Summary
It’s hard to be truly original in fantasy. While many of the biggest fantasy series add their own races into the mix (forDragon Age, that’s qunari), there are some things that feel like non-negotiables. You gotta have dwarves. You gotta have magic. You gotta have dragons (especially if you call yourself ‘Dragon Age’). And hoo boy,you gotta have elves. But Dragon Age has the sense to do them differently.
Elves are usually depicted as the regal high race of fantasy. While humans are the generic default, each other species represents some other trait that is magnified to highlight the key difference between themselves and humans. With elves, this is usually grace, dignity, and wisdom, conducting themselves with an air of royalty, and so royalty they become - they act above everyone else and thus are treated by everyone else as above them.
Dragon Age’s City Elves Face The Most Racism In The Series
This is in part thanks to the longer lifespans of elves. They gain more knowledge and are less impulsive as a result, leaving them at the top of the fantastical hierarchy. Dragon Age tears all that down. Elves still exist, and many of the tropes (wood-dwelling artisans, magic powers, spiritual history) are present, but BioWare inverts them. And if you play the best origin in Dragon Age: Origins,City Elf, you’ll see that up close and personal.
In Origins, you may choose between six origins (two more, TheGamer once revealed, were cut). One of these is City Elf, where you are a low-class citizen trying to celebrate your wedding, yet are constantly discriminated against at every turn.
In most fantasy stories, an elven wedding would be a glamorous, celebratory affair, possibly one that will alter the course of history and destiny, or at least unite a few kingdoms. Here, it takes place in a slum with humans attempting to spoil the party in an effort to chase elves from the city for good. Eventually the bride (be that you or your betrothed) is kidnapped, and in the fight to escape/get her back, a human noble is killed.
It is clear that this will not be viewed as accident, self-defence, or even murder. For an elf to kill a human, especially a noble, is outrageous. It could destroy the meagre peace city elves have. Though Duncan ‘saves’ the situation by enlisting you into the Grey Wardens, you are left in no doubt that elves are at the bottom of the food chain. To exist in society as an elf is to be stepped on.
This racism you face never goes away throughout the game. While we never see it as searingly again - Hawke is human and the Inquisitor has the same origin story no matter what - the low position of elves remains throughout the series. It could be crucial toThe Veilguard’ssuccess.
Everything The Dragon Age Elves Do Leads To Solas
The plight of the elves is not just background lore to make the setting different from other established fantasy works. It’s a core theme throughout Dragon Age. The elves did once hold this high society position -BioWare’sreality is less one where elves are not considered de facto royalty but one where elves have been left behind. From the City Elf origin to the mistrust of the Dalish in Origins to the stories of Fenris and Merrill in 2, elves are a core part of the plot.
Then, of course, there’s Inquisition. The whole reason Solas betrays the party and has been using them all along is because of the elves’ suffering. Solas is actually Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf Elven God, and he wants to restore the elves to their previous position of power. Restoring the Eluvian, granting immortality back to the elves, and growing their innate magical abilities are all motivators for Solas, using the party and the Inquisitor even as he grows fond of them.
It makes Solas’ plan more interesting because BioWare has put in the work. He’s not just an elf saying ‘yeah elves should be in charge of everything’. We as an audience are used to elves being near-deities, so when we learn that they used to be, but are now treated so poorly, we sympathise. Especially with someone like Solas, who has lived through it all. Looking back on how bad elves have it, especially city elves, we see the reason in Solas’ plan. He doesn’t want elves to rule Thedas necessarily, he just wants the powers (and with it, the respect) that were taken from them.
Of course, he has extreme methods. He wants to destroy the world in order to rebuild it, and it’s not easy to get behind that approach as a player who has been tasked with protecting the world.From what we’ve seen of The Veilguard’s opening, where parts of Minrathous are destroyed in fiery explosions, Solas is prepared to restore the elves through violent means. We’re obviously supposed to rally against that. But he’s not destroying for mere vengeance, nor does he want power for himself.
We say that Solas’ plan is complicated, but it’s not. He wants to destroy the world so that his race is on top. That’s not complicated, it’s maniacal. It onlybecomescomplicated with the backstory of the elves. If they were like any other fantasy elf, or if Solas was a human who wanted humanity on top, this would be a plainly evil plan. It’s because we’ve seen the elves treated as an underclass, shoved to the slums or the forest, mistrusted and hated, their dignity stolen, that we can at least somewhat sympathise.
I don’t know what The Veilguard will do with Solas’ plan if the Rook is to be in constant communication with him, but I hope it remembers how bad elves had it. I’m a little concerned the new BioWare will sand off the series’ edges, but without the racism and hate towards elves, Solas’ plan doesn’t make any sense. That needs to stay for the world to be rich enough for its own themes.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
WHERE TO PLAY
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy RPG series from BioWare formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on red lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.
