Serault

Serault is a marquisate in Orlais, a forested region located in the far west of the country, on the edge of the Tirashan forest. It is a realm of deep forests, stubborn people, and customs that border on heresy. The citizens of the region are largely craftsmen and the pride of the marquisate is its famed glasswork. Notably, Serault is referred to as "she" and "her" rather than "it" by its inhabitants.
The marquisate is the setting for the story-driven text-based game, Dragon Age: The Last Court, in which the player, great-grandchild of the Shame of Serault, makes decisions as the Marquis of Serault. The player takes the role of The Huntress or The Scholar, each with unique abilities and challenges.
== Background  ==
Serault was a prosperous and famed Marquisate but fell into ruin due to the former Marquis of Serault who was an apostate mage, who later became an abomination. He was described as brilliant, murderous, generous, romantic, ruthless, but eventually he brought shame to the marquisate. His name is now forgotten and he is known only as the "Shame of Serault".
The Chantry chapel in Serault has been closed since shame was brought upon the town. Furthermore, the ruling family's ancestral mask, the symbol of the nobility in Orlais, was stripped from them by one of the Divines, in retaliation for the Shame of Serault's excesses. For over a century, the Glass-Antlered Mask of Serault has been in the possession of the Chantry, eventually passing to Divine Justinia V.Per the description of the available actions for The Mask card.
== Involvement ==
Divine Justinia V elects to visit Serault to assess whether Serault has overcome its shameful past. The Marquis of Serault sets out to take advantage of this opportunity to restore Serault's station and influence.
The Inquisition later seeks out Serault's support and follows up on the Divine's visit.
== Governance ==
Serault is ruled by the Marquis of Serault, of the de Serault family who have ruled the town for several generations from its ancestral chateau, located on an island in the middle of the river. The mirrored stag is the heraldry of Serault and "Payment in Glass" is its motto.
Previously, Serault was closely tied to her neighbor Alyons, through an alliance of marriage. The Shame of Serault was wed to the daughter of the then Marquis of Alyons.
== Religion ==
The beliefs of the Andrastian Chantry mingle with curious local customs in Serault, which, fortunately for the believers in Serault, is far from the prying eyes of the Grand Cathedral. The Abbey of the Bans is a popular local chantry despite these slight deviations.
There are also stranger, more heretical, chantry groups in the fringes around Serault. The largest splinter group is "The Cult of Masked Andraste" who worship Masked Andraste, a huntress-aspect version of Andraste, and has several shrines in the forests around Serault. The symbol of the cult is a bow. They gather and conduct their rites in chantry robes and black masks of charred wood and pray to a wooden statue of a Masked Andraste.
== Industry and Commerce ==
Although there is trade in the rare trophies and artifacts foraged from the Applewoods, Serault survives primarily off glassware and, in particular, the mirrors produced by its nationally renown Glassworks. Those learned in the arts of glassblowing are highly prized by the town, but to a fault - those who work for the Glassworks are not ever permitted to leave the building for fear talent will be lost to poaching from rival marquisates, emigration, or the general hazards of life on the fringe of civilization. As such, many who work in the Glassworks resent their situation, but love their art too much to do more than stage mild protests at their gilded cage. They are currently represented at Serault's court by the Smiling Guildmistress, a glassworker-turned-advocate.
Serault town is a thriving river port although mediocre management prevents it from reaching its full potential.
Serault's position as Orlais' western-most holding has resulted in lackluster trade, with the few traders willing to make the journey only interested in purchasing the town's famed glass works with Royals, or elegances like Antivan silks. As such, the town's economy has struggled in the past as much needed wares have failed to materialize in the town. The occasional bandit outfit has been known to prowl the roads to town, and river pirates have accosted traders utilizing the area's waterways, further placing a stranglehold on the marquisate.
== Places ==
* The Applewoods – a region of Tirashan Forest renowned for its hunting and its mysteries
** The Greenwood – the tamer area of The Applewoods that teems with game
** The Deepwoods – the depths of the Applewoods that teem with things quite sinister
** The Greenvault – a clearing where the ash trees soar as tall as temple-pillars
* Serault Town – a bustling port town dotted with gold stone and red roofs
* Chateau Serault – known as "The Thousand-Windowed Castle"
** Tower of Lights – the highest point of Chateau Serault; the tower was built to be the heart of the Shame's heliograph network—a web of towers communicating by mirror-flash
** Heron Tower
** West Tower
** Tilted Tower
** The Foal's Tower
** The Whistling Gallery
* Last River
* The Bridge of Masks – the only path east leading from the Chateau to Serault Town
* The Green Bridge – the only way west, to the forest
* The Anchoress' Dell
* The Abbey of the Bans – a prominent but somewhat unorthodox Chantry
* Pastulaire (formerly) – last held by the late husband of The Acerbic Dowager, who is described as "a vassal of Serault... until he permitted his peasants too many liberties"
== Characters ==
* The Acerbic Dowager
* The Elegant Abbess
* The Dashing Outlaw
* The Kindly Knight
* Marquis of Serault
* The Purveyor of Teas
* The Silent Hunter
* The Smiling Guildmistress
* The Cheery Baron
* The Well-Read Pig-Farmer
* The Wayward Bard
* The Anchoress
* Seneschal of Serault
* The Muttering Banker
* The Horned Knight
* The Elusive Iconoclast
* The Scornful Sorceress
* Frederic of Serault (formerly)
== Codex entries ==
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== Notes ==
* In-text mentions of the des Guenoles noble family (including the The Muttering Banker and his sister, The Elegant Abbess) may imply the existence of a village within the Serault marquisate called Guenoles, where the family would be based and hold surrounding lands.
== References ==
Category:Locations
Category:Dragon Age: the Last Court locations
Category:Towns
Category:Orlais