House Tethras was a dwarven noble house which was exiled from Orzammar in 8:98 Blessed.[1][2]
Background[]
House Tethras initially started as House Garen, whose founding predated the Blights and produced dozens of kings. Paragon Orrick Garen was the King of Orzammar in the early Exalted Age as well as the only dwarf to have been made Paragon during his reign. His son, Tethras, was exiled into the Deep Roads for murdering his sister Unaria. When it was eventually found that the Carta had been responsible, Garen was overcome with guilt and started sending numerous units of the Legion of the Dead in search of his son.[3] Despite a decade of searching, Paragon Garen was unsuccessful and as a tribute to his son, he changed his name and the house's name from Garen to Tethras.[4]
This is, however, disputed by Varric Tethras, who says that the heirs of House Garen took the name Tethras after him, and eventually one of them became a Paragon in his own right and founded noble House Tethras.[5]
The house has repeatedly risen to prominence as three of its members have held the office of Steward of the Assembly. However, in the second year of the reign of King Endrin Aeducan, Lord Andvar Tethras was found to be fixing Proving fights, a very serious crime considering the sacred nature of this institution. For his blasphemy, Andvar was exiled to the surface along with the rest of his house, as well as the warriors sworn to the Tethras clan and the smiths, artisans, and servants who received their patronage. In total, hundreds of people were exiled for the crime of one man. Lord Andvar settled in the city of Kirkwall with his family. His second son, Varric Tethras, was born there.
Since then the members of House Tethras have been surface dwarves and part of the prestigious Dwarven Merchants' Guild. Bartrand, Andvar's eldest son, took over as head of the family after his father's death. Thanks to his unmatched business acumen, he almost single-handedly restored not only House Tethras' fortune, but their reputation as well. In 9:31 Dragon, the house funded Jerrik Dace and the Warden-Commander's search mission in Amgarrak Thaig.[6] That same year, House Tethras funded another Deep Roads Expedition with the help of Hawke. All three partners personally headed into the Deep Roads in search of ancient treasure.
As of 9:42 Dragon, House Tethras owned several auction houses, a few mercenary companies and a couple of smithies.[7] Other branches of the houses have also prospered outside of Kirkwall. Thorold Tethras, cousin to Bartrand and Varric, was a merchant and a representative of Orzammar at the Ambassadoria with a vast fortune at his disposal.[8]
Known members[]
- Paragon Tethras – formerly known as Paragon Garen;[4] this however is disputed by Varric Tethras, who states that an heir of Paragon Garen became a Paragon in his own right and founded House Tethras[5]
- Dusan Tethras – he was interesting in smithing and tried to become a Paragon but ended up poisoning himself[9]
- Andvar Tethras – father of Bartrand and Varric and former head of the House; he died in 9:3 Dragon—five years after his house's exile from Orzammar[10]
- Ilsa Tethras – mother of Bartrand and Varric and wife of Andvar; she took to drinking after her husband's death, which left young Bartrand to assume leadership of the family; she died of a liver ailment in 9:26 Dragon[11]
- Bartrand Tethras – born in 8:93 Blessed,[12] he assumed the leadership of the family a few years after they were exiled to the surface; his skill as an investor almost single-handedly restored his family's fortune
- Varric Tethras – born in 9:1 Dragon;[12] he is a merchant prince among the surface dwarves and a known companion of both Hawke and the Inquisitor; he became the Viscount of Kirkwall in 9:44 Dragon
- Emmet Tethras – uncle of Bartrand and Varric[13]
- Thorold Tethras – a cousin of Bartrand and Varric; he was a wealthy merchant in the Tevinter Imperium and worked as a representative of Orzammar to the Ambassadoria;[14] during his time in the Imperium he was betrothed to Magister Maevaris Tilani, though they never actually married;[15] in 9:37 Dragon, while in Minrathous, Thorold died after an "accidental" fall which was rumored to be the doing of Maevaris' political enemies; after inheriting Thorold's fortune and contact list from the Ambassadoria—she spent an entire year exacting vengeance to all those involved[8]
- Vidar Tethras – cousin of Bartrand and Varric[13]
Family Tree[]
Paragon Tethras | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andvar Tethras | Ilsa Tethras | Emmet Tethras | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bartrand Tethras | Varric Tethras | Thorold Tethras | Vidar Tethras | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Trivia[]
- Mary Kirby has stated that Varric's necklace was inherited from his father.[16]
Gallery[]
References[]
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