During the Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay reveal, Varric departs from the group to try to reason with Solas. For a brief moment, as Varric calls out to Solas, you can see the regret on the Dreadwolf's face. But the feeling you get as a fan and player of a series quickly goes away when Solas decides that it's okay to blast Bianca out of Varric's hands and break her into pieces.
Varric has carried Bianca for the entire time players have known him. When asked how Bianca got her name, Varric will only tell you that it involves a girl and a promise, and that it is the one story he can never tell.
What we do know is that Bianca is the name of Varric's former dwarven lover, who is rarely seen in the Dragon Age series. She pops up during the Dragon Age: Inquisition quest "Well, Shit," and players can enjoy some banter between the pair that alludes to their past relationship (and that it might not be as over as it appears). She also threatens the Inquisitor before she leaves at the end of the quest — saying that she will feed them their own eyeballs if they get Varric killed.
Bianca was also the person who finished Varric's incomplete crossbow. He tells people that it was crafted by Gerav — Varric's old friend who had attempted to create a repeating crossbow before he was driven insane by the darkspawn taint — but that is only half-true. Gerav never finished Bianca the crossbow; the fourteenth version of a repeating crossbow was sold to Varric unfinished, and he sought out another to complete it: Bianca Davri.
With so much history behind the crossbow, and several instances of Varric talking about his weapon, we players have never seen him without her. But when Solas decided to kill the one connection Varric still has to Bianca, the fanbase got ready to go to war.
In the comments of the gameplay reveal, there are several angry messages from players now out for Solas' blood (not that we weren't already?). My favorite is the game being renamed to "Dragon Age: Revenge for Bianca."
Varric was one of the best companions in Inquisition. He's always been incredibly loyal and this was a soul-destroying thing to include in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The rage of Dragon Age fans continues as more people watch the gameplay reveal, and we can only hope that Varric doesn't end up the same way Bianca did... He sure seems to be in a dangerous position at the moment.
Want to read more about Dragon Age: The Veilguard at Pro Game Guides? Check out Dragon Age: The Veilguard factions pay homage to Dragon Age: Origins or Scout Harding is a main protagonist in Dragon Age: The Veilguard and it’s about time.
