#plants of thedas

[exhausted-archivist]

Raw Ingredients

Updated: 2023/12

As of now, this list is updated with everything found in media released as of Oct 2023.

Like the original, this contains all raw ingredients; edible plants, fruits, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, spices, and vegetables. If known to a specific region it is marked next to the item in parentheses, if it is not, it is either unknown or universally consumed.

For Other Food Posts

Dishes, Sauces, and Sides

Drinks

Prepared Ingredients

Canonically Possible Foods and Drinks

Food and Drink Master Post

Disclaimer

Though real life plants may be listed here as edible, it is for fictional use only. This is not intended to be used as a reference nor guide for what plants are edible or safe to eat. Please do not use it as such.

Fruits, Mushrooms, Nuts, and Vegetables

Edible Plants

Bark

Fern Fiddlehead (Avvar)

Hops

Lichen (Dwarves)

Black Lichen - Toxic unless properly cooked.

Moss (Dwarves)

Nettle

Pungent Leaves - Unspecified leaves. (Avvar)

Rose (Orlais)

Rose Petals

Rosehips

Stripweed (Tevinter)

Sugar Cane (Orlais, Tevinter, Rivain)

Vine Leaves (Tevinter)

Watercress (Avvar)

Wildflowers

Borage

Chicory

Dandelion

Honeysuckle

Jasmine

Violet

Fruits and Nuts

Apple

Applewood Apples (Orlais)

Golden Apples (Orlais)

Green Apples

Le Pomme Vie et Morte - Apples that grow by the gallows in Val Royeaux. (Orlais)

Red Apples

Windfall Apples

Apricot

Banana

Par Vollen Banana

Rivain Banana

Berry

Blackberry (Ferelden)

Blueberry

Cranberry

Currant

Black Currant

Elderberry (Ferelden)

Raspberry

Strawberry (Ferelden)

Caper (Antiva)

Cherry

Black Cherry

Sour Cherry - unspecified variety(ies)

Sweet Cherry - unspecified variety(ies)

Cocoa/Chocolate (Donarks)

Coconut

Coffee (Antiva)

Date - A purple and red fruit with a pit, it has a sweetness and tangy taste. (Tevinter)

Fig (Tevinter)

Grape

Red Grape (Orlais)

Lemon

Lime

Mango

Nuts

Almond

Chestnut

Pine Nut

Olive

Antivan Olive

Orange (Antiva, Orlais, Tevinter)

Blood Orange (Nevarra)

Passion Fruit (Antiva)

Peach

Pear

Plum

Pomegranate (Tevinter)

Pomegranate Seeds

Grain

Barley

Fereldan Barley

Pot Barley

Oats

Rolled Oats

Rice (Antiva, Rivain)

Ryott (Ferelden)

Wheat

Durum Wheat (Rivain)

Whole Grains

Mushrooms

Deep Mushroom

Field Mushroom

Unspecified Fungus - Used to brew Dwarven ale.

Truffle

Unnamed Glowing Fungus

Wild Mushroom

Vegetables and Legumes

Beans

Bush Beans (Free Marches)

Green Beans (Orlais)

Pale Beans (Orlais)

White Beans (Orlais)

Beet

Cabbage

Carrot

Purple Carrot (Orlais)

White Carrot (Orlais)

Celery

Chickpea (Rivain)

Chive

Corn

Checkered Corn

Golden Corn (Orlais)

Yellow Corn

Cucumber

Eggplant (Antiva, Ferelden)

Fennel (Orlais)

Leek

Lentils

Lettuce

Mustard

Onion

Red Onion (Orlais)

Sweet Onion (Orlais)

White Onion

Pea

Peanut (Antiva, Seheron)

Pepper

Antivan Pepper

Green Pepper

Hot Pepper

Hot Red Pepper

Red Bell Pepper (Rivain)

Sweet Pepper (Orlais)

Potato

Radish

Daikon Radish (Ferelden)

Rhubarb (Ferelden)

Spinach

Squash

Marrow Squash

Pumpkin

String Squash

Tomato

Turnip - aka navet

Turnip Greens

Wild Greens

Yams (Ferelden)

Animal Products

Dairy

Cream

Heavy Cream

Milk

Cow Milk

Goat Milk

Halla Milk

Ram Milk

Soured Milk

Eggs

Caviar

Chicken Egg

Fish and Seafood

Carp

Cod

Crab

Cuttlefish

Eel

Krone

Lamprey

Mackerel

Mussel

Oyster

Prawn

River Herring

Shrimp

Sunfish

Trout

Whitebait

Insects

Cave Beetle (Dwarven)

Giant Spider (Dwarven)

Scorpion

Snail (Avvar)

Wood-burrowing beetle larvae (Dalish)

Meats

Beef

Ox

Ox-tongue

Veal

Boar

Bronto (Orzammar)

Cat - mentioned to be eaten in Orlesian alienages by those most desperate (City Elves of Orlais)

Dog - mentioned to be eaten in Orlesian alienages by those most desperate (City Elves of Orlais)

Druffalo

Giant (Tevinter)

Goat

Gurn

Halla

Hare

Hart

Horse

Liver - General name given, animal isn’t specified.

Nug

Pork

Pig’s Feet

Pork Hocks

Pork Saddle

Rabbit

Ram

Rat - mentioned to be eaten in alienages by those most desperate (City Elves of Anderfels, Ferelden)

Sheep

Lamb

Mutton

Venison

Wandering Hills (Anderfels)

Poultry and Reptiles

Bunting

Chicken

Poussin (Chasind)

Deepstalker (Dwarven)

Dove

Dracolisk (Tevinter)

Dragon (Nevarra, Orlais)

Duck

Gurgut (Avvar)

Lurker (Avvar)

Partridge

Pheasant

Phoenix

Pigeon

Quail

Quillback

Swan

Turkey

Varghest

Wyvern (Avvar and Orlais)

Misc.

Dragon Blood (Nevarra)

Druffalo Dung

Honey

Honeycomb

Miscellaneous Ingredients

Baking Ingredients

Ash

Elfroot Ash

Hardwood Ash (Dalish)

Baking Powder

Yeast Cake

Salts

Fine-ground Salt

Rock Salt

Sea Salt

Others

Brine

Clay (Avvar)

Pine Pitch (Alamarri)

Herbs and Spices

Herbs

Basil - Mentioned to be grown in Serault, Orlais.

Dried Basil

Bay Leaf

Catsbane

Elfroot

Elfroot Leaves

Royal Elfroot

Lavender (Orlais)

Mint

Anderfels’s Mint

Foxmint

Peppermint

Oregano

Dried Oregano

Parsley

Prophet’s Laurel

Rosemary

Spindleweed

Verdant Spindleweed

Thyme

Spices

Allspice

Anise

Antivan Cord-seed

Cardamom

Cinnamon (Rivain, Seheron)

Clove

Cumin

Cumin Seed

Deep Mushroom Powder (Orlais and Orzammar)

Dill

Dill Seeds

Eastern Spice - Unnamed

Fennel

Fennel Seeds

Garlic

Ginger

Dried Ginger

Hot Pepper Powder

Hot Red Pepper, Crushed

Juniper

Licorice

Mace

Mustard

Mustard Powder

Mustard Seeds

Nutmeg (Seheron)

Grated Nutmeg

Ground Nutmeg

Pepper

Black Pepper

Peppercorn

Black Peppercorn

Poppyseed

Saffron

Spice Ball - A variety of mixed spices wrapped in a cheesecloth

Star Anise

Vanilla (Rivain)

Sources:

(If you want to find the direct links or page numbers, check out the Wiki's Food and Ingredients page.)

Primary Sources:

Dragon Age: Origins (Base and DLCs) Dragon Age: Awakening Dragon Age 2 (Base and DLCs) Dragon Age: The Last Court Dragon Age: Inquisition (DLCs + Multiplayer)

Books:

Dragon Age Tabletop RPG Core Rulebook Dragon Age Tabletop RPG: Blood in Ferelden Dragon Age Tabletop RPG: Game Master’s Kit: Buried Past World of Thedas Vol. 1 World of Thedas Vol. 2 Dragon Age Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne Dragon Age: The Calling Dragon Age: The Masked Empire Dragon Age: Last Flight Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights

Short Stories:

Short Story: Paper and Steel Short Story: Paying the Ferryman

Comics:

Silent Grove Mage Killer Knight Errant Deception

DAO

Codex Entry: Feast Day Fish

Codex Entry: History of Soldier’s Peak: Chapter 3

Codex Entry: In Praise of the Humble Nug

Codex Entry:A Tattered Shopping List

Item: Abyssal Peach

Item: Brandy

Item: Carnal, 8:69 Blessed

Item: Mosswine

Item: Rare Antivan Brandy (Gift)

Item: Sugar Cake

Item: Sun Blonde Vint-1

Item: West Hill Brandy

DAII

Item: Dragon’s Blood

DAI

Codex Entry: On Avvar Cuisine

Codex Entry: Bottles of Thedas

Codex Entry: The City of Starkhaven

Codex Entry: La Pomme Vie et More

Codex Entry: Mad Emperor Reville

Codex Entry: Plant vs. Corpses

Codex Entry: Ram

Codex Entry: A Scholar’s Journal

Codex Entry: Spindleweed

Codex Entry: Surviving the Western Approach

Codex Entry: Waterlogged Diary

Item: Wedge of Destiny

Note: Betta’s Travel Journal

Note: The Gilded Horn’s Drink List

Note: Knight-Captain’s Orders

Note: A Note from the Skyhold Kitchen

Note: The Rusted Horn’s Menu

Note: Scribbled Note

Wartable Mission: Inspire

Wartable Mission: Plant Crystal in Venatori Headquarters

Last Court Cards

Atop the Tower of Lights

The Elegant Abbess

Flames of Freedom

The Glassblowers’ Anger

Go Hunting

Good Neighbor

The Next Course

The Purveyors of Tea

Thieves!

An Unofficial Meeting

The Wyvern is Cornered

Wanna support this blog? You can check out my ko-fi.

#dragon age #food lore #plants of thedas #food cw #long post #anderfels #antiva #avvar #chasind #dalish #ferelden #free marches #nevarra #orlais #orzammar #rivain #seheron #tevinter #city elf #qunari #archi is archiving

[old-archivist]

Talking About Plants and Crops In Thedas, How Non-European They Actually Are...

Okay, so yeah. I want to talk about this since I’ve seeing them a lot in the tags and also just in the Dragon Age fandom in general. A few have pointed out that corn (maize) and tomatoes are from the Americas (north and south).

I would like to add that some additional plants from the Americas:

Allspice, potatoes, squash, sunflowers, peanuts, bell peppers, cayenne (Antivan Pepper in Thedas), chili pepper, peppers, passion fruit, black walnut, cocoa/chocolate, vanilla, prickly pear/cactus pear, hawthorn berry, cosmos, marigolds, white water lilies, sweet onion, winterberry, frangipanis, and several types of beans (pinto, black, bush, navy, kidney, scarlet runner, and lima beans to be specific - Thedas is not too specific about beans). Along with several varieties (not all varieties though) of the following are native to the Americas: amaranth, cotton, wisteria, wild rice, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, cranberry, elderberry, raspberry, plum, and cherry.

While collecting the flora and fauna, as well as food, it has become so abundantly clear that not only does Thedas have a whole lot of plants from the Americas but Asia, Africa, and the Middle East as well.  (Before anyone says anything, yes, I am aware the Middle East is already considered part of Asia.)

Asian and Middle Eastern plants:

Radishes (china), rice, jasmine (Himalayas and China), water lilies, wisteria (several varieties), citron, coconut (particularly Indo-Malaya), cucumber (India), dates (Iraq), lettuce (though it was primarily cultivated in Egypt), eggplant (India), figs (Asiatic Turkey and Northern India), oranges, peach, pomegranate, spinach, turnip, bay leaves, ginger, star anise, almonds, cotton (some varieties), lotus (India and China), cardamom (south India), cinnamon, clove, licorice, mace (Indonesia), nutmeg (Indonesia), peppercorn (India), saffron, and the bradford pear.

African plants:

Coffee, acacia, melons, calla lilies, cotton (some varieties), and mustard.

I cannot stress enough how non-European centric Thedas is in regards to the plants and by extension the food they could end up creating. I really look forward to seeing it more in future installments of media as we’ve started seeing. But it has always boggled my mind when we see how European-centric the Free Marches are. I feel like they should be more of a blend of Antiva, Nevarra, Tevinter, and Southern Thedas/Orlais in the various city states instead of the staunch European foods we see. I would love to include Rivain, but we don’t really know the trade relationship Rivain has with the other countries outside of Varric’s beet plantation.

That said, I am in no way saying Thedas isn’t built off of the idea of a fantasy Europe, especially when they have fantasy French, Welsh accents, and a fantasy Italy that has the flavoring of Spanish accents and some words. But I find it so odd (I say odd but I mean boring and predictable) that they predominantly stuck with mostly US, Britain, French, and a sprinkling of Scandinavian, Italian, and German food in southern Thedas. So... I’ve branched out a lot to include other cuisines based on cultures that share similar climates, and I’m excited to share that with all of you later this week. I’m also going to make a master list of flora and fauna so it’s somewhere outside of the wiki Fauna and Flora page.

#Plants of Thedas #Foods of Thedas #Thedosian flora #Archi is yelling #Thedas meta #plant meta #Yeah I sourced the plants #I think about the natural world a lot as well as how their food stuffs don't reflect in the known foods.

[lavellander]

💫SKYHOLD SCHOLARS COMEBACK TOUR💫 part two: dareen & elan 🪴

#remembering the time I took an entire day trying to figure out herbalism in thedas #as it turns out there is zero rhyme or reason to which plants make what and i kind of had to start from scratch #but it still kicked ass #I love u dareen my tempest queen #dareen adaar #elan ve’mal #skyhold scholars #my art #ok edit before someone comes for me #there is like. 3% rhyme or reason #you are welcome to look at my Google doc about it if you disagree dkdjskhd

[dalishious]

Beginner’s Lore Guide to Possession

Possession is when a spirit/demon from the Fade enters the waking world through inhabiting a host.

Why do spirits/demons want to possess people?

According to the Chantry, spirits/demons are jealous of mortals for being the favoured children of the Maker, and crave life’s experiences. This may be at least to some degree true, as Kitty, a desire demon in the Dragon Age: Origins DLC “The Stone Prisoner”, says she wants to experience the mortal realm through mortal eyes.

Can only mages be possessed?

It is true that mages are more vulnerable to becoming possessed—theorized that due to their innate connection to the Fade, they are a juicier target for demons. However, anyone and anything is capable of being possessed by a spirit/demon. It is only a common misconception among Thedas that mages are uniquely susceptible. Living people who become possessed are referred to as abominations.

Examples of non-mage people and possession:

In Dragon Age: Origins, Uldred will say he plans for any PC, mage or not-mage, to forcefully put a demon inside them, during the quest “The Broken Circle”

In Dragon Age II, Wilmod, a templar recruit, is possessed by a demon that was forcefully put inside him during the quest “Enemies Among Us”

In Dragon Age: Inquisition, the PC becomes briefly possessed by an Envy demon looking to study them during the quest “Champions of the Just”

Most cases above were through the use of blood magic, and all against the actual host’s will.

Animals and plants can become possessed by spirits/demons as well:

Kitty in the Dragon Age: Origins DLC “The Stone Prisoner” is actually a desire demon

Sylvans are the result of spirits/demons possessing trees

Lord Woolsley in Dragon Age: Inquisition’s quest “The Ballad of Lord Woolsley” is actually a rage demon

Even inanimate objects can become hosts to spirits/demons if drawn into them by a mage—this is what spellbinders do, then channel said objects for power.

Does becoming tranquil make you immune to possession?

The Rite of Tranquility severs one’s connection from the Fade, making possession less likely. It does not, however, make one completely immune. This is proven by Pharamond, a tranquil mage in Dragon Age: Asunder, becoming possessed.

Can only living creatures be possessed?

Walking corpses are the result of spirits possessing the body of a deceased person. This is purposely done in Nevarra as part of their culture; the Mortalitasi mages perform a ritual to draw a spirit into the deceased’s body as part of funerary rites. But it can also unintentionally happen, making it a practical choice in most cultures to cremate their dead.

In some cases, a spirit possessing a corpse can maintain some semblance of itself: for example, Justice in Dragon Age: Origins’s expansion “Awakening”. And in other cases, the spirit may take on the identity of the deceased: for example, Audric in the Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights story “Down Among the Dead Men”. But mostly, spirits who possess corpses are just confused, and can become aggressive.

Among walking corpses are uniquely classified “arcane horrors”, which are the result of pride demons (considered the most powerful demon) taking control of mage corpses. They maintain all the spellcasting abilities of a living mage.

Is possession always malicious?

While the most common form of possession is from a demon seeking power in the waking world, it is not always the case. There at least three examples of spirits taking possession of a host for benevolent reasons:

In Dragon Age: Origins, Wynne reveals that she is hosting a spirit of faith that is keeping her alive after a deadly encounter during Uldred’s uprising

In Dragon Age II, Anders reveals that he is hosting a spirit of Justice that he befriended in the “Awakening” expansion of Dragon Age: Origins—a deal the two made to fight for mage freedoms*

In Dragon Age: Asunder, Wynne passes on her spirit of faith into Evangeline, to save Evangeline’s life as it once did hers

*It should be noted though, that Anders believes that because of his rage, the spirit of Justice transformed into a demon of Vengeance in the possession process. Still, the act itself was not one out of ill intent, and Wynne and Evangeline’s cases prove that this is not always the result.

Are abominations always monstrous looking?

Most abominations encountered appear monstrous and disfigured. They are described in one codex entry as “looking as if a demon were wearing a man like a twisted suit of skin”.

Dragon Age: The Calling describes Fiona becoming possessed as the following:

“The elf threw back her head and let out a horrible, keening wail. Her entire body tensed, her hands flying out at her sides. Her skin became a pale white, and then began to change. It bulged, and twisted. Her body grew, and took on a hideous form, her head becoming something gnarled and fanged even as she shrieked in torment. And then the transformation was done. A demonic abomination now stood where Fiona once had, a thing of rent flesh and claws, its gender no longer even apparent. The thing’s eyes glowed with menace.”

Additionally, Dragon Age: Asunder describes possessed Pharamond thus so:

“He looked misshapen, his flesh hideously twisted across his frame. His arms were too long and thin, his fingers ending in talons, his lips pulled back from his teeth in a disturbing grimace.”

This is not always the case, though:

Wynne maintains her human form, possessed by a spirit of faith

Connor maintains his human form, possessed by a desire demon

Anders maintains his human form, possessed by a spirit/demon of justice/vengeance

Wilmod maintains his human form, possessed by a demon

Evangeline maintains her human form, possessed by a spirit of faith

Mihris maintains her elf form, possessed by Imshael, an ancient desire demon (one of The Forbidden Ones)

What determines if this physical transformation takes place or not is unknown.

What happens to a spirit/demon if its host dies?

There is conflicting information about what happens to a spirit/demon after its host is killed. Marethari in Dragon Age II claims that killing her will kill the pride demon she took inside of her. The narrative certainly treats this as true, though it is possible she didn’t know what she was really talking about. Because according to Anders in the same game, killing him would set Justice free back into the Fade. This is the case in the Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights story “Hunger”, where the main characters think they have killed the hunger demon attacking them, but in truth have only banished it. Given the later scenario outnumbers the former, I think it’s safe to assume that the spirit/demon is released from the host after the host dies, until concretely proven otherwise.

Can possession be reversed?

Morrigan explains that the process to reverse possession is not an easy one, but entirely possible. There are known cases of it:

Fiona in Dragon Age: The Calling is possessed by a demon, while the others in the party are sucked into Fade dreams as well. After Maric breaks out of his dream sequence with the help of a friendly spirit, he and the rest of the party defeat the demon, freeing Fiona. (Although it was ultimately Fiona who defeated the demon and freed herself)

Connor in the Dragon Age: Origins quest “The Arl of Redcliffe” is possessed by a desire demon, and the PC may choose to save him by going into the Fade and defeating the demon there, freeing him. This can be done using lots of lyrium and a group of mages, or by one mage (Jowan) using blood magic

Pharamond in Dragon Age: Asunder is possessed by a pride demon. The party performs the same ritual used on Connor and frees him, which also cures him of tranquility

Dragon Age: Asunder clarifies that you need at least three mages to perform the Circle’s known ritual of de-possession.

This is all contrary to what is said by Vivienne and Cassandra in Dragon Age: Inquisition, who you would think know otherwise, though. But hey, so are so many things.

SOURCES

Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age II

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dragon Age: Asunder

Dragon Age: The Masked Empire

Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights

Dragon Age: The World of Thedas vol. 1

Codex entry: Demonic Possession (DA:O)

Codex entry: Abomination (DA:O)

Codex entry: Wild Sylvan (DA:O)

Codex entry: Arcane Horror (DA:O)

Codex entry: Corpse (DA:O)

Codex entry: Spellbinder (DA:I)

Dialogue with Wynne about her spirit of faith (DA:O)

Dialogue with Morrigan about possession (DA:O)

Dialogue with Kitty about wanting to possess Amalia (DA:O)

Dialogue with Anders about Justice (DA:2)

Dialogue with Marethari about Audacity (DA:2)

Dialogue with Solas about spirits/demons and possession (DA:I)

-----

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#dragon age #da lore #possession #meta

[anneapocalypse]

Meredith's Mistakes: A Study in Power

The full-scale rebellion of mages across Thedas against the Circle system of the Andrastian Chantry officially begins in 9:40 Dragon, with the uprising at the White Spire and a vote by the College of Enchanters to separate from the Chantry. But the seeds of the rebellion are planted years earlier in Kirkwall, where the extreme Circle policies of Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard lead to the destruction of the city’s Chantry by apostate mage activist Anders.

Knight-Commander Meredith’s reign of terror over her Circle and over Kirkwall itself is abruptly ended during her battle with Hawke when the sword forged from a red lyrium idol found in the Deep Roads corrupts her totally, turning her to a frozen lyrium statue herself (though as we have more recently learned, it did not destroy her completely). This was catalyzed by the destruction of the Chantry, Meredith’s invocation of the Right of Annulment, and the mages’ subsequent resistance. But had all that not happened the way it did, I believe that an end to Meredith’s rule had already become inevitable. The Knight-Commander makes several grave mistakes in maintaining her power, some of which begin years before she acquires the idol, but are dramatically escalated by her exposure to red lyrium.

And it’s because of those mistakes that the mage rebellion truly has its roots in Kirkwall.

Circle Dispensation

Throughout the Dragon Age universe we meet mages like Wilhelm Sulzbacher, Ines Arancia, Severan, Vivienne, Finn, and Wynne: Circle mages given special dispensation to travel, work, and even live outside the Circle proper.

This privilege proves to be a highly effective tool of Circle control, and a critical part of the Chantry's strategy for keep mages contained.

Prior to the the destruction of the Kirkwall Chantry, it seems that this sort of thing is quite commonplace in most Circles. Not for most mages, of course. But for well-established Enchanters who have proven their magical competency, and most importantly their loyalty, certain privileges may be afforded. Thus, compliance is incentivized for any mages who might aspire to some limited but additional freedoms and are willing to toe the line to get them.

In most cases, these mages are still denied the rights of non-mages: to own property, to hold a title, to marry and raise a family. (Wilhelm is a notable exception to the latter, but this seems rare.) But a mage like Ines Arancia might be afforded the opportunity for field research and publication. A mage like Wynne or Finn might gain the prestige of traveling at the side of a hero. And a mage of ambition such as Severan, Wilhelm, or Vivienne might even attain the title of Court Enchanter, serving at the side of a King or an Empress (even if the title is in many cases purely ceremonial) and mingling with the court.

Here's a basic principle that is critical to understanding politics, real or fictional: most people are primarily concerned with the material wellbeing of themselves and their immediate loved ones. Many people will engage in various forms of activism in the hopes of improving conditions for themselves and others, but truly revolutionary activity is an extremely unappealing prospect for the average person most of the time. And it's not because they're callous or apathetic. It's because they have too much to lose. Revolution is bloody and horrific and sometimes necessary, but there are always heavy costs to be weighed against the potential (and by no means guaranteed) gains.

It is no accident that of the mages we meet and get to know personally, the ones with the most to say in support of the Circle are also the ones who have gained significant privileges within that system—and who therefore have the most to lose from an attempted rebellion which may not succeed. I have written before about the conversation between Wynne and the Warden in Awakening, in which Wynne expresses concerns about the College of Enchanters potentially voting to break away from the Circle. "The mages will never be free," she says. "The Chantry would never allow it. Our only hope for survival is to show them we can be trusted."

Notably, at this point in time, even Anders will agree that this is "madness" and "a recipe for disaster." Why would Anders, of all people, say this, given how adamant he is about his own freedom? Awakening Anders sums up what he wants out of life pretty well when he says, "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." He's being glib here, of course, and there's probably a lot more going on under the surface (we're given to understand later that Anders has always had a lot of anger at the Circle), but I do think it's accurate to say that at the moment he's mainly concerned with maintaining his own freedom. And while he and Wynne have very different opinions of the Circle generally, I think Anders doesn't at this time relish the thought of a full-scale war, with Templars roaming the land hunting renegade mages. You can see how that might actually make it harder for him to fly under the radar as an apostate.

Nearly a decade later, Vivienne will express her own opinions on the mage rebellion that is already well underway, calling it "A failure of perspective that infected Circle leadership." Unlike Wynne, Vivienne's objections are less about the unstoppable power of the Chantry and more about the attitudes the general population holds toward magic. "Kirkwall gave the world a reason to remember its fear of magic," she says. "A mage killed hundreds with a snap of their fingers. …By voting when they did, my colleagues all but declared war upon the ordinary people of Thedas, a war in which we are outnumbered a hundred to one." Vivienne's argument (if you take it at face value) is that the rebellion was poorly timed and generally unwise. "By all means, protest abuses by templars," she says. "Just don't do it in a way that suggests mages support wholesale murder."

Notice that Wynne does not say that mages shouldn't be free but that they won't be free. She does not say that bowing to Chantry oversight is the right thing to do but that it is mages' only hope for survival. Vivienne's objection (as stated, anyway; Vivienne’s motives are complicated and another post for another day) is not that the vote for independence supported murder but that it appeared to support murder. In these conversations, the argument is never really that mage rebellion is immoral, but that it is unwise, impolitic, bad optics, bad public relations, not smart.

A point on which even Anders once agreed.

And why would a full-scale mage rebellion look like the best option to Wynne and to Vivienne—to mages who have spent years and decades working to gain the respect and trust required to be granted the maximum amount of lenience the Circle allows? Why would they throw away what they have gained for a war they don't believe they can win?

If enough mages believe that compliance is a more reliable strategy than resistance, you won’t get the critical mass for a rebellion.

But even Wynne fights back when the Right of Annulment is invoked upon her Circle.

One of the most foolish things a ruler can do in terms of maintaining their own power is to allow conditions to deteriorate to the point where their subjects feel they have little or nothing left to lose. And that's exactly what happens in Kirkwall.

This is Knight-Commander Meredith's first mistake: she fails to positively reinforce compliance.

We get the sense that the Gallows was always a strict Circle. There's talk of the Knight-Commander's severity when Hawke first arrives, long before Meredith gets her hands on red lyrium. The kind of special dispensation that Wynne and Finn enjoy from the Fereldan Circle is likely far less common here.

There is some evidence that such things occur under Meredith, even post-lyrium-sword, however rare it may have been. Notably, if Bethany Hawke goes to the Circle, she is given permission to go with Hawke to the Vimmark Mountains, and to Chateau Haine. In terms of game mechanics, this is obviously done so that the player can have a bit more time with their sibling as a companion, and for the Legacy DLC specifically, the Carta has actually been breaking into the Circle trying to capture Bethany, so it does make some sense that Meredith would want that dealt with, enough to let Bethany go with Hawke to deal with it.

But Chateau Haine is purely a pleasure trip, and Bethany is still allowed not only to leave the Gallows, but to travel outside Kirkwall with her sibling. It would be very easy for her to run away if she chose, and she would have a solid head start on the templars pursuing her. Bethany has demonstrated herself a loyal Circle mage at this point, with no intention of escaping, but I think that's not all that's going on here.

Let's talk about Emile de Launcet.

In Act III, Hawke is given the task—or has their arm twisted, depending on how you're playing—of tracking down three runaway mages. The first two, Huon and Evelina, are a blood mage and an abomination respectively and attack, leaving Hawke no choice but to kill them. The third, however, is a man named Emile de Launcet, who reveals that having been in the Circle since he was six years old, he simply wanted to live a little. He also reveals that he himself spread the rumor that he is a blood mage, hoping that it would make him seem "dangerous" and therefore more attractive to women.

It's easy to write off Emile as simply a fool, but I think there's more going on here.

How does a man who has spent almost his entire life in the Gallows, who is well-acquainted with the Knight-Commander's policies, think that telling people he's a blood mage is a good idea? In Act III? By this point in the game, it is well known that Meredith is accusing anyone who sneezes of being a maleficar; most of the Circle mages live in terror of just such an accusation. What in the Maker's name could possibly make this man believe that labeling himself a blood mage wouldn't get him killed, or made Tranquil, never mind caught?

Unless Emile de Launcet, the son of rich Orlesian expats (the Comte and Comtess Guillaume and Dulci de Launcet) has always received more leniency in the Circle than the average mage.

Bethany Hawke, daughter of Lady Leandra Amell who has come home to reclaim her family estate, sister of the Champion who saved Kirkwall from Qunari invasion, seems to quickly decide that life in the Circle isn't so bad. Undoubtedly, a large amount of Bethany's relief is she doesn't have to hide anymore and be constantly protected by everyone around her, and she appreciates the opportunity to be around other mages. But she also says in party banter that "The idea of the Circle is much more terrifying than the reality of it." She frustrates Anders with her acceptance of her new life, and judging by Ella's words, Bethany seems to encourage the apprentices she mentors to accept theirs as well.

Bethany and Emile's experiences with the Circle do not fully reflect what we know of the Gallows, and I think that's because they're both from noble families. This is important for other reasons too, and we'll come back to it.

But for now, what's worth noting is that the only examples we have of Meredith's leniency are for political expediency and accidents of birth rather than actively rewarding compliance.

I think it’s safe to say that even before things escalate to all mages confined to their quarters, not a lot of mages in the Kirkwall Circle are going out on leave for botanical studies. But as her paranoia deepens due to her exposure to red lyrium, as she begins to see blood magic and demons around every corner and in every person, Meredith stops rewarding compliance at all. There are no “good mages” and “bad mages”; there are only mages, not a one of whom can be trusted. Fewer and fewer privileges are afford to any mages in the Gallows, until eventually it is clear that all mages will be punished simply for being mages. There is no incentive for "good" behavior.

That's how you brew a rebellion, kids!

And when she invokes the Right of Annulment, not one of those mages has anything left to lose.

I am far from the first person to point out that Anders spends his first seven years in Kirkwall attempting to change things for the mages by relatively nonviolent means. He wins massive goodwill from Kirkwall’s lower classes with his medical clinic in Darktown. He appeals to the upper classes the only way he can reach them, through his impassioned writings on mage freedom. (And the upper class is a critical piece of the puzzle here, but we’ll come back to that.) He works with an organized Mage Underground to rescue as many individual mages from the Circle as possible.

But by Act III, the Mage Underground has been completely dismantled, and ambient dialogue in the Gallows tells us that Meredith has confined all mages to their quarters and has already sent for the Right of Annulment, well before Anders takes his final action. She has yet to actually receive permission, and we cannot know whether she actually would have, but given that Divine Justinia has already threatened an Exalted March on Kirkwall through her Left Hand, it doesn't seem out of the question that Meredith's request would be granted so long as she provided the Divine with a plausible excuse. It is also very possible that in the absence of a reply, Meredith simply would have invented an excuse to invoke the Right without waiting for permission (given that she does exactly that after the Chantry explosion), and it's likely that is exactly what Anders—and every mage in the Circle—fears will happen.

And had that happened, every mage in the Gallows would have been locked in their quarters, alone, when templars came to their door to kill them.

By destroying the Chantry when he does, Anders provokes Meredith to invoke the Right of Annulment without waiting for Chantry permission, but critically he also does so in such a way that the mages have advance warning of their sentence. They have time to gather and organize, to fight back, to allow at least some of them to survive. Anders has broader goals for a mage rebellion, absolutely—goals which may or may not be met. But his immediate goal is to give the mages in the Gallows a chance to survive. And he does succeed in giving them that chance, regardless of what happens after. He also kills hundreds of people, many of them not templars or clerics but simply citizens of Kirkwall caught in the fallout—many of them undoubtedly lower-class citizens of Lowtown, including elves in the alienage. (The collateral damage is canon, and not just per dialogue in Inquisition; you can see flaming debris raining down over the place where Hawke is standing in Lowtown after Anders sets off the explosion, and Lowtown is on fire as you make your way to the docks, so this really isn't a point I'm interested in arguing.)

Whether Anders’ actions are morally justified, what kind of collateral damage is justifiable in the process of liberating an oppressed people, ultimately comes down to a trolley problem; I’m not going to get into that here and I’d appreciate it if people would refrain from having that argument on this post. What I do hope to demonstrate here is that something like what Anders does is the predictable and inevitable outcome of conditions deteriorating and abuses escalating for a subjugated people until there is quite literally nothing left for them to lose.

That is, in my opinion, Meredith's biggest and most obvious mistake. But there are two other failures that contribute to her downfall, and which I believe would eventually have led to her being removed from power.

The Absent Puppet

Following the failed Qunari invasion, Meredith increasingly alienates the nobility of Kirkwall.

There is an excellent post by @mllemaenad analyzing Elthina’s strategy for “mediating” the mage-templar crisis in Kirkwall and maintaining her own power. This post touches on Meredith’s second and third mistakes in several facets and it's also a fantastic analysis of Elthina's character that really helped me to understand her; I'd highly recommend reading it.

I have on occasion sees the nobles' opposition to Meredith read as support for mage freedom. I strongly disagree; that is not what’s going on here. This is apparent if you’ve played both the templar and the mage endings of DA2 and paid attention to the epilogue slides. Hawke can actually become the next viscount of Kirkwall—but only if Hawke sides with the templars.

The nobility on the whole do not want the Circle abolished. They are not interested in opposing the Chantry outright; when Elthina "gently" sends them home after Orsino's speech, they all comply. They were even willing to tolerate blatant Chantry puppet Marlowe Dumar as Viscount. Let's be clear here, the Chantry has ruled Kirkwall in all but name since the deposition of Perrin Threnhold. The nobles know this. (Even the random nobody city guard Hawke speaks to at the beginning of the game knows this; it's the worst-kept secret in Kirkwall.) So long as there is a noble ass on the throne, the Chantry maintains at least the appearance of a "proper" social order, and the nobles are willing to live with that because it does not overly inconvenience their lives, and as established previously, their own mage children will receive some leniency in the otherwise strict Circle.

Meredith openly seizing control of the city is a bridge too far. The Knight-Commander cannot rule the city outright; this is not how things are done. The nobles want to unseat Meredith, but they do not want a rearranging of the social order as they know it. That means a functioning Circle of Magi that keeps the mages contained over there, where they don't have to think about them, and a proper noble ruling the city at least in name. They do not want a coup by an anti-Circle radical. If Hawke fights with the mages, the nobles will not support Hawke as Viscount. But a pro-templar Hawke by the end of the game has accomplished what the nobles want. They have removed Meredith from power, while demonstrating to a city that still fears magic that they will continue to keep mages subjugated.

The Chantry and the nobility are always deeply intertwined, but the Chantry in Kirkwall has a particular stranglehold on the city’s civil government, more so than in other nations. That the nobility have been pushed to the point of opposing Meredith at all speaks to how gravely she has fucked up.

Chantry Authority

And finally, as MlleMaenad aptly explains in the post linked above, Meredith has alienated her superior in the Chantry, Grand Cleric Elthina—in part because she has stopped playing the game they both once implicitly agreed to. Her abuses of power have become too public. She has agitated the mages to the point that her First Enchanter is out protesting in the streets. In Hightown. She has alienated the nobility and turned public opinion against her. And that makes the Chantry look bad in turn. It makes Elthina look bad. If nothing else, it makes Elthina look like she (and by extension the Chantry) no longer has control over the Circle, and that’s a big problem. Elthina deftly distracts everyone from this problem by pretending to be a third-party mediator between the mages and templars instead of the person holding jurisdiction over all of them. But the conflict spilling into the streets of Hightown is a big problem for her.

As detailed by MlleMaenad, Elthina has no problem with what Meredith has been doing to the mages. She does have a problem with Meredith ranting and raving about how mages should be made an example in public, in front of the nobility—some of whom have family members in the Circle. (Again, this is why Hawke meeting Emile de Launcet is so important. This is why you have to talk to his parents, so that there can be no mistake about who he is.)

My one quibble with the excellent post linked above (and it’s largely a semantic quibble and not a practical one) is the statement that Elthina has no morals. I would argue that from Elthina’s perspective she has a very strong moral code—one that demands she defend the authority of the Chantry against all threats and at any cost, including the cost of her own life. Which is exactly what she does.

Multiple times, Elthina can be warned of the danger to her life if she stays in Kirkwall (once in Sebastian’s DLC sidequest “Faith,” and once if Hawke chooses to warn her about whatever Anders is planning). In both cases, she refuses to leave. “I am Grand Cleric,” she says. “Who would dare attack me?”

It’s easy to look at Elthina as simply overconfident, and I certainly agree that there’s an arrogance to her personality and the way she handles things in Kirkwall. But I’m not actually sure that her death is a political failure. I don’t mean that she wants to die, or that somehow she plans to. But to leave Kirkwall to protect herself would show weakness—not only in herself as an individual, but in the institution she represents. In refusing to flee from danger, and in dying for that decision, Elthina makes herself a martyr for the faithful. And in doing so, she probably sways a few people who might have at least sympathized with the mages to oppose the rebellion more harshly than they might otherwise have done.

That death, that martyrdom, serves as a pretty effective distraction from the fact that Meredith, whose actions made something like Anders’ actions inevitable, is Elthina’s problem to begin with. Indirectly, Meredith has become a threat to the Chantry’s power over Kirkwall, and she cannot be easily replaced without a tacit admission that Elthina has already failed to maintain control of her own Knight-Commander. If Elthina’s end goal is to maintain the power of the Chantry over Kirkwall at any cost, standing her ground to the point of martyrdom isn’t a bad gambit. It’s bad for Elthina herself, of course, but for the Chantry? Grief over her loss brings sympathy for her side and aid from Starkhaven by Sebastian’s hand, thus maintaining a Chantry presence in Kirkwall after the disaster and reinforcing the very useful image of the Chantry as a charitable organization, cruelly destroyed by a madman.

That’s a powerful narrative, and Elthina’s choices help create it.

But it only becomes necessary in the first place because Meredith, after years of success, is failing to maintain her power—in part, thanks to the arrival of an outside variable that no one could have foreseen, the red lyrium that pushed her existing paranoia to the breaking point.

Had Anders not destroyed the Chantry, the Meredith Problem would only have continued to escalate. At some point Elthina would have had no choice but to remove her from power, because the damage to Chantry authority of allowing her to continue would outweigh the damage of removing her. There are conceivably ways Elthina could go about this indirectly, giving the appearance that the Knight-Commander had been killed by a rebellious noble or even a blood mage, thereby avoiding any official admission of failure by the Chantry. Her priority would not be to replace Meredith with someone more lenient, but rather with someone able and willing to play the game, the same one she and Meredith played so well together before Meredith went off the rails. Keep the nobility complacent and the underclasses powerless. Maintain the balance. Protect the Chantry’s authority at all costs.

It would likely be quite troublesome to arrange, and Elthina thus far has been loathe to do it, but I don’t doubt that she would do it if she had no choice. And given what we have seen of Divine Justina and how she operates (see also: @v-arbellanaris’s excellent meta series on Justinia and particularly part 3) I feel confident saying that Justinia’s message to Elthina in “Faith” is both a warning and a threat: Get your city and your Circle under control or I will do it for you.

I also think that Sebastian, whose entire character exists at the intersection of Chantry and noble politics, realizes this, hence his urging Hawke to downplay the situation in Kirkwall to convince the Divine that her intervention is not necessary. For all Sebastian’s faults, at this point in his arc he really is concerned with preventing needless bloodshed, but he also cares very much about Elthina, whom he sees as kind of a mother figure. Sebastian is no fool; he can read between the lines and understand that if Justinia feels compelled to intervene against Elthina’s wishes, there will be no protection for Elthina.

Justinia’s suggestion that Elthina leave Kirkwall isn’t simply concern for her life should open war break out in the city; it’s also giving her a kind of third option, an "out”: if Elthina leaves Kirkwall of her own free will, she is signaling to the Divine that she does not have things under control and is willingly accepting Justinia’s intervention. This will irreparably damage Elthina’s reputation politically but it might save her life. In refusing to leave, Elthina is also declaring to her superior, “Your intervention is not necessary. I have this under control.”

She does not have it under control, and at some point she’s going to have to deal with that. As she answers to the Divine, Meredith answers to her. Elthina will not maintain her own power if she cannot maintain control of those under her and keep the support of those above her. Meredith is in the same position, just one step down. Neither of them are actually succeeding. This wing of the house of cards is set to collapse, one way or another. (And it’s arguable that Justinia isn’t actually succeeding either, but that is, again, another post.) All that remains to be seen is who will survive the collapse.

Conclusions

This is why Knight-Commander Meredith's actions lead to Kirkwall being the first Circle to fall. She fails to reward compliance and allows conditions to deteriorate too far; she oversteps her bounds and alienates the nobility; and she is even beginning to run afoul of Chantry authority itself. By Act III, Meredith’s regime is doomed.

Which is not to say that I think a mage rebellion actually getting off the ground is inevitable. On the contrary—even given Meredith’s downfall, things could have gone very differently had certain characters acted differently at various points. Had Elthina actually chosen to leave Kirkwall, tacitly inviting an Exalted March on the city, I think things would have gone very differently. Had the conspiring nobles managed to remove Meredith from power before things came to head as they did, things might have gone very differently. And had Anders not chosen that desperate yet still strategic moment to attack the Chantry, thus setting off not only the Kirkwall annulment and rebellion, and subsequently the locking down of Circles all over Thedas, thus pushing more and more mages toward open defiance, things might have gone very differently. Had Justinia herself taken different actions, not taken others, responded differently to the escalating tensions, things might have gone very differently.

Meredith’s actions, however, make some kind of dramatic shake-up of Chantry power inevitable. I think it’s even possible to see this collapse as the long-term result of previous Divine Beatrix III overstepping her bounds, upsetting the careful political balance between Chantry and nobility when she effectively engineered a Chantry takeover of a major city-state; that situation was likely unsustainable in the long term, and we are now seeing the fallout of it. What form this inevitable shake-up takes, and its ultimate outcome, depends on the actions of many other characters.

So why write all of this? Because I think Meredith’s rule and her downfall is a fascinating study in power. Beneath the fantasy elements, there’s an understanding in her narrative of how tyrants and autocrats rule, how they maintain power and also how they lose it. And these stories about power and power dynamics are some of my favorite elements of the Dragon Age series.

The same principles also apply to various other rulers in Dragon Age… but that’s another post for another day.

#meredith stannard #elthina #dragon age meta #dragon age 2 #justinia v #dorothea #dragon age #blunders of thedas #knight commander meredith #grand cleric elthina #divine justinia #chantry explosion #chantry politics #thedas politics

[shivunin]

Petal-Crowned

Borrowing the lovely @greypetrel's Aisling for this piece! I adore Arja and Aisling both and I also think they would be good friends and good for each other. When I saw her absolutely gorgeous piece of Elowen and Aisling, I couldn't help but want to write a piece to fit it. So---here is my contribution. Thank you, as always, for your friendship and for letting me borrow your baby!

(Recommended listening)

(Elowen & Aisling Lavellan | 874 Words | No Warnings)

"yet here’s eglantine, Here’s ivy!— take them, as I used to do Thy flowers, and keep them where they shall not pine. Instruct thine eyes to keep their colours true, And tell thy soul, their roots are left in mine." ---Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Sonnets from the Portuguese 44..."

The sun was warm, the air was sweet, and half the meadow’s flowers clung to Elowen’s hair. She felt as if she was half-dreaming here amongst the soft grasses and bright colors of this glade, but she knew that she was not. Perhaps the beauty of this place only felt dream-like because things had been so miserable for so long that beautiful and nice things must feel, by some token, somewhat dream-like.

Thoughts better not to dwell on, she supposed.

“When do you think the others are coming back?” she called to Aisling, who was wandering some distance away, judging by the rustling of her feet through the flowers. 

“Hmmm,” Aisling said. “I’m not sure. But look!”

Elowen looked, fingers still busy on the twined flowers in her lap. Triumphant, Aisling held an elfroot plant in the air, dark earth still clinging to its roots. 

“I’m going to bring it back to Skyhold,” she announced, beaming at the slender stalk. “I know just where to plant it.”

“It’s perfect,” Elowen agreed, taking in the slight woodiness of the stem, the healthy green of the leaves. It was easy to plant elfroot seeds, but much more difficult to transplant an existing specimen. For all that it seemed to grow all over Thedas, the plant did not take well to being uprooted. 

If anyone could coax it to take to a new home, Elowen was certain it would be Aisling. 

“Do you want any more of this or should I put it away?” she asked while her friend carefully bundled the plant away. 

Aisling glanced at the saddle blanket they sat on, which also held the open pack and the scattered remnants of their lunch. The cheese was nestled under an active ice spell (Aisling’s contribution; Elowen had never been good with frost magic) and the bread had been set neatly aside where it could avoid any potential dampness. The remaining fruit, purchased from the nearby and very grateful residents of Crestwood, was nestled in an open satchel. 

“Hmm,” Elowen’s friend said. “We can leave it. There’s time to have more later.”

Elowen made a soft noise of assent and turned back to the half-made chain of flowers in her lap. It took a little deftness to do this without losing anything crucial. Petals wanted badly to fall off once the flower had been plucked, and if she was not careful she would wind up with fingers stained green and a chain of battered stems. 

After a time, Aisling sat behind her, back pressed to Elowen’s. Elowen made little progress, half-dozing in the dappled sunlight, and for once she did not blame herself for it. It would have felt silly to hold herself to such deadlines and pressures here. This place was far too comfortable to bring herself to care. 

“Elowen?” 

“Hm?” she roused slightly, eyes heavy, and almost fell backward when Aisling moved away from her. 

“Here!” Aisling said while Elowen steadied herself, “I picked the ones that seemed to fit. See—the green of the leaves here match your vallaslin precisely.”

It took her a moment to comprehend what was happening, fingers still tangled in the chain she’d begun to weave, the sunlight almost too bright now that she’d opened her eyes again. But—while she had rested, her friend had made something beautiful and bright. It hung from her pale fingers now as Aisling held it out: purple and yellow and white against green leaves that—yes, actually would match Elowen’s vallaslin when they weren’t in direct sunlight. The petals of the pansies looked unimaginably soft, velvet-sheened in the sunlight. Aisling grinned at her, smile just as bright as the sunshine in the meadow.

“I think it suits you,” she said. Elowen smiled as the little crown settled over her head and Aisling leaned forward to kiss her cheek. 

What a gift this was. A gift—to have the easy company of a good friend, to sit in the sunlight and smell the flowers. A gift, to be safe and full and cared for

“Thank you,” she murmured when Aisling rocked back onto her heels. Aisling clapped her hands together, eyes fixed on the ring of flowers atop Elowen’s head. 

“It’s perfect!” she said, grinning. 

Elowen leaned forward and pressed her lips to her friend’s cheek in turn, sun-warm and soft as it was. 

“It is,” she agreed, and turned her attention back to her lap. “Perfect. It’s beautiful work, truly.”

Forget-me-nots still clung softly to her fingers as she wove a lily into its place near the center. What a pleasure it would be to give her friend the joy she’d been given. How remarkable, to offer something simple and good to someone she cared for. 

Behind her, Aisling began to speak again, describing a mishap with her dear horse and a thorny bush. Her voice had a pleasant cadence, rising and falling like a friendly and familiar tune. The bees hummed nearby, drifting from flower to flower. Soft breezes brushed past stems and leaves and bobbing blossoms. Sparse clouds drifted between them and the sun, never obscuring the light for too long. 

Elowen listened and found herself glad beyond measuring to simply be herself at this precise place and time. Smiling faintly at the sound of her friend’s voice, she lifted her fingers and wove on.

#aisling lavellan #elowen lavellan #ockiss24 #oc kiss week #shivunin scrivening #the music recommendation is arja's! it fit so well that i had to borrow it too c:

[elkattacks]

The Bioware gear store put out this mousepad "Thedas Herbology" today and I'm wondering if I missed something.. in the list of herbs is "blighted morel" and "bleeding russula"? What are those??

Are these new herbs to be found in DA4?? And blighted like.. plants are suffering from red lyrium blight maybe?? I have questions!!

#dragon age #dragon age 4 #da4

[transandersrights]

Would love to see some m!Lavellan x Dorian with the prompt "It's so easy to forget that there's magic in all of this" -Sleeping at Last, Body

(I take prompts! See info here)

Thank you for the prompt to this lovely song! (I wrote most of this p late at night two weeks ago so I don't remember how this premise was linked to the song. It is, though!)

For @dadrunkwriting, 1k of post-canon Pavellan angst into fluff :)

The end of the day rolled around, and Dorian was alone yet again.

It was like that yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that… endless halls of an endless legacy-palace-prison, echoes of past crimes baked into the shining bricks that welcomed him home. It would be like that tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that — constraining walls and the same office floor to pace over and over again.

He was tired. He was always tired, at the end of the day, what with the endless wheedling and scheming and all those things he used to think would be so exciting if he actually got to use them for something he believed in. Turned out it was just dangerous, and that wasn’t nearly as thrilling as he used to think it was when his father came home in the rose-tinted robes of boyhood idealism with another tale of an assassin in a covert meeting place.

Dorian could walk through to his library, if he wanted. Ages of history watching him, judging, and a book he could lose himself in if his eyelids weren’t already drooping. If he wanted to walk instead to the garden there were the plants he had to hire a gardener to take care of, roses he chose but had no one to give to.

At least, no one who’d be able to receive them before the flowers shrivelled into nothing. Funny, how long a distance really was. The other side of Thedas was the same as the other side of the city when it came to someone as busy as Ilassan, but endlessly more of a chasm when Dorian just wanted to know what he was doing today rather than three weeks ago.

If he went to the kitchen, he could eat a meal alone, prepared by the chef he hired on the weekends to cook his meals for the week. In the sitting room, he could sit with no one at all, just like he had for the last few months because his friends were usually around for business, not pleasure.

In his office… no. Not so late, with the moon already high in the sky and half the city in bed. There was always work to do — he had to draw a line.

Bed it was. Just like yesterday, the day before, and the day before that. Just like tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. The endless cycle of his life, so rarely interrupted by anything worth noting. The wheel he’d turn for the rest of his life in the hope that someone, at least, was feeling the effects of his hard work.

At least he was tired enough to sleep well. Probably.

So Dorian climbed the lonely stairs, walked the lonely landing, and opened a lonely door to his lonely bedroom and tried, really, not to feel too sorry for himself. He wasn’t good at it, but he had to try. For his—

“Amatus?”

For a fraction of a moment, Dorian was convinced someone had replicated Ilassan’s form in a perfect doppelganger meant to catch him off guard. And then Ilassan smiled, that tiny, wry little thing, and everything else in the world melted away.

“Surprised?” Dorian’s feet moved unbidden towards his voice. His face had to be an absolute picture in that moment. Yes, he certainly was surprised.

“You didn’t say a word!”

Ilassan’s face creased again, and in the lamplight his freckles were as constellations to a sailor, guiding Dorian home again. “I didn’t know when I’d be able to get into the city,” he admitted. He gestured to the pack on the ground, which almost certainly did not contain anything resembling his official credentials as former Inquisitor, one of the most important southern figures in the entire Imperium.

“I could have got you in with a click of my finger,” Dorian pointed out. Ilassan shrugged. He looked good, happier than the last time Dorian saw him. That wasn’t hard, seeing as last time they were parting, and that always… well, it never got any easier.

“And then everyone would know I was here.” Rather than just Dorian. And rather than having all their time to themselves, this would turn into something else entirely. Dorian could understand.

“So you… how did you get in?” Dorian knew that, when it came to the man in front of him, assuming there was anything he couldn’t do was ludicrous. Still, there was always something. Another surprise stacked on top of the near-impossible feat, his brightness so blinding Dorian could almost imagine what dwarves felt, coming to the surface for the first time.

“Oh, you know.” Another shrug. Always the shrug, the nonchalance, like he wasn’t about to say something utterly ridiculous and make Dorian fall in love all over again for the thousandth time. “Climbed over the wall? Disarmed an enchantment. Unlocked the door with your key.”

Unbelievable. Wonderful. And his Ilassan, same as ever. Dorian could only make a noise of exasperated fondness, ripped straight from his heart up through his throat, and jolt towards him like he was no longer in control of his body. “Come here already.”

They always waited to close the distance between them. Dorian didn’t know why; the tradition had developed at some point, over the years, and he’d long since missed exactly when it just became what they did. But now Ilassan launched forward right into his arms, letting Dorian lift him (just a little) and spin him around (not all the way — Dorian had never quite had the upper body strength for that).

“I can’t quite believe you’re here.” He’d thought it would be months before they’d manage to carve time out of their respective schedules to get any time worth having.

Which begged the question: did Dorian have the guts to ask how long he was planning to stay? Would he rather count down the days, or wait until Ilassan felt it wouldn’t be too sad a prospect?

“Well, I am.” Ilassan smiled again, leaning in until their foreheads touched and their lips were only a whisper apart, and Dorian decided he didn’t care.

The night stretched out ahead of him, and he wasn’t alone anymore. Nothing else in the world mattered in that moment.

#dragon age fanfiction #dragon age #pavellan #dai #dorian pavus #da drunk writing circle #ilassan lavellan

[alistairsprayerwarrior]

Dragon Age Fanfic Fun, Part 1: Cook Shops

Edit: I realized, oddly enough, that I wrote this with Haven and Skyhold in mind (in short, DAI - probably because that's what I've been replaying as of late, lmao.) I promise I will get around to including how cook shops would operate in places like Kirkwall or Denerim (basically, urban centers)!

This will be part one of a series that was inspired by this video by the Modern Knight, in which I come up with silly little immersive ideas that one can easily add to their Dragon Age fanfic (or perhaps any medieval-themed fic/story) with the Dragon Age/Thedas setting in mind.

I hope to maybe do a series on this, at the very least for my benefit to reference instead of getting lost and forgotten about in a notebook, lmao. So let's begin, below the cut!

Also mild disclaimer, this is not an end-all-be-all where "OMG WHAT IF THIS ISN'T REALISTIC ENOUGH??" or "ACKTUALLY, MEDIEVAL FOOD SELLERS WOULDn't..." - look, at the end of the day this is just fanfic fodder for you and your blorbos, not a history lesson. I'm bound to make an error in judgment or descriptions, don't come at me with pitchforks. 😔

So you're hanging out in Haven or Skyhold. You're building up the Inquisition from the ground up with allies and defense forces - but also the little people to sell their wares (like our favorite Orlesian merchant, Miss Belle), but what about... Food!? Who's feeding everyone!?

Cook shops!

Or, "medieval fast food." These cook shops would be strategically placed where there would be frequent passers-by, such as next to a market square, or a busy gate entrance, and cooked to eat on the go (rather than cook-to-order.) In short, you see a tasty-ass pie, you buy it, and eat it right then and there.

I can also imagine the types of clientele our varied cook shops might have; you have a wide range of people (and pockets), varying from Templars with their income, refugees who may only be able to afford suspicious cuts of meat, or members of the Chantry with specific food preferences.

What sort of food would a cook shop sell?

This is not an exhaustive list of foods a cook shop would sell in Thedas, but perhaps ideas/suggestions you can quickly use. Otherwise, I'd recommend checking out @exhausted-archivist (formally known as @old-archivist) who will easily have a vast list of Thedosian cookery that will tickle your fancy in their Foods of Thedas Masterpost (it will even specify the region in which certain meals come from!)

Also since Haven and Skyhold are Ferelden-based, keep in mind what types of foods/ingredients will be procured/used in the food being sold. There are of course exceptions, such as Belle who was recruited from Orlais, for example (so there is always the possibility of foods outside of Ferelden cuisine.)

Also, cook shops can serve a specific type of food (rather than being a mobile Walmart of sorts.) Personally, I'd be a fan of Pickled Food Merchant... mmm. Pickles.

Boiled roots

Meat/Fish/Vegetable pies

Porridge

Roasts

Sandwiches

Sausages

Fish wraps

Soups/Stews

Nuts

Dried/Cured fruits or meats

Pickled foods

Hardtack

Rations

Edible plants

Desserts

Cheaper cuts of meat

Fried/Buttered foods

There are also ideas from other historical/modern use of foods:

Perpetual stew

Pagpag (though I see this used in more urban areas, such as Kirkwall's Lowtown)

But what about breads and drinks!?

Typically you would go to a baker for breads, or the tavern for drinks. In short, if you wanted to conjure up a meal, you'd have to likely go to different locales/merchants to pick and choose your foods. I feel like maybe bread could be an exception, since I can't imagine a baker really setting up shop in Haven/Skyhold because, well, baking, but this is all fantasy so you know what, fuck it, add your traveling baker!

Alcoholic drinks, of course, would be reserved for taverns. When it comes to non-alcoholic beverages, I'd still suggest sticking with taverns because they have the facilities for storage (casks, wells, tubs, etc.) But, again, have your own traveling wine seller, you do you boo.

Honestly, I like to imagine Haven or Skyhold being way bigger than portrayed in the game, so perhaps there would be room for a complete bakery (I mean, we've got Herald's Rest in Skyhold, so why not?)

Just, uhhhh, I feel bad for those merchants at Haven. Because, you know. Reasons.

What would a cook shop look like?

Since I imagine a cook shop for organizational establishments like the Inquisition, you won't exactly have people selling food right out of their homes (as was done in medieval times), since Haven or Skyhold aren't exactly "towns."

Instead, temporary stalls, huts, or cabins could be used to open and close up (in short, you won't be finding any glass windows or bars to protect products. Rather, there would be a shutter or board of sorts, that goes over the gap where you see the person cooking, which would be lowered during the day (like a table to display food) and then shut up and bolted when closed. The "ovens, and cooking facilities" are placed at the front so you can see the chef cooking, just like at Subway when you watch people make your little dinky sandwich.

Another alternative, you could simply have someone wandering about with a tray of foods they want to sell and yelling at the people of Haven/Skyhold to eat it (think popcorn, and hot dog sellers at baseball games. :)

When vendors sell their food, they may also yell at passersby to eat their products at certain times of the day

Services

Now this is gonna be fun. You can also have a cook shop that will literally make the food for you if you provide the ingredients (obviously if the merchant has the capability/equipment to do so.) In this case, according to the Modern Knight, ingredients would likely be made into pies or stews (be wary though, as merchants might steal some of the ingredients for themselves. 👀)

Also, how does Haven/Skyhold manage to look so nice when there's waste to be had? There were cesspits or barrels used to take away waste off-site. Also, be wary of hygiene practices; especially when it comes to using spices to cover the taste/look of spoiled food!

Sus Cook Shops

I'll just leave this here, for signs that a cook shop is rather questionable:

Flies

Reheated meats/foods

Foul garnishes

Faking the contents of food (such as using beef and promoting it as venison)

Well, there you have it. A basic gist of cook shops and fast food that you can implement into your DA fic (and maybe even conjure up some OCs!) Feel free to include in the comments/reblogs any other ideas you might have! Thanks for reading!

#ficideas #dragon age fanfiction #ao3

[deedala]

🌿w e e k l y 🍄 t a g 🕯️ w e d n e s d a y🌙

thanks @darlingian for writing this week!! and thanks for tagging me @creepkinginc @energievie @metalheadmickey 💖💖💖

which character from any media would you like to have as a father?: oh hey yeah i am going to have to also say Bob Belcher. He is dad goals.

if money, laws, time, and effort were no object, what animal would you want to have?: im sorry i have a whole entire me and 2 kids to take care of i dont want anything else lmao

what is your Chinese takeout order?: veggie fried rice and veggie egg rolls!

what's your favourite emoji?: omg i dunno uhmmmm 💖 is probably up there!!

would you rather have a library, greenhouse, or home theater in your house?: okay i am a legendary plant killer but i would LOVE to be able to just hang in a greenhouse. thats my vibe. i just cannot be responsible for those plants ok

what childhood tv show do you think of the most fondly?: david the gnome!

what was your tumblr like when you first joined?: for a really long time my tumblr was just my silly little artworks, from like 2011 to late 2014. in 2015 it became more of my dragon age artwork and fandom blog. and then a few years ago i just started reblogging whatever the fuck i wanted. and well now its a whole mess huh. my beloved trash pile.

what clothing style do you love but don't feel compelled to replicate yourself?: cottage core and dark academia

if you were plopped into a fictional world, which one would you know the layout of the best?: Thedas hoo boy

what is your favourite piece of art?: hmmm birth of venus by william-adolphe bouguereau

do you have a water bottle? what does it look like?: aluminum cup with a straw style, its blue and green and has a leaves design on it

what fanfic trope is a quiet fave? uuhhh...i dont know if i have a quiet fav?

do you carry a daily bag? what does it look like? what's the weirdest thing in it?: lately its been an addidas black drawstring bag. i just dug through it and found absolutely nothing un-normal haha?? i guess the most uncommon thing in there might be the epi-pens??

If you had to ship Mickey with another Gallagher, who would it be?: what kind of choice is this?? im going to go ahead and be a cheater and say i BFF ship mickey with debbie

what is a fanfic trope you didn't expect to like and then very much did?: ack...again i dunno?? i just like all the basic things and i dont know enough about the other stuff? maybe i need to try more things that i think sound unfun lol

Do you think s11 Mickey can still carry s11 Ian?: lmao hes so inexplicably swole, yes absolutely

who got custody of the killing bat when they sold the house?: i want debbie to have that, she deserves it.

Okay here's some nuggets who i think might want to play!! @michellemisfit @too-schoolforcool @mickeysgaymom @heymrspatel @gallawitchxx @gardenerian @callivich @juliakayyy @mmmichyyy @jrooc @sam-loves-seb @crossmydna @suzy-queued @tanktopgallavich @lingy910y @transmickey @rereadanon @palepinkgoat @sickness-health-all-that-shit @suchagallabitch @thepupperino @sleepyfacetoughguy @tsuga-of-mars and also you person not tagged you can lie and say i tagged you as always i will corroborate~

#weekly tag wednesday #tag game

[dragonageif]

"How far are you willing to go to keep your oath?"

Set long before the stories of the Hero of Ferelden, the Champion of Kirkwall, and the Herald of Andraste ever took place, there was the Champion of Starkhaven, a veteran of the Fourth Blight, hero to all that lived during the Exalted Age, and many other lofty titles.

However, who were they? How did they rise to power? Where did they come from? Just who was "Rook" truly?

Well, that will be your story to tell.

Exalted Age: Oath is rated 18+ for heavy topics, fantasy violence, language, and suggestive content. Added warnings to be applied in the future.

🐦 DEMO (TBA) 🐦

🐦 FEATURES 🐦

Build your Rook to your liking! Is Rook a human, elf, or dwarf? Are they a warrior, rogue, or mage? If they're a warrior or rogue, do they prefer a sword and shield? Two-handed weapons? Or maybe duel wielding, or even archery? If they're a mage, what school of magic will they focus on? Creation, entropy, primal, or spirit?

Customize your Rook's general appearance, from skin tone, to hair color, style, texture, and shape, eye color, gender, pronouns, etc.!

Choose your Rook's personality and how they react to the characters, with mechanics similar to Dragon Age 2.

Build relationships with your family and companions, do you start on friendly terms, or does a rivalry begin between you?

Start a romance with one of four of your companions if you so choose! Are you smitten by the seafaring elf rogue? Have your heart soar with the dwarven Grey Warden? Feel the magical pull with the qunari mage? Captivated by the lay brother human warrior?

Meet legacy and historical characters from a variety of Dragon Age media, maybe even come across the ancestors of your favorites...

Adopt a mabari! It's not a story in Thedas without your trusty dog by your side.

Become a champion that goes down in history, for better or for worse.

🐦 COMPANIONS 🐦

The older sister: Bluejay. Bluejay has been the protector ever since you became a family many years ago. She's blunt and quiet, often taking the time to gather her thoughts in as little words as possible. With her exceptional fondness for birds, she is the one that gives the affection nicknames to those she cares about. However, she is willing to go to whatever lengths to ensure your family's safety, since isn't that what big sisters are for?

Bluejay is a dwarven female rogue that duel wields daggers. She is an average height for a dwarf, with tanned skin and a solid build, cropped chestnut brown hair, and has dark brown eyes. She also has a fading deep blue casteless brand on her face.

-----

The older brother: Ziv. Ziv is as nervous as they come, but who can blame him as a mage? While very aware of what his magic brings, he's quite proud of it and hopes one day he can use his abilities for good and to help society, instead of being shunned or feared. Though, despite his hope, he strongly prefers being with his plants over others, excluding his family...most of the time.

Ziv is an eleven male mage that opts for freehand magic but uses his staff as a focus when he is able to. He is considerably tall for an elf, with olive skin and a lanky build, he keeps his long black hair tied in a loose braid, and has light green eyes. His hands and arms have nicks, scars, and old burns from his previous magic training attempts.

-----

The mystery: The Battering Ram. "The Battering Ram", or simply "Ram" for short, is a completely unknown entity to everyone around her. No one from the Free Marches to the Anderfels has ever seen, or even heard of a "qunari" before, and Ram isn't the most talkative to share details on the matter or where she comes from. Often times coming as cold and aloof, she is truly simply inexperienced in socializing and finds the company of her books more comforting.

Ram is a female qunari mage that only will freehand magic without the aid of a staff, but will occasionally use her focus. She is average height for a qunari but still towers over everyone else in the group, with slate-grey skin and a well-fit build, she keeps her silver hair short but long enough to hide the nubs where her black horns usually grow to better conceal them under her hood, and has black sclera with golden irises. She has needle hole scars on her lips and scarring on her arms and shoulders from being bound most of her life.

💕 Ram is a LI for all Rooks.

-----

The protector: Sergio. First and foremost, Sergio is a kind-hearted and gentle soul that seeks to help those that are unable to help themselves. As an affirmed rank member of the Chantry, he strives to be a role-model for those around him, including his friends. Still, he understands while trying to maintain the peace is good, not everyone would be so understanding, something he claims, he picked up from his life in Antiva.

Sergio is a male human warrior that uses two-handed weapons and favors his maul. He's an average height for humans, with brown skin, and a hefty, muscular build, he keeps his short black hair cropped, and has hazel eyes. He has several scars on all parts of his body from previous fights and skirmishes.

💕 Sergio is a LI for male and NB Rooks.

-----

The Grey Warden: Ogosa. Ogosa is a punch first, ask questions later type of gal. She leapt directly into becoming a Warden and leaving her casteless life behind the very first chance she got, and never looked back. After undergoing The Joining and impressing her superiors, she was given the honor of becoming a griffon rider and being picked by a young griffon, she affectionately named Brosca. With youth, brashness, and bravery on their side, what's not to love about them?

Ogosa is a female dwarf rogue that is proficient in archery with a custom bow, as she's most often on griffonback. She's an average height for a dwarf, with fair skin and a muscular build, she keeps her medium length bright red hair in tight braids with copper pieces woven in, and has blue eyes. She also has a fading black casteless brand on her face.

💕 Ogosa is a LI for female and NB Rooks.

-----

The sailor: Revas. While hailing from Rivain, Revas regards himself as "an elf of the known world and then some". He regales anyone within earshot of his travels, such has his claims of leading the entire fleet of Antivia just to present the Queen with a flower (and the King, so Revas said, didn't care for floral gifts), or his claim of being the first to ride a dragon, though it was an "unpleasant way to go to Orlais". While it's unknown how true any of his stories, if any are at all, he still maintains they're all real, and why would he lie to such a pretty face?

Revas is a male elf warrior that is proficient in duel-welding bladed weapons, typically his long sword and dagger as a pair. He's short by elven standards, but is still taller than his dwarven companions, with ebony skin and a lean build, he keeps his long kinky black hair in elaborate cornrows, and has amber eyes. He has several tattoos adoring his body, some "just for fun" while others have cultural significance in his home country, and has a bladed scar that runs diagonally up from his rib cage to his shoulder.

💕 Revas is a LI for all Rooks.

-----

Your dog: Slagathor Player Determined. She's a good girl. :)

#dragon age #if #if story #interactive fiction

[exhausted-archivist]

ALT

Flora of Thedas Master List

Master list of all the flora in Thedas, mentioned or seen.

Additional notes on certain items will be listed at the bottom, for items marked with asterisks, see the key below for a brief explanation and the Game assets and Additional Notes and Trivia section at the bottom. Sources are listed at the very end and this time linked.

For other lists here are posts for: Real Plants in Thedas

Key: * - Name comes from the asset file name ** - Name not provided but identified based on the textures used on the asset. *** - See Additional Notes and Trivia.

General Flora: Flowers and Foliage

Acacia*: Black Wood*

Andraste's Grace

Ardent Blossom

Ash

Aspen

Banyan Tree*

Barbwood

Beech Tree

Belladonna

Birch: White Birch*

Blackthorn

Bluebell

Borage

Boswellia

Boxwood*

Buttercup

Cactus: Pear Cactus*

Cattail*

Cedar: Red Cedar

Chicory

Clover: Forest Clover*

Coleus**

Cosmos

Cotton

Crape Myrtle

Cypress: Italian Cypress*, Topiary Cypress*

Daffodil

Daisy: Marguerite

Dandelion

Dog-rose

Dogwood*

Elephant Ear*

Elm

Fade Berry*

Felicidus Aria

Fern: Red Fern*, Sword Fern*

Fir

Flax

Foxleaf*

Frangipani

Gorse

Harlot's Blush

Hawthorn

Hay

Hemp

Hensbane

Hero Tree*

Hollyhock

Honeysuckle

Iris

Ironbark

Ironwood***

Itchweed

Ivy

Jasmin

Larch

Lichen: Glowing Lichen

Lilac

Lily: Calla Lily**, Water Lily

Lotus

Maple

Marigold

Moss: Oakmoss, Redmoss, Tree-Moss

Nightshade

Northern Prickleweed

Oak: Serault Oak

Orchid

Palm Tree: Curly Palm*, Fan Palm*

Pansy

Peony

Pine: Chir Pine*, Stone Pine

Ponga Tree*

Poppy

Prickle-burrs

Redwood*

Rose: Climbing Rose

Rowan

Sandalwood

Seaweed

Snapdragon

Spruce

Sugar Cane

Sundew

Sunflower

Sylvanwood

Tahanis

Thistle

Trex*

Trullium

Vasanthum

Violet

Walnut: Black Walnut

Waterweed*

Wilds Flower

Willow

Witchhazel*

Wysteria

Yew

Fruits

Apple: Applewood Apple, Green Apple, Golden Apple, Red Apple

Apricot

Banana

Berries: Blackberry, Blueberry, Bramble Berry, Cranberry, Elderberry, Raspberry, Strawberry

Cherry

Citron

Coco, Chocolate

Coconut

Coffee

Currants: Black Currant

Fig

Grape

Lemon

Lime

Melon

Nuts: Almonds, Chestnut, Hognut, Peanuts

Olives

Orange: Sweet Orange

Palm Fruit: Date

Passion Fruit

Peach

Pear: Bradford Pear*

Plum

Pomegranate

Grains

Barley

Oats

Rice

Ryott

Wheat

Vegetables

Artichoke

Beans: Bush Bean, Green Bean, Pale Bean, White Bean

Beets

Bell Peppers: Red Bell Peppers

Cabbage

Capers

Carrot

Celery

Chive

Corn

Cucumber

Daikon Radish*

Eggplant

Fennel

Onion: Red Onion, Sweet Onion, White Onion

Pea

Peppers: Antivan Pepper, Green Pepper, Hot Pepper, Hot Red Pepper, Sweet Pepper

Potato

Radish

Spinach

Squash: Baby Pumpkin, Marrow Squash, Pumpkin, String Squash

Tomato

Turnip

Fungus of Thedas

Deep Mushrooms

Bleeding Russula

Blightcap

Blighted Morel

Brimstone Mushroom

Deep Mushroom

Destroying Spirit

Ghoul's Mushroom

Unnamed Mushroom Ortan Thaig

Surface Mushrooms

Beetle Spore

Drakevein

Field Mushroom

Gasbloom*

Sponge Root***

Toadstool

Truffle

Morel***

Unnamed Glowing Mushroom***

Unnamed Mushroom***

Spices

Allspice

Antivan Cord-Seed

Cardamom

Cinnamon

Clove

Cumin, Cumin Seed

Dill, Dill Seed

Juniper

Licorice

Mace

Mustard

Nutmeg

Pepper: Black Pepper

Peppercorn: Black Peppercorn

Saffron

Vanilla

ALT

Herbs of Thedas

Herbs count as anything that Dragon Age has classified as an herb (whether technically correct or not), plants that are used as herbs in real life. These do not include mushrooms, fungi, or deep mushrooms simply for ease of organization.

Amrita Vein

Andraste's Mantle

Arbor Blessing

Basil

Bay

Catsbane

Crystal Grace

Deathroot: Arcanist Deathroot, Lunatic's Deathroot

Dragonthorn

Elfroot/Canavaris: Bitter Elfroot, Gossamer Elfroot, Royal Elfroot

Embrium: Dark Embrium, Salubrious Embrium

Felandaris

Foxite

Garlic

Ghoul's Beard

Ginger

Heatherum

Lavender

Lotus: Black Lotus, Blood Lotus, Dawn Lotus

Madcap

Mint: Anderfel's Mint, Foxmint, Peppermint

Mintroot - Not a true mint based on its description and the fact that it grows on trees.

Oregano

Parsley

Prophet's Laurel

Rashvine

Rashvine Nettle

Redleaf

Rosemary

Sage

Spindleweed: Verdant Spindleweed

Stripweed

Thyme

Vandal Aria

Winterberry***

Witherstalk

Star Anise

Wormwood

Wormroot***

Game Assets Notes

These are plants shown in Dragon Age but aren't named in universe, just in their model files or through identification of the textures. Since most filler plant textures are just that of real world plants.

**NOTE:** When I mention they are not the known name of any plant, this comes with the caveat of being popular common names. Common names are highly variable and inconsistent. They depend on regional knowledge and association. Some travel farther than others. Common names are also not reliable identifiers.

Acacia: Black Wood ~ Note: Black Wood is a type of acacia. Both acacia and black wood are named assets.

Artichoke ~ Note: Identification comes from asset name, the artichoke flower is used as ornamentation of a box.

Banyan Tree

Boxwood ~ A type of shrub, identification comes from asset name.

Bradford Pear ~ Their fruits are edible, however their flowers are known to emit a smell akin to rotting meat. Identification comes from asset name.

Calla Lily ~ Note: Not named but identified by the texture used. It is seen in Val Royeaux planters.

Cattail ~ Note: Seen through out DAO and DAI, identification comes from asset name.

Coleus ~ Note: Not named but identified by the texture used. It is seen in Val Royeaux planters and in the Frostback Basin.

Crape Myrtle

Cypress: Italian Cypress, Topiary Cypress ~ Note: In terms of the Italian Cypress, in world it wouldl likely be called the "Antivan Cypress" given that Antiva is pulling from Italian culture, food, environments, and other inspirational elements. Cypress is a plant that is named in canon.

Daikon Radish ~ Note: Found on Dennet's farm, identification comes from asset name.

Dogwood

Elephant Ear ~ Note: Foliage found in the Frostback Basin, identification comes from asset name.

Fade Berry

Fern: Red Fern, Sword Fern ~ Note: The red fern isn't a real plant and therefore can be considered unique to Thedas. In contrast the sword fern is a real plant. Identification comes from the asset name for both of these ferns.

Forest Clover

Foxleaf ~ Note: This is another plant that is not real, no plant has this common name as far as I could find.

Gasbloom ~ Note: Seen in the Arbor Wilds, the Frostback Basin some elven ruins, and the elven ruins of multiplayer levels. Their identification comes from the asset name. There are two versions of the texture the "fixed" version is used in JoH dlc and thus explains the difference in appearance. This is not the name of a known mushroom.

Hero Tree

Palm: Curly Palm, Fan Palm ~ Note: Both palms are seen in the Frostback Basin, both are identified by their named assets.

Pear Cactus ~ Note: Found in the Frostback Basin, identification comes from the asset name.

Pine: Chir Pine

Ponga Tree ~ Note: Also known as the 'Tree Fern'. This is the tree you see in Val Royeaux garden as coming from Par Vollen, and throughout the Arbor Wilds.

Redwood ~ Note: Identified by the name of the file asset. Found in the Winter Palace, Exalted Plains, and on multiplayer maps.

Snapdragon

Trex

Waterweed ~ Note: In real life this is an entire genus not one particular plant. Though the six plants in this genus do share the common name of waterweed.

White Birch

Witchhazel

Additional Notes and Trivia

Ironwood - Unclear if this is an alternative name, the actual name of the plant, or both.

Morel - This mushroom is inferred due to the existence of Blighted Morel. However it is not explicitly specified there is a non-blighted morel.

Sponge Root - Though canonical as it is mentioned and shown in World of Thedas vol. 2 on pg. 138 with a collection of deep mushroom and surface mushroom illustrations. This mushroom was cut twice from Inquisition. It was cut from the base game as a craftable, it had a much different appearance from its final design, and then it was cut again from Trespasser. It does however still make an appearance in Inquisition as the inventory icon for Crystal Grace.

Unnamed Glowing Mushroom Is mentioned in multiplayer when there are two Lukas playing.

Unnamed Mushroom These brown mushrooms are seen in the Fallow Mire and the Frostback Basin. They are shown in two different sizes ranging from shorter than a dwarf to taller than one.

There is one unlisted mushroom, its assets is named "red mushroom" and thus is identified by textures. These is not a canon name but is included for completeness. Amanita Muscaria: More commonly know as fly agaric or fly amanita, the red top with white spots is an iconic in its imagery. You will find large swaths of these mushrooms in the Frostback Basin. Their assets is named "Red Mushroom".

Winterberry is a real plant. However, from what we see in DA2, it does not the same as the plant we have in the real world, just a shared common name.

Wormroot is another real plant name. However, due to the description in The Calling, it does not seem to be the same plant. In The Calling it is used to treat the venom of a giant spider. The real world plant is used to treat parasites in the gut and does not seem to hold any shared uses in folk lore, folk medicine, or western medicine practices.

Sources

Dragon Age Origins + DLCs Dragon Age 2 Dragon Age Last Court Dragon Age Inquisition + DLCs Dragon Age TTRPG Core Rulebook Dragon Age TTRPG Blood of Ferelden Dragon Age TTRPG: Creatures of Thedas: Wyvern

World of Thedas Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne Dragon Age: The Calling Dragon Age: The Masked Empire Dragon Age: Last Flight Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights Short Story: Paying the Ferryman Short Story: Riddle in the Truth Short Story: The Wake

Origins Andraste's Grace Codex: The Bercillian Forest Codex: Falon'Din: Friend of the Dead, the Guide Codex: Feast Day Fish Codex: The History of Soldier's Peak: Chapter 3 Codex: Ironbark Codex: A Note from the Honnleath Village Council Codex: Sylaise: The Hearthkeeper Codex: Sylvan Codex: A Tattered Shopping List Item: Concentrator Agent Item: Deep Mushroom Item: Figurine Item: Madcap Bulb Item: Rare Antivan Brandy Item: Rashvine Nettle Item: Spirit Charm Item: Spirit Cord Item: Sugar Cake Item: Swift Salve Item: West Hill Brandy Item: Wilds Flower

DA 2 Ambrosia Bianca (Crossbow) Ironwood Clearing Codex: Deathroot Codex: Deep Mushroom Codex: Embrium Codex: Felandaris Codex: The Hedge Witch Codex: Spindleweed Item: Carved Ironwood Buttons Item: Harlot's Blush Quest: Hard to Stomach Quest: The Long Road Quest: Tranquility Weapon: The Celebrant Weapon: Ironwood Shield Weapon: Ironwood Warblade

Inquisition Codex: Amrita Vein Codex: Arbor Blessing Codex: Avvar Cuisine Codex: Black Lotus Codex: Blood Lotus Codex: Bottles of Thedas Codex: Crystal Grace Codex: Elfroot Codex: Ghoul's Beard Codex: The Girl in Red Crossing Codex: Hard in Hightown Chapter 7 Codex: Hard in Hightown Chapter 10 Codex: Mediations and Odes to Bees Codex: Notes on Palace Guests Codex: The Orlesian Civil War Codex: Prophet's Laurel Codex: Rashvine Codex: Rashvine Nettle Codex: Vandal Aria Codex: Vivienne's Alchemy Notes Codex: Waterlogged Diary Codex: Witherstalk Note: Betta's Traveling Journal Note: Carta Note on Security Note: Field Notes Note: The Gilded Horn's Drink List Note: Knight-Captain's Orders Note: Love Letter Note: A Note from Skyhold's Kitchens Note: A Note from Skyhold's Kitchens, Again War Table: The Dance with the Dowager: The Allemande Item: Ardent Blossom

Last Court The Abbess' Road The Anchoress Arrival of the Divine The Feast is Ending Fires Flames of Freedom Good Neighbors Heartwood Feast The Hounds The Lord of the Wood Comes a-Calling The Purveyor of Teas Road and River A Swift Stream Thieves! Unofficial Meeting

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Foods of Thedas: Master Post

Here is the very, very long and complete list of all dishes, ingredients, and drinks in Thedas as of Tevinter Nights.

This compiles all the canon posts. My headcanons are separate from this list to avoid any confusion but you can find it linked along with the other individual posts below.

Like in the individual posts, the list has the country of origins next to each item and any relevant information. Such as ingredients, use, notes, or trivia. For the canonically suggested foods and drinks I list what their real world uses are for your reference as to what they might be used for in Thedas.

For "Shorter" Food Posts

Dishes, Sauces, and Sides

Drinks

Raw Ingredients

Prepared Ingredients

Cannonically Possible Foods and Drinks

Disclaimer Though real life plants may be listed here as edible it is for fictional use only. This is not intended to be used as a reference nor guide for what plants are edible or safe to eat. Please do not use it as such.

Dishes

Breads and Desserts

Breads

Biscuit

Whole Grain Biscuit - Commonly made in Chantry cloisters. A staple in their simple diets.

Black Bread

Braided Honey and Date Bread

Brown Bread

Buns

Butter Puff - This is bread where butter is folded into the dough allowing it to become puffy and softer than usual bread. (Orlesian)

Crumpet

Dark Bread

Dried Bread

Honey Loaf

Lichen Bread - Bread that is made using lichen. (Orzammar)

Peasant Bread - A hearty type of bread that is made with a variety of grains.

Raider Queen's Bread of Many Tongues - Created by the Raider Queen, this bread calls for flour, baking powder, salt, butter, brown sugar, molasses, eggs, bananas. The creator calls for Par Vollen bananas but another version of the recipe says Rivaini bananas are an acceptable replacement. (Rivain)

Ryott Bread - Made of a protein rich grain that is valued throughout Ferelden.

Sweet Bread

Sweet Rolls

Thin Bread - A thin bread used to make wraps in Seheron.

Whole Grain Bread - Another staple made in Chantry cloisters.

Desserts

Cake

Cake with Apples

Chocolate Cake

Cupcakes

The Exquisite Misery - A little cake topped with a dusting of anise, deep mushrooms, and gold dust. (Orlesian)

Hearth Cake - A pan-made Dalish cake; made of flour, hardwood ash or baking powder, halla butter, sugar, mixed dried fruit (currants, cranberries, etc), egg, milk.

Honey Cake

Lemon Cake

Petit Fours (Orlesian)

Pound Cake

Round Cake - Often topped with poppyseed and honey. In Serault, they will sometimes have the antlers baked into the crust.

Sugar Cake - Made with strawberries and sugar-cream icing on a pound cake.

Sugar-drizzled Lemon Cake - A type of lemon cake that was used in Antivan Crow history to assassinate templars.

Sugarcake - A dense cake usually topped with powdered sugar.

Sweet Cake

Candy

Black Licorice Candy - Can be salted.

Bon-bons

Candied Almonds

Candied Dates

Candied Fruit

Candy Cane

Candy Apple

Carastian Candy - A candied chocolate. (Tevinter)

Peppermints

Spun Sugar (Fereldan)

Sweetmeat - A confectionery treat, sometimes candy coated fruit.

Toffee

Unnamed Candied Nuts with Spice - A candy that is sweet until swallowed, then they leave a spicy aftertaste. (Orlesian)

Cookies

Biscuit - A hard, flat, and unleavened baked treat that can be sweet or savory.

Butter and Sugar Cookie - This cookie isn’t specified as it is only described by these ingredients.

Raisin Cookies

Shortbread

Tea Biscuits

Wafers

Donuts

Ice Cream

Orlesian Guimauves - Another name for marshmallows.

Pastries

Apple Pie

The Blessed Apple - A pie made by a small cloister of Chantry sisters tending to the orchard, they use the windfall apples and share the pies freely; as well as the apples. The ingredients are flour, salt, butter, water, apples (golden apples from Lady's Orchard preferred but others are acceptable substitutions), brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. (Orlesian)

Cinnamon Rolls

Croissant

Honey and Nut Pastry (Tevinter)

Macaroon

Marie du Lac Erre's Sweet Ruin - One version of this pastry with a dramatic history, the recipe contains; butter, powdered sugar, chocolate, vanilla extract, flour, orange or mint extract, baking powder, and milk. (Orlesian)

Minced Pie - filled with finely chopped fruit and sweet things.

Tarts

Unnamed Blueberry Pastry - A light, sticky pastry with blueberries. (Possibly Nevarran)

Pudding

Caramel Pudding

Dessert Pudding

Sticky Jellies (Orlesian)

Gravy and Sauces

Ale Cooked Mushroom (Dwarven)

Apples Stewed in Brandy Sauce

Applesauce

Cream Sauce

Deep Mushroom Flavored Cream Sauce (Orzammar)

Dragon’s Blood Sauce (Nevarran)

Gravy

Honey-glaze - A sauce used to glaze various foods, particularly meats.

Hot Sauce

Llomerryn Red Sauce - A sauce that goes on almost everything, contains pulped tomatoes, onions, red pepper, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard powder, hot pepper powder, salt, cinnamon stick, allspice, cloves, fennel seeds, dill seeds, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, bay, garlic. (Rivain)

Nesting Roast Gravy - Gravy made from the pan juices of a nesting roast. Meant to be served with the roast. (Orlesian)

Plum Sauce

Red Wine Marinade

River-herring Gravy - a gravy as white as apple blossoms. (Orlesian)

Special Sauce - A sauce infused with the essence of fifty-two herbs, prized for the ability to help with “inadequacy”. (Kirkwall)

Wild Flower Glaze - A honeyed glaze made of wild flowers, it is recommended to use flowers plucked at dawn and the lowest blossoms.

Main Dishes

Beans and Bread

Boiled Roots

Braised Nug with Elfroot (Dwarven)

Braised Ram with all the Trimmings

Bread and Cheese

Broiled Boar Head (Fereldan)

Cacio e pepe - A dish of three ingredients; spaghetti, pepper, and pecorino romano. (Antivan)

Canapé - a type of hors d'œuvre.

Chicken Wings - Sold in The Rusted Horn as 'Wyvern Wings.'

Dalish Deep Forest Comfort - String squashes, halla butter, garlic, mushrooms, elfroot or spinach, diced tomatoes or beetles, hot red pepper, rock salt, halla cheese or goat cheese, edible wildflowers (borage, chicory, etc), pine nuts. (Dalish of Southern Orlais)

Dried Bread and Fruit

Eggs à la Val Foret - An egg dish served with a cream sauce. (Orlesian)

First Day Chicken - a dish served during First Day in some parts of Orlais.

Fried Mush (Orzammar)

Gilded Swan with River-herring Gravy - An eastern spice, flour, gold leaf, river herring, swan, yolk. (Orlaisian)

Gnocchi (Antivan)

Goat Custard - A broiled goat head (Fereldan)

Ham

Anderfels Smoked Ham - It tastes of despair

Avvar Ham

Ham Stuck with Cloves

The Jade Ham - Honeyed with wild flowers (especially those picked at dawn), masterfully seasoned, and spiral-cut.

Orlesian Ham

Smoked Ham

Herbed Chicken and Biscuits

Jellied Meats

Jellied Eels

Jellied Pigs Feet - A delicacy in the Free Marches and originally a popular commoner food that has risen to the tables of nobility. Pigs feet and/or pork hocks, salt, onions, garlic, allspice, peppercorns, bay. (Free Marcher)

Veal Galentine (Orlesian)

Liver

Mad Burnard's Gift of Flesh - A nesting roast unlike any other, involving a whole wyvern, stuffed with a whole gurn, stuffed with a horse, stuffed with a large halla (horns and all), stuffed with a swan, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a quail, stuffed with a bunting that choked on a gold piece. (Orlesian)

Meat Pies

Dove Pie - A pie made with live doves, for the theater of the meal. (Orlesian)

Pigeon Pie

Pork Pie

Turnip and Mutton Pie (Fereldan)

Unmentionable Pie - It is a meat pie that uses the typically undesirable parts of an animal. (Fereldan)

Venison Pasty - A hand pie filled with venison. In Serault, it is served with curls of goat cheese. (Orlesian)

Nesting Roast - This dish is classically made with a quail stuffed in a pheasant stuffed in a swan. Served with gravy made from the pan juices. (Orlesian)

Nug Steak (Orzammar)

Nug-gets (Orzammar)

Nug-loaf (Orzammar)

Nug-Nug - A dish meant to resemble a nug peeking from its burrow; made of ground meat (beef preferred), parsley, egg, salt, crushed cumin or mustard seeds, black pepper, cooked rice, tomatoes, onions, chives (Orlesian)

Pancake - The breakfast food and savory dishes.

Crepes - A very thin pancake that can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients.

Nug Pancakes - A savory pancake made with nug. A favorite among dwarven children. (Orzammar)

Porridge

Bland Porridge

Deer Porridge - A savory porridge.

Pig Oat Mash - A constant dish on The Hanged Man menu, a popular hangover cure if washed down with brandy spiked cider. This warming porridge contains apples, dried salt pork or smoked bacon, dried rolled oats, berries, ale or water (Kirkwall)

Porridge with Raisins

Savory Porridge

Pudding - A sweet or savory, steamed dish that can be topped with gravy or chocolate.

Rack of Ribs (Fereldan)

Ram Chops

Ram Cutlet

Rice and Boiled Vegetables

Roast

Roast Boar - On cooking method involves the boar being stuffed with apples

Roast Chicken

Roast Duck

Roast Hog

Roast Lamb

Roast Turkey

Roast Wyvern

Roasted Cave Beetle (Dwarven)

Roasted Giant Spider (Dwarven)

Roasted Nug (Orzammar)

Roasted Phoenix - One of the most infamous meals in Thedas, it is served with sweet red wine.

Roasted Rabbit

Roasted Venison with Wild Greens

Spit-roasted Deepstalker (Dwarven)

Spit-roasted Nug with Hot Sauce (Orzammar)

Sandwich

Ham Sandwich

Sausage - There are about twelve different kinds of sausage unnamed mentioned in Last Court.

Black Pudding - A type of blood sausage made from pork or beef blood, pork fat or beef sue, and a type of cereal. (Orlesian)

Smoked Sausage

Spiced Sausage

Seared Nug - Usually served with a deep mushroom cream sauce. (Orzammar)

Sera's Yummy Corn

Shredded Dried Meat and Cheese - A dish that is commonly used as a spread by the dwarves. (Orzammar)

Simmering Partridge - Cooked with sweet onions and pale beans (Orlesian)

Smoked Meat

Smoked Boar

Smoked Rabbit

Smoked Venison

Spiced Nug

Sticky Figs Rolled in Nuts

Venison with Apples Stewed in Brandy Sauce

Wandering Hills - A delicacy made from large creatures of the same name. (Anderfels)

Wyvern Steak

Seafood

Alamarri Pickled Krone - Krone, Brine, (Optional) pine pitch and druffalo dung.

Baked Fish - An Avvar cooking method where they wrap fish in pungent leaves and clay before cooking it in banked coals.

Baked Krone with Honey - The honey is typically used as a side sauce for dipping. (Fereldan)

Fish Wrap - Fish wrapped in thin bread (Seheron)

Fluffy Mackerel Pudding - Celery, pepper, mackerel, diced onion, mustard, salt, Antivan pepper, ground mace, cardamom seed, eggs (Fereldan)

Fresh Oyster

Fried Fish

Glazed Krone (Fereldan)

Lutefisk

Smoked Fish

Starkhaven Fish and Egg Pie - Fish from the Minanter River (carp, trout, or others), wine, onion, carrot, thyme, bay, sea salt, dried currants, sliced almonds, boiled sliced eggs, butter, flour, fish broth, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cream, fried whitebait or other small fish. (Starkhaven)

Soups and Stews

Barley Soup

Butter Soup - A simple, inexpensive, and easy soup. Made as midmorning meals or midday refresher for field workers. It is commonly fed to children and convalescents due to its nutritious nature. Ingredients include water, potatoes, cinnamon, star anise, clove, bay, peppercorns, salt, noodles, cream, butter (Orlesian)

Cabbage Stew

Deepstalker Stew - A stew of deepstalker is made when rations run low. (Legion of the Dead)

Enchantment Soup - Made by Sandal, edibility unknown.

Fereldan Turnip and Barley Stew - White beans, oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, stock, turnips, turnip greens, sausage, barley, cumin, dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper, herbed wine vinegar

First Day Festival Stew (Orzammar)

Fish Chowder (Antivan)

Fish Stew

The Hanged Man Stew - The tavern’s featured dish, made with a different mystery meat every morning. (Kirkwall)

Lamb and Pea Stew (Fereldan)

Norbotten Fruit Stew - This dish is used to rehydrate dried fruits: dried apricots, pitted prunes, raisins, mixed dried fruits (cherries, apples, cranberries, etc), lemon or orange, cinnamon, cloves, water, sugar or honey, brandy. (Anderfels)

Pea Soup

Ram Stew

Turnip Stew

Turnip-Goat Stew (Fereldan)

Wild Rabbit Stew

Sides

Antivan Olives - Soaked in vinegar and stuffed with capers.

Brandy Soaked Cherries

Beer Nuts

Dried Fruit

Dried Meats

Jerky

Jerky Ball

Fried Potatoes

Hard-boiled Egg

Jarred Olives (Tevinter)

Meat Skewers (Orlais)

Peeled Grapes (Tevinter)

Picked Foods

Pickled Apples

The Pickled Apples of Arlathan - Apples said to be from the time of Arlathan. The taste is described to be one of fresh apples, with the same crispness.

Pickled Eggs - Eggs, sugar, salt, vinegar. Favored in Ferelden.

Pickled Fish

Pickled Lamprey

Pickled Nug

Pickled Ox Tongue

Pickled Vegetables

Pickles

Roasted Chestnuts (Nevarran)

Roasted Potatoes

Smoked Bacon

Steamed Beans

Toast

Wine Soaked Fruit

Miscellaneous

Hardtack

Provisions

Rations -Typically consist of dried meat, nuts, and a variety of other simple foodstuffs.

Dry Ration

Qunari Ration

Drinks

Absinthe

Absence - One of the bottles of Thedas you find in Inquisition.

Absinthe - also referred to la fée verte - “little green fairy”

Petite Absinthe - Made from a certain type of wormwood.

Ale, Beer, Drafts, Lagers, and Stouts The Tapster's Tavern in Orzammar serves 52 types of ale, some are listed.

Ale

Ander Stout - This stout is stored in oak casts.

Barley Wine - Despite its name, this is an ale.

Beer

Brakien Brew (Orzammar)

Brown Ale

Coconut Draft

Fereldan Beer

Fereldan Lager - A pale ale.

Lichen Ale (Orzammar)

Oghren's Homebrew - An amber coloured ale with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor and described to have a hint of toastiness, and is spiced with cloves. (Dwarven)

Qunari Ale

Ryott Ale (Fereldan)

Ryotte Beer (Fereldan)

Valenta’s Red (Orzammar)

Watered Beer - While watered beer is served to reduce the price of beer and stretch it along, it is also served as a provision. In Serault, the peasantry drink watered beer to stave off the summer heat.

Watered-down Ale

Wildwine - An ale made from ryott. (Chasind)

Wilhelm’s Special Brew - This dark-colored ale gives off a thick, oaky smell. When swirled in its tankard, it takes on an unexpected glow.

Brandy

Aged Antivan Brandy

Antivan Brandy

Antivan Plum Brandy

Apple Brandy (Orlesian)

Orlesian Brandy

Plum Brandy

West Hill Brandy (Ferelden)

Cider

Brandy-spiked-cider

Cider

Serault Cider

Winter Cider (Wycome)

Cocktails

Benediction (Orlesian)

The Emerald Valley (Orlesian)

Dragon’s Piss - The name is probably figurative, but no one knows for sure. BioWare gives the "recipe" for Dragon Piss as "1 oz light rum, 1 oz dark rum, filled with iced tea". (Orlesian)

The Golden Nug (Orlesian)

The Heart of Spring - A "restorative" drink from Verchiel made with violets. (Orlesian)

The Hissing Drake (Orlesian)

Ice Cream and Beer

A Night of Shame (Orlesian)

Posset - A drink made of hot milk curdled with ale, wine, or other liquor and typically flavored with spices. Can be drunk as a delicacy or as a cold remedy.

The Randy Dowager (Orlesian)

To Cure a Cold - a folk remedy that requires boiling whiskey and adding lemon juice and crushed garlic.

Gin

Gin

Prophet’s Laurel Gin

Grey Warden Liquor These are bottles unique to members of the order, as each warden will combine half-full bottles in order to save space. No bottle is ever fully emptied or cleaned. In order to preserve the base flavor. They are called Grey Whiskey, Ritewine, or Conscription Ale, each vintage is named after a warden with a small note.

Vintage: Warden Anras - Bottled whimsy.

Vintage: Warden Bethany Hawke - Princess piss.

Vintage: Warden Carver Hawke - Toast them all.

Vintage: Warden Daedalam - Extra red.

Vintage: Warden Eval’lal - Griffon Wing Ale

Vintage: Warden Gibbins - Don’t frigging touch! I spit in this! I mean it!

Vintage: Warden Jairn - Smash when dead.

Vintage: Warden Korenic - Notes of fruit and anger.

Vintage: Warden Riordan - Serve yourself.

Vintage: Warden Steed - Joining juice.

Vintage: Warden Tontiv - Home.

Mead The Tapster's Tavern in Orzammar serves 17 types of mead, some are listed. Honeywine is another name for mead.

Avvar Mead

Chasind Sack Mead

Lady Odette Guillory's Family Honey Wine

Mead

Orlesian Honeywine

Port A sweet, fortified red wine, typically served with dessert.

Antivan Port

Tevinter Port

Rum Boot Screech is another name for rum.

Alvarado’s Bathtub Boot Screech

Blackwater Rum

Dark Llomerryn Rum

Tea and Other Drinks

Coffee (Antivan)

Cocoa/Hot Chocolate

Juice

Fermented Fruit Juice

Pickle Juice

Pomegranate Juice

Prune Juice

Punch

Spicy Punch

Tea

Almond Tea

Anderfels Mint Tea

Bitter Tea - An unspecified tea so bitter it is astringent. Served during the Fourth Blight.

Black Tea

Black Tea with Juniper

Fires of Change Tea

Herbal Tea

Iced Tea

Lattenfluss Tea (Anderfels)

Mint Tea

Nameless Tevinter Tea

Rivaini Spice Tea Blend

Rivaini Tea

Rosehips Tea

Spiced Tea

Stripweed Tea

Unsweetened Tea

Verimensis Tea (Tevinter)

Whiskey

Cinnamon-infused Whiskey

Ferelden Whisky

Legacy White Shear

Mackay’s Epic Single Malt

Wine The Tapster's Tavern in Orzammar serves 12 types of imported wines, some are listed.

Agreggio Pavali (Tevinter)

Alyons Black

Amaranthine Red

Anderfels Red

Antivan Red

Bitter Black Wine

Celestine Black Wine

Dandelion Wine (City Elves of Orlais)

Elderberry Wine

Elfroot Mixed with Wine

Finale by Massaad

Flames of Our Lady

Flat Wine

Ghislain Red

Iced Wine

Montsimmard White

Mosswine (Orzammar)

Mulsum (Tevinter)

Orichalcum mixed with Wine - Considered to have aphrodisiac properties.

Orlesian Red

Plum Wine

Red Wine

Serault Yellow Wine

Serault White

Silent Plains Piquette (Tevinter)

Southern Black Wine

Spiced Wine

Sweetened and Spiced Yellow Wine

Val Chevin Red Wine

Vint-9 Rowan’s Rose

Watered Wine

White Seleny Wine (Antivan)

White Wine

Yellow Wine

Additional Spirits

Abyssal Peach

Antivan Sip-Sip

Aqua Magus

Aquae Lucidius - A potent liquor made of wyvern venom; a rare drink known for its hallucinogenic properties.

Bottle of Rotgut - Rotgut is slang for cheap whiskey.

Butterbile :84

Carnal 8:69 Blessed (Orlesian)

Dwarven Ale - Not actually an ale, but a black liquid reputedly made from fungus with a reputation as being almost undrinkable for anyone not a dwarf.

Garblog’s Backcountry Reserve

Golden Scythe 9:40 Black

Hirol’s Lava Burst (Kal'Hirol)

Maraas-Lok (Qunari)

Moonshine

Potent Moonshine

Sun Blonde Vint-1

**Fruits, Mushrooms, Nuts, and Vegetables*

Edible Plants

Fern Fiddlehead

Lichen

Moss

Pungent Leaves - Unspecified leaves used in Avvar cooking of baked fish.

Rose

Rose Petals

Rosehips

Stripweed

Sugar Cane (Tevinter, Rivain)

Wildflowers

Borage

Chicory

Dandelion

Honeysuckle

Violet

Fruits and Nuts

Apple

Applewood Apples (Orlais)

Golden Apples (Orlais)

Green Apples

Le Pomme Vie et Morte - Apples that grow by the gallows in Val Royeaux.

Red Apples

Windfall Apples

Apricot

Banana

Par Vollen Banana

Rivain Banana

Berry

Blueberry

Cranberry

Elderberry

Raspberry

Strawberry

Caper (Antiva)

Cherry

Cocoa/Chocolate (Donarks)

Coconut

Coffee (Antiva)

Currant

Black Currant

Date - A purple and red fruit with a pit, it has a sweetness and tangy taste. (Tevinter)

Fig

Grape

Lemon

Lime

Nuts

Almond

Chestnut

Pine Nut

Olive

Antivan Olive

Orange (Orlais, Antiva)

Passion Fruit

Peach

Pear

Plum

Pomegranate

Pomegranate Seeds

Grain

Barley

Pot Barley

Oats

Rolled Oats

Rice

Ryott

Ryott Flour

Wheat

Wheat Flour

Whole Grains

Whole Grain Flour

Mushrooms

Deep Mushroom

Field Mushroom

Unspecified Fungus - Used to brew Dwarven ale.

Truffle

Unnamed Glowing Fungus

Wild Mushroom

Vegetables

Beans

Bush Beans

Green Beans

Pale Beans

White Beans

Cabbage

Carrot

Purple Carrot

White Carrot

Celery

Chive

Corn

Checkered Corn

Golden Corn

Yellow Corn

Cucumber

Eggplant

Fennel

Lettuce

Mustard

Onion

Red Onion

Sweet Onion

White Onion

Pea

Pepper

Antivan Pepper

Green Pepper

Hot Pepper

Hot Red Pepper

Red Bell Pepper

Sweet Pepper

Potato

Radish

Spinach

Squash

Marrow Squash

Pumpkin

String Squash

Tomato

Turnip - aka navet

Turnip Greens

Wild Greens

Animal Products

Dairy

Butter

Cow Butter

Goat Butter

Halla Butter

Herbed Butter

Nug Butter

Cheese

Ativan Smoked Cheese

Blue-veined Cheese (Orlesian)

Brie Cheese

Brined Goat Cheese

“Dalish” Cheese - An ill described item as it is unclear if it is actually cheese. One thing is for sure it isn’t Dalish.

Feisty Cheese

Goat Cheese

Halla Cheese

Pecorino Romano (Antivan)

Ram Cheese

Cream

Spiced Cream

Thickened Cream

Whipped Cream

Milk

Cow Milk

Goat Milk

Halla Milk

Ram Milk

Soured Milk

Eggs

Caviar

Chicken Egg

Egg Whites

Egg Yolk

Fish

Carp

Cod

Eel

Krone

Lamprey

Mackerel

Mussel

Oyster

River Herring

Sunfish

Trout

Whitebait

Insects

Cave Beetle (Dwarven)

Giant Spider (Dwarven)

Scorpion

Snail (Avvar)

Wood-burrowing beetle larvae (Dalish)

Meats

Beef

Ox

Ox-tongue

Rump Roast - A cut of meat from the hindquarters

Veal

Boar

Bronto

Cat

Deepstalker (Dwarven)

Dog

Dragon

Druffalo

Goat

Gurgut

Gurn

Halla

Hare

Hart

Horse

Liver - General name given, animal isn’t specified.

Lurker (Avvar)

Nug

Phoenix

Pork

Pig's Feet

Pork Hocks

Pork Saddle

Quillback

Rabbit

Ram

Rat

Sheep

Lamb

Mutton

Varghest

Venison

Wandering Hills (Anderfels)

Wyvern

Poultry

Bunting

Chicken

Dove

Duck

Partridge

Pheasant

Pigeon

Quail

Swan

Turkey

Misc.

Dragon Blood (Nevarran)

Druffalo Dung

Honey

Honeycomb

Miscellaneous Ingredients

Baking Ingredients

Ash

Elfroot Ash

Hardwood Ash (Dalish)

Baking Powder

Yeast Cake

Salts

Fine-ground Salt

Rock Salt

Salt

Sea Salt

Others

Brine

Clay (Avvar)

Pine Pitch (Alamarri)

Herbs and Spices

Herbs

Basil

Dried Basil

Bay Leaf

Catsbane

Elfroot

Elfroot Leaves

Royal Elfroot

Lavender (Orlesian)

Mint

Anderfels’s Mint

Foxmint

Peppermint

Oregano

Dried Oregano

Parsley

Prophet's Laurel

Rosemary

Spindleweed

Verdant Spindleweed

Thyme

Spices

Allspice

Anise

Antivan Cord-seed

Cardamom

Cinnamon (Seheron)

Clove

Cumin

Cumin Seed

Deep Mushroom Powder (Orlesian and Dwarven)

Dill

Dill Seeds

Dragon Blood Powder (Nevarran)

Eastern Spice - Unnamed

Fennel Seeds

Garlic

Ginger

Dried Ginger

Hot Pepper Powder

Hot Red Pepper, Crushed

Juniper

Licorice

Mace

Mustard

Mustard Powder

Mustard Seeds

Nutmeg (Seheron)

Grated Nutmeg

Pepper

Black Pepper

Peppercorn

Black Peppercorn

Poppyseed

Saffron

Spice Ball - A variety of mixed spices wrapped in a cheesecloth

Star Anise

Vanilla (Rivain)

Prepared Ingredients

Basic Ingredients

Alcohol

Brandy

Cinnamon-infused whiskey

Dark Llomerryn Rum

Hirol's Lava Burst

Prophet's Laurel Gin

Red Wine

Watered Down Ale

Whiskey

White Seleney Wine

Broth and Stock

Broth

Deepstalker Broth

Fish Broth

Stock

Brown Stock

Eggs

Hard Boiled Egg

Essences and Extracts

Essence

Orange Essence

Extract

Mint Extract

Orange Extract

Vanilla Extract

Golds

Edible Gold Leaf

Gold Dust

Grains

Noodles

Grain-based Noodles

Pasta

Spaghetti

Pie Dough

Oils

Cod Liver Oil

Oil

Sugars

Brown Sugar

Molasses

Powdered Sugar

Sugar

Sugar Syrup

Vinegars

Apple Cider Vinegar

Herbed Wine Vinegar

Vinegar

Desserts and Sweets

Desserts

Buttercream

Caramel

Chocolate

Chocolate Bitters

Custard

Pound Cake

Tea Biscuit

Toffee

Wafer

Jam

Plum Jam

Raspberry Jam

Misc

Sugar Cream Icing

Sugar Flowers

Sugared Rose Petals

Syrup

Dried and Cured Foods

Dried Fruits, Vegetables, and Fungi

Dried Apple

Dried Apricot

Dried Beans

Dried Cherry

Dried Cranberry

Dried Currant

Dried Mushroom

Dried Peas

Prunes

Pitted Prunes

Raisin

Cured Meats

Bacon

Smoked Bacon

Cold Cuts

Dried Meats

Dried Mackerel

Jerky

Lutefisk

Salted

Dried Salt Pork

Salt Pork

Salted Beef

Salted Dragon Meat

Salted Fish

Salted Goat Meat

Salted Meat

Sausage

Blood Sausage

Smoked Sausage

Spiced and Salted Sausage

Smoked

Smoked Beef

Smoked Fish

Smoked Goat Meat

Pickled Foods

Pickled Ox Tongue

Pickles

Prepared Animal Products

Gelatine

Grease

Ground Meat

Ground Beef

Ground Nug

Lard

Spiced Meat

Miscellaneous

Lyrium

Wyvern Venom - There are 47 ways to distill wyvern venom to be safe for consumption.

Canonically Suggested Food and Ingredients

Raw Ingredients

Edible Plants, Fruit, and Vegetables

Edible Plants

Aspen - The inner bark is sweet and starchy. It is edible both raw and cooked, it can also be dried and ground into flour. Some aspens have edible catkins as well.

Beech - The young green spring leaves can be cooked as greens. The inner bark, once dried, can be turned into bread flour.

Birch - The inner bark can be dried and used to make bread flour. Strips of the inner bark could be eaten raw or boiled like noodles. The sap was edible directly from the tree or boiled down into a slightly sweet syrup.

Cactus

Cattail

Clover

Flowers

Cosmos

Daisy

Dog-rose - The rose hips and flower’s petals are used to make teas, preserves, jellies, and pickled relishes.

Elderflower

Gorse

Hollyhock

Jasmin

Lilac

Marguerite

Orchid - The dried corms (tubers) are used to make hot drinks.

Pansy

Peony

Poppy

Snapdragon

Sunflower

Tulip

Wysteria

Lotus - Both the roots and the large seeds are edible when cooked. However the seeds can be eaten raw.

Maple - Along with the sap, the inner bark of maple can be eaten cooked or raw. The seeds and leaves are edible as well once boiled.

Northern Prickleweed - Young prickleweed shoots can be eaten raw, cooked, or pickled.

Palm - Heart of palms are eaten as well as palm oil.

Pine - Aside from pine nuts, the pine pollen, pine cones - only the females, may be eaten once shelled and roasted. Pine needles are used for tea or chewed on for the juices, and the inner pine bark can be dried and ground as flour, used to thicken soups and stews, cooked like spaghetti, or eaten raw. The sap is high in vitamins a and c and has been used to fend off scurvy in the past. The sap can be drunk as a tea in the spring.

Fir Pine

Stone Pine - Produce large pine nuts that make them easier to eat and forage for.

Red Cedar - The inner bark can be dried and ground into a powder, treating scurvy and acting as a nutritious ration added to foods.

Seaweed

Spruce - Spruce tips, spruce needles, spruce tree cones, and the inner bark of a spruce tree.

Thistle

Water Lily

Willow - The inner bark can be scraped off, cooked in strips like spaghetti, dried and ground into flour, or eaten raw.

Wormwood

Fruits and Nuts

Berries

Blackberry (Ferelden)

Blackthorn Berry - also known as sloe berries or sloes.

Rowan Berries - Bitter berries that can be cooked to make jelly or used as flavoring.

Bradford Pear - This small variety of pear comes from a rather foul smelling tree. The pears can be used for jellies, ciders, and hand pie. (Ferelden)

Citron

Melon

Nuts

Acorn

Black Walnut - Used to make syrups and liquors.

Hognut

Peanut (Seheron)

Walnut

Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

Sour Cherry

Sour Grape

Fungi and Mushrooms

Morel mushrooms - There is a blighted morel, so it stands to reason there is a non-blighted morel.

Grain

Flax

Flax Seed

Herbs

Elfroot

Bitter Elfroot

Gossamer Elfroot

Sage

Winterberry

Vegetables

Artichoke (Orlais)

Beet

Daikon Radish (Ferelden)

Animal Byproducts

Dairy

Butter

Goat Butter

Horse Butter

Sheep Butter

Cheese

Donkey Cheese

Horse/Mare cheese - Cheese made from milk of a horse.

Sheep Cheese

Curds

Milk

Buttermilk

Donkey Milk - High in nutrients but low in fat, it can be used as a milk replacement for infants when mixed with a bit of cow/goat cheese to add fat to the milk.

Mares Milk - Milk from a horse, it can be used as a milk replacement for infants.

Sheep Milk

Whey

Eggs

Crocodile Eggs

Duck Eggs

Goose Eggs

Gull Eggs

Partridge Eggs

Peafowl Eggs

Pigeon Eggs

Quail Eggs

Turkey Eggs

Turtle Eggs

Fish/Seafood

Clam

Crab

Crayfish

Jellyfish

Octopus

Shark

Squid

Sturgeon - The source of caviar.

Insects

Cricket

Locust

Meat

Badger

Bear

Crocodile

Donkey

Elk

Fox

Frog

Gazelle

Lynx

Marmot

Moose

Mountain Goat

Otter

Raccoon

Squirrel

Turtle

Wolf

Poultry

Albatross

Eagle

Goose

Grouse

Gull

Lark

Owl

Parrot

Peafowl

Ptarmigan

Quail

Turkey

Miscellanious

Fat

Goose Fat

Maple Syrup

Marrow Bones

Lamb

Ox

Prepared Ingredients

Plant-Based

Almond Milk

Olive Oil

Rice Flour

Rose Water

Sources:

(If you want to find direct links or page numbers check out the wiki’s food and ingredients page.

Dragon Age: Origins (Base and DLCs) Dragon Age: Awakening Dragon Age 2 (Base and DLCs) Dragon Age: The Last Court Dragon Age: Inquisition (DLCs + Multiplayer) Dragon Age Tabletop RPG Core Rulebook Dragon Age Tabletop RPG: Blood in Ferelden Dragon Age Tabletop RPG: Game Master's Kit: Buried Past

World of Thedas Vol. 1 World of Thedas Vol. 2 Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne Dragon Age: The Calling Dragon Age: The Masked Empire Dragon Age: Asunder Dragon Age: Last Flight Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights Short Story: Paper and Steel Short Story: Paying the Ferryman Short Story: Riddle in Truth

Comics: Silent Grove Mage Killer Knight Errant Deception

DA:O Codex Entry: Feast Day Fish Codex entry: The Frostback Mountains Codex entry: Ghilan'nain: Mother of the Halla Codex Entry: The History of Soldier’s Peak: Chapter 3 Codex Entry: The Noladar Anthology of Dwarven Poetry Codex Entry: Praise of the Humble Nug Codex Entry: A Tattered Shopping List Codex entry: The Casteless Armor: Clamshell Plate Armor Armor: Wade’s Superior Dragonbone Plate Boots Item: Ale Item: Brandy Item: Brandy Cheap Item: Chasind Sack Mead Item: Figurine Item: Food Item: Found Cake Item: Garbolg's Backcountry Reserve Item: Golden Scythe 4:90 Black Item: Grand Oak Acorn Item: Lamb Bone Item: Legacy White Shear Item: Love Letter Item: Mosswine Item: Rare Antivan Brandy (Gift) Item: Sugar Cake Item: Sun Blond Vint-1 Item: Wilhelm's Special Brew Item: Wine Weapon: Cat Lady’s Hobble-Stick

DA:A Item: Aqua Magus Item: "Dragon Piss" Item: Hirol's Lava Burst Item: Mackay's Epic Single Malt Item: Moonshine Item: Pie Item: West Hill Brandy

DA II Codex Entry: Elfroot Codex Entry: Orichalcum Codex entry: The Qunari - Asit tal-eb Codex entry: Viscount Marlowe Dumar Codex Entry: The Wine of Chateau Haine Codex Entry: Wyvern Letter: Feeling Inadequate? Item: Dragon’s Blood Junk List: Bottle of Aged Antivan Brandy Junk List: Bottle of Potent Moonshine Junk List: Bottle of Rotgut Junk List: Dwarven Ale Junk List: Orlesian Honeywine Junk List: Qunari Rations Junk List: Stale Biscuit Junk List: Stuffed Parrot

DA:I Codex entry: Andruil's Messenger Codex Entry: The Ben-Hassrath Codex Entry: Blackwall the Last Few Years Codex Entry: Bottles of Thedas Codex Entry: Charred Notebook Codex Entry: The City of Starkhaven Codex Entry: A Compendium of Orlesian Theater Codex entry: Correspondence Interruptus Codex Entry: The Diary of Triolus Hertubise Codex Entry: Grey Whiskey/Ritewine/Conscription Ale Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Ten Codex Entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Eleven Codex Entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter ??? Codex Entry: In the Mist: The Windline Marcher Codex Entry: La Pomme Vie et More Codex Entry: A Letter to Harding Codex Entry: Mad Emperor Reville Codex Entry: A Magister’s Needs Codex Entry: A Nutty Affair Codex Entry: On Avvar Cuisine Codex entry: The Perendale War Codex Entry: The Pickled Apples of Arlathan Codex Entry: Plant vs. Corpses Codex Entry: Ram Codex Entry: Redcliffe (Inquisition) Codex Entry: A Scholar’s Journal Codex Entry: Spindleweed Codex Entry: A Supply List Codex Entry: Surviving the Western Approach Codex Entry: Three Little Empresses Codex Entry: Waterlogged Diary Note: Betta’s Travel Journal Note: Cook’s Note Note: The Gilded Horn Drink List Note: Instructions for the Maid Note: Knight-Captain's Orders Note: A Note from the Skyhold Kitchen Note: The Rusted Horn’s Menu Note: Scribbled Note Note: Short Note Item: Carved Cricket Charm Item: Eagle Feather Charm Item: Fox's Pendant Item: Grouse Feather Charm War Table Mission: Abernache over Under War Table Mission: Dance with the Dowager: The Allemande War Table Mission: Disaster in the Deep Roads War Table Mission: Gain Access to Ghilan’nain’s Grove Wartable Mission: Inspire Wartable Mission: Plant Crystal in Venatori Headquarters War Table Mission: Smash Wartable Mission: The Tevinter Resistance Weapon: The Jade Ham Weapon: Wedge of Destiny

The Last Court Cards: The Acerbic Dowager The Anchoress (Card) The Antidote The Arrival of the Divine Atop the Tower of Lights The Boastful Neighbor The Chantry Unsealed Decide the Archoress’s Fate The Elegant Abbess The Fields Flames of Freedom Glass The Glassblowers' Anger Go Hunting Good Neighbors Graffiti Grant a Petition The Heartwood Feast The Hounds The Next Course Outlaw Councils A Plea for Sanctuary The Purveyor of Teas A Swift Stream Thieves A Tumbledown Shack An Unofficial Meeting The Wayward Bard The Whispering Woods The Wyvern is Cornered Your Bailiff is Attacked Your Bard is Restored to You

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#dragon age #dragon age meta #foods of thedas master post #drinks of thedas #foods of thedas #ingredients of thedas #Thedosian foods #Thedosian fauna #Thedosian flora #Anderfel Cuisine #Antivan Cuisine #Avvar Cuisine #Dalish Cuisine #Ferelden Cuisine #Free Marcher Cuisine #Kirkwall Cuisine #Nevarran Cuisine #Orlesian Cuisine #Orzammar Cuisine #Qunari Cuisine #Seheron Cuisine #Starkhaven Cuisine #Tevinter Cuisine #Dwarf Cuisine #Elf Cuisine #Human Cuisine #long post #my meta #Archi is Archiving #master post

[hiddenbeks]

oc questions tag

tagged by @hibernationsuit !! thank youuuu 💜

tagging @rosykims @aevallare @abetterbeginning @gortash @wrenanigans if u want to do this, no pressure! don't remember who's done this recently so i'm sorry if ur getting spammed with this bc of me hehe

anyway it's celyn time babey.. been thinking abt her a lot lately <3

name: celyn surana

nickname(s): uhhh. cel? i gotta think of some cute descriptive nicknames for her that others would teasingly use but i'm drawing a blank rn. will have to ruminate more.

she only lets Very Close Friends call her by any nickname btw. jowan (being her only friend lol) was the only person in the circle who got to call her cel. only andrale and carver have earned this privilege since (andrale only ever calls her celyn tho). leliana earns it as well ten years later during inquisition lol

gender: cis female

star sign: uhhh she was born on the 27th of firstfall which is the thedas equivalent of november sooo sagittarius??

height: 159 cm. my second shortest oc and the same height as me hehe <3

orientation: bisexual!

nationality: fereldan i guess. she was born in ferelden and raised in ferelden's circle of magi but she doesn't have a strong Fereldan Identity. she's not celyn from ferelden she's just... celyn...

favorite fruit: uuuhh apples

favorite season: i'm tempted to say winter bc her aesthetic is so cold and wintery but i think she would prefer a warmer season. maybe mid to late fall actually. she enjoys the gloom and fall colors and the rainy and stormy weather

favorite flower: i wonder if she's ever even seen a live plant actually. i wonder if there are any indoor greenhouses in the circle. wow i'm suddenly making myself sad thinking abt how she's barely seen any nature in her 19 years of life. anyway uhhh!!! gentians are her favorite actually look at how pretty they are

favorite scent: ghghjgh i struggle with any scent or smell related questions bc i have anosmia so idk what things smell like lmao. let's say uhhh whatever a spruce forest smells like. nice n fresh i imagine

coffee, tea or hot chocolate: she's a coffee gal... had to check if coffee exists in thedas and apparently it does and is a major export of antiva. fascinating. anyway she drinks coffee to stay awake late at night reading and studying (forbidden) magic. she enjoys the silence of the night and is at her most productive during that time

average hours of sleep: during her time in the circle i guess it was like... 5-6 maybe? as i said she tends to stay up late and i bet circle inhabitants are expected to wake up crazy early like 6am or sth. it doesn't get any better after leaving the circle bc andrale also expects everyone to get up and moving crazy early. and after officially becoming a warden it gets even worse when she starts having Warden Nightmares ahah

dog or cat person: cat person! she's a bit like morrigan when it comes to dogs. thinks they're stupid n gross lol. though she does eventually warm up to the dog (named assan by andrale <3) in dao.

dream trip: honestly anywhere is fine she is full of wanderlust... what living in a tower for 19 years does to a gal... the whole blight adventure is a dream trip to her i bet. yes she has to fight darkspawn and a horrible death is around every corner but consider: she gets to see ancient elven ruins and denerim and orzammar... so many sights to see and so many new experiences! she feels so alive! and she gets to use her powers to their full extent!! she gets to hone her skills beyond what the circle allowed!!! not that the circle's rules stopped her from studying outlawed magic in secret but like. now she doesn't have to do it in secret anymore.

a trip to tevinter would also be interesting from a purely academic standpoint. nevarra as well because it's more liberal with magic than most of thedas but also safer for her than tevinter? so basically she would like to see the whole world but especially places where she gets to expand her knowledge on magic...

favorite fictional character: in a real world au her favorite fictional character would be morgana pendragon from bbc merlin. this is not at all influenced by the fact that one of my inspirations for her was morgana pendragon from bbc merlin,

number of blankets they sleep with: hmmmm one

random fact: i'm sharing two random facts bc i can't decide which one of these is more interesting or whatev:

celyn is basically the toph to andrale's katara. they have somewhat clashing personalities and differing views on teamwork and the sharing of camp chores... andrale expects everyone to contribute while celyn only looks after herself. also despite her excitement she's kinda terrified to be out in the real world but she won't let it show!! so she acts hyper-independent!!! unfortunately for her andrale can see right through this facade and she calls celyn out on it (she tries to be gentle and constructive about it but she's had it with celyn's shit and fails). so. yea. my point is they argue a lot at first lol! but they become great friends once celyn learns teamwork and communication and andrale loosens up a little

whenever she does fire magic she makes the flames hot enough for them to turn blue, purely for the aesthetic. she also enjoys other ways of showing off with her magic and she was Very competitive in the circle. she simply had to be the best in her class and let the other students know that she was above them. most of her fellow students could not stand her because of this <3

#i have to wonder how she managed to befriend jowan tbh. #anyway. really in a celyn mood lately. i love her #tag games #ch: celyn #thank u for the tag red!! #also if there are greenhouses inside the circle... celyn would tend to them in her free time actually. an extra random fact for u all #ALSO what if celyn adopted a black cat with carver. would that be cute or what..... #carver is soooo fereldan tho he has to be a full on dog person right. would he be willing to get a cat. discuss #also wow some of my answers got really lengthy huh. sry abt that hope u have fun reading extensive celyn lore haha #ch: andrale #gotta tag her too since shes mentioned a few times. some important andrale trivia here...

[britcision]

Because I can, have some DAI cooking headcanons

Iron Bull: very good at it. He doesn’t cook for the Chargers, but he enjoys it once in a while and he knows how to make plain food taste good, and he’ll compromise on his less local spices for the good of the group

Cassandra: surprisingly skilled. Her uncle made one comment, once that cooking was beneath people of their class. She went straight to the kitchen the next morning and learned everything she could

Leliana: doesn’t do it often, especially these days, but she used to enjoy it and it might be good for her to cook more. She’s good at it and it involves way less life or death

Varric: doesn’t advertise, doesn’t volunteer if someone else speaks up first, but he’s pretty good. Makes plain food taste good, middle of the road tastes that isn’t too much for any palate

Blackwall: actually a little less good than people expect. He can cook on a fire and make it work, but he punishes himself with plain food and he never cooked for anyone else, so he can cook things the way he likes them, and if you don’t like them that way you’re fucked

Solas: excellent cook, this far down the list because he will 1000% over season to spite whoever else is with him, double especially if it’s Dorian or Vivienne. He learned he had a higher spice tolerance and now he only cooks with ghost peppers

Sera: competent cook, got her own recipe in the reference books (it’s for corn), but she can will and does whip out the most random flavour combinations. Some of them work

Cullen: has very expensive tastes and is 1000% incapable of meeting them himself. He knows this though, and will therefore never complain unless he’s paying for a meal and expected better. Has burned water

Josephine: has travelled enough through various stages of her life to understand the importance of buying good supplies and hiring a good cook. Leliana has tried to teach her more than once… Josephine still jokes it’s Leliana’s only failure

Vivienne: used to pride herself on never having needed to learn; has absolutely no idea how the hell ingredients become food, especially because she usually only eats fancy food. Insists on trying to approach cooking as a form of alchemy. It really, really doesn’t work

Dorian: started out very into the “adventure” of eating rations and preserved travel foods. Insists he still is solely to seem better than Vivienne and so he will never be asked to cook and accidentally reveal his secret: he can NEVER successfully tell the sugar from the salt. Underseasons in self defense

Cole: has dangerously flexible ideas as to what counts as food. Banned from cooking or helping cook to prevent loss of life

And our Four Heralds AU beans, just because I know y’all don’t care about them But I Do!

Corin Cadash: the best of the four by a mile. Good grasp of flavours, genuinely enjoys the experience (and distraction from their chronic pain), considers anything done in 20 minutes of effort or less an acceptable depression meal and knows what seasonings need to be cooked to be good and what can be added after to personal taste

Séamus Trevelyan: competent, doesn’t usually burn things, the taste of food is generally at least a little improved by his cooking it. Not fancy, but knows what he’s good at and sticks to it

Tavi Adaar: a little over-flexible on what is considered edible to non-qunari, but nothing worse than a stomach bug. Can break down and butcher a carcass like no other, but not the one you’d ask to cook it

Lluciano Lavellan: knows every single plant on Thedas, where it comes from, how to grow it, and every single use for it. Grew up with parents whose idea of cooking was “boil it white”, so if it can be eaten raw without dying he will. Only slowly being convinced that cooking can actually make food taste good. Bites raw onions and potatoes if not stopped

#dragon age inquisition #dai headcanons #cooking headcanons #the four heralds au #four heralds au #iron bull just has big dad vibes #his lil secret gourmet cocoa side #this is a man who values good food #he’ll eat literally anything without complaint but he can do very well #vivienne and dorian will die before admitting neither of them can cook

[sweetmage]

OC Name Meaning

Rules: google and post the meaning of your OC'S name (if you made their name up or they go by a nickname, post an explanation of how it came to you)! bonus if you can find something for their last name too.

Thank you to @sillyliterature and @nowandthane for tagging me 💖

I'm too shy to tag, but I'm urging everyone who sees this and has OCs to do so (and tag me so I can read it!💖)

Gonna put them under the cut because I have a lot! 😅

Rhidyl:

Searching his name brings up the rhodiola rosea plant because it thinks I'm misspelling it. Forcing the correct spelling just brings up my fanworks 😆

Riddle was his stage name and he he fucked up the spelling when he took it on as a full time alias. His real name is Meldri'lind which, in a drow conlang, is Adored (Meldrinus) Snake (Cahlind).

Edan:

One source says it means "paradise/place of pleasure" while another says it means "fire". I had the first meaning in mind when I chose it, though I find the second one fitting for his story.

I didn't realize at the time that this was one letter off from the default Cousland name (Aedan) 🤦🏾‍♂️

Taeyah:

If I misspell it like "Taiya" it seems to mean a "gift from the river". I didn't name Taeyah with a meaning in mind, I just threw it together 😅

Alois:

"Famous Warrior". I originally had it up for consideration because, despite being a masculine name, it has a soft and elegant sound to it. That combined with the meaning (as Alois is the sword and shield of their temple leader and goddess) made it quite fitting!

Alois's surname is Amata which means "beloved one".

Choice:

I think we all know what the word choice means 😆 He chose this virtue name as a reminder of his free will. His Pathfinder (the WotR game, what he was originally from) lineage gives him an almost insatiable pull towards violence towards himself and others, but he is choosing to deny these impulses.

Celestine:

"Heavenly, of the sky" I didn't have this in mind for her when I chose it, but I think it's quite pretty! Her name has no relation to the Lake Celestine location, I just forgot that was a place in Thedas when I named her lol

En'an'sulahn (Ahn):

Google says "Ahn" means "Grandfather" lol. My friend actually helped me name him using some Dalish conlang. His name means "Blessed Music". He almost did not survive after birth, so the sound of his cries were like music to the clans ears. Much in line with that, he also loves to sing shanties (he's a pirate).

El'la'shivasa (El'la):

Google thinks I mean "shavasana", the corpse pose in yoga. I guess that's fitting for my little necromancer that loves to relax lol.

El'la'shivasa is another conlang name meaning Great Secret Oath. That was originally meant to allude to something in its story but I dropped that plot point and don't remember what that meant. It just goes by "El'la" now and Ella means "fairy maiden" which is lovely :)

Athimien:

Means nothing according to Google. Yet another conlang name meaning "meek violence" (he was raised in a manner meant to oppose the shifting culture and leadership of his clan with the hopes he'd become keeper).

#oc: rhidyl #oc: edan #oc: taeyah #oc: alois #oc: choice #oc: celestine #oc: ahn #oc: el'la #oc: athimien #jun rambles #tag game