So I'm drawing this up as kind of a guide for anyone who is curious about Cole but not curious enough to finish an entire novel to find out. I'll also include my two-cents on what I think is happening behind the mystery of Cole's powers, but not till the end - because everybody should be able to sepeculate on their own based on the facts, right? But skip past this part if you've read Asunder already.
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Cole is a young man in his late teens or early 20's with dirty blonde hair and always dressed in filthy leathers. He was picked up by the Templars and brought to the White Spire in Val Royeaux after murdering his father. The Templars handle him pretty roughly and toss him into one of the dungeon cells where they hold mages until placing them within the Circle. Terrified, Cole prayed fervently to the Maker for the Templars to completely forget that he exists.
So they did.
From that point on, Cole is invisible to almost everyone almost all of the time. He's spotted rarely and when he is, those that see him soon forget about him. Normally, he can stand within inches of someone and never be detected. He spends some of his time watching the lives of the Spire's mages and Templars, but mostly prefers to stay in the dark underbelly of the tower with all of the other forgotten things.
Vague rumors circulate about a Ghost of the Spire as his sightings grow more numerous, and people are found murdered for no obvious reason. What occasionally happens is that Cole can feel himself slipping out of reality, and when he does he discovers a feeling of being drawn to someone in the Tower who will be able to see him. Then he kills them (using a dagger) and in the moment that their life slips away and their eyes are looking directly into his he knows that he is the most real thing in the world to them. He does feel somewhat sorrowful and actually quite ashamed of the murders, but feels strongly that they must be done nonetheless.
Rhys, a mage who has a talent for communicating with Fade spirits, is able to see Cole. He literally chases him through the Spire and convinces Cole that he can see him. When Rhys doesn't forget Cole later, Cole is incredibly relieved and can scarcely believe it. The two form a friendship, with Rhys becomes a sort of father figure for the boy. When Rhys is in trouble, Cole actually leaves the Spire to help him.
Lord Seeker Lambert (who is in charge of the White Spire) is convinced that Cole is a demon. Cole admits that he doesn't know what he is. He's heard about demons around the Tower but doesn't think he's ever met one. He could be a ghost, but he doesn't remember dying - and he still eats and sleeps. Toward the end of the book Lambert uses the Litany of Adralla to try to reveal Cole for what he is - and Cole actually loses his invisibility and appears to everyone. Lambert accuses Cole of being a demon who attempted to convince himself he was human, and implies that he used mind domination to fool Rhys into believing the same thing. Cole never denies it, but actually begins to cry as a look of realization passes in his eyes. Then he disappears again completely. Even Rhys can no longer see him.
In the Epilogue, on the night when Lambert prepares for the Seekers and Templars to separate themselves from the Chantry, Cole comes to him while he's sleeping. He presses his knife against Lambert's neck and tells him
"There was a Cole. You forgot him in that cell, and I heard his cries when no one else would. I went to him, and held his hand in the darkness until it was over. When the templars found him, they erased everything to hide their shame and I was helpless to act." Remembering this seems to bring him sorrow. Finally, he commands Lambert to look at him, and we're left to assume that Lambert is murdered.
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So what is Cole? I was really confused until I read this from an interview with David Gaider:
TUK: With mages and possession, does a mage actually have to agree to a deal with a demon in order to get possessed, or can it just happen? Can demons just go "Ah-hah, you're asleep, I will slip in while nobody's looking..." Is the truth different from what the Chantry says on the subject?
DG: They have to agree, but agree doesn't necessarily mean a conscious "Yes, please, please come in my body and turn me into a twisted abomination." Agreeing can be a moment of weakness. If you're unwilling or unable to resist being possessed then you'll be possessed. There are mages who make an intelligent bargain with a demon. Sometimes, the tricky part, something we haven't been able to show very well, is sometimes they're not aware that's what they're doing. I don't know how many people have read Asunder, the last Dragon Age novel. That does show a bit of how it's possible for a mage to be in contact with a demon and not even be aware that that's what's happening, and agreeing to things that they don't know that they're agreeing to. To say that a mage must agree is both true and false in the sense that a lot of it relates to the will of the mage and their strength to resist a very determined demon, but I think you can also see from the games and the novels that there are levels of possession as well. Not everybody who becomes possessed by a demon immediately turns into an abomination and starts attacking everything in sight. It depends on the type of demon that's attempting to take possession, how powerful they are, how intelligent they are, and the mage in question. As is typical of Dragon Age, the answer is never [typical].
It seems to me that the only person in Asunder that DG could be talking about is Cole. I can also only account for his complusion to murder by saying that it has to be some kind of blood magic that rejuvinates his power to either stay invisible or remain on this side of the Fade. Whether he's an abomination or a demon/spirit that fused with the real Cole and took on his memories as he died is anyone's guess. By the end of the book, Cole obviously knows he isn't just a scared young man - he's something quite different, but that doesn't mean he's sure what he is either. The Litany of Adralla worked on him, and that was a huge eye-opener. But the Litany only reveals mind-domination, not demonic presence. Cole isn't necessarily a demon, but also technically could be.
In combat: Cole is technically a mage, but doesn't use conventional mage powers. In the book he's always wearing leathers and wielding a dagger. His ability to be invisible may make him a valuable rogue companion.
As a companion/LI: expect Cole to be very emotionally clingly, (his emotional age is much younger than his physical age) and oblivious to how normal human interaction works. It wasn't uncommon for Cole to watch humans undress and even have sex in the Spire without the slightest hint of arousal - just mild curiosity. Cole is jumpy and easily frightened. He finds it much easier to hide or to run than to fight, though assassinations are something he's comfortable with. He comes from a very troubled (and weird) past and does not have much of a sense of humor. However, unless his end-of-book realization changes him much, Cole doesn't seem to have any kind of agenda like Anders/Justice did. Rather, he's actually kind of lost.
Of course that's assuming that Cole would still be Asunder Cole, and not more like "I'm a spirit and I know it." Cole.
Too Long/Didn't Read: Cole is unusual.
Hope that's helpful to somebody. Did I miss anything? What are your thoughts/theories on Cole?
Modifié par brushyourteeth, 16 août 2012 - 06:14 .
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