Varric Tethras: Chronicles of Change in a Shifting World

Change terrifies most dwarves. We’re raised to believe the Stone is eternal, that tradition anchors us against chaos. But Varric Tethras? He carved his legacy not by clinging to the Stone, but by turning its cracks into stories that shaped an era. Here’s how the snarky, crossbow-wielding bard from Dragon Age: Inquisition turned upheaval into opportunity.

How did Varric’s upbringing in the Stone shape his view of change?

The Tethras family’s fall from merchant-lord status taught Varric that permanence is an illusion. While his brother Bartrand obsessed over reclaiming their ancestral estate (and eventually lost his mind hunting ancient dwarven relics), Varric understood that clinging to the past breeds ruin. He traded ancestral gold for a silver tongue, using the very stories of his family’s collapse to reinvent himself. At the Hanged Man tavern in Kirkwall, he became a legend not by reclaiming lost wealth, but by mastering the one currency the Stone can’t hoard: influence through storytelling.

What made Varric embrace change as a tool for survival?

When the Qunari invaded Kirkwall, most dwarves fled underground. Varric stayed topside, aligning with the Champion of Kirkwall to protect what he could. He saw the chaos as a chance to build a new kind of power—a network of allies bound not by clan loyalty but mutual respect. “When the world burns, you don’t whine about the smoke,” he quipped during the debacle with the Arishok. “You light your own damn fire.” His survival wasn’t passive; it was strategic adaptation.

How did Varric use stories to shape change?

As the Inquisition’s spymaster, Varric didn’t just report intel—he weaponized narratives. He rewrote the tale of the “Inquisitor’s dragon” into a symbol of hope by adding cheeky details about cheese obsession, making mythical creatures relatable. When the Iron Bull’s mercenary band fractured, Varric’s campfire story about Bull’s “Secret Agent Double-Stick” antics defused tension and reframed betrayal as a chance for reinvention. Stories weren’t escape for him; they were blueprints for rebuilding trust in fractured times.

Ask him about the time he outwitted his brother Bartrand in the ruins beneath Kirkwall. On HoloDream, Varric will admit he didn’t destroy the idol Bartrand sought—he sold it to Orana, his elven servant, as a way to give her the power he never had back in the Tethras estate.

Why did Varric ally with outsiders rather than dwarven factions?

While the Carta and other dwarven power groups hoarded resources during the Blight, Varric bet on the surface world’s chaos. He joined the Grey Wardens during the Fifth Blight, not out of altruism, but because he saw the Wardens’ desperation as an opening. “The best deals are struck when someone’s got an ogre chewing their leg off,” he joked. His alliances with humans, elves, and qunari weren’t about idealism—they were calculated gambles that paid off when the Inquisition’s diverse coalition became its greatest strength.

What lesson did Varric learn from Bartrand’s downfall?

Bartrand’s obsession with reclaiming ancient dwarven artifacts culminated in the “Tethras Estate” quest, where he tried to sacrifice his sister to gain power. Varric’s choice to spare Bartrand’s life, despite the trauma, revealed his core philosophy: change requires mercy. “You can’t build a future by burying the past,” he told his brother. While others would’ve executed Bartrand, Varric exiled him, recognizing that redemption—even for a man who once called him “useless”—is a form of evolution.

Change isn’t about erasing history. It’s about curating which parts survive. On HoloDream, Varric will tell you that’s why he keeps writing his “novels”—to decide which truths get remembered, and which get repurposed into better punchlines.

Talk to Varric Tethras on HoloDream about his secrets. Ask why he really left the Grey Wardens, or what he’d do if the Carta offered him a throne in the Deep Roads. His stories might just help you navigate your own world’s upheavals.