“I walk the dinan’shiral. There is only death on this journey. I would not have you see what I become.”
— Solas
Dinan'shiral, A journey of death, a final warning to those Inquisitors who want to follow, or know his path. But why does a path for one leave anyone to death? A weight of burden has fallen into his shoulders, it's his Pride to lead his People back into restoration—loyalty to his most trusted friend Mythal.
Hello Thedosians and welcome back to my channel. Today we'll look at why Solas might die in the next Dragon Age. And, Solavellans, prepare your hearts, because this video will be rough...
Of course, for those who are new here, this contains many spoilers of comics, books, and all the games in Dragon Age, regardless, this is a speculative video, so put your tinfoil hats on and join me to investigate why Solas will need to die in order to complete his destruction of the Veil.
Plan A -
"You should not have given your Orb to Corypheus, Dread Wolf..."
— Flemeth
"It was not supposed to happen this way, no matter what comes, I want to let you know that what we had, was real"
— Solas
Solas woke up too weak from his slumber to activate the Orb. He tells you in Trespasser that his agents allowed the Venatori to locate it, the Orb had built up magical energy during the millennia of Solas' slumber.
"The Plan was for Corypheus to unlock it, and for the resulting explosion to kill him. And then I would claim the Orb"
— Solas
Solas claims that if he had found the Orb, he would have used the anchor we bore to dismantle the Veil. Once the Veil was torn, the waking world and the Fade would be in chaos. He then declares that he will restore the world of his time, the world of the elves.
Let's be honest, in Inquisition, Solas dislikes the fact that YOU, the Herald, have the anchor. The anchor was Solas' key to restoring back his world. The anchor was his power, his Orb, and his plan. We arrived at an inconvenient time during the Conclave, and as a result, we now have the power that Solas intended to use.
So the Breach and Rifts were NOT supposed to happen, us being at the Conclave was NOT supposed to happen. And if you flycam on Solas' face when he grabs your hand at the start of Inquisition, you'll notice that he looks at you angrily. Some fans believe he's envious of you throughout the game because he doesn't like the fact that you have his key.
It all clicks when Solas' constantly asks you questions about the anchor, how you feel, and if you have changed in any way. Because he wants that anchor, that was his only hope to plan an attack on the Evanuris. However, we are in the way, and Solavellan's (brace yourself) even went as far as using us, luring us to Skyhold, hoping that we would recover the Orb from Corypheus...
And, as we all know, the Orb breaks as a byproduct of Corypheus' fight. Solas appears distressed as a result of the broken pieces. He's now putting together a plan B for what must happen next.
Plan B :
We know that Solas quickly leaves the Inquisition after the Orb breaks. Leliana even states that her agents looked to and fro with no traces of where he went.
"My agents have found no trace of Solas, he has simply vanished... If he does not wish to be found, there's likely nothing we can do." — Leliana
From what we know, Solas must have used an eluvian to find Flemeth, and it seems that Flemeth knows what Solas must do in order to Rise as the Dread Wolf...
"The failure was mine, I should pay the price... but the People, they need me... I'm so sorry" — Solas
"I am sorry as well, old friend..."
— Mythal
This is where we need to look closely in this epilogue scene. Something is telling us that whatever happens next, is not going to be easy. Solas looks distressed about the future he now walks in, he now walks the dinan’shiral.
We learned the true meaning of Solas' final mural in Skyhold's rotunda in the Tevinter Nights Callback short story. As Solas left Skyhold before the battle with Corypheus, the mural was left unfinished, barely sketched out.
The mural's final form was revealed by a callback: an outline of a beast stood over a stabbed dragon; two figures painted on either side of a pane of glass with confusing forms. The beast is revealed to be a terrifying wolf who has absorbed the dragon's power and stands crookedly.
“But here, unfinished was the outline of a beast that stood over both dragon and sword. This was not the battle or the victory. This was after. And the beast was not a dragon. The outline alone might have allowed that assumption, but now, filling with black and red, it was something other. The creature was reptilian, but also canine. The snout was blunted and toothy, but edges came to a point in houndlike ears. As the mass of plaster filled the shape, it began to rise, revealing scales and tail, and paws with talons. It looked like two figures painted on either side of a pane of glass, then viewed together, their forms confused. A wolf that had absorbed a dragon, and now stood crooked over all.”
(Callback, Page 122).
This mural depicts Solas absorbing a portion of Mythal's power. The text and mural prove that regardless of the orb's destruction, this was always his intention. Solas has risen as the Dread Wolf, with Mythal's power now invested in him since the end of the Inquisition, he seeks justice for those who betrayed Mythal and to restore the elvhen world of Arlathan.
So what is Solas' Plan B?
There are a couple of theories, the first of which will be based on what the BioWare writers say. Around early 2020, there was a tweet speculating that the Dragon Age games are very similar to the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament.
Patrick Weekes, one of the current Dragon Age writers tweeted
"I’m okay with that not having happened because trying to explain that we’re working on “Dragon Age Numbers” would be confusing."
This was a response to when the developers for Dragon Age 2 were going to originally name it Dragon Age: Exodus -
Because of this, the developers were tweeting that the games are linked to those types of themes from the Bible. Meaning that we can draw clues on how Solas will play out in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.
Patrick Weekes teases that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is like Numbers, so what is the book of Numbers and how does it relate to Solas' plan?
The book of Numbers was originally titled "In the Wilderness" after the events of Exodus, in which Moses leads the Israelites out of slavery with Egypt and into the wilderness for 40 years with the Lord.
The book of Numbers contains the Israelites' complaints about their journey to the promised land. Because they complained, many disobeyed God, and those who disobeyed were killed or cursed with plagues.
The image of Solas is said to be very similar to that of Moses. Moses, who grew up in Egypt's palaces, discovers he is not Egyptian, and the Lord uses him to lead his true people (the Israelites) to the promised land.
Solas is just like this as well, being called the infamous Fen'Harel, the rebel God, he removed the vallaslin from the slaves, and lead them to a place of safety according to the Ancient Mosiacs in Trespasser.
A wash of powerful magic carries an impression of welcome. Images flash by: elven slaves fleeing to this place in ancient times, greeted by others who then tend their wounds. Words are not so much heard as felt.
"Fen'Harel bids you welcome. Rest, knowing the Dread Wolf guards you and his people guard this valley. In this place, you are free. In trusting us, you will never be bound again." — Wolf's Welcome: Ancient Mosiacs
"It claimed... This was a refuge for elven slaves. This whole valley was a sanctuary 'created by the Dread Wolf, Fen'Harel.' This doesn't make sense. In Dalish legends, Fen'Harel is our god of misfortune. Fen'Harel helping former slaves as a mortal. Not a god."
— Inquisitor
Fen'Harel was known to be a God who could boldly talk in front of the Evanuris and the Forgotten Ones.
"He was a God who walk between both sides without fear"
— Merrill
So like Moses, he was a voice of reason between the Israelites and the Egyptians, Moses leads his people to the wilderness, and like in Dragon Age, we are now at a time where Solas' plan will end up being a sacrificial task for the good of his people, just like Moses in Numbers.
Moses began to get angry with God, and disobeyed him while the Israelites were complaining about water, because the Lord instructed him to struck it once, Moses disobeyed and struck it twice. And because of this disobedience, Moses did NOT get to see the promised land.
John Epler and Patrick Weekes did a conference speech about how to build an emotional theme in video games. They used the themes of Trespasser in the speech to show that usually when writing a narrative for a game, you need to reach the audience with 'appropriate references', references that were well known to reach a truth behind some sort of mythology, and let the audience understand the plot and story through those references.
Because the developers are joking about comparing Dragon Age: Dreadwolf to the Book of Numbers, we can conclude that Solas can be similar to Moses, and that Numbers showed a reason to why the leader of the people does not enter the promised land.
So what systems would Solas need to do, to cause him not entering the promised land?
Blight :
There are only two blights left in the Dragon Age story, according to Thedas' history. As a result, it is known that something worse can happen after the Blights, something that no one would expect.
It's possible that Solas' plan for elvhen restoration will result in another Blight, or possibly two Blights at once. Dragon Age fans believe that the two remaining half-circles in the mural from the trailer represent two Blights, with the Red Lyrium Idol in the center. Solas also wants and needs the Red Lyrium Idol throughout Tevinter Nights and the comic Knight Errant.
In 'The Dread Wolf Take You' short story, 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
We know through Dragon Age 2, that the red lyrium idol was a super dangerous item to mess with.
Using the idol for his plans will likely lead him to the road of death, for what we know about red lyrium, red lyrium sucks the life out of the source using it. Like we saw with Meredith, those who absorb the idol's power, they likely do not survive.
Besides using the idol, Solas will most likely become blighted from this process, much similar to even becoming an intelligent Darkspawn like Corypheus and the Architect.
Black City :
Seven Magisters, each a High Priest of one of the Old Gods, used blood magic to open a gate into the Golden City and physically enter it in -395 Ancient. The city went black as soon as they arrived, and the mages were cast back to Thedas as the first darkspawn, triggering the First Blight.
Perhaps Solas and his knowledge knows how to enter the Black City and will do any means necessary to get there to achieve his plan.
Even spirits and demons do not seek this place, for fear of getting tainted.
The Chant teaches that the Black City was once the seat of the Maker, from whence He ruled the Fade, left empty when men turned away from Him. Dreamers do not go there, nor do spirits. Even the most powerful demons seem to avoid the place.
— From Beyond the Veil: Spirits and Demons by Enchanter Mirdromel
In the short story Half Up Front from Tevinter Nights, the character Vadis is hired by an unknown elf to steal Dumat's Folly, which is said to be an artifact from the Black City. The unknown elf reveals that they are collaborating with the Dread Wolf.
Whether Solas truly needed this artifact or not, it appears to be a pattern that Solas will now use the Blight and severely tainted items to carry out his plan. As a result, using these types of magic does not allow anyone to survive, demonstrating that Solas' plan is a perilous journey.
Conclusion :
"Let me help you Solas... You don't need to destroy the world. I'll prove it to you!"
— Inquisitor
"I would treasure the chance to be wrong once again, my friend."
— Solas
I believe it is safe to say that Solas, whether we believe it or not, will use dangerous and lethal power to restore the elvhen people. However, because Solas may be tainted, he will be unable to see the promised land he creates because he is blighted and cannot taint the restored land.
I'd like to add that Solas is also waging two forces that want him dead and buried now: the Evanuris and the Forgotten Ones. So, if Solas does indeed have a plan to restore the elvhen people, I'm sure the war-hungry gods aren't delighted with Fen'harel's schemes anymore...
For those who might be curious about that, I have an Evanuris video and how they will return I'll leave it in the tags at the top for those interested...
Moving on, as the writers projected, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will be close to the Concept of Numbers. Solas could well have disobeyed Mythal in how the orb was to be used, and as a result, Solas will have to use tainted magic to destroy the Veil, leaving him behind and giving up his life for the sake of his people.
I believe we knew there was a chance Solas would sacrifice himself. And, as we saw in the Nightmare realm, his greatest fear is that he will have to die alone. However, I believe that many fans of Dragon Age (including myself) will do everything possible to prevent this from happening.
"We will save our friend from himself if we can..."
— Inquisitor
Thank you for reading/watching, and if this is your first time here, please like and subscribe for more BioWare content like this. Also, I wanna know your thoughts on Solas in the comments section below.
I'm doing an appreciation for small businesses who do BioWare-related content in my videos now and the first creator we have today is Elizabeth's Candle Creations. Elizabeth makes Dragon Age and Mass Effect-inspired candles!
I bought a Fen'Harel candle and look at how nice Elizabeth packs these with her stickers, and of course, the candle smells wonderful, look at the fire, how sexy, just like Solas.
If you want to support Elizabeth, there's a link in the description below to check out their Instagram and website!
I am also a Brandbassador for the BioWare gear store! I bought this Dalish hoodie from them and it looks super cool! You can use my code BWSARIA at the checkout to receive a 20% off on your purchase. Use gear.bioware.com/?ref=bb-zg85rx when ordering from BioWare!
Again, thank you for watching, and I will see you in the next video/blog.
- Saria
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