Can anyone explain me what the ever-loving fuck is going on with the Qunari in Veilguard?
When I learned about Treviso occupation, I thought that was the result of Qunari officially being on the warpath. The Trespasser made it clear that the Qunari have been planning their invasion for quite a while - but chose to act covertly at first. Which makes perfect sense for Qunari, this is what they do. That would have also added some delicious moments for Taash and the Vashoth!Rook.
However, in the game we have not Qunari, but the Antaam (military). Which sounds stupid. The "it's not the nation, its it's soldiers doing it" excuse already sounds stupid if you ask me, but in the context of the Qunari lore it sounds even more stupid.
They don’t want to offend anyone. Taash gives conflicting information as well. “The Qun is not a prison. You can leave.” Which was followed by a story about her mother having to sneak her out.
But, that’s also not how Qunari civilization works. Parents don’t raise their kids.
Tamassrans raise children. So… is Taash not hers? That doesn’t make sense either and mom referred to herself as a “scholar”.
Most of this game is just playing through a fanfic.
Idk why you’re even given an option to push Taash to the Qun, because she is already Tal Vashoth. To further this, Taash makes no sense as a character.
aqun-athlok. Your role is all that matters, gender is meaningless. So I find it extremely ridiculous that they would have a hard time coming to terms with their gender and this has devalued them as a character greatly, especially because “mom” seems to be a big believer of the Qun one would think this would have been taught.
There was a great dialogue about how gender is a social construct, instead they decided a character needed to come out as non-binary at the expense of an entire cultures belief system in a way that isn’t even remotely “tasteful” or “respectful”.
"The Qun is not a prison. You can leave" - what???
Qunari who have abandoned the Qun are called Tal-Vashoth and live away from the Qunari homelands if they can escape. Tal-Vashoth often work as mercenaries, while those who are born outside the Qun are called Vashoth. Although Vashoth are not technically rebels against the Qun, Qunari still considers them Tal-Vashoth. The difference between the two is that Vashoth are considered "redeemable," while Tal-Vashoth are not.
Tal-Vashoth are hunted down by the Qunari. The Qunari either seek to capture the Tal-Vashoth for indoctrination, lobotomy, or to assassinate them. Thus, the Tal-Vashoth must leave their homes, for they have no place among the Qunari. Sadly, many turn against the society that cast them out.
Yeah, the Qun is not a prison, but if you try to leave, you get killed, lobotomized, or mentally tortured and humiliated until you break and beg for forgiveness. Fucking hell.
I'm yet to recruit Taash, but I already got the information that Taash has a mom (okay, checks out) who still practices Qun: and that's where I short-circuited. How can Taash's mom still follow the Qun and call herself a parent? These two things are mutually exclusive, there are no parents under the Qun!
I'd understand if she escaped and willingly labeled herself as Tal-Vashoth because she found herself unable to part with her kid - and her desire to be there for her child was stronger than doctrines. Or maybe if she was a recently converted Vashoth who realized she doesn't want that life for herself and her child. But to leave Qun to have a kid and still follow it? That makes no sense because the only reason she has a child of her own was because she went against the doctrines of Qun.
In general, I already have a lot of problems with Taash and the way writers see Tal-Vashoth and the Qun since Vows and Vengeance.
As you correctly noted, to Qunari, Taash isn't an outsider. Taash is a Tal-Vashoth. So, when she gets caught and delivered to Par Vollen for judgement, execution is a logical outcome - not just for encroaching on the Qunari territory, but for being an offence to the Qun.
However, Nadia manages to negotiate with the Qunari and convince them not to execute Taash because...they're good at killing dragons? And Qunari listen to her because...she saved one of their children during a dragon attack?
If it was the Qun we know, there would have been nothing Nadia could say that would have made the Qunari to let Taash go. Nadia is an outsider, a basalit-an, and doesn't know the way of Qun. Also, her saving a child would have probably showed her as redeemable - i.e. eligible for conversion, not as someone to let go with a pat on the head.
But not only Taash isn't killed on sight or dunked face first into the qamek, Taash is entrusted with the gaatlok. Yes, the very gaatlok the Qunari have always been very privy about and the secret of which they will never share because its the key to their powerful warfare. Qunari would have died rather than let some Tal-Vashoth use it.
No, Taash being good at killing dragons doesn't suffice - dragons play an important role in Qunari culture, and killing them is part of what Qunari do, so there is no way there have been no warriors trained specifically for killing dragons. They bring nothing unique to the table.
I don't understand why the writers are so damn afraid of making the Qunari look bad. I think, that any philosophy/religion that requires to mutilate certain group of people and encourages forcefully taking children away from their loving families looks bad already.
Seriously, nobody had issues with bashing Tevinter, Andrastianism, dwarven caste system and Qun shouldn't treated differently. Pointing out the flaws and showing the consequences of ignoring these flaws is good writing.
