Dragon Age Lorecast

In this week's episode, Shecup and Teecup talk about various mercenary guilds throughout Thedas—beginning with the infamous Iron Bull's Chargers. We cover some groups that are very well-known, some you might have heard of or even joined, and maybe even one or two that you've never heard of. Join us ON THE SHOW by becoming one of our Tier 3 Patrons and joining our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/d...

In this week's episode, Austin and Shelby continue looking at factions—this week, focusing on Sera and the Friends of Red Jenny. You might be wondering how much we even know about this faction. Are they widespread or localized? Are they a solitary group or multiple? And what is their history, motivations, and involvement in the games? We answer all of these questions and more! Do you want to JOIN...

In this week's episode, Austin and Shelby tackle another character deep dive—this time featuring Sera. Author E.K. Johnston joins us to talk about Sera, Star Wars, and all things Dragon Age. Sera is an interesting character. Most people either love her or hate her. Maybe you think she doesn't have much depth. Or maybe she just outright annoys you. Or, on the other hand, maybe you adore her sense o...

In this week's episode, Austin and Shelby begin a new sub-section of episodes on the many, varied mercenary groups and crime syndicates of Thedas. This week's episode covers both The Carta, a dwarven crime syndicate, and The Coterie, the leading crime organization in Kirkwall. You might not remember The Coterie, or even The Carta. They're both fairly minor groups--so why are we covering them? Both...

In this third minisode, we take a deep dive into the one, the only, Sister Leliana. Throughout this episode, we look at Leliana's backstory pre-Origins, diving into her romance with Marjolaine. We also look at her arc throughout Origins, 2, and Inquisition. And we consider the options of what happens to her post-Dragon Age Inquisition. Maybe you think Leliana is a bit naive in DAO. Or maybe you're...

In this week's episode, Austin and Shelby dive into a huge topic--the Circles of Magi. If you've played Dragon Age: Origins, you're probably pretty familiar with the Circles, or at least Fereldan's Circle. But if you routinely skip this section of DAO, or if you haven't yet jumped into DAO, you might not be as familiar with the inner-workings of a Circle of Magi. In this episode, we talk all about...

In this week's episode, Austin and Shelby take a look at eight different religious groups that the Orlesian Chantry has deemed heretical. These different groups are vastly different from one another, but they all share the ire of the Chantry. Some of the groups worship the blight, while others worship the, *ahem* union of The Maker and Andraste. And others are just plain weird. We dig into all of...

In this week's episode, Austin and Shelby dive into the Imperial Chantry, the second-largest and perhaps, the first Chantry organization in Thedas. During this episode, we talk about all the ways that the Imperial Chantry is different from the Orlesian Chantry, their specific beliefs, history, and founding, as well as the ways that they are intrinsically tied to Tevinter's history and culture. Bec...

In this week's episode, Austin, Shelby, and special-guest, Virvada of the Two Girls One Ship podcast talk about the Orlesian Chantry--also known as the only Chantry that many of us know about. But did you know there's another Chantry? The Imperial Chantry of Tevinter. During this episode, we talk about the founding of the Chantry, the split of the Chantry based in Orlais and the one based in Tevin...

In this second minisode, we take a deep dive into the one, the only, Ser Cullen Rutherford. Rejoice, Cullenmancers! In this episode, we look at what little we do know of Cullen's backstory before the events of Dragon Age: Origins, as well as his involvement throughout all three games, and where he is currently. Maybe you think Cullen is a bit annoying. Or maybe you fell in love with him during Dra...

In this episode, Shelby and Austin take a look at the Seekers of Truth. This lesser known faction in Thedas holds a great deal of power, and they also harbor many secrets that impact the whole of Thedas. We attempt to uncover what we do know about them, as well as analyze the Seekers' role in the relation to the Templars and the rest of Thedas. We answer questions like, how does someone become a S...

In this episode, Shelby and Austin discuss the military arm of the Chantry, the Templar Order. Depending on which Origin you picked while playing Dragon Age Origins, the Templars can be one of the first factions you meet and hear about in the world of the Thedas. Loved by some and hated by many others, the Templars are one of the most controversial factions in Dragon Age. We take a look at what ma...

In this episode, Shelby and Austin take a look at the supposedly noble faction of the Chevaliers, a proud, warrior faction of Orlais. Have you ever wondered who can belong to the Chevalier Order? What does their training look like? And how do they fit into the overall political picture of Orlais and Thedas? We answer these questions and more as we take a look at Orlais' noble order of knights. Bec...

In this Season Two premiere, Shelby and Austin take a look at the infamous Grey Wardens, one of the very first factions we're introduced to in Dragon Age: Origins. If you've played all of the games, you probably know quite a bit about the Wardens. And if you've only played one of the games, you still probably know quite a bit about the Wardens. In this episode, we'll take a look at the founding an...

In this week's episode, Shelby and Austin dive into the Anderfels, a little-known region North and West of Tevinter and Orlais. Maybe you haven't heard of the Anderfels. Or maybe you have and are curious what we even know about this country. And maybe you're a superfan and shipper of Anders, and are curious if he is related to the Anderfels. We talk about these topics and more during this week's e...

In celebration of Dragon Age Day 2021, we are coming at you with our first ever minisode. In these shorter episodes, we'll take a deep dive into all the main characters. We're starting off strong with everyone's favorite dwarf, Varric Tethras. Maybe Varric is your favorite character. Maybe you want to romance him *so* badly. Or maybe, he's just meh to you. Either way, join us as we talk about this...

In this week's episode, Austin and Shelby talk about both Par Vollen and Seheron--two different areas of land that are both controlled by the Qunari. When you hear about Par Vollen and Seheron, you might be wondering where these two countries are even located. These are two obscure, rarely-mentioned countries of Thedas. Throughout this episode, we dig into the history and development behind these...

In this week's episode, Austin and Shelby continue their discussion of the Dwarven Empire, at least what's left of it. This week's episode focuses on the other two remaining great thaigs of Thedas, Kal-Sharok and Kal'Hirol. If you haven't dug deep into the codex and played Dragon Age Awakening, you might not be familiar with Kal-Sharok or Kal'Hirol. But these two thaigs, especially Kal-Sharok, hav...

In this episode, Austin and Shelby begin a two-episode arc on the Dwarven Empire, or at least what's left of it. They discuss Orzammar, and a few outlying thaigs, including Amgarrak, Aeducan, Ortan, and Bownammar. They also take a look at how the Empire got to where it is today--once a massive, immeasurably powerful kingdom spanning almost more of Thedas than the Tevinter Imperium. You might be wo...

In this episode, Austin and Shelby take a look at Nevarra. Nevarra is the home of companion Cassandra Pentaghast, and we dig into this obscure country. You may be wondering...What's a death mage? What's a Mortalitasi? Why is Nevarran culture so different from the rest of the nations in Thedas? We dive into these questions and more as we look at Nevarra, one of Thedas's most unique countries. Sourc...

In this second episode, Shelby and Austin finish their dive into the Free Marches. We review their history and culture, while taking a deep dive into Starkhaven, and some of the other minor city-states in the Free Marches. You might be wondering what the other city-states in the Free Marches even are, and how much do we really know about them? And really, can they really be that different from Kir...

In this first episode, Shelby and Austin take a two-part look into the Free Marches. We'll look at their history, their culture, and what makes them unique from the rest of Thedas. You might be thinking--isn't the Free Marches just Ferelden-lite? Or maybe you think all of the Free Marches is just like Kirkwall. Ever wondered why Kirkwall has such a high percentage of blood mages? We'll look at the...

In this episode, Austin and Shelby continue the Countries of Thedas series by taking a deep dive into the smaller countries of Antiva and Rivain.  Have you ever wondered how the Antivan Crows got their start? Or maybe how Antiva even came to have a group of assassins so renowned? Do you have questions about Rivain in its entirety? We attempt to answer these questions and more. Along the way we exp...

In this week’s episode, Austin and Shelby, along with Fyrewriter discuss Ferelden history, politics, and culture. As the first country we are ever introduced to in the series, we have the most in-game knowledge about Ferelden. But how did Ferelden come into existence? How did it survive the Orlesian occupation? Did it emerge from lots of different warring tribes, like Tevinter and Orlais? Or is Fe...

In today’s episode, Austin and Shelby unpack and discuss the history of the Orlesian Empire. They discuss the founding, unification, and ancient history, as well as modern history. From the early days of Dragon Age: Origins, we hear about those pesky Orlesians, and how much the Fereldans hate Orlais. But how much does this conflict between the countries impact Orlais? And what is Orlesian culture...