Cullen Rutherford

Cullen Stanton Rutherford (born in approximately 9:11 DragonCullen was approximately 19 when the Fifth Blight began in 9:30. ) is a Fereldan templar.
	
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, Cullen acts as the Inquisitor's military adviser, and is a romance option for either human or elven female Inquisitors.
== Background == 
Born in the Fereldan village of Honnleath, Cullen was the second eldest child of four. Mia was his elder sister, his brother Branson was younger, and his sister Rosalie was the youngest of them all. He was eight years old when he told his brother and sisters that he would become a Templar. Though his siblings took the proclamation playfully, Cullen's intentions did not waver. He started visiting the local chantry in Honnleath, asking the templars there to teach him anything they could. Honnleath had only a few templars, but they humored the boy and taught him basic sword techniques.
From a young age, Cullen had a strong desire to enter a profession that helped people, and he refused to be swayed from the path he had chosen. Despite his siblings' initial teasing, Mia became Cullen's greatest supporter, insisting that the others help Cullen train. When he was thirteen years old, a visiting knight-captain took notice of Cullen's hard work and offered him the chance of formal training. His parents agreed to the request, as the Templar Order was known to be a respectable and honorable profession, and they wanted to give their son the opportunity to have a life that would make him happy.
While not the youngest nor the most prepared of recruits, Cullen found that the training was everything that he had imagined it would be and quickly caught up to his peers, matching their expertise. When the time came to take his final vows at the age of eighteen, Cullen was eager to pledge his life in service to the Maker and take the lyrium that would bind him to the Order. He finally achieved his childhood dream to become a Templar when he was assigned to the Circle Tower at Kinloch Hold, under Knight-Commander Greagoir.
When the Blight came over the land, Cullen's family was forced to flee to South Reach. His mother and father did not survive.
== Involvement ==
=== Dragon Age: Origins ===
==== Witch Hunt ====
==== The Darkspawn Chronicles ====
=== Dragon Age II ===
=== Dragon Age: Inquisition ===
==== Trespasser ====
=== Dragon Age: Absolution ===
== Quests ==
=== Dragon Age: Origins ===
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=== The Darkspawn Chronicles ===
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=== Dragon Age II ===
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=== Dragon Age: Inquisition ===
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== Romance ==
Cullen is a potential romance option for a female Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition, although only for humans or elves. He is also one of the few romance options whose romance can be initiated before the completion of his personal quest.
His romance can be initiated shortly after the Inquisitor arrives in Skyhold, but he can be flirted with while in Haven. Provided one is playing as a female human or elf, a short conversation with Cullen in the courtyard can be had as he is attempting to marshal his troops, during which he pledges to the Inquisitor that he will never allow another crippling defeat such as Haven to occur again. Later, the female Inquisitor can initiate a romance with Cullen by asking if he has "time to talk". They take a stroll out onto the battlements, during which the Inquisitor confesses her feelings towards him. Provided that the Inquisitor fits Cullen's specifications (female human or elf), the feelings are mutual and they share their first kiss. Cullen says later that he'd been wanting to kiss the Inquisitor for "longer than he should admit." Throughout the rest of the game, the Inquisitor will have several cutscenes and unique conversations with Cullen if the romance option was selected.
If you are romancing him during or after Perseverance, Cullen will call it off or refuse to enter a relationship if the Inquisitor told him to go back onto lyrium. In a discussion about the sacrifices required in a Templar lifestyle, he justifies the breakup by saying, "I wasn't the same after Ferelden. I tried putting that behind me and clearly I don't know how. Until that's possible, I shouldn't be with anyone." He can still be romanced, however, if he is told a better way can be found to overcome his addiction.
After a mage Inquisitor encourages Cullen to continue to refuse lyrium, he can express regret for his attitudes in the previous game and state that, "The way that I saw mages... I'm not sure I would have cared about you. And the thought of that sickens me." If a mage Inquisitor encouraged Cullen to go back onto lyrium, he will be much more prickly to the mage Inquisitor when asked if he would choose her over his duty in the event he'd have to slay her should she be corrupted- insinuating he would put his duty as a templar over his feelings for the Inquisitor.
Later on, Cullen will ask the Inquisitor if she'd like to accompany him while dealing with some business in Ferelden. If the Inquisitor accepts, he will take her to a lake. Cullen will tell her that he used to come here as a child to get away from his siblings and the last time he was here was the day he left for Templar training. On that day, his brother gave him a lucky coin, which he has kept with him ever since. He will then ask the Inquisitor to indulge him and give the coin to them. The Inquisitor may either accept the gift or ask him to keep it. Neither option will affect the romance.
As with all other romanceable characters, if the Inquisitor romances Cullen, two Orlesian nobles in the throne room will comment on the romance at each progression.
=== Trespasser ===
== Quotes ==
=== Dragon Age: Origins ===
* "Maker turn his gaze on you. I hope your compassion hasn't doomed us all."
=== Dragon Age II ===
* (To Hawke, Enemies Among Us, Act I) "I was at the Circle Tower in Ferelden during the Blight. I saw firsthand how templars' trust and leniency can be rewarded. I still have nightmares of Uldred's depravities."
* (To Hawke, Enemies Among Us, Act I) "Mages cannot be treated like people. They are not like you and me. They are weapons. They have the power to light a city on fire in a fit of pique."
* (To Hawke, Enemies Among Us, Act I) "There is a vigil before templars take their arms, but the gravest danger they face is falling asleep."
* (To Hawke, Act I) "The image of the poor, chained apprentice is a powerful one. And one the mages are more than willing to exploit."
=== Dragon Age: Inquisition ===
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* "Kirkwall's Circle fell. Innocent people died in the streets. Can't you see why I want nothing to do with that life?"
* "Inquisition! With the Herald! For your lives! For all of us!"
* "Once your sacrifices are made, is there no end? Are you leashed until the day you die, or lyrium takes your mind away?"
* (Informal reports) Creating Inquisition footholds outside Skyhold has strengthened our reputation. People view us as a stabilizing force. We've received a number of recruits eager to pledge themselves to our cause.
== Codex entries ==
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== Note texts ==
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== Trivia ==
* Cullen was written by Sheryl Chee in Origins, Jennifer Hepler in Dragon Age: II, and Brianne Battye in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
* Originally, Cullen wasn't a romance option for Dragon Age: Inquisition, but according to Mike Laidlaw, BioWare changed his role as a love interest when they extended the game's development by a year.
* If the imported Origins story featured a Human Mage Warden, Cullen will refer to them in the beginning of Dragon Age II Act 2, e.g. "I knew an Amell once. She was a special woman. Never met her like again." in the case of a female Warden and "There was an Amell in the Ferelden Circle, he left before Uldred attacked and came back to save us all." in the case of a male Warden.
* If the imported Origins save is a female Mage Warden, his Dragon Age II Codex makes a reference to his feelings for the Warden while they were at the Circle Tower. If Leliana romanced a female Mage Warden in Origins and Cullen is not being romanced by the Inquisitor, he will try to ask Leliana about the Warden during War Table banter.
* Cullen shared quarters with Samson when he was transferred to Kirkwall. He thought Samson was a "decent man" at the time.
* If Hawke sided with the Templars during the Kirkwall Rebellion, Cullen was promoted to Knight-Commander of Kirkwall. Otherwise, he remained Knight-Captain, even though he was the de facto commander in Kirkwall. However, at the Winter Palace during Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, the herald will announce Cullen as "former Knight-Commander of Kirkwall", regardless of his actual title.
* Cullen enjoys a chess-like game, and often played against his sister as a child.
* One of the banters between Cullen and Josephine at the War Table includes Cullen musing that he should "calibrate" the trebuchets, to which Josephine groaningly replies, "Again? How many times will you be doing that?" This is likely a reference to Garrus Vakarian, a character from Bioware's Mass Effect series, who spends arguably too much time calibrating the guns on the Normandy.
* Cullen's lion helmet was only featured in the Enemy of Thedas trailer in order to cover an animation glitch with Cullen's mouth.Making Dragon Age - from PAX South, January 2015 
 It is not featured in-game, but is included in his character kit.
* Cullen is mentioned a few times by the characters in the multiplayer mode of Inquisition. The Alchemist observes that he "smells like elderflower and oakmoss."Party banter spreadsheet
* According to war table banter, Cullen styles his hair, although he denies such claims.
* Cullen ate pickled eggs while he was suffering from lyrium withdrawals; pickled eggs are commonly known folk remedy Fereldans use for most ailments.Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas, p. 35
== Bugs ==
* (Inquisition) While in Cullen's office in Skyhold, an Inquisition agent will tell the Inquisitor that Cullen has gone to speak with Cassandra; however, if the Inquisitor has completed Sera's unmarked "prank" quest prior to this conversation, the Inquisitor might not be able to interact with the agent. This will render it impossible to find Cullen (which is otherwise accomplished by clicking on Cassandra), and he will never return to his office. Any further interaction with him becomes impossible, as does the completion of his questline (supposedly fixed with Patch 6, though there are still reports of the bug occurring after the patch).
== Gallery ==
Cullen's Prison.jpg|Cullen's prison
BSC 1.jpg|With Samson
Cullen with lion helm.jpg|Cullen in his full armor
Cullen Rutherford.png|Cullen from Dragon Age: Inquisition
New Cullen.jpeg|Cullen from Dragon Age: Inquisition
Cullen.PNG|Cullen's romance tile in DA Keep
cullenlyrium.jpg|Cullen struggles with lyrium
Cullen_lion_helmet.png|Cullen in his full lion helmet
HoDA Cullen.jpg|Tier progression Knight-Captain Cullen in Heroes of Dragon Age
HoDA Advisor Cullen.jpg|Tier progression Advisor Cullen in Heroes of Dragon Age
== References ==
Category:Characters
Category:Dragon Age: Origins characters
Category:Dragon Age II characters
Category:Heroes of Dragon Age characters
Category:Dragon Age: Inquisition characters
Category:Dragon Age: Magekiller characters
Category:Trespasser characters
Category:Dragon Age: Absolution characters
Category:Humans
Category:Fereldans
Category:Templars
Category:Warriors
Category:Love interests
Category:Inquisition members
pl:Cullen Rutherford
fr:Cullen
de:Cullen
uk: Каллен Разерфорд
ru:Каллен Стентон Резерфорд
pt-br:Cullen Rutherford
it:Cullen Rutherford