Corypheus

"Beg that I succeed, for I have seen the throne of the gods, and it was empty."

Corypheus is an ancient darkspawn who was trapped inside a prison built by Grey Wardens in the Vimmark Mountains.

Dragon Age II

 * "Be this some dream I wake from? Am I in dwarven lands? Why seem their roads so empty?"
 * "The light. We sought the golden light. You offered... the power of the gods themselves. But it was... black... corrupt. Darkness... ever since. How long?"
 * "The City. It was supposed to be golden. It was supposed to be ours."
 * "If I cannot leave with you, I will leave through you! I seek the light!"

Dragon Age: Inquisition

 * "I will not suffer even an unknowing rival. You must die!" (to the Inquisitor)
 * "Tell me... where is your Maker now? Call him, call down his wrath upon me! You cannot. For he does not exist!"
 * "Awake, in a world twisted into perversion and ruin. Awake, only to discover the light of wisdom has gone black."
 * "Be honored, witness death at the hands of a new god."

Trivia

 * Defeating Corypheus earns the player the achievement "Conductor". Classical Greek κορυφαῖος (koryphaîos) means "conductor of the chorus", possibly explaining the achievement's title.
 * Even though he is asleep, he is able to communicate with those who have the darkspawn taint, including Grey Wardens. This causes Larius and Anders great distress. However, a Grey Warden Carver or Bethany seems unaffected.
 * In the middle of Corypheus's ramblings in Dragon Age II, it is revealed that he and the other magisters sought the "golden light" and were promised by Dumat that they would receive the power of the gods in exchange for entering the Golden City. Upon arriving into the Fade, however, they found the city already black and corrupted, which calls into question the Chantry's claim that it was Tevinter magisters who corrupted the Golden City to become the tainted Black City.
 * Corypheus is described as relentless, ambitious and beyond arrogant. He is arrogance personified, and believes he operates on a level no other being can comprehend.