The World of Thedas Vol1

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BIRTH OF THE DRAGON AGE I honestly forget when James Ohlen, the original lead designer for Dragon Age: Origins, first came to discuss building a setting for BioWare's new fantasy game. At that point, it was still a very vague concept. . and the years that followed were such a blur as we t ried to figure out what kind of game we were making. It all seems like ancient h istory. I rem ember the parameters I was given: a traditional fantasy world, complete with wizards

and dwarves and elves and all the things one expects out of fantasy. I remember sitting there, doodli ng maps and feeling very strange about the entire process. I mean1 making your own fa ntasy setting is something every game master worth their salt does at one point or another1 isn't it? You don't have to worry about someone else's baggage affecting your campaign, or be concerned that your players might know more about the setting than you do. You get to start from scratch, mixing the elements you li ke most into your flavor of fan tasy world. The real question was: what would those elements be? Outside of the parameters l was given, and the necessity of this being a setting for a game that you can play in and not just read about, l wasn't sure. This wasn't some homebrew campaign, but something millions of people would experience. Who does this sort of thing as part of their job? It seemed a little surreal. W hat I eventually settled on was a setting grounded in realism: "What if our own history had magic and elves and dwarves?" It's not really our own world, obviously, but I wondered how people would realistically cope with neighbors who could cast spells and summon demons. How would they react to people who were inh uman? H ow might Christianity be d ifferent if, instead ofJesus, it had been founded by Joan of Arc? What would it mean to have fantasy religions where gods were not known entities who provided spells to believers, but instead required faith in their existence? l wanted to subvert some of the common fantasy tropes while still keeping the conventions recognizable-elves who had been brought low rather than remaining aloof and immortal; dwarves who were conniving political schemers rather than stouthearted Scotsmen; mages who were feared for good reason. And the best part? Everyone on the team was on board with the idea. Discussions led to the creation of the Qunari and the Blight. The nation of Ferelden as the location for the first game appeared, and concept art started to bring to life what had previously only been scribbles on paper. What tabletop world builder gets that? Seeing Thedas evolve from where it began and becoming a real thing, until it finally went out to the fans and was embraced wholeheartedly by so many, has been the highlight of my career. I look fo rward to seeing where we take it next.

- David Gaider, Lead Writer

THE EVOLVING WORLD OF THE DAS The book in your hands covers a huge swath of the Dragon Age world. Races, politics, nations, it's all here: ruthlessly fact checked, beautifully illustrated, and artfully arranged . Every section contains all-new content that explores and expands upon the world of1hedas. Most of the amazing art pieces have never been released before this. Also included are many narrative sidebars written specifically for this compendium by our writing team. Some shi ne lights o n unexplored corners of the world's rich history. A few hide hints about the future of Dragon Age. Which ? Well, that would be telling. Suffice it to say that we've lo ng held that Dragon Age is not a world coming to an end. There are more stories to tell and more places to visit. The team has very consciously seeded the world so that we have a vast array of intriguing locations at our disposal when deciding where to set a new comic series, novel, or game. There is a larger-scale plan for how the world will evolve, but we always want it to be growing, not coming to a conclusion. This book, then, with its tantalizing new information, is just another step o n that journey. Thanks for coming with us. Ben and Nick here at BioWare, along wi th the incred ibly talented fol ks at Dark Horse, have created something very special. I sincerely hope you enjoy this deep dive into the world ofThedas as much as I've enjoyed watching it come together. - Mike Laidlaw, Creative Director

LEGEND MAJ OR POWERS

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Chantry: The dominant religious institution in Thedas spreads the word ofthcMakcrandintlucncesnearlycvcry human nation on the continent.

Elves: This once-great people have been relegated to the fringes of human society.

Dwarves: A stout TJCC ofbuilders, the dwarves reign over a Si7.ablc portion of the underground.

Qunari : The Qunari are followers of a religious text espousing absolute discipline known as the Qun.

O r lais: The lavish Orlesian Empire is a thriving nation of Chantry faithful.

Tevinter lmper ium: The oncemighty lmperium is the only mage-lcd nation in Thedas.

Ferelden: This relatively young nation with barbarian roots is the birthplace of Chantry prophet Andraste.

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Anti va: ll1e cultured kingdom of Antiva is famous for its wine, sailing tradition, and rich merchant history.

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