Main Quests

Varric Main Quest Scenes

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The Threat Remains

Are You Holding Up Alright?

The PC approaches Varric.

Varric: So, now that Cassandra’s out of earshot, are you holding up all right? I mean, you go from being the most wanted criminal in Thedas to joining the armies of the faithful. Most people would have spread that out over more than one day.

Dialogue options:

Sad: Too many people died up there. [1]
- Varric slightly approves
Stoic: I’m fine. [2]
- Varric slightly disapproves
Angry: This is all bullshit. [3]
- Varric slightly approves
Pleased: I’m just glad to be alive. [4]
- Varric slightly approves
Confused: I can barely keep up. [5]
- Varric slightly approves

1 - Sad: Too many people died up there.
PC: I don’t even want to think about how many lives were lost on that mountain top.
Varric: A lot of good men and women didn’t make it out there. [6]

2 - Stoic: I’m fine.
PC: It’s not so bad. I’m taking it in my stride.
Varric: Better than most of us, then. [6]

3 - Angry: This is all bullshit.
PC: None of this shit should have happened.
Varric: You don’t know the half of it. [6]

4 - Pleased: I’m just glad to be alive.
PC: I’m just glad I’m still standing after all that.
Varric: I still can’t believe you survived Cassandra. You’re lucky that you were out cold for most of her frothing rage. [6]

5 - Confused: I can barely keep up.
PC: I have no idea what’s happening anymore.
Varric: That makes two of us. [6]

6 - Scene continues.

Varric: For days now, we’ve been staring at the Breach, watching demons and Maker-knows-what fall out of it. ‘Bad for morale’ would be an understatement. I still can’t believe anyone was in there and lived.

7 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: Why did you stay? [8]
General: I was fortunate. [9]
General: I can’t believe it, either. [10]
General: We need to close the Breach. [11]

8 - Investigate: Why did you stay?
PC: If it was that bad, why did you stay? Cassandra said you were free to go.
Varric: I like to think I’m as selfish and irresponsible as the next guy, but this… Thousands of people died on that mountain. I was almost one of them. And now there’s a hole in the sky. Even I can’t walk away and just leave that to sort itself out.
[Back to 7]

9 - General: I was fortunate.
PC: It’s pure luck that I escaped.
Varric: Good luck or bad? [12]

10 - General: I can’t believe it, either
PC: I’m still not sure I believe that any of this is really happening.
Varric: If this is all just the Maker winding us up, I hope there is a damn good punch line coming. [12]

11 - General: We need to close the Breach.
PC: The Breach needs to be sealed. The sooner the better.
Varric: If it can be sealed. [12]

12 - Scene continues.

Varric: You might want to consider running at the first opportunity. I’ve written enough tragedies to recognize where this is going. Heroes are everywhere. I’ve seen that. But the hole in the sky? That’s beyond heroes. We’re going to need a miracle.

Scene ends.

Champions of the Just/In Hushed Whispers

That’s Enough Doom and Gloom

The PC approaches Varric at a small campfire in Haven.

Varric (sided with mages): The mage rebellion joins the Inquisition. I’ve got to admit, that’s a twist I didn’t see coming. One thing you saw in the future worries me. I mean, it was all bad. But red lyrium in Ferelden? Infecting people and growing out of them? That’s bad.

Varric (sided with templars): So, the templars join the Inquisition. Even with Cullen here, I never thought that would happen. Of course, after Kirkwall, I never thought anyone would use red lyrium on purpose, either. The templars should know better than anyone what that shit does to people.

Varric: Finding more of it really punches a hole in my “red lyrium at the temple was a coincidence” theory.

1 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: How fast does it spread? [2]
General: Don’t worry. [3]
General: Let’s keep hoping. [4]
General: We need to eliminate it. [5]

2 - Investigate: How fast does it spread?
PC: How long does it take for red lyrium to grow? How fast can it spread?
Varric: It took years to infect people in Kirkwall, but no one there was actually ingesting the stuff. This “Elder One” managed to take the worst thing I can think of and make it worse. That’s an accomplishment.
[Back to 1]

3 - General: Don’t worry.
PC: The Inquisition has the numbers to track down all this lyrium and destroy it.
Varric: I hope so. I don’t want to think about what happens if it starts a plague. [6]

4 - General: Let’s keep hoping.
PC: I’d like to keep hoping it’s a coincidence, if you don’t mind. I need to be able to sleep at night.
Varric: Honestly, I think I’ll give up sleeping for the foreseeable future. [6]

5 - General: We need to eliminate it.
PC: We can’t leave a single piece of that lyrium out in the wild.
Varric: I’m with you on that. [6]

6 - Scene continues.

Varric: I’ve got people trying to find out where the red stuff came from. I think maybe we should make that a priority. But that’s enough doom and gloom. You just won a big victory for the Inquisition! What’re you going to do to celebrate?

Dialogue options:

General: Anything but celebrate. [7]
General: Plan for what’s next. [8]
General: Catch my breath. [9]
- Varric slightly approves
General: Have a party. [10]
- Varric slightly approves

7 - General: Anything but celebrate.
PC: After what just happened, I hardly feel like we won anything.
Varric: We’re just getting started. You can’t win a war in a day. [11]

8 - General: Plan for what’s next.
PC: We can’t know what’s coming. Best not to get too comfortable.
Varric: I can’t disagree with that, but maybe you should try to relax while you can. [11]

9 - General: Catch my breath.
PC: I was planning to put my feet up. Maybe grab a nap. You?
Varric: Whatever I do, it’ll be as far from Cassandra as I can get. [11]

10 - General: Have a party.
Herald: That’s a good point. We should celebrate! A banquet? Something like a banquet?
Varric: A word to Josephine, and I bet she could arrange anything. [11]

11 - Scene continues.

Varric: Things should be calm around here for at least the next hour. Take a moment to enjoy it. If there world’s about to end, I’m sure the Seeker will let us know.

Scene ends.

From the Ashes

Corypheus is Back…

The PC approaches Varric in the main hall.

Varric: Corypheus is back… Well, shit.

1 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: What is he? [2]
General: You beat him before. [3]
General: It’s not that bad! [4]
General: We need a battle plan. [5]

2 - Investigate: What is he?
PC: You said he was a darkspawn… or a magister. What is he really?
Varric: I’m not sure. I don’t think Corypheus really knows either. He’s definitely a darkspawn. But… when we found him, it was pretty obvious he hadn’t heard that. He thinks he’s a magister—a priest of Dumat, in fact. And he says he broke into the Golden City, like in the Chantry tale.
[Back to 1]

3 - General: You beat him before.
PC: If you and Hawke defeated him once, we can do it again. [6]

4 - General: It’s not that bad!
PC: Honestly, I’d rather fight an ancient darkspawn with a pet Archdemon than deal with that hole in the sky. At least you can kill darkspawn. [6]

5 - General: We need a battle plan.
PC: We’ll talk to this Warden friend of Hawke’s and draft a plan to kill this darkspawn. [6]

6 - Scene continues.

Varric: We didn’t just think Corypheus was dead. He was dead. No pulse! No breath! Full of stab wounds! There wasn’t a lot of room for doubt.

Varric: It makes me wonder… I thought the Wardens imprisoned Corypheus to use him. Maybe they did it because he can’t be killed.

7 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: How did you find the prison? [8]
General: We’ll find a way to kill him. [9]
General: I hope you’re wrong. [10]
General: Everything dies. [11]

8 - Investigate: How did you find the prison?
PC: How did you and Hawke even wind up in a Grey Warden prison for ancient darkspawn?
Varric: Corypheus sent people after Hawke.
Varric (dwarf PC): They were Carta at first, which is making me nervous. You think he’s got another clan in his pocket we don’t know about?
Varric (non-dwarf PC): He actually got control of an entire Carta clan. Made them drink darkspawn blood. Weird shit.
Varric: We tracked the Carta to an old dwarven… fort or something in the mountains. Of course, it turned out to be a trap. They needed Hawke’s blood to open the locks holding Corypheus, and they drew us into the prison to get it.
[Back to 7]

9 - General: We’ll find a way to kill him.
PC: There has to be a way to defeat Corypheus. We’ll find it, don’t worry.
Varric: I hope you’re right. [12]

10 - General: I hope you’re wrong.
PC: Let’s hope Corypheus just turns out to be really good at playing dead.
Varric: That makes two of us. [12]

11 - General: Everything dies.
PC: Nothing is unkillable.
Varric: I’m not so sure about that. Do the things in the Fade really die? [12]

12 - Scene continues.

Varric: Maker’s breath, what have I let loose?

Dialogue options:

General: This isn’t your fault. [13]
General: I think you’re confused. [14]
General: It doesn’t matter. [15]

13 - General: This isn’t your fault.
PC: You had nothing to do with this, Varric.
Varric: I was the one who led Hawke to Corypheus. If I hadn’t tracked the Carta to that ruin… [16]

14 - General: I think you’re confused.
PC: “Brutally murdered” is not really the same as “unleashed upon the world,” Varric.
Varric: In this case, it might be. [16]

15 - General: It doesn’t matter.
PC: Forget the past. It makes no difference what Corypheus is or how he got loose. We’re putting an end to him.
Varric: I wish I had your confidence. [16]

16 - Scene continues.

Varric: But you’ve got more important things to do than listen to me worry. Just let me know when you want something shot.

Scene ends.

Here Lies the Abyss: Post-Cassandra Argument

Talk to Her

The PC joins Varric in the main hall after his fight with Cassandra.

Dialogue options:

General: Are you all right? [1]
- Varric slightly approves
General: She’s calmed down. [2]
- Varric slightly approves
General: No more secrets. [3]
- Varric slightly disapproves

1 - General: Are you all right?
PC: That got a little… heated. Are you all right?
Varric: Well, that depends. How angry is Cassandra? I wasn’t trying to keep secrets. I told the Inquisition everything that seemed important at the time.

2 - General: She’s calmed down.
PC: Cassandra’s calmed down. I think you can take your hand off your crossbow.
Varric: Define “calmed down” for me in terms of who or what she’s punching right now. I wasn’t trying to keep secrets. I told the Inquisition everything that seemed important at the time.

3 - General: No more secrets.
PC: All right, is there anything else you’ve been hiding that I should know?
Varric: You want to hear about my childhood? Maybe what I had for breakfast? I told you what I knew when it became important.

Dialogue options:

General: You knew about Corypheus. [4]
- Varric slightly disapproves
General: Hawke should’ve joined sooner. [5]
- Varric slightly disapproves
General: I believe you. [6]
- Varric approves
General: Choose a side. [7]
- Varric slightly disapproves
General: Talk to Cassandra.[8]

4 - General: You knew about Corypheus.
PC: You could have told us about Corypheus sooner.
Varric: I found out he was involved at exactly the same time you did. Until he showed up at Haven, I thought he was dead. Nothing we saw at the summit made me think he’d been there.

5 - General: Hawke should’ve joined sooner.
PC: Hawke should have been part of the Inquisition from the beginning.
Varric: Really? Anybody else you want to conscript, Your Inquisitorialness? The First Talon of the Crows? Maybe the Empress of Orlais? The Inquisition’s not a secret. People join by choice.

6 - General: I believe you.
PC: I know, Varric. You never would’ve kept quiet otherwise.
Varric: I keep hoping… none of this is real. Maybe it’s all some bullshit from the Fade, and it’ll just disappear.

7 - General: Choose a side.
PC: If you truly want to help us, you have to decide whether you’re on our side or on your own.
Varric: I’m not… (Sighs.) I keep hoping… none of this is real. Maybe it’s all some bullshit from the Fade, and it’ll just disappear.

8 - General: Talk to Cassandra.
PC: I bet Cassandra regrets how things went back there. You should talk to her.
Varric: I appreciate that you’re trying to keep the peace, but things between me and the Seeker are as good as they’ll get. I keep hoping… none of this is real. Maybe it’s all some bullshit from the Fade, and it’ll just disappear.

9 - Scene continues.

Varric: I know I need to do better. I’m sorry.

Scene ends.

Here Lies the Abyss

Letters

The PC approaches Varric in the Main Hall. He’s looking into the fireplace.

Choice dependent dialogue:

Hawke left in Fade [1]
Alistair left in Fade [2]
Loghain left in Fade [3]
Stroud left in Fade [4]

1 - Hawke left in Fade

Varric: Did I ever tell you about the time Hawke was on a Merchant Guild hit list? Hawke’s uncle got into an investment scheme with a couple Merchant Caste businessmen. They took a lot of people’s coin in order to arrange the important of wandering hills from the Anderfels. A delicacy, I’m told.

Varric turns and approaches the PC.

Varric: Their weird, foreign foodstuffs arrived… alive. And one of them, true to its name, wandered off in the middle of the night.

Dialogue options:

Special (high approval): [Hug him.] [5]
- Varric slightly approves
General: If it helps, tell the story. [6]
- Varric approves
General: I’m sorry, Varric. [7]
General: [They] said goodbye to you. [8]
- Varric slightly approves

5 - Special: [Hug him.]
The PC hugs him.
Varric: Shit… [9]

6 - General: If it helps, tell the story.
PC: Keep going. I’d like to hear the rest of the story. [9]

7 - General: I’m sorry, Varric.
PC: I know Hawke was your friend. This can’t be easy for you.
Varric (in party at Adamant): I should have stopped [them]. She’d already paid enough/He’d given up enough.
Varric (not in party): It’s just… one time, just once, Hawke shouldn’t have been the one making the sacrifice. Just once… [9]

8 - General: [They] said goodbye to you.
PC: [Their] last words were: “Say goodbye to Varric for me.”
Varric (male Hawke): That son of a bitch. He would do that.
Varric (female Hawke): I wish I’d said something… It doesn’t matter. [9]

9 - Scene continues.

Varric: The Guild… traced the shipment to Hawke’s uncle, but as usual, he was so far in debt he couldn’t see daylight. So they went after Hawke instead. They sent guys from the local Carta to Hawke’s estate one night. Five big dusters, armed to the teeth.

Diplomatic Hawke: They kick in the door, and Hawke’s just standing there, fully armed, with me and the guard-captain on either side.
Humorous Hawke: They kick in the door, and Hawke yells, “You’re just in time!” and drags them over to a game of Wicked Grace.
Aggressive Hawke: They’re about to kick down the door, when Hawke just opens it and invites them all inside.

Varric: Leandra—Hawke’s mother—made them tea and, for the next two hours, tried to get them to make small talk. They wandered out of the house in a daze. No idea what had just happened. Never came back. Hawke just… had that effect on people. I always wanted to tell that one. Thanks. I guess I’ve got some letters to write.

Varric: (Hawke romanced Anders/no romance, no sibling survived): There’s a few people who should know.
Varric: (Hawke no romance, Carver alive): Carver should be told.
Varric: (Hawke no romance, Bethany alive): Bethany should know what happened.
Hawke (Hawke romanced Sebastian): I have to tell Sebastian, or he’ll throw a fit.
Hawke (Hawke romanced Isabella): Isabela should know.
Hawke (Hawke romanced Fenris): I should be the one to tell Fenris.
Hawke (Hawke romanced Merrill): I should tell Merrill the news.

Varric: Excuse me.

Scene ends.

2 - Alistair left in Fade

Varric: So, the line of King Calenhad the Great has finally ended. I didn’t know Alistair well, but he was a friend of a friend.

Varric: One of the Wardens who ended the Fifth Blight. A big hero to a lot of people. He wasn’t the first good man to fall to Corypheus. He won’t be the last. This story’s no good for heroes. [10]

3 - Loghain left in Fade

Varric: I guess the Hero of River Dane’s story finally came to an end. Loghain was the Fereldan ideal, you know? The common boy who freed his kingdom and became a teyrn.

Varric: He helped to end the Fifth Blight. The rest aside, that made him a hero. He wasn’t the first good man to fall to Corypheus. He won’t be the last. This story’s no good for heroes. [10]

4 - Stroud left in Fade

Varric: I knew Stroud, you know. Not well.

Varric (Carver saved): He saved Hawke’s little brother from the Blight.
Varric (Bethany saved): He saved Hawke’s little brother from the Blight.
Varric (sibling died in deep roads/never went to deep roads): He led the Wardens near Kirkwall.

Varric: Not many people knew who he was, but the man was a hero when it mattered. He wasn’t the first good man to fall to Corypheus. He won’t be the last. This story’s no good for heroes. [10]

10 - Scene continues.

Dialogue options:

General: At least Hawke survived. [11]
- Varric slightly approves
General: We heroes might make it. [12]
- Varric slightly approves
General: He will be the last. [13]
- Varric slightly approves

11 - General: At least Hawke survived.
PC: You must be glad that Hawke made it back in one piece.
Varric: Yeah. Closest thing I’ve ever seen to a miracle, there.

12 - General: We heroes might make it.
PC: Some of us heroes will make it. We’re just too amazing to die.
Varric: Well, if we’re both still standing at the end of all this, I’ll buy the drinks.

13 - General: He will be the last.
PC: We’re taking down Corypheus before he takes any more lives.
Varric: You know, sometimes when you say shit like that, I almost start to believe it.

14 - Scene continues.

Varric: (Sighs.) Hawke asked me to tell everyone back in Kirkwall where [they’re] going.

Varric: (Hawke romanced Anders/no romance, no sibling survived): There’s a bunch of people who probably need to know what’s going on.
Varric: (Hawke no romance, Carver alive): I’ll have to let Carver know. I’m sure he’ll take it well.
Varric: (Hawke no romance, Bethany alive): I should let Bethany know what’s going on.
Hawke (Hawke romanced Sebastian): I suppose I have to let Choir Boy know.
Hawke (Hawke romanced Isabella): Maker’s breath, Isabela’s going to be furious.
Hawke (Hawke romanced Fenris): Fenris needs to know. Maker, I’m glad I won’t be doing this in person.
Hawke (Hawke romanced Merrill): I’ll have to let Merrill know.

Varric: I’d better write some letters. Excuse me.

If talked to again Varric: Sorry, I really need to write some letters. Another time, all right?

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts

Varric: I need to have a few words with my publisher. The first one will be “you,” and the second will be “bastard.” They’ve claimed for years my crime serials don’t sell in Orlais. So why is the Council of Heralds asking me for autographs? Sorry. Distracted. Anyway, you need something?

What Pride Had Wrought

Varric: So… I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this.

Varric (PC drank): We went to an ancient ruin… where you consumed a pool of elven… elfy-ness, and then walked through a mirror. Varric (Morrigan drank): We went to an elven ruin… so a witch could consume a pool of magical goo, and then walked through a mirror.

Varric: And wound up back here. Have I mentioned that the shit that happens to you is crazy? I don’t want to think about this anymore. You want to discuss something… normal?

Post-game

Choice dependent dialogue:

Vivienne Divine [1]
Leliana Divine [2]
Cassandra Divine [3]

1 - Vivienne Divine Varric: A mage Divine. What’s next? A dwarven king of Antiva? Still, if anybody can handle running the Chantry, it’s the Iron Lady. They won’t even know what hit them. [4]

2 - Leliana Divine Varric: I feel a little nervous having the woman who commanded our spies on the Sunburst Throne. Like if anyone recites the Chant wrong, she’ll have them shivved. I’m probably overreacting. [4]

3 - Cassandra Divine Varric: Divine Cassandra. No matter how many time I say that, it still sounds ridiculous. I’d hate to be anybody in the Grand Cathedral once she takes over. [4]

4 - Scene continues.

Varric: But yeah, if you want to go out and find some trouble, I’m up for it.

Scene ends.

—

Post-game greetings

Varric: Still here. You need me for something?