Dragon Age: The History and Lore of Thedas. The Tevinter Imperium

[@rebeccascott3551]

After watching the new Veilguard gameplay, I’ve been binging your videos all day! Thanks for all your hard work on these.

[@blueblue4083]

So excited to see Tevinter in Dreadwolf. Also, still the best DA lore videos on KZbin.

[@danieltilson4912]

I wanna kill solas

[@inquisitorgarza312]

Tevinter Imperium is a great example how to create a Roman Empire in Fantasy setting, and it is a great way to create different culture that has stood on its own, but it also makes you realize how dangerous the Blights can be when they could destroy everything if not stop.

[@melissavice9967]

babe wake up, lore university tevinter video just dropped (thank you so much for your hard work! this is a banger)

[@DenGleason]

bro that intro, gave me chills. perfectly encapsulated the character of Tevinter

[@loreuniversity895]

Thank you 😁

[@jeremy1860]

After framing this country as basically THE villainous nation of the franchise, I hope Dreadwolf does that concept justice 😊

[@jonyjonas]

That concept comes from the misdjudgement of other countries by fearing a magocracy. Both systems (north and south) have oppression and inequality. This shows that inequality is inherent to humanoids rather than just one society.

[@sheakennedy-ordway1156]

​​​@@jonyjonas I don't know what game you've been playing, but bioware has been pushing really hard to set up the imperium. What you say as shown is often only told, especially in DA2 when Hawk finds that elf girl who was enslaved. I remember Fenris was in my party and he was fuming, I had to persuade him to chill out because she was clearly traumatized and I hired her to be a maid when I got home. Her owner was distinctly nefarious and had the whole blood magic and deamon binding trip going on. It doesn't actually speak to Tevinter's character when they make you hit that kind of panic button. And there aren't many redeeming moments I can think of unless they're tucked away in the third game. That whole magocratic fear doesn't hold up either when considering how nations like Rivain or Nevarra do magic.

[@jonyjonas]

@@sheakennedy-ordway1156 hahaha have you seen the templars? The systematic abuse by the templars and the chantry doesn't exactly do them justice either. You sound completely biased, as there are nefarious blood mages there are exceptionally good mages from the Imperium and the Elven empire. Yes Fenris was right to be resentful but did you see the way that mage whose Cole took the shape from got murdered by the templar? Pfff, you are just giving your opinion from your own twisted world.

[@sheakennedy-ordway1156]

​​​​​@@jonyjonasThat's petty. It's a story, by its own nature It's political. The whole point is in personal narratives. All I'm pointing out is that you're claiming some grand societal implications that don't hold up to scrutiny. Even the Templar argument doesn't mean anything because the third game literally begins because of the annulment of the circle in a nation where the chant didn't have power. It's like if the spetznaz murdered their pope, of course it would result in international incident. I also never praised the acts or policies of the chantry, in fact Bioware clearly wrote religious contradiction into every Theodosian faith. If anything, orthodox religion itself is the villain in these games since they suppose bland mythologized simplistic explanations for how a society should be while turning blind or even supporting corruption. In fact, I cited nations that do have magical traditions that are peaceful and do have both diverse religions and tolerance for magic. I'd appreciate if you didn't put words in my mouth, and show don't tell is a sound writing principle.

[@andrewellisonlee]

​@@sheakennedy-ordway1156 go back to readit.

[@MrDominicg90]

Very impressive piece of work, long, steady pace and great tangents if something needed more backstory or information. Can’t wait for the next one.

[@stveloth694]

I love your channel and content so much! Tevinter is one of my favorite nations of Thedas because it's so important to the history of the world but it's also so different from everywhere else.

[@arjunr2645]

It's a crime that you don't have more subscribers. Your videos are so in-depth and great to listen to!

[@Nautinthislifetime]

I adore the lore of both Tevinter and the dwarves....I have been binge watching these videos. The dragon age lore is so so good and I wish we knew so much more. Especially about the Titans and....did Tevinter mages really enter the black city??? And just how they did it. What did they see? Corypheus said it was black already and not golden.....what happened??? So much lore that we will probably never really find out properly about. I mean, we have Dorian, an Altus, who isn't even the most powerful of Tevinter mages....and yet he can time travel. He helped develop the magic and successfully used it to get himself and the Inquisitor back to the present. How did he manage that? Just how powerful is he really? Many people elevate the elves up as harmless and have never done wrong ever and yet, in their glory days, they were just as mired in issues as Tevinter with fighting, slavery etc every part of thedas history is dark and it is so interesting to learn about

[@RCP07hood]

I learn so much with this video, we can see all the hard work and passion that you put in making them. Thank you so much for making this!

[@loreuniversity895]

And thank you kindly for enjoying it!

[@kuoromikuroko5944]

A perfect video for when the next game is released and yes, I'm very excited for DA Dreadwolf. Thanks as always for your great work professor, these lore videos are pure gold 🤌

[@SuzumeMizuno]

Brilliant video, as always! Your lectures are so thorough and deep that they are a joy to watch and hear. Thank you so much for sharing it with us

[@Classicsydzilla]

Yes 🙌🏻 I’m so excited for this video and Dreadwolf. Thank you for creating these amazing lore videos. This is my favorite channel on KZbin rn.

[@sapphicanarchy]

I just found your channel a few days ago, I really love the whole lore series! Thank you for making these videos ❤

[@cornemoji]

thankyou soft spoken lore man

[@juliadavydova5281]

Finally the new video, I’m so happy, professor!

[@bryanhammerlund]

Definitely rewatching this when Dreadwolf comes out

[@Diarmuhnd]

I love lore videos, you have my thanks. Have fun Professor Absalom.

[@jeancaron9325]

I think Tevinter is a Mirror of the Elves Empire under the Elves Gods.

[@jeancaron9325]

Do you think Elves Gods made the Darkspawn to free them?

[@connormckay4560]

Awesome Video. So dedicated for how small the channel is. Can't wait to see this channel blow up (it will when Dreadwolf comes out)

[@rmer1212]

Can't wait for the next episode!

[@andychap6283]

Another great video. Appreciate these deep dives into the lore

[@sanctun-3782]

You are doing something Very precious! The way you present as university mixing in with the lore IS Just cheff's Kiss. I could keep complimenting your job here, but you do so much better at explaining that It would be frivolous. Suffice to say, your Channel is amazing and yeah, personally, i love tevinter and It warms my heart to see such effort being well placed.

[@loreuniversity895]

Thank you, it means a lot! 😁

[@robpatterson3133]

Sweet ! Love waking up and seeing a new d.a. vid

[@redfairy9278]

Your videos are very much essentials before we all play the Dreadwolf

[@BenedictusZosPius]

I hope they’ll add Venatori weapon and armour in Dreadwolf. Especially the mage stuff since we didn’t get them in inquisition.

[@ray19903]

I love your videos! What will you cover next?

[@loreuniversity895]

Thank you very much! 😁Next main video will be about the Anderfels.

[@ravenred6878]

I'm hyped for Tevinder in DA:D

[@lewiswashington9182]

Yes another thesis with the professor😎

[@pensador6953]

You know it makes you think, how come whenever some commander says " we are fielding mages" the side without the mages don't just drop their weapons and run? Ballistae is one thing, meteors. another, and that is one of the lesser things they can do.

[@nick_at_knight]

Mages are probably quite rare, if Ferelden during DA:O is any indication of their few numbers. Consider that Duncan's branch of the Grey Wardens only ever had one mage at a time, and the mages are quite a small, tight-knit group, as you'll see if you play as a mage. So they're most likely not very common on the battlefield, and yes they can summon meteors but during the course of that game your party of 5 people is able to take down whole groups of mages. So a handful of mages on a battlefield would probably be insignificant compared to thousands of men-at-arms unless they were sent as a special squad to accomplish a particular magic-requiring task somewhere adjacent to the battle.

[@pensador6953]

@@nick_at_knight dunno, but i think that summoning a rock from the fade, has some implications on morale. Especially is said rock is on fire.

[@hwoarang57]

love you thanks for great work buddy!

[@khaelthas293]

The Imperium did nothing wrong. I was expecting to see this kind of comments on this vid. Great vid btw.

[@loreuniversity895]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

[@fraktaalimuoto]

Impressively thorough! I learned a lot.

[@VinceP1974]

Great job! I can't imagine how long it takes to create these.

[@TheRagFromTheCragCorner23]

Please do a history of each Kingdom in Thedas! Also maybe do it from the tribes to kingdoms and each ruler? Especially Orlais!

[@KrissKingdom]

Perfect video to encapsulate before the next game comes out!

[@superiorrule34]

Blood for power.

[@redfairy9278]

The Blood will serve

[@Maxbroforce]

As someone who edits on the wiki stumbling across this to see some of the work I've done (Barindur content) be reflected here has me a little like 😳. Absolutely stellar lore video with a wonderful flow and thorough overview of the topic! Subscribing and looking forward to checking out your other videos!

[@Rodiacreed]

Pretty good video. I hope they other countries also have a rich history, since we don't hear of many significant individuals from outside Tevinter and Orlais.

[@liraelgirl8]

Another great video!

[@biropgrules]

i hope we get to personally bring about this empires end in da4.

[@BobbyBonesPS2]

Oh this is rad, thank you algorithm.

[@VinceP1974]

Who else thinks that the 9 Elven gods are also the 7 old gods, the maker (solas) and andredaste (flemeth)?

[@robertoleary5470]

Honestly I don’t. Generally think that the maker and the eleven gods are different. Solas seems to focused on destroying mankind to be the maker in my opinion

[@archabe]

I love these

[@matthewjohnathanwarburton8342]

Are we supposed to believe the in-game lore that the Ancient Tervinter Imperium was inherently evil? I feel that a lot of DA:O tends to throw Tervinter under the bus because of convenient politics, the Ferelden Bias, the Chantry's Influence, and the fact that we have never had a firsthand view of Tervinter (modern or ancient) itself. I feel that everyone tends to spit on Old Tervinter be they Elves or Human Kingdoms. Still, Old Tervinter seemed to be a well-organized civilization that brought law and infrastructure to Thedas. In the first game...we even see it...all the highways and roads were all built by Tervinter. I personally feel Tervinter is denegrated because of other nation's jelousy.

[@VinceP1974]

I guess if you don't care about the blood magic, slavery, and influence of the old gods, it was a great place to live

[@redfairy9278]

I have the same sentiments as you have. I dont think the Imperium was and is always teh badguy. I love how esoteric they are which makes them not a typical nation unlike those nation that surrounds them. It is the over-sensationalization of Blood Magic and Slavery that makes the rest of the nations hate them. Dorian already explained whats the pros and cons of the two. Tevinter did a huge favor to whole Thedas. Tevinter faved the way towards modernization of over everything in Thedas. I hope DA4 would would give us objectification about TE

[@knight-_-meh]

this series is my fav tbh i have my own takes and beliefs on everything but i just cannot put it all together like this. but that's what i love about it there is always somthing more. i know this is not possible but imagine a DA4 that has factored in every choice you have made from games 1-3 maybe some day we will be bless with such a series but until then i am here for an Age

[@marcusblackwell2372]

Don't be fooled by the upload date: this isn't an April Fool's video

[@tristinkirby]

Just found your channel. Wonderful work.

[@JarlBalgruuf]

I need a conversation between Shale and one of the Juggernauts

[@wegabond]

Yoooo this is so cool

[@Edgar-dp5qu]

Bussin

[@teaganreed286]

Would love to see you and @ghildirthalen get together

[@loreuniversity895]

That would be great, I like her work. Her channel was one of the main inspirations for me to make DA-lore vids.

[@747GhostDogg]

The Stone speaks, by the ancestors let my people go.. famous words of a hobo from Dust City

[@Kabasya94]

I haven't even imagined that there will be a better place than Hogwarts I would like to go study... Thank you for this video! 😍

[@krzysztofd.m.rozmus4123]

Make Tevinter Great Again! Archon and Common Man stand together against corruption of aristocracy and qunari invasion! For Maker, Honour, and Imperium! Can't wait for DA:Veilguard

[@budle89]

I would love to listen to them on a podcast. Is there one? Or any form where I could listen to them while I'm traveling.

[@thebloodroseofengland4203]

Bro you literally live in The Tevinter Imperium

[@JH-ok5lx]

I just wanted the dungeon map for Octopath..

[@haydennoble9253]

Make Tevinter Great Again

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

What happens to an elf born with magic? Can elves enter any social casts? Talvashoth with magic?

[@sanctun-3782]

So veil guard starts in tevinter but you cant use blood Magic. Im so pissed. Let me be evil D:

[@jessemockler616]

No fereldan yet? 😢

[@loreuniversity895]

In time my friend, have patience. We save the best for last 😁

[@jessemockler616]

@@loreuniversity895 that's what I figured. Guess I'll have to watch all until that time comes 😆

[@nestorgamer9746]

Wait there's a Dragon Age mod for Medieval 2 ???

[@JasonWright-hd2yz]

Immediate follow

[@GavinMercer]

That had to have been a gorim reference

[@Gyarren]

Awesome video! Hope you're doing okay!

[@angryvaultguy]

Since dreadwolf will be set in tevinter I hope for a more dark fantasy experience like in origins, inquisition was too high fantasy for me and it tried being something it was not

[@haydennoble9253]

The Tevinter Imperium was just putting those uppity Elves in their place.

[@andreasamardzija1496]

Orlais is definitely the vainest of the bunch, that archon must not have visited much.

[@Havocblackrain]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@stonedwalljack9276]

Any chance of Barindur being the black city?

[@Havocblackrain]

🤟🤘🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟

[@mada505]

You said archons have divine power and are chosen then 2minutes later say that the next archon is chosen like an heir in a monarchy and if no heir it is voted 😂 wtf

[@jimmorrison9690]

I have some criticism for your criticism... first off "as a fan of the dragon age series" ? No sir your just a fan of the 1st game. You said you skipped 2 and played 10 hrs of the 3ed. And second you lack of knowledge for the other 2 whole games kind of makes your criticism of it seeming generic seem ill informed. You don't know where this story is and what's happened so of course this trailer doesn't hit, you have no idea what's happening.

[@loreuniversity895]

I think you have commented on the wrong video my man. I don't talk about any trailers in this video, this is a lore vid. Nothing of what you wrote here fits with what this video about Tevinter lore is about.

[@MaskedRifter]

I swear if the Tevinter nation were a person, they'd be a tired parent at the end of their rope. 😂

[@jonyjonas]

Southern andrastianism reminds me so much of Catholicism that it makes me sick (I grew up as a catholic and rejected it) along with its prejudices towards magic. I will fight for the Imperium as a mage in Veilguard, probably part of the Shadow dragons.

[@nikolamilinovic1230]

Tevinter did nothing wrong! It's all Elves' fault.

[@paulofrota3958]

its* DLCs*

[@illizcit1]

I have a feeling Tevinter is gonna be first on Sola's hit list.....