522 réponses à ce sujet

[errant_knight]

Thalorin1919 wrote...

Was Cailan aware of Alistair? I could never really figure this out in the game. I mean, I suppose he found out sooner or later so he could be aware of him. And it just seemed kind of odd sending Alistair of all people to the tower with you.

If Cailan really did have this planned out, he may not seem as stupid as he came off. Honestly, I think Cailan would've made a good King if he survived the Blight and it was ended.

Why? Think of the whole thing as Cailan's hardening quest. Plus when the elf talks to him, he says he will fix things, and that he will make things better. Maybe this whole thing had opened his eyes to what he really needs to be. I dont know, just my opinion.

Alistair appears to have been the worst kept secret in Fereldan. I have to wonder if Alistair was the only one who thought it was a secret and if the HN was the only one of the nobility who didn't know.

The very fact that Cailan was able to negotiate the treaties in secret would indicate that he had to be much more clever than we are led to believe. If he was playing other cards close to his vest, he was even more than that.

Modifié par errant_knight, 24 mars 2010 - 04:35 .

[EmperorSahlertz]

The way I look at it:

Cailen knew Ostargar was a lost battle. He knew there was no chance of victory against a Darkspawn horde vastly outnumbering his own army. However he also knew, that Loghain would NEVER allow the Orlesians to enter Ferelden for as long as Ferelden still had a strong army. Therefore Cailen realized that he had to weaken his own army for Ferelden to be victorious in the war. Lose the battle, win the war. With a weakend army, Loghain would have no choice but to accept Orlesian aid, since Ferelden would be too weakened to stand on its own. Cailen had however expected Loghain to be a tactician, and tried to force Loghain to lose men by placing himself (Cailen) on the front lines, "forcing" Loghain to send his troops in to rescue the king. Cailen however did not forsee Loghain to abbandon him entirely.

Alistair was put in the tower for his own protection in case that things went wrong (which they certainly did). What appeared to have been done in abid for glory, was in fact to save an heir for the throne.

[Alcanazar]

I think the key to the whole thing is that crumpled note. Cailan seems to have been meticulous about his letters, which is why the others are neatly folded. This one is straightened out, smoothed & then folded. Why?

Because someone intercepted it. 

That someone would be Loghain. If he read it, he would certainly be angry enough over what he thought it implied to start a fight with Cailan. The guard at Cailan's tent tells you that he & Loghain have been fighting all day about the Queen.  Loghain would crumple it, probably through it at Cailan, and then fume all the rest of the day, right up to the point where he leaves the batlefield. Cailan picked it up, fixed it, and put it away.

Cailan was then facing a serious problem. He would have to neutralize Loghain & Howe, not something easily accomplished in camp. He would need as many Grey Wardens as he could get to ensure his own safety first.   He would know that Loghain was crazy & paranoid enough to try something. And so, for the safety of his family, he puts Maric's treasured sword in the chest & orders Alistair to the tower. If he is wrong, no harm done. He wasn't wrong.

As for what was being negotiated, a marriage is quite likely. Marriages between enthroned rulers have been done before. Probably the most complicated part of the negotiations involved things like inheritences. Each would remain ruler of their respective realm, would visit each other's lands, and so forth. Anora might act as viceroy in Cailan's absence, once her father was safely away from power.  She seems less concerned with marriage than power anyway. They would need Grey Wardens to act as guards and escorts to avoid provoking hostility. The list of difficulties is long, but not insurmountable.

Royals travelling incognito to check out
other realms is well-attested and doable with the technology of the time. 
Celene herself wrote some codices about Ferelden. Reading the one where she describes Fereldens as 'surprising' sounds like she had one particular Ferelden in mind.

[Alcanazar]

Bumping this again after playing Awakenings.

As you go along, it becomes abundantly clear that the only thing holding Ferelden together was Cailan. Not Anora, not Loghain, but Cailan. For all the whining about him "playing warrior" all over the place, that seems to be what kept Ferelden from collapsing into chaos. Having the King show up with his men generally puts a damper on restless nobles.  The note from Celene plays into this, too--she's coming there. Having her show up would bolster his position and make it clear he is negotiating from a position of strength, which again would tend to shut down rebellion.

[Addai]

Alcanazar: I think, rather, that it was Maric holding them together. Residual love for Maric that carried over to Cailan, but only so far. Howe and Loghain started planning their respective rebellions under Cailan's rule, after all.

[errant_knight]

You guys have raised some interesting points! I can't agree that a marriage was being negotiated, particularly one involving Cailan. Way too much risk to Fereldan independence there. I hadn't really considered what the note being crumpled might mean. I'll have to ponder that.

[Vicious]

By all accounts Cailan didn't like Eamon either. How amusing that Alistair goes running to him and Eamon ends up running the show [as it seems he wanted] as Alistair's chancellor at the end.

  I think, rather, that it was Maric holding them together. Residual love for Maric that carried over to Cailan, but only so far. Howe and Loghain started planning their respective rebellions under Cailan's rule, after all.

100% agree. As soon as Cailan died.

Modifié par Vicious, 25 mars 2010 - 11:54 .

[errant_knight]

Vicious wrote...

By all accounts Cailan didn't like Eamon either. How amusing that Alistair goes running to him and Eamon ends up running the show [as it seems he wanted] as Alistair's chancellor at the end.

  I think, rather, that it was Maric holding them together. Residual love for Maric that carried over to Cailan, but only so far. Howe and Loghain started planning their respective rebellions under Cailan's rule, after all.

100% agree. As soon as Cailan died.

Oh, I think Eamon will be very surprised at how little influence he really has--when Alistair is hardened, anyway. Alistair had strong opinions unhardened, hardened, and with Fereldan depending on him, Eamon's influence will end the minute Alistair has a differing opinion.

[Morroian]

Alcanazar wrote...

I think the key to the whole thing is that crumpled note. Cailan seems to have been meticulous about his letters, which is why the others are neatly folded. This one is straightened out, smoothed & then folded. Why?

Thats the one from Eamon about Anora is it not. Far more likely as someone else said a while back that  Cailan was angry about what Eamon was saying about Anora and crumpled it in rage.

[errant_knight]

Morroian wrote...

Alcanazar wrote...

I think the key to the whole thing is that crumpled note. Cailan seems to have been meticulous about his letters, which is why the others are neatly folded. This one is straightened out, smoothed & then folded. Why?

Thats the one from Eamon about Anora is it not. Far more likely as someone else said a while back that  Cailan was angry about what Eamon was saying about Anora and crumpled it in rage.

Ah! I wasn't sure which note that was, and was going back to check, but that reminds me. At the time, I assumed that it meant that Cailan was angry with Eamon and had no intention of putting Anora aside. I wonder if that's when he started consider the possibility of making Alistair his heir, perhaps leading to the decision to send him to the tower?

Say.... I wonder if the fight could have occurred when Cailan told Loghain that he was considering that. If Loghain had his hopes pinned on his daughter producing the heir, that might have made him pretty angry.

Modifié par errant_knight, 26 mars 2010 - 02:55 .

[Alcanazar]

Morroian wrote...

Alcanazar wrote...

I think the key to the whole thing is that crumpled note. Cailan seems to have been meticulous about his letters, which is why the others are neatly folded. This one is straightened out, smoothed & then folded. Why?

Thats the one from Eamon about Anora is it not. Far more likely as someone else said a while back that  Cailan was angry about what Eamon was saying about Anora and crumpled it in rage.

No. The crumpled note is from Celena, telling him she won't be able to come to Ferelden until the Blight is ended.

Between that, having various characters tell Cailan that there's all sorts of things going on that have been kept from him, and the imminent arrival of more Grey Wardens, it must have occured to Loghain that Cailan was suddenly becoming difficult to handle. He may have decided that if he wanted to maintain his hold on power he had to do something now, while he still had the chance.

If all that was holding Ferelden together was Maric afterglow, then why did the whole place erupt in chaos when Cailan was killed? I can see warm fuzzies for Maric holding the kingdom together for a year or so, but after that business as usual for Ferelden will start to come back. All the nastiness that is brewing is Loghain's doing.

[errant_knight]

Alcanazar wrote...

Morroian wrote...

Alcanazar wrote...

I think the key to the whole thing is that crumpled note. Cailan seems to have been meticulous about his letters, which is why the others are neatly folded. This one is straightened out, smoothed & then folded. Why?

Thats the one from Eamon about Anora is it not. Far more likely as someone else said a while back that  Cailan was angry about what Eamon was saying about Anora and crumpled it in rage.

No. The crumpled note is from Celena, telling him she won't be able to come to Ferelden until the Blight is ended.

Between that, having various characters tell Cailan that there's all sorts of things going on that have been kept from him, and the imminent arrival of more Grey Wardens, it must have occured to Loghain that Cailan was suddenly becoming difficult to handle. He may have decided that if he wanted to maintain his hold on power he had to do something now, while he still had the chance.

If all that was holding Ferelden together was Maric afterglow, then why did the whole place erupt in chaos when Cailan was killed? I can see warm fuzzies for Maric holding the kingdom together for a year or so, but after that business as usual for Ferelden will start to come back. All the nastiness that is brewing is Loghain's doing.

I'll be back in Ostagar some time this weekend, I'll double check the notes.

Maric's been dead for about six years, more than long enough for Cailan, Anora, and Loghain to all have consolodated their positions. I really don't see Maric as being more than an emotional touchstone that gets trotted out from time to time in order to manipulate the masses, in a practical sense. That doesn't mean the he doesn't still mean more to Loghain and Cailan. I suspect that the jockeying for power in Fereldan is only slightly less ugly than Dwarven politics.

It's a good point that Loghain may have been influenced in his betrayal by early signs that things were about to get very complicated.

[EmperorSahlertz]

Alcanazar wrote...

Morroian wrote...

Alcanazar wrote...

I think the key to the whole thing is that crumpled note. Cailan seems to have been meticulous about his letters, which is why the others are neatly folded. This one is straightened out, smoothed & then folded. Why?

Thats the one from Eamon about Anora is it not. Far more likely as someone else said a while back that  Cailan was angry about what Eamon was saying about Anora and crumpled it in rage.

No. The crumpled note is from Celena, telling him she won't be able to come to Ferelden until the Blight is ended.

Between that, having various characters tell Cailan that there's all sorts of things going on that have been kept from him, and the imminent arrival of more Grey Wardens, it must have occured to Loghain that Cailan was suddenly becoming difficult to handle. He may have decided that if he wanted to maintain his hold on power he had to do something now, while he still had the chance.

If all that was holding Ferelden together was Maric afterglow, then why did the whole place erupt in chaos when Cailan was killed? I can see warm fuzzies for Maric holding the kingdom together for a year or so, but after that business as usual for Ferelden will start to come back. All the nastiness that is brewing is Loghain's doing.

Because with Cailen dead and no clear heir, any noble in the country would like to see themselves or a close relative on the throne, or  at least a regent which would be in their favor.

[errant_knight]

I'm doing a new playthrough and the Ostagar section is interenting on a whole new level after all this discussion. I'm watching all the cutscenes more carefully. Cailan's manner in the meeting is very different from the bravado the shows when we first meet him. And the scene on the battlefield... Wow. It was tough to take when I thought Cailan was just a well-meaning glory seeker. Now.... It's truly horrific.



I also paid more attention to the background behing Loghain and Ser Cautherine, the torches showing just how many fighters Loghain held back from the battle. Thousands. And there would be many more than were carrying torches. Potentially more than enough to turn the tide of the battle and stop the spread of the darkspawn across the south.



I'm going to really enjoy Loghain's execution this playthrough.

[Sarah1281]

I don't think Cailan crumpling Celene's note points to 'he's having an affair.' Having an affiar with her would just be stupid as if things went poorly then it could hurt relations between their to countries, which he was working dilligently to repair. If Anora wasn't enough for him, he could always look someplace that wouldn't have potentially disastrous consequences (aside from an heir but at least then he WOULD have an heir). Him being upset she was putting off coming could just be him upset that there is a set-back in his plans when he already needs to move quickly or else Loghain, Anora, ect. will find out about them in time to make things difficult and because he probably realizes that Loghain is plotting against him as is.



Also, while an affair is unlikely a marriage is just impossible. One of Cailan's defining traits seemed to be trying to live up to his father's reputation. His father's reputation is based on freeing them from the Orlesians and he'd just hand the country back over before all of the resistance was dead and destroy his father's legacy? That would be him emulating his great-grandfather, not his father.

[The Illusive Paragon]

Actually Cailan seems to think that their conflict with Orlais is a thing of the past and is willing to cooperate with them, Maric probably wouldn't be as trusting. Also don't forget if Cailan was having an affair, Celene could benefit from her position and be able to influence Cailans actions.

I'm pretty sure Loghain also thinks that Cailan was having an affair if you take him on RtO.

Modifié par The Illusive Paragon, 28 mars 2010 - 10:02 .

[Costin_Razvan]

Maric probably wouldn't be as trusting.

That's an understatement. Maric would probably kill Cailan if he had been alive to know what his son was planning.

Allowing Chevaliers into Fereldan? Planning to form a permanent alliance with Orlais ( aka marriage? ).

Modifié par Costin_Razvan, 28 mars 2010 - 11:08 .

[errant_knight]

The Illusive Paragon wrote...

Actually Cailan seems to think that their conflict with Orlais is a thing of the past and is willing to cooperate with them, Maric probably wouldn't be as trusting. Also don't forget if Cailan was having an affair, Celene could benefit from her position and be able to influence Cailans actions.

I'm pretty sure Loghain also thinks that Cailan was having an affair if you take him on RtO.

Cooperate is the wrong word. That implies actions for Orleisian benefit. Strong peace treaties with Orleis would be very much to Fereldan's benefit, being the smaller nation. The assurance of non-aggression and the guarantee of aid in times of crisis such as the blight or possible invasion by, say, the Qun would be invaluable.

With Orleisian troops (and a lack of betrayal by Loghain. of course), the darkspawn might very well have been greatly weakened, if not defeated, at Ostagar. Defeat would only have been possible if the archdemon was there. In any case, they wouldn't have had the numbers to spread across Fereldan the way they did.

Cailan had the right idea. Instead of being ruled by the past, he was trying to forge a new future, safe from both darkspawn and the threat of invasion by Orleis.

The idea that Cailan was having an affair can't be stated as fact. There's absolutely no evidence for it beyond an informal tone in a letter, and Loghain's beliefs are highly suspect. Flirtation, the use of personal charm to advance his cause? Sure, why not? But not a full-fledged affair.

Anora's statement that Cailan had affairs (with no indication as to with whom) should also be taken with a fair amount of salt, as it occurs in a conversation when she's attempting to manipulate the PC. It doesn't mean it's not true, but it's unverified.

If he was having an affair, I doubt very much it was with Celene. That would be very risky. And I agree with Sarah1281 that a marriage would absolutely be out of the question. It would be the end of Fereldan independence, which Cailan seems to value as much as the rest of his people. He wants to end the threats to his nation, not end the nation itself. If he was considering cementing the relationship with a marriage, which I see no evidence of at all, it would be to a minor member of Celene's house, not the empress herself. A member well away from possible succession.

When the PC suggests that he/she go to the tower by his/her self, Cailan is insistant that Alistair go too, even though there's no apparent danger or need for two people to go. Not just another grey warden, of whom there are many at the time, but Alistair specifically. I think this may very well indicate that Cailan had decided to name him heir, bastard or not. That would mean that there was no need to consider setting Anora aside anyway, and we see that the notion of doing so angered him.

The only thing that connects these letters is that they're found in the same chest, but don't most of us keep our corrosponence in the same place? That's hardly meaningful.

Edit: Whoops. I seem to be misspelling Orlais consistantly. I always leave the 'e' off Redcliffe, too. I'll fix that for next time.

Modifié par errant_knight, 28 mars 2010 - 05:17 .

[Sarah1281]

Also don't forget if Cailan was having an affair, Celene could benefit from her position and be able to influence Cailans actions.

Yes, Celene might see the benefit. If we can assume that Celene isn't so beautiful men literally can't resist her and, as King and not unattractive himself, Cailan had other, safer, and more convenient opportunites, I don't see why he would risk it or if he did why he would put any real value in it.

I'm pretty sure Loghain also thinks that Cailan was having an affair if you take him on RtO.

Loghain jumped to the same conclusion that people here keep jumping to. One letter from Celene about a visit Loghain most likely didn't know about in an informal tone and one letter from Eamon advising Cailan to put Anora aside for the purposes of an heir. The two letters are completely unrelated and had Cailan been planning on putting Anora aside for Celene - which he hadn't been willing to do a year ago and hadn't given any indication his thinking had changed - Eamon's letter would have probably said something about how finding someone else was a good idea but finding the Empress of Orlais who, while she may or may not be actively planning it, would relish the chance to get her hands on Ferelden again.

[Addai]

Costin_Razvan wrote...

Maric probably wouldn't be as trusting.

That's an understatement. Maric would probably kill Cailan if he had been alive to know what his son was planning.

Allowing Chevaliers into Fereldan? Planning to form a permanent alliance with Orlais ( aka marriage? ).

In his lifetime Maric was already trying to establish diplomatic relations with Orlais.  Do you imagine he would want continued enmity?  What would that profit anyone?

As errant_knight has pointed out, the marriage speculation is just that.

[Thalorin1919]

errant_knight wrote...

The Illusive Paragon wrote...

Actually Cailan seems to think that their conflict with Orlais is a thing of the past and is willing to cooperate with them, Maric probably wouldn't be as trusting. Also don't forget if Cailan was having an affair, Celene could benefit from her position and be able to influence Cailans actions.

I'm pretty sure Loghain also thinks that Cailan was having an affair if you take him on RtO.

Cooperate is the wrong word. That implies actions for Orleisian benefit. Strong peace treaties with Orleis would be very much to Fereldan's benefit, being the smaller nation. The assurance of non-aggression and the guarantee of aid in times of crisis such as the blight or possible invasion by, say, the Qun would be invaluable.

With Orleisian troops (and a lack of betrayal by Loghain. of course), the darkspawn might very well have been greatly weakened, if not defeated, at Ostagar. Defeat would only have been possible if the archdemon was there. In any case, they wouldn't have had the numbers to spread across Fereldan the way they did.

Cailan had the right idea. Instead of being ruled by the past, he was trying to forge a new future, safe from both darkspawn and the threat of invasion by Orleis.

The idea that Cailan was having an affair can't be stated as fact. There's absolutely no evidence for it beyond an informal tone in a letter, and Loghain's beliefs are highly suspect. Flirtation, the use of personal charm to advance his cause? Sure, why not? But not a full-fledged affair.

Anora's statement that Cailan had affairs (with no indication as to with whom) should also be taken with a fair amount of salt, as it occurs in a conversation when she's attempting to manipulate the PC. It doesn't mean it's not true, but it's unverified.

If he was having an affair, I doubt very much it was with Celene. That would be very risky. And I agree with Sarah1281 that a marriage would absolutely be out of the question. It would be the end of Fereldan independence, which Cailan seems to value as much as the rest of his people. He wants to end the threats to his nation, not end the nation itself. If he was considering cementing the relationship with a marriage, which I see no evidence of at all, it would be to a minor member of Celene's house, not the empress herself. A member well away from possible succession.

When the PC suggests that he/she go to the tower by his/her self, Cailan is insistant that Alistair go too, even though there's no apparent danger or need for two people to go. Not just another grey warden, of whom there are many at the time, but Alistair specifically. I think this may very well indicate that Cailan had decided to name him heir, bastard or not. That would mean that there was no need to consider setting Anora aside anyway, and we see that the notion of doing so angered him.

The only thing that connects these letters is that they're found in the same chest, but don't most of us keep our corrosponence in the same place? That's hardly meaningful.

Edit: Whoops. I seem to be misspelling Orlais consistantly. I always leave the 'e' off Redcliffe, too. I'll fix that for next time.

The whole Cailan sending just Alistair with you to the tower always makes me wonder.

First thing is that the Kingsguard you talk to outside of Cailan's tent says that Cailan and Loghain have been fighting over days, and over the Queen. What were they fighting about? No idea. Maybe Cailan said to Loghain that if he were to die that he would want Alistair to take the throne and not Anora, and that idea probably set off Loghain. Or Loghain found the casual tone letter from the Empress and argued with Cailan about it.

Either way, I truly do not think Cailan would want Anora to take the throne for herself  he died. At all. He would want his father's bloodline continued and always have a Theirin on the throne. So he most likely considered Alistair as an ideal heir, and he probably didnt wan Alistair marrying Anora for several reasons. They didnt have children, which in medieval times those problems were blamed on the woman. >.> And other things.

Also Arl Eamon was not at Ostagar, and Cailan knew that. Cailan probably also predicted that if he were to die, Arl Eamon would reveal who Alistair really was and be his front-line supporter for the throne.

Modifié par Thalorin1919, 28 mars 2010 - 07:48 .

[errant_knight]

Thalorin1919 wrote...

The whole Cailan sending just Alistair with you to the tower always makes me wonder.

First thing is that the Kingsguard you talk to outside of Cailan's tent says that Cailan and Loghain have been fighting over days, and over the Queen. What were they fighting about? No idea. Maybe Cailan said to Loghain that if he were to die that he would want Alistair to take the throne and not Anora, and that idea probably set off Loghain. Or Loghain found the casual tone letter from the Empress and argued with Cailan about it.

Either way, I truly do not think Cailan would want Anora to take the throne for herself  he died. At all. He would want his father's bloodline continued and always have a Theirin on the throne. So he most likely considered Alistair as an ideal heir, and he probably didnt want Alistair marrying Anora for several reasons. They didnt have children, which in medieval times those problems were blamed on the woman. >.> And other things.

Also Arl Eamon was not at Ostagar, and Cailan knew that. Cailan probably also predicted that if he were to die, Arl Eamon would reveal who Alistair really was and be his front-line supporter for the throne.

Yes, I think naming Alistair heir might very well have seemed like a good solution to Cailan, and a very bad one to Loghain. The fighting between Loghain and Cailan was important, as well, in that we know that Loghain made his decision to abandon the king while on the battlefield. Whatever the fight was about may very well have played into that decision. It was also something that came up at Ostagar which makes me think that it had relevance to the battle plans, such as Cailan making the decision to be on the front line, risking death. Taken as a whole, it seems likely to me that the fight was about succession, since Anora was part of the discussion. If it was merely about the possibility of Oreisians joining the battle, there would be no need to bring her up.

Modifié par errant_knight, 28 mars 2010 - 08:12 .

[Alcanazar]

I would submit that we can take  nothing Anora says about Cailan at face value, although she will, apparently, say he should have been an actor. (I am getting that 3rd hand, so if anyone has encountered that convo to confirm/deny it would be appreciated.)

I would also submit that the devs may have originally intended for him to be an idiot, but that he did something which creative people know  well: he became a living character. Living characters have a very bad habit of not 'following the script' and running off on their own. The smartest thing to do is to give them some of what they want, or they will resist; if forced they  become inert constructs that drag the creation down. 

Back to the story.  Anora & Loghain say he's been 'playing warrior' which seems to mean riding across Ferelden, keeping the Bannorn & Arls from each others' throats.  With the exception of Loghain's circle, people seem to genuinely like/love Cailan.  His easygoing, friendly manner probably defused many conflicts and ended others before they could get going. Neither Loghain nor Anora can do this. Anora may claim she is what's keeping Ferelden going, but she is unable to bring her own capitol city under control.

Anora's claims of management point out something she doesn't understand. The king has a prime minister to handle the daily grind, while he goes out to inspire/lead/encourage the people. This pattern is still in force today. Many people were thrilled when King Juan Carlos told Chavez to shut up; it was a source of national pride. Ever hear of anyone, anywhere, being thrilled by a bureauocrat?

[Sarah1281]

Maybe Anora was serving as chancellor? I did buy that Anora at least believed that Cailan had affairs (althogh she said he was discrete so maybe he was really doing some quiet political manuevering? She never would have guessed and Cailan might have encouraged that line of thought as it hid his dealings with Orlais that Anora clearly knew nothing about) because she was sounding annoyed at the thought of having to put up with it again if you're romancing Alistair and trying to marry him to her anyway and just wants to be sure of what she's getting into.

Modifié par Sarah1281, 29 mars 2010 - 03:48 .

[Thalorin1919]

I think in a way Anora actually kind of....feared Cailan?



Look at it this way,



Anora knew that Cailan had mistresses, but she never confronted him about it or really told anyone else. Why? Had she confront him something about that, she could be in a spot to lose her power. He could just say "Well, nice knowing ya!" and put her to the side to marry someone else. Anora could administer the lands, but Cailan was also the King first. He would still be the one making the decisions.



I personally think the whole Blight thing opened Cailan's eyes to the real world. He was blind to the fact he was living as King, and all these problems confronted him. Had he survived, I think he would've changed into a more responsible ruler as a King, and possibly put Anora aside. He would say enough is enough and actually marry someone he loves. Personally I dont think either of them had a problem, it really seems to me they never had sex.



But I'm sure of one thing. Cailan wanted Alistair to be the one in line for the throne if he fell, and not anybody else. For the sake of perserving the Theirin bloodline, and to maybe keep Anora and Loghain from gaining complete power.