The Alamarri Freeholds encompass all of the land and settlements within the Frostback Mountains, the Korcari Wilds, and the Bannorn. It is said that the freeholds' namesake - the Alamarri - first came to settle these regions in the Ancient Age, and centuries of cultural development shaped by differences in geography led to the emergence of what contemporary scholars now identify as the Avvar, Chasind, and Clayne peoples.

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These groups are not united in the same way entities like the Tevinter Imperium and Orlais are; there is no one, unified Alamarri banner that all of the tribes rally underneath. Rather, this broader 'Alamarri' identity only seems to take root during times of great strife. After the death of Andraste, who was herself born in these lands, the Alamarri rallied together to lay waste to the Imperium in what would become known as the First Exalted March. In the aftermath, the land settled by the tribes came to be administered by said tribes.

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Left largely to their own devices for the following century, the region has fractured into different clusters of tribes all makes. Would-be warlords, pious Andrastians, staunch traditionalists: power is wielded locally, and it is not uncommon for infighting to erupt, either among one people group or between the different branches of what was once a unified 'Alamarri'.

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​The Alamarri Freeholds are an expansive, albeit decentralized land .  Ambitious chieftains daydream about bringing the tribes under heel to lead a unified Ferelden. Neighboring states covet the large swathes of fertile grassland the tribes are settled on and around.

All, however, know that the people of the Freeholds will not bend the knee willingly.

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History

The land known as Ferelden, translated as 'fertile valley', was first settled by migrating humans millennia ago during the Ancient Age. These humans, known as the Alamarri, quickly dispersed and settled around the lakes, plains, forests that define the region's geography. This period of history is defined by wars: while tribes often fought one another for territory and resources, the face of opposition during this time was the Tevinter Imperium. Eager to expand into the region to claim its fertile grasslands for itself, colonization and conquest efforts span centuries of regional history, and resulted in marvels such as the Imperial Highway, which stands to this day and connects the disparate tribes to one another.

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During the twilight years of the Ancient Age, the prophet Andraste was born to an Alamarri tribe, she would later go on to marry the prominent Alamarri chieftain Mefareth, creating one of the largest barbarian alliances in the known era. Professing divine ties to a being known as 'The Maker', Andraste and her husband - Maferath - would unite the Alamarri tribes and lead a crusade against the Tevinter Imperium: the First Exalted March. This war saw the Imperium's sway in the region crumble completely, and severely crippled their presence on Thedas' stage. However, before the Imperium could be vanquished entirely, Maferath betrayed his wife for alleged claims on the regions throughout Southern Thedas.

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Andraste's death and the subsequent exposure of Maferath's role in it fractured Alamarri unity. Many tribes converted to Andrastianism in the wake of the prophet's death, and many did not. Most groups, however, elected to return to their homes. Over time, the confederacy of Alamarri tribes broken down completely: the Avvar split off and moved west to settle the Frostback Mountains, followed by the Chasind who travelled south into the Korcari Wilds. Those who remained in the plains and grasslands became known as the Clayne.

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This division of tribes persists to the present day. Allegiances are sworn to local chieftains and leaders, and war between tribes is quite common. As new states emerge on their borders, and bitter enemies rear their heads once again, only time will determine the fate of the region, and those that call it home.