(→Downfall: Ref) Tag: sourceedit |
(→The Call: Ref) Tag: sourceedit |
||
Line 50: | Line 50: | ||
All [[darkspawn]] constantly hear the call of the slumbering Old Gods and search for them. When they find one, they corrupt it and it becomes an [[Archdemon]], proceeding to unite them into a horde and unleash a new [[Blight]]. Hence many believe that with the death of all Old Gods the Blights will end.<ref name=OG/><ref>[[Dialogue#Solas_and_Blackwall|Dialogue]] between [[Solas]] and [[Blackwall]].</ref> At some time after their [[Joining]], [[Grey Wardens]] also start hearing this call. This is the actual [[Grey Wardens#The Calling|Calling]] and the moment when Grey Wardens know they must descend into the [[Deep Roads]] to find their death in battle lest they become fully tainted, nothing more than [[ghoul]]s. The call of the Old Gods becomes physically audible when close to one of their prisons.<ref>According to the [[Landmarks in the Approach#Shimmer Stone Mine|Ancient Warden Logbook]] found in the [[Western Approach]].</ref> |
All [[darkspawn]] constantly hear the call of the slumbering Old Gods and search for them. When they find one, they corrupt it and it becomes an [[Archdemon]], proceeding to unite them into a horde and unleash a new [[Blight]]. Hence many believe that with the death of all Old Gods the Blights will end.<ref name=OG/><ref>[[Dialogue#Solas_and_Blackwall|Dialogue]] between [[Solas]] and [[Blackwall]].</ref> At some time after their [[Joining]], [[Grey Wardens]] also start hearing this call. This is the actual [[Grey Wardens#The Calling|Calling]] and the moment when Grey Wardens know they must descend into the [[Deep Roads]] to find their death in battle lest they become fully tainted, nothing more than [[ghoul]]s. The call of the Old Gods becomes physically audible when close to one of their prisons.<ref>According to the [[Landmarks in the Approach#Shimmer Stone Mine|Ancient Warden Logbook]] found in the [[Western Approach]].</ref> |
||
− | [[Bregan]] describes the call of the Old Gods as a sound of "terrible beauty" and "awful yearning", while [[the Architect]] considers darkspawn pursuit for the ancient dragons as a never-ending aspiration towards a perfection they can never have, as it is corrupted in the instant they touch it.<ref>[[Dragon Age: The Calling]], Chapter 6</ref> [[Cole]] hears the call in the [[Western Approach]] and feels that it has "an urgency that sped his heart"<ref>[[Dragon Age: Asunder]], Chapter 9</ref> and is different from the song of [[lyrium]].<ref>[[Dragon Age: Asunder]], Chapter 11</ref> |
+ | [[Bregan]] describes the call of the Old Gods as a sound of "terrible beauty" and "awful yearning", while [[the Architect]] considers darkspawn pursuit for the ancient dragons as a never-ending aspiration towards a perfection they can never have, as it is corrupted in the instant they touch it.<ref>[[Dragon Age: The Calling]], Chapter 6</ref> [[Cole]] hears the call in the [[Western Approach]] and feels that it has "an urgency that sped his heart"<ref>[[Dragon Age: Asunder]], Chapter 9</ref> and is different from [[lyrium#The song|the song]] of [[lyrium]].<ref>[[Dragon Age: Asunder]], Chapter 11</ref> |
{{SpoilerDAOA|[[The Architect]] himself is free of the call and wishes to free his brethren of their compulsion. He created a version of [[Joining]] that uses the blood of [[Grey Wardens]] to "awaken" darkspawn, turning them into sapient [[Disciples]]. While many welcomed the newly-gained freedom, the deprivation of the "sweet call" drew some of the darkspawn mad, including [[the Mother]].}} |
{{SpoilerDAOA|[[The Architect]] himself is free of the call and wishes to free his brethren of their compulsion. He created a version of [[Joining]] that uses the blood of [[Grey Wardens]] to "awaken" darkspawn, turning them into sapient [[Disciples]]. While many welcomed the newly-gained freedom, the deprivation of the "sweet call" drew some of the darkspawn mad, including [[the Mother]].}} |
Revision as of 18:07, 14 August 2015
The Old Gods are sleeping beings that were worshiped in the form of dragons by a significant number of Thedosians, specifically the people of the Tevinter Imperium, thousands of years ago. Legend holds that it was the Old Gods who initially taught mages how to use magic. The Archdemons are awakened Old Gods, tainted by the darkspawn.
Background
Early history and imprisonment
We dreamed up false gods, great demons
Who could cross the Veil into the waking world,
Turned our devotion upon them, and forgot you.—From Threnodies 1
The true nature of the Old Gods is unknown. The Old Gods are not creators and even the people of ancient Tevinter attributed the creation of the world to the Maker, although by a different name.[1]
The Chantry teaches that when the Maker turned his back on spirits, some of them grew jealous of the living. Those powerful enough whispered to the living[2] in dreams claiming that they were the true gods, the creators of the world and the living should bow down before them. Eventually, the living summoned them through the Veil. In the mortal realm these spirits took the form of dragons, winged Old Gods that ruled over the land.[3] The living started to worship them instead of the Maker, an act recognized as the "Original Sin." In fury the Maker cursed the Old Gods, imprisoning them in underground tombs where they would slumber eternally.[3]
Some accounts suggest that the Old Gods began whispering to humanity from the Golden City in -2800 Ancient, three hundred years after the arrival of humans in Thedas. They taught the dreamers of the Neromenian tribes magic, and these dreamers became the priests and kings of their people.[4] Originally the Neromenian tribes worshiped fallen heroes reborn as dragons, and with dreamers as their leaders they began to instead worship the dreamers' gods, also as dragons.[5]
Scholars assume that the Old Gods must have been real at one point, but most agree that they were actual dragons of a magnitude not known today, and impressive enough to frighten ancient peoples into worshiping them. Some even claim that these dragons slumber as a form of hibernation, not as a result of the Maker's wrath.[3][6]
The Tome of Koslun, the sacred Qunari scripture explicitly says that "the Old Gods were like unto dragons, as the first human kings were like unto ordinary men".[7]
Worship in Tevinter
The demons who would be gods,
Began to whisper to men from their tombs within the earth.
And the men of Tevinter heard and raised altars
To the pretender-gods once more—From Threnodies 5
Legend maintains that the minds of the Old Gods continued to roam the Fade like any other dreaming individuals' mind would, and they were able to contact Neromenian dreamers once more[3][6]. Honorary[8] Archon, Thalsian accredited his discovery of blood magic in -1595 Ancient to the Old God Dumat and established the first temples dedicated to the Old Gods to show his gratitude[3][6][9]. Dragons became equated everywhere with divine power.[3][6][10]
Four centuries later, in -1195 Ancient Darinius founded the Tevinter Imperium and established the magisterium from the priesthood of the Old Gods[8][9]. In the days of the Tevinter Imperium, the Old Gods were a pantheon of deities widely revered by most citizens, with temples and priesthoods dedicated to their veneration, such as the acolytes of Dumat, who swore oaths of silence in homage to their lord.[11] Each god had a High Priest, and the seven of them were called the Magisters Sidereal.[12] Holidays were popularly celebrated in tribute to the Old Gods, namely the Festival of Urthemiel, which spanned an entire week.
During this period, the Old Gods communicated directly with their worshipers, issuing explicit commands and instructions. There was also an equivalent of the Chant of Light, for the Old Gods, such as the Verses of Dumat.
Downfall
Then a voice whispered within their hearts,
You are the Lords of the earth!
Go forth to claim the empty throne
Of Heaven and be gods.—From Threnodies 8
In -395 Ancient the Magisters Sidereal physically entered the Golden City, an act recognized as the "Second Sin". The Chantry holds that they did so at the behest of the Old Gods to open "the unreachable gate" in exchange for "power and glory beyond all reckoning"[13]. The City turned black and the magisters were cast out as the first darkspawn, inadvertently causing the First Blight.[14][15]
While the Chantry insists that the darkspawn tainted Old God Dumat and turned him into the first Archdemon, some ancient lore says it was Dumat who created the darkspawn and not the other way around.[3][8]
In the aftermath of the event, all of the Old Gods suddenly stopped communicating with their followers.[16] The First Blight led to a crisis of faith across the Imperium, shaken at the devastation their own god relentlessly championed.[17] Several temples were razed by betrayed believers, slaughtering priests to the Old Gods as retribution for their unheeded prayers.[18] Finally, during the Transfiguration[19] that followed Archon Hessarian's conversion in -160 Ancient[20], worship of the Old Gods in Tevinter was forcefully[21] replaced with the monotheistic worship of the Maker, although cults devoted to them are rumored to still exist.
The Call
“It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever heard. Aching and ethereal, it seemed to pull her toward a memory of nostalgic bliss that she had somehow lost — but that she would do anything to recover. Anything at all.” ― Isseya[22]
All darkspawn constantly hear the call of the slumbering Old Gods and search for them. When they find one, they corrupt it and it becomes an Archdemon, proceeding to unite them into a horde and unleash a new Blight. Hence many believe that with the death of all Old Gods the Blights will end.[6][23] At some time after their Joining, Grey Wardens also start hearing this call. This is the actual Calling and the moment when Grey Wardens know they must descend into the Deep Roads to find their death in battle lest they become fully tainted, nothing more than ghouls. The call of the Old Gods becomes physically audible when close to one of their prisons.[24]
Bregan describes the call of the Old Gods as a sound of "terrible beauty" and "awful yearning", while the Architect considers darkspawn pursuit for the ancient dragons as a never-ending aspiration towards a perfection they can never have, as it is corrupted in the instant they touch it.[25] Cole hears the call in the Western Approach and feels that it has "an urgency that sped his heart"[26] and is different from the song of lyrium.[27]
The Souls
“Some things are worth preserving in this world. Make of that what you will.” ― Morrigan[32]
Some suppose that the transformation into an Archdemon drives an Old God mad.[33] Others refuse to comprehend the motives of such beings,[33] but many have agreed that it is safer to find and destroy them while they still slumber:
- The Architect originally intended to taint the entire Thedas and hunt down the remaining Old Gods in 9:10 Dragon.[34]
- The Grey Wardens of Orlais lead by Warden-Commander Clarel planned to use a demon army fueled by blood magic to kill them in 9:41 Dragon. Solas was outraged by this idea, even regardless of the means.
Slaying an awakened Archdemon is not an easy feat:
And there might be other options:
The Old Gods
The Tevinters worshipped seven Old Gods. The first—and the leader of the others—was called Dumat, the Dragon of Silence.
- Dumat, the Dragon of Silence and the archdemon of the First Blight
- Zazikel, the Dragon of Chaos and the archdemon of the Second Blight
- Toth, the Dragon of Fire and the archdemon of the Third Blight
- Andoral, the Dragon of Slaves and the archdemon of the Fourth Blight
- Urthemiel, the Dragon of Beauty and the archdemon of the Fifth Blight
- Razikale, the Dragon of Mystery
- Lusacan, the Dragon of Night
A Chantry scholar conjectured that there might have been an unknown eighth Old God represented by constellation "Draconis" that was stricken from historical record.
Trivia
- The Grey Wardens know the locations of the prisons of each of the Old Gods; however, they are deep underground and cannot easily be accessed by the Wardens without cutting through thousands of darkspawn.[39]
- David Gaider hinted that the Old Gods could have been based on the elven gods or the Forgotten Ones, and that the second group had more reasons for that.[1]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 David Gaider (2010). "The Chantry, The Maker, The Old Gods: questions" . BioWare Social Network. Retrieved on March 23, 2015.
- ↑ Codex entry: The Maker's First Children
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 12
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, pp. 121-122
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Codex entry: The Old Gods
- ↑ Mentioned by the Sten as an Arishok in Dragon Age: Those Who Speak, chapter 2.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 122
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, set 3, p. 6
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 37
- ↑ Codex entry: Dumat, the Dragon of Silence
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 54
- ↑ Canticle of Silence 1:16, Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 2 p.57
- ↑ Codex entry: The Chant of Light: The Blight
- ↑ Codex entry: Corypheus
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 176
- ↑ Note: Memories Etched in Stone and Blood
- ↑ Codex entry: The History of the Chantry: Chapter 1
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 44
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 46
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 39
- ↑ Dragon Age: Last Flight, Chapter 3
- ↑ Dialogue between Solas and Blackwall.
- ↑ According to the Ancient Warden Logbook found in the Western Approach.
- ↑ Dragon Age: The Calling, Chapter 6
- ↑ Dragon Age: Asunder, Chapter 9
- ↑ Dragon Age: Asunder, Chapter 11
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Codex entry: A Change of Course
- ↑ See Codex entry: Praise Corypheus! and the dialogue with Gerav in the Legacy DLC
- ↑ According to a dialogue between Vivienne and Solas
- ↑ According to the Warden ally during Here Lies the Abyss
- ↑ Dragon Age: Origins, on the eve of the Battle of Denerim
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Game Master's Guide, set 2, p. 4
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 305
- ↑ According to Riordan, on the eve of the Battle of Denerim
- ↑ Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Game Master's Guide, set 2, p. 3
- ↑ Talking to Kieran (all backgrounds)
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, pp. 122-123
- ↑ Mentioned in Dragon Age: The Calling.
|