Qunari

Qunari are a species that feature in Dragon Age.

History

The Qunari were a race of horned humanoids that were native to the lands of Thedas. Their home was the remote northern islands that were filled with lush jungles which harboured cities rumored to be the most extraordinary ever built. The lands of the Qunari was a place no foreign eyes had ever seen.

During the 13th year of the Steel Age, the first Qunari ships were sighted off the coast of Par Vollen situated in the far north. This marked the beginning of a new age of warfare with history referring to it as the First Qunari War. This proved to be a one-sided engagement with the Qunari advancing far into the mainland with their steel armored warriors carving through their enemies whilst their cannons which the enemy had never seen before reduced city walls to rubble. Those areas that fell under Qunari control saw the local inhabitants taken to re-education camps and taught the ways of the Qun. Many began to adopt the ways of the Qun durimg this time.

In response, the human kingdoms conducted the Exalted Marches against the horned invaders. The greatest advantage the Chantry-led forces was the Circle of Magi as the Qunari were not prepared against magic. Further, the Qunari army lacked the sheer numbers of humanity. Thus, large casualties were sustained in both sides at sites such as Marnas Pell with even the Veil permanently sundered in those ruins. Ultimately, the Chantry pushed further each year into Qunari lines. Despite them being driven away, many of the local converts proved to be difficult to turn back to Andraste's teachings.

By the end of the Storm Age, the Qunari had been truly pushed back. Rivain was the only human land that retained the Qunari religion after being freed with its rulers attempting to barter for peace. Most of the human lands signed the Llomerryn Accord with the exception of the Tevinter Imperium. In the south, only stories of the three Exalted Marches against the Qunari giants were told. For a long time afterwards, people came to believe that all Qunari were male or that the genders were indistinguishable from one another. It was not until the Blessed Age when diplomats from Rivain were briefly allowed to visit Par Vollen and discovered an abundance of recognisable Qunari females.

In 9:44 Dragon, the Viddasala was placed in charge of the Dragon's Breath plot that planned the simultaneous killing of the majority of the southern Thedas leadership thus leaving the region vulnerable to Qunari conquest.

Overview

In appearance, they were white-haired, bronze-skinned giants that were a head again taller than a man. Nature had given them fierce horns and strange eyes.

Typically, they had frighteningly calm demeanours with a sort of sparkling fire behind their eyes. They were referred to as being a formidable people.

Qunari society were noted for being a different culture with similarly different values that were complex and nuanced. They viewed their whole society as a single living creature whose health and well-being was the responsibility of all. Each individual was a small part of the whole no important for itself but rather to the whole.

A key aspect of the Qunari was the Qun that was a religious and philosophical doctrine dictating every aspect of their society. Those that followed the Qun were referred to as Qunari due to following its teachings. It taught that all living things had a place and purpose. Only when those people were in the correct place and in control of themselves coukd they attain balance. Without balance, one was said to become lost with suffering following. It was this reason that mastery of the self was seen as the first and greatest duty. Life under the Qun was one of certainty and equality though not of individuality.

The majority of Qunari encountered by outsiders belonged to the army which was regarded as the arms, legs, eyes and ears of their living physical society that were needed to interact with the world. Workers according to the Qun were seen as the mind as they produced everything the Qunari required. Meanwhile, the priesthood were the soul that sought greater understanding of the self, the world whilst exhorting the body and mind to continually strive for perfection. Prisoners were not killer as the Qun abhorred waste as people were seen as a valuable commodity. Instead of death, they were taken to labor camps run by the Ben-Hassrath where they were referred to as kabethari (simple ones) and inducted into the ways of the Qun.

Those born into Qunari society yet reject the Qun were referred to as Vashoth (Gray Ones). These members of their kind had to leave their homes for they had no place within Qunari society with many followers of the Qun turning on them to cast them out. A group of outcasts within the Qunari were the Tal-Vashoth (the true gray ones) with these often being renegades or rebels. Such Qunari often had no skills to make an honest living and had to sell themselves into service where they typically became mercenaries. Even the most inept of Qunari fighters possessed prodigious size and an intimidating visage allowing them to function in such roles. Tal-Vashoth waged a bitter war against the Qunari, the Qun and sometimes any form of order. Despite their efforts, they were no match for the Qunari army which was why they normally struck at farms, travellers and those that strayed far from Qunari protection.

Qunari civilization was headed by a body known as the Salasari (Triumvirate) that was headed by a trio of their kind that each headed the different aspects of their society. These leaders were the Arishok who represented the body, the Arigena who represented the mind, and the Ariqun who represented the soul.

One division was the Beresaad who operated as the vanguard of the Qunari.

As such, the Ben-Hassrath formed a significant portion of the Qunari priesthood where the tended to a variety of tasks within Qunari society. In Qunari cities, they served a role similar to a town guard where they investigated any disturbances to the orderly function of the settlement. The Ben-Hassrath reeducators treated criminals and rebels against the Qun with them determining whether they must destroy the subject's mind using a poison called qamek. Those they can rehabilitate through treatment and education were later transferred to simple work details. In contested or war-ridden areas, the Ben-Hassrath coordinated with the Qunari military forces in order to track down any Tal-Vashoth rebels with this being functionally similar to bounty hunting. Outside Qunari borders, the Ben-Hassrath's agents primarily observed and reported in a role similar to spies in other nations.

In the Ben-Hassrath hierarchy, the priest-like group full under the jurisdiction of the Ariqun. All their activities were divided into three categories; "Dangerous Purpose," "Dangerous Action," and "Dangerous Questions." Three priests formed a mini-triumvirate that managed all operations with each of them presiding over one category. The Dangerous Questions branch handled the vast majority of Qunari intelligence gathering and sabotage missions. Dangerous Actions was responsible for enforcement with their agents never leaving Qunari-controlled territory unless they were hunting for defectors. The last division was the Dangerous Purpose Category who were headed by a priestess called the Viddasala ("One Who Converts Purpose"). They handled the conversion of foreigners, the re-education of Qunari dissidents along with the collection and quarantine of magic. Such aspects were seen as a threat to themselves and others by nature. They were noted to had maintained the Darvaarad island that was a site for magical quarantine.

Under the Qun, the Tamassrans were trusted and listened to when caring for the children, and held any healing herbs they needed would be provided.

Qunari were shown to harbor a deep hatred towards magic. In fact, those Qunari born into magic were seen as being at a terrible disadvantage as they were unable to master themselves because demons could rob them of their self. Such individuals were called Saarebas (Dangerous Thing) and were treated with caution. They were carefully controlled by other Qunari known as the Arvaarad (One Who Holds Back Evil) as the Saarebas could not truly control themselves. Qunari did not see their mages as evil but that the loss of self along with the suffering afterwards being inevitable. To the Qunari, the Saarebas were pitied and honored as they strives under constant threat from within which was truly selfless and this was seen as the highest virtue of the Qun.

It was claimed one could not truly know the Qunari until one visited their cities.

The Tamassrans had developed a poison called Qamek that could strip the mind of a person with this being used by the Qunari on those who refused to convert to the Qun.

A key relic was the Tome of Koslun that was written by the Ashkaari Koslun who founded the Qun.

Qunari were a people of metaphors, and for them, words have many meanings. Few among the Qun's people spoke the common tongue, and even fewer spoke it well.

Their navy was noted for being formidable, highly disciplined and made use of more sophisticated technology. A common craft that prowled the seas were the large Qunari Dreadnoughts.

Members

• Ashkaari Koslun : a kossith philosopher and founder of the Qun thus paving the formation of Qunari society.
• Arishok :
• Viddasala : a female Qunari who was a senior figure within the Ben-Hassrath and was in charge of the Dragon's Breath conspiracy with her being petrified by Solas during a confrontation with the Dread Wolf.
• Sten :
• Iron Bull :
• Tallis : a female Elven assassin who converted to the ways of the Qunari.

Notes

• The Qunari were created by BioWare and featured in the setting of Dragon Age.
• In Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, the playable Inquisitor during the story mode could be customised to be a member of the Qunari race. In addition, Qunari were playable characters in the cooperative based multiplayer mode.

Appearances

• Dragon Age: Origins:
• Dragon Age II:
• Dragon Age: Inquisition:

External Links

• Dragon Age Wiki Entry

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