Vigil's Keep

Vigil's Keep is an ancient fortress in the Arling of Amaranthine, in northeast Ferelden.

Purpose / Function

Vigil's Keep is the Grey Wardens main base in Ferelden.

History

The fortress was built by the Alamarri Avvar to stop the Tevinter advance from the North. It was built over caves leading to the Deep Roads, believed to be carved as a gift from Korth, an Avvar god of mountains.
The Avvar residing in the fortress lived peacefully with the dwarves, which was unusual as the dwarves were allied with their enemy, the Tevinters. The alliance of Avvar and dwarves predates building the fortress.
As the Avvar culture declined, the ownership of the keep changed, eventually becoming the property of the Ferelden noble Howe family, from which they governed the entire Arling of Amaranthine.
Vigil's Keep was the first fortress to fall during the Orlesian invasion in Ferelden and the last to be liberated during the Ferelden Rebellion.
In 9:31 Dragon, after Arl Rendon Howe disgraced his family during the Fifth Blight, the Howes were stripped of all their holdings, including Vigil's Keep. The keep itself was then run by Ferelden soldiers. The last soldier to be in charge of the keep was Lieutenant Gable. The stronghold became a temporary base for Orlesian Grey Wardens who were helping Ferelden in the aftermath of the Blight, killing darkspawn stragglers.
The keep was officially given to the Grey Wardens by the Ferelden monarchy along with the rest of the Arling. Warden-Commander Kallian Tabris was appointed to reestablish the Grey Wardens' presence in Ferelden, using Vigil's Keep as the order's main base.
The Warden-Commander's victory against the invading darkspawn army at Vigil's Keep in 9:31 Dragon has become one of the most important and famous military victories in the history of the Grey Warden order.
The soldiers of Vigil's Keep are known as the Silver Order. Under the tutelage of the Wardens, the Silver Order developed into one of Ferelden's most revered military forces, a lasting memory of the Vigil's famous commander.

Alternative Names

The Vigil, Fort of a Thousand Vigils

Type

Keep

Parent Location

Amaranthine

Owner

Kallian Tabris

Owning Organization

Grey Wardens