Dragon Age: Origins is a story-driven role-playing game set in a world called Thedas, where the player usually assumes control of one primary character as the protagonist of the story. Throughout the course of the story, player characters in Origins are continually presented with choices for how to deal with major game events, and any decisions made usually influence the overarching narrative. While the player does retain control over forks in the narrative, the overarching narrative in each game follows a specified path, and the player's influence is confined to certain pre-ordained events in the game rather than the entire narrative itself.
The supporting characters of the Dragon Age series have motivations and agendas that carry the narrative progression with an exposition, climax, and resolution; the player character is important, but often not the focal point of the progression of events in the plot. While both player characters and other characters carry narrative progression, companion characters are a pivotal feature of the series, who help create a richer and engaging narrative experience through their actions as well as their reactions to the player character's actions and choices. Companions tend to have a very particular world view, and the nature of the player character's actions will have a positive or negative effect on their companions.
This article describes player characters, important party companions, notable supporting characters, and major antagonists who appear in the video game Dragon Age: Origins, its expansion Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, and associated DLC's. Certain characters have names chosen by the player. These characters are designated the name they are addressed by in-game. In the case of party members, personal quests are also noted as these explore the characters' background.
Player characters The Warden Race: Player's choice Gender: Player's choice Class: Player's choice
The player character and main protagonist of Origins, whose visage, hairstyle, voice, race, first name, origin, gender, and class are chosen by the player. There are six possible origin stories: Human Noble, Circle Mage (Human or Elf), City Elf, Dalish Elf, Dwarf Noble and Dwarf Commoner. The player character's surname is dependent on the origin story chosen, which also affects how other characters within the game react to the player's actions. Regardless of origin, the player character is presented as an individual of exceptional strength, skill, and significance. Multiple characters, unique to each of the origin stories, will join the player character's party temporarily as part of the ongoing narrative.
After a brief trial depicted in their origin story, the player character is ultimately recruited to join the Grey Wardens, a mystical organization of warriors created to fight the Darkspawn, a race of evil, tainted creatures. The character is henceforth referred to simply as The Warden, and occasionally by surname in the games dialogue. Upon the conclusion of the Warden's origin story, the narrative resumes a single strand for all players, where the Warden travels to Ostagar, the site of an upcoming major battle with the Darkspawn. The Warden is guided by their recruiter Duncan, who sets in motion the Warden's initiation into their organization. The Warden and two other candidates, Daveth and Ser Jory, are tasked with travelling into the forest near Ostagar to procure some ancient Grey Warden treaties and vials of blood obtained by killing Darkspawn. Duncan then conducts an initiation ritual called the Joining which involving the imbibing of Darkspawn blood by the ritual candidates; only the Warden survives the process.
The Warden would be directed to aid the war effort at the Battle of Ostagar, where the Ferelden army under the leadership of King Cailan Theirin attempts to push back the Darkspawn along with the Grey Wardens. The Warden lights a beacon to signal for reinforcements led by Teyrn Loghain, but Loghain responds by ordering his forces to retreat and leaving the entire Ferelden and Grey Warden contingent led by Cailan to die on the battlefield. The Warden and Duncan's protege Alistair are rescued by the Witch of the Wilds, Flemeth, becoming one of the few surviving Grey Wardens left in Ferelden. The Warden's goal for the rest of Origins is to utilize the treaties that compel the nations of Thedas to cooperate with their order to stop the fifth coming of the Darkspawn Blight led by an Archdemon, a terrifying and deranged draconic monster who controls the Darkspawn hordes. This involves traveling across Ferelden's lands to secure an alliance with the dwarves of Orzammar, the Dalish elves near the Brecilian Forest (or a pack of werewolves), and the Ferelden Circle of Magi (or the Ferelden Templar Order), as well as rallying the support of the Ferelden nobility against Loghain and unite the kingdom under a new ruler against the Darkspawn hordes.
After the Archdemon is slain, the Warden will gain renown as the "Hero of Ferelden" regardless of their final fate. While the Hero of Ferelden does not appear in Dragon Age II, the character has an effect in the storyline, and depending on origin will actually have connections to some of the party members: for example, the Human Circle Mage is a relative of Dragon Age II protagonist Hawke from the maternal side, and the Dalish Elf is a member of Merrill's clan.
The Warden-Commander Race: Player's choice Gender: Player's choice Class: Player's choice
The Warden-Commander is the Commander of the Grey in Ferelden, the ruler of Vigil's Keep and the arling of Amaranthine, and the player-controlled protagonist of the expansion for Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. The Warden-Commander can be either a Warden imported from Origins, now known as the Hero of Ferelden, with any origin story and decision making from that game intact. Six months after the conclusion of the Fifth Blight, the Hero of Ferelden has been promoted to Commander of the Grey and assigned as Ferelden's new Warden-Commander. In the alternative, if the Warden of Origins has sacrificed themselves to slay the Archdemon or if the player starts a new game without importing an existing character, a new Grey Warden from Orlais will be made Ferelden's new Warden-Commander as part of the narrative. An Orlesian Warden-Commander will start at Level 18, and the people of Amaranthine will treat an Orlesian Warden-Commander with suspicion, as opposed to respect towards the Hero of Ferelden.
The Warden-Commander is also the player-controlled protagonist of the standalone downloadable content (DLC) packs, The Golems of Amgarrak and Witch Hunt, and are assisted by party companions who are exclusive to the aforementioned DLC content packs.
Hurlock Vanguard A player-controlled Hurlock Vanguard is the protagonist of the Origins DLC, The Darkspawn Chronicles. The Darkspawn Chronicles takes a look at an alternate history in the Dragon Age universe, allowing the player to see what might have happened if the Warden had died during the Joining ceremony, and the assembled forces marched under Alistair's command instead. The player-controlled Hurlock Vanguard is summoned by the Archdemon to lead the Darkspawn to victory at The Battle of Denerim, and receives directives through the Archdemon's whispers. The Hurlock Vanguard has the power to enthrall, or forcibly recruit, its fellow Darkspawn and drive them into the heat of battle. Various Darkspawn creatures that may be enthralled to serve as the Vanguard's companions include Genlocks, Hurlocks, Shrieks, spellcasting Emissaries, and Ogres.
Leliana
Voiced by: Corinne Kempa
Leliana is the protagonist of the Origins DLC Leliana's Song, a prequel to the main campaign for Origins which details her complicated past. She is a former bard from the Orlesian Empire, where she often undertook work on the side as an assassin and spy for her patrons.
Following the events of Leliana's Song, Leliana is encountered early on in Origins as an optional party member. She had settled down in the Ferelden village of Lothering as a lay sister of the Andrastrian Chantry, and after breaking up a brawl at the local tavern, she insists on joining the Ferelden Wardens after receiving what she believes was a vision from the Maker, the deity venerated by the Chantry. She is bisexual, and thus a possible romance option for both male and female player characters. Leliana is highly religious and believes in doing the right thing. This means if the player-controlled Warden chooses to commit a morally reprehensible act like defiling the fabled Urn of Sacred Ashes, she may attack the Warden and dies in the attempt, though Leliana continues to appear in the Dragon Age series regardless of her fate in Origins. Leliana's personal quest involves dealing with Marjolaine, her old mentor and lover.
Dragon Age: Origins companions Alistair
Voiced by: Steve Valentine
Alistair is a young warrior with a wry and irreverent sense of humor, who was initiated into the Grey Wardens by Duncan prior to the player character's own recruitment. Prior to joining the Wardens, Alistair trained with the Chantry to become a templar, the military branch of the Chantry trained to hunt apostate mages and supervise the Circle mages under their watch. As such, he is hesitant to trust blood mages (also known as "maleficar") or any mages who operate outside of the Circle. He is a mandatory companion in Origins, and only leaves the party if the Warden allows Loghain to undergo the Joining ritual to become a Grey Warden during the Landsmeet. Alistair is a romance option for female characters, and depending on the choices and origin of the Warden, they can potentially become the King and Queen of Ferelden. The Warden has the opportunity to motivate Alistair, helping him develop his potential as a leader figure, and grow as an individual into becoming mature enough to accept the call to be king should the Warden support him as heir to the Ferelden throne.
Depending on the player's choices during the events of Dragon Age: Origins, Alistair may make cameo appearances in subsequent installments of the Dragon Age series. He is also a major protagonist in the digital comic series The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak and Until We Sleep, whose plot follows BioWare's own canon in which Alistair is king of Ferelden.
Morrigan
Voiced by: Claudia Black
Morrigan is a shapeshifting apostate mage, raised and taught by her mother, Flemeth, in the wilds of Ferelden. Morrigan joins the Warden's party early in the game shortly after Flemeth's rescue from the battle at Ostagar. She is a romance option for male player characters. Near the end of the game before the slaying of the Archdemon, she reveals that a Grey Warden need not die in order to slay the Archdemon as long as the Warden, Alistair, or Loghain if he has replaced Alistair, impregnates Morrigan with a child who will then carry the soul of the Old God upon the Archdemon's death, and thus spare the life of the Grey Warden who dealt the final death blow. If the Warden refuses to sleep with Morrigan, or is female and does not ask Alistair or Loghain to do the deed, she will become infuriated and leaves the party permanently. Morrigan appears as the central focus of the Witch Hunt DLC pack; the Warden-Commander tracks Morrigan down two years after the Blight's end.
Dog war hounds, a powerful breed of dog which play an essential role in the Fereldan military, make recurring appearances in the Dragon Age series. These trained hounds are able to break lines of pikemen, pull knights off of horses, and, when in a pack, are capable of stirring panic in the most hardened of soldiers.