Thedas

Thedas is a place that features in Dragon Age.

History

Ancient Age

Thedas was a continent that was located in the southern hemisphere of the world.

During the Ancient Age, the Elves arose to become a powerful and mighty civilisation due to their use of magic and ties to the Fade. This resulted in their immortal leaders establishing and ruling the Elven nation of Elvhenan.

At some point, the elves came to make contact with the underground dwelling civilisation of the dwarves.

It was then that Darinius united the kingdoms Tevinter and Qarinus to form the Tevinter Imperium where he declared himself to be the first Archon. Elven and human relations were said to had been hostile in this era with the Tevinter leading the way in aggressive retaliation against the elven city of Arlathan. The elves responded by retreating from human contact with Tevinter coming to flourish and spread. The first 'dreamers' came to learn to use lyrium to enter the Fade from elven captives and these dreamers later became the first of the Imperium's ruling magisters. Eventually, the hostility between the Tevinter Imperium and the elves erupted into open war with the armies of the Imperium coming to surround the fabled elven city of Arlathan. A horrifying blood ritual was enacted that sank Arlathan into the earth destroying it utterly and ending the conflicting in Tevinter's favor. The conquest of the elven kingdom was complete where all those who did not perish with their city were enslaved with the elven spirit crushed and their ancient culture destroyed forever. Bolstered by their new elven slaves, the Tevinter Imperium came to expand rapidly allowing them to nearly take all of northern Thedas and conquering the lands across the Waking Sea.

Divine Age

In 6:30 Steel, the Qunari began to arrive in Thedas on-board their fleets of dreadnoughts that came from an unknown eastern land across the Northern Ocean. Their presence began to grow to the point that they threatened the entirety of Thedas leading to several Exalted Marches being mustered against them. This chain of events resulted in the Qunari Wars where the Qunari lost much of the territory they claimed on the continent.

Blessed Age

The birth of the Orlesian Emperor Etienne I's twin sons is declared a good omen by the Chantry, giving the new Age its name. In 8:24 Blessed, the Orlesian Empire launches its second invasion of the Fereldan Valley and successfully sacks Denerim. Despite being driven underground, the Theirin royal bloodline enjoys the support of old Fereldan nobility and continues the struggle against the Orlesian occupation in what becomes known as the Fereldan Rebellion.

Dragon Age

The current Age is named after the first high dragon sighted in centuries. The Fereldan Rebellion successfully drives the Orlesian forces out and reestablishes the Theirin dynasty's sovereignty over Ferelden in 9:02 Dragon. The Fifth Blight breaks out in Ferelden, as the Darkspawn defeat the King's army and the few Fereldan Grey Wardens at the Battle of Ostagar. Amidst a civil war, two surviving Grey Wardens unite the Fereldan armies to slay Archdemon Urthemiel in the Battle of Denerim in 9:31 Dragon. The Darkspawn Civil War follows the Blight but is quickly quelled by the growing Grey Warden order in Ferelden.

To the north, the First Battle of Kirkwall leaves the city without a ruler, allowing the long-standing tensions between the Templar Order and the local Circle of Magi to come to a head in the Kirkwall Rebellion of 9:37 Dragon. The annulment of the Circles of Kirkwall and Dairsmuid incites mages to rebel and flee to Andoral's Reach from across Thedas. In response, the Templar Order secedes from the Chantry to wage war on the rogue Circles. Simultaneously, power struggles among the Orlesian nobles opposed to the reigning Empress spark the Orlesian Civil War in 9:40 Dragon.

After the peace talks between Templars and mages are sabotaged by the Elder One in 9:41 Dragon, the ancient Inquisition is reformed to wage war against him and his army of demons, Red Templars, and Venatori. By the end of 9:42 Dragon, the Inquisition quells the Mage-Templar hostilities and the war in Orlais and leads their combined forces to defeat the Elder One. In 9:44 Dragon, an Exalted Council held to determine the fate of the Inquisition is interrupted by a Qunari plot to take over the southern Thedas. The Inquisition and the agents of Fen'Harel foil the plot, forcing the Qunari to focus on Tevinter. Fen'Harel begins rallying elves from all across Thedas under his banner.

Overview

In appearance, Thedas was a landmass that was bounded to the east by the Amaranthine Ocean, to the west by Tirashan Forest and the Hunterhorn Mountains, to the south by the snowy wastes that lie beyond the Orkney Mountains, and to the north by Donark Forest. The name 'Thedas' was of Tevinter origin which originally referred to lands that bordered the Imperium. However, as the Imperium lost its hold over conquered nations, more and more lands came to be called Thedas until eventually it was a name given to the entire continent. The northern part of Thedas was divided amongst the Anderfels, the Tevinter Imperium, Antiva, and Rivain, with islands off the coast. Central Thedas consisted of the Free Marches, Nevarra, and Orlais, with Ferelden to the south.

Locations in Thedas included:

• Minrathous : capital of the Tevinter Imperium and the largest city on the continent.
• Antiva City :
• Frostback Mountains :
• Gamordan Peaks :
• Hunterhorn Mountains :
• Vimmark Mountains :
• Kal-Sharok :
• Orzammar :
• Weisshaupt Fortress :

There are numerous underground locations scattered across Thedas. A vast majority of these underground passageways, cavern systems, and tombs can be accessed through active and abandoned mines, former Warden Keeps, disregarded fortresses, forgotten elven ruins, vast chasms, embankment openings, ancient Tevinter ruins, lost dwarven thaigs and Deep Roads entrances. The Deep Roads spanned the length and breadth of Thedas which connect the countless thaigs of the dwarven empire. However after the empire's decline the last four major kingdoms of the dwarves. Substructures are not as deep below ground and can be accessed through various engineered structures, foundations, conduits and habitations. These locations are commonly known as retreats, repositories, undercrofts, basements, cellars, vaults, bunkers and sewer passageways.

Creatures native to the continent included:

• Dragon :
• Titans : massive ancient beings that dwelt beneath the earth.
• Werewolves :
• Ghast :

As a result of the taint, the lands of Thedas came to be infested with the corrupted races that made up the Darkspawn.

Races that inhabited Thedas included:

• Humans :
• Elves :
• Dwarves :
• Qunari : these muscled horned humanoids were not native to Thedas but arrived from a different landmass.

Organizations that existed in Thedas included:

• Dalish :
• Legion of the Dead :
• Carta :
• Antivan Crows :
• Chantry :
• Circle of Magi :
• Templar Order :
• Grey Wardens :

Kingdoms on the continent included:

• Anderfels :
• Antiva :
• Elvhenan :
• Estwatch :
• Ferelden :
• Free Marches :
• Nevarra :
• Orlais :
• Par Vollen :
• Rivain :
• Seheron :
• Tevinter Imperium :

Inhabitants

• Solas :
• Flemeth :
• Morrigan :
• Alistair :
• Warden :
• Leliana :
• Hawke :
• Isabela :
• Inquisitor :
• Cassandra Pentaghast :
• Iron Bull :
• Dorian Pavus :
• Vivienne :
• Lady of the Forest :

Notes

• Thedas was created by BioWare and served as the primary setting of the Dragon Age universe.

In other media

Television

• In Dragon Age: Absolution, Thedas appeared in the setting of the animated Netflix television series.

Appearances

• Dragon Age: Origins:
• Dragon Age II:
• Dragon Age: Inquisition:

External Links

• Dragon Age Wiki Entry

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