Origin Story 1: Human Warrior (Human Noble)

The Origin Stories

There are a total of six unique Origin Stories that are based upon the Race and Background you selected when creating the character.  As these are each different, we will cover them all as Part 1 of the walkthrough. 

There are minor variations based upon the gender of the character, and you will notice that at some points in the story lines, the developers missed some gender-specific settings and the characters you interact with may address you as the incorrect gender.  Just ignore that - nothing is wrong with your character :)

Origin Story 1: Human Warrior (Human Noble)

Default Male Name: Aedan
Default Female Name: Elissa
 
As the story opens you learn that you are part of a long hereditary line of the aristocracy for your lands, and that your elder brother (and heir to the title) will be taking command of part of your father's forces.  You are introduced to your father and his advisor, and learn through their conversation you get a bit of the background for current events.

Your first interaction is with Arl Howe, your father's advisor, and this is where you start deciding what the personality of your avatar will be!  Sarcastic?  Rude? Polite?  The choice is yours, but be aware that while it may not be obvious, some of your choices in interacting in conversation can have an impact later in the game.

NOTE - There are so many lines of influence in this game that no guide or walkthrough could easily cover them all.  These Origin lines are based upon my choices - yours may vary - but the overall experience should be the same.

I chose to be polite and Arl Howe mentions his daughter - and you are once again given a selection of choices on how to reply.  Since I am a polite gentleman warrior, I say "I'd like that" to which he replies that he is pleased, mentioning that his daughter talks about me a lot.

Now you learn that you are being left in charge of the castle while your father and older brother go off to war.  I of course will do my best, and I tell pops that, and then we get a surprise - pop now introduces us to Duncan, a visiting Grey Warden!

You can now learn a bit about the Grey Wardens as you progress through the dialogue, and you learn thay Duncan thinks you might make a good Grey Warden.  How cool is that?  Well, not so much according to your Pops, who has no desire for you to join.  Well, we will see about that, right?

Your next task issued by your father is to find your brother and tell him to lead the troops to Ostagar ahead of your father.  You should ask where Fergus is so that you have an idea of where you are going I suppose, but after you agree to deliver that message, you should note that a white arrowhead has now appeared on your radar map.  This will lead you to your brother - the goal in this quest - but before we do that, there are some other things we can do!

- Learning about the backstory

Each of the key characters in the game can be talked to - and presents a set of questions you can ask that will result in information being provided.  Try that out on Arl Howe now.

When you ask him how long he has been friends with your father, you learn that they really are old friends as well as past comrades in arms.   While you are talking, why not find out how interested his daughter really is in you? 

There are some nuggets of information that you will obtain in this way that can provide foreshadowing and a deeper understanding of the story, so it would be an idea to indulge in this exploration as it really does add to the enjoyment of the game.

Despite the fact that Duncan will try to dissuade you from talking to him, if you tell him you have just a few questions, he will indulge you.  The information he gives is interesting, and again adds to the backstory so go ahead and insist!

Now you have pretty much exhausted your conversations here, so hit the door behind you and start exploring the castle.  Do not head directly for your brother, instead explore every room that you have access to now, because pretty soon entire sections of the castle will no longer be accessible to you, and there are things you can collect and learn now that are worth the effort.

- The Codex

Behind Mother Mallol in the chapel you will notice a glowing spot - that is a book on the lectern before the alter.  Go ahead and examine the book to add it to your Codex now.  Hit the BACK button and then LT to select the Quests menu, then use the right stick to change the sub-selection to Codex, and highlight  Magic and Religion and hit A.  Now look at the bookshelf to the right of the alter for another book.

The book you just added to your Codex - Andraste: Bride of the Maker - is now here, and you can read its entry if you select it,  Go ahead and do that now.  There are two more selections under religion, and then you can read about Castle Highover under Culture and History, and biographical sketches of Duncan and Arl Howe under Characters.  Finally there is a section called Controls that details how the different sections relate to your game pad.

First Origin Quest

As you move towards the section of the castle where you brother is, you will be stopped by a red-headed warrior named Ser Gilmore who has a message for you - your dog is raising hell in the kitchen pantry and the Major Domo wants you to do something!

Go ahead and select the option to head to the kitchen and deal with the matter now, but do not stop exploring!  The door nearby leads to a classroom in which some Squire's are being educated.  Head on in with your new party member and talk to the teacher to learn about the story of your family.  There is some foreshadowing to be found here with respect to Werewolves and volatile nature of politics in the Kingdom.

This interaction may be a bit on the long side but it gains you several new Codex entries that are worth reading.  In addition, in the rear of this chamber you will find two books (one to the left, one to the right) that detail the history of Ferelden (Chapters 1 & 2) and, in the room through the door to the right as you are leaving the chamber you will find another Codex entry - a book on the culture of Ferelden.

Now go ahead and run to the Kitchens - and get a Cutscene (CS) that tells you what your dog has been up to - and gives you a chance to defuse the situation through conversation with Nan. 

Now head inside the pantry and either chastise or encourage your dog - I praised him myself, and lucky I did because it turns out he was not up to mischief after all!  As giant rats stream out from hiding to attack, you are given the opportunity to name your dog - I called mine Calvin after my pittbull in a dachshund suit - and then killed some rats for our first combat XP. 

Seriously... Giant Rats...  Why not a Giant Spider?  Yes, I know, this is the stereotypical and traditional first combat of the Fantasy RPG, I am not complaining mind you.  But still... Giant Rats?

In a sack and a crate in the pantry is some Elfroot - go ahead and take that - it is used for making health potions, and even if you have not selected Herbalism as one of your skills, eventually you will have a party member who does have that skill, and once you acquire an inventory of empty bottles, you can make your own potions!  Yay You!

Now exit the pantry and talk to Nan, so she can change her mind about your pooch - and give him a treat as his reward.  As you exit you can go to the feast hall down the way but there is nothing there for you - but if you look up the next path you will see a group of people standing there - run to them and you are introduced to your mother!

Now you get to meet your fathers guests - Iona is quite the babe - but the conversation is rather abrupt, so no romancing for you, bud!  Once the guests depart, take this moment to talk to your mother - you will be glad you did later...

- Fergus

Now head on up and enter your brother's chambers - and meet your nephew and sister-in-law,  Pass on the message, and your brother makes a macho declaration - and then your mother and father arrive for a proper send-off.  You are treated to an amusing CS, and then   You get the quest completed notice after that.

In the bookshelf nearby is another book - Politics of Ferelden - go ahead and grab that to add it to your Codex now, because once you leave the room, you are irrevocably set upon the beginning of the end of the Origin Story!

- The Sneak Attack

Your dog wakes you - and then there is pounding upon the door!  You can hear noises - disturbing noises that make no sense to you...  The door bursts open, a screamed warning from a servant, and then you must fight!  Try to take out the archer first, and of course your dog will be a great help with this battle as you are outnumbered - until after the battle, when your mother arrives with her own bow and arrows, and you learn that she is a warrior in her own right. 

Howe has betrayed your family - this is a coup of sorts!

Now before you head on to find your father, take a moment to loot and gather supplies here.  The bodies of the enemies have items on them - so loot those - and then go back into your room and you will see a cabinet.  Loot that to obtain a Lesser Health Poultice and a Small Grease Trap.

Run across the hall and open the door only to discover - gasp!  The bodies of your brother's wife and son!  That bastard!  He killed Kenny!

In the adjacent chamber there are more enemy to kill - and another gruesome discovery - the body of your mother's friend.  Before you take the door nearby to exit the living chambers, run back to your parents room and empty the crate there - it holds some weapons and you can sell those later for money.

From here on out this is pretty much a rail - most of the other passages are blocked either by rubble or fiery debris, so work your way from chamber to chamber, taking out the enemy as you encounter them, and be sure to loot as you finish each battle. 

- The Family Treasury

This is easy to miss if you are not going from chamber to chamber, so be sure that you do not miss it!  When you reach the door to the treasury room, your mother will offer you her key, and tell you that Howe must not obtain the family sword!  Enter the armory, and loot it to get some pretty good stuff that you will want to have.

The Family Sword is better than the one you have now - 7.70 damage vs. the 7.0 damage of yours - but more important, it has 1 damage and 4 Attack modifiers on it!  There is also the Cousland Guard Shield - but that requires 18 strength so you may not be able to use it - I could :)

That was nice for a few seconds, until I looted the Shield of Highever - but that requires 20 Strength so YMMV.  There is also a nice set of Scale Armor, so go ahead and upgrade your gear now.

After you finish looting more enemy will attack, and after you take them out, continue along the path, checking each chamber.  In a nearby chamber you can loot a leather helm off of a knight - go ahead and equip that, and then head to the chamber across the corridor to help rescue Ser Gilmore, and learn the location of your father.

- Your Father in the Pantry

As you fight your way to the larder and discover your father, it turns out he is hurt much worse than you had hoped.  Your father is pissed - understandably - but knows that he is too badly hurt to go on - he is dying.  Your mother is unwilling to leave him to a solitary death, and chooses to stay and accompany him in that last journey - and your father urges you to escape, to send word to the King of this betrayal, and to avenge the family.,

As this conversation concludes, Duncan the Grey Warden appears - remember Duncan?

Duncan agrees to help, but only if you join him as his recruit - well, you wanted to be a Grey Warden anyway, right?  A final farewell with your parents, and then into the tunnel with Duncan to escape!

- To Ostagar

A brief CS sees you arriving at Ostagar with Duncan and your dog.  The King himself greets you, and you are introduced.  When the King learns of what has happened, he is outraged and promises you justice - after the battle tomorrow of course.  Your brother is out on patrol and will not return until after the battle, leaving you time to explore, complete a few quests, and officially join the Grey Wardens by passing their tests, as you have completed the Origin Story!  Good on ya!

---=== Now jump ahead to Part 2 of the walkthrough, Ostagar! ===---