Ohhh yes human origins are interesting. tacking on, I'd love more info on the origins of kossith/qunari as well
Yes more qunari origins would be good. The few hints we got in inquisition just raised more questions.
Ssssssssso going over a few things to analyze the image used in the trailer. This is kinda all over the place but i'll do my best to like cross-link to my sources and shit Spoiler: cut for length left to right on the teaser image: - red circle/halo around figure - red circles in skyhold mural representative of breach/rifts (the first/breach section itself, HLTA portion), also in this mural, surrounded by black structures like in skyhold. -> Black City at the center of the fade? thereby corruption and blight? - Ancient Writing in Solasan: The meaning behind the flowing, ancient script is obscure at first, but slowly forms: "May the path bestow the favor thou hast earned." For a moment, there is an image of figures kneeling in meditation. A bright light envelops them. Then it fades. - similar to the white halo around the elf in the self-portrait mural? - faint downwards pointing triangles above that (background) also present in initial breach portion of the skyhold mural maybe representing the veil? also in the self-portrait of fen'harel mural actually in a lot of the trespasser murals, except for vallaslin one - staff -> likely The Heart Of Pride (Trespasser, Solas translating to Arrogance/Pride, this staff model is present on both Solas' default tarot, and the fen'harel erasing vallaslin mural) - fur shroud on elf seen on the vallaslin removal mural on fen'harel - robe texturing seen in the same mural, also on fen'harel - helmet/cap/tiara like coloring really only similar to depictions of Shartan (dragon age heroes, andraste bestowing glandivaris on shartan and naming him her champion) Solas never drew himself anything but Just Bald or wearing a hood clearly identifiably as that - lit spheres/golden circles: - present in the death of a titan mural held cradled in a bald elf's hands, and held aloft by a similar looking elf in another lateral thinker mural - beams used for fade influence? - elven foci? - seven like the old gods in tevinter? if so, going in order of blights these line up with Andoral and either dumat or lucasan (depends on direction you count from) - inscription in the oasis temple: Faintly carved into the stone is a figure bound in chains. Two other figures have turned their gaze from the central image. The script below the image is ancient, though Solas is able to provide a partial translation: // The script below the image is ancient, but a few familiar words from studying elven history allow for a partial translation: Pride in our accomplishments and in our hearts. That same pride became (a word meaning corrupted or altered) within him, he sought to claim (indecipherable), cast from favor and so he was bound. Hidden from mortal eyes, death lies within.- red lyrium idol: primary figure very similar to depictions of andraste, also maybe flemmeth? - texture around the white circle similar to Death of A Titan - duh, points to abyss/below-deeproads/primeval thaig origins - wolf/fen'harel: - three eyes visible/six-seven eyes, grouped like a pride demon's seven - red instead of green like in previous depiction, however like the depiction in his endgame tarot card - red lyrium corruption?- cracks below fen'harel's jaw/on his side in the white halo - trailer's depiction of the corruption spreading over the mural in cracks/veins/vines (1 2 3) - fen'harel erasing vallaslin mural has cracks in the background, also in this mural
This isn't lore necessarily but: with the mural as it is, and the last two circles being lit, PLEASE can the 'Thedas Has Two Moons' factoid be relevant again. Pls. Please. We have the perfect setup to mention that again.
... holy shit it does? Where... where is that?????? I must have entirely missed it before???? (also! I have two eta: a few new things to add to the pile of Things The Mural May Hint At because I was dragon hunting today. I will upload screenies tomorrow)
ALRIGHT. THINGS. First off! @TwoBrokenMirrors reminded me that there is a relatively central gnarled tree eerily similar to the one in the mural! It's in the Emerald Graves, where you fight the High Dragon, and it has a codex entry! Spoiler: two big screenshots, cropped for convenience but likely still big And we will stay in the emerald Graves for a bit! You no doubt remember that there are several paintings of likely elvhen origin along the rocks there. Two in particular stood out to me! Spoiler: big It seemes it was not entirely unusual for elves(??) to be depicted with multiple eyes during the time of the Kingdom of the Dales? Maybe? It is not particularly easy to say what this is about, with the dark coloring of the deer/hart/thing and the hunched over and sickly look of the humanoids it may be a depiction of blight, or something relating to the Forgotten ones maybe??? Who knows! And one that is much much clearer and opens another very interisting line of theorizing! That? No doubt an Emerald Knight. Note the cap like structure around their skull, and the halo like background detail around them. Now, my theory veers a little off into silly things, maybe, but bear with me. We do not know a lot about many of the emerald knights. What we do know? They rode on Halla, they had wolf companions (called the Knight's Guardians) which are the reason there are so many wolf statues in the emerald graves. However those are very much exactly the same wolf statues all over the rest of the Dales, and the one noted by Solas, Lavellans and Morrigan in Mythal's Temple in the Arbor Wilds to be dedicated to Fen'Harel specifically. Now this is the a bit more mmm silly and far reaching bit, however! I will still say it because why not. There are three Emerald Knights known to be wielders of the legendary blade Evanura. (Sadly it does not appear to be the blade referenced in above's mural. That would have been so neat. Anyways.) The first was Mathalin, and for his hand the blade was forged. Second, his Squire Sulan, after the lad saved his master's life in battle. Now, the interesting bit here is, that Sulan's Vallasdahlen merely states "Sulan was Mathalin's squire. He walked always with a wolf at his side." Which... alright, there is no need to emphasis this, considering every Knight had a wolf companion, unless it was to an unusual degree, or euphemistic for something more... questionable. Like a real, proper devotion to the Trickster Fen'Harel. As a fun added thing, it's another S name, and Sulan would have no doubt been born after Shartan's death, considering the Long Walk, making both being former 'identities' of Fen'Harel more than plausible. And there would not be too much of a gap, because Mathalin is believed to have been the first Emerald Knight, period. He would ahve of course likely died before Lindiranae, the last to wield Evanura, and the last Knight to fall during the Exalted March, but I'm bringing her up anyways, because of some little things we learn about her from the song about Ser Brandis and her: "But prideful were the Dalish kin, Their vengeful hearts could not give in" "Her dark hair flowing, all unbound: A veil as black as night." what is that, deliberate naming in one breath of both Pride and Vengeance? About a figure who is loosely related to someone who may be meddled with by Fen'Harel? Why that sure is interesting! And dark flowing hair? It's almost as if of the Three Confirmed Witches Of The Wild, two have dark hair and one is greyed with age. And Flemeth is sure known to the Chasind as the Mother of Vengeance, making the connection between Mythal's role as mother-queen of the Evanuris and her being more Vengeful than Just these days very very clear. :) I keep bringing up Evanura because the sword was lost on the Exalted Plains, but returned to the Graves after. But surely nothing in the Plains is extremely relevant to Fen'harel, nor directly relevant to the Mural's symbolism... Oh. Well then.
another interesting bit This has the light wolf on the left side, opposing Mythal's dragon, and has a similar tryptich-like structure to the frame of fen'harel's shrine in the crow fens abover, albeit filled with an eluvian and lackin the second tier of arcs to both sides. this one is also not unlike the self-portrait mural in orientation, with a wolf towering over Solas from behind him, them both facing in the same direction. It seems very much the light-coded equivalent to the dark red-eyed wolf towering over a bowed figure in the end-game tarot card. Also interesting is the perception by western audience to encode these positions with meanings. Left side of the frame, moving/looking towards the right? Good guys, heroes, Those who do what is right. Right side of the frame, moving/looking towards the left? Uncomfortable, villanous, shady, untrustworthy. Flemeth has been coded as a shady, villainous figure since DA:O. She helps the protagonists, but only ever to achieve her own ends. There are always bargains, it ends with people indebted to her in ways they often don't even realize until she comes to collect on her debt. Asha'Bellanar will do nothing without reason. And isn't it interesting that she chides Merrill in DA2 with the words "Then stand. The People bend their knee too quickly." And what can a Lavellan say to Harding on Arrival to the Emerald Graves? "We are the last Elvhen. Never again shall we submit." It's not a perfect match, but it sure is one. And Flemythal is already associated with elvhen culture very very closely.
that would be because the blade above is most likely Sulevin Blade. Which really all but confirms that this is in fact an Emerald Knight. also interesting in light of that Neria, First of Clan Ralaferin has this to say during the wartable missions to retrieve the sword.
I can stop putting every stray thought and factoid I find relating to this in here, I didn't quite realize ho badly I was spamming the thread, sorry xP
Oh ym god the uh comparison between the Arcane Horror and the elf was half joking, but Arcane Horrors are pride demons possessing mage corpses so uh.
I'm really enjoying seeing your posts in this thread, IvyLB! this is the good kind of spam :D some of them I have to skim because I'm only partway through my first run of DAI and I've managed to avoid some spoilers, but I look forward to coming back and reading them soon because Dragon Age is the best :D I'm on vacation for a solid three weeks (!!!) and therefore the vast majority of my time is going to be spend playing DAI, I LOVE this GAME so MUCH, I'm already contemplating what future Inquisitors I might play next. my current Inquisitor is Hella Adaar and she spends a lot of time jumping from the top of Skyhold onto Solas's desk just to annoy him :D Hella is SO SAD that Cassandra is straight. just so, so sad. also is it just me or are despair demons super adorable
Yeah but I mean given I only joined the bandwagon last christmas I will try to label spoilers when i remember xP
I'm interested in learning more about the Titans and how dwarves operated with them. I also want to know more about Revaire, the Tevinter Imperium, and the Anderfells. Also the connection between magic and... everything.
I honestly don't know where the next game would take place if not Tevinter. I feel like the knife was a strong indicator. My hunches for DA4: Dorian is the returning party member. We meet Maevaris. She might be a party member, she might not. If she is, she is not romancable. We will go to Kal-Sharok and see what happened there. Qunari. Qunari everywhere. Political showdown at the magesterium. Attention will be paid to how different church is. We won't meet the Black Divine, but there will be a lot of notes and books and letters to and about him. Dwarven proving grounds 2: electric boogaloo The Desolate Plains will be explored because of connection to Fen'Harel. Also there is literally a town there named Solas. For character generation, I think we will get to choose between the four races like in DAI. The catch is all will be slaves who either a) just got their freedom or b) are trying to escape. This will simplify backgrounds while also justifying why you can play as any race and class. What do y'all think will happen in the upcoming game?
