Ferelden

Ferelden is a relatively young kingdom located in southeastern Thedas. It was formed by King Calenhad nearly four hundred years before the start of the Fifth Blight by uniting Alamarri clans.

Calenhad
When the Alamarri peoples first split from Neromenians and migrated south in -1220 TE, they found a new homeland and called it "ferelden", which means "fertile valley" in their tongue. However, the fertile valley did not become a nation for another 1800 years. This period of time is littered with numerous wars the Alamarri tribes waged, both with foreign powers such as the Tevinter Imperium, as well as their fellow tribes. During that time the Alamarri developed political system that remained largely intact for this day. With time, powerful nobles would turn their land into bannorns, then arlings, and finally teyrnirs. The nobles continued the Alamarri tradition of infighting and continued to fight witch each other over petty matters in order to gain more power. Few of the most powerful Alamarri put forward their bid for kingship over the Alamarri, however without success.

Then in Exalted Age along came Calenhad, born to a merchant. Through a series of events he got involved in the war for kingship for he became a servant to one of the candidates for the throne. When his master decided to use him to gain advantage against other nobles, Calenhad acted honourably and through his actions gained respect and command of the armies of his former master. He married his master's noble daughter, and became a teyrn, and a candidate for king himself.

As he was leading his men, more joined his side for he was known to be more honourable than other nobles. Calenhad also gained followers in the Circle of Magi, as well as the Ash Warriors. By then, the Chantry has become very popular in other countries, and Calenhad gained trust of those amongst Alamarri following the faith as he was said to be a devoted Andrastian himself. With allies at his side, Calenhad challenged the biggest threat to his rule, the most powerful noble - Simeon, the teyrn of Denerim. Calenhad was gravely wounded, but ultimately defeated Simeon.

In 5:42 Exalted Landsmeet was called and Calenhad made an appearance with his army, including mages of the Circle, and the Ash Warriors. The nobles voted him king, and the fertile valley became the nation of Ferelden. Calenhad Theirin started the royal family of Theirins who sat on the Fereldan Throne for the next three centuries.

Orlesian invasion
The nation was conquered by Orlais in 8:24 Blessed, and was under Orlesian occupation for 58 years. Orlesian noble Meghren became the king of Ferelden during the ocupation, and the Theirins were forced into hiding.

Ferelden was freed through the efforts of Maric Theirin who was the rightful heir to the throne and Loghain Mac Tir. Maric's son, Cailan Theirin, and Loghain's daughter, Anora are the rulers as of the start of Dragon Age: Origins. Natives of this region are called Fereldans.

Geography
The climate of Ferelden appears to be temperate, and Ferelden along with Thedas itself is located in the southern hemisphere.

Dividing Ferelden from Orlais to the west are the Frostback Mountains. The southeast holds the Brecilian Forest, where in 9:30 Dragon a clan the Dalish elves can be found. To the far south are the forbidding forests, swamps and eventually tundra of the Korcari Wilds. To the north of the Wilds lie the Southron Hills and the Hinterlands, and the Free Marches across the sea. The central region of Ferelden contains Lake Calenhad and The Bannorn. In the far northern region are The Coastlands, which include more swamps and forests.

Settlements

 * Alamar
 * Amaranthine
 * Dales End
 * Denerim
 * Dosov - Chasind settlement
 * Gwaren
 * Harper's Ford
 * Haven
 * Highever
 * Honnleath
 * Killarney
 * Lothering
 * Redcliffe Village
 * Redhold - Avvar Settlement
 * Rossleigh
 * Wyvern Hold - Avvar Settlement
 * South Reach — west of Lothering, part of the Arling

Fortresses

 * Kinloch Hold
 * Redcliffe Castle
 * Soldier's Peak
 * Ostagar
 * Vigil's Keep
 * West Hill
 * Fort Drakon
 * Soldier's Peak

Regions

 * Current teyrnirs :
 * Gwaren
 * Highever


 * Current arlings :
 * Amaranthine
 * South Reach — between West Hills and Lothering
 * Denerim
 * Redcliffe
 * West Hills — south of Redcliffe


 * Known bannorns :
 * City of Amaranthine
 * Dragon's Peak
 * Rainesfere
 * Southern Bannorn — on the eastern shore of Lake Calenhad
 * Waking Sea — on the northern shore of Ferelden
 * West Hill
 * White River
 * Winter's Breath


 * Other :
 * Within Amaranthine:
 * Blackmarsh
 * Dragonbone Wastes
 * Feravel Plains
 * Knotwood Hills
 * Wending Wood
 * Bannorn
 * Blightlands
 * Brandel's Reach
 * Brecilian Forest
 * Crestwood
 * Frostback Mountains
 * Gherlen's Pass
 * Sulcher's Pass
 * The Hinterlands
 * Korcari Wilds
 * Lake Calenhad
 * Southron Hills

Culture and society


Ferelden is a relatively temperate nation in the far southeast of Thedas, historically populated by a simple militaristic culture that has only begun to "civilize" in the last few centuries. The Andrastian Chantry is now revered by the 90% of the population. Fereldan cities are considered virtually anarchic by the standards of most outsiders. The Fereldan desire for freedom has engendered a cultural mistrust of law enforcement, and 'laissez-faire' attitudes in general. While the worst offenses are quickly put down, many others are ignored and citizens are often left to make their own justice. Petty theft is common, as guardsmen will only go out of their way to deal with serious disruptions. Commerce is given little official scrutiny as long as taxes are paid; businesses such as brothels and gambling halls are not only tolerated, but expected.

Surnames
In Ferelden, nobles have proper last names, such as the Howes or the Couslands. Sometimes commoners will have last names that stem from noble lines, foreign origins, land ownership or titles granted to family members in the past. Otherwise, most Fereldan commoners introduce themselves with a reference to the area they come from or to their trade, e.g. Gareth of Oswin or Lomo Kettlemaker.

Alienage culture
Like many countries in Thedas, Ferelden has a large population of elves who are segregated from the rest of society and live in walled-off alienages. Those who do not find positions of service outside of the alienage are unable to achieve high-paying jobs, but most seem to feel that they are at least among family who look out for each other.

Importance of dogs
Visitors and travelers to Ferelden are often curious about local attitudes toward dogs. Throughout Thedas dogs are employed in hunting game, keeping barns and storehouses free of vermin, herding livestock and guarding homes; in the mountains they may even be used as beasts of burden. Fereldans, however, show a particular appreciation for canine companions. The origin of this is tangled up in mythology.



Dogs are common in Ferelden, both amongst the nobles as well as the common folk and mercenaries such as the Ash Warriors. Keeping dogs is a tradition kept since the times before Ferelden, started by the Alamarri tribes. The barbarians were introduced to mabari by the magisters, who brought the dogs with them during their invasion of the land; many of the dogs decided to stay in the occupied lands after their original masters were defeated.

Law system
Fereldan law is relatively unregulated compared to that of older nations, and is expected on an individual level to be supplemented by one's martial prowess. Indeed, most petty crimes like theft are overlooked by the city guard in Denerim, whose main concern is protecting their posts. Consequently, the common Fereldan should not expect much help fending off criminal activity unless murder or major property damage has occurred. Slavery is illegal in Ferelden, but criminals still practice it in secret.

There are no laws regulating personal behavior such as bearing arms, drinking, gambling and prostitution. Similarly, local prejudices and violence against non-human residents—notably alienage elves—often go unpunished. In part this is pragmatism, as Ferelden king's law states that killing a human in defense of an elf is a crime.

This is not to say that Ferelden is lawless; quite the opposite. The king's seneschal personally appoints arbiters—judges—called "blackhallers" to hear disputes. Blackhallers adjudicate cases from the black granite senschal's hall in Denerim—hence the name—and in the countryside, sheriffs appointed by the local bann patrol and keep track of upcoming cases for the blackhallers to hear.

Given the blackhallers' busy schedules, trials can take some time to occur. A suspect may surrender an item of great value to the local sheriff and be released "on his bond" until the time of the trial rather than waiting in a dungeon. This property will be returned if the suspect returns to be judged. Otherwise, the property is retained by the sheriff and the suspect has the charge of fleeing justice added to their criminal record.



As long-term imprisonment is frowned upon in general in Ferelden, punishment is often quick and violent. Common methods include public humiliation, whipping, disfigurement, fines and even executions.

There's no firm rule that dictates who rules the household. Fereldans are willful and their families tend to be managed by whoever can. Usually, the oldest child inherits the majority of the property regardless of gender, but there are some cases where a younger brother or sister is named the heir simply because he or she seems more capable.

Politics
To its neighbours, the kingdom of Ferelden seems utterly chaotic. Unlike other monarchies, power does not reside exclusively with the royalty and nobility. Rather, it arises from the support of the freeholders.

The Landsmeet is a council of the Fereldan noble class which has been held annually for three millennia only occasionally interrupted by war, occupation, or Blight. It functions as the official legislative body for Ferelden, and can override the king or queen on any matter of law. However its members tend not to exercise this privilege if the king is particularly popular or powerful. During the Landsmeet the current monarch is expected to mingle with and curry favour from their vassals. These are the noble ranks in Ferelden:

Notable people with Fereldan origins

 * Alistair
 * Anora
 * Cailan Theirin
 * Cauthrien
 * Cullen
 * Eamon Guerrin
 * Ferdinand Genitivi
 * Greagoir
 * Irving
 * Loghain Mac Tir
 * Maric Theirin
 * Nathaniel Howe
 * The Warden (if not a human magi, noble or commoner dwarf)

Trivia

 * Visiting foreigners (notably Sten and Marjolaine) have claimed that "Ferelden smells of wet dogs".
 * Ferelden is approximately the size of England.