@the-cryptographer so this is what I've been trying to figure out the last couple days, but in lieu of waiting til I end up with a fully formed idea (which may never happen lmao) I think I'll just ramble abt what ive got so far & see if anyone's got ideas
so yeah, I'm thinking about Leliana if she dies in that lyrium temple in Origins, but I'm also thinking about Fenris because I like the idea of Meredith suddenly having powers she doesn't know how to control.
What I can't figure out is like, what is Leliana, exactly? Is she a spirit like the one we meet in the fade in DAI who takes the form of Divine Justinia? Or is she something completely different? I like the ambiguity of like, we don't know if she's a ghost or if ghosts are real or just spirits imitating dead people, but it also makes it hard to worldbuild if I don't know exactly how it works.
This is the end card for Leliana in Trespasser if she is a lyrium ghost and doesn't become Divine:
Eventually, Leliana became distant and contemplative, often secluding herself in the rookery with none but her ravens for company. One morning, the residents of Skyhold awoke to a great beating of wings and a vast cloud of ravens blotting out the sky above the fortress. Those who investigated found both the rookery and Leliana's chambers vacant, with only a single message as explanation: "The lyrium sang thought into being. Now time is stale, and the melody is called elsewhere. Until I am needed, I am free."
Like all signs seem to point to the fact that some spirit of Purpose or Will or Faith or something decided to take on her likeness and pick up where she left off. But a spirit should be able to use magic, right? Does she have new abilities she's just holding close to her chest because it would be a distraction to her mission? Or is she not fully aware of what she is, and the spirit is basing its imitation on the skills she had when she died?
The real juicy part of this for Meredith being a lyrium ghost/spirit is that there's the potential for her to become a demon if she can't fulfill her purpose. So then it's not really the same thing as Fenris, who ostensibly has 'magic' abilities but without the dangers of being connected to the fade everyone is harping about all the time. He's way less likely to be possessed. But how would Meredith react to being literally a spirit? Denial, probably, but what if something made it undeniable after a certain point?
So the idea is like, you have a Meredith who comes back from the dead retaining all her beliefs about mages, but maybe letting the red lyrium do a lot of the heavy lifting for why she failed to get Kirkwall under control and turned on her own order in the end (assuming hawke sides with the mages; if hawke sides with templars, i think she'd feel even more guilty for not being able to contain the rebellion all bc she got a big freaky sword). She can't be red lyrium addled anymore if she is literally a spirit brought into being by red lyrium (or maybe she can, but I think it's more interesting if she isn't, if she's forced to reflect on her actions with a clearer mind).
I thought of this at first as a way for her to return in Inquisition and take Cullen's place. Maybe Cullen can stay as her assistant or something, just because I think that would be funny, and Cullen is really only interesting to me when Meredith is around because of their comedy potential. I don't think Meredith and Leliana would get along very well, (especially if they're both lyrium ghosts. if the Maker brought them both back to end the rebellion, what kind of ending is the Maker hoping for exactly?) and I really like the idea of Cullen being a messenger for Meredith when she doesn't feel like speaking to Leliana directly so they're like constantly having arguments through him & he's just miserable.
so like this definitely has all the bones for a full on identity crisis for Meredith, & while outwardly i think she'd try to maintain some semblance of self possession, inwardly, she'd wonder: is this the Maker's blessing or a punishment? And what specifically has she done to deserve either?
oh and she should be romancable. obviously. & the romance is about her and the inquisitor both having an identity crisis for different reasons <3
okay i'm actually just now remembering Cole exists, so that is something to think about to re: dead lyrium people. like Leliana and Meredith in this case could be kind of similar to Cole, but Faith rather than Compassion gives them a clearer path forward & they're less confused about who they are because who they are was already so wrapped up in Faith or Purpose. vs Cole who more attracted Compassion because of his suffering but not necessarily because of his original personality. & we don't know how much of Cole's memory loss was due to his torture as a mortal. like ik bioware likes to throw around solitary confinement a lot as bad but not a big deal, but like. it would be really really easy to lose your sense of self if you were forgotten in a dark cell long before you starved to death. vs Leliana and Meredith's deaths being more sudden, & both of them being motivated to fight to that death by deep seated convictions.
wait but can you fucking imagine a samson vs meredith showdown & it's a little like the scene in Asunder when lucius uses the litany of adralla on cole & it works??? meredith proven to be a spirit/demon adjacent at a really critical dramatic moment? by samson of all people?
