Dragon Age: Absolution (2022) s01e01 Episode Script

A Woman Unseen

[suspenseful music playing]
[suspenseful music continues]
[spits]
[yells, grunts]
[grunts]
[whispers] Watch it.
[Roland groans] Amateurs.
[pleasant music playing]
Now you know I hate
to question your decisions, Miriam, but
Do I look like the kind of fool
dumb enough to storm a mage tower?
They were Dolph's idea.
You mean he wants those idiots
and the two of us
to fight our way
through that entire building,
steal a case of lyrium
and fight our way back out again?
What's your plan? [grunts]
[Miriam] Bribed the washer woman.
All we really needed
were a couple of mage robes
and, uh, you know,
a distraction.
[suspenseful music playing]
[arrows whistling, whooshing]
[gasps]
[all screaming]
- [thudding]
- [branches breaking]
Dolph will be livid.
Yeah. Probably.
[adventurous music building]
[music peaks, stops]
[theme music playing]
[crickets chirping]
[Dolph] Stupid, blasted knife-ear!
Just couldn't stick to the plan,
could ya, elf?
Always so sure you know better.
I got the lyrium, Dolph.
Yeah, and got three recruits jailed,
including my nephew.
If they couldn't get past two guards,
they never could have taken a mage tower.
[chuckles]
[growls]
[tense music playing]
Hey, it's me you're angry with,
not Roland.
Yeah, damn right, I am!
You know, half my men seem to think
you are the one in charge here.
And he's the worst.
You're still the boss.
[man clears throat]
I hope we are not interrupting anything.
Sapphira?
Hey, Miri. You kept the scarf.
No. No! You don't just get to [scoffs]
- [Hira] I know.
- Not after you just left.
- I'm sorry, but
- I don't care about your apologies.
Please, not here.
Who are you?
Ah, sorry about that.
They, uh, have history.
We are the ones
that commissioned this little robbery.
Oh, Master Fairbanks.
So nice to finally meet you in person.
- Uh, sorry about
- No apologies necessary.
The lyrium was only to see
if you were as good as Hira promised.
And you are. Uh, both of you.
Which is why
I'd like to offer you both a job.
Hey! Customer or not,
nobody does anything in Dolph's Daggers
without Dolph's say-so.
I suggest you take it.
You see, I already told the City Guard
where to find the missing lyrium.
The entire garrison
is on its way right now.
[men gasp]
You did what?
Kill him! Kill them all!
[suspenseful music playing]
[Miriam grunts]
- [anchor thuds]
- [grunts]
- [Miriam grunts]
- [groans]
- [groans]
- [Miriam grunting]
[pants] Both of you, stay down.
[clangs]
This isn't about you, Miriam.
- Stand aside.
- [straining] No.
- [groans]
- [both grunt]
- [groans]
- [grunts]
[metallic swish]
[groans]
- [Miriam straining]
- [choking]
[groans loudly]
[man grunts]
[pants] The Guard is coming, Hasem.
Your children need their father,
and I will kill every one of you
before I let you touch her.
I swear it.
- Do you understand me?
- [straining]
[tense music playing]
- [Miriam] Do you understand?
- [straining]
[sighs]
[clatters]
Daggers, move out.
[weapons clanking]
No, no, no! She is not the boss! I am!
Finish them off!
[snarls]
- [both grunt]
- [dramatic music playing]
[whistling]
- [clangs]
- [whirring]
[yells, groans]
[grunts, growls]
Next time, aim a little more to the right.
[horse neighs in distance]
Seems like a good time for a new venture.
- [bell tolling]
- Miriam! Wait.
[horses galloping]
[horse neighs]
You were magnificent, you know that?
Not enough to stop you
from leaving me to join the Inquisition.
I asked you to come.
But there was
a demon-spewing hole in the sky.
Somebody had to stop it
from destroying the world.
But you didn't!
The Herald of Andraste sealed the breach.
They killed Corypheus.
People like us
don't change the world, Hira.
Because people like you never try!
[somber music playing]
Listen, I know I'm asking a lot,
but the Inquisition gave me
one last mission before it broke up
and I need your help to do it.
And after this,
we can go to the Hinterlands
and make cheese for all I care,
so long as we're together.
What's the job?
[sighs]
Let's meet the rest of the team first.
Roland, Miriam, this is Qwydion,
a rebel mage and a talented healer.
And that's Lacklon.
Lord of Fortune and a talented
whatever the opposite of healer is.
I'm not like a real rebel, you know.
My passion is more elemental magic,
like explosions. [chuckles]
But people pay you more to blow stuff up
if it's for something they believe in, so
Nice to meet you.
Eh, we'll see, right?
Three experienced fighters,
two mages, and yourself?
This job must be dangerous.
[chuckles]
It is.
Before the Inquisition ended,
we learned the Tevinter Chantry
was in possession of an artifact.
The Circulum Infinitus.
What's a Circu, whatever it is, do?
No idea. I'm not a mage,
but in the words of Cassandra Pentaghast
It does not matter.
All you need to know is that it is
an extremely dangerous artifact
fueled by blood magic.
And I, for one, cannot recall any good
coming from something powered by murder.
The Inquisition told Hira and I
to steal the Circulum
and deliver it to Orlais.
We tracked it to an old summer palace
belonging to the Tevinter Divine,
the head of their faith.
It's being studied
by a Magister named Rezaren
Ammosine.
[Fairbanks] Know this guy?
And the palace is in the city of Nessum.
[chuckles dryly] That's why you needed me.
Yes, but only because
there was no other option.
We have a very small window of time.
You're the only person outside Tevinter
that's ever been in that building.
You know its layout, its defenses.
You're our only hope
of pulling this off, Miriam.
Will you help us,
please?
No.
[somber music playing]
[Hira] Miriam, wait.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Miriam] I told you
I never go back there and
[chuckles sadly] yet here you come,
spinning a fairy tale
about our happy cheese-making future
just so you can use me.
You're right. I should have told you
everything, and for that, I'm sorry.
But I think you might need this mission
as much as I do.
You have to stop
running from the past, Miri.
If you can't do it now,
I worry that maybe you never will.
And I can't live like that.
[sighs] I won't set foot in that place.
And I'd never ask you to.
Just show us a way in.
Let me help you
take something back from those bastards
and we can live happily ever after.
[sentimental music playing]
Together?
Together.
[dramatic music playing]
[Fairbanks] It's easy to think
Tevinter is the same as any other country.
But it's not.
Magic rules there,
and those who have it rule everyone else.
The Templars don't protect people
from mages who turn evil.
Instead, they act as enforcers
for powerful mages called Magisters.
They have their own religion,
the Imperial Chantry,
and their own magic-wielding Divine
to lead it.
Qunari are hated,
and most elves live in outright slavery.
Blood magic, raised corpses, and demons
may be frowned on officially,
but Magisters are the officials,
so they tend to turn a blind eye
towards anyone with power.
Since we're robbing The Divine himself,
well, let's stay on our toes, huh?
[chittering]
[laughs]
I shit you not.
It was just a hairy nug the whole time.
[chuckles, grunts]
[thuds]
[groans]
I can get up by my damn self.
You wanna help?
Tell the world's tallest elf to slow down.
Hey, man, you can't blame someone
for not wanting to spend a lot of time
in a country that enslaved her.
- [munches]
- Sh.
What? Isn't she a runaway?
[chuckles] Don't be dense.
Fairbanks would never
be stupid enough to hire a runaway. Right?
She's an elf from Tevinter.
I've left it at that.
I suggest you do the same.
You can't be serious.
What if Little Miss Wayfinder's
still being hunted?
What if she loses her nerve
as soon as she sees home?
Watch your tongue, dwarf.
Whatever I am, I've survived things
that make the deep roads
look like a pleasant stroll.
And I assure you,
you'll lose your nerve long before I will.
So lengthen your stride
and shut the fuck up!
[grumbles]
Whoa.
That hurt me a little.
- [Qwydion giggles]
- [scoffs] Blasted elfin hearing.
[Qwydion] Hmm
What are you smiling at, horn-head?
If you don't take him, I will.
[ominous music playing]
[sweeping music playing]
Wow, it's beautiful.
So is a mage's staff
right before it shoots fire at you.
[guard] Hold. State your business.
- Ah, my wife and I are from Carastes.
- [coughs]
She has bellows cough,
and we're following the Pilgrimage
of Divine Adnias with our servants
in hopes that she might be healed.
[coughs]
[tense music playing]
Any elf must post a five-gold bond
in case they break the peace.
- Wha Five gold?
- [blow thuds]
- [grunts]
- Uh, ow!
Light of the Maker shine upon you.
And you as well.
- [doors clunking heavily]
- [dramatic music playing]
Uh, a month's wages
to get through the gate?
They might as well just rob us outright.
We won't be here for long, okay?
[stammers] Uh, I know. It's just
[sighs heavily] every breath I take here
is one too many.
[Fairbanks] Well then,
we should get to work.
[dramatic music playing]
[Miriam] They may call it a summer palace,
but it's actually three
different structures joined together.
The cathedral is at the top.
No way in there
except from the palace itself.
Below that, the whole place
is a maze of secret passages,
easy to get lost in.
And it's all built
atop a sealed temple to the old gods.
[suspenseful music playing]
It'll take time to find a way in.
[Fairbanks] Don't worry. I've got a place.
[Miriam] I'll need
all the time you can give.
The furniture is all High Imperium,
of course,
and the estate features
a generous private courtyard
that I'm sure your bride will love.
[dramatic music playing]
[Miriam] If the smuggler routes
are closed,
there are discreet ways
into the palace itself.
[Fairbanks] You mean one of the Divines
was involved in something illicit?
I am shocked.
[Miriam] Even if this Divine isn't,
they could still be usable.
I don't like the sound of "could."
Well, neither do I, but I'm not
the only one with a job to do, am I?
You're right.
We'll strike during the evening service.
- Qwydion and I
- The magic mavens.
Will ensure everyone in the cathedral
stays put during the robbery.
[chuckles] I mean, naturally,
but that's gonna take a lot of magic.
So, uh, we should stock up
to be safe, right?
I mean, we don't want to run out
in the middle of things.
Don't you think a Qunari
buying a small arsenal of magic weapons
might attract some attention?
Oh, it's not about attracting attention.
- [power hums]
- It's about what kind. [chuckles]
[mysterious music playing]
- [door slams]
- [gasps]
Yes, can I help you?
Oh, I certainly hope so.
My master is new in town
and he sent me to fetch
lyrium, healing potions, knockout powder,
arcane grenades of all kinds,
and, um, everything else on this list.
What in the name of Andraste
does he need all this for?
[whispering] Two words. The Blight.
Master barely survived the last one,
and his bad knee
says another one's on the way.
Oh, yeah.
And if you think I'd let
a bunch of mindless, murderous monsters
touch a hair
on that sweet bald head of his,
you've got another thing coming.
[ominous music playing]
You know, I have some more exotic
defense items in the back.
Show me.
[Roland] Where exactly
do Lacklon and I fit in?
- [both grunting]
- [Lacklon] Ain't it obvious?
We're the muscle.
[Fairbanks] You take out the guards
and watch my back in the vault.
Not to mention,
make sure everyone else gets out alive.
I need you both in perfect sync.
Think you can handle that?
[straining]
If you're trying to distract me,
it won't work.
Besides, your girlfriend's
still got to find a way into the palace.
[Roland] Hmm?
I don't have a girlfriend.
[Lacklon] Let's remember, it all means
precisely squat if we can't find a way in.
[grunting]
[sighs]
I'll find it.
I will.
[pleasant music playing]
[footsteps approaching]
[clears throat] You're in my seat, elf.
There a reason for that?
[whooshes]
[sizzling]
[chair scrapes floor]
[clears throat]
I'm sorry, is this more important
than listening to me?
[hesitantly] Of course not, sir.
Apologies.
We have a problem, friend?
Yes, I think this elf's a runaway slave,
with stolen property no less.
That's not true, sir.
Please, don't turn me in to the guard.
Sorry, elf, you're coming with me.
Oh. Hey!
Keep walking.
They can't look at the plans.
Fair play on that one.
If you share her, I can pay you for it.
- I don't like your implication, friend.
- [men laughing]
Ugh, don't tell me you care
about some bat-faced bitch's honor!
[yells]
[grunts]
Huh.
Guess I do.
[dramatic music playing]
[grunting]
- [grunts]
- [patrons exclaim]
Let's go! Come on!
[yells]
[grunting]
- [yelps]
- [grunts]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[grunts]
- [groans]
- [gasps]
[both grunt]
- [Lacklon grunts loudly]
- [objects shattering]
[grunts]
[all grunting]
[Hira yells]
- [chomps]
- [screams]
[groaning]
[grunts]
Mm.
- [Lacklon yells]
- [yelps]
Hey, Lacklon! Catch!
- [shatters]
- Ha ha!
[fighting continues]
[music peaks, fades]
- [door slams]
- [yells]
Oh What
What happened here?
Half-off shots.
- [amusing music plays, fades]
- [head thuds softly]
[laughs] And boom, down they went!
[laughs]
[sighs] You know, my wife's right.
I just can't stay out of trouble.
[all laughing]
[slamming table] Can you just stop?
You think you're all heroes,
punching a couple of drunk Tevinters?
You
You think that did anything
except risk our mission?
[scoffs]
Neither did I.
[somber music playing]
[crickets chirping]
[knocks softly]
[Miriam sighs] Come in.
Do you want to talk about it?
Because the bar fight might not have been
the smartest idea, but
I figured out a way into the palace.
That's That's great.
Fairbanks, get in here!
[intriguing music playing]
What's wrong?
[sighs]
Everyone okay?
Miriam found a way
for us to get into the palace.
[Miriam] The only way in.
It's me. There's an old escape tunnel
intended for The Divine himself.
I cleared the outer entrance,
but the inner one
can only be opened from the inside.
No. You do not have to do this.
[chuckles dryly] Oh, trust me,
I don't want to, but
you all stood up for me.
In the stupidest way possible,
but you did it,
and that means something.
Besides
I really want that cheese farm.
[sentimental music playing]
If you don't come back,
I'll kill you myself.
[Miriam chuckles softly]
[birds chirping]
Up-up-up. Don't use them all at once.
That's more your problem
than mine, ain't it?
[intriguing music playing]
[door opens]
Thank you.
Just be there.
[dramatic music playing]
Where do you think you're going?
- This has to be finished before
- [dramatic sting]
Forgive me. On your way.
[dramatic music resumes]
[doors creaking]
Come back later.
Hey, I said [yelps]
- [barrel thuds]
- [gurgles]
- [splatters]
- [music fades]
- [somber music playing]
- [thuds]
[breathes deeply]
[bell tolling]
[rumbling]
[dramatic music building]
[music stops]
We're in.
[dramatic closing theme music playing]
Next Episode