If he feels that badly about it, what could possibly make him feel that he absolutely must go through with this plan anyway? He felt so strongly that he was willing to kill his oldest friend to see this plan through. He is willing to tell someone he dearly loves that his actions will most likely result in her suffering and death.
That's some serious stuff.
Some people say it's guilt, or nostalgia. I think that there has to be something more to it, because Solas is not so cruel as to do something so terrible just for his own sake. He's proud, yes. He isn't as wise as he thinks he is, or so it appears. However this is the man who gives approval when you're nice to others (especially elves, it's worth noting)--even before he sees them as "real people." If he likes being nice to people, or animals, or almost-people, or whatever it is he views them as, then whatever is making him think he needs to do something terrible to them, must be big. It's not likely that he just wants to kill them all and get rid of them, because again, he likes being nice to people, even if they're not "real" people to him. You could argue that it's like being humane to cattle before the slaughter; he does in fact want people to have comfort before the chaos to come. And he expects them to die. It's just that their deaths is not his purpose, or his intention.
Note: I don't sympathize with him. I feel much worse for the Inquisitors who friended or romanced him and had to listen to him tell them that basically he expects his plan to kill them horribly, but by all means have a good few short years that are left! But saying he's genocidal kind of misses his point, because he's not about destruction of the modern races. He tells you that they will die in the chaos to come, and he seems to think that's unfortunate and terrible. If he were actively planning to kill them, he'd probably tell you that he intended to do so (even if he didn't tell you why). I even think he would be pleased and relieved if he discovered some means of carrying out his plan without the destruction he expects, although finding a way for the ancient to coexist with the modern might be a tremendous challenge. However, he's still knowingly going through with a plan that will cause tremendous chaos, to the degree it will probably harm and/or kill people he has come to think of as friends (or even possibly a lover in the case of the Inquisitor). That's pretty unforgivable, in my opinion.
That said, we currently don't know everything, including exactly why he feels he has to do this. For a romanced Inquisitor, he's almost ready to ditch the plan, but then he can't bring himself to do so. So is it really THAT big of a deal? I'm not sure.
So... what is so important that Solas is forcing himself into this massive moral dilemma where he says he's not a monster but it's clear he's feeling the exact opposite?
I've thought of a few reasons for it myself, among them these:
- Solas sees everyone as unknowingly suffering (much like the Tranquil) because they are somehow "not whole" with the Veil in place. So even though many will die in the process, he still has to fix it.
- He feels so obligated to his people (and this one seems most likely) and feels so strongly that he has betrayed them, that he is willing to do anything to correct his past mistake.
- Thedas may be dying, or Solas may perceive that it is so, due to the creation of the Veil. This actually has been suggested somewhat by characters in-game (Flemeth!) and others have mentioned it on the forums in the past. The Veil definitely did cause mass extinction of species that relied upon the Fade for survival, and could have contributed to the decline of griffins prior to the very poor decision on the part of the Wardens that led to their total extinction.
- The Veil could already be in danger of destruction, and if it's done improperly, we'll get dangerous results like what we see in Inquisition. Whatever Solas is planning is going to be disastrous, but evidently leaving the Breach unchecked would have been even worse.
- If this were less literally earth-shattering than changing the fabric of reality, one could argue that an older Solas realizes that he made a terrible mistake, and having gained wisdom from it, plans to correct it. From the perspective of an ageless individual, this might be wisdom... to the rest of us he looks like a massive jerk who cares more about himself than the lives of countless others.
Most likely, I think it's a combination of factors. I just don't know which. And I do personally believe that Solas is primarily driven by an obligation to the People--more specifically his own people. We don't know how many of them there are. There could be more of them than modern Thedosians. We do know that many are trapped and/or suffering. Some are stuck in uthenera, unable to wake because the Veil prevents their spirits from returning to their bodies, so to speak. Many died long ago because they were awake and their bodies and spirits were unable to reconnect to the Veil. It's like one massive networking error. And yet, I think Solas has other reasons too, and that's why he feels he has to do this no matter what the cost.
I think the Veil does pretty much have to come down, even if it means the end of the series as we know it (maybe it will begin a new franchise?). I even want to see Thedas without the Veil, because it's rare to see a fantastical fantasy world in games or movies these days. You just see castles and mountains and ruins and such that can exist in the real world. I'd like to see floating cities and flower forests and other things that I'm not likely to see in the real world. Not that these "realistic" worlds don't have their appeal, because they do. But I guess I just want to see some things that can only happen with magic, without having them be mere ruins. That'd be kind of nice. And yet I don't want all my characters and their friends to die for the sake of this, if that makes sense. If they do, then that's part of the story and so be it... but I'd rather they didn't.
Retour en haut
). He's supposed to be divisive because he is right about certain things, like how the Veil existing causes horrific problems for people, which for him includes spirits, as he considers spirits people. It's just he can't throw the baby out with the bathwater by trying to erase his mistakes and pretending the modern world didn't happen. Which is why I think you'll get a chance to turn him from that path on a redeem track, and find another way, even if it does ultimately cost his life, or your character's, or both.
