Dragon Age: Last Flight

Dragon Age: Last Flight
Written by	Liane Merciel
Pages	301
Release date	16 September 2014

Dragon Age: Last Flight is a novel set in the Dragon Age universe.

Synopsis

The Grey Wardens are heroes across Thedas once again: the Archdemon has been defeated with relative ease and the scattered darkspawn are being driven back underground. The Blight is over. Or so it seems. Valya, a young elven mage recently recruited into the Wardens, has been tasked with studying the historical record of previous Blights in order to gain insight into newly reported, and disturbing, darkspawn phenomena. Her research into the Fourth Blight leads her to an encoded reference scrawled in the margins of an ancient map, and to the hidden diary of Isseya, one of the last of the fabled griffon riders. As the dark secrets buried in Isseya's story unfold, Valya begins to question everything she thought she knew about the heroic Grey Wardens. . . .

Plot

This section is incomplete and requires expansion.

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Last Flight.

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In 9:41 Dragon Age, the elven mage Valya and a group of mages from the Circle of Magi in Hossberg join the Grey Wardens at Weisshaupt for safety from the ongoing Mage-Templar War. With rebel templars rampaging through Thedas and rebel mages assembling a terrifying army at Andoral's Reach, the Wardens are the only safe harbor for both neutral mages and templars seeking to flee the conflict's insanity. The organization is beginning to see groups of both seeking asylum and purpose.

Upon reaching Weisshaupt, Valya is tasked to search the fortress' library for accounts of Wardens abandoning their posts and behaving unusually, as well as records of talking Darkspawn, beginning with the Fourth Blight. From these instructions, Valya locates a lyrium-laced war map inscribed with Elvish, which leads her to a hidden journal detailing the last days of the elven blood mage Warden and griffon rider Isseya and her brother, the legendary hero Garahel.

In flashbacks to the Exalted Age, the journal reveals that during the Wardens' struggle to defend and evacuate Antiva City, as well as secure the assistance of the Free Marches in ending the Fourth Blight, Isseya was tasked by the First Warden to put the Wardens' griffons through a Joining ritual. This ritual ultimately led to the creatures' corruption. As Garahel and the Wardens attempt, along with the dwarven Warden-Commander of Antiva, Turab, to secure Antiva City and also make diplomatic ties with Starkhaven's ruling family, the Vaels, Isseya also begins to regret condemning the griffons to madness and death.

In secret she contrives a way to remove the taint from griffon hatchlings and contain it within herself, accelerating her own corruption but--hopefully--protecting the new generation of the Wardens' battle brothers and sisters. This effort becomes particularly poignant after Garahel falls slaying Andoral during the Battle of Ayesleigh, along with many of the mature griffons and their Warden riders.

Isseya manages to purge the taint from a clutch of eggs obtained from Amadis Vael's griffon. Amadis was Garahel's lover and the eggs of her griffon, Smoke, were sired by Garahel's griffon, Crookytail. Convinced the Wardens of the Exalted Age are not fit stewards of the griffons and hoping those of the future will be, Isseya uses magic to hide the eggs in suspended animation in a remote location that would later become home to a statue of Andraste, the "Red Bride." Isseya then takes her griffon, Revas, on one last flight before secreting her journal away at Weisshaupt rather then live in a world without the noble creatures.

Driven by her research to find this treasure in the present day, Valya then travels with a small group of companions to the site and is able to reanimate the eggs. They hatch, one chick in particular looking identical to Garahel's Crookytail. The hatchlings appear to be free of the taint, bringing Valya hope that they will rise again.

Characters

Dragon Age:

• Valya - elven mage from the Hossberg Circle of Magi and a Warden-Recruit
• Sekah - an apprentice mage from the Hossberg circle and Warden-Recruit
• Caronel - an elven Grey Warden mage from Ferelden stationed at Weisshaupt Fortress
• Reimas - a Templar fleeing the Mage-Templar War and a Warden-Recruit

Exalted Age:

• Isseya - Grey Warden and Sister of Garahel
• Garahel - Grey Warden and Hero of the Fourth Blight
• Amadis Vael - leader of the Ruby Drakes mercenary company
• Calien - an Antivan Crow and Blood Mage
• Lisme - an gender fluid human mage and a Grey Warden

Trivia

• The cover art for Dragon Age: Last Flight is by Tom Rhodes.
• In 5:12 Exalted, Garahel makes a quip about seducing a Qunari. However, Qunari didn't arrive in Thedas until 6:30 Steel.
• In Chapter 19 in 5:20 Exalted, Isseya speaks to someone in Kirkwall with the title: Champion of Kirkwall. This conflicts with codex's in Dragon Age II which state Hawke is the first Champion Kirkwall has ever had.
• In Chapter 22 in 5:24 Exalted, The Novel says the city of Ayesleigh is in Antiva when it is actually in Rivain.