Choice as shown through Dragon Age: The Veilguard

We're going to do a different kind of musings post today, and talk about narrative design and how I enjoyed a particular difficult decision in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which was both an interesting philosophical problem for me and also required several assumptions on the part of the player which I don't feel the game delivered very well.

Choice in Bioware Games

So, by way of background, Bioware games are predicated on giving the player choices. They've been doing this for a long time, both in Dragon Age and Mass Effect, but with varying degrees of success based on the game.

A lot of those choices are short-reaching. You might upset a companion temporarily or permanently, you could leave a corrupt mayor to die and later meet him later, blighted. You could send a companion to their heroic but tragic death. There are sometimes farther-reaching consequences, but those instances are rarer.

Ultimately, whether the choice "hits" is a matter of preference. A lot of folks would prefer their choices be meaningful. For example, in Veilguard, you're offered a panic choice between personally assisting one city or another. The consequence is that one city gets wrecked, and the companion attached to that city is real upset for the rest of the game. That choice annoyed me, more than anything, because it implied that the rest of my companions were incompetent. We sent the majority of the team to the other city, but it's my fault that y'all couldn't beat a dragon? Come onnnnnnnnnn.

But, like I said, most of the choices in this game were "easy" for me and didn't provoke much internal conflict. Let's talk about the one that did.

Emmrich and Manfred

Okay, for those of you who haven't played the game, some set up. Emmrich is a necromancer on a continent where the vast majority of cultures cremate their dead. Only Nevarra entombs their dead and makes heavy use of animated bodies (which are animated with spirits of the Fade, themselves created from human emotions).

One such animated corpse is Emmrich's "butler", Manfred. The spirit animating Manfred is one of curiosity, and it's immediately shown that Manfred's much more "alive" than other simple spirits. He shows a great capacity for learning, and does so throughout the run. Emmrich loves Manfred, and frequently shows it throughout the game. He acts like a combination parent / old friend, expressing joy about the day Manfred picked his own skull.

Emmrich, on the other hand, is a necromancer who is terrified of his own death. Every time he thinks about potentially dying, he freezes up. This comes up several times during his companion quests. He has no problem with other people dying, and shows the utmost care and respect for the dead, but the thought that he might one day shed the mortal coil¹ and go somewhere, scares the hell out of him. So, he reveals to you, he's been granted permission to become a Lich. An immortal protector of Nevarra and the Necropolis, and he need not fear death ever again. The only thing holding him back? He might die for real in the process. Emmrich loves the idea of never dying, and also expresses "I could read all my books!", so it's not just fear driving him, but also desire.

This all comes to a head near the end of Emmrich's companion quest line. It involves going through his old friend/rival's mansion and figuring out where an evil lantern, filled with souls is being kept. Manfred is integral to this plan, and during the course of the quest he develops more and more personality. He can even start speaking in short phrases, which is unheard of for "regular" undead.

By the end, you're fighting a giant skeleton robot, and need to pull its power source. Only problem is it might kill whoever grabs it. Emmrich seizes up, and Manfred steps up to the plate with a simple "I go!". Manfred proceeds to save the day, and winds up getting destroyed in the process. Emmrich manages to free the spirits of the lantern without dying, and we all live happily ever after.

Only, there's a choice to be made.

We can still save him

This is when the game presents a choice to you. One of the Liches informs Emmrich that you can bring Manfred back, but by doing so, he would lose his right to claim Lichdom. The justification is one of temptation. A Lich will see everyone they care about die over time, and if they bring back people willy-nilly, they'd become tyrants ruling over life and death. Not great.

Manfred, for his part, has likely gone back to being a "normal" curiosity spirit in the fade. Lacking access to the body to continue learning, he's likely condemned to be "mindless" forever.

Emmrich wants your help. Do you advise him to bring back Manfred and lose his shot at immortality, or do you let Manfred's sacrifice be for something and let Emmrich become a Lich?

This is where the dilemma came for me. I had to sit for a good 10 minutes mulling it over on the pause screen while I worked it out. Sure, Manfred is "fine" but his future and potential were cut short, and Emmrich still has a lesson to learn about death.

The Case for Lichdom

One of the core themes of Dragon Age games is that people are responsible for their own choices, including the choice to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Manfred did just that, like countless others before them. He made his choice, and we can respect that choice and honor him.

Emmrich, too, must realize that he'll need to let others go, and he can be the one to keep their memories alive, eternally.

But with this outcome, Emmrich still attains immortality. He's no longer afraid that he might die during the ritual, but he's still "conquered" death. Only one more risk to take, and then he'll never need fear dying again (unless he dies in the final battle, which is a risk he's willing to take in either outcome).

Who grows with this choice? Emmrich has certainly gained some insights, but the core fear of death is still ever present, and he's essentially dodging it by becoming immortal.

The Case for Manfred

Bringing Manfred back, on the other hand, will deny Emmrich the immortality he craves. He will have to face death eventually, and accept its embrace. In return, he gets his friend back, and seems genuinely a happier person with Manfred around.

Manfred, for his part, gains magic powers as part of the deal, and becomes Emmrich's apprentice. He'll survive after Emmrich is dead and buried, and he'll be something of his legacy.

However, does this invalidate his previous heroism? If he could fully understand, would Manfred want Emmrich to give up on his dream to bring him back to his body and let him continue his journey of growth? If you could bring someone back from the dead, would you do it?

This is a very human consideration

For me, this perfectly illustrates a pure expression of the human condition — living on through other people. If you bring Manfred back, Emmerich must one day die, leaving his legacy to Manfred to continue his work, either in the Mourn Guard or elsewhere. In our reality, where everyone must know that they too will eventually die, we strive to live on through our actions, legacy, and memory. With the Manfred option, Emmrich too must tred where we all go, and it seems he's enriched by the experience.

But, this is fiction, and the call of individual continuity is strong. Emmrich's character is such that if anyone were to become immortal and carry our legacies forward forever, he's a perfect candidate to do it.

There's not a right answer, but it does cut to the core of what it means to be alive.

So what'd you pick?

I let Emmrich become a Lich, after a lot of deliberation. It ultimately boiled down towards entrusting Emmrich with the eternal watch and that in real life we can't bring back those we love.

Emmrich is a fictional character, and while I personally think that coming to terms with your own mortality is essential to personal growth, I thought this outcome fit with him better. But I can sure make the case for resurrecting Manfred.

Well done on that one Bioware.

1. No one knows what happens to mortal souls, but they banter about it in the game a bit in the form of "Are ghosts real" banter between Emmrich and Bellara.