Corypheus

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

Corypheus (lit. "The Conductor") is an ancient darkspawn who was trapped inside a prison built by Grey Wardens in the Vimmark Mountains.

Background
In the aftermath of the First Blight, the Grey Wardens discovered several darkspawn capable of thought and speech and prodigiously powerful magic and also able to command and lead portions of the darkspawn horde even in the absence of an Archdemon. The Grey Warden, Sashamiri, acting on the orders of Warden-Commander Farele, set a trap in the Vimmark Mountains to capture the most powerful of these creatures: Corypheus. The Wardens initially hoped they could use Corypheus as a weapon against the darkspawn, but when it became clear that no Warden could stand in his presence without being influenced by him (rendering controlling or killing him impossible), Warden-Commander Daneken eventually deemed the endeavour futile and had the prison sealed to bind Corypheus in perpetuity.

Quotes

 * "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."
 * "You are nothing! All you love will be ground under the Imperium's heel!"
 * "Dumat! Ancient ones, I beseech you! If you exist, if you ever truly existed, aid me now!"

Trivia

 * Defeating Corypheus earns the player the achievement "Conductor". Classical Greek κορυφαῖος (koryphaîos) means "conductor of the chorus".
 * 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.
 * According to writer Patrick Weekes, he sees Leliana as the character having the most in common with Corypheus. Both are "burned believers." In fact, Weekes refers to Corypheus as Leliana's "dark mirror."
 * 'Corypheus' is Greek for 'leader'. It may also mean 'conductor,' or literally 'head,' of a dramatic chorus or else a particular group.