Red Crossing

Red Crossing is a town in Orlais known for being attacked by elven forces in 2:09 Glory, leading to the Exalted March of the Dales and the dissolution of the elven kingdom.

History[]

Accounts of the events at Red Crossing differ significantly between human and elven sources. Chantry sources state that the elves attacked the defenseless village of Red Crossing unprovoked and committed atrocities that enraged humans across Thedas while elven sources state that it was an attack made in anger by a small raiding party and note the Chantry's repeated attempts to send unwanted missionaries and templars into elven lands.^[1]^[2]

Accounts found in Din'an Hanin, the final resting place of the Emerald Knights, show that both sides played a part in the beginning of the conflict.

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Amidst the growing hostility between Orlais and the Dales and rumors of an abduction, an elven woman, sister of the Emerald Knight Siona, was murdered by human hunters. Around the same time, their brother, an Emerald Knight by the name of Elandrin, fell in love with a human woman from the town of Red Crossing named Adalene, and she with him. As their relationship remained secret, Elandrin's unexplained visits to Red Crossing led the other elves to fear that he would convert to the Maker and betray their secrets. When Elandrin left before he could be questioned, Siona led a group of knights to the village to either convince him to return with them or bring him to justice. When they reached the town, Adalene spotted them first. She started racing towards them with something in her hand; Siona, possibly mistaking her as hostile, slew her with an arrow. The townsfolk attacked the elves after hearing the girl's scream but were defeated. The Emerald Knights retreated when more humans came, but Elandrin wouldn't be moved and was killed by their arrows, his body dumped in the river.^[3]

The attack on Red Crossing led to open conflict between Orlais and the Dales, eventually leading to the Exalted March of the Dales and the complete destruction of the elven kingdom. In recent years, a pamphlet published by the University of Orlais has also put forward the theory that the village was sacrificed to justify the subjugation of the Dales.

Involvement[]

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

If The Inquisitor explores Din'an Hanin and chooses to give the accounts of the events at Red Crossing to the Dalish, Keeper Hawen asks the Inquisition for help in reaching out to the people of Red Crossing, who, understandably, do not trust the Dalish. He wishes to offer them a halla as a sign of shared mourning and as a reminder of "the fragile beauty of things that journey to places where they are strangers." The Inquisitor can choose to help by either forcing the people of Red Crossing to accept the gift of the halla, or by deceiving both the people of Red Crossing and the Dalish by letting the villagers believe that they have been given the honor of keeping a sacred halla hostage because of their proud history.