Edgehall

Edgehall
Type	Arling
Location	Western Ferelden
Inhabitants	Humans, dwarves
Appearances	Tabletop RPG Dragon Age: Knight Errant

Edgehall is an arling located in western Ferelden, and during the Fifth Blight the area became rife with conflict.

Geography

Much of the surrounding area is hills and open fields with patches of dense forest. It is not the richest of lands, but the hardy Fereldans who work the soil make a good living and small towns and settlements dot the landscape. Closer to the Frostbacks, the land becomes rocky and less hospitable. Pockets of darkspawn activity and other dangerous creatures lurk in various caves and abandoned ruins in the area, making travel a risky proposition for the unarmed and unprepared.

Background

Originally, Edgehall was a minor outpost of the surface dwarves, who abandoned it when its links to the Deep Roads were severed. The esteemed Lendon family took possession of Edgehall during the height of the Steel Age, using it as a base to help drive out the Avvars and pacify the region for Ferelden. In gratitude for this service, the King granted the Lendons the lands surrounding Edgehall, as well as the hereditary title of Arl. The keep, situated in the borderlands of west Ferelden, became part of the kingdom.

Edgehall location on the map of Ferelden

Edgehall was one of the first keeps to fall during the Second Orlesian Invasion of Ferelden; the Orlesians used it as a base throughout the occupation. The chevaliers were not kind to the people in the area and resentment and anger toward Orlais runs strong here till this day. Years of diplomatic efforts and repaired relations between the two nations made less of a positive impact here than in many other parts of Ferelden.

To make things worse, Edgehall was not retaken until the Orlesians withdrew from Ferelden. Before they left, they sabotaged much of the keep’s defenses, leaving it a shadow of its former glory and a constant reminder of the occupation. Though control of Edgehall was returned to the Lendon family, things were never the same.

Internal division and external conflicts weakened the once noble family and its stalwart keep. In Dragon Age, when the last Arl of Edgehall, Fergus Lendon, died without a clear heir, much of the administration of the surrounding lands fell to the local nobles until a new Arl was chosen. Politics and infighting stalled this progress as the nobles continued to squabble. Individual settlements and lands still do well enough, but the governance of the region as a whole has suffered.

Involvement

This instability has allowed Gell Lendon, half-brother to the old arl, to return from exile abroad to seize his “birthright” during the Fifth Blight. Aided by mercenaries under the command of the disgraced Orlesian Chevalier Marcel Corbin, Gell has retaken the keep from his brother’s widow and declared himself Edgehall’s new Arl, hoping that the overwhelming power of his mercenary forces will cow the local nobles into avoiding conflict with him.

He has since set to repair Edgehall’s decrepit defenses, hiring or pressing into service laborers and craftsmen to accomplish the task. While many in Ferelden see Gell as a usurper or possibly even an Orlesian puppet, his nominal legitimacy and the need for the crown to concentrate their efforts in defending against the Blight makes direct action to remove Gell and expel his forces impractical. Instead, a Fereldan agent known as Engar has been directed to find people who can deal with the matter in a way that gives the crown deniability but also removes a threat to the nation’s authority and sovereignty.

As Gell focuses on rebuilding, Marcel Corbin leads his troops against the combined forces of his rebellious nobility, Bann Bryton, Bann Lanya, Bann Kail, Bann Parth, and the mercenary companies led by Alora and Fallon. To make matters worse, a host of darkspawn led by a hurlock general attacks Edgehall amid the infighting. The banns and mercenaries join forces with Marcel Corbin to face the darkspawn invaders.

If Edgehall is destroyed by the darkspawn:

The people of Edgehall flee to other regions. The darkspawn horde marches unopposed to Orlais.

If the defenders save Edgehall from the darkspawn:

The combined forces of the armies of banns and mercenaries are able to destroy the darkspawn host, and Marcel Corbin leaves Ferelden to warn Orlais about the darkspawn threat. The Fereldan banns then decide the fate of Gell Lendon.

If Gell perishes before Marcel Corbin & his troops are paid for their services:

Following Gell's death, Marcel produces Gell's fake "son", a five-year old orphan with a passing resemblance to Gell Lendon, to be used as a pretext for continuing the occupation of Edgehall in order to somehow turn the situation profitable again.

If no other actions are taken:

Marcel has Gell thrown in a prison cell.

If the nobles insist on Gell being punished:

Gell is executed at the request of the assembled bannorn, while his mercenary allies look on with indifference.

If Gell survives:

The assembled Banns may agree to allow Gell to retain his title, in exchange for paying the full cost of hiring Fallon and Alora's troops and a host of other concessions for their own bannorns. Deprived of his mercenary allies, Gell is forced to let his nobles rule through him and is reduced to a mere figurehead.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Knight Errant.

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The soldiers confront the elves

The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning that Alistair is king of Ferelden in the comic's story.

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Note: In the BioWare canon Gell Lendon survives and stays on as Edgehall's Arl

Whilst it is arguable whether or not Arl Gell Lendon was a good leader for the human citizens of Edgehall, he did treat the elves of its Alienage very harshly. When the pressed elves rebelled in 9:32 Dragon, he violently put the rebellion down with a sword. The victims of the uprising included Vaea's parents.

In 9:36 Dragon, six years after the darkspawn attack, which damaged the alienage's walls, the walls were still not fixed. The elves in the Alienage asked the Arl to build a more sturdy wall, but he responded by cutting down and burning their vhenadahl, to teach them that "everything they own is his" and that they have no right to demand anything.

The Alienage burns

To make matters worse, when a Dalish clan offered a new sapling to replace the vhenadahl, he ordered his men to confiscate it. When the Dalish joined forces with the city elves to attack the Arl's men, many of them were slain by the Arl. During all this, a wandering knight by the name of Ser Aaron happened to be in Edgehall, and intervened during the fight. He was able to make the Arl allow the elves to plant the new sapling by threatening to bring King Alistair into the matter. In the end, by decree of the crown, Arl Gell was forbidden to touch the newly planted vhenadahl. Ser Aaron then hired one of the elves, a woman named Vaea, as his squire.

Alienage

Edgehall and its alienage

Unlike in most of the other human cities, Edgehall's Alienage is located outside of the city, a circular settlement.