a quick guide to dog lords, telling your arls from your teyrns, and generally how ferelden works

okay, this isn't quite what anon asked for, by which i mean not at all, but unfortunately they activated my interest in some of my favourite lore. it should hopefully contain a lot of the relevant stuff and i’ll try to branch out to less fereldan specific information in other posts!

okay, let’s start with the hierarchy. there’s four kinds of noble in ferelden

royalty: you know who these guys are. except for during the orlesian occupation, ever since ferelden became one kingdom, it’s been ruled by the theirin family. which i think is for 388 years, i really hope that’s right, i got out a calculator

teyrns: these are super powerful lords, basically banns so powerful that other banns swear fealty to them. they’re second only to the king, who is essentially just the most powerful one of them. there used to be a lot of them, but with one dynasty in power for so long, that kind of opposition has been eroded away. there are only two remaining: the couslands of highever in the north, and the mac tirs of gwaren in the south

arls: these are extra special banns. they answer to a teyrn or king and hold a strategic fortress for them. we know of six—amaranthine, south reach, denerim, redcliffe, west hills, and edgehall—but i’m unsure if that’s because they are only six or because there are unnamed others

banns: these are your common or garden noble, the lowest ranking and most common. this is your local lord type. they seem to vary the most in power, though, with some banns having big speaking roles in the landsmeet

but i kind of should have written that list in the opposite direction. what do i mean by that? well, in your standard medieval hierarchy, and in a lot of the rest of thedas, power comes down from the king, who lets you hold the land. but in ferelden, most of the land is owned by freeholders: commoners, well-off enough to own their land but still not by any means nobles.

how does that work? well, let’s say i’m a freeholder.

someone sedate me i can’t stop with the backgrounds. But here’s one for greedfall, even tho no one asked

I marked NPCs such as Lady Morange, the Islander merchant, the blacksmith, and the Congregation merchant i

Less of a "here's exactly how it is" version and more of a polished up, less-ramshackle, maybe post-canon version of the town.

Protector of Morrowind and it's people

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Finally proper portrait for Idran, because he deserved one and entire concept (and background) will be used then I'll make his tarot card. And yeah, background sucks, but my tablet already is past it's prime, so I am glad I can draw character itself 😅

sum more saothin!!!

nith t’lashi!!!! a vorcha adopted by two asaris who later became a xenopsychologist 😌

"Everyone wants something, and because of that, everything is fair game"

wip wednesday

this one’s been in folders for awhile, but i’m fiddling with it to better suit the details of Aedan’s story. Canon places this mission right before the date at Apollo’s but I’ve moved it because the after mission chat Shepard and Kaidan have is one they need to have *after* they’ve completely come to accord.  o-o-o-o-o

Shepard didn’t even blink as the scientist stumbled past her with a pistol in his shaking hand.  She didn’t break stride when the gunshot went off behind them.  Kaidan stuttered to a stop but Garrus’ hand on his elbow kept him moving forward.  “If she doesn’t explain I will, but not here.” His rumble was low and the mandibles were tense and Kaidan lengthened his stride to keep up.

She stopped to reassure a grieving scientist.  She spoke to Dr. Cole.  The two women chivvied Taylor past them to the med bay when he stopped to chat.

Kaidan was trying not to hover.  She and Taylor were discussing the old days and he’s going over a manifest making sure there wasn’t anything valuable here they’d missed loading up, trying to ignore the implications of the research titles on the pads he kept finding.  Garrus was showing one of the scientists how to clear the heat sink on the older Carnifex but he kept Shepard in his line of sight. As if she’d strayed onto a battlefield and he’s her only backup. So he wasn’t eavesdropping. 

Except he absolutely was.

“You need to let me explain about Archer, Shepard.”

“Archer? That asshole from Project Overlord?” She sounded confused, “What about him?”

Jacob glanced back in the direction they’d come from and he hesitated before he spoke “He’s…he was on the landing when I came up.  Before you finished talking with Brynn.”

She twitched a shoulder and wrinkled her nose as if she’d bitten into a sour fruit. “Didn’t see him,” It dawned on Kaidan exactly who the guy had been. “Don’t particularly want to. You let that bastard come on your break for freedom?  Jesus, Taylor.  I’d lay odds that’s your leak.”

“He and Brynn worked together a few years ago, she said he’d clearly been pushed by the Illusive Man to do things he’d never have done.” He glanced around. “I wonder where he got to?”

“His brother’s doing great, by the way.  Rescued him and Jack and some kids from Grissom right after Earth went.”

Jacob stopped to stare, his chin dropping in surprise. “Our Jack? Jack was on Grissom?”  

“Sure was.  Teaching, believe it or not. Got a whole line of little ducks tearing shit apart”

“I do not believe it.  Come on.”

“God’s truth.” Kaidan is trying to place where he’s heard her use that voice.  It isn’t the good face in front of the brass but it isn’t…tossing a ball around with your buddy, either.  There’s something not quite friendly, there.

Shepard’s moved on, “So you and Dr. Cole, huh?”

The guy went absolutely starry eyed and Kaidan hid a smile.  He might have seen that look in his mirror once or twice. “Brynn’s amazing.  Never thought I’d be the kind to settle down but sometimes it just hits you.”

“That’s true.  Sometimes it does.” She glanced his direction but he kept his head down, pretending to not see the tiny smile flickering across her lips.

Taylor scoffed, “Oh, come on, Shepard. We both know the Normandy is your only true love.  No one’s competing with your ship.”

She snorted with a wave of her hand, “Oh, fuck off, Taylor.” And it was just soldiers talking shit but Kaidan had never heard her use that voice outside of a Council chamber.  

Taylor laughed and then grabbed his gut, regretting it. She looked up to quarter the room, gauging the scientists’ progress on packing and her expression was completely blank, from her lips up. Grey eyes like arctic lakes. Jacob thought they were friends.  Commander Shepard thought he was a competent squad member, but it suited her to keep him friendly.

Kaidan shifted and her hyperawareness pulled those eyes towards his movement. The absolute zero thawed and she sent him that crooked smile she kept, just for him. “Hey, Major. Let’s get up and check those guns.  I want to get these folks off this rock before the next wave.”

Relationship ask week number 3 and 5 for Lily Shepard! Please and thank you

Top 5 friendship moments (all friendships)?

1. Casino date with Miri

2. Arcade scene with Jacob <3333

3. Movie night with Tali

4. Game night with Sammy 

5. Pull up “contest” with James

Favorite relationship between secondary/background characters?

Tali and Kal <3333

as for Lily and her relationships i’d have to go with her and Anderson 

Details that spoke to me while replaying DA:O

Because the DA team really has been working on their lore and plot since the dawn of time.

Dalish Warden to Zathrian: “How could you betray our people?”

Zathrian:

There are other little things, but I felt like these were the most jarring and interesting. It’s also good to remember that the devs recently confirmed that they planned the truth about the elven gods and Fen’Harel since from the very beginning of the series. Kudos to them.

I feel like crying right now because I love mass effect so much!!!!!

Artist vs Art

Thought you’d like to see my face =P 

Kaidan, requested by @estalfaed

I highly recommend you follow the person I reblogged this from.

Damn… Then I think I am doing art for already 14 years… Damn it is already 14 years?! Really?!

I started to seriously draw then I was 10, in 2004, and in August 2018 I will be 24 years old. Wow… Time flies…

I started with drawing such a characters from shows like Sailor Moon (mostly Rhea), Totally Spies (Sam), Dragon Ball (Bulma) and pokemon (Misty, officer Jenny). I remember sitting on the floor, watching tv and trying to catch a glimpse on the character I want to draw. Sometimes it would take a week of watching a cartoon or anime to get a character right. Nowadays we can just google a picture of a character…

It usually involved fan art of female characters as I was reluctant to draw males maybe until I was 14… Body differences were a pain in the ass to get on first times and my men looked as females, just lacking boobs 😂

Yeah those arts were pretty shit but they were done by me and they were back in a day my best achievement drawing with coloring pens & watercolor paint.

All my characters had that derpy same face, same body pose and sideways drawn nose (I still suck with noses to present day…) but I loved them.

As I graduated basic school and started attending middle one, art lessons were my fave thing. I aced them and my art teacher loved my works, but as I grew in years, I felt I stopped improving, because I wasn’t free to draw as I want. I could not develop my own style and I stayed in the same spot for 6 years, so my love for art slowly died… There were no joy for me anymore…

After I graduated middle school, I enrolled into high school and took studying seriously, because there were exams in two years.

We were free to choose subjects and I chose such a things as enforced Maths, English, Physics, Lithuanian (well it was a must have…) and then came choosing one of the arts: because I am absolute zero in the music and have no desire of wood work, I chose drawing classes…

And thank god I did so! For two years I had the most amazing art teacher, who brought me back my love for art.

On the first lesson I thought it will be the same shit and we have to draw as said and with paint because we were told so, and on top on that I managed to forget my art supplies at home…

As I came into class I saw real artistic mess, you know as painter’s studio looks like. Because I felt bad I forgot my supplies, I took simple pencil and a sheet of notebook and started doodling Kari Wurher (actress who portrayed Tanya Addams from Red Alert 2). My teacher saw it and she talked me up, like do I like graphic design, do I appreciate doing portraits and what I like.

I said I had lost interest in art and this is just to spend time, because I forgot supplies. She said to me not to bother and bring only a pencil and sheet of paper and do graphic from now on. No need for a paint.

In general art classes were quite a free, so everyone could draw as they desired or wanted. It didn’t matter if a person had a tallent for art or not, everyone drew as they wanted and could. Teacher would praise everyone for expressing themselves in the way they loved.

In the similar time, on the Lithuanian classes we studied Ancient Greek mythology. It enchanted me in a way I never expected, I desired to draw such a scenes, as Odysseus separating from Penelope, Perseus killing a fish monster, Artemis hunting in the forrests or Hera being proud queen.

So as a nerd I am, I started doodling mythology and gods during art lessons. My art teacher saw that and asked me if I liked drawing mythology. I nodded and she brought out an idea for me to have my art exhibition in the school called “Gods of Olympus”

I drew and we did the exhibition. I got few praises, but the most beautiful thing for me was, I HAD MY FUCKING ART EXHIBITION! ME! AN ART EXHIBITION!

It was amazing feeling. Well, my art sucked bad, because I recently started doing graphics, but my other drafting lessons helped me to get to know pencil types and their usage… So I improved a bit over the years.

My art teacher was proud of my exhibition and even offered me to take art exam, but sadly I refused because I had to prepare for Maths and Physics… I am quite sad now I didn’t take it actually… She also told me to pursue career in the cartoon creation, because of half realistic, half cartoony style I had. She noticed eyes in my drawings are those little gems, that sometimes go unnoticed but bring the most life (same is still happening now. I pour most into the eyes, but because tumblr screws up image quality, I don’t think many of my followers notice that… 😂 )

Nevertheless, my art teacher used to say words, I never forget:

“There is not bad or ugly art, there is only dumb, arrogant people, who don’t get it…”

And I think she was absolutely right. If someone says your art is not worth a time, it isn’t your fault, dumb person doesn’t understand that art has no boundaries and rules. Art is about expression and being unique, not about accuracy and rules…

Look at me: a kid from a villager family, an absolute social disaster, a nerd and an outcast now sharing her art of the characters she created and love with a worldwide community. It is unbelievable! That small kid from 2004s never even would’ve even had dreams she’ll be drawing digital fanart and would actually have people appreciating her art in the fandom.

This is just an unbelievable achievement for me… and I am quite thrilled to see what life will throw for me next…