When the First Blight hit, it lasted almost two centuries, many believed it was the end of days. Entire generations lived and died warring with the darkspawn.
When the Blight was at its most bleak, the Grey Wardens were born. The Order was founded at Weisshaupt Fortress in the Anderfels. The humans, elves, and dwarves were all experienced darkspawn killers who abandoned any flags and titles to end the Blight. In order to do this, they took extreme measures; drinking the blood of darkspawn allowed them to sense their foes' presence and hear the call of the Archdemon. Mounting great flying griffons as steeds, the Wardens turned the tides. Their griffons would later become extinct sometime after the Fourth Blight. They pushed into the heart of the darkspawn front and slew the Archdemon, an act thought impossible.
The victory solidified the Order as protectors of Thedas. The Wardens have persisted for ages at the front of all five Blights, ever vigilant in the periods of peace in between.
When the Wardens venture out in search of promising recruits, they look among all races for the strongest fighters and quickest minds. What isn't essential is is a willingness to join. According to old tithing rites solidified after the First Blight, the Wardens may conscipt whomever they choose, from the lowest elven peasant to the firstborn of the king. If the recruit is under the authority of a other body, the authority is nullified. The Wardens may even recruit someone sentenced to death.
This is not to say Wardens are prisoners of the Order. To be a Warden is considered by many to be a great honor. Elves tend to be especially eager to volunteer. Unlike the vast majority of society, the Order views all races as equal.
Traditionally, the Wardens are allowed to recruit one member from of each Circle of Magi. This mage is selected as a youth and becomes a Grey Warden for life. He or she serves the Wardens in the same way mages serve rulers and is given a place of great importance in the Order. Warden mages help facilitate the secret ritual known as the Joining.
All Warden recruits must undergo a dangerous, secret ritual known as the Joining. It is a test of a recruits constitution, as well as an acceptance of the Warden's greatest gift and curse: the taint of the darkspawn.
The Joining requires darkspawn blood. Recruits are typically sent out under the watch of an older Warden to slay darkspawn and collect the blood. This is a test to see if the recruit has the courage and ability to fight darkspawn.
Once the blood is collected, the Wardens add a single drop of Archdemon blood and use magic to make it at least remotely possible to consume. Archdemon blood is among the rarest substance in all Thedas, and it makes the Joining all the more exclusive a ritual. Older Wardens carry a small amount of it on them at all times.
Normally the taint within darkspawn blood can be lethal, ingestion makes most ill. Adding Archdemon blood only intensifies the effect, rendering the mixture lethal to most. A recruit who survives drinking the blood is considered worthy of the Order.
Should the recruit survive, he or she will forever share a deeper connection to the darkspawn, sensing them when they are near and, in a Blight hearing the call of an Archdemon. This gives them a great advantage in combat with the darkspawn, but also dooms them to a horrible end.
The ritual used to alter the nature of the tainted blood ingested during a Joining is kept a strict secret among the Wardens.
The Calling
Even those who survive the corrupting influence of the taint never never comply overcome them. Like a cancer, the taint slowly spread through the body. Wardens of advancing age eventually will eventually be overcome, slowly going mad as they are wracked with pain. Their bodies begin to rot and fester as they become more corrupted than not.
Before this happens, Wardens will honor a longstanding agreement with the dwarves and spend a year fighting darkspawn in the Deep Roads alongside them. When the corruption within the Warden has advanced to a point where the Warden can no longer stand it, the Warden descends alone down the darkest road to kill darkspawn until he or she is overrun.
The Wardens last step is inevitable. To die this way is considered noble by many. In the eyes of the Maker, it is said there is no greater sacrifice.
First Warden: The official head of the Order lives at Weisshaupt. Since the extinction of griffons, communication has deteriorated between the First Warden and other Wardens scattered across Thedas. Because of this, the First Warden is now seen as more of a political leader or a figurehead. Military command tends to fall to the ranking Warden-Commander in any given region. more corrupted than not.
High Constable: Until the loss of the griffons, the High Constable was the Wardens' aerial commander and second in command to the First Warden. In recent years, the High Constable has become the public face of Warden leadership in Weisshaupt, leading recruitment in the Anderfels and acting as ambassador to the nation's high king.
Chamberlain of the Grey: The senior archivist of the Warden Order at Weisshaupt, the Chamberlain of the Grey is also responsible for maintaining correspondence among the Warden-Commanders at the behest of the First Warden. The Chamberlain technically outranks all Warden-Commanders, though he or she would likely be lost leading an army.
Warden-Commander: Formally called Commander of the Grey, a Warden- Commander is the leader of the Order in any one region of Thedas. Diminishing lines of communication to Weisshaupt means most Warden-Commanders answer to no one and run their branch of the Order as they see fit. They must still send word of their progress to the Chamberlain at Weisshaupt annually. The First Warden maintains the right to summon any or all Warden-Commanders to Weisshaupt when necessary.
Warden-Constable: Formally called Constable of the Grey, the Warden-Constable is the second in command under a Warden-Commander. A constable will act as field commander and take charge when the Warden-Commander is called away for political or recruiting responsibilities.
Senior Warden: This is a formal title given to veteran Wardens deserving of special privilege. In some areas, such as Orlais, this title is known as Warden-Lieutenant. A Senior Warden may command a group of Wardens or embark on missions of particular importance. If a Warden-Constable is in command, he or she will likely take a Senior Warden as a second.
Warden: The rank-and-file Wardens take this simple title, though on paper they are called Warden-Ensigns. Members of the Order must undergo the joining to become a true Warden.
Warden-Recruit: Any person accepted into the Wardens who has not yet taken the joining is officially considered a Warden-Recruit. They are given a rank for committing to the Order, not easy considering it means giving up your family and country for a life of service fighting monsters. Many recruits do not survive the Joining, and their names are collected at the archives in Weisshaupt in honor of their sacrifice.
If an average person strikes the killing blow on an Archdemon, it's spirit is released and travels to the nearest soulless darkspawn. The spirit possesses the creature and uses its power to transform the new body into another High Dragon form. In this way, the Archdemon cannot be killed through normal means.
The only one capable of killing an Archdemon is a Grey Warden. When a Warden strikes the deathblow, the Archdemon's spirit passes to the nearest tainted creature, but that creature is the now the Warden. Since the Warden has a soul, the attempt of the Archdemon to possess the Warden fails, destroying both souls in the process.
The fabled great fortress of Weisshaupt is built upon the edge of a jagged butte called Broken Tooth in the southern Anderfels. During the height of the Wardens power, the stone compound housed thousands alongside a thriving stable of griffons.
Weisshaupt is now a miserable, barren place and is home to only a few hundred Wardens. The reigning First Warden is rarely present, as he is said to be more interested in politicking and lining his pockets than fighting darkspawn. With the power of the Anders king lessening as anarchy takes hold in the blighted nation, Weisshaupt is growing as a symbol of authority in the region. Some whisper that the First Warden aims to take power over the Anderfels for himself. This is seen by many Wardens as an insult to an Order that flies no flag but it's own in protection of all people.