AKA:
The City of Chains
Emerius

An ancient city with a dark and storied past, Kirkwall is one of the largest and most influential city-states of the Free Marches. Located across the Waking Sea from Ferelden, Kirkwall is a port vital to trade between Ferelden and the Marches, and sits north-east of the Frostback Mountains and Skyhold. Founded in ancient Tevinter by a magister named Emerius, who humbly named it after himself, the city earned its nickname, the City of Chains, for two reasons. First, by winning a bloody competition to become the new heart of the Empire’s slave trade. Second, by erecting a massive chain net that could be stretched across the very narrow bit of the Waking Sea the city sat on, allowing whoever was in charge to cut off any travel through the sea whenever they pleased. Eventually, the slaves revolted as the Empire was shrinking, leading to the renaming of the city after its distinctive black cliffs. “Kirk” meaning “black” and “wall” meaning “wall.” In the hundreds of years after that, the city was involved in the Fourth Blight, taken over by Qunari, taken from the Qunari by Orlais, and then liberated from that Empire. Recently, it was invaded by the Qunari again, who were repelled by Hawke, which earned her the title of “Champion of Kirkwall.” The city then became one of the major flashpoints of the Mage-Templar war when an apostate and runaway Grey Warden named Anders blew up the city’s Chantry, causing massive collateral damage and killing the beloved Grand Cleric Elthina in the process. In response, Kirkwall’s mildly insane Templar leader, Knight-Commander Meredith, declared the Right of Anulment and tried to kill every mage in the city. The mages understandably resisted, violence erupted, and only ended when Hawke stopped Meredith. Things have thankfully calmed slightly since that conflict ended, and all that leads us to where Kirkwall stands today, a proudly independent city-state of the Free Marches, going through the long, painful process of healing itself under the eye of the new Viscount, Varric Tethras. Yes, that Varric, the author that used to follow me around with the crossbow and the chest hair. With Varric overseeing things, business has resumed and the city is on the mend. I never actually went to Kirkwall in my inquisiting, though I’m sure I’ll find a reason to visit Varric before too long. Maybe if I go on a book tour when this is released.