Scion of Thedas

Duncan, the regretful 💧 Five of Cups

Had the pleasure of painting this piece and two others for @dragonageannual 2026 zine! It was so much fun working on this and seeing other people's art and writing!

Process under the cut

To me, the Inquisition showing up in military dress and sans masks reads as a refusal to play Orlais' game. The Inquisition arrives at Halamshiral on its own terms.

It is a refusal to make people comfortable, a refusal to let people act like it is just another ball, that they can continue as normal. It is a bold statement that Thedas is in crisis, and it forces the nobility to confront that. Its a constant reminder that these are peace talks.

And, it is also a firm statement of power. It is a statement that the Inquisition has order and stability where Orlais is caught up in a chaotic civil war. And it is the sort of move that only works because the Inquisition has the power to back it up, both in armed forces, but also social, cultural and political capital.

Because Orlais is in a very weak position. They have been in civil war for two years with little sign of reprieve. No war is good for a country, but civil war is brutal. You can't really gain anything as a country in a civil war, you can't plunder or take home treasures and new lands. And we see in multiple locations in Orlais how bad the civil war has been for the country, with farms and estates in ruins.

And even Orlais' other element of power in the Orlesian Chantry has been basically destroyed and replaced by the Inquisition. They have no Divine, and the Inquisition has control of either the mages or templars. Orlais is powerless and is only managing to hide that fact by the trappings of wealth and luxury. If nobody acknowledges the elephant in the room, is it even there? If everybody pretends like everything is fine and Orlais is still powerful then it might as well be.

But the Inquisition doesn't try to hide the chaos and conflict going on in the world behind beautiful riches. By dressing in military fashion it is an uncomfortable reminder of everything going on outside the palaces and music and jewels and masks. And played right, it really forces the two sides of the civil war to come to the table and attempt to solve the issue. Because it just calls those in power out.

Dragon Age: Inquisition | Frostback Basin Treehouse Camp

I imagine that...

After the end of the third part of Mass Effect, the Normandy team tried to find Shepard. All they could find was Shepard's helmet.