Choose your own Dragon Age adventure

[Crane]

I flipped a coin and chose A since we were tied.

You choose the front door. After all, there's nothing underhanded about casually seeking out a cold mug of ale. You walk into the tavern and look around. It's full to the brim to be sure, but there's nothing else out of the ordinary-no special decorations, nobody dancing, no sales written in chalk above the counter. It's just a bar, like a hundred others.

You begin to ask the barkeep for a drink, but he merely points behind you without so much as meeting your eye. You follow his finger to a long line of patrons, the first of whom are glaring in your direction for attempting to bypass them. You raise your hand in apology and shuffle toward the center of the room. You don't have an hour to wait for a taste. You decide, instead, to ask around. You look about and decide whom to question.

> Two women chatting at a small table in the corner.

"We've been coming in here since it opened; used to be a great place to come and gab for a few hours. It's a bit more crowded these days though, still, you know what you know, and this place is an old mainstay for us."
​

> The drunken dwarf stumbling around in the middle of the room.

"Y'ever had a cold Sun Blonde, first vintage, poured over a slab'a'granite cut staight outta Orzammar 'erself? Nah, you 'aven't. I'd know it. That's the best beer I'd ever caught in me beard, though. But now? Uh ... yeah, but now, I prefer just this one in here. Can't find it nowhere else, nope. Doesn't even taste right--and I know my beers, that I do. Like something off, er ... hey, buy me one, will ya? I'll just get inta the line here ... "
​

> The man hunched down over the bar.

"I don't know what it is. Used to frequent most bars 'round here, but lately just this 'un seems to sate me. Just one beer in the barrel, too. You'd think it'd get old, drinking the same time and time again. It don't. The opposite, actually.​

> The large man stationed near the door -- maybe a bouncer?

"Good prices, excellent customer service. Not exactly a mystery, is it? Hell, even the templars love our place, and that lot knows good ale, believe you me! Now enjoy yourself, and don't cause any trouble, you hear?"​

> The young elf and her date leaning against the far wall.

"Okay, so I do have this friend-she's not an elf, though, and we're friends anyway even though I'm an elf-and she says that her dad-I think he's a lumberjack, maybe?-was out or something when he was attacked by some brigand guys. He said they tried to shock him with some kind of like hand lightning spell thing, but not a horrible spell, just like a light spell, like a spell that doesn't kill you I think, just one that shakes you up a bit, but he wasn't shaken up a bit at all. The thieves were all freaked out and left or something, so we always come here now, like the ale is good luck or something, though I still wouldn't want to meet a brigand guy, you know?"
​

After asking around, you think you've got a good handle on what's going on here. You hurry back to the waiter and tell him about your findings.

A) "The bartender here is a mage. He's been enchanting the beer."
B) "They're adding lyrium to the ale."
C) "People are scared to drink anywhere else. I think the templars are involved somehow."

This choice is really important, so think hard about what the answer would really be.

 

[Kz3r0]

B

 

[ALchymist]

B.

 

[Tigranes]

Nothing to suggest templar coercion, and the stumbling dwarf talking about the ale is unlikely to be a lie. What do we know about lyrium, anyway? I don't remember anything about it being addictive, though I played DAO a long time ago?

A.

 

[Crane]

Nothing to suggest templar coercion, and the stumbling dwarf talking about the ale is unlikely to be a lie. What do we know about lyrium, anyway? I don't remember anything about it being addictive, though I played DAO a long time ago?

A.

It is very addictive. Alistair reveals in conversation that the chantry gets all their Templar recruits addicted to it for reasons of obedience. Any claim about it developing powers is just a cover.

 

[Crane]

"They're adding lyrium to the ale."

The waiter nods angrily. "It all makes sense now that you say it," he says. "They're making them all addicts. I, uh, better take this off to the owner. S-s-he will know what to do about it. Maybe I'll even get a raise? Well, I, uh, just h-h-having my tips back will be enough. Thank you, stranger. Wondering how I knew about the crow? Well, just so happens one's staying in this very inn. U-u-upstairs, third door on the right. Careful now. Scary folks, them."

You thank the man and hurry across the room. No one gives you a second glance as you climb the stairs toward the dormitories. You find the door easily and unsurprisingly, it's closed. You wonder which would be the better method, to knock diplomatically, or break the door down to catch the tenant by surprise. You turn to ask Fern for his advice, but find him missing. You wonder when he disappeared. No matter. Your first clue waits on the other side of this door.

After knocking several times, getting no answer, you decide to kick the door down.

You lift your leg and thrust it into the door just below the lock. The weak wood gives way easily, splintering into a small dusty cloud around your ankle. The room beyond the broken door is empty, though it holds many signs of having been lived in recently. You ease your way inside, carefully checking the corners behind the frame as you enter.

As you approach the center of the room, you hear a rustle. It sounds like a quiet breath, first to your side, then behind you. You begin to turn, but are stopped by a sharpened dagger suddenly held at your throat. "Don't try anything stupid," a woman's voice whispers into your ear.

A) Attempt to free yourself from her grasp and gain an advantage.
B) Remain still and silent.

 

[Kipeci]

A, I'm sure we'll be fine

 

[Kz3r0]

B

 

[Elfberserker]

B
Disobey trained killer while we have a blade on our throat sounds distinctly bad idea

 

[Kipeci]

B
Disobey trained killer while we have a blade on our throat sounds distinctly bad idea

Nah, we got this

 

[Tigranes]

B

 

[Tigranes]

B
Disobey trained killer while we have a blade on our throat sounds distinctly bad idea

Nah, we got this

?

 

[Crane]

For now, you decide to heed the woman's instructions and stay perfectly still. There is a knife across your throat, after all.

"Now tell me what you're doing in my room," she says.

Suddenly, Fern appears in the doorway, his arms out and his palms up. He begins to chant, and as he says the words, you feel the knife drawn away from your throat. You swiftly jump forward, and turn behind you to see the woman who'd been threatening you held splayed in the air by magic. The baby slung to Fern's back begins to cry.

You look to Fern, and he nods to you. It seems you're now in control of the situation.

"I'm looking for one of your kind," you say loudly. "A crow by the name of--"

"Fade take you both," the elven girl says vindictively.

"One way or another, you're going to tell me what I want to know."

The woman yelps in pain from whatever it is Fern is doing to her body. "I'm not telling you anything," she groans.

"Yes you are," you say. "You're going to tell me where I can find Ciro!"

"Ciro?" she asks. "What do you want with him?"

The mere mention of his name brings the pain in your arm to the front of your mind. "To kill him," you say, perhaps too honestly.

"Odd," she says. "I came here hunting him as well. What do you know of him? Let me go from this, and let us pool our knowledge."

"You can tell me what you know now," you say.

"I know he is no longer in Ferelden," she replies. "Now tell your friend to release my body before he kills me and you may know the rest as well."

You hear a clanking clatter coming from the stairwell. It seems your commotion has alerted the guards.

"Quickly!" the woman shouts.

"Fern," you say.

A) "Ciro isn't here, and I have a bad feeling about this woman. Kill her."
B) "Release the assassin."



This episode brought to you by deus ex machina. By the way, this is also another really important choice.

 

[Kipeci]

A

 

[Elfberserker]

Hmmm.
There is no better bonding experience than that formed during revenge quest.

B

Edit: accidently choose A.
Who doesn't want to go to road trip with the assasin?

 

[Kz3r0]

B

 

[TOME]

B

 

[Crane]

I'm proud of you for choosing the correct choice. A leads to certain death.

Fern frees the young elf just as three guards arrive in the hall outside. Fern moves his back to them, and turns his attention to calming the child in his care.

"Is everything alright up here?" you hear one of them call cautiously.

You look to the crow, who in turn answers the guard. "Yes," she says coolly. "Everything is fine. These are my friends. They decided to visit without informing me first, and it caused quite a startle. Nothing to worry yourselves about, though."

The center guardsman nods, then leaves with the other two in close tow.

"Now that that's sorted," she says, holstering the dagger she'd been holding secretly behind her thigh during the small encounter with the guards, "we can begin fresh, yes? My name is Levina. And you are seeking ... Ciro? Seems a suspicious coincidence, no offense. Why are you--"

You turn your wounded arm toward her.

"And your odd friend, there?" she asks. "Am I right in thinking that thing is a--"

"It's not a thing, he is Fern."

"I see," she says, calmly changing topics. "Well, as I said, our mutual acquaintance left Ferelden from Highever two nights ago for the city of Kirkwall. I have chartered a ship travelling the same route. You seem formidable folk. You're welcome to join me. Ciro is a skilled assassin, and will not be easily defeated by tricks or raw, physical force or magic. We likely have the best chance by sticking together."

"Why are you seeking him?" you ask suspiciously. "Isn't he one of you?"

"It's complicated," she answers. "But we can discuss it on the way if you wish. For now, we should make for my ship before it departs."

Faced with no other leads, you and Fern decide to follow Levina. A ship is waiting at the docks as she said it would be. Careful for any ambushes that might await you, you board and set sail for Kirkwall.

> Speak with Fern: You seem so different from other darkspawn.

"All magic comes from the Fade, the realm of dreams. Dwarves do not dream, and as such, cannot command its powers. Darkspawn also do not dream, and as such lack any such connection to actual magic. What most of my kind employs is what you would call "The Taint," similar to lyrium in that it gifts powers that seem like spellcraft to those inclined by birth or race. I, however, can and do dream. I enter the Fade. There I have learned magics beyond the abilities of my kind. I do not know if I am the first, but it has set me apart from my brethren ... much like you, in a way."​

> Speak with Levina: Who's Ciro to you?

"Antiva is a country of men. Women are allowed to do as they wish legally, but that freedom seldom aligns with the perceptions of their male counterparts. I joined the crows as a teen by my own volition, and have since been as strong as any other of the house. Still, when it came to prestigious or lucrative work, I was often overlooked for those of a ... lesser qualification. Eventually, I left. And for that I have been hunted by the assassin Ciro relentlessly for the past eight months. He is a skilled elf, and as such, it is not as easy as simply waiting for him to find me and just hoping to turn the tables, so to speak. For these reasons, I have decided to take the fight to him."
​

> Arrive in Kirkwall

Ah, Kirkwall," Levina says as the ship pulls into the harbor. "City of Chains, so they say."

"Chains?" you ask. "Why do they call it that?"

"They say that once you arrive in Kirkwall, it's impossible to leave," she answers.

"Ever?" you ask.

"So they say," Levina says. "People visit the surrounding areas here and there, but for the most part never truly leave. The effect on those who arrive here is so potent, in fact, that visitors often begin hallucinating further claustrophobia, believing odd things, like that every building they enter is of an identical layout."

"I think I liked it better in Ferelden," you say nervously.

She laughs. "Don't believe all the stories you hear," she says. "It's really not so bad. Like many things, it's always best to see it for yourself."

You step from the ship onto the docks and feel immediately dwarfed by the goings on of the city. "Where do we begin?" you ask.

"With an admission," Levina replies. "I do not know if Ciro came this way."

You turn to her angrily, your hand already moving toward the haft of your sword.

"But," she says sharply. "This is where we should be to find him. One as skilled as Ciro cannot be so easily traced. For such a task, we require the aid of magic. There is a man in this city, a mage by the name of Ataxias. He is what is called 'a dreamer.' I believe he can discover Ciro in dreams, and point us to him. I am sorry I was not honest with you earlier. With your--" She looks to your wounded arm. "--hurry, I did not think you would come, though it is the only way. Please forgive me."

You're angry, but not sure that you have a better plan than the one you've been forced into by this assassin. At the very least, she was right about one thing: You don't have much time. Your arm is getting worse. It won't be long before you leave this world, and you must find your revenge before that happens. It's all you have left. Nothing else matters.

You decide to question a robe merchant, since surely they would have been visited by such a mage.

You walk to a nearby stall you see selling potions and robes to ask about the whereabouts of this Ataxias dreamer. The merchant seems to recall the name, but can't offer much beyond that. He suggests that the templars might have a lead on him, and if not them, then perhaps the leader of the Circle. Either way, you head for the city tower.

A) Find a member of the templars.
B) Find the First Enchanter.

 

[Elfberserker]

Yay, Templars.

Is Fern coming with us when visiting the tower? I don't remember, if templars can sense magic.

A

 

[UglyBastard]

B

I doubt the templars are too happy about darkspawn mages in their city. Besides, mages are more useful anyway.

 

[TOME]

I don't know about the setting, i.e. about templars and enchanters, so I go with the merchant's recommendations. A.

 

[Kz3r0]

B

 

[Kipeci]

A

 

[Elfberserker]

I don't know about the setting, i.e. about templars and enchanters, so I go with the merchant's recommendations. A.

Ok short version.

Once upon time mage empire ruled the land until they had brought undead orcs darkspawn to world.
sometimes after first apocalyptic massive darkspawn horde with demonic dragon leading them attaking whole continent, prophet andraste had vision from god to bring down the mage empire because magic should exists to serve man and mage empire was major dick to everyone.

A organized religion from andraste chants was born called chantry after Andraste was born and it became dominant religion of continent.
Soon people had idea to put mages in tower to protect common folks from mages and vice verse and also to test could mages-in-training resist demon possession.
Also about this time Templars institution was born, a military branch of church whose main job is to watch mages as well hunt down possesed mages or free mages.

This arrangement has lead Mages as well Templars have quite bit tension between them

 

[Crane]

Both options would have led to the same thing for this update, but since this is another wall of text post I wanted to separate it from the last one.

You find a bevy of templars at the base of the tower, and the first one you ask knows the name Ataxias.

"Yeah, not a templar in Kirkwall don't know that one," he says gruffly. "Special case happened there; don't know all the details. Can say this, though: You'll find him easy enough in the city dungeon, not here in the Circle. And a warning, friend: don't bother with him. And if you must, then be careful. And even when you see him rotting behind bars, be careful. And don't tell Commander Meredith I told you, neither!"

You thank the man and head for the dungeon.

You travel to the city dungeon, and are stopped by an extremely rude and uncooperative guard. Somehow, Levina eventually sweet-talks him into letting her visit her "imprisoned, long-lost uncle," allowing you to travel deep beneath the guardhouse to the cells where you find just two prisoners. One is a man with wild black hair, thrashing about violently in his bed, either asleep or having a seizure. The other is a well-composed elf sitting smugly with his legs crossed.

"Ataxias?" you ask neutrally between the two prisoners, hoping one will answer to the name.

"That's him," the quiet man answers. "Though you'll not have much luck speaking with him. He's been asleep in that manner for as long as I have been here, and I have been here for many, many years."

You turn to the sleeping man, and yell loudly toward him. It does nothing to rouse him from his current state.

"No luck?" the elf says sarcastically. "Imagine that!"

"Why does he sleep so?" you ask the prisoner. "What do you know of him?"

"I know that he sleeps because there he is a free man," the man answers. "Free to roam, free to command the Fade. An enviable position, to be sure. If you wish to speak with him, you'll need to speak with him where he lives, which, if you cannot guess, is not in this dungeon. Many have tried, all have failed."

"This elf knows a way," Levina says from behind you.

"That I do," the elf says, standing to his feet. "You must enter the Fade. I can, of course, help you with such, if you so desire."

"How--" you begin.

"This elf is a blood mage," Levina interrupts.

"Correct again," the prisoner states. "And as your clever friend likely also knows, I require sacrifice in order to open this path. Some mages simply take a life--which I could do, though I would need to be free to perform that--but I know a simpler way. This section of the dungeon is reserved for people like me and your friend over there because we know better. And one of the things that I know, is that there is a great energy to be found in simple potential. Half a life span should do. Offer my magic half of whatever remaining life you or one of your companions has left willingly, and the portal will open. But, uh, not this cloaked one," he says, nodding to Fern. "There is a strange air about him."

> Ask for Levina's advice.

"If he can perform this with half of one of our lives, then he can also do this the old fashioned way. Let us travel upstairs, kill the guard, and let his blood open the path. The loss of his life is regrettable, but neither of us should be a sacrifice to this blood mage's spell."

> Ask for Fern's advice

"You cannot take an innocent's life in this way. You must offer the half. Either you or Levina. I would offer my own if I could.

A) Offer the life of the rude prison guard. As he is unwilling, this will kill him.
B) Offer half the lifespan of the mysterious baby that Fern has been protecting.
C) Offer half of Levina's lifespan, despite her disapproval.
D) Offer half of your already short lifespan with the understanding that there is a good chance you will not be able to finish your quest by the end.

Need I say that this is an important choice?