Good catch, Capri. I thought it was odd that the original post url linked some pages back wasn't the same as the watermark.
Holy nutcrackers, this artist does really good stuff. DA:I Fenris... *fans self*
Spoiler
No problem! It was bothering me for a while when I saw the link didn't match the watermark. 
And yes, this artist does great works! I love his artworks of Bull's Chargers (Krem is so hot darn it!) and Sutherland's crew! 
Definitely. Can we talk about how the phrase "Armor of the Void" is deeply similar to "Anvil of the Void"? I feel like there's something there, my brain is just struggling to connect the dots.
Caridin is credited with the discovery of the anvil and making golems, but golems were present in the Primeval Thaig. He does admit to being "inspired" by the ancestors. Could he have simply been hinting that he had taken it? God, that's a terrible way to go.
Rescue a lost piece of your culture, claim it as your own, only to be transformed by it once you realize the horrific cost of life and free will inherent in its usage?
I wonder if Golem's could be said to be wearing "Armor of the Void"... If you think about it they're all Dwarves (souls) "wearing" armor aren't they?
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Also an excellent point. Andruil is said to have "put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face."
Just when I think my mind can't be blown much more... there it goes again. You're onto something there!
Almost positive that we'll be learning a lot more about the dwarves in the next installment now.
Awww, thank you! Yeah, I was theoried out. I just needed to enjoy the game/ prepare to return to my final semester of my master's thesis (ahhhhhh!!).
My only reason for not seeing it as flames is because that's more Sylaise's realm of influence, but I agree with you. There is definitely a shape-language likeness to her armor that is reminiscent of flame!
Also... has anyone thought that perhaps each of the Elven Gods were over a branch of magic? Sylaise --> Fire, Ghilal'nain --> Shapeshifter, Andruil --> Blood Magic, Falon'Din--> Necromancy, Mythal --> Spirit (or KE, given her Protection-Goddess status, but barrier is in the Spirit tree and it is primarily defensive), Solas/Fen'Harel --> Rift Mage (obviously), and June.. while not magic per-say cause he's a dwarf --> Enchantment.
Unsure about where Elgar'nan and Dirthamen would land.. Parts of me want to place Elgar'nan into Lightning because of his parallels to Zeus. And... I guess the follower of Dirthamen's that was sealed away was a Despair Demon and thereby... ice? I dunno. Those last two are the only ones I can't place.
Now that you've mentioned it, I thought, that all elvhen used some equivalent of Rift magic, like Solas. Elements are too flashy, too show-off, it must be easier and more effective to draw raw Fade energy. I even remember some banter about it (Cole? Solas? Cannot remember).
Definitely. Can we talk about how the phrase "Armor of the Void" is deeply similar to "Anvil of the Void"? I feel like there's something there, my brain is just struggling to connect the dots.
Caridin is credited with the discovery of the anvil and making golems, but golems were present in the Primeval Thaig. He does admit to being "inspired" by the ancestors. Could he have simply been hinting that he had taken it? God, that's a terrible way to go.
Rescue a lost piece of your culture, claim it as your own, only to be transformed by it once you realize the horrific cost of life and free will inherent in its usage?
Whoa, the "Anvil of the Void" is another bit that slipped right past me. It's almost certainly June's, but the connection to the void...
Void-prison forms as a collaboration between June and Ghil? Possibly. Doesn't seem remotely complete. Going to have to think about this for a bit.
Argh. Just where is this Void, exactly? In the Fade? Underground? Gah.
If we assume the dwarves lived underground even back then could the Void be underneath them? Reverse mountains. Places in the earth that are so deep that there's no light, thin air and nothing can grow. The Void is the Nothing.
But I think we have limited evidence that they can be. A strong enough spirit can infuse the literal blood of a physical body- like the Lady of the Forest and lycanthropy. It's all Will, even if it's a spirit's- and Mythal has some crazy strong Will, even being just a fragment of what she once was.
Science and Magic are not so far apart in Thedas. What we would consider "DNA" is the individual's Song- the Song that shapes who and what they are. It's not an exact scientific mapping, of course (the Song exists in the blood of beings, not cells) but the connection is definitely there.
Think about Blight and how it affects Will. It is a dark Song in the blood of Wardens- one that gets stronger and louder over time... eventually strong enough to change their actual, physical form. (Their DNA, in modern terms.) The Song of the individual is overpowered by the Will - the Song - of the Sun. They become Darkspawn: part of a collective hive mind entirely controlled by the Sun and subsumed to His Will.
Make sense?
Hmm... you make some good points.
What I was trying to say, is that I still don't know if that Will infused blood from a spirit means those sharing the bloodline could really claim to be related to that spirit. (i.e. Assuming Morrigan was Flemeth's birth child, is she really a descendant of Mythal?)
More to think on, I guess.
My collection of crazy theories is starting to look a lot like this.
Now that you've mentioned it, I thought, that all elvhen used some equivalent of Rift magic, like Solas. Elements are too flashy, too show-off, it must be easier and more effective to draw raw Fade energy. I even remember some banter about it (Cole? Solas? Cannot remember).
Now that you've mentioned it, I thought, that all elvhen used some equivalent of Rift magic, like Solas. Elements are too flashy, too show-off, it must be easier and more effective to draw raw Fade energy. I even remember some banter about it (Cole? Solas? Cannot remember).
I've been a fan of dakkun since DA2, he's really great. Check this out: http://dakkun39.tumb...830217223#notes
Yes, now I see why the artist's name is familiar! I saw David Gaider reblog this a while back. It's pretty incredible!
Argh. Just where is this Void, exactly? In the Fade? Underground? Gah.
The two are not incompatible. ^w^ My personal theory is an independent bubble of localized space-time, accessible by a locked eluvian currently located in the Dark City, which would make it pretty dang deep underground.
Hmm... you make some good points.
What I was trying to say, is that I still don't know if that Will infused blood from a spirit means those sharing the bloodline could really claim to be related to that spirit. (i.e. Assuming Morrigan was Flemeth's birth child, is she really a descendant of Mythal?)
More to think on, I guess.
My collection of crazy theories is starting to look a lot like this.
*grabs you by the shoulders and does the crazy-eyes shake*
It's all true, I tell you! I swear that pic is a snapshot of the Bioware writers' board.
From what I remember, I think they state that technically all magic is drawing energy from the fade, pulling it from there to here with your will. And given Sylaise's Song codex entry, she is definitely that big of a show-off!!
They all are 
Also an excellent point. Andruil is said to have "put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face."
Someone here has already elaborated this theory, waaay back, like, 200 pages? It is an interesting theory, but we still lack solid codex. Even Book of Thedas is a bit controversary, considering all the plot twists in DAI.
They all are
Someone here has already elaborated this theory, waaay back, like, 200 pages? It is an interesting theory, but we still lack solid codex. Even Book of Thedas is a bit controversary, considering all the plot twists in DAI.
...I have a feeling that the next time I play through DAI, instead of getting sad at the end, I'll just be angry like HOW DARE YOU LEAVE Solas when I still have so many questions
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...I have a feeling that the next time I play through DAI, instead of getting sad at the end, I'll just be angry like HOW DARE YOU LEAVE Solas when I still have so many questions
I got irritated kind of sad, with irresistible urge to stab something and then run away into the sunset, crying
Okay. The void=/= not magic. The fade == magic. The Dwarves =/= not magic. Surfaces == magic.
But what if the Void itself was magic (like the fade) and has been...cut off (by the blight? ) from magic and that's why the Dwarves are not magic. Or the fade draws from the Lyrium and saps any magic the Void may had.
The Void and the fade I think of as heaven and hell, but heaven has been corrupted.
Anyway these thoughts don't even make sense to me.
What I want to know is what Valdasine is, and what happened to the mining family that made it and why it was in the Primeval Thaig.
Who were the Dwarven dieties? Why does the red lyrium idol look like Solas and mythal.
So many questions. Why why why! How is it all connected!
So the Void is sort of like the antimatter to the Fade's matter?
I'll have to mull this over.
Yes, there may be objective criteria for poor storytelling like obvious contradictions or shallow stereotypical characters, but mostly it's very very subjective.
Often we project more clever things onto something than the person who created it. But so what? What matters is what people get out of something. And if they enjoy theorizing and come up with great ideas others even appreciate contemplating, that's wonderful!
Personally, I consider anything that allows for such extensive theorizing a success. In the end the actual intent doesn't even matter. If we like what we see we shouldn't let others ruin it. That was my issue with BSN after ME3. I loved the game so much and had no problem with the ending. I thought the execution was poor but I thought it all made perfect sense. I firmly believe in the indoctrination theory and the shitload of evidence in the game that supports it - that doesn't mean others have to interpret the games the same way. But the amount if ridicule and resentment upset fans had for those who were happy with their interpretation made me leave BSN.
I feel the same frustration with the hate for DAI. The game is as good as we want it to be. Bioware games allow for intensive theorizing and that is something I love them for.
I feel that many people don't give Bioware enough credit for their subtext/mythology. They do have a plan and an endgame. They always drop many hints and DAI is the best proof how everything is connected. And that there is MUCH more going on than mages and templars. That is fact, the game states it. However, how complicated this all is comes down to personal interpretation. Bioware will most likely keep it open. I like it when something is not spelled out, so that everyone can draw their own conclusions. But when there are enough hints that do make sense if we manage to piece them together. There usually is a message/a meaning. It just might not be quite as philosophical or brilliant as we thought. Some things are just coincidence but our adaptive minds can find meaning in everything. Theories are reflections of the mind of the theorizer not so much the art. And it's all good that way. Stories are meant to be fun and maybe make us think.
Bioware gives me what I seek, so I'm happy.
It's not like I said that it's poor story telling so people should stop talking about their theories. I am of the opinion that Bioware games are a success partly because they have been pretty good at telling their stories. I am sure that they want to continue pleasing most of their fans and obtaining new ones. At the end of the day, they need an income. I think the anger at the ME3 ending was well-deserved. I am not going to go into why I think it's horrible because this is not the place for that. Many many fans were upset and they have given several logical reasons for hating the ending. However, this was just one big mess up in their long history of making games so I can forgive them and continue trying out their games.
I have no way of proving this, but I believe that making Solas into anything other than his Fen'harel identity would be bad story telling to a majority, if not a good number of the fans. It makes the character lose its emotional impact because it over-complicates the character. Bioware always seeks to gain new fans as well as maintain their old ones for each game they make. I doubt they would go for a theory that would make new fans go "wtf I can't follow the narrative" and some current players like me feel like I don't know Solas at all so why should I care about him.
I don't know why people feel that way about Solas. You can disagree with him on a number of things and the romance would still proceed. The game doesn't allow us to question him TOO much because it would reveal the secret. He seems pretty easy to get along with actually which is why I like the romance.
she's kind and light hearted, she helps people. That's it!
I swear, the wait for DLC is going to kill me. But hopefully it comes out after April once my MFA thesis gallery show is taken down. But that's a selfish reason for it to be put off! Also... longer we wait = more time for them to develop content = longer DLC? Yesssss? Maybe? Please?
But that also means the lack of codex entries will haunt me in my sleep for longer... COMPLICATIONS.
Had to google "what the heck is MFA thesis 
" Color me impressed - you draw, are very articulate, and now this. Just wow.
As I've heard, Bioware are developing some content already, and I refuse to believe it's just another MP crap. So yeah, I would rather hope, that coming DLC is going to be lengthy. Meanwhile crackpot theories, yaaay!
So the Void is sort of like the antimatter to the Fade's matter?
I'll have to mull this over.
I'm not sure I'm catching what Ave means by matter/anti-matter. It's certainly... nothing. A lack-of-universe-stuff that holds things in a semi-suspended state of nothingness. Interesting that particular fear should show up as Sera's greatest one, yeah? At the time I thought it was just a reference to her uncertainty about there being a true meaning to life beyond the surface, a greater Plan that made sense and was real.
Now I kind of think yeah, that's true- but also, literal Void. Because Andruil.
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