The Dwarves in the Dragon Age franchise have a rich history anyone would expect from a famous fantasy race. One of the original races that have always been in Thedas, it's to be expected that not have they helped shape Thedas, but they were also shaped by it as well. However, Bioware being Bioware, that rich history of the Dwarves and Thedas itself are hidden in obscure dialogue lines and books.
This is not the most reliable worldbuilding system as it can leave holes in the lore fans. So, for those fans that are curious about some obscure facts about the Dwarven race in Dragon Age, here's a list of some things players would like to know.
10 Orzammar Abandoned a City to Darkspawn
During the first Blight, Darkspawn flooded the Deep Roads and the Dwarven empire. As it was the first Blight, the Dwarves, and every other race, were singularly unprepared for the ruthlessness of their new enemy. Thaig after thaig and city after city, it seemed that the Dwarves' doom was well at hand. Not even their best warriors stemmed the flow.
Their solution had to be just as ruthless. They abandoned their capital, Kal-Sharok, and blocked off access to the new capital, Orzammar, in the process. It wasn't until recently that Orzammar discovered that Kal-Sharok had not fallen. It's fair to say that relations between the two cities are rocky at best.
9 Orzammar Reclaimed Another City From Darkspawn
Even more recently, Orzammar led an expedition to reclaim Kal'Hirol. This was a thaig lost to the Darkspawn long ago and was a big hit to the Dwarven empire. Named after Paragon Hirol, this was a thaig known for its innovation in smithing. Golems, Lyrium mining, and all other smithing techniques were lost once this thaig fell in the first Blight.
But in 9:31 Dragon, House Helmi leads an expedition after the events in Dragon Age: Awakening. They manage to clear out all the Darkspawn and have begun restoring this great city.
8 Lower Castes to Use Children to Advance
Describing the class system in Orzammar as strict would be an understatement. It is exceedingly hard to climb and most are doomed to stay in their station for the rest of their life. However, because of their strict gender roles, lower caste families use their women to climb the social ladder.
If a woman is able to seduce a person of a higher caste and have their child, that man is obligated to marry and accept her family into his own. Therefore, she, her child, and her family rise above their station and are guaranteed an easier life. This is so common that it's used as a scam that players can witness in the Dwarven Outcast origin in Dragon Age: Origins.
7 All Surface Dwarves Are Casteless in Orzammar
This is a fact that many players forget. If a dwarf is above ground, no matter if they were born above ground or not, they are seen as casteless in the eyes of Orzammar. So all the dwarves leading lives as merchants, mercenaries, or anything in between, can never step foot in Orzammar.
Sending dwarves up to the surface is the harshest punishment one can receive by Orzammar authorities. They erase the guilty from Orzammar's memories, and with their exile, they are effectively forgotten.
6 Titans are the Lost Gods of the Dwarves
Titans are supposedly the 'Shapers of the World'. With earthquakes and persistence that comes with immortality, these 'gods' have shaped Thedas into what it is today. However, players won't find any mention of them in Orzammar's memories.
It seems that Titans had a few run-ins with the elven gods. One even fell to Mythal and was soon harvested by her people. Soon after, the Titans fell into a deep slumber and would not wake until Dragon Age: Inquisition. It's not known yet what caused the downfall of the Titans, or what forced them into their sleep, but it is the reason why the dwarves have fallen from greatness.
5 Lyrium is the Titan's Blood
Lyrium, an all-powerful and magical substance that has enraptured Thedas, is the blood of Titans. This was a hell of a discovery and one that was a little hard to understand at first. It helps to think of titans like enormous underground creatures with veins and arteries that stretch for miles underground. Mining veins of lyrium takes on a whole new meaning when you think of it like that.
It also comes with disturbing complications. When dwarves mine a vein, are they draining a Titan of their life source? Has the world, with their need of lyrium, slowly been killing off these ancient giants? Bioware has yet to expand more on these questions or Titans in general, but hopefully, players will see more in Dragon Age 4.
4 Red Lyrium is Blighted Titan's Blood
By definition, a blight is something that damages something else. It's not a surprise that it takes the form of a disease that kills and corrupts anything organic it comes in contact with. The keyword here is organic. Finding out that Red Lyrium is lyrium that is infected with blight completely changed the future for the Dragon Age series.
Not only do players have to come to terms with the fact their mages and templars have been downing the blood of an ancient being, but now they have to wrap their heads around the fact that Blight is able to infect a precious resource.
3 The Shaperate are Shapers of Orzammar's Living Memory
It's best to think of the Shaperate as incredibly detailed archivists. They maintain the history, culture, rules, and genealogy of Orzammar and its families. They record major historical events by etching lyrium in stonewalls, and by doing so, they are quite literally shaping their memories.
But while they can add to that memory, they can also erase memories from it. Those that have been banished surface can have their entire identities wiped from memory. This also brings up a fault with this system. While the Shaperate shapes Orzammar's memory, there is no indication that this memory is the entire truth. It is simply the truth the powers that be want everyone to know.
2 Half Dwarven Children are Rare But Not Impossible
Though players have yet to see any in-game, half dwarven children are entirely possible. They are just exceedingly rare. Because of the low-birth rate of dwarves in general, it is a miracle that any half-dwarven children are born at all. However, if anyone was hoping for a half-dwarf half-elf child to smooth over racial hostilities, they are going to be sorely disappointed.
It seems that Dragon Age lore demands that any half-child be from humans and dwarves as a half-elven, half dwarven child is even rarer. These children are taller than their dwarven parents but smaller than their human ones. And it's fair to say any relationship between a dwarf and human will be between a surface dwarf as this coupling would be a disappointment in Orzammar.
1 Nobles Rule Orzammar, Casteless Rule the Dwarven Merchant's Guild
As is stereotypical of medieval fantasy, nobles rule the stage in Dragon Age. The nobles of Orzammar are no different. Though the royal family has complete authority, Orzammar does have an Assembly of the noble houses that votes and advises the King. Again, this is not a surprise.
The biggest surprise, however, is the semi-government that the surface dwarves have created in the form of a Merchant's Guild. Money is everything to these dwarves. It's how they influence the world around them after being burned by the traditions of the world below. Though some wish to keep these strict traditions, a lot of members wish to do away with them and focus on the lyrium trade.