Antiva is a nation not yet visited in the Dragon Age games but is constantly mentioned and has been explored a little in the books. Fans have always been interested in Antiva since meeting the former Antivan Crow, Zevran, in Dragon Age: Origins and listening to his stories. There have also been rumors that while Dragon Age 4 will take place in Tevinter, Antiva and surrounding countries could play a big role too.
There is a lot to know about Antiva already in Dragon Age, despite players never actually visiting the nation in the games. Through the books, comics, and mentions in the game, there is already plenty to know of its geography, history, politics, and culture. Like how fans call Orlais "fantasy France," many call Anitva "fantasy Spain" since its citizens have Spanish accents and sometimes even say Spanish words.
Dragon Age: The History Of Antiva
The beginnings of Antiva started with a settlement of mercenaries and pirates (a little like Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14). When the settlement became a nation, it quickly became famous for its merchants and trade. Part of what made Antiva such a successful nation was partly because of dwarves in the Ancient Age, who expanded the nation's naval prowess. In the Divine Age, the nation's main religion also became Andrastian. The nation also has a long history of neutrality while its neighboring nations have fought wars.
When the Fourth Blight occurred in the Exalted Age, Antiva City was destroyed and the ruling family was murdered by their own royal guard who refused to evacuate citizens. Only one member of the royal family survived to see the end of the Fourth Blight in Dragon Age. At the end of the Exalted Age, Antiva's queen, Madrigal, was assassinated by Antivan Crows with four steel swords piercing her chest. This is what inspired the Divine to name the next age the Steel Age.
In the Steel Age, Antiva was conquered by Qunari. It was not until the Storm Age that an Exalted March on the Qunari was decided, and then it took a total of three Exalted Marches to win Antiva's freedom from the Qunari. The strife of Antiva did not end, though, as of the Dragon Age, the nation has been erupting into a civil war.
Antivan Culture in Dragon Age
Women are typically not allowed to do combat in Antiva because they are considered to be innocent and delicate. Of course, this romanticized idea of femininity does not always meet well with reality. Duels are famous in Antiva as a way for nobles to solve certain disputes. In Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, it is also mentioned that puppetry of a major form of entertainment in Antiva, and sometimes even the Antivan Crows use puppet shows to make public messages.
A Theodosian holiday, Satinalia, is celebrated for a day all over Thedas, the Dragon Age world setting. However, in Antiva, the celebration lasts an entire week. During the celebration, people are encouraged to wear masks, have feasts, and someone is named the town fool. Of course, a major part of Antiva is its trade and that plays a role in its culture as well. A lot of travelers come to Antiva for wines, coffee, diamonds, pearls, silk, and leather.
The Politics
What most interests a lot of fans is Antiva's politics. The monarchy, unlike others in Thedas, is known to have no army and be actually quite weak. However, they are actually not big players in the politics of the nation because Antiva is a plutocracy. This means Antiva is not actually controlled by the monarchy, but a handful of wealthy merchants. These merchants who range from vineyard owners to bank heads are the ones with armies. They often solve national problems with either force or money, but they also have a lot of infighting.
Despite being more disorganized than other nations, Antiva has not feared invasion since they were freed from Qunari occupation. This is because of the Antivan Crows, the assassins guild that worked its way to being internationally known and feared. Many consider them to be the true powerhouse of Antiva, so much so that the ruling merchants will not touch them and neither will outside forces like the Qunari.
One famous political figure did come out of the monarchy, and that was Queen Asha Campana, who was nicknamed the "Queen Mother of Thedas" because she arranged many political marriages across Thedas. She did this as a way to protect the nation, and it worked. Now a war with Antiva would likely create a war with all of Thedas involved because so many nations have married nobles from Antiva.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.