Former Elf Companions Joining Solas (or not) In DA4

Great topic!

Zev - He's the toughest of them all for me. Prior to DA:O, he would go wherever the Crows send him. Post DA:O, it's a little unclear. In almost all of my plathroughs, he's either the Warden's LI or he's dead. In the former, I think he would have had enough of a heel-face turn to move solidly away from Solas' ultimate outcome. I don't think I've ever had a game where he wasn't romanced AND I had a high enough friendship with him to avoid him turning on me in Denerim. So I'm not sure what his character is like in that situation. I suppose he would be similar to how he was prior to the events of the game, but as a free-lance? So....then he'd still be against the plan since I think he'd see the larger implications and recognize that he's actually better off in the world as it stands. So I'm going to put him in the "no way" camp.

Ariane - I think she's a yes. She is seeking out Morrigan (who has a fearsome and questionable reputation) without much fear. I think she'd be in favor of improving the Dalish lot in life and doesn't seem put off by scary powerful shadowy mage leaders to do that. She in.

Velanna - She's a hard yes. Super into it elf supremacy. Aggressively anti-shem. She's got an axe to grind and the only cure is more cowbell the slaughtering of all non-elves. Not only would she support him, she'd be a die-hard loyalist, I think.

Fenris - I also see him as firmly against this. He doesn't really have a strong elf identity, but he certainly has a strong "magic is bad -- period" identity. So I think he'd view Solas as exactly what he's always feared -- a mage using their magic to "end the world". Even if he was sold to Danarius (what monster would do this?!?), I can't see him viewing a mage "liberator" any better. I think he would view that as just another form of bondage. He's a no for me too.

Merrill - Hot take (and I say this knowing full well that it's going to ruffle some feathers), I think she's incredibly naive and easily duped. If she knew Solas was Fen'harel AND she knew the ultimate outcome, then of course I think she's compassionate enough to be against it. But I think that he won't reveal to the world his true identity and will brand the movement in a way that doesn't explicitly state that everyone will die. I think she's the type who would initially join him and then as she learns more and sees more, come to question if she made the right choice. So I see her as a yes, but potentially a defector later on, if she realizes before it's too late.

Tallis - Hard no. I don't see any Qun follower supporting an ancient elven god's plan to use magic and ultimately cause the deaths of almost everyone non-elf. Even if said follower were an elf. She's a no.

Sera - Also a hard no. A hell to the no, actually. Too elfy. Too scary. She already doesn't like Solas and she certainly isn't interested in seeing elf supremacy being a thing.

So I can see the agents of Fen'harel being: Ariane, Velanna, Merrill
And the anti-Fen'harel group being: Zevran, Fenris, Tallis, Sera

I expand the list a bit.

Abelas: Totally with Solas. I would be surprise if don´t get an Abelas cameo in DA 4.

Wynnes former apprentice Aneirin: Possible but unlikely. He wants to live more alone. Also i assume that Bioware forget that he exists.

Zevran Araiani: I don´t think so. He could be dead and he also didn´t seem to care much for the elven stuff.

Ariane: A bland character and only interessing with Finn. Its possible that she joined Solas. But why should Bioware do this?

Briala: No for obvious reasons

Caronel and Valya from The Last Flight novel: They are Grey Wardens and their only purpose is that both are connected to Weisshaupt.

Charter: Before her romance with Tessa i would say Yes but this doesn´t fit anymore.

Cillian and Neria from Inquisition Multiplayer: Possible but who cares? Both are from DAIMP.

Erlina: I don´t think she anything more than Queen Anoras handmaiden

Fenris: No i don´t see him following a Mage. Even if this mage is elven. Its likely that Fenris is in DA4 but

Fiona: Her story is done

Gatt: He is a loyal Qunari

Hawen/Loranil and his clan: I don´t know and i don´t care. They are boring.

Heir, Helaine and Breaker Thram: They are just DAI trainers.

Jethann: He is just a comical character. He should stay as this.

Lanaja and her clan: Could be dead. I don´t think that we will see anyone from this Dalish clan ever again.

Merrill: Absolut possible but do Merrill need more drama? I don´t think so.
She should be happy with Hawke and with her friends in Kirkwall.

Merrills clan: The interessing characters are already dead and the clan could also complete be extinguished
with the exception of Ashalle. None of these characters will ever come back.

Namaya (Anders Awakening Friend) : Who cares?

Orana: Please No she should be safe in the Hawke mansion

Sera: Seriously? Just No.

Serendipity: Bioware would prefer that no one remember this npc.

Shianni: I know she is the Hahren of the Denerim elves but yeah i can totally see her as Solas follower.

Sketch: Bland but this entry is interesssing.
It is possible that Sketch is not his true name, and implied in a letter from Leliana asking for his aid
that Sketch may have formerly been a slave, as well as originally placed in Orlais by a mysterious effort
to seed its borders with hidden agents.
dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Sketch
Another Solas agent.

Soris: He is happily married with his human wife.

Tallis: She still is a loyal Qunari.

Vaea: She would never join Solas

Variana: Possible but i don´t think that Bioware will use Variana for the Solas part of DA 4.

Elan Ve´mal: If we need a more known elf as Solas Inquisition agent why not her?
But she didn´t seem to care much for the elven stuff so No.

Velanna: I would say Yes but its more fitting for her story arc that she is more connected to the Architect
plus her sister Serani than Solas.

Kind of curious if an Elf PC in the next game can join him.

Eh, more like Satan.

I mean, the trickster god in any given religion has a way of duping people, convincing them he's right just this one time, and can't they just trust that the legends are wrong?  In Solas's case he's endured a lot of character assassination, maybe, but maaaybe less than he'd like to think.

So I can see him convincing even the most die-hard Dalish, though he might just leave out the fact that he's the Dread Wolf.

Love this so much.

Sera will blame touching Fenris and his crazy mysterious lyrium tattoos.

I think anyone who really thinks Fenris would join up is more attracted to the idea of the drama than they are to understanding basic facts about Fenris.

Fenris is not into elven superiority. He doesn't like magic. He would not want a world with more magic in it. Hawke and/or Bethany were explicit exceptions he made to his MAGES SUCK RULE and that took YEARS.

He DOES hate TEvinter by proxy of hating slavery and mages. The ONLY situation I see him working for Solas is completely indirectly. Example given up stream is he would help the rebellion succeed not knowing that maybe the rebellion was stirred up by Solas to distract people from what he was doing off in the distance. So he'll never have met Solas, agreed to work for his goals.

And frankly, it's hard to feel too bad about being tricked into helping overturn slavery

I think Fenris would have a grudging respect for Solas - similar to his relationship with rivalled, unromanced Hawke - but only if the latter really were just a weirdly pro-spirit apostate hobo from the woods. Solas's musings on freedom would appeal to Fenris, as well as his calm sense of reason (similar to Sebastian's calm demeanor, and Fenris gets along with him quite well even when they disagree).

For Solas's part, he'd admire Fenris's strength and they both have dry senses of humor and a brutal streak when they feel the situation warrants it. In another life I could see them getting along. I think Solas would either be horrified or fascinated by the lyrium markings, depending on their significance. I think he would pity Fenris for similar reasons as Sera - someone who is "so far from what they were meant to be", he'd consider Fen's views on magic to be a tragedy more than anything else.

BUT the whole "elves are THIS and only this", everyone's a mage, world-burning-in-the-fiery-chaos, goodbye Hawke Varric and Isabela thing... at that point he's like Anders times 100000, and Fenris does not like Anders, he's the first to tell you to kill him after he blows up the Chantry.

And Fenris's response to the Dalish differentiating themselves from elves in the cities? "The smug sense of superiority does give you away." He is not about that life.

Not to mention his response to meeting the Dalish on Sundermount:
Guard: We are the last of the elvhen.
Fenris: So you say. Frequently.

theres too many unknowns. is his intent to bring back the world of the ancient elves specifically or is there a place for modern elves in the new world order? how much does he disclose to his followers and agents about his magic abilities, true identity, and the specifics of his plan (I imagine hardly anything)? what does he have planned for dealing with evanuris afterwards and would it actually succeed? - relevant because Fenris would not free elven slaves from Tevinter magister masters only to inadvertently replace the bad guys with other slavemasters, this time magelord godkings who kept masses of slaves in their time, who even seem to have sacrificed them and controlled them with slave brand markings. tho I obviously dont see Solas framing it that way to him or other potential followers, and who knows what state the evanuris are currently in.

I must admit I thought that Fenris was one of the few people who might have a shot of harming the Dread Wolf with his fade ability allowing him to get close without being petrified and then a handy fist punch. The only way he'd support him is if Solas tricked him about his status, both as the Dread Wolf and a spirit/fade loving mage. Instead play on his story of rebelling against mage tyrants and freeing the slaves (aka the elven folk tale of the trickster warrior). To be honest I would have thought Fenris would have supported the Viddasala and her Veil strengthening plan before he would support Fen'Harel.

Still, whatever DG may have meant by that, the fact is we have been told they prefer not to bring back anyone in the future who could potentially have died in the past (after the storm over Leliana that is hardly surprising), so Fenris would seem reasonably safe from them messing with our personal head-cannon, even though I have to admit that I'd have loved to have seen him again freeing the slaves in Tevinter, but as a part of our PC's forces not Solas.

As for trusting future elf companions, my new PC will not be aware of Solas' deception but even if they were, surely that should not prejudice them against every elf. Also, in terms of surprise, it would be a total non-starter, so I think it is more likely we would get a companion who either totally opposes Solas or simply is not aware of his existence.

Watching it again I was struck by something I hadn't noticed before. Does Huon always glow like he's got red lyrium in him? (By this I mean has someone altered this from what we see in game?)  The shade he calls up glows like that too. I suppose they could have been trying to show something symbolic about him being a blood mage but Merrill never glowed like that.  Or is it meant to show that he has willingly absorbed a demon (so not turned into a hideous abomination)? 

He's right about some humans (those who have studied the archives in Tevinter probably) being afraid of the magic the elves have got within them. Corypheus knew that elves were different and Kieran says the same. If Solas spun the line to modern elves that his actions would awaken the magic within them, they might go for it. I have to admit to being curious just what affect dropping the Veil would have on them if they weren't simply killed right off.