Is it possible to defeat the arishok

No matter what answers I give I always end up battling all the Qunari at once and I never seem to win. Is there something I was supposed to pick up or someone I was supposed to have on my team? User Info: Godlessheithen. You were supposed to earn his respect - mostly by telling him the truth about all events involving Qunari and by talking to him at varying points in Act 2 in order to inform him of things going on.

If you fail to do that, then you must have Isabela return via having a high friendship with the Artifact and return it to the Qunari. User Info: HoshunMk I have beaten the game twice, and am working on a third, and i have always chosen to duel him. I beat him with a 20 warrior and 19ish rouge and had some trouble, just be sure to have a lot of health potions, and stamina if you chose. My advice to you is to use all your spells on him, if your having trouble, then kite him around a pillar untill your spells are back up.

Keep doing this and you should beat him User Info: imafallen. That is why there were reserved for the elven population. That is walled off from the other quarters. This is to allow the city is why I fell to my knees and wept when we crossed through allthorities to lock down the alienage, should a reason arise. Many alienages are plagued by poverty and crime. While this segregation has allowed the elves a fair bit of social autonomy among their own people, it has also encouraged their isolation and substandard status.

The darkspawn multiply and attack en masse, concentrating at first on the undergrou nd Deep Roads used by the dwarves. As 1he dwarve n thaigs fa ll, The First Blight begins. The Blight has yet to reach the Alamarri. They are instead caught up in a war with the Avvar. Both die in the battle. The Order of Ash Warriors is founded in Dwarfson"s honor.

The Dali sh arc a nomadic breed of elves who openly refuse to live Manye! They see themselves as the keepers of ancient once flew over noble elven lore and dedicate themselves to gathering and preserving family homes.

Before the Exalted March of the Dales, many Dalish were elven nobility. Though their status has long been stripped away, they maintain the same pride and sense of duty held by their ancestors. The Dalish live and travel in clans. Their small bands, often made up of only blood relatives, are each led by a wise, senior member known as a keeper. City elves may live and die speaking only the common tongue.

The halla are a domesticated animal unique to th e Dalish, din The dead. The stags served as mounts for the Emerald Knights. The intricate ink work is called vallaslin, or "blood writing.

Most Dalish groups tend to keep to themselves. However, solas Pride; to stand tall. While the old ways of the elves are celebrated,. It is an important time for the clans, a show of unity for an otherwise isolated people. Ways of the Hunter Though much of the teachings of elven religion were lost to gen- erations of oppression and slavery, traditions do persist. The Ways of the Hunter, said to be passed down by Andruil, goddess of the hunt, instruct the elves on the proper means to respect and use nature's gifts.

And let not your prey suffer. Vir Bor'assan, the Way of the Bow: "As the sapling bends, so must you. In yielding, find resilience; in pliancy, find strength:'. Vir Adahlen, the Way of the Wood: "Receive the gifts of the hunt with mindfulness.

Respect t he sacrifice of my children. Know that your passing shall nourish them in turn:'. Embracingtheancestors' crahingskills, Thedwarvesareahardypeople. Dalishshapewood,bone,andleather Malescommontywearbeards. Their once strong numbers have been diminished by ages of war with the darkspawn. Most thaigs arc now empty, and the vast nehvork of tunnels known as the Deep Roads that connected the thaigs are mostly sealed and overrun with the darkspawn, even in the absence of a Blight.

The d warves now prima rily in habit two thaigs : Orzammar and Kal-Sharok. Others live in exile on the surface. The C h ildren of t he Stone are a stout race both shorter and broader than most humans.

They also tend to have a stronger constitution;. Caridin vanishes, takingt hesecret Coordinating a massive army from across Thedas, ofthegolcms"constructio n withhim. EndrinStonehammer, sickness is almost unknown among dwarves. Those First Blight. The darkspawn attacked the dwarves first, using the famously moved who survive encounters on the Deep Roads often suffer from Deep Roads to systematically sack dozens of thaigs. As the thaigs thedwarvencapital rromKal-Sharokto cormption-caused infertility.

The result is an ever-dwindling fell, the darkspawn spread underneath Thed::i. Several dwarven kingdoms were Living underground, the dwarves have superior vision in the destroyed completely. Their rocky surroundings also give the dwarves another unique quality: the walls of many caves are laced with lyrium, a Thehulkingbrontosarebred mineral source of magic in Thedas.

Living in close proximity to bythedwarvesasbeastsof lyrium fo r so long, the dwarves have developed a natural burdenandsourcesolfood. The downside is that this exposure also makes it impossible for dwarves to wield magic.

Dwarves who live on the surface will lose their protective immunity over time. Despite this, no known dwarf, surface or otherwise, has managed to wield magic. Before the Blights, there were dozens of thaigs, each with a healthy number ofinhabi tants. Though each thaig enjoyed autonomy, the race was largely united and kept a proper capital, first in Kal-Sharok, and laterinOrzammar. ThcprophctAndrastcisborni n Slowly, the last of the darkspawn are cut down and Fcrcldcn.

Thcc:ract ycarofhc r birth forcedunderground. Forthedwarves,theBlight ishotlycontcstcdbyscholars. As if on its own. With together and sealing off key roads. A little After more than a hundred years, the Grey Wardens slayed miracle of dwarvcn ingenuity.

For surfacers, the generations-long Orzammar relies upon the surface not just for its prosper- battle was over, but the Blight continued for the dwarves. Ages of Blights have taken thousands of thaigs away from the dwarves. These were the places ln Ancient, the dwarves ofOrzammar scaled the last of where most of the food was raised.

The dwarven kingdom the Deep Roads leading into their kingdom. The old capital of that endured alone, independent beneath the Stone from Kal-Sharok was assumed lost, along with Hormak and Gundaar. To discuss the culture of today's dwarf is to look at the dwarves Every dwarf who goes to the surface is stripped of caste, of Orzammar, as there is no other place where dwarves exist in effectively exiled and removed from dwarven society forever.

But Orzammar relics on continued relations with these exiles such significant numbers. The other major center, the recen tly to live. This has created a shadowy area of dwarven trade and rediscovered Kal-Sharok, evolved in isolation, and the cultural politics where the rich, powerful, and elite maintain secret effect of so many ages apart from their brethren is still largely ties to people who, by official decree, no longer exist. And unknown. Among Orzammar dwarves, single-mindedness is both The Carta lives in the underbelly of the surface trade a signature strength a nd weakness.

Their ability to dedicate like a tapeworm. Many surface dwarves maintain ties- not officially recognized, of course, but respectable-to their themselves to a cause has allowed them to survive in conditions former houses in the Noble or Merchant castes, and those that would kill any other race and has given rise to a level of contacts are their means of trading with Orzammar.

Those technology that far surpasses anything else in Thedas. Examples of who have no ties, because they were cast off by their fami lies this ingenuity include dwarven clochvork, mechanical weaponry, or never had good connections, make the trip back under- and steam power.

A casteless in Orzammar, riors, smiths, artisans, miners, merchants, servants, and surfacers. So these surface merchants turn to the Carta for help. For a cut, of course. The Carta always gets its cut. The order of the Shapers is dedicated to preserving the history and The outraged citizens of Orzammar sometimes petition knowledge of the dwarves.

There are three kinds of Shapers. The most the Assembly to deal with the rampant crime surrounding prominent is the Shaperate of Memory. Based in the noble quarter of the black market, and showy displays arc made of kicking Orzammar, its main purpose is to record and keep the essential records in the doors to Carta hideouts and razing Dust Town. But known as Memories. Too much of Orzammar is dependent on the black of work and marriage, and the Shaperate of Golems, which is largely market trade, and the nobles know it.

They all do business defunct. Everyone has a stake in its success. The Carta has a thousand faces above and below the surface- honest Shapers are encouraged to travel the Deep Roads and seek out long- merchants and Noble Caste lords and upstanding members buried historical truths, making the job far more dangerous than that of the Merchants Guild-all a cover for the thousands more of the average librarian or bookkeeper.

The lifeline "The Shaper must step away from the familiar to seek out revelations of Ortammar. Praise the Ancestors. As the Deep Roads close, communication lines falter between the lntelligentdarks pawncapablc ofadvanccdthoughtandspcech surviving dwarven kingdoms. Each thaig elects its own king while arc discovered. The Warden Sashamiri captures Corypheus, maintaining allegiance to a high king in Onammar.

There is no unit that is both celebrated and shunned. Many con- crimes are erased. The members descend into the Deep retirement from the Legion, only an honorable death victed criminals join the Legion rather than face eicile Roads to battle darkspawn together until death.

When in the Deep Roads. Dwarves who are already they join, Legion dwarves are given a ritual akin to a It isn't unheard of fora noble to willingly join the casteless also join, hoping that it will impart some funeral. Indeed, members are treated bydwarven sod- Legion, but it is exceptionally rare. They are assumed to spend their. A dwarf is born into a societal role. Only those born to Smith ualthough this is only relevant to those who return - if they arc Caste parents may become blacksmiths, and a servant who mar- allowed to return at all.

His daughters Many surface dwarves become members of the Merchants will be nobles, and his sons servants, for daughters inherit the Guild, a powerful union that trades dwarven goods with surfacers. Only Orzammar and nobility, but are still considered upper class. These de- scendants of criminals and other undesirables have their faces branded to mark their rock bottom status in dwarven society. Casteless dwarves are denied the right to work any honest job.

Instead, they arc forced to eke out meager livings as beggars or worse, simply to survive. Dwarven-crafted armor and weapons are considered the finestinThedas.

Andraste marries Mafera th, anAlamarrichi efta in. This was not a thaig unused to watching its boundaries. I got the impression that if Orzammar I'd been one of his Orzammar cousins, our meeting would've Orzammar rests in the Frostback Mountains, which create a been swift and bloody. That is, ifl'd been allowed to find the natural border between Orlais and the western outreaches of passage at all.

As it was, he was polite and efficient, and he Ferelden. It is a huge, underground metropolis of more than one knew well the current market for everything he offered.

Clearly hundred thousand dwarves. Among his wares, I saw the latest fabrics of Val Royeaux The king's palace and Assembly halls sit highest, in a tier known and volumes by a Free Marcher poet three centuries dead. This only added to my doubt of the official year of Kal-Sharok's as the Diamond Quarter, which is also home to the Shaperate.

I A complicated system of stairs and passages cut down from the didn't mention this to my host. As curious as I was, there was Diamond Quarter, through the noble areas, to the Commons, an undercurrent I found unsettling. I must stress that he and and finally to the casteless slums of Dust Town. But there The dwarven Merchant Caste has the most influence in the was something [ can't describe. While he remained hooded Commons, where the many works of Orzammar's craftsmen arc the entire time, he looked me square in the eye when our deal was struck, unashamed.

Connected are the Proving Grounds, an ancient I lived through a time ofBlight. I've felt the gaze of a Grey venue for the public settling of dwarven disputes. The Commons Warden and seen the corruption of his prey. Why I remem- is also where visitors to Orzammar spend most of their time, it bered both in that moment, I still can't explain. Kal-Sharok was once the capital of t he dwarven empire. Its close proximity to the Tevinter capital of Minrathous led to a.

As humanity's influence spread and the lm perium weakened, the dwarven capital was moved to the south- ern thaig of Orzammar. When the Blight struck, they were among the hardest hit. A robust people, they survived only to be eventually abandoned by Orzammar, whose leaders saw it in their best interest to abandon Kal-Sharok in the interest of self-preservation.

Early in the Dragon Age, Kal-Sharok was rediscovered. Residents of the former capital had subsisted for ages in com- plete isolation. King Endrin Aeducan, then the respected king of O rzammar, was the one credited with restoring contact. Relations between the two thaigs have since been tense at best, w ith Kal-Sharok's leadership yet to publicly forgive Orzammar for its actions.

Andraste preaches of a new creator, whom she calls the Maker. Thelmperium'sinfluencerecedesin The more she says, the more her following grows. Mafcrat h uses southern Thedas as Minrathous rebuilds. Generations of isolation mean that dwarves from Kal-Sharok Q. UNARI don't share the relatively recent cultural influences of Orzammar's extended interactions w ith the surface.

Th is race is large and powerful; on average, they draws more on an older manner of speech, less influenced by the tower over humans by a foot or more. Most have horns growing surface. Kal-Sharok does not place the same emphasis o n castes, from their heads. The dwarves of Kal-Sharok have been slow to let outsiders in. Scholars are o nly now beginning to understand what they had to do to survive so m any ages in isolation.

Forgotten Thaigs Dozens of thaigs were destroyed d uring the Blights. In the ages since, much of the history that survived in other thaigs has been lost. Some tha igs, like Kal'Barosh and Varcn, are barely remem- bered- even their locations are unknown. Others, like Ortan and Cadash, have been uncovered and explored. The roots of many dwarves in Orzammar can be traced back to houses in lost thaigs.

For these houses, and the Shaperate that struggles to kee p their records, it is considered a great discovery to learn the names and fate of a lost thaig's people. Some of these words have roots in the language spoken before the dwarves made contact with humans or elves. Years spent studying Corypheus in 'aptivit y tea' h the Ward ens little, as his influe nce The Chasind claim th e fortress ofO stagar.

The Warde ns seal him away de epin1he VimrnarkMountains,concealing hi sexistence. The dreadnoughts took Par Voll en at a stroke. We marched on the land called Seheron, then Qunari leadership do not recognize even the concept ofkossith Rivain and the Tevinter lmperium.

Our viddathari told us and few if any rank and fi le Qunari are aware of the word. A person is either Qunari fire. Tevinter saw what discipline achieves. When we Tamassrans teach a child to read or a wil- breeding for thousands of years, no one can be certain what the derness is made fruitful, is that conquest? They came by way of incredible Such madness and hypocrisy needed another answer. We warships called dreadnoughts and immediately began a war to signed the treaties of the bas to silence them, and left.

We will return. Patience is the manifestation of self- dominate all peoples in their path. Humans in particular are a control.

While the bas bicker amongst themselves, we prepare. Even among the Qunari, not much is known about where they came from or why they land- ed in Thedas. Conquest seems like the obvious answer. The Qunari see conversion to the Qun asa benefit to all. To many humans, the Qp. Though a delicate peace exists cur- rently between the Qunari and the rest ofThcdas, with the magic-celebrating lmperium as the exception, future conflict is almost assured.

The Qun is an implacable force that will not be denied. For more about the Qunar i, including the Qun's history and how it dictates gender roles, child rear- ing, and politics, see the Religion chapter of this book. As a rule, Qunari have little use for communication beyond its necessities. When speaking to those who d o not follow the Qun, their statements are often laconic, with a kind of underlying condescension. Few among the Qun's people speak the common tongue, and fewer speak it well.

In a culture that strives for mastery, to have only a passable degree of skill is perhaps embarrassing, and so Qunari often keep quiet among foreigners.

A basalit-an is a respected foreigner. Only they have non-magical cannons and explosives. Gaatlok is perhaps not as powerfu l as magic, but it is usable by anyone. There is no literal translation, but it derives from death, the earth, and glory. It means "simple people. Mafo rath's ba rbaria n horde pushes north and begins an outright assault on the Tevinterabandonstheisland ofEstwatch lmperium.

Andraste's wo rd spreads among oppressed Tev intc r subjec1s and tofocusonmainlandtroubles. Theistand incitesslaveuprisi ngs. Southe rn Tevi nterbeginstoproperlycollapse. Att heBattleofValarianFields, theelve n slaveShartantakes 1h. He later co nverts and is made a disciple, only to have his Imperium. Maferath is victorious. Maferath's jealousy overwhelms him. Wanting to bring ofNevarra,oneof theirstrongholds.

She isbrought anendtohostilitiesandtightenhisgriponconqueredterritories, to Minrathous and executed by the lmperium. From the blightedAnderfels to opulent Orlais, each nation turies, and o ther nations, especially neighboring Orlais, still bas its own charms and challenges. For some, a little more land consider it a relative backwater. Relations is always within reach. For others, it's enough just to survive. It ing to barbarism. They repelled invasions from Religion: Chantry majority is home to significant communities of dwarves in Orzammar and Tevinter during the height of the lmperium Dalish elves in the Brecilian Forest.

Life and politics in Ferelden with nothing but dogs and their own obstinate. The arm ies ofMaferat h and Andraste disperse. Ferelden'sharsh disposition. They are the coarse, willful, dirty, disorganized people who live a ghettoized life in urban alienages and often work the climates have shaped a hardy people who who somehow gave rise to our prophet, ushered in an era of enlight- lowliest jobs, have a freedom in Fcrcldcn that Orlais would never value strength and enment, and toppled the greatest empire in history.

Fercldan elves are proud of this, and many say they courage over wealth and entitlement. Any Fcrcldan man or woman worth their salt can make something of themselves.

Nobles arc respected, even revered, but Signs of Ferelden's Alamarri barbarian roots persist, even as the to the common person they are not untouchable. Respect must Chantry has taken firm hold of the nation's social order. While be earned, and nowhere in the world is there a people as ready chantries stand in almost every village and town, signs of the old to demand their due as in Fcrcldcn.

Fereldan farms, called freeholds, are run by families who have Animist symbols still adorn artwork and clothing. Images of worked their land for generations and would spill blood before wolves commonly decorate military uniforms and flags. Village giving up their lot. What servants there arc receive pay for their elders repurpose the old religion's teachings as cautionary bed- services and are free to come and go as they please.

Even elves, time stories fo r children. Even some old statues and temples still. For their service in battle against the lmperium, Arch on Hessarian converts Mafcrath gives the elves a new homeland in the to the Cult oft he Maker Dales. The Long Walk begins as a massive inHux and reveals Maferat h's ofelvessettletheregion.

Businesses like brothels and gambling halls are more than The old ways are disappearing, but the Chant ry does not tolerated. Social standing in Fereldan cities is stratified according to The Maker simply stands above them.

Lower classes live closer to the city walls. Living outside the city walls indicates a position of A king or queen leads the monarchy that governs Ferelden from still lower standing. Denerim, the capital. Aris, the equivalent of mayors, watch over cities and arl ings. A bann rules over Prince Princess Your Highness each such landholding. Fereldans are largely expected to take care of themselves. While the patrol is quick to investigate the worst offenses, it will ignore Knight Knight Ser forbothsexes most others and leave citizens to their own devices.

The Alamarriabandon Mafe rath, and southern Thedascoll apses intoanarchy. You see, we recently began the study of history. I thought that it would do the young mistress some good to be exposed to all Thedosian cultures and not just Orlais. It was a foolish thought. Regrettably, your dear daughter has taken a particular interest in Fereldan folklore. She first developed an affinity for King Calenhad, which seems to have devolved into borderline infatuation. She stared at me, eyes wide, when I told how he unified the barbarians with his allegedly incomparable might and charisma.

Twice now, I've had to tear down drawings she's tacked up in he r bedroom of the man shirtless. Then we moved on to the werewolves, which was even worse. As you may already know, the Fereldans venerate the folk heroes Dane and Hafte r. Dane was said to have been a werewolf, and Hafter to have descended from one.

No enlight- ened man or woman could ever view such beast people with anything but revulsion. But you know Fercldans and their love of wildlife. Unfortunately, these tales of the wolf men set the little mistress's imagination afire. When she suggested we put on a play for you and her lord father, I could not say no. I'm afraid that's why Marchellete was running through the mansion, wearing wet furs and frightening the chambermaids. She was rehearsing a scene in which Hafter drives back the darkspawn.

I've been informed that some priceless family heirlooms were destroyed amidst all that confusion, and I cannot fully express my dismay. I understand if my abject failure as a tutor results in my immediate dismissal. TheAlamarriinFereldenfaltinto a Andraste 'sashes disappear, revealed longseriesofinternalwarsasvarious ages laterto haveheenstoredawayat warlo rd s attempttoreplaceMaferath.

Andn ste'sdisciplescreate the Hessaria ndi es inh issleep. Man y inthe eastern and ChantofLi ght,collecti ng her Th e Chant 's popularit y spreads. O re nt ius, will restore the O ld Gods and th eir cle rgy. The first teyrn, an Alamarri named Hafter, was said to be Outside their borders, the people of Ferelden are often the son of a werewolf, and half the nobles in Fcrcldcn consider referred to as "dog lords. Many Fereldans Curiously, though, history also remembers conflict with breed them as companions and often for use in battle.

The hyper- werewolves. Fear that werewolves made a deal with a demon, and intelligent mabari are particularly common among the ranks of were emerging from the forests disguised as men, led to a bloody Fereldan armies. Suspicion of friends and neighbors ran Fereldans even consider it good luck to feed a stray dog.

Eventually, the ey're even used as beasts of burden in the mountains," Chantry humans quelled the werewolf threat, although this period is still scholar Ferdinand Genitivi once wrote. There are many show appreciation for the work that our dogs do. And perhaps tales of the battles that took place. Perhaps most noteworthy was Fereldenisan the reason for that is tangled up in mythology.

RebellionsstirintheeastasRivainattemptsto "Ih e Inquisitio n is founded arou nd this time. They spoke his name in roars Feared by the forests of Ferelden, Like gravestones, offering a beast's bargain. As I take your place amongst men. Through the greenwood they ran, hart and hunter Thus a bargain struck, Bringing the stag to spear at last in a long-forgotten grove, And Dane the wolf pack served in wolfen form, Heedless that the chase had waked a hunger in the golden wood, And the werewolf to his family sped, as Dane, A werewolf, a creature with mind of man, One year and a day all told.

Lured by the hunt and come forth to lay claim But some things cannot be repent, To the hart as rightful tribute, Some coinage cannot be unspent, Drawn by the scent of cooling blood. When hearts are wagered, a fissure rent. Many generations have taken the throne, earning a repu- tation for a seemingly hereditary aptitude for military strategy. This victory over Orlais brought Nevarra much Official Name: Kingdom of Nevarra the Free Marches to the of its prestige and wealth, although the indigenous peoples of Demonym: Nevarran cast.

It is known best for these western lands are still not fond of the Nevarran presence. Nevarra was actually By the Glory Age, rule of the Nevarran city-state had changed one of the largest Marcher hands several times. Ineffectual leadership and infighting resulted city-states before it expanded to become a full nation in the in a poor populace lagging far behind other Free Marcher city- Exalted Age. Bolstered by deep coffers and a strategic, central loca- states.

Jonas, the last ruler before the First Pentaghast Dynasty, tion, Nevarra has grown over the last few ages into a power that ruled Nevarra for several decades and was in failing health. His many claim rivals Orlais. While the capital lies in the original city friends and advisers took advantage of his weakened state, sug- ofNevarra, the city of Cumberland has seen rapid growth in the gesting courses of action that benefited themselves rather than last century to become one of the largest in Thedas.

Cumberland's the city. Nevarra was destroying itself from the inside. They thought. Th e lmperium abandons the east alter TheKingdomofRivainisfounded. Rumors swirled that some advisers had brokered deals with either Orlais o r Stark. Fortunately for Nevarra, this never came to pass. Caspar Pentaghast, originally of a small town not far from Nevarra called Hunter Fell, plotted to depose lonas before he ran Ncvarra into the ground or del ivered it to its enem ies.

Three royal dynasties have since persisted in Nevarra's storied hi story:. In that time, Pentaghast rule was o nly temporari ly interrupted when Orlais occup ied a Blight- weakened Nevarra. It was famously retaken by Caspar II, still one of the nation's most revered Pentaghast kings. Van Markham claimed the royal family had abandoned the values that once m ade them great, and leveled accusat ions of decadence and corruption. Anti-Pentaghast sentiment grew, and Van Markham rallied the populace to overthrow the Pentaghasts so he could take the throne for himself.

King Nestor Pentaghast was killed, stabbed sixteen times while seated on his throne. The surviving Pentaghasts fled to H unter Fell. Under Tylus and three more Van Markham kings, Nevarra aggressively expanded from a city-state to a full-fledged nation, occupying large swaths of Orlesian land.

His daughter married a Pentaghast, merging the two powerful fami lies. Together they solidified Nevarra's status as a significant power in 1l1edas, and the fam ily has ruled Nevarra under the Pcntaghast name for generations, with the Van M arkhams enjoying an equally lofty status among the nobility. Emerius,on e o the la st strongholdsof The dwar ves ofOrzamm ar seal th e The city-sta te ofAntiva thelmperium,fallsi n aslaverebe llion.

Members of the Pentaghast and twenty-seven summers before he finally left for eternal slumber beneath our great kingdom. Even on that last Van Markham clans are lining up to replace Markus upon his day, the king sparred with his great-grandson, Mathas inevitable death. King Caspar showed no Som e Nevarran noble fa m ilies believe t hat both t he signs of weakness or decrepitude in his advanced age, and Pentaghasts and the Van Mark.

The most direct Caspar met every blow Mathas delivered, and returned successor to the throne is Ferdinand Pentaghast, the younger each with twice the vigor. Ferdinand is a legendary dragon hunter known In the end, the great king threw his grandson to the ground, and with one stroke of his sword, sheared the more for his writing on the many uses of the beasts' blood than beard dean offMathas's chin. KYou are a Pentaghast," the politicking. He is also quite old and has expressed no public king said.

Chastised, Mathas sent for his attendants, and bade Neither brother has any known offspring. Thereafter, his chin was always shaved obsessively dose to the skin. When it came time for supper, the servants One of the most unique aspects ofNevarran culture is their per- were unable to rouse him.

And that is how King Caspar the Magnificent, sixty years the supreme lord ofNevarra, spective on death. While most Andrastian nations burn the ir finally set aside his crown.

Caspar Pentaghast's personal adviser, a isasuniqueasthe Tevinter mage named Vitus Fabria, founded the Mortalitasi order family buried there. The Cult of the Ma ke r spreads in the south.

I arrived to find my predecessor of mages and first preached the idea. The Mortalitasi believe and intended mentor, Sifas Carrenter, had died in his sleep. Instead of a cremation, the for the displaced Fade spirits. Mortalitasi were summoned for him, those gray-robed mages The mummified corpses are placed in massive, elaborate who seem to be everywhere in the palace.

Some cau-. Wealthy Nevarrans begin construc- tioned me about their political prowess, learned from sitting at the king's feet for generations. Others talked about the tion on their own tombs while young, and add to them as they Mortalitasi like they were ghoulish surgeons in leather aprons, grow older.

Outside ofNevarra City stands the Grand Necropolis. It appears almost as a city in itself, complete with mansions The Mortalitasi who spoke to me was a polite, tawny- and great palaces, although it haired woman who smelled strongly of soap. She e1Cplained is utterly silent and kept only that Carrenter had earned the honor of being preserved and for the dead.

It seems a barbaric practice, but l knew that demanding a cremation would have made me- It is common for nobles and more importantly, Starkhaven- lose fuce in Nevarra. She described and rumors persist of noble some of their rites. Though she wouldn't speak of the greater involvement in secret nec- mysteries, even a glimpse into their arts put my hair on end. Outside of But I held my peace.

The Mortalitasi are linked to the throne Nevarra, inflated stories by blood. In a land where death and politics are intertwined, one should be polite. Ambitious and Government: Monarchy wealthy, Orl:i. Religion: Chantry majority. The Orlesian capital, Val Royeaux, is home to the TheNevarranpractice of mummification Chantry's Grand Cathedral, the center of the Andrastian reli- increases the risk of gion's power. Over multiple Blights, the Orlesians have used the corpse possession.

Chantry to expand their influence beyond the nation's impres- sive borders, notably to the north into Tevinter territory and southeast through Ferelden. Orlais has a large n oble class famed for its excess, and in particular, the fashionable use of cosmetics and elaborate masks. Their clothing too tends to be complicated and colorful. The Grand Cathedral, Perhaps the only people with whom Orlais has maintained lnfewplaces isthe Chantry"s influence as well as the University of Orlais, both in Val Royeaux, are note- goodwill arc the dwarves of Orzammar.

Orlais has long shared a more ubiquitous worthy fo r their grandiose style and construction. The Cathedral, border with dwarven territory in the Frostbacks and benefits from than0r1ais. The Chantry 's ample gold and stained glass. Ages of expansionist aggression have done little to endear Orlais to its neighbors. Much ofThedas looks at Orlais with disrespect and even contempt. Mictlantecuhtli Mictlantecuhtli 3 3 bronze badges. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google.

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