Andraste

(a.k.a. Bride of the Maker, Our Lady Redeemer, Lady of Sorrow, Lady of Restitution, Lady of Perpetual Victory)

Andraste was a woman who rose to greatness, first as a slave of the Tevinter Imperium, then as a prophet, war leader, and religious icon. According to Chantry scholars, Andraste was born into a prosperous Ciriane-Alamarri tribe in -203 Ancient (992 TE) in Denerim, which was then a fishing village. Her mother was a Ciriane woman named Brona and her father, Elderath, was the chieftain of one of the largest Alamarri tribes in what is now northern Ferelden . Andraste was married to Maferath to create a unified Alamarri border that stretched from the Planasene through the Fertile Crescent to the Bannorn. It was at the time the largest alliance the barbarians of the South had ever attempted. As Andraste was too weak to bear children when she married Maferath, he sired three sons with the concubine Gilivhan: Isorath, Evrion and Verald. Andraste adopted them as her own following Gilivhan's death. She did manage to eventually give Maferath two children: daughters named Ebris and Vivial. The daughters were never counted as heirs and were not permitted to marry though relationships and families were still allowed. Ebris partnered and had children, but was as weak as her mother, and died of plague in her late twenties. Her daughter, Alli Vemar, was married, but died in an accident before she could have any children. The other daughter of Andraste, Vivial, fell in love with the Tevinter mage named Regulan, which caused great controversy and led them into exile. All records of her and her daughters were destroyed either by Andraste herself or the Second Blight. It is unknown if any of her descendants still live, as all of her scions were born female, and thus they took their husbands' names in marriage. There have been many claimants in the centuries since, saying that they were related to Andraste, but the Chantry has disavowed each of them. To date there are no known legitimate heirs to Andraste's blood. After their marriage, Elderath was killed in a Tevinter raid and Andraste kidnapped and enslaved, leaving Maferath in control of all northern Alamarri territory, the largest potential force outside of the Imperium. As most of the men were Elderath's, they would only follow Maferath after he successfully negotiated Andraste's release. As her people rallied, Andraste began to see herself as a conduit to the truth of The Maker and what He required for the salvation of the people and declared around -180 Ancient the first Exalted March against the Imperium, who still believed in the heretical Old Gods. The First Blight, which had only ended a few years before, had significantly weakened Tevinter: there was widespread civil unrest over the Blight and the silence of the Old Gods and numerous slave uprisings. The droughts, wildfires and landslides, now commonly believed to either have natural explanations or to be the result of darkspawn interference, were then considered miracles performed by Andraste. As a result, Andraste's march was greatly successful. Andraste also joined forces with the elven leader and former slave Shartan and his people, as they shared a common enemy in the Imperium. Together they fought in the Battle of Valarian Fields in -171 Ancient, one of the biggest victories of the Exalted March. After this battle, Maferath began to believe they had overextended themselves, and were now facing the risk of losing everything they had won, and more. In -170, he conspired with Archon Hessarian and allowed disguised Tevinter forces to enter Andraste's stronghold in the city of Nevarra to capture her and bring her back to Minrathous, where the Archon had her burned at the stake. Archon Hessarian, who ordered Andraste's execution, later converted to following the Chant of Light. According to the Chant, the Archon saw the error of his ways as soon as Andraste was burned. It was he who put the sword through her heart to put her out of her misery, which is why the sword is a symbol of mercy in Andrastian lore. Later, he repented her execution entirely, though Chantry dissenters claim Hessarian only converted because he could not stem the tide against Andraste's followers, who were only emboldened by the death of their leader, and he repented his actions as a means to stay in power. Ten years after Andraste's death, he publicly revealed Maferath's betrayal and proclaimed the Imperium an Andrastian nation, though the Chantry as an organization did not yet exist at this time. Maferath and his court were slain when his betrayal became known.

Holidays

All Souls Day - Beginning of Matrinalis, used to commemorate the death of Andraste, with public fires that mark her immolation and plays that depict her death.