An iconic Dragon Age character returns in The Veilguard—and her design carries huge lore implications

Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a release date, and amidst the heavy breathing from fans over the possible romance options in the newest adventure through Thedas (hello, Neve Gallus with the hair down), there was also huge excitement for a confirmed returning character.

Morrigan is back—like she ever was going to leave. We’re talking about fighting some elven gods and you thought Morrigan’s meddling ass wasn’t going to stick around for that? In the release date trailer, Morrigan gets a little bit of voice-over work before she finally unveils herself in appropriately dramatic fashion, flying into the scene as a raven before transforming in a burst of feathers. And she’s got a new look, too. The “let’s see how creatively I can show some skin” aesthetic is still there, but in a slightly more mature way, with more armor and an extremely conspicuous headpiece.

Raven-eyed observers immediately clocked the crown as Flemeth’s or at least one incredibly similar to Flemeth’s. And that carries with it some heavy lore backstory, as well as implications for the future.

WARNING: Light spoilers for Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age: Inquisition ahead

For those not in the know, Flemeth is Morrigan’s mother and the legendary Witch of the Wilds. While Morrigan is also a Witch of the Wilds, Flemeth is THE Witch of the Wilds, and she’s one of the biggest movers and shakers throughout the Dragon Age franchise.

It’s Flemeth who originally asks Morrigan to help the main Warden character in Dragon Age: Origins. Flemeth also essentially rescues the party and guides them to Kirkwall in the sequel, setting up that game’s plot. And finally, it’s the surprise introduction of Flemeth as the embodiment of Mythal, the elven goddess of love, motherhood, and justice, that leads you into the final act of Inquisition. Flemeth’s information is vital to the Inquisition to help put an end to the demonic threat that could rupture Thedas.

But in the aftermath of Inquisition, a cutscene shows Flemeth embracing Solas after revealing him to be an elven god himself, before Solas seemingly petrifies her, possibly absorbing some sort of power.

If that is Flemeth’s crown Morrigan is wearing, that implies a few things. One, Morrigan probably saw Flemeth petrified herself and knows her fate. And if that’s true, it’s also likely true Morrigan knows Solas is responsible for that. Morrigan and Flemeth weren’t on the best of terms, but I still doubt she’ll take kindly to that.

The power vacuum left by Flemeth’s absence is also a huge story to consider. Is Morrigan now the main Witch of the Wilds? Is there a new embodiment of Mythal running around somewhere? Is it Morrigan herself? Or could it be the Inquisitor from the last game?

It’s all ripe with possibility at the moment. Luckily for fans, we don’t have to wait too much longer to explore these new storylines ourselves. Dragon Age: The Veilguard launches on Oct. 31.