Dragon Age

Ferelden. A dark and foreboding place, where death and violence lurks in every shadow. A troubled world, where even the brightest light can often find itself extinguished by the ever encroaching darkness.
Civilization has fought for many centuries to hold the shadows at bay, but even now the mighty walls of Ostagar are beginning to crumble against the onslaught of an ancient threat. The darkspawn have returned again to bring their taint to the land, and this time, their ancient adversary, the Grey Wardens, have been left neglected by a complacent world that felt they no longer needed them. The fate of the world hangs in the balance, as these mighty warriors again take their place on the front lines against the Blight. But powerful as they are, their numbers have dwindled, and the time is near that a champion needs to step forward from their ranks and lead them to victory. But will the success of this Grey Warden ensure a new, brighter future for Ferelden, or be the first bloody step into a more perilous future?


History

Ostagar

Representing the furthest point of encroachment by the ancient Tevinter Imperium into the barbarian lands of the southeast, the fortress of Ostagar was once one of the most important defensive Imperial holdings south of the Waking Sea. It stood at the edge of the Korcari Wilds and watched for any signs of invasion by the barbarians today known as the Chasind wilders. Straddling a narrow pass in the hills, the fortress needed to be by-passed in order for the WIlders to reach the fertile lowlands to the north and proved to be exceedingly difficult for the Wilders to attack due to its naturally defensible position. Like most Imperial holdings in the south, Ostagar was abandoned after Tevinter's collapse during the First Blight. It was successfully sacked by the Chasind wilders and then, as the Chasind threat dwindled following the creation of the modern Ferelden nation, fell to ruin completely.

It has remained unmanned for four centuries, though most of the walls still stand -- as does the tall Tower of Ishal, named after the great Archon that ordered its construction -- and Ostagar remains a testament to the magical power of the Imperium that created it.

The Blight

The Chantry teaches that it is the hubris of men that brought the darkspawn into our world. Mages sought to usurp Heaven, but were cast out, twisted by their own corruption, only to return as monsters--the first of the darkspawn. They plague the underground caverns and tunnels once inhabited by the dwarven kingdoms. When they discover one of the Old Gods, ancient dragons slumbering in the depths of the earth, it rises as an archdemon to lead the darkspawn as they spread like locusts across the surface lands, destroying all in their path: a Blight. It has been four centuries since the last Blight, but the darkspawn are amassing once again.

Grey Wardens

They are the most elite and feared of warriors, dedicated to the destruction of darkspawn in all human lands. The centuries of peace have left them all but forgotten. The Grey Wardens have kept watch through the ages, well aware that peace is fleeting, and that their enemy will never truly be defeated until the last of the Old Gods has been slain.