Lore Video #13: The Howes & Couslands

Sigh Well, let's do it.

First, the Couslands never lost control of Highever. Aldous explains in the human noble origin that the Couslands have held the teyrnir of Highever since before King Calenhad united Ferelden.

Aldous: At any rate, your family has held the teyrnir of Highever since before King Calenhad united Ferelden.

And while Orlais did occupy certain parts of Highever teyrnir, they found it difficult to hold those lands. Several battles were fought near Highever, and it was between the Couslands and Orlesians, not the Howes (as you stated). That means the castle itself was not taken by Orlais. World of Thedas is wrong.

HN: When did Orlais occupy Highever?

Aldous: During your grandfather's rule. Of course, Orlais found it difficult to hold these lands. During the rebellion against Orlais, several battles were fought near Highever. The port village of Harper's Ford was the teyrnir's center. Its arl was Tarleton Howe. Though nearly ninety, he was still as sharp and bitter as cheap ale. Your grandfather openly supported the rebellion, but Howe sided with Orlais. Your family was forced to seize Harper's Ford before it was all over.

HN: Unfortunate, but we couldn't lose Harper's Ford.

(Alt) HN:We fought the Howes?

Aldous: Your grandfather couldn't afford to lose Harper's Ford. In keeping the town, your family drove Orlais from its lands.

And there you have it. World of Thedas is wrong.

Additionally, the main reason Orlais occupied Highever teyrnir at all is because Tarleton Howe betrayed his oaths to Highever and Ferelden. Vigil's Keep was the first fort taken, remember. Harper's Ford was the teyrnir's center, and it had to be defended. The Couslands defended Harper's Ford and did not lose it to Orlais. They did this from Highever castle, not from South Reach. Bryce's father defended Highever, not any Bann Angus Eremon. Highever castle wasn't lost, and the Couslands held the teyrnir center, thus driving Orlais from their lands. World of Thedas is wrong.

On top of all this, the human noble origin also features conversation with Dairren in which he asks who owned the study's collection, with the answer being the human noble's grandfather. This means William lived in Highever castle (as an adult, because these aren't children's books after all) and owned the study and the books within. Furthermore, Dairren can remark that William was something of a scholar with an interest in magical studies. The only way William could have been known as a scholar with an interest in magic is if he lived in Highever castle for a period of years after the occupation to build up that reputation. Otherwise he would have only been known as a teyrn, general, and warrior. World of Thedas is wrong.

And by the way, the fact William was the one to defend the lands also proves he wasn't ill.

On a separate issue, I question the existence of this Bann Angus Eremon. Is he in Stolen Throne? Because if he's just a WoT character then he's probably not real. I write this because we have some backstory on Alfstanna and Irminric. It's stated that Irminric was chosen to inherit the Waking Sea bannorn, but he believed Alfstanna was a better choice and left it to her. So... if this Angus guy died then... how would this succession of the bannorn play out exactly? Seems like both of them would be too young at the time, if born at all. And the way the backstory is worded, I get the impression that this change in power happened during peacetime.

Next, this notion of Rendon Howe returning to his arling contradicts the Vigil's codex. It states that the Vigil, which is the arling of Amaranthine remember, was the last fort to be freed from Orlesian occupation (not counting Fort Drakon, presumably). So if Howe returned to Amaranthine before the end of the war... then he would have gone to a fort full of Orlesians. World of Thedas is wrong.

Okay, now back to the Couslands. As stated in The Guerrins video's comments, the rebellion ended with Meghren's death. Florian stated that he would not devote any more resources to fighting Ferelden. There were no Orlesian ships sent to retake Denerim. So Bryce and Eleanor could not have possibly met each other in this way. World of Thedas is wrong.

Now, the idea that Eleanor was capable of captaining a ship at fifteen, let alone engaging in high-seas combat and actually WINNING against Orlesian warships and being called a monster by Orlesians, this is beyond stupid, and just smacks of Mary Sue fanfiction. There is no way any of this happened.

Next, WoT claims she and Bryce sank a dozen Orlesian warships in the battle of Denerim harbor. Um... how did Orlais make it that far? WoT also states (and I know you didn't mention this in the video, I'm just pointing out another error with WoT) that land forces were stationed along the Storm Coast and Waking Sea bannorn, which are far away from Denerim harbor. So again, how did Orlais make it as far as the harbor? It's a moot question, of course. Florian had no interest in retaking Ferelden, especially when he had no one to rule it for him.

Why would anyone be shocked to see a Cousland enter the castle in seventy years? Who would even be old enough to remember a Cousland? Again, moot question since the Couslands never left Highever. Just pointing out another inconsistency in WoT.

The story of Bryce and Eleanor being the only ones to go to Howe's wedding seems made-up. And banns swearing fealty to Bryce is actually how it is supposed to be. An arl is just a bann who is selected by the teyrn/teyrna as a vassal to manage sections of the teyrnir.

Another problem is in regards to when Bryce and Eleanor married. This sets an arbitrary and cumbersome age ceiling on the human noble. Fergus would be roughly 28 at most, and the human noble would be 27 at most. This is dumb. Anora was 30, by comparison. Nathaniel was 29 or 28. Which reminds me, Nathaniel was born in 9:1 as he was 30 in 9:31, but this would be before Rendon married. But the main point is, why can't the human noble (possible husband to Anora) be the same age as Anora, or older? (BTW, WoT screws up Anora's age as well, making her younger than Cailan.)

The Mather/Haelia thing could be that they were married and shared title and rule similar to the Couslands in DA:O. Mather organized the curfew and city patrols while Haelia went out into the wild to kill the werewolves.

There are more errors in WoT regarding the Couslands, but your video doesn't mention those errors, so I won't bother to refute WoT here. But this is why the acronym for World of Thedas being "WoT" is so fitting, because you read it and you're like... "wot?".