I finally finished Tevinter Nights, and while the book was mostly introducing intrigue, groups, and (possibly) individuals for the next game, while I was reading “The Dread Wolf Take You” I had a couple of interesting thoughts.
Or maybe connections might be a better word.
I hope this goes without saying, but this is all total speculation and serious reaching.
The Executors in Game
Inquisition was our first look at the Executors, and all we really got out of the war table missions is that they are “from across the sea,” and not to be fucked with.
They are not from across the ocean, as some people, including the wiki, assume them to be, notably the Amaranthine or Boeric oceans.
So which seas could they possibly be across from? Well, the Waking Sea can be ruled out, and any others like the Nocen from the interior of the landmass as no one has heard of them before and they seem to be from somewhere beyond Thedas.
That leaves: the Sundered Sea to the southwest, past the icy wasteland of southern Orlais; the Volca Sea to the far west of the Anderfels where strange, seafaring dwarves claim a cataclysm met their homeland, are very interested in lyrium for some reason, and don’t have any elves on their ships; or the Colean Sea north of Minrathous.
These are all exciting possibilities, and while the first two options are the most intriguing, I personally believe the sea they are from across is the Colean, which I’ll explain later.
From the game, we also know they use the symbol of a downward facing triangle with two waves through it, which is notable to me for the Colean thing.
As far as we can tell, they have their agents throughout Thedas to “watch” the goings on. They are surprisingly gracious when Leliana sniffs them out, bowing out of the “match” before blood is spilled.
Through the war table missions (the only interactions we have with them), they claim more upheaval will come.
Quotes from them and their agents of importance include: “for the moment, [they] are not your enemy” from the Executors themselves; “Those across the seas will come soon enough” from an Antivan trader (the nationality might be important here), and “Glory to those across the seas” from an agent that kills herself and “They have given themselves of their own free will to a higher cause” (emphasis mine), from the Executors again, both implying they are likely a religion-based organization.
The Executors in “Dread Wolf”
“Dread Wolf” introduced our first true Executor, beyond the agents and unknowing accomplices in Inquisition. They “from across the sea” didn’t get a chance to do or reveal much, but what we did get was not what I was expecting.
These are the relevant quotes from Tevinter Nights with my analysis underneath them.
“A figure covered head to in dark robes of Vyrantium samite, with a thin mesh dropping down to cover the hood. The dark robes were trimmed in a pattern Charter had never seen, twisting shapes that curled to points in places that made her eyes hurt. A cup of what looked like dark red wine sat before the figure, untouched by leather-gloved hands, but she caught a faint whiff of the ocean from his robes, and something beyond the ocean. The Executor.” (472)
The description here is most notable for what it lacks more than what it tells us. The Executors have used known entities (knights, nobles, refugees), so why is the Executor at the meeting so careful to hide their identity?
Unless they aren’t hiding it, so much as lacking a recognizable form.
Another minor note: they wear Vyrantium samite instead of something less locationally based (i.e. leather or silk). This, from a figure so intent on obscuring defining features, seems intentional on the author’s part. So, connected to the northern coastline somehow.
Totally wild supposition: the fact that Charter, who accurately details everyone elses drink, tells us their drink only “looked like” dark red wine, makes me feel like it’s not wine at all. My instant thought was blood.
On the other hand, they never touch it, so I’m likely making connections where there are none.
The last note for the description is that they smell like the ocean and something beyond it. Keep that in mind.
“The voice that came from the Executor could have been male or female, young or old. It was less a voice than the idea of a voice, rendered acceptably but no more.” (472).
“Rendered” and “the idea of a voice” are the important parts here.
“Render” feels like the voice is a construction, not natural in the sense that they don’t have one rather than change what they already had. I.e. they created a voice from nothing instead of modulating a pre-existing voice.
The “idea of a voice” makes me think that the voice isn’t “speaking” at all, rather they are projecting the “idea” into the minds of the spies. Like blood magic reverse mind reading.
“the words were neutral but carrying a weight that made the wine in its cup ripple” (473)
This feels like an implication of magic in the room. If someone was speaking normally, not yelling or whatever, their voice shouldn’t ripple liquids.
Executors and The Qunari
There wasn’t a ton that the Executor had time to say, but when they did speak, they seemed to know quite a bit about the Qunari and their actions.
“[where are] ‘the Ben-Hassrath,’ the Executor added. ‘Do the Qunari fear to speak with us?” (473)
Why, out of the Tevinter Siccari and the Qunari Ben-Hassrath, would the Executors care more about the latter? The Qunari aren’t exactly known for giving up information, they’re too regimented for that.
“‘House Qintara fell with the city of Ventus,’ the executor said, shifting under the cowled robe. ‘The Qunari may possess the Wolf’s idol.’” (479)
How the hell would they know that unless they were in Ventus when it fell? And if they were, what were they “watching” there? The Tevinter or Qunari?
Also of note, they knew Tevinter had the idol, and then (assumed) the Qunari retrieved it, but don’t mention making any play for it themselves, content, apparently, to let it change hands.
This isn’t worth quoting, but I find it tangentially related. The Executor has an in-depth knowledge of the Crows and specifically their poisons, which seems odd for a group only recently found in Thedas.
We know that they have dealings in Antiva thanks to the Antivan trader that was their agent mentioned in the war table mission, but, and this is important, the Qunari conquered Antiva in the Steel Age. Keep both of those things in mind.
Executors and Solas
From above you can see that the Executor refers to Solas as “the Wolf,” despite, as far as I can remember, everyone else calling him Solas if they knew him, the Dreadwolf or Fen’Harel if they weren’t in the Inquisition, or derogatory monikers if they don’t know him personally and aren’t associated with him.
Something about the way they use that title . . . it feels different from the other groups and I’m not sure I can say why. More . . . familiarity, maybe? Not in the sense they know him personally (especially given how quick Solas is to kill them), but more like they’ve known of him longer?
The Executor here also is uninterested in what Solas is, unlike the rest of the spies, and only cares for his methods. Either because it doesn’t matter, or, in my opinion, they already know.
Solas Quotes
There’s a secondary idea I’m mulling around about Solas after reading “Dread Wolf” and it’s connected to the Executors but takes just as much reaching.
“Or possiblement a very young mage (. . .) He could be a simple elf who stumbled onto old magic” (473)
Solas says this, in disguise, about his possible origins. This could be nothing, or it could be a clue as to how Fen’Harel came to be pre-Veil. A young and cocky Solas stumbled upon the magic of an Orb or red-lyrium idol and decided to fight back against the tyrannical Evanuris. Just a thought.
“YOU MEDDLE PAST YOUR UNDERSTANDING, FOOLISH MORTAL MAGES, AND IN DOING SO, YOU THREATEN ALL CREATION.” (484)
So, when mages fuck with the idol, something about the blood magic ritual is so dangerous they could threaten everything, not just the Veil. This makes me think the idol might be Solas’ now, but is older and more powerful than just putting up the Veil.
“YOU USE MY IDOL CARELESSLY TO VANDALIZE THE SEA OF DREAMS. NOW FEEL THE PAIN OF WHAT YOU HAVE CREATED.” (484)
The “sea of dreams” is what interests me here. I don’t think I’ve ever come across that particular euphemism for the Fade before, and considering how many references to the sea there are in esoteric lore of Dragon Age (and the regular lore, honestly), this could have HUGE ramifications that would take another post all by itself to connect.
I didn’t bother to quote it, but Solas is also incensed by the enslavement of spirits, which tracks with his history and personality, but I think it’s also a clue to the pre-Veil intrigues. I think the slaves Solas was saving weren’t just elves but spirits too (if there is even a difference between the two).
“The crowned figure who comforted the other,” (490)
This is how he describes the idol, (likely) Mythal comforting him. He also doesn’t mention the other figure on the back of the idol, which makes me feel like the two uncrowned figures are the same, mirror reflections across (I think) the Fade. Solas as a man and Solas as a spirit, essentially.
“Dull stone” (493)
How the spies are described once Solas deals with them. I’m not going to lie, this innocuous little description is what made the wheels start turning in my brain.
Solas is turning people into stone, of all things, after he steals power from Mythal.
“‘I would caution you in dealing with those across the sea,’ he said. ‘They are dangerous.’” (493)
The main reason I think Solas and the Executors have some kind of link. They know each other better than they have reason to, meaning there is a reason hidden somewhere.
Solas Conclusions
Let’s start with my thoughts on Solas first, as the shorter of the two theories.
I think it might have been something Cole said that implies Solas “took a form” to serve Mythal, but before that, or maybe during it, Solas (in his own words) might have stumbled upon something great and terrible and decided to use it to fight back.
I know I said it might have been the orb, but given the prominence of it, I think that “something” is actually the idol, and it is far more potent than just the creation and destruction of the Veil.
After Solas absorbs Mythal’s . . . divinity? Power? He has the ability to turn flesh to stone.
Stone.
Mythal has a direct connection with the dwarves and titans—more than the other Evanuris, at least. I think Solas inherited that connection, and I also think it has more to do with the Stone (capital S) somehow.
This and the idol feel like they have to do with the titans, like maybe their existence is holding the world together, or worse, holding something back.
Nothing too crazy as far as answering questions, but more connections and background.
Executor Conclusions
Now you’re going to need to buckle up.
I believe the Executors are from north of the Colean ocean. Their symbol (downward triangle with waves) is a simplified version of the sea—the only sea on the map in the shape of a triangle.
In the same vein, they also have a definite connection to the Qunari but don’t seem to have control over them.
They make a point of saying they aren’t an enemy of the Inquisition (if not more broadly, all of Thedas) yet implying they will be at some point, and will cross the sea soon for likely the same reason with their religiously fanatical cult.
That reason? They have made prophecies about further upheaval in Thedas, and that upheaval (for now) is Solas’ plan to bring down the Veil.
How do they know about his plans before anyone else? Why do they smell like the ocean? What is their connection to the Qunari?
The answer to all those questions is the same.
The Executors are the original creators of the Qunari, mixing elves/kossith and dragons as their goddess, Ghilan’nain, did under Hormak and eleven other “forges.”
They were creating an army like their goddess was, even after (or possibly when) she was locked away by Solas with the creation of the Veil. They could have also been experimenting with creating divinity considering the inclusion of dragon blood in the Qunari and the sacredness of dragons to the Evanuris.
The army they were creating with the Qunari was either the same army Ghilan’nain was creating against a so far unknown threat, or they were continuing her work to combat Solas who imprisoned her.
They experimented with dragon forms, like we know Ghilan’nain did from the codex entry where she urged a “sinner” to take a sacred form (re: a dragon).
Eventually, the Executors lost (or gave up) direct control of the Qunari, likely around the time of Koslun or their original invasion. Even so, the Ariqun still breed the Qunari for desirable traits like the Executors likely tried to instill in them with their experimentation, and the whole of Qunari society is still structured like an army.
If the Executors didn’t willingly give up control, that might also explain the Qunari’s response to magic: the Executors were most likely incredibly powerful pre-Veil mages that did horrible things to the Qunari. If they blamed the magic for that cruelty, then it would make sense that they would never allow magic to gain a position of power over them again.
If it was a willing distancing, the Executors might still have “spies” among the Qunari to keep and eye on or otherwise direct them from the shadows rather than rule them outright.
I think, after their experiment failed (or as Corypheus put it, their “mistake”), they began (or focused instead) on changing themselves. That’s why the real Executor hides their form: what’s under there is nothing like Thedas has ever seen. Except under Hormak.
It’s why they smell like the ocean, like the “forge” under Hormak and everything changed by it.
I think they are just as likely to move against Solas as they are to turn on the rest of Thedas the second he is no longer a threat and return to the tyranny of the Evanuris.
Final Thoughts
I know, I know. I fully admit I feel like a cross between the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia gif of Charlie and the red strings, and the “I connected the dots.” “You didn’t connect shit.” gif.
Par for the course with my theory posts, honestly. I think my biggest problem with these is that I start with an idea, and the more I look into it, the more evidence for it I find.
For the Executors, with as little as there is on them, it’s easy to make tenuous connections and hard to disprove them.
Either way, it’s certainly an interesting theory, and hopefully, Dreadwolf (the game) will give us more to connect.