#serault map

[felassan]

Stupid question, do you know of a map that shows where that marquis in orlais is from that text game they got rid of? And/or where anyone put together lore from it?

hello! ◕‿◕ not a stupid question at all! I really love TLC, Serault and Serault lore, it was really intriguing with its own unique character.. Dragon Age: The Last Court you will always be famous (˶◞ ‸ ◟˶)

to my knowledge/recollection there was no map of the Marquisate of Serault itself. but we do know where the Marquisate of Serault specifically sits on the larger map of Thedas proper thanks to the War Table in DA:I -

here you can see exactly where it sits in relation to the Nahashin Marshes and the Tirashan. there were also descriptions in the game of various locations in the Marquisate and (a bit) on their geographic relations to each other, as well as descriptions in the game relating that the Marquisate itself is in the far west of Orlais ("far west of the civilised world") near the Tirashan ("Look west, to the Tirashan Forest").

The Last Court resources:

Dragon Age: The Last Court preservation community project archive (a Google drive of screenshots of 99% of the game's contents)

Detailed plot guide on A03 (the info in text format, not screencaps)

Ghil Dirthalen video - TLC overview

Ghil Dirthalen long video - Playing TLC

Dragon Age Wiki pages on TLC: TLC, Serault, an index of the cards etc

hope something here helps ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

[aetherflowers]

Thursday Bangers | 6/19

My favorite day of the week! Thursday Bangers makes me so happy. Thank you for the game and the tag, @woundedsoul12!

Rules for your Copy and Paste: Free form a blurb or drawing based on the weekly lyrics prompt. It doesn't have to include the prompt just whatever you're inspired to write, write it! Then tag some friends so they can play as well. It doesn't have to be finished on Thursday just post it whenever you can (you have a whole week between Thursdays).

All my friends we're glorious Tonight we are victorious - Victorious by Panic! At The Disco

Softly tagging: @in-the-drowning-deep @jenn2d2 @blackwall-my-tiny-husband @davrinsleftpectoral and if you think it sounds fun and wanna play: you!

I need to write more companion shenanigans; I love Bull and Sera and their craziness.

Word count: 1200-ish

Near sunset, he received a surprising note from a lightly sunburnt messenger. “Inquisitor Trevelyan says if you want to see her fight a dragon, they’re setting the bait now.”

He gaped, mid-meeting with Briony about the logistics of their trip back to Skyhold. “Training exercise,” she offered.

For a moment he considered, then nodded. “Bring the lieutenants whose squads are ready to march. Show me on the map, soldier, and escort the rest.”

The messenger saluted and then ducked into a tent to point to a rough location at the south end of the Approach, not far. He left immediately, sword and shield at the ready, and trekked across the sands. As he got closer the dragon circling overhead grew larger, its shadow monstrously large against the sand in the growing twilight.

“I wouldn’t get closer, ser,” a man with a heavy Orlesian accent warned him. “She seems agitated and will likely attack.”

Cullen lifted a brow at him. “And you are?”

“Professor Frederic of Serault,” he introduced. “I study draconology. The Inquisitor offered to help me with my research; she is a wonderful woman.”

The Commander crossed his arms and peered down into the basin where he could see her and her companions–Bull, posturing and great sword already raised; Dorian, making exaggerated gestures to her that he guessed was some kind of joke; Sera, bouncing on the balls of her feet with her bow at her side; Yvette, pointing around the field and laying glyphs across the ground. Overhead the dragon roared as it drew nearer, and Bull shouted back. Sera’s laughter bounced off the ruins, and then he heard her call to brace just as the dragon settled herself into the sand.

“Fascinating,” the professor breathed.

Together with Yvette, Bull baited the dragon across the sand and glyphs activated in her wake. Incensed, the dragon breathed lightning. The Qunari braced himself to eat the brunt of it and the Inquisitor dashed toward the flank. Against the darkening sky, the glimmer of her magic sword was easy to see. He lost sight of the elf and Tevinter among the columns until he caught sight of light glinting off of arrows or the purple hue of magic as they hemmed the beast in. By then the others joined him, and awe rippled through the soldiers.

The dragon jumped and snapped, and when its tail sent her flying he almost charged in, but even in the air she spun and loosed a barrage of ice. Bull kept the dragon’s ire focused on him as she landed, rolled, and got back to her feet, and the next time the tail swiped toward her she disappeared, reappearing on its other side seconds later. She used her staff to parry swiping claws and keep the beast off kilter, and blood began to paint the sands.

Finally, in the darkening of twilight, the dragon fell. Bull roared and Sera whooped, and the soldiers around him burst into applause. Most of the party turned and addressed them, but she kept her focus on the beast. Gently she ran her hand along its jaw and bowed her head; standing next to it, she was barely taller than the skull was wide, and she lingered beside it long after the others had begun to climb the sand toward them.

“Enjoy the show, professor?” Bull asked, his chest and face splattered with the still-drying blood.

“It is a shame she attacked, but I have learned much,” the Orlesian confirmed. “I’ll join the Inquisitor.”

“Is she all right?” One of the soldiers asked.

“Yeah, she does that,” Sera shrugged. “Prays or something, keeps watch until the people come to chop it up.”

“Our Evie has a soft spot for dragons,” Dorian mused. “Unlike some of us.”

“I like dragons,” Bull argued.

“Yes, you have a very hard spot for them,” the mage drawled.

Sera snorted while Bull chuckled. Cullen shook his head and finally let himself pick his way over the sand to join her. Standing next to the dragon, he realized that not even his idea of the size of high dragons could compare to their actual size. Shoulder to shoulder, it was easily wider than he was tall, its claws as long as his forearm. The professor took samples and examined the beast closely, and she provided him light to work.

“The professor will oversee the corpse,” she told him when she caught sight of him. “He has horses and wagons to take the beast back to Skyhold for further examination, we just need to keep scavengers away.”

“I’ll get men on it,” he promised.

“Sorry to pile on,” she sighed. “First the Venatori mage, now the dragon…”

“It’s all right,” he assured her. “Are you okay?”

“I will be,” she rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck. “Once we’re back in my bed.”

His ears burned, but the professor was too ensconced to pay them any mind. Unfortunately it would be weeks before they would be back to Skyhold, and they both knew it. In the meantime they would have to make it work with bedrolls and cots, and plenty of nights apart.

“Our good professor told me there’s a dragon in the Wastes,” she added. “I hope our paths don’t need to cross.”

“A beautiful Sandy Howler,” he chimed in, reverence in his voice. “They prefer to roast their kills before eating them. I have often wondered if different Howlers have different preferences for their meals, like people with steaks.”

“I’ll remember to take notes, professor,” she promised.

“Will you return to camp tonight?” He shifted his weight and glanced back toward where a few of his men lingered.

“Yes, let’s go. I’ll send people to work with you, professor.”

As they walked back, he watched her from the corner of his eye. “You were magnificent out there.”

“I felt a little sloppy,” she admitted. “I’m glad you made it. I hoped it would help you worry a little less.”

“I’ll always worry for you,” he confessed, “but not because I think you lack skill.”

They left a small but capable squad with the dragon and professor, and she warned them to watch for bandits and beasts. “I’ll be back in the morning to have a look around and help however I can,” she promised. The soldiers saluted her and she returned the gesture before they made their way back to the camp. 

As the temperature dropped in the night she shivered and he settled his coat over her shoulders. She looked at him, surprised, and he just rubbed the back of his neck. Everyone already knew about the Commander and the Inquisitor, but her wearing his coat into camp was as clear as writing his name on her. Before he could think better of it, she wrapped it around her and tucked her hands into its folds, a pleased smile curling her lips. 

No one said anything, of course, and she accepted a drink from around the campfire where Bull was still talking about the dragon to a large audience. He led a toast in her name and she bowed her head in thanks. Miraculously, there was still some kind of charred meat available to eat, and she picked at a plate of it while Bull launched into the fight with the giant in the ruins and Sera helped him reenact the battle. It was obviously heavily embellished, but the soldiers ate it up.

[exhausted-archivist]

Interesting Element of the Map from Rook's Coffer

Nahashin Marshes

These marshes are in a caldera, meaning they're a volcanic hot spot. Which makes it understandable that there might be hot springs. However, what is interesting is that the Rook's Coffer map depicts the marshes as half being heated (north) and the other half (south) isn't.

It is interesting because in The Last Court, there is no mention of the differing temperatures between areas and The Last Court takes place in Serault, and mentions not only other areas of the marshes but Orlais as well. So this is a new little lore aspect.

Some of the obscure lore for this area were written up in a post from Ammocharis.

[hightowerqueen]

How good is Bea at geography? Could she show Serault or Lake Calenhad on the map?

thank you for asking <3

i feel like she could? makes sense for a Crow educated by Viago to be at least passable at it, i think.

Thanks to this question I have now decided she's a map doodler. like on the maps. viago hates it.

[valyrianrepublic]

Map of the Orlesian Empire remains in 9:46 Dragon

Orange: Kingdom of Ferelden annexed territories

Green: The Restored Dales

Blue: The Andrastian Republic of Orlais

Purple: The Grand Duchy of Serault

Red: Kingdom of Nevarra annexed territories

Light Blue: Contested Dales-Orlais border

Black: The "Venatori" states (informally called)

After the death of both Grand Duke Gaspard and Empress Celene at the disastrous Peace Ball of Halamshiral in 9:42 Dragon, the Empire of Orlais, strained already by the burning of it's capital during the last battle of the Mage Rebellion, the weakening of it's armies in the War of Lions and the border incursion of a resurgent Ferelden under Prince-Consort Cousland and Queen Anora Mac Tir, ended up fracturing completing. Revolutionary movements brought by the Elusive Iconoclaust, unchecked with most of the royal army leaderless in the Dales, quickly overturned large swats of the crumbling Empire with mass executions of it's nobility. The western marquisate of Serault closed it's borders to avoid the spread of revolutionary movements and declared indipendeance from Orlais trought a network of marriages and submission of it's neighbooring nobles. Rivaling nations such as Nevarra and Ferelden, both having warred with Orlais in the recent past, were more than happy to nibble at the borders of their rival, as was Ambassador Briala, who was able to transfer hundreds of thousands of elves in the Dales trought means unknown in a short time and drive the tired and deserting skeletrons of the orlesian garrisons out before declaring the Dales a nation once again. The downfall of Orlais allowed even agents of the Elder One to infiltrate it's ranks and despite the purge of Venatori elements after the death of Corypheus, the more distant territories, unable to be reclaimed by either the Dales or Orlais, kept bearing the mark of the corruption left and internal division.

-The Twenty Years War, Author Unknown, Public Library of Ansburg, United Marcher Alliance capital.

[greypetrel]

Good morning (afternoon)!! If Aisling had a personal quest, what would it be? Would she get any new abilities or gear upon completing it?

Good afternoon to you Mo, thank you!

Mh, I'm actually very indecisive over this. I've been adding and correcting an Aisling companion piece for a while (I'm still undecided whether it'd be for DAI or DA2, because the Hawkeverse makes me laugh).

What I can think of is:

A war table mission that gets triggered when you talk to professor Frederic de Serault in the Western Approach with her in the team. If she's there, she'll make some polite at first comments saying that he should leave the dragon alone. And when he would give you the How to Lure a Dragon sidequest, she will openly disagree and tell you that this plan will only lead to Quizzy's and the whole team premature death, or the pointless death of a poor creature that is hurting no one. She'll suggest you instead to let her find a safe route for pilgrims and travellers around the dragon's territory instead. They are mutually exclusive, and if you accept De Serault's quest, she greatly disapproves. If you accept Aisling's quest, you won't have a dragon to kill, and the tabletop mission will revolve around having her publish an essay for the University of Orlais (basically: convincing the professor to let her publish to her name)

Personal Quest: I think I may settle on investigating on the fate of Clan Virnehn (under the spoilers for Masked Empire), because I am chewing on that piece of information that didn't get into DAI. She reaches the Inquisition to check on Quizzy, and will ask them if she can have means to see what happened to the clan. They know it disappeared from the map, but not how or why. The big choice is whether to favour the Orlesian aristocracy and keep the knowledge under the carpet, or to duel sir Michel (or let Aisling duel him, she'll insist on facing him herself, will greatly disapprove if a non elf Quizzy won't let her), publicly shame him in front of the noblety. You'll gain some leverage over Celene through the investigation (useful in the Winter Palace and Trespasser), bonus with trading with the elves, it's hinted that this reveal may force Celene/Gaspard to improve relationships with the Dalish as compensation/give Briala more ammunition and political power, but it'll be a malus in trading in Val Royeaux, and at the Exalted Council it will be stated that this elven-favour of the Inquisitor will make the position of the Inquisition much more controlled if keeping it running under the Chantry.

This is my idea for now, the con of having a multipotential character is that there are OPTIONS. On the other hand, I think these two will be the most likely for me to settle upon. She's still can be found most often in the Library with Dorian. The Library will change in various degrees according to the experiment of the day. One day it's raining indoor, another day there are coloured clouds flying around, another day she's asking Leliana if she saw a baby varghest, she lost sight of poor Spinach Puff for just one minute and he must be so scared...

[stainedglassserault]

*** You may need to open the image in a new tab to get high res ***

... to do that on mobile, I think you click on the image. To do that on desktop, right click and select open image in new tab or something similar.

This reference is made out of a piece of the high resolution map by the wyrd sisters. It has estimated locations of Serault and its neighboring Marquisate town, Alyons. I didn't draw the border between the two but you can imagine it. I have it between Serault and Andoral's Reach, such that Alyons does not have much contiguous land and only has the 3 vassal villages nearby. That Marquisate is currently more powerful than Serault, and has additional lands that are not contiguous elsewhere. I forget what the term for that is, but there is one.

Also featured: the Last River that is meant to flow through Serault and make it a river port, plus some other rivers I made up and many newly named lakes. I didn't name every lake, but I named a lot of lakes if you see an unnamed lake, look for a near lake, add "petite" to its name, and there you go. I realized part way through they should probably be Lac __ if named in "Orlesian" and Lake __ if named in "Common" ... just assume people call them by both depending.

Wherever you put it, it is important that the Last River actually ends up flowing down past somewhere relevant, like near Andoral's Reach, and crossing the Imperial Highway! This is because if it was just a river that went or came from nowhere useful, like the marshes, it wouldn't be passable for commerce to be coming into Serault.

I am assuming the source of the Last is in the Blasted Hills, snow melt or one or more springs or both, and flows south-south west. The River Dawn I have it intersecting with in the Tirashan is a river I made up and it starts with a natural spring and ends meeting up with the Last and then going underground right at that point.

Since making this I have seen people put Serault on the little scrap of river leading into the lake I have named Lake Nahashin. I kind of accept that, because yes that way you don't need to imagine the original canon maps left off a whole river, but really? A passable series of rivers and lakes through a marsh area? I am not a river boat captain or anything so I may be wrong but I assume it wouldn't ever have been popular with trade through a Marsh. Maybe someone who does that is imagining the "Nahashin Marshes" label really only represents scattered marshes between the lakes, and not a major nearly unbroken stretch of marsh. Anyway I like my Last River also because it gives me a good spot to put Alyons that also lets Alyons be relevant and more important than Serault at this point. Also it lets you put Serault actually away from the lakes and marsh, which are never mentioned in The Last Court, and right next to the Tirashan woods, which are repeatedly mentioned as being "right out the back door" from Chateau Serault.

Why is it, and Serault for that matter, missing off the actual official maps?

1) because it's way out west and nobody cares. That explains Alyons I guess, too. 2) it was purged as part of the "Shame of Serault" shunning which would be a few generations back. Alyons got left off too because they took off the Last River to punish Serault and impact its trade. The merchants they still get are hold outs and people really into getting their hands on the best glass. Perhaps authorities felt nobody would follow a ban on Serault glass, so it was better to deter trade and effect the punishment using official map changes.

You can also see I added some made up villages for Serault to have as vassals, each with their own local lord or lady (styled "baron" informally, if they want, even if official petty titles are banned) ... or Ser if a chevalier or general knight.

Find more about those villages, and the draconologist's outpost, Chateau Estival, HERE.

More about the rivers and lakes, HERE.

More about Alyons and its villages HERE whenever I make that post.

[potatowitch]

Hi potato!!! for dadwc - “i’m not letting you go alone. ” - protective prompt, anders & the warden-commander?

in which there might be a cure for the calling, lyna is a weapons hoarder and her and anders are BESTIES @dadrunkwriting

“What does one pack when they’re going so far West it’s not even marked on the map?”

The corner of Mahariel’s mouth tugs up as she turns to look at Anders leaning up against her door frame. Behind her, her bed is strewn with her belongings, and at the foot of it is her open travelling trunk.

“Fucked if I know,” Mahariel mutters. “I’m almost convinced I should pack everything, just to be safe. I have no idea what I’ll be dealing with once I get past Serault.”

Anders pads over to peer into the trunk. Mahariel has packed no less than five daggers and two longswords - he recognises the standard issue Warden weaponry and the curved knives Mahariel has always favoured, though he’s seen the two blades made out of red steel and the sword that glows an icy blue even in the dim firelight of the bedroom far less often. There’s a longbow with Dalish carvings that is definitely far too tall for the Commander to use effectively, and an ironbark shortbow she’s been carrying around since the Blight, and, for some reason, a hand crossbow. Anders raises his eyebrows.

“Wow,” he says. “Alright. Pack every weapon I own. Noted.”

Mahariel turns to him, frowning. “Sorry, what?”

“...what?”

“I wasn’t aware that you were coming with me, Anders.”

It’s only because he’s known her for so many years that Anders can detect the note of amusement in her voice. He shrugs.

“Of course I am, Leens. I’m not letting you go alone.”

She continues to frown at him for a moment, and Anders thinks she might actually tell him no, but then her brow smooths out and a smile creeps across her face.

“Okay,” she says quietly. “Yeah, okay. I’d be happy to have you and Justice with me, lethallin.”

Anders feels a wave of fondness from Justice, and he grins at her. “And Pounce. He’s coming too.”

Mahariel snorts and shakes her head. “Sure, alright.”

She circles around to the side of the bed, gets down on all fours, and reaches underneath it. She frowns for a bit as she rummages, and Anders can hear the clank and scrape of metal hitting wood, until she lets out a little ‘aha!’ and straightens. In her hands is a wooden staff, a blackened antler nailed to the head of it and adorned with feathers and yellowing animal teeth.

“Catch,” she says, and tosses it to Anders. He catches it and tests the weight of it in his palm, and Mahariel snorts when he twirls it in his hands. The enchantments woven into the staff feel attuned to a far more offensive style of spellcasting than Anders is typically used to - similar to how Merrill’s staff felt in his hands. Mahariel shrugs when he looks at her questioningly.

“Belonged to a Witch of the Wilds, a long time ago,” she says.

“Huh,” Anders murmurs, running his hands over the body of the staff. “Thanks, Commander.”

She tilts her head to the side and smirks at him.

“I suppose you should go start packing too, hm?”

[silvanils]

BTV OC Question time! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ Is there somewhere in the world your character has alway wanted to visit, but hasn’t yet been able to? Where? What about it intrigues them?

BTV OC Questions (August/September)

Lyanna Cousland: She’s always been curious about “the lands beyond the sea” because of the stories her mother used to tell about her days as a raider. She’s intrigued by the air of mystery and danger, and she’d rather disappear off the edge of the map than be swallowed up by the deep roads.

Dirk Tabris: He’s actually been able to see most of the places he dreamed of visiting as a kid, such as the Brecilian Forest and Halamshiral. He’s been to Antiva City, too, which he only decided he wanted to see after hearing Zevran talk about it. Perhaps Weisshaupt Fortress qualifies, because it’s THE warden stronghold... but in recent years Dirk’s become more wary of the Wardens that are stationed there. He’d still love to visit, but he doesn’t want to get caught up in whatever trouble’s brewing there.

Fahren Mahariel: He’d like to visit the Arlathan Forest, if only because he’s always been interested in learning anything he can about the ancients. The jewel of Elvhenan was Arlathan itself, and surely there are echoes left of it in the Arlathan Forest... right?

Mari Hawke: Tevinter in general, but especially a grand city like Minrathous. As a little apostate kid growing up in the country, it sounded like an amazing place. Meeting Fenris and hearing his stories about the Imperium did dampen some of the wonder she used to have about the place, but... she still wants to visit.

Ash Lavellan: Like Dirk, he’s seen a lot more than he ever expected to before being chosen to go to the Conclave. He is intrigued by magic, weird stuff, and hunting, though, so I suppose he might be interested in visiting Serault just to see if it really IS as weird as the reports that came back made it out to be.

[collagedraws]

Inquisitor as companion

Inquisitor’s Name: Osa Trevelyan

Race / Class / Specialization:  Human / Mage / Rift Mage; Osa relies heavily on storm and winter schools of magic, her spells focus more on attack than stat-boosting or defense

Gender Identity: Female

Varric’s Nickname for them: Stormcloud - “Always carrying something heavier than she lets on, takes a bit to find that silver lining, but she’ll get there.”

Short bio: A child of the upstanding Trevelyan family, Osa was previously deeply entrenched in Chantry life, dedicated to honoring her family’s Andrastian loyalties. She and her brother have been scrambling to navigate the burning landscape of post-Circle Thedas and reimagine their lives moving forward. She moves with confidence, something that might almost be grace. That paired with a talent for powerful magic makes her deadly in combat

What would their companion card look like?

Initial Card: The high priestess, reversed

Loyalty: The hierophant, reversed

Romanced: Temperance - Osa faces east, one foot half submerged in choppy water and the other balanced on the rocky shore. Her hands are clasped together lightly, one resting on top of the other. Something bright spills from between them- glass, perhaps. She is looking at the viewer, head tilted slightly, a faint smile on her lips

Recruitment mission:  

Upon interacting with Leliana, she will tell you that her scouts have reported a particularly aggressive clash between a group of apostates and templars in the Hinterlands that is endangering farmers and refugees passing through the area. She points out that it would be to the Inquisition’s advantage to pacify the conflict and aid the threatened passersby, cultivating goodwill and securing the area for the Inquisition.

When you arrive at the location marked on the map, you will find a group of five templars closing in on a group of frightened and injured apostates being tended to by a mage and her templar brother. Once you approach, it will trigger a cutscene.

Shiori stands to confront the advancing templars, calling for them to back down and end the senseless violence, letting the mages live. One of the templars calls him a traitor and Osa, laying a newly dead mage gently down, cuts in. Invoking the Chant of Light, she lashes out, likening their mindless slaughter to the death of Andraste herself. The templar commander accuses her of heresy and demands that they submit to the Chantry’s judgement. As they are poised to attack, two mages who had been huddled together on the ground murmuring to themselves give in and transform into a pair of despair demons, much to the horror and grief of the Trevelyans. A battle then ensues in which you help the twins defeat the templars and demons to complete the mission.

After the fight, you speak with the twins, learning that they had been attempting to escort the small band of apostates to a safehouse. When they arrived, they were met by the templars, who had reduced the barn to rubble. Requesting that you take the remaining injured mages into your care, they willingly accompany you back to Haven, after which they can both be found on the party select screen.

Where they may be found in Haven: She and Shiori can be found outside the village perimeter, across the road from the gates on a snowy bank. They stand huddled together, exchanging quiet words and occasionally glancing towards the sparring recruits

Where they may be found in Skyhold: Initially, the twins can be found in the back corner of the lower courtyard near the stables. Once repairs are made and things are more settled, Osa can be found at a table on the second floor of the Herald’s Rest nursing a drink and studying a book

Personal quests:

Quest 1: Far From the Tree

The cutscene will open in Skyhold’s library where Osa chats lowly with a smiling Dorian, retrieving a book from a high shelf and adding it to one already in her arms. She will greet you, asking if you have a moment, at which point she will lead you out to the battlements for more privacy. She is straightforward- she wants to reach out to her family. She hasn’t had contact with them since the fall of the Ostwick Circle, and more to the point, she’s sure their connections in the Tevinter Imperium or Nevarra could benefit the Inquisition. However, she is unsure if they will be willing to work with the Inquisition, given the speculation over Divine Justinia’s death and the future of the Chantry.

This will trigger a war table operation. Leliana will not participate in this mission. Josephine suggests delivering a message through an allied noble in the region, insisting that going through the proper channels will make for a smooth reception. Cullen reminds you that it doesn’t hurt to make a grand impression, and recommends sending an outfitted Inquisition unit to deliver your regards, as well as Osa’s message.

Quest 2: Bitter Pill

Osa, having a drink with Shiori and the Chargers, spots the Inquisitor down the bar at the Herald’s Rest and indicates that she wants talk. She gets up, sharing a laugh with Krem, and comes to sit beside the Inquisitor. She is more relaxed this time around but her tone, though light, is still serious. She wants your help obtaining a recipe for a healing potion, though she will only specify that it’s for her brother to a high-approval Inquisitor. She already has a contact for the recipe and hopes to meet with them as soon as possible. Upon completing this conversation, the location of the meeting will become available on the war table.

You travel to a crumbling chateau that initially appears abandoned, but as you draw closer, you can see that a large, thriving clinic has set up camp amongst the ruins. When you get close enough, you find the clinic besieged by a group of red templars. Once you help defeat them, the leader of the clinic, an elven mage and healer named Mailani offers her thanks. They had been operating covertly for weeks, treating refugees and sheltering apostates, when they were discovered by a band of red templars. According to a missive you find on one of the corrupted templars, they had received orders to cut off the camp’s supplies before moving in to finish them off. The leader tells you that they were after not only the mages in the clinic, but the tomes of spells they had been protecting. It is a relatively isolated area, and supplies are hard to come by. She is glad to accept help from the Inquisition in exchange for the knowledge they have collected, including the recipe that Osa is after.

Back in the Herald’s Rest, Osa thanks the Inquisitor, saying that it means a lot to her personally. She confesses that things hadn’t been easy for her and her brother after the fall of the Circles. She speaks a bit more candidly about the strictness of her family and the pressures of Circle life. If the Inquisitor has high enough approval, she talks wistfully about Shiori’s confidence. In a harder voice, she says that she would do anything to preserve his sense of self worth. Her words hint at past turmoil, perhaps related to the potion, but she will not go into detail even if pressed. Shaking off the seriousness of the topic, she jokes that she’ll have to hunt you down if you ever tell her brother about her protectiveness. Despite the hardships, she insists that having their freedom for the first time in their lives has been worth the trials they still face, and that she’s glad to be here with the Inquisitor.

Breakdown of Approval Ratings for Major Missions:

Fate of the Mages

Conscript: Greatly disapproves

Ally: Greatly approves

Fate of the Templars

Disband: Slightly approves

Ally: Slightly disapproves

Inquisitor’s Lead:

A Dwarf/Elf/Qunari Stands for us all: No approval change

Example as a Mage: Approves

For Faith: Slightly approves

For Order: Slightly disapproves

For What’s Right: Greatly approves

To Stop Corypheus: Approves

For Personal Power: Greatly disapproves

For Vengeance: Slightly disapproves

Fate of the Wardens

Exile: Disapproves

Ally: Approves

Ruler of Orlais

Gaspard: Disapproves

Briala: Slightly approves

Celene: Disapproves

Reunite: Disapproves

Spare Everyone: Slightly approves

Arrest Florianne: Approves

Save Celene: Slightly disapproves

Kill Celene: Slightly approves

Abelas Alliance

Ally: Approves

Reject: Disapproves

Drink from the Well:

Non-Lavellan Inquisitor Drinks: Disapproves

Lavellan Inquisitor Drinks: Slightly approves

Morrigan Drinks: Slightly disapproves

Other ways to gain approval: Gaining high approval from her brother, helping mages, generally using reason over force, helping Josephine restore her family’s status, working with Frederic of Serault

Other ways to gain disapproval: Disrespecting Andrastian faith (neutral to different beliefs, but active scorn is regarded with distaste), mistreating mages, killing dragons

Are they romanceable? Yes, by a female Inquisitor of any race

Can you have sex with them? Yes, but only mid- to high-approval Inquisitors

Are they open to polyamory? Yes, but only when it’s relatively casual. If it starts involving more serious feelings from any party, she won’t want to get too tangled up in it and will take her leave

If they can be romanced and are not, will they begin a relationship / relationships with other character(s)? If so, who? There are hints that she and Sera hook up, but nothing serious ever comes of it, and Sera still ends up with Dagna if unromanced

Who are they friendly with? Dorian, Bull (plus Krem and the Chargers), Varric, Sera (kind of). Osa finds solace and understanding in Leliana, and shares some much-needed levity with Josephine (the family connections help, but really she kind of appreciates the frivolity of chats with Josie)

Who do they dislike? Vivienne. She tries initially to approach the Court Enchanter with deference, but her disdain and rigidly structured views end up rubbing Osa exactly the wrong way. She likes Solas initially, curious to learn and see from different perspectives, but eventually his aloofness and world-weary pretensions get old. She generally avoids Cullen. She doesn’t necessarily have a problem with him, and she’s not going to find out. Too much trauma with templars

Opinions on mages / templars / how the world is going to shit? “Faith may not save us, but it gives us the strength to face another day. The sun rises and we move forward.”

Something guaranteed to make them leave the party: Osa won’t be tempted to leave that easily, but if you manage to make Shiori leave, she’ll follow his lead

Special Events:

Imprisoned at Redcliffe: How is your Inquisitor holding up in Redcliffe, being slowly infected with red lyrium over the course of a year?

She stares unseeing at the wall of her cell, trying to read the lines of lyrium that cover its surface like spiderwebs. She murmurs to herself, pieces of phrases that might be an ill-remembered Chant of Light. Her head snaps up, eyes clear for a moment, as she says “Shiori-,” then trails off, descending back into muddled recital before the Inquisitor interrupts. “Inquisitor!” She stands quickly, pressing a hand to her temple, slowly shaking her head as if plagued by a bad headache. She breathes deeply, slowly coming back to herself, and her muddled thinking is replaced with angry intent.

At the Winter Palace: Does your Inquisitor enjoy the party, any special events with them at the Palace?

Osa loves Orlais. Fascinated with the sheer opulence almost as much as the Game, she thoroughly enjoys the masquerade from behind a half-full glass of wine that she nurses the whole night. She’s knows that it’s not nearly as glamorous as her first impression, but she’s striking enough in her own right to pique the interest of powerful people and it’s at least a little thrilling. She’s been trained her whole life to wear a mask and she falls into the push and pull of intrigue with ease. Plus she gets to see Cullen surrounded by a flock of cooing nobles and it’s hilarious enough to make the evening worthwhile

In the Fade:

“Maker help us, what next?”

Osa is awed, wide-eyed and fascinated, edging on disbelieving. Fear keeps everyone on their toes, but she is obviously taking everything in with a hint of wonder. However, she is particularly shaken by the encounter with the spirit of Divine Justinia.

Nightmare: “You’ve worked so hard to be what they wanted. Such a shame, really. What a disgrace.”

Osa: “Right. Just another voice to temper. But piss off!”

Her gravestone reads: “Aimlessness”

Trespasser:

Inseparable as ever, she and Shiori can be found crowding the bar (with the Chargers, if spared). They look a bit older, a bit road-weary and significantly more seasoned by the experiences of the past few years. Osa has penned the occasional missive to the Inquisitor, informing them of her and Shiori’s whereabouts and ongoing projects. Over the last two years, the twins have traveled all over Thedas, lending aid mainly to refugee resettlement and support for displaced mages building new lives. Josephine’s notes reveal that several attempts by their family to reach them through the Inquisition have gone very clearly unacknowledged.

Marriage, while not completely out of the question, is not on the visible horizon. It is likely that the ensuing commitment to stopping Solas’ newly-revealed plans will leave little time for the indulgence of a full-blown romance. Osa will go where she is needed, finding purpose in helping those displaced by the events surrounding the Breach who are making the effort to rebuild their lives. However, she will return to the Inquisitor’s side when she can. When she does, she lingers. Maybe for longer than she ought to, she thinks. But solace is fleeting and some kinds of healing can only happen in the company of someone you love

[bariolee-blog1]

just for reference, since the war table is about the only place where Serault is ever placed on a map. however, given how close it is to the Tirashan in the actual Last Court game, i’d personally place that map marker a little more to the northwest.

[servesorlais]

Discourse time: banditry doesn’t seem to be a very big problem in Orlais. This of course comes with the disclaimer that I don’t really like using game mechanics as lore because we know the devs got super lazy with populating their world and that’s why there are swarms of “death before dishonor�� loyalty-pledging noble-blooded chevaliers fighting for the Freemen of the Dales  ( more on them on a second )  but there is a different type of enemy you fight off in the Orlesian map locations, as a whole.  

Anyway, by way of comparison, in the Hinterlands, Storm Coast, and Crestwood, you’re fending off numerous groups of bandits and outlaws; during Origins there are frequent interruptions from bandits ad looters. To be fair, it’s clear that they’re either taking advantage of the general unrest surrounding the mage/templar war and Blight respectively or forced into the same actions for lack of a better choice, but it does present it as a fairly rampant problem. You’ve got bandits essentially within sight of Redcliffe, for instance; and, importantly, the Fereldan army is absent. It’s not much different in Kirkwall, where in addition to your Carta and various city thugs, the coast is swarming with bandit groups, and despite all the dialogue about Aveline and the Kirkwall guard, they’re ... not much of a presence out there, else Hawke wouldn’t be dealing with it so often.

Meanwhile the Orlesian army is said to make regular patrols around Val Royeaux and along the Imperial Highway  ---  which, arguably, could be a response to a problem, except that we also know that the army isn’t being deployed in any other capacity  ( to a point of actual contention, as led by Gaspard. )  There’s obviously city-based crime, like cutpurses and pickpockets, but robbing merchants along the highway is going to come with a reasonable risk of being run down by the next troupe of chevaliers that rides through. While there might be some that are willing to take the risk, it seems unlikely that it would be a sustainable and profitable way to live. Besides, it’s likely that the upfront costs of being a successful bandit, i.e. having usable weapons and armor and training to use them, are more than a lot of Orlesians can afford. 

Where there is evidence of banditry: the Western Approach, although they’re fairly well hidden in the canyons even there, and there are plenty of bandits in the woods of Serault  ( considered a very marginal part of the empire, just like the Approach )  along with pirates along the river. There’s really not much in the way of major bodies of water in Orlais, so presumably the imperial army doesn’t have a strong navy or anything resembling a coast guard, so if you have the skill to run a boat along the riverways and steal from merchant ships, you’re likely to do well for yourself.

It’s not to say things are better in Orlais, because both the chevaliers and the regular imperial army disrupt and loot villages essentially with impunity. Particularly during wartime, but not exclusive to wartime; both Celene and Gaspard think this is something the commoners just have to put up with and deal with the best they can rather than, say, disciplining their forces. Then by wartime you have army deserters on top of that, who ... attack civilians for reasons that aren’t entirely clear given that they’re supposed to be championing a resistance / alternative to the nobility, but that’s another aggressive militarised force that doesn’t quite fit the bill of banditry  ( although it’s not entirely a wrong label for what they’re doing, either. ) 

... so call this an extended observation, basically. There’s probably counterexamples, and it could be handwaved as dumb game mechanics, of course, but it’s something I was considering this morning and thought I’d write up. 

[stainedglassserault]

On the Map of the Serault region

That map can be found HERE.

And here it is again

Village bases for the vassals of Serault, from north to south:

Castanafeu - very old settlement right up at the forest's edge. The biggest concentration of charcoal burners are right here. Some saw mills. The name is from Castana, a figure from Orlesian (or Ciriane) history, mother of Kordillus Drakon, and then the French Orlesian word for fire. Suggestion would be, this is where Castana had a campfire once, I guess. Not much going on here. The "lord/lady" is just a chevalier-knight, acting like a sheriff in "keeping the peace" and collecting taxes. It is somewhat hereditary but mostly appointed again out of local chevaliers by Serault when the old one dies or retires. Might call her/himself " Chevalier __ de Castanafeu"

Guenoles - this one is actually just about canon! Not its location, though I think it makes sense to put the more important villages on the River Last... but rather the name. Both the Muttering Banker and his sister the Elegant Abbess are given the surname "des Guenoles", and are said to be a local noble family. The Banker is just the heir, not the current baron/knight of Guenoles so you can choose who their parents are. I say it's the Kindly Knight, and that the family includes the Wayward Bard too. The Bard is the canon nephew of the Kindly Knight, so this would make him noble but not in line to inherit, and the first cousin of the Abbess and the Banker. Anyway whatever you decide, it's just about confirmed that Guenoles is a village and vassal of Serault.

Pastulaire - this is a canon confirmed village, it's just also abandoned and occupied only by bandits, and the encroaching trees. This is the "lost lands" of Pastulaire the Acerbic Dowager is upset about. They were hers, and her late husband's, who is implied to be the one with the de Pastulaire title by birth and she married in. She claims he was too soft on his subjects and was murdered in some kind of take over by bandits or something like that. It has to exist somewhere near the woods, wherever you say it is, so I chose this spot north and a little west of Serault.

Lud-Dans-La-Brume - it is clear Serault has more vassals at a few points in the story so I made up more than a few. This one is a reference to Lud-in-the-Mist . And by "reference" ... I translated it into French Orlesian using an online translator. It may be a bad translation, though because it seems the French version of the book was published as Lud-en-Brume. This is good to me though, because I was going to be posting with the Lud-Dans-La-Brume tag and I don't want to drown out whatever few posts of book discussion there are about it in French. It just seems like a place that could be right there next to Serault, with the kind of provincial mysticism and storytelling. Its River Dawl as you can see is present, and the River Dapple has become the Pommelé. I put it marsh-side and surrounded by rivers for maximum mists. The goal will be to re-read the book and figure out what a more medeival and more Orlesian/Dragon Age version of Dorimare would be like, and make that this place. The family currently in charge are going to be new to it, and settling uneasily among older, local families who were passed over to let an Orlesian-Antivan family move in and become the 'barons' here -- a choice the mother of the current Marquise made for reasons I'll get into in the story. This family's surname? Mirelees/Mirlez/Mireliez. Former occupation, gentry and merchants, specializing in sugar cane. They can now style themselves as "de Lud-Dans-La-Brume" or "de Lud" for short. The daughter of the current baron de Lud is a poet and author...

Plaine Dorée - means golden plain, I think. Wanted a village there and figured the flat looking space between those rivers was probably a plain. If it is planted with wheat, which this very forest and marsh heavy Serault area sorely needs, it would look golden. Bread basket village when things are going well, but doesn't control the port and so is dependent on Serault. Also haven't chosen the name of the ruling vassal family yet.

Champlevé - stole this name from an approach to enameling on metal, which maybe is related to glassworking a little. Perhaps in Thedas the Champlevé style exists, but it is named after some crafts person from this place. Literally I think it means something like "field surveyed" (translator) but really I don't know and am not finding much. Field surveyed would work well for a village, too. I decided to make this the seat of the Cheery Baron but he could be anywhere, as long as it's not too remote and is near the Tirashan. So he would (informally) style himself Baron de Champlevé.

Gothivallon - an 'old name' village. On the wiki page on the Ciriane, one of the precursors to the Orlesians, I read they had two similar sounding words for female chieftain or queen. One was Gothi. So that's one part of the name, and then vallon (allegedly, according to looking it up) means "dale" in French. Looking at the map, I picked a dale-looking spot and put it there. Queen's dale. Or, Female Chieftain's Dale. I assume there isn't much going on here. Just another meeting point for collecting grain, taxes, having a tiny market, see maybe 1-3 travellers a year from people trying to access that part of the Western Approach by going south through the Nahashin Marshes. Which queen? Nobody agrees on that. The Gothi river is nearby, branching off the Champlevé which in turn came from the Last. Again, haven't decided the name of the vassal family overseeing it.

Bellitaneaux - here I put an -eaux ending on Bellitanus, the Thedaosian constellation also called "the Maiden" and associated with beauty, and therefore the old god Urthemiel, who we can assume the Urthemiel Plateau is named after. Maybe this place used to be called something even more old god-y and they sanitized it post conversion to Andrastianism, perhaps it never really was founded as an outpost until later, and even if the plateau already had the name Urthemiel they weren't going to name a village that, so they went with the related constellation name. I think this is a small village, with some very unlikely people living (or hiding out) there. Probably more ranching and herding than farming, beyond subsistence. I made this to be the "long distance travel" vassal village the Acerbic Dowager can be sent out to visit and straighten out as a favor in The Last Court. The name of that family? TBD.

Not a regular village but also on the map:

Chateau Estival, a curious collection of Orlesian academics and their staff -- Draconologists, led by Frederic of Serault. I think Frederic is actually de Serault, as in of the latest generation of the de Serault family. He is just the youngest, and a mage who was sent away to the Spire, and so can't inherit.

Despite Chateau Estival not being much more than an outpost, it gets put on the Important Vassals map made within Serault because it is a de Serault of the main line running it. Frederic is named its lord, its "Baron" even though that is untrue not only because lesser titles are abolished for everyone, but because as a mage and therefore can hold no lands directly. I'm making that up but assume it would be true in Orlais.

Good reputation, good conduct (and noble name and donations) earned him leave to travel away from the Spire, but being seen as unreliable as a descendant of the Shame meant at first his research got no official funding. Lucky for him, his mom (then the Marquise) set him up with Chateau Estival and initial funding. The quality of his dragon scholarship subsequently convinced the University, Spire, and crown to collaborate and fund it in full.

Though neither the Huntress or Scholar may realize it, it was actually the extraordinary academic work and reliable of their younger brother that went a long way toward cleansing the Shame in the minds of the regular nobles and bureaucrats of the capitol, which was a good step in the direction of the Divine being politically able to visit Serault.

Villages that are vassals to Alyons and are in their immediate region (I am imagining Alyons, not being shamed, but being as-yet unable to pry territory away from Serault, has acquired more vassal territory elsewhere, not contiguous with their main borders)

Val Colline, mentioned as being in need of saving from Venatori in DA:I, appears roughly on the wartable map where I am putting it on mine. It appears on the cool original map by @chantry-scholar which is how I realized it was missing from mine. I had put a village called "Contrefort" there so I just replaced the name. Maybe Contrefort is a nickname for the region, which is after all in the foothills of the Blasted Hills. It is ruled by a baron as it says in the mission text, so it makes sense for it to be a vassal to a marquisate like Alyons. You could imagine it belongs to Andoral's Reach but this is the choice I made.

Lys-en-Champs, I mean this to mean Lilly in the Fields and it is so named in part due to the association of lilies and Alyons, with Chauvette de Alyons (who married the Shame before leaving him and remarrying) being called the Lily of Alyons. Maybe Alyons has a lily in its heraldry I don't know yet. It is near Lake Lys.

Ton Chemin, means "your way" or "your path" in French. I haven't decided much about this place yet other than it's a vassal of Alyons and clearly it's stuck in a dry spot surrounded by lake and marsh. Fishing and eeling (is that a word?) is their main focus I guess. It is in the middle of Lakes Lys, Alyons, and Ignorance. Yes there will be a backstory about why a lake got called Ignorance (which is the same in French and English as it turns out). The village is called your path because it's your only path on dry land through this area.

[stainedglassserault]

Val Colline & my Serault region map

just added Val Colline to the map... replacing "Contrefort" which tbh I wasn't that about as a name anyway. I swear this is the last major change. Val Colline in canon is covered here: https://dragonage.fandom.co/wiki/Save_Val_Colline_from_the_Venatori

I don't think it appears on the regular maps and doesn't come up anywhere else.

I am making it a vassal of Alyons.

Looking it up, Val means valley in French so I guess all the Val So-And-So places in Orlais are in valleys or very nearby.

[stainedglassserault]

Rivers around the Serault Marquisate

Find the map HERE.

River Last

River Dawn

River Dawl

River Pommelé

River Alyons, the branch off the Last by Alyons

The branch that goes off by Champlevé is just called River Champlevé and then the branch off that that goes by Gothivallon is called River Gothi but it's too crowded there so I didn't label them.

The rest, that go into the marsh, may be locally named various things but nobody making maps would bother with them. If anything it would be called the Nahashin delta or something, I think.

The bulk of the Last turns and goes into the Tirashan where it meets the Dawn, which is why the name turns and goes with that portion.

While Champlevé and Gothivallon certainly get enough water to power mills and make ponds and fish, it isn't as passible and the land is getting much more marshy except where it has been drained. This is part of why Serault is the riverport Marquisate and they are the vassal villages.

[stainedglassserault]

original Serault worldbuilding posts

Putting Serault, the River Last, its vassal villages and other rivers on the map:

LINK HERE to the original map post. This reference is made out of a cropped piece of the high resolution map by the wyrd sisters.

LINK HERE directly to the map in a new tab, which is where if on desktop you should be able to see the higher res details. Sometimes I have to refresh the link to make it work.

Villages with vassal 'barons' or chevaliers managing them for Serault include: Castanafeu, Guenoles, Pastulaire, Lud-dans-la-Brume, Plaine Dorée, Champlevé, Gothivallon, Bellitaneaux, Chateau Estival (this one actually less a village, more a dragon research station)

Villages which are vassals to Alyons include: Val Colline (which exists in canon), Lys-en-Champs, and Ton Chemin. And I am imagining they have vassals in the Heartlands too under the same Marquisate but not contiguous with the rest.

LINK HERE to where the villages and decisions are described & discussed.

Rivers listed and discussed HERE

There are many smaller and unlisted hamlets and farmsteads, collections of charcoal burner huts, creeks, streams, ponds, with or without names, scattered around.

My story set in this version of Serault is HERE.

To be updated.