About this mod
Changes the elven NPCs skin tones to have a darker complexion in the game as they are coded people of colour, with the struggles with racism, law injustice, the loss of history and culture, stolen/changed/hidden history, ghettos, genocide, forced religion/indoctrination, slavery and being considered as lower and second class citizens
- Permissions and credits
- Donations
Version 1
changes all the elven NPCs to have skin tones from 003 - 007 that would originally have a skin tone from 001 - 002
Version 2
changes all the elven NPCs to have skin tones from 005 - 007 that would originally have a skin tone from 001 - 004
Both versions 1 and 2 includes the changes to the elven NPCs in awakening and all DLC content.
The DLC elves head morphs had to be changed completely due to being unable to access the original head morphs like Ariane and Sketch
I was unable and didn't know how to edit the NPCs in the cinematic cutscenes, so they would play out as normal with no changes (The city elf opening intro, Dalish army march and Leliana song intro)
Updates
07/08/2021 - I've made a newer version of the elves poc version 2, version 2.1, which changes the hair and eye colour for more of a natural/realistic look for the darker skin tones (this includes Zevran, so any morph/mor file mods for zevran will conflict with this one) I've still kept the original version if you prefer that one
28/08/2021 - I've made some small changes
Installation
Download and extract the file and then place in your override folder > Documents > Bioware > Dragon Age > Core > Override
Uninstall
Just delete the file in your override folder to uninstall the mod
This might not work if using any mods that interfere with mor files for the NPC's
Any issues please contact me
Recommend Mods
Elven Orphanage
Ghost Elves
SJC's Patchy Skin Fix - This is required if you want the darker skin shades to not look patchy
True colours Redux - You might need this so that the colours look more true because of the bad lighting in the game
Description update
So I've decided to add some sources and references for the elves being coded poc as I've received some pretty bad backlash!
This mod isn't canon and only for gameplay, elves can be whatever you decide for them to be as its your game. I am just showing the sources that elves are coded poc, as my original brief description might seem vague to others
1. The Elven pantheon in dragon age has been taken from and been inspired by the Egyptian mythology
Some examples for the elven gods in dragon age: elgar'nan, Mythal and Fen'harel
The elven god in dragon age Elgar'nan: God of vengeance, shares the same title with Horus the Egyptian god who is also called the God of vengeance, They are both worshipped as the sun, leaders of the people and the other gods
Elgar'nan: God of vengeance
"Elgar'nan also known as the All-Father, the Eldest of the Sun and He Who Overthrew His Father is the elven god of vengeance and the sun who represents fatherhood and leads the pantheon with the goddess Mythal."
Quote from wiki Link
"Horus was one of the earliest and most important Egyptian gods. He was originally portrayed as a hawk or falcon and worshipped as a sun god and creator of the sky." "Horus represents the power and importance of the sun and sky in all aspects of ancient Egyptian life. He serves as provider and protector of the Egyptian people, especially the pharaohs."
Quote from Encyclopadia Link
"Horus, the god of vengeance, was one of the most famous and important Egyptian gods. Aside from the god of vengeance, Horus was also known as the Protector of Pharaohs." "The Pharaohs of Egypt were considered to be his earthly embodiment. Horus was known as the protector of pharaohs, and many pharaohs would take his name into theirs."
Quote from egyptianmythology6thhour.weebly Link
The Elven goddess in dragon age Mythal shares similar descriptions to the Egyptian goddess Hathor with both being the goddesses of motherhood and love, both are married to the god of vengeance and both have an association with the sky. Link Link
Mythal: The great protector
"Mythal the Protector, All-Mother, and goddess of love, is the patron of motherhood and justice (the flip side of vengeance). She leads the Pantheon with her male counterpart, Elgar'nan."
Quote from wiki Link
"Hathor was one of the most popular goddesses in all of Egypt, who was worshipped widely across the empire. She was the goddess of mothers, women, and women's physical and psychological well-being but also known as the goddess of dance, beauty, and music. She was the personification of joy, goodness, celebration, and love. She was also associated with the sky, the movement of planets, Venus, birth, and rebirth after death, as well as the cyclical rejuvenation of the entire cosmos."
Quote from study Link
"Hathor, in ancient Egyptian religion, goddess of the sky, of women, and of fertility and love." "Her principal animal form was that of a cow, and she was strongly associated with motherhood"
Quote from Britannica Link
The elven god Fen'Harel shares traits with the Egyptian god Set with the betrayals, rebellions, trickery and being a traitor, The wolf depiction of fen'harel and Set is very similar (look at the images of fen'harel the dread wolf dragon age 4 and the dread wolf trespasser with that of set's)
Fen'Harel: The Dread Wolf
"Fen'Harel, the elven god of betrayal (or god of rebellion) is also known as the Dread Wolf, He Who Hunts Alone, Lord of Tricksters, The Great Wolf, Roamer of the Beyond, the old wolf, and Bringer of Nightmares."
Quote from wiki Link
"Seth was represented as a composite figure, with a canine body, slanting eyes, square-tipped ears, tufted (in later representations, forked) tail, and a long, curved, pointed snout; various animals (including aardvark, antelope, ass, camel, fennec, greyhound, jackal, jerboa, long-snouted mouse, okapi, oryx, and pig) have been suggested as the basis for his form."
Quote from Britannica Link
"Set, sometimes spelled Seth, is a deity found in the mythology of ancient Egypt usually depicted as the traitor among the Egyptian gods, his official titles are the god of chaos, desert, storms and foreigners."
Quote from villains.fandom Link
"Originally Seth was a sky god, lord of the desert, master of storms, disorder, and warfare—in general, a trickster. Seth embodied the necessary and creative element of violence and disorder within the ordered world."
Quote from Britannica Link
2. Links that shows the elves in dragon age has taken influence from poc and indigenous cultures
Indigenous coding of the elves in dragon age
How the dalish elves are looked at as bad and mistreated due to them being coded as poc
Dragon age origin chart showing elves having the most poc skintones from 03 -07
Dragon age inquisition chart that shows elves having the most poc skintones from 03 - 07
Dragon age 2 chart
David Gaider using the Native Americans for the elves as a concept for dragon age
There was a old forum david gaider wrote on that I cant found anymore regarding elf blooded (half elves) characters traits from their elven parent, where he said brown skin was what elf blooded people would received as traits from their elven parent
3. Quotes from the book Dragon Age Masked Empire by Patrick Weeks pages 37 and 228
"She watched briala's throat, where her pulse fluttered. Her skin was darker then celene's, though she spent most of her days inside and showed no tan lines at the bare skin around her eyes. Briala tried to ignore it, but celene know she was quietly ashamed of it. Not the ears that gave her away as elven even beneath the mask, not the lovely liquid eyes, but her sun-touched skin" p37
"He found the empress on the trail to the demon's circle. Celene stepped out from the trees, and only her pale skin stopped michel from raising his blade against another attack" p228
Hoped this helped :)