Silver Phoenix Nest

Hello! This is a masterpost for my comic "Obscura Somnia", a Dragon Age AU dedicated to Feynriel. The comic explores the mage-templars question, the combination of elven and human heritage, the problems of psychological control, the questions of combining friendship and leadership, and also changes some canonical events in order to build an alternative history. Contains a lot of new characters and can also be angsty at times. A lot.

The comic consists of episodic fragments and is still in progress. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Cover --- Trailer

Main parts of the comic:

Part 1 --- Part 2 --- Part 3 --- Part 4 --- Part 5 --- Part 6 --- Part 7 --- Part 8 --- Part 9 --- Part 10 --- Part 11 --- Part 12 --- Part 13

Important additions to canonical events:

"Obscura Somnia", Part 14

I remember saying a while back that there would be a few more conversations with Solas and Varric than in canon. Soooo...)

Feynriel tries to maintain the image of a leader who knows what he's doing. And, talking with Varric, he's convinced he's chosen the right path. And his own preconceptions are completely in line with the adage, "Fake it till you make it." :D

TW: Disturbing themes and images

Part 2 (scene sketches and characters).

In terms of atmosphere, this story сould likely be similar to Shattered Memories. What would begin almost mundane, as a simple journey through a foggy city, with occasional encounters with important people in the fog, would gradually take on an increasingly surreal turn.

The characters in the fog would represent people important to her, but important in different ways. The stranger in the red beads could be a collective image of everyone she tried to prove wrong in underestimating her. The girl could be the part of herself she wanted to protect from monsters and danger (and the girl herself, in turn, would appear only in dangerous situations, like in the sketch, balancing on a beam at a great height). One of her fears could be her mother, who has forgotten her daughter's face. A cat in a veterinary cone could serve as a small guide through the fog, symbolizing someone who remembers her but still disappears, like everything else that surrounds her.

The streets themselves could have changed, bending and breaking into the shape of a giant monster, until, eventually, the entire city became a monster—a Leviathan.

I don't know about the other endings… But there would definitely be one where the heroine refused to leave the city. When asked why, since this is Hell, she would say, "This is my home. I've always been here."

TW: Disturbing themes and images

Part 1 (Bestiary and Backstory)

First, about the title. Ironically, I could have had the letter "F" in it, too – for Fading.

I think it could be a story about a writer who comes to her hometown to meet her fans. This meeting is incredibly important to her, as it seems the crowning achievement of her achievements, a confirmation of her inner worth. But she's lost her address, and, even worse, she feels like her memory is slipping away. The streets are starting to seem unfamiliar, and people she should know claim they've never met her. But that's not important. The most important thing is to find and reread that very book, because it seems she's so exhausted she's forgotten what it was about. And she still needs to find the meeting place, even if the fog has thickened… Before she dissolves and becomes completely part of it.

It could be a story about the fear of remaining alive, yet disappearing from the world—both from the sight of others and from the memories of loved ones. To remain a draft for life, never to be rewritten, until the letters fade to illegibility. A story about the unwillingness to be merely a consciousness, encased in a shell incapable of moving forward, a shell that those around you would prefer never to notice.

Hi, here's an idea for a challenge!

A little backstory. After the release of Silent Hill F, I wondered what unites the series if not the town itself. The answer was simple: a personal Hell shrouded in fog, a cage with no escape, created both by the outside world and your own consciousness.

Thus, the idea, the essence of which is to imagine a character based on your deepest fears as the protagonist of a similar story.

What would your Silent Hill look like? What monsters would wander in the mist? What characters would you meet along the way? Give your fears faces and names. Imagine your path through the fog. What would it be like?

If the idea sounds interesting and you'd like to participate, use the hashtag #my silent hill and join in! And expect my post soon with a bestiary of monsters and a description of what kind of story this could be, what it would be called, and what would happen in it.

The character for this challenge doesn't have to be entirely you. But the fears should be yours.

"Obscura Somnia", Part 13

Feynriel grew up and became older… But the desire to feel not like an outcast, but a part of something bigger, did not go away.

And when you're connected to his dreams… It's hard not to notice.

I couldn't help but notice: technically, the background characters that @albaharu and I chose as the central heroes for our AUs are literally a scale of "hate to love" in relation to Samson. :D

All the OCes I've played in various Pathfinder adventures, from left to right.

Minori, aka Jest, a kitsune introduced into the adventure as Ameiko Kaijutsu's younger relative. A giggly chaotic neutral follower of Calistria, a sorcerer knight with one samurai level. He's having serious trouble coming to terms with the fact that his stepbrother, Tsuto, is dead.

Ambro, an elven necromancer who studies the effects of negative energy on souls and openly challenges Pharasma. He's possessed by the ghost of his soulmate, Sarrel. He dreams of becoming a pioneer who will grant the undead the ability to retain their former personalities and sanity.

Orebella Rossa, a Chelaxian diva, a proud and arrogant theatrical prima. However, deep down, she's quite kind and dreams of being a true heroine, doing something truly good. She ended up falling in love with a cultist from the cult she was hired to destroy.

Rowan the White Wyrm, a neutral evil half-elf with a very troubled history, fled to the ends of the earth to escape the assassins sent after him by a powerful Taldor lord. Rowan had once been this lord's lover (no one really asked Rowan's consent).

Vincent Vidd, a shapeshifting detective, a true neutral. He dedicated his life to exposing the Grey Gardeners, whom he considers criminals, after they accused and executed his family. He uses the methods of his enemies, never revealing his true identity.

Alber Corbinius, whom I've already posted here more than once, a chaotic good half-elf.

I've also already posted Isha. Ranger, chaotic neutral, young girl survivalist.

Isha almost died last game. I'm not complaining, considering it gave me a chance to show her as a little less of a strong survivor and a little more of the young girl she truly is.

(Additional to the comic "Obscura Somnia")

This is for the future, but knowing the plot, it is difficult not to sketch at least sometimes in advance…

"Obscura Somnia", Part 12

Feynriel encounters the Veil Jumpers again, meets Bellara in person for the first time, and professionally pretends to know which way to go and that he has everything under control. He also tries to appear much more stern and focused than he actually is.

And yes, it was vitally important to me to play up the fact that Feynriel looks like a half-elf, despite the fact that according to the canon of the universe he should look like his human father. Moreover, in his hood, the ears are very conveniently not immediately noticeable... :D

This comic was inspired by the amazing "The adventures of Inquisitor Maddox", part 34 by @albaharu (specifically the frame where the templars take Maddox to make him Tranquil). Of course, in the actual timeline, Feynriel in the Circle of Kirkwall would not have crossed paths with Maddox before the Rite of Tranquility. So it's more of a reference, and the one the templars take is another Circle mage.

The Rite of Tranquility would always be Feynriel's greatest fear. Even greater than the demons. Even greater than their constant, oppressive presence. Even greater than possession. After all, he had witnessed all the horrors of the Kirkwall Circle while still practically a child.