Black Magic Ritual
N3
Games: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition
Posts: 278 Likes: 238
inherit
11794
0
Apr 24, 2024 18:42:12 GMT
238
Black Magic Ritual
278
Jan 22, 2021 18:47:26 GMT
January 2021
blackmagicritual
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition
|
Post by Black Magic Ritual on Aug 9, 2021 14:57:46 GMT
Hope guns are slow wielding and take long to reload, at which point switch out with a sabier or something to hack down Darkspawn.
|
|
xerrai
N3
Posts: 842 Likes: 1,156
inherit
1451
0
1,156
xerrai
842
September 2016
xerrai
|
Post by xerrai on Aug 13, 2021 17:33:24 GMT
So here's a topic for discussion: enchanted bullets. Given what we know about lyrium and enchantment it should be possible. Inscribing the runes themselves should be easy enough if a man has a magnifying glass, a steady hand, and the proper inscribing equipment. But it is the actual application of lyrium that has me wondering, just how much lyrium is required to get an enchantment to work? And is that amount of lyrium dependent on the size of the thing they want to enchant?
Because if it really is as simple as 'writing down lyrium runes' then I would expect enchanters to constantly use the smallest font they can manage just to conserve lyrium and reduce lyrium exposure. With lyrium being as valuable as it is, it would only make sense. But if that was the case, then would that not mean that enchanting a dagger would require the same amount of lyrium as enchanting a greatsword. Or is there a loss of potency involved?
And of course given the usual high price tag of any enchanting service, would people even want to bother getting enchanted bullets given that they tend to have a 'one and done' application? Unlike arrows, no one really expects people to retrieve bullets after firing. In terms of cost you'd be better off having a mage enchant the bullet with a single spell. The fact that spell enchantments are temporary (which is lyrium enchantment's main draw) would actually be a non-issue given the bullet's inherent disposability.
|
|
inherit
∯ Oh Loredy...
455
0
26,664
gervaise21
10,783
August 2016
gervaise21
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
|
Post by gervaise21 on Aug 13, 2021 18:03:07 GMT
So here's a topic for discussion: enchanted bullets. Given what we know about lyrium and enchantment it should be possible. As you say, it wouldn't really be practical unless you could simply enchant a box full each time. Outside of the arcane archer we've seen in the trailer and concept art, I have to admit that enchanted arrows, as we had in DAO, always seemed a bit extreme. Admittedly they weren't cheap and I tended to use them carefully because of that but it always made more sense for the bow to be enchanted but the arrows just regular ones, at least most of the time. May be have enchanted arrows for time of war. If they did introduce firearms in a future game, I would prefer it if they stuck to it being advanced technology that was an alternative to magic weapons rather than an addition to them. May be guns and bullets could be a way of by-passing magical defences in a way that magical arrows cannot.
|
|
inherit
Glorious Star Lord
822
0
Jan 24, 2024 17:47:40 GMT
16,819
KaiserShep
Party like it's 2023!
9,233
August 2016
kaisershep
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
|
Post by KaiserShep on Aug 13, 2021 18:17:08 GMT
So here's a topic for discussion: enchanted bullets. Given what we know about lyrium and enchantment it should be possible. As you say, it wouldn't really be practical unless you could simply enchant a box full each time. Outside of the arcane archer we've seen in the trailer and concept art, I have to admit that enchanted arrows, as we had in DAO, always seemed a bit extreme. Admittedly they weren't cheap and I tended to use them carefully because of that but it always made more sense for the bow to be enchanted but the arrows just regular ones, at least most of the time. May be have enchanted arrows for time of war. If they did introduce firearms in a future game, I would prefer it if they stuck to it being advanced technology that was an alternative to magic weapons rather than an addition to them. May be guns and bullets could be a way of by-passing magical defences in a way that magical arrows cannot. Oof, firearms in Dragon Age. Anything more than your basic gunpowder ball shooter would be way too much lol
|
|
midnight tea
Twitter Guru
gateway beverage
Posts: 7,093 Likes: 16,583
inherit
gateway beverage
109
0
16,583
midnight tea
7,093
August 2016
midnighttea
|
Post by midnight tea on Aug 13, 2021 21:49:53 GMT
As you say, it wouldn't really be practical unless you could simply enchant a box full each time. Outside of the arcane archer we've seen in the trailer and concept art, I have to admit that enchanted arrows, as we had in DAO, always seemed a bit extreme. Admittedly they weren't cheap and I tended to use them carefully because of that but it always made more sense for the bow to be enchanted but the arrows just regular ones, at least most of the time. May be have enchanted arrows for time of war. If they did introduce firearms in a future game, I would prefer it if they stuck to it being advanced technology that was an alternative to magic weapons rather than an addition to them. May be guns and bullets could be a way of by-passing magical defences in a way that magical arrows cannot. Oof, firearms in Dragon Age. Anything more than your basic gunpowder ball shooter would be way too much lol Would it though? I mean, we know that the Qunari do have gunpowder and we know that Bianca has created a machine that sorts and plants seeds. Question is whether, with all the magical stuff, their technological advancements would look remotely similar to ours.
|
|
inherit
Glorious Star Lord
822
0
Jan 24, 2024 17:47:40 GMT
16,819
KaiserShep
Party like it's 2023!
9,233
August 2016
kaisershep
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
|
Post by KaiserShep on Aug 13, 2021 22:43:51 GMT
Oof, firearms in Dragon Age. Anything more than your basic gunpowder ball shooter would be way too much lol Would it though? I mean, we know that the Qunari do have gunpowder and we know that Bianca has created a machine that sorts and plants seeds. Question is whether, with all the magical stuff, their technological advancements would look remotely similar to ours. In terms of gameplay it would need to be very limited, not something we can spam or have a cooldown.
|
|
midnight tea
Twitter Guru
gateway beverage
Posts: 7,093 Likes: 16,583
inherit
gateway beverage
109
0
16,583
midnight tea
7,093
August 2016
midnighttea
|
Post by midnight tea on Aug 13, 2021 22:54:53 GMT
Would it though? I mean, we know that the Qunari do have gunpowder and we know that Bianca has created a machine that sorts and plants seeds. Question is whether, with all the magical stuff, their technological advancements would look remotely similar to ours. In terms of gameplay it would need to be very limited, not something we can spam or have a cooldown. You mean like bolts or arrows?
|
|
inherit
Scribbles
185
0
Apr 23, 2024 17:30:54 GMT
30,246
Hanako Ikezawa
22,353
August 2016
hanakoikezawa
|
Post by Hanako Ikezawa on Aug 14, 2021 4:41:01 GMT
I want the Sha-Brytol crossbows.
|
|
inherit
∯ Oh Loredy...
455
0
26,664
gervaise21
10,783
August 2016
gervaise21
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
|
Post by gervaise21 on Aug 14, 2021 8:07:53 GMT
I want the Sha-Brytol crossbows. You know, as far as I am aware, no one has questioned how on earth the Sha-Brytol came by such advanced technology compared with what modern dwarves or even Qunari have? Who designed such sophisticated weaponry? Where did they get the materials from to construct them? It was hard enough to understand how this race of dwarves had been totally unknown to the rest of Thedas until we descended to the depths. The darkspawn could explain more recent times but what of all those ages before the Blights occurred when the Deep Roads were teeming with ordinary dwarves and there was nothing to prevent them exploring deeper? However, to see such advanced technology being used by them makes it even more inconceivable they had gone unknown before now. Unless, of course, we discover next game that Kal-Sharok were aware of their existence but their leadership kept it secret from the thaigs elsewhere. May be it was an alliance with the Sha-Brytol that enabled Kal-Sharok to survive. Which would mean that Kal-Sharok also knew about the titans. That would be interesting. It would certainly explain why they were so determined to wipe out any dwarven thaig that had anything to do with sheltering the elves, because they know the truth about what the elves did to their ancestors. I really hope that we do get to visit Kal-Sharok next game and it would be great to have a Kal-Sharok dwarf as a companion. I'm hoping that is where Bellara is from. After all, she knows what are "the good kind of rumbles.". May be her signature weapon will be a Sha-Brytol crossbow, bolt gun. Varric eat your heart out!
|
|
inherit
11247
0
1,639
Buckeldemon
Now stealin' more kidz.
1,200
July 2019
buckeldemon
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
|
Post by Buckeldemon on Aug 14, 2021 8:23:48 GMT
It is not a crossbow, it is a Bofors. Anyway, as long as they don't overdo it with powder weapons in terms of RoF or utter superiority to torsion-based weaponry or just add tons of M-16s and AKs or something like that, I guess it could be okay? I'd personally prefer the Qunari mostly throwing bombs and shooting rockets and (al)chemical fireballs or something. Speaking about chemical stuff... was it just my impression that Shy-Brytol bolts were lyrium-tipped?
|
|
inherit
1398
0
3,643
Absafraginlootly
"Abso-fraggin-lutely!" ~ Captain John Sheridan and Satai Delenn
1,374
September 2016
absafraginlootly
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR
|
Post by Absafraginlootly on Aug 14, 2021 8:44:46 GMT
It is not a crossbow, it is a Bofors. Anyway, as long as they don't overdo it with powder weapons in terms of RoF or utter superiority to torsion-based weaponry or just add tons of M-16s and AKs or something like that, I guess it could be okay? I'd personally prefer the Qunari mostly throwing bombs and shooting rockets and (al)chemical fireballs or something. Speaking about chemical stuff... was it just my impression that Shy-Brytol bolts were lyrium-tipped? This Dark dwarf bolt gun concept art has text saying ammo = lyrium balls so i guess they are?
|
|
inherit
∯ Oh Loredy...
455
0
26,664
gervaise21
10,783
August 2016
gervaise21
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
|
Post by gervaise21 on Aug 14, 2021 10:55:55 GMT
It is not a crossbow, it is a Bofors. I admit my error in just following the definition currently being talked about. I have to admit I had totally forgotten they had actually issued design artwork for the Sha-Brytol bolt gun when we were talking about the possibility of this sort of weapon in Thedas. I still find it odd that these isolated dwarves in the depths have this sort of technology, yet not even the Qunari have developed anything as sophisticated. So here's a topic for discussion: enchanted bullets As you can see, apparently we have already been given enchanted bullets made of pure lyrium pellets by the Sha-Brytol, so my previous musings are now redundant. Clearly if we are to have guns generally in the future, it follows they will fire lyrium bullets. No runes required.
|
|
inherit
Glorious Star Lord
822
0
Jan 24, 2024 17:47:40 GMT
16,819
KaiserShep
Party like it's 2023!
9,233
August 2016
kaisershep
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
|
Post by KaiserShep on Aug 14, 2021 16:00:33 GMT
In terms of gameplay it would need to be very limited, not something we can spam or have a cooldown. You mean like bolts or arrows? Sort of. There's a point where I feel the viability of things like swords and daggers start to become very questionable if too many relatively sophisticated ranged weapons outside of bows and crossbows start to make an appearance.
|
|
midnight tea
Twitter Guru
gateway beverage
Posts: 7,093 Likes: 16,583
inherit
gateway beverage
109
0
16,583
midnight tea
7,093
August 2016
midnighttea
|
Post by midnight tea on Aug 15, 2021 0:43:38 GMT
You mean like bolts or arrows? Sort of. There's a point where I feel the viability of things like swords and daggers start to become very questionable if too many relatively sophisticated ranged weapons outside of bows and crossbows start to make an appearance. I don't really feel that way in a world with magic in it. IRL weapons like bows or swords can't keep up with guns, but in a world where they can be enchanted or made out of materials with unique properties this is a different story - and methods to enchant weapons like bows or swords have been long established, while things like guns will likely have some limitations stemming from the fact that this technology is still quite new. If anything, I feel that in a world of magic we should be using all kinds of weapons, including ones that are at least superficially similar to our modern ones (aka the Sha-Brytol gun) and any sort of fantastical weapons that could work in a universe where magic can all do all sorts of funky stuff - what about, for example, a gun or crossbow with bullets/bolts that can phase through matter - like Knight Enchanter ability - and hit only a chosen target? Spirit bullets that can heal? Or a sword that can turn into a lasso that pulls an enemy to close the gap? It was always a bit of a pet peeve of mine that many fantasy universes use weapons that are quite archaic and limited mostly to what we know from pre-gunpowder era, when magic in such universe should create different 'evolutionary pressures' for armors and weaponry, compared to non-magical universe of ours. I know why is that - it's simpler that way and it gives players a sense of something familiar within that world, but I'm all for breaking that typical fantasy mold (which is why I'm happy we may be getting magic bows that, for all we know, may as well shoot more energy arrows per second than automatic rifles )
|
|
midnight tea
Twitter Guru
gateway beverage
Posts: 7,093 Likes: 16,583
inherit
gateway beverage
109
0
16,583
midnight tea
7,093
August 2016
midnighttea
|
Post by midnight tea on Aug 19, 2021 21:02:55 GMT
Throwing it out to speculate - we occasionally talk about influences from IRL world and cultures in DA or groups in the story. Most of what I've seen mentioned or mentioned myself were western traditions, like greek mythology - but have potential far eastern influences been discussed?
|
|
inherit
3555
0
Apr 14, 2022 23:07:25 GMT
11,193
gaycaravaggio
Oy Gay
2,940
February 2017
gaycaravaggio
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquistion
|
Post by gaycaravaggio on Aug 19, 2021 22:17:57 GMT
Throwing it out to speculate - we occasionally talk about influences from IRL world and cultures in DA or groups in the story. Most of what I've seen mentioned or mentioned myself were western traditions, like greek mythology - but have potential far eastern influences been discussed? I've personally toyed with the idea that one of the groups from beyond Thedas might be a DA universe equivalent to maybe... China, or another East Asian culture.
|
|
inherit
Scribbles
185
0
Apr 23, 2024 17:30:54 GMT
30,246
Hanako Ikezawa
22,353
August 2016
hanakoikezawa
|
Post by Hanako Ikezawa on Aug 20, 2021 5:16:13 GMT
Throwing it out to speculate - we occasionally talk about influences from IRL world and cultures in DA or groups in the story. Most of what I've seen mentioned or mentioned myself were western traditions, like greek mythology - but have potential far eastern influences been discussed? I've personally toyed with the idea that one of the groups from beyond Thedas might be a DA universe equivalent to maybe... China, or another East Asian culture. David Gaider did say way back when that this kind of thing would be how they brought asians into the franchise.
|
|
Black Magic Ritual
N3
Games: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition
Posts: 278 Likes: 238
inherit
11794
0
Apr 24, 2024 18:42:12 GMT
238
Black Magic Ritual
278
Jan 22, 2021 18:47:26 GMT
January 2021
blackmagicritual
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition
|
Post by Black Magic Ritual on Sept 9, 2021 18:38:11 GMT
ok, another Andraste one, but this time short and sweet You know the Stained Glass windows in DAI? Well check out the 2nd one here The girl in red and battle ready armour looks familiar to a tarot card I've e posted a few times Yep, that's definitely Andraste and Shartan
|
|
inherit
∯ Oh Loredy...
455
0
26,664
gervaise21
10,783
August 2016
gervaise21
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
|
Post by gervaise21 on Sept 10, 2021 17:59:33 GMT
Yep, that's definitely Andraste and Shartan It is hard to place who it could be if it isn't them but of course we have no idea what Mythal really looked like and I'm pretty sure that PW said that Solas' bald head was a recent choice by him (in answer to us assuming that ancient elves must have been bald because of him and the Sentinels). So if that was a younger Fen'Harel, the lady could be Mythal. After all, she does have a shield with dragons on it and the male elf is on her left, as Fen'Harel was depicted in the Deep Roads. I had wondered if the symbolism of the left hand being the place for the supporter with subterfuge (as opposed to the right being the martial support) had always been the same even for the ancient elves, thus suggesting that Fen'Harel was Mythal's spymaster, which plays into his reputation with the other Evanuris. I wouldn't read too much into Andraste being depicted as a warrior because, even if she was really a mage, the Chantry would have wanted to play down that aspect of her, which is why she is never shown as anything other than a warrior. Nevertheless, the Knight Enchanter might originally have been her specialism and of course Shartan could well have been an arcane warrior, in both cases the specialism as played in DAO rather than the light sabre version of DAI. The interesting part of that stained glass warrior is that it definitely shows her with red hair, presumably because the iconography originated in Ferelden, whereas the art from Orlais usually depicts her as blond. Why does she appear to have a flaming orb floating above her? Is that meant to depict of vision/prophesy of her ultimate fate or something else? The other stained glass that I find curious is the first one, presumably showing the Magisters Sidereal with the blood from their unholy sacrifice pouring down and corrupting the black city. However, I do wonder at the fact it is inverted from the Golden City above, possibly indicating that it is a reflection in the Fade of a real city under Thedas.
|
|
Black Magic Ritual
N3
Games: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition
Posts: 278 Likes: 238
inherit
11794
0
Apr 24, 2024 18:42:12 GMT
238
Black Magic Ritual
278
Jan 22, 2021 18:47:26 GMT
January 2021
blackmagicritual
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition
|
Post by Black Magic Ritual on Oct 2, 2021 16:46:34 GMT
Something I wished that had been explored in the DA games already was Aeonar, the prison were the all the bad little mages are held by the Chantry. I'm trying to flesh out where it could be since, as I read in a Codex entry, only a handful of Templars know it's exact location.My rational guess? It's somewhere between Orzammer and the Frostback Mountains. Why those places? Because it would make sense for the Mages/Templars/Chantry to be near an abundant source of Lyrium i.e. the Dwarves mining rigs. And why the Frostback Mountains? Because it states in the codex entry that it was overrun by the disciples of Andraste (Avvars?) like in Haven. However, the most interesting thing I noticed in the codex by now is the small piece of info from he second paragraph. Whatever it was the Tevinter were trying to discover at Aeonar, their work was never completed. The fortress was overrun by disciples of Andraste upon hearing the news of her death. According to legend, it was a massacre—eerily silent, for the invaders caught the mages while all but one of them were in the the Fade.
So that means there was a soul (lol) survivor from Aeonar at the time of the purging after Andraste's death. Why were they in the fade? Who knows, but the fact that the writers made it clear that one survived makes me curious. That, and by the time of DAI the Seekers have discovered that Aeonar has been emptied. Connection? I think so!
|
|
xerrai
N3
Posts: 842 Likes: 1,156
inherit
1451
0
1,156
xerrai
842
September 2016
xerrai
|
Post by xerrai on Oct 2, 2021 21:07:13 GMT
Something I wished that had been explored in the DA games already was Aeonar, the prison were the all the bad little mages are held by the Chantry. I'm trying to flesh out where it could be since, as I read in a Codex entry, only a handful of Templars know it's exact location.My rational guess? It's somewhere between Orzammer and the Frostback Mountains. [...]Why those places? Because it would make sense for the Mages/Templars/Chantry to be near an abundant source of Lyrium i.e. the Dwarves mining rigs. And why the Frostback Mountains? Because it states in the codex entry that it was overrun by the disciples of Andraste (Avvars?) like in Haven. However, the most interesting thing I noticed in the codex by now is the small piece of info from he second paragraph. Whatever it was the Tevinter were trying to discover at Aeonar, their work was never completed. The fortress was overrun by disciples of Andraste upon hearing the news of her death. According to legend, it was a massacre—eerily silent, for the invaders caught the mages while all but one of them were in the the Fade.
So that means there was a soul (lol) survivor from Aeonar at the time of the purging after Andraste's death. Why were they in the fade? Who knows, but the fact that the writers made it clear that one survived makes me curious. That, and by the time of DAI the Seekers have discovered that Aeonar has been emptied. Connection? I think so! I'd be careful from assuming that just because one person was awake that it meant they survived. For all we know that person was killed along with all the rest, with tales of his not-asleepness being preserved in tales that the attackers told to others. Or by the awake person leaving it in a note or something. But it does give us a hint as to what exactly they were studying in that place (i.e something pertaining to the Fade). Perhaps this was where they were trying (in futility) to map the Fade? Or were they attempting uthenera? Or were they just combing the Fade looking for ancient knowledge? It's hard to say what the specifics were. Similarly I'm not too certain of the structure needing to be located anywhere near Orzammar for lyrium supply purposes, regardless of the Chantry's presence. It was, after all, a Tevinter location first and it was apparently a location that was "spiritually damaged". That could have just as easily been the result of blood magic, spirits, or being built on a elvhen site as opposed to excessive lyrium usage. Although its not impossible. But if we are talking about location I think we'd be better of going a bit northward instead of looking at the deeper portions of the Frostback Mountains. To quote the codex: "they had two sites dedicated to magical experimentation at the extreme ends of the Imperial Highway. The southern one was the fortress of Ostagar [...] The northern one was Aeonar although the exact location is now a secret known only to a handful of Templars." For a landscape as large as Ferelden that still leaves a lot of potential areas. That description can easily leave us the entire northern coastline or even some place near Denerim and the nearby Brecilian Forest. But for me? My current best guess is somewhere between Jader and the tip of Lake Calenhad. I don't have a lot of compelling evidence, but I couldn't help but notice that there is a tiny gap in the imperial highway near Orzammar. It even has one end that looks like it could head upward. But that can just as easily denote a roundabout section of the highway that has gone into disrepair and didn't actually lead anywhere other than to Orlais. But if we're going into crazy theories it may be worth pointing out.
|
|
dayze
N2
Posts: 186 Likes: 78
inherit
1270
0
78
dayze
186
August 2016
dayze
|
Post by dayze on Oct 21, 2021 4:46:26 GMT
A bunch of people in the fade and one escapes, sounds like a Solas kind of deal.
|
|
Black Magic Ritual
N3
Games: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition
Posts: 278 Likes: 238
inherit
11794
0
Apr 24, 2024 18:42:12 GMT
238
Black Magic Ritual
278
Jan 22, 2021 18:47:26 GMT
January 2021
blackmagicritual
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition
|
Post by Black Magic Ritual on Oct 29, 2021 13:52:55 GMT
I've been meaning to put this one together for a while now, but here's my First Warden is a Magister Sidereal theory. A few months back, I was talking to Gervaise over this theory (First Warden being Magister #6 - the Augur of Mystery) and since she's much well educated in the lore then I ever could be I thought I'd repost what she said here. Although since the Magister is known as the Augur, I'm also baking on that they'll be revealed to have been an Avvar in contrast to Corypheus and The Architect. Now thinking about this I realise this theory isn't as crazy as it first appears. The use of the term Augur doesn't necessarily point to an Avvar connection since the ancient Neromenians appeared to have similar beliefs to the Avvar about reincarnation, more specifically that their heroes would be reborn as dragons. Which, of course, is also in keeping with the beliefs of the Cult of Andraste at Haven, who were an offshoot of the Alamarri, just like the Avvar. So it would seem the term Augur was probably used by early humans to indicate the member of the community who was responsible for communicating with and knew the most about the spirit world. What points to a closer connection between the High Priest of Razikale and the Avvar is the fact that when Razikale had gone silent, the priesthood sought answers in the Frostback Basin. This seems peculiar if they had no prior knowledge of the area. In DAO we were given the impression that the limit of the Imperium's influence in the south was pretty much the fortress at Ostagar. This was an outpost constructed to keep watch for barbarian invasion from the south into the more fertile and useful areas to the north. Whilst the Imperium may have conducted the odd foray beyond this initially to see if there was anything useful there, clearly they didn't feel there was anything worth fighting over. Yet the priesthood not only sought answers far beyond the previous limit of Tevinter interest in the area but even knew the specific location that would fit their purpose. What we do not know is whether they did get any answers. The inscriptions seem to show they had lost contact with the north before their ritual, so who knows what happened to them afterwards. Did they in fact make contact with the Magister Sidereal, the Augur of Mystery, even if Razikale remained silent? Or was it the Augur of Mystery who suggested the location to them? Sadly, a precise date was not given for their enterprise, whether it was before or after the assault on the Black City, although the reference to a throne that does not exist might suggest the latter. Is the reason their messages to the capital went unanswered the fact that the Blight had begun and the rest of the Imperium had other rather pressing matters to attend to? The idea that one of the Magisters Sidereal was involved with the Joining Ritual sounds crazy at first but the Wardens had to have got their ideas about the Joining from someone. I mean who would normally come up with the idea that drinking your enemies' blood is going to make you immune to them, let alone adding a drop of darkspawn blood to the mix? Now it was originally suggested in the lore that it was elven slaves recruited to the Wardens who came up with the idea of the Joining. I'm pretty sure that had to have been based on some earlier lore they were familiar with or some contact with a spirit of the Fade because, whilst they would be familiar with blood magic, it is something of a leap from that to the Joining. Of course, it is possible that it was Mythal who spoke to them from the Fade. In fact, it is not entirely ridiculous to suggest that Mythal was Razikale, considering that unlike the other elven gods we know she was definitely present in the Fade and it would also make sense for her to cover her identity if she didn't want her enemies to recognise her until she had rebuilt her power sufficiently. Whilst some of the other Old Gods appear to have changed gender over time, Razikale has always been female. People have questioned why, if the Old Gods were elven, they would have sanctioned the attack on the city in Arlathan Forest. Well, in the case of Mythal, she might have had a very good reason if the rulers there were the priesthood of the other Evanuris who had murdered her. If her aim was to ultimately to free and restore her People, then bringing down the corrupt hierachy would have been an important step towards that goal. Then if Tevinter became corrupted by power and its capital (a city of which she was chief patron) no longer listened to the wisdom of Razikale, might she not have withdrawn and encouraged her priesthood (through their dreams) to seek answers in the south? Meanwhile, she guided the Grey Wardens, through their elven members, into developing the Joining Ritual that would ultimately allow her to capture the souls of the Old Gods. (We don't know how successful she was with this but the possibility was there). Finally, in order to free her city (Minrathous) and the slaves, she answered the prayers of a young Alamarri woman seeking the aid of the gods for her people and ensured that her path crossed with that of Shartan, who was seeking the same. However, back to the First Warden. Even if the founder of the Grey Wardens wasn't the actual Magister Sidereal of that name, it is entirely possible it was founded by one of their successors to the title. I think a Magister Sidereal would have resulted in a quicker victory over the Arch-demon. After all, Dumat was around for another 100 years or so before they got the better of him. Another thing to consider is that the Intelligent Darkspawn only seemed to surface after his demise and Corypheus at least seemed unaware of that fact but was drawn to his remains. That led me to another theory that each of the Magisters was drawn to the location of their own particular god. The Architect certainly ended up reviving his god, Urthemiel, so what if the others did the same. So start of each Blight is dependent on the respective Magister breaking through and reviving their god, not simply the darkspawn. Also, according to the Core Rule Book, in one version of the founding of the Order we actually have a name for the First Warden of that time, Carinus. Now it also says that not everyone acknowledges this version of the story but presumably the Warden archives would know. There is also some mention of Carinus and "his circle". If we assume Circle rather than circle, it is quite possible that Carinus was a mage and the reason the story was altered in the south was because of the Chantry's propaganda against mages. So, if he was a mage, then we come back to the idea that the First Warden could have been the Augur of Mystery, a high priest of Razikale. However, since then I've began to look over a few key characters from past codex entries and I've noticed two key characters who spring to mind that could be Augur of Mystery - in fact I think all 3 are one in the same person. #1 - The Augur of Mystery/First Warden
Now, I think the Augur of Mystery is an Avvar woman. Why? Well since Razikale is a female dragon, the high priest has to be a woman too. Duh. However, there are a few other reasons for this too: Owing primarily to the popular Orlesian tale of the same name, the constellation Eluvia is commonly referred to as "Sacrifice." During the Glory Age, folklore told of a young woman saved from a lustful mage by being sent into the sky by her father—after which the mage killed him (hence the sacrifice). The daughter became the constellation, depicted as a seated woman with her head in the clouds. Prior to this tale, Eluvia was thought to represent Razikale, the Tevinter Old God of mystery, and the constellation was the source of many superstitions involving the granting of wishes.
Now I know some off you may be thinking I'm going to point this in the direction of Andraste, but I think the Augur of Mystery title would suit someone else. #2. Tyrdda Bright Axe - The founder of the Avvar.
Tyrdda Bright Axe was born centuries before the Imperium was founded, however her story and that of Razikale do seem to overlap a lot. 1. She spent much of her early life with her tribe at Lake Calenhad, where Kinloch Hold was built by Avvars. The Tevinter Imperium, fter driving the Avvars out, later came to think that the water around the tower was blessed by Razikale. The Tevinters believed that the waters of Lake Calenhad were blessed by Razikale, god of mysteries, and that those who drank from them were granted special insights. This was why they built the great tower on an island in the middle of the lake, hoping the powers of the lake would aid their magical research.2. Her lover was The Lady of the Skies, who came to her in the shape of a female elf. Now the woman mentioned in Eluvia sounds very familiar to the Lady of the Skies, who I'm guessing is Flemeth/Mythal. We definitely know Tyrdda was a mage and likely an Augur too, considering she was a dreamer and often spoke to her leaf eared lover for assistance. That, to me, would explain the name that the #6 Magister took. The Augur of Mystery/The Augur of Mythal. (Which means Mythal/Flemeth is canonically Bi?)
3. She finally set up home for the Avvars in the Frostback Mountains - the same place where Razikale's temple was and where she was venerated by Tevinter cultists in the wake of the 1st Blight. #3 - Lady VasiliaIf you remember right, Lady Vasilia was one of the spirits you met in the Temple of Sacred Ashes. She had an intense hatred for Andraste, and was married to Archon Hesserian, the man who would go on to slay Andraste. But I think Vasilia is actually supposed to be Tyrdda Bright Axe and the Augur of Mystery. Why? Well she is a redhead, and there's a lot of Avvar redheads and not many natural Tevinter redheads. But I think the strongest clue is in the name itself - Vasilia. We all know Flemeth is largely based on Baba Yaga, an old Russian folk tale of a strange ogrishly looking woman who lives in a hut and swipes children to crumble up and eat. Her most famous story however, is with Vasilisa The Beautiful, a young girl who lives with Baba Yaga for a time and helps her get rid of her evil step-mother. I remember thinking how strange it was that Vasilia hated Andraste so much compared to the other spirits. She's the only one who you could say isn't mournful at all at the death of the Maker's prophet. Now, if what Gervaise said above, that Mythal had impersonated as Razikale to lure the Magisters into Arlathan is true, then Tyrdda would have a very good reason to hate Mythal. In the aftermath Tyrdda would've been turned into some half inbred darkspawn looking monster, and for the next 100 years or so she would've been walking around Thedas until she concocts the Joining and helps found the Grey Wardens in the Anderfels. Then as First Warden, she would've likely met the Lady of the Skies again, this time over the guise of an apostate elf mage named Mythal near the end of the First Blight, just after she'd put another Avvar/Alamarri like her through the Joining - Elderath. So my theory now after that is that since Tyrdda concocted the Joining, she likely concocted the Dark Ritual that Morrigan performed with the Warden too. (Considering Morrigan does state that the ritual itself is a form of blood magic that PREDATES the first circle of magi; meaning it is possible Tyrdda knew how to do it.) She teaches Mythal (completely unware this is the same woman who betrayed her) to do it with Elderath, Andraste's father, under the condition that this child be given up to the Wardens after the final battle with Dumat. The First Warden was treading dangerous ground here, but Tyrdda's hope then would be to use the insight of the OGB child (Andraste) to get the locations of the remaining Archdemons (which is why the Wardens have always know where they've laid) dispose of the remaining 6 quickly and avert another Blight on the same destruction as Dumat before them. TL;DR Tyrdda Bright Axe, Magister #6 - The Augur of Mystery, Lady Vasilia and the First Warden all the same person.
|
|
inherit
∯ Oh Loredy...
455
0
26,664
gervaise21
10,783
August 2016
gervaise21
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
|
Post by gervaise21 on Oct 29, 2021 19:10:21 GMT
TL;DR Tyrdda Bright Axe, Magister #6 - The Augur of Mystery, Lady Vasilia and the First Warden all the same person. I'm not entirely convinced of this. Whilst there may well be an ancient connection between the Alamarri and the Neromenians, I cannot see how Tyrdda could have become the High Priest of Razikale in Tevinter, which was founded at least a hundred years after she died. After all, she was a normal mortal women. The significant thing about her, apart from the fact she was a mage and thus likely an Augur, was her relationship with the Lady of the Skies, who was her leaf-eared lover but that is how she saw her in her dreams. Something that is often missed is that in the saga Tyrdda is called a "spirit bride". This would seem to indicate her relationship with the goddess was similar to that which Andraste had with the Maker. In other words, Andraste wasn't the first Alamarri women to have had that sort of relationship with their patron deity. We also know from Solas that you can have a very "real" sensual experience with your lover in the Fade. So when Tyrrda "lay" with her leaf-eared lover, it was in the Fade, which is why her "lover was gone in the light of day". She was happy to devote herself entirely to her spirit lover but it was the spirit who encouraged her to have a relationship with the dwarf prince in order to have a child that would found the line of warrior women to lead the tribe, the girl being called Aval'var, from whom the tribe took their name, shortened to Avvar. Then once Aval'var was old enough to take on the mantle of leader, Tyrdda made her final journey to be reunited with her spirit lover in the Fade. However, whilst Tyrdda might not have become the Augur of Mystery, it is certainly possible that one of her descendants did. There also seems to be a connection between the Lady of the Skies and Razikale. I am fairly certain that both these goddesses are alter egos of Mythal. Which would also explain why, when the Lady revealed herself to Tyrdda in the Fade, she appeared as an elf. However, since she was not averse to having a human host in Flemeth, it is likely that when she revealed herself to the Augur of Mystery, she did so in human guise because she knew that would be more acceptable to the Neromenian priestess. The Neromenian mages did seem to gain a lot of knowledge from elven ruins but clearly also wished to hide that fact from their followers. As I've previously mentioned, Mythal may also have been mindful of not revealing herself to her enemies whilst still in the process of regaining her power. When Tevinter became a kingdom separate from Neromenian, Razikale was their patron and it is likely the reason that Minrathous became so powerful is because it was built on elven foundations. We also know from the inscription about Sylaise, that Mythal was known for her cities. So Minrathous was founded on the ruins of one of Mythal's cities. Thus, it is likely that the Augur of Mystery at the time of the First Blight, whether the Magister Sidearel or not, was behind the creation of the Wardens because Mythal/Razikale imparted the information before going silent on them. Or in fact the priesthood of Razikale who visited the Frostback Basin did find the answers they were looking for there. I think the reason the Lady Vasilia hated Andraste was because of the threat she posed and that she had heard how Andraste had acquired her patron. The reason she insisted on her being burnt wasn't just to make it a painful death but to ensure there was no body that could be revived by the spirit. I also still think that the "Maker" that spoke with Andraste could have been another manifestation of Mythal or alternatively Solas speaking through the Fade. Either could legitimately claim to the the creator of the current world. Also, the insistence on not just freeing the south but the slaves throughout Thedas and liberating the city of Minrathous would be in keeping with Mythal/Razikale. Even in Drakon's vision the ultimate aim would seem to be for Andraste to breach the gates of Minrathous; only then will the Maker's paradise be restored to the world.
|
|
azarhal
N6
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Posts: 7,937 Likes: 21,917
inherit
1519
0
21,917
azarhal
7,937
Sept 9, 2016 12:15:16 GMT
September 2016
azarhal
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
|
Post by azarhal on Nov 2, 2021 15:33:00 GMT
Also, the insistence on not just freeing the south but the slaves throughout Thedas and liberating the city of Minrathous would be in keeping with Mythal/Razikale. Even in Drakon's vision the ultimate aim would seem to be for Andraste to breach the gates of Minrathous; only then will the Maker's paradise be restored to the world. That make it sound like it's all a big plot by "Razikale". But why? Why would Razikale manipulate people to breach the gates of Minrathous, a city that is the center of her cult in Tevinter? Minrathous was Razikale power-center since it was created. The Livia -> Tarsian -> Darinius power exchange caused Dumat to come to the forefront, but Razikale seems to have kept high standing in Tevinter/Minrathous afterward. The second oldest building of the Imperium is an (ex) Temple of Razikale (it's not the Circle of Minrathous). And I get the feeling that Archon had the habit of taking Razikale priestess as consort/wife for a while pre-Andraste. Eleni Zinovia having prophetic abilities makes her more likely to be into Razikale than Dumat...
|
|