Rendon Howe

Background

Rendon Howe is a member of the illustrious Howe family, which is one of the oldest noble families in Ferelden, being able to trace their origins back to Elias Howe, who fought with King Calenhad to found Ferelden. The Howes ruled Amaranthine for many generations. Rendon Howe was born during the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden. His father, named Tarleton Howe, supported the Orlesians. The Couslands of Highever defeated Tarleton and hung him. Instead of supporting the Orlesians like his father Rendon wanted to liberate Ferelden and joined Maric Theirin and Loghain Mac Tir's rebellion, like many of Ferelden's nobles. After joining the rebellion he fought alongside Bryce Cousland and Leonas Bryland at the Battle of White River, which was a catastrophic defeat for the rebellion, and was one of the 50 rebel soldiers to survive. He was commended for his bravery and decorated for his service. He also restored the honor of his family and they were gifted the Arling of Amaranthine. While he has an outstanding record of service he is widely disliked by other nobles for his abrasive manners. He also married a woman from an even wealthier family and was always trying to impress her family, usually failing, much to his frustration.

Human Noble Origin

If The Warden is from the Human Noble Origin they will see Rendon Howe a lot earlier in the story than they would otherwise. He first appears talking to the player's father at the very beginning of the origin. They are talking over the military situation and the response to the Darkspawn as well as talking about old battles they were in together when they were fighting for Ferelden independence. Howe tells the player's father that his men are running behind schedule and will arrive after the Cousland forces have departed. The player's father decides to let his oldest son, Fergus take the troops ahead and he will wait with Howe for his men to arrive. During the night it turns out that Howe's men were not late by accident. They attack the unprotected Highever and massacre all the citizens in it, including Fergus's wife and child and the pregnant wife of Ser Jory. The player has to escape with their mother and find their father, with an optional objective of rescuing the Cousland Family Sword and Shield so Howe will not be able to defile them. In the end the player and their mother find their father, but he is mortally wounded and cannot escape with them. The player's mother decides to die together with her husband while Duncan takes the player with him to Ostagar.

After Ostagar

With the death of King Cailan and Loghain's rise to the throne Howe has benefited greatly. Being Loghain's right hand man and his chief confederate he has been granted Arlship of Denerim after imprisoning the Arl of Denerim and been allowed to keep the teyrnir of Highever, claiming that the Couslands were plotting to betray Ferelden to Orlais. Loghain is more of a military strategist than a politician and relies on Howe for political advice. This results in draconian measures like brutalizing the elves in the Denerim Alienage, imprisoning people who express dissent against Loghain, and trying to convince Loghain to kill Queen Anora and blame it on Arl Eamon.

Howe is encountered by the player during the first time they meet Loghain after Ostagar. A Human Noble can accuse him of the slaughter of the Couslands but Loghain will tell the player that Howe has told him that they were plotting against Ferelden with the Orlesians.

The next time the player meets Howe will be when they go to his new Denerim Estate to rescue Anora, who he is planning to kill. The player will meet him in his dungeons where he has imprisoned many people, like Soris (If the player wasn't the Alienage Elf Origin), Rexel, Irminric, Oswyn, and Vaughan, who is the presumed dead son of the previous Arl of Denerim. Freeing several of these people can give the player leverage over Loghain at the Landsmeet. The player runs into Rendon Howe while in his dungeon and kills him. There is a lot of extra dialogue if the player is A Human Noble.

Dragon Age: Awakening

Rendon Howe is not in Dragon Age: Awakening but his son Nathaniel Howe is. He is first met when he is arrested for trying to murder the player in revenge for killing his father. As he joins your party he realizes what a horrible person his father was and how unlike the glorified image he had of him. There is a lot of extra dialogue for a Human Noble. He is angry because Rendon's deeds led to the disgrace of the whole Howe family. He talks about growing up with his father at Vigil's Keep and what Amaranthine was like. He says several small things about the Howe family, Rendon Howe in particular. One fact that can be heard in party banter is that Nathaniel has an unnamed brother.

Quotes

"Rendon Howe was no friend of mine. The boy I knew... died at the battle of White River." - Leonas Bryland, another survivor of the Battle of White River

"The only thing of Howe worth mourning is that he did not die years ago!" - Leonas Bryland

"It will be good to ride into battle once more, won't it, old friend?" - To Bryce Cousland the night before his betrayal

"I made your mother kiss my feet before she died, it was the last thing your father saw. Meet my sword, and change that" - To Human Noble

"Maker spit on you, I deserved more." -When he dies

"Well, well. Bryce Cousland's little boy. All grown up and still trying to fit into daddy's armor." - To Human Noble

"It would appear that you made something of yourself after all. Your father would be proud. I, on the other hand, want you dead more than ever." - To Human Noble

"There it is, right there. That damned look in the eye that marked every Cousland success that held me back." - To Human Noble

"I thought Loghain made it clear that your pathetic family is gone and forgotten!" - To Human Noble

"Is this about your family? Still? But I have done so much more than wipe your name from Fereldan memory." - To Human Noble

Miscellaneous

Rendon Howe is voiced by Tim Curry.

Howe is intimate with a noble named Lady Sophie and has been embezzling from Denerim's treasury.

It is highly likely that the Scout's Medal that can be bought in Vigil's Keep belonged to Rendon Howe for several reasons. It says "In recognition of your bravery at White River" , the battle at which Howe was one of the few survivors. Another reason it's probably his is due to the fact that it's for sale in what used to be his home. The last stems more from gameplay, Howe was a Rogue that was probably specialized as a Scout.

Rendon Howe and his father Tarleton Howe were named after two prominent English soldiers in the Revolutionary War. They were William Howe and Banastre Tarleton, and Rendon Howe even has a resemblance with the former.

Through all the territory he gained Rendon Howe controlled the entire North-Eastern border of Ferelden, probably making him the most powerful man in Ferelden outside of Loghain.

It seems that until he decided to murder the Couslands he was actually trying to marry his daughter, Delilah, to the Male Human Noble.