#arvid rolfsen

[jawsofhakkontranscript]

Ambient comments made by the Avvar

Ambient comments - Stone-Bear Hold

Avvar woman: Greetings, stranger.

~

Avvar man: Our guests are welcome... so long as their weapons stay sheathed.

~

Avvar man: What's your business, lowlander?

~

Avvar woman: The thane looks troubled lately.

~

Avvar man: More wyverns in the forest these days.

~

Avvar man 1: That Helsdim. Always making up strange stories or looking at Orlesian books.

Avvar man 2: Aye. It isn't natural! Must come from learning how to read.

~

Avvar woman 1: Catch anything today?

Avvar woman 2: Nothing yet. Too many visitors stirring up the forest. The gods don't like it.

~

Avvar man: The new thatching is good. Fine work.

~

Avvar man: What did I tell you? Lowlanders from the north.

Avvar woman: Why do they dress like that?

~

Avvar woman 1: Half the traps were empty.

Avvar woman 2: Is someone poaching? Can't be.

~

Avvar man: Thread of cold in the air today.

Avvar woman: All the rams are growing thick coats. It'll be a bad winter.

~

Avvar man: Have you seen the animals the Jaws of Hakkon keep? Rat-things with frost dripping from their claws?

Avvar woman: I have. Augur says it's bad magic.

~

Avvar woman: Wind seems colder than it should.

~

Avvar man 1: The augur's saying blood will spill before the new moon.

Avvar man 2: Let the Jaws of Hakkon try something. They know whose ground this is.

~

(The following comments start occurring after the battle with the Hakkonites - see “Ameridan’s End: Assault the Jaws of Hakkon” -replacing the previous, less enthusiastic greetings.)

Avvar woman: Welcome, friend.

~

Avvar woman: The hold's glad to see you.

~

Avvar man: Good hunting, Inquisitor!

~

Avvar woman 1: The Master of the Hunt saw me shoot that Hakkonite archer through the eye! Said I had an eagle's sight...

Avvar woman 2: (Scoffs.) You're not trying to spread your own legend-mark!

Avvar woman 1: What? No! 'Course not.

~

Avvar man: We should have a feast and invite the other friend-sworn holds.

Avvar woman: It feels like ages since we saw them. Should the lowlanders come?

~

Avvar man: The Jaws of Hakkon haven't left, even though their leader lies cold and dead.

Avvar woman: Their hold's broken. Let the few who remain try to cause trouble now.

~

Avvar man: The augur says the gods are well pleased. The other holds will celebrate what happened here.

~

(The following comments start occurring after the Hakkon is freed from the dragon form - see “Hakkon Wintersbreath”.)

Avvar man 1: Hakkon dead. At last.

Avvar man 2: The augur's working to restore him true. We'll start the offerings soon.

~

Avvar woman: Killing a god! Your enemies should be impressed, Inquisitor!

~

Avvar man 1: What a battle. We should set it in song!

Avvar man 2: No fear. Fullna Hethsdotten won't let a god's death go to waste.

~

(The following comments start occurring after the Inquisitor receives the legend-mark from the people of Stone-Bear Hold - see “Guests of the Hold”.)

Avvar man: First-Thaw. Be welcome.

~

Avvar woman: Inquisitor First-Thaw.

~

Avvar man: Inquisitor. I mean, First-Thaw. That'll take getting used to.

~

Ambient comments - the boathouse

(Side note: in one of the banters, the young Avvar fisherman is identified as Einar, meaning that he’s most likely the same man who was working with Finn Caldansen on the day when Finn was injured - see “A Father’s Name”.)

~

Einar: (Laughs.) You know I caught him down there after? His face went as red as a sunburnt nug!

Avvar fisherwoman: Nugs don't sunburn, you fool.

Einar: If they did, Arvid would've looked just like one!

Avvar fisherwoman: (Laughs.) I don't doubt that.

Arvid: I'm standing right here!

~

Einar: How's your shoulder?

Avvar fisherwoman: Sore, but better. Did I thank you for bringing the broth?

Einar: Yes—but I don't mind hearing it twice.

Avvar fisherwoman: If I catch that Korth-cursed beast again, I'll—

Einar: Injure the other shoulder?

Avvar fisherwoman: (Laughs.) Probably. But you'll bring broth—won't you, Einar?

Einar: Always.

~

Avvar fisherwoman: Is that true?

Einar: He won't say—will you?

Arvid: You'll perish from curiosity before I do.

Avvar fisherwoman: By the Lady, I'll weep at the burial!

Einar: (Laughs.)

~

Arvid: Have you two completed your work?

Einar: Always!

Avvar fisherwoman: The Lady herself is witness to our diligence.

Arvid: (Laughs.)

~

(The following exchange happens if Grandin was allowed to live and continue taking his revenge on the Hakkonites - see “The Loss of a Friend”.)

Avvar fisherwoman: You’ve heard?

Einar: That he killed Hakkonites? Saved the child, is what I heard.

Avvar fisherwoman: So he did. But what he did to the hunters... they say it was him.

Einar: The spirit spoke of the Inquisition?

Avvar fisherwoman: I'd guess he's god-touched and too weak for it.

~

(The following comment should occur after the battle with the Hakkonites.)

Arvid: I'm sure half the hold's told you already, but you have my gratitude for dealing with them. More than paid your debt for the boat—that's certain.

[ammocharis]

Random bits of Avvar lore

These are just some bits of Avvar lore that I consider interesting, though I rarely find an excuse to bring them up in discussions about Dragon Age lore. They might not be terribly relevant but I think they're worth mentioning! If you're working on a fic that incorporates Avvar characters, you might even find these bits useful for adding flavour.

The Lady of the Skies has favourite species of birds.

“Bluebirds carry the goodwill of the Lady.” (Amund, DAI multiplayer)

“Budgerigars are sacred to the Lady. I think she likes the chirping.” (Amund, DAI multiplayer)

The Avvar call the shards "elfstones" and were able to locate them with help of Hakkon Wintersbreath before he got locked away.

"In the old times, the first Jaws of Hakkon spoke with the great spirit himself. He opened their eyes that they might see the elfstones hidden across the world, and they entered the old cave and learned the mysteries of winter." (Codex entry: Leather-Bound Hakkonite Journal)

The ability to read and write is not widespread among the Avvar (and may even be seen as odd) but hold leaders and augurs are usually literate.

"Script style and surrounding symbolism mark text as Avvar. Writing not widespread in holds—place marked by a leader or augur? Few lowlanders known to be in area at time.” (Codex entry: Colette's Notes)

“Thane Harofsen thinks he alone can work the words of lowlanders, as though the augurs had not learned the tale-drawing runes to study the old magic.” (Codex entry: Leather-Bound Hakkonite Journal)

They refer to the Tranquil as "dream-slain".

"The lowlanders, though, have found a new way to see them. The skull of dream-slain, set with the right magicks, can bring the elfstones to our sight." (Codex entry: Leather-Bound Hakkonite Journal)

An Avvar warrior won the Grand Tourney once.

The Grand Tourney is the oldest, and perhaps only, tradition of the Free Marches. [...] Contestants come from all over Thedas. [...] Once, the champion was an Avvar mountain man. (Codex entry: The Celebrant)

Their swearwords often involve gods/legendary heroes

Korth's stony arse, Korth-cursed, Tyrdda’s tits

Another common type of profanity is tied to domesticated animals and/or body waste

goat-lovers, goat-kissing, goat’s piss, goat shit, chicken-craps, shit-eating, blood-drinking

Stone-Bear hold has changed its physical location a few decades prior.

"Stone-Bear Hold's been here a few generations. I was born further north, but we left before I could remember." (Arvid Rolfsen, DAI)

Each of the chief gods has a test associated with them that can be used to settle disputes. The test of the Lady is climbing, as witnessed when first entering Stone-Bear Hold. The test of Hakkon involves fighting with blunted weapon, similar to the Hakkon's Trials quest where you face local warriors and fight until surrender. The one test that wasn't shown in any shape or form is the test of Korth, which incorporates flyting - an exchange of insults conducted in verse.

"The test of the Lady. We use it to settle disputes when it is not clear who has the right of it. There are others. For the test of the Mountain-Father, you battle with verse while those who favor you hold you aloft. The test of Hakkon is battle, with blunted weapons." (Svarah Sun-Hair, DAI)

Veilfire runes are known as "god-runes" to the Avvar.

"Stone-hidden lie the tales of this hold. Here's the means to find them. Return when you've seen all the god-runes, and I'll tell you why the Jaws of Hakkon did this." (Augur, DAI)

[vaguely-concerned]

I just replayed jaws of hakkon again and the avvar still fucking rule honestly haha. listening to all these chantry-educated people (listen I love you all but you are being so RUDE I can't take you anywhere!!!!) lose their goddamn minds over how they treat magic while the avvar side eye them like '...okay weirdos' never fails to bring me joy.

BUT also since the avvar take a bunch of inspiration from scandinavian culture, I thought I'd put on my friendly neighbourhood norwegian hat and muse about some of them!

- most people probably know this by now, but 'storvacker' means literally 'big beautiful' with swedish spelling haha. (with kind of an implication that it's beautiful because it's big, or that the bigness is integral to the beauty? it's really quite sweet as a name)

- hakkon seems to be a riff on håkon/haakon (listen I don't have time to explain all the tedious langague history right now but let's say for short that the pronounciation is the same either way and from a norwegian pov it has a lot to do with being under danish rule for a couple of hundred years there) which is a very common name for scandinavian kings through the ages. and yes a bunch of them did love them some war so it's not a bad choice at all! the current norwegian crown prince is named haakon (and his dad is harald, which is one of the other most common name for kings. there's also a 'sverre magnus' in the family now, so between them they hit about 75% of all norwegian kings through the ages lmao)

- avvar poetry works somewhat along the lines of traditional norse poetry, being heavy on the alliteration and kennings and heiti (essentially turning perfectly normal words into metaphors and shit, calling a boat a 'wave-steed' would be an example, often to ensure the alliteration haha. one of the reasons odin has so many fucking names, you can find a way to alliterate that dude with just about anything through pseudonym.)

- more on names because it's h i l a r i o u s to me for some reason-- the fisherman dude you meet on the shore and who would otherwise be perfectly forgettable? well, his name is arvid rolfsen. having a character named 'arvid rolfsen' in a fantasy universe is like... that's just a normal man. like 'that's the name of my denist' level of just some guy. dragon age often does the fantasy name balancing by having at least either the first name or surname be kind of unusual/fantasy-ized, but those are simply two incredibly common names hahaha.

avvar names ending in '-sen' and '-dotten' is a very obvious parallel to how scandinavian surnames traditionally work (and still do in iceland), in that it's 'parent's name' + sen/son (son) or dotter/dottir (daughter). however. in changing the female ending of that to 'dotten'. some Things have happened, to my norwegian ear. namely that 'dott' (which turns into 'dotten' in the definite singular form, the dott as it were) means... hm.

1) most literally, something like a small untidy ball or clump of something, like hay, dust, wool -- my instinctive translation would be something like 'fluffball', probably.

2) a useless weakwilled hapless and naive but ultimately harmless person

3) slang term (though a mild one) for the vagina. yup it's another one of those, as if boba 'fett' didn't already fill that particular cross-language hilarity niche (though that one is a whole league more obscene and technically dialect). especially 'kuldsdotten swamp' (so something like... the cold ahem ahem swamp) conjures... Imagery.

[dirtybiowareconfessions]

Confession: I prefer women, but Arvid Rolfsen has my complete permission to wreck my pussy.

[jawsofhakkontranscript]

What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island

(Previous quest - The Basin Beckons)

Main questline: What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island

This is the first part of "What Yet Lingers" questline.

A mysterious island in Frostback Basin may yield clues to the region's past.

Characters involved: Arvid Rolfsen

(An island can be seen from the shore.)

Party comments:

Blackwall: That must be the island Master Kenric mentioned.

Sera: That Kenric's island?

Dorian: I think I see that island Kenric mentioned.

Iron Bull: There. The island Kenric mentioned.

Varric: That must be Kenric's island. Wonder what's there.

Cassandra: That must be the island Professor Kenric mentioned.

Vivienne: Is that the island Kenric mentioned?

PC: We'll need to find a way out there.

(Approach the fishing camp. The Hakkonites are threatening the fishermen. Stay out of sight of the Avvar to hear the entirety of the following exchange.)

Female Hakkonite: What is this? Are the fishers of Stone-Bear Hold too rude to share a meal with friends?

Arvid: Can the Jaws of Hakkon not catch their own fish? Or are those jaws only good for flapping?

Female Hakkonite: Mind your tongue, bog-walker. Stone-Bear Hold may not always shelter you… And you will need shelter when the cold winds come.

Arvid: Yet I feel only hot air.

Female Hakkonite: When the Jaws of Hakkon rule, you will wish you had been generous. If your weak Lady has not already picked your foolish bones clean.

(Once the Hakkonites notice the Inquisitor, they launch an attack.)

Female Hakkonite: The Inquisitor! Let her/his blood bathe the blades of the Jaws of Hakkon! Death to the lowlanders! Glory to Hakkon!

(Kill the Hakkonite warriors.)

Party comments:

Cassandra: These "Jaws of Hakkon" demanded your death. What do they have against us?

Iron Bull: The Jaws of Hakkon don't like us much. What'd we do this time?

Blackwall: The Jaws of Hakkon knew you. What do they have against the Inquisition?

(If no companion makes a comment.)

PC: "Kill the Inquisitor"? What do these Jaws of Hakkon have against me? (Additionally, if you haven’t been to Stone-Bear Hold yet.) Perhaps the friendlier Avvar in the village Harding mentioned can shed some light.

(Approach Arvid.)

Arvid: You are the lowlander they call Inquisitor? I am Arvid Rolfsen. Well fought. The fish will feed on fool's heart-wine this night.

(If you have not spoken to Thane Svarah Sun-Hair yet.)

Arvid: I know not what brings you here, but we have no quarrel, you and I. [Go to 1]

(If you spoke to Svarah.)

Arvid: Thane Sun-Hair has sent word that you and yours have guest-welcome in our land. [Go to 1]

[1] Dialogue options:

Investigate: How long have you been here? [2]

General: What's out there? [3] (If you haven’t completed the main quest “The Basin Beckons” by speaking to Kenric about his research, and thus didn’t learn about the Lady’s Rest island.)

General: May I borrow the boat? [4] (If you approach Arvid for the first time, either before or after speaking with Svarah. If you skipped “The Basin Beckons”, this option becomes available after following the dialogue branch [3] “What's out there?”)

General: Why can’t I use your boat? [5] (If you try to once again borrow a boat from Arvid before speaking with Svarah.)

General: Now can I use your boat? [6] (If you reapproach Arvid after speaking with Svarah and gaining her permission - see “Avvar Allies” main quest.)

General: Goodbye. [7]

[2] Investigate: How long have you been here?

PC: How long have you lived in the Basin?

Arvid: Stone-Bear Hold's been here a few generations. I was born further north, but we left before I could remember. It was a good life until the Jaws of Hakkon arrived. They brought trouble with them. People are expecting a raid, but…

PC: You don't agree?

Arvid: They seem bigger fools than that, for all their boasting. I cannot say what they plan, but it bodes ill. [Back to 1]

[3] General: What's out there?

PC: I take it you're fishermen. You must know the waters well.

Arvid: Well enough. Fish are plentiful and there's decent game on some of the islands. So long as you avoid the Lady's Rest, there's food on the table.

PC: The Lady's Rest?

Arvid: That island. The Lady of the Skies uses it for her solitude. It is ill luck to disturb her. [Back to 1]

[4] General: May I borrow the boat?

(The following dialogue depends on the completion status of “The Basin Beckons”, as you can approach Arvid without learning about the Lady’s Rest island from Professor Kenric.)

[4a] (If you haven’t completed “The Basin Beckons”.)

PC: I find myself in need of a boat.

Arvid: After I told the tale of the Lady's Rest, you would go there yourself? It is unwise

Party comments:

Dorian: Oh, undoubtedly.

Cassandra: Advice that does not stop us as often as it should.

Varric: Most things are.

(“The Basin Beckons” completes automatically.)

[Go to 8]

[4b] (If you have completed “The Basin Beckons” by speaking to Kenric beforehand.)

PC: I find myself in need of a boat. I need to reach that island—

Arvid: The Lady's Rest?

PC: What?

Arvid: That island belongs to the Lady of the Skies. The spirits warn us to leave it be.

Party comments:

Sera: Pfft. Warn the spirits right back. We're Inquisition.

Dorian: Of course they do.

Varric: Don't suppose that's just a legend?

[Go to 8]

[8] Subsequent dialogue options:

General: It's important I go there. [9]

General: I still need the boat. [10]

General: It'll be fine. [11]

[9] General: It's important I go there.

PC: I don't wish to disturb your Lady, but it's important. [12]

[10] General: I still need the boat.

PC: Still need that boat. Otherwise I'll have to swim, my boots will get wet—very uncomfortable. [12]

[11] General: It'll be fine.

PC: Your boat will be fine. I'll see it returned in one piece. [12]

[12] (Dialogue continues.)

[12a] (If you have not spoken to Thane Svarah Sun-Hair yet.)

Arvid: If I give you the boat and you anger the spirits and die, other lowlanders may come for blood. That is trouble for my hold and not my trouble to take. Go to Stone-Bear Hold and speak with my thane, Svarah Sun-Hair. Get her blessing and you may sail to Korth's rocky heart if you wish. [Back to 1]

[12b] (If you spoke to Svarah.)

Arvid: Thane Sun-Hair has given you guest-welcome and I have given you warning. The boat is yours. I hope you come back alive. [Back to 1]

[5] General: Why can't I use your boat?

PC: I don't want any trouble, but I need a boat to get to the island.

Arvid: It is not mine to give, lowlander. How many wars rage in your lowlands even now for foolish cause? I bear you no grudge, but if you sail off to die, your kin will say we caused it. That burden must be borne by a thane, not a fisherman. Speak to Svarah Sun-Hair at Stone-Bear Hold. [Back to 1]

[6] General: Now can I use your boat?

PC: Thane Sun-Hair gave me guest-welcome at Stone-Bear Hold.

Arvid: Aye, she sent word.

PC: As a guest, then, may I please borrow your boat?

Arvid: We would be poor hosts to refuse. The boat is yours. I hope you come back alive. [Exits the conversation]

[7] General: Goodbye

PC: I should be going.

Arvid: Hunt well. [Exits the conversation]

(The quest continues. Speak to the Avvar leader, or if you already have her permission, sail to the Lady’s Rest island.)

(Next quest - Avvar Allies)

[ammocharis]

Avvar History Reconstruction, part 7

Finally, I’ve reached the last part of this project! “Avvar History Reconstruction” is my attempt to piece together what’s known about the Avvar history, starting from their journey south-east (still as one with the Alamarri) through the birth of their tribe, the toll of Tevene occupation, the wars with neighbouring nations, all the way into the Dragon Age.

It took 10 000 words, 29 pages, and 13 maps to cover over 3000 years of history, and it just barely scratches the surface. There are many blank spots that might never be filled, as the series seems to be moving away from the Frostback Mountains. But that just means it’s a free space for headcanons.

<<Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6>>

Part 7: Current state

The Avvar people still reside in the remote parts of the Frostback Mountains. Their population numbers are unknown but they are able to endure in the harsh environment with relative success.

They are not recognized as sovereign state by any of the neighbouring nations, and the situation is unlikely to change in the years to come. The Avvar don’t have a central government, each hold is led by a different thane, and they don’t seem inclined to significantly alter their way of living and imitate Ferelden by uniting the tribes into a new nation. Occasionally, they form alliances with nearby holds, but there has been no large-scale movement since the rise of warlord Balak during the Steel Age. Gurd Harofsen, the leader of the Jaws of Hakkon, may have had a potential to follow in Balak’s footsteps, but his warmongering tendencies were thwarted before he could threaten the Lowlands. Even if Gurd did succeed, I find it highly improbable that attacking the Lowlanders with Hakkon Wintersbreath on the leash would benefit the Avvar as a whole, much less that it could grant them sovereignty. It’d certainly result in a great chaos - comparable to a Blight, from what we’re told in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC - that would lead to resistance forming in the neighbouring nations. Ferelden, still weakened from the real Blight, would suffer heavy losses, but the chance that the Jaws of Hakkon could vanquish the Lowlands is extremely infinitesimal. All in all, I see no signs in canon sources of the Avvar becoming a sovereign nation in the near future, either through peaceable unification or through conquest.

It appears that the Avvar tribes are concentrated in the southern part of the Frostback Mountains. The northern and central regions were probably depopulated as a result of the Tevinter occupation and the conflicts between Orlais and Ferelden, forcing the Avvar further up and south into the Frostbacks. The eastern frontiers may overlap with the lands inhabited by the Chasind people. The Avvar tribes who live near the Korcari Wilds possibly share some characteristics with the Chasind.

Figure 13. Avvar settlements

Red - extinct hold

Purple - possible location of a hold

Blue - known hold

Let’s review the Avvar settlements one by one.

Stone Bear Hold is the only Avvar hold whose current location and status are fully known, as we can visit it in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC and observe the Avvar lifestyle from up close. It’s situated in the far south of the Frostback Mountains. According to Arvid Rolfsen, a few generations ago, when he was very young, the hold was located further north, but it moved into the Frostback Basin due to unspecified reasons and remained in the same place for a couple of decades.[1] The Avvar holds are said to be temporary, but it’s unknown what’s the average time between relocations. It might range from several generations to a few seasons, depending on the situation in the hold and the access to food sources, though I believe that it’s usually on the longer end. The Stone-Bear Hold inhabitants appear to obtain their nourishment in large part from hunting and foraging, but it’s also evidenced that they regularly engage in animal husbandry, and possibly in growing crops.

The Journal of Gurd Harofsen contains the following description of Stone-Bear Hold:

“The tales tell of this area, but the Stone-Bears, a hold of fishermen and chicken farmers, have lived here for generations and seen no sign.”[2]

Codex entry: On Avvar Cuisine can be obtained by interacting with a swine head inside a merchant’s shop in Stone-Bear Hold, and there’s also a number of pig carcasses and sausages placed around the room, suggesting that the inhabitants of the hold raise pigs for meat consumption. The food items found in the hold also include cheese, indicating that the Stone-Bear folks keep dairy animals, and this is confirmed in conversations with Svarah Sun-Hair, as she references goats multiple times.

Svarah: “Pens are for goats and chickens, not hold-kin.” [...] “We have no need of your lowlands, not when our goats are fat and our fish are plenty.”

(Fun fact: Avvar swear words commonly reference domesticated animals, examples: “goat-lovers” used by both Svarah and Hask;  “goat-kissing” and “chicken-craps” used by Svarah.)

The evidence of arable farming among the Avvar is less apparent in-game. Some of the food items found in Stone-Bear Hold resemble bread, pies, and potatoes, suggesting that they do grow crops in larger quantities, but I do not recall any confirmation of that in dialogues or codex entries. The farming practices are, however, referenced in the official tabletop guide, though this source has debatable canonicity, so… take this with a grain of salt.

“In late spring and through the summer, the air becomes warm and humid. The farmers among the Avvars take swift advantage of the brief planting season by moving down from their stone-walled holds and into the foothills to grow crops, which they tend in nomadic fashion as they herd their flocks of goats and keep wary of lowlanders.”[3]

All in all, I would say that the Avvar people do not relocate often, certainly not as often as the fully nomadic Dalish. Stone-Bear Hold shows signs of permanence, or at least semi-permanence. Perhaps in the past, the Avvar had practiced a nomadic lifestyle of typical hunter-gatherers, but they’re transitioning into another mode of living.

Now let’s take a look at the holds we haven’t visited.

Red-Lion Hold is the hold that gave birth to the new iteration of the Jaws of Hakkon. It was destroyed during the Blight and its inhabitants had to flee. Gurd Harofsen described in his journal that “The darkspawn struck Red-Lion Hold. I heard the news in a tavern in Redcliffe.”[4] so I assume that Red-Lion Hold was located south of Lake Calenhad and was attacked by the darkspawn horde before Redcliffe, though its exact location is a mystery. Therefore, its placement on the map is just one of my ideas. When the news of Red-Lion’s destruction reached Gurd, he left the mercenary group he was part of and returned to his homeland. He gathered the survivors and set a new course for them, and they became the Jaws of Hakkon reborn. The newly formed faction was unlike the other Avvar tribes. As Gurd declared in his journal “We will build no home, for homes can die.”[5] And indeed, they were continuously on the move, searching for Hakkon to bring him back and set him on the Lowlanders, until they reached the Frostback Basin. This wandering behaviour is seen as odd among the people of Stone-Bear Hold, further suggesting that the typical Avvar settlement is somewhat permanent. As I discussed previously, I doubt the Jaws of Hakkon’s plan would in any way improve the situation of the Avvar people.

Stone-Bear Hold also has contact with other Avvar holds, as evidenced in conversations with Svarah:

“Other holds share oaths with the Jaws of Hakkon. They are sworn to defend or avenge them.”

as well as the ambient dialogue heard after defeating the Jaws of Hakkon: 

Avvar man: We should have a feast and invite the other friend-sworn holds.

Avvar woman: It feels like ages since we saw them. Should the lowlanders come?”

However, these holds are never identified by name, and it’s difficult to say how distant they are from Stone-Bear Hold.

Edvarr Hold is the hold from which chieftain Movran the Under and his son Hand of Korth originate. Its name is only referenced in ambient dialogue during the fight with Hand of Korth, when some other members of the hold, who followed the Hand into the Fallow Mire, may exclaim “For Edvarr Hold!”. However, it could also be how Hand of Korth decided to rename the Hargrave Keep after claiming it, and if that’s the case, the other hold led by chieftain Movran is unnamed in-game, as he himself doesn’t identify which hold he’s governing while speaking to the Inquisitor. Personally, I’m assuming that “Edvarr Hold” does refer to the hold led by Movran, and I’m using it as such. Edvarr Hold is probably located somewhere in the south-eastern part of the Frostbacks, in or near the Fallow Mire region, which is bordering with the Korcari Wilds. Movran has sent his son, Hand of Korth, to get rid of the Venatori in the area. Amund, the Sky Watcher who handles funerals among his tribe members, can also be found in the Fallow Mire, further leading me to believe that Hand of Korth did not go too far from his original hold. Depending on the player's choices, the settlement might actually become abandoned, as Movran takes his tribesmen to Skyhold, and he can be exiled together with them to Tevinter. If this option is chosen, Movran and his people relocate to Tevinter, possibly for the rest of their lives, which is rather intriguing, and I wonder what will become of them in the future.

“We have received word that "Movran the Under" has made good on your judgment of armed exile in Tevinter.  He and his clan immediately staked a claim to a large section of land along the Imperial Highway, at the edge of the Silent Plains.”[6]

Fennec-Tooth Hold is a settlement mentioned in the codex entry “On Avvar cuisine”. It had been visited by an Orlesian noble, so I would place it on the western slope of the Frostback Mountains. Its current status is unknown, though I like to think that it’s still inhabited. If it survived the wars between Orlais and Ferelden, it might yet thrive.

Wyvern Hold, Kinloch Hold and Vigil’s Keep were inhabited by the Avvar in the Ancient Age, prior to Tevinter occupation of the south (see Part 3 and Part 4 for more information). Judging by the information available, they were never reclaimed by the Avvar, even after the Imperium ceded its territories.

Skyhold too may have been inhabited by the Avvar at some point in history. The fortress had been claimed by many different groups of people, including the Chasind[7] and the Alamarri.[8] The name “Skyhold” might derive from the Avvar, seeing as it fits the naming convention of the Avvar settlements.

One of the notes mentions the hints of Avvar imagery in Skyhold.

“Avvar totemic representation of mabari, which followed into early Fereldan imagery. Ancient; we can't know if they were carved here or brought later. Interesting note: the kaddis pattern is subtly different than is typical, with unmistakable Tevinter elements. A strange addition if the occupants were Fereldan. Rivets in the pillar are often marks of generations of occupants, but eight seems high given how often Skyhold changed hands. Unless these are breeding generations of mabari. An interesting question would be: "eight starting from what?"[9]

These totems could represent the first generations of the mabari that deserted their previous owners and instead joined with the “barbarians” living in the lands occupied by Tevinter Imperium. The mabari breed was originally created by Tevene mages to help subdue the local population.[10] The Alamarri (and subsequently Fereldans) become known for their connection to the mabari, but the war dogs also accompany some Avvar people, such as Kell ap Morgan, a former Avvar jarl.

However, even if some Avvar had lived in Skyhold, it was many, many years before. Prior to the Inquisition relocating there, the fortress had been completely abandoned, probably for the last few centuries.

Speaking of Kell ap Morgan, he used to be a leader of an Avvar clan. His home is briefly described in the novel “The Calling” by David Gaider, though only in the form of a Fade dream. It’s implied that Kell’s clan suffered a great loss, something that affected his wife and child and caused Kell to abandon the Frostback Mountains and join the Wardens down the line. It’s possible that his entire hold has perished, though the reason has not been revealed in the novel, nor in any other media, as far as I know. The name of the settlement is also a mystery.

Another briefly referenced Avvar clan pops up in the story of Marethari Talas. When Marethari was a young mage, the First to the Keeper, her clan set camp in the Frostback Mountains, though it’s unclear where exactly. Likely, it was the eastern side, bordering Ferelden. In the winter of 8:82 Blessed, after a good hunting season, the clan was attacked by Avvar warriors for an unknown reason. The name of their hold is also unknown. The Keeper was gravely wounded in the attack, and many members of the Dalish clan were killed, including Marethari’s husband. Marethari took leadership of the survivors and ordered them to go into the Ferelden lowlands, while she went the other way, into an alpine forest, to seek out the Witch of the Wilds. She returned three days later, and the next day, the previous Keeper of the Sabrae clan died.

“And the Avvar tribe fell prey to what some survivors said were trees come to life, the wrath of the Mountain-Father himself.”[11]

The tabletop campaign also includes an Avvar settlement called Redhold, but as I mentioned, its position in the canon is debatable, so I’ll only point out that it exists in the RPG guidebook.

Summing up, there’s only one Avvar settlement that we can really examine from up close, with possibly two more persisting into the current times. As such, a lot of guesswork and headcanoning is involved when discussing this part of the Dragon Age setting. Each Avvar tribe is also a bit different from one another, but they still share core values, such as the worship of spirits. I encourage everyone interested in Avvar lore to explore it and draw their own conclusions, but what matters in the end is to have fun. I certainly enjoyed working on these theories, and I hope you enjoyed reading them if you reached this far.

Lady keep you!

~

Sources:

[1] Dialogue with Arvid Rolfsen: “Stone-Bear Hold’s been here a few generations. I was born further north, but we left before I could remember. “

[2],[4],[5] Codex entry: Journal of Gurd Harofsen

[3] Blood in Ferelden, p. 52

[6] Judgement: Movran’s Arrived!

[7] Codex entry: The Women of All War

[8]Codex entry: On Skyhold references a journal written in Old Fereldan dialect back in the Divine Age, prior to the unification of Ferelden

[9] Cataloguing Skyhold: Mabari Avvar Pillars

[10]��According to Fenris

[11] Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 165

[jawsofhakkontranscript]

Developer notes - Character descriptions

Each character with a speaking role (no matter how small) has a "bio" - a summary intended mainly for the voice acting crew. These notes include some details that a director should have in mind when choosing an actor for the role. The "age range" does not reflect the actual age of a character, but rather how young or old their voice should sound. It’s also originally given in hexadecimal system, so I added the conversion to decimal. 

Without further ado, here are all the character profiles from the Jaws of Hakkon DLC, sorted by factions they belong to.

Stone-Bear Hold

Avvar Augur

Gender: Male

Character description: The Augur is an important figure in a village of people called the Avvar “barbarians” in the wilderness. He’s a magic-worker, a councilor, and an intermediary between the real world and the spirits. He can be a bit “otherworldly” as a result. He’s a smart man, unexpectedly jolly for his solemn position.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Thane Svarah Sun-Hair

Gender: Female

Character description: Thane (leader) of a hold of “barbarians” called the Avvar, a proud, independent people who live by hunting and trading in the wild. Tall and wiry, she is still strong despite her age. She’s a fair and observant woman who can judge the moods of her hold and the other hold they trade with in the blink of an eye. Smart, pragmatic, and not afraid to hit things or make hard decisions.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)2D = (dec)45

~

Storvacker

Gender: Female

Character description: This is a bear. Like literally a bear. I’m adding this because I need lines in the conversations where people talk to the bear, and the bear grunts or growls, but unless there is an actor who does like an AWESOME impression of a bear, I’m assuming we are using existing bear-audio.

Accent: Grizzly or Northern Brown

Race: Bear

Age range: (hex)14 = (dec)20

~

Arena Master = Arrken Feldsen

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar man in charge of an arena where his people train and fight in rituals. Brisk, Loves fighting - loves the theory, the practice, the philosophical arguments about honor and when to fight - loves it all. Gets a bit bloodthirsty when cheering on the fights.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age Range: (hex)23 = (dec)35

~

Skald = Fullna Hethsdotten

Gender: Female

Character description: A skald (a bard and a keeper of oral histories) among the Avvar, a tribe of “barbarians” in the mountains. Proud of her people’s history, protective of her clan’s reputation. Aware she’s a bit young for a bard, so takes the role seriously and a bit self-conciously.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Parve

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar villager. Finds himself in a climbing race to settle a dispute with another villager.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Hask

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar villager. Finds himself in a climbing race to settle a dispute with another villager.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Mountain climber = Runa Lyrsdotten

Gender: Female

Character description: A young Avvar with a passion for climbing the highest slopes around your mountain home. Cheery, energetic, and absolutely fearless.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)14 = (dec)20

~

Linna

Gender: Female

Character description: A fisherwoman wondering about her cousin.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Conspiracy Guy = Helsdim Rolfsen

Gender: Male

Character description: Helsdim Rolfsen is an Avvar trader. His work takes him outside his small mountainside village and he has an appreciation for the greater world as a result. He takes pride in the fact that he’s literate, a rarity among the Avvar, and is very into “alternate history”. (He’s a bit of a conspiracy nut, in other words, but a harmless one.) Helsdim longs to see more of the world, but he’s stuck in his little hometown village.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

The Exile = Sigrid Gulsdotten

Gender: Female

Character description: An Avvar = a clan of tough mountain-dwelling people who the rest of the countries consider barbarians. She exiled herself to the woods outside her village because she thinks she’s made a mistake who brought shame on her clan. A bit dour but fiercely loyal to her people.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Master of the Hunt

Gender: Male

Character description: Avvar Master of the Hunt, Old, seasoned, and blunt. Slow to give out praise, but sincere when he does.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)3C = (dec)60

~

Gyda Myrdotten

Gender: Female

Character description: Woman in charge of burying the dead. Sly, clever. Can seem unsympathetic, but is truly dedicated to her work and following traditions properly.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Finn = Finn Caldansen

Gender: Male

Character description: A kind young man who was injured while helping a friend. Sad over the death of his father.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)12 = (dec)18

~

Arvid Rolfsen

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar fisherman, old enough to be past most posturing and bragging, proud to be part of Stone-Bear Hold and unimpressed with the evil Hakkon worshippers.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Friendly Avvar Male = Einar, fisherman working with Arvid

Gender: Male

Character description: Friendly Avvar talking to his friends.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)14 = (dec)20

~

Friendly Avvar Female = unnamed fisherwoman working with Arvid

Gender: Female

Character description: Friendly Avvar talking to her friends.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Avvar Guardsman 01

Gender: Male

Character description: A guard for a small village. Strong, watchful.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Avvar Guardsman 02

Gender: Male

Character description: A guard for a small village. Easygoing.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Avvar Crafter 01

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar villager. You craft goods and mend things.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Avvar Hunter 01

Gender: Female

Character description: A hunter who provides for her small village. Sharp-eyed, capable.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Avvar Hunter 02

Gender: Female

Character description: A hunter who provides for her small village. Experienced, capable.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Scout 01

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar scout. Good at his job. Cares for his clan of close-knit people.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Scout 02

Gender: Female

Character description: An Avvar scout. Good at her job. Cares for his clan of close-knit people.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Avvar Villager 01

Gender: Female

Character description: A hard-working Avvar villager.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Avvar Villager 02

Gender: Male

Character description: A hard-working Avvar villager.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Jaws of Hakkon

Gurd Harofsen

Gender: Male

Character description: Powerful, proud, menacing Avvar warrior. Heads a group calling themselves the Jaws of Hakkon. He serves a powerful warrior-god, and plans to voluntarily give up his own life in order to be a vessel for this god. A thug and a bully.

Speech pattern: He is chanting with a specific rhythm in his main conversation. See conversation-file notes.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Hakkon Beastmaster

Gender: Male

Character description: An evil member of a warrior cult who has kidnapped a bear for nefarious purposes. Your basic loud yelling bad guy.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Hakkonite Bully

Gender: Female

Character description: An angry thug who fights for the Jaws of Hakkon. She is trying to bully some non-warriors from a different hold, and reacts angrily as soon as she sees the Inquisitor.

Accent: North British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Hakkon Warrior 01

Gender: Male

Character description: A barbarian warrior.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Hakkon Warrior 02

Gender: Female

Character description: A barbarian warrior.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

First Inquisition

Inquisitor Ameridan

Gender: Male

Character description: A man in early middle age, an intelligent and seasoned warrior. He is somber and serious, driven by a duty he never asked for.

Accent: Welsh

Race: Elf

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Telana

Gender: Female

Character description: This is a spirit that touched Inquisitor Ameridan’s wife, Telana, and speaks with her memories. She is a spirit of compassion, just like Cole, and has much of the same empathy and “talking as though in someone else’s head” that Cole does. Unlike Cole, she is clearly and obviously a spirit, tired and worn away from centuries of waiting for someone to tell her story to.

In life, Telana was a Dalish elf (hence request for Welsh accent).

Accent: Welsh

Race: Elf (Spirit)

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Second Inquisition and associates

Professor Bram Kenric

Gender: Male

Character description: A professor from Starkhaven who is bright, enthusiastic, and a little absent-minded. He’s the one whose theories pulled the Inquisition out here on the hunt for the Last Inquisitor, Ameridan (who vanished 800 years ago), and while he’s a little out of his element here in the wild, he is determined to see this through.

He’s innocent and naive, generally speaking, and may have a slight crush on Scout Harding (who he calls “Lady Harding”).

Accent: Scottish

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Colette

Gender: Female

Character description: An eager research assistant for Professor Kenric. She has a driven, A-type personality. As an elf, she’s faced some prejudice at the University.

Accent: French

Race: Elf

Age range: (hex)14 = (dec)20

~

Lieutenant Farrow

Gender: Male

Character description: Professional Inquisition soldier. Very good at his job.

Accent: British

Race: Elf

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Camp Researcher Male

Gender: Male

Character description: Man at research camp.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Camp Researcher Female

Gender: Female

Character description: Woman at research camp.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Havard-Pierre d’Amortisan

Gender: Male

Character description: A baron who researches dangerous animals. Intrigued by a mysterious animal that no one has ever seen. Speaks in a Lovecraft/Edwaridan-Horror-Story type manner.

Accent: French

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)2D = (dec)45

~

Dunwich

Gender: Male

Character description: Long-suffering assistant to Havard-Pierre d’Amortisan (a baron who studies dangerous creatures.) Dry, butler-like. Think Alfred from Batman.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Grandin

Gender: Male

Character description: Young soldier whose friend has been murdered. Now possessed by a spirit//demon

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Forward Camp Soldier 2

Gender: Male

Character description: An Inquisition soldier.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Forward Camp Soldier 3

Gender: Male

Character description: An Inquisition soldier.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

[jawsofhakkontranscript]

Main questline - order of completion

Several of the main quests in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC can be approached at different times. The order in which quests are completed affects some of the dialogue options.

In this transcript, each main quest page is linked to the previous and the next quest (at the beginning and the end of each entry), but for the sake of clarity, the links follow only one of the possible routes. If a dialogue option depends on the completion status of another quest, it's noted in the brackets beside that option.

Here's a more detailed explanation of the order of completion for the main questline.

1. Jaws of Hakkon - introduction to professor Bram Kenric.

*2. The Basin Beckons - Kenric explains his research and points the Inquisitor towards the friendly Avvar and the island that might connect to Ameridan.

* This quest can be entirely skipped, which is going to affect the initial dialogue with Arvid Rolfsen during What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island.

Afterwards, the main questline branches out. Here's the route that is listed in the quest index of this transcript.

3. What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island - speak with the Avvar fisherman.

4. Avvar Allies - speak with the Thane of Stone-Bear Hold.

5. Storvacker Caged - search for Storvacker.

6. What Yet Lingers: Look for information on Inquisitor Ameridan - sail to the Lady’s Rest island.

7. What Yet Lingers: Return to Kenric - report to Kenric with your findings on Ameridan and Telana.

8. On Ameridan’s Trail - investigate the last place Ameridan visited before disappearing.

Another possible route is to first speak with Svarah Sun-Hair. This means that during What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island you gain the access to the boat right away, since Arvid Rolfsen recognizes the guest-welcome you received from Svarah. You don't have to go to Stone-Bear Hold to ask for Svarah's permission, as is the case if you approach Arvid first. The entire What Yet Lingers questline can be concluded only after Avvar Allies.

3. Avvar Allies

4. Storvacker Caged

5. What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island

6. What Yet Lingers: Look for information on Inquisitor Ameridan

7. What Yet Lingers: Return to Kenric

8. On Ameridan’s Trail

The next major difference in possible routes is the time of completion of Storvacker Caged. This quest can be tackled at any point after Avvar Allies, even after On Ameridan’s Trail.

3. Avvar Allies

4. What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island

5. What Yet Lingers: Look for information on Inquisitor Ameridan

6. What Yet Lingers: Return to Kenric

7. On Ameridan’s Trail

8. Storvacker Caged

However, both Storvacker Caged and What Yet Lingers: Look for information on Inquisitor Ameridan have to be completed in order to choose the following dialogue options:

"Hakkon connects to Ameridan" when speaking with Svarah (either at the end of Storvacker Caged or the beginning of Ameridan’s End: Assault the Jaws of Hakkon)

"Ameridan and Hakkon connect" when speaking with Kenric (during What Yet Lingers: Return to Kenric)

The main questline converges after Avvar Allies, What Yet Lingers, Storvacker Caged, and On Ameridan's Trail have been completed.

9. Ameridan’s End: Assault the Jaws of Hakkon

10. Ameridan’s End: Talk to Ameridan

11. Hakkon Wintersbreath

[jawsofhakkontranscript]

Avvar Allies

(Previous quest - What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island)

Main questline: Avvar Allies

Making contact with the Avvar hold to the east could provide the Inquisition with useful allies.

Characters involved: Svarah Sun-Hair

(When you first enter Stone Bear-Hold, in the center of the settlement you see two people climbing a mountain wall and a crowd of Avvar cheering for them from below. You have to wait for the climbers to reach to the top before you can speak with the Thane. Svarah Sun-Hair can be seen on a platform opposite of the wall. Gurd Harofsen, the leader of the Jaws of Hakkon, is standing next to her.)

[SFX: Crowd cheering and shouting encouragement.]

Party comments:

Cassandra: What is that commotion?

Blackwall: Something exciting's happening.

Iron Bull: Sounds like a party. Or a fight.

Comments heard in the crowd:

Avvar man: Almost there, Parve!

Avvar woman: Move your legs, Hask!

Avvar man: He climbs like a fish!

Avvar woman: Shut your yap!

Gurd: Your climbers seem tired, Thane Sun-Hair. Poor hunting? Is your hold-beast well?

Svarah: We hunt as well as ever, Thane Harofsen.

Gurd: You would be safer under the shield of the Jaws of Hakkon.

Svarah: Hask Fishersen has taken victory in sight of the Lady of the Skies. Parve, you owe four rams to Hask, not three.

Hask: Hah!

Parve: Tyrdda's tits.

Svarah: Wind lift your oaths to the Lady of the Skies. And hand the rams over come sunrise.

Gurd: May your people be as strong as your hold-beast.

Party comments:

Solas: An interesting way to resolve a conflict.

Dorian: Well! That was entertaining.

Vivienne: What a delightfully rustic welcome.

(You can now approach Svarah and Gurd and speak with them.)

PC: We should speak with the thane.

Gurd: This is not my hold, lowlander. I will not shed your blood here. You will face the full might of the Jaws of Hakkon soon enough.

Svarah: We've heard of your arrival, lowlanders. Come share my fire, where we might speak.

(The screen fades and the scene continues in the Thane’s hall.)

Svarah: Inquisitor! I am Svarah Sun-Hair, Thane of Stone-Bear Hold. You have guest-welcome here.

(If the Inquisitor is a human warrior or rogue.) Your Inquisition has done much to heal the holes in the sky. We are grateful. [1]

(If the Inquisitor is a human mage.) The lowlanders have little love for their mages. I am impressed that you came to lead this Inquisition. [1]

(If the Inquisitor is a Dalish.) The lowlanders have little love for your Dalish clans. I am impressed that you came to lead their Inquisition. [1]

(If the Inquisitor is a dwarf.) Our people have long traded with Orzammar and your Carta. I'm pleased the Inquisition raised you up. [1]

(If the Inquisitor is a Qunari.) Few of our people have ever seen a Qunari. It is pleasing not to have to look down while we talk. [1]

[1] You and your people have come far from the safety of the lowlands. [2]

[2] Dialogue options:

General: We are not attacking. [3]

General: We noticed. [4]

General: Duty brought us here. [5]

[3] General: We are not attacking.

PC: We have not come to cause trouble in your home, Thane. [6]

[4] General: We noticed.

PC: Yes, given what we faced getting to your hold, we are nowhere near safety. [6]

[5] General: Duty brought us here.

PC: We have come on a mission. [6]

[6] We have learned that the last Inquisitor may have died here hundreds of years ago. We seek his body.

Svarah: Giving peace to the dead is a worthy quest. Any help we can offer is yours. Sadly, the Jaws of Hakkon will not offer so warm a welcome. You have met their thane, Gurd Harofsen. I wager you have crossed blades with the Jaws of Hakkon in the wilderness. If you would search this place for your Inquisitor's body, they will want you to pay in blood. [7]

[7] Dialogue options:

Investigate: What was the climbing contest? [8]

Investigate: Tell me of Stone-Bear Hold. [9]

Investigate: Tell me of the Jaws of Hakkon. [10]

Investigate: Why “Sun-Hair”? [11]

General: I need a boat. [12] (This option is available if you first spoke to Arvid Rolfsen, the fisherman who owns the boat by which you can access the Lady’s Rest island - see “What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island” main quest. If you went directly to Stone-Bear Hold, this option will not appear, since Svarah grants you the guest-welcome that is recognized by Arvid - in that case, you don't have to go back to Svarah to gain her permission to use the boat.)

General: Will you fight the Hakkonites? [13]

General: Let's talk about your bear. [13b] (This option appears if the questions about Storvacker weren’t immediately asked in the dialogue tree [13] “Will you fight the Hakkonites?”. Therefore, this dialogue branch can be accessed either before or after completing "Storvacker Caged" main quest, which is going to affect Svarah's responses.)

General: Goodbye. [14]

[8] Investigate: What was the climbing contest?

PC: When I first entered your hold, there was a climbing contest of some sort. What was that?

Svarah: The test of the Lady. We use it to settle disputes when it is not clear who has the right of it. There are others. For the test of the Mountain-Father, you battle with verse while those who favor you hold you aloft. The test of Hakkon is battle, with blunted weapons. [Go to 15]

[15] Subsequent dialogue options:

General: That’s not fair. [16]

General: That seems reasonable. [17]

[16] General: That’s not fair.

PC: Those tests only prove who is faster or stronger, not who is right.

Svarah: Are your lowland trials perfect? Can the wealthy or quick-witted not succeed even when their claim is weak? [18]

[17] General: That seems reasonable.

PC: It seems as fair a way as any to decide such matters.

Svarah: In many cases, the law is clear. The tests are only for real disputes. [18]

[18] Svarah: As thane, I may guide the gods in finding who is worthy. I decide which test will settle the dispute. I may also ask a warrior whose claim is foolish to climb with stones strapped to his back. [Back to 7]

[6] Investigate: Tell me of Stone-Bear Hold.

PC: I'd like to hear more about Stone-Bear Hold.

Svarah: We are not the largest hold, but our warriors are strong and our singers are pretty. Ah, words are for boasting around the fireside. You should look yourself, if you will. [Back to 7]

[7] Investigate: Tell me of the Jaws of Hakkon.

PC: I'd like to know more about the Jaws of Hakkon.

Svarah: They are not the first hold to take that name. All have been foolish. What would you know of them? [Go to 19]

[19] Subsequent dialogue options:

Investigate: Why are they hostile? [20]

General: Tell me of the recent group. [21]

General: Tell me of the early group. [22]

[20] Investigate: Why are they hostile?

PC: What do the Jaws of Hakkon believe that makes them so angry?

Svarah: A wise man honors each god to its strength. Bjorn Reed-beard for fishing, Rilla of the Fireside for making babies… The Hakkonites care only for Hakkon Wintersbreath, god of war and winter. There is no evil in Hakkon. There are times to fight. But the Jaws of Hakkon care for nothing else. They raid, they fight. Eventually they die and their stories are forgotten. It is the way of things. [Back to 19]

[21] General: Tell me of the recent group.

PC: What can you tell me of the people now calling themselves the Jaws of Hakkon?

Svarah: They came here a few years ago, after the Blight took their hold. There was land enough for both, so we were friendly. We did not see their anger. Gurd Harofsen lost too many in his hold to darkspawn. He thought only of battle and war. To avenge a wrong is a good thing, but only a fool lights the world on fire to do it. [Back to 19]

[22] General: Tell me of the early group.

PC: You said that there were earlier groups known as the Jaws of Hakkon.

Svarah: Yes. Many ages ago. They thought of nothing but slaughter-glory. They attacked the lowlanders. [22a or 22b]

[22a] (If “Storvacker Caged” wasn’t completed.) Svarah: Your people fought back and destroyed them. They were fools.

[22b] (If “Storvacker Caged” was completed.) Svarah: Then they died and Hakkon's voice went silent. We did not know why until now.

[Back to 19]

[11] Investigate: Why “Sun-Hair”?

PC: How did you get the name "Sun-Hair"?

Svarah: I was born Svarah Janesdotten. For my legend-mark? I once fought a battle with my hair on fire.

PC: You lit your hair on fire?

Svarah: An enemy archer lit my hair on fire. I was locked shield-to-shield with a foe and had no time to douse it. It scared my foes. My hair was braided long enough that I could spare it. Stank worse than goat shit, though. [Back to 7]

[12] General: I need a boat.

PC: I was told I needed your permission to borrow a boat from the fishermen.

Svarah: Bah, Rolfsen. He worries like a scared baby goat. The boat is yours. Tell him I said so. [Back to 7]

[13] General: Will you fight the Hakkonites?

PC: The Hakkonites are attacking my people. I would welcome any assistance you could offer.

Svarah: Bathing my blade in the blood of the Hakkonites would be cause for a feast for most in this hold. The Hakkonites are fools and they have forgotten the old ways... but we have pledged peace with them. To attack with lowlanders at our side would make us oath-breakers. This is poor weather for me to ask that of my hold. [23]

[23] Subsequent dialogue options:

General: Can I change your mind? [24]

General: But...? [25]

General: What must I do? [26]

[24] General: Can I change your mind?

PC: I understand your concern. Is there anything I could do to help? [27]

[25] General: But...?

PC: I'm not hearing a "no," Thane Sun-Hair. [27]

[26] General: What must I do?

PC: What would change the weather? [27]

[27] Svarah: Among the Avvar, a hold draws strength from its hold-beast. They are as kin to us. When our hold-beast is strong and happy, there is joy. When it sickens and dies, it is an ill omen. Our bear, Storvacker, has not been seen in days. The hold fears for her. I cannot ask the hold to break peace-oaths unless Storvacker returns. [Go to 28]

[28] Subsequent dialogue options:

Investigate: How do you care for the bear? [29]

Investigate: So, about me and bears… [30]

Investigate: Are you looking for the bear? [31] (Unavailable if following from the branch [13b] after "Storvacker Caged" was completed.)

Investigate: You would break an oath? [32]

Investigate: Why does this bear matter? [33]

[29] Investigate: How do you care for the bear?

PC: Does Storvacker usually live in the hold? Does she stay in a pen, or...?

Svarah: (Disgusted noise.) Pens are for goats and chickens, not hold-kin. The Avvar are free. So must be our hold-beasts. Storvacker lives in a cave near the hold. She comes to visit if she wishes to see us. We bring her gifts of food. Not enough that she will not hunt for herself. [Back to 28]

[30] Investigate: So, about me and bears…

PC: Maybe I shouldn't bring this up, but bears and I traditionally do not get along. [Go to 30a or 30b]

[30a] (If “Storvacker Caged” wasn’t completed.)

Svarah: You have fought bears? (Laughs.) You lived! Good for you! Fear will keep you respectful, should you find Storvacker. You will be fine.

PC: So you're saying she's friendly?

Svarah: Ennnnnnnnh.... [Back to 28]

[30b] (If “Storvacker Caged” was completed.)

Svarah: Then it is good you rescued Storvacker. You are a friend now in her eyes. Perhaps she will speak well of you to other bears. You may find friends among the beasts. Or perhaps not. Bears do not always listen. [Back to 28]

[31] Investigate: Are you looking for the bear?

PC: Do you have members of the hold searching for Storvacker?

Svarah: The hold is already fearful. A great hunt for our hold-beast would show weakness to the Hakkonites. If she were dead, the augur would know. So the hunters watch for tracks. That is all we can do. [Back to 28]

[32] Investigate: You would break an oath?

PC: The way you asked us to help find Storvacker made it sound like you were willing to break your oath.

Svarah: I could say that Avvar hold all oaths sacred, that no true Avvar would break them. It would be a good lie. (Chuckles.) Lowlanders doubtless say the same of themselves. A cunning thane can find a hole in the tent of any promise, a place for the cold wind to sneak in. We are bone and blood. Oaths last until they are broken. [Go to 32a or 32b or back to 28]

[32a] Special: What will happen then? (If “Storvacker Caged” wasn’t completed.)

PC: If I find your bear and you break the oath, what happens to Stone-Bear Hold?

Svarah: Other holds share oaths with the Jaws of Hakkon. They are sworn to defend or avenge them. If the Hakkonites were friends, they would attack us. But they are friends to few. We will send offerings, trade and gifts, to pay the price of oath-breaking. The storm will pass. I do not do this lightly, Inquisitor, but the Hakkonites are tiresome. [Back to 28]

[32b] Special: But it is all right now? (If “Storvacker Caged” was completed.)

PC: Now that we know what the Hakkonites are doing, the oath no longer applies?

Svarah: Yes. Storvacker is kin of our hold. In binding her, they broke peace. We may strike as we will. Had they continued this foolish plan but left our hold-beast alone, it would be... less clear. We are lucky that Storvacker likes to find trouble. It keeps the hold busy. [Back to 28]

[33] Investigate: Why does this bear matter?

PC: I'm a little confused about why I have to find a bear in order to gain the support of your tribe.

(Alternatively, if Storvacker was already freed.) PC: Why was a bear so important to your hold?

Svarah: Storvacker is not "a bear." She is our hold-beast. She ties us to the gods.

(If the Inquisitor is a human.) Without her... your Maker has turned from you, has He not? It is as that. [34]

(If the Inquisitor is a Dalish.) Without her... I have heard your elf-gods turned from you? Is that not a bad thing? It is as that. [34]

(If the Inquisitor is a dwarf.) Without her... your kin under the mountains fear to lose the Stone? It is as that. [34]

(If the Inquisitor is a Qunari.) Without her... I do not know whether your people have gods, or if they can be stolen, but it is not good. [34]

[34] Svarah: I know more of this world than the world of spirits. Speak with our augur if you would know more. They are our gods, not yours. [Go to 34a or 34b]

[34a] (If “Storvacker Caged” wasn’t completed.) Svarah: For you, it is enough that Storvacker matters to us.

[34b] (If “Storvacker Caged” was completed.) For you, what matters is that you saved her and we are grateful.

[Back to 28]

[13b] General: Let's talk about your bear.

PC: I would like to talk about Storvacker, your hold-beast.

Svarah: What would you know? [Go back to dialogue branch 28] (Svarah’s replies change depending on the completion status of “Storvacker Caged”.)

[14] General: Goodbye.

PC: I will speak with you later.

(If you just learned about Storvacker’s disappearance) Svarah: Ask those in the hold about Storvacker. They may know something they have not told me.

(Otherwise) Svarah: Walk with the Lady's blessing.

[Exits the conversation]

(Next quest - Storvacker Caged)

[jawsofhakkontranscript]

The Basin Beckons

(Previous quest - The Jaws of Hakkon)

Main questline: The Basin Beckons

Characters involved: Bram Kenric

(Approach Professor Bram Kenric in the camp.)

Kenric: Lady Har... I mean, Scout Harding has an impressive team. Her people brought back a number of artifacts.

Dialogue options:

General: Harding is a good scout. [1]

General: Hopefully safe artifacts. [2]

General: What have you found? [3]

[1] General: Harding is a good scout.

PC: If you need something tracked, Scout Harding is your woman.

Kenric: If only it were that easy. After 800 years, we can't just look for tracks. [4]

[2] General: Hopefully safe artifacts.

PC: We've had bad luck with artifacts before. I hope none of them explode.

Kenric: What? No, no, I don't mean magical artifacts! I meant belt buckles and old nails and the like. [4]

[3] General: What have you found?

PC: Have you been able to locate Inquisitor Ameridan's resting place?

Kenric: If only it were that easy. After 800 years, we can't just look for tracks.[4]

[4] (Scene continues.)

Kenric: Barring enchantment, cloth and leather will have long since rotted away. Only metal and stone remain recognizable. Complicating this are recent pieces the Avvar left behind, and of course ancient pieces dating back to Tevinter. Fortunately, thanks to some period-specific buckling, I've been able to track our last Inquisitor.

[5] Dialogue options:

Investigate: What's this about Tevinter? [6]

Investigate: Period-specific buckling? [7]

General: Tell me what you found. [8]

[6] Investigate: What's this about Tevinter?

PC: You said there were pieces dating back to Tevinter?

Kenric: Yes. While it's rare to see Tevinter ruins so far south, the Imperium once had an outpost of some sort here. They might have built it as a ritual site. I'm not sure what military value it could have. In any event, it's muddled up the research slightly, but I've accounted for it. [Back to 5]

[7] Investigate: Period-specific buckling?

PC: You lost me at "buckling."

Kenric: You'd think that a buckle was a buckle, but ever since people started belting on weapons, they've been adding bits. One piece here has a dragon engraving. With the alloys of the metals used, it's clearly Tevinter. While this one uses a clasp that wasn't invented until the dawn of the Orlesian empire. When it comes to historical research, you might say we have to "buckle down." (Chuckles, then coughs.) [Back to 5]

[8] General: Tell me what you found.

PC: What do you have, Professor?

Kenric: Everything so far points to the shore not far to the south. There was some sort of battle near the shoreline. They were in a hurry. The scouts reported an island near an Avvar fishing camp, but the Avvar won't say much about it. [9]

[9] Dialogue options:

Investigate: There was a battle? [10]

Investigate: Tell me of the fishing camp. [11]

General: I'll investigate the island. [12]

[10] Investigate: There was a battle?

PC: What makes you think the last Inquisitor was fighting?

Kenric: There's a clasp here common to armor links. It's clearly torn. That only happens from a heavy shearing blow, like large claws or an ax. Then there's the dagger. Silverite, with a stylized dragon pommel and an inscription reading "Kordillus." That dagger had to be a gift from Kordillus Drakon, first emperor of Orlais. No one would just lose such a thing. [Back to 9]

[11] Investigate: Tell me of the fishing camp.

PC: What can you tell me about the Avvar fishing camp?

Kenric: Not much. It's the friendly Avvar, not these "Jaws of Hakkon" barbarians. According to the scouts, they wouldn't say much about the area. Likely a local superstition. [Back to 9]

[12] General: I'll investigate the island.

PC: I'll find a way to that island and see if there's anything useful there.

Kenric: Excellent! I'll continue to study what's been found. With luck, we'll both find some answers. Also, one of my research assistants, Colette, was investigating an old structure to the north. I'm not certain it's related to our investigation, but it couldn't hurt to check with her. [Exits the conversation]

(Find a way to get to the island or approach the leader of Stone-Bear Hold.)

(This quest can also be entirely skipped by going directly to the Avvar fishing outpost, which results in slightly altered dialogue with Arvid Rolfsen during the first part of “What Yet Lingers”.)

(Next quest - What Yet Lingers: Find a way to get to the island)