Frostback Mountains

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Frostback Mountains

On your way to the Mountains you will get a combat interrupt and kill a group of darkspawn, before continuing on.  You may or may not get a CS interaction with Wynne if you have her in your party and if you have been talking to your group mates as you should have and have developed a relationship with them.  Wynne falls down after the fight, which clues you in that something may be wrong with her, but insists that she prefers to discuss it when you are back in camp.

As you move forward after arriving in the Mountains note the rather cool Dwarf statue off to the right side of the road not what you would call lifelike or to scale I guess, but cool nonetheless.

Ahead is your first encounter with Bounty Hunters and then you pass over the stone bridge and into the campsite that is outside of the entrance to the Dwarven Lands.  Now before we do anything else, head along the left side of the camp until you encounter the Mage Apprentice and deliver his note to him that is the third and final notice, so that is another quest that can be turned into the the Mage's Collective.

Keep making your way along the camp clockwise, talking to the folks you see and eventually you will come upon another deserter oh good!  Another message delivered, and another deserter killed!  That completes the recovery of the Guild Supplies, and another quest completed!

Now follow the arrow on the map up the stairs in the back of this zone to overhear an argument with a guard near the door.  After the argument you are given the opportunity to talk to the guard only to learn that there is no King for you to talk to!  Once you show your authority as a Grey Warden, the guard has no choice but to allow you to enter.

Loghain's messenger is being a major jerk you know you have to kill him, right?  Once Imrek is dead and his bodyguards too head back to the guard, who thanks you for taking out the very annoying Imrek, and then he opens the doors and welcomes you!

Orzammer Hall of Heroes

Once you are inside, go over to the statue of Paragon Ortan and click on it for a Codex Entry actually it does not matter which one of the Paragon statues you click on, they all give the same entry to the Codex and there is only one for these statues.  On the left side is a Dwarven Scholar that you can speak to and learn about the Paragons. 

As you head up the stairs in the back of the hall there is a book on the floor on the right called the Commission Report grab that for the Codex Entry The Key to the City, and then click on the door to the Commons.

As you enter you get a nice CS that shows you entering and you get to see an argument between the Dwarves that ends in the death of one of what I think it is safe to say is a good guy.  You can talk to the Captain of the Guard who evidently does not think much of the Grey Wardens but he does encourage you to visit the Shaper of Memories in the Diamond Quarter to at least learn what you can about their culture.  After this conversation you pick up two more Codex Entries you have been reading these, right?

After you finish talking to the Captain, walk around to the other side of the statue thing he is in front of and look at the Floor Tile to get a Codex Entry on Orzammer, and then look at your map to get an idea of the layout here.  There is a gem merchant named Garin who has some nice items including three gifts that you will want to buy so that is as good a place to start as any.

Near him is a Dwarf girl named Dagna interested in The Circle of Mages.  After you talk to her, she asks you to pass on her request to the Circle, which flags the quest An Unlikely Scholar. 

Across the way from her is Nug Wrangler Boermor, who sells Nugs.  Talk to him to flag the quest A Lost Nug, and then head back up the stairs and talk to Nerav, who will give you some information about the power struggle taking place now in Orzammer. 

Now before you run down the stairs on the other side, you see that bridge in the center?  Run along it and on the right is a document on the ground pick that up for another Codex Entry with some useful information, and then grab the pink Nug that is crouching on the other side of the bridge.  Now run back and down the stairs to the right and pass Dagna again you can talk to her again if you like, and learn just how fixated she is on the Circle.  Just a ways down from her is Filda (marked by an exclamation point) who is a widow.  From her you can learn about her missing son and offer to help her, picking up a new quest A Mother's Hope.

Brother Burkel is a bit further down, a Dwarven Chanter from Redcliffe, who is seeking permission to open a Chantry here.  Yes, you guessed it, another quest for us! The Chant in the Deeps is added to our quests list, and off we go! 

Just past the Brother in fact over his shoulder is another Nug that we may as well collect.  See that wall carving leaning against the wall nearby?  Click that for a Codex Entry on the Casts, and then go talk to Legnar at the nearby stand.

Legnar is a fan of Bhelen, but in a pragmatic way, and admits that profit is what he is concerned with.  Just as an observation, this guy would make an excellent Ferengi!  He has four gifts in his shop, as well as a Tome of the Mortal Vessel (a book that instantly raises one or more stats) that you may want to buy.  I would get the gifts in any case. 

Now let's head into Tapster's Tavern up the short stairs on the side here, and talk to Corra first.  You can ask her about the city, learn what the Shapers are.  To thank her for her friendly help I bought the house a round of ale, and then talked to Nevin, who can tell you about Branka and what Bhelen is up to. 

Talk to the Nervous Adventurer in back I swear I had this guy as a roommate in University back in the 80's.  He gives us a Codex Entry, and then runs away.  I wish my ex-roommate had done that.

Next find Lord Helmi on the other side in the back who can tell you about the Cast System, and fills you in on how the Assembly elects a King.  When you are done talking to him, head out the door to the Commons, and move back up the hall towards the stairs to the next door, Janar Armorers.

There is a wall carving in the left alcove with a Codex Entry, and then there is Janar.  This is Dagna's father who can give you his opinion of Branka.  He has some trap plan in his shop that are priced low, so if you do not have them, now is a good time!

When you exit, talk to Dagna to learn her true feelings about what her father wants that should make your decision a bit easier.

As you come down the stairs on the other side you will hear another Nug it is on the right as you descend so grab it too, and then step through the door to Figar's Imports a few steps away only to discover that it is locked up tight and requires a key.  Odd that.

Talk to the Nug Wrangler next, which completes the quest he gave us and takes the rest of the Nug's we found off our hands.  You get a cash reward and a standing order for any other Nug's you find.  Something to bear in mind I guess.

Head down to the unimproved area below to click on another carving, and capture another Nug.  You can talk to the Mine Commander nearby and you get a little info on the Darkspawn in the Roads.  You can ask him about Branka, and learn a little about the monsters in the Deep Roads.  We do not need to go down there just yet, so when you have learned what you want, say good bye to him for now.

As there is nothing like starting at the bottom, let us take a sojourn into Dust Town, shall we?

Dust Town

Out first introduction and welcome is to be attacked by thugs nice.  After you defeat them, loot, and be sure to get the Codex Entry in that pile of  rubble nearby.  Now talk to Rogeh, who gives you a chance to use persuasion, as he has a deal to offer you.  An illegal deal!  I chose not to mostly because I did not have the gold at the time. 

Further down the street on the side is an Assembly Directive grab that and then talk to the Idle Dwarf across the street, then Nadezda in the street, a beggar who you can help.  Next talk to Zerlinda, another beggar to help, who you give money to and then agree to help, picking up the quest Zerlinda's Woe.

The door to a Slums House is near the only one you can enter and inside are a pair of chests you can loot.  Having done that, it is time to abandon Dust Town for now, and head back up to the Commons.

We can go to Tapster's now and try to talk to Zerlinda's father Ordel, since it is the first door on the right as we exit Dust Town. You can use your powers of persuasion on him, which works out well as he asks you to tell her to come home with the cur.  A quick trip back to Zerlinda to give her the good news, quest completed.

You may notice that there is a suspicious door nearby you can take a look at it but at the moment that is all you can do we cannot open it.  So let us head out of Dust Town again, and head for the door to the Diamond Quarter on the other side of the Commons.

The Diamond Quarter

This is our next area of exploration and flagging home to the noble houses and the hoity-toity, yeah! 

Adal Helmi is just inside on the left, and gives you a grim greeting, but as you cannot talk with her that is all you get.  On the left ahead is the door to Harrrowmont Estate but before we visit there, click on the Weapon Rack across the street for a Diamond Maul.

As I understand it who you choose to do the initial task for really does not matter since this is not where you make the decision on who you will ally with, so Harrowmont is as good as Bhelen in that respect and I do not know about you, but I already do not like Bhelen anyway, so I will not be choosing him as King, so Harrowmont is doubly useful to me :)

After you enter, say hi to the Butler, then go talk to Dulin, who will not trust you until you prove you can be trusted.  How?  Why, to fight in the Proving in Harrowmont's name of course!  Well we have our orders and Dulin has left for the Tavern, so there is nothing for it but to head out and explore the rest of the Diamond Quarters before we continue with the quest, right?

There is a wall carving on the left side of the street next to Nerav, who hopes you will support Harrowmont click on that for a Codex Entry, and then head up the stairs to listen to the Crier before you continue on to the last door on the left the Shaperate.  Note that we intentionally passed the Royal  Palace and the Assembly without going in for now.

The Shaperate

Talk to Milldrate to hear about a thief who stoled a book and flag the quest Thief in the House of Learning.  Next talk to Orta to flag her quest Lost to the Memories, and then pick up the book next to her for another Codex Entry.  Ahead on another table is yet another book with a Codex Entry on the Deep Roads, and nearby that is the Shaper.

This is who you ask about opening a Chantry in Orzammer and use your persuasive powers to convince him to say yes!  What an easy quest that was!  Next you can have him give you a history lesson about Orzammer.  When you finish there are five more Codex Entries to gain in the back room, and a chest to pick and loot that has a gift in it and some armor.  This gift is meant for Wynne by the way, so try not to give it to someone else.

Let's leave here and head into the Assembly now.

Vartag is standing just inside on the left, Bhelen's advisor, who attempts to recruit you to Bhelen's side.  I told him that I had to think about it which did not please him but you can side with him if you like. 

Once you enter the Assembly Chamber you get a CS that consists of an argument, and then they go into recess, and you are locked out.  Bummer, but no great loss as we have other things to do!

A quick visit to the Palace just to look around finds us going up against a band of tunneling thieves, and in the storeroom in the back we find another glass vial that summons a Revenant for us to kill, who holds a scrap of paper that gives a Codex Entry.  Across the hall is more loot including one of the letters we are looking for, and then we exit out into the throne room.  You get a Codex Entry from clicking on the throne itself, and that wraps up our tour of the Palace and the Diamond Quarter.  Time to head for the Proving.

When you reach the door to the Commons, do not go through immediately instead run up one of the stairs on either side and grab the document on the ground at the top for a Codex Entry and then head through the door to the Commons.

The Proving

When you arrive before you talk to the Proving Master and let him know that you will be competing as Harrowmont's Champion there are a few things we must do.

Inside the main Proving Annex is a dwarf named Baizyl who was previously one of Harrowmont's Champions but why did he back out of the Proving?  That is what we are here to find out!  You have a chance to persuade here and when you do you learn that he was blackmailed into withdrawing and how.  To solve this problem we need to get the love letters from Myaja.

Now head through the North doors to the fighter's prep area on that side and talk to Gwiddon another one of Harrowmont's ex-Champions.  It turns out that Gwiddon has been told that Lord Harrowmont has already given up his claim to the throne and decided that there was no point in fighting left.  Another chance to persuade and Gwiddon is back in the fight!

Now we head back through the tunnel to the South door and into the other fighter prep area, where we shall burgle Myaja's quarters there!  The letters were in a chest we grab them and head back to Baizyl to give him the letters and the good news he can fight again!

Now we talk to the Proving Master!

There is an opening in the first round and what the heck, let's jump right in!  There are five fights in the fourth you actually choose one of your party to fight as your second, and in the fifth fight your entire party battles.

After you finish the fight you are ejected into the backstage area, and if you like you can do some unofficial match fights here if you like just talk to the Proving Armsman in the small room here to set it up.

In another room is Hanashan, a member of the silent sisters, and Farinden, who give you an interesting conversation sort of.

Now we head back to the Commons to the Tavern and have a chat with the man about how we proved we can be trusted, right?  On the way, let us give the Chantry Brother the good news and wrap that quest up, since he is standing right outside of the Tavern.   Dulin is standing in he back room, and is very pleased with what you have done.  If you are ready you can meet with Lord Harrowmont now and as I am ready, to the meeting I went!

Enter the Study and talk to Lord Harrowmont  ask what you need to ask, and get some information from him.  You want to further the quest line here, and Harrowmont has a plan, so bonus!  He wants you to take out the Mob in Dust Town to help improve the lot of the poor who are their victims.  That seems like a reasonable request to me so I decided to go right at it!

As we exit Harrowmont's Estate the nearby Crier announces that the Grey Wardens have aligned themselves with Harrowmont which is only sort of true, right?

Remember Figor's Import Shop the shop on the Diamond Quarter side of the Commons that was locked?  That door is now open so head on in and whoa!  It's the Mob trying to run a protection racket on the owner of the shop!  After you enter, you become their new target for "protection" and before you react, this is one of the moments when what you decide to do effects the results.

If you attack and kill them, you freak the owner out and he runs away.  If you pay them off, you are out 10 Gold and you failed to strike a blow against the mob.  If you intimidate them on the other hand, you solve both problems without compromising your ethics.  I chose intimidation as my solution the mob retreats, and Figor is grateful.

Ask Figor about Jarvia he has some useful information and confirms that you are, indeed, on a righteous mission.  He confirms that the Carta is indeed a mob, but Figor you discover that Figor does not care for the casteless at all. 

Before you leave his shop check out what he has for sale there is a nice selection if supplies here, and if you have been working your crafting skills you might want to take on whatever you are low on.  Bear in mind that the allies that you gather you will find their representative in your camp have supply needs as well, like reagents, and such.  Check their needs the next time you are in camp.

Back to Dust Town

On your way to Dust Town your party gets attacked by a band of Bhelen Fanatics if you followed this guide and aligned with Harrowmont that is.  When you arrive in Dust Town, you will notice that one of the doors that was previously blank is now marked as Alimar's Emporium this is where you need to go to advance this quest line.

Inside the Emporium you will meet Alimar you can ask him questions, and check out his wares but before you do any of that there is something you need to understand: in Dust Town you have to deal honestly with people, and follow through on any promises that you make.  They do not have much here, and your honor is more valuable in the slums than any gold.  If you show them that you cannot be trusted, they will refuse to talk to you or do business with you in the future, so consider this in your dealings here.

Among the items that Alimar sells is a Bard Manual and if you plan to specialize in that direction, you may want to purchase it.  He also has a number of recipes, and if your crafting extends in those directions you may want to check out what he has that you can use.

Asking him about Jarvia causes him to be a little abrupt, but continued questioning and as long as you have been improving your skill in coercion and have a reasonably high strength, you should do the intimidation option here as well. 

Note: When you have the opportunities to use persuade or intimidate, you may want to choose intimidate because there are a lot fewer opportunities to intimidate than there are to persuade.  If you have been following this guide, you should already have the first of the two Achievements for persuasion, and if you succeed in intimidating him, you should pick up the first of the two for that here as well.

BUG NOTICE:  If you want to skip having to watch out for Intimidation opportunities, there is a bug in the conversation with Jarvia that you can exploit to get the Intimidation Achievements easily though it will cost you 30 silver per intimidation score.  If you do not want to pay him the silver, save before you do this.

To use this bug do the following steps:

(1) Talk to Jarvia
(2) Select option 3: What do you know about Jarvia?
(3) Select option 3: Why is everyone so scared of Jarvia?
(4) Select option 2: Would you know more if the question came with silver?
(5) Select option 2: (Intimidate) Here's twenty.  If I like your information, you may get more.
(6) Select option 1: Right.  Here you are.
(7) Select option 3: Never mind.  I was just leaving.
(8) Rinse and repeat until you get the Achievement.

Note that you must pay him each time not paying him can cause him to refuse to talk to you, making this bug un-doable.

Now that you have the information on the secret entrance, and you have finished your shopping here, here, exit the shop and look across the street and a bit further along to see a dwarf named Shady Corebit he is the dwarf that stoled the book earlier.  Tell him you are looking for the thief that stoled the book and he more or less confesses it was him and then attacks you.  After you kill him, loot him to get the Proving Receipt, and then talk to Nadezda the beggar we helped earlier who is also a prostitute.

Ask her about Jarvia, where you can find her, and where you can find a token.  She asks for a reward pay her and then the quest updates. 

Leliana's Pet

If you are doing the romancing Achievements / Trophies you will want to obtain the Pet Nug from the Idle Dwarf here in Dust Town.  Just follow the video have Leliana in your party, when you are near where the Idle Dwarf is, talk to her and she will mention that she likes those cute little pig bunnies.  After the CS with her, talk to the Idle Dwarf and offer him 20 silver for a Nug.  He agrees to get you one and disappears.  Continue on with the quest below, and by the time we finish the next stage he will be back with the Nug!

Now head to the back end of the street and talk to the beggar Nadezda, who is sitting by the fire in the center of the open area back here.  You get some important information from her that you need to advance the quest this is not skipable.

Now enter the nearby Slums House, where you encounter some of Jarvia's men and fight them!  After you fight for a while they give up, with the Thug Leader begging that you spare them.  If you already have the Intimidation Achievements do Persuade here, and he will give you directions to the entrance to Jarvia's lair and a finger token, explaining how it works.  You can choose to kill them here, but that may get you negative points if Wynne is in your party, and there is no down-side to letting them go, so I guess use your best jedgement here. 

Either way the quest now advances.  Excellent!  Quest Updated!

Now before we head into the mob's headquarters, let's go back and talk to the Idle Dwarf, who has returned now with a nice pink Nug!  Pay him the 20 silver and the pet appears in your inventory with the gift flag but DO NOT give it to Leliana now!  Chances are good that you failed to do all of the chat options with her before her approval of you got past 40, and you may even be in a relationship with her now that is bad because you will not be able to get her quest if you are.

Hold onto the Nug for now, and when you are back in camp, you can break up with her which will earn you negative approval and then go through the conversations to get her quest.  After you have her quest and have completed it, you can use the Nug to regain the approval points that you lost, and then initiate the romance with her.  For more information on this read her dossier in the Appendixes.

Now do you remember that Suspicious Door we found earlier?  Head over to that now.

Carta Hideout

Now when you click on the Suspicious Door, you have the option of inserting the bone token into the hole do that and the door unlocks.  Opening the door zones you into the Hideout, where you encounter some guards and kill them since you do not know the password.  It certainly was not Jarvia Sucks Eggs!

Further into the Hideout you come to a crossroads of a sort, and two more thugs and a trap.  Disarm the trap, kill the thugs, and go through the door here to fight more thugs.  Inside this room is a chest and a journal to loot, as well as a wooden crate.  The room on the other side of the hall has more thugs, and two more chests for you to loot.

Go back to the hall and continue on to the next split, and fight more Carta Thugs, then clear and loot the rooms on either side.  The chamber on the left has Elven Mercenaries in it, and Kanky's Common Box and a chest to loot.  The chamber on the right has thugs, two chests and a crate.

There is a Metal Door at the end of the hall past a left branch, and inside are more Carta Thugs for you to kill.  This chamber branches into a T-shape, and there are lootable containers at either end of the T for you to loot. 

Double back to the left branch we ignored a minute ago and head into that chamber, taking out the thugs here.  There is nothing for us to loot, so continue on through the door in the rear of this chamber, disarm the trap a little ways down the tunnel, and loot the pair of barrels on the side of the tunnel.  Continue through another door to where the tunnel T's again and turn left, and go through the door ahead.

There is a trap just inside this room for you to disarm, and thugs to kill.  This is a cell room, and there is a dwarf named Leske locked up here who begs you to help him.  Unlock and open his cell door, and release him.  Now exit the cells and continue along the tunnel to the next chamber and fight.  There are five barrels to loot here and more enemy further in, as well as three traps for you to disarm. 

In the very back of this chamber are three more barrels, Jammer's Common Box, and a crate for you to loot, before taking the door here to the next tunnel along the way.  At the end of this short tunnel is another chamber and fight, four barrels and Pique's Common Box for you to loot, and another door to go through but this door does not lead into yet another tunnel, it opens on a hall!  We are getting closer to our destination, mate!

The door on the left leads to the Carta Bestiary, where they breed and house the rhino-like creatures that they use as pets (?) and there are thugs for you to kill here and a half-dozen containers to loot.  The door on the right leads to a tunnel with some giant spiders in it, and has a chest for you to loot.  At the end of the hall is a Metal Door, and as you approach it, you get a checkpoint save.

Jarvia Fight

Inside this chamber is Jarvia and some of her minions and as you approach, she gives you the 4-1-1 according to Jarvia!  No matter what you say, there is going to be a fight, and while you are fighting do the best that you can to avoid the traps that are placed in the chamber, right?

You may find that this fight goes better if you take out the archers before you take out the melee types, but YMMV on this.  Once you have the minions pared down, take out Jarvia.  Be sure that you loot here after you disarm the traps that you did not set off during the fight.  Jarvia has some decent loot on her and the Carta Key, which you are going to need later.

Now that all of the looting is done, use repair kits on any of your injuries (if you have any) and check your kit to see if any of the items you picked up are better than the ones you and your party are kitted out with if so, swap them in.  When you have done all that, it is time to move on!

The Metal Door on the right in the back of this chamber contains two chests to loot one of which has one of the Love Letters we are collecting. Once you have looted those, head to the other side of the chamber and unlock the other Metal Door with the key you now have, and head into this tunnel to the exit which leads into the Carta Shop. where you encounter a very freaked out Janar.

Basically he says he did not know about the tunnel and has nothing to do with Jarvia I believe him!  You may want to sell off a lot of the loot that you picked up in the Hideout here, to clear the slots in your bag by the time I got to this point I was full and there were items I had to leave rather than loot and that is never a good thing!  With that done, we can now exit back into the Commons again!

The Orzammar Commons

Now would be a good time to visit the Chantry that now exists thanks to us I am not sure if you need to visit here in order to get the 100% exploration Achievement but it will not hurt and if you do, why, so you did!  Talk to Brother Burkel to receive his thanks again, and then exit the Chantry and head for the entrance to the Proving Grounds.

Head through the connecting tunnel inside and talk to Fixer Gredin, who will attack you! Kill him and his minions, then loot the Fixer to recover the book that was stolen from the Shaperate.  Now exit back into the Commons, along the other side, and take the door to the Diamond Quarter. 

As you head to the Shaperate you are set upon by another group of Bhelen Fanatics kill them and  then enter the Shaperate and speak with Shaper Assistant Milldrate, who is happy to see the book you are returning.  This completes that quest.

Exit the Shaperate and head towards the door to the Commons again, but on the left as you get closer there is a dwarven warrior named Loilinar, who you should stop and talk to.  He will tell you about Oghren, and give you some further information about Bronka, who it turns out is his wife. 

Head back into Dust Town and battle the Jarvia Supporters at the other end of town, which wraps up that end of the quest.  Now head back to the Diamond Quarter and speak with Harrowmont or Bhelen if that is who you aligned with and you will learn about the mission that they now have for you in the Deep Roads.

When they finish speaking, you will get the quests An Anvil of the Void, and A Paragon of Her Kind which is the next phase of this quest line.  Now exit the Estate/Palace and then exit back into the Commons, turn right and head to the entrance to the Mines.  This is also the entrance for the Deep Roads, which is where you want to be!

The Deep Roads

As you approach the entrance to the Mines, you meet with the dwarf Oghern, who is looking for the Grey Warden.  In the conversation that ensues, you learn what Branka was looking for the Anvil of the Void and Oghern is added to your party!  Good on ya!  That is one more of the party members required for the Achievement.

Once you accept him, you get the party build menu I dropped Sten and added Oghern and now you are ready to enter the Deep Roads!

As you move past the guards you will see a Rune Plate on the ground click that for a Codex Entry and then click on the door to enter the Underground Map.  Our first destination is the Aeducan Thaig, which we will be running to pick up items and a little XP before beginning the quest proper.

This is a linear path, and when you reach the first junction you will fight a group of Darkspawn.  After you defeat them, loot the broken rock in the alcove and the bodies, and then continue on the path.  At the next junction you fight another group, and there are two chests to loot, and another fractured stone.  The West path here is actually blocked off, but you want to go into it because there is a Bloody Bag there that you will loot a Bag of Limbs from this is a Plot item and also has a Codex Entry. Once you have that, retrace your steps and continue on.

In the next large chamber you will fight more Darkspawn, loot more containers, and then continue on through the tunnels, where you will get jumped by two different packs of Deep Stalkers.  When you reach the very end of the tunnel a third pack of Deep Stalkers will attack, and then you can loot the items that are here.  Now turn around and retrace your steps west to the last junction and take the west branch and follow that down and around to a large chamber and another pack of Deep Stalkers. 

Continue West and fight more Deep Stalkers, and then you will pass over a stone bridge into the ruins of an ancient Dwarven town.  Loot this area and then continue into the tunnel on the other side, and fight yet another pack of Deep Stalkers!  Head through the tunnel and around the bend to fight a small group of Darkspawn and you will have come full-circle through the tunnels and be back in the first chamber that we visited.

After you clean this last area out, you have exhausted this zone, so head back to the Underground Map, and select Caridin's Cross.

Caridin's Cross

According to your new Dwarven companion, this used to be one of the biggest crossroads in the Deep Roads, and you used to be able to get almost anywhere from here.  I don't know about that, but hey, as long as it takes us where we need to go, I say happy-happy-joy-joy!

As you move forward into the Crossroads you encounter some of Bhelen's hired goons and kill them!  Ahead in the roads there are two tunnels that branches off to the right and the left ignore the first one (on the right) and head to the end where the cave-in blocks the road and take the tunnel to the left.

As you progress into this tunnel you will encounter a lone Deep Stalker who will lure you back into a larger chamber where there is a pack to fight.  After you kill the pack you should spot a Small Bloody Sack you can loot to get a Head in a Bag (Plot Item) do that then continue along the south tunnel to fight more Deep Stalkers.  There is a Rune Stone with a Codex Entry here, and a fractured rock to loot, and then we continue along the western tunnel to reach the continuation of the roads on the other side of the cave-in.

You will encounter a group of darkspawn here including some of their rhino monster pets and after you defeat the group, you should loot their bodies and the lootables in this immediate area and then, for simplicity, backtrack to the original road and go down the tunnel that branched off to the left that we passed before.  Both of these tunnel and chamber areas eventually lead to the same place, but for the purposes of organization it makes more sense to clear them in one direction.

Once you are back to the main road, take that left tunnel and head in to find a large chamber with darkspawn in it.  There are a lot of enemy here and it is a large chamber, but if you take your time and remember to heal, you will easily beat them.

Once they are dead and you have looted the area, head over the large rock bridge and disarm the traps at the other end, and then take out the group of darkspawn ahead, including an Ogre!  Loot the bodies and the containers in this area, then continue along the Southern tunnel, to a section of the roads a little further down but on the other side of the cave-in.

To the right is a link to the Underground Map (Deep Roads) near here is a rubble pile with a Codex Entry so make sure you grab that, and on the other side of the road is a statue that has a Codex Entry.  Click on that, and then turn left and head for the junction that we already cleared, take out the darkspawn and disarm the trap on the way.  As you can see there is a tunnel splitting off to the right and at the junction as you continue heading east you will see that the road goes on and turns South.

We will follow the road South here and at the bend you will spy a Glass Phylactery might as well pick it up and spawn the Revenant we did all the others right?  Make sure you loot his scrap of paper (plot item), and then continue along the bend south, and you will see a tunnel splitting off to the left this layout is starting to make sense now, right?

Ignore it for now and keep going South and you will see a tunnel split to the right as well, and at the very end of the road is the zone entrance to Ortan Thaig!  Right, we know where it is now, so let us ignore it, turn around, and take the first tunnel split we come to, which will be on our left now.

After a few twists and turns we are attacked by some demons who we kill and then we see that there is a junction ahead.  As we take the small right path we encounter an Ogre Alpha!  Let's kill it! At the end of this short branch is a fractured stone which we loot and now backtrack to the tunnel junction again and continue to the other side to loot another fractured stone before stepping back into the tunnel and continuing along it.

In the chamber ahead we encounter more darkspawn and kill them and loot the bodies.  The Emissary has a Codex Entry, and there are two containers to be looted, before we continue along the tunnel and exit back onto the Roads.

Head back to the main junction until we reach the other tunnel splitting off of the Roads that we have yet to explore, and enter it.  As you reach the chamber mind the traps and take out the darkspawn and then circle around the center column to find another Small Bloody Sack.  This one has a Torso in a Bag in it which we grab. 

Grabbing this last bag triggers the quest Asunder read the quest description for a clue to this one now, and then finish looting this area.  Continue along the tunnel to the next chamber to fight a pack of Deep Stalkers, until you find and defeat the Deepstalker Matriarch in the nesting area.  Loot the area and then backtrack to the Road.

Depending upon how full your bags are, you may want to backtrack to the Deep Roads (Underground Map) zone point and head back to Orzammer to sell off your loot I did that before continuing on.    You can do that using the nearby zone point for Ortan Thaig, and note that you can visit your camp from here by hitting Y for the overland map.  In fact visiting your camp may be a good idea if only to distribute the gifts and other items you want your non-active party members to have.  This also allows the party member quests to update.

Ortan Thaig

As you arrive, Oghren observes that he never thought to see this place again and mentions some of the tactics used by his wife including the fact that she would have posted sentries which means she probably is not near here.  If you ask him, he will tell you about these ruins and if you are completely tactless (like me) you will ask what if his wife is dead?  Completing this conversation gets you a Codex Entry.

Head along the Road and around the bend, and you will encounter a dead Ogre where a tunnel splits off to the right.  As the road ahead is blocked by a cave-in, that tunnel is our only route and who killed that Ogre I wonder?  Let us head into the tunnel now!

As you move through the tunnel you encounter more darkspawn corpses and then some Giant Spiders that you get to kill.  When you reach the large chamber ahead, a pack of Giant and Poisonous Spiders are attacking an Ogre we may as well let them take it out for us unless you really want the XP?  After you take this group out, there is a second group fighting darkspawn to the west take them all out.

Loot the area and the bodies, and then head East to the alcove here, where you will find a Warrior's Grave loot it for a Codex Entry, and then head back West to the alcove there and take out the darkspawn, and loot the chest here.  Now we are ready to continue North along the next tunnel!

As you follow this tunnel there is a branch to the right with some Giant Spiders take it and kill them  note that this tunnel split will take us to the same main chamber that the one we just left would but we  got to kill the spiders here so bonus!  Note the multiple arrows on the radar map now?  Isn't questing fun?

In this main chamber there are ruins and some Indignant Spirits, along with a Stone Golem.  Kill them all, and then begin looting the area.  When you approach the nearby chest Giant Spiders attack so you have to kill them before you can loot it.  As you move towards the arrow to the South a dwarven warrior will run past towards the North tunnel screaming.  When you approach him he tells you that there is nothing here for you because he has claimed it! 

According to your expert dwarf, this is a scavenger who has gone crazy because he survived by eating dead darkspawn.  As the madman finishes his warning, more Spiders attack.  After you take out the Spiders, turn back South and move towards the arrow marked there on your radar map to get to this you will go between the two buildings, and then fight more spirits and a Stone Golem.

Alter of Sundering

The arrow points to the Alter of Sundering and just in front of the alter is one of the Mystical Sites of Power.  Activate the site, and then activate the alter and you are prompted to place one of the body parts on the alter!  When you do this, a demon spawns and demands that you tell it whether you want vengeance or reward!  I chose reward because let's face it, 25 gold is a lot better than a smidgen of XP and I don't plan on living in this hole in the ground, so what do I care of that demon is here?

There is another arrow marker in this area on the map, but before we do that, grab the Journal on the stairs nearby us, and then let's go into the North tunnel and hit the arrow marker there.  Inside the North tunnel we find the crazy dwarf whose name is Ruck in what is clearly his home. Before we talk to him again, loot the Topsider's Pommel from the nearby vase, which will flag a new quest An Admirable Topsider.

Now we talk to Ruck again and if you are persuasive and nice, you may be able to get him to trade with you.  He has a gift you may want to buy...  And when you talk to him again, you can let him know that his mother misses him which really upsets him.  Ruck, it seems, does not want his mother knowing what he has turned into.  I agreed to tell her that her son died a brave death which made Ruck happy and, bonus, gained some approval from Wynne as well.

Right, now that takes care of this area so head back to the main chamber and turn right (West) and go to the nearby arrow marker.  Inside a ruined structure is an Ortan Thaig Chest loot that to obtain the Ortan Records a quest item then head across the bridge and into the Western tunnel. 

The Western Tunnel

As you run along the tunnel the Spiders here retreat strange and as the tunnel opens up into a chamber there is a chest to loot on the left.  As you approach the bridge ahead you get a checkpoint save usually not a good sign and as you reach the opposite side the Spiders spring their ambush!  There is a darkspawn Emissary here as well.

As you approach the spot marked by the arrow you are again set upon by Spiders including their Queen, who is hard to kill because she retreats up her web after being hurt.  Eventually you kill her though, and once she is dead, loot the area and then head for the marked spot to find some chests and Branka's Journal!

In it she relates that they have determined that the Anvil does not rest here and that she is ordering her men to head South into the Dead Trenches.  They are not happy about that however, and she almost but does not leave a message for her husband.  He on the other hand wants to head for the Dead Trenches immediately!  Well, we are now done searching this area, so he will not have to wait.  Head a little more Northeast and here is the zone point and our next stop, The Dead Trenches!

The Dead Trenches

Our arrival in the Trenches begins with a cinematic CS in which we see an army of creatures, and then a large dragon!  Once the CS is over, move forward and to the right to encounter a group of dwarven Legionnaires fighting some darkspawn rush to their aid and help them to kill the darkspawn, and then we fight our way across the bridge facing waves of darkspawn.

Once on the other side we take on a larger force with an Ogre, and after we defeat them, we head South to loot the two containers and then to the North, and into the tunnel there, for a checkpoint save.  There are darkspawn for us to kill in the tunnel, before it opens on a large chamber and yet more darkspawn to be killed!

Now head to the Metal Door on the North side of the chamber and clear out this smaller sub-chamber, and then loot it.  Before you head out to the South side, and open the Metal Door there to do the same clear out the small chamber on the right as you approach the South door.  Once this chamber is cleared and looted, return to the main chamber.

Now head through the door to the South and clear the first few rooms than off of this chamber are some tunnels with an Ancient darkspawn in them that can be something of a challenge to kill but you have it in you, right?  Make sure that you loot the Topsider's Blade from the Ancients body after you kill him.

This tunnel leads to a very large chamber full of darkspawn including a Genlock Forge Master who can be a bit on the difficult side to kill.  Once you have defeated them, carefully loot the area, and do not forget the smaller chamber on the East side.  Once you have done all that, head through the hall to the North, and head across the bridge there killing the Shrieks that attack you.  Keep heading North and go through the Metal Door at the end of this chamber.

There is a Rune Stone on the right side of this small chamber, and then a checkpoint save as you move into the larger chamber beyond, where you battle undead skeletons. If you look at the map you will see that the path continues to the east but make sure you loot the bodies/room before you continue on.

Eventually you reach a chamber that has a dwarven woman named Hespith, who is infected with some sort of disease.  As you talk to her, you learn that she was Branka's Captain and it seems that Branka did something bad became something bad!

As you leave this smaller chamber and enter the really large one, curve around to the left and take out the Ogres there, and then run along the perimeter of the chamber, looting as you go. Once you finish that, check the center door on the east side the Ominous Door but it is locked, so now head for the next one to the South on the East side.

While the door looks similar to the Ominous one, it is not locked, and inside are gold glowing statues of dwarven warriors.  At the center of this chamber is a Legion of the Dead Relic click on it for a Codex Entry and then continue to the Legionnaire Alter further along.  Loot that to get the key and the Helm, and then retrace your steps to the Ominous Door.

Once you loot the alter and try to head out, the statues come to life and attack you!  It turns out that they are Legionnaire Spirits, and they are not happy that you helped your self to their stuff!

The Ominous Door

The key from the alter unlocks the door and as you move along these halls, be sure to loot as you go for Codex Entries.  You get a checkpoint save and shortly thereafter a CS in which you see your group moving through the tunnel until you encounter a nasty looking monster called a Broodmother and it has tentacles! 

During this fight you need to keep an eye on your party health, because once your mage runs out of mana you will need to use healing potions to keep them alive.  Towards the end of the fight with the Broodmother, some demons spawn and if you do not notice this, you could lose a party member.

The next zone point is right off of this chamber, so when you are ready, hit it to go to the Anvil of the Void!

The Anvil of the Void

As you enter the zone your entrance is blocked off, and Branka confronts you.  The happy reunion that you might have expected is not what you find here Branka is slightly unbalanced and in no way interested in your problems.

According to Branka, the only way out of here is through Caridin's Maze a maze of traps that is what has kept her from obtaining that which she desires most.  As you head into the chambers you will face several waves of darkspawn, and it is best off if you allow your mage to recover their mana prior to spawning the next wave.  The third wave in the tunnel includes an Ogre.

When you reach the end of this tunnel you get another checkpoint save as you enter a large chamber with green wispy glowing mist.  Your party is taking damage just by being in the room, so quickly close the four gas valves on either side of the room and then take out the Golems as quick as you can.

As you move into the next chamber you get another checkpoint save, and you enter a chamber with Stone Golems and Blade Traps.  You need to disarm those traps before passing over them!  As you pass some of the Golems they come to life and attack you keep an eye on your party health, and once you have defeated the Golems, head through the next hall to the Metal Door that leads to the next chamber.

As you pass through this door you get a checkpoint save, and you see a Spirit near the anvil on the dais. You need to kill that spirit and then touch the anvil to have it shoot flaming magma at the stone thing in the center that has many faces.  Every few moments the stone faces will rotate, at which point you want to shoot more magma into them to damage it.  To actually kill it, you want to take out the glowing eyes on each face, and then the bleeding eyes on each face.

Basically the eyes spawn a spirit, and once you kill the spirit, the anvil charges up for the side that that spirit was spawned on, then you can damage the face that spawned it.  Keep doing this until you "kill" the faces on all sides twice.

Note: There are two achievements associated with this part of the quest one for siding with Branka, the other for siding with Caridin.  If you want them both without having to do another play-through, now is when you need to make a save.  I suggest picking whoever it is you do not want to support first, getting that Achievement, then loading the save and going with the one you do want to support so you can continue on.

As you head to the door out to the West there are three chests for you to loot that have supplies in them, and as you step through the door you get a checkpoint save, and then step into the chamber for a CS during which you meet Caridin the Golem?!

As Caridin talks, you learn that the Anvil actually uses living souls in the process of creating the Golems and is clearly not the purely mechanical process that legend claimed!  This is clearly evil it is almost as bad as the darkspawn and then Caridin admits that they did not just use volunteers!  They forced unwilling dwarves onto the Anvil!

When Caridin resisted the King, he was himself forced onto the Anvil and his reaction to this was to seal the Anvil away to keep it from being used again.  As you learn this, Branka runs in, to claim the Anvil, while Caridin protests that it must not be used!  Be aware that the "good" members of your party want that thing destroyed...

Picking Sides: Caridin

Supporting Caridin is the "Good" choice in this moral path, and it means that you agree with your party members while it would be nice to have an army of Golems, the moral cost is just too high!

Once you pick the option: The Anvil must be destroyed, it enslaves living souls, Branka is pretty much pissed at you.  Her husband wants you to give Branka the Anvil but you tell him you cannot, it is not a risk you are willing to take!   That is the pivot-point, and Branka uses a Control Rod that she has found somewhere to take control of some of the Golems.

Caridin appeals to you to assist him in defeating Branka and of course you do!  Unfortunately defeating Branka means killing her and her husband is not going to like that very much...  But you do what you have to do for the good of all, not for the good of one.

After Branka is slain, talk to Caridin for a CS and he asked you if there is anything that he can do to help you and you tell him you need a Paragon's assistance and he offers to make you a Paragon's Crown that you can then use to select the new King!

You get the CS of Caridin forging the crown, and then he hands it to you.  Now is the time to destroy the Anvil and once it is destroyed you get a final CS with Caridin, and then he throws himself into the lava! You get the Liberator Achievement and now you should save the game here, and then skip to the Orzammer II Section!

Picking Sides: Branka

To support Branka which means preserving the Anvil will cost you the good faith of some of your party and this is clearly not the "Good" choice.  Once you make that choice however, you will have to fight Caridin and his Golem minions!

Some of the Golems fight with you, some against you, but eventually you will take Caridin down, and Branka will make her insane victory cackle.  Now you need to go to Branka and talk to her you are treated to a CS of her and her husband talking and then Branka fabricates a crown for you using the Anvil.  Choose the option for her to make a Paragon's Crown and then sit back for the CS of her creating the crown.

After she finishes and gives you the crown, save your game and go to the Orzammer II Section.

Orzammer II

Before you zone to Orzammer, make sure you loot the chest nearby as it has a gift and some good items in it.  To the right as you step off of the ramp is a rust-colored construct called the Golem Registry go over to it and use it to examine the list of names engraved on it. Oghren says that you should make a tracing of this memorial record to take back to the Shapers and doing so flags a new quest The Golem Registry.

As you exit the chamber you get a CS and interaction with Oghren and then the Zone Map opens.  Now before you choose to go directly to Orzammer remember that quest we are doing to collect the Topsider's Sword Parts?  Well, we have them all, so now would be a good time to return them to his grave, right?  That way we will not have to come back.

On the map, select Ortan Thaig, and then follow the arrow to the grave and click on it to complete the quest.  Now talk to Oghren to have him bring up the Underground Map and select Orzammar yeah, you do not have to run all the way to the Zone Point, is that cool or what?

Okay you saved the game before zoning to Orzammer, right?  I hope you did, because this is another point in the game where you make a moral decision that has two possible Achievements associated with it!  As long as you saved, you have the option of picking up both Achievements so I hope you saved, as otherwise you will have to do a second long play-through!

Picking Bhelen

When you arrive at the Assembly you announced that Caridin has chosen the new King Bhelen gets real nasty after Oghren has his say, but his tune changes quickly when he hears you call his name!  After accepting the crown and becoming King, the first thing that the little jerk does is order the execution of Harrowmont!

Well, we never liked him anyway but if you did and you chose him all that is left is for you to remind him of the treaty so that he can get his troops ready to march to fight the Blight and then you leave for the topside.

Picking Harrowmont

This is the path that I personally chose because it is the right thing to do! 

As you enter the Assembly, Bhelen calls for a vote, and Harrowmont vows that he promised Bhelen's father not to allow Bhelen to take the throne!  The Assembly Leader calls for you to speak to give them the news.  Our answer?

"I bear a crown from Paragon Caridin for his chosen king!"

Oghren tells them what happened with Caridin and where the crown comes from, and Bhelen insults you both.  The Assembly Leader however, believes, and asks who Caridin chose?

Why he chose Harrowmont, of course!

Lord Harrowmont err excuse me King Harrowmont thanks you, and you get a nice CS of his becoming King!  Of course he has the popular support of the people, but not of Bhelen, and as you stand there in shock, Bhelen and his minions attempt a coup! 

I have to admit that I very much enjoyed killing Bhelen it was his just deserts after all.  King Harrowmont has some final words for you, among them his vow that Orzammar will honor the Treaty.  Most excellent!

Harrowmont gives you his staff as your reward and of course you should be sure to do a little looting now :)  Despite the fact that we told him that we needed to head to the surface and get on with our duties, there are some things we need to wrap up here in Orzammar first, so let us head for the Diamond Quarter.

Take a left after we exit and visit the Shaperate, where we need to talk first to the Shaper, to deliver the Tracings, and then to Orta in the stacks nearby, to give her the evidence we recovered.  A quick return to the Assembly to finish off this quest by talking to Orta again, and then back to the Diamond Quarter, and then to the Commons.

The Commons

Run over and talk to Filda on the other side of the Commons you can lie, but I cannot I told her the truth.  You get a reward, and another quest completed!    We now have one last monor task to complete, so head over to the Mines District Zone Point, and select the Ferelden Map, and then the Circle Tower.

Our journey is interrupted by a bad dream in camp yes this is a combat interrupt!  Alistair talks about the Arch Demon having "seen us" and then demons attack.  We get a closing CS from him, and since we are in camp anyway, we may as well apply the skill-ups that our non-active party members got for leveling.  Check the kit we have in loot in case any of it is better than what they are presently wearing, and also distribute gifts before hitting the World Map!

As we approach the Tower we are once again forced into combat as a Darkspawn ambush is sprung!  We quickly take them out and resume our trip, arriving at the Tower!

When we arrive at the Tower, go inside and talk to First Enchanter Irving and pass on the message from the little dwarven girl.  He takes a little convincing, but he finally agrees to accept her if she chooses to try. 

Now we hit the World Map and return to Orzammer to deliver the good news!  Dagna is very pleased indeed and the last quest we have for here is completed!  Now that we have left Orzammer and returned, other items have opened up on our to-do list.

Head over to the Diamond Quarter and enter the Assembly collect your reward from Orta and head over to the Royal Palace. then the the Royal Estate and find Vartag and talk to him.  He will attack you kill him and his minions to clear out the Palace for Harrowmont.

Enter the door nearby and then the first door on the left Bhelen's room and get the letter that is on the table in there for a Codex Entry.  Go down the hall to the door on the right and go in to have another fight and kill Ambassador Gainley to complete the Crow's Assassination Order.  On a desk in this room is a book pick that up for a Codex Entry.

Leave the room and turn right, and then enter the next chamber on the right to talk to the Herbalist by the bed in the back he gives you a recipe for the cure and we likely have all the items we need to make it, but this requires the Master Herbalism skill so if you do not have that, you have to come back when you do, to make and deliver the cure.  As I already had it, I completed the quest.  Did you?

We are finished in Ozammar now so it is time to leave and head back to Denerim to turn in the quests that we have for there!

Denerim Again

First we hit the Mage's Collecting to turn in the quest Notice of Termination, then we stop off at Wade's to pick up the second set of Drake Scale Armor the one we paid an extra 20 gold to get top quality in and switch out to that armor now :)

Next we hit the Tavern, and visit the Blackstone Irregulars to turn in the quest Dereliction of Duty, then we visit with the Bartender to turn in the gems and collect our reward from him.  Next we visit the very circumspect representative of The Crows to collect our reward and another Hit Contract from him!

Back in the Market District, then the the City Map, and to the Dirty Back Alley. Head to the door marked "Quaint Hovel" and engage the dialogue until the door is unlocked, and then enter to find Vihl the man who has been spreading stories...  Only he is not a man!  He is a Demon!  Time to kill!

That was actually a pretty tough fight! In the back room is a chest, and in that chest is an Elementalist's Grasp, an Emerald, a piece of Quarts and almost 10 gold!  A nice bit of loot to be sure!  Make sure you loot the body of Gaxkang the Unbound it has the Keening Blade and 5 more gold on it and you have now completed the quest Unbound!

Back into the Dirty Back Alley and the City Map and you will notice the new location marked on the map Ransom Drop Location.  We head there now!

Ransom Drop Location -

As we arrive at the meeting spot, the battle commences!  It turns out that there was no hostage to rescue and the Crow thugs have nothing for you we have to see our contact back at the Tavern to resolve the matter it seems.

So it is back to the Market District and the Tavern, and our contact claims that the boy has already been rescued and the kidnapper Captain Chase is dead thanks to us.  Well, that is it for the Crows, no more contracts for us!  As we finish the conversation our contact heads off on "vacation" and we have completed yet another quest!  How cool is that?

It is now time to take care of Morrigan's personal quest and head for her mother's house, so hit the World Map now.