Daemon Age: Inquisition

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Thedosian Artists and Performers

Here's a little list I compiled over time of Thedosian artists and performers, professionals and hobbyists, that are explicitely named across the franchise. Many more artists haunt the narrative but saddly they remain unnamed.

I saw someone earlier this week struggling with finding canon thedosian artists but the app crashed before I could note their name. Hopefully this will find its way to you, unknown person! I'll post (hopefully soon) additional lists compiling in details all form of Arts, Techniques and Music that are mentionned to exist in Thedas along with named artisans and specialized workers, in the hope it could be useful references for someone. Don't hesitate to fire a DM my way if you need something specific fast! ^-^

Abbreviations you might be not familiar with, just in case : DAtV : Dragon Age - The Veilguard TLC : The Last Court TME : The Masked Empire TN : Tevinter Nights TST : The Stolen Throne WoT and WoT2 : World of Thedas and World of Thedas 2.

Actors :

Interesting tidbit : Orlesian theater actors wear color-coded shape-coded facemasks on stage. A half-face Green mask is to signal the lead masculine role, a half-face purple one for the lead feminine role, blue masks for supporting masculine characters and red masks for supporting feminine characters. Full white masks are for spirits while demons are played wearing red-striken black masks. The race, gender or age of the actors themselves don't matter in the least in the attribution of roles. There are also professional theater critics in Orlais (and maybe Tevinter as well). - Maudine : Orlesian actress, played in front of the Orlesian court in 9:41 (last name unknown, source : DAI) - Juliette : Orlesian actress, played in front of the Orlesian court in 9:41 (last name unknown, source : DAI) - Robert : Orlesian actor, played in front of the Orlesian court in 9:41 (last name unknown, source : DAI) - Stephan : Orlesian actor, played in front of the Orlesian court in 9:41 (last name unknown, source : DAI) - Rendell : Elven actor from Markham, Free Marches (has a slight accent which is frowned upon), played in front of the Orlesian court in 9:41 (last name unknown, source : DAI) - Victor Boyet : Elven orlesian actor, made his big break as the lead in "The Heir of Verchiel". (timeline unknown, before 9:20, source : DAI)

Playwrights : (See : Codex entry: A Compendium of Orlesian Theater, for more lore on those!)

- A. Pourri : Orlais, known for the popular "Wilkshire Downs" (which includes a lot of... farting. Might be why the french adjective used as a name here literally translate as "rotten"). (timeline unknown, likely pre-DragonAge, source : DAI) - Lumière Bartlet : Orlais, author of very little renown during his life, wrote "The Setting of the Light", considered to be one of the strangest plays to have been written and a possibly cursed one, as many of the crew and even the author himself suffered fatal accidents (demon deal gone bad?). (around 4:52, Black Age, source : DAI) - Marquise Freyette : Orlais, author of several plays, her most famous being "The Sword of Drakon : An Examination of the Life and History of the Father of Orlais", the play almost got banned by the Chantry for depicting Drakon as a man with doubts and feelings instead of a perfect hero. (timeline unknown, likely pre-DragonAge, source : DAI) - Paul Legrand : Orlais, author of the play "The Heir of Verchiel", a story of betrayals and revenge beloved by the Orlesian aristocracy. (timeline unknown but an "emperor" on the throne at the time, likely pre-DragonAge, at the very least pre-9:20, source : DAI) - Violette Armand : Orlais, author of the melodrama "Death in the Mansion", very avant-garde in its uses of masks' codification as a tool for subverting expectations. (timeline unknown, likely pre-DragonAge, source : DAI)

Artists and Artisans of various crafts and renown :

- Baldassare of Antiva : master artisan in Antiva City, unknown artistic specialty, sponsored by Orlesian nobility, active in 9:41. (source : DAI) - Chantal of Val Royaux : Orlais, unknown artistic specialty, sponsored by Orlesian nobility, active in 9:41. (source : DAI)

- Gustav of Val Fontaine : Orlais?, master cabinet-maker and virtuoso of fine marquetry. Designed and realised all the furniture of the library of the Winter Palace (one of the biggest library in Thedas). (timeline unknown, assumed dead, source : DAI) - Lady Cinthia : Ferelden or Orlais, renowned master seamstress and glove-maker whose work is recognizable by its stitchwork. (full name unknown, timeline unknown, presumed dead as of 9:30, source : DAO) - Ambrose Forfex : Tevinter (Venatori blood mage), wigmaker of renown, used to host seasonal "wig shows" for the nobility to attend, with models parading on stages in his estate in Vyrantium. (exact timeline unknown, but post-9:41 and pre-DAtV, deceased, source : TN)

Musicians, Singers and Dancers :

Interesting tidbits : Musicians seem especially valued in Orlais but exist everywhere, even under the Qun (Sten is even surprised it is not obvious to Leliana when she asks him). Nobles all around Thedas seem to receive some form of musical education and the most common instrument across the continent is the lute.

Dancers : - Veridian (stage name) : Llomerryn, twins exotic dancers, active in 9:41. (source : DAI)

Singers : - Carlota Montivecchio "The Songbird" : Antiva, famous opera singer, tried to murder a rival soprano only to be murdered in turn. (timeline unknown, source : TN) - Ser Corram "The Bard": Ferelden, famed singer and warrior, active in the Steel or Storm Age and lover of Arl Jacen Guerrin. (source : DAI)

Musicians : - Emeline de Montsimmard : orlesian music composer and private music teacher to the orlesian nobility, active in 9:41. (source : DAI) - Lord Edmond : orlesian, music student under the tutelage of Emeline de Montsimmard. (source : DAI) - Maryden Halewell : identified as both bard (but not the orlesian kind) and minstrel, published an anthology songbook called "A Garden's Grace : Songs of the Field", active in 9:41. (source : DAI) - Zither! (stage name) : Orlais, (actually a mage!), active in 9:41 (actual name unknown, source : DAI, playable character in multi.) - Edmond : Orlais, active in 9:41?, harpsichordist in Zither!'s band. (last name unknown, source : DAI)

Orlesian Bards : I set them aside a bit, since they're versed in music and arts but technically Art is not their primary goal, just a means to an end. - Arianna (deceased, source : DAA) - Bastien (deceased, source : WoT2/DAI) - Katriel (deceased, source : TST) - Leliana - Marjolaine Vasseur (deceased, source DAO) - Melcendre (deceased, source : TME) - Rosalyn (situation unknown, source DAA) - Shayd (active in 9:41, member of the Inquisition, source : TN) - The Black Fox (situation unknown, likely deceased as he was active in the Blessed Age, source : WoT2) - The Black Hart (situation unknown, Charter's previous identity? source : DAI).

Bonus : Named Bands Those were likely made just for the joke but since they're in the game, you can pry them from my cold dead hands lol. (source : DAI) - Evading Demons ("Didn’t they lose their singer to an abomination?") - Fuchsia Lotus ("They had a song about that. “I need to live” or, maybe “Hey! Don’t kill me!” " -Zither!) - Gemstone and the Oculara ("A marvelous band. Sexy too." "With mad skills." -Zither) - Spymaster ("Great musicians, but rubbish in the sack." -Zither!) - Apostacy - Bluebird Coop ("avant-garde rubbish" - Zither!)

Painters, engravers and illustrators :

Interesting tidbits : Thedas has several "traditional painting schools" [WoT2] and Orlais has a "classical period" for paintings [TME]. Commissioning artists seem to be pretty common in noble households in Orlais, the Free Marches, Nevarra, Orzammar and Ferelden. Lockets with painted miniatures of loved ones in them are common in Ferelden, Orlais and Nevarra.

(Funny additions : Adult books with raunchy illustrations are very much a thing in Thedas. Paintings with peepholes hidden in them for spying purposes are totally a thing as well! [TN] There also are professional art critics in Thedas as well as art forgers. Orlais had a critic named "DeCassoulet" (after the French dish) who recently fell from grace because of his association with art forgers. [WoT2] )

Painters : - Ambrose Poirier : Orlais, specialty unknown, sponsored by Orlesian nobility, active in 9:41. (source : DAI) - An Ortienz : unknown origin (maybe the Anderfels given the name?), portraistist of talent, active in Serault, Orlais, during the Blessed Age. (exact timeline unknown, source : TLC) - Caliastri : unknown origin (maybe Antiva given the name?), their style is easily recognisable (and often forged?) and their paintings are found in Orlesian noble homes. (full name unknown, timeline unknown but still famous in 9:40, source : TME) - Griselda Reiniger : Anderfels, portraitist in the "traditional Anderfels style", came to prominence with the painting "The Chant of Light" depicting Andraste playing the harp the night before her execution. Won a price at the University of Orlais for it and is sponsored by both the imperial Orlesian court and the Chantry. Supposedly active in 9:41. (source : WoT2) - Tillendall Lemallen : portraitist and wild-life painter for the Orlesian court. (given his name and his knowledge of Halla, he might be elven or even Dalish of origin, timeline unknown, source : DAI) - Yvette Gabriella Montilyet : Antiva, learned her trade under Antiva's royal tutors and her works are expected to be exposed in antivan salons in 9:41. (source : DAI)

Engravers : - Ambrose Dumont : Orlais, of humble origins, famous for his woodcut carvings and prints, especially pieces representing Nugs, sponsored by Orlesian nobility, active in 9:41. (source : WoT2)

Hobbyists : - Henri Ducette : Orlais, amateur historian and artist, sketched numerous statues around the Forbidden Oasis shortly before or in early 9:41. (source : DAI) - Horace Medford : Orlais, adventurer, took charcoal rubbings of elven carvings in the Exalted Plains for the University of Orlais before 9:41. (source : DAI) - Isabella : loves to doodle in (Hawke's) books, she gets an honorable mention (because I can). (source : DA2) - Lady Marchellette : young Orlesian girl drawing fanart of shirtless Calenhad (lol what an icon), sometime before 9:41. (source : DAI) - Prince Baldewin of the Anderfels : young boy who sent his drawings and fanart to the Inquisitor, deserves a mention for being adorable. (source : DAI) - Solas (source : DAI) - Sera (source : DAI) - Yves Montilyet : Antiva, Josephine's father, hobbyist painter? who hosts salons and art shows. (source : DAI) Known titled artworks : - "Abel d'Onterre" (portrait, source : DAI) - "Anita Chayeau, beloved Grand-mère" (portrait, source : DAI) - "The Chant of Light" by Griselda Reiniger (source : DAI) - "The Dalish Woods in Summer" (landscape, source : DAI) - "General Mathieu d'Onterre, Feared by the Dog Lords" (portrait or statue?, source : DAI) - "Giroux Lemarque" (portrait, source : DAI) - "Jeanette d'Onterre, Matriarch of House d'Onterre" (portrait, source : DAI) - "Nanette d'Onterre, Ma belle Rose" (portrait, source : DAI) - "Portrait of a Goosegirl" (source : DAO) - "Portrait of Leandra Amell" (source : DA2) - "The Rebel Queen" (heroic portrait, source : DAO) - "Val Royaux" (landscape, source : DAI) - "Skyball" (a black stone painted to look like the night sky and showing constellations (source : DAO))

Poets :

Poetry is fairly common across Thedas. It is canonically taught as a discipline to noble children in Orlais, Antiva, Orzammar, the Free Marches and Nevarra but seems to be accessible to broader masses as well; as several occurrences of commoners trying their luck at it demonstrate. Published poetry works and anthology books aren't uncommon either and have existed at the very least for 300 years [DAI]. Orzammar has a long tradition of poetry and haikus [DAO, DAI, WoT2].

- Carlol of House Yonoch : Orzammar, known as a "wordsmith", published in "The Noladar Anthology of Dwarven Poetry". (active during the early Dragon Age, source : WoT2) - Karsten Groeke : poet and philosopher, gave a lecture at the Univeristy of Orlais and was consequently chased out by the students following a bad bit of poetry praising absynthe (a strong alcohol). (Orlais? Anderfels given the name?, timeline unknown, source : DAI) - Lady Madeline : renowned poet and writer, daughter of the Rivaini Ambassador at the imperial Orlesian court, active in 9:41. (source : DAI) - Magister Oratius : Tevinter, known for his Sonnets Anthology titled "A Chant for Dreamers". (timeline unknown, source : DAI) - Paragon Lynchar : Orzammar, known for his Haikus, published in "The Noladar Anthology of Dwarven Poetry". (active during the Steel Age, source : WoT2) - Paragon Seuss : Orzammar, known for his mastery of rhymes, published in "The Noladar Anthology of Dwarven Poetry". (active during the Glory Age, source : WoT2) (- Kaariss of the mercenary group Valos-Kas loves to try his hand at poetry, to the great despair of his companions.) Unsure : - Paragon Ebryan : Orzammar, famous for his "Songs only Nugs can hear", unknown if they were a musician or a poet or both. (Exalted Age, source : DAO)

Sculptors :

Also common throughtout Thedas and despite varying through the ages, sculpture styles are seemingly recognisable for most people. Nevarra and Orlais have a long tradition of heroic statues of their historical figures, while Ferelden, the Chasind and the Avvar have a tradition of animalistic and votive sculptures. Both Orlesian and Tevinter imperial Houses as well as the Anderfels' Chantry seem to have a love for gigantic statues carved out of cliffs. One of Orlais' distinctive sculpture style is called "amour-tourmente style" ("love-torment"), example of it can be found in Art History books or seen in the Nevarran Grand Necropolis. One Fereldan Arl has a drawing room where carvings are exposed for visitors to enjoy, including one representing Yusaris, the legendary sword. To quote Lesha in Tevinter Nights : "Look, every culture has their own artistic signature—something that makes it theirs. Tevinter is all about sharp angles. Ferelden is hard and brutish, and Orlais is delicate and opulent. Dwarves are . . . well, simple is the wrong word, but they get right to the truth.” (Funny side-note : Ice sculptures are a thing in Orlais! [TME] They also have liqueur bottles with peach pits carved with erotica scenes in them. [DAI])

- Appius Trius : Ancient Tevinter, (also published in "Artists of Ancient Tevinter") famous for "sparking the imagination of all gazing at his work". (Ancient Age, source : DAI) - Gatsi Sturhald : formely Orzammar, now on self-imposed exile on the surface, the Inquisition's lead stonemason, produced several carvings of Paragons during his years as a sculptor in Orzammar, alive in 9:41. (source : DAI) - Hemiare Allegri : Antiva, commissioned by Duke Prosper de Montfort, active in Orlais during the first half of the Dragon Age. (exact timeline unknown, but alive during the Dragon Age, source : WoT2) - Juliette Coreau : Orlais, famous for a carving of Emperor Kordillus Drakon The Great commemorating the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Orlesian Empire. Work displayed in the Winter Palace. (exact timeline unknown, but Blessed Age, so assumed dead, source : DAI) - L'Etourneau (stage name, French for "starling") : Orlais, known for a carving of Maferath The Betrayer, commissioned by Empress Yvette during the Blessed Age. (exact timeline unknown, but Storm/Blessed Age, so assumed dead, source : DAI) - Natalie Breault : Orlais, famous for her carving of "Lambert Valmont, The Swaggering Lion", commissioned by Emperor Judicael I. (exact timeline unknown, but Blessed Age, so asumed dead, source : DAI)

Thanks for making it all the way down! Hopefully, I didn't miss any name (don't hesitate to tell me if you find one I missed!) and this will be of some help to someone! Have a lovely day! ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ

Thinking about the mage rebellion and Fereldan. My main Warden is a Surana that sticks Alistair with the throne so I never really gave it much thought about why Ferelden's ruler would accept the rebellion.

But I replayed and something stuck out to me: Connor was frustrated about them being in Redcliffe. He asks how that could be seen to be a good idea. And honestly? Given that the Wardens rule Amaranthine and it's a major point of entry from the sea it wouldn't be that hard to have set Fiona's people there and gotten fewer side eyes by the locals. They're used to Wardens, mages ain't that weird in comparison. Especially after the Warden-Commander let a possessed corpse follow them home from the swamp like a lost mabari.

But Ferelden has a population problem. Lots of dead young men and women just at Ostagar, let alone the southern hills, the bannorn via the rebellion, and Denerim. And the survivors of the Siege at Denerim would have had high chances of Blight Sicknesses, there were probably epidemics following 9:31. That would have crippled the fighting population. That doesn't even count that a lot of the refugees who made it to the Marches and elsewhere never returned.

Redcliffe is the fortified gateway to Ferelden from the /Orlesian/ border. The same Orlais that certain powers (Gaspard) want to return to being an expanding empire.

Celene's hold was weak. Weak enough the Inquisitor could arrange to break it entirely.

The Chantry is primarily Orlesian and that would give the mages a reason to not want Orlesian control if it came down to Gaspard as Emperor bringing chevaliers back across the Frostbacks.

I don't think Ferelden took the mages in out of generosity. At least not entirely. I think they saw a chance to add a significant military force to their country if their gamble paid off - and that's why Teagan agreed. Unfortunately for the rebellion the Tevinter thing is a definite point of no return - the mages weren't loyal enough to their own cause, to where they were, to continue the risk of keeping them.

Bioware will find any excuse to introduce Morrigan to a game via a set of stairs.

Andrastian Statues

The purpose of this collection of statues is to show the Andrastian style depending on the region, the details in it, and how this may or may not influence other statues we saw in game. I also attempt to recollect some interpretations of them, although most of them are mostly based on speculations.

The current post contains the following set of statues:

Ferelden Style: Pre-Divine Andraste, Chasind Andraste, Ferelden warrior protector Andraste, The Maker, The Dwarf [?], Rider Maferath  [?], Masferath Repentant, Hanged Masferath, Other Statues.

Orlesian Style: Rustic Maferath, Hessarian, Andraste; The Orlesian Warrior Andraste, The Stylised Orlesian Andraste, The Orlesian Andraste, The Orlesian Maferath, The Orlesian Havard, and the Orlesian Hessarian; The Weight of War

Free Marches Style: The Free Marches Hessarian, The Free Marches Andrastian Warriors [?]

Unknown Style: The Skull with sword, The Guide, Guardians of the Path / The Watcher.

[This post belongs to the series “Analysis and speculation of Statues”]

Keep reading

DAI x BG3 matchups I need to see. I’m not good at writing crossovers nor am I clever at all. This is very much non-exhaustive and very much not the end point of these characters’ potential interactions with each other.

Karlach + Sera + Iron Bull

The absolute chaos. The absolute CHAOS. A powerhouse. Putting aside Karlach’s demon heritage aside, she and Iron Bull tossing back tankards and swapping war stories as vets that have been dealt shitty hands but continue to chug along despite it. Karlach and Sera connecting over growing up mainly on the streets and having soft spots for little ragamuffins. Plus they all talk about women’s tits a lot. I feel Sera would find Karlach sexy and funny.

Wyll + Cole

Like Solas and Varric, Wyll would take to Cole because he recognizes Cole’s desire to help others, even if his methods are a bit unorthodox. He would recognize Cole’s soul as gentle and kind, and his efforts to atone for the murders he committed in the Tower as proof of his humanity. He will join the Uncle-Dad Duo and complete the Uncle-Dad Trio. Cole would gravitate toward Wyll’s goodness in turn, and probably tell Wyll that him making a contract wasn’t foolish because in the end he saved a city, and if that was his desire, then he committed no sin in doing so.

Solas + Astarion

The messiest shit can only occur, and my messy bitch self wants to see it. Watch as Solas’s upright and stiff demeanor utterly bores Astarion. Watch as Astarion’s selfishness, penchant for violence, and casual disregard for the well-being of others utterly pisses Solas the fuck off. Watch as Astarion yawns or interrupts Solas’s lectures with a “yes, yes, we get it” or the most dramatic eyeroll and overwrought “ugh”. Watch as Solas and Astarion immediately sniff each other out as liars and schemers from first jump and hold each other at a distance, the tension spiking at random moments early in them knowing each other where the other prods at their falsehoods. Watch as Astarion is dumbfounded by Solas expressing his condolences to Astarion upon learning of Astarion’s enslavement to his master, because how could a man who holds such reproach for him still manage to feel pity? ‘It is not pity, but compassion, which you are at liberty to reject. That is your right as a free man, just as it is my right to feel it.’

In the best case scenario, Astarion calms down eventually, teasing Solas but still treating him like that friend of a friend that you grudgingly admit is useful. I think a part of Astarion would find Solas’s penchant dislike of him funny.

Vivienne + Astarion + Dorian

We are all doomed. The haughtiness will be scarcely contained. Dorian and Astarion are definitely flirting. Fucking? Not sure. But definitely flirting and enjoying killing bad guys, playfully arguing over wine, snickering over Solas’s shabby dress.

Shadowheart + Leliana

Tools forged to serve a religious order? Check. Crisis of faith? Check. Subterfuge preferred? Check.

Lae’zel + Cassandra

Soldiers recognizing soldiers. 🫡 ‘Why are the men around me so annoying.’

Minsc & Boo + Cole

Cole might be able to understand Boo! If not his speech, then his little hamster feelings. Minsc might be wary of Cole for the information that he manages to glean from Minsc’s head, but his unquestioned understanding of Boo would probably smooth that bump in the road, right?

Solas + Gale

A friend remarked that Gale would remind Solas too much of himself (prideful, ambitious) and thus they would not get along. There is that. I think that Gale would get a small smile out of Solas every now and then with his quips, because Solas himself is clearly a fan of banter; Gale would provide more of the energy in the same way Dorian does with his and Solas’s more civil banters. Gale and Solas also both hold a great measure of respect and adoration for magic as a force, an element, a piece of entirety that is beautiful for its own existence. Not simply just what magic can do for them as wielders of magic, but what it is and how it does so much to enhance a person’s understanding and interaction with the world, as precious as sight or sound.

Minthara + Iron Bull

Oh she will have him cowed in a goddamn minute. Oh man. Oh no. ‘Yes ma’am’, ‘no ma’am’.

Minthara + Cassandra

Oh this would be so interesting. Disciplined, serious bulwarks with little time for silly little men—Minthara would share Cassandra’s frustration and lack of amusement with Varric, though Cassandra would consider her suggestions to maim him.

Solas + Halsin + Iron Bull

I see potential here. Iron Bull and Solas already have a dynamic of Iron Bull’s “I have a pretty good idea of who you are, and it’s a liar” toward Solas, while Solas grudgingly respects Iron Bull’s strength and mental acumen in the same way you would respect a very intelligent bear—do not draw attention more than necessary, but stand tall lest it smell fear. Halsin feels like a softer Iron Bull, a mediation between the two. Like Iron Bull, his stature and build belies a thoughtful and sharp mind. Like Solas, he sees everything as connected, feeding into the other as part of a system, and would too feel a sense of loss at magic and mundane being so dramatically split as it is in Thedas—an aberration against what is natural. Also like Iron Bull, he’s frank with his sexuality. I’m certain the two would swap stories over booze. The trio would be arguably the three most mature and experienced in a room in any given situation. Not only that, but Halsin is far more actively in touch with his heart and honest with his feelings than Solas or Iron Bull. The latter two very much care about their loved ones, but with Solas it is under the surface and with Iron Bull it’s mixed up in cultural trappings of romance not being a “thing” in his culture, and thus both struggle with their feelings. Halsin however is very much in touch. There is next to nothing obstructing what his head and heart wants. He listens to his heart and he follows it. Solas and Iron Bull could learn a thing or two from him, tbh

Also I feel like Iron Bull, Halsin, and even Solas have a bit of a brat tamer streak in them so there’s that

Also Astarion would outright reject the notion of drinking Cullen’s blood cuz it smells like battery acid.

Thread: Sylvia Feketekuty on the influences of Emmrich and the Mourn Watch

The rest of this post is under a cut due to length and possible spoilers.

Sylvia Feketekuty: "I think I've gotten to most people’s questions, and I promised I'd talk about influences on Emmrich and the Mourn Watch before wrapping this up. So here we go! It took me while to figure out Emmrich's character voice. I'm happy with where I landed, but he was a tough one. A few books helped me out. MR James' Collected Ghost Stories (1890-1930) My favourite ghost stories of all time. James excels at building dread, at writing people finding strange things in books, or around the corner, or in the old lane at night."

"He was also an antiquarian and a scholar at Cambridge. I wanted Emmrich and the Watchers to feel formal, but not like they were from another epoch. James’ language, polished by a rich academic career, was an excellent benchmark for 'older, but not ancient'. E.g.: if using contractions was appropriate for James' time, it was appropriate for Emmrich. It freed me up, mentally speaking, to deploy them whenever they improved cadence or flow. Thomas Ligotti's Songs of a Dead Dreamer Fellow Ligotti fans may already be thinking Emmrich doesn't really share the philosophy underpinning Ligotti's work, and they’re right. However!"

"Songs of a Dead Dreamer is filled with fantastical imagery that’s a bit lusher than that found in Ligotti's later works. It was really good at bringing to mind the kind of moody, expansive dreamscapes I think our necromancer mentally occupies. It’s from a different book (Noctuary), but Ligotti’s “The Spectral Estate” also merits a mention. If you plunked it down in front of Emmrich to read, he’d know exactly what it was on about. The Romantic poets (or any poetry on similar themes: overpowering swells of emotion, the grandeur and awe of nature, love and loss and grief.) Palgrave's Golden Treasury was usually in reach."

"If I was in a jam, or psyching myself up for a scene, sometimes I’d read a few poems to get into the proper head space. Or just for the pleasure of it. Poems are great! Please take a link to Shelley's "A Dream of the Unknown", one of my favourites. [link] I also read a few books by morticians and funerary directors. A friend lent me Smoke Gets in your Eyes and From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty (probably the most famous mortician on the internet?) I also checked out Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner-city Funeral Home by Sheri Booker."

"These books were full of lessons about how people react to death, how different cultures treat it, how anger and grieving express differently but come from the same wellspring. Very humane looks at how we deal with loss and other people. Moving on to non-books: My First Cadaver, a podcast of stories from medical students and medical professionals."

"I listened to a few episodes My First Cadaver, and there were some incredible tales in there. Gross (I could never be a doctor) but incredible. And I was struck by was how much students working on donated cadavers got attached to them. I can’t remember if it was in MFC or not, but there was one story about a medical student introducing his date to the cadaver he was working on like she was a beloved aunt. It was very sweet! Peter Cushing in Horror of Dracula (1958) and The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) These films are filled with handsome costumes, ominous sets, and the oversized passions I associate with gothic melodrama. Cushing's perfect in them."

"His portrayals of Van Helsing and Baron Frankenstein are brisk, determined, obsessive, and brimming with energy; they’re scholars who are experts in their field, yet still men of action. They felt like natural touchstones for a professor suddenly called to grand adventure. I also ended up reading Cushing's memoirs. In a bit of strange synchronicity, there were similarities between his life and traits I'd already decided to give Emmrich. Cushing came from a working-class family, had an intense phobia (his was of the dark), was vegetarian, and so on. I'd had no idea."

"(Humans tend to pattern-match, but it was a little eerie.) A side note: I've seen people speculate Emmrich was based off of Vincent Price. There’s a bit of the good Mr. Price in there, but Cushing got to play more heroic roles than he did. He felt more right to me. A second side note: did you know Vincent Price was a gourmand who loved to entertain? He and his wife Mary put out a beautiful cooking book, A Treasury of Great Recipes, filled with warm and charming commentary. If you're interested in that kind thing, highly recommended!"

"One influence when I was pitching the Memorial Gardens to the rest of the team was Swan Point cemetery in Rhode Island. It's where Lovecraft was buried, and like many a Weird Tales nerd before me, I was curious and wanted to see it."

"I wasn't prepared for was how lush the plants and flowers were, and how beautifully landscaped everything there is. Swan Point is a historical burial place, and also a carefully tended garden and arboretum. It stunned me. I'd never been in a cemetery like it. Emmrich complains about Hezenkoss making him play complicated wargames when they were students, and that one in particular had three separate rulebooks."

"I've seen people guess whether I was referencing D&D or Warhammer 40K. D&D was formative, and I know a frankly embarrassing amount about WH40K at this point (No regrets. Necrons and Admech 4-ever.*) But the origin is even sillier. *Why yes, Mechanicus 2 IS my most anticipated upcoming game. I used to own the first edition of a board game called Mansions of Madness, and was supposed to learn the rules so I could lead my friends through it. But come the day, I’d procrastinated, and was running short on time."

"Fantasy Flight's previous game in the same vein was Arkham Horror, and AH is not a simple game. But I remember being hopeful, as I peeled the shrinkwrap off, that maybe MoM would be easier to learn than AH. Have streamlined rules, or fewer things to remember. Then the top popped off, and three separate rulebooks fell out and slithered to the floor. (The DAV game’s not meant to be MoM, but the absurdity of that moment stuck with me.) (It's not the game's fault, by any means, that I was unprepared, and the session went as well as it could have with me flipping through the books going "Okay wait...hold on...I think that was here...no, wait.") The Nevarran hazelnut torte recipe is actually a family recipe from my grandmother, on my father's side. I’m beyond delighted people have actually made it. (Our recipe uses metric measurements, but the DA style guide uses imperial, so I was worried about the conversion. Looks like it went okay.)"

"On my mother's side of the family: my grandmother cooked and cleaned for a living, and my grandfather was a butcher. He passed away before I was born, and my grandmother when I was very young. So I gave Emmrich’s parents those professions as a little nod to the grandmother I only knew very little, and the grandfather I never met at all. I would’ve liked time with them both. And to end on a lighter note, "Ever thought of becoming a hat person?" is an extremely oblique reference to a line spoken to one of gaming's greatest characters: Murray, the demon skull from Curse of Monkey Island. (Curse is the first Monkey Island game I ever played, and therefore my favourite.)"

"Small bonus: here’s the music I listened to most while working on Emmrich and the Watchers. Some of it probably only makes sense to me, some of it seems thematically obvious. (I don’t have Spotify so best I can do is an itunes screenshot.)"

"Not on the screenshot because I changed PCs halfway through, but I also listened to a lot of music from Cryo Chamber, a great dark ambient label. [link] And their sister label, Cryo Crypt, which does "Dark Fantasy Dungeon Synth." [link] And also Allicorn IS on the screenshot but I think I've listened to his stuff on every game I've worked on by now. [link]"

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Bonus: follow-up comments and exchanges -

User: "I KNEW the torte was somebody’s family recipe!!" // Sylvia: "My only regret is that the icing was originally a stove-boiled icing made with eggs and chocolate and butter emulsified together. I couldn't get it working, however, these past few years. I think we lost some crucial part of the steps when trying to write out a clean copy. So I went with ganache for the game, because I didn't want to print something that didn't work, and I've used ganache myself. It's good! But I'm going to try to replicate the original again one day." [source, two] // User: "I noticed that sometimes, ingredients doesn't react the way they used to and part of that is probably due to some "industrial" changes in the recipe for ingredients like chocolate or butter to cut the cost of making them, imho. It's sad because it means we lost a very specific way to do things..." // Sylvia: "Yeah, that was the first thing a friend who bakes a lot suggested. I wonder if I was a victim of "Buttergate" when Canadian cows were being fed so much palm oil butter was harder to spread as a result. After a long search, I found a local place that makes butter that actually tastes good, which is an incredibly sad sentence to have to type out." [source, two]

Sylvia, re: Vincent Price being a gourmand and his cooking book: "It's extremely cool. My library had a copy and I remember it being pretty big, too." [source]

User: "I was following this thread and I'm delighted about all of these facts and information. Thank you for sharing!" // Sylvia: "Aw thank you! And thanks for reading, it was nice to unpack all the stuff kicking around my mental attic." [source]

User, re: MFC: "Sorry to post again but this one got me- my mom is a doc, and i remember her telling me stories of the cadaver she worked on (evidence of different surgeries she had, the cancer she had, etc), and mom always ended her stories saying how thankful she was to her. It really does stick around." // Sylvia: "No need to apologize, I liked hearing about your mom's reaction! It's exactly what I kept hearing and reading about, a sense of reverence for the gift." [source]

Sylvia: ""The irony that I had to convert the measurements back to metric" Haha. I tried to get as close as I could. Here's the written down metric version of the cake batter. It's an older recipe so I had to try to guess what a "knife tip" ended up as." [source]

A user on the torte being a family recipe: "Oh my gosh 🥹 that makes it all even lovelier!" // Sylvia: "Thanks! I was really excited to share the family recipe, it's a bit of work but it's one of my favorites." [source]

A user under the post about MR James' Collected Ghost Stories: "So you're probably the one behind the mysterious bronze whistle, I take it?" // Sylvia: "Haha, guilty. Cameron Harris, our editor, helped me figure out a phonetic guide to the latin. (If it fails anywhere it's very likely my fault.)" [source]

User: "As an avid Emmrich lover & someone trying to write some Emmrich POVs in my Emrook fanfictions, I can not thank you ENOUGH for this wealth of info / music inspo to go off of" // Sylvia: "Thank you! (Seriously though some of those songs probably only make sense to me, they're not all thematically on point, but some are. Hope you enjoy!)" [source]

User: "As another "needs a million hours of droning ambient music to write" writer I appreciate these greatly" // Sylvia: "We both have good taste! 🎶" [source]

User: "Thank you for writing out this list!! Peter Cushing makes so much sense as an influence. I love the variety of media here, it gives me so much new stuff to check out!" // Sylvia: "Thank you for reading! If you do check out some of this stuff, hope you enjoy!" [source]

Sylvia: "thanks so much, and for reading the thread! It was fun to write." [source]

User: "Thank you for sharing these books!I was looking for a good ghost book" // Sylvia: "Thanks! Hope you enjoy James. "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" was the first story of his I read and I'll never forget that experience." [source] // Sylvia: "I just love the mood James could create, so much." [source]

User: "ELECTRIC SIX MENTION" // Sylvia: "My greatest favorites, now and forever." [source]

Sylvia: "Please archive away, I am intent on deleting the account eventually but it'd be nice to know people could look this stuff up later if they're curious. (Future generations need to know which Atrium Carceri tracks I listened to!)" [source]

User: "Amongst many things, not the least of which is the gratitude and delight of having your fantastic insight into the writing process of Emmrich, my grandmother’s hazelnut torte is fantastically close to the Nevarran version which was a delightful discovery." // Sylvia: "Ah now nice. I assume she was also central/eastern European then? I suspect it was a popular recipe at a certain time." [source]

User: "As an ex-mortician turned game writer, this was a FASCINATING read!" // Sylvia: "Haha, I definitely took inspiration from morticians! (Thank you for checking it out, that thread got long)" [source]

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Demands of the Qun, or How the Inquisitor's Choice Answers the Iron Bull's Most Important Question

I was having a chat about the Iron Bull and his personal quest with some friends and one person said in response to something I said that I should make it a Post, so here it is! And a usual disclaimer: this is not about which in-game decision is "correct"--it's an RPG, there's no wrong way to play the game. I just want to talk about the meaning of this decision for Bull's character and for his future.

Dragon Age: Inquisition’s “Demands of the Qun” is, for me, one of those quests where the RPG format of “player character makes major decision for companion character” really works. I do not see this as an example of game mechanics taking away agency from an NPC. I think Bull has agency in this situation.

The Chargers are not Inquisition soldiers. They are mercenaries, and Bull is their commander. If the Inquisitor makes a call he doesn't like, he is free to say "Screw you" and take his people and leave, because they are not soldiers, they're independent contractors, so leaving isn't desertion, it's just quitting. If he were already certain he wanted to leave the Qun, he could simply call the retreat himself, take the Chargers and leave. Similarly if he were certain of his loyalties and willing to sacrifice the Chargers for that purpose, he could do that, regardless of what the Inquisitor says.

He lets the Inquisitor make this choice.

The Iron Bull has had one foot out the door of the Qun for a long time now. But he's gone back and gone back, submitted himself for re-education and done his best to keep serving the Qun, because he believes he needs the Qun. To him, becoming Tal-Vashoth means losing himself, his identity, his purpose, his very sanity, and as the Fade tells us in "Here Lies the Abyss," this is quite literally his greatest fear. Bull could never bring himself to leave the Qun with nowhere to go instead, nothing to give his life purpose and meaning—and no one to entrust himself to should he doubt his own sanity.

But in his work in the south, the Iron Bull has found community and identity and purpose outside the Qun. The very name he has given himself speaks to that, as does his close relationship to the Chargers.

Right from the beginning, there is tension in "Demands of the Qun." Bull remarks that he's gotten used to the Qunari being "over there" during his life in the south. I think Bull has a very potent anxiety when he meets Gatt again on the Storm Coast, and introduces him to the Inquisitor and their party. To me, it very much has the vibes of introducing two friend groups, where you're not only pretty sure they won't get along, but you're also very aware that they know very different sides of you—and neither of them are going to like seeing the other side. Bull's discomfort is visible both when Gatt speaks freely about Bull's work in the Ben-Hassrath, and when the Inquisitor's other companions make disparaging remarks about the Qun. His two worlds have collided, calling into conflict two sides of his sense of self that he has thus far managed to avoid confronting.

And this is likely part of the point. The Qun does not truly respect alliances with any outside the Qun. I wouldn't say for sure that the Qunari set up this whole situation just to test Bull—it's possible they knew exactly how many Venatori would show up, but they couldn't have known precisely how the Inquisition would respond. That, and their desire to root out the Venatori is no doubt sincere. But I do think they are watching Bull's actions very closely throughout this proposed alliance, gauging his loyalty. Gatt tells him outright that many already believe he has betrayed the Qun.

Bull's internal conflict quickly becomes an external one when the Venatori reinforcements show up, and Bull is faced with the decision of whether to withdraw the Chargers or defend the dreadnought at the cost of their lives.

The thing is, Bull is not neutral on this. He tells the Inquisitor what he wants. He wants to save the Chargers. If the Inquisitor says that the Chargers still have time to retreat, Bull agrees. When Gatt tells him they need to hold position, he says in a low, intense tone, "They're my men."

And then, when Gatt tells him in no uncertain terms that calling the retreat will make him Tal-Vashoth, the Iron Bull looks to the Inquisitor.

Again, he is not neutral. He knows what he wants. He is standing there basically begging the Inquisitor with his eyes to save his boys.

So why doesn't he just make the call himself?

Because just as this whole situation is in part a test of Bull's loyalty, this is also a test of the Inquisitor.

What Bull needs to leave the Qun is not simply for someone else to make the choice for him, but to believe that there is a future for him outside the Qun. That he will still be himself, that he will have purpose, and meaning, and that someone else is worth trusting. Bull cannot bring himself to leave the Qun if it means he will be left utterly alone with nothing but his own mind and his deepest fears. And if that's what leaving the Qun means… then in his mind, it would be better to stay.

The Inquisitor's choice will answer that question.

To sacrifice the Chargers leaves Bull with nothing outside of the Qun. He has just watched his closest friends die, and he cannot trust the Inquisitor. With Krem and Rocky and Skinner and Stitches and Dalish and Grim, the new sense of self that the Iron Bull has found in the south also dies.

Of course he turns back to the Qun. He has nothing else left.

But if it's the Inquisitor who makes the call to save the Chargers… Bull can leave. He has friends who care about him. He has purpose. He has someone whose command he can trust. He has hope. None of this makes the choice easy for him. It is quite clearly very painful and difficult, and I don't think there's any way it could be otherwise. But he has a way forward nonetheless. The choice makes leaving possible.

The Inquisitor doesn't force the Iron Bull to become Tal-Vashoth. Instead, Bull implicitly asks a question, and the Inquisitor by their choice gives him an answer.

love how in dragon age you sometimes click on a random rock and it tells about some fucked up group of weirdos that lived 5 centuries ago who faced the horrors of the world and died.