The Gray Wardens are an organization of exceptionally skilled warriors who have dedicated their lives to exterminating the creatures of darkness in all corners of Thedas. Their headquarters remains to this day at the founding site of the order, the Weishaupt fortress in Anderfels, but the presence of the Gray Wardens is maintained in almost every country in the world.
Gray Wardens are known for their indifference to the race, nationality, position in society and even the criminal history of recruits if their abilities or qualities are of any value to the order.
Despite their small numbers, the Gray Wardens played a key role in opposing every Blight, and therefore the survival of the entire world depends on them.
Story
You will protect them, and they will hate you for it. In times when pestilence does not devour the earth, humanity tries its best to forget how much it needs us. And this is good. We must stand apart from them, even if they have to push and force us. This is the only way we will be able to make difficult decisions.
Kristoff, former Commander of the Gray Wardens in Orlais.
The First Pestilence and the Founding of the Order
The First Pestilence began in -395 Ancient century(800 TE), and a plague swept the world. Terrible creatures called "spawn of darkness" have infested the Deep Roads, a network of underground paths created by the dwarves. There was no end to the number of creatures, and they spread filth, which poisoned the earth itself and infected all living beings, causing terrible mutations and turning them into the same monsters. The Cult of the Creator claimed that this was the result of Tevinter mages invading the Fade and attempting to capture the Golden City, but the Dwarves and other non-human races rejected this theory. However, an invasion of the darkspawn - called the Blight - soon destroyed almost all of the underground kingdoms of the dwarves and spread to the surface. Thedas fell into chaos and darkness. The creatures of darkness were led by an incredibly powerful dragon; he was called the Archdemon and was considered one of the Old Gods worshiped by Tevinter.
In -305 CE (800 TE), after nearly a century of desperate struggle against darkspawn armies, several hard-worn warriors gathered at Weishaupt Fortress in Anderfels, the western part of the Tevinter Empire. The legends of the Guardians celebrate their leader, Karinus, and the sacrifice their founders made in losing everything they had to save the world. It is generally accepted that the first to offer to accept the blood of the creatures of darkness was Nakiri of the Donark Forests, since his people had the custom of drinking the blood of their enemies in order to thus absorb their power. The Tevinter mages present at the meeting were able to contribute. It is also said that the elf slaves revealed the ancient knowledge of Arlathan. In return, a promise was made to treat them as equals in the order, as well as to concentrate forces on freeing the elves after the Blight was ended. The dedication became a symbol of the renunciation of the meeting participants from worldly concerns in order to give their lives to the fight against the creatures of darkness. They began to call themselves the Gray Wardens, and were ready to accept anyone into their ranks, regardless of race or background, as long as the applicant was considered suitable for the order.
The Gray Wardens first appeared on the battlefield during the attack on Nordbotten; Riding griffins, they charged into the ranks of the darkspawn, each taking on up to twenty monsters at once. The commanders of the horsemen were called High Constables. It was unthinkable, but they defeated the horde and won the battle. They became the very spark of hope that humanity desperately needed in those dark times, and quickly gained fame. The Gray Wardens began to pay tithes, supply them with everything they needed, and send recruits from all lands. By building more and more fortresses, the order expanded, its warriors were elite troops that dealt swift and crushing blows wherever the creatures of darkness appeared, and also led ordinary soldiers to great victories.
Over the next century, humanity grew stronger and was able to fight back the Blight. Finally, in -203 of the Ancient Age (992 TE), the Gray Wardens managed to gather an army from the soldiers of the Tevinter Empire, the tribes of the Siren lands (in the territory of which Orlais was later formed) and Rivain and oppose the creatures of darkness led by the archdemon, who is now identified as Dumat. A grand battle took place in the Silent Steppes, the plains south of Tevinter and north of Nevarra: the darkspawn legions were defeated, and Dumat was killed by the Gray Wardens; After the death of the archdemon, the horde lost the will to fight and was completely defeated. It took several more years to clear the land of the remaining creatures of darkness, but a great feat was accomplished and the Gray Wardens wove their legend into the fabric of world history. After the battle in the Silent Steppes, they were awarded every honor and received official promises from most nations, pledging to provide all possible support in the event of new invasions of the creatures of darkness. The Gray Wardens were also given the Right of Conscription to ensure a sufficient supply of recruits.
Second Blight
In 1:5 Divine Age, approximately two centuries after the death of Dumat, the archdemon Zazikel rose to lead the second Blight. The city of Nordbotten - where the Gray Wardens first fought - was destroyed before a defense could be organized. The forces of the Tevinter Empire abandoned the territory of the Anderfels, seeking to protect the central lands. The province had a hard time, and even the Weishaupt fortress was besieged by the creatures of darkness.
Fortunately, the army of the newly founded Orlesian Empire under the command of Emperor Cordillus I Drakkon proved not only morally prepared, but also capable enough to resist the Blight. After winning several battles with the creatures of darkness, Drakkon's army lifted the siege of Weishaupt at 1:33 of the Divine Age and, side by side with the Gray Wardens, began liberating the rest of the lands. Anderfels was annexed to the Orlesian Empire, and the Gray Wardens accepted the faith of the Church.
For several more decades, under the command of the Gray Wardens, the fight against the Blight continued. Finally, in 1:95 Divine Age, the archdemon Zazikel was slain at the Battle of Starkhaven in the Free Marches.
Third Blight
The Third Blight began two centuries later when Thoth awoke in 3:10 of the Tower Age. The first darkspawn attacks came on central Thedas, Tevinter and Orlais, but even though their hordes were larger than ever before, the quickly organized defense of the Sera Wardens saved the situation. The Blight now headed towards the less defended Free Marches, while Tevinter and Orlais tried to remain neutral, but under pressure from the Gray Wardens they eventually went to war. The darkspawn horde was defeated at the Battle of Hunter Fel in the Free Marches in 3:25 of the Age of Towers, Thoth was killed by the Gray Wardens. The Third Blight, in comparison with the previous ones, turned out to be relatively short-lived.
Fourth Blight
Little is known about the lives of the Gray Wardens over the next two centuries, until the onset of the Fourth Blight in 5:12 of the Exalted Age, which began with the awakening of Andorhal. The main attack fell on the area east of the Gray Wardens' ancestral territory, the Free Marches, Antiva and Rivain, but Andrefels also experienced large-scale attacks, and the city of Hossberg, located near Weishaupt, was besieged. This time, almost unharmed, Tevinter and Orlais refused to send help. The hero of the Fourth Blight was an elf named Garahel, who led the liberation of Hossberg in 5:20 of the Exalted Age, and then managed to gather an army in the Free Marches to help the Gray Wardens. Garahel's army marched north and encountered the main horde at 5:24 Exalted Age at Eisley, in which he gave his life by personally killing Andorhal.
The legendary griffins of the Gray Wardens became extinct some time after the Fourth Blight.
From the Exalted Age to the Age of the Dragon
The influence of the Gray Wardens has decreased significantly. The calm lasted for 400 years, and many decided that the next Pestilence would never come. So many darkspawn were killed during the Fourth Blight that it seemed they were finished forever. Although they posed a constant threat to the Dwarves, monsters were rarely seen on the surface, and the people no longer saw the need for the Order of the Gray Wardens, who had become a relic of a time long past, a dark past best forgotten.
In 7:5 of the Age of Storm, an unpleasant incident occurred in Ferelden, involving the Commander of the Guardians - Sophia Dryden, a former contender for the throne of Ferelden - in a planned coup d'etat. The result was a battle between the Gray Wardens and the royal army, ending with the defeat of Sophia and her subordinates at the fortress of Soldier's Peak, after which King Arland expelled the order from Ferelden. King Maric allowed the Gray Wardens to return in 9:10 of the Age of the Dragon; they began a gradual recovery, but by 9:30 Dragon there were still too few of them, and the order did not have enough fame or high respect.
Fifth Blight
In 9:30 of the Age of the Dragon, the Fifth Blight began after the Architect attempted to free his lineage from the call of the Old Gods, believing that if he mixed the blood of the Gray Wardens with the blood of the still underground Urthemiel, he could unravel the secret of the very source that compels the creatures of darkness search for the Ancient Gods. However, the experiment went completely wrong as expected and led to the awakening of a new archdemon. The creatures of darkness overran the Wild Lands on the southern borders of Ferelden, where they were met by the army of King Cailan and Loghain MacTeer, as well as all the Gray Wardens of Ferelden. After several small victories, the royal army was crushed at the massive Battle of Ostagar when Loghain unexpectedly retreated, dooming Cailan and the Gray Wardens to certain death. All the Guardians, with the exception of only two, died in a terrible massacre; both survivors were new to the order.
Loghain declared himself regent, branded the Gray Wardens of Ferelden as traitors, and forced the Orlesian Wardens who had come to their aid to turn back at the very border, believing their claims about the Sea to be a ruse designed to aid Orlesian's new invasion of Ferelden. Hearing of what had happened at Ostagar, the order sent Ferelden-born Riordan to fight Loghain while confronting the Blight. From their point of view, if the Gray Wardens threw their forces into fighting Loghain, then all of Thedas would be at risk of being ravaged by the Blight. Therefore, they chose not to intervene and remain prepared in case Ferelden fell.
Against almost impossible odds, the surviving Gray Wardens were able to gather and organize an army using ancient treaties, and with the help of Riordan, kill Urthemiel at the Battle of Denerim. The Fifth Blight, which lasted just over a year, is the shortest in history. As gratitude for their services, the Gray Wardens were given the Erling of Amaranthine. For the first time, the order received the right to rule an entire region.
Awakening
As the order recovered and reclaimed the Vigil Tower, a fortress acquired after the Fifth Blight that became its main base, the newly arrived Warden Commander faced a new challenge. It turned out that, despite the defeat of the archdemon, the creatures of darkness did not return underground, moreover, new species appeared - intelligent, talking Disciples and disgusting Children. Two powerful beings, the Architect and the Mother, were involved in the conflict, and the Guardian needed to deal with them. This mission changed the fate of the creatures of darkness forever.
Organization
The Order of the Gray Wardens is led by the First Warden in Weishaupt, while a network of semi-autonomous units led by local commanders extends throughout the world. The hierarchy in the order is often determined by the principle of seniority (based on the time of Initiation).
To the beginning of events Dragon Age: Origins in 9:30 of the Age of the Dragon, the Gray Warden forces number over a thousand in Anderfels, several hundred in Orlais, and about a dozen in Ferelden.
Official Gray Warden titles
- First Guardian: permanently located in Weishaupt Fortress. The First Warden has been more of a political figure since the extinction of the griffins, and most of the leadership of the troops falls to the Warden Commanders.
- High Constable: Second in seniority after the First Guardian, previously, before the extinction of the griffins, was the air commander. IN Lately The High Constable is a public figure, serving as ambassador to the High King and recruiting recruits.
- Chamberlain of the Grays: The senior archivist at Weishaupt, to whom the Gray Warden Commanders send annual reports. The Chamberlain formally outranks the Gray Commanders.
- Commander of the Grays: The leader of the Gray Wardens in a given country, under normal circumstances has little dependence on higher authorities. The increasingly thinning connections between Weishaupt and the rest of the order's branches allow most Guardian Commanders to lead their units as they see fit. They can also be summoned to Weishaupt by the First Guardian at any time.
- Constable Gray: The Deputy Warden Commander, also called the Warden Constable, serves as the field commander and assumes command in the absence of the Warden Commander.
- Senior Guardian(or Guardian Lieutenant in Orlais): leads a small squad of Guardians or performs special missions.
- Sentinel Ensign: Usually called simply Guardians, these are the regular members of the order, those who survived the Initiation.
- Guardian Recruit: chosen to join the order, but not yet undergone Initiation. The names of those who did not survive the ritual are kept in Weishaupt's archives as a sign of respect for their sacrifice.
Right of Conscription
Men and women of all races, warriors and magicians, barbarians and kings...
Duncan, leader of the Gray Wardens in Ferelden.
If necessary, the Gray Wardens use the Right of Summoning: they can demand that anyone from a king to a criminal join their ranks. However - especially in Ferelden - this right is used very carefully for fear of political reprisals. The next obstacle is that the Gray Wardens do not accept just anyone. Only the best and most gifted are invited to join the order. Additionally, the fact that Initiation kills many of its recruits means that Initiation can be a death sentence.
Despite the risk, elves are more willing than others to join the ranks of the Gray Wardens, who do not pay attention to the racial or social background of recruits, and service in the order is considered a high honor. Mages are traditionally called one at a time from the Circle, and then serve in the order for the rest of their lives. Just like servant elves, mages are given the opportunity to free themselves from the hostility they experience in society; A Guardian Mage is always a respected and valued member of the order. Their assistance in carrying out the Initiation is especially important.
Call
While many aspects of the Gray Wardens' lives are kept secret from outsiders, including Initiation, they also keep secrets from members of the order. As revealed in Dragon Age: The Calling, it is likely that the Call - also known as the Long Walk - was a ritual created by the original Guardians to prevent future members from witnessing their eventual succumbing to corruption. Contrary to even their own beliefs, surviving the Initiation does not grant the Gray Wardens true immunity against the "pestilence", but only provides some reprieve.
The call begins with nightmares or the voices of the Old Gods, that is, the same “call” that the creatures of darkness hear. Although Alistair states that Guardians begin to hear the Call thirty years after Initiation, this period can vary depending on willpower and the degree of interaction with the creatures of darkness. So, during the Mora, this period is often reduced. In general, it can take anywhere from ten to thirty years before the Guardian begins to hear the Call.
The essence of the ritual is that the Gray Warden goes underground, where a celebration takes place, and then goes to the Deep Roads with the goal of killing as many creatures of darkness as possible before falling in an unequal battle. The secrets of the Call are touched upon in the game when Alistair says that the corruption ultimately kills the Gray Wardens, however this is not the case. It is unknown whether the truth was hidden from all Gray Wardens or only from junior members such as Alistair.
Riordan said that even if the Guardian decided to try to escape his fate, after some time he would find himself on Deep Paths, desecrated lands or near the creatures of darkness, because they are bound by filth, which attracts them to each other. “You will look for them... or they will look for you.” Thus, it can be rightly noted that in any case, the Gray Warden dies in the hands of the creatures of darkness.
Gray Wardens and Dwarves
There has always been a connection between the Gray Wardens and the Dwarven people, which grew out of constant battles with the creatures of darkness, shoulder to shoulder. Several prominent Dwarven warriors, including the legendary Paragon named Morok Hammer, were present at the founding of the order. The fact that the gnomes do not lose their caste when becoming Gray Wardens is precisely his merit.
Dwarves are considered excellent candidates for joining the order due to their experience fighting the creatures of darkness. However, due to the small number of dwarves and their low birth rate, there are also few of them among the Gray Wardens. The Order of the Guardians is also the only land-based organization that is concerned about the endless war between the gnomes and the creatures of darkness in the Deep Roads.
When the time of the Gray Warden's Call comes, he or she, honoring the ancient covenants, serves for one year, fighting the darkspawn in the Deep Roads alongside the Dwarves. When the influence of the fel becomes unbearable, the dwarves hold a celebration in honor of the Gray Warden, who then travels further into the Deep Roads to fulfill his Call.
Heraldry
The symbol of the order is a silver griffin on an azure background. The commanders of the Gray Wardens (at least during the time of Sophia Dryden) apparently also had their own symbolism. So, another version is two griffins with raised wings. The artistic execution of the symbol on armor differs from that applied to heavy shields.
Known Gray Wardens
- Alistair- One of the companions in Dragon Age: Origins. He was trained as a templar, but did not have time to take his vows. Duncan used the Power of Summoning to allow him to join the order against the will of the Lady of the Church.
- Anders- a man, a magician, striving for freedom from the Circle of Magicians. Can be recruited by the Guardian Commander in Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, and is also a companion in Dragon Age 2.
- Avernus– Gray Guardian, living since the time when the Guardians occupied Soldier's Peak. He is one of the main characters in the plot Dragon branch Age: Origins "Soldier's Peak".
- Bregan- character from the book Dragon Age: The Calling. He is the former Commander of the Gray Wardens of Orlais, who left his post to perform the ritual of the Call.
- Corinne– Gray Warden of Tevinter, who ended the Second Blight by killing Zazikel at the Battle of Starkhaven.
- Sophia Dryden– Warden-Commander of Ferelden, whose interference in politics led to its defeat and the expulsion of the order from the country.
- Duncan– Commander of the Ferelden Guardians from 9:10 to 9:30 of the Age of the Dragon. He was one of the first Guardians allowed to return to the country after the order was expelled. His fate is described in more detail in the book Dragon Age: The Calling.
- Fiona- elf, mage from Orlais. As a Gray Warden she was then elected Sorcerer Supreme. She is also the first of the Guardians to apparently be cured of the influence of the Call. More information about her fate can be found in the books Dragon Age: The Calling and Dragon Age: Asunder.
- Garakhel- elf Gray Guardian, who united Thedas in the fight against the Fourth Blight. He gave his life by killing the archdemon of Andorhal.
- Genevieve– Commander of the Gray Wardens of Orlais at 9:10 Dragon. Her fate is told in the book Dragon Age: The Calling.
- Hafter- A war dog that accompanies the Avvar Gray Warden Kell in Dragon Age: The Calling.
- Janeka– senior Gray Guardian, interested in the ancient creature of darkness Corypheus. She is an experienced warrior who served for many years in a prison in the Vimmark Mountains.
- Kell ap Morgan- Jarl Avvarov, who later became a Gray Warden. He is an experienced hunter and has undergone the training of the Warriors of Ash. He always fights alongside his war dog, Hafter.
- Julien- Gray Warden from Orlais. In the book Dragon Age: The Calling, he is a member of Genevieve's team.
- Kristoff– Gray Warden, who fought against the darkspawn after the Battle of Denerim and conducted research into their organized attacks in Amaranthine. He is featured in the miniseries Dragon Age: Warden's Fall. His fate becomes known in the “Awakening” addon: he dies, and through the fault of the Baroness, the spirit of Justice appears in his body.
- Larius- A former Warden Commander, now corrupted and imprisoned by the Gray Wardens in the Vimmark Mountains.
- Nicholas- Gray Warden from Orlais. Julien's partner.
- Riordan– Senior Gray Warden from Orlais. Born in Ferelden and raised in Highever, he joined the order at the same time as Duncan. The Order sent him to Ferelden after losing contact with the Gray Wardens there, but he was captured by Rendon Howe and tortured.
- Stroud– Orlesian Gray Warden. In 9:34, the Year of the Dragon travels to Kirkwall to carry out the Guardians' mission.
- Uta- Dwarf, former Gray Warden. She was one of the Silent Sisters and therefore communicates in sign language. She was also a member of Genevieve's team in Dragon Age: The Calling.
Characters who can become Gray Wardens, depending on the player's choices
- Bethany Hawk
- Carver Hawk
- Loghain Mac Tear
- Nathaniel Howe
- Oghren
- Sigrun
- Velanna
- Justice(technically, since Kristoff was a Gray Warden)
Known Gray Warden bases
Ferelden
- Soldier Peak(does not apply if the Gray Warden did not help Levi Dryden);
- Amaranthine(including the Tower of Vigil), given to the Guardians after the Fifth Blight;
- Unification in Denerim(can be destroyed by Loghain).
Orlais
- Adamant Fortress(abandoned);
- Montsimmar;
- Jader.
Anderfels
- Weishaupt Fortress, the official headquarters of the order, seat of the First Guardian.
***
1:90 Divine Age
Neria is not afraid: the one who was born during the Blight, and the one who will die before it ends, forgets about fear too soon. If you are afraid - constantly, shaking from gusts of wind, from the howling of wolves and from the downed march of the Spawn of Darkness through villages and cities - then you are not living. Not at this time.
She joins the Gray Wardens against her will, but she still has nowhere to go and nowhere to return. Neria is not afraid of anything, but she doesn’t want anything. She has nothing - except magic and useless memories, more likely to burden than support.
Here the mother strokes her head, burying her fingers in her hair (now her hair is so short that no one can grab onto it), and tells old bedtime stories. The room smells of hay, milk and herbs - dried sprigs of elven root and mint hang from the ceiling. The mother's hands are warm and rough - from working around the house and with the land - and the fairy tales are the best. In them, brave heroes save the world, defeating evil, losing friends and loved ones, and in the end, dying. In them, the Gray Guardians stop the Pestilence - and life immediately becomes much easier. Without fear, without hunger and without war.
Her mother has been gone for several years, the house where Neria grew up has also been gone, and the scorched earth of Anderfels is under her feet. The Gray Guardians who accompany her and several other recruits who wish to join the Order to Weishaupt spit at their feet, complain about the sand squeaking on their teeth and squint at the scorching sun. Fairy tales lie: the heroes turn out to be ordinary thugs, the war does not end.
Only one thing turns out to be true - everyone around continues to die, and it doesn’t matter whether you save the world or not.
“Welcome to the Order, sister,” one of the Gray Guardians, Korin, tells her in the morning.
Neria doesn’t remember him right away - he smiled at her and handed her the cup, he read out a stupid oath, as if now vows meant something.
She wakes up in a soft bed for the first time in months, her legs tangled in a huge duvet; your head is throbbing, and the memories of the dream are trembling in your hands.
The huge dragon is scorching the lands just as his predecessor once scorched the barren lands of Anderfels, only people are burning along with the forests, crops and houses - writhing in agony while their skin peels off and melts.
They have been writhing in agony for a long time - for almost a hundred years.
***
1:91 Divine Age
Weishaupt is a huge fortress, home to thousands of Guardians and the heart of the Anderfels.
At least, at first, it seems that way to Neria: they walked here through the desert for so long that the sand on her lips is felt for several more days, and the mountains with snow-covered tops surprise her and alarm her at the same time - as if she had not woken up, but had fallen into a demon’s trap in the shadow. For Weishaupt, war does not exist, because he always lives by it - cruel, bloody, senseless and devalued by many - and decades of massacres have not changed this at all. What came before them is by no means forgotten.
Then Neria remembers that the miracles that the demons showed, wanting to get her body, have not been in her dreams for a long time; instead, as soon as they close their eyes, a huge dragon appears before them, followed by an unstoppable horde, driven by the desire to kill and exterminate. Where the troops of the creatures of darkness pass, the earth ceases to be suitable for life, and death reigns.
But even among death, among lifelessness, something can exist - the same Weishaupt, whose heart will beat until the last Gray Guardian or until the last griffin.
Neria likes griffins - huge ones, much larger than horses and, even more so, a frail elf - and she, when time allows, happily walks from one stall to another, scratches their fur and is silent. Silence and solitude - this is what Neria really lacks: the first is taken away by the chatty and friendly mentor who teaches her magic, the second is taken away by the general barracks.
Have you ever thought about learning to fly? - asks Neria Corin.
His head is wrapped in an incomprehensible rag, a new scar stretches from his cheekbone to his neck, flowing over it. The clothes are still travel clothes - I didn’t have time or didn’t want to change them.
She shrugs vaguely.
Corin's attention - rare due to his constant departures - she likes and dislikes at the same time. He conducted her Initiation, and she was the only one to survive it. Perhaps Corinne simply feels... obligated? Responsible?
How's the training?
“Okay,” says Neria.
It’s always like this at first: awkward and wary. She, like a wild animal, looks at Korin with caution and with her unsociability wants to scare him away, not to let him come closer. Then the tension subsides, and Neria remembers: he is her friend.
I stopped by to let you know that next time you will come with me.
Next time?
As soon as my head stops bothering the healers. It seems your mentor is now in charge of the infirmary? She thinks that walking with such an injury is contraindicated, and she is not interested in the fact that I somehow managed to get here with her. - Corinne smiles. - And I thought that I might need my own personal healer.
Neria smiles back uncertainly.
If in Weishaupt all the talk is about war, then outside of it there is nothing but it.
***
1:93 Divine Age
Corin winces, tilting his head to his right shoulder to make Neria more comfortable: a shallow but very unpleasant bite is bleeding on the bend between his left shoulder and neck. She wipes the blood with a rag soaked in water, looks at the marks of teeth - almost human, only sharper - and brings one hand to the wound, sighing and concentrating, with the other burying herself in someone else’s slightly grown hair.
A stream of healing magic warms up in the center of the palm, and then breaks down to the bite. A minute later, only pale traces remain of it, visible on Corin’s tanned skin, but hidden under his shirt.
“Thank you,” he says, closing his eyes.
Neria nods and allows Korin to squeeze her hand and bring it to her lips for a kiss, as if she were a noble lady, and not a rootless elf, as she allows him to squeeze her in his arms at night and allows herself to whisper his name.
It still seems to her that there is no meaning in everything that is happening: they both lived and will die - unnoticed by anyone, erased from history; They will die at any moment without leaving a trace.
In her three years with the Gray Wardens, Neria rarely had to light funeral pyres, but it was an integral part of the life of anyone who had filth running through their veins. Any fire burns brightly - and it doesn’t matter whether branches or bodies burn in it.
Neria is afraid that next time she will have to watch how Korin smoulders - how she turns into ash, and her heart clench with pain, hatred and her own powerlessness. Not every fairy tale ends with “they lived happily ever after,” but every life ends with death.
But Neria is even more afraid that it will be Corin who will have to set fire to her funeral pyre.
***
1:95 Divine Age
The city is burning, and Neria doesn’t even remember its name, looking with all her eyes as a huge dragon, flapping its wings, soars over the army of creatures of darkness. She had seen him in nightmares for so long, listened so hard to his screams that she couldn’t believe her own eyes.
Corinne, standing in front of her, turns around and smiles encouragingly and tightly at the same time. Behind them is a whole army, and at its head are the Gray Guardians.
Today everything must end - that’s what he said the day before.
For the sake of victory, Korin is ready to die without regrets. Neria... Neria - no, but she doesn’t want to live without Korin, and that’s the only reason she doesn’t run away, frightened by the otherworldly whisper that has crept into her ears and prevents her from falling asleep.
I can’t think: there are too many creatures of darkness to waste energy on thoughts. There is no fear left - only action. The smell of smoke, blood and ozone fills your nose - because of the burning city, because of the dead and because of the magic that almost sparks around you.
Neria tries not to lose sight of Korin, so that, if something happens, she has time to help him. She notices the emissary of the creatures of darkness too late.
She dies instantly, without having time to be upset or afraid. The fate of the Gray Guardian is to die in battle with the creatures of darkness.
The destiny of the worthy is to protect the one you love.
When it all ends - when the remnants of the horde scatter, having lost their leader, when the corpse of a huge lizard is dragged aside, when a huge funeral pyre is assembled - the bodies of Neria and Korin lie hand in hand next to each other.
Name: Neria
Author: FW Gray Wardens
Pairing/Characters
: Neria
Form: art
Category: jen
Rating: G
Size: 598x807
Note: refers to a historical figure.
Name: About raising pets
Author: FW Gray Wardens
Pairing/Characters
: Gray Warden, griffin
Form: art
Category: jen
Rating: G
Size: 480x668
Name: All that remains
Author: FW Gray Wardens
Beta: FW Gray Wardens
Pairing/Characters
: OZhP/OZhP
Form: text with illustration
Category: femslash
Genre: angst
Rating: PG-13
Size: drabble, 462 words
Note: the author brazenly takes advantage of the fact that the hero of the Third Blight has neither a name, nor a gender, nor a clan-tribe.
Anthea watched from the hilltop where she had set up her temporary camp at the town below.
Fires still broke out in some parts of the city, and the smell of burning lingered persistently in the air, barely dulled by the aroma of spring flowers. The flames faded and reappeared, especially brightly in the hour before dawn. People, elves, and gnomes fussed about, flooded their fires, tried to save their belongings, and shouted at each other. But the Spawns were no longer visible. A pair of griffin scouts hovered in the sky, looking from a bird's eye view to see if the enemy had fled and if there weren't a single Spawn left in the area. The main Guardian camp on the side of the main gate was bustling with activity, especially around the food pots.
A temporary truce with a natural disaster in the form of Spawns is like a breath of happiness for the common people. Not for her.
The sorceress adjusted her staff so that it lay more comfortably, and winced as she touched the bandage on her arm.
Are you sad again? - She felt someone else’s sharp chin on her shoulder and couldn’t help but smile. Sulann grinned almost in his ear, touching him with her breath: “Is this a special type of competition for you Tevinter people?” Fight, and then be sad alone? Me too, master.
Laetan,” Anthea corrected out of habit, chuckling. Out of habit, she reached out to cover someone else’s palm that was lying on her shoulder with her own. And she shuddered, as every time over the past two months, remembering that Sulann died in Hunter Fell.
There was a noise in my temples, as had happened often lately. The song rang out a few notes - and disappeared from consciousness.
Anthea is not a tenant; she knew it herself. If she does not die in one of the battles during the Pestilence, then the Call will take her.
But still. But still. Becoming a Gray Warden was the best of her misadventures.
A Dalish misunderstanding, its very appearance brings sacred horror to any reasonable person. Tattered clothes, somehow hidden under barely fitting leather armor, barefoot and always dirty heels, a boyish loud laugh. And yet it was she, Sulann from the Ralaferin clan, whose name Anthea never stopped distorting, who pulled her out of the despondency into which her Initiation plunged her and because of which the magician sometimes wished that she would then refuse help and die from Fel.
Sulann held her hands in the first days, when nightmares - ordinary ones, not pestilence - forced her to wake up in a cold sweat and with loud screams. She held out her flask of herbal drink, which had a terrible taste, but after which her head cleared up instantly. She entertained with stories about the nomadic life of the clan, and sometimes with ancient stories of her people.
And much later... She kissed so that the world did not exist; caressed her at night with unprecedented tenderness and patience, and then lay quietly, at home, nudging into someone else’s collarbone or notch in the neck.
Anthea missed Sulann more than her quiet life.
For a second, it seemed like someone was soothingly patting her shoulders, as if in an awkward half-hug. The corners of her lips twitched and she blinked away the moisture that had appeared.
Leaning on the staff, Anthea stood up, straightened up, and straightened her robe. She squinted as the dawn sun hit her eyes.
There was no time to sit still.
The Third Pestilence will not end itself.
Name
: ***
Author: FW Gray Wardens
Beta: FW Gray Wardens
Pairing/Characters
: OMP Guardian and his griffin
Category: jen
Genre: angst, drama
Rating: PG-13
Size: drabble, 485 words
Warning
: killing a mythical animal
Summary: When the Fourth Blight ended, the First Warden ordered the killing of any griffins that showed signs of aggression due to the Blight spreading too quickly through their ranks.
According to an article from the Code
: "Majestic brats" ; The author also used the text of “The Last Flight” as support.
Barry struggled in his bonds, screaming loudly, even hysterically, if that word could be applied to him; lashed his tail on the sides, clicked his beak angrily at everyone who wanted to get closer. Whether to calm down or tighten the ropes tighter - the golden eyes nervously twitched towards the approaching one, and the griffin himself arched his whole body, squealing even more furiously at him.
Einar, biting his lip, twitched every time his griffin twitched in exhaustion.
His fingers touched the hilt of the dagger that hung in a sling at his side. They trembled, squeezed, but did not take the blade out of its sheath.
Barry's real name was Barristan. A beautiful, long, heroic name - the hatched griffin, which the young man who had barely passed the Initiation once looked after, looked painfully lively and pretty compared to the rest. Although what “once upon a time” - I still kept an eye on it, they became firmly attached to each other. So much so that the senior Guardians could not dissuade the somewhat overweight Einar from wanting to become a rider, and in fact he became one. And Barristan only allowed him and a couple of servants to approach him.
Until the Blight struck the griffins.
Einar,” the Guardian Constable’s hand fell on his shoulder. - This is only your duty, both to the Order and to your griffin. We are waiting.
But Einar could not move, it was so painful for him to look at his friend.
But still. Better to let Barry die with dignity, calmly, and not like a mad, thoughtless Spawn.
Shhh,” he extended his hand in front of him, carefully approaching his griffin.
He cackled loudly, but then tilted his head to the side, listening to his friend’s soothing words. Einar quietly reassured him, called him by name, and affectionately “shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-----------------------------------------------------------------------\\[[\\[[[\\\\[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\sssssssssssssssssssssssimim thinkingc"--to-tom-shh------"---"---"--"--"------]------------------] Even the three Guardians who held the ropes entangling Barristan loosened their grip slightly, but still watched them both warily.
(the dagger fell into the hand easily and smoothly, exactly as needed)
“Well, what are you doing,” Einar came very close and touched the bridle; Barry yelped again at this, tensed, but then relaxed, allowed himself to be stroked and completely rested his head on someone else’s shoulder.
(maybe everything will work out? maybe he’s not sick with the Fel? but dark and swollen veins, but heavy breathing and sweat soaking the fur speak of something else)
“Everything will be fine,” Einar’s voice broke when he said these words. He persuaded himself more than his friend, and held the handle tightly, and held the bridle tightly, being afraid that he would run away. The griffin purred incomprehensibly - just like every time he asked a silent question to his rider, his partner in flight.
No longer will they fight side by side, and no longer soar into the air as a single being, and no longer lie around and tease on the fresh grass.
The blade entered Barristan’s chest at first easily, and then with force, so that he had to lean on the dagger with all his weight.
The scream rang in his ears, like his own, and his claws scratched his armor and unprotected skin, leaving scratches and, in some places, deep wounds.
Einar was able to release the handle only when he felt the full weight of Barry, who was no longer resisting, when two pairs of alien hands pressed on his fingers and when, as if through thick fabric, “Call the doctor!”
You did well, then the Warden-Constable patted him on the shoulder when he visited him in the infirmary. But Einar did not feel young.
Dead - even very dead.
Name: Jewel
Author: FW Gray Wardens
Beta: FW Gray Wardens
Pairing/Characters
: Sophia Dryden/Avernus, Demon of Desire
Category: get
Genre: romance
Rating: R
Size: drabble, 696 words
Warning
: author's headcanon about the fact that the description of Sophia Dryden was invented by Avernus
According to an article from the Code
: “Sophia Dryden is the light of Ferelden and its most brilliant diamond; Nothing in this world can extinguish her fire.”
Sophia Dryden is the most brilliant diamond of Ferelden, its majestic light, says Avernus with undisguised respect about his Guardian Commander to everyone who asks him what she is like.
She is his passionate, wild fire, tamed by a biting mind, and nothing can extinguish it.
After his words go to the people, and this is surprising to him. He is even somewhat embarrassed when later the commander with a grin hands him a handwritten journal with new poems from the Fereldan bards, where Lady Dryden is sung - in his words.
Several - because the commander laughs, touches his chin with his fingers, turning him slightly towards himself, and kisses the corner of his lips. It is so chaste and meaningful that Avernus flushes to the ends of his hair, and Lady Dryden laughs a little louder.
It would seem that they could be connected: him, a Tevinter by blood, a descendant of the Soporati who lived in the Free Marches, an unremarkable and ugly magician, albeit of blood, and her, a native Fereldan, a real lady knight, charming and attractive, two years older times. But it got connected.
Only then, after this kiss, Avernus notices how each time she watched with delight how her magician easily summoned magic. He notes? - with completely childish admiration, with the same one that appeared in him when he watched the commander’s training.
Lady Dryden - Sophia - asks him to summon a demon a couple of weeks later. Just like that, not for any purpose. Just watch how a powerful creature bows to someone else's will.
And he happily gives in. Summoned in her rooms, where no one will disturb them, after several hours of preparation, after a long time of drawing runes and seals, after drawing blood from another creature. He feels the touch of her fingers on his neck, rapid breathing at the back of his head, and even her gaze clinging to every movement of her fingers - he also feels it.
The Demon of Desire gracefully emerges from the Shadow, only to fall to its knees a second later, obeying someone else's will. This, of course, cost the life of one elf servant, but what is this compared to the sparkling admiration of the lady of the heart of Avernus?
His lady, he realizes as Lady Dryden drops curiously next to the demon, touches his tense back. He hisses, curses the mortals who tied him to reality outside the Shadow, and the woman continues to fascinatedly run her fingertips up the spine (it’s amazing how accurately they copy mortals), and then grabs one of the horns and forces him to bow his head even lower so that he hisses and touched his forehead to the floor. Avernus barely manages to maintain control as indignation boils up in the demon, and sweat streams down his neck, a drop creeping down his temple. But it works. All for the sake of his commander.
Can I do whatever I want with it? - she looks inquisitively up at the magician, slightly tugging the demon by the horn, forcing him to shake his head.
Whatever you wish, Lady Dryden.
He doesn't even have to lie; because whatever Lady Avernus orders, he will do for her sake. How much strength and skill is enough, but this lady is not worth knowing.
And then she laughs with her unique laugh, which seems like the shimmer of crystal. Releases the demon, rises; waves his hand so that he disappears completely into the Shadow, and he disappears when the tired magician himself lets him go. His whole body is trembling from overexertion, and he can barely stand on his feet.
Almost falls at all - when someone else's lips greedily dig into his.
When he can't get enough air, Sofia finally lets him go; and her eyes still sparkle with admiration:
You magicians are amazing. Keep such a powerful force literally at arm’s length,” she looks fascinated at how her fingers intertwine with others. Then he looks slyly at Avernus:
- You amazing.
And Avernus drowns in this word - amazing.
The way they kiss again as if they were biting; in this amazing moment when she clings to his shoulders and pulls him into the bedroom, in those amazingly tight movements with which she frees them from their clothes, and how perfectly they fit together, and how she saddles him, moves, moans, exhales in a trembling voice, when out of impudence he shoots a light charge through her body:
Amazing!..
Doesn't end so amazingly. He, like a youth who has no control over magic, sets fire to the canopy during the peak. Sofia laughs again, watching from under her palm-covered eyes as her lover rushes around the room in search of water, completely forgetting that he is a magician.
But still, she doesn’t drive him out of the bedroom, but pulls him back to bed by the hand and purrs something familiar, but at the same time unrecognizable, into his neck.
She is worse and better than any demon, and Avernus does not know how to resist her. Or he doesn’t want to.
Name: Long last journey
Author: FW Gray Wardens
Beta: FW Gray Wardens
Pairing/Characters
: Larius, m!Hawk, Gray Wardens
Category: jen
Genre: angst, drama
Rating: PG-13
Size: drabble, 806 words
Warning
: character deaths
Summary
: My dearest brothers and sisters! I'm leaving on my long last journey- Larius, Commander of the Gray Wardens
A couple of boy recruits accompanied Larius to the very entrance to the Deep Roads - one of those that only the Guardians knew about, lost among either elven or Tevinter ruins. This place was considered cursed by the inhabitants of nearby villages, and therefore there was no well-trodden path; one had to walk through tall, wet grass.
Larius ordered the brats to return three times, but they stubbornly refused and only tried to sniffle more quietly. They helped him move the slab with half-erased drawings, crushing thick thickets of lingonberries and getting smeared in scarlet berry juice. Larius could have done it himself - he was still strong in body - but the boys wanted to help, and he did not object.
Larius thought involuntarily - someday they too will go down, to the darkness, the sweetish smell of filth and unclear whispers. There was no regret; everything went as it should.
They said goodbye in silence; The boys' eyes sparkled, the tips of their noses turned red, as if from cold. With them they gave him provisions twice as much as he needed, and also a bottle of good wine - they probably spent all the money they had on him. Larius recruited the boys a month ago - around then the awakening stopped driving the quiet, obsessive whisper out of his head.
He understood well what this meant. Looking in the mirror, he noticed that the blue had completely left his eyes.
Larius did not like to hesitate and did not know how; a month was more than enough to complete all the work.
He did not hesitate even now, stepping into the darkness of the earthen passage. A brittle voice behind him began to read a prayer.
The Deep Paths after the Blight resembled a city in which the inhabitants locked themselves in their homes - life was felt on them, but was not visible, quiet.
Five more came out of Orzammar with Larius: two Orlesians, a Fereldan and a couple of Marchans; two bearded men, a youthful dandy, a woman who had been a commander for ten years, and a young girl with thin arms and a thick braid.
Her name was Octavia, and the taint in her blood would have allowed the girl to live another twenty years, but she herself decided otherwise.
The girl made her way to Orzammar secretly, along paths only known to her - but Larius knew what strength love and despair give people - and when she came out to their fire, the Marchian groaned dully, painfully. Overall, it was a simple story.
They stayed together for another two weeks; Every day the Marchian tried to persuade the girl to leave, she shook her head, determined and pale. He was thirty years older than her, she was incredibly beautiful, and Larius could not stand it and exchanged a few words with the girl when it was their turn to watch the fire under the quiet groans of the sleeping people.
He, of course, could not dissuade her. She died first, two days later her lover.
The next to die were the former lady commander and one of the Orlesians covering her with a shield. Larius and Morris were left alone; The Orlesian turned out to be surprisingly persistent, joked to the last - exquisitely, Larius did not always understand - tried to shave, cleaned his boots in the evenings.
He died after falling into a narrow mountain crack.
When Larius was left alone, with only a whisper in his head, he no longer wanted anything but death. He wandered through the underground labyrinths for about a day, and he was finally lucky - he felt the approach of the desecrated creatures - more acutely than ever before.
Larius drew his sword and began to wait in the narrow passage. He weakened, moved awkwardly, dragging his leg, but the handle of the blade still fit comfortably in his palm. He was ready to die, he wanted it, and the sight of the white-eyed creatures made him smile widely and take a fighting position.
The Spawns of Darkness did not attack him; they passed him by, sometimes touching him with their shoulders or their spiky armor.
Hawk turned out to be like his father - his eyes and decisive gestures stirred up memories like a wave through a muddy bottom.
Malcolm, with a lecherous smile and nervous fingers. He talked a lot about magic and little about the Circle, was very curious and was in no hurry to surface. The smell of lyrium, dark hair. A grimace of disgust when the topic of blood magic came up. Malcolm Hawke.
Larius forced himself to think, fought against the voice in his head and the aches in his body, suppressed the scream in his throat, pushing words through it. He still wore the armor of the Gray Wardens, and he still remembered his duty. Hawk looked at him with pity, but followed him, and that was enough.
Everything made sense - of the six who descended onto the Deep Paths, only Larius survived to finish what he once started; this could not be anything other than the will of the Creator, who called for the last time to serve the Order - and his blessing, which promised Larius death in battle with the most powerful of the Creatures of Darkness.
Even if the last blow was struck not by Larius, but by Hawke, he saw it, and the feeling of triumph made him breathe more often. He felt tired, as if after a long march, and knew that he would soon be able to rest. Everything turned out as it should.
No one was looking at him when his body suddenly shuddered from head to toe - the blond magician ran his palms over Hawk’s chest, the barefoot elf wiped the blood from his face, the dwarf fiddled with the trigger of his crossbow - and Larius suddenly felt the touch of someone else’s consciousness, someone else’s will.
He fell to his knees, managed to feel the pain in them, managed to reach out with his hand to the dagger on his belt, overcoming the trembling. The fingers touched the smooth handle - but could not squeeze.
Weak body, weak will. The song sounded in the blood in tints, whispers, howls.
He got up a different person.
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