Timeline

And so is the Golden City blackened
With each step you take in my Hall.
Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting.
You have brought Sin to Heaven
And doom upon all the world.

- Canticle of Threnodies 8:13

-395 Ancient

The Chantry teaches us that it is the hubris of men that brought the Darkspawn into our world. The mages had sought to usurp Heaven... but instead - they destroyed it.

They were cast out, twisted and cursed by their own corruption. They returned as monsters, the first of the Darkspawn. They became a blight upon the lands, unstoppable.

The Dwarven thaigs, their kingdoms, were the first to fall. And from the Deep Roads, the Darkspawn drove at us again - and again... until finally we neared annihilation...

-305 Ancient

...Until, the Grey Wardens came. Men and women from every race. Warriors and Mages. Barbarians and Kings. The Grey Wardens opted to sacrifice everything to stem the tide of darkness.

At Nordbotten, these brave fighters united under one banner, forsaking all previous oaths and loyalties. They took to the skies with Griffons and turned the tides.

-295 Ancient

The Tevinter Imperium and Arlathan Enclave ceased their warring to band together with the Grey Wardens.

Together, at the titanic Battle of Silent Plains, the many people of Thedas defeated Archdemon Dumat, the Dragon of Silence, ending the blight.

-195 Ancient

The Darkspawn are fought back to the Deep Roads. Without an Archdemon to command them, they are much more easily routed and handled, no longer a common sight on the surface.

The Rite of Conscription is created for the Grey Wardens. Through various treaties with the surviving and forming nations, the Wardens can enlist peasant to king to become a Grey Warden during a blight or time of dire need.

-180 Ancient

Andraste, a miraculous woman, preaches of the Maker and unites the Almarri clans. She then leads a horde of barbarians across the Waking Sea in an assault upon Tevinter, inciting slave revolts as they pass.

Southern Tevinter begins to collapse.

-170 Ancient

Before Andraste's army can attack Minrathous, the capital of the Tevinter Imperium, she is betrayed at Nevarra.

Andraste is set on a pyre before the gates of Minrathous, a martyr made for the Cult of the Maker.

- 130 Ancient

The Chant of Light is created by disciples of Andraste, spreading the Cult of the Maker.

Strife and warring rises among the Alamarri and other tribes in Ferelden as warlords vie to fill the power vacuum.

Andraste's ashes dissapear.

-3 Ancient

Kordillus Drakon, King of Orlais, unites the Heartlands tribes and is crowned Emperor of Orlais. He then formalizes the Cult of the Maker, creating the Chantry.

1:01 Divine

The Nevarran Accord is signed between the Orlesian Empire, Tevinter Imperium, Nevarra, Antiva, and the Free Marches. It esablishes the Circle of Magi under the Orlesian Empires oversight and creates the Templar Order, the Orlesian Chantry's military arm which monitors activity across participating nations.

Seekers of Truth are organized as well.

Present Day

1:05 Divine

The scars of the Blight linger.

The Tevinter Imperium strives to reclaim its former glory, a caste-based society driven by arcane power.

Orlais is riddled with political intrigue, influenced by the expanding Chantry, trust is a facade.

Ferelden is a youthful kingdom, one forged from tribal clans and warchiefs competing fiercely for dominance.

The Blight ended two centuries ago, but now there is no enemy to unite against.

Survival hinges on fragile alliances, political maneuvers, and whether your foe cares for unity or self-interest.