Redcliffe Village

Sitting on the western shore of Lake Calenhad, the village of Redcliffe is so named for the reddish hues of the cliffs that tower above it. A path leads up into the hills and across a bridge to an island where the ancient Castle Redcliffe has stood far longer than the village itself.

Background[]

“The fate of Redcliffe is the fate of all Ferelden.” ―Calenhad Theirin^[2]

Redcliffe is located in the western hills of Ferelden. The village below the castle (and others under Redcliffe's authority) grew until the arling was as powerful a settlement as any teyrnir. Redcliffe Castle is the first and last line of defense for the sole land route into Ferelden and the country has never fallen to any assault that did not first take Redcliffe.

Redcliffe is one of the largest and most prosperous towns in Ferelden, due to its position between Orzammar and Orlais. As such it is a center of foreign trade. Such favorable conditions caused the domain to be named an arling in spite of its small size. The citizens of Redcliffe are primarily fishermen or merchants engaged in shipping dwarven goods from Orlais.

In late autumn the villagers smoke the fish they have caught, to the dismay of visiting merchants.^[2]

Witch Hunt[]

This section contains spoilers for:
Witch Hunt.

By 9:32 Dragon, the Bannorn increasingly looked to the Arl of Redcliffe for guidance and leadership. It was speculated that if this continued, Redcliffe would become a rival of Denerim.

Dragon Age: Origins[]

Involvement[]

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.

As the Warden approaches the village the first time, they will be greeted by Tomas, a member of the Redcliffe militia. Tomas will then take your party to Bann Teagan, Arl Eamon's brother, in the Chantry. There they discover that the village is under siege from undead creatures spawning from Redcliffe Castle at night. The Villagers ask the Warden and their companions to join them and lead the defense against the animated dead.

Later the village is attacked by Darkspawn.

Redcliffe Village continued to expand and grow, establishing a new district east of Redcliffe Castle in the years following the Fifth Blight.

Places[]

Redcliffe Village Tavern

Redcliffe Chantry

Wilhelm's Cottage

Windmill

Characters[]

Note: Some of the following characters will not appear until after completing The Attack at Nightfall.

Tomas – encountered on the bridge when first entering the village; he will bring the Warden to the chantry to speak with Bann Teagan Guerrin; he will also run up to the Warden and ask that they stay and help if they attempt to leave the village prior to completing the quest A Village Under Siege.
Murdock – the Mayor of Redcliffe; he can be found standing at the village square; conversing with him commences the quest A Village Under Siege; while not necessary, it is useful for the Warden to talk to him prior to venturing in the other houses in the village as it is possible to earn an approval from Leliana (+1) depending on what is asked and said.
Ser Perth – encountered in front of the windmill with several knights.
Doomsayer – found near the Blacksmith's Store.
Teagan Guerrin – found near the windmill or in Redcliffe's chantry during A Village Under Siege.
Knight-Commander Harrith – found near the Windmill; is involved in A Gift of Silence and Defending the Collective.
Chanter Farrah – manages the Chanter's Board.
Blackstone Liaison – found outside the Village chantry.
Mages' Collective Liaison – found on the dock at the southern end of the village.
Dernal Garrison – found in a small house situated across the wooden bridge next to the stone bridge (from the path to the windmill).

Merchants[]

Owen
Blacksmith (conditional)

Notable Items[]

Companion Gifts[]

Ale - source: Lloyd's inventory.

Andraste's Grace - for Leliana; source: can be found by the Windmill (near the tree).

Sten's Sword - for Sten; source: Chest in Redcliffe Village (or) handed directly to the Warden by Dwyn.

Wine - obtained from Bella in the tavern, after convincing Lloyd to help defend the village.

Containers[]

Chest (Ferelden, Normal) - locked.
Chest (Ferelden, Elite) - locked.
Wooden Crate (Ferelden, Normal)
Wooden Crate (Generic, Normal)
Wooden Crate (Generic, Normal)
Barrel (Generic, Critter)

Special objects[]

Chanter's Board outside the Village chantry.
Blackstone Irregulars quest box outside the Village Chantry.
Mages' Collective bag near the lake.

Note: The Chanter's Board, Blackstone Irregulars Quest Box, and Mages' Collective Bag will not appear until after the Village has been saved.

Codex entries[]

Codex entry: Lake Calenhad - source: "No Swimming" sign.

Codex entry: Redcliffe - source: entering Redcliffe Village.

Companion remarks[]

One of the companions may make interesting remarks at certain loctions:

Shortly after stepping outside the chantry
- Oghren: (belches) "Huh. Surface air."
- Sten: "Is this where humans keep all their wisdom? Your behavior makes much more sense to me now."
- Alistair: (sniffs) "What is that smell? Fish? And something else. Oh... more fish."
- Wynne: "These people don't deserve what has happened to them. We must get to the bottom of this."
- Leliana: "Walking corpses? Do you think it's something in the water?"
- Morrigan: "Ahh, fresh air. 'Twas difficult to breathe within all that self-righteousness crowding the air."
- Zevran: "Ah! What a lovely fishing town! You can almost smell the desperation of local gentry, no?"
- Shale: "Are there pigeons here? I think we should look for them."
At the cliff's edge anywhere around the mill
- Alistair: "Ah, it's sort of like coming home again. But with more undead."
- Oghren: "What do you think the villagers would say to me taking a dip in the lake naked?"
- Wynne: "Isn't it beautiful? Standing here, you wouldn't know the trouble down in the village."
- Leliana: "Ooh, a windmill. I once took a ride on the sails of a windmill. Didn't turn out well."
- Morrigan: "Yes, yes very lovely. Let us soak in the vista before the massacre begins."
- Zevran: "Hmm. Anyone up for a bit of naked cliff-diving? No?"
- Sten: "Hmph. Defensible enough spot."
- Shale: "I wonder what it must be like to float? Or drown?"

Party banter[]

At the following spots, companions may engage in party banter:

After using the secret passage to enter the castle dungeons
On the bridge along the cliff
The boardwalk near the blacksmithy

Notes[]

Entering the village with Alistair will trigger a conversation about his heritage. Afterward, if you talk to him and his approval is high enough, he'll start the quest Alistair's Family.
Leaving the village (traveling anywhere other than the Party Camp) without completing the quests Village Under Siege and The Attack at Nightfall will result in the deaths of all the inhabitants except Bann Teagan, who will still take his part in continuing the Arl of Redcliffe quest line.
The first cottage on the right when you enter Redcliffe Village belongs to Wilhelm Sulzbacher, it's inaccessible by normal means and is a remnant of the original process to acquire Shale before it was added as downloadable content.
There is a bug in the pcwhich may cause fires to still be present after the quest A Village Under Siege is completed.
There is a bug where the game will not load at the after the defense of the village from the undead.