Races

[The Maker]

Kossith
Taller and physically more robust than humans, the Kossith race is distinguished by their strength, their gray hued skin and their horns (even some are born without). They have white hair, slightly pointed ears, and vivid eyes with colors like violent, red, or yellow. They primarily inhabit the island nations of Par Vollen, Seheron in northern Thedas, as well as the settlement of Kont-Aar in northern Rivain. The Kossith are divided between the two factions known as the Qunari and the Tal-Vashoth, by those who follow the Qun and by those who do not.

Qunari

The primary symbol used to represent the Qunari as a people is a triangle, which symbolizes the Qunari triumvirate of body, mind, and soul. The "body" is represented by the Arishok (the military), the "mind" by the Arigena (the craftsmen), and the "soul" by the Ariqun (the priests). It is this triumvirate which governs all of Qunari society by acting as the three pillars or their three primary leaders in all matters—the Arishok (always male) who leads the armies, the Arigena (always female) who leads the craftsmen, and the Ariqun (either male or female) who 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 wellbeing is the responsibility of all. Each person is like a drop of blood in the veins of the being, and they must do not what is best for them, but what is best for the creature.

The Qunari army is the eyes, ears, legs, arms, and hands of the creature, everything that one needs to interact with the world, and so most Qunari encountered by Theodesians belong to the military. One cannot understand somebody by simply studying their hand or foot, and so to truly comprehend Qunari society, one must visit their cities where the heart and soul dwell.

Qunari society is based upon learning as well as military might. Few speak the common tongue that is used among Theodesians, and even fewer speak it well. For this reason, Qunari often keep quiet among foreigners, out of shame—in a culture that strives for perfection and mastery, to possess only a passable degree of skill is humiliating, indeed.

A Qunari's personal name is not what we think of as a name. It is more like a social security number, information which the Tamassrans use to keep track of breeding, and is thus not something a Qunari uses to refer to one another. What a Qunari instead thinks of as their name is, in fact, their job title, which is differentiated by rank and task.

Qunari have no "family units": they do not marry, choose partners, or even know to whom they are related. A Qunari's "family" consists of his or her coworkers.

Qunari generally do not associate mating with love. They feel love. They have friends. They form emotional bonds with one another. However, they simply do not sleep with each other to express it. If they do, then they are sent to be reeducated 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 Tamassrans wield a great deal of influence in Qunari society. As it is primarily a female gender role (as all administrative tasks are), this might lead an outsider to believe that their society is female-dominated. Qunari do not, however, look upon government in quite the same way. The brain could be said to rule the body, but so too does the heart, the lungs, the stomach. All are part of the greater whole.

The Tamassrans raise all the children, give them their general education, and evaluate them. Qunari are officially assigned their roles at twelve years of age. The Tamassrans do conduct some tests, however nothing requiring a pencil. They also have something of a head start on the process, as they are the ones who control the Qunari selective breeding program.

Roles among the Qunari

Qunari believe that the genders are inherently better at certain tasks. No matter how much aptitude a male shows for management, he will never be quite as good at it as a female, therefore it would be considered inefficient to place him in a role where a woman might serve better. Instead, the Tamassrans find another role that he shows aptitude for and place him there instead.

Qunari have been bred for specific roles for a very long time. Parentage is no longer the issue, more like pedigree. However, breeding does not determine a Qunari's assigned task. If a Qunari was bred to be a soldier but turns out to be more intellectual, the Tamassrans may move him into the priesthood, researching weapons technology, or the Ben-Hassrath, policing the populace, depending on what roles need to be filled by someone with their specific traits.

All Qunari are given a tool which signifies their role in Qunari society; for soldiers, this tool is always a weapon on some kind. In the case of soldiers, at least, to lose this weapon brands the owner as soulless and one who is to be be executed on sight by the Antaam. These items are held in high regard, and upon the owner's death the Qunari may take the item to honor the fallen individual. A corpse is considered an insignificant husk that is no longer the individual that it once was and thus is afforded no special treatment, rather disposed of whatever manner is most practical.

Qunari have their own mages. These saarebas (literally "dangerous thing", from the root word bas, thing/object) are considered defective tools, but the Qunari do not waste those, either. These Qunari mages are kept literally on leashes, held by an arvaarad ("one who holds back evil", i.e. their "handler"). Should they ever be seen performing forbidden magic, the mage's tongue is immediately cut out in order to prevent them from communicating and possibly corrupting someone else.

Economy

Qunari do not have currency. "Merchants" in Qunari cities have the job of making sure that goods are distributed appropriately. Qunari do not buy and sell things amongst one another.

Technology

The Qunari have developed certain technologies absent in Thedas, such as "gaatlok" (gunpowder) and cannons, the secrets of which they continue to carefully guard. With these technologies the Qunari were able to sweep across much of Thedas, including parts of the Tevinter Imperium. It wasn't until Thedosian nations began using magi against them in large numbers that the Qunari were pushed back, magical attacks proving to be a counter for their cannons.

Tal-Vashoth
The Tal-Vashoth are former Qunari who have rejected what the Qun, the Qunari way of life, teaches and move to fight agaisnt it. Just as Qunari denotes those that follow the Qun, elves and humans included, Vashoth denotes those who no longer wish to adhere to its rules; it is not specific to race. Literally, Vashoth means "Grey" and Tal-Vashoth means "True Grey". Often times they will become mercenaries in other lands. It is not uncommon for a Tal-Vashoth to remove their horns as a form of protest agaisnt the Qun (as in the case of Armaas, and perhaps most mercenaries).
It is not entirely clear what motivates Qunari to reject the Qun, but one of the most likely reasons is the assignment of a very low and unpleasant place in Qunari society. Qunari who have ambition above their station, such as Armaas, or those bound by the Qun, come to resent their place in society, and thus the Qun. Others, such as Maraas, seem to simply tire of a life driven by duty and purpose. By leaving the Qun, people are named Vashoth by other Qunari. Those who come to hate their old society so much that they relish the outcast role the Qunari place upon them, sawing off their horns and terrorizing the Qunari countryside are called Tal-Vashoth or "True Grey".

[The Maker]

Human

The most numerous, yet the most divided of all the races. Only four times have they ever united under a single cause, and it has been many centuries since the last. Religion and the Chantry play a large part in human society. It distinguishes them culturally from elves and dwarves more than anything else. While the other races dwindle, humanity has thrived and continues to spread.
Humans in times past worshipped a draconic pantheon of Old Gods, dragonlords that supposedly once ruled over Thedas and now slumber beneath the earth. But the people would come to suffer instead under the yoke of the Tevinter Imperium, a vast empire famously ruled by lords of dark magic, the magisters. 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.

[The Maker]

Elves

A humanoid race, elves typically stand four inches shorter than their human companions and have a slender, lithe build and pointed ears. In Ferelden, Free Marches, and many other parts of Thedas, elves are second-class citizens, often referred to by humans as 'knife ears' as a racial slur. Long ago, the elves were the dominant race on Thedas, and had lived in a refined civilization based on nature and magic. After its fall to the Tevinter Imperium and their generations of slavery however, the elves had lost most of their cultural heritage and identity. The same thing happened to their second homeland, the Dales much later. Since then, their few numbers have been scattered all over Thedas in either forests as primitive nomads or in cities as impoverished outcasts, with little hope of recovery for their culture or their race. Today, they're a people associated with poverty, crime, barbarism, and are often used as scapegoats for humanity's difficulties. Though most of the elven language has been lost, they once refered to themselves as "elvhen" or "the people".

City Elves

"Alienages have existed for as long as elves and shems have lived in the same lands. Ours isn't even the worst: They say that Val Royeaux has ten thousand elves living in a space no bigger than Denerim's market. Their walls are supposed to be so high that daylight doesn't reach the vhenadahl until midday.
But don't be so anxious to start tearing down the walls and picking fights with the guards. They keep out more than they keep in. We don't have to live here, you know. Sometimes a family gets a good break; they buy a house in the docks, or the outskirts of town. If they're lucky, they come back to the alienage after the looters have burned their house down. The unlucky ones just go to the paupers' field.
Here, we're among family. We look out for each other. Here, we do what we can to remember the old ways. The flat–ears who've gone out there, they're stuck. They'll never be human, and they've gone and thrown away being elven, too. So where does that leave them? Nowhere."
— Sarethia, Alienage Elder

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 make home in barns or sheds. Their inhabitants are typically impoverished and survive by begging or taking on the most menial and unrewarding of tasks and in most desperate cases, sneak out of the Alienage at night to steal, rob or murder. Sometimes, if an Alienage gets too large or unruly, the city guard decides to "cleanse" the place. Not many families stay the same after that.

Though overall treatment varies kingdom to kingdom, city elves are universally held as second-class citizens. Elves are unable to join most legal organizations like the Chantry, and the law often shows a blind eye to their woes. Slavery of elves is still legal in the Tevinter Imperium and there's a lucrative demand for elven slaves along with legal servants for nobles, reason being that elves are seen as beautiful by humans despite their low status.

Having been heavily discriminated by humans for so long, most City Elves try to hold onto their remaining heritage while taking deep pride in their close-knit communities, trying to make ends meet in an otherwise hostile world. As such, elves that leave the alieange and try to enter human society are heavily looked down upon. To alienage elves, they've abandoned their race and culture by "becoming human" for personal gain, and are fated to be lynched by humans, which isn't unfounded. 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 diluted 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.

Dalish Elves

"In time, the human empires will crumble. We have seen it happen countless times. Until then, we wait, we keep to the wild border lands, we raise halla and build aravels and present a moving target to the humans around us. We try to keep hold of the old ways, to relearn what was forgotten."
— Gisharel, Keeper of the Ralaferin Clan

Dalish elves lead nomadic lives, wandering throughout Thedas. The clans date back to the ruling clans of the Dales and the Dalish themselves are their descendants. As such, they consider themselves to have the "purest" blood from the time of Arlathan. Dalish elves seek to recover, inherit and preserve the knowledge and sacred treasures of the two fallen kingdoms and for that purpose they'll often seek out old elven ruins for such things in the face of danger. They still revere the elven pantheon and each member of a tribe will tattoo the symbol of their chosen god on their face.

They travel around the more remote reaches of Thedas in covered wagons called aravels, special wagons with large triangular sails atop them and rudder-like devices on the back. The Dalish elves are also known for being the only race adept at forging ironbark, a unique substance stronger and lighter than steel, used to make their weapons and certain other items of clothing, such as amulets. These, along with carved Halla horns, are highly valued and are often used to trade with humans for things they cannot make on their own like metals for their weapons.

Dalish elves tend to keep to their own and avoid humans whenever they can, but will occasionally encounter human travelers, or venture near human settlements to trade. At the threat of these encounters becoming violent, a Dalish clan will likely withdraw before any real force of humans gets involved, but they will often still be willing to stand their ground. In the long run, hostilities with humans will likely end badly for the elves, especially if a kingdom decides that a certain clan has become more trouble than it is worth. The Dalish are known to refer to their city cousins as 'flat ears', some of them believing the city elves are no more than pets for humans, and hence are 'flat ears' (humans) in spirit if not body, giving them a reputation of being haughty and condescending. In return, their urban kin view them as a myth, or in the same light humans do; bandits and heathens.


A Dalish Camp

The Dalish clans themselves can also be quite different from each other. Some clans will get along fairly well with humans, and might even camp outside of settlements for long periods of time. Other clans are more infamous, living by banditry and hiding like guerrillas in the mountain passes. The Dalish of Ferelden are on a more-or-less neutral basis with its human citizens while Dalish in Rivain have a semi-permanent settlement in the city of Llomerryn, though Rivian is the exception to the rule as the Dalish are feared as a race of savage elves in most parts of Thedas.
Dalish clans rarely encounter each other in order to protect themselves; their diaspora is as much of a blessing as is a curse. Since Dalish don't -if ever- keep in contact between other clans, should one be exterminated by a human lord -a difficult task in and of itself- them being able to find the others will be nearly impossible. Only once a decade or so do the Dalish clans all meet together, and their Keepers, the elders and leaders of the Dalish who are responsible in keeping elven lore and magic alive, will meet together and exchange knowledge in a meeting called the Arlathvhen.

During such a time, the clans will recall and record any lore they have relearned since the past meeting, along with reiterating what lore they know already to keep their traditions as accurate and alive as possible. During such time, the clans will exchange relics dating from the two elven nations for safekeeping. The Dalish believe that all the relics they've preserved from the Dales and Arlathan belong to all the Dalish; such trades are seen as much of an act of sharing as is a matter of trade, and the same is true even for talented elves. Merrill for example was born in the Alerion clan, but due to her magical talents she was given to the Sabrae clan to be the First of Keeper Marethari as clan Alerion already had a number of gifted elves.

The Dalish live by a code known as Vir Tanadahl, meaning "Way of Three Trees." It is made of three parts, which are:

Vir Assan ("Way of the Arrow") - fly straight and do not waver
Vir Bor'Assan ("Way of the Bow") - bend but never break
Vir Adahlen ("Way of the Forest") - together we are stronger than the one
The three parts of the philosophy are often strung together as a sort of mantra, which the Dalish will often end with the phrase "We are the last of the elvhenan, and never again shall we submit."
When Dalish elves die, their clan will bury them and plant a tree over their remains.

[The Maker]

Dwarves

Before the first Blight the dwarven empire expanded as much underground as the Tevinter Imperium did above, and maybe far grander as there is some evidence that suggests trade relations with the ancient elves of Arlathan

The first Blight, however, severely crippled the empire as Darkspawn flooded the Deep Roads that connected the countless Thaigs and cities. Political disunity and the inability to focus their defense led to the dwarves losing countless thaigs over the next couple of centuries, pushing them to the brink of extinction. In order to preserve the remnants of their kind, Orzammar closed its gates to any survivors and became the only bastion of dwarven culture. Centuries later it was discovered that the great Thaig of Kal-Sharok had survived, though because of their coldness and anger over Orzammar's drastic act of isolation, any chance of restoring the dwarven empire in all its glory is bleak. So long as Orzammar stands however, so do the dwarves, though more and more lives and territory are lost every year to the darkspawn.

It seems that in ancient times, before the dwarves began recording their history, dwarven society was much different. Over time the dwarves have built cities closer and closer to the surface, but originally they lived very deep underground. The Deep Roads and its thaigs represent the historical layer of dwarven civilization, but below the Deep Roads exists an older layer of tunnels, caves, and thaigs that predate the Deep Roads and the dwarven empire. These Primeval Thaigs display cultural practices that would be completely foreign to any modern dwarf, such as the construction of temples, and the veneration of a pantheon of deities. It also seems that in prehistoric times the dwarves were capable of wielding magic, and used lyrium in very large amounts to amplify their power. It is not certain why modern dwarves do not possess magical abilities, but it is likely that over-exposure to lyrium over many generations caused the development of a resistance to lyrium, and thus a resistance to the energies of the Fade.

Dwarf

"We dwarves do things much the same, when it comes time for the Houses to contest the throne, though there's rarely any... bystanding... No House is neutral in the Assembly, not ever. In Orzammar, things are solved quickly and with as much bloodshed as we can stand... and then a little bit more."
—Nalthur, of the Legion of the Dead

Unlike many other cultures in Thedas, dwarves do not worship anthropomorphic god(s). Instead, their philosophy promotes excellence and an almost intimate tie to the rock 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.

Their beliefs are more akin to ancestor worship, and they also hold a sacred reverence for the stone that surrounds them throughout their entire life. Dwarves who lead a strong and noble life are said to strengthen the Stone when they die, becoming Ancestors. Those who are ignoble or disgraced would weaken the stone and are therefore rejected by it for all eternity.

Every once in a while there's a dwarf who is declared by the Assembly, a sort of ruling council, to be particularly noble. These dwarves become Paragons, and are worshipped during their lives and long after their deaths. When a dwarf is declared by the Assembly to be a Paragon, a noble house is created which bears their name. The deeds of a Paragon are carefully recorded in the Memories, which record the lineage and deeds that help determine what caste a dwarf is born into. The word of a Paragon is held in such esteem that it is sometimes equal to even that of their king.

The social structure of dwarves is broken up into castes. The casteless are the lowest rung of dwarven society: outcasts in their own city, unable to take up work even as servants among the higher castes, nor to defend their honor in the Provings. Dwarves who are exiled or born on the surface are also considered by the Shaperate to be casteless, but with an increase in the number of dwarves from high ranking castes choosing to live on the surface, it is becoming more 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). Those dwarves who are most commonly seen on the surface tend to be merchants, or on occasion smiths, but amongst the dwarves they might have been thieves, murderers or worse.

Above the casteless, numerous and distinct castes make their home in Orzammar, including merchants, smiths, warriors, and nobles. While it is possible for some dwarves to "better their position" within this rigid system, this is rare and very difficult.

The dwarves do have a king, but heredity is not always the determining factor in who sits on the throne. When the time comes, the noble houses fight each other for the power that the throne will bring. While the king may propose an heir to the throne, ultimately, the next ruler is determined in the noble Assembly, by a vote of the deshyrs (dwarven council members).

It has been mentioned that most of the wealth of the dwarves comes from selling processed lyrium to the mages of Thedas. While the Chantry holds a monopoly on lyrium trade with the dwarves, in order to maintain control over templars and mages, the need for lyrium on the surface promotes a great deal of illegal trade.

Surface Dwarf

While the terminology is still up for debate amongst dwarves, the surface dwarves are dwarves who have left the Deep Roads for the land under the open sky. Reasons for this ascent may vary, from being exiled to restlessness. There is still some debate amongst dwarves about whether or not those who have left the Deep Roads for the surface should be considered permanent exiles or not, and many members of the Shaperate still consider surface dwarves to rank amongst the casteless. According to dwarven scholars, surface dwarves may soon outnumber their underground-living peers.

[The Maker]

Darkspawn (None Playable)


The darkspawn are a race of mostly-humanoid tainted creatures that dwell in the Deep Roads. According to the Chantry, they were created when the magisters of the Tevinter Imperium opened a portal into the Golden City, tainting the realm of the Maker with their corruption and returning as the darkspawn, their evil transfiguring them into the monsters they became. When they uncover one of the Old Gods, they expose it to the taint, changing it into an Archdemon, which then leads them in an attack against the surface world called a Blight. The darkspawn are perhaps the greatest single threat to all of Thedas; they are bloodthirsty, exceptionally numerous and willing to indiscriminately kill or corrupt all in their path.