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(โ†’โ€ŽChantry Mediation: changing Corypheus to Elder One in this paragraph since his identity isn't yet revealed until later on in the game.)
Tag: Visual edit
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Meanwhile, a Seeker still loyal to the Chantry, [[Cassandra Pentaghast]] was also sent to find Hawke, the [[Codex entry: Mantle of the Champion|Champion]] of Kirkwall. She captured one of Hawke's companions, the [[dwarf]] [[Varric Tethras]] and brought him back to Kirkwall, interrogating him in the old [[Hawke Estate]] in an attempt to discover the Champion's current whereabouts and the true origins of the war. Varric said he knew nothing of the Champion's fate, but said he highly doubts that Hawke is dead. Satisfied, Cassandra then took her contingent of Seekers and departed Kirkwall. <ref>[[Dragon Age II]] </ref>
 
Meanwhile, a Seeker still loyal to the Chantry, [[Cassandra Pentaghast]] was also sent to find Hawke, the [[Codex entry: Mantle of the Champion|Champion]] of Kirkwall. She captured one of Hawke's companions, the [[dwarf]] [[Varric Tethras]] and brought him back to Kirkwall, interrogating him in the old [[Hawke Estate]] in an attempt to discover the Champion's current whereabouts and the true origins of the war. Varric said he knew nothing of the Champion's fate, but said he highly doubts that Hawke is dead. Satisfied, Cassandra then took her contingent of Seekers and departed Kirkwall. <ref>[[Dragon Age II]] </ref>
   
โˆ’
{{SpoilerDAI| In 9:41 Dragon, a [[Codex entry: The Conclave|peace summit]] was called by the Chantry in an attempt to end the bloodshed, located at the [[Temple of Sacred Ashes]], which was rediscovered in the [[Frostback Mountains]], a decade earlier. The leaders of both factions feared the possibility of a trap and sent emissaries in their place. During the summit, Corypheus, an ancient darkspawn magister, infiltrates the conclave. With enthralled [[Grey Warden]] mages restraining the Divine, Corypheus planned on using her as a sacrifice to power an elven orb he had acquired, which would open the Fade for him to return to the [[Black City]] and claim the Maker's throne. However, an unexpected [[Herald of Andraste|attendant]] of the conclave interrupted the ritual and accidentally made contact with the orb, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the temple, killing thousands, and sundering the [[Veil]] on an enormous scale, creating multiple rifts across Thedas. The largest of these rifts was called [[The Breach]], and the Veil's tearing caused legions of demons and spirits to tumble out .<ref>[http://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/3432915 Cameron Lee interview] </ref> The only survivor emerged out of a rift with a mysterious magical mark granted by the orb that glowed with the same magic as the Breach, and was found by loyalist Chantry forces.}}
+
{{SpoilerDAI| In 9:41 Dragon, a [[Codex entry: The Conclave|peace summit]] was called by the Chantry in an attempt to end the bloodshed, located at the [[Temple of Sacred Ashes]], which was rediscovered in the [[Frostback Mountains]], a decade earlier. The leaders of both factions feared the possibility of a trap and sent emissaries in their place. During the summit, an [[ancient]] [[darkspawn]] [[magister]] called [[The Elder One]] infiltrates the Conclave and captures the Divine using enthralled [[Grey Warden]] mages. He planned on using her as a sacrifice to power an elven orb he had acquired, which would open the Fade for him to return to the [[Black City]] and claim the Maker's throne. However, an unexpected [[Herald of Andraste|attendant]] of the Conclave interrupted the ritual and accidentally made contact with the orb, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the temple, killing thousands, and sundering the [[Veil]] on an enormous scale, creating multiple rifts across Thedas. The largest of these rifts was called [[The Breach]], and the Veil's tearing caused legions of demons and spirits to tumble out .<ref>[http://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/3432915 Cameron Lee interview] </ref> The only survivor emerged out of a rift with a mysterious magical mark granted by the orb that glowed with the same magic as the Breach, and was found by loyalist Chantry forces.}}
   
 
==Rebirth of the Inquisition==
 
==Rebirth of the Inquisition==
 
Three days later, the survivor regained consciousness and was accused by the Hands of the Divine to be the perpetrator behind the Breach. Though [[Chancellor Roderick]] wanted the survivor to be taken back to [[Val Royeaux]] for trial and execution, Cassandra gave the survivor a chance to prove their innocence by using the mark to seal the Breach. The attempt almost succeeded, stopping the Breach from growing, but not sealing it.
 
Three days later, the survivor regained consciousness and was accused by the Hands of the Divine to be the perpetrator behind the Breach. Though [[Chancellor Roderick]] wanted the survivor to be taken back to [[Val Royeaux]] for trial and execution, Cassandra gave the survivor a chance to prove their innocence by using the mark to seal the Breach. The attempt almost succeeded, stopping the Breach from growing, but not sealing it.
   
โˆ’
In the intervening three days, the people of [[Haven]] begin to hear of a mysterious woman seen in the rift from which the survivor emerged, and thus assumed the figure was the prophet [[Andraste]], and labeled the survivor her Herald. When the Herald awoke, Roderick was still convinced of their guilt, but Cassandra believed the Herald was sent by the Maker. She and Leliana then invoke the late Justinia's writ to restore the Inquisition, independent of Chantry control, for the purpose of finding the true perpetrators behind the Breach. In response, Roderick used his influence in the Chantry to denounce the Inquisition, claiming them heretics for harbouring the Herald, which the surviving clerics declared blasphemy.
+
In the intervening three days, the people of [[Haven]] begin to hear of a mysterious woman seen in the rift from which the survivor emerged, and thus assumed the figure was the prophet [[Andraste]], and labeled the survivor her Herald. When the Herald awoke, Roderick was still convinced of their guilt, but Cassandra believed the Herald was sent by the Maker. She and Leliana then invoke the late Justinia V's writ to restore the Inquisition, independent of Chantry control, for the purpose of finding the true perpetrators behind the Breach. In response, Roderick used his influence in the Chantry to denounce the Inquisition, claiming them heretics for harboring the Herald, which the surviving clerics declared blasphemy.
   
โˆ’
The renewed Inquisition seeks allies to help in sealing the Breach. Its high echelon are conflicted about seeking help from the mage rebellion or the Templar Order.
+
The renewed Inquisition seeks allies to help in sealing the Breach. Its high echelon is conflicted about seeking help from the mage rebellion or the Templar Order.
   
 
== Renewed Conflict ==
 
== Renewed Conflict ==

Revision as of 02:13, 27 September 2018



The Mage-Templar War, also referred to as the Mage Rebellion, broke out in 9:40[1] Dragon between the mages and the templars after the decision of the Fraternities conclave to separate the Circle of Magi from the Chantry following the revolt at the White Spire in Val Royeaux. Contributing earlier events include the 9:37 rebellion in Kirkwall, a city state in the southern Free Marches, and the dissolution of the College of Enchanters in 9:38 after the rejected motion to abolish the Circles.

Background

Main article: Kirkwall Rebellion
Destruction Chantry

The destruction of Kirkwall's Chantry

Following the deaths of Viscount Marlowe Dumar and his son during the First Battle of Kirkwall in 9:34, Meredith Stannard, the knight-commander of Kirkwall's templars, assumed control of the city, inciting discontent amongst both the citizenry and the mages. Meredith's sanctions against the latter became increasingly harsh over the succeeding years, while members of the nobility began to object to her rule of the city, many wishing for Hawke, the city's Champion, to become Viscount.

Meredith's sanctions against the mages were strongly opposed by First Enchanter Orsino, who publicly declaimed the knight-commander and believed Meredith was losing her mind, seeing maleficarum where none existed. Grand Cleric Elthina attempted to moderate the clashes between the two and refused to pick a side in the conflict. The Divine took notice of the growing tensions and the Resolutionist presence in the city. She sent an agent to assess the danger and warn Elthina to leave Kirkwall, though the Grand Cleric was unwilling to abandon her flock.

Tensions reached a peak, and exploded into violence due to the actions of the apostate Anders in 9:37. During another confrontation between Meredith and Orsino in Lowtown, Anders declared that he would no longer allow the templars to persecute mages and caused an explosion that destroyed the Kirkwall Chantry and killed all those inside, the Grand Cleric included, thus removing the possibility of compromise. Furthermore, as Anders did not contain the explosion, deadly debris from the blast also rained over half of Kirkwall, creating more chaos.[2]

Claiming that the people would demand blood, Meredith immediately invoked the Right of Annulment and the Champion was forced to pick a side in the conflict. The city erupted into chaos as mages and templars clashed, some of the former resorting to blood magic, becoming abominations and unleashing demons onto the streets. The violence culminated in a confrontation at the Gallows, the city's Circle of Magi, ending with most of Kirkwall's Circle, including First Enchanter Orsino, dead. Meredith's Knight-Captain and the rest of her templars turned on her when she attempted to execute the Champion, revealing the extent of her instability as she accused them all of being blood mage thralls. Ultimately she became petrified when she attempted to draw too much power from her Red Lyrium sword.

While Templar reinforcements arrived at Kirkwall to suppress further resistance, news from escaping mages of what had occurred spread to other Circles. Outraged that the templars of Kirkwall would invoke the Right of Annulment to justify the extermination of an entire Circle for the crimes of one apostate, some Circles revolted, while others were close to doing so. In response, the Templar Order cracked down, further restricting mage freedoms in an attempt to quell further disturbance.

Despite this, the College of Enchanters, meeting for the last time in Cumberland before being disbanded in 9:38, voted against secession from the Chantry at the urging of Senior Enchanter Wynne, in opposition to the motion tendered by its newly elected Grand Enchanter Fiona. Nonetheless, many of the Libertarian faction, who wished for independence, continued to encourage mages to rebel.

Fearing the possibility of a mage-templar conflict igniting within Orlais, Empress Celene I appealed to the Divine to take action and end the war before it began before she would be forced to utilize her own military to fight the conflict within her own empire.[3]

Among the White Spire Circle in Val Royeaux, tensions continued to mount throughout the following year. The Divine, Justinia V, sought to use her position to reform the Circle of Magi and thereby bring an end to the troubles, but was hindered by both the templars and the mages, culminating with Jeannot, one of the White Spire's senior enchanters, attempting to assassinate her in 9:39 Dragon, despite her mage-sympathetic views. In response, Lord Seeker Lambert took control of the White Spire Circle and its templar contingent in order to attempt to bring matters under control. [4]

Revolt at the White Spire

BioWare canon
The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning it may not follow some of the player's choices in the games.

Circle of Magi disbanded

The Circle of Magi disbanded

Archmage Wynne, acting on Justinia V's personal orders, took her estranged son Rhys, a senior enchanter of the White Spire; his friend Adrian and the templar Knight-Captain Evangeline to the Adamant Fortress in order to save her friend, Pharamond, a Tranquil who had become an abomination. In freeing Pharamond, he told the party that he had managed to find a way to reverse the Rite of Tranquility. [5]

Presenting this information before Justinia V, it having already been sent to each of the fifteen Circles, and against strong objections from Lord Seeker Lambert, the Divine concluded that a conclave of first enchanters must meet, ostensibly to hear from Pharamond and to discuss the findings. Eleven of the fifteen first enchanters who could make the meeting in time arrived, along with the Grand Enchanter Fiona and Wynne, Rhys and Adrian. Watched by the templars, the Grand Enchanter nonetheless sought another vote to separate the Circle from the Chantry. Before the vote could be taken, the meeting was disrupted by Lord Seeker Lambert, who on presenting news that Pharamond had been murdered and the bloodstained knife found in the quarters of Rhys, attempted to disband the Conclave. Unknown to everyone, the murder was committed by Adrian, who knew that Wynne would've convinced the Circle to vote against independence once again, thus forcing Wynne to abandon her position of compromise for the sake of her son. Suspecting that Rhys was being framed, the mages refused to stand down, including Wynne, and the Lord Seeker ordered his templars to attack. [6]

At first the mages fought in defense, but when a templar killed a mage who tried to surrender, they attacked in fury and killed several templars. Several of the first enchanters were slain, most were imprisoned, including Rhys, and only Wynne and Knight-Captain Evangeline managed to escape. They returned to White Spire to rescue those imprisoned with the assistance of the golem, Shale, and Leliana, an agent of the Divine. The Divine herself ordered Lord Seeker Lambert and a number of his templars to meet with her, a ruse to try and ensure the rescue succeeded.

Evangeline, Wynne and Shale succeeded in destroying those phylacteries contained in the White Spire vault, including those of the surviving first enchanters, while Leliana led those imprisoned to safety. In an echo of the rebellion of the Kirkwall Circle, other mages of White Spire rose up and fought their templar jailers. By the time Lord Seeker Lambert returned to the White Spire, most of the templars had been slaughtered. [7]

Retreat to Andoral's Reach

The surviving first enchanters, the Grand Enchanter among them, retreated to the fortress of Andoral's Reach. Most of the fifteen Circles rose against the templars, with thousands of mages gathering at Andoral's Reach in the following months. It is predicted that with hundreds of mages manning the battlements, they could fend off an army ten times their size.

About a month after the Battle of White Spire, a vote for independence was once again proposed by the Grand Enchanter. As several first enchanters were either killed or absent, the mages were represented in the conclave by their fraternities, while they vowed to whichever decision they were going to take, they were all going to abide by it, be it submission or rebellion. The Loyalists insisted on submitting to the Chantry, arguing that they cannot defeat the templars, an argument most of the smaller fraternities chose to side with. The larger fraternities, the Liberitarians and the Aequitarians, voted to fight, winning the vote, arguing that submission would impose harsher conditions for all Circle mages. [8]

While the vote passed, it did so by a very slim margin. The other half of the mages who voted against secession were soon forced to fight the rebel mages, and united under First Enchanter Vivienne de Fer of the Montsimmard Circle. They identified themselves as "Loyalist" mages, wishing to reinstate the Circles and end the war. Meanwhile, the "Isolationist" mages, true to their name, chose to go into hiding rather than fight.

Templars and Seekers rebel

In 9:40 Dragon, in response to Justinia V's interference at the White Spire, Lord Seeker Lambert declared the Nevarran Accord, which had led to the Seekers and the Templars submitting to the Divine and establishing the Circle of Magi, to be null and void. The Seekers of Truth and the Templar Order they commanded would no longer be under the authority of the Chantry. At the time of this declaration, a large Templar host was about three days march from Andoral's Reach. The Lord Seeker predicted that once the mage rebellion was defeated, the Chantry would be forced to replace the Divine and reach a new agreement with the Seekers and Templars. Lambert vanished shortly after annulling the accord without a trace. Many templars assumed he had been assassinated by the mage rebellion in retaliation for his actions at the White Spire.

Following the disappearance of Lambert van Reeves, Lucius Corin succeeded him as Lord Seeker and led the Templar Order in the Mage-Templar War.

With neither side under the authority and regulations of the Chantry, the Circle of Magi and the Templar Order along with the Seekers prepared for all out war with each other. [9]

Dairsmuid

In Rivain, at the capital city of Dairsmuid, the Right of Annulment was invoked on the Circle of Dairsmuid with the Seekers citing that the mages freely interact with their families and training females mages as seers. First Enchanter Rivella led the defense, using the skills she learned from her father, Captain Revaud of the Felicisima Armada. The templars and Seekers slew all mages inside, but not without suffering heavy casualties.[10] [11]

Chantry Mediation

By 9:40 Dragon, the Andrastian Chantry is crumbling, with over nine hundred years of relative stability shattered. All the Circles of Magi have separated from the Chantry. While some of the Seekers are known to remain loyal to the Chantry and the reigning Divine, others, as well as many of the Templars, have rebelled and left Chantry oversight to hunt and fight mages on their own terms. Some, such as the loyalist mages and templars of Hasmal elect to maintain a refuge from the war instead of partaking in it.[12] Other mages and templars who wished no part in the fighting elected to join the Grey Wardens, who were willing to offer amnesty to such refugees on the condition they would undertake the Joining after their arrival- many refugees from the Hossberg Circle of Magi elected to travel to Weisshaupt fortress to partake of the offer.[13]

The Ferelden Monarchy offered the rebel mages sanctuary in the Arling of Redcliffe. The mages gratefully accepted the offer; however the Templar host pursued them across the border. Skirmishes between rebel mages and templars raged throughout the Hinterlands, with the peasantry of Ferelden caught in the middle, fighting in support of one faction or the other, or merely to defend themselves.[14]

Chantry Mage Templar Peace Summit

Templars and Mages marching to the Temple to attend the peace summit.

The Divine desperately seeks to put an end to the conflict, and assigned those Seekers remaining loyal to her to track down the only two people in all Thedas who might have the power and influence to put an end to the conflict and lead the Inquisition.[15] One of her agents, Leliana, was sent to track down one of them, the Warden-Commander of Ferelden. [16]

Meanwhile, a Seeker still loyal to the Chantry, Cassandra Pentaghast was also sent to find Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall. She captured one of Hawke's companions, the dwarf Varric Tethras and brought him back to Kirkwall, interrogating him in the old Hawke Estate in an attempt to discover the Champion's current whereabouts and the true origins of the war. Varric said he knew nothing of the Champion's fate, but said he highly doubts that Hawke is dead. Satisfied, Cassandra then took her contingent of Seekers and departed Kirkwall. [17]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


In 9:41 Dragon, a peace summit was called by the Chantry in an attempt to end the bloodshed, located at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, which was rediscovered in the Frostback Mountains, a decade earlier. The leaders of both factions feared the possibility of a trap and sent emissaries in their place. During the summit, an ancient darkspawn magister called The Elder One infiltrates the Conclave and captures the Divine using enthralled Grey Warden mages. He planned on using her as a sacrifice to power an elven orb he had acquired, which would open the Fade for him to return to the Black City and claim the Maker's throne. However, an unexpected attendant of the Conclave interrupted the ritual and accidentally made contact with the orb, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the temple, killing thousands, and sundering the Veil on an enormous scale, creating multiple rifts across Thedas. The largest of these rifts was called The Breach, and the Veil's tearing caused legions of demons and spirits to tumble out .[18] The only survivor emerged out of a rift with a mysterious magical mark granted by the orb that glowed with the same magic as the Breach, and was found by loyalist Chantry forces.


Rebirth of the Inquisition

Three days later, the survivor regained consciousness and was accused by the Hands of the Divine to be the perpetrator behind the Breach. Though Chancellor Roderick wanted the survivor to be taken back to Val Royeaux for trial and execution, Cassandra gave the survivor a chance to prove their innocence by using the mark to seal the Breach. The attempt almost succeeded, stopping the Breach from growing, but not sealing it.

In the intervening three days, the people of Haven begin to hear of a mysterious woman seen in the rift from which the survivor emerged, and thus assumed the figure was the prophet Andraste, and labeled the survivor her Herald. When the Herald awoke, Roderick was still convinced of their guilt, but Cassandra believed the Herald was sent by the Maker. She and Leliana then invoke the late Justinia V's writ to restore the Inquisition, independent of Chantry control, for the purpose of finding the true perpetrators behind the Breach. In response, Roderick used his influence in the Chantry to denounce the Inquisition, claiming them heretics for harboring the Herald, which the surviving clerics declared blasphemy.

The renewed Inquisition seeks allies to help in sealing the Breach. Its high echelon is conflicted about seeking help from the mage rebellion or the Templar Order.

Renewed Conflict

Mage-Templar War Scene 1

With the best attempt at a peaceful resolution destroyed at the Temple of Sacred Ashes by the Breach's explosion, the war continues to rage across Thedas. The Hinterlands region particularly became a site of fierce conflict with heavy collateral damage caused by both sides.[19] Deserters from both sides actively fight each other in the Hinterlands. Rogue Templars supplied by lyrium smugglers[20], attack and rape Hinterland peasants they deem mage sympathizers or hiding apostates[21] while spiteful megalomaniacal apostates abandon Fiona's refuge in Redcliffe to attack anything that dares challenge their power.[22] These extremists kill and pillage anyone in their way[23] until the Inquisition hunted down and exterminated the extremists. This includes mages and Chantry personnel from other Circles who are not interested in joining the cause, and whom the rebels slay in order to "free" them.[24]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


With the Mage-Templar War wreaking havoc across Thedas, Raleigh Samson was able to rally some of the floundering Templar Order and was made their general. Samson had begun serving Corypheus and introduced his Red Templar Order to the Red Lyrium he supplied. Samson inspired his fellow Red Templars to master the red lyrium with the sole purpose of overthrowing the Chantry that cast them aside and to make the world a place free of the Chantry's oppression.[25]

Meanwhile, Lord Seeker Lucius Corin has gone rogue and joined forces with The Order of Fiery Promise to seek out and ambush the remaining Seekers of Truth. Lucius has become a willing accomplice of Corypheus and lets an Envy demon ally of the darkspawn magister masquerade as him in his absence. The Envy demon takes on the guise of Lucius and introduced Red Lyrium to the templars, claiming that it was superior to Chantry lyrium. Thinking that red lyrium was just another tool, the templars followed the fake Lord Seeker's order. The commanders of the Templar Order became corrupted and began corrupting the rest of their subordinates, by force if necessary. Soon, physical changes began to emerge and red lyrium veins appear to manifest on the skin of those exposed. Thus the Red Templar order was born under Corypheus' control.

The Inquisition later journeyed to Val Royeaux to address the clerics on the advice of Mother Giselle to place doubt in the clerics' minds of their biased perception of the Herald. Upon arrival, an Inquisition scout reported that a large contingent of Templars were in the city and the populace assumed they had arrived to protect them from the Inquisition. The meeting quickly went sour as Revered Mother Hevara accused the Herald of murdering the Divine. The Herald rebuffed her accusations before Cassandra insisted that the Inquisition wanted to restore order. Lucius and his Templars then approached the stage, at which Hevara assumed they were returning to the Chantry to put an end to the Inquisition, only to be humiliated as Lucius spurns her, the populace, and the Inquisition for not recognizing the Order's divine right to purge the mages nor appease their political grandstanding. Lucius reaffirms the Templars' independence and declares Val Royeaux unworthy of the Order's protection and departs. The Inquisitor encounters Fiona in Val Royeaux, following a debacle involving the Chantry's denouncement of their title as the Herald of Andraste and the templars' refusal to return to the Chantry. Fiona asks that the Inquisitor go to Redcliffe to discuss a possible alliance.


Red Templar and Venatori Subversion


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


The Venatori continue to operate covertly throughout Thedas to weaken any who could oppose the rise of the Elder One's new Tevinter Imperium. Venatori agents infiltrate the court of King Markus Pentaghast of Nevarra, the Mortalitasi and the court of the Duke of Hunter Fell. Meanwhile the Venatori operating in the Free Marches begin using Red lyrium to poison the water supply of all Human districts in Wycome, hoping the blame would fall on the Elven Alienage while they also manipulate the city state's ruler; Duke Antoine into aiding them and help create further instability. A Venatori assassin also infiltrates the Royal Palace in Denerim, hoping to kill Ferelden's monarch(s). Most of these efforts are eventually foiled by the Inquisition.

The Venatori attempt to establish a new supply line for red lyrium in Antiva however their operation is destroyed thanks to the involvement of both the Inquisition and the Antivan Crows.

Even the Tevinter Imperium begins to pursue a more active role in destroying the Venatori, with Archon Radonis personally enlisting the Inquisition's aid in assaulting a Venatori stronghold on the border with Nevarra.

The Red Templars and Venatori continue to further Corypheus' agenda in both Orlais and Ferelden. The Red Templars establish a hidden port on the Storm Coast in north-eastern Ferelden to enable rapid transport across the Waking Sea. The Venatori also set up a red lyrium smuggling operation along the Storm Coast, planning on transporting red lyrium to Minrathous to convert the Imperium's slaves into an unstoppable army to turn the tide in the ongoing Tevinter-Qunari war for Seheron. The Inquisition and the Ben-Hassrath attempt to cooperate to sink the Venatori ship with a dreadnaught. If the alliance is continued, the Ben-Hassrath aids in operations to uncover Venatori plots, from foiling an attempt to attack Denerim with a fireship to dismantling Venatori spy-networks throughout Thedas.

Gordian, a senior Venatori operative, infiltrates the Imperial Army and begins to encourage desertions among the troops of both the claimants to the Orlesian throne. The Venatori's efforts are a resounding success and soon a large group of deserters from both sides form 'The Freemen of the Dales.' The Freemen of the Dales become deserters turned bandits from the Orlesian Imperial Army who have abandoned the War of the Lions. They are aided by the Red Templars who give the Freemen supplies in exchange for their aid in harassing refugees, Orlesian soldiers and Inquisition forces in addition to transporting and storing Red Lyrium throughout the Emerald Graves. Meanwhile Gordian uses Freemen troops in the Exalted Plains to gather the numerous corpses left over from the war and prevent them from being burned, allowing them to be easily possessed by the Demons pouring in from the fade rifts and unleashing a horde of Undead and trapping both Grand Duke Gaspard and Empress Celene's troops in their strongholds. With the aid of Corporal Rosselin the Inquisition are able to purge the undead from the eastern and western ramparts and cut off the supply of undead, killing Gordian in the process. Eventually the Freemen are attacked by the Inquisition. Knight-Captain Carroll attempts to re-establish contact between the Red Templars and the Freemen but is lured into a trap by the Inquisitor and is slain.

Red Templar patrols are also deployed to the Hissing Wastes to help protect the Elder One's research teams there. The Venatori begin expanding into Western Orlais, establishing a significant presence in both the Western Approach and the Hissing Wastes, making Griffon Wing Keep their stronghold in the region. Using Giants, they attempt to excavate the ruins of Coracavus as well as the Temple of Solasan in the Forbidden Oasis, hoping their research would yield new magical artifacts which could be of use to their cause.

Another member of the Venatori, Magister Livius Erimond, manipulate the Grey Wardens of Orlais into performing Blood magic sacrifices that summons demons and enslave the Grey Warden mages. The Inquisition with the aid of a Grey Warden pariah and Hawke, besiege the Grey Warden fortress of Adamant Fortress to end their machinations and apprehend Erimond.

The Red Templars also establish a major presence in Emprise du Lion, seizing Suledin Keep as their primary base of operations. They purchase the local quarry and then intimidate Mistress Poulin to hand over the local villagers from Sahrnia in order to mine and grow more red lyrium. The Demon Imshael somehow ingratiates himself with the Red Templars at Suledin Keep and supervises the project to infect Giants with red lyrium which successfully results in several corrupted Giants. Eventually the Inquisition launches a sustained assault driving the Red Templars out of the region and seizing the Keep.

The Venatori also attempt to capture another High dragon for Corypheus to corrupt in the western approach by using renowned dragon expert, Professor Frederic of the University of Orlais. The Venatori begin sponsoring local bandits to discourage any attempt at pursuing them into the western approach however the raiders prove ineffective and are soon defeated. The Inquisition gradually expands into Western Orlais, systematically destroying Venatori operations. Macrinus, the commander of Griffon Wing Keep is slain, while Crassius Servis, the senior Venatori in the Western Approach is captured by the Inquisitor personally.

As the brutality of the Mage-Templar War escalated, many hunted rebel mages and apostates congregated to Fiona's refuge in Redcliffe. Some of these mage refugees were Tevinter infiltrators who encouraged an alliance with the Tevinter Imperium as the situation with the mage rebellion grew dire. Grand Enchanter Fiona conceded to agree to the alliance when Magister Gereon Alexius used time warping magic to manipulate the rebel mages via clinching his seedy deal with the rebel mages when the rebel mages were at their most desperate. Alexius however was also a Venatori agent and usurped Redcliffe Castle, alienating the mage rebellion's sole benefactor. With the mage rebellion's survival now dependent on their alliance with the Tevinter Imperium, Alexius changed the terms of the alliance: from protection and eventual Tevinter citizenship in exchange for indentured servitude to conscription of all the rebel southern mages into military service under his command. He then orders his forces to displace the people of Redcliffe from their homes.

Tranquil mages, however, were largely ignored by the rebel mages and many were subsequently possessed by force at the hands of the Venatori in order to produce Ocularia.[26] If the mage rebels were even aware of what the Venatori were doing, they were helpless to act as after they've indentured themselves to the Tevinter Imperium, Alexius had decreed to banish every Tranquil from Redcliffe.[27] Some rebel mages fled the Circles only reluctantly but followed the mage rebellion since they believed they'd have been safer with their fellow mages. Yet that solidarity began to fracture when Fiona made the controversial decision to ally with Magister Alexius.[28]

Inquisitor recruits the Templars:

The Inquisitor with help of 10 Orlesian noble families traveled to Therinfal Redoubt to pressure the templars into sealing the Breach. On request of the Lord Seeker, Knight-Templar Delrin Barris lead the Inquisitor to perform a special ritual. The Herald had to sort banners of Ferelden, Chantry and the Templar Order in order of importance.

The Inquisitor discovered that many templars had been using red lyrium. Knight-Captain Denam commanded those corrupted to attack the Inquisitor, but failed. Delrin Barris declared Denam a traitor and decided to help the Inquisitor deal with the corrupted templars.

The Inquisitor confronted Lucius Corin, only to discover that he had been supplanted by an Envy demon. The demon traps the Inquisitor in their own mind, trying to assume the Herald's form and take over the Inquisition. While in the Fade, Cole appeared before the Inquisitor to help them escape from the Fade and defeat the demon.

The Envy demon hides itself and summoned a barrier to stop its enemies. Delrin Barris took command of the remaining uncorrupted templars and asked the Inquisitor to find all templar veterans in the castle, so they could regroup and break the barrier.

With the Envy demon destroyed after a long and hard fight the Inquisitor can choose to either ally the Inquisition with the surviving templars or disband the Order itself and conscript them; either outcome prevents the templars from continuing to use red lyrium. The Venatori with Arl Gallagher Wulff's aid[29], are bolstered by rebel mages and replaces the Red Templars as Corypheus' army during the attack on Haven.

Inquisitor recruits the Mages:

Should the Inquisitor choose to meet with Fiona, strangely, she claims to not have met them; hinting the person they met was an impostor or more likely because of the time travel magic that's been observed outside of Redcliffe affecting her personal timeline. Though Fiona says she got a strange feeling at the mention of their supposed meeting, regardless of whether it really occurred, their present circumstances have changed. Fiona then reveals that she feared her people's annihilation and had relinquished her role as Grand Enchanter after trading the rebel mages' services to the Tevinter Imperium in desperation. A magister named Gereon Alexius is the rebel mages' handler, as the rebel mages are considered indentured since they require ten years of service to be considered an Imperial citizen. The Inquisitor discovers the truth about Alexius being a Venatori agent who used time traveling magic to manipulate and conscript the rebel mages before the Inquisition could reach them from a rebel Tevinter named Dorian Pavus and Alexius' son, Felix Alexius. With Dorian's help, the Inquisition infiltrates Castle Redcliffe and reclaims it. Alexius pulls out the time amulet to attempt to go back before the Inquisitor interfered with the Elder One's ritual at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, but Dorian interrupts him, accidentally sending both himself and the Inquisitor one year into the future. In the future, their absence has resulted in the growth of the Breach and the Elder One taking over southern Thedas. They find the Inquisitor's companions jailed and being subjected to red lyrium and Fiona in a cell filled with red lyrium, used to transform her body into that substance for the Venatori to mine. The Inquisitor and Dorian were able to use the future Alexius' time amulet to return to the present where they capture and subdue the present Alexius. The Fereldan monarch(s) (Alistair and/or Anora, depending on who was made sovereign) arrive and order the rebel mages to leave Ferelden. The Inquisitor can then either take the mages on as full-fledged allies or conscripted prisoners. The Red Templars then replace the Venatori as Corypheus' army during the attack on Haven.

In a final bid to leave Orlais leaderless, the Venatori secure an alliance with Grand Duchess Florianne de Chalons to assassinate Empress Celene during the peace talks at the Winter Palace in Halamshiral and frame her brother Gaspard for the deed. Florianne is successful in sneaking a large number of Venatori into the Palace, however Gaspard had invited the Inquisitor as his guest. Ambassador Briala and her operatives assist the Inquisitor in combating the Venatori and through their combined effort, the plot fails.


Aftermath


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


The Inquisition was forced to seek the aid of one of these factions (The Rebel Mages or the remaining Templars of Therinfal Redoubt) in order to close the Breach. Recruiting one side, the Herald is able to seal the Breach. But the celebrations were cut short as Corypheus attacks Haven. It meant the end of the Mage-Templar War but also the start of a new one.

What becomes of the Inquisition's allies is explained in the Epilogue.


See also

Codex entry: The Conclave Codex entry: The Conclave

Codex entry: Rebel Mages Codex entry: Rebel Mages

Codex entry: The Circle of Magi Codex entry: The Circle of Magi

Codex entry: The Templar Order: End of an Accord Codex entry: The Templar Order: End of an Accord

References