History TearJerker / DragonAgeOrigins

* The darkspawn attacking the camp in the Dalish Elf origin. It hits so suddenly and hard - and it doesn't help that ghouls in appearance and [[AFateWorseThanDeath details]] are horrific, and that's [[spoiler: Tamlen, the Warden's friend, going through it]].

* Going for the Urn of Sacred Ashes as a dwarf Noble. If you've made it clear that you regret killing Trian, then his ghost appears midway through. He then forgives you and tells you that the past is the past, and you should move on.
* Any of the Wardens can tell the Guardian that they regret the fate of someone in their past and share a similar moment with them. The touching aspect of it can give way to [[FridgeHorror Fridge Depression]], however, when you realize it's not really that person's spirit, otherwise [[spoiler: Shianni and still not re-encountered Jowan or Tamlen]] wouldn't be able to appear, and the spirit admits as much itself. You may be gaining absolution from whatever forces are in charge of the Gauntlet, but it encourages you to move on when the one who'd most need to hear your apology and have the most right to forgive you didn't do either.

--->'''[[spoiler: Loghain]]:''' "It was six months before we saw her again. The Orlesian returned her--and when I say "returned," I mean "pushed her out of his wagon." She was skin and bone, and still carried the scars from where their pronged collars bit into her neck. She never quite recovered. She passed away after a week. It was as though she held on long enough to come home to us. I held her head in my lap, and I believe she died happy."

** To make matters worse, the ending afterward indicates that [[spoiler:Isolde died in childbirth bearing a daughter, who also turned out to be a mage and got shipped off to the tower; you can't save Isolde or help Eamon carry on his family name if you take that option.]].

* And one more for Morrigan; if you play as a female Warden. Max out her approval rating, and during one conversation she will tell you how much you mean to her as a friend, even regarding you as a sister. Then, when it comes time to part ways during the Battle of Denerim, if you had Alister or Loghain sleep with her, she will tell you to live, long and gloriously.

--> Jowan: Goodbye...Friend.

* If the Warden is a non-human-noble romancing Alistair and [[spoiler: makes him king]] without convincing him not to break up with her, pretty much every conversation after the Landsmeet (and some leading up to it) are massive Tear Jerkers. Alistair questions what good being king is if he can't have the one thing he truly loves, admits that he had wondered if the Warden still loved him despite the breakup, and - if asked whether he's okay - replies that no, not really, but he can't think about it because it's "too painful... and too tempting." If the Warden doesn't TakeAThirdOption, Alistair will try to [[spoiler: sacrifice himself]] and, when asked if he doesn't have a duty to his future wife, he replies "I was an idiot, of course. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

* The Revelation comic. It takes place immediately after Riordan [[spoiler: tells the Warden that a HeroicSacrifice will be necessary to kill the archdemon.]] To give the comic some context, it's set in a playthrough where a female warden is in love with Alistair and close friends with Morrigan. Not only do we get to see Alistair's [[DespairEventHorizon reaction]] to the knowledge that [[spoiler: either he, or the woman he loves, is probably gonna die in battle]], but we also see the conflict Morrigan feels at the prospect of [[spoiler: sleeping with the man her only true friend loves in order to save her life.]] Read it [[http://blog.bioware.com/2010/03/01/dragon-age-the-revelation-comic/ here.]]

* You only have limited interaction with him, but Nelaros, the husband-to-be of the Female City Elf, gives a great tearjerker. He valiantly organizes a rescue to save the women and his bride taken, despite being one of only two people in the alienage willing to take the risk. He stands watch in the corridor while Soris frees the player character, only to be mercilessly cut down by guards the moment the two join back up with him. Whats even sadder, is that when you examine his body, one of the few things you find is a ''wedding ring''.

** More so that it's implied the Warden knows that this apparition isn't really their father, but still begs it to stay at the end. Given that the amulet received after this is "Reflection", this Test and the advice given could be interpreted as the Warden's subconscious telling him/herself all of these things to overcome their guilt, from the one person who's words that the "Pup" would always listen too.
* Revisiting the elven ruin from the Dalish Elf Origin ''as'' a Dalish Elf is heartbreaking. Ariane even refers to it as the place of your greatest sorrow and asks if, given the chance, you'd change anything. You can answer that no, everything happens for a reason or you can say yes, you would change everything if it meant having a family again.
* Return to Ostagar. Not only are you going back to the scene of the beginning battle where almost every last member of your order was butchered, but then you walk up and see Cailan's crucified body and bittersweet flashes of the last days at Ostagar. All while the eerie theme song mourns what's lost in the background. Having Alistair, Wynne or [[spoiler: Loghain]] reliving it through party banter makes it worse.

* The end of the Dalish Elf Origin, especially if you pick the reluctant conversation options when Duncan and Marethari inform you about your fate. You really don't want to, but you have no choice: the only way to survive is to leave everything and everyone you have ever known behind, and there's a good chance you won't ever see them again either. If you then choose to not depart immediately but to stay for Tamlen's funeral, you're treated to a scene of your clan watching you go. As you depart, you take one last look back. Then you walk away, your head bowed.
* It's entirely possible that after you finish the Brecilian Forest quest as a Dalish, you will encounter shrieks at your camp and have to kill [[spoiler:Tamlen]]. If that happens and you speak to Leliana right afterwards, she will sing [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Ih-Wkb68g In Uthenera]][[note]]she sings it after you finish with the Brecilian Forest anyway[[/note]], a song about the death of an elder.

* Romancing Zevran and choosing the Ultimate Sacrifice, and not bringing Zevran with you to fight the archdemon (Telling him you love him - "Cruel to the end"). The ending is pure heartbreak, especially when recalling [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6smo7ASr2c&lc=TSCst1poNwIlOwMt9dMdxc5seRKoE5rle-kO32xfjN8 Leliana's singing of the song taught to her]]. Zevran's reaction during the funeral and his WhereAreTheyNow epilogue make it worse.

* You only have limited interaction with him, but Nelaros, the husband-to-be of the Female City Elf, gives a great tearjerker. He valiantly organizes a rescue to save the women and his bride taken, gets into the castle and tells Soris to get her out of the cell while he keeps watch in the corridor. You yourself proceed to fight through the castle, until you eventually find him, where he's immediately cut down by guards as you enter the room. Whats even sadder, is that when you examine his body, one of the few things you find is a ''wedding ring''.

** Their own friends and families had to stand up their (in each case it seems, mass-murdering) demon-possessed corpse, defeat it and bind it. The fifth is marked with only five thumbprints instead of six and has a note about weakness instead of rage, implying that the revenant was himself one of the former hunters. The last one was even signed in blood by a child.

** Their own friends and families had to stand up their (in each case it seems, mass-murdering) demon-possessed corpse, defeat it and bind it. The fifth is marked with only five thumbprints instead of six, implying that the revenant was himself one of the former hunters. The last one was even signed in blood by a child.

* Going for the Urn of Scared Ashes as a dwarf Noble. If you've made it clear that you regret killing Trian, then his ghost appears midway through. He then forgives you and tells you that the past is the past, and you should move on.

*** Finding your sister-in-law and worse, your young nephew dead in the next room.

* The darkspawn attack at camp + Dalish Elf = Anguish. It hits so suddenly (for those who can stay away from spoilers, anyhow) and hard - and it doesn't help that ghouls in appearance and [[AFateWorseThanDeath details]] are horrific, and that's [[spoiler: the Warden's old [[HeterosexualLifePartners Heterosexual Life Partner]] going through it]].

* In the City Elf origin, but Shianni's tearful plea to save her is like a knife in the gut. "Please … I want to get out of here. Please take me home."

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' might have several, depending on your route, but one that remains constant is the Revenants of the Black Vials quest. Each of them was bound, with a little note accompanying them describing the demon's crimes. The hard part of those is ''who'' had to bind them:

* The darkspawn attack at camp + Dalish Elf (especially a female one) = Augh. Just ''augh''. It hits so suddenly (for those who can stay away from spoilers, anyhow) and hard - and it doesn't help that ghouls in appearance and [[AFateWorseThanDeath details]] are horrific, and that's [[spoiler: the Warden's old [[HeterosexualLifePartners Heterosexual Life Partner]] going through it]] - that this troper excused herself for ten minutes afterwards. [[BlatantLies So much for the Gauntlet spirit]], and [[LivingEmotionalCrutch too bad the party don't seem all that interested in reversing roles whenever the Warden's past comes up]].
** When that happened to me it was right after the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest where you are outright told that [[spoiler: Tamlen is dead.]] I kept my cool but damn if I wasn't channeling grief into my character as [[HeroicBSOD my female Dalish Elf just stood there for like five minutes]] over [[spoiler: Tamlen's]] corpse then destroyed the pendant she received from [[spoiler: lying fake Tamlen]] and thus banished any respect or questioning doubts she had concerning Andrasteism.
*** It's been mentioned that the "spirits" in the gauntlet aren't those of your loved and are more reflections of what the Warden feels inside. And besides, it's the '''Warden''' ([[YouBastard aka you]]) who assumed Tamlen was dead (or at least as good as dead) after Duncan said he was beyond help. Hence the gauntlet gives you the best advice it give from what it can gather from ''your'' subconsciousness.
*** It's complemented rather nicely by completing Ruck's mother's quest in Orzammar, either before or after. Just try thinking about the whole situation in character, especially if you killed Ruck, and her reaction will make you want to either apologize, comfort her, and tell her it was your only option, or slap her senseless.
* Speaking of Ruck, the poor guy. He's half-mad, and knows he's deformed and crazy, and is ''adamant'' that you ''not'' tell his mother about him.

** And the topper? If you tell Filda Ruck is alive, she'll rush off to the Deep Roads ''alone'' to find him.
* A small one in the City Elf origin, but Shianni's tearful plea to save her after she's been raped by Vaughan is like a knife in the gut. "Please … I want to get out of here. Please take me home."
** God! This troper has friends who are rape survivors, and as soon as that cutscene ended I had to pause the game and take a few minutes just to calm down, as the scene really hits you with the feeling that you've utterly failed to protect someone you love. My anger just made it all the more satisfying when [[spoiler: my rogue took Vaughan's head off.]]
*** Thankfully, the scene after has the Warden comforting Shianni.

* [[spoiler: The death of Niall]] in the Fade. What choked this troper was his regret at not being able to save the Circle and his hope that his mother could be proud of him. You can either tell him he was a hero or ruthlessly mock him ... but it would take a pretty heartless bastard to choose the latter.
* If you convince Zathrian to end the curse in the Nature Of The Beast quest, the subsequent cutscene is heartbreaking. It shows Zathrian surrounded by the werewolves he cursed, facing the Lady of the Forest, and the two sharing a long, emotional look. He slowly raises his staff, strikes it on the floor, and gets this peaceful, contented look on his face as he lets go of all his old hatred and rage, before collapsing in death. The werewolves then crowd around their beloved Lady, reaching out to touch her one last time before the curse is lifted and she vanishes, and you can tell that they truly did love her and are deeply saddened to see her leave them, even if it means they are free. ''Beautifully'' heartbreaking, and it's all conveyed by gesture and facial expressions.

-->But the true abomination... is not that it occurred, but [[MoralEventHorizon that it was]] ''[[MoralEventHorizon allowed]].'' Branka... my love... The Stone has punished me, dream friend. [[DespairEventHorizon I am dying of something worse than death]]... Betrayal.

* This troper nearly broke down while talking to Alistair about his time with the Grey Wardens. Alistair tells you that he really misses Duncan and wishes that he could have something to remember him by. He sounds like he's ''on the verge of tears'' as he says it.
** What happens if you are romancing Alistair [[spoiler: and don't take Morrigan's third option]]. [[spoiler: "You say that like I'm [[HeroicSacrifice giving you a choice]]."]] That is the first and only time this troper has EVER cried during a game.

**** Any of the [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice player's heroic sacrifices]] can be this. Seeing a character you've built the entire game [[spoiler:sacrifice him/herself is pretty sad]].
* Going for the Urn of Scared Ashes as a dwarf Noble. If you've made it clear that you regret killing Trian, then his ghost appears midway through. He then forgives you and tells you that the past is the past, and you should move on. I seriously had to stop playing for a few minutes.
** It's not just the dwarven noble who can get a particularly poignant moment in the Gauntlet. Any of the Wardens can tell the Guardian that they regret the fate of someone in their past and share a similar moment with them. The touching aspect of it can give way to [[FridgeHorror Fridge Depression]], however, when you realize it's not really that person's spirit, otherwise [[spoiler: Shianni and still not re-encountered Jowan or Tamlen]] wouldn't be able to appear, and the spirit admits as much itself. You may be gaining absolution from whatever forces are in charge of the Gauntlet, but it encourages you to move on when the one who'd most need to hear your apology and have the most right to forgive you didn't do either.

--->'''Sten:''' "I have never denied that I failed."

--->'''The Guardian:''' "Ah, the dwarf. You left your home and came to the surface, knowing that-"
--->'''Oghren:''' "Why don't I save you some time. Yes, I wish I could have saved my family from Branka. I wish I could have been a better mate: maybe she would have stayed home with a belly full of baby Oghren and never gone for the Anvil. Maybe I failed her. And yes, I came to the surface because I'm barely a dwarf anymore. My family is dead, my honor as a warrior long gone. I've lost my caste and my house, and I have nothing else to lose!"

* This troper nearly fell apart upon hearing Loghain's 'Daughters never grow up' speech just before [[spoiler:you or Alistair execute him at the Landsmeet.]] No matter how much you hate him during the rest of the game, it's this moment that really shows his humanity and that, despite the huge evidence to the contrary, he genuinely cares for Anora.
* For some reason, this troper felt a bit sad during the first portion of the Gauntlet after answering the riddle posed by the spirit of Maferath, Andraste's mortal husband. It's the regret in his voice, particularly in the last sentence.

* Playing as a Dwarf Noble, Endrin's letter to you certainly got to me...

* Romancing him or no, just talk to Zevran and learn about his past (even before he tells you about [[spoiler: Rinna]]). He tells you about how the Crows will buy elves because humans find them beautiful. He'll also tell you that he has had to sleep with people that he didn't want to. [[RapeAsBackstory Add those two together, plus the knowledge that he had to do whatever the Crows told him to.]] What's worse? He laughs it off because humor has always been his coping mechanism. [[TenderTears Excuse me, I've got something in my eye...]]

* [[spoiler: Alistair leaving you if you decide to give Loghain another chance.]] Your friendship has been dealt a severe blow, and neither of you are sure it will recover. I did my best to give everyone a happy ending and it rang hallow because he wasn't with me to meet it.
** What really sucks about the way I played the game is that my uncertainty about where [[spoiler:Alistair would wind up]] led to my pursuit of Leliana instead. It speaks to my affection for him that the ''exceptionally'' lovely Leliana was "reduced" to a second option love interest. What really, ''really'' sucks about [[spoiler:his departure is that he doesn't seem to realize that you're doing it for his sake; to him, it's just another betrayal]]... If you want a trope for this situation, it could well be BeingGoodSucks.
* If the Warden is a non-human-noble romancing Alistair and [[spoiler: makes him king]] without convincing him not to break up with her, pretty much every conversation after the Landsmeet (and some leading up to it) are massive Tear Jerkers. Alistair questions what good being king is if he can't have the one thing he truly loves, admits that he had wondered if the Warden still loved him despite the breakup, and - if asked whether he's okay - replies that no, not really, but he can't think about it because it's "too painful... and too tempting." If the Warden doesn't ''TakeAThirdOption'', Alistair will try to [[spoiler: sacrifice himself]] and, when asked if he doesn't have a duty to his future wife, he replies "I was an idiot, of course. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
* In ''The Calling'', [[spoiler:Alistair will never know that Fiona was his mother, and not the mother of that crazy bitch "sister" of his in Denerim.]]
** This troper is holding out hope that Bioware is saving that revelation for Dragon Age 3.
* Playing as a mage who didn't betray Jowan, when his spirit said this in the Gauntlet, I broke down crying:

* The most heartbreaking ending for me is as a Male Human Noble romancing Zevran and choosing the Ultimate Sacrifice, and not bringing Zevran with you to fight the archdemon (Telling him you love him - "Cruel to the end"). The ending is pure heartbreak, especially when recalling [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6smo7ASr2c&lc=TSCst1poNwIlOwMt9dMdxc5seRKoE5rle-kO32xfjN8 Liliana's singing of the song taught to her]]. Zevran's reaction during the funeral and his "WhereAreTheyNow" epilogue make it worse.
* The Revelation comic. It takes place immediately after Riordan [[spoiler: tells the protagonists that a HeroicSacrifice will be necessary to kill the archdemon.]] To give the comic some context, it is set in a playthrough where a female warden is in love with Alistair and close friends with Morrigan. Not only do we get to see Alistair's [[DespairEventHorizon reaction]] to the knowledge that [[spoiler: either he, or the woman he loves, is probably going to die in battle]], but we also see the conflict Morrigan feels at the prospect of [[spoiler: sleeping with the man her only true friend loves in order to save her life.]] Seeing the usually collected Morrigan break down in tears at the prospect hit this troper like a punch to the gut, considering I was playing the ''exact same'' playthrough at the time. Not to mention the scene was written by Dragon Age's head writer, David Gaider, and is actually a scene cut out of the final game, which pretty much makes it canon. You can read the comic [[http://blog.bioware.com/2010/03/01/dragon-age-the-revelation-comic/ here.]]
* The final scene of the Human Noble Origin. That last shot of your mother cradling your dying father, knowing that Howe's men are fast approaching, was absolutely heartbreaking. It made this troper regret that there was no opportunity to return to Highever. Killing Howe came close, but returning to Highever and seeing where it all began would have really made that origin complete.
** This troper lost it at Bryce and Eleanor Cousland's last words to their son/daughter:
-->'''Bryce''': "Then, go, Pup... warn your brother... and know that we love you both. You'll do us proud.
-->'''Eleanor''': "Goodbye, darling..."
*** What really got me was [[spoiler: finding your sister-in-law and worse, your young nephew slaughtered in the next room. I practically paused the game because I was blessed recently with my first nephew and the thought of losing him like my Cousland did made me burst into tears.]]
* Convincing Branka to destroy the Anvil of the Void. Here is a woman who has sold her house to the darkspawn and sacrificed any remaining sanity in a mad quest to obtain it, yet when prompted will finally realize how much of a mistake she's made and how far she's fallen from the Paragon. The look of utter freedom on her face after she destroys the Anvil is the crowner.
* Wynne's reaction to the Human Noble when they reveal how they became a Grey Warden. She's so shocked she even stutters a little when she realises "You... you are the last of the Couslands?" It's an insanely powerful moment as until that point Wynne has been your companion throughout the entire Mage Tower quest, and because she was ''there, she understands better than any of the others (except Alistair) what was lost as Ostagar. However, that conversation shows that until then, she's only seen the Human Noble as ''"The Warden"''. It's a tearjerker moment when she finally realises ''who you are'' and that despite everything you've lost, you are still standing and continuing to fight.
** That entire conversation was one massive Tearjerker[=/=]CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming for Wynne when you consider this is probably the first time the Warden has talked seriously to ANYONE about losing their family. When my female noble told Wynne that she had always taken her family for granted, I could very easily imagine my Warden's voice breaking when she said it. (Ok, not really, the Warden is a HeroicMime, but you get what I mean.) The warmth and sympathy that Wynne offers is a nice change from your teammates' usual lack of concern about your background or feelings, and it gave me new respect for her character.
** Particularly when the Warden admits to wanting to give it all up if they could just see their family again. I too imagined the Warden's voice (so to speak) saying that very quietly and sadly, which really makes Wynne's responses and reassurances so much more heartwarming. Until now the only person who's known about your family have been Duncan, with whom you never got to speak very much, and Alistair, who's too preoccupied with mourning Duncan to ''remember'' your tragedy half the time. Wynne is the first person to see that the Warden sometimes needs to "talk" themselves, instead of being everyone's WarriorTherapist. What makes me adore Wynne as a character is that she actually ''asks the Warden'' questions about themselves.
* You only have limited interaction with him, but Nelaros, the husband-to-be of the Female City Elf, gives a great tearjerker. He valiantly organises a rescue to save the women and his bride taken, gets into the castle and tells Soris to get her out of the cell while he keeps watch in the corridor. You yourself proceed to fight through the castle, until you eventually find him, where he is immediately cut down by guards as you enter the room. Whats even sadder, is that when you examine his body, one of the few things you find is a ''wedding ring''.
** For being an extremely minor character, Nelaros gets a surprising amount of characterization. He's one of the few people to try and stand up to Vaughn when the women are abducted from the wedding. (It didn't work, but must have taken some serious balls). He also tears the other alienage elves a new one when they suggest passively hoping for the best rather than trying to rescue the PC and her friends. He then breaks into the Arl of Denerim's estate with only Soris for backup, armed only with some swords and a crossbow on loan from Duncan. Why does he do this? To protect the dignity of a woman he's only known for an afternoon and has exchanged maybe five minutes of dialogue with. Of course, all this just makes his brutal death an even bigger TearJerker. Rest easy, man, you earned that BadassNormal title.
** Even moreso if you decided to choose all the snarky/bitchy dialogue options towards him. That's devotion.
* When the Human Noble encounters the spectre of Teyrn Cousland during the Gauntlet. This whole segment was particularly poignant becaues the Warden finally has to start to come to terms with the brutal murder of his parents in their Origin story. The Warden until this point can be assumed to have put this to one side because they must be focused on stopping the Blight, but this part of the story is where it actually stops and delves into the mind of the Warden for a brief moment, over what they feel over this tragedy and their lingering survivor's guilt. "Teyrn Cousland" gently reassures the Human Noble that there was nothing they could have done and they shouldn't blame themselves, and that it was their mother's own choice to stay behind to die with her husband. He then tells the Human Noble that they must learn to let go of their guilt over what happened, and also that it's time to let go of their parents as well.

* Am I the only one who found Leske's betrayal quite depressing? Maybe it was because it totally caught me off guard but the fact you kill your old best friend, the one who gave you the amulet in the Urn of Sacred Ashes mission after telling you to be happy with your new life and he'll be okay, is incredibly sad. It's worse knowing that he did it because he wasn't lucky and got picked up by Duncan like you, and it was either team up or be killed. What's probably worse is that none of your party members really comment on it and your sister has only a line. *sigh* No venting for Dwarf Commoner...
** Not the only one, although I did the Urn quest after I'd killed Leske. The lack of, well, any reaction at all to his death is what got me.
** Definitely not alone. It was so refreshing to see Leske in The Gauntlet, that when he betrayed me I was heartbroken. And, if you try to tell him you wouldn't have done the same, it really can get you thinking about it. While I played my dwarf as a giant goody-goody... in that situation, in that hellhole, ''she might have done the same.''
* For me, revisiting the elven ruin from the Dalish Elf Origin ''as'' a Dalish Elf is heartbreaking. Ariane even refers to it as the place of your greatest sorrow and asks if, given the chance, you'd change anything. You can answer that no, everything happens for a reason or you can say yes, you would change everything if it meant having a family again.
* How has no one mentioned Return to Ostagar? Not only are you going back to the scene of the beginning [[spoiler: battle where almost every last member of your order was slaughtered, hunted down or dragged off and eaten/turned into broodmothers]] (which is bad enough), but when you walk up and see poor [[spoiler: Cailan]]'s poor, crucified body and bittersweet flashes of the last days at Ostagar? All while the eery theme song mourns what's lost in the background??? This troper has a heart of stone, but tears were running down my face and dripping off my chin onto the controller. Having Alistair, Wynne or [[spoiler: Loghain]] reliving it through party banter just made me more depressed.
** Having Wynne and Loghain in the party is difficult, since Wynne's anger fully vents at Loghain.
* For Me, it was the crushing depression I felt from "betraying" Alistair and sparing Loghain. His anger alone was enough to depress me but what really brought it home was finding Duncan's shield and knowing exactly who this gift was for, and how much it would have mean't to him.

-->'''Bann Sighard''': "Howe took my only son! The things done to him... some are beyond any healer's skill!"
* Telling Owen the blacksmith about his daughter's death, after you promised him you would bring her back alive just as a means to an end. If you return to the blacksmith, you find another guy there, who tells you Owen killed himself.

* Encountring [[TragicMonster Danyla]] in the Brecilian Forest. She's a Dalish Elf who has already transformed into a werewolf, but has retained enough of her sanity to beg you to put her out of her misery and tell her husband, back at camp, that she loves him. The way she talks, constantly having to catch her breath because of the excruciating pain she suffers from, while still trying her best to answer your questions if you press her for information… Not to mention that if you decide to grant her request, she will use her last breath to thank you. She's gone to a better place, but that doesn't make the conversation or the MercyKill itself any easier to sit through.

* It's entirely possible that after you finish the Brecilian Forest quest as a Dalish, you will encounter shrieks at your camp and have to kill [[spoiler:Tamlen]]. If that happens and you speak to Leliana right afterwards, she will sing [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Ih-Wkb68g In Uthenera]][[note]]she sings it after you finish with the Brecilian Forest anyway[[/note]], a song about the death of an elder. This can be positively heartbreaking.
** If Sten is in the camp, there will be a point in the cinematic seen where he will look over to the fire before looking down, as if lost in thought. If you've completed his quest and took him through the Broken Circle quest to view his nightmare over the loss of his brothers in the Beresaad, it is easy enough to think of TheStoic thinking back to his lost comrads. Heartbreaking in the extreme.

* Ser Cauthrien, if you convince her Loghain is in the wrong, is near tears when she tells you to try to save him from himself. She knows that she may have signed Loghain's death warrant, but she realizes the insanity must stop.

* Wynne's reaction to the Human Noble when they reveal how they became a Grey Warden. She's so shocked she even stutters a little when she realises "You... you are the Last of the Couslands?" Its an insanely powerful moment as until that point Wynne has potentially been travelling you for a while and shown that she understands more than any of the others, save Alistair, what was lost as Ostagar. However that conversation shows that until then, she's only seen the Human Noble as just ''"The Warden"''. Its a tearjerker moment when she finally realises ''who you are'' and despite everything you've lost, you are still standing and continuing to fight.
** That entire conversation was one massive Tearjerker /CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming for Wynne when you consider this is probably the first time the Warden has talked seriously to ANYONE about losing their family. When my female noble told Wynne that she had always taken her family for granted, I could very easily imagine my Warden's voice breaking when she said it. (Ok, not really, the Warden is a HeroicMime, but you get what I mean.) The warmth and sympathy that Wynne offers is a nice change from your teammates' usual lack of concern about your background or feelings, and it gave me new respect for her character.
** Particularly when the Warden admits to wanting to give it all up if they could just see their family again. I too imagined the Warden's voice (so to speak) saying that very quietly and sadly, which really makes Wynne's responses and reassurances so much more heartwarming. Until now the only person who's known about your family have been Duncan, who you never much got to speak with him, and Alistair, who's too preoccupied with mourning Duncan to ''remember'' your tragedy half the time. Wynne is the first person to see that the Warden sometimes needs to "talk" themselves, instead of being everyone's WarriorTherapist. What makes me adore Wynne as a character is that she actually ''asks the Warden'' questions about themselves.
* You only have limited interaction with him, but Nelaros, the husband-to-be of the Female City Elf gives a great tearjerker. He valiantly organises a rescue to save the women and his bride taken, gets into the castle and tells Soris to get her out of the cell while he keeps watch in the corridor. You yourself proceed to fight through the castle, until you eventually find him, where he is immediately cut down by guards as you enter the room. Whats even sadder, is that when you examine his body, one of the few things you find is a ''wedding ring''.

* When the Human Noble encounters the spectre of Teyrn Cousland during the Gauntlet. This whole segment was particularly poignant becaues the Warden finally has to start to come to terms with the brutal murder of his parents in their Origin story. The Warden until this point can be assumed to have put this to one side because they must be focused on stopping the Blight, but this part of the story is where it actually stops and delves into the mind of the Warden for a brief moment, over what they feel over this tragedy and their lingeriing survivors guilt. "Teyrn Cousland" gently reassures the Human Noble that there was nothing they could have done and they shouldn't blame themselves, and that it was their mother's own choice to stay behind to die with her husband. He then tells the Human Noble that they must learn to let go of their guilt over what happened, and also that its time to let go of their parents as well.
** More so that its implied the Warden knows that this apparation isn't really their father, but still begs it to stay at the end. Given that the amulet recieved after this is "Reflection", this Test and the advice given could be interpreted as the Warden's subconcious telling themself all of these things to overcome their guilt, from the one person who's words that the "Pup" would always listen too.

* From the Human Noble origin, there's Iona, a sweet, shy and demure Elven lady-in-waiting. You can romance her, but it only leads to her getting killed right in front of your eyes by Howe's men. It's get worse, though. In your earlier conversation with her, she mentions having a daughter, Amethyne, who lives at the Elven Alienage in Denerim. Her husband, and thus the girl's father, had already passed away two years prior. Almost the end of the game, months after the the events of the Origin and when you probably already forgot about Iona, you visit the alienage... and Amethyne is there, wondering to herself when her mother will return from Highever. Ouch.

---> [[spoiler:Perhaps you will burn this letter unread. For that, I would not blame you. But I would not return to the Stone without saying this to you: I have seen what Bhelen is. And when I saw it, I knew I had been a fool. For only a fool would cut out his own heart and burn it for the sake of appearences. I never believed in your guilt. I allowed you to be exiled because I feared an inquiry into Trian's murder would taint our house with scandal in the eyes of the deshyrs and cost our family the throne. But I have saved nothing by this sacrifice: I sent my only child into an uncertain exile. Know that whatever you do now, you bear all the honor and pride of House Aeducan.]]

--> Jowan: goodbye...Friend.

** And watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtWk78tBbT4&feature=player_embedded here]]. Tearjerker indeed.

** Bear in mind, Marbari have human-level intelligence. It's repeatedly emphasized that they actually ''choose'' their masters. For [[spoiler:Loghain]], it may as well have been a sibling that was taken from him. And add to that the fact that [[spoiler:his mother was also raped and murdered by Orlesians]], it's kind of hard to hold his hatred for all things Orlay against him.

* If you convince Zathrien to end the curse in the Nature Of The Beast quest, the subsequent cutscene is heartbreaking. It shows Zathrien surrounded by the werewolves he cursed, facing the Lady of the Forest, and the two sharing a long, emotional look. He slowly raises his staff, strikes it on the floor, and gets this peaceful, contented look on his face as he lets go of all his old hatred and rage, before collapsing in death. The werewolves then crowd around their beloved Lady, reaching out to touch her one last time before the curse is lifted and she vanishes, and you can tell that they truly did love her and are deeply saddened to see her leave them, even if it means they are free. ''Beautifully'' heartbreaking, and it's all conveyed by gesture and facial expressions.

**** Any of the [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice player's heroic sacrifices]] can be this. Seeing a character you've built the entire game [[spoiler:sacrifice him/herself is pretty sad]]. Here's hoping my [[MassEffect Shepard]] won't have to make the same choice. This troper wouldn't be able to take seeing her have to make it.
***** [[MassEffect3 Um...]][[HilariousInHindsight yeah]].
****** [[HarsherInHindsight Bioware!]]

* A small one from Morrigan: After she tells you about Flemeth, she'll ask you about your parents, and one of the answers you can give her is that you love her and that's all you really need. In response, she tells you that she's envious. Morrigan's childhood must have sucked (and from what you hear, [[AbusiveParents it did]]) if she was forced to hate Flemeth when she wanted to love her.

* The darkspawn attack at camp + Dalish Elf (especially a female one) = Augh. Just ''augh''. It hits so suddenly (for those who can stay away from spoilers, anyhow) and hard - and it doesn't help that ghouls in appearance and [[AFateWorseThanDeath details]] are NightmareFuel, and that's [[spoiler: the Warden's old [[HeterosexualLifePartners Heterosexual Life Partner]] going through it]] - that this troper excused herself for ten minutes afterwards. [[BlatantLies So much for the Gauntlet spirit]], and [[LivingEmotionalCrutch too bad the party don't seem all that interested in reversing roles whenever the Warden's past comes up]].

* ''DragonAge'' might have several, depending on your route, but one that remains constant is the Revenants of the Black Vials quest. Each of them was bound, with a little note accompaning them describing the demon's crimes. The hard part of those is ''who'' had to bind them: