Fereldan Civil War (9:30 - 9:31 Dragon)

The Fereldan Civil War, beginning in 9:30 Dragon Age, was a conflict between Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir and the banns of the Bannorn. The conflict occurred concurrently with the Fifth Blight, giving the Archdemon an advantage to spread across southern Ferelden almost unopposed.

The conflict was initiated when Teyrn Loghain appointed himself Regent to Queen Anora following the loss of King Cailan at the Battle of Ostagar. His appointment was controversial among many banns due to the Teyrn’s common birth and seemingly opportunistic grab for the throne so soon after Cailan’s death. However, Bann Teagan and others suspected that Loghain was directly responsible for Cailan’s death and had premeditated his ascension for some time.

The war ended after Arl Eamon Guerrin called a Landsmeet to settle the dispute diplomatically, by nominating King Maric's illegitimate son, Alistair, for the throne. The Landsmeet ended in a duel between the Grey Wardens and Loghain, which the latter lost, thus ending the civil war. The conflict, while bloody, was resolved before it had crippled either side’s military power, allowing a united Ferelden to face the advancing Blight.

Background
Following the rise of the archdemon Urthemiel, the Grey Wardens of at least Ferelden and Orlais became aware of an approaching Blight. King Cailan, presumably in honour of the support the Grey Wardens were engendered by his father and eager for a chance at glory, immediately supported the Grey Wardens and amassed an army of Fereldan forces and the few Fereldan Grey Wardens at Ostagar, on the outskirts of the Korcari Wilds where the darkspawn had been sighted. While grateful, Warden Commander Duncan felt the King’s forces were too few and requested reinforcements from Orlais. Empress Celene, who was aware of the Blight from the Commander of Orlais's Grey Wardens, and Cailan were already in correspondence to ensure an alliance against the Blight. The alliance grew stronger over time, as did the relationship between the two rulers, and the Grey Wardens of Orlais were sent to Ferelden with a strong force of chevaliers, though they would not reach Ferelden until some time after the Battle of Ostagar.

This alliance was not met with celebration by many. With memories of the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden still fresh in many citizens’ minds, the idea of joining forces was appalling. Also, the claims of the Grey Wardens, who were long considered an archaic order, were treated with scepticism by many nobles, owing to the length of time elapsed since the last Blight, and as no archdemon had been seen. Many hoped the documented attacks near the forest would reveal itself to be a large raid which were uncommon between Blights, but explainable. The fact that many Fereldan Grey Wardens were in fact from Orlais did little to help the order's cause.

The most vocal opposition to Cailan’s actions was his father-in-law, Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir, who harboured a deep hatred for Orlais and strong suspicions of the Wardens, believing them Orlesian spies. Loghain came to believe that the Blight was a hoax, perpetrated by the Orlesians to covertly invade his country. He also knew, or at least suspected Cailan's intention to divorce his wife Anora, Loghain's daughter, in favour of a union with Empress Celene.

During the reign of King Maric, Loghain was the power behind the throne. The relationship continued with Maric’s son, who, despite proposing his own beliefs, seemed to follow Loghain’s council. In this case, however, Cailan resisted all of Loghain’s attempts to change his mind, unwilling to give up his idealistic dream of uniting all of Thedas against the darkspawn. Loghain, a stubborn, patriotic man, had vowed long ago to deal with any threat to his country. His love for his country was only matched by his hatred for Orlais. It was this love that drove him to abandon King Cailan at the disastrous Battle of Ostagar, believing the king’s actions would destroy the country. Loghain's desertion saw Cailan dead, the Grey Wardens of Ferelden all but destroyed and the king's army annihilated by the darkspawn at Ostagar.

Loghain's Rise to Power
Loghain declared himself Regent of Ferelden after the Fereldan army's loss at the Battle of Ostagar and King Cailan's death. Loghain was able to deflect some of the blame for his part in the massacre by using the Grey Wardens as a scapegoat, claiming they had attempted to abandon Cailan, only to get themselves and him killed, as well as claiming he had retreated to preserve his army when he realised what was happening, a lie which many swallowed. Loghain hoped that fear of the Blight would encourage the nobles to join under his banner, as he was admittedly the best man for the job. Many nobles joined Loghain due to his reputation and history, belief that he would be the best man to lead at a time of war, or simply because no one else possessed the political power to challenge him. The only people in Ferelden equal to Loghain were either dead or incapacitated. Arl Eamon was stricken with illness (in truth, his illness was the work of poison, an assassination attempt engineered by Loghain himself prior to Cailan’s death). Teyrn Bryce Cousland had been murdered, along with most of his family, when the defenseless Highever castle was attacked by Arl Rendon Howe of Amaranthine, who claimed the Couslands had betrayed Ferelden to Orlais. It is unknown if Loghain was involved in the attack, but it benefited his cause and he took Howe as his chief advisor. Howe was thusly granted the Arling of Denerim, replacing Arl Urien after he died at the Battle of Ostagar, as well as the Teyrnir of Highever, effectively controlling the northern coast of Ferelden. Howe was responsible for removing any loose ends that could threaten Loghain's rule, such Oswyn, son of Bann Sighard, who knew the truth of what truly happened at Ostagar, and the Templar Irminric, who had knowledge of the blood mage poisoner of Arl Eamon.

However, Loghain’s sudden ascension to regent was met with some resistance by members of the Bannorn. The strongest advocate against him was Bann Teagan Guerrin, who was among the few to suspect his direct involvement in Cailan’s death. Others of the nobility opposed Loghain for the fact that, despite his daughter being Queen, Loghain was a commoner by birth and thus lacked any real claim to the throne, or the feeling his taking of Cailan's throne so soon after the king's death seemed more like greedy opportunism. The strongest reason for resistance was Loghain’s act of demanding the banns' support. Both before and after the tyranny of the Orlesian occupation, Fereldan culture placed heavy emphasis on individual freedom. All freeholders held authority on their lands and no noble was expected to pledge loyalty without being convinced to do so. Ferelden held great pride in this contrast to the authoritarian rulership of Orlais, and Loghain’s action was seen as an insult to the Ferelden he helped defend.

The Schism
As Loghain accumulated power, the Bannorn demanded he step down, resilient to Loghain’s demands for support. While the Bannorn saw Loghain as stooping to the oppression of the Orlesians, Loghain saw their refusal as a betrayal of their country in need. Loghain responded with force, ordering the lands of those who disobeyed him burnt to the ground and having several banns and their forces who opposed him imprisoned or even killed. This oppression only destroyed Loghain’s image as a liberator and strengthened the resolve of the Bannorn to refuse to kowtow to his demands.

The Battles
The Bannorn, consisting of independent, stubborn banns, all opposed Loghain, but showed little interest in uniting against a common enemy. There is only one known case of three banns uniting their forces to face Loghain, with other cases of united opposition remaining unknown. Most banns showed only interest in maintaining autonomy on their own land, fighting off any attempt by Loghain to intimidate them. The largest battle of the civil war, the Battle of Winter's Breath, saw the forces of the Bannorn outnumber Loghain. However, due to the regent's tactical prowess, the combined army of the Bannorn found itself defeated. Despite the victory over his Bannorn rivals both at Winter's Breath and at other engagements at Oswin and Iachus Valley, it ensured that Loghain would not gain their support. Without the backing of the Bannorn he could no longer effectively recruit an army to counter the darkspawn in the south. The fact that Ferelden's remaining armies were too preoccupied fighting themselves only ensured Urthemiel's rampage was even more devastating: the darkspawn were given the opportunity made by the distraction to advance further into Ferelden unopposed. Some banns were able to push Loghain's troops back, only to then lose their holdings to the horde because their weakened forces couldn't stave off the darkspawn.

Antivan Crows Involvement
The Antivan Crows became secretly involved in the events of the Fereldan Civil War, taking a subservient role. Their involvement was motivated by, first and foremost, profit: the civil war was a catalyst for many old grudges between nobles, as well as many new ones. Even Loghain himself, under the advisement of Rendon Howe, hired an Antivan Crow named Zevran to kill the Grey Warden survivors of the Battle of Ostagar. So great, in fact, was the number of contracts that the demand for the Crows soon overtook their numbers and capabilities. The second reason was more long-term: to defeat the Blight. The Antivan Crows knew that their beloved country, which possessed no standing army, was defenseless against the darkspawn horde. The Crows hoped to end the Blight without it spilling outside the countries borders and endangering their international employers. To the Crows, Loghain was the most appropriate man to lead Ferelden and defeat the Archdemon.

When the Warden overcame Zevran’s trap and either killed or recruited him, the Crows were impressed and took a greater interest in the Warden’s activities. As it became clear the Warden was a capable commander and was recruiting a formidable force to deal with the Blight, the Crows began to see a suitable leader to support in place of Loghain, whose ruthless actions against the Bannorn forces were only exacerbating the situation. The Crows contacted the Warden to extend the possibility of employment, dealing with contracts the Crows lacked the manpower to take on. As an added incentive, the Crows only extended offers that benefited the Warden’s cause. Whether or not the Warden accepts the offer is up to the player.

Financial Strain
As the war dragged on; it cost Ferelden a great deal of money. Farming had come to a halt which was detrimental to the country's treasury in and of itself. Matters were only made worse when Loghain hired the Antivan Crows to assassinate the Warden. Ferelden's reserves were now very little. Loghain would not concede to the Bannorn in the civil war however. Desperate for gold, he entered into an ‘arrangement’, as it were, with Tevinter slavers led by Caladrius. The arrangement ensured that the slavers would operate freely in Denerim’s Alienage in exchange for gold. The elves of Denerim were at the time stricken by a Blight induced plague, prompting a quarantine of the Alienage. This gave the slavers all the anonymity they required and allowed them to covertly kidnap elves while claiming to be on a humanitarian mission to heal them with the personal consent of Lohgain.

Arl Howe compounded this problem partially, as he was embezzling from the treasury without Lohgain's knowledge.

The Landsmeet
After the Warden managed to gather an army of followers to battle the Blight and utilized the Urn of Sacred Ashes to heal Arl Eamon, the Warden conspired with Eamon to end the war. Eamon was aware that should the war continue its course, Fereldan forces would be too small to battle the darkspawn. Relying on non-violent means to end the war and force Loghain to abdicate, the arl called a Landsmeet. Eamon planned to present Alistair, the only remaining blood relative of King Maric Theirin, as a man with a stronger claim to the throne than Loghain, and unite the nobles under him. In a stroke of luck, Queen Anora decided to turn on her father and join them. Anora was aware of, or at least suspected, her father’s involvement in her husband’s death, and was eventually arrested by Rendon Howe for voicing her concerns. Though Loghain had no intention of killing her, Anora was uncertain if Howe would willingly comply with Loghain’s wishes. Knowing that Loghain’s action would destroy Ferelden and rob her of the power she had cultivated for five years, Anora sent word of her capture to the Warden and offered an alliance if she were rescued. Once freed, Anora informed the Warden of rumors from the Alienage, believing it a good place to gather evidence against Loghain. She also made it clear to the Warden and Eamon that her support, which could be vital for their cause, would only come with the assurance that she would retain her power as sovereign, which presented the Warden with the option of accepting or refusing.

In the Landsmeet itself, the nobles' decisions are based on the actions of the Warden in gaining their support. Regardless of their votes, the Landsmeet is settled by a duel between Loghain and the Warden or a champion of the Warden's choice. With Loghain’s defeat, the decision of his fate and the declaration of the next ruler are left to the Warden. With Loghain’s abdication, both sides of the Fereldan Civil War call an end to hostilities and eventually unite under the Warden’s command to face the oncoming Blight.