The Tale Ends – Julie Replays Dragon Age Pt. 11

There is nothing more to be done but fight the Archdemon. As a player I am incredibly glad that I already know my options and basically the ending, because I am so very fond of Fian and could never give her anything but a happy end – but IC this must be the worst part of all that happened so far. Knowing that the end is upon us but not knowing at all what happens. It only gets worse when we arrive in Redcliffe, fight through the darkspawn and get to the castle. Of course the main horde is not here as expected (whoever expected that anyway?! Worst scouts of Thedas. This wouldn’t have happened if they had Scout Harding, lemme tell you that.), so we know we have to march to Denerim where the Archdemon is waiting for us.

So this is it.

And finally, Riordan tells us why the world needs Wardens. They are Thedas’ Kamikaze team, giving up their soul and existance to kill the Archdemon, who upon dying just switch bodies to the next tainted creature and become dragons again. But if a Warden kills them, the Archdemon’s soul goes into the Warden and upon clashing with an already ensouled body finally dies.

Now, personally, especially after DAI [[POSSIBLE DAI-SPOILER ALERT]], I have several questions and immediately get into speculation mode. Like: Corypheus is basically an Archdemon, according to that, right?! Just like the Old Gods – and talking of Old Gods, why do they die upon entering an ensouled body? I mean – remember Flemeth, right? If she can co-exist with a willing sould, would a willing Warden be a “safe” haven for the Old God soul? According to Morrigan’s ritual, it IS possible to extricate the Archdemons pure soul without the taint, so… And Corypheus is definitely not an Old Elven God but a human magister of old but has basically the powers of the Old Gods, is he just more sane than the Sleeping Ones? Architect-like, I mean?

AH ALL THE POSSIBILITIES AND QUESTIONS!

Ahem.

Back on track. [[NO MORE DAI SPOILERS]]

Sooo, just when Fian is near to desperation, because she reeeeeally does not want to die, Morrigan comes along.

You do?! I love you. Let’s make an Old God baby.

Equal love, steamy love scene, because I really cannot imagin Loghain being willing to do this and do not want to imagine him having to do it and would hate to “pursuade” someone to have sex “for his own good” and also Blood Magic and why not.

The endgame in DAO is by far the best in all three games, imo. Not only for the main characters, but they are really good at showing what happens to the next man. When the army marches, there’s a cut scene of one soldier saying goodbye to his wife and son, you have conversations with your allies (humans, elves, dwarves) and talk about their fears, you see your allies marching towards the city. An amazing speech by the wonderful Anora and then into the city, where you firsthand see the slaughter that takes place.

A dragon above the city. Oh dear.

We manage to successfully fight our way into the city and secure the gate and then it is there. The first moment of goodbyes with your companions. They are all heartfelt and very well written and made me really weapy. And laugh at the same time. Especially Oghren and Shale.

Morrigan was so sweet. One day I need to play her romance, I really do.

♥♥♥

The off we are, leaving behind most of our companions. Before we go directly to the Archdemon, we want to kill his generals – and Fian wouldn’t be Fian if she wouldn’t go the Alienage to see what’s happening there. Of course, Shianni is there to protect her home and kinsmen and fights at their front. They join forces and together they manage to fight the darkspawn off. Something similar (without the joining forces with someone part) happens at the Marketplace, accompanied by constant screaming in the background and then…

Now we can only hope, Morrigan’s ritual works… Shortly before we head up to fight the Archdemon ourselves, we cut back to our companions who defend the gates. Which is genius, gamewise, in my opinion. We had put Sten in charge of them and they successfully manage to keep more darkspawn out of the city.

Up up up we go and then, the final fight. 

Funnily enough the exact same place as in my last playthrough 😉

I had forgotten the epicness.

And the rest… is silence.

Or rather honours and party and deciding on “what’s next”. Morrigan was true to her word and has left and despite several people asking about it, Fian never told anyone but Zevran what actually happened and why she is still alive. She wouldn’t betray her friend like that.

My crew of beloved companions.

And now we really say goodbye. Anora asks us for a boon and we tell her that we want more freedom and rights for our kinsmen. She thinks this is an amazing idea and wants us to become Bann of the Alienage – which horrifies Fian. Instead, she tells Anora she should make Shianni Bann. Shianni, who was raped but not destroyed by it, who always stood up for her people and others, Shianni, who fought herself and at the front, who was never afraid to demand and fight for what is right.

And my companions? Oghren has been accepted as Captain in the Queen’s army. Loghain goes recruiting for the Wardens. Leliana, my bff next to Morrigan, goes to lead the expedition to the Temple of Sacred Ashes for the Chantry. Shale wants to go to Tevinter to become a dwarf again, taking Wynne with her. Sten is kind of cutely afraid to travel alone after so much time in company, but wants to go home. And Zevran? He stays at Fian’s side of course.

As for Fian, she sees her part with the Wardens done (thus no Awakening). She never wanted to join the order and certainly does not want to stick around. She takes a bow and then her leave – traveling the world, for the first time in her life enjoying something like freedom.

She married Zevran in an intimate ceremony in Denerim before they left (supercute little mod, including an a bit stiff (in terms of how the characters move) but absolutely adorable ceremony just before the epilogue). For several months they traveled the world, living with the Dalish for a while, both discovering more about their heritage. They went back to Denerim for Shianni’s funeral but left after a major fight between Alistair and Fian about how the crown handled the situation. Her father had died in the riots and Soris left with his wife and Fian turned her back on Denerim, never to return. She and Zevran went to visit free Aren in from Kirkwall and convinced her to go join forces with Avernus in a search for a cure for the taint and for quite some time, they live in Soldier’s Peak before finally leaving to travel the world, when the research does not turn up something useful in the next two years.

For the next few years, Fian and Zev travel here and there, visiting old friends and new ones – from Rivain to Orlais, from Halam’shiral to Tevinter to the Brecilian Woods until they finally settle in Antiva City, where they decimate the Crows until Zevran leads the remaining assassins upon which there was a huge increase of contracts against slavers. They stay in Antiva, making a home there – and when Fian opened her home for the first elven orphan she found, that was only the beginning. In her travels, Fian had already taken every book and scroll (and other worthy loot) she could get her hands on, making not only a fortune but gathering a huge amount of knowledge. She started teaching at the University in Antiva (the first elf ever to obtain such a position) and they both became very influential members of Antivan society, basically stopping the auctions of orphaned children.

It was a surprise for both of them when Fian got pregnant in 9:40 and prompted them leaving Antiva for a while to restart their research to cure the taint. It was an even greater surprise that she managed to carry the child to term and give birth to a healthy girl in 9:41, back in Antiva City, just before she began hearing the false Calling. They managed to keep their little family as far away from the events in Ferelden and Orlais as possible, ignoring all contact attempts by anyone but Aren, only coming back to partake in Divine Victoria’s first ceremony, to return to a more quiet life in Antiva City.

It was still years later before Aren actually managed to cure the taint, not without the help of a certain mage named Fiona, thus freeing all Grey Wardens from their horrible fate. It was only then that Fian realized what true freedom was. She remained a teacher at the University for many years, using her influence to open minds for a more equal society, trying to obliterate slavery and alienages in a never-ending fight. Zevran and Fian stayed together for the rest of their lives. Fian dies a mere weeks after Zevran in her home in Antiva City, at the proud age of 79 in the year 9:90 Dragon. Adaia remains their only child.

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