wishforhome

Base Map of Thedas

Map of Thedas from Tevinter Nights

Here are information points (not actual locations we go to in the games) I’ve gone off of based on codex entries and the World of Thedas:

Nevarra has cold winters.

There are jungles in Par Vollen and Seheron, and the Donarks is also a jungle.

The Anderfels is mostly arid with steppes and desert. Summers are dangerously hot and winters are cool with dust storms. Farming is nearly impossible. Western Anderfels is harsh and uninhabited except for Laysh.

Antiva has countless vineyards. While vineyards can and do exist outside of a Mediterranean climate, that is the most suitable climate for vineyards to flourish. It also has a “warm north-eastern climate.”

The Free Marches is known as “the breadbasket of Thedas” for having many farms and being a main source of food for Thedas. This requires a climate that farms thrive in for crops and livestock.

Orlais has vineyards in the Heartlands, meaning that it has a suitable climate for them to be common enough that the Heartlands are known for wine and winters not cold enough that grapes won't grow.

Ferelden has a harsh and varied climate. The Korcari Wilds has swamps and there is tundra further to the south. The Coastlands include swamps and forests. The Bannorn has the most arable land (best for crops).

South of the Korcari Wilds are the Sunless Lands, where it’s covered by snow most of the year and likely has a similar six month sun-night cycle as northern North America and Eurasia, or possibly has less than six months of sun if it is called the “Sunless Lands”.

The newer map of Thedas from Tevinter Nights (as seen above) shows a bit more land than the other map does. It also shows what the land sort of looks like in each region.

I haven’t found any description of what the weather or climate might be like in Tevinter. Based on the information I have, I’ve made my own judgement on what the climate in Tevinter likely is with regards to what the climates in other areas are.

If the planet Thedas is on is the same distance from its star as Earth is to the sun, which is likely, the planet will have similar temperatures and climates in the same relative latitudes. The Chantry and Tevinter calendars might reinforce this if they have the same or similar number of days in a year as there are also twelve months like in our Gregorian calendar. This would imply that, by my guess, the equator of the planet that Thedas is on is not shown on the map that we have and is north of Par Vollen and the Donarks. If Earth and Thedas’ planet are about the same size, then Thedas is a large enough continent that it’s climate shifts completely from freezing tundras in the far south to tropical rainforests in the Donarks and Par Vollen in the north.

This could suggest that the map of Thedas from north to south is potentially as much as 3,000 miles based on the distances between the same or similar climates on Earth. But, because that seems slightly big, I’m going to suggest that it is about 2,500 miles from the Uncharted Territories south of Ferelden to the Boeric Ocean and similar from the Amaranthine Ocean to the Volca Sea. This would make Ferelden about the size of the Gulf of Mexico, and Lake Calenhad about the same size as Lake Michigan. The map of Thedas, the original one, has a distance scale on the border of it. There are 25 on the side and 33 on the top and bottom. If each unit represents 100 miles (160.93 km), then the map of Thedas is 3300 miles (5,310.84 km) by 2500 miles (4023.36 km). This would put Thedas as being a bit larger than Europe. I also made an overlay image of North America onto the Thedas map. North-South it reaches from Mexico City to Lake Winnipeg.

As a disclaimer, I found distances on Earth that are between the same climate zones I have for Thedas. A flat map and a globe show different sizes of the countries and continents on Earth, but if you measure by distance and then overlay the map of Thedas based on that distance in terms of the climates, well, it might be a lot closer to Thedas’ actual size. As well, previous predicted explanations of Thedas’ size from others in the community make it smaller than what I’m suggesting it is based on in-game comments about travel time from place to place in Ferelden. My prediction is based mainly on the climates and the assumption that Thedas’ planet is about the same size as Earth. If I’m wrong about how big Thedas is and it is actually smaller than I’m making it out to be, then the climate zones in the north are wrong and Seheron, Par Vollen, and the Donarks aren’t actually tropical and would then likely be humid subtropical despite them being described as having jungles. So either I’m wrong and the writers don’t know proper geographical distances and climates, or I’ve gotten pretty close with my estimation of the size and the climates in Thedas.

Arlathan is technically in Tevinter

Anderfels and Orlais do share a border through the Hunterhorn Mountains and the Blasted Hills

Nevarra and Tevinter share a border through the Silent Plains

the city of Perendale is in Nevarra

the Fields of Ghislain are in Nevarra

the cities of Ghislain and Churneau are in Orlais, as well as Arlesans

the cities of Trevis, Caimen Brea, and Nessum are in Tevinter

Antiva and the Free Marches share a border through the Green Dales

the city of Afsaana is in Antiva and the city of Ayesleigh is in Rivain

the White Spire is in Antiva

Orlais borders the Hunterhorn Mountains, the Tirashan is considered to be in Orlais, the Arbor Wilds are considered to be in Orlais, and the Sea of Ash is not considered to be in Orlais

the volcano Arl Dumat is in Orlais

the Uncharted Territories are considered to not be in Ferelden

Seheron is not currently under direct control of Tevinter or Par Vollen, but is currently the center of their war

Population

In terms of population, Europe in 1400 had an estimated 78.1 million people. I would predict Thedas to have somewhere between 57-100 million people. While in game it doesn't seem near that many based on places like Denerim, Redcliffe, Kirkwall, and any of the other small villages we come across, that's more likely due to game limitations than an actual representation of population. I would say that Ferelden likely has a smaller population than most of the other nations though. Rivain and the Anderfels could possibly have more or less. Tevinter, Orlais, and Par Vollen (if you count it, which I am in this case) are the most populous, followed by Nevarra, and then likely Antiva and the Free Marches. While this isn't really based off of anything other than comparing it to Europe's population and in terms of the size of Thedas, I think it reasonable to have a ballpark estimate for it.

Tevinter: 9-14 million

Orlais: 9-14 million

Par Vollen: 9-14 million

Nevarra: 7-12 million

Free Marches: 6-11 million

Antiva: 6-10 million

Anderfels: 4-8 million

Rivain: 3-8 million

Ferelden: 2-5 million

And of the largest cities I'd predict Cumberland, Minrathous, Val Royeaux, Starkhaven, Hossberg, and Nevarra City to have between 600,000-1.5 million people. That's a large gap in numbers, but it's a rough estimate. In the year 200 AD Rome had a population between 500,000 and 1.2 million depending where you find the information. In the year 1300 AD Hangzhou, China had 430,000-1.5 million. So I don't think it unreasonable to suggest these numbers, and if anything it gives people an idea of how big these cities could potentially be.

The first map is in solid color, the second is the same but has a lower opacity in order to see where each place is.

I’ll be going over each region of Thedas and the climate zone that it is in so that there is a written description to go with the map to make it easier to understand.

The Korcari Wilds would likely be in a Continental Subarctic climate due to the bogs, wetlands, and most likely cold weather resulting in the frozen wastes to the south and the higher elevations of the Hinterlands and the Frostbacks to the north and west. It has cold winters and mild summers. In the Köppen climate classification, it would be Dfc; Continental, without dry season, cold summer. This climate is found in much of Central Canada and Russia. Summers would usually last 2-4 months at most. Winters would see relatively heavy snowfall with similar precipitation averages in the spring, summer, and autumn. Average summer temperatures could potentially be between 55-60°F or perhaps occasionally warmer or colder. Average winter temperatures could potentially be anywhere between -15° to 10°F (-26° to -12°C). The Frostback Basin would be in this same climate.

The Hinterlands will also be classified the same as the Korcari Wilds due to the higher elevation, and might possibly have slightly warmer summers than the wilds. Average high summer temperatures in the Hinterlands and surrounding areas could likely be between 65-72°F (18-22°C).

The Uncharted Territories south of the Korcari Wilds could likely be classified as Dfc as well; Continental, without dry season, cold summer along with it being classified as ET; Polar, Tundra, further south. The Uncharted Territories, and/or the Sunless Lands, will have one to three months of temperatures above 50°F (10°C). In the winter, average temperatures could potentially be between -40 to 10°F (-40 to -12°C).

Based on the Storm Coast and the Brecilian Forest, as well as the part of the coast we see in Dragon Age Awakening, the entire coast of Ferelden is Marine, or Temperate Oceanic. In the Köppen climate classification this climate in Ferelden would be Cfb; Temperate, without dry season, warm summer. Average summer temperatures are between 70-82°F (21-28°C). For the farther southern parts, such as Gwaren, it could be Cfc; temperate, without dry season, cold summer— meaning the average summer temperature could be anywhere between 48-58°F (9-14.4°C). Ferelden has a unique geographic location to create the conditions necessary for the climate, even if on Earth this climate typically exists on western coasts of large continents and can exist on smaller islands or narrow stretches of land. The logistics of it might be a little different for a different planet. The Waking Sea and the Amaranthine Ocean border the North and East coasts, with the colder Frozen Seas to the Southeast. This climate on Earth is seen in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern Europe, Los Lagos and Los Ríos provinces in Chile, and New Zealand. Rain is common throughout the year with warmer summer months.

The Arbor Wilds and the Emerald Graves have giant ferns, colorful flowers, and moss. No, those aren’t palm trees in the Arbor Wilds. The Arbor Wilds is a lush forest that receives consistent rainfall year round and has winter temperatures below freezing (even though it's the same climate as the coast of Ferelden, with winters not often going below freezing, there’s no other climate with vegetation as we see in the Arbor Wilds, so we’ll just pretend the winters are colder). The lush vegetation is suited for the cold winters and grows fast once it starts getting warmer. The heavy rainy season would fall in late spring and last until mid-summer, with common storms and showers lasting until the winter. In the Köppen climate classification it would be Cfb; Temperate, without dry season, warm summer and Cfc; Temperate, without dry season, cold summer. In the Arbor Wilds the average high temperatures in the summer could likely be between 65-74°F (18-23°C). Oceanic climates do exist within the interior of continents on Earth, normally near mountain ranges, so I wouldn’t consider it out of place for the Arbor Wilds to be considered as such.

The Bannorn and Central Ferelden are Humid Continental. It would be Dfb; Continental, without dry season, warm-summer. Without dry season implies that there is no significant difference in average precipitation month to month or season to season. Average high summer temperatures could likely be 72-78° F (22-25.5° C).

The western half of the Dales in Orlais are Mediterranean-influenced continental. Dsb; Continental, dry summer, warm summer. This climate is found in eastern Turkey, part of northern Afghanistan, Tajikistan, east of the Cascades in Washington state, and in parts of Idaho. The eastern half of the Dales temperate oceanic and humid continental, such as Emprise du Lion, which is closer to the Frostbacks and at a higher elevation. I’d imagine the average summer high temperatures in The Dales/East-Central Orlais to be anywhere between 66-78°F (19-25.5°C). And the average winter temperatures between 10-18°F (-12 to -8°C).

The climate of the Heartlands in Orlais is monsoon-influenced continental. They’d be classified as Dwb; Continental, dry winter, warm summer. More specifically, this climate is described as a monsoon-influenced warm summer humid continental climate. It’s similar to a Dfb climate, but with a dry winter— although snow is still fairly commonplace, but less so than in the Dales. On Earth, this climate can be found in northeastern China. The eastern part of the Heartlands will have a similar climate, but classified as Dsb; Continental, dry summer, warm summer. The same as the Dales. In a war table mission “Dance with the Dowager: the Allenmande” an area in this region, between Montsimmard and Verchiel, is described as having hollyhocks and groves of walnut trees. Hollyhocks will grow in garden zones 3-8 and Walnut trees will grow in garden zones 5-9. Going by the garden zones and what climates they are in, my classification would be appropriate for them both to fit into what I’d consider garden zone 5. Val Firmin is also described as having forests near it. This has average winter temperatures below freezing, and likely have average high summer temperatures between 68-77°F (20-25°C). The reason I place the Heartlands as a different climate than western Orlais and the Bannorn in Ferelden is the adjacent climates. An arid climate to the west with mountains and a tundra climate to the south. Precipitation would likely travel most commonly from the Gamordan Peaks to the Waking Sea, or vice-versa, during the spring/summer months in the Dwb area and in the winter months in the Dsb area.

The Frostback Mountains and the Hunterhorn Mountains are an alpine or highland climate. These are broad terms for mountains, however, as a specific highland climate depends on elevation, latitude, and geographic location within a continent. The upper reaches of the mountains will be considered ET; Polar, Tundra. This is Alpine Tundra, different from Arctic Tundra in that there is generally no permafrost and soil is better drained. The high reaches of the Frostback and possibly the Hunterhorn Mountains could be considered EF; Polar, ice cap/eternal frost. Since I have no way of knowing the elevations of the mountain ranges, I can only guess where the ice cap climate would be based on the maps and in the game. The Hunterhorns has some of Thedas’ tallest mountains, and it’s tallest, Mt Ambrosia. I imagine these could be similar in elevation to the Himalayas. In the Frostback Mountains, the valleys and middle reaches of the Frostbacks will probably be considered as Dfc; Continental, without dry season, very cold summer. These areas will have long winters, summers lasting 2-4 months, and temperatures rarely exceeding 70°F (21°C). In the Hunterhorn Mountains, the climates are slightly different as the elevation drops due to the other surrounding climates. Rather than Dfc, the Hunterhorn Mountains will transition from tundra (ET) to Dsc; Continental, dry summer, cold summer and then to Dsb (Continental, dry summer, warm summer) further north. The Hunterhorn Mountains, from my prediction, would be a little bit drier than the Frostbacks due to the Anderfels, the Sea of Ash, and the Western Approach. Subarctic climates are often found in mountain ranges, namely Dfc and Dsc. Potential storms that might be created over the Volca Sea likely travel north and west considering the arid climates of the Anderfels. Storms that form in the Hunterhorn Mountains would travel down into the Tirashan and Nevarra to the south and east and to the unknown lands to the west.

The Sea of Ash is a cool arid climate, otherwise something like a cold desert. Because of the frigid waters and atmosphere from the Sundered Sea, this would make the area south of the Gamordan Peaks quite a bit cooler than the Western Approach to the North. An example of a cool arid climate on Earth would be the Gobi Desert. In the Gobi Desert the January mean is −26.5°C (−15.7°F) in the North to −21.6°C (−6.9°F ) in the South. The July mean is 17.5°C (63.5°F) in the North and 18.2°C (64.8°F) in the South. Other examples are southern Argentina, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and in the US states of Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico. The Sea of Ash (and the Sulfur Lakes) likely has similar temperatures. It’s climate classification is BWk; Arid, Desert, cold. The nearby Sulfur Lakes are likely cold semi-arid; BSk. The coast of the Sundered Sea is likely a little wetter, and I classified it as Dsc; Continental, dry summer, cold summer. The coast likely has heavy snow in the winter and relatively dry summers.

The Western Approach, and in more detail the Hissing Wastes, is a cold desert as well, but it has warmer summers than the Sea of Ash. Because the Western Approach is at a lower latitude it won’t get near as hot as the deserts in the Anderfels. The Western Approach in the Köppen climate classification would be BWk; Arid, Desert, cold. Average summer high temperatures in the Western Approach and the Hissing Wastes would likely be 80-85°F (27-29°C). While average winter low temperatures would likely be 16-22°F (-9° to -5.55°C). There is little precipitation in the Western Approach.

The Urthemiel Plateau is likely BSk; Arid, Steppe (semi-arid), cold summer. Winters would be slightly colder than the Tirashan. The most recent map of Thedas, used in Tevinter Nights, shows a forest on the southern part of the plateau. As steppe climates don't contain forests, this is likely a Dwc climate; Continental, dry winter, cold summer.

The Tirashan and the Nahashin Marshes would be Humid Continental. The Tirashan is likely a dense hardwood and conifer forest, likely similar to those found in East-Central Europe and the Southeast Canadian/Northern US area, such as the Great Lakes area, for example. The town and marquisate of Serault is in this area, and a region near Serault, Claose, is said to have fertile valleys, meaning it likely has sufficient precipitation and sunlight year round. In the Köppen climate classification, I’d consider both of these areas to be Dfb; Continental, without dry season, warm summer. Depending on the area, average summer high temperatures would likely be between 68-78°F (20-25.5°C). Average high winter temperatures would likely be between 15-25°F (-9.4° to -4°C), and possibly lower, with the high possibility of it falling below 0°F (-17.8°C).

Much of Nevarra and the Free Marches are Humid Continental, Dfa; Continental, without dry season, hot summer. This climate area stretches into southern Antiva. Nevarra has cold winters, as something that Nevarrans do in the winter is skate on the Minanter River. So clearly it gets cold enough for the river to freeze over. Average summer high temperatures could be anywhere between 75-85°F (24-29°C). Average high winter temperatures would likely be between 25-30°F (-4 to -1°C) with average low temperatures being 11-15°F (-12 to -9°C) and possibly lower. Higher elevated areas in Nevarra and the Free Marches could be colder and see more snow in the winter.

The Vimmark Mountains would likely be steppe. For the latitude and elevation of the mountain range, it would be classified as BSk; Arid, Steppe (semi-arid), cold summer. Although the summers are likely relatively warm and the winters are likely to have temperatures below freezing.

The Silent Plains are supposed to be dry, barren lands. The Silent Plains, a significant location of the First Blight and where Dumat was slain, was utterly devastated by the blight. After even a thousand years, the Blight has, what seems, left a permanent mark on the land. The land is grey, ashy, and rocky with nearly no vegetation. The Silent Plains may once have been a grassland, but now it’s an arid land with a lot of sun, wind, and likely little rain. In the Köppen climate classification, much of The Silent Plains would fall in the BSk category; arid, semi-arid, cold. Summer high temperatures could be between 83-89°F (28-32°C) and winter low temperatures might get below freezing on occasion.

Along the northern and southern coast of the Shining Sea/Waking Sea in Orlais as well as the coast of the Free Marches, the climate resembles the Mediterranean climate in Southern Europe and the US west coast. In the Köppen climate classification this coastline from south of Val Royeaux to Ostwick would be Csb; Temperate, dry summer, warm summer. The average summer high temperatures could be between 68-78°F (20-25.5°C). While average winter temperatures would be between 32-45°F (0-7°C). This climate is mainly on the West Coast of the United States, Maule and Bío Bío provinces in Chile, Galicia province in Spain, and the southwestern tip of Australia.The Planascene Forest is also in this climate, and it would likely look similar to the conifer forests on the Oregon and Northern California coast. Snow is possible in the winter, but it likely won’t stay on the ground long and won’t snow as much as it does in continental climates. The southwestern end of the Waking Sea is classified as Cwb; Temperate, monsoon, warm summer. This is also known as subtropical highland, even though this small area isn’t highland. It’s essentially classified this for the reason of how the weather in that small area acts.

From Ostwick to Treviso in Antiva—the East coast of Antiva and the Free Marches—can be considered Csa; Temperate, dry summer, hot summer. This is also the Mediterranean climate found in Southern Europe, the North African Coast, and California. While on Earth this climate doesn’t really exist along an ocean coast due to a higher likelihood of consistent rainfall and is typically near an arid climate, it is the only climate that seems appropriate here based on what we know about the Free Marches and Antiva. Winter is the wet season, with low precipitation in the summer. The average summer high temperatures would be between 77-87°F (25-30.5°C). Average winter temperatures could possibly be between 42-50°F (5.5-10°C) with it rarely getting below freezing. In Antiva this is likely where many of the vineyards would be.

The area north of Rialto Bay, such as Ayesleigh and the surrounding area, could likely be classified as Cwa; temperate, dry winter, hot summer. This is called, fully, a temperate monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate. The winter will likely not be completely dry, but it will have significantly less rainfall than the wet season, which can have as much as ten times the rainfall of the driest month. The average summer high temperatures could be between 85-90°F (29-32°C). It would rarely get below freezing in the winter, if at all. The average winter high temperatures could likely be 50-55°F (10-13°C). Much of Rivain would also likely fall into this category. Storms in Rivain would probably come from the mountain range and the ocean to the east into the center of the nation. This would likely combine with storms coming from the north or south, and would create a season of monsoon conditions.

The mountain range in Rivain could likely be Cwb; Temperate, dry winter, warm summer. This is called a temperate monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate. The winters will have average temperatures above freezing, and average summer temperatures between 77-81°F (25-27°C). Depending on how high the mountains are, they could have snow in the winter.

Arlathan is a warm humid subtropical forest. While we’ve never actually had a full proper look or description of the vegetation and weather of the Arlathan Forest, I see no other likely climate that could be based on the surrounding climates. This is classified as Cfa; Temperate, without dry season, hot summer. The flora in Arlathan will have subtropical pine trees and broadleaf trees, and likely some palm trees. Average high summer temperatures could range between 83-88° F (28-31° C). Average low winter temperatures will hardly ever fall below freezing. The annual precipitation is equally distributed year round. The northern area of Antiva is also in the same climate.

The main area in Tevinter around the Nocen Sea will be Humid Subtropical. Given that in Nevarra the winters are cold and it does indeed snow often, it wouldn't be likely that Tevinter is in a full tropical climate. It’s likely that it snows on occasion in Tevinter. Humid Subtropical is classified as Cfa; temperate, without dry season, hot summer. Winter average temperatures would be anywhere between 38-50°F (3.33-10°C), with the potential of about thirty nights or so in the winter getting below freezing. Average annual snowfall would be a few inches at most. Average summer high temperatures could be between 84-94°F (29-35°C). Trees found in Tevinter, Arlathan, and Northern/Western Antiva will be similar to those in the Southeast United States, such as oak, cypress, shortleaf pine, longleaf pine, slash pine, loblolly pine, gum, sabal palm, and cabbage palm.

The Eastern half of the peninsula that Minrathous is on will be classified as Cwa; Temperate, dry winter, hot summer, a monsoon influenced humid subtropical climate like in Rivain. It will have a significantly rainy summer season and a drier winter season. Storms would very likely come down from the High Reaches and/or the Nocen Sea/Colean Sea. Average summer high temperatures would likely be 88-97°F (31-36°C). Average winter low temperatures will mostly be above freezing, with maybe a couple weeks worth of nights below freezing.

The High Reaches in Tevinter, the Western half of the peninsula that Minrathous is on, will be classified as Cwb; Temperate, dry winter, warm summer, a Subtropical Highland Climate. The wet season, summer, has much more precipitation than winter. The average high summer temperatures will likely be 77-81°F (25-27°C). The average low winter temperatures would likely be 35-45°F (1.66-7°C).

Eastern Tevinter will be classified as BSk; Arid, Steppe (semi-arid), cold. This will mostly include the Hundred Pillars. The average high summer temperatures could be anywhere between 82-92°F (28-33°C) depending on the elevation. Average winter temperatures would be around or below freezing.

The Anderfels is said to be very hot in the summer, and the entire nation is steppe and desert. After four blights affecting the Anderfels, the land has been utterly devastated and has never completely recovered. This has made portions of the land unbearable to live in. The desert is likely the driest and hottest place in Thedas, with virtually no rainfall and very little chance for vegetation or wildlife. In addition, the elevation is likely lower in the hot desert and the elevation gets higher as it goes toward the south and the Hunterhorn Mountains. In the Köppen climate classification, this would be BWh; Arid, desert, hot. Average summer high temperatures could likely be anywhere between 92-110°F (33-43°C) and as possibly high as 140°F (60°C) based on the conditions of the desert in the Anderfels. The closest I can compare to this is the Atacama Desert in Chile or maybe Death Valley in California. It’s also possible that the desert in the Anderfels is at a lower elevation, which typically creates higher temperatures. The southwestern part of the Anderfels could possibly shift to the cold desert climate, although it wouldn’t be as cold as the Western Approach. The northern Anderfels where the Weathered Pass is will be steppe, BSh; Arid, Steppe (semi-arid), hot. The central part of the Anderfels will also be hot steppe. The summers will be very hot, and the winters mild. Average highs for summer temperatures, if at a lower elevation, could range between 89-96°F (32-35.5°C) with average winter temperatures possibly being 34-40° F (1-4.4°C).

Based on concept art for Dragon Age 4 displaying what is very likely Weisshaupt Fortress, the area that it’s in looks very similar to southern and eastern Utah, such as Zion, Canyonlands, and Arches National Parks in the United States. These national parks are in the BSk climate, which is cold steppe. They are also at higher elevations, which would also contribute to the climate being cooler. So the area that Weisshaupt is in is also likely at a higher elevation. It likely snows during the winter.

On the coast of the Volca Sea it’d likely be classified as BSh; Arid, Steppe (semi-arid), hot summer. Average high summer temperatures getting up to 79-89°F (26-32°C) and winter average temperatures likely being somewhere between 58-65°F (14-18°C). A short northern part of the coastline will be tropical savanna, and beyond that it would be the tropical rainforest climate of the Donarks.

Seheron and Par Vollen both have Tropical Rainforests, and what isn’t tropical rainforest is Tropical Savanna, likely having high precipitation totals. The southern part of Seheron could likely be monsoon-influenced humid subtropical, similar to the coast of Minrathous.

The Donarks would likely be classified as a tropical rainforest (classified as Af), and is more than likely at a lower elevation than much of Tevinter (think Florida but hotter/more humid). The Donarks could have an annual average temperature between 78-84°F (25.5-29°C).

As I had mentioned at the start, this is by no means an official climate map of Thedas and can be up for debate, although there are some areas I’m not completely set on myself for what I classified them as, others I am very sure about and some are more obvious as to what they are.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR TRESPASSER

Based on this, I have guessed as to locations we have seen or been to, but we don’t actually know where they are. Three of the locations are in the Trespasser DLC. The first part we go to in the DLC is an area with mountains, with no snow at the tops. There’s pine trees, which could either be subtropical pine trees or continental pine trees. Based on the vegetation I’d put this climate in a dry summer climate. This could be somewhere in the lower reaches of the Hunterorns, a seldom travelled area in the Dales, the Planascene Forest, or somewhere else that I didn’t mention. This one I think is the most difficult to pinpoint the location.

The second location is the Darvaarad. When we are there it’s dark, like it is at Halamshiral. This would indicate that it’s in the same or nearby longitude. And with the vegetation on the island and the architecture, I would guess this island is in the Shining Sea/western area of the Waking Sea.

The third location is the Elven Ruins in the last quest where you find Solasl. Here the sun is still up. However, the sun looks like it’s either rising or setting. I strongly think that this is during sunset. This would place these Elven Ruins in western Thedas, very likely in the western reaches of the Tirashan Forest as the elevation rises into the Hunterhorn Mountains. The vegetation would tell us a general climate type for this as well, and it would be in a continental climate.

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And that is everything I have done on determining the different climates on Thedas. If you have any questions that you didn't see answered in any of this, or have information I might not know about, please ask or let me know. I'll try my best to answer them. And remember, this is not official content by Bioware, so it is subject to change when we learn more information about any or all of the nations or regions in Thedas, and I could certainly be proven wrong.

Alix: Nice going! That's the best way to do it.

Were you able to balance your longfic with DABB or did you just take some time off?

Elfy: I had slowed down a little on my longfic, and gave myself a little more grace during the creation period for DABB. I ended up doing, I think, one chapter a month until we got to the home stretch and then I gave myself a little time off the longfic to focus on completing my DABB.

Alix: You did quite a bit of world-building for your fic, which is a really expansive modern AU filled with resurrected elven gods. What was your favourite aspect of the world you created for your fic?

Elfy: I had a blast with creating a side Codex as I went. A big part of my chapters were creating things like parables, prayers, and verses for each of my Forgotten Ones "gods", I ended up adding two additional OC Forgotten Ones gods to play with. So each of them I created verses to go with domains within their pantheon. It scratched that happy religion nerd part of my brain. I ended up writing like 8k in addition to the DABB of just those lore pieces. Expanding on the Forgotten Ones in general was definitely the highlight for me. Giving them more depth. I think in DA there's only a handful of Codex entries, a few mentions (Merrill in DA2 when she talks about Fen'harel locking away the gods), and then of course Anaris' quest in Veilguard. But there really isn't a ton on them.

Alix: What got you so interested in the Forgotten Ones to begin with?

Elfy: My longfic, oddly enough. I knew enough about the Forgotten Ones from the games, and what I had read, and I was driving home one day and was like "Man, what if the Inquisitor was a Forgotten One." And it kind of grew from there. Ballooned into my OC Forgotten One. And through that, building up my own lore for them turned into my "thing" and then after my DABB where I went full worldbuilding with them - they just have so much potential because there's that adage about "History is written by the victors" and everything we have about them is from the Dalish perspective where they are the bad guys - I just liked the idea that maybe their story was twisted.

Alix: That's such a huge part of the DA Universe too, that history is never quite what you think it is.

Elfy: Exactly! And I like the idea of them being a bit more nuanced than just "evil folks in the shadows". Especially since the Evanuris hated them and we know how they are now.

Alix: You mention that you were really excited about the collaboration aspect of DABB. How did you find the process of collaborating with your artist?

Elfy: With the artist I ended up finishing the DABB with — I had a great time. It felt very exciting to have someone that was as excited to work with me as I was with them. They went through what I wrote in the early part, and came back with this concept for a cover, essentially and we worked through with that idea and I ended up with a very neat piece that hit the whole vibe of the work so incredibly well. With mine being a reincarnation AU, Mabela was able to do both their "original" god forms and their reincarnations and it was just beautiful.

Alix: The piece is really gorgeous

Elfy: I actually have it on my wall.

Alix: If you were talking to someone who was on the fence about signing up for DABB, what would you tell them? What advice would you give them?

Writers will create a complete Dragon Age fanfiction within these guidelines:

25,000 words or more (but not less!)

Completed and posted to the correct AO3 collection.

All chapters published, with no new chapters or significant revisions.

Includes an embedded image of the Artist(s) work.

Includes linked credit to the Artist.

Adheres to the event content guidelines.

Adheres to the event rules regarding originality.

See the full writer requirements on our Guidebook Website!

Writers will create a complete Dragon Age fanfiction within these guidelines:

25,000 words or more (but not less!)

Completed and posted to the correct AO3 collection.

All chapters published, with no new chapters or significant revisions.

Includes an embedded image of the Artist(s) work.

Includes linked credit to the Artist.

Adheres to the event content guidelines.

Adheres to the event rules regarding originality.

See the full writer requirements on our Guidebook Website!

Alix: The amount you wrote last year in the span of four months was pretty incredible. How did you manage your time to write that much?

Swan: I happened to get very lucky that my work situation for the last year has allowed me to have occasional hour-long stretches where I'm in the back, not working with the public, and not being directly supervised, so when my actual work was done I was able to load up ellipsus and cram in as many words as I possibly could. (Don't tell my bosses.)

Other than that … it was pretty much not having a social life and devoting time in the evenings and weekends to getting progress made, every single day when I could.

Alix: I take it it was worth it, though!

Swan: Oh absolutely! I'm still riding the high of having it finished and posted. Even if nobody read it, I'd still be absolutely giddy just from knowing I wanted to do it, and I did it.

Alix: I know the length ended up being something of a surprise, but was there anything else about the writing process or the story itself that surprised you?

Swan: I think every writer has things that come up organically in the writing process that surprise them, but I think mine was the entirety of chapter 15 in A Good Death that basically popped into my head, word for word, while I was driving home from work one day. I technically hadn't reached that part of the story yet, but it came to me so vividly that I was very lucky I didn't get a speeding ticket trying to get home and write it down while it was still fresh. In a lot of ways I feel like that whole chapter/scene is the crux of the story, and it wanted to be written so the rest of the fic could grow around it.

Alix: Oh that's the best feeling, I love when that happens. I take it you don't necessarily write in chronological order?

Swan: I try my best to, but my ADHD brain doesn't always agree that the story needs to be written down chronologically 😂

Alix: One of the things that really struck me when I read A Good Death was the way you balance tragedy while also being very, very funny. How do you strike that balance?

Swan: I mean it helps that Lucanis, for his part, is a very funny character, and his sense of humor was just dry enough to keep it from getting too absurd. But I'm also a firm believer that tragedy and angst need breathing room. Sure, it's fun/emotionally devastating to read a fic that is nothing but pain and tragedy, but I also feel like the angst hits harder if you're able to come back up for a breath of air and something mildly silly. A palate cleanser, if you will.

Alix: That totally makes sense!

What would you say to someone who is on the fence about signing up for the Dragon Age Big Bang?