The Arl of Redcliffe

Arl of Redcliffe is one of the main quests in Dragon Age: Origins. After the introductory quests, Alistair recommends that the party journey to Redcliffe, his childhood home, in order to obtain the assistance of Arl Eamon Guerrein. However, when the party arrives, they find the town overrun with undead and the Arl gravely ill.

Redcliffe Village
These sub-quests are activated upon arrival to Redcliffe and you must complete them to access Redcliffe Castle.
 * A Village Under Siege
 * The Attack at Nightfall

The basement
Upon meeting Bann Teagan at the mill after The Attack at Nightfall, Teagan will enter the castle with Arlessa Isolde, the Arl's wife. Teagan sends The Warden through a secret tunnel to the castle basement, where Jowan, a blood mage, is imprisoned. If The Warden is a mage, the two will recognize each other. Jowan was hired to teach the Arl's young son Connor the art of magic, because the Arlessa doesn't want to send her son to the Circle Tower. Loghain paid Jowan to poison the Arl; Connor attempted to rescue his father, but became possessed by a demon.

The Warden has the choice of either letting Jowan escape, killing him, or keeping him locked up. If you kill him, it will be impossible to save Connor without first visiting the Circle of Mages. If he is freed, he will run off and try and help reappearing later when you speak to Isolde. Freeing him has the effect of lowering Alistair's approval by, Sten's approval by , and also improving Morrigan's approval by and Lelianna's approval by. Killing him has the effect of lowering Alistair's approval by and Lelianna's approval by.

The main level and courtyard
After leaving the dungeon, you must fight groups of minor undead on the main level to reach the throne room. The door will be locked (with no key available), so you must go through the cellars out to the courtyard and back in through the main doors.

Eventually The Warden arrives in the throne room, where a demon-possessed Connor waits. He orders his minions, including a possessed Teagan, to attack; Connor himself flees. Afterwards, Isolde and Teagan ask The Warden to end the demonic possession. The Warden has the following choices:


 * Kill Connor. This leads to a battle with a Desire Demon inside the castle. She is tougher than in the Fade.
 * Use Jowan's blood magic to enter the Fade and kill the demon. The Arlessa will sacrifice her life to enable Jowan to cast the spell.
 * Travel to the Circle Tower and ask the Circle for help. This will spare Connor and Isolde, but you must have sided with the mages in Broken Circle (you can also complete it at this point).

Be sure to explore the Castle before entering the Fade. This can be done even after initiating the Fade conversation, just tell them you have to think about it. There are several more enemies within the castle, and one of them is the possessed Chamberlain, who holds the key to the castle vault. If you enter the Fade before confronting these enemies, they will be gone for good. However, if you go into a large room on the upper floor, you will encounter the Desire Demon, whether or not you've said you're going to kill Connor. This can be avoided easily, though, by turning around right after the autosave on the upper floor.

Entering the Fade
The Fade can be entered by the Warden (if playing as a mage), Morrigan, Wynne, Jowan (if he was freed and the Circle was recruited) or First Enchanter Irving (if you recruited the Circle and manage to persuade him). The discussion regarding who will go should trigger approval changes. Sten, if in the active party, gives when the mages start the ritual. Note that if you choose Jowan, he is capable of casting blood magic but he has only basic gear with him. If you send someone other than The Warden, you will not have the option of getting a reward from the Fade Demon.
 * If you say you must think about who will go: Alistair ; Leliana ; Sten ; Wynne
 * If Morrigan goes: Morrigan (if blood magic is used); Wynne
 * If Wynne goes: Wynne (if blood magic is used)
 * If you suggest killing Connor: Alistair (even if he is not in the active party); Leliana ; Oghren

The Desire Demon
In the Fade, the demon possessing Connor can either be killed or convinced to trade a favor for its life. If the Warden is a mage and entered the Fade personally, the Blood Mage specialization can be unlocked by conversing with the demon. If someone else (Morrigan, Wynne, Jowan or Irving) enters the Fade, the specialization cannot be unlocked.

Soon after entering the Fade, you will see the Arl calling out for Connor. Speaking with him is not necessary, but it can be informative. Continue down the path and enter the portal, where you will see Connor. You must speak with Connor; regardless of which options are selected the demon will replace Connor and fight you. Once defeated, the demon will disappear and the exit portal will activate. Traveling through it will lead to another "Connor". This process repeats three times. None of the dialogue options change the progression nor the final conversation with the true Desire Demon.

When you speak with the demon in her true form, you should not choose any of the below replies if you wish to gain a reward from her:


 * "There will be no discussion."
 * "No, I will not deal with you."
 * "I want you to pay for your atrocities."
 * "I want nothing from you."
 * "I say no deal."
 * "No. Our talk is done here."

If the option, "(Intimidate) How about you leave and I do not destroy you." is selected the only way to still get a reward from the demon is if a second, harder Intimidate is passed: "(Intimidate) On the contrary, I believe you can offer more." This is the only way to get the demon to leave for good, or at least promise to leave for good, and still get a reward from it.

Other than the above, every option will eventually lead to a final choice that will determine what Desire Demon will give you. Possible trades are:


 * "Arcane secrets. I want to know specialized blood magic." → unlocks the Blood Mage specialization
 * "I'll take pleasure, demon. Show me what you've got." → a kissing scene with the Warden and the demon, implied sex
 * "Pleasure is empty. I want the love of those around me." → you can boost one of your companions' approval ratings
 * "Keep it simple. Something to increase my talents." → one extra spell (you get a tome)
 * "I want nothing from you."

If you unlock Blood Mage, it will appear in the specializations the next time you level up.

Result
Afterwards, the survivors are relieved, but the Arl is still ill, which leads to the The Urn of Sacred Ashes quest. If you did that quest before this one, you have the option to present the ashes right away or not.

Rewards

 * Helm of the Red (if you can keep all villagers and knights alive through The Attack at Nightfall)
 * Redcliffe Elite Shield or Enchanter's Staff
 * Blood Mage specialization unlocked (depending on your choices)
 * Champion specialization unlocked
 * Isolde will try to persuade the Warden by promising some of her wealth, but will eventually only produce a worthless stick (which she claims to be "the most valuable thing to her")
 * Additionally once Arl Eamon is cured you will receive if his offer of a reward is accepted. This will show as a level up, but will not increase your level.

Side quests

 * Lost in the Castle
 * A Dwarven Veteran
 * A Missing Child