Fetching More Than Sticks. Photos From Guinevere’s First Grouse Hunt In The Olympic National Forest

Seeing a fanfic that has potential from reading the premise.

It also has great grammar and spelling.

The characters are all in character!

bioware: trespasser was meant to wrap up the inquisitor's story and conclusively tie off this protagonist

me: did you guys even play your own fucking dlc

Quick Friday update for my art blog readers!

Firstly, literally none of this would have been possible without @mindaroth, @mouwrost, @kalewolfson, and @peytlavellan​ who all sent me art supplies off my wishlist. Again, so very mind-boggled that you all think I’m worth the investment. So, so very boggled, and so touched, and so thankful. I now have a truly monumental amount of clay to work with and I am an extremely happy sculptor with absolutely no excuse not to sculpt now. THANK YOU. I really can’t say that enough. Secondly:

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alistair: hey, how's my sweet fiancée doing?

warden: i need you to sleep with morrigan

alistair, shoving bread sticks into his bag:i have to go right now immediately

If Belle never found the castle…

solas: i created the veil to free my people. i am going to tear down the veil to save my people. i will kill my people to save my people.

inquisitor: do you hear yourself sometimes? like, when you speak?

Animal Symbolism

Animal symbolism is a very big part of Dragon Age Inquisition. It is most noticeable in the Lavellan and Trevelyn Origin where your card changes based on your class. Lavellan non-mage is a Wolf or Coyote or a Fox. While Lavellan mage is a deer (likely a hart). Where as Trevelyn non-mage is a Horse and Trevelyn mage is an Owl. Below are the Lavellan Inquisitor Cards for comparison.

Deer like Animals

When people talk about deer you hear lot about gracefulness, agility, and vigilance. Deer are known for having very acute hearing, and great speed which can make approaching them very difficult if not impossible. When making comparisons people use the term doe-eyed to mean a person has an innocent look to them. Deer are often seen as totems of gentleness, innocence, and gracefulness. Deer are also said to be in touch with the mysteries of the world.

Halla are probably the most loved animal in Thedas. Elvhen legend states Ghilan’nain was once a huntress of the people, who was turned into a Halla and became the mother of Halla. Due to this the Dalish have a unique relationship with Halla, they view them as members of the clan; each loss is tragic and heartfelt. We also know the Halla have a very good sense of direction as they serve a guides to the Dalish. The Dalish never force a halla to serve or break them as one breaks a horse. They are always asked. Looking at the regions the Dalish roam it is safe to say the Halla are not only agile but also very surefooted as well as strong.

“The second thing you must understand about the halla is that you cannot force a halla to do something against her will.” 

“How then do we harness them to the aravels? How do we ride them, or strap our packs to them? Well, how do you get a brother, a sister, or a friend to do you a favor? Simple, isn’t it? You ask. If you have a halla’s trust, she will give you her blessing.” –From Codex Entry: Halla (Inquisition)

Harts are where symbolism can get confusing. We know Hart is the English archaic terms for a male deer in the prime of his life the same equivalent of a Stag or Buck. However Harts are not male Halla, they have their own colorations and breeding Lines (seen in the Royal Sixteen and Red Hart descriptions) So symbolism wise what is a Hart to the Dalish? While I don’t think a hart has the connection to the Dalish Halla do. Harts do have their own reverence and are quiet rare suggesting the Halla is more plentiful to the Dalish. We know from Dane and the Werewolf that White Harts have the same symbolism in Thedas among the Almarri as White Stags have in our world. We do know that from Master Dennet’s descriptions of the various Harts you can collect that  the animals used to be wide spread, Very intelligent, Willful, Stubborn, Opinionated and Fearsome.  Along with this Harts are seen as Inspirational and used during a time of suffering. So in short symbolism wise we are looking at an animal thought to be a myth, that shows wisdom, guidance, inspiration, strength, and ferocity.

“The Red Hart” -Dalish Inquisitor version            

We find our kin in strange places. Though we know not if you will carry tradition with you, we would see you carry pride in some form. For the wounded sky is all of ours, whether belief is shared or not. Let all see this, and convey yourself as we should be.            

Emmasalin var suledin evanura. (May this help us endure our struggle) 

 “On the Red hart”            

Honored to see one up close without meeting it points-first. The pride of the stable. Of any stable. Even the Dalish I’ve had occasion to ask have said it’s rare to glimpse them at a distance. The few who have mastered one – and it truly is very few –say there is no animal more sure of foot, more attuned to its rider, more inspirational to simply gaze upon. You want to match the majesty of this creature? Grow some bloody wings. -From the Codex Entry: A Horsemaster’s notes on Mounts

I am not the least bit afraid to say this is the first thing I thought of when I saw the Hart mounts. I rode around on the Pride of Arlathan for this reason.

Canine Like Animals

Canines is a very long and unspecific list so we are going to narrow it down to my three favorites. Wolves,  and Coyotes. I leave foxes to @cyran9 All three are tricksters in native America folklore though in certain tribes wolves are outsmarted by foxes, responsible for the creations of tribes, or guiding tribes to new lands. Wolves could basically be the real world equivalent of Halla even with their own gods like Q’wati the Quileute  Shapeshifting founder from the creation myth. Some times Coyote and Fox are often interchangeable playing the benevolent trickster, or the malevolent trickster.  May the Dread Coyote take you? So with wolves, coyotes or foxes it really depends on which way the wind blows.

Wolves among the Dalish have a bad connotation as Fen’harel one of the Creators in their pantheon betrayed his kin and locked away the Forgotten Ones and the Creators creating the Veil. However before the Exalted March of the Dales we know the Emerald Knights traveled all over with wolf companions at their side. Their wolves never left their side and where larger than their wild counterparts.  It could be a simple case of loss of history that caused the sudden shift or the Emerald Knights where heretics. You can see the sudden change  between the current Dalish outlook and the outlook before the Exalted march of the Dales in the statues. Fen’harel’s wolves are everywhere and serene looking in the dales while in the Brecillian Forest they are fierce and violent looking.  We know rangers can tame wolves and have them as a companion. We also know Black wolves are often blighted or possessed and how the  Dalish see Fen’harel.

Coyotes as far as we know don’t exist in Thedas currently. However if they did exist I don’t imagine the Dalish would favor a carrion scavenger any more than it’s cousin the wolf. If anything it would probably be the symbol for a Forgotten one.

☯ nature ☯