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DA Meta: Halla

Picture Description: (Left to Right) An average height elf in comparison to six different types of halla, taiga halla, temperate broadleaf halla, temperate steppe halla, desert halla, tropical rainforest halla, savanna and steppe halla.

^{The halla are a type of horned stag. Some of them are herded by the Dalish elves who used them to pull the aravels, or landships. Their milk is also made into cheese and butter. The Dalish do not consider them beasts of burden but noble companions. To get them to accompany a clan, the Dalish elves ask rather than force them to.
……………………………………from the Dragon Age Wiki}

Wild Halla
The halla are similar to deer. They are found throughout Thedas, reaching from the Wilds to the islands of Seheron. While halla are usually associated with the Dalish, wild halla make up the majority of the number of halla in Thedas. They are mostly recognisable by their untrimmed nondecorated antlers. All halla travel in herds, and prefer to live in dense forests and remote areas, away from hunters and poachers. While halla generally do not interact with humanoids, they do tend to respond to elves. Dalish clans in lack of halla are able to domesticate wild halla, yet no human, dwarf or qunari has ever succeeded in doing the same. Wild halla are hunted by humans for their antlers, yet humans tend to hunt domesticated halla as well, for they have the intricate and recognisable antler carvings. Their antlers are usually sold whole, while wild halla antlers get carved into smaller things.

Domesticated Halla
Domesticated halla are the most well-known kind of halla, as no one can separate halla from their companions, the Dalish. Halla are first and foremost guides to all of the People (Elvhen). Should an elf (any elf, Dalish or not) get lost, it is said to pray to

Ghilan’nain for guidance, and she will send you a halla in return. Halla, wild and domesticated, both have a great sense of direction and memory. If a halla ever travelled to a remote place in Nevarra from the Frostback Mountains as a fawn, chances are the adult halla will be able to find the exact spot. It is because of their keen sense of direction that they guide the aravels throughout the places the Dalish live in. The Dalish keeper is at the front of the aravel troop, as the keeper knows magic to manipulate the vines, rock and world around the troop as to not disturb nature entirely yet travel fast through dense areas. The keeper also enhances halla’s speed with magic, making aravels travel with immense speed. As Dalish clans are nomadic but keep a pattern in their places to live, when a clan migrates the halla know exactly where to go. The keeper and the halla trust each other completely and the halla guide the troop of aravels to their destination. Halla are also associated with guidance into the Beyond, as it is said halla guide elves to the afterlife. Lastly, domesticated halla are used for their milk products, and these are a staple in the Dalish diet.

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