“Time, in the end, is one long Proving, and we are failing at the test.” ―Warrior Etrol of House Saelac[1]
The history of the dwarves is by far the most detailed and well-recorded history in Thedas thanks to the Shaperate of Memories institution.
History
Early Years
Tens of thousands of years of dwarven history are stored in the Memories.[2] Some Shapers claim that they date back to the founding of the first thaig[3], while other sources state that the first dwarven kingdom was founded so long ago that even Memories do not record it.[4]
The Shaperate speaks of a Thedas entirely devoid of humans, a time when elves reigned over the land and dwarves ruled the underground.[5] In -4600 Ancient (-3405 TE) the elves of the great elven kingdom of Elvhenan are said to first make contact with the dwarves, 1,500 years before the arrival of humans.[6] However much has transpired that has not been recorded in the Shaperate's Memories.
According to Shaper Valta the Titans fell and the dwarven race with them, breaking in two.[7] Solas compares dwarves to a "severed arm of a once mighty hero, lying in a pool of blood".[8] Ancient elven text speaks about them hunting "the pillars of the earth", both to free their mindless subjects from them and force growth from their corpses.[9]
Veilfire runes in an ancient mine depict figures of Mythal leading a charge against the titans and killing at least some of them. Lyrium was then mined from their bodies. An aeon later the mine was sealed away.[10] The Dalish tell a story about how the dwarves fear the sun because of Elgar'nan's fire which they believe is a metaphor for the ancient elves driving the dwarves underground.[11]
Two thaigs used the runework of the most talented Shaper of Runes in dwarven history, Paragon Fairel, to build fantastic weapons of destruction. In order to escape or to avoid a war he took his own house and several others, and departed from his brethren. Under the sandy desert of the Hissing Wastes he established the only known above-ground thaig; Kal Repartha which means "a place where we may meet in peace".[12][13][14]
The Forgotten War was fought between the dwarves and the Scaled Ones sometime after the founding of the Tevinter Imperium in -1195 Ancient, but before the destruction of Cad'halash Thaig around -975 Ancient.[17][18]
Golden Age
The great thaig of Orzammar
Before the First Blight, the dwarven empire expanded as much underground as the Tevinter Imperium did above. Dwarves in this time interacted freely with both the Tevinter Imperium and the elves. The dwarven rulers Orseck Garal and Endrin Stonehammer created the foundations of the dwarven empire, working in conjunction with the first Tevinter Archon, Darinius.[4] In -1200 Ancient (-5 TE) an alliance is forged between the dwarves and Tevinter Imperium[19] which still lasts up to the present day.
Eventually in -1170 Ancient (25 TE)[20] Stonehammer moves the capital of the empire to Orzammar to preside more directly over the commercial aspects of dwarven life, mining and crafting, as Orzammar was the ancestral seat of the Mining and Smith castes[21] and because of the turmoil in the Imperium following the death of Archon Darinius.[22] He also expands and improves the city, creating the legendary Stonehammer Hall and enlarging the Orzammar Proving to allow for massive tournaments.[23] In this period of great flourishing and wealth, thaigs are built under every human kingdom, and the Deep Roads experience great development as the dwarves' chief method of travel between their cities. Dwarven artisans and engineers pioneer new crafting methods and build many cherished monuments to dwarven history, such as Gundaar's House of Crystalline Waters[24], a massive underground lake decorated with shining quartz stalactites reflecting colors no dwarf had ever seen.
The empire was encompassed by several kingdoms, some of them being Kal-Sharok, Orzammar, Gundaar and Hormak. At least since the times of the First Blight, each kingdom had its own Assembly, which maintained allegiance to the capital of the empire.[25]
After the destruction of Arlathan in -975 Ancient[18] several elves seeked shelter in the Cad'halash Thaig. However once the dwarves of Kal-Sharok discovered this development, they destroyed the thaig in order to conceal all the evidence and avoid jeopardizing the alliance with the Tevinter Imperium.[26]
First Blight
The fall of the dwarven empire
The darkspawn first appeared underground in 800 TE. At first travelers on the Deep Roads disappeared while the darkspawn concentrated on multiplying their numbers.[27] When the Warrior caste sent soldiers to patrols the Roads, they started to go missing while on duty—they but the attacks were subtle at best, nothing to truly indicate what was to come.[24]
The First Blight is arguably the single most devastating event in the history of the race. The empire came to its knees as darkspawn flooded the Deep Roads that connected the countless thaigs and cities. Political disunity amongst the warrior and noble castes and the inability to focus on effectively stopping the darkspawn, resulted in the loss of countless thaigs pushing the race to the brink of extinction. In these perilous times Paragon Aeducan rose and with his resourcefulness he saved the empire as well as achieved the first victories against the horde.[28]
More than a century later and with the First Blight still raging, in -255 Ancient one of the dwarves' greatest engineering feats was developed; the creation of the Anvil of the Void by Paragon Caridin which could constructgiant golems.[24] These creatures - bipedal warriors of stone or metal were devastating on the battlefield and allowed the dwarves to push the darkspawn back and reclaim some of their lost territory. The master smith constantly produced golems for six years until King Valtor started using the Anvil to turn casteless, criminals, and political enemies into golems, instead of just volunteers.[29] Caridin objected, and in turn, was made into a golem himself. However, his apprentices knew not how to properly construct a control rod, allowing Caridin to retain his free will and mind. Caridin disappeared into the Deep Roads in -248 Ancient[30], taking his followers and the Anvil with him.[31]
This single event extinguished from the dwarves any hope for a final victory against the darkspawn. Caridin was presumed dead and no other dwarf had been able to replicate his breakthrough ever since; the use of golems on a military scale has become but a memory. Only the cooperation of the four major kingdoms allowed them to survive.
Eventually the First Blight was defeated with the death of Archdemon Dumat in the Battle of Silent Plains in which the dwarven army also participated.[32]
Decline
Ancient treasures left behind
With the retreat of the darkspawn underground, victory was declared on the surface but the war for the dwarves was far from over. Even without an Archdemon's guidance the darkspawn continued their relentless push against the severely weakened empire. In response most of the Deep Roads were sealed causing communication lines to falter between the surviving kingdoms. As a result, in -195 Ancient (1000 TE), each kingdom elected its own king while maintaining allegiance to the High King of Orzammar.[25]
However, the darkspawn continued pushing, and in an effort to save the race from complete annihilation, High King Threestone ordered the sealing of the Deep Roads leading to the remaining three kingdoms in -40 Ancient (1155 TE).[33] Paragon Egon Wintersbreath led the defenses of the kingdom of Hormak but that was not enough and within a decade the kingdoms of both Gundaar and Hormak had fallen.[34][35] The last of the Roads are sealed in -15 Ancient (1180 TE) cutting off Kal-Sharok which was believed lost.[36] The kingdom of Orzammar had become the only bastion of dwarven culture in Thedas, the last outpost of the race.
Ages
Even though the sealing of the Deep Roads significantly decreased the pressure on Orzammar, the darkspawn were able to find ways to breach them. For the next centuries, the kingdom was in a steady decline by losing most of its outlying thaigs. Despite that, the strict traditions of Orzammar's culture as well as its alliance with Tevinter Imperium persisted.
In the Towers Age the Chasind Wilders along with other "terrible things" were led by Flemeth's daughters, the Witches of the Wild. This force invaded the region of what would be Ferelden and were all but unopposed until the hero Cormac led an army of Alamarri fighters and Orzammar dwarves. After a long series of dreadful battles, the Chasind were all but destroyed, and the witches burned.[37]
During the Fourth Blight the dwarves of Orzammar assisted the Imperium in lifting the siege of Marnas Pell[38] however the Ortan Thaig was lost.[39]
Present day
King Endrin Aeducan died at the begging of the Fifth Blight
In 9:12 Dragon it is discovered that the kingdom of Kal-Sharok had in fact survived. However the relations between the two kingdoms are strained because Orzammar demands Kal-Sharok's allegiance and because it was abandoned by Orzammar a millennium ago. One year later, after exchanging hands numerous times, Bownammar is permanently lost to the darkspawn, the last great loss of the dwarves.[40][41]
In 9:30 Dragon, after the election of their new king, the dwarves of Orzammar assist Ferelden in defeating the Fifth Blight and one year later the Primeval Thaig is rediscovered beneath the Free Marches.
In 9:32, the dwarven army led by House Helmi clear the great thaig of Kal'Hirol and the Deep Roads connecting it to Orzammar from darkspawn, reclaiming it once again.
Despite the outbreak of the Mage-Templar War and the War of the Lions in 9:40 Dragon and the War against the Elder One in the following year, Orzammar was not directly impacted by the devastating warfare and escaped unscathed however due to reliance on food imports from the surface, the city experienced significant food shortages which led to riots.[42]
In the same year repeated earthquakes disrupt the mining operations which are the lifeblood of Orzammar's economy. The king of Orzammar sends the Legion of the Dead to assist the Shaperate in investigating the matter while he also enlists the help of the Inquisition. This leads to the discovery of the Sha-Brytol dwarves and scarce information on the Titans.
References
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