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For the location of red lyrium nodes in Dragon Age: Inquisition, see Seeing Red.
File:Red lyium World of Thedas.png

A cavern with veins of red lyrium[1]

Red lyrium is a more potent and more 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[2], and emanates a noticeable heat[3]. Where it was originally found, red lyrium grew in root-like veins[4], again like normal lyrium. But 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.


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


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


Effects

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][10] or petrification by lyrium[11]. Red Templars tell they have to "use it enough so that it changes [them], but not so much that it destroys [them]."[12]

Depending on the individual, someone can endure years of exposure without any perceivable effect, as is the case with Meredith Stannard[13], or be largely immune to its debilitating effects so long as they don't go into withdrawal, as with Raleigh Samson[14]. However, both of these individuals were Templars, and it's possible that their immense willpower, Templar training, and previous experience with 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[15].

When templars ingest red lyrium, it improves their powers, grants them new ones, and pushes their strength to superhuman levels[16]. Even the average red templar outclasses a normal man. A few red templars can fight a group several times their number to a standstill[17], and shield bearers swing full metal tower shields with ease[18]. In perhaps the most extreme case, a specific red templar said he could march for days without rest and break a man like kindling[19].

Stages
  • Exposure: Symptoms vary. Subject may display heightened possessiveness[20] or paranoia[21], or an increased penchant for violence.
  • Manifestation: Subject becomes pained, varying in intensity but always painful[22][23]. Physically, subject begins to look sickly; their flesh pales, and their veins become prominent but pulse red with the lyrium[24]. Subject can be described as resembling a "living corpse."[25] Eyes also begin to emit a red glow. Subject may potentially emit a reddish haze from their body[26]. In templars, enhanced strength becomes apparent, and as well as a tolerance for pain. Mentally, subject begins to hear a "song", which 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"[27]. Templars recognize the song as different from the song of normal lyrium, "deeper"[28]. Whether it is also different from the call of the Old Gods is unclear.
  • 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[29], and begins to warp around and over any worn armor[30]. In templars, newfound powers emerge; some can now accelerate the conversion process in each other[31][32], sow red lyrium into the ground to shatter or form barricades[33], or launch it from afar as a projectile weapon[34]. 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.[35]
  • End Stage: Subject's body is completely overtaken by the lyrium, becoming a behemoth. Although possessing immense strength, they are barely recognizable as having once been human and exist in constant agony[36].

Involvement


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.


Meredith Lyrium Sword

Meredith's red lyrium-infused sword: Certainty

A red lyrium idol was worshiped by the inhabitants of an ancient thaig thousands of years ago. Even before the rise of the darkspawn, contact with the thaig was somehow lost, and it could not be resumed because of the arrival of the darkspawn.

In 9:31 Dragon, an expedition into the Deep Roads rediscovered this thaig. 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".[37] In the following years, as a result of prolonged exposure to the red lyrium idol, Bartrand gradually succumbed to insanity.

The idol ended up in the hands of Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard who forged a sword from it. She was 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 incredible 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.[38]

According to Bianca Davri's research, red lyrium is lyrium corrupted by the Blight. This proves that lyrium is alive as the Blight can only taint living things.[39] 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.

Notes

  • While traveling through Emprise du Lion, several companions will note that the red lyrium gives off heat.[40]. If Cole is in your party, he'll remark that "it's very angry."
Suledin-0

Red lyrium in Emprise du Lion.

  • Red lyrium is described as being an anti-magic substance, an opposite force to regular lyrium.[41]
  • Cole will comment on the red templars in the Hissing Wastes, saying that the red lyrium is "less angry" when it's cold, thus it is possible the red templars used magic to freeze the Emprise du Lion so that the red lyrium works better.
  • Red lyrium is extremely hard to remove once it has taken root, the chances of even dwarves removing it completely from Emprise du Lion stated as being 0.014%[42]


Related Texts

Whispers Written in Red Lyrium

We are here
We have waited
We have slept
We are sundered
We are crippled
We are polluted
We endure
We wait
We have found the dreams again
We will awaken[43]

See also

Codex entry: Red Lyrium Codex entry: Red Lyrium

Gallery

References

  1. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 94
  2. Haunted
  3. At least Dorian and Iron Bull banter imply this
  4. As seen in the Primeval Thaig
  5. Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents, down from the Elder One himself
  6. Dialogue from a tranquil to a 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. Codex entry: Red Templars
  9. Codex entry: Letter to Smugglers' Wagon Masters
  10. Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents
  11. As seen in The Last Straw in Dragon Age II
  12. Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. As was the case with Daniel, shown in Promise of Destruction
  16. Codex entry: Red Templars
  17. Codex entry: Red Templar Foot Soldier
  18. Codex entry: Red Templar Guardsman
  19. Codex entry: New Orders
  20. As seen with Bartrand over the red lyrium idol
  21. Meredith became increasingly paranoid in the final years leading up to the Kirkwall Rebellion (9:37 Dragon), aggravated by her red lyrium exposure
  22. Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents
  23. Codex entry: New Orders
  24. As seen with Red Templar Archers
  25. Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents
  26. As seen with the companions in the dark future during In Hushed Whispers
  27. First conversation with Cole after recruiting him
  28. Codex entry: Red Templar Archers
  29. Codex entry: Red Templar Foot Soldier
  30. As seen with Red Templar Knights, Horrors and Shadows
  31. As seen with Red Templar Knights
  32. Shown in Codex entry: Red Templar Foot Soldier
  33. As seen with Behemoths
  34. As seen with Red Templar Horrors
  35. Codex entry: Shadow
  36. Implied in Codex entry: Behemoth
  37. Codex entry: The Profane
  38. Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents
  39. YouTube (November 22, 2014). Dragon Age: Inquisition - Meeting Bianca (the real one).
  40. At least Dorian and Iron Bull imply this
  41. BSN "Loads of New Info from PC Gamer UK September Issue *Light Spoilers*" . The BioWare Forum.
  42. dialogue from tranquil to a dwarf
  43. Memories lingering in the Fade. Can be discovered during Here Lies the Abyss after talking to Justinia V for the second time but before reaching the crossing.
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