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The following is the sample text of each of the current featured article texts. To display them on the front page, they should be added to Template:RandomArticle.
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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 what they see in the minds of mortal dreamers. 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. Mortals have entered the Fade physically only once, which caused the First Blight. Mages of the Circle frequently visit the Fade with the aid of lyrium. 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.
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Elves
Elves in Ferelden are not immortal, but elven legends state that this was not always the case. Once, they say, they were immortal beings who lived in harmony with the natural world and followed the Elven Pantheon. The first "shem" (short for shemlen, a derogatory term meaning "quick children" that was used by the ancient elves to describe the humans) they encountered were the mages of the Tevinter Imperium. They traded with the Imperium and grew friendly with humans, but soon discovered that breeding with humans produced only human babies, due to the elves' genetic adaptability, while exposure to the ‘quick children’ caused the elves to quicken themselves. For the first time, elves began to age and die.
In fear, the elves withdrew from human contact, but the Imperium interpreted this as a sign of hostility and invaded Elvhenan, the elven homeland, and enslaved its people. The elven people lost their immortality and their gods forsook them.
At some point in the past, elves created a second elven homeland in the Dales, but the Chantry led an Exalted March against it for unknown reasons and conquered the region. Thus the Dalish elves were created.
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Ostagar
Representing the furthest point of encroachment by the ancient Tevinter Imperium into the barbarian lands of the southeast, the fortress of Ostagar was once one of the most important defensive Imperial holdings south of the Waking Sea.
Like most other Imperial holdings in the south, Ostagar was abandoned after Tevinter's collapse during the First Blight. It was successfully sacked by the Chasind Wilders and then, as the Chasind threat dwindled following the creation of the modern Ferelden nation, fell to ruin completely.
It has remained unmanned for centuries, though most of the walls still stand, as does the tall Tower of Ishal, named after the great Archon that ordered its construction, and Ostagar remains a testament to the magical power of the Imperium that created it.
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Kinloch Hold
The headquarters of the Circle of Magi in Ferelden, located in the middle of Lake Calenhad. There are no more than a few dozen mages in it at any one time. Kinloch Hold, known now the Tower of the Circle of Magi, was built by the Avvars with some help from the dwarves and stood mighty for a long time, thought of as impregnable until the Tevinter Imperium succeeded in driving the Avvars from it.
As the Tevinter Imperium were rather brutal in doing so, the tower caught something of a bad reputation and was thought to be cursed until the Circle of Magi assumed control of it in 3:87 Towers Age.
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Grey Wardens
The Grey Wardens are an organization of the most elite and feared of warriors, dedicated to the destruction of the darkspawn in all lands. They are headquartered in Weisshaupt Fortress in the country of Anderfels, and they are known to have a significant presence in the Orlesian Empire. The centuries of peace have left them all but forgotten. The Grey Wardens have kept watch through the ages, well aware that peace is fleeting, and that their enemy will never truly be defeated until the last of the darkspawn has been slain.
The Grey Wardens were once a large and magnificent organization who rode gryphons that clouded the skies. The sight of them arriving in glorious numbers wherever darkspawn threatened was truly a sight to behold. They were revered by the people, and the nations of humanity once gladly supported them with food, equipment and a steady stream of recruits. But it has been four hundred years since the last Blight, and many now think the Grey Wardens to be irrelevant and obsolete. Their numbers have dwindled to near extinction, and although they are now seen to be only a relic of a once great and proud league of heroes, the few remaining Grey Wardens still keep up their training and maintain a watchful eye for signs of another Blight.
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Dragons
Dragons are large, powerful, and natural animals. The intelligence of the average dragon can be compared to that of a real world dolphin.
Male dragons, known as drakes, do not fly. Females generally fly to seek out new lairs and to hunt. Impregnated females are known as High Dragons and will go on a Rampage, a hunt where they gorge themselves prior to laying a clutch.
At the end of the Blessed Age, many in Thedas believed that all the dragons had vanished until one went on a Rampage. A Rampage is when one or more high dragons, whom are all female, emerge from their underground lair and destroy everything in their path.
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Orzammar
"The lands controlled by the dwarves were once numerous and extended far beyond the Frostback Mountains. The thaigs were once almost beyond counting. Kal-Sharok was the capital then, home to all noble houses, and Orzammar was simply home to the Mining and Smith castes. It was with the coming of the Tevinter Imperium that things began to change. King Endrin Stonehammer moved the seat of power to Orzammar to more closely oversee the trade that began with the surface. It seemed that our people were entering a new age of prosperity. We taught such concepts as commerce and coinage to the humans, and in return they provided us with a wealth of things we had never possessed in the deep: grains and wood, to name two.
The dwarven Memories hold no explanations for the coming of the darkspawn, only questions. One moment there was no such thing as a darkspawn, and the next there was. The darkspawn poured into the Deep Roads like smoke, and the Warrior Caste struggled to hold them back. Countless thaigs were lost in that First Blight. But as ever, in our time of need, a Paragon arose. Paragon Aeducan led the defenses of Orzammar, and we were saved from utter annihilation."
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Demon
Demons are malicious spirits from the Fade that feed on the darker parts of the mortal psyche like rage, hunger, and desire. The more complex the emotions, the more intelligent and powerful the demon who feeds on it.
Rage is the simplest emotion to feed from so Rage Demons are often much lower on the power scale. Sloth Demons are above Rage Demons, and are known as masters of disguise. Desire Demons are higher still, and have the power to manipulate people without their ever knowing. Most powerful of all are Pride Demons. They are fearsome creatures, known for their intelligence.
Demons often cannot distinguish between a living being and a dead one and will readily take control of either. This is thought to be the cause for the Chantry's custom of burning the dead.
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Gifts
Throughout Ferelden there are several items that can be acquired and given as gifts to the party companions as gifts.
Gifts can be sold to merchants, but giving a gift to your companions can greatly improve their approval, leading to increased dialogue options, and better abilities for the companion involved. Companions appreciate their gifts, more or less, depending on how well each gift suits their personality and interests.
There are two types of gifts: regular gifts and special character gifts. Regular gifts have a base approval bonus of +5, and special character gifts have a base approval bonus of +10. With each additional gift given to the same character, the approval bonus received from subsequent gift decreases by 1 (to a minimum of +1) per gift, excluding plot-specific ones.
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Dwarves
The dwarves are a race in decline, as each new day of a centuries-old war against the darkspawn consumes both dwarven lives and the scant remaining territory of their underground kingdom. Dwarves have an innate resistance to magic, preventing them from becoming mages.
Unlike many other cultures in Thedas, the dwarves do not worship anthropomorphic god(s). Their beliefs are more akin to ancestor worship, and they also hold a sacred reverence for the stone that surrounds them throughout their entire life. Dwarves who are believed to be strong and noble are said to strengthen the Stone when they die and return to it. Those who are ignoble or disgraced will weaken the stone or be rejected by it entirely.
Every once in a while there's a dwarf who is declared by the Shaperate, a sort of ruling council, to be particularly noble. These dwarves become Paragons, and are worshiped during their lives and long after their deaths. When a dwarf is declared by the Assembly to be a Paragon a House is created which bears their name. The deeds of a Paragon are carefully recorded in the Memories, which record the lineage and deeds that help determine what station a dwarf is born into. The word of a Paragon is held in such esteem that it is sometimes equal to even that of their king.
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Dog
"Dog" is the default name of a Mabari war hound who can join the party and serve as The Warden's faithful companion in Dragon Age: Origins.
Dog is a full party member, counting as a Warrior who has war hound-specific talents that he can learn, and character specific equipment in the form of collars and kaddis. He also has party banter and interjections, as well as his own triggered events; such as a territory-marking exploration game, which involves locating and subsequently having Dog urinate on various landmarks in the different locales the party visits giving him extra buffs. Not all locations have landmarks to mark, however.
Unlike other companions Dog's approval never drops below 100 and he can be recruited from both an origin story and a location.
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The Blight
A Blight (upper case 'B') is the term given to the event of the darkspawn corrupting one of the Old Gods and rising with it to the surface world. While darkspawn can occasionally be found raiding on the surface world, it is not termed an actual Blight unless an Archdemon leads them.
The darkspawn are always a threat, but normally they are scattered and disorganized, only plaguing the underground caverns and tunnels that were once inhabited by the dwarven kingdoms. These caverns and tunnels are called the Deep Roads and extend throughout Ferelden. A Blight changes all that.
When the darkspawn discover one of the Old Gods - ancient dragons slumbering in the depths of the earth - they infect it with their taint, and it rises as an Archdemon. Unified by its will, the darkspawn surge up from their tunnels and spread like locusts across the surface of the lands, destroying all in their path. Survivors are dragged underground to an unknown fate, water sours, crops are spoiled, the land is poisoned and animals sicken.
The only way to end a Blight is to defeat the Archdemon, and the only ones who have ever managed such a feat are the Grey Wardens. As such, the order holds the respect of most nations, though their presence in Ferelden is the weakest of them all. The chilling thought is that this Blight has begun to spread from Ferelden for precisely that reason.
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Ages
The Chantry calendar measures time as a period of Ages. The current is the Dragon Age, while the period before was the Blessed Age. Each Age lasts approximately a century and there have been nine so far.
The First Age was marked by the creation of the Chantry. Time periods before the first age are called Ancient, so 400 years before the first Age would be -400 Ancient. This is equivalent to 800 TE by the Imperial reckoning or about 1,300 years before the present.
In the 99th year of each Age the Divine looks for an event or portent in order to determine the name of the new Age. The last portent was a dragon awakening and going on a rampage. This suggests an age full of violence and destruction.
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Statue of Fen'Harel
Elven Pantheon
The Elven Pantheon comprises five gods and four goddesses, whom the modern Dalish at least refer to as "the Creators". The pantheoon is led by Elgar'nan the All-Father, god of fatherhood and vengeance, and Mythal the Protector, goddess of motherhood and justice.
There are also references in elven mythology to another race of gods, called "The Forgotten Ones", the enemies of the elven pantheon. It is said that Fen'Harel was the only one able to walk freely between the two groups, and they both thought of him as one of their own.
There is no proof that the elven gods actually exist, any more than that the Maker of the Chantry does. The elves' belief in their gods is a matter of faith.
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Origins
There are six origins that are playable in Dragon Age: Origins. These playable prestories will allow the Warden to put themselves in a specific role within the social structure of Ferelden and will help explain motivations for the Warden joining the Grey Wardens.
The origins are open to both genders, but they are dependent upon both race and class. Dwarves cannot be mages. In Thedas they are unable to interact with the Fade (i.e. dream) and are therefore incredibly resistant to magic. In order to become a mage, and use magic, players must go through the mage origin and be either an elf or a human. The other two classes (warrior and rogue) are available to all other races and origins. All of the origins have set surnames.
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Item Sets
Throughout Dragon Age: Origins characters can collect armor sets that provide them with extra benefits when equipped together. The various pieces of each set can come from various tiers and still return set benefits. For example, a tier 4 (Hardened) Leather Armor will reduce skill costs when matched with a tier 2 (Cured) Leather Boots and a tier 1 (Rough) Leather Gloves. However, a tier 4 (Hardened) Studded Leather Boots would not enable that benefit.
Also, helmets are not required to complete most sets, nor do they usually benefit from being equipped with "matching" gear. Note that set bonus for party members only show outside in the real world.
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Andraste
Andraste was the prophet whose teachings later served as the foundation for the formation of the Chantry. She was the spiritual wife of the Maker, the being whom the Chantry worships.
Andraste was an escaped slave from the Tevinter Imperium who rose to power shortly after the magisters entered the Golden City, starting the First Blight. She fought against the Imperium, which had been significantly weakened by the First Blight. She conquered most of the south while fighting to destroy the magisters, whom she blamed for the Blight. The people she led in her campaign were the "barbaric" ancestors of the Fereldans.
To the Imperium, Andraste was an opportunist, a barbarian taking advantage of their weakness.
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Alistair
Alistair is a playful and compassionate Grey Warden, who can be a companion to The Warden in Dragon Age: Origins
For many years Alistair was trained to become a templar by the Chantry, this being how he learned most of his skills. He was found to be ill-suited to a life of religious devotion, however. When Duncan found him, Alistair had not yet taken his vows and was desperately unhappy. During a tourney held to honor the Grey Wardens, Duncan decided to recruit him. Alistair was not the most skilled fighter, bested by acclaimed templars such as Ser Eryhn, a woman who wielded a sword and shield with unequalled grace, Ser Talrew leader of many victories against the Chasind, and Ser Kalvin, one of the finest blades in Ferelden. Yet despite this, Duncan admired Alistair's character above the other templars present. Sensing that he had a good and loyal heart, Duncan used the Right of Conscription to force the Chantry to hand Alistair over to the Grey Wardens before he took the sacramental vows.
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Chant of Light
The Chant of Light is a collection of verses that together comprise the religious text of the Chantry. It was created by Andraste's disciples, who colleted her tale and teachings into hymns after her betrayal and death at the hands of the Tevinter Imperium.
The Chant is divided into canticles and sub-divided into stanzas and then verses. The entire Chant of Light takes several weeks to recite, and is only sung straight through at the Grand Cathedral in Val Royeaux, the capital of Orlais. Some canticles are simply collections of hymns. Some are the specific teachings of the Chantry while others are meditations on the Maker or encouragement to the faithful. Since it was first compiled, a number of "Dissonant Verses" have been excised from the canonical Chant.
Members of the Chantry believe that, when Andraste was killed, the Maker turned away from his creations for a second time. By spreading Andraste's teachings, they earn his forgiveness and when the Chant is sung from the four corners of the earth the Maker will return. The Chanters' faction within the Chantry even goes so far as to speak nothing but the Chant, taking as their guide the exhortation "Speak only the Word; sing only the Chant. Then the Golden City is thine".
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Dales
The Dales are the area of southeastern Orlais on the western side of Gherlen's Pass from Ferelden and are approximately the same size as the Bannorn. They are bordered by an uncharted Boreal Forest called the Arbor Wilds on the southern end, the Frostback Mountains to the east, and the Waking Sea to the north. They are in the mountain shadow of the Frostbacks, with little rainfall and no major rivers, so most of the present-day human settlements are along the coast.
From 1025 TE to 2:20 Glory – a period of nearly three centuries – they were the homeland of the elves of Thedas.
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Queen Anora
Queen Anora is the wife of King Cailan Theirin and daughter of Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir. She is the Queen of Ferelden, a consummate ruler and committed to ensuring economic security for Ferelden.
Anora is both capable and quick-witted: traits which she can use to be charming or to cut someone up verbally -- which she will not hesitate to do, if the situation calls for it. It is to Anora's eternal irritation that, had she been born a man, it would have been much easier for her to achieve power in the world. She is easily bored by those of lesser intelligence and often assumes a somewhat imperious manner. She has become accustomed, after all, to being served -- though this should never go over the top, as she was not born into luxury. Her father is of common birth and thus she has no noble blood, herself, and so she is no stranger to work. Ultimately Anora is a pragmatist and when she speaks she should always strain to make it plainly obvious that what she is saying is the clearest, most intelligent path to take.