132 réponses à ce sujet

[The Spirit of Dance]

yes, in one of my playthroughs I did the same thing, but I kept leliana as a mistress. I always wanted to see how she'd react to that. If I'm not mistaken, a similar thing can be done if you play a female PC and romance Alistair.

[ManOfSteel]

Sure. I'd like to see her again over a lot of other characters.

[BlazingSpeed]

horacethegrey wrote...

Blackrising wrote...

But wasn't the whole thing more of a ruse? It's been a while since I played DA:O, but I always thought it was a deliberate move on her part. Building a connection with the Hero of Ferelden and all that...

I mean, Anora is not stupid. She may be ruthless and cunning and cold, but I've yet to see her act stupid.
That's actually what I like about her. She's efficient, gets stuff done and knows that politics aren't all puppies and rainbows.
Which is exactly why I never put Alistair on the throne. (Mine was always unhardened, so he'd be a terrible choice.)

This is what I like about Anora as well and one of the reasons why I don't get the massive hatedom for her. It's true that she'll stab you in the back when she gets the chance, but that only happens if you act foolishly. Like when you rescue her from Arl Howe's estate, Anora will betray you to Ser Cauthrien if you mention her, despite her specifically telling you that her identity be kept hidden at all costs. And then at the Landsmeet,  Anora will stab you in the back if you fail to build a convincing case against Loghain. 

What I'm trying to say is, Anora allied with the Warden because she hoped to gain an ally that will help her win back the throne convincingly. But if the Warden proves to be too stupid to be of any use, why should she bother?

Yep, the entire purpose of rescuing Anora was to (possibly...) have another bargining chip for the landsmeet against Loghain.

Anora, Arl Eamon (with puppet king Al...) and Loghain were all playing the same game my only gripe was that they let the warden decide when the series of event should have determined the outcome.

That being said Anora is one DA:O character I wouldn't mind seeing again.

[Fiacre]

I find it truly fascinating how many people here are all "nope you can't have Anora show up even though we got three bloody Alistair cameos and a bloody quest when he's King". Seriously, people? She won't show up as Queen of Ferelden in your game if you didn't make her the Queen. So give me one good reasons why the people who did make her Queen shouldn't get something when the King Alistair people got a quest?

(I mean, really, there's a bunch of stuff I don't particularly care about but support because other people do and it won't affect my game negatively in any way.)

Modifié par Fiacre, 14 avril 2013 - 04:17 .

[Feresta]

Anora is my favorite character in DA: Origin.I am fine with canon being Alistair as king and she thrown to prison.Majority wanted that anyways.

On other hand after being prisoned Anora eventually escapes and leaves Ferelden for time being. Then meets with DA3 main character and joins him as companion

Modifié par Feresta, 14 avril 2013 - 04:37 .

[Plaintiff]

Feresta wrote...

Anora is my favorite character in DA: Origin.I am fine with canon being Alistair as king and she thrown to prison.Majority wanted that anyways.

On other hand after being prisoned Anora eventually escapes and leaves Ferelden for time being. Then meets with DA3 main character and joins him as companion

Where her unique specialization involves blundering into obvious traps and then calling for someone to save her.

[sandalisthemaker]

Feresta wrote...

On other hand after being prisoned Anora eventually escapes and leaves Ferelden for time being. Then meets with DA3 main character and joins him as companion

Uhhhh....
Nah, I'll pass on that one, thanks.
Actually, I'd be happy with this only if we get the option to turn her back in to the authories instead of being forced to have her join.

Modifié par sandalisthemaker, 14 avril 2013 - 04:46 .

[Spaghetti_Ninja]

Nope. Daughter of a traitor. Never mention again.

[Marakov7]

I did numerous playthroughs in DAO as a Human male noble and they all married Anora in the end. I loved how Bodahn, Isabela, and Leliana all mentioned my warden in passing. So, yeah, I would be ecstatic if Bioware did something like this with Anora - it would make my day.

[King Cousland]

Spaghetti_Ninja wrote...

Nope. Daughter of a traitor. Never mention again.

Yes, because children should be held accountable for their parents' sins, right?

[Plaintiff]

King Cousland wrote...

Spaghetti_Ninja wrote...

Nope. Daughter of a traitor. Never mention again.

Yes, because children should be held accountable for their parents' sins, right?

When the child outranks their parent and has the legal power to command them, I think it's only fair that said child be apportioned some of the blame.

Anora is not a baby, she's a grown woman, not to mention the freaking queen. She should be running the show, not throwing her support behind Loghain while he provokes civil war by badmouthing a recently deceased, well-liked king who she also happened to be married to.

Modifié par Plaintiff, 14 avril 2013 - 05:42 .

[Blackrising]

Plaintiff wrote...

Blackrising wrote...
But wasn't the whole thing more of a ruse? It's been a while since I played DA:O, but I always thought it was a deliberate move on her part. Building a connection with the Hero of Ferelden and all that...

If that was Anora's plan, then she doesn't even have the commonsense that God gave dirt. She has no reason to think the Warden will come for her.

The current working plan is to put Alistair on the throne. Anora is an obstacle to that goal and sneaking into an enemy fort to save her is a stupid and unnecessary risk that the Warden shouldn't even be attempting, and when he does, she sells him up the river the minute they get caught.

Anora is Loghain's daughter. Someone he is close to, someone who knows him well. She was also married to Cailan and therefore should have plenty of knowledge of what's going on. Arl Eamon and co. might want to put Alistair on the throne, yes, but they still need a damn good case to convince the Landsmeet that Loghain, a war hero, is the one who betrayed his own country.
No matter what they have planned for the throne, contact with Anora is a powerful advantage, especially if they can tell the Landsmeet that Loghain has gone crazy enough to lock up his own daughter.
I'd say Anora has every reason to think the Warden will come for her.
(Not that it isn't a risk, but it's one worth taking.)

I mean, Anora is not stupid. She may be ruthless and cunning and cold, but I've yet to see her act stupid.
That's actually what I like about her. She's efficient, gets stuff done and knows that politics aren't all puppies and rainbows.

Cold, maybe, but I see no evidence of cunning or efficiency.

You know how she sells you out if you get caught and mention her to Ser Cauthrien? That's what I call efficient and, yes, cunning. She switches sides at a moment's notice as soon as she realizes that her plan to ally with the Warden will not work out like she'd hoped. That requires quick thinking and a ruthless efficiency.
The same way she will side with Loghain at the Landsmeet if the Warden turns out to be unable to make a good case against him.

Anora talks a big game, but talking is all she does. Being 'the brains' behind Cailan is nothing to brag about. What impressive things did Cailan even do that Anora can take credit for? If she's so damn smart then why did she stand around like a gaping trout while Loghain singlehandedly destroyed the crown's relationship with the rest of the nobility with his gobsmacking lack of tact? In what sense is that efficient? If she's such a capable ruler, why did she hide behind her deranged father's drooling idiocy, rather than take the chance to prove herself?

Anora had her chance to rule and she blew it, I'll take the inexperienced newcomer over the proven failure, thanks.

She kept Ferelden running smoothly and prosperous, that's no small feat. But what makes me think of her as...well, a true Slytherin, actually...is that nobody knew that Cailan ruling was merely for show. How difficult must it have been to run the whole thing while still seeming the loyal, obedient wife who will follow her husband wherever he may lead? And I'm not saying that having her on the throne alone is the ideal solution. I think she'd do good with someone there to remind her that sometimes a ruler needs to see more in his or her people than chess pieces.

As for 'standing around like a trout'...would you tell me which scene you mean? I can only think of the one in Denerim and the Landsmeet...as I said, it's been a while since I played the game.
But either way, Loghain was still her father. Anora is not made of ice, even she's bound to emotions. There are numerous reasons why she did not stop her father sooner. She obviously planned the Landsmeet in advance, so she might have been waiting for the right opportunity. Or she simply hesitated because let's face it, who wants to believe that their own father has gone crazy, betrayed his country and killed their husband?
I don't see how she could have gone up against Loghain without the support of someone like the Warden. Loghain is a respected war hero. The general of the royal army, a honorable man for all the population knows. And then we have Anora. Nobody kows she was ruling in Cailan's stead. She comes across as cold and ****y. Any protest she might have made could have been easily squashed by Loghain claiming she is simply beside herself with grief over the death of her husband.



Anyway, long story short: Maybe we simply haven't seen enough of her to know for certain. It seems interpretation of the game differs.

[Arakat]

Blackrising wrote...

*great analysis on Anora*

Or she simply hesitated because let's face it, who wants to believe that their own father has gone crazy, betrayed his country and killed their husband?

*more great analysis on Anora*

Seriously, this.

It seems like people hate her when she's being ruthless and pragmatic, but they also hate her when she shows emotion.

Her love for Loghain (you know, her only living family member) is her greatest flaw, and thats what makes her human - and a great character.

Modifié par arakat, 14 avril 2013 - 06:14 .

[horacethegrey]

Blackrising wrote...
snip

Thank you. You explained it beautifully. Much better than I ever could.

[King Cousland]

Plaintiff wrote...

King Cousland wrote...

Spaghetti_Ninja wrote...

Nope. Daughter of a traitor. Never mention again.

Yes, because children should be held accountable for their parents' sins, right?

When the child outranks their parent and has the legal power to command them, I think it's only fair that said child be apportioned some of the blame.

Anora is not a baby, she's a grown woman, not to mention the freaking queen. She should be running the show, not throwing her support behind Loghain while he provokes civil war by badmouthing a recently deceased, well-liked king who she also happened to be married to.

Anora's political clout was only valid while she had the support of the nobles and no threat from rivals. Loghain's control of the military meant that any political maneuver Anora attempted to make against him could have been speedily put down by Loghain's troops. 

Not to mention that Anora didn't have the politcal support (official or otherwise) of a sizeable portion nobles, whereas Loghain did (it was only after Eamon recovered that there was widespread unrest). 

As for your final point, I defy you to find me one instance in which Loghain openly "badmouths" Cailan in front of nobles. Loghain - quite rightly - made no secret of his disdain for Cailan's childishness in private conversations, but he never smeared him to his former subjects after his death. You'll also notice, I hope, that Anora was always somewhat suspicious of her father's motives, and completely withdrew any lingering support for him after he basically admits that he did in fact kill Cailan. 

EDIT: Saw Blackrising's analysis after submitting this and I'd also like to applaud her eloquence and logic. 

Modifié par King Cousland, 14 avril 2013 - 06:17 .

[Gallimatia]

Plaintiff wrote...

Feresta wrote...

Anora is my favorite character in DA: Origin.I am fine with canon being Alistair as king and she thrown to prison.Majority wanted that anyways.

On other hand after being prisoned Anora eventually escapes and leaves Ferelden for time being. Then meets with DA3 main character and joins him as companion

Where her unique specialization involves blundering into obvious traps and then calling for someone to save her.

What was the outcome? Good. Could it be intentional? Yes. Loghain was the handmaidens next stop. Worst case scenario daddy comes to the rescue and is distanced from Howe. Best case scenario Eamon's party kills him and Alistair dies in the process.

Loghain had forbidden Howe to kill Anora and told Anora about Howe's desire to do so. A friendly Loghain tells the Warden as much. Presumably he told Anora so she'd watch herself around Howe. She went another direction with it. Or she's really stupid and expected her would be killer to tell her truths her father wouldn't as her handmaiden would have you belive.

Modifié par Gallimatia, 14 avril 2013 - 06:27 .

[Plaintiff]

Blackrising wrote...
Anora is Loghain's daughter. Someone he is close to, someone who knows him well. She was also married to Cailan and therefore should have plenty of knowledge of what's going on. Arl Eamon and co. might want to put Alistair on the throne, yes, but they still need a damn good case to convince the Landsmeet that Loghain, a war hero, is the one who betrayed his own country.
No matter what they have planned for the throne, contact with Anora is a powerful advantage, especially if they can tell the Landsmeet that Loghain has gone crazy enough to lock up his own daughter.
I'd say Anora has every reason to think the Warden will come for her.
(Not that it isn't a risk, but it's one worth taking.)

Anora's connection to Loghain is what makes her untrustworthy.

Regardless, if she got herself captured deliberately, she is still an utter moron. If Anora wanted to to contact the Warden, she could just do that, because she is the queen. Nobody can stop her from meeting with Eamon if that's what she wanted to do. She could've just sent her maid to deliver a message saying when and where to meet. Putting herself in harm's way serves absolutely no purpose at all. She had no guarantee that Arl Howe wouldn't simply kill her on the spot.

You know how she sells you out if you get caught and mention her to Ser Cauthrien? That's what I call efficient and, yes, cunning. She switches sides at a moment's notice as soon as she realizes that her plan to ally with the Warden will not work out like she'd hoped. That requires quick thinking and a ruthless efficiency.

And then she runs straight to Eamon's estate, and still expects you to help her. She's an idiot.

"Hey Warden, sorry that I keep screwing you over. Wanna give me the throne?"

The same way she will side with Loghain at the Landsmeet if the Warden turns out to be unable to make a good case against him.

Any idiot can change sides when they see that they are losing.

She kept Ferelden running smoothly and prosperous, that's no small feat.

She says she did.

But what makes me think of her as...well, a true Slytherin, actually...is that nobody knew that Cailan ruling was merely for show. How difficult must it have been to run the whole thing while still seeming the loyal, obedient wife who will follow her husband wherever he may lead? And I'm not saying that having her on the throne alone is the ideal solution. I think she'd do good with someone there to remind her that sometimes a ruler needs to see more in his or her people than chess pieces.

What proof is there that anything Anora says is even true? You're taking her claims at face value, but the fact is that we never see any proof of her capability. What we do see is that almost immediatly after Cailan died, the entire country went to hell in a handbasket. That does not speak favourably of Anora's competence. 

As for 'standing around like a trout'...would you tell me which scene you mean? I can only think of the one in Denerim and the Landsmeet...as I said, it's been a while since I played the game.
But either way, Loghain was still her father. Anora is not made of ice, even she's bound to emotions. There are numerous reasons why she did not stop her father sooner. She obviously planned the Landsmeet in advance, so she might have been waiting for the right opportunity. Or she simply hesitated because let's face it, who wants to believe that their own father has gone crazy, betrayed his country and killed their husband?

Yes, the one in Denerim is what I mean, immediatly after Ostagar. Allowing her father to run at the mouth like that was inexcusable, and the attempt she made afterwards to patch it up was pathetic. Not only did she fail to sway Teagan (which isn't surprising since she didn't try very hard), she didn't make any attempt to broker peace afterwards. It was as simple as sending a letter and she didn't do it. And it's not as if there wasn't time, the story takes place over the course of a year.

I don't see how she could have gone up against Loghain without the support of someone like the Warden. Loghain is a respected war hero. The general of the royal army, a honorable man for all the population knows. And then we have Anora. Nobody kows she was ruling in Cailan's stead. She comes across as cold and ****y. Any protest she might have made could have been easily squashed by Loghain claiming she is simply beside herself with grief over the death of her husband.

Everything I heard about Anora gave me the impression that she was popular in her own right. She must be, or else she wouldn't be much of an asset at the Landsmeet, would she?

[Missandei]

Plaintiff wrote...
Regardless, if she got herself captured deliberately, she is still an utter moron. If Anora wanted to to contact the Warden, she could just do that, because she is the queen. Nobody can stop her from meeting with Eamon if that's what she wanted to do. She could've just sent her maid to deliver a message saying when and where to meet. Putting herself in harm's way serves absolutely no purpose at all. She had no guarantee that Arl Howe wouldn't simply kill her on the spot.

Actually, it would have been a very bad move for Arl Howe to kill her, since he mostly came to power through Loghain and Anora is Loghain's daughter. The worse he could do was capture her, and there wasn't actually that much of a risk in being captured. Also, being captured gave credence to her claims that she wasn't on her father's side anymore.
That's my guess anyway.

[Plaintiff]

Gallimatia wrote...
What was the outcome? Good. Could it be intentional? Yes. Loghain was the handmaidens next stop. Worst case scenario daddy comes to the rescue and is distanced from Howe. Best case scenario Eamon's party kills him and Alistair dies in the process.

Loghain had forbidden Howe to kill Anora and told Anora about Howe's desire to do so. A friendly Loghain tells the Warden as much. Presumably so she'd watch herself around Howe. She went another direction with it. Or she's really stupid and expected her would be killer to tell her truths her father wouldn't as her handmaiden would have you belive.

Oh, well if Loghain forbade Howe from killing Anora, then that changes everything. Not.

She could've sent a spy. She could've invited Howe to the palace and trapped him, instead of wandering blind onto his home turf. She could've challenged him to a riddle game and made "Are you going to kill me?" one of the riddles.

Anora had a myriad of options and she picked the most incredibly dangerous, incredibly moronic of all of them.

Yes, I think Anora is exactly as stupid as her handmaiden would have me believe. If the kidnapping was unintentional, then she's an idiot for going to Howe's place to begin with. If it was all part of some convoluted plot on her part to meet with the Warden, then that's even dumber. She could've just gone straight to Eamon in the first place, or sent a letter. Instead, she decided to lead her would-be allies on a wild goose chase that could've gotten someone killed, and very nearly did.

What am I saying "nearly" for? Anora's plan directly leads to the deaths of several people, potentially including her father's own trusted knight. So Anora's not only an idiot, but a callous murderer of former friends whose only crime was supporting the father she claims to love.

Modifié par Plaintiff, 14 avril 2013 - 06:40 .

[Plaintiff]

Missandei wrote...
Actually, it would have been a very bad move for Arl Howe to kill her, since he mostly came to power through Loghain and Anora is Loghain's daughter.

It would've been almost as dumb as slaughtering a very popular and powerful noble family and thinking nobody would notice.

Oh wait.

[King Cousland]

Plaintiff wrote...

Gallimatia wrote...
What was the outcome? Good. Could it be intentional? Yes. Loghain was the handmaidens next stop. Worst case scenario daddy comes to the rescue and is distanced from Howe. Best case scenario Eamon's party kills him and Alistair dies in the process.

Loghain had forbidden Howe to kill Anora and told Anora about Howe's desire to do so. A friendly Loghain tells the Warden as much. Presumably so she'd watch herself around Howe. She went another direction with it. Or she's really stupid and expected her would be killer to tell her truths her father wouldn't as her handmaiden would have you belive.

Oh, well if Loghain forbade Howe from killing Anora, then that changes everything. Not.

She could've sent a spy. She could've invited Howe to the palace and trapped him, instead of wandering blind onto his home turf. She could've challenged him to a riddle game and made "Are you going to kill me?" one of the riddles.

Anora had a myriad of options and she picked the most incredibly dangerous, incredibly moronic of all of them.

Yes, I think Anora is exactly as stupid as her handmaiden would have me believe. If the kidnapping was unintentional, then she's an idiot for going to Howe's place to begin with. If it was all part of some convoluted plot on her part to meet with the Warden, then that's even dumber. She could've just gone straight to Eamon in the first place, or sent a letter. Instead, she decided to lead her would-be allies on a wild goose chase that could've gotten someone killed, and very nearly did.

What am I saying "nearly" for? Anora's plan directly leads to the deaths of several people, potentially including her father's own trusted knight.

And what force would Anora use to trap Howe exactly? She doesn't have her own army on call, and herself and a handmaiden would pose little threat to an axe-wielding veteran who'd likely bring a contingent of elite guards to any meeting. Trying to trap Howe would only give Howe justification to kill her. 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

King Cousland wrote...

Plaintiff wrote...

Gallimatia wrote...
What was the outcome? Good. Could it be intentional? Yes. Loghain was the handmaidens next stop. Worst case scenario daddy comes to the rescue and is distanced from Howe. Best case scenario Eamon's party kills him and Alistair dies in the process.

Loghain had forbidden Howe to kill Anora and told Anora about Howe's desire to do so. A friendly Loghain tells the Warden as much. Presumably so she'd watch herself around Howe. She went another direction with it. Or she's really stupid and expected her would be killer to tell her truths her father wouldn't as her handmaiden would have you belive.

Oh, well if Loghain forbade Howe from killing Anora, then that changes everything. Not.

She could've sent a spy. She could've invited Howe to the palace and trapped him, instead of wandering blind onto his home turf. She could've challenged him to a riddle game and made "Are you going to kill me?" one of the riddles.

Anora had a myriad of options and she picked the most incredibly dangerous, incredibly moronic of all of them.

Yes, I think Anora is exactly as stupid as her handmaiden would have me believe. If the kidnapping was unintentional, then she's an idiot for going to Howe's place to begin with. If it was all part of some convoluted plot on her part to meet with the Warden, then that's even dumber. She could've just gone straight to Eamon in the first place, or sent a letter. Instead, she decided to lead her would-be allies on a wild goose chase that could've gotten someone killed, and very nearly did.

What am I saying "nearly" for? Anora's plan directly leads to the deaths of several people, potentially including her father's own trusted knight.

And what force would Anora use to trap Howe exactly? She doesn't have her own army on call, and herself and a handmaiden would pose little threat to an axe-wielding veteran who'd likely bring a contingent of elite guards to any meeting. Trying to trap Howe would only give Howe justification to kill her. 

Gee it is almost as if Queen Anora holds hardly any power at all, and here I thought she was supposed to be the mastermind behind all of Cailan's schemes, how can Anora be an effective queen if she lacks the authority to command her own kingdom?

[Gallimatia]

Plaintiff wrote...

Gallimatia wrote...
What was the outcome? Good. Could it be intentional? Yes. Loghain was the handmaidens next stop. Worst case scenario daddy comes to the rescue and is distanced from Howe. Best case scenario Eamon's party kills him and Alistair dies in the process.

Loghain had forbidden Howe to kill Anora and told Anora about Howe's desire to do so. A friendly Loghain tells the Warden as much. Presumably so she'd watch herself around Howe. She went another direction with it. Or she's really stupid and expected her would be killer to tell her truths her father wouldn't as her handmaiden would have you belive.

Oh, well if Loghain forbade Howe from killing Anora, then that changes everything. Not.

She could've sent a spy. She could've invited Howe to the palace and trapped him, instead of wandering blind onto his home turf. She could've challenged him to a riddle game and made "Are you going to kill me?" one of the riddles.

Anora had a myriad of options and she picked the most incredibly dangerous, incredibly moronic of all of them.

Yes, I think Anora is exactly as stupid as her handmaiden would have me believe. If the kidnapping was unintentional, then she's an idiot for going to Howe's place to begin with. If it was all part of some convoluted plot on her part to meet with the Warden, then that's even dumber. She could've just gone straight to Eamon in the first place, or sent a letter. Instead, she decided to lead her would-be allies on a wild goose chase that could've gotten someone killed, and very nearly did.

What am I saying "nearly" for? Anora's plan directly leads to the deaths of several people, potentially including her father's own trusted knight.

I think the main idea was to get Howe killed or removed from Loghain's inner circle. He was the competition for her father's ear. She was willing to take a risk to get rid of him. Nah who am I kidding there was no risk Loghain's word is law.

Getting Eamon's support is even better than standing behind Loghain even if he is removed from Howe's influence so she tries for that too but I'm inclined to agree with you that if that was the only goal there are better ways to go about it. 

Now this is more speculation but I think she got Cauthrien there, without making her privy to the plot, so she'd kill Eamon's rescue party preferably containing Alistair. With the Warden and/or Alistair dead Eamon would be inclined to seek new allies and/or a new candidate for the throne. Her plan was partially foiled by the presence of a video game protagonist who can defeat Ser Cauthrien or escape Fort Drakon. I'd like to think the idea was not to meet the Warden but to kill Alistair, Howe and the Warden (in that order of priority). Granted I may be giving Anora more credit than she deserves.

[King Cousland]

Mr Mxyzptlk wrote...

King Cousland wrote...

Plaintiff wrote...

Gallimatia wrote...
What was the outcome? Good. Could it be intentional? Yes. Loghain was the handmaidens next stop. Worst case scenario daddy comes to the rescue and is distanced from Howe. Best case scenario Eamon's party kills him and Alistair dies in the process.

Loghain had forbidden Howe to kill Anora and told Anora about Howe's desire to do so. A friendly Loghain tells the Warden as much. Presumably so she'd watch herself around Howe. She went another direction with it. Or she's really stupid and expected her would be killer to tell her truths her father wouldn't as her handmaiden would have you belive.

Oh, well if Loghain forbade Howe from killing Anora, then that changes everything. Not.

She could've sent a spy. She could've invited Howe to the palace and trapped him, instead of wandering blind onto his home turf. She could've challenged him to a riddle game and made "Are you going to kill me?" one of the riddles.

Anora had a myriad of options and she picked the most incredibly dangerous, incredibly moronic of all of them.

Yes, I think Anora is exactly as stupid as her handmaiden would have me believe. If the kidnapping was unintentional, then she's an idiot for going to Howe's place to begin with. If it was all part of some convoluted plot on her part to meet with the Warden, then that's even dumber. She could've just gone straight to Eamon in the first place, or sent a letter. Instead, she decided to lead her would-be allies on a wild goose chase that could've gotten someone killed, and very nearly did.

What am I saying "nearly" for? Anora's plan directly leads to the deaths of several people, potentially including her father's own trusted knight.

And what force would Anora use to trap Howe exactly? She doesn't have her own army on call, and herself and a handmaiden would pose little threat to an axe-wielding veteran who'd likely bring a contingent of elite guards to any meeting. Trying to trap Howe would only give Howe justification to kill her. 

Gee it is almost as if Queen Anora holds hardly any power at all, and here I thought she was supposed to be the mastermind behind all of Cailan's schemes, how can Anora be an effective queen if she lacks the authority to command her own kingdom?

She was the queen consort to a very inept ruler. Cailan was quite happy to let Anora take care of the politics while he was off seeking adventure, bedding women and planning to ditch his wife for the empress of Orlais. 

Once Cailan dies, what power does Anora have? Her role as queen was titular, she officialy had no power, and when Loghain comes onto the scene, she's faced with somebody who actually does want to rule personally, unlike Cailan. 

It isn't "her own kingdom". It's a kingdom in which she is a widow whose father now sits on the throne.