Valmy's ADHD Dragon Age playthrough

[viper37]

I guess my thinking on this point was that the Grey Wardens somehow were planned all along. And yes the First Blight ravaged Thedas for a century or more before they figured out the Grey Warden thing. Having seen what the Blight could do to Ferelden in just a few weeks/months I find that hard to credit, but maybe it is just a testimony to the might of the Tevinter Imperium.

All of the following is mostly speculations, so no spoiler tags.

A blight occurs when Darkspawn, hearing the calling of the old God find him, corrupt him and transform him into an Archdemon.  Then he is more powerful (well, his call is more powerful, so more follow him) and all Darkspawn follow him.

Presumable, for the 1st blight, there weren't that many darkspawns around.  The first waves were probably small, consisting of dwarves stragglers.  My theory is that the 1st blight was much more slow to develop than the last, flull blown one.  Darkspawn's aren't defeated after a blight, they simply retreat underground to find another god. 

I have to admit I noticed nothing strange at all and was sure it was over until Cassandra mentioned Larius had never contacted the Wardens. I think Corypheus was controlling them like he was controlling the Carta dwarves. Makes me wonder if I had brought Abominanders if he would have been under Corypheus' power as well. Also I guess we now know where the Grey Wardens have gone and the Calling they were talking about on the Storm Coast. Huh. Makes me wonder if that is where Corypheus had his hideout.

Anders:
[spoiler]
The call becomes too strong, you then have to fight him as Vengeance takes over, but then he regains control and you suffer an approval hit[/spoiler]

As for the rest, if you look at Larius at the end, he some sort of crooked smile, he walks upright and he speaks in a manner reminscent of Corypheus.

Yeah don't give away the whole game.

Being a rogue is amazing except when it really isn't. Then you are almost useless, being so squishy. Stupid Templar Horrors.

in DA2 as well as in DA:I and DA:O, my favorite character was always the dual rogue, it was by far my easiest campaigns.

So long as you remember to aim for the back of your target, you'll be ok
stealth also gives you a fair chance, as ennemies will attack your warrior first, then you decloak and stab them.

[Valmy]

Dagna is really confident about her amazing magical skills now and constantly makes lame jokes. I am glad she is around. Plus she squees for Lorcan.



'If she had met Urien instead she would have been: 'he didn't fuck things up too badly for me. He didn't fuck things up too badly for us.''

She can make runes for the Inquisition but has no rune blanks which is a pain. I find them later being sold by a merchant elsewhere in the castle but damnit they need to be sold near where I need them. Damn runes, this is Dragon Age Awakening type annoyance all over again.

Solas is in a weird rotunda where he paints artsy murals about the history of the Inquisition (though he does not actually do this until a bit later). I sure hope I get a dialog later where he explains this weird artistic compulsion. We will add fresco painting to his list of things he is an expert on.

Lothar asks him about Corypheus and he has some observations.



'Solas: theological expert'

This guy is just a little bit too much Mr. Exposition for my tastes. He is here for that orb isn't he? He has some connection here. I mean sure I guess he could just be some random guy who talks to demons and spirits every day and never gets possessed or anything...eh he is not what he seems to be. That's all I am saying.

Speaking of people not being what they seem to be check out this speech given by Blackwall during the Fifth Blight:



Blackwall was with the rest of the Wardens in Orlais during the Blight. But he lied to Lothar back in Haven about being in Ferelden, which made no sense and was an obvious lie. Why did he lie about that?

The guy Lothar probably should be suspicious of is the Tevinter-come-lately Dorian of House Pavus. He is a free thinking Tevinter patriot who is repulsed by the hypocrisy and failings of the Imperium and wants to...eh...stay away from it so he doesn't die. He was in Redcliffe to see his mentor Alexius who seems to have gotten mixed up in the Venatori.



'It is Tevinter so I have no idea if he is being literal or figurative here.'

He kind of represents the Tevinter of tomorrow while the Venatori represents the Tevinter of the past. Or something. So, what can I say? I dig him. Welcome to the Inquisition future savior of Tevinter. Besides he is family.



'So that is where the 'Aurelian' part of my name came from.'

Despite our efforts on her behalf Minaeve took off and left one of her tranquil to do our research in the future.



'Oh well I am sure there are more important things to spend her time doing than saving the world.'

Leliana has set up her office in the top of a tower with her message birds.



'Schmooples, the second of his name, King the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men.'

Awwww still a little of the old Leliana in there someplace. She is sending out notices of the casualties suffered at Haven and blames herself for pulling her agents back when one of the lookouts got killed and blames herself for not heartlessly letting more of her guys die. Um you could have just told us one of your people mysteriously died. Just saying. Anyway she has a lead on the Venatori and their mysterious leader Calpernia. Like maybe why her name isn't spelt Calpurnia.



'We then. We shall have to shadow him.'

Next stop Val Royeaux to pay this fine merchant a visit.

Cole has vanished since the battle at Haven and now he is back and Vivienne and Cassandra are kind of freaked out by his presence. Solas is there and explains he is a spirit who somehow has taken human form and is not possessing anybody.  Lothar goes over to talk to him as Cole does his weird empathy thing to dying soldiers in the infirmary. Cole says he was in a Circle murdering mages for some reason. Then a mage named Rhys met him and convinced to stop doing. Rhys was friends...or something...with a Templar named Evangeline. They thought Cole was a ghost and so did Cole. Then they met up with a Seeker, Lambert, who told them and Cole what he really was. At that point his friends shunned him I think. And they went to a horrible place called Adamant where the veil is thin and Cole met demons. He ran off until he met up with more Templars and just sort of hung around with them until Lothar found him. Or at least that is what I gathered from Lothar talking to Cole, he talks so weird. Well we have had one spirit or abomination as part of every group so far in Dragon Age so might as well keep the streak alive.



'Well what is the worst that could happen? The last spirit we recruited only committed a heinous act of terrorism. Surely that couldn't happen again.'

Probably should track down the people Cole mentioned, presuming they are not all dead in the Templar vs. mage war, and see if they can offer any insight.

Cullen is obsessed with making sure the humiliating defeat at Haven is not repeated.



'But just in case make sure we are aware of the backdoor in advance next time.'

Sera's revelation that Corypheus wants to sit on the throne of the gods in the Black City leads to a spiritual awakening.



'This chair means it is all true!'

I await her being a born again Andrastian nutter. Going door to door telling people 'excuse me have you heard the bad news: the chair is real.'

Vivienne feigns concern with Lothar's mental health while undoubtedly scheming her next political move. Glad to have her on our side.



'Vivienne ain't no fool.'

Keep your eyes and ears open Viv.

Blackwall is delighted by Skyhold and vows vengeance on him for the lives lost at Haven. He asks if Lothar really is the chosen of Andraste. Lothar says he does not know. Blackwall says it does not matter if he is truly or not but the people believe in him. Huh. Sort of mirrors how Lothar feels about him. He is a liar and is hiding something but does it matter? He is a great warrior who seems very committed to the cause of the Wardens and the Inquisition. Very curious.



'I wish I could believe in you Blackwall.'

Lothar sees Varric up on the battlements near where he had his discussion with Blackwall and goes to chat about his friend. Well damn me if Urien is not already here. Protagonist meeting!



Man Urien looks like his ordeals have aged him terribly. At least he is as self-aware as ever.



'To be fair that was basically an impossible task with Anders and Fenris around.'

Urien does know something that can help though. He was launching an investigation on Red Lyrium with the Grey Wardens and befriended one who might know something we might need.



'Loghain? Loghain Mac Tir? I was hoping for Lorcan but that will work fine.'

Awesome. So Loghain noticed all the weirdness with the Wardens when Corypheus showed up and had a set up in Crestwood. So Urien is going to meet Lothar there and try to find out what happened to Loghain. Urien lets Lothar know his feelings on Anders.



'So very glad he is not in this game so far. So...very...relieved.'

Urien went into hiding and had Aveline take Bethany and flee when he heard the Chantry might be launching an Exalted March on Kirkwall. He sent Isabela away to be a pirate again until he could get back to her. He hopes she will have fun but not the 'cheating on her OTP' type fun. However it was all for naught.



'What he means to say here is that the internet forums rose up and the expansion pack for DA2 never came.'

So Lothar and Urien will be getting together in Crestwood and fighting crime. Cannot wait.

Cassandra is not happy at all about this development. She is furious at Varric for lying to her about not knowing where Urien was.



'Are you really surprised?'

She rages at him for his lack of loyalty to the Inquisition and suggests if Urien had been there at the Conclave everything would have been different. Not sure what Urien would have done. Varric still has his bromance with Urien and says he was protecting him and that Urien has been through enough. Isn't that the damned truth?



'Really one can only take so many exploding Chantries so many times in one's life.'

Cassandra blames herself and it leads to a really intimate moment between she and Lothar. She voices her dreams for a reformed Chantry and a better world and expresses her self-doubts. And it just turns into a love fest where each one is saying 'I totally admire you and totally believe in you'. Lothar even takes her hands in his but it was not part of the romance. It was just a really intense and intimate profession of...um...professional admiration I guess?



'Thanks I am comforted knowing you will be at my side always...um...esteemed colleague.'

It was kind of moving. It was he kind of one-to-one chat about the characters feelings on their situation that I thought was missing from DA2. No quest or anything attached to it just a little character and relationship building.

Lothar next goes and talks to Varric as he cools down from his fight with Cassandra and tells him she has calmed down. He promises he will keep no more secrets from the Inquisition and says he feels like he and Urien are responsible for Corypheus being unleashed upon the world. Of course if  they hadn't killed Corypheus they would have been stuck in that prison forever so Varric shouldn't be so hard on himself.



'Just what I was thinking Varric'

Yeah why the Wardens made that crazy prison makes total sense. Corypheus is immortal. Hey you know what I just thought of? The Architect looks sort of like Corypheus...was he another of the Tevinter Magisters? Huh. Maybe it was not such a big deal Lorcan let him live since he would have come back anyway.

In the meantime the Inquisition has been hard at work.



Cassandra's cousin, the King of Nevarra, was under the control of the Venatori but the Inquisition took care of that. The momentum seems to be quickly swinging the direction of the good guys. Corypheus' main advantage was that nobody knew the source of the calamities but no more secrecy protects him.



Dorian helps us track the scum down.



Oh and Lothar kind of used Inquisition resources to stop a civil war in Ostwick. His cousin Lady Osher Lotharn Trevelyan-Bayart was grateful for his assistance. Might this be a slight conflict of interest? Hey he is only human.

Anyway back to business. A trip to Val Royeaux for some shopping and them...lets go meet that merchant.



'So...should we just drop in and say hi?'

[viper37]

'Just what I was thinking Varric'

Yeah why the Wardens made that crazy prison makes total sense. Corypheus is immortal. Hey you know what I just thought of? The Architect looks sort of like Corypheus...was he another of the Tevinter Magisters? Huh. Maybe it was not such a big deal Lorcan let him live since he would have come back anyway.

There's been a lot of speculations about that and I think one of the devs confirmed the Architect was a Tevinter magister too.  And I think it was in DA:O, or maybe DA2, where you find a note, written by a dwarf, saying he saw talking Darkspawn and his friends found him crazy.

Apparently, I'm out of touch with the universe.  Reading the wiki confirms he's the same as your old pal Cory.


Anyway, if you kill the Architect in DA:O Awakening, it is presumed he revived himself (it is hinted at in the epilogue) and it's not that strange that Nathaniel Howe was sent to investigate something in DA2.

'So...should we just drop in and say hi?'

sure why not?  It's not like he won't be happy to see you.  I'm sure he'll throw a party, invite a friend or two, some apostate mage, maybe some demons too

[Valmy]

There's been a lot of speculations about that and I think one of the devs confirmed the Architect was a Tevinter magister too.  And I think it was in DA:O, or maybe DA2, where you find a note, written by a dwarf, saying he saw talking Darkspawn and his friends found him crazy.

Apparently, I'm out of touch with the universe.  Reading the wiki confirms he's the same as your old pal Cory.

Well isn't that special. At least this means maybe we will run into him again.


Anyway, if you kill the Architect in DA:O Awakening, it is presumed he revived himself (it is hinted at in the epilogue) and it's not that strange that Nathaniel Howe was sent to investigate something in DA2.

Anyway, if you kill the Architect in DA:O Awakening, it is presumed he revived himself (it is hinted at in the epilogue) and it's not that strange that Nathaniel Howe was sent to investigate something in DA2.

In my version it seemed like the Architect was still allied with Grey Wardens but it was hinted he had sent Nathaniel into a trap. Quite a loose end. Is the Architect basically benign or a well meaning force for evil? I guess we will find out at some point.

sure why not?  It's not like he won't be happy to see you.  I'm sure he'll throw a party, invite a friend or two, some apostate mage, maybe some demons too

I figured. That is why Lothar brought Sera, Dorian, and Iron Bull with him. They all love to party.

[Valmy]

So Vicinius' place is totally trashed out. Obviously it has been raided...or actually is being raided. Damn my guys have great timing. The unfortunate Venatori bunch is slaughtered and we find Vicinius.



'Ok maybe our timing is not so great after all'

He was selling highly educated slaves to Calpernia who was then liberating them. She used to be a slave before she became leader of the Tevinter Glory FOREVAH cult which is weird. There are some crystal shards here that Lothar finds and they assemble together and play a voice recording on Vicinius and I presume Calpernia.



'I think we may have somebody who knows something about magical dwarf things'

Lothar returns to Skyhold and goes to Leliana to discuss the situation. She suggests the obvious and gets excited about the slave revelations Lothar discovered. He takes the crystal to Dagna and she gets to work immediately. While Lothar watches her work Leliana comes in excited to speak to him when suddenly a memory plays all 'Princess Leia's message to Obi Wan Kenobi'-like.



'Once we reveal our evil plans by this recording device make sure you place it in an easily findable place.'

Calpernia does not look particularly happy about becoming this 'Vessel'. I presume this means she is going to take on the taint Grey Warden-like and be the vessel of his next incarnation. But I could be wrong. Leliana gets all excited and Dagna tells her they can break the memory crystal in half and hide the other half with Calpernia and eavesdrop on what she is doing. Like they get to hear her snoring all night and stuff. It might work...



'Good luck with that'

Once she is done Leliana's people will infiltrate the Calpernia's camp and hide the crystal there. This is going well. Lothar heads over to the tavern to chat with some of his people and runs into Cassandra on the way. She is reading a book. A dirty dirty book because she is a dirty dirty girl.



'Hey the romance series based on Aveline!'

This series was written during DA2 and at first Aveline was annoyed Varric was writing a soft porn romance novel based on her escapades...but by Legacy she was desperate to know how it ends. So a passion for trashy romance novels links my lady tanks from both games. I am baffled since I thought all the love interests in this series were dead inside and feared emotional commitment while indulging in promiscuous sex. She also has a fierce need to see Varric finish the series...well he should get a kick out of that. She also has something serious to attend to. With the Seekers gone Seeker business is not getting done.



'They are all in the Hinterlands aren't they? This whole game is going to take place in the Hinterlands.'

At this point Lothar goes into the tavern and meets Crem and he suggests Lothar send the Chargers to scout out the ruins of Haven and see if any Venatori or Inquisition people are still hanging around and scrounge for salvage.



Alright I am getting a little overwhelmed by all the plots and sub plots and cut scenes and I know eventually it is all going to run out and there will be nothing to do at Skyhold and I have yet to even had Lothar go to the first zone. So I decide to get on with it and just get going to Crestwood.

But Lothar first needs to talk to Varric about his romance series first. But again we get a cutscene where Varric is doing merchant's guild paperwork and notes he is not used to this religious crap being a good honest businessman. Lothar tells him just to be a good friend and they bond. Varric notes that he is impressed with how much Lothar and the Inquisition inspires people and notes the singing of the hymn after Haven. Lothar asks him not to break out in song. So good old Varric, always your best bud.

He is amazed Cassandra likes his horrible romance series and had planned to stop writing it altogether noting it sold horribly. Which is funny since he was always taunting Aveline with how well it was selling.



'That's my boy'

That should be good. On the way to the war room he stops to chat with Josephine and they just sort of hang out and gossip for awhile on this amazing balcony overlooking the mountains.



'Yeah whose amazing view is this?'

Well as it turns out it is Lothar's view. His ridiculously amazing bedroom is there. Man he is bringing hot girls back to his bedroom for long conversations on his amazing balcony? It is good to be the Inquisitor. Once she leaves he picks up some Skyhold improving requisitions, have to get to work on those. On to Crestwood to meet Urien! Enough of this plot and character development, time for some adventure.  Once he gets there Scout Harding informs him that Loghain is a sly fox and they are having a hard time pinning him down. Also there is a fade rift in a lake spitting out demons. Let's rock and roll.

Oh right I also had Leliana invite the rogue trainers to Skyhold and got the requisitions to become the various rogue specialties. Of course Lothar is going to be an assassin, he is a nobleman.

[viper37]

You forgot to talk to someone in Skyhold: 
[spoiler]Tavern, 2nd floor.[/spoiler]

Also:
[spoiler]talk to the merchants too, eventually, you'll get a quest.  Or two.[/spoiler]

Of course Lothar is going to be an assassin, he is a nobleman.

Nice

[Valmy]

FIRST CRESTWOOD CAMPAIGN

So it is dark and stormy night here in Crestwood. Kind of like the Storm Coast only darker. They need to get to that rift and seal it before they can really do anything else.



'It becomes dream water then. A wet dream maybe? But I don't think they are two-way rifts. To test it I suggest we toss Sera in the next one we get to.'

Alright well first they head over to the village to see if anybody has any ideas on how to get to the rift. On the road they meet a pair of Grey Wardens fighting off some of those demon possessed corpses pouring out of the lake, they are saving a young village woman. They, not being assholes, join in. After the fight the Grey Wardens admit they are there for a rather related reason as Lothar.



'Pretty sure Loghain and Urien could handle you clowns.'

Questioning? I have a few questions for them...like if the Wardens have disappeared why are they hunting people down for questioning? Perhaps they are some kind of Corypheus secret police. The elf girl they saved, Jana, is all inspired by their saving her to become a Grey Warden. Under the circumstances Lothar doesn't recommend that course and she decides to join the Inquisition instead.



'Wahoo! Another step to my lockpicking perk! Errrr...I mean welcome to the Inquisition valued associate.'

So they venture into the village and eventually find the mayor. He informs them that during the Blight they took in a bunch of refugees who had a plague and to make things even more fun the Darkspawn somehow messed up their dam by smashing the controls. Clearly in order to keep said plague corpses from being possessed and attacking everybody in Crestwood they need to reach that dam. Unfortunately the old fortress beside the dam is controlled by vicious highwaymen who are also blocking all trade to the reason. No wonder Loghain thought nobody would ever find him in this horrible place.



'So instead you will just have your people sit here until they are all killed by demon-possessed corpses?'

So onwards to the fortress. The bandits have had the gall to shut the gates but fortunately they do not man the walls so Blackwall can use his axe to hack his way through.



'Poor murderous bandits. I almost feel for them and their sad predicament...oh wait no that was gas.'

The door comes down and the slaughter begins! Once the highwaymen have been dispatched Solas has some strategic advice.



'Good plan Solas. Damn we should make you a general.'

So the Inquisition can capture and occupy this fortress. Well that is awesome. I wonder why they couldn't do that with all the fortifications they found and captured in the Hinterlands, the Storm Coast, and the Fallow Mire? Ah well.



'The colors don't run...or reload...well almost.'

And wow they have basically everything that Skyhold has except for the war room. Leliana's people are the primary force here and Lothar gets a few bits of espionage work to help them with. But first on to the dam. It is entirely unoccupied except for two kids who came here for an illicit love affair. Oh yeah mayor this was a real suicide mission.



'Huh...it doesn't look Darkspawn smashed.'

Maybe the Darkspawn just gently pushed it around to seal the dam?  Anyway the floodgates are opened and the lake drains. Now the original Crestwood village is available and it is filled with demons and other scum. There is some nice loot there and they meet a spirit of lordship or power delusions or something and it cannot return to the fade until something bows to it and does its bidding. But all it wants Lothar to do is slay a rage demon and well we would probably do that anyway. Nearby they find a cave entrance to reach the rift. It is located in more dwarven ruins...once again very close to the surface. Huh. Why do they keep finding these, aren't they supposed to be rare? What is not rare is nugs.



'Cassandra remembers a particularly famous nug'

Lots of mosaic pieces and other nice loot down there. It is actually quite extensive but eventually...



'Time to save the day! Or the dark stormy night anyway.'

With the rift closed the world is set right again, or at least the weather is.



'I can see clearly now the rift is gone.'

I mean it is practically a whole new zone now. They go back to the mayor to report their glorious success and shockingly he was not on the up and up.



'Well he will not get far.'

His cold logic was fair I guess, kill the plague carrying refugees and deal a blow to the Darkspawn...but still. But they won Crestwood! Victory the Inquisitor has saved the day! Wait that wasn't why they were there was it? Oh right the Loghain thing. They find Urien and they enter Loghain's cave and find his secret hideout.



'Is it my imagination or does he look much more...Willem Dafoe-ish after all this time?'

Man it is uncanny. Anyway the Wardens have gone a bit batty and Willem Da...er...Loghain thinks Corypheus is responsible.



'And why would they want to do that?'

Soon after every single Warden in Orlais began to hear the Calling. It has been a few years now and they are starting to freak out.



'Mass death by suicide is always how these cults end up.'

So they know that they all cannot go into the deep roads to die at once so they need to do something or the next Blight will destroy the world. Strangely Blackwall does not have this problem.



'I think the fact it is absolutely fatal is what gives it power...but that's just me'

Man Blackwall is so sketchy when it comes to Warden stuff. Or maybe he has some special gift and that is why he is in the Inquisition and he will be the only guy who can stop Corypheus' Archdemon. Hmmm...

Anyway the Wardens go there when it comes to finding a way to stop the Blights before the Wardens go extinct.



'Of course they are'

So Loghain was upset by this but everybody ignored him until he started looking into Corypheus. Then the Grey Wardens pronounced him a traitor and he has been on the run ever since. Well it is pretty obvious Corypheus is controlling them just like he did with Janeka and Larius. This is all supposed to take place in a Tevinter tower on the western border of Orlais called, creatively, the Western Approach. More blood magic fun for Urien.



'Blood magic follows Urien around like a puppy...literally in the case of Merrill.'

Fortunately Lorcan does not seem mixed up in this mess. Huh but it would be pretty amazing if he had been the Warden instead of Loghain or if he turns out to be the big boss we have to beat or something. I mean it won't happen but it would be awesome. Still a few things to do in Crestwood though. Bioware did a pretty obnoxious EA cross-promo with Plants vs. Zombies and I had to see that for example.



'We'll set a brand trajectory
Using management's philosophy
Advance our market share vis-à-vis
Our proven methodology
With strong commitment to quality
Effectively enhancing corporate synergy'

Anyway they find one of Leliana's spies murdered and return to the captured fortress to report in. There they discover two things.



'Yes! Time to go get my lockpicking perk! Wait were you saying something?'

Yeah time to go back to Skyhold and get my long awaited perk. And oh great another Dragon and I have not even managed to kill the Hinterlands one yet. I think once I get ANOTHER perk I will get the extra potion slot and get fire resist potions and then take him down.

[viper37]

the western approach will be a tough area.  I suggest you keep campaigning in Crestwood for now, gather resources, meet people, kill people, demons and creatures.  Someone to meet above the village, easy to miss.  I think it can be recruited as agent, not sure anymore...  Anyway, bring Cassandra.

Oh, and the fortress in the Fallow mire was in very bad shape, it was mentionned in the codex.  Convenient excuse to not be able to use it.  Some door locked there, btw, which requires the perks you miss.

[Valmy]

So Lothar got back to Skyhold and had a little powow with Varric where he went over all the pertinent information regarding Corypheus from Legacy and his opinion that due to all the shit Lothar has been through he is pretty convinced some kind of divine shit is going on around here.



'Wild so have we not gone over this before? Because it kind of feels like we have.'

Then he heads out to the garden because he has the stuff to upgrade it. There is where the Chantry is and where Mother Giselle hangs out. She and Lothar go over the Chant of Light and what it says about Corypheus and the start of the Blight.



'So a mark indicating their guilt that say...opens and closes rifts to the fade?'

So maybe Lothar is doomed and cursed by the Maker. Maybe this is the origin story of the Dragon Age version of Darth Vader? Obi Solas will be reciting to Lothar's son about how Darth Lothar was a good friend before his turn to evil. Mother Giselle says they assumed the mark was their physical form as darkspawn, but they could have been mistaken. Well I cannot imagine this conversation is a coincidence. He makes the garden a proper Chantry garden for all the nobles and Chantry types to hang in. It can also grow potion components which might be useful or really lame depending on how it works. I put Elfroot and Blood Lotus there to start.

Well ok then. On the way to war room to get that perk Josephine has another issue. This time of a personal nature. Her family is deep in debt and screwed because they have been barred from trading with Orlais. Josephine has been abusing using her position to work deals in Orlais and sent the necessary paperwork to Val Royeaux so the Antivan spice can flow once more.



'That's it! Raze Val Royeaux to the ground!'

Ok well she proposes a more subtle approach and wants Lothar to meet with a certain Comte Boisvert in Val Royeaux who supposedly knows something about this. Man I cannot go anywhere in this castle without a significant plot point or conversations occurring.



'Fear my wrath locks for it will be great indeed!'

Meanwhile the plan to spy on Calpernia continues apace.



'Yes but what porn does she watch?'

Ok so I guess a little meeting with Leliana is in order. On the way Lothar finally notices that giant dragon throne they set up in the great hall.



'Excellent! Off with their heads!'

We need a guillotine set up in the hallway to really get this going. Maybe a committee responsible for rounding up traitors. So Lothar is ready for arbitrary Inquisitor justice. The first guy is the father of the Avvar punk he killed earlier, the Hand of...er...Kor? Koth? Korth it was Korth. His crime was tossing a dead goat at our walls. Bastard.



'What animal creates that bizarre blue camo? ANSWER ME PRISONER!'

It turns out what he wanted was to attack Tevinter but his son decided attacking Lothar would bring more glory. Well one of the options is exiling them to Tevinter and that was just too much fun to not choose.



'I am a bad bad man.'

See this is why royal justice doesn't work. After that Lothar stops by Vivienne and she compliments him on his amazing decorating and restoration skills. She says he needs fancy clothes to go along with those because the Inquisitor should shock and awe the world. Lothar cheekily asks her if she has similar standards for the Divine.



'And who do you think combines those qualities my dear?'

I think we know what job Vivienne is angling for and why she joined up with the Inquisition in the first place. And I think Lothar is inclined to put her in it. A mage as Divine, even a conservative like Vivienne (but probably only a conservative like Vivienne could make it work), would be a revolutionary move. Mother Giselle is probably too soft hearted for the job anyway.

Lothar reaches Leliana and she plays back what the dwarf crystal picked up. Calpernia is being groomed to be 'Champion of Tevinter' as well as 'The Vessel'. Basically the answer to Lothar. Also as an ex-slave she has strong anti-slavery views which seems weird for somebody wanting to restore the Imperium That Was^TM.



'The shrine? What shrine?'

There is a secret Shrine of Dumat that Calpernia is forbidden to enter that might be where Corypheus has his HQ or maybe has information that might alienate Calpernia from the movement. Leliana will find out where it is and maybe Lothar will even have time for it between all the other stuff he has going on.

Evil King Bhelen is on board.



Good work diplomatic corps. Varric will be delighted.

Lothar visits Solas a bit and he poofs them both back to Haven before the breach was closed and shows Lothar where he was chained up and Solas was urgently trying to help Cassandra understand his mark, with Cassandra threatening him with death as she does.



'Solas is sassing me. Are we buds now?'

Solas and Lothar walk outside and Solas discusses how panicked he was over the breach and what a transformative moment it was when he used Lothar's mark to close the rift. Then he reveals they are in the Fade (duh!) and makes Lothar wake up. Woah. How did? You know what nevermind. Solas controls the magical mystery tour. I don't know if it is just because he is being so much nicer to Lothar now and seems so open with him but I feel kind of bad about being all paranoid about him earlier. Maybe he is just a crazy fade mystic.

Iron Bull and the Chargers drink a round of booze and they introduce themselves. They are pretty motley crew. Oh and Krem is a trans-man. That seemed like a weird thing to tell Lothar, and I certainly never suspected, but I guess they wanted to make sure his trans-ness was not 'informed trans-ness' so they got credit for being progressive and stuff. So congrats and stuff Bioware. Raz will not like us affirming Krem's mental illness but what can you do? Anyway it sounds like they have strict entrance requirements.



'Well that might rule you out Squishy Bull '

Alright so upstairs to speak to that motley member of Lothar's crew.



'Could you repeat that in English please?'

So Sera wants Inquisition troops to walk around in Verchiel because some Nobles are fighting over it. Seems easy enough and I am sure it will be smooth and straightforward with Sera in charge.

[Valmy]

Cullen is going cold turkey on his Lyrium addiction.



'A Templar druggie kit. Do I even want to know what all that shit does?'

The knight there is just precious. Cullen is going to try to abstain but it could be fatal or drive him mad. Just what our army needs. Cassandra is going to remove him from command if he ever seems compromised. Well good luck with that Cullen. We are all rooting for you. Is this an Inquisition Lothar is running here or a rehab clinic?

Lothar goes back to Solas and he really opens up about all his adventures in the fade. Then he pleads Lothar for help.



'I am shocked. Amazed that Solas has friends.'

But actually it is a Spirit of Wisdom so that is not so amazing. Some mages have enslaved it in a place called 'The Exalted Plains'. Whenever they get to that place Lothar will keep his eyes peeled.

Meanwhile Cassandra is in the war room looking over some documents.



'Wait so they clear everything off that table and then set it up again every time Lothar summons the war council? There are some hardworking people in this castle.'

She may not be a Seeker anymore but she still cares for them and is worried Corypheus has imprisoned them. Or worse. She points out it may not even be a good thing that they are found, they might be against the Inquisition, but she wants to find out what happened to them.



'Anything for you dear...er...esteemed colleague'

In the meantime the little investigation into the hack writer ripping off Varric's work took a turn for the deadly.



What the hell? People are being murdered over simple copyright issues? Oh Kirkwall never change. Or actually please do change. Lothar visits Blackwall to see if he has any thoughts on the Wardens. As Lothar enters he is making a griffon rocking horse I guess for all those baby wardens. He recites a story about how a Chevalier helped him win the Free Marches Melee and then offered to take him on as a squire but Blackwall refused being young and stupid. The Chevalier told him that who you decide to follow defines you and hence his pride at being a member of the Inquisition since the wardens are not really doing anything these days without a Blight.  Well besides the whole 'blood magic to end the Blights' thing. Lothar asks him a bit about the Grey Wardens but Blackwall dodges the questions. I don't get it, he has us out finding Grey Warden artifacts so he does care about them but...well here is his answer to how the Grey Wardens take care of an Archdemon when Lothar asks him about it in regards to Corypheus' potential Archdemon:



Really? Might there be another step or two in there you might want to mention?

Varric has finished 'Swords and Shields' for Cassandra. She is a little annoyed Lothar did this but her passion for pulp overrides the social shame of it.



'Looking good there Aveline'

The modern mass market cover is hilarious. Anyway Varric is amused and Cassandra rushes off to get a bit of reading in.

Alistair wants our help with Venatori agents. We're coming your majesty!



His royal decrees must be knee slappers. The guy just cannot help cracking jokes even in diplomatic messages.

Anyway time to go open all those doors!

SECOND FALLOW MIRE CAMPAIGN

Nothing to it. They ran through the mire avoiding water and beating down the odd wraith. They got back to the castle and unlocked the door revealing a pristine treasure room. Inside is a Grey Warden Tome, to Blackwall's delight, and a piece of a mosaic.



'Wow so somebody made an upgrade for a unique crossbow and put it in this castle hundreds of miles away from Kirkwall? Amazing.'

So that finishes up the Fallow Mire. Hopefully never to return.

FOURTH HINTERLANDS CAMPAIGN

My old nemesis zone we meet again. There are Venatori here Dorian wants to kill, renegade Templars Cassandra wants to kill, and a certain group of demons Lothar wants to kill.



'So Rift we meet again'

The demons were all level 14 so they just continue to level right along with Lothar and company (actually only Lothar is 14, everybody else was still 13) so the fight was not that much easier...but this time the mark smashed them all good on the second wave enabling them to win. On the other side of forest camp is the Parthenon looking place where the rogue Templars are hanging out.



'Tears...tears are coming down on their behalf.'

Then it was just a quick visit next to the villa the mercs were hanging out in to take out the Venatori. And then finally the most vicious monster that has vexed me so far...that's right.



'You will not stop me now locks.'

So all the doors in Redcliffe and the farms are now open to Lothar. And he finished his first mosaic! Huzzah! Back to Skyhold.



Corypheus: foiled again. I guess we don't get to meet Alistair in this game just get little messages from him.



Was Varric's cop drama serial being plagiarized by a godlike power or something? At least he got an Amulet of Power.

Speaking of cop dramas...now we have a court room drama. Knight-Captain Denam is hauled out of his cell and forced to answer for his crimes.



'Cullen is quite the fiery prosecutor. Even BB would be impressed.'

Obviously death is proper penalty for treason on this scale. Lothar pulls his historical knowledge of the ways of Seekers and hands out the traditional punishment for Templar officers who abuse their power.



'Where Urien wishes Meredith could have been sent'

Exile to the Sea of Ash. Denam gasps in horror and is pulled from the Great Hall screaming. Well that felt good.

And after Lothar refocuses the officers on new missions it is back to Crestwood.

SECOND CRESTWOOD CAMPAIGN

The rest of the area is explored as much as possible. Earlier one of the people in the village wanted us to make sure Judith the 'naturalist' was ok outside the village. They find her and she is fine but there is some troublesome wildlife that needs to be culled.



'I don't have to jump around making nug sounds to attract it do I?'

So in valley in the northern part of Crestwood they find three mighty Wyverns and manage to get said skins...with a little help from Lothar's mark.



'Just glad none of them were ancient wyverns.'

Alright so they continue onwards and then...



'Yeah ok I think we are done with Crestwood for awhile'

We are doing a major dragon hunt once we get that extra potion slot. And Lothar is stockpiling fire resist accessories.

Back to Skyhold. Western Approach bound soon.

Or maybe not...



Caer Oswin? Sure we are getting pretty good at taking castles with just four peeps.



A new recruit shows promise



That mayor shall answer for his crimes...eventually.

Dorian is researching the whereabouts of his mentor Alexius' son Felix. Felix was also a really good friend of Dorian and he just vanished after Redcliffe. Dorian is sure the Venatori killed him. I have to say I hope so because the alternative would be much worse. Lothar encourages Dorian to fight on in Felix's memory.



'Gosh thanks man.'

This crop of NPCs is certainly the most likeable and nicest of any in this series so far.  Even the insane, the liars, and the ambitious social climbers. But Dorian's insistence that Lothar is a decent sort is immediately challenged. Mother Giselle has heard from his parents and it seems they are trying to get in contact with Dorian but want it all done secretly since he would refuse to meet them if he knew. Huh. Does Lothar tell Dorian or not?



'Well color me shocked something else is happening in the Hinterlands.'

This sounds like a decision for future Lothar to make.



Large amounts of Darkspawn are moving about on the Storm Coast. Any coincidence the Wardens heard the Call and went there before? Could they be assembling for Corypheus?

Iron Bull also has an important message for Lothar concerning the Storm Coast.



The Qunari want to join with the Inquisition and Lothar to defeat Corypheus and the Venatori. Well that sounds good. They have found a large amount of Red Lyrium coming out of the Storm Coast and want to join with Lothar and the Chargers to take it out. They are sending a Dreadnaught.



'I mean only an idiot would deny that offer.'

So at some point Lothar will return to the Storm Coast and take care of all of this. I have to admit when I found all those level 18-20 things I figured I would return at that point and take care of it then. Maybe I still will. Plenty to do until then. Like play a board game with Cullen.



'True. BACK TO WORK.'

But seriously Lothar works Cullen like a dog.



'The Wending Woods eh? Any angry blonde Dalish Elves close by?'

Lothar and company then depart for Val Royeaux for some shopping and to meet with that Comte Boisvert who promised to help Josephine. Lothar and Josie go to his fancy city house and he explains that an extinct noble family that were rivals to the Montilyets back in the day. Well they placed this contract with the 'House of Repose', the Orlais assassins guild, and they are required to carry it out regardless. And as it turns out this guy is not actually the Comte but one of these assassins, the real Comte is tied up in the closet.



'Just a courtesy call from the local assassins guild.'

Well what a bunch of classy professionals. Anyway the noble family was the Du Paraquettes. Josephine has a suitably complicated and bureaucractic way of handling it. Find commoner descendants of the family and elevate them to nobility, then have them cancel the contract on her life.



'It is nice to see somebody who always seeks out the civilized solution'

Leliana wants to solve this with cloak and dagger intrigues...mostly daggers really. But Lothar will let Josephine handle this like a lady. I think he has to go to Val Royeaux and help some noble lady but first there is a table mission so Josephine will get to work on that first.

In the meantime Cullen's boys marched through Verchiel like Sera requested.



'She didn't draw obscene doodles of penises all over the report so I think we can be sure she didn't see it.'

Lothar goes and tells Sera the dirty deed is done.



'Just go to Crestwood, pick up the loot, and come back eh? What could go wrong?'

THIRD CRESTWOOD CAMPAIGN

And of course it is a disaster and a trap. It was all a scheme to kill Sera.



'Did we really expect anything less?'

The noble who made the trap murders his flunky and apologizes to Lothar for the mix-up. Well he understands why somebody might want to kill Sera but none-the-less the guy did murder somebody right in front of him. So Lothar conscripts the noble to the Inquisition.

Sera is pleased...sort of.



'Even warm fuzzy moments with Sera contain veiled threats of future murder.'

On to the Western Approach. It looks a lot like the forbidden Oasis, really desert looking. No wonder Orlais ends here.

FIRST WESTERN APPROACH CAMPAIGN



'Don't mince words with me Harding! Tell me how you really feel.'

Deadly sandstorms, vicious wildlife, Venatori, a high dragon, poision hot springs, and an evil tower of blood magicing wardens I can see why this might not be a popular tourist destination right now. The Venatori were here getting red lyrium for their Templar buds but then the Templars were no longer their buds so now they are working on excavations and 'summoning' efforts and are working with a mercenary outfit called the White Claws. Well plenty of those guys roaming the desert.

But the most exciting thing is all over this place is deathroot which Lothar needs to complete his murder knife to become an assassin.

Speaking of murder the Venatori seem to be grabbing a lot of bodies from caravans passing through.



'Man no wonder the markups on imports are so high at the marketplace'

Lots of Hyenas like the Forbidden Oasis. A lot more of them though. They close two rifts closeby and find some shards. Then they find the Red Lyrium mines the Venatori were using. After clearing them out and smashing the lyrium veins it seems the Venatori have already left.



'Courage of the lion? More creative than 'Western Approach' at least.'

The bodies were being used as labor to mine the lyrium or sacrifices for whatever summoning they were trying to do I guess. And I guess there are a few Templars still working with the Venatori. They journey onwards until they find a huge locked gate.



'Well...I guess that's the end of the road for now...'

My notes tell me Toth is, or was, the Old God of Fire and he was the Archdemon during the Third Blight. Well the gate of the fire god is fitting for a desert at least. There is no obvious way to open it and Lothar has all the Deathroot he needs so back to Skyhold for now.



'Wait Lothar is going to be his own assassin? Am I reading that wrong? Maybe symbolically. Deep.'

Meanwhile Cullen is still slaving away. What a good soldier. No wonder Meredith didn't have him killed.



Progess! Probably need to stop by Val Royeaux next.

Maybe even get to that Warden fortress someday

[viper37]

Valmy, my friend, I think you forgot one or two places in Crestwood, aside the dragon.
[spoiler]
One above the new village, atop the mountain[/Spoiler]

[spoiler]
The other near where you were supposed to exit the mines, did you encounter an arcane horror?  If not, you missed a spot[/spoiler]

[Valmy]

Valmy, my friend, I think you forgot one or two places in Crestwood, aside the dragon.
[spoiler]
One above the new village, atop the mountain[/Spoiler]

[spoiler]
The other near where you were supposed to exit the mines, did you encounter an arcane horror?  If not, you missed a spot[/spoiler]

Seems like I did encounter the Arcane Horror...

I will be back and scout them out. They must be important for you to mention them twice.

[viper37]

Seems like I did encounter the Arcane Horror...
I will be back and scout them out. They must be important for you to mention them twice.

No, it's ok, it's just that near that spot, there were people to kill to become an assassin, but it's done now
I guess I'm the only one having trouble with these bastards and remembering them 'fondly'.

But you missed someone else, above the village, I don't think I've seen it in your report.

[viper37]

Also, remember that not all dragons are created equal.
And if you have enough shards, you can re-visit the oasis to get some more bonus

[Valmy]

Ah yes I didn't mention those named assassins I killed for their weapons. Yeah I got them. Those were fun fights, there was just alot going on and they must have slipped my mind.

Is the thing above the village the Priestess and the Logging stand? Because I got those. If it is even abover the village than that I guess I need to check it out.