Tevinter Imperium
The Tevinter Imperium is the oldest human nation of any import, according to modern historians. Though they played an important role in the history of Thedas, their exact history is mostly lost. When Rivain's Grand Library was destroyed during the Goliaths' invasion of the country, any remaining records of the Tevinter's history were destroyed.
The only other publicly known location that held knowledge of this nation was internally. However, the nation is completely gone. One day, at least a century ago, the entire nation disappeared and was instead replaced with a sprawling desert that none have successfully ventured into or charted.
Culture
What little is known about the culture of the Tevinter Imperium serves as a stark contrast to the Chantry and the nations who follow it. The three things most people associated with the Imperium are as follows: slavery, magocracy, and blood magic.
In their conquest of Thedas, the Imperium enslaved all sorts of people. They had a massive elven slave population in the heart of the nation as well as a human one which was more prominent in its satellite states. Slaves were treated as expendable resources, like money to be spent. These slaves were tortured and worked to the bone, some living out the entirety of their lives in mines while others were "lucky" enough to serve as a butler to prominent mages. Others received the worst bargain possible and were used as sacrifices to fuel a mage's blood magic.
The Tevinters governed themselves as a magocracy in the sense that they saw people who could wield magic as greater than those who couldn't. Mages lived in palaces and decided the laws of the Imperium, of which there were only really those that kept mages on top and slaves at the bottom. A prime example of this was the original outlaw of blood magic in the Imperium. Though it was outlawed, it had no punishment associated with it other than the public humiliation that would ensue if one was caught. Blood magic was prevalent amongst mages and almost every single one practiced it in order to tame demons or to assert mental domination over their enemies. However, no mage wanted to receive that public humiliation and lose the respect they had so all blood magic was done in secrecy, though everyone knew everyone else was doing it.
History
The one thing all people throughout Thedas associate the Imperium with is being the enemy of the First Exalted March. Andraste lead Alamarri barbarians against the Tevinters in an attempt to end slavery and bring freedom to the people who had been long oppressed by the depravities of the Tevinters. In this conflict, the Imperium was forced to abandon much of their land, particularly due to a slave uprising that occurred in the city now known as Kirkwall.
The march lead the Andrastian army deep into Tevinter lands. The march was wildly successful until Maferath, Andraste's husband, betrayed her and gave her to Tevinter magisters. The magisters burned her alive, halting the army's ambition in the process.
The Tevinter Imperium then let Maferath control much of the land he had taken, which he divided amongst himself and his children.
Religion
The Imperium was lead by powerful mages known as magistrates. Their beliefs directly opposed the ideals of the Chantry, leading them into constant bouts of aggression throughout history. They saw mages as a people who were greater than all others. It was the divine purpose of others to serve their gods, then the mages.
On top of this, the Imperium believed devoutly in a religion that was not of the Maker. Instead, they believed in a large pantheon of gods, dubbed "The Old Gods", that had direct control over the world they inhabited. Large pyramids and towers were built in an attempt for the Tevinters to reach their gods. They believed that if they were to reach high enough and master the arcane arts well enough, that they would be allowed entrance into their gods' domain.
Just over a century ago, other nations found the Tevinter Imperium a desert. Few ventures have been lead into the land. Most claim that no people remain and the cities are buried under deep sand. The heads of pyramids poke out, but not much else.
Theologians and historians have never come to a consensus as to why, or what even happened. It is the Chantry's belief that the Maker saw the evil brewing in the Tevinter Imperium (slavery, greed, lust). To show the world her majesty, she destroyed all of the Imperium and buried the entire nation under sand.
Another belief, though this opposes the Chantry, is that the Tevinters reached high enough or perfected magic enough to enter into the domain of their gods. Their gods offered them a chance to ascend into their domain, so they did. Little was left behind, other than the vast desert covering their old kingdom.
A third belief, which only recently came up, was proposed by Wardens who hypothesized that the Jrid they fought were once once Tevinters. They suggested that there were seven leaders of the Imperium, known as magisters. These magisters were high priests devoted to the Old Gods; each magister representing one of the Old Gods. At some point, these seven magisters brought two-thirds of the world's lyrium to a single city and attempted to physically walk the Fade, an task that is impossible. The Wardens admit that they do not know if the magisters were successful nor what their intentions were. Regardless, some being or force of nature or perhaps just the Fade itself saw what the magisters were doing and punished them for their actions. In some unexplaianble event, the Tevinters were banished into the underworld of Thedas and turned into the Jrid. Some members of the Chantry, most notably Divine Justinia V, have stated that they believe there is some credence to these theories. Others argue that this is a ploy made by the Wardens in an attempt for power.
Infrastructure
One of the few intact reminders of the Imperium is the internationally-spanning road known as the Imperial Highway. It was once used by Tevinters in order to connect the distant lands of its vast empire. The Highway is commonly considered as an ancient architectural wonder. It was constructed off the back of slaves and involved the deaths of many of them in order to see the Highway complete.
It is not entirely complete and some of its older sections have fallen into disrepair over the centuries. Nevertheless, it remains useful to many travelers and merchants who are looking for a safe and quick road.
In its current state, the Highway runs through the southern edge of the Imperium then through the Silent Plains and Minanter River until it reaches the city of Cumberland, lying next to the Waking Sea. Then it turns west to Orlais with a branching path: one which leads up north towards Andoral's Reach and the other which goes through the Heartlands of Orlais. The second branch eventually turns east towards Ferelden and passes the Frostback Mountains, a dangerous path dubbed "Gherlen's Pass". In Ferelden, the Highway circles Lake Celnhad and the Bannorn with one branch ending in Denerim and the other ending at Ostagar, just a small distance north of the Korcari Wilds.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Alternative Names
Imperium
Demonym
Tevinter, 'Vint
Government System
Magocracy
Neighboring Nations
Location: Northern Thedas
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