Dragon Age: Absolutionis a Netflix series released in November of 2022. It is set in theDragon Ageuniverse and serves as a bridge between the gamesDragon Age: DreadwolfandDragon Age: Inquisition. The creators ofDragon Age: Absolutiontie the series into the games with various easter eggs and references to the larger franchise.
Dragon Age: Originswas released in 2009. It features a customizable protagonist known as “the Grey Warden.” The player is tasked with finding a suitable heir to the crown of Ferelden, stopping a power-hungry Tyr Loghain, and defeating an Archdemon, which is leading a large-scale assault against the nation of Ferelden.Dragon Age: IIwas released in 2011 and is heavily tied in with the first game as the new character “Hawke” origin is tied to the events of Origins. The third game,Dragon Age: Inquisition, was released in 2014 and focused on “The Herald of Andraste.” The Herald must unite a faction of forces known as “The Inquisition” against the Elder One and defeat him before he achieves his goals.
Dragon Age: Absolutionfollows Miriam, an original character and main protagonist ofAbsolution, as she and a party of mercenaries break into a Tevinter temple to steal a powerful artifact known as the Circulum Infinitus.Dragon Age: Absolutioncements itself in the universe through multiple references to the variousvideo gamesin the franchise and weaves them into a new unique story. Here are the biggest references to theDragon Agegames inDragon Age: Absolution.
A Familiar Face
Fairbanks (Matthew Mercer) is a nonplayable character, or NPC, fromDragon Age: Inquisition. He is introduced to the player upon their arrival in the Emerald Graves,a location within the game. He joins the Inquisition as an agent. After the storyline is completed inInquisition, Fairbanks is sent to Tevinter with the task of getting the powerful Circulum. At the beginning ofDragon Age: Absolution,Fairbanks is gathering a party to pull off a heist and retrieve the magical item.
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Fairbanks' appearance inAbsolutiongives players an immediate connection toInquisition.This connection allows audiences to feel comfortable with him and attached, despite a few twists that come along later in the series. Fairbanks is a trusted character and serves as a simple yet effective way to immediately get fans invested in the animated series.
Tevinter Slavers
Tevinter is an empire that mostDragon Ageplayers are familiar with. Players can run into Tevinter slavers as enemies throughout the entirety of the series. Fenris, a character companion fromDragon Age: II, is an escaped slave from Tevinter whose story intertwines with defeating his master. Tevinter slavers are also found abducting elves in the Denerim Alienage duringDragon Age: Origins. Unsurprisingly, Tevinter slavers and enslaved elves are a large part ofDragon Age: Absolution’s story since it is set within Tevinter itself.
The main character of the series, Miriam (Kimberly Brooks), is an escaped Tevinter slave who has made a life for herself as a mercenary. Her story begins with being contacted by Fairbanks to join a heist to steal the Circulum from the very place she had been enslaved. Miriam spends a large portion of the series grappling with thoughts and memories from her past. She must confront her previous owner to decide whether an enslaved child should be reprimanded, and all while traveling the halls of a place that fills her with nightmares from the past.
Demonshave long been a staple within theDragon Ageseries. InDragon Age: Origins,the Grey Warden can become a blood mage by striking a deal with a demon. InDragon Age:II,demons possess enemies, NPCs, and companion characters which eventually lead to the climax of the game.Dragon Age: Absolutiondepicts a defensive force of demons released throughout the grounds possessing the Circulum. The demons are designed nearly identically to their counterparts throughout the game series, with the rage demon being one of the most iconic.
AnyDragon Agefan watching the series will immediately know the sheer difficulty of defeating hordes of demons. The demons in the series serve as an homage not only by their designs but by the way they attack. The rage demon, in particular, shares several movements with its videogame counterparts.
The Harrowing
Mages are powerful people within theDragon Ageworld. They have a connection to the Fade (a dream-like realm full of spirits). Due to their connection to the Fade, some mages can become possessed by demons and wreak havoc throughout the world. InDragon Age: Origins,the player has the ability to start the game as a mage. If they start the game as a mage, they are forced within the Circle of Magi tower at Lake Calenhad in Ferelden. Here, they must undergo a ritual known as “the Harrowing.” The Harrowing forces apprentice mages into the Fade with the goal of ensuring the mage will not become tempted or possessed by a demon. The Harrowing is a staple of any mage’s life in theDragon Ageworld.
Dragon Age: Absolutionfeatures the Harrowing of the main antagonist, Rezaren Ammosine (Josh Keaton). Like many mages before, Rezaren fails the ritual and becomes possessed by a demon. This forces the participants of the ritual to act quickly and save their life. This key moment in the series is made more powerful whenDragon Agefans remember just how difficult and unforgiving the Harrowing ritual can be, as seen inOrigins.
Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisitionis the third installment in the game franchise. It received a Game of the Year Award and is wildly popular.Inquisitionpaved the way for multiple characters from previous games to step in and become staples of the franchise. Among these characters are Cassandra Pentaghast, Leliana, and the Herald of Andraste. Though the Herald of Andraste is only referenced by characters within the series due toInquisitionallowing players to create their own Herald of Andraste.
Leliana is a companion fromDragon Age: Originsthat the player character can travel with. She grows over the course of the story and appears once again in a brief cameo with Cassandra at the end ofDragon Age: II. The two are among the first characters introduced inDragon Age: Inquisition. Leliana is a friendly face that serves a vital role in multiple games, and most audience members who have played the games will appreciate her brief appearance inAbsolution.
Similar to Leliana, Cassandra Pentaghast is seen in a flashback duringAbsolution. Cassandra gives orders to Fairbanks and Hira to search for the Circulum Infinitus. Cassandra is the first companion recruited inDragon Age: Inquisitionand spends most of her time either fighting by the player’s side or helping the Inquisition function. Cassandra received her own animated film in 2012, which was poorly received by audiences and critics. Her mere presence inAbsolutionhelps to cement that she is much more than a poorly reviewed film.
Finally, the Herald of Andraste is mentioned in an argument between Hira and Miriam. They discuss Hira’s decision to leave and join the Inquisition after hearing about the events which started the game. They also briefly argue over the player’s final actions in the game: defeating Corypheus and closing the breach. This quick debate validates players by showing that their decisions and choices from previous games continue to have ripples throughout the entire world.
After the destruction of a town featured in bothOriginsandInquisition, Haven, the player, and the Inquisition are forced to relocate to Skyhold, a fortress located between Ferelden and Orlais. Skyhold then became a staple of the game, serving as a hub in which the Herald of Andraste could assign quests, travel throughout the world, talk with companions, craft, and more. Skyhold became the home of the Inquisition, and it is an iconic sight fromInquisition.Skyhold only has a few seconds onscreen duringAbsolution, but Dragon Age players are likely so used to seeing the fortress that it needs no introduction.
The Blight
Dragon Age: Originsfollows the player character during a Blight. A Blight occurs when Darkspawn, evil creatures living deep beneath the surface of the world, find and corrupts an Old God into an Archdemon. The Archdemon then leads an assault against the world above. The Fifth Blight is the central conflict duringOriginsand serves as one of the two storylines to solve during the game.
Qwydion, a main character inDragon Age: Absolution, goes to a Tevinter shopkeeper in search of weapons and equipment. She has a brief exchange with the shopkeeper that would go over most audiences' heads if they hadn’t played the previous installments. The shopkeeper asks what Qwydion is purchasing the equipment for, and she mentions that she is helping her master prepare for a Blight. This is a sly reference toOriginsand the events of the Blight that the players had to solve within the game.
The Hanged Man and Kirkwall
Another quick reference made withinAbsolutionis to the Hanged Man. While discussing what to do with the Circulum Infinitus, Hira suggests they take the Circulum to The Hanged Man in Kirkwall. The Hanged Man is a tavern located in Lowtown and prevalent throughoutDragon Age: II. It serves as a spot to have discussions with companions and begin numerous amounts of side quests. Fans of the series will likely hear the name and think back to their own encounters with Varric and Isabela at this location. Since Hira mentions having a contact at The Hanged Man, fans have begun to speculate who it could’ve been.
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Kirkwall is the primary city in whichDragon Age: IItakes place. Much like Skyhold, Kirkwall is so iconic that an establishment of the slave statues at the forefront of the city is enough to make any fan know exactly where they are: Kirkwall. Kirkwall has a brief appearance inAbsolutionas one of the final scenes in season one. It is a powerful city full of oppression and struggle, indicated not only by its previous appearances but by its dark tone and weeping statues. It is home to a great evil: Red Lyrium, a force that corrupts absolutely.
The Venatori
The Venatori are prevalent antagonists found throughout theDragon Ageseries. Most notably, the Venatori helped Corypheus and the enemies of the Inquisition inDragon Age: Inquisition. The Venatori are a relatively large group of Tevinter supremacists who are focused on causing chaos within Thedas. They serve underneath the Elder One, also known as Corypheus.
Dragon Age: Absolutionbriefly mentions the Venatori during an episode in which Hira gives her backstory. The Venatori had gone to her home to stop her family from helping others. While there, they burned her home to the ground and murdered her father. As tragic as the story is, the death and chaos are relatively on-brand for the Venatori.
Fade-Stepping and Magical Powers
Dragon Agefeatures a variety ofmagical powers, from the treacherous and demonic teachings of Blood Magic to the forgotten knowledge of the Arcane Warrior. Mages and their abilities are often unique to both the characters and players. Over the course of the three games, players are introduced to a variety of different spells and trees of knowledge.
A battle that involves the party and Rezaren commences in the temple as the group attempt to escape with the Circulum. Rezaren uses a variety of spells that magic players would be familiar with, such as the shock chain-lightning, the burning firewall, and the mystical fade step. The fade step quite literally allows a caster to step between the dream realm and reappear within the material realm, effectively dodging damage. Rezaren uses this spell, much likeOriginsplayers might’ve, to circumvent becoming injured from an attack.
Blood Magic
Blood Magic is a common form of casting magic used by mages inDragon Age. Blood Magic uses the blood of oneself or others for inhumane magics such as mind control or necromancy. It is a skill tree within bothOriginsandDragon Age: II. It also serves as a vital recurring issue throughoutDragon Age: II. Blood magic opens one up to being possessed by demons, and it makes it far more difficult for someone to connect to the Fade. Blood Magic was also used to form the empire of Tevinter. Despite it being relatively commonplace in Tevinter, it is still a mixed bag for most people.
Rezaren is warned by nearly every person in the series about Blood Magic. Most characters state their fears of Blood Magic, and Rezaren even mentions his unwillingness to use it. However, due to the events of the series, Rezaren is forced to play his cards and eventually use blood magic to mind-control a dragon. Rezaren was able to show the power that Blood Magic has over others and just how horrible it can be if used in a way to garner more power.
The Crimson Knight
Within the oppressive city of Kirkwall is an ever-growing plague of Red Lyrium. Encased inside the corrupting Red Lyrium is a foe that allDragon Age: IIfans will recognize. What makes this scene particularly brilliant and enough to send shivers down a fan’s spine is that it does not show who is talking, yet the familiar foe has such an iconic voice that her name does not need to be stated.
The return of the Crimson Knight warns fans that not only did the final boss ofDragon Age: IIsurvive the battle with Hawke, but she has also become so twisted and corrupted by Red Lyrium that she has surpassed her own death. Fans are surely eager to see how Knight Commander Meredith’s story continues throughoutDragon Age.
