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Post by Andraste_Reborn on Feb 20, 2023 11:27:52 GMT
Or humans or elf bloodied humans with dragon blood. There are two reasons I think that the Qunari were specifically made out of elves. Firstly, they've got pointed ears while humans and dwarves have round ones. Secondly, we know there is something extremely odd about elf genetics that means elf + human = human and elf + dwarf = dwarf. So maybe elf + dragon blood = giant? If you make a hornless Adaar in DAI it's suddenly a lot more obvious that a Qunari is essentially a tall, bulky, weird-coloured elf - and all of that plus the horns can be explained by the dragon blood.
I guess Ghilan'nain could be responsible if Corypheus found out the truth via his research into elven ruins, but I think they're probably the result of something more recent involving Tevinter and maybe the Old Gods. (I am absolutely blaming Ghilan'nain for the ghasts and the giants, though. So maybe the Qunari are the result of the magisters discovering some of her research and trying to replicate it ...)
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Post by colfoley on Feb 20, 2023 12:27:02 GMT
I did forget to mention for my evidence for 'B'. Some of the teaser material and also maybe admittedly Mark Darrah's initial tagline for the initial version of the game (we could be heroes but the records are sealed) puts me on this but a lot of what is being set up for Dreadwolf seems to be a very high level, top, public response to various crises but underneath is a shadow war as the protagonist hunts for Solas. That the Qunari invasions, and local politics, and the monster attacks, and the potential double blights, and everything else that has yet to be revealed is what the public is aware of, what the public is concerned about, meanwhile we'll be engaging in super secret stuff to search for Solas. I bring this up because this could be something that happens with the Qun. Either the Antaam is striking at Tevinter just because or they are aware of Solas's plot and either are ignoring it or think that invading Tevinter and accelerating their conquest is the only thing they can do. But the Ben Hasrath has been set up to be an organization which could be natural allies in the shadow war stuff, or at least enemies looking after the same purpose. As far as the origins of the Qunari are concerned I think, to borrow a potential cliche, but the interesting thing to me that I'm starting to speculate on is , to maybe borrow a cliche, is not the who they are, but what they are. Now the danger with the following theory is that it is too close to my theory on the Blight, but on the flip side it would fit so much if it were true. Starting to think that the Qunari were specifically formed as weapons by the Tevinter Imperium to fight their enemies, likely at the time other Elves. Essentially the ancient Imperium's version of what Fenris would one day become. Maybe they were Scaled Ones, maybe they were Elves, but if Cory knew about it then it is likely that they are the source of the experiments. (Though them being Elves would actually explain why modern magisters might be obsessed with using Elves as assassins.) Now in this case the who does become largely irrelevant here because if they were meant to be shock troopers and failed ones at that then it is likely they were bred and magicked to be super violent and super aggressive. Which then explains so much about the Qunari background. Why they NEED the Qun so badly to regulate their affairs. Why the Tal Vashoth and most Qunari outside the Qun turn to violence. Why the Antaam who are nominally released from the Qun are violent. Why the Qunari are violent within the Qun. . And probably more to the point though if Koslun was aware of their origins then his intention with his philosophy was to curtail their own violent impulses. But then the modern Qunari who have forgotten this has taken his words not as a blueprint for self regulation and control but as a blue print to conquer the entire world and force their ideolgy on everyone. Sure the Qunari tyranny is not a system I'd recommend but it'd be really fascinating if its something that they have to do because the alternative is worse because they were messed with.
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Post by gervaise21 on Feb 20, 2023 15:04:00 GMT
Either the Antaam is striking at Tevinter just because or they are aware of Solas's plot and either are ignoring it or think that invading Tevinter and accelerating their conquest is the only thing they can do. There has to be some sort of connection between the activities of leading figures in the Qun in recent years and Solas. Whilst they didn't know he was actually Fen'Harel, they had made a connection with the elven god. He says their agents kept crossing paths with his. The Viddasala also knew he had arranged for the orb to be given to Corypheus. How, unless they had been tracking the activities of his agents? Of course, his operatives had been trying to actively recruit modern elves to their cause, so it is likely that at some point they attempted to recruit elven agents of the Qun and this is what put the latter on to him. Charter also states that the Ben'Hassrath probably know more about his movements than anyone, likely because they have been tracking his agents for years. The Viddasala also said that they began their research in strengthening the Veil almost immediately after Corypheus opened the Breach. If they knew his agents had been responsible for giving the orb to Corypheus, they likely figured out for themselves that Solas had wanted to gain access to the Fade or damage the Veil in some way. So, the Qun had been keeping on watch on Solas and his agents for some time. According to the epilogue to Trespasser and Half Up Front, Par Vollen do still seem willing to work with the Inquisition to some degree but I now think that the Arishok, Rasaan and some members of the Ben'Hassrath felt that they weren't doing enough to counter the influence of rogue magic users generally, let alone Solas, and that is why they have rebelled and struck out on their own. They were always worried about the spread of red lyrium, hence the assault on Tevinter, particularly strongholds of the Venatori, but we also know that Rasaan has been specifically seeking information on Solas and, to be honest, both factions of the Qun seem to be seeking to deal with his threat, which is more than you can say about the majority of other leaders in Thedas. Likely, why Par Vollen at least is willing to work with the Divine, because they know she is aware of the problem and trying to do something about it.
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Post by dadithinkimgay on Feb 21, 2023 5:43:39 GMT
The comic comes out tomorrow! I cannot wait to see Teia and Viago.
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Post by gervaise21 on Feb 21, 2023 8:45:51 GMT
So maybe the Qunari are the result of the magisters discovering some of her research and trying to replicate it ...) The problem with citing anyone, ancient elves or Magisters, as having been responsible for creating the kossith (the race from which the qunari descend), is that there were none of that species in Thedas before a small contingent of kossith arrived in the very south of Ferelden just before the First Blight. After that colony disappeared, likely killed/kidnapped by darkspawn, there were no more until the Qunari turned up in the Steel Age and, like the first humans, they came from across the sea. So, did both races arise on the same Continent? Why did the humans leave originally? Was it the proliferation of the aggressive Kossith? Why did the Qunari leave? Was their faction a minority or the majority of kossith so savage they could not be reasoned with? If their origins are totally different, how and why did the kossith emerge? Since both Kieran and Corypheus seem to hint that something was done to them to make them as they are, who did this? Surely, it had to be long before the Imperium. If the ancient Magisters did this, then presumably they must have transported the results of their (failed) experiment across the sea but why not simply kill them? Incidentally, I would not take the ears as the sole evidence they were altered elves as that could have been the result of dragon blood, along with the horns. After all, their skin colour is (or was originally stated to be) varying shades of grey, so I would assume that was down to their draconic heritage as well as neither elves, humans or dwarves exhibit that skin tone. I also wonder where the Executors of Those Across the Sea fit into all this. If anyone was responsible for the creation of the kossith, I would say it was them. Were they originally a colony or Tevinter or, more likely, a colony of ancient beings with links to the elves? Solas knows about them, calling them dangerous, and they know about "the Wolf", so that points to their antiquity. Their agent also seemed to think the Ben'Hassrath would have reason to fear dealing with them, which makes me wonder if they could also know the origins of the kosssith/qunari. Starting to think that the Qunari were specifically formed as weapons by the Tevinter Imperium to fight their enemies, likely at the time other Elves. Essentially the ancient Imperium's version of what Fenris would one day become. As already stated, I think they pre-date the Imperium. The technology that Danarius was using on Fenris was not his own invention but clearly something he had discovered and then worked out how to use. The markings were clearly elven in origin. It was utilising lyrium, which we now know was being mined by the elves on an industrial scale, likely using dwarf slaves, and used in much of their magical constructs. I could be wrong about this but I think the creation of the original kossith was an attempt at breeding superior soldiers through the introduction of dragon blood, the remnants of which can be found in modern reavers. It seems likely to be connected with the activities of the Evanuris, which is why Corypheus knows about it, likely acquired from the same source as his other elven knowledge, but quite possibly by those who opposed their rule. However, it is possible that when it came to light, the perpetrators were banished across the sea rather than simply slain because they had the protection of a powerful individual (likely Ghilan'nain but even the Dread Wolf). However, it is equally possible that it was something that arose independently of the Evanuris among the humans on a different continent. A reaver cult went too far with their use of dragon blood and this resulted in a terrible hybrid race that quickly dominated the land, causing the Neromenians to flee to Thedas. This would also account for why Corypheus was aware of their origins because the priesthood of the Old Gods knew they were part of their history, or at least the priesthood of Dumat were but were sworn to silence outside of their own order. The evidence for this theory lies in the fact that the Neromenians had a great reverence for dragons, thought their heroes were reborn as dragons and worshiped Old Gods in the form of dragons. Also, the humans of Par Vollen retained some memory of the dragon lords of their ancestral home in their murals and when the Qunari arrived, immediately accepted their rule, which may well have seemed like liberation from the Imperium by their former overlords.
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Post by colfoley on Feb 21, 2023 11:30:44 GMT
So maybe the Qunari are the result of the magisters discovering some of her research and trying to replicate it ...) The problem with citing anyone, ancient elves or Magisters, as having been responsible for creating the kossith (the race from which the qunari descend), is that there were none of that species in Thedas before a small contingent of kossith arrived in the very south of Ferelden just before the First Blight. After that colony disappeared, likely killed/kidnapped by darkspawn, there were no more until the Qunari turned up in the Steel Age and, like the first humans, they came from across the sea. So, did both races arise on the same Continent? Why did the humans leave originally? Was it the proliferation of the aggressive Kossith? Why did the Qunari leave? Was their faction a minority or the majority of kossith so savage they could not be reasoned with? If their origins are totally different, how and why did the kossith emerge? Since both Kieran and Corypheus seem to hint that something was done to them to make them as they are, who did this? Surely, it had to be long before the Imperium. If the ancient Magisters did this, then presumably they must have transported the results of their (failed) experiment across the sea but why not simply kill them? Incidentally, I would not take the ears as the sole evidence they were altered elves as that could have been the result of dragon blood, along with the horns. After all, their skin colour is (or was originally stated to be) varying shades of grey, so I would assume that was down to their draconic heritage as well as neither elves, humans or dwarves exhibit that skin tone. I also wonder where the Executors of Those Across the Sea fit into all this. If anyone was responsible for the creation of the kossith, I would say it was them. Were they originally a colony or Tevinter or, more likely, a colony of ancient beings with links to the elves? Solas knows about them, calling them dangerous, and they know about "the Wolf", so that points to their antiquity. Their agent also seemed to think the Ben'Hassrath would have reason to fear dealing with them, which makes me wonder if they could also know the origins of the kosssith/qunari. Starting to think that the Qunari were specifically formed as weapons by the Tevinter Imperium to fight their enemies, likely at the time other Elves. Essentially the ancient Imperium's version of what Fenris would one day become. As already stated, I think they pre-date the Imperium. The technology that Danarius was using on Fenris was not his own invention but clearly something he had discovered and then worked out how to use. The markings were clearly elven in origin. It was utilising lyrium, which we now know was being mined by the elves on an industrial scale, likely using dwarf slaves, and used in much of their magical constructs. I could be wrong about this but I think the creation of the original kossith was an attempt at breeding superior soldiers through the introduction of dragon blood, the remnants of which can be found in modern reavers. It seems likely to be connected with the activities of the Evanuris, which is why Corypheus knows about it, likely acquired from the same source as his other elven knowledge, but quite possibly by those who opposed their rule. However, it is possible that when it came to light, the perpetrators were banished across the sea rather than simply slain because they had the protection of a powerful individual (likely Ghilan'nain but even the Dread Wolf). However, it is equally possible that it was something that arose independently of the Evanuris among the humans on a different continent. A reaver cult went too far with their use of dragon blood and this resulted in a terrible hybrid race that quickly dominated the land, causing the Neromenians to flee to Thedas. This would also account for why Corypheus was aware of their origins because the priesthood of the Old Gods knew they were part of their history, or at least the priesthood of Dumat were but were sworn to silence outside of their own order. The evidence for this theory lies in the fact that the Neromenians had a great reverence for dragons, thought their heroes were reborn as dragons and worshiped Old Gods in the form of dragons. Also, the humans of Par Vollen retained some memory of the dragon lords of their ancestral home in their murals and when the Qunari arrived, immediately accepted their rule, which may well have seemed like liberation from the Imperium by their former overlords. Now I don't think the Imperium created them carte blanche but took a previous exisisting race, one that has been there for a long time...like the Scaled Ones...and then modified what was already there to suit their purposes. Though yes, you are right there are a couple of holes with the theory and admittedly its just as possible of your theory on the Neromenians...after all I suppose it may be a little weird if they originated Thedas, left, only to come back again.
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Post by gervaise21 on Feb 21, 2023 14:14:25 GMT
Though yes, you are right there are a couple of holes with the theory and admittedly its just as possible of your theory on the Neromenians...after all I suppose it may be a little weird if they originated Thedas, left, only to come back again. I suppose it is just possible they were seeking vengeance and that is why they have a specific hatred for magic users and Tevinter, although some of that animosity does seem connected with their almost pathological fear of spirits/demons. That is another peculiarity of the Qunari, their attitude towards the Fade. I'll admit their desire to strengthen the Veil may be entirely due to them wanting to make it harder for spirits to cross over and their desire to do this increased when the actions of Corypheus showed just how fragile the Veil can be. Yet, they were apparently willing to tolerate Rivaini seers in the communities under their rule, unlike the Chantry, which does seem something of a contradiction. Of course, the other oddity of their history is that Koslun apparently travelled the world, studying different civilisations, before arriving at his own philosophy. So, is there another continent over the ocean with multiple societies in it? I must admit to wondering if Koslun was one of those Kossith who arrived in southern Ferelden back in ancient times. So, his observations took place in Thedas and then perhaps he returned over the sea with his findings. When something occurred to cause the Qunari to leave, they remembered the stories of Koslun about the continent of Thedas and so headed in that direction.
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Andraste_Reborn
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Post by Andraste_Reborn on Feb 21, 2023 14:30:05 GMT
New issue out now! At least on Kindle in Australia, no idea about elsewhere. This issue: Varric is extremely hot, the plot thickens and there's a brief appearance by Viago and Teia! Interesting that the Venatori are planning some co-ordinated action against Antiva. Trying to annex it under cover of repelling the Qunari, perhaps? I can't imagine the rest of the southern nations would like that. Meanwhile, Solas seems to be after an artefact in the Arlathan Forrest which is where Varric and Harding are off to next.
So far this seems like a quick tour designed to introduce us to the factions and plot points we're going to be dealing with in Dreadwolf. So I guess next month we finally find out what a Veil Jumper is!
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Post by RelevantRevenant on Feb 21, 2023 16:42:07 GMT
New issue out now! At least on Kindle in Australia, no idea about elsewhere. I'm in Finland and the first issue came out the day after you got yours, so I expect it's the same thing now I'm not salty about it, really I'm not
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Post by Solas on Feb 21, 2023 17:08:03 GMT
brb moving down under
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Post by dadithinkimgay on Feb 21, 2023 17:30:34 GMT
Googling vpn shenanigans as we speak
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Post by RelevantRevenant on Feb 21, 2023 18:17:18 GMT
If you're looking for a flatmate, let me know
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Post by eaglepursuit on Feb 21, 2023 22:21:56 GMT
New issue out now! At least on Kindle in Australia, no idea about elsewhere. This issue: Varric is extremely hot, the plot thickens and there's a brief appearance by Viago and Teia! Interesting that the Venatori are planning some co-ordinated action against Antiva. Trying to annex it under cover of repelling the Qunari, perhaps? I can't imagine the rest of the southern nations would like that. Meanwhile, Solas seems to be after an artefact in the Arlathan Forrest which is where Varric and Harding are off to next.
So far this seems like a quick tour designed to introduce us to the factions and plot points we're going to be dealing with in Dreadwolf. So I guess next month we finally find out what a Veil Jumper is! Okay, you've convinced me to buy this comic
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Post by colfoley on Feb 22, 2023 1:29:01 GMT
New issue out now! At least on Kindle in Australia, no idea about elsewhere. This issue: Varric is extremely hot, the plot thickens and there's a brief appearance by Viago and Teia! Interesting that the Venatori are planning some co-ordinated action against Antiva. Trying to annex it under cover of repelling the Qunari, perhaps? I can't imagine the rest of the southern nations would like that. Meanwhile, Solas seems to be after an artefact in the Arlathan Forrest which is where Varric and Harding are off to next.
So far this seems like a quick tour designed to introduce us to the factions and plot points we're going to be dealing with in Dreadwolf. So I guess next month we finally find out what a Veil Jumper is! An interesting plot development to be sure. Wheels on wheels of politics and problems...which just occured to me to that this is giving BioWare coverage on making this game world very tight story wise when we do get there, oh look Qunari, oh look Venatori. The crisis, some people trying to take advantage of the crisis, and us trying to solve all the crisis.
It would also explain maybe why the Qunari are having such luck against the Imperium. If certain political factions are really just trying to take advantage of the situation purely for their own gain and taking a significant amount of the Imperium's resources with them then that would handicap their reaction. Which then of course may be the whole reason they are doing this in the first place. The Venatori might be writing the Imperium off as a lost cause so they are trying to turn Antiva into Tevinter to escape...kinda like the Nazis at the end of WW2 now that I think about it.
Edit: Can't believe I forgot to mention, YEY TEIA AND VIAGO. I hope they're important characters in the Antiva arc in Dreadwolf.
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Post by Hanako Ikezawa on Feb 22, 2023 3:21:11 GMT
New issue out now! At least on Kindle in Australia, no idea about elsewhere. This issue: Varric is extremely hot, the plot thickens and there's a brief appearance by Viago and Teia! Interesting that the Venatori are planning some co-ordinated action against Antiva. Trying to annex it under cover of repelling the Qunari, perhaps? I can't imagine the rest of the southern nations would like that. Meanwhile, Solas seems to be after an artefact in the Arlathan Forrest which is where Varric and Harding are off to next.
So far this seems like a quick tour designed to introduce us to the factions and plot points we're going to be dealing with in Dreadwolf. So I guess next month we finally find out what a Veil Jumper is! Ugh, those two pieces of shit again? And things just keeping worse for Antiva. 😭
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Post by gervaise21 on Feb 22, 2023 8:09:41 GMT
Viago and Teia! Interesting that the Venatori are planning some co-ordinated action against Antiva. Trying to annex it under cover of repelling the Qunari, perhaps? I can't imagine the rest of the southern nations would like that. It would also explain maybe why the Qunari are having such luck against the Imperium. If certain political factions are really just trying to take advantage of the situation purely for their own gain and taking a significant amount of the Imperium's resources with them then that would handicap their reaction This does seem a very strange plot development. I could understand the Venatori trying to present themselves as saviours of Antiva but only from a position of security in Tevinter. Half the Imperium has fallen to the Qunari and they want to confront them in another location hundreds of miles away, instead of holding the line in Tevinter itself. The Venatori might be writing the Imperium off as a lost cause so they are trying to turn Antiva into Tevinter to escape...kinda like the Nazis at the end of WW2 now that I think about it. Wouldn't it make more sense to head south into Nevarra, where we know they have sympathisers, and shore up its defenses before the Qunari invade? If you are looking for a safe haven, heading into another war zone makes little sense, particularly as the only way to access it is either by sea (likely closed off by now by the Qunari navy) or around the mountain range through the Freemarches, which would be seen as an act of aggression by the southern nations. So, I do hope they come up with an explanation that makes sense on this one. For example, we know that the Crows seem to be taking contracts against leading Venatori. In the absence of information about who is employing them, I could understand the Venatori sending a task force into Antiva not only to take out the leading figures in the organisation responsible for fulfilling these contracts but also perhaps discover who is funding them. After all, if the leaders of the ultra-nationalist Venatori are being eliminated by the Crows, that in itself is going to impede the defense of Tevinter. So rather than it being an indication of them abandoning Tevinter as a lost cause, they are trying to consolidate their position in the hierarchy by being able better to defend it. Still, it does explain that concept art showing Crows fighting Venatori on what appeared to be the roof tops of Antiva, which is a positive indicator that at least some of the concept art was not related to multi-player and the 2020 trailer may also still be relevant to what we can expect to find in DA:D. They said at the time it showed factions we would encounter/be working with and we saw the legs of a Grey Warden (issue 1), a Crow on a rooftop (issue 2), a shady character on what was likely a street of Minrathous (issue 4) and a masked archer (Veil Jumper?) with a magical bow in a dark forest (issue 3).
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Post by gervaise21 on Feb 22, 2023 8:29:11 GMT
So far this seems like a quick tour designed to introduce us to the factions and plot points we're going to be dealing with in Dreadwolf. So I guess next month we finally find out what a Veil Jumper is! Which is all very well but I hope they do come up with some explanation for these plot developments in game, so people who only play the games will not be left puzzling about what is going on. Also, so far as any connection with Solas is concerned, why not keep that for the game itself? It seems to me that travelling around looking for leads as Varric and Harding are doing is just the sort of low level stuff our hero could have been doing to ease them into the game. It also does seem rather odd to use a comic series in this way. On the whole, previous series have had their own self contained story, with the main characters only indirectly linked to the action in the games. Thus, it expanded the view of Thedas and gave those fans interested some additional lore to get their teeth into but they did not directly tie into events in the games. Even Magekiller, whilst the two protagonists did end up in some of the same locations, were active in much the same way as our agents in War Table missions.
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Post by colfoley on Feb 22, 2023 10:53:33 GMT
Viago and Teia! Interesting that the Venatori are planning some co-ordinated action against Antiva. Trying to annex it under cover of repelling the Qunari, perhaps? I can't imagine the rest of the southern nations would like that. It would also explain maybe why the Qunari are having such luck against the Imperium. If certain political factions are really just trying to take advantage of the situation purely for their own gain and taking a significant amount of the Imperium's resources with them then that would handicap their reaction This does seem a very strange plot development. I could understand the Venatori trying to present themselves as saviours of Antiva but only from a position of security in Tevinter. Half the Imperium has fallen to the Qunari and they want to confront them in another location hundreds of miles away, instead of holding the line in Tevinter itself. The Venatori might be writing the Imperium off as a lost cause so they are trying to turn Antiva into Tevinter to escape...kinda like the Nazis at the end of WW2 now that I think about it. Wouldn't it make more sense to head south into Nevarra, where we know they have sympathisers, and shore up its defenses before the Qunari invade? If you are looking for a safe haven, heading into another war zone makes little sense, particularly as the only way to access it is either by sea (likely closed off by now by the Qunari navy) or around the mountain range through the Freemarches, which would be seen as an act of aggression by the southern nations. So, I do hope they come up with an explanation that makes sense on this one. For example, we know that the Crows seem to be taking contracts against leading Venatori. In the absence of information about who is employing them, I could understand the Venatori sending a task force into Antiva not only to take out the leading figures in the organisation responsible for fulfilling these contracts but also perhaps discover who is funding them. After all, if the leaders of the ultra-nationalist Venatori are being eliminated by the Crows, that in itself is going to impede the defense of Tevinter. So rather than it being an indication of them abandoning Tevinter as a lost cause, they are trying to consolidate their position in the hierarchy by being able better to defend it. Still, it does explain that concept art showing Crows fighting Venatori on what appeared to be the roof tops of Antiva, which is a positive indicator that at least some of the concept art was not related to multi-player and the 2020 trailer may also still be relevant to what we can expect to find in DA:D. They said at the time it showed factions we would encounter/be working with and we saw the legs of a Grey Warden (issue 1), a Crow on a rooftop (issue 2), a shady character on what was likely a street of Minrathous (issue 4) and a masked archer (Veil Jumper?) with a magical bow in a dark forest (issue 3). My big contention with this is that I do not get the indication that half of the Imperium has been conquered. All we know is that they have laid siege to several Tevinter cities but the nature of siege warfare means that those cities have definitley not fallen yet. Now how successfully the Qun has isolated the rest of the Imperium from these besieged cities is going to be a huge deciding factor on how they develop this plot for Dreadwolf.
As far as the Nevarran thing it was in the back of my head when I was typing my thought. Afterall, to borrow from a perious metaphor, the Nazis fled to SOuth America...not Spain. Though you do provide another possibility that is just as likely. Couple with maybe the idea that the Venatori, for one reason or another, might find it difficult to fight the Antaam but they can at least get at the Crows and provide themselves relief.
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Post by Iddy on Feb 22, 2023 11:12:42 GMT
So far this seems like a quick tour designed to introduce us to the factions and plot points we're going to be dealing with in Dreadwolf. So I guess next month we finally find out what a Veil Jumper is! Which is all very well but I hope they do come up with some explanation for these plot developments in game, so people who only play the games will not be left puzzling about what is going on. Also, so far as any connection with Solas is concerned, why not keep that for the game itself? It seems to me that travelling around looking for leads as Varric and Harding are doing is just the sort of low level stuff our hero could have been doing to ease them into the game. It also does seem rather odd to use a comic series in this way. On the whole, previous series have had their own self contained story, with the main characters only indirectly linked to the action in the games. Thus, it expanded the view of Thedas and gave those fans interested some additional lore to get their teeth into but they did not directly tie into events in the games. Even Magekiller, whilst the two protagonists did end up in some of the same locations, were active in much the same way as our agents in War Table missions. The problem is just that: They aren't giving us much beyond "Varric continues to look for clues (and never find anything interesting). I get it, they have to save it for the game. But in that case, why bother? Maybe they could have done a story focused on one of the new companions and end it with him/her meeting Varric.
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Post by colfoley on Feb 22, 2023 11:16:58 GMT
Which is all very well but I hope they do come up with some explanation for these plot developments in game, so people who only play the games will not be left puzzling about what is going on. Also, so far as any connection with Solas is concerned, why not keep that for the game itself? It seems to me that travelling around looking for leads as Varric and Harding are doing is just the sort of low level stuff our hero could have been doing to ease them into the game.
It also does seem rather odd to use a comic series in this way. On the whole, previous series have had their own self contained story, with the main characters only indirectly linked to the action in the games. Thus, it expanded the view of Thedas and gave those fans interested some additional lore to get their teeth into but they did not directly tie into events in the games. Even Magekiller, whilst the two protagonists did end up in some of the same locations, were active in much the same way as our agents in War Table missions. The problem is just that: They aren't giving us much beyond "Varric continues to look for clues (and never find anything interesting). I get it, they have to save it for the game. But in that case, why bother? Maybe they could have done a story focused on one of the new companions and end it with him/her meeting Varric. I low key suspect that this might be where this is going esentially, but not in regards to the companions, but the protagonist. The thing is to the 'why bother' that if we look at everything they have done in terms of extended media as marketing for the game then everything they have done does make sense. TVN, Absolution, and now this seems to be offering a lot of teases and cliff hangers to gameplay elements, tone, and story beats. It is a bit of an odd way of going about it but the whole tease seems to me to be the entire point... Which is why I don't really think anything will be really solved in this and plenty to do in the game.
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Post by Iddy on Feb 22, 2023 12:10:36 GMT
The problem is just that: They aren't giving us much beyond "Varric continues to look for clues (and never find anything interesting). I get it, they have to save it for the game. But in that case, why bother? Maybe they could have done a story focused on one of the new companions and end it with him/her meeting Varric. I low key suspect that this might be where this is going esentially, but not in regards to the companions, but the protagonist. The thing is to the 'why bother' that if we look at everything they have done in terms of extended media as marketing for the game then everything they have done does make sense. TVN, Absolution, and now this seems to be offering a lot of teases and cliff hangers to gameplay elements, tone, and story beats. It is a bit of an odd way of going about it but the whole tease seems to me to be the entire point... Which is why I don't really think anything will be really solved in this and plenty to do in the game. It's not about solving, it's about information.
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Post by gervaise21 on Feb 22, 2023 13:22:24 GMT
The thing is to the 'why bother' that if we look at everything they have done in terms of extended media as marketing for the game then everything they have done does make sense. TVN, Absolution, and now this seems to be offering a lot of teases and cliff hangers to gameplay elements, tone, and story beats. It is a bit of an odd way of going about it but the whole tease seems to me to be the entire point... It might also explain why, when they promised us more information in 2022, there seemed to be so little forthcoming from Bioware directly. Perhaps it was originally intended to release the comic series in late 2022 but they didn't want it to clash with Absolution and they didn't want to bring it out before Alpha had been confirmed. However, the three examples you give are not really part of the same process. TVN came out around the time they originally entered full production but, apart from the teaser in 2018, there had still not been any official confirmation the game was still going ahead, so TVN was a way of reassuring fans and keeping them interested. Then we had a whole plethora of information during the latter half of 2020, followed by the end of year teaser trailer, which presumably was designed to do the same. However, given the time lapse since then, if that was a marketing ploy, clearly something went wrong with the intended release window. As for Absolution, they have stated that it is a self-contained story, much as the other comic series were, so more a case of keeping fans happy and perhaps trying to attract some new ones to the setting. Only The Missing can really be seen as a marketing strategy, particularly given the nature of the plot and the studio saying it was designed to lead into the next game. However, the encouraging part in that is that I think they would hardly have released the comic series too far in advance of the game. So, I am hopeful that we will get the last issue of the comic series in April and then some sort of official announcement about the game shortly after that, with them still keeping to a release date at the end of 2023 rather than sliding into early 2024. With Masked Empire, which was also a story which directly tied into part of the plot in DAI, it was first published in April 2014, with the game coming out in November. Mind you, that had already been announced prior to the novel and we had been getting a lot of information on companions and other game aspects as well.
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Post by gervaise21 on Feb 22, 2023 13:35:33 GMT
My big contention with this is that I do not get the indication that half of the Imperium has been conquered. All we know is that they have laid siege to several Tevinter cities but the nature of siege warfare means that those cities have definitley not fallen yet. I am basing my assertion on what we have seen in the various comic series, plus what was stated by the Mortalitasi in Tevinter Nights: "... the Antaam have crushed the Tevinter opposition in the east. I fear everything east of Vyrantium will be under their control inside a year, and northern Antiva as well." Neromenian fell without much of a struggle in Dark Fortress, the short story last December had the Antaam having got as far as Treviso in Antiva and now the latest comic has them laying siege to Vyrantium. This would seem to suggest that the Mortalitassi's fear has been realised. Also, it would seem that on the way to Vyrantium, Varric and Harding crossed paths with some Qunari slavers, presumably with hostages taken in the countryside beyond Vyrantium. However, they did not seem to have got as far as Marnas Pell as the trouble relating to that city in the first issue was not related to them. Whilst we cannot know for certain that the inland settlements have fallen, the coastal cities are by far the most important to Tevinter in terms of population and strategic locations. Thus, it seems fair enough to say that the Antaam either holds the eastern half of Tevinter or those settlements it has not yet conquered are effectively cut off from support.
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Post by RelevantRevenant on Feb 22, 2023 13:40:38 GMT
Very random thoughts I had after reading this issue:
-Is Teia rather buxom for an elf? I always thought female elves were kind of lithe. I might add that I actually forgot about her being an elf, but that's neither here nor there.
-That thing on the last page, could that be an upside down Eluvian? Upside down as in the Crossroads in Trespasser?
-Hey, we've heard a lot about Artlathan Forest before, but I do believe next issue will be the first time we get to actually see it.
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Post by gervaise21 on Feb 22, 2023 14:15:00 GMT
Have just been reading Bioware Babbling's review of the issue on You Tube and he brings up the same issue about Varric's appearance changing between issue 1 and issue 2. He also confirms that the artist on issue 2 said he did this on instruction from Bioware. BB says the same as I did when the preview came out, why didn't they tell the artist on issue 1 about the change? It makes sense Varric could have aged since Trespasser if this is set around 9:52 but not in the time lapse from issue 1 to issue 2. Also, where did he acquire his facial scar, which he didn't have in the first issue? Could they not have shown the incident where this occurred?
Anyway, the fact that they saw fit to redesign Varric seems to confirm that he is going to feature in the next game.
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