Haven
Haven is a small village in the Frostback Mountains. It was not found on most maps or widely heard of until quite recently.
History
While traditions in larger, urban, and more welcoming parts of Ferelden grew and evolved over time, Haven was a bastion of privacy that was almost entirely forgotten to time. They practiced strange traditions that were similar but also heretical to the Chantry. For example, they believed that the Maker was a male and that their priests should all be men. They also believed that Andraste had been reborn and had taken the form of a dragon that rested at the top of their mountain.
This place didn't gain public attention until after the Ferelden Civil War when members of Ferelden nobility began prodding questions towards Arl Eamon Vuerrin of Redcliffe. During the civil war, the arl had been found unconscious but had somehow made a miraculous recovery. People questioned his recovery and after a few years of questioning he revealed that he had been cured by the sacred ashes of Andraste.
Shocked at the supposed discovery of Andraste's missing ashes, many began directing their questions towards the Chantry. Before long, the religious institution revealed the location of Haven and that Andraste's sacred ashes had been found there. In truth, it was quickly found that an entire temple had been built up near Haven and was dubbed the Temple of Sacred Ashes.
Devout pilgrims began flooding up into the Frostbacks and into Haven, hoping to see the temple for themselves. Unfortunately, a dragon laid in between them and seeing these ashes. From stories of those who made the pilgrimage to Haven, it was apparent that the cultists who lived up there practiced a very different ideology. The cultists rarely bothered these pilgrims. However, one day, the cultists of Haven attacked these pilgrims. Eventually, a group of Templars were sent up into Haven and had no choice but to kill all of Haven's denizens. Not long after, reconstruction on the Temple of Sacred Ashes began in those snowy hills.
The dragon that was up in those mountains disappeared after Haven’s people died. Pilgrims were able to make their way into the temple, but by the time they did they found that the ashes were no longer there. Some believed that the ashes never existed, others claimed that the cult had taken them, while others believed the Maker had taken the ashes away deeming mankind unworthy. The dragon wasn’t gone forever. It eventually ravaged Ferelden lowlands for a time, until eventually making a den somewhere else that has not yet been found.
Chantry Statement
"I would like to speak to you of Haven—the village in the Frostbacks, close to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. We are all aware of its past. It was home to the 'Disciples of Andraste', as they called themselves. Descended from the people who built the temple itself, they had strayed, over years of isolation, from their once-noble roots to become dragon worshippers. After the discovery of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, which the Disciples guarded jealously, what remained of the cult moved on, and Haven was abandoned to the ice and the snow. I passed through Haven on my pilgrimage to see the Temple of the Sacred Ashes. There was a storm, and I took shelter in the hall of Haven's Chantry. Though they were dusty from neglect, the walls of that lonely place were strong and shielded me from the biting winds. Peace came upon me, and my eyes were opened to Haven's incredible beauty. It could not be overcome by the pain and the horror of the past. It could not be masked by decay and disuse. It would not be forgotten. Haven is precious to Orlais, to the Chantry, and to the Sunburst Throne for its historical and religious significance. It is my will that Haven be restored, rededicated to the service of Andraste, and preserved for the ages. Let it be a sanctuary for the pilgrims who seek out the Temple of Sacred Ashes. May they rest here beneath the cold, bright skies. May the glory of the Maker be revealed to them, as they gaze upon the grey peaks that are the work of His hand. Now and forever more, let this be a Haven for the faithful."
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