BioWare has spent more than a decade antagonizing its players with nasty Darkspawn and Blight, so it surprised no one when the primary villain of Dragon Age: Inquisition turned out to be an intelligent Darkspawn Magister of Ancient Tevinter named Corypheus.

However, he was not always known as Corypheus, nor was he always a Darkspawn. Born Sethius Amladris, he was once a high priest of the Old God, Dumat. Though neither he nor his family were considered prominent, Sethius knew in his soul that he deserved far more than he was getting from life.

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Dumat began whispering to Sethius, who had grown frustrated and distraught by the dwindling membership at his temple. The Old God promised he would raise Sethius to godhood if he physically entered the Fade and claimed the Golden City. Sethius knew he could not attain this feat alone, so he adopted the name Corypheus to protect his identity and sought out six other priests who served the Old Gods.

They became known as the Magisters Sidereal, and together they performed a ritual so bloody it wiped out hundreds of slaves and consumed more than two-thirds of the Imperium's lyrium. For the first time in history, mankind physically entered the Fade, and the world of Thedas would never be the same.

The Chantry claims that the actions of the Magisters Sidereal disgusted the Maker, who cursed them them with Blight and cast them out of the Fade before turning his back on humanity. Corypheus disputes this fact, alleging that the Golden City was already black when they entered it and the seat of the Maker dormant. Regardless of which version is actually true, the Magisters brought the First Blight back with them into Thedas.

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After his fall from the Fade, Corypheus went into a dormant state for nearly 200 years. He awoke again near the end of the First Blight. When the Grey Wardens discovered several Darkspawn capable of more intricate thought and communication, they set a trap in the Vinnmark Mountains in hopes that capturing some might grant them more insight into the nature of the Blight.

Among those captured was Corypheus, whom the Grey Wardens sealed away using the blood of Dumat. It was their hope they could eventually use him as a weapon against the Darkspawn, but when too close to him, the Wardens would find themselves under his sway, influenced by some mysterious power. In time, they discovered it was similar to the Calling of the Taint, which all Grey Wardens can hear, and the Warden-Commander locked him away to keep the others safe.

In the early years of the Dragon Age, the Wardens discovered that the seals binding Corypheus to his prison were weakening. They called upon an apostate mage named Malcolm Hawke and forced him to use blood magic to reinforce the seals. The Wardens used Malcolm's family and his state as an apostate to influence him, and though he was reluctant to use blood magic, he conceded and reinforced the seals to keep his family safe and maintain his freedom.

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Decades later, however, a Warden named Janeka concluded Corypheus was the key to ending all blights. She planned to free him from his prison, but because the seals could only be broken with Malcolm Hawke's blood, she sent infected Carta agents to bring player character Hawke to the Vinnmark mountains. Hawke and their party thwarted Janeka's plot to free Corypheus, fighting and defeating the Darkspawn Magister. But Corypheus was not dead.

Corypheus holds the same power as the archdemons, which allows them to transfer their essence to a tainted body nearby at the time of their death. Transferring his essence into another body, he escaped his prison and set out to destroy religion entirely by raising himself to godhood. In his efforts, he manipulated the Grey Wardens and a cult from Tevinter who called themselves the Venatori. He began feeding the templars red lyrium, corrupting their nature entirely and putting them directly under his control.

When he came upon information about an elven artifact called a foci orb, Corypheus planned to seize it. The orb belonged to Fen'harel, who had recently awoken from a long slumber and was too weak to unlock the orb's power himself. He manipulated Corypheus in hopes that he would unlock the orb and die in the aftermath of its power, but the player character intercepted it instead, leading to the events of Inquisition.

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The Inquisition worked tirelessly to thwart Corypheus's efforts, meeting him and his forces at every turn and denying him what he believed to be his due. In the end, the Inquisitor used the mark from Fen'harel's orb to throw Corypheus into the Fade and seal it behind him, trapping him within for all eternity.

As events come to a close, the Inquisitor learns from Solas (who is Fen'harel) that he plans to tear down the Veil between Thedas and the Fade, making the two places one again. It is impossible to imagine if this will once more bring Corypheus back to the fore, making him an enemy that will require defeating again.

With rumors that Dragon Age 4 will lead players to the Tevinter Imperium, it's impossible to imagine what awaits them there. But as the Imperium was Corypheus's home, it seems likely he may reappear in some capacity. If he does, there is hope his legend will precede him, and players will know exactly how to defeat the Darkspawn Magister who sought godhood once and for all.

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