Let's press the button of awesome - Stolen memos found

[Brother None]

One question will you LPing the DLC? (Legacy, Mark of the assassin)

How long are they anyway? DAII DLC has been kind of iffy and disinterested.

Even though it's such a great success!

 

[Twinkle]

PART 12 - THERE WILL BE BLOOD, II

The choice has been made.

Order must be restored.

Your first act must be to execute this traitor.

She is a monster! If you help her, you become one as well.

It's unfortunate, but it's the only way.

Think carefully, Champion. This is not justice.

It's done.

Very wise.

Are you sure about this? You know she's going to murder people whose only crime was being born a mage.

What do you want me to do? Let the city go up in flames?

People will die no matter what we choose. Anders made sure of that.

All we can do now is try to keep casualties to a minimum.

I suppose... you're right. This decision was taken out of our hands.

Stop them! I will warn the others!

He escaped, forcing his guard to fight with Hawke and the templars.

Gather our forces! We will deal with this.

So it begins.

I must gather my forces at the Gallows -- meet me there as soon as you can, Champion.

I'll leave this... murderer for you to deal with. He's your companion. Do as you see fit.

Well, how convenient. She left without even trying to punish the real criminal there.

There's nothing you can say that I haven't already said to myself.

I took a spirit into my soul and changed myself forever to achieve this. This is the justice all mages have awaited.

So it's up to you to decide how things should be?

It's obvious how things shouldn't be.

The people fear what we can do, but to use that fear to bludgeon us into submission is wrong! And they do it with our blessing!

And if I pay for that with my life... then I pay. Perhaps then Justice would at least be free.

You have to pay for what you've done.

I know.

The sooner I die, the sooner my name lives on to inspire generations!

Such arrogance and ignorance even in the face of death. He had been asking for this for a very long time.

He died like a dog on the city street, unattended, with a knife in the back struck by his friend and ex-lover. Good riddance.

It will never be enough, but it's a start.

We'd all best get to the Gallows, and quick. It's going to be quite a show.

And so the journey through the flaming city had begun. Not too long after evil spirits appeared from the ground.

Only to be shattered into small shards of ice by a powerful elemental magic attack.

SISTAH!

Bethany?

She's not going to be happy.

Here I was, expecting to find my brother fighting this madwoman who would slaughter every mage in Kirkwall.

Instead, you're helping her?

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that my own family didn't side with the templars.

I'm trying to help the city before it's torn apart.

Sighs

I didn't like how me left it in the Deep Roads. You saved my life, and I didn't even thank you.

If you think supporting the templars is the right thing to do then... so do I. Just say the word and I'll help you.

Your magic would be welcome.

Good.

Brother and sister together again, just like old times.

Not that much of a choice anymore. Thankfully, all the right people stayed loyal to Hawke's cause.

Soon the party encountered a fairly disturbing scene. A group of templars were cornering a single female mage with pretty obvious murderous intent.

Stay where you are! There is no escape!

Leave me alone! I never asked for any of this!

The law is clear, mage. We cannot take he risk.

Keep away from me! I'm warning you!

Grimdark twist: that bitch was actually possessed.

Kill it! Kill it now!

Hawke had no other choice but to assist them.

Thanks to Bethany's AoE spells the party sliced through abominations like knife through butter. She's a much better companion on all accounts than Anders ever aspired to be.

The party encountered another pocket of mages' resistance. Again they sided with templars and defeated them. To be fair mages had always been much easier targets, because there weren't any assassin types among them.

How do you do it, living in this city without picking a side? Doesn't it matter to you?

Of course it does. That's why I don't take sides.

That doesn't make any sense.

I've got you and Aveline, Fenris and Anders. Hawke. Isabela.

I've got friends in the Circle and drinking buddies in the templars. All of them matter.

But you're going to fight. If it comes to that, I mean.

I fought my own brother, Daisy. Nobody said this was going to be a happy story.

Meh, they didn't even bother to set triggers properly. Anyway, the only exit available leads through the docks because all the other paths are blocked either with rubble or waist-high unbreakable barricades.

They saw a lonely mage praying in front of Champion's statue. At least someone paid due respect to Hawke's tireless efforts.

Surprise! That thing turned out to be a nasty, huge demon.

Hawke jumped on a boat and sailed towards the Gallows through the treacherous mist.

A sour mood dominated the party. Bethany weren't happy in particular. Too late to change anything.

Hawke stepped inside the courtyard filled with mutilated corpses that belonged to both sides of the conflict.

A small group of mages led by the First Enchanter himself held a defense line atop the stairs.

Quickly! Quickly!

He drew a big repulsion glyph that sent advancing templars into a lethal freefall.

First Enchanter!

Stay back! I don't want to fight you!

And here you are.

Let us speak, Meredith! Before this battle destroys the city you claim to protect!

I will entertain a surrender, nothing more.

Speak, if you have something to say.

Revoke the Right of Annulment, Meredith, before this goes too far.

Imprison us, if you must. Search the tower. I will even help you.

But do not kill us all for an act we did not commit.

The grand cleric is dead, killed by a mage. The people will demand retribution, and I will give it to them.

Your offer is commendable, Orsino, but it comes too late.

The time for talking is done.

I agree.

So what is it to be, Meredith? Do we fight here?

Go, prepare your people. The rest of the Order is already crossing the harbor.

This isn't over!

And the mages retreated to the keep.

It makes no sense not to attack them in that weakened state, especially with the champion backing up Meredith. Bioware just can't allow player to do something the way he/she seems fit and logical when it comes to really important choices.

A few hours later

With templar ranks bolstered by fresh reinforcements Meredith was planning to launch a final onslaught on the keep.

Let me tell you what is about to happen.

We have the unenviable task of entering the Gallows and eliminating every mage we find within.

You must harden your heart. The magic within them is a disease that, if left unchecked, will spread and fester.

We will do what we must. Maker have mercy on their souls.

Prepare to the attack. Let me know when you are ready, Champion.

End of line. The grand derpfinale awaits in the next update.

 

[Gondolin]

"The people will demand retribution..." Is that your reason for the assault on the Gallows, Meredith? Seriously?

 

[RK47]

...if Space Marines are lead by this bitch, they would be wiped out by Orks in no time.

"Gather your people,"

Fuck you, woman. You don't know how to fight a war. Goddamn retarded fucking asswipes.

 

[Brother None]

Gotta fight like gentlemen! With honor.

Can't wait til everyone dies.

 

[lightbane]

I like how she doesn't seem to mind Bethany (who had a quick change of heart btw).

 

[abnaxus]

I like how she doesn't seem to mind Bethany (who had a quick change of heart btw).

Probably because she's Grey Warden.

I wonder what happens if she's with the mages, instead. Can Hawke kill her?

 

[mysterious-stranger]

"The people will demand retribution..." Is that your reason for the assault on the Gallows, Meredith? Seriously?

Especially when you consider the fact that there's no way for anyone to know what happened, CSI: Thedas obviously doesn't exist, and everyone who does know is either you, part of your party, or dead by the end game.

Also gotta love how easily you can change your members opinions on siding with Meredith, right up there with "2 lines to make Saren kill himself"

 

[Drakron]

Also gotta love how easily you can change your members opinions on siding with Meredith, right up there with "2 lines to make Saren kill himself"

Sorry but you are using the wrong example, Saren was being used and you simply make him snap out of it enough so he can do that.

Saren did not join with Sovereign so it could destroy the Galaxy, he certainly had a bone to pick with Mankind but not at the expense of the rest of the Galaxy, that come later with Indoctrination.

This on the other hand is like Witcher were at one point you can support one side or refuse to take sides ... there is no neutrality on Dragon Age were you cannot call Meredith on what she is, a paranoid tyrant that is just waiting for a excuse to expand her power or call Orsino on what he is, a powerless man that cannot even keep his charges from dwelling into Blood Magic.

It certainly does not help those hacks at BioWare dont even attempt to make your choice being ambiguous, take the Templar side and the Mages end up all being Blood Mages down to Orsino.

Also you are wrong on another thing, they leave if they did not had Loyalty maxed AND you do their personal quest AND if you dont kill Anders, Sebastian leaves.

Wanna complain? do it right ... having half your party walking out on you is not good design.

 

[mysterious-stranger]

Erm, my post was more about the non-existent effort it took to convince them, even with that stuff you mentioned, I would have imagined it would have taken more than one or two lines to convince people who were supporting the mages to turn on them, same with Saren, especially since Shep just parrots what he said to him on Virmire.

Basically, decent idea, poor execution

 

[Drakron]

But as I said, spare Anders and Sebastian walks ... you could say that Sebastian is a DLC character that is true, day 1 DLC (AKA, ripped from the game).

The no effort is only true in the sense you already meet the per-requisites as you are inactivated to do so well before reaching this part, the bad mechanic is Rivalry were instead of "now I leave and join the opposite party" its "I stay and help you because we are rivals" (for a company that bitched about jRPGs they sure picked up a Shounen archetype).

 

[DraQ]

Does anyone still have this doctored DA2 screenie with a geth pasted in among the shades?

I find it hilarious and I want it.

 

[Esquilax]

The Frienship/Rivalry mechanic wasn't a bad idea IMO. On paper, it's at the very least better than the NWN2/MotB Influence system because you don't have to suck up to your douchebag NPC's all the time to max out their influence. Which in DA2's case is a very good thing, because it's very difficult to not insult the whiny, stupid cunts you're saddled with for most of the game.

The only character who seems to be mildly bro is Varric.

 

[Erebus]

I've got you and Aveline, Fenris and Anders. Hawke. Isabela.

Well, three out of six isn't that bad.

It would have been interesting to show innocent mages being cornered by templars without turning into demons and have the player decide what to do, but I guess we shouldn't ask for too much.

 

[DraQ]

I've got you and Aveline, Fenris and Anders. Hawke. Isabela.

Well, three out of six isn't that bad.

It would have been interesting to show innocent mages being cornered by templars without turning into demons and have the player decide what to do, but I guess we shouldn't ask for too much.

Too much grimdark per day, audience fuck takes away.
Forced grimdark to the max, players cannot give fuck.
M:

 

[Twinkle]

PART 13 - THIS IS THE END

That was the last chance to have a chat with companions. Hawke asked their opinions of the current situation.

With Carver... I never got the chance to say goodbye.

I won't let that happen now. Brother, if we... don't come back after this, never doubt that I love you.

I wouldn't have chosen this life, but the Maker gave it to me for a reason. Maybe this is it.

Don't talk like that.

Prove me wrong, Brother.

Captain.

Laughs Not for much longer if this goes bad.

We're in for a mess, now. How do you talk me into these things?

I tried to keep guards out of this but... there've been losses. I'm going to hate you for this.

I have Aveline, the captain of the guard. I'm not worried.

You're right mad, sometimes. You know that?

But! A good cause trumps a good sense any day.

I'm ready, Champion. As I'll ever be.

Hawke smiled and nodded.

Nervous, Hawke?

It's going to be a tough battle.

Yeah, it is. I won't lie to you: This story of ours could end real badly.

We haven't always seem eye to eye, height nonwithstanding.

But this... defending innocent people, preserving our way of life? This is worth doing.

There's no telling what's waiting for us.

Just like always.

What do you say we put an end to all this waiting around and go meet destiny?

If Elthina had stood firm behind the knight-commander, this wouldn't have happened.

There are times when even the best intentions lead to the Void.

Their rebellion will stop here!

I would not speak ill of the dead, but I wish Elthina had understood that need.

These mages will not stop until they overthrow the Chantry. There was never peace to be made with them.

The Maker favors us in this fight. He must, for we defend against His enemies.

If we fall here, may we meet again at His side.

We're going to win.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that nothing turned out the way I'd hoped.

Especially not... with you.

Does all this feel like a dream to you, too?

Don't get distracted now.

I won't. I... promise I won't let you down this time.

Hawke, before we go... I...

We're coming back. That's a promise.

Let's do it.

I assume you are ready, Champion?

Let's get this over with.

Good.

You will need to give orders to your companions. Do that, and the attack may begin.

I should be at your side, Hawke.

Aveline, charge in whenever you see an opening.

Very well.

Sebastian, I need you somewhere with a good vantage. Cover us while we move in.

May the Maker favor us now.

You know what we face. The mages in there, they have risked everything. All of us!

That's not the danger I can ignore. You want peace in Kirkwall? This is where we create it!

Champion. The attack is about to begin.

As you might have guessed, the whole planning stage was just for show. NPCs can't perform anything more complex than "stay here" or "attack this."

Meredith gathered the templars in front of the gate.

Break it down.

And so they did.

Here they come!

Stop them!

Templars struck without mercy, cutting down even those mages who didn't try to resist.

Finally, mages managed to recover from shock and organized a resistance.

Templars forces were shattered. It was time for Hawke to enter the fray himself.

Mages had height advantage, but with three ranged characters in the party it wasn't much of an obstacle for Hawke.

Nevertheless, fallen mages were quickly replaced by lower demons. The rumors about mass demon worship weren't completely unfounded.

Erebus bro, this is specially for you, straight from DG himself!

Yet one small group of mages was smart enough to not mess with Hawke. Instead they bent their knees and pleaded for protection.

Have mercy, we beg you!

Do whatever you want with us, but let us live!

No.

This Circle is beyond redemption.

Knight-Commander, surely the Right of Annulment requires something more--

It requires my word, Cullen. Do as I've commanded.

Champion! Will you not defend us? Must we all be slaughtered for the actions of a few?

Hmm, why not, they asked nicely.

Take them into custody.

Listen to the Champion.

So the templars ignored knight-commander's order and did as Hawke wished instead. The mage expressed his gratitude in one hell of a weird smile.

LMAO

First, the party explored the west wing. Nothing particularly noteworthy there, just loads of monsters to kill.

Then they moved to the right wing swarming with hostile mages and spirits.

A group of templars and mages appeared to be friendly, praying to some higher power.

Yet they turned out to be tits demon's worshipers.

Sandal was there as well, surrounded by a pile of corpses yet completely unharmed. Seriously, I want this guy to be a party member in the next derp age.

Thanks, but Hawke had all he needed. Finally he reached the First Enchanter himself, encircled with dead fellow mages.

Just as I suspected all along.

Willing sacrifices! Men and women who would have died at your hands anyhow!

The irony is that until this very moment, I have never used blood magic.

Do you take me for a fool? One does not summon such a ritual from thin air!

The rite belonged to Quentin, a man the Champion is familiar with. I put aside his research as too dangerous -- but things have changed.

That Frankenstein wannabe decapitated Hawke's mom many updates ago.

You were working with that murderer?

I knew about him. I kept his existence secret because I didn't want to give Meredith more ammunition against us.

I see now I needn't have bothered.

The maker has guided us here to end your evil, Orsino.

The Maker has guided you all to your deaths!

Creativity inbound: he transformed himself into a huge... necromorph, Dead Space be praised. See this and compare.

He's fat, but totally harmless. However, when you defeat him in the original form he appears again in a way more nasty form, "inspired" by another necromorph design.

Occasionally, he summons zombies and spirits to his aid.

At last he meets his end.

Hawke stabs him in the eye, then tears his "head" (the smaller necromorph) off.

Finally, he stomps the head with mighty boot, another not-so-subtle reference.

It is over.

I will make sure the Keep is secure. Meet me in the courtyard, Champion.

We'd best get out before they lock the doors.

This is the last chance to buy supplies.

Look at all this.

Magic is a cancer in the heart of our land, just as it was in the time of Andraste.

And like her we are left with no choice but to purify it with fire and blood.

You got what you wanted. It's done.

Not quite.

I am beginning to wonder just how large your part in all this actually was.

A refugee come to our city with an apostate sister, gathering power and influence without any accounting?

How can I trust that the mighty Champion of Kirkwall is not a worse threat to this city than the Circle?

You're seeing threats where none exist.

Hmph. Just the sort of misdirection I would expect from you.

The people of Kirkwall will mourn your loss, but I will tell them you died battling the mages. A righteous cause.

Knight-Commander, I thought we intended to arrest the Champion.

You will do as I command, Cullen.

No. I defended you when Thrask started whispering you were mad. But this is too far.

She drew her sword, revealing the true source of her madness.

I will not allow insubordination! We must stay true to our path!

Andraste's dimpled buttcheeks!

You recognize it, do you not? Pure lyrium, taken from the Deep Roads. The dwarf charged a great deal for his prize.

Turning the idol into a fancy sword won't save you.

All of you, I want him dead!

Enough! This is not what the Order stands for. Knight-Commander, step down. I relieve you of your command!

My own knight-captain falls prey to the influence of blood magic.

You all have! You're all weak, allowing the mages to control your minds, to turn you against me!

But I don't need any of you! I will protect this city myself!

You'll have to go through me.

The templars broke away with her and refused to attack Hawke.

Idiot boy! Just like all the others!

She's lost it. Just like Bartrand.

She slammed her sword into the ground praying fro divine interference.

Blessed are those who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter!

Well, it didn't help her. She was quickly overwhelmed and beaten.

Maker, your servant begs you for the strength to defeat this evil!

Yeah, her eyes are color-coded, so even the most retarded loyal Bioware fans won't be confused.

Then she performed a backflip, probably 100 feet high, to gain higher ground.

For the second time the sword obeyed her commands, animating nearby guardian statues.

More and more statues of the facepalming dudes from loading screens joined the fight.

Bros it's more intense than all Serious Sam games put together multiplied by infinity divided by zero.

But what if a player deals with smaller robots with ease? How can we improve his experience?

Solution: add bigger robots with flamethrowers and rotating blades.

When Meredith is nearly dead Bioware pulls out innovative storytelling technique. She gets an unblockable stunning spell but instead of decapitating harmless foes she starts talking

It's not enough that they make innocents suffer, no! We must also have insult added to injury!

Spare the mages? Give them freedom? And they would use it to tear down everything we hold dear!

No! No, it cannot be allowed! I will stop it!

Do you hear me, Champion? I will defeat you!

Why is this taking so long? Can ones so evil truly be so powerful?

Maker, guide your humble servant! Please tell me what I must do!

What if... I'm not doing the right thing? What if this is all madness?

No! I must remain vigilant!

I tried to have sympathy. Maker knows I have tried!

But how can we allow them freedom when so many would use it to commit atrocities?

They control minds! They become abominations! They began the Blight itself!

And now Elthina. Oh, poor Elthina. I will avenge you, dear friend!

Just. Shut. Up. And. Die.

I will not be defeated!

Maker! Aid your humble servant!

It seemed that whatever whatever force she appealed too was terminally bored as well. In mere seconds red energy swirled around turning into mummy.

Like moles, cowardly templars appeared from their holes, encircling Hawke's position.

Knight-Lieutenant Cullen was the first pledge his loyalty to Hawke. The others soon followed.

A smug smile appeared on Hawke's face. He faced the derp itself and did not falter.

It's not over yet, though. Stay tuned for epilogue in the next update.

 

[Erebus]

Aside from giving her super-powers, I don't really see the point of having Meredith possessed by her sword.

If I remember correctly, DA:O at least allowed you to make some decisions that affected the world around you (who would rule the dwarves, who would sit on the throne, whether Morrigann would get to bear a Cthulhu-baby...). But here, unless I'm wrong, whether you side with the mages or the templars has no real long-term consequence.

 

[kazgar]

makes dances with rogues look like a bloody masterpiece.

 

[Twinkle]

EPILOGUE

So that's it. That's the whole story.

Then Meredith turned on the Champion. She was to blame.

Or that damned idol was. Or Anders. Take your pick.

Evens so, had the Champion not been there...

Then, I suppose, Meredith would be ruling the city still.

But the Champion is not in Kirkwall any longer.

So I hear! Isn't it strange how quickly fortunes change?

I see.

So how is hearing all this going to help? You've already lost all the Circles.

In fact, haven't the templars rebelled as well? I thought you decided to abandon the Chantry to hunt the mages.

Not all of us desire war, Varric.

Please, if you know where the Champion is, you must tell me.

He is a hero, a man that the templars respect, someone who was there at the beginning.

The Champion could stop this madness before it's too late. He may be the only one who can.

Is that what this is all about?

In that case, I wish I could help you.

Just tell me one thing, then: is the Champion dead?

Oh, I doubt that.

Then you are free to go, Varric. May the Maker watch over you during the dark times ahead of us.

Same to you, Seeker. Same to you.

So did you...?

Gone. Just like the Warden.

That is no coincidence.

So do we proceed witht he original plan, or keep looking?

It is in the Maker's hands now. We put our faith in Him.

After this cryptic exchange she gives Leliana the book detailing Hawke's adventures. The game ends. :/

That was incredibly half-assed. At least DA1's ending brought a sense of conclusion and reviewed player's decisions and their effect on the gameworld. I guess making slides with text is too taxing for an evolved next gen studio.

Also, don't believe the dwarf. Loading post-campaign save puts Hawke back in his mansion. Meaning that...

...more Derp Age is coming.

 

[Erebus]

As far as sequel hooks are concerned, this is about as lame as the Council of Mysterious Dudes at the end of Shadows of Amn.


Thanks a lot for the LP ! Can't say it made me feel like playing the game myself, but it was quite enjoyable to follow !

 

[kazgar]

So if you side the other way at the end, is it the same battles but in the reverse order?

 

[Serious_Business]

That ending was intense shit

More like intensely shit

YEEEaaa

Fuck it. I like how the game tried to pull politics and faction dynamics, and then you fight crazy fuckers that want to kill everyone because you know. That's how end games go. Even if you side with the mage killers, you still get to fight that crazy bitch, because yeah, corrupting artefact. I love this good shit. I played through this 6 times already one more to go and I'll be right back with you guys

 

[Rod Rodderson]

That was enlightening.

And quite entertaining an LP itself.

 

[anus_pounder]

So if you side the other way at the end, is it the same battles but in the reverse order?

Nope. You kill templar grunts, thats all. Some dialogue changes, obviously, but apart from that you still fight the necromorph and meredith is the final boss fight.

 

[kazgar]

So if you side the other way at the end, is it the same battles but in the reverse order?

Nope. You kill templar grunts, thats all. Some dialogue changes, obviously, but apart from that you still fight the necromorph and meredith is the final boss fight.

Thanks for that.

Seems silly and could've provided far more meaningful resolution, and even the case where your playthrough may not match someone else you're talking to about it afterwards, which may mean you'll play it again!

though may have had to generate two endings, may have been far too difficult.