Exalted Marches



The Exalted Marches are religious crusades led by the Chantry, though the first Exalted March was that of Andraste against the Tevinter Imperium, and thus predates the Chantry proper. The second Exalted March was against the elves of the Dales, who had been Andraste's allies during her fight against the Imperium but whose relations with Orlais and the Chantry had deteriorated to the point of war by the time of the early Glory Age. During the Black and Exalted Ages, four Exalted Marches were called against the Imperial Chantry considered as heretical. More recent are the three Marches against the Qunari invaders during the Steel and Storm Ages.

Against the Tevinter Imperium
In around 1020 TE, a massive horde of barbarians crossed the Waking Sea from the south led by the warlord Maferath and Andraste, the Betrothed of the Maker. Some records claim the barbarians were driven north by the darkspawn, others that Andraste was bringing freedom to the people of the Imperium who had been long oppressed by the depravities of the magisters.

Against the Dales
The taking of the Dales was a struggle with several possible causes. The Dalish claim it was simple racist persecution. The Chantry holds that it was triggered by the elves practicing dark magic and offering human sacrifices to their pagan gods. The human settlements near the Dales believe it was set by a series of Dalish raids on their towns while many historians say that it was due to the Dales refusing to help humanity during the Second Blight.

Originally, only the Orlesian Empire went to battle, and the Dalish elves responded with a fury that the Empire couldn't deal with. The elves made serious gains until the other Andrastian nations joined the March.

Against Starkhaven
After King Fyruss had failed to take over the Free Marches, his Tevinter allies turned on him, usurping him in 2:80 and ousting him from Starkhaven. This led the Chantry to declare an exalted march to reconquer Starkhaven from the Imperium. The following battle for the independence of Starkhaven was short, but bloody.

Against the Imperial Chantry
In 3:87 Towers, disagreements between priests in Tevinter and orthodox Chantry doctrine, primarily about the role and control of magic, resulted in a schism and the appointment of Valhail as the first "Black Divine" of the Imperial Chantry, in opposition to the Divine in Val Royeaux. Relations between the two factions deteriorated steadily, culminating in the Andrastian Chantry calling for retaliation against the Black Divine after he declared a celebration of the death of Divine Joyous II in 3:99 Towers.

Between 4:40 Black and 5:10 Exalted, a total of four Exalted Marches gathered large armies from around the Andrastian Chantry's domains, and launched assaults deep into Tevinter. Each Exalted March fell just short of its goal of conquering Minrathous, however, and the Marches served mainly to cement the separation between Minrathous and Val Royeaux. The Imperial Chantry started to form its own dogma and policies, and the groundswell of mages fleeing from southern lands into Tevinter bolstered the empire's waning power. It is likely that more Marches would have continued the war, had the outbreak of the Fourth Blight not intervened.

Against the Qunari
In 6:30 Steel, the Qunari conquered Par Vollen and began to use it as a base to strike at Seheron and Rivain. By 6:42 Steel, they had conquered much of the Tevinter Imperium, Rivain, and Antiva and began to assault the Free Marches. It took many years for human resistance to become organized, and it was 7:23 Storm before the Qunari were pushed back to Seheron and Rivain, but there they were well entrenched and an impasse began.

Between 7:25 and 7:85 Storm, New Exalted Marches are declared repeatedly by both the Imperial Chantry (to retake Seheron and the eastern city of Qarinus) and the Chantry (to retake Rivain). In total, three major Exalted Marches occur with only the second in 7:52 Storm being a total disaster (with the Qunari capturing much of Antiva). At 7:55 Storm a third and final Exalted March is called and at the end of it in 7:84 Storm, the Qunari had been pushed back to only the city of Kont-aar in northern Rivain and Par Vollen. By that stage, rebuilding all the destruction that had been caused was considered more important than trying to dislodge the Qunari from Kont-aar once again. A meeting between envoys of most of the human lands (except for Tevinter) and the Qunari at Llomerryn results in the signing of the Llomerryn Accord in 7:84 Storm and peace being declared. There is no peace between Tevinter and the Qunari, though skirmishes are few while the Qunari pull back to Par Vollen and rebuild.

Contemplated Exalted Marches
These Exalted Marches did not happen but Divine Justinia V contemplated in calling them. {{SpoilerDAO|style=short|

Against Orzammar
During the events of Dragon Age: Origins, this may happen in two cases: }} {{SpoilerDA2|style=short|
 * If the Warden helped Brother Burkel managed to open up a chantry in Orzammar, he draws a surprising number of converts among the dwarves. They quickly attract a great deal of anger from more conservative quarters, and before long the Assembly severely restricts the Andrastians' rights. Brother Burkel resists, and is slain while being arrested during a peaceful demonstration in the Commons. The Assembly claims this was an accident, but news of the resulting riots reach the Chantry on the surface, where the Divine even contemplates a new Exalted March.
 * If the Warden helps Dagna join the Circle of Magi, she will later author a comprehensive theory of how lyrium vapors relate to the supply of magic. It gains a great deal of attention and inspires mages from other parts of Thedas to establish a new circle in Orzammar itself, one that has ready access to dwarven lyrium and lies outside the chantry's power completely. The willingness of Orzammar to harbor Apostates sparks outrage that begins whispers that the Divine is contemplating a new Exalted march.

Against Kirkwall
Following the death of the Viscount Marlowe Dumar during the Second Qunari Invasion of Kirkwall and the de-facto rule of Knight-Commander Meredith, tensions between the city's mages and the local chapter of the Templar Order began to grow considerably, leading many in the Chantry and secular society to fear a mage revolt within Kirkwall. Unwilling to allow these rebellious mages to launch an insurrection, and perhaps the beginnings of a new Tevinter Imperium, the Divine Justinia V began to contemplate an Exalted March on the city to end the threat and restore order, sending an agent to determine the extent of the danger. With the mage uprising in full swing after the destruction of the Kirkwall Chantry and the Mage-Templar War having brought the Chantry to the brink of collapse, it is uncertain if this campaign will ever be called against the city. }}