#calenhad

[coralfishster]

i forgot half of their designs and they’re my own ocs. except for the one with the white ponytail.

katryaa belongs to @chuu-samu

[exhausted-archivist]

World of Thedas Character Art Colour Pallets: Part 2 Historical Figures and Other NPCs

Like in part 1 which you can find here, though this post is shorter than the first. The thought behind this is the same, that it would be handy to have basic colour pallets from the World of Thedas Volume 2. These are split into 2 posts because picture limit. I also specifically chose the images with grey backgrounds and not the tarot cards, just for easier grouping.

Some notes for each section:

Historical Figures in order of appearance

Calenhad, Darinius, Emperor Kordillu Drakon, Maric

Maric is included in historical figures because he was presumed dead in Origins, and is dead by the time Inquisition happens. We also never technically see him in any game installment so I thought he fit best here.

Other NPCs in order of appearance:

Duke Prosper de Montfort, Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons, Tallis.

Yes, Duke Propser and Gaspard are wearing very similar garb. I constantly confuse the art for the two, and it took this long for me to realize. They likely came from similar concepting iterations. When I put Dagna in part 1, I also forgot Gaspard existed in this set.

If you want to download this for your own use, got a handy google drive folder with all the images for your needs.

Historical Figures

Other NPCS

Wanna support this blog? You can check out my ko-fi.

[ammocharis]

Avvar History Reconstruction, Part 6

<<Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5>>

Part 6: Pushed back into the Mountains

As the Alamarri tribes living in the Fertile Valley grew in power, the Avvar would retreat further and further into the Mountains. From time to time, they tried to advance into the lowlands, occasionally allying with the Chasind against their Alamarri cousins. However, they were always pushed back and did not reclaim any of the settlements they held in the Valley in the previous centuries.

1:50 Divine: Hafter defeats combined Chasind and Avvar forces and holds the Fereldan Valley. Hafter is named the valley’s first teyrn.[1]

I think Hafter’s victory put the Avvar on the losing track. The Alamarri started to establish an intricate political structure while the Avvar continued with their old tradition of thanes and jarls. I imagine the terms “bann” and “thane” have a common root, as well as “arl” and “jarl”. It’s said that the Landsmeet had been:

“held for almost three thousand years except odd interruptions during Blights and invasions”[2]

which would put the time of its creation before the Avvar separated from the Alamarri and after the proto-Alamarri tribe crossed the Frostback Mountains. However, I think that in the Ancient Age, the Landsmeet was an infrequent meeting between leaders of neighbouring tribes, not an annual occurrence for which all chieftains ruling in the Fertile Valley were expected to gather. I theorize it was only after Hafter’s success that the Alamarri leaders started assembling more regularly. In large part, I imagine, it was to discuss their line of defense against the Avvar and Chasind forces surrounding them from the west and south. The enmity between the central Alamarri tribes and their “cousins” grew.

Whereas the Avvar tribes only occasionally united under powerful chieftains as they had in the old times, the Alamarri began laying the foundations of a more organized system that would eventually allow them to form a kingdom.

The next few centuries are a blank space in Avvar history, though I’m inclined to believe that their area of influence continued to shrink and their power dwindled.

“4:80 Black: The Orlesian Empire takes advantage of Ferelden's fractured state [or rather, the fracturated state of the Alamarri tribes, as this happens before the formation of Ferelden - addition mine] and crosses the Frostback Mountains to invade for the first time.”[3]

The first Orlesian invasion entered the Fertile Valley through the Frostback Mountains, launching the initial attack on the fortress of Redcliffe. I think it’s safe to assume that the Orlesian forces had to cut their way through the Mountains by decimating Avvar tribes standing between them and their true goal. Even though the Alamarri tribes were not fully united during the Black Age, they managed to withstand the Orlesian invasion and pushed the foreign forces outside of the Fertile Valley in 4:84 Black. 

The losses suffered by the Avvar further diminished their strength, which was very advantageous to the Alamarri. Unbothered by the neighbouring tribes, the Alamarri would soon unite under Calenhad. The Avvar, even if they were offered the chance to enter the alliance (and there’s no such indication in the lore, as far as I can tell), would be unlikely to accept it. For one, Calenhad has brought the Chantry into his newly formed country, a decision which the Avvar did not approve of.

“We Avvar never leave the ice and the stone. We never bowed to Calenhad as the Alamarri did, nor shall we be enslaved by the words of their new prophet.”[4]

Though Andraste was an Alamarri-Ciriane woman, and her husband was an Avvar, the majority of Avvar tribes did not abandon their pre-Andrastian beliefs. The Chantry dogma, heavily influenced by the Orlesian priesthood, would be even less appealing to the Avvar. Furthermore, the Avvar would never agree to send their mages to the Circles, where they wouldn’t be able to practice the sprit worship as they used to. For the Alamarri, however, a place in the Chantry offered an enticing possibility to legitimize their self-rule. As “heathen barbarians”, they were not viewed as a sovereign state by other nations, most importantly, their neighbour, the Orlesian Empire.

5:42 Exalted: Calenhad Theirin is crowned king in Denerim, uniting the long-warring tribes of Ferelden under a single banner.[5]

Not everyone agreed with Calenhad’s decision, for example, his close friend and mentor, Aldenon. Aldenon was a mage and he didn’t share Calenhad’s belief in the Maker, nor did he approve of inviting the Chantry into Ferelden.

“Aldenon conceived a plan to enlist strong allies and Calenhad went into the Brecilian Forest to make it so. But unbeknownst to the mage, Calenhad had made contact with the Chantry. When Calenhad returned at the head of the Ash Warriors as Aldenon expected, so as well did templars and Circle mages join our host. Aldenon was in a fury such as I've never seen. He wanted a kingdom of free men, of moral people beholden to law. Where a common man could tend his land safely and in peace. He lifted his staff and his voice echoed through the hills: "A civilization cannot be civil if it condones the slavery of another. And that is what this Circle is! But by accident of birth, those mages would be free to live, love, and die as they choose. The Circles will break—if it be one year, a decade, a century, or beyond. Tyrants always fall, and the downtrodden always strive for freedom!"”[6]

Afterwards, Aldenon abandoned Calenhad and vanished. The Theirins ruled over Ferelden for the next centuries. 

The last attempt of the Avvar tribes to take control of the Valley was the invasion led by Balak. It seems that his forces took Fereldans by surprise, but that advantage didn’t last long.

6:50 Steel: The Avvar organize forces under the great warlord Balak and sweep into the heart of the Ferelden Valley in massive numbers. The bannorn is put to the torch.[7]

6:52 Steel: The Avvar are pushed out of Ferelden proper. The period results in one of the worst famines in Fereldan history. Memories of Avvar savagery sour relations between the barbarians and Fereldan kings for ages.[8]

Afterwards, the Avvar mostly stayed bound in the less accessible regions of the mountains, which is how the Frostback Mountains area is defined in the current times (as opposed to the wider area that I proposed earlier as the antiquated definition of the Frostback Mountains).

Figure 12. Lands inhabited by the Avvar tribes following the formation of Ferelden.

Next up: What’s the current situation in the Frostback Mountains?

~~

Sources:

[1] Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 70

[2] Codex entry: Politics of Ferelden

[3] Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 94

[4] Codex entry: The Lady of the Skies

[5] Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 105

[6] Codex entry: Freedom’s promise

[7] Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 110

[8] Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 111

[dalishious]

So what do you think ever happened to Aldernon and Calenhad? I realize that they are supposed to be a Merlin and King Arthur like characters but for such a influential character like Aldernon just disappearing feels unfilling. Especially when Calenhad had TWO stories of his life shared as told by Fereldens and the Qunari.

Okay but like if anyone reading this is confused: @newwillinium is right in this totally being a Merlin and King Arthur story, and also Aldernon is just a real badass, he was basically a proto-Anders. You can read the whole thing across these codex entries:

Codex entry: Aldenon's Vestments

Codex entry: Freedom's Promise

Codex entry: Wisdom's Eye

Codex entry: Robes of the Pretender

Anyway, to answer your question, the ending of the last codex entry has me imagining Calenhad finding Aldernon, professing his deepest regrets, and the two making amends. The fact that Calenhad was never seen again has me less convinced he just disappeared--especially given if you take the Qunari tales into account, that he was no normal man--but rather, maybe he and Aldernon decided to abandon everything and live out the rest of their lives on a beach somewhere or something.

[cosplaykissesart]

“I wouldn’t know where to start

 sweet music playing in the dark.

Be still my foolish heart,

don’t ruin this on me.”

(Calenhad - @kaz-arts)

[elevanetheirin]

In DA4 can we find Calenhad’s armor please?

[ageofdragon]

how are banns and teyrns connected to the alamarri tribes? the titles existed before calenhad united all the tribes, so what were they before that? were banns like the leaders of tribes and teyrnirs were like tiny empires, forcing banns to swear fealty to them?

So before Calenhad, Ferelden ran on an Oligarchy. Where the Alamarri leaders (later known as Banns) had claimed plots of land and cities to call their own, the leaders would run the lands similar to Banns in present Thedas. While Arls and Teyrns were those who were considered the most powerful, smartest, and best equipped of the Alamarri Leaders for the other tribe leaders to ally themselves with. Basically Banns would ally themselves with other, stronger Banns (Arls/Teyrns) and they would use their combined forces/armies to try and take the Bannorns, Arlings, and Teyrnirs from the other Banns(/Arls/Teyrns).

A Bann became an Arl or Teyrn once they had enough allies under them and enough land/allied land dwellings to watch over.

All of this leading to Ferelden being a country that was constantly at war with itself, as the Banns marched upon each other to claim as much of another’s land as they could. Which of course led to a poor central/combined government, meaning there were no basis for a nationwide agreement on Foreign affairs or Homeland affairs. All government was local and unless you made allies with the surrounding areas, at any time they could choose to choke you out and take what was left.

This was part of the reason Calenhad arose, he made it his goal to unite Ferelden and to do so under one leader. It is also why Calenhad chose to limit the amount of Teyrns in Ferelden, so no few could easily overtake the entire nation one more. It also helped define borders, at one point two Banns had owned Lothering (both received taxes, held court, etc.) and Calenhad had it handed to only one of the Banns to better Lothering and stop the vicious fighting among the two.

tldr; Banns were Alamarri Tribe leaders who would try to increase their lands and influence by marching their tribe on other leaders’ lands. A Bann would become an Arl or Teyrn when they united enough of the other Banns underneath them, either by diplomacy or force.

Calenhad chose to unite Ferelden in order to stop the infighting and be able to deal with foreign powers on a national level, such as making Denerim a hub for trade in Southern Thedas.

[dalishious]

Wait, what's this to do with Alistair and magic ancient dragon blood? Also, why would people think it's possible for him to be Maric's son but not Fiona's? She literally gave birth to him, I think she would know???

The big overarching plot of The Silent Grove / Those Who Speak / Until We Sleep is that way back when, Calenhad spoke to a mysterious witch (LBR, it was Flemeth) asking for power, and she led him to a great dragon, which is a rare and powerful ancient dragon (not to be confused with regular high dragons). Calenhad then drank the great dragon’s blood, becoming some kind of super version of a reaver. He then used this newfound power to unite Ferelden into a nation, and become its first king.

And as such, all Theirin blood has a little bit of great dragon blood in it. (Though Alistair wonders if his is tainted thanks to being a grey warden.)

As such, their blood is super special and powerful, or whatever. The secret deal that Maric made in The Stolen Throne turned out to be that he would travel to Yavana’s cave and use his blood to awaken the rest of the petrified great dragons--something she tries to convince Alistair to do instead. But he never got the chance, as an evil Magister instead kidnapped him, and has been using his blood this whole time to become super powerful, with the goal of, of course, ‘restoring Tevinter’s glory.’