Codex entry: History of Ferelden: Chapter 2

History of Ferelden: Chapter 2
Dragon Age: Origins
Number	113 (+5WK)
Section	Culture and History
Location	• Dalish Elf Origin: Obtained in the Dalish Camp from a book found near Paivel • Other Origins: Obtained from a book found in Arl Eamon's Estate
Appearances	Dragon Age: Origins

Codex text

The occupation was a dark blot on Ferelden's history. Our people, who from time immemorial valued their freedom over all else, were forced to bow to Orlesian rule. The Empire declared our elves property and sold them like cattle. Chevaliers routinely plundered freeholds of coin, food, and even women and children, and excused it as "taxation." And for 70 years (sic) no Landsmeets were held, for the Imperial throne had declared our ancient laws a form of treason.

King Brandel was one of those who escaped. He tried to organize the other fugitive lords to retake their land, but Brandel was neither clever nor persuasive, and the nobles preferred to take their chances alone. Ferelden might still be little more than a territory of the Empire were it not for the fact that his daughter had all the charisma that her royal father lacked. The Rebel Queen's rule began with a midnight attack on the imperial armory at Lothering. It was swift and successful, and with their pilfered arms the rebels began a campaign against the Orlesians in earnest.

But the turning point of the war came when a young freeholder joined the queen's army. The lad, Loghain Mac Tir, possessed a remarkable talent for strategy, and quickly became the favorite advisor of young Prince Maric. The queen finally died at the hands of Orlesian sympathizers anxious to curry favor with their painted masters, and Maric took her place as the leader of the rebellion. Loghain became Maric's right hand. Maric and Loghain led the rebels in a new campaign against their Orlesian oppressors, culminating in the battle of River Dane, where the last Chevaliers in Denerim were crushed. With the capital once more in the hands of Fereldans, the battle to free our people was finally over. But the battle to rebuild what had been lost had only just begun.

—From Ferelden: Folklore and History, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar

Related texts

Codex entry: History of Ferelden: Chapter 1

Notes

• The story of Maric and Loghain's defeat of the Orlesians is told in Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne by David Gaider. In the book, Maric and Loghain meet accidentally on the night that the queen dies at the hands of Orlesian sympathisers, so Loghain is never actually in the queen's army.
• The timeline on page 133 of Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 1 states that in 9:00 Dragon, Prince Maric defeated King Meghren. However, according to epilogue of Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, the duel happened three years after the battle of the River Dane, which took place in the last year of the Blessed Age - this would put the end of Orlesian occupation at 9:2 Dragon. David Gaider's had addressed some discrepancies in a post on the (now inactive) BioWare Social Network.
• The Second Orlesian Invasion of Ferelden started in 8:24 Blessed and the nation was fully conquered in 8:44 Blessed. The Orlesian occupation ended around 9:00 Dragon (see above). Depending on which events are considered the start and end of the occupation, it lasted anywhere from 56 to 78 years.