Tales of the Blight II: The Inquisitor

[Part of my Dragon Age: Inquisition play through. Spoilers ahead!]

Two years after the defeat of Corypheus, the Inquistor finds himself and his remaining comrades summoned by the Divine Victoria to an Exalted Council to determine the future of the Inquisition. While the Court of Orlais maneuvers to control them, the Nobles of Ferelden - nervous at having a free standing army at their doorstep, would prefer to see them disband entirely. Talks are disrupted when Qunari saboteurs are detected within the palace, and while Leliana deactivates all their hidden gaatlok explosives, the Inquisitor's team chases them through an elven magic mirror through the fade where they face both Qunari and ancient elf spirits.

Feeling he can help ease their suffering, Cole decides to remain with the spirits while the rest of the party reach the Qunari base of operations. Here, Iron Bull sides with his people and is killed by Cassandra while Sera deals with the Qunari pet dragon. This buys time for Inquisitor Trevelyan to pursue the Qunari leader through more mirrors, the anchor in his hand becoming more painful and powerful through each one - until he finally catches her - but she has already been turned to stone by Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf of elven legend - better known to Trevelyan as Solas.

Solas reveals it was his orb Corypheus had been using, as he intended the magister to simply power it up and get killed in the following explosion. He didn't realize Corypheus had a way to cheat death at the time. With the orb destroyed he had to resort to killing Flemeth to take her power of Mythal instead, with the goal of freeing his people from the fade by removing the barrier to it altogether... and destroying the current world. With the power of the anchor now killing him, Trevelyan still vows to prove to Solas that this world is worth saving. The elf cuts off Trevelyan's arm (to save him) and departs - telling him to enjoy what time he has left.

Critical hit in the feels!

Back at the Exalted Council, the Qunari disavow all actions of the terrorist splinter group that caused the disturbance, promising their continued alliance to Divine Victoria. As for the Inquisition, it is disbanded effective immediately. This is both to retain balance in the realm and to hide their next move against Solas, who is all too familiar with their inner workings. In secret, Trevelyan, Cassandra and Leliana decide to find people Solas doesn't know about to help stop his world ending plot.

And Sera goes back to doing whatever.

Insight: I was getting wrecked when starting the Trespasser DLC, mainly because I didn't realize I wasn't wearing my armor. Duh! Check your gear before going into battle!

Tales of the Blight II: Morrigan

[Part of my Dragon Age: Inquisition play through. Spoilers ahead!]

'Tis strange how small the world is sometimes. Having convinced the Inquisitor that it would take the power of a god to match that of Corypheus, we have come to this ancient shrine to seek the aid of the elven god Mythal: the Great Protector. Who appears instead? She whom I have tried to hide from all these years. Mother. She is Mythal? She has deceived me even more than I thought.

Didn't you get killed, Mother?
Yes, but I got better.

With her guidance I learn her ability to shapeshift into a dragon and am more than a match for the winged beast serving the Elder One, just as the last of his Red Templars are no match against the combined army of the Inquisition and Orlais. It is said the Inquisitor grabbed his magic ball again and this time crushed it in his hand, killing the poor creature. Let that be a lesson to all would-be evil doers I suppose: don't let them grab your balls.

In the end a great victory against chaos was won, but left the world forever changed.

While Empress Celene remains on her golden throne, blood drips from her hands. All her court know it however none are in a position to move against her.

Meanwhile the Chantry shocks the world by naming First Enchanter Vivienne as successor to the Sunburst Throne. Given the name Divine Victoria, she is the first mage to hold the position and the surprise of many, she reinstates the Circle of Magi and creates a Templar Order firmly leashed to her hand.

She is not the only one to reach high office. The dwarf Varric becomes the new Viscount of Kirkwall and Dorian Pavus is instated as magister upon his return to the Tevinter Imperium. Meanwhile the Grey Warden known as Blackwall is discovered to be a fraud and a war criminal, executed by the Inquisitor himself for his crimes, while the elven apostate Solas simply vanished after the final battle. And what of the Inquisition itself? Its military might has grown, now rivaling that of kingdoms. Fear of the Inquisition's army has become the true source of its power.

I leave Skyhold now, knowing that power will continue to grow.

Insight: If you do all the content prior to this fight, Corypheus won't really be much of a challenge.

Tales of the Blight II: Solas

[Part of my Dragon Age: Inquisition play through. Spoilers ahead!]

As wise as he is bald.

These forests have changed much since I was last here.

The Emerald Knights. They once patrolled the borders of the Dales, protecting the Elven people. The Dalish saw them as romantic heroes. The Chantry called them ruthless butchers. I suspect both sides have some element of truth. My people built a life here... it must have been something to see.

Now these woods and ruins hide deserters from civil war in Orlais, ones aligned with the Red Templars. Some are thoughtful soldiers doing what they believe is right. The rest? Younger sons, petty criminals, thugs, bullies, orphans. Either they are accustomed to a life without choices, to following even the worst orders... or they have learned to enjoy causing pain, to leap at any chance to swing a sword harder.

We have all seen terrible things. We have watched death and destruction render that which we love unrecognizable. I wonder if there is a single place in the Dales that does not know a human footstep. They must be driven away.

Insight: Since my graphics card hates displaying high quality fire, I made all my mages study a combination of ice and lightning.

Tales of the Blight II: The Herald

[Part of my Dragon Age: Inquisition play through. Spoilers ahead!]

The Herald of Andraste's second attempt at closing the breach is a success, now that he is backed by the Redcliffe mages conscripted to the Inquisition - but the victory party is short lived as a massive enemy force descends upon the hamlet that night: An army of templars, dubbed "Red Templars" by Varric, as they are all clearly under the effect of red lyrium like the templar leader in Kirkwall slain years ago.

A young boy named Cole manages to alert the town in time to get their trebuchets and other defenses ready which eliminates much of the enemy force, but not enough to stop a red lyrium dragon and the Elder One. The Herald confronts him alone to buy time for the others to escape, and this Elder One who calls himself Corypheus accuses the Herald of stealing the "anchor" from him - using his big magic ball to try reclaim the rift power in the Herald's hand... but fails.

I love fondling my magic ball.

Accepting he'll have to find another way to achieve his goal of god hood, Corypheus tries next to simply kill the Herald, but an avalanche that destroys Haven forces him to flee and buries the Herald in a cave. Somehow touching Corypheus' ball has made the anchor grow more powerful - and the Herald uses it to blast his way out of the mountain and regroup with the survivors.

With the village lost, it falls to Solas to lead the Inquisition to Skyhold, a forgotten fortress high in the mountains to begin anew - and it is here where Cassandra proclaims the official leader of this Inquisition to be the Herald, now officially "the Inquisitor", to the cheers of many.

Insight: If you are a kleptomaniac like I am, you'll want to get the perks which increase inventory space. You'll also want the fine tools perk to open the "harder" locked doors.

Tales of the Blight II: Trevelyan

[Part of my Dragon Age: Inquisition play through. Spoilers ahead!]

Trevelyan awoke as a prisoner of Seeker Cassandra (who has changed much from the last time we saw her). With some missing memories, he had no answers to the charge of killing the Divine (the "pope" of the Chantry) by exploding her entire temple and leaving a huge breach to the fade in its place, nor to how he walked out of it alive with a strange green glow his left hand now possessed.

At least we know where to go!

As evil spirits and demons were now entering the world, Cassandra had no choice but to trust the elven apostate Solas, self proclaimed scholar of the fade, who suggested this power might be able to close the breach if Trevelyan got close enough. With a few chantry soldiers and her personally led expendable forward team of Solas, Trevelyan and dwarven prisoner Varric, they pushed through the numerous demons, closing the smaller door-sized rifts on the way before reaching the main breach. With much strain, Trevelyan uses his new power on it and... passes out.

He awakes in the small, snowy village of Haven - where survivors salute and kneel before him, coining him "the Herald of Andraste" since he was able to make the breach dormant (but not closed entirely). With this momentum, Cassandra declares the Inquisition reborn - to uncover who created the breach and killed the Divine to bring them to justice.

Insight: Interrupting rifts can stun and debuff the demons around it, but this was only most useful against the armored pride ones or the annoying despair ones that hop around. For all other types it was often fastest to just fight and kill them directly (unless they got too far).