Dwarven royalty

File:Paragons crown.jpg

The crown of Orzammar as forged by the Paragon Branka.

“Let the Memories find you worthy, first amidst the lords of the houses, the king of Orzammar. - Assembly Steward Bandelor”

The dwarven empire once spanned the length and breadth of Thedas, a rich and thriving collection of independent kingdoms known as Thaigs connected by the Deep Roads, until one by one the cities fell to the incursion of the darkspawn. The history of the dwarves is a long one and encompasses the rule of numerous kings and queens. According to Branka Orzammar had 40 generations of kings in 9:30.

Ancient Kings

* Bloadlikk: He is considered the first king of the empire as a whole in ancient times and is the founder of the Noble Caste.

* Orseck Garal: The first king of Kal-Sharok and later the first king of Orzammar. In the earliest days of the dwarven empire the seat of power was in the thaig of Kal-Sharok and the kingdom was jointly ruled by Orseck Garal and Endrin Stonehammer, whose rule set the tone for the present-day kingdom. Endrin entered into a covenant with the Archon Darinius of the Tevinter Imperium to forge a trade alliance with the human empire. Eventually, the seat of power was moved to the southern kingdom of Orzammar, the ancestral home of the Smith and Mining Castes, and there Garal ruled until his death.

* Jegrek: A king of Gundaar, killed by the dwarf Beregrand using the axe The Edge of Night.

Kings of Orzammar

In the early days of the empire, before the fall of the thaigs, all dwarven kingdoms were independent and had their own kings, but once Orzammar became the seat of power all recognized the king of Orzammar as the High King and de facto leader of the dwarven people.

In modern-day Orzammar the king's power is leveraged by that of the Assembly, the dwarven governing body who chooses the king and from whom kings are typically drawn. Although the king rules Orzammar he must garner the support of the Assembly lords, called Deshyrs, to maintain his position, for kings can--and have been--expelled from the throne. Unpopular kings and their heirs are deemed unfit to rule and the kingship then passes to another. While the chosen ruler is typically male, women have also been chosen by the Assembly to rule.

* Endrin Stonehammer: The second king of Orzammar after Garal and the most famous of the dwarven Paragons. He is credited with having built Stonehammer Hall.

* Aeducan: A Warrior caste dwarf who saved Orzammar from annihilation during the First Blight by collapsing strategic passages in the Deep Roads to save the city from attack. For this he was made a Paragon and a king. He is the founder of the royal house of the Dwarf Noble Warden. His queen was named Anika.

* Valtor: Valtor preserved some of Caridin’s writings on creating golems after the Paragon destroyed most of them. Valtor had Caridin himself put on the Anvil of the Void when his desire to create golems was opposed by the Paragon. Caridin vanished in the eleventh year of his reign.

* Getha: One of few queens mentioned by name. In the second year of her reign the entire Legion of Steel was sent to recover the Paragon Caridin. None returned.

* High King Threestone: Arguably one of the most important kings in dwarven history, he was responsible for the empire's greatest tragedy and its current isolation shortly after the First Blight. Threestone sealed the Deep Roads in 1155 Tevinter calendar (nearly 1000 years ago in the common calendar) in a last bid to save Orzammar from the darkspawn invasion. This effectively separated the last great kingdoms of Kal Sharok, Gundaar, and Hormak from the capital and isolated the dwarven empire into, seemingly, one lone city as the outlying thaigs fell. It should be noted that Threestone was the last known king to be known as High King.

* The “Lost King”: This king was utterly removed from the Memories, his deeds unknown. He ruled approximately 800 years ago for a 30 year period.

* Eithnar Bemot: Mentioned by Gorim Saelac in the Dwarf Noble Origin. He became a Paragon and King of Orzammar in a single move from the Assembly during the Fourth Blight.

* Annalar Geldinblade: Geldinblade reigned during the period around 8:48 Blessed when The Primeval Thaig was rediscovered--and promptly lost again on his order. It should be noted that Geldinblade's reign appears to overlap with that of Anaalar Perethin and Ansgar Aeducan. This is possibly an error of conflating the kings or the ages in which they ruled. Geldinblade and Perethin may be one and the same based on their first names, which would account for the chronological inconsistency. It may also simply be a reuse of the same name or a mistake.

* Anaalar Perethin: He was assassinated in 8:50 Blessed, sparking a civil war. He was the predecessor to the current king, Endrin Aeducan. There is a chronological conflict between Perethin's and Endrin Aeducan's rule. Perethin was assassinated in 8:50 Blessed and Endrin ruled afterward, which means the latter ruled for 70-80 years. This seems unlikely and may be a mistake in confusing Endrin with Ansgar, his father.

* Ansgar Aeducan: The father to King Endrin Aeducan, grandfather of the Dwarf Noble, Trian Aeducan and Bhelen Aeducan.

* Endrin Aeducan: The king of Orzammar during events of Dragon Age: Origins, and father to the Dwarf Noble, Trian Aeducan and Bhelen Aeducan. In his reign the lost thaig of Kal Sharok was rediscovered, to mixed joy and regret.

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Kings Not Placed in Chronology

* Ragnan Aeducan: Mentioned in passing in regards to the Proving Grounds.

* Darbir: Mentioned by Kasch in the Dwarf Commoner Origin.

* Gherlen the Blood-Risen: A dwarven hero who returned to the Frostback Mountains after adventuring and gained enough prestige to attempt to overthrow the king. His tale is still honored by dwarven adventurers.

* Felbin the Mad: Felbin went mad and was dethroned by the Assembly.