Solas, aka Fen'Harel, or the Dread Wolf, is one of my favorite characters of all time. He's a polarizing figure, a trickster who doesn't behave the way many trickster characters do. He isn't flashy or overtly malicious, and upon an initial playthrough, Solas simply seems odd and standoffish. With his dowdy outfit, general grumpy air, and love of a good night's sleep, he appears more like an eccentric professor than anything else.
This is, of course, mostly by design.
Firstly, let's examine the plot of Dragon Age: Inquisition, and see Solas' role in it. Solas is introduced in Inquisition, and does make a cameo in 'The Masked Empire,' one of the tie-in novels, but otherwise, does not appear in any other Dragon Age media (although he is namechecked quite often, more on that later).
Inquisition is the third game in the Dragon Age series, coming after Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2. Released in 2014, Inquisition follows the Inquisitor as they attempt to restore order in a chaotic world. Inquisition is a direct follow up to DA2, as DA2 set up many plotlines to pay off in following installments, as well as introducing characters that feature heavily in Inquisition.
The backdrop is set on the mage-Templar war. The mages are those born with magic, who are part of the Circle, the formal system of education for mages in southern Thedas. The Templars are those who are supposed to guard over them, but a conflict has arisen. The mages feel they are treated unfairly, and a rebellion is stirred by events that transpire both in DA2 and Asunder, another tie-in novel. Conflict has been boiling since DAO, but it's only by Inquisition that we see all-out war between the two factions.
To alleviate things, Divine Justinia, the head of the Chantry, has called heads of all parties to a summit at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. The Chantry is the religious body that is technically in charge of both the Circles of Magi and the Templars, but clearly things have gone awry. The future Inquisitor is part of this summit, not an important attendant but there by chance.
This summit, the Conclave, is destroyed. A massive explosion destroys the Temple of Sacred Ashes, kills the Divine, kills any hope of peace, and on top of all that, tears a hole in the sky. This hole, the Breach, is a hole in the Veil, the metaphysical superstructure that separates the world of spirits and dreams from the physical world. There's only one survivor from the Conclave, the future Inquisitor, an individual with a strange mark on their hand that's the only thing that can seal the Breach.
It's in this first level we meet Cassandra, Varric, Leliana, Cullen, and of course, Solas. Solas is technically the third major character we meet, after Cassandra and Leliana.
Cassandra Pentaghast, a Seeker of Truth, was the Right Hand to Divine Justinia. Introduced in Dragon Age 2, she is a fierce, uncompromsing woman with a strong sense of faith. Sister Leliana was introduced in Dragon Age Origins, a Chantry Sister fleeing a bad past. By Inquisition, she is the Divine's Left Hand, and becomes the chief spymaster of the Inquisition. Varric Tethras was also introduced as a companion in DA2, playing a larger role than Cassandra and framing the story. Cullen Rutherford was initially introduced in DAO, like Leliana, and made appearances in DA2.
One thing to immediately notice here is that of all the characters we are introduced to, they are all familiar. They have all made appearances before. Solas is a complete stranger. He had only an early bird cameo in the very end of Masked Empire, and at this point in the game, the audience does not have enough evidence to link Solas to that appearance. He is credited as saving the Inquisitor's life, so already there is a stong tie between him and the Inquisitor.
There are complications, as there always are, and Cassandra and Leliana found the Inquisition, and enlist the future Inquisitor's help. We are also introduced to Josephine Montilyet, a noble ambassador from Antiva who assists the Inquisition with diplomatic affairs. She is the other new character apart from Solas introduced at this time, having not featured in any Dragon Age media before. However, she is set apart from Solas--she and Leliana are already friends, plus her family is well established Antiva nobility. Solas, in contrast, isn't simply a stranger to the player, he doesn't know anyone, and has no familial connections of any kind. It's not even clear what country he might hail from, as when questioned, he never gives a specific answer. His accent gives no hints, as his voice actor, Gareth David Lloyd, has a strong Welsh accent. Wales has no specific fictional Thedas analog, unlike the England-inspired Ferelden, French Orlais, or Roman Tevinter. The only other major character with a Welsh accent is Merrill, a companion from DA2. Merrill is a Dalish elf, which Solas vehemently is not. Solas expresses mistrust for the Inquisition initially, but this isn't without cause--Cassandra wasn't very welcoming of his help when he first arrived. It's also worth noting that Solas claims to have been in the vicinity of the Conclave due to sheer curiosity, he had no vested interest in it until the Breach.
The Inquisitor from this point on needs to gain allies. Most of the major players in southern Thedas reject the Inquisition, so it will take some time for the Inquisitor to approach either the mages or the Templars for help closing the Breach. And of course, there's still a war on.
It's during this period in the game where we meet the majority of the other major characters. First up is First Enchanter Vivienne de Fer, a mage loyal to the Chantry and the Circles. An elegant Orlesian, both Vivienne's appearance and connections make her an extreme contrast to Solas. Visually, the two of them are incredibly distinct, indicating the differences in their beliefs and attitudes. Solas is dressed in somewhat tatty leathers, but Vivienne appears in elaborate and expensive (but functional) clothing.Then we have Sera, an elven Red Jenny. The Red Jennies are a sort of Robin Hood-esque group, and although Sera and Solas have some similarities, they have some extreme differences as well. Whereas Solas takes pride in elven history, Sera rejects it entirely. She's also scared by magic, unlike Solas, who embraces it. Funnily enough, they do have some physical similarities. They're both unsually tall, have grey eyes, and wear tatty, worn clothes. Sera, like Cassandra, Josephine, and Solas, is romanceable.
The Iron Bull, the captain of the mercenary group the Chargers, is next. He sought out the Inquisition for two reasons; one, the Breach is a problem. Two, Iron Bull is Qunari, and the Qunari are very interested in what's going on with the Breach. The Qunari are a nation of people far to the north. Several Qunari characters have been introduced over the course of the series. Qunari society is a sort of fantasy dystopian society, where conformity is prized over all else and people have numbers for names. It's clearly inspired by dystopian fiction such as WE and 1984, and to a certain extent is a peculiar Soviet analog, at least politically. Iron Bull is another romanceable character.
Warden Blackwall is, ostensibly, a Gray Warden. The Gray Wardens are an organization devoted to stopping the Blights, and were the central figure in DAO. Blacwall and Solas initially have a great deal in common, as they both appear to be middle aged men with troubled pasts. They are also both hiding large secrets and carry a huge amount of guilt. Blackwall is a romanceable character as well.
By this point in the story, the Inquisition has gotten enough political pull to approach either the mages or the Templars for their help in closing the Breach. The Templar path has some parallels with Solas' story, but it's the mage path that will be the most thematically relevant. This is also the part of the game that introduces Cole and Dorian, the last two companions.
Cole is a spirit, a character that was introduced in the tie-in novel Asunder. He's easily the friendliest with Solas, and they have a pleasant if bizarre rapport.
Dorian Pavus is a mage from Tevinter, an aristocrat with a troubled past. Like Vivienne, Dorian is a stark contrast to Solas, as he's well-groomed and well-connected. Dorian has some knowledge of the major villainous faction of the game, as well as his family being a noble one. Although Dorian has few noble connections in southern Thedas, he still has connections in Tevinter. He is the last romanceable character to be introduced.
Again it's important to notice how much of an outsider Solas is when one compares him to the rest of the cast; everyone else has some significant connection to the wider world, and some have even been introduced in earlier games and media. Dorian is a new character, but is from a prominent noble family, similar to Josephine. Cole is making a second appearance. Iron Bull, Sera, Vivienne, and Blackwall are also new, but they all have connections to preestablished organizations.
The central plot of the mage path revolves around time travel. A minor villain, Alexius, has been messing around with time magic, and eventually ends up getting the Inquisitor and Dorian sent to the future. In this future, the world has effectively ended. Your companions are either dead or imprisoned, and the world itself is dying due to the spread of the Breach. The Inquisitor, and Dorian, naturally just want to return to their own time and prevent this future from happening at all. Every ally they meet agrees with them, and the quest ends when Dorian and the Inquisitor return to their time.
The central plot of the Templar path revolves around the demon that has possessed the Lord Seeker.
After this, it's time to seal the Breach. This, however, illuminates a new problem--the ostensible villain is revealed. The person who caused the Breach is a character named Corypheus, who, interestingly, was a villain in a DLC for DA2. He is a Tevinter magister, one from the time of the Imperium's height. He is heavily implied to be one of the original magisters who caused the Blight. Take note that this villain is also tied to the world in ways Solas is not (or rarther, does not appear to be); he is a recurring character with ties to the world's mythology.
The Inquisitor's original home base is destroyed after this encounter, and they must find a new one. Conveniently, Solas happens to know just the place. The castle Skyhold is an ancient, abandoned fortress in the middle of the mountains, perfect for the Inquisition's needs. From this base, the Inquisition conducts all of their business, and the fortress itself is slowly renovated over the course of the story.
Skyhold is a beautiful and well-designed castle. Very old, there is evidence of multiple remodelings and rebuilding efforts. It also, as will be revealed in the end of the game, originally belonged to Solas. There isn't much evidence of the castle's original architecture, but one particularly interesting feature is this hallway that leads into the war room.
On either side of the hallway one can see bricked-up archways. The archways are of a slightly different make than the brickwork, and one can see that the brickwork isn't made as well. These archways are a common design choice in old Elvhen ruins; they seem to be old windows or doorways. This corridor is one the player must pass in order to access the war room, which is vital to completing missions. It's just yet another hint that the Inquisitor and Solas are connected, no matter their personal feelings for each other.
Up next are two missions that only have a little foreshadowing built into them, but they both show a lot of the world. One mission is more combat based, taking on a major part of Corypheus' army. The other one is intrigue based, featuring a masquerade ball and complicated political maneuvering.
During this leg of the game, if you gain Solas' approval, his personal quest will kick in. Firstly, the name of his personal quest, 'All New, Faded For Her' is an anagram for 'Fenharel Dread Wolf,' which is clever. This quest starts because one of Solas' friends, a spirit of Wisdom, has been captured and imprisoned by mages. The Inquisitor travels with Solas to the Exalted Plains to try and rescue the spirit. Wisdom, however, has been twisted, turned into a Pride demon. The Inquisitor can either help free Wisdom or kill it, but freeing Wisdom results in the spirit's death as well.
'Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts' is the intrigue based quest. The Inquisitor must resolve the civil war in the neighboring country of Orlais, in one way or another. At the end of this quest, Morrigan, a major character from DAO, will join the Inquisition as an arcane expert.
'Here Lies the Abyss' is the quest involving the Gray Wardens.
The next mission that employs quite a great deal of foreshaowing is 'What Pride Had Wrought,' which takes place in an ancient Elvhen temple. The name of this quest has a double meaning--each major quest in DAI is titled after a line in the Chant of Light. 'What Pride Had Wrought' is a line from Thredonies 7:10, the full verse of which reads:
"And as the black clouds came upon them,
They looked on what pride had wrought,
And despaired."
This section of the Chant refers to the creation of the world as well as the onset of the Blight. This is an extremely interesting line to use, for several reasons. For one, Solas' name literally means pride. For another, it will be revealed Solas is ultimately responsible both for what happened to the ancient elves and in an indirect way for the state of modern Thedas.
The Inquisition believes Corypheus is searching for a particular artifact in the temple, a magic mirror called an eluvian. An eluvian is a way of transporting people across vast distances. This isn't specifically what Corypheus is looking for, although there is an eluvian in the temple. What Corypheus is searching for is called the Vir'abel'asan, the Well of Sorrows, a repository of knowledge. The Well and the temple is guarded by the Sentinels, ancient elves similar to Solas, but clearly having a different allegiance. Interestingly, Solas and the ancient elves' leader, Abelas, have some passing familiarity with each other, but Abelas never gives Solas away.
The map of the temple itself has some interesting features. There is a choice where the Inquisitor can either follow Corypheus' forces directly through the temple, or obey the rituals to unlock the temple's doors. These rituals are puzzles, but most notably, there's one puzzle that requires the player cheat to solve. This puzzle had a statue of Fen'harel overseeing it. Earlier in the level, Morrigan makes note of how strange it is that a statue of Fen'harel is in this temple, as it seems blasphemous. Solas disagrees with her if he's brought on the quest, telling her she likely doesn't know as much as she thinks she does.
The end of the mission requires another choice. Either the Inquisitor or Morrigan can drink from the Well. Solas greatly disapproves of drinking from it, because it will tie whoever does so to the will of Mythal.
After this quest is finished, the Inquisitor encounters Morrigan's mother, Flemeth. She's a character who was introduced in DAO, as well as featuring in DA2 as Asha'bella'nar. It's revealed that she is Mythal, the elvhen goddess.
In the endgame, the Inquisitor kills Corypheus. After the Inquisitor does this, there follows a strange scene, where Solas retrieves the Orb, broken in the fight.
After this first ending scene, there is a short cutscene involving Solas and Mythal/Flemeth. This is where it is revealed both that Solas is Fen'harel, and that the artifact Corypheus used was in fact Solas' the entire time. Mythal chides Solas for giving the orb to Corypheus, and Solas admits he did it because he was too weak to unlock it himself. Solas is the truthful instigator of the entire plot, for reasons that as as of yet unclear.
The true endgame comes in the form of the Trespasser DLC, one of three DLC levels that Inquisition has. The other two, Jaws of Hakkon and the Descent, are interesting but not nearly as plot relevant.
The Trespasser DLC takes place two years after the 'official' end of the game. The Inquisitor and the Inquisition have been called to the Winter Palace to discuss the fate of the Inquisition. Regardless of the state of the Inquisition, whether one of the Inquisitor's friends have ascended to the Divine, it seems the neighboring countries of Orlais and Ferelden are dissatisfied with the Inquisition's behavior.
Soon, more problems arise, as a body is discovered in the palace. Upon investigating it, the Inquisitor realizes that not only was this person a Qunari spy, there is an open eluvian in the Palace. This is, obviously, a problem and the Inquisitor embarks on a quest to chase the Qunari down and figure out what's going on. The secondary villain for Trespasser is the Viddasala, a Qunari zealot who's intent on converting southern Thedas by any means necessary. Soon, the Inquisitor learns of Solas' involvement as well, as the Viddasala names him as a problem. The Inquisitor hunts the Viddasala through the elvuian network, all while the situation at the Winter Palace deteriorates and the mark on their hand grows increasingly more volatile.
The Viddasala is dispatched in a cutscene, without the Inquisitor directly confronting her at all. In fact, the Inquisitor doesn't even see her death directly, coming by just after she is turned to stone.
Solas and the Inquisitor talk. One thing that is vital to understanding Solas as a villain is that there is no option to attack Solas here. There is no way to trigger a boss fight, no way to hurt him, no way to actually do anything other than mildly annoy him. On a meta level, this is a highly effective way for a video game to illustrate a threat. When Corypheus was introduced, the Inquisitor can hurt him, albeit not very much. As a matter of fact, by the time Corypheus actually appears, the Inquisitor has already disrupted his plans. By contrast, there is absolutely nothing the Inquisitor can do to Solas. The most that can be done is to cut Solas off before he explains what he's been doing, and, annoyed, he'll give you the truncated version and leave.
Encountering Solas after having gained his friendship or romanced him results in Solas and the Inquisitor having a fairly calm, extensive chat about Solas' past and his future plans. He explains a bit more about how he gave Corypheus the orb because he couldn't use it himself, basically thinking that Corypheus would blow himself up with it. He also explains how the existence of the Veil is his doing, he created it. As it turns out, the Veil isn't a natural structure at all, but an artificial one.
After this scene, the Inquisition is formally disbanded.
Solas is generally polite, but he does show a propensity towards picking fights with the other Inquisition members. He has a temper and feels very strongly about his beliefs, even if they are unpopular. He also has a bit of a know-it-all attitude, although at the same time, he is curious about people and in between picking fights with the companions, he will ask them more genuine questions.
Each of the major characters in DAI is associated with a tarot card. As well as being interesting aesthetically, the tarot symbolism matches up fairly well with the character themselves. Solas is associated with three in particular: the Hermit, his initial card, the Hierophant, his romanced card, and the Tower, his card at the end of the game.
"The Hermit stands alone on the top of a mountain. The snow-capped range symbolizes his spiritual mastery, growth, and accomplishment. He has chosen this path of self-discovery and, as a result, has reached a heightened state of awareness. In his right hand, he holds a lantern with a six-pointed star inside; it is the Seal of Solomon, a symbol of wisdom. As The Hermit walks his path, the lamp lights his way – but it only illuminates his next few steps rather than the full journey. He must step forward to see where to go next, knowing that not everything will be revealed at once. In his left hand, the side of the subconscious mind, The Hermit holds a long staff (a sign of his power and authority), which he uses to guide and balance him."
Overall, the Dragon Age cards share symbolism with the Rider Waite deck, but it's not always one-to-one. The Hermit card is one of the cards with the most shared symbolism. You'll see that on Solas' card, he stands on what appears to be a snowy mountain path, with a flame in his right hand and a staff topped with a halla figurehead in his left.
Notably missing from Solas' right hand is the six-pointed star; it's interesting how this card maintains so much of the symbolism, except for the one symbol directly indicating wisdom. This is notable when considering Solas' personal quest, where the spirit of Wisdom is literally corrupted and murdered.
Upright, the Hermit symbolizes soul-searching, introspection, solitude. Reversed, the Hermit indicates isolation and withdrawal. Either of these could refer to Solas in some way.
"The Hierophant is a religious figure sitting between two pillars of a sacred temple – though this temple differs from the one in which the High Priestess sits. He wears three robes – red, blue and white – and a three-tiered crown, both representing the three worlds over which he rules (the conscious, sub-conscious and super-conscious). In his left hand, he holds the Papal Cross, a triple sceptre that signifies his religious status. He raises his right hand in a religious blessing, with two fingers pointing towards Heaven and two towards Earth. Before him kneel two followers. The Hierophant’s task is to pass down his spiritual wisdom and initiate the two into the church so they can take up their appointed roles. This imagery speaks to a shared group identity and a rite of passage to enter the next level. The crossed keys at The Hierophant’s feet represent the balance between the conscious and subconscious minds and the unlocking of mysteries, which only he can teach."
The Hierophant card differs pretty drastically from the Rider Waite one. It's interesting that Solas features on the Hierophant card at all, considering his rejection of organized religion--however, he technically is a religious figure in and of himself. One notices that although Solas has no crown, differing from the Waite card, he is carrying a staff in his left hand, plus his right hand is raised.
Upright, the Hierophant refers to religious beliefs, conformity, tradition, and spiritual wisdom. Reversed, it indicates freedom, personal beliefs, and challenging the status quo. Solas himself challenges the Inquisitor on their beliefs, and offers to remove their vallaslin at the end of the romance.
"The Tower shows a tall tower perched on the top of a rocky mountain. Lightning strikes set the building alight, and two people leap from the windows, head first and arms outstretched. It is a scene of chaos and destruction. The Tower itself is a solid structure, but because it has been built on shaky foundations, it only takes one bolt of lightning to bring it down. It represents ambitions and goals made on false premises. The lightning represents a sudden surge of energy and insight that leads to a break-through or revelation. It enters via the top of the building and knocks off the crown, symbolizing energy flowing down from the Universe, through the crown chakra. The people are desperate to escape from the burning building, not knowing what awaits them as they fall. Around them are 22 flames, representing the 12 signs of the zodiac and 10 points of the Tree of Life, suggesting that even in times of disaster, there is always divine intervention."
The Tower cards differ significantly, even moreso than the Hierophant cards. Notably in Solas' Tower card, there is no actual tower or lightning depicted. The tower has been replaced by a massive black wolf, one which, interestingly, has no obvious foundation. Instead of seeing the wolf's legs, we see the small figue of Solas at the bottom. This figure could stand in for both the shaky foundation and the falling figures in the original Waite card. The lack of flames in Solas' card is also intriguing. If the flames in the original Waite card symbolize divine intervention, then the lack of them in the Dragon Age card could indicate a missing divinity--either that or Solas himself is the replacement for the absent flames.
Solas' abilities and specialization reflect his personality, as do the specializations and weapons use of every character. If left to auto-level, Solas is interestingly more of a support mage than either Vivienne or Dorian. However, his specialization of Rift mage includes some very powerful offensive spells.
Solas is romanceable by a female elf. He was originally intended to be romanceable by both genders, but the creators of the game wanted to avoid 'evil bisexual' stereotyping. Any Inquisitor can gain his friendship. There are several things that reliably gain his approval; large events, such as freeing the mages, but also smaller things. Asking him sincere questions nets a consistent amount of approval, even if the Inquisitor might disagree with him.
There are flirt options for Solas in Haven, as there are for other characters. Solas' first romance scene is interesting. It will trigger the first time an Inquisitor with high enough approval speaks to Solas at Skyhold. This scene will trigger specifically after a high enough approval threshold has been met, regardless of if the Inquisitor is romancing Solas or not. Solas' romance is also the easiest to trigger, with the other characters taking much longer to trigger their romances (Sera and Iron Bull, for example, take quite a bit of time and flirtation to trigger).
The scene takes place in the Fade, in a dream that the Inquisitor and Solas share. The Inquisitor (and the audience) do not at first realize it's a dream. It is unclear when exactly Solas and the Inquisitor fell asleep; this scene in the Fade is triggered by talking to Solas, and he merely suggests 'going somewhere more interesting.' It can be inferred that the Inquisitor fell asleep sometime before talking to Solas at all, and their dream simply resembled Skyhold initially.
Solas' romance route notoriously ends with Solas breaking up with the Inquisitor. There is no way to avoid this outcome. Solas, unlike other romanceable characters, has no repeatable kissing scene. Solas is also both reluctant and eager throughout the romance, responding positively to the Inquisitor's advances, but also expressing uncertainty over the relationship. If the Inquisitor breaks off the romance early, Solas accepts this very easily, almost relieved. Solas also does not have any quests tied to his romance. Other characters will have important gifts they can be given, or important events that will occur.
comprison to the inquisitor -in hushed whispers -skyhold parallels to other inquisition members Solas has many parallels to both the Inquisitor and other members of the Inquisition that aren't obvious as first glance. Firstly, there are very obvious connections between Solas and the Inquisitor, such as Skyhold and the mark. Both of these things are items that Solas, intentionally or accidentally, gave to the Inquisitor. Solas and the Inquisitor also feel responsible for a large number of people.
Solas is both a foil to Sera, but he also parallels her in a lot of ways. Like her, he rejected the society he was born into. Both of them are rebellious, argumentative, and have a notably unique view of the world. They both feel like outcasts, fear rejection, and can be abrasive. While they have seriously clashing personalities, they also tease and prank each other in a more light-hearted way.
comparison to other fictional characters; commander shepard avatar aang captain taylor the doctor rayek
There are several other fictional characters that Solas has interesting parallels to, not all of whom are villainous. Much like Solas has similarities to the Inquisitor, he also shares parallels with Commander Shepard of Mass Effect. Commander Shepard and Solas are both very powerful people who are still at odds with their respective societies, for different reasons. Commander Shepard finds themselves frequently at odds with their government, frequently acting as something of a doomsday prophet, ignored by people who should know better.
One of the characters that is very unexpectedly similar to Solas is Avatar Aang, from the animated series Avatar the Last Airbender. Aang and Solas have wildly different temperaments--Aang is extroverted and optimistic, a relgious figure with an extremely different opinion on tattoos--but have some stark similarities. Both are fish out of water. Both carry enormous guilt and a feeling of responsibility for the state of the world, even if it could be argued the world's current troubles aren't directly their fault. Both are the last survivors of their people (although Solas isn't the sole survivor of the ancient elvhen, he, thus far, seems to be the only survivor from his faction). Both have a huge amount of magical power that they don't always display. Both have unique outlooks on the world that set them apart from others. They are both nomadic. They have a number of physical traits in common--bald, gray-eyed, carrying a staff. The big difference is Aang does not plan to cause the apocalypse to solve any of his problems. Interestingly, however, Aang's motivations in stopping the major conflict in his world do share Solas' own motivations for erecting the Veil, that is, Solas also wanted to stop the major conflict in his world.
meta implications of inquisition plot; -use of trickster archetype -use of corypheus as patsy
Effectively, Corypheus is not the primary villain of Inquisition. He's a patsy for the real threat. Solas is the ultimate instigator for the plot, Solas is the true owner of the orb,
conclusion To conclude, Solas is an incredibly complex and fascinating character.
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