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Urthemiel, the Dragon of Beauty, was a draconic Old God worshiped as the god of beauty in the ancient Tevinter Imperium. Urthemiel was awakened by darkspawn and transformed into an Archdemon at some point before 9:13 Dragon, precipitating the Fifth Blight.[1]

Among the ancient Tevinter people, Urthemiel was the fairest and most graceful of the Old Gods. His beauty is now a horrid mockery of the being he once was. If not religious canon of the Tevinters, at least some dragon cults believed Urthemiel sired a daughter, Urzara.

Background[]

Urthemiel, WoT

Urthemiel, the fifth Old God[2]

There was a holiday dedicated to Urthemiel back in the times when the Old Gods were still widely revered. It was called "Urthalis", but this holiday is now known as Wintersend and is dedicated to the Maker. It is celebrated at the beginning of Pluitanis.[3][4]

In ancient times, the Feast of Urthemiel was the grandest celebration of the year. The event lasted twelve days. The Old God of Beauty was worshiped primarily by musicians, artists, and poets. They would create works of art in his honor.[5]

Allegedly, the ancient Tevinter associated the constellation "Bellitanus", depicted as a beautiful woman, with him.

Like the other Old Gods, Urthemiel endorsed the ancient Tevinter Magisters' attempt to reach the Golden City. When his High Priest, who used the alias "Architect of the Works of Beauty", prayed for guidance on whether to join forces with the Conductor of the Choir of Silence, Urthemiel urged his servant to join in the endeavour. [6]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.


It is revealed that Urthemiel was found not by the main darkspawn horde, but by the Architect, the sentient darkspawn emissary who was once Urthemiel's own High Priest. After a failed attempt to induce Grey Warden blood to Urthemiel to turn him into a Disciple, which the Architect believed would disrupt the Old Gods' hold over the darkspawn, Urthemiel became tainted, beginning the Fifth Blight.


Involvement[]

Dragon Age: Origins[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.


Archdemon Selfie

“It was an Archdemon, a dragon tainted by corruption, transformed into a thing of evil with no match in all of Thedas. Save for the Warden, of course.” ―Wynne[7]

According to Shaper Erden, Urthemiel was already awaken by 9:13 Dragon, sending the hordes of darkspawn to invade and conquer Bownammar.[1] Grey Wardens first felt its presence around 9:25 Dragon.[8]

Urthemiel is first viewed by the Warden in dreams during and after their Joining, in 9:30 Dragon, before actually witnessing the Archdemon firsthand at the Dead Trenches, where it commanded the darkspawn horde to move towards the surface.

In 9:31 Dragon,[9] Urthemiel led the darkspawn horde to attack Denerim, the capital of Ferelden. During the Battle of Denerim, he is confronted by Warden Riordan, who manages to cripple one of his wings before the Archdemon kills him. Unable to remain airborne, Urthemiel crashes down atop Fort Drakon: Riordan's sacrifice ensured that he could no longer escape by air.

The last two Grey Wardens remaining in the country, alongside the leaders of their assembled army, eventually reach the top of Fort Drakon, where the injured Urthemiel is decimating Drakon's surviving defenders. After a long, bloody battle against the Archdemon and the darkspawn forces trying to defend it, Urthemiel is finally slain by one of the remaining Wardens. With the Archdemon's death, the darkspawn horde, bereft of leadership and direction, lost the will to fight on, and as the bulk of the Fereldan Coalition forces counterattacks, the darkspawn retreat from Denerim in disarray.

If Morrigan performed the Dark Ritual:
On the eve of the battle, Morrigan offers a deal to the Grey Wardens. The premise here is that a Warden's taint will transfer to the pregnancy, and this will lure the escaping soul of Urthemiel to be bound into the unborn child, free of the taint, rather than the standard mutual destruction with its slayer. She claims that the Old God will not be evil, but simply become a child with his soul.


The Darkspawn Chronicles[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Darkspawn Chronicles.


In a non-canonical narrative, in which the Warden died at Ostagar and Alistair traveled onwards without his comrade, Urthemiel summoned the Hurlock vanguard to lead the other darkspawn to victory at the Battle of Denerim. He whispers directly to the Vanguard's mind, ordering him to destroy key points of the city or specific enemies during the battle.

After his battle against Riordan, sensing Alistair's approach and aware of his own injuries, Urthemiel demanded the Vanguard's presence at the top of Fort Drakon immediately. After the Vanguard killed Alistair in the ensuing battle, Urthemiel, having regenerated from its injuries, flew off to destroy the rest of Ferelden unopposed.


Dragon Age: Asunder[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Asunder.


The likeness of Urthemiel appears in the Fade to disrupt Wynne, Rhys, Adrian, Knight Captain Evangeline and Cole's efforts to find the Pride demon that possessed the Tranquil Pharamond. An intense battle ensues, and ultimately the likeness is driven away. Wynne then reveals that it was actually a demon disguising itself as Urthemiel using her memories of the Battle of Denerim.


Dragon Age: Inquisition[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


If Morrigan performed the Dark Ritual:
The Inquisitor encounters Kieran, the child containing Urthemiel's soul, in the gardens of Skyhold. Kieran is accompanying his mother, Morrigan, during her stay in the Inquisition as its liaison with Orlais. Kieran will talk with the Inquisitor for a while, giving them cryptic commentaries about their nature, before being told to go back to his studies by his mother. After the Inquisition's operation in the Arbor Wilds, Flemeth will locate Kieran and call to him through Morrigan's eluvian. Within, Flemeth reveals that she is possessed by the elven God Mythal and offers Morrigan the choice of giving Kieran to Flemeth or keeping him by her side and thus never being free of Flemeth. Morrigan, believing that Flemeth intends to steal Kieran's body, chooses her son. However, Flemeth only removes Urthemiel's soul from Kieran and takes it into herself before departing.


Quests[]

A Paragon of Her Kind A Paragon of Her Kind
The Battle of Denerim The Battle of Denerim

Strategy[]

See Archdemon (strategy).

Abilities & Skills[]

Dragon Breath Dragon Breath
Grab Grab
High Dragon Buffet High Dragon Buffet
Massive Attack Massive Attack
Roar Roar
Slap Slap
Sweep Sweep
Archdemon Corruption Blast Archdemon Corruption Blast
Spirit Smite Spirit Smite
Vortex Vortex
Detonate Darkspawn Detonate Darkspawn

Codex entries[]

Codex entry: Archdemon Codex entry: Archdemon
Codex entry: The Carta Codex entry: The Carta
Codex entry: Constellation: Bellitanus Codex entry: Constellation: Bellitanus
Codex entry: The Grey Wardens Codex entry: The Grey Wardens
Codex entry: The Old Gods Codex entry: The Old Gods
Codex entry: Urzara's Tooth Codex entry: Urzara's Tooth

Trivia[]

  • The last RPG Guide refers to Urthemiel as female. "Originally the Tevinter goddess of beauty, she is now terrifying, evil, and hungry."[10] However, Patrick Weekes confirmed that Urthemiel was indeed male.[11]

Bugs[]

  • Urthemiel is the strongest enemy in Origins, but if your character has the final in-game hit on it and you transfer your character to Awakening, the "Most Powerful Foe Slain" line during loading screens will remain blank for most of the playthrough (PS3, PC, 360). However, in most cases the Xbox 360 version of the expansion is unaffected, listing your "Most Powerful Foe Slain" as "Archdemon".
  • If the Warden enters the Palace district during The Final Battle, they witness the Archdemon fall onto Fort Drakon after having its right wing sliced by Riordan. If the Warden immediately exits and heads to the Alienage for the first time during the battle, they will see the Archdemon swoop past and destroy the bridge, its wing completely intact. This is due to the scene 'technically' taking place before the Archdemon's encounter with Riordan. (And alternative sequences of travel not being considered.)
  • It is possible for the game to freeze during or after the encounter with the Archdemon due to a corrupted auto-save. If this happens, revert to a load point, and then turn off auto-save. The game should no longer freeze then.
  • On some occasions when the Dark Ritual was refused and Alistair did not become king: after defeating the Archdemon, Alistair will engage you in conversation and say that it is his duty as king to kill the Archdemon - then he will not become king in the epilogue, even if he survives.

See also[]

Vestments of Urthemiel Vestments of Urthemiel

Gallery[]

References[]

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