Dragon Age Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Dragon Age Wiki

“The spirits shall watch in envy as the mortals of this world bow down before me!”


The Baroness was once the ruler of the Blackmarsh during the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden.

Background[]

Long ago, a high dragon settled near Blackmarsh wrecking chaos upon its residents. One night, the Baroness came and traveled to the dragon's lair. The next day, the dragon vanished and was presumed dead; rumors circulated that the Baroness must be a blood mage to have brought down the beast; the grateful townsfolk however paid them no heed.

The Baroness later became the Orlesian ruler of the Blackmarsh during Orlais' occupation of Ferelden, but her rule was marked by oppression, violence and injustice. As it turns out, she was in fact, a blood mage and paid a great deal for young girls to come to her mansion in order to restore her youth. The Baroness met her end when her subjects turned on her and burned down her mansion with her in it. With her final breath, the Baroness pulled all of her subjects' spirits into the Fade, trapping them in a nightmarish version of the Blackmarsh itself.

According to one of the villagers, the Baroness had no next of kin nor any children.[1]

Involvement[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.


The Warden-Commander is brought into the Fade by the First, one of the Mother's Disciples, during Shadows of the Blackmarsh. Once in the village square, a Spirit of Justice will explain that the Baroness has been feeding from the souls of the villagers for many years now and that for all this time he has watched their torment, seething with anger. Now he has finally decided to step up and end her reign. Justice will ask for the Warden-Commander's help during the fight and they have the option to intimidate the Baroness or to fight her. She is aided by some faithful servants and by the First, who has sought her help to escape the Fade.

When First is defeated, the Baroness, in a desperate attempt to escape, will use the First's remaining life force to tear the veil open and enter the mortal realm. In the process, the Spirit of Justice is also hurled through the Veil and he ends up in the body of Kristoff, the dead Grey Warden who was investigating the darkspawn presence in Blackmarsh. Together with Justice, the Warden-Commander confronts the Baroness, who, during the long years spent in the Fade feeding on the peasants' spirits, has assumed the role[2] of a pride demon so powerful that she's able to enter the mortal world even without a body to possess. She does, however, express surprise towards the extent of her power, being previously ignorant of her capacity of doing so.

Baroness Abomination

The Baroness in pride demon form.

It is also possible to choose to fight at her side against the First. If the Warden-Commander persuades her to offer a greater reward than the mere escape from the Fade, she will offer the following: either a bonus to health, to magic, to cunning or she will teach blood magic. After the choice is made, the Baroness kills the First to empower the Warden-Commander. In any case, it is necessary to fight her demon form in the real world.

After the Baroness' death, her mansion was inhabited on two separate occasions; once by a rich merchant, and the second by an Orlesian Mage. Both individuals however are noted to have died in the mansion under mysterious circumstances, thereby leading to the mansion's destruction and the lot thereafter remaining vacant.


Quests[]

Shadows of the Blackmarsh Shadows of the Blackmarsh

Skills[]

The Baroness in demon form has the same skill set as any pride demon. She will also have a unique ability to summon portals—though this can be stopped with enough damage, similar to that of any 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-ranked 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: The healing effect obtained from Drain is unaffected by how much damage is dealt to the target. This has been 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 yet the Baroness still healed for the same amount.

Quotes[]

  • "My, my. All that shouting outside, and now you finally decided to barge in. Without even a proper invitation!"
  • "As was my due! You lived on my land! I, your rightful ruler! Your blood was mine just as your lives are now!"

Dialogue[]

  • Warden: "How is it you created all this? How do you remain?"
  • Baroness: "What's this? The pathetic fools have managed to recruit yet more sympathizers?"
  • Justice: "We are no longer alone, Baroness. Your reign ends here!"
  • Baroness: "As it happens, I am no longer alone either."
  • Baroness: "Oh I'll sunder the veil alright, I'll send them all back, but you.... your life is going to provide the power!"

Codex entries[]

Codex entry: Baroness of the Blackmarsh Codex entry: Baroness of the Blackmarsh
Codex entry: The Baroness's Secret Codex entry: The Baroness's Secret
Codex entry: Records of the Blackmarsh Codex entry: Records of the Blackmarsh

Bugs[]

  • Sometimes the Baroness traps you in the fade permanently. It is recommend to save prior to first encounter her.
  • Although the Baroness agrees to reward the Warden-Commander, no statistical increase is granted regardless of the choice made. This can be fixed with Awakening Fixes and Tweaks.
  • 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 further in the courtyard.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Mentioned by a female villager only if the Warden-Commander asks Justice if the Baroness is also the Mother.
  2. According to Justice during the first conversation with him in the waking world
Advertisement