- For the game, see Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
The Veilguard is the name given to Rook's team of seven companions.
Background[]
Involvement[]
Dragon Age: The Veilguard[]
Assembling the Veilguard
Varric recently learned that his team's investigator, Neve Gallus, had a lead on Solas' hideout but she was kidnapped by the Venatori at a Minrathous bar. Rook and Varric interrogated the bar owner about Neve's whereabouts and she directed them to Dumat Plaza. As Rook and Varric rendezvoused with Lace Harding, Solas' ritual began to weaken the Veil, which consequently caused demons to invade Minrathous and chaos to erupt in the streets.
Varric, Harding, and Rook find Neve at Dumat Plaza, having frozen her kidnappers and protecting herself with an ice barrier. Having rescued herself, Neve greets Varric's team and helps them find Solas' hideout at a building beneath Our Lady of Victory. Varric's team investigates the hideout and use its eluvian to reach Solas' ritual site in Arlathan Forest. Varric goes off on his own to try to persuade Solas to abandon his plan to tear down the Veil. Rook and the rest of the team were tasked to hold off the invading demons from the ritual site, but Rook suggests they disrupt Solas's ritual by collapsing the ritual site. While Solas is distracted by Varric, Rook decides to target the supports holding up a large elven statue in the ritual area, destroying much of the site and pulling Solas's focus from the ritual. Varric, who could not sway Solas, attempts to wrest Solas' lyrium dagger from him, and in the struggle, Solas inadvertently stabs Varric with the dagger. The interruption inadvertently allows two elven gods, Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan, to escape their imprisonment while trapping Solas in the Prison of Regrets that Solas had intended to hold them in. A magical explosion knocks Rook into a stone wall, concussing them and causing them to bleed enough from their head injury for Solas to establish a link to their mind; this allows him to speak to them in dreams. One of their allies is also badly injured in the confrontation, and unbeknownst to Rook, Varric is killed by the fatal stabbing. Harding and Neve carry Rook and Varric to the eluvian, which takes them all to the Lighthouse.
With the Lighthouse's eluvian only set to travel to Arlathan Forest, the Veilguard decide to return there to investigate the Ritual Site and to verify if the danger of the released elven gods that Solas claims is real. As the Veilguard reach Arlathan Forest, they encounter the Veil Jumpers; their leaders, Strife and Irelin, enlist the Veilguard's help in recovering their artifact expert, Bellara Lutare. When the Veilguard meet Bellara, they find themselves trapped in a Veil bubble and need to work together to deactivate the artifact known as the Nadas Dirthalen to stabilize reality. The team deactivates and retrieves the Nadas Dirthalen and return to the Veil Jumper Camp. At the Veil Jumper Camp, Strife and Irelin ask Bellara and the Veilguard to discover what became of their two Veil Jumpers who were sent to investigate D'Meta's Crossing and also to search for any signs that the elven gods may have been there. The Veilguard discover that Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain sacrificed the two Veil Jumpers in a blood magic ritual to unleash the Blight, which consumed D'Meta's Crossing. The Veilguard report that the elven gods have returned and have started the Sixth Blight to the Veil Jumpers. Morrigan, an associate of the Veil Jumpers, arrive at the Veil Jumper Camp to answer any questions the Veilguard may have and advises them to retrieve Solas' lyrium dagger, as such a powerful artifact cannot be permitted to fall into the elven gods' hands. The Veilguard fight off a lyrium ghoul sent by the elven gods for the lyrium dagger and return to the Lighthouse. Bellara joins the Veilguard and repairs the Vi'Revas, the Lighthouse's eluvian which connects to the The Crossroads, a pocket dimension in the Fade where all eluvians meet. Reactivating the Vi'Revas and the presence of Solas' lyrium dagger also compelled the Caretaker to show itself. The Caretaker informs the Veilguard about the Lighthouse and the Crossroads, and also ferries the team around the Crossroads.
At the Lighthouse, Neve suggests some allies that may help them defeat the elven gods. She recommends they go to the Antivan Crows for help. Specifically, she thinks they should recruit Lucanis Dellamorte, a mage-killer known as the "Demon of Vyrantium" who earned his nickname killing blood mages and Venatori. She also suggests they go back to Minrathous and ally with the Shadow Dragons, an anti-corruption and anti-slavery resistance organization with eyes and ears all over the Tevinter Imperium.
Rook meets with the the Antivan Crows' contact and Treviso Crow leader, Andarateia Cantori, who ushers Rook's team to the Cantori Diamond where the Veilguard meets the other leaders of the Crows in Treviso: First Talon Caterina Dellamorte, her grandson, Illario Dellamorte, and Fifth Talon Viago de Riva. When Rook asks for Lucanis' help in killing the elven gods, Viago states that Lucanis was reported dead a year ago during a mission. However, after swearing those at the meeting to secrecy, Caterina reveals she saw that the body recovered was not Lucanis' and discovered he was being held in a Venatori prison called the Ossuary. Caterina made a deal with the Veilguard to rescue Lucanis, offering them Lucanis' services in exchange for his rescue.
When the Veilguard find Lucanis, they discover he is a non-mage abomination. Before Lucanis can leave the Ossuary, he has to destroy the vial of blood that the Venatori used to control him and fulfill his contract to assassinate the Ossuary's warden, Calivan. The Veilguard aid Lucanis with his problems and escape the Ossuary. When Lucanis and the Veilguard return to Treviso, they discover Zara Renata had attacked the Cantori Diamond. Illario stated Caterina was presumed killed in the confusion. The circumstances of the attack seems suspicious but Lucanis is obligated to fulfill his contract with the Veilguard before he can fully dedicate his time to help the Crows.
After an incursion of the blight in D'Meta's Crossing, the Veilguard seek assistance from the Grey Wardens. First Warden Jowin Glastrum assumes Rook unleashed the blight on the village and doesn't believe their claims about the blighted elven gods, Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain, instead choosing to believe that the blight remains predictable as always and that Rook was delusional. Glastrum dismissed the Veilguard's concerns about the emergence of the Sixth Blight, causing the Veilguard to go to the High Anderfels to find sympathetic Grey Wardens that will take the threat of the elven gods seriously. The Veilguard found allies in Evka Ivo and her husband Antoine, who advised them to seek out Davrin, a Grey Warden monster hunter who'll be willing to help.
The Veilguard reach the High Anderfels, where both Davrin and the Veilguard discover that the Griffon Aerie that was raising a new generation of griffons was attacked by darkspawn. The leader of the attacking darkspawn is the Gloom Howler, a seemingly intelligent darkspawn responsible for hunting Grey Wardens. The team fights off waves of darkspawn only to lose all but one griffon to the Gloom Howler, who steals them away for unknown purposes. Davrin joins the Veilguard in exchange for help with rescuing the kidnapped griffons.
After returning from recruiting Davrin, Rook received word that Ghilan'nain had sent two blighted dragons, each attacking Minrathous and Treviso simultaneously. Both Neve and Lucanis are urging Rook to help defend their home cities, leaving immediately to see to their defenses. Rook must choose to defend a city and leave the other to suffer its blighted dragon's rampage and the enemies taking advantage of it. Rook drives off Ghilan'nain and her blighted dragon but in the aftermath, the companion of the devastated city leaves the team for a while to tend to their home.
After telling Solas that the elven gods recruited the Venatori and the Antaam, and have also weaponized a modified Blight and blighted dragons, Solas recomends they recruit a Fade expert, a dragon hunter, and the Grey Wardens in their fight. Bellara has been in correspondence with a Fade scholar and Harding offers to search her contacts for a dragon hunter.
Bellara introduces Rook to Lady Myrna and Vorgoth, representatives of the Mourn Watch. The Mourn Watchers talk about Emmrich Volkarin, Bellara's pen pal and Fade expert. The Mourn Watchers grant Rook and Bellara access to the Grand Necropolis so they can meet with Emmrich and recruit him to their team. However, when they met Emmrich, the Grand Necropolis was infiltrated by the Venatori and under attack. The Veilguard aided Emmrich in securing the Necropolis by unchaining the Sunken Star, a bell whose tolling will cause any malicious spirit to be banished to the Fade, thus driving away the despair demons the Venatori summoned. The Veilguard fended off the Venatori and despair demons while Emmrich conducted the ritual to activate the Sunken Star. Afterwards, the team discover that the Venatori gained access to the Necropolis with a Hand of Glory, a powerful magical artifact that only a powerful, rogue necromancer can craft. Emmrich joins the Veilguard to stop the elven gods from destroying the world and the Fade with their abuse of magic and to chase after this rogue necromancer.
The Lords of Fortune accept the Veilguard's request for a dragon hunter and offers the services of Taash. Before Taash can join Rook's team, the Veilguard is asked to aid Taash in their mission. Rook's team meets with Taash in Rivain as they are on a mission for the Lords of Fortune to lure out a dragon from its hoard. It becomes clear that Taash respects the dragons they hunt as a part of nature and does not want to harm them unless it is necessary, instead preferring to use a sleeping potion to subdue the dragon while plundering. When the group discovers that the rogue Antaam plan to use this opportunity to kill the dragon for themselves, Taash becomes enraged and rushes in to confront them. Taash attempts to use the Qun in order to claim the dragon as theirs by right, but the Antaam reject both their claim and the Qun as a whole. As a last resort, Taash instead shocks Rook by breathing fire at the Antaam and launches an attack, ultimately defeating them and freeing the dragon.
Back with their mother, Shathann, and Isabela, the leader of the Lords of Fortune, they are scolded for using their fire breath in front of Antaam who now know of their unique gift. For this, they are ordered to join Rook as a way to stay safe from any potential fallout. Though they initially seemed uninterested in joining the Veilguard and reacted negatively to being told to do so, Taash does express that they did in fact wish to join them, just that they wanted it to be their decision and not anyone else's. Back at the Lighthouse, the absent companion returns to the team, committed to retaliating against the elven gods.
The Seige of Weisshaupt
- Main article: Fall of Weisshaupt
Blight has surged through the Hossberg Wetlands. Strange new growths, almost like boils, have taken root through the area. This time, however, Antoine can hear another voice in the blight's song. Wardens Evka Ivo and Antoine believe the blight has changed, but they need more proof to show the First Warden. The two enlists the Veilguard's help in collecting Blight samples. Ultimately, Antoine and Evka tried to convince the First Warden that the blight was changed and the elven gods, Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain, were responsible, but he refused to listen. Evka and Antoine were ordered back to Weisshaupt but promised to continue studying the Blight and update the Veilguard on any new developments.
Harding and Morrigan set up a meeting between Rook and the Inquisitor in the Cobbled Swan bar. The Inquisitor gives Rook a wolf statuette they found sometime after Solas' disappearance. Morrigan and the Inquisitor believe using its magic and other statuettes like it in the Lighthouse will reveal the Regrets of the Dread Wolf and give insight into Solas' motivations and character.
Back at the Lighthouse, Davrin received word that all Grey Wardens except him were recalled to Weisshaupt. Davrin suspects the First Warden is holding a grudge against him for joining Rook's team. Davrin has heard rumors that a massive darkspawn horde being led by an archdemon is on the move in the Deep Roads and surmises they are heading towards Weisshaupt.
Ghilan'nain led her Darkspawn and her Archdemon Razikale in an attack on the Grey Wardens. Despite the Veilguard rushing to guide the Grey Wardens in forming a defense and slaying Razikale, they could not slay Ghilan'nain. Ultimately, Weisshaupt was blighted; the Veilguard and Grey Wardens were forced to flee the battle. The surviving Grey Wardens were forced to relocate to Lavendel.
The Price of the Past
Later on, Davrin received word that the Gloom Howler has attacked a secret Grey Warden redoubt, the Cauldron. Davrin and the Veilguard confront the Gloom Howler at the Cauldron, where Davrin was horrified to learn that the monster was there to extract Archdemon blood in a dastardly plan to blight the kidnapped griffons. The Gloom Howler believes she is protecting the new generation of griffons from suffering the same fate as the griffons who died from the Fourth Blight and sees her mad plan as the only way to save them. The Gloom Howler escaped but leaves behind a strip of cloth for Davrin and Assan to track her with.
Sometime later, one of Ghilan'nain's blighted dragons is spotted in the Hossberg Wetlands. The Grey Wardens assemble a defense in the area and endure a series of hit and run attacks from the darkspawn. A few Wardens try to lure out the blighted dragon, who has settled in a ruined tower, but were unsuccessful and led to eleven Grey Warden casualties. The Veilguard arrives in Hossberg to help; Taash lures out the blighted dragon in the open. As the Veilguard and Grey Wardens engange the blighted dragon, Ghilan'nain and her second blighted dragon attack the Veilguard Alliance. As the battle rages on, either the Shadow Dragons or the Antivan Crows arrive with specialized ballistas to aid the Veilguard Alliance. Eventually the Veilguard kills the blighted dragons but Ghilan'nain begins to heal them using the Blight. In order to prevent her from reanimating the dragons, Rook shoots her with a ballista bolt and wounds her. Before the Veilguard Alliance can press the attack, Elgar'nan arrives to teleport Ghilan'nain to safety. Before they leave, Rook overhears that the elven gods are plotting something in Arlathan Forest.
After Ghilan'nain's failed assault on the Grey Wardens in the Hossberg Wetlands, the Venatori have begun to invade Arlathan Forest in mass. Rook and the Veilguard help the Veil Jumpers investigate this Venatori invasion after Rook received a tip that the elven gods were planning something in Arlathan. After defeating the Venatori trespassers, the Veilguard discover that the Venatori have been kidnapping Dalish villagers. Although the Veil Jumpers protected who they could, the Venatori have been taking Dalish prisoners to Arlathan Crater, where their Dalish blood is needed for some sort of sacrifice.
The Venatori is gathering deep in Arlathan Forest, and it falls to the Veilguard and the Veil Jumpers to stop them before Dalish lives are lost. After being supplied disguises by Strife, Rook, Neve Gallus, and the rest of the Veilguard infiltrate the gathering. There, they witnessed Venatori slaughtering halla for fun and Elgar'nan awaken his dragon thrall, Lusacan, once worshipped as the Old God of Night. Elgar'nan used his mental dominating magic to influence the gathering, which tempted the gathering with their desires in exchange for complete obedience to him. Bellara Lutare and Neve however, used their magic to dispel the hold Elgar'nan had on the Veilguard's minds. Sensing there are intruders who broke free from his domination, Elgar'nan ordered the Venatori to capture Rook and their team. While the Veil Jumpers attacked the Venatori to distract from Rook's team, the Veilguard faught their way to the Dalish prisoners. Elgar'nan however, used his magic to thin the Veil and magically keep Rook's team trapped in the temple until Solas challenges Elgar'nan and distracts him from Rook with a telepathic argument.
Dalish blood would've been spilled to restore the dragon to full strength, but with Solas's help, Elgar'nan's plan was thwarted. The Veilguard rescued the captives and with his sacrifices lost, Elgar'nan was forced to sacrifice his own Venatori to his dragon.
Later on, Rook meets with the Inquisitor at the Cobbled Swan and they discuss what they should do about Solas.
After saving a group of Dalish elves from Elgar'nan in Arlathan Forest, Rook receives a message from an unnamed informant in Treviso who claims to know the location of the gods' next ritual. They follow the note's directions to Cafe Pietra and discover that the informant is none other than the "Butcher" Daathrata himself. He tells Rook that he has fallen in love with the city and wants to protect it from the threat the gods pose. If Rook is a Crow, he tells them that he admires the Crows for staying true to their roles, and that they are "as much a work of art as this city."
He also reveals that the gods have blighted him and other members of the Antaam, offering the soldiers strength at great cost. He gives in to the blight and leads Rook to the Drowned District, battling his own Antaam along the way before forcing Rook to kill him to prove they deserve his help. With his dying breath, he reveals to Rook that the gods plan to complete their ritual on Tearstone Island, and that the traitor who betrayed the city is none other than Governor Rayan Ivenci.
The elven gods' plan to create a Red lyrium dagger that can pierce the Veil so they can tap into the full force of the Blight requires an eclipse. With the next eclipse a month away, the Veilguard had planned to assemble their allies so they can cause enough disruption for the team to infiltrate Tearstone Island and defeat the elven gods directly. Rook also plans to consult with the Inquisitor and Morrigan to see if they can contribute to their assault. Rook meets with Morrigan at the Cobbled Swan to discuss their battle plans. During their discussion, they suddenly notice that Elgar'nan has generated his own eclipse, which hastens his plan and gives the Veilguard only a few hours before the gods complete their dagger.
The Veilguard was forced to react immediately to the sudden initiation of Elgar'nan's ritual and attack the island with just their small team. The Veilguard split into two teams: one led by Rook to disrupt the ritual to create the red lyrium dagger while a distraction team (led by either Davrin or Lace Harding) drew the Antaam army away from Rook's team. The distraction team exploded some Antaam dreadnaughts and continued to lead the bulk of Antaam troops away while Rook's team faught their way to the gods' ritual site. Eventually the elven gods caught on that Rook's team was making their way to them and alerted the Antaam in order to stop them.
As the elven gods created their magical dagger, their ritual began creating Fade tears throughout the island. The Veilguard was hindered by the gods' blood magic wards, with either Bellara or Neve Gallus having to risk their lives to dispel them. The mage who dispelled the wards was soon abducted by Elgar'nan and taken through an eluvian.
The Veilguard was forced to press on without their companion and faced Ghilan'nain. The Veilguard planned to ambush Ghilan'nain with a two-pronged attack but found that Ghilan'nain was stalking and capturing Rook's companions during the battle. Rook freed some of their companions from their blight tendril traps which helped the Veilguard endure the battle. Ghilan'nain however, was able to subdue Lucanis, so the leader of the distraction team attacked Ghilan'nain as a distraction so Lucanis could slay Ghilan'nain with Solas' lyrium dagger. While Lucanis was successful in assasinating Ghilan'nain, the leader of the distraction team was murdered while fighting Ghilan'nain. After witnessing Ghilan'nain's death, Elgar'nan escaped the island with the red lyrium dagger. Solas had planned on the Fade tears caused by Ghilan'nain being slain with his lyrium dagger, and used the opportunity to trade places with Rook as he escaped the Prison of Regrets, while he trapped Rook there. Fortunately, Rook was able to navigate his way out of the prison and Rook's companions pulled them out of there with a Fade tear.
The island contains Elven Ruins which the team had to fight through to reach Ghilan'nain. After her death and Rook's disappearance into the Fade, Elgar'nan becomes furious and casts a pillar of fire on the whole island. The spell is strong enough that survivors see purple for hours afterwards. It decimates the Antaam, and turns the whole island to glass.
The Dreadwolf Rises
- Main article: Battle of Minrathous
Following the death of Ghilan'nain at Tearstone Island, Elgar'nan seized control of the Archon's Palace while the Magisterium was in full session. Elgar'nan slaughtered many non-Venatori magisters and declared himself the Archon of the Tevinter Empire. After fortifying himself in the Archon's Palace, he began to blight a significant portion of Minrathous and securing the city through the deployment of the Venatori and Antaam. Solas infiltrated the city before access to it was sealed and has been helping Tevinters, particularly the Shadow Dragons, fend off the Blight and Elgar'nan's forces. The Veilguard and their allies breached the city at Hightown and worked with Solas to retake the city in the Battle of Minrathous.
How many of Rook's Veilguard companions will die during the battle is determined by how much Rook invested in solving their faction-allies and companions' problems; and also who Rook assigns to what task. If Rook garnered significant allied strength and/or if Rook's companions reach Hero of the Veilguard status, and if they assigned their companions to the appropriate task, then the probability of Rook's companions dying is low. If Rook did not invest in those metrics, then chances of them dying are high. Depending on Rook's choices, Rook may also sacrifice themself to trap both them and Solas in the Fade.
Aftermath
Ultimately, the Veil is restored, sustained by the life force of the last elven god.
The Sixth Blight, said to be the final and worst Blight, was over.
The Veilguard, if any survived, were hailed as heroes; while those who died in the war were honored for their service to Thedas. If none of the Veilguard survived, a monument was built where they fell. A final memorial to those who gave their lives to bring Thedas a peace not known for many years.
The Veilguard's faction-allies returned to their homelands to repair the damage of the war and work towards a brighter future.
Notable Veilguard members[]
- Varric Tethras – the former leader
- Rook – the leader; formerly second-in-command
- Lace Harding – the scout
- Neve Gallus – the investigator
- Bellara Lutare – the ancient elven technology expert
- Lucanis Dellamorte – the mage-killer
- Emmrich Volkarin – the Fade expert
- Taash – the dragon hunter
- Davrin – the Grey Warden monster hunter