- For information about the quest in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, see The Howe Family.
The Howe family are a noble family from Ferelden at the time of the Fifth Blight, claiming the Arling of Amaranthine. They used to rule Amaranthine from Vigil's Keep, one of the most ancient fortresses in the country.
Background
The Howes are one of the oldest noble families in Ferelden. According to Byron Howe, the first of the Howe family was gifted a superior dwarven-made sword by the dwarven king.[1]
In the second half of the Blessed Age, Arl Tarleton Howe, who was almost ninety years old and described as sharp and bitter, sided with Orlais during the occupation of Ferelden, however the Cousland family ruling the neighbouring Highever openly supported the rebellion.[2] He fought several bitter battles against the Couslands, but in the end they managed to capture the town of Harper's Ford as well as Tarleton. Arl Tarleton was subsequently hanged.
Arl Byron Howe of Amaranthine, the much younger brother of Tarleton, became the new Arl of Amaranthine. Like his brother, he bent the knee to Meghren, the Orlesian usurper King of Ferelden.
Involvement
The young Rendon Howe, Tarleton's son, also sided with the rebels and Prince Maric and was one of the few survivors of the disastrous defeat at the Battle of White River. Once the war was won, Rendon was decorated for his service by King Maric, and was made Arl of Amaranthine. The Howes were hailed as heroes, and Arl Howe became close friends with Teyrn Bryce Cousland of Highever.[3]
In 9:30 Dragon, the Fifth Blight broke out in Ferelden. Arl Rendon was invited to Castle Cousland, but turned traitor, using his soldiers to slaughter the Cousland family while their guards were battling darkspawn in the south. Howe was a confederate of Teyrn Loghain, whose actions at the Battle of Ostagar doomed King Cailan Theirin.
With Loghain as regent, Rendon was made Teyrn of Highever and Arl of Denerim, making him one of the most powerful men in Ferelden, second only to Loghain and Queen Anora. During his reign, he imprisoned and tortured innocents, interfered with a templar's duties, and was complicit in the selling of elven slaves to the Tevinter Imperium. Howe was killed by the Warden who ended the Blight. The Howe dynasty finally came to an end when the new monarch of Ferelden stripped the Howes of all land and titles, restoring Highever to Fergus Cousland, who was travelling south when his family was murdered. Amaranthine, however, was granted to the Grey Wardens.
Rendon Howe's children, Nathaniel and Delilah, survived, though his youngest son Thomas died during the Blight. Delilah remained in Amaranthine, hating her father and believing he deserved to die for his crimes. Nathaniel returned from the Free Marches, and sought revenge on the Wardens, ignorant of his father's atrocities. He was captured by the Orlesian Grey Wardens stationed at Vigil's Keep, the former home of the Howes, after being caught prowling inside.
Known Howes
- Elias Howe – one of the first freeholders to follow Calenhad Theirin
- Kathra Howe – a fighter during the Chasind uprising two centuries ago[4]
- Arl Tarleton Howe[note] – Rendon Howe's father
- Padric Howe[note] – a Grey Warden; presumed to have died taking the Joining
- Arl Byron Howe – Arl of Amaranthine and Rendon Howe's uncle
- Arl Rendon Howe
- Eliane Bryland – wife of Rendon Howe
- Nathaniel Howe – eldest child of Rendon Howe; a Grey Warden (conditional); companion of the Warden-Commander (conditional)
- Delilah Howe – middle child of Rendon Howe
- Thomas Howe – youngest child of Rendon Howe
- Delilah Howe's son[5]
Family tree
| Padric Howe[note] | Tarleton Howe[note] | Byron Howe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rendon Howe | Eliane Bryland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nathaniel Howe | Delilah Howe | Albert | Thomas Howe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unnamed Son | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Codex entries
Codex entry: The Howes of Amaranthine- Codex entry: Arl Rendon Howe
- Codex entry: Nathaniel
- Codex entry: Letter to Rendon Howe
- Codex entry: Response from Rendon Howe
- Codex entry: Highever
Notes
- There are two different paternal grandfathers given in lore for Nathaniel Howe: Padric Howe, who left the family after the end of the war to become a Grey Warden,[6] [7] and Arl Tarleton Howe, older brother of Byron who was hanged by the Couslands during the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden.[8]
- This is likely a similar case to Rendorn Guerrin and Connor both being named as father to Eamon Guerrin, which was later reconciled by Patrick Weekes as Eamon having two dads.[9] However, there has not yet been an equivalent clarification given for the matter of Padric and Tarleton Howe.
- In an interview, David Gaider confirmed the birth order for Rendon Howe's children: Nathaniel is the eldest, then Delilah, and Thomas is the youngest.[10]
- During the Fifth Blight, it is noted that the Howes are vassals of the Cousland family.[11]
Gallery
References
- ↑ Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, pp. 146-147
- ↑ Conversation between the Human Noble and Aldous.
- ↑ Codex entry: The Howes of Amaranthine
- ↑ Based on The Bear's Embrace description.
- ↑ mentioned by his uncle Nathaniel in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening and Dragon Age II.
- ↑ Named in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, during a conversation between the Warden and Nathaniel inside Vigil's Keep - Throne Room.
- ↑ Mentioned again, but not by name, in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, a webcomic by Penny Arcade
- ↑ Codex entry: The Howes of Amaranthine
- ↑
Trick Weekes (November 3, 2014). "So I got Arl Eamon's father's name wrong in a codex. Old name already existed. We've decided Arl Eamon had two dads." (archive). Twitter.
- ↑ Ashefae (January 29, 2012). "Interview with David Gaider" LiveJournal.
- ↑ The Human Noble Warden can state it as a fact when discussing the Fereldan Rebellion and the animosity between Tarleton Howe and William Cousland with Aldous.