𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒙.

[thunderproof]

SENDING CRYSTAL | WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE | IN PERSON

Comments

[serannas]

"Fen'harel and dreams?" she asks, a little surprised that the book hasn't explained more. Well, maybe it was written by an uninformed human. "Of course. He's called the Bringer of Nightmares for a reason. It's said he'll visit the People in their dreams to taunt them, scare them; things like that. One story tells of Fen'harel coming to a Keeper at night, entering his dreams and trying to twist his mind to turn him against his clan. But the Keeper's dog was there to guard his master, and within the dream chased the Dread Wolf across the Fade and bit into his tail in the pursuit. Fen'harel could only escape the loyal hound by biting off his own tail and fleeing."

There are plenty of stories about Fen'harel. Probably more than any of the other Creators, since he stayed around after the others were locked away. She thinks of his statues scattered throughout the Dales and other places throughout southern Thedas, always facing away from the Dalish camp, but there all the same, sometimes with offerings of flowers set there. Despite his actions, the People still make offerings, mainly out of fear.

"Well, yes and no. It's habit, really, to invoke the name of a Creator for everyday things. They're locked away from us and can't help us, but we still call to them. I used to be hearthmistress, so I was in charge of lighting all the fires in camp, among other things. It's tradition to say a pray to Sylaise before lighting the fires and putting them out, because she's the goddess of the hearth. We say her name in our wedding ceremonies too: Sylaise enaste var aravel. Lama, ara las mir lath. Bellanaris."

[thunderproof]

Well that doesn't sound at all like the wolf in her dream. He was... lonely, more than anything else, not terrifying or manipulative — he wanted to be remembered, and he wanted his people to be remembered. If that's Fen'Harel, these people have very little real knowledge of their own deity.

"So if an elf were to be visited by a wolf in their dreams, would that be taken as a very bad sign? Or anyone, I suppose, though it'd be more likely for him to come to elves, certainly?"

Basically: Are you gonna flip out if she tells you a wolf showed her some ruins in her dreams? Not that Adalia is really considering telling Ellana this — Solas said it'd be a bad idea, and she trusts his judgment on this one, hearing these myths, but how superstitious are the Dalish really?

"Oh, so... Huh. Strange."

So not even something like Alacruun's prison, then — he could reach through that, nominally, enough to empower her and talk to her, even if he couldn't come through it. The Creators can't even manage that much.

How God-like are they, really, then?

[serannas]

Ellana draws a foot up onto the bench, wrapping arms around her leg and resting her cheek against her knee. She gives Adalia a thoughtful stare, wondering if she's merely asking out of curiosity, or something more.

"Some would say so; I'm sure. But I've dreamt of wolves before, after I was attacked by them. And you have to remember that our dreams are where spirits and demons roam. I wouldn't be surprised if a demon took the form of a wolf to scare people. So it could be a bad sign, if the stories are true. And it could be a bad sign if the wolf is really a demon. But sometimes? A dream is just a dream."

That's the most diplomatic way she can put it. Ellana isn't exploring elven ruins for the fun of it. She wants to find out the truth. What in their past is history and what are just stories? Until she knows for sure one way or the other, she can allow for several interpretations.

"Why is it strange?" she asks mildly, curious as to Adalia's reasoning.