Getting to these questions after mulling them over @doctorxiii
How would the absence of the Veil affect the elves’s societal position?
I suppose it would depend on what actually came about. Solas claims immortality would return as well as the elves’s deeper connection with the Fade—deeper than any other race as elves are descended from spirits themselves who had bodies made of lyrium which is supposedly magic in its raw form—and the two combined would set them back on top as the dominant species simply because they live longer and are more powerful.
If those things are true, then, with time, the elves would rise to the top. Even without any action on their part because they would simply outlast everyone else.
That said, Solas is basing this off the world that was not the world that is. Elves of today are not the elves of yore. He has no real idea of what the removal of the Veil would do to any of the modern day peoples—both mortal and spirit.
But we’ll focus on what Solas claims will happen. If it’s true elves would suddenly be immortal and more powerful (which to me means all elves would be able to use magic) then I think it could go a few ways:
Elven rebellion (for lack of a better term)
Harsher elven persecution and subjugation
The elves rise above their forebears
In the rebellion scenario, the elves band together to overthrow any nation or race that has subjugated and/or persecuted them. They rise to power and rule. Elves become the elite.
Harsher subjugation means elves are hunted and/or enslaved. Elves and their magic become either commodities or outlaws. Sounds like the current status to some degree, but this…would be much worse.
Rising above their forebears means getting ahead of the problem by aiming for peace and trade. They would not seek to rule over anyone nor would they allow themselves to be ruled over. An elven nation would most likely be established that would strive to maintain some traditions but also strive not to repeat the mistakes of the ancient elves.
Truthfully? It’d probably be a mixture of all three. Most likely starting with harsher subjugation in the nations where that is already an issue or in nations where magic is feared. The harsher treatment would lead to unrest. Unrest would lead to testing of powers to realize they are now the dominate species. Realization of power would lead to revolt. Revolt would lead to war. War would lead to a shift in power and political landscape. This shift would lead to the offer of peace talks. Peace talks would lead to concessions, including land. Land would lead to the establishment of a nation. An independent nation would lead to trade. But eventually, if elves are the only immortal creatures, everything else would fade until only elves remain.
How would the Chantry respond to their changes?
This again would depend on the circumstances. Is the Chantry even in a place of power? Who is Divine? It would also matter whether the Herald of Andraste was elven or not. In this case, we’ll stick with the Orlesian Chantry and talk about the Imperial one in the next question.
Why it would matter if the Herald was elven: A shrewd Divine would point to the Herald being an elf—particularly a Dalish elf—as well as everything with Corypheus as having been a prelude to everything revealed via Elgar’nan, Ghilan’nain and Solas. Just as if the Herald was a mage. It was a message, a warning, from Andraste and the Maker against the treatment of the elves. That they are just as much the Maker’s children, despite their origins, as any other race. Yes, they may come from spirits and lyrium, but the Maker’s first children were the spirits. That it is perhaps through the elves—the children of the spirits—that further reconciliation with the Maker may be had. For it was the spirits first who turned against him, that tempted the humans, but now their descendants share the same burden—and hope—as humans. It may be the elves who need to sing the Chant in order to call the Maker back to Thedas.
*Edit: I know to some degree this is what Exalted Marches on the elves were about. I’m not saying that this couldn’t happen again, as it could under the wrong leadership, but under the right Divine, it would not be done by force.
Depending on the groundwork the Inquisitor laid in Inquisition via the elves, it could be used as further evidence that Andraste was speaking through the Herald to tell of the Maker’s love for the elves and desire for them to return to him as well. If the Inquisitor was not elven, but strove to improve the lives of the elves and relations with them, this would be the example all Andrastians are meant to follow.
To do this would potentially put the Chantry back on top and back in the people’s good graces. It would take strategic planning *cough*Leliana*cough* but the right Divine with the right people under her could simultaneously win elves to the Chantry (this isn’t me saying elves need to be Andrastian, I’m just saying what would probably happen for some elves who realized their “gods” were a bunch of megalomaniacal tyrants but still desire to have faith in something) as well as the rest of the people of Thedas.
Of course, there’d be your dissenters. Those who hate elves for being elves. Blaming them for everything. They would try to put a stop to it. It wouldn’t be smooth. Not everyone would accept it. There may even come a split in the Chantry. But someone who is smart enough to see the opportunity presented would take it.
How would the Tevinter Imperium respond to their changes?
Tevinter would be the flip side of that.
Of course, if Dorian is Archon, he would do what he could to negate all of this, but…sadly, I would see our beloved Dorian’s life being in danger.
Let’s just say Veilguard didn’t Veilguard. Some Venatori survived or there were some still in hiding. A smart zealot would weave a web like a spider. Using the Imperial Chantry to do it. Sowing discord about how if the elves were born of spirits they are the ones who caused the Maker to turn his back on Thedas. If Shartan is more well-known about, twisting that into Shartan being Andraste’s true betrayer because he was a descendent of the spirits that betrayed the Maker. That he influenced Maferath. That the elves caused the downfall of the humans by masquerading as the Old Gods to get them to worship them instead of the Maker. They would make the Magister’s Sidereal into martyrs or saints, removing them from the Old Gods and saying they were trying to put an end to the elven tyrants’ treachery.
They would take the opportunity to pin all the blame for everything on the elves.
They would potentially win even the dwarves to their side given their closer relationship with them than the South and given what the elves did to the dwarves.
Again, someone shrewd enough to see the opportunity presented would take it and gain massive influence and power through it.
Eventually, I think a war between the two Chantries would come. Because more than just those in the North would agree with the Imperial Chantry’s interpretation of events, while many in the South, especially those directly affected by the Herald, would agree with the Orlesian Chantry. The elves would be caught in the middle and what ultimately came of it all would depend on what kind of move the elves made, pointing back to the answer to the first question.
Hopefully that makes sense! I could probably go into a lot more detail about it, but I figured I’d stick with a more general summary of my thoughts for now.
Thank you for the questions! They were very fun (albeit depressing, lol) to think about!
