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Welcome to DA Talk, an exploration into the world of Thedas and its long history of faith
and conflict. Today, we speak of the Old Gods, seven Dragon deities once worshiped in Ancient
times and now synonymous with the Blight. As we descend into the depths of blood magic,
depravity, and death, two things will be answered: who are the Old Gods and how will they reappear
in Thedas and beyond.
Let us begin with the story of seven Dragons, seven Gods who have spanned the long course
of Thedas' history. Dumat, the God of Silence. Zazikel, the god of Chaos. Toth: The god of
Fire. Andoral: god of Slaves. Urthemiel: god of beauty. Razikale: the god of mystery. And
Lusacan: of Night.
In Ancient times, from approximately years 2800 to 395, between the rise of men and the
mighty reign of the Tevinter Imperium, the main religion centered on the dragon deities.
The Old Gods whispered to their chosen, teaching magic to humanity. An Archon named Thalsian,
a magister of Tevinter, claimed to have learned blood magic from the Old God Dumat. Sacrifices
to these gods at their respective temples were common, especially sacrificing Elven
slaves as fuel to perform outrageous, yet powerful acts of magic. But in some time,
the Old Gods became betrayers, malformed into sick, twisted creatures called Archdemons.
The same Archdemons we know that bring the Blights.
The true tale of how the Blights came to be are unclear; however, as centuries have aged,
so have the tales that have pervaded through religion and cultures. The Chantry tells the
tale of the Golden City, the house of the true God called the Maker, and all of its
glorious splendor. "The magisters wanted more. They used magic, fueled by blood, to physically
step into the Fade and approach the Golden City. For their audacity, they were cast out
as the first darkspawn, and the corrupted Golden City blackened." Furious, the Maker
abandoned humanity to its fate and imprisoned the Old Gods deep within the earth. But as
the Old Gods slept, one by one was found. the Darkspawn tainted and converted them into
what the world knows as Archdemons.
Or so the Chantry says, as the alternative to the story comes from Hawke, the Champion
of Kirkwall, who in sometime between years 31 and 37 of the Dragon Age, sought out a
Grey Warden prison, released and slew Corypheus, one of the claimed ancient magisters loyal
to the Old God Dumat. While true that the magisters physically entered the Fade, under
the promise that they would have "the power of the gods themselves," they did not find
a Golden City. Dumat betrayed his faithful by luring them into a city of Black, only
to be casted out and left tainted. Nothing else of the tale was said except the years
of silence.
The true story of what happened has been lost with time, but the Old Gods continue their
influence in the world. Both as Darkspawn and as the pride of Old. Let us move from
the remnants of history and shift into the present.
The Chantry, or more specifically the Andrastian Chantry, is based on the prophet Andraste,
the alleged bride of the Maker, the one true god. Magic is meant to serve man, not rule
over him. Magic is a horrible gift that must be controlled and used for the good of man,
in order to prevent humanity (and practically, all kind) from plunging into the same depravity
that lured the ancient magisters to defile the Golden City.
The Andrastian Chantry and all of its teachings preach of the false Old Gods and the ancient
magisters who succumbed to blood magic, thus forcing the Blights against all kind. The
Old Gods themselves were not gods, but strong and powerful spirits who turned against the
Maker. Believable or not, the Chant's explanation for the Blights is one of the widely accepted
explanations for the origins of the Darkspawn.
However, Tevinter views and respects Ancient times in an entirely different mentality.
While nowhere as strong as it used to be, the Tevinter Imperium is still a prideful
hub for magic. Its class-based system reigns everyday life, from the social climate to
the Imperial Chantry.
The class system involves four classes, from bottom to top: the Slaves, the Soporati, the
Laetans, and the Altus. The Altus are composed of the descendants of the original Dreamers,
and are the most powerful citizens of Tevinter. Slaves are commonly at the whims of the magisters,
some dying for the sake of desired power. Not at lengths of the old days of Tevinter
where hundreds upon thousands were sacrificed to the temples of the Old Gods, but the acts
of blood magic still practiced willingly in secret.
Worship of the Old Gods is not commonplace, or held in polite company, as the Imperial
Chantry stands in its place: a variation of the Andrastian Chantry that completely allows
magic, but continues to recognize the Maker. Joining the Circle of Magi is a privilege;
unlike the depressive Circle of Magi in other parts of Thedas. What used to be organized
by the Soporati and Laetans, the Chantry itself is ruled by Altus again. The strongest magisters
still reign. In the current day, it is impossible to separate magic and Tevinter's way of life.
The Grey Wardens
In direct conflict are the Grey Wardens, devoted men and women who undertake the Darkspawn
taint in order to fight the blights. In order to fight the Archdemons. It's an unfortunate,
yet necessarily symbiotic relationship: an Archdemon rises and a new Blight begins. Grey
Wardens recruit new members through the Joining, a blood magic ritual which uses Darkspawn
and Archdemon blood. Fighting, death...and the Archdemon slain by sacrificing a Grey
Warden. Grey Wardens harvest blood from the Archdemon, then wait until the next Blight.
Then, the cycle continues.
As those afflicted with the taint, the Wardens have a capability that the common folk, the
nobility, even to an extent some royalty, do not know: Wardens know the locations of
the Old Gods' prisons. Deeply rooted in the depths of the Deep Roads are these jails,
whether the Old Gods are actually imprisoned or simply slumbering, but these locations
are infested with legions of Darkspawn. Not all Wardens can sense the prisons, as that
sensitivity must strengthen as the taint ages with its host. While it may be suicidal for
Wardens to venture out to an Old God, the locations are clear.
While no one knows the source of their power, Old Gods have a passive ability that beckons
and lures the Darkspawn to enact their bidding. The sound the Archdemons produce are as familiar
as the singing hum of raw lyrium. The connection has not been completely studied, as many attempts
have caused dangerous complications. For instance, the interrogation of Corypheus caused more
Wardens to become enthralled and unstable. The song the Darkspawn and Wardens hear is
a gradually intense song that is painfully incapable of resisting.
The Architect, a self-aware Darkspawn (not under the call of the Archdemons), has enacted
a number of attempts to change the course for his Darkspawn brethren. While most Darkspawn
are under the mercy of the Archdemon's beckoning call, the Architect and its awakened others
reverse-engineered the Grey Warden's Joining by using Warden blood to become aware. But
in its attempts to prevent the Blights, the Architect has directly interfered in Thedas'
livelihood. He incidentally started the Fifth Blight by awakening Urthemiel, Archdemon head
of the Fifth Blight, in a failed attempt to turn him. It also attempted to spread the
taint to all people in Thedas, but King Maric and a number of Grey Wardens stopped the plan.
Depending on the actions of the Hero of Ferelden, the Architect may still involve itself in,
at the very least, two more blights.
The Old Gods compel Darkspawn hordes to enact their will; until they are disabled, many
believe the Blights will continue. Allegedly, the Grey Wardens have destroyed four Old Gods:
Dumat, Zazikel, Toth, and Andoral. It is up to the Warden, the Hero of Ferelden, whether
the fifth Old God urthemiel is destroyed or kept alive by Morrigan. Morrigan, the Witch
of the Wilds, who offered to enact a blood ritual to store Urthemiel's soul into an unborn
child, to serve an unknown purpose. Meanwhile, Razikale and Lusacan still slumber in the
Deep Roads.
The Grey Wardens will seek to rid Thedas of the Old Gods. The song is too strong to allow;
the Darkspawn horde too big a threat; the Archdemon too caustic to keep alive. Two known
Blights are to come, and we know the Wardens to hold their promise to fight the Darkspawn.
Or, at least, until something more sinister comes into play. And once again, they stand
alone to challenge it.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
To be clear, Dragon Age: Inquisition revolves around the Veil tearing and demons pouring
from the Fade to the world. No one expects Darkspawn, as the Fifth Blight only ended
a decade ago. However, three elements may play into exacerbating a larger Darkspawn
threat. Perhaps, the sixth blight.
The Architect, the self-aware Darkspawn, may incite another Blight if left alive. While
its first attempt against Urthemiel failed, if the Warden-Commander allowed the Architect
to leave, it may use its freedom to provoke another Darkspawn reaction, such as the ones
who attacked Amaranthine, or another Blight, as it did with Urthemiel. Further, it may
continue to harvest Grey Wardens in order to turn other Darkspawn. More awakened Darkspawn
may quell the numbers in the Deep Roads, but to allow allegiance with Darkspawn, who are
essentially corruptions of flesh, may cause more turmoil on the surface.
Alternatively, the Grey Wardens are acting suspect. During the Qunari occupation of Kirkwall,
the Wardens in passing encountered Hawke and hinted at a greater threat to Thedas than
the Qunari. While it is expected to suspect something involving Darkspawn, especially
with the Wardens who investigated the red lyrium tunnels of the Deep Roads, no other
clues indicate the Grey Wardens' true motives. Well, other than an alleged Blight in the
Anderfels. Again. As mentioned in the end of Awakening.
And finally, if the player chose to have Morrigan enact the blood magic ritual before the Battle
at Denerim, Urthemiel may prove another threat. While Urthemiel is born again as Morrigan's
child, no clear answer exists if the boy will have the same native call the other Old Gods
have, if he knows what he did during ancient times, if indoctrinated by Morrigan to have
other memories, or is born again without any knowledge of his past but all the same magical
prowess. It's unclear what the boy mage will do with Morrigan to guide him, with his involvement
in future Blights with the last two Old Gods Razikale and Lusacan.
It's better to look beyond Inquisition on the resolution of the Old Gods and the Blights.
No guarantees exist in the Blights and Darkspawn ending by defeating the last two gods Razikale
and Lusacan. If Corypheus was honest, the Golden City was already tainted black and
the Chantry's answers for the Blight may be completely wrong. If the Chantry is right,
all nations will need to band under the Maker for him to come back; however, with the Qun
and other religions in stark opposition, we may never see this day. Heroes like the Warden,
Hawke, and the Inquisitor will challenge the future of Thedas: whether it has the right
to continue as the realm of the living, or if the demons will strike everyone down before
the Blight has the chance.
Ending
That is the end of the Talk on the Old Gods. Thank you for watching! This week's question
is a simple one: how do you think the Blight will end?
My personal belief is when the calling is done and gone. When the song is no longer
there and both the Darkspawn and the Grey Wardens can be at peace with their thoughts.
The song itself drives the Darkspawn to the pinnacle of madness and insanity. If we are
to believe the Architect will help the Darkspawn become aware, we may see a cross between two
groups - the enlightened Darkspawn who have a mind of their own and the impossibly deranged
Darkspawn who will need to be strike down. As we saw in Awakening, not all Darkspawn
are sane after they are rid of the song. The Mother was the best example, turning into
a crazed creature. Becoming a Darkspawn is a corruption, and as made evident in Origins,
broodmothers are the most sickening creatures, created with means as heinous as blood magic.
Once the Old Gods are dead, or rather neutralized, and the indoctrinating song no longer exists,
we may see the Darkspawn manage themselves in the Deep Roads. Or slay each other out
of survival. Time will tell.
Thanks for watching. Hope you enjoyed - leave your answer to the Question of the Video or
any response, either positive or negative, in the box below. Or if you don't like Youtube,
check the description for other methods of leaving your comment for the next video. Take
care - I will see you next time.