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[TheLittleBird]

Can I post my theory about the elven gods in here? Yeah? Okay great.

 

Spoiler

Once upon a time the Elven 'gods' (Creators and Forgotten Ones) roamed Thedas, as guardians of the world. Think of them as like a Superman Police Force. All they do is that. But eventually, 7 of them become power hungry. "Why are we just guardians? Can't we rule this world?". The Creators, among them Fen'Harel and Mythal, disagree. Fighting breaks out between the two groups. 
 
Those 7 are the Old Gods and, I think, the Forgotten Ones as well. Maybe they liked roaming the lands in their dragon-forms or something. But eventually, the Creators manage to overcome them, and lock them up, deep beneath the earth. Crisis averted, you should think. But no. One of the imprisoned 'gods', to us known as Dumat, hates sitting in his 2 by 2 cell so he... I don't know, finds a way to get some magisters to break into the Fade and enter the Golden City. Maybe he thought the Dread Wolf ("I bet Fen is sitting there on a throne, the backstabbing dog!") had made that into his throneroom or something. We don't have all that much to go on here. Corypheus's ramblings don't help either. Maybe he just wanted vengeance.
And then a Blight happens. The Creators are like: "Sh*t." and help that crisis be averted. Then they get together.
 
"It's not working like this," Mythal says. "We have to come up with a plan."
"Our brothers and sisters still have influence," responds Fen'Harel. "What do you want to do?"
"I propose we bring forth a new faith. One god, a creator... a 'Maker', if you will. We spread this faith to all the corners of Thedas and let the people rise behind it. And then we back down. The hold of our brothers and sisters over this world will be broken, and mankind can start to rule itself."
"Excellent idea," says Fen'Harel. "How do you want to go about doing that?"
"Easy. I rise to power as a southerner, rallying an army behind me. Then I march on the oppressors, the Vints."
"That could work. I'll help."
 
Andraste... and Shartan. We know what Shartan looks like, according to the Sacred Ashes-questline in DA:O. He was a bald elf.

So these two march on the Imperium, meanwhile spreading the faith of the Maker. And, also just like they planned, that is where Andraste is betrayed by Maferath (who is influenced by the cunning trickster Shartan), and dies. The world now has a prophet, and the Chantry will be born.

 
"What are you going to do after, Mythal?" 
"Thinking of retreating to the wilderness. You?"
"I might roam the lands. Maybe visit the Fade a few times, live the memories of the people. I could use a vacation."
"Hopefully it will be a long time before someone tries to rule like a god again."
"Hopefully."

 

And the other Creators? Well, I originally theorized them actually being the Old Gods (of which there are 7) to be locked up, but then I realized something. 

 

In Origins, there is a quest called "A Test of Faith". In this, the player must go through various trials to reach the Urn of Sacred Ashes. The first trial has the player complete eight riddles. Given to you by what seems to be 8 spirits, bearing close resemblance to 8 important people in Andraste's life. Among them are 5 men, and 3 women. 
The elven pantheon has 9 'gods'. 5 of them male, 4 of them female.

The important people in Andraste's life are:

Brona - Andraste's mother.
Ealisay - A close friend of Andraste.
Cathaire - The man who commanded Andraste's armies.
Maferath - Andraste's husband. 
Havard - A friend of Maferath.
Hessarian - The archon who ordered Andraste's execution.
Vasilia - Hessarian's wife.
Shartan - The bald elf who fought alongside Andraste during her life and commanded the elven ex-slaves.

The one who does not appear here is Andraste herself, prophet and supposed bride of the Maker.

The elven gods are:

Elgar'nan - The God of Vengeance
Mythal - The Great Protector
Falon'Din - Friend of the Dead, the Guide
Dirthamen - Keeper of Secrets
Andruil - Goddess of the Hunt
Sylaise - The Hearthkeeper
June - God of the Craft
Ghilan'nain - Mother of the Halla
Fen'Harel - The Dread Wolf

Maybe these two groups are one and the same. And maybe they worked together to lock up the Forgotten Ones/Old Gods to stop them from ruling Thedas, and spread the word of the Maker to all four corners of the world through the life of Andraste. It seems like a far stretch, I know... but couldn't it be possible?

[Roamingmachine]

Spoiler

Anyone else found it highly interesting that apparently dragon form was reserved for the gods and their chosen? I wonder what relation the current high dragons have to the elven gods. Flemeth was apparently very keen on waking them all up, acccording to the comics. The dragon-form thing actually makes me fairly sure that the Old Gods of Tevinter are actually the forgotten ones of the elven pantheon. They apparently liked to dwell underground too, if you read the various ancient elven codex pieces. This theory actually makes sense of how Tevinter, an upstart human nation, was suddenly  able to catch up with the elves in terms of raw magical power. The Old Gods knew their ancient enemies were gone, taught the humans magic and sent them after the renmants of the elven empire as a final vengance on their enemies. They too went silent after a time, which i suspect is Sola's doing. He, too, apparently slept for a long time and i suspect that he was caught in his own trap.

[CapivaRasgor]

Spoiler

Anyone else found it highly interesting that apparently dragon form was reserved for the gods and their chosen? I wonder what relation the current high dragons have to the elven gods. Flemeth was apparently very keen on waking them all up, acccording to the comics. The dragon-form thing actually makes me fairly sure that the Old Gods of Tevinter are actually the forgotten ones of the elven pantheon. They apparently liked to dwell underground too, if you read the various ancient elven codex pieces. This theory actually makes sense of how Tevinter, an upstart human nation, was suddenly  able to catch up with the elves in terms of raw magical power. The Old Gods knew their ancient enemies were gone, taught the humans magic and sent them after the renmants of the elven empire as a final vengance on their enemies. They too went silent after a time, which i suspect is Sola's doing. He, too, apparently slept for a long time and i suspect that he was caught in his own trap.

 

Spoiler

You know, I've always thought the Old Gods hibernation to be very similar to uthenera. And now we know that Mythal herself is(was) able to shapeshift into a High Dragon form, and she knows a technique that allows her to preserve her soul and transfer it into another body, a host that thus far has always been one of her daughters, which I would like to point for their obvious blood connection... which other beings are known to possess hosts based on their blood connection? Old Gods! That is without factoring how elvish some of the Old Gods names sound: Uthermiel, Zazikel, Andoral..

 

Also, if we consider that the elven pantheon is comprised in reality of very powerful elven mages that attained godhood,  and that the Old Gods are originally members of said pantheon then the conflicting accounts of who taught blood magic to the Tevinter Magisters would actually be the same account. Let me explain, as we are all aware, there are two conflicting accounts on wether the Old Gods or the elves taught blood magic to the magisters. If the former are members of the elven pantheon and said pantheon is comprised of very powerful elves, than both accounts are correct, they are actually the same.

 

I just wonder, if the Old Gods are part of the elven pantheon, than how did they get stuck on draconic form? Could this be some kind of curse? What if the same curse afflicted their chosen servants and turned them into dragons as well? So many questions!

[Roamingmachine]

Spoiler

You know, I've always thought the Old Gods hibernation to be very similar to uthenera. And now we know that Mythal herself is(was) able to shapeshift into a High Dragon form, and she knows a technique that allows her to preserve her soul and transfer it into another body, a host that thus far has always been one of her daughters, which I would like to point for their obvious blood connection... which other beings are known to possess hosts based on their blood connection? Old Gods! That is without factoring how elvish some of the Old Gods names sound: Uthermiel, Zazikel, Andoral..

 

Also, if we consider that the elven pantheon is comprised in reality of very powerful elven mages that attained godhood,  and that the Old Gods are originally members of said pantheon then the conflicting accounts of who taught blood magic to the Tevinter Magisters would actually be the same account. Let me explain, as we are all aware, there are two conflicting accounts on wether the Old Gods or the elves taught blood magic to the magisters. If the former are members of the elven pantheon and said pantheon is comprised of very powerful elves, than both accounts are correct, they are actually the same.

 

I just wonder, if the Old Gods are part of the elven pantheon, than how did they get stuck on draconic form? Could this be some kind of curse? What if the same curse afflicted their chosen servants and turned them into dragons as well? So many questions!

 

Spoiler

Good write-up   Though i do disagree a bit on the elven gods being former elven mages...I get the feeling that the gods are beings older than the elves.They've just chosen their forms from what they saw, in this case elves. We've already seen that physical form isn't required for them (Mythal was apparently able to survive the death of her form to find Flemeth). Perhaps beings from a time when there was no separation between the fade and physical reality? Solas saying one point "Oh you meant the elves. They're not my people."  just raised so many flags for me. But i suppose we shall see when the inevitable dlc arrives

[BronzTrooper]

Ok, you guys remember the Sentinels in the Temple of Mythal, and the journal entries in the Temple of Dirthamen?  Well, I started thinking about who may have been located in the temples for each Creator as worshipers, priests, and, possibly, protectors.

 

Spoiler

Mythal; Justice and Protection:  Justice and Protection imply conflict, more-so for the latter.  It makes sense that her followers could have been those who were the law officials (judges, magistrates, etc.) and military might of the ancient Elvhenan, especially considering how despite being out-numbered by the Red Templars/Venatori and being possibly hundreds of years old, they put up one hell of a fight.

 

Dirthamen; Secrets and Knowledge:  Secrets and Knowledge can be related to espionage and magic respectively, so his followers could've been spies and mages.  According to the journal entries found in his temple, the high priest had access to many, many secrets, similar to a spymaster (i.e.: Leliana), and was also a mage.  The priests at his temple basically fell apart after they lost their connection with Dirthamen, so that implies a certain reliance on him and also implies that they weren't exactly trusting of each other.

 

Andruil; The Hunt or, according to Solas, Sacrifice:  Since Solas says that Andruil was the Goddess of Sacrifice rather than the Goddess of the Hunt as the Dalish believe, I will split this between the 2.  If she was the Goddess of the Hunt, then her followers were likely hunters, as would be expected.  However, if she was the Goddess of Sacrifice, they could also have been executioners.

 

Sylaise; The Hearthkeeper:  According to the lore, she was the one who taught the elves how to create fire (probably without using magic), use healing herbs and magic, and how to make rope and thread.  Taking this into account, it would seem that her followers were healers and alchemists.

 

Ghilan'nain; Mother of the Halla:  According to the lore and the codex entry on her in the Temple of Mythal, she was the creator of many different types of animals, so it'd seem that her followers were those who bred and took care of the cattle and mounts.

 

June; The Crafts:  Considering his role in the pantheon, it seems that his followers were the craftsmen of the Elvhenan.

 

Elgar'nan; Vengeance:  As the God of Vengeance, I think that his followers were those who enforced the laws.  As with Andruil, they may have also been executioners, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

Falon'Din; Death and Fortune:  Being the God of Death implies that his followers were those who preformed burial rites for those who died, similar to the Priests of Arkay in The Elder Scrolls series.  As for being the God of Fortune as well, I think that his followers may have also been those who handled funds and, possibly, those who were financially inclined, though the latter isn't likely, imo.

 

And, finally, Fen'Harel; According to Solas, Rebellion:  It is likely that those who wished to rebel against the state of the Elvhenan invoked his name as a rallying cry, but it seems that since Flemeth/Mythal treated him as a friend instead of an enemy and that there was statues of Fen'Harel in the Temple of Mythal, this seems highly unlikely.  It seems that Fen'Harel has been around almost as long as Mythal, so it would be incorrect to say that he came about during the days of the Tevinter Imperium.  Maybe the ancient elvhen rebelled against a race that had enslaved them?  Maybe they had an event similar to the Qunari in which the managed to win instead of being banished?  There's almost no knowledge of the days of the Elvhenan, and absolutely none about the days before, if they exist.  Who would Fen'Harel's followers have been?  I'm not sure.

 

What do you guys think?

[Roamingmachine]

Ok, you guys remember the Sentinels in the Temple of Mythal, and the journal entries in the Temple of Dirthamen?  Well, I started thinking about who may have been located in the temples for each Creator as worshipers, priests, and, possibly, protectors.
 

Spoiler

Mythal; Justice and Protection:  Justice and Protection imply conflict, more-so for the latter.  It makes sense that her followers could have been those who were the law officials (judges, magistrates, etc.) and military might of the ancient Elvhenan, especially considering how despite being out-numbered by the Red Templars/Venatori and being possibly hundreds of years old, they put up one hell of a fight.
 
Dirthamen; Secrets and Knowledge:  Secrets and Knowledge can be related to espionage and magic respectively, so his followers could've been spies and mages.  According to the journal entries found in his temple, the high priest had access to many, many secrets, similar to a spymaster (i.e.: Leliana), and was also a mage.  The priests at his temple basically fell apart after they lost their connection with Dirthamen, so that implies a certain reliance on him and also implies that they weren't exactly trusting of each other.
 
Andruil; The Hunt or, according to Solas, Sacrifice:  Since Solas says that Andruil was the Goddess of Sacrifice rather than the Goddess of the Hunt as the Dalish believe, I will split this between the 2.  If she was the Goddess of the Hunt, then her followers were likely hunters, as would be expected.  However, if she was the Goddess of Sacrifice, they could also have been executioners.
 
Sylaise; The Hearthkeeper:  According to the lore, she was the one who taught the elves how to create fire (probably without using magic), use healing herbs and magic, and how to make rope and thread.  Taking this into account, it would seem that her followers were healers and alchemists.
 
Ghilan'nain; Mother of the Halla:  According to the lore and the codex entry on her in the Temple of Mythal, she was the creator of many different types of animals, so it'd seem that her followers were those who bred and took care of the cattle and mounts.
 
June; The Crafts:  Considering his role in the pantheon, it seems that his followers were the craftsmen of the Elvhenan.
 
Elgar'nan; Vengeance:  As the God of Vengeance, I think that his followers were those who enforced the laws.  As with Andruil, they may have also been executioners, but I'm not 100% sure.
 
Falon'Din; Death and Fortune:  Being the God of Death implies that his followers were those who preformed burial rites for those who died, similar to the Priests of Arkay in The Elder Scrolls series.  As for being the God of Fortune as well, I think that his followers may have also been those who handled funds and, possibly, those who were financially inclined, though the latter isn't likely, imo.
 
And, finally, Fen'Harel; According to Solas, Rebellion:  It is likely that those who wished to rebel against the state of the Elvhenan invoked his name as a rallying cry, but it seems that since Flemeth/Mythal treated him as a friend instead of an enemy and that there was statues of Fen'Harel in the Temple of Mythal, this seems highly unlikely.  It seems that Fen'Harel has been around almost as long as Mythal, so it would be incorrect to say that he came about during the days of the Tevinter Imperium.  Maybe the ancient elvhen rebelled against a race that had enslaved them?  Maybe they had an event similar to the Qunari in which the managed to win instead of being banished?  There's almost no knowledge of the days of the Elvhenan, and absolutely none about the days before, if they exist.  Who would Fen'Harel's followers have been?  I'm not sure.

 
What do you guys think?

Looking good About Fen'harel...

Spoiler

I think he got his domain more his opposition to the doctrines of the other gods and the world order as it stood then. According to legend he was kin both to the creators and to the forgotten ones and moved freely among both,making him a bit unique. As an intersting note he is very protective of the old gods of Tevinter during the adamant arc, even to the point of dismissing the mass demon summoning as a minor thing compared to the grey wardens wanting to pre-emptively kill the gods. This leads me to believe that the old gods are, in fact, the forgotten ones of elven legend.

And then a really scary theory i read on a blog....

Spoiler

Theory that Sera is, in fact, Andruil. Sounds crazy? The "prankster" tarot card is eerily similar to the Andruil mural. Sera is a savant with the bow. She loves killing things bigger than herself, just like Andruil (just listen to her when you hunt dragons. Or even just see them).Andruil hunted creatures in the void and eventually the void drove her insane, leaving her screaming things that should have been left forgotten and turning her hunt in to outright slaughter, according to codex.Sounds like our girl, doesn't it? It gets better. It was Mythal who eventually stopped Andruils rampage by luring her to fight a serpent of Mythals making. The fight killed the serpent but it also weakened Andruil enough for Mythal to make her forget her way in to the void, thus finally stopping her. And what did Sera fear again to the point of not being able to even think about it? The Nothing. Also called the Void. Sera also really digs when you execute people, on the altars of justice so to speak. This theory brings Solas's interest in Sera in to a new light, considering that he keeps prodding sera about about all things elven, making remarks when she feels deja-vu despite her continued disinterest and his frustration when she remains...Sera. I think Solas brought Andruil back in to an elven child so he wouldn't be alone, explaining why Sera doesn't remember her parents at all. Creators help us if this is true and she awakens

[BronzTrooper]

Looking good About Fen'harel...

Spoiler

I think he got his domain more his opposition to the doctrines of the other gods and the world order as it stood then. According to legend he was kin both to the creators and to the forgotten ones and moved freely among both,making him a bit unique. As an intersting note he is very protective of the old gods of Tevinter during the adamant arc, even to the point of dismissing the mass demon summoning as a minor thing compared to the grey wardens wanting to pre-emptively kill the gods. This leads me to believe that the old gods are, in fact, the forgotten ones of elven legend.

 

Hmm... that's possible.  Hopefully we'll find out more in the DLCs that'll eventually be launched for DA:I.

 

 

And then a really scary theory i read on a blog....

Spoiler

Theory that Sera is, in fact, Andruil. Sounds crazy? The "prankster" tarot card is eerily similar to the Andruil mural. Sera is a savant with the bow. She loves killing things bigger than herself, just like Andruil (just listen to her when you hunt dragons. Or even just see them).Andruil hunted creatures in the void and eventually the void drove her insane, leaving her screaming things that should have been left forgotten and turning her hunt in to outright slaughter, according to codex.Sounds like our girl, doesn't it? It gets better. It was Mythal who eventually stopped Andruils rampage by luring her to fight a serpent of Mythals making. The fight killed the serpent but it also weakened Andruil enough for Mythal to make her forget her way in to the void, thus finally stopping her. And what did Sera fear again to the point of not being able to even think about it? The Nothing. Also called the Void. Sera also really digs when you execute people, on the altars of justice so to speak. This theory brings Solas's interest in Sera in to a new light, considering that he keeps prodding sera about about all things elven, making remarks when she feels deja-vu despite her continued disinterest and his frustration when she remains...Sera. I think Solas brought Andruil back in to an elven child so he wouldn't be alone, explaining why Sera doesn't remember her parents at all. Creators help us if this is true and she awakens

 

Mythal preserve us...

[BronzTrooper]

I randomly thought about an alternate reason for dwarves being resistant to magic and having no connection to the Fade while talking to Solas as a f!Cadash (ok, seriously, it makes no sense for a dwarf to have as much knowledge about spirits and demons as a mage, especially if that dwarf is a Carta dwarf).

 

Spoiler

Ok, so you remember how Solas talks about what the world would be like if the Veil didn't exist and the Fade and real world were one?  Well, if the theory about Veil having been created artificially is true, then maybe since the dwarves lived underground, they were blocked off from the surface, and by extension, the Fade.  Since the Fade is the root of all magic in Thedas, that would mean that the dwarves wouldn't have been able to gain the ability to use magic since they never had access to the Fade in the first place due to being underground.  Since lyrium has been revealed to be alive and is essentially the physical embodiment of magic in the real world, it makes sense that it would be able to have a presence in both the Fade and the real world.

 

Also, we know that red lyrium can grow, so maybe regular lyrium can grow too, albeit at a much slower pace.  Since we never see regular lyrium anywhere besides the Deep Roads, it would make sense that it can only grow underground in the real world, while if can grow anywhere in the Fade.  Because of this, dwarves were able to find lyrium and learn how to mine, refine, and work it.  Because of their exposure to it, they became resistant to it similar to how people who subject themselves to small doses of snake and spider venom eventually become resistant to it, if not completely immune.  Animals in the wild (specifically certain breeds of squirrels) have been observed purposefully exposing themselves to snake venom by being bitten, eventually becoming resistant or outright immune to it, a trait which they pass on to their offspring who start off with some of that resistant at birth.  I think that dwarves did something similar with lyrium, meaning that those who handle lyrium regularly have a higher resistance to magic than other dwarves.  iirc, surface dwarves have less magic resistance than dwarves from Orzammar/Kal-Sharok.

 

Well, that's my take on it, anyway.

[Elfyoth]

Alright, so I finished DA:I after putting in 80 hours of gameplay and I've learned quite a bit about the elves that hasn't been stated before.  Since most of this stuff is spoilery, I'll put it in spoiler tabs for those who don't want to be spoiled.

 

Spoiler

(double spoiler-tabbed, just in case)

Spoiler

First off- and I hate to admit this-, it seems that some of the trolls that said that ancient Arlathan was a slavery empire were right.  The vallaslin that the Dalish where does indeed represent the Creators, but they were for the slaves.  The vallaslin that the slaves wore depended on which of the Creators their master worshiped.  This is confirmed by Solas in his romance arc, though I'm not 100% sure if he states it when not romanced.

 

Second, there are indeed elves who survived the war with the Tevinter Imperium and have survived to this day.  At the moment, it seems that there is only the group that protected the Temple of Mythal; more specifically, the Well of Sorrows.  There's no info on where these elves go after the Well has been 'despoiled', as Abelas, the leader of these survivors, states.

 

Third, it seems that Mythal, Fen'Harel, and, possibly, all the Creators actually do exist in a real sense in the DA universe.  Abelas states that the Dalish lore on the disappearance of the Creators is false, saying that Mythal was killed, though he doesn't exactly state whether it was considered permanent or not.

 

CAUTION: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

 

Fourth, it seems that Mythal was the spirit that Flemeth contacted when she was human.  In a way, Flemeth and Mythal are the same person.  Oh, you guys remember that dragon from the trailers?  The one we see fighting the blackened-up dragon?  Apparently that's Mythal's Guardian.  If you think about this, it makes sense that Flemeth would be able to shapeshift into a dragon since she could summon the Guardian and study it.  It also seems that, according to Flemeth, a soul cannot be forced into an unwilling host, meaning that Flemeth never intended to use Morrigan as a new host.

 

Fifth, apparently Solas is Fen'Harel.  In a post-credits cutscene, both he and Flemeth talk to each other.  Flemeth refers to Solas the Dread Wolf (a.k.a.: Fen'Harel) and Solas acts as though he is an ashamed son coming clean to his mother, which makes sense considering how Mythal is considered to be the mother goddess of the Creators.  However, at the end of this cutscene, Flemeth 'dies'.  It's left ambiguous because Solas holds onto Flemeth to keep her body from falling to the ground, but after this, some sort of smokey.... essence form around his eyes.  Whether this was Flemeth body-hopping or something else is unknown at this time.  I doubt it's the former, but stranger things have happened in the DA universe.

 

If you want to discuss this, feel free to do so as long as we keep it to spoiler tabs.  Common courtesy and the such.

 

Oh, and I guess I'm back from my media blackout now.... somewhat.  

 

 

Spoiler!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have never doubted that there was no slavery in Arlathan, every great empire have slaves but that dosent mean we should hate elves, not that I encourage slavery, in total, it is a bad thing, but Arlathan ruled all of thedas in its time, and as I have said, EVERY GREAT EMPIRE HAVE SLAVES, at least that was in ancient times, Orlais= a combination of France and, forgot that city in italy, during the "middle ages" that slavery was less popular, however, in ancient times in real world slavery was popular, seems it was the same in thedas at ancient times, almost all nations have gotten out of slavery EXEPT TEVINTER. 

[Jedi Master of Orion]

It's possible I missed one of the spoiler tags, and someone did mention this but the biggest reveal to me was that:

 

Spoiler

Arlathan was not destroyed by The Tevinter Imperium, but by civil war (or something to that effect). Abelas equates the Imperium to scavengers and grave robbers.

 

I also haven't gotten very far with my Dalish Mage unfortunately, (I'm waiting for the Black Emporium), so I didn't actually know about the vallasline slavery thing until now, but I thought I should mention that within it's own universe, this was also something that originated as a slave brand.

 

It isn't anymore.

 

Spoiler

The biggest problem, for me though, was actually the reveal about the Elven Gods. I thought the game did a good job of actually leaving exactly what they were to be ambiguous, but they were also revealed to be far more sinister than what I had imagined the Dalish perspective of them to be. The very first thing we hear Talmen say about them was that Falon'din was that he was not an evil god. In the Temple of Mythal we find out he actually was.

 

It's funny because I've only completed the game with a Human Warrior but I was already RPing what my Elf character's reaction to all this would be. Finding out Mythal was Flemeth is the type of thing that would wan to make her take a long shower for her soul. It's kind of harder for to RP a devout Dalish character for the future in light of all this.

[BronzTrooper]

It's possible I missed one of the spoiler tags, and someone did mention this but the biggest reveal to me was that:

 

Spoiler

Arlathan was not destroyed by The Tevinter Imperium, but by civil war (or something to that effect). Abelas equates the Imperium to scavengers and grave robbers.

 

Spoiler

The reveal is a bit of a double-edged sword, tbh.  On one hand, it shows that the Elvhenan wasn't as stable an empire as we were led to believe, but on the other, it takes a lot of glory and pride away from Tevinter's past due to them being essentially being scavengers.

 

 

I also haven't gotten very far with my Dalish Mage unfortunately, (I'm waiting for the Black Emporium), so I didn't actually know about the vallasline slavery thing until now, but I thought I should mention that within it's own universe, this was also something that originated as a slave brand.

 

It isn't anymore.

 

tbh, despite vallaslin originally being slave markings, the meaning is different now.  Plus, if the Sentinels at the Temple of Mythal are any indication, said slavery may have been closer to religious servitude rather than Tevinter-style slavery.  We all know that it isn't Solas' style to outright lie, but he does make use of lying via omission, so we obviously don't know the whole story.  I'm just hoping that this gets elaborated on in the future, whether via DLC or in DA4.

 

 

Spoiler

The biggest problem, for me though, was actually the reveal about the Elven Gods. I thought the game did a good job of actually leaving exactly what they were to be ambiguous, but they were also revealed to be far more sinister than what I had imagined the Dalish perspective of them to be. The very first thing we hear Talmen say about them was that Falon'din was that he was not an evil god. In the Temple of Mythal we find out he actually was.

 

It's funny because I've only completed the game with a Human Warrior but I was already RPing what my Elf character's reaction to all this would be. Finding out Mythal was Flemeth is the type of thing that would wan to make her take a long shower for her soul. It's kind of harder for to RP a devout Dalish character for the future in light of all this.

 

Spoiler

tbf, I think it has been stated multiple times, even by the Dalish themselves, that they don't know everything.  A lot of what they've learned is gained through conjecture rather than objective fact, which, tbf, isn't surprising due to the lack of ancient elven lore in the first place.

 

And you played as a human first??  Traitor!! (  )

 

Seriously, though, Flemeth is already deeply respected amongst the Dalish, despite her being 'human', so I have a feeling that some Dalish (likely the Keepers) already knew about FleMythal before we did.  Really, I find it a lot easier to RP a devout Dalish character due to the reveals in DA:I (on my 2nd Lavellan in my current playthrough (4th) and my next Inquisitor will be another Lavellan).  There's also a bit of a reveal in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC that I was kind of spoiled on that relates to the Dalish, but I wont say anything.  If you want to know what it is, just PM me.

 

As for Solas' romance, I think it's best experienced in your first playthrough.  tbh, I'm kind of glad I ended up deciding to romance him first instead of Sera.  Sera can kiss my ass for all I care when it comes to elven lore.