Characters / Dragon Age II – Non-Playable Characters

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Dragon Age: Origins: The Warden | The Companions (Warriors | Mages | Rogues) | Non-Playable Characters (Fereldan Nobles | Orzammar) | Awakening | DLC Characters
Dragon Age II | Dragon Age: Inquisition

Flemeth

Flemeth in Origins

^{Flemeth in 2} 

^{Flemeth in Inquisition} 

Appears in: The Stolen Throne | Origins | Dragon Age II | Inquisition

Voiced by: Kate Mulgrew (English)^{Foreign VAs} Angela Stresemann (German)

"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight or open one's arms wide, either way, one's a fool."

The legendary Witch of the Wilds, mother of Morrigan and fear of Chasind tribes everywhere. She is apparently centuries old, loves cryptic hints and indulges in Voluntary Shapeshifting. Flemeth returns in Dragon Age II in a new form, making it clear that whatever happens to her in Origins is at most a mild inconvenience and returns again in Inquisition, still as cryptic as ever.

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Tropes In Dragon Age: Origins

• Abusive Parents: At best, Flemeth and Morrigan have a love/hate relationship. Dialogue from Morrigan implies that Flemeth was at the very least neglectful and emotionally abusive: Morrigan was often left to wander on her own in the Kocari Wilds, the skimpy outfit she wears are scraps of fabric she stole from the Chasind (meaning Flemeth never even gave her proper clothes to wear in the frozen southern wilds), and after Morrigan stole a golden mirror as a child, when Flemeth found it she smashed to teach her that love and sentimentality are meaningless and "only power has meaning". Morrigan also spouts Social Darwinist and Love Is a Weakness views that she learned from Flemeth.
• Affably Evil: In keeping with her being Ambiguously Evil, she's always immensely polite, gives good advice, would rather compromise than fight, and saves the lives of the protagonists in the first and second games. Of course, according to Morrigan she's forced her daughter to watch her rape and murder men, gains her immortality by stealing the bodies of her daughters (which is revealed to be untrue in later installments), and her plan in the first game all along was to get Morrigan impregnated with the soul of an Old God. Still, for all that, she acts like someone's batty grandmother.
• Age Without Youth: In her myths, she was the World's Most Beautiful Woman. When you meet her, she's an old hag. Morrigan claims Flemeth takes over her daughters' bodies to regain her youth.
• Ambiguously Evil: There are plenty of stories about Flemeth doing evil things, but the player never actually sees her commit any truly atrocious acts. Morrigan, for instance, claims Flemeth is a body snatcher, but Morrigan is also as manipulative as her mother and lacks true knowledge of the situation.
• Ambiguously Human: So mysterious and powerful that the Warden has the option to state disbelief that she's even a person at all but rather something...else. Inquisition reveals she's the Elven goddess Mythal merged with a human woman.
• Back from the Dead: Even if the Warden kills her at Morrigan's behest in Origins, Hawke and Merrill end up resurrecting her early in Dragon Age II. Turns out that Flemeth had prepared a Soul Jar containing part of her essence, just for this eventuality. Of course, even if she is "killed" in Origins, Morrigan says Flemeth will manage to eventually return.
• Body Surf: Morrigan claims Flemeth raises daughters and teaches them magic so that she can easily possess them.
• Captain Ersatz: Shares many elements with Baba Yaga, as an Ambiguously Evil centuries old decrepit witch who lives in a hut deep in the forest and most consider nothing but a legend with which to frighten children. Much like Baba Yaga, some of the stories about Flemeth involve kidnapping and eating children as well; Flemeth herself rolls her eyes at that notion. "As if I had nothing better to do!"
• The Chooser of the One: She comes after Duncan, but she's the only reason the Warden and Alistair survive Ostagar. She repeats this with Hawke in the next game.
• Crazy-Prepared: We learn in Dragon Age II that death is, at most, an temporary inconvenience for her.
• Cryptic Conversation: She talks in nothing but hints and riddles, and will generally tell the Warden to come to their own conclusions instead of asking her to give them to them. She'll also talk ominously about her daughter's "true intentions" if the Warden sides with Morrigan against Flemeth.
• Demonic Possession: Some of her legends claim she's a centuries old mage possessed by a demon. Most people who meet her agree she's something even scarier than an Abomination though.
• The Dreaded: Fereldan mothers frighten their children by telling them Flemeth will come to get them if they don't behave, and even adults are uneasy at the mention of of the legendary "Witch of the Wilds".
• Eats Babies: Some legends claim she does this. Her response? "As if I had nothing better to do!"
• Enemy Mine: Subverted. She suggests that this is the reason she rescued the Wardens from Ostagar and is sending Morrigan with them, but as it turns out, she has other reasons.
• Even Evil Has Standards: One of her legends involves a nobleman buying Flemeth from the witch's destitute husband on Flemeth's suggestion. But when the nobleman has her former husband killed instead, Flemeth slaughters the nobleman and his entire estate. In Morrigan's version, Flemeth did it because she refused to be married to a man with no honor. Interestingly, the castle the nobleman ruled was Highever, and the chain of events she set off led to Sarim Cousland's ascension to Bann, and the eventual creation of the Teyrnir of Highever. (This is particularly interesting if the Warden is of the Human Noble origin, since it suggests that Flemeth set events in motion centuries ago which led to them being the one to save the world.)
• The Fair Folk: The Dalish Elves see her as a legendary and dangerous spirit of untold power, Asha'bellanar.
• Grand Theft Me: Morrigan claims the secret to Flemeth's immortality is that she keeps transferring her spirit into new bodies (specifically, those of her daughters).
• Hand Wave: No explanation is ever offered for why she rescues Alistair and the Warden from the Tower of Ishal. Once the truth about the dark ritual is revealed, it does make more sense; however, while her rescue of Alistair and a male Warden is understandable with regards to the ritual, it's never explained why she would trouble herself to rescue a female Warden. On the other hand, this may have been a simple case of foresight; we know from the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC that alone, Alistair would have failed utterly. Morrigan also reveals that even from the Wilds it was clear that the Warden was the true leader while Alistair followed, so Flemeth probably knew they'd need the de facto leader for the "defeat the Blight" part.
• Hidden Agenda Villain: She has some sort of questionable plan involving the Old Gods, dragons, and more. However, the goal or even the specifics of this plan are left entirely unknown through the first two games.
• Humanoid Abomination: In the Witch Hunt DLC, Morrigan states that Flemeth may look human, but she's something far worse than a demon, blood mage, or abomination. In Dragon Age II, Anders is somewhat unnerved that Justice doesn't know what she is either. Dragon Age: Inquisition reveals that she is the Elven goddess Mythal possessing a human woman.
• Hyper-Awareness: Seems to be at least somewhat aware of the Warden's and Hawke's coming destinies just by having a look at them. The first time you talk to her she offhandedly bemoans that Daveth is unlikely to survive — she knows he lacks the constitution to survive Darkspawn blood —but it is not her place to choose.
• I Have Many Names: Fereldans call her "The Witch of the Wilds". The Dalish elves, meanwhile, call her "Asha'bellanar" (the Woman of Many Years). Even "Flemeth" is just the Chasinds name for her.
  Alistair: What do we call you? You never told us your name.
  Flemeth: Names are pretty, but useless. The Chasind call me Flemeth; I suppose it will do.
• I Was Quite a Looker: Though rather elderly looking when you meet her, Flemeth's stories claim she was legendarily beautiful and attracted suitors from all over the world.
  Flemeth: Men desired Flemeth, and some even killed for her...
• Lady of Black Magic: The legendary Witch of the Wilds who acts in an affable, immensely polite manner and has cryptic motives. Her many daughters are all witches, and Morrigan takes after her in this regard.
• Meaningful Name: The Dalish refer to her as Asha'bellanar, the "Woman of Many Years," hinting at her power and apparent immortality.
• Mrs. Robinson: Given her immense age, this is technically in effect with any man she supposedly lures to her bed before killing them. If playing as a Male Mage Warden, she expresses that it's a shame she has to send them off with Morrigan, instead of keeping them around for a while.
• Multiple-Choice Past: There are multiple separate accounts of her origins, ranging from a powerful demon possessing female apostates through the ages, to a beautiful mage who became an Abomination to take revenge on the man who killed her husband, to some sort of shadowy fallen god.
• Never Mess with Granny: She may seem like an unassuming, dotty old woman, but she can also turn into a dragon and rip your head off.
• Noodle Incident: Flemeth did something horrible to the Templars over the ages who tried to hunt her, though the specifics are never revealed. The Penny Arcade comic is all about this.
• Older Than They Look: Certainly she looks old, but not as old as she actually is.
• One-Winged Angel: Turns into a giant purple dragon in battle.
• Optional Boss: The player can fight her in Origins by completing one of Morrigan's optional quest lines, to get her grimoire for Morrigan.
• Parasitic Immortality: Morrigan suspects Flemeth of this, birthing and eventually possessing a series of daughters to maintain her immortality. Should you accept the side quest to kill Flemeth before she can possess Morrigan, Morrigan appears in subsequent games no worse for it, and it is implied that Morrigan had misinterpreted the nature of Flemeth's immortality.
• The Plan: Morrigan was sent with the Warden in Origins in order to forward Flemeth's unknown plan involving luring an untainted Old God's soul into the body of an unborn child.
• Progressively Prettier: Her witch form in Dragon Age II, while still aged, is far better looking than the liver spotted old hag she appears as in Origins.
• Really 700 Years Old: Lampshaded by the Dalish, whose name for her translates as "the Woman of Many Years."
• Retired Monster: Despite the horrific acts she is said to have committed in her legends, these days she just quietly lives in a hut deep in the woods. It eventually turns out she's just biding her time while her daughters act out different elements of her unknown plan.
• Scaled Up: In battle, she transforms into a dragon.
• Shapeshifter Default Form: In the second game, she half-jokingly points out that for all Hawke knows, the dragon could actually be her real form and it's the witch that is merely the illusion.
• Shapeshifter Longevity: Not only capable of feats of shapeshifting that her fellow shapeshifters can only dream of, but has been alive for centuries on end. The ultimate twist is that she's actually achieved immortality by possessing the bodies of her daughters, so her mastery of shapeshifting is simply due to having vast quantities of time on her hands.
• Shrouded in Myth: Her history has been told so many times as a legend that no one knows what the truth is - except for Morrigan, who heard it firsthand from her mother and believes that Flemeth's own version is the true one.
• Skippable Boss: The Warden can avoid fighting Flemeth as a dragon by just asking her what her intentions are, and can they pretty please have her gremoire? She will give it to the Warden without any trouble, seeming more amused by the whole situation than anything^note She tellingly says she's curious to see what Morrigan will do untethered by her, and it is possible to lie to Morrigan and claim to have killed her with no repercussions for the fib. It makes sense, since Morrigan states even before the Warden faces her that killing Flemeth is likely just a temporary condition for her.
• So Beautiful, It's a Curse: In her backstory, her legendary beauty and men's desire for her dictated the course of her entire life. While she has a Multiple-Choice Past, every version of her tale agrees that she was beautiful, and that such beauty brought her no joy in life.
• Solitary Sorceress: Flemeth initially appears to be just an elderly "apostate" mage hiding out in the wilderness from the Chantry's enforcers when you first meet her.
• Staying Alive: Come on, do you really think BioWare would kill her off so quickly, especially with the endgame ritual? The codex entry that is written down if the Warden should kill her says that she was apparently slain. Morrigan doesn't even consider the idea that she might really be dead. She's prepared to kill Flemeth over and over as long as she lives to avoid having her body stolen if the Grimoire won't teach her how. Flemeth returns in the sequel, having taken contingencies using Hawke as her Unwitting Pawn and stating that there's no reason why she can't be in multiple places at once.
• Tyke Bomb: Morrigan is the latest of many daughters she's raised to terrorize the Korcari Wilds. And supposedly provide her with a new body for when her current one gets too old.
• Unreliable Narrator: Her legend has undergone Adaptation Decay over the centuries. While Morrigan can tell the Warden what Flemeth claims is her true past, she notes that it is unwise to take anything that Flemeth says at face value, though she believes her story is the most accurate. In the Witch Hunt DLC, Morrigan says that Flemeth isn't a human, a blood mage, or an abomination. However, her true nature is not revealed until Inquisition
• Weredragon: Her most distinctive ability throughout the franchise, as well as apparently the most impressive and powerful.. It makes sense since she's the current vessel of what remains of the vital essence of Mythal's spirit, since Mythal's Animal Motifs is indeed a dragon.
• Wicked Witch: The Chasind seem to think so. She's old, wrinkled, lives in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, cackles, and is rumored to be widowed and a stealer of children. ("As if I had nothing better to do!")

Tropes In Dragon Age II

• Affably Evil: Despite supposedly being a villain, Flemeth not only saves Hawke's life but escorts their family safely to Gwaren as promised and offers free advice (and consolation) to Hawke and companions at Sundermount.
  Flemeth: You have my thanks... and my sympathies.
• Ambiguous Situation: She states lightly that she may not be an old woman but instead an actual dragon, and hints to Merrill that there is more to know about who she is than just Flemeth. This and some other implications suggest she might very well be a dragon or even an Old God, if you remember that Morrigan learned the ritual from her in the first place and her statements at the end of Witch Hunt. Yet everything about her is completely ambiguous, and by the end of the second game you still don't really know what's up with her.
• Ambiguously Evil: Despite what we are told, she really hasn't done a single villainous thing onscreen and it's possible she isn't that evil, though she's almost certainly every bit as terrifying.
• Badass Boast: "I am a fly in the ointment. I am a whisper in the shadows. I am also an old, old woman. More than that you need not know."
• Big Damn Heroes: She saves the party from a seemingly unending army of darkspawn during the prologue.
• Continuity Nod: Gives one to the (chronologically concurrent) events of Origins at the end of the prologue, when she notes the only way to save the mortally wounded Wesley would be for him to become a Grey Warden. Hawke bitterly notes that all of Ferelden's Wardens died at Ostagar, to which Flemeth replies that not all the Grey Wardens are dead, but "the last are now beyond your reach." By the time of Lothering's destruction, the Warden and their companions have already acquired the aid of one of the factions they're trying to rally, and could potentially be on the other side of Ferelden at the moment.
• Crazy-Prepared: It's heavily indicated that she has some precognitive ability. For starters, after sending her daughter off with the Wardens, she sets up an out just in case Morrigan has the Warden try to kill her. Disturbingly, when she expresses surprise that Hawke kept their word, she doesn't act all that concerned that her backup plan might have failed, suggesting she's got even more ways out than we see in the game. She also suggests she's aware to some degree of Hawke's eventual fate, though she doesn't say it outright.
• Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?:
  • Hawke's companions aren't particularly thrilled to encounter her on Sundermount - especially Aveline or Hawke's sibling, who were already unnerved by her the first time around.
  • Played for laughs in Mark of the Assassin - Isabela claims that she occasionally plays cards at the Hanged Man, threatening to turn people into toads or eat their babies if she loses.^note This makes tremendous sense as Mythal was part of a Decadent Court, and is just trying to recapture some of the vices that she enjoyed there.
    Aveline: You're joking.
    Isabela: Perhaps.
• Evil Is Hammy: Despite being the terrifying and legendary Witch of the Wilds, she shares some lighthearted banter with a Sarcastic Hawke, notes wryly that if she wanted to kill the group, they wouldn't be able to stop her, and refers to herself (once again) with the self-deprecating description of "an old hag who talks too much."
• Foreshadowing: The Dalish altar where Merrill places her amulet? There's an entirely optional scene late in the game where Merrill offers a prayer to Mythal at that same altar. Jump to the third game...
• A Form You Are Comfortable With: It's possible that she was playing this straight with the Warden-Commander in Origins, where she appeared as a harmless old woman, but the two forms Hawke sees are both pretty scary. She even does a bit of Lampshade Hanging after Hawke assumes that the badass witch-queen version is her Shapeshifter Default Form.
• Hidden Agenda Villain: We still know absolutely nothing about what her overall goal is.
• Humanoid Abomination: Explicitly stated when she appears. Aveline describes her as a "Witch of the Wilds," and Bethany muses that she's an apostate, but anyone who's played Witch Hunt will know that she's neither. Fenris also notes that he has seen many blood mages, demons, and abominations while in Tevinter... but Flemeth is none of those things. Even Anders is immediately tuned into the fact that she is neither abomination, demon, or mage, and the man shares a mind and memories of a spirit who has been around for Maker only knows how long.
• Hyper-Awareness: Flemeth's cryptic dialogue implies that, much like the Warden before them, she is perfectly aware of Hawke's destiny and their role in shaping the face of Thedas forever.
  Flemeth: Is it chance... or fate? I can never decide...
• I Gave My Word: The reason Hawke keeps their promise to give the amulet to the Dalish Elves, since they owed her a favour. Flemeth appears to be pleasantly surprised by this, having half-expected Hawke to simply flog it to the first merchant they saw.
  Hawke: No one wanted to buy it. Maybe because there was a witch inside?
• I Have Many Names: She says this to Hawke after being asked who she is. One of the names she lists is "an old hag who talks too much."
• Inexplicably Awesome: Up to this point, anyway. No one, including her own daughter, has a clear answer to the question "What is she?"
• Memetic Badass: In-universe. The Dalish Elves know that if Asha'bellanar summons you, there's no question about it; you go. May the Creators help you if you at all keep her waiting or attempt to screw her around.
  Merrill: Most people who meet Asha'bellanar wind up in little pieces... hanging from the trees.
• Me's a Crowd: We only see one of her at a time, but she considers bodies "limiting things" and asks, "Must I be in only one place?" Considering the number of people who want to kill her, this is a good idea.
• One-Woman Army: In her dragon form, she clearly demonstrates that she can potentially incinerate a darkspawn army all alone.
• Our Liches Are Different: She survived her fight with the Warden-Commander by creating a backup to revive herself, with her Soul Jar acting as a Dungeons & Dragons style Phylactery as opposed to the Dragon Age variant.
• Pet the Dog: Her interaction with Hawke. Dialogue with Marethari and Merrill implies that she's slightly more inclined to give these moments to the Dalish, due to them showing her the correct amount of fear and respect. She also offers some words of consolation to Aveline in the prologue.
• Sequel Hook: Literally everything about Flemeth, her origins, her plans, her motives, and where the hell she went goes unexplained, despite considerable lead-up in dialogue during the Witch Hunt DLC. Her obviously immense power and the sheer amount of knowledge she carries imply her goals and motives are vastly more complicated then we've seen so far, all clearly leading up to something... but what, exactly, that is has yet to be revealed.
• Silver Vixen: Her character model certainly got an upgrade from crazy old wild woman, though she still does look old. May just be an art upgrade coupled with actually taking care of hair. Also, she's a shapeshifter of immense magical power- she could just be choosing what she wants to look like.
• Staying Alive: Morrigan makes it quite apparent in the first game that Flemeth was not killed by the Warden. It turns out she kept a contingency via the amulet she gave to Hawke.
• Stop Worshipping Me: Although she commands a lot of respect and fear amongst the Dalish, she makes a point to let Merrill know she doesn't have to keep bowing before her. She even chastises the Dalish for bending their knees too willingly. She seems especially amused that Merrill takes this attitude despite having absolutely no idea who she is beyond her title. This turns out to be some foreshadowing, as Fen'Herel was her best friend, and his entire goal was to free slaves from their elvish "god" mages.
• Trickster Mentor: Much of the advice she gives to Hawke, Carver/Bethany, and Merrill makes a lot of sense. You know things are bad when Flemeth, of all people, is counted among the reasonable.
  Flemeth: (to Merrill) As for you, child, step carefully. No path is darkest, than when your eyes are shut.
  Flemeth: (to Carver/Bethany) Regret is something I know all too well. Take care not to cling to it, to hold it so close that it poisons your soul. When the time comes for your regrets, remember me.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting: In both Origins and II, she can be seen turning into a High Dragon. However, she points out to a snarky Hawke that, for all they know, she really is a dragon and the old woman is the shifted form.
• What the Hell Are You?: Fenris has this reaction, saying that he has met many abominations, demons, and blood mages before - but she is none of those things. Anders is more worried that Justice has no idea what she is either.

Tropes In Dragon Age: Inquisition

• Affably Evil: Still as friendly and polite as the previous games, though now we have a bit more knowledge of her.
• Ambiguously Evil: Just like before, nobody is sure what her plans are and what she intends to do. Should the Inquisitor drink from the Well of Sorrows, which puts them under Flemeth's control, she doesn't force them to obey her whim, stating she has no reason to do so... yet.
• The Archmage: With the revelation of her being fused for centuries with an ancient elven deity and with the wealth of knowledge of various forms of magic at her disposal, Flemeth is almost certainly the most powerful sorceress in all of Thedas, potentially contested only by Solas/ Fen'Harel.
• Break the Haughty: Acts pretty haughty and superior to Morrigan during their reunion, once again taunting her and taking delight in Morrigan's ignorance and discomfort. However, if Morrigan has Kieran she will claim she will not be the kind of mother that Flemeth was to her. Flemeth's haughty smile finally falls, and she stops taunting Morrigan after that.
• The Chessmaster: Oh, you saved Morrigan from her in Origins? Turns out that was part of her plan all along. Oh, and you went through with the ritual so Morrigan could have an Old God baby? She was definitely planning on that.
• Deadpan Snarker: An Inquisitor with the History Knowledge perk has the chance to rattle off a quick backstory for her. She gives them a Death Glare and responds:
  Flemeth: One day, someone will summarize the terrible events of your life so quickly.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Being an Elvhen goddess didn't stop Mythal from choosing Flemeth, a human, as her host, nor raising Morrigan and other human girls as her daughters. She also backs heroes (like the Warden, Hawke and the Inquisitor) of any race and gender.
• Friendly Enemy: To the Inquisitor, if the player should choose to introduce themselves politely. She will remark that Morrigan should learn from that example.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: She confirms that her origin story is actually true. There was a time, long ago, when she was simply the Lady of Highever.
  Flemeth: I was that woman once.
• Gaslighting: A minor case with Morrigan. Those who've played Dragon Age: Origins know how manipulative at best Flemeth could be to Morrigan, with Flemeth even telling Hawke in Dragon Age II that she wants Morrigan to not know whether she's her daughter or enemy. Yet, if Morrigan has Kieran then Flemeth is perfectly cordial to Morrigan in front of the Inquisitor, making Morrigan look dramatic and hysterical for insisting that Flemeth isn't normally this nice and that she must be planning something, and eventually come to question her own memory and sanity. If Morrigan doesn't have Kieran, then Flemeth openly delights in how much distress she causes Morrigan, and subtly points to Morrigan's lack of composure to the Inquisitor for them to believe her word over Morrigan's.
• God Was My Copilot: She has become one with the ancient elven god Mythal and is apparently at least friends with Fen'Harel.
• The Gods Must Be Lazy: The Dalish Inquisitor can accuse her of this, stating that if she's been around for centuries, why she hasn't made herself known to nor helped the Elvhen people? Flemeth/Mythal herself seems unconcerned with their plight, more interested in pursuing revenge for her own murder.
• Good All Along: Mythal was killed by her peers because she tried to free the elvhen slaves from the Evanuris.
• Grand Theft Me: As assumed in the first game, Flemeth's method of immortality is to steal the bodies of her daughters, but Flemeth claims in Inquisition that she can only pass the soul of Mythal to someone who is willing, which she does in the post-credits scene by sending the spark elsewhere trough an eluvian before she herself dies at the hands of Solas.
• Have You Seen My God?: The Dalish Inquisitor would like to know where the hell she's been all these years, and why she hasn't helped her people. Flemeth pretty much blows them off with a cryptic "you know not what you ask" and goes into a brief Motive Rant about her thirst for Revenge. Of course, as Solas reveals in Trespasser, she had some pretty good reasons to lay low: The other Evanuris had murdered her, and it was this act which prompted Solas to seal them away and bring the Veil down between the waking world and the Fade. By the time she had revived, the ancient Elvhen empire was long dead and its corpse picked clean by Tevinter, who had also enslaved the surviving (now mortal) elves. Even if Mythal had a mind to try and reunte her people, the Veil was still in place meaning she, and the Elvhen people, could never be as they once were as long as they were seperated from the Fade. There's also the fact that if she was able to come back after seemingly being killed (and, mind you, this was the kind of death rendered to her by her fellow immortal gods), the other Evanuris might be back too...which would mean attracting their undue attention would be bad.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Emotionally abusive mother or not, Flemeth is totally right to call out Morrigan for her Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance mindset and thinking she knows better than anyone around her at any given situation, especially if she drinks from the Well of Sorrows.
  Flemeth: Always grasping beyond your reach, despite all that I taught you.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: Solas claims Mythal was "the best of" the Evanuris, but the observant player will notice she still had slaves and slave-markings dedicated to her. There's also all the Ambiguously Evil stuff she's implied to have done as Flemeth, and her Abusive Parents tendencies to Morrigan. This would seem to imply that Solas was embellishing her in his claim, or, alternatively, that the rest of the Evanuris are worse than her.
• Not So Stoic:
  • Her cryptic veneer breaks for the first time in the series when she recalls what happened to Mythal and reveals her quest to avenge the goddess, giving the Inquisitor a glimpse of the seething rage underneath.
  • Flemeth looks legitimately sad for a moment after Morrigan either says that she will be a better mother to Kieran than Flemeth ever was to her or that Flemeth should just possesses her now as Kieran would be better off without Morrigan as a mother just as Morrigan was better off without Flemeth. This seems to be what convinces her to simply take the Old God spirit out of Kieran instead of taking Kieran entirely with her.
• Physical God: She houses the Elvish deity Mythal inside her, making her one of the only Gods to physically exist in the series.
• Revenge: She reveals her motive is to get revenge for Mythal's murder, and when she does, it will be an act that "shakes the heavens."
  Flemeth: Mythal clawed and crawled her way through the ages to me, and I will see her avenged!
• Supernatural Aid: By her own admission, she likes to "steer" history in the proper course. As such, Flemeth appears in each console game (and sometimes the Expanded Universe) offering advice and assistance to the heroes.
• Tough Love: It seems most of her Abusive Parents tendencies were intended to make Morrigan stronger, rather than just base cruelty. She seems genuinely hurt when Morrigan insists she will not be the same type of mother that Flemeth was.
• Uncertain Doom: The stinger has some major revelations, but specifically it shows her sending a spark of light through the eluvian and then seemingly dying in Solas's arms as he absorbs her power. Her body loses all color and turns grey and lifeless. It's not clear if this is a final death (or not), and what that spark is. Designer notes state that Flemeth is indeed dead, and before her death she has passed the soul of Mythal to Morrigan. However, David Gaider has noted that this is legacy information and may no longer be canonical.
• Walking Spoiler: Sorry to the tropers that are trying to play spoiler-free and saw that Flemeth appears in Inquisition.

The Warden's Camp

Bodahn Feddic

Appears in: Origins | Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Dwight Schultz

"If there's anything I can do for you, please, please tell me."

A dwarven merchant whom The Warden and their companions rescue on the Imperial Highway outside of Lothering, Bodahn and his adopted son Sandal thereafter travel with the party, providing a ready source of supplies as well as enchanting services. He appears next in Dragon Age II with Sandal, later becoming Hawke's manservant.

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• Ascended Extra: Bodahn and Sandal were originally just merchants that offered overpriced equipment and enchantments for the Warden's party. They eventually become Hawke's loyal servants who stick alongside them until the end.
• Aside Glance: When Bodahn discusses the Warden with Hawke, he looks straight at the camera.
• Cloud Cuckoolanders Minder: Bodahn is this for Sandal, due to his adopted son's tendency to either wander off, enchant anything he gets his hands on, or accidentally set things on fire, such as their house (twice).
• Disc-One Nuke: Provided you can afford them, he offers access to some very powerful items quite early in Origins.
• The Exile: He explains that he came to surface after being accused by a noble of graverobbing (which was in fact true).
• Fell Off the Back of a Truck: Or the medieval fantasy equivalent - where most of his goods come from, as he'll admit if you press him. He's quick to make it clear, however, that he and Sandal don't rob people; they merely scavenge whatever valuables people have left behind whilst fleeing from the Blight. After all, it's better they go to people who might need them than get destroyed by the darkspawn!
• Friend in the Black Market: As he says, you're fortunate to have someone around dealing such valuable items with the Blight coming.
• Honorary Uncle: While never actually called this, it seems clear that Bodahn and Sandal become part of the Hawke family, particularly considering how devastated they are at the death of Leandra.
• Insistent Terminology: Refers to Hawke as "Messere" and Leandra as "Mistress Amell." The latter is particularly odd, since she's a widow and he's insisting on using her maiden name.
• Intrepid Merchant: He boasts that he and Sandal have never played it safe or stuck to the "tried and true road". Given their choice of friends, he's not lying.
• The Jeeves: Runs the day to day details of the Hawke Estate.
• Like a Son to Me:
  • While not actually blood related, Bodahn considers Sandal to be his son and no one can say otherwise!
  • When Bodahn admits that he sometimes worries about Sandal, now he's getting on in years, Hawke tells him that whatever happens, Sandal will always be welcome in their home.
• Nice Guy: Despite his questionable deeds, it's blatant he truly cares about Sandal, he serves Hawke for saving his adopted son in the deep roads, and is always friendly to the Warden and Hawke.
• No Hero Discount: In Origins, despite the fact that you save his life and he claims to be offering you a discount out of gratitude, Bodahn's prices are actually quite high compared to those of other merchants in the game.
• Odd Friendship: Bodahn and Hawke, particular with the sarcastic personality.
• Sarcastic Devotee: Whenever Hawke dishes out their brand of snark, Bodahn politely returns some right back.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: How he regards leaving Orzammar. A noblewoman found a pair of bracers that had belonged to her dead brother in Bodahn's shop and accused him of stealing them, unaware that Bodahn had paid casteless workers to retrieve lost artifacts and treasures from the Deep Roads. Not wanting to find out how he'd be punished^* along with him knowing that how seriously Orzammar considered slights against the dead meant that whatever awaited him was likely going to be very unpleasant, Bodahn bribed the prison guards and ran for the surface.
• Servile Snarker: To a sarcastic Hawke, though he's clearly outmatched and frequently ends up exasperated by his boss having the bizarre need to make everything into a joke. He's much less snarky with a diplomatic or violent Hawke.
• Team Dad: Despite Hawke's insistence that Bodahn doesn't need to pay them back for rescuing Sandal, Bodahn nonetheless takes it on himself to manage the day to day operations of the Hawke estate, even tending Hawke's armor and weapons.
• Undying Loyalty: Bodahn displays this towards Hawke for saving Sandal in the Deep Roads. Bodahn is particularly upset at the death of Leandra.
• Unexplained Accent: Despite being a dwarf from Orzammar, he speaks with an exaggerated Fereldan accent. Since he used to run a shop in Orzammar that catered to the nobility, his accent is possibly an affectation to make himself sound more respectable and upper-class.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Bodahn mentions being married to a woman in Denerim in Origins. No mention of his wife is made in the second game, however; it's possible, although not stated, that she simply did not survive the events of the Fifth Blight, since the final battle was in Denerim. This may also explain how he and Sandal ended up in Kirkwall, as he may have left to get away from the memories.

Sandal Feddic

Appears in: Origins | Witch Hunt | Dragon Age II

Voiced by: Yuri Lowenthal

"Enchantment...? ENCHANTMENT!"

The adopted son of the dwarven merchant Bodahn Feddic. Sandal is is lyrium-addled; however, he has a unique and natural talent when it comes to enchanting, displaying skill that surpasses that of even grandmasters. He follows the party along with his father and the two offer their services in the party camp. He appears again in Dragon Age II together with his father, later becoming Hawke's manservant.

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• Ascended Extra: Bodahn and Sandal were originally just merchants that offered overpriced equipment and enchantments for the Warden's party. They eventually become Hawke's loyal servants who stick alongside them until the end.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Sandal is one of the legitimately sweetest characters in Thedas, especially in II where he can talk in longer sentences and is adorably excited to enchant things for you. He also has a habit of somehow slaughtering powerful opponents off-screen, up to and including a Pride Demon.
• The Cameo:
  • During the quest "Champions of the Just" in Dragon Age: Inquisition, the player can find a dwarf that looks suspiciously like Sandal standing in a jail cell. The jail cell is in the Fade, which dwarves are not supposed to be able to enter.
  • He also has sort of a cameo in Trespasser, where the Inquisitor can find a journal in the Crossroads in which he has written nothing but "Enchantment!" The journal is next to a dead qunari that has somehow been impaled to the wall.
• Cloudcuckoo Lander: He comes across this way at times, as his comments can be very cryptic or downright nonsensical, but it's clear that he understands what he's saying even if he can't make himself comprehensible.
• Creepy Child: Repeatedly speaking to Sandal in Dragon Age II eventually causes him to spout some mildly ominous prophetic phrases.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Sandal is very dim, but the player keeps finding him surrounded by corpses.
• Fluffy Tamer: Hawke’s dog is incredibly fond of him, and Bodahn implies that the Warden's dog may have been as well, since he theorizes that Sandal may have learned "mabari speak" during their time in the Warden's party.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Or Half Dwarven Hybrid, at any rate. In Legacy, some Carta dwarves can be overheard gossiping that he looks like a bastard son of an Aeducan nobleman, by a human or elven woman, who went missing years earlier.
• Happily Adopted: By Bodahn after he found the kid in the Deep Roads. "I like Bodahn!"
• Hidden Depths: It's clear that there's something going on with Sandal. There's his prophecy, there's the Noodle Incident, etc. Also, a bit of dialogue in Legacy strongly implies that Sandal is the bastard child of an Aeducan noble and a human or elf mother. Word of God Gaider claimed in an interview that the writing team included the prophecy and other stuff because they felt they had to or "[they] would go insane."
• Mysterious Past: Bodahn first found Sandal wandering in an abandoned Thaig in the Deep Roads.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Near the end of Origins he appears covered in blood in a room surrounded by darkspawn corpses (including two ogres). Exactly how and why is never explained. The only reason he gives is "Enchantment!"
  • He does it again in Dragon Age II in the Deep Roads expedition, including freezing an Ogre solid. The reason ogres suddenly freeze in his presence is, in his own words, "Not enchantment!" To add further confusion, he then hands you a cold damage weapon rune. "Boom."
  • And again in the Templar Hall at the endgame, where he massacres a small army of demons, including a Pride Demon.
  • Also responsible for a few after moving into the Hawke Estate. Apparently Sandal regularly sets things on fire by forgetting where he's put his enchantments or by bringing home salamanders, is known to swing from the chandelier (unless it was Merrill), and while playing a game with Merrill, accidentally broke one of Hawke's wardrobes by climbing on it.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: His ability to to slaughter enemies off-screen rivals that of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.
• Omniglot: Sandal holds a conversation with the Dog at one point. Bodahn jokes that Sandal must have learnt "Mabari-speak" during their stay in the Warden's camp. He might not be wrong; a common Ferelden saying is that the breed is "smart enough to talk, wise enough not to," and a few other characters including Loghain seem to understand them.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Sandal's infamous ominous prophecy is... jarring, to say the least. It'd be somewhat foreboding on its own, but from someone as terse, cheery and simple as him? Bodahn is as unnerved as the player.
• Running Gag: His tendency to show up surrounded by enemy corpses.
• Unexplained Accent: Like Bodahn, he speaks with a decidedly non-dwarven accent laced with a bit of Simpleton Voice. Also like Bodahn, it can be assumed to be an affectation that he picked up by hanging around non-dwarves.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Toward the end of II, Bodahn says that he and Sandal are heading for Orlais and the court of Empress Celene, because the Empress is fascinated by Sandal's enchanting ability. However, neither dwarf makes an appearance in Inquisition. As of Trespasser, a journal can be found in the Crossroads (near a Qunari impaled on several spikes) which reveals that Sandal spent Dragon 41 to 42 there. We have no idea what he was doing, of course, because the journal simply says "Enchantment!" several times with varying emphasis. Evidently, he was busy, at least.
• Wrong Context Magic: A dwarf that's heavily implied to be him appears in The Fade during a mission in Inquisition. The problem here is that dwarves, unless forced by extremely specific outside means, can't enter The Fade.

Fereldan Grey Wardens

Warden-Commander Duncan

Warden-Commander Duncan

Appears in: The Calling | Origins

Voiced by: Peter Reneday (English), Benoît Allemane (French)

"From here, you two are on your own. Remember, you are both Grey Wardens. I expect you to be worthy of that title."

The Warden-Commander responding to the growing threat in Ferelden and Team Dad to Alistair, Duncan is the one who recruits the PC. He has been a Grey Warden for quite a while now and commands great respect. He also seems to have connections everywhere in Ferelden.

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• Apologetic Attacker: Tells Jory "I'm sorry" even as he guts him like a fish.
• But Thou Must!: Don't want to become a Grey Warden? Too bad. Duncan can invoke the Right of Conscription.
• The Chooser of the One: Is the Player's recruiter regardless of origin, made more obvious to attentive players who realize all six origin exist, who becomes the player is solely up to where Duncan was at the time.
  • The Human Noble dies to Howl coup, the Circle Mage is either imprisoned or killed for helping a bloodmage, the Dwarf Noble dies in the deeproads, the Dwarf Commoner starves to death in the Carta prisons, the City Elf is killed for murdering the Arl's son, and the Dalish Elf dies of the taint.
• Conflicting Loyalties: As a Grey Warden, Duncan has to be neutral no matter what unless it's related to stopping the Darkspawn. Despite that, it's clear he still wants to help people even when it's not technically his duty. This is evident in the all of the origins, as he wants to aid the player character even without using the Right of Conscription to save them. For example, in the City Elf origin, he cannot storm the Arl's house to save you, but he can provide the means to do so.
• Cool Old Guy: Even Daveth admits it.
  Daveth: All right for an old bugger. He's faster than he looks, too.
• Crazy-Prepared: Duncan having you gather the treaties to the Magi, Elves, and Dwarves seems odd until you remember he had his doubts about Ostagar stopping the Blight. Thus it's likely he had you gather them so that if Ostagar failed, it would still be possible to defeat the Darkspawn.
• Death by Origin Story: Inevitably he dies at Ostagar.
• Dying Moment of Awesome: Mortally wounded, he still manages to perform a flying take-down of an Ogre (a monster you most likely had a hell of a time trying to deal with at the top of the tower) and his reaction to the Hurlock charging at him with an axe is to throw it a withering Death Glare. Even in death, Duncan is a badass.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Duncan, after killing the Ogre, gazes upon Cailan's dead body. He then gazes with Tranquil Fury at the lit beacon, and has deduced that Loghain left Cailan and his forces to die at the walls of Ostagar. The look on his face screams he would have killed Loghain with his own hands if he could have.
• Face Death with Dignity: Fatally wounded at Ostagar, he stares down the hurlock general charging forward to kill him with axe raised without flinching.
• A Father to His Men: According to Riordan, Duncan couldn't help having a soft spot for his recruits.
  • Seems to take a particular interest in a Dwarf Commoner Warden due to their difficult circumstances, making a point of gifting them a rare weapon and talking up their exploits to the other wardens en route to Ostagar.
• From a Certain Point of View: He tells the Dalish elf that there's nothing they can do for Tamlen. This is true, but you find out only near the endgame, where you encounter a very much alive Tamlen trying to resist his transformation into a ghoul. You only assumed that he was dead.
• Good is Not Nice:
  • While he does seem cold and detached, he makes it clear he will do anything to save Ferelden from the Blight and saves your life in most of the origins. That doesn't mean he won't withhold information concerning the lethality of the Joining or stab Jory when he panics and tries to back out. While Jory had indeed drawn his sword, he did so while backing away from Duncan. Duncan is nicely summed up by the Warden when discussing him with Alistair.
    Warden: He seems like a kind man, if firm.
  • He sympathizes with each potential Warden recruit in their origin stories and will help them out to a point, but he is very clear that he will not violate Grey Warden neutrality under any circumstances. No matter what situation the recruit finds themselves in at the end, Duncan will demand that the PC join his cause over any objection. He will also withhold vital information until absolutely necessary to ensure that the recruit will stay until it is too late to run.
• I Did What I Had to Do: He's quite open about his subscription to the policy of "the Grey Wardens do what they must." Poor, stupid Jory.
• Meaningful Name: The name Duncan can mean either "dark^note brown-haired", "dark^note brown-warrior", or "chief/chieftain". Very fitting for Duncan, on all points.
• Mentor Archetype: Duncan acts as a source of guidance and information during the brief time he interacts with the Player Character in each origin. He intended to do much more of this for the player later, but was killed before he had the chance.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard: He's introduced as a powerful warrior and mentor to the hero, but doesn't live past the prologue.
• Never Found the Body: It's confirmed that he's dead, but the Warden never finds his body during Return to Ostagar. Though given what the Darkspawn are like, it's less likely that he is still alive and got away somehow and more likely that his corpse was taken to be desecrated or to be eaten.
• An Offer You Can't Refuse: His "offer" to join the Grey Wardens. Of the six potential origins, only the Human Noble and maybe the Circle Mage (depending on whether or not they reported Jowan's plan to Irving) don't face certain death as a consequence of refusal; the Dalish Elf stands to die of darkspawn taint, the City Elf, Dwarf Noble, and Dwarf Commoner face execution for various problems they get caught up in, and a Circle Mage who didn't report Jowan faces either execution or Tranquility for aiding and abetting a blood mage.
• Parental Substitute: For Alistair.
• Recruiters Always Lie: Not directly, but withholding vital, very unpleasant information about the Wardens is a low blow. For his part, Duncan actually agrees that it's unfair, but considers it a necessary evil to strengthen the Warden's ranks.
  Duncan: If only such secrecy were unnecessary, and all understood the necessity of such sacrifice. Sadly, that will never be so.
• Satisfied Street Rat: When he was younger.
• Schrödinger's Gun: No matter what origin you get, you get recruited into the Grey Wardens by the same guy. Each origin displays that the only reason your chosen Warden is The Hero is because Duncan happened to be recruiting in your area. The five other possibilities are left to suffer their fates.
• Screw You, Elves!: Well, screw you dwarves, but yes. Delivers a rather stealth one in the Dwarf Commoner Origin, after the entire Proving Arena erupts in outrage that a mere Casteless with no formal training had just beaten veterans of countless Darkspawn campaigns. Duncan politely questions that wasn't the entire point of the Proving to find the best warrior in Orzammar?
  Proving Master: This wo/man is no Warrior, they are Casteless! Rejected by the Ancestors, his/her very footsteps pollute the Stone! S/he has no place here!
  Duncan: Except as your Champion...
• The Stoic:
  • Duncan seldom ever shows emotion, and remains cool and aloof for the entire time you're associated with him. Alistair says that Duncan does let his hair down with other Wardens, however.
  • Certain humorous dialogue options when talking to him will occasionally make him chuckle, such as the Warden's comment that before the Joining and Battle of Ostagar, some dinner might be nice first.
  • In the magi origin, you can also get him to rather ardently claim that he wishes the Chantry would see the potential that mages had to help against the Darkspawn. This is the closest he gets to a Not So Stoic moment.
• Team Dad: To all his recruits, but particularly Alistair.
• Threshold Guardians: He takes this role in the Joining. He offers the mixture of blood and tells the recruits that it is likely to be lethal. If anyone foolishly attacks or tries to run after that, he kills them. He then hands the cup to the next recruit, having made it very clear that there is no turning back after getting this far.
• Your Days Are Numbered: When Alistair tells the Warden about the Calling, he'll reveal that Duncan had recently started having the dreams that signal the beginning of it. Even if he hadn't perished at Ostagar, he wouldn't have had much time left (though, given the nature of Grey Wardens and the Calling, this trope is in play for all Wardens).

Senior Warden Riordan

Senior Warden Riordan

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Stephane Cornicard (English), Bernard Tiphaine (French)

"It warms my heart to see such courage."

A Grey Warden from Orlais, Riordan has known Duncan for a while. He is captured by Arl Rendon Howe after sneaking into Ferelden to determine what happened to the Grey Wardens there and the extent of the Blight.

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• 11th-Hour Ranger: Shows up quite late into the game and gets killed off just as the finale really gets going to make it more dramatic.
• Black Speech: As a Senior Warden, he's capable of understanding the Archdemon and is able to "listen in" to spy on the horde. It's implied the Archdemon may have become aware of this, and deliberately leads Riordan to believe the horde plans to attack Recliffe when the real target is Denerim.
• Combat Pragmatist: A pragmatic strategist, more like it. Despite the torture to which he was subjected, he's willing to recruit Loghain as a Grey Warden.
• Dying Moment of Awesome: Attempts to perform a flying takedown of the Archdemon with a Blade Brake. While his attack ultimately doesn't kill the Archdemon, he does manage to cripple it badly enough that it's forced to land.
• Establishing Character Moment: Snaps the neck of the guard outside of his cell after the Warden distracts him for just a second, and then proceeds to calmly explain who he is and sneak out of the Arl's estate, despite having recently been tortured.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Inevitably.
• Obi-Wan Moment: Which is his Dying Moment of Awesome, by the way.
• Suicide by Cop: With his Calling swiftly drawing near, his rather foolish decision to perform a flying takedown of the Archdemon may have been born out a desire to die as a hero, with his humanity fully intact and partaking in one last glorious battle, instead of just one more anonymous corpse to be forgotten in the Deep Roads.
• Supporting Leader: When he tries to go beyond this and kill the Archdemon himself, he suffers a Disney Villain Death despite being a good guy. He does manage to force the dragon into a fight the PC has a chance of winning, however.
• Taking You with Me: Has no problem with being the one to sacrifice their life to slay the Archdemon, particularly since he's already rapidly approaching his Calling.
• Violation of Common Sense: He splits with the other Wardens and goes on his own to a high point. From there, he jumps onto a flying dragon in a city full of ballistae and an entire army. Was there no other way to bring the Archdemon down?
• Wham Line: "The Archdemon has shown itself. The dragon is at the head of the horde."
• Your Days Are Numbered: Admits that he's rapidly approaching his Calling.

Ser Jory

Ser Jory

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Mark Healy

"There is no glory in this!"

A warrior of Redcliffe, whom Duncan met in Highever. He was recruited into the Grey Wardens alongside the PC. He is a nice guy, but he suffers from mild cowardice.

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• Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of the "Shining Knight" archetype, who only fights for glory without really understanding the sacrifices one has to make to live that life. Upon witnessing the risks of the joining the Wardens firsthand, he falters and is killed by Duncan when he tries to flee.
• Disappeared Dad: With his death he becomes this to the child his wife is carrying.
• Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Invokes this in regards to Flemeth.
  Daveth: She's a witch, I tell you! We shouldn't be talking to her!
  Jory: Quiet, Daveth! If she's really a witch, do you want to make her mad?
• Foreshadowing: Flemeth approves of Jory's smartness, but says he's "sadly irrelevant". She likely knows he doesn't have the fortitude to survive the Joining.
• Glory Hound: The only reason he signed up to be a Grey Warden.
• Guest-Star Party Member: Only playable during the Korcari Wilds quests in Ostagar.
• He Knows Too Much: His ultimate fate; after he chickens out of the Joining, Duncan summarily executes him to keep its secrets secret.
• Idiot Hero: He consistently displays a rather deep lack of foresight. The Warden can even accuse him off this in dialogue.
  Warden: You're not that smart, are you?
• I Have a Family: He tries to justify his cowardice with this. It doesn't work.
• Lampshaded Double Entendre: In Dragon Age II, Isabela asks Aveline if Donnic "shanked (her) Jory". What a way to be remembered.
• Mistaken for Racist: A dwarf warden can get offended when he mentions he's never met a dwarf who wasn't a blacksmith. He wasn't making a generalization, he just happened to meet them through his father, who was a blacksmith.
• My Girl Back Home: He has a pregnant wife in Redcliffe.
• Officer and a Gentleman: Even when terrified, he remains unfailingly polite at all times.
• Recognition Failure: Despite living in Highever and having fought in the Grand Melee held there, he fails to recognize the Human Noble as being the youngest child of Teyrn Cousland, something for which he quickly apologizes.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Daveth's red.
• Resignations Not Accepted: Sorry, Ser Jory, being a Grey Warden is for life, not just Firstday.
• Retirony: He can't wait for the war to be over so he can return home to his lovely wife and child.
• Sacrificial Lamb: His death is used to highlight the lengths a Grey Warden will go to keep the secret of the Joining.
• Signed Up for the Dental: It's made explicitly clear that he joined the Grey Wardens purely for personal glory.
• Too Dumb to Live: Drawing his sword gave Duncan an excuse to do the same, and use it, so it wasn't a good idea at all. Agree to join the Grey Wardens - for the assumed glory, not to fight the darkspawn really - when your wife and child are more important to you, and try to chicken out when you find out about the Joining.
• You Know Too Much: Duncan runs him through because he attempted to desert the Wardens after already being taken into their confidence regarding the secrets of the joining.

Daveth

Daveth

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: James Daniel Wilson (English), Alexandre Gillet (French)

"Maybe you'll die. Maybe we'll all die. If nobody stops the darkspawn, we'll die for sure."

An ex-cutpurse who was conscripted by Duncan to escape execution for his crimes. One of the three Grey Warden recruits, alongside the PC.

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• The Atoner: He was a cutpurse before being recruited, so he sees being a Warden as a second chance.
• The Charmer: He's introduced trying to flirt with a female soldier, but failing. Your female Warden is able to highlight him as such.
• Foreshadowing: Flemeth compliments his intelligence but sighs he's "irrelevant", hinting he's not long for this world. (She probably knows he can't survive the Joining.)
• Friendly Sniper: He's a jovial, boisterous fellow who specializes in archery.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: Despite being described as a cutpurse, Daveth is not a very good one; he cannot steal and is a very poor locksmith. He is unable to pick any of the locks in the Korcari Wilds area and few in the Ostagar camp. Than again this may have been the point; he was ultimately caught, and doesn't seem very old compared to some of the other characters, meaning he has not had much time
• Guest-Star Party Member: Only playable during the Korcari Wilds quests in Ostagar.
• Hidden Depths: Considering how little time he gets before his Plotline Death, Daveth manages to show a surprising amount of characterization. When you first meet him, he's a Boxed Crook who doesn't seem that happy to be press-ganged into the Wardens. He says that the only reason he's there is because the alternative was a prison cell (and probably the hangman's noose). However, he never seems to flinch in fear and trepidation the way the honorable knight Ser Jory does, and during the Joining gives a pretty good reason for any Warden to lay down their life for this cause.
• Lovable Rogue: And a surprisingly noble one. Despite making it clear he hates the law, he states clearly and determinedly that he is perfectly willing to sacrifice his life, and much more, to put an end to the Blight. Hell, he seems more determined to fight for Ferelden than Ser Jory. He does have a superstitious attitude towards magic, but he probably would have gotten over it.
• Male Gaze: Makes remarks to a female PC that he will happily watch her back.
  Female Warden: Just don't get too distracted back there.
  Daveth: I'll try to keep my wits about me!
• Must Not Die a Virgin: One of his chat up lines to a female soldier at Ostagar invokes this.
  Daveth: Life is fleeting, you know? That pretty face could be decorating some darkspawn spear this time tomorrow...
• "Not So Different" Remark: When he's done revealing his backstory, a dwarf commoner warden can remark, "Guess Duncan has a thing for street rats," pointing out their similar origins and paths into the Grey Wardens. This prompts Daveth to ask if they have a similar tale.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Jory's blue.
• Refuge in Audacity: After being saved from the hangman's noose by Duncan, he celebrated by flipping off the guard as he left.
• Refused by the Call: He dies during the Joining ritual.
• Sacrificial Lamb: His death is used to show the gamble one makes when they attempt the Joining.
• Ship Tease: Unashamedly hits on the female Warden, who can notice he's The Charmer.

Avernus

Avernus

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Martin Jarvis (English), Dominique Paturel (French)

"So the Maker told you that, did he? Short-sighted men have forbidden my research, not any god. Enough."

A Grey Warden under the command of Sophia Dryden, Avernus tried to help her defend Soldier's Peak, the Fereldan headquarters of the Wardens, from a siege by the merciless King Arland two hundred years before the events of the game. His experiments with blood magic and resistance to the taint have enabled him to extend his lifetime far beyond its normal length, but his dealings with Fade demons had terrible repercussions for his Warden brethren.

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• Age Without Youth: A combination of the taint and blood magic has extended his life by centuries, though he mentions that he will not live much longer when he is met. A diary entry found in the castle confirms he's been hearing the Calling, and putting off answering it, for a very long time.
• The Atoner: A dark take, considering that all he did was for the purpose of closing the rift in the Veil.
• Bald of Evil: Bald due to his age, but how evil he is will be up to the Warden.
• Blood Magic: Used to keep him alive so long.
• Enemy Mine: If you intend to kill him for his experiments and demon summoning, you can make it clear that you are only allied with him until all the demons are banished from Soldier's Peak.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Referenced slightly, as he indicates that while blood magic would be of little use against demons, the darkspawn taint is alien to them and thus more suited to use as a weapon.
• Evil Is Not a Toy: As he finds out when summoning a lot of demons.
• Evil Sorcerer: Anti-Villain variety.
• Face Death with Dignity: He'll accept your killing him as justice or vengeance.
• Flat-Earth Atheist: Disagrees with blood magic's immorality, claiming that men banned it, not a god.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Outright states this twice, both in regards to the Wardens' rebellion and his own actions in the aftermath:
  • Justifies the rebellion as a necessary act, as King Arland was a tyrant whose brutality was driving Ferelden into ruin.
  • Argues that the Wardens he sacrificed for his research were doomed to die anyway, and that their deaths allowed him to prevent the demons from spreading and bought him time to try and find a way to seal the Veil.
• I Was Quite a Looker: Looks pretty normal in the flashbacks, although that was over two centuries ago.
• Mad Scientist: Conducted experiments on his fellow Grey Wardens in order to increase the power of the Wardens' blood taint.
• Morality Chain: The Warden can become one for him, sparing his life and allowing him to continue his experiments, under the provision that they be conducted in an ethical manner. If so, it's revealed in Dragon Age II that he keeps his end of the bargain and has made several breakthroughs in the intervening years.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Tore the Veil, leading to everyone at Soldier's Peak (except himself) being killed by demons, instead of by King Arland's soldiers.
• Pet the Dog: His interactions with Levi, apologizing for not having any proof for him of his grandmother's heroics.
• Pride: His major flaw. One of the demons he summons even takes him to task for foolishly believing himself powerful enough to control them, having simply manipulated him into getting them across the Veil.
• Really 700 Years Old: He's over 200 years old by the time of the game. This is especially extraordinary considering he's a Grey Warden, who usually only get about thirty years before they get drawn to the Deep Roads.
• Tell Me About My Father: He provides some exposition to Levi about Sophia's heroism. He also has additional dialogue with the Human Noble, mentioning that several members of the Cousland family were executed by King Arland for taking part in the rebellion.
• Undying Loyalty: While he has no love for the demon now wearing her face, he nonetheless continues to hold Sophia Dryden's memory in high esteem, and makes it clear to Levi that even though she was forced to do some questionable things near the end, she was the hero his family believes her to be.
  Avernus: [to Levi] Your great-great-grandmother was the best of us. Brave, charismatic, fiery, utterly dedicated to the fight.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He did what he did to fight against a tyrant.

Warden-Commander Sophia Dryden

Warden-Commander Sophia Dryden

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Stephanie Wolfe

"I will inspire the Wardens, and Arland will rue the day he spared my life."

Commander of the Grey Wardens roughly two hundred years before the events of the game. Sophia was a noblewoman who was a rival with King Arland for the throne; he intended to execute her, but her popularity with her fellow nobles made it a risky prospect, so he sentenced her to become a Grey Warden instead. Charismatic, intelligent, and ruthless when necessary, she rose quickly through the ranks to the top post, then led the Wardens in an effort to oust the tyrannical Arland. She and many of her men died when Soldier's Peak was besieged.

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• Action Girl: Leader of the Grey Warden's of Soldier's Peak against King Arland.
• Action Mom: Implied; since she is Levi Dryden's great-great-grandmother, she must have had at least one son.
• Ambiguous Situation: Was she merely possessed, or did she make a deal with the demon?
• Broken Pedestal: Levi ultimately comes to see Sophia as less heroic than he originally thought.
• Combat Pragmatist: As is typical for a Grey Warden, since they're permitted to use any advantage in battle.
• Cruel Mercy: At least initially, this is how she viewed being allowed to become a Grey Warden rather than simply being executed. She would have preferred to die as a noble lady rather than become a 'monstrous nothing', which is another indication she wasn't quite the paragon of the Grey Wardens her family holds her up to be.
• Good is Not Nice: Willingly allowed Avernus to summon demons. Avernus notes that admittedly, he would have done it anyway without her approval.
• He's Back!: When Sophia joined the Wardens, two centuries had passed since the Fourth Blight and many people had begun to dismiss the Wardens as relics of a darker time in history freeloading off the kingdoms of Thedas. Sophia reversed that in Ferelden, improving their power and prestige and heavily bolstering their recruitment numbers.
• Honor Before Reason: Avernus implies that despite the things they did to try and defeat Arland (i.e., blood magic, demon summoning), Sophia still had scruples about their methods that made her refuse to use other, even more extreme measures which might have assured victory.
• Magnetic Hero: Very charismatic, enough to inspire her Wardens to defy their usual neutrality and rebel against the king.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Summoning demons to help stave off King Arland's men, only to find that it hastened her own men's demise as the demons swiftly turned on them next. Likewise, due to leading said failed rebellion against King Arland, the Grey Wardens were exiled from Ferelden for the next two hundred years. As of the time of the game, they've only been allowed back in the country for about twenty years.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: King Arland intended to execute her, but her popularity with the nobles meant she was sentenced to join the Wardens. Unfortunately, the Joining didn't kill her as he'd hoped and she ended up becoming Warden-Commander, eventually leading the Wardens and Fereldan forces in a rebellion against him.
• The Paragon Always Rebels: Avernus describes her as the best of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden. She was "brave, charismatic, fiery" but dragged most of her Wardens down with her when their rebellion failed.
• Posthumous Character: Sophia herself is long dead. Her corpse is animated by a demon.
• Rebel Leader: Led a rebellion against Arland when he proved to be a corrupt and mad tyrant.
• Rousing Speech: In one of the ghostly flashbacks, she's seen giving a beauty to her starving men, urging them not to give up.
  Sophia Dryden: Men, I won't lie to you. The situation is grim. Our forces outnumbered, our bellies empty and our hearts are sagging. But we are Wardens! Darkspawn flee when they hear our horns! Archdemons die when they taste our blades! So are we to bend knee to a mere human despot?! NO! I for one will never give up! I for one will never surrender just to dance on Arland's gallows! So I propose here and now, in these hallowed halls where generations of our brethren stood vigil against darkspawn and evil, that we send a message to that fat bastard! In this place, strong men, proud men stood defiant! And would rather die than submit to tyranny!
• Spell My Name with a "The": The demon in her body refers to itself as "This One" and its host as "The Dryden".
• The Undead: Her corpse is possessed by an unspecified demon, possibly Desire or Pride.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: She did what she had to do to fight against a tyrant.

Residents of Denerim

Shianni

Shianni

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Beth Graham

"Andraste's ass, you'd think I'd learn some social graces."

Cousin of the City Elf PC, Shianni is to be a bridesmaid at the upcoming wedding. Unfortunately, things go awry when a human nobleman arrives with his posse.

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• All There in the Manual: Shianni's backstory. She was born in Honnleath, never knew her father, and her mother died of a fever when she was six. Her uncle Cyrion had her moved to the Denerim Alienage a few days later, and she started off overwhelmed and terrified of the crowded alienage full of strangers. Eventually she came to love her new home and all the people in it, and it's why she's so protective of her people and outspoken against injustice.
• Badass Normal: Shianni is a perfectly ordinary elf woman with a fiery spirit but no combat training of note. She will willingly help the Grey Warden fight an army of monsters that send most people running. Had circumstances been different, it seems entirely possible that she, rather than a City Elf protagonist, could have been recruited as a Grey Warden and done well in her own right.
• Break the Cutie: Poor Shianni! At least by the time you meet her again in the alienage she's recovered, at least to an extent, and back to being ornery.
• Conditioned to Accept Horror: Defied. While most Denerim elves just try to keep their heads down and hope more bad things don't happen to them after Howe's purge, Shianni refuses to take any abuse lying down and never stops trying to protect her people. It's what allows her to become the new Hahren after Valendrian retires.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: She can come across pretty cold to a non-City Elf Warden when they're finally allowed into the Alienage, although she mellows if she recognizes the Warden as being the one who freed Soris from Howe's dungeon. After the Warden stops the Tevinter slavers, she apologizes.
• Desperate Plea for Home: In the City Elf origin story, you find Shianni cornered by Vaughan; she's already been raped, and it's heavily implied that the Bann's friends took turns. While Vaughan tries to bribe his way out, Shianni is in tears and begging to be taken home.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Says that as far as the others in the Alienage know, Vaughan just "roughed [her] up a bit". She's fine with that, as she doesn't want them to start treating her like some fragile doll.
• Fiery Redhead: Oh yes.
• Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: From the brief time the cousins in combat, Soris favors a sword while Shianni fights with a bow.
• Hard-Drinking Party Girl:
  • Definitely comes across as one:
    Shianni: Do you know what today is?
    Warden: Judging by your breath, it's get drunk before noon day.
  • And this later bit of dialogue.
    Warden: You'll look for any excuse to get drunk.
    Shianni: Who needs an excuse to get drunk?
• Hero-Worshipper: Towards the City Elf Warden.
  Shianni: They'll write legends about you someday. When the world was at its darkest, there you came, fire in your eyes, like something out a storybook.
• The Lad-ette: It frequently comes up how "un-ladylike" she acts.
• Nephewism: She was raised by her uncle Cyrion after her mother died when she was six.
• The Not-Love Interest: Pretty much fills this function to the Male City Elf in the Origin and even a little post-Origin. Her dialogue actually comes across as more intimate than the woman the Warden was supposed to marry, despite the fact that Shianni is supposedly one of your cousins. The fact that the Warden had only just met his prospective bride might at least explain some of that.
• Only Sane Woman: Shianni is the only alienage elf to see through the Tevinter "healers" in the Unrest in the Alienage. If playing aa City Elf, she is also one of the few elves to stand by Soris if he's blamed for Howe's purge.
• Parental Abandonment: World of Thedas II explains her mother died of a fever when she was six, and she never knew her father. As a child, Shianni liked to think he was a Dalish warrior who would come back for her one day, who was kept away by circumstances outside his control.
• Rank Up: One epilogue reveals she eventually came to lead the Alienage Elves as a popular, if outspoken, Elder.
  • Alternatively, if the City Elf Warden puts her name forward as Bann, she serves the role admirably for many years... until she tragically gets murdered by a human bigot, leading to a massive riot breaking out in the city.
• Rape as Drama: She is the only "guest" of Bann Vaughan to be raped before you get to her. It's implied that his friends took turns as well...
• Sibling Yin-Yang: Of a sort with Soris, her cousin whom she was raised alongside with by their uncle Cyrion. Shianni is fiery and outspoken, while Soris is meek and conflict-averse.
• Spirited Young Lady: Oh, yes! Unfortunately, it's what draws Vaughan to her. Fortunately, it helps her stand up for her people and helps her become the new Hahren after Valendrian retires.
• Took a Level in Badass: She can be persuaded to help fight the darkspawn that invade the Alienage in the finale. If the player's a City Elf, she volunteers.

Soris

Soris

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Josh Rubinow

"You've been my hero since we were kids, it's just official now."

Another cousin of the City Elf PC. The two were scheduled to have an arranged double wedding when Bann Vaughan came and... crashed the ceremony. He goes with the male PC (or with the bridegroom of the female PC) to save the kidnapped women.

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• All There in the Manual: Some data-mined files reveals that Soris' parents were killed in a purge several years ago, which is why he's such a Cowardly Lion.
• Ambiguously Bi: If the City Elf is female, Soris remarks that your betrothed is so dreamy and handsome that Soris would trade for him.
• Butt-Monkey: Poor guy just can't catch a break no matter what happens. If he's not imprisoned for his involvement of the (attempted) murder of Vaughn, then he'll be blamed for the purge of the Alienage afterward and be ostracized by his own people.
• Cowardly Lion: During the City Elf's rescue/escape attempt, he feels better about hiding from Vaughn than confronting him.
• Demoted to Extra: Non-City Elf Wardens will find him in Howe's dungeon. He also can't be recruited again after the City Elf Origin, since he can either be found in Howe's dungeon or hiding out in Cyrion's house.
• Freudian Excuse: He's a Cowardly Lion because his parents were killed in the last Alienage Purge before the game. He can tell a male City Elf Warden that his mother tried to escape her burning house, only for a human mob to push her back inside. It's why he's so hesitant to invoke humans' wrath and wants to avoid provoking another purge.
• Guest-Star Party Member: He joins the City Elf during his Roaring Rampage of Rescue (if he's male) or her escape (if she's female).
• Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: From the brief time the cousins join you in combat, Soris favors a sword while Shianni fights with a bow.
• Hero-Worshipper: Has shades of this towards the City Elf.
  You've been my hero since we were kids. It's just official now.
• Hot Guy, Ugly Wife: In-universe, several characters remark how homely Soris' bride Valora looks compared to him ("dying mouse"), which demonstrates how city elves without parents to advocate for them or money for a dowry end up with less ideal matches. However, Soris quickly comes to appreciate her great personality and happily settles down with her.
• Interspecies Romance: In his epilogue (City Elf PC only), he marries a human woman and has many children with her.
• Nephewism: Soris' parents were killed in a purge several years ago, so he was raised by his Uncle Cyrion.
• Non-Action Guy: When breaking out the Female City Elf, both Soris and the two guards are fully aware he's not skilled enough to fight them, so he immediately slides the sword over to his cousin instead. Cue the guards' laughter quickly dying, with them following shortly after.
• The Not-Love Interest: Like Shianni to a Male City Elf, Soris fills this role for a Female City Elf. Just before the wedding she can suggest they run away to the Dalish together, and if brought along to talk to random alienage elves he'll introduce you as the bride, before flusteredly clarifying you're the bride, not his bride.
• The Scapegoat: If the City Elf PC takes responsibility for killing Vaughan so Soris isn't locked up, then the alienage will want to blame someone after Howe purges the alienage on account of said murder. Since the PC isn't around, they turn on Soris instead.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Gender-inverted. Soris happily settles down with his wife Valora and possibly human wife in the end slides if the player is a City Elf who kept him from being arrested because he just wants to live a nice quiet life with a good woman.
• So Proud of You: Towards the City Elf for taking in all the responsibility of Vaughan's murder and then again for rescuing Cyrion from Tevinter slavers.
  Soris: You've always been my hero since we were kids. It's just official, now.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: His ending if the player is a City Elf is honestly fairly happy, considering the rest of his appearances in-game haven't been.
• Took a Level in Badass: The PC seems to be the only elf in the Alienage who has actually been trained in combat, but Soris still does his job accompanying them storming the Arl's estate.

Cyrion Tabris

Cyrion Tabris

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

"Our world is full of so many injustices."

Father of the City Elf Warden, and uncle of Shianni and Soris. Still grieving over the untimely murder of his wife Adaia, Cyrion nevertheless wishes for his child to experience the same marital bliss and arranges the upcoming wedding for them.

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• Arranged Marriage: How he met the City Elf Warden's mother, and what he arranges for them at the start of the game.
• Cool Uncle: His niece Shianni and nephew Soris both hold him in high regard. He even paid out-of-pocket to transport Shianni halfway across the country after her parents died.
• Deadpan Snarker: A potential exchange if his child saves him from slavery but allowed Vaughan to keep Shianni captive.
  Warden: I couldn't let them hurt my family.
  Cyrion: Why not? Couldn't stand the competition?
• Deliberate Values Dissonance: His support of Arranged Marriages and dismissal of a PC who expresses a desire to Marry for Love is meant to showcase the Alienage cultural attitude regarding marriage and love. That is: Marriage Before Romance.
• Doting Parent: Clearly adores his son/daughter, is noted to be fairly wealthy by Alienage standards, and uses said wealth to pay a handsome dowry for the most attractive and able match for his son/daughter.
• Everyone Has Standards: He's normally very kind, gentle, and mild-mannered, but even he is furious and disgusted by the City Elf Warden accepting Vaughan's bribe, which involves leaving the Warden's entire female wedding entourage, including their cousin Shianni and potentially their bride-to-be, to be gang-raped by Vaughan and his buddies for the night. It's hard to blame him.
• Foil:
  • To the Dalish Warden's mother, although the latter is never shown. They are both parents to an Elven Warden whose spouse was murdered by humans some time when their child was very young. However, while Mahariel's mother crossed the Despair Event Horizon and simply wandered into the woods one night to die of grief, Cyrion swallowed his grief and continued living to support his child.
  • Also to Kalah Brosca, the Dwarf Commoner's mother, who is the only other parent to survive the entire game's story. Cyrion is a doting father who fights hard to get his child a good marriage match and is relatively wealthy by Alienage standards, while Kalah is an abusive drunk entirely reliant on Rica and the Warden to support her.
  • To Elren in Dragon Age II. Both are fairly well-off by city elf standards and have a young daughter/niece kidnapped by a known human noble Serial Killer of elves. However, while Cyrion is mild-mannered and optimistic that things can improve for elves, Elren is hot-blooded and pessimistic that elves can ever receive justice. Both blow up if the Player Character spares the human noble Serial Killer, though Elren can eventually acknowledge you did what you thought was right, while Cyrion never forgives you.
• Good Parents: What he can be depending on your character's stance on their Arranged Marriage. If your Warden is okay with the Arranged Marriage, Cyrus can come across as perfectly kind, gentle, loving, and understanding.
• Happily Married: To Adaia, before her untimely death.
• I Have No Son!: If you accept Vaughan's bribe.
• The Lost Lenore: Adaia.
• Love at First Sight: With Adaia, his wife-to-be.
  Cyrion: I was ready to hunt for the Dalish until I saw Adaia.
• The Mourning After: Adaia's death hit him pretty hard.
• Nephewism: Raised his niece Shianni since her mother died of a fever when she was six, and his nephew Soris since the latter's parents were killed in a purge ten years before the start of the game.
• Non-Action Guy: Doesn't seem to know any combat, even though his wife did and child still does.
• Open-Minded Parent: Seems pretty okay with his kid (of either gender) knowing how to fight, despite how it's seen as the mark of a troublemaker for most of the Alienage. Also supports them becoming a Grey Warden and running around saving the world, though he is saddened that it means the PC has to leave home.
• Outliving One's Offspring: Spends most of the game believing he did after being told all the Grey Wardens perished at Ostagar. Can do so for real if the PC chooses to perform the Ultimate Sacrifice.
• Parental Substitute: He raised his niece Shianni alongside his own child after her parents died.
• Parents as People: What he can be depending on your character's stance on their Arranged Marriage. If the Warden does not want to get married, Cyrion can come across as well-meaning but infuriating for forcing you into a marriage you don't want just because it happened to work out for him and Adaia.
• Parents in Distress: Gets captured by Tevinter slavers and has to be rescued by his child. Although said child can opt to let the slavers take him or sacrifice him in a stat-boosting blood magic ritual if the player so chooses. If the PC is not a City Elf, then they need to rescue Valendrian instead.
• Perfectly Arranged Marriage: With Adaia. Also what he tries to do for his kid.
• Rank Up: If the CE Warden chooses to perform the Ultimate Sacrifice, King Alistair/Queen Anora will name him Bann of the Denerim Alienage in their memory.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Readily agrees to allow Nessa to stay in his home (even if the PC arranges it without telling him) to save her from the risk of getting raped by soldiers when her family goes to work at Ostagar. He still won't let the PC off the hook regarding their Arranged Marriage, though.
• So Proud of You: No matter what the City Elf Warden accomplishes, ^note agreeing to go through with the Arranged Marriage, saving the women from Vaughan, getting conscripted into the Grey Wardens, returning to save the Alienage, saving Ferelden from the Blight, and getting an Elven Bann elected Cyrion glows with pride. (The one exception is if you leave the women in the hands of Vaughan, but then Everyone Has Standards.)
• This Is Unforgivable!: If the City Elf Warden accepts Vaughan's bribe, Cyrion never forgives them. Even rescuing Cyrion from slavery doesn't cancel out leaving all the women in your wedding entourage to be gang-raped by Vaughan and his men.
  Warden: I just saved you from slavery!
  Cyrion: And you think that makes everything all right?!
• Wealthy Philanthropist: By city elf standards, anyway. He's noted to be fairly wealthy compared to those around the alienage, and is always willing to help an elf in need. In the game, he's readily willing to take in Nessa to save her from certain rape at Ostagar, takes in Soris if the Alienage blames him for Howe's purge, and The World of Thedas: Volume 2 reveals that he paid to have Shianni moved from Southern Ferelden to the Denerim Alienage after her parents died when she was a little girl, and even gave her his own child's stuffed Mabari doll to comfort her.

Alarith

Alarith

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Gideon Emery

"Don't be a stranger!"

An escaped Tevinter slave, and shopkeeper in the Alienage.

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• Bystander Syndrome: He tends to keep to himself in his shop, and not get involved in the drama and hullabaloo surrounding the alienage.
• Foil: To Fenris in Dragon Age II. Not only are they voiced by the same actor, both are escaped Tevinter elven slaves who fled to Southern Thedas to start a new life. However, while Alarith happily settled in the Alienage to open a shop, Fenris despises the company of all fellow elves, and remains a mercenary.
• Friend in the Black Market: Never stated, but his character file says he runs a dry-goods store and is an occasional smuggler. It might explain why his shop is well-stocked even after a year-long purge and plague.
• Idiot Ball: Despite being a former Tevinter slave, Alarith fully believes the Tevinter "healers" are there to help during Unrest in the Alienage, and doesn't understand why Shianni is so against them. Come on Alarith, you of all people should know (better than anyone) why Tevinter mages taking random elves in back (never to be seen again) can't be trusted!
• I Just Want to Be Free: While most alienage elves are pretty discontent with the poverty and discrimination they face, Alarith is perfectly happy since he used to be a Tevinter slave. He even touts the alienage as "everything that is worth fighting for" to a Male Warden in the City Elf Origin.
• Jerkass Ball: Despite being otherwise a nice guy, he will be very abrasive towards a Human Noble or Human Magi Warden unless they save the alienage from the Tevinter slavers. It's understandable considering everything the alienage went through by the hands of humans.
• Mr. Exposition: If the Warden is a City Elf, then Alarith can bring them up to speed of what's been going on since they left in Unrest in the Alienage. He can also potentially be the one to explain the Dalish to a male City Elf in the Origin.
• Nice Guy: He's fairly laid-back and easy-going. Tends to avoid the drama that surrounds the alienage. He's also the only member of the Alienage (besides Shianni and Cyrion) who didn't blame Soris for the purge if the Warden saved him from going to prison.
• Retroactive Recognition: invoked An escaped Tevinter elven slave who tries to make a new life for himself in Southern Thedas? He's basically pre-DA2 Fenris. Heck, they even share the same voice actor!
• Screw You, Elves!: Refreshingly averted. He was almost caught by slave hunters as he fled Tevinter, but was saved by the Dalish. He opted not to join them, but doesn't bear them any ill will either. Their lifestyle simply isn't for him, and he far prefers life in the Alienage.
• This Is Unforgivable!: If you accepted Vaughan's bribe to keep the female elven "guests" or let Caladrius take the elves as slaves or sacrifice them in a blood ritual, Alarith's shop remains closed to you.

Slim Couldry

Slim Couldry

Appears in: Origins | Deception

Voiced by: Jamie Glover

"Those noble ponces won't have the last laugh, eh?"

A fence who assists Wardens with certain skillsets (stealing and/or stealth) in quests involving robbing varous nobles who Slim thinks deserves it. He is elf-blooded and grew up in the Alienage. According to Slim, he has a huge family consisting of fifteen cousins. Slim is also a very devout Andrastian.

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• Ambiguous Situation: He mentions growing up in the alienage, though whether he was adopted, had an elven parent, or even elven grandparent (due to the One-Drop Rule) is not confirmed. He also mentions having a huge family with fifteen cousins, though whether this is another large typical elven family or human relatives isn't confirmed.
• Bait-and-Switch: Given his extreme hatred of nobles and his seeming entitlement to "take back," the Warden can express skepticism that their final heist of "Andraste's Tears" will really be donated to the Chantry. However, if they perform the quest it goes off without a hitch, revealing that Slim Couldry was sincere in his desire to take a priceless Andrastian relic and donate it back to the people, not just sell it and pocket the money for himself.
• Berserk Button: He's pretty friendly and cordial, though just mentioning oppressive nobles gets him so hot under the collar he can barely contain his rage.
• Foil:
  • To Sera in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Both are karmic thieves who share an intense hatred of nobles who oppress the common folk, and are both strongly Andrastian. However, while Slim is an elf-blooded human who is proud to grow up in the Alienage, Sera is a full-blooded elf who is ashamed of her elven heritage.
  • To Michel de Chevin in The Masked Empire. Both are elf-blooded human men who grew up in the alienage. However, while Slim is proud to grow up in the alienage and wants to get back at those noble bastards who oppress his people, Michel is ashamed of his elven parentage and tries to pass as fully human noble-born.
• Half-Human Hybrid: It's strongly implied that he's an elf-blooded human (though whether he has a human and elf parent, or just one human grandparent, isn't confirmed), but he's very proud to grow up in the Alienage.
  Growing up in the Alienage you want to believe in something. Something that explains the suffering. I have faith, not everyone does.
• Ironic Name: His name is "Slim" yet he's pretty portly.
• Karmic Thief: He wants to get back at those noble bastards who oppress the common folk.
  I know I'm a criminal—but I fight the bastards that oppress my people with the skills the Maker gave me.

Elva

Elva

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Salli Saffioti

"At least I still have my dignity!"

An embittered Elven woman living in the Alienage. She is the only elf who is unfriendly to a City Elf Warden, even going so far as to rat him / her out to the guards.

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• Asshole Victim: She falls victim to the “plague”.
• Dirty Coward: While everyone else in the Alienage remains mum on who killed the Arl’s son, even under threat of a purge, Elva immediately rats out the City Elf warden to save her own skin.
• The Resenter: Elva is bitter because you are getting married to a good looking partner, while her own husband is according to her, a useless drunk.
• Sexless Marriage: She complains that her husband is old, reeks of the dock and “doesn’t know what to do with a woman even when he is sober”

Marjolaine

Marjolaine

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Kath Soucie

"Oh, Leliana, do you even know why you excelled in the arts I taught you? It's because you loved the game, you loved the power it gave you."

An Orlesian Bard and Leliana's former friend/lover and mentor. She is a key figure in Leliana's past.

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• Archenemy: To Leliana.
• Arc Villain: Of the DLC Leliana's Song.
• Arc Words: From Leliana's Song: "We are the same, you and I."
• Artificial Stupidity: Her "Captivating Song" ability continually stuns everyone in the immediate vicinity, making it quite lethal when there's backup around to take care of the damage-dealing part of combat. If you fight her, it's quite possible to lure her away from her lackeys, and she continues to sing the song even as you whale her to death at your leisure.
• Broken Pedestal: She taught Leliana all she knew about the game before betraying her.
• Distracted by the Sexy: Uses this to distract a guard in the Leliana's Song DLC.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: She spies on Leliana during her five years in the Chantry and then goes after her the moment she leaves because she figures the only thing Leliana could possibly be doing all that time is plotting for and then setting out to seek revenge on her, because it's what she would have done.
  • Leliana's Song reveals that the whole reason Marjolaine betrayed her in the first place was because she was convinced Leliana would betray her first, because it's what she would have done, so she did it first.
  • Marjolaine just cannot comprehend that Leliana was genuinely loyal to and in love with her in the past, sincere in her devotion to the Chantry, and earnest in stopping the Blight, because Marjolaine wouldn't be, in her shoes.
• Evil Counterpart: To Leliana, obviously.
• Evil Former Friend: Used to be Leliana's mentor, best friend, and lover until Marjolaine ultimately betrayed her.
• Evil Mentor: She taught Leliana everything she knew about being a bard and betrays her the moment she becomes inconvienent.
• French Jerk: Or the Orlesian equivalent thereof.
• It's All About Me: She's convinced that, even after years, she's still Leliana's top priority. It doesn't occur to her that she might be less important than a Blight ravaging the country.
• Karma Houdini: If the Warden convinces Leliana not to fight her, Marjolaine will get away with her crimes scot-free.
• Manipulative Bastard: Obvious enough in the base game, but Leliana's Song takes it into overdrive.
  • Toward the end of the DLC, it's implied that she seduced a Chantry sister in order to achieve one of her goals. Said Chantry sister is now the Divine Justinia.
• "Not So Different" Remark: She insists Leliana is just like her. You are given the option of convincing Leliana either way.
• Psychological Projection: Towards Leilana; see the Evil Cannot Comprehend Good and Screw Yourself entries for how she views her pupil. Basically everything she ever does is based on the assumptions that Leilana thinks exactly like her.
• Saved by Canon: Marjolaine is alive in the main game of Dragon Age: Origins and so in the prequel Leliana's Song she's guaranteed to survive, with Leliana refusing to kill her at the end to prove that she's better than her.
• Screw Yourself: Downplayed, but several times in Leliana's Song she emphasizes how exactly the same she and Leliana are, and always when she's the most purring and seductive. In the end, Leliana eventually has to tell her that she is not her mirror. It's implied that the only reason Marjolaine was ever attracted to Leliana was because she saw her as a reflection of herself.
• Skippable Boss: You can persuade her to go away and never bother Leliana again instead of fighting her if you wish.
• Smug Snake: Very narcissistic, arrogant, and cruel.
• Terms of Endangerment: Calls her former lover "my Leliana" in a way that makes it sound very coldly possessive.
• Treacherous Advisor: Became one to Leliana over the course of Leliana's Song.
• The Unfettered: Unlike Leliana, she has absolutely no scruples whatsoever. Which says something when you consider that even though Leliana admits she was a bard and assassin, she utterly refused to get involved in political espionage.

Wade and Herren

Wade and Herren

Appears in: Origins | Awakening | Inquisition^note War table

Voiced by: Pat Fraley (Wade) & Cam Clarke (Herren)

Herren: Customers expect their armor in a timely fashion. Not years late like the last time—
Wade: That happened once, just once, and you never let it drop!

One of the greatest blacksmiths in Ferelden, Wade is an obsessive perfectionist whose attention to detail nearly forced him into destitution. Herren is a skilled merchant and the manager of Wade's shop; under his guidance, Wade's armor shop has become a profitable enterprise. However, Wade has a tendency to ignore his commissioned orders if a customer approaches him with materials of superior quality, much to Herren's chagrin. In the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC, Herren is a Desire Demon, although since the DLC takes place in an Alternate Universe, this is not canon. The two return in Awakening and set up shop at the Vigil.

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• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Wade will drop everything when he finds something interesting to craft.
• Camp: Wade, despite his appearance and stereotypically Testosterone Poisoning trade as a blacksmith, is very flamboyant and speaks with a campy voice inflection, specially in Awakening.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: Wade gets totally lost in his art.
• Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Herren, who openly admits that his forcing Wade to actually charge for his services is the only reason he still has a business, a roof over his head, and food to eat!
• Deadpan Snarker: Herren.
• Large Ham: Wade.
• Like an Old Married Couple: With good reason.
• Nice to the Waiter: Despite Herren eventually banning the Warden from the store, they show up again in Awakening to open up shop in Vigil's Keep. According to Wade, the money they were given by the crown had a lot to do with their decision.
  • Another interpretation is that Herren realised that without the Warden's trade, they were losing a lot of business, since the Warden's high status in Fereldan society ensured a lot of free promotion for Wade's craftsmanship, not to mention that Vigil's Keep is positioned right in the middle of the main road that conects Amaranthine City with Denerim (two of Ferelden's major cities, with Denerim being the capital; both also being the main religion's prophet's birthplace and the place where she sung the Chant of Light for the first time). Alternatively, since we saw the darkspawn do a lot of damage to the market district during the Battle of Denerim, it's very possible that their shop was destroyed. Alternatively, being in a keep habitated mainly by Grey Wardens and soldiers, working as a blacksmith means a lot of work, and the wardens' constant travels to the Deep Roads means them finding rare materials for Wade to work with.
• Oh, Crap!: Herren, whenever the Warden brings Wade something rare that he will drop everything in the store to craft instead. Eventually, Herren outright bans the Warden from his store.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Herren won't let Wade live down an incident when an order was years late.
  Herren: People expect their orders in a timely fashion, not years late like the last time.
  Wade: That happened once, just once, and you've never let it drop!
• Permanently Missable Content: Don't have Wade complete a second set of drakescale armor if you ever want to shop with them again.
• Pitbull Dates Puppy: Downplayed - Herren is usually the pit bull, and Wade usually is the puppy, but Wade will override Herren's business decisions if he thinks a client's order is sufficiently interesting or unique.
• Straight Man: Herren.
• Talker and Doer: Herren and Wade, respectively.
• This Is Gonna Suck: If a dwarf Warden says that dwarven projects can take centuries to complete, Herren is already dreading how Wade is going to be weaponizing that.
  Herren: Thank you, dwarf. Your fine point has made my life so much richer.
• Those Two Guys: They're always seen together.
• Ultimate Blacksmith: Wade. He provides/forges you the best armor in Origins, and the Infinity +1 Sword in Awakening.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Though they clearly care about one another, Wade is unhappy that Herren doesn't respect his artistry, while Herren gets angry when Wade doesn't charge for his work.
• The Wonka: Wade.

Brother Ferdinand Genitivi

Brother Ferdinand Genitivi

Appears in: Origins | Tevinter Nights

Voiced by: Jason Singer

"There was a passage in one of the books I read... how some of Andraste's followers gave their lives to the fire, to become Her eternal guardians. Isn't that beautiful?"

A Brother of the Andrastian Chantry who lives in the Market District of Denerim, Genitivi is one of the Chantry's foremost scholars and the in-universe author of a great many of the entries in the codex relating to the history, culture, and folklore of Ferelden. He's not encountered in the flesh until relatively late in the game, but once the Warden does meet him, he plays a major part in the search for the Urn of Sacred Ashes, on which he is a renowned expert.

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• Absent-Minded Professor: Gets distracted easily when inside the Temple housing the Urn of Sacred Ashes.
• Already Undone for You: Given that he's a not much good in a fight, it may seem like something of a mystery how Genitivi manages to get as close to the location of the Urn as he does, since the Warden has to deal with all manner of difficulties in reaching him. Truth is, he only gets there because the Cultists kidnap him and drag him to Haven to be sacrificed.
• Always Someone Better: According to The World of Thedas, Genitivi's book In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar was the single most widely-read book outside of Tevinter right up until 9:36 Dragon, when Hard in Hightown overtook it and made Varric Tethras the best-selling author in Thedas.
• Covert Pervert: An extremely covert one. You don't know this unless you read Tevinter Nights, but Genitivi is actually the writer behind The Randy Dowager Quarterly!
• A Day in the Limelight: Alongside a few of his fellow Chantry scholars in one of the stories in Tevinter Nights.
• Deadpan Snarker: He makes a few quips here or there about politics and Haven.
• Gentleman and a Scholar: He lightens the mood for just about anything, even his own leg injury.
• Killed to Uphold the Masquerade: Genitivi wants to essentially turn Andraste's Ashes into a tourist attraction. One of your options is to throw a dagger into the back of his head.
• The Münchausen: He has a reputation as a teller of tall tales, or at the very least a serial exaggerator, but in regards to the Urn he's telling the truth.
• Non-Action Guy: As he says himself, he's a scholar, not a fighter.
• Renaissance Man: Judging from the excerpts of his writings you get to read, he's an expert on Ferelden's history, art, literature, religion, and culture, if not more.
• Walking the Earth: In his travels he's covered the length and breadth of Thedas, and even spent time in Orzammar to study the culture of the dwarves. He's also had some (limited) interaction with the Qunari whilst he was in Rivain, though he admits he wasn't able to study them closely.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: If he's not Killed to Uphold the Masquerade, it's noted in Dragon Age: Inquisition that he has disappeared in the intervening years between the first and third games. Tevinter Nights reveals that he's still around.

Goldanna

Goldanna

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Belinda Cornish

"Who in the Maker's name are you?"

A laundress in Denerim. Visiting and meeting her is vital to Alistair's character development.

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• All Take and No Give: From Alistair's perspective, all she wants from him is his money, but won't offer so much as a kind word or hint of thanks in return. (Unless a male Warden makes a high persuasion check to soften her a bit.)
  • Interestingly, from Goldanna's perspective, Alistair took her mother from her and left her impoverished while he lived it up as a wealthy noble and illustrious Grey Warden, and now shows up rubbing his success in her face instead of helping her.
• Babies Make Everything Better: Inverted. A baby, as far as Goldanna is concerned, is what made her life hell. Not to mention she has "five mouths to feed."
• Dark and Troubled Past: Goldanna was orphaned as a child and has had to make her own way ever since. The circumstances of her being orphaned have left her quite jaded.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Though she acts like a bitch on the surface, if your Warden is male and has a high enough persuasion skill, you can open a line of dialogue that reveals her to be more tired and jaded by her life than anything, and not wholly opposed to having a relationship with her brother.
• Disappeared Dad: It's never stated who her father is, or if she even knows.
• Entitled Bastard: No matter how much money or favors Alistair gives her, she just continues to insult and accuse him of ruining her life while implying he owes her more, till eventually Alistair gives up and regrets ever giving her anything.
• Fantastic Racism: She's a Denerim human, what do you expect?
  Goldanna: (to an Elven Warden) Who're you, then? Some elf to carry his riches?
• Female Misogynist: Implied. Only a male Warden can defrost her (and only with a really high persuasion check); otherwise she just throws shade at a female Warden (and potentially slut-shames her) along with Alistair.
• Gold Digger: Certainly acts like one. The Warden can remark to Alistair that "It seems like all she wants is your money," and Alistair can even call her a "gold-digging harridan" after the meeting.
• Long-Lost Relative: Alistair's long lost sister. Not really, but she believes she is and so does Alistair.
• Maternal Death? Blame the Child!: Blames Alistair for her mother's death, since the story is she died giving birth to him. Not really, but they believe it.
• Missing Mom: She was cut loose from the Arl of Redcliffe's estate after the death of her mother.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: While not a villain, she is pretty antagonistic toward Alistair, and very bigoted toward a female, elven, mage, or dwarf Warden who accompanies him.
• Revealing Cover Up: Knows that the baby brother she was told died in childbirth survived and was of noble blood because "thems at the castle" made a huge show of paying her off and chasing her out to shut her mouth. When the "royal bastard" Alistair turns up at her doorstep claiming to be her brother, she's not surprised. Subverted when it turns out "thems at the castle" deliberately invoked this trope to hide his true parentage. The World of Thedas books reveal that Goldanna's mother and baby brother really did die in childbirth, but Eamon doctored the records to make it look like the baby brother was actually Alistair.
• Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: She's related to the bastard son of King Maric. Or so they've both been led to believe.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Only appears briefly in a single sidequest, but said sidequest can result in a personality change of Alistair and how he fares in the final section of the game.
• Textile Work Is Feminine: She runs a laundry service to support her family.
• Too Many Babies: Implied; she remarks that she has "five mouths to feed," although whether this means that she has five children or if she's including her husband and herself in the count is unclear. Either way, she seems to have a rough time keeping food on the table.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Unless your Warden is male and makes a very high persuasion check to defrost her, Goldanna just demands more money and support from Alistair, and remains critical and ungrateful no matter how much he gives her.
• Unreliable Expositor: The holes in her story are the result of either this or a Retcon. Her story in World of Thedas has the Redcliffe authorities taking more steps to provide for her welfare after her mother's death than originally implied, and her reasons for believing her mother was pregnant with Maric's child turn out to be tenuous.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Her fate during and after the Battle of Denerim is never revealed in the game. However, the second volume of World of Thedas states that an inquest was held regarding Alistair's paternity, and that Goldanna testified at that inquest, so she evidently survived.

Sergeant Kylon

Sergeant Kylon

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Mark Hildreth

"I said beat down, not kill. Let me make that really clear. Not on fire, or exploded, or Maker knows whatever type of grisly death you can dream up. ... Sorry, used to giving orders to my boys."

The chief of the guards on the Market Place of Denerim. He provides the Warden with minor quests to help improve the security in Denerim.

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• Beleaguered Bureaucrat: Between having moronic bastards of noblemen nepotistically foisted upon him as personnel and Howe's "help" often being comprised of people he would have been arresting previously, Sarge has his hands full.
• Bullying a Dragon: Defied. He flat out admits to the Warden that, even if he did believe Loghain's story, he would still not bother trying to arrest them, seeing as how he has no chance and his men are incompetent cowards. When he witnesses mercenaries actually assaulting the Warden, he is amazed by their idiocy.
  Sergeant Kylon: And people actually voluntarily attack you? Are they just stupid?
• Deadpan Snarker: He delivers some enjoyable snark about the idiocy of his bastard men.
  Sergeant Kylon: If I send some of my boys here, one of them might get, Maker forbid that, hurt, and I would have to explain his noble father being a guard actually is dangerous.
• Dual Wielding: He fights with a sword and a hand axe.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Loghain can order the Warden dead all he wants; Kylon isn't going to fight them. The Warden not feeling like curbstomping him on sight is enough of a win for him, thanks.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: He makes it quite clear he doesn't believe Loghain's version of what happened in Ostagar. Plus, if you help him deal with crime in Denerim, he promises to spread the good word about the Wardens to counteract the propaganda Loghain and his allies are spewing.
• Suicidal Overconfidence: Defied. He's not going to attack you even if you're a wanted criminal; he likes his head where it is, thank you kindly. He's really unimpressed by your other enemies who do embody the trope and attack you despite your record of badassery.
• Surrounded by Idiots: Due to his job not being taken seriously by the nobility, his men are almost all bastard sons of nobles who were sent here to have a safe job and as such are untrained and irresponsible. To say this annoys him would be putting it lightly.

Master Ignacio

Master Ignacio

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Dan Hildebrand

"Ferelden is a busy place: Blight, civil war, other mayhem. Lots of people not getting along. Sometimes, they really don't get along; maybe you want to do something about it."

An Antivan merchant working in the Denerim marketplace. He's actually an agent of the Antivan Crows that offers the Warden some assassination sidequests in exchange for a favor.

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• Affably Evil: Despite being an assassin, he is undeniably polite toward the Warden, unless provoked.
• Murder, Inc.: He represents the Antivan Crows in Ferelden, and provides you with assassination missions for them.
• Noble Demon: Should you complete his questline, he will reward you and leave without backstabbing you, promising the Crows won't be after you anymore (save for Taliesen, who has his own agenda) and offering you an invitation to Antiva should you ever consider a career in their ranks. You actually have the option to express surprise about not being double-crossed.
  • Also, if you flat-out refuse to assist him, he apologizes and never bothers you again. No harm, no foul.
  • If Zevran is in your party at any point when you talk to him, he politely pretends not to know anything about it.
• Nothing Personal: How he justifies the Antivan Crows trying to murder the Warden if confronted about it; as far as he is concerned, this was just business, and the one in charge of that contract was a different member, so he isn't concerned himself and sees no problem with negotiating with the Warden.
• Not So Stoic: He stays very civil and polite for most of the conversations, though Zevran can get him to become threatening with a comment. The Warden can also wear away his patience by refusing to engage in Spy Speak long enough, till he finally loses his temper.
  Master Ignacio: All right, yes! You kill them, look in the bleeding chest! Happy? Everything clear?! Now if you don't mind...
• Pragmatic Villainy: The reason he decides to approach the Warden; after Zevran's failed attempt to murder him, he decides it's best to have such a fearsome person as an ally rather than a foe. He also mentions to Zevran that he never would have accepted a contract on a Grey Warden himself, since he knows attacking members of an order specifically known for being fearsome warriors would be suicide. He also notes that the previous murder attempt was only accepted because the Crows thought Loghain was a better bet than the Warden was to defeat the Blight, as it's considered poor form to assassinate a Grey Warden.
• Spy Speak: He expresses himself entirely in this way when giving his quests to ensure nobody catches him.

Taliesin

Taliesin

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Gideon Emery

"You can return with me, Zevran. I know why you did this, and I don't blame you. It's not too late. Come back with me, and we'll make up a story."

An Antivan Crow under House Arainai, and Zevran's old partner. Encountered in the Denerim back alleys during the Landsmeet, if Zevran is in your party. He is here to complete Zevran's mission of killing you, and convince Zevran to return to Antiva with him by turning on you. Depending on your Relationship Values with Zevran, he may agree with Taliesin to turn on you, opt not to fight, or fight Taliesin beside you.

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• The Big Guy: The World Of Thedas: Volume II reveals that he was this in in a team of three with Zevran and Rinna when they were all still with the Crows.
• Bury Your Gays: His past relationship with Zevran is not officially revealed to the player unless Zevran sides with you, after Taliesin is dead.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The World Of Thedas: Volume II confirms that he was in a happy polyamorous relationship with Zevran and Rinna, until the Crows tricked the men into killing her. When he finds out Zevran survived his encounter with the Warden, he immediately comes to finish the job and offer Zevran a chance to come home.
• Depraved Bisexual: Being a Crow, his bisexuality is all but a given. Unlike Zevran, he's utterly ruthless.
• Foregone Conclusion: From the moment he declares his intention to kill you, you know it's going to be a short fight. Whether Zevran joins him or not is up to him.
• Love Cannot Overcome: Zevran admits that they were lovers and he still has feelings for him, but it wasn't enough to overcome his guilt and despair over killing Rinna; nor enough to convince him to turn on you if his friendship or relationship with the Warden is strong enough.
• Polyamory: The World Of Thedas: Volume II confirms that Zevran, Taliesin, and Rinna were in an open polyamorous relationship.
• Toxic Friend Influence: To Zevran. In the past, he encouraged Zevran to execute Rinna without hearing her out. In the present, he encourages Zevran to betray and kill you so he can return to the Crows. If the Warden hasn't befriended him, Zevran will (try to) take him up on the offer.
• Walking Spoiler: Since his presence and backstory are closely tied to Zevran's Character Development.
• We Used to Be Friends: With Zevran, if the latter declines his offer to return to the Crows.

Isabela

Isabela

Appears in: Origins | Dragon Age II | The Silent Grove | Those Who Speak | Until We Sleep | Inquisition

Voiced by: Mika Simmons (Origins), Victoria Kruger (Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition) (English)^{Foreign VAs} Bianca Krahl (German)

"Everyone should be free, not just mages. It's not about who's dangerous. It's about having choices made for you."

A pirate captain who can only be found in The Pearl, a brothel in Denerim. She's only a minor character in the first game, although she is the only person who can teach the Warden the "Duelist" specialization.

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See more information about her in this page.

Residents of Redcliffe

Lloyd

Lloyd

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: David Rintoul

"So, what'll it be? You are here to drink, I hope?"

The owner and keeper of the Redcliffe tavern. He has a reputation as being a sleazy businessman, and, much to the disgust of the townsfolk, keeps charging for ale even during Redcliffe's undead crisis and refuses to join the militia.

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• Dirty Coward: Freely admits to being so; he locks himself in the cellar of his tavern rather than join the militia with all the other grown men. Conscripting him can earn approval from some companions, but he's absolutely useless in the battle and will almost certainly get killed unless the player babysits him.

  Redcliffe Militiaman: Ha! I've seen Lloyd handle a sword. He should stick to something he knows about.

• Fat Bastard: A portly fellow (one of the few NPC's to use the fat-man model) and a sleazy, cowardly profiteer.
• Hated by All: No one has a very high opinion of him, from Ser Perth calling him a "profiteer and nothing more" to Murdock advising against trusting him to Bella's unpleasant description of working with him. If you straight-up murder him in his own tavern, you only get some minor disapproval from a few of the companions, and Bella will say she "didn't see anything." No one else brings him up afterwards.

  Warden: I call it taking out the trash.

Murdock

Murdock

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Robin Sachs

"We aren't gonna turn aside anyone who wants to help, though. Don't take me for being an ingrate or nothin'."

The mayor of Redcliffe village and commander of the militia. Should the Warden choose to help defend the town, they coordinate with him in getting the militia their necessary equipment and recruiting extra fighters.

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• Home Guard: As mayor of the village, he also commands the town militia.
• Killed Off for Real: He can die in the battle during the quest "The Attack at Nightfall," or if the Warden refuses to defend the village (in which case he'll come back as a walking corpse).
• Undying Loyalty: Very devoted to Redcliffe and Arl Eamon; once Redcliffe is saved, he intends to join the arl's army to fight the darkspawn. He rebuffs the Warden's attempts to recruit him, saying he'll only fight for the arl he's lived under his whole life.

Owen

Owen

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Adam Leadbeater

"Care to join me as I get besotted?"

The blacksmith of the village, who initially refuses to repair the militia's equipment; his daughter, Valena, works in the castle and he doesn't know if she's alive or dead.

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• Achilles in His Tent: Because Murdock refused to lead a fruitless attack on the castle to rescue Valena, Owen locks himself in his smithy and refuses to repair the militia's armor and weapons. It's the player's job to convince him otherwise (or kill him and take some serviceable reserve equipment he kept hidden).
• The Blacksmith: His job, and he's a damn good one if Murdock is to be believed.
  Murdock: Damn fool is falling over drunk and still manages to make smithing look easy. Good enough, I say.
• Driven to Suicide: If the player agrees to help find Valena but doesn't manage to, he'll say she must be dead and give them a helmet of his own crafting. He then hangs himself.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Several characters will remark on the stench of alcohol in his smithy; his grief over losing his wife and not knowing what happened to his daughter drives him to it.

The Circle of Magi

First Enchanter Irving

First Enchanter Irving

Appears in: Origins | Asunder

Voiced by: Steve Blum

"We should seize moments of levity, especially in troubled times."

The First Enchanter of the Circle of Magi, Irving is a prominent and powerful mage who tries to compromise with the Templars and ensure that both sides of the conflict receive fair judgment.

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• The Archmage: The oldest and most powerful mage in the Fereldan Circle.
• Badass Bookworm: His office is also his personal library of magic and forbidden knowledge.
• Berserk Button: He is not happy when the Demon in Connor's mind tries to make a deal.
• The Chessmaster:
  • Codex entries suggest he deliberately manipulates his students in order to expose "deviant traits" early on.
  • Should you tell him about Jowan's plan, he sets things up so that Lily will also be incriminated, both to remind the Chantry of their fallibility and ensure Jowan doesn't suffer alone. If you call this ruthless, he just reminds you who his opposite numbers are.
• Cool Old Guy: He's very kind and friendly to his apprentices, although he has a ruthless side.
• Creepy Monotone: He speaks in a heavy, gargled hagger.
• Deadpan Snarker: Mainly towards Greagoir. Also when he snarkily wonders who thought it was a good idea to put the Circle of Magi in a tower with so many stairs, given the age of some of the Mages (including him).
• Feeling Their Age: "Maker, I'm too old for this." It doesn't impede his badassitude one bit.
• Guest-Star Party Member: If he's the one to confront Connor Guerrin's demon.
• The Mentor: Is this to the Mage Warden. Irving gives some good last minute advice before the Harrowing and later does as much as he can to defend you to Greagoir. It's implied numerous times that Irving took on the Mage Warden as his personal apprentice; apparently he talks up a storm about his star pupil to others, as Duncan recognises you pretty much immediately, Wynne has heard about your "remarkable self-confidence," and even Loghain has heard of you and concedes it's impressive to be so well regarded by the First Enchanter at such a young age. Whether he lives or dies is entirely up to you, though. In the novels' canon, he lives past the events of the sequel.
• Parental Substitute: It's implied that the Mage Warden regards him as such.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: When the Warden tells him about Connor's possession, Irving immediately gathers a group of mages and heads forth to Castle Redcliffe.
• The Red Mage: Irving uses a vast mixture of spells from the various schools of magic. Lightning spells from the Primal tree, the Hex line from the Entropy tree, Glyph spells and Heal spells from the Creation tree.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: If he's chosen to go into the Fade to save Connor, he gives a very satisfying one to the demon.
  Irving: Do you think me a FOOL?!
• So Proud of You: To the Mage Warden after they defeat the Archdemon. Irving says he never imagined the day when people would be celebrating in the street and singing the praises of a mage as their national hero.
• Squishy Wizard: Like most mages who are playable at any point, he doesn't have much health or armor.
• The Stoic: No matter the situation, he's very nonchalant about it.
• To Be Lawful or Good: Lawful. While he genuinely cares for the mages in his charge, he reluctantly goes along with Greagoir's plan to have Jowan made Tranquil on suspicion of blood magic. The best he can do is ensure that the Chantry also gets egg on its face.
  Irving: Were it up to me, things might be different. But the Chantry...
• Unwitting Pawn: To Uldred, who attained high influence with the First Enchanter simply because he had an unerring eye for catching blood mages. Irving was so focused on this that he never investigated further; those blood mages were underlings whom Uldred sacrificed so that the rest of his associates could operate unhindered.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Apparently, he and Knight-Commander Greagoir aren't entirely unfriendly, despite their frequently clashing opinions. Their reunion after the mages are saved is genuinely warm, though Irving jokes that they'll be at each other's throats again before too long.
• Wizard Classic: Complete with a traditional Wizard Beard.

Knight-Commander Greagoir

Knight-Commander Greagoir

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Brian George

"It is the innocent folk of Ferelden who matter. I would lay down my life, and the life of any mage, to protect them."

Leader of the Templars in the Circle tower. Greagoir is unpopular with most of the mages for his strict and uncompromising attitude, but is not entirely unmovable. Wynne says that he is not an unreasonable man.

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• By-the-Book Cop: A law abiding Templar.
• Da Chief: To Cullen, should the player side with the mages.
• Dating Catwoman: Quite possibly with Wynne in their youth. Greagoir's entry in The World of Thedas Vol. II lines up suspiciously well with an unsigned letter written by Rhys's father.
• Disappeared Dad: Greagoir is heavily implied to be Rhys's father, and he was never given a chance to see his son.
• Enemy Mine: With the Mage Warden. He's the first to protest when Duncan recruits you to save you from execution if you have helped Jowan, but will still cooperate with you to deal with the crisis when you come back.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He supports the Chantry's hard-line stance against magic and keeps the mages locked up in the Tower where he can keep an eye on them, but he's not so unreasonable as to persist with the Annulment once given the all-clear, and much of what he does is out of a sense of duty to his position.
• Knight Templar:
  • Based on the above quote, he has a pretty clear line between "innocents" and "mages". While he's considered permissive by other Templars, that's only relative to them. He still orders Jowan made Tranquil for suspected blood magic, and upgrades that to summary execution when he tries to escape. He also tacitly agrees with Sten's views on how Qunari treat mages.
  • Downplayed during the Circle quest, as he's willing to let the Warden take a shot at possibly finding survivors inside the tower, though he thinks it's a suicide run. Also, he's willing to draw back his order to exterminate the Circle of Magi once the Grey Warden successfully neutralizes the threat and saves Irving.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Especially if you compare him to Knight-Commander Meredith. It is discovered in Inquisition that Greagoir is considered one of the most permissive Knight-Commanders in southern Thedas. Considering he's fine with pulling back the order for the Right of Annulment based solely on Irving's word, this definitely has some truth to it.
• Uncertain Doom: While Irving was confirmed to be with the Mage Rebellion, it's not known whether Greagoir stayed with the Templars during the Mage/Templar War, and as such it's unknown whether he became a Red Templar.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Irving, as much as they can be given their positions.

Jowan

Jowan

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Desmond Askew

"You don't care about mages, you just bow to the Chantry's every whim!"

The best friend of the Mage PC, Jowan is an apprentice who is highly anxious about getting to his Harrowing. He and a Chantry initiate, Lily, are in a secret relationship and wish to elope - a sentiment which is reinforced when Lily finds an order to make Jowan Tranquil, as he is suspected of being a Blood Mage. Desperate, they enlist the Mage PC's help.

---

• Aborted Arc: Originally, one of the ways to decide his fate after the resolution of the Redcliffe plotline would have been to make him undergo the Joining and become a party member, but the idea was scrapped as it didn't fit into the overall storyline. A shame, really, because there are arguably too few mages among the game's recruitable characters (and too many warriors), and because the only way to gain access to the Blood Mage specialization is to agree to let a demon have the soul of a young child, unless you Take a Third Option and pass a very difficult Intimidate check. (Or wait until Awakening and buy the tome that lets you unlock it for all future playthroughs.)
• Abusive Parents: Jowan's magic manifested at around five or six years old - at which point his mother started calling him a demon child and abomination. His father eventually left him at their village Chantry.
  Jowan: Mother could be cruel... especially if you got on her bad side, which was easy to do.
• The Atoner: He becomes quite a pitiable character when he decides that he's done enough damage and just wants to atone for everything, even quietly accepting death or becoming Tranquil, which is the entire reason he fled and became an Apostate in the first place.
• Anti-Villain: While he's a blood mage and poisoned Arl Eamon, he learned blood magic with no malice except for the need to feel special and did the former due to being coerced by Loghain, with no ill sentiments towards the Arl himself. Once he's found in the Castle Redcliff dungeon, he's desperate to try to fix what he indirectly caused.
• Beleaguered Childhood Friend: Serves as the plot of the Mage Origin.
• Blood Magic: He uses it to escape the Circle. If you send him into the Fade, he even has Blood Magic as his Prestige Class.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Blood Magic, obviously. It's worse than usual in his case because he knows it's dangerous.
• Driven by Envy: His jealousy of the Mage PC's talent is what made him turn to blood magic, though he had put that behind him after falling in love with Lily.
• Evil Former Friend: Not so much evil as simply having a tendency to make foolish decisions.
• Face Death with Dignity: If you opt to execute him in the prison cell he's locked in, he accepts it quietly and understandingly. Likewise, he will also accept it in the same way in case Arl Eamon sentences him to death.
• Guest-Star Party Member: During the Circle Mage Origin and during Arl of Redcliffe if you choose.
• Heel–Face Turn: If released from his cell in the Redcliffe Dungeons and told to run, the quest "Jowan's Intention" reveals that he does finally manage to pull this off. Under the guise of "Master Levyn", he's found protecting Blight refugees from Bereskarn and Blight Wolves and apparently has saved them from at least three previous darkspawn attacks. ^note Unfortunately, said quest is bugged and only accessible via console commands.
• Hero with an F in Good: Poor fool can't seem to do anything well-meaning without the consequences spiraling out of control.
• Like Brother and Sister: Platonic with a female Mage PC. He even mentions she's like a sister to him.
• My Greatest Failure: Learning Blood Magic costs him his one true love and his friendship with the Mage Warden, and turns him into a wanted apostate.
• Not Me This Time: When asked if he was the cause of the troubles at Redcliffe Castle, he states flatly he had nothing to do with it directly, as Connor was the one who opened the Veil and made a deal with a Desire Demon. It is Jowan's fault indirectly though, since he poisoned the Arl and inspired Connor to seek supernatural help.
• Parental Abandonment: His mother rejected him after finding out he was a mage. He was five or six at the time.
• Person as Verb: According to a conversation between Finn and a Mage Warden in Witch Hunt, the phrase "To pull a Jowan" has started being used by apprentices to mean "enacting a plan that has little or no chance in succeeding". Of course, since Jowan did escape and destroy his phylactery, Finn admits this is technically a misnomer.
• Redemption Demotion: Despite being a Blood Mage, he's actually quite weak (as you'll discover if you use him to rescue Connor from the Desire Demon). This comes as a surprise after he uses Blood Magic to blast his way past a small army of mages and Templars attempting to apprehend him during the mage origin story (Though their guards were down and he did take them by surprise. Any mage with the right spell could probably pull off a similar feet via surprise attack). Of course, all evil Blood Mages in the game are, unlike him, extremely powerful.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: With Lily.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: The Mage Warden has several dialogue options that hint at this type of friendship.
  Jowan: A few months ago I told you I... met a girl. This is Lily.
  Amell/Surana: Ah, I was beginning to doubt her existence. / My condolences, Lily.

Lily

Lily

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Wendee Lee

"You wish me to sneak around?!"

A Chantry initiate working in the Circle Tower. She is in love with Jowan, despite the fact that intimacy between Mages and Chantry members is forbidden.

---

• Fate Worse than Death: The Aeonar is not a pleasant place to be sent... at all.
• Fire-Forged Friends: Thanks the Warden for risking everything to help her and Jowan escape the Circle, and later attempting to spare her from being sent to Aenoar by claiming responsibility for her actions.
• Guest-Star Party Member: During the Circle Mage origin, same as Jowan.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • When she learns that Jowan lied to her and really is a Blood Mage, she is horrified that she helped him and willingly accepts being sentenced to Aeonar.
  • It's revealed in The World of Thedas: Volume 2, that eventually she viewed her rejection of Jowan this way, thinking that he would have really given up his blood magic.
• Naughty Nuns: As a Chantry initiate, she's sworn to a vow of celibacy, which she violates by getting involved with Jowan.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: With Jowan.
• Uncertain Doom: We never learn what happens to her after the origin story, other than that she's to be sent to Aeonar. However, in World of Thedas 2, it's revealed that Seekers went to Aeonar during the Mage-Templar War to check on things... and found it completely abandoned and in terrible shape.
• What the Hell, Hero?: She's not happy when she learns of Jowan's deceit.
• You Are Fat: She is the target of one of the most random and blunt insults the player character can dole out.
  Mage PC: (To Jowan) This fat cow is your lover?

Senior Enchanter Uldred

Senior Enchanter Uldred

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Barry Dennen

"You are a thorn in my side, and I must remove you before you fester!"

One of the mages of the Circle sent to help the army at Ostagar.

---

• Ambition is Evil: Wynne speculates that Loghain likely promised Uldred the position of First Enchanter in exchange for his collusion.
• Arc Villain: For the "Broken Circle" quest, as his plan to turn as many mages as he can into abominations is what causes the Templars to lock the tower down and seek the Right of Annulment on the Fereldan Circle.
• Bad Boss: The reason he was never suspected of being a Blood Mage, let alone secretly leading an entire faction of them, is that he would periodically "expose" one of his own maleficarum and basically sacrifice them to maintain a reputation as a hardline anti-Blood Mage.
• Bald of Evil: As seen in the above image.
• Blood Magic: Uses it to mutate his fellow mages.
• Chekhov's Gunman: He has one line during your time in Ostagar; you will hardly suspect, on your first playthrough, that he will show up later in such a horrifying manner. Indeed, his presence in Ostagar is so minimal that many players don't necessarily recognize him when they reach the Circle during their first playthrough.
  • He is also spoken of at some length during the Mage Origin during the discussion of the mage fraternities, hinting that he's going to be a problem later in the game.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Both blood magic and, according to Niall, demonology.
• Deal with the Devil: A figurative one with Loghain (though under the circumstances, Uldred might have been the Devil here), and a literal one with a Pride Demon.
• Demonic Possession: Lets himself become a vessel for a Pride Demon.
• Evil Is Hammy: During Ostagar, he sounds reserved and calm, if worried about the battle. After his possession, he drops all subtlety and starts living it up in his evil.
• Evil Plan: Could also be considered a Deal with the Devil: his arrangement with Loghain after Ostagar was that he would convince the Circle to support Loghain's claim to the regency and plans for dealing with the Blight in exchange for Loghain ordering the Chantry to give the Circle greater freedoms. The plan was working for a while... until Wynne returned and gave her account of what really happened at Ostagar, and the Circle decided, after hearing Uldred's utter failure to provide a decent explanation for Loghain's actions, that they didn't want to support a man being openly accused of regicide and treason.
  • That being said, the Pride Demon thing and unleashing demons in general all seems to have been his own idea (and/or the Pride demon manipulating him into doing this in the first place). Loghain denies having anything to do with that and, when accused of involvement, sarcastically points out that it greatly hindered his plans since it meant that the Circle could no longer be used as a weapon against his enemies. Uldred pulled out the demon after the Circle turned against him, though it is likely he was already under its influence by this point anyway and the demon itself definitely had its own agenda.
• Evil Teacher: At least, he's supposed to be a teacher. Wynne mentions he's thus far refused to mentor any apprentices. However, since he's got an entire group of Blood Mages working for him, he might be a straight example behind the scenes.
• Fatal Flaw: Pride. Judging by Wynne's comments about him, Uldred's overconfidence and arrogance about his own abilities made him easy pickings for the Pride Demon to possess him.
• Large Ham: Only after becoming an abomination.
• Mole in Charge: His record of catching blood mages is largely the reason the First Enchanter trusts him. He is also the ringleader of the blood mages, and betrays a few to give himself a good reputation and throw the Templars off his scent.
• Mook Maker: He will keep turning his captive mages into Abominations until there are none left, including Irving.
• More than Mind Control: To the point where it's impossible to tell how much of what he's spewing is his own opinion and how much is the demon's.
• Obviously Evil: According to Wynne.
• One-Winged Angel: Takes on the form of a demon when the Warden fights him.
• Teacher's Pet: Mockingly refers to the Mage Warden as this.
• Villain Has a Point: At Ostagar, he suggests that the contingent of Mages at Ostagar use their offensive magic to combat the darkspawn and help support the troops. Despite this being a reasonable suggestion and one even shared by Duncan in the Mage Origin, he's quickly silenced by the Revered Mother of the Chantry, who refuses to trust soldiers' lives to magic.
• Villain with Good Publicity: He is able to create a ring of blood mages within Kinloch Hold because Irving trusts him. The World of Thedas: Volume 2 states this is because he would throw one of his maleficarum to the wolves every once in a while, gaining him a reputation as one who roots out corruption within the ranks.
• We Have Reserves: He doesn't seem too upset about you killing all his minions.

Keili

Keili

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Erica Luttrell

"Magic is a curse, and I pray every day for forgiveness from the Maker."

A young apprentice mage who is a devout Andrastian, believing that magic is a curse that makes mages dangerous to the rest of Thedas.

---

• Boomerang Bigot: She begs the Maker's forgiveness just for existing. After Uldred unleashes demons in the Circle, Keili claims she wants the Templars to kill all mages, as she believes it's the only thing they deserve.
• Death Seeker: States that she hopes the Templars wipe out the surviving mages. However, if the Warden or the Templars do attempt this, Keili fights back against them alongside the other mages.
• The Fundamentalist: Is a devout Andrastian who holds a very negative view on mages and their rights.

Cullen

Cullen Rutherford

Appears in: Origins | Dragon Age II | Inquisition | Absolution^note cameo

Voiced by: Greg Ellis (English)^{Foreign VAs} Jaron Löwenberg (German)

"Maker turn His gaze on you. I hope your compassion hasn't doomed us all."

A young Templar at the Circle tower, Cullen harbors a long-standing infatuation with the female Mage PC, despite knowing of the impossibility of this sentiment.

---

For more information about him, see this page.

Bryant

Bryant

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Nicholas Boulton

"My concern is the safety of this village. I see nothing threatening them but the darkspawn".

The leader of a contingent of Templars based out of the Chantry in Lothering, Bryant and his men are doing their best to try and get as many people to safety from the village before the darkspawn horde reaches it.

---

• Closest Thing We Got: He and his men are the only defenders the village has against bandits and the encroaching darkspawn horde. Bryant, along with the Chantry's Revered Mother and the villager elder, are also the closest thing to leadership the community has (the elder and Revered Mother deal with the humanitarian aspects of the evacuation, while Bryant and his men concentrate on driving away threats).
• Enemy Mine: He's willing to overlook his duty to apprehend an apostate mage (if Morrigan's status as one is pointed out to him), noting the darkspawn horde is a far greater problem.
• Failed a Spot Check: He never notices that Morrigan and potentially the Warden are mages until it's pointed out to him, and judging from Dragon Age II, Bryant never figured out that at least two (or three in the case of a Mage Hawke) of the locals in his community were apostates in hiding.
• Hold the Line: Bryant states that he and his men will stay in Lothering as long as possible to let as many people get to safety as they can before the darkspawn reaches the village.
  Bryant: We will evacuate as many as we can before the horde reaches us. I will stay as long as I am needed.
• I Choose to Stay: Defending villagers from darkspawn and bandits are not within his and his men's remit, but Bryant can't bring himself to abandon Lothering after all others who could defend the village have.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: He openly tells the Warden he doesn't believe Loghain's accusations about their treachery at Ostagar and provides them with supplies if they ask. He's also willing to overlook the fact that Morrigan is an apostate and his duty would normally be to apprehend her^note The Warden may also be a mage, but they come from the Circle with Irving's permission, and as a Grey Warden they no longer answer to Templars anyway, reasoning he has bigger problems. He's even willing to pay gold to the Warden if they help restore law and order to Lothering.
• Scary Black Man: Averted; he's got dark skin, but is one of the most reasonable figures in game.
• Sympathy for the Devil: He's saddened if the Warden reveals they killed the bandits preying on the village, but also admits that they brought it on themselves.
• Uncertain Doom: It's never made clear if Bryant managed to escape Lothering in time or was killed when the darkspawn destroyed the village.

Brecilian Forest Residents

Keeper Zathrian

Keeper Zathrian

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Tim Russ

"I am Zathrian, the keeper of this clan, its guide, and preserver of our ancient lore."

The keeper of the Dalish clan from which the Warden seeks aid. His clan is under attack by a pack of werewolves led by a beast called Witherfang. Eventually it is revealed that he was the one who created the werewolf curse to avenge his children.

---

• The Archmage: As a Keeper, he is an incredibly powerful mage which managed to survive for centuries thanks to his curse.
• Bald of Evil: He looks like an elven Lex Luthor.
• Blood Magic: He created Witherfang and the werewolf curse using his own blood as a catalyst for the ritual (granting him immortality as long as the curse is active as a bonus).
• Dying as Yourself: The Warden can convince him to let go of his rage and end the curse.
• Fantastic Racism: He hates humans. He's polite enough to a human Warden, but has enough hatred for humans after what he suffered that he sees no difference between the cruel barbarians who wronged him four centuries ago and the innocent bystanders who have replaced them among the werewolves.
• Heel Realization: If the Warden forces Zathrian to end the curse, Zathrian comes to realize that his anger has turned him into a monster. If the Warden helps Zathrian kill all the werewolves, Zathrian eventually leaves his clan after he realizes that his hatred of humans is undoing the goodwill the Dalish earned by helping to save Ferelden from the Blight.
  Zathrian: Perhaps I have lived too long. This hatred in me is like an ancient, gnarled root... it has consumed my soul.
• Immortality Immorality: He can't die of natural causes as long as the werewolf curse exists. As such, the Lady of the Forest implicitly accuses him of caring more about holding onto his eternal life than any other reason for not ending it.
• Misplaced Retribution: The werewolf curse. Zathrian makes it clear that he judges all humans by the example of the ones that murdered his children. The Lady of the Forest directly points out that all Zathrian is doing now is punishing people who had nothing to do with the original crime. Said curse is also threatening his own tribe (and can lead to their destruction if the Warden so chooses), who were the victims of the original assault.
  Lady of the Forest: The crimes against Zathrian's children were grave, but they were committed by those who are long dead.
• Never Speak Ill of the Dead: After brokering the peace between the elves and the werewolves at the cost of Zathrian's life, the Warden can opt not to tell Lanaya her predecessor's involvement to the curse.
• Outliving One's Offspring: His children were abducted by human hunters; his son was tortured to death, while his daughter was raped and left for dead in the forest, and although the Dalish rescued her, the girl committed suicide when she discovered she was pregnant.
• Papa Wolf:
  • His apprentice, Lanaya, relates a story of how he slaughtered a group of bandits (the same ones holding her captive) who murdered one of his clan's scouts.
  • This is also the reason why he unleashed the curse on humans - they destroyed his children. His son was tortured and killed and his daughter was raped and committed suicide when she learned that she was pregnant.
• Parental Substitute: Serves as one to Lanaya after rescuing her. She relates that he offered to take her back to her family, but she had no notion if she had any other living relatives, and wanted to stay with the man who had rescued her.
• Really 700 Years Old: He appears to be around 40 at the oldest, but has actually been Keeper for several hundred years (it's never stated just how long, however). He claims it's because he's re-attaining the immortality of the ancient elves of Arlathan, and that slowly but surely all elves will do the same. In actuality, he's being sustained by the werewolf curse; by powering the spell that created it with his own blood, he bound his life to the curse, and as long as it endures, he will live.
• Redemption Equals Death: If he releases the curse.
• Replacement Goldfish: There's an implication that he sees Lanaya as this for his deceased daughter, since he found her being forced to serve as a "servant" for a group of bandits with the heavy implication that they sexually abused her.
• Revenge Before Reason: He refuses to lift the werewolf curse even after it's pointed out to him that all he's doing anymore is punishing people who had nothing to do with the crimes that caused him to create the curse, all while causing his own clan to suffer it in the process.
  Zathrian: I will not lift a finger to help the descendants of savages who deserved the curse they received.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When a group of bandits killed a clan scout who strayed too close to their camp, Zathrian personally tracked the bandits by himself for a month, then attacked the group and killed every last one of them single-handedly. And should the Warden defect to the werewolves and attack his clan, he will become the victim of a similar rampage in turn.
• The Stoic: Not openly emotional unless the topic shifts to his family, then he becomes Not So Stoic.
• Treacherous Questgiver: It's clear he wasn't being forward about the entire situation once you meet The Lady of the Forest. Investigating things you discover during your questing there will reveal gaps in his story before then.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: The Warden can convince him that his long life has only succeeded in making him more angry.

Lanaya

Lanaya

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Kimberly Brooks

"The clan has placed great trust in me. One day, I will lead them and be the one who secures our future."

Lanaya is Zathrian's First. She was born outside of the Dalish, but was brought into the clan after Zathrian rescued her from bandits.

---

• The Apprentice: To Zathrian.
• Fantastic Racism: Zigzagged. Lanaya relates that she initially suffered some prejudice from within the clan when she was made Zathrian's First given the fact she wasn't born in a Dalish clan, but time and her dedication to her role eventually won over the dissenters.
• Number Two: As her clan's First, she is Zathrian's second and heir should he die.
• Parental Abandonment: Her parents were murdered by bandits when she was just a child.
• Rank Up: Should Zathrian die, she will become her clan's new Keeper.
• Rape as Backstory: When bandits raided the caravan her parents worked in, Lanaya was the only survivor and taken as a "servant". She was eventually rescued after several years when Zathrian hunted down and slaughtered the bandits for killing one of his clan's scouts.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite her background, she is actually significantly more reasonable and personable than Zathrian. The Epilogue notes that she is instrumental in keeping the peace between the Dalish clans and humans in Ferelden.
• Replacement Goldfish: It's heavily implied that Zathrian sees her as one for his daughter, who was raped and beaten by humans much as Lanaya was.

Cammen

Cammen

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Jeff Haslam

Cammen is a young Dalish elf hunter apprentice, who pines for the love of Gheyna, a Dalish elven girl, but she has so far rejected his proposal of marriage.

---

• The Apprentice: Is training to be a hunter, but hasn’t killed any beast yet.
• Pity Sex: A female warden can feel sorry for his plight and sleep with him. Doubly so, for a female City Elf whose own betrothed was recently killed, trying to save her. Note that doing this, earns you a fair bit of ire from the clan, and Gheyna dumps him outright.
• Rejected Marriage Proposal: Gheyna refuses to marry Cammen because he hasn’t passed his rite to be considered a real hunter, and is therefore Unable to Support a Wife. The Warden can convince her that she doesn’t need him to “support her”. She can be convinced to accept his proposal and be the “formidable” one among the pair.
• Rite of Passage: He has to kill a large animal and bring back its pelt as proof, in order to advance into adulthood. Only then, can he marry his sweetheart. Problem is, he is forbidden from going, due to the werewolf attacks plaguing the clan.
• Sickeningly Sweethearts: If you don't think that Cammen and Gheyna are these when you help them get together, then some of your companions will.
  Cammen: Thank you, Gheyna. You've made me a happy man. I feel blessed by the gods today. [to Warden] We are both very grateful for the part you've played in bringing us together.
  Gheyna: How marvelous you are! I am so happy!
  Morrigan: Does anyone else feel the urge to vomit? No? 'Tis just me?
  Oghren: Naw, I'm right there with ya, babe.
• You Are Not Ready: Lanaya thinks Cammen isn’t ready to have a family of his own, not until he completes a hunt of his own. She therefore thinks the “match is inappropriate”.

Witherfang

Witherfang / The Lady of the Forest

^spoiler 

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Emma Fielding

The werewolf responsible for the curse that is afflicting Zathrian's clan.

---

• Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the Brecilian forest.
• Arc Villain: Of the Nature of the Beast quest. Witherfang's infecting the Dalish camp with the werewolf curse is keeping them from aiding the Warden during the Blight. After The Reveal, Zathrian turns out to be the real villain.
• Black Eyes of Evil: Not evil and probably nicer than Zathrian, but her eyes are the same as those of a Desire demon. It's possible that she was one a very, very long time ago - though this is unlikely, since both she and Zathrian explicitly state she was the spirit of the Brecilian forest, and she claims that she was not sentient until Zathrian came along.
• Death Seeker: The Lady knows that ending the curse would end her existence as a sapient being, but wants Zathrian to do it anyway.
  The Lady of the Forest: You are my maker, Zathrian. You gave me form and consciousness where none existed. I have known pain and love, hope and fear, all the joy that is life. Yet of all things, I desire nothing more than an end. I beg you, maker, put an end to me... we beg you... have mercy.
• Duality Motif: Her entire existence.
  Lady of the Forest: I apologize on Swiftrunner's behalf. He struggles with his nature.
  Warden: As do we all, Lady.
  Lady of the Forest: Truer words were never spoken.
• Friend to All Living Things: As the Lady of the Forest, she's able to calm the werewolves and reduce their suffering, and even helps them take names and identities for themselves. In return, the werewolves are violently protective of her.
• Good Is Not Soft: If the player says that the humans who murdered Zathrien's children deserved what they got, the Lady will agree, but she will also correctly point out that the murderers have been dead for centuries and are not the people suffering from the curse now.
• Godiva Hair: As the Lady of the Forest. Though interestingly enough, she doesn't actually appear to have nipples judging by her hair falling a bit short. Then again, why would she?
• Heroic Sacrifice: Will gladly put an end to her own existence if it means there will be a little less suffering in the world.
• Jekyll & Hyde: Witherfang is a violent, male wolf whereas the Lady is calm, female and humanoid.
• Morality Pet: To the Werewolves, particularly Swiftrunner. She is the one who helped them to free themselves from their savage state, and is the only one able to calm down Swiftrunner's Irrational Hatred of the Dalish.
• Ms. Fanservice: Witherfang form as the Lady of the Forest is that of an attractive, curvaceous, green-skinned woman. Besides the Godiva Hair, her "lower regions" are barely covered by vines.
• Nature Spirit: The Lady's appearance is basically that of a dryad.
• Our Werewolves Are Different: While the other werewolves are bipedal and considerably hairier, Witherfang has the appearance of an actual white wolf.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Provided that the Warden is respectful during their parley.
• Reluctant Monster: 'Witherfang' was created to get violent revenge on all of humanity, but the Lady of the Forest hates that her existence is based around making innocent people suffer.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: With enough persuasion, the Warden can encourage her to do so against Zathrian for inflicting the curse, causing the werewolves to slaughter the elves.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting: Both a dryad and a wolf. Both are expressions of her true self.
• Walking Spoiler: As should be obvious by looking at this entry.
• Wham Line: "Your people believe you have rediscovered the immortality of their ancestors, Zathrian, but that is not true. So long as the curse exists, so do you."

The Grand Oak

The Grand Oak

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

"Hrrrrm... what manner of beast be thee that comes before this elder tree?"

A sentient oak tree that dwells in the West Brecilian Forest, the Grand Oak holds the key to passing through the barriers that guard the heart of the forest, and thus stands in the way of the Warden's pursuit of the beast Witherfang. He speaks entirely in rhyme and, unlike other walking trees in the forest, does not attack the Warden on sight.

---

• And I Must Scream: Implies that he, like the other Sylvans, was once a Fade Spirit who got trapped possessing a tree. Unlike the other Sylvans, he wasn't driven insane by this; possibly the spirit which possessed the oak was more benevolent than those of the other Sylvans.
• Cool Old Guy: Insofar as a tree can be one.
• Fetch Quest: He can be persuaded to give you the key to entering the heart of the forest voluntarily, though not unless you retrieve his stolen acorn for him.
• Foreshadowing: His dialogue foreshadows that the Lady of the Forest, the spirit of the Brecilian Forest itself, is Witherfang, the first werewolf.

  Grand Oak: Or perhaps the weres are the ones to blame, for the day she left is the day they came.

• Gratuitous Iambic Pentameter: Tetrameter, actually.
• Homage: To the Ents of The Lord of the Rings.
• My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Unlike the other Sylvans, he's not instantly aggressive and can talk.
• Nice Guy: He's quite polite to the Warden.
• Pungeon Master:
  • When asked why he rhymes all his lines:
    Grand Oak: Perhaps a poet's soul's in me... does that make me a poet tree?
  • If called on the pun:
    Grand Oak: It was just a simple jest, with which to entertain my guest.
• Rhymes on a Dime: He's happy to point out this fact to you.
• Skippable Boss: The alternative to killing him is completing his Fetch Quest.
• When Trees Attack: Though not unless provoked.
• Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Though not as excessive as some examples.

Swiftrunner

Swiftrunner

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

"You are sent by the treacherous Dalish to kill Witherfang! I will not stand by and allow that to happen!"

The Werewolf leader in the Brecilian Forest.

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• Berserk Button: The Dalish in general, but especially Zathrian. He also doesn't like people being disrespectful toward the Lady.
• The Dragon: To Witherfang. Subverted when Zathrian turns out to be the real villain.
• Evil Sounds Deep: He speaks with a deep, rough voice courtesy of Fred Tatasciore. The "evil" part is subverted after the reveal
• Fantastic Racism: Toward the Dalish, though as the reveal shows, he has good reasons for that.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Even by Werewolves standards, he seems quite aggressive and quick to get angry.
• Irrational Hatred: His hatred of the Dalish is so strong, he doesn't even consider trying to negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict with the Warden, even though it's pretty clear to him the Warden doesn't know the whole story. The Lady of the Forest eventually talks him into it after his attempt to repel the Warden cost the lives of several werewolves.
• It Can Think: The first werewolf you meet to actually talk, and quite sophisticatedly at that. A dialogue option allows you to lampshade this.
  Warden: You speak? I thought werewolves were savage beasts.
  Swiftrunner: We are beasts, but we are no longer simple or mindless. Let that thought chill your spine!
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The Warden can encourage Swiftrunner's desire for vengeance and slaughter the entire Dalish clan — even those elves the Warden may previously have aided or befriended — alongside the werewolves. Doing so sates his vengeance, but also condemns the werewolves to remain cursed for all time.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He is aggressive and violent when interacting with either the Warden or Zathrian, but shows a nicer, more loving side toward the Lady of the Forest.
• Undying Loyalty: To the Lady of the Forest. If the Warden rallies the werewolves to attack the Dalish clan, he also pledges his people to do battle "at [the Warden's] command, and [theirs] alone."

Tamlen

Tamlen

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Chris Edgerly

"This forest isn't 'ours,' fool. You've stumbled too close to our camp."

Fellow hunter of the Dalish Elf PC, Tamlen is seen last when he and the PC discover a strange mirror in undead-infested ruins.

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• Anguished Declaration of Love: To the female Dalish Elf - "Always... loved you...
• Chekhov M.I.A.: Assumed dead after the Dalish origin, but shows up late in the game as a ghoul.
• Curiosity Is a Crapshoot: He's downright suicidal, something the PC does naturally get plenty of chances to lampshade along with his lack of savvy.
• Did Not Get the Girl: Falls victim to Blight corruption before he could confess his feeling to a female Warden.
• Fantastic Racism: While none of the Dalish are very fond of humans, he's easily the most vocal of them, openly expressing contempt for the "shemlen" and scolding you if you let the humans go at the beginning of the origin without at least demanding to know what they were doing in the forest in the first place.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: If what's seen of him is any indication. Extremely hostile to shemlen, rather nice and easygoing toward the PC.
• No Name Given: In any origin other than the Dalish elf. Presumably, no matter which origin is being played, he's one of the ghouls who shows up to attack the party camp late in the game. But since the PC doesn't know him if they aren't Mahariel, he's not identified by name.
• Properly Paranoid: Played with. When a few humans wander too close to your camp, Tamlen wants to kill them to keep them from revealing your clan's location. If you convince him to let them all go, they still tell their village and rally a mob against your clan. However, it's not made clear if they did so because Tamlen threatened them (thus justifying ''their'' fear of the Dalish) or if they would have done it even if you both had been nice from the beginning.
• Tempting Fate: "I just want to look around. How dangerous could it be?"
• Too Dumb to Live: Something Mahariel can lampshade and mock him for every step on the way to the mirror, although they have no choice but to follow along.
  Tamlen: These markings on the mirror... I wonder what they say.
  Mahariel: "Don't touch the glass"?
  Tamlen: Very funny.
• Tragic Monster: Unlike the PC, who survives the taint by becoming a Grey Warden, Tamlen becomes a ghoul and begs the PC to kill him.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: Big time towards the female Dalish Elf.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: Between him and a female PC who has expressed interest, according to the rest of the clan. In fact, when the Warden tells him that she likes him, he literally tells her they can talk about it later at camp. Although they do eventually talk about it at a camp, it's probably not how he intended it...
• Was Once a Man: Was once an elf, now a Darkspawn ghoul.

Apostates

Flemeth

The legendary Witch of the Wilds, mother of Morrigan and fear of Chasind tribes everywhere. She is apparently centuries old and loves cryptic hints.

For more info, go here.

The Mad Hermit

The Mad Hermit

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Jamie Glover

"Ask a question and you'll get a question, but give an answer and you'll receive the same! Oh, I do so love to trade!"

The Mad Hermit is a deranged apostate who lives in the East Brecilian Forest.

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• Bigger on the Inside: He apparently constructed a tower in the Brecilian Forest which has since mysteriously disappeared. It is implied that he has shrunk said tower and placed it in the tree trunk, and thus resides in one within the other.
• Blood Magic: The Hermit is a Blood Mage hiding from the Chantry.
• Chain of Deals: Part of dealing with him consists of several trades for items with items you obtain as sidequest rewards.
• Conspiracy Theorist: He believes the trees are out to get him and that they sent the Warden as part of some conspiracy. To be fair, he did piss off a tree by stealing its acorn, so he's actually right From a Certain Point of View.
• Flunky Boss: He will be aided by a pair of shades in his boss fight.
• No Fair Cheating: "No fair, bringing mages to a guessing game!"
• Skippable Boss: In the Brecilian Forest, the Grand Oak and the Mad Hermit will each try to get you to kill the other to settle their dispute over the Grand Oak's acorn. You could kill one of them... or you could just trade the Hermit one of the items you picked up from various sidequests earlier in the level for the acorn.

Caladrius

Magister Caladrius

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Simon Templeman

"Sarcasm is beneath us both, my dear Warden."

A Tevinter magister who has recently set up shop in the Denerim Alienage, supposedly to provide a magical cure to the Blight sickness afflicting its citizenry.

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• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Pleads for his life after being beaten in combat.
• Bad Boss: He'll use blood magic to siphon the health of his own minions to heal himself in battle.
• Bad Samaritan: He's a slaver, a practice not outlawed in Tevinter.
• Blood Magic: He uses it in battle. Also uses it in his offer to the Warden should the Warden agree to it.
• Deal with the Devil: If defeated in combat, he will offer to use his power to augment the Warden's health in exchange for his life. This comes at the cost of the lives of the elven captives, whose blood will power the spell.
• Evil Is Hammy: A slaver with a flair for the dramatic.
• Evil Sorcerer: He's a magister of Tevinter, and a blood mage.
• Faux Affably Evil: He is unfailingly polite to the Warden at all times.
• Ironic Name: Is named after a mythical sacred bird of healing, who would selflessly cure plagues, but he is a cruel blood mage and a remorseless, greedy slaver. However, he can heal the Warden... at the cost of his captives.
• Only in It for the Money: He is perfectly willing to pull up stakes and leave... provided he can still turn a profit at the end of the day.
• Sissy Villain: Noticeable when he's reduced to a simpering wimp after his defeat.
• Skippable Boss: You can pay him 100 gold in order to get the slaver documents needed to implicate Loghain, but lose the elven slaves. You can also with a high enough Coercion skill, threaten him to leave behind everything, including the slaves, and get out with his head still attached to his shoulders.
• Smug Snake: Acts Wicked Cultured when you first meet him, but begs for his life after his boss fight.
• This Is Gonna Suck: His face clearly displays this trope if the Warden responds to his offer by rejecting it in favour of killing him and taking the documents implicating Loghain for free.

Dragon Cultists

Weylon

Weylon

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Matthew Ashforde

"No, don't touch that door!"

"Weylon" is the loyal assistant of Brother Genitivi. In reality this guy's a Dragon Cult plant meant to lead anyone who tries to find Genitivi off his trail, by any means necessary.

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• Bad Liar: If the Warden's Cunning is high enough, they can point out the inconsistencies in "Weylon's" story and provoke him into attacking.
• Bare-Fisted Monk: He's quite possibly the only mage in the game who will fight you with his bare hands.
• Berserk Button: Weylon will attack the Warden if the latter insists on entering the closed back room of the house. It's where he's hiding the body of the real Weylon.
• Dead Person Impersonation: This guy murdered the real Weylon and took his place.
• Kill and Replace: The fate of the real Weylon.
• Squishy Wizard: In addition to having no real armor, he's outnumbered by the Warden's party.
• Treacherous Quest Giver: When you first meet, he suggests you go to The Spoiled Princess, an inn on the shores of Lake Calenhad, to find any clues for Genitivi's whereabouts. Turns out it's really directions to an ambush of Dragon Cultists.

Father Eirik

Father Eirik

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Nolan North

"We find outsiders... disruptive. They bring others, and before long, Haven is changed. We will go to any lengths to prevent that."

The revered father of the Haven Chantry.

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• Beard of Evil: Gives him an air of false promise and menace.
• Flunky Boss: You face him alongside his congregation.
• Good Powers, Bad People: He is a priest with a Spirit Healer specialization. He's also a member of the Disciples of Andraste, mentioned to have gleefully tortured and executed the knights who were looking for Genitivi.
• Hypocrite: Judging by what Genitivi said, he really was proud of the horrors he accomplished.
  Genitivi: He was so self-righteous about it, so smug. He seemed pleased that he had tortured and murdered these men.
• I Did What I Had to Do: How he justifies his actions.
• Kick the Dog: The aforementioned torture and murder of the knights, and subsequently gloating about it in Genitivi's face.
• Murder Is the Best Solution: Even if you offer to just leave Haven peacefully while still knowing nothing of importance about the village (at least as far as he knows), he will still try murdering you just in case you would show the way to Haven to other people.
• Villain Has a Point: Given that the Chantry descended upon Haven, drove out the cultists (right down to the children) and only spared those who agreed to serve them after the Hero of Ferelden's activities brought Chantry attention to Haven...it's kind of hard not to see why Eirik was so paranoid about the cult being discovered.

Father Kolgrim

Father Kolgrim

Appears in: Origins

Voiced by: Douglas Weston

"All of us stumble through the darkness, before being found and shown the light. Perhaps through Andraste's mercy, her greatest enemy will become her greatest champion."

The leader of the dragon-worshipping cult known as the Disciples of Andraste, Kolgrim is encountered in a ruined Tevinter temple high in the Frostback Mountains rumored to be the final resting place of the prophetess herself. Despite the violent nature of the group he leads, and the fact that by the time the Warden encounters him s/he will have slaughtered many of its members, he doesn't attack on sight, and depending on the player's choices he can even end up giving the Warden a reward for rendering him a certain service.

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• Arc Villain: Of the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest, as his cult is killing anyone looking for the ashes the Warden needs to cure Eamon.
• Berserk Button: You can avoid a fight if you so wish, but not if you say anything remotely derogatory about either Andraste or the cult's beliefs. If you want to have the option of agreeing (or even just listening) to his request, don't have Oghren in your party. The dwarf will antagonize Kolgrim into attacking.
• Easily Forgiven: Despite the fact that you raided his people's home and slaughtered dozens of them, he'll be more than willing to give you a second chance in the span of just one conversation, provided you don't set him off.
• Guide Dang It!: Many players kill him right away rather than listening to his offer, unaware that doing so makes it impossible to unlock the Reaver specialization on that playthrough.
• Homage: He appears to be one to Gerard Butler's portrayal of King Leonidas of Sparta in 300, from his appearance to his speaking style to his choice of words - he warns of a "rain of arrows" awaiting those that dare to attack "Andraste", similar to a phrase used by Leonidas in the film.
• Identical Grandson: He shares quite a strong physical resemblance to the Guardian of the Urn of Sacred Ashes, who was one of the first disciples of Andraste, and was the one who brought her ashes to the temple. Given that Kolgrim claims that his ancestors have long resided in the shadow of the temple, a common fan theory is that Kolgrim is most likely one of his wayward descendants.
• Irony: The Disciples of Andraste have become a dragon-worshipping cult not unlike the Tevinter Magisters of old - the very ones Andraste defied in the first place.
• Large Ham: He starts off chewing the scenery with his very first words, and only gets more over-the-top from there.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: While the guardian of Andraste's temple makes it clear that the dragon that Kolgrim and the other cultists worship isn't Andraste reincarnated, it's unknown if the dragon really is sapient and communicates with Kolgrim. The dragon blocks his way when he conducts the party to the temple, but doesn't attack him and leaves when he explains his reasons to leading them there. Kolgrim will also know, somehow, if the Grey Warden didn't taint Andraste's ashes with the dragon blood.
• No Indoor Voice: When angered, he seems to lose control over all volume.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Quite a bit.
  Kolgrim: To arms, my brethren! Andraste shall grant us... VICTORY!!
• Religion of Evil: The cult straddles the line between this and Path of Inspiration.
• Skippable Boss: You can agree to his terms and not have to fight him.
  • However, in order to skip him, you actually have to follow through with his terms, which will involve fighting the much more powerful guardian of the temple and Leliana and/or Wynne if they are in your party. If you don't carry out his order to destroy the Ashes of Andraste, he will attack you as soon as you leave the temple. This can be considered easier to do, though, since in this case, there's less backup for him, and they're closer together, which means that the strategy he would have initially followed (namely, fighting you while two mages shoot at you from very far away) is less effective, so it can be argued that this is the more effective way of doing the battle.

Darkspawn

The Archdemon/Urthemiel

The Archdemon

Appears in: Origins

The leader of the armies of Darkspawn invading Ferelden. As long as he lives, the Blight will continue forever. His true identity is Urthemiel, the Tevinter god of beauty.

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• Ambiguous Situation: If one of them between the Warden, Alistair or Loghain performs the dark ritual and will sleep with Morrigan before killing him, Urthemiel will reincarnate in their human child Kieran and his essence will then be later taken by Flemeth/Mythal. Since shortly after Corypheus' defeat, Flemeth is "presumably killed" by Solas/Fen'Harel, the final destiny of the soul of Urthemiel remains unknown.
• Big Bad: Of Origins as the Archdemon of the fifth Blight.

• Body Surf: The Archdemon can do this among the Darkspawn, which is why it's necessary for a Grey Warden to either perform Morrigan's ritual or make a Heroic Sacrifice in order to kill it.
• Draconic Abomination: It looks like a dragon, albeit a very twisted and demonic one, but it's something else entirely. Not only does the Archdemon hold supreme dominion over the entire Darkspawn horde, but it can't truly be killed since it will simply Body Surf into the nearest Darkspawn, who will in turn take its shape. Tellingly, the beast is immune to weapons and runes that affect Darkspawn and dragons.
• For the Evulz: In the Return to Ostagar DLC, the Darkspawn are shown to have moved King Cailan's body from the valley and mockingly crucified it from atop the bridge. Considering the individual in question, the effort involved and the fact that Darkspawn usually desecrate corpses where they lay, this seems far too calculated not have been done deliberately by the Archdemon.
• Fluffy the Terrible: It's the former Old God of Beauty.
• Gone Horribly Wrong: The Architect's attempt to turn him into a Disciple to free all Darkspawn from the Old Gods at once resulted in the very Blight he sought to avoid.
• Grand Theft Me: If slain, he can transmit his soul to the nearest Darkspawn or the Grey Warden who killed him. Doing so to the former causes it to transform the Darkspawn's body into one resembling its previous one. Doing so to the latter kills them both.
• Greater-Scope Villain: He leads the Darkspawn and therefore kicks the plot in motion, but Loghain serves as the most significant antagonist for the majority of the game until Urthemiel attacks the surface.
• I Can See You: In the last dream the Warden has, the Archdemon will look directly at the camera. Both the Warden and Alistair are freaked when they wake up, because the Archdemon knows exactly where they are.
• It Can Think: Hinted at several times.
  • Without the Archdemon intentionally steering the horde to do so, it seems highly fortuitous otherwise that they just happened to break through to the surface in the middle of the Korcari Wilds, the perfect place to mass the horde for some time before being detected, and that the first target of their rampage is Ferelden, a nation with comparatively few numbers of the only warriors who can stop them.
  • In the Return to Ostagar DLC, the effort of moving King Cailan's body from the valley and mockingly crucified it from atop the bridge, is far too calculated to be done by a mindless beast.
  • After their shared nightmare and the attack on the camp, Alistair speculates that the Archdemon was watching them and personally sent the Shrieks after them to eliminate the only real threats to him in the whole of Ferelden.
  • Riordan later expresses disbelief that the Archdemon was seemingly aware of his listening in via the Taint, feinting an attack on Redcliffe to divert forces away from Denerim, the true target.
  • The non-canonical Darkspawn Chronicles similarly features the Archdemon proving to be highly tactical on the battlefield.
• Our Dragons Are Different: In fact, according to the official Dragon Age wiki, the Archdemon is neither a dragon nor a Darkspawn - and for this reason, weapons and runes which have advantages over either species do not give advantages over it.
• Sequential Boss: Has four distinct phases, one for each 25% of his health.
• Taking You with Me: He can't be killed without the Grey Warden who delivers the final blow dying too.
• Tragic Monster: Read his codex once you've visited the Dead Trenches and discover what he once was.
• The Unintelligible: Like most other Darkspawn, he communicates in roars and shrieks. Alistair claims that Grey Wardens are eventually able to interpret at least some of his roars in their dreams. The Darkspawn Chronicles DLC allows the player to finally understand his screeching. He's quite tactical.

The Broodmother

The Broodmother

A gigantic, hideous monster that dwells in an abandoned dwarven fortress in the Deep Roads, the Broodmother stands in the way of the Warden's search for the lost Paragon Branka.

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• Body Horror: Read the Codex description of the transformation process. Yikes.
• Combat Tentacles: Her boss fight involves using these to slam your party members away.
• Fan Disservice: If you didn't throw up a little when she started fondling one of her many breasts... you have a stronger stomach than most.
• Fat Bastard: A morbidly obese monstrosity who happily ripped off a man's face and drank his blood, the gigantic mass of her lower body only makes her seem fatter.
• Fate Worse than Death: The process of becoming a Broodmother is presented as one, especially given that they retain their minds up until they're enslaved by the Archdemon.
• Flunky Boss: Is accompanied by her many "children" in her boss fight.
• I'm a Humanitarian: Part of the process of her transformation involved being forced by the Darkspawn to feed on her fellow dwarves - including her own husband. Who was alive at the time.
• Mook Maker: The purpose of all Broodmothers is to birth more Darkspawn.
• Mother of a Thousand Young: As the name implies, their purpose is to spawn more Darkspawn in huge litters.
• Naked Nutter: Crazed to the point of animalistic insanity and completely naked. For good measure, given that she used to be a dwarf, it's likely that she wouldn't be able to fit in her clothes anyway.
• Posthuman Nudism: Was once a dwarf and abandoned wearing clothes once she became too monstrous to make any use of them.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Besides being force fed with blood and bile, it's also mentioned that the process of becoming a Broodmother involves violation.
• Sinister Nudity: Broodmothers are completely naked with their multiple breasts on full display, and as that they're monstrous tentacled baby factories who will send their Darkspawn children to kill you on sight, it's very much played for horror. The fact that the one you meet used to be a Dwarf woman by the name of Laryn before she was captured and brutally converted by the Darkspawn only adds to the nightmare fuel.
• Viral Transformation: Normally short dwarves change into these fat hulking monsters.
• Was Once a Man: All Broodmothers were once normal women.

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