Beds, Bedrooms, and Where Everybody Sleeps (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Andaran atish'an! I thought it might be fun to do a lighter post on something fun that always occurs to me when playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, both during the initial period at Haven, as well as later on at Skyhold.

In a nutshell, where does everyone sleep?

And please note: I've got hours and hours of screenshots here, and encompassing several of my Inkies (not just my canon little one), so don't let that throw you. Also, as I'll note below, I was initially inspired for this idea by a post by The Emerald Halla, so it was their idea first!

Also, please excuse the varying picture quality. I've been working on this post forever, I meticulously screenshotted EVERYTHING in Haven and Skyhold, but then with some hard drive issues, I lost a lot of the additional Skyhold screenshots I'd taken, and in fact had to be bailed out by wonderful reader The Dread Potato in one case, as you'll see below.

Sleeping Arrangements at Haven

Please note that I was inspired to research this by a wonderful post by The Emerald Halla. I just took the idea and tried to expand it a bit, so thank you Emerald Halla!

Inquisitor

The little cabin where the Inky wakes up is also, not surprisingly, their home while Haven is headquarters. For those of us who love headcanons or who write fanfiction, it's so much fun to explore every little detail here. Obviously, they have taken over someone else's hut here. Whose was it? It's someone somewhat high up, because it's a hut and not a tent, and they are part of Leliana's raven messaging network.

Cullen

Cullen's tent appears to be the one with a drape of fabric with the Inquisition logo on top, very close to where he hangs out and watches the soldiers. It's slightly off by itself. It makes sense to me that Cullen would be out here just steps away from his troops and where they practice.

Leliana, Cassandra, and Josephine

There's a big, handsome room in the Chantry with three beds in it, one of which has the Chant of Light on the bedcovers (as PuppyPopcornPizza surmised over on The Emerald Halla's original post, I'd agree that it is very likely Cassandra's).

Vivienne

As she does at Skyhold, even early on here at Haven, Viv captures a picturesque and rather opulent space for herself in the left side of the Chantry. Yet here, there is no sign of a bed. So where does Viv sleep at Haven? Inquiring minds!

Solas

Sola's small cabin is precisely behind where he stands for conversations with the Inquisitor. Again, it's interesting to remember that this hut is, again, filled with items that are not Solas's (for the most part). He is almost as newly arrived to the Inquisition as the Inquisitor is, themselves.

Dorian

Dorian has a small hut similar to Solas's, directly opposite him, with Adan's potionmaking quarters between. Dorian can be found lounging at the right-hand exterior quarter.

Blackwall

Blackwall's quarters are implied to be just to the right of where he can be found next to the forge area at Haven. There's a hut that's right up against the stables there, with two beds in it!

Varric

It's pretty obvious that Varric's tent is probably the one directly behind him at his campsite.

Cole

If he appears at Haven in your playthrough, Cole seems most likely to have one of the tents opposite Varric's, near where he can be found for conversation.

Iron Bull

Iron Bull's tent at Haven is refreshingly obvious, since it's got to be the one directly behind him. Since Krem can be found only a few steps away, it's certainly likely that he and Krem may share the tent, although I would imagine this might get a little awkward during Bull's many romantic conquests... or maybe they just go find a place? Because in the overheard banter about his night with the Chantry sister, she seeks him out, then leaves at the end of the night. Hmmm... 

Or maybe Krem does NOT bunk with The Iron Bull and has a separate tent elsewhere. Because the other concern I have with Krem and Bull bunking together is that the tents aren't that big, and Bull is a big guy. So—logistically—this might be another reason for our Chargers captain to have a tent to himself, if they all look like what we see.

Meanwhile... it has to be said... no matter WHERE Bull is having All The Sex at Haven, let's face it, sex in a tent is not all that private really, I mean, unless people are REALLY QUIET, and no, I don't think that would be the case here on either side!

So... for Bull's sexytimes, maybe they just go find one of the spare bedrooms in the Chantry? Personally, I'd pick the very plush-looking one down in the Chantry prison. It's awfully nice and would be pretty damn private.

As always, I am obviously overthinking this.

Sera

It's no surprise that, after her secretive life in which I imagine that she's constantly on the move in running the Red Jennies, Sera loves to plant roots in taverns, so it makes total sense to me that she's found there not only at Skyhold, but in Haven as well. We don't see a room, but she's got one here somewhere.



Sleeping Arrangements at Skyhold

This is where things get interesting, because the number of visible beds dwindles rather alarmingly at Skyhold proper, although of course there is also that huge external main campsite we can see from the battlements for housing all the other main troops and Inquisition members. Still, it's fun to try to hazard where they all sleep, so here goes!



The Inquisitor

Well, this is one bedroom we can certainly identify, and those quarters are magnificent, and found all the way down the hall at Skyhold, with the entrance to the left. On the down side: ALL THOSE STAIRS. Seriously, people, the Inquisitor must have the most magnificent hindquarters in all of Thedas. No wonder so many companions are panting for a date!

Meanwhile: What makes this more interesting for me is that I think it's also where Solas slept, once upon a time. There are secrets in those paintings, people!

Solas

Solas is easy to find, in the flawless and beautiful little glowing circle of the ground floor of the Skyhold Rotunda. While I still find it intriguing that the master of the Fade doesn't have a visible BED, he does have a beautiful golden couch.

But I still say that's a lousy bedroom for a Dreamer, and sometimes I really suspect he's got an invisible or hidden bedroom somewhere we simply don't see. I mean, I know Solas is abstemious, and he does talk about sleeping in all sorts of odd and wild places in the dialogues at Haven, BUT... would Solas really sleep comfortably in the open space of the Rotunda, in open view of two overlooking floors above (plus those who use those side stairs and exit through his room to the main Skyhold Great Hall? I don't think so.

Cullen

Cullen's bedroom is located directly up the ladder from his office, which is most easily accessible via a corridor along the battlements that goes directly from the back of Solas's Rotunda to his door. His bedroom is sort of absent-mindedly messy and charming, complete with hole in the roof.

Leliana, Josephine, Cassandra, Dorian

Are some of the following probably the rooms of our other companions and advisors? These are other rooms we find on the second level at Skyhold, below. Who do you think has which room?

Note: Huge, huge thanks to the wonderful @Tardisfeathers ("The Dread Potato") for the following screenshots, since I need to do a reinstall of Inquisition, and couldn't grab them! Tardisfeathers, you are fantastic.

Okay, the room above, to me, HAS to be Leliana's. For several reasons: We see the bow on the dresser, and the scales on the table. We can't quite read the book, but I'm betting it's the Chant of Light.

Of course, if it is Leliana's, the mystery depends, because what's with all the PIES? There are pies on the scales, as we can see above, a pie on the table, and, yes, pies in the barrel next to it.

And yet again... more pies. WHY? So, so many pies! The thing is... if this were truly Leliana's room, wouldn't we see more SHOES than pies?

This room above is obviously still in a state of renovation. What's under the fabric in the corner? It looks rather person-sized, so is it a suit of armor? We don't actually see those around Skyhold, so... what is it? For some reason, I think this one ends up being Cassandra's. Mostly because I don't think she'd care much if the room she was living in was being cleaned up while she was there.

This little room above is fascinating. The smaller bed, to me, implies someone perhaps more modest, someone who not only doesn't mind a smaller room, but who perhaps isn't terribly focused on sleeping with anyone in that bed. This, plus the lovely scarf tossed there, makes me wonder if it's Josie's (I headcanon that Josie is ace), although this is NOT to imply that anyone on the ace spectrum necessarily wants or needs a smaller bed. 

Dorian is always to be found in the Skyhold library on the second floor of the Rotunda, but despite its cozy alcoves, his conversations with Bull during their flirtations imply, however, that he has a room to himself.

With this in mind, for very few logical reasons I can name, I think this room above is Dorian's. The casually thrown pillows and blankets, the plate of fruit... There's just a rather careless opulence to it that makes me think it's Dorian's. 

And what the heck is this thing above? I don't have a clue. It almost looks like an Orlesian mask had a baby with a rabid Fereldan moose. Anyone?

Vivienne

At Skyhold, Viv has, not surprisingly, picked out a charming and sumptuous alcove on the second level, just around the corner from the Rotunda library. Her area includes a beautiful sleigh bed, so we know that this is where she likely sleeps.

From a character standpoint, however, I do question whether Viv would live in what is basically an alcove, not a room. It feels a bit odd to me that Vivienne wouldn't commandeer an actual room for herself. However, I will say that from a strategic standpoint, there is probably very little that she misses from her current location—either inside or outside Skyhold.

Blackwall

Blackwall can always be found over by the Skyhold stables, and he has a pallet spread over some hay bales off to the side on the opposite side where he sleeps (and where he later sleeps with a romanced Inquisitor.

Varric

Varric is constantly to be found in the sitting area off the Skyhold Main Hall, but that cannot be where he actually sleeps... so where is it? My gut says that he probably sleeps in a room we don't see off the tavern. Varric just feels like a "room in the tavern" guy to me.

Cole

Cole keeps a sweet, sad, cobwebby little corner to himself on the second level of the Herald's Rest tavern. In my fanfic, my Inky finally got him to go stand around in a bedroom in the Herald's Rest, even if he didn't sleep in the bed ("So many feathers! The birds are sad.").

Iron Bull

While Bull may lounge comfortably against the opposite wall of the Skyhold tavern whenever he's not sparring, training, or fighting, (Krem loyally watching over the area to the left, in Bull's blind spot), he seems to sleep in that room off the upper area from Cole's corner in the Herald's Rest. It's most notable for that ax in the footboard.

From the view of the stairs outside, this is definitely where Bull and Inky are interrupted later on (it's cleaned up a bit by that point) by Cullen, Cass and Josie.

I don't know, though. It doesn't quite work for me in terms of my perception of Bull as a person—? While I get that Bull is a free spirit, I just don't think he'd live in that kind of chaos day to day. Bull strikes me as too compartmentalized to be that messy in his actual living quarters, to me. It would be difficult to be a functioning, much less brilliant, spy, in that kind of chaos.

But I also may be, again, overthinking this. Bull is certainly ALSO perfectly capable of having an incredibly messy, chaotic room not only because he doesn't care that much about order at this moment in his life, and perhaps because it's how he sees the "role" of The Iron Bull? Or because he's messy.

Or he may simply be messy in real life right now as a deliberate show because it's 100% against what is expected under the Qun.

Sera

Sera's adorable, bohemian little nest off the second floor of the Herald's Rest is one of the most charming living spaces we encounter in the game.

Other Beds and Sleeping-Places

There are also other beds in little nooks and crannies all over Skyhold to accommodate multiple sleepers. These include locations in the Tented Barracks outside between the Herald's Rest and the Great Hall (which also include outdoor campsites for the Surgeon early on), above the Armory, in the Infirmary, above Morris's Requisitions area, plus of course the Prison area and Tower (depending on your upgrade choice).

But what have I missed here? Where do YOU think everybody sleeps in Dragon Age Inquisition? Sound off in the comments!

Of Lore Traps and Stewed Nugs (May Update on Posts & Lore in Progress...)

COLE: We share the ancient mysteries, the feelings lost, forgotten dreams, unseen for ages, now beheld in wonder.

Hello, all you beautiful readers!

Thank you so much for your patience, those of you who follow and read my blog and social media posts. I'm so grateful, and first off, I want to send a thank-you to those of you who read my stuff, as well as those who may still be new to following me or my blog—thank you for reading!

However, as it's obvious that I've been a little slower than usual this past month or two, I wanted to share my situation... 

In a nutshell? The lore keeps tripping me up. In the best way. 

I fall into it, basically.

For instance, I have some exciting lore explorations in progress that I truly think are going to be really fun and worth the research, but the problem is... I've kept falling into those freaking lore traps. Each new fun question or exploration recently has led to a new issue for me to explore first, and each one of those turned out to be a doozy. 

And that's a good thing, not a bad thing, but it is frustrating and inconvenient. I'm used to spending a few weeks per post, but the latest have involved weeks of careful diagrams, notes, playthrough footage review, and more.

It slows me down. After all, I can't explore the tip of the pyramid if I don't explore the foundation, right?

So here we are.

The Innocent Hell of Wondering Where People Sleep

Here's a great example...

I had this fun idea to explore, see, based on some discussions I saw a long time ago, on "Where They Sleep," both at Haven and Skyhold, in Inquisition. This was such a fun, charming idea! What could be wrong with me exploring where all our favorite companions and advisors lay their heads, right? So I started research. 

And please note, this was NOT an original idea, and I will be crediting the original posters on the inspiration (and linking to them) as best I can, as always.

But, see, then I realized that nothing I posted would make sense without context. I could post where Cullen sleeps at Haven, or Skyhold, but then I might as well really do it right, also hypothesizing where Bull slept, or Cass. And what about Dorian? Does he actually sleep in the library at Skyhold? Come on! Of course he doesn't. Dorian would demand only the best. 

Diving into the Lore

And so, I began to ask questions. I was intrigued and frustrated. As my research progressed, I soon realized that it would not be a simple "fun" post after all (none of them). Because, with Dragon Age, lore rules over all. 

And so I became aware of a mountain of work ahead of me if I wanted to complete that exploration.

In other words... 

• I needed to completely map Skyhold
• I needed to do so from dungeon/basement to floors 1, 2, and 3 (and walk all battlements, noting all tent areas, towers, abandoned spaces, etc.)
• I needed to note all sleeping areas and workrooms
• I needed to, well, note everything

And then I did this, as best I could, and I was really happy with it, even if I kept moving Cole and Sera in a completely paranoid fashion, first by floors then by which side of the Herald's Rest they were on (sorry!). I mean, it was bad. I think I moved them six times. Sorry. I just kept second-guessing myself!

Also, I have no sense of direction. Which means that the idea of ME making a map of any kind is HILARIOUS. I mean, seriously. If someone had given me a spool of thread (like Varric did Merrill) I'd still be using it to get around this world. I sometimes get lost on my own block and have to look downhill to make sure I'm heading back home.

Yes, it's embarrassing. But it was a fun challenge, and the best part was... I would finally know my way around Skyhold instead of my usual approach of opening doors and feeling pleased when the rooms beyond were the ones I'd wanted to get to.

Mapping Skyhold

So it actually happened—I mapped Skyhold (wine cellar and all) and it felt terrific, like something tangible. (Of course, in updating the map for the sixth time while writing this, the entire post became corrupted, disappeared, and I had to rebuild it from scratch. It's been that kind of week.)

Regardless, then I (FINALLY!) moved forward with "Where They Sleep." 

Only to realize, yet again, for context, that I really might as well go ahead and completely map Haven. 

Again, as with Skyhold, emphasis on "Completely." Sigh.

But come on. If I'm gonna do this, why not do it right? If I'm gonna tell you where Cullen's tent is, why don't I tell you where EVERYTHING is?

I am a Terrible Blogger

So that's the scoop.

And... yeah. So now I've been working on completely mapping Haven, and where to find everyone, and where they sleep, and just... well, everything. And here we are. I'm finishing my Haven map, and I think it will be a real resource (as I hope will the Skyhold one) in perpetuity, for fans who may need the extra help.

Like all lore stuff, though, it's just proven to be more work than expected.

And I appreciate your patience. See, here's the thing: I love talking about what Solas wants or what Cole dreams or what Bull hides or what Anders survives, but I also want to make sure I'm offering more than just frilly word-cakes here. 

I want to provide insights you guys can actually use to play and enhance your gameplay and enjoyment of Dragon Age across the trilogy. I really want to balance that stuff with the lore, so that, yes, you can learn about Solas or Cole or Varric or Anders here, but I also want you to be able to reference questions you might have, about where people sleep or about where everything is at Skyhold, or what Solas's frescoes mean, or what was happening in that chess match, or whether Sera hides secrets of her own, and more.

And don't even get me started on the months of research and analysis I've spent on all the character Tarot card symbolism character by character, or on dissecting the Chant of Light. Or on the Evanuris, the Fade, the nature of the Titans, etc. I've attempted some rudimentary examinations, but there is always so much more to learn! So those are posts in progress right now, as well as character analyses of Varric, Dorian, Scout Harding, and of Solas and Bull's loyalty quests.

I also have some fun, short silly exercises I'll be sharing shortly as well, to break up all the heavier lore stuff. (So be afraid, be very afraid...)

Coming Soon...

So apologies, and thanks for bearing with me! I hate being silent, and appreciate your patience more than I can say.

If it helps, I also have some big book-length Dumped, Drunk & Dalish projects in the works for publication, and am going to be insanely excited to be able to share those next steps with you in the weeks to come. There have just been some legalities for me to solidify first, so that I've made sure that whatever I create (nonfiction analyses and critiques like those you see here, no fiction elements) is okay with BioWare and legal to publish.

Meanwhile, thank you for reading, and thank you for bearing with me. And a special thank-you to those who support me on Patreon and Ko-Fi! I so appreciate you, and I hope you'll find the additional upcoming content worth the wait.

Ma serannas, lethallen!