Dragon Age: Inquisition — Story Playthrough — Part Seventeen
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Iselia had learnt that Blackwall was not really a Grey Warden but a criminal. He had been recruited by the Wardens though and so Iselia sentenced him to actually participating in the Joining and becoming one for real. She had also helped Varric discover how red lyrium had made it to the surface. Then they had made fun of Cassandra's secret desire of reading Varric's smuttiest works.
While the soldiers recuperated, Iselia continued doing small but important tasks throughout Thedas. There were still a few lingering rifts here and there that needed to be removed, and of course there were pockets of red templars and Venatori agents that also needed to be taken care of.
While Iselia was combing through the disgustingly hot desert for Venatori though, the Inquisition received an important message from Leliana's scouts. There was a man in the Emerald Graves by the name of Fairbanks, and he had information of value. He would only speak to the Inquisitor though and no one else.
It would take them a little bit of time, but all reports stated that Corypheus' men were struggling through the ancient forests in their search for the elven ruins, so they should have a little time left for this quick diversion.
The Emerald Graves were lush and beautiful and a breath of fresh air after spending a couple of days in the desert. Iselia quickly found Fairbanks and probed him to see if the information he had was actually going to be worth her time.
Apparently Fairbanks was rescuing people displaced by the civil war that had been going on before Iselia settled the peace talks, only there were a group of armed men calling themselves the Freemen, and they were killing everyone. They were also working alongside Iselia's enemy.
She asked which enemy. Apparently if she helped fight these Freemen, she would find their very many red templar accomplices. That did sound rather interesting. Removing a significant amount of the cursed templars would help the Inquisition.
Agreeing to help Fairbanks and his people, she went to the first area he suggested. A mine. A mine that had a massive chunk of red lyrium sitting out the front of it.
Confronted with that sight, she decided that it was a good thing she had come here after all.
It seemed that the red templar presence here was definitely something she should look into. After investigating the situation further, Cullen had received word that these particular templars were smuggling red lyrium around Thedas.
It would be a significant blow to Corypheus if they took them down.
They found the first caravan of red templars and their hauls of lyrium, and after dispatching them, Iselia found a note on one of their bodies. A rather disheartening note. It seemed that this red lyrium wasn't being mined from any thaig or in the deep roads. It was from the surface.
Remembering the red lyrium growing out of Fiona in that brief episode into the future, Iselia winced. Was Corypheus growing it from people already?
Another note from another red templar's body said that they were selling a massive amount to a man named Samson. Corypheus' General.
There was one more caravan in the region, but Iselia didn't have to kill any red templars to access it — they had already been killed by a great giant and now that giant was attacking them too!
After attacking its legs for what felt like an age, the beast finally fell to the ground and they could finish it off.
Another letter by the smashed caravan confirmed Iselia's fears. Apparently Samson was buying people who were getting sick on the red lyrium. That could only mean they were using these sick people to grow more of the stuff.
That was absolutely disgusting... and terrible.
Ignoring the remaining Freemen for now, Iselia considered it most imperative that she hurried back to Skyhold and gave Cullen her findings.
With what she had found, Cullen had Leliana piece together a trail... a trail that led to the region of Emprise du Lion. Apparently there, the red templars were in force and had surrounded a small city. They were also in control of a large quarry and it was possible Samson was there.
They needed to get there quickly.
When Iselia arrived though, the city was surrounded by jags of red lyrium and much of the city had been smashed to pieces by battle. There were a few villagers remaining, one of whom was muttering about the bad templars with the trusted faces.
This was most grim.
The red lyrium was everywhere.
They attacked a group of red templars and while fighting them, Iselia heard one yell to make sure the Inquisition didn't reach the quarry.
That cemented it. They had to reach the quarry.
Iselia and her people marched through the area and gained ground from the red templars. They set up camps as they progressed, and protected the territory they had claimed from red templar incursions.
After successfully gaining more ground and setting up another camp, they found a dispatch sent between red templars... once again it reiterated that the Inquisition could not reach the quarry. But then mentioned it would be even worse if the Inquisition reached the Keep.
She hadn't even known there was a Keep here! It looked like they were going to be even busier.
Little did she know how right she was...
Turned out that the Keep was closer than the quarry, so they went there first. Only to find that they had been capturing giants and experimenting with them and the red lyrium. Several lay dead in gigantic cages, but others were free and fighting alongside the red templars.
If she had thought that giants she had previously fought were tough, these were even tougher. Luckily she had her rift magic that slowed time around them for a few precious moments which helped the fight in their favour.
After defeating the red lyrium giants, they fought their way into the Keep only to find a demon guiding the actions of the red templars, preying upon them until all they wanted was the red lyrium.
The demon tried to bargain with Isela. It offered her power, even virgins! But she chose to attack and kill it and end its madness.
Once the demon was dead, it left behind a pile of goodies within its smouldering remains... including a nice shield for Cassandra once she was strong enough to lift it. It wouldn't be long until she could wield it. It was perfect.
With the demon dead and the red templars cleared out, Iselia claimed the Keep for the Inquisition.
Now, to continue the search for Samson.
As they strode through the snowy red lyrium infused wastes and entered the quarry at last, they found cages upon cages of people from the ruined city. They had been captured to further grow the red lyrium.
They could not have that and they would not have these poor people put through that. Varric quickly freed them all and they continued the hunt for more red templars and Samson.
In the quarry they found several pieces of correspondence written by Samson himself to various templars he entrusted as commanders.
Apparently Samson's armour was powerful... very powerful. The man wasn't here but surely there was something in this correspondence that would help them. Iselia would return all of this information to Cullen, at once.
It was time to return to Skyhold.
Before handing over the information to Cullen, Iselia thought it best to quickly check in on all of her people and make sure everyone was handling this chaos well enough.
Cassandra was not feeling confident at all about what they faced and the decisions they were making, but placed her trust in Iselia to make the best decisions she could. Iron Bull had received word from the Qunari that they were interested in forming an alliance with the Inquisition which was both welcome and worrisome. And before she could talk to anyone else, Sera grabbed her. Apparently they were to receive payment for undertaking some Red Jenny work. Would Iselia come with her to collect?
Of course she would.
Iselia wasn't expecting to come across a disgruntled nobleman, annoyed at the Red Jennies. He was a pompous prick and he expected the Inquisition to work with him, but it didn't work that way, no. She used her influence and noble background to spin the situation around on him and now he worked for the Inquisition.
Sera wanted him dead, but was happy with things this way too.
Now that this was over with and the Inquisition had more power in the land, inadvertently thanks to Sera and the Red Jennies, Iselia could continue her chit-chats with her friends and check in with Cullen.
When they got back to Skyhold however, Varric accosted her. He had been looking everywhere for her! There was somewhere they needed to be. Right now.
Everyone was in the tavern, drinking and playing cards. At last Iselia had joined them! That saved her the effort of finding everyone individually.
A grand evening was had full of laughter, nostalgic stories, drinking and merrymaking.
Josephine completely fleeced everyone out of all their coin and even Cullen's clothes. It was a fantastic night. Just what Iselia needed after days of evil, red lyrium, and demons.
Cullen ran out of the room, completely naked, and everyone else returned to their own areas. Varric thanked her for finally joining them. They should all do this more often.
Iselia was inclined to agree.
Now that the party was over, she spoke to Cullen about Samson and what she had found at the quarry. It did indeed seem that Samson's armour was the key to removing the threat of the man... but how could they destroy the armour that he wore?
Cullen suggested they speak to Dagna, their occult supervising dwarf, and see if she had any idea.
She did. But she would need time.
Time they did not have.
Until next time! 🐲⚔️
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