Dragon Age 2 — Story Playthrough — Part Twelve.

It had been three years since Lyria had lost her brother in the deep roads.

During this time Lyria had profited over all the loot found in the deep roads, despite Bartrand's betrayal, and she had spent a fair chunk of the gold on reacquiring the Amell estate that her mother had grown up in as a child. Word had also been received from the Wardens that Carver had survived the Joining. Her brother was now a Grey Warden. That, at least, was a relief.

There had been a strange start to today, though. A messenger had come from the Viscount's office requesting Lyria speak with Viscount, urgently.

So she hastened to the Viscount's office, curious about what he could possibly want her for.

Apparently there were issues with the qunari. As ever. The Arishok, leader of the qunari, had demanded Lyria's presence, by name. Whatever had she done with the qunari to make him request her by name?

Nothing that she could really remember. There had been the dwarf seeking the qunari explosives, but that had been the only time she had even met the Arishok.

The qunari had been in Kirkwall for four years with no inclination of moving. The people of the city were getting restless with their constant presence. The qunari were apparently waiting for a ship... a ship that didn't seem to be coming.

The Viscount asked Lyria to appease the Arishok and the qunari however she could. Considering they knew her by name, surely she could do something; they could not risk angering them and starting a war with them.

She agreed to help.

While she was in the Viscount's keep, Lyria headed down to the Barracks to see how Aveline was faring. She had completed her Captain of the Guard training and was now in charge of all the guard, much to the dismay of a few who still resented that she was Ferelden.

Otherwise Aveline seemed to be doing well. Lyria thought that before she'd go and see what the Arishok wanted, she'd check in with all of her old friends.

As Lyria left the Viscount's keep, Bodahn came running over to her. He held a giant coinpurse in his hands and he quickly thrust it at her, not wanting to be responsible for that much coin.

Apparently it was the last of the proceeds from the deep roads expedition. Varric had finally sold the last pieces.

Bodahn also thanked Lyria for allowing him and his son to stay in their home. He would serve her faithfully for as long as she needed him, in thanks for saving Sandal's life. He also said that her mother wanted to speak with her so he led her back to the estate.

When they got to the estate, Bodahn hurried over to his son while Lyria's mother awaited her at the front doors. After speaking for a bit, it seemed that her mother had wanted to speak with her because she was asking her own child permission to be allowed to start dating again.

That was no business of Lyria's — she just wanted her mother to be happy! If she wanted to find someone, then by all means, find someone.

There were a few letters for her on the desk. Carver had written, his words still as pig-headed as ever, and there were a few thank you's from the people she had helped in the past, including conflicting notes from Feynriel and his mother.

Feynriel's mother was pleased that someone had helped her son... but Feynriel himself was feeling out of place with the Dalish. Lyria hoped he would be okay.

Suddenly Aveline came in and waved some possible money in Lyria's face. Despite moving up in the world, of course there was room for more coin — if Aveline had any work, Lyria would be happy to help any way she could.

Apparently the templar Emeric, the one who had been investigating the murders several years ago, had become a thorn in Aveline's side. He was seeing connections between murders everywhere and had gone quite mad. Since Lyria had helped him with that investigation so long ago, could she speak with him and try to calm him down?

Sure, Lyria said. But after she reconnected with old friends and spoke with the Arishok.

Of course, by "reconnect with old friends" Lyria really meant zooming straight off to Anders' clinic in Darktown to see if perhaps he had changed his mind about them. He was everything she had wanted, and he had cared enough to save her brother, and there was something there between them, she just knew it.

Lyria wandered into the clinic just as Isabela was leaving. Anders was smirking and told Isabela not to come back to him every time she picked up another of these diseases. Lyria shook her head, she really didn't want to know what Isabela got up to in her private time.

Now that she had Anders alone, he seemed more worried. Apparently the templars were searching for him. They were practically at his door just the night before. He wasn't sure he could hide from them for much longer.

Lyria knew just the thing that would keep him safe — she invited him to live at her estate in Hightown! Anders refused. Not because he didn't want to, but because then there would be two apostate mages living in that estate and what if Lyria's money and influence could no longer keep the Knight-Commander at bay? He wasn't going to lose her as well.

She knew it! He did care! He would hear no more of it though and pleaded with her to stop tempting him. It was just going to result in heartbreak. Lyria remained undeterred.

Next on her list of reacquaintments was Varric, her trusty dwarf. She found him in the Hanged Man, of course, where else would he be? When she walked in though, she overheard him speaking to one of his "eyes and ears."

Varric was wanting him to keep an ear out for any undercity chatter about Anders and any talk of thugs making him pay for protection. There would be none of that under Varric's watch, Anders had enough trouble as it was. Lyria was inclined to agree.

Once the man had left, Lyria and Varric spoke for a while. He was wondering what she was planning on doing now that she had all settled in at Hightown. Surely someone like her couldn't just sit on her butt and live the quiet noble life? Did she want to return to Ferelden at all?

Mostly Lyria just wanted to look after her mother, but she would still be happy to cause trouble around town with her favourite dwarf. She wasn't leaving.

While she was at the tavern, she thought she'd stop in on Isabela too, who was at her usual place by the bar. It seemed as though she hadn't moved in three years and if not for seeing her at Anders' clinic it would've been entirely possible she had been frozen there.

Nothing much was new with Isabela, only her everlasting hunt for a mysterious relic that she had been searching for for three years now. Apparently she had a lead though, and Lyria was willing to help if the lead actually amounted to anything.

All that was left was to check in on her elvish friends, Merrill and Fenris. Lyria checked in on Merrill first, being that she was in Lowtown already anyway and that's where the alienage was.

Merrill didn't want to speak right now so it was off to Fenris, squatting in his ex-master's old mansion. As Lyria arrived, Isabela left... which was strange, since she had just left Isabela at the Hanged Man. Shaking her head, she sat with Fenris and they talked.

He didn't know what to do. He had been there for three years, waiting for his ex-master to return so he could kill him... and it hadn't happened. Perhaps he truly was free now. What did one do when they stopped running?

Lyria suggested that when one stopped running, one settled down and started to make a home, a new life. Fenris pondered over that, but didn't know how... he had been a slave all of his life. He didn't know where to start.

With her companions all caught up and accounted for, Lyria finally went to see the Arishok in the qunari encampment.

He offered her what he considered a courtesy — someone, perhaps a greedy dwarf, had stolen what he believed was the formula to the qunari explosives. It was not. It was a poison. And if a greedy dwarf was to make great batches of it, perhaps it could kill an entire district.

Lyria knew exactly who that greedy dwarf was. The one who had led her there to meet with Arishok three years ago, in hopes of trading for the qunari explosive. This damned, foolish dwarf.

She quickly asked Varric if he had heard anything that could pertain to this, but he hadn't, only that someone out there in the merchant's guild was leaving in a hurry. Perhaps it was the same dwarf.

Either way, the streets were in danger while this poison was in the hands of someone who didn't even know it was a poison. They had to find him and stop him!

 

Until next time! 🐲⚔️

 

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_{All screenshots in this post are courtesy of me, @kaelci and are from the game: Dragon Age 2.}