Bhelen Aeducan

"*We need absolute unity to fight against the fulcrum of true evil.*"

Prince **Bhelen Aeducan** is the third son of King Endrin Aeducan with Trian and Hanali Aeducan being his elder siblings.

## Background

Third of King Endrin Aeducan's children, Bhelen of House Aeducan has always been considered the last and least important of his family. Not the heir, nor the favourite, and not as accomplished as either sibling, Bhelen's most notable trait is his ability to stay out of trouble. Bhelen also has a concubine, Rica Brosca, the sister of the Seris Brosca.

## Involvement

### *Dragon Age: Origins*

#### Dwarf Noble Origin

**This section contains spoilers for:
*Dragon Age: Origins*.**

The Dwarf Noble Warden is the second, and most popular, of the Aeducan children. They encounter Bhelen alongside Trian, their older brother as the duo are perusing the market stalls in the Diamond Quarter. Trian, lording over Bhelen, forces him to come along with him, during which, Bhelen mentions, Trian has been hurling abuse at casteless dwarves. Here it is suggested that the Dwarf Noble has a good relationship with their younger brother, while they both are on bad terms with Trian.

Shortly after the Warden is pronounced Commander, Bhelen privately reveals that Trian plans to remove the Dwarf Noble from the picture, assuring himself the throne. The Dwarf Noble may express a desire to kill Trian or to wait for him to make the first move.

If their intention is to kill him, after leaving the Aeducan Thaig, Trian and a group of royal guards will be waiting at the crossroads and a fight will break out. If the more cautious approach is taken, Trian and his guards will be lying slain on arrival. Shortly after the Dwarf Noble examines his corpse, the King, Bhelen and Lord Harrowmont will arrive demanding answers. Regardless of what actually happened, the scout and Frandlin Ivo give the exact same damning testimony.

 File:Prince Bhelen Aeducan.png
When the Dwarf Noble is thrown in prison, a sentence is decided for them and Gorim, the Dwarf Noble's second. Gorim is to be stripped of his honor as a warrior, have his name struck from his family's records and be exiled to the surface; Harrowmont pushes for a similar sentence for the Dwarf Noble in the Assembly but Bhelen who was already planning this for some time and had made arrangements with other powerful Houses prevailed; the Dwarf Noble's name and deeds are removed from the Memories and banished into the Deep Roads to find certain death at the hands of darkspawn.

#### Dwarf Commoner Origin

If the Warden is of the Dwarf Commoner Origin, they will return to find that their half-sister, Rica Brosca, has become Bhelen's consort and has borne him a son. Both she and their mother now live in the Royal Palace with Bhelen.

#### A Paragon of Her Kind

After the death of King Endrin Aeducan, Bhelen became the leader of House Aeducan and sought a quick and easy election to the throne. However, Lord Harrowmont, having promised King Endrin on his deathbed that Bhelen would not succeed him, put himself up as an alternative candidate. Their dispute has left the Assembly in deadlock, with no one running the city and the Legion of the Dead being stuck in the Dead Trenches without orders to press ahead. To make matters worse, without a King or Queen to rule Orzammar has closed its entrances from the surface, to the chagrin of the surface dwarves and merchant caste who depend on the trade between Orzammar and the surface.

According to Shaper Czibor, Prince Bhelen is interested in knowing more about the reign of Paragon Bemot, who ruled Orzammar during the Fourth Blight and disbanded the Assembly as well as setting some other precedents. Bhelen also believes in employing casteless in the army.

The Warden, regardless of origin, can choose to support his claim. A Dwarf Commoner is sent to Bhelen's right-hand, Vartag Gavorn, by Rica. Gavorn, however, is suspicious of a Dwarf Noble, thinking they are planning to exact revenge on Bhelen; the Noble has to convince him they are here on behalf of the Wardens through persuasion. Speaking to Wojech Ivo also reveals that his younger brother, Frandlin, became the left-hand of Bhelen.

Bhelen's first task is providing documents to the heads of Houses Dace and Helmi that Harrowmont bribed them for their votes with the same piece of land. However if the documents are taken to the Shaperate it will be revealed that they have been forged. If the Warden completes the first task Gavorn will take them to Bhelen for an audience. The Prince then asks the Warden to go to Dust Town and deal with the Carta, who has taken advantage of the turmoil to extend their holdings in the city. When the Warden returns, Bhelen congratulates the Warden, before asking that they could end the deadlock in the Assembly by finding their only living Paragon, Branka, who disappeared into the Deep Roads with her entire house two years ago in search of the Anvil of the Void. Bhelen also mentions that Harrowmont is also seeking to accomplish the same thing.

If a Dwarf Noble Warden publicly supports him, Bhelen expresses surprise that his sibling has chosen to work with him. Here they can ask him why he turned on them, as well as if he killed their father. Although he leaves it ambiguous as to whether he killed their father, Bhelen defends his actions by saying that even their father inherited the throne after his elder brother died in an Honor Proving against a convicted murderer, and claims that their father coated the murderer's blade with poison to ensure his brother's death. The Dwarf Noble Warden can also claim they are now simply working to put an Aeducan on the throne, to which Bhelen comments that he underestimated his older sibling's pragmatism.

If a Dwarf Commoner Warden publicly supports him, once Bhelen's first task has been completed, Bhelen will warmly embrace them as family.

If Bhelen is crowned king, he calls for Lord Harrowmont's execution to ensure unity in preparation for the Blight. If Harrowmont is crowned instead, Bhelen calls on a group of loyal deshyrs and attacks Harrowmont and the Warden, dying in the ensuing brawl.

Should a male Noble ask his brother to accept his son into House Aeducan, Bhelen agrees to accept Mardy and her son once the Warden finishes helping him become king; he also teases his older brother about using a noble hunter.

If the Warden works for Bhelen consistently and completes all his tasks, as king he will reward the Warden with his elder brother's old hammer; otherwise, if his candidacy does not receive much support he provides an impersonal Aeducan Mace.

If a Dwarf Noble Warden helps him to become the new king, Bhelen also re-inducts their elder sibling into House Aeducan with their name and deeds being restored. If his elder sibling also survives the events of the Fifth Blight his Assembly will name them Paragon with Gorim joining House Aeducan as well. If they die, Bhelen will send Gavorn to the funeral as the royal representative. He asks that the Warden's body be returned to Orzammar so they can bury the body next to their father, all honors restored.

#### Epilogue

 File:Bhelen AeducanHoDA.png
If Bhelen becomes king, he rules as a reformist and works to strengthen Orzammar's connection with the surface world. He embraces military aid from Ferelden if a dwarven Warden asks for this as a boon, reduces restrictions on trade with the surface and offers the casteless greater rights and privileges in exchange for military service against the darkspawn. This policy allows Orzammar to reclaim lost territory and push the darkspawn line back past the Trenches, but angers the warrior and noble castes. After several attempts on his life, Bhelen dissolves the Assembly and rules alone. Opinion is divided as to whether he should be remembered as a tyrant or a progressive ruler determined to drag Orzammar into the modern world.

Should the Anvil of the Void be preserved as well, Bhelen works with Branka to produce more golems. While this allows the dwarves to reclaim relics from old thaigs, eventually Branka refuses to make golems for the king alone and Bhelen bans its use.

If Harrowmont becomes king, despite Bhelen's death, a rebellion borrowing his name rises against Harrowmont. Depending on whether or not the Warden preserved the Anvil, Harrowmont either fails to defeat the rebellion and dies of protracted illness or puts it down with the aid of the golems.

#### *Golems of Amgarrak*

**This section contains spoilers for:
*Golems of Amgarrak*.**

*If a save is imported into the* The Golems of Amgarrak *DLC:*

Jerrik Dace will mention Bhelen to the Warden-Commander, stating that Bhelen recommended them to aid in his attempt to locate his brother, Brogan Dace.

### *Dragon Age II*

**This section contains spoilers for:
*Dragon Age II*.**

*If Bhelen was crowned King:* During the quest Last of His Line, the sole survivor of House Harrowmont, Renvil Harrowmont tells Hawke that Bhelen has been systematically killing every member of House Harrowmont in retaliation for Lord Pyral Harrowmont's attempt to claim the throne. Hawke can kill the last member of the House or aid him in his escape to Kal-Sharok.

Other dwarves will also mention how the new king of Orzammar is enabling more trade with the surface.

### *Dragon Age: Inquisition*

**This section contains spoilers for:
*Dragon Age: Inquisition*.**

During Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts the Inquisitor can overhear the discussion between three dwarven emissaries who gossip on news from Orzammar.

*If Bhelen was crowned King...*
King Aeducan has put considerable coin behind Empress Celene during the Orlesian Civil War in hopes that trade in foodstuffs will resume quickly and the riots over food shortages in Orzammar will end. If the Warden is alive and of dwarven Origin it is mentioned in dialogue that he refuses to declare them as dead and he has vowed to search for their Paragon.

*If the Dwarf Noble survived the events of Dragon Age: Origins:* Bhelen builds a statue in honor of their new Paragon. The statue is grandiose with King Bhelen sparing no expense to honor his sibling as the second Paragon to come from his House.

*If the Dwarf Commoner survived the events of Dragon Age: Origins:* Sometime before 9:41 Dragon, Bhelen married Rica, his former concubine and mother of his son. It is not known if Rica is the new Queen of Orzammar only in this scenario or it happens even if the Dwarf Commoner is not alive or the Warden is of different Origin. Furthermore, King Bhelen had the statue of Paragon Brosca built in front of the Royal Palace instead of the traditional Hall of Heroes, as a statement of how much he wishes Orzammar to venerate his wife's noble House.

Should the Inquisitor travel to the Storm Coast Fissure in order to investigate the unnatural earthquakes in the Deep Roads, it is revealed that King Bhelen wished to meet the Inquisitor in person, but was talked out of it by the deshyrs. If the Inquisitor is a dwarf, it is mentioned that Bhelen has granted the Inquisitor and their Inner Circle free travel between the surface and Orzammar.

In the Frostback Basin the Inquisitor may uncover information about the Inquisition of old which will lead them to appeal to King Bhelen for access in the Shaperate's records. The king will graciously accept and share information about Orinna, a companion of Inquisitor Ameridan.

## Quotes

* "I am impressed, Warden. Not many outsiders so quickly grasp Orzammar's rather... convoluted politics."
* *(After Jarvia is dealt with)* "Well, you've simply outdone yourself. They're talking all over the city about how someone finally went through Dust Town and slaughtered the Carta like genlocks."

### Dialogue

* **Bhelen**: "Then why these delaying tactics? I call for a vote right now. My father has one living child to assume the Aeducan throne. Who would deny him that?"
* **Harrowmont**: "Your father made me swear on his deathbed you would not succeed him."