Dragon Age Editorials

GreyWardens.com continues to churn out articles related to Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, including a piece that looks at tailoring traditions in Ferelden…

Of course the King and nobles would have access to the best tailor who would likely be tied to his court. Those further down the food chain would have less skilled tailors making garments for less cost, and less finery.

The nobles of course have some of the finest clothing seen in Ferelden, having the resources to hire a good tailor. Good clothing for nobles goes beyond the need to cover themselves and keep out the cold, having to show themselves off to the best light to others. Politics, a skill that all nobles have to dabble in to run their lands requires quite front to be put on, and personal appearance can help or hinder a person. Something like fashion, and those who kept up to date with it could be the envy of others, and someone to look up to, and this could help in the perceived power a person in politics and complex social circles could use. There is also the propensity in nobles to be extremely prideful of their position, and as such not wishing to seem to let their family down by looking shoddy in public. In our history, many nobles would get into serious debt through both gambling, and through the use of tailors to keep up to date with fashions, and there is little reason to doubt this is also the case in Ferelden, especially when the person might lack in the clout politically from other areas.

…a piece that looks at Thedas politics…

We see little of Denerim politics during Awakening, but the hints we have indicate that Ferelden’s new monarch has their hands full. Despite his status as a Grey Warden, Alistair says he cannot stay around for the rebuilding of Vigil’s Keep. And while Anora gives us a courtly welcome to Amaranthine, she is just as eager to return to Denerim. Whatever our problems at Vigil’s Keep, the political situation in the rest of Ferelden is clearly significant enough that it requires a monarch’s full attention.

Unfortunately, this leaves our Wardens on their own as we deal with the nebulous politics of Arl Howe’s former estate. Treachery is abundant here, and it seems the region of Amaranthine is completely divided into those loyal to the crown, and those who were in Rendon Howe’s back pocket. The nobles of Ferelden have always been a fickle lot, but in Amaranthine they have become bitter political enemies who often settle their scores with blood.

…and a piece that prepares us for next week’s Golems of Amgarrak DLC…

Though their transformation takes a heavy toll on their mental well-being, we know through meeting Shale and Caridin that while golems give up their mortality, and their very nature as dwarves, they are not without feeling. Indeed, the more we get to know Shale, the more our Wardens discover that she cares deeply about the fate of her fellow golems, and resents the time she spent under control of the human mage who bought her control rod. And our time with the Paragon clearly shows that Caridin has lost none of his regret over the past, despite losing his dwarven body.

So what about Amgarrak? What does the thaig, discovered only a few years ago to contain a powerful weapon that could turn the tide against the darkspawn, have to do with these echoes of the past? Whatever our choice on whether to preserve or to destroy the Anvil of the Void, it cannot be denied that golems have left an indelible mark upon dwarven history. And as we’ve learned in the Blight’s aftermath, the Archdemon’s death has signaled anything but the defeat of the Horde. The darkspawn are amassing, and the fate of Ferelden once again rests in the hands of our Wardens.