A profound material that prohibits every dark entity in Thedas never sought to discover. Held within an ancient thaig that unleashes the thread of the Veil itself into chaos.
And yet, another discovery was made, an idol crafted from raw blighted lyrium. This idol isn't something that we can comprehend nor decide the properties of. It's created by the substance of red lyrium, and we are missing tiny details belonging to this item. Details that are still beyond us in Thedas today...
Hello Thedosians and welcome back to my channel, today we are going into the mysteries of the blighted object everyone in Dragon Age is talking about.
So, here are the tiny details you most likely have missed regarding this arcane idol:
Origin:
How we personally know of the red lyrium idol is mostly because we were directly involved with it in Dragon Age 2.
We discovered the Primeval Thaig holds this very item and wrought chaos when released from it's chambers. But have we ever looked into the motive behind this location? And, where it's very purpose, was?
Let's begin:
The Primeval Thaig was 'discovered' in 9:31 Dragon by Hawke and their crew during the Deep Roads Expedition, such a place of this size was purely abandoned for ages, none could recall this Thaig, even in the ancient dwarven times.
It is said that when retrieving the staff of Valdasine, this thaig was ruled by the Valdasine mining family, whose major job was to supply the empire with lyrium.
In the ancient days before the darkspawn, when dwarven cities wound through the roots of all the earth, House Valdasine single-handedly kept the empire supplied with lyrium.
One day the mining family shut the doors of their thaig. They spoke not to their noble patrons, nor their king, and not even a visiting Paragon. Days passed in silence before the doors to Valdasine Thaig opened. Anxious partners discovered it empty. Not one soul remained—no bodies and no sign of what had happened. House Valdasine only left a staff of strange metal behind. It looked like lyrium and chilled one's heart like a remembered sorrow. The king sealed the staff inside the thaig, and no dwarf ever ventured there again.
— From Codex entry: Valdasine, recounted by Shaper Merta
What seems to be missing in this thaig is the bodies of the Valdasine dwarves and their livelihood, who left no trace for ages to come after. This Thaig was sealed, left abandoned with no signs of life.
We can only assume that something lurking in this Thaig was 'bad for business'. The encounter of this 'red lyrium' substance leaves one to suspect that this was, in fact, the demise of the Valdasine mining family.
Or perhaps the bodies were repurposed for something else...
Just like Bartrand and his servants devouring the red lyrium, with the gain to hear the voices the idol produced. The Valdasine family might have endured that same fate when overthrown by the idol's properties.
When digesting red lyrium, the substance begins to consume the body of the host itself, until they themselves become that very item:
'...I opened up the creature and saw that red lyrium had fused to the bones, overgrown its lungs, and spread like a fungus into the brain. As I watched, the red crystal pulsed and spread the smallest fraction of an inch deeper into the flesh of the corpse. Blood drained out of the surrounding tissue, as if the lyrium itself were feeding on it.'
—Codex entry: Shadow, by Professor Auffret
As we know throughout 'Inquisition', monsters like Behemoths and Shadows were originally just Templars. Perhaps this same effect happened to the dwarves, however, even more severe.
The thaig was later discovered by Hawke to have a horde of rock wraiths haunting the caverns, who identified themselves as 'The Profane'.
Dwarven legends tell of dwarves so corrupt that even the Stone rejects them. Doomed to wander the Deep Roads in an undying half-life, these creatures are known as rock wraiths, and they are creatures of hunger, wrath, and little more...
If a rock wraith lives for an exceptionally long time, it grows in size and power to become an ancient rock wraith. Though most rock wraiths wander in a roughly dwarven shape, the ancient wraiths have more control over their forms. Likewise, the mindless, raw emotion of a normal rock wraith turns into a sinister intelligence far more similar to how the dwarves thought in their previous lives.
Perhaps the Valdasine family fated into becoming these malicious entities, hungering for lost ages, and justice to their people.
"The Profane have lingered in this for ages beyond memory, feeding on the magics stones until the need is all they know."
In Dragon Age 2, we learned that an ancient 'Profane' rock wraith was twisted into a Hunger demon, offering Hawke a bargain in order to escape the realms inside this Thaig. Because the rock wraiths feed off lyrium, this gives them susceptibility to demonic possession, thus giving them a connection to the Fade.
We who are forgotten, remember, We clawed at rock until our fingers bled, We cried out for justice, but were unheard. Our children wept in hunger, And so we feasted upon the gods. Here we wait, in aeons of silence. We few, we profane. —Found scrawled on a wall in the lost Revann Thaig by explorer Faruma Helmi, 5:10 Exalted. Unknown author.
The definition of the word: 'Profane' means to be an individual who is nonreligious or agnostic against their traditional beliefs. If it is even possible, could the Valdasine family believe in no God nor King whom they served? Only conceived into a purpose of their own?
Perhaps red lyrium was an abomination to their mining business, it destroyed their sole trade within the Dwarven Kingdom turning the majority of their family into corrupted beings. Left alone, slumbering and hungering throughout an ancient Thaig. It could be possible that the idol was responsible for their demise...
Craft:
Made of pure red lyrium, this idol was sculpted by the dwarves. If the Valdasine family discovered their mine had red lyrium, they could've been influenced enough to craft this idol. Or perhaps the idol was crafted before their time, and they merely recovered its form. Based on the items inside this Thaig like the Claws of Dumat could speculate to the early Imperium times, but such an item like the idol might have been crafted before the Magisters breached the Golden City, or maybe even before the Veil itself.
Specifically, this Thaig was believed to be near elvhen origin. In Tevinter Nights Horror of Hormak, the dwarven thaigs are depicted to have elvhen influence in their design, and there are many thaigs waiting to be discovered just like this.
If this Thaig was originally from ancient Arlathan, it only leaves us to believe that an ancient elvhen artifact like the idol was crafted with a reason or intent behind it's creation. Perhaps a depiction, event, or a reminder of something major that happened in the elven times.
The idol was made from the purest form of red lyrium, highly potent, and highly contagious to those around it. A strange artifact that can influence the minds of it's subjects who dare travel near, or touch the blasted thing.
Typically, crafting lyrium is embedded in dwarven society, whether from the Shaper's 'Memories' or from runecrafting to enchantment, or even bombs. Dwarves have been using the effects of lyrium to craft their items for ages.
When dwarves craft, their creations contain many aspects of their own memories. Through their crafting, they pass on their knowledge and understanding of Thedas inspiring their ancestors who may wield that very item in years to come.
They are craftsmen. For the living history of the dwarves is not written, but forged. "The Memories," as the dwarves call their records, are runes painstakingly crafted from lyrium which contain the actual thoughts of the Shapers who made them.
— Codex entry: Dwarven Runecraft: by Brother Genitivi
Thus, the idol could be the very memory of a dwarf who saw this 'real-life sacrifice' and then proceeded to recreate it using red lyrium. However, in Thedas today, the original purpose of this idol's creation is still a mystery. Does it have a magical purpose? And what is it depicting?
Depiction:
We've debated about the depiction and return of the red lyrium idol since The Dread Wolf Rises teaser trailer, with little clues and answers at that point. However, Tevinter Nights has narrowed down the journey and purpose of this idol.
This artifact is elvhen, and with that, the figures within the idol are elvhen as well.
"It’s not much to look at— a couple hugging, too thin to be dwarves— but it’s sitting there, glowing softly like a ruby lit by the grace of the Maker himself."
— Dread Wolf Take You pg. 488
"an idol crafted from red lyrium, which seemed to show two lovers, or a god mourning her sacrifice, depending upon how it caught your fancy."
— Dread Wolf Take You pg. 494
From the depictions, we can assume that these front-facing figures are a resemblance of either a 'god mourning her sacrifice', 'two lovers', and 'a couple hugging'.
In my opinion, this idol resembles the same moment that Solas and Mythal embraced in the end-credit scene of Dragon Age: Inquisition.
As we know, thanks to 'Callback' in Tevinter Nights, Solas needed to absorb Mythal's 'essence' to rise as the Dread Wolf.
Does this idol represent that very action? Is it displaying a prophecy that needed to be fulfilled? And if so, has it?
'When he rises, all will see"
— Sandal
Or perhaps this idol is a symbol of Mythal's murder? How she was betrayed by her own kind, and these figures who surround her were the only ones to comfort her in those last moments of her life.
We can predict that the male and female figures on the idol could be Solas and Mythal. However, the identity of the figure behind who lost their left forearm is still a mystery...
Looking beyond the identity of the figures, the bottom half of the idol has everyone puzzled, including me. However, I believe this bottom part resembles a claw from a crab monster that has been illustrated in Tevinter Nights' updated map of Thedas. (Tinfoil Alert!)
So yeah, pretty close, but I don't think this crab monster is what killed Mythal, to be honest. But hey, at least we are getting somewhere...
And that's about it on the depiction, so if anyone has any ideas about what the bottom end is, then I'm all ears.
Magic:
We have seen powerful artifacts first hand in all of the games, from Andraste's Ashes to the
Idol, and the Orb of Destruction. Seeing the idol's power in Dragon Age 2 was beyond the laws of natural magic in what we know today in Thedas.
The Orb predated the Veil as it was destined by each member of the Pantheon, power aided to all the gods.
Andraste's Ashes were found to have more properties of lyrium due to the high potency of underground lyrium in the temple, thus it's healing powers were likely linked to that factor.
But what if in this case, the idol is both. The high potency of corrupted lyrium and power aided by the Gods.
In 'The Dread Wolf Take You' short story, we know the Dread Wolf claims the idol as his:
“YOU USE MY IDOL CARELESSLY TO VANDALIZE THE SEA OF DREAMS. NOW FEEL THE PAIN OF WHAT YOU HAVE CREATED.”
— Dread Wolf Take You, pg. 496
In Dragon Age 2, Knight-Commander Meredith forged the idol into a greatsword known as 'Certainty'. The sword granted her superhuman abilities and the capability of animating statues into life against her foes.
Bartrand confessed his house was haunted by this very idol, supernatural encounters were present throughout his manor: books falling off shelves, mysterious voices, ghostly apparitions, etc. Not to mention the demons lurking in every corner of the dwarf's home.
In 'The Dread Wolf Take You', the Mortalitasi mage explains the ritual which required the red lyrium idol.
A Tevinter mage from House Danarius brought his slaves as sacrifices for the ritual, he gathered their blood and poured it over the idol.
And once the power of all the arcane, blood magic and many of the mage's power came to this Tevinter mage, he raised up the idol that revealed a 'ritual blade'.
When our power, plus the power of our arcane possessions, plus the power of his slaves’ lives, had all come to him, the Tevinter mage raised the idol before him, and I saw a spike of lyrium spring from the base of the idol, so that all at once, it was not merely an idol, but a ritual blade. He slashed his own hand, and a wave of power pulsed through the cavern.
— The Dread Wolf Take You pg. 495
After the mage slashed his own hand, the mages immediately arrived in the Fade inhabited by the very Dread Wolf himself.
We don't know the red lyrium idol's part in the ritual, it may or may not correlate to the magic performed. Perhaps it was the arrival of blood magic or the number of mages that caused the mages to end up in the Fade. Or perhaps the mages had gone too far with their ritual and the Dread Wolf used his power to make them enter the Fade. Either way, the idol is certainly a mystery regarding it's own magic properties...
Weapon:
Most people, (like you and me) believed that the red lyrium idol was forged into Meredith’s massive sword, and so, when Meredith went crazy with power and almost destroyed all of Kirkwall, her sword exploded, and so did the idol with it. At least, that’s what we thought, however, that is not the case.
In 'The Dread Wolf Take You', the idol is actually inside of the petrified lyrium statue who was formerly Meredith. In Dragon Age 2, the sword must have been reformed back to the idol and absorbed into Meredith's chest.
According to the Carta Dwarf, a Dalish Elf came to Kirkwall asking for help in retrieving the idol, he claimed that he"learned of this in a dream and that an old legend of his people says that the idol is in Meredith’s body and that if he gets it out, he can free his gods or something like that.”
—The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 487
The idol seems to be indestructible, translucent, and even formless.
"Our alchemist uses the potion on old Merry the Mad, pouring it right on her heart, just like the elf had said, and old Merry opens up like a snowman with boiling water tossed on it, and damned if it isn’t there in the middle of her chest, that little idol Bartrand brought back from the Deep Roads."
— The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 488
When I hefted it in my hand, it was like it wanted to keep moving, like it was liquid inside. I don’t know. Anyway, we get it into the chest— double shielded, safe enough that you could sleep with it under your pillow at night— and the song shuts off all at once.
— The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 489
And the one who wields this idol is met with an ominous demise if they use too much of its power as Meredith did.
On the other hand, there is a lot of confusion in the community about the blade 'Certainty' and how it resurfaced in 'Inquisition'. Based on the description of this greatsword, it is assumed that it was 'inspired' and reforged in the name of Corypheus which was then passed it on to his lieutenant Samson.
Therefore, the item that is now in the hand(s) of the Inquisitor is not the actual 'Certainty' Meredith used. It is a replica of the real sword, so sorry Inky, we're not finished here!
Besides the idol being a sword or ritual blade, the idol might be something the writers swept under the rug in Jaws of Hakkon.
Credits to r/FleetingSand, there's a text, we find after we spoke with former Inquisitor Ameridan, the story is called 'The Hunt of the Fell Wolf'. In this codex, it seems to fall into a parallel of the Dread Wolf.
Favored like a wolf it was, In size like a Woodsman's Death. Within its eyes burned eldritch fire, The Fade in every breath.
— The Hunt of the Fell Wolf, Stanza 6
In this tale, Haron the Templar and Ameridan the Brave fought against a wolf creature. However, this tale explains where and how they defeated it:
Swift as thought, the hunters struck. The demon wolf fell back, But mortal strength alone could not Prevent the beast's attack.
— The Hunt of the Fell Wolf, Stanza 7
Here the wolf is shown as a demon that cannot be defeated through mortal means, something else is needed.
Whilst the wolf across the moor Bore Haron to its lair, A labyrinth of winding cave Any mortal should beware.
— The Hunt of the Fell Wolf, Stanza 12
Haron the Templar goes into the labyrinth of caves any mortal should 'beware', this could refer to traveling farther into the Deep Roads as we have done in the Descent DLC.
The wounded knight in darkness Found within the cavern's gloom An idol of fade-touched stone, Which could prove the monster's doom.
— The Hunt of the Fell Wolf, Stanza 15
And here's the most interesting part: in this cave (that we could see as the Deep Roads), they find a magical idol, that might be key to defeating the Wolf.
Although we can take this codex seriously and believe that 'maybe' this idol could prove against Solas in the battle to come in Dragon Age 4. The probability of Solas retrieving his idol so desperately might correlate to his defeat using that very idol. There is no way that this codex is a coincidence to our current world state and very threat in Thedas. Perhaps this idol is a weapon against the Dread Wolf...
Location:
The red lyrium idol's location is an important factor that was discussed in Tevinter Nights and the recent comics to this date. Yet it's location has yet to be discovered.
We know that it originally came from the Primeval Thaig and then took residence in Kirkwall:
An elf in 'The Dread Wolf Take You' story speaks to the Carta Dwarf about how to retrieve the red lyrium idol:
'He’s learned it from a dream. Some old legend of his people says the idol is in her body, and if he gets it out, he can free his gods or something like that.'
— The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 487
“The elf pulls out a potion and says it will soften the raw lyrium and weaken its magic for a bit, so they can get to the idol inside safely.”
—The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 487
Using the potion, they retrieved the idol from Meredith's chest. The Carta Dwarves killed the Dalish Elf, and then proceeded to sell the idol to a Tevinter contract by the name of ‘House Qintara.’
“There were no templars. You sold the idol to the Tevinter contact yourself, getting more money than the elf could offer, and then when your men were dying in their sleep and arrows came through the windows, you slit the elf’s throat yourself to ensure he could not finger you as the one to blame.”
— The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 504
An agent of Fen’Harel impersonating the head of House Qintara, traded the red lyrium idol to House Danarius for information. According to comic-writer Nunzio, this was not something Solas would have approved of, and the agent was later killed by the Qunari invasion of the city. This was discovered in the last issue of Dragon Age: Deception.
“The Magister still wields influence and receives important communications. And my true master needs all the information he can gather about the shemlen... pardon me, the human world.” (Dragon Age Deception).
A mage from House Danarius made their way to Nevarra's Grand Necropolis with the red lyrium idol for an ultimate ritual to push the Qunari forces back north. Using blood magic, bound spirits, and the red lyrium idol, the Mortalitasi and Tevinter mage attempted the ritual.
While the ritual summoned the Dread Wolf’s attention, he killed the Tevinter mage and ordered his demons to attack the Grand Necropolis. A noble’s son then grabbed the red lyrium idol and ran off into Tevinter.
“We searched for the noble’s son and the stolen idol, but he had fled into Tevinter, and with so much of the Imperium in chaos from the war, it was not safe for us to give chase. I fear that is where my knowledge ends.”
— The Dread Wolf Take You, Page 498
Its current whereabouts are unknown if we understand that Solas's tale within the novel was a fabrication from Llomerryn, or it could mean he is going to obtain it, inevitably.
Finally, Nunzio DeFilippis recently mentioned in the Unofficial Bioware Forum that the comic characters from Deception were originally chasing the red lyrium idol.
Nunzio stated that the original plan for the comics would've had the characters retrieve the red lyrium idol. Only to have Solas take it back. Eluding to the idol's planned whereabouts before the plot changed since Joplin's cancellation and BioWare's shift regarding this idol in the comics.
Does this still mean that the location of the red lyrium idol is most likely in the hands of Solas and might only be discovered in Dragon Age 4? Or does the next protagonist have a shot at retrieving the idol before Solas finds it?
It seems like a bummer that the original comic idea was scrapped and the writers were forced to change narrative direction regarding this particular idol. But perhaps there is a better reason why the plot has drastically changed, and we may discover that in Dragon Age 4...
Until then, let me know if you have learned anything in this video if you did give it a like, and tell me down below what you now know regarding this blasted idol.
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