Dragon Age II Playthrough - The End

With an increasing degree of apathy, Chickene Hawke opens a letter from First Enchanter Orsinio and discovers that he also requests a meeting with the Champion of Kirkwall. It seems that Chickene's non-committal stance during the confrontation between Orsinio and Meredith has led them both to believe the Champion is on their side. Still, this gives Chickene a chance to go out in public again while wearing his impressive new garb, so he heads back to the Gallows to see what Orsinio wants from him.

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?!

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!" 

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.

Dragon Age II Playthrough - Weird Magic Stuff Expert

Chickene Hawke reluctantly heads into the heart of the Gallows to honor Meredith's request for a meeting. As usual, we have Fenris, Aveline and Varric with us just in case they decide to get zealous. Meredith greets us and doesn't waste time with small talk. She says that some sympathetic Templars betrayed their oath and helped some mages escape from the Circle, and she wants us to track down the three that they've been having trouble finding. Chickene laughs and says he's not going to leave any mages to her "mercy".  Meredith responds by saying we really should see for ourselves how dangerous these escaped mages are and decide afterwards whether or not they should be roaming free in Kirkwall. She also adds that she'll continue to ignore the fact that we're an illegal mage if we agree to this idea.

I guess this is fair, considering the fact that Chickene has shamelessly extorted Templars in the past.

Not having much other choice, Chickene agrees to talk to Meredith's assistant, Elsa, who was once a mage before being made Tranquil by the Templars. She tells us about Emile, a young man of Orlesian descent whose parents live in Hightown... Huon, an elf who had a wife before joining the Circle and she lives in the Kirkwall alienage... and Elvina, a Ferelden woman who escaped the blight with some other refugees who live in Darktown. The Templars already talked to these known acquaintances but were unable to get any useful information about the escaped mages' whereabouts. Apparently, Meredith has heard about our track record of doing the Templars' job better than the knights themselves. Either that or despite his faults, Chickene's personality is still fuzzier than a Templar's, and they'll be more willing to talk to him.

Since Lowtown's the closest location, we start there. We find an elf woman named Nyssa without too much trouble and she admits to being Huon's wife. Chickene reassures her that he's just trying to help, so she tells us that after the Templars spoke to her, Huon showed up and started rambling about true elven power. Chickene immediately berates her for not telling the Templars sooner. Nyssa apologizes and says Huon plans on coming back to see her tonight. We tell her we'll be there, too.

True elven power apparently means having glowy eyes like a cat. We have to admit, it'd be cool.

Sure enough, Huon returns that evening and we see him hold out his arms to embrace Nyssa. She walks toward him, but she doesn't appear to be willing. With a flash of blood magic, Huon kills her and says her blood will give him power to help their people. That's about the time Chickene shows up and tells him to think again. Huon summons shades to defend himself, but neither he nor his minions are particularly powerful yet. We kill the blood mage and take some boots off his body that just so happen to match our already stunning outfit.

We're not off to a great start and Darktown, Kirkwall's most cheerful suburb, is next on our list. The Templars' information leads us to the patch of dirt where Elvina's urchin friends hang out, and we tell them we just want to help. The younger urchin, Cricket, says he knows where she is, much to his older brother Walter's annoyance. They're afraid of making her angry and Chickene says it's his anger they should worry about. Cricket gives us a location and the two run off.

Chickene doesn't remember the mage ladies back in Fereldan looking... so much like a fried chicken leg.

We head into the tunnels under Darktown, but find that the two urchins ran here ahead of us. Apparently, Elvina's really mean when she's angry, and their efforts to calm her down have failed. It doesn't take long to see what they mean by that, as Elvina appears and turns into an abomination when we tell her urchins to keep away from her. The Templars will be happy to know that's another apostate we've killed for them.

So, Hightown is our last stop. The Comtesse de Launcet graciously invites us into her home, happy to entertain the Champion of Kirkwall. We politely ask about her son and she plays dumb. Her husband, however, is concerned for Emile's well-being and tries to convince his wife that they should tell us what they know. Chickene stands up and says he'll give them one chance to be truthful. They tell us they gave their son a generous sum of money after he escaped, which he has been using to get drunk at the Hanged Man. The Comtesse is mostly concerned by how unclean the tavern is, which Varric has a good laugh about. Aveline and Chickene, however, are skeptical about the idea that this kid has successfully hidden from the Templars simply by holing up in Lowtown's most popular dive bar.

"We've told you all we know. Now please leave, messere. Your spiky armor doesn't match the decor of our lovely sitting room."

Upon entering the Hanged Man, we find that this is exactly the case, though. Emile de Launcet is visibly drunk at a table on the main tavern floor, and he doesn't look particularly demonic or blood mage-y. He does, however, have a reason for not wanting to go with Hawke just yet: one of the tavern waitresses has agreed to spend the night with him and he may never get the chance to be with a woman once he goes back to the Circle. He also admits to starting some blood mage rumors about himself to make him seem more like a bad boy. Chickene briefly asks himself out loud if this is really happening, before cheerfully agreeing to Emile's terms and darkly warning him not to try to escape once he's done.

I don't care if it is "No-Shave November". If you can't grow a real mustache, kid, don't try.

A short while later, Chickene is back in Meredith's office, who says she has learned of the deaths of Huon and Elvina, and was surprised to see Emile turn himself in rather happily. She then asks us if we think Emile can be trusted, and we tell her he's an idiot but not a dangerous idiot. Meredith accepts our judgement and dismisses us. Hawke leaves Templar headquarters before she changes her mind and Varric, having seen how well we handled the Knight-Commander's errand, decides we're ready to handle something for him, too.

Meeting us later at the Hanged Man, Varric says that he tried to sell the mansion Bartrand was hiding in a couple of years back, but the buyer he found is unhappy with his purchase. Our dwarf friend either failed to notice or failed to mention that the place is haunted and he's now facing trouble with the Merchant's Guild as a result. So, he wants us to determine the cause of the haunting in end it because, in his words, we're a mage and therefore we're knowledgeable about weird magic stuff. Flimsier logic has been used to qualify Hawke for much more complicated assignments, so we go along with Varric's idea.

Chickene's "Plan A" was to punch the Veil until it untears. And yet, Varric still has confidence in him...?

Evidence of paranormal activity can be seen almost immediately after we enter the mansion. Books are moving, pottery is floating and occasionally, shadowy figures pass through the walls to run between rooms. Varric is having some hallucinations that none of the rest of us are experiencing though, and that's generally a bad sign. Eventually, we come to the main hall of the mansion once again, where a servant has been hiding for some reason and she runs to us for help. Varric, however, demands to know where the idol is because he's now convince that at least part of it is still in the house. She frantically says she doesn't know and we tell Varric to calm down because it's our job to make idle threats in this group. Before either of us can say anything further though, the house shakes again and the servant runs off, only to be killed shortly thereafter by a large, ethereal golem.

Like corporeal golems, this one is incredibly strong, but slow. It tries to make up for this weakness by summoning lesser demons, but they barely faze our party at this point. When the apparition is finally defeated, it leaves behind a shard of Bartrand's idol, which Varric picks up right away. He tells us he can accomplish things with it, but Chickene is annoyed by the Tethras' brothers strange obsession at this point and tells him to get rid of it. Varric resists us initially but once we tell him he's sounding like Bartrand, he hands it over and decides he doesn't want to argue about it. We meet him at the Hanged Man again after leaving the unhaunted mansion behind, and he admits that he wasn't himself. We part on good terms, as usual, and have Sandal turn the evil lyrium thing into a nice coaster for us.

What's that, Sandal? You were thinking of making some kind of weapon rune with it?
NO! I'm the Champion, and I need something awesome to rest my orichalcum stein on!

Merrill has some weird magic stuff of her own for us to help with at this point, too. Once again, it's her fancy mirror that a demon has been telling her to repair. She still can't get it to work, so she wants to go back to where she found it on Sundermount to summon it again and ask if it still has the instruction manual. She casually mentions that she'd like us to come along and kill her if it possesses her. Chickene scolds her once again for consorting with demons, but decides that she'll probably go alone if we tell her no, so we're off to Sundermount again.

Upon arriving on the mountain, we're surprised to see that the nomadic elves have still not found themselves a new home yet. We approach Keeper Marethari and Merrill asks why, but the Keeper vaguely tells us that her clan still has business here and will not depart until it is concluded. She then asks us what our business here is, and Chickene bluntly says that Merrill wants to summon a demon again. Marethari is disappointed, but not surprised. She says she has done all she can to try to persuade Merrill that this is a bad idea and knows of only one other course of action that will help.

Once Merrill leads us to the cave near the summit of Sundermount where the demon has been bound, we learn what the Keeper meant by that. The demon's presence can no longer be felt in the cave and Marethari appears to let us know she was responsible for that. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean she banished it because it would be more powerful in the Fade. Instead, she made herself its prison... in other words, she's now a pride abomination. She then asks us to kill her so that the demon can finally be defeated. Merrill is upset, but is soon left with no other choice when the pride demon takes over the Keeper's body.

The usual celebratory high-fives we exchange after killing a demon seem inappropriate now.

While powerful, the abomination is unable to summon any aid to itself, so it is quickly defeated by the concentrated ranged attacks of Varric, Merrill and Chickene. Its form shifts back to that of the Keeper's, and Marethari says the demon is defeated and she can return to her clan now. Chickene rolls his eyes and points out that she just said a minute ago that she had to die. Merrill recognizes the demon's lie too, and stabs the Keeper in the torso. She then falls to her knees and tells herself this must all be a bad dream. Chickene reminds her that this is all her fault for dealing with demons, then tries to console her by saying Marethari's love for her was her salvation. Merrill, feeling increasingly annoyed with Chickene, says she needs to tell the clan.

The Dalish are already waiting outside the cave when we emerge. They know the Keeper went in the cave and demand to know what happened, though one points out that Merrill is covered in blood and it's not that difficult to imagine. Merrill admits the Keeper is dead and Chickene swears to the Dalish that he'll ensure she doesn't harm anyone else. They are skeptical to trust the word of a human, but the self-appointed leader of the mob just wants Merrill gone. We leave the village peacefully, with our companion still distraught over the fact that her clan will never forgive her. You could say she and Chickene are no longer on friendly terms.

Aveline, however, is still one of Chickene's closest friends and when we receive a note from Knight-Captain Cullen with allegations that she's coddling her men, we decide to bring it to her attention. We find her in her office in the barracks, where a Templar is in the middle of suggesting she submit to Meredith's authority. After he leaves, we throw the accusations in her face and she insists that she's not soft on her men. Chickene immediately reneges and says that she doesn't need to prove that to him, but Aveline says the two of them are going to intercept her husband's patrol tonight and we can see for ourselves what kind of assignment he has. That night at the docks, we find Guardsman Donnic in the middle of a brawl with a group of street thugs. After helping him clear them out, Chickene demands that Donnic respond to the allegations and, after a sideways glance at Aveline, he details how her leadership has been nothing but positive.

It's possible he just doesn't want to insult a woman who wears blood instead of fine jewelry as an accessory.

We then head to the Gallows to tell Knight-Captain Cullen the accusations are baseless. He says he's not surprised, but wanted to tell us about them because they'll be used as an excuse to put the guards under the command of the Templars. Chickene demands that Aveline have the right to face her accuser and Cullen says all he knows is that every complaint originated from Lowtown. After checking with her guards there, we find out that the complaints are all coming from one guy, who we're already acquainted with. The former Guard Captain, Jeven, has assembled a group of mercenaries and anti-Fereldan types to stir up sentiment against the guard. He tried to get the guardsmen to turn too, but none of them have. So, Aveline tells us we're going to pay him a visit at his next rally.

Jeven looks as scruffy and as unimpressive as he did several years ago, and he doesn't have any criticism of Aveline apart from the fact that she's a Fereldan bitch with an Orlesian name who stole his job. Chickene decides he's not worth his time and lets Aveline deliver a counter-argument. Jeven won't back down, since he's already hit rock bottom, but Aveline says there's one thing she hasn't taken from him. One melee later, she's taken his life, too. With the attempted coup taken care of, we head back to the barracks but Aveline is still uncertain about whether her men really support her. Donnic appears to reassure her though, saying everyone in the barracks would follow her into the void if she asked.

"Remember when I said you had a chance to be a recurring antagonist? Sorry, man. I guess that was bad advice."

This wraps up almost all of the last-minute business our companions had to deal with, meaning the final conflict between mages and Templars is fast approaching. Things have been quiet for now, but Meredith's iron grip on the city is pushing mages to the breaking point. What will be the "last straw" that our quest journal is promising? Does it have anything to do with that neglected letter from First Enchanter Orsinio, buried under spam messages from fake dwarven investors? More importantly, will Chickene ever find a cool hat to match the rest of his Champion's ensemble? We'll find out soon enough....

Dragon Age II Playthrough - How Not to Win Friends and Influence People

With the Qunari situation finally dealt with and the Viscount left dead in the wake of it, Varric's story jumps ahead one more time. Chickene Hawke, the Champion, is now one of the most important people in Kirkwall, but he's still not as important as Meredith. The Knight-Commander of the Templars seized power in the interest of preserving order and to her, that meant cracking down on the mages' underground resistance movement. The mages haven't exactly responded well though, and many have turned to blood magic in the hope that it will allow them to better defend themselves. So, Kirkwall is basically full of angry mages, angry Templars, and a bunch of common folk stuck in the middle.

Act three opens with First Enchanter Orsinio trying to stir up anti-Templar sentiment in Hightown, and Meredith confronting him. Among the assembled crowd is Hawke, and Meredith draws him into the debate as soon as she notices him. Chickene remains diplomatic at first, saying that people should demand that Meredith should step down if that's what they truly want, but Orsinio shouldn't assume that's the will of the people right now. This doesn't help ease the tension, so Chickene calls them both idiots and says he's not supporting either of them. It's not until Grand Cleric Elthina shows up and tells everyone to calm down that Orsinio and Meredith go their separate ways.

Chickene's influence as Champion is outclassed by an old woman's skill with guilt trips.

One thing's for certain: dealing with that situation is going to be a damned headache. So, Chickene decides to check in with some people who still kind of like him instead. We find Aveline in Fenris' manor, telling him that she has learned of an elf woman traveling alone on a ship to Kirkwall, arriving today. Fenris is upset by this for some reason, so Aveline tells us to reason with him because she's sick of trying. Chickene calms him down and Fenris says he followed up on Hadriana's claim that he has a sister. It turned out to be true and she's agreed to meet him, but he's still paranoid about it being a trap. Chickene blunty tells him to stop worrying and meet her. Either he gets to catch up with his sister in peace, or Danarius shows up and we get to kill him. It's a win-win situation.

Fenris has selected the Hanged Man as a safe place for a meeting because apparently, he wasn't paying attention when we got into a fight there in act two. As soon as he sees his sister, he remembers her name is Varania and can recall a memory of her from his youth. She tells him his name used to be Leto, but she doesn't seem happy to see him. Fenris realizes his instincts were correct, and Danarius appears at the top of a nearby staircase to reclaim his property. He calls Chickene Fenris' new master and asks him to hand the elf over, but Hawke tells him he's not a slave anymore. So, Danarius directs a substantial number of his slaver followers to attack us.

Look, I told you, Fenris. This guy's beard is inferior to Chickene's. He's as good as dead.

The cannon fodder Danarius has to offer is no challenge to us at this point. Even when he summons demons, the fight isn't a challenge and it doesn't even wear the party down thanks to Chickene's healing aura. Eventually, Danarius is out of minions and has to join the fight himself. He has some powerful spells, but he can't cast them very quickly and he has an elf bearing down on him who's wanted to kill him for years. He doesn't beat the odds. Fenris turns his rage to Varania next, but Chickene asks him if this is really what he wants. Varric chimes in, saying that he knows from experience that killing a sibling is never easy. So, Fenris relents and says magic has tainted everything in life, even his long-lost sister. As a mage, Chickene takes exception to that, and the two exchange some heated words before Fenris storms off.

"Also, and keep this on the down-low, we've officially hit our quota for fratricide in this game."

Chickene and Fenris have a more civil discussion later at the elf's mansion, but they still don't call each other friends. Not surprising, considering his hatred of mages... so Chickene decides that he might have more luck with someone who shares his talents. He suddenly remembers this guy named Anders who has a clinic in Darktown, and supposes we should at least check to see whether or not he's died from a staph infection yet. Upon arriving in Darktown, we see that he's still among the living but seems to be somewhat remorseful about that. He asks us if we remember our disapproval of his decision to be possessed by a spirit of vengeance, and that sort of rings a bell, but what's important is that he says we were right all along.

Anders doesn't believe he can control Vengeance anymore, and has found a Tevinter potion recipe that should end the possession without killing him. Unfortunately, the ingredients are rare, but Chickene is supportive of Anders' efforts to be free from the spirit. All we need to help him with is a special ore called drakestone and a substance called sela petrae, which forms among sewer waste. Suddenly feeling suspicious, Chickene demands to know what Anders isn't telling us. The former Grey Warden deflects the question by rambling about weird dreams and we begin to realize why we didn't invite this guy to our party more often.

The reagents themselves aren't hard to find, but we run into trouble because the sewer tunnels where the sela petrae can be found are overrun with lyrium smugglers. Also, the caverns where the drakestone can be found are full of giant spiders. This wouldn't be an issue if Anders just needed one sample, but the guy seems to insist on finding as many deposits as he can. Chickene begins to feel justified in his suspicions, which are confirmed when we get back to Darktown and Anders asks us for one more favor. He wants us to sneak him into the Chantry where he can be alone for a while. Chickene confronts him, and Anders admits this was never about getting rid of Vengeance. We tell him he's on his own, and Anders officially becomes our rival.

"That's the last straw, Hawke. You're not welcome in my filthy, disease-ridden hideout any longer."

So... that didn't work out as well as expected. Chickene proceeds to check in with Merrill, Aveline and Varric but none of them have any errands for us to run at the moment, and that leaves us stumped about what to do next. Sure, we got a letter from Knight-Commander Meredith in which she demanded that we come to her office, but we're going to delay that as much as possible. Sorting through our other letters, we learn that we apparently invested in a mine back in act one, which doesn't sound familiar but the owner, Hubert, wants to talk to us in Hightown anyway. Whoever he is, he has to be better than Meredith, so off we go.

A short time later, we find the guy in question, who refers to us as his business partner but this still isn't ringing any bells. What he tells us though, that a bunch of miners from Fereldan have been massacred by some unknown aggressor, sounds like something we'd be interested in looking into. So we head to this mine called the Bone Pit (which is a name that I wouldn't call foreboding but rather a giant sign saying, "DANGER! RUN AWAY NOW!") and investigate. It's clear that something pretty violent happened here, and there appears to be a great deal of fire involved as well. We're hoping it's just a band of Tal-Vashoth pyromaniacs. As we head into a valley near the mines, however, we realize it's something much, much worse.

What, did you think there wasn't going to be a dragon in a game called Dragon Age II?

Chickene tries waving and yelling, "Hi, Flemeth!" but this one's the genuine article. Our best guess is that this high dragon is an investor in the mine too and has decided to get rid of its competition. Regardless of its motives, this is a tough fight. The fire breath can take off half of the hit points of anything in its path, it has a grapple attack that deals continuous damage and leaves its target defenseless and lastly, the high dragon will fly away and summon lesser dragons if it needs to take a breather. Chickene remains true to his name, healing his party members from a respectful distance away and letting Aveline, Fenris and Varric do most of the damage. Our healing skills prove to be better than the dragon's damage skills and the great beast is finally defeated. Hawke does, of course, take the opportunity to engage in some heroic magic posing as the dragon is in its death throes.

Never mind the fact that healing spells are all I can cast well. I totally killed this dragon with magic, guys.

While the mine is a total loss, Chickene's still not sure he was ever a partner in the first place and what's more important is the fact that dragons are fond of treasure. In this case, the dragon was hoarding the iconic outfit Hawke wears in Varric's initial, exaggerated story. So, we head back to Hightown with no good news for Hubert, but we certainly look cool when we tell him we killed the dragon for the good of the city. Hubert calls us a big-headed dog lord and saunters off. Whatever, man. You're just jealous of my style.

Despite all this, there are no new companion quests available so Chickene won't be able to duck Meredith for much longer. Therefore, in the next update, we'll see our apostate walk into Templar headquarters and hold on to the misguided hope that they're not going to smite us on sight!

Dragon Age II Playthrough - The Cat That Swallowed the Qunari

Chickene finds himself in the keep once again, as Viscount Dumar tells us that his son Seamus has decided to convert to the Qun and he wants us to talk him out of it. Hawke kindly points out that Seamus is a full-grown man and has the right to make that choice, but the Viscount says the political consequences are too great to allow that. So, Hawke rudely asks if he'd like us to drag him out of the compound in front of the Arishok. The viscount is, for some reason, still convinced that we can diplomatically persuade Seamus or the Arishok to play along and sends us on our way. Great.

 

Contempt and an air of superiority. Two ingredients not commonly found in a recipe for success.

 

Later at the Qunari Compound, where Chickene broaches the topic of Seamus politely, the Arishok says Seamus came to him as a willing convert and will not turn him away. Chickene accuses him of trying to find human soldiers to replace dead Qunari, but the Arishok insists they only do that to prisoners. He then cuts to the chase and says Seamus isn't even here... apparently he agreed to meet the viscount at the Chantry. Chickene and the Arishok both suspect Mother Petrice of meddling again. Hawke resolves to kill her this time and the Arishok says this is the only outcome he'll accept for someone who threatens Qunari converts.

Back to the Chantry we go. The good news is, we find Seamus right away. The bad news is, Petrice's zealots have already killed him and now she has showed up with a large group of her "faithful" to frame us for the murder. I guess it's a good thing that we already decided to kill her... unfortunately, she throws her followers at us and runs off again. Even with a couple of Templars in the group, it's not a difficult fight but this was just a means to an end for Petrice.

 

In Mass Effect 2, they introduced a "dialogue interrupt" system in which you could cut a conversation short and act.
...Why BioWare didn't include it here, and let me punch Mother Petrice like she's a tabloid journalist, I don't know.

 

By the time we're through dealing with the zealots, Mother Petrice is coming down the stairs with Grand Cleric Elthina herself. Petrice is already telling her how Chickene has gone on a killing spree exactly as she predicted, but we note that Elthina replies that she predicted it "all too well". We politely state our case, that Petrice killed Seamus to stir up anti-Qunari sentiments. Petrice can't help but start talking about how bad the Qunari are and Hawke angrily calls her out on her hatred. Elthina has heard enough. She chastises Petrice for crossing a line and says she'll be put on trial for this.

A Qunari lurking in the shadows disagrees with Elthina, though. While Petrice stares in shock as the Grand Cleric heads back upstairs, the Qunari fires two arrows into Petrice and leaves. Elthina suggests we get the viscount, so we do. He has little to say however, apart from stating that he can no longer be the leader Kirkwall needs now that his son is dead. We leave him to his grief and as we exit the Chantry, Aveline says there's a matter we need to discuss given the fact that things have gotten this bad.

 

Maybe you could let a balding nobleman who's totally not a mage give it a try? Just sayin'.

Chickene agrees to meet Aveline at his manor, but she's not the only guest we have. Isabela has chosen this moment to ask us for a favor too, and insists she's going to die if we don't help. Said favor turns out to be retrieving a relic that her old boss wants, which is being sold to Tevinter magisters tonight. Aveline, on the other hand, says she needs to talk to the Arishok about some elf fugitives who are trying to escape justice by converting to the Qun. She reasons that the city will riot if the citizens believe the Qunari are above the law, and Chickene agrees that's more important. Isabela vaguely suggests her relic might help with the Qunari too. We tell her to stop being so selfish but Aveline concedes that if there's any chance the relic can appease the Arishok, it would be good to retrieve it. So, we decide to follow Isabela to Lowtown.

Merrill and Aveline accompany Hawke and Isabela to Lowtown, and they run into Qunari almost immediately. They assume we have the relic and attack, which is certainly an auspicious start. Chickene politely asks Isabela to explain what this relic's connection to the Qunari is so we know what we're dealing with, and she finally admits it's the sacred Qunari relic that the Arishok is refusing to leave without. Chickene explodes, accusing Isabela of hiding the truth the whole time and telling her in no uncertain terms that the relic is going back to them. Isabela's not happy since she's convinced Castillon will hunt her down and kill her without it, but she eventually stops arguing and we go inside the nearby Foundry.

 

With that, Isabela goes from "not particularly useful" to "person we have burning hate for" in a heartbeat.

As we arrive on the scene, the seller is getting ready to hand the relic over to the Tevinter buyers. We approach at the same time as a group of Qunari warriors who shout at the Tevinters to back off. The mages draw their staves, the seller runs off with the relic, and Isabela breaks rank to pursue him. Now Chickene has to deal with an angry group of Tevinters and Qunari with just Aveline and Merrill to back him up. Naturally, by the time we've finished dealing with that hostility, we run outside to find the seller dead and his pockets empty except for a note from Isabela. In it, she tells us she's run off with the relic and doesn't intend to come back. She also apologizes for lying again, but it's small consolation for Hawke and Aveline, who have to deal with the Arishok under even less fortunate circumstances.

Reluctantly, Aveline asks for an audience with the Arishok the next morning with Hawke and a small group of her guards. We approach to find that the Qunari leader is carrying a massive axe on his shoulder, which certainly can't be a good sign. Aveline asks about the fugitives, so the Arishok brings out his two elven converts and asks them to confess to their crimes. One of the elves says a guardsman forced himself on his sister, so he and his friends murdered him for revenge. Chickene remains stern and says we're just here for the elves, not to debate culpability. Surprisingly, the Arishok asks Chickene what he would do if their positions were reversed. Chickene kindly suggests that he would leave peacefully. The Arishok disagrees, stating he cannot leave without his relic and he cannot stay while remaining blind to the disorder. So, he orders his warriors to attack us and the Qunari seige of Kirkwall begins.

 

Admittedly, this guy would probably do a better job at keeping order than the Viscount or the Knight-Commander.

Chickene and Aveline manage to slip out of the docks and regroup in Lowtown. Fighting can be heard throughout the city and Aveline suggests the Arishok has been planning this for a while. With her guardsmen otherwise occupied, she sticks with Hawke, Fenris and Varric to defend the area against the Qunari. There are plenty to be found in Lowtown, too. Horned warriors come from all corners of the slums to attack and progress is slow from one end of Lowtown to the other. As we reach the outskirts of Hightown, we find a small group of Grey Wardens who were caught up in the sudden uprising, who say they cannot help us fight but they will spread the word across the Free Marches in case the worst happens and Kirkwall falls.

Our group continues to the market district of Hightown, where the Qunari are dragging citizens toward the keep and they've let their Saarebas mages off their leashes to make that job easier. We encounter a particularly nasty one who seems ready to do major damage to Chickene, but he's put to a stop by a woman with a large sword and full plate armor. She introduces herself as Meredith, Knight-Commander of the Templars, recognizes us as Ser Carver's brother and says it's strange that he never mentioned us. We tell her about the hostage taking and say we want to stop it, so Meredith says she'll overlook our use of magic for now. We go our separate ways and find plenty more Qunari, including a few Saarebas, on our way to the keep but we eventually find ourselves there.

 

Carver appears briefly to remind you that he's not among your growing number of dead family members.

We clear out a large number of Qunari just outside the keep and find an older, elven mage rising unsteadily to his feet among the dead. This turns out to be Orsinio, First Enchanter of the Circle. Unfortunately for him, he's the sole survivor of a group of mages who were in the area and his mood doesn't improve when Meredith arrives on the scene. She's determined to go on the offensive while the Qunari are scattered throughout the city, but Orsinio refuses to take orders from her. So, Chickene decides to bark orders instead and tells the two of them that rescuing the hostages in the keep should be the top priority. Meredith agrees to follow this lead for now, and we all advance up the stairs to the keep.

 

I'm sure Meredith wants you dead, Orsinio, but seeing how useless you were against Qunari, she may not have to wait long. 

Qunari resistance is heavy and Orsinio is unsure about engaging them directly, but Meredith and Chickene opt for the direct approach. With a group of Templars backing us up, the fight is not too difficult and a path is cleared to the throne room. Meredith tells us to go ahead while she and her Templars hold the entrance. Chickene walks in to see the Arishok throw the Viscount's head at an assembled group of nobles, and a Qunari snapping one man's neck when he calls them monsters. Chickene confronts the Arishok, who says we must prove our worth before directing his honor guard to attack us. They're not any tougher than the warriors we fought to get here, though.

 

The Arishok, now calling us basalit-an for some reason, asks us how we propose to end this conflict. Chickene replies that he'd really like to hunt Isabela down and get the relic back. The Arishok says it's too late for that and intends to make us pay for our follower's crime. Fenris, however, knows what the term basalit-an means and says this gives us the right to duel the Arishok. If we win, the Qunari will leave without resistance... however, it means a squishy mage has to fight a beefy warrior, one on one. That's a horrible idea; but Chickene's never been one for rationality.

 

I'd like to end this conflict amiably, over tea and crumpets, followed by a nice tiramisu.

...Damn it all, what do you mean that's not one of my dialogue options?

The only thing keeping Chickene alive in this duel is his powerful healing aura that rapidly regenerates his health. Unfortunately, as long as it's active, we lose access to our few offensive spells like spirit bolt and walking bomb. So the duel consists of Chickene running around, hoping not to get his head cut off, taking little shots at the Arishok with his staff and casting haste when he can. It's a long and fairly ridiculous battle, but the Arishok's health is finally chipped away and Hawke is victorious.

"Damn you, Hawke. Don't you know that killing is basically the only thing I can do well?"

 

Even Cassandra points out that this is an unlikely part of Varric's story, but the nobles cheer as Chickene deals with his massive chest pains. Meredith enters to see that there is no glory for her to claim and shoots us a brief, but nasty glare. She then hails us as Kirkwall's new champion and act two comes to a close. It wasn't pretty, but Chickene finally managed to do something that was worthy of respect. When his story continues, however, we'll see that the Qunari revolt was merely a precursor to a much larger conflict.

Dragon Age II Playthrough - Another Fine Mess

Hawke learned through his connections in the Viscount's Keep that some extremists have decided to kidnap a Qunari delegation and while stopping in the Hanged Man for a drink, he overhears a man named Orwald bragging about his involvement in that matter. We decide to treat the patrons to a good old-fashioned tavern brawl and a short time later, the drunken braggart and his friends are dead. Searching their bodies, we find out that not only are their boasts true, but their actions were apparently carried out on the orders of a templar with the sanction of the Grand Cleric herself. Naturally, Chickene is going to storm into the Chantry to try and get some answers.

Aveline is less than pleased with the idea of accompanying Hawke to accuse the Grand Cleric of funding zealots, but since she's the only good tank available to us, we tell her to deal with it. Fortunately for Aveline, the Grand Cleric doesn't grant an audience to just anyone but a familiar face comes to greet us instead. Mother Petrice, who we met in Act One as Sister Petrice when she tried to get us killed smuggling a Qunari mage out of the city, asks us what we're doing here. Chickene gruffly tells her that the Grand Cleric is condoning kidnapping. Petrice is skeptical, but when we mention the orders with the appropriate seal, she hesitates. Hawke discerns that Petrice knew about this, so she makes us a deal. She tells us the Qunari were abducted by her former bodyguard, Ser Varnell, but he's not marching to her tune as closely as he should be these days. Petrice offers to lead us to him as a peace offering and we accept, since this is really our only option.

"Go ahead and kill my most trusted collaborator, and I promise I won't try to seek revenge later."

We head to Darktown, a place that even Varric says we should spend as little time in as possible, and locate the entrance to the tunnel where the Secret Qunari-Hating Club is meeting. Sure enough, a Templar is standing in front of a group of bound Qunari and ranting to his supporters about their evil ways. Mother Petrice is true to her word and appears by our side, trying to intimidate her former bodyguard into backing down. He's too consumed by his zeal to listen, so Chickene invites him to fight someone who's not tied up. The Templar obliges, but not before killing the entire Qunari delegation.

One fight later, Mother Petrice has made herself scarce and Hawke has some more bad news to deliver. Viscount Dumar himself makes an appearance in the undercity to confirm these are the delegates he's looking for. He's satisfied that we killed the extremists but is unsure of how to deal with the Arishok over this. Chickene tells him that the Arishok is sure to find out eventually and the Viscount had better be honest. He thanks Hawke for his advice, and we part ways for now.

"First, an impending Qunari revolt, then a dead Templar, and now I have undercity filth on my boots."

With that settled, we turn our attention to a Templar who we actually kind of like: Ser Emeric, the man who was investigating Ninette's disappearance and the connection to women murdered in Act One. He's still trying to track down the killer, but has managed to earn the ire of Knight-Commander Meredith with his investigation of an influential noble named Gascard DuPuis. We meet him in the Gallows, where he asks us to break into DuPuis'  house again. Aveline points out that her guardsmen already raided the house on his suggestion and found nothing, but he insists that DuPuis is hiding something. Since Hawke has nothing better to do, he agrees.

Upon entering the Hightown mansion that evening, we're immediately assaulted by Shades and a Lesser Rage Demon. Either the guardsmen are less thorough than Aveline would like us to believe, or DuPuis has suddenly decided to put up a bunch of magical defenses. Since the only way to find out is to ask him, we vanquish every nasty Fade spirit in our path and find DuPuis in the master bedroom, standing over a terrified-looking woman. He sees us enter and says he knows this looks bad, but he's not a killer. Chickene lets him talk, more out of curiosity to hear his bad excuse than anything else (Varric even bets us 20 silver he'll blame a one-armed man).

Chickene calls out Gascard for being a liar. The irony is almost palpable.

Gascard's story is believable, though: his sister was murdered a few years back after receiving a bouquet of white lilies, and he's using this woman as bait since she too received such a bouquet. The woman says Gascard hurt her, and he tries to explain that he just needed some of her blood. We ask him if that's blood magic and he says yes, he had to augment his powers with forbidden magic to avenge his sister. Chickene's not sure if he's the killer or not, but he just outed himself as a demon-summoning maleficarum and we only let Merrill get away with that crap.

After chasing Gascard through his mansion and killing him, we head back to the Gallows to tell Emeric the semi-good news. He's not there though, and one of his fellow Templars is confused because we told him to meet us tonight. Chickene asks to see the letter, and confirms that he didn't write it. So, we rush to the blind alley that Emeric was told to go to, but find that we're too late. A shade has already killed him and there's a group of other demons alongside it that attack us, too. Once the actual fighting is over, our new Templar friend rushes in and asks us about Emeric's last lead, Gascard. We inform her that we already killed him, so he can't be responsible. She says she'll report this to Meredith in Emeric's stead, and we walk away from yet another disappointing outcome.

The Templars' heraldry, called the "Silver Sword of Mercy", really ought to be re-named.

Given how ineffective they are, "Tin Butter Knife of Ineptitude" would be more accurate.

Just when it seems things couldn't get worse, we return to our manor to find Uncle Gamlen inside. Chickene prepares to shake him down and check his pockets for silverware, but Gamlen says he's here because our mother Leandra missed their weekly get-together. Bodahn says he hasn't seen her all day either, but suggest she might be with her suitor because someone sent her a bouquet of white lilies. Chickene recognizes this as one of the few things Gascard DuPuis said that he actually believed. We tell Gamlen about the possibility of a serial killer and he agrees that we should look for Leandra in Lowtown tonight, once the crowds have thinned out.

Later, we catch up with Gamlen as he's trying to get information out of a street urchin. The youth is reluctant to give information at first, since Gamlen isn't rich enough to bribe anyone, but is much more helpful when Chickene tosses coins his way. We learn that Leandra stopped to help an injured man who was bleeding, and he led her deeper into Lowtown. There's still a blood trail too, which we follow to a familiar-looking foundry where we found Ninette's body in the previous act. With no time to lose, Chickene rushes into the foundry and is confronted by more demons. We eliminate them all and Chickene runs over to inspect a woman's body nearby, only to find that it is the woman Gascard was using as bait earlier, so we move on.

Hawke discovers a macabre shrine, and Merrill actually says it's "pretty".

...You know why we're ignoring the romance options in this game? Because of moments like THAT.

The killer's lair is about as disturbing as one would expect. There are a series of notes talking about preserving body parts, discarded books about evil magic including necromancy, and a shrine to a woman who looks strikingly similar to Leandra. Eventually, we come face to face with the madman behind all this: an older mage standing near a tall chair with a woman sitting in it. He tells us that our mother was chosen for a divine experiment that allowed him to bring his wife back from the dead. Specifically, he took body parts from a number of women to get his dead wife's specific features right and chose Leandra's head since she's the spitting image of the dead woman. As he finishes, his flesh golem rises to stand by his side.

This guy is definitely in the running for "character we want to kill the most".

The ensuing battle is arduous, as this mage has killed many women and corrupted versions of their spirits are summoned to attack us. Those spirits are in addition to the regular swarms of shades and reanimated corpses at his command. Chickene's aura, which heals over time, comes in handy during this fight, and so does his dispel magic ability once the killer is weakened enough to be the target of our attacks. The mage takes enough damage to be knocked down when Chickene strips him of his spells and he's an easy target to be finished off by Aveline and Varric from there. Unfortunately, his magic dies with him. The walking corpse with Leandra's head takes a couple of shambling steps before collapsing into Chickene's arms.

Leandra has temporarily regained her senses and thanks her son for doing what he had to do. She is free of the serial killer mage's control and is at peace, knowing she will see Bethany again soon. Chickene tells her that he failed her, but Leandra tells him it wasn't his fault and she's always been proud of him. After that, her life slips away and Chickene is left to deal with not only another failed mission, but his Uncle Gamlen.

Well, at least she died as she lived: in a wedding dress, stitched together with a dozen other women.

...This is exactly why we let Varric handle all the narration duties.

Gamlen is beside himself over Leandra's death and demands to know what happened. Chickene tells him the truth, which only makes things worse. He rants for a while about the evils of magic, which Chickene takes offense to but Gamlen refuses to apologize for it. He then says he'll go to the Gallows to inform our brother Carver personally. Chickene is finally left alone in the manor, though Aveline stops by briefly to say we'll know where to find her if we need to talk.

So, you'd think this would be the lowest point of the game. The Qunari situation is degrading, we keep showing up to solve problems after it's too late to save people and to top it all off, our mom was just murdered. Surely things can only go uphill from here? Not so much. Another letter from the viscount just arrived and Hawke has learned that once again, he needs our help in dealing with a delicate, Qunari-related situation... and we all know how well that has worked out so far.