Main Dialogue
Shadows of Minrathous
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Friends in Hidden Places
Rook speaks to Neve after completing the Smuggled Relic Case and recruiting Lucanis.
Neve: The Shadow Dragons have a hideout in Dock Town. We should check in. See if there’s news on the Venatori.
| Completed The Smuggled Relic Case before recruiting Lucanis | Completed The Smuggled Relic Case after recruiting Lucanis |
|---|---|
| Neve: If the Venatori move, the Shadows will hear it first. | Rook: Already?Neve: They work fast. And with the relic case off their hands, they’ll work even faster. |
Neve: Meet you in Dock Town?
*Rook travels to Dock Town and exits the eluvian into some kind of safehouse.
Neve: Fewer people than I expected. Let’s find Ashur.
Rook: Ashur?
Neve: The Viper. He prefers to be called Ashur in private. Said I could tell you.
They exit into a main room where they find The Viper.
The Viper: Trouble in the Anvallenim. Darkspawn. We’ve lost one already.
Neve: But those tunnels are safe passage for…
The Viper: I know. We’ve had to close that entrance.
| Grey Warden Rook | Non-Grey Warden Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: I know darkspawn. I’ll help. No time to waste. | Rook: We can help. We’ve recently had to deal with blight. |
Rook: Those darkspawn have to be destroyed before they get out into the city.
The Viper: If you get through, signal the all-clear at the hidden door.
Rook heads out into the pawn shop.
Rook: This is troubling. Darkspawn in the city.
Neve: And in one of the worst places. The Shadows rely on those tunnels to rescue people.
| Bellara in party | Bellara not in party, elf Rook |
|---|---|
| Bellara: But why is it called that? Anvallenim. It’s the ancient elven word for ""womb.Neve: Huh. Interesting. | Rook: Odd. Anvallenim is the ancient elven word for “womb.”Neve: Huh. Interesting. |
Rook talks to the agent outside.
Hector: I’m Hector. I watch the front. Make sure things are quiet.
Rook: Rook.
Hector: Good to meet you. Be careful out there.
Rook keeps moving through the city.
Neve: The Anvallenim should have an entrance this way. The passage is hidden by a wall-carving. Keep an eye out.
They head down an alley, where they are attacked.
Neve: Venatori. Why are they so close to the Shop?
They defeat the Venatori and turn the corner.
Rook: There! Is that the wall-carving you mentioned?
Neve: That’s the one. There’s a switch behind the serpent’s head on the left.
Rook opens the door.
Rook: Got it!
They descend the stairs.
- Bellara: It’s so dark. And narrow. And kind of damp.
- Harding: It’s dark down here, isn’t it?
- Lucanis: Like the Ossuary, but without the view.
Grey Warden Rook: Rook: Ah, yes. There’s definitely blight down here.
They continue into the tunnels.
(Explosion)
Rook: Don’t like the sound of that!
They find the blight boil and destroy it, heading deeper into the tunnels.
Rook: That did it. We can get through now.
Venatori: Ugh, I got blight on me. Maker, I hate tunnels. Let’s kill those Shadow Dragon rats so I can leave this place.
The party approached the Venatori.
Venatori: Shadow Dragon agents! They’re down here with us! Get them! Don’t let them run for reinforcements!
Rook: Reinforcements! We can’t let them reach the Shadow Dragon hideout!
They fight the Venatori.
Rook: Even more Venatori? We have to take out the leaders!
They fight the darkpawn, but more continue to appear.
- Bellara: We have to take out the blight pools, or the darkspawn will keep coming!
- Harding: The darkspawn are coming out of those pools of blight! We have to destroy them!
- Lucanis: The darkspawn will not stop until we get rid of the blight pools.
Rook destroys one of the boils.
Rook: We need to find the other boil!
Rook destroys the other boil, and Two Venatori named Brother Nomad and Brother Dee join the fight. The party eventually defeats them.
Neve: Those darkspawn and Venatori were on the same side.
| Grey Warden Rook | Non-Grey Warden Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: I know, and I don’t like it. Darkspawn usually hate all life. At least that seems to be the last of them.Neve: You sure?Rook: Wouldn’t be a Warden if I wasn’t. | Rook: I know, and that worries me. At least that seems to be the last of them. |
Neve: It should be safe for the Shadows to use the entrance again.
Rook: Let’s find it and tell them to open up.
They make their way back up the tunnels.
Neve: There it is! The hidden entrance back into the Shop!
Rook approaches the door.
Rook: It’s Rook! All clear down here!
Marisa: Nice work! I’ll get the door…
The door opens to reveal some of the Shadow Dragons on the other side.
Marisa: Good that you’re still standing. Best let Ashur know.
The party continues.
| Shadow Dragon Rook | Non-Shadow Dragon Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: How do the Venatori even know about the Shop? Isn’t it supposed to be secret? | Rook: How did the Venatori find the Shadow Dragon’s hideout? Isn’t it a secret? |
Neve: We help the people in Dock Town. They know where we are. Someone might’ve talked about the Shop. People spreading rumors—that’s easy to handle. But darkspawn? That’s different.
Venatori Activity
They return to the Shadow Dragon hideout and speak to The Viper.
The Viper: You really saved our skins there, Rook. Those darkspawn could’ve destroyed us.
Neve: It wasn’t just darkspawn. Venatori were there too. And they weren’t fighting each other.
The Viper: How is that possible? Darkspawn attack all living things.
Neve: Darkspawn are blighted. If the gods control the blight, they might control the darkspawn.
Dialogue options:
- Affable: Best not to make assumptions. [1]
- Stoic: I’ll fight both anytime. [2]
- Afraid (Non-Grey Warden Rook): That’s really worrying. [3]
- Angry (Grey Warden Rook): It’s a Venatori Plot. [4]
1 - Affable: Best not to make assumptions.
Rook: Let’s not jump to conclusions before we have more answers.
2 - Stoic: I’ll fight both anytime.
Rook: Darkspawn or Venatori? Makes no difference. We’ll defeat them all.
3 - Afraid: That’s really worrying.
Rook: Yeah, I don’t like the sound of that.
Neve: The Venatori could have magic that protects them. Or worse, they could be allied somehow.
4 - Angry: It’s a Venatori Plot.
Rook: The Venatori did something to the darkspawn, and we need to find out what.
Neve: You know darkspawn better than me.
5 - Scene continues.
Return to previous tree.Tarquin: If you’re looking for answers about the Venatori, I may have a lead. A warehouse, on the other side of the city. Lots of cult activity. And some of them were spotted heading towards the Shop. Could be a coincidence, or it could be something more.
The Viper: It’s worth a look.
Neve: Agreed. Rook?
Rook: Let’s go.
They head out of the safehouse again.
| Shadow Dragon Rook | Non-Shadow Dragon Rook |
|---|---|
| Rook: Nice to see the Viper’s still making waves around the city.Neve: He made his name freeing slaves and supporting their rebellions. He won’t stop until slavery ends in Tevinter. | Rook: The Viper. Or Ashur, I suppose. Is he the leader of the Shadow Dragons?Neve: One of them. He made his name freeing slaves and supporting their rebellions. He won’t stop until slavery ends in Tevinter. |
They continue through the streets.
Rook: So the Viper’s real name is Ashur?
Neve: A middle name. He calls himself Viper for first impressions. Or so he says.
Rook: What do you mean?
Neve: Ashur just doesn’t have the same impact, does it?
They head down to the docks and find Venatori there.
- Bellara: Venatori! We have to be getting close to their hideout!
- Harding: Those are Venatori. We’re on the right track!
- Lucanis: Venatori! We’re close.
- Neve: Venatori! Their hideout must be close.
The fight through the first wave.
- Bellara: More Venatori! They’re probably here to keep intruders out.
- Harding: Watch out! The Venatori have posted guards!
- Lucanis: More Venatori! Guards, probably.
- Neve: More Venatori. They don’t want company!
The defeat the Venatori. and try the front door.
Rook: Locked. There has to be another way in.
Rook finds a note nearby.
Damp Notice
Venatori: Stop leaving the rooftop passage open. it lets in a draft.
Rook: Someone’s mad about their fellow Venatori leaving the rooftop passage open.
-
Bellara: It’s so weird when Venatori talk about normal things. Like leaving doors open.
Rook: It would be a convenient way to get inside. -
Harding: Sounds like a way to get inside without being seen.
Rook: If they left it open again. -
Lucanis: Lets in both drafts and people, yes?
-
Neve: Well, bad for them, good for us. Sounds like a way in.
They fight their way around the building.
Rook: Let’s keep moving before more of them come crawling out.
They get to the roof and find more Venatori.
Rook: Lots of Venatori. We must be close.
They defeat the mages.
Rook: That’s all the Venatori guarding the place.
They find the roof opening.
| Found notice about the roof | Did not find notice about the roof |
|---|---|
| Rook: Someone conveniently left the rooftop entrance open again. | Rook: Right. Here’s our way in. |
They climb down the ladder.
- Bellara: Sounds like someone doing magic. Not the good kind, either. Chanting’s never good.
- Harding: That sounds like magic, I think? Venatori up to no good, I bet.
- Lucanis: I know a Venatori ritual when I hear one. And I know they hate being interrupted.
- Neve: Great. The Venatori are up to something. Time to break it up.
They get into the ritual area and find a bunch of Venatori with a bound hurlock.
Neve: They’re summoning darkspawn.
Rook: How?
Neve: We stop them, then we figure it out!
They start to fight.
- Bellara: They’re using magic to control that darkspawn! We have to stop it!
- Harding: Venatori! And a darkspawn under their control! Stop them!
- Lucanis: They’re controlling darkspawn.
- Neve: They’re using magic to control that darkspawn! We have to stop it!
The fighting continues.
- Bellara: This is why you don’t mess with darkspawn!
- Harding: Get them! We can’t let darkspawn be released into the city!
- Lucanis: Why would anyone even want darkspawn?
- Neve: Not in my city!
They defeat the darkspawn and Venatori.
Rook: That’s all of the darkspawn and Venatori. Let’s search the place and figure out what they were doing.
Rook finds a note nearby.
A Warning
Shadow Dragons are watching us. Do not let them get close. They exact location of their hideout is unknown, but they use the catacombs. Send darkspawn to root them out.
Rook: This explains the darkspawn we keep finding in the catacombs.
Neve: At least they don’t know where the Shadow Dragons are, exactly.
Venatori Missive
Knight-Commander Lenos. We are blessed indeed, to have such a loya; friend in you. Continue to serve us, and you will be richly rewarded. For the glory of Tevinter reborn.
Rook: This note… Knight-Commander Lenos of the Minrathous Templars is being paid off by Venatori.
Neve: Damn it.
Ritual Instructions
Elgar’nan has blessed us with ancient knowledge. The relic lets us control the darkspawn through their blighted blood. Use it to destroy our enemies, in his name.
(Instructions follow for a magical ritual to draw on the relic’s power.)
Rook: The gods gave the Venatori a relic they can use to control darkspawn.
Rook investigates the grate.
Rook: Look at this. Draining into the tunnels below the city, perhaps?
Neve: One more way the Venatori released blight into our tunnels.
Neve: I’ll tell the other Shadows.
The door behind them opens.
The Viper: Hey, Rook. Is everything all right in there?
The Viper appears in the doorway.
The Viper: Rook. I thought I’d see if you needed help.
Rook talks to him.
The Viper: Did you find anything in there?
Rook: The risen gods taught the Venatori how to control darkspawn. Explains why the hideout was attacked.
Neve: We found documents from the knight-commander. I knew he was crooked. I didn’t think he was actually a Venatori.
Rook: Let’s head back to the Shop. We’ll discuss things there.
Maevaris Tilani
Rook returns to the Shadow Dragon hideout and speaks to Viper.
The Viper: We managed to catch the stragglers fleeing the warehouse.
Tarquin: They’ll think twice before coming back here. What else did you find?
Rook: The Venatori serve Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain, like we thought. They gave the cult control over darkspawn.
Tarquin: Great. Sounds like the Venatori are going to be even more trouble.
Dialogue options:
-
Affable: I’m here to help.
Rook: Is there something I can do? The risen gods are my responsibility, too.
+ Bellara Approves -
Stoic: We’ll handle whatever comes.
Rook: We can handle anything the Venatori throw at us.
+ Lucanis Approves -
Afraid: We’re in for a bad time.
Rook: I think we’ve only scratched the surface. It will get worse.
| Shadow Dragon Rook | Non-Shadow Dragon Rook |
|---|---|
| Tarquin: It’s good that you’re back. You know more about the risen gods than anyone. Not surprising, since you technically set them loose in the first place. Maevaris walks up and joins them.Maevaris: Now, now… let’s not dwell on past mistakes. | Tarquin: How do we know we can even trust you? You’re not from here. You don’t know Minrathous like we do. And we know as little about you as we do these risen gods you unleashed.Maevaris walks up and joins them.Maevaris: Now, now… what is it they say? The enemy of my enemy is my friend? |
Maevaris: The cult has its hooks deep in the city. Venatori backers sit in the Magisterium chambers. And now they wield power given to them by the gods. We’ll have to get along if there’s any chance of surviving this.
The Viper: Mae? What are you doing here? You promised you’d lay low.
Maevaris: Tried it. Didn’t much care for it.
Dialogue options:
- Affable: Hi! I’m Rook. [1]
- Sarcastic: We do need help. [2]
- Stoic: Who are you? [3]
- Shadow Dragon: You’re Maevaris Tilani! [4]
1 - Affable: Hi! I’m Rook.
Rook: Nice to meet you. I’m Rook.
The Viper: There’s trouble in Minrathous. Venatori and risen gods. Rook’s helping us with it.
Qunari Rook:
Maevaris: I hope Minrathous hasn’t been unkind to you. Tevinter is wary of the Qunari thanks to old and ongoing enmities.
Maevaris: Maevaris Tilani, formerly Magister Maevaris Tilani, at your service.
Rook: Wait, formerly?
2 - Sarcastic: We do need help.
Rook: I’m hoping you’re here to help? Because we need it.
The Viper: Rook’s been working with us.
He turns to Rook.
The Viper: Maevaris is one of the Shadow Dragon leaders.
Qunari Rook:
Maevaris: I hope Minrathous hasn’t been unkind to you. Tevinter is wary of the Qunari thanks to old and ongoing enmities.
Maevaris: Maevaris Tilani, formerly Magister Maevaris Tilani, at your service.
Rook: Wait, formerly?
3 - Stoic: Who are you?
Rook: Who are you, and can we trust you?
Maevaris: Look at that. There are bounds to my infamy after all! Refreshing.
The Viper: Rook’s been working with us.
He turns to Rook.
The Viper: Maevaris is one of the Shadow Dragon leaders.
Qunari Rook:
Maevaris: I hope Minrathous hasn’t been unkind to you. Tevinter is wary of the Qunari thanks to old and ongoing enmities.
Maevaris: Maevaris Tilani, formerly Magister Maevaris Tilani, at your service.
Rook: Wait, formerly?
4 - Shadow Dragon: You’re Maevaris Tilani!
Rook: You’re Magister Maevaris Tilani. I watched you argue against slavery in the Magisterium, but I had no idea you were a Shadow Dragon.
Maevaris: I know you, don’t I? Rook. They told me Varric stole you away for a job.
Dialogue options:
5 - Affable: You know Varric?
Rook: You know Varric?
Maevaris: Oh, we go back. I’ll tell you all about it sometime. [8]
6 - Sarcastic: You’ve heard of me!
Rook: Maevaris Tilani has heard of me. Huh. [8]
7 - Stoic: Job’s still going.
Rook: The job isn’t finished. It just got more complicated.
Maevaris: Risen gods. I heard. [8]
8 - Scene continues.
Return to previous treeMaevaris: If Varric asked for your help, you must be something special. Shame I missed him while he was here. I’ve been away. Laying low, after all the allegations. The Venatori fabricated a scandal and had my Magisterium title stripped from me.
Rook: I’m sorry. I hadn’t heard.
9 - Scene continues.
Return to previous main tree. Maevaris: My enemies conspired to have my Magisterium seat stripped from me. We can talk about it later, if you want. My concerns feel petty when stacked against risen gods. The Shadow Dragons have a lot to discuss. But you, Rook, are expected at the Swan.
Rook: Me? The Cobbled Swan? Why?
Maevaris: The First Warden is here to speak with you.
Rook: The First Warden? Let’s hope we actually get some help with the blight.
Maevaris: Come back when you can. I think we’ll need your help again.
Deleted Dialogue