Varric

Good ol’ Varric Tethras’ debut established him as a fan favorite and positioned him to become one of the longest-running characters in BioWare’s fantasy series. The dwarven storyteller starts out as a humble businessman looking for an expedition partner but quickly gets dragged into unprecedented times as the city of Kirkwall becomes a focal point for worldwide change. Varric’s ties to the city run deep, but as he becomes estranged from his family, he finds a new one in Hawke and the others. In the end, he’s left alone as the others flee the city, and he stays behind to tell their story to anyone who will listen. It’s funny to think about how what he has to deal with here is like child’s play compared to the tasks he undertakes in Inquisition and again in The Veilguard. But his greatness has small beginnings, and he’s only become greater since we met him as Hawke in Dragon Age 2

When he shows up again in Inquisition, Varric has become a face for the Dragon Age series. I have a lot of love for the dwarven storyteller, but I think my appreciation for his story in Inquisition has only grown stronger. Varric has gone from a simple roguish businessman in Kirkwall to a teller of tales, recalling some of the biggest moments in history to anyone who will listen. He has become quiteworld-weary by the time of Inquisition, but he’s never lost hope. His personal questline isn’t world-shattering, but it’s a reminder that this man has been dragged through unprecedented times.

When The Veilguard begins, we find Varric still fighting against impossible odds, which speaks to his determination to save the world. He recruits Rook, believes wholeheartedly in their ability to stop Solas’ plan to tear down the veil, and cheers them on from an infirmary bed for most of the game. However, something about Varric’s role in the game seems off, at least initially. But what starts off feeling like a cheap trick on BioWare’s part to sideline the series’ longest-running consistent party member turns out to be a thematic pillar holding up the story of The Veilguard. Rook’s presence at the center of this story is an expression of Varric’s belief in people, and the way this all wraps up in The Veilguard’s final hours is a devastating and beautiful tribute to the storyteller who has been at the player’s side for over a decade. For me, Varric had always been a reliable confidant as I watched Thedas constantly change. After The Veilguard, he was a concise expression of how Dragon Age has changed for the better. A man who started out as a rogueish storyteller in the slums of Kirkwall watched history uncaringly unfold for decades eventually found himself swept up in adventures of his own, and those adventures made him believe in the people he would leave behind.