An Archon for the Tevinter Imperium, Hessarian had conspired with Maferath to captured Andraste. He had wished to give her a quick and merciful death, but his wife was more vindictive and demanded he have her publicly burned at the stake. Even when he reluctantly agreed to this, Andraste's suffering so moved him that he eventually granted her a mercy-kill with his sword (which would go on to become a sanctified object to the Chantry).
Ten years after, Hessarian, still remorseful over what he had done, converted to the Chantry faith, declared the Maker the one true God, and even went as far as to make the Chantry the official faith of Tevinter, which did not sit well with those members of the Imperium who did not want to give up their belief in the Old Gods and who still hated Andraste and her cause. Hessarian also revealed that Maferath had betrayed his wife, causing Maferath's support to vanish and his sons to turn on him and kill him.
The exact reasons for Hessarian's conversion are debated. While Chantry dogma insists it was motivated by genuine remorse and newfound faith in the Maker, others argue his motives were more cynical and pragmatic, merely him recognizing that the Chantry faith had already become popular in Tevinter and that it would be foolish to fight against the change. Hessarian's shade when confronted by the Grey Warden many centuries later though, claims that he did indeed feel remorse for his condemning Andraste.
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