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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 26, 2020 11:40:44 GMT
I thought perhaps we should have a thread dedicated to this faction as I'm pretty sure they are going to play a major role in the next game. They are a mysterious faction who have clearly been watching the affairs of Thedas from afar but have now decided to get more actively involved. The only description we have for them was in Tevinter Nights where their representative was hidden behind a veil and clothing that covered their whole being. Even their voice was of indeterminate gender and age, seeming more like someone imitating a voice to the best of their ability, as though unfamiliar to them. Let's start by examining the name. An Executor is someone who manages the estate and assets of a deceased person in accordance with their wishes as set out prior to their death. They ensure their affairs are conducted as the absent person directed them. So why would this group be called the Executors, assuming the meaning is broadly the same as for our world? Presumably because they are carrying out the instructions of someone who is either dead or otherwise unable to communicate with them. It seems unlikely this would be a normal earthly leader, so more likely to be a god. So who might they be acting for? Mythal: She is known to be dead but her priesthood seem to have gone into uthenera and were largely based in southern Thedas. Still she was said to have been born of the sea, so would have strong links with coastal communities. If the Executors were linked to Mythal though, I doubt Solas would see them as enemies. The Maker: Is not dead but largely absent. The ancient Neromenians were said to have worshiped the Maker before abandoning him for the Old Gods. Still if this were a remnant of original Maker worshipers you would think they would be more opposed to the Chantry, assuming the latter is not true Maker worship, or have shown active support for them, if the Chantry does represent authentic Maker worship. Another Evanuris: This is a possibility. Whilst they aren't dead, they were banished from the world. It is possible that a group of worshipers of one of the elven gods have been active across the sea carrying out their will and preparing for the time of their return, even working towards making it happen. An Old God: They have also been allegedly imprisoned below ground and awaiting release. In much the same way as for worshipers of the elven gods, they could have been keeping their worship going and preparing a way for them to return. I do think one of the last two is the most likely because of the fact that Solas describes them as "dangerous" and advises against having dealings with them. On the whole, he has not been particularly bothered by other factions within Thedas and even the magical might of Tevinter doesn't seem to unduly disturb him. Yet he would seem to regard the Executors as such a threat that he even ensured their silence at Charter's meeting before they could divulge anything useful. He also told Charter he attended her meeting in person because he wished to know what they all knew but whilst he allowed the others to speak before he killed them, he silenced the Executor early on in proceedings. That suggests he either already knew anything they might say or thought it wasn't worth risking letting others hear them or they had already said all he needed to know about them. In fact he would have learned something from their conversation before he petrified them. It was clear the Executors had been following the progress of the idol, for they knew it had been sent to House Qintara in Ventus and that city had fallen to the Qunari, making the Executors believe the idol could be in Qunari hands. Hence the Executor voicing displeasure at the fact the Ben'Hassrath were not present at the meeting, because clearly they were hoping to discover something about the idol's whereabouts. They also said earlier in the meeting than they did not care to speculate the nature of the Wolf (possibly because they already knew it) but only want to know what his goals are and the means of accomplishing them. So Solas knows without a doubt that the Executors are endeavouring to discover his aims and his methods. I think the reason he warned they are dangerous is that their interest in him is not necessarily to stop him as is the case with the Inquisition but to alter its purpose or acquire knowledge to do something similar for themselves in order to further the interests of whichever being they are Executors for. They would currently seem to be active in the area of Arlathan Forest (further suggesting a link with the Evanuris) This person could also have some connection with them. It seems the same figure or someone from same faction is shown above.
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Post by fairdragon on Dec 26, 2020 14:44:24 GMT
What my big question on them is: Are they dangerous or did solas only say that, because he don't want us to work together.
And what is there purpose? If they working for a god, they would want to do what solas did, but they don't. in Inqusition they said that they for the moment not our enemy. But they want to know if we can stand against coryphus. That isn't somethink i would expect from a person who wants to free a god. For me it sound like someone who wants to keep the world as it is.
In the 8 line up the AC looking Companion could be an executor.
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Post by telanadas on Dec 26, 2020 15:27:41 GMT
In Tevinter Nights, I got the impression that Arlathan Forest was Andruil's hunting grounds. Strife shot him a glare. “If we get out of here alive, it’ll be because of what Andruil taught my people.” Myrion opened his mouth to fire something back, and Strife shouldered the mage into a tree. The man smeared the moss as he staggered against it, which would make tracking them easier, but the Huntmaster had already tracked them easily enough. “Be careful how you speak of the Lady of the Hunt while you stand in her forest.”
If Strife is associated to the Executors as the art seems to suggest, it does provide some interesting links between them and Andruil/Ghilan'nain. Personally, I think the horned figure in the latest teaser trailer looks like twisted halla horns, not qunari horns. So the association to Ghil is clearly there(for me at least). Considering the fact that the red lyrium concept art areas have all been snowy and tree-filled, I think the wintery concept art with the red lyrium darkspawn is somewhere within Arlathan Forest, especially because the latest trailer shows the horned figure in executor-like robes wielding the magical bow. That in itself is pretty foreboding because there are strange magical anomalies happening there. It has also been said that the Imperium sank Arlathan in the forest with magic. Now that it's clearer that Solas may intend to breach the black city after the veil is destroyed, combined with the darkspawn and red lyrium heart in the snowy environments, I think Arlathan Forest could potentially be a very important location in DA4 and somewhere where the executors may know more about. If that is the case they could end up being very useful allys, although they may also have goals of their own especially if this faction is led by someone like Andruil or Ghilan'nain. It would be an interesting twist for me if companions had their own agendas instead of just following what we want to do. We already know the executors only care about what Solas' plans are and means for accomplishing them so it is likely their agents have an ulterior motive. Ghilan'nain's statue is also found in the forest in Ruins of Reality, so maybe Arlathan forest was where Andruil and Ghilan'nain ruled over. Actually, thinking about it now it's interesting that Andruil is referred to as the Lady of the Hunt, which is reminiscent of the Lady of the Forest in DAO. Maybe there is a connection there... ~~~ Anyway, let's move on to Strife, who I think is the figure featured in the Ruins of reality artwork: Strife is the elf featured in Three Tress to Midnight as well as Ruins of Reality. He is described as silver-haired and looking around 40-50, maybe even 60 years in age. He claims he grew up in an alienage in Starkhaven, but joined the Dalish Morlyn clan near the forest after getting into a scuffle with some guards who were harassing elven children. I find Strife's association to these executor-like symbols very interesting, not just because of his name but because he seems to be a devout follower of Andruil. He also mentions Ghilan'nain while traversing the forest, but I think Andruil is his main goddess because he invokes her name and follows the way of three trees being a bow-wielder himself. If the executors are linked to Strife and maybe even his friends in the clan, maybe the executors are a splinter faction that formed after the creation of the veil to carry on Andruil's traditions. The executors seem to already know Solas' true nature, which would be useful to us when looking for his weaknesses: “What he is does not concern us,” the Executor said, the words neutral but carrying a weight that made the wine in its cup ripple. “We across the ocean care only for his goals and means of accomplishing them.”
~~~ Some general thoughts I have about the executors is that I think they are likely fade or spirit related particularly because their weapons seem to emanate green fade magic and they have floating magical bits everywhere. Here is a description of the Executor in TN: A figure covered head to toe in dark robes of Vyrantium samite, with a thin mesh dropping down to cover the hood. The dark robes were trimmed in a pattern Charter had never seen, twisting shapes that curled to points in places that made her eyes hurt. A cup of what looked like dark red wine sat before the figure, untouched by leather-gloved hands, but she caught a faint whiff of the ocean from his robes, and something beyond the ocean. The Executor.The Executors refer to themselves as 'those across the seas' and they smell of brine and the ocean, so of course the first thing I think of is Ghil's brine pools. But the seas could also refer to the fade. Solas himself describes the fade as the sea of dreams. I've said this before in other threads but there is a lot to explore when looking at the fade and its association to the sea. Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew. Come to me, child, and I shall embrace you. In my arms lies Eternity.The most interesting thing about the Executor in Tevinter Nights is that they didn't have a noticeable gendered voice: The voice that came from the Executor could have been male or female, young or old. It was less a voice than the idea of a voice, rendered acceptably but no more.Strife is male, so the nature of the executor at the spy meeting is uncertain. Maybe the executors are spirits that are able to alter their physical form, sorta like the forbidden ones. They could even be spirits able to traverse the deepest parts of the fade. Now that would be pretty interesting to learn more about...
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Post by Hrungr on Dec 26, 2020 18:26:06 GMT
I'm not entirely convinced these are Executors. When I saw this first concept art, I thought these were Executors as well. They love their triangles, and you can see some lines in some of those triangles in the later short story image. But after reading the short story with the Dalish of the Arlathan Forest (note the bare feet and elven trim to their clothes) and the video here, I'm thinking they're not Executors, but Dalish who have access to ancient elven weapons/gear. The bow looks like it's shooting "Fade Arrows", and with a name like "Strife", that suggests a stronger Ancient elven connection. And note that in the short story there's no mention of the Executors - at all. If anything, I think this ties into this image of the flying aravels and halla. Again, more ancient elven magi-tech. The ancient elves like their triangles as well...
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Post by yogsothoth on Dec 26, 2020 18:50:10 GMT
I'm not entirely convinced these are Executors. When I saw this first concept art, I thought these were Executors as well. They love their triangles, and you can see some lines in some of those triangles in the later short story image. But after reading the short story with the Dalish of the Arlathan Forest (note the bare feet and elven trim to their clothes) and the video here, I'm thinking they're not Executors, but Dalish who have access to ancient elven weapons/gear. The bow looks like it's shooting "Fade Arrows", and with a name like "Strife", that suggests a stronger Ancient elven connection. And note that in the short story there's no mention of the Executors - at all. Agreed. The Executor in Tevinter Nights is described as having a mesh over their face and a Samite robe with a strangely patterned hem. The figures clearly have a full mask on and their robes are purple instead of black (the color of Samite clothing in Inquisition) and don't have any intricate patterns on the hem. The triangles also have multiple different line patterns, not just the two wavy lines. There's also the implication that the Executor makes sure that nothing about their physical appearance can be seen, and these figures are barefoot. On the Executors themselves, I doubt they are working for the Evanuris or Old Gods. They are said to be representatives of powers across the sea. The Evanuris and Old Gods were/are present in Thedas, it would be odd to then have the Executors working for powers across the sea that actually present already. My gut says that they are tied into the origins of humans, either responsible for their creation like the Titans creating the dwarves or are proto-humans themselves, like the Kossith-Qunari or Spirit-Elves.
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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 26, 2020 18:54:16 GMT
Are they dangerous or did solas only say that, because he don't want us to work together. Undoubtedly he doesn't want us to work with them, whether it is because he suspects they will betray us (after all he should know about that) or because they have knowledge that is dangerous to his plans. It just struck me that he petrified them once he knew their reason for being at the meeting and what they knew about the idol, without allowing them to reveal anything more they might know. Whilst I don't believe the story he told about recovering the idol from some auction house in Llomerryn, that tale did emphasise two points. Firstly, he seems aware of the identity of parties interested in the idol/his plans and secondly he is sure he has the measure of both the Qunari and the Tevinter Sicarri. So whilst the others present objected to the idea either of those two factions would have fled from his presence, actually his message was that they ought to be afraid of him and their efforts are futile. Thus he has no objection to the Inquisition having dealings with them because he will destroy anyone who gets in his way and in any case he cannot be stopped by them. However, if that is the case, why warn against the Executors? Because they are a threat to him and his plans. But they want to know if we can stand against coryphus. That isn't somethink i would expect from a person who wants to free a god. For me it sound like someone who wants to keep the world as it is. Not necessarily. They objected to Corypheus and what he was trying to do, which essentially was to set himself up as a god. If they were followers of an ancient deity they would regard that as blasphemy and in any case his plans may have prevented the success of their own. Corypheus thought he knew what he was doing but clearly he didn't and the last time he blundered into the Black City he released the taint on the world. So they could have been opposed to Corypheus in much the same way that Solas was. After all, he was committed to stopping him but only so he could recover his orb and carry through with his own plan. I also have a theory that it is the reawakening of Fen'Harel that caused them to suddenly became involved with Thedas affairs. Remember they were first mentioned in a story of Varric's in 9:23, where they were reputed to be a myth. Yet it seems strange that this group should be mentioned by Varric in his book if there hadn't been some sign of them in the real world. The book was said to have been written because of his dissatisfaction with the Merchant Guild and it would seem that agents of the Executors first started out by infiltrating trade routes and merchant contacts. So if they emerged around that time and people started noting the strange symbols appearing that are linked with them, what could have prompted them to start their activities? Well we know that Felassan was active from at least 9:20 because he met with Briala before Celene became Empress but nevertheless around the time of her being elevated to the throne of Orlais. We've never discovered why Felassan should have been activated at that stage, some 20 years before Solas claims he awoke, but it would seem it had something to do with preparing for that event. It is entirely possible that he was not the only agent to be activated at that time. So if the Executors had been keeping a watching brief, possibly through the Fade but otherwise through seemingly innocuous sea faring merchants, could it be the awareness that Fen'Harel's agents were on the move that caused them to become more active themselves? Then when he handed over his orb to Corypheus and he caused the breach, they realised they needed to scale up their activities still further.
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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 26, 2020 19:16:35 GMT
But after reading the short story with the Dalish of the Arlathan Forest (note the bare feet and elven trim to their clothes) and the video here, I'm thinking they're not Executors, but Dalish who have access to ancient elven weapons/gear. Why do they have to be Dalish? That could be a cover. They could have attached themselves to a clan in much the same way as Felassan did. Even if Strife and Irelin are not Executors, I refuse to believe they are Dalish. The bow looks like it's shooting "Fade Arrows", and with a name like "Strife", that suggests a stronger Ancient elven connection Exactly. I've doubted Strife's story about being a simple city elf who joined up after upsetting guards in Starkhaven. Strife is not a city elf name. It is not a Dalish name either. Whilst it isn't actually elven, perhaps he is using its common tongue translation. As for the Fade arrows, I've mentioned on another thread how I wonder if that bow is the equivalent of the Arcane Warrior's spirit sword, now that they have changed the nature of this specialisation from what it was in DAO. Cillian is the only character we know of outside of our Warden's party, who is an actual Arcane Warrior (as opposed to Knight Enchanter) and he is said to have learned the art from an ancient shrine. Admittedly, he was formerly of the Dalish clan Rilaferin, so it is possible that another group of Dalish found a similar shrine devoted to Andruil and found the secrets of making the bow there, but he is said to have had to spend many years in seclusion in order to achieve this, only coming back to civilisation in response to the threat of the hole in the sky. I just feel that unless the Dalish have started travelling north into the environs of Tevinter and Arlathan Forest in response to some directive from Solas, I find it strange they were up there at all. Merrill claimed, as confirmed by Fenris and Lavellan, that you just don't find Dalish clans that far north for the obvious reason it is too risky. So if these are elven clans, I think they are different from true Dalish. And note that in the short story there's no mention of the Executors - at all. Why would there be if the writers want to hold back that information for later? Also, as Telanadas says, if they are devoted to Andruil, why can't they be both ancient elves and Executors? Since the ancient elves like their triangles that would fit with the Executors use of a triangle as their symbol. It would also explain why Solas sees them as a threat because they do have access to ancient knowledge that could be a match for him. They would also want to keep a close eye on what his plans are because after all the last time he did something it resulted in the loss of their gods and the destruction of the elven civilisation. Would they really trust him not to do something equally bad this time round?
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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 26, 2020 19:23:16 GMT
My gut says that they are tied into the origins of humans, either responsible for their creation like the Titans creating the dwarves or are proto-humans themselves, like the Kossith-Qunari or Spirit-Elves. This is another possibility that has occurred to me. Since both the Neromenians and the Qunari came from across the sea and landed initially on Par Vollen, it seems likely they both originated from the same point of origin. Both could have been trying to escape from whatever the Executors are.
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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 26, 2020 19:29:39 GMT
Ghilan'nain's statue is also found in the forest in Ruins of Reality, so maybe Arlathan forest was where Andruil and Ghilan'nain ruled over. Actually, thinking about it now it's interesting that Andruil is referred to as the Lady of the Hunt, which is reminiscent of the Lady of the Forest in DAO. Maybe there is a connection there... I've also pointed out elsewhere how the twisted horns of the archer remind me of the Lady of the Forest. She was a spirit of the land not the Fade, around from the time when the elves first planted the forest, so if the spirit archer is in anyway connected with that sort of being, that would be amazing.
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Post by fluffysmom on Dec 26, 2020 19:52:31 GMT
There is also one of their agents in Inquisition that kissed an Andrastian locket that was poisoned. I’ve always looked at them like the Qun, sort of, in that they have a common belief (not worship related) and take in anyone who shares it.
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Post by Heimdall on Dec 26, 2020 20:07:01 GMT
Could the Executors be tied to the Forgotten Ones?
I’ve been kind of waiting for them to enter the plot.
If the Dalish story has any credence, Fen’Harel tricked both the Evanuris and the Forgotten Ones by trapping them in separate places. It’s possible that wherever they are they communicated some sort of will to their allies or followers, thus being the “Executors” of their will. It would also explain why Solas considers them to be dangerous.
Doesn’t really explain the “across the sea” part though
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Post by FireAndBlood on Dec 26, 2020 20:54:50 GMT
Yeah I’m going with the Executors are servants of the Evanuris theory.
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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 26, 2020 21:35:47 GMT
For me it sound like someone who wants to keep the world as it is. Well a while back I did have an alternative theory that they were connected with the Parladians, a mysterious, semi-mythical group who occupy a large island in the Boeric Ocean who seemed to have little interest in interacting with southern traders and whose island appeared protected by some form of illusion spell that made it difficult to locate. Those who actually did make it that far speak of magic users reminiscent of Rivaini Seers responsible for this protection. It is possible they have more aggressive magical protection as well because, as Genetivi points out, you would think otherwise they would have been conquered by either the Imperium or the Qunari by now. They were also said to speak an unknown language, which might account for the Executor not being fluent in trade speech at the meeting. Since these islanders are said to be so reclusive and uninterested in outside contact, it would account for why the Executors had only recently been seen in Thedas, in response to the threat posed by the hole in the sky and associated rifts elsewhere, but if they are connected with Par Ladi, whose inhabitants would qualify as "those across the sea", it still doesn't explain why their agents would be called Executors?
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Post by legbamel on Dec 26, 2020 22:25:23 GMT
I like that theory a whole lot more than yet another "the Ancient Elves did it" answer. I tend to think that the Executors are the outside agents executing the will and needs of the reclusive people at home. They aren't a race unto themselves, just the CIA of the isolationist crew at home.
I would think that, were they able to pass themselves off as modern elves, they wouldn't draw so much attention to themselves by hiding every millimeter of skin. For some reason I also have the impression that they are tall, even for humans, but that may just be a scrap of head cannon based on my impressions rather than anything explicitly stated.
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Post by yogsothoth on Dec 26, 2020 22:50:10 GMT
For me it sound like someone who wants to keep the world as it is. Well a while back I did have an alternative theory that they were connected with the Parladians, a mysterious, semi-mythical group who occupy a large island in the Boeric Ocean who seemed to have little interest in interacting with southern traders and whose island appeared protected by some form of illusion spell that made it difficult to locate. Those who actually did make it that far speak of magic users reminiscent of Rivaini Seers responsible for this protection. It is possible they have more aggressive magical protection as well because, as Genetivi points out, you would think otherwise they would have been conquered by either the Imperium or the Qunari by now. They were also said to speak an unknown language, which might account for the Executor not being fluent in trade speech at the meeting. Since these islanders are said to be so reclusive and uninterested in outside contact, it would account for why the Executors had only recently been seen in Thedas, in response to the threat posed by the hole in the sky and associated rifts elsewhere, but if they are connected with Par Ladi, whose inhabitants would qualify as "those across the sea", it still doesn't explain why their agents would be called Executors? The people of Par Ladi are also rumored to have clothing covered in gold and jewels, which goes against the rather dour depiction of the Executor. There is Amaranth, where every expedition and colonization attempt ends with everyone missing, minus one person who went crazy. Whatever power the Executors work for could be responsible.
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Post by Absafraginlootly on Dec 27, 2020 0:24:53 GMT
I was surprised when the executors representative at the meeting was so covered because we know they have agents who are just normal thedosians. Eg. The Antivan trader, the young woman on crutches with the andrastian locket, Ser Helmuth(?), and 3 outposts worth of Inquisition soldiers who picked up and left to join the Executors instead.
Three outposts on the Nevarran border were found abandoned with no sign of struggle and nothing destroyed or taken. But in every camp, this message:
We hold your Inquisition in high esteem. Thedas's present troubles are great, but you have the strength to meet and conquer them. More will come. We prepare for the day and hold vigil. Do not look for your men; do not mourn them. They have given themselves of their own free will to a higher cause.
On behalf of powers across the sea,
The Executors
Makes me wonder if it's a bluff. The person under that veil doesn't actually look or sound strange, they're just completely covering themselves and concealing their voice with magic so they can't be identified and to cloak the Executors in an aura of mystery. Charter could walk past this executor on the street the next day dressed normally and not recognise them (y'know, if they weren't dead).
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pessimistpanda
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by pessimistpanda on Dec 27, 2020 2:47:58 GMT
Lovecraftian fish-men or bust!
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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 27, 2020 8:52:23 GMT
Makes me wonder if it's a bluff. The person under that veil doesn't actually look or sound strange, they're just completely covering themselves and concealing their voice with magic so they can't be identified and to cloak the Executors in an aura of mystery. Charter could walk past this executor on the street the next day dressed normally and not recognise them (y'know, if they weren't dead). This is true and it would make sense for an agent to keep their identity secret, particularly if they are wary of the Dread Wolf discovering who they are. However, it could equally be that the true Executors look strange and all those more normal looking agents are local recruits. A bit like the Qunari. The original Qunari are the grey skinned horned giants but all those who join them are called Qunari regardless of their race. More will come. We prepare for the day and hold vigil. Do not look for your men; do not mourn them. They have given themselves of their own free will to a higher cause. This is the part that is intriguing. "More will come". So there is some intention for more Executors to cross the sea to Thedas. For what purpose? "We prepare for the day and hold vigil." So these agents are a sort of advanced guard, doing the groundwork among the local population in preparation. "They have given themselves of their own free will to a higher cause." That suggests either devotion to some sort of belief system like the Qun or to the service of a deity or some sort of cause like the protection of the world (from the Wolf?)" Now I have to admit that recruiting from locals doesn't seem like something most ancient elves would do. However, Felassan was willing to work with locals to advance his agenda, although he never let on to them what that agenda was, whereas the Executors do seem to have done so. So from that point of view, it does seem they are more like the Qun in their dealings with local people, persuading them of the validity of their cause so they will work with them willingly (which is actually better than the Qun since if locals don't accept their ideas, they force them to do so). So I was happy with the ancient mysterious group explanation with no actual ties to any faction in Thedas, until I saw this artwork. Why do they have these people wearing symbols that so closely resemble the description for the sign of the Executors if they have no connection with them? Then connect them so closely to elves by making this the artwork for the story about Strife and Irelin in the Arlathan Forest? Are they just messing with us? What would be the point of that? PW made the Executors seem mysterious enough with his reference to them in Tevinter Nights without adding further confusion.
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Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 27, 2020 9:05:00 GMT
The people of Par Ladi are also rumored to have clothing covered in gold and jewels, which goes against the rather dour depiction of the Executor. That is when they on the home island, whereas the Executors we have been told about are agents in the field so not likely to wear fancy jewelry. There is Amaranth, where every expedition and colonization attempt ends with everyone missing, minus one person who went crazy. Whatever power the Executors work for could be responsible. This possibility had occurred to me too. The fact that no one ever returns from expeditions into the eastern ocean does seem suspicious.
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fredward
http://bsn.boards.net/board/40/dragon-age-4
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Post by Fredward on Dec 27, 2020 9:22:17 GMT
I've been wondering, dunno why, about whether the across the sea bit is either partially or entirely metaphorical and the sea in question is like the Veil/Fade/layer of reality. Combined with the name I'm inclined to think Evanuris. It's the only group in contemporary Thedas Solas seems to consider a threat and since he's pretty high up his own ass about how great the old elves were it makes the most sense. What I'm curious about is whether they worship like the old versions of the gods (the presumably uncorrupted by red lyrium ones) or the new ones that I, again, presume are kinda whackadoodle and pulling strings from the Black City ooooor whether those gods aren't as crazy as a certain egg would have us believe.
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Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights
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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 27, 2020 9:59:04 GMT
Combined with the name I'm inclined to think Evanuris. It's the only group in contemporary Thedas Solas seems to consider a threat and since he's pretty high up his own ass about how great the old elves were it makes the most sense. There are a lot of reasons, as you will note from my previous posts, why you could argue for it being devotees of the Evanuris. However, there is that problem of them having agents from other races, even to the extent that those recruited join them of their own free will. Would Inquisition soldiers really join up with some faction of ancient elves? Would those elves really want them? Of course, you could have supplied a similar argument for Corypheus, and in fact many people have questioned just why so many were willing to join up with him or stay with him once he revealed his true form? So it could be justified from what has happened previously. Also, it is possible that there could have been a group of ancient humans who were devoted to the Evanuris or at least some of them. The Neromenians had reverence for dragons and believed their heroes were reborn as dragons. Ultimately they ended up worshiping dragon gods and we are not entirely sure there is no link between the Evanuris and the Old Gods. Ancient human were definitely around before the Veil. Also, the pyramids of Par Vollen have murals that show what appear tall, horned figures in positions of respect, which could in fact be depictions of the Evanuris or their priesthood in official regalia. The pyramids seemed aligned with the constellation Solaris, a depiction of the Sun that could link them with either the Maker or the Firstborn of the Sun, Elgar'nan. The Fog Dancers teach that their heroes of old learned at the feet of the elves. So there is likely a close connection between ancient humans and the ancient elves, including the use of magic that is unknown in the modern era. Also, if Strife and Irelin are connected with them, whilst there was initially hostility with Myrion, in the end there did seem to be mutual respect, at least between him and Strife. I wonder what became of Myrion?
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Oct 31, 2020 23:57:02 GMT
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Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by pessimistpanda on Dec 27, 2020 10:17:31 GMT
If the Executors are truly from "across the sea", then surely people would notice them arriving on the shores of Thedas. Even if they didn't rock up to the usual ports or beaches, ships of any decent size to be travelling the ocean on would be visible to passers-by.
Unless... they aren't using ships...
Because they're swimming...
BECAUSE THEY'RE FREAKY FISH-MEN!!!
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Post by fluffysmom on Dec 27, 2020 11:42:05 GMT
They took Cullen’s soldiers, there was a ship captain, a knight; we know Cullen’s people wouldn’t have magic. So what would a mystery group that seems magical need regular folks for? To blend in? Why can’t they? And as secretive as they are why would one come to the meeting with Charter instead of sending one of these normal people they recruit? Instead they hide their face and hands with a voice that just barely managed to be a voice. Why risk being exposed? If they were a normal race, they could have pretended to be someone else.
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Post by gervaise21 on Dec 27, 2020 11:44:07 GMT
BECAUSE THEY'RE FREAKY FISH-MEN!!! Surely wouldn't that make them from "under the sea" rather than across it? Seriously, though your idea isn't so far fetched, particularly with reference to the "Scaled Ones" and the fact the Ghilan'nain seems to have conducted a number of experiments in her day. If Kossith were the result of a dragon/elven hybrid, then the Scaled Ones could be a Cetus (sea dragon) elven or human hybrid. May be the big serpent goddess is associated with them.
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"Abso-fraggin-lutely!" ~ Captain John Sheridan and Satai Delenn
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Post by Absafraginlootly on Dec 27, 2020 11:51:42 GMT
We're wandering into mermaid territory now.
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