The world of Dragon Age is full of detailed lore and story that expands across three major video games, books, comics, and tabletop role-playing games. Even for long-time fans of the franchise, the world of Thedas is still full of interesting and surprising facts.
Thedas is home to many nations with different cultural and racial backgrounds, histories, and political structures. While most of these political systems are inspired by common fantasy or real-world medieval elements, there are some politics that are surprising and out of place. And a few of these political ideas make absolutely no sense, especially given the fact that they stem from a fantasy game.
7 Fereldan Vassals
In Ferelden, the power is where the army is. Arls and Arlessas, the nobles of the nation, command vassals, and the more powerful their military prowess, the more influential they will be in politics.
However, vassals in Ferelden, even those who sworn oaths or are under contract of their liege, often would not take orders, but expect to be persuaded or bribed to perform their duties. This would be expected for a few disloyal vassals, but this is somewhat of a common practice in the new political structure of Ferelden.
6 Antiva’s Manipulative Powers
Antiva’s monarchy, with an unbroken lineage for more than two thousand years, is powerless in the modern history of Thedas. Antiva is technically a plutocracy, and the wealthy nobles and traders have the most political power. While the country lacks a considerable military presence, they are still safe from wars and invasions that plague other nations of the continent. This is thanks to two unexpected influences that Antivans have.
The first reason is the political marriages that nobles of Antiva arrange with other nations and possible enemies. And the second is the infamous House of Crows; the most feared and the most efficient assassin’s guild in Thedas. Even the Qunari leave Antiva borders alone, as they are afraid of assassinations.
5 Monarchy Of Anderfels
Anderfels, the homeland of the Grey Wardens, has a long lineage of monarchy in its history. While the king holds a high political position, he is mainly interested in maintaining the order and comfort of the capital city to the exclusion of anything else.
This leaves the Grey Wardens to have political power equal to those of an Orlesian Baron or a Feraldan teyrn. While the kingdom holds true power, most people of Anderfels look to the Grey Wardens for leadership.
4 Orlesian’s Grand Game
“The Game” is the constant competition and struggle for achieving higher political status and influence among Orlesian nobility. The Game has no rules, and the nobles can use any means necessary, from social engineering to targeted assassinations of competing nobles.
This perpetual race of influence and power would leave any society in complete chaos, but somehow, this system works in Orlais. Even the commoners sometimes participate in the Game, as it is the only way they might gain nobility status. In real life, a “game” like this would leave a civilization in utter ruin.
3 The Qunari Society Of Par Vollen
Par Vollen, the homeland of the Qunari, is one of the most exclusive regions in Thedas. Only a handful of outsiders have been able to visit this land and learn about the society of Qunari.
The Qunari view their society as a singular living entity whose well-being is the responsibility of all of its members. The Qunari that exist and live outside of Par Vollen’s borders are part of the army, or the body of the society, and Par Vollen itself, is considered the mind and the soul of the entity. It’s strange to think of an entire country as a single thing, but that is how the Qunari perceive their civilization.
2 Seheron’s Inexperienced Defenders
Seheron is the largest island in Thedas. It is to the north of the Tevinter Imperium. The land is loosely under the control of the Qunari, but they meet heavy resistance from the Tevinter, the native rebels, and even the exiled Qunari, Tal-Vashoth.
While the land is under constant struggle and invasions, the Qunari appoint their youngest soldiers to protect the port of Seheron. These inexperienced soldiers who are mostly under eighteen years old are the first line of defense against any threats against the city.
1 Senators Of The Publicanium In Tevinter Imperium
While Tevinter Imperium is technically a magocracy, it has a two-party legislative body called the Imperial Senate. The two houses of the senate are the Magisterium and the Publicanium. While the Publicanium senators are elected officials, they have no power in the senate compared to the Magisterium and are just considered a bureaucratic body.
In a nation that practices slavery, puts down any attempted rebellion, and where magisters openly practice forbidden magic to gain power and political influence, holding up appearances of a democratic society just seems unnecessary.
NEXT: Dragon Age: 10 Things In The Video Games Only Fans Of The Books Understand
