The Blanketfort (crying and throwing up) - The Official Solas Thread [Spoilers]

Well, we have known that the spirits were willingly fighting for the Dread Wolf since Trespasser (protecting his Sanctuary), so I'm not surprised there - it only seems to confirm that the Dread Wolf likely has a lot of spirits on his side.

The Mortalitaasi's tale is clearly one we shouldn't be taking at face value (as is everyone's), but it's interesting that she's kinda like "the spirits sort of looked like the GOOD spirits, but I'm really determined to whitewash my actions and portray the Dread Wolf as a monster so... they couldn't really have been spirits of Valor and Justice, could they?"

As for Solas speaking differently as the Dread Wolf... why wouldn't he be speaking differently when he wants to project as a Big Bad Wolf People Should Fear And Especially Those Bad Blood Mages? 

I'm somewhat confused it's confusing to people that the Dread Wolf and Solas persona are somehow incongruent? We've just spent the entire previous title projecting on Thedas an image of Inquisitor that isn't necessarily reflecting the person underneath, for purposes of being a leader who sometimes has to project an image of strength and intimidate their enemies (like the slow ride on Exalted Council on a huge, decorated horse and surrounded by Inquisition's army), soooooooooo.... yeah, Solas is doing that.

And unlike Trespasser (or his chat with Charter) he has no reason to hold back... or give his enemies any reasons to dismiss him as just some bald Fade Nerd, lol. That mask is not slipping for them, oh no. The less they know about him privately the better - I mean, the reason the Mortalitaasi, Carta Assassins and the Executors have even agreed to their meeting with Inquisition's envoy was specifically to find out anything useful about Solas, including who he may have been as a person (because that's valuable info for spies).

This is *exactly* why I was telling people that Inquisition has an advantage - because they may not know everything, but they have enough info *about him* his quirks and habits to discern more about his actions than the others.

But it doesn't just have to be it - when Solas is deeply upset his manner of speech does get affected. And since the Venatori and Mortalallitaasi have been sacrificing people for blood rituals and messing with the Idol in a way that supposedly 'endangered all of creation', it was clearly something that has made him PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISED OFFFFF. So, again, no reason to hold back the Big Bad Wolf.

Anyway - we don't really know in what manner he speaks when he's talking about HIS Idol - did he make it? Find it? ...Did he inherit it? Did it bond to him like Anchor did to Inquisitor?

...but I'd advise to not try and think of the Dread Wolf and Solas as separate, at least until we find out more. When Solas said that the Dread Wolf 'inspired fear in his enemies'... that's what he was talking about. The giant-ass Dragon-Wolf scaring the bejeesus out of whoever he wanted to be scared.

It's Quintara that bought the thing, but nobody anticipated that he'd die and the lowly agent who was an informant would sell the thing. Although, of course, there's a question of whether Solas wanted to track and eliminate the guy who preformed the ritual with the Mortalitaasi... Question I have now is: does he have the Idol or does he not have it?

Either way, considering how Inquisition has fared in Trespasser (including our own people getting haughty towards others) I'd take a gander on everyone having sand being thrown in eyes several times. This isn't as much a problem with structure, but so many interested parties with people under them who either think things should be done this or that way... or having people in other factions that are actually effective in tripping others up. Solas admits in TDWTY - "there are many of you and you are not fools". I've said once or twice that DA4 may end up as a wild goose chase for the most part and I may yet be right I expect a lot of backstabbery AND also a lot of zealots. We are getting to a point where stakes are this high.

Yeah, I agree that it was not the actual Magister Qintara who bought it. It was Gaius. He basically says as much when he talks about how he acquired the idol so he could trade it away.

I didn't realize that its possible Solas doesn't actually have the idol, and that that bit of the story could be a complete fabrication, till someone else said it. However, it does explain something for me.

The "bard" speaks of the red lyrium idol having two figures, one embracing the other. The thing is, we know the idol actually has three bodies in it. (Or at least, it did, last we saw it.) The mortalitasi also says the idol has two bodies. So, its possible it was an oversight or a retcon. Or its just that *neither* of these characters actually got a good look at the idol. In other words, Solas doesn't have it and only has a vague idea of what it looks like.

Any theories on what the liquid inside the idol is? I think that's a reliable detail since it came from the Carta guy who would have no reason to lie about the details of the idol's structure.

I don't think there's actual liquid in it. I think he was just trying to describe the unusual weight/magical weirdness of it.

But I could be wrong.

A person without a left arm, you say?