GOD OF BEAUTY, MASTER OF CRAFT

the way felassan uses phrases with sylaise's name that indicate both irreverence and endearment fucking kills me. this could simply be part of his [very unconvincing] "haha yeas i'm a normal dalish" act, but there could be something more here. why humor the concept of their godhood at all by using their name in that context if you hate her and question her godhood? if she's not a god to you, then why invoke her name as if she is one, especially after she's been dead for centuries? the way the rebels waffle back and forth between "they're not gods" and then calling them "the gods" is utterly baffling to me and the only acceptable and logical explanation here is that yes, they are gods; they're just assholes about it and the rebels are right to take issue with certain methods/approaches to godhood specifically. again, i will not stand for the un-godification of a racialized minority's pantheon or the blatant comparisons between them and irl human dictators; the evanuris are not normal people like you or i and yes, that matters!

i cannot stress this enough: all elves before the veil had an innate connection with the fade/inborn magic, some of them just didn't have as much success harnessing or channeling their inherent magical qualities. i believe that this is a phenomenon that probably didn't crop up until after the first few generations of physically born elves appeared, because the firstborn with their lyrium bodies would have had no problem channeling magic, according to mythal's dialogue:

and actually, ALL PEOPLE in general (not just elves!) have mana or magical potential too according to world of thedas; so again, it's simply a case of not everybody being able to utilize or harness this power or potential:

but what was once a grim sacrificial process initially born out of necessity to protect people from the titans became something else entirely over the millennia of the evanuris's post-apotheosis rule; the process would later take on a new context as a ceremonial and religiously sacred occurrence that was purposed as both a boon from the gods while simultaneously being a method of control over the specific individual(s) and purposing the individual(s) into tools used to control others. i think the lyrium knight revivalism movement by the evanuris toward the later days of arlathan was more than simply them being the gods' personal bodyguards; the word knight is specifically used here rather than 'warrior' and i feel that this is important. a knight serves their lord in more ways than just killing and being a bodyguard; they are meant to embody virtue and chivalry as not only a servant or tool of their respective lords, but also as an extension of them. lyrium knights are living testaments to fealty and service, to the most extreme extent; sacrifices to the gods who continue to live and breathe and toil in their service despite having 'died' the symbolic death that comes with losing their memories and even certain aspects of their former personalities as a result of undergoing the ritual to receive their markings. not to mention the terrible pain that having the markings causes, to such an extent fenris repeatedly cites that being touched causes him discomfort cause of the marks (and this fenris's own discomfort at being touched is also due in part because of other horrible shit danarius did to him, but i've already gone into that in another post.) since most of the evanuris manifested from lyrium themselves, i think the markings may contain lyrium refined from their blood (but there's nothing to confirm this in canon.)

some of them (like athdhea/theron) absolutely served as personal honor guards for the increasingly hostile and paranoid evanuris (which is why solas + the rebels sort of turning their very status as being living propaganda on its head lives in my head rent free), but they were almost always champions and executors of their respective gods' wills. the gifting of lyrium markings was a blessing; a sign of immense favor from the gods, yet also very much a hardcore sacrificial exchange and a sign of unyielding devotion from whoever is receiving them because of the nature of the ritual; the markings cause terrible pain as we see with fenris. the ritual itself is utterly excruciating, and that mixed with the innate memory-related properties lyrium has (with it being both the blood of the titans and it contains their memories) and you get a blank slate of a person who is substantially easier to mold, manipulate, and control. therefore i don't think that this practice would have been limited only to elves without magic, but it might also have proved an excellent experimental method of controlling somniari as well, because lyrium exists both within the fade and the waking worlds.

also, it looks like the blue wraith comic-inspired headcanon i had about da'athdhea/theron being in a sarcophagus was correct, and i assume it would be similar to the one from the blue wraith comics but not reconstruction/refurbished/tampered with in any way by humans (as tevinter didn't exist yet.) gaider also made a comment about fenris's markings needing to be "maintaned" on some way, but this is never elaborated on further. i personally think the lyrium knights' sarcophagi are built or enchanted in some way to function as the tool that performs maintenance/upkeep on the lyrium knights' markings.

it's important to note that while the lyrium-marking process allows the elf to more easily (and instinctually) utilize their innate connection with the fade the way mages do (but on a much more profound scale than your average mage), they also bestow a set of specific unique properties/methods of doing so in the form of unique abilities.

i agree with the lore assertion that after the creation of the veil, most people don't/can't enter the fade physically (in terms of just walking in there with their whole ass corporeal body) and doing it on an extended/intentional/genuine scale like the magisters sidereal did, which only happened again during history when the inquisitor tore open a rift to save themselves and their friends during the adamant fortress fiasco, but i do think fenris, theron, and other lyrium knights may kind of be an exception to this, in a sense? fenris's ability to basically disable collision via the console and phase/clip through things is tied to his lyrium markings, and i again: don't think it's a coincidence that there are lyrium nodes in the fade that are described by world of thedas as being "bridging the gap between the fade and the waking world." i think the lyrium-marked individual kind of becomes "of the fade" in a sense or like a spirit, briefly, as a result of the markings; and it's extremely similar to a passive arcane warrior ability from origins:

the link here is obvious; given that the codex confirming the existence of lyrium knights in veilguard indicates that the first ever lyrium knights were created during the war against the titans, using elves who weren't as gifted with channeling their innate magic. the markings essentially bestow up them powers/abilities similar to an arcane warrior or a spirit warrior by default, except without the use of another spirit and requiring less study to attain (like arcane warrior abilities do) and moreso training to master abilities now innate to them simply have by virtue of having/gaining the markings, if that makes sense?

studying fenris's model (the inconsistencies of the markings' overall texture and appearance on his body vs. his face makes me a little insane LOL but that's vanila da2 textures for ya), the way they're shaded and bump-mapped makes me think the markings are more raised/elevated in nature in terms of their texture and impression upon the skin. they are, as merrill observed, very similar to vallaslin, but obviously different in nature and function. i also think that june first invented the process; which is why fenris's markings appear to be very aesthetically similar to june's vallaslin patterns. he once lurked in the dreams of the titans, hence why so much of his imagery is vaguely reminiscent of dwarven imagery; he planted seeds of inspiration inside the dwarf/titan hivemind dreams. he would create a form of vallaslin that bestows the unprecedented use of magical abilities using lyrium (and potentially dragon's blood too, according to the blue wraith comics? to be fair, we don't actually know if the evanuris themselves used this, of it is simply an addition to the recipe made by tevinters.) june most likely got the idea from the way the titans treat certain dwarves, such as the sha-brytol, who wear armor containing lyrium that is fused to their skin.

i also don't really want to give too much credit to danarius (or any of the other tevinter magisters who were performing a bootleg version of the ritual, for that matter) for getting anything right because i fucking hate the guy LMAO. what he did with fenris is possibly one of the worst instances of cultural appropriation in existence, yet it should truly come as no surprise that an awful tevinter magister might seek to replicate such a process, thereby positioning himself as the evanuris did in creating and using the lyrium knights themselves.

i have extremely mixed feelings about the instant "zapping" of marks on to fenris because i feel like i had to be more complicated than simply plucking fenris (who was still leto at that point) fresh out of battle and just plunking him into the sarcophagus, but i actually kind of like the idea that danarius did this because of how crude and un-sacred it is; it is a gross appropriation of a problematic cultural/religious practice by a group now responsible for that culture's oppression, so of COURSE the way danarius does it is bootleg, crude, and shitty. i think the original way the ritual was supposed to proceed involved the respective champion/person who was to receive the markings taking a ceremonial bath to prepare the skin for the markings (with the bath also symbolizing that the person is purifying their mind and "washing away" their former self before they receive their markings, which will inevitably either damage their memories or wipe them clean entirely) but of course danarius may not have known about the proper protocol due to such knowledge being lost to history, and even if he did know? i don't actually think he'd care, because he simply wanted to appropriate and twist the function of the ritual for his own purposes. and since lyrium is said to explode in its raw form when mages come into contact with it, i do think there's some some of refining process used on the lyrium that is used to create lyrium knights, which renders the lyrium into a more stable format that is more compatible with being permanently incorporated into the skin.

theron (whose birth name was originally haurasha) being renamed athdhea ("dawn") by elgar'nan was part of the ceremonial process of his "creation" or "rebirth" as a lyrium knight in elgar'nan's service; danarius's re-christening of leto as fenris echoes this, but in the worst possible way; it truly is the cherry on top of the cake that is danarius's mockery and appropriation of an already incredibly fraught cultural/religious practice. the magisters want to be the evanuris so bad, but without actually being elves. it's the same shit any colonizer/person guilty of cultural appropriation does: they value how much they can steal and exploit your people's stuff, but they don't value you.

to clarify: though there are similarities, the elgar'nan/athdhea situation is absolutely NOT THE SAME as the fenris-danarius situation! as an ancient elf living in the time contemporary to the ritual, it is important to note that theron/athdhea would have been far better informed as to the potential risks and consequences of this ritual, and he did not have the same reservations about it that fenris did, because it was something that, for better or worse, he wanted to do and he chose to do. he put himself on the chopping block, so to speak, for the sake of trying to appease, serve, and soothe an agitated entity that he harbored deep and nigh-unshakable admiration and affection for (however misguided and deluded he may be for doing so.) mind you, this still does not mean that theron/da'athdhea decision (or what resulted from it) is a good thing by any stretch of the imagination, but he much gave informed consent and was not coerced - unlike what happened with fenris and danarius, and yes, i do feel that this is an important distinction to make! fenris most likely did not know about the full effects of the ritual although he did compete to receive his markings, but only in exchange for his family being set free by danarius; therefore i don't truly think this counts as fenris giving informed consent. if you zoom in on the comic strip, fenris is obviously extremely scared and uncomfortable. he is only tolerating this because he knows it will result in his family being freed:

... whereas da'athdhea/theron hopped into his sarcophagus happy and excited (if not a bit nervous) thousands of years earlier, having undergone all of the proper and necessary preparations prior to receiving his markings.

much like many other things created by the elves or by june, the process really was not designed to be used on non-elves, which is why every attempt by the tevinters to create a lyrium knight using a non-elf (as per the blue wraith comics) results in the subject being highly unstable upon release and then eventually exploding. there is also the case of shirallas, but i'm fairly confident in saying that a red lyrium knight would have existed within elvhenan proper, because red lyrium as we know it presumably did not exist (the tidbits on elgar'nan's collar are apparently pieces taken from titans he felled according to the artbook, and they only turned red as a result of being corrupted presumably as a result of his imprisonment in the black city):

and since the dwarves don't remember it ever existing and it's implied to be something more newly-found and spread + shirallas got really fucked up as a result of being infused with red lyrium. it bears worth mentioning that what happens with lyrium knights and how they lose their memories/sense of self is really similar to seekers being branded with lyrium as part of their initiation process. i suspect different lyrium knights have different abilities based on the evanura responsible for creating them. i believe all lyrium knights share large commonality with spirit warriors and arcane warriors both in terms of their abilities, but i think fenris's abilities (as per his ability tree in da2) specifically mirror that of an arcane warrior because the lyrium used for his markings was peeled off a random arcane warrior's sword. i suspect danarius used or sought the sword because it contained lyrium that had been refined in a way that most closely approximates what he was looking for. the ancient elves had specific ways of crafting and refining materials that humans simply cannot replicate.

as far as my own meta is concerned, i think only talented and promising individuals would ever have been considered as candidates the lyrium knight process, either hand-selected by their respective evanura or earning their right to gain the markings through competition or tests. they were not just random people snatched from their homes who had lyrium markings slapped onto them. i like the idea that theron is kind of a dual-class character, a mage-warrior hybrid; and fenris has some unused dialogue and other things lurking in the game files that suggest that he was supposed to be able to lockpick, so rogue-warrior hybrid fenris lives in my head rent-free. dual-class/multi-talented people would probably have higher odds of attracting a god's attention in terms of being a potential servant, too; the idea of having multitalented servants would reflect well upon their respective gods and further bolster their vanity.

the fact that the crossroads and other eluvian sanctuaries are described as being really unpleasant and disorienting for non elves, but very refreshing and enjoyable for elves.

on june's knot: much like many of the words within the elvhen language itself, june's famously unsolvable puzzle has multiple meanings/purposes.

please note that your character cannot actually "solve" or "cheat at" this puzzle, it is literally unsolvable. the word "insoluble" means it cannot be solved, point blank period. it is a puzzle with no solution. june's knot is likely a homage to the gordian knot of greek legend. it's meant to be a metaphor or symbolic commentary on the nature of unsolvable problems rather than something you actually solve. it is a reminder that some "questions" of existence cannot truly be answered.

expanding upon the whole "spirits reflect reality" thing + solas's quote about "the subtle beauty of their magic was the effect, not the cause, of their nature": june does not really have a "set" appearance. it is also, to some extent, a reflection of his own skill, a process by which his beauty becomes an objective fact, in a sense. it's also very much him acting as potential corrupted into mastery attempting to 'master' the nebulous, ever-changing, subjective concept that is beauty. it is not a blatant mind-control tactic or blood magic exerted over the minds of others (like the way elgar'nan seems to actively manipulate peoples' minds and psyches with his magic. june honestly doesn't give a shit what your average mortal might be thinking), and is moreso his magic as a spirit reacting to cause people to perceive him in the ways that they do. it is also why june is the most seldom-depicted of the evanuris; nobody can capture his likeness if they're all too busy arguing over what that likeness truly is! he truly does bring a whole new meaning to the phrase "unfathomably pretty" and NOT in the way one might expect or easily understand. there's also a reason that eluvians are specifically mirrors... and it has nothing at all to do with june's vanity and his status as a god of beauty as well as a god of craft and invention, i'm sure. it would make no sense for a god associated with art and building to inhabit a body that is nothing less than an indescribable masterpiece; an everlasting testament to his mastery of craft, if you will.

his body functions like a living, breathing rune (june is and was the father of elvhen runecraft, and honestly a lot of dwarven runecraft probably also stems from ideas he planted in the minds of the dwarves because yes, the titans DO let some individuals use lyrium with their consent, usually to their own benefit - see also: the sha-brytol) whose innate enchantment projects beauty in the eyes or minds of whoever perceives him (the only people immune to this may be tranquil, who did not exist during elvhenan because that shit is a unique evil implied to be invented by the chantry.) it's simply a result of being around june rather than a direct invasion of one's mind, like your hand becoming wet after you dunk it in water. if anything, it is you who are controlling and affecting him. your biases and perceptions and opinions and what you find attractive determine how you perceive him, and this will eventually trickle down to impact his actions. his movements will be too jarring, too unearthly, too perfect, and deeply unsettling to begin with (especially for born elves and post-veil folks in general) and eventually adhere to what you find aesthetically pleasing. his gestures always have a level of inexplicable preternaturalness to them, he moves in ways that seem to visibly defy the laws of physics (see also: lose 'cat is liquids' memes. he also likes to levitate, so there is that.) when june is observing something and learning, you can tell by the way the prismatic light moves across the surfaces of his eyes, like this:

it should be noted that this quality is unique to june and not really a thing among born elves as far as i'm concerned; physical bodies do not and cannot shift in drastic ways without the application of potentially life-threatening blood magic. (this is also my headcanon that 've put a lot of work and thought into, so i'd appreciate if people didn't steal it!) even other manifested elves do not do this: note that we don't see elgar'nan or solas's appearance changing in this way (elly just glamours himself to look less blighted and isn't constantly changing), although the inquisitor's behavior toward him does impact his behavior. flesh is harder to change than behavior, the physical form is rooted in reality and reality resists and reinforces itself against magic unless the application of magic is strong and consistent enough. also, lyrium (which the first elves used to create bodies) comes from titans and is stated to reinforce reality a la templar abilities; physicality is thus equated with reality. it's a case of titan magic vs. fade magic and june managed to bypass the laws of reality by using reality against itself to project his ever-changing spirit nature. he's not called "clever june" for nothing!

it is not common knowledge how june achieved this effect either and no, your muse should not know how he did this; your muse is not capable of replicating this and would not know how to anyway (there's a vast difference between crafting a body from lyrium and crafting a body from lyrium that is able to have this specific ability or effect. that's like comparing one of my college oil paintings to a fucking da vinci, let's be real); his spirit-nature translates to his body because he has the skill to achieve this end. this combination of skill, ingenuity, and power is unique to june; there's a reason he was worshipped for it. there's a reason the veil being thin or unstable and mass tears in the veil weren't an issue or a topis discussion prior to the warden slaying urthemiel: his strength must also have been substantial in holding the veil up in order for it to weaken so drastically in such a short amount of time after his death.