Homebrew Elf (Dragon Age) Species Details

'We are a free people, but that was not always so. Andraste, the Maker's prophet, freed us from the bonds of slavery. As our community grows, remember that our strength lies in our commitment to tradition and to each other.' 

―Valendrian, Hahren of the Denerim Alienage

A humanoid race, elves are typically shorter than humans and have a slender, lithe build, larger eyes, and pointed ears. Long ago, the elves were the dominant race on Thedas, and their advanced civilisation was based on nature, the Fade and magic. After the fall of their great city of Arlathan and the empire of Elvhenan, plundered by the Tevinter Imperium and the subsequent generations of slavery, the elves lost most of their cultural heritage and identity. They tried to rebuild their society in the Dales, but after three centuries the Dales fell to one of the Chantry's Exalted Marches.

Since then, the elves have separated into two distinct groups: the Dalish, who choose to lead nomadic lives and strive to keep elven culture alive rather than submit, and the city elves, who live alongside humans, usually as impoverished outcasts, and have adopted many human customs. 

Many elves are still held as slaves within Tevinter, and many others have joined the Qunari in hopes of better lives. Overall, the elves are now a people associated with poverty, crime and barbarism, and are often used as scapegoats for humanity's difficulties. Modern humans use the racial slurs 'knife ears,' 'slant-eared' or, less cruelly, 'rabbit.' Though most of the elven language has been lost, they once referred to themselves as 'elvhen,' which means 'the People'.

A Lost People

As the Dales fell, the elves were forced to abandon their second homeland and have not had another since, and their culture was torn even further from them. Many elves accepted the terms of their human aggressors, going to live in alienages inside human cities and worshipping the Maker. Those elves who resisted became the nomadic Dalish, maintaining the worship of the elven gods and continuing their efforts to recover the lost culture of Elvhenan.

However, there is still a lot of progress to be made. Even modern-day Ferelden, for instance, city elves are not allowed to bear arms. In Orlais, may only carry blades the length of one's palm. Alienage purges still occur regularly. Many elves are still enslaved in Tevinter, and many elves are often kidnapped, and are even voluntarily, sent to Tevinter to be sold into slavery, Fereldan elves were also considered chattel and bought and sold as property during the Orlesian occupation. As a result, many elves that live in Qunari occupied lands have chosen to embrace the Qun in hopes for better lives, with many even being recruited to become Ben-Hassrath spies.

Stolen Freedoms

Alienages are closed communities of elves living in human cities, often walled off and found in the poorest, more crime-ridden parts of the city, while elves in villages lacking alienages make their home in barns or sheds. Their inhabitants are typically impoverished and survive by taking menial and unrewarding tasks or even begging. In the most desperate cases, they might leave the alienage and enter a life of crime, or sell themselves into slavery to support their families. They can join the Chantry, such as becoming a Templar, but this is rare and racial biases usually preclude it.

Though overall treatment varies from kingdom to kingdom, city elves are universally second-class citizens. Elves are, by law or prejudice, unable to join most organisations or hold decent jobs, and the law often turns a blind eye to their lack of freedom. Slavery is still legal in the Tevinter Imperium and there's a lucrative demand for elven slaves along with servants for nobles. They are often seen as beautiful by humans despite their low status. In Ferelden, for instance, the social position of elves as "Low Freemen" is comparable to that of prostitutes and criminals, though they may make a living as they can.

The Last True Elves

“We are the Dalish: keepers of the lost lore, walkers of the lonely path. We are the last of the Elvhenan, and never again shall we submit.”

―The Oath of the Dales

The Dalish are nomadic elves that seek to recover, inherit and preserve the knowledge and sacred treasures of the two fallen elven kingdoms, the Dales and Elvhenan. They lead nomadic lives, wandering throughout Thedas. Their clans date back to the independent kingdom of the Dales and the Dalish themselves are their descendants. Many Keepers are descended from the nobility who governed the Dales. The Dalish are considered to have the "purest" blood from the time of Arlathan. They still revere the elven pantheon, and in a ritual to commemorate reaching adulthood each member of a tribe will have the symbol of their chosen god tattooed on their face.

Dalish elves tend to keep to their own and avoid humans whenever they can, but will occasionally encounter human travellers, or venture near human settlements to trade. At the threat of these encounters becoming violent, a Dalish clan will likely withdraw before any real force of humans gets involved, but they will often still be willing to stand their ground. In the long run, hostilities with humans will likely end badly for the elves, especially if a human settlement decides that a certain clan has become more trouble than it is worth.

A Divided People

The Dalish elves and city elves in particular have a strange and bitter relationship, dating from the splitting of the People after the fall of the Dales. Some Dalish views their city brethren suspiciously and with pity as "flat-ears," culturally human elves who are no different "than their shemlen masters." To some, they are seen as having given up on and forgotten their culture, and the hope is to teach these elves their past when a new homeland is founded. Not all Dalish share this view of the city elves, however. Some Dalish also hopes that the two can learn from one another once they gain an autonomous homeland.

On the other hand, some city elves see the Dalish as near-myths: strange and savage "wood elves" living far from humans and preying upon the unwary, and yet somehow noble, as well. To others, the Dalish are seen as "savages", primitive elves who refuse to see the promise of the alienage and live off the land in ways the average city elf could not. Indeed, city elves who choose to leave or live beyond the Alienage are labelled "flat-ears" as well by their city kin, ironically similar to how some Dalish view the Andrastian elves, and subject to violence or resentment from other city elves.

Elven mages tend to be grouped with the city elves in the Dalish mindset. This is particularly the case as they have turned not only their lives but their magic over to the human Chantry and Maker, and the Circle of Magi, with the Circles being implied to have played a role in the fall of the Dales.

Elf Names

City elves follow the Fereldan standard. Though they have family names, they are rarely used outside of formal settings. Dalish elves generally only identify themselves by the first name as well, but they also have a clan name. These clan names are shared among all members and have been passed down for generations. Clan names are said to date back to a time before the reign of humans, though this is hard to prove given the lack of historical evidence from that era.

Male Names: Athras, Falos, Harel, Lindel, Masarian, Nethras, Pellian, Ralath, Sarel, Zathrian.

Female Names: Adanna, Ashalle, Desta, Elora, Hanan, Maram, Lanaya, Rinalla, Shianni.

Clan Names: Alvar, Brightmore, Brunwyn, Ellwood, Fadrick, Litwyn, Redway, Winbow, Yonwyn.

Elf (Dragon Age) Traits

Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of elven refinement.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and an ability score of your choice by 1.

Age

Elves mature and age at the same rate as humans.

Alignment

Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others’ freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not.

Size

Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Keen Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.