Main Dialogue
Shadows Crossing
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D’Meta’s Crossing
Bellara: Okay, we’ll need a boat to get there. Let’s head to the dock.
The party leaves the Veil Jumper Camp towards the docks.
- Harding: Seems like a lot’s happened around here.
- Neve: Sounds like a lot happened here.
Bellara: What hasn’t happened? This area is where Tevinter magisters destroyed Arlathan City centuries ago.
- Harding: What about now?
- Neve: And now?
Bellara: Whatever Solas did stirred up everything again. The old blood magic from the war—it never went away. Ancient relics appear out of thin air, ruins float… It’s like… an old wound that never healed. And now it’s bleeding again.
They reach the dock, where their injured party member is waiting for them.
- Harding: Rook, you ready to go?
- Neve: Rook. Ready to go?
The load into the boat and head off. As they approach D’Meta’s Crossing, something seems unsettling and off about the village.
Bellara: I’ve never seen fog this thick in D’Meta’s Crossing… This isn’t right. The dock usually has people bringing goods to market, bartering and shouting… it’s always busy.
Neve: Something happened here.
Rook: Stay sharp.
They get out of the boat to explore the village.
Harding: It’s so quiet.
Neve: Too quiet.
Bellara: Where is everybody?
Rook wanders the dock.
Harding: Rook? Where are you going? The town square is this way.
Rook: Be right there.
They follow the party further into the village. It’s desolate.
Bellara: It’s market day. People should be out selling eggs and buying bread… But everything’s just… abandoned.
Harding: They barricaded the main entrance into town.
| Grey Warden Rook | Non-Grey Warden Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: There’s blight in there. I can feel it. Be careful. | Rook: To keep something out?Neve: No. To keep something in. |
They enter town proper. The entire place is overrun with blight.
Bellara: (Horrified gasp)
Harding: It’s blight. Even worse than in the forest.
They come across a corrupted villager.
- Villager 1: Keep them in. Mayors orders.
- Villager 1: Must keep everyone in. Mustn’t let anyone out.
- Villager 1: They need to stay in. All of them. Inside.
- Villager 1: No one gets out. no exceptions.
Rook: You okay? What happened here?
Villager 1: Keep them inside. Listen to the Mayor.
Rook: Hello?
Bellara: I don’t think he can hear us.
They keep walking and come across another corrupted villager.
- Villager 2: We’ll be rewarded. All of us.
- Villager 2: Everyone has to stay.
Villager 2: No. You can’t leave.
Rook: Hey. Can you hear me?
Villager 2: Just stay here and everything will be fine.
Neve: Someone used powerful magic to dominate the minds of these villagers.
They continue deeper into town.
Bellara: (Horrified gasp) The town square!
Harding: We need to search for survivors.
Rook: Let’s see what we can find. Fan out.
Bellara kneels in the center of the square near a corpse.
Bellara: This is Adeline. I knew her. She was a farmer. Sold spices to us. The best in Arlathan. I can’t believe this happened.
Rook finds Neve.
Neve: Look at that.
They talk to her.
Neve: Is that an aravel on the roof?
Rook: The blight must have lifted it up there.
They find Harding examining the blight.
Harding: This blight is… weird.
Rook: Ever seen anything like it?
Harding: Never. Blight’s usually dead. Static. But this is alive.
Rook: Okay, let’s keep going. Might be more survivors.
The keep moving.
(Roar in the distance)
Bellara: What was that?
Rook: Something big. Stay sharp.
Bellara: Over there! Two more survivors.
Rook: Hey! What’s going on here.
Villager 3: Find the Veil Jumpers. Bring them to the mayor.
Bellara: They’re talking about Jahel and Mihlva!
Harding: They said “bring them to the mayor.” If we find the mayor, then maybe we’ll find your friends.
- Villager 4: Must keep looking. Must find the Veil Jumpers.
- Villager 3: The mayor said to find them.
- Villager 4: They’re in the village.
- Villager 3: Only a matter of time.
Bellara: Why were they looking for Veil Jumpers? What did the mayor want with them?
They cross a huge sinkhole that gives off an eerie red glow.
Bellara: A sinkhole. but how?
Rook: Careful not to slip.
Harding: That’s the Deep Roads down there.
| Grey Warden Rook | Non-Grey Warden Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: Where a whole bunch of darkspawn live. | Harding: Where the darkspawn come from. |
They enter another part of town.
Bellara: Look! More people.
- Villager 5: Must round up everyone.
- Villager 6: Must get them inside.
- Villager 7: We will be rewarded.
Rook squeezes through a gap in some blight and emerges to find Vil Jumper Corpses trapped in the blight.
Bellara: Mihlva!
Rook: That’s one of your fellow Veil Jumpers?
Rook walks up to a body tangled in the blight. They seem alive still.
Rook: Bellara!
Bellara: Jahel! He’s alive!
Jahel: Bellara?
Bellara: We’re going to help you… we’ll get you down, Jahel.
Jahel: No… listen. The gods… the gods have returned. I saw… them. I heard their voices.
Bellara: The gods did this?
Jahel: A blood ritual, to release the blight. The villagers… They said they needed power… Bellara… be careful…
He dies, and there is another roar. The ground shakes, and they hear a shout in the distance.
Villager: Help me! Anyone!
Corruption
Villager: Help!
Rook: Help! Come on, that sounds close.
They work their way through the blight into a clearing, where there is gold scattered around. A man is entangled in blight.
Mayor Julius: Help me! Hurry!
A dragon flies down and lands near the mayor.
Neve: A dragon? Here?
Mayor Julius: No, no, no… please…
Rook steps ahead of the party, gesturing them to hold.
Rook: Hey!
Rook and the dragon face off for a moment.
Ghilan’nain: Fresh blood. A hungry heart. Creature, come to me!
The dragon flies off.
Bellara: I know you. You’re the mayor of this town.
Mayor Julius: The village… the people… are they?
Harding: Blighted. Dead. All of them.
Bellara: You gave them to the gods, didn’t you? Didn’t you?
Mayor Julius: (Sobs) They were in my head… infecting my thoughts. They made me do it… Please, help me!
Dialogue options:
1 - Affable: Take a deep breath.
Rook: Deep breaths. Tell me what happened.
2 - Stoic: Tell us everything.
Rook: You’re not going anywhere until I get the full story.
3 - Angry: You killed those people!
Rook: You betrayed your own town!
Mayor Julius: No, I didn’t! I was tricked! Manipulated!
4 - Scene continues.
Back to previous tree.Mayor Julius: I tried to protect people. You have to believe me. The gods told me to lure the Veil Jumpers to the center of town. The others were to be rounded up and kept safe. They would be the first to witness the glory of Ghilan’nain’s new creation… She showed me gold. So much gold…
Dialogue options:
- Affable: You lured the Veil Jumpers? [5]
- Stoic: Creation? A blighted village? [6]
- Angry: Gold? All this for greed. [7]
5 - Affable: You lured the Veil Jumpers?
Rook: So you brought the Veil Jumpers to the middle of town…
Bellara: For a blood sacrifice!
Neve: Because the gods needed power.
Rook: Did you know what the gods would do?
Mayor Julius: The Veil Jumpers… they were just strangers. I thought if they were taken first, everyone else might be spared.
Bellara: So you did know!
6 - Stoic: Creation? A blighted village?
Rook: Right. We walked right through that new creation. A lot of dead people.
Harding: All so the gods could gain power from the blight.
Mayor Julius: I never meant for that, I swear! You must believe me!
7 - Angry: Gold? All this for greed.
Rook: All this… for gold? The villagers, the Veil Jumpers… the blight’s everywhere! D’Meta’s Crossing is dead because of your greed!
Mayor Julius: I… I didn’t know. You don’t understand what it was like to hear those voices.
8 - Scene continues.
Back to previous tree.Neve: The gods exploited his greed and fear.
Bellara: I’m supposed to feel sorry for him? I say we leave him right here.
Mayor Julius: But I’ll die. The blight’s everywhere. What if the dragon comes back?
Bellara: If we let you go, you’ll run straight back to the gods.
Neve: They were in his head. Their influence might linger.
Mayor Julius: I understand what they do now. I won’t be tempted again! I swear!
| Grey Warden Rook | Non-Grey Warden Rook |
|---|---|
| Neve: Rook, you’re a Grey Warden. You could pack him off to Weisshaupt as punishment. | Harding: Rook? |
Dialogue options:
- Save him. [9]
(Free the mayor from the blight.)
+ Neve approves
- Bellara Disapproves
- Harding Disapproves - Leave him here. [10]
(Leave the mayor to his fate.)
+ Bellara approves
+ Harding approves
- Neve Disapproves - Grey Warden: Banish him to the Grey Wardens. [11]
(The mayor will seek redemption by helping the Grey Wardens.)
+ Neve greatly approves
- Bellara Disapproves
- Harding Disapproves
9 - Save him.
Rook: Let’s get him out of there.
Bellara: What? This entire village is dead because of him!
Rook: I know.
Bellara: Then why spare him?
Dialogue options:
Back to main dialogue tree.
He isn’t our enemy.
Rook: Because our fight is with Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain. Not people like him.He’s just a weak fool.
Rook: He’s greedy and pathetic, but that doesn’t mean he deserves to die.We aren’t killers.
Rook: We don’t kill people, not like this. We’re not murderers. We’re not like the gods.Mayor Julius: Thank you.
Rook: I didn’t ask for your gratitude.
Mayor Julius: Then if I may offer some advice: steel yourself. I felt their power, the promises they make. It’s irresistible.
Rook: Then try harder next time. Don’t make me regret saving you.
Mayor Julius: Yes, of course. But you should be worried about the rest of the world. Or this will be our future.
10 - Leave him here.
Rook: Leave him here. He can fend for himself.
Mayor Julius: No…
Neve: Wolves will get him in the night. Or, given the state of this place, something worse.
Dialogue options:
Back to main dialogue tree.
12 - His village deserved better.
Rook: The people of D’Meta’s Crossing were depending on him. The least he can do is stay with them now.
Neve: A steep price to pay. And we’re the ones to choose it?
Rook: Somebody has to.
13 - Justice must be served.
Rook: He killed an entire village. There must be justice for that.
Neve: Right. And we choose what form that justice takes?
Rook: Somebody has to.
14 - He can fight back.
Rook: At least he’ll have a chance to fight back. That’s more than his own people got.
Neve: He probably won’t survive the night.
Harding: Those are better odds than he gave his own people.
15 - Scene continues.
Mayor Julius: You don’t understand the power they have. They show you what you crave. They speak to the darkness in your heart. No one can stand against that.
Bellara: Watch me.
Mayor Julius: I won’t be the last to surrender! I felt the evil—
Rook: Let’s go. No point arguing with a dead man.
11 - Grey Warden: Banish him to the Grey Wardens.
Rook: We’ll send him to the Wardens.
Mayor Julius: No… I’ll never survive that!
Rook: We take anyone. Even murderous traitors like you.
Bellara: It’s more than you deserve.
Mayor Julius: You don’t understand. I felt their power—it’s irresistible!
Rook: You’re going to spend the rest of your life fighting darkspawn. That’s not enough to redeem you, but it’s a start.
Mayor Julius: But—
Rook: Be grateful I’m even giving you this chance.
16 - Scene continues.
Back to previous tree.The scene fades, and one of Varric’s narratives cuts in.
Varric: The Fade had opened, and the gods were free. Thanks to Solas, they’d woken up to find their empire, their subjects, even their fellow gods, all gone. But they still had the power of the blight. And corrupting a village was just the start. They made plans to tap more of the blight, all of it, to rebuild their empire. As a path to power, it had its costs… And everyone would pay for it.
Witch of the Wilds
The party returns to the Veil Jumper camp.
Strife: Did you find our scouts?
Rook: They’re dead. I’m sorry. Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain sacrificed them in some kind of ritual.
Irelin: Creators. What about the rest of the village?
Harding: The ritual spread blight everywhere. The entire village was overrun.
Neve: The few who survived are controlled by blood magic. Their minds are gone.
Bellara: Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain used them like puppets.
A raven flies in, transforming into Morrigan as she lands.
Morrigan: I daresay ‘twas a show of force…
She steps down from where she landed.
Morrigan: They will not rest until you are on your knees. Fearful. Cowering. Helpless in the face of such power.
Harding: Lady Morrigan?
Morrigan: ‘Tis simply “Morrigan” to you, Scout Harding. What a pleasure to see you again.
Strife: Rook, this is Morrigan, an old… acquaintance. I thought she could help.
Harding: Morrigan helped the Inquisition when Varric and I were part of it. She knew more about ancient magic than anyone except Solas.
Morrigan: ‘Twas both pleasure and necessity to help then, as it is now. Stopping Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain shall require many hands.
Dialogue options:
- Investigate: Who are you? [1]
- Affable: I’m glad for your help. [2]
- Stoic: We’re no pushovers. [3]
- Afraid: That sounds bad. [4]
1 - Investigate: Who are you?
Rook: So who are you, exactly?
Morrigan: I have borne many appellations: advisor to Orlais, Witch of the Wilds, friend to the Inquisition… My place here, however, is but a humble advisor on matters arcane.
Rook: “Witch of the Wilds”?
Rook: An honorific borne of rumor and exaggeration. The fearsome reputations of your opponents, however, are duly earned. This dark turn of events shall only become worse.
2 - Affable: I’m glad for your help.
Rook: Then I look forward to your help.
Morrigan: How refreshing! Your cooperative nature is appreciated in return.
Rook: What can you tell us about… all this?
3 - Stoic: We’re no pushovers.
Rook: Whatever comes, we’re ready for a fight.
Morrigan: Words easily said, but rarely proven.
Rook: Yeah? What do you know about all this that we don’t?
4 - Afraid: That sounds bad.
Rook: I was hoping what we saw at D’Meta’s Crossing would be the worst of it.
Morrigan: ‘Tis but the start, I fear, and ignorance provides a feeble shield.
Rook: Right. What can you tell us?
5 - Scene continues.
Back to previous tree.Morrigan: As dangerous as Solas himself may be, his imprisonment of the gods was just. To leave them unchecked would have been the very end of Thedas.
Dialogue options:
- Investigate: So you know the Dread Wolf? [6]
- Stoic: That’s not happening. [7]
- Sad: We caused this. [8]
- Angry: All this for power. [9]
6 - Investigate: So you know the Dread Wolf?
Rook: Just to be clear, you know your old friend Solas is actually the Dread Wolf?
Morrigan: So I have come to learn. It rather explains how he knew such a great deal of ancient elven history… And why he became so vexed when I attempted to explain it to him. Whilst I cannot claim the same depth of knowledge, the knowledge I do possess is yours for the asking.
Bellara: I hope it helps. For all we know, the entire world will look like D’Meta’s Crossing once the gods are through…
7 - Stoic: That’s not happening.
Rook: Not if we stop it first.
Morrigan: Ah, the confidence of youth. You shall need a good deal more of it.
Rook: I suppose you have some advice?
8 - Sad: We caused this.
Rook: This is our fault. When we interrupted Solas’s ritual, the gods escaped.
Morrigan: Would those feelings not be better used to put things right?
Rook: But how?
9 - Angry: All this for power.
Rook: All this horror because a bunch of power-hungry gods want even more power.
Morrigan: When have the powerful among us ever done otherwise?
Rook: So how do we stop them?
10 - Scene continues.
Back to previous tree.Morrigan: Set aside your notions of godhood, and see them for the ancient, powerful mages they are. Standing against them shall require serious magic of your own. When you interrupted the Dread Wolf’s ritual, did you happen across any of the tools he used?
Harding: He had a dagger! But it got lost in the chaos.
Morrigan: Then you would do well to find it. ‘Tis better in your hands than those of the gods.
Rook: Is there anything else Solas might have had that could help us? We’re in his… well, he calls it the Lighthouse.
Morrigan: Ah, yes, the legendary sanctum of the Dread Wolf. ‘Tis said his eluvian, the Vi’Revas, could travel to any other eluvian of his choosing.
Harding: That’s not how it works right now. It only goes to Arlathan.
Bellara: I can take a look at it. Maybe fix it, even. I know eluvians better than most.
Rook: Any help you can offer, we’d appreciate.
Bellara: If eluvians even work the same way. All the magic is different now. Our gods are back. Our gods! And they’re killing people and blighting the world. How do we stand up against that?
Dialogue options:
- Step by step. [11]
+ Neve Approves - We work together. [12]
+ Harding Approves - Whatever it takes. [13]
+ Bellara Approves
11 - Step by step.
Rook: We stand up against them one step at a time. We don’t have all the answers, but we know what we need to do. You’re fixing the eluvian at the Lighthouse, and Neve, Harding, and I are going to find this dagger at the ritual site.
12 - We work together.
Rook: None of us can do this alone, but we can stop them together. Bellara, you’re one of the only people in the world who can get our eluvian working. Harding can track down the lyrium dagger, and Neve can spot any clues we might miss that give us more information.
13 - Whatever it takes.
Rook: We don’t have a choice here. We stand against the gods however we can. Because if we don’t, nobody else will. You get the eluvian fixed at the Lighthouse. We’ll find the dagger. Let’s figure out our next moves after that.
14 - Scene continues.
Back to previous tree.Rook: Let’s get to work. There’s a lot of fight ahead of us.
Morrigan: Indeed. Prepare yourselves well and have a care in your choices. These are the times in which legends are born—or slain. In this battle, I shall render whatever assistance I am able.
Rook: Right. Let’s move.
Deleted Dialogue