The Anderfels is a kingdom in northwestern Thedas. It is the poorest and most desolate nation in Thedas, as several Blights have ravaged the country, leaving great expenses of its territory so devoid of life that corpses can't even decay. It is best known for being the birthplace of the Grey Wardens and the site of their headquarters, Weisshaupt Fortress. As the darkspawn remain a constant threat to the Anders, even in the absence of a Blight, the Grey Wardens yield great influence in the country. While the monarchy resides in relative comfort in the capital of Hossberg, most of the population outside of the city needs to fend for themselves in small, self-sufficient villages and relies on the Wardens for security.[1] These harsh conditions have led the Anders to become the most devout Andrastians and the deadliest soldiers.[2]
History[]
Originally the western part of the Tevinter Imperium, the Anderfels became independent in -695 Ancient following a rebellion.[4] They were reconquered several generations later, in -535 Ancient,[5] leading to the creation of a resistance group known as the Drasca, an order of warriors famed for their whirling blades and archery skills. They were brutally hunted by Tevinter until their surviving members fled into the Blasted Hills in the southern Anderfels.[6]
Like the rest of the Imperium, the Anderfels suffered greatly during the First Blight. In -305 Ancient, after almost a century of bitter war with the darkspawn, the fortress of Weisshaupt was built and the order of the Grey Wardens founded. Over the next century, the Wardens grew in influence until they coordinated a massive army from across Thedas and defeated the Archdemon Dumat at the Battle of Silent Plains in -203 Ancient, ending the First Blight.[7]
The Second Blight broke out in the western mountains of the Anderfels in 1:05 Divine.[8] The city of Hossberg was hit first and almost entirely wiped out before the Wardens could send for aid. Tevinter abandoned the Anderfels to better protect itself, a betrayal that the Anders still remember eight centuries later.[9] The Anderfels would have been destroyed by the Blight, if not for Emperor Kordillus Drakon, who lifted the siege of Weisshaupt in 1:33 Divine, and impressed the Wardens so much that they joined the Orlesian Empire and converted to Andrastianism.[10] However, Drakon's successor, Kordillus II, could not hold the empire together and the Anderfels claimed independence again in 1:65 Divine.[11] Rumors say that surviving members of the Drasca also played a part in the rebellion against the Orlesian rule.[6] The Second Blight ended in 1:95 Divine.[12][13]
The Third Blight, which lasted from 3:10 Towers to 3:25 Towers, did little damage to the Anderfels. The Grey Wardens in Weisshaupt pressured Orlais and Tevinter to send forces to the Free Marches to end the Blight.[14]
In 5:12 Exalted, the Fourth Blight began and spread to the Anderfels; the darkspawn laid siege to Hossberg for seven years. During the fighting, King Henault was killed by an ogre, leaving his wife Queen Mariwen to assume the regency for her infant son, King Grivaud. However, she lacked the support of the nobility, so that Warden-Commander Uvasha held most of the power. Under the leadership of their Field-Commander Garahel, the Wardens managed to break the siege of Hossberg after cutting off the darkspawns' supply lines from the Deep Roads. After the siege was lifted, Queen Mariwen pledged to continue to support the war effort, in exchange for Garahel's public support for her reign (and his reluctant agreement to sleep with her).[15] The Blight was eventually ended in 5:24 Exalted at the Battle of Ayesleigh.
Geography[]
The grim landscape of the Anderfels[16]
The Anderfels consists mostly of arid steppes, largely devoid of life after weathering multiple Blights. The area is bordered by the Wandering Hills and the Donarks to the north; Orlais and the Hunterhorn Mountains to the south; the Colean Sea to the east, and the Tevinter Imperium to the southeast. On its southern borders, beneath the Hunterhorn Mountains, lies the great thaig of Kal-Sharok, once capital of the dwarven empire. In the west lies harsh and uninhabited territory ending at the Volca Sea, where the Anderfels once traded with merchants from beyond Thedas at the port-town of Laysh.[17]
Due to its arid landscape, frequent dust storms, and dangerously hot summers, farming is all but impossible,[16] with the notable exception of pig farming. Pigs from the Anderfels are surprisingly hardy and produce good yields of meat.[18]
Settlements[]
- Eichweill
- Geltberg[19]
- Hossberg – capital of the Anderfels
- Kassel
- Lavendel – a village in the Hossberg Wetlands[20]
- Laysh – sole port-town on the Volca Sea, which used to trade with merchants from beyond Thedas
- Nordbotten
- Sundarin
- Tallo
Qunari colonies[]
- Qundalon[21] – a Qunari enclave on the Colean Sea
Fortresses[]
Regions[]
- The Blasted Hills – on the border of Orlais; the last surviving members of the Drasca fled into these hills after unsuccessful attempts to stop the Tevinter reconquest of the Anderfels in -535 Ancient;[6] the Seekers of Truth may undergo their vigil at a castle on the Orlesian side of the hills.[22]
- Blightlands
- Broken Tooth – a jagged butte; Weisshaupt Fortress is built on its edge[23]
- Feral Fjords
- Hossberg Wetlands
- Hunterhorn Mountains
- Merdaine[24][25] – Our Lady of the Anderfels, a giant white statue of Andraste, is carved into the Merdaine near Weisshaupt.
- Red Bride's Grave (formerly known as Red Bride's Shrine) – a cavern system once home to a religious order; during the Blessed Age the monks came under attack from darkspawn; one of the monks then probably summoned a demon to defend them, causing the whole order to die and being raised again as undead; it is said that it inspired the construction of the Lady of the Anderfels[26]
- Sternann Peak[19]
- Tallo's Eye
- The Wandering Hills – home of the Orth people
- The Weathered Pass
Rivers[]
- Lattenfluss – the stretch of river south of Hossberg was the site of an important battle during the Fourth Blight, allowing the Wardens to break the siege of Hossberg.[27]
Culture and society[]
The Anders are the only non-dwarven nation to fight the darkspawn on a regular basis, as they remain a constant menace and can appear almost anywhere at anytime. As a result, the population lives in constant fear and vigilance. No child of the Anderfels has grown up without being terrorized by bedtime tales of darkspawn.[28] The Anders have become hardened warriors who fight grimly against an enemy that they cannot defeat; the rest of Thedas is far enough that their plight is easily ignored. They are a poor people who live in a devastated land of vast, stark steppes, though their proud culture remains. Unlike in Orlais and Tevinter, a person's accomplishments count for more in the Anderfels than their name.[29]
Kilina, a Warden recruiter, one of the Orth people from the Wandering Hills in the Anderfels
The Orth are a group of people living in the Wandering Hills. One of its members was seen to practice facial scarification, though it is not known whether that is a standard practice.[30][31]
Grey Wardens[]
The Anderfels is the birthplace of the Grey Wardens and the home to its headquarters, Weisshaupt Fortress. As the darkspawn remain a constant threat to the Anders, even in the absence of a Blight, the Grey Wardens have a large presence in the nation, with nearly a thousand Wardens,[32] and yield a great deal of influence in the Anderfels, equal to that of the nobility in other countries. While the Anderfels' monarch is content to focus on the order and comfort of Hossberg, the Wardens act as the only authority outside of the city and maintain some presence even in the distant and thinly peopled hinterlands.[33]
In recent years, the Wardens have tried to expand their influence further. The First Warden, stationed at Weisshaupt, is intended to command all Grey Wardens throughout Thedas. However, the First Warden acts as the king's advisor and is too entangled in Ander politics to act as more than a figurehead to the Wardens.[16] Furthermore, the First Warden has recently begun to criticize the nation's king, who is perceived as weak by many,[34] leaving many to speculate that the leader of the Wardens is considering a grab for the throne.[16]
Religion[]
The Anders are the most pious followers of the Chantry in Thedas. The Chantry's presence is felt strongly in the country and dedicated worship of the Maker is all but expected of a citizen. Breaking the Maker's laws, and by extension, the king's law, is often punishable by death in the capital. These laws are enforced by infamous royal tribunals, said to administer justice in the name of "absolution".[33][16] The king is also known to employ assassins to deliver this "absolution" to disgraced men and women.[35]
In the Anderfels, like in Orlais and parts of Tevinter, cairns are set up as memorials for the deceased (though the body itself is burned, as is the custom among Andrastians). The Anders however, do not place the deceased's weapon on the cairn, as weapons are considered too valuable to be left with the dead.[36]
Art[]
The Anderfels is also famed for its art. The sculptures of Ander artisans, usually religious in nature, are among the most prized and sought-after in all of Thedas, especially within certain circles of the Orlesian nobility, who pay exorbitant prices for them. Unfortunately, Ander artisans make little profit from these transactions, as crooked members of the Dwarven Merchants' Guild keep most of the profits as "handling fees."[16]
In recent times, the traditional Ander portraiture style has experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to the work of Griselda Reiniger. Her piece, The Chant of Light, which portrays Andraste playing the lap harp the night before being burned at the stake, won the annual art contest held by the University of Orlais and is considered both a stroke of inspirational genius and a masterwork portrait from one of the most traditional painting schools. Reiniger is currently one of the most sought-after artists, especially since her extreme piety has granted her the support of the Chantry.[37]
Food[]
As pig farming is one of the Anderfels' few thriving farming ventures, smoked ham is one of the Anderfels' most famous dishes. These hams are notably large and make for a tasty meal, though they are also rumored to taste of despair.[38] One glaze for this type of ham is made of apricots and apples.[39] Another is made from wild flowers and well-seasoned, which renders the ham it is applied to as hard as jade.[39][40] Nordbotten Fruit Stew is a popular sweet beverage, made from re-hydrating dried fruit.[41]
Language[]
The language used in the Anderfels is called Ander.[42] As the Anders people were the first to fight the darkspawn on the surface, it is from their language that genlock and hurlock received their names.[43]
Notable Anders[]
- For a complete list, see Category:Anders.
Anders, an apostate Grey Warden
Woolsey, in charge of the treasury in Amaranthine
- Anders
- Prince Baldewin Augustin – son and sole heir of King Wilhelm Augustin[44]
- Duchess Catrin of Hossberg – wife of Emperor Judicael Valmont I[45]
- Griselda Reiniger
- King Grivaud – King Henault's son and successor; born 5:16 Exalted[15]
- Countess Helmine of Sundarin[46]
- King Henault – King during the Fourth Blight; killed by an ogre in 5:17 Exalted[15]
- King Johann the Great[46]
- Enchanter Kessa Enos of the Hossberg Circle of Magi[47]
- Baroness Liese of Kassel[46]
- Queen-Regent Mariwen – King Henault's wife; assumed the regency on behalf of her young son[15]
- Talisa of Sundarin[48]
- Commander Uvasha – Lady-Commander of the Anderfels Royal Army during the Fourth Blight[15]
- Valya
- King Wilhelm Augustin – King in 9:41 Dragon[44]
- Woolsey
- Senior Enchanter Verend of the Hossberg Circle of Magi[49]
Codex entries[]
Notes[]
- Orthland is an old name for the Anderfels. It is not clear whether it is an ancient in-universe name for the Anderfels, or simply the country's previous name during development.[51][52]
Trivia[]
- The name Anderfels is of German origin, roughly meaning other rock (anders = other/different; Fels = rock). Similarly, other Ander names such as Weisshaupt and Kassel are actual German surnames and city names, respectively. Additionally, several of the inhabitants and locations listed above are of Germanic origin.
References[]
IGN (September 3, 2024). 
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