediation whatsoever. Like a predator capturing its prey, the intuitive mind seizes truth, whereas the discursive mind processes and interprets its findings as if cooking its captured prey. The discursive mind doesn`t perceive these patterns. It can polish the known, it can offer different interpretations, but it cannot discern archetypes.

Thus, although at first we might have the impression that we had come to speak of "Truth", analysis reveals that we have instead awakened a faculty that allows us to grasp the archetypes that structure and define reality.

When we use the Tarot, we rely on the randomness of the cards to present us with a cohesive array of symbols, allowing us to glean insights from the underlying archetypal dimension governing a situation, and thus making it predictable. With the awakening of the intuitive mind during the Knowledge and Conversation, we can directly apprehend these archetypes. The first archetype we grasp is often the one governing our personal being, which is why we often talk about finding out the "True Will" as a natural outcome of this second Initiation, even though this will cannot truly be "known", for it can only be "done". But it is also to the extent that we know ourselves that we will be able to grasp the archetypes that govern everything else.

More and more, my Voice will become indistinguishable from yours. I am the Power and the Truth that dwells within.

It is interesting to consider that while the initiatory journey is often conceived of as a ladder on which one "ascends", we might consider it as a journey towards a more intimate relationship with reality, which is brought even closer by our access to the archetypal. It is also remarkable how this idea stands in opposition to idealistic fantasies that mistake initiation for escapism.

It doesn`t take you out of the world. It doesn`t nullify you. On the contrary, fight! Conquer!

Now, the lessons from that deeper Self we call the Holy Guardian Angel and this whole encounter with "Truth" do not take place in a testing tube, and they have their consequences in daily life. For one discovers that, from then on, all truly useful learning will come from the Angel. There is no master, no external authority. All of them acquire absolute irrelevance. Abraham of Worms already noted in "The Sacred Magic of Abramelin", that one can learn from others the techniques that will enable one to achieve Knowledge and Conversation, but the True Magic will be learned from one`s Holy Guardian Angel and from no other.

From this perspective, it turns out that an event that seemed to oppose the radical skepticism by which we faced Chapel Perilous is actually going even deeper in the same direction. As a consequence of the Knowledge and Conversation, any previous perspective in which authority and understanding were supposed to be found on the outside is devalued. In the first Initiation, this happened because outer reality was littered with infinite mutable narratives struggling to become untruthfully solid. We had previously taken them as final realities, but they were nothing more than interpretations that we could learn to use to modify reality ourselves. After the second initiation, which is the Knowledge and Conversation, we look still further inwards, for in our depths we find the archetypal dimension.

The source of knowledge that involves accessing this intuitive dimension within renders all that we obtain from external sources irrelevant in comparison.

To be more specific, although we can compare notes and take interest in the discourse of others who share our experience (and personally, I enjoy reading true adepts such as Dion Fortune and Aleister Crowley), even those more advanced than us are no longer genuine sources of knowledge. There is no sacred text; they are all trivial entertainments when compared to the wisdom that arises from within.

In my personal experience, this extends to the point that if I am in a normal state of consciousness, as I am most of the time, and I have doubts about the initiatory process, I refer to the notes from my conversations with what conventionally I call "my Angel". My "sacred texts" are the records of such communications, which I fortunately thoroughly document. There is nothing else — no Bible, no guru, no established tradition, no sacred book that even comes close.

Certainly, I may be interested in comparing my notes, but nothing rivals that inner connection where one does not process words but instead rests in a deep emotional calm, merging within the archetypal dimension with those things one seeks to understand.

"Masters" do not suffice, there is only one Master and you have to let him pass, you just have to let him pass.

This also implies another inescapable consequence, which will prove more difficult for some than for others, and that is the tendency to isolate oneself. A certain detachment from the world, which was already present and necessary to achieve the mental silence conducive to the Knowledge and Conversation, is coupled with the fact that this relationship with the "Inner Self" devalues the relationship with others as far as the acquisition of "truth" is concerned.

This isn`t something that happens on an emotional level, where it may rather have the opposite effect. But it does happen, and it has profound consequences, in that we cannot share with anyone that very intimate link to our innermost core, to that dimension in which we can see which archetypes run through us and explain reality.

It is remarkable that, as opposed to a scholasticism that would seek mystical knowledge of a discursive nature, the way we can approach the archetypal dimension that structures the diversity of forms that populate reality is by looking inward.

But at the same time, the lessons taught by the first initiation about the fickleness of interpretations of reality are still relevant. Access to the archetypal level of reality does not obscure that other level where we make a narrative interpretation of the events that occur in external reality, and even of the events that are determined by these archetypes. This interpretation, this imagination, or even this Art, a worthy function of the discursive mind, is instrumental in governing our perspective on reality, the narrative through with which we weave, and from which we plan and determine what is possible to do with it.

#initiation #magick #aleister crowley #dion fortune #occult #occultism #thelema #chapel perilous #robert anton wilson #abramelin #hermeticism #golden dawn #holy guardian angel #ceremonial magick #kundalini #hadit

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lairofdragonagelore · 2 years

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Emprise du Lion: Suledin keep

It is an old elven keep, which has recently been seized to serve as a base for the Red Templars as part of their offensive to seize control of Emprise du Lion. They are also conducting experiments on giants by infecting them with red lyrium. The operation is overseen by Imshael, a "Choice Spirit" and one of the The Forbidden Ones. After the Inquisitor deals with Imshael and drives out the Red Templars, the Keep is turned into an Inquisition stronghold.

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]

We head to Suledin Keep, where the demon Imshael is working on his red lyrium garden. The entrance to the path towards this keep looks like a warning: full of red lyrium with more owl statues: the animal of Dirthamen/Falon’Din or maybe the messenger of Andruil, at this point in the game, we are not completely sure what God they exactly represent. Apparently, the owl statues have been guiding the player along the region to reach this Keep.

The entrance has a frame door with the same shape that the Gate to the temple of Myhtal.

As we climb the stairs and gain height in this ruin, we find several more statues. Hart statues, owl statues, and Archers, all of them pointing out towards the path to the courtyard of the keep. There is a codex called Suledin Keep Documents that talks about several things, but mostly about Imshael, summarised in the following list:

Imshael has been sent to overseer the red lyrium growth, like a gardener. He supports the red templar's cause [although personally I think he supports the possibilities to give ironic “choices” to those who take red lyrium in general, according to his personality in the book The Masked Empire] However, these templars will see him as a human supporting them. They clearly don't know he is a demon.

Another excerpt explains how much pain the red templars endure during the transformation and how this process may cause them moral conflicts. Apparently, Imshael can revert the process for a high price [exactly as he behaved in the book, he likes to force situations in which he can offer terrible hard options to his victims, and their choices, specially the cruellest or the most ironic ones, give him pleasure.]

A templar questions why they need to be in Emprise du Lion if red lyrium can grow everywhere. He is shut up by his general saying that Corypheus believes that he composition of the earth in this place will make red lyrium grow more rapidly and abundantly. [Personally I find it strange. What could possibly make red lyrium grow faster here? Blood? Bodies? Is this terrain covered in elven bodies due to the fights against humans during the Dales? Or is it about older bodies, from the time of the Evanuris, who asked too many sacrifices, as it was, potentially, hinted with the tower of bones? Or this is related to the line we read in DAO and DA2 about “The Stone lives beneath Orlais”, meaning that under Orlais there is some titan or titan-related element that would allow red lyrium to grow in better conditions?]

A survivor templar of Kirkwall who saw meredith die celebrates the fact that they are alive when they draw power from the red lyrium when Meredith died doing so with her sword. This narrator explains that slow administration of red lyrium allows a progressive transformation without infusing the madness that took Meredith’s mind. Imshael is the key for this process: he knows how to cultivate and supply red lyrium. In any case, via codices and notes we know that red lyrium is easier to control with cold as well. And we also know this place has never been this frost, so this weather has to be a product of magic of the red templars/Imshael to make red lyrium grow at the exact pace, and therefore have more controlled transformations

During the exploration of the keep we see vast extensions of garden/forest inside, marked with three different types of statues which guide our path most of the time: the owls and archers, while a colossus Fen’Harel's statue always seems to watch over.

Sometimes, statues of harts appear but I’m not sure what they indicate.

The archers indicate to enter to a part of the keep where we see a lot of barrels that I suppose, are the ones referred in Work Orders.

This place seems to be a kind of storage of these barrels. If we explore this part deeper, we see a corridor with these well known lids: Razikale Ceremony and Horned warrior holding a sword. Three potential explanations come to me:

These lids are new, they were not part of the keep, and are related to Imshael and the process that makes red lyrium grow. I think this interpretation is unlikely because these lids seem to be embedded into the old building, encrusted in the wall. They don’t look new.

They belong to the ancient building, and were part of the elven rituals. Which is also strange, since these images have been appearing in places strongly related to Tevinter.

Co-opted, this elvhenan ruin was modified and repurposed by ancient Tevinter to fulfil their own agenda in the region. This option is also unlikely, since this keep doesn’t have the presence of many Tevinter objects aside these to assume it was co-opted at some point in history.

Conclusion: It’s a mystery to understand why these objects are here, if we are correct in understanding them as Tevinter. Recently, I had my doubts, and I started to suspect they are originally Elvhenan, even though its style is very different to the rest of the elvhenan objects we saw so far [For more details, read the post about Hissing Wastes: Fairel tomb].

As we get closer to the main courtyard, we keep being guided by the usual four statues: Harts, sitting Fen’Harel statues, Archer statues and owl statues. With the exception of the hart, the rest have been used in the Elven Ruins of the DLC Tresspasser.

Close to the main courtyard we find felandaris plants, meaning that the Veil in this place is quite thin.

In this place we find where, I suppose, the transformation of miners and villagers happens or/and the controlled growth of Red Lyrium for templar transformations is cultivated. Or both. We see in the middle of this courtyard that device I called "injector" in Western Approach: the open, hovering over a base surrounded by many "diapason" instruments that, thanks to Jaws of Hakkon, we know they redirect energy. This object has red lyrium inside, and at the corners, we find these devices that we saw in the Fade and triggered the codex called "temple of Dumat" [reason why I call them as such]. The whole configuration makes me suspect that the injector channel energy to the central part of this configuration and the “diapason” instruments divide it and spread it to the rest in the corners, feeding the red Lyrium in the middle of them.

We find more "temple of Dumat” devices in places where there is no red lyrium growing.

Here is where Imshael awaits us. It's quite curious that his skin design looks similar to Anders’. I don't know if this was intentional or not, there is nothing in the information and the presentation of the quests that make us suspect anything related to him [Even though we know through the concept art that the appearance of Anders has been planed at some point, but it never made it into the game. Maybe the production of his body was not wasted and used in Imshael instead]. When we talk to him, he proceeds as usual, proposing a deal with a choice.

When we fight him, he changes his shape several times. During his transformation we are hinted once more how complex is "Choice", he is not a desire demon [as he says and as it was explained in the book The Masked Empire as well]. There is a bit of terror, rage, and pride in it, pretty similar to the spirit of Regret in the book Tevinter Nights [these spirits are a lot more complex than the ones we have been seeing in the games].

When we kill him, we can loot March of the Everlasting, a shield with clearly elvhenan patterns on it [we find the swirls and the circle designs] but has a pyramid in the middle that breaks its elven style. This detail is not missed by its description which says via a really unreliable tone that this shield may have been forged in Arlathan, but Tevinter modified it and, during the Exalted March, the orlesian circle re-enchanted it to give it to Chevaliers. As we can notice in this detail, elven elements are constantly being reused and reshaped by Tevinter and Orlais. [This shield design is not unique, however, and has been used in other items, so I don’t think we have to read too much into it, to be honest.]

Before reclaiming the keep, we find a dying templar who may have been the same one who wrote that excerpt in Suledin Keep Documents about questioning his choice of becoming a red templar and wanting Imshael to revert it, no matter the cost. He repeats again that imshael's role in this place was to be a gardener of red lyrium to control the change, not to make it grow too fast nor too slow. He says that Imshael may have been able to remove the red lyrium, but his price was apparently too high for this templar, and his choice was the red.

When we take the keep, we leave a responsible orlesian Baron in charge of the zone as a representative of the Inquisition. A codex of Trading with Kal-Sharok triggers here, bringing us a bit of information of a very, very mysterious thaig again: written by a merchant-scholar in a contemporary time, it makes interesting remarks:

Kal- sharok has been isolated, and remains isolated for a reason different than fear. Still yet, they are very aware of the current state of the world and the surface trade.

They have trade contacts with Orlais and Free Marches, and their wares could be extremely new or relics.

These dwarves remain hooded during the deals.

The presence of these dwarves cause uneasiness, and the narrator suspects it's because these dwarves are blighted. Therefore, it’s highly hinted that Kal-Sharok dwarves are blighted but have developed some resistance that allows them to keep their mind in control.

After cleaning the red lyrium, the Keep changes its decoration to a more Orlesian one: we have the usual orlesian Andraste statue, some decorative clocks held in place by two female figures, and a knelt statue that has been called as the “Guardian of the Path” in the Exalted Plains. The ancient elven owl statues remain.

As it can be seen from height, this keep is massive and very forest-like.

Once the templar operation in the region is finished, we can talk to the major and judge her.

When we return to Emprise Du Lion after doing Varric’s quest, we find Bianca and a tranquil researcher called Felim studying Tevinter artefacts while exchanging some extra information about the gravity of the red Lyrium spread. This post has compiled the information much more easily.

On two tables, they have several Tevinter artefacts that, with the exception of one [the thrummer] we can’t guess their function yet. They are dismantling a thrummer, so we can see its inside which seems to be filled with red lyrium.

From the conversation that Bianca has with this tranquil we can assume or infer some details:

Bianca: If the red lyrium is alive… Felim: We have no reason to doubt our source. B: All we have to do is make it not alive. F: Say “kill it”. It is more precise. B: Fine. Kill it. F: That may be impossible.

I think this confirms to me that Bianca is not the one who came up with the concept of red lyrium being normal lyrium but infected with blight. Felim says that the information of lyrium being alive comes from a source that they have no reason to doubt. So who is the original researcher who came up with these hypothesis? The rest of the information in this part is all potential, conditional, and speculation. There is no certainty in what they talk about.

F: I have looked over the reports. The red lyrium veins are well-established. Given the size of the field, We have a 0.0014% chance of eliminating all of it. B: Even if we dig down? F: Digging taken into consideration, shards will likely remain. B: So long as there’s no one for it to infect… F: There is life in the ground. Molds. Earthworms. B: The growth will be much slower. F: But still inevitable.

There is no certainty in this conversation, we can see the dire situation that red lyrium represents.

B: Fire? What if we scorched the earth? Mages maybe? F: We have not yet fully researched the properties of red lyrium ash. If fire does not render it inert, dispersal by air may have disastrous consequences. B: I hate you right now.

Again, there is no certainty, but there is a potential risk of spreading red lyrium through ashes if it doesn’t get inert after being burnt.

F: I would suggest shorter shifts for the workers. B: Why? F: Reports of strange music have been increasing. B: Already? Maker.

This is another effect that Varric told us about: the researchers, as they are exposed to the Red Lyrium, became able to hear its song. What it seems here is that this effect is getting stronger, and the study of red lyrium needs less time of exposure than before to be perceived. With this comment, one has the feeling that red lyrium is getting stronger.

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore ]

#emprise du lion #suledin keep #red lyrium #Sitting Fen'Harel statue #Elven Owl statue #Elven hart statue #Elven Archers #Razikale Ceremony #Horned warrior holding a sword #Tevinter objects #Artefact of Temple of Dumat #elven design #orlesian design #guardian of the path #thrummer #Kal- sharok #Kal Sharok Thaig #Playing DA like an archaeologist

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relaxxattack · 1 year

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ik it’s been said by much more knowledgeable people, but marriage for polyamorous people is more important than just representation or equal rights; it’s not just that poly people (and gay people) should be allowed to marry because it’s a symbolic ceremony that straight people get to do— it’s because it’s a LEGAL DOCUMENT giving you express LEGAL RIGHTS to that person’s well-being! it gives you the ability to make decisions for them if they are unable— say; unconscious, unwilling, or dead— it gives you the rights to their property, makes you next of kin guardian for the children you have together, makes it so you can file taxes together, makes it so you have the right to see your partner if something happens and they are confined to a hospital room. and so much more than that!

i feel like it’s so common to shrug off marriage rights for unconventional relationships or families because “it’s just a symbol and title— they can still just hold a wedding if they want to have one! they don’t need to do that to live together and raise children, so just leave it be.” but it’s NOT just a symbol or title. it is a fundamental right to be able to put YOUR future (your children, your estate, your possessions, your life if you’re in a coma) in the hands of people you actually love and trust

how many stories have we heard about trans people buried with their deadname, because the only people legally allowed to handle their funeral were their transphobic parents?

this is why gay people back in the day used to adopt each other. because marriage wasn’t legal and they needed SOME form of recognized protection if anything happened.

and, though i can’t speak much on it, this is also why the laws for disabled married people need to be different.

EVERYONE deserves the right to marry who they want. because marriage is a FUNDAMENTAL right, about CHOOSING who you trust to be legally handling your affairs.

and if who you trust is multiple partners, or even just several of your friends, it should be legal for you to tell the government that.

#polyamourous #being smart

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dumbseee · 11 months

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she’s everything and he’s just ken.

f1 au: in which, well basically the title. carlos and y/n have been dating for a few months, and carlos can’t stop showing off his beautiful girlfriend to the world.

carlos sainz jr x singer!reader.

fc: becky g.

liked by y/n, landonorris, danielricciardo and 2 008 008 others.

carlossainz55: i love seeing you on stage princesa 💙

y/n: seeing you in the audience is what gives me strength mi amor

liked by carlossainz55.

danielricciardo: i literally thought that was a y/n fan page

fan1: the fact that he goes to all her concerts even if he’s busy

fan2: i saw him there he was so sweet! and he was wearing blue to match with her :(

fan3: y/n and carlos are so barbie and ken coded

fan4: he took a whole camera with him to take pictures of her omgg

fan5: carlos is literally a book boyfriend, he can’t be real

landonorris: omg are you joining the jpg gang?

alex_albon: @.landonorris please he’s going to call it y/n.jpg

fan6: but why was he in the audience and not backstage?

carlossainz55: @.fan6 to have a better view ;)

liked by y/n, charles_leclerc, lewishamilton and 1 800 087 others.

carlossainz55: congratulations princesa on your first ever american latin music award! (in my opinion you deserved to win all the categories) your voice is my favorite medicine.

y/n: omg i love you so much stop

landonorris: you guys are insufferable

carlossainz55: @.landonorris i’m blocking you.

fan1: i want a carlos in my life

fan2: « your voice is my favorite medicine » what if i was sewcidal?

fan3: brb im going to throw myself out of the window

fan4: pls he also went with her at the ceremony 😭

fan5: just get married already

liked by y/n, alex_albon, charles_leclerc and 1 789 097 others.

carlossainz55: i fall in love with you a little bit more everyday.

y/n: girls i’m officially head over heels for this man

landonorris: guys i’ve done the maths and out of 3 posts carlos make every week, 2 out of 3 are about y/n

y/n: @.landonorris i can’t believe you can count omg

danielricciardo: this is officially a y/n fanpage

fan1: y/n deserve that level of love tho her last relationship was a disaster so i’m so happy to see her being treated like the princess she is

carlossainz55: @.fan1 queen* but period

fan2: y/n please where did you find him i need a bf like him

liked by carlossainz55, francisca.cgomes, lilymhe and 3 789 821 others.

y/n: i know that we joke a lot about how obsessed this lil guy is, but i thought that it was time for a little carlos appreciation post. first of all, thank you for loving me, we met when i was in a very dark place but you still picked me up from the ground and helped me heal. i’ll always be grateful for that. i love all your little intentions like the flowers you send me every 5th of the month because we met on that date. or when you cook my favorite meal when i’m not in the mood. you’re my bestfriend, my guardian angel, my anchor, my inspiration, my everything. thank you for being you carlos and thank you for loving me the way you do ❤️

carlossainz55: you deserve the world and more y/n, the way i’m treating you is the way someone as amazing as you should be treated. i love you more princesa <3

danielricciardo: get a ROOM

landonorris: there is kids on this app!

y/n: @.landonorris you’re past your bedtime lando go to bed.

fan1: i want what they have :(

fan2: these two never fail to make me feel depressed about being single

fan3: i don’t even want a boyfriend but it must be nice to be loved like that

fan4: romeo and juliet who? i only know carlos and y/n

fan5: their relationship is so pure seriously they’re so precious

fan6: they better get married and have kids because if a couple like that ever breakup it’s over for us

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