The Last Straw

The Last Straw is the final main plot quest in Dragon Age II's Act 3.

The tension between Knight-Commander Meredith and First Enchanter Orsino has reached boiling point and Meredith wishes to lock up all the mages and search the tower from top to bottom, accusing Orsino of harboring blood mages. The Champion must intervene and choose a side.

Acquisition
The Champion receives a letter The Last Straw from First Enchanter Orsino at his Writing Desk in the Hawke Estate:

Champion,

You have proven yourself a friend to Kirkwall's mages and it seems I must call upon you once again. Meredith has gone too far, and I will not let her madness remain unchecked. I ask that you come to the Gallows at once. Perhaps we can stop this before there is bloodshed.

Orsino.

Note that once you have accepted this quest at the Writing Desk it becomes impossible to return to the Gallows to (for example) complete quest Herbalist's Tasks 3.

Note also that once you start this quest (e.g. by accepting the quest and visiting the Gallows), you will be unable to complete any other quest or task for the rest of the game, so it is recommended to complete all quests and stock up on gear/potions/runes before starting this quest.

Walkthrough
Upon arriving at the Gallows you are taken straight to a cutscene where Anders destroys the Chantry, causing Meredith to decide to invoke The Right of Annulment to kill all mages in the Circle (although they were not involved with the apostate mage Anders' actions). You must choose to side with either Meredith and the Templars or Orsino and the mages. Whichever choice you make will cause dissent in your party:


 * if you agree to side with the Templars then Merrill, Isabela and Bethany will disapprove
 * if you agree to side with the Mages then Aveline, Carver and Fenris will disapprove.

Any dissenters that are not fully loyal to you will then leave your party if you press ahead with that choice. (Note that Anders will ALWAYS leave your party if you side with the Templars, no matter his loyalty.))

Result
Congratulations! You've just completed Dragon Age 2! Sit back and enjoy the rest of the game!

Rewards

 * Staff of Violation
 * Orsino's Signet Ring
 * Robes of the Empowered Circle

Bugs

 * In the conversation between Meredith and Orsino on the steps of the Gallows, Orsino's robes and Meredith's armor may not fully render. This may persist through the final fight, along with a lack of textures on large parts of the environment.
 * After defeating Orsino, the cutscene for killing Orsino may loop indefinitely. Simply skip through it to continue the quest as normal.
 * If an additional romance was initiated but not pursued, Varric might say both names simultaneously as he narrates the epilogue.
 * During the Orsino battle, there is a chance that a templar will get stuck behind the wall of fire, causing tactical glitches and preventing the fight from ending. However, if you have summoned your Mabari beforehand, you can get lucky, and have it get stuck there as well, in which case it will probably end up killing the templar.