Alamarri

The Alamarri are the tribal ancestors of the Fereldans, the people who live in the nation of Ferelden. "Alamarri" is not a single tribe, but a loose coalition of tribes started by the Alamarri peoples.

Ancient times
When the Alamarri first passed into Ferelden from the distant west in -1220 TE, some moved into the swampy forest vastness and the tundra beyond it to the south now known as the Korcari Wilds. These folk became known as the Chasind Wilders in -220 TE, an enigmatic people with shamanistic traditions and a great respect for magic. The hillmen became known as Avvars in -620 TE.

The Avvars didn't fully separate from the Alamarri until at least after the First Blight, as the Alamarri leader leading the Exalted Marches by the name of Maferath was an Avvar. The Avvars took the hills as their land, and the remaining Alamarri stayed in the Fereldan Valley and became known as "the lowlanders" to the Avvars.

War with the Tevinter Imperium
As one people, the Alamarri consisting of Clayne, Chasind, and Avvars, have fought with the Tevinters over the control of the land that would later come to be known as Ferelden. The Chasind weren't as successful in battling the Magisters as were the Clayne, and the Clayne in turn weren't as successful as were the Avvars. The Imperium, weakened by the Blight, nearly fell to the barbarians led by Andraste and the armies of Avvarian Maferath and the elven slaves led by Shartan. However, when the Tevinters neared an annihilation, Maferath made a deal with the Magisters who retained part of their nation. Andraste was killed as a result of the deal, and the Alamarri tribe of Avvars were given the land that makes today's Ferelden. One of the three sons of Maferath killed him, and the other two killed each other over Jeshavis, who married them both.

Orlais and Free Marches
Two of the sons of Maferath founded their own kingdoms. They united Ciriane peoples into Kingdom of Ciriane, and Planasene peoples into Kingdom of Planasene respectively. Kingdom of Ciriane ultimately grew to be Orlais, and Kingdom Planasene turned into Free Marches.

Civil wars and schism
Since then powerful warlords known as "banns" led the Alamarri in near constant struggle with their fellow tribes, as each bann sought to widen his territory and influence. The term "bann" comes from at least the Towers Age.

Though it was not the first civil war, as throughout their history the tribes fought witch each other, several centuries after they first came to Fereldan Valley, a great civil war rose among the tribes that caused one large faction to break away from the Alamarri: the rebel Avvarian hillsmen.

The remaining Alamarri fought with the Chasind Wilders, and according to the legends, the hero Cormac invaded the swamps and killed Witches of the Wilds; according to the legends the witches were led by Flemeth, a mage wife of the bann of Highever whom she killed before fleeing to hide among the Chasind.

The teyrns
During the second Blight, Hafter, the first bann to be named teyrn, united the Alamarri tribes in order to drive back the darkspawn. After the Blight, the Alamarri leader finally ended the war with the Chasind Wilders over the control of Fereldan Valley. Since then, the Chasind never left the swamps, nor did the Alamarri enter them.

Ferelden
The tribe of Clayne eventually formed the kingdom Ferelden under the rule of Calenhad Theirin in 5:42 Exalted, 200 years past Hafter's time.

Alamarri and mabari
The foreigners visiting Ferelden often remark that it smells of wet dogs. Whether that is true or not, one thing cannot be denied - Ferelden and dogs go together. According to Fenris, the mabari bred by mages decided to stay on occupied lands of the Alamarri after the Tevinters were ultimately driven back. Ever since then, the mabari have a strong presence in Fereldan lands. Many of the Alamarri tribes kept their own mabari, and since then the tradition was maintained by the Fereldan nobles.

Known Alamarri

 * Calenhad, born in Highever
 * Cormac, famous for his fight against the Chasind and Witches of the Wilds
 * Bann Sarim Cousland, who took over the bannorn of Highever after Bann Elstan died
 * Teyrn Mather Cousland/Teyrna Haelia Cousland, who became a Teyrn after rallying an army against werewolves during the Black Age.
 * Teyrna Elethea Cousland, the only Cousland Teyrna to hold the title both as an Alamarri, and a Fereldan; she fought against the unification of the tribes by the future King Calenhad Theirin, but ultimately joined Calenhad to retain her family's teyrnir
 * Dane, an Alamarri hero
 * Luthias the Dwarfson, an Alamarri Berserker leader
 * Bann Conobar Elstan, husband of Flemeth, and lord of Highever
 * Flemeth, of Highever
 * Hafter, the first teyrn
 * Disciple Havard, the first of the Disciples of Andraste
 * Elias Howe, one of the first to support the unification of Alamarri by Calenhad
 * Maferath, a warlord in power in the time after the First Blight
 * Morrighan'nan, a chieftan of an Avvar clan
 * Radun, enslaved in Kirkwall, who started the slave rebellion
 * Ruadan, an Avvarian "shaman" and mage