Dragon Age Playlists (for Dragon Age Inquisition Characters)

Like most of us, I'm a sucker for music. And I was recently sharing Solas Spotify playlists with my friend and fellow Dragon Age Day founder T, and it made me want to do one for ALL the Companions!

So here we are—just for fun, I created playlists for all of our Dragon Age Inquisition Companions, below, plus (of course) Leliana, Cullen and Josie. 

Songs and Characters

My criteria for these was pretty loose, more about mood and gut reactions. In terms of what the songs mean for the characters, some of my choices are about the dark choices we might make, and what happens then (cough, Bull). 

Others are about when everything goes absolutely right. Some songs are about the delights of that character's romance, while others are about how that romance may unfortunately be delicious agony.

Some of the music I pick here is from the POV of the character, while a lot may also be from the POV of the romanced or friended Inquisitor. So again, it's just meant to evoke moods and moments.

One thing I deliberately didn't do—I didn't go back and look at that BioWare playlist blog post from years back. I remember that I loved it, but I didn't want to be an echo chamber, so I just did my own stuff here.

You will hear the occasional show tune. Or the occasional film composition. Or something just plain weird. Sorry/not sorry! There are also some very NSFW selections on some lists—especially Bull's—so you may want to browse and listen privately first in those cases.

Thanks for checking these out, and I'll look forward to your thoughts! What did I miss that was so bloody obvious you can't believe it? What songs mean the most to you when it comes to certain characters?

Share your own, and let's have some fun!

Solas

A playlist for everyone's most loved/hated hobo apostate and occasional elven god.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0S29zEcrBLw0vwEupWcLui?si=b16eeff0144b4a84

Selections here include songs from: PHILDEL, Hadestown, Stars, SYML, Imogen Heap, Jeff Buckley, Laurie Anderson, Murray Gold, Great Big Sea, Papa Roach, James Vincent McMorrow, Greg Laswell, Fleurie, Kristin Hersh, Dido, and lots more.

Hidden gems you may not be familiar with? I'd pick "We Raise Our Cups," which I love in this context for its sense of regret and myth, and the quietly apocalyptic "Keep Breathing," which feels SO "Drop-the-Veil-like" to me ("People are dying, I close my blinds...") "Leave Like That," and "Wasteland, Baby!" I tried to go for a combination of snapshots here, not just "Oh my God you left me," although that is of course REALLY EASY TO DO HERE (darn it, Solas). Since Solas actually does have a sly sense of humor, I also wanted to have a little fun occasionally, so there are some dashes of humor, like "You're Welcome," which, come on. That's perfect.

Bull

A playlist for the Ben-Hassrath in everyone's life. Please listen responsibly and don't forget your safe words...

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3IiArzC7v4uG3A6Mn5VQgB?si=0814c9d02ee84dd5

Selections here include songs from: Digital Daggers, Nancy Sinatra, RIELL, Freedy Johnston, Seether, Sia, Nouvelle Vague, Solomon Burke, Suzanne Vega, Jaymes Young, The Decemberists, Carly Simon, Daniel Lanois, Frou Frou, Leonard Cohen, and many more.

My picks for hidden gems here would include "Bad Reputation" (the song sounds like an anthem to love but it's also about damage and despair—"been breaking down, do you want me now, do you want me now?"), "The Bagman's Gambit" ("they'll never catch me now," goes the refrain, but we know everyone gets caught in the end), Daniel Lanois's gorgeous, epically romantic "The Messenger," "Master and Servant" (cough), and "Your Love Could Start a War." Is there a subtext in this playlist? Beyond the obvious nods to sexy times, it's basically that Bull is a lying liar whose lies are alternatively cheerful, methodical, or chilling, a stone-hearted spy depending on your choices, and, well, traumatized. He's also trapped for a lot of Inquisition—somebody who's stuck in a political machine it's hard to get out of, so I wanted to push that here. He's also a sweetheart to either Dorian or a romanced Inky despite the rough edges, so you get that here too.

Cullen

A Dragon Age playlist for handsome templars and those who love them. (Wait, that wasn't flirting, was it?!)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2iIFnCP61Fv4LjjAeeX2yk?si=2d4c65edbf6e4dbb

Selections here include songs from: Mumford & Sons, Elliott Smith, Fleurie, Ingrid Michaelson, Cranberries, Blues Saraceno, The Tragically Hip, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Hank Thompson, Jump, Little Children, Philip Glass, Florence + the Machine, and more.

Some potential hidden gems would include "Dogs of War," "On Every Street," "All the King's Horses" and "Anthem, Pt. 2." I really enjoyed putting this one together and tried to include everything from the PTSD, to his addiction issues, to finding true love, to occasional dashes of humor ("Don't Flirt with Me"). There's a little more movie soundtrack stuff on Cullen's than on some of the others, and I loved "Little Lion Man" to kick it off.

Dorian

A playlist for a certain handsome Tevinter mage who may or may not be in love, but who is always devastatingly charming.

Selections include songs from: The Dandy Warhols, Queen, Rufus Wainwright, Jem, George Michael, Peter Gabriel, The Decemberists, Agnes Obel, Adam Lambert, Prince, Indigo Girls, The National, MIKA, and more.

Potential hidden gems here for me would include "The Last High" (the progression of the narrator's arrogance is quietly hilarious as the song goes along), "The Wanting Comes in Waves" (yes, I am a huge Decemberists fan, and this one is probably my all-time favorite), "Dorian," "Exile Vilify," and Mika's beautiful "Any Other World." My goal with this one was to balance Dorian's intelligence and vanity with his hidden pain, yearning, kindness, and sweetness.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3CVmmDCKCZrZhFWMNkxRJD?si=5ce1a31f892d401c

Blackwall

A playlist for lonely guilt-soaked Grey Warden warriors and bearded icons (THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE).

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3JrfzGjkzpusWZWFmqdnkq?si=7037b245557c486e

Selections include songs from: Johnny Cash, Lenka, Regina Spektor, Aimee Mann, Belle & Sebastian, The Struts, Justin Timberlake, Sheryl Crow, Rihanna, Guster, Jonathan Coulton, Radiohead, Iron & Wine, and more. 

My picks for some hidden gems here would include Johnny Cash's terrific cover of Sting's "I Hung My Head," "Forgive Me Friend," "Samson," "Could Have Been Me," and "The Trapeze Swinger." Blackwall's list was one of the easier ones because of his palpable sense of regret and unworthiness (hey, there are thousands of songs out there about how much people hate themselves), but I also tried to incorporate some moments of purity, courage, redemption, and happiness.

Cole

A playlist for sweet spirit boys and real boys alike that will lift your spirits even if it doesn't lift your feet.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6k1ZiQTL2WnLg5HO3mWXJm?si=a5e6b1130e384b60

Selections include songs from: The Muppets, The White Stripes, Simple Plan, John Williams, Bright Eyes, Patrick Doyle, The Police, Art Garfunkel, Gary Jules, Ben Harper, Nick Drake, Marc Cohn, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Peter Allen, Max Richter, and more.

Some of my personal picks for hidden or less-known gems here would include "Bright Eyes," "The Wind," "Compassion," "Everything Old is New Again," "Lullaby for Cain," and "On the Nature of Daylight." I hopefully walked the line here between innocence and sweetness and Cole's bigger sense of knowing -- I was trying for his sense of the cosmic. I definitely didn't want to infantilize Cole, but he is sometimes paradoxically truly a kid, and I did want to include those dashes of childlike wonder at humanity's quirks.

Cassandra

A playlist for the secret warrior princess in all of us (with a dash of SWORDS AND SHIELDS).

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6wtIIliS0DfXKwJ8pnyM8y?si=de19a51bfe544de1

Selections include songs from: Christina Aguilera, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Thomas Bergerson, Royal Wood, Alana Davis, Pat Benatar, Dire Straits, Nelly Furtado, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, The Lumineers, Halsey, Joan Osborne, and more.

Some less-known gems here might include "Sand and Water" (a gorgeous examination of grief, and one I wanted to evoke both Cass's brother and her loss of Regalyan), "Kingdom Fall," "Disgusted" (oof!),  "Juliet," "Graveyard," and Joan Osborne's joyous anthem "Righteous Love." Basically, I just wanted to salute a kickass woman with hearts on her armor and in her soul.

Sera

Shite! A playlist for Red Jennies, kickass girl archers and their girlfriends. BEES!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NBBuHBLdW0DvxKHLlT3bj?si=74ab16e5fb4b4ea3

Selections include songs from: The Jesus and Mary Chain,  Kesha, Sinead O'Connor, The Chicks, Halestorm, Carly Rae Jepsen, Maria Isabel, Indigo Girls, No Doubt, Portishead, David Newman, Tracy Chapman, Ani DiFranco, Duffy, and more.

Some hidden gems here might include "Mayhem," "Eat the Rich," "Suzanne," "Broken Arrow," "Syrup & Honey," and "The Dresses Song." I had so much fun with Sera's list, although I wish there were more songs about bees, dammit. 

Varric

Well, shit. A playlist for the dwarves and dreamers,  as well as those still hung up on all the wrong people...

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6H8Mrmtbo6h6d174EZToKc?si=75a8da5eefed46c1

Selections include songs from: David Crosby, Tegan and Sara, Elvis Costello, Travis, the Robert Elovsson Quartet, Big Little Lions, Lyle Lovett, Beck, Sting, Tom Waits, the Weepies, and many more.

Some lesser-known inclusions here are "Hero" (one of my absolute favorite songs lifelong), "She's Already Made Up Her Mind," "This is Hell," "Stories," and "Happy Ending." Obviously the ghost of Bianca is all over this playlist (poor Varric), but it was really fun to explore—I love "I Know I Know I Know" in that context, as well as "Happy Ending," not to mention "Innocent When You Dream," which for me is perfect for Varric's intelligence and warmth.

Vivienne

A wicked little playlist for the most fabulous mage you'll ever meet, darlings.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4YoWLIAwSXKMBYkITUIkgz?si=4eab6fa977e44412

Selections include songs from: Beyonce, Billie Eilish, Lorde, Scarlett Johansson, Hamilton, Valerie Broussard, The Joy Formidable, Meredith Brooks, Cliff Richard, One Two, RHODES, Matt Corby, WandaVision, and many more.

Stuff you may not have heard before could include "A Little Wicked," Scarlett Johansson's wonderful, slinky "Trust in Me," "The Silent Treatment," "The Red Shoes" (I'm a sucker for fairytales), and "Your Soul." Viv's not bad, she's just drawn that way.

Leliana

A playlist for Thedas's scariest spymistress, curated by Baron Von Plucky.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4imTBQHZod2TTzZbHv19tE?si=50e548a3104e4e6e

Selections include songs from: Tori Amos, Trent Reznor, Wings, Blondie, Loreena McKennitt, Nena, The Cure, Sarah McLachlan, Ariana Grande, Echo & the Bunnymen, Massive Attack, JADE MOSS, and many more.

Some fun less-known stuff here includes "Nun with a Motherf*&*ing Gun," "Dante's Prayer," "All My Heroes," and "The Maker Makes." The combination of stone-cold killer and true believer in Leliana's list (with a dash of girl power) is really fascinating to listen to.

Josephine

A playlist for the world's sweetest bard. Some of her dolls act out these songs when she plays them.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Pu66tULbRsbq2W7zQNq4K?si=d11550c175584f86

Selections include songs from: Brandi Carlile, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, the Monkees, Sarah McLachlan, Ivy, Rickie Lee Jones, Ed Sheeran, Peter Cetera, Wicked, Sara Bareilles, Shakira, the Bangles, and many more.

Hidden gems here might include "All Will Be Well," "Josephine," "Mermaid Song," "I Was Brought to My Senses," and "The Lucky One." I felt sort of hijacked on this one because I had to keep putting in Disney songs, and that's all there was to it. They had to be here. Josie's a Disney Princess at heart!

The Dragon Age Timeline, Part 4: The Blessed Age

As usual in our Thedosian timelines and histories, The Blessed Age sees an awful lot of the Great Game, as mortals jockey for riches, thrones, and assorted vengeances.

Here's my next installment on my all-encompassing "Tale of Years" or ultimate Dragon Age timeline project, a fairly quick but succinct look at the Blessed Age.

Things start to get really fun here, since we witness some big milestones when it comes to battles and births of some familiar faces (speaking of which, among the many surprises I encountered in my research, one of these was Sten's age—I'd always pictured him as relatively young because of his occasional naivete in Origins). As always, please let me know if I get anything wrong here... I'll look forward to your thoughts!

If you're still catching up on these, please don't miss my previous timeline entries in the series:

• The Dragon Age Timeline and Tale of Years: Part 1 (Ancient Age)
• The Dragon Age Timeline: Part 2: From the Divine Age to the Towers Age
• The Dragon Age Timeline Part 3: From the Black Age Through the Steel Age

The Blessed Age:

• 8:05 Blessed - Kirkwall rebels against Orlais and gains the status of free city.
• 8:10 Blessed - Qunari in Par Vollen welcome Rivaini diplomats in a successful presentation of the Qunari way of life as something ordered and civilized.
• 8:24 Blessed - The Orlesian Empire launches its Second Invasion of Ferelden. Redcliffe, Vigil's Keep and the City of Amaranthine are taken by Orlais.
  ▪ King Vanedrin Theirin is killed at the Battle of Lothering and Calenhad the Great's sword Nemetos is lost. Ardal Cousland, Teyrn of Highever, is killed.
• 8:25 Blessed - Vanedrin's son, young King Brandel, attempts to unite the country of Ferelden but fails to keep the peace.
• 8:31 Blessed - The House of Repose accepts a contract from the du Paraquette family to keep the Montilyet family's mercantile activities restrained to outside of Orlais.
• 8:44 Blessed - Orlais sacks Denerim, driving King Brandel into hiding.
• 8:47 Blessed - Emperor Reville orders the murder of Grand Duke Gratien, his wife, three grown children, and all eight grandchildren.
• 8:50 Blessed - Emperor Reville fears retribution for the assassinations of Gratien and his family, and confines himself to his room in paranoia and guilt for the rest of his days.
• 8:51 Blessed - Death of Emperor Reville.
• 8:55 Blessed - Qunari forces land in Seheron and begin the first of the next wave of assaults against Tevinter.
• 8:58 Blessed - The Qunari successfully reconquer Seheron.
• 8:60 Blessed - Aurelian Pentaghast attempts the Nevarran throne, is unmasked as an impostor, and in disgrace, joins the dwarven Legion of the Dead, the only human to ever do so.
• 8:62 Blessed - The burning of Treviso in Antiva.
• 8:65 Blessed - Shunned for centuries after Andraste, blood magic use is once more on the rise in Tevinter.
• 8:70 Blessed - Orlais and Nevarra battle for control of the Perendale western hills. Nevarra is eventually victorious.
  ▪ ~(Estimated) Birth of Duke Bastien de Ghislain.
• 8:74 Blessed - Birth of Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons.
• 8:75 Blessed - Birth of Loghain Mac Tir.
• 8:76 Blessed - Apostate Adain of Starkhaven escapes the Circle of Magi.
• 8:77 Blessed - The epidemic of The Hundred Days' Cough in Orlais, killing the twin sons of the Emperor Judicael II and the baby daughter of his brother Florian.
• 8:78 Blessed Age - Birth of Maric Theirin.
• 8:82 Blessed - Nevarra attempts conquest of the Free Marches, but are foiled by Cade Arvale, later named Champion of Tantervale.
  ▪ Birth of Wynne.
• 8:84 Blessed - Emperor Judicael II dies. Florian Valmont ascends the throne of Orlais.
  ▪ Birth of Eamon Guerrin, future Arl of Redcliffe.
• 8:89 Blessed Age - Birth of Oghren Kondrat. Birth of Sten.
• 8:91 Blessed Age - Birth of Teagan Guerrin
• 8:95 Blessed Age - The Witch of the Wilds prophesies the return of the dragons.
  ▪ ~(Estimated) birth of Gordon Blackwall
• 8:96 Blessed - Moira the Rebel Queen is assassinated by Bann Ceorlic  upon orders from King Meghren of Orlais.
  ▪ Moira's son Maric escapes after his mother is murdered.
  ▪ Endrin Aeducan ascends the throne of Orzammar.
  ▪ Death of Duchess Marissa de Ghislain, sister to Duke Bastien de Ghislain, of the blue death.
• 8:97 Blessed Age - Birth of Vivienne.
• 8:98 Blessed Age - ~(Estimated) Birth of Thom Rainier (Blackwall). 
  ▪ House Tethras is exiled for its denial of the Voice of the Ancestors, and for willfully manipulating the sacred Provings.
  ▪ Maric leads Ferelden to take the town of Gwaren.
• 8:99 Blessed Age - ~(Estimated) Birth of Velanna.
  ▪ ~(Estimated) Birth of Anders.
  ▪ ~(Estimated) Birth of Anthony Pentaghast.
  ▪ Fereldan rebels are defeated at the battle of West Hill and Maric is presumed dead.
  ▪ Maric, very much alive, kills Bann Ceorlic and three other nobles responsible for his mother's death.
  ▪ The first returning dragons emerge in Antiva, then wreak havoc across Orlais, Nevarra, then the Frostback Mountains.
  ▪ The Seekers of Truth abandon Therinfal Redoubt in Ferelden.
  ▪ Loghain Mac Tir leads Fereldan forces to victory at the Battle of the River Dane.
• After another dragon is sighted on the Orlais side of the Frostbacks, Divine Faustine II declares the coming age the Dragon Age.

Meaningful Banters: Companions Suspect Solas...

In DAI, there are moments when we see our companions clearly, as they
experience self-doubt and wonder if, hey, they're missing something about Solas.

VIVIENNE: "I don't know what to make of Solas. So much knowledge and so little personal history... I find that... peculiar, don't you?"

NOTE: This post is part of a continuing series ("Meaningful Banters"), in which I shine a spotlight on especially important or revealing moments that occur between companions in banter, during the course of the games. SPOILERS GALORE for Dragon Age: Inquisition!

Our companions in Dragon Age: Inquisition are a smart bunch, and let's remember that they spend over 18 months together fighting evil, bantering, befriending, quarreling, flirting, teasing, and falling in (and out of) love, so it's interesting to go through their banter comments and dialogues and to realize that, seriously, many of them show at least a momentary suspicion of Solas. There are a surprising number of little moments where we find an instant of indecision, of wavering on that narrow balance, when you can see them, visibly, however briefly, wonder if maybe they're missing something about the quiet mage in their company all those months.

The Iron Bull:

Bull knows something's up with Solas. First moment to last.

As I've addressed elsewhere, Bull is the most suspicious, because I think his gift for spying has led him to scent the unspoken lie. He can tell that there is something false about Solas's "quiet elven mage" persona, and it's fascinating:

Banter #1:

Iron Bull: I've seen self-taught warriors. Even the good ones have something awkward in their style, something that clunks. I don't get that from you. Maybe magic is different.
Solas: Or without magical training, you cannot notice the parts of my magic that "clunk".

Banter #2:

Iron Bull: Not the quiet elven mage, though. No frills. Nothing to give you away. Half our targets never even see you coming.
Solas: I shall take that as a compliment.
Iron Bull: If you like.

I'll always adore the interactions between Solas and Bull, not least because I think both men are incredibly similar beneath the skin. They're both able to compartmentalize, they're both hot and cold, they're both hiding significant aspects of who they are and what they want, and they're both absolutely able to make the hard (brutal) choices when necessary.

Suspicions of the Other Companions

Viv never catches on about Bull, but she surely suspects Solas.

Meanwhile, our other companions also make intriguing comments where Solas is concerned, as follows:

Vivienne: 

"I don't know what to make of Solas. So much knowledge and so little personal history... I find that... peculiar, don't you?"

I love this. Viv's so sharp, and while she's sometimes incredibly narrow-minded, not much gets past her. As here.

Sera: 

"Solas? Pfft. His head's crammed up a thousand years ago."

This one's so on-point it's positively scary. BECAUSE IT'S TRUE.

Cassandra:

I love Cass's suspicions. She's just so "Law and Order" about
it: "So... Solas... where were you when the Conclave blew?"

Cassandra: I've wondered: How did you know to approach us, Solas? The Breach opened, we were scrambling and barely had time to think... and there you were.
Solas: I went to see the Breach for myself. I did not know you would be there.
Cassandra: You must not have been far away.
Solas: I was not. I'd come to hear of the Conclave, but did not want to get close.
Cassandra: Hmm. Lucky for us, then.

This is terrific, because it spotlights how clever and insightful our Seeker is, and she's not always credited for her perceptiveness. But here, she's definitely showing that maybe his cover story wasn't quite as smooth as he might have thought.

Dorian's so, so smart, and DAI doesn't always show this, but this
is a definite occasion on which we remember how smart our
handsome Tevinter companion actually is.

Dorian:

Dorian: That orb Corypheus carries... are you certain it's of elven origin, Solas?
Solas: I believe so. Why do you ask?
Dorian: There are paintings in the Magisterium's archives of men holding similar orbs. They were depictions of a time long before the magisters. The ancient Dreamers, perhaps. The texts called those orbs "somnaborium"--"vessels of dreams." Could they be the same thing?
Solas: Perhaps. The humans of ancient times took much from the elves.
Dorian: And Corypheus isn't far removed from the time. Hmm.

I love this dialogue exchange, and how much it's a reminder that Dorian is at heart a beautiful scholar and fellow geek. He may have much to learn, but he's also a thinker who's incredibly smart. He forgets nothing. And the final "Hmm" from Dorian here is perfection. I think it's obvious his mind is racing and he's already considering the possibilities.

Cole:

Cole knows all, but he also trips up on his own knowledge a few times, and it's fascinating, as noted here below.

Banter #1: 

Cole: You're different, Solas. Sharper. You're in both places.
Solas: I visit the Fade regularly. Perhaps you are sensing traces of it.

Cole loves and trusts Solas, but he still reveals incredibly
private details, in spite of himself.

ME: Liar liar pants on fire! I LOVE YOU! (wait, did I say that out loud?)

Banter #2:

Cole: You are quiet, Solas.
Solas: Unless I have something to say, yes.
Cole: No, inside. I don't hear your hurt as much. Your song is softer, subtler, not silent but still.
Solas: How small the pain of one man seems when weighed against the endless depths of memory, of feeling, of existence. That ocean carries everyone. And those of us who learn to see its currents move through life with their fewer ripples.
Cole: There is pain though, still within you.
Solas: And I never said that there was not.

Of course, as writer Patrick Weekes has noted, Cole always knew the truth about Solas and didn't judge him, reveal his origins, or even find them suspicious or worth mentioning. But I love that these banters take place in front of their companions, and what they inadvertently reveal.

"Ignore this! Look Over There!"

Blackwall's too busy defending potential suspicions
 to entertain any of his own.

What's interesting here is our ability to note those companions who question Solas's backstory, and those who simply do not. I certainly think Varric might have caught on with more than he lets on, but I think Solas has sparked his empathy and successfully distracted him with that. Varric's too busy thinking about Solas's sadness and loss of hope that he's not asking questions about how they met. And Blackwall is, of course, too busy keeping his own secrets and addressing his own guilt to ask the questions he might normally ask.

I love these little glimpses of how Solas's story, smart as it is on the surface, has these little cracks in it. He had to act quickly, so I like that his cover story isn't 100% -- and that our companions are smart and special enough to, just occasionally, say, "Hmmmm..."

What other instances have you seen where Solas gives himself away? Have I missed any?

Meaningful Banters: Tied and Tantalized (Companions on the Iron Bull's Romance)

The War Table? It's evidently quite sturdy.

Cole: She submits, but you serve.

NOTE: This post is part of a continuing series ("Meaningful Banters"), in which I shine a spotlight on especially important or revealing moments that occur between companions in banter, during the course of the games. As I've been writing a series of pieces on character romances, and most recently, The Iron Bull's, I thought this would be a fun and timely companion piece (and that it might cheer you up if you happened to just read the romance analysis segment discussing a Qun-Loyal Bull).


CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This post has NSFW elements and includes some frank dialogue referencing The Iron Bull's BDSM relationship with a romanced Inquisitor.

Bull's romance is one of the most complex in the Dragon Age universe, and as it evolves, Cole may perform his usual mind-reading magic to illustrate some of the relationship's more private elements—to the slightly embarrassed dismay of Bull and the Inquisitor, and to the delight of the rest of the companions.

I analyzed the Iron Bull's romance with the Inquisitor in more detail here, here, and here, but Cole's banter conversations about Bull and the Inquisitor's romance are also incredibly revealing about the dynamics of the relationship in the minds of both the Inquisitor and Bull—and are more than a little blushworthy (please note as always that I'm referring to my Inquisitor by the gender of my own Bull-romancer): 

Cole: She almost says the word sometimes. Katoh. She tastes it in her mouth, sweet release a breath away, tongue tying it tenderly like you tie her. But she doesn't. For you, and for her because it makes it mean more. A fuller feeling, a brighter burst.

Iron Bull: Yeah. (Coughs.) How's she feel about you saying this in front of everybody?

The Inquisitor can then respond with or without embarrassment, or matter-of-factly, and all the choices result in some funny reactions from our companions (I admit it, I usually take option #2—it's funnier, and more apropos): 

Inquisitor (Answer Option #2): If a rift opened up right now and swallowed me, I'd be fine with that.

Solas (if present): Provided it tied you down first, one assumed.

Varric (if present): Listen, do whatever works for you. You don't have to act restrained in front of us.

If your Inquisitor romances Bull, Cole will eventually broadcast several
of your most intimate thoughts to any companions in the vicinity! 

This is just another one of those little character moments that I love in the game, because Varric's not the only one being mischievous; quiet, proper Solas is once again reminding us that he's possibly a lot naughtier in the sack than he may appear to be, as well.

Inquisitor (Answer Option #1): Bull and I are consenting adults, and there's nothing wrong with what we choose to do in bed.

Cole: Not just in bed. Sometimes it's up against the wall. Once on the War Table.

Sera (if present): (Laughs.) Hope you took her right up the Dales.

Dorian (if present): (Laughs.) Ahem.

Blackwall (if present): I look forward to informing Cullen!

Or the Inquisitor ends the conversation without further delay:

Inquisitor (Answer Option #3): Moving on.

Cassandra (if present): I could not agree more.

Vivienne (if present): Please do.

Cole: Oh, sorry.

Cole brings up the romance again later on, and again, it's unexpectedly revealing, on both sides:

Cole: You act like you're in charge, The Iron Bull, but it's really her. She decides when, and you measure it carefully, enough to enjoy, to energize, but never to anger. She is tied, teased, tantalized, but it's tempered to what she wants. She submits, but you serve.

Iron Bull: Do you mind, kid? If you take away all the mystery, it's not quite as hot.

Inquisitor (Answer #1): Bull? Yes it is.

Iron Bull: Right! My mistake. Carry on, kid.

Cole: What's an Orlesian Tickler?

Iron Bull: I'll tell you when you're older.

Cole: No, you won't.

Iron Bull: No, I won't.

What I think is amusing here is that Bull is pretty obviously very much aware of the psychology Cole is describing. He just maybe isn't too keen on having it revealed to the Inquisitor (or their companions).

Or depending on our reply, we get this option:

Inquisitor (Answer #2): Bull, is he right?

Iron Bull: The kid? Please. (Pause) Next time we're alone, I'm going to pin you down and do things your body won't believe.

Cole: But...

Iron Bull: Ahem.

Cole: Sorry.

It's interesting that Bull's fine with all the teasing and banter about his
relationship with the Inquisitor, but when asked for actual details by Varric,
he refuses, noting, "That room is for her and me. No one else invited."

The Iron Bull's romance is discussed with other companions too, and as always, these little moments can be surprisingly insightful about specific characters. Take Varric's request for information, below—Bull's completely not okay with that. He wasn't kidding when he said that what happens in the Inquisitor's bedroom stays there:
 

Varric: So, Bull. You and the Inquisitor, huh?

Iron Bull: Mm-hmm.

Varric: I'd love some impressions. Imagery. Something for my next book.

Iron Bull: Sorry. That room is for her and me. No one else invited.

Varric: Safe harbor from the storm outside?

Iron Bull: All right, now you're just making it weird.

Then Sera gets in on the discussion, later, as well:

Sera: You're bedding the Inquisitor.

Iron Bull: Sometimes. Usually it's just against the wall.

Inquisitor: (Laughter.)

Sera: What's so funny? Ooh, because you do it standing. Pfft. 

Or:

Inquisitor: Bull! No!

Bull: She sort of asked.

Sera: Ooh, because you do it standing. Pfft.

Cassandra: Moving on.

Varric: I usually describe a fireplace by this point.

Bull and Cass also banter again later a few more times, and it's as charming and funny as always:

Iron Bull: That was some solid work back there, Seeker.

Cassandra: You, as well.

Iron Bull: The way you backhanded that guy with your shield and then damn near chopped him in half?

(Then, if romancing the Inquisitor): Any chance I could have the Boss borrow your armor later? For, uh, personal reasons.

Cassandra: No.

Iron Bull: I'd clean it after.

Cassandra: Absolutely not.

Iron Bull: (frustrated sigh)

And then again later, in which Bull notes his commitment to his relationship with the Inquisitor (a detail I love, considering Bull comes from a culture in which that kind of commitment is utterly foreign):

Iron Bull: You know, Seeker, your style doesn't have to be so defensive.

Cassandra: Excuse me?

Iron Bull: You've got armor. Let someone scratch the paint a bit. You can wind up for a shot that will really ring their bell. Some part of you wants to just cut loose. I can feel the frustration in your swings.

(If romancing the Inquisitor) I'd offer to help you get rid of that frustration but, you know... I'm in a committed relationship.

Cassandra: Unlucky me.

And Cassandra has more to say, after the interruption incident (when she, Cullen and Josie walked in on the tryst between the Inquisitor and Bull):

Cassandra: You are aware her room has a lock, Bull?

Iron Bull: Sure.

Cassandra: Some people might find that useful. In future.

Iron Bull: I'd rather focus on--

Cassandra: Yes. I'm sure the room and its... contents... are very distracting. Thank you.

Although Cassandra notes to Bull that (after interrupting their liaison earlier)
the Inquisitor's room has a lock on it, what's fun to point out is that the room
where they were discovered was plainly not the Inquisitor's quarters.

The funniest thing here is that the room Bull and the Inquisitor were caught in was visibly not the Inquisitor's quarters at all, but in actuality appeared to be the cluttered, empty room around the corner from the top floor of the Herald's Rest. (The one with the ax in the headboard). So this also made me headcanon that perhaps there was a period in the early days of the Inquisitor and Bull's romance where they were basically getting caught all over the place.

It's funny to envision—especially if you imagine Leliana and poor Josie having to actually sit the Inquisitor and Bull down and lecture them like naughty teenagers on which locations at Skyhold are less appropriate for, ahem, romantic moments.

Taarsidath-an halsaam!

Spirit, Lost Boy, and Ghost of the Spire: Portrait of Cole

Cole: All the hopes you carry, fears you fight. You are theirs. It must be very hard. I hope I help.

Lost boy Cole is perhaps the loneliest character in Dragon
Age: Inquisition, even in a tapestry of lonely and disconnected
characters yearning for connection and penance.

He's so ordinary at first glance—a skinny kid, nineteen maybe, with straggly blond hair, a wide mouth, a comically broad hat, and pale and darkly shadowed eyes—as if he's seen all the badness the world has to offer and is no longer able to sleep. He speaks poetically, in flowing, alliterative, rhythmic cadences that are almost musical. 

He doesn't talk about what people say. He talks about what they feel. 

Cole is the strangest of our companions in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Depending on our choices early on in the game, we either meet him during the quest "Champions of the Just," supporting the Templars, or, if we support the mages, just before the epic attack by Corypheus on Haven. I've played both, and I loved meeting Cole in "Champions of the Just," and getting his help in separating the lies from truths in that quest, with Cole's quiet, kind voice leading us through a web of lies and illusions. However for me the canon playthrough for Cole will always be the mage-supported option, when he arrives at Skyhold carrying poor, annoying, wounded Roderick, crying, "I can't help if you don't open the door!"

Just as Bull's true role is giving people what they need, "helping"—wherever and whenever he can—is Cole's core purpose. But just as Bull's caregiving was warped by the Qun, so too was Cole's original desire to help warped, at first, into death and blood.

He is a spirit of compassion, a lost boy, and a murderer. A scrap of paper mysteriously notes, "His name is Cole." But nobody can quite remember who wrote it.


The Ghost of the Spire

If you read David Gaider's haunting Dragon Age novel Asunder (essential reading before playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, along with The Stolen Throne, The Calling, and The Masked Empire), you'll learn of the events at the White Spire mage circle, at one point certainly one of the cruelest in Thedas. With abuse of its mages by the Templars set to guard them out of control, the White Spire rivaled the Kirkwall mage circle (Dragon Age II) for cruelty and mistreatment. Cole was a mysterious figure there who seemed to be able to appear and disappear at will, and to cause people to forget his presence. He also creepily, coolly helped mages to their deaths whenever they, threatened with abuse or Tranquility (the creepy magical-emotional-lobotomy of the Dragon Age universe) expressed a wish for death or escape.

It's worth noting that the period of time during which Cole was actively murderous (however twistedly he thought he was "helping") is, as Solas noted, strong evidence that he—a pure spirit of Compassion, as we later discover, had been warped and twisted into something apart from himself.

Cole is a paradox: Infinitely forgiving, but also a spirit
of vengeance and retribution against those who hurt others.

Eventually, however, Cole befriended Rhys, a mage of the circle who was actually the grown illegitimate son of Wynne (a tragic note we almost swoop right past from Dragon Age: Origins—and as we know from Alistair, swooping is the worst thing ever), the product of her long-ago affair with a Templar. Cole teamed up with Rhys and Evangeline, an honorable female Templar warrior, through adventures from the White Spire to Adamant Fortress and the Fade, in order to find justice. I love Rhys and Evangeline for many reasons—as a romance of mage and Templar, they are a Dragon Age echo of Tolkien's Beren and Luthien, of Romeo and Juliet, of Tauriel and Kili (Oh, hush, I cannot hear your Hobbit-movie criticisms, my elf-ears are closed...Tolkien would have adored them), of opposites coming together despite every reason to stay sundered and apart.

(Okay, I'm human again. Sorry. I may or may not have been distracted by Tauriel+Kili memes. I regret nothing.)

Meanwhile: Rhys and Evangeline are crucial to Cole's story because they were his first real experiences with love, family and acceptance. Cole supported their efforts to rectify the Circle's evils, even surviving the terrible moment in the Fade when he realized just how much tragedy he himself had willingly forgotten (and that he had, in fact, been a ghost or spirit all along). Unfortunately, their realization of his spirit (and possibly demon) status sundered the friendship, leaving Cole alone and near despair. But Cole survived this devastating scenario, even more coolly and scarily than expected, ensuring that the evil Lord Seeker Lambert would never harm anyone else before Cole left to find his own mysterious path.

Left at a crossroads, Cole needed something he wasn't even aware was possible: Help for himself. Then he found the Inquisition, and was drawn away from his lonely shadows once more... and into the light.

The Loneliest Boy

This is where the torch is passed on the character of Cole, and we follow Cole from the haunted, traumatized boy of the novel  Asunder written by Gaider, and into the poetic spirit of compassion written in DAI by Patrick Weekes. While Gaider's Cole was quieter, colder, and lonelier, Weekes's Cole is stranger and sadder, speaking his impressions of the feelings of those around him in a kind of constant, ecstatic lyricism. Yet they are recognizably the same boy, and it's a testament to both writers that Cole manages to still feel consistent and believable between the two, as if Weekes's Cole were simply a raw nerve after awakening from all of the hardship and pain Gaider's Asunder Cole had experienced.

While Cole is greeted with fear and distrust by many upon his first appearance to the Inquisition, Solas is able to quiet most concerns with the revelation that Cole is something new—not a demon in the traditional sense, but a spirit (that we eventually learn is one of Compassion or Mercy) who genuinely wants to heal others.

What moves me when Cole joins the Inquisition is the fact that he has to fight so hard for simple acceptance, for the right to simply take part. He is greeted with fear and suspicion by Cassandra, Blackwall and Bull, and with outright hostility by Vivienne and Sera, who refuse to even refer to him as anything but an "it" for most of the story (as does Cass, at first):

Cassandra: Tell that demon...what does it call itself, Cole? Tell it to leave. He may not mean harm, but that does not mean he will not harm us. Spirits are not creatures to take at face value. Be cautious with him, Inquisitor.

Sera: Not saying nothing about that. That thing is just wrong.

Shortly after:

Vivienne (to Solas): You should not encourage that thing.
Cole (indignantly): Solas is not a thing.
Solas (with subtle humor): Well said.

Cole is not an 'it.' But this is a great example of the ways in which his very innocence and, well, density, can sometimes inadvertently be his greatest protections. As when he is touchingly grateful for one of the rare occasions on which Sera refers to him as a "him:"

Sera: Could someone please shut him up? Or I am going to shaft him in his creepy little eyes.
Cole (happily): You... you called me him. Thank you!

Then, of course, he starts to get to people. He starts to get into their hearts, as only Cole can. (Thank goodness.)

A Window into Hearts and Minds

I enjoy Cole as a character for many reasons—for his sensitivity, for his loneliness, and for his kindness. However, I love him most of all because there is no lie in him.  As performed with sensitivity and humor by voice actor James Norton, Cole is quick to forgiveness of others' sins, but he is also merciless toward those who would harm others, and this extends to himself, as he tells his companions:

Cassandra: The Inquisitor believes you wish to help, but I will not allow you to threaten innocents.
Cole: Yes. Help the hurt, save the small. If I become a demon, cut me down.
Cassandra: Do not doubt me. I will do it.
Cole: Good.
Cassandra: You're... serious, aren't you?
Cole: Yes. I hope you are, too.

Cole (to Blackwall, after the revelations of his deception and criminal past): If you want to remember, remember this: if you become Rainier again, I will be here, and I will kill you. And if I become a demon again and hurt people, you will kill me.
Blackwall: I believe I can work with that.

After the quest "Here Lies the Abyss" at Adamant Fortress, Cole will also confront the Inquisitor and, once again, ask us to promise to kill him if he, like the Grey Wardens we witnessed there, proves to be a danger to others. As a side note, it's interesting—if we respond that we will do so, we get a big approval hit. If we don't we'll get a Greatly Disapproves, which is a whopping -20 to Cole's approval. It's one more reminder that Cole does not joke around (as we already know if we've witnessed poor Varric's fruitless attempts to teach Cole the basic elements behind the simplest knock-knock jokes).

The Soul-Reader

The paradox of Cole is that, while he keeps his companions' secrets (and they are numerous, troubling, and occasionally terrifying), he nevertheless finds constant ways to reveal their innermost hearts. Cole, a reader of souls and intentions, provides a window into our companions that is unique, profound and fascinating. In other words, if you take him out with you as a party member, you'll get all sorts of insights into the private worlds of your companions (complete with a glimpse into even Vivienne's frosty little bruised heart). If you don't? You're missing out.

This is because, thanks to Cole, and only to Cole, we're given intimate "you-are-there" glimpses of our companions' most closely guarded secrets. We witness a terrified Bull in childhood as he admits his fear of demons to his Tama (his tamassran nurse)—a moment echoed again when Cole later reveals (if Bull goes Tal-Vashoth), that Bull's same old Tama was surreptitiously relieved and proud of Bull's recent escape from the clutches of the Qun, all those years later. Cole also takes us directly and terrifyingly back to the all-important moment when Bull has just lost his eye to save the life of his future closest ally, trans soldier Krem, after an attack in a tavern. Tellingly (and most movingly, for me), Bull's reaction in the moment is to instantly dismiss a grievous injury in order to comfort Krem:

Iron Bull: Hey, Cole. Quick! What number am I thinking of?
Cole: Raw and hot, trying to open it, but just darkness. How bad, how bad? No—done now. No sense worrying.
The man they hurt coughs, shaking, but sits up. Eyes wide. No, not a man, a woman, clothes torn. "You're safe now. I'm Iron Bull. What do you want me to call you?"
Iron Bull (dryly): Twelve. The number I was thinking of... was "twelve."

Cole is the watcher of the group, the emotional conduit
between the companions and the Inquisitor.

Everyone Fears

Cole's other revelations about companions (always communicated in present tense, emphasizing their intimacy and immediacy) include key moments of fear, racism and vulnerability for ice-queen Vivienne, and the all-encompassing guilt felt by Blackwall from his deeds as the corrupt Rainier. Cole also reveals Dorian's pain, confusion and self-loathing about his own sexuality, as well as a delicate, gorgeous moment of private yearning laid bare:

Cole: Rilienus, skin tan like fine whiskey, cheekbones shaded, lips curl when he smiles. (pause) He would have said yes.
Dorian: I'll... thank you not to do that again, please.

We also witness Cassandra's touching memories of childhood companionship (as well as a glimpse of her feelings for lost love Regalyan), and the fact that even spirits across the Veil are consistently impatient for Varric's next books. Amusingly, Cole also divulges some decidedly intimate moments between Bull and a romanced Inquisitor, to the intense discomfort of both, and to the delight of their companions.

Another one of Cole's talents isn't just clairvoyance, but that he seems to be able to see across the Fade. I've addressed this in more detail separately here, but these conversations with Solas are delightful, and often provide additional takes on great moments in film or gaming, while also offering hidden insights into the companions we love, as well.

Finding Family

Cole is the watcher of the group, the emotional conduit between the companions and the Inquisitor. He's the person who feels intensely, watches those he loves and tries to figure out how to either heal or help them, or what makes them tick. In return, he is given love and acceptance, and the lost boy finds a family.

Cole goes from orphanhood to having three fathers who love
and care for him...  and he also gets a family, to boot. It's lovely.

That's why I love the evolving nature of most of Cole's banters with his companions, as they show that, overwhelmingly, it's very hard to remain afraid of or hostile toward someone who knows the love and fear within your heart.

Bull, for instance, evolves from distrustful, fearful antagonist to caring adoptive father (and I always love the way Cole so carefully pronounces Bull's full name, as if it is a title of honor):

Cole: The Iron Bull, in one fight, you let someone hit you so they wouldn't hit me.
Iron Bull: Yes?
Cole: But you hate demons.
Iron Bull: Listen, Cole. You might be a weird, squirrelly kid, but you're my weird, squirrelly kid.
Cole: Oh. Thank you.

Cassandra also evolves from her early suspicions to become teasing and quietly affectionate with Cole (bonding even more closely once she realizes he knew and recognizes her brush with a Faith spirit), and Varric anchors him to the world in a simple way that requires no violence or forgetting. Varric further reminds Cole that Cole can in fact become a real live boy—then (depending on what you choose) he actually helps him do it. Solas, meanwhile, gives Cole the opportunity to voice ideas and conversations he has never been able to share before, transcendent and mysterious and shining from behind the Fade.

Basically, Cole goes from orphanhood to having three fathers who all actively love, fear and care for him... and he also gets an extended family, to boot (complete with bratty big sister in Sera, and chilly stepmother in Vivienne). It's lovely and real.

Cole evolves throughout the course of DAI, but he also remains innocent and pure, rather childlike. For this reason, I liked Patrick Weekes's thinking on why Cole wasn't romanceable in DAI (basically, that he's still so new to being human that he just felt it wouldn't be right to do). But I did like that Cole had evolved enough to pursue a relationship (with Tavern bard Maryden) by the Trespasser DLC a few years later (that is, if we kept him more human). On the other hand, the "spirit" choice for Cole is sadder... yet it does give me more hope for Solas in the next game. (I'm also torn about that choice because it means Krem and Maryden hook up instead in Trespasser, and the two of them together is the most wonderful thing ever. I love them so much, I can't even.)

Even Wolves Need Compassion

Ultimately, it's Solas who brings out Cole's greatest questions, enthusiasms and emotions, and their closeness is why it's incredibly sad when Solas cuts himself off not just from a romanced or high-approval Inquisitor... but also from Cole's friendship. Throughout the story of DAI, Cole and Solas have several, fairly open conversations about Solas's guilt, grief and regret, and each is fascinating to revisit after the fact—especially the way we can see that Cole is actively, for awhile, sharing in Solas's burdens, even palpably alleviating them. All the way through Trespasser, Cole's conversations with and about Solas are gems that reveal much (including the fact that, of course, Cole had always known who Solas was, the entire time):

Cole: They are not gone so long as you remember them.
Solas: I know.
Cole: But you could let them go.
Solas: I know that as well.
Cole: You didn't do it to be right. You did it to save them.
Inquisitor: Solas, what is Cole talking about?
Solas: A mistake. One of many made by a much younger elf who was certain he knew everything.
Cole: You weren't wrong, though.
Solas: Thank you, Cole.

Which is why it's so devastating at the end of DAI, when visiting Cole after the defeat of Corypants, when we realize after Solas's departure that he has actually enspelled poor Cole to forget everything he might once have seen in Solas's mind. All those conversations, all those moments of friendship... lost. 

"Do That, Please."

Yet as Trespasser demonstrates in our many conversations with Cole years later, while Cole may not always remember what happened with Solas, he somehow still maintains that emotional connection to his friend. And he still provides a fascinating and functioning connection to Solas's deepest thoughts, regrets and feelings. (Note: I tweeted writer Patrick Weekes a question on this a month or two back, wondering if Cole's memories had returned, or whether he was acting more as a conduit. Patrick was nice enough to respond: "More conduit. Cole doesn't always know what he knows." Which makes perfect sense to me.)

But that's all in the future. Meanwhile, in one key conversation that I feel sums up their entire friendship, Solas and Cole discuss Cole's uniqueness as a spirit of compassion, especially in such a dark and demon-haunted world. Solas remarks upon how necessary that spirit is, now more than ever, and how precious and rare it is. Cole, pleased but puzzled, responds that he will try not to die.

Solas responds quietly and with feeling: "Do that, please."

While I was moved and saddened when Cole returned to the Fade in the playthroughs in which I kept him a spirit because it just felt so much like a defeat to me, like a step backward, I kept thinking of Solas's quiet plea to Cole, of that one moment as noted above. And I thought about how that very ending curiously also gives me the most hope for Cole's effect on the next (rumored) chapter of Dragon Age. It ultimately gives me hope that a Fade-returned Cole, like the guardian angels he loved in so many Earth-movies, can now perhaps still manage to reach Solas in ways we can't, and that he can help us to save or redeem him in DA4. 

There's a beautiful symmetry to the idea: Solas helped Cole in so many ways to understand his heart and to release his guilt and regret. The least Cole can do is to finally help Solas to free and understand his own, before it's too late.

What's in a Name? Redefining Solas

Solas's name fascinates me for a number of reasons, precisely because that name offers such tantalizing potential clues to Solas as a character even in its very roots and core definitions.

The derivations and meanings of Solas's name add another
layer of potential insight to understanding DAI's most
secretive character. For instance, the word "solas" can
mean both "brightness," "comfort" or "lamp flame."

And since I know how smart the writers and creators of Dragon Age: Inquisition truly are, I definitely think Solas's name was given to the character with full awareness of the rich array of meanings, derivations and interpretations that can be found around his name, as well as of the fantastically opposed homonyms and antonyms.

I believe that the majority of these are in fact deliberate reflections on Solas's character (and its paradoxical nature) and actions, so let's take a look, below.

Homonyms for Solas

First off, Solas is a homonym (meaning, it sounds like other, different words) for a few key words in English:

English: Soulless
Meanings: Without a soul; without warmth or feeling; empty; evil.

English: Solace
Meanings:  A source of comfort in grief, distress or misfortune; to amuse, to soothe.

(Note: It's fun that these two homonyms are basically antonyms as well.)

Solas is also a homonym for assorted other words in several other languages:

Latin: Solus
Meanings: Solitary, alone, sole, only, uninhabited

Irish: Solas
Meanings: Light, Bright, Clear; Brightness; illumination; lucid, intelligible; light-giving, lamp flame; enlightenment, insight; revelation, disclosure; the light of existence; vision. Also: self-interest; limelight.

On Solas's Irish meanings, Brian O'Cathain over on the boards at Irish Gaelic Translator also posted this:

     Solas (Sol-as) - light, brightness, enlightenment 
     Sólás (So-lawss) - comfort, reassurance, consolation

Old Irish: Solus
Meaning: Light

Scottish Gaelic (derived from the old Irish "Solus" or "light"): Solas
Meaning: Light

Old French: Solaz, Sollas, Soulas
Meanings: Joy, pleasure, enjoyment

Exploring the Latin Root

As the basis for most of the ensuing definitions and uses of the word 'Solas,' exploring the Latin root 'Sol' is particularly satisfying.

Among the base meanings for 'Sol' are:

• Lone, alone, solitary, lonely, desolate, dismal, gloomy
• The sun (also can refer to the Sun in a personified sense)
• A source of comfort, calmness, soothing 
• "To be accustomed" (as found in such words as: insolent, obsolescent, sullen)

Of course, we see this root over and over again in so many words dealing with these ideas: solo, solace, solitary, insolent, desolate, solar, absolute, and many more.

Redefining Solas

Now let's look at this wonderful stew of possible meanings and apply them to our favorite Dread Wolf.

Solas is absolutely all of the following: Lonely, solitary, intelligent, desolate, and the only one left of his people. He is sophisticated, enlightened, comforting and insightful. He can also be amused, sullen, arrogant, tricky, insolent, and self-interested. If romancing a female Lavellan, he is both a source of joy and comfort as well as the apparently cold (soulless) cause of her pain at a crucial moment. And in a larger sense, his ultimate goal for the world could certainly be considered "soulless."

Yet it is Solas's solitude that is emphasized time and again in the story of DAI. He is always found alone and restless in his beautiful rotunda. He does not participate in the game of "Wicked Grace," the last big moment before the final battle in which all of the companions enjoy each other's company, with only, notably, Solas, Viv and Leliana absent. Yet he is also consistently associated with light, as well. The lighting of the torch post-"The Dawn Will Come." The constant golden glow of his rotunda. 

But it's his loneliness that is key. Even Solas's companions comment on his solitude. And just in case we weren't paying attention, when we find the cemetery in the Fade that lists our companions' greatest fears, Solas's is, of course, "Dying Alone." (Gah. That one always kills me. It's why I have to redeem him and can never hunt him down. My hapless Solasmancer Inky will absolutely find him and stop him. But she won't kill him.)

And don't forget the alternate meaning of the term desolate and/or desolation—it can mean profound sadness. It can also mean a sweeping violence; absolute devastation. Which pretty much describes what Solas's actions with the orb have led to... and what he plans to do next.

Finding the Secrets in the Text

It's amusing to discover that we can actually find references to many of these qualities of Solas's directly in the conversations and banters of the game:

Cole: Bright and brilliant, he wanders the ways, walking, unwaking, searching for wisdom.
Cassandra: Solas, have you always lived alone? Out in the wilderness, as an apostate?
Dorian: You're an apostate—neither Dalish nor city elf—who lived alone in the woods studying spirits.
Cassandra: You have seen much sadness in your journeys, Solas.
Cassandra (to Solas): You have both knowledge and wisdom. You could have made the difference.
Solas (later, to Cassandra, on his beliefs): Cause and effect. Wisdom as its own reward, and the inherent right of all free-willed people to exist.
Cole: In his own way, he knew wisdom, as no man or spirit had before.

Note that Cole, who referred to Solas as "bright" (and revealing that this is how Solas's friend the spirit of Wisdom saw him), also uses the word "bright" to describe the Fade ("It's brighter here. Glittering. Glaring. Glinting.") Cole's comment that Solas "knew wisdom as no man or spirit had before" is also a teasing bit of wordplay, since Solas literally knew the spirit Wisdom, as a friend (and perhaps more).

While thinking about the word 'solace,' I realized that Solas also uses the word "comfort" quite often in his conversations with others:

Solas (to Cassandra): It is a comfort to have you present on our journeys, Seeker.
Solas (to Cole): You exist to help others. You are kindness, compassion, caring. If you stop giving comfort, you would twist into something else, as you did before I suspect.
Cole (responding to Solas): That's much sadder. But yes. Calm, comfort, as the cold takes him away.
Solas (to Varric): It's comforting that whatever qualities I lack, you'll invent for me, Varric.
Solas (to Vivienne): My rebels? Am I an agent for their cause, whispering poison into the Inquisition's ears? How comforting.
Solas (to Vivienne, slightly later): How comforting it must be for you to see a traitor helping the rebels from within.

Now, a lot of this is obviously organic because they are qualities that are built into the character of Solas, and which of course extend beyond his name. But they're fun to consider, and I do think the writers and editors were very much aware of the possibility and wordplay Solas's very name would offer. They used all of those threads to weave a rich and complex, unforgettable character.

I ultimately believe there are, in fact, two sides to Solas—two faces (whether literal or metaphorical). On one side is comfort, love and warmth. On the other is despair, desolation and a cold, profound emptiness. Which will win?