Four of Cups

Spellbinder

Significance: Spellbinders bind spirits to objects, cups included, I presume. I suspect they can bind them to red lyrium as well.

Cups 04

The card itself represents: Relaxation and rest, a stationary period, the need for reassurance, new possibilities, dissatisfaction, patience, a need for new challenges, new friendships, receptivity for new things, etc.

Reversed: Lack of understanding, fantasy, boredom, lack of receptivity, seeking mindless distractions, brooding, animosity, aggression, lack of appreciation, etc.

Cups 04 O

He is bound to magic and he binds the spells of time; spells, words, phrases, how they are written, how they are spoken… To spell is to cast, and thus the papers all around him describe this, along with the floating nature, as the wind picks up the papers, loosely flying about and out of the books, the air that breathes the words which are the spells. A starlit sky illuminating the divine nature of arcane knowledge. A serpent coils itself around the Spellbinder’s left arm, forbidden, ancient knowledge, understood by few, as he makes his will known; dark and powerful is the magic of the one who follows a dark false god.

What I think this means for DA: Binding a spirit or demon, whether to an object or to a person, is different than possession. We saw Grey Wardens bind non-mage Wardens, once turned into demons, though not to someone else, but to themselves, thus they too were bound too and thus enslaved (to each other and to Corypheus). There will be others, more bindings, more enslavements. I don’t think Corypheus needs to be there for others to carry our his will. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; there are those who continue to follow him and his legacy. Binding can be dangerous and we haven’t seen the last of it. It’s just the logical conclusion.