This is a speculative post. 

art credit goes to  Kirill Stepanov 

It’s another one of those, there’s a lot of lore to back it up but there’s currently zero hints that this is the direction they are going with this character in the present moment, so I can understand if this is a post people skip. 

I’ve mentioned in the past that I think Calia’s coding suggests a role related to the Scarlet Crusade, by the coloring of her armor mostly,  and I’m going to narrow that down more specifically because the Scarlet Crusade is a large organization with many splinter cells, I think she is going to become the new leader of the Scarlet Onslaught, which may be in conflict with another more heretical branch of the Scarlet Crusade who believe they have her son with Lord Prestor, and she may down the line have to deal with this supposed heir.. 

The Scarlet Onslaught was an organization that was secretly being spearheaded by Mal’Ganis in disguise with the intent on defeating the Lich King, but he was actually just sabotaging any attempts to wipe out the Scourge for his own ends while trying to get personal revenge on Arthas.  

In the summer I decided to play through Legion with some alts and I was reminded of the priest Legion Order Hall quests, in this order hall we find out that the Scatlet Crusade are still pretty active but they are missing a representative leader and only have stand in leaders, we are sent to retrieve Mariella Ward, a defector essentially, who has become disillusioned with the Scarlet Crusade’s campaign against the undead, which is probably a good thing since Alonsus Foal and Calia Menethil are now dead and represent some prominent figures in the Conclave.  As much as I like Mariella Ward, she’s kind of a nobody of little consequence and she doesn’t quite fit into Prophet Velen’s prophesy of a powerful agent of the Crusade and the Light but Calia fits that role with higher stakes.

Weapon of Power - Light’s Wrath

I think Calia Menethil was always destined to wield Light’s Wrath. 

Calia has been very adamant that her purpose currently in the narrative is to undo some of her brother’s legacy. Arthas’s legacy was set in motion by a certain Dreadlord, Mal’Ganis. 

Obsessed with cleansing undead from the world of Azeroth, the fanatical Scarlet Crusade tried to create a second Ashbringer in the form of a staff. However, a dreadlord who had infiltrated the order intervened, interrupting their efforts and triggering a violent magical explosion. The damaged staff’s power proved nearly uncontrollable. After several wielders tried and failed to use the staff safely, the elite magi of the Kirin Tor hid it away lest it unleash further deadly calamities.

Mal’Ganis, who helped create the Scourge as an agent of the Jailer did not want the Scarlet Crusade to remake Ashbringer, so he tried to destroy it, unfortunately it was not destroyed. Many other priests throughout history have tried to wield this weapon but it’s instability usually meant that it would destroy it’s owner. This weapon is considered one of the most volatile weapons in history and was locked away in the Nexus Vault with other volatile weapons like Aluneth.  

If someone could wield this weapon they would be a powerful ally against the malevolent forces of the undead, but only an undead would be able to recognize friend from foe and stop it from falling into the wrong hands. 

I think that this could potentially down the line set up a face off between Calia and Mal’Ganis and she could succeed in killing him where her brother Arthas failed, giving a sort of redemption to the Menethil family by defeating for good the enemy that destroyed her family and her homeland. While being a bulwark against any malevolent undead force like the Jailer and his army. 

In Legion Medivh’s Dark Riders were trying to get their hands on three weapons. Warriors, Warlocks and Druids were all lead to the catacombs below Karazhan to acquire these three relics. It didn’t strike me until later why these three relics are important to the story until now. These are not only three relics tied exclusively to death and the Shadowlands but also part of an over-reaching Nathrezim plot. At first I discovered this plot in Duskwood, as a balance druid who encounters some Dark Riders trying to steal the Scylthe of Elune, Then I stumbled on this plot again when digging deeper into the history of Karazhan and Salatiel and her connection to the weapon  Ulthalesh, the Deadwind Harvester. I’ve thought about posting these lore deep dives as seperate posts which I think I will as a series. But Dreadlord Kathra’natir’s connection to Apocalypse seems more urgent to post since it correlates with potential Shadowlands speculation and spoilers and I wanted to get that out of the way before launch, before everything comes out and there’s nothing left to speculate on. 

The Dreadlord Kathra'natir and Apocalypse. 

Kathra’natir was the last Dreadlord to weld the Shadowlands forged weapon Apocalypse, The Unholy Death Night artifact weapon and that’s  the least of what ties him to this plot. 

Apocalypse is the sister blade to Frostmourne in my humble opinion although there is no real canonical evidence to back it up but they serve the same purpose. To annihilate all life. 

Now if you have seen my post about Forstmourne being related to the Blade of Sargeras, this is a continuation of that theory. I think Apocalypse is also related to the Bade of Sargeras. 

An ancient blade crafted by the Nathrezim which spreads plague, death and violence in its wake, Apocalypse is a powerful tool of destruction.
The blade was wielded by the Tirisgarde before it fell in the hands of the Dark Riders.Now the only way to find it is to hunt down the riders to their secret lair.
Apocalypse enhances it’s owner with powerful shadow magic and fearsome minions.

The Lich King says: The sanctum of the Dark Riders is hidden even to my sight, though many in Duskwood have given their lives to unearth it.

The Dark riders are hiding many secrets, at the command of Medivh. Because Medivh is in on whatever cosmic plot is going down. When you track down the Dark Riders you are lead to a camp where it’s very clear they have some connections to agents of the void. 

This weapon needs to be hidden because it’s uncontrollable and will make the bearer crazy with untamed anger and wrath, not unlike Sargeras. Kathra’natir was one of Sargeras’s top Dreadlord generals and the first one to wield this blade. with it he wiped out entire planets, most notably the planet Navane,  Disguised as one of their own soldiers, Kathra'natir walked among Navane’s resistance forces and whispered rumors of betrayal in every ear while Apocalypse clouded the defenders’ ability to reason. Old hatreds and rivalries resurfaced, and the defenders began to fear each other as much as the Legion. In one night of wanton bloodshed, Navane’s army went to war with itself as Kathra'natir admired his handiwork from a distance. By sunrise, not a single soldier remained to oppose the Legion’s conquest of the planet.

Kathra’natir is probably not a dreadlord you know a lot about if you haven’t read the comics, because his story is mostly in the comics but he was ‘resurrected’ into World of Warcraft canon in Legion when Gul’dan summoned him to fight at the Broken Shore. You see, Kathra’natir’s specialty is pitting armies against one another.

Vol'jin: Sometin’ not be right dat day. Da demons, deir blades slipped past me guard.
Vol'jin: As if da loa demselves had forsaken me.
Vol'jin: Like dey be doin’ now. Cannot hear dem, champion. Da voices of da loa be silent.
Vol'jin: I been callin’ ta Bwonsamdi for a long time. He not be hearin’ me… or he been choosin’ not ta answer.
Vol'jin: Somethin’ was definitely helping’ our enemies dat day. But who or what could dat have been? Da loa were silent and their powers were gone, as if I’d lost their favor. With so much death, I be havin’ one person in mind who might be behind it. 

Vol'jin:A darkness in me mind be keeping me from remembering what happened da day I named Sylvanas warchief.
Vol'jin: I remember dyin’. I remember glimpsin’ da Other Side.
Vol'jin:I was expectin’ ta see ol’ Bwonsamdi, or Shadra, or Hir'reek… any of da loa.
Vol'jin: Dere was a presence. Somethin’ movin’ in da shadows. Somethin’ powerful.
Vol'jin:I remember it takin’ me somewhere, but da memory of where be hidden from me. Ta keep me from sharin’ da truth…
Vol'jin: Da truth dat it might not be da loa who wanted Sylvanas to be warchief, but somethin’ far more powerful.

If the jailer is bound to the Maw, he would need agents outside of the Shadowlands to do his bidding. 

It could be argued that the 4th war didn’t start when Sylvanas burned Teldrassil but with the betrayal at the Broken Shore. Something, a dark force, made Vol’jin vulnerable, obscuring his vision so that he did not see the demon’s blade which would later hill him. This blow would force Sylvanas to retreat to save the Horde, leaving the Alliance troops on the ground to believe that Sylvanas intentionally betrayed the Alliance and this betrayal would lead to Genn making an unauthorized attack against the Horde in Stormheim. 

The Nathrazim also had two distinct plots in Legion where they infiltrated the Mage and the Rogue Order halls by having a dreadlord impersonate Mathias Shaw and Meryl Felstorm to collect data on both the Uncrowned and the Council of Tirisfal. Detheroc was one who infiltrated the Rogue Order Hall and Kathra’natir the Mage Order Hall. Kathra’natir had a personal vandetta against the Tirisgrade because they vowed, in the comics, to hunt him down and kill him. 

We chase Kathra’natir to the Occulus, where we defeat him and gain an artifact called  the Nightborne Soulstone which contains his captured soul. 

Millhouse Manastorm seems way too interested in this artifact and although Millhouse seems to be on the side the mages, as we see, the Manastorms will show up in Shadowlands as bosses of ‘Da Other Side’ dungeon, it’s possible that Millhouse has stolen this relic for himself. I’m going to throw out a wild speculation here and say that it’s possible that Millhouse does steal this artifact in Shadowlands and that’s how he becomes a villain. He may be working for himself but in service to a higher power, The Nethrazim, because they granted him more power. That’s entirely plausible. 

This artifact still is housed in the Mage Class Hall, but since we have been away I’m sure it will mysteriously go missing. 

Archamge Vorgoth seemed to have fallen on the right breadcrumb trail when researching the soulstore because he came across a dreadlord’s plot.  I was gathering notes on the Nightborne Soulstone when I was contacted by an emissary of the Empyrean Society. When I arrived at their enclave, our old nemesis Kathra'natir was waiting for me.

So who are the Empyrean Society? The Empyrean Society of Exotic Magical Arts  (acronym E.S.E.M.A.) is a dangerous cult established in the Empyrean Society Enclave in Azsuna. They claimed to study all magic regardless of its source, but in reality they focused mostly on the forbidden dark magic. Even worse, the Tirisgarde discovered that they begun delving into the practice of fel magic. It’s very possible that the Dreadlords were teaching these cultists the magic of the Nathrezim themselves. 

The Nathrezim were known to have extensive knowledge of the magic permeating in the Twisting Nether. In Nathrea they had massive libraries just filled with ancient knowledge. Illidan saw these massive libraries when he visited the Nathrezim’s homeworld, It’s where he got the knowledge of the Legion’s prison planet Mardum. 

Legion ends with this plot thread open, Kathra’natir’s soul is trapped so he is alive when all of his other brothers were either killed or defeated in the Legion Expansion. What this mage quest chain, titled  Prepare To Be Assimilated, did was canonize the comics in regard to Kathra’natir so now we have a vast lore background on him that is considered canonical in World of Warcraft (as some comics have been de-canonized) this means that  Kathra’natir could rise as a new potential villain to fill in the gaps now that the Legion has been defeated and Sargeras has been imprisoned. 

And we see these plot threads leading to Shadowlands. If my sepeculation is correct about  Kathra'natir being the darkness that manipulated, or helped manipulate the Broken Shore, he has a connection to Mueh’zala and since Millhouse Manastorm is also featured in Da Other Side dungeon I think that’s the best place to find answers. 

A new spoiler of a Dreadlord field report in the Shadowlands references a mysterious master, the final line says: 

We remain wary, though. Since they are observant of multiple outcomes, it is conceivable they could anticipate our coming.Similar to the titans, the naaru and their keepers are singular in purpose. Their adherence to a linear path is an obvious shortcoming.

They savor nothing more than being proved right, so if they believe they have converted one of us to their precious Light, they will trust that agent implicitly.The adherents to Life are the most insidious of opponents, perhaps because their nature is so antithetical to our ownStill, we learned much from observing the link between their plane and Ardenweald, and we have high confidence that a vulnerability has been identified.
Our operative has already gained the trust of her target.And as previously discussed, our position within the plane of Disorder is proceeding flawlessly. Consuming fel energy is not a pleasant process, but a necessary one

There’s an old saying in WoW lore, if you follow any conflict, you will see a Dreadlord in the shadows manipulating the events. 

Can’t help but feel like these two were an intentional shoutout to the Boschlow ship. Which makes sense, since there was absolutely no way the actual ship could ever happen in the show (except as a joke).

I kinda want to know more about these two now and what their deal was. F**k Disney for cutting the show short.

yoshimickster:

Okay if we don’t introduce the god damn lantern corps this season I’m gonna LOSE IT! “Blackest Night” “Death Storm” COME ON!

With rumours of next season being a shortened final season for The Flash, I’m starting to envision one last big crossover to send the show off, bring in the Lanterns, bring back some dead friends, and sure, let’s call it Blackest Night.

So the most interesting part of “The core and the King” for me, was the implications it has for the ending of the series.

So Anne and Sasha are going to level Newtopia it seems like.

Then after that, the fucking moon is somehow gonna drop and wipe out all life on the planet. Most likely as a final fuck you from Darcy to Anne.

Assuming this vision cannot be avoided, my guess is that the series is going to end with a return to Earth after all, as the Frogs, Newts, Olms, Axolotls and salamanders become surviving refugees from a dead planet.

The final symphony of the Amphibian Empire. The world that wiped out other worlds, now experienced the same happening to it.

Hmmm… So Mother Olm isn’t the only one of her kind that can see if this image is to be belived.

Whereas Yohan’s corpse has the regular eyes of Olms, but also glasses, so clearly he had sight.

Also, despite clearly being an adult, he was way, way smaller than other olms. A crossbreed with one of the other races mayhaps?

I’ve come to the conclusion that JRoth did a liiiitle too much DMT in-between Seasons 5 and 6.

luna–dragon:

rxally-borxng:

luna–dragon:

asdswascf imagine if shortly after rescuing Marcy, Anne and Sasha start talking about the prophecy and them being the three stars that save the world expecting Marcy to be all excited

and Marcy just says “Is that all you needed me for? To stop Andrias?”

And it’s just fucking ANGST AHOY

@rxally-borxng

Marcy:Is that all you need me for? To stop Andrias?

Anne:No! Well… we DO, but tha-

Marcy: So what now? We save all the worlds and… that’s it?

Anne:Well, yeah!

Sasha: We can just forget this ever happened.

Marcy: How are you going to forget with me around? I’m the reason we’re here in the first place. That’s why you took so long, isn’t it? You hate me. You didn’t even want to save me!

Anne:Marcy-

Marcy:Don’t act like you want me here! What’s you plan for me, huh? Are you going to send me back to my parents? So you can just forget about me? Are you going to leave me alone!?

Robert Downey Jr. has been mysteriously added to the cast list of Spider-Man: No Way Home

digital-dhampirs:

no. 70 is louis

“I haven’t written any crack theories in a while,” I said to myself.

This is what my brain responded with.

And slowly, somehow, this idea turned from crack into something I’m legitimately starting to think is the case.

The Teacher.

This theory hinges on one thing and one thing alone— the Teacher. We know he’s told Mikhail he can bring the dead back to life, and he seems to have saved Mikhail from the verge of death in the past (it’s even possible that Mikhail actually did die, and the Teacher brought him back). If the Teacher can actually bring Luna back after they turned to dust, it’s very very likely that he might have been able to do the same with Louis.

It follows to wonder… is this something that the Teacher would actually do?

For a while now I’ve considered the Teacher’s… er… disposal of Louis to be the natural conclusion of a finished experiment, but I’m starting to realize that Louis’s continued existence actually does hold some value to the Teacher. His experiment on Louis is complete, but whatever he’s got planned for Noé (and potentially Domi as well) is absolutely not over, and Louis would be a very high value piece to have on the board when it comes to those two. If the Teacher actually can bring people back from the dead, wouldn’t it be wasteful of him to just toss Louis’s ashes away rather than attempting to bring him back?

With that, we have the very first piece of this messy, insane puzzle. The chances that the Teacher just disposed of Louis’s corpse when he could potentially use it to manipulate or observe Noé and Dominique in the future seem very very slim.

So now let’s try to fit some more puzzle pieces together.

The Timeline

We’ve established that the chances of Louis not being… entirely… dead are, while maybe not high, definitely existent. But what’s all this talk about him being No.70?

First and foremost! If Louis isn’t dead, but the Teacher wants Domi and Noé to fully believe he’s dead, he’s gonna need somewhere far away from the two of them to store the kid until he can use him again. If Ruthven has access to those magic Jeanne clone pods the Teacher must too, right? Couldn’t he just shut Louis into one of those for a little while? But that kinda doesn’t feel like the Teacher’s style— why should he stash Louis in a pod when he could be performing yet another experiment?

We know that the Teacher has a great interest in the Blue Moon clan. He sends an Archiviste out to find Vanitas in Paris, he brings Mikhail back from the dead, the cat he potentially ran experiments on has one copper sulfate blue colored eye [link to a discussion on that at the bottom of this post]… it feels like almost all of his experiments revolve around either Naenia or Luna. So it follows to assume… if a human scientist somehow got access to a vial of Luna’s blood and multiple Books of the Blue Moon, the Teacher would be the first to notice, and he’d be absolutely fascinated by what was going on there.

Come to think of it, it might actually be possible that the Teacher was the reason why Moreau acquired those objects in the first place. Out of all the characters we know of in the series so far, the only one who I could logically see somehow acquiring the Books and Luna’s blood (short of Luna themself, and they’d absolutely never give those things to Moreau) is the Teacher. The Teacher sounds genuinely excited about the mere existence of a Book of the Blue Moon back in his letter to Noé in chapter 1, but I think this could absolutely just be him faking excitement as a way of maintaining his persona and staying in line with who he wants Noé to see him as.

With that, let’s start building a timeline here.

The Teacher has a few Books of the Blue Moon, and some of Luna’s blood, and he’s messed with both items a bit, but his experiments keep coming up short. He can’t open the Books, as he isn’t a Kin of the Blue Moon. He also has a newly reincarnated Louis lying around somewhere, hidden from Domi and Noé. And now he hears about this human scientist who’s running strange experiments on humans, trying to turn them into vampires.

Isn’t that just perfectly serendipitous?

Maybe the Teacher decides to pay Doctor Moreau a visit. He flatters Moreau, tells him he’ll give him the Books of Vanitas and Luna’s blood for his experiments. He’ll even throw in a vampire kid for free— all Moreau has to do is not kill the kid, and he can do whatever he wants with the rest.

No.70

So there’s a lot of parts of this theory that make sense. The Teacher reviving Louis? Makes sense. The Teacher giving Moreau Luna’s books and blood? Absolutely horrifying, disturbing, I hate it so, so much… but also makes sense. The only thing that doesn’t quite fit is the idea that No.70 is Louis. Wouldn’t it make so much more sense if No.70 was Astolfo’s younger sister Louisette, or some other random kid?

Let’s start with what we know about No.70. They arrived at the lab after Vanitas, but before Mikhail. Their gender isn’t specified, and Vanitas never says if they’re a human or a vampire. Vanitas speculates that something horrible happened to them in the past. We never see their neck or head. Oh, and they can’t speak.

This definitely all seems like stuff that could point to No.70 being Louisette. However, all of this evidence could also indicate that No.70 is Louis.

We know that while the Teacher seems to be able to bring people back from the dead, he can’t fix what’s already broken about them. He can’t repair Mikhail’s missing arm. And if, hypothetically, someone’s vocal chords were damaged when their head got cut off… maybe the Teacher couldn’t fix them.

No.70 also seems to be given some level of special treatment at the lab. Unlike Vanitas and Mikhail, they’re able to wander around freely at night. They’re clearly still being torturously experimented on, but they seem to have a modicum of freedom that the other test subjects don’t get.

It would also make a lot of sense for the Teacher to want to place Louis at the lab as an observer. One of my theories on Murr (again, linked at the bottom of this theory) is that the Teacher is somehow able to see what Murr sees out of one of Murr’s eyes, using the cat as a sort of living alchemical bug he can observe Noé through.

If the Teacher could do that to Murr, the Teacher could probably do that to Louis as well. If the Teacher was going to give Moreau the Books of Vanitas and Luna’s blood, he’d want to be able to observe what was going on there at all times, right? Sure, he could probably shapeshift into a mouse or a fly and sneak into the lab without any trouble, but that would take up a lot of time and effort. It would be so much easier to just have an observer wandering the lab at all times, someone he could check in on at a moment’s notice.

The Teacher needs somewhere to put the newly revived Louis. The Teacher wants to give Moreau some little presents for a horrifying and deeply disturbing experiment. The Teacher wants to observe this experiment.

The solution is clear.

Whew! So! I think we’ve established some things! I think I’ve made an actually shockingly half decent case for Louis being No.70! It follows to wonder… what happened to him after the destruction of the lab? The Teacher wouldn’t have just brought Louis back to the castle, where he could run into Noé or Domi at any time. The Teacher wouldn’t have just left Louis to the Chasseurs, either, as they likely would’ve killed him for a) being a vampire and b) being proof of Moreau’s crimes. No, actually, I think something else happened.

We’ve established that Louis can’t speak. There’s a character in VnC who only seems to be able to speak when they’re using a voice box.

We’ve established that Louis is connected to Moreau. There’s a character in VnC who seems to frequently appear around Moreau.

We’ve seen Louis fight before. There’s a character in VnC who uses the same melee style slashing attacks.

Hell.They’re even introduced in the same chapter.

If I was going to make a guess, I think Louis becomes

Monsieur Spider.

I was expecting this section to be crack. Hell, I was expecting this whole theory to be crack.

But once you start seeing the parallels, you really can’t stop.

They clearly have similar fighting styles. Monsieur Spider seems to speaks with a voice box (all of his dialogue uses a blocky, mechanical lettering rather than normal text). There’s the purposeful parallels in framing and composition between the two (as seen in the panels above). When Noé hallucinates a man inviting him to Charlatan during the Gévaudan arc, the man (sitting in a very Louislike pose, and saying something quite in line with Louis’s philosophy as a child) has horns— just like Monsieur Spider.

Y’know who else is associated with horns in VnC? Dominique, who wears them during the Bal Masqué. Dominique, Louis’s twin sister.

Of course, there’s a problem with this theory. Monsieur Spider doesn’t seem to like Noé very much. As a matter of fact, he seems very interested in killing Noé. He’s angry when Noé gets in his way at the Bal Masqué and seems genuinely upset when Ruthven fails to murder Noé in the cafe. This doesn’t seem in character for Louis, does it?

But look a little closer, and you’ll start to see it.

Monsieur Spider refuses to call Noé by his name when he tells Ruthven about his interruption at the Bal Masqué, despite almost definitely knowing it. In fact, he flinches when Ruthven says Noé’s name. He seems almost unnecessarily emotional whenever Noé is thrown into the equation, especially when compared to the cold and blank way he discusses Moreau. He has to desperately hold himself back from interacting with Noé when he helps Moreau escape from the lab.

Whenever Monsieur Spider shows emotion, it’s always because of Noé.

Now that sounds very in line with the Louis we know.

I think it’s very likely that Louis, just like our other reincarnated boy wonder Mikhail, has some level of amnesia when it comes to the past (specifically when it comes to how he died). It’s possible that his memories were damaged by his head getting chopped off (along with the whole reincarnation thing), or maybe the Teacher messed with his memories on purpose. Either way, I don’t think Louis remembers any specifics about Noé and Dominique (and if he does, they’re probably buried very deep under layers of suffering and hatred). All he knows is that he feels something when he’s around Noé, and he desperately wants to get rid of that feeling.

Hence the whole killing Noé thing.

And with that, I think our timeline is complete! Louis died and was brought back by the Teacher, who took him to Moreau’s lab along with Luna’s blood and the Books of Vanitas. Louis then spent some time as Teacher’s observer in the lab as No.70, and escaped from the lab with Moreau after the Teacher’s experiment reached its conclusion and Vanitas and Mikhail were saved by Luna. Louis then likely stayed with Moreau, and eventually became Monsieur Spider.

The Storytelling Angle

Whoof. I feel like there’s some very stronk proof here. But if you need a lil more evidence to convince you that these three very different seeming characters are actually one and the same, this section is for you.

First and foremost…. Mochijun has actually done something somewhat similar to this before (albeit in a way more obvious fashion) in Pandora Hearts.

When Oz comes back from the Abyss in Book 1, he and the readers both believe that only a short amount of time has passed since he was thrown into the Abyss. Mochijun capitalizes on this by introducing the readers to Raven, a character with a striking resemblance to Oz’s childhood friend Gilbert, but who is established as a different character both age and personality wise to build up to the big reveal. A few chapters later we get the emotional reveal that Raven is indeed Gilbert, and ten years have gone by.

I can’t help but feel like something similar is happening with Noé and Louis in VnC, just in a very different way. One of the most obvious clues as to Raven being Gilbert in PH (besides his physical appearance) was his strangely intense attachment to Oz, despite seeming to have only met him a few days ago. We see something very similar going on with Monsieur Spider when it comes to Noé (just in a very negative sense of “intense attachment” rather than a positive one).

In addition to this, and focusing more on VnC as a story… I can’t help but feel like Louis being alive would throw an absolutely delightful wrecking ball into the story.

Even though a lot of insane batshit crazy stuff has gone down during the Exposition Universalle arc, I can’t help but feel like after it’s all over, our characters will genuinely come out of it as stronger people with stronger relationships with each other (and with themselves @/ Dominique).

Noé and Vanitas have withstood the ultimate test of their friendship, culminating in what’s basically their equivalent of a love confession (and Vanitas sobbing into Noé’s chest, and Noé finally bloodying his hands to protect Vanitas, and them both desperately trying to save each other’s lives but refusing to abandon each other, and—). Dominique and Vanitas, Dominique and Jeanne, Dominique and Noé, and Jeanne and Noé all have some great moments where they rely on each other, learn from each other, and save each other while facing off against Mikhail.

Dominique in particular has absolutely transformed throughout the arc, finally starting to deal with her repressed self hatred and her intense survivor’s guilt. Hell, I’m actually able to picture Dominique confessing her love to Noé with a smile on her face, telling him she knows he doesn’t feel that way about her, and accepting that this doesn’t mean she’s inferior to Jeanne (or Vanitas). It feels like like Domi is truly on the road to becoming the best version of herself and she’s absolutely stunning and beautiful and Jeanne’s in love with her and so am I.

But this is Mochijun we’re talking about. Mochijun, queen of suffering and angst.

Wouldn’t it just be perfectly in line with her writing style if, in this moment where it seems like Dominique has truly grown and become stronger, all of it came crashing down with the reveal that Louis isn’t actually dead?

Wouldn’t it be fantastically painful if, in this moment where Vanitas and Noé seem to be connecting more than ever, their bond growing stronger than ever… Louis came and threw a wrench in it?

The End (for now)

And with that I think it’s high time we wrap it all up!!

Before we get to the very end of this post I do want to mention— there’s actually a solid bit more I want to talk about when it comes to this theory, but this post is already way longer than I wanted it to be. So!! There may or may not be a part two coming in the future. I will try my absolute best to get part 2 out… uhh… in the next…. uhh… increment of time or so!!

As always, please take this theory with a massive massive grain of salt. There is a compelling case out there for Monsieur Spider being Johann. While I do not consider the anime canon to the manga, it’s extremely likely that the anime version of Monsieur Spider is indeed Johann (which bodes quite ill for this theory). I do still have a lot of faith in the evidence I’ve presented but the simple fact that Johann Spider is (90% likely to be) canon in the anime knocks the wind out of my sails a bit. This post has a Lot of speculation and it’s very very possible that I’m completely wrong on all accounts here!

Thank you so much for reading this theory/ meta/ analysis/ insane rambling thing!

Fun Fact

murr sus

(1) Murr and the Teacher can be in the same place at the same time

Well, she’s quite likely the next Overwatch hero to be unveiled by Blizzard. But until that happens, we don’t know much about her, aside from various clues that are hidden in the game (and likely in the shorts as well). Seeing as most of those seem to be centered in the Dorado map, I went to have a look and see if I could find something new that hadn’t been touched on yet.

You might not have noticed in between trying to gank that annoying Torbjörn or dodging bullets from the Widowmaker on the roof, but the main premise of the Dorado map is to deliver an energy core to the large Ziggurat that dominates Dorado’s skyline - one of several nuclear reactors that dot the country, all property of the energy company Lumérico. It’s the evening before the annual Festival de la Luz, the Festival of Light, which celebrates the end of the Omnic war. As you’ll read further down, the concept of Light and Shadow is a theme that is recurring in Dorado, and Lumérico seems to be quite the influential company.

Clean energy for all of Mexico. That’s the company’s slogan, and Lumérico seems to be omnipresent in this part of the world. Newspapers hailing the upcoming activation of the Ziggurat’s energy core are strewn across the map, and the Lumérico logo appears on a variety of places, from electricity boxes to the large mosaic in front of the Ziggurat’s main entrance (featuring sunrays surrounding it), and oddly enough, the company’s CEO is also the president and protector of Mexico, and has a statue in front of the government building.

There’s even a painting of the Ziggurat’s construction hanging in the art gallery, which is curiously lit: the painting is bathed in a triangle of light, while the rest of the room is so dark that the other paintings are almost impossible to make out. 

Lumérico is heavily associated with light. Its name, its logo (the ziggurat being the favoured type of pyramid for the sun-worshipping South Americans in the past), the way its buildings light up the night sky… I’m willing to bet that the way this painting is lit is very deliberate. There are other plays on the theme of light and darkness on this map as well. In Mexico, the Omnic Crisis is known as La Medianoche, The Midnight. A fountain commemorating those lost during the war bears the following message;

En honor a los caidos durante la oscuridad
Y que jamas sean olvidados
Que renazcan en la luz
Hasta la noche mas oscura cede ante el amanecer

Translated roughly:

In honor of those who fell during the darkness
And who will never be forgotten
May they be reborn in the light
Even the darkest night yields to the dawn

Again, it would surprise me if this wording wasn’t chosen very deliberately for its particular imagery.

As much as Lumérico seems to portray itself as a shining beacon, there are definite clues towards the company having a more shady side. Soldier: 76 has a voice line on Dorado where he says, “I wanna know what Lumérico’s been up to.” As most of you know, Soldier: 76 has been targeting major corporations, facilities, and other shady organizations after the fall of Overwatch. Lumérico itself is aware of this as well, seeing as they have classified reports on Soldier: 76 lying around in their building, as well as a file on Jack Morrison, who in-lore isn’t yet known as his alter ego.

And then there’s Sombra. Spanish for ‘darkness’ or ‘shadow’, the new hero’s name is the direct opposite of that of the company that holds a firm grip over Mexico. Lumérico has a file on her, too. And judging from the alarms going off inside the building, they even have a specific protocol named after her, which is mentioned on the flashing warning signs. 
What with their contrasting imagery and her being piled in the same heap as Soldier: 76, I think it’s safe to speculate that there’s some form of conflict between Lumérico and Sombra.

Soldier: 76 isn’t the only one with a pertinent line on Dorado. Reaper has a line that says “Where is Sombra when you need her?” A possible indication that Sombra is on the side of Talon, although this doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s affiliated with them.
If Sombra is indeed on the side of the villains rather than the heroes, she could well have something to do with the local criminal element that we saw Soldier: 76 take out in his ‘Hero’ animated short. Dorado is plagued by a local street gang, Los Muertos, comprised of thugs who like sugar skulls and glow-in-the-dark paint. And who’s been known to recruit criminals, giving them the choice between prison or working for the good guys? That’s right, Blackwatch, Overwatch’s covert ops branch, which used to be led by Gabriel Reyes, now known as Reaper. Perhaps not all Blackwatch members did a McCree and became an honest upstanding vigilante after the organisation was disbanded.

Or maybe Sombra’s name is misleading, and she does fight for the forces of good, except that good in this case does not equal light. It would be interesting to see this trope turned on its head for once, to have a hero who operates in the shadows where the harsh light of corporate control can’t reach them. Either way, the search for Sombra’s true identity is an intriguing one, and I for one can’t wait to find out more about her.

Blizzard has created a universe rich in lore and history, with characters that might seem stereotypical/generic at first (which I don’t necessarily agree with - I’d argue they’re more like affectionate parodies/homages, but I won’t go into that here), but when given a more thorough look, turn out to be more interesting than one would assume from a first glance.

Because of their well fleshed-out history, the characters of Overwatch have many intriguing connections and relate to each other in a variety of ways, but none have caught my attention as much as the enigmatic assassin Reaper (Gabriel Reyes) and the doctor-turned-guardian-angel Mercy (Angela Ziegler).

Let’s have a look at what we know about these two, their history, and the clues towards their relationship that Blizzard has sprinkled throughout the lore and game - and in particular, about what happened to turn Gabriel Reyes into Reaper, and how Mercy might have been involved in it.

What do we know so far?

Gabriel Reyes, aka Reaper

Prior to the Omnic Crisis, Gabriel Reyes served in the United States military, where he achieved veteran status and was highly respected. At some point he met John ‘Jack’ Morrison, a fellow soldier, and the two became friends. Subsequently, in the midst of the Omnic Crisis, they joined Overwatch together, and Reyes was given leadership of the group, with Morrison as his second in command.

Overwatch was successful in ending the Omnic Crisis and found itself launched into the public spotlight, basking in world-wide acclaim. Morrison, who had played a key role in shaping the group, was given the position of strike commander, acting as the first, official commanding officer of Overwatch and the organisation’s public face. Reyes was passed over for the promotion and sidelined into leading Blackwatch, a cover ops division of Overwatch which operates under the radar and beyond the reach of red tape. A rift started growing between the two former friends, as Reyes felt his accomplishments and leadership of Overwatch during the Omnic Crisis were overlooked in favour of Morrison’s popularity and charisma.

As time went on, Overwatch came under fire from a series of shocking allegations accusing the organisation of negligence, corruption and mismanagement, weapons proliferation, human rights abuses, and more. Protests broke out as more and more people began losing trust in Overwatch and its agents. Ultimately, Overwatch met its end through a combination of the accusations that tainted the organization’s reputation, and the tragic events that lead to an explosion that destroyed Overwatch’s Swiss headquarters and claimed the lives of both Reyes and Morrison.

The UN has steadfastly maintained that there was no foul play behind this event. However, according to an ‘anonymous source’, the conflict between Reyes and Morrison had led to a civil war within Overwatch itself, one that culminated in a battle inside the Swiss base.
During a UN committee, Dr. Angela Ziegler stated: “After Morrison’s promotion to strike commander, his relationship with Reyes changed. The tension became more pronounced as time went on. I tried to mend things. We all did. Sometimes when the closest bonds break, all you can do is pray you stay out of the cross fire.”

Reyes eventually resurfaced as a volatile mercenary known as “Reaper”, although his identity and motives remain unknown in-universe. Now a ruthless and remorseless killer, he has been responsible for terrorist attacks throughout the world, and has fought in many armed conflicts, showing no loyalty to any cause or organization. Survivors describe him as ‘a black shadow ghosting unscathed through the most hellish battlefields’. The few bodies recovered of his victims are pale, empty husks drained of life, their cells showing signs of intense degradation. It’s speculated that Reaper is a byproduct of failed genetic alteration which force his cells to simultaneously decay and regenerate at a hyper-accelerated rate.

Those attempting to track his movements have begun to see a pattern in his appearances. They believe that Reaper is hunting former Overwatch agents and systematically eliminating them.


Angela Ziegler, aka Mercy

Dr. Ziegler rose to become the head of surgery at a prominent Swiss hospital before pioneering a breakthrough in the field of applied nanobiology that radically improved the treatment of life-threatening illnesses and injuries. It was this expertise that attracted the attention of Overwatch.

Due to her parents’ lives being taken in war, Ziegler was opposed to the organisation’s militaristic approach to keeping global peace. Ultimately, she recognized that Overwatch offered her the opportunity to save lives on a much larger scale. As Overwatch’s head of medical research, Angela sought to leverage her work for healing in frontline crises. One of her many accomplishments during her time with Overwatch was saving the life of Genji Shimada, after he was attacked by his brother over a clan dispute and left for death.

Despite her contributions to Overwatch, she was often at odds with her superiors and the organisation’s overarching aims. When the group was faced with a series of allegations, Ziegler was interrogated in the hearings conducted by the United Nations. In light of the fight between Overwatch members John Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, Ziegler admitted that the outcome had been inevitable. They had drifted further and further apart ever since Morrison had been chosen over Reyes for the position of strike commander, and that rift had widened despite her efforts.

When Overwatch dissolved, Ziegler dedicated herself to helping those affected by war. Though she spends most of her time caring for the broken and dispossessed in crisis areas around the world, Dr. Ziegler can be counted on to don her Valkyrie suit whenever innocents are imperiled, hoping to make a more peaceful world. Ziegler’s current base of operations is Zürich, Switzerland.

In-game

In addition to what we know from the lore Blizzard has given us, Reaper and Mercy have a couple of very interesting interactions in the game.

Mercy: What happened to you?!
Reaper: You should know, Doc.

Mercy: This is not what I intended for you, Reyes.
Reaper: You knew exactly what you were doing.

Reaper (on killing Mercy): Don’t forget - you’re the one responsible for this.

On top of that, Reaper has a few voicelines that implicate death is rather less permanent for him than for most.

Reaper (on entering game): Back from the grave.

Reaper (on respawning): The grave cannot hold me.

Speculation

Overwatch’s headquarters were located in Switzerland, Ziegler herself is Swiss and she still operates from her home country. It’s not much of a stretch to assume that she was in Switzerland at the time of Reyes and Morrison’s showdown, perhaps even on location at the Overwatch base, and would have been an immediate responder after the blast.

Reaper himself implies that he has returned from the grave, and continues to do so. The short “Recall” seems to confirm this; after Reaper is electrocuted by Winston, he dissipates into smoke, and is later seen to reform, seemingly none the worse for wear.

While Mercy’s in-game ability to resurrect her fallen comrades on the fly is likely not canon, it most likely -is- a reference to her life-saving abilities as a doctor. She saved Genji when his life was hanging from a thread, is a pioneer in nanobiology, and as the head of Overwatch’s medical research she has likely been involved in many experimental projects.

What if on finding Reyes’ lifeless body (Morrison’s was never recovered according to official sources), Dr. Ziegler took it on herself to try some of the more experimental procedures she’d been developing in an attempt to restore life to her friend? Seeing as she’s well-versed in the field of nanobiology, she could well have tried infusing Reyes’ body with nanobots in an attempt to repair the extensive damage done to it, before trying to resuscitate him.

And it worked. Whether Ziegler was aware of Reyes being returned to life, or thought her last-ditch experiment failed and mourned his death (imagine Reyes literally waking up in his grave after having been buried *shudder*) - at some point she met Reaper, recognised him as Reyes, and expressed shock at what happened to him. Reaper, for his part, seems to know that Ziegler is responsible for his current condition, and believes that she intentionally turned him into what he is. But Ziegler clearly did not know the side-effects of whatever she did Reyes, nor did she anticipate them (this is not what I intended for you). The procedure was entirely experimental, and she went through with it without knowing what the consequences would be for Reyes if she managed to bring him back.

This could give us a base as well to further speculate on what exactly Reaper’s condition is. He’s able to become discorporeal and travel in this state, as well as teleport from one spot to another. When he ‘dies’, he dissolves into a shadowy sort of smoke, and is seen to reform from the same smoke/shadow later.
Combine this with Ziegler’s expertise in nanobiology and in-lore speculation of Reaper’s condition being a result of ‘genetic alteration which force his cells to simultaneously decay and regenerate at a hyper-accelerated rate’, and you have a man being kept artificially alive by nano technology, perhaps nanobots, that allow him to control his individual cells, transforming his body from a solid to a gaseous state and back again. This would essentially render him immortal, as the nanobots would simply reform his body every time it sustains lethal damage, breaking it apart to build it up again.
As for the reports of the bodies of his victims being pale, empty husks drained of life, their cells showing signs of intense degradation; this could be a result of the nanotechnology that sustains Reaper harvesting energy from the dead cells of those he kills, in order to be able to continue their work.

Reaper’s condition is obviously not very pleasant - rather than thanking Mercy for saving him, he blames her for turning him into what he is. It might even be possible that he is compelled to kill in order to keep harvesting energy for the nanobots sustaining him, or that his current state has altered his personality, turning him from one of Overwatch’s most respected agents - jealous and feeling slighted, yes, unpleasant in how he deals with his frustrations, but still one of the world’s heroes - into an international terrorist who leaves havoc and death in his wake wherever he’s sighted.

It’s clear that there is plenty of tension between Reaper and Mercy, and plenty of potential for their stories to stay intertwined. They were friends, once, worked and fought together despite their differences in ideology. Angela Ziegler cared enough for Gabriel Reyes to spare no expense at trying to revive him, even though she likely had no idea if her attempts would be successful. And the spite in Reaper’s comments towards Mercy in the game might well be an indication of a broken bond of trust, rather than mere hatred towards the person responsible for becoming what he is. They seem oddly personal, as if Reaper sees Mercy’s actions as a betrayal, rather than mere incompetence. Whatever the case may be, their relationship is plenty intriguing, and I hope we find out more about what happened with these two in the past.

Analysis #1 Skeletor  |  Analysis #2 Location, Location, Location|Analysis #3 Queen Under The Sea|Analysis #4 Around the Corner |Analysis #5 Grey Your Anderfels

Let’s talk about some of the most visual interesting concept arts that show up next in the full video.

We have one where two warriors seems to be attacking and defending against something.

If we take a closer look at what the one figure seems to be defending against, we can see black streaks with red highlights.

It seems to have a wispy, but solid appearance; yet it has the same sheen as red lyrium. I would guess it could be an attack from a blighted creature OR it could be a representation of blood magic.

In the background of the image we also see it seems to be some ruins, lighted by day.

If we next go to the defending figure. The first thing that stands out is their armor.

It is a runic gold, with sharp features. The helmet/mask piece has distinct points and the rest of the armor appears made up of cloth. This very specific armor style is something we’ve seen before that Ancient Elvhen wear. So it’s probably safe to say that this is either an Ancient Elvhen like Felassan or Abelas, or a current elf inspired by them. They could even be an agent of the Dread Wolf.

Though they cast their shield with a brand of, what I assume is, magic that I can’t recall in current Thedas. Their shield also seems to use runic pieces of metal, which looks quite similar to the Dread Wolf’s elven foci from Inquisition.

Lastly we can look at the attacking elf.

His armor is slightly different from the other’s armor, more layered with cloth and a fully metal helmet. We see he is an archer, but his bow appears made of the same incorporeal magic as the other elf’s shield. It also uses the same pieces of, possible elven foci as a base and he has loosed the arrow. So we can’t see what the arrow was made of, but it left behind some kind of elemental trail.

What all this says to me, is obviously for something referred to as The Dread Wolf Rises, we shall see more of these elven figures, their unique armor, and mysterious magic weapons. Whether we will get to use and wear them ourselves, who know? But Look At That Profile, Maker I Hope We DO.

Analysis #1 Skeletor  |  Analysis #2 Location, Location, Location|Analysis #3 Queen Under The Sea |Analysis #4 Around the Corner

So the next two images, I feel are pretty self-explanatory; but we can still take an in-depth look at them. These images return to showing us new locations.

The first one is a keep on a hill, flying flags.

A closer look shows the keep is weathered, worn, and perhaps abandoned; but flying blue flags with some kind of bird or winged creature statue atop the tower. It’s build into a mountain and off in the distance is a lone pillar, perhaps once housing a bridge or monument. There’s not much here to say what this at the moment, so lets move to the next picture and see if we can get a clue from there.

The second picture seems to be a continuance of the first, at least another angle. As we can see the same tower with the winged figurehead.

However, this one shows the valley below. It’s vast, empty, and full of sand. A river and water holes that cut through a canyon. It’s quite familiar to the north parts of Orlais in Inquisition: The Wastes, Approach, and Oasis. This is almost certainly the Anderfels and more specifically, a Warden’s Keep given the griffon statue in the foreground on the left.

To the bottom left, there appears to be more of that crumbled bridge or ruins, referenced in the other picture too. Perhaps a part of the Imperial Highway?

tldr; As expected we will most likely be following up on the Warden plot introduced in Inquisition. As well as getting to see at least a piece of the Anderfels, as seen above. The only question is, will it be as vast and empty as the Hissing Wastes?

Analysis #1 Skeletor  |  Analysis #2 Location, Location, Location |Analysis #3 Queen Under The Sea

Today we’re moving on to the next set of images in The Next Dragon Age video, starting with the one filled with characters in hiding.

For starters, I can say this is in Tevinter. The sharp architecture is an obvious indicator of that much. We also see the Dwarven influences in Tevinter’s streets, due to their strong alliance and dependence. It has that gritty, stone feel; while still being elegant and high quality. Other than this, there doesn’t appear to be anything too exciting with the walls and background of this image.

Though we do see a dark figure in the back that tells us, this is absolutely Tevinter.

This man is tall, imposing, and wearing garbs of the Black Divine (or something similar and clearly Tevene). He is flanked by guards and makes me believe this may be the Imperial Chantry itself.

In the foreground of the picture we see four other figures.

On the left is a large, pale gray Qunari. He appears to be hornless and it seems he might be wearing a cross between traditional Qunari fashion and Tevinter garb. It could just all be Qunari cloth, worn differently than we’ve see. However, he could also be a Tevinter agent, slave, or gladiator. He is either removing or pulling on his helmet.

In the back we have pale-haired mage. On first glance she has a familiar design and I can’t truly place where I’ve seen a similar one, but my second instinct is to wonder if it couldn’t be Calpernia. Given the circumstances of her undetermined fate in Inquisition, even if one chose the mages over the Templars; it is possible for her to show up in Tevinter again. I don’t believe it to be Maevaris Tilani, though she is the other pale-haired Tevinter mage that comes to mind. It’s also completely possible for her to be an entirely new addition. She appears to be a fire-stat mage and truly of Tevinter.

The next person, third from the left I am pretty confident to call Scout Harding. She is shorter than the rest of the members, meaning it is a high possibility of her being Dwarven. She also has Harding’s braid and a similar outfit, the only thing out of place is the crossbow. As Harding was originally a bow and arrow build. Though the replacement of a crossbow isn’t outlandish.

This is strengthened by the last figure on the right. It is uncertain who he is at as glance. However, I wonder if he is not Donal Sutherland. Those who went through his war table missions will know him as the budding leader of the Inquisition’s personal mercenary band; with the Inquisitor as his group’s patron. He is shown to still be around in Tevinter Nights and if you look closely at his chest piece, you can make out the Inquisition heraldry.

He is the only pre-existing character I can think of in this moment with those features, but doesn’t rule out others who I can’t recall. I also thought it might be the Inquisitor themselves (as a default stand-in). If that were the case this character must have a prosthetic or fixture (i.e. magic) for their arm to still be functional, as shown here, after the events of Trespasser.

The only other thing I have to say about this, is that one of the characters could be a default stand-in for the PC. I find it odd, that a concept art in this context would miss out on having one. Which has other implications. As it could mean the PC works in some way for the Inquisition, directly or indirectly.

TLDR; we are confirmed in Tevinter at least. The Black Divine will no doubt play a role in the game somehow and we see more familiar faces. Such as possibly Scout Lace Harding and Donal Sutherland of the Inquisition.

Analysis #1 Skeletor  |  Analysis #2 Location, Location, Location

*Due to length, a Read More has been added. TDLR under cut, at the end.

It is finally time to talk about That image. There is so much going on in that image.  It’s brightly colored, full of motion and detail. We see familiar faces and new ones. It’s another eye-catching and gorgeous concept art. I am of course talking about this one.

Now rather than touch the obvious first. Because oh the Obvious it is so great and exciting, that we’ll leave it for last.

Rather I want to start with the overall concept. We see a group of characters diving underwater into a coral reef area. They are doing so, presumably to escape the archers above; as we see a rain of arrows into the water.

So there are two ways this could happen. This could be a scripted event within the game, in which this scene needs to take place or is an option that can take place. This could also be showing off the PCs and NPC companions abilities to FINALLY after three games be getting a swim mechanic. As we’ve spent two games confined to land and a third insta-drowning on the Storm Coast. It would certainly open up new options for moving across maps and exploring beneath them, with new treasures and areas to unlock. The last game gave us jump puzzles, we could be looking at swim puzzles in the near future. It also makes sense for this to be the game for underwater travel and just water travel in general. As the entirety of Northern Thedas has some access and dependency on coasts, bays, and oceans surrounding it.

Now let’s return to the image. If we look closely, we can see some fish among a coral reef and far in the distance is the shadows of sharks. Which could be enemies similar to those found in the Assassin’s Creed franchise or just environmental/aesthetic additions.

I also want to point out that we can see where this group is coming from. At the top of the image is the shadows of boats, which again hint towards at least having ship exploration in cutscene or mechanic. These people aren’t jumping from a dock or shore, but from ships.

The last thing I want to touch on briefly, before moving onto the characters populating this image is the treasure. At the very bottom of this picture there is a skeleton, it has pieces of coral growing out of it. Obviously it rather gruesome in a way, but has a level of nature overcoming beauty to it (for some). So I’m not going to post a close up of it, but just wanted to point that out. The skeleton also has a treasure chest in it’s arms and the lock glints, to draw attention to it. Similar to the mechanics used in many games to distinguish loot chests, again hinting towards possible underwater exploration.

Now then…the characters, I’m still going to hold off on the obvious cause I’m cruel and I Mean ;) why not. So I’m going to start in the very back first.

In the back we see the skull-headed individual from before. Though this one doesn’t have any glow to the skull. I’ve seen a lot of other theories being brought up about this character too, so I still can’t definitively say much about them. 

I am still kind of under the impression they are a Mortalitasi or tied to them. Many others have pointed out it could be a Higher Undead (mentioned in Tevinter Nights, as I stated in Analysis #1), a self-aware spirit in the body of someone who once lived and I believe similar to what Justice and Kristoff became. I’ve also heard some people wonder if it isn’t Audric, a specific higher undead that was a main character of the aforementioned Tevinter Nights story; he is known  as a guardsman who was killed before filled by another character with a spirit, and later became an archivist for the Mourn Watch. Which would tie him to the Mortalitasi, but if it is him and he is shown in all concept arts; it makes me wonder why he would be performing a dissection of a Dragon.

Next we have this woman. 

I have a friend who on first glance thought it to be Scout Lace Harding, which could be possible given the company. She also has similar armor, a possibility of freckles, and similar physical features. However, it is strange that they would choose to loosen her hair, unless it is specifically to give more convincing towards the underwater scene. And the foreshortening of the drawing, makes it hard to gauge the woman’s height as dwarva or not. It’s a bit of an unknown. That said, if it isn’t Scout Harding, I have a strong feeling it could be a default PC stand-in. There is no extremely distinct feature about her and her face is rather basic to be an instantly recognizable companion. Which says to me she’s a NPC, like Scout Harding or a PC stand-in. Unless of course Scout Harding is a companion, which I certainly won’t say no to.

And Finally, I suppose we can talk about our last two characters in this concept art.

Still working from the back, we have this handsome and fine piece of art who I really wish I could 100% confirm is our favorite Tevinter piece of ass art. However…I cannot. On first glance, it absolutely looks like Magister Dorian Pavus.

The hair, skin color, and even aesthetic all seem to match. However, there are subtle changes to the hair and facial hair (against his long-haired epilogue look) that could be enough to claim it’s another person.

He is also wearing something similar to a crow uniform and wielding a rapier. In fact, in another concept art, what I originally thought could have been Zevran; actually seems to be this guy. Though I can’t confirm that either and Maker do I hope the other guy is Zevran. If this guy is Dorian tho, then Dorian could be undercover or has a few new tricks (maybe dual-classing or going back to dao unrestricted-class weapon loadouts?) It could even just be a style choice, though it still begs the question why.

So the possibilities are that he is Magister Dorian Pavus of Ventus or some unknown Crow. Either of which aren’t bad options, but one is definitely more exciting to me than the other.

Lastly, my favorite character to ever grace the Dragon Age fandom. The Queen of the Seas herself, and beloved Rivaini.

Captain Isabela of the Felicia Armada (allegedly).

She is honestly the only one in this entire picture, I can say with almost no doubt, who she is. There is such a slim margin for this not to be her. She has her gold decorations (including the overly large, penis necklace), her captain’s pants as seen in the comics, and her top and sash as seen in the Dragon Age Inquisition multiplayer. Her appearance is one of the most unique in the series, so for her to be unrecognizable would be a hard sell. She even has her one shouldered armor piece and her earrings.

Which Isabela has been in every game to date and I do mean EVERY game, even the spin-offs for PC and mobile, why wouldn’t she be in the one game that goes north near her hometown and the seas she roams? She could be working for herself, the Inquisition, or even Hawke. But it seems no doubt we’ll be running into her and she’ll be running into a good bit of booty. After all is it even a Dragon Age game anymore if the Queen of the Seas isn’t there (and like fewer dragons than the number of times she shows up?).

tldr; underwater or at least the sea seems to be a part of the Next Dragon Age game. And Captain Isabela seems to be too, in passing or sticking around a while we don’t know. We can also count of some new companions and maybe more familiar faces, but wherever it takes us we’ll be in good company.

virlath:

ageofdragon:

ageofdragon:

So…I kinda wanted go in order of the video. However, I really REALLY want to talk about dis ho

Because…well I love this. In concept and it’s just a gorgeous, if grotesque piece of art.

What this concept art is depicting is a study of Dragon anatomy, you can see (unfortunately) that the main person of the art is cutting into the dragon corpse. They have a saw (I’m gonna call it a bone saw, but I know 0 actual medical tools) and are removing some part of the Dragon (too small for the brain? but too big for eye?). They also have one of the dragon’s eyeball on an apparatus.

You can also see two skeleton assistants carrying away the dragon pieces in glorified trays.

So let’s take a closer look at the person first.

They’re dressed in a cross between armor, a smock, and an intricate headpiece. They also have more medical tools in their smock.

When I first looked at this and the other concept arts containing characters like this ones, I was super confused. This looks like a walking corpse, the glowing skull and all. Could what happened in Inquisition with the Fade, have allowed for such a shift in the possibility and acceptance of spirit beings in Thedosian society???

That was until I went back to this person’s assistants.

Their assistance are skeletons possessed by spirits, the bodies have been altered specifically to hold the spirits. And if you look closely, their bodies look more organic and coarse than the face of their master. Which got me to thinking about something, specifically something from Tevinter Nights.

Mortalitasi are known for Necromancy, summoning Fade spirits to possess mummified and preserved bodies. They foster these spirits and sometimes even employ them as assistants, giving them purpose. I especially noticed how similar the main figures outfit is to the statues outside the Nevarran Tomb pictured above.

Which means it is possible, the figure in the concept art isn’t a spirit themselves; rather they are a Mortalitasi in full uniform.

I don’t know why or how the skull helm/headpiece glows, if it is magic or residual spirit. If maybe they are possessed or if it’s just aesthetic. I’m just not sure the skull head is even their real head. Especially since the spirit skulls have lit eyes and they don’t. That’s honestly the most confusing and least convincing part of these concepts (as in a good argument to them Not being Mortalitasi).

I also mentioned before this figure shows up elsewhere in the video too.

They appear far right in what seems to be a silhouetted version of what could be Companions. I’m pretty sure this in them or someone like them, even though they are obscured. As you can still see the green glow and the head piece is similar to the one worn above (if slightly bigger) and zooming in, you can also see a similar smock/armor under their coat as above.

Meaning, if all my speculation isn’t just bullshit from too much Dragon Age College. It is possible (but of course not confirmed) we could be looking at a Mortalitasi Companion in the newest Dragon Age, which I think is awesome!! I definitely can’t wait for Nevarra! Which is why I had to do this one first, cause I just love the idea of this; even if I’m completely wrong or it changes. So sorry for not doing it ordered like I was going to (I’m going to try in the future posts), but come on! 

Death Goth Dragon Mage Companion, who wouldn’t want that?

Going forward, these analysis will vary in length and content. However, I will link them all together and try to make it easy as possible to find. Some will be in-depth, some surface looks, and some just a ramble of conscious. I hope you can enjoy them all, but if not there are absolutely plenty of cool people out there looking at these things.

Lastly shout out to all the devs working hard on this game, it’s already looking really nice and I look forward to seeing more in the future with high hopes.

Coming back to this, it was mentioned in the comments that they also show up in the underwater concept art. Which I had thought, but wasn’t sure and originally wrote off as a darkspawn emissary (for reasons unknown to even my own brain).

But it definitely looks similar to them. It certainly makes the skull piece seem like a helm of some sort, seeing as it has crest and doesn’t glow underwater. Which I would expect spirity things too, for lack of a better term. Of course this could just be due to the restraints of the concept art (aka the glow still exists, we just can’t see it visual)

I wonder if the magic glow of their helmet (if that’s what it is), isn’t tied to their spirit assistants and necromancy. Kind of a personal imprint and focus for their brand of magic.

My guess on the spirit companion is that it is Audric, a self aware spirit guardsman who becomes part of the Mourn Watch in Down Among the Dead Men in Tevinter Nights. Which really excites me because he was one of my favourite characters in the book and has so much potential as a companion. 

I think it’d be interesting from many perspectives if this was Audric, The only reason I wasn’t sure it was him, is he was essentially hired as an archivist of the Mourn Watch. The concept of the Dragon dissection is kind of weird, in that regard; if it is Audric. There are a lot of open ended things when it comes to this particular entity. Especially since I don’t even know if the ones pictured above, are all the same person.

ageofdragon:

So…I kinda wanted go in order of the video. However, I really REALLY want to talk about dis ho

Because…well I love this. In concept and it’s just a gorgeous, if grotesque piece of art.

What this concept art is depicting is a study of Dragon anatomy, you can see (unfortunately) that the main person of the art is cutting into the dragon corpse. They have a saw (I’m gonna call it a bone saw, but I know 0 actual medical tools) and are removing some part of the Dragon (too small for the brain? but too big for eye?). They also have one of the dragon’s eyeball on an apparatus.

You can also see two skeleton assistants carrying away the dragon pieces in glorified trays.

So let’s take a closer look at the person first.

They’re dressed in a cross between armor, a smock, and an intricate headpiece. They also have more medical tools in their smock.

When I first looked at this and the other concept arts containing characters like this ones, I was super confused. This looks like a walking corpse, the glowing skull and all. Could what happened in Inquisition with the Fade, have allowed for such a shift in the possibility and acceptance of spirit beings in Thedosian society???

That was until I went back to this person’s assistants.

Their assistance are skeletons possessed by spirits, the bodies have been altered specifically to hold the spirits. And if you look closely, their bodies look more organic and coarse than the face of their master. Which got me to thinking about something, specifically something from Tevinter Nights.

Mortalitasi are known for Necromancy, summoning Fade spirits to possess mummified and preserved bodies. They foster these spirits and sometimes even employ them as assistants, giving them purpose. I especially noticed how similar the main figures outfit is to the statues outside the Nevarran Tomb pictured above.

Which means it is possible, the figure in the concept art isn’t a spirit themselves; rather they are a Mortalitasi in full uniform.

I don’t know why or how the skull helm/headpiece glows, if it is magic or residual spirit. If maybe they are possessed or if it’s just aesthetic. I’m just not sure the skull head is even their real head. Especially since the spirit skulls have lit eyes and they don’t. That’s honestly the most confusing and least convincing part of these concepts (as in a good argument to them Not being Mortalitasi).

I also mentioned before this figure shows up elsewhere in the video too.

They appear far right in what seems to be a silhouetted version of what could be Companions. I’m pretty sure this in them or someone like them, even though they are obscured. As you can still see the green glow and the head piece is similar to the one worn above (if slightly bigger) and zooming in, you can also see a similar smock/armor under their coat as above.

Meaning, if all my speculation isn’t just bullshit from too much Dragon Age College. It is possible (but of course not confirmed) we could be looking at a Mortalitasi Companion in the newest Dragon Age, which I think is awesome!! I definitely can’t wait for Nevarra! Which is why I had to do this one first, cause I just love the idea of this; even if I’m completely wrong or it changes. So sorry for not doing it ordered like I was going to (I’m going to try in the future posts), but come on! 

Death Goth Dragon Mage Companion, who wouldn’t want that?

Going forward, these analysis will vary in length and content. However, I will link them all together and try to make it easy as possible to find. Some will be in-depth, some surface looks, and some just a ramble of conscious. I hope you can enjoy them all, but if not there are absolutely plenty of cool people out there looking at these things.

Lastly shout out to all the devs working hard on this game, it’s already looking really nice and I look forward to seeing more in the future with high hopes.

Coming back to this, it was mentioned in the comments that they also show up in the underwater concept art. Which I had thought, but wasn’t sure and originally wrote off as a darkspawn emissary (for reasons unknown to even my own brain).

But it definitely looks similar to them. It certainly makes the skull piece seem like a helm of some sort, seeing as it has crest and doesn’t glow underwater. Which I would expect spirity things too, for lack of a better term. Of course this could just be due to the restraints of the concept art (aka the glow still exists, we just can’t see it visual)

I wonder if the magic glow of their helmet (if that’s what it is), isn’t tied to their spirit assistants and necromancy. Kind of a personal imprint and focus for their brand of magic.

Analysis #2 Location, Location, Location