#dalish headcanon

[wolfwhisperertf]

Dalish Braid Headcanon

Braids have meaning in dalish culture but it’s more like flower meaning than anything sacred or strictly cultural. Maybe it has to do with the position, type of braids (dutch/french/fish-tail) or the material it’s tied with (thread/beads/claps) I’m not really sure what I like better but the point is that Davrin gets jealous when he realizes Lucanis has a small section of his hair braided one day. It’s clear Ashwyn did it and Lucanis has zero idea of the meaning.

So Davrin just walks up to him and braids a different section right next to it in the same manner. As Davrin is doing it Lucanis starts to realize the braids might have meaning but Davrin doesn’t explain and he liked the gesture anyhow.

So of course none of them have a conversation about any of this. Half because they all just trust each other enough that they don’t even question it and half because Ash and Davrin locked eyes after hearing Lucanis partially threaten someone when they joked about his two braid and they refuse to admit how fluffy it made them both feel.

Now you might be thinking their secret gets exposed by Bellara but it’s actually Taash that finally draws attention to it. The conversation goes something like…

Taash: Lucanis why do you have two promise braids?

Lucanis: Promise braids?

Bellara: Yeah, some dalish don’t use engagement rings like humans so they braid each other’s hair as a sign of commitment

Lucanis: Oh, well… um

Taash: So why do you have two?

Lucanis: …

Harding: I think his blush means you owe me those 10 gold

Taash: What?- Wait really!?

And that’s how the Davrin + Ashwyn + Lucanis throuple is confirmed to the group. (Of course most already suspected, they’re not subtle)

[perkeleen-lavellan]

JASKO’S CLAN LAVELLAN

Part 1| Part 2

The halla is a partner, not a pet.

The clan is first and foremost a halla clan. This means that the clan moves where the halla, move, and their livelihood is tied to the halla. The herd spends its summers at the edge of the Arbor Wilds and winters in the lower region of the Frostback Mountains. Due to the clan spending almost half of their time each year in a snowy landscape the halla are trained to pull sleigh to help the clan move, and some of the halla are trained fto be ridden, or hallaback hunting

Halla herders

Obviously the whole clan can’t be herders, there needs to be craftsmen and hunters and teachers for the clan to be able to function, and taking care of the halla is a lifelong full-time job.

Usually it’s specific families within the clan who are involved, since their children also participate in caring for the halla and learn the job that way. During summer the clan wants to leave the halla largely in peace, because summer is their time graze and gather up nutrients from  the lush Wilds, in preparation for the coming winter. It is also the time when the calves are born and counted.

Not all halla are trained for pulling sleigh or riding. The adult herders choose calves of halla they think will have a suitable temperament for the respective tasks, and once the calves are weened they are separated from the main herd into a smaller training enclosure. The sleigh pulling halla are trained by the adults, but the halla intended for riding are first trained by the children because of their smaller weight. Halla are not horses, and though an adult halla can carry an adult elf, the training must be begun when the animal is still growing.

Initially they are simply introduced to the saddle and reins, and taught to walk with a person guiding them. Then when the halla is ready, the children begin riding them, and once the halla is fully grown it’s given to the hunters’ use. The halla is only a semi-domesticated animal, which is why it’s important to start this when they’re young so they’ll have time to get used to interacting with people so closely, and sometimes it turns out a halla just didn’t have the right temperament to be a work animal, in which case it returns to the main herd.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder

Since Aravels are too large and heavy to move up a snowy mountainside, each winter the clan splits into two groups: the non herding clan members and the children, who stay at the bottom of the mountain, and the herders who follow the halla to their winter pasture higher up. They live in close quarters in the Varlash’ans, protecting the halla from predators and making  sure none of them get lost. This means that for a large chunk of the year many of the herders don’t see their families, leading to some dramatic reunions each spring. The clan’s current Grand Herder Miriel and her wife Namara are a great example of such a couple. According to them this arrangement simply fuels their passions. It would be obnoxious if a third of the clan wasn’t exactly the same. Although, many of the herders end up partnering with another herder, since by the nature of the work the herders are a closely knit group.

And yes, they also eat the halla

The clan generally lets the halla live their natural lifespan unless an injury or an illness is bad enough that the animal must be put out of its misery. The meat is dried so that it keeps a long time, and the skin, bones and antlers are used for building, clothing, tools and musical instruments. For the clan it’s important not to be wasteful, and they consider it respectful give new life to a loved animal in this way.

Once again, thank you for reading!

[kattsartspot]

A pre-Inquisition illustration of my Inquisitor, Dhavhallas Lavellan. c’: I dunno about anyone else’s, but my Inquisitor is very proud of being Dalish and there’s nothing he loves more than his clan. 

I feel like I never really see anything about clan Lavellan before the breach/Inquisition starts, but at the same time I kind of like it. It leaves so much more freedom to develop the clan as you want for your specific Inquisitor. 

My Lavellan’s clan may have had more dealings with humans than most, but they still clung very tightly to their culture. There was no shortage of singing or dancing in clan Lavellan - everyone could play an instrument of some sort, or perform some sort of art.

Maybe that’s typical of most clans, I’m not too sure since I don’t really remember everything. But I like the idea. 

My Inquisitor’s clan also uses full body vallaslin to mark someone as First/Keeper. I like to imagine that body vallaslin is done in a fashion similar to that of the monks in Burma - rather than a needle, they use a long rod that punctures the skin and is far more painful. But through the blood and sacrifice, they earn their place as a leader. c:

[for-the-dales]

If the Dalish had Priesthoods

So this was an idea I’ve been working on for a while. What if the best kept Dalish secret was that there religion, and society, were all a lot more organized than the rest of Thedas thought? It’s been a hot minute since the fall of the Dales, and they’ve been working in the shadows to rebuild something, and they've gotten pretty far along. Thanks to Project Elvhen for the priesthood terms!

Terms:

Official title/ in practice title

Sul’anasha/ ha’haren- priest

Raj’sul’anasha/ Raj’ha’haren- high priest

Elithem Sul’anasha/ Elithanasha- chief priest

On the Priesthoods

While all the Dalish favor one god more than the others, thus vallaslin, the priests take things further. They devote their lives to one particular god, and rarely participate in worship services that revolve around other gods. They also get far more extensive vallaslin, the more extensive, the higher in rank you are. An Elithanasha will be almost entirely covered in tattoos. It is very common for mages to find their way into the priesthoods. Contrary to human understanding, Dalish clans do not have a specified limit on how many mages they can have, how many the keeper is capable of training is up to the discretion of the keeper. If a keeper decides that there are too many mages, the first option is always to ask for volunteers from adult mages to join a clan with too few. In the few instances where that is not an option, or if the mage is considered a danger to themselves or others, the mage will be asked to go to one of the priesthoods for further training and to ensure they can control their powers and keep themselves safe. These mages are not required to join the priesthood, but many do. The temples are safe and hidden locations, known only to Dalish who have received vallaslin, and thusly become havens of artifacts and knowledge. While all Dalish are allowed to go to these temples if they wish, they must get permission from their Keeper who is the one who will know the specific location. Different temples have different specializations that match with their patron gods.

Priests are not required to be celibate, and they can marry, but the expectation is that their duties to their faith will always come first. It is very rare for the leaders of the priesthoods to be married. All priests that are mages become extremely powerful, particularly the ones who live full time in the temples. They also tend to live a lot longer than most elves, some Elithanasha and Raj’ha’haren live to be nearly 150 years old, the oldest recorded is a Elithanasha of Mythal who was born and raised in an ancient temple who lived to be 173. The Dalish believe these occurrences are a result of the Creator’s favor, however in reality the ancient temples are located in areas where the Veil is very thin and a lot of magic from the ancient Elvhen pantheon is still left over. The priesthoods of Mythal and Elgar’nan are the priesthoods with their own temples, the others are all paired and share temples.

The priests are also capable of exceptionally difficult forms of spirit magic, most importantly, they can cure abominations. The priests call them the lost, and perform a ritual to reverse the process. It is exceptionally difficult, not always successful, and only to be attempted by the most experienced mages at a temple. The process is this: an abomination is captured and brought to the priests performing the rite, who then perform a version of the rite of tranquility on the Lost One, once the fade (including the demon) has been purged from the body, the priests call for a spirit of faith to come and touch the mind of the Lost One, thus restoring their connection to the fade sans demon. The humans know of the process, but only the Seekers of Truth, and they don’t understand the full potential of it.

Mythal (The Judges)

Arguably the most important of the priesthoods. The priest of Mythal operate as a judicial branch of Dalish society. While most small disputes are solved by a clan’s keeper, larger disputes will be solved by a priest of Mythal. The worst crimes are brought to what is essentially the supreme court, led by a chief justice. The priests of Mythal are so important because Dalish law is not codified, and while there are many common sense laws known to all, disputes can get tricky fast. An example would be property laws around an ancient elvhen artifact. A recent case that came up was what to do with a hunter who sold out the location of his clan in return for his children who had been kidnapped by Tevinter slavers. As soon as he got his children back he sent word to the priest of Elgar’nan that Tevinter slavers had captured the clan, and the priests were able to ambush the slavers and save the clan, but the man had sold them out. The keeper of the clan could not be trusted to be impartial in the manner, and it was too big of a debate for a single priest, so the issue was taken to the supreme court. The temples of Mythal act as both courthouse and temporary orphanage when needed. Priests of Mythal can also double as social workers should the need arise.

Elgar’nan (The Warriors)

The priests of Elgar’nan are the closest thing the Dalish have to a standing army. Many warriors are trained by these priests, and if some sort of large, violent response is needed, it is these priests who carry it out (see above case with Mythal). These priests also provide security for major Dalish events (such as the Arlathvhen) and for the other temples if they require it. If priests are traveling long distances, they can request an honor guard of priests of Elgar’nan, most commonly priests of Mythal and Ghilan’nain will request this. These priests, by nature of their role in Dalish society, are most likely to have violent conflicts with humans and many of the Dalish “horror stories” are based on the actions taken by these priests. However every aggressive action taken by these priests is debated and decided on by the high priests, and every single one must be justified as a reaction to a recent act of violence against elves, and must be proportional. They also limit attacks they may lead to further violence against The People. For example, an ongoing debate revolves around retaliation against the Chevaliers of Orlais. As a final, informal “test”, soon to be Chevaliers get drunk and roam the city their in and beat and kill city elves. For years now there have been motions for the priests to enter the city on this night and provide protection for the city elves. However, this action could lead to further bloodshed and an escalation of conflict, such as the all out purging of an alienage and slaughter of Dalish clans. In recent years more support has been thrown towards taking action.

Falon’Din (The Scholars)

These priests are the experts on all things ancient Elvhen, from the original empire to the civilization in the Dales. They study the written word and have the most complete understanding of elvhen history anywhere in Thedas, and there temples function as archives. They also are the closest to fluency in ancient elvhen. While many keepers go and study at their temples, this is the most selective of the priesthoods, and the smallest. This is because what is kept in their temples are considered especially sacred, and must be protected. Their greatest secret is the Well of Memories. At the end of their lives, Keepers are invited to live out their remaining days in peace and contemplation at a temple of Falon’Din deep in the Wilds. In reality, when they arrive, they are invited to contribute their memories to the well. This practice has been in place since before the fall of the Dales, and there are rumors among the priests that the memories of Shartan reside in the Well. Only the High Priests and Chief Priest of Falon’Din are allowed access to the Well, and these priests are the only ones not allowed to cure the Lost Ones. It is considered too dangerous to risk one of these priests becoming possessed, and the rite is not even permitted within one of their temples. This priesthood has the second most mages, and is considered the academic center for magical study.

Dirthamen (The Spies)

These priests are the exception to the rule about vallaslin. In fact, they never receive vallaslin on their faces, and in some cases not at all. This is seen as a sacrifice for the greater good. These priests are spies, and almost never reside in the temples they share with Falon’Din, and when there only stay long enough to report back information and receive assignments. The high priests are made up of the oldest of the priests who can no longer go out into the field, and they organize the information acquired and tell the younger priests where to go. If a young priest wants to, they can go and study with the Antivan Crows for a time. Not all of the priests decide to become trained as assassins, but it is not unheard of. The priests of Dirthamen have a very old contract with the Crows that knowledge of is passed from Talon to Talon exclusively, but is to be honored in perpetuity. Only the Talon in charge of the Crows and the chief priest of Dirthamen know that it was signed at the end of the Exalted Age, after the priests of Dirthamen were instrumental in the assassination of Queen Madrigal of Antiva, an assassination that launched the Crows into the position they occupy today. The only places they do get vallaslin is on their backs. They train with priests of Ghilan’nain quite often and have the most contact with them, second only to their contact with the priests of Falon’Din.

Andruil (The Scouts)

The priest of Andruil scout locations for dalish clans ahead of a move, particularly large clans with few warriors. The world is a dangerous place, especially for elves. These priests go along the path the clan will take to its next destination and investigate for especially dangerous wildlife or particularly hostile humans. For clans with few warriors, often times the priests will escort the clan during the move. If something happens and a clan doesn’t have enough hunters, priests of Andruil will go and live with a clan to help them to procure enough food while also training more hunters. The priests also monitor the effect of the clans on the environment they are living in. The best hunting practices are sustainable ones. These priests also double as low level enforcers of law if a person is seen as dangerous. If a dalish elf is convicted of a crime and runs from their punishment, it is usually a priest of Andruil who hunts down the criminal and brings them back to the priests of Mythal for their punishment. This is the largest priesthood and the easiest to get into. The temple they share with the priests of Ghilan’nain is called Adahlvhen.

Ghilan’nain (The Guides)

The priests of Ghilan’nain are the guides of the people, in many ways. They are both the cartographers and the diplomats for the Dalish people. They share temples with the priests of Andruil and work together. The priests of Ghilan’nain’s first function is to track the movements of all of the Dalish clans, and keep an updated census. They organize the Arlathvhen every year, which is where they collect this census data. They also keep track of bloodlines through this, with the help of keepers, to make sure there is genetic diversity and cousins don’t accidently marry. The priests also keep maps of Thedas and the locations of important Elvhen sites, both modern and ancient. The other function is a diplomats for the elves. If ever there is an issue that requires formal communication between the dalish and another culture, it will be the priests of Ghilan’nain who carry out this communication. They study all modern cultures, politics, religions, and languages to try to keep miscommunication to a minimum and are seen as a first line of defense against human encroachment. The priests of Ghilan’nain have a special connection to the wildlife of Thedas, and many different types of animals roam the halls of the temple peacefully, even carnivorous species. In addition to a massive herd of Halla kept at the temple, there is also a herd of elephants who reside in the jungle around the temple that allow the priests to ride them, and can be used as mounts by priests of Ghilan’nain and Andruil in battle, as well as calling other animals to their aid if they are in danger. Most of these priests are vegetarians.

Sylaise (The Healers)

The priests of Sylaise are healers, the their temple functions both as a hospital and medical research facility. This priesthood has the highest number of mages, and this location operates as the main school of magic for the Dalish, as much of Dalish magic is more practical in nature. Because the fifth Blight occured so close to their temple, many of the priests of Sylaise have developed a renewed interest in the study of the blight, which is a controversial within their order. The study of the blight is seen as too big a risk, but the current chief priest approves of the study. These priests are the most experienced and skilled at curing the Lost Ones. Priests of Sylaise also work with Keepers to make sure that conditions within clans are sanitary and travel to educate Dalish on matters of health. Priests of Sylaise often join priests of Ghilan’nain when they go to cities and visit with elves that live in the city to try and help them. It is common for these priests to be vegetarians.

June (The Builders)

These priests center their lives around Elven arts, architecture, and invention. They perform all restoration to all of the temples, work on making more efficient tools for the Dalish clans, and almost all are also artists of some form. This priesthood has the lowest number of mages. These priests also establish rules for trade among the Dalish and maintain a treasury for the Dalish Priesthoods to use. These priest will often work with priests of Falon’Din to study ancient elven artefacts, having more experience with physical restoration.

[vhyral]

Anyone else thinks the Dalish might have 'sister clans'? Like, clans that are said to trace back to siblings or lovers and even though they live in entirely different areas of Thedas, their Keepers are keeping in touch and when they meet there are celebrations and they exchange members.

[kattsartspot]

Been wanting to do a little outfit reference thing for my Inquisitor Dhavhallas. He's my proud Dalish baby and I have so many little headcanon thoughts (found here, still working on it) for behaviors and practices in clan Lavellan that it's not even funny. But it's fun, and that's all that matters. :')

I still have a lot of details here and there that I want to add, there might be things I'll change later but... For now I think I'm happy.

The person that he is while in the Inquisition and surrounded by humans is vastly different from who he is among his clan. He's very friendly and loves talking to people and learning more about just about anything, but he's not very big on sharing much about himself (though he'll happily teach you anything about the Dalish).

I also have this little headcanon that clan Lavellan likes to hold a lot of festivals and celebrations that include any clans that are nearby. They're quite renowned for their music and dancing, and particularly their large, thunderous drums that are similar to Japanese odaiko in my mind.

Have some little closeup things. :')

Excuse me while I obsess over his vallaslin. 🥰

[vhyral]

What a missed goldmine of information not to know about the founders of the clans. The legends and stories about each founder could have heavily influenced the way clans live or how they view the world.

Like, the Sabrae clan could be proud of descending from a famed hunter and their hunters are highly praised amongst the clans. The Lavellan’s founder could be a renown Fade Singer and so Lavellan mages are respected and marrying them/sending them to other clans is extremely valued.  The Alerion clan could have its roots in a genious explorer and their clan unearths more hidden ruins than any other clan. They always bring new artifacts at the Keepers’ meeting every ten years and Merrill’s curiousity would be praised amongst them.

Just- just give us more founders info please!

[heykadan]

Headcanon: Dalish Codes

I really can’t get behind the notion Dalish adopting a Chantry rhetoric of needing templars to protect them from magic, especially when they’ve had their own customs and means of protecting themselves. So, I headcanon that the Dalish (particularly the mages) established particular codes to use when in Chantry dominated spaces.

(This ended up being a rambling mess but I felt like sharing anyway, especially after reading this post.)

The three mages per clan rumour started after Keepers got worried about the number of missing mages in the clans. It was constructed so that whenever a mage got sent to a Circle, they would spread the lie so large groups of templars wouldn’t seek out the clans.

While I want to believe that Dalish’s “Keeper wanted me to see the world a little” comment is just that, the fact that Bull interjected and mentioned templars implies something similar to Minaeve’s story. So my Lavellans, when hearing this, instantly translated it to “Keeper died. Left clan to get revenge.” Considering she’s now in a mercenary company, it seems like the sort of thing Dalish would do.

Minaeve on the other hand was seven years old when she was taken to the circles, and almost getting killed by a mob just before sounds downright traumatizing. In Haven, she’s right in front of Josephine and Mother Giselle is just outside the door. My Lavellans would translate her story to “Clan was raided and I got separated. Grabbed supplies and wandered off until I found a village.”

Side note: despite this, her bitterness towards the Dalish is valid, cause I get that large families/ small close knit communities aren’t always great. The issue of abandonment is still there (but with headcanon it’s more like, “Why didn’t you come find me?”), but she knows what happens to Dalish clans and wouldn’t go out of her way to endanger them. My Lavellans leaves it be, and offers answers to any questions about magical troubles her clan faced.

They do confess this to Varric though. He was confused when overhearing others speak on it, especially when Merrill never mentioned anything like it.