The downtime that occurs between any of the Dragon Age: Origins main quests after the initial journey through Lothering. This includes the time spent at the wilderness player camp, and any world encounters or events that go down during travel.
Setting up Camp
Following the departure from Lothering, the player and their companions will now have a camp set up in the Ferelden wilderness anytime they're traveling along the road. During a night shortly after the journey through Lothering, the player has a dream where they see a massive army of darkspawn marching through the Deep Roads. The archdemon flying above commanding this darkspawn army. The player than wakes up in their wilderness camp, which Alistair could tell that the player was having a Grey Warden dream. Hearing the player admit that the dream seemed so real, Alistair explains that it's a part of being a Grey Warden; being able to hear the darkspawn as if you're there with them.
Alistair adds that they can also hear the archdemon when it talks to its darkspawn horde, which given that they've been hearing an archdemon, it's full confirmation that they're dealing with a Blight. The player asks if the archdemon really is a dragon like what's seen in the dreams. In return, Alistair states it is, but also reassures the player that once one starts getting used to being a Grey Warden, it becomes easier to block the dreams out. The player asks if there's any other surprises they should know about, which Alistair states that he's got nothing else to tell other than the obvious Grey Warden facts that they die young due to the taint, and that they are the only ones that can end the Blight. With nothing left to discuss, the player gets up to move around their campsite.
It's during off-time at the camp that the player can speak to companions to learn more about them, along with starting up potential romances: Alistair for female players, Morrigan for male players, and Leliana being bisexual. In addition, Bodahn and Sandal have arrived at the camp, which Bodahn explains that he realized that there's no safer place to rest than in a camp run by Grey Wardens. As a result, in exchange for using the camp as a safe place to set up shop and support the Grey Wardens, Bodahn offers his discounted merchant services, and Sandal's unique "Enchantment" skills where the boy can upgrade weapons and armor by inscribing lyrium runes on items. Overall, the player accepts Bodahn and Sandal into the camp. Meanwhile, any time the player and company are not in camp, they're off completing the main four army recruitment objectives that revolve around Arl Eamon's forces of Redcliffe, the Circle of Magi, the Dalish Elves, and the Orzammar Dwarves.
Surface Dwarf Merchant
While traveling around Ferelden, the player's group can sometimes randomly run into a surface dwarf merchant named Old Tegrin along the road. The player could then purchase supplies from Tegrin, including several unique gifts that can be given to companions.
Recruiting Zevran
After the first major recruitment questline is completed, or Redcliffe's Connor Guerrin is rescued early from his demonic possession without the Circle Tower's help, a meeting plays out in Denerim between Teyrn Loghain and his trusted ally, Arl Rendon Howe. The Arl warns the Teyrn that the movements of civil war towards Loghain's claim to Ferelden's regency continues to grow despite the ongoing threat of the darkspawn. Howe also warns Loghain that he received a report claiming that several Grey Wardens (the player and Alistair) survived the Battle of Ostagar, which they will surely act against Loghain. In order to deal with enemies as strong as Grey Wardens, Howe introduces Loghain to Zevran, a hired elven rogue of the Antivan Crows, which is an order of assassins based in the Antiva kingdom that specialize in thievery, espionage, and assassination. Despite his disgust of having to rely on an assassin, Loghain goes through with Howe's plan to have Zevran kill the Grey Wardens, which Zevran heads off.
Afterwards, the next time the player's group is traveling around Ferelden will result in a world encounter involving Zevran. Traveling along the road, the player's group is met by a woman begging for help due to her wagon coming under attack, which the player and company follow her back to the wagon. However, the wagon location turns out to be an ambush as Zevran is seen waiting for them, which the wagon woman is in league with him. Many other assassins then appear to kill off the player's group. The assassins drop a massive log onto the path behind the player and company to keep them from escaping, which Zevran and his assassins then commence their attack. The player's group manage to dispose of the assassins, and injure Zevran to the point of him falling unconscious, which a choice is made to either kill him there, or wake him up to have a chat.
If Zevran's woken up, he's surprised to be alive, but gets the gist that the player's group wants information. Zevran goes about introducing himself to the player and company as an assassin of the Antivan Crows that was hired by Loghain to kill any surviving Grey Wardens. However, he makes it clear that he has no loyalty to Loghain, and was just doing the job that he was paid for. In addition, he doesn't have much love for the Antivan Crows to begin with as he started off as just a slave that was forcibly brought into the organization. Zevran then notes that the Antivan Crows will be angry with him for failing to complete a job. Thus, he knows that he will either be killed by the player's group, or the Antivan Crows will eventually kill him. With no other choice to work with, Zevran offers his services as a rogue assassin to the player as he sees it as his only way to continue living. A choice is made where the player could refuse, which Zevran would be killed off here, or the player accepts, which results in Zevran pledging his loyalty to the player, and becomes another companion. At camp, Zevran can be talked with like other companions, and serves as a bisexual romance option.
Anora Confronts Loghain
After several sections of the major recruitment questlines are completed, another meeting between Loghain and Howe plays out in Denerim. Only this time around, Queen Anora's also attending the meeting. Howe's about to provide an update regarding the current fighting amongst Ferelden's people only for Anora to interrupt him. Anora wants to know what her father's intentions are that he has their people fighting amongst themselves rather than focusing on the darkspawn threat. In return, Loghain remains confident that Ferelden's nobles will eventually be brought in line, and that the darkspawn will also eventually be dealt with since it was only her husband, the late King Cailan, who believed that what they're dealing with is an actual Blight.
Despite Loghain's claims, even Howe remains unconvinced that their current forces are enough to defeat the darkspawn, which Anora agrees with, and reminds her father that Cailan requested for reinforcements from Orlais. However, the mention of the Orlesians who originally had control over Ferelden years ago angers Loghain as he refuses to work alongside the people that he and the past King Maric fought to throw out and free Ferelden from their grasp. Anora tries once more pleading with her father that they need reinforcements, but Loghain once more refuses, and states that Ferelden will stand on its own while asking his daughter to have faith in him. Anora's growing anger results in her finally asking her father if he purposefully killed Cailan, which unable to look his daughter in the eye, Loghain claims that Cailan's death was his own doing. Implied that she doesn't believe it, Anora storms out of the room.
Shrieks Attack the Camp
When only one major recruitment questline remains, the player while resting in camp will have another dream of seeing the archdemon. Upon waking up, it turns out that the camp has come under attack by a group of darkspawn Shrieks. The player and company would then dispose of the Shrieks.
If the player is of Dalish Elf origin, one of the Shrieks attacking the camp turns out to be Tamlen from the origin story. When the Dalish Elf player approaches Tamlen, he's shown to be struggling to hold on to his sanity due to suffering from darkspawn corruption, and orders the player to stay away. Tamlen then tries to run away, but the player catches up to him, which he complains that he's sick, and that he constantly hears the darkspawn song within his head. If the player is a female Dalish Elf, Tamlen confesses that he always loved her. He apologizes for his actions while begging to be put out of his misery. Tamlen as a darkspawn Shriek then attacks the player and company, and is finally killed. After the fight, Alistair gets the gist that Tamlen was the Dalish Elf player's friend that disappeared, and apologizes for the loss. However, he informs the player that what happened to Tamlen is what happens to people if the darkspawn taint is left unchecked. Thus, giving Tamlen a mercy kill was the right thing to do.
