Vyrantium

Vyrantium is a city in the Tevinter Imperium located on the coast of the Nocen Sea.

Background[]

Vyrantium is one of the oldest settlements in Thedas; records show that the city predates -1200 Ancient.^[1] It is also a major city in the current Tevinter Imperium and possibly a hub of fashion, as it has been described as Minrathous' "sharp-dressed sister," hosts the Imperium's foremost wigmaker,^[2] and seems known for textiles such as Infused Vyrantium Samite.

History[]

Sometime around -1225 Ancient,^[3] Calpurnia, a priestess serving at the Temple of Dumat, found a baby boy floating in a basket on the seashore with nothing but a blanket and half a ring. She took the child and raised him as her own within the temple, giving him the name of Darinius. The boy showed himself to be a talented Dreamer from a very young age; by the age of nineteen, Darinius had become High Priest of Dumat in Vyrantium. Darinius, who was in fact the son of the High Queen of Tevinter, eventually united the kingdoms of Tevinter, Neromenian, and Qarinus, forming the Tevinter Imperium in -1195 Ancient.^[1]

When the Third Blight broke out in 3:10 Towers, Vyrantium was among the cities to be swarmed by the darkspawn.^[4]

Involvement[]

Dragon Age: Inquisition[]

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

If the Inquisitor chose to ally with the Qunari during Demands of the Qun (Inquisition):

There is significant Venatori presence in Vyrantium during the War against the Elder One. The Inquisitor has the opportunity to assist the Ben-Hassrath as they attempt to destroy a spy network in Vyrantium.

Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights[]

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights.

The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning it may not follow some of the player's choices in the games.

The Wigmaker Job

Lucanis and Illario Dellamorte have taken an anonymous contract to assassinate Ambrose Forfex, Tevinter's premier wigmaker and a Venatori blood mage. After successfully infiltrating one of his shows, they discover that he feeds his slaves red lyrium to create red lyrium-infused wigs. When Lucanis destroys the elven artifact strengthening the Veil, chaos erupts at the party. The slave models become possessed by demons, as do some of the drunkest and most frightened guests. While Illario gets the other slaves out of the mansion, Lucanis kills Forfex, who's turned into an arachnid-like abomination. In total, over forty guests and slaves die during the course of the party.

Dragon Age: The Missing[]

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Missing.

The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning it may not follow some of the player's choices in the games.

Vyrantium is besieged by the Antaam.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard[]

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

The attack on Vyrantium marked a pivotal turn in the overall Antaam invasion. As one of the largest cities in the Tevinter Imperium, Vyrantium was a key shipping and trading port and a cultural center second only to Minrathous. Capturing it would let the Antaam cut off Minrathous from the rest of the empire and, with the help of a naval blockade, starve the city into submission.

Reports state that the Antaam were initially greeted with celebration by slaves harvesting crops outside the city. They knew that the magisters feared the Qunari and saw in the Antaam a chance for liberation from oppression, as the Qunari at Kirkwall had done for the elves. But the Antaam warlord leading the attack, a kithshok called Staffbreaker, punished soldiers who tried to treat with the slaves. He ordered that all bas be cut down, to shake the resolve of Vyrantiumls defenders.

Had Staffbreaker welcomed the slaves, he might have guaranteed supplies for his army and gained converts from those who had suffered under Tevinter's cruelty. Instead, he accomplished what was once thought impossible: making the magisters of Tevinter seem the lesser of two evils. From slave to magister, every hand supported Vyrantium, and battles between gaatlok cannons and mage staves left everything east of the city a charred wasteland.

As of this writing in 9:52 Dragon, Vyrantium remains besieged, under bombardment from both land and city, but the Antaam have pushed no farther.

—Excerpt from Marloqun: The Loss of Reason by Seer Rowan of Dairsmud

—From Codex entry: The Siege of Vyrantium

Places[]

Circle of Magi^[5]
Chrysanthus Estate – home of Lord and Lady Chrysanthus.
Floating Aqueduct – a three-tiered aqueduct that floats above the city.^[2]
Forfex Estate – the estate of Ambrose Forfex. The front of the estate is a collection of beige and red brick rotundas. Forfex hosts his periwig shows in a grand, circular courtyard surrounded by a two-tiered arcade at the back of the estate proper.^[2]
The Nug Queen – a tavern on the docks of Vyrantium with pristine white walls and peacock-blue cushions.^[2]
Temple of Dumat – the temple in which Darinius was raised. (Ancient Age)
Vhenadahl Statue – a statue of a scorched vhenadahl commissioned to replace the real tree after it burned down during a slave revellion, as a reminder of the price of rising against the masters. There is a hidden staircase below the statue that leads to secret rooms lit by veilfire.^[2]