Dragon Age - Thedas

Sitting on the western shore of Lake Calenhad, the village of Redcliffe is so named for the reddish hues of the cliffs that tower above it. A path leads up into the hills and across a bridge to an island where the ancient Castle Redcliffe has stood far longer than the village itself. The village below the castle (and others under Redcliffe's authority) grew until the arling was as powerful a settlement as any teyrnir. Redcliffe Castle is the first and last line of defense for the sole land route into Ferelden and the country has never fallen to any assault that did not first take Redcliffe. Redcliffe is one of the most prosperous towns in Ferelden, due to its position between Orzammar and Orlais despite its population of roughly 200. As such it is a center of foreign trade. Such favorable conditions caused the domain to be named an arling in spite of its small size. The citizens of Redcliffe are primarily fishermen or merchants engaged in shipping dwarven goods from Orlais.