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Spend time in anyDragon Agegame for an extended time, and you’re bound to, at the very least, hear about the Deep Roads to some extent. These ancient dwarven tunnels already sound imposing just on that name alone, but they’re so much more.
Every game in the series has had at least one substantial section taking place in the Deep Roads, and when you know their full lore, you begin to understand why. You may do most of your fighting above ground, but so very much of it wouldn’t even happen if it wasn’t for the things that happen down below first.
What Are The Deep Roads?
Simply put, the Deep Roads are essentiallyunderground highways that span all of Thedas, the continent on whichmost of Dragon Agetakes place. At least, that’s as far as they’re currently known to reach.They’ve been around since ancient times, originally serving to connect the dwarven empire.
While you may already know of Orzammar, the massive dwarven city you visit in Dragon Age: Origins, it’sonly one of the numerous settlements (or thaigs) that used to exist undergroundthroughout the world.
Three thaigs are currently known, with Kal’Sharok and Kal’Hirol being the other two, but the others were lost over the years.
Kal’Sharok is a bit of an isolationist thaig, having been mostly cut off from Orzammar and the rest of the worldsince the First Blight, a deadly plague thatcorrupts everything it touchesand is spread by darkspawn.
Meanwhile, Kal’Hirol had been overrun by darkspawn until the events of Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, whenOrzammar managed to take it backwith the help of the Warden-Commander.
Despite being cut off from most of the world, Kal’Sharok still maintains contact with the surface, as seen when they offer the Inquisition aid in several Dragon Age: Inquisition war table missions.
It wasn’t just dwarves who used the Deep Roads, either. During the height of the dwarven empire,they were constantly filled with people from below and above ground, traveling between the thaigs for business or pleasure just as folks do on surface roads.
The Deep Roads weredesigned by the dwarves painstakingly over centuriesto maintain these connections, and considering how much of them still stand, it’s clear that time paid off.
It also had the added benefit ofopening up new paths for the dwarves to mine the precious resource lyrium.
Dwarves are the only people capable of mining the dangerous and addictive lyrium, and their methods are a closely-guarded secret. So the surface kingdoms are reliant on them for their access to the stuff.
But despite all the effort and crafting that went in,huge portions of them have fallen apartdue to cave-ins and lack of upkeep. Granted, with so many darkspawn around, it’s hard to keep up with maintenance.
Why Are The Deep Roads Dangerous?
That’s another fun quality of the Deep Roads. The danger. See, the dwarves weren’t the only ones involved with their construction.The Grey Wardens also helped build them, though they keep their involvement a secret. You know the Grey Wardens, those noble warriors whose sole purpose is to kill darkspawn? Turns out there’s a connection.
The darkspawn remain largely a mystery. But one thing everyone knows is that they come from underground. So there’s an unfortunate side effect to building a huge network of tunnels down there:the darkspawn are a constant threat in the Deep Roads.
Between the darkspawn and the countless cave-ins that block off huge sections of the Deep Roads, attempting to retake them has been a never-ending endeavor.
It also doesn’t help that thedarkspawn are constantly threatening to overtake Orzammarand the other thaigs. But luckily, the dwarves have a pretty effective defense.
What Is The Legion Of The Dead?
The Legion of the Dead is part of the dwarven army, but also so much more. It’s stationed entirely in the Deep Roads,working to push back against the darkspawnin any way they can and with terrifying lethality.
When a dwarf joins the Legion of the Dead, it’s treated as a noble death.Everyone is welcome to join its ranks, but it comes with the knowledge that they will most certainly die in its service. To this point, they even undergo a funeral of sorts,saying goodbye to loved onesand relinquishing everything they owned and cherished before entering the Deep Roads.
Since everyone is welcome and joining is considered a selfless act, the Legion is also filled with criminals and those looking to regain honor for their families. Whether one’s motives are to avoid punishment or protect everyone,they’re all treated equally when they join.
It’s largely thanks to the Legion of the Dead that Orzammar and the other remaining thaigs are still standing (so to speak). Plus, they’re a big part of any efforts to reclaim parts of the Deep Roads. Unfortunately, that’s a tall order given whatunknown terrors lurk down there.
Besides darkspawnand vicious monsterslike deepstalkers, the Deep Roads are so vast thatthe full extent of their horrors is still not entirely known. They’re even said to housethe Old Gods themselves, which certainly tracks with all the darkspawn and such.
Why Are The Old Gods In The Deep Roads?
First off, the Old Gods remain a bit of a mystery in and of themselves. But what’s known is that they’re usually seen as gigantic dragons andtheir presence indicates a Blight upon the land. Legends vary from culture to culture regarding their history.
Many say thatthe Old Gods used to reside in The Fade, specifically the grand Golden City. At this time, they communicated with their followers and made their wishes explicitly known.
But when seven Tevinter Magisters who served them used blood magic to enter the city, they were cast out andbecame the first darkspawn.
At this point,the Golden City became blackenedand the Old Gods stopped talking to their followers, all but disappearing.
Except now, when one showed up, it was calledan Archdemon and signaled the start of a new Blight. There are seven Old Gods, and five of them have started Blights thus far. As for their presence in the Deep Roads, it’s less clear why that is.
The Blight can also affect lyrium, turning it into the far more deadly and corrupted red lyrium. So while rare, it’s not unheard of to encounter it in the Deep Roads as seen in Dragon Age 2, given its proximity to darkspawn and the Old Gods.
The Deep Roads go far deeper than many realize, giving way to underground lakes, breathtaking vistas, and even delving right into themassive unfathomable creatures known as titans.
So some theorize thatit’s the only place for the Old Gods to hide as they slumber, seeing as they can no longer reside in their old home, the Golden City.
There’s stillso much that remains unknown about the Deep Roads, and without some sort of alliance between everyone in Thedas, it may never be fully uncovered.
Will Kal’Sharok break its isolation? Are there any more lost thaigs out there that managed to survive? Only time will tell, and the Deep Roads have nothing but time.
