#reimagining thedas

[thorgans-guide-to-thedas]

Can you guys re-imagine the culture(s) of the Chasind?

Hey anon!

That's a fantastic suggestion! Our campaigns have been taking place mostly in northern Thedas, so we didn't even have Chasind people/Kocari Wilds on the map yet, but you're so right. I didn't know much about the Chasind before reading up on the Bioware Wiki (BW for short) and.....yooof.

We'll definitely do a more thought-out and 'official' entry, but since a lot of our re-imaginings move at a snail's pace, I'll share some of our immediate thoughts after discussing this:

Geography:

It's giving BIG bayou vibes, and we're taking that and running with it, nodding at inspiration of early Black-American culture that emerges in the southern USA and the greater Caribbean Islands. Visuals of the Florida Everglades and Bayou Bartholomew in Arkansas, with a majority of the villages being built on stilts or the massive trees that are similar to the ones seen in the Frostback Basin (Jaws of Hakkon DLC specifically). There are settlements on more solid land, but most of the population and the 'civilians' live inside the swamp, as the tricky terrain doubles as protection and security.

The People:

Based off the BW, we're seeing patterns of love for nature and the seasons, and the mention of "animalistic goddesses" is making us think....DND druid style. (we took one look at the "barbaric" descriptions and tossed it all out, thank you)

Animal companionship is common among Chasind, whether they are "working animals" that warriors and hunters may keep that help them in their tasks, or companions for your local shopkeep or fisherman. Big or small, smart or.....lovable...animals are all around and children may even receive their companion at very young ages, growing up with their animal friend.

Some more magically gifted Chasind can even transform and take an animal form.

Chasind are bonded by clan systems, not blood or background. Meaning that if someone needs help in the village, people will band together to support that person. Once you settle in the swamp, you're family.

The Chasind have a large population of people with darker skin tones, but people with lighter skin tones are not uncommon either.

The Culture

Being situated on top of it, of course, water is EVERYTHING.

Navigating the bayou is no easy feat, and children are taught from a young age through legends, stories, and all sorts of oral histories how dangerous the water can be.

There are definitely some pretty cool eldritch beings living out in the swamp, and there are definitely stories about them.

Fishing culture is HUGE. Fishermen are taught a very sophisticated type of navigation and tracking, most commonly using the stars as a guide to chart the swamp, because the landscape can be incredibly difficult to navigate, especially after dark.

According to the BW, the Chasind have "developed their own language, but are capable of speaking the King's tongue", so we took this as they've managed to blend an older language like the one spoken by their Alamaari ancestors and merged it with the King's tongue (not unlike real-world languages, such as Haitian Creole, Jamaican Patois, or Michif)

People also traverse the swamp on stilts to keep out of the water and out of the way of other water predators. Whether they are walking across the village or going out to the fishing holes to get a daily catch.

Please feel free to add your own comments or thoughts on this re-imagine! This entire project is a joint effort, and having perspectives from other backgrounds is always helpful to make it more inclusive.

#answer #idea sharing #reimagining thedas #thorgans guide to thedas #world of thedas #dragon age table top #dragon age ttrpg #chasind

[broodwolf221]

happy dadwc friday! A prompt for this week: “You cannot make me touch that answer with a ten foot pole.”

happy writing (:

been turning this one over in my head for a bit waiting for inspiration to hit and it did tonight! totally unexpected direction, but have some cassandra fretting about what to do with the knowledge of the tranquil @dadrunkwriting 696 words cws: ocularum origin mention

She paused to rub at her face, feeling a headache beginning to form at the base of her skull. Maker, why her? Was it not enough that she was already called so many things, reimagined in so many ways, now she needed to be the one to cure the Tranquil… or to condemn them? But she could no more ignore the new responsibility she had been saddled with then she could ignore the potential of becoming Divine; and neither could she ignore more than she had ignored the need for the Inquisition. “It seems I am destined to be a traitor and a heretic,” she told the book before her. Damn these pages. Damn them and damn them again.

“Fighting a losing battle up here, Seeker?” She squeezed her eyes shut, her headache suddenly worsening.

“Varric. It is not the time.”

“Relax—I didn’t come for a repeat of our last performance.”

“Do not make light of this!” She snapped, slamming her hand down on the tabletop as she stared at him. He didn’t even flinch. “You have no idea what this is to me! You don’t care—” she cut herself off with a sigh, leaning back in the chair. She almost told him to leave again, but then: “you know the Champion,” she said abruptly, latching onto the half-formed train of thought. “What would she do?”

“Hawke?” He paused. Then folded his arms with a sigh. “She was a mage, Seeker. You know that. I think you know what she’d do.”

“I am still asking, Varric,” she insisted. He shrugged.

“She’s big on freedom, Hawke. She’d want you to cure them.” She nodded as he spoke. The thought was… strangely comforting. She respected Hawke, even if she hardly agreed with everything the woman had done. Still, she had managed in a seemingly impossible position, and Cassandra could not help but admire that.

“And you? What do you think?” Varric’s laugh was startled and sharp.

“Wait, you’re asking me? Maybe I should get Chuckles up here, see if you need some healing now—”

“I am quite well, Varric, thank you,” she said icily, then sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just… answer the question.” The silence stretched until she lowered her hand, staring at him. He looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“I… don’t really know,” he admitted at last. “I mean, it sounds good at first. You hear that a lot of mages maybe didn’t deserve Tranquility. You wish that there was something better to do about it. But now that the option is right there…” he shrugged. “How do you decide who’s safe? And what are they even going to be like, Seeker? Would you cure all of them just to face a furious, magic army? I just don’t know.”

“So, that’s it then?” She shot back, annoyed. He grimaced but didn’t answer. “Just—let them be? We’ve seen what happened to the Tranquil, Varric. You were there when we learned about the—”

“Ocularum, yeah.” His voice had changed, low and thick. “Shit. Not about to forget that. But—”

“But what, Varric? We should just wash our hands of it? I do not accept that answer!”

“Well, what’s the alternative?” He snapped, suddenly sounding as frustrated as her. “We just release them all on Thedas? I won’t touch that answer with a ten-foot pole, Seeker!”

“So you’d keep them as empty vessels?”

“And you’d free an enemy on your doorstep now, with the whole world breathing down our necks?”

“Better that than condemn them to being rounded up and killed for their skulls!”

“I’m not arguing that!” He took a deep breath, holding up his hands in surrender. “Really, Seeker, I’m not arguing that. I’m just saying… it seems risky. Doesn’t it?” He shot her a glare when she scoffed. “You asked my opinion.”

“I… did, yes.” She sighed and sat back down, uncertain when she’d stood up. “I am sorry. You are not wrong. But… I do not think I can turn my back on them.”

“I get it. I do. I just hope you watch your back, out there. You’re not going to make a lot of friends, doing this.” She snorted, then nodded.

“Indeed.”

#broodwrites #dadw time #cassandra pentaghast #varric tethras #cassandra #varric

[astrolunos]

my merch for the keeper’s codex (@dragonagestoryzine​ ), a dragon age zine reimagining thedas through real-world myths and fairy tales! preorders open now through march 7.

#art #fan art #dragon age #merch

[ammocharis]

100 days of writing

I'm super late for this but I'd like to take a shot at a couple of questions provided by @the-wip-project (check it out, it's awesome!) and blabber about my Avvar headcanons and worldbuilding ideas. I want to flesh out their culture as much as possible in my fics.

Day 14

Do you have figures/creatures of folklore in your WIP? If not, can you think of something that would fit?

Day 15

Does your WIP have fairytales? Do your characters tell mythical stories to each other?

I'll tackle both of these prompts at the same time since they cover related topics. I think that coming up with fairytales, legends, mythical creatures, etc., is vital for a work of fiction that focuses on worldbuilding. From the dawn of times, people have tried to explain the world around them through tales - the laws of nature, the migration of tribes, the behaviour of animals, everything was given meaning.

These stories were exchanged between cultures, transforming as they passed from mouth to mouth, but the common elements can still be recognized. I believe that this human need for making sense of the world through stories is worth exploring, either in original fiction or fanfiction. One of my favourite parts of learning about a new fictional universe is discovering what kind of stories formed among its cultures. Do they prefer one style over another? What are the common themes? And so on, and so on.

In the case of Dragon Age, I already have the groundwork laid before me, but there's always so much more that can be done. The Avvar lore contains some beautiful examples of fictional mythology, and I want to build upon that.

Now let's move to the actual headcanons.

An idea I took further is the existence of a Great Serpent. According to one Avvar legend, when the serpent Nathramar engaged in a battle with Korth, they destroyed Mount Belenas, living only a vast crater behind, which the Lady of the Skies filled with her tears, creating a lake that eventually became known as Lake Calenhad. I wondered: "Why not include more of these gigantic serpents in Avvar legends?" So I went ahead and thought up a few more of them. They are large, snake-like creatures whose powers relate to water, storm, and lightning. I took some inspirations from the Slavic żmij/zmey.

"When the world was in its infancy, the Great Serpents still roamed the vast skies and deep waters. Hreggamar, the most boisterous of all creatures, decided to challenge a mighty dragon-mother to a duel. He was certain he would win, for he had learned her weakness while he was wandering through the clouds one day. Hidden by mist and rain, he entered the Mother's territory and sneaked upon the dragon-lair to eavesdrop on her plans…”

(The rest is under the cut because I have a lot of HCs.)

I find it compelling to imagine that the Avvar would tell stories in which the Great Serpents are responsible (in one way or another) for the creation of lake and seas.

It happened countless moons ago, before any human tribe wandered into the south. The time had come for Sundramar, one of the Great Serpents, to shed his skin. He rested his head at the coast of the ocean and stretched his long body across the earth. The end of his tail reached the land of many rivers, far away from the salt waters. Sundramar was eager to leave his old skin behind and emerge even greater than he already was. The sun would rise and set many times before his labour was over.

These Great Serpents are also supposed to hint at elven lore, which mentions some curious "giants of the sea" and Mythal transforming into a serpent to fight Andruil (the latter is probably an intentional parallel to Nathramar).

Another aspect of Avvar mythology I'd like to explore is the astronomical myths. The Astrariums presented a couple of brilliant stories, like the legend of Sindri Sky-Breaker, but I need more. Sun, moon, and star constellations are popular subjects of tales, and there's a very good reason for it. Their movements in the sky used to be the main way of tracking time and location, so they would often be anthropomorphized.

Were you ever disappointed that the two moons of Thedas receive so little spotlight? None, to be precise. There's just one offhand comment in The World of Thedas, stating that the holiday of Satinalia gets its name from the second moon, and that's it. Thedas could as well have only one moon because it's never shown again, neither in graphics nor in text. Well, I'm convinced that having two moons in the sky would have a huge impact on cultures forming in such a setting, so I decided to address it. In my headcanon, the second, smaller Thedosian moon is only visible for a part of the year. It appears in the sky at the beginning of the 11th month and vanishes a month later.

The Avvar myth that I came up with explains this phenomenon in the following way: the two moons are siblings, Hjuki and Bil. Hjuki is the older brother, and he provides illuminations for the world throughout the entire year. His younger sister, Bil, is just a child, so she needs more rest, but she joins her sibling in the sky each year, just before the winter settles in for good. Their joined effort helps make final preparations for the season of ice, such as protecting one's shelter from cold. In exchange for more light, every creature gains an additional shadow, which is associated with several superstitions.

(Side note: Yes, I borrowed the names for Hjuki and Bil from Norse mythology, but the legend is brand new, made to fit the two moons situation.)

I'm planning to invent some new constellation patterns, putting the stars from astrariums into different shapes. The constellations are arbitrary after all, and I'm pretty sure the Avvar came up with their own patterns before they were subjugated by the Tevinter Imperium.

Speaking of astronomy and time-tracking, there's another crucial aspect I aim to explore in my writing - the celebrations of solstices and equinoxes. For each of these events, I'd like to come up with a legend explaining why it occurs and what makes this time of the year unique. For example, the summer solstice is the day when the Lady of the Skies becomes the closest to the Mountains. Her light almost touches the ground. It's a moment of great joy, honouring life, warmth, and love. During the celebrations of Summer Solstice, it's customary to perform a dance telling the tale of how the first two creatures met - a beast of the sky and a beast of the earth - as it could've happened only when the Sky and the Land were close to each other.

I also used this opportunity and included yet another element of Slavic folklore - a parallel to the fern-flower, a magic flower which blooms only one night in the year, on the summer solstice. For the Avvar setting, I reimagined it as a fire-bloom, a plant connected to the goddess of fertility, Rilla of the Fireside.

An ancient legend said that Rilla of the Fireside cherished red foxes, for they reminded her of a burning hearth. One day, another god, Ahren Eagle-Eyed, wished to catch Rilla’s attention, but the goddess refused to abandon the woman who requested her help as she had wished to become pregnant. The patron of fertility turned a deaf ear to Ahren’s pestering and remained inside. She had promised she wouldn’t leave the fireside until her purpose had been fulfilled. After many unsuccessful attempts, Ahren thought of another approach. He decided to lure Rilla away with trickstery. He took the shape of a fox and arrived at the doorstep of the household that Rilla was protecting. Despite her fondness for red foxes, the goddess wouldn’t be fooled. She didn’t let the Eagle-Eyed hunter inside the house. She said that she would only open the door for him if he offered his aid to the mortal woman she took under her wings.

In the Avvar culture, there are skalds, professional keepers of stories who make sure that oral tradition is preserved, but of course, they're not the only ones sharing stories. On a long winter night, what better way to pass the time than exchange a tale or two?

#100daysofwriting #wip #worldbuilding #avvar #my avvar headcanons #dragon age

[howemancing]

Ask game: Modern AU Fluff | what's your favorite part of applying Modern culture to Thedosian characters? | how much of the underlying culture of Thedas do you keep in your Worldbuilding? | could you share a favorite scene?

Thank you for the ask! I am still figuring out Tumblr so hopefully I'm doing this right but: I LOVE Thedas, and the worldbuilding, and everything that goes into shaping the characters in the world. But it's a pretty traumatic world, so sometimes it's fun to be able to take those characters and remove the traumas and tension that shaped them, and just put them in a more peaceful environment. Modern AUs are for me, a good chance to just write stuff that's very fluffy and comforting. (But I still much prefer the high stakes high drama conflict of Thedas). And it was also fun to reimagine what sort of careers my main characters would have. Nathaniel Howe I made into an archaeology postdoc. In part, because I was friends with a lot of those in grad school, but also I liked the idea that Nathaniel Howe is someone who is constantly curious about the past and where we all came from, and what people were like way back when. And it's a good excuse to have him travel. Elsa I turned into an engineer because it would make her parents happy, but she really just wants to make ambient music (allowing me to combine her love of tech with love of performing). As for culture, I'm not sure yet! I went down a rabbit hole in wondering about what role non human races like elves and dwarves would play in a modern society. I went DEEP into lore, thinking about the civil rights movements that might have formed, the history of various races and their interactions, and so on. And that nearly exploded into a massive work in its own right, which, ironically, kind of flipped the whole point of the project on its head. Modern AU fluff was supposed to just be a fun breather for when I needed to switch gears off Ties (not that Ties doesn't get very fluffy at points! ) So right now, where I've settled is I like to keep flavor elements - tiny hints of a deeper world - passing mentions of Thedosian cultural elements, reshaped to a modern world. And finally, favorite scene, Elsa teasing Nate because of course: ++++++++++++++++++ “Doctor Nathaniel Howe! Don’t be ridiculous. I will not be denied the chance to play host, or the pleasure of your company,” she growled, playfully thumping him in the chest.

“I am still not used to that title,” he mused, shaking his head, eyes crinkling with amusement. She giggled. “I’ll have to help you get used to it then, Dr. Howe. Indiana Jones wannabe-”

“Great, good. Years in the field and that’s never gotten old.”

“Professional artifact thief.”

“I am not a thief, I do nothing of the sort! I don’t even - I work in Greece, I’m mostly just surveying, and you - ah. You know this, of course you know this, and you’re winding me up.” Nathaniel sighed, rubbing his nose and trying not to smirk. “Why am I such an easy mark for you?”

Her brown eyes sparkled with humorous delight, grin bursting past all efforts to control it. “I mean, that goes both ways and you know it,” she pointed out, and he had to smirk, dipping his head in concession.

+++++++++++++++++ Thank you for the ask!

#answering questions #thank you so much for asking #fanfiction #writing #modern au #worldbuilding

[luzial]

December 2020 Roundup

I’ve been reading:

Speak Easy, Speak Love: 1920s/Speakeasy version of Much Ado About Nothing (my favorite of the comedies, and great inspiration since I’m in the middle of writing an enemies-to-lovers). This was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend it. I think it’d be enjoyable even if you’re not familiar with the play. It made me want to go watch the David Tennant/Catherine Tate version again, so that’s probably on the slate for January.

Blue Wraith: I mentioned this earlier in the month, but this comic series really expects you to have read all the others released in the past few years. It finally brings all those characters (plus Fenris) together for one big adventure, but I think it would feel like “who ARE all these people??” if it’s the only one in the series you read.

The Tenant of Wolvenhall (by @hallahart , WIP): I’ve been slowly working my way through this Historical/Regency-esque Solavellan AU that I absolutely adore. It’s so wonderful and atmospheric, with an intriguing mystery and fun reimaginings of the DA:I characters.

Merry and Bright (by @nug-juggler , WIP): Fake dating with Bethany and Alistair at Christmastime .. what’s not to love? I’m hooked after one chapter and looking forward to more.

The Lone Wolf’s Call (by @juliafied , WIP): A story following Fenris after he learns that Hawke has been lost when she leaves to help the Inquisition. Wonderfully written Fenris, who is trying to find a balance between grieving for Hawke and continuing the work they’d started together of dismantling slaving operations across Thedas. Lots of interesting world building and OCs. 

I’ve been watching:

The newest season of GBBO. (Always got to get some Bake-Off in during December.)

All of Staged, which is a quarantine/Zoom show with David Tennant and Michael Sheen. I watched all of this on a day when I needed some cheering up and loved every second of it. (It’s on Hulu if you’re trying to find it in the US.)

Nearly all of Killing Eve. I do this stupid thing sometimes where I get to the last 1-2 episodes of a show and then just STOP? Maybe to prolong the experience? Idek. Anyway. I have 1 episode left to watch and I really just need to DO THAT.

The 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Because, why not? I’ll watch the 2005 movie again sooner rather than later, but sometimes it’s nice to get 6 hours of yearning instead of 2.

Twitch, as usual.

I’ve been playing:

Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. After carting my GameCube around for years and having no way to play it on TVs that only have HDMI inputs, I finally bought a $30 adapter that works wonderfully and has let me replay my favorite game of all time. I’m LIVING.

Keeping up with Animal Crossing chores. The Christmas and New Years events were super cute.

I started replaying Jedi: Fallen Order because I would die for BD-1. Also the story is good and the combat is fun but, like ... BD-1.

Overwatch, as usual.

#personal #monthly update #luzial fic recs

[skyheld]

@lichteeth asked:  ♆ for gatt , ♡ for shianni , ☾ for ameridan ?

♆ : Are they prone to violent outbursts or thoughts?

Less so now than when he first joined the Qun.   Gatt used to struggle with his self-control and things would get ugly when he lost his temper;  he’d take it out physically on objects and sometimes on people if they were standing in his way,  though most of the time people would mostly get verbal abuse.   Violents thoughts were present too,  directed both at himself and others.   He had thoughts about harming those who’d hurt him,  but also about the hurt he’d endured.

Both of these tendencies are much weaker now.   Not surprisingly the more stress and anxiety in his life situation the more they tend to come back  ---  so as Inquisitor,  and after the Iron Bull leaves the Qun  ---  they’re very strong,  but in general they’re calmer and he knows how to deal with them when they appear.   He very rarely gets physical with people in anger,  although he might want to in the moment.

♡  : Is there a certain scent that brings about nostalgia? If so, describe a memory this scent brings back.

The scent of hay or fresh-cut grass will always remind her of the farm where she was born,  although her memories are very vague.   They’re not so much memories of moments as of feelings and fleeting impressions,  the feeling of being small and the world being large.   Her mother is the focal point of those memories  ---  in Shianni’s mind she only has a few brushstrokes of a face,  but is a pair of hands,  freckles in the sun,  a soothing voice and a cool breath of air on a scraped knee.

☾ : On a sleepless night, what would they be found doing?

Reading.   Going outside to catch some fresh air.   Working on a spell or refining some sketch from earlier in his journal.   Staring at the ceiling and thinking about ‘ what ifs ‘.   He used to spend those nights mulling over battle maps,  as though if he just shifted the pieces the right way Thedas would be saved from the Blight.   But he doesn’t have the same deep insight into current Thedas’ armies and lands to do much of that,  so mostly he has to settle for reimagining the past.

#lichteeth #meme:answered #gatt:about / headcanon #ameridan:about / headcanon #shianni:about / headcanon

[electricshoebox]

For the Fanfic Writer Ask Meme you just reblogged: A B C J T (And ALITS is what I’m asking about for C)

Oh my gosh, thanks! 

A:  Of the fanfic you’ve written, which is your favorite and why? Oh man. I think at this point it has to be ALITS, because it’s the most effort and planning and thought I’ve put into writing... maybe ever. It’s stretched me, and pushed me, and helped me grow my writing more than ever, and I’m so proud of what I’ve been able to do with it and the fact that I’ve stuck with it to the end. But besides ALITS... weirdly enough, I think it might be In the Shadow of Dreams. It’s a Dragon Age Dorian/Bull Inception AU I wrote for the Adoribull Minibang 2017. I’m normally extremely picky about AUs, with fantasy settings in particular, but I wanted to try my hand at writing one and challenge myself. It’s set in the far, far future of Thedas, when magic has weakened, and the connection to the veil has grown thin, and demons are a debated historical mystery rather than a real threat. It’s a sort of reimagining of Inquisition with no knowledge of the Inception movie itself really necessary to understand. I say it’s weird that I’d call it my favorite because I had such a complicated relationship with it, I did a lot of worldbuilding I was really proud of but it also ended up shaking my writing confidence for a couple years. Still, I pushed myself to write much more complicated relationships and plot ideas than I’d ever tried before, and I think after time and distance I can come back to it and say I’m proud of it.

B:  What was the first fandom you read fic in?  Which was the first you wrote fic for? Same answer for both. Sailor Moon. That show changed 11-year-old me’s whole world and that was my first full fandom experience, back in the days of personal websites and guestbooks and message boards. I didn’t actually publish any of the fic I wrote, just handwrote it in notebooks and shared it with my friends. 

C:  How did you come up with the title to A Line in the Sand? You know, I think it was just one of those things where I was getting ready to post and scrambling for a title, and just sort of hit on the phrase in the moment. I felt like it described the fic on multiple levels, like it could really apply to a lot of different points in MacCready and Deacon’s developing relationship. And then also referring ultimately to Deacon drawing a line in the sand with his fear. Deciding where it stops getting to rule his life, which is really meant to be the main journey of it. When I first started the fic, I had planned to make it a three part series, and I had titles with similar themes for the other fics. I ultimately scrapped that, of course, but in case I do end up using the other titles I’ll hold on to those. ;)

J:  What’s your favorite fanfic trope?  Have you written it? Oh god I have so many. One of my top favorites is “trapped somewhere with your crush and confessing your feelings,” or if not your feelings, at least have a significant emotional change in your relationship. I have written this twice. Guarantee you I’ll do it again. Once in Ch. 4 of ALITS, and once for Dorian/Bull in Rivers in the Sand. 

T:  Any fanfic tropes you can’t stand? Hmm this is a good question. I’m not a big fan of love/romance/sex solving a character’s emotional problems. I don’t know a more charitable name for it, among my friend group we’ve always called it the “healing dick” trope. What I mean is something like, a character has something like depression or emotional trauma or past issues they’re still wrestling with, but then they fall in love with another character and suddenly their depression is fine or their emotional trauma just evaporates or something, because now they’re in love so it’s fine. And I don’t mean to rain on anyone’s parade, or to say that a character finding happiness in another person that had been missing in their life is unrealistic. I’m writing something along those lines myself. I love seeing them work through some of that to open up to love, or finding common ground in shared hurts, and finding ways to support and help one another. It just bothers me when a narrative acts as though love is the complete solution to problems that the character really needs to work through in another way. 

#ask memes #writing memes #memes

[buttsonthebeach]

Under a Broken Sky

@empresstress13 commissioned me to continue the AU where Ellana and Beatrix Tabris are cousins, and I was all too delighted to! I had such fun reimagining the opening of the game with Bea included :)

Thank you, my friend, for commissioning me!

My Ko-Fi || My Commissions (Slots currently open for March/April!)

Pairing: Beatrix Tabris x Leliana

Rating: General

**********

The snow of the Frostbacks crunched under Beatrix Tabris’s boots as she approached Haven, her stomach in thick knots of anxiety. She’d been on her way to the Temple of Sacred Ashes when the explosion happened. It lit up the whole sky, and lit up every drop of blood in her body with fear.

Leliana. Ellana. Everyone who went there in good faith -

She’d hurried to Haven after that, her heart in her throat the whole way. Leliana’s name was the one singing through her mind over and over and over again. It had been so long since they had seen each other. Leliana was busy acting as Left Hand of the Divine and Bea was busy acting as Spymaster of Amaranthine. It couldn’t be over like this, it could not be over like this, she would get to Haven and Leliana would be okay, and Bea would hold her again.

And then, every so often, her thoughts would drift to Ellana Lavellan, her newly discovered cousin, who’d been sent by her clan to the Conclave as a spy. They’d only just found each other. She couldn’t be ripped away now.

Bea had not been with Nehnara Surana to the Temple of Sacred Ashes when her dearest friend was trying to save Arl Eamon. They had not reunited by that point. But Bea knew what it was supposed to be like from Nehn’s descriptions - massive, ancient, made entirely of stone and yet somehow alive, so grand it seemed impossible that the mountains had not simply birthed it on their own.

It was only a crater now.

She could see that now, just as she could see the mountain passes swarming with demons and soldiers. Just as she could see the angry green gash in the sky, sparking and twisting over and over again. Haven was not a Haven at all. It was a madhouse.

“You,” she barked at the nearest soldier as she drew close to the chaos, her hands already drifting to the hilts of her knives. “Who’s in charge?”

“Seeker Pentaghast,” he said. “She’s with the prisoner now. The one who caused all of this.”

Cassandra Pentaghast. The Right Hand of the Divine. If she survived then maybe - maybe - Leliana had too.

“Take me to them,” Bea said in her most commanding tone. “Now.”

It was hard to believe that the scrappy girl who had grown up in Denerim’s alienage had a commanding tone now, but she did. She was a Spymaster after all. But when she stepped into the old Chantry and followed the trembling soldier down into the dank prison beneath it, she started to feel like the frightened, powerless, scrappy little girl she had once been. If Leliana was not there - if Cassandra told her the worst -

But a wooden door creaked open, and Leliana was there, beautiful as sunrise, whole and healthy in her lilac and silverite armor, the hood draped over her head. Her arms were crossed and her back was to Bea but Bea would have known her anywhere, and she could have wept for joy to see her. Leliana. She was safe.

Cassandra Pentaghast was in the room too, and so was someone else, kneeling on the floor, bound in chains - the prisoner who had caused all this destruction.

“Ellana?”

The word escaped Bea’s lips before she could stop herself. All three women in the room turned to her - Cassandra, Leliana, and, yes, Ellana Lavellan, her long lost cousin, swaying on her knees and looking disoriented and angry, her hands bound in chains, green light coming from the space between them.

“Bea,” Leliana breathed, turning. She started towards Bea but paused. Of course. They were conducting an interrogation. Leliana could not seem soft now.

“Let her go,” Bea said at once. “She had nothing to do with this.”

“Do you have any proof of that?” Cassandra asked, her voice tight with rage. “Because before you stands the only survivor of that Maker forsaken temple. The last woman to see Divine Justinia alive.”

The Divine was dead?

It made sense. Bea had seen the devastation. But still her mind was reeling. The Divine was dead. How would this affect the war between mages and templars? Her sources in various chantries around Thedas? The political situation for the Wardens?

And Ellana was the only one alive? How?

“I told you,” Ellana said, and her tone was hard, too. The kind of anger that came from fear. “I don’t know what happened to the Divine. I don’t know what happened at all. I -”

Before she could finish her sentence, awful crackles of green light sprouted from her left palm, enveloping the cell in their eerie glow. Ellana bent double, crying out in pain, cradling her left hand, and that was when Bea saw it - the gash of light in her left palm, a mirror image of the cracked sky outside.

“It’s getting worse,” Cassandra said, tersely. “We need to move, now. We need to get her to the Breach.”

The fit subsided. Ellana looked up, angry and confused once more.

“What? Where are you taking me?”

“I’ll be right there, cousin,” Bea said at once. “We’ll go together.”

Ellana looked at Bea, a long and searching gaze, her grey eyes flinty. Then she nodded, and hauled herself off of the floor of the cell.

Leliana caught Bea’s arm as they walked out of the cell, pulling her aside.

“My love,” she murmured, catching Bea in a quick embrace. “I have missed you.”

Bea pushed aside all thoughts of the broken sky and the turmoil outside and the strange energy radiating from Ellana’s hand (she needed to write to Nehnara at once, Nehn would know what it was, Nehn would know what to do) and focused only on the way Leliana smelled. Like lavender and clean cotton and Andraste’s grace.

“She didn’t do it, Leli,” Bea said at once, tightening her hold on Leliana. Maker, it felt so good to have her in her arms again. “Ellana. Whatever happened here, it wasn’t her. I know it.”

Leliana drew back and cupped Bea’s face. “You always see the good in people, Bea. And I know that she is your kin, but the evidence is damning. We need to see where it leads.”

Leliana was right of course. But Bea knew Ellana was innocent. She knew it in her bones. And Ellana was family, and Bea would protect her however she had to.

“I’m coming with you. I need to see where it leads, too.”

“I would have you nowhere else. I have - it has been so hard, Bea. These last few days. Justinia -”

Leliana’s voice broke. She looked away. Bea turned her lover’s face back to her and kissed her sweetly on the mouth and for a moment there was nothing but that kiss, perfect as spring’s first rain.

“Let’s go. We’re going to figure this out. We are.”

And Bea knew that in her bones, too. She was a master of spies and a scrappy alienage woman and she protected the people she loved no matter what it took. Together, they walked back out to the fresh snow and the broken sky and towards what was left of the Temple of Sacred Ashes.

#beach writes #beach does commissions #beatrix tabris #dragon age fanfic #empresstress13 #ahh so fun #so many headcanons about this universe now

[collagedraws]

Inquisitor as companion

Inquisitor’s Name: Osa Trevelyan

Race / Class / Specialization:  Human / Mage / Rift Mage; Osa relies heavily on storm and winter schools of magic, her spells focus more on attack than stat-boosting or defense

Gender Identity: Female

Varric’s Nickname for them: Stormcloud - “Always carrying something heavier than she lets on, takes a bit to find that silver lining, but she’ll get there.”

Short bio: A child of the upstanding Trevelyan family, Osa was previously deeply entrenched in Chantry life, dedicated to honoring her family’s Andrastian loyalties. She and her brother have been scrambling to navigate the burning landscape of post-Circle Thedas and reimagine their lives moving forward. She moves with confidence, something that might almost be grace. That paired with a talent for powerful magic makes her deadly in combat

What would their companion card look like?

Initial Card: The high priestess, reversed

Loyalty: The hierophant, reversed

Romanced: Temperance - Osa faces east, one foot half submerged in choppy water and the other balanced on the rocky shore. Her hands are clasped together lightly, one resting on top of the other. Something bright spills from between them- glass, perhaps. She is looking at the viewer, head tilted slightly, a faint smile on her lips

Recruitment mission:  

Upon interacting with Leliana, she will tell you that her scouts have reported a particularly aggressive clash between a group of apostates and templars in the Hinterlands that is endangering farmers and refugees passing through the area. She points out that it would be to the Inquisition’s advantage to pacify the conflict and aid the threatened passersby, cultivating goodwill and securing the area for the Inquisition.

When you arrive at the location marked on the map, you will find a group of five templars closing in on a group of frightened and injured apostates being tended to by a mage and her templar brother. Once you approach, it will trigger a cutscene.

Shiori stands to confront the advancing templars, calling for them to back down and end the senseless violence, letting the mages live. One of the templars calls him a traitor and Osa, laying a newly dead mage gently down, cuts in. Invoking the Chant of Light, she lashes out, likening their mindless slaughter to the death of Andraste herself. The templar commander accuses her of heresy and demands that they submit to the Chantry’s judgement. As they are poised to attack, two mages who had been huddled together on the ground murmuring to themselves give in and transform into a pair of despair demons, much to the horror and grief of the Trevelyans. A battle then ensues in which you help the twins defeat the templars and demons to complete the mission.

After the fight, you speak with the twins, learning that they had been attempting to escort the small band of apostates to a safehouse. When they arrived, they were met by the templars, who had reduced the barn to rubble. Requesting that you take the remaining injured mages into your care, they willingly accompany you back to Haven, after which they can both be found on the party select screen.

Where they may be found in Haven: She and Shiori can be found outside the village perimeter, across the road from the gates on a snowy bank. They stand huddled together, exchanging quiet words and occasionally glancing towards the sparring recruits

Where they may be found in Skyhold: Initially, the twins can be found in the back corner of the lower courtyard near the stables. Once repairs are made and things are more settled, Osa can be found at a table on the second floor of the Herald’s Rest nursing a drink and studying a book

Personal quests:

Quest 1: Far From the Tree

The cutscene will open in Skyhold’s library where Osa chats lowly with a smiling Dorian, retrieving a book from a high shelf and adding it to one already in her arms. She will greet you, asking if you have a moment, at which point she will lead you out to the battlements for more privacy. She is straightforward- she wants to reach out to her family. She hasn’t had contact with them since the fall of the Ostwick Circle, and more to the point, she’s sure their connections in the Tevinter Imperium or Nevarra could benefit the Inquisition. However, she is unsure if they will be willing to work with the Inquisition, given the speculation over Divine Justinia’s death and the future of the Chantry.

This will trigger a war table operation. Leliana will not participate in this mission. Josephine suggests delivering a message through an allied noble in the region, insisting that going through the proper channels will make for a smooth reception. Cullen reminds you that it doesn’t hurt to make a grand impression, and recommends sending an outfitted Inquisition unit to deliver your regards, as well as Osa’s message.

Quest 2: Bitter Pill

Osa, having a drink with Shiori and the Chargers, spots the Inquisitor down the bar at the Herald’s Rest and indicates that she wants talk. She gets up, sharing a laugh with Krem, and comes to sit beside the Inquisitor. She is more relaxed this time around but her tone, though light, is still serious. She wants your help obtaining a recipe for a healing potion, though she will only specify that it’s for her brother to a high-approval Inquisitor. She already has a contact for the recipe and hopes to meet with them as soon as possible. Upon completing this conversation, the location of the meeting will become available on the war table.

You travel to a crumbling chateau that initially appears abandoned, but as you draw closer, you can see that a large, thriving clinic has set up camp amongst the ruins. When you get close enough, you find the clinic besieged by a group of red templars. Once you help defeat them, the leader of the clinic, an elven mage and healer named Mailani offers her thanks. They had been operating covertly for weeks, treating refugees and sheltering apostates, when they were discovered by a band of red templars. According to a missive you find on one of the corrupted templars, they had received orders to cut off the camp’s supplies before moving in to finish them off. The leader tells you that they were after not only the mages in the clinic, but the tomes of spells they had been protecting. It is a relatively isolated area, and supplies are hard to come by. She is glad to accept help from the Inquisition in exchange for the knowledge they have collected, including the recipe that Osa is after.

Back in the Herald’s Rest, Osa thanks the Inquisitor, saying that it means a lot to her personally. She confesses that things hadn’t been easy for her and her brother after the fall of the Circles. She speaks a bit more candidly about the strictness of her family and the pressures of Circle life. If the Inquisitor has high enough approval, she talks wistfully about Shiori’s confidence. In a harder voice, she says that she would do anything to preserve his sense of self worth. Her words hint at past turmoil, perhaps related to the potion, but she will not go into detail even if pressed. Shaking off the seriousness of the topic, she jokes that she’ll have to hunt you down if you ever tell her brother about her protectiveness. Despite the hardships, she insists that having their freedom for the first time in their lives has been worth the trials they still face, and that she’s glad to be here with the Inquisitor.

Breakdown of Approval Ratings for Major Missions:

Fate of the Mages

Conscript: Greatly disapproves

Ally: Greatly approves

Fate of the Templars

Disband: Slightly approves

Ally: Slightly disapproves

Inquisitor’s Lead:

A Dwarf/Elf/Qunari Stands for us all: No approval change

Example as a Mage: Approves

For Faith: Slightly approves

For Order: Slightly disapproves

For What’s Right: Greatly approves

To Stop Corypheus: Approves

For Personal Power: Greatly disapproves

For Vengeance: Slightly disapproves

Fate of the Wardens

Exile: Disapproves

Ally: Approves

Ruler of Orlais

Gaspard: Disapproves

Briala: Slightly approves

Celene: Disapproves

Reunite: Disapproves

Spare Everyone: Slightly approves

Arrest Florianne: Approves

Save Celene: Slightly disapproves

Kill Celene: Slightly approves

Abelas Alliance

Ally: Approves

Reject: Disapproves

Drink from the Well:

Non-Lavellan Inquisitor Drinks: Disapproves

Lavellan Inquisitor Drinks: Slightly approves

Morrigan Drinks: Slightly disapproves

Other ways to gain approval: Gaining high approval from her brother, helping mages, generally using reason over force, helping Josephine restore her family’s status, working with Frederic of Serault

Other ways to gain disapproval: Disrespecting Andrastian faith (neutral to different beliefs, but active scorn is regarded with distaste), mistreating mages, killing dragons

Are they romanceable? Yes, by a female Inquisitor of any race

Can you have sex with them? Yes, but only mid- to high-approval Inquisitors

Are they open to polyamory? Yes, but only when it’s relatively casual. If it starts involving more serious feelings from any party, she won’t want to get too tangled up in it and will take her leave

If they can be romanced and are not, will they begin a relationship / relationships with other character(s)? If so, who? There are hints that she and Sera hook up, but nothing serious ever comes of it, and Sera still ends up with Dagna if unromanced

Who are they friendly with? Dorian, Bull (plus Krem and the Chargers), Varric, Sera (kind of). Osa finds solace and understanding in Leliana, and shares some much-needed levity with Josephine (the family connections help, but really she kind of appreciates the frivolity of chats with Josie)

Who do they dislike? Vivienne. She tries initially to approach the Court Enchanter with deference, but her disdain and rigidly structured views end up rubbing Osa exactly the wrong way. She likes Solas initially, curious to learn and see from different perspectives, but eventually his aloofness and world-weary pretensions get old. She generally avoids Cullen. She doesn’t necessarily have a problem with him, and she’s not going to find out. Too much trauma with templars

Opinions on mages / templars / how the world is going to shit? “Faith may not save us, but it gives us the strength to face another day. The sun rises and we move forward.”

Something guaranteed to make them leave the party: Osa won’t be tempted to leave that easily, but if you manage to make Shiori leave, she’ll follow his lead

Special Events:

Imprisoned at Redcliffe: How is your Inquisitor holding up in Redcliffe, being slowly infected with red lyrium over the course of a year?

She stares unseeing at the wall of her cell, trying to read the lines of lyrium that cover its surface like spiderwebs. She murmurs to herself, pieces of phrases that might be an ill-remembered Chant of Light. Her head snaps up, eyes clear for a moment, as she says “Shiori-,” then trails off, descending back into muddled recital before the Inquisitor interrupts. “Inquisitor!” She stands quickly, pressing a hand to her temple, slowly shaking her head as if plagued by a bad headache. She breathes deeply, slowly coming back to herself, and her muddled thinking is replaced with angry intent.

At the Winter Palace: Does your Inquisitor enjoy the party, any special events with them at the Palace?

Osa loves Orlais. Fascinated with the sheer opulence almost as much as the Game, she thoroughly enjoys the masquerade from behind a half-full glass of wine that she nurses the whole night. She’s knows that it’s not nearly as glamorous as her first impression, but she’s striking enough in her own right to pique the interest of powerful people and it’s at least a little thrilling. She’s been trained her whole life to wear a mask and she falls into the push and pull of intrigue with ease. Plus she gets to see Cullen surrounded by a flock of cooing nobles and it’s hilarious enough to make the evening worthwhile

In the Fade:

“Maker help us, what next?”

Osa is awed, wide-eyed and fascinated, edging on disbelieving. Fear keeps everyone on their toes, but she is obviously taking everything in with a hint of wonder. However, she is particularly shaken by the encounter with the spirit of Divine Justinia.

Nightmare: “You’ve worked so hard to be what they wanted. Such a shame, really. What a disgrace.”

Osa: “Right. Just another voice to temper. But piss off!”

Her gravestone reads: “Aimlessness”

Trespasser:

Inseparable as ever, she and Shiori can be found crowding the bar (with the Chargers, if spared). They look a bit older, a bit road-weary and significantly more seasoned by the experiences of the past few years. Osa has penned the occasional missive to the Inquisitor, informing them of her and Shiori’s whereabouts and ongoing projects. Over the last two years, the twins have traveled all over Thedas, lending aid mainly to refugee resettlement and support for displaced mages building new lives. Josephine’s notes reveal that several attempts by their family to reach them through the Inquisition have gone very clearly unacknowledged.

Marriage, while not completely out of the question, is not on the visible horizon. It is likely that the ensuing commitment to stopping Solas’ newly-revealed plans will leave little time for the indulgence of a full-blown romance. Osa will go where she is needed, finding purpose in helping those displaced by the events surrounding the Breach who are making the effort to rebuild their lives. However, she will return to the Inquisitor’s side when she can. When she does, she lingers. Maybe for longer than she ought to, she thinks. But solace is fleeting and some kinds of healing can only happen in the company of someone you love

#dragon age ocs #oc stuff #ocs: osa trevelyan #da #my writing #I guess #portait yet to come #hnnngghh my brain is dead rip #talk about wordy #osa's changed a helluva lot since I first started expanding on her character

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [192]

“Quite frankly,” Lavellan says, “It is both arrogance and poor foresight for one to think that absolving the Inquisition by force would stop me from proceeding with completing the task that a great majority of Thedas has somewhat strong-armed me into doing for them. Unless there’s someone else - human, not a mage, probably from Orlais - who’s mysteriously gained their own Anchor to close rifts. Have my wildest prayers been answered? Has that happened?”

“No, Inquisitor,” Josephine says, “That has not happened. You are, that we know of, still the only one capable of closing rifts.”

“Shame,” Lavellan sighs, “When is this trial meant to take place?”

“The beginning of summer, your excellency, at Halamshiral.”

Lavellan’s eyebrow slowly raises up, “I would say that there’s a certain symbolism in them trying to forcibly break apart a Dalish-led Inquisition at the sight of one of the worst massacres of elves in recent history - ignoring all previous - and one of my people’s most sensitive losses, but honestly Orlais doesn’t have anywhere better.”

“Perhaps they wouldn’t be so eager to try and do us damage if you could show them a touch of civility,” Leliana says, “Granted they haven’t done much to earn it, but there are sayings about the higher road and such.”

“Human sayings,” Lavellan replies, “Said to coddle and protect those in the wrong. Very well, I suppose I can’t make do with sending a stand in?”

“No, your excellency,” Josephine says, “We could try but I somehow doubt that would go over well.”

“And who else is on this panel of judges?”

“Representatives from Ferelden,” Leliana says, “Who are fully supportive of the Inquisition’s continued efforts.”

“Alistair Theirin has always had a good head on his shoulders and a fair nightingale at his ear,” Lavellan remarks and Leliana dips her head.

“High praise, Inquisitor.”

“Simple fact,” Lavellan shrugs. “I leave the two of you to manage the arrangements. I doubt that my council in the Dales will be pleased with me showing up for a judgement among my so-called peers. Can we appeal to have others come to stand with the Inquisition? Antiva? The Free Marchers?”

“I will send correspondences,” Josephine says, “But perhaps it would help to send those through the embassies of the Dales?”

“You send yours and I’ll send mine,” Lavellan says, “I trust the two of you to handle it. In the mean time, reports. Tell me what I have missed while I was catching up on my duties to the Dales?”

“The Chargers returned for a brief period, they rode out three days ago. They would have waited but Sutherland’s crew needed assistance handling a series of thefts along the King’s Highway. The area is still Blighted and weak,” Leliana says. “Ferelden cannot keep enough guards along the entire highway. It is a relatively easy task, I am certain they will return soon enough. The Iron Bull requested that we pass this along.”

Leliana hands Lavellan a bit of paper, folded long.

Lavellan flicks it open, mouth twitching upwards before she tucks it into her sleeve, “That man has too much free time.”

“May I ask?”

“Chess,” Lavellan says, shaking her head, “He sent me his chess moves from our ongoing game. He still insists he’s winning. Little does he know that I’m only letting him believe that.”

-

“This is, Commander, perhaps your worst idea to date. Worse even than partnering with the Qun to force the old Council to acknowledge your fairly earned reign.”

“Your opinion has been noted but it does not change what I am going to do,” Lavellan says. “Hunter, do you not have troops to train? Requisitions to complete? Assessments to oversee? I fail to understand how you can persistently dog my steps for hours on end every day to let me know of your displeasure with the way I have chosen to lead our people.”

The man following behind her clicks his tongue hard and she barely resists rolling her eyes at him.

“Someone has to,” Hunter Lavellan replies, “If I did not then no one would. At least, no one you would allow to live for longer than a week.”

“You assume I will permit this kind of behavior from you indefinitely.”

She turns and catches Hunter Lavellan glaring at her. She smiles as beatifically as she can just to see his scowl deepen.

“You ought not to scowl like that, Hunter. You’ll ruin your face if you do and that is perhaps the most forgivable thing about you.”

Hunter Lavellan bares his teeth in his equivalent of her smile, “Thank you, your excellency, for your faulty opinion. As we all know, you have terrible aesthetics, you surrealist.”

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the fantastic and reimagined.”

Hunter Lavellan breathes out a long, hard sigh, “Sister.”

“Hunter.”

“Most Holy.”

“Yes?”

“Send someone else to go oversee the human’s squabble. I do not understand why you must go yourself. You have people to do this for you. You have people who want to do this for you. There is no reason why you must go personally. The Divine of the human Chantry did not even ask for that. She just asked for us to host their Conclave.”

“The humans do not acknowledge anyone other than the prime leader of a nation or state as a person of power,” She says, “I would send you. I would send one of our ambassadors or one of our courtiers. I would send one of the council members. But the humans do not understand these people as being to me in power. They are very near sighted. I must go to give this Conclave credence, or it will fall apart. If anything, the humans will be too wary of accidentally killing me and starting a war they are not ready to handle.”

“Or they will kill you to start a war that they cannot handle in order to bind together their fractured selves. Sister. Do not do this.”

“Brother,” Ellana turns and catches Mahanon’s chin with her hand, tracing the familiar lines of his vallaslin with her thumb, “I am not your sister any longer. I am the Most Holy of the Dales and your commanding officer. I must go. Do not ask me to stay. This is my duty.”

“Your duty is here,” Mahanon says, curling his hand around her wrist, voice softening, “Your duty is to stay safe and to stay alive and to lead our people. Let the humans destroy each other.”

“And when they are done destroying each other and come to us? And when Tevinter sees the ravished south and sets their eyes on conquest?”

“There is always the Qun.”

“The Qun is a temporary partner who will not stay with us. We cannot lean on them or count on them favorably.”

“We have survived worse wars.”

“Are you not tired of just surviving? Let us live. And if it means doing favors for the humans in order to finally spread out beyond our borders safely and feel the world as safe again, I am willing to do the human Chantry this favor.”

#heartsfic #gather your party and venture forth

[thorgans-guide-to-thedas]

Do you think the Chasind were influenced by Mongolia as well?

So there's two different breakdowns I could do for this: what WE running the blog think the Chasind could be influenced from, and what the evidence in the Bioware lore (BL) presents to us. I want to stress again that we are NOT cultural experts , but we try and research and provide accurate information as much as we can.

This got REALLY long so I'm dropping it below the cut

The way our funny little group interprets and pulls inspiration from cultures in Thedas is basically just a blueprint or a road map. You'll see in some of the posts and definitely in things as we continue to post them that we use a lot of vague language when describing people. We want to avoid force-fitting players into certain roles or making people feel that "oh, well this region is inspired by this culture, so I guess I'll have to play that". Thorgan's Guide aims to spread out more opportunities for players to see themselves in this world and feel safe as they play.

So, right now, we are looking at the Chasind as a mixture of different cultures coming from early-colonial America and the Caribbean. That doesn't mean that Mongolian influence can't be added, and that is where we want there to be freedom for everyone playing the game.

Our drafts for Avvar/Frostback Basin cultures have definitely pin-pointed cultural inspiration from Inuit/Sami/Mongolian cultures, so even in our silly little home-brewed re-imagining, the geographical locations of the Frostback and the Kocari wilds are not far from each other, and it would totally work and would definitely be worth exploring for us. But I want to stress this again: our homebrew isn't meant to be law and we want everyone to have fun with it.

As for Bioware evidence, I have so many issues with it. My interpretation of the BL around Chasind features a lot of negative stereotypes associated with "uncivilized cultures," which basically translates to non-eurocentric. There is already a blatant lack of diverse ethnicities in the BL, but if I were to name a few cultures that were meant to be non-white representations, they all have antagonistic qualities to them - Chasind included. Tumblr user @dalishious talks a lot about how Bioware codes their people and cultures based on what suits them and how this can be damaging to real-world people [1]. (Dalishious' resources and research into this matter is a wealth of information, and I would highly recommend checking out their other work).

The Chasind are described as barbaric and "primitive at best". Based on pre-existing stereotypes of Mongolian culture (keyword stereotypes), it follows a similar pattern. With many minority cultures, they are placed into the ideas of "nomadic" and "simple", having technology seen as under-advanced in the face of Western civilization - so this, in its own twisted way, falls into the category. We are encouraged to see the Chasind as simple-minded and aggressive, told that they raid the swampland and cause harm and strike fear. Many brown-skinned cultures are subject to similar treatment depicting brutal warriors and merciless attacks, and of course, the antagonistic coding of Thedas cultures fits the Chasind into this role.

One thing that stuck out was the line "some Chasind are reputedly so barbaric that they even consume the flesh of the dead." The cannibalism stereotype was present in almost every dark-skinned representation at some point in time, using the "disgust" or "savagery" of the practice to separate civilized from uncivilized [2] [3]. Though appearing across the globe, these stereotypes intensified in mainstream media and specifically in films involving South American, Caribbean, and Pacific Islander cultures [4] [5].

In another line, we see "Chasind are known to decorate their hair with pierced copper coins; these are tied into the ends of their braids." This in itself is vague and, in reality, could reference dozens of different cultures around the globe. Many Slavic cultures had hair accessories and braids, but so did many African regions. It does not help that the Bioware games choose to darken the Chasind skin in their depictions. This usually leads our mind into thinking that they are meant to portray a certain culture or people based on our inherent beliefs and subconscious biases.

Bioware's writing is confusing at best and utterly racist at worst. Most of their regions are either blatantly European or a melting pot of so many minority cultures boiled down that you can hardly tell where the original inspiration came from. Is it Mongolian, Slavic, African, or something else altogether? I don't even think Bioware knows this. Just looking at the wiki page makes my head spin at how many contradicting and overlapping things there are in Chasind culture and how many elements they've taken from all over the place. All I can really say on the matter is that the wiki is doing a lot of harm with it.

From Thorgan's Guide, we totally encourage the addition of cultures to the game, and if the Chasind have Mongolian influence for the players, awesome! From the Bioware standpoint, Mongolian cultures were another target of stereotyping and "othering", not only from the Western world but from China as well, and it is completely possible that those cultural elements could be reflected back in Bioware's ignorant writing.

I may have gotten a bit carried away in writing and completely BLASTING negative stereotyping. Hopefully, this was still an interesting take on it all and at least kinda makes sense.

Here are the sources if anyone wants them:

[1] Dalishious. (2019). Coding Does Not Inherently Equate to Representation. (Source)

[2] Pyleyev, M. (2016). How the Feeling of Disgust Went From Life-Saving to Dangerous. (Video)

[3] Selvam, A. (2018). ‘Black Panther’ Challenges a Bogus Food Stereotype. (Source)

[4] Moore, R. B. (1973). Carib "Cannibalism": A Study in Anthropological Stereotyping. (Source)

[5] Conklin, B. A. (1997). Consuming Images: Representations of Cannibalism on the Amazonian Frontier. (Source)

#answer #chasind #reimagining thedas #thorgans guide to thedas #world of thedas #dragon age ttrpg #dragon age tabletop