Changes: Black City

Revision as of 04:04, 23 December 2014

The Black City, formerly known as the Golden City, is a city in the Fade, said to be the former seat of the Maker or the realm of the Old Gods, depending on the religious perspective.^[1]

The Chantry teaches that the Maker created the Golden City for His mortal children to enter when they died. Now, following the corruption of the City by mortal hubris, there is no more heaven for souls to pass into after death. Those who worship the Maker are gathered to His side while those who do not must wander endlessly in Oblivion. This is not a form of punishment, but a consequence of human corruption. The Chantry believes that when the Chant of Light is sung from the four corners of the world, He will return, rebuild the city, and make the mortal world a paradise.

The Black City

Imperium sacrifices — Tevinter mages sacrifice slaves for the power to reach the Golden City.^[2]

In -395 Ancient (800 TE) a group of seven powerful Tevinter magisters, believed to be followers of the Old God Dumat, opened a gate into the Golden City with blood magic and entered it physically. The city turned black as soon as they arrived, and the mages were cast back to Thedas as the first darkspawn, triggering the First Blight.^[3]

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

Corypheus, one of the magisters who entered the Golden City, confirmed that they believed Dumat had lured them to enter the Fade. He claims, however, that the city was already corrupted and black when they arrived. He's vague on what occured after.

The Black City is the one constant geographical feature within the Fade. At any time, a dreamer or mage can look up and see it in the sky, always in the distance.^[4] Actually traveling to the Black City from elsewhere in the Fade is impossible; no matter the actions of the dreamer, it remains equidistant from all other points of reference.

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

The Black City is visible in the background when visiting the Fade in the Grey Warden storyline. It is difficult to see and is partially hidden beyond other floating islands. If Solas is in your party he will comment that he has never seen The Black City so close before.

Upon meeting the Inquisitor, Corypheus will make reference to the Black City, claiming that he has visited the "throne of the gods" and found it empty, with chaos, corruption and "dead whispers". His ultimate goal in creating the Breach is to return to the Black City and rule from it as the new, living god of Thedas. At the end of the final battle, Corypheus says: "I have walked the halls of the Golden City, crossed the ages..."

Notes

Avernus' notes mention something relating the Black City to the taint, saying, "In my dreams I see the Black City, and I am drawn towards it. There is something there, an answer to what the taint is."
A dwarf's journal found in Valammar mentions the story of three darkspawn, "dressed up like kings", seen in the Deep Roads who talked about "a city gone black" and bickered over things they could not remember before attacking each other. These darkspawn may have been some of Corypheus's fellow magisters discussing the Black City.

Gallery

References

↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, pp. 177, 179
↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 114
↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, pp. 27, 155
↑ Gaider, David (April 8, 2011). "Where is the Black City?" . The BioWare Forum. Retrieved on February 28, 2014.

[1] Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, pp. 177, 179

[2] Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 114

[3] Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, pp. 27, 155

[4] Gaider, David (April 8, 2011). "Where is the Black City?" . The BioWare Forum. Retrieved on February 28, 2014.

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 {{SpoilerDAI|The Black City is visible in the background when visiting the Fade in the Grey Warden storyline. It is difficult to see and is partially hidden beyond other floating islands. If Solas is in your party he will comment that he has never seen The Black City so close before.
-Upon meeting the Inquisitor, Corypheus will make reference to the Black City, claiming that he has visited the "throne of the gods" and found it empty. His ultimate goal in creating the Breach is to return to the Black City and rule from it as the new, living god of Thedas. At the end of the final battle, Corypheus says: "I have walked the halls of the Golden City, crossed the ages..."}}
+Upon meeting the Inquisitor, Corypheus will make reference to the Black City, claiming that he has visited the "throne of the gods" and found it empty, with chaos, corruption and "dead whispers". His ultimate goal in creating the Breach is to return to the Black City and rule from it as the new, living god of Thedas. At the end of the final battle, Corypheus says: "I have walked the halls of the Golden City, crossed the ages..."}}
 == Notes ==