Baroness

The Baroness was once the Orlesian ruler of the Blackmarsh, during the Fereldan occupation. She defeated the Queen of the Blackmarsh through her powerful sorcery.

Background
Once, a high dragon took to living near Blackmarsh, causing destruction to its residence. On one night, the Baroness came and travelled to the dragon's lair. The next day the dragon had disappeared, presumed dead, and while rumours circulated that the Baroness must be a blood mage to have brought down the beast, the grateful townsfolk paid them no heed. The Baroness became the Orlesian ruler of the Blackmarsh during the occupation, but her rule was marked by oppression, violence and injustice. She was, in fact, a blood mage and paid great amounts for the young girls of the town to restore her youth. The Baroness met her end when her subjects turned against her and burned down her mansion. With one last spell before dying, the Baroness captured all their spirits into the Fade, shaped as a nightmarish version of Blackmarsh itself.

Skills
Same skills as the Pride Demon, but with an extra ability: she can summon portals but she can be stopped with enough damage, just like a normal long casting spell.


 * Fire Bolt deals approximately 50 Fire damage and leaves a burning damage over time effect (on Nightmare difficulty).
 * Ice Bolt deals about 50 Frost damage and freezes the target solid for a few seconds (on Nightmare difficulty).
 * When she summons a Fade Portal, an elite-rank Fade Portal enemy spawns which continually spawns Shades until its destruction. Shades deal minimal damage but can be a nuisance with their knockdown attacks. The Baroness only opens Fade Portals for the first phase of the fight.
 * Drain deals approximately 10 points of damage per tick on Nightmare - around 50 to 60 total damage if the Baroness is not interrupted via Shield Bash/Overpower/Pommel Strike/etc. However, she also heals herself for several hundred points of damage each tick. On Nightmare, the Baroness will gain nearly 2,000 health over the brief duration of this attack. She only uses this ability in the second phase of the fight (when she runs and breaks open the gate into the courtyard). She will never use this ability above 50% health.

Note that the healing effect of Drain is actually unaffected by how much damage is dealt to the target. Tested with a Bulwark of the Ages-enhanced Carapace effect and Strength of Stone enhanced with Blessing of the Ancestors - the warrior and rogue took no damage at all but the Baroness healed for the same amount.

Bugs

 * Sometimes the Baroness traps you in the fade permanently. Save before first encounter.
 * Although the Baroness agrees to reward you, you actually receive no statistical increase regardless of your choice.
 * The Baroness is scripted to knock down the door to the keep courtyard after she successfully opens the first portal during combat. If she fails to do so (i.e., she is killed), the gate will remain closed after combat and cannot be opened. There is, however, nothing that can be interacted with in the courtyard.

Quotes

 * "The spirits will watch in envy as the mortals of this realm bow down before me!"

Trivia

 * The Baroness is likely based on Elizabeth Báthory, a countess who invited peasant girls to her castle to work as servants with promises of high pay. Once there, the girls were imprisoned, and often tortured and mutilated before being murdered by the countess. Her killing spree gave rise to a rumour that the countess bathed in the blood of her victims, in the belief that this would preserve her own youth and beauty.
 * The Baroness may have also been based on the | Countess a Demon from Blizzard Entertainment's | Diablo franchise. The Countess was a human who used the blood of virgins to sustain her youth but eventually after her downfall her tower was forever cursed and inhabited by various demons and their ilk. Also another similarity is the Baroness is the ruler of Blackmarsh whereas the Countess and her tower reside in a location called Black Marsh in Diablo 2, presumably the area of Black Marsh may be her kingdom. Another similarity is that both the Baroness and Countess have returned from the dead as tyrannical evils. The name's Countess and Baroness are similarly coined both signifying a title of nobility another interesting fact is both their true names have not been revealed as of yet.