Dragon Age 4 will take players north to the Tevinter Imperium, the oldest human empire on Thedas. The game's brand new protagonist will be taking on the Dread Wolf and his plan to bring down the Veil between Thedas and the Fade, the chaotic world of magic once connected to the ancient Elven empire.
Dragon Age 4 may be taking players to a human kingdom as they face down an Elven antagonist, but the new protagonist needs to have a female Qunari companion in their party. Here are all the reasons BioWare should include a female Qunari follower, based on the established lore and potential plot threads in the upcoming game.
The Qunari In Dragon Age 4
The Qunari and the Tevinter Imperium have an extremely contentious relationship. In 6:30 Steel, the Qunari arrived on Thedas from the north and conquered the tropical island of Par Vollen, then a part of the Imperium. It took two full years, however, for the Magisters of the Imperium to realize what had happened. By then, the Qunari had established a firm base of operations and began a full-scale assault on the mainland.
Those who refused to convert to the Qun — mages who were considered a lost cause to begin with — were given Qamek. This powerful poison left its victims effectively lobotomized, to be used as mindless slaves by the Qunari war machine. Almost all of Tevinter and many of the other nations of Thedas were taken over by the Qunari in a matter of years.
It would not be until nearly 150 years later that the Qunari Wars would end. It took huge rebellions across the continent, and the joined efforts of the Andrastian Chantry and the Imperial Chantry, to push the invaders back to Par Vollen. Exhausted after decades of bloodshed, a peace treaty named the Llomerryn Accord was signed by Qunari envoys and the leaders of almost all of the human nations of Thedas.
The Tevinter Imperium, however, refused to sign. The treaty accepted Qunari ownership of Par Vollen. As well as being motivated by the lingering bitterness left over by years of occupation, the Imperium's leaders claimed they could not abide a massive Qunari force just off their northern coast.
Dragon Age: Inquisition's Trespasser DLC hinted that a renewed war with the Qunari may be on the horizon. In Trespasser, the Qunari, under the military leadership of Dragon Age: Origins' companion Sten, attempted to use the Eluvians to assassinate much of the nobility of southern Thedas. All of this lore and setup makes a Qunari companion a near-necessity for Dragon Age 4. There are some particularly good reasons, however, that at least one of the player's companions should be a Qunari female.
Women In Qunari Society
Qunari women have a unique role in the societal structure of the Qun which has yet to be fully explored from the perspective of a companion character. The Qunari are led by three leaders known as the Triumvirate. The Arishok represents the body, leads the military, and is always male. The Arigena represents the mind, leads the craftsmen, and is always female. The Arquin represents the soul, leads the priests, and can be of either sex.
The Tamassrans are an exclusively female part of the Qunari priesthood who, to an outsider, would appear to effectively rule the everyday lives of most Qunari. These women choose which Qunari have children together. When Qunari children are born the Tamassrans are in charge of educating them. When those children come of age, it is the Tamassrans who decide what role they will play in Qunari society. They care for the mentally and physically disabled, but they are also in charge of administering Qamek to those they judge to be beyond salvation.
Only a select few diplomats have ever visited Par Vollen under Qunari rule, but those who have reported that it is impossible to truly understand Qunari society based on the expeditionary military forces seen on the mainland. It is clear that Qunari women have a vital and underrepresented role to play in Qunari society. A female Qunari companion in Dragon Age 4 could go down a number of interesting routes.
A female Qunari companion could be a Tamassran. Even if conflict is building between the human nations of Thedas and the Qunari once more, the Triumverate may send an agent to represent Qunari interests in the plan to take down the Dread Wolf, especially after being manipulated by him in Trespasser. Like Sten, this companion could have an interesting dual-loyalty, and could provide fascinating insight into the way Qunari society is managed just as Sten provided information about the race's alien military structure and religious conventions in the first game.
Roleplaying as a Qunari
While long-established races like Elves and Dwarves are easily roleplayed by most fantasy fans, the lack of central female Qunari NPCs to reference in Inquisition created a degree of disconnect between players who chose to play as a Qunari female and their characters. BioWare partially avoided this problem by having Qunari player characters of either sex be "Tal-Vashosh" who did not follow the Qun.
Nonetheless, including a female Qunari companion in Dragon Age 4 would not just benefit players who want to learn more about their northern neighbors. That information would also give players who want to roleplay as a Qunari themselves far more grounding. Without a female Qunari companion included in the Dragon Age games so far, BioWare has the opportunity to create a character that players will be extremely motivated to learn more about, forming a personal relationship as they also gain insight into Qunari life on Par Vollen.
It is also possible that a female Qunari companion could be a Tal-Vashosh or could have a less traditional role in Qunari society. What's most important, however, is that BioWare takes the opportunity to create a character who provides a unique new window into the Qunari at a time when players are closest to Par Vollen, and when the Qunari are becoming increasingly relevant to the fate of Thedas in Dragon Age 4.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.