최초의 대재앙: 제 4장

앤더펠스의 와이스홉트 요새에서 창설된 회색 감시단은 인류의 가장 어두운 시기에 희망을 가져다주었다. 어둠의 피조물과 수십 년간 싸워온 참전용사들이 하나둘 모여들었고, 그들 중 가장 우수한 전사들은 이 땅을 휩쓴 어둠의 물결을 막기 위해서 모든 수단을 동원하겠다 맹세했다. 이 위대한 인간, 엘프, 그리고 드워프는 각자의 지식을 모아 대악마의 폭거를 막기 위한 연합 전선을 형성했다.

놀랍게도, 마침내 그들은 대악마를 막아내었다. 오늘날에도 음유시인들은 노르드보튼을 침공하는 어둠의 피조물 군단에 맞서 돌격하였던 최초의 회색 감시자들에 대한 노래를 부르고 있다. 각각의 감시자들은 한 번에 열에서 스무 마리의 피조물들을 상대했다. 웅장한 그리폰의 등에 타서 어두운 하늘을 가르며, 주문과 무기로 어둠의 피조물과 싸우는 회색 감시자 군단이라니. 얼마나 웅대한 광경이었을까!

놀랍게도, 회색 감시자들은 첫 번째 전투에서 승리를 거두었다. 그들은 승리의 나팔을 불었고, 돌연 희망이 생겨났다. 회색 감시자들은 인간의 국가와 드워프 전당의 건장한 수호자들을 이끌고 이후 수백 년 동안 대악마 듀맛과 그의 군단에 대항해 싸웠다. 늘 승리만 거둔 것은 아니었지만, 그들은 절대로 물러나지 않았다. 그들은 테다스 전역에서 엘프 노예건 인간 귀족이건, 신분이나 인종을 가리지 않고 기술과 힘을 가진 자들을 징집했다. 그리고 마침내, 대지에서 대악마가 나타난 지 두 세기가 지났을 무렵, 회색 감시자들은 침묵의 평야에 군대를 집결시켜 최후의 전투에 임했다. 이리하여 마침내 듀맛이 쓰러지고 첫 번째 대재앙이 종식되었다.

예언자 안드라스테의 출현과 함께 테빈터 제국은 새로운 문젯거리에 직면하게 되었다. 대재앙에 대한 기억은 점점 잊혀갔다. 듀맛의 패배 이후, 어둠의 피조물은 더는 위협적인 존재가 아니었다. 그러나 지금 와서 생각해 보면, 그것은 얼마나 어리석은 자만이었던가. 회색 감시자의 임무는 아직 끝나지 않았던 것이다.

—성가회 학자, 수사 제니티비가 저술한 테다스의 파괴에 관한 이야기에서 발췌

 

Founded at Weisshaupt fortress in the Anderfels, the Grey Wardens offered humanity hope in its darkest hour. Veterans of decades of battles with the darkspawn came together, and the best amongst them pledged to do whatever was necessary to stem the tide of darkness that swept across the land. These great humans, elves, and dwarves pooled their knowledge of the enemy and formed a united front to put a stop to the Archdemon's rampage.

And stop it they did. Ballads are still sung today of the first Grey Warden charge into the waves of darkspawn at the city of Nordbotten—each Warden facing ten or twenty darkspawn at a time. Squadrons of Grey Wardens mounted on their mighty griffons, soaring through the blackened skies and battling the terrible Archdemon with spear and spell; oh, what a sight it must have been!

Incredibly, the Grey Wardens won that first battle. They raised their arms in victory, and suddenly there was hope. The Grey Wardens led the lands of men and the last stalwart defenders of the dwarven halls against the hordes of the Archdemon Dumat for the next hundred years, gaining and losing ground, but never backing away. From all over Thedas, they recruited whoever possessed the skill and strength to raise the Grey Wardens' banner, making no distinction between elven slave or human nobleman, and finally, nearly two centuries after the first Old God rose from the earth, the Grey Wardens assembled the armies of men and dwarves at the Battle of Silent Fields. It was then that Dumat finally fell and the First Blight ended.

The Tevinter Imperium would face a new challenge with the coming of the prophet Andraste. Thoughts of the Blight grew distant. With Dumat's defeat, the darkspawn were no longer considered a threat—but with the wisdom of hindsight, we know that conceit proved foolish indeed. The task of the Grey Wardens was far from over.

—From Tales of the Destruction of Thedas{, by Brother Genitivi, Chantry scholar