Official Name: Kingdom of Ferelden
Demonym: Ferelden
Government: Monarchy
Capital: Denerim
Religion: Chantry (majority)
Ferelden is a nation in southeast Thedas best known as the likely birthplace of Andraste and the battleground of the Fifth Blight. It is home to significant communities of dwarves in Orzammar and Dalish elves in the Brecilian Forest. Life and politics in Ferelden have been historically turbulent, defined by ages of tribal rule and invasion by foreign armies.
Ferelden has only begun to settle down in the last few centuries, and other nations, especially neighboring Orlais, still consider it a relative backwater. Relations between Ferelden and Orlais remain tense at the best of times.
Life in Ferelden
Ferelden's harsh climates have shaped a hardy people who value strength and courage over wealth and entitlement. In Ferelden, strength and courage are set above heritage and wealth. Any Ferelden man or women worth their salt can make something of themselves. Nobles are respected, even revered, but to the common person they are not untouchable. Respect must be earned, and nowhere in in the world is there a people as ready to demand their dues in Ferelden.
Ferelden farms, called freeholds, are run by families who have worked their land for generations and would spill blood before giving up their lot. What servants there are receive pay for their service and are free to come and go as they please. Even elves, who live in ghettoized life in urban alienages and often work the lowliest jobs, have a freedom in Fereldan that Orlais would never afford them. Ferelden elves are proud of this, and many say they would rather be poor and free, than live as well-treated "slaves".
Ferelden garb is practical and robust as its people. Ample use of leather and fur helps commoners withstand the nations harsh and varied climate, even nobles wear leather. Good fashion in Ferelden is admired for the quality of its craftsmanship over its price.
The Chantry & Ferelden's Animist Roots
Signs of Ferelden's Alamarri barbarian roots persist, even as the Chantry has taken firm hold of the nation's social order. While chantries stand in almost every village and town, signs of the old deities remain a common sight in Ferelden.
Animist symbols still adorn artwork and clothing. Images of wolves commonly decorate military uniforms and flags. Village elders repurpose the old religion's teachings as cautionary bettime stories for children. Even some old statues and temples still stand, though many are falling apart or have been converted to other purposes.
The old ways are disappearing, but the Chantry does not demand their removal or promote hatred against the old deities. The Maker simply stands above them.
Politics & Class
A king or queen leads the monarchy that governs Ferelden from Denerim the capital.
The nation is broken into providences, called teyrnirs. A teyrn or tyrna governs each, with the exception of Denerim, where the king or queen oversees local affairs along with those affecting the whole nation.
Arls, the equivilent of mayros, watch over cities and alrings. Bannorns divide the Ferelden countryside. A bann rules over each such landholding.
The Ferelden penchant for freedom has grown into a laisser-faire attitude twords law enforcement and acceptable social behavior. Fereldans are largely expected to take care of themselves.
In Denerim, the King's Patrol is intended to defend the city and keep order more than enforce the letter of the law. While the patrol is quick to investigate the worst offenses, it will ignore most others and leave citizens to their own devices.
Commerce too large is largely unregulated, so long as taxes are paid. Bossiness like brothels and gambling halls are more than tolerated.
Social standing in Fereldan cities is stratified according to proximity to the seat of local authority. The upper classes tend to live closer to the center of a community-often the castle residence of a local politician. Lower classes live closer to the city walls. Living outside a city walls indicates a position of still lower standings.
Dogs & Werewolves
Outside their borders, the people of Ferelden are often referred to as "dog lords" they prize canines, omnipresent from the largest cities to the most remote outposts. Many Fereldans breed them as companions and often for use in battle. The hyper-intelligent mabari are particularly common among the ranks of Fereldan armies.
Fereldans even consider it good luck to feed a stray dog. In every civilized corner of Thedas, an astute observer will notice dogs employed in hunting games, keeping barns and storehouses free of vermin, herding livestock, and guarding homes. They're even used as beast of burden in the mountains. It is simply that Fereldans show appreciation for the work that dogs do, and perhaps the reason that is tangled up in mythology.
The importance of dogs in Fereldan culture traces its roots to werewolves: mythical wolf-men who factor heavily in Fereldan lore. the first teyrn, an Alamarri named Hafter, was said to be the son of a werewolf, and half the nobles in Ferelden consider him an ancestor.
Curiously, through history also remembers conflict with werewolves. Fear that werewolves made a deal with a demon, and were emerging from the forest disguised as men, led to a bloody period in the Black Age. Suspicion of friends and neighbors ran rampant across Ferelden, and many were killed for displaying any sign they might be hiding something.
The use of dogs as guards became common then, as they were said to detect werewolves by their smell. Eventually, the humans quelled the werewolf threat, although this period is still considered to be a dark chapter in Fereldan history. There are many tales of the battle that took place. Perhaps most noteworthy was the invasion of the streets of Gwaren, where over a quarter of the city was slaughtered in one night.