Tor Books—the largest publisher of science fiction in the world—and BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts, are excited to announce the fourth novel in the award-winning Dragon Age™ fantasy RPG franchise. Patrick Weekes, senior writer at BioWare, will pen Dragon Age: The Masked Empire for April 2014 publication.

The team at BioWare, responsible for such beloved classics as Baldur’s Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, and Mass Effect™, set a new Fantasy RPG storytelling standard with the Dragon Age franchise, which has won over 80 awards between the release of Dragon Age: Origins in 2009 and Dragon Age II in March 2011.

The previous three Dragon Age™ novels, Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne (March 2009), Dragon Age: The Calling (October 2009), and Dragon Age: Asunder were well-received by fans and further established the dark, heroic nature and epic scale of the Dragon Age Universe. Dragon Age: The Masked Empire expands and illuminates new corners of Thedas.

Empress Celene of Orlais rose to the throne of the most powerful nation in Thedas through wisdom, wit, and ruthless manipulation. Now, the empire she has guided into an age of enlightenment is threatened from within by imminent war between the templars and the mages, even as rebellion stirs among the downtrodden elves To save Orlais, Celene must keep her hold on the throne by any means necessary.

Fighting with the legendary skill of the Orlesian Chevaliers , Grand Duke Gaspard has won countless battles for the empire and the empress But has he fought in vain? As the Circle fails and chaos looms, Gaspard begins to doubt that Celene’s diplomatic approach to the mage problem or the elven uprisings will keep the empire safe. Perhaps it is time for a new leader, one who lives by the tenets of the Chevalier’s Code, to make Orlais strong again.

Briala has been Celene’s handmaid since the two of them were children, subtly using her position to help improve the lives of elves across Orlais. She is Celene’s confidante, spymaster, and lover, but when politics force the empress to choose between the rights of Briala’s people and the Orlesian throne, Briala must in turn decide where her true loyalties lie.

Alliances are forged and promises broken as Celene and Gaspard battle for the throne of Orlais But in the end, the elves who hide in the forests or starve in the alienages may decide the fate of the masked empire.

Fans of BioWare are invited to visit the official Dragon Age™ website at: http://dragonage.bioware.com, where they can preview and find additional information about Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, Dragon Age: The Calling, Dragon Age: Asunder, and more!