| “ | I have seen things in my journeys that most can only dream of. Literally. | „ |
| ~ Solas |
| “ | I am not Corypheus. I take no joy in this... but the return of my people means the end of yours. | „ |
| ~ Solas |
Solas, better known as Fen'Harel, is an extremely powerful and ancient mage who is wrongly believed to be a god.
History
During the time of the ancient elves, Solas was somewhat counted among a group of very powerful mages, the Evanuris, who held themselves up, falsely, as gods. He led a rebellion against the other tyrannical Evanuris, freeing their slaves and fighting against their propaganda claiming they were gods. In response, the Evanuris bestowed upon Solas the insulting name Fen'Harel, or The Dread Wolf, and claimed he was an malicious trickster. After the Evanuris threatened the world and killed one of their own, Mythal, Solas took more desperate measures. Using his Foci, an orb that augmented his powers, he created the Veil, separating the Fade and the physical world and sealing away the Evanuris. This act drained him of much of his powers and he entered into Uthenera, a long sleep.
Creating the Veil also disrupted the magic that was so integral to the ancient elves and their empire of Elvehnan. Elvehnan fell, eventually leading to the enslavement of the elven race by humans and over centuries reducing his people to a shadow of their former selves. The truth of Solas' rebellion was lost to the ages while the Evanuris' propaganda lived on. Modern elves continuing to worship the Evanuris as gods, known as the Creators, believed that Fen'Harel was evil and betrayed the Creators for his own ends.
Dragon Age
During his sleep, Solas is still lucid in the Fade and aware of the new, changing state of the world. He tasks one of his agents to recover the passcode for the eluvian network, but when they fail to do so he is forced to leave Uthenera to work on his plans himself. Although resolved to use his Foci to reshape reality to what it was during his time, Solas is too weak from his sleep to activate the orb, which had built up power over milennia. He arranges for a powerful, dark being known as Corypheus to obtain and unlock it for him, under the assumption Corypheus will be killed in the process.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
When Corypheus activates Solas' orb, the immense power contained within it in addition to the accidental interference of the future Inquisitor causes a massive explosion. This creates a breach in the Veil, a catastrophic event that threatens to swallow the entire world. Meanwhile, Corypheus has unexpectedly survived the explosion and is still in possession of the orb.
Solas, whose own plans can't proceed while the Breach is open and he is without his orb, decides to aid the newly formed Inquisition, which seeks to seal the Breach and find Corypheus. He presents himself as an unassuming apostate and hedge mage, then acts as a guide to the Inquisitor by saving them from the Anchor, revealing half-truths about the orb and leading them to the fortress of Skyhold. If Solas is in a romantic relationship with the Inquisitor, he eventually reveals to them that the Dalish vallaslins were originally slave markings in the time of Elvehnan. Each design indicated which of the Evanuris the slave owner worshipped. If the Inquisitor agrees to it, Solas removes the vallaslin with a spell, saying that "they are free."
Eventually Corypheus is defeated, but the orb is destroyed in the process. With his orb useless, Solas leaves the Inquisition without explanation to resume his own plans. He meets with Flemeth, who carries a piece of the murdered Mythal inside her, and apologizes for giving the orb to Corypheus. He says he should pay the price but that the elves need him. After this, he absorbs her powers, appearing to kill her
Trespasser
Two years later and thanks to Flemeth's power, Solas has regained much of his strength and gained control over most of the eluvian network. He arranges for the Inquisitor, who he has been keeping track of with his network of spies within the Inquisition, to find their way to him. On the way, the Inquisitor encounters the ruins of sanctuaries, once headed by Fen'Harel, for the slaves of Elvehnan. Solas also manipulates the Inquisitor into unknowingly helping him defeat Qunari extremists who control the remainder of the eluvians.
After killing Qunari sect's leader, the Viddasala, Solas explains to the Inquisitor who he is, his past and his role in the Conclave explosion. He also reveals his plans to tear down the Veil, which will restore the ancient elves to their former glory but cause untold chaos and likely destroy the other races of Thedas. Depending on what his relationship was like with the Inquisitor, Solas either feels only mildly guilty over this or incredibly remorseful. He refuses to reveal the specifics of his plan or the exact reasons he created the Veil in the first place. He then removes and takes the unstable Anchor from the Inquisitor, saving their life but losing them their arm. Before he departs, the Inquisitor vows to stop him either by redeeming or killing him.