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For the location of primeval red lyrium nodes in Dragon Age: Inquisition, see Seeing Red.

Red lyrium is a more potent and addictive form of raw lyrium.

Nature[]

Red lyrium is typically found in crystalline form, as with normal lyrium. It is known to thin the Veil, allowing spirits or more likely demons to interact with the physical world,[1] and emanates a noticeable heat.[2] Where it was originally found, red lyrium grew in root-like veins,[3] again like normal lyrium. The dwarves of the Mining caste with millennia of experience and expertise on finding and mining lyrium had never encountered this type of lyrium before.[4]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


However, following the opening of the Breach, it began appearing throughout the surface of all of Southern Thedas in crystalline nodes. These crystals grow almost anywhere, though the composition of the earth can affect their growth.[5] Regardless, it grows over the landscape like an infection, and once it takes root, it becomes extremely hard to completely remove. The chances of even dwarves removing it completely from Emprise du Lion, one of the hardest hit locations, is stated as being 0.014%.[6]

Unlike normal lyrium, red lyrium doesn't require a dwarf to mine, and does not require any dilution or ingestion to affect people. All that is required is to be near the mineral.

Bianca Davri discovered that the red lyrium is actually regular lyrium tainted by the Blight, which only affects living things, confirming some scholars' beliefs that lyrium is in fact alive.


Effects[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


Prolonged exposure to red lyrium induces gradual psychological and physical change, though not as quickly as direct use or consumption will.[7] Drawing upon too much red lyrium too quickly accelerates the process, outright dooming the user either to roaring madness and death[8][9][5] or petrification by lyrium.[10] Red Templars tell they have to "use it enough so that it changes [them], but not so much that it destroys [them]."[5]

Depending on the individual, someone can endure years of exposure without any perceivable effect, as is the case with Meredith Stannard,[11] or be largely immune to its debilitating effects so long as they don't go into withdrawal, as with Raleigh Samson.[12] However, both of these individuals were Templars, and it's possible that their immense willpower, Templar training, and previous experience with untainted lyrium slowed the speed at which the red lyrium corrupted them. Further compounding this, the Seekers of Truth have shown to be largely immune as well, though it can still poison them if ingested in fatal amounts.[13]

When templars ingest red lyrium, it improves their powers, grants them new ones, and pushes their strength to superhuman levels.[8] Even the average red templar outclasses a normal man. A few red templars can fight a group several times their number to a standstill,[14] and shield bearers swing full metal tower shields with ease.[15] In perhaps the most extreme case, a specific red templar said he could march for days without rest and break a man like kindling.[16]

Stages

Not all stages are experienced after exposure as some individuals pass-away during "manifestation". Templars will typically experience multiple effects during certain stages.

  • Exposure: Symptoms vary. Subject may display heightened possessiveness[17] or paranoia,[18] or an increased penchant for violence.
  • Manifestation: Subject becomes pained, varying in intensity but always painful.[5][16] Physically, subject begins to look sickly; their flesh pales, and their veins become prominent but pulse red with the lyrium.[19] Subject can be described as resembling a "living corpse."[5] Eyes also begin to emit a red glow. Subject may potentially emit a reddish haze from their body.[20] In templars, enhanced strength becomes apparent, and as well as a tolerance for pain. Mentally, subject begins to hear a "song", which may compel them to try to force others to hear it; others are driven mad and die. Cole says that they hear "the song behind the door old whispers want opened."[21] Templars recognize the song as different from the song of normal lyrium, "deeper."[22] Whether it is also different from the call of the Old Gods is unclear.
Fiona jail

Grand Enchanter Fiona being turned into red lyrium.

  • Advanced: The red lyrium begins to crystallize within and sprout from the subject's body. More crystals grow from the subject as the stage progresses. Their flesh becomes misshapen[14] and begins to warp around and over any worn armor.[23] In templars, newfound powers emerge; some can now accelerate the conversion process in each other,[24][14] sow red lyrium into the ground to shatter or form barricades,[25] or launch it from afar as a projectile weapon.[26] Internally, the red lyrium fuses to the subject's bones, overgrows their lungs, spreads like a fungus to the brain, and grows into their flesh. Blood drains out of the surrounding tissue, as if the lyrium itself is feeding upon it.[27] Miraculously, the subject is likely to remain alive throughout this process, though they exist in immense pain.
  • End Stage: Subject's body is completely overtaken by the lyrium, consuming and killing the subject. Templars, however, become behemoths. Although possessing immense strength, they are barely recognizable as having once been human and exist in constant agony.[28]


Involvement[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.


Meredith Lyrium Sword

Meredith's red lyrium-infused sword: Certainty

Thousands of years before present day, before even the rise of darkspawn, House Valdasine single-handedly supplied lyrium to the rest of the dwarven empire. One day however they shut the doors and did not open them to anyone, not even to a visiting Paragon. After days of silence the doors were finally opened but did not find anyone inside, not even evidence of what had transpired. They only found a red lyrium idol that was purportedly worshiped and a staff of strange metal which looked like lyrium. In response, the dwarven king ordered the idol and the staff to be left inside and sealed the thaig. Such was the danger, that the existence of the thaig was stricken from the Memories so that it would be completely forgotten.

In 9:31 Dragon, an expedition into the Deep Roads rediscovered this thaig using old Grey Warden maps. The expedition was led by the two dwarven brothers Bartrand and Varric Tethras and the human Hawke. While exploring the thaig, Hawke and Varric found the idol. When they showed it to Bartrand, he betrayed them and stole the idol intending to sell it for a fortune and left them to die. Still further in the thaig Hawke encountered the Profane, rock wraiths that feed on red lyrium claiming that they "feast upon the gods".[29] In the following years, as a result of prolonged exposure to the red lyrium idol, Bartrand gradually succumbed to insanity.

Bartrand eventually sold the idol to Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard who forged a sword from it. Exposure to the red lyrium within her sword fueled her paranoia until she became corrupted by its power and died during the Kirkwall Rebellion in 9:37 Dragon, petrified in red lyrium after a failed attempt to draw more power from the sword.



This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


In the aftermath of the destruction of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, red lyrium began appearing all over southern Thedas. A splinter faction of the Templar Order, calling themselves the Red Templars, begin to consume red lyrium, corrupting their bodies and transforming themselves into monsters. Autopsies on Red Templar corpses has shown their relationship with the red lyrium is parasitic; the red lyrium essentially "eats" the Templar from the inside out as it grows. The process is described as incredibly painful and demands a careful balance between allowing the Lyrium to change the person so that they can manipulate it, but doing so careful enough that they are not immediatly consumed and lost to madness.[5]

According to Bianca Davri's research, red lyrium contains taint. This proves that lyrium is alive as only living things can be tainted.[30] Red lyrium can also "infect" the landscape and grow into massive deposits.

Lord Seeker Lucius Corin discovered that Seekers of the Truth are immune to red lyrium thanks to having their minds touched by a spirit of Faith during their vigil. To counter this, he force-fed the Seekers captured by the Order of Fiery Promise red lyrium, resulting in the characteristic red veins in their skin, until they died or gave in.


Codex entries[]

Codex entry: Lyrium Codex entry: Lyrium
Codex entry: Lyrium Codex entry: Lyrium
Codex entry: The Primeval Thaig Codex entry: The Primeval Thaig
Codex entry: The Profane Codex entry: The Profane
Codex entry: Valdasine Codex entry: Valdasine
Codex entry: Red Lyrium Codex entry: Red Lyrium
Codex entry: Red Templars Codex entry: Red Templars
Codex entry: Red Templar Archers Codex entry: Red Templar Archers
Codex entry: Red Templar Foot Soldier Codex entry: Red Templar Foot Soldier
Codex entry: Shadow Codex entry: Shadow
Codex entry: Behemoth Codex entry: Behemoth
Codex entry: Letter to Smugglers' Wagon Masters Codex entry: Letter to Smugglers' Wagon Masters
Codex entry: Unsigned Journal Codex entry: Unsigned Journal
Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents
Codex entry: A Father's Letter Codex entry: A Father's Letter

Note Texts[]

Whispers Written in Red Lyrium Whispers Written in Red Lyrium
Written Confession Written Confession

Notes[]

  • Red lyrium is described as being an anti-magic substance, an opposite force to regular lyrium.[31]
  • Varric Tethras knows a good deal about Red Lyrium after the Kirkwall incident that drove his brother insane, and will not hesitate to destroy as much as possible. Cole knows a good bit as well, after discovering it in Therinfal Redoubt.

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


  • Varric Tethras will comment that red lyrium by itself makes things float and makes statues come to life. The Ethereal golem also implies that it can give Demons physical form.
Suledin-0

Red lyrium in Emprise du Lion

  • While traveling through Emprise du Lion, several companions will note that the red lyrium gives off heat.[32] If Cole is in your party, he'll remark that "it's very angry."
  • Corypheus chose Emprise du Lion as a mining site due to the composition of the earth in the quarry.[5]
  • Cole will comment on the red templars in the Hissing Wastes, saying that the red lyrium is "less angry" when it's cold.


Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Haunted
  2. As mentioned in dialogue between Dorian Pavus and Iron Bull.
  3. As seen in the Primeval Thaig.
  4. Mentioned in conversation with Varric Tethras.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents
  6. Based on a dialogue between a Tranquil and a surface dwarf.
  7. During the future segment of In Hushed Whispers, if the Inquisitor inquires Fiona if it's red lyrium growing out of her body, she will respond, "The longer you're near it... eventually... you become this," implying that one needn't consume red lyrium to physically transform.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Codex entry: Red Templars
  9. Codex entry: Letter to Smugglers' Wagon Masters
  10. As seen in The Last Straw in Dragon Age II.
  11. Meredith possessed the red lyrium idol for some years, as Bartrand can confess in Family Matter that he sold it to her some time before or during Act 2, years before Act 3.
  12. In his judgment, Samson warns the Inquisitor if exiled into the wilderness that he'll eventually go mad without any red lyrium and might harm innocents.
  13. As was the case with Daniel, shown in Promise of Destruction.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 Codex entry: Red Templar Foot Soldier
  15. Codex entry: Red Templar Guardsman
  16. 16.0 16.1 Codex entry: New Orders
  17. As seen with Bartrand over the red lyrium idol.
  18. Meredith became increasingly paranoid in the final years leading up to the Kirkwall Rebellion (9:37 Dragon), aggravated by her red lyrium exposure.
  19. As seen with Red Templar Archers.
  20. As seen with the companions in the dark future during In Hushed Whispers.
  21. First conversation with Cole after recruiting him.
  22. Codex entry: Red Templar Archers
  23. As seen with Red Templar Knights, Horrors and Shadows.
  24. As seen with Red Templar Knights.
  25. As seen with Behemoths.
  26. As seen with Red Templar Horrors.
  27. Codex entry: Shadow
  28. Implied in Codex entry: Behemoth.
  29. Codex entry: The Profane
  30. YouTube (November 22, 2014). Dragon Age: Inquisition - Meeting Bianca (the real one).
  31. BSN "Loads of New Info from PC Gamer UK September Issue *Light Spoilers*" . The BioWare Forum.
  32. At least Dorian and Iron Bull imply this.
  33. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 94
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