Disclaimer: Most of this is completely canonical knowledge. Speculative information is labelled as such. There are sources for the canon information and I’ve gathered from every source that I could. This includes: Codice (Lord d’Onterre’s Journal, Superstitions, and A Torn Diary), In-game Texts [Not filed in the Codex] (An Apology, Cook’s Diary, Lord d’Onterre’s Beast, A Reminder, and Secret Reading) and Dragon Age Inquisition: Chateau d’Onterre Quest.
Nothing is taken from an unreliable sources (i.e. Wikipedia).
As the story of the Chateau is rather vague, this post does contain speculation on some of the fuzzier details and is marked as so. Though I try to be as close to canon as I can. And while I tried my best to make this easy to read and comprehend, the events themselves are a bit hard to explain and so the event explanation might be choppy or weirdly worded in parts. For that I apologize.
Warning: Mentions of Child Abuse and drowning below the Read More
Location
Chateau d’Onterre is located in the Dales of Orlais, specifically the area known as The Emerald Graves.
The d’Onterre Family
The d’Onterre family was a noble family with a very pristine reputation and name.They were also known for their extravagant parties and unyielding faith in the Chantry and The Maker (as seen through their many painting, statues, and altars).
Known d’Onterres
- Jeanette d’Onterre, Matriarch of House d’Onterre
- Nanette d’Onterre, Beautiful Rose of House d’Onterre
- General Mathieu d’Onterre, Feared by Dog Lords
- Antia Chayeau, Beloved Grand’mére (Grandmother)
- Abel d’Onterre, (Speculation) Lord d’Onterre and Father of the Child*
- Colette d’Onterre, Lady d’Onterre and Mother of the Child
*Abel d’Onterre is the only d’Onterre portrait that does not come with an explanation and appears several times, most of the time in crucial locations (The Study). This leads me to believe, he may be the current Head of the House.
Summary of the Events
The d’Onterres were blessed with a daughter, but cursed by their daughter’s magic. After years spent torturing her emotionally, mentally, and physically in hopes to smother her magic, their daughter was given a talisman. Though the talisman was meant to protect their daughter, it instead lured in a demon that threatened to possess the child. Which would result in the deaths of the family, their friends, and their staff.
Leading Up To The Events of Chateau d’Onterre
Around 9:27 Dragon, the daughter of Colette d’Onterre and her husband began to show signs of a magical talent, worrying her parents. The d’Onterres were considered a family of great standing and the presence of a mage/mage blood within it would soil their name.
In response to the worrying signs, the d’Onterres would do their best to seek answers, ways to silence their daughter’s blooming abilities. It is suggested that they followed or at least considered the “remedies” found in a book of Superstitions.
Such methods would have included leeching the child, holding the child under water till she gasped for breath, and simply placing Embrium beneath her pillow. While there is no indication of the first two methods ever being done to the child, the presence of an abundance of Embrium in the Formal Garden speaks to the last “remedy” being tried.
Despite their efforts, the child still grew into her magic, leaving her parent’s faith shaken and their belief in the Maker questioned. Still they sought a way to stunt and hide their daughter’s magic.
The d’Onterres resorted to hiring a Templar to bring a Circle Mage to them, the mage would place a very powerful seal.
(Speculation) What the mage sealed is unknown, there are references to a talisman, but Lord d’Onterre makes it sound as if the Chateau itself was sealed. Which would make sense, as later, Veil beings could not exit the Chateau and their daughter felt uneasy to do so.
What is certain, is that Lord d’Onterre felt sure that his daughter could not break the seal, as she had no training and that as long as she did not go outside and leave the Chateau everything would be well. It was not.
Still after the sealing of whatever the d’Onterres wished sealed, the Templar who had helped them used their knowledge of the mage child and unsanctioned Circle help to blackmail the family for their fortune.
The Child
The state of the d’Onterre Daughter was known by most of the d’Onterre staff, the Cook especially taking to her and calling her “my sweet”. The exception to this was a new servant, known only as Danielle. Other than being an unknowing victim in the following events, she seems to have no involvement.
The Daughter had a strong want to interact with the outside world, her parents would host parties and keep her away from the guests. Barricading her upstairs and in her room.
As mentioned above, they presented her with a talisman. A box that they hoped would trap any power around her, only telling their daughter that it would make her feel better. The origins of the talisman are very suspect, though it was known to be enchanted and implied to draw in all kinds of power (having done so before). No other information would be given about its abilities or origins, and it seems the family never sought any more out.
After being given the box, the child is said to have a change in mood. The Cook mentioning her have good days and bad days. The Daughter, herself, does not recognize these changes within her, but does notice the Cook’s reaction to them. Claiming that the Cook seems more scared of her than wishing to loyally inform her parents of her change, the child also says that the Cook seems to feel guilty.
(Speculation) Though the guilt the child views is never pinned down as one thing, whether it be the treatment of the Daughter, the Cook’s vow of silence, or the fate of Danielle (who the Cook feels bad about roping into the family’s issues).
Regardless, within a short time the Daughter finds herself in the presence of a new “friend”. The friend is a “She” and will make things fair for the little girl at last.
(Speculation) The identity this spirit/demon has taken on could in fact be that of a human woman killed in the Dales. The Girl in Red Crossing tale is found in the library among the research for the Daughter’s magic, which could imply the spirit could have taken on the same appearance of the woman in the tale. Either because it was a form the Daughter knew from the story or if the woman was a real woman, then perhaps the parents were trying to match the tale to the spirit they’d see. It could also be irrelevant.
During the time in between the meeting of this new friend and its appearance in front of everyone, a friend’s husband experiences night terrors beneath the d’Onterre’s roof. Though the terrors are not detailed, meaning they cannot be linked specifically back the child, the “friend”, or just the failing Veil itself in the Chateau.
Eventually the child would work up the nerve, with the help of her “friend” to crash one of her parents’ parties.
(Speculation) Again it is unclear of the specific events, but it appears, with the help of her friend, the Daughter manipulated the guests into dancing until exhaustion. Which seems to imply they either passed out or were killed from said exhaustion, death seeming more likely with the events that followed.
The child’s parents were spared during the party though. They quickly retired to their room possibly out of fear. The child then checks in on her mother and mistakes her mother’s fear and sadness for tears of happiness, offering her mother the talisman to “make it better”.
This is where things spiral so far out of control, the recollection of the events almost drops off completely. Almost.
Though what does remain consistent is that the child still fears and feels unsettled about leaving the Chateau entirely.
The next event that gets described is by an unknown writer, that could be the parents or part of the staff. What can be garnered is that the “friend”/demon has grown in power. The writer is hearing “Her” thoughts, which could be the demon’s or the child’s possessed by the demon. All they are sure of is that “They lied, she lied.” Seeming to confirm the child and demon are technically one.
The subject of this note turns out to be the talisman, the box. That the talisman doesn’t help at all and seems to be the cause or focus of the demon. Which can be supported by the appearance of it when the Inquisitor comes across it, as well as the behavior of it (summoning the abomination) when touched.
The last known event is described by the Daughter. She talks about having to make her own breakfast, implying that the entire staff is dead or gone at that point. She also says she gets upset looking upon her parents, which implies they too have been killed. This all ending with the demon telling the child there are ways to be less alone and having many more “games” to play. At which point it seems the Daughter loses herself completely to the possession of the demon.
The Inquisitor
The Inquisitor upon entering the abandoned Chateau reawakens the demon, which has been done in the past by looters. However, unlike the looters, the Inquisitor does come out alive from the experience.
The state of the Chateau, the Inquisitor comes across, is a rather well condition and almost frozen in time; except for the bodies of the dead looters. Which besides the self-lighting candles is a pretty good indicator from the start, what is being dealt with.
The fact that the demon’s power remains confided to the Chateau, as said before makes it seem like the Chateau itself is sealed against magic. It is only when the Inquisitor enters far enough into the Chateau does the spirit become aware of a foreign presence.
Cole’s ambient directly confirming it, when he states “It knows we’re here.”
More evidence pointing to the Abomination being the possessed d’Onterre Daughter, is that fact upon the Arcane Horror’s death, the Inquisitor can pick the d’Onterre family crest from it. It should be noted that it could not be any of the other d’Onterre members, because Arcane Horrors are abominations bred from a possessed mage only (not all mages become Arcane Horrors, but all Arcane Horrors are possessed mages.)
An Elven Artifact?
This is reference to the literal Elven Artifact found in Chateau d’Onterre, not the talisman/box mentioned in the above events. There is one of Solas’ artifacts found in a room off the side of the Ballroom.
(Speculation) How it got there can be as simple as the d’Onterres bought it or obtained it from the local Dales, to be used as a conversation piece.
That isn’t the importance of it though. For starters, when activated it is supposed to strengthen the Veil and put barriers in place to ward off demons. Which means, had it been activated at the time of the d’Onterres’ demise, said demise might have been avoided. That could also have contributed to its acquisition, but the family found they lacked the ability to put it to use.
However, it could also have caused a great deal of the problems itself or contributed to them.
If we say the artifact was in the family for a while or acquired before the birth of the Daughter, its presence could have heightened the child’s chances of being a mage or developing magical abilities. As Elven artifacts contain and exude an amount of magic in and of themselves (see the foci giving a non-mage Inquisitor, magical power over reality and the Fade).
It could also be responsible for weakening the Veil in the Chateau, even with all the safety precautions in place. An artifact as such could easily have lured or called out to the spirit just as much as the box/talisman did, both could even have worked in conjunction with each other to lure out the demon.
There is even the possibility of the artifact of protection agitating the magic and possible spirit attached to the box/talisman when it entered the Chateau, turning an otherwise harmless or protective spirit into a twisted version of itself.
Magic being as fragile and easily manipulated as it is, especially in artifacts and objects.
Thus the story of Chateau d’Onterre.
tagged as: Lore The Haunted Chateau Chateau d'Onterre The Story of Chateau d'Onterre long post ish
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