Emprise du Lion

Emprise du Lion is an area located in the Highlands of the Dales.^[1] It is a cold and craggy environment dotted with elven ruins.

Background[]

Emprise du Lion is a snow-covered area formerly occupied by elves. Several ancient elven ruins including a large keep and multiple coliseums are located in the region. There are also multiple hot springs in the area that have attracted dragons to nest in recent years.

The ancient name of these highlands has long been lost to time. When the first Valmont emperor was crowned in the Exalted Age, the mountains were renamed Emprise du Lion to honor the House of Valmont, which bears a lion upon its crest. Remnants of a forgotten past, mingled delightfully with signs of the present, charming villages dotted the landscape, and scattered among them, relics of the lost elven nation.
—Brother Genitivi^[2]

The ancient and the modern co-exist in the highlands of Emprise du Lion, where relics of the lost elven nation are scattered among bustling human villages. These hills are home to the village of Sahrnia, known throughout Orlais for its quarry, which produces azure granite of remarkable quality.
—Excerpt from the quest journal

Involvement[]

"We arrived in the Highlands at night. I was immediately given the task of overseeing the acquisition and staffing of the Sahrnia quarry. I asked the general why we needed a quarry if the crystals will grow anywhere. Apparently the Elder One believes the composition of the earth here will ensure that it grows more rapidly and abundantly. Some of my men feel we should take the quarry by force. The general did not specify how I was to secure the land, so I am considering a more subtle approach. Any suspicions we raise will increase the chance of a military investigation, perhaps even the newly formed Inquisition. We must operate in secret as long as possible."
—From the writings of Knight-Captain Fornier^[3]

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Red Templars seize control of Suledin Keep and utilize the stronghold as their newest headquarters while exploiting the nearby quarry. The Keep and the quarry are both being used for the growth and harvest of Red lyrium to supply their forces, helped by the self-proclaimed choice spirit Imshael. People from the nearby town of Sahrnia have been enslaved to mine red lyrium, with the reluctant assistance of the town's leader. Due to reports of red lyrium and Red Templars, the Inquisition opens an investigation into their activity in the region. The Inquisitor can gain access to Emprise du Lion by completing the Liberate Emprise du Lion war table scouting operation in Skyhold.

Places[]

Regions[]

Emprise-du-Lion-Map — Map of Emprise du Lion

Note: The 16 regions below make up the Regions in the Emprise collection. Discovering all of them grants 200 Influence.

Alphonse's Passage

Drakon's Rise

Drakon's Tower

Elfsblood River

Elfsblood Tower

Elven Ruin

Etienne's Ring

Highgrove

Judicael's Crossing

Judicael's Ring

Leontine's Ring

Pools of Sun

Sahrnia

Sahrnia Quarry

Suledin Keep

Tower of Bone

Additional places[]

Valeska's Watch

Inquisition camps[]

Drakon's Rise Camp

Highgrove Camp

Sahrnia Camp

Tower Camp

Characters[]

Baron Edouard Desjardins
Gordon the Frank^[4]
Granny Mae
Imshael
Linette
Louis
Michel de Chevin
Mistress Poulin

Merchants[]

Suledin Keep Merchant

Quests[]

A Timely Intervention

Capturing Suledin Keep

Securing Safe Passage

Sifting Through Rubble

Stalker

Take Back the Lion

The Corruption of Sahrnia

Creatures[]

August Ram

Snoufleur

Hostile creatures[]

Enemies[]

Red Templars

Red Templar (Warrior - One-Handed Sword)
Red Templar Guard (Warrior - Sword and Tower Shield)
Red Templar Horror
Red Templar Knight
Red Templar Marksman (Rogue - Archer)
Red Templar Shadow (Rogue - Double Daggers)
Red Templar Behemoth

Darkspawn

Demons

Collections[]

Bottles on the Wall[]

Legacy White Shear - search near the entrance of the locked tower in Sahrnia Quarry.

Abyssal Peach - inside Suledin Keep, head past the cages and the first Giant encounter, search just before the lyrium tents.

Dragon Hunter[]

Hivernal

Kaltenzahn

Highland Ravager

Landmarks[]

Landmarks in the Emprise

Shards[]

Shards in the Emprise

Skyhold Customizations[]

Orlesian Throne - see judgment of Mistress Poulin; related quest: Rocky Rescue.

Inquisition Banner - capture Suledin Keep (conditional: awarded after the Inquisitor captures their first keep).

Inquisition Banner Crown - capture all three keeps: Caer Bronach, Griffon Wing Keep, and Suledin Keep.

Resources[]

Herbs[]

Leather[]

Metal[]

Notable items[]

Elven artifacts[]

On a cliffside ledge east of Drakon's Tower and Valeska's Watch.
Hidden within an arch directly north (or to the right of) the ocularum in the second dragon ring near the Leontine's Steward region. The artifact is hidden from view; to access the artifact, jump down from the last archway in the ring to the large rock-ledge below.

Logging stands[]

Southeast of the Highgrove Inquisition Camp.
The island at the center of the frozen lake, by an unmarked hunter campsite, and a tower with a locked door.

Memories of the Grey[]

Joining Chalice - found on an altar in Valeska's Watch.
Grey Warden Armor - in Valeska's Watch, found in the same room as the Valeska's Watch landmark.

Red Jenny's Caches[]

Inside Sahrnia Quarry, northwest of the Sahrnia Quarry landmark.

Red lyrium veins[]

Near Drakon's Rise Camp
Near Valeska's Watch
Found midway between the Sahrnia and Highgrove Inquistion Camps
In Sahrnia Quarry
Found midway between the Highgrove and Drakon's Rise Inquistion Camps, just west of the vein found near the Drakon's Rise Inquistion Camp

Veilfire glyphs[]

Frost Rune Schematic - found within the cave located at the Sahrnia Quarry; the entrance begins south of the Suledin Keep map marker. The Veilfire torch is located at the end of the cave, the glyph is roughly halfway through, almost directly west of the Suledin Keep map marker just past the loot box on a small ledge.

Note: The illusory wall leading to the Ardent Blossom is located just west of the Veilfire torch; see side quest The Tiniest Cave for specifics.

Loot[]

Amulet of Death Syphon - see side quest Sifting Through Rubble.

Amulet of Renewal - looted from Imshael; see side quest Call Me Imshael.

Note: Trespasser required.

Ardent Blossom - found down the endless staircase near Suledin Keep, see side quest The Tiniest Cave.

Caliban - looted from the Kaltenzahn high dragon.

Curse of Morrac - found in Elfsblood Tower.

Note: Requires the Deft Hands, Fine Tools Inquisition perk.

Duke's Mane - looted from the Highland Ravager high dragon.

Griffon Mace Schematic - randomly available at the Suledin Keep Merchant for 8317

.

Note: Requires The Short List Inquisition perk.

Keeper Robe Schematic - looted from the Highland Ravager high dragon.

Knightslayer - looted from a corpse inside Valeska's Watch.

March of the Everlasting - looted from Imshael; see side quest Call Me Imshael.

Masterwork Battlemage Armor - looted from the Highland Ravager high dragon.

Masterwork Battlemaster Armor - looted from the Hivernal high dragon.

Masterwork Prowler Armor - looted from the Kaltenzahn high dragon.

Pure Spirit Essence (x3) - possible reward from Imshael; see side quest Call Me Imshael.

Rebuke of the Sunderland - found in Elfsblood Tower.

Sad Splinters - looted from the destroyed gate remains; see side quest Capturing Suledin Keep.

Staff of the Void - looted from the Hivernal high dragon.

Superb Cleansing Rune Schematic - available for purchase from the Suledin Keep Merchant for 7294

.

Superb Corrupting Rune - possible reward from Imshael; see side quest Call Me Imshael.

Superior Grenades Belt - looted from the Hivernal high dragon..

Superior Guard Belt - looted from the Highland Ravager high dragon.

Superior Potions Belt - looted from the Kaltenzahn high dragon.

Walking Death - looted from the Highland Ravager high dragon.

Wintersbreath - looted from a corpse inside Valeska's Watch.

Yavanalis - randomly available at the Suledin Keep Merchant for 17148

.

Note: Requires The Short List Inquisition perk.

Codex entries[]

Codex entry: Common Curses

Codex entry: Emprise du Lion

Codex entry: Exhuming Bodies by Moonlight

Codex entry: The First Blight: Chapter 4

Codex entry: In Death

Codex entry: Judicael's Crossing

Codex entry: Letter About Lyrium

Codex entry: Letter of Confirmation

Codex entry: Marcher Misconceptions

Codex entry: New Orders (conditional)

Codex entry: Suledin Keep Documents

Codex entry: Tower of Bone

Codex entry: Trading with Kal-Sharok

Codex entry: Valeska's Watch

Note texts[]

Barely Intelligible Scrawl

Grey Warden Diaries (battered journal)

Grey Warden Diaries (Valeska's Watch diary)

Journal Found Near Dead Elf

A Journal, Left Open

Knight-Captain's Orders

Letters Home (Aldric)

Letters Home (I got him)

Love Beyond the Walls

Mistress Poulin's Records

Test Notes (exposure)

Test Notes (submission)

Work Orders

Written Confession

Notes[]

There is a small unmarked cave south of the Highgrove Inquisition Camp: when following the path through Alphonse's Passage west from the Drakon's Rise Inquisition Camp, it is visible in the bend due south of the Highgrove Inquisition Camp. The cave has frozen bodies hanging from the ceiling, weapons scattered on the ground, a pyramid shaped box with a note that says "DON'T TOUCH MY PYRAMID" and a loot chest (see gallery below).

Trivia[]

In French, "Emprise du Lion" translates to the "Lion's Grip".
When the Inquisitor speaks with Scout Harding on arrival, one of the dialog options has them saying, "Here I come to save the day." which is the signature phrase of Mighty Mouse.
Dorian says that Emprise du Lion reminds him of the High Reaches, a mountain range in Tevinter Imperium near Minrathous - "but with more snow."

Bugs[]

xboxonepcps4 The Veilfire glyph may be rendered inside of the cave wall and not visible, but can still be interacted with. ^{[confirmation needed]}
pc Southwest of the Tower Inquisition Camp there is an icon of a locked door next to a tower corresponding to the locked door underground at Valeska's Watch. This icon may not correctly disappear from the map after the door is opened.