Dragon Age: More Like Dragon “Aged Like a Fine Wine” (Part 1/2)

Jurassic Park. Breaking Bad. Bohemian Rhapsody. No matter the form of media, whether film, television shows, or music, there are always monumental achievements of quality that stand out head and shoulders above the rest when held up to their contemporaries. And for video games, one of these masterpieces is undoubtedly the Dragon Age series.

Yes, I am back to talk about a game series that hasn’t had a new entry in nearly a decade, although the recently-retitled Dragon Age: The Veilguard is out to change that later this year.

Dragon Age: A History

For those unfamiliar, Dragon Age is a series of role-playing games from developer BioWare that was formally kicked off with 2009’s Dragon Age: Origins, then followed up in 2011 and 2014 by Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition, respectively. A fourth game in the series, subtitled Dreadwolf, is set to launch later in 2024 but has been delayed numerous times due to changes in the game’s vision and significant staff rotation/studio departures.

DA: Origins introduced players to the world of Thedas- a medieval realm that draws heavy inspiration from the fantasy greats of other mediums, specifically The Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons. However, while you will encounter human, elves, dwarves, and qunari (a race of horned humanoids invented for the series- much different from Tieflings from DND), you’ll quickly notice that these communities seldom live alongside one another in harmony. More on that later.

And much like its fantasy precursors, DA: Origins quickly introduces players to the game’s “evil” race- the malefic Darkspawn, born of magical corruption [because I don’t want to call it by it’s official term- the Taint :)]. Darkspawn are undead, rising from the corpses of those killed by Darkspawn or those who are infected by the corruption of exposure to the Tainted (dammit) blood. Only a mythical group of warriors known as Grey Wardens are able to fully destroy Darkspawn, and they waged a long, bloody war against the evil ones before fading into legend.

After creating your character (and one of SIX origin stories- an incredible feature for its time!), players are thrust into the role of a brand-spanking-new Grey Warden on a quest to save the country of Ferelden from Darkspawn, as well as the treacherous, crown-stealing General Loghain. The Warden meets several allies on their journey, from royal bastard-turned-Warden Alistair to the sultry Morrigan and her witchy mother Flemeth. The Warden eventually conquers the Archdemon with help from the various armies of Ferelden’s people. But while the Darkspawn threat is the story’s main thread, it’s far from the most compelling part of this universe.

One of the central pillars of Thedas is its conflict between Mages and Templars. Mages are beings that are born connected to the Fade- the magical realm of demons, spirits, and dreams- and as such, have the ability to utilize magic. There is also the risk that mages can be tricked and possessed by demons and turn all that power to nefarious purpose. The Templar Order was created in opposition to this. Claiming to be holy knights in service to the Maker (and his church, the Chantry), Templars use the magical substance lyrium to sap magical power from mages and keep them in check. Mages are forced by the Chantry and Templars into Circles- ‘havens’ where they can learn and practice magic under the supervision of Templars, and be put down should they fall prey to demonic possession or the use of Blood Magic.

From the Frying Pan 2 the Fire

Dragon Age 2 takes the conflict between Mages and Templars and situates it as the story’s central pillar. In the second game, players take on the role of Hawke- a human who travels to the city of Kirkwall after their home is overrun by Darkspawn (during the opening battle of Dragon Age: Origins). One of your two siblings is an apostate Mage (as are you, if you choose the class) that has been kept secret from the Chantry by your family. Naturally, it doesn’t remain this way for long.

Hawke finds work as a smuggler or mercenary upon arriving to Kirkwall and, after a year, finds an opportunity to be part of an expedition into the Deep Roads to find treasure. The Deep Roads, encountered first in Origins, are enormous, abandoned passageways of the dwarves that have since been taken over by the Darkspawn. You discover an ancient relic in the ruins that is in actuality corrupted by Red Lyrium- a twisted version of the substance used by mages and templars. This red lyrium (and several other precipitating factors) causes a lot of problems behind the scenes and culminates in an enormous battle between mages and templars in the game’s final act- the leader of the latter being fully corrupted by the evil idol.

I’ve left a lot of details out of the story to focus on this primary conflict. However, numerous side quests and companion storylines further delve into the intricate dilemmas of the magic conundrum- Do mages deserve to live freely? Or are they too dangerous to keep watch over their own? Each of your companions have their own opinions about the conflict and your interactions with them further shape the story in compelling ways.

Nobody Expects the Ferelden Inquisition!

The dilemma only grows from there. Beginning at an arranged peace talk to quell the violence between mages and templars, Dragon Age Inquisition sees the conflict instead spiral rapidly out of control. The bid for peace ends with the hosting Chantry being blown to smithereens by a strange force. Naturally, the opposing sides each blame the other, and violence only increases from there.

The player character wakes up at the game’s start with a strange, green power in their left hand- the same sort of power that ripped the Chantry apart and brought hordes of demons to the surrounding area. You’re able to prove your innocence soon enough and take up arms to help the Inquisition settle the violence of mages, templars, and demons (that have continued to spawn from green rifts around the realm). After rallying the mages OR templars to your side, players are able to close the enormous rift that opened over the destroyed Chantry.

But just when all seems hopeful, an ancient mage named Corypheus reveals himself- a figure who was one of the magisters responsible for the Chantry’s “Fall of Man” narrative that spawned their whole religion. Facing a foe straight out of the metaphorical Bible is no small task and the magister makes short work of the Inquisition’s base at Haven. After offering themselves as a distraction to allow the hundreds of others in Haven to escape (since Corypheus is after the green magic, or Anchor, in the player’s hand), the player manages to cause an avalanche and escapes the evil mage.

One of the player’s allies, the elf mage Solas, guides your group to an abandoned fortress called Skyhold and your miraculous survival of the battle with Corypheus leads your group to hail you as the new leader of the Inquisition- the Inquisitor. While you were already championed as the Herald of Andraste (a holy maiden from the Chantry’s religion), your apparent invulnerability to evil only furthers the peoples’ worship of you. After toppling an assassination attempt on the Empress of Orlais and ceasing the corruption of the Grey Wardens at Corypheus’s hands, the Inquisitor prepares for their final showdown with Corypheus… although not without visiting some ancient Elven ruins for some extra help.

The Inquisitor is able to topple Corypheus with the help of their countless allies and bring his plans crashing down. However, in the battle’s aftermath, one ally in particular goes missing…and is revealed to be MUCH MORE than they ever appeared to be.

The End…for Now

I don’t wanna be the person that says “Stay tuned for Part 2″… but, well, here we are 😛 I’ve barely scratched the surface of explaining Dragon Age’s complex storylines and world-building, yet this post is already pretty long! Since I have the basic plot structure out of the way, the next post will be much meatier, taking an in-depth look at the mythology of the Chantry, the Mage/Templar conflict, and all the direct symbolism that tie the Dragon Age series to real life issues.

Thank you for reading, friends! Take care!

-Brink