Here Lies the Abyss

Here Lies the Abyss is a major quest in Dragon Age: Inquisition. The quest plays out across several locations in Thedas.

Note: Two decision points occur at the end of the quest which have major repercussions.

Acquisition
This quest is received immediately upon the Inquisition taking up residence in Skyhold. After the coronation, Varric will mention a contact of his who may be able to aid the Inquisitor in thwarting The Elder One's next moves.

Walkthrough
{{SpoilerDAI| The quest begins when Varric mentions that he has a friend who may be able to aid the Inquisition in its mission to put an end to the machinations of Corypheus. The Inquisitor must venture to the battlements of the fortress and there discovers Varric's friend is none other than Hawke, the former Champion of Kirkwall. As the only other person to have faced the ancient magister--and having thought him dead--Hawke provides the Inquisitor with vital information in the form of a Warden ally who has more information on the nature of Corypheus and what he intends to do. The quest to locate this ally appears on the War table under the scouting mission Find the Warden in Ferelden, leading to Crestwood.

Crestwood
The Inquisitor must then travel to Crestwood, a village besieged by the undead. Hawke's Grey Warden ally is located in an old smuggler's den on the outskirts of town, near Three Trout Pond camp that can be established. The Inquisitor's party will have to battle through small bands of undead as well as some templars before reaching the location. A group of two Grey Wardens are located in the village and they make mention that they have been tasked with apprehending the Warden ally, now a renegade from the Grey Warden order.

Note: Depending on the player's decisions in Dragon Age: Origins, the Warden ally will be either Stroud, Alistair, or Loghain Mac Tir.

In the smuggler's den, the Inquisitor encounters the Warden ally, who reacts violently at the presence of a stranger. The Warden ally informs the party that the situation is dire: all Wardens have been summoned to Orlais by Warden-Commander Clarel in one last desperate attempt to end all Blights forever. This is because all Wardens everywhere have begun to hear what they believe to be the call of the Archdemon, the precursor to The Calling. Thinking all Wardens will die at once, Clarel suggested a drastic strategy of using blood magic and demons to make a final stand in the Deep Roads and end Blights forever, before no Wardens are left. The Warden ally too is experiencing this call, and it is implied Blackwall is as well. The ally loudly protested Clarel's course of action and was exiled for speaking out against her, hunted to be imprisoned or killed by the order. The Warden ally, through their investigation, has come to believe that the call is being produced not by an Archdemon, but by Corypheus, in order to command the Wardens.

Note: Blackwall will have special dialogue options with the Warden ally if a member of the party.

The Warden ally says that all Wardens have gathered at a Tevinter ritual tower in the Western approach and asks the Inquisitor's aid in investigating.

Note: ''Before the Inquisitor can enter the Western Approach they must acquire eight more Power. Until the party is able to travel, the Warden ally will remain at Skyhold, located on the battlements.''

Once enough Power has been accumulated, the war table can be accessed for the Investigate the Western Approach operation. Scouts will confirm Wardens massing in the location and it can now be traveled to.

The Western Approach
At the Western Approach the Inquisitor will be able to journey to the ritual tower, encountering a Fade rift near the Lost Spring Canyon camp.

At the tower Hawke and the Warden ally are already present and fear that the Wardens have already begun their blood magic ritual. This proves true as the party discovers Grey Warden being sacrificed in order to bind demons to Grey Warden mages. The ritual is under the command of Tevinter mage, Magister Livius Erimond. It is revealed that the Wardens willingly sacrificed themselves and allowed themselves to be bound to demons in order to wage a war upon Darkspawn in the Deep Roads--and beyond that to slay the last remaining Old Gods as they sleep in order to end all Blights. Erimond claims the Wardens are now enslaved to Corypheus and that this was part of his plan to raise a demon army to terrorize Thedas.

Erimond attacks the Inquisitor and is attacked in return. He flees, calling upon the enslaved Wardens and their demons to attack.

Afterward it is noticed that Erimond fled to Adamant Fortress, an abandoned Grey Warden fortress. Hawke and the Warden ally agree to scout ahead and confirm the Warden presence before returning to Skyhold.

Note: ''Twenty Power will be required to enter Adamant Fortress. On the war table the operation Here Lies the Abyss must be selected.''

Adamant Fortress
Note: If Blackwall has not been recruited prior to this point, he cannot be recruited.

Upon entering Adamant the Inquisitor is faced with a massive battle. The Inquisition's forces assault the fortress and batter their way inside. The Inquisitor and their companions enter the fray.

Lower Bailey
The party encounters Shades and a Warden spellbinder. When battle has finished Cullen will announce that the resistance along the walls is preventing the Inquisition from moving forward. The battlements must be cleared. The Inquisitor must head east.

A senior Warden and other Wardens will be engaged here, including archers. Shades will mass on the bridge and must be eliminated in order to progress. Open the door heading west.

Main Bailey
The Inquisitor encounters some resistance to the enslaved Wardens by other Wardens. A Warden spellbinder and shades will attack. After the battle the remaining Wardens can be told to surrender or fall back to safety. If they fall back they will not initiate further conflicts with enemies. Head through the door to the south.

Shades and a Warden archer must be defeated before the stairs can be used to reach the battlements.

Battlements
The Inquisitor must fight past demons and Wardens to reach three siege points, which will allow Inquisition soldiers to gain ground in the fortress (clearing the siege points is not mandatory but results in experience, 150 Influence and two Power). The first siege point is guarded by a Rage demon.

The second siege point is guarded by Warden spellbinders and a Pride demon. Hawke will assist in this fight and afterward can be directed to fight with the party or stay to secure the battlements. Heading south leads to the last siege point.

The last siege point contains several shades and a pride demon.

Afterward, return to the stairs and open three doors ahead, heading west, to enter the main bailey. In the bailey are shades and a rage demon.

Main Courtyard
In the main courtyard Erimond is revealed at last. He is presiding over Clarel's sacrifice to bind a demon to her. She is unaware that he is a Venatori serving Corypheus and asks that he summon a demon to bind to her. This can be interrupted, either by Blackwall, who will convince the Warden warriors to join the Inquisitor, or by the Warden warriors from the main bailey, if they were spared.

Erimond outplays the Inquisitor by summoning Corypheus's dragon to attack. Clarel realizes that she has been betrayed and turns to attack Erimond. She urges her Wardens to assist the Inquisition and pursues Erimond. Nevertheless, a pride demon and Warden spellbinders will attack, as they are enslaved by Corypheus, but the Warden warriors will stand with the Inquisitor. After the battle, head west along the battlements. Demons will be encountered along the way.

Clarel and Erimond are discovered in battle. Clarel nearly succeeds before the dragon attacks, mauling her. Near death, she enacts one last attack to destroy both herself and the dragon. The force of her spell shatters the walkway and all plummet. The Inquisitor and party are saved when the Inquisitor opens a rift and all fall through.

The Fade
The Inquisitor, their party, the Warden ally, and Hawke are trapped physically in the Fade and must now escape. Climbing nearby stairs, the party encounters what appears to be the spirit of Divine Justinia V. It is unclear if the vision is the Divine or a spirit, but the entity knows the truth of the events at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Slaying demons will help to restore the Inquisitor's memories.

Upon reaching the end of the Fade quest, a pivotal decision will have to be made. One of the Inquisitor's allies, either the Warden ally or Hawke, must remain behind in the Fade to fight the massive spider that blocks the exit, buying time for escape. Whomever is chosen will likely die.

If Hawke is chosen: Hawke will demand to remain behind to fight the creature as Hawke feels Corypheus is their responsibility and the Warden must remain to restore the order. When charging the creature, Hawke will say farewell to Varric and also apologize to their love interest.

If the Warden ally is chosen: The Warden ally, after the revelations about the Warden involvement in the Divine's death, will demand to remain behind to fight the creature. Choosing the Warden ally to sacrifice themself may have impact upon the next pivotal decision made.

Adamant Fortress
Upon returning to the fortress from the Fade, the Inquisitor closes the Fade rift that was opened and destroys the remaining demon--as well as Erimond's hope at creating a demon army. Then the Inquisitor will reveal that one of the companions sacrificed themself to save the rest.

The knowledge of the vulnerability of Grey Wardens to the power of Corypheus, and their culpability in the death of the Divine, makes their presence in Orlais contentious. The Inquisitor must make a decision on the fate of the Wardens in Orlais: whether to exile them from Orlais due to their potential for corruption, or to allow them to remain and fight for the Inquisition. At this time the Warden ally, if alive, is the only remaining senior Warden in Orlais.

If the Wardens are exiled: The Grey Wardens will leave Orlais, thus leaving the Empire without any Warden presence.

If the Wardens join the Inquisition: The Grey Wardens will remain and rebuild their order, joining the forces at Skyhold.

Note: If the Wardens are exiled and Blackwall is in the party, he can be exiled as well.

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Bugs

 * Upon reaching the Tevinter ritual tower, conversations may freeze and only unlock after a certain time has passed, or the player has somehow triggered the conversation to continue. Portions of conversation may be lost when this occurs.

Trivia

 * Depending on the identity of the Warden ally, Blackwall may comment that he knew and respected Duncan, the Ferelden Warden-Commander in Dragon Age: Origins.