Crookytail

In 5:12 Exalted, Andoral awoke and the Fourth Blight began, Garahel and Isseya were dispatched to Antiva City to assist in the evacuation. While the new riders were assigned griffons, Garahel bonded with an exceptionally odd-coloured beast, Thunder, whom he renamed, Crookytail. When King Elaudio and Queen Giuvana's refusal to evacuate resulted in an armed insurrection, Garahel joined the Wardens in fighting the rebel Antivan Royal Guards. Afterwards, Garahel helped evacuate the surviving court members to Wycome on their Griffons.

As they fled Antiva, the Wardens were attacked by the archdemon Andoral itself. After Warden-Commander Turab and the other senior griffon riders were killed, Garahel split off from the other Wardens, leading an attack on the archdemon in order to buy the surviving Wardens time to escape. After a narrow escape, Garahel was assigned by Warden-Commander Senaste to work with Amadis Vael delivering messages and requests to aid to various influential nobles and mercenary leaders while the other Wardens prepared Wycome for evacuation before returning to assist in transporting the refugees to Starkhaven.

In 5:20 Exalted, Garahel was ordered back from the front temporarily to Fortress Haine to deliver the First Warden's orders to Isseya that she was to evacuate Kirkwall immediately using joined griffons.[8]

Garahel continued to rally support from unexpected quarters against the blight. Garahel gathered more Wardens from Orlais and the Anderfels, as well as allies from among casteless and exiled surface dwarves, former elven slaves and Apostate mages, forming the Stone's ********, the Masterless and the Broken Circle lay companies, respectively.

Eventually the darkspawn were driven back towards Antiva and Rivain and Garahel formulated a plan to lure the archdemon out so the Wardens could end the Blight. Garahel decided to personally lead a force of Grey Warden griffon riders to kill the archdemon. After a grueling battle and despite heavy losses, the archdemon was brought down over the city of Ayesleigh. Although the archdemon was severely wounded it had survived and the Grey Wardens were reduced to a fraction of their initial numbers. As the streets of Ayesleigh were swarming with darkspawn archers with their arrows trained on the sky, Garahel bid his sister farewell and alone flew into the city and struck the final blow against the archdemon, ending the Fourth Blight, albeit at the cost of his own life and that of his griffon.