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

I was just discussing the matter of binding spirits on the Emmrich thread and suddenly had an epiphany when it came to Solas' motivations concerning the Veil and his determination to remove it.

Question: Did such a thing as demons exist before the Veil?

Think about this carefully. Everything we have been told about the nature of spirits comes from knowledge gained post Veil and Chantry dogma. We are told that demons possess mortals because they want to experience the world. However, if there is no barrier to them entering the world then they can experience it for themselves without the need for a vessel to allow them access. Demons reflect negative emotions and attributes in the Waking World but that is because they can only experience it vicariously through touching the minds of mortals. Demons are also created when a spirit is accidentally or deliberately yanked through the Veil against their will. So, without the Veil, perhaps there will be no demons or at the very least spirits will be able to choose how they wish to interact with the world.

Question: Could the vallaslin have been designed originally to bind spirits to their bodies and prevent their return to the Fade?

There seems strong evidence that the ancient elves were spirits that crossed over from the Fade and took on material forms as a result. It was just part of being in the material world that they became more substantial as a result of interacting with it. However, in order to return to the Fade they had to abandon their form and become pure spirit again. The ability of mortals to stay in the Fade physically does seem to contradict this theory but usually this is associated with a particular item or place, such as a pocket realm maintained by a strong spirit/demon so it doesn't immediately reform. Thus, like the Crossroads, it is sort of a half-way house that enables the being to retain their material form. The pure Fade is constantly changing and only spirits can live there. When the Forbidden Ones deserted the forces of the Evanuris and abandoned their forms to return to escape to the Fade, Elgar'nan decreed they were now traitors and were banished from lands controlled by the Evanuris. Could it be that it was after this example of desertion that the Evanuris started marking their followers with vallaslin to prevent their escape in the future?

I've asked previously why there was no one protecting Solas' ritual site but did suggest that perhaps the spirits/demons that attack Rook's party were actually the ones doing this. He didn't have to ask them, or force them, they did it willingly because without the Veil and the Evanuris they will be free once more. It is not the elves who are his people but the spirits, some of which chose to become elves in ancient times. He is not taking his action to save a small number of ancient elves but all spirits. My mind has just been blown.

Incidentally, he said to Lavellan: "I will never forget you". If my theory is right, then the fact that he would remember her meant that even if her body is destroyed, her spirit will live on and will reform but still with her memory of him. Mythal proved it. Wow!

Think the first question we can pretty safely answer in the affirmitive. And the reason for it also goes into the second one. Pretty sure Demons existed in the ancient Elven times. And remember, as you pointed out, the Chantry lore and understanding of demons sucks. They might be on the right track about a lot of things but they also have an incomplete sense of this stuff to. 

But the main thing we do know is that spirits and demons reflect the world around them and the emotions of people in them. Which is why I think Elves, in some form, existed first and then the spirits emulated the Elves and became their gods much like with how the Avaar did. But in so doing it exposed them to Elven emotions, including things like jealousy and fear and what not. So as they became more Elven they also started to develop more complex emotions. Hence demons. At the end then this situation got a lot worse when the Elves/ Evanuris went to war against the Titans, the Dwarves, and maybe a few other things. War tends to breed negative emotions so the Evanuris and the Elven-spirits thus became more corrupted and more demon-like over time. Maybe they stirctly speaking demons but they might as well have been. 

I'm not going to read the spoiler part, but.....
I covered my eyes during the mural part as I didn't want it spoiled, but Maker, young rebel Solas is my DREAM!  I cannot wait. 

It's in the at least I'm assuming that's him.

Must. Not. Click. Spoiler tab....

And now- for no reason in particular- Solas in profile. Enjoy!

There's that tortured Dread Pupper we all know and love.

Don't tell me Solas has Brainrot.