However, he has made a bold move, and has rallied a crowd in the largest market plaza of Starkhaven in the spirit of the Kirkwall Rebellions. The leader of the dissenting voices of the circle, a Human Senior Enchanter named Gideon Hartnell, has remained vocal in his dissatisfaction with the templars while remaining innocent of crimes and rebellious acts committed by those secretly serving under him.
First Enchanter Pentaghast's former life as a Mortalitassi and a distant member of the Nevarran royal family have also poisoned her public image, with people on either side of the conflict fearing her motives. Incentives were offered to mages who turned in rebellious peers, formulating distrust not only between mage and templar, but among mages themselves. Knight-Commander Forender began enforcing stricter rules and curfews on the Circle of Starkhaven, trying to prevent what had happened to Kirkwall from happening to his own Circle. The two initially got on well, but with the advent of the Mage rebellions, First Enchanter Pentaghast has had difficulty controlling the more liberal-minded mages within the circle. It was rebuilt in 9:35 and was placed in the command of two capable people: First Enchanter Safana Pentaghast, a human mage and former Mortalitassi from Nevarra and Knight-Commander Bhalinar Forender, a surface dwarf exiled from Orzammar and the first dwarven knight-commander in recent memory. The Circle of Magi in Starkhaven has been subject to much difficulty in the years past, having burned down eight years prior in 9:31. The destruction of the Kirkwall Chantry, and the death of so many mages and templars have all contributed to the rising tensions that threatened to tear the Circle apart at the seams. One year has passed since the Champion of Kirkwall aided the Mages in their rebellion against the fervent Knight-Commander.
In the year 9:38 Dragon, the Free Marches and the rest of the world beyond are feeling the aftermath of the Kirkwall Rebellion that killed the Revered Mother, the First Enchanter, and the Knight-Commander of the city.