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122-488: Dragon Age is a media franchise centered on a series of fantasy role-playing video games created and developed by BioWare , which have seen releases on the Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Microsoft Windows , OS X , PlayStation 4 , and Xbox One . The franchise takes place on the fictional continent Thedas, and follows the experiences of its various inhabitants. The first game in the series, Dragon Age: Origins , follows

244-501: A dark fantasy setting, the series uses many common tropes in fantasy fiction , such as quests , the presence of magic as well as elves and dwarves in its narrative, and an overarching conflict between heroes and the forces of evil . Dragon Age also takes inspiration from A Song of Ice and Fire , a fantasy novel series by George R. R. Martin , particularly in the depiction of a morally ambiguous world where characters are often embroiled in no-win scenarios. An act of betrayal by

366-805: A prime minister , as is in the case of the United Kingdom , or the Nordic countries . In the Ottoman Empire , the Sultan wielded absolute power over the state and was considered a Padishah meaning "Great King" by his people. Many sultans wielded absolute power through heavenly mandates reflected in their titles, such as "Shadow of God on Earth". In ancient Mesopotamia , many rulers of Assyria , Babylonia and Sumer were absolute monarchs as well. Throughout Imperial China , many emperors and one empress ( Wu Zetian ) wielded absolute power through

488-938: A triumvirate of leaders who represent the body (military), the soul (priesthood), and the mind (merchants and craftsmen) of their people. Individuals who are born outside of Qunari society are known as Vashoth, while those who abandon the Qun's fundamentalist teachings become known as Tal-Vashoth and are considered traitors or enemies to Qunari society. Renowned as formidable warriors, the Qunari are taller, larger, and more physically robust than other humanoid races in Thedas. They usually have skin of varying metallic colors, white or light-coloured hair, pointed ears, and eyes with colors like violet, red, silver, or yellow. Unlike other races, Qunari do not adorn themselves with tattoos or wear helmets, instead making use of war paint called Vitaar which provides

610-495: A century of largely unrestricted parliamentary rule proved just as ruinous, King Gustav III seized back royal power in the coup d'état of 1772 , and later once again abolished the privy council under the Union and Security Act in 1789, which, in turn, was rendered void in 1809 when Gustav IV Adolf was deposed in a coup and the constitution of 1809 was put in its place. The years between 1789 and 1809, then, are also referred to as

732-497: A ceremonial purpose as well as practical benefits. The Qunari are locked in a perpetual conflict with the Tevinter Imperium and often seek to spread their influence throughout Thedas via covert agents or military offensives. Magic-wielding characters known as mages, are born with an uncommon gift for magic that is identified early in their lives, but they are not always in control of their own power. Mages have access to

854-542: A character would typically lead to scenes leading up to a sexual encounter though otherwise not showing anything inappropriate for the game's rating. The romance subplots in the series often take the form of side missions; they are not designed to be one-size-fits-all, and are entirely optional content. Canadian video game developer David Gaider came up with most of the background lore for the franchise's setting and served as its lead writer until 2015. The name ”Thedas” originated as shorthand for “The Dragon Age Setting”. Thedas

976-472: A circle at the bottom of the screen. Most of these choices are simple questions and responses, but in some dialogues, they offer additional choices that either influence how the game plays out from there, or are as a result from those previous choices. In Dragon Age II , the camera is locked in a third person perspective; in Inquisition , the player may access Tactical View, which pauses the game and shifts

1098-685: A former slave who led an uprising against the Tevinter Imperium in a movement called an "Exalted March". The Chantry is led by the Divine, who is exclusively female and considered one of the world's most powerful people because of her extensive cultural, diplomatic, political, and spiritual influence over the peoples of Thedas. Mages who live outside the Chantry's control, which includes the Dalish clan chieftains known as Keepers, are considered to be extremely dangerous by many societies in Thedas. The Chantry has

1220-485: A franchise can even be created, which ultimately leads to the creation of brand worlds. Since the creation of Disneyland in 1955, bringing fictional media franchises to life through the theme parks slowly became increasingly popular as the way to perfectly blend tourism and real-life involvement with media itself. Similar to transmedia, the concept of bringing fictional media into a non-fictional space where fans can immerse themselves in real-life versions of elements from

1342-543: A friend or a rival depending on players' decisions and dialogue. Dragon Age: Inquisition is the sequel to Dragon Age II , released worldwide in November 2014 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The game puts the players in the role of the Inquisitor, a warrior, mage, or rogue coming from an elven, human, dwarven or Qunari background, who survived a cataclysmic event which led to

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1464-403: A main story pathway with points of branching narratives and multiple side missions, allowing the player to proceed through the game as they desire. Secondary characters could be recruited as permanent or temporary companions by the player-controlled character over the course of the plot in each game. The player has the option to bring up to three of their companions with them whenever their traverse

1586-698: A military wing, the Templar Order, who are specially trained to seek out and subdue wayward "apostate" mages by any means necessary. This is in contrast to a tolerant view of mages in Tevinter society due to influence from the Imperial Chantry denomination, which historically broke away from the mainline Andrastian Chantry and utilize Imperial Templars as law enforcement under the authority of the magisters instead. While Tevinter mages practice their talent for magic without sanction in their homeland, on

1708-424: A modeling agency, several television shows ( Playboy's Penthouse , in 1959), and even its own television channel . Twenty-five years later, Playboy released private clubs and restaurants, movie theaters, a radio show , direct to video films, music and book publishing (including original works in addition to its anthologies of cartoons, photographs, recipes, advice, articles or fiction that had originally appeared in

1830-466: A more "hodgepodge appearance" in Origins which resembled J.R.R. Tolkien 's orcs . The Qunari were initially presented in Origins as hornless, though the developers had originally intended for them to have horns, and as a result the Qunari's physical appearance underwent a redesign. Subsequent instalments in the franchise retroactively explained that most Qunari in fact have horns, and that hornlessness

1952-475: A nomadic lifestyle away from the urban settlements of their city elf counterparts in an attempt to preserve and reclaim their cultural heritage, which was mostly wiped out millennia ago when the ancient elven empire of Elvhenan, which spanned most of Thedas, mysteriously collapsed. Dwarven society is organized around a rigid caste system and a form of ancestor worship . While the dwarves cannot wield magic themselves, their economic activity primarily revolves around

2074-410: A period of absolute monarchy. Many nations formerly with absolute monarchies, such as Jordan , Kuwait , Morocco and Qatar , have de jure moved towards a constitutional monarchy . However, in these cases, the monarch still retains tremendous powers, even to the extent that by some measures, parliament's influence on political life is viewed as negligible or merely consultative. In Bhutan ,

2196-553: A potential romance, while low approval might result in a companion leaving or even turning on the Warden and dying as a result. In Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition , the player engages in dialogue trees with non-player characters through story encounters and missions to learn information and progress the story. This is presented through what BioWare called a Dialogue Wheel, with the fully voice acted player-character reply options shown as choices extending radially outward from

2318-429: A preset value is met, whereupon they level up. Players usually conduct each main series game from a third-person perspective ; control is done through a user interface that allows a player to move characters and give them actions to undertake, review information on on-going quests and the statistics of characters in their party , manage their inventories, and organize the formation of the party. Each game generally follows

2440-570: A representative assembly or a constitution until the 1905 Revolution . However, the concept of absolutism was so ingrained in Russia that the Russian Constitution of 1906 still described the monarch as an autocrat. Russia became the last European country (excluding Vatican City ) to abolish absolutism, and it was the only one to do so as late as the 20th century (the Ottoman Empire drafted its first constitution in 1876). Russia

2562-600: A single setting with recycled assets and environments attracted some criticism. Dragon Age: Inquisition garnered numerous game of the year awards and nominations from gaming publications for the year 2014. Roberts felt that Inquisition’s "side quest-heavy open-worlds" went in a very distant direction from where the series began. Sam Roberts from Gamesradar opined that unlike the Mass Effect video game series with its second entry , BioWare has yet to make "a truly great Dragon Age game" and that each main series game

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2684-454: A variety of expansions and downloadable content (DLC) add-ons. In addition to video games, the franchise has expanded to other media and which includes spin-off games, novels, graphic novels, comic books, a web series, an animated film, an animated television series , as well as other licensed products and merchandise. The Dragon Age franchise is set in the world of Thedas (an acronym for The D ragon A ge S etting), with events from

2806-460: Is a form of monarchy in which the sovereign is the sole source of political power, unconstrained by constitutions , legislatures or other checks on their authority. The absolutist system of government saw its high point in Europe during the 16th and 17th century , associated with a form of rule unconstrained by the former checks of feudalism , embodied by figures such as Louis XIV of France,

2928-532: Is a rare genetic variation found in certain individuals . The main series Dragon Age games have mostly been positively received. Dragon Age: Origins in particular is widely considered to be among the best video games of all time . Roberts consider Origins to be "an exhaustingly detailed RPG, with intricate combat and extensive ways to customise your party behind the scene", though "complex storytelling and characters" only occur in "infrequent flashes". He noted that Origins "did so much heavy lifting for building

3050-639: Is a shadow of what it once was due to an unceasing war of attrition against the constant threat. The rest of Thedas rely on the Grey Wardens to disperse the Darkspawn hordes whenever they arrive on the surface during a Blight: the Wardens’ goal is to slay the Archdemons, the corrupted Old Gods of the Tevinter Imperium, heralding each Blight. The first game in the series, Dragon Age: Origins , begins on

3172-438: Is a world inspired by European folklore and the romances of medieval Europe , with real world analogues used as the basis of some in-universe elements. For example, the nations of Ferelden and Orlais are based on medieval England and Renaissance-era France respectively. The Qunari’s role within the setting is comparable to that of the historical Viking expansion . Gaider seeded numerous elements of lore all across Thedas during

3294-547: Is also set in the Free Marches. A "remixed" version of Legends titled Dragon Age: Legends: Remix 01 which featured hack and slash gameplay was released in May 2011 and hosted by IGN . The servers for Legends was deactivated on June 18, 2012, although a modified offline version was released shortly afterwards as a free download. In 2013, EA released Heroes of Dragon Age , a free-to-play game for mobile devices. The game

3416-408: Is an umbrella term used to describe both the race of large horned humanoids who hail from settlements in the far north of mainland Thedas, in particular the island states of Par Vollen and Seheron, as well as converts from other races to their civil religion known as "The Qun", which guides the Qunari's egalitarian yet strictly regimented society. The Qunari government is a totalitarian regime ruled by

3538-565: Is battle-based, featuring digital 3D figurines of characters from the Dragon Age universe. Rather than introducing new lore, the game is based on "what if?" scenarios drawn from plotlines in the existing games. The sunset for Heroes of Dragon age was announced in November 2022 with the servers slated to go down on January 23, 2024. Dragon Age: The Last Court was a free-to-play browser game released in November 2014, with its gameplay focused on drawing cards and managing resources. Set between

3660-408: Is flawed in some way. He observed that "BioWare keeps reinventing the mould, carrying across certain elements of the combat and remaining faithful to the fiction, but throwing a lot of stuff out. It’s an approach that may eventually lead to a world-beating RPG". Dragon Age: Origins topped Steam 's sales chart on November 10, 2009. The Digital Deluxe version of the game was ranked first place, with

3782-534: Is granted on jus officii , namely on the grounds of appointment to work in a certain capacity in the service of the Holy See. It usually ceases upon cessation of the appointment. Citizenship is also extended to the spouse and children of a citizen, provided they are living together in the city. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, and according to the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia adopted by Royal Decree in 1992,

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3904-522: Is outlawed and stigmatized in other human societies. Human nobility are treated with deference and respect across Thedas, whereas elves are often viewed as second-class citizens who live within overpopulated ghettos in human cities called alienages, or kept as slaves in the Tevinter Imperium. A significant portion of the elven population of Thedas call themselves the Dalish after the Dales region in eastern Orlais where an elven polity once stood. They proudly live

4026-511: Is said to have proclaimed L'état, c'est moi ! , 'I am the State!'. Although often criticized for his extravagances, such as the Palace of Versailles , he reigned over France for a long period, some historians consider him an absolute monarch, while some other historians have questioned whether Louis' reign should be considered 'absolute', given the reality of the balance of power between

4148-580: Is the expansion for the role-playing video game Dragon Age: Origins . Origins – Awakening adds a new campaign that takes place during the aftermath of Dragon Age: Origins . It was released for Microsoft Windows , OS X , PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 16, 2010, in North America, March 18 in Europe, and March 19 in the United Kingdom, and for the Mac OS X on August 31, 2010. It

4270-484: Is the Japanese term for a transmedia franchise. The term media mix gained its circulation in late 1980s and is first used to describe adaptations of Sakyo Komatsu 's Japan Sinks , but the origins of the strategy can be traced back to the 1960s with the proliferation of anime , with its interconnection of media and commodity goods. Some of the earlier popular Japanese franchises such as Vampire Hunter D in

4392-525: Is the absolute monarch of Vatican City, and is elected by a papal conclave with a two-thirds supermajority. As governed by the Holy See, Vatican City State is an sacerdotal - monarchical state ruled by the Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church . Unlike citizenship of other states, which is based either on jus sanguinis or jus soli , citizenship of Vatican City

4514-468: Is the world's most authoritarian regime in 2023 measured by the electoral democracy score of the V-Dem Democracy indices . There is a considerable variety of opinion by historians on the extent of absolutism among European monarchs. Some, such as Perry Anderson , argue that quite a few monarchs achieved levels of absolutist control over their states, while historians such as Roger Mettam dispute

4636-635: The Age of Enlightenment , the concept of the divine right to power and democratic ideals were given serious merit. The Revolutions of 1848 , known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations , were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in European history . By the 19th century, divine right

4758-709: The Church of Scotland led to rebellion by the Covenanters and the Bishops' Wars , then fears that Charles I was attempting to establish absolutist government along European lines was a major cause of the English Civil War , although he did rule this way for 11 years starting in 1629, after dissolving the Parliament of England for a time. Absolutism was underpinned by a written constitution for

4880-614: The Dragon Age series, and each century is referred to as a separate "Age". Three out of several human nations play a prominent role in the series: the kingdom of Ferelden to the southeast of Thedas, which is politically organized in a similar manner to the English peerage system ; the Orlesian Empire to the west of Ferelden, where its nobility is notorious for undermining each other with intrigue and subterfuge in their jostling for favor and patronage with its absolutist ruler ; and

5002-722: The Mandate of Heaven . In pre-Columbian America , the Inca Empire was ruled by a Sapa Inca , who was considered the son of Inti , the sun god and absolute ruler over the people and nation. Korea under the Joseon dynasty and short-lived empire was also an absolute monarchy. Throughout much of European history, the divine right of kings was the theological justification for absolute monarchy. Many European monarchs claimed supreme autocratic power by divine right, and that their subjects had no rights to limit their power. Throughout

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5124-513: The Night's Watch organization. The art style for the series underwent a drastic overhaul under the leadership of art director Matt Goldman beginning with Dragon Age II , as the original art style for Origins was deemed to be "generic". The Darkspawn in particular were redesigned after the developers decided to portray them "like a complete and cohesive group" with an emphasis on their original concept as severely sickened creatures, whereas they have

5246-491: The fantasy and science fiction genres. Similarly, fantasy, science fiction films and television shows are frequently adapted into animated television series , video games, or both. A media franchise does not have to include the same characters or theme, as the brand identity can be the franchise, like Square Enix 's Final Fantasy or the National Lampoon series , and can suffer from critical failures even if

5368-600: The king had majority control of the Legislative Assembly until 2010. Liechtenstein has moved towards expanding the power of the monarch — the Prince of Liechtenstein was given vast expanded powers after a referendum to amend the Constitution of Liechtenstein in 2003, which led BBC News to describe the prince as an "absolute monarch again". The referendum granted the monarch the powers to dismiss

5490-483: The "Sun King" . Attempting to establish an absolutist government along continental lines, Charles I of England viewed Parliament as unnecessary, which would ultimately lead to the English Civil War (1642–1651) and his execution . Absolutism declined substantially, first following the French Revolution , and later after World War I , both of which led to the popularization of modes of government based on

5612-423: The 1980s and Pokémon in the late 1990s, acted as benchmarks in the country's transmedia dominance. The latter in particular began as a video game available on Nintendo 's Game Boy , and crossed through the media of television, film, news, and other non-media related realms, such trading cards, merchandise, and more. A number of Japanese media franchises have gained considerable global popularity, and are among

5734-513: The Blight in an attempt to conquer the world. Rook, supported by companions and various factions, sets out to stop these members of the elven pantheon from achieving their goals. The main series games have all met with commercial success as well as positive acclaim for their narrative, universe lore, character development, voice acting, and emphasis on player choices affecting the experience. The first three main series games have also been joined by

5856-744: The Darkspawn hordes. Its sequel Dragon Age II is centered around the eldest child of the Hawke family , a Blight refugee who moves their family to their mother's home city of Kirkwall in The Free Marches. There, over the course of approximately seven years, they begin as a criminal and work their way up the city's power structure to eventually become the Champion of Kirkwall. As such, in the midst of crisis and political unrest, they go on to help make decisions that influence all of Thedas. The third installment, Dragon Age: Inquisition , centers on

5978-517: The Fade, a mysterious parallel dimension that is linked to the physical world and home to various spirit beings. It is a metaphysical realm that is normally accessible only to sapient beings (except for dwarves) when they dream: individuals who have the potential for magic have direct access to the Fade unlike most people, and conversely the Fade's inhabitants have direct access to these aforementioned individuals. A lapse in judgment or vigilance may result in

6100-581: The Ferelden lord Loghain Mac Tir which led to the disastrous outcome of the Battle of Ostagar as well as his final fate are thematically reminiscent of the treacherous political machinations depicted in A Song of Ice and Fire . The Grey Wardens’ concept of a sworn brotherhood with its grim outlook and constant vigilance in anticipation of the threat of a monstrous invasion are particularly similar to that of

6222-660: The House of Habsburg-Lorraine to rule over the Holy Roman Empire was Joseph II , a sovereign raised during the Enlightenment. Joseph II extended full legal freedom to serfs in 1781. Franz Joseph I of Austria was Emperor of Austria from 1848 until his death in 1916 and was succeeded by Charles I of Austria . Charles I was the last Emperor of Austria and abdicated on 12 November 1918 due to Austria-Hungary losing World War I . Louis XIV of France (1638–1715)

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6344-512: The Inquisition, an organization tasked with restoring peace and order to Thedas, which is suffering from multiple wars and being ravaged by a demonic invasion from beyond the mortal realm over a decade after the events of the first game. The Herald of Andraste, who later becomes the Inquisitor, is the only individual who can seal the rifts that bring demons to Thedas, due to a mysterious magical mark on their hand. They also help to bring peace to

6466-733: The King must comply with Sharia (Islamic law) and the Quran . The Quran and the body of the Sunnah (traditions of the Islamic prophet , Muhammad ) are declared to be the Kingdom's Constitution, but no written modern constitution has ever been promulgated for Saudi Arabia, which remains the only Arab nation where no national elections have ever taken place since its founding. No political parties or national elections are permitted. The Saudi government

6588-532: The Kingdom of Orzammar, one of the few remaining dwarven city states scattered throughout the Deep Roads, an underground highway system beneath the surface of Thedas created by the dwarves millennia ago. Race, class, and heritage combine to determine social class and political dynamics in Thedas. A recurring theme in the series consists of power struggles and internal conflicts play out between and within various factions. Tevinter society practices slavery , which

6710-617: The Riksdag in order to carry out the Great Reduction which would have been made impossible by the privy council which comprised the high nobility. After the death of Charles XII in 1718, the system of absolute rule was largely blamed for the ruination of the realm in the Great Northern War , and the reaction tipped the balance of power to the other extreme end of the spectrum, ushering in the Age of Liberty . After half

6832-568: The Swedish monarch was never absolute in the sense of wielding arbitrary power . The monarch still ruled under the law and could only legislate in agreement with the Riksdag of the Estates ; rather, the absolutism introduced was the monarch's ability to run the government unfettered by the privy council , contrary to earlier practice. The absolute rule of Charles XI was instituted by the crown and

6954-606: The Terrible was known for his reign of terror through oprichnina . Peter I the Great reduced the power of the Russian nobility and strengthened the central power of the monarch, establishing a bureaucracy. This tradition of absolutism, known as Tsarist autocracy , was expanded by Catherine II the Great and her descendants. Although Alexander II made some reforms and established an independent judicial system, Russia did not have

7076-417: The Tevinter Imperium in the northern region of Thedas, which once subjugated southern Thedas during ancient times, and is governed by a powerful oligarchy of magic-wielding magisters led by an Imperial Archon. Other noteworthy civilizations explored in the main series games include the Free Marches, a human-dominated confederation of politically independent territorial entities to the north of Ferelden, and

7198-462: The blood of living beings instead, and sometimes use their power to deliberately summon demons to do their bidding. Mages in southern Thedas are cloistered into training facilities called Circles of Magi by The Chantry, which teaches that "magic must serve man, not rule over him". The Chantry is a monotheistic religion who worship a personal god known as the Maker and venerates the prophet Andraste,

7320-530: The camera to a top-down isometric view similar to Origins , allowing players to assign locations and orders to the party members and then resume the game to see their decisions play out. Dragon Age Keep, launched in October 2014, is an online platform that allows players to save their in-game choices in a "world state." If their gaming platform is connected to the internet, then a player's major decisions will be saved and can be imported into new games. This affects

7442-482: The concept of absolute monarch took a notable turn from the above with its emphasis on the monarch as the "first servant of the state", but it also echoed many of the important characteristics of absolutism. Prussia was ruled by the House of Hohenzollern as a feudal monarchy from 1525 to 1701 and an absolute monarchy from 1701 to 1848, after which it became a federal semi-constitutional monarchy from 1848 to 1918 until

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7564-499: The continuation of many concepts from Dragon Age . The characters of the series, particularly the party companions, have received acclaim; they have often been compared to characters from the Mass Effect series in critic and reader lists and are considered some of the most memorable characters in video game history. Media franchise A media franchise often consists of cross-marketing across more than one medium. For

7686-428: The country and move his assets out of Liechtenstein if voters had chosen to restrict his powers. Vatican City continues to be an absolute monarchy, but is unique because it is also a microstate , ecclesiastical jurisdiction , and elective monarchy . As of 2023, Vatican City has a population of 764 residents (regardless of citizenship). It is the smallest state in the world both by area and by population . The Pope

7808-675: The creation of a mysterious tear in the sky called the "Breach", which is unleashing dangerous demons upon the world. The Inquisitor is viewed by some as the 'chosen one', as they have a 'Mark' on their hand capable of closing the Breach, and eventually becomes the leader of the titular Inquisition in an attempt to stop Corypheus, an ancient Darkspawn, who opened the Breach in the course of his attempt to conquer Thedas and achieve godhood. Dragon Age: Inquisition received critical acclaim since its release, with critics praising its story, voice acting, soundtrack, detailed environments, and engaging combat. It

7930-398: The day-in-the-life episodes of the many different Real Housewives series. Documentaries and docuseries are other highlights of the non-fiction branch of media franchises, such as the popular Planet Earth series, which serves as both a film and television transmedia franchise. Absolute monarchy Philosophers Works List of forms of government Absolute monarchy

8052-424: The developmental cycle for Origins , without any expectation that the material he wrote would ultimately be used for the final product. This left room for possible exploration of story elements or locations unused in Origins as the basis for tie-in material in other media, such as his debut novel Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne as well as subsequent sequels to Origin . Although Dragon Age has been described as

8174-598: The end of the Blessed Age caused the then-ruling Divine to name the next Age as the Dragon Age, the century in which the vast majority of the Dragon Age series takes place. Dragon Age: Origins is the first game in the series, and was released for Microsoft Windows , PlayStation 3 , and Xbox 360 in November 2009, and for Mac OS X in December 2009. Set in the kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil unrest,

8296-524: The eve of the fifth Blight. Other major threats faced by the peoples of Thedas include cults and paramilitary groups corrupted by dark magic, such as the Venatori and the Red Templars; demons from the Fade, unleashed as part of a massive inter dimensional invasion during the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition ; and dragons, long thought to have been extinct for many centuries, until their reemergence by

8418-570: The events and characters that are present in-game, most noticeably so in Dragon Age: Inquisition . Dragon Age Keep incorporates decisions made in prior DLCs as well as the major games. The platform also allows for players to customize their world states by choosing the preferred outcome for any given choice, and unlock various in-game items for Origins and Dragon Age II which were previously only available through limited promotional opportunities such as pre-order bonuses, platform exclusives and as rewards from participation in special events. Throughout

8540-468: The events of Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition , players would assume the role of the Marquis of Serault, a marquisate located on the western edge of Orlais. Previously accessible from the online platform Dragon Age Keep , The Last Court was taken offline by November 17, 2020, although fans led a project to preserve its contents prior to the due date. The Dragon Age franchise includes various types of media adaptations and merchandise outside of

8662-456: The exact number of launch week copies as 2011's Dragon Age II . This does not take into account direct digital download sales however, which have been noted to be a "significant percentage of sales" by BioWare. As a result, the actual sales number is higher than reported. By September 2024, the game has sold over 12 million copies. Dragon Age: The Veilguard topped the Steam charts and broke BioWare’s concurrent player record. Origins marked

8784-725: The fictional worlds they love, adds to the overall narrative the franchise creates through its other media. Marvel's Avenger's Campus park is one of the many franchise-based theme parks created in recent times, following the creation of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure and Star Wars' Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Disney World . Media franchises tend to cross over from their original media to other forms. Literary franchises are often transported to film, such as Nancy Drew , Miss Marple , and other popular detectives , as well as popular comic book superheroes . Television and film franchises are often expanded upon in novels , particularly those in

8906-470: The film The Matrix Reloaded and the video game Enter the Matrix were produced at the same time, using the same actors on the same sets, and released on the same day. Transmedia franchises occasionally release content through certain media that is not canon to the main or greater story that the franchise is built around, meaning that the elements of said content do not truly exist in the main timeline of

9028-467: The financial logic of cost-recovery for expensive productions by identifying that a single medium launch is a lost opportunity, the timeliness of the production and release is more important than its integrity, the releases should raise brand awareness and the cross-ability of the work is critical for its success. American Idol was a transmedia franchise from its beginnings, with the first season winner Kelly Clarkson signing with RCA Records and having

9150-526: The first time in Europe in 1665 Kongeloven , ' King's Law ' of Denmark–Norway , which ordered that the Monarch: ...shall from this day forth be revered and considered the most perfect and supreme person on the Earth by all his subjects, standing above all human laws and having no judge above his person, neither in spiritual nor temporal matters, except God alone. This law consequently authorized

9272-607: The focus on the content of the commodity to "overlapping the commodity image with the character image". The book Anime's Media Mix: Franchising Toys and Characters in Japan, by Marc Steinberg, details the evolution of the media mix in Japan. Long-running franchises were common in the early studio era, when Hollywood studios had actors and directors under long-term contract. In such cases, even lead actors are often replaced as they age, lose interest, or their characters are killed. Spin-offs and adaptations of popular pieces of media within

9394-433: The franchise's characters and settings. As one author explains, "For the studios, a home-run is a film from which a multimedia 'franchise' can be generated; the colossally expensive creation of cross-media conglomerates predicated on synergistic rewards provides an obvious imperative to develop such products." The trend later developed wherein franchises would be launched in multiple forms of media simultaneously; for instance,

9516-415: The franchise. Canon content often times breaks continuity, leading fans to speculate or seek to confirm which media are canon and which are not, which can get confusing if the franchise does not provide an answer themselves since entire media can be non-canon to the greater story, with a popular example occurring. On the other hand, specific episodes, volumes or parts of a series can be canon while others in

9638-599: The game had been sold. Dragon Age II sold more than one million copies in less than two weeks following its launch on March 8, 2011, a faster sales pace than its predecessor when it was released in 2009. By May 2011, it has sold over two million copies. Dragon Age: Inquisition is the most successful video game launch in BioWare's history based on units sold. Inquisition debuted at No. 5 in UK in its first launch week. According to retail monitor Chart-Track , it had sold almost

9760-762: The game puts the player in the role of a warrior, mage, or rogue coming from an elven, human, or dwarven background. The player character is recruited into the Grey Wardens, an ancient order that stands against monsters known as the Darkspawn , and is tasked with defeating the Archdemon that commands them and ending their invasion. BioWare described Origins as a spiritual successor to their previous Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights franchises. Origins has received critical and public praise since its release, for its characters, story, voice acting, and traditional RPG combat and gameplay. Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening

9882-589: The game setting, and the player will have some degree of control over these companions, usually for combat sequences. Origins present the player character almost as a blank canvas, whose visage , hairstyle, voice, race, first name, origin, gender, and class are chosen by the player. In the PC version, the point of view can be shifted from the third person view to a top-down isometric view, where friendly and hostile units are labelled with different colours to distinguish them. A party companion's approval or disapproval of

10004-527: The game, The Deep Roads , was released as a free download in October 2009. The second and third chapters were never released as the project was ultimately cancelled. Dragon Age Legends was a 2011 Flash game developed by EA2D for the Facebook Platform and Google+ . Legends incorporated elements of strategy and tactical role-playing games in its gameplay. It served as a tie-in to Dragon Age II by unlocking additional content for players, and

10126-685: The government moved from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy following planned parliamentary elections to the Tshogdu in 2003, and the election of a National Assembly in 2008 . In Nepal , there were several swings between constitutional rule and direct rule related to the Nepalese Civil War , the Maoist insurgency , and the 2001 Nepalese royal massacre , with the Nepalese monarchy being abolished on 28 May 2008. In Tonga ,

10248-597: The government, nominate judges and veto legislation, among others. Just prior to the referendum, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe published a comprehensive report analysing the amendments, opining that they were not compatible with the European standards of democracy, effectively making Liechtenstein a de facto absolute monarchy. Prince Hans-Adam II had also previously threatened to leave

10370-474: The individual emirates composing the United Arab Emirates , which itself is a federation of such monarchies – a federal monarchy . Though absolute monarchies are sometimes supported by legal documents, they are distinct from constitutional monarchies , in which the authority of the monarch is restricted (e.g. by legislature or unwritten customs) or balanced by that of other officials, such as

10492-603: The king to abolish all other centers of power. Most important was the abolition of the Council of the Realm in Denmark. Absolute monarchy lasted until 1814 in Norway , and 1848 in Denmark . The House of Habsburg is currently extinct in its male line, due to the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in 1700. However, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine still carries the female line of the House of Habsburg. The first member of

10614-533: The limits of royal power as the fact that governments were perennially in financial trouble, unable to tap the wealth of those ablest to pay, and likely to stir up a costly revolt whenever they attempted to develop an adequate income. Anthropology , sociology , and ethology as well as various other disciplines such as political science attempt to explain the rise of absolute monarchy ranging from extrapolation generally, to certain Marxist explanations in terms of

10736-473: The magazine), footwear, clothing of every kind, jewelry, housewares (lamps, clocks, bedding, glassware), guitars and gambling, playing cards, pinball machines and pet accessories, billiard balls, bedroom appurtenances, enhancements, plus countless other items of merchandise. Non-fiction media franchises also exist in the television and film media, with reality TV being one of the most well-known examples; ranging from competition shows like The Amazing Race to

10858-463: The mage being unwittingly possessed by demonic spirits and utilized as vessels to come out of the Fade. Lyrium is critical to magic use as it enables the channeling of magical energy from the Fade; it is blue in color, though another more dangerous variety known as red lyrium is introduced in Dragon Age II . Some mages practice a form of forbidden magic known as "blood magic", which is powered by

10980-401: The main series games taking place primarily in its southern regions. Thedas is the only continent of the known world and consists of various clans, nations and states inhabited by multiple humanoid peoples. Several kingdoms and countries have emerged over nine centuries of a calendar era based on the traditionally reckoned year of the founding of The Chantry, the dominant religious organization in

11102-400: The media fictional material is unrelated. Non-fiction literary franchises include the ...For Dummies and The Complete Idiot's Guide to... reference books . An enduring and comprehensive example of a media franchise is Playboy Enterprises , which began expanding well beyond its successful magazine, Playboy , within a few years after its first publication, into such enterprises as

11224-412: The mining of lyrium, a mineral substance which powers the practice of magic, which they trade with the surface world. Some dwarves live on the surface, voluntarily or otherwise: they are considered "casteless" and are usually unwelcome within dwarven societies in the Deep Roads. A fourth sapient humanoid species unique to the setting are the Qunari, meaning "People of the Qun" in their language. Qunari

11346-438: The monarch and the nobility, as well as parliaments. The king of France concentrated legislative, executive, and judicial powers in his person. He was the supreme judicial authority. He could condemn people to death without the right of appeal. It was both his duty to punish offenses and stop them from being committed. From his judicial authority followed his power both to make laws and to annul them. In Brandenburg-Prussia ,

11468-626: The monarchy was abolished during the German Revolution . Frederick I was the first King in Prussia , beginning his reign on 18 January 1701. King Frederick the Great adopted the title King of Prussia in 1772, the same year he annexed most of Royal Prussia in the First Partition of Poland , and practiced enlightened absolutism until his death in 1786. He introduced a general civil code, abolished torture and established

11590-409: The notion of popular sovereignty . Nonetheless, it provided an ideological foundation for the newer political theories and movements that emerged to oppose liberal democracy, such as Legitimism and Carlism in the early 19th century, or " integral nationalism " in the early 20th century. Absolute monarchies include Afghanistan , Brunei , Eswatini , Oman , Saudi Arabia , Vatican City , and

11712-537: The other extreme the Qunari physically shackle their mages (termed Saarebas , meaning "dangerous thing,") due to their deep distrust of the practice of magic. The Darkspawn and their recurring Blights are considered to be the single biggest threat to the civilizations of Thedas. The dwarves in particular have a specialized group of warriors known as the Legion of the Dead to fight the Darkspawn, though their civilization

11834-433: The overarching story and narrative of the franchise itself. A connection between the characters, settings, and other elements of the media franchise do still exist within the different media, regardless of the fact that they are being presented in sometimes completely different ways, such as the shared, interweaving storylines and elements of Spider-Man films, television shows, comics and video games. Espen Aarseth describes

11956-490: The owners, the goal of increasing profit through diversity can extend the commercial profitability of the franchise and create strong feelings of identity and ownership in its consumers. Those large groups of dedicated consumers create the franchise's fandom , which is the community of fans that indulge in many of its media and are committed to interacting with and keeping up with other consumers. Large franchise-based fandoms have grown to be even more popular in recent years with

12078-434: The player character is represented by a scaling slider which appears on the specific character's individual screen. A companion character's scaling slider can be affected by dialogue choices, by the player character's actions, or by the giving of gift items which could be found throughout the game's narrative. The player character's standing on the scaling slider determines whether certain dialogue options are available; choosing

12200-508: The point at which western RPGs properly moved into the spotlight, according to Cobbett. He stated that the success of Origins proved that "a hardcore, older-fashioned game could still find a devoted audience", and that it "established a new baseline for the genre in much the same way as the original Baldur's Gate back in 1998". Van Allen of US Gamer claimed that Bioware's work in character-driven AAA RPG Games has inspired "imitators in games like GreedFall ", with gameplay that feels like

12322-511: The political landscape. A fourth installment, Dragon Age: The Veilguard (formerly Dragon Age Dreadwolf) , was released on October 31, 2024. It centers on Rook who was recruited by Varric Tethras to help him stop Solas , also known as the elven trickster god Fen'Harel, from bringing down the Veil. While disrupting Solas' ritual, they accidentally unleash two imprisoned elven gods – Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain – who then wreak havoc across Thedas with

12444-484: The popular Twilight book series that was adapted into the five films of The Twilight Saga . Other neologisms exist to describe various franchise types including metaseries , which can be used to describe works such as Isaac Asimov 's Foundation series . Multimedia franchises usually develop through a character or fictional world becoming popular in one medium, and then expanding to others through licensing agreements , with respect to intellectual property in

12566-602: The principle that the Crown would not interfere in matters of justice. He also promoted an advanced secondary education, the forerunner of today's German gymnasium (grammar school) system, which prepares the brightest pupils for university studies. The Prussian education system was emulated in various countries, including the United States. Until 1905, the Tsars and Emperors of Russia governed as absolute monarchs. Ivan

12688-501: The production of Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening . The game puts players in the role of Hawke , a human mage, rogue, or warrior who arrives in Kirkwall, a city state in the Free Marches as a lowly refugee. Hawke becomes the Champion of Kirkwall over a turbulent decade of political and social conflict. Hawke is supported by several companions, most of whom play major roles in the game's plot and gameplay, and will either recognize Hawke as

12810-503: The protagonist of the story of each main series game and customizes them based on gender, race (human only in Dragon Age II ), physical appearance, and one of three character classes ( warrior , rogue , and mage ), with one or two specializations centered around the three class archetypes being made available to the player later in each game. This establishes a skill tree that the player can advance through killing enemies or completing quests (and thereby gaining experience points ) until

12932-415: The release of A Moment Like This becoming a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100. The success resulted in a nationwide concert tour, an American Idol book that made the bestseller list and the film From Justin to Kelly . A transmedia franchise however is often referred to by the simpler term "media franchise". The term media franchise is often used to describe the popular adaptation of a work into films, like

13054-453: The right dialogue options may potentially lead to higher approval, and unlock quests which the player character otherwise have no opportunity to perform. In lieu of a one-off loyalty check implemented in certain RPG games, the Warden's companions always take note of the decisions the player character makes, with their approval rising and falling in response to each decision. High approval may lead to

13176-409: The rise of social media platforms, as many fans seek to interact with one another for discussion, debate and even to create their own fan-made pieces of media revolving around the franchise, on websites like tumblr , Reddit and Fandom . In the case of successful transmedia franchises, each different medium should expand the target demographic and fandom, build the interest of the consumers and add to

13298-525: The same medium are not, such as the fact that only some of the Battlestar Galactica comics are canon, with a large amount of them breaking the continuity of the main story. In Japanese culture and entertainment, media mix ( wasei-eigo : メディアミックス , mediamikkusu ) is a strategy to disperse content across multiple representations: different broadcast media , gaming technologies, cell phones, toys, amusement parks , and other methods. It

13420-410: The series, certain characters could enter into a romantic relationship with the player character: these included both hetero- and homosexual relationships as well as inter-species romances. This requires certain pre-requisite conditions such as gender and race being met, and possibly securing a high approval rating of the companion through the player character's actions and/or words. Successfully romancing

13542-556: The standard edition ranked second. The Xbox 360 version of the game was the ninth-best-selling game in the US according to the NPD Group , selling approximately 362,100 copies. According to John Riccitiello , CEO of Electronic Arts, the company is very satisfied with the sales of Origins ; more than 1 million DLC packs for the game were sold before the end of 2009. In February 2010, Electronic Arts announced that more than 3.2 million copies of

13664-414: The story of a recent recruit to a legendary order of warriors known as the Grey Wardens. Their mission is to save the kingdom of Ferelden from being overrun by the Darkspawn , a monstrous race of subterranean-dwelling beings who swarm the surface world every few hundred years in a movement known as a Blight. A Blight begins when the darkspawn track down and awaken an Archdemon, a powerful dragon that controls

13786-519: The very concept of absolutism. In general, historians who disagree with the appellation of absolutism argue that most monarchs labeled as absolutist exerted no greater power over their subjects than any other non-absolutist rulers, and these historians tend to emphasize the differences between the absolutist rhetoric of monarchs and the realities of the effective use of power by these absolute monarchs. Renaissance historian William Bouwsma summed up this contradiction: Nothing so clearly indicates

13908-522: The video games. Its setting has been used by a variety of other media, including novels, comics, graphic novels, and licensed products such as a tabletop role-playing game, action figures, and statues. There are currently six novels set in the Dragon Age universe: The Dragon Age video game series has featured varied gameplay mechanics; Origins was considered to be a traditional RPG, while subsequent entries are story-driven action role-playing games . The player assumes control of one primary character as

14030-433: The world of Dragon Age that subsequent games have managed to find more interesting angles on its world." Richard Cobbett from Eurogamer described Origins as "a half-way house between the hardcore RPGs of old and a more modern style that was taking over, with an emphasis on the former". Its expansion pack, Origins - Awakening is also well received with both critics and fans across all release platforms. Dragon Age II

14152-477: The world's highest-grossing media franchises . For example, Pokémon 's penetration into the American market of the franchise along with others of Japanese origin, such as Yu-Gi-Oh! , gave rise to the recognition of what is variously called transmedia storytelling , crossmedia, transmediation , media synergy, etc. Researchers argue that the 1963 Tetsuwan Atomu marked a shift in Japanese marketing from

14274-479: Was announced as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and in June 2024, the game was retitled Dragon Age: The Veilguard . It released on October 31, 2024. Dragon Age Journeys was a 2009 Flash-based browser game developed by EA2D. A tie-in to Dragon Age: Origins , players could unlock achievements in the game, which would unlock content in Origins . Its content was intended to be spread over three chapters. The first chapter of

14396-450: Was awarded over 150 year-end accolades and nominated for more, including Game of the Year and Best Role-playing awards from several gaming publications. The fourth Dragon Age game began development in 2015 under the codename "Joplin", however, development for "Joplin" was cancelled in October 2017. The project was rebooted in 2018 under the codename "Morrison". In June 2022, the game's title

14518-404: Was later bundled with Origins and various DLC packs as Dragon Age: Origins – Ultimate Edition , released on October 26, 2010. Dragon Age II is the sequel to Dragon Age: Origins , released for Microsoft Windows , PlayStation 3 , and Xbox 360 in North America and Europe on March 8, 2011 and March 11, 2011, respectively. BioWare's Edmonton office began development of Dragon Age II during

14640-571: Was one of the four continental empires which collapsed after World War I , along with Germany , Austria–Hungary , and the Ottoman Empire . In 1918, the Bolsheviks executed the Romanov family , ending three centuries of Romanov rule. The form of government instituted in Sweden under King Charles XI and passed on to his son, Charles XII is commonly referred to as absolute monarchy; however,

14762-610: Was regarded as an obsolete theory in most countries in the Western world , except in Russia where it was still given credence as the official justification for the Tsar's power until February Revolution in 1917 and in the Vatican City where it remains today. James VI and I and his son Charles I tried to import the principle of divine right into Scotland and England. Charles I's attempt to enforce episcopal polity on

14884-447: Was released to generally favorable reviews from video game media outlets, but received a divisive reception from players. Most of their criticism were directed at the game's wave-based enemies, excessively reused environments, and the lack of origin choices. Several critics praised the game's faster-paced combat and the companions featured in the game, while the game's dialogue system and storytelling received mixed responses, and its use of

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