153433 réponses à ce sujet

[Vorathrad]

Spoiler

Her family is her clan, and the clan is extremely tight-knit and close, as well as forward-thinking and open-minded (it's HER that was the most isolationist/stubborn of them, ironically). First of all, she'd do it ASAP, she'd do it herself (it has to come from her), and she'd do it in person (messages aren't secure anymore).

 

She'd make sure all of them knew the truths she's learned about the People's past for a start (the true nature of the false-gods, the true reason for the fall, the true meaning for the vallaslin, etc), and she'd recount the story of the Inquisition to all of them. She'd urge that they forget the past and work to build something for themselves in the present. 

 

And then she'd convene a council of the Keeper, First, Second, the clan's hahrens and elders and other leaders, and fighters. This group would be told of the Dread Wolf and how he's real and walking the earth, and of how he infiltrated the Inquisition and what he plans going forward, and how he must be found and stopped. She's the clan's war leader and they'd almost certainly be going to war in an effort to stop him, or at least they must be told in order that they can keep the clan safe from the looming threat. The children and similar members of the clan don't need to know these gory details yet because there's no reason to cause them needless fear.

 

Her personal relationship with Solas is irrelevant to these discussions, even if they had heard of it already from rumors or whatever. She's incredibly businesslike. She might share it with the Keeper and some of her closest friends in the clan (like her second-in-command) but that's it.

 

Spoiler

Exactly what my Lavellan would do and how she would do it. She feels almost closer now to the Avvars of the Stone-Bear Hold than her clan, but they're still her clan i.e. her family. If she's going this, she's doing together with them and with everyone informed (she's had enough secrets for a lifetime already)

 

@Jaderail I agree with Sable, putting up the Veil must have drained off his power, even his life force (if they aren't one and the same) so he had to enter uthenera. It speaks of the huge effort that the awakes after resting for millenia and he's still weakened.

[Moondreamer01]

 

Spoiler

I think my Lavellan knows she can never go home.  She's seen too much, done too much, to ever really belong with her clan again.  She no longer has a sense of what's best for the clan.  So she basically gives her Keeper and family the complete truth, then lets the Keeper decide how much to tell everyone else.

It's rather sad, actually, because while she still loves her family and cares about her clan, I think she feels the loneliest when she's with them. Like the burden of truth placed upon her, and her history with Solas, keep her apart from them.

 

*snips*

Spoiler

My Lavellan seems quite similar to yours. Deshanna is her aunt and she would tell her everything (apart from the fact she still love the dread wolf lol, she doesn't need the lecture she'd get about that). She'd let Deshanna decide what is best to tell the rest of the clan, but she'd also tell Deshanna to keep an eye on the most hot-blooded of the clan to see if there's any effort to recruit them. If so, send a message to Varric so she knows about it. For some reason though, I feel like Solas would leave her clan alone, if only because he wouldn'T want to mess with the family of the woman he loves.

[Cee]

Spoiler

Well, given how the Council behave at the end of Trespasser, I find it difficult to imagine anything's going to be kept secret, and there's the nobles who comment on your relationship with Solas in the main room in Skyhold, so I think - one way or the other - everyone's going to find out that everything. Plus we don't know if Varric intends to write an Inquisition equivalent of the Champion of Kirkwall and how much he intends to spill.

 

I'm curious how the scandal that the main drive behind stopping Solas was also in love with him will play out (great, now I sound like the noble xD). I think, personally, my girl is going to be very vocal about stopping Solas -even with his death- but to a select few, her clan included, her true efforts is going to convince him out of his plans. I've headcanoned that my Ilaria's core group of hunters and her twin brother come to Skyhold quite late into the main game, and Mahanon reeaally isn't in the Solas fanclub. So I'm picturing a lot of friction there when he finds out, especially since Ilaria and Mahanon are effectively estranged anyway (but that's not down to Solas, that's down to past events when they were in their early twenties). Her core hunting group, however, are supportive, and mostly want to go out adventuring with her again.

 

Spoiler

 

For mine, the conflict will be with her younger sister. But I had already planned to have that out between them in the in-between visit after Corypheus. Her sister idolized her, she grew up taking care of her sister (they also have a brother). Her sister was all but formally betrothed to the First, who went to the Conclave and died, while her sister survived. Sister comes back with a bare face and all this talk and new information.

 

 

Mine remains close with her family in her own way, even as she realizes that she finally came into herself as part of the Inquisition, away from certain pressures, in the midst of entirely new ones, but has found her place. So she will be pulled at least a bit in several directions but she's still going to ultimately focus on what she can do to change Solas' mind and stop him.

 

 

[electricfish]

Solas is a hypocrite. A huge frustrating hypocrite. 

 

Spoiler

Yes...but not in that particular context. Solas doesn't have a high opinion of the Dalish, but that doesn't mean he can't be opposed to using them as agents (or tools!) in order to bring down the Veil. Just because he sneers at how little they have accomplished and how all the wrong stories are preserved doesn't make them less capable than city elves for...whatever tasks he has for them. You don't have to like something to use it to your benefit.

[Cee]

I know! Just discussing my Inquisitor specifically. She doesn't have immediate family.

Ah. I already mentioned recently how I gave this PC lots of family since my poor Shepard was alone, had no parents, and had massive trauma and trust issues.

 

I think it's working for me creatively this time, given the events.

[Sable Rhapsody]

Spoiler

Exactly what my Lavellan would do and how she would do it. She feels almost closer now to the Avvars of the Stone-Bear Hold than her clan, but they're still her clan i.e. her family. If she's going this, she's doing together with them and with everyone informed (she's had enough secrets for a lifetime already)

 

@Jaderail I agree with Sable, putting up the Veil must have drained off his power, even his life force (if they aren't one and the same) so he had to enter uthenera. It speaks of the huge effort that the awakes after resting for millenia and he's still weakened.

 

Never mind "almost," the Avvar are basically my Lavellan's refuge.  She associates them with all of the warm-and-fuzzy feelings of home: kinship, belonging, unconditional loyalty and love.  And a lot of it has to do with the way they treated her in Jaws of Hakkon.  She earned that legend-mark.  She earned their kinship.  And the Avvar value loyalty to a hold above all else.  They don't give a f*** about Solas or being the Herald of Andraste or any of the other things that burden her.  It's actually kind of adorable how well she fit in with them.

 

 

Spoiler

For some reason though, I feel like Solas would leave her clan alone, if only because he wouldn'T want to mess with the family of the woman he loves.

 

 

Spoiler

I think he would steer clear, but mostly because Clan Lavellan's existence varies based on worldstate, and it's probably not important enough to make it part of Solas's plans.  But if there is one thing that could get my Lavellan to do an 180 and put his head on a spike, it would be harming her family.

[Solas]

Spoiler

yeah so like until canon tells me otherwise my universe's Lavellan clan are a hermetically sealed unit that listen to and stand behind my Lavellan 100% and would never betray her and show a unified front in things. it's other elves they need be worried about, strangers. she's highly respected in the clan because she literally would do anything to protect and help them, and does. like she has a lot of flaws and she's an ass but literally ALL SHE CARES ABOUT IS HER CLAN omg.

 

I'm so not on-board with insane tragedy and corruption befalling Lavellan at every single freakin turn, let her have this one thing. 'my clan all died' and 'the clan didnt like me' 'I can't fit back in after being with the Inquisition' and 'clan member betrayal/can't be trusted' is just a big NOPE for me, too much, too far.

 

I am referring explicitly to my own canon and Lavellan in this, everyone else is free to do as they wish.

[electricfish]

He doesn't specify.

Spoiler

My current working theory is that something as dramatic as putting up the Veil drained him of his powers to a point where he was near death. He had to enter uthenera or die, basically. The magical equivalent of sleeping off the worst hangover ever

 This. Uthenara is partially used as a method to heal  the body (and possibly soul for particularly old elves) after sustaining trauma or a significant amount of injuries.

Spoiler

In the case of Solas, I'm sure that the "wolf" chewing off its leg after the Veil went up was half the reason he had to go into Uthenara to recuperate. The enormous amount of magical power required to actually put up the Veil, combined with getting rid of a piece of himself/being injured/whatever likely forced him into an "Uthenara or die" scenario like Sable pointed out.

 

See: Fen'Harel and the Tree, Andruil sustained enough injury against Anaris that she needed to go into Uthenara to heal quicker, therefore giving Fen'Harel time to chew through hid bindings.

[Sable Rhapsody]

Spoiler

I'm so not on-board with insane tragedy and corruption befalling Lavellan at every single freakin turn, let her have this one thing. 'my clan all died' and 'the clan didnt like me' 'I can't fit back in after being with the Inquisition' and 'clan member betrayal/can't be trusted' is just a big NOPE for me, too much, too far.

 

I am referring explicitly to my own canon and Lavellan in this, everyone else is free to do as they wish.

 

Spoiler

Fair enough  Everyone needs some way of making sure Lavellan doesn't just drown in all the sads.

 

My Lavellan has plenty of other places where she belongs, and her immediate family does love her and support her.  So that's enough to keep her going even if she feels isolated from the rest of her clan.  I headcanon that mine has a fairly nomadic existence after joining the Jennies, so home is wherever she feels loved.  With the Avvar, pranking with Sera, helping Bull save her bestie, fancy Hightown estate...as long as she has the Power of Friendship, she'll be fine.

[drosophila]

Solas is a hypocrite. A huge frustrating hypocrite. 

 

I'm not defending what he's doing, it's horrible, but I think he's not knowingly being a hypocrite. I think he's rationalizing it all in his head in some twisted way that makes everything he's doing OK. 

 

Spoiler

Not that I'm not still p*ssed off about him building his spy network behind everyone's back. That really hit me hard.

 

On the schedule for today:

 

8 am: Scrambled eggs for breakfast. Recruit the cook as agent. 

9 am: Work on mural. Use exceptionally good hearing to overhear Leliana's conversations from two stories above. 

noon: Cake for lunch. Recruit the baker as agent. 

1 pm: Check up on the condition of the Inquisitor's mark. Recruit the Inq... OK, I might be going overboard with this. 

2 pm: Help heal the wounded in the courtyard. Then recruit them as agents. 

3 pm: Afternoon nap. Meet Wisdom, Honesty, and Thoughtfulness for a friendly chat.

5 pm: Boiled veggies for dinner. If I want to look as hunky at 5000 as I am now, I have to eat my vegetables. Read poetry and philosophy over dinner. Remember to recruit the librarian as agent. 

6 pm: Help Inquisitor and Cullen plan our next move against Corypheus. Should I recruit Cullen as an agent? Nah, once a templar, always a templar. 

9 pm: Off to bed! Go check on the sleeper cells and tell them to get ready. 

 

[Cee]

I'm not defending what he's doing, it's horrible, but I think he's not knowingly being a hypocrite. I think he's rationalizing it all in his head in some twisted way that makes everything he's doing OK. 

 

Spoiler

Not that I'm not still p*ssed off about him building his spy network behind everyone's back. That really hit me hard.

 

On the schedule for today:

 

8 am: Scrambled eggs for breakfast. Recruit the cook as agent. 

9 am: Work on mural. Use exceptionally good hearing to overhear Leliana's conversations from two stories above. 

noon: Cake for lunch. Recruit the baker as agent. 

1 pm: Check up on the condition of the Inquisitor's mark. Recruit the Inq... OK, I might be going overboard with this. 

2 pm: Help heal the wounded in the courtyard. Then recruit them as agents. 

3 pm: Afternoon nap. Meet Wisdom, Honesty, and Thoughtfulness for a friendly chat.

5 pm: Boiled veggies for dinner. If I want to look as hunky at 5000 as I am now, I have to eat my vegetables. Read poetry and philosophy over dinner. Remember to recruit the librarian as agent. 

6 pm: Help Inquisitor and Cullen plan our next move against Corypheus. Should I recruit Cullen as an agent? Nah, once a templar, always a templar. 

9 pm: Off to bed! Go check on the sleeper cells and tell them to get ready. 

 

 

[Sable Rhapsody]

Spoiler

Not that I'm not still p*ssed off about him building his spy network behind everyone's back. That really hit me hard.

 

Yeah, that hit my quizzy kind of hard after Trespasser.

 

Spoiler

Specifically, it made her more paranoid and less trusting.  She's not as bad as, say, hardened Leliana.  But she's much warier about what she tells people, and probably hits up Bull for some lessons on how to not wear her heart on her sleeve.

[drosophila]

Spoiler

Fair enough  Everyone needs some way of making sure Lavellan doesn't just drown in all the sads.

 

My Lavellan has plenty of other places where she belongs, and her immediate family does love her and support her.  So that's enough to keep her going even if she feels isolated from the rest of her clan.  I headcanon that mine has a fairly nomadic existence after joining the Jennies, so home is wherever she feels loved.  With the Avvar, pranking with Sera, helping Bull save her bestie, fancy Hightown estate...as long as she has the Power of Friendship, she'll be fine.

 

My Lavellan has Cole, Varric, Bull, and Josephine. They keep her going. 

[Jayla]

Spoiler

yeah so like until canon tells me otherwise my universe's Lavellan clan are a hermetically sealed unit that listen to and stand behind my Lavellan 100% and would never betray her and show a unified front in things. it's other elves they need be worried about, strangers. she's highly respected in the clan because she literally would do anything to protect and help them, and does. like she has a lot of flaws and she's an ass but literally ALL SHE CARES ABOUT IS HER CLAN omg.

 

I'm so not on-board with insane tragedy and corruption befalling Lavellan at every single freakin turn, let her have this one thing. 'my clan all died' and 'the clan didnt like me' 'I can't fit back in after being with the Inquisition' and 'clan member betrayal/can't be trusted' is just a big NOPE for me, too much, too far.

 

I am referring explicitly to my own canon and Lavellan in this, everyone else is free to do as they wish.

 

Spoiler

Same, as much as I love juicy family tragedy drama in my games, Lavellan just loses too damn much for me to kill off her clan as well, as much as I'm always tempted to. My girl isn't as close nit to her clan as yours, but Ilaria falls into "so long as they're there, they're safe, I'm happy and I can concentrate on other things".

 

I do think my girl would take the time to make a pit stop in Wycome on the way to Tevinter to talk with her family though. Aside from her brother she has no immediate family left (an illness years before and the trouble at Wycome took her clan's elders, leaving only her Keeper to look after a bunch of rowdy mid-to-late-20 year olds), so I'm contemplating a shaky bonding with her twin (there's too many issues between them for it all to be fixed with one visit), a handshake and a long talk with her Keeper, loads of hugs and laughs with her core hunting group, and then it's off to Tevinter.

 

I really want to write this. xD

[Cee]

Yeah, that hit my quizzy kind of hard after Trespasser.

 

Spoiler

Specifically, it made her more paranoid and less trusting.  She's not as bad as, say, hardened Leliana.  But she's much warier about what she tells people, and probably hits up Bull for some lessons on how to not wear her heart on her sleeve.

 

Spoiler

 

Mine is like that, open, and she's still determined to be more careful, but is also trying to make sure it doesn't change her, or who she is. Although it did hurt to find out he seeded spies, she couldn't help but wonder if he might have also been making sure she was okay too. Even as he was putting his terrible plans into place, some part of her wondered. But becoming bitter or losing herself would not put her in the mindset she needs to be in for this 'save him from himself' plan to work.

 

[drosophila]

Yeah, that hit my quizzy kind of hard after Trespasser.

 

Spoiler

Specifically, it made her more paranoid and less trusting.  She's not as bad as, say, hardened Leliana.  But she's much warier about what she tells people, and probably hits up Bull for some lessons on how to not wear her heart on her sleeve.

 

Yeah, our quizzies seem to match on this. 

 

Spoiler

For mine is not just the lack of trust. There's definitely that. But she's also more and more willing to resort to less and less ethical measures. I chose the name Sophia for her, because I always liked to imagine that, in a way, Solas corrupts her. And with the events of Tresspasser, it really fit.

[Jayla]

I'm not defending what he's doing, it's horrible, but I think he's not knowingly being a hypocrite. I think he's rationalizing it all in his head in some twisted way that makes everything he's doing OK. 

 

Spoiler

Not that I'm not still p*ssed off about him building his spy network behind everyone's back. That really hit me hard.

 

On the schedule for today:

 

8 am: Scrambled eggs for breakfast. Recruit the cook as agent. 

9 am: Work on mural. Use exceptionally good hearing to overhear Leliana's conversations from two stories above. 

noon: Cake for lunch. Recruit the baker as agent. 

1 pm: Check up on the condition of the Inquisitor's mark. Recruit the Inq... OK, I might be going overboard with this. 

2 pm: Help heal the wounded in the courtyard. Then recruit them as agents. 

3 pm: Afternoon nap. Meet Wisdom, Honesty, and Thoughtfulness for a friendly chat.

5 pm: Boiled veggies for dinner. If I want to look as hunky at 5000 as I am now, I have to eat my vegetables. Read poetry and philosophy over dinner. Remember to recruit the librarian as agent. 

6 pm: Help Inquisitor and Cullen plan our next move against Corypheus. Should I recruit Cullen as an agent? Nah, once a templar, always a templar. 

9 pm: Off to bed! Go check on the sleeper cells and tell them to get ready. 

 

 

I like how, in this vision, Solas recruits the cooks and bakers first. Man has his priorities in the right places!

[SamanthaJ]

Spoiler

yeah so like until canon tells me otherwise my universe's Lavellan clan are a hermetically sealed unit that listen to and stand behind my Lavellan 100% and would never betray her and show a unified front in things. it's other elves they need be worried about, strangers. she's highly respected in the clan because she literally would do anything to protect and help them, and does. like she has a lot of flaws and she's an ass but literally ALL SHE CARES ABOUT IS HER CLAN omg.

 

I'm so not on-board with insane tragedy and corruption befalling Lavellan at every single freakin turn, let her have this one thing. 'my clan all died' and 'the clan didnt like me' 'I can't fit back in after being with the Inquisition' and 'clan member betrayal/can't be trusted' is just a big NOPE for me, too much, too far.

 

I am referring explicitly to my own canon and Lavellan in this, everyone else is free to do as they wish.

 

Spoiler

Same! Though my Lavellan wanted more than living in the woods I imagine she was close to her family. She's kind of like Eep from the Croods I guess. I'm glad that the keeper becomes part of Wycome's council. It's like they're following behind Lavellan in becoming part of the larger world and showing their solidarity.

[Cee]

I like how, in this vision, Solas recruits the cooks and bakers first. Man has his priorities in the right places!

 

Spoiler

 

Frilly cakes: official snack of the revolution!

 

[BoscoBread]

I'm not defending what he's doing, it's horrible, but I think he's not knowingly being a hypocrite. I think he's rationalizing it all in his head in some twisted way that makes everything he's doing OK. 

 

Spoiler

Not that I'm not still p*ssed off about him building his spy network behind everyone's back. That really hit me hard.

 

On the schedule for today:

 

8 am: Scrambled eggs for breakfast. Recruit the cook as agent. 

9 am: Work on mural. Use exceptionally good hearing to overhear Leliana's conversations from two stories above. 

noon: Cake for lunch. Recruit the baker as agent. 

1 pm: Check up on the condition of the Inquisitor's mark. Recruit the Inq... OK, I might be going overboard with this. 

2 pm: Help heal the wounded in the courtyard. Then recruit them as agents. 

3 pm: Afternoon nap. Meet Wisdom, Honesty, and Thoughtfulness for a friendly chat.

5 pm: Boiled veggies for dinner. If I want to look as hunky at 5000 as I am now, I have to eat my vegetables. Read poetry and philosophy over dinner. Remember to recruit the librarian as agent. 

6 pm: Help Inquisitor and Cullen plan our next move against Corypheus. Should I recruit Cullen as an agent? Nah, once a templar, always a templar. 

9 pm: Off to bed! Go check on the sleeper cells and tell them to get ready. 

 

He's deeply delusional. Like you can see that he's convinced what he is doing is the ONLY way and no matter how hard you wave your tiny gremlin arms in his face screaming "SOLAS! I'm a Dalish elf with power! People respect me! We can do this differently!", he's like "No tiny gremlin vhenan! this is the only way.  i have to undo my mistake by unmaking the world to stop the false gods who wanted to destroy the world. NEVER FORGET ME TINY GREMLIN!" 

 

And you're just ike 'huh???? but..you're doing the same thing!'

[OhDaniGirl28]

Oh! Another thing I realized

Spoiler

In Dirthamen temple, wasn't the Ghilan'nain mosaic the only one done completely in red? Considering what we learned about her in Trespasser, it makes sense now.

[drosophila]

I like how, in this vision, Solas recruits the cooks and bakers first. Man has his priorities in the right places!

 

You can't have revolution without cake. 

 

Edit: 

[Oswin]

So, for those of you whose Lavellans still have clans and families:

 

post-Trespasser

 

Spoiler

 

How much exactly is your Lavellan going to tell them?

 

The whole story - Fen'Harel is real, was with the Inquisition, (you love each other), he created the Veil, led to the fall of the elves and lots of other stuff, and now is up to some very likely dangerous thing that endangers everyone, but is also attracting elves from all over? etc

 

Part of the story?

 

Need to know basis?

 

I'm figuring this out for myself, since it will affect two things I plan to write, so I figured I'd also ask you all. I think mine leans more toward a high amount of truth and detail, because this is serious, but maybe to a select few, but then how do you protect the fringe, who might be the most susceptible/vulnerable? So there's probably a leaning toward more rather than less. But still determining it.

 

Some degree of this is out via the council and witnesses. How much left the palace, I wonder.

 

 

 

 

I've thought about this for both of my Lavellan's because of that particular ending slide in the Trespasser DLC

 

Spoiler

The one that makes it sound like all the elves are going off to side with Fen'Harel. I know it just said those from the Inquisition and servants but it would definitely ring alarm bells for my Lavellan's to maybe make sure their clan don't get caught up in it as they are essentially city dwellers now.

 

Both my Lavellan's ended up in clan's that weren't the ones they were born to and have very different relationships.

 

Niamh Lavellan - Her Keeper is her grandmother. A sweet old dear. Going for the Wynne vibe. As the Keeper's First she and her Grandmother are close, so she would travel back to confide in her. Tell her EVERYTHING. Because she knows that even if her Grandmother may be hurt by the truth, she won't let emotion cloud her judgement. She will accept what her granddaughter has to say and then relay it on to the Clan. While Niamh was close to her clan I imagine she would worry about stepping out before them and throwing this truth bomb down. Having been gone for so long, becoming close to humans and their chantry, losing her Vallaslin, these things she would fear would make her seem less trust worthy when trying to lay down some pretty hard facts. So she would have her Grandmother take the centre stage and she would be there for any Q&A needed. No one is going to be hatin' on old Nana Lavellan!

Then I imagine she would try to track down her original clan to warn her Father. I headcanoned that he promised he would one day join her again once he was too old to be teaching new hunters in his current clan but that time isn't there yet so he'll still be wherever they are. I imagine him a gruff man of few words, but as she's his only daughter and they have that whole 'daddy's princess' relationship. Man would do anything for his little girl. GODS BE DAMNED!

 

Tristan Lavellan - His Keeper is his aunt, his brother is her First. He went with his brother when he was sent to Keeper Lavellan's clan because he adores his baby brother. Think Ed and Al from FMA for you anime/manga fans  But he never liked the Dalish life. He only cared for his brother and spent all his time with him. I imagined the whole reason he went to the conclave was because his brother convinced the Keeper it would be a good idea, hoping that Tristan might see it as an opportunity to find life beyond the Dalish. He wasn't wrong..

He would go back in person, stand in front of that Elven council in Wycome and lay down some truth with whatever evidence he could show. Even though he loves his brother, he did not want to face his clan again. I don't think many of them wanted to see him either. So the fact that he'd show up in person would give his words some merit. 

He would not track down his parent's clan and tell them though  His parent's couldn't get shot of him any faster. He would rely on the council and his extremely kind-hearted brother to spread the word to other clans with as much truth as they deem appropriate. The other Dalish would be more willing to listen to them than my unelfy elf. 

Although I imagine he would take a small bit of pleasure in informing his parent's that their Gods are a lie and therefore he has never dishonoured them. Nyahahaha~

 

So I guess a lot of truth from my Lavellans, to the right people. I think they'd feel like half-truthing it could lead to others filling in the gaps and making their story become less believable. Give them the whole thing, a big solid brick of TRUTH, and hopefully there is no room for doubt. I can imagine them giving one of those big heartfelt speeches about how they needn't lose sight from loss of faith. They have a future to fight for! FOR THE MODERN ELVEN GLORY! Or...something.

[Moondreamer01]

You can't have revolution without cake. 

 

Edit: 

There's a Marie-Antoinette and French Revolution joke to make here...

[midnight tea]

Oh! Another thing I realized

Spoiler

In Dirthamen temple, wasn't the Ghilan'nain mosaic the only one done completely in red? Considering what we learned about her in Trespasser, it makes sense now.

 

 

Spoiler

What I'm interested now with is the disconnect between two of her portrayals in available lorebooks - one of them portrays her as a mad genius genetic engineer type (and Trespasser seems to confirm that this one is way closer to the truth), while another paints her as a pious, compassionate and naive follower of Andruil.

 

I realize that the difference is likely because of conjecture and the post-Tevinter elves and Dalish filling in the blanks with pure imagination... but I wonder if there's some grain of truth there?

 

Like, maybe at some point Ghilan'nan was a naive, idealistic young thing, but some sort of traumatic event, betrayal or bad influence (Blight-infected Andruil?) corrupted her, and she became a ruthless mad scientist? Or perhaps she began working in the field to stem the rate of extinction (we do know that there were things described in trespasser codexes that mention last remaining specimens of some vast, fantastical creatures) and gradually the dark side of experimenting, obtaining power and creating things even with a terrible cost pulled her in?