While Dragon Age: The Veilguard only hints at his ties to the Imperial Chantry, fans finally confirm that The Viper is Divine Aequitas II by looking directly into the game's files. Unlike the other three titles, Dragon Age: The Veilguard takes place in Northern Thedas, a vastly different setting by comparison. Slavery remains legal, and blood magic is significantly less taboo in the Tevinter Imperium. While Neve's storyline and a few side quests deal with these topics directly, many players wish they had more time to explore the socioeconomic dynamics of Minrathous beyond the slums of Docktown.
The Shadow Dragons in The Veilguard were designed as an underground faction based out of Minrathous, helping slaves on their way to freedom, and keeping the Venatori in check. Given the events of the game, Rook primarily helps the Shadow Dragons achieve the latter, and mostly interacts with characters such as Dorian Pavus, Maevaris Tilani, Tarquin, and The Viper. Whereas the first three characters in The Veilguard are an open book, The Viper is forced to maintain anonymity even in the shadowy organization that he leads. Considering his true identity, it makes perfect sense.
RelatedThere are multiple endings in Dragon Age: The Veilguard and each one has certain requirements as well as tough choices to make.
Thanks to some sleuthing by amirdrassil on Twitter, The Viper is finally confirmed to be Divine Aequitas II. As the youngest son of Vesperians, The Viper was groomed from birth to assume the role of the Black Divine, succeeding Urian Nihalian prior to the events of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Following the political downfall of the Lucerni, it made sense for Aequitas II to move his support of the anti-slavery faction underground. However, given that the Black Divine is in charge of both the Imperial Chantry and the Circle of Magi in Tevinter, it was necessary to keep his identity anonymous – hiding behind the name Ashur and the alias of The Viper.
This reveal adds further weight to the choice to either save Minrathous or Treviso in The Veilguard. If players choose to save Treviso, not only are they locked out of picking the next Archon of Tevinter, but Ashur gets blighted during the dragon attack on Minrathous. This effectively puts the future of the Tevinter Imperium in a precarious position – assuming a future Dragon Age sequel chooses to explore the political ramifications of putting the Shadow Dragons in power.
Despite The Veilguard having mostly positive reviews on Steam, many Dragon Age fans found it a departure in tone compared to its predecessors. While the narrative certainly has its dark moments, the main story is hyperfocused on Rook's efforts to stop the blighted elven gods. An obvious direction for the next Dragon Age game could be to lower the stakes a bit, and shift the focus back to political intrigue. As such, a character like The Viper may very well end up being an important factor in any sequel set in Northern Thedas
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Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Now, a pair of corrupt ancient gods have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world.
Thedas needs someone they can count on. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world. But you can’t do this alone – the odds are stacked against you. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own rich story to discover and shape, and together you will become The Veilguard.
