Valmy's ADHD Dragon Age playthrough

[viper37]

Ok all that sounds hard. Really hard. This will be my one chance to do it without any spoilers or anything. I am giddy with anticipation.

Yes, it's hard to achieve the right result.  A free tip, not too many spoilers:
[spoiler]
don't open the first door that requires a statue[/spoiler]
You have to pay real close attention to dialogue option and orient yourself that way.

Trying to kill the dragons

The one in the Hinterlands is difficult because he calls dragonlings whenever his health diminishes.  Only 2 others do that.
Vivienne as KE and Iron Bull as reaper will do the job, plus Blackwall as a shieldbeared.  I mean, tank, tank.
just move around, don't stay put in one place, micro-manage your party, eventually, you'll do it.  Just explore the whole area once it's done.  Maybe even before that, explore the western area, the go back to your camp to restock, if need be.

[viper37]

That was the only assassin tree skill I had so far. Now I have the mark ability which I am having a hard time using so far. Does it just explode on its own? Because it seems to vanish so far before I can activate it. But then I have only tried to use it on dragons so far and boss mobs are not good guinea pigs for this sort of thing.

have you completed your quest to become an assassin?  found the book, turn in the requisition stuff for the dagger, killed the 3 assassins and talked to the specialist?
If so, you should have unlocked some skills.

The rift mark is mostly useful against demons.  I sometimes used it for lower ennemies, but not that much.  It's a good way to deal with the big demons, as it kinda stuns them in place and they take damage.

Huh. Let me go back and check those screenshots *checks*

Kind of funny since there is literally a dragon and he flies off. I guess I didn't expect the leap into an abyss to be quite so literal and I thought she was referring to triggering the mage-templar war. Did Hawke jump off the ledge?

yes, I too did not think it would be so litteral.  I can't remember, but I think he kinda just stopped struggling and let himself fall in the abyss.

Yep. That was intriguing. It made me wonder for a moment if the fade is the afterlife and all the demons and spirits were once non-dwarf beings. Which might mean surface dwarves are the only ones who really die.

Dragon Age 4: The Fade Revealed

Oooooh now that is intriguing. The 'Warden/Hawke Hunt' expansion

they sent a poll to some Bioware subscribers and asked questions related to Hawke&Warden (actually phrased something like "the companion you left behind").  They're surprisingly tight lipped about their next and last DLC.

[Valmy]

Well, if you read the novel, The masked Empire, you learn that Empress Celine is in fact a lesbian with a female elf lover.

I don't know what is more scandalous. The fact she is not bisexual like every other woman in the world or that her lover is a dirty knife ear. Well this cannot be allowed to get out the whole Empire would melt down.

(you'll find him in Emprise du Lion)

Wait so should I go there first? I am getting a little antsy to get this party started.

Some doors give you secrets, some give you loot.

I take it if I get loot I chose...poorly.

This is your first time.  Play the way you want it best.  The second time, if you replay the game, do it with the guide if you wish so.

Yeah the whole point of this playthrough is to show you my impressions without being spoiled

I've read only one, it convinced me Bioware strenght was not in making novels.

I didn't think The Stole Throne was bad or anything. Granted I expect video game novels to be terrible.

Yeah, I think most of the others had their own interpretation. They still manage to turn Anders into a psychopath though

True they treated him with kid gloves, figuring he was harmless. And he still got his cat possessed by a demon who murdered several Templars. Oh Anders.

I did not mean "voluntarily keep them underground".  I mean, they go back underground, but the "surge" in maintained by constant fighting of the dwarves.  Remember a codex entry when they say what the surfacers call a blight is actually their daily lives?
I figured that the Darkspawn lose their "aim" without an Archdemon, so they don't know what to do else than look underground for another, digging everywhere, occasionnaly coming to the surface and attacking all dwarven thaigs in their path when they search for the Old Gods.
If the Dwarves can mount sufficient resistance, they don't go further than there, meaning, they never reach the surface in greater number.  It is something else the dwarves alludes too, once they are gone, the Darkspwan will emerge on the surface eventually, even outside of blights.

Yes that was basically what I was getting at.

Yes, it's hard to achieve the right result.  A free tip, not too many spoilers:

You have to pay real close attention to dialogue option and orient yourself that way.

I am not even sure what a good result is but thanks for the tip.

The one in the Hinterlands is difficult because he calls dragonlings whenever his health diminishes.  Only 2 others do that.

Yeah and she moves around a lot stupid Dragon. Oh and all High Dragons are female I thought the Hinterland's dragon was far harder than the one in The Western Approach and Crestwood despite being only level 12.

have you completed your quest to become an assassin?  found the book, turn in the requisition stuff for the dagger, killed the 3 assassins and talked to the specialist?
If so, you should have unlocked some skills.

The rift mark is mostly useful against demons.  I sometimes used it for lower ennemies, but not that much.  It's a good way to deal with the big demons, as it kinda stuns them in place and they take damage.

Yep Lothar officially became an assassin before the Adamant Fortress and I used his 'stab from a distance' skill to stay alive when that masterwork enchantment made him dangerously squishy. The mark I am talking about is the Assassin's Mark that was so devastating in DAO. In DAI I am not really sure how it works, it sounds like I am supposed to activate it for extra damage but I cannot figure out how. Maybe it just goes off automatically.

yes, I too did not think it would be so litteral.  I can't remember, but I think he kinda just stopped struggling and let himself fall in the abyss.

Ah I should go see that movie again. That would be cool if true.

Dragon Age 4: The Fade Revealed

So long it is not 'The Fade Reloaded'

they sent a poll to some Bioware subscribers and asked questions related to Hawke&Warden (actually phrased something like "the companion you left behind").  They're surprisingly tight lipped about their next and last DLC.

Yeah I cannot find anything. I hope it is a proper expansion like Awakenings, what we didn't get for Dragon Age II.

[Valmy]

Lothar gets back to Skyhold and has a little debriefing with Leliana who reminds him we now have to worry about partying in Orlais.



'Man can I enjoy this for just a second or two?'

In the meantime Lothar delivers the message spirit Justinia V had for Leliana.



'And I don't think she was referring to that one time she forgot to feed Schmooples when you were away.'

More on that later. The other companions all have thoughts on what happened at Adamant. Solas, our local Grey Warden hater was disgusted by their Grey Wardening which brought on this mess.



'It is more than a decent elf can bear! Wait is that one of those shards on his desk?'

Solas sure feels oddly annoyed about hunting down the Old Gods. Dorian is worried Lothar and company returning physically from the fade with only a loss of Loghain to show for it will be a signal for others to follow and hopes we can keep a lid on it. He does this while bitching about our library's lack of Tevinter resources. Geez sorry our castle miles from anything is not equipped with all the world's knowledge.



'Ah well that does sound useful, we can probably track that down.'

He also notes that Lothar is training as a deadly assassin. He knows people.



'Nothing on the always successful Antivan Crows? Well at least I am doing some resume building.'

Varric has a thought to give to Loghain, not the only one but by far the most charitable.



'We'll see. A tough old bastard like Loghain is not killed so easily.'

He and Lothar then discuss the incredibly unlikely continued survival of Urien. Varric goes off to let Bethany, Isabela, and company know what happened.



'After she nearly triggered a war between Kirkwall and Qunari she cannot give him too much shit.'

Josephine gets Lothar an invitation to a Orlesian party...but not that party.



It turns out to not be as exciting as it sounds. Much like the rest of this quest.

Vivienne is intrigued by walking physically through the fade.



'Well let's see...we killed things and took their stuff. Kind of like this world really...with attribute bonuses.'

One of the annoyances of the dialog system comes into play here. I picked a fairly innocuous answer and Lothar answered her incredibly rudely for no reason. Vivienne has been insulted worse by better so didn't mind but man...have to be careful there is little to indicate what you are actually going to say sometimes. At least in Mass Effect you have a decent idea based on the location on the wheel the choice is.

Krem suggests we take apart the cursed fortress of Adamant.



'We will then gift the cursed bricks to all our enemies.'

Iron Bull is coping with his trauma of fighting at Adamant by having Cassandra beat the shit of out him with a stick. This is some kind of ritual Qun method of dealing with fear. Iron Bull has a thing about the Fade and demons and all that but given how the Qunari treat their mages this is not unusual. Anyway Lothar takes over and clubs him good.



'If only this was how Anders delt with being possessed.'

Sera, being a Ferelden, notes that few will mourn the 'death' of Loghain Mac Tir. Granted it is not like she speaks for any but other unstable lunatics. She notes that the Grey Wardens are always bad news noting them showing up in Denerim last time meant the Darkspawn were going to rip the city apart. She could not remember if Lorcan died killing the Archdemon or not. Lothar is incredulous she cares so little about Ferelden's hero.



'Wait so it was you who wanted the painted box from First Enchanter Irving's office.'

Huh. That Jenny seemed so mysterious and sinister. Instead it was just a crazy elf who wanted a box to play with.

Cassandra is devoted to truth and wants to get an accurate recording of the events at Adamant. Unfortunately she is terrible at writing.



'I bet Varric could take dictation. Oh who am I kidding he would write that he took out every demon singlehandedly.'

She asks Lothar if he thought the spirit really was Justinia V. He thinks it was.



'Ah yeah that is good stuff. Write that.'

On the way out she trails Lothar nervously wanting to talk to him. It seems she is tired of him never making his move and wants him to stop flirting with her.



'Why? Is it Lothar's bad personal hygiene? He is a noble he never had to do that stuff for himself before ok?'

Well she insists his position as Inquisitor makes it impossible and asks him to stop and runs off. Lothar walks off annoyed but then she rushes back and admits she just wants to be treated like a lady and doubts somebody who knows her as a all business warrior could have that relationship with her. Especially somebody as busy as the Inquisitor. Wait so you think somebody in a Bioware game has more important things to do? Pffft.



'Wait so you believe in love and not just meaningless sex? Well that's a first.'

Lothar possesses my subtle touch for romance and is going to do the exact thing she asked for. So yeah we are getting flowers, candles, and poetry to show this lady how committed he is. LOL that is kind of adorable. Hope Lothar's party members do not mind journeying for weeks just to get stuff for his love life.

Cole is concerned that he will be corrupted and controlled just as the Nightmare Demon was. He wants Solas to use blood magic to bind him but Solas doesn't do that kind of thing. Lothar demands a third option.



'No! Blood magic or go home...would be the answer if this was Dragon Age II.'

Well it turns out they can get an amulet from Rivain that should keep him from being bound. We will get right on that. I am sure it will all go smoothly.

Blackwall is troubled by what happened at Adamant and re-affirms his commitment to what the Warden's represent to him.



'You may not be a Warden but you are surely their #1 fanboy.'

Just curious and curiouser. If he is such an admirer of the Wardens why didn't he just join for real?

Lothar stops off to see Cullen.



'Oh great went on a Lyrium bender did we?'

Cullen is trying to quit the Inquisition because his Lyrium withdrawal has compromised him. Cassandra wants him to man up.



'I am starting to shake and...wait what are the symptoms of Lyrium withdrawal again? A firm desire to rule city states like a dictator?'

Anyway Cullen walks off and Cassandra sends Lothar off to talk sense to him. Cullen nearly takes Lothar's head off throwing his Templar drug kit against the wall. He then recounts his rough Templar career: his trauma and torture at the hands of the abominations in the Ferelden circle and the joys for working under Meredith.



'Frankly I am just impressed you are not locked away in a padded cell by now.'

Anyway Lothar orders him to stay away from the Lyrium stuff. We will see if that makes him crack and run naked through the Skyhold courtyard howling at the moon or something. It seems the Red
Templar's found a way to the blocked in Thaig of Kal-Sharok and paid the price.



Man I have been waiting for six years to go there.

Now time to take out the trash.



'Let the record show the court asked for his surrender.'



'Your plea has been taken into consideration.'



'I sentence you to death by comically huge sword.'

So Lothar takes off his head. This world just feels a little brighter now.

[viper37]

Wait so should I go there first? I am getting a little antsy to get this party started.

nah.  It's a tough area, and there are 3 dragons later on

I take it if I get loot I chose...poorly.

From a certain point of view.  You get great loot, you may not get the desired ending.

Yeah the whole point of this playthrough is to show you my impressions without being spoiled

Wich I respect greatly, and I avoid giving spoilers unless you really want them to

I didn't think The Stole Throne was bad or anything. Granted I expect video game novels to be terrible.

I might try that one.

Yep Lothar officially became an assassin before the Adamant Fortress and I used his 'stab from a distance' skill to stay alive when that masterwork enchantment made him dangerously squishy. The mark I am talking about is the Assassin's Mark that was so devastating in DAO. In DAI I am not really sure how it works, it sounds like I am supposed to activate it for extra damage but I cannot figure out how. Maybe it just goes off automatically.

You target your ennemy with it, and then he/she/it takes more damages from all sources.  It does not appear to do much.  I prefer, death blow, I think it is called.  That one is nasty.
Anyway, a nice build:
- Stealth + Lost in the Shadows
- Easy to Miss
- Looked Like it Hurt
- First Blood
- Death Blow + Thrill of Victory
- Flank Attack + Skirmisher
- all assassin skilles

[viper37]

I am not even sure what a good result is but thanks for the tip.

you told me what you wanted to achieve, so I told you what is needed for that.
It does not change anything but the epilogue.

[viper37]

New DLC: The Descent

[Valmy]

Lothar prepares to journey back to the Hinterlands to slay the Ferelden Frostback and close a particularly messy fade rift Solas found. To do this he will journey to Val Royeaux and the Black Emporium to get some schematics then make new fancy gear for whomever he can as well as buy some fire resist stuff. Right before he leaves he gets into a theological discussion on the nature of his role now that it was discovered that it was Justinia V, or a spirit who thinks it is her, rather than Andraste that saved him. Granted I THOUGHT everybody realized this back when they got that vision in the Temple of Sacred Ashes.



'Because Andraste has two natures both divine and human and two energies both...um...nevermind.'

Lothar is pretty much convinced the whole thing absolutely was divine providence and he has the Maker on his side. Corypheus was seconds from absolute victory before he just strode in and everything changed.



'Ah good news I cannot wait to tell Cole.'

But then Lothar gets distracted and forgets to tell him for awhile. While shopping in Val Royeaux Lothar attends a little personal business. A little flowers:



'Great and I am sure this gossip will not be all over Orlais before they reach there...d'accord?'



'Free candles with a corny name. Only the best for my dear Cassandra.'

After a lot of time obsessing over each piece of gear it is down to business.

THE FIFTH HINTERLANDS CAMPAIGN

Ok first things first. Lothar takes Iron Bull, Vivienne, and Cassandra and goes up to deal with that Dragon. Well it was very confusing at first because it did a few passes and then...vanished instead of landing. It took me forever to finally find out it landed in a valley quite a ways from where you first meet it.



'Iron Bull is jealous of its superior horns.'

This fight is a little like the High Dragon fight in DAII. You beat it up a bit and then it flies up to an inaccessible perch and calls in the Dragonlings. But this time when it landed again and Lothar beat it up some more it took off and landed someplace else...and it took awhile to find and then they had to climb up a cliff with Dragonlings attacking and the dragon breathing fire and doing that wing vortex on them. By the time they got to the top only Lothar was still standing but fortunately I discovered that dragons, or at least this dragon, has little answer for him. He can dash around the dragon's legs hammering the hell of it and there is little the dragon can do about it. So he finishes the thing off by himself.



'LOL yeah they are great Lothar.'

Once he peels off their broken bodies off the cliff they explore the valley, finding the last of the Hinterlands shards and landmarks and even a Red Lyrium deposit to destroy. Varric did not approve of us destroying it so I guess Lothar maxed out his approval. Nice. I also seems to have maxed out Blackwall's and Iron Bull's as well. Not surprising, those are two pretty awesome guys.
Now to do that secret family meeting for Dorian. Now I had to think about this one. Would Lothar tell Dorian or not? Well Mother Giselle who he usually trusts suggested he not do it and I figured Lothar would want to figure out if he could fully trust Dorian as a Tevinter and he figured reconciling him with his family might be useful to the Inquisition and might even help Dorian out. Besides it was just an agent of his family how dramatic could it be? But man quite a tough choice to make.

First a little personal business.



'Oh so you have no books at all? Those things behind you are what? Props?'

Also the Templars raided his books? The guys beaten by Lothar months ago? Ah well.

Anyway on to the show. It seems Dorian's family lied to Lothar and Mother Giselle. It was not some agent of his family that would be greeting them in Redcliffe.



'Oh wow how delicious.'

So Dorian's father came himself. All the way from Tevinter. Damn. Dorian is pretty steamed about it and a bit upset Lothar didn't tell him but fortunately dad points out Lothar had no idea he would be there. Dorian is the result of an intense Tevinter breeding program to make the perfect Magister and his gayness was seen as an imperfection. Dad tried to 'fix' him with blood magic and is now begging for forgiveness.



'For a Tevinter Magister you are excellent at groveling.'

Dorian is eventually won over and they start a heart to heart as Lothar waits outside. They go back to Skyhold. Lothar apologizes to Dorian for not telling him and they have a moment. That went well. Man daddy issues are sure prevalent in Bioware games.

Speaking of issues it looks like Cullen is going to be alright. He is feeling better and going to be alright and has gained a bit of insight about his travails and how he let them twist who he was. He also mentions his brush with Lorcan.



'He also saved your ass. Want to mention that Cullen? '

Glad to know the Inquisition General is now psychologically stable. Speaking of psychologically stable people Sera has an idea on how to boost Inquisition morale.



'Yeah...your nuts. But hey my sick curiosity forces me to go through with it.'

So Sera and Lothar do little harmless silliness with Cullen (destabilize his desk so it rocks around) and Josephine (the old bucket on the door gag) and are looking to do something to Leliana when Solas notices them and they run off. That last one was probably good because Leliana probably would have taken disproportionate revenge. This is Sera's idea of excellent leadership so she is feeling all warm and fuzzy about Lothar when somehow Josephine was able to piece together who was responsible.



'What Sera doesn't her morale look sky high?'

But Skyhold shenanigans are not at an end. Iron Bull is boozing it up with some truly disgusting swill to celebrate their recent dragon slaying.



'Toasts that will soon be made good on.'

Damn it is just a love fest for Lothar at Skyhold these days.

Well except for that one very miserable wet blanket, the Inquisition spymaster. Leliana does not get the meaning behind Justinia V's last message to her.



'Well let's put it this way: you are now a very unhappy paranoid psychopath. Before you were a happier less-paranoid psychopath.'

Leliana thinks she failed Justinia V by letting her get killed. But it is pretty obvious that Justinia V feels bad for Leliana losing so much of herself in Justinia V's service. Leliana will never be the same. Leliana is also happy Lothar has taken the specialization of cloak and dagger murder, hoping it will be an inspiration to her agents. She mentions she knew a certain handsome assassin with a heart of gold in the past.



We will be getting in contact with Zev soon actually. More on that later.

On the way out there is this bizarre scene with Mother Giselle and Dorian where she expresses concern about the friendship between Lothar and Dorian. She thinks it looks bad since he is a dirty Imperial but I found it rather strange since Giselle had taken such pains on his behalf during the last quest. Anyway Lothar makes it clear he is standing by his bud Dorian.



'Damn Dorian, you are a good egg.'

As I said...love fest. But just as things seem to be calming down for Cullen and Dorian things take a bizarre twist with Varric.



'Huh so just like...well this is awkward.'

Yeah so there actually is a Bianca. Varric's secret crush who is married to some proper dwarf who she doesn't love. Or something. She is an amazing craftsdwarf and made critical adjustments that made her namesake repeating crossbow work after that Carta dwarf made the rough design. I wonder if she also helped make the one Duke Prosper was using. Between she and Branka I guess dwarf women's desirability is entirely dependent on their craft skills because it certainly is not their pleasant personalities. She and Varric can never be together anyway since if the Merchant's Guild found out Varric was with her that would be the end of him.

Anyway so she has found how the Venatori got access to the Thaig Varric and Urien found in Act 1 of DAII and she knows how to plug the leak. And it is Valammar...which makes sense since that was supposed to be a Red Lyrium mine and yet they found no Red Lyrium there.

Amazed that Varric has such a huge part of his life he not only did not tell his good buddy Urien about but outright lied to him about.

So back to the Hinterlands for us.

Meanwhile the Chargers and the Inquisition military dismantle the Adamant Fortress:



And we got that book for Dorian



So that should be useful.

Ok so awhile back Leliana used that spy crystal to discover Calpernia was forbidden from going to the Shrine of Dumat. Then she found where said Shrine was. Now Lothar is going there, it is in Nevarra it looks like.



'Way to jinx us Cassandra.'

Of course the place is overrun by demons. The only thing they really find inside are memory crystals where Corypheus laments how pathetic the current state of the world is and he discovers he is the only magister around...so maybe the Architect is not one after all unless Corypheus was not aware of him or didn't find him. Then when his final victory was accidentally stolen by Lothar and him deciding to attack Haven. In the INNER SANCTUM they find a Magister enslaved and trapped. It is Calpernia's former owner and mentor. His name is Erasthenes and he is required to answer all questions truthfully or get zapped and something similar is going to be used on Calpernia to make her the 'vessel' so that is interesting.



'Will she have: arms of iron?'

Lothar takes pity on him and grants him the death he asks for. On the way back to Skyhold Lothar stops by the party to visit with that Orlesian Minister to get the Du Paraquettes enobled.



'Because I am so very charming?'

Actually he had to do a little bribe. But it got done. She met Lothar outside of the party so I did not even get to see a repeat of the near brawl from the party he met Vivienne at. Guess I have to wait for the big party to get some real intrigue Orlesian style. I have also been missing the Venetian looking super assassins from the Mark of the Assassin DLC.
Leliana is super not amused Lothar mercy killed Erasthenes when he gets back to Skyhold.



'Well if looks could kill.'

Anyway so they plan to tempt Calpernia to check out the Shrine at some point and discover what Corypheus has in store for her: more slavery. Maybe she can be flipped if they play it well enough.

Josephine is happy Lothar got the Ministers approval and is going to go to Val Royeaux and finish the business. While she is there a group of citizens are demanding Lothar give them a message from Andraste from when he erm...'met' her in the fade. Well easy enough:



'What more could be gathered from the fact Corypheus inexplicably failed at his moment of triumph?'

So Jesus Andraste loves you guys.

Just to run this point home Lothar judges another prisoner before he leaves. Ser Ruth is one of the Grey Wardens that did dirty deeds on behalf of Warden-Commander Clarel. She turned herself in and demands her punishment serve as an example to others.



'Yes let's let another good person be killed from this sorry affair.'

Lothar has a mind to set a different sort of example and pardons her in Andraste's name.



'Solas will never forgive Lothar not slaughtering every Warden he meets on sight.'

On to Crestwood! That's right Crestwood. Not the Hinterlands. Shocking.

THE THIRD CRESTWOOD CAMPAIGN

Ok well this is straightforward. Defeat the dragon.



'Ok once this is done the people in Crestwood can FINALLY stop whining.'

This was super easy compared to the last fight. Sure she fried Dorian and Iron Bull almost right away but she had no answer for Lothar chewing up her legs and couldn't scratch Cassandra.



'This is how I always pictured it. Slashing dragons' toes until they fall over dead.'

After that Lothar finishes exploring all the ruins the dragon was living in and finishes up Crestwood...or at least I think he does. While this is going on Vivienne complements Cassandra on how she leveraged her birthright.



Vivienne is awesome. She knows the score. Definitely the most adult character in these games. Totally self possessed and aware.

THE FOURTH WESTERN APPROACH CAMPAIGN

After taking care of a last few odds and ends, just exploring a few places they hadn't touched yet. Then down to the business at hand.



'This will be the last time Lothar is in front of the dragon's face'

Again this one stayed nice and earthbound like the Northern Hunter did and so was pretty straight forward. Everybody even lived. Frederic was so impressed he offered to join up.



'I am sure Scout Harding will be delighted with her new assignment.'

Ok so back to the Hinterlands. Always end up there eventually.

THE SIXTH HINTERLANDS CAMPAIGN

Alright so three things to do:

1.   Find the poetry book so Lothar can romance his dear Cassandra in the precise way she mentioned being romanced.



'Oh so it is just sitting there? No bad guys to fight? Well only the most romantic books laying in the middle of random fields for Lothar's lady.'

2.   Find the super fade rift for Solas.



'What? No 'Solas Approves'? Pity Lothar and he seemed to be getting along great until Solas got all pissed at Lothar's pro-Grey Warden policies.'

They found another rune in those ruins at least.

3.   Meet up with Varric's secret girlfriend and close down the route to the red lyrium thaig.



'Yeah crazy coincidence...considering it is in southern Ferelden many weeks trip from Kirkwall.'

It appears she just drops by this place all the time and just happened to notice it was full of bad guys. So that is weird. Bianca wants to know what crazy stuff Varric is up to these days.



'Varric: well it is not always in a cave.'

And then it gets weirder where to get to the entrance they need to get through a door she made...and then after fighting through more bad guys we get the key to the door to the way to the old Thaig.

It is also made by Bianca.



'Varric's choice of friends is only exceeded by his choice of girlfriends.'

So Varric wrote to Bianca to help him sell off the loot and she did a little investigating of her own to help Bartrand out once he developed his problem. And she then an expert offered his assistance.



'Oh yeah...heard of him.'

Damn Corypheus really had everything going his way until the debacle with the elven orb. Anyway she feels very bad about it. I guess the way is blocked now but now there is red lyrium everywhere so the cat is out of the bag. Bianca tells them that red lyrium is lyrium that is infected by the taint and that indicates it is living somehow. I guess Corypheus planted it all over the place. Yet another thing for Varric to feel guilty about. He is the bad luck charm of this series.

On the way back to Skyhold they stop by Val Royeaux...yes not really on the way. Lothar finally succeeded in saving his diplomat's life in a very roundabout way.



Phew glad that is over. Josie owes him one. Then she tells him her short history being a bard until she killed some poor bastard in an intrigue and has never gotten over it. She is the Yin to Leliana's Yang.
Now with all of the gear to show Cassandra a good time Lothar goes to her and asks her to meet him at a romantic grove outside of town. There he has it all set up with the candles and flowers and reads her poetry as she walks up. Wonderfully dorky, exactly what I would do. And she laughs and asks if Lothar is serious which is also generally the sort of response I get. Fortunately for Lothar things soon turn steamy.



'Ah yeah time to get naked! Oh wait we are doing this outside on a mountain aren't we?'

Fortunately that bit of poor planning doesn't trip him up. In the post-coital glow she informs him that she only slept with one man before and he was a mage (woah a mage? How scandalous) who got blown up at the Conclave. So she affirms she is going to beat down Corypheus before he can take two men from her. So this was a nice little romance that kind of conforms with my own experience so well done Bioware you are clearly getting better at this. There were a few groan-worthy moments in the Morrigan and Isabela ones but not here so far...yet. Still lots of travails await Lothar and his royally blooded catch. Man his family is going to be so proud of him. Hey it is not the only reason but it didn't hurt.

So he drops by Sera the next day and it sounds like she wants a bit of Lothar sweetness herself.



'Well it is not that I am not flattered but you scare me.'

But it turns out all she wanted was to sit on the roof with him and eat cookies she baked. Yes the rogue baked Lothar cookies. She was adopted by a noble woman when she was a baby and she didn't know how to bake so she pretended she baked cookies she actually bought and then covered her tracks by telling Sera the baker hated elves. And this somehow cancelled out the kindness of adopting an orphan elf as her own and made Sera hate the nobility forever as well as cookies. Sera you are still far behind Anders in faceplam moments but you are catching up.



'Saving the world and reconciling Sera with cookies. How can one not see the hand of divine providence in this?'

Well that was sweet Sera, weird and frightening but sweet. Next time don't make raison cookies though. Snickerdoodles if you could.

Alright just a couple things left before they leave for  the party.

First Lothar suddenly remembered that Rivain amulet for Cole. Solas was anxious to get Cole protected but it didn't take. Varric hears the commotion and wanders in from the great hall.



Varric suggests it is because he is not longer a Spirit but has become human. Cole identifies the problem as coming from...*drum roll*...THE HINTERLANDS. Yes back they go again. Everything happens in the Hinterlands. I bet the final confrontation with Corypheus will occur there.

THE SEVENTH HINTERLANDS CAMPAIGN

So they go to the Hinterlands to meet a Templar who locked up the original Cole who was an apostate mage then forgot about him and let him starve to death. Spirit Cole came to try to comfort him and watched hopelessly while he died, eventually becoming him to an extent. This explains why he was going around mercy killing mages when Rhys found him. Also original Cole wishes he had never been a mage which is why spirit Cole is not a mage. Glad they explained that one. Anyway Cole has some issues with said Templar that he has to deal with.



'I was not exaggerating about his issues.'

So Cole is at a crossroads (not literally, they are in Redcliffe). Does he erase everybody's memory and eventually become a spirit again and cease to be partially human or does he deal with his anger and become destined to be a mortal man. Solas thinks it is foolish to deny something its nature while Varric, who himself denies his dwarf nature, thinks Cole came here to be human so human he should be. Well that is a tough one. Solas is disappointed in Lothar once more because after some pondering he decided to go with Varric. I have no idea if that was a mistake or not but he would find the notion that Cole wants to be a person more compelling. Varric then gives him Bianca and tells him to revenge himself on the Templar.



'You are not truly a human until you commit a gruesome murder!'

Cole tries to kill him but Bianca misfires. This leaves the Templar and Cole something to think about. Now the amulet will not function but Varric is confident Cole can no longer be bound since he is now too bound to mortality. Lothar goes to talk to Cole about this and holy crap it is eerie how different he is now. He has feelings and talks like a person and can no longer make people not see him or forget him.



'Oh yeah. You are human now alright.'

So we will see if that protects Cole from being bound later on. I am not entirely sure Lothar did not make a terrible mistake. Oh well it would not be the first one.

Meanwhile...

The Grey Wardens have been investigating the works of an evil noble named Marquise Bouffon who has a secret stronghold she has been unleashing Darkspawn upon the world.



So far so good.



Ser Ruth has retired to a Chantry to do good works. Hopefully good propaganda for the Inquisition.



The dwarves of Kal-Sharok are a pretty insular paranoid lot but they are helping Leliana find Venatori in their territory.

Lothar goes to talk to Varric about what he thinks of the business with Cole and instead he gets Lothar into the group's Wicked Grace game. Well hell this is the sort of scene that DAII desperately needed, though I would have preferred it a bit more plot centric. Like it would be part of an after mission thing where they might be discussing Adamant or whatever the outcome of the Empress Celene party is going to be.

Anyway they all share bawdy stories and eventually it turns into strip Wicked Grace as Josephine somehow gets Cullen naked. I noticed that any companion that was optional had lines that could easily been missing if they were not there.



'Not participating: Vivienne, Solas, and Leliana. Team too cool for school.'

Finally the mayor of Crestwood is brought forward to be judged for his crimes.



'Sure there were a few dozen innocent people down there but you know...'

I have to admit under the circumstances it is hard to blame him too much...however he did then cause a zombie army to murder a lot of people. So if he wants to fight the Blight well Lothar will give him that chance.



'Sorry Solas'

They are getting kind of low on manpower anyway. Of course Lothar may have just handed a tool to Corypheus. Hrm.

Anyway time to party.

[Valmy]

I am not even sure what a good result is but thanks for the tip.

you told me what you wanted to achieve, so I told you what is needed for that.
It does not change anything but the epilogue.

Well based on what you said the thing I thought was my primary objective may not be as primary as I thought

New DLC: The Descent

Huh. Looks like an ingame DLC not an expansion but it does look hopeful. I am always up for more Deep Roads and maybe this will let me see Kal-Sharok.

[viper37]

I just hope it's not another one of those less than 10hrs DLC.  I think they reserve the continuation of the story for DA4, but it is kinda strange, since they said they would use different protagonists every time.
Anyway.  We'll see when it's out.  It's not specifically post-game content though.

Btw, talk to your people everytime you're back in Skyhold.  I mean the NPCs that are not your party, they may have missions sometimes.  At least 2 of them have missions, plus Krem, IIRC..  And when you complete a puzzle, you talk to the dwarf at the main entrance.

One weird thing in Skyhold: there is a jail, yet, no prisoners.  Never.  Where do we keep these people awaiting judgment?  And those we keep for interrogation?  Ah, well.

[Valmy]

I just hope it's not another one of those less than 10hrs DLC.

Well it might take ME that long because I take forever at these games for whatever reason but I will be shocked if it is any longer than the ones from DAII. I have not played the one already released for DAI but I plan on it once I am around level 20 or so.

I was just happy seeing Ogres and Genlocks in the video. Can we see Shrieks again? Are there truly so few Elf Broodmothers?
 

I think they reserve the continuation of the story for DA4, but it is kinda strange, since they said they would use different protagonists every time.

Well I have not played the ending of DAI and have no idea how it ends beyond a victory for the good guys presumably. But there really needed to be a full length expansion covering the Templar-Mage war between DA2 and DAI and it was a shame we did not get one. DAI won several game of the year awards from 2014 and looks like it sold well there is no similar reason to not have one. I hope they decide to do one.

Anyway.  We'll see when it's out.  It's not specifically post-game content though.

No it is not. Wait can you play post-game like in ME2? Should I wait until the main game is done to play either of the two DLC? Does it make sense to do so story-wise? Let me know what you think (spoiler-free of course).

Btw, talk to your people everytime you're back in Skyhold.  I mean the NPCs that are not your party, they may have missions sometimes.  At least 2 of them have missions, plus Krem, IIRC..  And when you complete a puzzle, you talk to the dwarf at the main entrance.

Yeah I have been trying to do that but it is a pretty big castle. Man I am bummed I made Cole human before I could finish his wacky spirit helper quest I had just a few left to do.

One weird thing in Skyhold: there is a jail, yet, no prisoners.  Never.  Where do we keep these people awaiting judgment?  And those we keep for interrogation?  Ah, well.

Yeah that really annoyed me in Haven as well. My theory is if you actually judge somebody imprisoned they will show up there so maybe you can question them or something. I haven't judged anybody I thought needed imprisoning yet though so I have not tested it.

[Valmy]

Oh and I am taking Cassandra and Vivienne to the party for Chantry and Orlais cred. I am thinking who the third should be. Definitely not Solas, Cole, Iron Bull, or Blackwall they would all be pretty worthless at an event like this. Dorian knows his way around the nobility. Sera probably has half the servants as informants. No particular reason to take or not take Varric. So...Sera or Dorian? Thinking Sera. What do you think?

[viper37]

No it is not. Wait can you play post-game like in ME2? Should I wait until the main game is done to play either of the two DLC? Does it make sense to do so story-wise? Let me know what you think (spoiler-free of course).

Apparently, you can play after the ending.  My first experience resulted in everything and everyone disapearing from Skyhold, but it's supposed to be fixed now, though I haven't checked after the post-credit scenes, I just quit.

My opinion is you should do the two DLCs before the end.  I haven't played Jaws of Hakkon, so I can't tell you when is the best time, except before the end, duh!

Yeah that really annoyed me in Haven as well. My theory is if you actually judge somebody imprisoned they will show up there so maybe you can question them or something. I haven't judged anybody I thought needed imprisoning yet though so I have not tested it.

No, they are not there when you imprison them.  That, I could have understood.

[Valmy]

Oh you haven't played it. Try to play it before I do so you will not be spoiled

I will go gaga for this DLC if it includes Kal-Sharok but even having it Orzammar style where it is just a few hallways seems a bit much to ask for. I will slightly approve if it just includes Kal-Sharok dwarves.

[viper37]

Oh and I am taking Cassandra and Vivienne to the party for Chantry and Orlais cred. I am thinking who the third should be. Definitely not Solas, Cole, Iron Bull, or Blackwall they would all be pretty worthless at an event like this. Dorian knows his way around the nobility. Sera probably has half the servants as informants. No particular reason to take or not take Varric. So...Sera or Dorian? Thinking Sera. What do you think?

None of the people you bring will have any effect story wise.

• Varric is as confortable there as he is anywhere.  Nothing special, IIRC.
  
• Iron Bull has apparently some great lines.  But damn, is he squeashy!  On the other hand, he is a spy, so he should know a thing or two...
  
• Sera gives you something extra (sort of a mini-quest) and some silly childish lines at one time... (who would have thought??)
  
• Dorian is in his natural element.  But you already have Vivienne as a mage, who also happens to be in her element.  It's really up to you if you want to play with 2 mages.
  

All are good choices, Imho.  Next playthrough, I'll try to respect Iron Bull early on to make him a tougher fighter and I'll bring him more often with me.

But as it is, it's a toss out because everyone has his moments.  Vivienne has insights into The Game.  Iron Bull has knowledge of spycraft.  Sera is a crazy fucked up bitch, but, what could be more fun than a crazy fucked up bitch in a serious 18th century French nobility party??