Human/DA

**Humans** are the most numerous, yet also the most contentious of all the races of Thedas. Only four times have they ever united beneath a single banner, the last being centuries ago. The monotheistic faith of the Chant of Light plays a major role in human society. The majority of humanity in Thedas descended from numerous human tribes.

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In *Dragon Age: Origins*, humans are able to play all three classes, warrior, rogue and mage, and a human Warden can select either the Human Noble or Mage origin.

**Racial benefits of Humans:** +1 strength, +1 dexterity, +1 magic, +1 cunning

In *Dragon Age: Inquisition* humans are able to play all three classes, warrior, rogue and mage.

**Racial benefits of Humans:** +1 Bonus Ability Point

## Contents

* 1History
* 2Culture
	+ 2.1Education
		- 2.1.1Chantry
		- 2.1.2Circle of Magi
		- 2.1.3Commoners
		- 2.1.4Ferelden nobility
	+ 2.2Religion
* 3Major human nations in Thedas
* 4Notes
* 5External links
* 6References

## History

Both the elves and the dwarves claim that there was once a time when humans did not walk the land. There is no mention of a time when the Veil didn't exist in human history. The Chantry teaches that the Maker created the Veil before He created men.

Some scholars believe that the first humans in Thedas came from the rainforests of Par Vollen many thousands of years ago, migrating south from the archipelago. The pyramids they built still stand to this day and are regarded by travelers to the region as true wonders. Elven lore also states that humans first arrived in Thedas around -3100 Ancient from Par Vollen to the north.

The first human tribe, the Neromenians, divided into various tribes to become the progenitors of many nations in Thedas. This tribe settled the entire coast along the Nocen Sea and subdivided into separate kingdoms: Qarinus, Tevinter, Neromenian, and Barindur. The former three ultimately united to form the Tevinter Imperium while the latter disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Humans in the lands of Tevinter used to worship a draconic pantheon of Old Gods, which are now said to slumber beneath the earth. The magister rulers of the ancient Tevinter Imperium who regularly talked to the Old Gods, engaged in a series of invasions in which they defeated the elven kingdom of Elvhenan and enslaved the race. Boosted by the sheer number of slaves, the Imperium conquered almost the entirety of Thedas in the next few centuries.

Eventually, the Imperium was challenged from the south by a barbarian uprising, the armies led by Maferath and his wife, the prophet Andraste.

Andraste brought the teachings of a new god, the Maker, and her word spread quickly. The oppressed masses of the Imperium rose up in rebellion to support the invading barbarians and eventually most of the south fell to their might. Andraste was not stopped in her Exalted March until she was betrayed by her husband: jealous of her power, Maferath turned Andraste over to the Tevinter archon and she was burned at the stake. The Chant of Light would say that the Maker turned his back on humanity when she died. He would only return and make the world into a paradise when the Chant of Light was sung from all corners of the world, and so the Chantry began to spread. The clerics of the Chantry were oppressed until the legendary emperor Drakon of Orlais converted and took up their cause, spreading the Chantry throughout all the lands that he conquered in its name. In modern times, the Chantry has spread throughout the known world, its power unquestioned even as it begins to give way to internal strife.

Despite internal strife, humans remain dominant across Thedas, with the exception of the underground kingdom of the dwarves and the Qunari islands to the north.

## Culture

Humans are probably the most culturally diverse race in Thedas as they have half a dozen nations of their own, each with different customs and traditions.

#### Chantry

The education provided to those of the Chantry appears on par with that of nobles. Templar recruits are literate and are taught history. The Chantry also produces a great deal of scholarship and research, the most notable scholar being Brother Ferdinand Genitivi.

#### Circle of Magi

The education of a mage is as extensive as that of a noble, if not more so. Beyond being taught to control their magic, a mage learns of the various schools of magic as well as languages, reading, writing, scrying, etc. Much like the Chantry, the Circle of Magi encourages scholarship and publishes the completed research.

#### Commoners

Commoners appear to receive little formal education in most countries in Thedas and many may be illiterate. City elves receive even less education than human commoners.

#### Ferelden nobility

Among the Fereldan nobility an education is typically provided by a learned tutor, such as Aldous in the Human Noble Origin. Noble Andrastian families may often have a Chantry Mother as a member of the household to attend to the religious education of the young.

### Religion

Currently, the majority of humans in Thedas are Andrastians, though there are also significant minorities following other religions. For example, many humans in Rivain willingly converted to the Qun during the Qunari occupation and certain tribes of humans, such as the Avvar, still follow their own pantheon of gods.

Andrastians are also divided among themselves: while the nations of southern Thedas follow the Chantry led by the Divine, who is always female, in Val Royeaux, Tevinter has its own Imperial Chantry led by the Imperial Divine, who is always male, in Minrathous. The two churches are mainly separated by their views on magic and the roles of each gender: the Imperial Chantry is much more tolerant of magic (the Imperial Divine is actually a mage) and allows male priests to serve.

## Major human nations in Thedas

* Anderfels
* Antiva
* Ferelden
* Free Marches
	+ Kirkwall
	+ Starkhaven
	+ Tantervale
	+ Ostwick
* Nevarra
* Orlais
* Rivain
* Tevinter Imperium

## Notes

* According to dialogue between Oghren and Zevran Arainai, humans are 100 times more numerous than dwarves. As there are over 100,000 dwarves in Orzammar and their surface brethren match their numbers, this means that the total human population in Thedas is over 20,000,000.
* Even though it is not common, there are unions between humans and elves. Their offspring would be elf-blooded.
	+ Children between humans and dwarves are extremely rare because of the low fertility rate of dwarves in addition to the small chances of producing offspring with other races. Half-dwarves are shorter than humans but taller than dwarves. Furthermore, it is more common for such mating to happen with surface dwarves as such unions would be heavily stigmatized in Orzammar.
* All races in Thedas are said to live approximately the same length of natural life.
* Human society is largely inspired by Europe during the Middle Ages.