A Brewing Conspiracy

A Brewing Conspiracy is a side quest in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. There are rumors about a conspiracy to kill the Warden Commander. You can decide to investigate the matter or do nothing and take your chances.

Walkthrough
Start the quest by either talking to Ser Tamra or Anders during the quest Oaths of Fealty in Vigil's Keep - Throne Room. Who will give you the quest depends on your dialogue choice at the beginning of the ceremony. If you chose the Persuade option, Ser Tamra will tell you about letters she intercepted that suggest that there is a conspiracy, if you chose another option, Anders will tell you that he overheard ominous whispering amongst a group of nobles.

Return to Seneschal Varel and discuss the matter. Senseshal Varel informs the Warden that the right of high Justice is theirs and treachery is a capital offense. If the Warden inquires further, Varel will present several options:


 * Let some soldiers spy on the nobility, although the Seneshal does not believe that the soldiers will be successful. This is not really an option. Varel will mention it, but cannot be ordered to send the soldiers.


 * Find an infamous character called the Dark Wolf. (If you did the side quests from Origins called Crime Wave, you will remember that Slim Couldry told you that the nobles were calling you the Dark Wolf.)


 * You can "invite" a member of each noble family to stay for a an indefinite amount of time (i.e. taking them hostage). If anybody moves against you, you have them executed.


 * Do nothing and let the conspirators set their trap.

You can also tell the Seneschal right away that you want to do nothing and not ask him about the different possibilites to handle the matter. This will prevent you from ever contacting the Dark Wolf and therefore ultimately leads to the side-quest "And You, Esmerelle?". If you let the Seneschal present the various options and then decide to do nothing, you can still change you mind later and chose the Dark Wolf Option, after the messenger contacts you in Amaranthine.

Dark Wolf Option
If you asked the Seneschal about the Dark Wolf, even if you decided to do nothing afterwards, then shortly before passing through the city gate a cut scene is triggered and a city guard explains to the Warden that she was paid to deliver a letter from a knight called Ser Wolf of Rivian. If the Warden asks about the knight, the city guard explains that he had on a helm and has no other information, but that he looked suspicious.

The suspicious guard can be found in front of the second gate in Amaranthine at the north end of the city. (During the conversation, the Warden can reveal that he/she is the Dark Wolf, if the Crime Wave quest was completed in Origins). The Dark Wolf requires a payment of 50 in order to reveal the location of the conspirators, but that it will take some time to find the information. At this point enter any building and then return to the suspicious guard. He tells the Warden that it was not easy, but he knows where they meet. A new location appears on the world map named Old Stark's Farm. Travel there and kill the conspirators.

Hostage Option
If you choose this option, the conspirators won't move against you. (needs confirmation)

EDIT The conspirators will rise up against you. There will be a cut scene when you go back to the keep and when you go inside you will be attacked after a cut scene. This happened after the Black marsh.

Do Nothing Option
If you do not get the information from the Dark Wolf and/or do not go to Old Stark's Farm to kill the conspirators, then when you return to Vigil's Keep after finishing the second main the quest there will be a Peasant Revolution, presumably incited by the conspirators. Afterwards, when you enter the keep, the questline will be concluded by And You, Esmerelle?.

Note: The Peasant Revolution will always happen, even if you killed the conspirators at Old Stark's Farm. The only difference will be, that the Seneschal will not presume that there is conspiracy behind the uprising.

Dark Wolf Option
-50 to pay Dark Wolf for the information needed. You can also kill the Dark Wolf (and a few guards that join him), after he has given you the information for some XP and gold and/or random small loot from the bodies. You will not get the 50 back however.

Killing the Dark Wolf may have an effect on the later/end part of the game. (needs confirmation)

Random loot from the conspirators and assassins, when you kill them at the farm plus approximately +10

Hostage Option
No rewards. (needs confirmation)

Do Nothing Option
See And You, Esmerelle?.

Bugs

 * If you kill Lord Guy (one of the conspirators) and didn't finish your ceremony in Vigil's Keep before, he can still be seen standing there.
 * If you kill Lady Liza Packton (another conspirator) before the A Day in Court quest, she will still appear at a trial over land.
 * Even if you complete the quest with a different option, the Dark Wolf will still appear when you first visit Amaranthine and request payment to gather information. However, he will vanish once you leave the area whether you talked to him or not.

Trivia
Ser Wolf of Rivian's name may be a reference to The White Wolf, Geralt of Rivia, main character of "The Witcher" novels and PC game.