#lairofsentinel

[rpgchoices]

Sometimes I really want to read a short summary of what to expect from a game… and thankfully people can also submit their summaries of games they played and help me (and others) find games that cater to their interests!

submitted by @lairofsentinel

(click here for other videogames)

what to expect from STRAY GODS

Graphic novel with musical songs  and a low linear rpg component. 

It’s a mystery-detective story which drags Greek mythology into the modern-day world.

I personally qualify this game as an experimental one, so if you are looking for something new and never done before, without big expectations but wanting to try something out of the common, this is a reasonable, enjoyable option.

This game was  written [among others] by Gaider, main lead writer of Dragon Age franchise up to DAI.

You control Grace, a woman singer looking for some sense and purpose in her life.

Along the story, you can pick two out of three traits for the protagonist: Clever [blue], Baddass [red] or Charismatic/Sympathetic [green]. Most dialogues present these three options, but some end up being unlocked only if you previously picked that trait. 

Very focused on Characters. The story works and develops through the characters' interactions and development. 

The mystery unfolded is fine, it’s not hard to connect dots, and if you do it, you are rewarded later with the resolution you expected. I personally appreciate this since, sometimes, these games force plot twist that taste like scams, deceiving the player all the time for the sake of shock value.  This game is not the case. 

Even if you are not into musicals, this game does a nice combination between story-telling and music. The way all songs blend according to your picked answer is a marvel in my opinion. However, there are a lot of people claiming that this feature causes non-cohesion in the songs. Again, I think this opinion depends on your expectations, and how much you embrace “experimental games”.  

There are 4 romances available for Grace: Freddie, Persephone, Apollo, and Pan. 

It brings with some warnings about the topics unfolded throughout the story: alcohol use, violence, PTSD, death, and themes of suicide. 

Short game of around 6 hours, but has some humble level of replayability seeing new songs and the fate of some characters. However, the main story is linear and that won’t change.  

——- Plot? ——-

In this world, gods exist hidden among the mortals. Their divinity is contained in something called eidolon which passes to the next mortal body when they die.One night, The Last Muse of the Greek Pantheon, Calliope,  just dies in Grace’s arms, passing her Divinity to her, reason why Grace will be accused of the murder later. The whole game is about to solve the mystery of who killed the Last Muse, and what this Muse was investigating that made her target of such murderer. 

——- Gameplay? ——- 

It works like any graphical novel, usually picking a reaction among three options. These options may occur along a song, changing the mood, rhythm, and even lyrics of it. 

——- Characters? ——- 

Many. Grace is central. There are many other who are related to the Greek Pantheon:  Apollo, Athenas, Persephone, Calliope, Afrodita, Pan, Eros, and dozen more of characters. 

 ——- LGBT? ——-

The game features a lot of lgbt content: since gay couples, bisexual characters, and non-binary ones [Hermes]. Grace is presented as a bisexual woman considering there are 4 romances available for her: Freddie [her best friend since school], Persephone, Apollo, and Pan. 

——- Sadness level? ——- 

Depends on your choices, although the main story has a good amount of sadness since it treats many existencial concepts, death, and human fragility. 

——- Happy ending? Deaths? ——-

There are deaths that depend on your choices. In general is a good ending, or at least, a bittersweet one.

#what to expect #lairofsentinel #stray gods

[felassan]

Excuse me, you are so good at finding information and having a very organised blog. I remember reading or watching from an official source [like, a dev or Darrah or someone who worked for Bioware] explicitly say that the Old Gods are NOT the Evanuris. I can't find the source anymore, and would like to know if you have some idea who may have said it? Google results are all about theory-crafting by fans T_T. Have a good day!

hello! thanku ^^ what came to mind was this old post on the old BioWare forums by David Gaider, it's not explicit but could this be what you're thinking of? the post is from ~2009, before DA:I, the Flemythal reveal and all the DA:I dragon-Mythal iconography.

"The cult of the Old Gods (I don't call it "the Tevinter religion" mainly because that, to me, speaks of the Imperial Chantry -- which is based in today's Tevinter Imperium) didn't contradict the existence of the Maker. Quite the opposite. The people of ancient Tevinter were aware of the existence of the Golden City and ascribed to "the Maker" (though this Creator was not called this until the appearance of the Chantry) the creation of the world. The Old Gods were not creators, though they were supposedly also not created. The Old Gods were outside of the Creator's Plan and showed up to whisper to mankind and teach them magic. According to the Chantry, they turned mankind away from their regard for a remote Creator (who ruled remotely and never interacted with his own creations) and that this is what made the Creator abandon the Golden City... though there is argument that the cult believed the Creator had abandoned it long before and that they were adrift, rescued by the Old Gods. Modern sages say that this is attempt to explain the hardships that the early human civilizations faced, and not evidence of the Maker actually being absent.

So when Andraste showed up much, much later, she was advocating a return to the "rightful" worship of the Maker... it was not a belief that came out of nowhere.

As for the elves, their understanding of their own religion is incomplete. The whole truth was lost along with Arlathan and their immortality -- much of their lore was kept by a tradition of apprenticeship, handed down from the knowledgeable to the young, and this relied on the fact that the knowledgeable were eternal. Slaves also had less opportunity to spread their lore, so the sudden aging of the knowledgeable meant that much of this information was simply gone after several generations. This, of course, is their belief: the ancient Imperium maintained that the elves were never immortal to begin with, and that their lore was lost simply because the Imperium forbade its teaching.

Even so, the ancient elves did write things down, and so some scraps have been recovered. Thus the Dalish have slowly reassembled a religion from those pieces of lore, though how complete it is cannot be known. Even so, a few things are factual. For one, the original elven religion predates the cult of the Old Gods by a long time. Could the Old Gods have been based on the elven gods? Possibly, but there's nothing to suggest the elven gods were ever dragons, and certainly the contempt the Imperium held for elven culture makes it unlikely that they would think elven gods were worth worshipping. Consider also that it was the Old Gods that taught humanity its magic and encouraged them to destroy Arlathan -- why would elven gods do this? One could point to the Forgotten Ones (look at the codex entry on Fen'Harel for their mention) and suggest that they had reason for vengeance, though that would probably be against Fen'Harel and their good brethren and not against the elven people themselves, no? Still, all of that depends on how much of the knowledge given by Dalish tales is complete."

#dragon age #bioware #mj replies #lairofsentinel #video games #solas #hope this helps #lmk if this sounds familiar #and have a good day too!

[lucrezianoin]

I usually don't buy new games until I played or tried to play at least all of the games I have (I try to leave max 2 unplayed games).

This time I have a bit more because of the holiday sales, but this is my list of future games to play:

Icewind Dale 2

Sunday Gold

Inside

Seven: Enhanced Edition (I tried before but I was so bad at it! I will try again before deciding to abandon)

Morrowind

Spellforce 3

Plus I have a bunch I have gotten for free, so I just have them and I will play maybe one day:

South of the Circle

King's Bouty: The Legend

Broken Sword

Nehrim

Bioshock 1

Bioshock 2

Bioshock Infinite

Amnesia: Rebirth

Encased

Dishonored

Eternal Threads

Fallout 2

Jotun Valhalla Edition

Kingdom Come Deliverance

Metro Last Light

Sherlock Holmes Crime and Punishments

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

And these are the cursed abandoned ones, I hate them all. Leave me alone:

Sunless Sea

Gothic

Anachronox

Gods Will be Watching

Beyond Divinity

Fallout 1

Greedfall

Dragon Commander

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic

Assassin's Creed

#games gotten for free thanks to #lairofsentinel

[dark-rose89]

when u get this u have to put 5 songs 🎵 u actually listen to, publicly. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers ✨🖤

Hey, sorry for taking so ridiculously long to reply to this!

But here are five songs:

1. Lacuna Coil - Swamped

2. Beyond the Black - Reincarnation

3. Lindsey Stirling feat. Amy Lee - Love Goes On And On

4. Bullet for my Valentine - Under Again

5. Billy Talent feat. Rivers Cuomo - End Of Me

#ask #lairofsentinel

[bigbraincel]

For Feren! 📓 (diary) 🍵 (rumours) 💧 (losing hope) 🗣️ (words) 👽 (urban myth)

ahh mako thank you so much!! you're so good to me <3

📓 Write a typical diary/journal page by your OC! (or if you’d rather not, describe their journal. Do they keep one, why?)

hmm this is tricky as Feren can't really write..... at least, not in Common and he hasn't written in his native tongue for years in order to keep his identity secret

I guess his sketchbook is his journal, in a way. He often draws people he meets. Lately the pages are filled with a certain wizard... 👀

🍵 Are there any rumours about your OC hanging around? Nasty ones or just good humoured? Got any gossip to share about them?

Even though Feren is very sociable, he leads a relatively quiet life in Baldur's Gate, so most of the rumours about Feren aren't too scandalous & are mostly good natured e.g. "Feren totally banged that orc" (probably true). Occasionally someone might jokingly be like "I bet Feren secretly has a dark and mysterious past" but he's good at laughing it off.

💧 What makes your OC lose hope, what makes them give up and feel helpless? Have they ever given up on something really important or let go of a dream? What are some of their biggest regrets? Would they ever try again (if they’re able to)?

1) Dwelling too much on his past and 2) losing people he cares about makes Feren lose hope. He let go of his childhood dreams to become a knight a long time ago, and deeply regrets his teenage dreams of vengeance when all his desire for revenge did was hurt the few remaining people he had left (his little brother and sister).

He hasn't really allowed himself to dream about anything ever again so so nothing can distract from his goal: finding his little sister. If it turns out she's dead... he will return to his plans of vengeance as he would feel he has nothing left to lose at that point. However, if he found other people to love once more, he would be very reluctant to go down the path of vengeance again, even if it is righteous. He would be terrified of history repeating itself.

Deep down inside, he now appreciates the little things a lot more than grand heroics or bloodshed... he dreams of a safe and simple life in a cottage with some sort of family... but he doesn't linger too long on that.

🗣️ answered this one here :P

👽 Describe your OC as if they were an urban legend or myth!

If you venture into the Cloakwood Forests, you may be able to spot this wood elf catching a moment of quiet, or if you roam the streets of Baldur's Gate, you might see him in a mummer's troupe or whizzing around the marketplaces of the Lower City. He is of a relatively short stature at around 5'4"; his hair is messy and blonde, sometimes decorated with beads, his eyes a vibrant blue-green, and he often wears light clothes that allow him to be nimble. He has a sunny exterior, but some say the elf carries dark secrets... which are yet to be determined.

#lairofsentinel #ask #oc #writing #feren #bg3 #baldurs gate 3

[galedekarios]

wyll: this was a hospital? feels more like a prison. gale: a common enough interpretation. sickness has a nasty habit of making you feel trapped, if only within the confines of your body. gale: i once spent weeks convalescing in the hospice of st. laupsenn after a nasty bout of ruddy pox. for all their kindness, leaving that place behind felt like freedom to me. wyll: i've always relied on the kindness of the healers and menders of the coast. better a cleric's healing touch than a chirurgeon's scalpel.

i'm assuming this banter is supposed to trigger upon entering the house of healing, but it hasn't triggered for me. still very much interesting. not only does it offer another insight into gale's past before the events of the game, but also the hospice he found himself in for weeks is interesting itself as well:

"The Hospice of St. Laupsenn (N73) is a Sancturary of Ilmater in the North Ward of Waterdeep. In the City of Splendors, worship of The Triad has long been subsumed by the Halls of Justice, Waterdeep’s temple of Tyr. After the Time of Troubles during the early stages of the Spellplague, large swaths of the citizenry were afflicted with fiendish plagues. While most recovered with clerical attention, for some the effects of the disease continued to linger, resistant to the healing effects of magic. As few Waterdhavians would have anything to do with the fiend-afflicted sufferers, for fear of catching the plague anew, the llmatari decided to create a place for the lepers. The Order of the Golden Cup erected the Hospice of St Laupsenn, named for the priest who tended those similarly affected in the aftermath of the Weeping War, and have continued in quiet service to this day. The hospice is funded by private charitable contributions (many of which come from the personal holdings of the Lords) and tithes from the Halls of Justice and the Order itself." [source]

i was at first playing around with the idea of gale suffering from such a long illness because he might have been affected by the spellplague. then again, the spellplague usually affected magic users mentally rather than physically, so this might really just be the pox, common in big cities and beyond of course, probably during his childhood.

if larian had kept to the lore and the timeline, the effects of the spellplague should have been more central to gale's childhood and made it much more harrowing, especially since he is so intrinsically connected and linked to the weave itself.

#i do like his insights into how it feels tho #it fits in well with the meta i wrote about him dealing with pain and flare-ups with the orb #also thanks to my friend lairofsentinel who helped me order my thoughts about this #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #ch: gale dekarios #ch: wyll ravengard #vg: baldur's gate 3 #series: baldur's gate #meta: mybg3

[aboxofcereales]

Currently trying to collect all the information about our companies’ life before the events of Baldur’s Gate 3. Mainly, about their family and age. Any suggestions/editing will be very much welcome.

Huge thanks to everyone who aiding the cause in comments and reblogs.

Last update - 10 April 2024.

Wyll Ravengard: is about 24, has left the city when he was 17, in origin introduction states that he’s been exiled for 7 years. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, he's in fact 24 & Neutral Good. Apparently his dad, Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard, raised him by himself, Wyll’s mother, Francesca, passed away in childbirth, when Wyll was born, as stated by Ulder’s longsword description, Wyll mentions her during a romance scene in Act 3, also calls himself “a single son to a single father”. According to Murder in Baldur's Gate: Ravenguard has never married and has no interest in domestic matters, moreover the said sword description calls Wyll's mother Ulder's love, not wife, which makes me think that Wyll was born out of wedlock. Supposed to have 3 uncles. I’ve seen a note about Wyll diving to see a mermaid as kid, written by his dad, in the high security vault. Florrick seen him grow up, had a crush on Stelmane as a kid, also during his childhood enjoined fishing with his dad, but sucked at it. Also, Ravengard's Scourger states that "Duke Ravengard's father was the sort of man who works with his hands, and communicates in grunts. In his heart his son vowed to do better. But when Wyll was born, Ravengard felt a strange gravity that drew him away from his son.", that strange gravity might be Francesca's death in childbirth(?). Generally, I strongly advise to take him around the city in act 3, as he tells plenty stories of his boyhood.

Gale Dekarios: still not sure if there any information about how old he might be, but I estimated around mid-to-late 30s, though it doesn’t really sit well with him meeting Mystra as a kid (btw there’s an absolutely wonderful post on this topic by @lairofsentinel, check it out), still I’d like Gale to be on the older side, alternatively, he may be around 28-30 due Mystra's return year. Personal headcanon - he's 37. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, he's 35 & True Neutral. He casted his first spell as a babe - a score of rabbits in the panty. Apparently lives separately from his parents in his tower, at least as kid had them both (mentioned when he first tells about his friend-tressym, Tara), thou in his origin (at least as much as heard and played myself but @vitanithepure confirmed it) only his mother gets mentions, the state of the other parent is unknown. Has a very tender relationship with her, but didn’t inform her about the orbe for her own safety, her name may be Morena (godsblessdataminers), Mrs Dekarios really wants him to find someone to settle down with. Also, Tara hates his beard.

Shadowheart (Jenevelle Hallowleaf): is about 50, comments that Viconia documented about 40 years worth of her life at the hands of Shar, in the same note she writes that Shadowheart was able to keep her heart true to her child self, and was hard learning Shar lessons. As I understood when she was kidnapped, she was about 10-13, kidnapping was directly by the Shar command.According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, she' 48 & Lawful Neutral. Personal headcanon - she's 51. After her abduction made friends with tiefling named Nocturne (they might have be more than friends?), had a pet mouse for sometime called Nibbles. There’s a grafiti somewhere behind Jaheira house which she has drawn. Shares a questionable taste of romance literature with Wyll and his father. Her parents’ fate, Emmeline and Arnell Hallowleaf: is up to you decisions. Her mother mentions that they wanted Jen to have siblings.

Karlach Cliffgate: early 30s I think, the way she speaks about Gortash makes me thinks she was practically a teenager when she started working for him and spend 10 year serving Zariel. Personal headcanon - she's 29. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, she's 30 & Chaotic Good. Her parents, Pluck and Caerlack, she moved them from Outer City to a nicer place. Her mom died due to fewer when she was a teen, dad a couple years later due to road accident. Both died before she met Gortash. Her mom seems to be behind her love for Minsc, Jaheira etc. You can meet her friend near Baldur’s statue.

Lae’zel of K’liir: seems to be barely 20. Githianky reach adulthood in their late teen, and as Lae’zel was yet to present a mindlflaer’s head, I think she’s the youngest in the party. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, she's exactly 22 & Lawful Evil. Personal headcanon - she's in fact 20. She hates owls due to their necks, Karlach agrees.

Astarion Ancunin: according to translation of his grave he only lived for 40 years before becoming spawn, spend 200 year as such. Safe guess - there's definitely smt wrong with his grave stone or/and translation as it messes the current year - from 220 to 250. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, he's 263, which doesnt seem right, & Neutral Evil. According the artbook he was a corrupted magistrate, which seem to be true atleast to pre-release version.

Halsin is 350, his family is from the High Forest, thou they are all gone. Spend 3 years captured by drow, loves honey and curving ducks. Jahiera is about 150-160, as she was a child in 1347. Has atleat five foster children: half-elf Rion, half-orc druid Jord, three humans - Jhessem, Fig, and Tate. Minsc was a statue from 1409 to 1480s.

#bg3 spoilers #baldur’s gate 3 #bg3 #wyll ravengard #gale of waterdeep #shadowheart #laezel #astarion #karlach #gods I’ll be adding stuff up. #I have so many thoughts #another reason to love wyll - HE BASICALLY TELLS YOU HOW OLD IS HE UNLIKE OTHERS #expt halsin

[thesnuggliestduckling]

in your post 677785479331102720 you asked for recs. I have some: you may be interested in these narrative games: 12 minutes, Detroit: Become Human, Draugen, Heavy Rain, Last Stop [cool story], Night in the Woods, Road 96 [cool story], Tacoma, TellTales games [any!], What Remains of Edith Finch. Dreamfall Series, Games more puzzle-like: maquette, The Book of Unwritten Tales [super funny], There is no Game: Wrong dimension [you'll laugh], The House of Da Vinci Series, [1/2]

Oooooooh, excellent. It was so lovely of you to put together a list for me! I can’t wait to dig into some of these. Thank you!

#judging by the evidence i’ve certainly got a gob #ask #lairofsentinel

[wombywoo]

Hihi, Let me tell you your Critical Role series is amazing. Like... more than amazing. The level of detail in them is brutal! I love them all. It's hard to pick one. They express pretty well the concept of role I think, with the small details at a side of things deeply related to such char... I absolutely loved that series. Thank you so much for drawing such beauty! :D Have a good day!

Thank you so much  ❤️ ❤️ I’ve just recently got into the series, but I knew I had to draw some art for it! I like to put a lot in the details because the characters themselves are so rich and amazing! Expect more soon! Thank you for your kind words :)

#asks #lairofsentinel

[curiousartemis]

writer ask meme! Metaphor, Juxtaposition, Symbolism, Tone, Repetition

This was so nice of you! 😭😭😭

Metaphor: What does your own personal writing style have in common with your favourite author/writer?

My favorite author is Jane Austen, so it would sound very egotistical to even pretend we have anything in common 😂 But okay, okay... I think Austen’s writing is very witty and very snarky, very “sharp” in a sense. I think mine can be like that at times. I sympathize with her dry humor. 

Juxtaposition: Do you include subplots in your writing? How do you balance them alongside your main plots?

I’ve never really thought about that. No, I don’t think I do. I think that level of plotting would require copious forethought and careful outlining, which isn’t something I do. I think my narrators may tend to seem a bit self-absorbed since they don’t always notice what little things are happening to their friends, for example. But it makes the focus on the main narrative quite narrow, in a good way, I think.

Symbolism: What does writing mean to you? How has it impacted your life?

[Gale voice] Writing is... my life. Seriously though, it is. Not just any old writing but storytelling. I love to tell stories that make people happy, including myself. Writing is the only way for me to live another life, so to speak, a life where I can be happy and feel loved. Writing has saved me from the deepest depression and has given me something to hold on to when I need it most.

Tone: Why do you write? Do you write for a purpose or just for fun?

It’s definitely fun, but I feel a burning drive to share my characters’ stories with the world, and I don’t know why. I think about them constantly. When people suggest I write in more popular fandoms to get more readers, for example, I don’t feel the urge to do so... I would love more readers because readers are everything. But if I’m not telling the story my heart needs and wants to tell, what’s the point?

Repetition: Is there anything you find you repeat across your witting projects? Symbols, tropes, descriptions, themes?

My main characters consistently deal with difference/queerness, loneliness, and a desire to be cherished and loved. From Cal to Casien to Laurie to Imryn, they all start their stories off feeling somewhat disconnected from the world around them. They’re often burdened with self-hatred and feelings of personal failure. They fall in love with men who represent safety, unwavering support, unconditional love, and a masculine sort of softness. My characters always find friends who accept them for who they are. 

In a broader sense, I think I like focusing on issues of class, what makes a person a good person, how to make mild a savage people (gross Tennyson paraphrase 😂), and finding one’s purpose in life.

Thank you, friend 💗

#lairofsentinel #about me #writing

[rpgchoices]

Sometimes I really want to read a short summary of what to expect from a game… and thankfully people can also submit their summaries of games they played and help me (and others) find games that cater to their interests!

submitted by @lairofsentinel

(click here for other videogames)

what to expect from OXENFREE 2 - Lost Signals

Story-driven light-horror game with choices that affect characters along the linear story.

Many characters from the first game appear here, now as adults and not as teenagers.

Your choices have some middle impact since it may affect the life of other characters, making them more zealots or skeptical, or even causing their death.

You walk along this game with a companion: Jacob. Most of the game has a strong focus on your conversations with him. 

The story works with some time loops and paranormal activity [in appearance, but I could call it more sci-fi oriented activity]

It has very few and very easy puzzles.

Fully voiced game with a nice voice acting.

Beautiful art and design, combined with a good choice in music. 

Warnings: pregnancy reference, suicide and self-harm references, alcohol abuse, mental trauma and abuse references.

——- Plot? ——-

You play as Riley, an adult woman and a recent employee in town, who has to install transmitters on the island in order to help the analysis of electromagnetic interference caused by the events that happened in the previous game and remained.

——- Gameplay? ——- 

It’s a game about story and conversation between characters, it’s mostly “walk” along the island, find the correct path to the place, while talking to your companion or eventual characters that may appear. Some of these interactions happen with a walkie-talkie you carry all the time.

——- Characters? ——- 

Riley, the protagonist; your companion Jacob, and a series of different minor characters you interact with throughout the island.

 ——- LGBT? ——-

None that I found

——- Sadness level? ——- 

None. But it brings some existential questions and also some reflections about life, adulthood, meaning in life and similar topics that may cause a level of sadness. 

——- Happy ending? Deaths? ——-

Happy ending, but some deaths depend on your choices. 

#lairofsentinel #what to expect #oxenfree

[felassan]

hey hey, just giving you this question because you are big lore nerd and I'm analysing this by myself (and eventually doing a post)... did you check out the Chant of Light, Drakon's prophecy for the future? Exaltations canticle? I read it last night and I was surprised. It can be added to Sandal's prophecy in da2 as well.... maybe you talked about this before? would you mind to point me your post in that case? I love your analysis

Hello! Ahh thankyouu 😊 (Please tag me in or drop me a link to your post because I’d be interested to read it!) The rest of this post is under a cut due to length.

Sandal’s prophecy is an interesting one as we recently learned this tidbit about it and things like it in one of the David Gaider dev commentary streams:

DG said Eleni Zinovia’s prophecy doesn’t refer to Fen’Harel. He can’t remember who wrote it in there or what it refers to actually. It was most likely just intended as flavor and he was even a bit surprised by it, like “What is this?” There’s a lot of things like that in the games, not everything has a ~grand meaning~. Sometimes such small off-hand things are picked up on by fans and the writers then make it into something bigger and more meaningful after the fact. This is what happened with Sandal (all the fans being like “Ooh, what does it mean, what does it mean?” about him). It’s possible Eleni will be picked up on like that in the future, but at the time it didn’t mean anything really. A lot of the way these stories are put together is that they put a lot of questions into the world, scattering possible/potential plothooks, and they don’t necessarily know where they lead at the time, but in future games they could come back to them and come up with an interesting backstory. Sometimes they pick it up and sometimes it never gets answered or ever mentioned again (the Wardens taking some of the blood from those who didn’t survive their particular bout of Joinings and putting it in a vial to remember them is an example of one of these things). It’s pretty rare that you’d get a situation where something is mapped out from beginning to end. Sometimes we the players get a revelation as we play and we’re like “Omg!! This is all connected! They are masters!” and the writers are like “Yes, toootally… It was that way alllllll along. It certainly did NOT get decided three quarters of the way through development…” [source]

I don’t think I’ve made a post about Kordillus Drakon’s vision of the Maker’s return or on the Canticle of Exaltations. I’d be really interested to see some of his prior drafts and compare the things he changed during the rewriting process.. Anyway here’s some assorted thoughts on the Canticle, albeit disjointed and not conclusive:

Parallels - Andraste’s vision of the Maker, Kordillus’ vision of the future 

You can read Kordillus’ vision as a genuine vision of actual-Andraste, a figment of his imagination or a delusion born from religious fervor, something he’s making up (he was a fervent believer, it’s just that it’s also the case that sometimes religion is misused for power or empire), or a legit encounter that he had with a non-Andraste entity that was taking the form of Andraste or whom he had interpreted as Andraste (see the Inquisitor’s encounter with the spirit so-called ‘Divine Justinia’). Is it maybe spirit possession? “I accept the gift”, “let me be the vessel”

“the vessel” - vessels are a repeating motif in the lore: Wynne as the Vessel of her spirit of Faith, Calpernia and Samson seeking to be the Vessel of the Well’s power and Morrigan or the Inquisitor becoming such, fan theory that Sera is the vessel of Andruil (which I don’t subscribe to but it comes to mind), Flemeth as the vessel of Mythal, darkspawn as empty soulless vessels whereas Wardens are not, shells of flesh and souls, the soulless Titans’ workers (dwarves), possession, etc.

“The air itself rent asunder” can easily be read as referring to the Breach in DAI and/or the upcoming intended destruction/removal of the Veil. As you say this entire verse is similar to Sandal’s “shadows will part and the skies will open wide”. Shadows parting, spilling light. There are elements here that you could link to Eleni Zinovia’s words or the words of the Ardent Blossom Faerie (whether this was intentional on the writers’ parts or no at the time when they were written is a separate subject)

The “Waters of the Fade” line is important given the similar references elsewhere in the Chant - “Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew”, “From the waters of the Fade you made the world. As the Fade had been fluid, so was the world fixed.” Reference to the fluidity of the Fade vs the mundane realm as static and way less malleable. “Realm of Opposition”, the idea of the 2 opposing realms, also sticks out to me as I’ve talked before about the contrast in the metaphysical opposing elements:

In a kind of metaphysical way, the dwarves are emblematic of the mundane sphere. Not “mundane” as in normal/boring, but in terms of reinforced reality vs reality as mutable, earth and sky, underground vs land, Children of the Stone vs Birds of Fancy, magic resistance vs inherent magical quality, tradition vs change, Titan progenitors vs origins in the Fade prior to taking physical form slash being spirit-y or spirit adjacent. It’s all very thematic, especially when you consider that dwarves do not dream compared to how elves are (or rather, are supposed to be) innately tied to the Fade. and at the moment, modern Thedas is unbalanced 

I guess you could plot the races on a line from most Fadey/sky-like (very scientific I know) to least: spirits - elves - humans - Qunari - dwarves. note this isn’t a “who is most alive”, thing, it’s just a spectrum between 2 different but equally Alive ways of being. [source]

“The Realm of Opposition” is the post-Veil waking world. Obviously the “Realm of Dreams” is the Fade.

The waters stuff also reminds me of the Well of Sorrows (Andraste is the Lady of Sorrows) and how Mythal walked out of the sea of the Earth’s tears.

(Is anyone else reminded of the Eye of Sauron at this point in the Canticle btw? 😁)

Is it even Andraste he’s seeing? No way of knowing if it is, or was Mythal with a staff in hand, given their similar headpieces, for instance. And certainly a maker has returned to the world since Kordillus wrote this stuff down, just not The Maker - the maker or creator of the Veil, Solas.

Are the “men of stone” dwarves, golems (probably not) or Titans? “Sleepers waking at the dawn” immediately makes me think of how dwarves don’t dream. That whole verse makes me think of the Titans waking up and destroying the world via earthquakes or something in order for it to be made anew. This makes me 👀 given Descent and upcoming Titan plotbeats. Seventy time seven stuff is a reference in the Bible irl iirc.

And I heard from the East a great cry As men who were beasts warred with their brothers, Tooth and claw against blade and bow, Until one could no longer be told from the other, And cursed them and cursed their generations.

East of Orlais is Ferelden. This verse makes me think of Fereldans and their troubles with werewolves throughout their history and in their recent present, werewolves who were once human (or elven, depending) like them. Zathrian’s curse lasted for generations even. Interesting given werewolves resurfacing again in TN. The other thing that comes to mind here is that the Executors supposedly dwell across the eastern ocean.

And those who slept, the ancient ones, awoke, For their dreams had been devoured By a demon that prowled the Fade As a wolf hunts a herd of deer. Taking first the weakest and frailest of hopes, And when there was nothing left, Destroying the bright and bold By subtlety and ambush and cruel arts

Dwarves getting dreams (“Mythal gives you dreams”) or regaining their connection to the Titans (see Valta), the Titans awakening again, remaining slumbering Old Gods waking, imprisoned sleeping Evanuris waking, or the few remaining ancient elves in secret enclaves waking from uthernera (Abelas and co and ones like them, that Solas makes reference to)...? The wolf-like demon that devours dreams and prowls the Fade is an allusion (not from Kordillus, but the writers) to the Dalish belief that Fen’Harel is He Who Hunts Alone, Roamer of the Beyond. The wolf metaphor in Kordillus’ vision points to someone who is smart, clever, strategic, cunning, someone who goes about things in a subterfuge-y and plotting-/scheming-type way. It almost reads like the Evanuris’ anti-Solas “Dread Wolf Bad” propaganda, of which we encounter some of during Trespasser. The Fade-prowling demon that devours dreams also reminds me of the Nightmare in DAI.

The number nine, like the number seven, in this setting always makes me like.. [alarmed vibrating]. There are nine Creator-figures, including Ghilan’nain and Fen’Harel. “The mortal dust of Our Lady” could refer to the Urn of Sacred Ashes, thus the “sacred mountain” would be the mountain in the Frostbacks at Haven which contained the remains of the ruined Temple of Andraste, the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Obviously this area in DAI was the site of the Breach and in DAI Corypheus lifts (ascends) it into the sky for a bit. There’s even a reference here to passing through the fire, calling to mind that part of the Gauntlet in DAO. The mountain stuff here also reminds me of The Ptarmigan: An Avvar Tale:

Korth the Mountain-Father kept his throne at the peak of Belenas, the mountain that lies at the center of the world, from which he could see all the corners of earth and sky.

Belenas, Belenas... a mountain at the center of the world, and the reference to earth and sky (Realm of Opposition and the Realm of Dreams). It’s especially notable when you consider the Lady of the Skies, Tyrdda’s leaf-eared lover, Korth’s mountain-y-ness (Titan?) and the stuff about his heart (the Evanuris mined the bodies of Titans for lyrium and “something else”, which we suspect are their hearts). This part “And he saw strong men become weak, brave men grow cowardly, and wise men turn foolish for love” reminds me of the Canticle verse above which referred to men warring with their brothers. And in elven language “Bel” is part of bellanaris, eternity (this Canticle ends with a reference to eternal life). Belenas, bellanaris.

And I looked up and saw The seven gates of the Black City shatter, And darkness cloaked both realms.

Oh shit, here it comes. Y’know? Seven seals, some potentially already broken (the dark and lit orbs in the concentric circles on the DWR mural). Darkness is coming alright. People have speculated about this at length. 😁 And in other places in-world there are references to this belief.

Look upon the Light so you May lead others here through the darkness, Blade of the Faith!

This reminds me of the Inquisitor’s journey and role in DAI. Parallels again.

The Maker returns In dread

Self-explanatory, emphasis mine. A maker.

And saw the darkness warp and crumble

Interesting given the fabric of reality is currently warping, as witnessed by Strife in one of the recent shorts.

shroud

Another word for veil.

The meek lambs became bold And rose up, casting aside their shepherds To dance at the Maker's feet

reminds me of the ‘Slightest Ones’ bard song and some elves leaving in the Trespasser epilogue.

Where once a terrible fire swept The Light of redemption from the face of the world

the time Andraste was burned. The gates of Minrathous is also where we’re headed in the next game.

What are the “sins of creation”, exactly? - Why does it make me think back to the waters of the Fade and the well of all souls which the Chant holds life began anew from and the Maker made the world from? Why do they need “redeemed”? Why does that make me think of the creation of the Veil and the terrible consequences that had for Thedas in general and for the ancient elves, and of Solas’ drive and desire to correct that mistake? And Justice is an aspect of Mythal. 

Harmony in all things. Let Balance be restored And the world given eternal life.

See above with the “modern Thedas is unbalanced” stuff. Balance could be restored with the removal of the Veil, and then the remaining elves would be immortal again probably. I tend to veer away from “everything is elves” and “everything relates back to or is in some way a metaphor for or reference etc to Solas and Mythal” but it’s like Kordillus had a vision of the future of Thedas at that time (things which we then saw in previous games set after he died, and some things which we still haven’t seen yet but which have been foreshadowed - as in some things which have still yet to come to pass in the world’s storyline) and, naturally, interpreted it through his fervent Andrastian/cult of the Maker lens. I wouldn’t take it all completely at face value though, having given away major future plotbeats in the Chant just like that would be a bold choice.

#dragon age #bioware #mj replies #lairofsentinel #video games #sorry for my delayed reply :') #solas #Morrigan #queen of my heart #mj meta #strife #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #tevinter nights #tevinter nights spoilers #tevinter nights spoiler #spoilers #spoiler

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Hihi. Since you are like a Guru of The Dragon Prince, and I've come to this fandom pretty late, I would like to ask you if this was discussed before: The name of the elves seems to follow a pattern so far we know: source of power + skill; aka, Moonshadows can become a Shadow; skywings can be born/ grow wings; Sunfires, can turn into "fire"[molten], but Aaravos is a Startouch elf. This brought to me the idea that his "true" power, beyond being a powerful archmage, is related to touching. 1/2

What one can expect from someone with a touching-power is to drain their power [and certainly the similarity of this potential power with the Dark Magic is quite interesting]. So… that may be the reason why he was isolated and trapped in a mirror guarded by the Dragons? The mirror did not allow any touching. He should not Touch creatures around, because his true power is unleashed?. any thoughts or info I dont know about this? Sorry, I’m late into this fandom t.t 2/2

I’m absolutely no such thing as a guru, but I can yeet a few ideas out there for you, since there has been speculation on the naming conventions for the elven races.

There’s a general headcanon that a single concept anchors all the elven race names together. The first part of their race names are their primal sources, and the second part is, well, we’re not 100% sure. But it is likely related to the effect of the primal source on the elves, the powers it bestows on them, or the skills they gain. Or some of all three, plus something we haven’t thought of yet. 

So we’ve got Sunfire,  Moonshadow, Earthblood, Ocean-mumble-something/Waterwet elves, Skywings, and Star Touch elves.

My personal take is that these six things are metaphors for physical embodiments of the primal sources. Six things that the elves can physically do to affect their world, thanks to their arcanum. I made this post about the six elven race names a while back, using Sarai’s comment to Callum about truly knowing something. Seemed kinda cool.

Sunfires have that heat and light being. They also seem to use their emotions to fuel those states, like Janai did when her sister was killed. With the ability to turn off their emotions and still burn hot, the question of power usage is just a matter of What?

Moonshadows can turn invisible, become one with the night, step into the darkness of their own souls. Because they will do anything, no matter how hard it is or what it costs, the question they ask isn’t what or why, but How?

Earthbloods are very steady, and they are connected to living things. The word “lifeblood” is probably integral to their magic, their perspective, and their skills. They’re deeply rooted in history, and that steadies them. They’re very patient as a result, so their question is always When?

Ocean elves are said to be warm, caring, family-oriented creatures. Water is life, and the other half of the concept of “lifeblood”. They’re those friends who will drop everything to help you move across the country, who will answer their phones at 3am because it’s you who’s calling them. The most important question to them is Who?

Skywings can literally fly, they embrace that third dimension in their calculations, they’re flexible and mentally agile. They can and will do anything they like, and it’s just a matter of Where?

Star Touch elves see so much more than anyone else. They have all the answers. Too many answers, perhaps. Do they see possible futures? Can they pick and choose how to guide the rest of the world? Divination is a heavy burden to carry, because your choices never come down to How or Where or When. When everything is possible you need to make your choices based on Why?

So, what’s the metaphor behind Aaravos’s power of touch? It seems like one of those nifty concepts that applies in a dozen different ways. Aaravos can touch everything from Viren’s ear to history itself. His ability to influence–one synonym for touch–is unparalleled, due to a combination of his long life and his powerful skill set. He turned Queen Khessa to ash with a single touch. He can magically create the ability to touch, using a willing partner and a series of magic spells that set his caterpillar free in the world, able to make physical contact with Viren.

But I think the most important aspect of touching for Aaravos is that he was imprisoned in an attempt to keep him from using every single one of his touch-related abilities. Aaravos is purposely being kept out of touch. He literally cannot touch the world, and had to watch as it passed him by, as decisions were made without him, as lives were lived and new creatures came into being, free to do exactly as they pleased without a single bit of contact, on any level, from a Star Touch who could see so much.

I know I go on a bit with my love for Aaravos being a karma god, able to give people exactly what they deserve, but if that mirror prison isn’t a karmic Star Touch punishment, I dunno what is.

If Aaravos really is growing himself a new body to pop his astral form into, then I’ll be on the edge of my seat to see exactly how his senses of touching will be unleashed. I expect there will be many instances that call back to his name: Star Touch. Physical touch, the touch of destiny, influencing events around him (the physical embodiment of ta’veren, perhaps), and maybe further-flung related ideas, like making someone “touched in the head”/driving them mad–looking at you, Viren–or bestowing gifts/powers/arcana to those around him.

Aaravos keeps using the creepiest powers possible. It’s far more visceral than I expected for an elf so connected to mental powers. He’s got bugs down people’s throats and he’s grabbing queens by the face and murdering them with his finger. He’s very touchy indeed. I don’t think that level of shenaniganry is going to disappear anytime soon, either. Aaravos is going to be a very hands-on elf. And I’m thinking that that may be a big part of why people dislike him so much.

#aaravos #aaravos headcanon #tdp #tdp headcanon #elves of xadia #asks #lairofsentinel

[needsmorewlw]

Hey, hello. I was wondering how are you in your divinity original sin 2 playthrough :P Would you mind to share thoughts about it? where are you at? I'm curious.

Hi! ugh ive been working so much i havent had a chance to play for ages. i think i have like 10 hours of playtime but i havent like... advanced the story much lmao. i just run around killing things doing side quests before i do the plot.

id love to say i'll get around it playing it more but animal crossing is coming out so i dont know how true that is

#lairofsentinel #ask #i fkn love the game it reminds me of dragon age and thats such a win for me #but its one of those games you have to be focused on yknow? and my brain just hasnt been letting me relax for a while

[a-tear-in-the-veil]

Fanfiction ask meme: 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 13

Hi! Thank you so much for the asks. My brain really needed this right now <3 

I answered 1 and 11 here

3)  Describe the differences between your first fanfic and your most recent fanfic.

I honestly have not written very much. I think about writing ALL the time, but its been hard for me to follow through because school, shows/rehearsals, mental illness, etc. I got my work cut out for me if I want to write three novelizations.The first fic I wrote ever was for Divinity Original Sin 2, and it’s laughable. I think I’ve always been fairly decent at descriptions, but I had no idea how to format dialogue, most of it is copy and pasted dialogue with dialogue tags on every line. No depth. Like it’s BAD. After a couple years, wow, I now know how to format, I’ve written more original and thought out things, I spend more time too much time thinking about character development. There’s a lot I’m still learning, but if you saw the first thing I wrote compared to the one chapter I’ve posted on Ao3 or the things sitting in Word/Google Docs right now, it’s a pretty drastic change.  

9) What do your fic bookmarks say about you?

I don’t have any modern AU’s bookmarked haha. I have nothing against them, but not my cup of tea. I love romance, so I love fics that expand on the romance in the games I like. I also love long fics because I’m selfish and I like consolidated stories. WIPS and one shots are lovely too :). I mostly live in the fantasy land but there was one Red Dead Redemption Fic that I was interested in reading, but I never played the game so it was hard for me to understand everything. 

10)  What’s a theme that keeps coming up in your writing?

Sassy Mages hahaha. I’m trying to distinguish my characters more, but that’s what I’m drawn to. My protagonist for DAO, Sol, was not supposed to be as sassy as she is. I wanted her to be more of a “coming into her own,” kinda character but she’s smart and has a sharp tongue sometimes. Also, divinity/the divine keeps coming up too. In Vestige (DAO) there’s not too much of that, but the whole story line of Divinity (Dos2) is around divinity. Also, in Emblem, there’s a lot dealing with goddess too. 

13)  Name three favorite characters to write.

Ezra/Ara: Ara Hawke is my DA2 Protagonist and Ezra is the same character, but she’s the Dos2 incarnation. They’re just very easy to write because I know exactly who they are, and they are very similar to how I am. 

Aside from that, I don’t really know because I haven’t had a chance to write from many other character’s perspectives. I’m excited to write Fane though I’m still deciding on how I want to portray him (I’m imagining him similar to Sebastian from Stardew but with more bite. I can see a bit of Howl in him too maybe). I’m also super excited to write Alistair and Dimitri because they’re sweet hearts. They make me feel warm <3 Also, I’m super excited to write the Dos2 gang because they’re disasters, and assholes, and their interactions are going to be so chaotic. 

#fanficasks #DAO #Dos2 #Fe3h #DA2 #lairofsentinel #Thanks for giving something enjoyable to do these asks made my day <3 #unveiled

[galedekarios]

a while ago, as i was playing gale's origin, i was talking about his "i cast my first spell whilst still a babe." line with my friends @lairofsentinel, @shibepetter and @voliialpha, bouncing ideas off of each other. i also made this post about it.

when halsin asks you to share a story about you, origin gale has the possibility to answer as follows:

Gale: I cast my first spell whilst still a babe. My mother took an awful fright when I conjured up a score of rabbits in the pantry. Halsin: Ha! Talented from the very beginning, then? Almost surprised you didn't cast magic in the womb.

now we have this new bit of information from one elminster's possible epilogue letters, revealing that gale cast fireball, a third level spell, at eight years old:

Elminster: You could have been no more than eight summers’ old, clutching your mother’s apron, eyebrows singed off by the fireball you’d unleashed into your neighbour’s rose bush. You were crying because the flowers were so beautiful, and you did mean to destroy them. How kind, how eager, how brilliant you were. And yet so naive. 

adding to this gale's background reveal dialogue, where he says that he could not only "control the weave, but compose it, much like a musician or a poet", i'm more and more inclined to think that gale is a sorcerer with a wizard's education.

he would be a very rare type of sorcerer. sorcerers usually have different sources from where they draw their powers from. for gale's case, it seems to be from the weave itself.

this is just a theory of course, but i do enjoy playing around with the idea. of him chosing to study, to not simply be content with his natural gifts and talents, but improving his craft to the best of his considerable abilities.

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #bg3 patch 5 spoilers #ch: gale dekarios #vg: baldur's gate 3 #series: baldur's gate #meta: mybg3 #also please this is not the post to say that gale is 'jealous' or 'bitchy' re: sorcerers #you have to pick the most obnoxious and insufferable sorcerer options for gale to clap back