Rumors surrounding Dragon Age 4‘s development are rampant on the internet. There’s a few strong hints that Tevinter will be the setting of DA4, making fans of the series wonder what other sorts of interesting characters that players could meet in this new chapter of the saga. A few new female Qunari romance options, playable characters, and NPCs for example would be an interesting change.
The Qunari, or People of the Qun, are those that follow the scriptures of the Qun in the massive backstory and history of Dragon Age‘s Thedas. They have been part of the world of Dragon Age since Origins, with Sten as a hornless-Qunari that joins the Warden. In the second installment, the Qunari lead by the Arishok invade Hawke’s city. In Inquisition, players get an even closer look at the Qun through the eyes of the wild Ben-Hassrath (and possible Tal’Vashoth) Iron Bull. But there have been extremely few Qunari women.
This is mostly because of the gender-specific roles Qunari women are forced to have under the Qun. Most female Qunari fill tradesman or shopkeeping roles or are part of the priesthood that teach, raise children, or punish. So that majority of Qunari that would be out and about in the world either would be warriors, which is a male role under the Qun, or would be Tal’Vashoth. But since the concept art from Dragon Age 4 has a mysterious, female Qunari figure, there’s still hope that a strong, interesting female Qunari could still end up as a companion.
The history of Qunari women is, understandably, short in the Dragon Age series, given the restrictions of the Qun on their sex. However, the games haven’t been completely without them. In Dragon Age: Inquisition, players can choose to be a Qunari Inquisitor, male or female. This cuts down on romance options and makes things a little more difficult for the Inquisitor, which makes picking the race of the Inquisitor one of the most difficult choices in the Dragon Age franchise.
In the Trespasser DLC for Dragon Age: Inquisition, players are faced with another female Qunari: the Viddasala, who can take Iron Bull from the party if the player has chosen his Qun storyline. Her job is one of the priesthood: she finds and destroys flagrant use of magic. And in Dragon Age 2‘s DLC, players got to meet another of the Qun: Tallis, a female elf brought into the Qun after her parents sold her into slavery. While not the same race as the Qunari, she is still considered one of them, in the role of a Tallis or Qun Assassin. These glimpses into the Qun make it all the more interesting; a new DA4 Qunari character, especially a female one that is nothing like Sten or Iron Bull, could answer even more questions about those mysterious people.
Female characters in Dragon Age have a long history of being strong women. While developers may have shied away from showing a Qunari woman dedicated to the Qun before this, there are a few ways it can do this. For one, a Qun-following female Qunari that shows aptitude for and is trained as a warrior from birth would not be considered female under the Qun (this is why Sten asks Morrigan if she’s sure she’s not a man).
This character would make for a great genderqueer or transgender character. Although they would not be a female character or what most people consider transgender in the modern sense, it could be a way that a female-by-birth Qunari could be found on the battlefield as a warrior, Ben-Hassrath, or other male-dominated job. She, he, or they could even make for a nonbinary character that could also bring even more diversity to the cast. This would make sense considering the concept art shows the Qunari female holding a weapon and clearly in the middle of battle. But perhaps they are only female in body, and not in spirit. If done properly, they could certainly make for an interesting, top-tier companion in Dragon Age 4.
Another way that BioWare could see a female, Qun-devoted character is to make her the next Viddasala and have her work with the main character of Dragon Age 4. Since her job under the Qun is focused around the removal of flagrant, dangerous magics and bringing order, she could possibly find herself on the same side as the next hero of the Dragon Age series. Especially if it takes place in Tevinter, the home of dangerous magic usage. This would exclude her as a romance option in Dragon Age 4 most likely, but could also be an interesting twist on the classic Qunari players are used to seeing.
Making the Qunari woman a Tal’Vashoth or Vashoth would open up a whole world of possibilities for whom she could be, what her story is, and even her romance-ability. The Tal’Vashoth are betrayers of the Qun and no longer are forced to have a certain job based on their gender. The Vashoth are those who don’t know the Qun as they were not born into it. Since developers confirmed Dragon Age 4 is about not having any power and reportedly being set in Tevinter, there is even the possibility of this Qunari female being a slave who has broken free, not entirely different from Fenris in DA2.
Since Dragon Age 4 will have a completely different focus than the previous Dragon Age, this could be the rags-to-riches story that Thedas and fans alike need right now. The above concept art shows what looks like a Qunari woman holding up a noblewoman on a litter, which makes the slavery-to-freedom story a strong possibility (although concept art is just indicative of mood, not precise events.)
Regardless of how the Qunari appear in the next installment of the Dragon Age series, it would be a big loss if the Qunari women were once again relegated to bit parts and background when there is so much more of the Qun to explore. Hopefully when Dragon Age 4 releases in 2022 or later, Qunari fans won’t be disappointed.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.
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