Summary
Since the appearance of the acerbic Sten inDragon Age: Origins, the dogmatic Qunari have remained mysterious. As the series has progressed, so too has our knowledge of the Qun. The Qunari have become increasingly important as our conception of Thedas has expanded, as they provide an existential threat to the homelands of many Thedosians.
But, who are the Qunari? We have a wealth of knowledge of the history of Humans, Elves and Dwarves, but the Qunari’s history remains conflicted and secretive. Before they adopted the Qun, the large humanoid race associated with the name ‘Qunari’ were known as Kossith. The first instance of the Qunari in Thedas was in -410 Ancient when a colony in the Korcari Wilds in southern Ferelden were captured by Darkspawn.
Almost 1,000 years later, the Qunari landed at Par Vollen, apparently arriving from a land across the Boeric Ocean. Iron Bull speculates the Qunari departed their homeland out of necessity, but concedes he doesn’t know much else about the Kossith. That’s about as much as we know officially about the origins of the Qunari.
The Qunari Could Be A Twisted Creation Of Ghilan’nain
In aReddit threadspeculating on horned statues that appear in the Raw Fade during the quest Here Lies The Abyss, a couple of lore enthusiasts speculate that the statues could be Qunari and that the ancient Elves may have had a hand in the creation of the Kossith. Dragon Age is increasingly connecting everything back to Elven gods so this revelation wouldn’t be that surprising.
“Wouldn’t it just be a twist if Ghil was the first Qunari, a side effect from one of her experiments,” writes JustAnotherUser1031. This refers to Ghilan’nain, one of the Elven goddesses that Solas attempts to transfer from one prison to another in the prologue of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. In Elven legends, Ghilan’nain is known to have created all manner of beasts, monsters and giants.
This theory appears to hold some weight, as replies to this theory provide additional context that paints the Qunari as ‘unnatural’. In Inquisition, Corypheus taunts Qunari inquisitors, calling them “a beast of strange blood” and saying their “blood is engorged with decay, your race is not a race.”
Corypheus and the other ancient Tevinter magisters seem to know the Qunari’s origins. While this could just be because they were very knowledgeable beings, it could also point to Tevinter having had a hand in the creation of the Qunari.
Furthermore, if Morrigan’s son Kieran possesses the soul of Urethemiel and the Inquisitor is Qunari, he will say “your blood doesn’t belong to your people.” There’s also a conversation between Cole and Dorian in the Deep Roads where Cole says Qunari don’t harvest lyrium because “it’s the wrong song, the wrong blood.” It’s clear that something unnatural occurred in the creation of the original Kossith.
There are also some implications that dragon’s blood had some part to play in the origins of the Qunari, this is seen through some dialogue with Iron Bull and trough the Qunari’s apparent connection with the Old Gods. Perhaps Ghilan’nain created the Qunari by mixing dragon blood and Elven blood? Perhaps she became the first Qunari through self-experimentation?
Dragon Age: The Veilguardappears to be concerning itself with creationism far more directly than the series' past instalments. The Veilguard is in direct opposition to some of the most ancient and powerful beings in the lore, so we’re probably going to get answers to some of the obscure lore questions that have been kicking around for a decade and a half.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
WHERE TO PLAY
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy RPG series from BioWare formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on red lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.
