Orsino is an elven mage and is the First Enchanter of the Circle of Magi in Kirkwall.
| Orisino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Actor | Jim Ward |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair | Grey |
| Occupation | First Enchanter of Kirkwall |
| Family | Unknown |
| First Appearance | Dragon Age II |
| Last Appearance | Dragon Age II |
| Death | Dragon Age II |
| Cause of Death | Stumped on the head by The Champion of Kirkwall |
| Status | Dead |
| Series Lifespan | Dragon Age II |
| Orisino Gallery | |
Involvement[]
Dragon Age II[]
Act 2[]
A vision of Orsino first appears in the quest Night Terrors, where during one of Feynriel's visions Hawke takes on the image of Orsino congratulating Feynriel for being such a powerful mage.
Orsino is first met in person during the Qunari invasion of Kirkwall, having been incapacitated immediately before his magi understudies attempted to defend him, but were killed (except Bethany Hawke if she stayed home during the Deep Roads expedition). He then joins forces with Hawke and Meredith Stannard to liberate the Viscount's Keep and save the hostages. While Meredith insists on a direct frontal assault, Orsino suggest the more tactical approach of using a distraction to lure the Qunari guarding the front entrance away, giving Hawke's party a chance to infiltrate the Keep.
Act 3[]
Three years later, Meredith's increasing paranoia and aggressive policies causes Orsino to openly defy her by staging a rally in Hightown in front of the Viscount's Keep, arguing that the Templar's efforts to block the appointment of a new Viscount are tantamount to a coup d'etat and for giving the mages more freedoms. If Hawke is a mage, Orsino asks Meredith why Hawke as an apostate isn't treated like other apostates, to which she replies that the Champion has proven themselves Kirkwall's defender.
If Hawke sides with Orsino after the rally, he will call on the Champion to investigate a conspiracy among the Mages and Templars, fearing that they are using Blood magic and hoping that Hawke will remove the Maleficar before Meredith discovers them.
In the end, after the Kirkwall Chantry is destroyed and Grand Cleric Elthina is killed, Meredith calls for the Right of Annulment. Orsino attempts to persuade Meredith the Right is unjustified and that the Circle is blameless since Anders alone was responsible. Meredith insists that some form of retribution is needed regardless and Orsino moves to rally the Circle to defend themselves.
Meredith and Orsino meet again in the Gallows Courtyard. In a last ditch effort to save the Kirkwall Circle from annihilation, Orsino offers Meredith complete compliance to her wishes if she would only revoke the Right of Annulment. Meredith however, rationalized that the people of Kirkwall would demand retribution and she was determined to give it to them.
If Hawke chooses to side with the mages, Orsino and several Circle mages make a last stand with Hawke and their companions in the Gallows Prison courtyard. However after several of his mages are killed by a Templar assault, Orisno reveals that he knew about Quentin, the blood mage responsible for killing Leandra Amell. From this statement, it is surmised that he was the mysterious "O": the person who sent messages to him. Though he claims he had previously decried blood magic and put aside Quentin's research because it was too dangerous, Orsino has been driven by frustration and despair to abandon all ethical inhibitions. He resorts to using Quentin's research and combines himself with his comrades' corpses, transforming himself into a dangerous Harvester which Hawke is forced to kill.
If Hawke chooses to side with the templars, Orsino's role largely remains the same. When Hawke and the templars led by Meredith enter the hall, it appears that the first enchanter has killed the mages himself in order to fuel his blood magic, calling them "willing sacrifices". When prompted, he will reveal that he knew about Quentin but kept his existence secret so that he would not be used by Meredith as ammunition against the Kirkwall Circle. Orsino makes use of Quentin's research to transform into a Harvester, which Hawke slays with the help of Meredith and her templars. Before that if Bethany is alive and is a Circle mage, she will exclaim that Orsino could have stopped Quentin and saved Leandra, to which Orsino will reply that he is sorry but he didn't know the extent of Quentin's derangement until it was too late. She assists her sibling in the fight against the Harvester.
Allies[]
- Hawke (Determinant)
- Bethany Hawke (Determinant)
- Mages
- Elthina
Enemies[]
- Meredith Stannard
- Hawke (Determinant
- Anders
- Carver Hawke (Determinant)
- Templars
- Quentin
Appearances[]
- Dragon Age II