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Revision as of 19:16, 1 September 2020
- For Bianca references in other Dragon Age titles, see Bianca.
Bianca is Varric Tethras' signature repeating crossbow. It has a carved wood stock and is adorned with brass embellishments. During melee combat, a retractable bayonet slides out of a slot under the bolt.
Background
Varric's crossbow is a marvel of dwarven craftsmanship, clearly the work of a master. However, she bears no smith's mark.
When asked how he procured the weapon, Varric has a few claims. He could have won it in a game of Wicked Grace against Paragon Branka, it could've been a gift from a mysterious old beggar who disappeared into thin air, and it's possible he bought it off a crooked merchant in Lowtown with the previous owner's hand still wrapped around the trigger.
None of those explanations is very likely and continued questioning simply results in Varric grinning and walking away.
—From Codex entry: BiancaWhen asked about the story behind how Bianca got her name, he replies that it involves a girl and a promise, and that it is the one story that he can never tell. Bianca is the name of Varric's mentioned but unseen dwarven lover. He has put the story to song, but will not sing it, instead humming the tune during battle.
After the Inquisitor encounters Bianca Davri in person during Varric's companion quest, Varric reluctantly reveals why he had never told anyone about his crossbow's real inventor, and even lied to Hawke about it having been built by Gerav. Since many underworld powers would want to acquire the secret of the repeating crossbow design, Varric judged that it would be safer for Bianca's namesake if he publicly claimed his weapon had been invented by a mad Carta engineer who had long since passed away.
Varric eventually confides in Leliana that Gerav created numerous prototypes of a repeating crossbow and sold the fourteenth to him. As this prototype still didn't work, Varric began looking for a good smith to finish it, and finally met Bianca Davri. After Gerav and the Carta found out that the fourteenth prototype was operational, Varric proceeded to hide Bianca's involvement by claiming the original work began to function after he simply changed a few pins.[1]
Trivia
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Image of Bianca in Heroes of Dragon Age
- Bianca is called as such "because Mirabelle was taken". This is a reference to BioWare's Jade Empire, in which a powerful musket called Mirabelle can be acquired.[2]
- From a real-world perspective, Bianca is named after a young woman looking for true love in The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare.[3]
- There is a longbow with the Absolution model, named Bianca, in the Dragon Age II game files (item code gen_im_wep_rog_arc_lore_03).
- Bianca is the only weapon Varric can use in Dragon Age II.
- Bianca is the only usable crossbow in both Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition. Varric is the only companion in both aforementioned titles that can wield Bianca as an archery weapon.
- Bianca cannot be moved to Junk in Dragon Age II nor can it be moved to Valuables in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Furthermore, it cannot be destroyed in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
References
- ↑
Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 181
- ↑ In an interview with Gamespot, Mike Laidlaw notes that "...nor will he ever tell you how Bianca got her name except to say Mirabelle was taken, and the really old-school BioWare fans will get that."
- ↑ Kirby, Mary. "Varric Tethras: Chest Hair & Dwarven Goodness 2.0 **Finest Dwarven Craft**". BioWare Social Network. Retrieved 2011-04-16.