Hello and welcome back! Today I'm talking about the lore behind the object that threatened all of Thedas from destruction, it's a quick lore & speculation video regarding this Elven relic from the past ancient city of Arlathan.
So without further ado, let's get into the subject about the Orb of Destruction:
Elven Artifact:
According to Solas, the former owner to this orb, describes this artifact to be of origin to the old elven kingdom, Arlathan.
“Such things we Foci, said to channel power from our Gods. Some were dedicated to specific members of our Pantheon…. Echoes of a dead Empire.”
So the Foci is the original name for these powerful artifacts given to each Evanuris, including Fen'Harel. It's own origin comes to be before the creation of the Veil, and belonged in the great elven city of Arlathan...
Originally the Orb of Destruction was speculated to be Mythal's. In the Inquisition files the Orb of Destruction is coded to be 'elv_orbmythal', some people believed that this Orb was never Fen'Harel's to begin with, it was somehow related to Mythal's. But unfortunately, that has been disproven in Trespasser, this Orb is canonically Fen'Harel's.
These Foci in general seem mysterious, Sylaise and June are recorded in the Vir Dirthara to have a heated argument on the colours of a palace wall, all debated through a sphere:
"In the distance, haloed by a blizzard of light, thousands of elves are maintaining an elaborate magical ritual that pulls raw essence from the Fade, funneled into a sphere in the air. Through the lens of the sphere can be seen a world of indigo waterfalls and rust-red jungles, and a temple palace so frescoed and cleverly carved, it is a masterpiece in itself." -Raising the Sonallium
So even if this describes an orb or not, 'spheres' are mentioned a lot in ancient elvehn. Whether this is a Foci, we cannot tell due to never really understanding it's own nature and power, maybe it's the channeling of raw essence in the Fade that makes the Foci powerful...
As the Orbs seem to have existed before the Veil, throughout history these Orbs seem to have survived even after the Veil as well....
In a banter between Dorian and Solas, Dorian asks about the Orb Corypheus has and it's origin. Solas explains it originally is elven, but Dorian believes he has also seen that artifact before on the walls of the Imperium, where they called it Somnaborium, or directly translated to, 'Vessels of Dreams'.
'Rarity':
Since Solas describes the origin of the elven kingdom, and already the sparce population of even any artifact from Arlathan (like Eluvians, or even the Temples) we can assume that these objects are most-likely rare, especially if they are given to each member of the Pantheon. Does it mean each of these orbs (at least the Evanuris') are unique to their own kind of power?
So counting 9 orbs for each of the member of the Pantheon, or 8 now, due to the Orb of Destruction breaking by sealing up the Breach. Eventually these Foci probably seem rare to come by since there's a limited amount of the Elven Pantheon, at least that what it seems right?
But I like to believe that's easily disproven because in the Vir Dirthara there's TONS of orbs left out, maybe these are broken or lost power due to the Veil. But during the time of Arlathan, there might have been so many created, like maybe they were also given to elven nobles, or kings within the ancient city. And maybe these Orbs are never to be reawakened after the creation of the Veil, but that doesn't seem to be the case at all...
If what Dorian said is true about the Imperium using Foci for power, it means that there is most likely more than just a spare few all left around Thedas. I mean the chances of rarity seems a bit low given the circumstances of most things being lost after the creation of the Veil, like the Eluvians for example.
On that note, the Orbs are also suspiciously also on walls in the Vir Dirthara? I have no idea why, but in a codex in the Frostback Basin it explains that Foci can be stripped onto walls?
The slaves are gathering materials. We will build a shrine to the Dragon of Mystery—implant foci into the walls, cut sacred designs into the stone, the better to hear her with. We will hear her voice again, or we will die. - Mouth of Echoes
Power:
Given the heavy emphasis on what this Orb can do, I think it's form of rarity only comes down to it's own immense source of power.
The Orb's prosperity of magic is probably the closest to what the world was like before the Veil. It's power augments both the physical and magical power of anyone who wields it, though by how much is never stated...
Not only does it produce magical energy, it apparently gives out secrets to those who wield it:
Solas explains to the Herald about 'echoes of a dead empire' given from the artifact, and that seems to be completely true:
Samson writes down that the reasoning they found the Temple of Mythal was because Corypheus heard the Orb tell ancient secrets of the elves.
Apparently in an Avvar cave in the Frostback Basin claimed to call it the "Mouth of Echoes"
"They call it the Mouth of Echoes. They light fires and feed them with green spruce and shout their questions into the deep. They say answers come to them on the last whispered echo. Superstition, we laughed. And now Razikale is silent and madness descends." - Mouth of Echoes
If the Orb gives out secrets to those who use it, it doesn't just bring the ability to wield powerful magical energy. It also can give out information or direction for their path, bad or good, that this knowledge also gives power.
But I have questions, if the Orb gives out echoes, or talks to those who use it accordingly, who's exactly talking? Is it the ancient elves? The Titans, or the Evanuris? Lyrium? I literally have no clue, but the factor that one is broken leaves me in despair since it seems to do much more then we have never thought to ask about.
I mean relating back to it's own powerful surge of magic, Corypheus uses some sort of Red Magic, which I'm guessing is Red Lyrium since his own Dragon seems to be controlled by that source as well. How come the Orb of Destruction can work with Red Lyrium, yet was also green? I feel pretty stupid on discussing colours, but I mean colours in Dragon Age's magic seem pretty blatant obvious which magic is used, like blood magic being blood, fire magic being fire, and so on.
The Orb processes 'originally' to be of green magic, probably referrering to the Fade's magic. I can't even process how confused I am, but if it's Fen'Harel's Orb and it can be used with Red Lyrium and Fade magic it seems that those two have an easy connection. Maybe that's why we see the Red Lyrium Idol for the Teaser?
Unlocked:
After going off on a little rant, I want to bring into the question of 'unlocking' an Orb. Now I know that the lore for these artifacts are already vague but I'll try to explain.
Solas tells Flemythal that he couldn't "unlock" the Orb's power after his slumber, in Trespasser, Solas explains further that he couldn't unlock it due to his slumber. So his agents sought out the Venatori to give information and claim the Orb so that Cory would 'unlock it'.
I think that unlocking the Orb might have to do with the significance that an Orb is in slumber unless someone uses immense power/performs a ritual to unlock it into a working state. Like Corypheus used the Divine and immense source of lyrium under the Temple to make it reawaken.
But it doesn't stop there, here's part of some speculation regarding it's state of being unlocked and claimed to the one who wields it:
Okay, hear me out, Orbs look like fingerprints, I'm going to give Catie credit for that one because it blew me away at it's similarities. Fingerprints are usually completely unique to a person's DNA, and it's used in Forensics even with just a brief touch to an object.
So if we compare an Orb resemblance to a fingerprint, and a fingerprint is directly tied to only that specific person, or someone who can imprint onto it. Would that mean that each of these orbs are used primarily for identification after it's unlocked? Like it wasn't necessarily 'created' to be just for that specific person but it's actually infused to the one wielding it?
For example when Corypheus tells you that the anchor is 'permanent' and you cannot remove it, is that because the Orb gives the anchor when it bonds with the person who first touches it after it's unlocking process?
If we think about it, the Magisters back in the Imperium who used Foci must have died due the some sort of anchor's process towards each Foci, if it even occurred of course.
Anchor:
I'll keep this subject short since everyone and their mother knows about it if you played Inquistion. The anchor is given to the Herald when they grab the unlocked Orb. Divine Justinia in the Fade explains that the anchor is a deadly power that will kill you in the end.
Obviously in Trespasser it begs the question of why is it still there even if the Orb is broken? I want to believe that the anchor and the orb are two different things, but I mean one did come from the other. Overall, Solas does remove it or maybe even 'takes it' which is total theory in itself entirely. The anchor brings me to speculate that Fen'Harel is behind it's own power, and maybe might have transpired to his own orb being destroyed because of his obvious mistakes, we will just have to see....
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