Joining

Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn. And sould you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day, we shall join you.

— The traditional words that begin a Joining

To become a part of the Grey Wardens, a recruit must first go through a blood magic ritual called the Joining. It is a test of a recruit's physical constitution and spiritual fortitude. One of the reasons for the small number of Grey Wardens is that few can survive this ritual. Those who live become Grey Wardens, forever connected to the darkspawn, and forever tainted by the blood they have consumed.

History

The Joining ritual was created in the early days of the Order, during the First Blight. It is unknown exactly how the Grey Wardens developed this ritual, although many theories exist.
Regardless of the truth, the ritual that the first Grey Wardens developed proved to be vital to stop the Blights and ensure the survival of Thedas as a whole.

Execution

The ritual and the details about it are kept a strict secret by the Grey Wardens, because during the Joining, the recruits drink from a silver chalice containing a mixture of darkspawn blood and often a single drop of blood from an Archdemon, as well as lyrium and rare herbs magically prepared to make the blood at least remotely possible to consume.

Observance

Only those who have a decent chance of surviving the Joining will even be made recruits. As a preliminary test, the recruits are sent to retrieve the darkspawn blood that will be used in the ritual to determine if they have the courage and the skill to become Grey Wardens. Usually, the recruits are accompanied by an experienced Grey Warden during this mission.
Becoming a Grey Warden requires a dose of the darkspawn corruption of sufficient potency to have an immediate effect, rather than slowly corrupt the consumer into a ghoul. While Archdemon blood is typically used, since it is one of the rarest substances in all Thedas, blood of other darkspawn creatures can also be magically treated to make it function in the ritual if Archdemon blood isn't available. However, the average darkspawn doesn't have enough of the corruption within it for this to work most of the time. When available, Archdemon blood is granted to veteran Grey Wardens to be used when needed.
The darkspawn corruption wrenches at the very core of a recruit's identity, insinuating forever a sense of wrongness in the new Warden. Most candidates die on the spot because of the corrupted blood they had taken. Some believe that if an individual harbors doubts about the ritual, or even about their commitment, the Joining may fail as well, and the recruit will die in the attempt. The Wardens have a tradition of honoring their sacrifice by carrying them in their hearts, and by wearing specially crafted amulets to remember those who didn't survive the Joining. Some even write down a list of names, adding "I remember you" after each one.
Recruits are given a formal rank within the Order, that of Warden-Recruit, regardless if they survive the Joining or not, just for committing themselves to the Wardens. The names of those recruits who failed their Joinings are kept in the archives of Weisshaupt Fortress in honor of their sacrifice.
A recruit to whom the Joining ritual and its ramifications have been explained must go on and continue with the ritual until the end. Those who refuse to drink from the chalice are killed without a doubt by the Grey Wardens overseeing the ceremony to preserve the Order’s secrets.