Codex Entry 162: Alistair
"You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."
Alistair was a novice templar when Duncan recruited him into the Grey Wardens--or rescued him, as Alistair would say.
His mother was a serving girl, who died when Alistair was very young. He was raised by Eamon Guerrin, arl of Redcliffe for a time. The arl's wife, Isolde, suspected the reason her husband took an interest in the welfare of a servant's child was that Alistair was Eamon's son. She insisted that the boy be sent away to the Chantry.
Isolde's suspicions were unfounded, however. Alistair was not Eamon's son, but King Maric's. Eamon sheltered the boy to hide his existence from Queen Rowan, Eamon's sister.
Alistair is fascinated by magic, even as his life is defined by fighting its darker manifestations. He has a fondness for strange runestones and figural studies of arcane creatures.
Codex Entry 163: Queen Anora
"We have been given the gift of freedom by our forbearers. Let us not squander it."
The only child of the war hero Loghain Mac Tir, Anora has never been one to stay quietly in the background. It is common knowledge that in the five years Anora and Cailan held the throne together, she was the one wielding the power. She is held in much higher esteem than her husband by the people of Ferelden, nobility and commoners alike, and commands the respect even of foreign nations, having once inspired Empress Celene of Orlais to declare, "Anora of Ferelden is a solitary rose among brambles."
She sent her maid, Erlina, to Arl Eamon's estate to ask for The Warden's help in escaping from Arl Howe, but as they fled Howe's estate, Anora in disguise, they were ambushed by Ser Cauthrien, there to arrest Howe's murderer.
Codex Entry 164: Bhelen Aeducan
"Time is something you may not have much left of."
"This is a time for action, not cultured debate."
Third of King Endrin's children, Bhelen has always been considered the last and least of his family. Not the heir, nor the favorite, and not as accomplished as either sibling, Bhelen's most notable trait was his ability to stay out of trouble.
Codex Entry 165: King Cailan Theirin
"I'd hoped for a war like in the tales! A king riding with the fabled Grey Wardens against a tainted god!"
Son of the legendary King Maric Theirin, Cailan was the first Fereldan king born into a land free from foreign rule in two generations. Since his father's death, he's held the throne alongside his queen, Anora.
He fell in battle alongside Duncan at Ostagar.
Codex Entry 166: Ser Cauthrien
"Some of us know what honor and loyalty are."
Cauthrien came to Loghain's service the hard way--she belonged to a poor family and was out doing work on the farm when she saw a man on horseback being attacked by several bandits. She rushed to his assistance, and found out belatedly that the man she "saved" was none other than the great hero Loghain. Though she was hardly more than a child, he took her in, offering her a position with his soldiers, and she climbed through the ranks through sheer determination. Becoming the commander of Maric's Shield, Loghain's elite soldiers, was the proudest moment of her life.
Codex Entry 167: Connor Guerrin
"I feel like I'm sleeping, but I guess I'm not."
While most of the banns and arls of Ferelden cart their children with them to the Landsmeet in the interest of eventually marrying them off, Connor has spent his entire life at Redcliffe. And it's hardly surprising: the child possessed the gift of magic. By law, he should have been taken to the Circle of Magi at the first sign, abdicating his claim to Redcliffe. Instead, the boy was kept out of public view and his magic hushed up... with disastrous results.
All mages are beacons that attract the attention of Fade spirits. Because of this, they are trained and tested by the Circle to ensure that they can withstand attacks from malevolent Fade creatures that seek entry into the waking world. Untrained Connor drew the attention of a powerful demon that tore the Veil asunder.
Codex Entry 168: Dog
"The mabari is clever enough to speak, and wise enough to know not to."
--Fereldan proverb.
Codex Entry 169: Duncan
"Men and women from every race, warriors and mages, barbarians and kings... the Grey Wardens sacrificed everything to stem the tide of darkness... and prevailed."
Like many others, Duncan gave up his family name when he joined the ranks of the Wardens: a symbolic gesture of cutting ties. He might say this was a convenience in his case, however. His mother was from the Anderfels, his father from Tevinter, his childhood was spent in the Free Marches and Orlais. His people were everywhere and his homeland was nowhere.
He was given the almost impossible task of leading the Wardens in Ferelden--a kingdom that had thrown the order out two hundred years earlier. Facing local suspicion and hostility, he set about finding recruits.
He was killed in battle against overwhelming numbers of darkspawn at Ostagar, alongside King Cailan.
Codex Entry 170: Arl Eamon Guerrin
"Nobility does not exist without obligation. We owe all we have, even our lives, to our land and our people."
As the maternal uncle of King Cailan, Arl Eamon is one of the king's most trusted advisors. Redcliffe, while not a large or especially wealthy part of Ferelden, is a critical strategic location: The fortress guards the western pass that leads to Orlais, as well as the major trade route with Orzammar. A well-respected man, though not the most charismatic, King Cailan once said of him, "My Uncle Eamon is a man everyone thinks well of--when they remember to think of him at all."
He fell ill with a mysterious condition that even magic could not treat.
It was no common ailment. Eamon was poisoned by a blood mage, Jowan, who claimed to be working for Teyrn Loghain. The arl's life was saved only by the most extraordinary measures: finding the Urn of Sacred Ashes, the remains of Andraste herself.
His health restored, Eamon called a Landsmeet with the goal of wresting power from Loghain and placing Alistair on the throne. With the question of the succession settled, Eamon returned to Redcliffe to prepare the castle's defenses for the encroaching Blight.
Codex Entry 171: King Endrin Aeducan
"Denial of the traditions of our people does not qualify as a political technicality."
Endrin of House Aeducan traces his ancestry back to the Paragon Aeducan, the greatest warrior of Orzammar's history, who beat back the darkspawn hordes in the First Blight. The second son of King Ansgar Aeducan, he became heir after his elder brother died in a Proving.
The most respected king in four generations, he restored contact with Kal-Sharok, the only other remaining city of the once-vast Dwarven Empire, which had been lost during the first Blight.
Codex Entry 172: Flemeth
"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe."
Ages ago, legend says Bann Conobar took to wife a beautiful young woman who harbored a secret talent for magic: Flemeth of Highever. And for a time they lived happily, until the arrival of a young poet, Osen, who captured the lady's heart with his verse.
They turned to the Chasind tribes for help and hid from Conobar's wrath in the Wilds, until word came to them that Conobar lay dying: His last wish was to see Flemeth's face one final time.
The lovers returned, but it was a trap. Conobar killed Osen, and imprisoned Flemeth in the highest tower of the castle. In grief and rage, Flemeth worked a spell to summon a spirit into this world to wreak vengeance upon her husband. Vengeance, she received, but not as she planned. The spirit took possession of her, turning Flemeth into an abomination. A twisted, maddened creature, she slaughtered Conobar and all his men, and fled back into the Wilds.
For a hundred years, Flemeth plotted, stealing men from the Chasind to sire monstrous daughters: Horrific things that could kill a man with fear. These Korcari witches led an army of Chasind from the Wilds to strike at the Alamarri tribes. They were defeated by the hero Cormac, and all the witches burned, so they say, but even now the Wilders whisper that Flemeth lives on in the marsh, and she and her daughters steal those men who come too near.
Morrigan's mother saved the last Grey Wardens from death at the top of the Tower of Ishal, but just who, or what, Flemeth truly is, is a mystery.
Codex Entry 173: Brother Ferdinand Genitivi
"As it is the duty of all true sons of the Chantry to make the Chant heard from every corner of the world, I made it my mission to find as many corners of the world as possible. The Maker can hardly expect us to do one without the other."
--Excerpt from In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar by Brother Genitivi
Brother Genitivi is one of the Chantry's most well-known scholars, primarily on the basis of the stories he has published (which many of his contemporaries dismiss as fanciful) of his travels across the length and breadth of Thedas. His travels, and rather too-curious nature, led him to a study of folklore, which gave him the notion that he could track down that most-debated of all artifacts: the Urn of Sacred Ashes. He announced that he had found what appeared to be the trail of the Urn, left in the legends of the regions through which it had passed from Minrathous on its way into hiding.
Codex Entry 174: Knight-Commander Greagoir
"Your magic is a gift, but it's also a curse. The Circle of Magi has trained you, and we templars of the Chantry stand vigil to ensure that training is adequate."
"It is the innocent folk of Ferelden who matter. I would lay down my life, and the life of any mage, to protect them."
Grim and taciturn, Greagoir has been knight-commander of the templar forces stationed at the Circle Tower for so many years that hardly anyone except the first enchanter recalls that he is not simply part of the tower itself.
Codex Entry 175: Lord Pyral Harrowmont
"No one is born with rights to the throne. The sitting king may recommend a successor, but the Assembly ultimately decides who will rule."
House Harrowmont is one of the oldest noble houses, as old as Orzammar itself. Endrin's most trusted advisor, Harrowmont is well-known for being an able administrator, and the author of many compromises in the ever-warring Assembly.
Codex Entry 176: Arl Rendon Howe
"It will be good to ride into battle once more, won't it, old friend?"
"It appears it will be civil war after all, despite the darkspawn. Pity."
The arling of Amaranthine winds along the sinuous northeastern coast of Ferelden. The Waking Sea is known for its temper, and the storms that sweep in from the warmer northern waters are sudden and brutal. These are the lands of Rendon Howe.
He was born during the occupation, and like many of the nobles at the time, joined Prince Maric's rebels. He fought alongside young Bryce Cousland, future teyrn of Highever, and Leonas Bryland, future arl of South Reach, at the bloody battle of White River. It was the most catastrophic defeat of the entire occupation, from which only fifty rebel soldiers escaped alive.
Although he was decorated for valor by King Maric, Howe's abrasive manners have earned him almost universal dislike among his peers. When Bryce sent his men to support the king at Ostagar, Howe took it as an opportunity to attack Highever, slaughtering the people there and claiming the lands and title as his own.
Howe died at the hands of The Warden in Denerim.
Codex Entry 177: First Enchanter Irving
"If you want to survive, you must learn the rules and realize that sometimes, sacrifices are necessary."
"The Circle will go on, and we will learn from this tragedy, and be strengthened by it."
There is no higher office in a Circle Tower than that of first enchanter. The one who holds this title must not only be an able administrator, but also a mentor, leader, and surrogate parent to all the mages of the tower.
Irving has proven himself to be all these things with an added dose of cunning. Most apprentices know that little goes on in the tower that Irving does not know. He can soothe templars angered by some childish magical prank at the same time that he lauds the pranksters, and everyone walks away satisfied.
Codex Entry 178: Arlessa Isolde
"For the one who delivers the Sacred Ashes of Our Lady will have the esteem of Redcliffe, and all the riches it is in my power to grant."
The arling of Redcliffe was a source of constant trouble for Emperor Reville during the occupation; it was rumored that since each new report sent the emperor into a fit of violent rage, his court had taken to poisoning messengers before they could deliver their accounts. Isolde's family was the tenth to be given the difficult task of governing Redcliffe, and since most of the previous arls had either been murdered by their banns or beheaded by the emperor, they did not approach the job with a great deal of enthusiasm.
Isolde met Eamon, not realizing he was the rightful heir to her father's domain, and quickly became smitten with him for being part of the resistance--never mind that it was her family he was resisting. Perhaps a bit too romantic for her own good, she insisted upon staying behind with Eamon when the rest of her family was driven out.
When her only son began to show signs of possessing magic, Isolde tried to cover it up, knowing that he would be taken from her by the Circle if found out. She hired an apostate mage to tutor him in secret, little knowing that her tutor was being paid to poison her husband. Eamon fell ill, and Connor, desperate, tried to use magic to save his father--magic that attracted the attention of a demon.
Codex Entry 179: Leliana
"In the cloister, away from the fuss and the flurry of the cities, I found peace. And in that stillness, I could hear the Maker."
"Here, with you... knowing the freedom of the road and the uncertainty of tomorrow... I feel alive again."
A lay sister of the Chantry who can beat the stuffing out of trained mercenaries would be notable enough, but one who also claims to have been sent to fight the darkspawn by the Maker Himself is... unusual to say the least.
She asked to join the Grey Wardens in their endeavors... sort of, but was turned away.
She joined Alistair and The Warden in Lothering, insisting that she would prove useful.
Her persistence, however, paid off. She made them relent and allow her to join in their travels.
There's more to Leliana than had even been apparent at Lothering, however. She spent much of her life as a bard in Orlais: a minstrel, assassin, and spy employed by the nobles of Val Royeaux in their elaborate games of intrigue.
Her decision to join the Chantry was not merely the product of her disenchantment with the life of a bard; Leliana was framed by her bard-master, and fled to escape execution as a traitor.
Leliana takes care to honor the Lothering cloister that took her in, and keeps symbols of Andraste's blessings close to her heart.
Codex Entry 180: Loghain Mac Tir
"It takes more than legends to win a battle."
"Understand this: I will brook no threat to this nation... from you or anyone."
"War is cruel. Every soul who fought alongside Maric knows this. And in it, there are no such things as innocents, only the living and the dead, and the degrees of guilt both bear."
"I passed your test. Fate has a twisted sense of humor, it seems."
Loghain was born a farmer during a time when his country was under foreign occupation. When he was still a boy, he joined the resistance, where his considerable tactical genius quickly became apparent. He became close friends with Prince Maric, the last true heir to the Ferelden throne, and together they led the rebels to drive out the forces of the Orlesian Empire. Maric raised his friend to the nobility, and Loghain is now more of a symbol than a man: He represents the Fereldan ideals of hard work and independence.
During the battle at Ostagar, he fled the field, leaving King Cailan and the Grey Wardens to die.
He then returned to Denerim and declared himself the regent to his daughter, Queen Anora, demanding that Ferelden follow him against the darkspawn--upsetting a great many of the banns.
His actions sparked a civil war. Loghain's supporters found themselves fighting their neighbors who blamed Loghain for the death of the king, as well as those who simply wished to take advantage of the power vacuum.
Loghain has defined himself by the borders he seeks to maintain and expand. He is ever the tactician, and likes pouring over maps both ancient and modern.
Codex Entry 181: Morrigan
"Witch of the Wilds? Such idle fancies, those legends. Have you no minds of your own?"
Of herself, Morrigan says little. She does not deny being a witch of the Wilds, but beyond that, everything about her is in question. Her mother claims to be Flemeth. If that's true, the Morrigan might well be a very powerful witch, for the tales of the daughters of Flemeth tell of twisted, monstrous women who can kill a man with fear. She was made to accompany the surviving Grey Wardens: The payment, Flemeth said, for saving their lives at the Tower of Ishal.
Whatever Flemeth's purpose was, however, will probably never be known.
On the eve of battle with the archdemon, she made an offer to the Wardens: Sire a child with her, and she could use it to capture the archdemon's soul at the moment of death, saving the Warden who struck the killing blow.
Morrigan's critical eye is not reserved solely for others. Knowing or not, she has a simple fondness for jewelry and is very particular about her appearance.
Codex Entry 182: Oghren
"I'm not saying I should be your first pick for a dance partner at the inaugural ball, but in the Deep Roads, I'm your man."
Oghren of House Kondrat was once a promising member of the Warrior Caste. His house was not especially high-ranked, but many of its members, Oghren included, had won notable victories in the Provings and were considered to be rising in prestige. When a Smith Caste family with plenty of money but no political connections offered their daughter in marriage, his family accepted the match. And then everything changed.
His wife, Branka, was named a Paragon for her achievements. All of House Kondrat joined her newly-made noble House Branka... and vanished with her into the Deep Roads.
As time passed and it became more and more clear that Oghren had been abandoned, he became the butt of jokes throughout Orzammar. He took to drink, which didn't especially help. Drunk and humiliated, he challenged another warrior to a Proving over an insult and killed him. The match was meant to be fought to first-blood. As a punishment, he was stripped of his house and barred from bearing arms: The only fate worse for a warrior than exile.
The Grey Warden mounted a search for Branka and found her--and the Anvil of the Void for which she led her house to their deaths. Afterwards, having apparently nothing better to do, Oghren offered his services to the Grey Warden and left Orzammar to help end the Blight.
Oghren enjoys challenging his palate with alcohols of ever increasing rarity, potency, and outright lethality. This has afforded him no benefit whatsoever.
Codex Entry 183: Shale
""What can I say? I have a heart of stone.""
The golems of Orzammar once made up the vanguard of the dwarven army, holding back the tides of darkspawn that flooded out of the Deep Roads. But the art of making them was lost, and many of them succumbed to wear and damage in battle.
Shale has no memories either of the time spent fighting in the Deep Roads, or of coming to Honnleath, only a few spotty (and bitter) recollections of its last master.
The Warden unearthed Shale's control rod and awakened it, adding a bitter, malfunctioning golem to the menagerie of companions. Three hundred years earlier, she had been Shayle of House Cadash, warrior of King Valtor, and a volunteer who chose to dedicate her life for all time to the defense of Orzammar.
Codex Entry 184: Sten
"Either you have an enviable memory, or a pitiable life, to know nothing of regret."
The northern islands are remote: lush jungles that harbor cities rumored to be the most extraordinary ever built. These are the lands of the qunari--lands that no foreign eyes ever see. Only the stories of the three Exalted Marches waged against the giants have reached the south... until the arrival of Sten.
The stoic giant in the cage was surely the strangest thing the people of Lothering had ever seen, until the Blight struck. He remained in his cage to await death, and most likely found it.
He was sent with a small group of qunari soldiers to investigate the Blight and report back. Outside Lothering, they were ambushed by darkspawn. They fought off the attack, but only Sten survived. Farmers found him dying and took him in, but when he awoke, alone and unarmed, he panicked, killing the entire family. Realizing he had sacrificed his honor, Sten waited for the villagers to come, and surrendered, expecting death.
His sword and his honor restored, Sten chose to continue with The Warden and take the battle to the archdemon.
Sten has an eye for paintings, an appreciation that might seem out of character, but is actually an extension of qunari discipline. He respects an artist for careful composition, a skill that is as much about where the brushstroke stops as where it begins.
Codex Entry 185: Bann Teagan Guerrin
"The Bannorn will not bow to you simply because you demand it!"
Younger brother to Arl Eamon of Redcliffe, and uncle to King Cailan, Teagan holds the bannorn of Rainesfere, a tiny province of Redcliffe's squeezed between the Frostback Mountains and Lake Calenhad. Bann Teagan avoids the Denerim court except to go hunting with his nephew, and rarely makes himself heard at the Landsmeet, preferring to leave politics to his brother.
Codex Entry 186: Valendrian
"Remember that our strength lies in commitment to tradition and to each other."
Every alienage has a hahren, an elder. It falls to the hahren to arrange marriages for those without family, to negotiate with the guards when there's trouble, and to act as a sort of mayor and surrogate uncle to the people of the alienage.
The title, like so many things, is a holdover from the time of Arlathan, for hahrens are not necessarily the oldest person in their community, or even all that old. Tradition gives the role to the oldest soul, the wisest, cleverest, and the most level-headed. Valendrian has been hahren of the Denerim Alienage since he was in his thirties.
Codex Entry 187: Wynne
"I will not lie motionless in a bed, with coverlets up to my chin, waiting for death to claim me."
"It's perfectly all right to think about the many indignities you plan to inflict on your enemies, but to talk about it... well, that would be unladylike."
Wynne's talent became apparent early on, particularly her skill at healing magic. She was well-liked by all her mentors, and was recognized as an exceptionally gifted student. Even the templars who watched her could not deny that she represented the best the Circle had to offer. She was an intelligent young woman who possessed a quiet confidence and maturity beyond her years.
She spent many years mentoring apprentices within the Circle, and her peers thought so highly of her that she was asked to be First Enchanter Irving's successor, but she refused, saying that she had no desire to work in the upper echelons. When word reached the tower of King Cailan's call to arms, Wynne volunteered to go to Ostagar.
She escaped the battle with her life, and stayed to search for survivors and tend the wounded. When she returned home, she found that Uldred had gone on ahead of her, spreading the lie that the Wardens had betrayed Cailan and urging the Circle to support Loghain.
Wynne immediately spoke with Irving and told him the truth. Irving then confronted Uldred about his falsehoods--prompting Uldred to use terrible measures to take over the tower.
For Wynne, the printed word is a window to true understanding. A scholar by heart, she feels that what a people commit to the page is sacred by definition.
Codex Entry 188: Keeper Zathrian
"Even with all our magic and skill, we only delay the inevitable."
In Arlathvhen, it is common for all the hahren to hold a private council while their respective clans are still settling in. These meetings inevitably last well into the next day and end with furious shouting, such that many say that the true reason the clans all go their separate ways is that no two hahren can stand each other.
Zathrian is nothing at all like Keeper Marethari, but this is to be expected. He is older, more severe, and his clan is facing a much more terrible enemy than the usual shemlen that plague other clans.
It is said the elves lived in Ferelden long before any others set foot there, and though most of their knowledge has been lost, it falls to the keeper of each clan to preserve what they have.
Zathrian is an old, severe elf with little love for outsiders, but his clan is facing a more trying enemy than most.
Long ago, in retribution for an attack against his clan, he unleashed a terrible curse: He summoned a spirit into this world, and set it upon the humans who had wronged him. The spirit did not simply slaughter Zathrian's enemies; it transformed them into monstrous beasts.
In time, however, the werewolves he had created regained their minds, and they sought out the one responsible for their suffering, turning the curse upon Zathrian's own people.
Codex Entry 189: Zevran Arainai
"The Crows send their regards."
"I intend to see this through to the end with you. After all... someone must take responsibility for preventing your untimely death."
Between the Tevinter Imperium, Rivain, and the Free Marches sits the nation of Antiva. Although it possesses few resources of its own, Antiva's location makes it a center for trade in the north, and the capital, Antiva City, is the wealthiest in the world. Antiva has virtually no army--the monarchy is too weak to support one. Most Antivans would be hard-pressed even to name the current king--as the true power lies in the hands of a dozen merchant princes, each with a personal army, and each locked in a constant struggle for power against all the others.
Anyone would think, then, that Antiva would be a ripe target for invasion by one of her neighbors, but even the qunari leave Antiva alone for one very good reason: the House of Crows.
The most efficient, most feared, and most expensive guild of assassins in the world calls Antiva their home, and their reputation alone defends the borders.
Zevran was the Crow contracted by Loghain to assassinate Alistair and The Warden. One failed attempt later, however, he found himself at the mercy of his would-be victims.
Zevran shows an affinity for the finer things in life -- hardly surprising for an Antivan Crow--but his appreciation can be more poetic than he lets on. A simple bar of refined silver or gold, uncomplicated by a craftsman’s hammer, is elegantly valuable.
Codex Entry 190: Witherfang
Witherfang is, according to the Keeper Zathrian, a wolf. He is no ordinary wolf, however. He is a wolf possessed by a powerful spirit and the source of the werewolf curse that plagues the Brecilian Forest. While Witherfang is hundreds of years old and very powerful in his own right, the only way to end his curse is to cut out his heart and bring it to Zathrian.
It appears that Witherfang has two sides, as nature does. One is the wolf, savage and male... but the other is the Lady of the Forest, gentle and female. Witherfang is both beast and beauty, terrible and peace-loving. The Lady has guided the werewolves of the Brecilian Forest to come to peace with their nature... as she has.
Codex Entry 191: Sofia Dryden
Arlessa Sophia Dryden was the young Arland's rival for the throne of Fereldan after the old king left no successor. Dryden was a strong and charismatic leader with much support from the Bannorn. When Arland finally won the crown, Dryden refused to relent. She pushed her claim, was imprisoned and accused of treason. Her sympathizers continued to support her, however. In order to appease them, Dryden was spared execution, and forced to join the Grey Wardens instead.
Sophia survived the joining and dazzled the Grey Wardens at Soldier's Peak with her leadership skills and charm. She eventually rose to the rank of Warden-Commander of Fereldan. Before Commander Dryden, the Grey Warden's were seen as a relic of an older time and an unnecessary drain on the nobles' coffers, Dryden, though, with her political connections, reinvigorated the Wardens and rapidly increases their numbers.
In the meantime, Arland proved himself a devious king, willing to go to brutal lengths to silence his opponents. Arland's reign of terror grew worse with each passing year, and some of the banns approached Commander Dryden in desperation, begging her to intercede, she agreed, and thus the rebellion was born. Arland learned of the rebellion through his spies and took steps to end it. He publicaly suspended all tithing (funding) to the Grey Wardens and declared they were no longer welcome in Fereldan. Some of the Wardens mindful that they were supposed to remain politically neutral, felt disgraced by Dryden's involvement in Fereldan politics and left her side even as the kinds forces lay siege to Soldier's Peak. (It is assumed many left to Orlais) The siege took months and ended with the death of Sophia Dryden. King Arland had driven the Grey Wardens from Fereldan, and after the siege of Soldier's Peak, the base was abandoned. It was not until 200 years later, that King Maric would allow Grey Wardens back into Fereldan.
When it was reentered for the first time in centuries by The Warden, it was discovered that Sophia Dryden was possessed by a demon. Sophia's past is explored if that is the deal you make with her demon, who possesses all her former memories. It is revealed that Sophia knew of the blood magic and ordered Avernus to use it. The demon states Sophia saw herself as a hero, vowing to overthrow Arland and allot justice to those who betrayed her. When Sophia was abandoned by Avernus, the demon sensed her 'fierce pride' and 'lovely, delicious terror'. 'She would live, in a fashion', possessed by the demon.