"Magic is a cancer in the heart of our land, just as it was in the time of Andraste. And like her, we are left with no choice but to purify it with fire and blood."
Meredith Stannard is the Knight-Commander of the Templars of Kirkwall and a very influential and powerful woman - however her fanatical hatred and fear of mages serves to turn her into the primary antagonist of Dragon Age II as she leads a terrible crusade against magic that claims many innocent lives and spreads great fear and tyranny across the land.
Meredith is somewhat unique in the fact she is the first human in the Dragon Age series who serves as the final boss of a game.