Night Terrors

Night Terrors is an Act 2 secondary quest in Dragon Age II.

Acquisition
The quest is acquired from a letter in Hawke's mansion at the beginning of Act 2. Feynriel, the apostate mage rescued from slavers during Wayward Son, has gone into a coma due to his particular talent. His mother, Arianni, has called upon assistance of Hawke and Keeper Marethari to save him. In order to wake him up, Hawke must enter the Fade to confront the demons struggling for control over Feynriel.

Before entering the Fade
After a conversation with Keeper Marethari and Arianni, the Keeper talks to Hawke in private, asking them to kill Feynriel in the Fade should he prove too weak to control his abilities, and risk becoming an abomination. She explains that killing Feynriel in the Fade will make him Tranquil, and no longer a threat.

If you answer "I understand":

The other option "I can't do that":

After this conversation, you have the option of selecting your companions to go into the Fade. Note that Sebastian refuses to go.

In the Fade
Hawke finds themselves in Feynriel's vision of the Templar Hall. Entering the Fade unlocks:

If Anders is in the party, Justice takes over.

Justice automatically casts Vengeance when in the Fade, even if he has not learned it. Note that in this room, there is a book that gives Hawke, one out of four you can get from the Fade. See “Two puzzles and a moving book” below for details.

Torpor
If Hawke proceeds out into the courtyard, they meet the first demon. It is a sloth demon who asks Hawke to allow him to possess Feynriel. He offers Hawke power, knowledge and magic in return. See Rewards for details.

You can either refuse its offer immediately or question it further. If you pick the latter and Anders is in the party, Justice pleads for Hawke refuse its offer. If Hawke tells the spirit to back down, Justice attacks and Hawke is forced to defeat him. Justice and Anders are out of the party for the duration of the quest, leaving Hawke with a smaller party. After defeating Justice, Hawke has a second chance to accept or reject the demon’s offer for the same approval changes as described below, but with the exception of Anders.

If Hawke rejects the offer, Torpor must be defeated. If not done by now, Hawke has a third chance to stop the demon from possessing Feynriel by betraying it and telling the half-elf to wake up.

If you accept the demon's offer right away and do not question him:

If you reject the demon's offer:

If you listen to Anders/Justice and attack the demon:

If you tell Justice to back down, it attacks Hawke.

Two demons
There are two quest markers waiting for you at two doors up the steps on either side of the hall.

Proceed to one of the rooms.

Once inside, Hawke has an opportunity to help Feynriel realize he is in the Fade. Hawke may attempt to help the demons fool him, but ultimately Feynriel realizes he is in fact in the presence of a demon. You are presented with following options:


 * (top options) point out the discontinuities of the visions
 * (middle options) agree with the demons, pretending that the visions are real
 * (bottom options) bluntly tell Feynriel that he is facing the demons

Choosing mostly middle or bottom options frightens Feynriel and makes him insecure, while choosing mostly top options makes him more confident of his powers.

If trying to make a deal with Torpor, choosing mostly middle options results in the demon refusing to possess Feynriel if given the opportunity at the end. This leads to a fight with Torpor and not getting its reward for the quest. If Feynriel is weak minded because of your choices, he asks Hawke to kill him as he can't handle the temptations.

Caress in Feynriel’s Desires


Through this door is the desire demon. The demon poses as Feynriel's father, Vincento. Hawke confronts Feynriel in the form of his mother Arianni. If Hawke's party is in the Fade with them, one of them may fall to temptation and betray Hawke to side with the demon; they must be defeated.

See below for a note on the characters’ temptations.
 * Isabela is tempted by the offer of a new ship and crew.
 * , if a witty comment chosen
 * , if an aggressive comment chosen
 * Aveline is tempted by an illusion of her deceased husband, Ser Wesley Vallen.

Wryme in Feynriel’s Pride
As you go through the door from the courtyard, go in the first door on the left and pick up the book with Codex entry: Beyond the Veil: Spirits and Demons (you may already have that codex entry from the altar on Sundermount - if that's the case, no codex entry is available here). In the end room, the pride demon, Wryme, poses as Keeper Marethari. Hawke confronts Feynriel in the form of First Enchanter Orsino. Another companion may betray Hawke during the confrontation. See below for a note on the characters’ temptations.
 * Merrill is tempted by the offer of power enough to save and protect her people.
 * for a diplomatic choice.
 * for a sarcastic choice.
 * for an aggressive choice.
 * Fenris is tempted by being given power enough to be an equal to the magisters.
 * Varric is tempted by the offer of power to get back at his brother Bartrand for his betrayal in the Deep Roads.

After the two demons are defeated
A rage demon spawns after the first demon is defeated, no matter which one you picked to kill first. When Hawke has killed both demons, it’s the last chance to pick up the four extra attribute points mentioned earlier before ending the quest.

If you made an agreement with Torpor
Torpor and Feynriel are waiting in the Courtyard once both demons are defeated. If you strengthened Feynriel's mind in his projections, you now have a choice once again. You can let Torpor possess the boy, or tell Feynriel to wake up. This betrayal causes Torpor to attack, and Feynriel to plead to let him die. This death causes him to become Tranquil, as the Keeper explained at the beginning of the quest. Hawke still receives reward for the quest, though not in full.

If you lie to Feynriel and let Torpor possess him, in Act 3 there are people in Lowtown driven to madness by possessed Feynriel. Hawke encounters Grigor, a member of the city guard, in Lowtown at night cornered by Melson and his personal guards. Melson has gone crazy and killed several city guards, saying that Feynriel told him that they were thieves. Melson & his guards attack and are killed by Hawke. After the fight, Grigor refers to Feynriel as "The Dreamstalker."



If you refused Torpor's offer and killed it
Feynriel is waiting in the Courtyard where you killed Torpor once both demons are defeated. If his mind was weakened, he begs you to kill him. However, if you strengthened his mind, Feynriel is more confident and learns to leave the Fade on his own, ending the projection. He decides to go to Tevinter to study his Dreamer skills.

Two puzzles and a moving book
Before you leave, there are some extras you can look into; you can acquire up to. One is from reading the Book in the room you spawn in, one for solving the First Barrel Puzzle, and two for solving the second.

For the barrel puzzles, there is a maximum number of moves you can make before some demons are summoned and you are locked out of the puzzle.

Book
The book is in the room you spawn in. With the entry behind you it can be found floating around the second column on your right. It is transparent as it moves, and solid-looking as it stops. It is only when it stops that you can interact with it and get the attribute point. First click "catches" the book causing it to fall to the floor, second click awards the attribute points.

It is recommended to stop the party members from following you as you chase the book and try to interact with it. To do this, on console open the radial menu and push “Hold Position” and on press the hold button ("H" by default) while you’re a bit away from the book’s route. Push the same button again after you have the attribute point to let the party members move freely.

First Barrel Puzzle
Turning left from the starting point there is a room with 7 barrels. These can be moved by clicking on them. If you can get all four large barrels on the floor and the three smaller ones above them within the move-limit you get another. You have a limited number of moves to solve the puzzle.

Puzzle 1

A B C D

E F G H

Click on the barrels in this order:

C G F E A B F E A B C G H D

or

C G F B A E F B C G H D

For a video on how to do the puzzle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os_aumQdmbw

Second Barrel Puzzle
The second barrel puzzle is in the next room to the east, accessed by the hallway south of the two rooms. This time you have to get all four red barrels into the middle of the 10 barrels to get another. You have a limited number of moves to solve the puzzle.

Puzzle 2

A B C D E F

G H I J K L

Click on the barrels in this order:

B H E K G A L F B C E D I H J K

For a video on how to do the puzzle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RDls6v2GBI

A note on the characters’ temptations
If either demon succeeds in tempting a party member, Hawke has to fight the demon and the tempted companion. Once a companion is defeated, they are expelled from the Fade. Anders is immune to temptation, as Justice keeps him safe here, although Justice attacks you if you agree to deal with Torpor. Sebastian refuses to even enter the Fade, as this is apparently no place for "a man of faith."

The party members listed above always betray Hawke, regardless of friendship or rivalry points, or the resolution of issues related to their temptation. For example, even if Varric's friend meter is maxed out and he has confronted Bartrand during the relevant companion quest, he still betrays Hawke when tempted by Wryme. Likewise, Aveline still betrays Hawke when tempted by Caress, even if she has a full friend meter and has begun a relationship with Donnic.

In both cases, only those characters betray Hawke. With Caress, Isabela is the default, but if she isn't in your party and Aveline is, Aveline is tempted instead. With Wryme the order is Merrill, Fenris, then Varric. Therefore, if you go into the Fade with Anders, Aveline, and Varric, you could potentially lose all three for the duration of the quest (if you choose to deal with Torpor). A party of Merrill, Fenris, and Varric can only lose one character, as can a party of Anders, Isabela and Aveline (provided Torpor is not negotiated with).

Possible Outcomes
There are three possible outcomes for Feynriel for this quest.


 * Deal with the Demon To ensure a reward is given, the player must respond with the topmost or bottom most answers during the demon encounters. Upon returning to Torpor, the player must convince Feynriel he is safe with the demon. If any condition is not satisfied, the sloth demon says his mind is useless and attacks, resulting in the next mentioned conclusion. If successful, the possession results in an encounter later in the game with people who have been driven insane by their dreams.


 * The Dreamer With encouragement and Hawke's refusal to kill him, Feynriel seeks out mages in Tevinter for more knowledge on how to handle his abilities. His mother is not happy that he leaves without saying goodbye, but understands. The Keeper rewards you with the Tome of the Slumbering Elders. If you didn't tell Feynriel of the demons and he figures it out for himself, he shows more confidence and does not ask you to kill him. This outcome triggers the Who Needs Rescuing? quest in Act 3, where Feynriel uses his newly gained abilities to save a kidnapped noble.


 * Tranquil Dreams If you choose mostly middle or bottom options in the conversations with Caress and Wryme, Feynriel becomes horrified and begs for Hawke to kill him. If you respond with the topmost answers, Feynriel wants to go to Tevinter, but you still have the option to make him Tranquil, against his will: choose "I cannot let you go." Back from the Fade, the Keeper rewards you with the Tome of the Slumbering Elders. Arianni is stricken with grief. If you subsequently speak to Thrask in the Gallows Courtyard in Act 2, he tells Hawke that Arianni committed suicide by taking poison.


 * Save Feynriel:


 * Kill Feynriel in the Fade:


 * Anders admits that he did not expect Hawke to be so honest and gives some respect for telling the truth. Fenyriel's mother is furious with Hawke, but Keeper Marethari interrupts her and defends Hawke, saying that even the best can fall prey to demonic temptation.

Betrayals by companions result in quests for each betraying companion. Depending on Hawke's dialogue choices it can lead to friendship or rivalry points.

Aveline - Doubts that Linger Fenris - Fenris Night Terrors Isabela - Isabela's Apology Merrill - Merrill, An Apology Varric - Varric's Apology Anders - Anders in the Fade

Rewards

 * 1) 4 attribute points:
 * 2) 1 for reading the Book in the first room
 * 3) 1 for solving the first barrel puzzle
 * 4) 2 for solving the second barrel puzzle
 * 5) If Hawke sides with the demon:
 * 6) 6 attribute points if Hawke chooses "Power"
 * 7) 1 talent/spell point if Hawke chooses "Knowledge"
 * 8) 2 unique runes, Torpor's Barrier Rune, that offer magic resistance if Hawke chooses "Magic"
 * 9) If Hawke does not side with the demon:
 * 10) Tome of the Slumbering Elders (if Feynriel masters his mind)
 * 11) 500 XP/(major) demon and 1000 XP (quest completion)

Bugs

 * At times, the puzzle barrels go into each other, higher than they should and/or lower than they should. If this happens just carry on or try again, it's still possible to get the reward if this happens.
 * If Anders is in your party, Vengeance remains active after this quest is over. If he has this spell, you can deactivate it manually. If he does not, you must remove him from your party, add others and confirm, then add him back.

Trivia

 * When Isabela is tempted with the offer of a ship, she responds to the demon by saying "I like big boats, I cannot lie." This is a reference to the rap song "Baby Got Back". If Hawke has taken on the sarcastic voice type, they question her about this line during Isabela's Apology.
 * The official strategy guide suggests taking Sebastian with you especially on Nightmare difficulty, as he is "immune to the temptations of the Fade." However, Sebastian cannot be taken with you at all, saying "the Fade is no place for a man of faith."
 * When first speaking to Arianni to initiate the quest, a mage Hawke can mention that they have "braved the Fade before" even though this was never previously shown to the player. This statement is a possible reference to a cut Act 1 quest that would have involved a mage Hawke entering the Fade, but was never implemented in the final game.