Solas | Fen'Harel

The Inquisition + In the Inquisitor's Inner circle + Secretly leads own faction called Agents of Fen'Harel

Male

Mage + Rift Mage + High Intelligence + Master of magic spells + Knowledgeable + Knowledge on Elvhen language and culture (gives vague information) + Knowledgeable about the Fade + Knowledgeable about Spirits and Demons + Knowledge of ancient magic (cautious about doing this in front of others because magic in present day Thedas is feared) + Fighting with a staff + healing with magic + Lucid dreaming and can walk the Fade and visit others dreams (especially other mage dreamers) + Strategist and tactician + Leadership + Advisor for magic + Knows not everyone is born with the ability to do magic which seems unnatural to him (especially if they're an elf)

Curiosity + Those who ask him questions + peaceful and diplomatic solutions to problems + Being respectful to spirits + Being respectful of elves and elven culture + Dreaming + Supporting mage freedom + Magic + Knowledge + Wisdom + Reading and studying + Wolves + His friend who is is a Spirit of Wisdom in the Fade

Tea or any drink that makes it hard to dream + Pointless brutality + Pressing others into servitude + Slavery + The Qun + The Templars + The Grey Wardens + Harming innocent Spirits of the Fade + Ignorance + The Circle of Magi + Discrimination against elves + Dalish claiming to know true Elven history + Vallaslin (Was used as Slavery brands during the times of Arlathan and the Dalish misinterpreted as a way to honor the Creators)

Deeply quiet + Private + Doesn't open up easily to others + Knowledgeable + Logical and refusing to believe in good and evil and tends to walk neutral grey + Sometimes arrogant if he thinks no one knows better but can be humbled + Secretly passionate to those who know him well + Keeps his suffering in silence + Compassionate + Cold and brutal to his enemies + A small sense of humor rarely shown + Cynical + Can be grim and fatalistic and times + Keeps himself inconspicuous but can lead if need be + Keeps his past to himself + Sly + Witty + Cunning + Cautious + Manipulating when he has to

Fen'Harel + The Dread Wolf + He Who Hunts Alone + Lord of Tricksters + The Great Wolf + Is called Chuckles by Varric + Apostate Hobo called that by Dorian +

Was part of the Elven Pantheon called the Evanuris + Was friends with Mythal but not so much with the other gods + Led a Rebellion against the tyrannical Evanuris who killed Mythal to grant freedom to the Elvhan + Was given the name Fen'Harel as an insult but wore it as a badge of pride as propaganda (only thing modern elves know and not about his attempt to free his people) + Used his Foci to create the Veil to separate the Fade and Physical World to lock the Evanuris away it caused him to fall into Uthenera (a long sleep) and woke up just a year before the Inquisition's reformation + Accidentally brought the fall of Elvehnan and while he slept the elves became enslaved by humans + Truth of Solas' Rebellion is lost to time + Was aware of the passage of time in the Fade while locked in Uthenera + Was too weak to unlock his Foci and secretly allowed Corypheus to find it

Ancient Elvhen

Appears to be middle-aged man in his early to mid-forties + Wears Elven Footwraps where toes and heels are exposed + A beige sweater that is long with slits staring from the hip while front and back pieces go down to his thighs + Dark green trousers + Bald + Pointed ears + Blue eyes with hints of purple + small scar on right side of forehead + Tall in comparison to modern elves + Sharp cheekbones and jaw + Arched brows + Cleft Chin + Thin leather belt around his waist + Full lips + Hides muscles under his clothes and has a lithe build + Leather strap around his neck and the he end of it is part of an old bone of a wolf's bottom jaw.

Solas

Dying alone since he is one of the few Ancient Elves but keeps it to himself

Skyhold in a section called the Rotunda where he does most of his studies and has a secret alcove hidden in the Fortress cellar + Has his own bedroom by the Rotunda

The Fade, also known as the Beyond, by the Dalish and some humans, is a metaphysical realm died to Thedas and separated by the Veil. In Ancient times, Solas created the Veil to lock away the Evanuris and fell into uthenera after.

The substance of the Fade is sometimes referred to as the "ether".

In its raw form, the Fade is a twisted, frightening world of dark rock and raw lyrium veins where it is always night and gravity affects nothing equally. Gaps between dreams are such void places.

An island with the Black City, a shadowy metropolis with twisted spires seems to be the only constant feature of the Fade, always on the horizon. No one has managed to reach it since over-ambitious mages physically invaded the Fade in -395 Ancient. Even the most powerful demons keep their distance.

The Fade may appear as something else entirely when shaped by dreams. Much of the Fade is split up into fiefs or demesnes belonging to the spirits or demons that live there, and they change the landscape of the Fade to emulate what they see in the minds of mortal dreamers. They copy locations, objects, people and concepts of the real world, often in a cruel or confusing way. These copies are nowhere near consistent, and fluctuate according to the movement of the dreamers. Spirits whose realms are flocked with visitors rise to rule great portions of the Fade, while memories and concepts forgotten in the real world slowly drift away back into the ether, the spirits who ruled them losing all potency.

According to Solas, spirits and demons are more alike than most people realize. They are, in fact, often the mirror image of the same being, with spirits unwillingly brought across the Veil by mages having their purposes perverted and becoming demons.

According to the Chantry, the Fade is a realm of primeval matter from which the Maker formed the physical world and all living beings. It is sometimes compared to a well of souls, with lyrium being its "emerald waters." It was the first realm created by the Maker, populated with spirits, the first of the Maker's "children." Growing unsatisfied with them (as what they created was "fleeting, ever-changing"), he then created Thedas, separated from the Fade by the Veil and populated by mortal creatures. Many spirits grew jealous of these new children, and became what mortals call demons, craving and/or emulating their basest desires and sins.

The Chant of Light states that the Black City was originally the Golden City, seat of the Maker. An attempt by Tevinter magisters to physically enter the city blackened it with their prideful ambition, and their punishment was to be cast down as the first of the darkspawn, commencing the First Blight. When the Chant of Light spreads to all corners of the world, the Maker will forgive mankind and return, restoring the Golden City.

The Dalish refer to the Fade as the Beyond and believe that it is a holy place that was once the home of the gods. They also tell that following Fen'Harel's deception before the fall of Arlathan, the gods now lie imprisoned in the Eternal City at the heart of the Fade while the Dread Wolf roams, gleefully feasting on the souls of the dead.

Ancient elves also called the act of creating the Veil "holding back the sky". Thus they called the Fade "the sky".

Ancient Tevinters believed that the Fade was the realm of their Old Gods, and the Golden City was the center of the deities' power.

Belief and willpower are paramount in the Fade. Everything that exists there exists by expression of thought and reflects expectations of the dreamer. People dream of their loved ones in the Fade because the spirits there recognize the bond between souls, and that bond has power in dreams. An individual expecting to see a demon rather than a spirit will see one if they allow preconceptions to cloud their view of the dream world. A doorway in the Fade is simply a transition—it could be used to reach almost anywhere one desired.

Magic use is possible in the Fade, though spells work unpredictably there as magic does not follow natural rules. Even though a mage cannot change every aspect of the Fade (Dreamer mages have greater capabilities in this respect), they can draw unprecedented power from it while sleeping. Similarly, even non-mages may instinctively shape the Fade in small ways: armoring and arming themselves with weapons able to cut even in dreams. Though magic cannot see the future, mages can interpret special dreams; visions of the Fade, to make guesses as to what may come. All dreamers, however, whether mage or non-mage, may receive unique visions from the Fade. Fade visitors often speak of its shifting "paths" that can not be charted or secured but can be traversed with a guide, be it a wisp, spirits, ghosts, two legendary ravens called Fear and Deceit or even the "master-scryer" Falon'Din of the Elven Pantheon. Familiarity with shape allows the Forbidden Ones to travel paths unaided.

Every living being in Thedas enters the Fade when their spirit leaves their body after death. Fade spirits such as Justice claim that the souls of the dead pass to the Fade, but are uncertain of their subsequent fate.

The Dalish elves believe that in the time of Arlathan their ancestors did not die, but rather entered a dream-like stated called uthenera, in which their souls wandered the Fade, accompanied by Falon'Din and Dirthamen. They would learn the secrets of dreams, and some would return to the People with newfound knowledge.

The Chantry holds that when a person dies, their soul passes through the Fade to the afterlife and the Maker's side. Those who have turned away from the Maker enter the Fade and are lost, returning to the ether from which they were formed ("to the Void"). They are stuck in the Fade and doomed to wander endlessly. Some verses of the Chant of Light hint at reincarnation—or even of life after death, as the Cult of Spirits suggests.

Qunari consider the Fade the "Land of the Dead".

Uthenera (translated as "immortal") is a prolonged slumber practiced by ancient elves. Legends tell that ancient elves were immortal in the sense that they neither aged nor died from natural causes. Yet their elders eventually became weary of life and memories. Instead of dying they would voluntarily enter a slumber-like state known as uthenera. While their bodies would remain in the mortal realm, their spirits would cross the Veil and wander the shifting paths of the Beyond, accompanied by two children of Mythal: Falon'Din and his twin brother Dirthamen. This state did not necessarily equal death, as some would return, even after centuries, and share the secrets of dreams with the People. Yet many would never wake up: their bodies would deteriorate and they would in fact die.

The Dalish claim that in the time of Elvhenan uthenera was viewed as an act of reverence. An elder would retire to a chamber that was one part bed and one part tomb and, to great ceremony from all the extended family, would succumb to slumber. The family would continue to visit the chamber to pay respect to the one who made such a sacrifice.

Ancient elves did indeed enter uthenera when they felt no urge to go on. Before succumbing to slumber at least some of them would record their memories in Vir Dirthara.

At the end of their days all Mythal's servants would pass their knowledge on through Vir'Abelasan. After her murder many elders in her temple wept as they entered uthenera.

According to Felassan, some elves in uthenera were able to reach "perfection" and draw sustenence from the Fade rather than dying in their sleep. Elves in uthenera were tended by servants to prevent discomfort from waking them, and who bathed them in scented oils to provide them the spark of wisdom on their journey.

An elf who had perfected themselves no longer required the potion of water, honey and herbs used to keep mages alive during uthenera (this was determined by brushing the potion on the lips at the full moon and determining at the new moon if it had been imbibed or not). Such elves were moved into beds of pure white, signifying their achievement. In the days of Arlathan, Dreamers were also sometimes approached by earnest supplicants. These individuals would enter the Dreamers' burial/bed chamber and walk a labyrinth truly visible only to elves; if in earnest, they would find the answers they sought in their dreams.

Elvhenan, meaning "place of our people" in the elven language, was the original civilization of the elves, or elvhen. It covered all of Thedas, from the city of Arlathan to Ferelden, Orlais and lands west of Orlais. After humans arrived in Thedas, the elves clashed with the newly-formed Tevinter Imperium. Eventually, war broke out between the two empires, resulting in Tevinter's victory in -975 Ancient. The great city of Arlathan was buried underground with magic and the surviving elves enslaved by Tevinter.

Only Solas or other ancient elves like himself would know that the Black City is that of Arlathan that he trapped the Elven Gods in.

The Dalish retain vague memories of early history, when elven gods walked the earth, spoke to the people and provided them with knowledge, counsel and protection, while the people prayed and made offerings to them amongst lush forests and ancient trees. Elves did not age. They were not immortal, but they did not suffer from deterioration of mind or body. The Dalish believe that magic is the gift of their gods, and all elvhen once had it. It is said that elves built multiple cities. Most Dalish stories, however, focus on the fabled city of Arlathan, or "this place of love". As a result, human scholars came to believe that it was the only elven settlement of note. According to the elven calendar, it was founded around -7600 Ancient. The city was presumably located in the great forest in northern Thedas that bears its name. Arlathan was a place where the best of the ancient elves would go to trade knowledge, greet old friends, and settle disputes that had gone on for millennia, with homes, galleries and amphitheaters that stood for ages. According to the elven calendar, they made first contact with the dwarves in -4600 Ancient. The Dalish have no legends about fighting the dwarves, although they have a story about how the dwarves fear the sun because of Elgar'nan's fire. The dwarven Shaperate also speak of a Thedas entirely devoid of humans, when elves reigned over the land and dwarves ruled the underground. A rare few ancient works of great beauty depicting cooperation between them still remain. The Dalish tell that when humans first arrived, elves named them "shemlen", or "quicklings" for their short life span. Elves viewed the other race as brash, warlike and impatient. They contracted human diseases, some of which proved lethal. Furthermore, those who spent time with the humans found themselves aging. Fearful, elves immediately moved to close Elvhenan off from the humans to preserve their civilization.

But it was almost too late. As the human Tevinter Imperium rose to power, they moved to conquer Arlathan (aided, it is said, by demons and dragon thralls). According to the Dalish, when the city was breached, their ancestors chose to flee rather than fight. Then Tevinter magisters used their great destructive power to force the very ground to swallow Arlathan whole. Elves were enslaved, and human contact quickened their veins until every captured elf turned mortal. The Dalish attribute the failure of their gods to protect the people to the trickster god Fen'Harel, who had deceived both the elven pantheon and their nemeses, the Forgotten Ones, and had trapped them in heaven and in the abyss, respectively.

Elves were once a race comprised of beautiful, ethereal immortals who lived in harmony with nature and who never changed. They existed in a world without the Veil and called the Fade the "sky." Ancient memories tell of a city of blue glass spires and enormous green parks, with figures strolling along the pearly, glowing strips as if they walked on solid ground and bodies of lovers colliding in the air in an endless dance. The first elves, which included the Elven pantheon, were primeval Spirits who used raw lyrium to make themselves corporeal bodies. Elvhen sought both to explore the stillest roots of the Fade and to master the unchanging material world, delicate and stubborn when subjected to magic. Some of them manifested outside the Fade and built cities on the Earth. Elves maintained close relationships with spirits, who acted as keepers of knowledge and teachers. However, the Earth was the demesne of its pillars, the Titans. It rang with its own harmony, and elvhen hoped that if they listened to it, great works would unfold and they would make the Earth blossom. But earthquakes shook the cities they'd built, throwing down their work. Intent to tame the land, elves prepared to hunt the pillars of the earth and their witless and soulless workers. They believed their cause just and the death of their enemies a mercy and waged war upon the titans with burning light and Winged Death. Eventually, elvhen defeated the titans, killed at least one of them and started to mine their bodies for their blood, lyrium. War breeds fear and a desire for simplicity. Slowly elven generals became respected elders, then kings, and finally claimed divinity and were recognized as gods, the Evanuris. They declared the Earth their right and exiled spirits they proclaimed the Forbidden Ones for abandoning the People in their time of need and casting aside form to flee to where the Earth could not reach. Elven gods used orbs, or foci, to harness magical power.

Powerful magic allowed the Evanuris to enslave tens of thousands of their kin who were branded with the symbols of the gods, the vallaslin. The Evanuris restricted others from assuming some winged forms by labeling it sacrilege and took it upon themselves to dispense justice. Some refused to abide by those rules and lurked in the Void, waiting to strike.

The Evanuris built temples and lured the faithful with promises. These were no simple shrines but cities with buildings radiating out of the main edifice, with dedicated temple guards and a multitude of functionaries who conducted rituals, ablutions, and prayers overseen by High Keepers. At least some of them would shed their names the day they began their service and would pass their memories on through an artificial "well" at the end of their days. High priests who drank from the well gained collective knowledge of all priests before them, but became bound forever to the will of a particular deity, compelled to act as commanded. Elvhen also used veilfire to convey sights, sounds, and even emotions. Arlathan was the capital of the empire, but elvhen civilization existed before it and was not confined to the city nor to Thedas itself. Elves employed elaborate magical rituals to create "places between" from the fabric of time and space,made with yet different from both the waking world and the Fade. Such feat was a collective effort of thousands of elves who pulled raw essence from the Fade and formed pockets within it with their own rules of reality. These realms facilitated travel, were dedicated to one of the gods or served as a repository of knowledge. Both mortals in the fles and spirits could inhabit them. Elvhen settlements and structures were interconnected with magical mirrors serving as portals, eluvians, and were protected by creatures they called varterrals.

Some elvhen were deemed the "chosen" of the Evanuris, and less restrictions were imposed upon them. Elven nobles owned slaves and worshiped a specific deity. As in any empire, they committed unspeakable atrocities upon their subjects. Elvhen did not age,but could get wounded and die. Noble elven dead were cleaned up, with the internal tissue burned away by mages, and buried in intricate tombs inside urns and sarcophagi. Some noble dreamers entered uthenera, the eternal sleep. They would rest in great underground bedchambers while their bodies were tended to by servants - bathed in scented oils and fed by brushing a potion across the lips until they learned to draw sustenance from the Fade itself. Before entering uthenera, at least some elvhen recorded their memories in the Vir Dirthara. Supplicants followed rites to get counsel from elders in uthenera. The Evanuris were arrogant and fickle and warred amongst themselves. Andruil hunted mortals in addition to animals and was known as the Goddess of Sacrifice. Elgar'nan and Falon'Din had to appoint champions to fight to the death in their stead to settle a dispute, and thousands of servants toiled to carve an enormous monument as a testament to Elgar'nan's victory. Falon'Din's appetite for adulation was so great that he began wars to amass more worshipers, slaying countless victims. Only when the rest of the Evanuris blooded him in his own temple did he surrender. A song reveals rivalry between Sylaise and other gods, and her followers could kill each other over the color of a temple's roof trim. Ghilan'nain, the youngest of the gods, attained divinity after she agreed to let Andruil destroy the monsters and beasts she had created.

Mythal was the only voice of reason and the only one who genuinely cared for her people. Thus, when Andruil went hunting in the Void, grew mad and brought "plague" to her lands, Mythal challenged the hunter and stole her knowledge of how to find the Void, and peace returned.[38] An aeon had passed since the defeat of the titans, when the Evanuris in their greed discovered something terrible deep underground. In fear, elves sealed the tunnels with stone and magic and vowed to forget the place. At long last, the realization that false gods would destroy all sparked a rebellion.

The resistance was led by Solas, a close friend of Mythal, who was himself called a god though he refused to consider himself one. In turn, the gods warned the elvhen against him, calling him the Dread Wolf, an insult which Solas took as a badge of pride. Solas sought to set his people free from slavery to would-be gods and broke the chains of all who wished to join him. He created a refuge for former slaves in a remote valley and removed their vallaslin. The secret greeting from those Fen'Harel trusted features the name of a Forgotten one, Anaris, and was known to Mythal. Followers of Solas then fought back against the Evanuris. During the infighting, most eluvians were sealed to prevent an enemy from using them to attack. As a result, some servants got trapped in unreachable destinations and were left to die from starvation. Servants killed sleeping dreamers in their beds out of revenge. Solas also admitted that he got his hands bloody. As a last straw, the Evanuris murdered Mythal. Solas was unable to kill them, so he created the Veil to banish them forever. The act was referred to as "holding back the sky" and was performed in Skyhold, Solas' own castle. The results were catastrophic. The Veil blocked most people's conscious connection to the Fade and caused elvhen to begin aging. Places like the Vir Dirthara that were intrinsically tied to the Fade collapsed in on themselves, and paths between them crumbled, destroying eons of knowledge, killing many elvhen and even fracturing spirits. Solas himself was greatly weakened and fell into a centuries-long slumber.

Trapped in Thedas after the Veil's creation, elves mourned the past while new generations slowly lost understanding of it, and many elders wept as they entered uthenera. The elven calendar holds that humans first arrived in Thedas around -3100 Ancient. Some suggest that they came from across the ocean from the rainforests of Par Vollen to the north. For a while, humans and elves interacted and traded peaceably. Ancient underground ruins in the Brecilian Forest built by humans but bearing elven elements stand testament to those early contacts. It was a place of serenity, where the elders came to slumber and were visited by those who offered tribute to the gods on their behalf, until both local humans and elves perished in a war with an unknown enemy.

Centuries passed, and in -1195 Ancient, human kingdoms in the north united to form the mighty Tevinter Imperium, unaware that the elven city of Arlathan was hidden next to them. As the Imperium expanded eastward, settlers were met with hostilities from strange magic-wielding creatures with pointed ears, and human emissaries sent to make contact with the new neighbors never returned. Tevinter then built a fortress to watch over the border. Violence escalated over the next few decades, until in the summer of -998 Ancient several human settlements vanished into the forest. In retaliation, in -981 Ancient, in the reign of Archon Thalasian, imperial legions laid siege to the city of Arlathan. It lasted for six years and demanded significant resources from the attackers, leaving them vulnerable to an uprising of rival Inghirsh tribes to the south. Finally in -975 Ancient, pressed to swiftly end the war, Tevinter magisters resorted to blood magic. Together, they worked a spell that sank Arlathan into the ground, destroying its collected knowledge, culture, and art. However, in comparison with the war against the Evanuris, it was no more than "carrion feasting upon a corpse." Most elves fleeing Arlathan were captured by Tevinter and enslaved almost overnight. Yet some found shelter in the Cad'halash thaig. When dwarves of Kal-Sharok learned of this, they destroyed the thaig to cover all evidence that would jeopardize their alliance with the human empire. Battles also took place in other parts of Thedas, such as Sundermount near Kirkwall. Arcane warriors known as the Enasalin'abelas, "sorrowful victory," made their last stand there, bound by duty to protect their slumbering elders. Both sides unleashed horrors into the waking world, and Fade creatures they summoned still prowl the heights.

Elgar'nan—also known as the All-Father, the Eldest of the Sun, He Who Overthrew His Father, The Father of Retribution —represents fatherhood and vengeance and leads the pantheon with the goddess Mythal. In narrative, he represents promise before acceptance. The power before the price. The moment of choice that precedes justice or vengeance, rise or fall.

Mythal, the Protector and the All-Mother, and goddess of love , is the patron of motherhood and justice and leads the pantheon with her male counterpart, Elgar'nan. She was a friend of Solas and was ultimately murdered by her fellow Evanuris.

Falon'Din is the elven God of Death and Fortune and guides the dead to the Beyond. He and his twin brother, Dirthamen, are the eldest children of Elgar'nan the All-Father and Mythal the Protector. In narrative, he's the unfamiliar that precedes change. The willing sleep that calms or changes desire. endings were different in the time of immortals.

Dirthamen is the twin brother of Falon'Din and is the elven god of secrets and knowledge, and master of the ravens Fear and Deceit. Dirthamen gave to elves the gift of knowledge and taught them loyalty and faith in family.

Andruil is the elven Goddess of the Hunt, known also as "blood and force," "great hunter," and "The Lady of Fortune." In narrative, she is purpose. She grants strength of clarity but blindness to trickery. Blood and force, spare us the moment we become your prey. Sylaise, the Hearthkeeper, is the goddess of all the domestic arts and the sister of Andruil the Huntress. Sylaise gave the elves fire, and taught them how to weave rope and thread, and to use herbs and magic for healing purposes. In narrative, she is the hearth you leave and return to. The comfort that bookends a journey where everything, especially self, has become unfamiliar.

June is the elven Master of Crafts. He is variously described either as a brother to Andruil and Sylaise or as Sylaise's husband. He taught the elves to make bows, arrows, and knives to hunt Andruil's gifts. In narrative, he is the means, and the tools by which needs are met or obstacles conquered. His will hides in the actions of others. Ghilan'nain is called the Mother of the halla—white deer-like creatures revered by the Dalish and used to pull their aravel, or "landships"—and goddess of navigation. In narrative, she is the price and acceptance of purpose, and the becoming that allows no return. Betrayal and devotion became equals to her.

Fen'Harel - The Dread Wolf is an enigmatic trickster god of the elves, whose supposed betrayal of both the benevolent Creators and the malefic Forgotten Ones is the only explanation most elves have for the destruction of Arlathan. Dalish clans view him with wariness and seek to protect themselves and their kin from his treachery. His narrative role changes with the curse of perspective. He has as many faces as names. His arrival is as much profanity as prayer.

It is revealed by Solas in Mythal's temple that this could be a misinterpretation by the Dalish and instead he was the god of rebellion.

Titans, also known as "the pillars of the earth", are primordial entities that dwell deep beneath the earth. They are massive creatures who sing in the Stone, shaping it. There is no mention of titans in Orzammar's Memories, although there are at least two dwarven texts which describe them predating the First Blight. The knowledge of the titans was likely erased from the Memories by the Shapers as it would have huge implications for dwarven culture and faith. The titans are said to have sculpted the world, and the earthquakes may be their method of reshaping Thedas. The titans consider dwarves their "children". Lyrium has been called "blood of the titans" The substance emanates a song that is different from the call of the Old Gods. The space within the only known titan is a gargantuan cavern with its own verdant ecosystem, with stalactites interconnected with bridges and dotted with structures. It houses the civilization of the Sha-Brytol who regard themselves as the titan's guardians and drink its blood for sustenance. The place has an organic feel to it, and darkspawn avoid it for an unknown reason. This titan has been asleep for centuries. The last time it awoke was during the rule of King Orseck Garal, around -1170 Ancient, before the fall of Arlathan, and its rhythm "bled despair". Eventually something caused the titans to fall, and according to Valta the fate of dwarves fell with them. According to a song, earthquakes once shook Elvhenan cities, and they sought to tame the land. They went to war with the titans and considered the dwarves to be "witless" and "soulless". In veilfire runes it is depicted that Mythal struck down at least some of the titans and gave the land to the elves, who would make it blossom with the titans' passing. They mined titans' bodies for lyrium, but eventually collapsed the mines and sealed them with stone and magic out of fear - what the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would destroy all in its anger.

The taint is a corruption spread by the darkspawn that ultimately makes the victim hear the call of the Old Gods. It can be transmitted through contact with darkspawn blood and fluids, or through objects imbued with the taint. The contact does not automatically make one sick, but there is a great chance of it. Taint also manifests as spidery tendrils of black rot, along with a dry shiny film covering underground passages used by darkspawn. As the corruption progresses, it gathers into black sacs the size of a man lining the floor or hanging from the ceiling. The taint spread by the darkspawn corrupts the living. Many who have contracted the Blight sickness die within hours. Others wither away slowly from a "wasting illness". In its more contagious form the disease is often referred to as "a plague". The taint that emanates from the body of an Archdemon is especially strong compared with that of other darkspawn, and many would-be slayers have died on the spot simply attempting to penetrate the foul malaise that surround such creatures.

The darkspawn horde is connected through the taint, functioning as a hive-mind. While high ranking darkspawn like emissaries or alphas have a limited influence upon small groups, and the Architect and the Mother also command larger groups, only an Archdemon can command the entire horde.

Some people and animals exposed to the taint are transformed into ghouls, who pay for a prolonged existence with their sanity. The longer an infected creature lives, the more it will manifest aggressive or even rabid behavior, hair loss and numerous deformities, protrusions, boils and sores. Once the taint progresses enough, the darkspawn recognize ghouls as their own kind, and ghouls can sense darkspawn and hear the call of an Archdemon. Even ghouls will ultimately be killed by the disease, leaving whole areas completely lifeless.

When the taint comes into contact with the local flora it usually poisons and kills the plants and trees making the area infertile for many years. However deep mushrooms often grow close to darkspawn bodies and tend to carry the taint even though they can't transmit it, while the nearly extinct felicidus aria is the only plant growing on the blighted Silent Plains. The Black City taints spirits foolish enough to draw too close.

The Tevinter Imperium, or simply Tevinter, is the oldest extant human nation and the only magocracy in Thedas. In ancient times, in the wake of their destruction of the elven empire, the Imperium held uncontested dominion over the entire continent for almost a millennium. Several Blights, Exalted Marches and a protracted war with the Qunari have led to Tevinter’s decline. Despite having lost much of its power, the Imperium remains a very powerful nation. Its culture is distinguished by the importance of mages, the Imperial Chantry as well as the open practice of slavery. For these reasons, as well as its history as a conqueror and the role its magisters played in starting the Blights, Tevinter is the most hated nation in Thedas. The area now corresponding to Tevinter was settled around -3100 Ancient by the Neromenian tribe, the first recorded humans in Thedas, where they were met with hostility from the elves that already inhabited the continent. The elves withdrew following the arrival of the Neromenians, allowing them to spread unchecked across Thedas. Around -2800 Ancient, the Neromenians first started worshipping the Old Gods. Learning the Old Gods’ magic empowered them, allowing them to unite as the Tevinter Imperium in -1195 under Archon Darinius. Two centuries later, in -998 Ancient, following increased border tensions with the elves, the Imperium destroyed Arlathan and sacked Elvhenan. Empowered by the enslaving of elvenkind, the Imperium spread even more rapidly across Thedas, at its greatest extent encompassing almost the entire continent. Tevinter’s decline can be said to begin in -395 Ancient, when a group of Tevinter magisters unleashed the First Blight upon the world. The Blight, led by the now-corrupted Old God Dumat, ravaged the Imperium for nearly two centuries before the newly-formed Grey Wardens ended the conflict. Severely weakened, the Imperium fell prey to rebellion.

Andraste’s Exalted March liberated all southern Tevinter in -170 Ancient,[9] while other nations followed suit in the centuries to come. After Andraste’s death, the Imperium converted to Andrastianism, adapting it to its political needs. Their differing beliefs on magic eventually led to a rift with the southern nations, causing the Imperium to split from the Orlesian Chantry in 3:87 Towers and form the Imperial Chantry. Four Exalted Marches were called on the Imperium between 4:40 and 5:10 Exalted, to no avail. In 6:30 Steel, the Imperium was invaded by the Qunari. The two Chantries briefly put aside their differences to ally against this new threat, launching New Exalted Marches from 7:25 to 7:84 Storm to reclaim lost territory. The Imperium was the only human nation not to sign the Llomerryn Accords which ended the war, refusing to surrender sovereignty over Seheron, and has engaged in conflict with the Qunari ever since.

Ferelden is a kingdom located in southeastern Thedas. It borders Orlais along the Frostback Mountains to the west, the Amaranthine Ocean to the east, the Waking Sea to the north and the Korcari Wilds to the south. Most of the nation is dominated by a vast plain known as the Bannorn. The eastern third of the nation is dominated by the Brecilian Forest, whilst the west of the nation comprises Lake Calenhad. The nation is a feudal elective monarchy. It is ruled by a king or queen who is elected by the Landsmeet. Its capital is Denerim. The area now corresponding to Ferelden was first settled in -2415 Ancient by the Alamarri tribes. Parts of Ferelden were for a time part of the Tevinter Imperium. Andraste, the principal figure of Andrastianism, was born in Denerim around -203 Ancient. She led the Alamarri in the First Exalted March against Tevinter. During the Exalted Age, Calenhad Theirin united the Alamarri tribes and became the first king of Ferelden. Orlais invaded and annexed Ferelden during the early Blessed Age. Starting during the second half of the Blessed Age and continuing into the Dragon Age, the Fereldan Rebellion under the leadership of Maric Theirin and Loghain Mac Tir was able to defeat the Orlesians and to obtain independence. Ferelden was the only nation affected by the Fifth Blight in 9:30 and 9:31 Dragon, which was ultimately defeated in the Battle of Denerim.

The Orlesian Empire, or simply Orlais, is one of the largest and most powerful human nation in Thedas due to its religious influence and military strength. As the historic home of the Orlesian Chantry and Divine, the Empire has maintained its privileged relationship with the religious institution since its establishment in -3 Ancient. The Orlesian Empire is known throughout Thedas for its extravagant culture and intricate politics, embodied by the Grand Game. The Empire is a monarchy ruled by an Emperor or Empress. The capital is Val Royeaux, which is also the seat of the Orlesian Chantry. The territories of the Empire were initially settled by various human tribes, notably the Ciriane and Inghirsh. These were at some point subjugated by the Tevinter Imperium and fought alongside it during the First Blight. Andraste and Maferath expelled Tevinter from the territories of Orlais during the Exalted March against the Tevinter Imperium. These territories subsequently came under the rule of one of Maferath's sons, Isorath, who centralized the realm of the Ciriane with large reforms known as the Grand Unification in -155 Ancient. Isorath would eventually be assassinated and succeeded by his wife, Jeshavis, who is credited with the creation of the Game. The Empire in its current form was created under the rule of Kordillus Drakon I, who was crowned Emperor in -3 Ancient. He is responsible for the creation of the Chantry and the expansion of Andrastianism throughout both Orlais and the rest of Thedas.

Under his rule Orlais' borders were drastically expanded into what are now the Anderfels, Nevarra and the Free Marches. He also fought off the Second Blight which began in 1:05 Divine. His son proved unable to maintain the gains of his father and the Anderfels became independent in 1:65 Divine. In the time since, Orlais has remained the principal human nation in Thedas, in a perpetual rivalry with Tevinter. It has been involved in many conflicts: it was heavily involved in the Third Blight, but only sent token forces during the Fourth and Fifth Blights. It led an Exalted March against the elven Dales from 2:10 to 2:20 Glory, in the aftermath of which the Dales were annexed. Orlais waged four wars against Tevinter between 4:40 Black and 5:10 Exalted in response to the proclamation of the Tevinter Black Divine. In the early Exalted Age, Orlais was repeatedly defeated by Nevarra, which it had conquered and lost several times over the preceding centuries, marking the end of Orlesian ambitions in Nevarra. The Empire briefly occupied Kirkwall after liberating it from the Qunari in 7:60 Storm, before being expelled by a rebellion in 8:04 Blessed. Orlais also took part in the Qunari Wars during the Steel Age and the Storm Age. It also invaded Ferelden on two separate occasions, once in 4:80 Black and again in 8:24 Blessed. Whilst the first invasion of Ferelden saw the Orlesians expelled after only three years, the second invasion proved more successful. The Empire completed their conquest of Ferelden in 8:44 Blessed and occupied the country until the Fereldan Rebellion saw the Orlesians defeated in 9:00 Dragon. However, in 8:46 Nevarra launched a quick offensive while Orlesian armies were committed in Ferelden, and forced the Empire to permanently cede the city of Perendale to them.

An ancient darkspawn who was trapped inside a Grey Warden prison located in the Vimmark Mountains. Corypheus was once a human Magister by the name of Sethius Amladaris. He was the High Priest of Dumat and was also one of the Magisters Sidereal, the group of seven high priests of the Old Gods within the Magisterium. House Amladaris was considered mediocre, Sethius middling, but he believed himself deserving of more. According to one of his slaves, whose words were somehow preserved in the Fade, Sethius was never a cruel man, but the weakening of the temples and the loss of his followers had brought fear into his heart. With the other Magisters Sidereal, he discussed ways to return the people of Tevinter to the ways of the Old Gods. As a result, when Dumat started whispering to Sethius in his dreams, promising to raise him to godhood if he entered the Fade to claim the Golden City, Sethius heeded the call. Unable to accomplish this extraordinary feat on his own, he called on the other six high priests of the Old Gods for help. However, as only one of them would be raised to godhood, they schemed against each other for power, hid their identities and assumed aliases to protect themselves. Sethius took on the name of Corypheus, the Conductor of the Choir of Silence, as he led the Magisters Sidereal, co-ordinating their efforts to achieve a magical feat never accomplished before in human history. The Magisters succeeded in physically entering the Fade in -395 Ancient; the spell reportedly required two-thirds of the lyrium in the Tevinter Imperium and the lifeblood of several hundred slaves, presumably elven ones as Corypheus believed that the elves of old were tied to the Fade. According to Chantry lore, when the Magisters Sidereal entered the Golden City, their pride and desire corrupted it, turning it black. The Maker, on his throne inside the Golden City, cast them down and turned away from his children.

However, according to Corypheus, the Golden city was already black when they reached it, and the throne was empty. After his fall in -395 Ancient, Corypheus lay in a dormant state until he awoke in the aftermath of the First Blight in -191 Ancient. The Grey Wardens discovered several darkspawn capable of thought and speech and prodigiously powerful magic and also able to command and lead portions of the darkspawn horde even in the absence of an Archdemon. The Grey Warden, Sashamiri, acting on the orders of Warden-Commander Farele, set a trap in the Vimmark Mountains to capture the most powerful of these creatures: Corypheus. In -189 Ancient, Sashamiri imprisoned Corypheus in a tower stemming from the Deep Roads in the middle of the Vimmark Mountains. During the early years of the Dragon Age, the seals keeping Corypheus locked began to weaken. Since no Warden could safely approach the prison, Warden-Commander Larius approached a Fereldan apostate named Malcolm Hawke and forced him to use blood magic to strengthen the seals inside the prison. He tricked the Champion of Kirkwall, Hawke, in freeing him and pretending to die. Unbeknownst to Hawke or the Grey Wardens, Corypheus possesses the same ability as an Archdemon to transfer his essence through the taint and leaves the Grey Warden prison in the body of Janeka or Larius. Free of the prison, Corypheus's mind eventually recovers and he is able to think clearly once more. Due to his experience in the Black City, Corypheus comes to believe that the Old Gods are dead and the more recent Maker is a lie, and resolves to end the search for religion completely. He decides to achieve this by attaining apotheosis through returning to the Black City and restoring the Tevinter Imperium to its former glory, creating a true deity capable of intervening in mortal affairs.

Corypheus settled on a design to reach the Fade physically once more and restore Tevinter by surreptitiously seizing control of or disabling the most powerful factions in southern Thedas. Corypheus is even able to sway some of the most powerful Demons in the Fade to his cause, and most notably achieves an alliance with Nightmare, an exceptionally powerful Fear demon that had fed well on the banquet of fear Corypheus's actions had created in causing the Blights. The Nightmare amplified Corypheus' false Calling throughout every Grey Warden in Orlais. Deceived into believing that the death of the order was inevitable and without them to stop the Sixth Blight, the Wardens became desperate; leading Warden-Commander Clarel de Chanson to make a deal with Venatori Magister Livius Erimond (one of Corypheus's underlings, unbeknownst to the Wardens) into performing a blood magic ritual that allowed them to bind demons to their control, creating the perfect army to invade the Deep Roads and kill the remaining Old Gods before they could become Archdemons preventing any further Blights. The ritual however had the side effect of leaving the Warden mages and the demons completely enslaved to Corypheus's will, giving Corpyheus an army of demons and powerful mages to use. Corypheus also recruited a former slave named Calpernia to lead the Venatori, a Tevinter nationalist supremacist cult, who believe that Corypheus will allow them to rule Thedas as god-kings in his stead once he returns to the Black City. Corypheus sent a Venatori Magister, Gereon Alexius, to Redcliffe to persuade the rebel mages to become his indentured servants in exchange for eventual Tevinter citizenship, thus allowing them to escape the Templar Order and settle in the north. In truth, the southern mages would only be used to bolster the numbers of the Venatori and serve as fodder in any future engagements.

Corypheus also set out to subvert the Templar Order and bring them under his control. At one point before the Kirkwall Rebellion, Corypheus (whom was still possessing either Larius or Janeka at the time) met with the ex-templar vagrant Raleigh Samson for reasons unknown before they were sighted by Hawke. When Hawke attempted to approach them, the two avoided them by disappearing into one of Lowtown's intricate shantytowns. With the Templars now separate from the Chantry who control the Lyrium trade with Orzammar, the Templars began looking for a new supply. Using Samson as an infiltrator, Corypheus gradually introduced red lyrium to the Templars, convincing them it was superior to ordinary lyrium. Since red lyrium carries the darkspawn taint through which Corypheus could project his will, it would grant Corypheus complete control of any Templar using it. Corypheus arranged for an Envy demon to replace Lord Seeker Lucius Corin and begin corrupting the senior Templars with red lyrium, aiming to eventually twist the bulk of the order into the monstrous Red Templars. Corypheus also uses red lyrium to transform a High dragon into a imitation of an archdemon, creating his Red lyrium dragon that would serve as both a symbol of his power as well as a formidable weapon on the battlefield. Corypheus was eventually presented with an opportunity to seize an elven artifact of unprecedented power called the Orb of Destruction. Agents of Fen'Harel allowed the Venatori to locate it and they presented the orb to Corypheus to unlock the Orb's true power. Fen'Harel was too weak after awakening from his long slumber to do it himself, and knowing the Elder One planned on making use of the ancient artifact to realize his dream of godhood, manipulated him into unlocking the orb for him with the belief that Corypheus would die in the resulting explosion. After Corypheus obtained the Orb, he compelled his followers to refer to him by his new divine moniker: "The Elder One".

With his plans in motion to bring three armies under his control, Corypheus infiltrates the Chantry's peace conclave between the Templar Order and ambassadors of the Mage Rebellion at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. With the help of several controlled Grey Warden mages, Corypheus uses blood magic to sacrifice Divine Justinia V to power the orb and grant himself the anchor allowing him to enter the Fade at will. However the ritual is unwittingly interrupted by the future Inquisitor. As the Inquisitor picks up the Orb of Destruction, the anchor affixes to them instead and the disrupted ritual results in the Breach. Corypheus seemingly managed to survive the creation of the Breach and slipped away without his presence being noted by the factions present.

The enigmatic Orb of Destruction is an ancient elven artifact of immense power that, after performing a specific ritual, allows its user to either breach the Veil and enter the Fade physically, or close breaches already opened. It is also known as a Foci. According to Solas the orb also augments both the physical and magical power of anyone who wields it. In the Tevinter Imperium of old, similar orbs were often referred to as "Somnaborium" (translated as "Vessels of Dreams)". Only Solas knows that the true name of the artifact is the "Orb of Fen'Harel."

He wants to get the orb back from Corypheus but does not wish for anyone to know it was his.

The elves of Arlathan left no roads to travel between their cities. Instead, they used these enchanted mirrors to communicate and travel from great distances, using a type of magic different from that of the modern Circle of Magi or even the Tevinter Imperium. Eventually many eluvians were destroyed. An unknown number of eluvians have survived to the present day, scattered across Thedas in forgotten or well hidden locations, but they seemingly stopped functioning or became corrupted, capable of spreading the darkspawn taint. It was assumed that their use was lost after the fall of Arlathan. The Tevinters attempted to unlock the secrets of the eluvians, but all they could use them for was long-distance communication. Some Dalish have also attempted to rediscover and reactivate the eluvian network to no avail. Eluvians are connected to one another via pathways in another realm, separate from the Fade. The realm—largely colorless but for a brightly-lit stone path—was created by the elves of Arlathan and is inimical to humans, who experience disorientation and physical discomfort that elves don't.[3] In fact, the grey strange world between the eluvians seems to "like" elves, responding and filling with color at their touch. Elves appear to see this world differently, and also move much quicker than humans while in it. The Crossroads are a separate dimension beyond the waking world and beneath the Fade, where all Eluvians, join.

A member of the noble Trevelyan family from Ostwick in the Free Marches. The Trevelyan family has close ties with the Templar Order. Being a mage in her family, Evelyn lived a cloistered, protected life in the Ostwick Circle before the Mage-Templar War forced them to flee and join the mage delegation at the Chantry conclave. When the explosion of the Conclave happened, she was the sole survivor of the blast and had a mark upon her left hand. At first, she was blamed for the death of the Divine, but later proved her innocence and rose as a symbol as the Herald of Andraste. After the battle of Haven and the Inquisition moving to Skyhold, she was crowned Inquisitor.

Evelyn is a virtuous woman who seeks justice for those equally, her main goal to stop Corypheus once and for all.