Chapter one

9:38 Dragon

Alistair, Isabela and Varric arrive in Antiva City, and infiltrate the Archive of the Crows. They are confronted by Claudio Valisti, prince of Antiva, who knows Alistair. The two converse in hushed tones, when Claudio asks Alistair whether he is "convinced". He also asks about a Crow-controlled prison called Velabanchel. Alistair says "yes" to both questions, before parting ways. Back at a brothel, Alistair tells his companions he intends to break into Velabanchel.

Chapter two

The trio break into Velabanchel, though Varric inadvertently alerts the guards. Varric and Isabela keep the many Crows occupied, while Alistair escapes to go after his target. Alistair battles with the kossith leader of Velabanchel, and takes a mace in the arm before killing the kossith. He then opens a cell, and asks, "King Maric?". A malnourished, dishevelled, bearded old man replies, "Too late. Much too late."

Chapter three

Alistair, Isabela, and Varric escape the Crows on Isabela's ship with the bearded old man. He is not King Maric, but recognized Alistair as Maric's son. He reveals to the crew that he was Maric's cellmate where the Crows took Maric for daily questioning. After four years of imprisonment, Maric was freed by Yavana, referred to by the old man as "The Beast of the Tellari swamps." The old man told Alistair that Maric has a message for his son: "He had to do it. He said he was sorry." Alistair assumed Maric referred to King Cailan and not himself, yet is determined to find Maric. The crew sets course for Tellari and encounters a high dragon in the swamps. Alistair calls to the dragon assuming the beast is Yavana. However, this is not the case as Yavana reveals herself alongside the dragon.

Chapter four

Yavana calls off the dragon and leads the group to the Silent Grove, a haven for dragons from the follies of mankind. The witch discusses her mother, Flemeth, and her sister, Morrigan, though is pressed for information about Maric. She says that he promised her mother he would come to her and aid her in a task. When asked whether she killed him, she replies that she did not, though she cannot speak for others. She refuses to talk further, and advises Alistair to abandon his quest. While exiting the marshes, the group are attacked by Claudio Valisti, who explains that his master wants Alistair. Alistair allows himself to be captured in exchange for his companion's lives, though Isabela vows to track down Claudio and kill him.

Chapter five

Isabela and Varric retreat to the Silent Grove, where Isabela demands Yavana rescues Alistair. The witch says it is none of her concern, though Varric attempts to reason with her. Suddenly, she places a mysterious enchantment on the pair, healing Isabela's wound in the process and then telling them to go and save Alistair. When asked what she will gain from the bargain, she simply says that the two will, "play their part." Alistair is seen talking to Prince Claudio in his camp about Maric. Claudio prepares to reveal who the patron that ordered Alistair's kidnapping is, but Varric and Isabela storm the camp. Isabela duels Claudio, Claudio arguing that Isabela was not good enough for her late husband - Luis - whom she had assassinated. Claudio is about to stab the bested Isabela, when she cuts off his hand, slits his throat and stabs him in the heart. Alistair orders her to stop, but she kills him anyway. The king then explains that Claudio had information about Maric; information that is now lost. Yavana then appears and says that he should never think the truth is beyond reach.

Chapter Six

Yavana summons back Prince Claudio Valisti's spirit from The Fade to interrogate him. After some threats and coercing, the spirit reveals the name of his master- Aurelian Titus. Intrigued, Alistair asks who the master is exactly; Yavana refuses to reveal any more details, other than that she had sought the name for a very long time now.

Alistair points out that without their help, she would not have come across the name. Agreeing to the amount of their contribution, Yavana leads them back to The Silent Grove, and allows Alistair - and Alistair only - to follow her down to the wide pit that opens in the middle of the building floor. After calming down a dragon, Yavana reveals the truth about Maric and his bloodline; the builders of the temple had secreted away the very few dragons that remained, and Yavana had been reviving them. However, the strongest ones were beyond her reach until she had access to the blood of King Calenhad the Great, which called to the Queen of the Dragons and awoke her. Since blood is power, Claudio's master took away Maric from the Witch, hoping for more power.