Dragon Age: The Calling

Dragon Age: The Calling is a fantasy novel written by David Gaider based on the role-playing video game franchise Dragon Age, and was released October 13, 2009.^[1] It is a sequel to Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne and a prequel to Dragon Age: Origins, published earlier the same year. The novel is set approximately fourteen years after the events of The Stolen Throne and focuses on King Maric Theirin, a young Duncan and the Grey Wardens.

Overview

Having reclaimed the throne, King Maric finally allows the legendary Grey Wardens to return to Ferelden after two hundred years of exile. When they come, however, they bring dire news: one of their own has escaped into the Deep Roads and aligned himself with their ancient enemy, the monstrous darkspawn. The Grey Wardens need Maric's help to find him. He reluctantly agrees to lead them into the passages he traveled through years before, chasing after a deadly secret that will threaten to destroy not only the Grey Wardens, but also the Kingdom above.

Plot

Fourteen years after reclaiming the throne of Ferelden and defeating the Orlesian occupation of his country, King Maric Theirin is approached by Genevieve, Commander of the Grey Wardens of Orlais. Genevieve's brother, Bregan, has been captured by the darkspawn; she warns that Bregan knows where the Old Gods are buried, and the darkspawn gain this knowledge, they will use it to trigger a Blight in Thedas. Maric and Loghain are the only two living people to have ventured through the Deep Roads near to where Bregan is being held captive and Maric, despondent over his wife's death and his failure as a father, and remembering a warning given to him by a mysterious witch of a Blight coming to Ferelden, volunteers to guide the Grey Wardens into the Deep Roads. Thus he comes to travel with a band of Wardens led by Genevieve including a young Duncan, an Orlesian elven mage named Fiona, the Avvar Kell ap Morgan, the Silent Sister Utha, the warriors Julien and Nicolas and Kell's dog and also Grey Warden, Hafter.

Bregan had ventured into the Deep Roads for his Calling (a Grey Warden practice that involves a Warden ending their life by launching a suicidal attack into darkspawn territory before the taint consumes them) but is saved from being killed by the Architect, an unusually intelligent darkspawn emissary. The Architect claims to want to slay the Old Gods to free the darkspawn from their siren call, consequently ending the threat of future Blights. This, the Architect claims, would facilitate peace between mankind and darkspawn but concluding such a peace would demand a huge price. The darkspawn taint turns creatures into ghouls, all except the Grey Wardens who are made, at least temporarily, immune to the taint by their Joining. Mankind and darkspawn could only exist in harmony if the darkspawn taint is introduced to all mankind across Thedas. Bregan eventually agrees to assist the Architect in its plans.

The Grey Wardens and Maric venture into the Deep Roads and find Bregan and the Architect, but not before stumbling upon the horrors of the Deep Roads, with the group losing most of their number. However, some trinkets given to the Wardens by First Enchanter Remille allegedly to prevent the darkspawn from sensing the Wardens have instead served to rapidly accelerate the progress of the taint in them. Only Duncan, protected by an ebony-black enchanted dagger he stole from Remille, remains immune. The group is ambushed by darkspawn and nearly killed, though the Architect manages to save and take them prisoner in Kul-Baras. Eventually Genevieve and Utha agree to join Bregan and the Architect to destroy the Old Gods, though the full extent of the Architect's plans is not revealed to them.

Only Duncan, Fiona and Maric escape the Deep Roads, only to find themselves tricked and captured by First Enchanter Remille and taken to the Circle of Magi's Tower which was taken over by Orlesian Circle mages and templars. There, they re-encounter the Architect, Bregan, Genevieve and Utha. It is revealed that the Architect and Remille are in cahoots; the Architect has granted Remille knowledge of darkspawn magic and Maric as a captive for the Orlesian Emperor in exchange for his help in spreading the taint in all the major cities of Thedas. However, the Architect's plans are thwarted when Loghain, having learned of the Orlesians taking over the tower, arrives with a Fereldan army to recapture it, and Bregan and Genevieve renounce the Architect's plans. Bregan, Genevieve and Remille are killed in the final showdown, but the Architect and Utha escape.

Fiona and Duncan leave to visit the Warden headquarters in Weisshaupt. Free of Remille's trinket, Fiona recovers from the artificially accelerated taint, and the Warden mages think she may actually be the first Warden to be free of it forever and thus avoid the Calling. Duncan and Fiona return to Ferelden: Duncan to be second-in-command of the Wardens in Ferelden, where Maric has agreed to their return to the kingdom after 200 years of exile despite the protests of Loghain and others, and Fiona to see Maric. She and Maric had become lovers while in the Deep Roads. Fiona became pregnant and bore Maric an illegitimate son, Alistair, who, like all children of elves and humans, appears fully human. She gives the child to Maric, to be raised in ignorance of the elven heritage that brought her little but pain. She returns to Weisshaupt, permanently recalled to lead the hunt for the Architect. Duncan offers to watch over the child in secret and ensure that he is kept safe.

References