Considering that Ferelden just 5 years before had no army to protect its own borders the capital or the center for the Inquisition is Skyhold which is on top of a snowy mountain.
That Inquisition has a considerable army of some number could be as strong as any other state on Thedas. While Orlais is better compared to Ferelden well the problem is Skyhold that is on a mountain.
So is could they have defeated the Inquisition?
Yes in the long term by taking the Inqusition fortresses one by one by seige and cutting their supply lines starving their forces. They wouldn't even have to assault Skyhold which indeed is not advisable in siege warfare to assault a fortress or castle as such acts tend to be very costly even if said castle or fortress is not on a mountain or in a cave as some historical castles were.
If they attacked together? Yeah Inquisition wouldn't stand a chance. Ultimately any question of Inquisition vs Kingdom (x) comes down to if this war would negate enough of the political/mercantile support base the inquisition requires to survive. The Inquisition might have an army comparable to a nation's but it doesn't have the land or in-house logistical support of an actual nation's army, it relies entirely on support from allies and merchant contracts.
All either nation would have to do is cut off supply lines and the Inquisition would starve, they wouldn't even have to directly siege any of the Inquisitions fortresses. Something that would be quite easy if both nations were working together.
I can see it happening. As many have said: they can cut off routes which'll eventually starve off Skyhold.
As far as i know it's Orlais that funds them the most and Ferelden supports them however they can. Skyhold is very difficult to get to/from so Alies from countries like Anderfels, free marches, etc will have a very difficult time.
If anything, the Dwarves and maybe some of the Avvar are their only allies that could supply them
Yeah refusing to disband/go with the Divine should've lead to a bad ending like just staring at the clock in arrival. That could've been awesome.
Yeah, the Inquisition doesn't stand a chance in this scenario. Although, I could see Ferelden alone losing in a conventional conflict.
Considering that Ferelden just 5 years before had no army to protect its own borders the capital or the center for the Inquisition is Skyhold which is on top of a snowy mountain.
That Inquisition has a considerable army of some number could be as strong as any other state on Thedas. While Orlais is better compared to Ferelden well the problem is Skyhold that is on a mountain.
So is could they have defeated the Inquisition?
It depend of what decidions you made in DAI and some from DAO-DA2
But...
fact that Orlais and Ferelden will never will fight together against Inquisition, i am sure that Alistair-Eamon will not do a real war with Inquisition at all, especially if Orlais will strike first, and Anora is weak to do a such war
Many Orlais and Ferelden nobles depend on Inquisition influence and protection so they would stay with Inquisition rather than fight with it and lost everything
now it would be a fact that Orlais is weak after Circles rebellions with their inner wars for throne and elven rebellions, and Orlais have enemies almost everywhere exept Starheaven(My Inquisition deal with Starheaven and Free Marshes are happy), so if they will start a war Nevarra at least would want to bite Orlais lands as barbarians and dalish so this will doom Orlais
In my case with this facts i have
Elf mage greywarden kill Archdeamon and live, saved Amaranthine and Warden Keep
King Alistair alone with Eamon and Connor without Orlais Isolde who was killed
King Blehen on throne with golems, Arhitect live so less darkspawns and more powerfull dwarfs
Mages were supported as Dalish with Zathrian
with this things what creates some political situation in ferelden lands i have
all operations was done and forts are controlled by Inquisision, Inquisition have mercenaries
Mages(and who have mages forces controll the lands. all Thedas rulers know it since Dracon, Calenhad and Pentagast) was become with Inquisition and red templars with seekers become enemies
Floriana with Celine are dead and Gaspar is under elven controll who are with Inquisition, nobles who even think of opposition cant do a thing and can be killed by common peoples
Chantry is reformed by a new mage Divine who have her own new Templar forces, and allied with Inquisition first
Grey Wardens are with Inquisition
Orlais high nobility is shamed and lost many influence and money by the truth about Inquisitior Ameridan
No any alliances with Qunari
Orzammar Dwarfs were saved
So yeah despite those talks about war Orlais nobles who not like something cant do a thing even if they really wanted and Ferelden will not do cos it will not have any sence for them, Inquisition is not involve on their politics and help to ged rif of ex Orlais and Chantry-Templars forces as close a deamon hole on them and allied with Grey wardens and mages who are heroes of Ferelden 5 blight
To many commons and powerfull peoples from both countries and north are with Inquisition, and Inquisition by themselfs only is a powerfull forces
Only Tevinter, Nevarra have powers to deal with Inquisition and can crush it easily but they will not do....i am not count Solas, Qunari and Orzammar cos we can understand that Qunari are far away and dwarfs will not do anything and just isolate thamselfs if they need
Well, they wouldn't beat my Inquisition.
Assuming that Ferelden and Orlais are actually able to work together? That's a tough one.
First off, Ferelden and Orlais despise each other due to the Occupation and subsequent Rebellion. Tensions remain high between the two nations even forty years after Ferelden regained independence. Only a common foe on par with the blight or Corypheus hoped to have them work together and that took a lot of effort. Not to mention that per the Exalted Council, the two kingdoms have very different designs for the Inquisition. Ferelden wants all trace of the organization disarmed and disbanded while Orlais wants to assimilate the Inquisition into it's army.
In short, if they tried to attack the Inquisition, it would have to be as separate entities.
Secondly, remember that the Inquisition remains very popular with the populaces of Ferelden and Orlais. Some love the Inquisitor for saving the world; others for ending the mage-templar war; and others because they revere the "Herald of Andraste". Not to mention all of the support which would be had from practical and humanitarian efforts which the Inquisitions forces and agents have lent to areas ravaged by the mage-templar war and the orlesian civil war.
I find it hard to believe that there wouldn't be massive public objection if Ferelden and Orlais attacked the Inquisition. Perhaps even large portions of the population would violently/nonviolently revolt in support of the Inquisition. An Arl would likely call a Landsmeet just to ensure that this "unprovoked invasion" is done with the will of Ferelden's people and not just a mad waste of men and resources. Ferelden's still recovering from the Blight, Mage-Templar War, Breach, and Corypheus' actions, they're not going to be eager for another straining conflict.
Hell, most folk in Orlais nobility would know that the current ruler owes their survival and power to the Inquisition. The honorable nobles would likely sit out such a war in protest while more opportunistic ones would help the Inquisition as a means of increasing their own power.
Third, the Inquisition's HQ is situated in a very ideal location for defense. They have a powerful and strongly enchanted fortress that only be accessed through one tough path and is impossible to mine or surround. The fort is fully garrisoned with seasoned, trained, well equipped and experienced defenders which can include templars, mages, grey wardens, tal-vashoth, rangers, rogues, and many more. All motivated and stern in their loyalty to their leader with other commanders and captains capable and able to use their abilities to their fullest.
Again, Skyhold is in the mountains which is a treacherous place to move a large army. (Just ask Hannibal) Inquisition ambush parties wouldn't have to do much to cause damage. Damage bridges, cause avalanches, kill or steal horses, pick-off guides and scouts, attack food trains and supply convoys and do everything possible to make the invader's lives miserable. It doesn't matter how many men are in either army, if those men are cold, demoralized, unattached, and starving, they'll break. When they break, they'll desert and go home or they'll turn on their officers and mutiny if not outright defect.
The Inquisition also possesses the close friendship of the Avvar in the Frostback mountains. They know the mountains better than either the Inquisition or Orlais/Ferelden. They could be called upon to assail and harry the enemy and provide food/supplies in exchange for keeping any booty that they find. Not that that's too much of a worry, Skyhold appears to be well-stocked enough to withstand many months of siege. A counterattack would also be costly and unlikely and the chance of success is minimal. It would also mean detracting attention from the Inquisition wherein lies an opportune moment.
The other forts and positions would be vulnerable, but a seasoned commander like Cullen would know that. He'd wisely withdraw troops from any non-vital positions to fortify key locations which would be harder to take. But as long as HQ and the Inquisitor/main leaders aren't captured, the war would be prolonged until aid could be garnered or Orlais/Ferelden give up and go home. By now, the Inquisition would also have list of the names of vital nobles and where they live. Use that information to send agents to "acquire" those nobles and you now have hostages to broker peace.
Fourth, the Divine herself has personal and/or political ties to the Inquisition. Enough to where Victoria could turn the Chantry on Orlais and Ferelden which in turn will turn the people against them. And since Orlais and Ferelden are the apparent aggressors of this war, Victoria can do this while minimizing accusations of bias or favoritism towards the Inquisition. This only would be enough could be enough to have Orlais and Ferelden call off the war to minimize their losses.
Fifth, the noble, economic and intrigue connections of the Inquisition cannot all have been for nothing. All of these allies and business partners have way too much to lose by letting the Inquisition get gutted. Many of these assets are from the Free Marches, Antiva, Nevarra, and as far as Tevinter, so they'd lose nothing by aiding the Inquisition. In fact, I could see Nevarra and Tevinter using their support of the Inquisition as a means of weakening Orlais to shift the balance of power in their favor.
So no. They'd lose because they're unlikely to work together; they're unlikely to have enough support and resources to carry through with the war; The Chantry may condemn them; their own people are likely to turn against them and they're fighting an enemy with a powerful home-field advantage and various other strengths which equal if not surpass Orlais/Ferelden's raw power.
The issue is the Inquisition is utterly and completely dependent on outside supplies, cut off those supplies and the Inquisition will fall with little lost to either nation. They don't have to lay siege to Skyhold only cut off the supplies and then the Inquisition would starve until they either surrendered or died.
The issue is the Inquisition is utterly and completely dependent on outside supplies, cut off those supplies and the Inquisition will fall with little lost to either nation. They don't have to lay siege to Skyhold only cut off the supplies and then the Inquisition would starve until they either surrendered or died.
Is that possible though? With as much support that the Inquisition has, it appears impossible for Ferelden and Orlais to completely cut off the organization from the outside world. They could freeze assets coming from their own countries, but that could garner resentment and increase sympathy for the Inquisition. That sympathy would just open up more fronts for the two nations to deal with within their own countries as I'd elaborated in my previous post.
Will they go as far as to cut routes to the Free Marches, Nevarra and Tevinter? That could only be backed with force and that will only lead to escalation towards another war. For an organization like the Inquisition which has connections and support across most of Thedas, starving them out wouldn't be a worthwhile strategy. In fact, trying that tactic only drags out the war and makes people more likely to support the Inquisition which renders the strategy useless anyway.
The best chance for defeating the Inquisition would be turning their supporters foreign and domestic against them.
And that's a steep hill to climb.
But all the routes ultimately have to go though Ferelden and Orlais and there could only be very limited routes that could go to a place like skyhold in especially given the sort of mountain range that Skyhold is located and even fewer routes that could carry the amount of supplies needed to keep a place like skyhold going where the Inquisition keeps its entire leadership and command center at.
Also as Inquisitions support its clear that while it had many allies it was also stirring up resentment amoungst both the common people and nobility by the time of Trespasser both by its power and how some of its members threw their weight around.
Skyhold could be like Constantinople armies broke trying to take that city. So much so that each successful defense made the empire even stronger. Orlais is strong that is true but how do you take Skyhold even if you outnumber them 10 to 1 you can not its on the top of the mountain you might lose entire armies as Cory lost when he attacked Heaven. You need to siege them well good luck with that you can not go close to the mountain because of what I said above so the best thing you can do is cut the supply line but the Inquisition has the strongest tribe of Avvar in the mountains so they might get some supplies from there. And to cut Skyhold you need to thin your army to guard the supply lines making them perfect targets for some surprise attacks from the Inquisition.
Do not forget there is a reason Cory did not attacked Skyhold.
As people have mentioned, the trade routes would be problematic - though I don't doubt they would be able to smuggle in enough food to survive, the morale of Skyhold would be very poor, given that no imports could be made. Militarily, it is also important to remember the epilogue slides - while the Inquisitions post-end forces are not to be reckoned with, much of their forces actually belong to others (such as Orlais, or Templars).
Skyhold could be like Constantinople armies broke trying to take that city. So much so that each successful defense made the empire even stronger. Orlais is strong that is true but how do you take Skyhold even if you outnumber them 10 to 1 you can not its on the top of the mountain you might lose entire armies as Cory lost when he attacked Heaven. You need to siege them well good luck with that you can not go close to the mountain because of what I said above so the best thing you can do is cut the supply line but the Inquisition has the strongest tribe of Avvar in the mountains so they might get some supplies from there. And to cut Skyhold you need to thin your army to guard the supply lines making them perfect targets for some surprise attacks from the Inquisition.
Do not forget there is a reason Cory did not attacked Skyhold.
Skyhold honestly isn't on the same scale of either Constantinople's walls(which also had the advantage of being a coastal city so supplies and men could be brought in by sea which was done on a number of occasions) or even Rome who's walls were even more impressive though nigh impossible to fully man(Only breached by Canon fire in the late 19th century but requiring over 20,000 men to attempt to main the defenses). I wouldn't even compare it to Masada's defenses.
Its a simply typical mountain fortress with all the strengths and weaknesses that implies, the reason Corypheus didn't attack was more do to the implied anceint elven magical defenses and that there was nothing there he wanted.
The only way the Inquisition stands any chance surviving a siege is if Morrigan eluvian is still in Skyhold and it can still be used post Tresppasser, which I don't think it is or can.
But even that would only win battles not the war. Skyhold is one castle trapped between two countries, if Ferelden and Orlais are that determined to bring the Inquisition down then in the long run the Inquisition has to find a way become allies again or they're finished.
Skyhold honestly isn't on the same scale of either Constantinople's walls(which also had the advantage of being a coastal city so supplies and men could be brought in by sea which was done on a number of occasions) or even Rome who's walls were even more impressive though nigh impossible to fully man(Only breached by Canon fire in the late 19th century but requiring over 20,000 men to attempt to main the defenses). I wouldn't even compare it to Masada's defenses.
Its a simply typical mountain fortress with all the strengths and weaknesses that implies, the reason Corypheus didn't attack was more do to the implied anceint elven magical defenses and that there was nothing there he wanted.
Well the Celts did it and the Goths and the Avars and the Germans. So Rome had issues with defense. Do you know how many took Constantinople the troops of the fourth crusade and the ottomans. So 2 times.
The Celts took the city many centuries before the Aurelian Walls were built and after previously utterly defeating the Roman army leading them to be let into the city without a fight. The goths only took the city after multiple sieges and being let into the city by traitors and the vandals also took the city because the gates were thrown open to them by the roman themselves. The Avars never threatened Rome.
None of them took the city by direct assault or siege but by being let into the city. Mutinous Holy Roman Empire troops did in 1527 took the city by direct assault and that was in a night attack with 35,000 troops against 5,000 militia trying to main defenses designed for 20,000. Other than that every enemy that took Rome were let into the city by the defenders and did not take the city by assault.
The Celts took the city many centuries before the Aurelian Walls were built and after previously utterly defeating the Roman army leading them to be let into the city without a fight. The goths only took the city after multiple sieges and being let into the city by traitors and the vandals also took the city because the gates were thrown open to them by the roman themselves. The Avars never threatened Rome.
None of them took the city by direct assault or siege but by being let into the city. Mutinous Holy Roman Empire troops did in 1527 took the city by direct assault and that was in a night attack with 35,000 troops against 5,000 militia trying to main defenses designed for 20,000. Other than that every enemy that took Rome were let into the city by the defenders and did not take the city by assault.
Well in the Osrtogoth assault after a siege that lasted a year some Ostrogoth troops climbed the wall at night and opened a gate. That seems like a successful assault.
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