Kotakus has posted a really great
Beginner's Guide to Dragon Age.
I know a lot of people don't like reading extensive stuff, but Dragon Age is a huge world and I think Inquisition is going to scratch an RPG itch people have talked about for years. Dragon Age (and BioWare in general) make games that are more than simply about hitting things and getting better weapons. They're interactive experiences that rely heavily on Conversation, Conflicts, and Companions.
Everyone should go to the
Dragon Age Keep before playing Inquisition, whether you're played the series or not.
I'll try to keep it as simple as possible here though.
Dragon Age is set in the world of Thedas. You have all your basic fantasy stuff you'll recognize from Tolkein, heroic fantasy, Game of Thrones, etc.
Major races:Humans: Influence and control most of the continent. Cause lots of problems.
Dwarves: Short people who live under ground. Build cool shit.
Elves: Pointy ears, thin frame, magic and archery. Used to be awesome. Get shit on by everyone.
Qunari: Militaristic race of tall, muscular horned people. Have their own religion.
Darkspawn: Orcs, basically. Zombies Pineappling up everything. Live under ground most of the time.
Major nations:Ferelden: Basically Medieval England. They like dogs. Dragon Age: Origins took place here.
Orlais: Basically France/Holy Roman Empire. French accents. Lots of intrigue.
Tevinter Imperium: Land ruled by mages. Used to basically be Roman Empire. Slavery and everything.
Dalish Elves: Elves used to be badass, then got PINEAPPLE, were given a new homeland. stolen from them, now they roam around as nomads
Major Religions:The Chantry: Think of this as the Medieval Catholic Church. Andraste was a woman (kinda like Jesus Christ) who took down the Tevinter Imperium. Was martyred. Church formed around her. The Chant of LIght is basically the bible. They watch over and control mages.
The Qun: The Qunari follow the Qun. Rigid roles in their society
Other Factions:Circle of Magi: The Chantry puts mages in the Circle of Magi because mages can easily be possessed by demons and Pineapple everything up.
The Grey Wardens: They have survived drinking darkspawn blood, can sense them, and stay on watch in case some shit goes down.
Summary of previous games:Dragon Age Origins: In Ferelden. Darkspawn have awoken an Archdemon. All hell si breaking loose. The king has got forces together to take this down, but they are betrayed. You and a surviving Grey Warden have to unite the land to take down the archdemon. You succeed.
This intro actually explains the darkspawn threat really well:
Dragon Age 2: You play as a Ferelden refugee living in a nearby independent city-state called Kirkwall. You spend the entire game just trying to make a living, but the Qunari are Pineappling things up, and then the mages and Templars go to war. Everyone wants you to fix everything, but no one will listen to you.
Where are we now?The mages and Templars got together to hopefully end this civil war. An explosion happens and a rift opens up to the fade. Demons are coming through. You survive and can close these demon portals. Some people rally to you and now you need to fix everything.