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Post by πΎππππππππ on Jun 22, 2020 19:36:36 GMT -5
β« β« THE PEOPLE OF THEDAS β« β«
Elves "A humanoid race, elves are typically shorter than humans and have a slender, lithe build, larger eyes, and pointed ears. Long ago, the elves were the dominant race on Thedas, and their advanced civilization was based on nature, the Fade and magic. After the fall of their great city of Arlathan and the empire of Elvhenan, plunder by the Tevinter Imperium and the subsequent generations of slavery, the elves lost most of their cultural heritage and identity. They attempted to rebuild their society in the Dales, but after three centuries the Dales fell to one of the Chantry's Exalted Marches.
Since then, the elves have separated into two distinct groups: the Dalish, who choose to lead nomadic lives and strive to keep elven culture alive rather than submit, and the city elves, who live alongside humans, usually as impoverished outcasts, and have adopted many human customs. Many elves are still held as slaves within Tevinter, and many others have joined the Qunari in hopes for better lives. Overall, the elves are now a people associated with poverty, crime and barbarism, and are often used as scapegoats for humanity's difficulties. In Ancient Tevinter elves were called "rattus". Modern humans use the racial slurs "knife ears," "slant-eared" or, less cruelly, "rabbit." Though most of the elven language has been lost, they once referred to themselves as "elvhen," which means "the People".
The elves of Thedas live no longer than humans, but elven legends state that this was not always the case. Once they were an immortal race and "magic came as easily to them as breathing" with some of their spells taking years to cast and echoing for decades in an unending symphony. They lived in harmony with the natural world and worshipped a pantheon of their own gods. Their magic was able to accomplish seemingly impossible feats, such as the creation of the unique, Fade-like world of the "Crossroads" and the maintenance of the magical repository of Vir Dirthara.
Elven lore holds that the first shemlen (a term meaning "quick children" that was used by the ancient elves to describe the humans and denote their shorter lives) they encountered were tribal people who came south from Par Vollen. The ancient elves grew friendly with humans, but soon discovered that breeding with humans produced only human babies, while exposure to the "quick children" caused the elves to quicken themselves. For the first time, elves began to age and die.
Alienages are closed communities of elves living in human cities, often walled off and found in the poorest, more crime-ridden parts of the city, while elves in villages lacking alienages make their home in barns or sheds. Their inhabitants are typically impoverished and survive by taking menial and unrewarding tasks or even begging. In the most desperate cases, they might leave the alienage and enter a life of crime, or sell themselves into slavery to support their families. They can join the Chantry, such as becoming a Templar, but this is rare and racial biases usually preclude it.
Though overall treatment varies kingdom to kingdom, city elves are universally second-class citizens. Elves are, by law or prejudice, unable to join most organizations or hold decent jobs, and the law often turns a blind eye to their abuses. Slavery is still legal in the Tevinter Imperium and there's a lucrative demand for elven slaves along with servants for nobles. They are often seen as beautiful by humans despite their low status. In Ferelden, for example, the social position of elves as "Low Freemen" is comparable to that of prostitutes and criminals, though they may make a living as they can.
Having been heavily discriminated by humans for so long, most city elves try to hold onto their remaining heritage. Artifacts from Arlathan like the vhenadahl (literally, "The Tree of the People") and an abiding deep pride in their close-knit communities bolster city elves trying to make ends meet in an otherwise hostile world. As such, elves that leave the alienage and try to enter human society are heavily looked down upon as "flat ears". Families that do try to leave alienages and live among humans will most likely be forced to return because of violence against them.
Marriage is highly important for city elves; it is the rite of adulthood in elven communities and will often be prearranged in order for new blood to join an otherwise concentrated gene pool. The absolute worst thing an elf could do is marry or breed outside their race since only humans are born between elven and human unions; which is adverse for such limited communities that depends on each other and tradition for day-to-day survival.
Furthermore, their closer relationship can sometimes result in what are known as Elf-blooded children, of both human and elven parentage, though these children appear (and technically are) completely human.
Most city elves have adopted the faith of Andraste and the Maker, while some still pray to the Elven gods in secret due to the prohibition of the elven pantheon in Andrastian society.
Dalish elves seek to recover, inherit and preserve the knowledge and sacred treasures of the two fallen kingdoms. They lead nomadic lives as a means of survival, wandering throughout Thedas. Due to the numerous threats they face from Andrastian humans, the Dalish are known to be wary and apprehensive of outsiders. Their clans date back to the ruling clans of the Dales and the Dalish themselves are their descendants.
The Dalish elves and city elves in particular have a strange and bitter relationship, dating from the splitting of the People after the fall of the Dales. Some Dalish view their city brethren suspiciously and with pity as "flat-ears," culturally human elves who are no different "than their shemlen masters." To some, they are seen as having given up on and forgotten their culture, and the hope is to teach these elves their past when a new homeland is founded. Not all Dalish share this view of the city elves, however. Some Dalish also hope that the two can learn from one another once they gain an autonomous homeland.
The elven language, or Elvish, was largely lost when Elvhenan fell to civil war and its people eventually defeated and enslaved. When the elves settled their second homeland, the Dales, they aimed to restore their lost language and lore, but the Dales fell to an Exalted March. The Elvish of the Dragon Age is thus a fragmented remnant, a few words that are thrown into conversation rather than a working language used to conduct everyday life. The Dalish Elves, self-appointed custodians of the elven language and lore, use more Elvish than their City Elf brethren. Living among humans, the City Elves now retain only a few old Elvish words whose origin is almost forgotten, such as shem β derived from shemlen, the old Elvish term for humans meaning "quickling" or "quick children," β and hahren β the leader of an Alienage, meaning "elder" in Elvish.
The Dalish have more of the language. They are more capable of forming whole phrases and sentences, but the language is still fragmented and largely incomplete despite their efforts. Da'len, which means "little child" and is typically used to address elves younger than oneself. Andaran atish'an, a phrase used for greeting to friends and fellow Dalish. Serannas is βthanksβ, while ma serannas is "my thanks" or "many thanks". Aneth ara is an informal greeting often used among friends. Dareth shiral is a way of saying good-bye." -The Dragon Age Wiki
For more information, please visit the wiki page on elves, here
Humans
"Humans are the most numerous, yet also the most contentious of all the races of Thedas. Only four times have they ever united beneath a single banner, the last being centuries ago. The monotheistic faith of the Chant of Light plays a major role in human society. The majority of humanity in Thedas descended from numerous human tribes.
Both the elves and the dwarves claim that there was once a time when humans did not walk the land. There is no mention of a time when the Veil didn't exist in human history. The Chantry teaches that the Maker created the Veil before He created men.
Some scholars believe that the first humans in Thedas came from the rainforests of Par Vollen many thousands of years ago, migrating south from the archipelago. The pyramids they built still stand to this day and are regarded by travelers to the region as true wonders. Elven lore also states that humans first arrived in Thedas around -3100 Ancient from Par Vollen to the north.
The first human tribe, the Neromenians, divided into various tribes to become the progenitors of many nations in Thedas. This tribe settled the entire coast along the Nocen Sea and subdivided into separate kingdoms: Qarinus, Tevinter, Neromenian, and Barindur, which ultimately united to form the Tevinter Imperium.
Humans in the lands of Tevinter used to worship a draconic pantheon of Old Gods, which are now said to slumber beneath the earth. The magister rulers of the ancient Tevinter Imperium who regularly talked to the Old Gods, engaged in a series of invasions in which they defeated the elven kingdom of Elvhenan and enslaved the race. Boosted by the sheer number of slaves, the Imperium conquered almost the entirety of Thedas in the next few centuries.
Eventually, the Imperium was challenged from the south by a barbarian uprising, the armies led by Maferath and his wife, the prophet Andraste.
Andraste brought the teachings of a new god, the Maker, and her word spread quickly. The oppressed masses of the Imperium rose up in rebellion to support the invading barbarians and eventually most of the south fell to their might. Andraste was not stopped in her Exalted March until she was betrayed by her husband: jealous of her power, Maferath turned Andraste over to the Tevinter archon and she was burned at the stake. The Chant of Light would say that the Maker turned his back on humanity when she died. He would only return and make the world into a paradise when the Chant of Light was sung from all corners of the world, and so the Chantry began to spread. The clerics of the Chantry were oppressed until the legendary emperor Drakon of Orlais converted and took up their cause, spreading the Chantry throughout all the lands that he conquered in its name. In modern times, the Chantry has spread throughout the known world, its power unquestioned even as it begins to give way to internal strife.
Despite internal strife, humans remain dominant across Thedas, with the exception of the underground kingdom of the dwarves and the Qunari islands to the north.
Humans are probably the most culturally diverse race in Thedas as they have half a dozen nations of their own, each with different customs and traditions.
The education provided to those of the Chantry appears on par with that of nobles. Templar recruits are literate and are taught history. The Chantry also produces a great deal of scholarship and research, the most notable scholar being Brother Ferdinand Genitivi.
Currently, the majority of humans in Thedas are Andrastians, though there are also significant minorities following other religions. For example, many humans in Rivain willingly converted to the Qun, and certain tribes of humans, such as the Avvar, still follow their own pantheon of gods.
Andrastians are also divided among themselves: while the nations of southern Thedas follow the Chantry led by the Divine, who is always female, in Val Royeaux, Tevinter has its own Imperial Chantry led by the Imperial Divine, who is always male, in Minrathous. The two churches are mainly separated by their views on magic and the roles of each gender: the Imperial Chantry is much more tolerant of magic (the Imperial Divine is actually a mage) and allows male priests to serve." -The Dragon Age Wiki
For more information, please visit the page on humans on the wiki, here
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Post by πΎππππππππ on Jun 22, 2020 19:52:20 GMT -5
β« β« THE PEOPLE OF THEDAS β« β«
Dwarves "The dwarves, or dwarva, as the dwarves refer to themselves[1], are one of the major humanoid races of the Dragon Age setting. Strong, stocky, and shorter than any other humanoid race, the dwarves are skilled builders and boast a long tradition of courage and martial skill that has served them well in their millennia-long battle against the darkspawn.
They once developed a huge, great empire which spread across vast underground networks of twelve great thaigs that spanned the breadth of Thedas with its population outnumbering both the humans and the elves. However their world was all but destroyed during the First Blight, and they are now a race in decline.
The single-mindedness of the dwarves is credited for the race's survival. Their ability to dedicate their efforts to a cause helped them survive in conditions that no other race would have long been able to and gave rise to a level of technology that far surpasses anything else in Thedas.
Dwarves are known to be increasingly infertile due to their proximity to the darkspawn taint[5], a situation which has given rise to anxiety for the future of the race, as well as the invention of noble hunters to bolster the children born to noble houses.
Dwarves are responsible for introducing the common tongue, currency, trade and entertainment to humanity. They have mastered clockwork, mechanical weaponry, and limited steam power. Dwarven clockwork, while uncommon, is notable, as time-telling in Thedas is inexact.
Unlike the other races, dwarves do not naturally enter the Fade as they do not dream and lack magical ability. In fact there is no recorded exception to their inability to learn spellcasting however they are not completely barred and may enter the Fade in exceptional circumstances. This is reflected in their resistance to magic, and accounts for their high tolerance to lyrium exposure.
Due to their underground life, dwarves have developed superior vision in the dark. This ability is also shared by the elves. Furthermore, because of their hardy constitution, sickness is thought to be rare among the dwarven folk. But due to constant warfare, proximity to the darkspawn, and low fertility rates the numbers of underground dwarves decrease steadily (except during the Blights) for nearly a thousand years.
Records of early dwarven history in Orzammar's Memories go back tens of millennia. However, there are large lacunae in the records of the earliest years due to records being lost or erased. As such, the origins of the dwarves are not clear. The Primeval Thaig discovered during the Dragon Age is also of unknown chronology. The Titans and the dwarves lived together during this time but their exact relationship remains unknown. In -4600 Ancient, the elves first made contact with the dwarves and eventually the elves made war upon the titans and dwarves, killing many of the former and driving the latter underground. Between -1195 and -975 Ancient, the dwarves fought a war against an attacking force of Scaled Ones which ended with the retreat of the latter and has not been seen since. A few centuries before the First Blight in -385 Ancient, Paragon Fairel established the first surface thaig.
After humans arrived in Thedas in -3100 Ancient, the Dwarven empire expanded and worked with both men and elves. They formed an alliance with Tevinter in -1200 Ancient that still holds two millennia later. In -1170 Ancient, the capital was moved from Kal-Sharok to Orzammar and the period following this was marked by a great flourishing of art, commerce and engineering. In -975 Ancient, elves fleeing the destruction of Arlathan found temporary shelter in Cadash Thaig. This resulted in the thaig being destroyed by the dwarves of Kal-Sharok to prevent risking the alliance with Tevinter.
In -395 Ancient, the first darkspawn appeared underground, foreshadowing the First Blight. During this time, the thaigs became disconnected from each other as the Deep Roads became unsafe and occupied by the darkspawn. Paragon Aeducan rallied the dwarves out of their internal feuding and achieved the first victories, saving Orzammar. Paragon Caridin invented the golems in -255 Ancient and continued to make them until his King, Valtor, abused the process to remove political enemies. Without more golems, the dwarves could not defeat the darkspawn. Eventually Dumat was defeated with dwarven assistance in the Battle of the Silent Plains in -203 Ancient.
The dwarven social hierarchy is ruled by complex, interrelated, and rigid castes. The casteless, commonly known as "dusters" after their ghetto of Dust Town, are the lowest rung of dwarven society; outcasts in their own city, unable to take up work among the higher castes, nor to defend their honor in the Provings or fight the darkspawn to protect the city, dwarves rejected by the Stone itself. Dwarves who are exiled or born on the surface are also officially casteless - but with an increase in the number of higher-caste dwarves choosing to live on the surface, it is becoming difficult for some surface dwarves to be considered permanent exiles. The average dwarf will never see the surface, and often will have superstitious beliefs concerning surface-life (such as falling into the sky, or the sun falling to the ground).
Above the casteless are servants, artisans, miners, smiths, merchants, warriors and nobles. Among the nobles, the deshyrs are a group of dwarves who participate in the Assembly on behalf of their house. While it is possible for some dwarves to better their family's station by performing great deeds and/or siring children with higher-caste dwarves, these remain rare and difficult circumstances. Lower-caste dwarves who rise in caste are generally considered "upjumped" by the highest castes. In dwarven society, children inherit the caste of their same-sex parent; should a son be born, he would inherit his father's caste, or his father's lack of caste, should that be the case.
It is also known that slavery existed in the times of the ancient dwarven empire.
Monarchy is the dwarven standard of government, but heredity tends to be a weak factor in determining who sits on the throne when the time comes for a new ruler. While a king may propose his heir to the throne, the next ruler is ultimately determined in the Assembly by a vote of the deshyrs.
Unlike many other cultures in Thedas, dwarves do not worship anthropomorphic gods. Instead, their philosophy promotes personal excellence and an almost intimate tie to the Stone that houses them. Referring reverentially to "the Stone", the dwarves speak of it as being alive. They are the Stone's children; they respect her, they fear her, they cherish her, and they give thanks to her for protecting them and providing them with her bounty. This religion has been practiced for two thousand years by the dwarves.
Their other cultural beliefs are more akin to ancestor worship. Dwarves who lead a strong and noble life are said to strengthen the Stone when they die, becoming one of the Ancestors. Those who are ignoble or disgraced would weaken the Stone and are therefore rejected by it for all eternity. Surface dwarves and casteless are believed to be rejected by the Stone.
Every once in a while, a dwarf is declared by the Assembly to be particularly noble. If the required motion is passed in the Assembly, these dwarves become Paragons and are revered during their lives as living Ancestors. When a dwarf achieves Paragon status, a noble house bearing their name is established. The deeds of a Paragon are carefully recorded in the Memories, records of lineage and deeds that help determine what caste a dwarf is born into. The word of a Paragon is held in such esteem that you can surpass even the king's word. Furthermore, a dwarf can be declared as a Paragon even posthumously." -The Dragon Age Wiki
For more information, please visit the page on dwarves on the wiki, here
Qunari "The Qunari (literally, "People of the Qun") is the umbrella term most commonly used to describe the white-haired metallic-skinned race of large humanoids and their society that governs the islands of Par Vollen and Seheron, as well as the settlement of Kont-aar in northern Rivain, and Qundalon in the Anderfels.
Members of any race who adhere to the teachings of the Qun can become "Qunari", but those other than the original giant race, that is humans, elves, and dwarves, are called Viddathari within the Qun. Humans of Rivain and elven slaves of Tevinter are especially susceptible to conversion, although it is not unknown for members of other groups to embrace the Qun.
Qunari are generally taller and more physically robust than humans. They usually have skin of varying metallic colors (such as gold, bronze, and silver), white hair, pointed ears, and vivid eyes with colors like violet, red, silver, or yellow.
Most Qunari have horns. The horn itself has no nerve endings and can be removed; however, they can still become irritated, thus the Qunari have developed balm. Hornlessness is a rare genetic variation in Qunari, akin to red hair in humans. Those born without horns are considered special and are often given prestigious roles in Qunari society such as a Ben-Hassrath or an envoy to the other races. Culturally, Qunari associate not having horns with being imposing or scary, and because of this Tal-Vashoth often decide to remove their own horns. Likewise, Saarebas, the Qunari mages, have their horns removed to warn of their danger.
Before their arrival in Thedas, the aforementioned race were once a part of the kossith that predated the Qun. The earliest known kossith contact with Thedas was when a colony of them had settled in the southern Korcari Wilds in -410 Ancient. It was overrun by darkspawn during the First Blight, and it is presumably this colony which led to the darkspawn developing ogres. There were no other recorded sightings of the horned race for another 1000 years.
They returned as the Qunari, and arrived in Thedas en masse on warships, called dreadnoughts, in 6:30 Steel, from an unknown eastern land across the Northern Ocean. They once threatened to conquer all of the known world, but after several Exalted Marches during the Qunari Wars they have lost much of the conquered land. Since then, peace has been made since with every nation except the Tevinter Imperium; with whom they are still involved in a prolonged war for dominance of the north.
The Qun is the religion of the Qunari founded under the Ashkaari Koslun, though it is closer to a philosophy than a full-fledged religion. It governs every part of Qunari life, and even the governance structure is dictated by its ethics. It gives every Qunari individual a defined and fixed place in their society, either as a soldier (part of the body), a craftsman (part of the mind) or a priest (part of the soul).
The "body" is represented by the Arishok and the military, the "mind" by the Arigena and the craftsmen, and the "soul" by the Ariqun and the priests. The Arishok is always male and leads the armies, the Arigena is always female and leads the craftsmen, whilst the Ariqun, whose gender varies, leads the priesthood. All three are the head of their respective "paths" and work in unison to complete the whole of Qunari society.
Duty is paramount in Qunari culture, and their society is seen as a living entity, whose well-being is the responsibility of all. Each person is like a drop of blood in the veins of the being, and they must not do what is best for them, but what is best for all.
The Qunari do not have a concept of personal identity. While they possess names, they do not use them, primarily using titles rather than names to identify and present themselves. The names are in fact simply strings of genealogical information used only by the Tamassrans for record-keeping. Some of the name-titles include Sten, Arishok, and Tallis. However, they do make frequent use of nicknames.
Qunari have no "family units": they do not marry, choose partners, or even know to whom they are related. A father's role ends at conception, a mother's ends at birth. A Qunari's "family" consists of his or her peers.
Qunari usually do not associate mating with love. They do have the capacity to love, even having friends and forming emotional bonds with one another; however, they simply do not have sexual intercourse with each other to express it. If they do, then they are sent to be re-educated by the Ben-Hassrath. If a child is produced, the same thing happens as with all other Qunari children: it is sent to be raised by the Tamassrans, evaluated, and assigned a job. Qunari do not waste resources unnecessarily, people included." -The Dragon Age Wiki
For more information, please visit the page on the Qunari on the wiki, here
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Post by πΎππππππππ on Jun 22, 2020 20:06:00 GMT -5
β« β« MAGIC IN THEDAS β« β«
Magic "In Thedas, magic is a natural physical phenomenon such as gravity or magnetism. Some people are born with the ability to interact with, control, and shape it. The Tevinter Imperium even had mage genealogies of all families that would produce children with magical talent. Eventually, several social classes of mages were established in Tevinter, from the "Altus" (magisters), mages who had a long lineage of magic in their bloodlines, to the "Laetan" - mages with no family history of magic use.
Conventional magic originates from the Fade, the realm where spirits dwell and where humans, qunari, and elves visit when they dream. For non-mages, entering the Fade while dreaming is a fleeting experience; but for mages, they are fully conscious during the entire incident. Mana is a measurement of one's ability to channel energy from the Fade, and this energy is expended in the practice of magic. Just as the Fade can be reshaped by those who have grasped its nature, so can the world of Thedas be manipulated by magic via willing things into being. The ability of a living being to expend mana is what defines a mage.
The act of drawing power from the Fade can draw the attention of the spiritual beings on the other side of the Veil, leading to an increased risk of demonic possession if the mages are not vigilant enough. A possessed mage becomes a distortion of his or her former self, a twisted monster known as an abomination that has enough power to wipe entire villages off the map. It is for this reason that a mage must have enough willpower to master their magic so they can resist demons while they are "awake" in the Fade.
With the proper training, mages are capable of manipulating the basic elements, such as conjuring gouts of flame and small, localized ice and electrical storms. There are also spells that allow for the temporary reanimation of corpses and the draining of an opponent's life-force. More altruistic mages can use their powers to help and heal, or summon benevolent spirits in times of need. Though they are often ostracized to the point of persecution, mages are key for everyday life in Thedas. They serve as its healers, scholars, scientists, and weapons of war.
Spirit mediums are called the mages who possess the rare talent of detecting and communicating with demons and spirits. Rhys is known to be a spirit medium.
There are limitations to the application of magic, however. Teleportation, resurrection (under normal circumstances) and physically entering the Fade (in the absence of a great deal of lyrium and potentially the aid of blood magic) are not possible. Magic also cannot prevent a potentially fatal incident such as falling from a building. Furthermore, the powers of a mage require a direct line of sight to a target, and have a limited range.
There are two schools of magic that bear no connection to the Fade: blood magic, which draws power directly from blood, and blight magic, which is driven by the taint.
A mage uses magic by tapping into the power of the Fade to essentially question reality, rendering it mutable and able to be reshaped. To this end, templars are the ideal foils for mages, having been trained specifically to counter and "deny" magic. This is done by a unique method of reinforcing the reality and immutability of the world. Like a door being slammed in the mage's face, magical effects dissipate and the mage is unable to reshape a suddenly stubborn world. From a mage's perspective it appears to be less spell interruption and more a templar reinforcing a reality in which that spell cannot be cast in the first place. for that "other thing" and magic has no room to come in.
No one knows who first discovered magic, but it has been a part of the world of Thedas for as long as people can remember. From the elves of Arlathan to the mages of Tevinter, both humans and elves have been known to wield magic." - The Dragon Age Wiki
For more information about magic, please visit the wiki, here
The Fade
"The Fade, known by the Dalish--and some humans--as the Beyond, is a metaphysical realm that is tied to Thedas and separated by the Veil.
According to the Chantry, the Fade is a realm of primeval matter from which the Maker formed the physical world and all living beings. It is sometimes compared to a well of souls, with lyrium being its "emerald waters." It was the first realm created by the Maker, populated with spirits, the first of the Maker's "children." Growing unsatisfied with them (as what they created was "fleeting, ever-changing"), he then created Thedas, separated from the Fade by the Veil and populated by mortal creatures. Many spirits grew jealous of these new children, and became what mortals call demons, craving and/or emulating their basest desires and sins.
The Chant of Light states that the Black City was originally the Golden City, seat of the Maker. An attempt by Tevinter magisters to physically enter the city blackened it with their prideful ambition, and their punishment was to be cast down as the first of the darkspawn, commencing the First Blight. When the Chant of Light spreads to all corners of the world, the Maker will forgive mankind and return, restoring the Golden City.
The substance of the Fade is sometimes referred to as the "ether".
In its raw form, the Fade is a twisted, frightening world of dark rock and raw lyrium veins where it is always night and gravity affects nothing equally. Gaps between dreams are such void places.
An island with the Black City, a shadowy metropolis with twisted spires seems to be the only constant feature of the Fade, always on the horizon. No one has managed to reach it since over-ambitious mages physically invaded the Fade in -395 Ancient. Even the most powerful demons keep their distance.
The Fade may appear as something else entirely when shaped by dreams. Much of the Fade is split up into fiefs or demesnes belonging to the spirits or demons that live there, and they change the landscape of the Fade to emulate what they see in the minds of mortal dreamers. They copy locations, objects, people and concepts of the real world, often in a cruel or confusing way. These copies are nowhere near consistent, and fluctuate according to the movement of the dreamers. Spirits whose realms are flocked with visitors rise to rule great portions of the Fade, while memories and concepts forgotten in the real world slowly drift away back into the ether, the spirits who ruled them losing all potency.
According to Solas, spirits and demons are more alike than most people realize. They are, in fact, often the mirror image of the same being, with spirits unwillingly brought across the Veil by mages having their purposes perverted and becoming demons. The Fade, known by the Dalish--and some humans--as the Beyond, is a metaphysical realm that is tied to Thedas and separated by the Veil.
According to the Chantry, the Fade is a realm of primeval matter from which the Maker formed the physical world and all living beings. It is sometimes compared to a well of souls, with lyrium being its "emerald waters." It was the first realm created by the Maker, populated with spirits, the first of the Maker's "children." Growing unsatisfied with them (as what they created was "fleeting, ever-changing"), he then created Thedas, separated from the Fade by the Veil and populated by mortal creatures. Many spirits grew jealous of these new children, and became what mortals call demons, craving and/or emulating their basest desires and sins.
The Chant of Light states that the Black City was originally the Golden City, seat of the Maker. An attempt by Tevinter magisters to physically enter the city blackened it with their prideful ambition, and their punishment was to be cast down as the first of the darkspawn, commencing the First Blight. When the Chant of Light spreads to all corners of the world, the Maker will forgive mankind and return, restoring the Golden City.
The Dalish refer to the Fade as the Beyond and believe that it is a holy place that was once the home of the gods. They also tell that following Fen'Harel's deception before the fall of Arlathan, the gods now lie imprisoned in the Eternal City at the heart of the Fade while the Dread Wolf roams, gleefully feasting on the souls of the dead. Ancient elves also called the act of creating the Veil "holding back the sky". Thus they called the Fade "the sky".
Ancient Tevinters believed that the Fade was the realm of their Old Gods, and the Golden City was the center of the deities' power.
The substance of the Fade is sometimes referred to as the "ether".
In its raw form, the Fade is a twisted, frightening world of dark rock and raw lyrium veins where it is always night and gravity affects nothing equally. Gaps between dreams are such void places.
An island with the Black City, a shadowy metropolis with twisted spires seems to be the only constant feature of the Fade, always on the horizon. No one has managed to reach it since over-ambitious mages physically invaded the Fade in -395 Ancient. Even the most powerful demons keep their distance.
The Fade may appear as something else entirely when shaped by dreams. Much of the Fade is split up into fiefs or demesnes belonging to the spirits or demons that live there, and they change the landscape of the Fade to emulate what they see in the minds of mortal dreamers. They copy locations, objects, people and concepts of the real world, often in a cruel or confusing way. These copies are nowhere near consistent, and fluctuate according to the movement of the dreamers. Spirits whose realms are flocked with visitors rise to rule great portions of the Fade, while memories and concepts forgotten in the real world slowly drift away back into the ether, the spirits who ruled them losing all potency.
According to Solas, spirits and demons are more alike than most people realize. They are, in fact, often the mirror image of the same being, with spirits unwillingly brought across the Veil by mages having their purposes perverted and becoming demons.
Mages in the Fade can find and communicate with other visitors.
People of Thedas visit the Fade mentally when they dream, even though they do not remember the time spent there. The notable exception are the dwarves, who do not dream. The Qunari also claim that they do not dream as humans and elves do. Entering the Fade is forbidden according to the Qun, and the Qunari are rarely encountered there[6], but evidence suggests that at least some of them do dream.
Mages tap into the Fade when they cast spells and are able to remain conscious while traveling there. Members of the Circle frequently visit the Fade with the aid of lyrium - in particular during the rite of Harrowing, in which an apprentice is pitted against a demon and ultimately either put to death as an abomination or promoted to full mage status. Dreamers are capable of entering the Fade at will. Mages are also able to bring other individuals into the Fade, including dwarves and golems.
Belief and willpower are paramount in the Fade. Everything that exists there exists by expression of thought and reflects expectations of the dreamer. People dream of their loved ones in the Fade because the spirits there recognize the bond between souls, and that bond has power in dreams. An individual expecting to see a demon rather than a spirit will see one if they allow preconceptions to cloud their view of the dream world. A doorway in the Fade is simply a transition - it could be used to reach almost anywhere one desired.
Magic use is possible in the Fade, though spells work unpredictably there as magic does not follow natural rules. Even though a mage cannot change every aspect of the Fade (Dreamer mages have greater capabilities in this respect), they can draw unprecedented power from it while sleeping. Similarly, even non-mages may instinctively shape the Fade in small ways: armoring and arming themselves with weapons able to cut even in dreams.
Fade visitors often speak of its shifting "paths" that can not be charted or secured but can be traversed with a guide, be it a wisp, spirits, a ghost, two legendary ravens called Fear and Deceit or even the "master-scryer" Falon'Din of the Elven pantheon. Familiarity with shape allows the Forbidden Ones to travel paths unaided.
Every living being in Thedas enters the Fade when their spirit leaves their body after death. Fade spirits such as Justice claim that the souls of the dead pass to the Fade, but are uncertain of their subsequent fate.
The Dalish elves believe that in the time of Arlathan their ancestors did not die, but rather entered a dream-like stated called uthenera, in which their souls wandered the Fade, accompanied by Falon'Din and Dirthamen. They would learn the secrets of dreams, and some would return to the People with newfound knowledge.
The Chantry holds that when a person dies, their soul passes through the Fade to the afterlife and the Maker's side. Those who have turned away from the Maker enter the Fade and are lost, returning to the ether from which they were formed ("to the Void"). They are stuck in the Fade and doomed to wander endlessly. Some verses of the Chant of Light hint at reincarnation β or even of life after death, as the Cult of Spirits suggests." - The Dragon Age Wiki
For more information, please visit the page on the Fade on the wiki, here
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Post by πΎππππππππ on Jun 22, 2020 21:55:08 GMT -5
If anyone has questions feel free to PM me
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ββΠΎΟ
Ι΄α΄ α΄α΄
α΄Ιͺα΄α΄α΄Ι΄α΄α΄ α΄xα΄α΄α΄α΄ α΄Ι΄ α΄α΄Κα΄Κ Κα΄sΙͺΙ΄α΄ss
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Post by ββΠΎΟ on Jun 22, 2020 23:52:12 GMT -5
Glow's Character WIP:
The Triplets
- Sammer (m, age 25, heterosexual): human, tall as are all of his siblings, shoulder-length black hair, amber eyes, helmet of dyed red horse hair, slim but muscular, broad shouldered, fuller lips than Kenzin, aquiline nose, wields a shield and a spear. Bit full of himself, confident, flirtatious, reckless, sensitive, very loyal. Chaotic neutral.
- Kenzin (m, age 25, bisexual): human, looks a lot like his brother except for some differences--finer features, green eyes, straighter brows, hair is shaved on the sides/back leaving a dark ponytail/bun, wields a crossbow, his armor has lion heads on the shoulder caps. More reserved than his brother but still rather full of himself, astute, sarcastic, clever. Lawful neutral.
- Audra (f, age 25, homosexual): human, tall but not as tall as her brothers (about 5'9), paler skin, long red hair, full lips like Sammer, slim nose, fierce amber eyes, slim but very strong, some freckles, wears a headband with a fire emblem, silver armor, wields a broadsword. Strong willed, chip on her shoulder, loyal, intrepid, stubborn as a bull, eternal optimist. Neutral good.
Gemma
- Chaotic bad (f, age 23, heterosexual)
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