Elven questions, and a theory

[darkrose]

I got my new laptop! It's amazing--I can play DA in the way it was meant to be played, with decent graphics and without long pauses between keyboard entry and action.

I'm trying to finish my third Mira playthrough, and it's raised some questions about the elven history and lore as presented in the game.

Questions first:

1. How many towns in Ferelden have alienages? Canonically, Denerim and Highever are mentioned, but Amaranthine City doesn't seem like it's big enough to support an alienage, and we certainly don't see one in Awakening.

2. The thing about elves not being allowed to carry weapons--is this something Howe put in place, or is it actual law? Does it only apply to the alienage itself? It comes up in fic a lot, but no one apparently blinks when Mira and Zevran are running around town conspicuously armed and armored. (And yeah, hardly anyone recognizes you as a Grey Warden either, but I'd like to at least pretend like there's some consistency here.

3. Does the Chantry actually, you know, DO anything in terms of social issues? I guess they take in orphans, but based on the City Elf origin, they only show up in the alienage if you pay them to officiate a wedding; certainly the sister at your wedding is pretty ineffectual when Vaughan kidnaps half the wedding party.

4. Why, exactly, did some of the elves choose to move to the human cities and live as third-class citizens after the destruction of the Dales? I could understand if they were already there, but it seems odd that at least half of them would follow their oppressors rather than the rest of their people.

I do have a theory on this, based on something Lenaya says. If you talk to her, she mentions that there was resistance to her training as Zathrian's First because she wasn't born Dalish. She explains that the Dalish elves are descended from the nobility of the Dales.

To me, this suggests that the split between Dalish and city elves is class-based, and that while the nobility swore never to bow to defeat, the commoners either couldn't or wouldn't go with them if it meant wandering homeless forever. I can easily see Joe or Jane Ordinary Elf saying, "Look, I'm not a very good hunter, and I've got two small children--I'm supposed to become a permanent refugee just for the sake of pride? Fuck that shit." I think it gives an interesting twist to the Dalish contempt for "flat-ears"; there's some guilt underlying that attitude.


ETA: mousestalker answered question 4 here. Thank you!

Comments

[darkrose]

Although as a city elf, they do seem to care, even do the wedding ceremonies for you.

Sure, because your father pays for it. And the sister does make a token protest when Vaughan shows up--but other than that, she doesn't even intervene to the degree that Duncan does--which is minimal.

[niniane]

She may not have a choice. I may be forgetting, but isn't the sister also taken prisoner with the female elves and ends up dying? (That was my memory, anyway.) She may be an abnormality, but she seemed like a fairly nice woman...

[prisoner_24601]

No, I don't think she does. Regardless though, I'm not sure what one lone priestess would realistically be able to do when confronted by a bunch of armed men.

[niniane]

It's been a while since I played that origin. ;)

But, yeah, I'd imagine that one priestess probably sensibly went "screw this" and got out if she had much of an option.

[darkrose]

I can think of a couple of things off the top of my head, but the impression I got was that it was supposed to be an indicator of the way the Chantry talks the talk until they're blue in the face, but when it comes to "We are all the work of our Maker's hands; any who harms the least of his children will be accursed"...they frequently don't walk the walk. Especially when it comes to those of the Maker's children who don't happen to be human.

[ashstoner_021]

Nah, I think that was 'random elf bridesmaid #3' or something. I think she had a name, but I forget what it was. I know Valendrian asks you about her when you return, and the other bridesmaid who wasn't Shianni says her name and that 'they killed her'.

[scarylady]

God, the GC would have gone ballistic. Even Vaughan isn't daft enough to take a sister and rape her.

[ashstoner_021]

Agreed, and I was even thinking that as I typed up the comment, but I was far too lazy/tired to figure out what I wanted to say then. You covered it quite nicely though ^^

I've had a rough day, my brain dun think good right now. XD