Nevarra

Nevarra
Type	Kingdom
Location	Central Thedas
Capital	Nevarra City
Appearances	Dragon Age: Origins (referenced in) Dragon Age II (referenced in)

The whole country is filled with artistry, from the statues of heroes that litter the streets in even the meanest villages to the glittering golden College of Magi in Cumberland. Perhaps nowhere is more astonishing than the vast necropolis outside Nevarra City. Unlike most other followers of Andraste, the Nevarrans do not burn their dead. Instead, they carefully preserve the bodies and seal them in elaborate tombs. Some of the wealthiest Nevarrans begin construction of their own tombs while quite young, and these become incredible palaces, complete with gardens, bathhouses, and ballrooms, utterly silent, kept only for the dead.

—From Codex entry: Nevarra

Nevarra is a nation in central Thedas, west of the Free Marches, south of the Tevinter Imperium and north-east of Orlais. It was originally one of the larger Free Marches city states, but has aggressively expanded over the last two centuries to become a power to rival Orlais.

Politics

• Most Nevarran leaders have been members of the frequently militarily-gifted Pentaghast clan, under whom alliances with other Free Marches states have been courted or coerced to form a powerful confederation under Pentaghast leadership.
• A long war against Orlais over the mineral-rich Blasted Hills, a region between the two countries has fairly recently ended with a Nevarran victory. However, rebellion is fomenting in the conquered area due to the imposition of harsh taxes by the Nevarrans, as well as the support of Orlais.

Geography

Cities

• Andoral's Reach: A city near the Blasted Hills, recently taken from the Orlesians.
• Cumberland: A city on the Waking Sea, giving it access to trade with the rest of the Free Marches and beyond. Over the last century, Cumberland has taken advantage of this to expand into one of the largest cities in Thedas.. Cumberland is also where the College of Magi routinely convene.
• Nevarra City: The capital city of Nevarra is also called Nevarra, and is located in the middle of the nation.
• Perendale: A city near the Blasted Hills, recently taken from the Orlesians.

Regions

• Minanter River
• The Blasted Hills
• The Silent Plains

History

• The Pentaghast clan is famous for their dragonhunter heroes of the past; each of whom led a crusade to hunt dragons to extinction. They were almost successful at this. Granted, the dragons were a scourge for a very long time, but the Nevarrans hunted mostly for dragonbone and glory.
• In 3:25 Towers, the armies of Orlais and the Tevinter Imperium joined with the Grey Wardens to end the Third Blight. However, the victorious armies proceeded to occupy the territories they had liberated from the darkspawn. Nevarra was taken by Orlais, and only regained independence in 3:65 Towers.
• In 5:37 Exalted, Tylus, the first Van Markham king of Nevarra, is crowned after having claimed to be a descendant of Drakon’s son, killed in Cumberland. Being a hero of the recent Fourth Blight, Tylus is able to stir nationalistic feelings in the western Free Marches against the growing power of Orlais. He proves his military might by winning several major battles against the Orlesians, establishing Nevarra as a new, growing power.
• In 8:70 Blessed, a war between Nevarra and Orlais over the control of the western hills around Perendale results in Nevarran victory. However, Orlais proceeds to sow dissent and rebellion among the locals in Perendale, who resent Nevarran rule.
• In 8:99 Blessed, dragons devastate the countrysides in Orlais and Nevarra, and all attempts to slay them end in disaster. As the Blessed Age draws to a close, they name the Dragon Age, saying that it will be an age of violence and upheaval.

Notable people with Nevarran origins

Cassandra Pentaghast, a Nevarran

• Cassandra Pentaghast
• Ginnis
• Merrill

Trivia

• Whilst Nevarra has a name similar to that of the Spanish region of Navarre/Navarra, it is not based on Spain..

• The way Nevarrans do not burn their dead, but rather preserve their bodies and seal them in tombs, similar to the cultures of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The wealthy Nevarrans also start young when they build their tombs, much like Egyptian Pharaos did. This is likely the only connection to these civilization that Nevarra has however, so it is unlikely Nevarra is based upon them.

• Nevarra chares some characteristics with Prussia. Nevarra expanded out of a federation of city states to become a powerful kingdom, similar to how Prussia expanded and became the strongest power among the German principalitys and kingdoms during the 18th and 19th centuries. The conflict with Orlais over the mineral-rich Blasted Hills is similar to how France and Prussia fought over the region Alsace-Lorraine. Also the term "Prussian" has often been used, especially outside of Germany, to emphasize professionalism, aggressiveness and militarism, traits similair to those of Nevarra and the Pentaghast clan.