It’s the turn of the mystical magical fellows to get character profiles on the Dragon Age: Inquisition site. Today’s update brings information about elven apostate and Richard O’Brien lookalike Solas. Last week, the majestic and moustachioed Dorian was detailed too.
Let’s start with Solas, since he’s the more recent of the two.
If he doesn’t have a spell called “The Crystal Maze” I’m going to be quite sad.
Solas is a self-taught apostate mage, meaning he practices his magic “outside the Circle of Magi.” I think that means he’s basically unlicensed. Anyway, despite this he’s fascinated by The Fade and able to do some funky out-of-body exploration of historical areas by going to ancient ruins and effectively doing some lucid dreaming. Handy stuff.
Thing is, this stuff is based on people’s memories (contained with The Fade) so Solas is only really getting one of thousands of eye-witness accounts of the place. He’s aware of this though and able to filter the important stuff. Rather than fearing The Fade like so many other magicians, Solas respects it and seeks insight there.
He goes to the Inquisition willingly, to offer his aid and expertise on The Fade. According to writer Patrick Weekes, Solas can “manipulate magic in ways that would never occur to most mages,” thanks to his Fade-affinity. He probably won’t get along too well with loyal Circle mage Vivienne, but could end up best chums with the spirit Cole.
It ain’t easy bein’ green.
Dorian, meanwhile, is another mage with “radically different” experiences to the norm. He’s from a wealthy and influential Tevinter family, but chose to reject that life after seeing an as-yet-unexplained “event” the Tevinter mages were engaged in and attempting to intervene.
A sharp-witted fellow, Dorian is also said to be rather jaded and sarcastic. On the battlefield, though, he’s a powerful mage with control over the elements and (a bit like Solas) spirits of the dead.
There won’t be any Dorian-romance for the ladies out there, as he prefers the company of gentlemen. That won’t stop him having some verbal sparring sessions with Vivienne though. Writer David Gaider describes the pair as “the Statler and Waldorf of Thedas,” which is a mighty bold claim.
Dragon Age: Inquisition comes to PC on 7 October.
