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The Battle of Soldier's Peak ended the Dryden Rebellion against King Arland Theirin of Ferelden, when its leader, the regional Commander of the Grey Sophia Dryden, was cornered and slain in the Grey Warden fortress of Soldier's Peak, along with most of her supporters. As a result, Arland's branch of the Theirin bloodline secured the throne of Ferelden, while the Grey Wardens were banished from the kingdom for two hundred years.
Background[]
The King of Ferelden died leaving no heir, and so fighting for the throne began immediately, with the young Arland competing fiercely with his first cousin, Arlessa Dryden, for the crown. Arland won the throne through a campaign of intimidation, butchering nobles to garner support through fear. His rival, Sophia Dryden, was imprisoned for treason when she pushed her claim, pending execution. However, many continued to support her claim, and were appeased after Dryden was permitted to join the Grey Wardens.
Prelude[]
Sophia Dryden flourished in the Wardens, and dazzled her fellows with her skill and charm. She soon was raised to the rank of Warden-Commander of Ferelden and transformed the once redundant Fereldan Wardens into an elite, respected and popular order. However, Commander Dryden remained bitter about her failed bid for the throne.[2]
Meanwhile, King Arland became perceived as increasingly cruel (perhaps even insane), after he slaughtered Arl Ruahn and his entire family simply for criticizing his spending. Many nobles turned to Dryden for assistance.[3]
Dryden set in motion plans for a rebellion (thus jeopardizing the Grey Wardens' neutrality), which disgusted some of her fellow Wardens, who left Ferelden in protest. Sophia even allowed her own personal blood mage, Avernus, to practice blood magic on the Fereldan nobles in order to nudge them and keep the Wardens' secrets safe.
Sophia Dryden's secret conspiracy could only go so far without powerful allies. The Grey Wardens sought to obtain the support of Teyrn Cousland but was met with an ambush by Arland's guard. Warden-Commander Sophia and Avernus barely escaped with their lives.
Battle of the Peak[]
When King Arland learned of Dryden's plot, he sent soldiers to lay siege to Soldier's Keep, and a long, bloody battle ensued in 7:5 Storm.[1] The Warden Master-Scout was slain, and so the Wardens barricaded themselves within the keep.
Commander Athlar, leader of the King's forces, intended to fight a war of attrition, attempting to starve out the remaining Wardens despite there being months of supplies within the keep.
Eventually, the Fereldan forces stormed the keep, where fierce fighting begun. The Wardens fought valiantly, though were pushed further and further back. Eventually, Commander Dryden ordered her most senior mage and ardent supporter, Avernus, to do whatever he could to push the King's men back.
Avernus used blood magic to summon a tide of demons; however, he soon discovered he could not control them, and so the demons began to slay both the Grey Wardens and Fereldan soldiers. The magic had tore open the Veil and caused Soldier's Peak to be overrun by demons.
Avernus fled to the tower of the Peak along with a small number of Wardens, where he sealed himself in, and did not emerge. Commander Dryden fought off what enemies she could, before being slain in her study.
Aftermath[]
Soldier's Peak was claimed by demons while Sophia Dryden was never heard of again, nor were any of her Wardens or Fereldan soldiers who went there. King Arland declared his triumph over her by exiling the Grey Wardens from Ferelden and stripping the Drydens of all lands and titles. The Order retained a villainous reputation in Ferelden for 200 years, until King Maric Theirin permitted the Wardens back into his nation.
References[]
| 7:00 Storm 1794 TE 8199 FA |
Qunari Wars (6:32–7:84) · Battle of Soldier's Peak (7:05) · New Exalted Marches (7:25–85) | 7:99 Storm 1893 TE 8298 FA |
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