The Tevinter Imperium (A Long and Detailed Lore Video)

Well done, thank you that video it answered a few questions I had been mulling over for a while.   

An anomaly cropped up today that I wonder if you have an answer to concerning Corypheus' memories in the Shrine of Dumat, his servant's in the Fade and the Canticle of Silence. In the Shrine one of his memories has him bemoan the fact that he and his fellow Magisters have been vilified in history and yet there isn't even a record of their names. Does he mean his original name? It seems odd he should object to this considering he told his servant he would undertake the ritual as Corypheus. However, it is true that no one would be aware of this but those connected with the ritual, who either entered the Fade with him or did not survive, except for one possibly (see below). Yet, we have the Canticle of Silence that was written by Hessarian. No doubt it was familiar to Drakon and why it was originally included in the Chant but one of the southern Divine's subsequently removed it, claiming that it was too full of political propaganda by Hessarian, rather than being sacred verse. Whilst this was some thirty years before the schism, I do wonder if Tevinter resented this decree and it was another contributing factor.

Anyway, my problem is this. Where did Hessarian get his ideas from? As the Old Gods were still being worshiped in his time, I would assume the titles of the High Priests of the various gods were known to him, which is why he chose them as the villains. Yet, if Corypheus chose to take that title for himself, that would suggest that he wasn't actually the High Priest of Dumat in Minrathous itself. That would seem borne out by the fact that Hessarian actually has the acolyte journeying from the ritual site to Minrathous to warn the Archon of what was going on. This being the case, do you think the Archon of that time made a record of what the acolyte told him and that is what Hessarian used as the basis of his Canticle? Clearly, it wasn't complete fabrication because not only was there a Corypheus among the intelligent darkspawn but also an Architect. I assume that Cory must have been referencing the southern Chant if he maintains there was no record of their names because the Canticle of Silence certainly has his title, which is what he wanted to be known as from then on and suggests the acolyte was aware of this.

It may not be referenced again because the writers no longer think the actions of the Magistrs Sidereal are relevant anymore but it has never been clear why they entered the Fade, since the servant's memory suggests it was intended to revive Old God worship, whereas Hessarian suggests it was to receive a reward promised by Dumat. When Cory awoke in Legacy, he certainly complained to Dumat that he had been promised a Golden City. Why he went to the city and what he expected to find could still be relevant to the Solas plot, since I think his actions do have something to do with the presence of the Blight in the world. So, do you think there may be something in the Archives in Tevinter that will answer my questions?  Do you recall where Dorian's War Table mission took us to find Corypheus' real name?

As catcher said, Dorian was able to find enough information to link Corypheus to House Amladaris using a tome from Minrathous (The Magisterium’s Library to be exact).  The old temples were converted to Circles of Magi, so it’s possible some information survives there.  I’m also not sure the principle temple of Dumat was in Minrathous.  In particular, going by the story of Darinius, it seems the main temple to Dumat was in Vyrantium (Since someone from that temple was summoned when Neromenian needed a representative of Dumat).  The only temple we know exists in Minrathous is the temple of Razikale (now mentioned as a circle of magi), who was the patron of the city in ancient times.  If the Canticle of Silence is to be believed, the acolyte reported to the Archon directly, so it’s also possible Hessarian’s information was something passed down in the private records of the Archons.

As to the discrepancy between Corypheus choosing that name and it being a well known title, I’m not aware of anything that resolves it.  It doesn’t quite fit with how it’s phrased in the memories of the servant, but maybe Corypheus simply meant that he would only use the title from that point forward and forsake his family name entirely.  If nobody knew the story of the Magisters Sidereal outside of rumor, it’s possible that their families were able to successfully scrub any reference to them from general knowledge during the chaos of the First Blight out of fear and shame.  I suppose to the general public it would have just seemed that the High Priests vanished one day (And they were probably more concerned with the Golden City turning black) and then after some time passed the Blight began.