Nathaniel Howe

Nathaniel Howe (born 9:00 or 9:01 Dragon) is the eldest son of Arl Rendon Howe of Amaranthine and a potential companion in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.
== Background ==
As the eldest son of Rendon Howe, Nathaniel was set to inherit the arling of Amaranthine. Nathaniel, however, had little interest in ruling, and would have preferred a life as a wandering knight over being Arl of Amarathine.
When Nathaniel was young, he idolized his father and grew up hearing stories of his father's heroic exploits during the Fereldan Rebellion. He took great pride in his family's noble history, and spent many hours in the trophy room as a child, fantasizing about the day when he might be big enough to wear his great-uncle's armor, or strong enough to wield his father's swords. As the years passed, and the relationship between his parents worsened, the trophy room became Nathaniel's refuge—a place where he could escape from his miserable family-life.
When Nathaniel was in his early 20's,Based on the fact that Nathaniel was 30 in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening and he spent 8 years in the Free Marches. Rendon decided to send Nathaniel away to be trained in the arts of war. In a rare turn, Rendon actually agreed with his wife when she suggested Nathaniel be squired under Ser Rodolphe Varley, who was her cousin. A trained chevalier, Ser Rodolphe was often seen at the court of the ruling Vael family of Starkhaven. Nathaniel argued vehemently against this decision, wishing to stay at his father's side like his younger brother, Thomas—whom Nathaniel suspected Rendon favored. His arguments were futile, however, and he spent the next 8 years in the Free Marches, serving under Ser Rodolphe.
Ser Rodolphe was a harsh taskmaster with a serious demeanor, who had no tolerance for laziness or mischief. Nathaniel quickly learned that any jokes about his master must be said well out of earshot. Ser Rodolphe's manner caused this to be a dull time for Nathaniel, with little chance for levity or fun. Nathaniel's training as a squire consisted of daily drills, chores, and history and military lessons, which he found extremely boring. Despite Ser Rodolphe's great disapproval, Nathaniel also took up archery, learning the discipline from one of Ser Rodolphe's watchmen. Nathaniel found a much-needed reprieve in archery, and practiced daily.
Two years after becoming a squire, Nathaniel accompanied Ser Rodolphe to Tantervale to attend the Grand Tourney. It was an elaborate event that Nathaniel had only ever read about. The city was bedecked in blue and gold, and the finely dressed people danced and sang in the streets. Nathaniel joined in the grand melee at Ser Rodolphe's request, joining over a hundred warriors in battle against each other. Nathaniel did quite well, managing to beat several knights before being defeated. Though he was disappointed with his performance, Ser Rodolphe was greatly pleased and awarded Nathaniel with a purseful of gold. He promptly spent almost all of it on ales and cake, saving just enough money for a replica of Hessarian's Sword of Mercy and a tiny wind-up toy bronto that played music.
After accidentally wandering onto an archery field during a contest and almost being killed by a stray arrow, Nathaniel challenged the young elven woman who had fired the arrow to an archery contest and won. He would later say that his time at the Grand Tourney was one of the best times of his life.
In the years that Nathaniel spent serving Ser Rodolphe, Nathaniel came to love the Free Marches and its people. Had it not been for the events of the Fifth Blight, he likely would have stayed there indefinitely. News of his father's murder at the hands of the Grey Wardens reached him in Kirkwall,Based on a conversation that triggers in the Blackmarsh, Nathaniel was in Kirkwall when he heard of his father's death. and although the details were vague, the story was clear: Grey Wardens had broken into the Howe family estate and slaughtered Rendon Howe for his treachery, and Vigil's Keep had been seized by the crown and granted to his father's murderers.
Thus the Howe name was forever tainted by Rendon's involvement in the betrayal of King Cailan and the slaughter of almost the entire Cousland family. Nathaniel decided to leave his master, Ser Rodolphe, to spare him embarrassment. Swearing vengeance on the Grey Wardens, Nathaniel booked passage to Amaranthine.
== Involvement ==
=== Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening ===
=== Dragon Age II ===
== Quests ==
=== Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening ===
:
:
:
=== Dragon Age II ===
: (conditional)
== Approval ==
It is easy to raise Nathaniel's approval, especially if you are playing a Human Noble Warden. Consoling him, telling him that it was not his fault that the Howe name was dishonored, and basically any conversation choice that is open-minded will ensure that his approval increases dramatically.
== Gifts ==
Nathaniel has a preference for practical items and artifacts pertaining to his family.
:
== Statistics ==
=== Initial specialization ===
:
=== Initial skills ===
:         
=== Initial talents ===
:
Assassin	Assassin 	
Rogue 	Dirty Fighting	 
Rogue 	Below the Belt	
Rogue 	Deft Hands 	 
Archery 	Melee Archer 	   
Archery 	Pinning Shot 	     
Archery 	Rapid Shot 	 
=== Initial equipment ===
:
Weapons 	
Armor 	   
Accessories	     
=== Restricted gear ===
:
:
=== Plot skills ===
:
== Dialogue points ==
Below are the spots where you can initiate dialogue with Nathaniel. On the PC, it can be hard to find the correct spot to click; make sure to hit "tab" and rotate the camera if it's not letting you click on it.
* City of Amaranthine: statue in front of the Chantry, the spot is called "Statue".
* The Blackmarsh: Near the beginning of the area on the left, the spot is called "The Blackmarsh".
* Vigil's Keep - Throne Room near where Nathaniel usually stands, spot is called "Portrait of a Howe".
* City of Amaranthine near merchants: Delilah.
== Quotes ==
=== Penny Arcade comics ===
* "My grandfather was a Grey Warden. Would he even recognize what the order has become? Would he weep at its dereliction? Or would he draw his blade, point it towards his enemy's heart, and cry, 'Enough.'"
=== Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening ===
* (Upon first meeting him in the keep's dungeon) "If it isn't the great hero, my father's murderer."
* (To the Warden) "I came here to kill you. If you let me go, you might not catch me next time."
* "Curse my father and his idiot ambition. He lost everything for us, didn't he?"
* (To a Human Noble Warden) "Look, I don't know what happened to the Couslands. But from what I hear, it was horrible. The entire war was. But what my father did shouldn't harm my entire family."
* (If the Warden is from another origins) "Look, I know you're a hero. You fought a war and you won. But what my father did shouldn't harm my entire family."
* "The Howes are pariahs now. Those of us who are left."
* "When I was in Kirkwall, I thought I would return to Ferelden to take command of my father's garrison."
==== Dialogue ====
*Nathaniel: "You like having Grey Wardens who want you dead?"
*Warden: "Some of my best friends have wanted me dead."
=== Dragon Age II ===
* (To Anders, during Finding Nathaniel) "There's no escaping you, it seems."
* (When asked about the Warden-Commander's "allies") "It's... complicated. Let's just say we live in strange times."
== Codex entries ==
:
== Notes ==
* There are two different paternal grandfathers given in lore for Nathaniel Howe: Padric Howe, who left the family after the end of the war to become a Grey Warden,Named in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, during a conversation between the Warden and Nathaniel inside Vigil's Keep - Throne Room. Mentioned again, but not by name, in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, a webcomic by Penny Arcade and Arl Tarleton Howe, older brother of Byron who was hanged by the Couslands during the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden.Codex entry: The Howes of Amaranthine 
** This is likely a similar case to Rendorn Guerrin and Connor both being named as father to Eamon Guerrin, which was later reconciled by Patrick Weekes as Eamon having two dads. However, there has not yet been an equivalent clarification given for the matter of Padric and Tarleton Howe.
== Trivia ==
* In Origins, Rendon never mentions Nathaniel, even though he mentions his other children, Delilah and Thomas.
* When you first encounter Nathaniel in the Keep's dungeon in Awakening, he is unimpressed by the Warden-Commander, and says "Aren't you supposed to be ten feet tall? With lightning bolts shooting out of your eyes?" This is a variation of a quote from the movie Braveheart in which the above is said when William Wallace rallies the nobles' armies. The difference being the lightning is said to have shot out of William Wallace's arse.
* When you find Nathaniel in the Deep Roads during Act 3 of Dragon Age II and if you spared the Architect in Awakening, you can ask questions that will make Nathaniel mention the Architect and that the Warden's "allies" said it would be safe. This implies that the Architect and his followers are helping the Grey Wardens, which is further solidified if you ask who the allies are which Nathaniel will answer, "No, not dwarves... it's complicated. Let's just say we live in strange times."
* Nathaniel's eyes are different colors between Dragon Age Awakening and Dragon Age II - grey in Dragon Age Awakening and light brown in Dragon Age II; this may be due to a mistake by the developers.
* David Gaider said that if he could write another Dragon Age comic, it would be dedicated to Bethany Hawke starting with that scene in Lothering and ending as a fleeing Circle Mage. He mentioned that he wanted her to adventure with Sebastian Vael in Starkhaven, and maybe Nathaniel Howe.
* At one point, Nathaniel was considered as a companion for Dragon Age 2.
== Gallery ==
Penny Arcade Nathaniel Howe.PNG|Nathaniel in the Penny Arcade comic
nathaniel-delilah.jpg|Reunion with his sister Delilah during The Howe Family
Gxa nathaniel.png|Nathaniel's Awakening epilogue slide
Nathaniel Howe DAII.png|Nathaniel in Dragon Age II
NathanielTierIVHoDA.png|Tier progression of Nathaniel Howe in Heroes of Dragon Age
NathanielPromotionalHoDA.png|Promotional image of Nathaniel 2nd tier in Heroes of Dragon Age
Nathaniel Howe (Heroes of Dragon Age) 02.png|Promotional image of Nathaniel 3rd tier in Heroes of Dragon Age
Nathaniel Howe (Heroes of Dragon Age) 03.png|Promotional image of Nathaniel 4th tier in Heroes of Dragon Age
== References ==
Category:Characters
Category:Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening characters
Category:Dragon Age II characters
Category:Heroes of Dragon Age characters
Category:Humans
Category:Fereldans
Category:Fereldan nobility
Category:Rogues
Category:Assassins
Category:Grey Wardens
Category:Companions
Category:Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening companions
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