Marjolaine is a character from Leliana's past. She is described in detail by Leliana if you strike up a conversation about Leliana's past after your approval rating with her is high enough.
Background
Marjolaine was Leliana's mentor during most of her adulthood in Orlais. An Orlesian bard known to most as simply a rich widow, Marjolaine trained Leliana in the subtleties of "The Grand Game," as they referred to it.
Once Leliana's training was complete, Marjolaine then functioned as her employer, sending her on dangerous assignments to gather and plant intelligence, among other things.
This ended when Leliana discovered some of the documents she was planting were sensitive Orlesian material. Treason was punished heavily in Orlais. Out of concern for her mentor, she confronted Marjolaine, asking her to steal back the material, only to be betrayed.
Marjolaine framed her as the traitor, causing Leliana to discard her past as a bard and take refuge in the Lothering Chantry. However, Marjolaine continued to watch Leliana, eventually sending assassins after her.
Involvement
Leliana's Song
Marjolaine is one of two main antagonists of Leliana's Song DLC. She is never an active party member, instead showing up only to give instructions to Leliana, Tug and Sketch.
When Marjolaine first splits from the active party, she tells them to enjoy their evening and promptly wanders off to take care of a Denerim Captain of the Guard who somehow wronged her. She leaves him passed out in the street in front of the Gnawed Noble Tavern. Leliana can then 'assist' her by leaving incriminating evidence around him.
Marjolaine is next seen seducing one of the elite guards inside of the Arl of Denerim's Estate, evidently to give Leliana's group the time to plant the papers. This is when Leliana discovers the papers bear the Orlesian military seal, and that what they are doing is high treason. When Marjolaine regroups with them, Leliana mentions it, but is brushed off in favor of leaving the estate quickly.
Upon reaching the safehouse, Leliana must confront Marjolaine about retrieving the papers. Marjolaine has a number of responses, but she will agree to do so without too much argument. However, once they return to the estate, the alarm goes off and Marjolaine quickly leaves the group to draw some guards, leaving the rest of the group to fight their way out.
As their group makes it out of the building, Leliana worries Marjolaine did not make it out, but then sees that she is unharmed. Marjolaine soothes her--and then stabs her in the stomach, just before the Guard Commander--the one Marjolaine seduced earlier--appears.
Marjolaine appears again with Commander Harwen Raleigh, the person receiving the military intelligence. After Leliana defeats him, Marjolaine comments that 'the game' is more fun when it's personal, and that she knew Leliana would turn on her eventually, so she did it first. They part ways, not meeting again until/unless Leliana becomes friends with the Warden.
Dragon Age: Origins
Leliana tells the Warden, once at high enough approval, that Marjolaine framed her by doctoring the documents and turning them in to Orlesian authority, so she escaped from cruel treatment at the hands of the Orlesian authorities to Lothering.
Upon defeating the assassins sent after Leliana, the Warden and Leliana can confront Marjolaine in Denerim's Market District. Marjolaine will claim she sent the assassins in order to lure Leliana to her, though whether or not that is true is unknown, given her character's tendency toward lying and treachery.
Leliana and the Warden can explain that they are on a mission to defeat the Blight and have no interest in Marjolaine, but Marjolaine will not believe either of them. She will accuse Leliana of using the Warden in order to exact revenge, reminding her that she loved 'the game' and that that was a part of her that would never disappear.
Depending on the Warden's suggestions, Leliana will either:
- Tell Marjolaine to stay out of her life. Marjolaine leaves, vowing it is not over between them.
- Decide to settle the score once and for all by killing her.
Strategy
You ultimately have the choice of either attacking Marjolaine or telling her to leave. If you tell her to leave, you will still get some good items, located in the chest in the bedroom (including Marjolaine's Recurve).
Marjolaine is a bard, and as such powers up herself and her allies with songs. She also possesses the bard skill Distraction. She's also immune to Dirty Fighting.
Marjolaine hits very hard for a rogue, even if not in a position to backstab, so try to limit her damage in any way possible. Penalizing her attack through skills such as War Cry or Crippling Shot is very effective, as is boosting your tank's defense - Heroic Defense and Glyph of Warding are excellent choices.
Aside from Marjolaine herself, she also brings along several normal rank enemies, including heavily armored guards that are a nuisance, but no huge threat, and two mages. These enemies pour from both sides of the room at the initiation of combat. Have your tank gain Threat - Taunt works well - then quickly dispatch the mages, as their spells buff Marjolaine and can wreak havoc on your party. However, note that there are traps in front of each door that the mages stand in.
A good strategy is to retreat to the room where you fought the first two guards. This causes the mages to follow you, and gets all your targets in a tightly knit group where they are more vulnerable to spells and abilities such as Chain Lightning and Scattershot. Often Marjolaine will simply activate the level 4 Bard talent: Captivating Song, and let her guards do the rest. Even though she is paralyzed for the duration of the fight it can still be easy to die. The best way to counteract her Captivating Song is to simply have Leliana use it. That way Marjolaine's bodyguards will also be slowed down enough for your tanks to kill them first. Then you can take out Marjolaine at your leisure.
Quotes
- "Leliana! So lovely to see you again, my dear."
- "Oh, you must excuse the shabby accommodations... I try to be a good host, but you see what I to work with? This country smells like wet dog. Everywhere. I cannot get the smell out. Even now it is in my hair, my clothes... ugh."
- "So business-like, your companion."
- "Dead? Nonsense. I know you, my Leliana. I know what you are capable of. Four, five men... you can dispatch easily. They were sent to give you cause to come to me. And see? Here you are."
- "In truth? You have knowledge that you can use against me. For my own safety, I cannot let you be. Did you think I did not know where you were? Did you think I would not watch my Leliana? What is she up to? I thought. The quiet life, the peasant clothes, hair ragged and messy like a boy... this is not her. You were planning something, I told myself. So I watched... but no letters were sent. No messages. You barely spoke to anyone. Clever, Leliana, very clever. You almost had me fooled. But then you left the Chantry, so suddenly. What conclusion should I draw? You tell me."
- "Oh, is that what you think? If I were you, I would believe nothing she says. Not a one. She will use you. You look at her and you see a simple girl... a friend, trusting and warm. It is an act."
- "Oh, but you are me. You cannot escape it. No one will understand you the way I do, because we are one and the same. Do you know why you were a master manipulator, Leliana? It is because you enjoyed the game; you reveled in the power it gave you. You cannot change or deny this."
- "You think you can kill me? I made you, Leliana. I can destroy you just as easily."