For good or ill, the Imperium has put its stamp on Thedas forever. The old Imperial Highway is still in use across most of Thedas. The ruins of Tevinter fortresses and centers of magical study still litter our landscape, long after the glory of the Imperium dimmed. But the influence of that ancient empire goes deeper than this. Without Tevinter, there would have been no Blights, no Andraste, no Chantry. Every aspect of our world would be altered. —From Black City, Black Divine: A Study of the Tevinter Imperium, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar