#the landsmeet

[illusivesoul]

Why Rendon Howe is evil

This is a little theory thats been going around in my head for several days.

Rendon Howe. Evil personified. Probably one of the most despicable and hated characters in the Dragon Age series. One of the characters thats most easily defined as being just plain bad and evil, with good reason. Even in the game itself no one likes him (with 1 exception that I'll mention later in this post)

In the game, we really aren't given many reasons as to why he is the way he is and why he does the thing he does beyond saying he's evil, power hungry, and like he himself says as he dies, "I deserved more!" But recently I started to become curious about him to try to find out what had made him become like this, cause I prefer villains to have some complexity that goes beyond just "He's evil just because".

Rest of the analysis under the cut.

.

My main theory of why I think Rendon became "evil" is cause he may have suffered brain damage due to his injuries while fighting against Orlais with Maric and his rebels. My first thought for this came cause historically, Henry the 8th of England suffered several brain injuries during sporting events, and its believed that his injuries led to him having a severe personality change, which led to him become more radical, tyrannical and murderous.

After the death of his father and the Howe family joining the rebellion, Rendon joined Maric's forces and became close friends with Bryce Cousland, future Teyrn of Highever, and Leonas Bryland, future Arl of South Reach. The 3 of them fought together in the Battle of White River, which was the worse defeat the rebels suffered in the war against Orlais, and only 50 of the initial thousand soldier strong fereldan army survived.

Rendon was very badly injured during the battle, and Bryce and Leonas had to dragged him away to safety as the rebel army was crushed by the orlesians. Bryce was injured in the arm while trying to save Rendon from a chevalier. They got Rendon to Redcliffe and stayed with him for a month while he recovered before leaving to rejoin Maric and the rest of the rebel forces. While Rendon recovered in Redcliffe, he was tended to by Leonas's sister, Eliane, until he eventually recovered months later. He eventually proposed to her and they got married.

And here is the first bit of evidence we get of Rendon's attitude and behaviour completely changing after that battle and his wounds. From the wiki: "Leonas had become concerned by the changes in his friend's behavior since the battle and attempted to prevent the marriage." And some other quotes from Leonas that we get to her in dao: "Rendon Howe was no friend of mine. The boy I knew... died at the Battle of White River" and "That he didn't die years ago is the only thing worth mourning here." Leonas cut all contact with Rendon after he told him that he was only marrying his sister for her dowry and connections.

This goes back to what I mentioned earlier about the one person that seemed to care for Rendon. That person is Bryce Cousland.

Bryce and Eleanor were the only people that attended Rendon and Eliane's wedding, and even though Rendon was treated as a pariah by almost everyone in fereldan nobility, Bryce still maintained a friendly relation with Rendon, and seemed to have an almost protective attitude towards him, which contrasts greatly with how Leonas feels about Rendon. And this is where I came up with another theory about why this is. I believe that Bryce feels personally responsible for the injuries and near death that Rendon suffered during the Battle of White River and feels that he is somehow obligated to look after him. I can only hc why these could be, but maybe Rendon got injured while protecting Bryce, or maybe Bryce's actions during the battle led to Rendon's injuries. Maybe that's why Bryce seems to have keep pushing for the friendship that he once had with him, even though he clearly no longer was the same person. Cause Bryce felt responsible for the way Rendon had turned out.

Its possible that Rendon was just always like this, and those months he spent recovering just made him become super resentful against everything and everyone, but I do believe that the near death injuries he suffered during that battle, including possible head injuries and brain trauma, led to his personality changing and to him becoming the sheer villain we see ingame.

And to finish, a bit of background as to why Rendon would have hated Bryce even despite of this, here's a bit of info about them and about the relation between Highever and Amaranthine.

Rendon's father, Tarleton, supported Orlais during their occupation of Ferelden, and was eventually hanged by the Couslands before the Howes officially joined the rebellion. Adding the fact that Highever was once part of Amaranthine before they rebelled to gain their independence and annexed a good part of southern Amaranthine after winning their independence war, it adds some context to how Rendon could have seen this part of his greater vengeance against the Couslands and Highever for killing his father and taking away land from Amaranthine.

TL,DR: Rendon Howe suffered grieveous injuries during the war against Orlais, including possible brain injuries which may have led to a complete personality shift and to him becoming the person that we see him being in the game.

[ooachilliaoo]

New Armour

Bizarrely, her first instinct when he walked through the door was to bow.

She managed to stay the impulse – but only just – and only because he wouldn’t thank her for it. It was just… He just looked so much like a king thatthe impulse had been there before she could even properly think about it.

Her first actual thought could be neatly encapsulated in the word ‘wow’. While, yes, the golden armour had not been made for him, while it was possibly slightly too small and far grander than anything Alistair might have chosen for himself… there was no denying that he looked truly spectacular in it.

He’d have half the ladies of the court throwing themselves at his feet the moment he entered the chamber. Which, her political mind reminded her, would probably work to their advantage…

(If she didn’t stab them all first.)

However, her third impulse was the twist in her heart as she took in his expression. She’d seen him in a number of uncomfortable situations over the past year. When they’d needed to strip to retrieve the Urn of Sacred Ashes, for example. When they’d faced the broodmother. When Zevran had teased him after they’d spent their first night together. But she had never seen him as uncomfortable as he looked now, dressed in his half-brother’s golden armour.

“Do I really have to wear this?” he asked, adjusting one gauntlet awkwardly. “It feels… wrong, somehow. This was his.”

“You were the one who retrieved it from the darkspawn at Ostagar,” she pointed out, remembering how ferociously he’d set to the task of cleaning it after they’d lit Cailan’s pyre, and she had first suggested that maybe his half-brother had meant for Alistair to follow in his footsteps.

“Not so I could wear it,” he huffed. “I’m not… It’s too… I’m no king.”

They had debated this so many times that there was absolutely nothing left to say on the subject.

He’d start by saying he couldn’t be king, shouldn’t be king. He’d suggest letting Anora take the throne.

She’d point out that they couldn’t trust Anora, that the most important thing was deposing Loghain and turning a united Ferelden to the task of defeating the blight.

He'd suggest putting Arl Eamon forward, an idea he seemed to have latched on from the moment of Cailan’s death and had stubbornly refused to let go of.

She’d point out that Eamon was far more interested in supporting his stronger claim than putting himself forward.

In the end, they’d agree to ‘figure something out’. She’d promise that they’d figure something else out. Despite the fact that she had no idea what or how to fix it.

She was tired of the debate, and it was too late anyway. They had their plan for the Landsmeet and much of it rested on presenting Alistair as a palatable heir to the throne. Whether or not he actually ended up on it.

Stalking toward him, she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. “Would you hate me if I said it suited you?”

He considered that for a moment. “Only a little. And I’m sure you, of all people, could think of a way to make it up to me?”

Read the rest on AO3

[dellamortethelesser]

landsmeet wip

as a little treat i am attaching an excerpt of a wip of the landsmeet scene where mahanon spares loghain. i am nowhere near this point in my actual fic so it's not really spoilers but I just felt very compelled to write it tonight.

read below the cut!

“What are you waiting for?” Alistair’s voice broke through the roar of blood in Mahanon’s ears. “You’re not going to let him live after everything that he’s done? Kill him, already!”

Mahanon hesitated, staring down at the man before him. The fabled General Loghain. The Teyrn. The man who had chased out Orlesian forces from Ferelden and reestablished the royal line. The father of the Queen. His grip on the hilt of his sword trembled as he heard Riordan’s words ringing in his head. Slowly, and knowing that he would not be forgiven, he drew away. “I accept your surrender.”

“What?!” Alistair demanded. A hand gripped back of his gorget and spun him around, and Mahanon found himself face-to-face with his fellow Warden. “After everything that he has done? Are you mad?! What are you thinking?!” “He will undertake the Joining,” Mahanon said, though the words were heavy on his tongue. He looked up at Alistair and found only rage reflected back at him, but he was not sure to which of them it belonged. “If he dies, your vengeance is sated. If he lives, we have gained a general. We need more Wardens to face the Archdemon.”

“Absolutely not!” Alistair snarled, letting go of him. “This man abandoned our brothers and then blamed us for the deed! He hunted us down like animals! How can we simply forget that? Joining the Wardens is an honor, not a punishment! Name him as a Warden and you will cheapen us all! I will not stand next to him as a brother; I refuse.”

“Loghain is a traitor,” he continued. “We need him like we need to be stabbed in the back. Or have you forgotten how his being a great general didn’t help us last time?”

“So that is it, then?” Mahanon asked. “Is it you or him?”

“Yes. This is not what Duncan died for! This is not the way that he would have chosen! He would have understood; he of all people knew what a great honor it is to be a Warden! It is not the place for traitors or murderers!”

“How quaint,” Mahanon said. “In the eyes of Denerim, I am both of those.”

Alistair blustered. “Don’t twist my words. You know that isn’t what I meant—”

“No, I know exactly what you meant, Alistair!” Mahanon snapped. “You cannot put aside your need for revenge to understand what is really at stake here! Did the Landsmeet mean anything to you? Were you listening? Now is not the time for petty grudges! Now is the time for everyone to make a stand against the Blight. If we do not work together with all the help we can get—regardless of where it is from—we are all going to die!”

“And don’t you speak to me of Duncan,” he continued. “He would be making the same choice were he here right now. You heard him! You knew him best! Grey Wardens are always the ones to do what has to be done! But you can’t! You never have, Alistair! From the very start you have left me to make all of the hard choices! I made the decision at Redcliffe! I spared us from the blood magic! I found the Ashes of Andraste! And at every turn, where were you?!” He thrust a finger against Alistair’s breastplate with each word.

“You were too busy abdicating responsibility to me to take a damned look at yourself!” Mahanon paused only to draw in a breath. “Nothing I did ever pleased you, Alistair, but you never stepped up to make any hard choices yourself. You were content to step aside and blame only me. So, I must ask you one more time. Must it be you or him?”

Silence once more. In his peripheral vision he noticed that Loghain had risen to his feet. Zevran and Leliana were circling the teyrn like his own dual shadows, however, knives at the ready. Alistair stared at Mahanon, red-faced, until he spat his answer as though it were poison. 

“Yes. If you let him undergo the Joining, then I walk away. I will take the throne if it is what will bring Loghain to justice.”

Mahanon’s blood immediately goes cold. He stands upright. “So be it. Pity that this is the first choice you have made for yourself, Alistair. I thought that you never wished to be king.”

Alistair’s regard was just as chilly. “I thought that you were not going to stab me in the back. Funny how nothing ever turns out like you thought.” 

“Funny indeed,” said Mahanon. “When all of this is over, king or otherwise, I hope to never see you again.”

Alistair shoved past him, trying to knock his shoulder, but Mahanon held firm. “Consider the sentiment shared.”

tagging @demandthedoodles because maker knows i must subject my alistair otp to my angst

[erikaleliana]

"Oh, you're all right! You know, I'm almost disappointed we didn't get to try our plan... ah, well."

Leliana's selfie.

[justyeghost]

The Landsmeet (Dragon Age: Origins)

Time for the Landsmeet... and the first journey through Thedas is almost over.

Catch it on my Twitch YouTube Channel, or below the fold.

[dragonageandyap]

💙🩶The Landsmeet, Alistair, and the Second Hardening of Hilda🩶💙

whew...

Hilda never wanted to be in this position. She was the golden child of King Endrin Aeducan. She had such a bright future ahead of her.

Until she didn't.

Fast forward, Hilda is a Grey Warden and there's a Blight on the horizon. Not only that but Ferelden is tearing itself apart. Hilda doesn't like messy politics, she likes getting things done. She's learned a lot about politics growing up in Orzammar, but she'd rather everyone put aside petty differences and work together for the greater good. THERE'S A BLIGHT.

Hilda was not pleased that Alistair was the only candidate they had to take the throne. Alistair has a good heart, but he's childish, and not very smart. Not to mention, Alistair didn't even want the job.

Enter: Anora. Anora is smart and passionate about ruling Ferelden. This is someone Hilda can work with. Hey maybe if we can get Alistair and Anora to marry we can bring these two factions together. Even Anora is willing to go along with this for the sake of the nation (DESPITE how she feels personally).

Except Alistair says no. It's fine really, the marriage was sort of a bonus when you think about it. Besides, Hilda would much rather Alistair stay on as a Warden to help with the Blight.

Fast foward, Hilda is running all over Denerim, fixing any problems she can to get a chance at winning this Landsmeet. It's what she's been doing this whole time, running around Ferelden, fixing everyones' problems, not to mention dealing with the Blight.

And we win the Landsmeet, not to mention we have Loghain on his knees too. Hilda wants to make Loghain pay for all the suffering he's caused, all the burdens she had to take on because of him. Enter: Riordan. Riordan argues that Loghain should become a Warden. It makes sense; Ferelden's Wardens have been decimated. We need every man we can get.

Except Alistair disagrees. And Hilda understands why, but she can't let her or Alistair's personal feelings on Loghain affect decision making during a Blight. Wardens have ALWAYS been willing to recruit the bottom of the barrel when it comes to people. Taking someone as bad as Loghain is not a new concept for the Wardens. Hilda was a CONVICTED KINSLAYER when Duncan recruited her. But she was a good fighter, she had use in this world. So does Loghain.

Alistair freaks the fuck out.

Hilda gives him one last chance. If you don't want to be "brothers" with Loghain, marry Anora.

Alistair says no. Hilda steps in one last time to save his life when Anora tries to execute him. But he still storms off. (Abi thought: For a man who claimed being a Warden was so important to him he was very quick to storm off DURING A BLIGHT when he didn't get his way, I'm surprised Riordan didn't nail him for deserting). Hilda thinks the same way too, except she can't help but feel regret. Alistair had been with her since the beginning. Yes he was dumb and childish and whiny but he was loyal.

In juggling a Blight plus the needs of a nation with relative ease, Hilda lost a companion. Despite being one of the smartest and strongest person in the room, she couldn't juggle everything. And now Morrigan is talking dark ritual nonsense girl STFU.

Yeah yeah Hilda was able to end the Blight. She got rid of Loghain and gave him the redemption he wanted. Ferelden has a competent ruler who appreciates what Hilda did for the nation. But Hilda will always remember Alistair, and how even the most perfect heroes can't save everyone.

[niofo]

shartan would be a pr disaster during landsmeet. not only he joined the wardens after killing a noble and he openly doesn't care about shems - he then told loghain and ser cauthrien to get their shits together, refused to rescue the queen, killed ser cauthrien, on landsmeet announced that he wouldn't lift a finger for denerim if not for the alienage, defeated loghain and a bunch of guards, told the queen to fuck off, executed loghain. anora is only alive bcos she got the memo that he's giving people only one single warning. there's a zero amount of fuck he's giving about shems' squabbles. looking between him and alistair ferelden nobles would happily accept alistair as a king just to please only deal with the nice grey warden from now on.

[389]

by darkshinemag

[burnouts3s3]

Rook CONSTANTLY does the hands on hips meme. It's in every other conversation. It's literally this.

[vigilskeep]

i’ve been mentally adding my brosca to my surana’s worldstate as a warden recruit she picked up during the blight—like, he joined the team on the promise that he could be made a warden as soon as she and alistair figured out how to, you know, do that—and it’s very charming. i think more of us who have multiple wardens should do this

[nohr-selphias]

lowkey hilarious to me that in my canon worldstate Loghain just so desperately wants to Die and I simply. Wont let him.

[illusivesoul]

The Landsmeet supports Loghain

[vancalox]

i dont like the idea of everything being linked to the fade or the elves and mages etc etc and i think ive said that several times atp. but yknow what i DO want linked to everything? the deep roads actually. and im being serious abt that

[slutauthority]

this has been a fun/infuriating exercise so far. only 3 more fits to color before my stupid vision is realized

high(er) res below

[halliserres]

cant get origins working on my laptop

[waterdeeps]

love taking a perfect little noble cousland, polite and learned and respectful and charming and noble and brave, and having her use the wardens like a battering ram to get to howe because she never even wanted to join in the first place and nothing matters more than bringing howe to justice. and then she goes to the deep roads to fulfill another warden contact and vengeance turns to ash in her mouth. howe’s treachery pales in comparison to the haunting moans of a broodmother, the horror of deep crevices filled with darkspawn, the taint of the blight stripping everything away. and the part of her that dreamed of ever turning her back on the wardens once she got what she wanted from them, that thought she’d kill the archdemon and end the blight and return to highever, the part that was still clinging to her nobility and her title and her family’s legacy, that girl is dead and gone and only the warden remains.