The Blanketfort (crying and throwing up) - The Official Solas Thread [Spoilers]
Aug 3, 2016 11:04:40 GMT
Draining Dragon, MarilynRobert, and 71 more like this
Post by Solas on Aug 3, 2016 11:04:40 GMT
The Blankefort deserves a short foreword, particularly as we have new joiners coming on board for Veilguard.
BSN's Official Solas Thread is the home of Solas on the internet. Affectionately known as "the Blanketfort", it is currently on a "crying and throwing up / Now With Extra Daddy" arc. A BSN Behemoth and core part of the forum, the thread is currently in its third incarnation, and had a presence on the original official BioWare BSN forum as well as the subsequent official BioWare Forum. Its ancient history spans far back into the mists of time, before Inquisition was released, before 'Bald Elfy McSmuggins' - as he was once known - even had a known name. The thread is populated by Solas lovers, Solas fuckers and Solas haters alike; in the immortal words of Jon Renish, "half the community wants to kill him, half the people want to marry him, and another part want to do both". The Solas thread was created and is maintained by the awesome Solas , which... makes total sense really, all things considered.
MOD SofaJockey
BSN's Official Solas Thread is the home of Solas on the internet. Affectionately known as "the Blanketfort", it is currently on a "crying and throwing up / Now With Extra Daddy" arc. A BSN Behemoth and core part of the forum, the thread is currently in its third incarnation, and had a presence on the original official BioWare BSN forum as well as the subsequent official BioWare Forum. Its ancient history spans far back into the mists of time, before Inquisition was released, before 'Bald Elfy McSmuggins' - as he was once known - even had a known name. The thread is populated by Solas lovers, Solas fuckers and Solas haters alike; in the immortal words of Jon Renish, "half the community wants to kill him, half the people want to marry him, and another part want to do both". The Solas thread was created and is maintained by the awesome Solas , which... makes total sense really, all things considered.
MOD SofaJockey
Dragon Age: The Veilguard and The Dread Wolf
Official Teaser Trailer #TheDreadWolfRises (Game Awards 2018; contains Solas art and VO)
Teaser trailer mural (full image, high quality)
Tevinter Nights short story plot summaries (TN spoiler warning)
Tevinter Nights The Dread Wolf Take You short story plot summary (TN spoiler warning)
GDL reading a bit of Solas' TN dialogue (fan Cameo; TN spoiler warning)
The Next DRAGON AGE: Behind the Scenes at BioWare trailer (Gamescom 2020; contains Solas concept art, character model and VO)
BtS trailer concept art
BtS trailer concept art 2
BtS trailer character model
Previously unseen piece of Solas concept art from the BioWare 25 Years book
TGA 2020 Official Teaser trailer
TGA 2020 trailer mural
A dev's Twitter icon
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf (DA4) title reveal tweet, two, three, four
New game logo
June 2022 blog post referring to Solas
December 2022 blog post referring to Solas
Who Is The Dread Wolf? - DA Day 2022 video, in-game cinematic about Solas (related tweet)
Murals/visuals from the Who Is The Dread Wolf? video one, two, three
The Dread Wolf Rises t-shirt (ft Solas)
Fen'Harel cloak and brooch bundle (cloak design, brooch)
Jawbone t-shirt (front, icon, sleeve)
Dread Wolf t-shirt (front, back)
Fen'Harel scented candle (box art, candle design)
Jawbone necklace (design)
Dreadwolf canvas print (art piece)
Hierophant statue (video, front, back, side, wolf)
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf hat (ft Solas)
Gaming Heads Solas statue
Dark Horse Solas statue (base detailing)
Dragon Age: Dark Fortress comic issue one, two, three
Dragon Age: The Missing comic issue one, two, three, four
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Keepsake box (ft Solas)
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Dice Set (ft Solas)
Solas in the Dragon Age cookbook: recipe one, recipes two and three
Dragon Age vinyl hidden track: D'read Koda
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf mural skate deck (ft Solas)
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf magnetic headset holder (ft Solas)
Dragon Age: Dark Fortress comic spoilers:
Dragon Age: The Missing comic spoilers:
More will be added as it comes out
Teaser trailer mural (full image, high quality)
Tevinter Nights short story plot summaries (TN spoiler warning)
Tevinter Nights The Dread Wolf Take You short story plot summary (TN spoiler warning)
GDL reading a bit of Solas' TN dialogue (fan Cameo; TN spoiler warning)
The Next DRAGON AGE: Behind the Scenes at BioWare trailer (Gamescom 2020; contains Solas concept art, character model and VO)
BtS trailer concept art
BtS trailer concept art 2
BtS trailer character model
Previously unseen piece of Solas concept art from the BioWare 25 Years book
TGA 2020 Official Teaser trailer
TGA 2020 trailer mural
A dev's Twitter icon
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf (DA4) title reveal tweet, two, three, four
New game logo
June 2022 blog post referring to Solas
December 2022 blog post referring to Solas
Who Is The Dread Wolf? - DA Day 2022 video, in-game cinematic about Solas (related tweet)
Murals/visuals from the Who Is The Dread Wolf? video one, two, three
The Dread Wolf Rises t-shirt (ft Solas)
Fen'Harel cloak and brooch bundle (cloak design, brooch)
Jawbone t-shirt (front, icon, sleeve)
Dread Wolf t-shirt (front, back)
Fen'Harel scented candle (box art, candle design)
Jawbone necklace (design)
Dreadwolf canvas print (art piece)
Hierophant statue (video, front, back, side, wolf)
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf hat (ft Solas)
Gaming Heads Solas statue
Dark Horse Solas statue (base detailing)
Dragon Age: Dark Fortress comic issue one, two, three
Dragon Age: The Missing comic issue one, two, three, four
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Keepsake box (ft Solas)
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Dice Set (ft Solas)
Solas in the Dragon Age cookbook: recipe one, recipes two and three
Dragon Age vinyl hidden track: D'read Koda
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf mural skate deck (ft Solas)
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf magnetic headset holder (ft Solas)
Dragon Age: Dark Fortress comic spoilers:
Dragon Age: The Missing comic spoilers:
More will be added as it comes out
'Inquisition-era' Thread OP content
[cringe from a different era...]
— Anonymous account of the Long Walk, as told to Father BSNSolas of the Dreadfort, circa August 2016
Blanketfort Age II: Origins
(soundtrack)
Before the fall of the Blanketfort, even before the Blanketfort itself, the civilization of the BioWare Social Network community stretched across all of the internet like a great, indolent cat.
Before the BioWare Mods were named or numbered, our people were glorious and eternal and never-changing. Like the great oak tree, they were constant in their trolling, strong in their favorite romances, and ever reaching for the next game.
They felt no need to rush when life was endless. They worshipped their favorite characters for months at a time. Decisions came after pages of lore debate, and a discussion thread could last for years. From time to time, our ancestors would drift into months-long periods of inactivity between games, but this was not death, for we know they wandered the Twitter Thread in lurkdom.
In those ages, our people called all the land BSN, which in the old Tumblr language means "place of toxic cesspools." And at the center of the world stood the great fort of Blankets, a place of knowledge and debate, where the best of the ancient posters would go to trade knowledge, greet old friends, and settle disputes that had gone on for months.
But while our ancestors were caught up in the forever cycle of game releases, drifting through life at what we today would consider an intolerable pace, the world outside the lush hair request threads and ancient topics was changing...
It is said that the corporate overlords used their great destructive power to force the very ground to swallow BSN whole, destroying eons of collected knowledge, culture, and art.
There, see the announcement thread at BioWare Forum/BSN Help. Gaze upon its lack of logic and marketspeak, built on the broken dreams of a people. Our people.
The human prophet AndragonRacer was a slave in the BioWare Imperium, as our ancestors were. When she rose up against them, we rose up with her. Together we fought for freedom. In gratitude and kinship, AndragonRacer promised the Blanketelves a new land: BSN Unofficial Forums.
Some of us believe that Hrungr'ghilan, the Pathfinder, the golden halligator, comes to the People in times of great need. Legends also tell of Cyonan'Din and his twin brother SofaJocken. Cyonan'Din had no fear of the darknet and would walk where the People could not live. The twins were inseparable spirits from account creation to the present. The kindly Cyonan'Din took pity on a dying forum and carried it to rest beyond the reach of EA. He vowed that he would remain to guide all the banned to their place Beyond. Since then Cyonan'Din accompanied by his brother guided posters on their journey to BSNuf.
So we walked. We walked with what little we had on our backs. Some walked without post histories, for they had none. Whole subcommunities, Threaddads with infants, the old and young alike--all of them made their way across the net on foot. Many perished along the way. Some died of exhaustion, others simply gave up and fell by the wayside. A great number were set upon by modbandits, even though we made few infractions. Some turned back towards the Bioperium. But most of us continued walking. And the gods rewarded those of us who did not waver by bringing us to BSNuf.
Blanketforters! Sing the elvish eulogy, for elgara vallas on BSN Prime, da'len. Its time has come and I'm filled with sorrow, but do not dwell in lands no longer yours. As the world burns in the raw chaos, we will endure. There is a place that waits for a force to hold it, a place where the Blanketfort can build and grow. Douse your campfires, load your elf booty gifs into your aravels and follow me on the Long Walk to Halamshiral, the end of our journey. The night is long and the path is dark, but keep to the stars. Let me guide your feet, calm your soul, and lead you to your rest.
"Tighten the rig with the Hearthkeeper’s knot
Topsail, staysail, and main
The traces tie to the girth and the collar
And the collar is tied to the rein
Say thrice the prayer to Ghilan'nain
To quicken the white hall tread
Break camp before the last star has faded
To chase the bright day ahead
A thousand miles beneath the wheels
Sails against the sky
Swifter than a dragon’s flight
The People are passing by
The rein you must hold in your left hand
In the right hand, your dagger or bow
If the shemlen should strike on your journey
Send them to Falon'Din below
The path we beat is the path that we walked
To flee the Tevinter slums
Now we fly on wheels and wings
And hoofbeats are our drums
A thousand miles beneath the wheels
Sails against the sky
Swifter than the fall of night
The People are passing by"
Tel'enfenim, da'len,
Irassal ma ghilas.
Ma garas mir renan--
Ara ma'athlan vhenas
Ara ma'athlan vhenas.
(Never fear, little one,
Wherever you shall go.
Follow my voice--
I will call you home
I will call you home.)
~ fin ~
me leadin u to ur new home n stuff lololo how poetic and appropriate
You made it lethallan! Andaran atish'an! The dawn has come. This is Halamshiral, the end of our journey. Welcome to the second elven homeland, Blanketfort II - Electric Boogaloo.
Unpack your aravel and put down your roots. Come sit at the base of the vhenadahl and light your elfroot pipe. Vir Adahlen - together we are stronger than one.
Feel free to PM me if you need anything or something is up.
Useful links
BSNuf Rules | Fextralife archive of original Blanketfort | French Solas Thread
A few rules
- NSFW images should be signposted i.e. marked as NSFW and hidden under a spoiler tag
- Follow ProBoards rules regarding full-on p0rn
- If you post someone else's artwork (whatever type of art it may be) you should source it (credit & link to them)
- Solas-critical opinions welcome, just be polite
- More of a courtesy thing than a rule, but try to remember that Patrick Weekes uses they/them pronouns
- Be excellent to one another
Old Blanketfort Thread OP
Warning: Untagged, unflagged Trespasser DLC & other spoilers in this thread & post
Please PM me if there's anything you'd like changed in this post. Added, removed, fixed (typos, broken links, lore mistakes, etc). Thanks!
Only sixty-five of our group made it to Halamshiral. Some gave up. Some got sick of the bullshit, especially the little ones. Modbandits stalked us. Threaddad forgive me, I had to post memes. Another poster fought me for extra scraps of BioWare's attention. A few days later, I carried her for miles after her legs gave out. She died shivering in my arms.
I used to have a master, a game studio. He fed me well, never beat me, even taught me how to RP so I could play his games. But if he had some artistic integrity or an awesome button he wanted to test out, he'd get out his community managers, have the BioDrones tie me to a post, and carve furrows into my heart and wallet. I was so afraid. Every time, I was sure I would die. But at worst I'd have a breakdown on-forum, get bandaged up, and lie in a single thread too weak to move for days. The other slaves visited me in secret to survey the damage. I'd heal just enough before he needed blood again. That is why I traveled from the BioWare Forum to BSNuf with nothing but rags on my back.
That is why there were one hundred and five of us when we set out, all elven. That is why I fell to my knees and wept when we crossed through the gates of my new home, a fort for my people.
I used to have a master, a game studio. He fed me well, never beat me, even taught me how to RP so I could play his games. But if he had some artistic integrity or an awesome button he wanted to test out, he'd get out his community managers, have the BioDrones tie me to a post, and carve furrows into my heart and wallet. I was so afraid. Every time, I was sure I would die. But at worst I'd have a breakdown on-forum, get bandaged up, and lie in a single thread too weak to move for days. The other slaves visited me in secret to survey the damage. I'd heal just enough before he needed blood again. That is why I traveled from the BioWare Forum to BSNuf with nothing but rags on my back.
That is why there were one hundred and five of us when we set out, all elven. That is why I fell to my knees and wept when we crossed through the gates of my new home, a fort for my people.
Blanketfort Age II: Origins
(soundtrack)
Before the fall of the Blanketfort, even before the Blanketfort itself, the civilization of the BioWare Social Network community stretched across all of the internet like a great, indolent cat.
Before the BioWare Mods were named or numbered, our people were glorious and eternal and never-changing. Like the great oak tree, they were constant in their trolling, strong in their favorite romances, and ever reaching for the next game.
They felt no need to rush when life was endless. They worshipped their favorite characters for months at a time. Decisions came after pages of lore debate, and a discussion thread could last for years. From time to time, our ancestors would drift into months-long periods of inactivity between games, but this was not death, for we know they wandered the Twitter Thread in lurkdom.
In those ages, our people called all the land BSN, which in the old Tumblr language means "place of toxic cesspools." And at the center of the world stood the great fort of Blankets, a place of knowledge and debate, where the best of the ancient posters would go to trade knowledge, greet old friends, and settle disputes that had gone on for months.
But while our ancestors were caught up in the forever cycle of game releases, drifting through life at what we today would consider an intolerable pace, the world outside the lush hair request threads and ancient topics was changing...
It is said that the corporate overlords used their great destructive power to force the very ground to swallow BSN whole, destroying eons of collected knowledge, culture, and art.
There, see the announcement thread at BioWare Forum/BSN Help. Gaze upon its lack of logic and marketspeak, built on the broken dreams of a people. Our people.
The human prophet AndragonRacer was a slave in the BioWare Imperium, as our ancestors were. When she rose up against them, we rose up with her. Together we fought for freedom. In gratitude and kinship, AndragonRacer promised the Blanketelves a new land: BSN Unofficial Forums.
Some of us believe that Hrungr'ghilan, the Pathfinder, the golden halligator, comes to the People in times of great need. Legends also tell of Cyonan'Din and his twin brother SofaJocken. Cyonan'Din had no fear of the darknet and would walk where the People could not live. The twins were inseparable spirits from account creation to the present. The kindly Cyonan'Din took pity on a dying forum and carried it to rest beyond the reach of EA. He vowed that he would remain to guide all the banned to their place Beyond. Since then Cyonan'Din accompanied by his brother guided posters on their journey to BSNuf.
So we walked. We walked with what little we had on our backs. Some walked without post histories, for they had none. Whole subcommunities, Threaddads with infants, the old and young alike--all of them made their way across the net on foot. Many perished along the way. Some died of exhaustion, others simply gave up and fell by the wayside. A great number were set upon by modbandits, even though we made few infractions. Some turned back towards the Bioperium. But most of us continued walking. And the gods rewarded those of us who did not waver by bringing us to BSNuf.
Blanketforters! Sing the elvish eulogy, for elgara vallas on BSN Prime, da'len. Its time has come and I'm filled with sorrow, but do not dwell in lands no longer yours. As the world burns in the raw chaos, we will endure. There is a place that waits for a force to hold it, a place where the Blanketfort can build and grow. Douse your campfires, load your elf booty gifs into your aravels and follow me on the Long Walk to Halamshiral, the end of our journey. The night is long and the path is dark, but keep to the stars. Let me guide your feet, calm your soul, and lead you to your rest.
"Tighten the rig with the Hearthkeeper’s knot
Topsail, staysail, and main
The traces tie to the girth and the collar
And the collar is tied to the rein
Say thrice the prayer to Ghilan'nain
To quicken the white hall tread
Break camp before the last star has faded
To chase the bright day ahead
A thousand miles beneath the wheels
Sails against the sky
Swifter than a dragon’s flight
The People are passing by
The rein you must hold in your left hand
In the right hand, your dagger or bow
If the shemlen should strike on your journey
Send them to Falon'Din below
The path we beat is the path that we walked
To flee the Tevinter slums
Now we fly on wheels and wings
And hoofbeats are our drums
A thousand miles beneath the wheels
Sails against the sky
Swifter than the fall of night
The People are passing by"
Tel'enfenim, da'len,
Irassal ma ghilas.
Ma garas mir renan--
Ara ma'athlan vhenas
Ara ma'athlan vhenas.
(Never fear, little one,
Wherever you shall go.
Follow my voice--
I will call you home
I will call you home.)
~ fin ~
me leadin u to ur new home n stuff lololo how poetic and appropriate
You made it lethallan! Andaran atish'an! The dawn has come. This is Halamshiral, the end of our journey. Welcome to the second elven homeland, Blanketfort II - Electric Boogaloo.
Unpack your aravel and put down your roots. Come sit at the base of the vhenadahl and light your elfroot pipe. Vir Adahlen - together we are stronger than one.
Feel free to PM me if you need anything or something is up.
Useful links
BSNuf Rules | Fextralife archive of original Blanketfort | French Solas Thread
A few rules
- NSFW images should be signposted i.e. marked as NSFW and hidden under a spoiler tag
- Follow ProBoards rules regarding full-on p0rn
- If you post someone else's artwork (whatever type of art it may be) you should source it (credit & link to them)
- Solas-critical opinions welcome, just be polite
- More of a courtesy thing than a rule, but try to remember that Patrick Weekes uses they/them pronouns
- Be excellent to one another
Old Blanketfort Thread OP
Warning: Untagged, unflagged Trespasser DLC & other spoilers in this thread & post
Please PM me if there's anything you'd like changed in this post. Added, removed, fixed (typos, broken links, lore mistakes, etc). Thanks!
Character basics
- Written by Patrick Weekes (Twitter)
- Voiced by Gareth David-Lloyd (Twitter, Wiki, IMDB)
- Cinematic design by Jonathan Epp, Senior Cinematic Designer
Character information and resources
- Official character page
- Official character profile (interview with Patrick Weekes)
- Official character kit
- Codex Entry: Solas (includes post-Corypheus letter from Leliana)
- Dragon Age Wiki page - Solas
- Dragon Age Wiki page - Fen'Harel
- Approval and disapproval (info from strategy guide)
- Triggering "Measuring the Veil"
- Elven artifact locations
- Character tarot cards
- Video playlist which contains much of the Solas romance (even down to non-romance story detail and short comments from other characters)
- TV Tropes page
Relevant codex entries, notes & other tasty scraps
(not all of these are about Solas specifically)
- Codex entry: The Rotunda and the Fresco
- Codex entry: On Skyhold (includes letter from Solas)
- Note: Request for Resources on the Fade
- Codex entry: Fen'Harel: The Dread Wolf
- Codex entry: The Rebel God
- Where Willows Wail (from World of Thedas Volume 2)
- Codex entry: Constellation: Fenrir
- Codex entry: Knight's Guardian
- Landmarks in the Emprise: Dalish Wolf Carving
- Codex entry: A Plea from the Warrior to the Spirits
- Codex entry: Tracing from Temple Doors
- Inscription in the Oasis Temple
- Codex entry: Geldauran's Claim
- Codex entry: The Hunt of the Fell Wolf
- [Trespasser] Note: Qunari Notes
- [Trespasser] Note: The Treachery of the Wolf
- [Trespasser] Note: Ancient Mosaics
- Other scraps on wolves in the lore
Solas in concept and other official art
- Concept art, 2
- Promo art
- Pre-alpha model WIP
- "New Home" (Matt Rhodes)
- "War Room" (Matt Rhodes)
- "Cave" (Matt Rhodes)
- "Adamant Fortress" (Matt Rhodes)
- Section of front cover of game
Cool stuff and things you may have missed
- Special Fen'Harel dialogue option & how to get it in Trespasser
- Animation differences (based on approval) during Trespasser
- The words of the Ardent Blossom faerie
- The murals in Trespasser (first four images)
- Translations of the elven exchanged between Solas and Lavellan during Trespasser
- Skyhold is the location where Solas made the Veil
- Eleni Zinovia's prophecy
- The Emergent Compendium
- Rotunda fresco explanation
- "All New, Faded For Her" anagram
- All DA:I party banter (skip manually to provided timepoints to hear Solas banter)
- The Sound and the Fury (Patrick's music for writing Solas - ctrl-F "Solas")
- Lead Concept Artist Matt Rhodes' comment on Solas' appearance
- Podcast interview with Patrick (in parts he discusses Solas and the romance. If you can't or don't want to listen to the whole thing, the highlights are posted as a transcription here, and here is a summed up rundown of the feelsy revelations)
- Game designers' notes (found in game code; they shed some light on the Solas/Flemythal post-credits scene)
Fun/misc trivia stuff
- Pre-release, Solas was known among fans by of the nickname "Bald Elfy McSmuggins". He was compared to Nicolas Cage, Han Solo, Nosferatu and HWMN. Initially, a magazine misreported his name as "Solace". He was speculated to be many things, including but not limited to a necromancer, a Dreamer, an ancient elf, Dorian Pavus, Felassan reborn, Felassan in disguise, an associate of Felassan's, Dalish, not Dalish, a follower of Falon'Din, a "Judas" figure and a hermit. The devs compared him to "Scotch bonnet candies" and Patrick claimed he was but a simple apostate in his early to mid-forties. Initially many people were either completely uninterested in the character, citing how plain and boring he appeared to be, or they decried his "ugly" appearance and declared that there was no way he could be a romance option. In particular people were stuck on the fact that he was bald. LOL. Those were the days.
- GDL is in a four-piece progressive metal band called Blue Gillespie (vocals).
- Mademon kindly purchased a video message from GDL for the Solas thread/BSN! Thankyou Mademon!
- TwoWardens kindly purchased another video message from GDL! Thankyou TwoWardens!
Links
- [old] Solas thread official chatroom (password: lavellan. Contains both on- and off-topic chat)
- Blanketfort A03 fanfic collection (collection of DA fanfic written by Blanketforters. Most involves Solas, but by no means all. Please read FAQ, the group has it's lil guidelines about giving feedback, etc. Threadusers are welcome to join the list of maintainers, and to add their works to the collection. Direct questions to drosophila please)
- Solasmancer subreddit (not affiliated with us)
FAQ (spoiler warning)
Q. OH MY GOD MY FEELINGS ASHJKDRG
A. I know, vhenan.
Q. What is this "hellspiral" you speak of?
A. The Purgatory Solasmancers exist in (and will exist in until such time as there exists some form of further closure for the romance, probably), resplendent with FEELINGS and coping mechanisms.
Q. Can you play the story DLCs with Solas in the party?
A. Jaws of Hakkon and Descent can both be played pre- or post-Corypheus, so they can both be played with or without Solas in the party. Personally I prefer to play them pre-Corypheus in order to get maximum Solas-time and hear his comments on the events of those questlines. Trespasser is set 2 years after the defeat of Corypheus, so it cannot be played with Solas in the party.
Q. Did you notice the allusions between romanced!Lavellan and Solas, and Ameridan and Telana in JoH?
A. Yeah! hurts don't it
Q. How do you unlock the special dialogue option about Fen'Harel in Trespasser?
A. You need to find four notes. Notes, locations and video of the option here.
Q. I don't understand, why didn't Solas just kill the Evanuris in the past?
A. Here.
Q. I don't understand, why does Solas want to undo what he did?
A. Here.
Q. Can you help me try and understand Solas' POV/position?
A. See the quoted second half of the post linked above ("On seeing things from Solas' POV").
Q. Why do some people support Solas' plan when he seems to predict total or near-annihilation?
A. I don't personally, from what I know and think at the moment. However! There is debate in the community over it, and when you get into it it's a lot more nuanced than you may have thought. This post for instance is a great exploration. From that perspective, there is no clear-cut "good" option, people are going to die either way, and are already dying, in a way the current world is kinda festering - surely there could be more to it than simply "I'm gonna rip down the Veil and everyone will die". Speculation, gray areas. We won't know for sure til DA4.
Q. I'm beginning to think lots of things are connected!
A. A popular idea on the forum and elsewhere! This post is a great example. The only thing to note here would be that this post was written pre-Descent and therefore before we were enlightened on the matter of Titans, but a lot of it still stands up despite that. Beware, Solas and his storyline was a gateway drug for many in terms of theorycrafting and lore speculation.. you might get lost down the rabbithole.
Q. When did Solas start seeing the people of modern Thedas as people?
A. Patrick says it's tricky and subjective, but for him it began at Dream!Haven.
Q. Did Solas kill Felassan?
A. Pre-Trespasser, some people speculated that the entity that killed Felassan in the novel Dragon Age: The Masked Empire was Solas/Fen'Harel. Others speculated that it was Flemythal, one of the other elven "gods", or some new unknown entity. Post-Trespasser, most people now believe that it was indeed Solas. This belief was cemented for many by the line spoken by Cole ("His friend had to die, because he thought they were people. A slow arrow breaks in the sad wolf's jaws.") and Solas' mention during the final scene of his agent who failed, when questioned about the Eluvian network. "Felassan" means "slow arrow". In this line of thought, Solas is the wolf in question - other times during Trespasser when Cole makes reference to a wolf, he is obviously referring to Solas. Cole's 'readings' tend to be on-point, and the line with it's slow arrows and wolf jaws is incredibly specific. Solas felt Felassan had to die because he had betrayed him (his friend, and boss) and come to believe the opposite of what Solas then-believed, which was that modern Thedosians, even modern elves, were not people. Through his friendship with Briala, Felassan came to see the modern elves as real, and as people. Felassan had to be taken care of as he constituted a loose end. Solas has also shown that when he is emotional, he is not above cold-blooded murder (consider how he kills the mages during his personal quest for hurting Wisdom. During TME, there was no Inquisitor to tell him not to).
Other reasons for the belief include the fact that Felassan makes extensive reference to the Dread Wolf; the entity that killed him was a powerful Fade walker like Solas; the entity wanted control of the Eluvians just like Solas has achieved by the time of Trespasser; Solas admits to having used many people in pursuit of his goals; Solas states that he has many agents and Felassan was feasibly an agent of the Dread Wolf; Solas makes reference in-game to how he respects Briala; Felassan seemed to have been about to tell the entity that Briala reminded him of it, since she was so cunning; killing Felassan would have been in character for Solas since it occurred before the significant character development he undergoes as a result of his involvement with the Inquisition (making friends with modern Thedosians for example); at the time of writing TME they obviously could not name the entity as Solas because spoilers, etc. Personally I think Solas killing Felassan is an important point in Solas' story/narrative, as it clearly demarcates what he used to be like pre-Inquisition. It also functions to showcase what he is capable of in terms of ruthlessness and provides specific, emotive context for some of the regret and sadness he carries with him.
It should be noted that some people do not believe it was Solas. They cite reasons including potential timeline issues and Patrick's characteristic evasive/teasing tweets.
Q. Wait. Felassan? An "entity"? I didn't read The Masked Empire, could you summarize the Solas-elf-Felassan stuff in it for me?
A. Here.
Q. What was the elven that Solas and Lavellan said to each other during Trespasser?
A. Here.
Q. What's the deal between Solas and Flemythal/Mythal?
A. It's not entirely clear. I think it will be expanded on some in a future game or material. We know they seem close from the way they interact in the post-credits scene. We know she calls him "old friend". He speaks highly of Mythal during Trespasser, saying that she was the best of the Evanuris and that she cared for her people. And he seems to think an eternity of torment is a fitting punishment for those who killed her. We find statues of Fen'Harel in the Temple of Mythal, and in fact Fen'Harel wolf statues often seem to be found near or right with Mythal dragon statues. The guardian theory is a fairly popular idea. Other people speculate that they were romantically involved. Others still wonder if Solas originally didn't have physical form and took it at Mythal's behest.
Q. Will we see Solas again?
A. Solas is an exceedingly complicated and enmeshed character in the world of Dragon Age. His storyline does not simply wrap up in the Trespasser DLC - it's too complicated for that. It has been stated that his situation/storyline is something that we'll probably explore in future games, "if there are future games". [source] Given the success of DA:I, it's safe to say that it's fairly likely that there will be (a) future game(s). My personal opinion is that Solas has clearly been set up to be a fairly major player of some description in the next game.
Q. Is there any hope for the future for Solas and romanced!Lavellan?
A. We can't comment on whether or not there's hope for a happy ending specifically really, but regarding closure of some form, Patrick hopes that there will be some sort of closure in the future, and he hopes that Trespasser made that clear. However he also noted that this isn't something he's in a position to promise.
Q. I didn't get the Solavellan Trespasser epilogue slide with my Inquisitor!
A. You only get that slide if you don't break the romance off in the DLC and pick the "try to redeem Solas" option.
Q. I heard that there's a place called Solas? What's with that? It's where we stabbed on the map in the post-credits Trespasser scene?
A. Solas is a settlement in Tevinter. Whether it's a city or a town we do not know, if I recall correctly. We have next to no information on it at all really. It has been there on the map since Origins so it is not a new addition. Post-Trespasser indications and prevailing speculation are that the next game will be set in Tevinter, or will at least prominently feature Tevinter (perhaps alongside one other country like Ferelden and Orlais in DA:I). Notably, Tevinter has had a focus shone on it recently what with the Magekiller comic, potentially the appearance of Fenris in the upcoming novel that David Gaider has spoken of, and the way the Dorian/Maevaris/Lucreni plot threads are seeded in many Trespasser epilogues. The devs could have had the Inquisitor stab anywhere on the map or anywhere in Tevinter - where we stab is fairly central I'll grant you, but the settlement is literally an inch to the right and in plain sight. Does this have something to do with Solas himself? I don't know, but since "Solas" means "pride" or "to stand tall" in elvish and considering how Tevinter was built on the bones of the People, it's not at all a stretch to find named an elven word and for that to be the extent of the connection. We shall see!
Q. Why did Solas look angrier in Trespasser with romanced Lavellan than an Inquisitor who befriended him?
A. Because he was hurting.
Q. Do you have any other snippets of info from Patrick?
A. He was once asked if he ever thought Solas broke down and cried at any point during the romance, given how he always seems so in control and reserved. Patrick's response was yes, absolutely. He's also stated that his intention with the da'len/hahren epithets in the Solavellan romance was that Solas did not call Lavellan da'len after they were together. I believe he's also said that he likes the common headcanon that Solas gave Lavellan the jawbone before leaving or left it for her. That's some stuff off the top of my head, there is more. The best advice is just pay attention to Patrick's Twitter, tbh.
Q. Is there a name for Solas fans as a collective?
A. Solassians, The Wolf Pack and BEES (Bald Elf Enthusiast Society) have all been used in the past. At the moment, those of us in the thread are more like Blanketforters.
Q. Is there a ship name for Solas/Lavellan?
A. Solavellan.
Q. What's a ship name?
A. Definitions.
Q. How can I raise Solas' approval?
A. Solas approves each time you find an elven artifact - that's the way to grind his approval, if you're so inclined. Outside of that, he usually approves when you ask him questions, and when you agree with him about his views on things like the Fade and spirits. He tends to like it when your actions support freedom/freethought/anti-slavery ideals, and when they help out the average citizens of Thedas, like the Hinterlands refugees. He doesn't like close-mindedness or concrete sweeping ideas like "blood magic is evil", and dislikes it when you push the idea that you were chosen and sent by the Maker/Andraste. Decision-wise, he approves of recruiting the mages (as opposed to conscripting them), making Cole more like a spirit, sentencing Alexius to help with magical research, allying with Abelas, doing the rituals in the Temple of Mythal and exiling the Wardens, among other things. For more information, please see the information taken from the strategy guide.
Q. How can I tell whether Solas approves or disapproves of my Inquisitor?
A. After a certain part in the romance, he will sometimes call you "Vhenan" when you click on him. When you've raised his approval to friendship-type levels, he will sometimes call you "Lethallin" [m] / "Lethallan" [f]. This word is a reference to one with whom you are familiar, like "cousin" or "clansman". His opinion of you is fairly neutral if you click on him and he's just like "Hello". You're in disapproval territory if you click on him and he sarcastically sasses you like "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Q. Where are the elven artifacts for that quest?
A. Here.
Q. Solas claims that he begged my Inquisitor not to drink from the Well of Sorrows, but he didn't actually say that, and he didn't seem happy about the idea of him or Morrigan drinking???
A. Yeah, this was just a goof on the writers' part. Solas was supposed to say more. No key plot detail is missing though, just flavor.
Q. Can you recommend any Solas-specific mods?
A. Personally I can't live without Eggs Without Hats by xStephyG, which removes Solas' weird-ass helmet that he wears during Halamshiral. Other than that I don't use mods for Solas really. There are quite a few however, including various tweaks to his appearance (quite a few attempt to bring him closer to the concept art version) and the Equal Opportunity romance mod - so search nexusmods for "Solas" and have a look.
Q. Should I romance Solas?
A. Depends on what you're looking for, really. Most of us here feel that the Solas romance is deep, bittersweet, and beautifully written/voice-acted/animated. It's tragic, so if you don't want to feel sad or upset, or would prefer something funny or fluffy, it might be best to look elsewhere. I will say that the Solas romance is intimately tied with the main plot and major revelations in the game in a manner similar to Morrigan, Alistair and Anders, so is enjoyable in that respect. It also provides some valuable insight into his character - definitely watch it on YouTube at the very least!
Q. Do you have any tips/advice for romancing Solas?
A. Out of game, read Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, a novel by Patrick Weekes - it sheds some light on Fen'Harel (seriously, if you only read one of the tie-in books, for Solas, this is the one you want). In-game, take Solas to Halamshiral for the additional romance scene on the balcony ("take them everywhere" is sound advice for any romanceable companion obviously); recruit and befriend Cole, as Solas has screen-time during Cole's character arc, which is nice; get the DLC Trespasser (seriously, if you only get one DLC, for Solas, Trespasser is the one you want. JoH is nice too for a little flavor, as there are some poignant allusions between Lavellan/Solas and Ameridan/Telana). Also, if you weren't aware of Solas' true nature the first time you romanced him, play it again and pay attention to everything he (and also Cole) says, even little things. The writing is scattered with hints and foreshadowing, it's pretty neat to see. This goes for non-romance playthroughs as well really.
Q. Is there a sex scene/fade-to-black during the Solas romance?
A. No.
Q. Were Solas and Lavellan sleeping together or not, then?
A. Patrick has stated multiple times (both pre-Trespasser and post-Trespasser) that he intentionally left this open to interpretation. He wanted it to be deliberately decided by each player for themselves. In my opinion, this is understandable given the potentially sensitive subject of Solas' lies/lies by omission/deception/true identity. Also, I think it's nice that the romance provides [or at least seems to try to provide] space for people who would like an asexual, non-sexual or chaste romance to see it as such. There's plenty of fodder for "they did sleep together" headcanons if that's your jam - in a Solas romance, the Skyhold tavern bartender wonders how you have time to sleep with your allies; Sera cracks a joke about what Solas must shout during sex; if you pick a certain dialogue option Solas says getting Lavellan into bed is an enjoyable side-benefit, etc. What you make of these lines is up to you.
Q. Why isn't Solas bisexual?
A. Patrick has said that they wanted to avoid the Depraved Bisexual trope. What you think of this is up to you.
Q. I think or headcanon [insert thing here].
A. Cool, headcanon away, whatever it is. Respect other peoples' headcanons, whatever they are, and don't force your own on anyone else.
Q. The Solasmance makes me feel uncomfortable.
A. That's legit friend.
Q. Does anyone in-game comment on the romantic relationship between Solas and Lavellan?
A. Sera, Cole, Vivienne and the Skyhold tavern bartender at the very least. Josephine, Sera and Cassandra comment on your decision to have your vallaslin removed. Do note there may be more, this is just off the top of my head.
Q. Is there any way to stop Solas from leaving romanced!Lavellan?
A. No, he always leaves.
Q. Can romanced!Lavellan go with him?
A. No.
Q. Does choosing to keep or remove the vallaslin have any impact on the romance?
A. There are some dialogue changes (not just during the romance scene itself, and not just from Solas/Lavellan) but the arc/direction of the romance remains unchanged and it does not impact on how it turns out. You're free to make this decision purely based on what suits your Inquisitor best from an RP-perspective, as opposed to worrying about whether or not it'll mess things up.
Q. Does the choice of whether or not to drink from the Well of Sorrows have any impact on the romance?
A. He expresses anger if the Inquisitor drinks from the Well, but other than that, not really. It does not change or impact on the romance or how it ends up. Whether or not it will have any effect in the future remains to be seen (this goes for non-romanced Inquisitors too).
Q. Can you start a romance with someone else after Solas breaks it off after the Temple of Mythal?
A. No. But if you dump him before he dumps you in that scene, it is possible to start some of the other romances, such as Cullen's. Not doing so locks you in with a Solas romance.
Q. Where is the location Solas takes Lavellan during the final romance scene?
A. Whether or not he literally went there with her or if it's a case of reusing a cool location and the place is supposed to be somewhere near Skyhold we don't know. But it's in Crestwood. Map.
Q. Can you kiss or spend some time with Solas at any time like you can with some of the other romance options?
A. No.
Q. Can you give Solas a gift like you can with some of the other romance options?
A. No.
Q. Is it me or does Solas have less companion- and romance-content than other companions/romances?
A. It isn't you, he has a fair few less scenes than the others, in terms of both his companionship arc and romance arc. Personally I'm okay with this, given the fact that his romance was added as an extra one in addition to the base romances (although this also applies to Cullen, and the game is swimming with Cullen scenes, lol) and how tied up with the main plot his arc and storyline are.
Q. Does the Solas romance changed based on class?
A. One of the early flirts changes based on class. The rest is very similar, if not identical. It's up to personal preference what you go with really.
Q. What does "Ar lath ma, vhenan" mean? What does Solas call romanced!Lavellan?
A. "Ar" is a personal pronoun meaning "I" or "me". "Lath" means "love". "Ma" means "my", "mine" or "you". "Vhenan" means "heart". He's saying, "I love you, my heart." He sometimes calls her "vhenan".
Q. What did romanced!Lavellan say during the break-up scene if angry dialogue options were chosen?
A. "Banal abelas, banal vhenan!" The paraphrase for the line on the dialogue wheel was "Your loss, assh*le!" "Banal" means "nothing", "not" or "no". "Abelas" means "sorrow" (it's also used as an apology). There are a few ideas on what this means exactly. "You're not sorry, you have no heart", "Apologies mean nothing, your love means nothing", "You're not sad, you don't love me" - they're all along that sort of line.
Q. What did the Nightmare say to Solas in the Fade at Adamant Fortress?
A. It said, "Dirth ma, harellan. Ma banal enasalin. Mar solas ena mar din." Solas replied, "Banal nadas". There are several theories on what this exchange means. Here are a few. Patrick once said that he'd look into giving us the translation for this, providing it does not spoil future storylines.
Q. What did Solas say to Mihris in the Hinterlands?
A. He says "Ma nuvenin, da'len" ("As you wish, child"), when she calls him a flat-ear and challenges him to move the rocks out of the way with his magical power. He sometimes says "Ma harel, da'len" (essentially, "You're a liar, child" or "You're deceiving us, child"). If you pick the Solas-specific dialogue option, he says, "Ma halani. Ma glandival. Vir enasalin." There are a few ideas on what this means exactly. Here's one, here's another.
Q. What was Solas' greatest fear on his gravestone in the Fade?
A. Dying Alone.
Q. What's that about?
A. I think this pretty much sums it up.
Q. Where can I see these gravestones? I missed them!
A. Map.
Q. What's Varric's nickname for Solas?
A. Chuckles. This is pretty clever on BioWare's part, if you consider the fact that Keeper Gisharel once wrote, "After the destruction of Arlathan, when the gods could no longer hear our prayers, it is said that Fen’Harel spent centuries in a far corner of the earth, giggling madly and hugging himself in glee.”
Q. Solas took some of my best gear with him when he left!
A. Yeah, it's gone forever. If you want to keep it, equip him with something else before he goes.
Q. Are some of Solas' minor personal quests bugged?
A. Some people at one pointed seemed to be having trouble triggering What Lies Dormant (here's an old bug report). I think this was fixed with Patch 6 (ctrl-F "Solas").
Q. I heard something about how Solas speaks 'through' Cole after the defeat of Corypheus?
A. Video.
Q. I hate Solas he's such an ass.
A. You're entitled to that opinion and to express it. Solas-critical opinions are welcome in this thread, so long as they're expressed politely and don't involve bashing Solas-fans or whatever. Personally I see Solas as a gray, complex figure and a deeply flawed individual, and I think it's awesome that he evokes lots of different kinds of reactions from people.
Q. BUT HE'S SUCH AN ASS.
A. Here, this video is just for you.
Q. WHY IS SOLAS SO BAD AT PLANNING?
A. I KNOW.
Q. How did you predict things about Solas' past and future plans/intentions so accurately?
A. am psychic lmao
mysterious wind noises
Q. Are you secretly PW
A. a suspicion I get from time to time. no
Q. "Threaddad"?
A. you are all beloved lil eggs in my nest. hella vhenans
Q. What accent does Solas have?
A. Welsh. GDL has commented that Solas' accent is "more Welsh" than his natural speaking voice.
Q. What Hogwarts house would Solas be in?
A. Patrick said he'd put him in Ravenclaw - "purity of wisdom, lore and intelligence unspoiled by personal ambition". Personally, using the fanon secondary houses system (which gives the system more depth and allows for more variety), I'd type him as a Ravenrin - Ravenclaw primary, Slytherin secondary. Dat ambitions, cunning, resourcefulness.
Q. What MBTI type would Solas be?
A. Pre-release many folk speculated INTP. Since the game came out he's been variously typed as INTP, INFP, INFJ, INTJ and ENTJ, to my knowledge. Yup, MBTI is a heavily criticized system! It's just a fun thought exercise.
Q. Is there any escape from the hellspiral?
A. No. Welcome to hell.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the old OP & the two original threads, and to everyone who contributes to this one.
- Voiced by Gareth David-Lloyd (Twitter, Wiki, IMDB)
- Cinematic design by Jonathan Epp, Senior Cinematic Designer
Character information and resources
- Official character page
- Official character profile (interview with Patrick Weekes)
- Official character kit
- Codex Entry: Solas (includes post-Corypheus letter from Leliana)
- Dragon Age Wiki page - Solas
- Dragon Age Wiki page - Fen'Harel
- Approval and disapproval (info from strategy guide)
- Triggering "Measuring the Veil"
- Elven artifact locations
- Character tarot cards
- Video playlist which contains much of the Solas romance (even down to non-romance story detail and short comments from other characters)
- TV Tropes page
Relevant codex entries, notes & other tasty scraps
(not all of these are about Solas specifically)
- Codex entry: The Rotunda and the Fresco
- Codex entry: On Skyhold (includes letter from Solas)
- Note: Request for Resources on the Fade
- Codex entry: Fen'Harel: The Dread Wolf
- Codex entry: The Rebel God
- Where Willows Wail (from World of Thedas Volume 2)
- Codex entry: Constellation: Fenrir
- Codex entry: Knight's Guardian
- Landmarks in the Emprise: Dalish Wolf Carving
- Codex entry: A Plea from the Warrior to the Spirits
- Codex entry: Tracing from Temple Doors
- Inscription in the Oasis Temple
- Codex entry: Geldauran's Claim
- Codex entry: The Hunt of the Fell Wolf
- [Trespasser] Note: Qunari Notes
- [Trespasser] Note: The Treachery of the Wolf
- [Trespasser] Note: Ancient Mosaics
- Other scraps on wolves in the lore
Solas in concept and other official art
- Concept art, 2
- Promo art
- Pre-alpha model WIP
- "New Home" (Matt Rhodes)
- "War Room" (Matt Rhodes)
- "Cave" (Matt Rhodes)
- "Adamant Fortress" (Matt Rhodes)
- Section of front cover of game
Cool stuff and things you may have missed
- Special Fen'Harel dialogue option & how to get it in Trespasser
- Animation differences (based on approval) during Trespasser
- The words of the Ardent Blossom faerie
- The murals in Trespasser (first four images)
- Translations of the elven exchanged between Solas and Lavellan during Trespasser
- Skyhold is the location where Solas made the Veil
- Eleni Zinovia's prophecy
- The Emergent Compendium
- Rotunda fresco explanation
- "All New, Faded For Her" anagram
- All DA:I party banter (skip manually to provided timepoints to hear Solas banter)
- The Sound and the Fury (Patrick's music for writing Solas - ctrl-F "Solas")
- Lead Concept Artist Matt Rhodes' comment on Solas' appearance
- Podcast interview with Patrick (in parts he discusses Solas and the romance. If you can't or don't want to listen to the whole thing, the highlights are posted as a transcription here, and here is a summed up rundown of the feelsy revelations)
- Game designers' notes (found in game code; they shed some light on the Solas/Flemythal post-credits scene)
Fun/misc trivia stuff
- Pre-release, Solas was known among fans by of the nickname "Bald Elfy McSmuggins". He was compared to Nicolas Cage, Han Solo, Nosferatu and HWMN. Initially, a magazine misreported his name as "Solace". He was speculated to be many things, including but not limited to a necromancer, a Dreamer, an ancient elf, Dorian Pavus, Felassan reborn, Felassan in disguise, an associate of Felassan's, Dalish, not Dalish, a follower of Falon'Din, a "Judas" figure and a hermit. The devs compared him to "Scotch bonnet candies" and Patrick claimed he was but a simple apostate in his early to mid-forties. Initially many people were either completely uninterested in the character, citing how plain and boring he appeared to be, or they decried his "ugly" appearance and declared that there was no way he could be a romance option. In particular people were stuck on the fact that he was bald. LOL. Those were the days.
- GDL is in a four-piece progressive metal band called Blue Gillespie (vocals).
- Mademon kindly purchased a video message from GDL for the Solas thread/BSN! Thankyou Mademon!
- TwoWardens kindly purchased another video message from GDL! Thankyou TwoWardens!
Links
- [old] Solas thread official chatroom (password: lavellan. Contains both on- and off-topic chat)
- Blanketfort A03 fanfic collection (collection of DA fanfic written by Blanketforters. Most involves Solas, but by no means all. Please read FAQ, the group has it's lil guidelines about giving feedback, etc. Threadusers are welcome to join the list of maintainers, and to add their works to the collection. Direct questions to drosophila please)
- Solasmancer subreddit (not affiliated with us)
FAQ (spoiler warning)
Q. OH MY GOD MY FEELINGS ASHJKDRG
A. I know, vhenan.
Q. What is this "hellspiral" you speak of?
A. The Purgatory Solasmancers exist in (and will exist in until such time as there exists some form of further closure for the romance, probably), resplendent with FEELINGS and coping mechanisms.
Q. Can you play the story DLCs with Solas in the party?
A. Jaws of Hakkon and Descent can both be played pre- or post-Corypheus, so they can both be played with or without Solas in the party. Personally I prefer to play them pre-Corypheus in order to get maximum Solas-time and hear his comments on the events of those questlines. Trespasser is set 2 years after the defeat of Corypheus, so it cannot be played with Solas in the party.
Q. Did you notice the allusions between romanced!Lavellan and Solas, and Ameridan and Telana in JoH?
A. Yeah! hurts don't it
Q. How do you unlock the special dialogue option about Fen'Harel in Trespasser?
A. You need to find four notes. Notes, locations and video of the option here.
Q. I don't understand, why didn't Solas just kill the Evanuris in the past?
A. Here.
Q. I don't understand, why does Solas want to undo what he did?
A. Here.
Q. Can you help me try and understand Solas' POV/position?
A. See the quoted second half of the post linked above ("On seeing things from Solas' POV").
Q. Why do some people support Solas' plan when he seems to predict total or near-annihilation?
A. I don't personally, from what I know and think at the moment. However! There is debate in the community over it, and when you get into it it's a lot more nuanced than you may have thought. This post for instance is a great exploration. From that perspective, there is no clear-cut "good" option, people are going to die either way, and are already dying, in a way the current world is kinda festering - surely there could be more to it than simply "I'm gonna rip down the Veil and everyone will die". Speculation, gray areas. We won't know for sure til DA4.
Q. I'm beginning to think lots of things are connected!
A. A popular idea on the forum and elsewhere! This post is a great example. The only thing to note here would be that this post was written pre-Descent and therefore before we were enlightened on the matter of Titans, but a lot of it still stands up despite that. Beware, Solas and his storyline was a gateway drug for many in terms of theorycrafting and lore speculation.. you might get lost down the rabbithole.
Q. When did Solas start seeing the people of modern Thedas as people?
A. Patrick says it's tricky and subjective, but for him it began at Dream!Haven.
Q. Did Solas kill Felassan?
A. Pre-Trespasser, some people speculated that the entity that killed Felassan in the novel Dragon Age: The Masked Empire was Solas/Fen'Harel. Others speculated that it was Flemythal, one of the other elven "gods", or some new unknown entity. Post-Trespasser, most people now believe that it was indeed Solas. This belief was cemented for many by the line spoken by Cole ("His friend had to die, because he thought they were people. A slow arrow breaks in the sad wolf's jaws.") and Solas' mention during the final scene of his agent who failed, when questioned about the Eluvian network. "Felassan" means "slow arrow". In this line of thought, Solas is the wolf in question - other times during Trespasser when Cole makes reference to a wolf, he is obviously referring to Solas. Cole's 'readings' tend to be on-point, and the line with it's slow arrows and wolf jaws is incredibly specific. Solas felt Felassan had to die because he had betrayed him (his friend, and boss) and come to believe the opposite of what Solas then-believed, which was that modern Thedosians, even modern elves, were not people. Through his friendship with Briala, Felassan came to see the modern elves as real, and as people. Felassan had to be taken care of as he constituted a loose end. Solas has also shown that when he is emotional, he is not above cold-blooded murder (consider how he kills the mages during his personal quest for hurting Wisdom. During TME, there was no Inquisitor to tell him not to).
Other reasons for the belief include the fact that Felassan makes extensive reference to the Dread Wolf; the entity that killed him was a powerful Fade walker like Solas; the entity wanted control of the Eluvians just like Solas has achieved by the time of Trespasser; Solas admits to having used many people in pursuit of his goals; Solas states that he has many agents and Felassan was feasibly an agent of the Dread Wolf; Solas makes reference in-game to how he respects Briala; Felassan seemed to have been about to tell the entity that Briala reminded him of it, since she was so cunning; killing Felassan would have been in character for Solas since it occurred before the significant character development he undergoes as a result of his involvement with the Inquisition (making friends with modern Thedosians for example); at the time of writing TME they obviously could not name the entity as Solas because spoilers, etc. Personally I think Solas killing Felassan is an important point in Solas' story/narrative, as it clearly demarcates what he used to be like pre-Inquisition. It also functions to showcase what he is capable of in terms of ruthlessness and provides specific, emotive context for some of the regret and sadness he carries with him.
It should be noted that some people do not believe it was Solas. They cite reasons including potential timeline issues and Patrick's characteristic evasive/teasing tweets.
Q. Wait. Felassan? An "entity"? I didn't read The Masked Empire, could you summarize the Solas-elf-Felassan stuff in it for me?
A. Here.
Q. What was the elven that Solas and Lavellan said to each other during Trespasser?
A. Here.
Q. What's the deal between Solas and Flemythal/Mythal?
A. It's not entirely clear. I think it will be expanded on some in a future game or material. We know they seem close from the way they interact in the post-credits scene. We know she calls him "old friend". He speaks highly of Mythal during Trespasser, saying that she was the best of the Evanuris and that she cared for her people. And he seems to think an eternity of torment is a fitting punishment for those who killed her. We find statues of Fen'Harel in the Temple of Mythal, and in fact Fen'Harel wolf statues often seem to be found near or right with Mythal dragon statues. The guardian theory is a fairly popular idea. Other people speculate that they were romantically involved. Others still wonder if Solas originally didn't have physical form and took it at Mythal's behest.
Q. Will we see Solas again?
A. Solas is an exceedingly complicated and enmeshed character in the world of Dragon Age. His storyline does not simply wrap up in the Trespasser DLC - it's too complicated for that. It has been stated that his situation/storyline is something that we'll probably explore in future games, "if there are future games". [source] Given the success of DA:I, it's safe to say that it's fairly likely that there will be (a) future game(s). My personal opinion is that Solas has clearly been set up to be a fairly major player of some description in the next game.
Q. Is there any hope for the future for Solas and romanced!Lavellan?
A. We can't comment on whether or not there's hope for a happy ending specifically really, but regarding closure of some form, Patrick hopes that there will be some sort of closure in the future, and he hopes that Trespasser made that clear. However he also noted that this isn't something he's in a position to promise.
Q. I didn't get the Solavellan Trespasser epilogue slide with my Inquisitor!
A. You only get that slide if you don't break the romance off in the DLC and pick the "try to redeem Solas" option.
Q. I heard that there's a place called Solas? What's with that? It's where we stabbed on the map in the post-credits Trespasser scene?
A. Solas is a settlement in Tevinter. Whether it's a city or a town we do not know, if I recall correctly. We have next to no information on it at all really. It has been there on the map since Origins so it is not a new addition. Post-Trespasser indications and prevailing speculation are that the next game will be set in Tevinter, or will at least prominently feature Tevinter (perhaps alongside one other country like Ferelden and Orlais in DA:I). Notably, Tevinter has had a focus shone on it recently what with the Magekiller comic, potentially the appearance of Fenris in the upcoming novel that David Gaider has spoken of, and the way the Dorian/Maevaris/Lucreni plot threads are seeded in many Trespasser epilogues. The devs could have had the Inquisitor stab anywhere on the map or anywhere in Tevinter - where we stab is fairly central I'll grant you, but the settlement is literally an inch to the right and in plain sight. Does this have something to do with Solas himself? I don't know, but since "Solas" means "pride" or "to stand tall" in elvish and considering how Tevinter was built on the bones of the People, it's not at all a stretch to find named an elven word and for that to be the extent of the connection. We shall see!
Q. Why did Solas look angrier in Trespasser with romanced Lavellan than an Inquisitor who befriended him?
A. Because he was hurting.
Q. Do you have any other snippets of info from Patrick?
A. He was once asked if he ever thought Solas broke down and cried at any point during the romance, given how he always seems so in control and reserved. Patrick's response was yes, absolutely. He's also stated that his intention with the da'len/hahren epithets in the Solavellan romance was that Solas did not call Lavellan da'len after they were together. I believe he's also said that he likes the common headcanon that Solas gave Lavellan the jawbone before leaving or left it for her. That's some stuff off the top of my head, there is more. The best advice is just pay attention to Patrick's Twitter, tbh.
Q. Is there a name for Solas fans as a collective?
A. Solassians, The Wolf Pack and BEES (Bald Elf Enthusiast Society) have all been used in the past. At the moment, those of us in the thread are more like Blanketforters.
Q. Is there a ship name for Solas/Lavellan?
A. Solavellan.
Q. What's a ship name?
A. Definitions.
Q. How can I raise Solas' approval?
A. Solas approves each time you find an elven artifact - that's the way to grind his approval, if you're so inclined. Outside of that, he usually approves when you ask him questions, and when you agree with him about his views on things like the Fade and spirits. He tends to like it when your actions support freedom/freethought/anti-slavery ideals, and when they help out the average citizens of Thedas, like the Hinterlands refugees. He doesn't like close-mindedness or concrete sweeping ideas like "blood magic is evil", and dislikes it when you push the idea that you were chosen and sent by the Maker/Andraste. Decision-wise, he approves of recruiting the mages (as opposed to conscripting them), making Cole more like a spirit, sentencing Alexius to help with magical research, allying with Abelas, doing the rituals in the Temple of Mythal and exiling the Wardens, among other things. For more information, please see the information taken from the strategy guide.
Q. How can I tell whether Solas approves or disapproves of my Inquisitor?
A. After a certain part in the romance, he will sometimes call you "Vhenan" when you click on him. When you've raised his approval to friendship-type levels, he will sometimes call you "Lethallin" [m] / "Lethallan" [f]. This word is a reference to one with whom you are familiar, like "cousin" or "clansman". His opinion of you is fairly neutral if you click on him and he's just like "Hello". You're in disapproval territory if you click on him and he sarcastically sasses you like "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Q. Where are the elven artifacts for that quest?
A. Here.
Q. Solas claims that he begged my Inquisitor not to drink from the Well of Sorrows, but he didn't actually say that, and he didn't seem happy about the idea of him or Morrigan drinking???
A. Yeah, this was just a goof on the writers' part. Solas was supposed to say more. No key plot detail is missing though, just flavor.
Q. Can you recommend any Solas-specific mods?
A. Personally I can't live without Eggs Without Hats by xStephyG, which removes Solas' weird-ass helmet that he wears during Halamshiral. Other than that I don't use mods for Solas really. There are quite a few however, including various tweaks to his appearance (quite a few attempt to bring him closer to the concept art version) and the Equal Opportunity romance mod - so search nexusmods for "Solas" and have a look.
Q. Should I romance Solas?
A. Depends on what you're looking for, really. Most of us here feel that the Solas romance is deep, bittersweet, and beautifully written/voice-acted/animated. It's tragic, so if you don't want to feel sad or upset, or would prefer something funny or fluffy, it might be best to look elsewhere. I will say that the Solas romance is intimately tied with the main plot and major revelations in the game in a manner similar to Morrigan, Alistair and Anders, so is enjoyable in that respect. It also provides some valuable insight into his character - definitely watch it on YouTube at the very least!
Q. Do you have any tips/advice for romancing Solas?
A. Out of game, read Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, a novel by Patrick Weekes - it sheds some light on Fen'Harel (seriously, if you only read one of the tie-in books, for Solas, this is the one you want). In-game, take Solas to Halamshiral for the additional romance scene on the balcony ("take them everywhere" is sound advice for any romanceable companion obviously); recruit and befriend Cole, as Solas has screen-time during Cole's character arc, which is nice; get the DLC Trespasser (seriously, if you only get one DLC, for Solas, Trespasser is the one you want. JoH is nice too for a little flavor, as there are some poignant allusions between Lavellan/Solas and Ameridan/Telana). Also, if you weren't aware of Solas' true nature the first time you romanced him, play it again and pay attention to everything he (and also Cole) says, even little things. The writing is scattered with hints and foreshadowing, it's pretty neat to see. This goes for non-romance playthroughs as well really.
Q. Is there a sex scene/fade-to-black during the Solas romance?
A. No.
Q. Were Solas and Lavellan sleeping together or not, then?
A. Patrick has stated multiple times (both pre-Trespasser and post-Trespasser) that he intentionally left this open to interpretation. He wanted it to be deliberately decided by each player for themselves. In my opinion, this is understandable given the potentially sensitive subject of Solas' lies/lies by omission/deception/true identity. Also, I think it's nice that the romance provides [or at least seems to try to provide] space for people who would like an asexual, non-sexual or chaste romance to see it as such. There's plenty of fodder for "they did sleep together" headcanons if that's your jam - in a Solas romance, the Skyhold tavern bartender wonders how you have time to sleep with your allies; Sera cracks a joke about what Solas must shout during sex; if you pick a certain dialogue option Solas says getting Lavellan into bed is an enjoyable side-benefit, etc. What you make of these lines is up to you.
Q. Why isn't Solas bisexual?
A. Patrick has said that they wanted to avoid the Depraved Bisexual trope. What you think of this is up to you.
Q. I think or headcanon [insert thing here].
A. Cool, headcanon away, whatever it is. Respect other peoples' headcanons, whatever they are, and don't force your own on anyone else.
Q. The Solasmance makes me feel uncomfortable.
A. That's legit friend.
Q. Does anyone in-game comment on the romantic relationship between Solas and Lavellan?
A. Sera, Cole, Vivienne and the Skyhold tavern bartender at the very least. Josephine, Sera and Cassandra comment on your decision to have your vallaslin removed. Do note there may be more, this is just off the top of my head.
Q. Is there any way to stop Solas from leaving romanced!Lavellan?
A. No, he always leaves.
Q. Can romanced!Lavellan go with him?
A. No.
Q. Does choosing to keep or remove the vallaslin have any impact on the romance?
A. There are some dialogue changes (not just during the romance scene itself, and not just from Solas/Lavellan) but the arc/direction of the romance remains unchanged and it does not impact on how it turns out. You're free to make this decision purely based on what suits your Inquisitor best from an RP-perspective, as opposed to worrying about whether or not it'll mess things up.
Q. Does the choice of whether or not to drink from the Well of Sorrows have any impact on the romance?
A. He expresses anger if the Inquisitor drinks from the Well, but other than that, not really. It does not change or impact on the romance or how it ends up. Whether or not it will have any effect in the future remains to be seen (this goes for non-romanced Inquisitors too).
Q. Can you start a romance with someone else after Solas breaks it off after the Temple of Mythal?
A. No. But if you dump him before he dumps you in that scene, it is possible to start some of the other romances, such as Cullen's. Not doing so locks you in with a Solas romance.
Q. Where is the location Solas takes Lavellan during the final romance scene?
A. Whether or not he literally went there with her or if it's a case of reusing a cool location and the place is supposed to be somewhere near Skyhold we don't know. But it's in Crestwood. Map.
Q. Can you kiss or spend some time with Solas at any time like you can with some of the other romance options?
A. No.
Q. Can you give Solas a gift like you can with some of the other romance options?
A. No.
Q. Is it me or does Solas have less companion- and romance-content than other companions/romances?
A. It isn't you, he has a fair few less scenes than the others, in terms of both his companionship arc and romance arc. Personally I'm okay with this, given the fact that his romance was added as an extra one in addition to the base romances (although this also applies to Cullen, and the game is swimming with Cullen scenes, lol) and how tied up with the main plot his arc and storyline are.
Q. Does the Solas romance changed based on class?
A. One of the early flirts changes based on class. The rest is very similar, if not identical. It's up to personal preference what you go with really.
Q. What does "Ar lath ma, vhenan" mean? What does Solas call romanced!Lavellan?
A. "Ar" is a personal pronoun meaning "I" or "me". "Lath" means "love". "Ma" means "my", "mine" or "you". "Vhenan" means "heart". He's saying, "I love you, my heart." He sometimes calls her "vhenan".
Q. What did romanced!Lavellan say during the break-up scene if angry dialogue options were chosen?
A. "Banal abelas, banal vhenan!" The paraphrase for the line on the dialogue wheel was "Your loss, assh*le!" "Banal" means "nothing", "not" or "no". "Abelas" means "sorrow" (it's also used as an apology). There are a few ideas on what this means exactly. "You're not sorry, you have no heart", "Apologies mean nothing, your love means nothing", "You're not sad, you don't love me" - they're all along that sort of line.
Q. What did the Nightmare say to Solas in the Fade at Adamant Fortress?
A. It said, "Dirth ma, harellan. Ma banal enasalin. Mar solas ena mar din." Solas replied, "Banal nadas". There are several theories on what this exchange means. Here are a few. Patrick once said that he'd look into giving us the translation for this, providing it does not spoil future storylines.
Q. What did Solas say to Mihris in the Hinterlands?
A. He says "Ma nuvenin, da'len" ("As you wish, child"), when she calls him a flat-ear and challenges him to move the rocks out of the way with his magical power. He sometimes says "Ma harel, da'len" (essentially, "You're a liar, child" or "You're deceiving us, child"). If you pick the Solas-specific dialogue option, he says, "Ma halani. Ma glandival. Vir enasalin." There are a few ideas on what this means exactly. Here's one, here's another.
Q. What was Solas' greatest fear on his gravestone in the Fade?
A. Dying Alone.
Q. What's that about?
A. I think this pretty much sums it up.
Q. Where can I see these gravestones? I missed them!
A. Map.
Q. What's Varric's nickname for Solas?
A. Chuckles. This is pretty clever on BioWare's part, if you consider the fact that Keeper Gisharel once wrote, "After the destruction of Arlathan, when the gods could no longer hear our prayers, it is said that Fen’Harel spent centuries in a far corner of the earth, giggling madly and hugging himself in glee.”
Q. Solas took some of my best gear with him when he left!
A. Yeah, it's gone forever. If you want to keep it, equip him with something else before he goes.
Q. Are some of Solas' minor personal quests bugged?
A. Some people at one pointed seemed to be having trouble triggering What Lies Dormant (here's an old bug report). I think this was fixed with Patch 6 (ctrl-F "Solas").
Q. I heard something about how Solas speaks 'through' Cole after the defeat of Corypheus?
A. Video.
Q. I hate Solas he's such an ass.
A. You're entitled to that opinion and to express it. Solas-critical opinions are welcome in this thread, so long as they're expressed politely and don't involve bashing Solas-fans or whatever. Personally I see Solas as a gray, complex figure and a deeply flawed individual, and I think it's awesome that he evokes lots of different kinds of reactions from people.
Q. BUT HE'S SUCH AN ASS.
A. Here, this video is just for you.
Q. WHY IS SOLAS SO BAD AT PLANNING?
A. I KNOW.
Q. How did you predict things about Solas' past and future plans/intentions so accurately?
A. am psychic lmao
mysterious wind noisesQ. Are you secretly PW
A. a suspicion I get from time to time. no
Q. "Threaddad"?
A. you are all beloved lil eggs in my nest. hella vhenans
Q. What accent does Solas have?
A. Welsh. GDL has commented that Solas' accent is "more Welsh" than his natural speaking voice.
Q. What Hogwarts house would Solas be in?
A. Patrick said he'd put him in Ravenclaw - "purity of wisdom, lore and intelligence unspoiled by personal ambition". Personally, using the fanon secondary houses system (which gives the system more depth and allows for more variety), I'd type him as a Ravenrin - Ravenclaw primary, Slytherin secondary. Dat ambitions, cunning, resourcefulness.
Q. What MBTI type would Solas be?
A. Pre-release many folk speculated INTP. Since the game came out he's been variously typed as INTP, INFP, INFJ, INTJ and ENTJ, to my knowledge. Yup, MBTI is a heavily criticized system! It's just a fun thought exercise.
Q. Is there any escape from the hellspiral?
A. No. Welcome to hell.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the old OP & the two original threads, and to everyone who contributes to this one.
We are the Solas Thread: keepers of the best lorecraft, walkers of the lonely romance path.
We are the last elvhen. Never again shall we submit (except to the feels hellspiral).
— The Oath of the Blanketfort
Yay! 
