i luv cullen and lore

[rederiswrites]

Music of Thedas

So one of my interests is European ‘early music’.  There’s a lot of truly wonderful pre-Classical and traditional acoustic music out there, and it’s this sort of stuff that I imagine when I think of music you might actually hear if you were traveling through Thedas.  This is the music I imagine playing in the village square at festival time, or twirling the dancers ‘round at the Winter Palace, or following Alistair as he strides to his throne.  This is the music I imagine pulsing around the winter fires of the Avvar or moving the women of Rivain through their daily work.  Vital, complex, acoustic, varied, and beautiful.

I’ve divided the selections up by country but it’s not driven by any deeper logic than my own feelings.  These songs speak to me of what we know of these countries; that’s all.  There’s a very wide variety here, so if the first isn’t your thing don’t let that deter you.  Listen to it a bit at a time, or just your favorite countries, whatever.

All of these and quite a few besides are compiled on this playlist, which is also good to write to because a lot are either instrumental or in languages most people don’t speak.

Keep reading

[ageofdragon]

Burials in Thedas

Dwarves

Deep Roads Dwarves believe deeply in The Stone, all come from her and return to her throughout their lives. They do this by entombing their dead within her, almost all Deep Roads are dwarves sealed in stone containers upon death to prevent the Darkspawn from defiling their corpses. However Dwarves cannot not truly return to The Stone unless the ritual words have been spoken over their corpse, as seen done by Hawke for a redeemed Legionnaire (Legacy DLC). The ritual words being: “Atrast tunsha. Totarnia amgetol tavash aeduc.” (so far untranslated).

Typically Noble dwarves and Paragons will be buried within detailed and intricate crypts and sarcophagi, while commoner dwarves are encased in piled stone plots. If stone cairns are unavailable for the burial, whatever the reason, they are buried beneath the solid ground. Meanwhile casteless and surface dwarves are considered unworthy of the Stone and are believed to roam the empty caverns of the Deep Roads as spirits and/or Rock Wraiths.

Dwarves also believe the quality of the Dwarf who returns to The Stone affects “her”. A Dwarf who was considered to be a disappointment or rebel and was sent to The Stone weakened “her”, while one of merit and possibly a Paragon strengthened “her”.

Legionnaires bury their own brethren within the Deep Roads, typically within large shared areas. The nature of their personal burials, mean the last of the Legionnaires do not receive a burial and are never returned to The Stone they had finally earned through their deaths; since no dwarves are left to bury the dead.

Elves

The Ancient Elves were said to be immortal and live forever, thus lacking burial rites. Instead Ancient Elves would become weary of life and lay down for their spirits to cross over into the Beyond. They would return centuries later to share the knowledge they had found.

During these long sleeps, know as Uthenera, servants would attend to the physical forms and preserve them for when they’d awaken. Oils would be rubbed into their skin to help them consume the knowledge they found and keep their bodies from decaying. Herbs were burnt in the chambers to strengthen their connections to the Fade during the sleep. While a potion of honey, herbs, and water would sustain them physically.

Many Elves who entered the last wave of Uthenera would never wake up, their physical forms forgotten and decayed away. Thus turning the sleeping chambers to burial grounds and abandoned tombs. 

After the fall of Arlathan and the elves gain of mortality, elves of the Dales were buried in burial sites with markers and stone tombs. Most of the these still standing landmarks house Great Warriors and Respected Elders.

Dalish now bury their dead within the ground and plant trees above them, poems and songs of mourning are sung as they are passed onto Falon’Din. However, Falon’Din is no longer physically around to guide the elves home, thus they lay their dead with an oaken staff (representing Falon’Din) to guide them along their path to the Afterlife. As well as a cedar branch (representing Dirthamen) to chase off Fear and Deceit, the crows who once served Dirthamen and are now without a master. It is believed that the trees planted above the Dalish’s dead is to represent that even with each death of their people, they live on and will never die out.

Meanwhile, City Elves follow the human rites of cremation, this is so they stand out less among humans and are more accepted into their society.

Humans (Andrastians)

The Chantry calls for cremation in all their funeral rites. As Andraste was burned and returned to the Maker, so shall her followers be. While Nobility and Royalty tend to have larger, grander pyres to send them off; Commoner pyres are often no more than a ring of stones and occur within the city limits, despite fire risks. While criminals are burned on mass pyres, all at once. The ashes of the dead are then cared for how the deceased’s loved ones see fit, they can be buried, spread, or kept as decided. The practice of cremation is believed to also ward off any attempts of demonic possession and/or use of blood magic.

Nevarra is the only Andrastian exception to this, as they practice Necromancy and build cities of the dead. This comes from the Nevarran belief that as a being dies and enters the Fade, they displace one of the Maker’s Children, a spirit. So in exchange for the person’s place among the Maker’s side, the spirit is allowed a mummified corpse and the experience of being in the World of the Living. Thus the Mortalitasi create the Cities of the Dead, entire catacombs of possessed corpses nurtured by them.

Due to the macabre nature and questionable practice of the Mortalitasi, as well as their active support for spirit possession, there is much fear and controversy in the Chantry about Nevarra’s practice.

Avvar

When it comes to non-Andrastian practices, Avvar are the ones most well known. The Avvar believe the afterlife to be guided by the sky, specifically the Lady of the Skies.

The Avvar believe that some of their dead are destined to be reborn anew and are favored by fate. These individuals are not known by memory, as the resurrected chosen are acknowledged to not remember their past lives; rather these individuals are said to be guided by past experiences, having the unconscious knowledge of what must be done. These beings are often encased whole in stone coffins.

Those not reborn join their loved ones in the Afterlife and simply live on in death together.

The Avvar’s actual burial rite is not so much of a burial. A procession is led for the deceased Avvar and their loved ones sing for them as they strip the deceased’s flesh from their bones and cut their bones into pieces, all before laying them out on a ritual slab. Then raptors (predator birds) feed upon their remains, the most common to appear being crows, and return them to the skies.

Qunari

The least is known about the Qunari death rites. The only information available is that when Qunari warriors die, it is their swords and not their bodies retrieved. The Weapon is the Qunari’s true soul, while their body is no more than a husk.

There is nothing regarding whether all Qunari (not just those of the Antaam) have a soul weapon and if they do not, what happens to non-combatant Qunari after they die.

Sources: The Stolen Throne, The Masked Empire, World of Thedas Vol. 1, Dragon AGE: Tabletop Set 1, Dragon AGE: Tabletop Set 2, Dragon Age 2 (Legacy DLC), Dragon Age Codex Entries (e.g. Uthenera, Falon’Din, etc.)

[ageofdragon]

Hi, I am trying to understand nobility and titles in different parts of Thedas and wondered if you had any insights. There is an article about Ferelden nobility on the wiki which says that it is a system based on freeholders (which I assume are something like medieval freemen. Master Dennet seems like an example) giving fealty to Banns and other nobles.... So does Orlais have a more rigid system of serfdom? What about the Free Marches? Ostwick has a teyrn. Do they follow a Ferelden system?

I’ll probably do a more in-depth post for this later, but I’ll answer what I can now.

First off, the Free Marches are a each their own city-states with their own governments. Ostwick has a teyrn, Starkhaven has a crown prince, and Kirkwall has a viscount; there is no overall ruler of the Free Marches.

Ferelden is a Monarchy with a Crowned King or Queen and they can name Teyrns. Teyrns are men and women who own arlings (Keeps and Fortresses) and have lesser Banns with freeholds sworn to them, basically your medieval lords. While Arls have Keeps and Fortresses, but no Banns sworn to them and they typically keep watch over a Teyrn’s arling. While Banns are the nobles who own freeholds, which are areas outside of arlings.

As for Orlais, most titles come from being related to the Noble family of Orlais’ Monarchy, but the lesser titles such as Duke, Marquis, and Comte all come from being landholders much like Ferelden’s system. I’ll need look more into this as the information on landholding Orlais is scattered, while the Monarchy driven titles are explained below.

Meanwhile, as I said the Free Marches are city-states, so there is no overall government or titles. Each city-state has it’s own form of government and royal family, making it a hard system to control when it comes to the Free Marches as a whole.

Wycome has a Duke

Tantervale a Lord Chancellor

Ansburg’s ruler is a Margrave

Starkhaven, as said, has a Prince

Ostwick rules with a Teyrn

Kirkwall is the most known and has a ruling Viscount, as well as shown to have titled Lords and Ladies based off their political sway and wealth.

The main titles for nobility in the Free Marches are Lord/Lady and the gender-neutral terms Serah (for someone of equal or lesser status) and Messere (for greater status than yourself or out of respect).

The only real nobility known in Antiva’s plutocracy is the Merchant Princes, who are not really Princes, but through their wealth rule Antiva and make the Queen or King of Antiva little more than a foreign relations dignitary and figurehead.

I currently don’t know much about Nevarra other than it was a Free Marcher state that became it’s own nation and is run as a Monarchy.

Hopefully this helps you a little and as I said, I’ll definitely try to go over this more in the future.

[rubecso]

Ferelden subculture headcanons

Doing my detailed Ferelden map got me to thinking about the subcultures of the different Ferelden regions. Here are some of the headcanons I came up with:

- Highever culture is what most foreigners would think of if they were asked to describe a Fereldan. They love their dogs, they speak plainly, they are devout Theirin loyalists and yet somehow paradoxically devoted to their independence. They have a decent relationship with Free Marchers, but harbour a distrust for the more extravagant nations. They have an old rivalry with Amaranthine, which can be variably friendly, bitter or downright violent depending on the individual.

- Amaranthine is quickly overtaking Denerim as the international trade hub of Ferelden. The wealthiest people in Amaranthine are more likely to be merchants than nobles. They have a reputation for being more interested in other nation’s cultures than their own. While that’s not always fair, they are the most cosmopolitan Fereldans and are more likely to be comfortable around foreign cultures. An exception to this rule is Orlesians, with whom they have a deeply ambivalent relationship.

- It’s a common joke that people from Denerim forget that the rest of Fereldan exists. It’s a paradoxical place, being both a destination for Andrastian pilgrims and a hotbed of crime. There’s a societal divide between people who live there year-round and people who come in for the Landsmeet and go back to the country afterwards. The latter are easily spotted by their difficulty navigating the higgledy-piggledy streets.

- Gwaren is somewhat disconnected from the rest of Fereldan. They use a lot of regional slang. If your family hasn’t been there for at least three generations, they’ll view you as an outsider. They have a sizeable but quiet population of people who follow pre-Andrastian folk religions (I am mostly stealing this from grandenchanterfiona, ‘cause I think it’s a cool idea). They are famous for their seafood, especially smoked fish. They have a tense relationship with the Dalish elves living in the Brecilian forest, but for the most part they stick to the coasts and leave the Dalish to the trees.

- South Reach folk, on the other hand, are more openly hostile towards elves, especially those living in the lands bordering the Brecilian forest. There are frequent disputes over farming and lumber rights, often breaking out into skirmishes. This becomes less pronounced as you go north-west towards the Drakon; in fact there’s a pretty sharp divide between the river regions and the forest ones, so much that they’ve often been ruled separately. However, the mistrust of elves is still present in the river villages; it’s just more likely to be directed at itinerant field-hands than at the Dalish.

- Stenhold folk have a bit of a siege mentality, as they border the Brecilian forest on one side and the Korcari Wilds. They have a mistrust of outsiders rivalled only by Gwaren folk. Their region doesn’t have a lot of arable land, so they rely on exports of pelts and lumber.

- Redcliffe folk are kind of the middle child of Ferelden. Their region is the most powerful of the arlings, but it’s not a teyrnir. People in the Western Hills, South Reach or the bannorn see them as uppity, while those in Highever or Denerim think they aren’t nearly as important as they think they are.  

- People from the Western Hills have a similar mentality to that of Stenhold, except with the Avvar instead of the Dalish. If forced to pick a side, most would grudgingly say they’d rather fight alongside the Avvar than the Chasind. There’s a friendly rivalry between the villages around Lake Luthias, who mostly get by on farming, and those towards the Frostbacks that are more based around mining.

- Edgehall Arling and the other regions between the Frostbacks and Lake Calenhad have the most Avvar influences on their cultures. As you get further into the mountains, the Avvar influences get more pronounced, in clothing, names and dialects, with some settlements like Tearkeld or Whitekeld being almost indistinguishable from Avvar strongholds. To lowlanders at least; the people who live there can tell the differences perfectly well, thank you.

Outside of Gwaren, this region houses the highest numbers of people with pre-Andrastian beliefs, and many more whose Andrastianism is tinged with folk beliefs or is highly heterodox (the cult at Haven was situated here).

Around the gates to Orzammar there’s (unsurprisingly) a lot more dwarven influences. The people of this region take great pride in their connection to Orzammar and consider it their duty to help newly-surfaced dwarfs acclimate. Although the less scrupulous among them have been known to sell them charms supposedly to keep them from falling into the sky.

- As you get closer to Jader, there’s a cultural and linguistic continuum between Ferelden and Orlais. People here will sometimes speak a dialect of Ciriane at home and the common tongue when around people from outside their communities. Naturally this means they are sometimes treated with suspicion from the more traditionally Fereldan types, especially in recent decades.

-The constantly shifting borders and loyalties in the Bannorn mean that, while the nobles hold some of the fiercest grudges in Ferelden (which is saying something), the peasants have a sense of solidarity. After all, when your village might end up in the territory of another Bann this time next year, it pays to be friendly towards your neighbours.

That said, Bannorn freeholders can be some of the most ferocious when it comes to land disputes. For this reason there are some regions that have made a tradition of avoiding bloodshed by solving these disputes using competitions, such as a footrace or a tug-of-war. There’s even one region where the challenge is to see who can knit the longest scarf in a set time.

Another side-effect of the Bannorn’s thorny politics is the importance placed on who can or can’t build fortifications with crenellations. A freeholder crenelating their holdings without the permission of the bann to whom they are pledged can be tantamount to declaring independence from that bann. As such the right to crenelate is held in high esteem by the people of the Bannorn.

[casijaz]

Human Thedosian Cuisine Part 1

Not all of Thedas’ nations are up here, as there’s either too little information on their culture or I haven’t decided on their system yet.

Ferelden Ferelden is a country focused on very practical ways of making and eating food. While some Western parts of the country are still conforming to Orlesian types of dining (mostly nobility), the rest eats similar to this.

Morning’s Meal: Sometimes also dubbed breakfast, as it used to signify the break of the fast during the night the Chantry used to enforce on citizens. This meal is usually taken between 5 and 10, depending on the time of year, and is always taken after sunrise. Most workers do not eat their morning’s meal before sunrise, only when their work limits their available meal times.

Main Meal: This is the main meal of the day, taken between noon and before sunset as it is easier to cook with natural light (so think 12 AM to 4/5 PM). Only the nobility and higher-ups in the Chantry can afford to eat this meal by candlelight, as wax is expensive, but even they opt for practicality, a Fereldan mindset.

Evening’s Meal: Usually this is a meal only taken by those who can afford it, because of the candlelight used and the cost of a third meal. It’s always taken after sunset, and consists of either left-overs from the main meal or a light, new meal. For some this meal substitutes the main meal as their day’s work has left no place for the main meal.

Pudding: Sweets or dessert eaten during Evening’s Meal or as a snack. They are eaten during the main meal “à la orlaise”, meaning all the food gets put out at once, so no courses, just all the food on one table. Sometimes special sweet things are taken after the main meal or evening meal to show off wealth, as sugary goods are quite expensive.

Little Things: Are just little things taken throughout the day, such as cookies, salted herrings or cheese. They are often accompanied by a variety of alcoholic beverages, and served in taverns.

Orlais Orlais is a country defined by riches and extravagance. Due to its influence in surrounding countries because of colonization and trade, this is one of the most known ways to dine. Orlesian peasants tend to eat like Fereldans, however, in vote of practicality.

Déjeuner/Break of Night: Same as Ferelden’s morning meal, taken after sunrise and sometimes even after noon by the nobility. For commoners it usually consists out of a small meal to start the day, but for the nobility it often involves lavish meals and inviting over guests, to chat with during breakfast.

Luncheon: Small meal taken solely by the nobility between noon and afternoon. It is small, but often still elaborate in presentation. For peasants this is usually the main meal of the day.

Dîner/Dinner: The evening meal, or main meal. Taken around 7/11 PM or even later, it is most fashionable to dine by candlelight, and dining can go on forever at dinner parties.

Dessert: The same principle pudding has in Ferelden, Orlais has. In fact, the creation of pudding in Ferelden was a product of the Orlesian occupation, during which it was still referred to as dessert.

Grignotine: Little snacks, either sweet or savoury, mostly eaten by the nobility. Commoners opt to eat their main meal throughout the day, by reheating or rehydrating only parts of their food.

Free Marches The Free Marches is influenced by Orlesian occupation, Fereldan migration, Tevinter, Dwarven and Antivan trade with a multitude of diasporas. Even though the Free Marches adapt systems of countries they’re affiliated/close to, there most peasants generally follow Ferelden custom, due to practicality and low cost. Usually the nobility eats Orlesian, yet some nobility do refer to their own customs. The Free Marches have been divided in different districts which generally adhere to the same customs regarding meal times.

Hasmal and surroundings: Takes its style of eating from Nevarra. If enforced, they refer to Orlesian ways of eating.

Tantervale: While Tantervale used to dine in Nevarran custom like Hasmal, due to Chantry enforcement their meals are similar to the ways people eat in Orlesian chantries. Breakfast at sunrise, small meal once in the day, large meal just after nightfall (cooking requires sunlight, dining uses candlelight).

Starkhaven: While the nobility dines in a weird mixture of Orlesian and Fereldan Coastlands style of dining (due to Orlesian occupation and the dual Alamarri nature of Starkhaven’s citizens) proximity to Tevinter leads Starkhaven citizens to take aspects of all three to their liking. Starkhaven is incredibly diverse in styles of meals. (More information on Starkhaven’s history will come soon enough)

Ansburg and surroundings: Antivan in custom, yet less elaborate.

Wycome and surroundings: Almost completely Antivan in custom.

Hercinia: Due to its population of raiders and traders Hercinia rivals Starkhaven’s multicultural environment and this shows in their style of eating. There are no set customs of dining and people do as they choose.

Markham: Somehow strangely Anders in style of dining. Is similar to Ostwick as well.

Ostwick and surroundings: Due to proximity like Kirkwall its cuisine is categorised by a hybrid of Fereldan and Orlesian cuisine. Due to the large Rivaini population it also contains elements from there, just used by nobility on occasions due to high spice prices.

Kirkwall and surroundings: Similar to Ostwick. Has a large Fereldan population due to the Fereldan Occupation and the Fifth Blight.

Nevarra Like the Free Marches Nevarra’s nobility is accustomed to Orlesian styles of dining. While this might be, Nevarra, south Tevinter and eastern Antiva share customs in ways of handling and preparing food. Official names for meals are in Orlesian however. Their food is also very much influenced by that of elves of the region.

Wajubbat Futur/Denuit: Taken at sunrise, this meal is similar to morning’s meal or break of night. It’s often a quick meal for higher classes, accompanied by lots of dairy. For the common folk meals are a lot larger, as this is the only meal they’ll get for a long period of time in between working. (The name itself is a bastardisation of break of night)

Ghada’/Luncheon: Taken at midday (1-3 PM), usually the largest meal of the day. It is often taken with the entire family and guests. As this is the most important meal, and in cases of visitors often elaborate, luncheon can sometimes go on until dinner (in which case the latter is scrapped).

Easha’/Dinner: Typically the lightest meal, taken after sundown. Workers tend to eat luncheon just before as work requires them not to take a lot of breaks.

Halwaa/Desserts: See Orlesian desserts. Nevarran desserts often contain nuts, honey as sweetener, and dairy.

Wajubat Khafifa/Grignotine: See Orlesian grignotine. Like any Nevarran food, most of the grignotine are based on foods around the area.

Tevinter (and territories/colonies) As Tevinter is incredibly culturally diverse three major regions can be distinguished when it comes to culture and cuisine. Minrathous style of dining is the standard, yet soporati and most laetans tend to dine according to their own customs.

Minrathous

Jentaculum: Similar to morning’s meal, taken around sunrise, preferably after (4-11 AM). Eaten either after a long party or as the first meal of the day, it consists of mostly left-overs from the Cena.

Prandium: A light meal eaten at mid-day (±1 PM).

Cena: Taken around 2-11 PM or later, a habit of the old Tevinter Emperium. The main meal is eaten throughout the day and in excess (becoming more elaborate with the amount of guests attending).

Dessert: Similar to Orlesian desserts.

Grignotine: Similar to Orlesian grignotine, usually taken with or after cena.

Neromenian: Similar to Nevarran customs, just with different terms (Most used dialect: Kahvaltı; Öğle Yemeği; Akşam Yemegi; Tatlı; Küçük Yemek).

Qarinus

Subah Ka Nashta: As Qarinus’ eating schedule is closely tied to religious beliefs of the area Qarinus citizens eat their first meal around sunrise, providing being outside any months requiring a different approach.

Dopahar Ka Bhojan: Similar to the main meals around Tevinter, this meal is taken afternoon/midday. It is usually the largest meal of the day, yet the altus class seems to take their largest meal more often at the end of the day.

Raat Ka Khaana: Usually a small meal may the one taking it afford it, it is taken during and after sunset. Oil lamps are less expensive than in the south, so even soporati can afford to dine by unnatural light.

Mithai: Sweets. Sometimes they accompany a meal, sometimes they don’t.

Antiva Antiva, due to its proximity to Tevinter tends to dine in similar custom around the bordering areas. Antiva, just like most parts is bilingual. The nobility tend to use Orlesian names for dining, while merchants use the King’s Tongue. Anyone else just uses Antivan.

North-East: Similar to Nevarran and Neromenian customs. Goes by Neromenian names.

West (and rest of Antiva)

Comida Matinal/Quickling: First meal of the day, usually a very quick and small meal just to start the day. Taken after sunrise (6-11 AM). For commoners, the meal tends to grow in size.

Pranzo/Luncheon: A hangover of the Exalted March, the Antivan nobility and rich merchants eat around midday (11 AM - 2 PM). Usually it consists out of leftovers from last night’s dinner or main meal.

Cena/Main Meal: Interlinked with Tevinter names, yet different in dining style. This is the largest meal taken anywhere from 2 to 10 PM. Often elaborate during parties.

Postre/Dolci/Dessert: Sweets, taken during or after the main meal.

Quickling: Small bits of food sold by street peddlers or taken at home during dinner times.

This is part of my Dragon Age meta series. Frankly I could care less about semantics so I’m calling it meta while I’ve made up most of the stuff. This stuff mostly draws from real life, but I’ve made alignments for them I guess. Don’t take these ideas and claim them as your own. If you want to use aspects, just ask me.

[lothlenan]

Another thing from the BSN! Special thanks to Caddius for previously having the dates listed, it made for easy reference.

I present: A visually constructed timeline of Bioware’s  Dragon Age universe! I put up a disclaimer right now that some stuff might be incorrect or missing, but I did the best I could. Not everything is noted, obviously, but a heck of a lot is. This information is current as of the release of DA: I and Jaws of Hakkon. You can find a full 2500x2000 pixel version here 

 All three calendars are present, so it should be easy to thumb through when you are trying to pinpoint dates! The coloured section is when ‘ages’ started to be recorded, and the huge section with the doodles within it is all that came before. Notice the Pre-Andrastian period, the Ancient Age, is pretty empty. It is also very…very…very long. So again:

Top is an entire timeline, giving a broad scope of it all

Bottom is a zoomed up view of the past 1000 years

Yellowish part is pre-Andrastian

Coloured part is post-Andrastian

Red signifies a Blight

[talktothemabari-deactivated2019]

Dragon Age Inquisitor + Companions Questions

Blackwall 1. Did they suspect his true identity at all? Were they taken by surprise when he revealed himself? 2. What did they choose to do with him and how did they feel about their choice? Were they guilty about leaving him in cell, if they choose to do so? 3. Did their treatment of Blackwall change after discovering who he was? If yes, how so? 4. How close was your inquisitor to Blackwall? What drew your Inquisitor to him or away from him? 5. Did they remain in contact with him after the events of Trespasser? Solas 1. Did your Inquisitor engage Solas academically with questions or were they uninterested in his experiences? 2. Did they agree with his opinions about spirits, that they were friends and trustworthy? If not, what did your inquisitor believe instead? 3. If your inquisitor was told they were “unlike others of their race” by Solas, how did they respond? Were they angry or grateful? 4. Did your Inquisitor think of Solas as Fen’harel or did they continue to think of him as their companion, a friend, if he was one to them, even after discovering who he was? 5. What did they choose, stop Solas or attempt to redeem him, and what motivated their choice? Fear? Love?

Sera 1. What did your Inquisitor think about the Red Jenny organization? Did they choose to be apart of it? 2. Did your Inquisitor see Sera as troublesome or simply fun-loving? Did they join in for her pranks? 3. How did your Inquisitor respond to the truth of Sera’s childhood (the cookie scene), if they received it? Did they empathize?  4.  Did the Inquisitor attempt to stick up for the little people, like Sera, or did they have other goals? If so, what were their other goals? 5. Did your Inquisitor respond well to Sera and seek her company or avoid her? Cole 1. Before Cole’s personal mission, how did your Inquisitor feel about him? Were they comfortable or uncomfortable around him? 2. What did your Inquisitor think of Cole’s ability to see into people’s thoughts?  3. Was Cole made more human or more spirit and why did your Inquisitor choose what they did? 4. Did your Inquisitor become friends with Cole? Did Cole leave the Inquisition at any point, due to conflict with your Inquisitor?  5. How would you describe your Inquisitor’s relationship with cole? Non-existent? Or a relationship like that of siblings? Iron Bull 1. Was your Inquisitor wary of Bull upon learning he was a spy? 2. How did your Inquisitor react to the Chargers? Did they utilize them as allies or leave them to Bull? 3. Did your Inquisitor prefer to talk things out instead of force? Did they clash with Bull in that way? 4. Did they choose the chargers or the Qunari alliance? If they condemned the Chargers to death, how did they feel? 5. Was Iron Bull a valuable member of the Inquisition to your Inquisitor? Did they speak to him often? Vivienne 1. Did your Inquisitor share Vivienne’s views on the circle of magi or disagree and why? 2. Did your inquisitor view The Game as worthwhile or did they detest court intrigue? How did that affect their relationship with Vivienne? 3. Did the feelings of your Inquisitor towards Vivienne change at all after completing her personal mission about Duke Bastian, if yes, in what way? 4. Was Vivienne ever considered a candidate for Divine by your Inquisitor? Why was, or why wasn’t, she made Divine by your Inquisitor? 5. How did your Inquisitor feel about Vivienne? Friends? Allies? Rivals? Varric 1. Was your Inquisitor’s relationship with Varric like that of Varric’s relationship with Hawke? Was it better? Worse? 2. How did your Inquisitor feel about Varric’s situation with Bianca? Who did they decide was right about what Bianca did? 3. Did your Inquisitor approve of Varric’s stories? Did they read any of his books? 4. Did your Inquisitor try to dissuade Varric from believing that they were the herald of Andraste or did they encourage it? 5. Did your Inquisitor leave Hawke in the fade or save Hawke? How did that affect their relationship with Varric? Dorian 1. How does your Inquisitor feel about Tevinter? Did Dorian change their feelings at all about the Imperium? 2. How did your Inquisitor feel about the Necromancy specialization? Were they intrigued? Disgusted? 3. Did your Inquisitor attempt to have Dorian speak to his father or not? Does your Inquisitor relate to Dorian in terms of struggles with family or sexuality? 4. Was Dorian a good companion for your Inquisitor? Was there any personality clash between them? 5. Did your Inquisitor agree with Dorian’s decision to return to Tevinter? How did they feel about his choice? Cassandra 1. Was your Inquisitor Andrastian? Did their religious beliefs affect their relationship with Cassandra? 2. What was Cassandra’s role in the Inquisition to your Inquisitor? Was she a crucial friend/ally or an unnecessary soldier?  3. Did your Inquisitor push Cassandra to rebuild or abandon the Seekers of Truth? Why? 4. Did your Inquisitor agree with Cassandra’s vision for the Chantry? Did they choose her as Divine? 5. Does your Inquisitor know all of her middle names?

Let me know if you need clarification on a question and feel free to reblog + ask!

[merak-zoran]

By fire-is-her-water and zorazen

A few months ago I was chatting with @fire-is-her-water and I said “you know what’s stupid is the days of the week in Thedas” and she proceeded to flip every single table in her house. 

So we made new ones. She did the Ferelden ones, which you can find at the link, and I wrote the Elven and Tevene ones. Bonus: I did not use Project Elven for this, so it’s all Bioware’s existing words. 

Find under the cut and at the link. Free to use, credit appreciated but not necessary:

Keep reading

[grogblogging]

Can you make a master post for all of your travel times posts?

coming right up!

travel times in thedas masterpost

there are quite a few, so i suggest crtl + f / cmd + f to search the page for your destination!

by game

originsawakeninginquisition

by character

duncan’s route to all the originshawke’s escape from lotheringdanarius’ route to kirkwall – includes two possible routeslavellan’s route to the conclave – includes three possible routesthe inquisition’s route to skyholdbanished wardens’ route to weisshaupt

by route

adamant fortress to weisshauptamaranthine to denerimamaranthine to the dragonbone wastesantiva city to denerimcumberland to vyrantiumdalish camp (origins) to ostagardalish camp (origins) to mont-de-glacedenerim to dalish camp (origins)denerim to havendenerim to lotheringdenerim to soldier’s peakgherlen’s pass to kinloch holdhaven to skyhold – after ‘in your heart shall burn’highever to denerim – includes three possible routeshighever to havenjader to havenkinloch hold to amaranthinekinloch hold to higheverkirkwall to amaranthinekirkwall to higheverkirkwall to jaderkirkwall to ostwick – includes two possible routeslavellan clan camp to haven – includes three possible routeslothering to dalish camp (origins)lothering to kinloch holdlothering to ostagarlothering to redcliffeminrathous to estwatch  – new!!minrathous to kirkwall – includes two possible routesminrathous to vyrantiumnordbotten to weisshauptredcliffe to gherlen’s passredcliffe to havenredcliffe to honnleathseheron city to qunandar (par vollen)skyhold to adamant fortressskyhold to crestwood villageskyhold to cumberlandskyhold to dalish camp (inquisition)skyhold to din’an hanin (emerald graves)skyhold to estwatch – includes two possible routes  – new!!skyhold to fort connor (hinterlands)skyhold to halamshiralskyhold to hargrave keep (fallow mire)skyhold to havenskyhold to jaderskyhold to minrathous – includes three possible routesskyhold to ostwickskyhold to redcliffe villageskyhold to rock top ridge (hissing wastes)skyhold to sahrnia (emprise du lion)skyhold to solasan (forbidden oasis)skyhold to south reachskyhold to suledin keep (emprise du lion)skyhold to the storm coastskyhold to therinfal redoubtskyhold to val royeuxskyhold to wycome  – new!!vigil’s keep to amaranthinevigil’s keep to the black marshvigil’s keep to the knotwood hillsvigil’s keep to the wending woodweisshaupt to val royeauxwycome to denerimwycome to estwatch – new!!wycome to haven – includes three possible routeswycome to jaderwycome to kirkwall

DIY

transport speeds – includes dragons & ravensscale map of thedas – includes my reasoning & maths

route not here?

latest version of this post – most up-to-date, check here for more routes!da travel tag – all routes & da travel discussionsrequest a route – i’m literally always up to do map shenanigans =]

UPDATED 28.5.16

[therutherfordwife]

Bless this post

[livinginthedas]

 Dragon Age Calendar Spreadsheet

Hello everyone! So yesterday I went on a bender and made a Dragon Age Calendar to help me plan out the dates on my fanfiction and I figured I would share!

About the month names: I only used the low names for each month, as the high names are really only used by scholars or courts. I also put the english month names in there for reference, but you can totally change it or get rid of it if you want to!

Also; Each month has the canon 30 days, as well as it’s own spreadsheet (you can see them at the tabs on the bottom). I also wrote in the holidays. I chose 9:40 dragon just cause and started the year on a Sunday because that was easiest (We really have no idea what day of the week any year was started on, honestly. If we do I am completely ignorant to it and someone should tell me)

Other than that, everything is blank and ready for whatever you want to use it for!

SO How do you go about obtaining this for yourself? It’s easy! Just follow these steps:

-Click this link! 

-Once it opens, hit file at the top. You’ll see that you can do three things:

Download it in the format of your choice. 

Print it

Or, you can make a copy, which is only available if you are signed in to your google account. Basically what this does is make a copy of the calendar in your drive. This copy is now yours to do as you please– edit it to your hearts content!

Make sure to take note of the tabs at the bottom! Each month has it’s own spreadsheet for you to write things on!

I hope this helps! Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any questions. If there is enough demand I might try to make the next year’s map as well, so let me know if you’d be interested okay? Cool bean

(also I’m tagging @dawriting not just so they’ll see it but also so ya’ll can go take a look at this awesome blog if you want more references and things like this. Very handy if you are a dragon age fic author!)

[perplexingly]

There’s always space for yet another armor tutorial, right? (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Note that the armor I drew would be worn around 15th century, the more into the future the less and less components knight’s armor had (i. e. in early 14th century instead of greaves a knight would wear long boots only; in 12th century knights didn’t wear plate breastplates and instead a chain mail only). Also the design of armor pattern changed by year and was different in every country (i.e. in eastern Europe armors, while still looking European, were heavily influenced by Turkey). so just make sure you always do research whenever drawing an armor. And one more thing to keep in mind is that armors were expensive, knights wearing a full plate armor weren’t an often sight.

Some links that may be useful:

Armour Archive (I strongly suggest to browse its forum, there is no country or period of which armor wouldn’t be discussed)

Therion Arms (armorer’s page; each accessory is photographed in big resolution and several time so it’s a nice page to use as reference for drawing)

Revival Clothing (another store, but both with medieval clothing and armors; I suggest to read the articles, they’re often supported with pictures)

Basic Armouring:A Practical Introduction to Armour Making (pdf)

Educational Charts (pdf, shows how armors and weapons changed over the years)

Medieval & Renaissance Material Culture (actual medieval resources, mostly paintings. And my favourite subpage - women in armor)

Dressing in Steel (youtube; a demonstration how to dress in armor)

How shall a man be armed? (youtube; another demonstration but with 4 different knights from different periods)

[rederiswrites]

DA writing resources blog

So a while back I posted a list of links to Dragon Age-specific writing references, which was mostly just thrown together from things on my blog, and it was astonishingly popular and clearly there was a thirst for that sort of thing.  I thought I’d try something a little different, then, and put together a blog dedicated to writing resources, specifically things helpful to people writing DA fanfic.

In addition to transferring over all the resources I have so far, I’ll track the tag #DAwritingref and reblog relevant things from that tag, with an attempt to tag consistently so that people can find things reasonably efficiently. If you create or see something that you think is appropriate, I’d love it if you’d use the tag or drop me a note.

Appropriate materials include (but, I’m sure, are not limited to):

dialogue and scene transcripts

quest notes

maps and physical data about Thedas

worldbuilding lore and speculation

language information and speculation

naming resources

historical information

information from supplemental resources such as WoT and WoT2, the novels and comics, etc.

I’m not really thinking of posting much meta theory, though I’m willing to consider character meta, especially anything that would specifically help people write a character better.

I have this niggling conviction that this is somehow presumptuous of me and I have no idea what I’m doing, but here it is anyway, and if you have any suggestions then by all means drop me a note!

[rederiswrites]

There’s already a bunch of good stuff posted, for those who would like to look through and see what they might expect.

And again, the tag is #DAwritingref if you post something you think would make a good addition.

[actual-mandible-garrus-labeouf]

HERE IS HOW OLD EVERYONE IS IN DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION

Source is World of Thedas unless given otherwise. Note that Inquisition takes place in 9:41 Dragon.

Cassandra: 37 (twelve years old in 9:16, born 9:04)

Cullen: 29 (had been a templar for one year when the fifth blight started in 9:30, became a templar at age 18)

Josephine: No clear info in World of Thedas; writer says around 27-29 https://twitter.com/Sylvf1/status/511550966357712897

Solas: No clear info in World of Thedas; writer says early-to-mid forties https://twitter.com/PatrickWeekes/status/484744534903906304

Dorian: 30 (born in 9:11)

Blackwall: No clear info in World of Thedas other than that records say he was recruited to the wardens in 9:17, putting him probably around 40 minimum, though this information is questionable.

Vivienne: At least 44, not much older (transferred to Montsimmard Circle at age 19, was at Monsimmard Circle in 9:16 and described as “young”)

Iron Bull: Military history: “early work in Par Vollen”, “eight years in Seheron” (at which point his service totalled “more than a decade”), “with the Fisher’s Bleeders mercenary company for several years”, and then at least several months with the Chargers. Since as a Qunari he probably started military service relatively young, and his service seems to add up to ~15 years, I’ll put him as mid-thirties.

Cole: No clear info in World of Thedas, though it does mention that he was arrested in conjunction with the deaths of his family, meaning the original Cole died at age 12-13. Evangeline estimates his age as 20 in her codex entry written in 9:40, making him 21 at the time of Inquisition.

Sera: No clear info in World of Thedas, other than that Lady Emmald died “well before the Blight” and before “exposure to the Friends”, and that Sera holds seniority among the Jennies, “earned at a very young age”. Not clear what counts as very young in this context though. The wiki suggests that as a child, she played with an item acquired by the Jennies during Dragon Age: Origins, so… 20 or younger? http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Sera

Varric: His family was exiled “as the Blessed Age drew to a close” and he was born after that, and he published his first serial in 9:18, making him probably mid-forties.

Leliana: The wiki says she was less than four at the end of the Ferelden Rebellion in 9:2, putting her between 40 and 42. http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Leliana

[villainfetish]

If you do some math on the Blackwall-Cole banters (count a flower every year; know the tourney sands one was at 18), he clocks in at ~43.

[thegreyestwarden]

TMM - Political Map of Ferelden Reference by Abadir

I came across this when looking for something else, and I’m very excited about it. if there’s already a tumblr post for it by Mr. Lombardi, I’m happy to take this down and reblog the original; I just haven’t been able to find trace of that, and think this would come wonderfully in handy to my followers. 

[dalishious]

Is there a comprehensive list somewhere of all the types of spirits in the fade?

There is a spirit for any “single facet of human experience” (from this codex entry) you can think of, but here are (I think?) all of the ones specifically mentioned at some point:

Valour

Faith

Justice

Compassion

Wisdom

Purpose

Command

Knowledge

Love

Hope

Pride

Desire

Sloth

Despair

Hunger

Rage

Fear

Envy

There are also demons like Audacity (Merrill’s demon) that seem to be a particular/unique variation of a Pride demon. Same for Allure being Desire, and Torpor being Sloth. But they’re categorized by those generic 8 demon types.

[rederiswrites]

What the companions call each other in conversation:

Mostly the companions call each other by name, but for writing purposes and also because of the insight into their relationships, it’s worth noting what else they call each other, so here’s what I found going through the dialogues.  

Vivienne calls:

Solas– ‘Solas’ or ‘apostate’

Varric– Varric

Sera– Sera, ‘dear’, ‘little Sera’

Blackwall– ‘Blackwall’, even after the reveal, but hardly ever addresses him by name

Cassandra– Cassandra

Cole– ‘demon’, hardly ever speaks to him directly at first, later obliquely, ‘my dear’ and ‘darling’ as others

Dorian– Dorian

Iron Bull– Iron Bull, ‘Bull’

The Inquisitor– ‘My dear Inquisitor’

Solas calls:

Vivienne– ‘Enchanter’

Blackwall– Blackwall, including post-reveal

Cassandra– ‘Seeker’ most often, Cassandra otherwise

Cole– Cole

Dorian– Dorian

Iron Bull– Iron Bull

Sera– Sera

Varric– Varric

Keep reading

[violetsaregrey-deactivated20200]

Do you have any tips for writing Cullen?

Let me first start out by saying that he comes easiest to me because we’re very similar people. That doesn’t help anybody, so I hope I’ve articulated some tips that work well. This is purely how I view the character, so all opinions and observations are my own. If they help veer you into the right direction, bully. If not, then just ignore.

He’s a busy guy.First, I recommend listening to his banter. It’s established in Inquisition that he is married to his job, hyper-focusing for hours or even days without rest. He’s curt with his page and peppers his lines with sighs of indignation and annoyance. He isn’t someone who likes to or even can drop what he’s doing to concentrate on something else at will. His dialogue varies depending on how “in the zone” he is.He uses contractions sparingly.He tends to veer toward a more formal manner of speech, though not nearly as much as Solas. The best way I can think to word it is try to find a more polite way of saying something. (”D’you wanna… vs. “Perhaps you would like to…)

“With what? They have only words at their disposal.”

“At first they merely humored me, but I must have shown promise.”

“I was not sorry to leave at the time. I did not expect to return. Now – between the Divine’s murder and the Breach – I’ve arrived to find nothing but chaos.”

“Few who survived the Blight have fond memories of that time. I would prefer not to speak of it.”

“Is it? I hope they’re right about you. We’ve lost a lot of people getting you here.”

-I’ve noticed he tends to use more contractions when under pressure or stress. This fits very well into his busy-body persona. Reading his notes on the War Table is a good reference, as well.

He’s nostalgic.His dialogue is rife with fond memories of happier times. Heck, he even has a side quest named that. When he’s reminiscing, he’s more open to expression and laughter.

(Laughs.) “I wanted to be. I wasn’t always successful. Watching a candle burn down while reciting the Chant of Transfigurations wasn’t the most exciting task. I admit, my mind sometimes wandered.”

(Smiling.) “The poor recruit ran into the dining hall in nothing but his knickers!”

-Get more liquor in him and his guard goes way down. Keep in mind that he still maintains his same speech pattern when inebriated. Look at the difference between him at the start of the Wicked Grace scene toward the end:

“You seem to have enough people. I have a thousand things to do.”

(When the Inquisitor asks for another round of drinks.) (Smiling.) “I’ll get them! Don’t start without me!”

He’s prone to a black and white manner of thinking.I can go on about my ASD headcanon, but putting that aside, he’s a character who sees himself and the world around him as polar opposites, and this tendency feeds into his need to be perfect (ie defeat Corypheus by raising a massively successful army, free from lyrium). This comes out during his Perseverance quest. What’s his response to suffering withdrawal and trying to put in a resignation? Anger. A meltdown. Punching a wall. He likes to feel in control, and loses his temper when he feels caged.

He panics when people go “off script.”Seriously, when was a time Cullen succeeded with language? He’s purely a man of action, and seems to keep himself centered on a particular subject. (Should you choose his first flirt option and ask to hear his lecture you’ll see it right away.) When people veer from it, he becomes flustered. I’m afraid I only have romance dialogue examples of this.

Cullen: Inquisitor! We were…Leliana: Eagerly awaiting your presence…some more than others.Cullen: I wasn’t…I mean, I was…we have work to do.

Inquisitor: “A life of service and sacrifice. Are templars also expected to give up… physical temptations?”Cullen: “Physical? Why…” (Clears throat.) “Why would you… That’s not expected. Templars can marry – although there are rules about it, and the Order must grant permission… Some may choose to give up more to prove their devotion, but it’s, um, not required.”Inquisitor: “Have you?”Cullen: “Me? I… um… no. I’ve taken no such vows. Maker’s breath – can we speak of something else?”He has a dry, exhausted wit.He actually tries jokes. They are just subtle and sarcastic. I find his sense of humor similar to Blackwall’s, though the latter is more warm and welcoming.

“While I was there, Qunari occupied and then attacked the city, the viscount’s murder caused political unrest, relations between mages and templars fell apart, an apostate blew up the Chantry, and the Knight-Commander went mad. Other than that, it was fine.”

“At this point, the headache I’m developing is preferable to the company.”

He’s not going to say sorry…until he does.This is specifically pertaining to his romance arc, but if you choose to write it it’s good to note that while he remains unapologetic in his worldviews, when it comes to consent and his partner’s comfort? It’s a different picture. 

(After kissing Inquisitor.) “I’m sorry.”

”Does it bother you?”

”I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Stims, glorious stims.Make use of his stance: arms crossed, guarded, clutching his sword. The way he flexes his neck or rubs at the base of his skull. The shifting of his feet. Pinching the bridge of his nose. There are characters like Cassandra or Solas who stand perfectly still in conversation, arms crossed behind their back in scenes. Cullen’s body language is far more expressive, and indicative of his level of comfort (or discomfort).