Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.
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Origin Stories
For generations, your family, the Couslands, has stewarded the lands of Highever, earning the loyalty of your people with justice and temperance. When your country was occupied by the Orlesian Empire, your father and grandfather served the embattled kings of your land. Today, your elder brother takes up House Cousland’s banner in service to the Crown—not against the men of Orlais, but against the bestial darkspawn rising in the south.
— Human Noble Origin
Denerim: the largest city and capital of Ferelden. Long ago, the elves lived as slaves to humans, and though they’ve been free for many generations now, they are far from equals. Here they live in walled-off community known as the Alienage working as servants and laborers when they can. Despite these hardships, Denerim’s elves are a strong people who take pride in their close community. This is the only world you’ve ever known… until now.
— City Elf Origin
You were born amidst the Dalish elves: noble wanderers who refuse to join the society of humans that subjugated their homeland so long ago. The Dalish travel the land in tightly knit clans, struggling to maintain their half-forgotten lore in a human world that fears and despises them. You spend your time hunting with your clan-mate Tamlen in the forests, and as is sometimes the case, your quarry is not always the local wildlife…
— Dalish Elf Origin
On a cliff overlooking the dark waters of Lake Calenhad stands the tower fortress that is home to the Circle of Magi. This tower is the only place in Ferelden where mages may study their art among others of their kind. Within the high stone walls, the circle practices its magic and trains apprentices in the proper use of their powers. But the Circle Tower is as much a prison as a refuge; the ever-vigilant templars of the Chantry watch over all mages, constantly alert for any sign of corruption. This gilded cage is the only world you know. Found to be sensitive to magic at a young age, you were torn from your family and grafted here as an apprentice. Now, that apprenticeship is nearly over and all that remains is the final test: the Harrowing.
— Magi Origin
Deep beneath the Frostback Mountains sits Orzammar, largest and proudest of the two remaining dwarven cities. Once the seat of an underground empire, Orzammar now stands alone, cut off from the world by the darkspawn, still clinging to the memory of its former glory. Below the vast statues and gilded halls where the noble families play at politics, the lower castes live in their shadows, scurrying to serve like their Ancestors before them. Below that… is you. You are casteless, the dirty secret staining Orzammar's perfect society, forced, along with your sister, to sell your services to the crime lord, Beraht. To the rest of Orzammar, you are proof that the casteless deserve their fate; but you know you do what you have to—the same as everyone—just to survive.
— Dwarf Commoner Origin
Deep beneath the Frostback Mountains sits Orzammar, the larger of two known remaining dwarven cities in the world. Orzammar was once the seat of a major empire connected by tunnels, called Deep Roads, which stretched thousands of miles. The city now stands alone, cut off from the rest of the dwarven ancestral lands by the darkspawn incursion. Secure in Orzammar's impregnable construction, the dwarven noble houses continue their centuries-old power struggles. Assassination and blackmail are commonplace, but the appearance of honor is paramount. You are the second child of King Endrin of House Aeducan—the ninth Aeducan ruler elected by the Noble Assembly. You grew up in a world rife with political intrigue and have struggled against brothers and cousins for honor and prestige. Today, a feast celebrates your first military commission, the opening move towards real power in the ever-changing game of dwarven politics.
— Dwarf Noble Origin
Main Game
And so is the Golden City blackened
With each step you take in my Hall.
Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting.
You have brought Sin to Heaven
And doom upon all the world.
With each step you take in my Hall.
Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting.
You have brought Sin to Heaven
And doom upon all the world.
— Threnodies 8:13, The Chant of Light
The Chantry teaches us that it is the hubris of men which brought the darkspawn into our world. The mages sought to usurp Heaven, but instead they destroyed it. They were cast out, twisted and cursed by their own corruption. They returned as monsters, the first of the darkspawn. They became a Blight upon the lands, unstoppable and relentless. The dwarven kingdoms were the first to fall, and from the Deep Roads the darkspawn drove at us again and again until finally we neared annihilation...
Until the Grey Wardens came. Men and women from every race, warriors and mages, barbarians and kings... the Grey Wardens sacrificed everything to stem the tide of darkness... and prevailed.
It has been four centuries since that victory and we have kept our vigil. We have watched and waited for the darkspawn to return. But those who once called us heroes... have forgotten. We are few now, and our warnings have been ignored for too long. It may even be too late, for I have seen with my own eyes what lies on the horizon. Maker help us all.
Until the Grey Wardens came. Men and women from every race, warriors and mages, barbarians and kings... the Grey Wardens sacrificed everything to stem the tide of darkness... and prevailed.
It has been four centuries since that victory and we have kept our vigil. We have watched and waited for the darkspawn to return. But those who once called us heroes... have forgotten. We are few now, and our warnings have been ignored for too long. It may even be too late, for I have seen with my own eyes what lies on the horizon. Maker help us all.
— Duncan's Opening Monologue
Loghain Mac Tir: (Upon seeing the lit beacon at the Tower of Ishal, signalling for reinforcements) Sound the retreat.
Ser Cauthrien: But... what about the king? Should we not—
Loghain Mac Tir: Do as I command!
Ser Cauthrien: (To Loghain's troops) Pull out! All of you, let's move!
Ser Cauthrien: But... what about the king? Should we not—
Loghain Mac Tir: Do as I command!
Ser Cauthrien: (To Loghain's troops) Pull out! All of you, let's move!
—Loghain pulling a Cavalry Refusal on King Cailan and the Grey Wardens
The archdemon may be slain as any other darkspawn, but should any other than a Grey Warden do the slaying, it will not be enough. The essence of the beast will pass through the taint to the nearest darkspawn and will be reborn anew in that body. The dragon is thus all but immortal. But if the archdemon is slain by a Grey Warden... its essence travels into the Grey Warden, instead. A darkspawn is an empty, soulless vessel, but a Grey Warden is not. The essence of the archdemon is destroyed... and so is the Grey Warden [...] Without the archdemon, the Blight ends. It is the only way.
—Warden Riordan explains why only Grey Wardens are capable of ending a Blight
DLCs
The plan isn't quite what I originally led you to believe. There is evidence of a lost artifact being here, yes... but I'm going to plant it. I don't have many men I can trust enough to this task, not enough to risk in these dangerous tunnels. So I sent you on ahead [...] In any event, I'm not going to explain myself further. There's no point to it. You're tired and battered from fighting darkspawn. You've got a drunk at your side, and if you, somehow, happen to best me, you'll be on the run for the rest of your life.
— Prince Bhelen Aeducan, A Tale of Orzammar
Change is coming to the world. Many fear change, and will fight it with every fiber of their being. But sometimes, change is what they need most. Sometimes change is what sets them free.
— Morrigan, Witch Hunt