darkrose (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
darkrose) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
peopleofthedas2010-12-09 07:28 pm
darkrose) wrote in peopleofthedas2010-12-09 07:28 pm
Entry tags:
Elven questions, and a theory
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!
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!
no subject
This doesn't strike me as all that odd in a quasi medieval society. I mean, they don't really have the sort of separation of church and state that a lot of modern societies do. And really, the Grand Cleric is only one vote, right? That's actually a lot less political power than you'd think for an organization that large in a society of that type.
The GC has a say in the passing of laws (in the Landsmeet) but her own (drug-controlled) enforcers are not answerable to it? I think that's huge.
This is very interesting. I can see how all sorts of cool ideas can spawn from that. But again, this is a person who is just one vote out of many. If say, half of the people voting at the Landsmeet were Chantry officials, or if that vote counted as like ten of the Bann's votes or something, I could see this really being a bigger issue.
the Chantry completely controls the lyrium trade.
Yeah, that would definitely give them the wealth they needed to get powerful. I'm not sure I see much evidence in the game though that they're abusing that power yet.
I actually think the Chantry, overall, wield more political power than anyone else, and are just bloody good at keeping it quiet.
You know, it's possible. I mean, they are more unified in a way than the nobility are because of their belief system, and just that alone is going to make them powerful. And they probably are quite wealthy from the lyrium trade. I guess I just don't see much evidence of the abuse of this power - especially in comparison to the nobility, who are abusing their powers all over the place in blatant ways that impact people very directly.
no subject