Isabela

“Our mistakes make us who we are.”

Isabela
Title	Captain (Origins) Smuggler (Dragon Age II)
Race	Human
Gender	Female
Class	Rogue
Specialization	Duelist - (Origins) Swashbuckler - (Dragon Age II)
Location	The Pearl, Denerim (Origins) Hanged Man Tavern, Kirkwall (Dragon Age II)
Family	Luis (husband) Unnamed mother
Voice	Mika Simmons (Origins) Victoria Kruger (Dragon Age II)
Appearances	Dragon Age: Origins Dragon Age II Dragon Age: The Silent Grove Dragon Age: Those Who Speak Dragon Age: Until We Sleep Heroes of Dragon Age

Isabela is the libidinous captain of the pirate ship Siren's Call. She can teach the Duelist specialization to the Warden in Dragon Age: Origins, and is an optional companion as well a romance option for either male or female Hawke in Dragon Age II.

Background

Isabela's birth name is Naishe. However, when she became a pirate the first ship's captain she served under began to call her "Isabela," his "little beauty," as a joke. She eventually adopted the name as her pseudonym. She is originally from Rivain, but has traveled extensively throughout the world of Thedas. Her mother converted to the Qun during the Qunari occupation of Rivain and sold Isabela into marriage with a business associate of the Antivan Crows, Luis, when she refused to convert. Luis was a rich man, buying Isabela many fine things, but the marriage was loveless and she was treated as his "plaything." She ultimately had Luis assassinated by Zevran Arainai after he asked her to "entertain" his friends. She then stole Luis' ship, the Siren's Call, and took up the pirate's life. Isabela became extremely promiscuous, and soon became a feared raider-- the self-proclaimed "Queen of the Eastern Seas."

Romancing Isabela in Dragon Age II provides more insight into her marriage to Luis. In post-sex conversation with Hawke she will state that Luis purchased her after seeing her in a market in Llomerryn with her mother because he "had to have" her, and that her mother sold her for a goat and a handful of gold coins. However, in Dragon Age: Those Who Speak, she claims that her mother sold her to Luis because she refused to convert to the Qun.

Given the circumstances of Isabela's two versions of the events in Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Those Who Speak, it may be that the developers intended this discrepancy and that Isabela simply lied to Hawke in Dragon Age II and, under duress, was more honest with Rasaan in Dragon Age: Those Who Speak. It could also be a case of her not simply telling Hawke the whole truth. That while the circumstance of how Luis came upon her, his reasons for buying her, and the price she was sold at were as she stated, Isabela simply did not reveal to Hawke her mother's real motivation for agreeing to the transaction in the first place. This may have been underscored by Isabela's comments on how her mother didn't even bother to haggle over the price.

If Isabela is romanced in Dragon Age II she will also claim that she did not have Luis killed. However, in Dragon Age: The Silent Grove, she claims to have ordered his assassination. Again, this discrepancy may be intended by the developers in that Isabela may have lied to Hawke in Dragon Age II and may have been more honest with Varric and Alistair in Dragon Age: The Silent Grove.

See also: Isabela (short story)

Note: This story takes place after the events of Dragon Age: Origins.

Isabela's Parents

Isabela's mother

Isabela speaks anecdotally of her mother in Dragon Age II through the post-sex conversation with Hawke of how Luis came to purchase Isabela from her mother. Isabela's quest-related conversation also indicates her feelings toward her mother, and her mother's overall personality. After the events of All That Remains a romanced Isabela will say to Hawke, "At least your mother loved you. Not everyone can say that." Similarly, if she is present while speaking to Arianni when beginning Wayward Son, she will comment that Feynriel is lucky to have a caring mother.

Much less is known about Isabela's father as she apparently never knew him. During Legacy, if Hawke has an aggressive/direct response when asked about learning about his/her father, she will reply, "Well, I think your father sounds like someone worth knowing. According to my mother, my father wasn't. Not even for one night."

During Dragon Age: Those Who Speak, more is revealed about Isabela's mother and her possible fate. Isabela's mother was devoted to the Qun, sneaking off to the temple in the village to be educated in it. When asked by Isabela what happened to her mother, Rasaan replies that Isabela's mother is probably among the viddathari of Par Vollen, "serving the Qun, working the fields, and treasured by all," though she cannot be certain without consulting her records.

Involvement

Dragon Age: Origins

Isabela's appearance in Dragon Age: Origins

Isabela can be found at The Pearl along with her first mate Casavir. She is arguing with three other men. Soon afterwards a fight breaks out however she manages to defeat the group of men due to her superior dueling skills. Her ship is staying in Denerim to let her men fill up on supplies and other "pleasures". Zevran knows her from before and—if brought along—will announce that she is the "Queen of the Eastern Seas and the sharpest blade in Llomerryn".

In order to convince Isabela to teach the Duelist specialization, there are two options: Beat her in a game of cards named Wicked Grace, or "get to know each other better" by following her to bed.

To beat Isabela in the card game, the Warden will have to be dexterous enough to catch her cheating or subtle enough to cheat. If Zevran or Leliana are in the party, they can also help the Warden to win, but will only offer assistance if their approval is high enough.

For Isabela to take the Warden up on his/her offer to get to know her better, the Warden will have to be persuasive (Coercion * 25 + Cunning bonus must be at least 75, so three points in coercion by itself will do the trick regardless of cunning). If the Warden is in a romance (love) with Morrigan, an unhardened Leliana or an unhardened Alistair, then the Warden's romance partner will publicly disapprove and Isabela will not go to bed with the Warden. However, if either Leliana or Alistair is not only in a love-relationship with the Warden but has also been "hardened" following their personal quests, then they will actually join in the fun for a threesome (or possibly a foursome) and their approval will increase. If Zevran is in the party, Isabela will invite him as well (regardless of his relationship status with the Warden). If the Warden accepts, Zevran's approval will increase. Nevertheless Zevran will decline the offer if Alistair is included. The following combinations are thus possible:

1. Isabela-Warden
2. Isabela-Warden-Leliana
3. Isabela-Warden-Zevran
4. Isabela-Warden-Alistair (female Warden only)
5. Isabela-Warden-Leliana-Zevran

Note: There is no cutscene for this activity. The screen will fade to black and the game will pick back up with a very brief bit of playful post-sex banter.

Once the Duelist specialization has been learned from her, Isabela will have no further dialogue or interactions.

Reactions and Approval

• If Leliana has been flirted with but her personality has not been hardened by the time Isabela is spoken to, she will get jealous and ask, "What about us?", which will cause Isabela to take back her offer to sleep with the Warden.
• If the Warden is female but not in a relationship with Alistair, he will wonder if he's dreaming, and then say that he's going to jump in the ocean. This doesn't occur if Leliana or Zevran joins in.
• Morrigan is not nearly as open-minded about Isabela as the other romanceable companions. She will strongly disapprove if Isabela is bedded and tell the Warden to rinse off the stench after they are done "rolling around in the gutter". If the Warden is romantically involved with Morrigan a different dialogue occurs. Morrigan gets furious and states that she will not touch the Warden again if he goes through with it. The Warden will not be allowed to bed Isabela in this case. (The only way then is to make sure she is not in the party.)
• (If the Warden is female and Oghren is in the party, he will faint if the Warden and Leliana go to bed with Isabela.)

Inviting a companion to bed with Isabela nets the following approval changes:

• Alistair approves (+2)if he joins.
• Leliana approves (+4)if she joins and the Warden is female.
• Zevran approves (+7)if Isabela's invitation for him to join is accepted.
• Zevran disapproves (-3)if Isabela's invitation for him to join is denied

Dragon Age II

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

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Isabela fighting against Qunari

Isabela plays a major role in Dragon Age II as a companion and possible love interest.

"Isabela is the pirate scourge of two coastlines, four nations, and countless tavern floors. She's equally skilled with dagger and insult, and it's hard to know which cuts deeper. It's rare to see her in one place for long, but with her ship reduced to timbers, Isabela's had to content herself with whatever bounty Kirkwall has to offer. And that means no end of headaches for the rich and foolish, and no end of amusement for her. She's as desired as she is feared, which is to say, a lot and often. Fall on her blade, or at her feet—a win is a win, in her book. Shipwrecked, hounded, Isabela hasn't decided if she's cornered yet. She's having too much fun."

In Dragon Age II Isabela is first encountered at a tavern in Lowtown named The Hanged Man where she engages in a brawl with Lucky and his cohorts. She will only appear after recruiting Anders. It is also possible to never recruit or even meet her as she does not directly impact the outcome of the game. However she is involved in the Arishok battle and consequently affects Act II heavily. Varric will mention her during party chatter even if Hawke has not met her.

Isabela is no longer a captain, as her ship, along with its crew, were lost at the reefs near Kirkwall during a heavy storm. She worked as a smuggler, transporting lyrium, jewels and criminals, but had fallen out of favor with Castillon, a crime lord tied to the Felicisima Armada. Castillon hired Isabela to supervise a shipment, but she eventually discovered the "cargo" was in fact nearly 200 Blight refugees--humans and elves, including children--that Castillon had taken as slaves. It is never revealed where she was intended to deliver these slaves, only that Kirkwall was not her destination. She freed the slaves and, as renumeration, Castillon ordered her to retrieve a valuable relic in order to pay off her debts. It is never revealed to where she released the slaves, though her old contact Hayder mentions that she let the slaves "scurry off into the wilds."

Once she had the relic her ship was wrecked in a storm. She lost her ship, crew, and the relic. When Isabela is first encountered, she will reveal she has so far been unsuccessful in finding the relic again and one of Castillon's men is hounding her for it. Hawke and company can agree to help Isabela in her quest by escorting her to meet Hayder, an enforcer of Castillon whom she worked with in Antiva. After a failed ambush attempt by Hayder's men, the group tracks Hayder to the Chantry and kills him. Isabela concludes that as long as she provides Castillon with the relic before he finds her, he will be satisfied.

It's possible that Isabela will permanently leave the party at the end of the quest to retrieve the Qunari relic called the Tome of Koslun near the end of Act II. It is revealed that Isabela stole the Tome from the Orlesians, who were attempting to return it to the Qunari. While fleeing a pursuing Qunari dreadnought, both the dreadnought and Isabela's ship were caught in a storm and shipwrecked. If romanced, or having a high enough friendship or rivalry, she will return at the end of the same Act to deliver the relic to the Qunari, saying that Hawke's influence was what made her come back. It is at this point that the opportunity presents itself to either deliver her to the Qunari for them to exact punishment for her theft, and to forestall further assault on the city, or to duel the Arishok for her life. Defeating the Arishok will cause Isabela to rejoin the party with the option of continuing her romance. If given to the Qunari she will never return in-game, though Varric hints at the start of Act III that she may have eluded the Qunari and escaped.

Friendship and rivalry

See the approval page for more information.

Isabela values fun, freedom and getting ahead; she responds well to sarcasm. Jokes, flirting and a Hawke who solves problems in particularly clever and devious ways will delight her. She also approves if Hawke is slightly selfish in dealing with other people, trying to squeeze a little extra money out of them.

Getting involved in other people's business tends to annoy Isabela, so helping a character just for the sake of helping and not asking for a reward will often earn her ire. She also generally disapproves of rules and authority and attempts by Hawke to enforce rules on other people (especially her).

Another thing to note is that in some cases, Isabela will also respond well to Hawke's decision to not get involved at all in matters of no immediate concern to Hawke or his companions. Butting in to personal discussions, disagreements, and the like will sometimes irk Isabela. This is especially true with people Hawke has never met before.

Romance

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

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Alterations to Isabela's armor after romance.

Isabela was the first romance option announced for both male and female Hawke.

It is possible to pursue a romance through proper dialogue in Act 2 and eventually solidify it in the final moments of Act 3. However, like Fenris, Isabela will not move into the Hawke Estate.

Keeping the Isabela Romance: Isabela is usually the first romance to become available, thus, if a player wishes to keep her as the primary love interest, they may encounter certain challenges. Generally speaking, if another companion is romanced and moves in with Hawke - the move automatically breaks off all other romances, including Isabela (who will never move in). However, that does NOT mean it is safe to sleep with other characters as long as they don't move in. It is confirmed (1.04) that simply sleeping with Merrill can (and likely will) break off the romance with Isabela. In other words, even if you sleep with Merrill and immediately break it off at the first possible opportunity (right after the sex), you will most likely have terminated the Isabela romance regardless. In such a case, you can and likely will end up without either romance.

In Act 2, talk to her in the Hanged Man and choose all the possible flirt options for both quests. The quests will be available from the start of the Act, and afterwards she will approach Hawke in their estate. If Hawke chooses to engage in the romance scene, she will be reluctant to bring love into their relationship. Isabela will state that they were merely "rutting" and that her "curiosity is sated" and will ask if Hawke intended something more. Hawke then has two dialogue options: "Why not?" and "Of course not." The first opens up an option to continue the romance, and Isabela will then reveal the circumstances of her past: her mother sold her into marriage to her husband for a goat and some coins against her will. She was forced to remain with him until Zevran assassinated him, allowing her to take over the ship and become captain herself. Isabela will also reveal that she has only truly loved someone once, a man of unknown name, but she fled after he asked for her hand and broke his heart in the end. Though she will seem annoyed at Hawke for questioning her, she will walk away with +10 friendship if she is asked (or +10 rivalry, if the romance is based on rivalry).

Note: Isabela should be questioned about love ("Why not?") in order to get the Romantic achievement. In some circumstances, failing to do so by selecting "Of course not" locks Hawke and Isabela in a quasi-romance where other characters will remark on their relationship, but the achievement will not be gained and later romance scenes may not occur. It is also possible that Isabela may not show up to comfort Hawke after All That Remains. When romanced, it is possible that Isabela's outfit change will not occur. For a solution see the Bugs section.

If Isabela is romancing Hawke she will return at the end of Act 2 with the Tome of Koslun. If Hawke kills the Arishok rather than let him take her, she will argue with Hawke and leave Kirkwall, telling the Champion "I didn't do it for them. I did it for you. It was always about you." Isabela spends some time away from Kirkwall, returning just before the start of Act 3. She feels that returning the relic to the Qunari was a foolish decision and partially blames Hawke for getting her in more trouble with Castillon. After her quest is finished, she offers Hawke a position on her new ship, admitted if someone like Hawke was on board her old one, she would likely never have crashed. She then admits nervously she thinks she is falling for Hawke and asks if Hawke feels the same way, which the Champion can accept or deny.

If Hawke has engaged in a rivalry romance and told her to keep the ship, she will admit regretting to do so. If she was not allowed to have it, she'll say that she is happy that Castillon is gone, and that she feels good about avenging the people he wronged. She then will say she is willing to change "for you", if she is given some time. The rest of the dialogue is the same as the friendship romance.

At the end of the game, Varric says all the companions separated from Hawke, "except Isabela of course."

Sometimes a bug occurs which causes Varric to state in the epilogue that Isabela remained with Hawke, even if another companion was romanced at the game's end.

If neither Isabela nor Fenris are romanced, they will take up an off-screen physical relationship in Act 3, though there appear to be no emotions involved.

Fate

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

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Like most of Hawke's companions, Isabela may either remain with Hawke for the whole game, or leave the party at an approval-related crisis point - though in Isabela's case, the question is not whether she will leave the party, as she always does, but rather whether she will return to it, and whether Hawke will take her back once she does. In order for her to return to the party at the climax of Act 2, she must have a Friendship or Rivalry score of fifty or greater, and her final Act 2 companion quest. If romanced, she will return even if Questioning Beliefs was not completed. On this path, Isabela will either stay permanently at a (successfully romanced) Hawke's side, or disperse to an unknown fate after the epilogue like Hawke's other companions.

If Isabela leaves with the Tome, she makes it to Ostwick, and then continues her old life of piracy. If she is given to the Qunari, Varric will say that he heard she escaped the Qunari two days later with the book by jumping into the ocean, but he says he does not know if this is true or not.

Dragon Age: The Silent Grove

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Silent Grove.

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The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning that Alistair is king of Ferelden in the comic's story.

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Isabela accompanies Varric and King Alistair to Antiva City, where they infiltrate the headquarters of the Antivan Crows. After meeting Prince Claudio Valisti - a former "business partner" of Isabela's late husband - Isabela warns Alistair to not trust a word Claudio says.

Isabela assists in infiltrating Velabanchel, and - along with Varric - holds off the Antivan Crows while Alistair goes after his target.

Isabela captains the ship she and her companions use to escape Velabanchel, later navigating through the Tellari swamps. She is the first to attempt to defend Alistair from an attack from Yavana's high dragon.

While leaving the swamps following their meeting with Yavana in the Silent Grove, Isabela is pierced by an arrow. Claudio Valisti turns out to be the culprit, and kidnaps Alistair in exchange for Isabela and Varric's lives. Isabela swears to hunt Claudio down and kill him.

After retreating to the Silent Grove, Isabela demands that Yavana save Alistair. The witch replies that it is not her concern, but Varric bargains with her. Yavana places a mysterious enchantment on the pair, healing Isabela's wound. The two then storm Claudio's camp. Isabela engages Claudio in a duel. Claudio insists that Isabela was not good enough for her late husband - Luis - and that she is trying to seduce Alistair to become queen of Ferelden. He also says that she was dragged out of the gutter because of her marriage, and that Luis lavished her with wine and silks, and after bedding him and whispering kind words in his ear for many nights she had him assassinated. Claudio bests Isabela, and is about to deliver the killing blow when she cuts off his hand, slits his throat and stabs him through the heart.

Dragon Age: Those Who Speak

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Those Who Speak.

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The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning that Alistair is king of Ferelden in the comic's story.

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While in Dragon Age: The Silent Grove all events were described by Alistair, in this comic series Isabela is the one who tells the story. She accompanies Alistair in his pursuit for Aurelian Titus as a hired hand and a confidante.

They travel to a Tevinter city and attend a ball, where she meets a person she appears to be familiar with - Lord Devon. She seems to have a long-lasting hatred for him. Devon in his turn is surprised that she is alive. In a conversation "eye-to-eye" he mentions that Isabela owes him and threatens to reveal to Alistair what happened at the Venefication Sea. She intimidates him into silence by drawing out her dagger. Finally, Aurelian Titus arrives. Alistair confronts him, but he flees, leaving his minions to fight for him. The last of them occasionally wounds Devon. Isabela knocks Devon's offender unconscious to the floor, but as he is muttering thanks she stabs Devon in his chest. She tells her companions that he was killed by Titus's man.

Varric tricks the location of Aurelian's home on Seheron from a captured cultist, and Isabela orders to sail to the island. She keeps the crew terrified by telling them scary stories about horn-headed fanatics. They spot two Qunari dreadnoughts on the horizon and prepare to fight.

The trio are captured by the Qunari and are moved to a Qunari war camp, Akhaaz. Isabela is kept in a cell separately from Varric and Alistair. She is interrogated by Rasaan, a tamassran who asks Isabela of the meaning of her name. Isabela reveals that her first captain called her "little beauty" as his idea of a joke. Then Rasaan asks her what happened to him and Isabela answers that she killed him. She also admits that even if she made many mistakes in her life, she doesn't feel any guilt. When the tamassran asks more questions, Isabela explodes in anger, causing Rasaan to hit her and tell her that mistakes can be corrected before leaving the cell.

Young Isabela

Rasaan eventually returns to Isabela's cell and repeatedly demands from Isabela to tell her her true name. She threatens Isabela with the qamek, but Isabela refuses still to reveal anything. After Rasaan tries to gently persuade Isabela that she may know what happened to her mother, Isabela begins to open up about her past.

She reveals that her mother was a Qunari convert who sold Isabela to Luis because she refused to convert. Eventually one day Isabela was deep in debt to the Felicisima Armada, so she was forced to enter the slave trafficking business in order to pay off her debts.

Isabela reflects on her past deeds

When the Orlesian navy one day cornered their ships in the Venefication Sea. Lord Devon had packed the holds tightly and Isabela failed to outmaneuver the Orlesians which forced them to throw the chained slaves to the ocean in order to escape. Rasaan comforts Isabela though when she still refuses to reveal her name, Rasaan strikes her and forces her face into the qamek. This would in effect make her viddath-bas rather than viddathari, as conversion to the Qun would be involuntary for Isabela.

The third chapter starts with Rasaan trying to force Isabela's face into the qamek but the latter eventually resisted and injured Rasaan in the process. The sounds alerted the guard outside the cell who opened the door to see what was going on. Isabela managed to slip below him and escape from the cell while stealing his dagger in the process. Eventually she made it to the cell where Alistair and Varric were held. She released them, telling them to escape, while she went to rescue her crew. In the end Isabela found her crew and told them about the dangers of trying to escape and askes them to choose whether they want to stay or come with her. Her crew decided to come with her.

Isabela fighting against Rasaan

However before she had a chance to open up the cells, Rasaan showed up. She said that the other Qunari thought she'd try to escape but she knew her better. The enraged Rasaan didn't care anymore to convert Isabela, believing that the solution is only her death. In the fierce battle that ensued, the unarmed Rasaan was eventually defeated. Isabela was sitting on Rasaan while holding her dagger ready to make the final, lethal kill. She then told her that her name was Naishe but it isn't anymore. She then attacked with her dagger but deliberately missed Rasaan's head showing that she had no intention of killing her.

Alistair at the same time was also dueling Sten who he managed to defeat. Alistair refused to kill him and instead asked him to work together against Titus, to which Sten accepted this time. The final scenes showed Isabela along with Alistair, Varric, Sten and her crew sailing with her restored pirate ship towards Titus' stronghold, in Seheron accompanied by two Qunari dreadnoughts.

Onboard the ship, Isabela again reaffirmed her determination to help Alistair with his mission.

Dragon Age: Until We Sleep

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Until We Sleep.

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The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning that Alistair is king of Ferelden in the comic's story.

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Qunari dreadnoughts attack Aurelian Titus' fortress and Varric infiltrates the building while Isabela and Alistair assault the fortress directly with the Qunari. Prior to this, Sten/the Arishok tells Alistair and Isabela the Qunari version of the myth of King Calenhad, and how he made a deal with a mysterious witch to drink dragon blood, become a Reaver and create Ferelden.

Isabela's Fade nightmare as a Qunari convert

Varric's attempt to free King Maric from the Magrallen causes everyone to be pulled into the Fade. Isabela is found trapped in a nightmare created by magister Aurelian Titus in the Fade, where she's a Qunari and no longer remembers her true past. Varric and Maevaris Tilani find her but she doesn't recognize them as anyone but bassra and attacks them. Eventually Titus finds them and summons demons to kill them all. The trio all escape and once safe, Varric tries to remind her of who she really is and that this Qunari facade is not who she wants to be. Although she initially believes it would be easier to submit to other's expectations eventually, she is convinced that she does not want to be defined by others; thus making peace with her doubts and trials and also becomes content with her self perception and dignity as a hero. The trio then went off in search of Alistair. The trio found Alistair with the real Maric in the Fade and together convinced King Maric to aid them in killing Aurelian Titus. Isabela rejoins Alistair and Varric to attack Titus and distract him long enough to allow Maevaris and Maric to kill him. After escaping the Fade she was present when Alistair shattered the Magrallen, killing Maric. Afterwards she asked Varric if Alistair had made the right decision, to which he replied he didn't know.

Quests

Act 1

Fools Rush In

Isabela's Contact

Act 2

Isabela's Ongoing Search

Questioning Beliefs

Isabela's Apology

A Ship for Isabela (gift)

To Catch a Thief

Act 3

Isabela's Regret

No Rest for the Wicked

Questioning Beliefs

A Rivaini Talisman (gift)

Mark of the Assassin

Pirates and their Curses

A Map of Sorts

Gifts

• A model ship can be found in a chest during the quest Blackpowder Courtesy in Act 2 when traveling through the smuggler's caves (in a chest near some stairs).
• Rivaini Talisman can be found in Act 3 in the Disused Passage at the Docks.

Gear

Main article: Companion armor

Upgrades to Threads of the Eastern Seas (Isabela's armor) can be found at the following locations:

• Act 2: Supportive Corselet, purchased at Robes by Jean Luc in Hightown. Extra rune slot.
• Act 2: Rigid Boning, purchased at Apparel Shop (Tailor) in Lowtown. +38 defense.
• Act 2: Lambswool Insoles, found at the Lost End Foundry in Lowtown during the "To Catch a Thief" quest, in a crate in one of the upstairs rooms. +2% critical chance.
• Act 3: Boiled Leather Plates, found in a Mountain Cave during the A Murder of Crows quest, on a skeleton near the entrance. Extra rune slot.

If Isabela is romanced, she will update her outfit with a black corset, added goldwork embroidery to the bottom hem of her sash, a red scarf around her right bicep, and replaces the leather pauldron on her left shoulder with a metal one.

Isabela specific gear

Backstabber - One of Isabela's two starting daggers.

Heartbreaker - One of Isabela's two starting daggers.

Lady's Choice - Requires Rogue Item Pack DLC

The Pearl - Requires Rogue Item Pack II DLC

Dagger of the Four Winds - Requires Mark of the Assassin DLC

Badge of the Felicisima Armada - Requires Mark of the Assassin DLC

Quotes

Main article: Isabela/Dialogue

• "Sailing is like sex. If you do it wrong, you will get sick... but do it right, and there's no feeling in the world like it."
• "Ah the blooming rose. Where people come... and then go."
• "And then Isabela went to the Chantry, and saw that it was...boring. Canticle of Isabela, stanza one, verse one."
• "You smell that? Smells like repression, doesn't it? (in the Chantry)"
• '"Hmm... apostate prostitutes? ...Apos-titutes! (Laughs)"
• "I win because I cheat, Kitten. I thought that was obvious."
• "Ah, the Hanged Man. Sometimes you want to be where everybody knows your name."
• '"A warehouse? I don't like being led around. Unless leashes are involved. And they're not."
• "Your death toll is approaching natural disasters. (After combat)"
• "I like big Boats, I cannot lie."
• "A sneer on your lip, but want in your eye."
• "I'm sorry, I don't speak never-gets-sex-again." (both when speaking to commoners)
• "Why must it always be ancient horrors? Why can't it be fabulous treasure once in a while?"
• "Wait. I’m helping the Qunari recover some priceless artifact? Oh, the irony."
• "You see, sweetness, men are only good for one thing. Women are good for six."
• (After Hawke asks why nobody in Kirkwall can handle his own life) "It must be something in the Water.."
• "Shit. What have you gotten yourself into this time, Isabela?"

Trivia

• Isabela was written by Sheryl Chee.
• Mika Simmons does not voice Isabela as she did in Origins; this is to reduce confusion as she also voiced Anora in Origins.
• According to David Gaider, Isabela always had dark skin. Gaider says the promo art of her being pale is a marketing error. In Origins, she is actually dark skinned, but the lighting of the game makes her pale. You can check this by putting her model into the model program and seeing it without the game's lighting.
• In both games, the player meets Isabela as she is being attacked by three men in a bar brawl, who are handily beaten by her and forced to flee.
• If you don't recruit Isabela during Act 1 the game will continue normally. All that happens is that you will never find out what kind of Relic was stolen from the Qunari.
• In Dragon Age II, she will remember her sexual encounter with the Warden, or lack thereof, at the Pearl in Origins.
• In a party banter with Aveline, she'll make several sexually-based references to Origins, including "Shank your Jory", "Grey your Warden", "Master your Taint", and "Arl your Eamon".
• If you take Isabela into the Deep Roads she may comment nervously on how she "really doesn't like tight spaces", implying that she is claustrophobic.
• Upon meeting King Alistair in Viscount's Keep, Alistair will say that Isabela looks different, to which Isabela will respond "Don't we all." This is probably an in-game joke referring to the changes in character appearance between the games. If imported from Origins where Alistair is exiled or selecting the "No Compromise" backstory, Alistair will be found intoxicated in The Hanged Man, where Isabela and Alistair will not recognize each other. She will say he's been ranting about being the "Prince of Ferelden" all day and he will say she sounds like Morrigan.
• When imagining a single note scent for Isabela, Sheryl Chee likened her to "spice trade, chocolate mousse and unearthed."
• The general similarity between aspects of Duncan's armor and that of Isabela appears to be indicative of a Rivaini style of armor.
• Based on conversation between Hawke and Isabela in Dragon Age II after Fools Rush In, Isabela appears to have been a captain for approximately 10 years, as she indicates she has known some of her crew almost that long.
• Despite her specialisation, "Swashbuckler", she cannot equip bucklers or longswords to do any activity of the sort.

Bugs

• In the recruiting quest "Fools Rush In", if the player loots the corpses before instructed, it is impossible to recruit Isabela.
• Every time you go to the Qunari Compound with Isabela she will disappear with an "excuse". However if you speak to her while she is talking, she stops what she's saying and stays with you in the Qunari Compound.
• pc If Hawke has slept with Isabela and pursues a romance with Merrill, it will put the former's romance in a sort of a "ghost" state making impossible for the Merrill's romance to be completed. This means that the romance dialogues of Isabela still play properly, but in certain situations the game won't acknowledge the fact that it's still active (like making the threesome with Zevran impossible, missing companion interactions, endgame outcomes, etc.).
  • This bug can be fixed by using the console commands "runscript zz_app_debug" or "runscript zz_isa_debug" and adjusting Isabela's romance flag to "Active". This has been tested only with the Zevran threesome dialogue which it fixes, but has not been tested with any other situations and it may break other things.
• If Isabela is romanced, her outfit may not properly update to the newer version. Using the Maker's Sigh potion from the Black Emporium to respec her skills will update her outfit, picking up any armor upgrades for her also seems to work. It has been reported that her romance outfit can also be triggered by pressing the "Escape" key right after the bed scene (PC only).
• Prior to patch 1.03, if the Supportive Corselet was purchased before armor change, rune slot didn't properly carry over to the new armor. It would disappear and reappear empty later, at the beginning of Act 3.
• It is possible that Varric will say that she stayed with the Champion, indicating that she was romanced, even if another companion was romanced. This may happen even if she has left the party.
• Varric will mention Isabela on the docks during the Rise of the Qunari quest regardless of whether of not she was recruited in Act 1.
• Occasionally Isabela will turn completely white apart from her face before the final battle in Act 3.
• If the Tome is given to Isabela, it is sometimes possible for you to have a scene with her in the Hawke Estate. This can be triggered by speaking to Dog.
• pcps3If the Legacy DLC is installed and you sleep with Isabela, but do not pursue a romance she may still receive her romance armor.

Gallery

Isabela playing Wicked Grace at the Pearl in Dragon Age: Origins.

Isabela at the Hanged Man Tavern in Kirkwall.

Isabela, as she appears in the "Destiny"-trailer.

Isabela with Hawke.

IsabelaRomanceOutfit.jpeg

This outfit is worn by Isabela if she is romanced.

Cover for Dragon Age: Those Who Speak #2.

Isabela during her sex scene in Dragon Age II.

Dragon Age II loading screen style fresco of Isabela.

Codex Entries

Codex entry: Isabela

Codex entry: Isabela - After the Deep Roads

Codex entry: Isabela - The Last Three Years