Grey Wardens and the Blight


 * "In peace, vigilance.
 * In war, victory.
 * In death, sacrifice."

What are the Wardens?
Grey Wardens are an ancient organization of warriors of exceptional ability dedicated to fighting darkspawn in all of Thedas. They are headquartered in the very place of their founding, the Weisshaupt Fortress in the Anderfels, but maintain a presence in most other nations as well. The Grey Wardens are known for ignoring a recruit's racial, social, national, and even criminal background if they deem the person valuable in terms of character or ability.

Despite their small numbers, the Grey Wardens have been instrumental in defeating each Blight so far, and thus are vital to the survival of the world as a whole.

What is the Blight?
A Blight refers to a period when darkspawn find and corrupt one of the Old Gods, which is transformed into an archdemon and leads the horde to attack the surface world. The world has seen five Blights to date; as Dragon Age: Origins begins, the fifth Blight has just begun.

A Blight is distinct from the occasional darkspawn raids, in which the darkspawn are few, scattered, and disorganized, plaguing only the Deep Roads, underground highway tunnels constructed by the dwarves at the height of their empire. These tunnels—and natural caverns connected to them—extend throughout Ferelden, and possibly elsewhere in Thedas.

When the darkspawn discover one of the Old Gods—ancient draconic creatures slumbering in the depths of the earth—they infect it with their taint, and it rises as an archdemon. Unified by its will, the darkspawn surge up from their tunnels and spread across the surface of the lands, destroying all in their path. Survivors are dragged underground to be eaten or turned into Broodmothers, water sources befouled, crops are spoiled, the land is poisoned and animals sicken. With each passing day, a blight grows. The earth itself withers and dies; the land is leached of moisture, turning everything dry and brown. The sky fills with rolling black clouds that block out the sun, making it easier for the darkspawn to surface. As this wasteland spreads, the disease of the Blight spreads with it, corrupting all in its path.

How does a Blight end?
The only way to end a Blight is to slay the archdemon, and the only ones who have ever managed such a feat are the Grey Wardens. For this reason, the order holds the respect of most nations, though their presence in Ferelden is the weakest of them all. The chilling thought is that this Blight has begun to spread from Ferelden for precisely that reason.

What are Darkspawn and Darkspawn Disciples?
Darkspawn are tainted creatures born of broodmothers. Disciples are those Darkspawn who are "awakened" as the Architect was. (The nature of) Darkspawn Disciples at Chronicles of Thedas has been explained in more depth - but little more than this is known and their origins remain somewhat of a mystery at this time, but plots within Chronicles of Thedas and Bioware lore will reveal this in the future. The corruption that is the taint will play a huge part in Thedas' future...