(((i'm not sure immortality is a terrible idea on principle - to me, it depends more on the circumstances. Elvhenan obviously wasn't what i'd call "ideal" circumstances. on the other hand: would it be possible to create "ideal" (or even just "pretty good") circumstances without changing the fundamental nature of elven-/man-/dwarven-/qunarikind? and how would the people experiencing Veilfall realistically go about re-ordering their societies? would they end up with the same structures again or would they evolve and learn? philosophical question that kinda depends on one's own outlook, i guess. (plus, there was always Uthenera, maybe that could exist again? would it work for people not originating from the Fade? would other avenues be discovered/researched? i find all of this super interesting.))))

but what i do think, is that Veilfall could have been an incredible chance *narratively* to finally break the status quo. not just for spirits but also for mages and elves as oppressed groups. and who knows what would happen with dwarves and qunari longterm? with the Fade present again, dwarves might regain(?) their connection to it. maybe the Seeker ritual against Tranquility could somehow be adapted to help the Titans? if the Blight is soothed? would the Qunari leave Thedas again? would their society change? (there's already unrest and division - an event like Veilfall could spark a genuine revolution, maybe a (largely) peaceful one like we saw in East Germany in 1989?)

however, i don't think this should have happened rapidly in one big explosion. which i also don't think was Solas' plan anymore, post Trespasser. his ritual at the start of Veilguard was supposed to stabilize the Veil by transferring Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain into new/different prisons. possibly to then take a more measured and careful approach to actually taking the whole construct down. maybe the new prisons could have weakened them slowly, over time, before eventually killing them like 100 years later.

i think everything is happening so fast in the game(s) because we, the player, can't lose the impression of immediacy and urgency. we need a direct narrative connection to DAI. but, realistically, Solas had TIME. he had nothing BUT time. the timeline of all this is accelerated for the players' and the narrative's benefit, but he could have just hidden away for a few decades, maintained the Veil as well as he could while slowly weakening it, and then, later, when everyone who knew him had died, gone ahead with his actual plan - which would then have had much less of an impact (generally speaking) due to slow acclimatization. (though the ritual for it might still have killed him)

maybe there's also an alternate universe where people actually fucking LISTEN to Solas and work WITH him. yes, in Trespasser he's very much all about "restoring the world" and "restoring the elves' birthright" - but he had already begun to have connections to this world. he had already started to see modern people AS people. he could have been reasoned with. in time. (which is exactly why he didn't let Lavellan join him.)

if Lavellan had been the one to talk him down at the start of Veilguard, the whole game wouldn't have happened like it did. he would have seen reason. he would have agreed to talks. the nations of Thedas have united before, they could have done so again:

they could have prepared their population, built shelters, trained mages, built like... stabilizing constructs or whatever. they could have devised a plan to let Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain die slowly. they could have had strategies drawn up on how to deal with the Blight (could it be contained the way Solas originally planned? could it maybe be soothed by the prospect of rejoining their bodies?).

because the Veil WAS failing, with only two pillars remaining. and i think dealing with that reality could have been an incredibly enticing story.

i'm seeing the Inquisitor and Solas (+ possible new MC) at the war table while Celene/Gaspard argues with Briala, while Alistair is just chugging red wine in the corner with Anora scowling, while the two Divines size each other up, etc. - how DOES a war-torn continent handle a heretofore unknown existential threat of this scale? not even the Blight ever threatened *reality itself*.

and what about Mythal? does she eventually overtake/mix with Morrigan? would she try to get/keep her claws into Solas to secretly work for HER instead? to reinstate her as god-queen once the Veil is down (for the good of the People, of course; to protect them against "their enemies")? would she want to lead another war - against the Blight, against the humans, against the Qunari - to secure her position, with Solas as her Second again? continue exploiting Lyrium to begin "making" "ancient" elves again?

if so - what a bittersweet fucking dilemma for Solas and Lavellan, or even for an Inquisitor who hated Solas. like "man i really hate this guy but we need to work with him and we need him, period, because we can't let the last of the Evanuris become another all-powerful tyrant".

what a compelling story!

Solas torn between his guilt and duty, and his love for Mythal - and his love for the friends he made in this new world AND LAVELLAN and his own newly discovered will to keep on living with her

Solas being once again in a position where the consequences of HIS actions will potentially kill millions - maybe even himself; and he's forced to cooperate with all these people he doesn't trust ONE BIT, but he also needs them and THEY NEED HIM;

Lavellan - former Inquisitor, the Dread Wolf's Heart, torn between her loyalty to her clan and the world she protected from Corypheus, and the vision of a world that COULD be, that promises an end to her people's terrible living conditions; between what her lover tells her is right and the remainders of her doubt through cultural conditioning;

Any other Inquisitor torn between believing a former friend and confidant and believing the stories about him; OR hating Solas but begrudgingly working with him because the alternative is even worse, they want to yell and argue, both of them, but they both know it won't solve anything so they grit their teeth and seethe quietly;

political leaders of every country being forced (by the Inquisitor - or a new player character) into negotiations, forced to face the reality that the sovereignty of their nations and their petty squabbles over religious dogma and land don't mean SHIT if the Veil just disappears uncontrolled

how tf does Andrastianism cope with the fact that their religion just got completely disproved? how do the Dalish Keepers deal with it?

former and current companions, all with their own opinions on what should be done and how - the elven Tevinter slave, angry and (rightfully!) vengeful, thirsty for power, who wants the Veil down yesterday; the Dalish warrior, tired of fighting, wishing none of this were happening, bargaining with reality, not wanting another large-scale war; the curious Chantry sister who is fascinated with all this new information and hungry for knowledge, no matter the source; the anti-Veilfall, anti-Solas Templar who is angry at their government, angry at the Maker, angry at the Divine, and just drinks to cope; and so on - there are so many interesting and diverse companions you could craft for this situation, so that every player could see their point of view represented.

what i'm trying to say is: Veilfall is such a cool concept for this world. the institutions we've seen fail time and again over 3 previous games would have been forced to adapt or disappear. it would have been, imo, the (or at least A) logical conclusion of what DAO, DA2, and DAI had been setting up.

and, again, imo, it didn't have to be a sudden or violent change, if Solas and the modern people could have just worked at it together. there would still have been enough potential for conflict, especially with Mythal as the actual, hidden Big Bad, and Solas as a potential double agent.

i have been in favor of Veilfall ever since the release of Trespasser, so this is all very much personal opinion. but again and again, people used to ask me "oh yeah? what about people dying? what about the companions dying? what about your OCs dying? huuh??" as if that's some kind of "gotcha".

i have absolutely ZERO qualms about letting fictional characters die. i'd sacrifice them all, including both Solas and Lavellan, for a world without the Veil. at the very least in an AU (which actually does happen in my "bad" timeline). because i PERSONALLY think the world would be better off, in the long run. and both my Lavellans would die for that (Moira agrees immediately, Evunial after some discussion & if everything else fails).

i'm not trying to convince anyone.

i'm just saying: this concept could have been handled in such an interesting way in the 4th game. instead of making (the potential of) Veilfall and Solas the stand-in for anything bad happening in the world.

i did come out of Veilguard relieved. mostly because i was so scared Solas would die and there would be no option to save him. and of course i didn't actively WANT the whole world to "burn in raw chaos".

but every time i see that sunrise over Minrathous at the end, it does feel a little... empty. like. "yeah. this is where we leave it all. Tevinter may or not change in the future. Orlais and Ferelden are destroyed. the Chantry can continue/resume locking up mages in the South. the Dalish? probably in Arlathan forest, idk." it's so... centrist. "we're the good guys but we didn't actually change anything because that would be too radical."

Glancing down at the table, Rook noticed a slight change made to the map since his last visit. The Silverite dagger had moved further up, planted in an island away from the Marches. Surrounded by many sea monsters and an impressive fleet of ships lay the dagger's glittering resting spot: Llomerryn, jewel of the Eastern Seas. As far as Rook knew, it was a lawless haven. A short stopover for smugglers to trade some Incaensori to make space for unfortunate living stock. Otherwise, a debaucherous feast-day destination for Altus looking to sate their appetites or find yet another rare bauble to flaunt back home.

"Good. That's about everyone," Harding began, rising from her seat. "Settle down, this is important."

All fell silent, except for Magpie, who asked, "What's this about, Nightingale? Good news, I hope?"

"That depends. There's been a change of plans. Our next stop will be Llomerryn."

Immediately, Dagna jumped forth from her seat, "Llomerryn? Don't they sell just about everything there?"

"Everything your heart could desire," Captain Isabela said. Then cautiously, noting the Arcanist's growing smile, "Erhem— Within reason."

"Can we stop by at their markets? I could use some rare materials..."

Harding cleared her throat, "We can arrange for that, however we aren't stopping for a shopping trip."

"Not even for a pleasure pilgrimage?" Magpie quipped, much to the ire of some of his companions.

"No," Harding answered. "Our role is of great importance. I will not tolerate any distractions that puts our mission into jeopardy. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Magpie's head was bowed, hand on heart, but Rook could see the faintest trace of a smile.

"As for what this mission entails, our task is to procure a magical artifact. We have a few days to retrieve it before anyone else does."

"You mean, we're stealing it?" Ashkatari tensed.

"Is stealing so bad if it's for the greater good?" Magpie chimed, to which the Qunari grumbled.

"Finally. Some action," Ptarmigan yawned, "I thought I'd go mad in this sea. All this time since the last raid and I've still yet to fight a single sea monster."

Into the training deck he went. The sounds of impact on wood echoed through the room. Strong scents of blood, sweat and sea made his nose twitch. At the center of the room, there was a tall woman; a tower of glistening muscle and a head of flames. With slow, practised movements, she trained her great wooden club upon the training dummy. Struck it. Her wooden foe merely shuddered.

All of a sudden, her demeanour turned. Bare arms tensed, muscles twitching. The next swing came fast. Ferocious. But with shuddering breath she stopped short of her mark. The wooden dummy rocked back from its fastenings. The human took a breath and rubbed the sweat from her brow, stepped back from the dummy; there, Rook saw a large, splintering crack across its body.

Rook recognised the woman right away. He remembered how quickly she moved days ago. How she rammed into waves of men and sent them flying with her maul. The fierce look in her eye briefly caught in the blur.

“What else do you know of me?”

“Besides your name and that you work for the Tenebris, nothing else. And if I’m not mistaken, you’d prefer to keep things that way, right?”

“I’d rather no one knew anything about me.”

“With your skills, you could have disappeared altogether and escaped South. Yet, you remained in Tevinter and kept putting yourself at risk of capture.”

“What would you have me do? I couldn’t live with myself knowing that others were still suffering in slavery.”