In his PAX Day 3 Interview, David Gaider answered a pair of interesting questions regarding the subject of Cailan dumping Anora for the Orlesian Empress Celene.
- Was Cailan really planning on leaving Anora for the Empress of Orlais, or was Loghain exaggerating?
- David Gaider: Hahah! You know it's funny, that was a plot that was originally in Origins, and we couldn't include it. The Empress of Orlais was supposed to have been visiting Denerim during the time of the Blight. We had a whole plot prepared for it, but that's the way development goes. Things get cut all the time. So what you saw in Return to Ostagar was sort of a callback to what was happening there. The plan originally actually was yes, that Cailan was planning to divorce Anora originally, and Loghain discovered what was going on. But of course that's not why he did what he did right? Loghain being the completely reasonable man that he is...
- Did Anora's infertility have anything to do with Cailan leaving her for the Empress of Orlais?
- David Gaider: Yes. They don't know for sure if she's infertile, but she wasn't having a[ny] childs. And so Cailan was responding to advice that he was getting that said that maybe he had to marry someone because the Theirin bloodline wasn't exactly spreading out that much. He was the only son, or the only known son of Maric at the time. And Maric himself was the last of his line. So if Cailan didn't have a child it opened up a possibility of civil war in Ferelden once again.
The complete slightly over 28 minute interview may be found here. There's a lot of other good stuff in there too.