Qun
The Qun is a societal structure followed by those who call themselves Qunari, a group primarily made up by not limited to Goliaths. It is a philosophy, a set of laws, a legislative guide, and a social architecture governing the people of the Qun. In truth, any person of any race can decide to join the Qun regardless of who they are. However, this is not a common occurrence though there have been a number of city elves who have allied themselves with the Qun.
One fundamental principle governs most of Quanri belief: that their whole society is a single creature, a living entity whose health and well-being is the responsibility of all. Each individual is only a tiny part of the whole, a drop of blood in its veins.
As an example of how the Qun sees people, a Qunari would see a child as born with a specific nature and role in society. It is unknown how the Qunari culture uncovers what one's nature is. A common example would be that a Qunari may be born as a soldier. They would be expected to be strong, disciplined, and stoic, adhering without fail to the tenets of honor and duty as defined in the Qun. This would not be difficult, however, since this is their nature. Fanatical in this devotion, the Qunari see fit that they are the people to enlighten all other races of Thedas in regards to their philosophy.
As the Qun covers a broad and complex range of topics, summarizing or explaining it to those not raised within it is difficult for those who are not trained to do just such a task. Most inquiries from outsiders regarding Qunari culture will be met with refusal, not out of ill will, but because most Qunari know only those parts of the Qun that dictate their specific role in life and expressing such a far-spanning philosophy is difficult. There are members whose purpose is to educate those towards the Qun, but they are rarely seen.
Structure
All Qunari are defined by their social role, which is supposed to be a defining part of the person's nature, unchangeable and fundamental. Qunari value their tools highly and consider them part of their worthiness, as extensions of their role and duties.
Mages under the Qun are treated strictly and harshly. They are forced to don a set of heavy pauldrons with chains attached to them, while their faces are hidden beneath a metal mask. In some cases, the mage's lips may be stitched together. If found practicing forbidden magic outside what the Qun dictates they should do, their tongues are cut out to prevent them from corrupting others. These individuals are never to be left alone and always must be kept under watch.
Goliaths, or truly anyone who was once a part of the Qun and no longer is, is branded as Tal-Vashoth.
Culture
Magic
"As does a drowning man know the sea, so does a mage know magic."The Qunari take a strict stance with respect to magic, viewing it as a thing that induces chaos. As the Qunari strive to live in order and to master themselves, magic is seen as evil as it directly opposes that. However, despite binding their mages in chains and restricting their freedoms greatly, Qunari see their mages as members of the Qun deserving respect. They are seen this way because despite having the potential to destroy everything around them and submit to the chaos, they willingly instead follow the Qun and do not stray from it. In that way, that Qunari mage is accepting their role in the world. Many accounts suggest that Qunari mages are some of the most powerful across Thedas. When a Qunari mage's overseer allows them to use their magic, destruction is sure to follow. In this way, they are akin to attack dogs: dangerous though kept on a leash, until the master is willing to allow the dog to attack wildly.
Public Agenda
Every aspect of a Qunari's life is dictated by the Qun, which they follow unquestioningly. They see it as their moral duty to, often forcefully, educate those who do not comprehend. A note on this: to its people the Qun is not believed, but rather it is understood.
To the Qunari, the Qun is their only truth for morality, and all societies that reject it will live in debauchery and suffering. To bring these societies to the Qun is to liberate them from their own self-inflicted torment.
Foreign Relations
Rivaini people fear and hate the Qunari for what the Qunari did to their country and their ancestors. The Qunari have not shown malice towards the Rivaini ever since they left their country after occupying it for a time. There are rumors that some Rivaini villages that hug the northern peninsula, such as Kont-Aar, are full of non-goliath converts to the Qun.
Within more recent history, two groups under the Qunari banner have led active assaults against prominent groups in Thedas. First, the Arishok commanded his people to kill Ferelden's political leaders after seeing that all they did was promote suffering through as seen from their actions during the Ferelden Civil War. A statue can be found in Denerim of the Arishok's head being held aloft following his death. Secondly, a Qunari woman named Viddasala led agents of the Qunari in a secret assault against southern Thedas, particularly against Ferelden and Orlais. As it is understood by the common person, her plan was to lead a mass assassination in killing both of the nation's main leaders in an attempt to free those nation's citizens from the systems that kept the common person suffering.
In response to these two events, in an unprecedented move, one of the Qunari leaders met with King Gregory Flume and Empress Celene Valmont I. Ariqun, one of the leaders and the "soul" of the Qun, responded to their claims of warmongering by disavowing both Arishok's and Viddasala's actions. Ariqun also suggested that no invasion nor hostility was planned against the rest of the nations of Thedas. Few know what heated arguments went on amongst those three leaders, but a public statement was released from the Ariqun,
"Because of this, you look at us with fear and hate. Recognize that you only interact with the physical body of the Qun: arms, legs, eyes, and ears, the things a creature needs in order to interact with the world. One cannot grow to know a person, nor the Qun, by studying his hand or his foot, and so one cannot truly 'meet' the Qunari until you have experienced the same state of mind and soul as we, the Qun, are in."Rumor has it that the discussions met a stalemate and that neither nation was willing to go to war with the Qun with the looming threat of the mage-templar conflict growing to consume most of the world.
Ethics
An important concept in the Qun is the idea of "Asit tal-eb" — "it is to be". This idea is that everything and everyone in the world has a nature, and all these things come together to form a proper order. Such an example found in the Qun would be that locusts have the nature to devour crops. It is every individual's choice whether or not they act according to their nature and the nature of the world, or oppose the proper order, and as such fight against themselves and the world. The individual is not truly "individual", but part of the whole. Their own nature contributes to the larger nature of the world, and so their struggle against self-balance disrupts the balance of the whole.
"It is to be"
Type
Religious, Other
Demonym
Qunari
Parent Organization
Related Ethnicities
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