Talk:Orlais

The Orlais french connection
While true England had held french territory for a multitude of times, the french had also had control of all of england for a time I can see more of a corelation of realworld history and Freldian history than the last statement about the irony thing.

Female knights in Orlais
The character creator data files contain the following segment:


 * Aveline, Knight of Orlais.
 * Aveline was born to an Orlesian farmer near the city of Halamshiral in the early half of the Storm Age. She was a large and ugly baby, and her father had hoped for a boy. Not wanting another mouth to feed, the farmer left Aveline in the woods to die from exposure. But a travelling band of Dalish elves came upon the crying child.
 * The elves took her into their clan and raised her as their own. They taught her archery, dueling and survival skills. When she came of age, she was larger and stronger than most women, let alone elven women. Her adoptive parents knew that she was a fine warrior, so they encouraged her to enter a human tournament in nearby Montsimmard. But women were not permitted to join the knighthood in Orlais, nor to compete in a tournament, so Aveline joined the tournament as a man. Her clan forged a suit of armor with a full helm and gave her an ironbark sword of the finest quality.
 * Avelin entered the competition claiming to be a knight of Antiva. She refused to doff her helmet, even during the archery competition. And sure enough, Aveline bested many other knights until, in the grand melee, she came upon Kaleva, a knight who served the emperor and was considered the finest in the land.
 * Kaleva was determined not to be beaten, and struck swiftly and strongly. As Aveline matched each of his blows, Kaleva grew ever more frustrated. Finally, in desperation, he tripped Aveline and threw her to the ground. The blow knocked her helm from her head, and Kaleva was shamed. He called to have the competition declared invalid, but the crowd booed and jeered. In anger, Kaleva turned and slew Aveline as she lay helpless.
 * The son of the emperor, Prince Freyan, was also present at the tourney. He too had been beaten by Aveline, but he recognized her skill and bravery and was saddened by the injustice of her death. Upon rising to the emperor's seat in 7:44 Storm, Freyan abolished the law that disallowed women from joining the Orlesian knighthood and posthumously knighted Aveline. Although women in the Orlesian knighthood are still a rarity today, all those who do become knights revere Ser Aveline as their patron.
 * -- "Aveline, Knight of Orlais," by Lord Francois Maigny, 8:4 Blessed.

Appropriate to make note of and quote in the page? --Jabor 23:28, October 21, 2009 (UTC)

Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel books?
I can't help but notice how many things about Orlais seem to be similar not so much to France but the France of Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel books (which begins with Kushiel's Dart). Any of the Bioware writers ever mentioned anything about this as being an influence? RobertM525 02:24, December 7, 2009 (UTC)

Orlais, the most powerful nation?
Based on what? Then how come they lost the Blasted Hills to Nevarra?S0meguy (talk) 08:21, January 24, 2011 (UTC)

It says that in the new DA2 strategy guide- I guess its considered the truth in the eyes of Bioware. Swampman03 (talk) 03:44, March 1, 2011 (UTC)

Serfdom in Orlais?
I got the impression that the farmers in Orlais are mostly serfs and the Orlesian society seems to be a perfect model of the real life feudal society in which all power lies with the nobles. It has also been noted that their chevaliers (spelling?) can treat the peasents which way they want. Should there be anything about this in the article? I guess that serfdom i Orlais will a bigger topic in the future. When mages try to become independent these actions may influence the orlesian peasentry to rebel? What do you think?