Dragon Age: Deception is a three-part Comic Book mini-series from the same creative team that gave us Knight Errant, published by Dark Horse Comics. It follows a washed-up actress-turned-Con Artist Olivia Pryde whose latest scheme takes her to the Tevinter city of Ventus (previously seen in Those Who Speak). That said, the scheme goes south pretty fast, as pretty much nobody turns out to be what they seem at a glance.
This is part two of Vaea and Ser Aaron's story, continuing from Knight Errant and into Blue Wraith and Dark Fortress.
The comic book contains examples of following tropes:
- An Aesop: You cannot change a person by just asking them nicely — change needs time. This is hammered home at least three times: when Olivia negotiates a no-killing clause with the Crows, they honor the Exact Words but go right back to murdering afterwards; when Ser Aaron gives Olivia herself a You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech, she makes a point of sleeping with Calix just to demonstrate her petty spite for her ex; and when Ser Aaron then grabs a pint, despite his promise to Vaea to never touch alcohol again. The statement is a bit muddled, however, by the ending where Olivia sacrifices herself for Calix, Aaron, and the rest, seemingly swayed by the knight's heroic rhetoric earlier.
- Asshole Victim: Florian Invidus is brutally murdered by the Antivan Crows, but given how he outright admits to being an active member of the Venatori — one of the franchise's few truly evil factions — it's hard to sympathize with him.
- The Cameo: Dorian Pavus appears in all three issues, while King Alistair and Slim Couldry pop up in the second issue.
- Canine Companion: Olivia's mabari Autumn, whom the authors based on their own dog, a Pomeranian/Chihuahua mix with the same name.
- The Caper: The first two issues turn out to be the preparation for the break-in at the Qintara Mansion, concocted by Ser Aaron and Vaea with the backing of Magister Dorian and, presumably, the Inquisition.
- The Con: Olivia poses as "Magister Aramis", intending to threaten Calix Qintara with investigating his family's connection to the Venatori, so he would try to pay her off with a bribe. Later, she uses the same tactic on another pair of mages, Francesca and Florian Invidus.
- Conflict Killer: Just as the conflict between the main characters, Francesca Invidus, and Solas' agents are about to come to a head in issue three, the Qunari storm the Qintara Mansion and everyone bands together to escape.
- Con Man: Olivia, a.k.a. "Magister Aramis". Also "Calix Qintara" turns out be another con artist posing as a Magister's son.
- Cut Short: The mini-series consisted of just three issues, whereas most previous Dragon Age comics had consistently been five issues long. While no official explanation had been given, the release of the (rather rushed-feeling) issues #2 and #3 in November and December 2018 coincided with the reboot of development
of Dragon Age IV, when Project Joplin's narrative focus on heists and capers (that both Knight Errant and this very comic had presumably been a lead-up to) was axed in favor of more live-service gameplay with Project Morrison. - Cycle of Revenge: After exposing each other's identities, Olivia and Calix start attempting to repeatedly one-up each other in the social manipulation game (Olivia mostly wins, thanks to her greater experience), until Calix lampshades what they are doing and offers to resolve their conflict with a decisive con artist duel.
- Dead Person Impersonation: Magister Qintara, who nobody had seen for a decade, is revealed in Issue 3 to have died years ago. His valet, an elf named Gaius, took over his identity and used his status and connections to gather information on behalf of Solas. He and the other servants in the mansion maintained the illusion that Gaius was alive and conducting magical experiments using pyrotechnics.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: A tearful Francesca cradles her brother Florian's body after discovering his corpse in a back alley.
- During the War: The first chapter takes place in Ventus (a.k.a. Qarinus) on the eve of a Qunari invasion, so everyone who can leave the city is on their way out. Ventus is razed by the Qunari at the end of Issue Three.
- Exact Words: One of Olivia's conditions for working with the Crows is that they do not kill anyone while providing a distraction for her infiltration of the Ventus city vault. They keep their word, but when they are attacked by Florian Invidus after fulfilling their mutual obligations with Olivia, they go right back to their stab-happy ways.
- Goshdang It To Heck: Vaea extends to the list of particularly Thedosian curses with "son of a motherless nug" upon discovering the Qintara vault already swept clean.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: A qunari ambushing a Tevinter patrol literally cuts one of the soldiers in half.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: In issue two, after watching Olivia very demonstratively seduce Calix, Ser Aaron downs a mug of ale — after staying sober for months (according to Vaea), no less.
- Informed Ability: Francesca is supposedly the most powerful mage in the Invidus family, yet she never gets to actually cast magic in the entire mini-series.
- Last Stand: While the main characters escapes Qintara Mansion, Olivia stays behind to distract and to delay the Qunari who are searching for a magister, since only she can put up a convincing act of it. While her death occurs off-screen,
one of the co-authors has confirmed that she is dead. - My God, What Have I Done?: In the flashback, Slim Couldry has this moment when he realizes that a pendant Olivia had fenced to him belongs to Ser Aaron. He then rushes out to find Ser Aaron, explains the situation, and returns the pendant with his apologies. Ser Aaron later surmises that Couldry has been Olivia's target all along: she wanted to break ties with him and keep some of his money, knowing that Couldry would return everything she stole from Aaron back to him.
- Naïve Newcomer: Calix Qintara to the Ventus society, seeing how he has spent most of his life sheltered at his father's estate. At least, that's what Olivia assumes. The reality is that "Calix" is actually another con man ... who is also incredibly naive and new to their line of enterprise.
- Old Flame: Flashbacks show Olivia and Ser Aaron having a brief romantic liaison seven years ago in Denerim, and in issue two, he outright says to Vaea that he has only loved a person once in his life, implying that it was Olivia. Olivia, on the other hand, makes a point of very openly seducing Calix in front of Ser Aaron in a fit of seemingly drunken haze.
- Off with His Head!: Gaius, one of Solas' agents posing as Magister Qintara, is unceremoniously decapitated by a Qunari warrior after making the mistake of stopping to talk with them instead of just running like everyone else.
- Professional Killer: A pair of Antivan Crows assist Olivia and Calix with breaking into the city vault in issue two. They create a distraction by spreading news in the marketplace of soldiers abandoning the city. The frightened citizenry gather at the vault demanding to withdraw items, allowing Calix and Olivia to talk their way into the building.
- Real Name as an Alias: "Calix Qintara's" real name actually is Calix, though he is not a noble, but an escaped slave formerly owned by the Qintara estate.
- Respected by the Respected: The extent of Ser Aaron's fame is demonstrated by a flashback in the second chapter, where he casually rubs elbows with King Alistair Theirin.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- In issue one, Autumn the mabari fails to intimidate a furious Tevinter mage and decides to make a break for it.
- In issue two, a pair of Tevinter soldiers realize the patrol sent out in the previous issue isn't coming back. They exchange looks and promptly abandon their post, fleeing the city.
- Student–Master Team: Defied in issue one, where "Calix" really, really wants to be Olivia's sidekick, but she has none of it. She warms up to him in issue two, however, in more ways than one.
- This Is the Part Where...: Dorian has to give "Calix" a number of increasingly transparent hints that he has figured him out, until he, in exasperation, outright tells him to run away.
- Working with the Ex: Olivia is roped into helping Ser Aaron retrieve the floor plans for the Qintara mansion from the city vault.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Ser Aaron, in his usual manner, tries to convince Olivia that she is not as self-absorbed as she lets on, pointing out that she knew that Slim Couldry will return the loot she stole from Aaron to him (in other words, she stole Couldry's money rather than Aaron's heirloom), and that one of her conditions for working with the Crows was that they do not kill anyone.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: After reaching the Qintara vault, Vaea discovers it swept clean by the treacherous elven servants, and whatever was kept there (strongly implied to be Meredith's red lyrium sword from Dragon Age II) has been long sold off to House Danarius (the former owners of Fenris from the same game). This makes the fortress of House Danarius the next destination for Vaea and Ser Aaron.
