The First Enchanter tells us he has learned of a group of mages meeting in secret in Hightown, but he's not sure if they're blood mages or just innocents trying to visit their families. He would investigate himself, but Meredith is waiting for an excuse to accuse him of conspiring against her, so he'd prefer that we attend the meeting instead, without alerting the Templars. Chickene warns Orsinio that he won't cover for blood mages, then agrees to keep his investigation away from the Templars' prying eyes.
We're pretty sure you're being melodramatic, Orsinio. She barely bats an eyelash over the fact that we're an apostate.
We arrive at a secluded location in Hightown later that evening and discover it's not just Circle mages, but Templars who have shown up as well. As soon as they notice that Hawke has made an appearance, they recognize that him as a spy for Orsinio and decide to attack. Chickene defends himself against the mixed group without much difficulty, and finds a note on one of the bodies suggesting the group is based out of a warehouse on the docks. We head there with our party and see a familiar face upon entering the warehouse-- Ser Keran, a Templar we rescued from blood mages a few years ago. He refuses to attack us, but the mages aren't as reasonable. Hawke takes down his fellow apostates and demands answers from Ser Keran. Apparently, their little group is anti-Meredith and they think we support her. So, they decided to take a hostage to persuade us to support them instead... Ser Keran tells us that Carver is currently being held captive on the Wounded Coast.
Shaking his head, Chickene says these people have clearly been misinformed about his relationship with Carver. Keran agrees that it would be preferable if they just talked to us, and gives us their location. We leave Keran peacefully and direct our attention to the Wounded Coast. After being briefly delayed by the leader of Evert's Marauders, who is still angry about our interference in rescuing the viscount's son, we encounter the group that is guarding Carver. They are led by Ser Thrask, who we assisted to liberate a number of runaway mages some time ago, but an unfriendly mage by the name of Grace is by his side. She's still unhappy that we killed her mentor, so when Thrask agrees to let Carver go, Grace takes matters into her own hands. She kills Thrask and tells the assembled group that this is their chance to kill the Champion.
If kidnapping someone's family is Ser Thrask's way of showing respect, maybe he deserved to get killed by Grace.
Grace fails in her attempt and in the end, only a mage named Alain is left to talk to us. He recognizes that Grace went too far when she killed Thrask, and uses blood magic to restore Carver to consciousness. Carver is less than appreciative, but a group of Templars loyal to Meredith, led by Ser Cullen, show up to put a stop to any further sibling rivalry. Hawke tells him that Alain helped us and suggests Meredith should show the proper mercy in her judgement. Cullen is less than receptive to this idea, but promises to pass our message on to the Knight-Commander. Meanwhile, Chickene returns to Orsinio to deliver his own report on the situation, and the First Enchanter thanks us for handling the situation before Meredith had gathered enough evidence to call for the Right of Annulment. Whatever that is. Shrugging, Hawke goes back to his comfy estate in Hightown.
Oh, are you being melodramatic, too? Go back to studying, kid. All this will blow over soon enough, trust me.
Just as Hawke has settled back into his finery and is getting ready to raid his wine cellar for something nice and strong, Bodahn tells us another letter from Orsinio has arrived. It seems that Meredith has demanded to search the entire Circle tower and he wants to take the matter to the Grand Cleric in the hope that Elthina will get her to back down again. We attempt to head one of them off at the Gallows, but a Circle mage informs us that both the First Enchanter and the Knight-Commander are already headed for another confrontation in Hightown. We catch up to them outside the Chantry and Chickene yells at them to stop with this rivalry because he has some important lounging to do. Meredith says we've seen for ourselves how dangerous the mages have gotten, while Orsinio says we've seen how overzealous Meredith has gotten. They're about to wake up the Grand Cleric when Anders shows up and says she won't be able to help us.
We're a bit confused, not only because we didn't include Anders in our party but due to the fact that we don't even speak to each other anymore. Anders is here for his own reasons though, and those reasons include cursing out Meredith for enslaving mages and cursing out Orsinio for allowing it. Glowing blue with the spirit of Vengeance again, he says that there will be no compromise and one way or the other, the Templars' rule over mages will end. With that, the Chantry explodes, killing everyone inside it.
Oh, you are going to pay for making me look foolish when I said all this was no big deal.
Orsinio tells Anders that he's doomed every mage in Kirkwall. Meredith agrees, and invokes the Right of Annulment, which calls for the murder of the entire Circle. So, it's something slightly more worrying than we initially thought it was. She then turns to Chickene Hawke and tells him he has a choice to make. Chickene doesn't answer right away and turns to Anders instead, to ask if he really did plan all of this. He confirms that he did because he felt it was the only way to give his fellow mages justice. Chickene replies that his actions were murder, not justice, and that the entire city is going to be calling for mage blood. Either the Templars spill that blood now, or Kirkwall riots and many more people will die. Chickene then tells Meredith that he's supporting the Templars, and even Merrill-- herself a blood mage-- has to agree with our decision.
The First Enchanter flees and tells his Circle mage entourage to stall us. They don't last long under the combined assault of Meredith and Hawke. The Knight-Commander then tells us she's going to gather her knights, and we'll regroup at the Gallows. She leaves it to us to deal with Anders, since he used to be one of our companions. Chickene only has one last question for him: was this his idea, or was it the spirit that corrupted him? Anders says that he and the spirit of Justice became one; it was as much his idea as it was the spirit's. In other words, Anders is definitely culpable for this crime of murder. Chickene immediately decides to execute his former companion, and Anders offers no resistance as we stab him in the back.
ANDERS: RIVALRY +83.7
Chickene and his remaining companions are left with the task of fighting their way through Lowtown. As we round one of the first corners in the slums, we find a group of Templars trying to put down a Circle mage who has been backed into a corner. With very little hesitation, she submits to demonic influence and becomes an abomination. This is a recurring theme as we fight through Lowtown: the number of abominations, lesser demons and blood mages we find greatly outnumber the Circle mages fighting us who aren't actually using forbidden magic. Chickene finds himself backing up quite a few stray groups of Templars and eradicating the mages they've encountered. Eventually, we work our way to the docks and board a small boat to reach the Gallows.
As we arrive, Orsinio is retreating into the Circle Tower and blasting Templars aside as he does so. He shouts that he doesn't want to fight the Champion, but Meredith arrives before we can have a conversation about that. The First Enchanter tries to tell her that it's not too late... she can call off the annulment and he will allow her to search the tower with no objections. Chickene tells him that this offer of goodwill has come far too late. Resigned to his fate, Orsinio asks if we're going to duel now and get it over with, but Meredith tells him to go and prepare his fellow mages for a more exciting conclusion to this game. We have one last chance to speak with our companions, as well as Carver, who has arrived at the Gallows with his fellow Templars to carry out their bloody duty. Once we're done making sure that none of our friends would like to go home and leave the killing to us, we tell Meredith that we're ready to storm the Tower.
Aww, Carver, I also feel like-- GAH! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR HAIR?!
Seriously, how much lyrium are those Templars making you eat every day?!
Seriously, how much lyrium are those Templars making you eat every day?!
The mages are prepared for the assault, but are no match for the sheer number of Templars bearing down on them. Chickene's abilities are not required until we reach the main hall of the Circle Tower, where ten mages with various specializations have set up defensive positions. Six mages, three on either side of the room, are standing on balconies overlooking the area and raining down fire spells as we enter. Straight ahead of us, a group of four mages begin summoning demons to block our way forward. Mages who have become abominations occasionally wade into battle as well. It takes all of Chickene's healing skills to keep his companions from falling, especially Varric, who is not as used to heavy fighting as Aveline and Fenris are. After a long struggle, the room is cleared and Meredith enters with a small group of Templars flanking her.
Actually, I'm slaughtering you specifically for the actions of one guy. Does that make you feel better?
Once the majority of the resistance has been put down, a few mages who chose not to fight rush into the room to beg for mercy. Meredith immediately responds that the Right of Annulment means the death of every mage in the Circle, and she will not accept surrender now. Knight-Captain Cullen, however, is standing next to her and expresses some doubt before being shouted down for daring to disagree. Chickene takes note of this and says he wants to hear what he has to say. Cullen was assigned to the Circle Tower in Ferelden during the events of Dragon Age: Origins, when Amastacia supported the Right of Annulment for that tower. He says that conditions were much worse in that case and he does not believe that such a strict interpretation of the right is necessary here. Accepting this line of reasoning, Chickene says the mages should not be put to the sword and the Templars listen to his word over Meredith's. You could say that the Knight-Commander is less than pleased by that.
For now, however, they still have a common enemy to face. The path to the top of the tower is clear, and Chickene climbs up the stairs with Meredith and her Templars to confront Orsinio. We find that he has already killed his fellow mages who were defending him. He swears that they were willing sacrifices and this really is the first time he's used blood magic. Chickene calls that a lie, since a mage doesn't gain skill in blood magic overnight, but Orsinio tells us that all he did was follow the research shared with him by another mage named Quentin. This is the same Quentin who was killing women to harvest body parts to re-create his dead wife, and was responsible for Leandra's death. Chickene rages at Orsinio about this, and the First Enchanter defends himself by saying he didn't want to give Meredith an excuse to attack him and his Circle. All of a sudden, we're feeling much more justified about siding with the Templars.
Harboring a serial killer, I could forgive... but when Orsinio started singing "Let It Go" during this scene, I decided that he must die.
Orsinio casts his blood magic ritual, and the corpses of his fellow mages wrap around him to form a large, hideous flesh golem. Chickene, Aveline, Varric, Fenris, Meredith and her Templars all rush forward to destroy it. Orsinio's new form is resilient, and the First Enchanter has plenty of tricks up his sleeve to prolong the battle as much as possible. However, neither his attacks nor those of the undead he summons to help him are strong enough to take down even a single Templar. After most of the golem's blood has been spilled, either by Templar swords or in support of blood magic spells, Chickene jumps onto the monstrosity to deliver the final blows with a dagger. Orsinio, in a deformed new body, jumps clear of the golem in an attempt to escape, but Chickene chases him down and viciously stomps him to death. Meredith, seemingly approving of this brutality, asks Chickene to join her in the courtyard.
When we arrive outside again, we find ourselves surrounded by Templars and Meredith says magic is a cancer upon society. Chickene angrily takes exception to this, since he's a mage and he just made her job much easier than it could have been. Inevitably, Meredith begins to question how an apostate managed to gain so much influence in this city and whether or not we're an even bigger danger than the Circle. Chickene immediately backs down and diplomatically asks why the fact that we just helped destroy the Circle isn't sufficient to prove we want to keep Kirkwall safe. Meredith says it only proves that we're a better liar than Orsinio, and calls on her Templars to kill us. Cullen speaks out against her again, saying that the plan was to arrest the Champion, not kill him. Meredith screams at him for being insubordinate and Chickene's brother, Carver, says he's not going to go along with this, either.
Meredith's sword is basically a large, red neon sign that reads, "I'M EVIL NOW". This tends not to inspire loyalty.
With the opinion of her own order slowly turning against her, Meredith demands their obedience and unsheaths her greatsword. It glows with a malevolent red light and Varric immediately recognizes it as being made from the lyrium idol that Bartrand recovered from the Deep Roads. Meredith confirms that Bartrand demanded a hefty price for it, but it was worth it. Chickene tells the assembled Templars that the idol drove Bartrand mad, and Meredith is its newest victim. She swings the sword wildly as the knights slowly back away from her, and swears that she will defend the city all by herself if need be.
Meredith glows with the same energy as her sword as she attacks us and, even though Chickene is joined by Carver and Cullen in addition to his usual companions, she is strong enough to keep all her attackers at bay. When we eventually deal enough damage to her that she begins to feel the punishment, she channels the energy of her sword once again and begs the Maker for his assistance. Jumping high into the air, and landing a safe distance away, the magic of her sword strikes one of the statues lining the Gallows and it comes to life. Chickene and his allies deal with the animated statue while Meredith recovers and as soon as we begin to gain the upper hand against this minion, she jumps back into the fray.
Here's why you shouldn't attack me, big guy. I came to Kirkwall as an apostate 7 years ago.
You're legally prohibited from punishing me for that now. It's called a statue of limitations.
The crazed Knight-Commander continues the pattern of fighting until she's tired, jumping away to send more statues after us, then charging back into the action for a while. After a long battle, she starts running out of constructs to throw at us. She uses a burst of magic energy to stun us and swear once again that our corruption cannot stand against her righteousness, but it's clear she's on her last legs. Chickene, backed by some of Meredith's former Templar allies, continue to bear down upon her until she is staggered and makes one last effort to use the energy of the sword to empower herself. It's more magic than she or her blade can handle, though. In a maelstrom of red light, the sword shatters and Meredith's body is wracked with pain. By the time the energy finally dissipates, all that is left of the Knight-Commander is a charred, stony figure, its face frozen in a scream of agony.
...That's one of the most unnecessary subtitles ever.
The Templars rush back into the courtyard to survey the outcome, and it doesn't take long for them to decide to bend their knee to the victorious Champion of Kirkwall. Varric's narration kicks in again, saying that although the people of Kirkwall begged Hawke to rule them, his name and his story became a rallying cry for Circle mages across Thedas. They realized that the Templars were brutal, but could be defied, and it led to mass revolutions against the Chantry, just as Anders predicted. The Seeker, Cassandra, says that she knows Hawke left Kirkwall and asks Varric if he knows where he went because he may be the only one left who can stop the chaos caused by this mage rebellion. Varric doesn't know, but he believes Hawke is still alive. With that, Cassandra lets Varric go and exits the chamber to discuss strategy with another loyal Chantry member who is looking for not only Hawke, but the Warden who saved Ferelden. We recognize her as Leliana.
"I see. The plot is in the hands of the makers of this game."
"No! ...Well, yes. But no!"
"No! ...Well, yes. But no!"
So, there it is: the conclusion of Dragon Age II! While it's possible to side with the mages instead of the Templars in the final act, the outcome remains the same. Mages throughout the world of Thedas defy the rule of the Chantry and the armies of Templars who watch their every move. Regardless of which side Hawke takes in this conflict, he's at the top of the Chantry's list of people they want to find. Unfortunately for those of us who played as the Champion of Kirkwall, and the "Hero of Ferelden" if they survived the events of Origins, the ultimate fate of this protagonist is unknown. That is likely to change, however, with the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition... which is only a few days away.
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