Anderfels

Intro
The Anderfels is a heavily blighted region in the northwest best known for its harsh terrain and being home to the Grey Wardens. The Order was founded here and Weisshaupt Fortress in the south remains the centre of Warden leadership in Thedas. The darkspawn are a constant and formidable threat here even in the absence of a true Blight. The people of the region, known as Anders, have been hardened by entire lives lived at war with the darkspawn. They live in constant fear and vigilance of the surfacing blighted ones, and the nation is far enough away from the rest of Thedas that their plight is easily ignored.

Ruling Dynasty
House Wittelsbach was the longest serving Dynasty in the Anderfels, interspersed with reigns from House Augustin and House Nassau. For the last five generations House Augustin was the ruling dynasty in the Anderfels. However, King Wilhelm's only son, Prince Baldewin, was assassinated when he was 5 years old. Emilia Augustin, Wilhelm's only daughter had been wed to a Wittelsbach to keep the peace but before her father died she was made a widow and she married a man from a relatively unknown noble house. Emilia ended up being Queen and thus making her husband the king. Now he was King Vanatol Eltmeier, an ex-captain in the King's army (and the man who had saved Emilia's life - the man she was truly in love with) he was able to rectify many of the mistakes made by his predecessors in House Wittelsbach and Augustin. Vanatol seeks to take back the power the people gave to the Wardens and restore the Anderfels, saving it from chaos.

Government/Ruling Model
The Anderfels' sparse populace is largely ignored by the king at Hossberg, who focuses on maintaining order and relative comfort in the capital. Protecting the king and enforcing his law are are infamous royal tribunals said to dole out justice in the name of "absolution", at least in the eyes of the Maker. Outside the city most Anders fend for themselves in small, largely self-sufficient villages and outposts. The closest things rural Anders have to real authority are the Wardens, who maintain at least a token presence in even the farthest inhabited corners of the region.

Nobility
On the King's Privy Council there is a representative from each of the main five noble houses in the Anderfels: Casimir of House Nassau, Henault of House Frissia, Grivaud of House Wittelsbach and Finn of House Valois. There is also a seat for the First Warden. The Privy Council wields a lot of influence in the Anderfels, particularly in Hossberg and in the last fifty years it is the voice of the Wardens that has been heard the loudest. Wardens hold political power similar to an Orlesian duke or Fereldan teyrn.

Politics
The First Warden, who lives at Weisshaupt, is heavily involved in local politics and is traditionally an advisor to the Anders king. It has been known for a First Warden to be more outspoken about the monarchy and criticise the state of politics and nobility in the Anderfels. Some have even made a political play for the throne.

Connections with Other Countries
The Anders are bitter neighbours of the Tevinter Imperium that once ruled the region. Anders, at best, resent their former rulers - not that the darkspawn allow them much capacity for cross-border conflict.

The Grey Wardens
With Weisshaupt being the second most powerful city in the country (some would arguably call it the first) the Grey Wardens have considerable influence in the Anderfels. They are stationed in even the most remote parts of the country, thus they are far more visible than the spoilt nobles in the capital. For many centuries the Anderfels have hosted the Wardens, calling them their own, but the fact that the Wardens pledge to fly no flag other than their own leaves a bit of a schism between the faction and the country.

The Chantry
Being perhaps the most pious people in Thedas, the Anders are deeply entrenched in Chantry beliefs and will suffer no other god to be worshipped. They are zealots when it comes to Chantry law, exiling and executing anyone who breaks their religious laws. It has been known for the Chantry to condemn a villager for adultery and then cast them into the Wastelands, leaving them to live or die at the will of the Maker.

Culture
The people of Anderfels are known as Anders. An old name for Anderfels is the Orthlands, and due to this an old name for its people is Orth, but Orth has since come to refer to people living in the Wandering Hills region of Anderfels, who practice scarification of their faces as a part of their culture.

Anders are the only non-dwarven people to fight the darkspawn on a regular basis as they remain a constant menace and can appear almost anywhere at anytime. As a result the population lives in constant fear and vigilance. They are the hardened warriors who fight grimly against an enemy that they cannot defeat: the rest of Thedas is remote enough that their plight is easily ignored. The Anders are a poor people who live in a devastated land of vast, stark steppes, though their proud culture remains, and they are likely the most pious followers of the Chantry in Thedas, praying for a day when they are released from the clutches of the Blight.

Language
The language used in Anderfels is called Ander. The Anders people were the first to fight the darkspawn, and it is from their language that genlock and hurlock received their names.

Art
​Aside from dust storms and darkspawn, the Anderfels is famous for its art. Few make the pilgrimage to see the magnificent white statue of Andraste, carved into the face of the Merdaine near Weisshaupt, but this wonder's fame is widespread. Outside the region, much smaller Ander sculptures are among the most prized and sought after art pieces in all of Thedas. The sculptures are especially popular within the circles of the Orlesian nobility. Members have been known to pay exorbitant prices for exemplary pieces. This has been a subject of great controversy in the Anderfels, as artists don't see much, if any, of the money their work yields. Most of the proceeds go toward the crooked members of the dwarven Merchants Guild as "handling fees".

Fashion
Fashion in the Anderfels, with it’s heat and constant dust storms, is rarely fashionable. Cotton and linens in light colours. With leather, or reed sandals depending on what one could wear, this didn’t afford much armour, so when one could save up enough for leather armour, it was greatly sought.

Silks for one’s clothes, and jewels to adorn the sandals are restricted to the few nobles who could afford them, and brave enough to wear them in a society of starving citizens.

Military
The Anders are a people of extremes: They are the most devout priests and the most deadly soldiers, the poorest nation in the world and the most feared. There are three main “fighting” forces within the Anderfels. Ranks changes within all forces in the Anderfels according to need. They have to be an adaptable people both in war and in peace (which is a rare state) or they will die.

First and foremost are the Anders themselves. They are a hardy people, raised in a land where they face darkspawn on a regular basis, the only non dwarven people to do so. Thus, they are trained to fight with various weapons, the homesteads and villages banding together to fight off the threats. These are people who are the average Anders but when compared to the average citizen of other countries they are more like soldiers than unarmed citizens.

The second force are the Wardens and though they are more equipped and trained than the average Anders their fight is only with the Darkspawn. They are supposed to not fly any flag or take part in the politics and wars of the surface. The only time they can be on the surface fighting is during a Blight and even then the enemy is always the darkspawn and darkspawn allies. The First Warden tends to ignore this in favour of political power, so he commands a mixture of Wardens and non Wardens which could be used for war; they are perfectly capable of taking a city, for instance.

The third and final force are the guards and soldiers of Hossberg, the King’s Men. They keep the peace within the capital and protect the monarchy.

Religion
Anders piously believe in the Maker and Andraste. Religion plays a particularly large role in Ander life, even by Orlesian standards. The Chantry maintains a heavy, popular presence. Dedicated worship of the Maker is all but expected among Anders, and breaking the Maker's laws - by extension, the king's law - is often punishable by death in the capital.

Views on Magic
Any mage that is not a part of a Circle is an apostate and therefore must be taken to the Templars or the Templars told about them. If a mage refuses then the Anders will either force them to go or will kill them, for they believe they should not suffer a mage to live outside of Chantry rule and protection lest they become an abomination.

Economics
The only city in the Anderfels that can say they are not stricken with poverty is where the monarch resides, the city of Hossberg, and even though they are not impoverished, they are not comparable to the wealth in their neighbouring lands. This barren wasteland has nothing in the way of agriculture, or livestock to export, the one thing they have in spades is warriors, some of the most hardened, pious, and great fighters come from this land where every day can bring the threat of Darkspawn.

This land is also the base of the Grey Wardens, who sometimes hold the political power of a Teryn; yet, unfortunately, they can’t charge for the use of the Grey Wardens who are often sent out to contend with blights elsewhere, so finding any way to make an income is nigh impossible. As the poor get poorer, and the rich get poorer, and the monarch does nothing, whispers rise about the First Warden making a grab for the throne, and the changes they may bring to the struggling, ignored land of the Anders.

Geography
​The dry land gives way to absolute desolation. Red earth. Bones. Blowing sand that strips the face raw. Though when it clears one can see for miles - not that there is anything to see though. The few settlements one might encounter in the Anderfels are populated with derelicts and Chantry zealots.

Weisshaupt
The fabled great fortress of Weisshaupt is built on the edge of a jagged butte called the Broken Teeth in the southern Anderfels. During the height of the Wardens' power the stone compound housed thousands alongside a thriving stable of griffons.

Hossberg
The capital is located northwest from Weisshaupt and along the Lattenfluss River. With Latten Lake to the south the area surrounding Hossberg is more fertile than the rest of the Anderfels so the city is well fed, more like a city state within which the nobility hide.

Flora and Fauna
​Ander summers are dangerously hot, and dust storms blowing inland during cooler months make it hard for anything to ever grow. Coupled with the taint blighting the land there is very little flora or fauna to speak of.

Regional Race Characteristics
Complexion: Light, fair Common eye colors: Shades of blue and green Common hair colors: Shades of blond, red and sometimes light brown. General Description: The Anders, without being affected by racial heritage, are linked to tall stature, slender to average build, strong chin and long head shape. Their complexion is usually light and their hair-eyes color combinations include shades of blond, red and light brown for hair and blue and green for eyes.

History
The Anderfels was originally the western part of the Tevinter Imperium, from which it separated after a rebellion in -695 Ancient (500 TE). It was reconquered by Tevinter in -535 Ancient (660 TE). After almost 100 years of bitter war with the darkspawn during the First Blight, the order of the Grey Wardens was founded and in -305 Ancient (890 TE) Weisshaupt was built. The Blight was then slowly pushed back during the next century or so.

After the First Blight, Tevinter held on to the Anderfels for about 200 years, but abandoned it in an effort to protect central Tevinter when the Second Blight began in 1:5 Divine (1199 TE). The Anderfels was nearly destroyed by the Blight, but saved by Emperor Kordillus Drakon, starting with the lifting of the siege of Weisshaupt in 1:33 Divine, and joined to the Orlesian Empire as well as converted to the Chantry.

In 5:12 Exalted, the Fourth Blight began and spread to the Anderfels, the darkspawn laid siege to Hossberg for seven years. During the fighting the King Henault was killed by an ogre, causing his wife queen Mariwen to take up regency for her son, who was an infant at the time. However since most of the nobles did not support her, most power laid with the Grey Wardens, specifically Warden-Commander Uvasha. Under the leadership of their Field-Commander Garahel, the Wardens managed to break the siege, after cutting off the darkspawns supply lines from the deep roads.

Brief Timeline

 * -695 Ancient - Anderfels rebels and breaks away from the Tevinter Imperium.


 * -535 Ancient - The Tevinter Imperium reconquered the Anderfels. About 100 years of war against the blight preceded the ride of the first Grey Wardens.


 * -305 Ancient - Weisshaupt was built. The Blight was then slowly pushed back during the next century or so.


 * 1:5 Divine - The second blight begins and Tevinter abandones the Anderfels to protect central Tevinter. The Anderfels are nearly destroyed by the Blight until Emperor Kordillus Drakon intervened


 * 1:33 Divine - Drakon helped lift the siege on Weisshaupt. Anderfels converted to the Empire and the Chantry.


 * 1:65 Divine - Kordillus II, Drakons’ successor could no longer hold the empire and the Anderfels were once again left as their own.


 * 1:95 Divine - The Second Blight ends.


 * 3:10 Towers - The Third Blight begins, Anderfels avoids the brunt of the damage for once.


 * 5:12 Exalted - the Fourth Blight began and spread to the Anderfels, the darkspawn laid siege to Hossberg for seven years. King Henault is killed.


 * 5:24 Exalted - The fourth Blight is ended in Antiva.


 * 9:30 Dragon - The Fifth Blight Begins.


 * 9:31 Dragon - The Fifth Blight ends when the Hero of Ferelden slays the archdemon in Denerim.


 * 9:37 Dragon - The Mage-Templar War is ignited. Every Circle in Thedas rebels. The Chantry is in ruins. Many templars are caught off guard but some respond with brute force. Mages return in kind and soon civilians are caught in the cross-fire as the fighting spreads throughout cities. Many people lose their lives.


 * 9:42 Dragon - Hossberg surrenders, it is Annulled.


 * 9:47 Dragon - After ten long, miserable years the treaty - The Weisshaupt Accord - is signed and a ceasefire between Templars and Mages begins. The treaty is written by The Divine, Orlesian Emperor, King Alistair, Knight Vigilant, and the Grand Enchanter. It is signed in Weisshaupt.