Dragon Age: Origins DLC content that can be completed after the first journey through Lothering. The story follows the player and company making their way back into Ostagar in order to retrieve the fallen King Cailan's belongings from the darkspawn that now roam the fortress.
A King's Confidant
After the initial journey through Lothering, a travel location on the map known as Bann Loren's Lands will open up to the player if the Return to Ostagar DLC is installed. Bann Loren's allegiances to any Ferelden faction are questionable at best, so the likelihood of his men attacking anyone who encroaches on his land is high. Located just northeast of the Circle of Magi's Kinloch Hold, the player and company appear in a forest area of Bann Loren's Lands only to stumble across some of Loren's private soldiers confronting a wealthy looking male. The player recognizes this person as Elric Maraigne, who was one of King Cailan's honor guards that fought at Ostagar. Loren's men stab Elric in the torso, which they then notice the arrival of the player's group, and a battle breaks out.
After disposing of Loren's private soldiers, the player and company check to see if Elric's still alive, who fell over unconscious due to the attack. They manage to wake Elric up, but the stab injury is deemed a death sentence, so he doesn't have long to live. With little time remaining, Elric thanks the player and company for the rescue, and explains of how he deserted the Ostagar battlefield after it became clear that they were going to lose the fight due to Loghain's betrayal, and that he ended up in Loren's prison when he was running away through Bann Loren's Lands. Elric also mentions that while he managed to escape, he ended up being caught by the Loren soldiers that were killed just now. He then informs the player and company that King Cailan provided him the key to the royal arms chest that's still at Ostagar, and that if anything was to happen to the King, it's vital that it's given to the Grey Wardens.
The player asks if Elric still has the key, which he states that it's thankfully not in Bann Loren's hands. That the key's stored away back at the Ostagar camp as he was worried of losing it during the fight against the darkspawn. Elric then informs the player that the key is behind a loose rock on a statue at Ostagar, and even draws a map for them to know where to search. He also warns the player that when they go to Ostagar, it's vital that the King's documents, along with his weapons and armor, don't fall into the wrong hands. Elric also wishes that they give King Cailan's body a proper send off rather than have it rot to the darkspawn. It's at this point that Elric takes his last breath and dies. The player and company then depart from Bann Loren's Lands to go back to Ostagar. Alistair being the most interested in following along given that he was part of the lost battle.
Return to Ostagar
The player and company arrive back at Ostagar, which has become snowed over and overrun by darkspawn. They arrive through Ostagar's upper west fortress entrance, which the player's group fights through the darkspawn stationed in the western half of the fortress. Along with looting Cailan's Greaves and Shield off the darkspawn commanders in the area, the player and company find the royal arms chest's key that Elric hid at the statue he mentioned. The nearby kennel will also have a Mabari Dog to recruit if the player still doesn't have one by this point. Investigating what's left of Cailan's camp tent, the player and company find the locked royal chest, and use the special key to open it. The player finds within said chest the King's powerful sword, Maric's Blade, along with the mentioned documents known as the Secret Correspondence.
Within the Secret Correspondence are three documents. Two of them reveal what would have been King Cailan's future plan to divorce Queen Anora. It turns out that he was secretly forging an alliance by marriage with Empress Celene I of Orlais to bring peace to the two kingdoms that hate one another. However, the marriage had to be postponed due to the arrival of the Blight, and that while Empress Celene was set to send an army of Orlais to support King Cailan in Ferelden, Loghain's timely betrayal kept that from happening. The third document is a letter from Arl Eamon informing his nephew, the King, that his forces at Redcliffe are ready to join the battle against the Blight. However, he begs Cailan to not fight with the Grey Wardens on the front line as Ferelden can't afford to lose its King. In addition, it's revealed in the letter that it was Eamon who urged the King to divorce Queen Anora due to the latter's struggles to birth a child that would continue the royal bloodline.
Crossing the bridge that leads to the fortress' eastern half, the player and company stumble upon the corpse of King Cailan, which the darkspawn hung up as a trophy as a way to celebrate their victory at Ostagar. The player and company look upon the King's corpse in sadness as a darkspawn necromancer notices their arrival. The necromancer summons up a couple skeletons, and then retreats back into the eastern half of Ostagar. After disposing of the skeletons, the player and company cross the remainder of the bridge to reach the eastern side of the fortress.
Upon entering the east side of Ostagar's fortress, the player's group continues to fight through the darkspawn. They manage to loot Cailan's Gauntlets and Breastplate off the darkspawn commanders in the area, and then arrive at the entrance to the Tower of Ishal that the necromancer retreated into. Entering the Tower of Ishal, the player and company chase after the necromancer while fighting through any darkspawn that bars their way. They eventually arrive at one of the leftover tunnel holes that the darkspawn opened when they were digging their way up into the Tower of Ishal during the Battle of Ostagar. Knowing that the necromancer retreated into the tunnel, the player's group enter it to continue the chase.
The player and company fight through a lower area of the Tower of Ishal, which is overrun by darkspawn and corrupted spiders. They eventually find the exit, which takes the player's group out to the lower Ostagar valley where King Cailan, Warden-Commander Duncan, and their combined forces all lost their lives fighting the darkspawn. The corpse of the darkspawn ogre that Duncan killed during the battle remains on the battlefield, which the cornered necromancer raises, and sends it after the player's group as a powerful risen ogre. A battle breaks out on what was once the major ground battlefield of Ostagar. The battle being the player's group against the necromancer and its minions that include the risen ogre. The player and company come out victorious, which they manage to retrieve Duncan's unique dagger and sword weapons off the risen ogre along with looting Cailan's Helm off the necromancer.
Having successfully gathered up all of King Cailan's belongings, the player's group returns to Cailan's corpse. A decision is made as to what should be done with the King's body. Either he's given an honorable funeral pyre, the corpse gets thrown to the wolves, or it gets left where it is. Following the decision, the player and company finally depart from Ostagar.
