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

[jannifer]

Exactly...I'm glad you took my point. I think the Chantry was actually deftly handled as it could easily have been a vehicle for political comment, which is not at all what one wants to see in a game one plays for fun.

[darkrose]

Oh, I don't know. I think the devs' opinion on organized religion comes through loud and clear.

[sakuratea]

I think that the majority of issues in the game are pretty open to debate. I like that, it makes it easier to build a world where I can do what I want with my characters.

[jannifer]

Yes, I believe this is so. David Gaider has specifically said that the Chantry is not modeled on any specific historical institution, but that of course it's possible to see a resemblance to any particular organization simply due to the way large institutions tend to work, whether they be multinational cooperations, governments, or religions. By taking a neutral stance to the Chantry in writing the story, it allows the player to read into it many different interpretations.

Yes, the Grand Cleric has a voice in the Landsmeet, but it's only one voice. It isn't as if, say, the Revered Mothers of larger Chantries (Denerim, Highever, Amaranthine) are also represented.