Skyhold

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Skyhold

Note: This information is from before the game population of PCs relocated to Kirkwall to start an Inquisition outpost. It's preserved here for reference, but be aware that references to game characters residing at Skyhold are no longer accurate.

Skyhold is a fortress located in a stretch of the Frostback Mountains on the border between Orlais and Ferelden. Situated among snow-covered peaks and across an icy river, Skyhold controls a mountain pass that allows travel from one to the other. While not the easiest route between the kingdoms, it is still an advantageous and convenient position. It is also highly defensible: in addition to thick walls and stonework that has stood the test of centuries, the only access to Skyhold is across a single narrow bridge over a deep gorge. Solas, who had heard of Skyhold in his wanderings and led the Inquisition there, told them it is built on the bones of an ancient elven site called Tarasyl'an Te'las ("the place where the sky was held back"). He claimed the elven magic has permeated the area, providing protection from evil that the embattled Inquisition desperately needs.

The climate around Skyhold can be inhospitable. Snow and below-freezing temperatures are common at this altitude and make travel perilous if not carefully planned.

The Fortress

The castle itself is situated over natural hot springs which warm the earth and provide a much more comfortable living environment. Snow rarely accumulates on the ground in the interior courtyards, and trees and plants grow year-round. During the day, the courtyards usually bustle with activity, with religious pilgrims, merchants, refugees, and visiting dignitaries coming and going among the Skyhold's more permanent residents. It is impossible to forget, however, that this is a military operation, with drills and sparring matches on display as soon as one enters the gates and wounded soldiers being tended to out in the open.


Status

A great deal of progress has been made toward repairing the fortress and making it both livable for its residents and impressive for its visitors. Repairs are not complete; there are still holes in some of the walls, broken windows, and one crumbled battlement wall. Much of the floor in the dungeon is missing. But the brush, overgrowth, and cobwebs have been largely cleared, and nothing that remains damaged is essential to the war effort. Residents and visitors have access to libraries, a tavern, a dining hall, a garden, and an Andrastian chapel. The war room, Inquisition leaders' private offices, the guest rooms set aside for prominent visitors, dungeons, and individuals' locked rooms in the barracks are the only areas not publicly accessible.

As of Justinian 9:42 (June 2016), an area of land directly adjacent to Skyhold has been leveled and stabilized with the help of the Mage Council to allow the construction of additional housing facilities for Inquisition members. Construction has been on-going on two barracks buildings, one of which is completed. The mages also flattened a section of the valley alongside the army camp, where less-permanent housing for the refugees has now been built.

Accommodations

Members of the Inquisition are housed throughout the complex in anywhere reasonably convenient, from the floor in the barn to the lofts above the smithy, in chairs in the library, tents in the courtyards, in corners of the chapel and in front of the hearths in the kitchens. The bulk of the Inquisition's army itself, such as it is, is encamped on a flat, snowy plain just outside the castle, but there are still scores of non-soldiers bunking down inside the fortress. Private rooms are scarce, reserved for visiting dignitaries who are beginning to trickle in to see what the Inquisition will be making of itself now. Even the order's top advisers are scattered throughout, sleeping in offices, roofless towers, and the occasional mezzanine. While the game doesn't show it, basic facilities do exist and in the basement of the castle are baths fed by the hot springs within the mountain.

There is now a barracks building beside the castle and another under construction. It is two stories, made of wood and stone, and is designed to house as many agents as possible to free up the rooms in the castle for noble guests. The rooms each include either two cots or two sets of bunk beds, and are narrow enough that two people of average height sitting across from each other on the beds with their backs to the wall are likely to find their feet meeting in the middle of the room. But they each have a small, high window to let in some light, so there's that! Very basic furnishings are provided. Roommates can be chosen or assigned, but all rooms will be fully occupied.

In addition to the other barracks building there are a few smaller auxiliary buildings still under construction. There are rumors that another bathing facility is one of those in the works, but has not yet been completed.

You can note where your character is staying on this spreadsheet if you'd like to stake a claim or discover who their neighbors might be.

The Occupants

Due to a number of factors--higher average education levels, a necessary willingness to risk being labeled a heretic by the Chantry, experience working with the mages and other races within the Inquisition, etc.--the Inquisition is a slightly more liberal and welcoming place than the rest of Thedas. However, the overwhelming majority of the soldiers and workers who live in the fortress or in the valley beyond it are Andrastian humans. They have the standard set of Thedosian prejudices and limited prior experience dealing with mages, Dalish, or Qunari in particular.

The majority of the population at Skyhold and beyond continues to support some form of direct control and supervision for mages, even if they bear no particular ill-will towards them. Rifters and shard-bearers are largely feared or considered objects of curiosity by those who encounter them. Templars are widely regarded as heroes and holy warriors.

Mages

Due to the recruitment of many of the rebels and the arrival of others wishing to help or to seek refuge, Skyhold is home to a significant population of mages. Currently mages make up roughly 15% of the total Inquisition. There are roughly 3 mages for every 2 Templars. The majority of Inquisition mages are former Circle mages from Orlais, Ferelden, and the Free Marches. Although the Libertarians had a one-vote majority at Andoral's Reach, a greater proportion of hardline rebels fled to Tevinter or were 'recruited' by Corypheus, while others have revised their outlooks upon experiencing life outside the Circle, leaving the more moderate set with a majority. An estimated overall breakdown:

ORIGINS:

↠ 80% former Circle mages from Orlais, Ferelden, or the Free Marches
↠ 10% Circle mages from other countries
↠ 10% apostates, including Dalish and Vashoth

PHILOSOPHIES:

↠ 48% Aequitarians
↠ 24% Libertarians
↠ 8% from other Circle fraternities
↠ Remainder unaffiliated, not Circle mages, etc.

RANKS:

↠ 40% Mages
↠ 25% Enchanters
↠ 20% Apprentices
↠ 10% Unranked (apostates)
↠ 5% Other (First Enchanters, Grand Enchanters)

In Firstfall 9:41 (November 2015), the mages of Skyhold elected a Council to represent their interests within the Inquisition. There are a number of councillors both PC and NPC, and they are roughly representative of the whole population in terms of their origins and philosophies. Currently, while most have agreed to be governed by the Council, approximately 10% of mages within the Inquisition outright refuse to recognize its authority. These mages are evenly split between Loyalists who will not agree to anything short of an official, Chantry-backed Circle, and hardline mage freedom advocates who will refuse to submit to an authority they view as being Chantry-endorsed by virtue of its affiliation with the Inquisition. Should the balance of Councillors ever ICly shift away from matching the overall demographics, the Council will begin to lose support from the NPCs.

Whether a PC chooses to recognize the Council is up to their player. PCs are also welcome to make their characters Councillors; there is no OOC election, just a sign-up.

The precise role of the Council is still being fleshed out and determined, as is the extent of its authority. A roster of PC councillors, information about Council resolutions, and an inbox for contacting the council are all available on the Mage Council journal.

Templars

As explained in this OOC post, Templars were also recruited to join the Inquisition and as with the mages others have trickled in seeking to assist or to escape the chaos of the war. While they are fewer than the mages, the numbers are closer to equal than the PC demographics suggest, with Templars making up roughly 10% of the total Inquisition population. There are approximately 2 Templars for every 3 mages. An estimated overall breakdown:

ORIGINS:

↠ 80% from Ferelden, Orlais, and the Free Marches
↠ 20% from other nations

AFFILIATIONS:

↠ 35% have integrated directly into the Inquisition military, at least for now, and no longer use their Templar rank or title
↠ 55% operate as a quasi-independent force, serving directly under Ser Barris or their former Commanders, who in turn take direction from the Inquisition
↠ 10% have other ideas

PHILOSOPHIES:

↠ 35% support a return to the pre-war status quo
↠ 20% support reforming the Order
↠ 25% remain undecided
↠ 10% support a stricter Order
↠ 10% support the dissolution of the Order

RANKS:

↠ 35% Templars
↠ 30% Knights-Corporal
↠ 15% Knights-Lieutenant
↠ 10% Knights-Captain
↠ 5% Knights-Commander

Like the mages, the Templars were recruited to join the Inquisition as individuals, not as an organization. The Herald's official stance when they were brought into the fold was that the Order had been dissolved and all Templars were actually former Templars. In practice, the situation has been much more confusing. While about a third of the Templars have chosen to follow the Herald's plan and simply join up as soldiers with special skills, a majority have continued to use their Templar rank and to show deference to those who held higher ranks in the Order.

Chantry-loyalist Templars within the Inquisition (or any other seeking to function as an independent force) share a similar relationship with the Inquisition as mercenary bands: to remain in Skyhold, they are required to support the Inquisition's efforts and will be sent on assignments by the leadership, but they may work as separate units under their own officers and exercise some discretion in how those assignments are carried out.

Templars do not themselves have authority over the mages in the Inquisition, but they may be called on by the Inquisition to assist with magical emergencies or sent to deal with non-Inquisition mages.

An effort was made in late Haring 9:41 (December 2015) to form a New Templar Order that could chart a new way forward for the Inquisition's Templars. While the group announced some new plans and rules for Templars, their status is presently uncertain. Key issues such as their relationship with the Mage Council, their relationship with the Chantry, and potential reforms of the Order, cause significant disagreement within the Templar population. The high-ranking Templars hold as wide a variety of opinions as their underlings, and gaining consensus behind one leader and one path forward for all has thus far proved an insurmountable obstacle. The New Order and its organizers have the support of approximately 20% of the Inquisition's Templar allies.

Rifters

The Inquisition is home to all of Thedas' known Rifters--individuals who appear out of the Rifts bearing anchors and speaking of worlds entirely unlike Thedas. At present, Skyhold is home to fewer than two dozen of these individuals. They have made some initial gestures toward organizing themselves, those these have so far been conducted quietly and in private meetings and are probably not common knowledge.

After the first cohort arrived, the Inquisition agreed to give them the benefit of the doubt, and they have been allowed their freedom. Guards were originally told to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, but as months have passed without incident, Rifters have mostly been allowed to go about their business unbothered, and some have officially joined the Inquisition. There have not yet been any other decisions made about their long-term fate, but the Inquisition is in the process of reevaluating how to handle them.

Others

Those whose primary allegiance is to something other than the Inquisition--including Skyhold's small population of fugitive Grey Wardens, various mercenary groups, Seekers, and Chantry loyalists--are permitted to remain at Skyhold, whether under its protection or on its payroll, provided they contribute to its cause in some way and do not let their agendas interfere with the Inquisition's efforts.

Refugees who come to Skyhold for protection live in a tent city in the valley, alongside most of the Inquisition's foot soldiers. The refugee population is relatively small and changes often depending on where the latest crisis has driven people from their homes; most of those who come to Skyhold as refugees eventually either join the organization as workers and servants or wind up moving on, after a time, to resettle somewhere more hospitable and arable than an ice-encrusted valley. While they remain the Inquisition provides food and other basic necessities, and the Inquisition soldiers nominally keep the peace in the refugee camp. This population is overall more conservative than the Inquisition as a whole, and tends to be strongly anti-mage, though there are pockets of fierce anti-Templar sentiment as well, and many hate both groups equally for the damage they've caused. Many of them have also been forced from their homes by rifts, so they tend to be especially wary of Rifters and more likely than most to consider them demons.

—NAVIGATION↠