DA:TU History and Culture

1. Tab 5. Historical Info Thread
2. OOC 6. NPC Dossier
3. Chat Pad 7. Codex
4.Fun & Games 8. Mission Briefings

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This is the History and Culture thread for the roleplay Dragon Age: The Undoing. Please read this information before attempting to submit a character, but do not post here unless I give you permission. General OOC may be directed to the OOC Thread.

The majority of the relevant historical information can be found here. Have at least a basic familiarity with the timeline, but don't worry about anything after 1:95 Divine, which is the year in which our adventure takes place.

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The Anderfels: At the beginning of the Second Blight, Anderfels was hit hard and fast by the Horde of Darkspawn, and it continues to face grievous troubles even today. Nordbotten was the first settlement to fall to this Blight, and the trouble only continued from there. The Tevinter Imperium, at the time the sovereign power of a conquered Anderfels, abandoned the region to defend itself, a betrayal which still rankles the proud and hardy Anders people. For the next three and a half decades, the Anderfels alone would bear the brunt of the Blight, culminating in the Siege of the Grey Warden fortress, Weisshaupt, in 1:33 Divine. The Siege was ended with the timely interference of a conquering Orlesian King, Drakon, who led his army to relieve the Wardens and win one of the largest battles of the Age. A devout Andrastian on a holy war, Drakon gave up his conquest to aid the people of Anderfels, a debt that they repaid by siezing hold of the hope that his religion gave them. Today, Anderfels is the most devout nation in Thedas, and one known for producing tough, hardened warriors for the front-lines of battle.

Antiva: Antiva is presently ruled by the same royal family it has always had, though in this era, their strength is greater than it will be in ages to come. The House of Crows is by now firmly established, and for this reason, the nation has done away with its standing army. Though it has avoided being conquered in any recent strife, the lack of a conventional military leaves Antiva vulnerable to large-scale Darkspawn invasion. At present, the Antivans watch and wait, supplying the armies of other nations where possible, and hoping that the Blight doesn't make it too far into their countryside. Those 'Spawn which have already crossed the borders have been few enough in number to meet their ends at the point of an assassin's dagger or arrow, but soon the country's vast finanacial network will be threatened by the expense of such obligations and contracts as they now labor under.

The Dales: The Dales is an area of land technicaly within the borders of Orlais that belongs to the elves. The Dalish generally maintain absolute neutrality with regard to human military matters. Indeed, they earned the ire of many when they watched an attack by Darkspawn on Montsimmard and did nothing to assist.

Ferelden: A young nation only just coming into its own, Ferelden still mostly consists of warring tribesmen, predominantely the Alamarri. Recently, a man named Hafter, who united his divided people in an effort to drive away the Darkspawn, was named Teyrn, and serves as the closest thing Ferelden has to a king, though he rules largely at the pleasure of powerful clan chiefs, and the stability of the country seems based on the necessity of a cohesive offense rather than a desire for such unification itself.

Nevarra: Nevarra, most famous for being the site of the Nevarran Accord, is presently the largest and most powerful city-state in the Free Marches. It is ruled by the Pantaghast clan; militarily-minded individuals with a taste for the glory of battle. In the years to come, it will aggressively expand, esecially against Orlais, but for now present troubles have kept its elite light-armoured military forces busy. Known for producing the continent's best scouts and many a daring dragon-hunter, Nevarra lends military assistance against the Darkspawn in frequently less-direct ways than Ferelden or Orlais.

Orlais: Under its founder, Emperor Drakon, Orlais expanded to include vast tracts of the Free Marches and the Anderfels. Recently, however, the lack of acumen displayed by Drakon II has allowed Anderfels to reclaim its independence, as with the Free Marches. Though still a nation with much military might, Orlias does not have the sheer force it once had. Contemporarily, Orlais is known mostly for three things: its excessive court traditions, its location as the base of power for the Divine, and it's heavy-hitting order of Knights Chevalier. The latter are trained rigourously to be frontline warriors of excellent prowess on the field. The first is often a point of ridicule with other nations, and the second is viewed with reverence or disdain depending on the the observer. With the Darkspawn by now harassing the Orliesian countryside, most of the country's military force is currently devoted to defending its own borders, and it is feared that without Orlesian support, no mustered army will ever be of the necessary size to defeat the personal entourage of an Archdemon.

Orzammar: The dwarves have by now closed off all access to the Deep Roads leading to any other thaig, and Orzammar is, for all intents and purposes, all that remains. The caste system is firmly in place, and as ever, the dwarves bear the burden of constant Darkspawn incursions. Given how many of the creatures have gone topside with the Blight, Orzammar is actually enjoying a period of relative peace, though the residents are well aware that if the humans are conquered, they will not be far behind. Still, the King has yet to send any but token military aid to the surface, unwilling to risk his army, which may be needed if the humans fail.

Par Vollen: Par Vollen is currently inhabited only by a sentient race known as the Fex, who never leave their islands. The Qunari will not land there for another several ages.

Rivain: The Rivaini are a free-spirited people who won their independence from Tevinter long ago. They are known for their reverence for seers and magic, and their refusal to accept the Chant of Light. Rivaini corsairs are among the most feared on the oceans, and their primary military strength lies in their naval and amphibious troops.

Tevinter Imperium: Once unquestionably the mightiest Empire in the world, Tevinter has struggled recently with the effects of a drawn-out Blight. Minrathous was sacked some years ago, and though it has since been rebuilt, the magisters are still struggling to negotiate their positions in a country that is officially Andrastean and also traditionally a magocracy, or ruled by a class of mages. Technically, Tevinter also has a Circle of Magi, though the mages are for the most part allowed to govern themelves. Notable for its practices of slavery, especially the procuring of slaves from elven settlements, the lower classes, and conquered peoples, Tevinter is the subject of much ill-will from the other nations of Thedas. Fifty years ago, it narrowly missed a large-scale conflict with an invading Orlesian army that would surely have brought the Imperium to its knees. Less famous but perhaps more frightening is the Tevinter use of individuals called somniari, extraordinarily-rare magi with the power to enter the Fade at will and slay people in their dreams, resulting in their subsequent Tranquility. Such people are usually trained as specialized assassins of a sort, and only their rarity prevents their widespread use.

The Free Marches: A series of independent city-states, the Marches in many cases have recently regained independence from Orlias, or, in the case of Kirkwall, the Imperium. The Marchers face the Darkspawn incursion like everyone else, but their lack of unity has made it particularly trying for them. The main three players in the Free Marches are Kirkwall, Starkhaven, and Nevarra. Marchers are varied peoples, mostly imports from other countries, and they bring their various backgrounds together into a unique cultural milieu. Their militaries are generally an even mix of troops, though Starkhaven has gained some renown for its capability in archery and seige weaponry.

The Circle of Magi: Established by the Nevarran Accord in 1:20 Divine, the Circle governs magi in all countries of Thedas, with particularly strong influence in Orlais and Anderfels and much weaker holdings in Tevinter and Rivain. Connected to the Chantry, individual Circles are watched over by the Templar Order, and corruption is ostensibly sniffed out and quashed by the enigmatic Seekers of Truth. Many mages now in the circle had parents or grandparents that were free mages, but active resistance to the idea is slowly fading as the reality of the punishments for disobedience becomes clear.

The Grey Wardens: Until about fifty years ago, the Grey Wardens were an independent organization dedicated to fighting the darkspawn by taking on their Taint. When Drakon I broke the Siege of Weisshaupt, however, the Wardens became affiliated with the Chantry, if only loosely. This generally prevents them from interfering in Chantry affairs, though their mandate remains independent and they still do not need to submit to any particular authority. Given that they have only had to deal with one Blight before the advent of this one, the response structure to Darkspawn incursions is still highly imperfect, and in their increasing desperation, the Wardens are attempting to branch out and improvise new methods of dealing with the threat of a complete takeover.

A note on languages:

It occurs to me that some of our characters may well be from countries that do not speak "Ferelden," so I'm going to include a small list for reference purposes. Not all of this will be exactly canon, but I'm trying to stretch as little as possible.

-Fereldens and Marchers speak Ferelden (English).
-Dwarves speak a Ferelden dialect (American English). The original Dwarven language is lost to history, and even the Shaperate doesn't have record of it. Technically, "Ferelden" is a misnomer, since the dwarves introduced it to Ferelden. They prefer to call it the Trade Tongue, after its original purpose.
-Dalish Elves speak mostly a dialect of whatever part of the world they're from. Elvish was largely lost after the fall of Elvhenan. It survives in fragmentary phrases.
-City Elves speak the language of their home.
-Orlesians speak Orlesian (French)
-Anderfels' citizens speak Ander (German).
-The Chasind peoples speak Chasind (Irish Gaelic).
-Antivans speak Antivan (Italian).
-People from Rivain speak Rivaini (Spanish).
-Tevinters speak Arcanum (Latin). An older language, Ancient Tevene (ancient Greek), is still spoken on some formal occasions.

Fereldan is the most accepted common language, though you'd do well not to mention that to an Orlesian. We're going to assume that all of the characters in this particular game can speak it, unless you want to make a communication barrier a part of a character concept.