Investigate

Cassandra Conversations: Investigate

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Tell me about yourself.

PC: I’d like to get to know you better.

Low/neutral approval [1]
High approval [2]

1 - Low/neutral approval

Cassandra: You would?

PC: Is that a problem?

Cassandra: Not entirely. I’m just curious as to your motivation

Dialogue options:

Flirt: I’d like us to be closer. [3]
General: Just being friendly. [4]
General: Suspicious, aren’t you? [5]
General: Just tell me. [6]

3 - Flirt: I’d like us to be closer. PC: Is there any harm in us becoming a little closer? Cassandra: Plenty. PC: (Chuckles.) Is that right? Cassandra: (Sighs.) As you wish. [11]

4 - General: Just being friendly. PC: No motivation beyond making things between us less… Cassandra: Antagonistic? PC: Exactly. Cassandra: (Sighs.) As you wish. [11]

5 - General: Suspicious, aren’t you? PC: You’re a very suspicious person, you know that? Cassandra: When it’s warranted. PC: I can see why you have so many friends. Cassandra: (Sighs.) As you wish. [11]

6 - General: Just tell me. PC: Just answer the question. [11]

2 - High approval:

Cassandra: There’s… not much to know.

Dialogue options:

Flirt: Such modesty! [7]
General: I’m not trying to pry. [8]
General: That can’t be true. [9]
General: Just tell me something. [10]

7 - Flirt: Such modesty! PC: (Laughs.) You’re being modest? Cassandra: Do you think me a braggart? PC: No. I think you’re interesting. Cassandra: (Sighs.) As you wish. [11]

8 - General: I’m not trying to pry. PC: If you don’t want to talk, I’ll— Cassandra: No, I just… oh, very well. [11]

9 - General: That can’t be true. PC: I’m sure that’s not true. Cassandra: (Sighs.) As you wish. [11]

10 - General: Just tell me something. PC: It’s not that hard, Cassandra. Just tell me something. Cassandra: (Sighs.) As you wish. [11]

11 - Scene continues.

Cassandra: My name is Cassandra Pentaghast, daughter of the royal house of Nevarra, seventy-eighth in line for the Nevarran throne. I joined the Seekers of Truth as a young woman, and was with the Order until they withdrew from the Chantry. I remained as the Divine’s Right Hand, carrying out her order to form the Inquisition–and here we are. That’s all there is to know, my [lord/lady].

12 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: You’re Nevarran royalty? [13]
Investigate: You worked for the Divine? [14]
General: That’s all for now. [15]

13 - Investigate: You’re Nevarran royalty? PC: You’re a member of Nevarra’s royal family? Cassandra: The Pentaghasts are a very large clan. Half of Cumberland could say the same. Herald: Really? Cassandra: No, but it feels that way. I have hundreds of relatives so distant, they need charts to prove we’re related at all. And they have them, oh, yes. The Pentaghasts value their precious blood like it runs with gold.

Dialogue options:

General: Is that why you left Nevarra? [16]
General: So you’re not on good terms. [17]
General: Others would be thankful. [18]

16 - General: Is that why you left Nevarra? PC: And you joined the Seekers to get away from that? Cassandra: It was a life worth getting away from.[19]

17 - General: So you’re not on good terms. PC: So not on very good terms with your family, then? Cassandra: I do not visit, if that’s what you mean.[19]

18 - General: Others would be thankful. PC: You don’t think being noble gave you opportunities others don’t have? Cassandra: An opportunity to be decadent, perhaps. To be useless to anyone but myself. [19]

19 - Scene continues.

Cassandra: The Pentaghasts are famed for dragon-hunting, but few actually pursue the craft. Most are fat and lazy. They pay lip service to the Maker and care only for idle pleasures and past glories. My brother was all that kept me in Nevarra. Once he was gone, so was I.

20 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: Tell me about Nevarra. [21]
Investigate: What happened to your brother? [22]
[Back to 12]

21 - Investigate: Tell me about Nevarra. PC: You don’t seem to like your homeland much. Cassandra: My family polluted it for me. What little I saw of my homeland was through the bars of a gilded cage. My uncle treated me like a porcelain doll to be placed on a shelf and dusted only when necessary. Thus I did not see Nevarra, the real Nevarra, until much later. By then I realized I knew it not at all.

Dialogue options:

Special: What about your parents? [23]
[Back to 20]

23 - Special: What about parents? PC: Your uncle? What about your parents? Cassandra: They had the misfortune of taking the wrong side in the second attempt to overthrow King Markus. The king executed them, but spared my brother and I since we were family, and children at the time. Thus we were raised by my uncle, a Mortalitasi who preferred the company of his corpses to the living.

Dialogue options:

Special: “Mortalitasi”? [24]
[Back to 20]

24 - Special: “Mortalitasi”? PC: Your uncle was a… Mortalitasi? Cassandra: A death mage. He still is. My countrymen do not burn the dead; they bury them in special crypts. The Mortalitasi supervise the crypts, like priests. Uncle Vestalus oversees the Grand Necropolis. Nevarrans spend more time there honouring dead relatives than they do with living ones. It is odd to be so fascinated with death and its trappings. I will never understand it. [back to 20]

22 - Investigate: What happened to your brother? Cassandra (low approval): I’d rather not. Cassandra (neutral approval): I… would prefer not to speak of Anthony. Another time, perhaps.

Cassandra (high approval): Anthony was older than I, a dragon hunter who showed what a Pentaghast could truly be. I idolized him. I wanted to hunt dragons as he did, even though our uncle forbade it. Anthony promised to train me in secret. We would hunt together one day, brother and sister vanquishing the beasts of old. And then he died on me.

Dialogue options:

General: I shouldn’t have asked. [25]
General: That’s awful. [26]
General: How did he die? [27]

25 - General: I shouldn’t have asked. PC: I’m sorry–I shouldn’t have pried… Cassandra: No. It’s fine. [28]

26 - General: That’s awful. PC: That sounds really awful. Cassandra: It was the end of everything I knew. [28]

27 - General: How did he die? PC: Cassandra: A group of apostates wanted dragon blood, and wanted Anthony to get it for them. He refused, and they killed him for it. In front of me. I begged the Chantry to let me become a templar. Instead, they sent me to the Seekers. It took many years to let go of my drive for vengeance. [28]

28 - Scene continues.

Dialogue options:

General: I understand. [29]
General: You blamed all mages? [30]
General: You didn’t let it go. [31]

29 - General: I understand. PC: I think I understand how you felt. Cassandra: At times I could not breathe; the rage nearly choked me. [32]

30 - General: You blamed all mages? PC: So you blamed all mages for the actions of a few apostates? Cassandra: I was young. Magic was frightening. It all seemed pointless. [32]

31 - General: You didn’t let it go. PC: I’m not so sure you let it go. Cassandra: Not entirely, but now I know the hearts of men are to blame, not magic. [32]

32 - Scene continues.

Cassandra: I sometimes wonder how different my life would be if Anthony was still alive. Would I be a dragon hunter? Married to some noble fool, a mother of three? I cannot say. I take solace in believing the Maker has a plan, but… He is not always kind. [back to 20]

14 - Investigate: You worked for the Divine? PC: So you were the Right Hand to the Divine? Cassandra: To Divine Justinia, yes. And Divine Beatrix before her, in fact. The position is normally reserved for templars of the Knights-Divine, but my circumstances were… unusual. PC: Unusual how? Cassandra: You don’t know the story? Thank the Maker. I will tell you if you wish, but it isn’t as exciting as some drum it up to be. The short version is that I once saved the previous Divine’s life. My reward was becoming her Right Hand.

33 - Dialogue options:

Special: What is a right hand? [34]
Investigate: How did you become Right Hand? [35]
[Back to 12]

34 - Special: What is a right hand? PC: But what does a Right Hand do, exactly? Cassandra: What is your hand capable of? It gives, it takes, it beckons… it makes a fist. Leliana and I extended the Divine’s reach beyond the Grand Cathedral. We went where she could not. After Beatrix, I was tired of the position and wanted to return to the Seekers. But Justinia convinced me to stay. Her vision for the future gave me hope.

Dialogue options:

36 - Special: You believed in her.
[Back to 33]

36 - Special: You believed in her. PC: You thought she could really change things. Cassandra: Justinia knew the war was coming long before it began. She tried to avert it, but the forces arrayed against her were too strong. Sometimes you have to break a bone so it can be reset. That’s where the Inquisition comes in. It was to be the answer: a means to preserve as well as an agent for change. I only wish she had lived to see it.

35 - Investigate: How did you become Right Hand? PC: So, what’s the story about you becoming the Right Hand? Cassandra: Sweet Andraste, do you really want to hear that? It was, what–eighteen, twenty years ago? Some still discuss it like it happened yesterday. The tale gets bigger each time it’s told. I barely recognize myself within it now.

Dialogue options:

General: You’re being modest. [37] General: That’s how stories work. [38] General: So what happened? [39]

37 - General: You’re being modest. PC: I’m sure you’re just being modest. Cassandra: (Snorts.) I was there. I think I know what happened. [40]

38 - General: That’s how stories work. PC: That’s what happens with stories that become legends Cassandra: I am not a legend, nor was I then. I was a young woman, barely out of training. [40]

39 - General: So what happened? PC: You’re stalling. [40]

40 - Scene continues.

Cassandra: To hear others tell it, I alone saved Divine Beatrix from a horde of dragons sent to assault the Grand Cathedral. Rather impressive for such a young Seeker, wouldn’t you say?

PC: And the truth is… ?

Cassandra: I stumbled upon a conspiracy to kill Beatrix. A templar knight-commander was at its heart. And there was a dragon battle at the Grand Cathedral, but I had help from loyal mages who rallied to the cause. They freed the dragons from magical control. Without them, the Divine and I would both have died. Yet I became the Right Hand, and they are forgotten.

41 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: What became of the mages? [42]
Flirt: You’re delightful. [43]
General: You’re still a hero. [44]
General: Impressive! [45]
General: Typical of the Chantry. [46]

42 - Investigate: What became of the mages? PC: What happened to the mages that helped you? Cassandra: They went back to their Circles, with rewards and privileges and Most Holy’s gratitude. Many of them died at the Conclave. [back to 41]

43 - Flirt: You’re delightful. PC: (Chuckles.) You’re delightful, you know that? Cassandra: No, I do not know that. PC: Mm-hmm. Cassandra: I object. There is nothing “delightful” about me. PC: I beg to differ. Cassandra (if in Haven): (Sighs.) I think I preferred you in the stocks. Cassandra (if in Skyhold): (Sighs.) Who could have guessed the Inquisitor would be so odd? [back to 12]

44 - General: You’re still a hero. PC: I think you’re a hero, no matter how you downplay it. Cassandra: Fine, but it was twenty years ago. I will not rest upon my laurels. [back to 12]

45 - General: Impressive! PC: An impressive tale! I can see why people enjoy telling it. Cassandra: (Sighs.) Just wait ’til they start telling stories about you. [back to 12]

46 - General: Typical of the Chantry. PC: That’s rather typical of the Chantry, isn’t it? Cassandra: Even worse, few know of the knight-commander’s involvement at all. That sort of willful blindness needs to change. [back to 12]

15 - General: That’s all for now. PC: I’ll let you get back to work.

If the PC speaks to her again:

PC: I have some more questions.

Cassandra (low/neutral approval): Why am I not surprised? Cassandra (high approval): As you wish.

Tell Me About the Seekers

PC: Can you tell me more about the Seekers?

Cassandra: The Seekers of Truth were born from the original Inquisition long ago, when it united with the Chantry. Seekers stood above the templars—watching over them, but also investigating magical events they couldn’t handle. We were meant to be incorruptible, above reproach. How seldom does reality match the ideal.

Cassandra: I’ll tell you want I can.

1 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: Why did the Seekers rebel? [2]
Investigate: But what are Seekers? [3]
Investigate: What abilities do you have? [4]
Investigate: How do you become a Seeker? [5]
General: Enough talk for now. [6]

2 - Investigate: Why did the Seekers rebel? PC: Why did your Order turn against the Chantry? Cassandra: We originally united with the Chantry through a treaty that stated they would keep mages under control. It was felt Most Holy had tacitly allowed the Circle of Magi to vote on its independence, thus breaking the treaty. The Seekers saw themselves as justified, and they led the templars into a war of righteousness.

Dialogue options:

Special: You disagree? [7]
[Back to 1]

7 - Special: You disagree? PC: You sound like you disagree. Cassandra: We knew what was happening at Kirkwall, where the mage rebellion began. We looked into reports of Knight-Commander Meredith’s harsh treatment of her charges years earlier. But we found so many shocking cases of magical corruption, it was decided her actions were justified. If we’d been there when it happened, if we’d looked harder at the root causes…

Dialogue options:

General: It was inevitable. [8]
General: I agree with you. [9] +Cassandra slightly approves
General: Mages should be free. [10] -Cassandra disapproves
General: You care deeply about it. [11]

8 - General: It was inevitable. PC: What happened couldn’t be avoided. It started long ago. Cassandra: We weren’t helpless. We had the power to act, and chose not to. [12] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 9 - General: I agree with you. PC: You’re right. Something should have been done. [12] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 10 - General: Mages should be free. PC: Mages were oppressed. What else did you expect? Cassandra: I expected us to do better. [12] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 11 - General: You care deeply about it. PC: You seem to care a great deal about it. Cassandra: Too much, if you asked the rest of my Order. [12] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 12 - Scene continues. ㅤㅤ ㅤ Cassandra: When faced with a problem, the Seekers would close ranks and crush it. We would find an answer, but only once we felt we weren’t being coerced. The moment the mages voted for independence, our response was predictable. It was… difficult to watch. [Back to 1]

3 - Investigate: But what are Seekers? PC: But what are Seekers, exactly? Cassandra: Those who know anything of us think we are templars. We do not use lyrium, however. Our abilities are different, as was our original purpose. We disciplined the templars and were accountable only to the Divine—and not even her, truthfully.

Dialogue options:

General: They did a bad job. [13] -Cassandra slightly disapproves
General: Then who watched you? [14]
General: So you led the templars? [15]

13 - General: They did a bad job. PC: Sounds like the Seekers didn’t do their job very well. Cassandra: No, probably not. [16]

14 - General: Then who watched you? PC: So nobody ever watched over the Seekers? Cassandra: It was the Divine’s duty, but she could only do so much when the truth was hidden from her. [16]

15 - General: So you led the templars? PC; So the Seekers… commanded the templars? Cassandra: No, the Order didn’t assume command until after the rebellion. [16]

16 - Scene continues.

Cassandra: The templars have always feared us. When a Seeker arrived at a Circle, they knew trouble was afoot. That kind of power is troubling. You begin to think you are the only one who can solve the world’s problems. If you don’t see a problem, it doesn’t exist. If someone insists it does, they are the blind ones.

Dialogue options:

Special: Could that be fixed? [17]
[Back to 1]

17 - Special: Could that be fixed? PC: Do you think that kind of problem could ever be fixed? Cassandra: Possibly, though the Seekers themselves would need to change. They were clearly not willing to, even though they abandoned everything they stood for to avoid it. In my heart, I believe they can still be salvaged. But not by their own hands. [back to 1]

4 - Investigate: What abilities do you have? PC: You mentioned that Seekers have different abilities than templars. Cassandra: Entirely. A templar’s abilities come from lyrium and are designed to hunt mages. Ours come from ritual and many years of dedicated training. We cannot be possessed by demons and are immune to mind control. Useful, considering our role. Seekers can gain other gifts, though that depends on the individual.

Dialogue options:

Special: What are your gifts? [18]
[Back to 1]

18 - Special: What are your gifts? PC: What kind of “gifts” do you have? Cassandra: I can set the lyrium within a person’s blood aflame. Both mages and templars bend before my will. Some Seekers use it to interrogate, others simply to paralyze. Once there was a Seeker who could use it to kill. That particular gift is considered rare. [back to 1]

5 - Investigate: How do you become a Seeker? PC: How does someone become a Seeker? Cassandra: Most Seekers begin training in their youth. I was much older, an exception due to my noble birth. We train rigorously for years. Our bodies and minds must be elastic to undergo the vigil, and most fail even then.

Dialogue options:

Special: What is the vigil? [19]
[Back to 1]

19 - Special: What is the vigil? PC: Is the vigil some kind of initiation? Cassandra: It is the rite every Seeker must go through in order to summon their gifts. A full year of fasting, prayer, and separation from all distractions—including other people. We empty ourselves of all emotion, focusing only on the purity of our devotion. And the moment it finally ends… it’s wonderful. Faith realized. I cannot put it into words.

Dialogue options:

General: It does sound wonderful. [20] +Cassandra approves
General: Was it magic? [21]
General: You were delirious. [22] -Cassandra disapproves

20 - General: It does sound wonderful. PC: I wish I could experience that. [23]

21 - General: Was it magic? PC: Was it some kind of magic? Cassandra: I don’t fully understand it, to be honest. [23]

22 - General: You were delirious. PC: Your mind was probably playing tricks on you by then. Cassandra: Yet the gifts are real. I know no more than that. [23]

23 - Scene continues.

Cassandra: If the vigil was not so arduous, I’d say more should attempt it. What if mages never needed to fear possession by demons? I’m told it is impossible, however. I suppose I’ll never know the truth of it now. [Back to 1]

6 - General: Enough talk for now. PC: I’ve no more questions.

Let’s Talk About the Chantry

PC: May I ask you about the Chantry?

Cassandra (asked the first time): It is difficult to say what becomes of the Chantry now. They have no templars, no leadership, and no one left who is worthy of succeeding the Divine. It has fallen apart when everyone needs it the most. I ache to think what this will mean in the days to come.

Cassandra (if asked before): I have no better answers on the topic than anyone might, but I’ll tell you what I can.

1 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: Will there be a new Divine? [2]
Investigate: Should the Chantry be saved? [3]
Investigate: Who is Chancellor Roderick? [4]
Investigate: Why did you leave the Chantry? [5]
General: That’s all for now. [6]

2 - Investigate: Will there be a new Divine? PC: Will the Chantry replace Divine Justinia? Cassandra: They will try. Once the priests withdraw for the Grand Consensus, it is against Chantry law for them to emerge without naming a new Divine. Sometimes it takes days. Or weeks, or even months. The problem now is that no clear successor to Justinia exists. All worthy clerics died with her at the Conclave.

Dialogue options:

Special: What if they don’t agree? [7]
[Back to 1]

7 - Special: What if they don’t agree? PC: So what happens if they can’t agree on someone? Cassandra: Theoretically, they will argue until exhaustion takes them or they see reason. Practically, however, if the Grand Consensus goes on too long, the Chantry will crumble. Any cleric with ambition but little sense will see this as her one chance, and plenty of such clerics exist. We shall see what happens. The Inquisition must act in the meantime.

Dialogue options:

Special: Would you serve a new Divine? [8] [Back to 1]

8 - Special: Would you serve a new Divine? PC: If they do choose a new Divine, will you serve her? Cassandra: That depends on whether she would have me. I am a rebel now, remember? And even if she would, I… do not know. It would depend on what type of Divine she is. I am no longer in a position to follow blindly, and no new Divine could expect such obedience now. [back to 1]

3 - Investigate: Should the Chantry be saved? PC: Do you really believe the Chantry is worth preserving?

Cassandra (non-human PC): I do, though I understand how someone born outside of human society might think otherwise. Cassandra (non-Andrastian PC): I do. But given your beliefs, I’d hardly be surprised if you disagreed. Cassandra (faithful/unsure PC): If you ask my opinion, it is. Absolutely.

Cassandra: Cast the Chantry aside, and new problems replace old ones. We will have learned nothing from history. The people need stability, and the Chantry needs a new purpose. Andraste had a dream for us. It can still be achieved.

Dialogue options:

Special: What new purpose? [9]
[Back to 1]

9 - Special: What new purpose? PC: So what should that new purpose be? Cassandra: A dedication to what is truly important. Instead of building cathedrals and sewing gowns for the Divine, the Chantry used to spend its coin feeding the poor. If we are to spread the Maker’s word across the world, we must do so with open hearts and open hands.

Dialogue options:

Special: You sound like an idealist. [10]
[Back to 1]

10 - Special: You sound like an idealist. PC: That sounds rather idealistic of you. Cassandra: Does it? I do not think it so unachievable. The Chantry has many good, honest people. They just need direction and inspiration. They need to be freed from centuries of adherence to tradition and ceremony. A chance for renewal is at our fingertips. It does not have to come with utter chaos. [back to 1]

4 - Investigate: Who is Chancellor Roderick? PC: What influence does Chancellor Roderick really wield? Cassandra: He is a bureaucrat responsible for communicating the Divine’s will to the rest of the Chantry. Therefore, he is accustomed to the clerics hanging on his every word, hoping his influence will benefit them. Despite that, Roderick is not a bad man. He is frightened, and believes his place is to fill the gap left by Most Holy’s death. Some might agree. As far down the chain of command as he is, there is no one left above him.

Dialogue options:

Special: Will he be a problem? [11]
[Back to 1]

11 - Special: Will he be a problem? PC: How big a problem could he be? Cassandra: No more than he is already. He sent his message to the College of Clerics. That is the only card he had to play. Dealing with him further only lends him credibility he doesn’t deserve. [back to 1]

5 - Investigate: Why did you leave the Chantry? PC: I’m surprised you rebelled against the Chantry. Cassandra: I left my own Order when they took the wrong path. It is no different. But in neither case did I stop caring. Indeed, I care so much that I feel drastic action is necessary. I suppose history shall one day judge my actions. [back to 1]

6 - General: That’s all for now. PC: Thank you.

Do You Want to be Divine?

Available after both WEWH and HLTA

PC: So you’re a Candidate for the Divine now…

Cassandra: So I’m informed.

PC: Is that something you actually want?

Cassandra: Why should what I want matter?

Dialogue options:

General: Isn’t happiness important? [1]
General: You’re not ambitious? [2]
General: Maybe you’re right. [3]

1 - General: Isn’t happiness important? PC: Why shouldn’t it matter? Don’t you have the right to be happy? [4]

2 - General: You’re not ambitious? PC: The idea of power doesn’t appeal to you? Cassandra: Ah, yes. To be embroiled in politics and have every cleric jealous of me for the rest of my life. [4]

3 - General: Maybe you’re right. PC: Maybe it shouldn’t. [4]

4 - Scene continues.

Cassandra: It is very simple: the Chantry needs to survive. To do that, it must change. I have never believed in asking another to do what you are unwilling to do yourself. So I look upon this as an opportunity. I owe it to myself and all of Thedas to seek the Sunburst Throne.

Dialogue options:

General: You’d make a good Divine. [5] +Cassandra approves Divine: Cassandra +5
General: Perhaps there’s another way. [6] -Cassandra slightly disapproves Divine: Cassandra -1
General: Forget the Chantry. [7] -Cassandra disapproves Divine: Cassandra -5

5 - General: You’d make a good Divine. PC: I think you’d make an excellent choice. Cassandra: Thank you. Let’s hope the Chantry clerics agree.

6 - General: Perhaps there’s another way. PC: There are other ways you can change things. Cassandra: Perhaps. I may not have a choice in the matter.

7 - General: Forget the Chantry. PC: I don’t see why you think the Chantry is so worthy of reform. Cassandra: I am not so quick to abandon it or the principles for which it stands.

8 - Scene ends.