#mfdao

Qunari and the Fifth Blight

When rumors of a new Blight stemming from the Korcari Wilds of Ferelden reached the salasari, the Arishok dispatched a continent of soldiers to investigate. The group was attacked by darkspawn, and only one solider survived. ➨ Note: in MFDA, followers of the Qun do have personal names, but Sten (qunlat for "soldier") declines to share his, as he feels his dishonorable actions shamed himself, his ancestors, and his people, rendering his personal identity null.

A group of qunari living near the Brecilian Forest - some of whom belong to the Cult of Koslun - involved in a generations-long feud with a Dalish clan (and nearby humans) can be recruited by the Hero of Ferelden for assistance battling the Fifth Blight (my revamped Nature of the Beast quest).

The Cult of Kolsun, Returned - the ""Qunari Occupation"" of Kirkwall

Sometime in 9:31 Dragon, a delegation of Ben-Hassrath set out to meet a delegation of Orlesian forces, which had agreed to surrender to Tome of Koslun as a gesture of goodwill from Empress Celene. The Ben-Hassrath were under order to destroy it.

However, the Tome was stolen by a random pirate - which thwarted the Cult of Koslun cultists who also planned to steal it. The cultists (tal-vashoth) pursued the pirate across the Waking Sea, until a storm grounded both ships in Kirkwall.

Led by a warrior called the tal-Arishok, the surviving cultists posed as a delegation from Par Vollen and took up a residence in a compound granted to them by Viscount Marlowe Dumar, determined not to leave without their holy book.

By the time a formal missive from the salasari reached the Viscount, exposing the fraud, enough anti-qunari sentiment had been generated in Kirkwall that any attempt to clarify to the public that the occupation was the work of fringe cultists was futile. Thus, word that "the qunari" had invaded Kirkwall spread across the world, fanning tensions that still ran hot since before The Qunari Wars. ➨ seeking not to muddy the message that Par Vollen was not involved, the Ben-Hassrath kept to the shadows, monitoring the city-state and sending information back to the salasari (and occasionally covertly helping [future] Champion of Kirkwall, Hawke), but otherwise not intervening. ➨ thus, realizing Kirkwall was relatively safe from the Ben-Hassrath, which had hunted them for generations, tal-vashoth from all over flocked to Kirkwall, making the populace nervous and straining relations further

In 9:34, tensions boiled over, and the tal-Arishok decided to overthrow the viscount and bring order to the chaotic city-state by forcibly converting it to the Cult of Koslun, including chaining of its many circle and apostate mages. Despite what they claim, they are clearly gearing up for another bid at conquering Northern Thedas. ➨ In the ensuing violence, deemed the First Battle of Kirkwall, the Viscount was slain ➨ a tal-vashoth scholar named Shathann, along with her young child Evataash, escaped during the chaos, assisted by a sympathetic Ben-Hassrath agent. Shathann was born into the cult and had dedicated her life to serving it, but recently had discovered that Evataash was an adaari, and under the Cult would be doomed to a life in chains as a saarebas berzerker. They fled to Rivain. ➨➨ this is the default explanation if it happens off-screen, but this may also be incorporated as a side quest during the events of the battle. TBA ➨ Hawke's actions determined the specific outcome of the battle, but either way, the tal-vashoth were killed or driven from Kirkwall, with escaping survivors hunted by the Ben-Hassrath.

With the cult eliminated and the city-state free from "qunari" occupation, Par Vollen attempted to mend public opinion, but the chaos ensuing with the attack on the Kirkwall Chantry drowned it out.

The Annulment of the Dairsmuid Circle

Far from the seat of Chantry power, the Dairsmuid Circle in Rivain was largely a formality. Its mages were free to move about society and young women were openly trained to interact with spirits to become seers. Like most Rivainis, even mages who more or less cooperated with the Circle were only nominally Andrastian, and instead were dedicated to the Qun and the region's native pantheistic/naturalistic religion.

When the circles rebelled, the Seekers of Truth declared Dairsmuid a lost cause, unsalvagably overrun by apostasy. Templars brought in from Antiva helped the Seekers invoke the Rite of Annulment, slaughtering countless mages, their families, and the civilians who rose up to oppose the massacre.

Although only around 25% of the victims were qunari, the overwhelming sentiment in Par Vollen was that all of the victims were "their people", as Rivain had been part of Par Vollen for most of history and even its non-qunari folk were followers of the Qun.

The Rivaini populace, which had tolerated the King and the Chantry only because they weren't substantially disrupting their daily lives, could not be convinced the Annulment was anything short of a declaration of war on their way of life.

Thus, anti-Andrastian sentiment spiked both in Par Vollen and Rivain, with many interpreting the Annulment as the first move in a new Exalted March. Anti-monarchy/chantry rebels in Rivain secretly conferred with the salasari, and agreed that the Annulment violated the terms of the Llomerryn Accord. Thus, Par Vollen would be justified in stepping in. ➨ The goals of the alliance: free Rivain from oppression under the chantry and its king. In return, the freed Rivani forces would then help Par Vollen finally oust Tevinter from Seheron.

While the rest of the world fawned over the Inquisition, Par Vollen's armies and Rivaini rebels quietly geared up to go to war - assuming that once the Inquisition conquered Southern Thedas, it would turn its holy swords on the heathens in the north-east... as the original Inquisition of old had tried to do a millennium ago.

Qunari and the Inquisition

Qunari attended the Conclave, both as delegates/spies from Par Vollen and as unaffiliated mercenary guards

The explosion at the Conclave was immediately blamed on qunari retaliating against the Annulment of the Dairsmuid Circle. While this was swiftly proven false, the rumor persisted in some areas, exacerbating long-held anti-qunari sentiment and putting the Par Vollen-Rivain front further on edge

The Ariqun commanded Ben-Hassrath agent The Iron Bull, who had been undercover as a mercenary in Orlais, to join and spy on the Inquisition.

Par Vollen did not send any other dignitaries, soldiers, or aid to the Inquisition, although it minimally cooperated when it was beneficial enough to do so. While it did not wish to aid or abet the Inquisition, it agreed that the Inquisitor must be allowed to work relatively unencumbered to deal with the breach and the threat posed by Corypheus.

Assuming the Inquisition would not cede power during the Exalted Council, Ben-Hassrath spies led by Viddasala were dispatched to sabotage the council via Operation Dragon's Breath ➨ Aside from assassinating the Inquisitor and hamstringing the believed-to-be Exalted March, the other goals of the operation were to bolster Par Vollen-Rivain's might for a decisive victory in the impending war, particularly magic, via learning more about the eluvian network and the veil and improving lyrium mining to eliminate the need to rely on dwarven allies. ➨ While the nobles attending the council were not the target, unrest followed in the nobility as it seemed too convenient that the regents happened to be absent from the council, having sent other delegates instead. Accusations of conspiring with qunari and qunari-adjacent heathens dogged the leaders of both Orlais and Ferelden for years to follow, along with the same accusations about cowing to the Inquisition ➨ during the council, barrels of gaatlok were discovered stashed all around the Inquisition's major strongholds, set by non-qunari Ben-Hassrath spies that had infiltrated the Inquisition, which cast further doubts and mistrust on the Inquisition

Operation Dragon's Breath was ultimately thwarted, causing a major setback in the Par Vollen-Rivaini rebel cause.

Around 9:47 or so, rebels were able to launch a surprise attack on the palace in Dairsmuid, killing the royal family and kicking off the Rivain Civil War, which is often simplified/sensationalized/propagandized as "the Antaam occupation" ➨ the combatants: Rivaini monarchy/chantry loyalists + Antivan forces (including the Antivan Crows) + other chantry-allied reinforcements ("chantry forces") VS Rivaini rebels + Par Vollen ("rebel forces")

My Fantasy Veilguard Scratchpad

Exact details are pending as I decide how much of Rivain/Antiva are actually in My Fantasy Veilguard, thus how exactly it needs to play out to support the MFV narrative

Since there is no discord between identifying with Rivain and the Qun in MFDA (not that there ever really was lol), Taash's character arc and quest is also being adjusted. One possibility is an arc of being tempted by my good friends the Cult of Koslun, into which Taash was technically born (and which is most definitely still beefing with Shathann for leaving them and stealing an adaari)

Generally, by 9:52, the rebel forces have overtaken Rivain (as there were few loyalists to oppose them) and thus the main front of the conflict is in Antiva and at the border. Port cities such as Treviso are occupied by the Antaam to prevent them from being used as strongholds by the opposing chantry forces

While the rebels are probably "right", the fact that war always causes immense suffering should not be ignored; this is the likely theme that would be explored in MFV

Duncan tells the newly-minted Warden to collect themselves, don their new gear, and join him and King Cailan at the war table. There's a long shot of the Warden as Duncan walks away, pensive.

While there was no choice in what happened to them, the player has a choice in how to get up: resigned, uncertain, proud.

But, there is no choice but to follow Duncan's orders.

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Around the war table, the Warden finds Duncan, Cailan, Loghain Mac Tir, a then-unnamed mage [Uldred], and a chantry mother.

Loghain and Cailan are in the midst of an argument, with Loghain urging Cailan not to participate in the battle. Cailan baits Loghain by suggesting that if they are that outmatched with their own forces, then perhaps they might wait for Orlesian reinforcements after all.

Loghain is incensed, but Cailan twists the knife, insisting that the troubles with Orlais are a thing of the past - Celene has no interest in another war between nations.

Loghain seethes. He barks the word "king" at Cailan like a slur - it's clear he doesn't think this boy deserves the title.

Cailan is, of course, smug. A little victory to whet his appetite for glory. He turns his attention to the Warden and issues a congratulations on their successful joining - starry-eyed, unknowing what it cost.

The group turns its attention to the battle ahead, pouring over the map. Cailan explains the plan to charge the horde with his soldiers and the Fereldan Wardens, distracting the horde so Loghain's troops can ambush them from the flank. Loghain explains his troops are already stationed at the nearby Tower of Ishal, ready to light the beacon that will be his men's cue to join the battle.

Over-confident, Cailan has a big idea: he wants the Warden and Alistair to light the beacon instead, so the Wardens have a more glorious role in the battle. Loghain and Duncan both protest, but are steamrolled - even when Duncan reveals that he fears the Archdemon will appear in the battle.

It's just as Flemeth said - the leadership is not prepared for what's coming, and Cailan cannot be swayed.

The mage insists that the Tower isn't needed at all because his mages can just send up a signal, but the chantry mother balks at putting everyone's lives in the hands of a mage.

Loghain tells everyone to shut up and concedes that the Warden and Alistair can light the damn beacon, as His Majesty wishes. Pleased, Cailan waxes about the glorious tales he'll be able to tell about the fearsome Grey Wardens fighting arm in arm with King Cailan Theirin to curb the tide of evil.

Ominously, a long shot of Loghain: "A glorious moment for us all."

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After nightfall, at the Wardens' campfire:

A new face stands beside Duncan, introduced as Riordan. Unlike the others, he's in plain armor... but a few of the pieces look familiar. If pressed on who he is, Riordan insists, "just a man from Highever, eager to defend his mother land." From context, the player should gather that he is also a Warden - one who shouldn't be here. After debriefing again on the plan, Duncan and Riordan depart to take their place among Cailan's troops.

Cue, pre-battle cut scene. Men and women in armor ready their weapons. A chantry sister issues a blessing, making her way through the row of troops. Duncan and Cailan settle into place, flanked by several other Wardens; behind them, Riordan is seen sneaking into frame. Duncan asserts to Cailan that the Blight will end with them - but Cailan is already confident, so who's he reassuring?

On the other end of the field, the darkspawn horde hisses and jockeys, ogres towering overhead. Cailan's army reacts to them; a man makes to back away, but another soldier behind him pressures him back into place.

Without fanfare, the horde rushes forward. Cailan calls out the archers, the mabari hounds, then finally, the troops.

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Meanwhile, in camp, the Warden and Alistair make a break for the Tower of Ishal, dodging arrows and trebuchet attacks. Below them, the battle roars and metal clashes.

At the base of the Tower, a guard bears bad news: it's been lost, taken already by darkspawn that ambushed it from underground passages. Taking it back seems impossible, but the King's forces are depending on them - they must try.

With the help of the guard and a surviving circle mage, the Warden and Alistair barely squeeze out a victory. Battered, limping, they light the beacon.

From their position on the flank, Loghain and his lieutenant, Ser Cauthrien, watch the signal go up. Without missing a beat, Loghain commands, "Sound the retreat."

Shocked, Cauthrien protests, but he offers no explanation - only a harsher command, grabbing her by the arm. Both of them seem surprised and disgusted that he'd do such a thing to her. Cauthrien yanks her arm away and, bitterly, orders the troops to pull out. Against the backdrop of retreating soldiers, rabbling with confusion, Loghain takes one last look as the beacon fizzles from the sky.

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On the battlefield, blood-soaked darkspawn and soldiers clash. Neither side has the upper hand; the battle is young enough to still be won, but something is amiss.

Cutting down a hurlock, Duncan looks up, distressed. The last dregs of the beacon fades, but there is no sign of Loghain's flanking charge.

Around him, the Wardens begin to fall one by one. Keen-eyed players may notice there's no sign of Riordan at all. But, nearby, Cailan fights doggedly, coming to fight with Duncan back to back. Perhaps there is more to him than meets the eye, but -

Too late, Duncan senses a powerful darkspawn approaching. He turns just as an alpha ogre rushes Cailan, grabbing him and crushing him unceremoniously in its fist. It tosses Cailan aside like a ragdoll.

Enraged, grieved, Duncan manages to slay the ogre, but he's given his all. He collapses to his knees by Cailan's body. Around him, it's clear that the king's men are falling just as did their king; the numbers have dwindled, their bodies littering the field.

They've lost the battle, and as far as Duncan will ever know, they've lost Ferelden, too.

A darkspawn approaches, hefting its axe. Duncan bows his head.

The Warden awakens to Morrigan tending to them, aloof but attentive. She explains that Flemeth saved them and Alistair, but the darkspawn won the battle handily. Alistair is awake but taking it hard; it appears Ferelden has been betrayed. Morrigan is willing to answer a few basic questions, but presses the Warden to see Flemeth outside for the real answers.

Outside, the Warden joins Alistair and Flemeth. Alistair is glad to see they pulled through, but he's clearly rattled and heartbroken. He fills the Warden in on what the player knows: Loghain betrayed his king, his allies in the Wardens, and his country. And for what - power, while a Blight bears down on them all?

Flemeth interrupts, suggesting that Loghain thinks there's only a regular resurgence of darkspawn, and not a real Blight. She explains that she saved the Warden and Alistair because they, alone, are left to unite the world against the Achdemon's designs - irrespective of the local political theater.

She hands over the Warden documents - if asked, she explains she sent Morrigan to retrieve them. She clearly knows what they are, but claims she only knows that if they were important to the late Warden-Commander, then they will certainly be needed on the road ahead.

Alistair shrinks under the heat of responsibility, but he knows his oath. If they must "unite the world", then Loghain will present a problem; he can't let them live, and who will believe the two of them over the Hero of River Dane?

He's got an idea: they should appeal to Arl Eamon Guerrin of Redcliffe. Eamon is Cailan's uncle, still has his army, and is a well-respected, upstanding man. If anyone could or would help them stand up to Loghain and gather allies to fight the Blight, it would be him.

Flemeth agrees with the plan, but before she lets them go, she has one more boon to grant: her daughter. She voluntells Morrigan to accompany the pair of Wardens on their journey, despite protests from her and Alistair. But the matter is settled; without Morrigan, Flemeth insists, they are sure to fail, and all will perish under the Blight. Reluctantly, Morrigan bends.

First, of course, they must race ahead of the horde, which is gearing up to spread north from the Wilds per Morrigan's reconnaissance. She suggest their first stop be Lothering, a village with which she is familiar and which is along the Imperial Highway to Redcliffe.

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Meanwhile, in Denerim:

Loghain addresses the gentry, flanked by his daughter: Queen Anora, silent and grim in her black mourning dress. She's the queen, yet she stands to the side while Loghain dominates the center of the balcony.

Bann Teagan Guerrin interrupts Loghain, boldly suggesting that Loghain pulled his army so he could seize power in the wake of Cailan's death. Teagan and Loghain argue, with Teagan asserting that the Bannorn will not blindly come to heel just because Loghain demands it, while Loghain asserts that he will suffer no threat to Ferelden... of any kind.

The crowd gasps and titters. He couldn't mean that.

Loghain storms off and the crowd begins to disperse, but Anora suddenly calls after Teagan, pleading with him to believe that her father is only trying to do what's best. Teagan fires back, "did he also do what was best for your husband, Your Majesty?"

Duncan and the PC are greeted enthusiastically at the gates of Ostagar by King Cailan Theirin, who is excited about the looming battle with the darkspawn horde. His positive attitude toward the Grey Wardens seems unusual; Wardens are to be respected and feared, and in times of Blight, obeyed - but they are are pariahs still.

The Wardens' 200-year exile from Ferelden is teased, but not explained.

Cailan is clearly in over his head, but he can't be swayed to await reinforcements from Redcliffe and the Orlesian Wardens, nor does he entertain Duncan's urging to keep away from the battle.

As the king departs, Duncan urges the PC to complete the Joining as soon as possible, since there are only a few Fereldan Wardens available for the battle. He's pushy, declining to offer details or answer questions, only insisting repeatedly that what will come to pass is necessary. Nearby, as the conversation ends, a revered mother gives an ominous sermon.

After meeting junior Warden Alistair and the other recruits (Ser Jory and Daveth), Duncan sends the party into the Korcari Wilds to complete two tasks: obtain three vials of darkspawn blood, and retrieve documents from a cache hidden in an abandoned Warden fortress. Even if pressed, Duncan does not explain what the blood is for, nor what the documents are. Regarding the documents, he says he only hopes that they will not matter.

The party makes its way through the Wilds, collecting the blood along the way. Upon locating the abandoned fortress, they are accosted by a strange woman: Morrigan. She explains that the documents they seek have been relocated by her mother in order to protect them. She is also wearing clothes btw.

Alistair and Daveth discourage cooperating with Morrigan, accusing her of being an apostate mage and child-stealing Witch of the Wilds. However, Duncan commanded they retrieve these documents, so there is no choice but to follow Morrigan to her mother's hut.

Flemeth is cryptic and foreboding, a haggard old woman but you can tell she still got it if she cunted it up a little. She hands over the documents freely - they are the Wardens', after all. The PC takes a peep at them, but they're unintelligible. Flemeth reports they're enchanted, but refuses to explain whether or not she can read them herself.

Before they go, Flemeth issues a warning: the threat is worse than the king and his generals realize. Is the threat bigger than they think, or do they realize less? Only time will tell.

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Back in the camp at Ostagar, the recruits regroup with Duncan, who waves off Alistair's concerns about Morrigan and Flemeth; they have bigger problems than two random apostates. He declines once more to explain the documents, but finally concedes some information about the Joining:

It might be fatal. It cannot, however, be delayed.

Left alone for a few moments as Duncan and Alistair prepare the ritual, the recruits discuss their fate as Warden recruits. Jory is hesitant, worried about leaving his young family behind. Unlike the PC and Daveth, he still has attachments to his previous life. The contrast is highlighted as the characters reveal the typical Warden recruitment pool: criminals, vagrants, orphans, thrill-seekers, the disgraced. It's ominously clear that Jory doesn't belong...

Also ominous, as the ritual begins: Alistair's sermon. The words and heroic, romantic even, but the tone is dark, framed in unsettling light. Join us, join us, join us, join us...

Jory looks furtively at the chalice, but Daveth is handed it first. Daveth takes it, determined, and doesn't hesitate to drink - but he collapses, writhing in pain, and goes still.

Without missing a a beat, Duncan steps over his body, closing in on Jory, the chalice brandished like a grenade. Jory balks, terrified, "You ask too much. There's no glory in this."

It's not that the player is the only one out of the loop - none of the recruits, PC included, knew this. No one knows this, except the ones that survive.

Jory raises his sword, but is overpowered and cut down by Duncan while the PC looks on, horrified. Behind them, hovering in such a way that it's clear from the player's POV that he's prepared to grab them if they try to flee, Alistair's expression is faraway.

Duncan's face is hard, his face cold as he wheels on the PC. "You are called upon to submit yourself to the taint for the greater good."

He brandishes the chalice, and the player's UI pops up as if there's a choice, but - compelled, conscripted, helpless to refuse - there is only one option: take it and drink.

The PC collapses, white-eyed, agonized. They pass out, and a terrifying vision of the Archdemon roaring over an innumerable horde flashes.

Upon arriving in Kinloch Hold, the party meets Knight-Commander Greagoir, who is beginning to put the tower on lockdown. He reports that the mages are in no position to help anyone, Arl or no - the Circle has fallen to demons. He's already sent to Denerim for soldiers and permission to invoke the Rite of Annulment, but has not heard back; he suspects the brewing Civil War has held up the messenger, so he must make the decision himself.

The player has a choice in discussion with Greagoir: support or condemn the mages. In previous conversations, there were opportunities for the Warden to share their feelings about mages, but in this conversation (behind the scenes) their opinion has bearing on the outcome of the quest.

Regardless of that, the Warden offers to secure the tower if Greagoir provides lyrium to Redcliffe in exchange. He agrees to let them try, but with a suggestion: slay the surviving mages. There has been unrest since their return from Ostagar and they are likely beyond salvation, much as he loathes to admit it.

If the player pushes back, wishing to spare the mages, Greagoir tasks them with bringing First Enchanter Irving back with them, alive. He won't believe the mages deserve a second chance unless he hears it from Irving; otherwise, he must proceed with Annulment. If the player agrees the mages must die, Greagoir requests Irving be spared, if only to provide his insight on how this happened. Either way, so long as the Warden secures the tower, Greagoir agrees he will supply the lyrium Redcliffe needs.

After entering the tower proper, the Warden meets/is reunited with Wynne, who is protecting two young mages and two child apprentices. She corroborates what Greagoir said: the tower has been in chaos since survivors returned from Ostagar - but she attributes it to anxiety and stress about the brewing civil war and rumors of Blight. Blood mages have been exposed, yes, but she's certain that isn't the whole story. She implores the Warden to help her save the Circle.

If the Warden refuses, arguing instead that the mages deserve condemnation, Wynne, the mages, and the children must all be killed to progress. The children don't fight back; they cower, cry, and beg for their lives. Party members help in the fight against Wynne in the mages, but all party members refuse to harm the children and approval plummets.

The party fights its way up the tower, defeating swarm after swarm of demon. Occasionally, they come across pockets of surviving mages, who either plead for mercy or attack the party on sight. If the player chooses to attack a peaceful survivor, Wynne immediately turns on the player. There's no penalty for killing a mage who attacks first, although Wynne knows them all by name and mourns them.

If the Warden speaks to tranquil Owain, he cryptically expresses hope that someone called Niall will save them all because he took a book called the Litany of Andralla. If Wynne is present, she explains that this book protects against mind domination - which does not bode well, considering the recent exposure of blood mages in the tower. This is a red herring for Part 1 but a hint for Part 2.

At the top of the tower, the party finds not a blood mage, but a Templar enthralled by a desire demon. This desire demon is in the form of a seductress, who preyed on the Templar's loneliness and feeds him a delusion of a loving family in exchange for letting it out into the world of man. The demon was imprisoned in a confiscated relic that had been kept in the Circle vault for generations, and the Templar was able to free it by using his lyrium-imbued powers.

A party member (Wynne > Morrigan > Alistair or Leliana) calls it out plainly: half a Circle of mages were slaughtered by demons and any survivors were going to be exterminated for it, and no one would ever have known it was actually a Templar's fault if an outsider hadn't discovered it.

After defeating the demon and its thralls, the party regroups. They still need to find Irving, as Greagoir won't take even Wynne's word for the mages being safe to live, no matter what they witnessed.

The party finds Irving's office door is locked behind a magic seal, which banter erroneously attributes to the desire demon. Only Wynne is able to dispel it, so if she isn't present for any reason, the party must turn back without rescuing Irving. If Wynne is present, she dispels it automatically (so it's not possible to not rescue Irving at this point). Past the barrier, Irving is found wounded and slumped over his desk; when his injury is misattributed to the demon, he doesn't correct them but the framing of the shot makes it clear to the player something else is afoot. If his office is searched, there are more hints around about what's to come in Part 2.

With the tower secured, the Warden reports to Greagoir. In grief and shame, Greagoir presses back when told the truth; but he's too reasonable a man to refuse it outright. But of course, he will bury it so no one will ever know; additional rewards he offers may be interpreted as a bribe.

Regardless of the player's choices during the quest, Greagoir makes good on his end of the bargain, pledging immediate dispatch of a supply of lyrium to Redcliffe.

If Irving was rescued, he hints that there is a loose thread that he will be looking into.

The potential outcomes of Broken Circle (Part 1) are as follows:

Mages fully supported = did not take mage-condemning dialogue in either conversation with Greagoir + agreed to help Wynne + spared all the peaceful survivors + rescued Irving ➨ Greagoir agrees that the mage survivors deserve a second chance, and will not pursue the Rite of Annulment at this time. ➨ Greagoir agrees to send Irving to Redcliffe with the lyrium to assist with the Arl's issues, if asked. ➨ Wynne is granted special dispensation to join the party. ➨ The Warden will be able to recruit either the mages or the Templars for the final battle later.

Mages partially supported = took mage-damning dialogue options in either conversation with Greagoir, but agreed to help Wynne + spared all the peaceful survivors + rescued Irving ➨ Greagoir believes the matter requires further investigation and proceeds with placing the tower on lockdown, but agrees not to order the Rite of Annulment yet. ➨ Since the tower is going on lockdown, Greagoir refuses to send mages to Redcliffe along with the lyrium. ➨ Wynne is granted special dispensation to join the party. ➨ The Warden will be able to recruit either the mages or the Templars for the final battle later.

[This quest line branches, depending on how the player chooses to deal with Connor. Since conferring with the Circle to save both Connor and Isolde is the "ideal" and most involved route, my write-up is organized according to that route.]

Teagan now feels confident that the village is secure enough to risk infiltrating the castle and getting to the bottom of what's going on in his brother's household. He explains that the old windmill has a secret passage that leads to the castle dungeon.

The discussion is interrupted by Isolde, running down from the castle path. She anxiously pleads with Teagan to come with her immediately, alone, and must be pressed to give any information.

In that case, she reports that a "terrible evil" which awakens the dead to hunt the living is terrorizing the castle, and to her knowledge has only spared a few guards, herself, her son Connor, and Eamon - who is alive, but afflicted with a magical slumber. She doesn't know what the evil wants or why it's here, but it allowed her to leave the castle only to seek out Teagan; she fears Connor is going insane from what he's witnessing, and begged for a chance for his uncle to get through to him.

If the Warden suggests a demon could be behind it, Isolde reluctantly confesses that she knows of one more survivor: a mage, indeed, who was thrown in the dungeon for attempting to poison Eamon just after Ostagar, who claims Loghain commanded him to do so.

Teagan agrees to go back with Isolde; they need Eamon more than ever, and must get to the bottom of this regardless of the risks. He gives his Guerrin signet ring to the Warden, instructing them to use it to open the secret passage while he keeps the evil being occupied. If they can open the castle gates, the army can enter and help restore order.

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Entering the castle dungeon through the secret passage, the party finds several undead accosting Jowan, who may be known to the Warden depending on Origin.

Jowan denies unleashing the undead, but readily confesses that this all began with him: he believed Loghain's lie that Eamon was a major threat to Ferelden, and believed that by assassinating Eamon, he would deserve a chance at redemption - because he's a convicted blood mage.

On further questioning, Jowan reveals that Isolde withheld information: Connor is an apostate. Fearing the Circle taking her child - and (unsaid) that bearing a mage would disgrace the family, and when Isolde was already on such thin ice in Ferelden - Isolde kept this from even Eamon, as she felt he would "do the right thing" and submit Connor to the Templars. And it was Isolde who hired Jowan, at Loghain's recommendation - not knowing he was a traitor - hoping Connor could learn just enough magic to hide it.

Jowan doesn't think Connor is capable of all this on his own, but may have accidentally opened the veil and let something terrible through.

Jowan pleads for an opportunity to set things right, no matter what happens to him after. The player has all the options from canon, with the same effects on the options to handle Connor later.

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Fighting their way through the courtyard, the Warden's party opens the gates for the returning Redcliffe soldiers, who are able to clear the rest of the castle of undead themselves so the party can proceed to the main hall.

There, they find a clearly-possessed Connor toying with a puppeted Teagan while Isolde desperately attempts to get through to the real Connor. She breaks through, and Connor is clearly terrified; he didn't mean to make a deal with a demon. But the clarity is short-lived, and he's overtaken again.

Isolde pleads with the Warden to help her son, and places the blame on Jowan - Connor only wanted to save his father from the assassin's poison. And the demon did indeed save Eamon, but holds him hostage in magical slumber, wanting the "anything" that Connor promised it in return: to march armies across the world and conquer it in its own name.

Frustrated, Abomination!Connor sics mind-controlled guards, Teagan included, on the party and flees. After being defeated, Teagan breaks out of the trance. Finally, Isolde takes responsibility for all this; it was she who tried to hide Connor, who trusted Loghain and hired Jowan, who let Connor fall into such distress that he would fall prey to a demon.

The Warden has an opportunity to repeat the rumor that Ser Donall told them: that Isolde sabotaged Redcliffe and held its soldiers back from Ostagar in a scheme to weaken Ferelden for an opportunistic attack by Orlais. She vehemently denies it; long ago, she betrayed Orlais for the Fereldan man she loves, and, she laments, if she has betrayed the people of Redcliffe, she has only done it for her son.

Teagan and - perhaps surprisingly - Alistair speak up for her; Isolde's fidelity to Ferelden and Eamon is well-proven, no matter how countrymen like Loghain's old wounds may sting. This provides a contrast to Loghain, perhaps addressing a question the player may have had (does Loghain have a point? should they be suspicious of the Orlesians?) with a resounding, No. Loghain's feelings may be rooted in something real from his past life, but he doesn't have a point now; he's blinded by paranoia and resentment, and he'll drag the whole country to hell for it.

With that settled, it's clear they have only one foe here: the demon. And their focus is clear; Eamon must be saved.

The options for handling an Abomination are hashed out as in canon:

Connor can be killed outright, killing the demon with him. This suggestion is met with near-universal resistance (except from Morrigan, of course.)

Connor can possibly be saved by sending a mage into the Fade to kill the demon. ➨ This can be done via a ritual, but it's resource-intensive; they would need lyrium, but the only place to get it would be the nearby Circle of Magi, which they already know is behaving oddly. They could try to reach it again, but travel is time-consuming, and there's no telling what is going on there or what the demon will do here in the meantime. ➨ If Jowan was not killed, he interjects that the same ritual can be done with blood instead of lyrium, but it would come at a terrible cost: a life. Isolde readily volunteers to be sacrificed, but most everyone pushes back against resorting to blood magic and/or trusting Jowan.

If the Warden explores the Circle option, more exposition is available: Redcliffe already knew it was troubled, with Jowan and others exposed as blood mages. But there is no chance of finding capable mages with enough lyrium elsewhere, so if they are willing to risk the travel time to save both Connor and Isolde's lives, it may still be worth it.