The Free People of Thedas

> *It is said that whenever there is strife in the world, whenever there is violence or evil done, whenever people are threatened with their doom but survive . . . it is said that some of these people do not merely stay where they are, still vulnerable to the actions of those who would hurt them. It is said that these people leave that which they had called home, and walk. They walk until they find what they truly desire, a thing in their heart they knew not until their lives had been taken to the edge of survival before being saved upon the brink. They search for it, that which all people truly believe is the common right of the world yet only the very few fight for; they walk until they find freedom."
> - Unknown Chantry scribe.*
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## The People

The Free People of Thedas are a collection of people from around the world who have come to settle in various locations across Thedas. They are a nation without land, individuals whom seek to no longer be governed or have their lives woven into the fabric of traditional society. To do this they have come together in natural places of the world that are obscure enough to go unnoticed by the likes of roaming bandits and soldiers but also placed well enough that other lost souls can find their way should they wish to.

## The Life

The People, as they have come to be known by those who are aware of them in one way or another maintain a peaceful existence in their settlements. Some find their way to leave an old life behind and start fresh, whilst others come across a settlement having never found a place in Thedas, somewhere they could call home. For whatever reason all who find their way will often discover the chance to live a life of introspection, spiritual discovery and the pursuit of philosophical ventures. Their lives are simple, often centred around the tasks which aide them in living in equilibrium with the world around them.

There is only the slightest hint of hierarchy in this society, with a handful of leaders of each settlement. These people are barely even that, more akin to guardians and guides of the Free People; all who discover the settlements will have done so by way of one of these leaders, even if they do not realise it. The leaders are wise and strong, and believed to be founders of The Free Peoples. Exactly how it is that they have done such a thing, or make their decisions is unknown and rarely considered for very long by those who live their lives Free.

## The Lands

There are only four known settlements throughout Thedas -

* In central Nevarra, not a few miles from Cumberland is a settlement the size of a small city situated in a valley.

* In Western Ferelden there are two settlements, amongst the Frostback Mountains. One is not far from Orzammar and the size of a village, situated either side of a river in between two waterfalls on a particularly fertile piece of land; it is enclosed and there are only a handful of paths into and out of it.

* The other is further south, between the foothills and the uncharted lands to the south of Thedas; this is much larger than even the settlement in Nevarra but only known thanks to the diligent work of a Chantry scribe.

* The fourth is a island off the South-Eastern coast of Ferelden, near Gwaren. Very little is known of the settlement but it is believed to be quite small.

## The Mystery

How exactly the Free People have managed to survive conquest or destruction is unknown, as those who have freely come and gone by their settlements either do not speak of it or never found out, whilst those who find their way there never leave again. What can be said is that these people have no apparent agenda with regards to the politics of the world, as is proven by their non-involvement in any war in the history of Thedas; whether this is their true nature, or they are merely biding their time as they grow is an impossible question to answer.