What exactly is Vivienne's ethnic background? I know she's from Orlais but her features are rather african looking, as aside from being the place that all humans and kossith seem to have originated and being located north, we've never heard anything about any place outside thedas.
Has there ever been any word on this? So far the only brown skinned people we've run onto are rivaini like Isabela and Duncan, or are chasind. So is orlais more ethnically diverse that way?
As Orlais originated as a whole bunch of different tribes that was united/conquered by the first emperor (can't recall his name) I guess they have a pretty diverse genetic history.
As Orlais originated as a whole bunch of different tribes that was united/conquered by the first emperor (can't recall his name) I guess they have a pretty diverse genetic history.
It was Kordillus Drakon I who united the southern tribes during the rise of the Cult of the Maker's ascent into the chantry as it is today. It's most likely her descent is Rivaini seeing as how a lot of the people further north and nearer to equatorial regions are a lot darker than most of their Orlesian/Ferelden/Free Marcher counterparts.
What accent? Isabela and Duncan are both of Rivaini descent, and I don't seem to recall them having any noticeable accent.Her features and accent seem to imply she is from Rivain.
Also Chasind look pretty fair skinned to me.
Well, I meant she has an English accent like Isabella and Duncan rather than an Orlesian. David Gaider's comments about how Rivaini people have skin tones ranging from tan to ebony implied to me that 1) Rivaini people are of mixed levels of ethnicity 2) and Viviene's features seem to link her to the darker Rivaini. He also said that the people of Rivain are descended from people on the islands in the Boeric ocean, so my assumption is that those places are where the lineage of the darkest skin tones come from. And in ancient times when they settled in Thedas they mixed with the lighter skinned people on the mainland, thus developed the mixed population of Rivain.
Well, I meant she has an English accent like Isabella and Duncan rather than an Orlesian. David Gaider's comments about how Rivaini people have skin tones ranging from tan to ebony implied to me that A) Rivaini people are of mixed levels of ethnicity and
Viviene's features seem to link her to the darker Rivaini. He also said that the people of Rivain are descended from people on the islands in the Boeric ocean, so my assumption is that those places are where the lineage of the darkest skin tones come from. And in ancient times when they settled in Thedas they mixed with the lighter skinned people on the mainland, thus developed the mixed population of Rivain.
So somewhere more tropical, say Seheron or Par Vollen, though the Qunari claim both as their homeland now, it's safe to assume the people there would be much more constructed to survive an often sunny, maybe rainy region, much darker, heavily featured, and built to survive in environments as such.
I was actually curious if the natives of Par Vollen, Seheron and the Donarks are all darker skinned too, but Bioware has never clarified the matter. Maybe someone should ask on twitter or something.
EDIT: Wait, putting a closed parentheses after a B makes a sunglasses smilie? I didn't mean to do that at all.
No one knows.
There is a lot of speculation that she is either of full or partial Rivaini ancestry though, since there are black people in Rivain.
I was actually curious if the natives of Par Vollen, Seheron and the Donarks are all darker skinned too
That would actually make a lot of sense.
Vivienne is probably from somewhere that doesn't understand fashion and therefore is not worth mentioning..
the only background I want to see is her back round
Smooth.
She doesn't look at all Rivanni to me. The rivanni we've seen have had dark skin, but their features(nose, lips, cheek structure) have never looked like what in the real world we would consider "african"; they've looked more like darker middle easterners or indians.
Why does it matter?
Because she doesn't look Orlesian. Or at least she doesn't look like the Orlesians we've met so far.
People are interested in the character, and that includes her background.
She doesn't look at all Rivanni to me. The rivanni we've seen have had dark skin, but their features(nose, lips, cheek structure) have never looked like what in the real world we would consider "african"; they've looked more like darker middle easterners or indians.
We haven't seen any black Rivaini yet because the old engine couldn't render it well. Nevertheless black Rivaini do exist in the lore. The Rivaini are described in game as having skin tones that range from 'tan to ebony.'
Isabela and Duncan just happened to be on the tan spectrum.
Again, that's skin tone. I'm talking about bone structure.
Her apparent lack of Orlesian accent is interesting, because otherwise she seems quite stereotypically Orlesian in culture and attitude. The circles do move people around, so I guess she could have transferred from another circle young enough not to pick up the accent, but old enough to assimilate.
Though I'm kind of starting to wonder if Bioware have just given up on accents, what with the PC voice options. They've never been super coherent, after all.
Again, that's skin tone. I'm talking about bone structure.
I think most people assume that by ebony Rivaini the description is referring to people with features associated with people of African descent in the real world. People of European descent don't have skin tones that can be accurately described as 'ebony,' unless they are also partially African, Indian, Aboriginal Australian, ect, ect.
Also we've seen clips of Vivienne talking and she does not have a Orlesian (French) accent. Her VA has a British accent, and British accents have also been used for Rivaini characters.
I think most people assume that by ebony Rivaini the description is referring to people with features associated with people of African descent in the real world. People of European descent don't have skin tones that can be accurately described as 'ebony,' unless they are also partially African, Indian, Aboriginal Australian, ect, ect.
I've seen some very dark Indians, is all I'm saying.
Most likely Rivanni and I don't know why most people assume "African" only refer to southern ethnicitys of the continent, her feature are present in many different races in Africa from north,west, horn, etc including her skin tone. Also not all using real world description since people comparing it to real world races] "black or dark skin" people have the stereotypical wide noise,lips, etc features. Many different ethnics can and do share similar features for environmental reasons not because its a white feature or black feature.
As stated by in the wiki they range from tan to ebony, I doubt all Rivanni look exactly the same
All humans are ethnic immigrants to Thedas, so whatever ancestral background any of them have in that regard will be a wild guess.
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