Dak and Leyla received a note from Meeran saying that he wished to talk to them at night to discuss a possible job. They met Meeran, bringing Aveline, Varric, and Merrill with them.

"Well, if it ain't my favourite new citizens," Meeran smirked. "What are you doing here? Did you finally figure out being free and poor in Huttsgalor ain't worth a rat's spit?"

"You have an offer for us?" said Dak, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, let's get down to why we hear," Leyla agreed.

"You mean you're not too good for my kind of work? Because the blokes I hired after you couldn't find their ass with both hands," he turned and looked down at the docks. "I sent them to take out Lord Harimann while he was preparing his cargo for shipping. Night-time, docks, simple. Never came back."

"We haven't heard a job in this yet," Dak noticed.

"The jobs the same—kill Harimann—but there'll be a bonus if you find my men alive."

"I'm sure I can finish what they started."

"They were supposed to ambush him at the docks. That'd be the best place to start looking. And remember, Harimann dead, my lad Gus alive. Other way around, then you won't get paid."

When they reached the docks, it was dawn. They found several guards who had to be employed by Lord Harimann. Taking them down was a cinch, and they found Gus lying there.

"D-Dak? L-Leyla? I-I've seen you two with Meeran before. Did he send you to get me?" Gus asked, clutching his arm. "Harimann's guards killed all my men. I thought I gave them the slip, but they found me. You tell Meeran I never turned on him."

"You were very dedicated," said Leyla and helped him up.

"We did it just like we trained. Followed at a distance, wait for nightfall…" Gus shook his head. "His rear guard saw us coming. They fell on us from all sides."

"Which any professional should have expected," said a voice.

They turned and found a man in his sixties standing behind them.

"That's him. That's Lord Harimann," said Gus.

"Most of my enemies would not stoop this low. Are you working for Magnus Fink? Perhaps Lady Reinhardt?"

"What have you done to get so many people to want you dead?" Dak asked, astounded.

"I know nobles usually make a lot of enemies, but this seems rather excessive," said Leyla

Lord Harimann frowned at them. "You sound Midgardian. So you should know I'm the one who convinced the Viscount to send aid to Aresgan. Many of my fellow noblemen resent that. They want me dead before he sends the money so that they can reclaim Huttsgalor. Will you kill me for this?"

Dak and Leyla looked at one another and came to the same agreement.

"This is not a job we can complete." They then shook hands with one another.

"Thank you. When I learn who sent you, I will be sure to leave you out of any retribution."

Lord Harimann then walked away, and Hawke turned his eyes upon Gus.

"I-I don't want to be the one to tell Meeran you did that," he said before running off.

He returned to Meeran to claim his award, and, true to his word, Gus had not said anything about the incident with Lord Harimann. While he did not get as much money as he would have, he still got a bit from rescuing Gus.

The next morning, Dak discovered a flyer requesting aid in rescuing the Viscount's son, Saemus. He and Leyla went to meet with Seneschal Bran but found that someone else was on his trail.

He was talking to what he assumed to be a mercenary, who didn't have a very friendly face. In fact, she looked as if she would kill you if you looked at her funny.

"Insist if you must, but Viscount Dumar will not see anyone!" said Bran. "If you have news of Saemus, I will relay it to him."

"Fine," the woman snapped. "Tell Dumar my scouts have tracked the boy and his qunari captured to the Wounded Coast. I'm taking a full company after them, and when I return, I expect him to make a show of the reward."

"So many to deal with one qunari seems… excessive," said Bran, raising an eyebrow.

"He maybe Tal-Vashoth. The Winters leave nothing to chance." She then walked off and nearly ran into Dak and Leyla. "Get out of my bloody way!"

Bran sighed when he saw them. "Yes, what is it?"

"If this is about a rescue, that woman did not seem the type," Dak noted.

Bran nodded. "She's the type I feared we would attract. As I told the others, Viscount Dumar's son, Saemus, is missing. We suspect he was taken by Qunari. I have certainly granted no exclusivity to the Winters and their violent approach."

They went on talking about Saemus disappearance; Bran told them the boy was of a sympathetic mind and about the Winters' violent nature.

"The boy will be home soon enough," Leyla promised.

"Declare it if you like, but the Lord goes to whoever brings him back safe," said Bran. "A discussion you're welcome to have with the Winters should you encounter them. On the Wounded Coast."

Dak quickly recruited Aveline, Merrill and Isabela to assist with the search and began to scour across the Wounded Coast. They successfully located the boy but found that he was kneeling in front of the body of a dead Qunari. The Winters leader, Ginnis, was standing over him with a sword in and covered in blood.

"And the world's rid of one more Qunari. Easier than I expected," she said, smiling. She then looked at her men. "Call the men back. We've got an appointment with the Viscount. Isn't that right, Saemus?"

"Ashaad… you killed him," he said weakly. "You… you vashedan bitch!"

Dak was rather surprised to hear him speaking in the qunari tongue, but the more pressing issue was that he was picking a fight with a very dangerous woman. Eventually, it reached the breaking point, with Ginnis threatening to cut out his tongue. That was when they were forced to step in, and seeing them as competition, she immediately ordered her men to kill them.

Fortunately, their little group had quite a lot of experience when dealing with second-rate mercenaries and quickly dispatched them. After the fight, the young nobleman stepped over Ginnis' corpse and spat.

"Dead and good riddance, but…" He glanced at them. "She said she was waiting for more. A lot more."

"Then we ready ourselves," Aveline said.

They quickly prepared themselves as the rest of the Winters ran down the hill. Leyla instantly conjured up a lightning storm, and when they were caught by surprise, he, Isabela and Aveline charged in. Both Leyla and Merrill offered magical support, unleashing spells against the mercenaries in another way.

When the fighting was finally done, Saemus knelt in front of the body of a dead Qunari. "Ashaad never lied, never coddled. You were worth his time, or you were not." He rose slowly. "They are not the brutes others claim they are. Take me to my father, and I will try again to make him see."

They soon returned Saemus to the keep, and the Viscount looked like the world had been lifted off his shoulders the moment he laid eyes upon his son.

"My son," he said, hugging him. "I thought I'd lost you."

Saemus did look entirely enthusiastic and separated himself from his father. "Enough, Father."

Seneschal Bran forestalled the oncoming argument. "Uh, allow me to present Dak and Leyla, Excellency. They fulfilled the bounty."

The Viscount looked at them gratefully. "You have my gratitude. I hope you encountered no great difficulties on my son's behalf."

"There were complications, but we are privileged to keep your son from harm," said Leyla graciously.

"I was told the Winters had involved themselves. Was there no way to avoid an incident?"

Seamus stepped forward. "They murdered my friend. Where is the concern for that?"

"It was my understanding you were captured alone, foolishly traipsing about the coast as you do."

"I was not captured; I was with Ashaad. The Qunari. They are not monsters to be feared." Saemus gestured. "If you would just try to understand, others would see as well."

"Better that you were thought abducted than to have their influence suspected in my own family… benign or not, it's too much."

Dak and Leyla looked at one another, and they felt immensely awkward.

"There is no middle ground?" said Dak, crossing his arms. "It sounds like you've both been hardheaded."

"That is… quite enough!" said Bran. He then looked towards the Viscount. "My apologies, Excellently, for this intrusion into personal matters!" He gave Dak and Leyla their reward and gestured towards the door. "There is no… just… move!"

"Well, that was quite awkward," said Dak as they made their way through Hightown.

"I hope we did make things harder for Mother; she is still trying to petition the Viscount, isn't she?" Leyla asked.

They were wandering through the marketplace, where they met up with Fenris and Varric, when they heard yelling.

"What you mean you can't help me?" said a man angrily to a city guard.

"This is a domestic matter, serah. If your wife has chosen to leave you, there's nothing we can do."

"Ninette is my wife! She's legally bound to me. Bring her back!" the man demanded.

"We're done here," said the guardsmen, and he left with his men.

"Useless!" he spat. "Why are we still paying those sluggards?"

"Your wife is missing?" said Leyla. "We could try and find her if you like."

Man quickly turned to him with relief. "Yes! Oh, I've been waiting for someone to say that. That foolish woman has caused me nothing but embarrassment. She needs to be dragged home."

"I can't imagine why she would run away," said Fenris.

The man sighed. "Yes, yes, my wife and I don't get along. But that's not the important thing! Her family is getting suspicious. They think I might have… done something to her. Even if—Well, I just want to make sure they know I didn't do it!"

"You're more concerned about what her family thinks than what happened to her?" Leyla frowned.

"Ninette keeps the company of other men and makes no secret of it. I'd be better off with her gone." He then sighed. "Well, as long as her family knows I had nothing to do with it. They'd ruin me otherwise."

Leyla narrowed her eyes. "You don't care that Ninette might be hurt or dead. You sicken me."

"You've never lived with her!" he spat back. He then shook his head. "It wasn't always like that. We were in love once. She defied her parents to marry me. Sometimes, I wonder if I dream of those years."

"We'll try our best to find Ninette and bring home," Dak assured him before Leyla could say anything else.

"You should talk to Jethann at the Blooming Rose." He then clenched his fists. "I didn't know she visited whores. Until Jethann sent a letter. To our house! He even sent flowers once. Lilies—her favourite." He then flung his arms in frustration. "Bah. Talking about it makes my head hurt. Good luck to you, serah."

They went straight to the Blooming Rose and met Jethann, who informed them that a templar named Emeric was also looking for Ninette. He also told them that they could find the templar in Darktown.

"Why would a templar investigator a woman's disappearance?" Leyla frowned, confused.

"It is strange," Aveline agreed.

"Well, we better find this templar and ask him," said Dak.

They found Emeric being set upon by thugs; Dak quickly led the others to help take down the bandits, though Leyla had to use her magic sparingly.

"I thank you, serah, for coming along when you did," he said gratefully. "I am Emeric."

"Just the person I'm looking for, I need to speak with you about Ninette," said Dak.

Emeric nodded. "Ah. Ghyslain de Carrac's wife, Ninette. Her disappearance interested me. I tried looking into it. However, the investigation has been a waste of time."

"Did you learn nothing?"

"Most people just say she left her husband. This all started when Mharen—one of our Circle mages—disappeared. I found it odd. She was a bit older and hardly adventurous. Then I heard about Ninette and two other missing women."

"I had a friend who disappeared once," Varric said. "Turns out he was under my bed, drunk." Varric glanced up at the looks the rest were giving him. "What?"

Emeric just shook his head. "I think the disappearances are connected, and I suspect foul play is involved."

Leyla frowned. "Doesn't the Circle use phylacteries to keep track of its mages?"

Emeric nodded. "We followed her phylactery to a foundry but found nothing. I had heard of sympathisers smuggling mages through Darktown, so I came here hoping to pick up the trail. But no trace of Mharen. And, as you've seen, asking the locals hasn't made me very popular."

"Mages routinely flee the Circle. Perhaps Mharen just wanted freedom?"

Emeric shook his head. "She had always been loyal. She received lilies from an unknown suitor, and some of us thought she may have gone to meet him. Perhaps her disappearance was linked."

Dak remembered Ghyslain mentioning that Ninette had received lilies; it could have been a coincidence.

"Can we assist your investigation?" Dak asked.

"It's no longer my investigation, serah," Emeric sighed. "You may take over if you wish. This battle showed that I'm no longer the warrior I used to be. I know when to walk away." He then handed Dak a small parcel. "Here. Take my findings. Perhaps you can make more use of them. I'm going back to the Gallows. I'm too old for this."

Leyla looked at him curiously as he walked off. "He must have noticed that me and Merrill are mages."

"To me, it sounded as if finding the missing women much more president than trying to catch up a couple of apostates," said Aveline.

"Plus, he was on his own people be figures with the best shot of finding these missing women," said Dak.

"What a nice templar," said Merrill.

"Let's go and take a look at this foundry," said Dak.

They found the foundry, and Dak saw someone slipping away. However, before they could apprehend him, demons attacked them.

"Demons," Fenris said. "Summoned by another mage, no doubt"

"let's look around," Leyla said.

A few minutes of searching revealed a bag dropped by whoever had fled. Leyla opened the bag and was nearly sick when she saw the contents.

Aveline bent down and examined the contents, and she was disgusted. "Bones. And a severed hand."

"The hand seems to have a ring," said Leyla.

"We should take the ring to Ghyslain. It may be Ninette's. And we should let Emeric know what we found."

They wasted no time in making their way to the Gallows and met up with Emeric.

"You might want to see this," said Dak, handing him the remains. "This was left in the foundry you mentioned in your notes. I was also attacked by shades."

"These are human bones," said Emeric and sighed. "Then there is no chance of finding Mharen alive—or any of the others."

"We saw someone leave the scene, but they got away. I'm sorry."

"It was more than I accomplished."

"My people have been slow to react, but this needs official support," said Aveline.

Emeric nodded. "I will bring this to the city guard immediately. It should be enough to convince them that the disappearances are worth investigating."

Jethann did not take the news of Ninette's death well. It appeared he was genuinely fond of the woman.

Ghyslain may have taken the news better. He even managed to speak of Ninette fondly. Dak decided not to tell him the actual circumstances of his recovery of the ring.

Leyla was still rather shaken by what they had discovered. "Why would someone want to kill these women?"

Dak shrugged. "Could be for any number of reasons."

"Especially if they're a mage," said Fenris. "Whoever this killer is, it is clear that they are a blood mage and nothing good ever comes from blood magic."

"Let's hope we can find them before they kill anyone else," said Leyla.

"I've heard of this Huttsgalor Killer," said Cassandra, crossing her arms. "And now we know the Champions link to the Viscount Dumar."

"Yes," said Varric regrettably. "Sadly, it was not the last time we would hear of the Huttsgalor Killer."

"So I've heard, but it sounds as if the Viscount's son was extremely close to the qunari," Cassandra noted.

"He was sympathetic to them and admired some of their ideology. I can only assume that he felt trapped and pressured by his father and looking for an escape. That said, I wouldn't say that he agreed with everything they preached."

Cassandra nodded. "I imagine that the Viscount's son preaching equality to the qunari did not fare well with the city's nobility and the anti-qunari factions."

"They did cause quite a few headaches for the Viscount," Varric agreed. "However, we're getting ahead of ourselves. There is still more you need to hear before we get to the second act of this story."