Nenealeus is a Tevinter Magister known for training the finest slave fighters in Minrathous.
Background[]
Nenealeus bought Marius from Magister Erasthenes, and made him a perrepatae, a mage-killer.[1]
Involvement[]
Dragon Age: Blue Wraith[]
Around 9:40-9:41 Dragon[2], Fenris and Shirallas free elven slaves bound for Nenealeus' estate, hidden near Arlathan Forest. Shirallas thinks the magister wants the slaves trained as mage-killers, and volunteers to pose as one of them to learn those skills.
A year later, despite Fenris' previous objections, Shirallas infiltrates a slave shipment bound for Nenealeus' estate. When Nenealeus inspects the slaves, he notes Shirallas' vallaslin, and correctly deduces that Shirallas inserted himself into his shipment in hopes of becoming a mage-killer. He takes Shirallas for training, promising to break his spirit, and orders the other slaves killed.
Three years later, Nenealeus meets with Cedric Marquette to take delivery of the sarcophagus Magister Danarius used to give Fenris his lyrium markings and abilities, planning to use it on Shirallas with red lyrium. To test Marquette's repairs of the sarcophagus, and get rid of Ser Aaron's group, spying on their meeting, Nenealeus decides to first use standard lyrium and a human test subject.
While Nenealeus is dealing with Marquette, his estate is attacked by Qunari. One of the slaves tells them that Nenealeus has secured the assistance of Magister Invidus, whose expertise on red lyrium he needs. After killing the Qunari and freeing his surviving slaves, Fenris learns of his whereabouts from one of them and gives chase.
As the first test subject they sent against Ser Aaron's group failed to eliminate them, Nenealeus decides to make half a dozen more. He promises to lift the slaves' families to the status of soporati, or Laetan if they possess magic, in exchange for their sacrifice, though also reminds them that their duty to a magister should outweigh such considerations. While they fail to kill Ser Aaron's group, they buy the caravan enough time for Nenealeus, Shirallas, and Maequette to escape on to Castellum Tenebris.
Dragon Age: Dark Fortress[]
Nenealeus, Shirallas, and Cedric Marquette are welcomed into Castellum Tenebris by Tractus Danarius, the bastard child of Magister Danarius. In the fortress, Nenealeus plans to use Danarius' sarcophagus to imbue Shirallas with red lyrium, then arm him with a sword made by the lyrium idol that Marquette retrieved for House Qintara. Nenealeus believes that the ritual should make Shirallas powerful enough to not only throw the Qunari out of Tevinter, but also reclaim all of the Imperium's former lands. Tractus quickly finds himself sidelined by Nenealeus, who dismisses him as an idiot and throws him out of his own fortress by threatening to use Shirallas' skills as a mage-killer.
Later that night, despite attempts by both the Qunari and Ser Aaron's group (including Nenealeus' former slave mage-killer, Marius) to stop the ritual, Shirallas successfully undergoes the ritual and emerges from the sarcophagus covered in red lyrium markings. In the ensuing confrontation, Nenealeus faces off against Marius, who distracts him long enough for Vaea to take him by surprise and stab him in the neck.
References[]
- ↑ Short Story: Paying the Ferryman
- ↑
Nunzio De Filippis (December 24, 2019). "We keep exact years out so it’s a tiny bit more flexible to fit with whatever timeline Bioware needs it to fit. But Knight Errant was right around the time as Trespasser and it’s been some months since that mini. So it’s probably either 9:45 or closing in on it" Twitter.