Champions of the Just

"It screams, 'I hate fun and kick puppies,' doesn't it?"

Champions of the Just is a main quest in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Acquisition
This quest becomes available after the cutscene in Val Royeaux during the quest The Threat Remains. Begin the quest by spending 15 Power at the War Table.

Choosing the templars will make it impossible to work with the mages.

Description
Leliana and Josephine have been working tirelessly to convince, coerce, and win over some of Orlais' most influential houses. Ten noble families will help the Inquisition pressure the templars into sealing the Breach, traveling to Therinfal Redoubt and demanding the Lord Seeker deal with them or face the wrath of Orlais. The Inquisition has promised the Herald of Andraste as its voice in these negotiations.

Recommended levels: 4 to 7

Walkthrough
A cutscene will begin, and Lord Esmeral Abernache introduces himself to the party (Vivienne has some choice lines for him) and will greet the Herald:

'''Care to mark the moment? Ten Orlesian houses walk with you.'''
 * Of course. - Sera Slightly Disapproves
 * Perhaps an overblown speech? - Cassandra Slightly Disapproves; Varric/Sera/Iron Bull Slightly Approves
 * Save it for the Lord Seeker. - Sera/Iron Bull Slightly Approves

After the scene, turn around and head down the hill to pick up some gold.

Meet the templar contact
Approach the nobles and templars to listen to their banter. A couple of loot stashes and a note can also be found. Speak to Knight-Templar Barris when ready. There are no approval changes for any available party members during the entire following sequence, so feel free to choose any dialogue options. Cassandra has a unique dialogue choice at one point, however.

Barris will lead the Herald to some banners and say that the Lord Seeker has requested that he/she perform a ritual that all templars are required to do. The choice here has some secondary consequences:


 * I'll do the ritual. - Performing the ritual allows for approval changes from party members. The courtyard can also be looted.  However, Lord Abernache will die in the following cutscene.
 * Take us to the Lord Seeker. - No ritual, corresponding approval changes or loot, but Lord Abernache survives.

If the ritual is not performed, skip down to Meet the Lord Seeker.

Raise the flags in order of importance
Use the gears to raise the flags. As far as party approval goes, only the flag raised to the top matters. Party members will audibly hint at what they approve/disapprove of as the flags are moved. Full changes are as follows:


 * Andraste first - Cassandra Slightly Approves; Solas Slightly Disapproves
 * People first - Varric/Sera Slightly Approves; Vivienne Slightly Disapproves
 * Templars first - Sera Slightly Disapproves; Vivienne/Blackwall Slightly Approves

Barris: Traditionally, a participant in the rite now explains their choices to those assembled.
 * I decided based on politics. - Sera/Blackwall Slightly Disapproves1, Iron Bull Slightly Approves, Vivienne Approves
 * I picked at random. - Solas Slightly Disapproves; Sera/Blackwall Slightly Appproves (Sera's reaction here is amusing)
 * I let faith guide me. - Solas/Sera Slightly Disapproves
 * My reasons are my own. - Solas Approves; Blackwall Slightly Approves

Loot the courtyard before entering the door, as this area will no longer be accessible.

Meet the Lord Seeker
A cutscene begins and how it plays out will differ depending on whether the ritual was skipped or not.

If the Herald performed the ritual...

Knight-Captain Denam: (Chuckles.) This is the grand alliance the Inquisition offers?
 * Abernache, step back. - Varric Slightly Approves
 * Barris, what's wrong with him? - Sera Slightly Approves
 * Where is the Lord Seeker? - Vivienne Slightly Approves

If the Herald skipped the ritual...

'''Knight-Captain Denam: So this is the herald of change. You are why everything must be moved ahead.'''
 * I'm here to help. - Cassandra/Blackwall Slightly Approves
 * Barris, what's wrong with him? - Varric Slightly Approves
 * Where is the Lord Seeker? - Vivienne Slightly Approves

Fight through the corrupted templars
Either way, once the conversation ends, red templars, including Denam, will attack. Barris will be fighting alongside the party. If Abernache lived, he will cower in a corner of the room. Once the battle is over, Barris will confirm that Denam is not dead, and the Herald says he will be judged later.

The party will be fighting a mix of red templar knights and archers as they move through the castle. Neither have any specific vulnerabilities or resistances.

A couple of knights will be just outside the door. To the right is two rooms to loot, one of them locked. Move up the stairs to find another locked room on the right. Eventually the party will exit onto the courtyard area, only higher up, and several enemies will need to be eliminated. Remember that while using tactical camera, the cursor can "climb" a ladder by pushing R3, allowing targeting of annoying archers at higher elevation.

After defeating all the enemies, a nearby door to the mess hall will open and a couple of friendly templars will be engaging enemies. Assist them and then loot the mess hall and pick up any loot dropped outside.

Continue up the large stairs to encounter another battle. About the same number of enemies will be encountered here, just not all at once.

Confront the Lord Seeker
After the battle, find the locked door nearby that leads to the captain's quarters (Denam's quarters). Entering will trigger some dialogue from Barris. Speak to him to learn more. Of particular note in this room is the large loot chest at the foot of the bed. Barris says to make good use of it. It contains some random loot, but also always contains a Masterwork Seeker Shield schematic and an Amulet of Power for Cassandra. Be sure to use it immediately if she is in the party.

Once that is done, move up the next set of stairs and through the door. The Lord Seeker will call out to the Herald. Scour the area for loot and, when ready, walk to the top of the stairs. A cutscene begins and the Lord Seeker grabs the Herald.

Find a way out.
Move forward for a cutscene. The Lord Seeker is revealed to be an impostor: an Envy demon that assumed his form. Envy allowed the meeting with the Inquisition in the hope of "knowing" the Herald and assuming his or her form.

Proceed and the Herald will enter a conversation and have to make a dialogue choice. The choices have no practical effect on the quest. The point is to show that, no matter how the Herald answers, Envy learns a little bit more about him/her.

Move further into the room and some statues come to life breathing green flame. Envy will make a comment based on the Herald's choice, or lack thereof, during the flag ritual. There are four statues and the inner two rotate. Move to the right side by a cluster of NPCs. Wait for the statue to rotate and then move out and make a U-turn. Move around another set of NPCs, wait for the statue to rotate and run directly across the room. The Herald will end up near another set of NPCs and some barrels. Jump over the barrels and back into the room.

Approach the final set of statues and a second voice will begin speaking, which will annoy Envy. To the left is a locked door (rogue only?) Inside, examine the Inscription to begin the sub-quest Demonic Dogma. The Herald gains CUNNING +1. Leave the room, walk into the opposite doorway and it will shut automatically. Open the door to begin a scene with Cole. He will explain where the Herald is, what exactly is going on and how the Herald can escape.

Escape the Chantry.
Follow Cole and the Herald will transition to a new area.

Escape the prison.
The Herald appears in a room of jail cells. Note the open, dark cell to the right before moving forward into another conversation. The cells can entered for some indications of what Envy may be hoping to accomplish as the Herald. Cole is in a cell at the far end of the corridor, on the right side. Speak to him, and a veilfire brazier will appear once he leaves.

Grab a torch and go back to the dark cell and pick up the Prison Key. Then light braziers in the three cells with NPC prisoners. A final brazier will appear at the end of the main corridor. The wall will move backward and stop at another cell. Open the door on the right (the Prison Key is required for this door) and light the brazier. Move back out of the room and light the brazier that has appeared on the wall. This causes the wall to move back completely, revealing a cavern containing another inscription to examine. The Herald gains CONSTITUTION +2. Leave the prison by passing Josephine's cell.

Escape the forest.
After the conversation, exit out into the "forest." As the Herald proceeds, the landscape will become more familiar. There will initially be a couple of Lesser Shades accompanying the Herald, but they'll stop following at some point. Envy will attempt to goad the Herald into attacking the Imperial Army soldiers. They are all Level 1 so they won't be a challenge, but they are infinite. Cole will say that the Herald doesn't have to attack anyone. Indeed, all the Herald must do here is reach the point where Envy pulled him/her into this nightmare. If the Herald draws weapons, simply disengage. Also note that spires will pop out of the ground at random, exactly like when attempting to close a fade rift. These are more dangerous than any enemy here.

There is one point of interest, however. On the second floor of the mess hall, find the final inscription to examine for Demonic Dogma. The Herald gains DEXTERITY +3.

Once the quest marker is reached, a scene plays.

At this point, 512 XP, 200 Influence and +2 Power is awarded.

Holding the Great Hall
Another scene plays. Envy has retreated behind a barrier and the templars intend to dispel it. However, they will need uncorrupted lyrium and their uncorrupted lieutenants to proceed.

There are two new areas off of the Great Hall that will need to be visited at least once: the Upper Barracks and the Officers' Quarters. There are two entrances to each, one downstairs and one upstairs. Initially, only the lower doors are accessible. Be aware that there is only one supply cache for this portion of the quest. Another supply cache is located past the barrier. Some points to remember:


 * As soon as the party departs the Great Hall, the gauge will begin to tick down.
 * When veteran is saved, the gauge increases slightly. Game over if the gauge depletes entirely.
 * A party member say they hear fighting when the gauge depletes by half. Another will warn the Herald when the gauge is depleted by 75%.
 * Every time the party returns to the Great Hall, at least one Red Templar Horror will be there. There will be more depending on how much of the gauge has depleted before returning.  At 50% depleted, there will be 3-4 Horrors; at 75% depleted there will be 4-5.
 * Barris, the veterans and any other templars in the Great Hall seem to be invincible. They can be used to draw threat and let some party members pick at them from range, or even the upper level.
 * The gauge quickly refills to maximum after defeating all Horrors in the Great Hall.
 * IMPORTANT: If the gauge depletes by 75%, the next time the party returns and fends off the horrors, Barris will grunt uncomfortably. The Herald asks him if he's alright, and Barris will dismiss it. But he will die while the templars are dispelling the barrier.  This is important because if Barris lives, he becomes an Agent for the Inquisition.
 * Some enemy groups can be avoided in order to conserve time and health. Combat Roll, Fade Step, Stealth can all be used, as can simply disengaging and running.  However, enemies assailing a veteran must be killed in order for the veteran to move to the Great Hall.
 * Depending on difficulty/level, it may require more than one trip to do/acquire everything of import.

Before proceeding, exit the Great Hall and check both sides of the entrance to find some loot. The templars will erect a barricade here after one of the new areas is entered.

There is no right way to do this, so the best advice is to get the Veterans first, in order to make the defense of the Hall easier. Since there are two in the Upper Barracks, its better to go there first.


 * Turn left immediately. There is some loot up the ramp ahead.  Turn right into the open area.  A group of enemies is here but they can be bypassed.  There is a codex entry in the small shed that they spawn near.  There is a bashable wall directly across the yard.  Go through the door to the left of the bashable wall.  Pass through this room and turn left at the T-intersection.  Assist the first veteran.
 * Head back to the T-intersection and go up the large stairs. Assist the second veteran.  There is a locked door here that leads down to a prison.  As soon as the party descends the stairs and enters the prison, face left to find a loot box.  There are some cells that can be unlocked, but the time it takes to unlock them is not worth what you can find in them.  There is a list of prisoners nearby but reading it does not award any XP, and is intended purely for story background.
 * Back up to where the second veteran was found, head past the wooden structure, cross the bridge and enter the tower to find a door that leads back to the upper level of the Great Hall.

When the Great Hall is reentered for the first time, be sure to knock down one ladder, so the party can climb back up. After dispatching the Horrors, loot the upper level and knock down the rest of the ladders. One chest contains the Templar Order banner. When ready, enter the Officers' Quarters from the second level.


 * Head downstairs, cross the bridge, turn right and pass through the room. Assist the third veteran.
 * Head east, veer around the right side of the tower and cross a bridge (it's parallel to the one you crossed earlier.) Bash down the wall, and fall down the hole (take about 100 dmg).  This is the only way to enter this room.
 * Exit the room and dispatch enemies. Enter the door to the left of the small archway.  A scene will play with Cole.  Afterwards, grab the Lord Seeker's Key and loot the large chest.  This chest contains some random loot but always contains the Sunless Staff and a Bianca Arms II.
 * Exit the room and turn right. Jump over the railing and open the door to the right (requires Lord Seeker's Key).  Go up the stairs on the left and grab the lyrium cache.
 * Exit the room and veer to the left and enter the large archway. There's some loot on a ramp to the left.  Turn right to reach the exit back to the Great Hall.

Talk to Knight-Templar Barris
Note: Once the Herald speaks to him, access to the Upper Barracks and Officers' Quarters is cut off. Also, the ladders will be raised, so there will be no fighting on the upper level.

The templars will now dispel the barrier and the party must fight off waves of red templars, totaling about a dozen. Waves will be a mix of knights, archers and horrors. As soon as the fight starts, switch to tactical camera. There are two raised platforms to either side that are good positions for archers, mages, perhaps even the entire party since the ramps and ladders will become choke points.

Once the barrier is down, go up the stairs on the right and make a u-turn at the top to find a supply cache if needed.

Confront the envy demon.
The Envy demon fights much like a Terror demon. Depending on difficulty it can be level 6-8 with over 20000 HP. It is immune to all disabling effects. Much like a terror demon, it will do an AoE attack that slows down nearby party members. However, Envy's attack also does spirit damage and inflicts the panicked status (much like the Horror spell). A mage can use Dispel to get rid of the panicked status but not the slowdown effect. After it does this attack, it always goes underground and appears across the battle area. It will then throw spirit projectiles, much like a Wraith does, but without the weakening effect. It's melee attacks can hit multiple party members.

Once it loses about a third of its health, it will move behind a barrier and summon Red Templars as backup. Cole will say "it's trying to hide." Envy will then transform into a large, black shape, with glowing eyes, similar to how it looked in the nightmare portion and it's attack style will change. (mimicing the Herald?) Once it takes the black form, Cole will join the fight until Envy is dead.

When it has about 25% of its health left, it will return to its default form, and at this point it's a matter of the party's healing potions outlasting it's health.

Envy drops the unique dual-blade Audacity and 5 of each type of essence.

Return to the Great Hall
Barris approaches from the main hall (or Fletcher, if Barris died), with the surviving templars assembled.

If Lord Abernache survived...

Abernache: I do hope it won't effect our concord.
 * You're still a needed ally. - Varric/Vivienne Slightly Approves
 * You can still serve.
 * Just get out of my way. - Varric Slightly Disapproves

Barris (or Fletcher): The templars are ready to hear what the Inquisition needs of us.
 * We need true templars. - Vivienne Approves
 * Help against the Breach. Fast. - Varric Approves; Sera/Iron Bull Slightly Approves
 * You know what you need to do. - Iron Bull Slightly Approves

'''Barris: But the Order is leaderless, gutted by betrayal. We must rebuild it.'''
 * Rebuild as our partners. (Ask the templars to join you as free allies) - Cassandra/Iron Bull Greatly Approves; Blackwall/Vivienne Approves; Varric Slightly Approves (only if he's in the active party); Solas/Sera Greatly Disapproves
 * Then yield and serve us. (Convince the templars to disband and become part of the Inquisition instead) - Solas/Sera Greatly Approves; Vivienne Slightly Disapproves; Cassandra/Blackwall/Iron Bull Greatly Disapproves

Either way, the templars join the Inquisition in the effort to seal the Breach.

Back at Haven
Leliana or Cullen will berate the Herald depending on the previous choice. Cole will appear on the war table and eventually the Herald must decide whether to accept his help.

'''Cole: I want to do that. I can help.'''
 * Q What kind of help?
 * He can stay; he's trustworthy. - Cassandra Slightly Disapproves
 * He's too dangerous. Kill him. - Cassandra Approves

If Cole is not recruited, he makes everyone forget about him and disappears.

The quest comes to an end as preparations are underway to receive the Templars and seal the Breach.

Rewards
~2650 XP minimum, Influence +1600, Power +5

Amulet of Power (Cassandra only)

Masterwork Seeker Shield schematic

CUNNING +1, CONSTITUTION +2, DEXTERITY +3 from Demonic Dogma

Templar Order banner

Sunless Staff (Unique staff)

Bianca Arms II

Audacity (Unique dual-blade)

if Barris survives he becomes an Agent of the Inquisition (FORCES), Power +1

Results

 * The Templars are recruited to seal the Breach
 * The Templars are saved from their fate otherwise
 * The Mages are left to their fate
 * (Optional) Cole joins the Inquisition

Bugs
1 With Cassandra in the party, and the choice "I decided based on politics" is chosen, the game displays Blackwall Slightly Disapproves

Trivia

 * Most of the quest names in the main plot refer to specific verses of Chant of Light. "The champions of the just" can be found in the Canticle of Benedictions 4:10.