Elves in the Dragon Age setting.
Feb. 24th, 2015 08:21 pmI don't expect people to run around and research all of the information about my character and the setting in general on their own, so I thought that I'd try to explain a little about elves, and how they're different in this setting than others. Being elvish is a big part of Beleth's identity, so she will mention a lot of things that have to do with that. While your character is free to ask, sometimes she doesn't mention them outloud, but you personally may be curious. So this post is to try to compile some information so you understand what the hell I'm saying.
A quick history
The dragon age setting is similar to Tolkien in the beginning. Elves lived in harmony with nature, most of them were magical, and they were immortal. Then humans began to make contact with Elves, and things went in a very startling direction. The elves call humans shemlen (the quick children, referring to their measly lifespan), but discovered that all half elven children appeared human, and in general just being around humans tended to shorten their lifespan.
The elves withdrew, the humans took it as a form of hostility, and waged war. The elves lost, and were enslaved. In Southern Thedas, they're now freed, but treated like second hand citizens. Elves take two forms: The city elf, and the Dalish. Beleth is a Dalish.
City Elves
Elves that live among humans are known as city elves. In large cities, they are segregated into alienages, elf-only slums. Elves leave during the day to work as manual labor, and servants, and return at night. They are not allowed out at night, and any who do risk getting accused of theft and other ill deeds. In smaller cities, they live in stables and outbuildings. They are routinely harassed by humans, and treated pretty awful. You can get away with kidnapping or killing elves, and slavers tend to target them for the way the guard routinely turns a blind eye to their hardships.
Dalish
The Dalish are clans of elves who have refused to live amongst the humans. They live in caravans, and are nomadic, constantly on the move. This is mostly because humans don't trust Dalish, calling them savages and claiming that they steal children and sacrifice them for blood magic. If they stay too long in one place, humans can descend on them, driving them out, or generally killing everyone. Some Dalish trade with the human settlements that tolerate them, some exist only as bandits, attacking humans and taking their wares. Beleth's clan was on the more friendly side of things.
The Dalish consider themselves the true elves, and attempt to follow half-forgotten lore and hold on tightly to the scraps of the elven culture. They revere the elven gods, and the tattoos on Beleth's face are called vallaslin, markings that show dedication to a particular god of the elf's choosing. Each Dalish receives them upon becoming an adult.
The elven language is pretty much dead, though a few key phrases and words remain, used when possible by the Dalish.
This is a pretty simple explanation, let me know if you have any questions!
A quick history
The dragon age setting is similar to Tolkien in the beginning. Elves lived in harmony with nature, most of them were magical, and they were immortal. Then humans began to make contact with Elves, and things went in a very startling direction. The elves call humans shemlen (the quick children, referring to their measly lifespan), but discovered that all half elven children appeared human, and in general just being around humans tended to shorten their lifespan.
The elves withdrew, the humans took it as a form of hostility, and waged war. The elves lost, and were enslaved. In Southern Thedas, they're now freed, but treated like second hand citizens. Elves take two forms: The city elf, and the Dalish. Beleth is a Dalish.
City Elves
Elves that live among humans are known as city elves. In large cities, they are segregated into alienages, elf-only slums. Elves leave during the day to work as manual labor, and servants, and return at night. They are not allowed out at night, and any who do risk getting accused of theft and other ill deeds. In smaller cities, they live in stables and outbuildings. They are routinely harassed by humans, and treated pretty awful. You can get away with kidnapping or killing elves, and slavers tend to target them for the way the guard routinely turns a blind eye to their hardships.
Dalish
The Dalish are clans of elves who have refused to live amongst the humans. They live in caravans, and are nomadic, constantly on the move. This is mostly because humans don't trust Dalish, calling them savages and claiming that they steal children and sacrifice them for blood magic. If they stay too long in one place, humans can descend on them, driving them out, or generally killing everyone. Some Dalish trade with the human settlements that tolerate them, some exist only as bandits, attacking humans and taking their wares. Beleth's clan was on the more friendly side of things.
The Dalish consider themselves the true elves, and attempt to follow half-forgotten lore and hold on tightly to the scraps of the elven culture. They revere the elven gods, and the tattoos on Beleth's face are called vallaslin, markings that show dedication to a particular god of the elf's choosing. Each Dalish receives them upon becoming an adult.
The elven language is pretty much dead, though a few key phrases and words remain, used when possible by the Dalish.
This is a pretty simple explanation, let me know if you have any questions!