Easter eggs (Inquisition)

In Dragon Age: Inquisition, there are multiple instances where the developers have included in-jokes. This article contains detailed information regarding these Easter eggs.

Dragon Age: Origins

 * During an argument between Dorian and Revered Mother Giselle, Giselle will say "Your glib tongue does you no credit." This appears to reference the argument between Alistair and the Circle mage in Ostagar where the mage says "Your glibness does you no credit." In both instances the conversations occur between a mage and someone affiliated with the Chantry. The same line can also appear during a conversation between Cassandra and Dorian.
 * Out in the Western Approach there is a ladder that you can put a landmark near. When the landmark is claimed, further observation reveals that, scratched into the ladder is a message reading, "Can I get you a ladder to get off my back?" This is very similar to what a violent Warden sometimes says when selected or told to perform commands.
 * When meeting with Bull's Chargers, talking to Stitches will have Iron Bull comment that he makes a fantastic healing potion that tastes terrible. Stitches will reply, "That's because it's a poultice, ser. You're not supposed to drink it." This is a nod to the Health Poultice from the first game, which uses the same drinking animation as any Herbalism product.
 * Sera can tell the Inquisitor that she used to play with a Small Painted Box as a child, which was given to the Friends of Red Jenny by the Hero of Ferelden during the Fifth Blight
 * As in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, cheese wheels can be found scattered throughout various locations, some in quite unusual places. There is even a cheese shield known as Wedge of Destiny that can be found hidden in Crestwood.
 * During exploration of the Hinterlands, Blackwall may warn the party not to eat the cheese in Redcliffe tavern. This is a reference to graffiti found in the tavern during the Warden's travels.

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

 * During banter between Varric and Dorian about Varric's previous encounter with Corypheus, Varric mentions that he didn't "have tea and crumpets" with Corypheus, and describes Corypheus as saying, "Argh, I'm a darkspawn!" This is a possible call-back to Sigrun's line at the end of Last of the Legion, where, if you tell her you previously met the Architect, she will reply, "What's a meeting with a darkspawn like? 'Hello, I'm a darkspawn! Would you like some tea?'"

Dragon Age II

 * Varric's comment is also similar to what a sarcastic Hawke says when first approaching the Sabrae clan. Hawke will say that they are not expecting them to all have tea and crumpets together.
 * When asking Harding what's new, she might say that Varric stopped by and told her a story about copper marigolds. This is likely referring to when, in an attempt to court Donnic, Aveline Vallen has Hawke bring him copper marigolds.
 * If you talk to Dorian after completing Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, he will ask if you tried the ham, which he heard tasted of despair. This is a reference to Mark of the Assassin; at several points people will talk about how the ham "tastes of despair". Varric also mentions this ham in banter with Blackwall.
 * The codices for Varric's book "Hard in Hightown" make obvious references to Dragon Age II companions, mainly Aveline, Merrill and Isabela.
 * The woman on the cover of "Swords and Shields" gifted to Cassandra looks exactly like Aveline Vallen from Dragon Age II.
 * During Red Water, in the upper loot room on the way to a Red Lyrium node, you can find the three pirate statues from Pirates and their Curses, one of which is in the Captain Morgan's pose.
 * Lady Mantillion mentions that one of her late husbands died at Chateau Haine, which is a reference to dialogue between Hawke and a guard during Duke Prosper's party

Jade Empire

 * In some dialogue, Cole will make many references to other media, most of which are spoilers. One reference Cole makes is when he says, "He teaches them to fight with a secret flaw, part of a glorious strategy." This refers to Master Li and his plan in Jade Empire.
 * During banter between Cole and Solas, they may speak of a war in the fade fought in the mind of a child, a reference to the companion Wild Flower and the spirits vying for dominance within her mind.

Knights of the Old Republic

 * Cole has dialogue in which he says, "He was their enemy the whole time, but she made him forget, so he could change." This is a reference to another BioWare game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, when the player character, Darth Revan, had his memory erased by Bastila Shan so that Revan would aid the Jedi Order against Darth Malak, also because she believed Revan could be changed from his evil ways.
 * Two nobles at the Winter Palace can be heard discussing the rules to 'Towers of Hanoi' a famous board game which Bioware used in Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect on Noveria and also appeared briefly in the Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC and a version of it appearing in The Descent DLC.

The Legend of Zelda

 * The merchant in the Hissing Wastes has a shield, a key, and a candle upon his table. In The Legend of Zelda, certain merchants' inventory consisted of the Magical Shield, extra Small Keys, and the Candle, which were displayed in the same order.

Mass Effect

 * During Promise of Destruction in the Castle of Caer Oswin, in the corridor where you meet Cassandra's apprentice, go to the eastern end of the hall, and there is a krogan head mounted on a wall.Krogan_head.jpg
 * In the Multiplayer Map: Orlesian Chateau there is a trophy room. Mounted above two animals on a wall is another krogan head.
 * In the Winter Palace, Grand Duke Gaspard's trophy room has a krogan head in it as well.
 * While in the War Room, Cullen may make a comment about leaving to "calibrate" the trebuchets. Leliana will say, "Again?", and Josephine will complain that Cullen is always doing this. Similarly, in the Mass Effect series, Garrus Vakarian often talks about how he needs to make calibrations, which characters will occasionally comment on.
 * Party banter between Varric and Sera includes a conversation in which Varric talks about "reach and flexibility". This references a dialogue which Commander Shepard can have with Garrus in Mass Effect 2: "I had reach, but she had flexibility."
 * Chantry sisters can be overheard reciting, "Come, my child, and I shall embrace you. In my arms lies eternity." In the Mass Effect series, "Embrace eternity" is a recurring phrase used by asari whenever they meld minds (Samara also uses it when she uses her biotics).
 * Cole may say, "An old name burns inside armor that shouldn't fit, lit by faces of children he couldn't save." This may refer to Shepard's dreams in Mass Effect 3.
 * The Enchanter's Seat resembles Mass Effect's mass relay.
 * In the song "The Dawn Will Come," the second verse seems to allude to Commander Shepard with the lyrics of "the shepherd's lost / And his home is far / Keep to the stars / The dawn will come."
 * If Dorian is in the party when The Descent begins, he complains about how slow the elevator is moving and suggests adding music, a reference to Mass Effect 1's infamous elevators and their muzak.

Plants vs. Zombies

 * South of Crestwood, on Linden Farm, a row of giant flowers can be found against a wall, each in their own column. In several of the columns, corpses can be found on the ground.
 * Next to this is a book with a codex entry titled "Plants vs. Corpses", an obvious nod to the game. The battle is called the Battle of Pauper's Cap (a play on the developer and publisher's name, "PopCap"). Aside from the combat between plants and the undead, the combat tactics are like that in the game. The person recounting the story, Daveth the Mad, stated that he wanted bacon for lunch, and refused to take a pot off of his head. In Plants vs. Zombies, the protagonist's neighbour is called Crazy Dave; he wears a pot on his head, and he likes bacon. The Codex references several additional PopCap games: Bejeweled and Bookworm ("While the demon saw the perfect host in this bejeweled bookworm, Helianthus was not without defenses of her own.") and PvZ: Garden Warfare ("The resulting garden warfare saw corpses armored with buckets and doors as makeshift helmets and shields battling possessed fruits and vegetables who spat seeds, constructed makeshift fortifications, and even chomped entire corpses whole.")

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

 * The codex Confessions of a Lyrium Addict refers to the title of Thomas De Quincey's famous work Confessions of an English Opium-Eater.

Gulliver's Travels

 * In the Western Approach, east of the Craggy Ridge Camp, and above the Astrarium cave, you'll find a small ruin. At the top, next to the West Hill Brandy bottle, are two skeletons surrounded by cheese wheels. Positioned on top of the cheeses are several sculptures of mini-people, who appear to be working. One skeleton appears to have died while being tied down. This may be a reference to Gulliver's Travels.

Fight Club

 * Cole might say, "There is no other man. He becomes the other man to do the things he can't." In Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk, the unnamed main character has a split personality named Tyler Durden who was his outlet to do all the things he himself could never do. It is revealed at the end of the novel that the narrator was Durden all along.

The King in Yellow

 * In the Codex entry A Compendium of Orlesian Theater, the play The Setting of the Light is a reference to the short story collection The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, which features a fictional play also called The King in Yellow as a recurring element. The Setting of the Light takes place in the city of Demhe which becomes one of Thedas's two moons, and an excerpt mentions the characters Callista and Camallia. The play The King in Yellow takes place in the similarly otherworldly city of Carcosa, and an excerpt mentions the characters Cassilda and Camilla. In the story "The Repairer of Reputations" within the collection, a passage describing the play's plot also refers to "the cloudy depths of Demhe". Both plays are said to cause madness and despair.

Moby Dick

 * The quest name Call Me Imshael, is a reference to a quotation from literary classic Moby-Dick, by Herman Meville. In the very first sentence of chapter one, the narrator introduces himself, saying the famous line "Call me Ishmael."

The Castle of Otranto
Josephine if Romanced will be betrothed to a 'Lord of Otranto', a well known place and castle that serves as the scene for the story 'The Castle of Otrato' by Horace Wallpole.

The Water Margins (Outlaws of the Marsh)

 * The name of Iron Bull is probably a veiled reference to Li Kui. Black Whirlwind (Jade Empire) is another nickname of the character Li Kui a murderous, rude bandit who becomes one of the 108 heroes of Liang Shan Marsh.  He is also known as Tie Niu (铁牛) the "Iron Ox" (or Iron Bull because Chinese is ambiguous about bovines).  Not only is it a Water Margins reference but a Jade Empire reference as well.  Someone at Bioware must love Li Kui.

A Confederacy of Dunces
The War table operation A Conspiracy of Dunces is derived from the novel 'A Confederacy of Dunces'.

Citizen Kane

 * Cole might say, "It wasn't from a flower. He rode it in the snow." In Citizen Kane, Kane rides a sled named "Rosebud" in the snow. Obviously the sled, Rosebud, is not a flower.

The Empire Strikes Back

 * Cole might say, "He didn't kill his father. He was his father." In The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader asks Luke if Obi-Wan ever told him what happened to his father. Luke replies, "He told me enough! He told me you killed him!" In response, Vader says, "No, I am your father."
 * The line might also be referencing Luke's vision in the cave on Dagobah in which he appears to decapitate Darth Vader, but the face behind the mask is Luke's own.

The Little Mermaid

 * Upon finding a letter for the Left to Grieve quest, Vivienne might say "Poor unfortunate soul," referencing a song from Disney's The Little Mermaid.

Highlander

 * During banter between Blackwall and Sera, Sera asks if all Grey Wardens have beards, to which Blackwall replies that he stole all the beards and their power, and that "There can be only one." This is a reference to the film, where when one of the immortals kills another, they absorb their power, until only one of them remains, leading to the iconic line, "There can be only one."

Lord of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring

 * When approaching a broken bridge in the Northern Exalted Plains, after unlocking the operation to rebuild it, Varric will say "Before anybody suggests, no, nobody's throwing me across.", a nod to Gimli's line in the movie version, "Nobody tosses a dwarf!" in Moria. This line is not in the book.
 * The quest They Shall Not Pass is a nod to Gandalf the Grey's famous line, "You Shall Not Pass!".

Masters of the Universe

 * When asking Cabot about rumors, one of his replies is, "They have gathered and are prepared to march on Chateau Crane Du Gris." Chateau Crane Du Gris is Castle Skull of Gray or Castle Grayskull.

Monty Python's Flying Circus

 * After capturing Griffon's Keep, on the top floor behind the stairs is a formation of soldiers. The commander asks, "What are the chief weapons of the inquisition?" to which a soldier replies, "Surprise, Ser!", The commander then asks, "What else?" to which another soldier replies, "Fear!" This is a reference to the famous Monty Python sketch, The Spanish Inquisition.
 * In the Hinterlands, exists a cave called "Smugglers Cave". A striking feature of the cave is that a number of skeletons and corpses litters the opening while a solitary nug resides within. This is a reference to a scene in "Monty Python and The Holy Grail" where King Arthur and his Knights tries to enter a cave guarded by the dreaded "Rabbit of Caerbannog" who is capable of beheading a fully armored knight.
 * When entering Redcliffe for the first time, just after the gate is opened, a man informs you that no one was expecting you. Quite possibly another reference to the The Spanish Inquisition.

Scooby-Doo

 * The mission report for Hard in Hightown: A Worthy Dwarf says Worthy the Dwarf's statement upon being arrested was "I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those meddling Inquisitors!" This is a reference to Scooby-Doo villains' famous line: "I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!"

Seven Samurai

 * When asked to tell an interesting story about Bull's Chargers, Cremisius Aclassi may mention the time that he, Iron Bull, and five other Chargers defended a village from fifty bandits. Afterwards, the villagers paid the Chargers for their services with bags of rice. This references the plot of the film Seven Samurai.

The Sixth Sense

 * Cole might say, "He was dead the whole time, he didn't know." This is the ending plot twist of the film The Sixth Sense. In addition, the movie centers around this man mentoring a young child named Cole, who has the ability to see ghosts.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

 * The quest Bring Me the Heart of Snow White is a reference to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, when the Evil Queen demands that the huntsman bring her Snow White's heart.
 * There is an option to give Vivienne another, normal wyvern's heart. This is likely referencing when the huntsman does not kill Snow White, and instead kills a boar, takes its heart, and brings it to the Queen, claiming that it is Snow White's.

Soylent Green

 * Cole might say, "They don't know, but it's made of people." At the end of the movie, Soylent Green, when Detective Thorn is speaking to Hatcher about how the truth must be revealed, Hatcher asks what the truth Thorn is referring to is. Thorn responds, "It's people. Soylent Green is made out of people."

This Is Spinal Tap

 * Zither mentions that his drummer died in the explosion which created The Breach at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. This is a reference to the series of bizarre deaths which ended the lives of musical group Spinal Tap's drummers, two of which died of 'spontaneous human combustion' when they instantaneously died in a sudden unexplained explosion on stage.

The Simpsons

 * One of the bottles found in Crestwood has the description "Tastes Like Burning." This is a reference to The Simpsons' episode when Ralph Wiggum says "They taste like burning."

Miscellaneous

 * Tumblr nsgrgy75MU1ur4tk5o2 400.jpg Skyhold, you can manage to fall through the floor and appear in a cavernous room under the Skyhold houses with creepy music playing. In it is what appears to be a pie in a top hat. This was shown in a video on YouTube, in which BioWare designers Jason Hill and Graham Kelly eventually commented on the video. Kelly dubbed it "The Lord of the Pies", though both he and Hill admitted that they didn't expect anyone to find it.
 * In Skyhold's treasure vault, on the pile of gold there's a top hat similar to the one mentioned above. It may also be a reference to Scrooge McDuck and his signature dive into money.
 * In the Western Approach, an unobtainable floating sparkling golden chalice can be seen through a crack in the canyon wall north of the Astrarium at Echoback Fort. This is possibly a reference to the Holy Grail of Arthurian Lore.
 * In the Emerald Graves, just north of Gracevine Camp, a gap in the rock face can be followed to a small cave with a large number of Bear heads nailed to a wall all together.
 * The mission A Spirit in the Lake, which tasks the player with placing a blood lotus in a basket at Lake Luthias near the Upper Lake camp in the Hinterlands, is in reference to Arthurian legend "Excalibur", and how King Arthur acquired the famous sword.
 * In a cave in Emprise Du Lion a strange, glowing pyramid can be found. On the "ceiling" of the cave several bodies are dangling down, partially consumed. The PS3, however, does not include the people.
 * A man spawning at random locations at Skyhold will offer "the Quizquistion." He will ask the Inquisitor questions about the Dragon Age lore. He spawns randomly throughout Skyhold and, as a reward for finding him and answering his questions correctly three times, he will gift the Inquisitor with a big spoon-shaped two-handed maul.
 * In the Emerald Graves there is a Logging Stand positioned next to a Fade Rift. If you read the note sitting on a bench at this logging stand you will be treated to a Dragon Age variant of "There once was a Man from Nantucket."
 * The quest Where the Druffalo Roam is likely a reference to the song "Home on the Range", in which the first line is, "Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam".
 * There was also "Where the Buffalo roam", a movie about Hunter S. Thompson starring Bill Murray.
 * Cole may say this to Sera in one of their banters: "Before the door is opened, they could let the cat out and it would always be alive." This is a reference to Schrödinger's cat.
 * The description for the shield Schaefer's Rampart is a reference to the San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan, who is known as the "Big Fundamental" and whose personal motto is the nursery rhyme "Good, Better, Best. Never let it rest / Until your Good is Better, and your Better is your Best." He is an avid video-game player.
 * In the Emerald Graves, just southwest of the Dragon nest there is a crevasse filled with bones, on a outcropping above there is a disproportionately large human skeleton with an equally large wooden hammer and sack surrounded by normal human skulls. The sack contains a variety of crafting materials.
 * In the Western Approach at the top of a ruined tower near the Giant's Staircase, there is a skeleton surrounded by cheese wheels and wine. Statuettes of humans can be seen on the cheese, "farming" it. There is also one figurine posing like the well known mascot Captain Morgan on one of the wine bottles.
 * The quest Wyrm Hole is a reference to the hypothetical topographical feature known as a Wormhole.
 * When playing Wicked Grace, Cole describes a card featuring a man with both a crown and a sword on his head, but "the head wanted neither". This fits the real world playing card the King of Hearts, known as the "Suicide King."
 * At Skyhold in the building containing the quartermaster, there is a note titled "Pamphlet: Lift Your Voices!" that refers to the Inquisition's glee club and lists the songs that members should practice one of which is titled "Twinkling Lucia of the heavens". This seems to refer to The Beatles song Lucy in the sky with diamonds.
 * In Orlais, off to the far left of the plaza when you first enter the area, you will find a wooden gallows. A note on the gallows pays homage to the song "Gallows Pole" by "Led Zeppelin"
 * In Emprise Du Lion, there is a series of small bodies of water in between the second and third dragon nests that has an arm coming out of the water holding a sword. This is a reference to the story of the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend.
 * When reading excerpts from Varric Tethras's book regarding the Inquisition, Cassandra quotes Solas remarking to a Red Templar, "Better to fade out, than burn away." This phrase is an inversion of a lyric from Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), by Neil Young. The original lyric is (in)famous for being quoted by musician Kurt Cobain in his suicide note.
 * This could also be a reference to the band Def Leppard's song "Rock of Ages".
 * Upon returning to the Old Temple after speaking with Ameridan, there is a niche in the west wall of the entry area that contains a partially melted snowman and some playing cards.