Dumat

Dumat, the Dragon of Silence, was the first and the most powerful among the Old Gods, ancient draconic beings said to be imprisoned underground by the Maker for usurping His worshipers.

Dumat was the first of the Old Gods to turn into the Archdemon, which brought about the First Blight.

Background
The early human kingdom of Barindur is said to have completely vanished in -1610 Ancient after losing favor with Dumat. Only a path and bare rock remain.

According to Archon Thalsian, the founder of the Tevinter Imperium, Dumat was responsible for teaching him blood magic in -1595 Ancient.

According to the Chantry, after the fall of the magisters in -395 Ancient (800 TE), the first darkspawn burrowed into Dumat's underground prison and the Old God was corrupted and transformed into the Archdemon, launching the First Blight. Some ancient lore says it was the other way around: it was Dumat who created the darkspawn and led them against Thedas, not the darkspawn who created the archdemon.

Some time after -305 Ancient (890 TE) Dumat was killed by a group of Ander soldiers while he was on the run from a Warden offensive but the celebrations were cut short when Dumat returned unharmed. In the years that followed, scholars learned that the Archdemon's death had only forced its soul to relocate into the body of the nearest darkspawn. Dumat was finally slain by Grey Wardens at the Battle of Silent Fields in -203 Ancient (992 TE), the Wardens having learned by that point that only a death blow dealt by one of their Order would prevent the archdemon's resurrection in a new host body.

Culture
There was a holiday dedicated to Dumat back in the times when the Old Gods were still widely revered. It was called "Funalis" but this holiday is now known as All Soul's Day and is spent in somber remembrance of the dead. It is celebrated at the beginning of Matrinalis.

A Shrine of Dumat was built in Northern Orlais. The ancient Tevinter associated the constellation "Silentir" with him.

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
The Warden-Commander can acquire weapons rumored to have been made from Dumat's bones: the sword Dumat's Spine and the dagger Dumat's Claw.

The Temple of Dumat

 * Look upon the Temple of Dumat
 * God of Silence, who speaks to the faithful in dreams
 * No words of desire may sway His will
 * No cry of valor may stand against Him
 * For His Silence conquers all
 * And His Secrets are shared only with the worthy
 * Look upon the Temple of Dumat
 * And fear Him


 * - Inscription written below the demon statues

Trivia

 * The name may be a reference to Dumah, the "angel of silence" from Yiddish folklore.
 * Solas claims to have seen the lost city of Barindur. According to him, the city's ruins are buried under the wasteland found at the city's site in the modern day, encased within volcanic ash. All of the city's inhabitants had been "seared and smothered" in an instant, and their remains had formed hollow molds in the ash.