meatchips

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How are the the dead handled/funeral rites performed throughout Thedas?

ANDRASTIAN

Cultures under the Chantry practice cremation just as Andraste was burned, and to prevent the bodies from becoming walking corpses (that is, hosted by spirits). The bodies are cleansed and dressed in white linen. In Ferelden (it is unknown if this is a unique thing or also practiced elsewhere) the deceased wear special jewellery meant to survive the cremation process, which are then passed down within a family line–though this is an older practice that is not as commonplace in current times.

Funerals are typically held in or outside a Chantry. Attendees who were close to the deceased wear mourning garb of black cloaks. The body is placed on a pyre with oils and herbs around them if a noble, and stones if a peasant. When a person of great importance dies, it is a massive affair with public attendance for the burning. Choirs sing and priests pray to the Maker. Then a Chantry mother swings a censer with incense, described as spreading dense blue smoke in Last Flight, and torchbearers light the pyre.

If there’s been a great catastrophe with many deaths, the mass burning of bodies is sometimes resorted to, as the longer the deceased is left the larger chance for a spirit to take the body.

It’s also interesting how in DA:O after the battle in Redcliffe, villagers are seen placing the fallen on floating pyres and sending them out into the lake on fire.

NEVARRA

The only Chantry-dominated culture that is an exception to the above is Nevarra, which has held onto their unique practices and beliefs about death. Cremation is taboo for Nevarrans. They believe that when a soul passes through the Fade to go the Maker’s side, a spirit is displaced, and needs to be hosted in the deceased’s body. As such, Nevarrans do not burn their dead, but mummify them. The mummified bodies are then placed in tombs with their most valuable possessions, in the Grand Necropolis outside of Nevarra City. Nobles may begin building their tombs at a young age, and make them more and more elaborate over the years, to the point where they can be comparable to a palace. 

TEVINTER

In ancient times, Tevinters believed that holding black pearls in the mouth at the moment of death prevented souls from passing through the veil. In doing so, a person became a wraith. It is unknown if this is still practiced/believed in present day.

AVVAR

The Avvar believe in an afterlife controlled by the Lady of the Skies, where the souls of the dead gather. The deceased are given “sky burials,” where the body is laid out and prayers are given. Birds come to pick at the body and will carry the soul to the Lady of the Skies, then most bodies are disposed of. However, it is believed that some rare people are favoured by fate; the Augur reads this from the birds and determines that a piece of the soul remains. These people are given special burials with offerings from three fade-touched animals to Korth the Mountain Father below them, that will enable the remaining piece of the soul to be reborn. Those reborn have no memory of their past lives, but are subtly guided by their past selves. The offerings must be made by blood kin and given to the Huntmatster to prepare, and should the kin be unable to complete the hunt for these offerings, they will loose their family name and familial ties are considered severed.Whether the Avvar of current times still practice or not is unknown, but the Avvar of old had crypts where their dead were kept in sarcophagi, as seen in the ruins below Vigil’s Keep.

DALISH

The Dalish bury their dead with an oak staff and cedar branch to help them stay on the path to through the Beyond, and to keep away the ravens known as Fear and Deceit. Merrill says this is returning them to the earth, and it’s important not to leave bodies unburied. Trees are planted above the grave(s)–known as a vallasdahlen (”life trees”). The Dalish elves do have sacred burial sites with multiple graves, like Sundermount in DA:2 or Var Bellanaris in DA:I; “where hundreds of our ancestors are buried, where those of us who can, still lay our kin to rest.” Otherwise, clans on the move will bury their dead wherever they can.Funeral services are prepared by Hahrens, and prayers are said so that the Creators will know to guide them to the Beyond: “O Falon'Din. Lethanavir–Friend to the Dead. Guide my feet, calm my soul. Lead me to my rest.”

DWARVES

Dwarves that believe in the Stone consider the dead returning to the Stone by burying them in tombs. Nobles and Paragons are given fancy, large crypts, while those of lesser Castes are encased in stone cairns. If this is not possible, they are buried in the dirt, though this not ideal and only done with no other option. The Stone’s blessing is recited: “Atrast tunsha. Totarnia amgetol tavash aeduc.”An honourable dwarf will be embraced by the Stone, strengthening Her, and will join the Ancestors in guiding their descendants, while those that are seen as a shame will weaken Her. The people of Orzammar believe that the Casteless and egregious dwarves are rejected by the Stone. The spirits of those rejected are left to wander the remote caverns as rock wraiths. The deaths are recorded in the Memories, save for the Casteless.The Legion of the Dead have special funerals before venturing into the Deep Raods, in which afterwards they are considered to be dead and have their deaths recorded in the Memories in advance. The unique Legion facial tattoos are applied, they are equipped with gear, and all other material belongings are given up to family.Sigrun describes the funeral to have chanting and toasts, before a final farewell to loved ones. When a Legion member finally dies for real, those who remain wrap the fallen up in cloth and carry them high above their heads, as they sing a dirge in Dwarven. Then they entomb the bodies so the darkspawn cannot get to them.

THE QUN

The Qunari believe that when someone dies, their soul goes to the Fade (which they call the Land of the Dead) and leaves the body as a husk. They don’t have any known special funeral practices, probably because of this. There is a known Qunari Prayer for the Dead, however: “Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun. Maraas shokra. Anaan esaam Qun” (“Struggle is an illusion. The tide rises, the tide falls, but the sea is changeless. There is nothing to struggle against. Victory is in the Qun.”)

SOURCES:

Dragon Age: Origins + DLCs

Dragon Age: II + DLCs

Dragon Age: Inquisition + DLCs

Codex entry: Nevarra (DA:O)

Codex entry: The Holy Brazier (DA:O)

Codex entry: Falon'Din: Friend of the Dead, the Guide (DA:O)

Codex entry: Legion of the Dead (DA:O)

Codex entry: King Maric’s Helm (DA:2)

Codex entry: Rock Wraith (DA:2)

Codex entry: Third Legionnaire’s Journal (DA:2)

Codex entry: Corpse (DA:I) 

Codex entry: Vallasdahlen (DA:I)

Codex entry: A Nutty Affair (DA:I) *Warning: This codex is transphobic

Codex entry: A Tradition of Rebirth (DA:I)

Item Description: Fenced Ferelden Jewellery (DA:O)

Item Description: Elven Prayer for the Dead (DA:O)

Item Description/Use: Qunari Prayers for the Dead (DA:O) 

World of Thedas Vol 1

World of Thedas Vol 2

The Stolen Throne

The Masked Empire

Last Flight

[meatchips]

Per anonymous request, here’s a little look at Qunari fashion. All this comes from examining the artwork in World of Thedas v1, Heroes of Dragon Age, and in the comics–Those Who Speak, Deception, Blue Wraith and Dark Fortress. Also, some information on vitaar from Tevinter Nights.

[Similar Tevinter post here]

Iron Bull mentions how qunari rarely wear shirts, as it’s so hot in Seheron. Shirts they do wear have loose collars as to get them on over the horns. He also mentions that the only time qunari warriors dress in full armour is during war. Otherwise, they’re pretty light

Common elements include:

In line with what Bull says about shirts, qunari tops are either vests or wraps, rather than your typical shirt

Pants are made up of strips stitched together in a crisscross pattern - this could be part of the whole “qunari waste nothing,” meaning their pants are made of scrap fabric?

Shoulder pads… so many giant shoulder pads

Waist sashes, either tied in a knot in the front or clasped with a buckle

Bell-shaped metal hangings are decorative pieces on clothes

Decorative rope around the forearms, upper arms/shoulders, chest and waist

Some qunari decorate their horns with rings! It’s also mentioned in Tevinter Nights - Three Trees to Midnight that one qunari replaced their horns with little dragon head caps

Red, black and gold is the most common colour scheme

Vitaar:

Different designs hold different meanings!

Huntmaster’s black and white stripes symbolize sight and finding

The Antaam’s undescribed vitaar symbolizes battle and power

[meatchips]

Meme group made me remember about NSR so... Here we go?

[meatchips]

Sketches of one the Rooks, Berkut (Golden Eagle), other Rook's sisters and Some Guy ™ (stepfather of Brosca's daughter)

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The Blooming Rose

Картинка с проститутошной на инктобер

[meatchips]

Here, take these

[meatchips]

jail collab :D whole pictures under the cut✨

Camellia: threw the Fade experiment out of the window, hit the crowd

Assan: made the Fade experiment

Hivel: Fade experiment

Mei: crowd

-Sh*t guys... He doesn't fit on the canvas.

-Ugh, fckng qunari.

Camellia by meatchips, Hivel by nespyofire, Assan by rorych-ka, Mei by me

[meatchips]

Taash sketch

[meatchips]

Skintones for POC companions in Dragon Age

Whitewashing is a huge problem in every fandom, and DA is no exception. All of the characters above are whitewashed and have their skin lightened on a daily basis. 

There is no excuse when someone whitewashes a character. Take your appropriate swatches if you must, and make sure you are staying true to the characters actual skin tone. Use these colours if you’d like - they were more meant to prove a point. You are certainly welcome to use them as a base.

Stop whitewashing POC. Stop lightening skin, stop slimming down features, and stop blaming whitewashing on lighting. You know better than that. You can do better than that.

Do not take swatches from the lightest part of the face - all the light colours shown here are meant for highlighting purposes. They are the highlights of the face, to be used to display light bouncing off the surface of one’s skin.

Every image of the characters except Josephine was taken from the dragon age wiki site and was only altered to fit and blend with the pictures. All other graphics are mine. 

[meatchips]

Draw him for the "cloth-changing" (garment-changing?) event, really love how I made his face

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my little meow meow

[meatchips]

thank you, now I know there are DIFFERENT bread clips in other countries 😭 also tablet really looks like bread clip wtf dsmkzsmzkska

I cant be the only one who sees this right

[meatchips]

low effort scribble of THEE HOTTEST da:vg character that appeared for like 3 seconds and never again

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The Butcher

For the Love of Treviso ❤️

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Man with ugly ahhhhh helmet

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[meatchips]

You go girl?