This is an exert from my Thread: (Major Spoilers) Accumulated Lore, Ancient (Elvhen), SolaFen + Theories & Discussions
If you like my deductions and theories on Lyrium and Dwarves check out the rest. I like discussing lore, so please feel free to comment, build upon or contend any of the points a bring up.
http://forum.bioware...es-discussions/
Another awesome piece of lore, is something quite common, something called Lyrium. You know the thing that sings a song, almost like a calling... So we learn that Lyrium is alive, or at least is speculated to be, given it can be infected by the blight. I always thought lyrium was a product of The Fade made manifest, its physical manifestation, if you will. When Yavanna stated a time before the veil it had me think that lyrium was a product of what the world used to be. A fossil left over from an age unknown. Now that we know it's alive, it complicates things even further. The effect it has on living beings in its raw form , specifically mages (who have a strong connection to the fade) is similar to that of The Fade itself (in terms of contact with the physical realm). It is known that traveling physically to The Fade (without the Mark the Inquisitor sports) is lethal. The same way Lyrium is almost lethal on contact to beings that haven't a built up a natural resistance (such as Dwarves), specifically to mages.
It also begs the question, have Dwarves been physiologically altered by their proximity to Lyrium in more than just one way? In other words, is the fact that they have no magical affinity due to this phenomenon. In the Primeval Thaig from Dragon Age 2, Varric and Hawke discover "architecture that is very different from other thaigs and dwarf constructions. This thaig is the only known one left entirely untouched by darkspawn. It possesses great statues and temples, and also things created by magic. Both of these things are very strange, since the Dwarves worship no gods and are incapable of magic."
This leads me to believe Ancient Dwarven culture and possibly their physiology was affected by the introduction of the veil somehow and that they once had the ability to wield magic. The obvious explanation is their exposure to lyrium, but it might be more complex, especially given they also once venerated gods, what those gods were however, is up for debate. Did Dwarves once live on the surface, were the gods they worshiped Great Dragons or is it something different entirely? The profane definitely hold a clue as to what that is, and it leads me to believe that those gods are something other than Great Dragons.
Edit after The Descent: A bunch of awesome discoveries. Titans. Lyrium is Titan's blood. Holy crap. If Dragons ruled the sky before the veil, then Titans ruled the earth. This answers my questions about the Primeval thaig. Dwarves worshipped the Titans and the Titans in turn gave them access to magic, which explains everything about that ancient thaig. For some reason they stopped worshiping Titans and this happened before the blights. I still believe it had something to do with the creation of the veil (it is also revealed that the Titan's were disturbed by the breach, which reinforces my belief that the veil is what changed things between the Dwarves and the Titans).
We also learn that Titan blood is different from mined Lyrium. The song emitted from lyrium originates from the Titans. It is said to be different from the Calling of The Old Gods. It is also revealed that Darkspawn avoid the Titans and where they reside. I believe the Titans' song, the song that emanates from their blood, which must be much more potent than the song from mined lyrium (the mined lyrium I'm guessing is more akin to an echo) is what drives them back. I'm guessing that Titans (and Titan blood) can't be infected by the taint the way mined Lyrium can be. If Titan blood could be infected like Red Lyrium, then I don't think darkspawn would be afraid to venture in Titan territory. In this location we also discover another race called the Sha-Brytol that not only seem to be the protectors of the Titans but also an offshoot of the Dwarven race or more likely what the Dwarves used to be before their separation. They are said to be pure. This seems to be referencing their connection with the Titans, meaning that they are interconnected somehow (maybe on a symbiotic level) through Titan blood.
It also explains the current Dwarven physiology and their inherent resistance to lyrium. It is said that this resistance is only skin deep however, and that exposure to the eyes or through open wounds has the same effect on them as it does other races (which means because they don't have Titan blood flowing through their veins then the inner workings of their bodies are not protected from lyrium anymore, hence the resistance only being skin deep). Again, this is very interesting. It would explain why surface Dwarves lose their resistance to lyrium over time. At first I thought it would be explained scientifically i.e. evolution and adaptation. However if mined lyrium is less potent Titan's blood and Dwarves used to have Titan blood flowing through them and lived in a type of Symbiotic relationship with the Titans, then moving further away from the earth would explain them losing even the skin deep resistance that Dwarves living underground have retained since their split from the Titans and the Sha-Brytol.
Valta, a temporary companion and one of the main characters in The Decent writes a journal after the events that transpired in the deep roads. In it she details that upon being struck down she "fell into a warm light's embrace", as if returning to the Stone. Now the blood of the titan flows through her, and its song tells of the times before titans fell and "the dwarven race broke in two". She doesn't sleep any more. Valta feels empowered by the gift of shaping stone and notices that the Sha-Brytol love and fear her, lost and misguided as they are. They even attempted to make an offering of their armor to her, but she recalled Renn and rejected the gift. This seems to reinforce my hypothesis about the connection between the Sha-Brythol and the Titans. It's also noted that since Valta has been connected to the Titan, her notion of time is becoming harder and harder to discern. She can't tell the difference between a moment an a day's worth of time. I think her connection is getting stronger and she's starting to experience things the way Titans do, such as the perception of time. She also finds a chamber.
"A domed, circular courtyard held a pool of the Titan's blood at its center. Empty suits of armor sat neatly in a circle around the pool. Is this where Sha-Brytol come to be entombed in their metal skins? What smith makes this armor, and where does it come from? My lost kin are hiding something. They have a Thaig somewhere. I have no interest in finding that citadel of the Sha-Brytol, but someone might."
This is an obvious hint at future games letting us do just that. It also peaks my interest in terms of where the Thaig is possibly situated, Perhaps close to Tevinter... Kal Sharok anyone? (I'll get into that later)
Back to my theory about the effect that the veil had on Titans. I think that it might have been what made them sleep, which would explain why the Titan was disturbed by the breach. If the Titan's slowly started "falling asleep", It might also stand to reason that the Sha Brytol seem confused because they were still connected to the Titans when the veil was created and decided not to leave them. Without the Titans"awake" to guide them, the Sha Brytol are without purpose, still connected but left without direction (only their need to protect the Titans is left, like a type of survival instinct triggered by the Titans, like antibodies. Given the symbiotic relationship it becomes in both their interests to protect each other). This could also explain why Valta isn't affected like the Sha Brytol once she is part of the Titans. Since she's part of the Dwarves who developed individuality, then I'm guessing being connected to the Titans while they're sleeping gives her the ability to retain her consciousness without being confused like the Sha-Brytol. It would also explain the quote above
"Valta feels empowered by the gift of shaping stone and notices that the Sha-Brytol love and fear her, lost and misguided as they are. They even attempted to make an offering of their armor to her, but she recalled Renn and rejected the gift."
I think the Sha-Brytol love and fear her because they recognize her individuality, they can feel it because she's connected to the Titans now, as they are. Since the Titans are asleep, I believe her mind is being heard by the Sha-Brytol. This would garner love because they finally are connected to someone who can think for themselves (and possibly for them as well) but they also fear her because it's not something their used too (individuality) as being guided by the Titan must have been vastly different. If my theory is correct I'm curious to know what effect that would have on them, if any at all.
It's also noted that Titan's were the "first" children of the stone and they in turn, consider Dwarves their children. This would imply that Dwarves were either a product of the Titans or simply the second creations of the Stone, the "grandchildren" really.
Now what Dagna talked about makes perfect sense (the conversations we have after The Arcanist and The Fade War Table Operation).
Dagna : (...) I've learned something. I think. I don't know.
Dagna : I got a scraping that was cleaned off you. And it's weird. And the other rift bits, they're weird. It's just... weird.
Dagna : Lyrium and the fade, linked. But Dwarves and tranquil, not linked. But they work lyrium, so they are. Somehow? (working the stone)
(An Old Elven Writing mentions "pillars of the earth" which I'm guessing are the Titans and "their workers" which were probably the Dwarves of that age)
Dagna : There's something there. I was face-deep in a rune, and for a moment... I was tall. Really tall.
Dagna : And I thought -- I thought all the thoughts. (nervous laugh)
Inquisitor : You felt taller ? How much taller ? (She felt the connection with the Titans)
Dagna : Like, mountain-tall. Or I was the mountain. But I was moving. I felt dizzy. (She was the Titan, or rather seeing through it's "eyes" metaphorically speaking of course)
Dagna : You know what I remembered ? Watching a shaperate carve the wall of memory. Except... big. Isn't that weird ? Maybe there were fumes.
(This makes me wonder why the Shaperate erased information on the Titans. Clearly it was a practice that was developed while the Dwarves were with the Titans. My guess is that the Dwarves who split from the Titans didn't want to go back because they enjoyed their individuality. In order to prevent that from happening or giving future Dwarves the option of going back, they struck the Titans from their records, eliminating that possibility altogether).
Inquisitor : What do you mean when you say "thought all the thoughts"?
Dagna : I don't know ? As if, for a moment, I was around all my people. And my thought was all of theirs ? No, no, my thought was all of our thoughts. Like parts. Ugh, words are mush.
(Again, that strengthens my belief that the Dwarves and the Titans used to hold a symbiotic relationship through Titan blood and the Titan song, probably on an empathic level).
Dagna : Maybe that's what the Stone feels like. Or we think it feels like. If we think it feels ? Creepy. (Same as above)
Inquisitor : So tranquil and dwarves are linked to lyrium, but also not linked ?
Dagna : Like the lyrium needs to flow, but if you're part of it, it takes you with it. so you can't be part of it. That makes me sad. I'm not sure why. It seems like we should be part of it. Whatever "it" is.
(This again seems to reference Titan blood, needs to flow, circulate i.e. if your part of it, it takes you with it, so you can't be part of it. Could she be referring to individuality? Again this would imply either a hive mind or symbiotic relationship of sorts. This also might explain why the Dwarves decided to split off from the Titans. Maybe it was more than just because of the veil. Maybe the veil cutting off The Fade is what "woke" the Dwarves up, or maybe the Titans had less control. If The Fade functions like a mirror for your will and emotions then shaping things becomes fluid, easy. If that is how the Stone shaped the Titans and how the Titans shaped Dwarves, perhaps it could explain the Titans' waning powers once the veil was introduced and contact with The Fade was impossible. I'm guessing because of this, Titans can no longer create other Dwarves the way they could before.)
Dagna : Or maybe we're the ones who make it happen ? Whatever "it" is?
(This might be the same thing as accepting to be a vessel for Elvhen gods, like Flemeth with Mythal. Maybe the Dwarves have to embrace the song and TItans for them to be joined again. I'm guessing that is what happened to Valta when she "fell into a warm light's embrace", as if returning to the Stone.)
Dagna : You know what's frustrating ? Answers that aren't answers. Bleah.
Dagna : I tried to make it happen again, but it wouldn't. Then I had a headache. And cocoa. And a lie-down.
Retour en haut
I know how daunting it is to try to shape hunches and vague brain-stuff into a coherent argument. I'm iffy on a few points, though:
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