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dalishious · 5 months

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A BioWare Guide on How to Murder a Fanbase

I have been a Dragon Age super-fan for almost fourteen years, now. I have played every game, with every DLC. I have read every novel, lore book, and every comic — yes, even the terrible ones that are better off forgotten. I have seen the anime film, the animated series, and the web mini-series. I have enjoyed all of these pieces of the franchise over and over, more times than I can count. So, make no mistake: the negativity you’re about to hear comes from a place of love for this fantasy world, developed by many creative people over the years. I would love nothing more than to see the resurrection of passion in the Dragon Age fandom again. But the unfortunate truth is, that resurrection is only needed because BioWare took the fandom out back and shot it in the first place.

In December 2018, three years after the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser epilogue DLC, BioWare first announced the then-untitled next Dragon Age game with a teaser trailer. At this point, most fans were anticipating this would mean within the next couple years, we would see the game. This assumption was based on the fact that Dragon Age: Inquisition was first announced in 2012, and released in 2014, with an extra year of development added last minute.

There have been dribbles of extra content since then, adding to the franchise. This was enough to keep some fans still breathing and interested. 2020’s Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights was a lovely anthology. 2020’s Dragon Age: Blue Wraith and 2021’s Dark Fortress were wonderful comics tying up the story started in Knight Errant. And 2022’s Dragon Age: Absolution was a well-animated series with an interesting cast of characters and story. But all these still left the fandom with a major question: What was going on with the next game? It was untypical of BioWare to be so secretive, in comparison to how they handled sharing information of the past games in the franchise. The only form of updates fans still have to go on is mostly just concept art and short stories, hinting that something must be in production. But why was the wait so long?

In 2015, the first version of the next Dragon Age began with a clear vision, clear scope of practice, and a reportedly happy developer team. Most gloriously in my book, there was no multi-player… but this did not align with the Electronic Arts typical money-mad schemes. EA’s push for “games as a service” meant they wanted to monetize all their games as much as possible, and therefore, they wanted them to be a live service — as Anthem demonstrated, that meant sacrificing things that are staples of good RPGs, like narrative and character choice. So in 2017, version one of the next Dragon Age was scrapped and replaced. This new version would have, in total or to at least some degree, an online portion of play.

There is one part of Schreier’s article, “The Past and Present of Dragon Age 4,” that really sticks out to me, regarding this:

“One person close to the game told me this week that Morrison’s critical path, or main story, would be designed for single-player and that goal of the multiplayer elements would be to keep people engaged so that they would actually stick with post-launch content.”

The idea of splitting up components of a game into single-player and multi-player is a terrible idea, because it means that there would be a large bulk of content only accessible through online gaming; something many fans, like myself, are repulsed by. Even if I did enjoy it, I spent most of my life growing up with either no internet or shoddy internet incapable of playing online games. I know many rural people who are still in that position, losing more and more of their favourite gaming pastimes because they are locked out of the ability to play them. It is a disservice to hide content behind a wall like this, especially in a world that is so lore-heavy like Dragon Age. The news of multi-player in Dragon Age understandably upset many, and this is when I first noticed a large drop off in excitement over the next game.

However, in 2021, the failure of Anthem (multi-player) and success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (single-player) led the executives at EA to bend to the wishes of BioWare leadership and allow them to go back to the drawing board yet again on the next Dragon Age. This meant removing all multi-player content!

While I am very happy that there will reportedly be no multi-player in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, I can’t help but feel bitter and a little disgusted over the ridiculous development time spent on something no one but EA wanted in the first place. If it weren’t for this foolishness, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf would be in our hands right now. Instead, it’s been in development hell for nearly nine years and counting. Nine years is a long time to expect fans to carry a torch for you through radio silence, but it’s no wonder BioWare has shared barely anything about the next game; it’s been in flux for so long, they likely haven’t had anything concrete to show.

BioWare hurt its reputation even more when the news broke that the studio very suddenly laid off 50 people who were working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. This is pretty damning on its own, but BioWare took it a step further. Former developer Jon Renish shared a statement revealing that the studio was only willing to offer laid-off employees two weeks of severance per year of service, and denied health benefits. The denial of health benefits in particular is a pretty wild move for a studio with a reputation for “stress casualties”. The latest news on this is that BioWare has still so far refused to negotiate better severance packages, leading to a lawsuit. The lawsuit originally had 15 former employees, but this dropped due to the fear of not being able to afford to pay their bills. So now, while EA sits on $400 million net income, the laid-off employees are struggling to buy holiday presents for their children. These horrid business practices are not to be ignored when accounting for a lack of faith in a studio. What kind of monsters reward workers who make your games special with vaguely reasoned lay-offs?

The latest news on the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf front from BioWare came early this month, December 2023, with a trailer… announcing a trailer that will come next summer… that will announce the release of the game. Supposedly. Maybe. We’ll see. But by this time, BioWare is something of a laughing stock of their own fandom. Reactions to the video released with a pretty map graphic and a few rendered locations were, from what I personally observed, mostly sardonic in nature. People have commented on the vapourware nature of the game, and like all vapourware, that leads to disintegrating trust.

Despite all this, people like Mary Kirby, (one of the veteran Dragon Age writers who was a victim of the layoffs,) said, “it’s bittersweet that Dreadwolf is my last DA game, but I still hope you all love it as much as I do,” encouraging fans to still support the game when it eventually is released. But after every misstep BioWare has taken, that’s a tough sell now. Fans are finicky, RPG fans more so than others, one could argue. We have our favourites, and many of us stick to those favourites for life over our appreciation for the artistry — but that relationship between studio and fan should go both ways. EA and BioWare has betrayed that relationship, and it will take a hell of a lot to build it back up again, now.

[This piece is also available on Medium!]

#dragon age #dadw #dragon age dreadwolf #bioware #game development #meta #releasing this into the wild and running away

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mrs-gauche · 5 months

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So, on the new teaser published on DA Day this year, while I won't even try to go as in-depth as the amazing @felassan already did, compiling everything of note in this excellent post, like the sleep deprived German with limited vocabulary that I am, I'm just gonna add my little two cents to it, hopefully not repeating too much of what has already been mentioned. 😁

So why not start with the caption here!

This honestly made me snort out loud. 😂 I mean, it's like BioWare is not even trying anymore to be subtle about the fact that Thedas has we know it is 100% doomed. lol And yes, I know we all joke about Thedas constantly being in Apocalypse mode, but this time it really feels like some massive change is approaching.

But to be specific, I am pretty confident in that this is referring to both the destruction of the Veil, as well as the freed Evanuris dooming the world through some kind of mega Blight.

When I first read the word "revelation", it immediately made me think of Solas' Tower tarot card. The Tower literally represents sudden, disruptive revelation and potentially destructive change. While "damnation" is the concept of a divine punishment, to be "doomed to suffer in hell forever".

And as felassan theorized, if the last person in the teaser speaking is Elgar'nan, and if he is in fact connected to the Old God Lusacan, who is the God of Night, bringing about the "eternal night" and darkness…

“Lusacan, the Dragon of Night, calls to you. He lives where it is darkest and waits for the day he will rise. Drink of his blood and know the power in darkness: either fear the Night or wield it." "The darkspawn yearn to awaken and corrupt Lusacan to start a new age of darkness." “A night that will never end”

...Whereas the "revelation"/Solas tearing down the Veil, to me at least, always seemed to be associated with light or "purification" (for lack of a better word), with how it was described in Sandal’s prophecy and the way the destruction of the Veil was portrayed in the 2022 cinematic, almost blindlingly bright. (Also, "Solas" literally means "light" in Irish. lol)

„One day the magic will come back. All of it. Everyone will be just as they were. The shadows will part. And the skies will open wide. When he rises, everyone will see.“

So I think, like this "revelation" contrasts the "damnation", like Light and Darkness, at least in terms of visual language, there could be a hint of a figurative, as well as a literal "clashing" of two opposing forces? Like, both are destructive, but like The Tower represents destruction in order to rebuild/to enforce new growth/for the soul to evolve, while the damnation is nothing but irreparable corruption?

Anyway! So generally speaking, the teaser highlights yet again three of the factions/places we've seen in all the 2020 teaser/concept art/books/comics. It looked absolutely gorgeous and the voice over gave me goosebumps, as well as the amazing score again (that may or may not be composed by Hans Zimmer and/or Lorne Balfe lol I wonder) and the sound design! <3333 Though what’s curious to me, is that neither the Shadow Dragons of Tevinter or the Veil Jumpers from the Arlathan Forest were mentioned this time around…

So, I think this time the teaser might be more about the main plot beats/quests in the game than about the protagonist's potential origins, like how in DAO and DAI, you travelled to various places gathering allies and completed their respective narratives first before facing the main threat. Each of the places shown is coupled with a voice over from what is most likely gonna be an important character in each of these plot beats.

The fact that they changed the word "hero" in the plot blurb on the official DA website to "leader" is also.. interesting. It kinda reminds me of when Mark Darrah mentioned that the "vision statement" for Joplin was gonna be "We would be heroes, but the records are sealed". 👀 Or maybe the new protagonist might not be so heroic after all and more on the morally grey spectrum, which is always nice to explore. lol Makes me also yet again wonder about the "They call me the Dread Wolf. What will they call you when this is over?" line, meaning that, no matter how heroic our actions might be, in the end history might still remember us as the villain.

Antiva

This looks phenomenal and if they actually manage to realize a city as big as what this suggests AND fill it with meaningful content and people (side-eyeing you, Val Royeaux lol), it will blow my mind! lol Like felassan said, I'm very curious if we're gonna do some Assassin's Creed style "parkour" here, like what was kinda described in the short story "As We Fly" from last year! The Crows as the only real military defense of Antiva, particularly in Treviso, seem to be in deep trouble now, having been invaded by the Antaam and if you look closely, you can actually see the banner of the Qunari being displayed in the city!

"We fight for everyone. And we always will. The Crows rule Antiva."

My first thought hearing the voice here was actually Caterina Dellamorte. The lines express authority or leadership and it's also a more elderly sounding voice (to me at least), so Caterina as the First Talon would make a lot of sense to me! There have also been lots of speculation about her grandson, Lucanis, being a potential companion as well.

Rivain

(Oh no, all of Rivain got eaten by a squid. lol)

I've been hoping to go there ever since I first saw concept art of Rivain, and this is still giving me huge Pirates of the Caribbean (but with magic) vibes. 😂 As someone who thoroughly enjoyed playing AC Black Flag like ten years ago, this looks VERY promising! Though please, if we're getting any kind of underwater combat (like with the Vinsomer mentioned in the codex entry from last year), just don't make me fight dragons underwater, I'm still traumatized by the Lagiacrus in Monster Hunter Tri. 💀

"Glory to the risen gods. They come to deliver this world."

As to who is saying this, honestly, no idea. 😂 The blurb on the website mentions dragons in this place acting up for some reason, and the line sounds very cultist. lol But I'm definitely with felassan here, too, that this has to be connected to the Evanuris as well, given this GIANT squid thing on the map and all of the horrifying ocean related stuff linked to Ghilan'nain and her monstrosities, my money is also on her being one of these "risen gods".

And honestly… If I was a simple sailor or pirate and then one day I would see this emerge from the ocean…

….I'd probably start believing in these "gods", too. lmao

Anderfels

Next up, we're going to the Anderfels and Weisshaupt and I don't really have anything to add to what has already been said, other than "Shit is definitely Going Down Here". lol Lorewise, it would be crazy to go there and learn more about the very beginnings of the Wardens at their headquarters, so.. given the lines, the ominous sound of battle in the background here and some *things* from those reddit leaks earlier this year (felassan made a great post about this too, but spoiler warning of course!).. I just hope there will be enough left of Weisshaupt to explore after all this. lol

"Grey Wardens don't hide in our castle. I won't ask good soldiers to turn tail and run."

My first guess was the First Warden as well, but felassan actually made a few very good points here that make me question it… 🤔

I was also wondering what these "pillar ring" things are and while I first thought some kind of magical defense mechanism, I saw a reddit user suggesting that these rings could be part of a griffon training flight path?? Hell YEAH. #BringBackGriffonsInDA4

"Tremors have been creating disturbances of late. Their cause is unknown. Upon the distant horizon, a storm of ominous intent brews and darkens the skies."

That is a very interesting description, given that the sky in *this* concept art (which is definitely also showing Weisshaupt), is quite clearly the opposite of "dark". lol

(*looking suspiciously at the things I mentioned at the beginning here about "Light and Darkness" clashing* 👀👀👀 Maybe Solas came to visit here, too, because he just loves the Wardens, right? lol)

You know, if I read the words "tremors" and "Grey Wardens", my natural conclusion is "Something something Old Gods Underground + Grey Wardens Trying to Kill Them Before They Awake = Nothing Good" (and let's not forget about the eleven(!!) mountains/Ghilan'nain's ancient pools underground mentioned in Tevinter Nights as well), keeping in mind that Solas gets furious about the Wardens deliberately searching them out and slaying them (because he obviously knows what's gonna happen if all of them are slayed(!)), and in DAI there was already something ominous going on at Weisshaupt...

And all of this coupled with the new vinyl artwork and all the promotional stuff for DA4 so far, makes me feel like the Wardens will be busier than ever before...

Seven semi-circles with two of them still "lit" and the "tambourine"/Veil looking more broken with each new update....

Seven Old Gods/Evanuris that were banished when Solas created the Veil.....

Seven mirrors shattering....

Seven gates of the Black City, which Kordillus Drakon prophesied will someday shatter and cover both the mortal and spirit realms in darkness....

And speaking of "DARKNESS COVERING BOTH REALMS".....

Tevinter

One word: TENDRILS. lmao

So the last shot shows a big part of Tevinter on the map, most of it covered in purple clouds and tendrils...

Followed by a voice that had me like

"All the world will soon share the peace and comfort of my reign."

First off, that voice actor sounds SO familiar, omg, who IS that?? Someone suggested Joseph Capp, the voice of the Shadow Prince from Divinity 2 and that fits perfectly (DOS2 has quite a few VAs from DA actually and funnily enough, the Shadow Prince is part of Sebille's main quest, who's voiced by Alix Wilton Regan lol) Whoever it is, they're doing a great job at sending a shiver down my spine. lol Like, you can just TELL, he's the Real Deal. "Peace and Comfort" never sounded more menacing. 👀

Alright, so I'll make this short, and say that I'm also very very confident that this is Elgar'nan speaking.

People have suggested the Archon, the Black Divine, some Venatori or Qunari leader, but honestly guys, none of these make much sense to me when looking at the bigger picture here (aside from the visual hints I've talked about earlier). Like, this teaser is obviously trying to set this person up as a serious threat to *the whole world*, and the only way I can see this work would be if this person held just as much or more power than Solas, because if they don't, they would just end up being a secondary concern, like another Corypheus…

You just don't market a game by suddenly introducing a new smaller threat to *"AAALL THE WORLD"* less powerful than the one we already have, you know. 😂 And imo, the only one "outmatching" Solas in terms of power, at this point, would be Elgar'nan or any of the elven gods. Or literally the Blight itself/the Titans.

And then there's this

"Hundreds of years in the making."

We know who has been directing the course of history for ages behind the curtains… I mean, the entire series has been building towards Mythal getting her vengeance.. and what better way to finally get to that point than to bring her husband into the narrative, the one who was potentially the main instigator of the Evanuris's betrayal and Mythal's murder. 👀

(There's one thing I need to say though, and I know this is the silliest of nitpicks, but.. if that guy really does turn out to be Elgar'nan, am I the only one who thinks it's really funny how he's just… talking British English/the common tongue like that? 😂 I mean, I 100% get why they cannot make the actors talk in ancient elven with subtitles for the whole game (something I personally really appreciated when they did it for some of the ancient elves and spirits in DAI), like Corypheus wasn't talking in the old tongue either, and I feel like there are multiple reasons for why this just wouldn't work. And if we're looking for a lore reason, I guess even the imprisoned Evanuris had somehow enough access to people's dreams over the course of thousand years to learn the languages of present Thedas as much as Solas or any other ancient elf like Abelas or Felassan did, but it's still funny to me nonetheless. lol)

Anyway, the teaser ends with a dragon's growling sound and then another wolf howling in the back, which I interpreted as Solas giving Elgar'nan a fair warning here that he's indeed still the title-giving DAD character. lol If we get to see these guys battling it out for real, like Giant Demon Wolf vs Black City Sized Blighted Dragon, it's already the best game in my book. lol

You just know someone at BioWare is having a blast at coming up with as many references to Solas' Trespasser dialogue to put in these blog posts as possible. 😂 I just hope they can keep this promise, cuz I have a LOT of questions (and I need Solas to answer ALL of them lol).

Hmmm... You "hope so", yes? Well, after *this* teaser I sure *hope* that the sentiment of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" still holds true in this particular situation, because I'd rather still be on Team Solas if I have to choose between "revelation" and "damnation". 👀

I guess we'll see next summer... 😁

#dragon age 4 #da4 #tinfoil time #dragon age dreadwolf #solas #elgar'nan

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transandersrights · 1 year

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Bioware's dislike of the mage rebellion

I really enjoyed Absolution, but it continues to immensely frustrate me that people writing for Bioware refuse to write pro-rebellion mages. Qwydion is a "rebel mage" - whose introductory line about the topic is that she isn't actually a rebel. She's a mercenary who pretends to care about the rebellion because people pay more for a cause. It annoyed me, but also got me thinking:

Since Anders, there have been no (afaik) pro-rebellion mages in major roles in Dragon Age media - and very few pro-rebellion characters have ever been portrayed in a favourable light.

Major mage characters since the start of the mage rebellion (I'm counting from the end of DA2), excluding comics/short stories/Tevinter Nights:

Rhys (Asunder). He starts as a Libertarian who defects to the Aequitarians because of disagreements with a pro-rebellion mage. He votes in favour of mages leaving the Circles, but he's not exactly happy about it.

Felassan (Masked Empire). Not particularly concerned with the rebellion. Definitely has other priorities - the Circle can't really touch him.

Valya (Last Flight). The whole premise behind her existence in the novel (I haven't finished it yet) is that she doesn't want to fight in the rebellion. She would rather die as a Warden than take her chances as a rebel.

Vivienne (Inquisition). We know how this one goes. Pro-Circle, fervently anti-rebellion.

Solas (Inquisition). Not pro-Circle, but he's more apostate than rebel and more *gestures at his whole deal* than apostate.

Dorian (Inquisition). Tevinter, with little to no stakes in the rebellion. Will specifically voice his doubts about whether a full alliance with the mage rebellion is actually a good idea.

Mage Inquisitor (Inquisition). Can absolutely hold anti-Circle and pro-rebellion views. Only a Trevelyan mage Inquisitor can have been a rebel, though.

Qwydion (Absolution). As discussed above, more of a mercenary than a rebel and her only comment on the matter is stating that she isn't one.

Saphira (Absolution). Again, a Tevinter mage with no real stake in the rebellion. Was seemingly in Ferelden during Inquisition, but makes no comment on the rebellion.

And what about the narrative's general treatment of mage characters, particularly mage rebels? Well, it's not good. People have already discussed at length that Anders is almost universally demonised in post-DA2 Dragon Age media that mentions him, but he's not the only one.

The most fervent mage rebels in Asunder are Adrian and Fiona - the former is generally discredited as a scary radical who alienates people with her actions, and the latter is portrayed largely as foolish/weak in Inquisition (I disagree, but the narrative of Inquisition has little time for it). The mage rebellion in Inquisition is seen as a terrible, dangerous group destroying the region just as much as the Templars and for just as bad a reason.

More recent Dragon Age entries are also more generally anti-blood magic - no blood mage companions in Inquisition, no specialisation, characters who will speak against it frequently (most notably Hawke), and a blood mage villain in Absolution. Not to mention that Absolution also inadvertently reinforces the "necessity" of Harrowings by showing that Rezaren failed his.

And that isn't even the end of it!! There's a general narrative arc in Dragon Age which serves to validate the Chantry view of mages - the Blight was (seemingly) caused by Tevinter mages. The elven gods were just powerful mages - and they were slavers just like in Tevinter (making our only two examples of mage-dominated societies also slave-based). Mage companions deceive or betray you, their actions responsible/anticipated to be responsible for hundreds of deaths in a way that isn't the case for other former companions. The mage who found the cure for tranquility accidentally killed everyone in the city. From the Chantry boom onwards, 3/5 of our biggest in-game antagonists/bosses have been mages. If we're counting Absolution, that brings us up to 4/6.

This means that the general message of recent Dragon Age isn't just a disdain for the rebellion and its participants, but also a general lean towards saying that the rebellion should never have happened in the first place - because the Templars are right. Mages are Bad.

This probably isn't much of a revelation for a lot of people, but it stands completely in contrast with how I (and a lot of people) understand mage-related conflicts in Dragon Age. How Bioware have managed to set up a compelling narrative showing oppression+attempts to deconstruct it and then decided that no one should resist it (and if they do, they're never good people) is just.......what.

#dragon age #dragon age mages #bioware critical #dragon age inquisition #dragon age absolution

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felassan · 5 months

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supposedly isolated from Orzammar for almost 1000 years, having to do some questionable things to survive and possibly in some way Tainted.. I wonder if Kal-Sharok has a sorta 'city in the BG-world Underdark' vibe? what do you think it looks like?

thinking again about the recent teaser, Speaker 1 is an Antivan Crow speaking as we view Antiva, and Speaker 3 is a Grey Warden speaking as we view the Anderfels. Speaker 2 speaks with reverence about the "Risen Gods" as we view Rivain, where dragons have become increasingly aggressive of late and been attacking ships. maybe Speaker 2 is a dragon cultist (something that isn't exactly the same as being an Old God cultist) speaking of reverence of their dragon 'gods', and the actions of a dragon cult are why dragons in this area have been becoming bolder? there have been dragon cults throughout Thedosian history. after the First Blight, many desperate Imperial citizens turned to the worship of actual dragons to replace the Old Gods (who had failed them). “A dragon, after all, was a god-figure that they could see: It was there, as real as the Archdemon itself.” there are also reports of dragon cults in places which never worshipped the Old Gods:

Members of a dragon cult live in the same lair as a High dragon, defending its young. In exchange the dragon lets them kill some of them and drink their blood, which confers benefits on them like increased strength (sounds like Reaver abilities, basically). Scholars aren’t sure how these mutually beneficial relationships begin. Nevarran dragon hunters reported mad rants and tales of godhood from such cultists.

it also reminds me a bit of Kolgrim's Disciples of Andraste Andrastian-offshoot dragon cult from DA:O. so perhaps Speaker 2 is a dragon cultist, and the problem Rivain has been having is dragon cultist activity and subsequent increase in/increase in the boldness of dragons?

if 9:52 is when DA:D is set, then it's been 10 years in universe since Corypheus' defeat in 9:42. if DA:D then releases in late 2024 then it's been 10 years irl since the release of DA:I. one might say that both we and the characters have been.. dragon ageing at the same time

something else the "the peace and comfort of my reeeiignnn" voice lowering into a draconic rumbly growl before a wolf howls in the distance reminds me of is Fen'Harel's draconic wolf/lupine dragon form, as shown in the Skyhold rotunda mural and described in Tevinter Nights. the speaker of that line isn't Solas ofc (wrong accent etc). neat imagery though. and the sfx or soundmixing of the dragon growl then the echoing howl is just rly cool to me 👌

#dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #bioware #video games #random collection of thoughts #solas

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dragonageconfessions · 11 months

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CONFESSION:

Hello! I’m the confessor who read some of the dragon age novels recently. Probably don’t remember but that’s okay. I just finished Dragon Age The Last Flight, and man let me tell you, absolutely my favorite DA novel by far. No weird romances, explored blood magic in a way that got me to finally understand why it’s risky (besides wooo spooky blood magic), got me to understand the magic in DA and at the same time confuse me more on it lol. I thought I got wardens and their sacrifices but man now I get wardens. And learning what happened to the griffins was heartbreaking. And the potential of griffins in the next game?? (Probably not but who knows)

Besides being thankful for not being spoiled, idk why I’ve never heard people talk about the characters in this novel the way they have about the others because ugh, they’re great!

Just 5/5 for that one. Onto Tevinter Nights!

#Dragon Age Confessions #Dragon Age Books #BioWare #The Dragon Age Series #The Last Flight

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cryptids-lair-of-hyperfixations · 10 months

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yeah im excited for dragon age dreadwolf bc plot and characters and stuff but i'm ALSO excited to see more terrible awful horrors like the Children in dragon age awakening. if the horror of hormok story in tevinter nights has anything 2 say it's that we're gonna have more of that energy and i'm so ready for it (not to mention that ungodly spider with hands from the behind the scenes trailer)

#dragon age #dragon age origins #dragon age awakening #dragon age dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #dragon age tevinter nights #tevinter nights #also i'm realizing how jarring it is for me to talk about dragon age while my pfp is THIS

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ohmyarda · 2 years

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I read Tevinter Nights so you don’t have to [potential ramifications for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf]

So, I just finished Tevinter Nights which is part of the Dragon Age novel series but unlike the predecessors, it’s a compilation of short stories that take place after Inquisition. This will include some heavy spoilers so if you’re interested in reading the stories yourself, I’d advise against continuing forward. Also, this is just my immediate thoughts afterwards and won’t be an in-depth explanation, but I will gloss over some points established in the short stories that I think might be important to Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. SPOILERS AHEAD ... Status of the Inquisition: At the start of Trespasser, the player is offered a choice if they’d disband the Inquisition or keep it together. Bioware tends to incorporate their own canon into their novel series so take this with a grain of salt, as it seems that the Bioware canon is that the Inquisition is disbanded. However, either way (whether you keep the Inquisition together or not), it is implied that Inquisition’s legacy has suffered upon Solas’ reveal as the Dread Wolf. One of the short stories states that it’s not a call for disbanding that ended the Inquisition, but a revelation that happened beyond an eluvian. Several characters throughout the stories also call the Inquisition directly into question, berating the organization for not knowing they were harboring an “elven god.” Agents of the Inquisition: Whether or not the Inquisition is banded or disbanded, or potentially disgraced, there still seems to be many active Inquisition members, both outside and inside the Inquisition’s inner circle. Cassandra Pentaghast personally commissions an Inquisition investigation in one of the stories, and Varric, numerous times. Therefore, whether or not the Inquisition is in power, it is obvious it still has power and influence throughout Thedas. Varric Tethras: Speaking of which, it’s important to note our favorite Viscount of Kirkwall has been busy. In one of the stories, he personally hires a few scholas (including Brother Genitivi, who wrote practically every codex you find in Inquisition) to seek out an elven chamber underneath the Silent Planes in Tevinter. A lot comes from this but what’s important for you to know without this being buggered down by too many details is that Varric is actively investigating Solas’ agenda, which might play more into his role in DA: Dreadwolf. The Antaam: It’s very clear by Tevinter Nights that the Qunari will be incredibly important in DA: Dreadwolf. The Antaam, or the military branch of the Qun, seem to have either gone independent or split from the other branches and are acting on their own terms (or under Rasaan terms, a Qunari you may know being behind a lot of the actions in DA2 with Isabela and the comics). The Antaam have begun to go on the offensive, further pushing back against the Tevinter Imperium and seeking to occupy more of Northern and Southern Thedas. They also seek elven knowledge, Rasaan herself (who appears to be in command of the Antaam) seeming to want to uncover Solas’ true name to better understand him (and perhaps better deal with him - the whole ‘if you make a god bleed, they’re not a god anymore.’ If they can learn his name, then they know he’s something that can be destroyed). As she states that, Fen’Harel is a name given to him by his enemies, Dread Wolf isn’t an exact translation, and Solas is the name he gave himself, leaving his true name a mystery. The Antivan Crows: In response, several stories also deal with the infamous Antivan assassins. What can be best said of them at the moment is that they fear the Antaam’s recent aggressions. The Antivan Crows act as assassins, but they also act as defense of Antiva, and seeing as 200 years ago, Antiva was once occupied by the Qunari, the crows are readily watching the Antaam’s movements. A deal made by one of their own Talons lead to the murder of a majority of their Talons (the Crow hierarchy), who made a deal with the Antaam that if they spared this Talon’s house, they would allow the Antaam to invade Antiva. This Talon was exposed as a double agent and killed by the others and thusly, the Antivan Crows are very pissed off at the Antaam (and also incredibly vulnerable with several of their houses leaderless - and thus it ends with the Talons summoning new Talons - me, sending out good vibes that we’ll get Zevran back as one). Nature of Solas: It seems implied that the Dread Wolf secret is out and somewhat common knowledge. Throughout the stories, it’s obvious that there are many elves who have flocked to Solas’ banner, so much so they have garnered the title of being a ‘Fen’Harel cult.’ However, it seems that not every elf is interested in what the Dread Wolf has planned. One elf in particular comments that they were attempted to be recruited, but they rejected the notion, as also serving Fen’Harel meant death before capture and they personally thought it all madness. Many characters who know of Fen’Harel argue over his nature in the stories: is he a god? A demon? Just a very powerful mage? Something different? Status of Solas: Direct actions taken by Solas in the novel itself mostly deal with Rivain and his attempt to use one of his agents to destroy a Qunari port. This Qunari port has remained neutral and by attacking it, Solas would be provoking direct aggression against the Qunari. He had intentions of making it look to be an assault by Tevinter forces and thus the Ben-Hassrath would have to involve themselves and all-out war would have been broken loose. Fortunately, as will be better described in the next note, this is able to be avoided. However, by the end of Tevinter Nights, it’s revealed that Solas is in possession of the red lyrium idol that wasn’t actually destroyed but still housed within Knight-Commander Meredith in Kirkwall. It is strongly implied he needs this idol to complete his ritual to tear down the veil, and descriptions focusing on the figure cradling another seem to suggest it does have something to do with Mythal. The Ben-Hassareth: Do you remember Gatt? Well, Gatt’s back and he is involved in the whole debacle of Solas nearly destroying a Rivain port. Fortunately, a Tevinter Altus-gone-thief was able to stop the Fen’Harel agent from acting out her plan to detonate a relic that would completely obliterate the port and make it look as if Tevinter was the aggressor. Gatt and the Altus agree that the Dread Wolf’s agenda must’ve been an attempt to force the Ben-Hassrath from their neutrality, as it is suggested that the Ben-Hassrath do not recognize the Antaam’s recent actions and showcase that the Qunari under the Qun are no longer acting completely as one. Thedas is honestly a mess right now. The Tevinter Imperium: We know it’s no secret that Tevinter will be much of the playing field for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. So, what’s been going on? Dorian is in the Magisterium, the first Magister to enlist servants and not slaves, and he and Magister Maevaris Tilani are one of the few trying to actively push for change in the Imperium (we love to see it). War against the Qunari does not seem to be going well for Tevinter. They’ve lost several strongholds and cities to the Qunari and war in the Northern territories has left many victims. Yet, the Imperium continues to feign normalcy. The Venatori: Inquisition was certainly only a beginning for them. Though now masterless, the Venatori are still thriving in Tevinter society. Some Magisters are known to be Venatori agents, and the Venatori themselves attempted to active a ritual that Corypheus had in store for Minrathous, had the city refused his godhood. Such seems to include waking up something very ancient and very old underneath Minrathous that has been imprisoned and needed Venatori amulets to wake it up and cause great destruction to the city. Fortunately, the Venatori are stopped, by Tevinter Templars none the less, and the ritual - for now - is paused. What could be underneath Minrathous? It isn’t said, though it is said that a “demon” is an inappropriate word. My personal running theory is that it might be the archdemon Razikale, but if you want my conspiracy theory on that, just let me know. Either way, the Venatori still have their fangs deep in the Imperium, despite “public” rejection of the cult. The State of Nevarra: Several short stories focused on the Mortalitasi, and with the “necromancy” class having been explored in Dragon Age: Inquisition, I think there’s more importance to the death mages that have yet to be seen. However, for the most part, it should be noted that Nevarra might be on the brink of a civil war. With their king in very poor health and with half the country seeming to have claims to the throne, I can imagine a very “game of thrones” style predicament rising within the nation if the king comes to pass and everyone wants the throne for themselves. Perhaps an element of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will be helping decide who’ll sit on the Nevarran throne. Masters of Fortune: Several times, there has been characters belonging to what they call “Masters of Fortune,” that appear to be like Rivani treasure hunters. I make note of them because I think they might be a faction or a party we will see more of in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, or perhaps one of our party companions will be a Master of Fortune themselves, as there is concept art of a very pirate-esque character with a lot of gold rising out of the sea as a ship burns behind them and fit very much the descriptors of the Masters of Fortune in the books. Unmask “Those Across the Sea:” Do you remember this war table operation? Perhaps give it another look. Briefly, there is a character identified as an Executor who has come to Thedas to investigate this Dread Wolf. It seems much like with the Rift, Solas has also brought curiosity to these mysterious figures. Will we perhaps be getting to know more about them come the next game? Interesting enough, Solas directly states in Tevinter Nights not to trust them. What is the Dread Wolf: Perhaps one of the most interesting short stories in Tevinter Nights is one called “Call Back.” In it, Skyhold is mostly abandoned (as again, perhaps Bioware’s canon is the Inquisition being disbanded, or disgrace has forced the organization elsewhere). In it, Sutherland and his party return to answer why the few who remained at the stronghold have gone quiet. Shenanigans ensue, and it seems to be due to a demon hunting them down. The demon? A terrible monstrosity in the form of both dragon and wolf that resides in the paintings done by the elven apostate in the rotunda, that declares itself “the regret of a god.” Regret hunts down Sutherland and his party, but through Sutherland’s faith in the Inquisition, he’s able to drive the Dreaded Wolf back into the mural, where it retreats into the fade and seems to “hunt” for the one who’s regret had summoned it. Personal note: In some murals leaked by Bioware, we do see a depiction of what we think is the Dread Wolf with red eyes and almost somewhat reptilian features that I think is actually this demon named “regret.” As it is different enough from the depictions of the other Dread Wolf with more normal wolfish features and green eyes. The Grey Wardens: The Wardens still seem to be active and doing their duties across Thedas. Not much to really mention on them, though I doubt Inquisition’s option to exile them was the last we’ll see of our beloved Order. With two Blights to go, I’m hoping we’ll see them again. For the meantime, I imagine they’re still trying to regroup and regather their strength from the humiliation that was Corypheus. The Elven Pantheon: There is a rather disturbing short story that involves Grey Wardens uncovering an elven ritual chamber in the heart of a mountain. It lies past Dwarven ruins and upon the murals, what first seems to be sick elves being transported by halla driven aravels to a place of perhaps quarantine, are instead, revealed to be elven slaves cowering as their masters force sickness into them and the hallas are mutated into monstrous creatures with many horns. Within the mountain, there seems to be a lake of lyrium, and from the lake, creatures of Frankenstein proportions are created, horrific hyprids of each other. The Wardens are forced to destroy the chamber, but the murals hinted that there are eleven other mountains hosting such horrors. What does this have to due with the Elven Pantheon? Given the murals depict an uglier truth of the age of the Arlathan, Solas’ words can be taken with some truth, that perhaps these weren’t gods to be worshiped. I can’t help but think with this humane-centipede story, the story of the goddess Ghilan’nain, who was said to have created creatures for both land, sea, and air. With the fate of them and the Forgotten Ones being imprisoned still beyond the veil that might soon come down, perhaps we’ll have better wished, those elven gods stayed locked up in their prisons. ... For now, that is my initial thoughts on concluding Tevinter Nights and how I think the start of Thedas might be in the beginning of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Of course, this is mostly vague and doesn’t include complete synopsis and direct texts that made me come to my conclusions, and trust me, there’s so much more I can say. If you want more, or have your own thoughts if you’ve read the text, or think I have misunderstood something, please, comment below. However, I suggest reading Tevinter Nights for yourself as I think what has been revealed within those short stories is really going to set the stage for Dreadwolf. For now, my concluding thoughts is that: The Qunari and Tevinter war will be at the forefront, with Solas using the chaos to his advantage, but obviously, there’s so much more that’s going on beneath the surface, I don’t think any truth we will be initially presented with will be one we should trust. - Ardie. **can also be found on reddit @ lore & theories page

#dragon age #dragon age dreadwolf #dreadwolf #dread wolf #da4 #dai #dragon age inquisition #inquisition #da #da origins #dragon age origins #da2 #dragon age 2 #tevinter nights #biowar #potential spoilers #feel free to share c: i felt like i was mad rambling but i think i might have a nugget of something here ahhh

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melisusthewee · 1 month

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Fanfic Writer Questions

I was tagged in this by both @dreadfutures and @blarrghe ! I did this once a few years ago, so it's interesting to see what's changed since then.

Tagging forward: @theluckywizard @greypetrel @darethshirl @natliecole @if-not-now-tell-me-when @madame-fear

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 35, though I believe 5 of them are artwork only for exchanges and not actually fics.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 87, 413 words

3. What fandoms do you write for? In my AO3 era: Hockey RPF; Dragon Age; La Sociedad de la Nieve/Society of the Snow Pre-AO3 (the ff.net/LJ era): Digimon Adventure, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Beatles RPF, a little bit of DC/Marvel

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. The Tang of Liquor On His Tongue (Dragon Age) 2. The Dreamer Sets the Rules (Dragon Age) 3. mala suledin nadas (Dragon Age) 4. Smut Challenge 2: War Table Boogaloo (Dragon Age) 5. Mañana (LSDLN/SotS)

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! Or at least I try to! There have been a couple of times where I've gotten overwhelmed or have been busy and fallen behind. But I try really hard to reply to every single comment I get.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? That's hard to pick. I think that a lot of my fic endings lean more towards catharsis than raw angst. Perhaps "Lathbora Viran" is the angstiest ending because it concludes a trilogy of fics about Solas' spirit friend Wisdom and ends with the implication that Wisdom became corrupted into the Regret demon that appears in Skyhold in "Tevinter Nights".

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Any of my romantic fics, I guess? If I had to pick one then I would probably say "Nothing Else Than What is Now" which was the extremely long one shot that led to all my Quinn Trevelyan/Horatio Morris nonsense. It originally wasn't supposed to have a happy ending, but about midway through writing it I changed my mind and even though OC / OC is extremely niche in just about any fandom, I'm still glad I did it.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not yet. We'll see if that changes now that I've mentioned I've written LSDLN fic.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yep. 2 out of my top 5 fics are smut, and 2 more out of the top 5 have implied sex. I suppose that says I must be good at it. I don't really know what kind of smut I write since every smutfic I've written has been either a challenge or a prompt fill or a gift. I think I'm an example of that meme of "the 2000 word blow job is an important piece of character development". I really lean into tricking you into having emotions and feelings and getting introspective inside characters' heads while they're naked and getting down dirty. Come for the smut, stay for the emotional feelings!

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I did when I was younger, but haven't really vibed with it much in recent years. In terms of published fic, maybe the Harry Potter/Beatles crossover drabble I wrote based on a piece of artwork that an old friend of mine had done. I still have the fic, but the artwork has sadly been lost to the ethers of the internet. But the idea was that the Beatles didn't really break up in 1970, they just took on a different career.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge. But I have taken to granting permission in my author's notes of new fics for anyone who might want to translate them into other languages.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes, actually! Some of my very first fanfics were co-written with a friend of mine. We never published them, but it was just fun to write little stories together.

14. What's your all time favourite ship? Even though I've never written any fanfic for it, I am 100% pure unleaded Chrobin trash. They are my OTP and I am probably due for a replay of Fire Emblem Awakening for it again. "YOU ARE THE WIND AT MY BACK AND THE SWORD AT MY SIDE."

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? One of the very first fics I ever started writing for the Dragon Age fandom was an Alistair/Cousland piece that looked at the period of time between the Warden's disappearance and their (hopefully) eventual return. It was meant to be 10 chapters, with each chapter split between a section in the past that looked at their romance over time and a section that took place in the more immediate present as Alistair navigated the events of DAI. I still have the document sitting on my laptop as well as backed up in my google drive, but I only ever finished the first chapter and even though I go back to it sometimes and make notes, I've not worked on it with any serious attention in years (I started this fic not too long after the Trespasser DLC was released) and at this point I doubt it will ever be in a publishable state let alone finished.

16. What are your writing strengths? I think I'm really good at dialogue! I'm very good at conveying personalities and speech patterns in written dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Blowjobs

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? For me, I think it depends on the amount of dialogue that is being spoken in another language and whether or not it's something the character whose POV is being written would understand.

With fantasy settings like Dragon Age, most of my fics are written from the POV of one of the game protagonists which are all human in my world state. So they wouldn't understand things like Qunlat or Elvhen, but also as those conlangs are incomplete languages, I will usually just refer to dialogue as being spoken in a language that the POV character doesn't understand. In a few fics where I've written from Solas' POV, I have used things like italics or sometimes <<special dialogue brackets>> to denote that this speech is being spoken between two characters in another language. Since the languages are fictional but the story is being told in English, it makes sense that the "author" translates in a similar logic to how Tolkien's books are "translated" for us to read.

With stories and settings that are more grounded in reality, I'll use other languages where appropriate. Usually this is in the form of nicknames or titles or expressions that I feel can't really convey the same tone or idea if they were translated into English. I've been very fortunate to find several new friends in the LSDLN fandom who have taught me a lot about monickers and nicknames and phrases in different regional dialects of Spanish.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Technically it was Digimon Adventure - baby's first Mary-Sue fic

20. Favourite fic you've written? It's a tie between "In the Long Hours of the Night" and "The Many Faces of Wisdom". With the former, this was the fic where I first felt like I finally got Quinn Trevelyan. It was the fic where he emerged as a more formed and complete character and I'm still proud of it. With the latter, it was an experimental idea that toyed with a rather ambiguously-defined relationship between Solas and the Inquisitor. It also was the first time I played around with writing Fade scenes and spirits and you can see a lot of the building blocks that I would eventually revisit and explore more as I fleshed out my own lore. It's also the one fic where I started with a very specific image in my mind and that I would really love to commission art for one day.

Blank Form Under the Cut

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you've written?

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slecnaztemnot · 1 month

Note

hi!! just reading through your dragon age leaks compilation (bless you btw), you mention "Companion 3 might be black elf who appeared in some concept art." -- can you point me toward the concept art by chance?? I've been trying to track it down but I'm striking out

Hi,

the concept art was in one of the "making of" videos produced by Bioware.

Here is the link:

youtube

I also compiled the most important pics here in my speculation about the companion line-up:

The black elf is the one who appears in several concept arts and has been mentioned by 2 different (?) alleged leakers. In the Behind the scenes video, there is a black voice actor called Ike Amadi, who is voicing character named "Darvin".

At this point I am pretty sure he is our companion. I think he will be a warrior, though mage is also possible. Most likely Grey Warden, since in the video, the character shouts "For the Wardens!"

Hope this helped!

#dragon age #dragon age 4 #da4 #dragon age: dreadwolf #da:d leaks #da: dreadwolf

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kaija-rayne-author · 10 months

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Really starting to feel like a conspiracy theorist over here with Dragon Age, but I'm just thankful the special interest is sticking around.

In the scene where you ask Solas if he wants the power of the well... he sounds pretty vehement in that scene. And shuts the possibility of him being the one down rather abruptly for such a smooth speaker.

What if he knows it'll enslave him again?

There's a working theory that Mythal enslaved him based on a few bits of lore, one of which is his forehead scar. It's canon that he got it when he burned Mythal's vallaslin from himself.

Which, if he was entirely pleased with her/her actions, why would he do that? "Burn the vallaslin"... that must've hurt like blazes.

In his time, they were supposedly slave markings. I don't think he was lying to Inky about that. He generally doesn't lie smoothly or well. He can act, but only to a certain point.

Finished Tevinter Nights and was absolutely blown away by The Dread Wolf Take You. Charter is my new favourite bad-ass.

Like with many anthologies, some stories I blew through, and some, the author's voice just didn't work for me. In one or two, the antics the characters got up to dearly needed a 'hey, uh, physics doesn't work that way and have you ever actually seen a great coat?' poke or three from a decent developmental editor.

By and large, most of the stories were good. I've definitely added to my list of things I think likely in Dreadwolf. I get the strong impression we'll be seeing at least some of those characters, monsters, or locations again in Dreadwolf. Highly recommend reading the books and comics, btw.

They're quite fun, and add a lot of lore and context to the games. I've still got The Missing to read, then the companion books. I will say the first book, The Stolen Throne, is a bit rough and feels anticlimactic. But the rest are good to mind-blowingly awesome.

#dragon age series #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #solas #solavellan #inquisitor lavellan #solavellan hell #solas dai #DAI Charter #da thoughts #dragon age theories #Tevinter Nights

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lairofdragonagelore · 1 year

Text

Comic: Dark Fortress

This post belongs to the series DA comic. The main intention is to collect the basic story of the comic and highlight any potential lore concept that may be of interest and may be explored later in the game series.

This post has the following points:

Story

Relevant Details

Characters:

Lore

In the Lore section:

Neromenian [Tevinter city] is also invaded by the Qunari.

Explanation of how to make Blue Wraiths: it requires Danarius' Sarcophagus, a sword made out of normal lyrium which is disintegrated in the process and fuses it into the body of the subject, and fire spells being constantly hit on the sarcophagus. The process takes hours and it is extremely painful.

The procedure to create a Red Wraiths requires Danarius' sarcophagus, a sword made out of red lyrium idol which is not destroyed in the process thanks to its self-regenerative properties, and the fire breath of a dragon. The process is faster, it may take minutes. We don’t know if it’s painful.

The use of a sword made out of the red lyrium idol grants to its wielder strong healing powers. This comes from the lore recently incorporated in Tevinter Nights which suspects that the red lyrium idol can regenerate itself.

The red wraith [Shirallas] reinforces, again, the idea that the red lyrium is a symbol of rage and vengeance, and not by chance it was narrated through an elf wearing the vallaslin of Elgar’nan, which tattoo design is a thorny vine.

By the end of the story, the Sarcophagus is deeply sunk into the ground, the red lyrium sword is sent to the Inquisition, and the red lyrium idol is being scried by Solas. We know he will take it eventually thanks to the book Tevinter Nights.

Eluvians are now surveillance cameras…. really, can this be taken seriously?

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore]

Story

We see that Shirallas, the magister that promised him power, and Cedric Marquette reach the Castellum Tenebris owned now by the bastard son of Danarius.

They remove Danarius' son from the castle and plan to use the sarcophagus to imbue Shirallas with red lyrium, then arm him with a sword made out of the red lyrium idol. The goal to turn Shirallas into this living weapon is to repel the Qunari invasion and recover Tevinter's former glory.

Meanwhile, Danarius' son, without his castle, goes to a tavern to drink in frustration. The group intercepts him and forces him to speak about what the magister plans to do. He reveals the details after being tortured by Fenris, including a secret passage into the castle.

The city close to the castle [Neromenian] is also invaded by the Qunari who want to stop these magisters from creating these aberrant warriors. They try to force their entrance into the castle.

As the group infiltrates into the castle via the secret passage, they find a Dragon inside, which presence is justified later: its fire is part of the process of creating a red wraith.

We see the variant in the process of creating a perrepatae like Fenris when used red lyrium: it requires a sword made out of a fragment of the red lyrium idol, which will survive the procedure.

With the dragon breath, the process is instantaneous.

We see the process by which Shirallas finally gets his most desired power. But he remains under the command of the Magister, simply because he was broken as Fenris told him he was going to end up. It’s worth noting that we have an aesthetic that relates rage, vengeful sense, Elgar’nar’s symbology, and thorny vines in the figure of Shirallas. All these elements are related to the Red Lyrium, which naturally has an “angry” energy, according to Cole’s words. Each of these elements is also potentially related to the codex Veilfire Runes in the Deep Roads found in the mural “The Death of a Titan”. It explains that something angry/red was hidden underground, unleashed because the Evanuris wanted more power, and vines tried to cage it for a while. I can see similar symbology in here, in Shirallas. I wonder if the Evanuris managed to do something like these magisters have been doing with red lyrium in order to reach divine power. If we think about it, Titans and Dragons both had the power to change reality. Dragons via the Fade, and Titans, apparently, through the reinforcement of reality by shaping The Stone, so Elvhenan had two sources of immense power to reach divinity: dragon blood and titan blood=lyrium.

Shirallas is now a red wraith, and we see his body has been marked with red lines that may or may not look like a vine. It does not have the symmetric and flawless shape that Fenris’ tattoo has. It’s a more chaotic version, following the untamed nature of the red lyrium.

Fenris wounds him deadly, but Shirallas heals immediately.

Marquette begins to panic and claims that the only way to stop the red wraith’s healing powers is to separate him from his weapon. After all, his sword was made out of a piece of the idol, which feeds from the red lyrium inside Shirallas’ body and, in consequence, heals him. Here is where we see that makes some sense the fact that the red lyrium idol self-regenerates: its powers can be transferred to a weapon. Knowing this, Ser Aaron Hawthorne sacrifices himself, separating Shirallas from the sword. This is probably the only action he feels it will ever matter in his life.

After this, Fenris can easily behead Shirallas.

I suppose the comic introduced to us the concept of Red Wraith that we may see in the future game. It’s the only reason I see to have made the concept so central in the comics. The red wraith also reinforces again the idea that the red lyrium is about rage and vengeance, and not by chance was narrated through an elf with the vallaslin of Elgar’nan, which tattoo design is a thorny vine. In contrast, we also see along the comic a human mage using thorny vines as her magic to kill and defend her people, as well as healing them.

Once the battle is over, they prepare Ser Aaron Hawthorne’s body for a proper bury in his origin city, and check what happened with the items that allowed the creation of the red wraith: the sarcophagus is deep into the ground thanks to Francesca, and the red lyrium sword will be sent to the Inquisition.

The red lyrium idol is in the hands of Danarius’ son, who wants to use it to guarantee his permanence in the Venatori. By the last panels of the comic, we know he’s being scryed by Solas... using an eluvian [?].

I found this a bit annoying too. Eluvians were used to travel long distances. Tevinters managed to use them for communication, meaning, that they could talk through them with another person who also had an eluvian. This one used by Solas works like a surveillance camera moving over the head of Danarius’ son, lol. Are eluvian allowed to have this scry property? I’m not sure.

Comics are really wild when it comes to details in the lore and show up how much Gaider was needed to keep some lore consistency. Since he left Bioware, the products that have been appearing related to Dragon Age have a lot of weird, never hinted lore, that makes me fear the fate of the world of Thedas in the future games.

Relevant details:

Why the title? This story is focused on the Castellum Tenebris, Danarius’ castle that now is owned by his bastard son, where the first Red Wraith was created, hence the name of the comic.

Time: After defeating Corypheus and [maybe] after the DLC Tresspasser. I assume this because Varric is Viscount of Kirkwall.

Characters: We learn a bit more about Ser Aaron Hawthorne [the truth about his legend in Ostagar]:

He is haunted by his sense of uselessness when he was part of Loghain’s army that left the King Cailan in the middle of the battle against the darkspawn.

He had managed to reach Cailan with plenty of time, but it did not matter, since the ogre killed him in front of him, and since then, Ser Aaron Hawthorne has not been the same anymore, feeling that none of his actions truly mattered in the end. That’s why he ends up being so bold during the combat against the Red Wraith and sacrifices to finally make one of his actions matter.

Concepts: what can this comic provide in terms of lore?

We have an explanation, again, of the process that made warriors [Blue Wraiths] like Fenris:

It includes the sarcophagus, a sword made out of lyrium which disappears when it gets fused into the body of the subject, and a fire-based spell that should last hours. The process was slow and filled with excruciating pain.

In contrast, the process of creating a Red Wraith is faster, reduced to minutes, due to the use of red lyrium and dragonfire. It includes Danarius’ sarcophagus too, and a sword made out of the red lyrium idol.

Since the red lyrium idol seem to have healing properties in itself [information hinted in the book Tevinter Nights], it provides healing power to the red wraith as long as the wraith is in contact with the weapon.

By the end of the story, Marquette gives the idol to Danarius’ son who wants to impress the Venatori so he can be still part of them. The inconsistency with which DA lore treats the red lyrium idol, in a world that already knows that the red lyrium is terrible.... is astounding.

A curious detail: Marquette implies that the red lyrium has been rendered useless, emphasised by the drawing which shows it like a wooden carved piece, without red lyrium in it. I always claimed in my post Red Lyrium Idol that the figure looked like made out of wood and not of red lyrium. This makes me suspect that the red lyrium idol feeds on red lyrium, but it is not made out of it. How this affects the lore is impossible to know for me, since there is no detailed information about it.

The other element used for the development of red wraith is the sarcophagus which Francesca sunk into the ground via her vine-powers. They freed the dragon used in the creation of the red Wraith

#red lyrium #red lyrium idol #blue wraith #red wraith #fenris #eluvian #da comic #comic #shirallas

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