OMG, listen to this terrible tragic luck of mine!
I didn't have JoH with my first play through, and now I do....so I decided to play JoH before Doom Upon the World.....and this happened to me.
Spoiler
Casssandra has managed to say her post-breakup vallaslin banter like 10 times for me. Sometimes twice on the same night.
(Ran out of banter for her and my default party - Solas and Dorian)
Like, Cassandra, thanks for the awkwardness.
This has probably been brought up at some point but Draconis and that graffiti that was painted all over Lowtown look kinda similar.
Spoiler
Spoiler
*smacks self* I forgot about that too!
That one was discussed in depth a while back. 
Solas has a book in his room with that symbol on it. Well, a scroll, in a basket.
And it was adopted as the heraldry of Kirkwall when the slaves of Emerius rose up in rebellion and took it up as their symbol.
Most of the elven caskets we see have it engraved into the sarcophagi.
See what I'm getting at here?
Right, that's where Madrar got the Anubis connection for the Triple Threat Theory as well, wasn't it? Fen'harel as the Guardian of the People, in life and death, which is why even those buried in other tombs are marked with his sign.
I've forgotten a lot of the old theory-crafting. I feel old. 
Gywvian: We had the genetic test thing done a while back. I don't think there was any Hungarian, just people your ancestors raided. I guess they didn't steal my ancestors' knack for pronouncing nomad warlords' names? 
Gah... *cracks open the previously sealed comic trilogy and combs for mentions of dragons*
("The Silent Grove", "Those Who Speak", and "Until we Sleep" spoilers, obviously!)
Well that was exciting! We have several orbs with different "powers", it seems.
Interrupting you a bit with some art. 
Solavellan nose kisses.
Solavellan kiss again.
Solas doodle with him wearing his romance garb.
Inquisition doodles.
Still reading through the mighty Sister Squish's post. 
I'm calling it: The last of the Great Dragons in the Silent Grove is Draconis, the eighth Old God.
EDIT:
What still drives me insane, and what Gaider's notes don't seem to mention...
How in the hell do the Qunari know anything about Calenhad, much less profess to know his darkest secret? The invasion of the North didn't begin for decades. The Qunari weren't in Thedas when Calenhad lived and reigned, much less Ferelden. When he wandered off, did he blunder into the Qunari fleet or homeland, searching for his friend? That is the only explanation that makes any sense to me.
I'm really upset and in need of blanket fort support. 
I kind of lost access to my 500+ hours of save files. Something happened and my PS4 profile won't recognize me anymore. ;____; But I don't think there's anything that can be done about it. I just need to start over....I just wanted to complain. All of the lore talk/theories on here are getting me through this though! So Thank you, Solavellans! 
Not really Solas related, but elfy paintings!
ugh. double post
oh, look! fanart!
For those reading Message Sent, Sheila/Aicosu has been replying to asks on her Tumblr regarding the fic and it's very interesting.
Regarding the inspiration for the fic: http://aicosu.tumblr...nt-what-was-the
Stuff to look forward to in the fic: http://aicosu.tumblr...epartment-store
What MS!Solas typically wears: http://aicosu.tumblr...s-solas-wearing
And Sheila mentioned that there would be updates on the fic sometime tomorrow!
Still reading through the mighty Sister Squish's post.
I'm calling it: The last of the Great Dragons in the Silent Grove is Draconis, the eighth Old God.
EDIT:
What still drives me insane, and what Gaider's notes don't seem to mention...
How in the hell do the Qunari know anything about Calenhad, much less profess to know his darkest secret? The invasion of the North didn't begin for decades. The Qunari weren't in Thedas when Calenhad lived and reigned, much less Ferelden. When he wandered off, did he blunder into the Qunari fleet or homeland, searching for his friend? That is the only explanation that makes any sense to me.
It's possible that they've been around in Thedas, but in very small populations:
"At -410 Ancient a group of kossith landed in the southern Korcari Wilds and established a colony. This group is believed to have been captured by darkspawn during the First Blight; the darkspawn then turned some of the females into broodmothers, and those in turn gave rise to the first appearance of ogres in Thedas. A millennium after this contact, the Qunari landed on Par Vollen in 6:30 Storm. It is said the Qunari came from an eastern land across the Northern Ocean, which was likely the land of kossith as well."
I'm really upset and in need of blanket fort support.
Not really Solas related, but elfy paintings!
Spoiler
I'm so sorry to hear that. I could imagine how frustrating it is to lose over 500+ hours of save files...
I'm really upset and in need of blanket fort support.
Not really Solas related, but elfy paintings!
Spoiler
I'm sorry this happened. I would feel terrible. Here, have a Solas:
I back up my saves on PC and then upload the file to cloud storage. I'm reminded by your post I need to update this file tomorrow.
It's possible that they've been around in Thedas, but in very small populations:
"At -410 Ancient a group of kossith landed in the southern Korcari Wilds and established a colony. This group is believed to have been captured by darkspawn during the First Blight; the darkspawn then turned some of the females into broodmothers, and those in turn gave rise to the first appearance of ogres in Thedas. A millennium after this contact, the Qunari landed on Par Vollen in 6:30 Storm. It is said the Qunari came from an eastern land across the Northern Ocean, which was likely the land of kossith as well."
It's possible that they've been around in Thedas, but in very small populations:
It still bewilders me that the Qunari come from the north and the kossith settled in the bitterest, farthest south part of Thedas.
But, well, the kossith colony was annihilated by darkspawn. There could have been other colonies, I suppose, and the occasional intrepid merchant. (I really want to see full-on Qunari civilians, bakers, merchants, side-by-side with the Antaam and Ben'Hassrath types we've met so far.) I mean, it's possible a weird giant horned person was part of Calenhad's entourage and recorded his tales, but you'd think the bards would take that and run with it. 
Also, Garahel apparently managed to sleep with a Qunari beforehand. The author, I think, claimed that the whole griffon-riding thing let the Grey Wardens be more adventurous. I guess the Qunari were just hanging out in the Boeric Isles waiting for hot elves to swoop down out of the sky? 
I'm really upset and in need of blanket fort support.
Not really Solas related, but elfy paintings!
Spoiler
I've felt your pain. That sucks.
Let the music heal you.
We aren't given a lot to build on in game, but the little we do have seems to support the idea that the OGSes of the Pantheon are held within the dragons we know as Archdemons - which is more or less the same concept as dragons being 'possessed' by the spirits of the Gods. I think these dragon vessels acted as battle forms in the attack/defense of Arlathan, selected for their physical advantages and ability to amplify the Will of the soul within. The details of the theoretical attack and Fen'Harel's "betrayal" were written up a few pages back, but more to the point, I think they've been intentionally drawing darkspawn to them in the ages since in an attempt to delay the inevitable: darkspawn reaching the buried Dark City where their master Elgar'nan is currently trapped. Given that, Archdemons do essentially act as seals on the Big Bad's prison. It also implies that blights aren't so much an purposeful attack on the surface as they are a carefully balanced delay tactic, intended to be drawn out as long as possible without tipping the surface world into unrecoverable chaos.
I think we have limited evidence for this in the immortality of Archdemons and the unique ability of Grey Wardens to "permanently" kill them. A key concept to note here is that the physical world of Thedas has a relationship to the Fade that directly parallels the relationship of a physical body to its soul. I believe the Fade is quite literally the soul of the Earth, and Mythal is a fragment of that soul. As souls are her contribution to sentient life, most beings on Thedas are connected to this Fade by default. Dwarves, of course, are a bit different. They've lost their connection to their original source- the Fade of the Earth, and are now connected to the emergent Fade of the fetal Stone: an explanation for their gradual evolution toward beings of emotion, individuality, and -potentially- perhaps eventual magic.
Of course, darkspawn are a special case as well. We know they, like Cole, do not eat- and like him, I believe the explanation is that they are sustained instead by their connection to the Fade of a Maker: the dark soul of Elgar'nan. They, and all blighted things, are connected to this Fade: including tainted Archdemons, and critically, Grey Wardens. It's the Warden's connection to this alternate Fade that is the source of the nightmares they endure. The taint connects their soul to both realms, and as the taint progresses, they lose their connection to Earth's fade and become more and more fully creatures of Elgar'nan.
Archdemons do not rise until they are completely blighted- fully connected to Elgar'nan's Fade. Thus when they die, their OGS returns to this alternate fade, where it can be immediately redirected into the nearest entity with an "open" connection to it, ie: any blighted creature. Since Wardens have a connection to both Fades, the OGS is drawn in, but -critically- when the Warden dies, his split soul is pulled back into the Fade of the Earth, carrying the Archdemon's merged OGS along with it.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a critical distinction between a soul being redirected from one body to another via the Fade and actually passing through the veil in death. The latter seems to have a memory-wiping component, notable in other examples of theoretical reincarnation: Andruil's OGS in Sera, June's OGS in Sandal, and -critical to our discussion here- Dirthamen's OGS in Solas. When Solas tells the Inquisitor that he "learned it in the Fade", I believe he's being entirely truthful. Dumat's death released Dirthamen's OGS, but at the cost of his memory and personal connection to his past, which he's been slowly recovering via punctuated stretches of Uthenera ever since the first blight. (Note that Mythal's transfer from daughter to daughter circumvents this wiping, as does the Dark Ritual- suggesting that Ghilan'nain's OGS may be fully aware and intact within Kieran.)
Back with more thoughts on Mythal and what's going on with her OGS when I get kicked off the Witcher again. @w@
I need to buy another PS4- this timesharing thing is ridiculous
Gah, I'm so scattered today in responses...
So basically, you could say the dragons are a kind of 'beacon' for darkspawn by design; I like the idea that they might have been a kind of attempt to draw them to a single spot, like a lure, and perhaps even destroy them... except maybe they might have miscalculated and the 'beacons' realized that they just got handed an army... So Arlathan is like the Netheril Empire of DA in a sense.
I like this "Dark Fade" idea, if I can call it that. It would make sense to me in terms of OGS/elven pantheon imprisonment, Solas' distress and disdain regarding Grey Wardens despite their reason for existence and why it's a troublesome solution.
*frazzled* I've got more thoughts on this, really I do! More intelligent ones! I will catch up at some point or another........
*smacks self* I forgot about that too!
That one was discussed in depth a while back.
Solas has a book in his room with that symbol on it. Well, a scroll, in a basket.
And it was adopted as the heraldry of Kirkwall when the slaves of Emerius rose up in rebellion and took it up as their symbol.
Most of the elven caskets we see have it engraved into the sarcophagi.
See what I'm getting at here?
Right, that's where Madrar got the Anubis connection for the Triple Threat Theory as well, wasn't it? Fen'harel as the Guardian of the People, in life and death, which is why even those buried in other tombs are marked with his sign.
I've forgotten a lot of the old theory-crafting. I feel old.
Gywvian: We had the genetic test thing done a while back. I don't think there was any Hungarian, just people your ancestors raided.
Ah, I see! Well, it all makes sense, then. Though from a linguist's perspective, Hungarian does have ties to other languages, so there could be a connection there if you have Finno-Ugric roots of any kind. (Naturally, that particular language family is under dispute! Because everything about Hungarians is COMPLICATED. )
"Dumat: Elgar’nan
Zazikel: Ghilan’nain
Toth: Sylaise
Andoral: Andruil
Urthemiel: June
Razikale: Dirthamen
Lusacan: Falon’Din"
One of my first posts on this thread back in the day.
Nowadays, of course, Razikale is female, and while Dirthamen is certainly pretty, he's a bro-elf. I'd probably switch Zazikel out with Andruil, since she has friendly fire issues, and Ghilly has slaves/monsters, which sort of fits. Urthemiel and June fit. Lusacan and Falon'din have the most direct link thanks to 'The Song of Falon'din' and his 'wings of night'. Also Toth and Sylvaise, both revolving around fire, both nasty. Dumat the Silent could be Mythal, could be Elgie, what with his wrath and ruin and being the head of the pantheon.
Nowadays. I'm growing more convinced that they're some kind of Great Dragon gods, the Pillars of the Earth, or something, and that the Creators interacted with them a lot but weren't them.
I wrote a theory on the pillars a while back which has something to do with this, but I can't remember what I said exactly.
I'll get back to you on that.
All this work has melted my brain cells, aaaaaaaaaah!
Ah, I see! Well, it all makes sense, then.
I understand that the cooking involves food+paprika. And apparently it's superior paprika to the kind we get in American stores. (Bad enough that Delphine was lambasting American cheese. What do you mean, it's not supposed to be industrial yellow paste squares? )
I think Finno-Ugric is one of the few groups in the entirety of Europe I'm not related to, sadly.
Which reminds me. We haven't really seen any steppe horse nomads, have we? I love those guys. 
Here's hoping that somewhere, there's a bunch of halla-riding Dalish that think that periodic raids into Tevinter would be hilarious, and they just need to get their formations down pat.
I understand that the cooking involves food+paprika.
I think Finno-Ugric is one of the few groups in the entirety of Europe I'm not related to, sadly.
Which reminds me. We haven't really seen any steppe horse nomads, have we? I love those guys.
I'd be thoroughly amused to see the halla-riding Dalish swoop into Tevinter... you know, Hungarians were very good at that (and we still are to a degree, there are a lot of groups dedicated to keeping what old traditions alive that we can actually remember from our pre-Christian roots).
Well, as to food, I would say paprika (and yes, it IS vastly superior in Hungary, especially paprika from Szeged, which is where I happened to live for the past six years up until about half a year ago), sour cream (also slightly different), bread and most importantly: MEAT. Loooots of meat. Oh, and the pastries.... there's just no describing it. Oh, and of course alcohol in incredibly large quantities. Hungarians really like to drink. (Vodka is a pittance compared to pálinka.) Plus, onions and sweet peppers go well with practically anything! And pickles. Looove pickles. Ooooh, and my favorite is cucumber salad - that's cucumber in a vinegar, sugar and water mixture with (you guessed it) sweet paprika sprinkled on top. Mmmmmm.
This discussion is going to make me homesick. And I'm still enjoying finally tasting all the American tastes I've been missing for over a decade! My life is difficult.
And then we have these inexplicably oversized sarcophagi, with no obvious tie to... anyone, really. The images on each makes me wonder if there's an ancient elvhen mage (arcane horror) / warrior (revenant) connection, but that's 100% baseless speculation.
Spoiler
*lies down on the floor* blergh, I give up.
From what we can tell, these guys were very tall and some of them appeared to have horns?
It makes me wonder that perhaps if the Kossith did experiment with dragon's blood to give them certain physical characteristics as Bull speculates, perhaps these sarcophagi depict them, since some have horns and others do not (much like the modern Qunari).
It could also be that the non-horned individuals are humans who served them, since like the Qunari, humans first appeared in Thedas after landing on Par Vollen from elsewhere... so possibly both races hailed originally from the same place?
If not them, perhaps the race that built pyramids on Par Vollen, who were said to have horns and whom the natives mistook the Qunari for? We're told that the natives worshipped them as Gods, which would I guess fit with the kind of veneration that's being depicted?
He resorts to the plan in Awakening because he accepts that the one in The Calling wasn't going to work. He tried making people darkspawn, then he tried making darkspawn people. What's next? Who knows?
There's no need to kill my waifu.
This is why I (somewhat tentatively) allied with him.
While he's not entirely trustworthy, the Architect is at least rational enough to learn from his mistakes when they horribly blow up in his face and not attempt to repeat them (unlike Corypheus) and he recognised that his plan in The Calling was folly. The Sentient Darkspawn are at least a step in the right direction since some of them (like the Messenger) can turn out to be entirely non-hostile, which is altogether far better than the always chaotic evil creature they were before their awakening?
Besides, he's not wrong when he points out that all he's doing is using the blood of their "enemy" to grant them new powers, in an attempt to end the Blights once and for all... so how is that any different from what the Warden's do?
Interrupting you a bit with some art.
Solavellan kiss again.
Spoiler
Solas doodle with him wearing his romance garb.
[spoiler]http://pissedchan.tu...-the-doodle-for
Omg this is similar of what I did on my video:
2:27-2:47
XD '' In another world... but don't forget, I am also just a girl standing in front of a boy.. asking him to love her ''
Really reminded me of that.. brought feelings back T_T
Omg this is similar of what I did on my video:
2:27-2:47
XD '' In another world... but don't forget, I am also just a girl standing in front of a boy.. asking him to love her ''
Really reminded me of that.. brought feelings back T_T
*sniff* Excuse me, I've got something in my eye...
I had read on tumblr that the release date of the movie Shrek was almost exactly 14 years ago, so I told myself, "eh, let's watch it again".
I had forgotten it featured the song Hallelujah. I did not expect having Solavellan feels while watching Shrek T-T
WEEEEEEEKEEEES!!!
I had read on tumblr that the release date of the movie Shrek was almost exactly 14 years ago, so I told myself, "eh, let's watch it again".
I had forgotten it featured the song Hallelujah. I did not expect having Solavellan feels while watching Shrek T-T
WEEEEEEEKEEEES!!!
Wow, almost 14 years ago... 
And Shrek was where I heard the song Hallelujah for the first time.
Ever since I found out that Weekes listened to Hallelujah while writing some of Solas' scenes, I've never heard that song the same way again.
And I'll probably get Solavellan feels too when that song comes up while watching Shrek again... Ugh!
WEEEEEEEEKES!!!!
"Yavana: Your heart beats with the old blood, as well. Where do you think it comes from? It sings of a time when dragons ruled the skies. A time before the mysteries were forgotten."
This,Kieran says to the inquisitor "Your blood is very old" The inquisitor has something to do with the return of the dragons i wonder?
Retour en haut
