#elf pride

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Clan Lavellan, in Dalish circles, actually has a bit of a bad reputation. The good will that the clan has cultivated among humans has come with a price and many of the more strict clans see them as simpering and entirely too lax in their religious observances.

This is especially apparent in how Mahvir practices the worship of Elgar’nan. Mahvir sees Elgar’nan as the god you turn to when Mythal’s true justice fails or is not an option. His beliefs are very reactionary, which earns some ridicule from more proactive and aggressive clans.

Lavellan’s policies of neutrality and conflict avoidance have resulted in, ironically, conflicts with other clans. This came to a head when the previous keeper, Emith, saw another clan, Durglasean, under attack and turned away rather than risking his people. The survivors of the attack have remembered this betrayal and word of it has traveled.

The long-reaching, if subtle, effects of this are detailed in Meadowlark.

Keeper Deshanna is a more proactive leader than Emith and is attempting to reverse the reputation her predecessor gave the clan. Unfortunately, her eagerness to help the Wycome elves has resulted in less forgiving clans seeing Lavellan as more loving of city elves than their fellow Dalish.

This poor opinion is doubled by the Inquisitor (be it Mahvir, Sulvun, or Einin), some seeing it as Lavellan openly declaring an allegiance with the Chantry.

This is especially ironic given Mahvir’s open disdain of the Chantry and relative traditionalism in comparison to the rest of his clan’s progressive views.

Regardless as to who becomes Inquisitor, they attempt to improve relations with other clans by hiring tailors from them. They can continue to take pride in their heritage by maintaining Dalish aesthetics and fashion sense while also meeting mainstream standards of presentability and helping other clans flourish financially. This has led to a particularly close relationship with Hawen’s clan, but more wary clans have seen this as an underhanded attempt to begin converting others.

Lavellan has no committed combat force. While everyone is taught some basic self-defense techniques, the strategy they use when attacked is to have hunters lay down suppressive fire and then to flee to the next territory. This often forces the attackers to pull up short or risk angering their neighbors for marching in their territory without permission. While it is entirely possible that the ruler of local city-state will approve the campaign against the clan, it buys Lavellan valuable time.

The lack of true warriors in the clan accounts for Lavellan’s relatively easy defeat when Sulvun is Inquisitor.

Their population is kept deliberately small, generally ranging from 200-300 people. This provides a greater mobility upon being attacked and less demands on resources. It’s also allowed for less pressure to reproduce and thus the clan enjoys a higher number of openly queer clanmates.

The clan has overpopulated only once, in the Blessed Age, straining resources at 500 people and five mages in the clan. Ultimately, the clan split, the First taking about half the population and becoming the keeper of her own clan. They now travel around the Vimmark Mountains and into Nevarra. The two clans remain friendly and meet from time to time.

Clan Lavellan primarily travels along the coast of the Free Marches, sometimes wandering inland. They do a great deal of fishing and have a number of nets and canoes in their possession. They also have a healthy trading relationship with some villages and enjoy a wide range of game and the fertile soil of the Free Marches offered plenty of plants to forage. As a result, Clan Lavellan has a very diverse diet and is very healthy.

They primarily trade seafood with inland settlements. They keep the food fresh with magic, allowing them to sell on the cheap in comparison to human fishermen who must expend more resources to keep their seafood edible when trading inland. It has resulted in a bit of competitiveness between the clan and fisheries, the elves sometimes being chased away.

i did my best to bring up as many different views as i could but i think my favorite is when someone demands to know what makes a god a god anyway? who’s to say that they weren’t as close to a god as ever will exist? i mean, now they know that the creators are actually real. meanwhile, the humans are losing their shit because some shem wanted to fuck a spirit real bad.

So I’ve been thinking a lot about Dalish policies regarding city elves joining the clans and the way that Bioware has presented it thus far doesn’t make much sense. So far, it’s presented as an all or nothing bargain: either the clan loves city elves and accepts them, or the clan is snobbish, superior, and rejects city elves, who they see as essentially human.

In truth, this is likely very, very rare and represents two ends of a spectrum of responses to city elves petitioning to join a clan. There are likely a multitude of possibilities to such a thing including, but not limited to:

Willingness to temporarily shelter a city elf, but not to adopt them

Refusal to adopt, but willingness to direct them to another clan who has the resources/capacity to support them

Willingness to adopt, but only after a certain task has been completed (i.e. the Dalish favors you’re required to complete in DA:I)

Adoption into a clan, but on the understanding that they cannot wear vallaslin and/or hold a leadership position

Willingness to adopt, but inability to due to circumstances

Let’s talk about the last one. Adopting a city elf is not as easy as people seem to think. Most city elves will not have the skills required to immediately contribute to a Dalish lifestyle. City elves are an investment. Taking one in is operating under the assumption that after a year or two minimum, they will have the skills (as a hunter, craftsperson, etc) to contribute meaningfully to the clan beyond basic chores. Even assuming that the city elf will be quickly and successfully trained, there’s still the gamble of whether or not the city elf will actually stick around, or if they’re going to jump boat once they realize that for all the freedom the Dalish have, they must also endure a difficult and harsh lifestyle that is very alien to the one that they are used to.

Furthermore, clan population and management of resources must be considered. Dalish clans are likely meant to linger around 200 people (though this isn’t shown in-game, likely due to resource restrictions). Any more than that and it becomes difficult to find enough food and supplies to support everyone and it becomes much more difficult to pick up and go if they see a threat coming for them. If you’re a keeper whose clan is at risk of overpopulation (which could lead to the clan splitting, but that’s a different headcanon) and a city elf--or even a group of city elves--approach and ask to join your clan, it doesn’t matter how open-minded and accepting you are towards city elves. You simply can’t afford to take on more people when you can barely take care of the ones you already have and the ones asking aren’t going to be able to lift the burden any.

A Dalish clan refusing a city elf is not always a sign of hatred or superiority. Sometimes it’s a sign of desperation and practicality. Perhaps the clan will pray to Ghilan’nain to guide the city elf because that’s all they can do.

But what about clans who do refuse city elves out of spite? They’re bad people right? I mean, Bioware seems to want you to think so, given the accounts we’ve heard of them and especially the portrayal of Clan Virnehn in The Masked Empire.

My argument is no, they are not bad people. In fact, I’m going to take the stance that they are likely justified in their beliefs and even at their most cruel do not deserve to be killed.

It is overwhelmingly likely that more conservative clans have been or have reason to believe that they will be hurt by city elves and this is likely exploited by humans. The oldest trick in the book to keep an oppressed population oppressed is to ensure they are divided.

How would humans ensure this? Hire some mercenaries and make sure to include city elves in that group. Offer to pay them handsomely. It doesn’t even matter if the Dalish are exterminated--survivors will spread the rumor that city elves are just as eager to see the Dalish destroyed as the humans. Can’t find any elves to join your cause? No problem. As you’re casually cutting your way through the elves, imply that a city elf tipped you off. Even if they haven’t knowingly encountered a city elf in recent history, it will breed paranoia and suspicion in any survivors. Better yet, actually have people tip you off. Offer a reward for any information about nearby Dalish clans. Sooner or later someone, possibly even a city elf, will have something to report and you’ve got yourself a nice, relaxing weekend of slaughtering heathens.

Of course, city elves might do this on their own. A clan that invites a city elf to rest or take shelter for a short time might find that supplies are missing when they’ve gone. Travelling city elves who’ve heard the worst stories about the Dalish may harass and assault a passing clan. Clans who have survived betrayal by city elves, perceived or real, will likely be hostile to them in the future, causing the city elves, in turn, to tell stories of the savage and cruel Dalish and continue to foster the tension between groups. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sometimes, the distrust and sense of superiority the Dalish show towards city elves isn’t baseless ill will and ignorance. Sometimes it’s just a need to survive and a sign of trauma and betrayal.

And then there’s the flip side to consider: clans that once distrusted and hated city elves who come to love and accept them. Perhaps a clan, decimated by sickness or slaughter, comes across a passing city elf who offers to help them with repairs for their aravels or offers them a bit of elfroot they’ve collected and that kindness is enough to remind the clan that for all their cultural differences, city elves are still one of the People. Or maybe a clan, desperately struggling to feed its members, happens across a city elf who isn’t a half bad shot with a bow and gets them fed. They get an invitation into the clan on the spot.

Oooh yes! I’ve seen similar headcanons and I’m very fond of the idea of some clans having adapted their aravels for all manner of terrain. It’s a shame we’ve only seen forest- and plains-dwelling Dalish because I’d love to see little details on how different environments have forced them to adapt.

Actually, I’ve been thinking a lot about Dalish dining! I’m horrible at knowing how to put together dishes, and I imagine it would be highly variable depending on where the clan lives, but I like the idea that the Dalish eat with their hands. From what I understand, cultures that do eat with their hands tend to do so because it makes the food taste better and provides a deeper connection to the food they eat. Given that Dalish culture is very religious and highly ritualized, there’s probably some thought that it’s more respectful to the animal you just hunted to take a more ‘personal’ approach to eating it. It’s also somewhat practical, I would imagine, as it would require less washing-up since there’s little to no eating utensils and it would make packing just a bit more convenient. More friendly clans, like Lavellan, would probably keep some eating utensils on hand for possible visitors.