“The blood feeds, the blood nourishes. In blood, the call is heard. In blood, the deal is made. My master bathed in a river of blood, Then the Great Xebenkeck came!” ―Dabbon Hait
Xebenkeck is a desire demon inhabiting a forgotten lair beneath Kirkwall.
Background[]
“The first of the magus cast themselves deep in the Fade in search of answers and power, always power. They found the forbidden ones—Xebenkeck, Imshael, Gaxkang the Unbound, and The Formless One. Many conversations were had and much of the fabric of the world revealed. And thus the magic of blood was born.” ―unknown mage[1]
She is also described as being an undying.[2] One of the Forbidden Ones, she is also referred to as the Forgotten One by the last surviving member of the Band of Three[3], who specifically investigated whether the Forgotten and the Forbidden Ones are related.[4]
Involvement[]
Xebenkeck is encountered at the end of the Forbidden Knowledge questline. In that quest five tomes are encountered. If destroyed (reading or taking the tomes stops you from completing this quest) a new location appears in Darktown for the final tome and an encounter with Xebenkeck. As of patch 1.04, this final tome may be read and the quest still completed, giving the +2 attribute points (Tome of the Mortal Vessel) and acting as if all books were destroyed.
When the tome is read, Xebenkeck appears for a difficult fight consisting of two waves of enemies. Two rage demons, several abominations (Nightmare difficulty), and Xebenkeck (which heals them) will appear immediately. Two more rage demons, several more abominations (Nightmare), and a revenant will also spawn as soon as Xebenkeck or a rage demon from the first wave is defeated. Only by defeating all of them is the "Exorcist" achievement or trophy given, and some treasure appears in the room. Xebenkeck also drops the staff Voracity, a powerful fire staff that boosts attack and blood magic.
If Xebenkeck and the rage demons are defeated sufficiently far from the tome room (they can be kited back to the entrance of the cavern without issue) the party will drop out of combat. Again, however, the remaining guards in the tome room must be defeated before the achievement or trophy is granted.
Quests[]
Strategy[]
The battle with Xebenkeck can be made significantly easier by running back to the first room when combat commences; the reinforcements will still spawn in the room containing the grimoire allowing you to battle the first wave of foes in peace. This battle is made easier if you have a Hawke who is a Spirit Healer and the healing aura mode is turned on as Hawke and the companions will regenerate health, in most cases, before dying and if they do Hawke will be able to revive them when they fall. The more one invests in these skills the better they become.
Xebenkeck can also be safely pulled out of the room and fought by herself after the first wave of enemies are dealt with, so long as your party is sufficiently far enough when pulling the first wave. In this manner, a player can deal with the first wave, then Xebenkeck (who will summon a Revenant to her side), then the final wave using this strategy.
Codex entries[]
Codex entry: The Enigma of Kirkwall- Codex entry: Forbidden Knowledge
- Codex entry: Vir Dirthara: Exile of the Forbidden Ones
Trivia[]
- The achievement "Exorcist" requires the player to find and kill Xebenkeck.
- Tarohne refers to Xebenkeck as male in her book. Yet she manifests in the traditional feminine desire demon form and ancient elves referred to her as female.
- Unlike Gaxkang and Imshael, Xebenkeck has not displayed the ability to shape shift. Where Gaxkang and Imshael displayed the ability to take on the appearance of humans and other demons, Xebenkeck kept the same form throughout the entire fight with Hawke.
Gallery[]
