Fifth Blight

The Fifth Blight occurred in 9:30 Dragon in the nation of Ferelden. The Blight's origins began with the tainting of the Old God Urthemiel during a botched experiment by the Architect to awaken it. The darkspawn rabble organized into an army under the Archdemon's banner and launched their attack upon the surface.
Hostilities began in southern Ferelden at the edge of the Korcari Wilds. The first major engagement of the war took place at the fortress of Ostagar, where the king of Ferelden, Cailan Theirin, had assembled an army to fight the darkspawn horde. Despite the assurance of the Grey Wardens, the Fereldan commanders did not believe at this time that an Archdemon had risen, and its threat was dismissed.
The Battle of Ostagar proved to be a critical point in the war. The King, the Grey Wardens, and the Fereldan army were betrayed and left to die by Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir during a major darkspawn assault on the fortress. Loghain fled the battlefield with his forces and returned to the capital, where he usurped the throne, refused entry at the border to the Orlesian Grey Warden reinforcements, and sparked the Fereldan Civil War. With Ostagar overrun, the horde were free to enter Ferelden proper.
Ferelden would have been at the mercy of the darkspawn advance were it not for the survival of two Fereldan Grey Wardens and the infiltration into the country by an Orlesian Grey Warden. The Fereldan Grey Wardens were able to evade assassination attempts and assemble a coalition consisting of a possible combination of dwarves, Dalish, golems, Circle mages, templars, soldiers from Redcliffe, and werewolves (depending on the Warden's choices). This coalition was used to combat the Archdemon's darkspawn forces. Additionally, the Grey Wardens supported the Fereldan royalists, who removed Loghain from power through diplomatic (rather than military) means and thus put an end to the civil war.
The Fifth Blight culminated in the Battle of Denerim, where the Archdemon was slain by the Wardens at the top of Fort Drakon. It was the smallest and shortest Blight in history, stopped before it had the chance to gain its full momentum. Nevertheless, the damage was immense and Ferelden was still recovering ten years after the Blight had ended.
== Prelude ==
=== Awakening Urthemiel ===
The Architect, an intelligent darkspawn, found the Old God Urthemiel and attempted to convert it into a disciple, hoping in doing so to unravel the darkspawn's compulsion to seek the Old Gods at their source. The experiment went wrong however, and Urthemiel was instead tainted and transformed into an Archdemon. With an Archdemon to lead and rally them, the darkspawn began massing into a substantial military force.
The lands of southern Ferelden became the focal point of the darkspawn's surface invasion. The horde emerged from the Deep Roads into the forests of the Korcari Wilds. Whether by coincidence or design, Ferelden was an ideal target. The nation was weakened from having driven the occupying Orlesians from its borders three decades prior. More importantly, the Grey Wardens had only recently been permitted to re-enter Ferelden, and their numbers were few.
The first hints of the Blight were sensed by the Grey Wardens in 9:25 Dragon, but the bulk of the horde wasn't detected until much later. Dwarven scholars, however, place the beginning of it earlier, in 9:13, with the fall of Bownammar. According to the Memories, the horde raised by Urthemiel was more numerous than ever before.Codex entry: Stalata Negat 
== Grey Warden involvement ==
Grey Wardens had long been entrusted with the task of slaying Archdemons during Blights. With so few present in Ferelden, the Warden-Commander, Duncan, undertook a search for new recruits. Prior to the first major engagements at Ostagar, Grey Warden candidates were searched for in Denerim, Redcliffe, Highever, Orzammar, the Circle of Magi of Lake Calenhad, and the Brecilian Forest. 
When informed about the Blight, King Cailan reached out to the Orlesian Grey Wardens for help. Among the Wardens Cailan contacted was Clarel de Chanson.According to dialogue with Stroud in Dragon Age: Inquisition. The Fereldan Grey Wardens were to be reinforced by 200 or so Grey Wardens, two dozen divisions of cavalry,According to Riordan's dialogue during Rescue the Queen and four legions of ChevaliersAccording to Loghain during The Landsmeet. sent from Orlais. The Orlesian Grey Wardens, however, were prevented from entering Ferelden by Loghain.
The Warden (one of Duncan's recent recruits) and the Grey Warden Alistair were rescued from the catastrophic Battle of Ostagar by Flemeth and nursed back to health in her hut within the Korcari Wilds. As the only surviving Fereldan Grey Wardens after the massacre in Ostagar, it falls on them to recover the war effort against the Blight and slay the Archdemon.
=== Treaties ===
Prior to the Battle of Ostagar, the Grey Warden Joining candidates, including the Warden, ventured into the Korcari Wilds with Alistair and retrieved ancient treaties as part of the preparations for their initiation. Alistair and the Warden retained the treaties and acted independently to deliver them after the disastrous battle at Ostagar. The long-standing treaties compelled the Dalish elves, the Circle mages, and the Orzammar dwarves to aid the Grey Wardens during a Blight.
==== Reviving Arl Eamon ====
The surviving Fereldan Wardens sought Arl Eamon, uncle of the late King Cailan, in the hopes of mustering troops from the Fereldan nobility. Upon arriving in Redcliffe they learned that the arl had fallen ill and was near death. Teyrn Loghain had employed an apostate named Jowan to poison Arl Eamon sometime before the Battle of Ostagar,When asking Ser Donall, "Do you think Loghain is involved with the arl's [Eamon Guerrin] illness?", Donall responds, "The arl fell ill before the king [Cailan Theirin] died. But what if Loghain planned that too? Ah, such thoughts do not sit well with me." and Eamon's mage-son became an abomination in a misguided attempt to cure his father. Eamon's knights had gone in pursuit of the fabled Ashes of Andraste, Eamon's only hope for a cure, and the village surrounding the Keep was beset by a host of animated corpses. The Wardens found and stopped the Desire demon behind the undead before joining the search for Eamon's cure. 
The Warden followed up on a lead that led them to Brother Genitivi, who was being held captive by the Disciples of Andraste in the village of Haven. After the Warden rescued Brother Genitivi, Genitivi revealed that the urn containing Andraste's ashes was being held in a secret temple at the top of the Frostback Mountains. The Warden had to brave the dangers of the Frostback's Mountainside Caverns and pass the trials of the GauntletA Test of Faith in order to reach the Urn of Andraste. After the Wardens secured the Ashes of Andraste in the Ruined Temple, they used a Pinch of Sacred Ash to cure Eamon of his illness. Once recovered, Eamon committed his resources to aiding the Wardens fight the Blight and rallying the Fereldans who opposed Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir in the Fereldan Civil War.
==== Orzammar Interregnum ====
In 9:30 Dragon, dwarven society in the city of Orzammar was fractured by the death of King Endrin Aeducan. There was a power struggle in Orzammar following this event, meaning there was no king who could be compelled to assist the Grey Wardens in fighting the Blight. Two serious contenders emerged during the political infighting: Lord Harrowmont and Bhelen Aeducan.
The Warden schemes to place one of the candidates on the throne in order to resolve the succession crisis. The Warden performs various tasks that promote the political campaign of the candidate the Warden seeks to ingratiate themselves with—including decimating the ranks of the Carta in Dust Town. Eventually, a candidate sends the Warden to get the endorsement of Paragon Branka, whose support would outweigh the Assembly and would therefore decide who becomes the next king of Orzammar.
Into the Deep Roads the surviving Wardens went, searching for Paragon Branka in hopes she could settle the unrest in Orzammar and unite the dwarves in the battle against the Archdemon. The Warden discovered that Branka sacrificed her entire House to the darkspawn in order to reach the Anvil of the Void: the key to manufacturing golems. The Warden found another Paragon: the legendary Caridin, who warned that the Anvil of the Void was historically used to enslave innocents and volunteers alike by binding them to controllable golem bodies; he is therefore determined to destroy it. Branka however, thought the golems were the solution to returning the dwarves to their former glory and offered to make golems for the Warden in exchange for helping her safeguard the Anvil of the Void from Caridin. The Warden can either side with Branka and gain golems as a resource to fight the Blight, or side with Caridin and help him prevent such an evil from being inflicted on the world again.
Whoever the Warden fought is slain in the ensuing battle. The surviving Paragon then forged a crown that ended all question of succession and the Warden granted that crown to the candidate of their choice. With a new king of Orzammar crowned, the dwarven armies marched for the surface.
==== Dalish elf-Werewolf conflict ====
The Dalish elf clan led by Keeper Zathrian was encountered by the Grey Wardens in the Brecilian Forest during the Fifth Blight. The Dalish were unable to guarantee their assistance, however, as clan members had recently become afflicted with lycanthropy and were under attack from werewolves. Keeper Zathrian states that if the Warden could get him the heart of the legendary wolf Witherfang, then he can cure his afflicted people and fulfill their obligations.
Further Grey Warden investigation led to the discovery of the Lady of the Forest, the leader of the werewolves, and of the curse's origins with Zathrian.
The Lady of the Forest revealed that centuries ago, Zathrian's children were terribly abused by a group of humans who sought to drive the Dalish from the Brecilian Forest. In order to get revenge, Zathrian bound the spirit of the forest into a wolf which became the legendary Witherfang; Witherfang spread the werewolf curse to the humans who have wronged Zathrian. The guilty humans had eventually died in time but the werewolf curse endured and passed on to their brethren who were uninvolved with the crime. Witherfang evolved to have a gentler side and became the Lady of the Forest. The Lady sympathized with the innocent werewolves' plight and sought to aid them in breaking free from the curse. Zathrian has ignored their pleas many times so the werewolves spread the curse to his Dalish clan as an incentive to end the curse. The Lady of the Forest also reveals that Zathrian's blood was used in the creation of the curse and thus his long-lived life is tied to the prolonging of the werewolf curse. She believes revenge isn't Zathrian's only motivation and that he seeks to maintain the curse to avoid death.
The Warden can either help Zathrian kill Witherfang and take its heart to him, kill both Zathrian and the werewolves during a parley after Zathrian reveals that his First, Lanaya, knows how to use the Heart of the Forest to cure the werewolf curse, or help the werewolves convince Zathrian to end the werewolf curse. Either way will cure the Dalish afflicted by the curse and free the elves to join the Warden's army. Alternatively, the Warden can incite the werewolves and the Lady of the Forest to give up on trying to get Zathrian to break the curse and just kill the Keeper and his Dalish clan. The Warden will assist in the elven massacre and once the elves are annihilated, the werewolves and the Lady of the Forest will pledge to aid the Warden against the Blight.
==== A revolt in the Circle Tower ====
A chaotic situation occurred at the Circle of Magi shortly after the Battle of Ostagar. Uldred, one of the senior mages present at the Battle of Ostagar, had survived the battle and managed to return to the Circle. He attempted to persuade the Circle to support Loghain, but when Wynne, another senior enchanter who also survived the battle, revealed Loghain's treachery, the Circle denied their support. Uldred then attempted to stage a coup and became possessed by a pride demon. The Circle Tower was subsequently overrun by abominations, several blood mages, and demons; which the Grey Wardens had to deal with before either the templars or the Circle mages could assist them against the Blight.
Knight-Commander Greagoir will only allow the surviving mages to be conscripted into the Warden's army if First Enchanter Irving is alive to reassure Greagoir that the Circle of Magi is free of blood mages and abominations, and also if the Warden does not deny that order has been restored. Should Irving die during the confrontation with Uldred or the Warden express doubt that the surviving mages are free of corruption, then Greagoir will place the surviving mages into containment and offer his own templars to fight in the Warden's army.
=== The Stone Prisoner ===
While the Warden was traveling through Sulcher's Pass, they encounter a merchant named Felix de Grosbois who offers to give away his control rod as he fears it would make him a target for bandits on his travels. Felix explains the control rod controls a stone golem in Honnleath and provides the Warden with the command phrase to wake up the golem should the Warden accept his offer.
When the Warden travels to Honnleath, the Warden finds that the village is under attack by darkspawn. After dispatching the invading darkspawn, the Warden discovers that the command phrase given to them doesn't awaken the stone golem after all. After investigating the village, the Warden enters Wilhelm's Cellar and discovers Matthias and several Honnleath villagers taking refuge behind a magical barrier. 
While the Honnleath villagers flee to safety, Matthias explains that he is the son of Wilhelm Sulzbacher, the previous owner of the stone golem known as Shale. It is believed that Shale murdered Wilhelm years ago and Wilhelm's wife sold off the control rod but gave away the wrong command phrase. Matthias is willing to provide the correct command phrase to wake Shale up if he rescues his daughter, Amalia, from Wilhelm's old laboratory. Amalia ran into the laboratory not too long ago out of fear of the darkspawn and the man who chased after her was slain by the laboratory's magical defenses.
The Warden fights numerous shades to reach the laboratory only to find that Amalia has been emotionally manipulated by a Kitty that is in truth a desire demon in disguise. The desire demon is holding Amalia hostage and refuses to let her leave unless the Warden disarms the wards in the laboratory that is keeping the desire demon trapped and allow it to possess Amalia. The Warden can negotiate with the desire demon to allow it to possess Amalia and dupe an unbeknownst Matthias; deceive the desire demon by pretending to be cooperative only to double-cross it after disarming the wards (and also allowing Amalia to escape unharmed once she sees how dangerous the desire demon is), refuse to negotiate with the desire demon and slay both it and Amalia once Amalia becomes possessed, let Matthias know about Amalia's circumstances (which will result in Matthias becoming possessed) or deceive him into believing Amalia is dead. Either way, the Warden obtains the command phrase from Matthias. The Warden can then use the command phrase and control rod to awaken Shale and recruit the stone golem as a companion.
=== Warden's Keep ===
Levi Dryden contacted the Warden at their camp to get the Wardens to fulfill a promise that their mentor, Duncan, had pledge to oblige. Levi Dryden is a descendant of Sophia Dryden, the last Warden-Commander of Ferelden during the Storm Age. Levi was under the impression that long ago, King Arland Theirin viewed the Grey Wardens as freeloaders and that Sophia Dryden defied him by upholding the relevance of the Grey Wardens' cause. For her vigilance against the Blight, King Arland had Sophia Dryden killed in Soldier's Peak, banished the Wardens, and took House Dryden's lands and titles. Levi seeks evidence to clear Sophia Dryden's name and mapped the maze of tunnels leading to Soldier's Peak. However, those who've attempted to travel to Soldier's Peak have never returned—implying that there is some sort of danger. Levi enticed the Grey Wardens with reclaiming Soldier's Peak and its supplies if they help him regain his family's honor.
The Veil is torn at Soldier's Peak and the Warden has to put down undead corpses and demons that have overrun the fortress. With the Fade and its denizens haunting the fortress, the Warden is able to see visions of historical accounts of what truly transpired in Soldier's Peak.
As Levi and the Warden explore Soldier's Peak, they learn that Sophia Dryden involved the Grey Wardens in a rebellion against the tyrannical Fereldan king, Arland Theirin. The Grey Wardens were eventually cornered at Soldier's Peak and were being overwhelmed by Arland's men. Some Grey Wardens regretted that Sophia forced them to get involve in a political conflict as it jeopardized the Grey Wardens' neutrality, while others thought Sophia's cause was righteous. In order to turn the tide of battle, a blood mage Grey Warden named Avernus tore open the Veil and started summoning demons to fight the king's men—which Sophia Dryden encouraged. However, the demons killed indiscriminately and killed Wardens and Fereldan royalists alike. Unable to control the situation and seeing the battle as lost, Avernus and his acolytes abandoned Sophia and the Fereldan soldiers to the demon hordes.
A demon had eventually possessed the corpse of Sophia Dryden. For years, Avernus has locked himself in his mage tower and used his magic to keep the demons locked in the fortress.
Avernus has also been researching on how to weaponize the taint in Grey Warden blood and perhaps even master it to the point where the taint no longer kills them.Codex entry: Avernus's Notes In order to efficiently further his research, Avernus conducted painful experiments on his fellow Grey Wardens. He managed to create an Alchemical Concoction that unlocked the Power of Blood in Grey Wardens, but ran out of test subjects to help further refine it. Avernus had hoped he could use his research to defeat the demons that have overrun Soldier's Peak but as a fallback plan, Avernus contacted Levi in his dreams and guided him to reach the fortress. Although he was unaware that Levi was a Dryden, Avernus was pleased that Levi brought forces to whittle down the demonic squatters.
In order to rid Soldier's Peak of its plague of demons, the Warden must ally with either Avernus or the possessed Sophia Dryden. The possessed Sophia Dryden seeks to see the world and is willing to seal the Veil if the Warden kills Avernus and lets her go free afterwards. Alternatively, Avernus simply wants to undo his mistake and cleanse Soldier's Peak. Either collaborator can aid the Warden in sealing the Veil.
Levi can learn the truth about Sophia Dryden's character from either Avernus or the possessed corpse of Sophia Dryden. Sophia was both heroic and flawed; while some would consider her cause righteous, her career was marred by her allowance of forbidden magic and her controversial political ambitions. However, there is no physical evidence to serve as proof of their claims—just the word of the witness.
Once Soldier's Peak is purged of demons, the Warden must decide the fate of their collaborator. If the Warden allied with Avernus, the Warden can permit Avernus to continue his experiments—either with ethical limitations or unrestricted. Alternatively, the Warden can exile Avernus or sentence him to death for his crimes.
If the Warden allied with the possessed Sophia Dryden, the Warden can kill her once she sealed the Veil or honor their deal and allow her to escape the fortress unharmed.
=== Return to Ostagar ===
While traveling through Bann Loren's Lands, the Warden finds Bann Loren's men cornering and stabbing a man. Once Bann Loren's men are no longer a threat, the Warden speaks to the mortally wounded man who reveals himself to be Elric Maraigne, one of King Cailan Theirin's honor guard. Elric tells the Warden that he was entrusted by Cailan to deliver the key to his royal arms chest to the Grey Wardens in the event of his death. Cailan's chest contains Maric's Blade and Secret Correspondence documents that can be politically damaging if it fell in the wrong hands. 
Since he feared he would lose the key on the battlefield, Elric hid the key behind a loose stone in the base of a statue at the Ostagar camp. When Loghain abandoned Cailan's army during the Battle of Ostagar, Elric fled the battlefield. He was captured by Bann Loren but escaped captivity and tried to hide in the woods until Bann Loren's men hunted him down. Aside from retrieving the contents of Cailan's chest, Elric's other request is that the Warden give Cailan's corpse a proper send-off if they should encounter it.A King's Confidant
The Warden returns to Ostagar—dispatching the occupying darkspawn, reclaiming the arms and armor of those who fell at Ostagar, and securing the contents of Cailan's chest. The Warden also found King Cailan's corpse crucified by the darkspawn on the bridge to the Tower of Ishal. In order to preserve the dignity of the fallen king and Ferelden, the Warden can properly dispose of King Cailan's body.
== Conflicts of the Fifth Blight ==
=== Siege of Castle Cousland ===
Under the command of Arl Rendon Howe, Amaranthine's forces occupied the Teyrnir of Highever and laid siege to Castle Cousland, while Teyrn Bryce Cousland was mustering his troops to join the war effort at Ostagar. The conflict resulted in the near-annihilation of the Cousland family line and the conquest of Highever by Arl Howe, who later became Teyrn of the land under the de facto rule of Loghain Mac Tir. Though fought shortly before the beginning of the Fifth Blight and the Fereldan Civil War, it was later a major factor in the discord among the Fereldan nobility, not least because of Loghain's support of Howe and his actions.
=== Battle of Ostagar ===
The darkspawn first exposed their true numbers in 9:30 during the devastating Battle of Ostagar. The army of Ferelden assembled at Ostagar under the command of King Cailan in an attempt to break the darkspawn horde. A plan was made in which the King's army would draw the darkspawn horde into a skirmish. At a pre-arranged signal, Teyrn Loghain would then flank the horde with his troops. When the moment arrived for the plan to be put into motion, things went awry. The tower was overrun by darkspawn, delaying the lighting of the signal. When the signal was lit, the Teyrn retreated. This action resulted in the loss of the king's army, the king himself, and all but two of Ferelden's Grey Wardens.
=== Darkspawn advance ===
The defeat at Ostagar left Ferelden increasingly undefended, and the darkspawn were able to push northwards into the nation's heartland, unopposed by any force of significant size.According to Varric's narration during The Destruction of Lothering. Ferelden soldiers were still active in attempting to protect the roads from darkspawn, but could do little against the main horde. Many villages and towns were attacked by darkspawn war bands advancing ahead of the horde, spreading terror and disrupting the nation's supply lines and attempts at defense.Mentioned in rumors from Bodahn Feddic or the Bartender, and the patrons in the taverns of Lothering and Redcliffe, or outside the gates of Orzammar.
A few days after the Battle of Ostagar,As hinted by Carver during The Destruction of Lothering. the village of Lothering was overrun by the advancing horde. Only a handful of survivors were able to escape before the darkspawn attacked the village. Another host of the horde also attacked the town of Gwaren in the east. Most of the population of Gwaren managed to survive, however, as they left the town with ships. Meanwhile, the bulk of the darkspawn horde marched to the southwest, laying waste to the southern landsAccording to Arl Wulf during The Landsmeet., including the village of Honnleath.As seen in the quest The Golem in Honnleath.
As the horde advanced, the land itself began to be corrupted. The skies turned black, vegetation began to die, ghouls and strange mutant creatures began to roam in the wilderness, and the blight disease spread across the kingdom faster than the horde. Even before the main darkspawn force made its way north, reports surfaced of people disappearing all over the country, leaving farmholds and wagons completely abandoned.According to dialogue with Danal in Dane's Refuge. They left no bodies behind and any prisoners were presumably taken into the Deep Roads by the darkspawn.According to dialogue with Bodahn Feddic when you ask him where he got his merchandise.
Once the south was taken over, the bulk of the darkspawn horde began to slowly move into the heartlands. The Southron Hills and the Southern Bannorn were overrun.As seen in the quests Caravan Down and Desperate Haven A branch of the horde continued north across Lake Calenhad and attacked the arling of the West Hills, reaching as far as the village of Crestwood. A part of this host was stopped by Crestwood's mayor, who flooded the old Crestwood village to kill the beasts and the blight diseased refugees who were hiding in the nearby caverns.Codex entry: Letter Of Confession.
=== Fereldan Civil War ===
Following King Cailan's death at Ostagar, Loghain usurped the throne and declared himself Regent. This caused major upheaval as some of Ferelden's nobles, either disbelieving his explanation of the disaster at Ostagar or feeling that Loghain was opportunistically grabbing a throne he had no claim to, refused to acknowledge his authority and demanded he resign the regency. Loghain's refusal to do so and his violent, heavy-handed tactics to force the nobility to comply to his demands sparked off a civil war. 
As part of his propaganda, Loghain blamed the Grey Wardens for the king's defeat at Ostagar and branded them outlaws. He then hired an Antivan Crow assassin to kill the two remaining Wardens in Ferelden. Meanwhile, his closest ally, Arl Howe, usurped the Arling of Denerim and engaged in the torture and imprisonment of subversive nobles, as well as other intrigues, during Loghain's reign.
Having lost contact with Ferelden's Grey Wardens, the Grey Wardens of Orlais decided to dispatch a Warden native to Ferelden, Riordan, to infiltrate the country and find out what had become of them. After reaching Denerim, Riordan soon fell into a trap set by Rendon Howe, and was made prisoner and tortured by the treacherous Arl.See the quest Rescue the Queen
Meanwhile, the Orlesian Wardens remained vigilant at the border, making no attempts to enter Ferelden by force. From their perspective, if they expended themselves against Loghain, then they would risk the Blight devastating Thedas once again. They decided to save their forces to fight the advancing darkspawn horde, even if that meant sacrificing Ferelden to the Blight.Codex entry: A Fine Time to Close a Border
The civil war was resolved when Arl Eamon Guerrin, the Teyrn's major political opponent, called for a Landsmeet, resulting in the reunification of Ferelden under the crown. 
Some time before the Landsmeet, Riordan had been rescued by the Fereldan Wardens. Realizing they were still novice members of the Order, he shared with them all the knowledge he had about the Blight.
=== Impact of the Blight and the Civil War on Ferelden ===
The advance of the darkspawn horde and the civil war caused a civil breakdown in the kingdom. Banditry and brigandage became commonplace with gangs of highwaymen taking advantage of the chaos to prey upon refugees, trade caravans and undefended townships,As seen when the Warden arrives to Lothering for the first time as banns and their soldiers were busy fighting against each other, and were unable to protect their lands. After the news of the death of King Cailan spreaded across the kingdom, riots and food shortages became commonplace. Humans usually attacked alienages to steal any food the elves may had.Dragon Age: Last Flight, chapter 6.
Denerim citizens began to fall ill to the taint as blight diseased refugees sought safe shelter in the city. A virulent outbreak spread quickly in the Denerim Alienage, killing many elves within days.According to dialogue with Shianni during Unrest in the Alienage.
=== Battle of Redcliffe ===
The Grey Warden allies gathered at Redcliffe. Redcliffe Village was under attack by several darkspawn ogres, emissaries, and numerous darkspawn troops. After a brief siege at the fortress' gates, the attacking force was pushed back. However, the attack on Redcliffe was a strategic feint: the bulk of the horde was actually marching on Denerim, with the Archdemon Urthemiel finally revealing itself at its head. After the Warden annihilated the enemy at Redcliffe, the allied army quickly set off to meet the Archdemon's main force at the capital.
=== Battle of Denerim ===
In 9:31,Dragon Age: Inquisition Official Strategy Guide, p.5 the darkspawn horde, led by Urthemiel himself, reached Denerim and attacked before the reinforcements from Redcliffe could arrive. It was estimated to be three times bigger than the allied army the Grey Wardens had formed. The city gates, the elven alienage and the market district saw the fiercest fighting until the hurlock generals were slain by the Warden. Fort Drakon was captured by the darkspawn, and was reinforced following the downing of the Archdemon, who had been brought down by injuries inflicted by Riordan atop the fortress's roof, unable to escape by air. A small team led by the Warden assaulted the fortress and, despite the efforts of the darkspawn garrison to protect it, Urthemiel was slain. With his death, the darkspawn horde, bereft of leadership and direction, lost the will to fight on, and as the bulk of the Fereldan Coalition forces counterattacked, the darkspawn abandoned Denerim.
The Fifth Blight had ended before most of Thedas knew it had begun. 
== Aftermath ==
With the death of the Archdemon the horde scattered, but many of the more powerful darkspawn survived to organize small war bands that warred with each other, and terrorized settlements along the coast of the Waking Sea.See the epilogue The Orlesian Grey Wardens were in charge of chasing off those stragglers during the Thaw Hunt.According to dialogue with a romanced Warden Alistair in Dragon Age: Inquisition. The most violent hunts took place in the Arling of Amaranthine.Dragon Age: Warden's Fall The darkspawn would later emerge again in significant numbers under the command of two new intelligent darkspawn, the Mother and the Architect, who were engaged in a civil war over ideology.
However, immediately following the Battle of Denerim, the focus among Fereldans was the victory over the Blight. The nation had been saved and embarked in a slow process of rebuilding, while all Ferelden rose up in joy for the coronation of its new ruler (either King Alistair, Queen Anora, or both ruling together). The Warden, who was responsible for leading the effort that ended the Blight, was acclaimed as the Hero of Ferelden, and accorded the highest honour across Thedas. The Fereldan Grey Wardens began to rebuild their presence in the kingdom with the assistance of their comrades from Orlais. They were granted Vigil's Keep and the surrounding lands of Amaranthine for this purpose.
If no Grey Warden participated in Morrigan's Ritual, then the Grey Warden who died to destroy the archdemon is memorialized and revered for making the ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure the safety of the world. Even Riordan is honored with a statue in Denerim's market district for his role in sacrificing himself in order to ground the archdemon. 
However, if one of the Fereldan Grey Wardens participated in Morrigan's Ritual, then the Grey Wardens begin to question how no Grey Warden died in the slaying of the archdemon. The surviving Fereldan Grey Wardens are either ignorant or intent on keeping the cause of their survival a secret. As good as her word, Morrigan disappeared once the archdemon was slain. Someone of Morrigan's description was seen traveling alone months later, heading west through the Frostback Mountains... and she may even have been with child.
Despite the Fifth Blight never having reached the level of destruction its predecessors had inflicted, Ferelden was hit hard by the combined hardship of the Blight, the civil war, the (potential) annulment of the Circle and the re-emergence of werewolves in the Brecilian Forest. The land itself was also ravaged during the Blight, and the recovery of the environment was slow. In 9:32, efforts were made to rebuild Lothering,According to the World map in the Witch Hunt DLC however by 9:34 the town was finally abandoned as the Blight had poisoned the land. It is believed that it will take decades for the region, now known as the Blightlands, to recover; while others believe the land is corrupted beyond recovery.Letter: A Message from Lothering The rest of the kingdom didn't fare much better. Most regions were still recovering by 9:37,According to Alistair during the quest King Alistair while others, such as Crestwood, were still in ruins by 9:41 Dragon.See the Village of Crestwood in Dragon Age: Inquisition
Perhaps the most surprising consequence of the Blight, however, would not be felt until 9:37 Dragon. During the Blight, many Fereldans fled north to the Free Marches, where many would stay for years to come. Amongst the refugees was a young human by the name of Hawke, who would become a central figure in the politics of Kirkwall, rising to prominence and eventually becoming the future Champion of Kirkwall.
== Notable veterans ==
* The Warden – Grey Warden (possibly KIA)
* Duncan – Fereldan Commander of the Grey (KIA)
* Riordan – senior Grey Warden (KIA)
* Alistair – Grey Warden (possibly KIA)
* Cailan Theirin – King of Ferelden (KIA)
* Eamon Guerrin – Arl of Redcliffe
* Teagan Guerrin – Bann of Rainesfere
* Loghain Mac Tir – Teyrn of Gwaren (possibly KIA)
* Fergus Cousland - Teyrn of Highever
* Greagoir – Knight-Commander of the Fereldan Templar Order
* Irving – First Enchanter of the Fereldan Circle of Magi (possibly KIA)
* Wynne – Senior Enchanter of the Fereldan Circle of Magi (possibly KIA)
* Aveline Vallen – a soldier
* Hawke – a soldier (if class selected is a warrior or rogue)
* Carver Hawke – a soldier (possibly KIA)
* Morrigan – a Witch of the Wilds
* Oghren – a dwarven berserker
* Ser Aaron Hawthorne – a survivor of the Battle of OstagarDragon Age: Knight Errant, number 1
* Leliana – Orlesian bard (possibly KIA)
* Zevran – Antivan crow (possibly KIA)
* Sten – Qunari warrior possibly KIA)
* Shale – stone golem
* Sandal – a dwarven rune savant
* Dog – a mabari warhound (possibly KIA)
== Codex entries ==
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== See also ==
* Storyline for Dragon Age: Origins
== References ==
Category:Conflicts
Category:History
ru:Пятый Мор