Fade

The Fade is a metaphysical realm that is part of Thedas yet separated by the Veil. The Fade is split up into fiefs belonging to the spirits that live there, and they change the landscape of the Fade to emulate that which they see in the minds of mortal dreamers. Mortals have entered the Fade physically only once, which caused the First Blight. According to the Chantry, the Fade is the first realm created by the Maker, which he populated with the spirits, the first of his creations.

Every living being, with the exception of Dwarves, enters the Fade mentally when they dream and mages tap into it when they cast spells. Killing a mortal dreaming in the Fade is a shock to their living bodies, but not lethal. The person merely wakes up. The Chantry also holds that when a person dies, their spirit passes through the Fade to the afterlife. Those who have turned away from the Maker are doomed to wander the Fade forever as lost souls.

During their Harrowing, a mage is projected into the Fade to resist the attack of a demon. Mages of the Circle frequently visit the Fade with the aid of lyrium.