We rode the halla. They leapt with such grace and beauty as to make your horses look like Ferelden dogs by comparison. They were smarter, too. Which often made them willful.
The halla are a type of horned stag. Some of them are herded by the Dalish elves who used them to pull the aravels, or landships. The Dalish do not consider them beasts of burden but noble companions. Alistair remarks that he's heard that the horns of a halla sells for a fortune. It is said that the Dalish carve their antlers for decorative purposes, and that their antlers are particularly prizes in the Tevinter Imperium.
Background
No creature is more revered by the Dalish than the halla. No other animal has a god of its own. These white stags are much larger than ordinary deer, and the Dalish halla keepers carve their antlers as they grow, making them curve into intricate designs. In ancient times, these stags bore elven knights into combat, but since the fall of the Dales, they are used less as mounts and more to pull the aravels.
—From Codex entry: HallaLocations
- There are many herds of halla scattered throughout the Brecilian Forest and the Dalish Elf Origin story.
- During the quest Nature of the Beast, there is a lone halla in the East Brecilian Forest, near the North Exit to West Forest.
Involvement
Dragon Age: Origins
Trivia
- Elven legend holds that a halla will lead an elf into the afterlife.[2]
- It is said that halla will only listen to their Dalish tenders.[3]
Gallery
See also
References
- ↑ Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 202.
- ↑ According to ambient conversation from Zevran Arainai in the Dalish Camp, in Dragon Age: Origins
- ↑ According to ambient conversation from Wynne in the Dalish Camp, in Dragon Age: Origins
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 161
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