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Intro:

The dwarves, or dwarva, as the dwarves refer to themselves, are one of the major humanoid races of Thedas. Strong, stocky, and shorter than any other humanoid race, the dwarves are skilled builders and boast a long tradition of courage and martial skill that has served them well in their millennia-long battle against the darkspawn.

They once developed a huge, great empire which spread across vast underground networks of twelve great thaigs that spanned the breadth of Thedas with its population outnumbering both the humans and the elves. However their world was all but destroyed during the First Blight, and they are now a race in decline.

The single-mindedness of the dwarves is credited for the race's survival. Their ability to dedicate their efforts to a cause helped them survive in conditions that no other race would have been able to and gave rise to a level of technology that far surpasses anything else in Thedas.

Dwarves are known to be increasingly infertile due to their proximity to the darkspawn taint, a situation which has given rise to anxiety for the future of the race, as well as the invention of noble hunters to bolster the children born to noble houses.

Background:

Dwarves are responsible for introducing the common tongue, currency, trade and entertainment to humanity. They have mastered clockwork, mechanical weaponry, and limited steam power. Dwarven clockwork, while uncommon, is notable, as time-telling in Thedas is inexact.

Unlike the other races, dwarves do not naturally enter the Fade as they do not dream and lack magical ability. In fact there is no recorded exception to their inability to learn spellcasting however they are not completely barred and may enter the Fade in exceptional circumstances. This is reflected in their resistance to magic, and accounts for their high tolerance to lyrium exposure.

Dwarves also possess a unique ability called "Stone sense", a talent for subterranean navigation derived from the race's progenitor, the Stone. Stone sense is described as the ability to hear the distant song of lyrium. This connection allows dwarves to sense a passageway before reaching it and can navigate the Deep Roads without getting hopelessly lost. Dwarves who live on the surface for a long time gradually lose this ability and those born on the surface appear to not possess it at all.

Due to their underground life, dwarves have developed superior vision in the dark. This ability is also shared by the elves. Furthermore, because of their hardy constitution, sickness is thought to be rare among the dwarven folk. But due to constant warfare, proximity to the darkspawn, and low fertility rates the numbers of underground dwarves decrease steadily (except during the Blights) for nearly a thousand years.

History:

Records of early dwarven history in Orzammar's Memories go back tens of millennia. However, there are large lacunae in the records of the earliest years due to records being lost or erased. As such, the origins of the dwarves are not clear. The Primeval Thaig discovered during the Dragon Age is also of unknown chronology. The Titans and the dwarves lived together during this time but their exact relationship remains unknown. In -4600 Ancient, the elves first made contact with the dwarves and eventually the elves made war upon the titans and the dwarves, killing many of the former and driving the latter underground. Between -1195 and -975 Ancient, the dwarves fought a war against an attacking force of Scaled Ones which ended with the retreat of the latter and has not been seen since. A few centuries before the First Blight in -385 Ancient, Paragon Fairel established the first surface thaig.

After humans arrived in Thedas in -3100 Ancient, the Dwarven empire expanded and worked with both men and elves. They formed an alliance with Tevinter in -1200 Ancient that still holds two millennia later. In -1170 Ancient, the capital was moved from Kal-Sharok to Orzammar and the period following this was marked by a great flourishing of art, commerce and engineering. In -975 Ancient, elves fleeing the destruction of Arlathan found temporary shelter in Cadash Thaig. This resulted in the thaig being destroyed by the dwarves of Kal-Sharok to prevent risking the alliance with Tevinter.

In -395 Ancient, the first darkspawn appeared underground, foreshadowing the First Blight. During this time, the thaigs became disconnected from each other as the Deep Roads became unsafe and occupied by the darkspawn. Paragon Aeducan rallied the dwarves out of their internal feuding and achieved the first victories, saving Orzammar. Paragon Caridin invented the golems in -255 Ancient and continued to make them until his King, Valtor, abused the process to remove political enemies. Without more golems, the dwarves could not defeat the darkspawn. Eventually Dumat was defeated with dwarven assistance in the Battle of the Silent Plains in -203 Ancient.

Even without the guidance of an Archdemon, the darkspawn continued to harry the dwarves, hold the deep roads and keep the thaigs in isolation from each other. This resulted in a new practice, starting in -195 Ancient, of each kingdom electing its own king. In -40 Ancient, Orzammar sealed its multiple Thaigs off from the deep roads completely. The two kingdoms of Gundaar and Hormak fell within a decade. Kal-Sharok was also considered lost at this time, however, this was a mistaken belief. As far as anyone knew, all of the remaining dwarves in Thedas lived in the kingdom of Orzammar or were surface dwarves.

During the Fourth Blight, the dwarves lost the Ortan Thaig. They also assisted Tevinter Imperium in the relief of the siege of Marnas Pell.

In 9:12 Dragon, it was discovered that Kal-Sharok was not lost, but had survived. Relations were tense as Orzammar demanded allegiance, which Kal-Sharok refused as they had been abandoned by the capital. After exchanging hands between the dwarves and darkspawn numerous times, Bownammar fell permanently to the darkspawn in 9:13 Dragon. In 9:30 Dragon, there was a succession stalemate between Bhelen Aeducan and Pyral Harrowmont. This was resolved by The Warden, in favor of Bhelen Aeducan, and for their role in ending the crises, they were given troops to end the Fifth Blight. King Bhelen quickly proved himself a reformer. Trade with the surface lands increased and caste restrictions were loosened. The casteless were permitted to take arms against the darkspawn in exchange for new freedoms. For the first time in generations, the line in the Deep Roads was pushed back, in 9:32 Dragon, House Helmi led an army which cleared the Deep Roads all the way to Kal'Hirol and reclaimed it for the dwarves.

Orzammar was not directly impacted by the return of Corypheus in 9:41 Dragon. However, earthquakes during this time disrupted lyrium mining operations underneath the Storm Coast and The Inquisitor assisted the Legion of the Dead and Shaper Valta in discovering their cause and ending the tremors.

Culture

The dwarven social hierarchy is ruled by complex, interrelated, and rigid castes. The casteless, commonly known as "dusters" after their ghetto of Dust Town, are the lowest rung of dwarven society; outcasts in their own city, unable to take up work among the higher castes, nor to defend their honor in the Provings or fight the darkspawn to protect the city, dwarves rejected by the Stone itself. Dwarves who are exiled or born on the surface are also officially casteless - but with an increase in the number of higher-caste dwarves choosing to live on the surface, it is becoming difficult for some surface dwarves to be considered permanent exiles. The average dwarf will never see the surface, and often will have superstitious beliefs concerning surface-life (such as falling into the sky, or the sun falling to the ground).

Above the casteless are servants, artisans, miners, smiths, merchants, warriors and nobles. Among the nobles, the deshyrs are a group of dwarves who participate in the Assembly on behalf of their house. While it is possible for some dwarves to better their family's station by performing great deeds and/or siring children with higher-caste dwarves, these remain rare and difficult circumstances. Lower-caste dwarves who rise in caste are generally considered "upjumped" by the highest castes. In dwarven society, children inherit the caste of their same-sex parent; should a son be born, he would inherit his father's caste, or his father's lack of caste, should that be the case.

It is also known that slavery has existed in the times of the ancient dwarven empire.

Monarchy is the standard dwarven government, but heredity tends to be a weak factor in determining who sits on the throne when the time comes for a new ruler. While a king may propose his heir to the throne, the next ruler is ultimately determined in the Assembly by a vote of the deshyrs.

It has been mentioned that most of the wealth of the dwarves comes from selling processed lyrium to the mages of Thedas. The Chantry holds a monopoly on lyrium trade with the dwarves (in order to maintain control over templars and mages), but there remains a flourishing black market of the substance, dominated on the dwarven end by the Carta in Dust Town.

Education

Education in Orzammar appears to be given to those with caste and may in part be administered by members of the Shaperate. Among the casteless there is no formal education and most are functionally illiterate.

Diet

The diet of the dwarven race is unique to all other races in Thedas, owing to the majority of dwarves living their entire lives underground. The diet of those living in the thaig of Orzammar are the most documented, as opposed to the unknown diet of the more secretive dwarves of Kal-Sharok. As a result of living underground, a dwarf's diet relies heavily upon foodstuffs harvested, and animals found, in the Deep Roads..

Religion

Unlike many other cultures in Thedas, dwarves do not worship anthropomorphic gods. Instead, their philosophy promotes personal excellence and an almost intimate tie to the Stone that houses them. Referring reverentially to "the Stone", the dwarves speak of it as being alive. They are the Stone's children; they respect her, they fear her, they cherish her, and they give thanks to her for protecting them and providing them with her bounty. This religion has been practiced for two thousand years by the dwarves.

Their other cultural beliefs are more akin to ancestor worship. Dwarves who lead a strong and noble life are said to strengthen the Stone when they die, becoming one of the Ancestors. Those who are ignoble or disgraced would weaken the Stone and are therefore rejected by it for all eternity. Surface dwarves and casteless are believed to be rejected by the Stone.

Every once in a while, a dwarf is declared by the Assembly to be particularly noble. If the required motion is passed in the Assembly, these dwarves become Paragons and are revered during their lives as living Ancestors. When a dwarf achieves Paragon status, a noble house bearing their name is established. The deeds of a Paragon are carefully recorded in the Memories, records of lineage and deeds that help determine what caste a dwarf is born into. The word of a Paragon is held in such esteem that you can surpass even the king's word. Furthermore, a dwarf can be declared as a Paragon even posthumously.

Surface dwarves still preserve their beliefs in the Stone, while some do not follow or care for any religion. Only a small minority of them is part of the Chantry.

Gender and Sexuality

In spite of the fundamental conservativeness of the dwarven culture, sexuality plays an important role, largely due to the low racial birth rate. It has been suggested that the root cause of the low birth rate may be "corruption-caused infertility" contracted from exposure to the Deep Roads. As is common in surfacer society, nobles and other high-caste dwarves are expected to marry only within their caste. Dwarves do not often mate with other races as such contact is limited in the isolated Orzammar. And as they naturally consider themselves superior to other races, and such mingling is looked down upon in any case.

Female dwarves appear to have little control over their sexuality, as their most important asset, regardless of caste, is their ability to bear children. Noble females are especially pressured to marry and bear children. Male nobles are expected—even encouraged—to be promiscuous, in order to sire as many children as possible, often with noble hunters. Noble females are expected to guard their virtue.

Casteless females understand their value in Orzammar is solely in breeding among thee castes, which gives them agency, in a fashion, as noble hunters, who seek the sexual attentions of noble males in order to advance themselves (and/or their families or 'sponsors'). Casteless males have a more difficult situation, as they can only hope to sire children with higher-caste women - most of whom are not in a position to pursue affairs with them, or are not interested in doing so. Additionally, in terms of courtship, it is noted that for a dwarven male to wear both vambraces indicates he is unmarried and eligible.

Prostitution exists in Orzammar, with the finest brothels being restricted to the highest caste dwarves, such as warrior caste.

Shaperate

The judicial functions of government are split between the king and the Shaperate. The king and his warriors deal with crime and maintain order, while the Shaperate deals with civil disputes. The Shaperate is also ultimately responsible for the preservation of all records current and historical. As a result, it is the supreme authority over the authenticity and binding nature of contracts, as well as legal precedent. The Shaper of Memories is considered a role of absolute impartiality in dwarven society, and commands enormous respect as a disinterested third-party in legal matters.

In dwarven society the role of the Shaper is one of great honor, privilege, and also hardship. A Shaper must honor the Stone, protect it, and present a new history to the Memories. However, this means that a Shaper must seek out knowledge and history beyond the city and its inhabitants, venturing into the Deep Roads to record the history of lost thaigs and ruins and dwarves whom the Memories might otherwise forget. A Shaper must be prepared to risk all—perhaps even their own life—so that the dwarven race might reclaim its lost knowledge and learn from it.

Legion of the Dead

The Legion of the Dead is an independent branch of the dwarven army which answers directly to the king or queen of Orzammar. It is considered to be the most intimidating and devastating dwarven military force and most attribute this to the fact that the Legionnaires consider themselves already dead.

Provings

The Provings are public arena battles fought for the sake of honor and glory and to entertain the masses. They take place in the Orzammar Proving arena. Dwarves believe that a fighter who wins a Proving has the approval of the Paragons and so they use Provings to settle debates and honor challenges that could not be settled otherwise. This usually falls to warrior caste champions. Some Proving matches are fought to the death, but even in a dwindling society such as Orzammar, one death in a Proving is thought preferable to the widespread bloodshed of a conflict between noble houses. In recent years, the Provings have also been used for entertainment and events to honor special guests, and each year the best fighters in Orzammar meet for the "Trials of Blood", a great tournament that crowns the kingdom's best and most popular fighter.

The great gladiatorial battles of the ancient Tevinter Imperium are based on this dwarven tradition.

Golems

In ages past, Paragon Caridin magically crafted huge stone and metal golems to act as war machines for the dwarven armies. The craft of making new golems was lost with Caridin himself, and the main body of war golems, known as the Legion of Steel, was lost in a futile search for him.

Surface Dwarves

Dwarves who have left the Stone's embrace are considered by their subterranean brethren as non-dwarves, lost and rejected by the Stone. They have no caste and no right to be reinstated. In sharp contrast, the humans respect the surface dwarves and value their hard-working ethics, cunning and skills they bring. Surface dwarves usually work in the Dwarven Merchants' Guild supplying Orzammar with surface goods and exporting its products but there are many smiths, stonemasons, bankers as well as Carta thugs

Many dwarves have moved on the surface, either as members of expeditions funded by dwarven houses or guilds, for their own personal reasons, or as a punishment. In ancient times, the punishment of exile was very uncommon and was considered to be one of the fiercest.

According to dwarven scholars, surface dwarves may soon outnumber their underground-living peers.

Settlements

There are currently three remaining dwarven cities where once existed twelve great kingdoms adjoining the dwarven empire. Orzammar, the capital of the empire, is the largest, greatest and proudest of the three. The other dwarven cities are Kal-Sharok and Kal'Hirol.

Kal-Sharok was thought to be lost to the darkspawn only for the dwarves of Orzammar to learn in 9:12 Dragon of Kal-Sharok's survival which had done so at great cost. Far from a joyous reunion, the relationship is soured because Orzammar demands Kal-Sharok's allegiance (since it was the capital of the dwarven empire and the rulers of the other kingdoms were subordinate to the high king of Orzammar). In addition Kal-Sharok has not forgiven Orzammar for abandoning them a millennium ago to the darkspawn by sealing the Deep Roads under the rule of High King Threestone.

The last is Kal'Hirol which was lost to darkspawn and recently reclaimed by the dwarves of Orzammar.

Languages and Phrases

The dwarves had multiple languages that are no longer generally spoken, and only a few phrases remain in common usage. Now they speak the "common tongue", once invented in order to trade with each other and later introduced to other races.

Politics

Orzammar—as the ancient empire likely was before the division into city-states—is a constitutional monarchy, consisting of a king and one legislative house entirely of nobles. Other castes are not represented in any fashion in the Assembly. The noble houses which are allowed to have a deshyr and represented in the Assembly are those which can trace a general, deshyr or a Paragon among their ancestors. Subsequently, lesser noble houses may not have a vote in the Assembly as well as the number of deshyrs in the Assembly can easily vary. The Assembly holds the power to advise the king, approve or veto acts of the king, propose police, declare Paragons, and elect new kings. Furthermore, the Steward of the Assembly is a non-voting member.

When the king or queen die, the Assembly goes into deliberation until they choose the next monarch, by majority vote. It is traditional for the king or queen to nominate their successor, usually their eldest child, or less often, a younger child or even someone from another House. This decision carries a significant political weight during the election, however it is not enough to determine the new ruler. Fighting, blackmail, and assassination can be intense as contenders for the throne vie for power, and can last for a very long time before the succession is resolved. Dwarves, as they themselves note, are hardheaded and stubborn in their decision making.

Typically a male is chosen as king, but on rare occasions a female is chosen as queen.

The other crucial authority of the Assembly is to declare Paragons. Declaring a dwarf a Paragon is essentially declaring a new noble house, since that Paragon and their family will be elevated to noble status. From then on they will have the right to their own deshyr in the Assembly. All other growth of the Noble caste depends solely on the fertility of its females. Because dwarven society (in particular the nobility) is essentially conservative, nominations for Paragon are extremely rare.

While the king may propose legislation, the Assembly has the authority to block the king's actions through dissent and deadlock, limiting the king's ability to affect domestic law or international relations. The king's primary functions are as an important figure in ceremony and as the Commander-in-Chief. The king's greatest autonomy is in the deployment of troops in the Deep Roads and the training of warriors. It is unclear whether the king is also the de facto general of the dwarven army, though it is implied that each is a separately-held office and his role as Commander-in-Chief is mainly as a figurehead.

Foreign Relations

One would be hard pressed to find a people prouder of their history and accomplishments than the dwarves of Orzammar. They have done much of great worth. Their architectural feats alone are staggering. But their greatest triumphs are also all long past, and their pride eclipses them. In fact, the dwarves' pride has contributed substantially if not definitively, to Orzammar's current condition. There is little doubt that their embattled kingdom could stand the military aid of any surface kingdom that would be willing to provide it.

The dwarves of Orzammar are not xenophobic, but neither do they believe that there is much worth to be found beyond their stone halls. They believe dwarves to be the most formidable race of Thedas and condescend to outsiders on the unusual occasions when they interact. To their credit, most dwarves of Orzammar can be readily convinced that some particular human or elf is worthy of respect based on deeds either observed or reported, but at the same time, these dwarves also argue until the end of their breath that these individuals are unusual exceptions to the general rule.

Grey Wardens

Grey Wardens and the dwarven people have always had a kinship through their shared battle against the darkspawn. Dwarves are consequently viewed as excellent recruits to the Order due to their experience against the darkspawn. It is also known that dwarven Grey Wardens lifted the hundred day siege of Orzammar. However, as there are fewer dwarves due to low birth rates, there are also fewer dwarven Wardens. Grey Wardens are also the only surface organization to care about the endless war the dwarves wage aginst the darkspawn in the Deep Roads.

When the time of a Grey Warden's Calling draws near, a Warden honors a longstanding agreement between the Wardens and the dwarves and serves a year fighting darkspawn in the Deep Roads at the side of the dwarves. When the advance of the taint is unbearable, the Warden is celebrated by the dwarves and then enters the Deep Roads for their Calling. The dwarves respect the Grey Wardens for their sacrifices.

Orlais

The dwarves of Orzammar maintain a good relationship with the Orlesian Empire with which they share borders in the western side of the Frostback Mountains. They provide the empire with lyrium and minerals, as well as smithing. Lyrium is especially important as it is used by Circle mages as a mana replenishment resource of their more complex spells and consumed by the Chantry's templars.

Furthermore, Queen Valda Aeducan forged a trade agreement with Emperor Etienne I in 7:80 Storm and gifted him a bronto trophy to commemorate this event. The relations between the two nations were further improved during the reign of King Barran Aeducan who made an expedition to the Deep Roads with Grand Duke Gratien in 8:31 Blessed. A deepstalker trophy was gifted to the Grand Duke to commemorate this event and both trophies are currently on display in the Winter Palace.

Tevinter Imperium

The dwarven empire has been allied with the Tevinter Imperium for more than 2,000 years. Dwarven influence can still be seen in Imperial Proving Grounds and the use of three massive golems called Juggernauts, to defend the capital of Minrathous. The lyrium trade is the primary reason for their close alliance, and the magic-centric Imperium is mainly dependent on Orzammar to meet its immense demand. Except the trade alliance, it is also known that the dwarves helped Tevinter during the Fourth Blight by lifting the siege of Marnas Pell and they received many accolades of the ruling Archon.

Many surface dwarves live in the Imperium, not considered citizens but rather foreign dignitaries, even if their houses have existed in the Imperium for ages.

The Tevinter Imperium hosts numerous dwarven embassies, since the days of Archon Darinius and his alliance with the legendary king of the dwarven empire, Endrin Stonehammer. There are dwarven embassies in every major city, much like dwarven settlements in other countries in Thedas. However, Tevinter dwarves have their own branch of government, unlike dwarves in other countries. This body is called the Ambassadoria, representatives elected by the dwarves to advise the Archon and the Magisterium. The Ambassadoria is more of a lobbying group than a parliament.

Dwarven embassies in Minrathous, Neromenian, and Qarinus are entirely underground and are considered by dwarves to reside within the Stone, allowing those in the embassy to retain their caste Some dwarves serving in Tevinter embassies never leave these underground fastnesses. No dwarves are known to be kept as slaves in the Imperium, presumably due to their fundamental importance to the Imperium in providing lyrium.

Despite this close alliance, there are two known cases in which some of the dwarves secretly breached this pact. The first was with providing safe harbor in Cad'halash Thaig for the ancient elves who were fleeing after the destruction of Arlathan. The dwarves of Kal-Sharok were informed of this so they attacked Cad'halash and killed everyone in order to hide the evidence from the Imperium. The second occasion was when Amaranthine was held by the Avvars. The Imperium at that time were trying to conquer Ferelden and the dwarves secretly traded with the Avvars beneath Amaranthine.

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Intro:

A humanoid race, elves are typically shorter than humans and have a slender, lithe build, larger eyes, and pointed ears. Long ago, the elves were the dominant race on Thedas, and their advanced civilization was based on nature, the Fade and magic. After the fall of their great city of Arlathan and the empire of Elvhenan, plunder by the Tevinter Imperium and the subsequent generations of slavery, the elves lost most of their cultural heritage and identity. They attempted to rebuild their society in the Dales, but after three centuries the Dales fell to one of the Chantry's Exalted Marches.

Since then, the elves have separated into two distinct groups: the Dalish, who choose to lead nomadic lives and strive to keep elven culture alive rather than submit, and the city elves, who live alongside humans, usually as impoverished outcasts, and have adopted many human customs. Many elves are still held as slaves within Tevinter, and many others have joined the Qunari in hopes for better lives. Overall, the elves are now a people associated with poverty, crime and barbarism, and are often used as scapegoats for humanity's difficulties. In Ancient Tevinter elves were called "rattus". Modern humans use the racial slurs "knife ears," "slant-eared" or, less cruelly, "rabbit." Though most of the elven language has been lost, they once referred to themselves as "elvhen," which means "the People".

History:

Early History:

Ancient elves, elvhen, were once a race of beautiful, ethereal immortals who lived in harmony with nature. They existed in a world without the Veil and called the Fade the "sky". They tried both to explore the Fade and to build cities on Earth, which sparked a war with the titans. Elvhen came out victorious and started to mine the bodies of the titans for their blood, lyrium.

Eventually elvhen leaders claimed divinity and were recognized as gods, the Evanuris. They used orbs, or foci, to harness magical power. Powerful magic allowed the Evanuris to enslave tens of thousands of their kin who were branded with the symbols of the gods, the vallaslin. The Evanuris were arrogant and fickle and warred amongst themselves. Mythal was the only voice of reason who genuinely cared for her people.

At the height of their civilization, elvhen created pockets within the Fade with their own rules of reality, such as "the Crossroads" and the magical repository of Vir Dithara, and used magical mirrors, eluvians for fast travel.

An aeon passed before the Evanutris in their greed discovered something terrible deep underground. In fear, elves sealed the tunnels with stone and magic and vowed to forget the place. The realization that false gods would destroy all sparked a rebellion. It was led by Fen'Harel.

As a last straw, the Evanuris murdered Mythal. Fen'Harel was unable to kill them, so he created the Veil to banish them forever. The results were catastrophic. The Veil blocked most people's conscious connection to the Fade and caused elvhen to begin aging. Their structures intrinsically tied to the Fade collapsed in on themselves, destroying eons of knowledge and killing many of the people.

Now trapped in Thedas, elves mourned the past while new generations slowly lost understanding of it.

Before the Downfall:

According to the elven calendar, they made first contact with the dwarves in -4600 Ancient. The dwarven Shaperate also speak of a Thedas entirely devoid of humans, when elves reigned over the land and dwarves ruled the underground.

The elven calendar holds that humans arrived in Thedas around -3100 Ancient. For a while, humans and elves interacted and traded peaceably. In -1195 Ancient, human kingdoms in the north united to form the Tevinter Imperium. They discovered the elven city of Arlathan in the forest next to them. This time, humans were met with hostilities. According to the legends, elves came to believe that it is the exposure to "shemlen" (or "quick children", as they called humans) that made them age and die.

In retaliation, in -981 Ancient, imperial legions besieged Arlathan. Six years later Tevinter magisters resorted to blood magic to sink Arlathan into the ground. They captured and enslaved most fleeing elves almost overnight and destroyed elven culture. What little remained got banned by the Imperium, including the elven calendar. However, in light of previous elven history it was no more than "carrion feasting upon a corpse."

Elven legends blame the defeat on Fen'Harel who has sealed the gods away and thus prevented them from saving the People.

The Dales:

After generations of slavery, the elven slaves, under Shartan's leadership, were among the most ferent supporters of the prophetess Andraste's uprising against the Tevinter Imperium. Shartan and the elves fought alongside Andreste in her quest to depose the Tevinter magisters in 1020 TE, and they were rewarded for their loyalty by being granted land in the Dales upon Andraste's victory. They called their journey to their new homeland the Long Walk. Many perished on the way, some even returned to Tevinter, but most continued the walk.

In the Dales, the elves created a second elven homeland and began to restore the lost lore and culture of Elvhenan, including the worship of their elven gods. They built their first city, Halamshiral ("end of the journey"), and isolated themselves from the humans. The borders were guarded by an order named the Emerald Knights. For some years, humans loyal to Andraste's memory respected their elven allies. But over the generations, and as the Chant of Light and the religion of the Maker spread throughout the cities of their human neighbors as Drakon launched his Exalted Marches and established the Orlesian Empire, the diplomatic relationships between the Dales and humans soured, as the elves refused to convert and remained isolated. Human historians claim t his hostility was compounded by the Dalish's inaction during the Second Blight. Humans claim the war with the elves began when a small elven raiding party attacked the nearby human town of Red Crossing in 2:9 Glory, leading to the Chantry eventually calling an Exalted March against the elves when they had captured Montsimmard and besieged Val Royeaux, claiming they had been attacked by the Dales. The Dalish claim templars invaded the Dales after the elves kicked out Chantry missionaries from their sovereign territory because the elves refused to convert to the Andrastian faith.

Written accounts from Din'an Hanin, the tomb of the Emerald Knights, suggest that there is some truth to both claims, that both sides were responsible for escalating hostilities between Orlais and the Dales.

Recent History:

As the Dales fell, the elves were forced to abandon their second homeland and have not had another since, and their culture was torn even further from them. Many elves accepted the terms of their human aggressors, going to live in alienages inside human cities and worshipping the Maker. Those elves who resisted became the nomadic Dalish, maintaining the worship of the elven gods and continuing their efforts to recover the lost culture of Elvhenan.

As of 9:40 Dragon, any Chantry art in Orlais depicting elves has been destroyed save a single original mural of Shartan with his ears docked, and a faithful copy at the University of Orlais. Some modern Orlesian scholars have been asked to author treatises (in part to weaken Empress Celene) on how elves are little more than prey animals based on their "rabbit" ears and bestial intelligence, and that establishing a relationship with one is an insult to the Maker akin to laying with an animal.

In the centuries following the fall of the Dales, some elves have been able to rise above their circumstances: most notably the Grey Warden Garahel, who slew the Archdemon Andoral and ended the Fourth Blight, as well as Briala.

However, there is still a lot of progress to be made. Even modern-day Ferelden, for example, city elves are not allowed to bear arms. In Orlais, they may only carry blades the length of one's palm. Alienage purges still occur regularly. Many elves are still enslaved in Tevinter, and many elves are often kidnapped, and are even voluntarily, sent to Tevinter to be sold into slavery, Ferelden elves were also considered chattel and bought and sold as property during the Orlesian occupation. As a result, many elves that live in Qunari occupied lands have chosen to embrace the Qun in hopes for better lives, with many even being recruited to become Ben-Hassrath spies.

Culture

Alienage Elves:

Alienages are closed communities of elves living in human cities, often walled off and found in the poorest, more crime-ridden parts of the city, while elves in villages lacking alienages make their home in barns or sheds. Their inhabitants are typically impoverished and survive by taking menial and unrewarding tasks or even begging. In the most desperate cases, they might leave the alienage and enter a life of crime, or sell themselves into slavery to support their families. They can join the Chantry, such as becoming a Templar, but this is rare and racial biases usually preclude it.

Though overall treatment varies kingdom to kingdom, city elves are universally second-class citizens. Elves are, by law or prejudice, unable to join most organizations or hold decent jobs, and the law often turns a blind eye to their abuses. Slavery is still legal in the Tevinter Imperium and there's a lucrative demand for elven slaves along with servants for nobles. They are often seen as beautiful by humans despite their low status. In Ferelden, for example, the social position of elves as "Low Freemen" is comparable to that of prostitutes and criminals, though they may make a living as they can.

Having been heavily discriminated by humans for so long, most city elves try to hold onto their remaining heritage. Artifacts from Arlathan like the vhenadahl (literally, "The Tree of the People") and an abiding deep pride in their close-knit communities bolster city elves trying to make ends meet in an otherwise hostile world. As such, elves that leave the alienage and try to enter human society are heavily looked down upon as "flat ears". Families that do try to leave alienages and live among humans will most likely be forced to return because of violence against them.

Marriage is highly important for city elves; it is the rite of adulthood in elven communities and will often be prearranged in order for new blood to join an otherwise concentrated gene pool. The absolute worst thing an elf could do is marry or breed outside their race since only humans are born between elven and human unions; which is adverse for such limited communities that depends on each other and tradition for day-to-day survival.

Furthermore, their closer relationship can sometimes result in what are known as Elf-blooded children, of both human and elven parentage, though these children appear (and technically are) completely human.

Most city elves have adopted the faith of Andraste and the Maker, while some still pray to the Elven gods in secret due to the prohibition of the elven pantheon in Andrastian society.

Known Alienages




Dalish Elves:

Dalish elves seek to recover, inherit and preserve the knowledge and sacred treasures of the two fallen kingdoms. They lead nomadic lives as a means of survival, wandering throughout Thedas. Due to the numerous threats they face from Andrastian humans, the Dalish are known to be wary and apprehensive of outsiders. Their clans date back to the ruling clans of the Dales and the Dalish themselves are their descendants.

Known Dalish Clans



Interaction between City and Dalish Elves:

The Dalish Elves and city elves in particular have a strange and bitter relationship, dating from the splitting of the People after the fall of the Dales. Some Dalish view their city brethren suspiciously and with pity as "flat-ears," culturally human elves who are no different "than their shemlen masters." To some, they are seen as having given up on and forgotten their culture, and the hope is to teach these elves their past when a new homeland is founded. Not all Dalish share this view of the city elves, however. Some Dalish also hope that the two can learn from one another once they gain an autonomous homeland.

On the other hand, some city elves see the Dalish as near-myths: strange and savage "wood elves" living far from humans and preying upon the unwary, and yet somehow noble, as well. To others, the Dalish are seen as "savages", primitive elves who refuse to see the promise of the alienage, and live off the land in ways the average city elf could not. Indeed, city elves who choose to leave or live beyond the Alienage are labeled "flat-ears" as well by their city kin, ironically similar to how some Dalish view the Andrastian elves, and subject to violence or resentment from other city elves.

And yet, for all this uncertainty, city and Dalish elves still interact positively now and then. For Alienage elves who seek to leave their home due to desperation, poverty or abuse, wandering Dalish clans are often seen as a sort of "last resort" haven. They are normally willing to take in a refugee from the cities and to largely refrain from attacking a city elf on the road, despite their uncertainty, and train them in the ways of their Creators and culture. Similarly, Alienages may take in a Dalish elf who has broken with their clan voluntarily or involuntarily.

Elven mages tend to be grouped to the Dalish mindset along with city elves. This is particularly the case as they have turned not only their lives but their magic to the human Chantry and Maker, and the Circle of Magi, with the Circles being implied to have played a role in the fall of the Dales.

Elven Language

The elven language, or Elvish, was largely lost when Elvhenan fell to civil war and its people eventually defeated and enslaved. When the elves settled their second homeland, the Dales, they aimed to restore their lost language and lore, but the Dales fell to an Exalted March. The Elvish of the Dragon Age is thus a fragmented remnant, a few words that are thrown into conversation rather than a working language used to conduct everyday life. The Dalish Elves, self-appointed custodians of the elven language and lore, use more Elvish than their City Elf brethren. Living among humans, the City Elves now retain only a few old Elvish words whose origin is almost forgotten, such as shem — derived from shemlen, the old Elvish term for humans meaning "quickling" or "quick children," — and hahren — the leader of an Alienage, meaning "elder" in Elvish.

The Dalish have more of the language. They are more capable of forming whole phrases and sentences, but the language is still fragmented and largely incomplete despite their efforts. Da'len, which means "little child" and is typically used to address elves younger than oneself. Andaran atish'an, a phrase used for greeting to friends and fellow Dalish. Serannas is “thanks”, while ma serannas is "my thanks" or "many thanks". Aneth ara is an informal greeting often used among friends. Dareth shiral is a way of saying good-bye.

Education

Education amongst the Dalish appears to be in the main oral, who instruct through the use of lore and storytelling. The Dalish retain their history through oral tradition as well as books in some cases. A clan's First studies lore, magic and history in order to become a successful Keeper. A Keeper is ostensibly a clan's leader and as such is viewed as wise and learned.

Dalish elves hold Arlathvhens in order to reconvene with other clans and to exchange their collected lore.

The children of elves and any other race are not elven. Elves and humans produce a human child, elves and dwarves produce dwarves etc. Such children may be referred to as "half-elf" or "half-breed" in a slanderous fashion, while the term "elf-blooded" is a legal distinction. Children between elves and dwarves are extremely rare due to the small number of surface dwarves, the innate low fertility of dwarves, and the elves' reclusive mating practices, all attribute to the increased difficulty in mating between the two races.

Elves see better in the dark than humans, and their eyes glint like those of a cat in the dark. This is likely the result of an ocular structure called tapetum lucidum. This ability is also shared by the dwarves; however, as dwarven eyes are never described as shining, likely for different reasons.

Elves tend to be more susceptible in following the Qun than other races, which is considered a particular danger in the Tevinter Imperium. As spies for the Qunari, they may go so far as to sell themselves back into slavery in order to move undetected through non-Qunari lands.

Elves are unable to grow facial hair.

Though elves are much diminished from what they once were, they nevertheless retain an unusual connection to the Fade that makes them unfortunately useful as subjects in magical rituals.

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Intro:

Humans are the most numerous, yet also the most contentious of all the races of Thedas. Only four times have they ever united beneath a single banner, the last being centuries ago. The monotheistic faith of the Chant of Light plays a major role in human society. The majority of humanity in Thedas descended from numerous tribes.

History

Both the elves and the dwarves claim that there was once a time when humans did not walk the land. There is no mention of a time when the Veil didn't exist in human history. The Chantry teaches that the Maker created the Veil before He created men.

Some scholars believe that the first humans in Thedas came form the rainforests of Par Vollen many thousands of years ago, migrating south from the archipelago. The pyramids they built still stand to this day and are regarded by travelers to the region as true wonders. Elven lore also states that humans first arrived in Thedas around -3100 Ancient from Par Vollen to the north.

The first human tribe, the Neromenians, divided into various tribes to become the progenitors of many nations in Thedas. This tribe settled the entire coast along the Nocen Sea and subdivided into separate kingdoms: Qarinus, Tevinter, Neromenian, and Barindur, which ultimately united to from the Tevinter Imperium.

Humans in the lands of Tevinter used to worship a draconic pantheon of Old GOds, which are now said to slumber beneath the earth. The magister rulers of the ancient Tevinter Imperium who regularly talked to the Old Golds, engaged in a series of invasions in which they defeated the elven kingdom of Elvhenan and enslaved the race. Boosted by the sheer number of slaves, the Imperium conquered almost the entirety of Thedas in the next few centuries.

Eventually, the Imperium was challenged from the south by a barbarian uprising, the armies led by Maferath and his wife, the prophet Andraste.

Andraste brought the teachings of a new god, the Maker, and her word spread quickly. The oppressed masses of the Imperium rose up in rebellion to support the invading barbarians and eventually most of the south fell to their might. Andraste was not stopped in her Exalted March until she was betrayed by her husband: jealous of her power, Maferath turned Andraste over to the Tevinter archon and she was burned at the stake. The Chant of Light would say that the Maker turned his back on humanity when she died. He would only return and make the world into a paradise when the Chant of Light was sung from all corners of the world, and so the Chantry began to spread. The clerics of the Chantry were oppressed until the legendary emperor Drakon of Orlais converted and took up their cause, spreading the Chantry throughout all the lands that he conquered in its name. In modern times, the Chantry has spread throughout the known world, its power unquestioned even as it begins to give way to internal strife.

Despite internal strife, humans remain dominant across Thedas, with the exception of the underground kingdom of the dwarves and the Qunari islands to the north.

Humans are probably the most culturally diverse race in Thedas as they have half a dozen nations of their own, each with different customs and traditions.

Education

Andrastian Chantry

The education provided to those of the Chantry appears on par with that of nobles. Templar recruits are literate and taught history in addition to their martial training education. Only initiates, those who have taken vows to devote their lives to the Chantry, receive an academic education.

Members of the Chantry, by virtue of their responsibilities, are naturally literate and well-read, in the Chant of Light if nothing else.

Local Chantries may also provide some instruction to their followers and allow access to their texts.

Chantry members may also pursue scholarship. Clerics are the true academics of the Chantry, those men and women who have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of knowledge. The most well-known Chantry scholar is Brother Ferdinand Genitivi, lecturer and author of numerous texts and travelogues. Other scholars search for ancient artifacts and scrolls, such as Sister Justine, curator of the Denerim chantry. Justine is also versed in decoding ciphers and encrypted text.

Circle of Magi

The education of a mage is as extensive as that of a noble, if not more so. Beyond being taught to control their magic, a mage learns of the various schools of magic as well as languages, reading, writing, scrying, healing, etc. A mage's training consists of extensive study of arcane lore.

Much like the Chantry, the Circle of Magi encourages scholarship and publishes the completed research. Examples of this are the botanical writings of Ines and the spirit research of Rhys. Through their education and scholarship, mages are considered some of the most educated members of society and as such may function as advisers in royal courts.

Circles of Magi have massive libraries and are typically the greatest repositories of knowledge in a given country, though access is naturally limited.

Commoners

Commoners appear to receive little formal education in most countries in Thedas and many may be illiterate. As such, dwarven runes may be used in place of writing in some cases. In other instances tally marks may be used to delineate locations or distances.

However, in sharp contrast, those who work as servants in noble estates appear to receive extensive education, at least enough that is sufficient to perform their tasks.

In recent year, Empress Celine Valmont I has been strongly encouraging the University of Orlais to overlook the lack of status and rank for individuals who show prodigious talent or potential which could help further the interests and prestige of the Orlesian Empire, provided a noble sponsors them. Most recently this has even extended to Celene personally interceding in support of an elven math prodigy, Lennan, who was sponsored by Comtesse Helene. Eleves are now allowed into the university, although it is common for their work to go unacknowledged and uncredited.

Slaves

Slaves in the Tevinter Imperium are often illiterate; However, some receive formal education and training for specific purposes such as working in libraries, accounting or scribing. Literacy is notable and reflects on a slave's price.

To make up for this lack of instruction, Tevinter slaves develop their own pictograms as a way to warn other slaves of things such as a master's temperament and other practical uses related to their society. These symbols go largely unnoticed by their owners and have a local significance, thus the same image might mean different things to different groups.

Fereldan Nobility

Among the Fereldan nobility, an education is typically provided by a learned tutor. Noble Andrastian families may often have a Chantry Mother as a member of the household to attend to the religious education of the young.

A major facet of noble education appears to be history, reading and writing are naturally part of this education. A noble education does not necessarily make one a strong scholar however, as even King Maric is by his own admission a poor reader. Martial training is also a component of the education of nobility, as nobles are expected by their commoners to defend them and their territories. It is unusual, but not unheard of, for noble daughters to be educated in the ways of war and battle. Noble education may also include such things as dance and song, and their households may also boast libraries.

Religion

Currently, the majority of humans in Thedas are Andrastians, though there are also significant minorities following other religions. For example, many humans in Rivain willingly converted to the Qun, and certain tribes of humans, such as the Avvar, still follow their own pantheon of gods.

Andrastians are also divided among themselves: while the nations of southern Thedas follow the Chantry led by the Divine, who is always female, in Val Royeaux, Tevinter has its own Imperial Chantry led by the Imperial Divine, who is always male, in Minrathous. The two churches are mainly separated by their views on magic and the roles of each gender: the Imperial Chantry is much more tolerant of magic (the Imperial Divine is actually a mage) and allows male priests to serve.

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Intro:

The Qunari (literally, "People of the Qun") is the umbrella term most commonly used to describe the white-haired metallic-skinned race of large humanoids and their society that governs the islands of Par Vollen and Seheron, as well as the settlement of Kont-aar in northern Rivain, and Qundalon in the Anderfels.

Members of any race who adhere to the teachings of the Qun can become "Qunari", but those other than the original giant race, that is humans, elves, and dwarves, are called Viddathari within the Qun. Humans of Rivain and elven slaves of Tevinter are especially susceptible to conversion, although it is not unknown for members of other groups to embrace the Qun.

Members of the aforementioned race born outside of the Qun are not considered to be Qunari within their own society. They are called "Vashoth", which means "grey ones"; likewise those who abandon the Qun willingly are known as "Tal-Vashoth", "true grey ones". Most Tal-Vashoth are former soldiers and become mercenaries, and are considered by Qunari to be worse than bas - who are non-Qunari foreigners.

Members of the Qunari race are rarely seen outside of their lands with the exception of Rivain. During the Dragon Age, a fleet of Qunari ships sank in the Waking Sea between Ferelden and Free Marches, which resulted in Qunari presence in both of these lands. Tal-Vashoth are much more present in non-Qunari lands, most commonly as elite mercenaries, such as the Kadan-Fe in Ferelden.

Appearance

Qunari are generally taller and more physically robust than humans. They usually have skin of varying metallic colors (such as gold, bronze, and silver), white hair, pointed ears, and vivid eyes with colors like violet, red, silver, or yellow.

Horns:

Most Qunari have horns. The horn itself has no nerve endings and can be removed[5]; however, they can still become irritated, thus the Qunari have developed balm. Most qunari have either one or two pairs of horns while the Arishok is the only Qunari known to have eight horns in total.

Hornlessness:

Hornlessness is a rare genetic variation in Qunari, akin to red hair in humans. Those born without horns are considered special and are often given prestigious roles in Qunari society such as a Ben-Hassrath or an envoy to the other races. Sten, who became a companion of the Warden as a soldier of the Beresaad, falls into this category. Culturally, Qunari associate not having horns with being imposing or scary, and because of this Tal-Vashoth often decide to remove their own horns. Likewise, Saarebas, the Qunari mages, have their horns removed to warn of their danger.

Vitaar

Unlike other races in Thedas, Qunari do not adorn themselves with tattoos. Instead they make use of war paint called Vitaar.This paint is made from a substance toxic to all races except the Qunari themselves. Some Tal-Vashoth, such as Salit, also wear Vitaar despite leaving the Qun. Vitaar hardens the skin around the face to give it a metal like quality while retaining flexibility.

History

Before their arrival in Thedas, the aforementioned race were once a part of the kossith that predated the Qun. The earliest known kossith contact with Thedas was when a colony of them had settled in the southern Korcari Wilds in -410 Ancient. It was overrun by darkspawn during the First Blight, and it is presumably this colony which led to the darkspawn developing ogres. There were no other recorded sightings of the horned race for another 1000 years.

They returned as the Qunari, and arrived in Thedas en masse on warships, called dreadnoughts, in 6:30 Steel, from an unknown eastern land across the Northern Ocean. They once threatened to conquer all of the known world, but after several Exalted Marches during the Qunari Wars they have lost much of the conquered land. Since then, peace has been made since with every nation except the Tevinter Imperium; with whom they are still involved in a prolonged war for dominance of the north.

Timeline:

The primary symbol used to represent the Qunari as a people is the House of Tides icon, meant to signify the inevitable triumph of the Qun. It symbolizes the Qunari triumvirate, the three pillars which govern all of Qunari society through its three primary leaders in all matters of body, mind, and soul.

The Qun

The Qun is the religion of the Qunari founded under the Ashkaari Koslun, though it is closer to a philosophy than a full-fledged religion. It governs every part of Qunari life, and even the governance structure is dictated by its ethics. It gives every Qunari individual a defined and fixed place in their society, either as a soldier (part of the body), a craftsman (part of the mind) or a priest (part of the soul).

The Triumvirate

The "body" is represented by the Arishok and the military, the "mind" by the Arigena and the crafstmen, and the "soul" by the Ariqun and the priests. The Arishok is always male and leads the armie, the Arigena is always female and leads the crafstmen, whilst the Ariqun, whose gender varies, leads the priesthood. All three are the head of their respective "paths" and work in unison to complete the whole of Qunari society.

Duty is paramount in Qunari culture, and their society is seen as a living entity, whose well-being is the responsibility of all. Each person is like a drop of blood in the veins of the being, and they must not do what is best for them, but what is best for all.

Personal Identity

The Qunari do not have a concept of personal identity. While they possess names, they do not use them, primarily using titles rather than names to identify and present themselves. The names are in fact simply strings of genealogical information used only by the Tamassrans for record-keeping. Some of the name-titles include Sten, Arishok, and Tallis. However, they do make frequent use of nicknames.

Family Ties

Qunari have no "family units": they do not marry, choose partners, or even know to whom they are related. A father's role ends at conception, a mother's ends at birth. A Qunari's "family" consists of his or her peers.

Qunari usually do not associate mating with love. They do have the capacity to love, even having friends and forming emotional bonds with one another; however, they simply do not have sexual intercourse with each other to express it. If they do, then they are sent to be re-educated by the Ben-Hassrath. If a child is produced, the same thing happens as with all other Qunari children: it is sent to be raised by the Tamassrans, evaluated, and assigned a job. Qunari do not waste resources unnecessarily, people included.

Qunari have been bred for specific roles for a very long time. Parentage is no longer the issue, more like pedigree. However, breeding does not determine a Qunari's assigned task. If a Qunari was bred to be a solider but turns out to be more intellectual, the Tamassrans may move him or her into the priesthood, researching weapons technology, or the Ben-Hassrath to police the populace, depending on what roles need to be filled by someone with their specific traits.

Reverence

The Qunari are known to hold dragons sacred. High dragons are called Ataashi, "glorious one" in Qunlat. Some of this comes from physical similarities, while some believe the Tamassrans cultivate dragon blood within the Qunari, allowing some to tap into combat abilities similar to Reavers. This, however, does not translate into reverence, as most Qunari accept that dragons are savage creatures that have to be put down in order to establish civilization. It is said that before converting to the Qun, the horned race prayed to animist gods, but such practices were outlawed by the Qun, and thus it would be against the law to openly revere the dragons.

The corpse of a Qunari is considered an insignificant husk that is no longer the individual that it once was and thus is afforded no special treatment, rather disposed of in whatever manner is most practical. Instead, their tools which they used to perform their job are collected, for example warriors' swords are considered to be their "souls".

Education

Qunari society is based upon learning as well as military might. Few speak the common tongue that is used among Theodosians, and even fewer speak it well. For this reason, Qunari often keep quiet among foreigners, out of shame—in a culture that strives for perfection and mastery, to possess only a passable degree of skill is humiliating, indeed.

The Tamassrans wield a great deal of influence in Qunari society. As it is primarily a female gender role (as all administrative tasks are), this might lead an outsider to believe that their society is female-dominated. Qunari do not, however, look upon government in quite the same way. The brain could be said to rule the body but so too do the heart, the lungs, the stomach. All are part of the greater whole.

The Tamassarans raise all the children, give them their general education, and evaluate them. Qunari are officially assigned their roles when they are twelve years old. The Tamassrans do conduct some tests, but nothing that requires a pencil. They also have something of a head start on the process, as they are the ones who control the Qunari selective breeding program.

Gender Roles

Qunari strongly believe that genders are inherently and intuitively better at certain tasks. No matter how much aptitude and promise a male shows for management, he will never be considered as good at it as a female, therefore it would be considered inefficient and a waste of resources to place him in a role where a woman would serve better. Instead, the Tamassrans find another role that he shows aptitude for and will place him there instead. The same goes for females, most Qunari will find it odd if a female becomes a warrior. The odd, very rare exception is made however. A male Qunari will farm if he must, just as a female will fight, depending on the circumstance. The Qunari also have the concept of "Aqun-Athlok," which means "born as one gender but living as another". If a female shows sincere interest and outstanding talent at fighting, she will be considered male, regardless of her biological sex. For the Qunari, gender is a secondary trait compared to their duty to the Qun.

There are fields like philosophy or sciences that make use of both genders, but even then, there is division by discipline. Men will do one kind of research and women another. The Ben-Hassrath also count both genders among their ranks, but they too are separated by specialization.

Economy

The Qunari reject private property. They also don't have currency, nor do they engage in direct bartering: they don't buy and sell things amongst one another. "Merchants" in Qunari cities have the job of making sure goods are distributed appropriately. They will however, trade with the rest of Thedas in a limited matter. To the Qunari, this trade is less a way to obtain goods as an opportunity to learn more about those who do not yet accept the Qun as law.

The Qunari actively work to improve methods of production via research and borrowing from conquered people and neighboring cultures. On the other hand, demands of the individuals are quite limited, as having "more houses and clothes" would mean more work to maintain them. In the countryside, Qunari houses are identical and arranged along perfectly orthogonal lines.

Language

Qunlat is the Qunari language. Few among the Qun's people speak the common tongue, and fewer speak it well. In a culture that strives for mastery, to have only a passable degree of skill is perhaps embarrassing, so Qunari often keep quiet among foreigners.

Antaam

The Antaam serves as the Qunari's military branch and are led by the Arishok. The Antaam are metaphorically considered to be the eyes, ears, legs, arms, and hands of the creature that makes up Qunari society; everything that one needs to interact with the world, and so most Qunari encountered by Thedosians belong to the military.

All Qunari are given a tool which signifies their role in Qunari society; for soldiers, this tool is always a weapon of some kind. In the case of soldiers, at least, to lose this weapon brands the owner as soulless and one who is to be executed on sight by the Antaam. These items are held in high regard, and upon the owner's death the Qunari may take the item to honor the fallen individual.

In Qunari society, females cannot be soldiers. While Tallis is an assassin who hunts Tal-Vashoth, she is Ben-Hassrath - a religious enforcer and a member of the priesthood (led by the Ariqun) rather than the military (led by the Arishok). Transgender female-to-male Qunari are welcome in the military however and are referred to as Aqun-Athlok.

Technology

The Qunari are more technologically advanced than the rest of Thedas, with the exception of the dwarves.[27] Their capital city of Qunandar is famous for great domes and aqueducts,[15] their architecture likened to beehives. They have developed an explosive powder ("gaatlok") that is safer than lyrium-based dwarven explosives. Its formula is a secret they carefully guard.

The Qunari cannons and dreadnoughts (or "floating fortresses" - massive wooden ships) allowed them to sweep across northern Thedas and advance far into mainland within ten years from their arrival on the continent. The allied nations relied heavily on the Circle of Magi to counter their cannons and on the Felicisima Armada to counter their fleet.

The Qunari had also developed a deadly poison ("saar-qamek"), which instills madness in the victim before eventually killing them. This poison can be inhaled or put on blades to affect a target's bloodstream, however, there is at least one antidote that can be taken preemptively that will reduce or outright neutralize the poison's effects.

Magic

The Qunari call their own mages "saarebas", which means "a dangerous thing" in Qunlat. As the Qunari believe that mages are ultimately unable to master themselves, each saarebas is entrusted to an "arvaarad" ("one who holds back evil") who bears a control rod. The Qunari do not blame them for their "defective" and dangerous nature, so frequently pity and honor saarebas, for lack of a better word. In practice, they are treated little better than attack dogs: They are leashed, shackled, collared, and their mouths are sewn shut. Should they be found practicing forbidden magic, their tongues are cut out to prevent them from corrupting others. The penalty for leaving their karataam is death, as they are assumed to have been corrupted by demons. The Qunari view this sacrifice, this selflessness - however unwilling - as the greatest virtue of the Qun. Lacking proper training, saarebas are essentially hedge mages, which does not preclude the Qunari from usage of saarebas forces in warfare, for instance during the first and the second Qunari invasions of Kirkwall.

Outsiders and Converts

The Qunari view other nations as inferiors, kabethari (literally, "those who need to be taught") who are to be conquered and "enlightened", i.e. converted to the Qun. In the newly subdued areas they dismantle families: children are torn away from their parents and raised as Qunari, while adults are sent to "learning" (labor) camps for re-education performed by a branch of the priesthood called the Ben-Hassrath. The latter appear to be reasonable if an individual doesn't resist their severe teachings, and a new convert, or viddathari, may take a high position in the Qunari society.

In fact, it is possible for a human, elven or dwarven viddathari to become Ariqun, Arigena or Arishok should they show the merit for the role. However, this is naturally less likely than a qunari taking the role, given their far greater numbers in the Qun.

Refusal to cooperate is seen as illness to be cured, and those who resist are taken to the viddathlok, temples dedicated to healing. What happens later is not quite clear, but it is known that the Qunari use a substance called qamek to turn them into mindless laborers forced into indentured servitude or sent to mines or construction camps. Some would return, changed in profound ways, some would perish of exhaustion or starvation and some would be slain.

When the Qunari were pushed back during the Exalted Marches, the Chantry and nationalist forces purged numerous Qunari converts and buried them in mass graves, most notably in Rivain, Nocen Fields, and Marnas Pell in Tevinter. Afterwards the existence of the purge has been officially denied to have ever happened.

Basalit-an

The Qunari call outsiders bas ("thing") and consider them unfortunate beings who, however, have a potential to grow if the Qun's wisdom is imparted to them. The best an outsider can hope for amongst the Qunari is to be considered a basalit-an, "worthy of respect"; a basalit-an is a worthy foe, and one that can be negotiated with to an extent, but still bas regardless.