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[]
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]
Involvement[]
Dragon Age: Origins[]
“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.
The 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[]
Dragon Age: Inquisition[]
Quests[]
Strategy[]
- See Archdemon (strategy).
Abilities & Skills[]
- Dragon Breath
- Grab
- High Dragon Buffet
- Massive Attack
- Roar
- Slap
- Sweep
- Archdemon Corruption Blast
- Spirit Smite
- Vortex
- Detonate Darkspawn
Codex entries[]
- Codex entry: Archdemon
- Codex entry: The Carta
- Codex entry: Constellation: Bellitanus
- Codex entry: The Grey Wardens
- Codex entry: The Old Gods
- 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[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Codex entry: Stalata Negat
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, pp. 122-123
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 21
- ↑ BioWare Blog: Thedosian Holidays
- ↑ Codex entry: Archdemon
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, pp. p.56-57
- ↑ Dragon Age: Asunder, pg. 134.
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 25
- ↑ Dragon Age: Inquisition Official Strategy Guide, p.5
- ↑ Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Game Master's Guide, set 3, p. 35
- ↑ Talk:Urthemiel#Gender
|