The First Blight occurred in 800 Tevinter Era(TE), when a plague was unleashed upon the world. The Deep Roads, underground highways built by dwarves, were swarmed with monstrous creatures that became known as the "darkspawn". These creatures seemed limitless in number, and spread a taint that infected other living creatures, mutating them into monsters, and corrupted and poisoned the very environment around them. The cult of the Maker claimed this was the result of Tevinter mages entering the Fade through a ritual and attempting to usurp the Golden City, although dwarves and other non-humans discounted the theory. Nevertheless, this invasion of darkspawn — named the Blight — soon destroyed most of the underground kingdoms of the dwarves and spread to the surface world. Thedas was in chaos and entered a dark age. The darkspawn were found to be led by an immensely powerful dragon tainted with the darkspawn corruption; this creature was named an archdemon and believed to be one of the Old Gods worshipped by Tevinter.

The first Blight had already raged for 90 years. The world was in chaos. A god had risen, twisted and corrupted. The remaining gods of Tevinter were silent, withdrawn. What writing we have recovered from those times is filled with despair, for everyone believed, from the greatest archons to the lowliest slaves, that the world was coming to an end.

At Weisshaupt fortress in the desolate Anderfels, a meeting transpired. Soldiers of the Imperium, seasoned veterans who had known nothing their entire lifetimes except hopeless war, came together. When they left Weisshaupt, they had renounced their oaths to the Imperium. They were soldiers no longer: They were the Grey Wardens.

In 890 TE, after nearly a century of bitter war against the darkspawn hordes, a group of veteran warriors came together in Weisshaupt Fortress in the Anderfels, the western part of the Tevinter Imperium. Warden legends sing of their leader Carinus, and the sacrifice the founders made as they tried to save the world while their families perished. It is thought that Nakiri of The Donarks was the one who first suggested imbibing the blood of the darkspawn, as his people were known to consume the blood of their enemies to absorb their power. Tevinter mages in the group added to this knowledge, and it is said that elven slaves also contributed ancient knowledge from Arlathan. This was in return for being treated as equals in the order and with the intention that, after the Blight was ended, they would concentrate on freeing the elves. The Joining symbolically cut their ties to all worldly concerns, in order to dedicate themselves to fighting the darkspawn. They would accept anyone, no matter their race or background, without distinction if only deemed suitable to join the order.

The Wardens began an aggressive campaign against the Blight, striking back against the darkspawn, reclaiming lands given up for lost. The Blight was far from over, but their victories brought notice, and soon they received aid from every nation in Thedas.

They grew in number as well as reputation. Finally, in the year 992 of the Tevinter Imperium, upon the Silent Plains, they met the archdemon Dumat in battle. A third of all the armies of northern Thedas were lost to the fighting, but Dumat fell and the darkspawn fled back underground.

Even that was not the end.

The Imperium once revered seven gods: Dumat, Zazikel, Toth, Andoral, Razikale, Lusacan, and Urthemiel. Four have risen as archdemons. The Grey Wardens have kept watch through the ages, well aware that peace is fleeting, and that their war continues until the last of the dragon-gods is gone.

A long time ago in a land far, far away....

In the year 764 TE, the Tho Yor—eight great pyramids that were scattered across Thedas—called out to the inhabitants of the lands they were located on, including Ando Prime, Kashyyyk, Manaan, Ryloth, and Dathomir. Through the Calling, the Tho Yor convinced the Call-sensitive sentients around them to enter the temples, and the pyramids then departed the planet upon which they had sat for so long and set out into the veil.

The Tho Yor then traveled the world, gathering Call-sensitives of many other races, so that by the time the eight ships journeyed into the Fade together, they carried members of the Dwarves, Elves, Fex, Firesprites, Qunari, Kossith, Ents, Giants, Druedain, Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, and Human species, as well as the species later known as the Gnolls.

The eight Tho Yor traveled into the Raw Fade to the location Tython, where a ninth and far larger Tho Yor awaited them as it floated above a pinnacle of stone. The arrival of the Tho Yor was heralded by an immense Fade Storm that swept over the entire realm, and the eight Tho Yor first gathered around the ninth Tho Yor before scattering themselves across the realm.

The Tho Yor Arrival, as the event came to be known, saw each Tho Yor deposit their passengers at their final destination and remain there, with some of the temples burying themselves in the landscape while others remained floating in the sky. The Call-sensitive pilgrims immediately realized that Tython was uniquely strong in lyrium, and the pilgrims—known collectively as the Tythans—soon realized that they had been brought to Tython in order to study the Calling and to learn to control and master the abilities it granted them.

However, Tython's beauty came with dangers, and the pilgrims' lives became a constant form of moving meditation on the Calling, rather than sitting in silent meditation. The pilgrims also realized that Tython itself reacted violently with Fade Storms and quakes to imbalance between the light and dark sides of the Calling, which they named Satina and Variraad after Thedas' two moons: the bright satellite Satina, and the dark moon of Variraad. The pilgrims therefore formed the Je'daii Order, taking their name from the language of the Dai Bendu monks of the Talid species: combining the words je, meaning mystic, and dai, meaning center.

The philosophy of the Balance became essential to survival in Tython, as harmony and balance between Satina and Variraad maintained the peaceful beauty of Tython and prevented the chaos and destruction that came with imbalance. Over the next hundred years, the Je'daii studied in the Je'daii Temples, centers of learning and healing that each centered around one of the Tho Yor. The Je'daii academy, was established by the year 860 TE, when Nordia Gral was serving as first Temple Master. Around that time, Master Gral helped develop the tradition of the Great Journey, a pilgrimage across The Fade to each of the Temples that all Je'daii would take upon graduating from the rank of Apprentice to Journeyer.

However, as time passed, the Je'daii began to have children who were not Call-sensitive, and it eventually became clear to the Tythans that the realm was not safe for those who could not hear the Calling after the Golden City was destroyed.

Therefore, during the second Century after the Tho Yor Arrival, a second migration occurred: all Tythans who were not Call-sensitive were made to leave the Fade, even if it broke up families, and the non-Call-sensitives settled first in Weisshaupt before spreading out to the other lands of Thedas.

In the year 1,014, during a major invasion of darkspawn in the land of Sunspear, a Grey Warden garrison was being pushed back. Hope seemed lost when a nomad joined the fray. What made this fighter unique was not only his ability to damage darkspawn at a Warden level, but his ability to challenge and defeat many opponents on his own as if it were second nature.

Morale boosted and warriors stemmed the tide of foes eventually reclaiming victory. The Grey were flabbergasted such a warrior could exist outside their ranks and insisted that he returned to their outpost headquarters in the land of Anduril. He agreed on the condition that all his remaining kinfolk can receive safe passage as well.

It was here that the outpost commander learned of the Je'daii monks. Not only were their society able to survive in the Raw Fade, it could thrive for centuries. This was the answer the Wardens had been seeking for so long. A way to take in the darkspawn taint without risk of turning and sacrificing one's overall lifespan. Also the ability to obtain key knowledge and fighting techniques for most effectively combating darkspawn forces.

The Grey progenitors did not hesitate to enact the Right of Conscription to take the exiled monks into their ranks. The exiles for the most part were not opposed to this notion.

Having been removed from their true home for not being call-sensitive and thus unable to unlock a Je'daii's true potential, they were left without true propose in an unfamiliar world. Only armed with the teachings of their forefathers, stopping the darkspawn threat was the only solace they deemed themselves fit to do.

Joining the Grey Warden cause seemed to be the most effective way of accomplishing this. However in order for such a merger to be successful, core fundamental structure and practices within the Warden militia had to be overhauled and changed.

The commander understood this. Those who couldn't agree were sent to High command and other Grey units. The rest who stayed gave in fully to the teachings. Thus the new Warden Order was born.