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[dragondreamer]

But... wait.  I think the actual, physical city of Arlathan is underground.  Way, way underground.  

 

I've posted this before, but one of the interesting features of the Black City is the fact that it is always the same distance away, no matter where you are in the fade.

 

The fade, being a reflection of the physical world, is still bound to some degree by its geography.  That's why Solas has to physically move around to access new parts of it.  

 

Now think about the center of a sphere, like the world is.  It is equidistant from all points on its surface, and unreachable from that surface.  You can't walk in any direction along the surface to get to the center, no matter how you try.  Similarly, you can never reach the City in the Fade, no matter how you try to navigate your way toward it.

 

Yeah, I think whatever it is, might be at the center of the planet.  But I don't think it's Arlathan.  It's got to be much older, because the Blight itself is older.

[wildannie]

I wonder if the world in its current state is infected with the blight which will ultimately be unstoppable, Solas gives the GWs credit for giving them time.  Looking at emprise du lion with all the red lyrium everywhere the world looks diseased and there is no blight going on.  Maybe the old gods cause an upsurge in activity, but the world is slowly succumbing to corruption anyway.  I think the old gods are as @madrar states the other 'gods' that Solas imprisoned.

[Birdy]

Ha, Wouldn't' that make Quizzy, Solas' Foci now?  THey absorbed a little of the power with the mark, but if they absorbed the rest from the orb.  The possibilities. 

[jellobell]

 I'm not concerned that PW was part of the ME3 writing team,  he was really quite kind in the aftermath of ME3 and responded to some questions re: Thane revealing that he had been in favour of an option to save Thane,  but the rest of the team were not so I don't think we need worry about him having murderous thoughts regarding characters... we could even save Mordin.

I really hope you're right. I watched that epilogue scene again and...I just really need Solas to be okay. That look on his face breaks my heart.

 

[Birdy]

http://ashleydoesart...-this-time-with

[Brass_Buckles]

Hmmm, forgot to mention my theory, didn't I?  About the continuing relationship...

 

My thought is, and don't hate me for this--if you get angry and explode at Solas when he leaves, it's over for good, even if there might be content about the romance later on available to others.  You did what he wanted you to do--you got angry and let him go, and it's so much easier to leave you if you're angry.  (Could be this is why some people say there's a bug and they can't ask him "about us?")  That said Lavellan has every right to be angry.  The breakup was completely unexpected, given the context.

 

If you say, on the other hand, "I believe in us," or "I love you," (or other non-angry options) there's hope for a future with Solas.  But there's the possibility, as I pointed out, that it won't be a happy one, unless Lavellan can be immortal with him.  If she cannot, then he has to watch in agony as she ages and dies, like humans in his time.  To him, it would be like she's slipping away from him more the harder he tries to hold on.  And you can bet he'd be trying to hold on.  She's his Anchor in more ways than one by the end of the game.  She is his primary connection to the modern world.

 

Why do I think anger ends it?  ... Well because in getting angry you're saying you understand that it's over.  You're not saying you think things can be worked out, or telling him that you love him and he shouldn't leave you like this.  Basically you're accepting that he's just ending it right there, and understandably you're peeved about that.

 

And also because Solas is completely a sucker for Lavellan and hates the thought that he might be hurting her... so I think he might be more willing to patch things up if he thinks he's caused her deep pain by leaving, or if he eventually misses her and remembers that she said she thought it could work out etc.

 

Again, don't hate me for this - it's a theory for a reason. After all, the romance only officially counts in that final scene where he leaves you (and that is so unfair, and to go on a tangent, I'm completely tired of romances for women being the ones who run away/cheat/go on about past significant others/die, and NO, Cullen is not proper compensation when we also got Blackwall who ends up being more than a little sleazy... and guys seem to normally get romances who are pretty steady and reliable and don't die, run away, cheat, or go on at length about their past loves making them feel as if they are second best to, for instance, a dead wife...).

 

... And yeah because of that tangent I went off on?  That's the primary reason that I hope there is more content for Solas and that it allows for us to somehow end up with a happy ending for him and Lavellan.  If not... then I will have to add him to my list of reasons why going for one of the romance options for straight females in a BioWare game generally doesn't end well.

[madrar]

I'm not sure what the correct answer is as far as the elven gods/old gods goes. But it is highly suspicious that there are seven sealed elven gods and seven old gods. That can't be by accident. Then you have the comparisons between Arlathan and the Black City.

 

Perhaps the blight first infected some of the elven gods, driving them to madness. Solas seals them away [possibly creating the fade itself to house them], and then takes the untainted parts of their souls and puts them inside of dragons for safe keeping. He falls asleep. Unbeknownst to him, the fade allows the 'sleeping' gods to communicate, eventually seducing the magisters into breaching the black city. The blight begins anew, with the purpose of finding and finishing the corruption of the elven gods. 

 

The only downside about the theory is that technically, most of the elven gods are now dead. It also doesn't solve the question of why Solas would want to release them, knowing that they are infected. But it is an interesting thought. 

 

Hmm. I think I like this.   

 

As for why he'd want to reopen Arlathan, that's the key question.   The city was sealed wholesale, so one potential theory would be that freeing the "innocents" trapped with the ruling pantheon might be worth having to deal with the reawakened gods.  This seems a bit weak- particularly since if Cory can be believed, it's doubtful anything there is untainted at this point.

 

An alternative is that Solas, though having no direct control over the Blight, understands its source and nature far better than we know, and may have reason to believe that the corruption can be reversed.  That's honestly the only sane explanation for his concern about the Wardens.  If corruption is permanent, then the gods are already lost- they cannot be recovered, and there should be no reason to mourn them.  

 

Pardon me while I hold my breath until DLC release.

[wildannie]

I really hope you're right. I watched that epilogue scene again and...I just really need Solas to be okay. That look on his face breaks my heart.

 

 

Yeah,  I do think it is possible that we'll get a tragic ending, but I am hopeful that we will get a choice, while scared to get too invested in case we don't.

Thane didn't have a writer to stick up for him as his original writer had left which probably didn't help.  However, I think the main reason for Thane and Jacob's outcomes was BW looking for ways to cut down the number of characters while ruffling the least amount of feathers so the ladies took the hit .

If we get a 'wolf hunt' DLC, Solas is going to be the focus, so will hopefully get more respect than those characters that became 'throw away' in ME3.

[Abelas]

I just read the music blog post the devs made. I can’t believe Solas speaks in iambic pentameter. This is going to give all fanfiction writers way more work that we needed to, Weekes! 

[Eivuwan]

Hmmm, forgot to mention my theory, didn't I?  About the continuing relationship...

 

My thought is, and don't hate me for this--if you get angry and explode at Solas when he leaves, it's over for good, even if there might be content about the romance later on available to others.  You did what he wanted you to do--you got angry and let him go, and it's so much easier to leave you if you're angry.  (Could be this is why some people say there's a bug and they can't ask him "about us?")  That said Lavellan has every right to be angry.  The breakup was completely unexpected, given the context.

 

If you say, on the other hand, "I believe in us," or "I love you," (or other non-angry options) there's hope for a future with Solas.  But there's the possibility, as I pointed out, that it won't be a happy one, unless Lavellan can be immortal with him.  If she cannot, then he has to watch in agony as she ages and dies, like humans in his time.  To him, it would be like she's slipping away from him more the harder he tries to hold on.  And you can bet he'd be trying to hold on.  She's his Anchor in more ways than one by the end of the game.  She is his primary connection to the modern world.

 

Why do I think anger ends it?  ... Well because in getting angry you're saying you understand that it's over.  You're not saying you think things can be worked out, or telling him that you love him and he shouldn't leave you like this.  Basically you're accepting that he's just ending it right there, and understandably you're peeved about that.

 

And also because Solas is completely a sucker for Lavellan and hates the thought that he might be hurting her... so I think he might be more willing to patch things up if he thinks he's caused her deep pain by leaving, or if he eventually misses her and remembers that she said she thought it could work out etc.

 

Again, don't hate me for this - it's a theory for a reason. After all, the romance only officially counts in that final scene where he leaves you (and that is so unfair, and to go on a tangent, I'm completely tired of romances for women being the ones who run away/cheat/go on about past significant others/die, and NO, Cullen is not proper compensation when we also got Blackwall who ends up being more than a little sleazy... and guys seem to normally get romances who are pretty steady and reliable and don't die, run away, cheat, or go on at length about their past loves making them feel as if they are second best to, for instance, a dead wife...).

 

... And yeah because of that tangent I went off on?  That's the primary reason that I hope there is more content for Solas and that it allows for us to somehow end up with a happy ending for him and Lavellan.  If not... then I will have to add him to my list of reasons why going for one of the romance options for straight females in a BioWare game generally doesn't end well.

 

Well, you can also say that she was angry in the moment, but misses him after she calmed down. I don't think Solas' feelings for her are any different depending on her reaction, so if she still tries to find him later, I think the romance would work out the same. I think the stoic option is worse than the angry one when it comes to what happens in the relationship later. The stoic option is more like "well, I didn't like you enough to show feelings."

[Brass_Buckles]

I'm not sure what the correct answer is as far as the elven gods/old gods goes. But it is highly suspicious that there are seven sealed elven gods and seven old gods. That can't be by accident. Then you have the comparisons between Arlathan and the Black City.

 

Perhaps the blight first infected some of the elven gods, driving them to madness. Solas seals them away [possibly creating the fade itself to house them], and then takes the untainted parts of their souls and puts them inside of dragons for safe keeping. He falls asleep. Unbeknownst to him, the fade allows the 'sleeping' gods to communicate, eventually seducing the magisters into breaching the black city. The blight begins anew, with the purpose of finding and finishing the corruption of the elven gods. 

 

The only downside about the theory is that technically, most of the elven gods are now dead. It also doesn't solve the question of why Solas would want to release them, knowing that they are infected. But it is an interesting thought. 

 

I really don't think that he sealed them away underground though, unless those are the Forbidden Ones.  If they had been... then I guess sooner or later someone's going to have to break the bad news to Solas, that their very souls have been destroyed?

 

And whether the Black City is Arlathan or connected to the sealed-away gods at all, it's impossible to say.  We're told that Arlathan is deep underground, but there's concept art that seems to have been meant to be in DA:I of ruins of Arlathan... and it's very much not underground.

 

I do want to know about the Black City, though.  Perhaps it would be interesting if we could go there, but if my theory about it having been sealed in the Fade because it was already blighted (and the blight gradually grew until it blackened, and Corypheus et al contracted the blight there, rather than causing it) is true, then it probably isn't a place we'd want to visit.  Not without some sort of protection from the Blight, or the ability to somehow cure said Blight.

[jellobell]

And also because Solas is completely a sucker for Lavellan and hates the thought that he might be hurting her... so I think he might be more willing to patch things up if he thinks he's caused her deep pain by leaving, or if he eventually misses her and remembers that she said she thought it could work out etc.

That seems kinda...I dunno, emotional blackmail-y? If he loves her no matter what you say (which he does, as demonstrated by the fact that he couldn't say he doesn't care) then it shouldn't matter what Lavellan's in-the-moment reaction was. He still loves her. Hell, even if she'd been totally cool with it, he'd still love her all the same. So I really don't see your reaction having any bearing on the future of the relationship.

[wildannie]

@Brass_Buckles  I'd be happy if that was the case but I would be surprised.  I don't think the system is as nuanced as that, but if it is that would be awesome!  Will be taking all the soppy choices just in case though 

[Eivuwan]

I really don't think that he sealed them away underground though, unless those are the Forbidden Ones.  If they had been... then I guess sooner or later someone's going to have to break the bad news to Solas, that their very souls have been destroyed?

 

And whether the Black City is Arlathan or connected to the sealed-away gods at all, it's impossible to say.  We're told that Arlathan is deep underground, but there's concept art that seems to have been meant to be in DA:I of ruins of Arlathan... and it's very much not underground.

 

I do want to know about the Black City, though.  Perhaps it would be interesting if we could go there, but if my theory about it having been sealed in the Fade because it was already blighted (and the blight gradually grew until it blackened, and Corypheus et al contracted the blight there, rather than causing it) is true, then it probably isn't a place we'd want to visit.  Not without some sort of protection from the Blight, or the ability to somehow cure said Blight.

 

When you are talking about the Forbidden Ones, did you actually mean the Forgotten Ones? The Forbidden Ones are demons.

[Cosmia]

I do wonder what would happen to the anchor when Lavellan died? 

[Eivuwan]

@Brass_Buckles  I'd be happy if that was the case but I would be surprised.  I don't think the system is as nuanced as that, but if it is that would be awesome!  Will be taking all the soppy choices just in case though 

 

Eh, I mean there are so many ways to look at this. You can also say that if you took the teary options, Solas wouldn't want to get back with you because he thinks you are too attached to him to be an equal partner or something. I don't think it really matters which option you pick.

[Mims]

Hmm. I think I like this.   

 

As for why he'd want to reopen Arlathan, that's the key question.   The city was sealed wholesale, so one potential theory would be that freeing the "innocents" trapped with the ruling pantheon might be worth having to deal with the reawakened gods.  This seems a bit weak.

 

An alternative is that Solas, though having no direct control over the Blight, understands its source and nature far better than we know, and may have reason to believe that the corruption can be reversed.  That's honestly the only sane explanation for his concern about the Wardens.  If corruption is permanent, then the gods are already lost- they cannot be recovered, and there should be no reason to mourn them.  

 

Pardon me while I hold my breath until DLC release.

 

That is definitely possible! I think it makes sense that if Arlathan is the Black City, Solas probably did not take the time to evacuate it. How could he? If he did, then the gods would have been tipped off to his plan. 

 

If we go by that logic...well, the grey wardens have killed off five old gods/elven gods. Perhaps Solas thinks that he is strong enough to keep them at bay on his own, or with Mythal's assistance? Or perhaps he's already located what could potentially be a cure, and the only way to get it to work is by accessing the Black City. 

 

@Brass: [I fail at double quoting, my apologies!]

 

Is this the concept art with the water? Because I actually think it is underground. It has spires that are above ground, but it looks like the whole thing has been sunken. With stairs leading down towards it. 

[Brass_Buckles]

That seems kinda...I dunno, emotional blackmail-y? If he loves her no matter what you say (which he does, as demonstrated by the fact that he couldn't say he doesn't care) then it shouldn't matter what Lavellan's in-the-moment reaction was. He still loves her. Hell, even if she'd been totally cool with it, he'd still love her all the same. So I really don't see your reaction having any bearing on the future of the relationship.

 

I don't think it's emotional blackmail; I think it's more "either you accept that it's over or you don't." As I pointed out, anger is definitely a reasonable response, considering what he does.  I honestly hope my theory is incorrect, and that everybody can get some kind of positive resolution with Solas.

 

Much as I want a happy ending, though... I'm not sure we should get our hopes up.  I don't want to be a downer, but did you hear the soundtrack Weekes used?  I haven't seen the film, but... yeah, it sounds like basically a bunch of "let you go, set you free" type music.  The type that would suggest that we'll never get more of Solas in Lavellan's life.

 

I'm hoping, HOPING SO MUCH, that is not the case.  I'm hoping that because Lavellan now has his power, Solas is going to need Lavellan and come back, either to attempt to get her to help him, or... whatever, you know?  Even if he tries to force her to help, that's something, that allows for a confrontation and a potential resolution.

[Brass_Buckles]

When you are talking about the Forbidden Ones, did you actually mean the Forgotten Ones? The Forbidden Ones are demons.

 

Yes, them. I get the names mixed up.  The F Ones doesn't quite have the same ring to it, though?

[Birdy]

I do wonder what would happen to the anchor when Lavellan died? 

Is it bad to hope that it connect Solas and her together and she won't die until he does? 

[Brass_Buckles]

 

That is definitely possible! I think it makes sense that if Arlathan is the Black City, Solas probably did not take the time to evacuate it. How could he? If he did, then the gods would have been tipped off to his plan. 

 

If we go by that logic...well, the grey wardens have killed off five old gods/elven gods. Perhaps Solas thinks that he is strong enough to keep them at bay on his own, or with Mythal's assistance? Or perhaps he's already located what could potentially be a cure, and the only way to get it to work is by accessing the Black City. 

 

@Brass: [I fail at double quoting, my apologies!]

 

Is this the concept art with the water? Because I actually think it is underground. It has spires that are above ground, but it looks like the whole thing has been sunken. With stairs leading down towards it. 

 

Yes, but to me it looks daylit.  Lots of water, sort of a ring/fountain type thing?  And a big spire up in the center with tiny room-type structures.  That doesn't mean it's actually Arlathan, though, it's just that its description suggested it was.  I got so excited about DAI thinking we were gonna get to GO TO ARLATHAN OMG I WAS TOTALLY GONNA TAKE SOLAS THERE.

 

... But no, we didn't get Arlathan.  Alas.

[Birdy]

Yes, them. I get the names mixed up.  The F Ones doesn't quite have the same ring to it, though?

Hehe/.

[zambixi]

Hmmm, forgot to mention my theory, didn't I?  About the continuing relationship...

 

My thought is, and don't hate me for this--if you get angry and explode at Solas when he leaves, it's over for good, even if there might be content about the romance later on available to others.  You did what he wanted you to do--you got angry and let him go, and it's so much easier to leave you if you're angry.  (Could be this is why some people say there's a bug and they can't ask him "about us?")  That said Lavellan has every right to be angry.  The breakup was completely unexpected, given the context.

 

If you say, on the other hand, "I believe in us," or "I love you," (or other non-angry options) there's hope for a future with Solas.  But there's the possibility, as I pointed out, that it won't be a happy one, unless Lavellan can be immortal with him.  If she cannot, then he has to watch in agony as she ages and dies, like humans in his time.  To him, it would be like she's slipping away from him more the harder he tries to hold on.  And you can bet he'd be trying to hold on.  She's his Anchor in more ways than one by the end of the game.  She is his primary connection to the modern world.

 

Why do I think anger ends it?  ... Well because in getting angry you're saying you understand that it's over.  You're not saying you think things can be worked out, or telling him that you love him and he shouldn't leave you like this.  Basically you're accepting that he's just ending it right there, and understandably you're peeved about that.

 

And also because Solas is completely a sucker for Lavellan and hates the thought that he might be hurting her... so I think he might be more willing to patch things up if he thinks he's caused her deep pain by leaving, or if he eventually misses her and remembers that she said she thought it could work out etc.

 

I actually like this theory a lot. The part about being angry make sense. Though if I remember correctly you can select the "tell me you don't care" option and still get the dialogue afterwards. I'll have to go back and check.

 

But I'm more interested in joining you in your rage against this part:

 

 

 

Again, don't hate me for this - it's a theory for a reason. After all, the romance only officially counts in that final scene where he leaves you (and that is so unfair, and to go on a tangent, I'm completely tired of romances for women being the ones who run away/cheat/go on about past significant others/die, and NO, Cullen is not proper compensation when we also got Blackwall who ends up being more than a little sleazy... and guys seem to normally get romances who are pretty steady and reliable and don't die, run away, cheat, or go on at length about their past loves making them feel as if they are second best to, for instance, a dead wife...).

 

... And yeah because of that tangent I went off on?  That's the primary reason that I hope there is more content for Solas and that it allows for us to somehow end up with a happy ending for him and Lavellan.  If not... then I will have to add him to my list of reasons why going for one of the romance options for straight females in a BioWare game generally doesn't end well.

 

I've thought about that a lot, and it really is sort of unfair. You literally cannot kill the two female LI's from origins. You can behead Leliana and she still comes back talking about how she loves the Warden if you romanced her (I know this was retcon but still). You can stab Morrigan and she shows up as a major character, possibly with a child from the Warden.

Spoiler

Meanwhile, Alistair is pretty easy to kill off this go around. Or you can kill off Hawke and ruin that romance instead.

.

 

The ME romances are a whole different ball of sadness. I wonder if anyone has ever pointed out to BW how often their romances for straight women are sad.

 

I don't think it's emotional blackmail; I think it's more "either you accept that it's over or you don't." As I pointed out, anger is definitely a reasonable response, considering what he does.  I honestly hope my theory is incorrect, and that everybody can get some kind of positive resolution with Solas.

 

Much as I want a happy ending, though... I'm not sure we should get our hopes up.  I don't want to be a downer, but did you hear the soundtrack Weekes used?  I haven't seen the film, but... yeah, it sounds like basically a bunch of "let you go, set you free" type music.  The type that would suggest that we'll never get more of Solas in Lavellan's life.

 

I'm hoping, HOPING SO MUCH, that is not the case.  I'm hoping that because Lavellan now has his power, Solas is going to need Lavellan and come back, either to attempt to get her to help him, or... whatever, you know?  Even if he tries to force her to help, that's something, that allows for a confrontation and a potential resolution.

 

We should tweet Weekes happy, uplifting music. Maybe he still has to finish writing the Solavellan arc?

[Brass_Buckles]

Hehe/.

 

Yes, I know you see what I did there.    Hey, if the description fits...

 

'Course we were wrong about Fen'harel all this time, right?  So what if the Forgotten Ones were just a bunch of sweetie-pies?  Except for the Old God of Slaves.  He's a jerk.

[Mims]

 

... But no, we didn't get Arlathan.  Alas.

 

There's still time! Even if we don't go to Arlathan, I do hope that location makes it into DLC. It looks really cool. I can just imagine some sort of awesome, underground water ruins.