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

[prisoner_24601]

Right. I'm not saying it's a cake walk (although really, I do maintain that the origin could have made this much more clear. The way it plays really doesn't do the idea justice). What I am saying is that if you're an orphan in the slums or a kid starving out on a farm somewhere, you might decide that it's worth being an outcast and feared and possibly killed, for the chance to get three square meals a day, a roof over your head, an education and the chance to learn how to set your enemies on fire.

Some people are going to chafe under the restrictions and hate them. Some might think it's worth the tradeoff for what they gain. It's really going to depend on the person's personality, background, etc... how they feel about that, I think.

[darkrose]

you might decide that it's worth being an outcast and feared and possibly killed, for the chance to get three square meals a day, a roof over your head, an education and the chance to learn how to set your enemies on fire.

It's rather moot, because you're not given that choice. If you're a mage, you go to the Tower, or you're hunted as an apostate--unless you get killed by the magic-hating villagers.

[prisoner_24601]

Yeah there isn't the choice really about whether or not you go for most people - but there is a choice about whether or not you accept it, like it, think it's not that bad or worth the tradeoff in the long run or can't stand it. People are different and will have a spectrum of different reactions from "Okay I was taken to the tower but it's totally better than where I was" to "omg this totally blows."

People are individuals and will react as such. Some might accept or even welcome going there. Some might really hate and resent it. That's all I'm saying.

[niniane]

And we do see evidence of this in the game. Obviously Anders wants nothing more than to *not* be stuck in the tower, while Wynne seems to think that she's supposed to be there. (And Keili is just sort of crazy.)