Still Waters

Still Waters is a side quest in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Undead have terrorized Crestwood since a Fade rift appeared in the lake. There must be a way to close it.

Acquisition

Automatically obtained when the Inquisitor first travels to Crestwood. This quest serves as an introduction to Crestwood and is a significant quest plot in that area.

Walkthrough

Defend Crestwood from undead

As you approach the Village of Crestwood, you will see undead and demons attacking the town gates. Help the defenders and enter the village to speak with Crestwood's mayor, Gregory Dedrick.

The mayor will tell you that the only way to get to the rift in the lake is to drain it using the dam controls. However, to do that you will need access to the nearby keep, which is overrun with bandits.

Capture the keep

Approaching the keep begins the quest Capturing Caer Bronach. You must fight through the bandits and claim the keep to proceed with this quest.

Once the keep has been captured, enter the door to the right of the merchant and keep going down the path outside the keep. On the dam is the Rusted Horn tavern, which houses the dam controls to drain the lake. Enter the tavern and speak to the surprised couple for some approval changes (see Approval section below). Note that Codex entry: The First Blight: Chapter One is located on the top floor of the tavern.

The dam controls are in a small room at the back of the tavern. Using the controls will drain the lake - but they will also disturb the Northern Hunter high dragon, who will fly overhead as you exit the tavern, and take up residence on the ruined building in the Black Fens by the Fereldan Wyvern Statues landmark. If you want to claim the landmark and close the nearby rift without fighting the dragon, make sure you do it before draining the lake.

Old Crestwood

Proceed to Old Crestwood (located south of North Gate Camp) and enter the Flooded Caves. Make sure you speak to the Wraith in Old Crestwood first to obtain the Burdens of Command quest which is completed in the same location.

You may also wish to visit the Mayor's Old Home south of the caves; inside the house is a chest that contains a note entitled "Scrap of Paper" and triggers some dialogue with your companions. You will also find the bodies for Homecoming in three different houses within Old Crestwood.

Note: Once you enter the Flooded Caves, Jana will no longer be available for recruitment as an agent. If you want to recruit her, make sure you speak to her in Crestwood and choose either the Nobility Knowledge dialogue option or have Solas recruit her for you.

Flooded Caves

The cave leads down into some dwarven ruins. Several chests are hidden in small nooks along the way. As you progress further down, you will come to a section of cave where you will fight fight several corpses and a Despair demon. After the fight, search to your right to find a small area set back from the main cave with a chest and some bones you can examine for dialogue with your companions. As you leave this area, climb over the rocks to your right to find a chest containing a Master Spirit Rune.

From this area, continue down into the dwarven ruins. A locked door on the left side of the first corridor in the ruins hides Note: The Lost Outpost Plaque and Codex entry: Paragons Known and Lesser Known as well as a chest with some random loot. Just past this door you will find the Rage demon for the Burdens of Command quest, if you accepted it before entering the caves.

The fade rift is in a room on your left as you proceed into the ruins. There are two unlit torches and a supply cache right outside. Before you close the rift, have a warrior bash down the nearby wall and climb down the ladder into a room that has some loot and a piece of the Freed Are Slaves mosaic. Climb back up and head to the fade rift.

Close the rift

This rift is tough, particularly if you're not prepared. Unlike most rifts, it has four waves of enemies. Having a mage use Dispel or Cassandra use Spell Purge to stop some enemies spawning in each wave is extremely helpful. Enemy levels will scale from 8 to 11 depending on your party's average level.

The rift will spawn the following enemies:

Wave 1: Wraith x 4
Wave 2: Wraith x 2, Lesser Shade x 2
Wave 3: Lesser Terror x 2, Lesser Shade x 2, Wraith x 2
Wave 4: Rage Demon x 1, Lesser Terror x 2, Wraith x 2

There is a chest at the back of the room with some random loot you can claim once the rift is closed.

Report to the Mayor

Now that the rift is closed, you can continue on through the ruins to the exit. Along the way, you will find another piece of the Freed Are Slaves on a table and an elven artefact nearby. There is a chest half-hidden behind a rock outcropping nearby.

As you move through the ruins, one of your companions will query whether you're going the right way. The Inquisitor will respond that they feel a draft. Continue through the door at the back of the Room. Right after the door at the left side, there is an another chest with random loot. Nearby you will find a family of three nugs that will trigger more dialogue. You can kill these nugs if you want, but note that most companions will disapprove if you do so.

Head through either of the nearby doors and up the ladder out of the Flooded Caves. You'll still be in a cave at the top, but it's part of Crestwood. Climb up the next ladder and pick up another Freed Are Slaves mosaic piece and the loot nearby. Use the level to open the door and head outside.

Note: If you haven't already closed it, a fade rift for the Rift near the North Gate will be just outside the cave exit. If your party is low on health and/or healing potions, consider quick travelling to the nearest camp.

As you leave the cave, you will see that the sun has come out and Crestwood looks altogether less grim. Return to the village and head to the mayor's house. Two villagers standing outside the house will comment that the mayor has left, so look for his letter on his desk to complete the quest.

Note: Closing the rift in the lake will remove the wooden boards from in front of the locked house in Crestwood. If you have the Deft Hands, Fine Tools perk, you can now have a rogue open the door to claim an Amulet of Power for the Inquisitor (and Malika's Guard if you have patch 10 installed).

Rewards

Closing the fade rift yields:

512 XP, plus 1,934 XP
600 Influence
2 Power, plus 3 Power
Axe of Green Edges

There are no additional rewards for completing the quest, aside from the standard XP awarded for codex entries when you read the mayor's letter.

Results

Finding the mayor's letter unlocks the war table operation Find Crestwood's Mayor.

Approval

When talking to the Mayor for the first time:

You'd have to evict the bandits in the old fort to use the dam. I can't ask you to risk your life.

Please, let me help. - Cassandra Slightly Approves, Blackwall Slightly Approves
I'll be fine. - No approval change.
Admit you need the help. - Dorian Slightly Approves, Sera Slightly Approves

Talking to the two villagers in The Rusted Horn tavern:

We didn't know you were here, ser. Please don't tell anyone!

Q How did you get in here? -

Solas Slightly Approves

I won't. - Cole Greatly Approves, Blackwall Slightly Approves, Iron Bull Slightly Approves, Sera Slightly Approves, Cassandra Slightly Disapproves
This place is hardly romantic. - Dorian Slightly Approves, Solas Slightly Approves
Why the secrecy? - No approval change

Destroying the Fade rift

Cole Approves (whether he is or isn't in active party.)

Killing the Nug-Family (3 Nugs) at the end of the Flooded Caves

Vivienne Slightly Approves,

Cole Slightly Disapproves,

Iron Bull Slightly Disapproves,

Cassandra Slightly Disapproves,

Solas Slightly Disapproves,

Sera Slightly Approves,

Varric Slightly Disapproves

Notable items

The Flooded Caves contain multiple deposits of Stormheart, a tier 3 metal crafting material. This is likely to be the first tier 3 metal you will come across in the game.
Three mosaic pieces for the Freed Are Slaves collection are found in the Flooded Caves. See the walkthrough for their locations.
The Fade rift will always drop Axe of Green Edges.
Master Spirit Rune in a chest in the Flooded Caves.

Codex entries

Codex entry: The First Blight: Chapter 1
Codex entry: Letter Of Confession
Codex entry: Paragons Known and Lesser Known

Other texts

The Lost Outpost Plaque

Gallery

Trivia

The idea and themes of a village buried underwater by the action of a dam and populated with undead is very similar to a quest in a previous BioWare game, Jade Empire. See The Great Dam for comparison.
In the dwarven caverns, the Inquisitor may say, "I feel a draft.", a reference to the pit message in the classic computer game, Hunt the Wumpus.
After exiting the flooded caves and going up the following ladder and set of stairs there is a pile of abnormally large skulls with a cheese wheel on top behind a rock formation on the left of the final platform.

Bugs

It is possible to bypass the keep on the way to the dam. If you descend into the valley from Hilltop Farm and follow the path while staying close to the dam wall, you will come to a large rock which is almost jumpable. On occasion your party members will end up on top of the rock which lead to the back door of the fort and the dam. This is not really a bug as the Keep can be claimed at any time afterwards as Capturing Caer Bronach is listed as a side quest. However the keep must still be captured to complete the quest.^{[confirmation needed]}