- See also: Ameridan
Codex text
What is known about Inquisitor Ameridan would barely fill a page. He was a friend of Emperor Drakon. He was Inquisitor when the Seekers of Truth folded themselves into the Chantry as part of the Nevarran Accord, their Order serving as precursor to the Order of Templars and the Circle of Magi. Shortly after the accord was signed, between 1:22 and 1:24 Divine, Ameridan left his position and departed, never to be seen again.
These facts alone are undisputed. Everything else is uncorroborated hearsay, broad speculation, or salacious rumormongering:
—Ameridan did not willingly cede power. Drakon forced the Seekers of Truth to disband upon pain of death, then removed the Inquisitor rather than suffer rebellion in the new Chantry's ranks.
—Ameridan was forced to retire due to the still-young Chantry's restrictions requiring celibacy, as he was involved in a relationship with a mysterious "lady-mage" that the Chantry erased from history.
—Ameridan was a rowdy noble who cared more for raucous entertainment than for the Seekers. He held the position only because Drakon wanted a loyal friend commanding the Order, and when the Seekers became part of the Chantry, Ameridan was free to retire to a life of hunting dragons and wenching.
Any of these stories may be true, and without more evidence, we have little hope of ever reaching a clear determination. Nevertheless, I would offer a few notes that are often overlooked as scholars delve so deeply into their own historical specialties as to lose key context:
Firstly, Emperor Drakon, rightly acknowledged as the man who molded the Chantry into the organization it is today, was a pious man, committed to spreading the Chant of Light and creating a world where magic and men were governed by Andrastian principles. All sources agree that Ameridan was a close friend of Drakon, and while it is certainly possible that Ameridan was more pragmatic than pious, it is highly unlikely that Drakon would have befriended a figure who was actively opposed to the Chantry, much less tolerated such a man holding a position of power in the growing Orlesian Empire.
Secondly, Inquisitor Ameridan was universally acclaimed as a powerful combatant, regardless of his supposed faith (or lack thereof). Rumormongers suggesting Ameridan was exiled ask us to believe that Emperor Drakon could see no use for a powerful warrior with years of command experience. Given that the Second Blight had been a fact of Orlesian life for more than 15 years at the time of Ameridan's disappearance, with darkspawn pouring from the Anderfels into northern Orlais in growing numbers, it is frankly absurd to suggest Drakon would casually dispose of such a military asset.
Without further evidence, we may never know more about Ameridan's departure. Nevertheless, I hope that we may eschew the currently popular cynicism, at least when obvious evidence against it is presented, to see that his disappearance must have had some other cause.
—From Finding Ameridan by Professor Bram Kenric (Starkhaven University Press)
