The Pentaghast family is the royal family of Nevarra and a family of dragon hunters, who brought these creatures to near-extinction in the Steel Age.[1]
History[]
The Pentaghast family originated in the small town of Hunter Fell. The family became royalty in 2:46 Glory after Caspar Pentaghast claimed the throne, deposing Ionas, the previous ruler. Pentaghast rule continued uninterrupted with the brief exception of the Orlesian occupation which was ended by Caspar Pentaghast II, still one of the most revered Pentaghast rulers.
In 5:37 Exalted, Nestor Pentaghast was killed and Tylus Van Markham seized the throne beginning the Van Markham dynasty—forcing the remaining members of the Pentaghast family to flee to their ancestral home of Hunter Fell. Eventually the last Van Markham king died during the Steel Age, leaving no male heir. His daughter married a member of the Pentaghast clan, restoring Pentaghast rule and merging the two families. Together, they solidified Nevarra's status as a significant power in Thedas. The Pentaghasts maintained their rule for generations while their Van Markham relatives enjoyed an equally lofty status among the nobility.[2]
In 7:82 Storm, in an attempt to build up alliances lost by the Van Markham dynasty, the Pentaghasts approached Emperor Etienne I of Orlais to solidify a peace treaty through marriage. The emperor set aside his wife of seventeen years to marry Princess Sotiria, hoping to finally produce an heir and cement an alliance with Nevarra. By 7:97 Storm Sotiria was still childless, and the emperor sent her to a cloister so that he could marry his mistress. The Pentaghasts took this gesture extremely poorly. They sent a small war party into Orlais to reclaim her, but took no other military action until 8:46 Blessed, when they started the Perendale War.[3] Sotiria Pentaghast eventually married a minor Orlesian noble named Gustav LaFleur, and raised his son Aurelian as her own. Though not a Pentaghast by blood, Aurelian was raised as one and considered Sotiria his mother.
Aurelian made a bid for the Nevarran throne, but when his lack of Pentaghast blood was revealed in 8:60 Blessed, he was exiled in disgrace and joined the Legion of the Dead, the only human ever recorded to do so.[4]
The current King of Nevarra is Markus Pentaghast, a man of advanced age. The most immediate successor is his younger brother Ferdinand, the famed dragon hunter. Neither brother has any known offspring. Members of the Pentaghast and Van Markhams are already lining up to replace Markus upon his inevitable death. However, some Nevarran noble families believe both clans have held power for too long and figure they must step aside.[5] There have been at least two attempts to overthrow King Markus: one in 9:08 Dragon orchestrated by Baron Gaulene, and one in 9:10 orchestrated by several prominent Pentaghasts. This second attempt led to widespread arrests and executions in what has since become known as the Nevarran Purge.[6]
Known Pentaghasts[]
- King Caspar Pentaghast – known as "Caspar the Magnificent" was born 1:79 Divine; ruled Nevarra City between 2:46 Glory and 3:06 Towers; said to have lived a hundred and twenty-seven years[7][8]
- King Mathas Pentaghast – known as "Mathas the Glorious"; great-grandson of Caspar the Magnificent[7]
- King Caspar Pentaghast II – one of the most revered Pentaghast rulers; ended the Orlesian occupation in 3:65 Towers[4][9]
- King Nestor Pentaghast – deposed and killed by Tylus Van Markham in 5:37 Exalted
- Nephram Pentaghast – former owner of the Axe of the Dragon Hunter (Steel Age)
- Princess Sotiria Pentaghast – second wife of Emperor Etienne I of Orlais; set aside in 7:97 Storm
- Aurelian Pentaghast – the notoriously false Pentaghast who tried to claim the throne of Nevarra; after his disgrace and exile, he became the only human to join the Legion of the Dead and is the owner of the Last Descent armor[10][11][4]
- King Markus Pentaghast – ruler of Nevarra in 9:41 Dragon
- Ferdinand Pentaghast – legendary dragon hunter and author; younger brother of Markus[12]
- Vestalus Pentaghast – Prelate of the Mortalitasi mage order; overseer of the Grand Necropolis in Nevarra City; uncle of Anthony and Cassandra; passed away in 9:49 Dragon.[13]
- Matthias Pentaghast – father of Anthony and Cassandra; brother of Vestalus; executed by King Markus after a failed coup
- Tigana Pentaghast – steward of King Markus; mother of Anthony and Cassandra; executed by King Markus after a failed coup
- Anthony Pentaghast – Cassandra's older brother; killed in 9:16 Dragon
- Cassandra Pentaghast – a Seeker of Truth in the service of the Chantry; the Hero of Orlais; Right Hand of the Divine; 78th in line to the throne and co-founder of the Inquisition
- Baroness Alia Pentaghast[14] (9:38 Dragon)
- Loren Pentaghast – Cassandra's cousin and a friend of Dorian's mother; considered to be an untrustworthy, very fat and wealthy individual, with five mansions and wandering hands
- Tythas Pentaghast – Duke of Hunter Fell in 9:41 Dragon[15][16][17]
Family tree[]
| Matthias Pentaghast | Tigana Pentaghast | Vestalus Pentaghast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anthony Pentaghast | Cassandra Pentaghast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Codex entries[]
Codex entry: Caspar the Magnificent- Codex entry: Cassandra Pentaghast
- Codex entry: Cassandra and the Last Few Years
- Codex entry: Dragon's Blood
- Codex entry: The Last Descent
- Codex entry: The Pentaghasts
Trivia[]
- The Pentaghast family has fourteen branches, eighteen if counting their relations among the Van Markhams, each consisting of multiple families and twisting bloodlines connecting them to almost every major house across Thedas.[14]
- The blood of Queen Asha of Antiva runs through the Pentaghast family.[18]
- Every autumn in Nevarra City, the Pentaghasts and Van Markhams hold pageants celebrating Nevarra's history on the boulevard stretching to the Castrum Draconis.[4]
See also[]
Gallery[]
References[]
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