Dragon Age: Asunder

Dragon Age: Asunder is the third novel in the Dragon Age series. It is set in Orlais shortly after the events of Act 3, but before Varric's interrogation and expands upon the mage/templar conflict.


 * Bad Boss: Lord Seeker Lambert isn't well-liked by the majority of his subordinates, personally, but he terrifies them so much that nearly all of them will submit to his orders. Those who don't meet his expectations tend to have very short careers.
 * The Chessmaster:
 * Deliberately Bad Example: Lambert and his flunky towards Evangeline, one of the rare idealistic templars.
 * Demoted to Extra: Leliana makes several appearances in the book and does aid the group in the finale, but is mostly left in the background for the newer characters.
 * The Dog Bites Back:
 * End of an Age: The book goes into detail on to how exactly the Chantry lost power and the Mage-Templar War really began one year after the events of the previous game, but still a year before Varric was able to tell that Kirkwall was anything more than a straightforward mage rebellion.
 * Expy: Adrian for Anders. . However, she does not have the clear-cut Freudian Excuse of Vengeance in her mind, making her more of a Jerkass and much less of a Woobie.
 * Made explicit in the last chapter, where Rhys actually mentally compares the two.
 * Lord Seeker Lambert for Meredith, though he is ever-so-slightly more stubborn.
 * When he explains his Freudian Excuse of working under the Tevinter Imperium to Evangeline, his excuses actually start to sound quite a bit like Fenris' as well...
 * Fiery Redhead: Adrian, both figuratively and literally.
 * Foe Yay: Rhys and Evangeline are both obviously attracted to each other despite their initial animosity.
 * For Science!: One of the issues the mages bring up to support rebellion is the complete stranglehold the Chantry has on research into magical phenomena as well as more mundane sciences out of fear of blood magic.
 * Freudian Excuse: Present for both Lord Seeker Lambert and Cole, though the latter doesn't fully remember his.
 * Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Evangeline smacks Pharamond after the latter begins weeping uncontrollably. It manages to bring him to his senses.
 * Ghost Amnesia: Cole may or may not be a ghost, but he still has next to no memory of his life outside the White Spire.
 * Heroic BSOD:
 * Hannibal Lecture:
 * Hot Blooded: Even after thirty years, Grand Enchanter Fiona, returning from The Calling, is just as hot-blooded. Unsurprisingly, she is a member of the radical Libertarian Fraternity and opposed to Wynne's more moderate Aquetarian fraternity.
 * Senior Enchanter Adrian makes Fiona seem mellow. Rhys, though calmer than the previous two, has his moments as well.
 * Journey to The Center of The Mind: As with just about every Dragon Age story, the group has one major adventure in the Fade.
 * Karma Houdini:  and how. She's probably the most egregious example in all Dragon Age media.
 * Knight Templar: Lord Seeker Lambert is intent on bringing order to the Circle.  Senior Enchanter Adrian fits as well.
 * Line in The Sand:
 * Mercy Kill:
 * Mordor: The Western Approach. A massive, cold and unnaturally purple desert wasteland created from an area that never recovered from the the Second Blight.
 * My God, What Have I Done?:
 * No Holds Barred Beatdown: Lambert is very good at these.
 * Odd Friendship: Cole strikes up one with Pharamond, seeing him as a kindred spirit. Complicated by the fact that the latter immediately forgets the former's existence after each conversation.
 * Precision F-Strike: "Fuck the Divine."
 * Power Incontinence: Pharamond theorizes that Cole's invisibility and amnesia-inducement are his own innate magic expressing itself without his knowledge.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Evangeline, Wynne, and Divine Justina V. By the climax of the story, they appear to be the only reasonable leaders left in this particular conflict.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Fiona and Wynne, respectively. The former repeatedly calls for independence from the Chantry. The latter attempts to negotiate with the Divine and manages to defeat the first motion for independence.
 * Sealed Evil in A Can:
 * Sequel Hook: Apart from outlining the final days before the Mage-Templar War, the book continuously hints at a major political upheaval in Orlais that may lead to the empire, the biggest political player in Thedas, falling apart without any specific details being revealed.
 * Tomato in The Mirror:
 * To Be Lawful or Good: Evangeline faces this choice several times as the situation grows more complicated and her superior as well as the mages she's supposed to guard grow more and more extreme.
 * Unperson: Cole's normally undetectable to all but the most spiritually sensitive people, but almost all who do see or hear him slowly forget about him entirely afterwards.
 * Undying Loyalty: Cole has his issues, but he would sooner die than allow any harm to come to Rhys.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Rhys ends up manipulated by just about everyone except Evangeline at some point.
 * Xanatos Gambit:
 * An earlier one is implied as well.
 * It's also theorized that
 * Your Mind Makes It Real:
 * An earlier one is implied as well.
 * It's also theorized that
 * Your Mind Makes It Real: