Arousing Suspicion is a quest available in Dragon's Dogma.
Overview[]
- "Mirabelle brings word that Lady Aelinore desires a secret meeting. Even as Arisen, dare you grant such a request?"
Arrange a clandestine meeting with the Duchess Aelinore.
Walkthrough[]
To be eligible for this quest, the Arisen must have first spoken to Aelinore in the Garden after meeting the Duke during Come to Court (before the meeting with Aldous at the gate on the way out). With the prerequisite achieved, the Arisen will find Mirabelle awaiting them in the entrance hall of the Duke's Demesne after completing Come to Court.
Mirabelle requests Arisen to meet her in the Duchess' gardens after night - accept the request and rendezvous with her after sunset.
Meet Mirabelle by Night[]
Mirabelle in the Castle Gardens
Mirabelle will be in the Duchess' Gardens to the northwest of the keep. She will then inform the Arisen that the Duchess wants to meet the Arisen in secret in the Duchess's Bedchambers in the northeastern tower, again at night. Accept the request to continue the quest.
Take caution as being spotted by the guards at night will result in being thrown into the dungeons.
Meet Aelinore by Night[]
To get to Aelinore's chambers, head through the audience chamber, up the stairs to the left, and through a small door to a side room. From there head upwards until the causeway bridge linking the keep to the tower is reached - Aelinore's chambers are in the tower at the other end of the bridge.
Usually, if entering the castle at night contact with the palace guards will result in being thrown into prison; however once Mirabelle has been spoken to in the garden the night watch will not make arrests until the secret liason. Prior to the meeting with Aelinore's handmaiden one must be careful to avoid guards as usual.
Enter the tower at night to meet with the Duchess. A romantic scene begins but is interrupted by the Duke and his jester Feste and the Arisen is forced to hide.
With Feste outside the room the Duke, seemingly gone mad or in a trance, starts to strangle Aelinore. The Arisen then has two choices:
- Interfere, and approach to stop the Duke in his madness.
- Do nothing, remaining hidden, allowing the Duke to finish what he started.
Only the first will save Aelinore, the second condemns her to death at the Duke's hands. Regardless of the choice, the Arisen will eventually be discovered and thrown into the dungeons.
Escape the Dungeon[]
After being found and captured the Arisen will be placed in the dungeons and must escape.
If Aelinore was saved she will visit the Arisen there and provide two Skeleton Keys with which the Arisen can make an escape. Otherwise the Arisen must escape without aid, either through the front entrance or through the southwest cell containing a broken wall leading to the sewers, onto the Slums of Gran Soren.
Upon exiting the Duke's Demesne, the quest is complete.
Quotes[]
Mirabelle
- "Worry not after His Grace, Arisen. He's not set foot within milady's chambers since the wedding night. Yet his guard remains ever watchful Take care to avoid discovery."
Edmun Dragonsbane
- "Lenore, forgive me... I was wrong! I take it back, Lenore! I'm sorry... I'm sorry... LENORE!"
- "Where... What have I..."
Aelinore
- "My warrior has come for me! ...You must think me a shameless harlot. Would that words could prove my love is pure!"
- "Your Grace... Edmun, I... This isn't... This wicked fool mistook a trifling kindness that I once paid for something more... He stole into my room. I was terrified! This commoner must be made to learn, sire! Give him a taste of the lash and a stay in the dungeon!"
- "What have I done? I cannot ask forgiveness for this betrayal... But I was certain the duke would cut me down where I stood had I not spoken so! "
- "You must run. The duke is half mad and fearsome wroth. I shall think of some way to assuage him."
Ser Jakob
- "Well now, what have we here? Friend of the duchess, sneaking off to her chambers for a cup'a tea? Must be a fine tea, what to come all this way in the dead of night. Or perhaps you seek refreshment of a different sort? Like a turn in the sheets with His Grace's own wife!"
- "Damn. You're tougher than you seem... Perhaps there's aught to this Arisen business after all."
Feste
- "Milady is mistaken! I would never violate His Grace's privacy while he violates milady's privates."
Pawn Chatter[]
- "A request from the duchess... I do hope acceding to it is a good idea..."
- "Master, you're hurt! How did this happen!?"
- "You've been through quite a trial. Arisen. I offer my deepest regrets."
Notes[]
Obtaining the quest[]
- If the garden encounter with Aelinore is missed during Come to Court, the opportunity to begin this questline will be gone until New Game Plus. To avoid this stay away from the main entrance to the Demense where the final meeting with Aldous (automatically) occurs that ends the quest :
- If the Arisen left the Demense using a Ferrystone or via the Dungeon and Slums they must avoid re-entering via the gate - the only alternative way back in is via the Dungeon; either via the passage from the Slums (if opened), or else just commit a Crime to be taken there.
- Thus, getting thrown in the jail doesn't end Come to Court, nor stop the Arisen from meeting Aelinore..
- Mirabelle may be able to give the quest after speaking with Aelinore, but will not be found in the entrance room unless the Demense is entered and exited.
- The opportunity to do this quest will pass if it is not completed before Reward and Responsibility, resulting in failure if it had not been completed.
Other[]
- Failing to intervene in the bedroom scene will result in Aelinore's death - thus the quests Duchess In Distress and Beyond This Stony Cage and any planned romance options will not be available until New Game Plus.
- Once the Duke has made his entrance it is not possible to escape :
- The inventory can be accessed, but ferrystone use is blocked.
- If one makes it to the door the game will consider this an intervention and the duchess will be saved.
- If one will stay away from the bed or the door for 40 seconds the duchess will be choked to death and right after respective cutscene the Arisen will get teleported outside the Duchess's Bedchamber and the duke's guard arrest sequence will be played.
- The sequence may seem like an in-game arrest attempt but it is in fact an in-engine cutscene and none of the player controls will work. The escape is impossible.
- Blocking the path to the bedchamber before entering will interrupt the cutscene and every guard in the Demense will arrive in an attempt to make the arrest. This will result in player being locked in the arrest cutscene, locked out of all the controls and basically stuck.
- After meeting with Mirabelle in the garden, Ser Vinson, who has been briefly assigned to guard her chamber will disappear. After the quest the door is left unguarded as well.
- This quest can be combined with An Innocent Man minimizing the number of visits made to the Dungeon.
