Deleted Dialogue

Banter

Harding: So what’re you doing out here?
Neve: So, what brings you to these woods?

Bellara: I’m looking for something. Specifically, the artifact making this bubble. Though it just started doing that.

Rook: Why that one?

Bellara: Because it has a weird resonance. One I haven’t seen before. And so it doesn’t tear reality apart. ‘Cause that would be bad.

—

Harding: More demons. Great.
Neve: Oh, good. More demons.

Rook: Yeah, but no Venatori. That’s something, at least.

—

Rook: Two.

Harding: What’s that?
Neve: “Two” what?

Rook: Just counting the number of times I’ve been sucked into the Fade today.

Bellara: We’re not in the Fade. We’re beside it. Technically.

Rook: Got it. So one-and-a-half, then.

—

Rook: What is all this?

Bellara: It focuses magic. Big rings to the little rings, and little rings to the building. Less magic used. But same amount of power.

Rook: And the things you could do with that kind of power…
Rook: First time I’ve seen something like this.
Rook: You know, I almost understood that.

—

Rook: So whose temple was this?

Bellara: Oh! Did I say temple? Less a temple, more a workshop. Kind of.

Rook: What kind of workshop?

Bellara: Not sure. But we’ll see when we go inside! Isn’t it exciting?

Harding: That’s one way to look at it.
Neve: Not the word I’d have chosen.

—

Rook: How does this work?

Bellara: There should be… something. Some way to make a bridge. Keep an eye out for artifacts.

—

Bellara: Okay! Give me a minute. Gotta deactivate this. Keep the demons off me! Should be okay.

Harding: I definitely like her optimism.
Neve: She’s certainly optimistic.

—

Bellara: Shit. That’s not good.

Rook: What’s wrong?

Bellara: Oh, this artifact. It’s not working. Broken.

Harding: So, what now?
Neve: All right. So what now?

Bellara: We look for the next artifact. There’s always a next one.

—

Rook: Another one of those things.

Harding: Same dance as before?
Neve: Same deal as last time?

Bellara: Yep! Almost certainly more demons.

Rook: Who doesn’t love a routine?

—

Bellara: Damn. Broken.

Rook: On to the next one?

Bellara: Yep! Let’s hope enough of them are still working.

—

Rook: And another one.

Harding: I’d like to be done with demons.
Neve: Fingers crossed. We’ve had enough demons for one day.

Bellara: Believe me, I hear you.

—

Harding: We’re pretty high up, aren’t we?
Neve: We’re some ways off the ground, aren’t we?

Bellara: Hard to tell. In a reality distortion, I mean. Up and down don’t mean as much.

Rook: So if one of us falls off…

Bellara: You might fall forever! Or immediately hit the ground at full speed.

Harding: Oh. Good.
Neve: Now there’s a fun coin toss.

—

Bellara: One time, I fought an ogre in a reality distortion. It charged me. Missed. Then fell right off a cliff.

Harding: Oof. Did it…?
Neve: Lucky break for you.

Bellara: It stopped falling. Then it exploded. Pretty violently. Lots—and I mean lots—of little pieces. All over the place.

Harding: Mmm. Wonderful.
Neve: Well, that’s… dramatic.

—

Bellara: Good idea. Otherwise it’ll spoil.

Rook: Sorry, what was that?

Bellara: Right. Other people. I’m used to talking to myself. Not a lot of company.

Harding: What did you think was a good idea?
Neve: Fair enough. So what was the good idea?

Bellara: Oh! Supper. I decided I was going to have the smoked fish tonight.

—

Bellara: Almost there. Should be the last one.

Harding: Oh, thank goodness. I’m not designed for climbing. At least, not this kind.
Neve: Good. More than enough climbing for one day.

—

Rook: Another eluvian.

Bellara: This one’s broken, though. Completely. Looks like it was smashed on purpose.

Harding: Why would anyone do that?
Neve: So the question is why.

Bellara: Keep people from coming in? Or from getting out.

—

Neve: That armor. What was it for?
Harding: What was that armor for?

Bellara: Not sure. But it was infused with spirit magic of some kind. Still a little bit left. Reminds me of the Sentinels. At least a little bit.

—

Bellara: And… there we go! Oh! And it worked. Good.

Neve: So there was a chance it wouldn’t. Bellara: Oh, always. No one really knows how all of this works. We’re just guessing.
Harding: Wait, you weren’t sure? Bellara: With this stuff? Never. At least, not completely sure.

—

Bellara: There we go. It’s fixed! Hmm… Not doing anything, though. Guess we need an energy source.

Rook: And where do we find that?

Bellara: Thought I saw one? Nearby, I mean. Let’s go looking.

—

Bellara: Okay. This one’s missing an energy source, too.

Rook: So let’s go find one. Should be nearby, right?

Harding: I’ve been keeping an eye out, but I haven’t seen one. Bellara: Well, it has to be somewhere. I hope. Let’s go looking for it.
Neve: Can’t be the worst odds, given the number we’ve seen to this point. Bellara: I hope so! We’ll go looking. I bet we find it right away.

—

Bellara: And there we go! Easy. Okay. On to the next one!

—

Bellara: Done. Took a while, but we did it! Let’s keep going!

—

Bellara: I don’t know. Things have been bad here for a while, but… something’s changed. The magic’s stronger.

Harding: How?
Neve: You don’t say. Any theories about why?

Bellara: One of the Evanuris, maybe? They’d be powerful enough to cause those ripples. But they’re supposed to be locked up. I mean, you hear talk of Fen’Harel, but still.

Rook: Right. Locked up. Definitely.

—

Rook: So… this is awkward, but we might know why the magic’s stronger.

Harding: Uh, short version: We ruined Fen’Harel’s ritual, and now the Evanuris are out.
Neve: The Evanuris have escaped. Or so we’re told.

Bellara: Oh! Okay. That makes sense.

Rook: You aren’t surprised? Even a little bit?

Bellara: Things have been weird for a while. I figured something was changing. Now I know what. Or, I guess, “who.”

—

Bellara: Hard to say! Everything the ancient elves built was fancy.

—

Bellara: Hmm. We’ll need to find a way to the center.

—

Bellara: Damn! Sentinels! We’ll have to fight our way through them.

Harding: Good thing I brought spare arrows, huh?
Neve: Oh, sure! Ready if you are.

—

Harding: That looks like a Grey Warden ballista.
Neve: Is that a Grey Warden ballista?

—

Grey Warden Rook: It is. Reasonably new one, too.
Non-Grey Warden Rook: I think it is.

Bellara: Sometimes things just… show up in these Veil bubbles.

—

Bellara: First barrier down! Two more to go.

—

Bellara: Try using that ballista against the demons!

—

Rook: Is this wobbling? I feel like it’s wobbling.

Bellara: Ooh! I’m getting that tingly feeling in my legs.

Rook: This seems a little unsafe!

Bellara: Definitely, definitely, do not look down!

—

Bellara: More sentinels! Let’s take care of them quickly.

—

Harding: So is it normal for ruins to float in Arlathan?
Neve: Huh. So the ruins here float.

Bellara: Oh, no. This is new.

Harding: So you’re saying they could stop floating?
Neve: Ah. And if they stop floating?

Bellara: Umm. Well…

Rook: Oh, good.

—

Bellara: Okay! That’s the second one. One more to go.

—

Bellara: That’s the last one. Should be clear to the artifact.

—

Harding: Oh, look at that stained glass. It’s beautiful!
Neve: The stained glass—now that’s pretty.

Bellara: It is! But it’s not glass.

Rook: How can you tell?

Bellara: Doesn’t break when you hit it. Trust me.

—

Rook: So how exactly do we shut down that artifact?

Bellara: Gotta make it to the center first. Which means disabling the rings.

Harding: How do we do that?
Neve: Right. And how do we do that?

Bellara: The resonance amplifiers keep the rings spinning. Shut those down, and the rings should shut down, too.

—

Bellara: Oh! No, we can make a bridge. See that artifact? Bring that crystal over here and slot it in!

—

Bellara: There. Exactly what we needed. Once I change the polarity, the rings should stop moving.

Harding: But…?
Neve: Right. And the part we won’t like?

Bellara: It’s going to attract demons. A lot of them. So. Be ready for that!

—

Rook: Oh, good—giant wolf statues. Like we haven’t seen enough wolves today.

Bellara: What’s wrong with wolves?

Rook: Wolves, generally? No problem. Just not really a fan of this specific wolf.

—

Bellara: Hmm. Door needs a second energy source to open. Look around. It has to be here somewhere.

—

Bellara: Okay. This bridge is going to be a little trickier. We’ll need to move some crystals around. Get two on the bridge. Gotta be a way to make it work…

“New” Banter

Bellara: Not the first time, either. I mean. He was Solas. Before he was Fen’Harel.

—

Harding/Neve: According to Solas.

Bellara: Right. Who, again, is Fen’harel.

—

Bellara: Wait. Can you feel that? Right where that artifact is.

—

Grey Warden Rook: Rook: Feels a little bit like blight. But… different. Almost like it’s… wobbling. Bellara: Right! Exactly! I’m seeing that on the magic side, too.

Mage Rook: Rook: Something’s in the artifact’s magical resonance. It’s… wobbly. A little more each time. Bellara: Exactly! It’s wobbling more and more strongly.

Rook: It feels… warm, almost. Bellara: Yes! That’s the resonance wobbling. And each time it wobbles, it gets stronger.

Bellara: Now if only I knew what it meant…

Harding: The way things have gone lately? Probably nothing good.
Neve: I’d guess nothing good. If this week is anything to go on.

—

Bellara: “Just go find the Nadas Dirthalen, Bellara.” “It’ll be easy, Bellara.”

Neve: Everything all right?

—

Bellara: Are those… darkspawn? Here?

Grey Warden Rook: Rook: Darkspawn’ll show up pretty much anywhere. Bellara: Not here. Not until today.

Veil Jumper Rook Rook: I’ve never seen them this far into the forest before. Bellara: Me, either.

Rook: They do seem to show up anywhere. Bellara: Never here, though. Not before today.

Harding: Still have to deal with them!
Neve: Well, they’re here. And they’re our problem now!

—

Bellara: Demons. A lot more of them have shown up lately. And… that’s the way we need to go.

—

Harding: Right beside you, Rook.
Neve: Sounds good to me.

—

Bellara: That’s blight, isn’t it?

Harding: It’s not usually this… goopy.
Neve: I’m no expert, but the consistency… it just looks wrong.

Veil Jumper Rook Rook: Looks like it’s matching where the artifacts converge. That’s usually where the magic’s strongest, right? Bellara: Right! Exactly!

Mage Rook Rook: Focal points. It’s clustering wherever the magic is strongest. Bellara: Right! Exactly!

Rook: It’s forming… patterns, almost? Bellara: Right! Anyplace the magic is strongest.

—

Rook: Maybe that explains some of what we’re seeing.

Bellara: Wait. Did he say that before you sent him into the Fade?

Rook: Something like that.

—

Bellara: Even more darkspawn.

Rook: Then let’s take care of them.

—

Bellara: These kinds of ruins always are.

—

Mage Rook: Rook: There’s a whole lot of magic energy in the center. Bellara: Right. We need to be careful.

Rook: Those rings. Are they dangerous? Bellara: Almost certainly. So let’s be careful.

—

Bellara: Okay. I need to deactivate this. And a few more after. Each one is tied to a central ring. We’ll need to shut them all off to get to the artifact.

—

Bellara: Damn. It’s a sentinel construct. Something set it off.

—

Bellara: There must be a power crystal somewhere in here. Let’s look around.

—

Bellara: All right. I’m going to shut this one down, too. Be ready for a fight.

—

Bellara: Oh, wow. Is that a ballista?

Grey Warden Rook: Rook: A Grey Warden one, too. I’ve trained on that exact type before. I wonder how it got here.

Non-Grey Warden Rook: Bellara: And those look like… Grey Warden insignias. Rook: I’ve used one or two of these before. If it is Warden equipment, though, I wonder how it got here?

—

Rook: However that ballista ended up out here, it sure was useful.

Bellara: Sometimes it feels like Arlathan’s trying to be useful. Sometimes the magic just kind of… works. Then other times, it tries to tear reality in half.

—

Rook: We’ll have to take it out!

Bellara: Right!

—

Bellara: Or connected to it. Somehow.

—

Harding: Of course there are.
Neve: Right. There’s never just one problem.

Veil Jumper Rook: Rook: It’s why I became a Veil Jumper. Something incredible every day.

Non-Veil Jumper Rook: Bellara: And something dangerous every day. We need to be careful.

In Entropy’s Grasp: Final Cut

Neve: Is it just me, or have we seen that exact same tree before? And several times over. Starting to think we should have brought the scout.

Rook: Well, hindsight.

Neve: Did you hear that?

—

Neve: Behind you! Watch it!

—

Harding: It’s the same tree. The exact same tree. For the last three hours.

Rook: All trees kind of look the same. Yeah, it’s definitely the same tree.

Harding: I’m a scout. I have never been this lost. It’s embarrassing.

Rook: No, something’s off here.

Harding: What was that?

—

Harding: Look out! Behind you!

—

Dialogue options:

Bellara, right?
Same way as you.
We’re looking for you.

Bellara, right? Rook: Bellara? Bellara Lutare?

Same way as you. Rook: We walked. For quite a few hours, in fact. Then we started going in circles, and now we’re here.

We’re looking for you. Rook: Irelin and Strife sent us to find you. Assuming you’re Bellara Lutare.

—

Bellara: Okay. And what are you doing here?

Rook: Looking for you, I think. You’re Bellara Lutare? Irelin and Strife sent us. Call me Rook.

—

Bellara: And you would be who, exactly?

Rook: Call me Rook.

—

Bellara: Wait… Didn’t you leave the Veil Jumpers to go join Varric? Rook, right?

Rook: I’m surprised you remember the nickname Varric gave me. And you’re Bellara Lutare. It’s been a while.

Bellara: So what are you doing out here?

Rook: Looking for you. Irelin and Strife sent us.

—

Bellara: Wait. I know you, don’t I? You left to join Varric Tethras. Rook, right?

Rook: That’s what Varric calls me, yeah. I’m surprised you remember.

Bellara: So what’re you doing here?

Rook: Irelin and Strife sent me to find you.

—

Neve: Fen’Harel—Solas—was trying to tear down the Veil. We stopped him, but when we did, something got out. Some things, rather. According to Solas, it’s Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain. They’re powerful. And, apparently, blighted.

—

Harding: Fen’Harel—Solas—was trying to tear down the Veil. We stopped him, but when we did that, two… somethings got out of the Fade. Solas says they’re Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain. They’re supposed to be very powerful. And apparently very blighted.

—

Rook: When we went back to where Solas did his ritual, we ran into Irelin and Strife. They said you were looking for a spirit of some kind?

Bellara: Yes! An archive spirit. The Nadas Dirthalen. It’s somewhere nearby. Except…

Dialogue options:

More complications? Rook: Are things complicated here, too?
There’s always an “except” Rook: Yep, if there wasn’t an “except”, things would be boring.
Just tell us. Rook: Things are complicated all over. Tell us what’s going on.

Bellara: We’re stuck in here until the bubble closes. Or until we close it.

Rook: How do we do that?

Bellara: Archive spirits are powerful objects. Powerful enough to create a bubble like this. If we can remove whatever artifact it’s tied to, the bubble should collapse.

Dialogue options:

How can we help?
It’s better than nothing.
What’re we waiting for?

How can we help? Rook: So how can we help? Bellara: I’ve been trying to find a way to the center. That’s where the archive spirit should be. But there are just too many demons for me to handle alone. But three of us would have much better odds.

It’s better than nothing. Rook: Hey, at least we’ve got a plan. Bellara: We just need to get to the center of the anomaly. That’s where the archive spirit should be. There’ll be demons along the way. Lots of them. But nothing three of us can’t handle.

What’re we waiting for? Rook: Let’s get moving, then. Bellara: Right. We need to find our way to the center. That’s where the archive spirit should be. There’ll be plenty of demons on the way, but three of us should be able to handle them.

—

If Rook tries to go past the barrier: Bellara: I did warn you.

—

Rook: So once we find this artifact and destroy it, no more Veil bubble, right?

Harding/Neve: And no more constructs.

Bellara: You can’t destroy these things. Not easily, at least. But we can disable it. Then study it! There’s just so much we don’t know about our past…

—

Bellara: See up ahead? Magical barriers. In between those arches, blocking the way forward. We need to find whatever’s making them.

—

Bellara: Is this… blight?

Grey Warden Rook: It feels like blight, but I’ve never seen it look like that before.
Rook: I think so, but it isn’t like any blight I’ve seen before. ㅤㅤ ㅤ
Harding: And where there’s blight, there’s darkspawn.
Neve: Blight’s usually an indication that darkspawn are nearby…

Bellara: The blight’s never been this deep into Arlathan.

Rook: Solas did say the elven gods were tied to the blight.

—

Good work, everyone!
Well, that was bracing.
Let’s get going.

Good work, everyone! Rook: Hey, we took down an ogre. And we’re all still alive! So now we take the artifact and get out of here, right? Bellara: Assuming everything worked the way it should have? Yes.

Well, that was bracing. Rook: That’s the biggest thing I’ve fought all week. Though, wait… maybe the rage demon was bigger. Didn’t think to measure it.

Let’s get going. Rook: That’s it, then, right? Now we grab the artifact and get out of here? Bellara: Right. Assuming everything worked the way it should.

Scene continues.

Rook: What do you mean by “assuming everything worked”? You’re not sure?

—

Rook: So we came all this way for an artifact that isn’t even working.

Bellara: Not an artifact—an Archive spirit. The Nadas Dirthalen.

—

Bellara: I don’t have the tools to fix it with me, so this thing won’t be giving us any answers for a while.

—

Bellara: I mean, I’ve never done this while surrounded by blight. It’s a new experience for me! But it should have worked. It has to have worked.

—

Neve: And what are the odds of that?

—

Harding: Neve’s going to want to hear about this, too. She said she’d be somewhere in the Veil Jumper camp.
Neve: Harding will want to know about this, too. She said she’d be in the Veil Jumper camp somewhere.

Rook: Then we’d better get moving.