The Waking Sea is located off of the northern shore of Ferelden,[1][2] the eastern coast of Orlais, and the southern coasts of neighboring Nevarra and the Free Marches.
Background[]
At the height of the Tevinter Imperium's slave trade, Kirkwall's elite prospered beyond dreams of avarice. Hightown was built for the wealthiest slavers, its glitzy mansions rising atop a great wall of rock that borders, on one side, the Waking Sea.
A segment of the Imperial Highway used to span across the Waking Sea, connecting the branch going west of Val Royeaux with its southern continuation that leads to Lydes.[3]
In -180 Ancient, Maferath and Andraste crossed the Waking Sea to begin their outright assault on the Imperium, forcing them to abandon the island of Estwatch to focus on the mainland.[4] As their armies marched north, they used the constellation Visus, which they believed to represent the gaze of the Maker, to guide themselves.[5] Natural disasters helped Andraste's armies advance into the Imperium, which her followers saw as signs of the Maker's wrath against Tevinter and proof of their divine mission.[6]
Thelm Gold-Handed, an adversary of Tyrdda Bright-Axe, wished to travel across the Waking Sea and assail the golden city in order to gain its riches.[7]
Following the aftermath of the Battle of Denerim in 9:31 Dragon with the death of Archdemon Urthemiel, the darkspawn horde scattered, but many of the more powerful survived to organize small war bands that warred with one another and terrorized settlements along the coast of the Waking Sea. The Orlesian Grey Wardens were in charge of chasing off those war bands during the Thaw Hunt. Even fleeing, the darkspawn caused great destruction across Ferelden.[8] Shortly afterward, the Darkspawn Civil War ensued.
During the New Exalted Marches against the Qunari, Orlais came into the possession of the artifact and retained it as spoils of war.[citation needed] Years after the Llomerryn Accords, in 9:31 Dragon, Orlais agreed to return the Tome to the Qunari. The Arishok traveled to Orlais personally to receive the Tome of Koslun from Empress Celene - the gesture was meant to establish diplomatic relations between the Qunari and the Orlesian Empire. However, the exchange was never completed as a thief stole the Tome before it could be delivered.[9] The Tevinter Imperium was also interested in the Tome since gaining possession of it would be a severe demoralizing blow to the Qunari.[10] The Arishok, tasked with the recovery of the Tome by his duty as a Qunari leader, pursued the book to the Waking Sea where a storm scuttled his and the pirate's ships, stranding both parties in the port of Kirkwall. The Tome of Koslun vanished, and the Arishok refused to leave Kirkwall until it was recovered.[11][12]
Geographical surroundings[]
Ferelden[]
Amaranthine[]
Amaranthine is an arling that spans along the sinuous northeastern coast. Alamar is a town located in northeastern Ferelden on a small island at the mouth of the Waking Sea, just east of Amaranthine.
Highever[]
Situated on the northern coast, positioned between the Storm Coast and Amaranthine, Highever is the ancestral home of the Couslands and one of only two Teyrnirs left in Ferelden.
Storm Coast[]
The Storm Coast is a rainy coastal region in Ferelden located in the northwestern-most part of the country. Daerwin's Mouth is built into the cliffs of the Storm Coast, the port at Daerwin's Mouth once connected the dwarven thaigs to the Waking Sea. In addition to increasing trade between the dwarves and their allies in the Tevinter Imperium, direct access to the Deep Roads meant diplomats from Orzammar could visit the port without fear of losing their "stone sense." The site thus became a popular meeting place for ambassadors of the two nations.[13]
Waking Sea Bannorn[]
Notable residents[]
- Bann Alfstanna Eremon – Bann of Waking Sea
- Bann Angus Eremon – Bann of the Waking Sea; died during the Battle of White River[14]
- Bann Camenae Eremon – Bann of Waking Sea during Calenhad's reign[1]
- Knight-Lieutenant Irminric Eremon – originally heir to the Bann of Waking Sea, believing his sister would be a better ruler he passed on the title and joined the Templar Order
Free Marches[]
Kirkwall[]
Kirkwall, also known as the City of Chains and historically as Emerius, is a coastal city-state and a major population center. Kirkwall lies on the southern edge of the Vimmark Mountains, east of the Planasene Forest and north across the Waking Sea from Ferelden.
Ostwick[]
Ostwick is a city-state in the Free Marches famous for its double walls.
Planasene Forest[]
A vast forest situated south of the Vimmark Mountains, east of Cumberland and west of Kirkwall.
Vimmark Mountains[]
The Vimmark Mountains are a steep mountain range situated in the Marches stretching along the northern coast of the Waking Sea.
Nevarra[]
Cumberland[]
Cumberland is an influential port-city in the nation of Nevarra, seated alongside the Waking Sea. Its location gives it access to trade with the Free Marches and beyond.
Orlais[]
Halamshiral[]
Halamshiral is a city in Orlais and the former capital of the Dales, it is situated in the eastern part of the country, south of the Waking Sea and close to the border with Ferelden.
Jader[]
Jader is a city in Orlais; it is situated in the eastern part of the country, on the coast of the Waking Sea, right at the border with Ferelden.
Lost Temple of Dirthamen[]
The Lost Temple of Dirthamen is an ancient temple dedicated to the elven god Dirthamen. It is located in northeastern Orlais, off the northern coast of the Waking Sea.
Val Royeaux[]
Val Royeaux is the capital-city of Orlais and seat of the Orlesian Chantry. It lies on the northern coast of the far inland tip of the Waking Sea.
Quests[]
The Black Emporium (war table)- Gather Cloth (war table)
- Investigate the Elven Glyphs (war table)
- The Left Hand of the Divine
- Red Templars on the Storm Coast (war table)
- Restore the Port on the Storm Coast (war table)
- Truth or Dare: Lake Celestine (war table)
- Upon the Waking Sea (war table)
Codex entries[]
Codex entry: Andraste: Bride of the Maker- Codex entry: Arl Rendon Howe
- Codex entry: Camenae's Barbute
Codex entry: The City of Kirkwall- Codex entry: The Cult of the Sky
Codex entry: Daerwin's Mouth- Codex entry: Geography of Ferelden
- Codex entry: Glandivalis
- Codex entry: History of Kirkwall: Chapter 3
- Codex entry: History of Kirkwall: Chapter 4
- Codex entry: In the Mists: The Windline Marcher
- Codex entry: Kirkwall - Hightown
- Codex entry: Malcolm's Honor
- Codex entry: Ostagar
- Codex entry: The Raiders of the Waking Sea
- Codex entry: The Storm Coast
- Codex entry: The Storm Coast's Claim
Notes[]
- Although this body of water is typically referred to as the Waking Sea in its entirety, the western portion has also been labelled the Shining Sea in the map included in Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights, seemingly distinct from the Waking Sea in the east. The Shining Sea was first mentioned in one of the epilogues for Dragon Age: Origins. At the time, it wasn't featured in any of the maps. When asked for clarification, David Gaider said it was likely a mistake stemming from changes made during the game's development.[15]
David Gaider. 
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