Battle for the Circle Tower

In 9:65 Dragon, the Fereldan Circle Tower was attacked by an army of Abominations led by an apostate mage named Anarmis and former templar Ser Viscazar. The abominations entered through a rift made by a blood mage on the third floor of the tower, dividing the mages on the upper floors and lower floors preventing them from providing reinforcements for each other. While Viscazar kept the mages on the lower floors occupied, Anarmis stormed the Harrowing Chamber, where First Enchanter Irving and a handful of mages were waiting. Anarmis and his abominations captured Irving an his mages inside the Harrowing Chamber, where Anarmis planned to accomplish what Uldred could not.

News reached King Alistair of the attack and he had to make the tough decision of whether to send reinforcements and risk the mages being turned into abominations or wait for the Grey Wardens from Orlais to arrive and send them to retake the tower. His final decision was to wait for the Grey Wardens to arrive.

For three months, the mages were held as prisoners by Anarmis and his abominations. The mages were periodically turned into abominations while the other mages were forced to watch. The Grey Wardens then arrived in Denerim and were told of the situation. Led by Ser Landry,the Wardens arrived at the Tower and began to take it back floor by floor.

A great challenge for the Grey Wardens came when they entered the third level and found Viscazar preparing to execute a group of mages. A battle ensued between Viscazar, his abominations and the Grey Wardens. To ensure the safety of his men, Ser Landry battled Viscazar. The two men fought throughout the Grand Hall with Viscazar sending abominations to try and weaken Ser Landry, but he fought through them and made it to Viscazar. Ser Landry struck down Viscazar and continued towards the Harrowing Chamber where Anarmis was waiting. Ser Landry would go on to capture Anarmis and brought him to Denerim, while the Grey Wardens cleared out the Circle Tower of any remaining abominations and blood mages.

Anarmis was put on trial and sentenced to life imprisonment in Fort Drakon. King Alistair would send a legion of templars to perform the Right of Annulment on any mages who still remained inside the Circle Tower. First Enchanter Irving would step down as First Enchanter of the Circle Tower and control of the tower would shift to the templars who would turn it into a templar headquarters.

Any mages wishing to be trained in magic or enchanting would turn towards the Orzammar Circle of Magi. The Grey Wardens turned to the Orzammar Circle when they would recruit mages to their Order.

With the templars setting up a headquarters at Lake Calenhad, templar presence in Redcliffe would increase and a templar army would be formed in the region to guard the borders and make sure mages from other lands would not settle in Fereldan.

The Battle for the Circle Tower would create many legends and myths, including a child's story about Viscazar the Wicked and his army of the undead. Many scholars would research the event and attempt to figure out why Viscazar left the templar order and what caused his madness. Tensions would continue to rise between the templars and mages which would eventually lead to a mage uprising in Fereldan and had to be put down by King Alistair and his armies when a group of mages attacked Bann Perrin's estate. Bann Perrin would become a large supporter of the templars in the coming years and would openely challenge King Alistair when he would propose a compromise between the templars and mages. Bann Perrin would be sent to Amaranthine to work under the Warden-Commander and where he could cause no trouble for King Alistair.

The events at the Circle Tower would change things in Fereldan for many years to come.