AKA:
The Beyond

The Fade is an ever-changing, very greenish realm that exists apart from the physical world we live in, separated from us by an indefinable force called the Veil. A distorted echo of our plane of existence, it’s the place that mages pull their magic from, and home to spirits and demons of all kinds. Time works differently there, as do most of the physical laws we are familiar with. All sentient beings visit the Fade when we dream, except the dwarves, because they don’t dream. Nobody remembers these trips except for mages, with their more significant ties to the place, and beings in the Fade, whether denizens or visitors, can meet and interact with one another. And when I say “visit,” please understand that you are only partially there. Your body doesn’t go anywhere, just your spirit or mind or soul. The Fade is constantly shifting and never the same, primarily because, unlike our world, everything in it is entirely malleable by a being with enough will. A spirit shapes the rock and wood and other matter around them into the form they wish, and even people can exert some control when they visit. The only fixed point in the Fade is the Black City, which, according to the Chantry, used to be Golden and the seat of the Maker until ancient magisters of Tevinter broke into the city, tainted it and were promptly cast out, cursed to become the darkspawn. The Dalish, on the other hand, think the City is where their gods are now imprisoned after Fen’Harel cut them off from our world and the rest of the Beyond, which is what they call the Fade. Whatever you believe, no matter where you are in the Fade, the city is always on the horizon, visible but out of reach. Being in the Fade physically was long thought to be impossible, as anyone who attempted the feat died in the crossing. My glowy hand was able to open a stable rift, however, so my companions and I were the first beings to actually go into the Fade since those Magisters over 1,000 years ago. Fortunately, our visit did not come with any potentially apocalyptic repercussions. Yet. Fingers crossed.