wonder if there's gonna be a like a True Qunari and Heretic Qunari situation. I get that unity and such is the point of their religion, but the monolithic evil borg thing being the portrayal of a sentient race has never sat well. like they're not darkspawn, they're people. I'm interested to see nuance in the Qun being developed, different interpretations of the teachings, ideological differences (the discussion Bastard and Secret Agent Qunari have over the seagull is a great example of that) and even schisms maybe. stuff like that. like clearly individuals under it don't all agree and see things the same way, and even the govt factions don't agree on major stuff like launching a war??. that's good.
If this is true, Iron Bull's '' Tal-Vashoth could've stayed in Qun and changed it from within '' line would make a lot more sense.
Last Edit: Mar 11, 2020 6:58:17 GMT by witchcocktor
The Horror of Hormok: So this was certainly interesting. The biggest take away was that the body horror in it was more fascinating rather then horrifying. That and not sure why it would leave someone clawing their eyes out and comitting sucide rather then coming back. Of course if I run into this crap in game I might be singing a different tune. Which the ending of it did seem to sequel bait a bit...which begs the question of where exactly will this fit in with the games, I mean these might be side stories...or are they going somewhere?
Also I think there is a lot of fodder in there for the Theory Center. My big takeaway was this could be an explanation for the Lizard Men and frescos we saw throughout Inquisition and 'Chronicles of a Forgotten war'. I mean on first grasp those creatures sounded perfectly natural but with the context of Hormok makes me wonder if they could be cobbled together abominations...oh and it kept mentioning 'she'. Yeah this is sequel baiting. And the twelve mountains sounds...familiar? Have we hard the Elves exiling twelve things before?
The other big take way for me was the issue of pacing and scale...which plagues most fiction but its always been a problem with Dragon Age, so it was a nice touch to mention that it would take a month for help to get to them if they called for it and who knew what would happen then...rather then crossing an entire nation in 2 days, forced march or no...Callback also does a good job mentioning this. Speaking of:
Callback: So that's more like it. It was really nice seeing all the support personel for the Inquisition come together and make a stand in Skyhold one more time. A lot of familiar faces...some not so familar. And it was really sad what happened to Skyhold in the mean time though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...and it was interesting the undercurrent that nobles would happily see their legacy erased. It would make you think that they wouldn't even bother with the restoration and upkeep of it at all. And Regret has to be one of the more terrifying demons we've run into yet and I am shocked we haven't run into one/ him until this point. Who doesen't have regrets? (Apparently not Sutherland). And it was disconcerting seeing all of them fall like that and play sort of ping pong over the whole thing with it stretching its arms AND it was interesting it taking on the form of the Dread Wolf AND it was interesting we got sort of a foreshadow of what's to come AND it was interesting that Solas's regret drew Regret there in the first place. I wonder if it was his regret over the ancient elf situation or his more recent stuff? Oh and I did catch something in the background but don't quite remember it but in one of the flashes we saw someone making a reference to acting alone which...I wonder if that wasn't also part of Solas's regret.
Only issues I have with it is that 1. It didn't flesh out the regret scenes we just got very brief flashes and 2. It would've been interesting to see more from the other characters, Dagna's would've been...illuminating despite probably us all knowing what it is. (Oh and am I the only one who thought Sera shoulda been there?)
Edit: If I am going too far in the spoilers even for the spoiler thread PLEASE let me know. This is an experiment on my part and I don't want to be too off putting.
The Horror of Hormok: and not sure why it would leave someone clawing their eyes out and comitting sucide rather then coming back.
Both her and Jovis said they only had to give a part of their body, but Jovis went whole. She gave her eyes, than ran away and nobody minded because she "paid" her due.
She commited suicide out of trauma and because she really didn't want to go back.
To be honest, I still felt shortchanged when it came to the number of LGBTQ+ characters. There need to be more stories that are not hetero normative and are queer centric. Single character story insertion simply isn't enough.
While I agree with you, any kind of important feeling characters Tevinter Nights specifically might have, could end up as companions in DA4, so they aren't going to disclose whom they can be interested in. Partly due to wanting to keep romances secret, but also so they can still have room to change them afterwards.
The Horror of Hormok: So this was certainly interesting. The biggest take away was that the body horror in it was more fascinating rather then horrifying. That and not sure why it would leave someone clawing their eyes out and comitting sucide rather then coming back. Of course if I run into this crap in game I might be singing a different tune. Which the ending of it did seem to sequel bait a bit...which begs the question of where exactly will this fit in with the games, I mean these might be side stories...or are they going somewhere?
Also I think there is a lot of fodder in there for the Theory Center. My big takeaway was this could be an explanation for the Lizard Men and frescos we saw throughout Inquisition and 'Chronicles of a Forgotten war'. I mean on first grasp those creatures sounded perfectly natural but with the context of Hormok makes me wonder if they could be cobbled together abominations...oh and it kept mentioning 'she'. Yeah this is sequel baiting. And the twelve mountains sounds...familiar? Have we hard the Elves exiling twelve things before?
The other big take way for me was the issue of pacing and scale...which plagues most fiction but its always been a problem with Dragon Age, so it was a nice touch to mention that it would take a month for help to get to them if they called for it and who knew what would happen then...rather then crossing an entire nation in 2 days, forced march or no...Callback also does a good job mentioning this.
*snip*.
One of the things that impressed me about the story was how internally consistent it was. When I was reading it every time I thought why aren't you doing this, or shouldn't you consider that before acting, the story answered my questions and the characters didn't just thoughtlessly charge toward the danger. You could follow their reasoning, and I personally found it sound. I also very much enjoyed the atmosphere of looming threat the story had.
Interesting thought about the Lizard men. It made me think how the wall carvings Ramesh observed seemed to imply the timid and benign-looking halla of present day were originally more insect-like. Now I'm left wondering the difference between an unclean and tainted pool vs one with untampered "waters." Is the "wrongness" in the resulting creations an intented feature or a bug, originating from perhaps Ghilan'nain losing her mind or the waters being corrupted? More importantly, like the forest guardian in Three Trees to Midnight or varterrals, should I be more worried about the halla? 😉
The existence of potential magic pool locations under eleven other mountains also begs the question if any of them would still have untainted waters. I read somewhere that during the development of DA:O the devs briefly considered having some of our companions contracting the taint and Alistair and our Warden having to perform an emergency Joining. If taking a dip into a pristine pool would not result the recipient losing their original consciousness, I can see possibilities to introduce us storylines where for example one of our followers finds themselves having become werewolf or some other half-beast.
The Horror of Hormok: and not sure why it would leave someone clawing their eyes out and comitting sucide rather then coming back.
Both her and Jovis said they only had to give a part of their body, but Jovis went whole. She gave her eyes, than ran away and nobody minded because she "paid" her due. She commited suicide out of trauma and because she really didn't want to go back.
Huh, I don't remember Jovis mentioning anything about having to give a part of his body, just that humans or wardens (could be either) need to swallow the greyish stuff and the change in them isn't as instantaneous as with the darkspawn. It takes days. I don't think the pool needs parts or "other ingredients" added to it create something new. Like I don't think there was a drake stored in the pool waiting for the hurlock to arrive and the pool could finish the new and improved "hurlock-cum-drake." My theory is that just coming into contact with the pool's waters results in mutations in the person in question.
Regarding Friedl and her missing eyes: I assumed Friedl's rambling about having paid the price referred to her (like Jovis) having ingested the stuff and as a result her eyes had started to turn into something else - remember the spider with snakes in place of eyes? Horrified, she tried to resist the change by tearing out her eyes (thinking she "paid the price") and thought she'd escaped its effects. Given how she started to talk to herself at the warden camp I assume the pool's magic hadn't released her from its grasp but was starting to affect her mind, and she killed herself to prevent it from happening. I think her escape was due to humans/wardens(?) unexpectedly being able to resist the consciousnesss that suppresses the drinker's own will and that's why no one thought prevent her from leaving. And eventually even she would have yielded, if not for her suicide.
I do admit I'm curious as to what or who forced the wardens to even take a sip from the pool? Did a darkspawn dunk them into it headfirst? Is it a spell? What was also left unclear to me was whether the resulting monsters would develop some new malevolent personality or were they all thralls to a shared consciousness.
Last Edit: Mar 11, 2020 13:44:36 GMT by sandwichtern
The Horror of Hormok: So this was certainly interesting. The biggest take away was that the body horror in it was more fascinating rather then horrifying. That and not sure why it would leave someone clawing their eyes out and comitting sucide rather then coming back. Of course if I run into this crap in game I might be singing a different tune. Which the ending of it did seem to sequel bait a bit...which begs the question of where exactly will this fit in with the games, I mean these might be side stories...or are they going somewhere?
Also I think there is a lot of fodder in there for the Theory Center. My big takeaway was this could be an explanation for the Lizard Men and frescos we saw throughout Inquisition and 'Chronicles of a Forgotten war'. I mean on first grasp those creatures sounded perfectly natural but with the context of Hormok makes me wonder if they could be cobbled together abominations...oh and it kept mentioning 'she'. Yeah this is sequel baiting. And the twelve mountains sounds...familiar? Have we hard the Elves exiling twelve things before?
The other big take way for me was the issue of pacing and scale...which plagues most fiction but its always been a problem with Dragon Age, so it was a nice touch to mention that it would take a month for help to get to them if they called for it and who knew what would happen then...rather then crossing an entire nation in 2 days, forced march or no...Callback also does a good job mentioning this.
*snip*.
One of the things that impressed me about the story was how internally consistent it was. When I was reading it every time I thought why aren't you doing this, or shouldn't you consider that before acting, the story answered my questions and the characters didn't just thoughtlessly charge toward the danger. You could follow their reasoning, and I personally found it sound. I also very much enjoyed the atmosphere of looming threat the story had.
Interesting thought about the Lizard men. It made me think how the wall carvings Ramesh observed seemed to imply the timid and benign-looking halla of present day were originally more insect-like. Now I'm left wondering the difference between an unclean and tainted pool vs one with untampered "waters." Is the "wrongness" in the resulting creations an intented feature or a bug, originating from perhaps Ghilan'nain losing her mind or the waters being corrupted? More importantly, like the forest guardian in Three Trees to Midnight or varterrals, should I be more worried about the halla? 😉
The existence of potential magic pool locations under eleven other mountains also begs the question if any of them would still have untainted waters. I read somewhere that during the development of DA:O the devs briefly considered having some of our companions contracting the taint and Alistair and our Warden having to perform an emergency Joining. If taking a dip into a pristine pool would not result the recipient losing their original consciousness, I can see possibilities to introduce us storylines where for example one of our followers finds themselves having become werewolf or some other half-beast.
Both her and Jovis said they only had to give a part of their body, but Jovis went whole. She gave her eyes, than ran away and nobody minded because she "paid" her due. She commited suicide out of trauma and because she really didn't want to go back.
Huh, I don't remember Jovis mentioning anything about having to give a part of his body
Jovis said: "Two halves, two wholes. Trying to be two ones. But I stayed me, and it hates that." It split whole things into two halves and then create two new wholes.
Huh, I don't remember Jovis mentioning anything about having to give a part of his body
Jovis said: "Two halves, two wholes. Trying to be two ones. But I stayed me, and it hates that." It split whole things into two halves and then create two new wholes.
Thanks for clarification. 😊 I don't know if I quite agree with your interpretation given the other things Jovis also says to Ramesh, but now I see where you're coming from. We need more details. 🙂
John Epler @eplerjc Someone asked me this so, to clarify - Senior Warden Ramesh is Indian, or the Thedas equivalent.
Hard to signify ethnicity in a short story without getting into some super awkward (and often racist) writing so I gave him that last name to make it as clear as I could.
John Epler @eplerjc Someone asked me this so, to clarify - Senior Warden Ramesh is Indian, or the Thedas equivalent.
Hard to signify ethnicity in a short story without getting into some super awkward (and often racist) writing so I gave him that last name to make it as clear as I could.
What would be the Thedas equivalent of India? Certain parts of Tevinter, maybe?
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John Epler @eplerjc Someone asked me this so, to clarify - Senior Warden Ramesh is Indian, or the Thedas equivalent.
Hard to signify ethnicity in a short story without getting into some super awkward (and often racist) writing so I gave him that last name to make it as clear as I could.
What would be the Thedas equivalent of India? Certain parts of Tevinter, maybe?
I'm annoyed we didn't get to read Sidony's report to Cassandra.
Also, that story makes me think some of the stories that don't have a "time reference" aren't necessarily post Inquisition. Like Hunger or Horror of Hormak.
Actually, Weisshaupt recalling all Wardens might have something to do with Horror of Hormak...
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Callback: So that's more like it. It was really nice seeing all the support personel for the Inquisition come together
Yeah, was great to see some familiar names - Harritt still handy with his hammer (and Rat!) and Dagna helping out with Runes was fun. I thought it was a great concept - having most of the heroes of the story being people that knew Skyhold the best - those that were permanently stationed there and barely left, especially Cabot from the Herald's Rest, and Harritt. And I heard that woman complaining about Morris in my head when he turned up, haha
Callback: So that's more like it. It was really nice seeing all the support personel for the Inquisition come together
Yeah, was great to see some familiar names - Harritt still handy with his hammer (and Rat!) and Dagna helping out with Runes was fun. I thought it was a great concept - having most of the heroes of the story being people that knew Skyhold the best - those that were permanently stationed there and barely left, especially Cabot from the Herald's Rest, and Harritt. And I heard that woman complaining about Morris in my head when he turned up, haha
I admit its sad but I still can't place Rat.
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Yeah, was great to see some familiar names - Harritt still handy with his hammer (and Rat!) and Dagna helping out with Runes was fun. I thought it was a great concept - having most of the heroes of the story being people that knew Skyhold the best - those that were permanently stationed there and barely left, especially Cabot from the Herald's Rest, and Harritt. And I heard that woman complaining about Morris in my head when he turned up, haha
I admit its sad but I still can't place Rat.
The female dwarf in Sutherland’s group. She’s the one who tells you they need help.
Finished the last two stories today. Really loved reading it and it made me excited for whatever DA4 has planned. Loved all the horror elements throughout. Eight Little Talons was probably my favorite, hopefully we get to meet some of those characters in game especially since they seem to be setting up the Crows to be a significant presence. And the Dread Wolf Take You! I've been dying to hear more about the Executors and this only stoked the fire. Shame we didn't actually get to hear much from them.
Actually the other thing with Horror of Hormock that the current conversation made me remember...in it Ramaech mentioned how few Wardens there were in the wake of the blight and Adament...Adament makes sense but you'd think that the Blight would just step up recruitment.
The Wardens just must have the most horrible PR firm ever. Granted they have some of the same problem as the Night's Watch...just the Night's Watch literally is specialists when ti comes to watching Beyond the Wall. The Wardens don't have that problem. There are hundreds of tasks they could be doing with their unique sets of skills and this just highlights that fact. They are special Forces that could be used to fight a lot of different things, not just the Blight...and yet that is all they do and just wait around when a Blight isn't happening.
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I must say, the image of the Dread Wolf with an Orlesian accent in a curly blonde wig doing a sassy hair flip is one image that will forever be burned into my mind.
Bless you, Weekes.
When this is done-you'll be off again? -Magister Dorian Pavus
Jellicle Jenlifer Fronester @texantifascist @patrickweekes genuine question: where can I buy Tevinter Nights in order to ensure that the actual creators get the largest cut of the profits?
Patrick Weekes @patrickweekes You are good wherever works best for you. Since it’s an anthology, I don’t believe there’s any royalty possible. We all got paid a flat rate. But thanks for asking!
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The Horror of Hormok: and not sure why it would leave someone clawing their eyes out and comitting sucide rather then coming back.
Both her and Jovis said they only had to give a part of their body, but Jovis went whole. She gave her eyes, than ran away and nobody minded because she "paid" her due.
She commited suicide out of trauma and because she really didn't want to go back.
Pretty sure she commited suicide b/c she didn't want to turn into one of those things. Which she was definitely going to do since she was full to the gills with grey goo. It just takes longer for "us" (people?) than simply walking into the pool like the hurlock we saw. Jovis said as much.
The whole method reminded me of how broodmothers are made, with the darkspawn "spewing in to their mouths", etc. The corruption has to be ingested there, too. And Jovis' result description certainly put me in mind of a broodmother. I wonder if Gilly was imitating the darkspawn/whatever has made the darkspawn. OR she's the one who made them. Or a precursor to them. As far as we know, the Evanuris might be older than the Darkspawn, after all.
Speaking of Gilly's lab, I've read Dread Wolf Take You, Three Trees, Dead Men, and Hormak (Hormok??) all the way. And I'm mostly done Callback. I just had a thought about the descriptions we're getting of Solas' Dread Wolf form. Does it strike anyone else as similar to the descriptions of the hybridized horrors from Hormak? Especially the Mortalitasi's description of him in DWTY. Hair but scales, wolf but also dragon, fur but spikes. And a pride demon mixed in with those eyes.
What if Solas' Dread Wolf form is a result of Ghilanain's handiwork? Not specifically the weird pool that compels creatures to walk into it, but the same general idea. Like... maybe some kind of attempt at a super soldier? Except for focusing on the spiritual self instead of the physical, I guess. Or it was both, and that distinction is only post-veil.
It would explain how Solas can truthfully say he grew up in a small village to the North and at the same time be... that. And Ghilly did seem to love to hear supplicants and grant monster commissions. Maybe Solas asked her to experiment on him or maybe he was someone's offering at some point.
I must say, the image of the Dread Wolf with an Orlesian accent in a curly blonde wig doing a sassy hair flip is one image that will forever be burned into my mind.
Bless you, Weekes.
I wonder if we can get Gareth to record some of those lines...
Both her and Jovis said they only had to give a part of their body, but Jovis went whole. She gave her eyes, than ran away and nobody minded because she "paid" her due.
She commited suicide out of trauma and because she really didn't want to go back.
Pretty sure she commited suicide b/c she didn't want to turn into one of those things. Which she was definitely going to do since she was full to the gills with grey goo. It just takes longer for "us" (people?) than simply walking into the pool like the hurlock we saw. Jovis said as much.
The whole method reminded me of how broodmothers are made, with the darkspawn "spewing in to their mouths", etc. The corruption has to be ingested there, too. And Jovis' result description certainly put me in mind of a broodmother. I wonder if Gilly was imitating the darkspawn/whatever has made the darkspawn. OR she's the one who made them. Or a precursor to them. As far as we know, the Evanuris might be older than the Darkspawn, after all.
Speaking of Gilly's lab, I've read Dread Wolf Take You, Three Trees, Dead Men, and Hormak (Hormok??) all the way. And I'm mostly done Callback. I just had a thought about the descriptions we're getting of Solas' Dread Wolf form. Does it strike anyone else as similar to the descriptions of the hybridized horrors from Hormak? Especially the Mortalitasi's description of him in DWTY. Hair but scales, wolf but also dragon, fur but spikes. And a pride demon mixed in with those eyes.
What if Solas' Dread Wolf form is a result of Ghilanain's handiwork? Not specifically the weird pool that compels creatures to walk into it, but the same general idea. Like... maybe some kind of attempt at a super soldier? Except for focusing on the spiritual self instead of the physical, I guess. Or it was both, and that distinction is only post-veil.
It would explain how Solas can truthfully say he grew up in a small village to the North and at the same time be... that. And Ghilly did seem to love to hear supplicants and grant monster commissions. Maybe Solas asked her to experiment on him or maybe he was someone's offering at some point.
I must say, the image of the Dread Wolf with an Orlesian accent in a curly blonde wig doing a sassy hair flip is one image that will forever be burned into my mind.
Bless you, Weekes.
I wonder if we can get Gareth to record some of those lines...
I saw a theory that suggested his wolf-dragon hybrid form is a result of him absorbing Mythal. After all his form was a wolf and hers was a dragon, so if he has both now it makes sense they could combine.
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Re: Antaam going rogue No offence, but when you have an army of warriors, most of whom have been brought up to believe that their 'job' is their entire identity, then it stands to reason that they'll get tired of not being able to fight. They litterally loose their identity if they can't do their job.
Re: Weishaupt and Horror Of Hormak I also had similar thoughts when I read parts of this story in the preview. I really hope what's happening at Weishaupt is more than just internal/political struggle. Unfortunately, I kinda felt like that was what some of the epilogue slides where pointing at. I would much prefer that it was something larger and more horror oriented and more like the DAO setting.
Re: Solas with a fake orleasian accent I'm not sure I would even want to hear what a welsh/French accent would sound like
Remember, remember the Palace of Winter, the Qunari gaatlok attack. I know plenty of reasons, why Fen’Harel’s treason should end with a knife in his back.
I loved the Addams family vibe I got from the two Mortelitasi in Down Among the Dead Men. I always had a hard time imagining what a good necromancer would be like and this story was so good at showing what that could be. Very cool. Loved this book! Still reeling at all the info and cameos and game possibilities (Yes, I will be a Lord of Fortune please and thank you).
I wonder if we will get another book in the future exploring what the heck is going on with the qunari people? They seem to be really divided, like bordering on civil war, and I can't help but wonder how much of it is do to the Dread Wolf's influence. Seems like that subject alone could fill a book and set up the next game.
