The Destruction of Lothering

The Destruction of Lothering is a quest that Hawke starts with at the beginning of Varric's story. It encompasses the Hawke Family's escape from the Fifth Blight to their journey to Kirkwall.

Acquisition
Start the game as this is the Prologue, can not be avoided.

Walkthrough
The quest begins when Hawke's family escapes from Lothering and the darkspawn that has destroyed it. After fighting through a few groups of Darkspawn made up of Hurlock Grunts and conversing with your family, another group of survivors, fighting to escape, crosses your path. Aveline and her injured husband Wesley joins your party while trying to escape.

Shortly thereafter the group encounters more darkspawn, among them Hurlock Bolters & a Hurlock Emissary. After said battle, an Ogre appears which serve as the boss for the prologue. Depending on what profession Hawke has, one of his siblings is killed by the Ogre. If Hawke is either a Rogue or a Warrior the Ogre kills Carver while a Mage Hawke loses his sister Bethany.

After the battle with the ogre and waves of darkspawn, the group becomes surrounded. A great dragon suddenly appears and kills off the remaining darkspawn. The dragon then lands in front of the group and turns into Flemeth. Hawke receives the quest Long Way Home, no matter what he says to Flemeth.

After the conversation with Flemeth. the group journeys to Kirkwall. Upon arrival, they find out that the city is filled with Ferelden refugees and that the city guards are not letting any of them leave the Gallows Courtyard.

They talk to the guardsman Wright, who passes them to his superior Captain Ewald. The captain will be in a middle of a conversation with some agitated Ferelden deserters. No matter what you say to the captain, the deserters will engage in combat. Hawke then mentions that they have an uncle,Gamlen, that lives in the city. The captain says that he will find Gamlen for them.

After 3 days pass, Gamlen shows up with a solution as to how the family might get in to Kirkwall. He has sold Hawke and his surviving sibling to indentured servitude. Hawke can choose between becoming a mercenary or a smuggler. Gamlen will ask you to talk to either Meeran of the Red Iron Mercenaries or Athenril the smuggler. They will give you a quest to complete as a test. After which the quest ends as you get in the city.

If you choose to become a mercenary, Meeran will ask you to extort a noble named Freidrich

If you choose to become a smuggler, Athenril will ask you to extort a merchant named Cavril

''One way to maximize profit at the start is to talk to Meeran, accept Friedrich's bribe and fight his hired goons and then take Athenril's task and finish it. This means of course that you betray the mercenaries and I heard that Meeran comes back to vengance later on.''

Result

 * Friendship points if Wesley's fate is deferred to Aveline
 * Rivalry poins if Wesley is given the mercy blow by Hawke

Rewards
Survival, escape and entrance into Kirkwall