Dragon Age

[Zorky]

Dragon Age comic debuts in March, 2010

The previously announced Dragon Age comic series will begin next March. Penned by Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game, Empire), the story appears to revolve around rogue (the concept, not the class) mages within the Circle of Magi who "will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever."

BioWare and TOR previously released the Dragon Age novel, The Stolen Throne, which if you're into the whole words without pictures thing, sets the stage and gives plenty of background for the epic RPG.

BioWare & IDW Publihing's Dragon Age comic book preview
BioWare | March 16, 2010 at 1:24 pm | Tags: BioWare, Comic, dragon age, IDW Publishing | Categories: dragon age | URL: http://wp.me/pkWeS-Mc

by comic book nerd Evil Chris Priestly

Hello Dragon Age fans

As those of you who read this blog know, I am a huge comic book nerd. Basement full of back issues? I got them. Shelves full of statues and toys? Bookcases full. Superhero themed underwear badly in need of a wash? No comment, but I think you get the idea. I am a big fan of comic books and as you can guess from my job, I'm also a big fan of Dragon Age and BioWare's games.

Check Out The Preview Of The Comic: http://bioware.files.wordpress.com/2010 ... -cover.jpg

Today I am really pleased to get to show off a preview of a new comic book by IDW Publishing and BioWare/EA Comics - Dragon Age.



For those of you not yet big fans of IDW like I am, let me tell you a bit about them. IDW Publishing is well known in the comic world for working on some of the biggest titles and licenses around. Are you a fan of Transformers? How about Doctor Who? Star Trek, G.I.Joe, A-Team and many more famous TV and movie properties. They also have many of their own great titles like 30 Days of Night, Locke & Key, Wormwood (a personal favorite) and many more. You can read more about IDW Publishing and their comics or pay a visit to their store HERE.

Dragon Age (the comic) is build directly from the story and lore created by BioWare, but is created by an amazing team of artists and writers from IDW. The comic is written by acclaimed author Orson Scott Card (author of the Ender Saga amongst much more) and Aaron Johnson with interior art by Mark Robinson and cover art by renowned artist Humberto Ramos. The comic will take video game fans into a whole new adventure in the Dragon Age world. In a time lost to history, a war ravaged the land. Mages, incredibly powerful wielders of magic, ruled the world through mastery of dark arts and forbidden spells. Their lust for power almost destroyed all existence, and unleashed an unholy pestilence, the Darkspawn, to plague mankind, trolls, faeries, and all the inhabitants of the realm. Now magic is carefully controlled, taught behind the sacred walls of the Circle of Magi, and monitored by the ever-vigilant Templars. It is in this arena that a new generation of Mages in training will arise, warriors of sorcery who will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever. To learn more about the comic, you can visit the Dragon Age comic page on IDW Publishing HERE.

Check Out The Preview Of The Comic: http://bioware.files.wordpress.com/2010 ... page-1.jpg

IDW have been great to work with and want all of our BioWare fans to get a sneak peek at the cover (as you can see above along with page #1) and the first 6 pages of Issue Number 1. You can download a PDF file of the cover and first 6 pages HERE. If, like me, you love the art and the Dragon Age world, you need to get your hands on Issue #1 which is on store shelves now. If you are not near a comic shop but, like all good Dragon Age fans, you still want to read the comic, the fine folks at IDW have made Dragon Age (and many others from their repertoire) available for download on iTunes. Check with your local comic shop for details or check out the IDW Publishing store and iTunes to make you sure don't miss out on Dragon Age.

[Zorky]

Dragon Age: The Calling



The Calling

Dragon Age: The Calling is the second novel to be set in the Dragon Age universe. It is set approximately fourteen years after King Maric Theirin and his companions ventured into the Deep Roads as described in Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne and eleven years after the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden was brought to an end at the close of the Blessed Age.

It focuses on Maric, a young Duncan and the Grey Wardens. It was written by David Gaider and released October 13, 2009.
Contents

* 1 Overview
* 2 Plot
* 3 Characters
* 4 appearance Trivia
* 5 See also
* 6 References

edit Overview

In Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, Maric set out on a mission of vengeance against the faithless lords who were responsible for his mother's death. Now, 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.

edit Plot
Spoiler Warning!

Maric is approached by Genevieve, Commander of the Grey Wardens in Orlais. Genevieve's brother, Bregan, has been captured by the darkspawn and, she believes, is being held near Ortan Thaig. Maric and Loghain are the only two living people to have ventured that way and Maric, tired of the responsibilities of rule and fleeing from what he sees as his failure as a father to his nine-year-old son, Cailan, volunteers to guide the Grey Wardens into the Deep Roads. Thus he comes to travel with a band of Wardens including a young Duncan and an Orlesian elven mage named Fiona and to confront The Architect, an unusually intelligent darkspawn emissary with a very disturbing plan.

Bregan ventured into the Deep Roads after hearing his Calling. However, he knows the location of the Old Gods, which The Architect claims to want to locate and destroy to free the darkspawn from their siren call. This, it claims, will facilitate peace between humans and the 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. Humans and darkspawn can only exists in harmony if the darkspawn taint is introduced to all humans across Thedas. With his mind disturbed by the encraoching darkspawn taint, to which his immunity is exhausted, Bregan falls in with The Architect's plans. It later transpires that The Architect also has other allies who cannot plead such an excuse, among them First Enchanter Remille of the Fereldan Circle of Magi.

The Grey Wardens and Maric venture into the Deep Roads and find Bregan and The Architect. 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 a dagger he stole from Remille, remains immune. Suffering, it is to be supposed, from the mental effects of the taint, Genevieve and the Silent Sister 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.

The rest of the surviving Grey Wardens and Maric attempt to escape. Only Duncan, Fiona and Maric make it out of the Deep Roads, and then only to find themselves tricked and captured by First Enchanter Remille and taken to the Circle Tower. There, they re-encounter The Architect, Bregan, Genevieve and Utha, but Bregan and Genevieve renounce The Architect's plans. They and the traitorous Remille are killed in the final showdown, but The Architect and Utha escape.

Fiona and Duncan leave to visit the Warden headquarters in Weisshaupt Fortress. Free of Remille's poisonous trinket, Fiona recovers from the artifically 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, and Fiona to see Maric. She and Maric became lovers, at least briefly, whilst in the Deep Roads. Fiona became pregnant and bore Maric an illegitimate son who, as all children of elves and humans, appears wholly human. She gives the child to Maric, to be raised in ignorance of the elven heritage that brought her little but pain and returns to Weisshaupt.
edit Characters

Some key characters in the book are as follows:

* The Architect - an unusually intelligent darkspawn emissary with a disturbing plan
* Bregan - Genevieve's brother and former Commander of the Grey in Orlais
* Duncan - A young Grey Warden
* Fiona - An Orlesian elven mage and Grey Warden
* Genevieve - Commander of the Grey in Orlais
* Hafter - Kell's wardog, named after the legendary Dane's son
* Julien - A Grey Warden warrior
* Kell - A Grey Warden and Genevieve's second in command
* Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir - Maric's friend and advisor
* Nicolas - A Grey Warden warrior
* Remille - Orlesian First Enchanter of the Fereldan Circle Tower
* King Maric Theirin
* Utha - a dwarven Grey Warden and silent sister

edit appearance Trivia

* The Architect and Utha have been confirmed as appearing in the Dragon Age: Awakening expansion.
* In the Deep Roads, Maric and the Wardens are trapped in the Fade by a Sloth Demon. The Warden of Dragon Age: Origins has to overcome a similar challenge in the quest The Fade: Lost in Dreams.

[Zorky]

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne



Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne is the prequel novel to Dragon Age: Origins. It was written by BioWare developer and writer David Gaider and introduces the reader to the world of Dragon Age. It was released in March 3, 2009.
edit Synopsis

When the beloved rebel queen is murdered, her son Maric sets out on a mission of vengeance against the faithless lords who were responsible for his mother's untimely death. The nation of Ferelden that once prospered under his family's reign now suffers under the cruel hands of the invading Orlesians. His countrymen now live in fear and no one is to be trusted.

Maric soon becomes the leader of a rebel army hell-bent on retaking Ferelden from the control of a foreign tyrant. With only two true allies by his side, the brash outlaw Loghain and the beautiful warrior maiden Rowan, Maric and his trusted band must outwit spies and traitors as they try to reclaim the stolen throne.
edit Plot

An Orlesian named Meghren sits on the Fereldan throne and Moira the Rebel Queen has been killed by traitors led by Bann Ceorlic, but her son Maric escaped. While attempting to flee the assassins who killed his mother Maric encounters Loghain, who is part of a band of Fereldan outlaws. Having no real alternatives, Maric joins up with them.

Maric is not able to stay at the outlaw camp long, as a force looking for Maric attacks. Yet, Loghain is able to lead Maric to safety by taking him to the Korcari Wilds, a region avoided by most due to its danger. Here they meet the mysterious Witch of the Wilds, who enables them to pass through the Wilds safely. She provides this help on the condition that Maric makes her a promise. What this promise is remains unknown.

After escaping the Wilds, Maric and Loghain meet up with Moira’s rebel soldiers who are now lead by Arl Rendorn Guerrin. Amongst these troops is Rowan, Maric’s betrothed and Rendorn's daughter. The next few years see Maric, Loghain and Rowan become close friends as they strengthen the rebel army until it is in a position to take Gwaren, a Fereldan town.

Katriel, who claims to be a messenger, warns them of an impending attack on Gwaren and they are able to repel it. After this, Katriel and Maric begin a relationship. However, Katriel is a spy for Meghren, hired by his advisor Severan. She provides Maric with false information that convinces him to attack the town of West Hill. This attack results in massive loss of life for the rebel army, and Maric, Loghain and Rowan being separated from the remainder of the army.

Regretting her deception and developing real feelings for Maric, Katriel leads Maric, Loghain and Rowan to the Deep Roads, in order to return to Gwaren. While travelling through the Deep Roads, they fight Corrupted Spiders and are rescued from a darkspawn attack by the Legion of the Dead. Once they return to Gwaren, they find the remnants of the rebel army and once again secure the town. With Maric thought dead, and the continuing cruelty of the Orlesians, there is now widespread support for Maric and the rebel cause.

By this time, Loghain and Rowan have formed a romantic bond, but Loghain has also discovered Katriel’s betrayal and reveals it to Maric. After discovering her actions, Maric kills Katriel. Following her death, Loghain encourages Rowan to become Maric’s wife and queen, for Maric's and Ferelden’s benefit. She agrees and with increased momentum and growing support, victory is all but assured for the rebels.

The novel closes with Mother Ailis, who once lived within the outlaw camp, telling Maric’s and Rowan’s son Cailan stories of his father, and revealing that Maric has become a popular king, Loghain has become a powerful teryn and has married and had a daughter, and Rowan has died after long illness. After relating this, Ailis chases after Cailan who has run off into the distance.