Spirits

{A quick ruiner note before moving ahead. In my discussion of spirits, I reveal the secret of one of my companions that is, in my opinion, better when revealed gradually, as it is in the story. Sorry for the interruption. -Sam}



Spirits are ethereal beings that live in the Fade and embody emotions. If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because you know what a demon is, and it fits the exact same description. Generally, we differentiate between spirits and demons by separating them by what type of emotion they represent. Negative emotions like rage and fear are demons, while positive emotions like wisdom and hope are spirits. While this helps us more easily understand what type of spirit we’re talking about, technically they are all the same type of entity. Not all spirits are demons, but all demons are spirits, essentially. This categorization can also be influenced by what culture is doing it. The Dalish, for example, see no difference between spirit and demon, and believe all of them are equally capable of being dangerous. In this book, I always stuck to the spirit/demon distinction, however, so when you see the term “spirit,” unless specifically stated, I’m talking about the positive kind.

Generally speaking, spirits have no desire to cross into our world, another thing that sets them apart from demons, but it does happen sometimes. Typically, they are content to sit in the Fade, observe us and our memories and dreams, and manifest what they see. Spirits and demons only have purpose, a mission defined by their emotional nature that they will unerringly execute. While they are able to manipulate the impermanent matter of the Fade at will, they have no creativity, and thus copy what they can glean from us. The reason that everything feels off in the Fade when a person visits that realm is because while a spirit can perfectly recreate the form of objects they take from our heads, they cannot conceive of that thing’s purpose or use. They simply do not understand our world, the things in it, or the fact that they cannot change it as they please. That is why most spirits have no desire to cross the Veil and, if forced to do so, they are often twisted into demons. I witnessed this sad phenomenon firsthand when a group of mages pulled an unwilling spirit of wisdom, a being that Solas knew and had befriended, out of the Fade and into our world to fight on their behalf. Since violence was not in its nature, it was almost immediately warped into a demon. Even though we were able to briefly restore it to its original form, the spirit, its personality and its accrued knowledge, were lost. The most curious case involving spirits that I encountered was actually one of my companions. Cole is a spirit of compassion that willingly crossed the Veil and took the form of a young man, to the point that, for all intents and purposes, he is a young man. While Cole’s case is unique, he is a perfect example of the fact that, while we know quite a lot about spirits, far more than I could go into here, there is still much to learn about these fascinating denizens of the Fade.