Dragon Age: Magekiller

Dragon Age: Magekiller
Published by	Dark Horse Comics
Written by	Greg Rucka
Illustrators	Carmen Carnero (artist) Sachin Teng (cover)
Release date	December 16, 2015 (1st issue) January 20, 2016 (2nd issue) February 17, 2016 (3rd issue) March 16, 2016 (4th issue) April 20, 2016 (5th issue) August 9, 2016 (Trade paperback)

Dragon Age: Magekiller is a comic from publisher Dark Horse by writer Greg Rucka. It tells the story, in several arcs, of the 'mage-killer' Marius and his handler, Tessa Forsythia.

The series takes place before and during the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition, detailing the rise of the Venatori.

Plot

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Magekiller.

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The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning it may not follow some of the player's choices in the games.

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Tessa and Marius are mercenary partners who specialize in killing mages, especially blood mages who use their power to hurt others. They have been hired to deal with a maleficar in the Marcher settlement of Hercinia. While Marius battles the mage, and the arcane horror she later turns into, Tessa frees the hostage, a young man named Buckingham. The next day, after having safely returned Buckingham home, Tessa notices that she is being followed. She returns to Marius, who is recuperating from the previous' nights injuries in an inn, cheerfully announcing her tail before turning to confront her pursuer with a loaded crossbow. The elf introduces himself as Flavius, a slave in the service of Magister Illeneva. The Magister has learned of a group of blood mages who sacrifice children at the end of each month to fuel uniquely powerful blood magic rituals and pleads for Marius' help in taking them down. Though he is not pleased at the idea of returning to Tevinter, where he was a slave himself, he accepts the offer. They travel to the site of the ritual, some ruins in the Valarian Fields just north of Minrathous. Upon arrival, they find no trace of the children or the blood mages. Instead, they encounter Flavius, dozens of Tevinter soldiers, and Archon Radonis himself.

Radonis reveals that he wants to hire Marius and Tessa to assassinate members of the Venatori, a cult that seeks to restore the Imperium of old and therefore threatens his rule. Though Marius wishes to refuse despite the Archon's direct threats, Tessa convinces him to accept the contract to save their own lives. She still suspects that Radonis will have them killed once all targets have been eliminated, to ensure that the assassinations cannot be traced back to him. They are given four targets, all powerful mages and leaders within the Venatori: Havian Sulara, Corinnia Crallius, Paulus Nimian, and Calpernia. Tessa kills the first target while Marius takes care of the second and third. As Marius is about to dispose of the final target, whom they have tracked to a bathhouse, he realizes that she is in fact his former lover, from the time when they were both slaves to Magister Erasthenes. They share a passionate kiss, which is interrupted by Tessa. She realizes that Marius will never complete the assassination, which will incur the Archon's wrath. As they argue over their course of action, Calpernia offers to use the Venatori to smuggle them out of Minrathous. Over the following months, Radonis sends several hit squads after them. As they kill the last of the third group of assassins, who have tracked them all the way to the Frostback Mountains, the Breach opens up above them.

In the months following the breach, Marius and Tessa help fight off Demons spawning from the various Fade rifts while simultaneously attempting to evacuate as many civilians as possible. After one particularly dangerous battle on a nearby farm, Marius and Tessa retreat to a village to recuperate. Marius passes out from exhaustion, and Tessa retreats to the tavern. Finding herself alone except for a lone other patron, Tessa discovers the visitor is apparently searching for her and Marius. After a brief stand off, the traveler reveals she is not there as part of an assassination attempt but has been sent to recruit the duo for the Inquisition.

Now part of the Inquisition, Tessa and Marius have been sent to the Hissing Wastes to deal with the Venatori excavating the ruins there. Unable to deal with the problem on their own, as the Venatori have reinforced their position since The Inquisitor's visit, Tessa asks Charter to send additional support. This support comes in the form of Dorian Pavus and some of the Bull's Chargers led by Krem. Their main target is a camp of fifty Venatori, too many for them to take head-on. While Dorian and Marius provide a distraction, Tessa frees the captive slaves; once all the slaves are clear, Rocky, the Chargers' sapper, brings the cliff wall down on the camp, killing the remaining Venatori. After parting ways with Dorian and the Chargers, Tessa and Marius return to Charter at Caer Bronach, only to find Sister Nightingale waiting instead, saying that the Inquisitor requires their assistance.

They arrive at Skyhold only to find that the Inquisitor and their army have already left for the Arbor Wilds. While Tessa and Marius are killing time in the Herald's Rest, they hear an explosion in the distance, and come out to find that Corypheus has reopened the Breach over Haven. The Inquisitor and the Inner Circle head to the temple of Sacred Ashes. In the meantime Charter, with whom Tessa has started a romantic relationship, explains that they are needed to clear a route up to the ruins of the temple to provide the Inquisitor with reinforcements. Sutherland's company is to go with them. Before they can depart, Charter takes Tessa aside and asks her not to die for Marius.

Sutherland and Company

On the way to the temple, Tessa, thinking back on Charter's words, starts wondering what it is Marius needs her for. When they reach the caves, they find them filled with many demons, including a massive Pride demon. Shayd jumps on the demon's back with her daggers; Tessa, anticipating what will happen next, pushes her away and takes the shock meant for her. When the demon grabs her to finish her off, an enraged Marius rallies Sutherland's company and finally kills the demon by stabbing it through the mouth. Tessa realizes that Marius does care for her, even if he can't express it properly. They exit the caves with Sutherland's company to meet up with the Inquisition's forces. As they look up on the two dragons fighting overhead, they take satisfaction in knowing they helped save the world.

Characters

• Marius
• Tessa Forsythia
• Radonis - Archon and ruler of the Tevinter Imperium
• Flavius
• Calpernia
• Charter
• Dorian Pavus
• Leliana
• Cremisius Aclassi - Bull's Chargers
• Sutherland and Company
• Maryden
• Cabot
• Lace Harding

Locations

• Free Marches
  • Hercinia
• Tevinter Imperium
  • The Valarian Fields
  • Minrathous - Capital City of Tevinter
• Frostback Mountains
  • Skyhold
• Orlais
  • Hissing Wastes
• Ferelden
  • Crestwood
    • Caer Bronach

Gallery

The cover of the first Issue

The cover of the second Issue

The cover of the third Issue

Leliana on the cover of the fourth Issue

The cover of the fifth Issue

Trivia

• Although Red templars are featured on the cover of Issue 5, no Red Templars are encountered in the course of the story.
• The path through the Frostback Mountains which Marius and Tessa traverse in the fifth issue is the same route the Inquisitor takes if they choose to take the mountain path in The Wrath of Heaven.