Grey Wardens

The **Grey Wardens** were a legendary but small order of warriors, known for their exceptional ability to combat darkspawn. They were founded on the continent of Thedas in the land of Anderfels, where they kept their headquarters at Weisshaupt Fortress. In order to combat the threat of darkspawn, Grey Wardens maintained a presence in other nations and even on other continents.

Grey Wardens were noted for ignoring a recruit's race, economic or political backgrounds, religious affiliations, and even criminal history -- the only relevant information was their skill and their willingness to combat the darkspawn threat. They were also renowned for taming and riding on griffons -- these creatures became a symbol of the order and could be seen in virtually all Grey Warden iconography.

## History

The First Blight lasted 192 years, with darkspawn swarming through the Deep Roads of the Underdark, essentially dismantling the dwarven empire that had sprawled beneath Thedas and spreading their corruptive Taint. Where the darkspawn came from was never learned. The Grey Wardens were founded out of a meeting of veteran soldiers at Weisshapt Fortress, and they began an aggressive campaign against the darkspawn. They were able to reclaim lands long ago considered lost, and slowly pushed back against the Blight. They gathered an army of allied forces, inspired by their success to work together, and fought against the leader of the Blight -- the archdemon Dumat -- at the Silent Plains.

Following the Blight, the Wardens discovered some darkspawn capable of speech, led by Corypheus. The Wardens captured Corypheus in the hopes of using him as a weapon against other darkspawn -- they found, instead, that they were susceptible to his powers of mind control. As such, Corypheus was sealed away and imprisoned for eternity within the Vimmark Mountains.

Several more Blights came to pass over the centuries, always ended by the Grey Wardens. In between, the Grey Wardens stayed vigilant and did their best to stay neutral in all matters. Though the Grey Wardens commanded considerable respect during and immediately after a blight, in time their contributions would be forgotten. As hundreds of years would go by, they would come to be ignored or looked down upon. Nevertheless, the Grey Wardens were always ready to stand against evil.

Sometime after the Fourth Blight, the griffon population began to decline and they became rare enough in most nations that the Grey Wardens, as a whole, no longer tamed or rode them.

At one point, the Grey Wardens of Ferelden, led by Warden-Commander Sophia Dryden, became involved in a coup against King Arland. The coup failed, the Wardens lost their base at Soldier's Peak and were banished from the kingdom -- only to be allowed to return twenty years ago by King Maric. The order slowly began to rebuild, though there were still only a handful when the next blight began there in the Korcari Wilds.

## Organization

### Hierarchy

The Order of Grey Wardens was commanded from Weisshaupt Fortress by the First Warden, but there were semi-autonomous branches in each nation. The official hierarchy was as follows:

* First Warden - the official head of the order, permanently stationed at Weisshaupt Fortress. This was mainly a political position, as most military command fell to the Warden-Commanders.
* High Constable - once the aerial commander when the Wardens used griffons, the High Constable became the public face of the order, acting as the ambassador and head of recruitment.
* Chamberlain of the Grey - the senior archivist at Weisshaupt, who received reports from each Warden-Commander.
* Commander of the Grey - also called Warden-Commander, these were the leaders of the Grey Wardens in each country. Typically, they were given little instruction from Weisshaupt and ran their branches as they saw fit.
	+ Field-Commander - during a Blight, any Grey Warden could be given the rank of Field-Commander, temporarily giving them the same authority as a Warden-Commander in desperate times.
* Constable of the Grey - the second-in-command to a Warden-Commander.
* Senior Warden (or Warden-Lieutenant) - a formal title given to veteran Wardens.
* Archivist - each branch of the Wardens had one archivist.
* Warden-Ensign - Wardens who have survived the Joining but do not cast spells.
* Warden-Acolytes - magic users who have survived the Joining.
* Warden-Recruits - this rank denotes those who have been selected to join the Wardens but have not yet undertaken the Joining.

### Recruitment and the Right of Conscription

The Grey Wardens were open to being joined by anyone from any species, any nation, any background -- even criminals. They disregarded social standing entirely, so those ostracized from society in their nation often sought to join the ranks. Magic users, in particular, commanded a great deal of respect within the Grey Wardens, even in nations where magic was not always respected.

The Grey Wardens did accept volunteers but could also actively recruit. Should it be necessary, Grey Wardens had the Right of Conscription -- with which they could demand that any person of their choosing be drafted into joining them. The Right of Conscription could not be refused. The Wardens used this right sparingly, as it had the potential to have dire consequences for the order, particularly politically. Typically, the Right was used to quiet protests from a recruit's lord or commander.

## Notable Grey Wardens

* Avernus
* Alistair
* Duncan
* Sophia Dryden

## Real World

The Grey Wardens are derived from *Dragon Age*. For canon information, please visit:

* Dragon Age Wiki