Talking Dragon Age: Qunari & Kossith (Fan Theories)
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- Welcome back to Talking Dragon Age, the show where I talk about Dragon Age. Today we finally talk about the Qunari. We start off with why it's inaccurate to refer to the race as "kossith" before investigating their true origins. I've been wanting to make this episode for a while, and I am very happy I've finally got it out. Like I said in the video, this probably won't be the only video I make on them, but I wanted to cover as much as I possibly could in one video. I spent longer on the pyramids than I wanted to, but I felt it was important to cover.
If you have any suggestions on ways to improve the show or theories you'd like to see covered, please leave comments or message me directly.
Kossith Discussion: web.archive.or...
Additional video provided by:
FluffyNinjaLlama: / fluffyninjallama
Elgar'nan image by Alteya: alteya.devianta...
Credits Music: • Nightingale’s Eyes (In...
Codex Entries:
The Qun: dragonage.wikia...
Constellation Solium: dragonage.wikia...
Pyramids of Par Vollen: dragonage.wikia...
Amazing Page of Love and Thunder: / highcontrastlore
TAGS: Dragon Age, Inquisition, Bioware, Romance, Fan Theory, Fan theories, Lyrium, Hawke, Inquisitor, Warden, Blight, Mythal, Flemeth, Skyhold, Grey Wardens, Dwarves, Dwarf, Elves, Elf, Qunari, Qun, Tevinter, Kossith, Templar, Leliana, Morrigan, Trevelyan, Lavellan, Cadash, Adaar, Alistair, The Iron Bull, Cole, Dorian, Fenris, Sera, Isabella, Tevinter, Dragons, Felassan, Solas, Fen'Harel, Dread Wolf, Trespasser, Void, Darkspawn
No one seems to pick up that Qunari are the only race with pointed ears too.
Combine this with Saarebas' magic being stupidly potent and strong even without lyrium, and Elven blood being linked to the fade and capable incredible magical potential, I'm inclined to believe that the Qunari are either former Elven slaves that the Tevinter Magisters experimented on with dragons' blood or even perhaps a race of humans who were experimented on with dragon and Elven blood, if we take into account that even with dragon blood you couldn't beef up an Elven physique to the degree we witness with the Qunari.
If Qunari magic is so powerful, why is the inquistior just as powerfull a mage as a qunari as she is as a human or elf?
Elves and qunari both have pointed ears though
Maybe that's why hornless Qunari are considered special. Maybe it's just the fact that they're rare and rare is either a really bad thing or (in this case) a really good one, but it could also be that hornles qunari look closer to what the kossith used to be, and are therefore subconsciously considered more "pure"? No idea. All I know is that I can't wait for futrure games to give us more info on this! Thanks for the awesome video!
Remember when Cassandra said that Dragon's blood can turn people mad, as well as give them dragon-like features such as scales etc. ? This came into my head immediately when I watched the video haha, it can give a better idea of what the dragon's blood may have been used for, if it /were/ used in the experimentation of the qunari.
Two things: Kieran, Cole and the Bull would be a great name for a band. Snd I just love your overall writing and presentation style! You have me thinking and laughing so hard sometimes! I love your videos, can't wait for the latest one!
Pure speculation here, but I wonder if these combinations aren't coincidental: 1) elf + dragon = eleven god (Flemeth, for example). 2) darkspawn + dragon = arch demon (blighted forgotten one?). 3) kossith + dragon = Qunari
An interesting twist IMO, would be if the Kossith or the ruling people across the sea, were just more elves that were similar to the ancient elves of Thedas, just without the elven slave uprising. Instead of immortal God-Kings, they devolved into some sort of Mage-Kings of direct lineage of the 'old God-Kings' of old.No one has said how far the Elven civilization or even the race has expanded. Unless the other continent had their own "Fen'Harel" who lead the slave uprising which resulted in a civil war that crippled their empire, their empire could have survived much more intact to present day.I think the Qunari are either human or (more likely) Elves who were successfully integrated with dragon blood.
Perhaps the transformed kossith (qunari) where banished from the normal kossith because of their savage nature (perhaps they were a threath to the kossith)? It's quite possible that Koslun witnessed this and maybe felt sorry for them and created the Qun to help them?
Kossith... Koslun.... kossith are the original followers of koslun. Cult of koslun. Huh. Maybe?
Just throwing it out there. Also, thanks for the video. It has been long awaited.
Side note, the kossith and by extension, the qunari being from another continent (far NE) makes no sense makes no sense since they first popped up in the far south east of the viewable world. I have a map, (this is rough estimation) and that would be a distance of something like 3,000 miles to travel with no one noticing. Or ever feeling like it should be mentioned. The excursion to far away lands makes sense, giving time for the qun to ruminate, as does the qunari invasion some thousand years later. But I honestly wouldn't be surprised to find the qunari are more "home grown" than the dwarves or even elves. Foothold on par vollen followed by their annexing of seharon makes sense on return. War with the imperium would be a hold over from the initial attacks on mainland, being the main power at the time. Sten (now arishok) says the qunari plan to invade again in da:o and that it would happen soon, which turns a different light on what happens in DA2 if you think about qunari lying(either about arishok's identity or purpose in Kirkwall). Think about the fact the arishok is killed and replaced if he is allowed to live by hawke. Basically burn a pawn to avoid outright war, and again the same thing at the winter palace only this time it is a priest. Also, the iron bull... the winter palace was sanctioned, only way he goes along with it no matter what if the chargers are dead. He shows up to help, and with 3 words turns on you? Only way that happens is if it was a call from above. Wether he knew what was going to happen or not doesn't matter.
in da 4 they better let us wear the armor of that one serabass in the end of trespasser. epic video!😄
Your lore videos are always very interesting and incredibly well put together. They have enough canon lore, believable theories and they clearly have enough research behind them. Thank you for making these, I really appreciate it, especially since the DA fandom is so much more quiet these days.
I liked this video.
June and Elgar'nan also had horns. In the camp of elves in the DAO, there are two skulls of dragons representing the elven gods.
I never clicked a video so fast in my life.
The video is old, but here's a refreshed theory: The Kossith that came to Thedas were experimented on with Ghilan'nain's weird lyrium well thingy from Tevinter Nights. Tevinter magisters wanted to create perfect warrior-slaves with dragon powers to fight the first Blight (why enslave the poor Kossith visitors? They probably had elven ears. Reason enough).
The Kossith became savage dragon-people, freed themselves from the magisters, who couldn't control them after all. They returned to their continent, but their people regarded them as monsters and exiled them. They were left without a homeland. Traveled that continent, but were wanted nowhere.
That's when Koslun, one of the travelling exiles, arrives with his Qun. Watching the life of other nations, he slowly learned to master his dragon side, found that purpose can keep the Qunari from going insane. And he or his followers have the brilliant idea: let's go to Thedas, our second birthplace. That's why they won't leave and conquer somewhere else: they feel a connection to Thedas, where they were created. That's one of the reasons they refuse to accept thedas lifestyle: the bastards mix people with dragons, and you say they don't need order and purpose? That's why they apparently know quite something about elven gods: Ghilan'nain is to blame for their creation.
It's just like Dragon Age. Thedosians create their own plight once again.
I did consider that after reading Tevinter Nights, but Ghilan'nain's hybrids are more dramatic than qunari. As in, the qunari biology seems more natural, as opposed to something with a scorpion tail or snake arm. It's like their draconic features weren't grafted on. Am I explaining that well?
Not that it's impossible, just saying it seems different to me
@@TheKingdomEntertainment Well, who knows, maybe the magisters who did this knew how to use Ghilan'nain's well properly. I just don't think they could turn into Qunari simply from drinking dragon blood. And other methods are rather disgusting to consider :) Also, weren't halla created the same way? They aren't so monstrous
I think the well can be used to create less randomly-monstrous, more purposeful creatures. The darkspawn use it with random parts, without any plan, just throw someone in and see. But there must be another way
Any thoughts on linking your theory to the mosiacs in DAI? Sacrifice seems particularly important here, as are Freed are Slaves. The Qunari only appeared in Par Vollen 300 years ago afaik, but the Tevinter have them in these ancient mosaics that seem to reflect Corypheus et al and their plans to invade (see Invasion) the Golden City. Probably easier to read them in full ( mason's tales listed here dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Dragon_Age:_Inquisition_codex_entries?page=2). I think these support your theory quite well - or at least prove ancient Tevinter/horned giants interaction rather than the more recent Qunari/Tevinter conflict. Additionally, one of the mosaics mentions 3 horned figures (one whose horns were later removed). Tevinter worshiped dragons so it seems likely that their priests/high priests may have worn dragon horn masks/helms as part of ceremonial costume. And of course, it is possible that the dragons were in some way linked to the Elvhen pantheon (note 7 dragons and 7 remaining Evanuris - Mythal and Fen'Harel not having dragons that become archdemons) so perhaps the link to dragon horns/dragons is even older than Tevinter but I am not sure that is relevant here. Ooops, sorry, managed another essay for you. Keep up the great work!
Katie Christensen Thank you for pointing out the mosaics! I will try to remember them for future videos :)
Oh I think there are lots of hidden secrets in those mosaics. I have yet to find them all, but I'm not a quitter.
Basically they are the dragon age version of the Angara.... yes I am surprised that I made that connection myself as well
Even their languages are similar in my opinion
your videos are really the best. i wouldn't have put that theory together by myself. please keep making more, i really enjoy them.
I was so happy to watch this and am excited to see more!
When I think about it, I think the Qunari are a creation of Ghilan'nain. Only pre-Veil magic could create a new race. A perfect combination of elves or Kossith with dragons. Created by accident. Maybe there wasn't enough time to use them? Maybe unlike the beasts, the humanoid experiment had to be kept secret. Solas managed to put his plan into action and they were abandoned.
Also, remember those frescos gathered in Dragon Age Inquisition? One states that those being sacrificed by the Magister Sidereal originally had horns.
In the bar scene where Bull discusses the Ben-Hassrath's theory about infusing dragon blood, he also brings up the Kossith. He mentioned how the Qunari HAD TO LEAVE, and that whomever the Kossith were, they didn't look like Qunari now.
How this ties in exactly, I don't know. But I personally theorize that the Qunari race (not the religion/ philosophy) may have been originally created as a slave race by the Kossith. Those slaves eventually rose up against their oppressors and fled to the prospect of a better life in a "new" land, one that there had been previous legends of (based on ancient visitation).
Are they infused with dragon blood? I believe they absolutely are. But I do not believe the Qunari are mutated Elves (despite pointed ears), nor do I believe they were a creation of Tevinter. Not EVERYTHING in Thedas revolves around Elves, or Magisters! There are other peoples, other cultures, and lands beyond known Thedas to the east and west. I think there is more we don't yet know, and I really hope it's better defined in DA4.
The main reason I say they had to have been created in Thedas is because of Ogres, born of qunari broodmothers. So, the horned race as we know them today had to exist back around the time of the first Blight.
So one theory I could see is that maybe elvhen rebellion factions who wanted to become equal to the evanuris rather than end slavery itself experimented on themselves to become more dragony (the gods’ special form) and thus became the qunari? Or the Tevinter Magisters created them by experimenting on their elven slaves but in that case I feel like it would have been on the instructions of the old gods for some purpose? I think the question we need to ask ourselves is why you would need a force of slaves with dragony properties
Terrific video as always Kingdom. Thanks so much for taking the time.
thinking of your previous the theory about the executors could imply that the kingdoms beyond the seas Know about the existence of the Qun and try to intervene (maybe for convenience or help somehow) and in the same time check the situation using the connections of the inquisition to understand the situation
@1:02 Also, unrelated sidenote: look at Mary Kirby's second paragraph.
Qunari don't just look down on those who do not follow their religion, they don't view them as people. As far as they're concerned, anyone who does not follow the Qun is a thing. This is the EXACT same kind of thinking that people (both in the Dragon Age Universe and in our own universe) use in the context of slaves. Ex. killing a slave is seen as destroying property, not murder. No value is ascribed to the person's life. There is a REASON the entirety of the rest of Thedas views the Qunari with a combination of hatred and fear, and players should do the same. Usually when people talk about a foreign enemy being an existential threat to one's nation/home/culture/etc., they are catastrophizing. But NOT WITH THE QUNARI. With them it is 100% warranted- we can be sure because they already tried to do it TWICE- once immediately after arriving in Thedas and then again with the Dragon's Breath conspiracy. When it comes to every person who does not follow the Qun, the Qunari's ultimate intention is to either convert them at the point of a sword, kill them, or lobotomize them. No other option. And that's fine with them because all those thousands, possibly millions of innocent people are just things.
I think this was a major mistake in writing Sten from DAO. DAO was the first game so everyone's first exposure to the Qunari was a companion who you can come to like over the course of the game, and this tints everyone's views of the Qunari in subsequent games. (Also: apparently the bodies of the entire family Sten slaughtered in his Blue Screen of Death moment upon realizing that his sword was lost were enough to horrify the hardened knights who had seen plenty of battle who apprehended him. Sten didn't just kill them all, he basically did the equivalent of Imshael slaughtering the Dalish clan in The Masked Empire. But we never see the bodies and honestly it doesn't get brought-up a lot. The game basically glosses-over what should by all accounts be enough for the Warden to want to move heaven and earth to see Sten executed for what he did.)
For an illustration of what I'm talking about with Sten coloring everyone's opinion on the Qunari: imagine if the first experience players had with the Qunari was their story in DA2 (in general, but in particular the end of their story where the Arishok declares war on the entire city of Kirkwall due to the actions of one person (who had been living in Kirkwall just by chance,) and proceeds to have his forces slaughter their way through the city, killing who knows how many people, and then executing the Viscount purely because he was the leader of the city. Also he has one of his men kill one of the Kirkwall nobles for nothing except being angry and shouting at him for SACKING THEIR CITY.) Imagine how much less sympathetic the fanbase in general would be toward the Qunari's whole culture/civilization.
Could the mysterious continent were the Quanari came from have been some form of secret Ancient Tevinter prison colony, or a secluded place to perform secret experiments? I feel that the magisters were deliberately breeding the Qunari, until something went wrong and the colony or continent was abandoned. Years later the Qunari return to Thedas as an invading force, having had decades to build up their own society and strength. Also, maybe the reason for their conquering Par Vollen could simply be needing more living space?
Hey bud, I've been binge watching a few of your videos and I've been finding them amazingly helpful. While I am absolutely in love with Dragon Age and it's lore, given the amount of content and my short attention span, it's been hard to piece together everything myself. Despite that this question doesn't pertain to the Qun & Kossith, I was hoping you'd be able to help me out, or maybe make a video on it if you haven't already. My question is with the elves. We know that when Solas locked the Evanuris away and constructed the veil, many elves died. I'm wondering how we got from that point to the current day elves-- did some of the people of Elvhenan survive the destruction/massacre that happened? And if they did, why did they not retain their immortality even though Solas and Felassan did? Or-- did Solas and Felassan escape death by sleeping for thousands of years, and that they are, technically, aging now (under the suspicion that Felassan is not dead RIP). Would love to know your thoughts!
Gyps I believe that Solas and Felassan slept for thousands of years and are properly aging now that they are awake. Solas admits to having slept for at least a thousand years, so that's what I think.
Many of the elves survived the destruction caused by Solas and the Veil, but couldn't maintain their civilization because they spent centuries as slaves and now their "gods" were gone. By the time Tevinter came, the Elven empire had all but crumbled, making it easy for Tevinter to conquer the remaining elves and use them as slaves. The Veil cut the elves off from the Fade, and thus began to age and die. Tevinter did not bother to preserve any of the elves' recorded history, so all the survivors had to teach their children were stories. Ever play that game "Whisper down the lane"? I think it was like that. Every generation of elves would teach their children the stories they had heard from their parents, and over time the stories became different. Solas described the dalish as "children acting out stories misheard and misrepeated a thousand times over." Remember it had been almost 2,000 years since Tevinter conquered the elves, and only spoken stories were passed down. The children would often misunderstand the tales, and then pass that down to their children, who would misunderstand again. Repeated over a thousand years of slavery, the modern Dalish, sadly, have only a twisted reflection of the truth.
Sorry for the long answer XD & Thanks for the comment! :)
No no, thank you SO much for the reply! I already figured the last bit as much, that it was passed down stories misinterpreted, I just wasn't 100% certain and how, exactly, the elves survived. But that makes sense that there would be survivors, considering it was more like what the effects of a massive earthquake would be, rather than outright genocide. It makes me wonder what solas intends to do, though, considering "his people" ARE the modern elves, and the only ones who are suffering because of the veil are the trapped evanuris (and maybe some slaves that got caught in the mess). Unless he intends to reverse time and make it so this future never happens...? I don't know I hate that damn egg he just needs to CHILL
Gyps He doesn't believe the modern elves are his people, sadly. Only the surviving ancient elves are "his people". Like Abelas and the Sentinals. But I think Mythal recognizes that they are still elves and are worth saving. I'll make a video for her at some point :)
Many fans argue the elves were also involved in the creation of the qunari because of their pointy elves and powerful mages. Well, what if these "elven" traits ( pointy ears and powerful magic) is actually dragon traits 🤔 which would fit the idea that elves are very connected to dragons
I'm watching this after the gameplay reveal trailers for DAV. I now think Ghilan'nain created the Kossith.
Spoiler Warning [Tevinter Nights & super long tin-foily post]:
Just posing a theory, and I don't know if I'm horribly off-base here, but what if Dirthamen's "sinner" was a Qunari? I'm riffing off the Ancient Elven Writing Codex: what if the Qunari were elves taught dragon flight by Ghilan'nain who were imprisoned as slaves by Elgar'nan as kossith as punishment? I'm not quite sure how to connect Dirthamen to the Qunari with this, but the origin is definitely something I think Ghilan'nain would be a part of/is responsible for; her little "lab" in Hormak has me convinced. Maybe originally they were just elves made into dragon-shifters kind of like the werewolves created by Zathrian. Just based off some of the temple depictions of Ghilan'nain in the arms of a bear [Dirthamen's animal] I think it's reasonable to assume they could be in cahoots somehow.
Now as to why Ghilan'nain would do this: uncovering some of her secrets, and more details about Andruil, I think she may have been mounting an offense against Mythal [I think she was planning to sack Mythal's temple with the help of Dirthamen]. I saw this posted elsewhere, and I agree; I think her relationship with Andruil may have been more like the relationships between Apollo and the objects of his infatuation [Andruil being Apollo], here I'm citing that Ghilan'nain is referenced as the object/chosen of Andruil's affection, and correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe the inverse was ever explicitly said [only implied?]. Just for a little more analysis here, Andruil HUNTED Ghilan'nain's creations [which she loved making] I mean, as a [powerful ancient elven mage] is anything more infuriating/insulting than someone who claims to love you murdering your creations? I think Andruil's "void" behavior was a mechanism somehow set in motion by Ghilan'nain [perhaps creation void creatures using the same kinds of magic like in Hormak] which was thwarted by Mythal. Then we have Dirthamen, who for the purposes of this theory leans toward the Orlais interpretation where he's "Falon'din's Reflection" i.e. the "dark" side of Falon'din, with Dirthamen being perhaps a name he adopted; Falon'din who challenged his father, Falon'din for whom Mythal interceded and beat him in his own temple when he waged wars resulting in rivers of blood just for a following. I'd need more insight into Sylaise & June to see where they fit here in terms of the broader theory of the plot against Mythal, but to circle back and summarize:
I think the Qunari are a result of Ghilan'nain & Dirthamen. I think the Qunari were originally a shapeshifting were-dragon army. They were then mutated and bent against them by Elgar'nan who made them a permanent mixture of the two creatures, his own creation: the kossith.
I think that the race is a Tevinter experiment, dragon and human were fused, since they were kind of obsessed with the dragons, they worship them and became a symbol of power within the Imperium
I really hope that Bioware does something with this lore. I kind of agree with your theory but I'm hoping that in future games the Quanri lore gets pinned down and cleaned up. Their mystery is quite alluring. In inquisition we travel to the hissing waste where we find not only a huge statue of Quanri bit evidence that a horned race lived and prospered there. And not just as mindless violent people. In the forbidden oasis there is evidence that Qunari mages were conspiring with the old eleven gods. A lot to think about. I hope the Qunari are more than manufactured slaves. I played a Qunari Inquisitor hornless and not in love with the Qun nor were his parents who escaped the Qun. I think this race of people should be as complicated as any other race in Thedas. I don't like they are naturally violent. It's a cop out!
Qunari Statues in the hissing wastes? Don't you mean the Dwarven statues since there was a Thaig there?
my guess is that the imperium fused elven kossith and dragon blood to create the qunari
Regarding the alignmemt to the stars, that doesn't need to be connected to others. Our ancient cultures have almost always had some astrology and the sky thrown into the mix, but the interpretation of that is different from place to place. The Greeks believed in Helios and the Egyptians in Ra, that does not meen the two gods are related in anything but general domain. I suspect the same could be the case with the pyramids. The builders saw something in the stars and so did the elvhen, a coincidense
love your work
Kossith might be like s Drsgon humanoid race?
Sounds like elven fuckery to me.. most likely after the fade was created, to regained power. The empire was simply trying to help, we have no connection to the blight. # solasruinedeverything
I think the Kossith might be a human culture. It is said humans are not native to Thedas, so maybe they originate from across the sea? The people who founded Tevinter would've probably been an old culture living alongside the Kossith. The Proto-Tevene left for Thedas, the Kossith stayed at home.
I'm just wondering is maybe the qunari were moved around as slaves and the issue with the rage and all that only really happened after their masters were taken out of the equation somehow?
Has there ever been a Qunari Grey Warden? I ask because of the Archdemon blood required for the Joining. Could there be any reaction between the two? Or any resistance? Then again, I suppose Alistair also has Dragon blood from being Calenhad's descendant. Which brings up the question, could there be any correlation, or at least hints between Qunari blood and the blood of the Fereldan royalty?
Another question. What about blood magic? What if dragon infused blood was somehow more powerful than normal blood? What if Qunari were not JUST slaves, but less than that. Sacrifices. Bred to serve until the day they become used as blood vessels.
TheWhiteWolf I do think that the Qunari's relation to dragons is part of why their mages are so powerful. Interesting idea about being blood-vessels, though. It's possible.
& No *Qunari* has ever joined the Grey Wardens, although a handful of Tal Vashoth have undergone the Joining. We'll likely find out more about that in the next game
I get a little twitchy when people of fanfictions get the kossith thing wrong...
What is the instrumental at the end?
luffyjam I believe it's Nightingale's Eyes. Check the description
Can you explain Sten the Hornless One?
Tyler Todd Hornlessness in qunari is like red hair in humans. The qunari consider it a sign that they are meant for something great.
Then why haven’t we heard anything about him since his return to par vollen? I mean the last I heard of him, he became the new Arishok with Allistair meeting the Qunari with Varric and the pirate chick
Tyler Todd Yeah. He appeared in the comics. He's the new Arishok. I suspect he'll appear in the next game.
He better lol I mean we’ve had Leliana and Cullen and Allistair appear in every game so far, shale was mentioned, Morrigan appeared in the 3rd game, flamethrower in every game, Zeveran was in the second but mentioned in the 3rd. We haven’t heard anything from or about Sten since Origins and the comics
Now what about all the Qunari Mercs you kill with the Carta? They never seemed like they were destined for great things lol same with the one you find with the Architect. He only joined you as a merchant though, so he didn’t really seem destined either
I wonder why people take offence with the word 'Kossith' so much? Qun is a religion, and the people who believe it are Qunari, to my understanding. The majority of Qunari are Kossith yes? Those "horned-headed oxmen?" That's what their race is called. Is it the way it sounds? Is the name unlikable? Qunari sounds more elegant than Kossith... I can't wrap my head around this.