Elissa Cousland/Tropes

* 10-Minute Retirement: Between *Origins* and *Awakening*.
* 100% Adoration Rating: You can achieve this with any member of your party - it helps a lot when you're trying to romance one of them. You can even achieve it with *every single one of them at the same time*, though most of them will be a strictly platonic adoration.
* Accidental Pornomancer: On numerous occasions, you can actually use sex or marriage as a bargaining tool.
	+ In particular, you can use it to persuade Isabela to teach you to be a Duelist without playing her game. If female, you can invite a hardened Alistair to participate. Or, if you romanced and hardened Leliana, she will automatically invite herself along, and you can then invite Zevran.
	+ This is what Morrigan's Dark Ritual consists of. You can accept yourself (as a male), convince Alistair/Loghain to do so, or refuse and sacrifice a Warden's life.
	+ More literally, it's incredibly easy to accidentally start a romance with one of your eligible party members, as every romanceable party member has multiple dialogue options to start the romance, and many of them (such as "Are you feeling better about what happened to Marjolaine?" for Leliana) seem quite innocent on the surface.
* The Ace: Evolves into this over the course of the game.
* Affectionate Nickname: If his friendship is high enough, Sten refers to the Warden as "kadan," meaning something akin to 'close to the heart.'
	+ The Human Noble, being the youngest, is frequently called "Pup" by their father.
* Asskicking Leads to Leadership: If the Warden manages to survive the Blight, they will become Warden-Commander of all the Grey Wardens in Ferelden, which also effectively makes them the Arl/Arlessa of Amaranthine. In addition, they receive a special title linked to their origin and actions in-game:
	+ A Dwarf Warden will become a Paragon, which is not only an honor equal to or higher than that of a king, but also grants them their own house and followers.
	+ A City Elf Warden has the option of representing their people as the first Elven Bann of the Alienage in Denerim.
	+ A Human Noble can marry Alistair if female, Anora if male and become Prince/Queen-Consort of Ferelden.
	+ Depending on your chosen origin and your actions in-game, you can also add a Teyrnir (Dukedom), another Arling (Denerim), the Kingdom of Ferelden (as a Prince or Queen-Consort), and a Lord Chancellorship (Prime Ministership) into the bargain, although the latter titles are mostly derived by forcibly removing their incumbents from the position.
	+ If the quest "Secret Rendezvous" and Alistair's appearance as king during *Dragon Age II* are any indication, the Warden ruled Amaranthine for six years, and was competent enough to quickly turn Arl Howe's den of provincial aristocratic corruption into a powerful rival of Kirkwall itself, so apparently Asskicking Equals *Competent* Authority.
* Authority in Name Only: The Warden spends most of *Origins* as the acting Warden-Commander of Ferelden. The title is functionally meaningless since there is only one other surviving Grey Warden in the country and they are unable to make contact with any of the order's leadership or access any of their resources thanks to being labeled fugitives by Logain. It isn't until *Awakening* that their title is given official recognition and actual authority.
* Awesome Moment of Crowning:
	+ In *Awakening*, a Dwarf Commoner Warden will discover that they, a *Casteless*, has been named a Paragon.
		- The Dwarf Noble will find out the same from Gorim, your childhood friend and Second, who was forced to leave Orzammar after your exile. After telling you that it is all but certain you will be named a Paragon, he offers to resume his position as your Second, reuniting the two of you at last.
	+ A female Human Noble romancing Alistair can become *Queen of Ferelden*.
		- Likewise, a male Human Noble can marry Anora and become her Prince-Consort.
* Badass Bookworm:
	+ During their origins, the Human Noble mentions that they spent a lot of time in their grandfather's library, while the Dwarf Noble mentions greatly enjoying a scholar's book about their ancestor, implying each is very well read about Fereldan and Dwarven history, respectively.
* Badass Family: It'd be easier to list the Wardens who *don't* come from one note .
	+ If a Human Noble, the Couslands have served as a Big Good in Ferelden for centuries. *The World Of Thedas vol. 2* reveals that both your parents fought Orlesian forces in the Ferelden Revolution (Bryce fought beside the King, while Eleanor led her father's armada), which was how they met. At the start of the game, Teyrn Cousland and his heir-apparent Jumped at the Call to fight alongside the King against darkspawn forces in Ostagar. While a Retired Badass, Teyrna Cousland is still no slouch with her bow and arrows.
* Badass Normal: Every non-mage Warden is clearly this before they undergo the Joining.
	+ The Human Noble essentially mows through a large crowd of Arl Howe's personal soldiers in order to safely escort their mother through the family castle in the dark of night.
* Bad Boss: The Human and Dwarf Nobles can be assholes towards their servants during their origins.
* Bad Powers, Good People:
	+ A Mage Warden learning Blood Magic is the most obvious example, but on a larger scale, *any* Warden can use Avernus' research to unlock the true potential of their tainted blood, resulting in Cast from Hit Points blood-based abilities, and still act genuinely heroic. A Reaver Warden is a more ambiguous case, as you technically *have* to Kick the Dog to unlock the specialization (whereas it's not required for Blood Mage as long as you have a sufficient speech level).
	+ All Grey Wardens fall under this to a minor degree, due to the Joining Ritual being a form of Blood Magic meant to grant the Wardens the power of the Darkspawn taint by imbibing their blood.
* Because You Were Nice to Me: If you make the effort to befriend the members of your party, you learn that you are one of the only real friends (if not *the* only one) that most of them have ever had. This is particularly true of Morrigan (who has never known anyone that she even *liked* before meeting you), Zevran (whose closest friend is willing to kill him), and Shale (who has never before known a person who didn't exploit it).
* Benevolent Boss: The Human Noble and Dwarf Noble can both choose dialogue options to be a reasonable lord toward their servants and other characters during the origin story.
* Berserk Button:
	+ Arl Rendon Howe becomes one to the Human Noble. Human Noble: I want Howe dead NOW!
* Beware the Nice Ones: The Warden can be played as the most shining paragon of virtue to ever exist... just *don't* get in their way!
* Big Eater: It's a Grey Warden thing, apparently.
* Big Good: Can be played this way. If playing as the Human Noble, the Warden is a member of the Cousland family, who have for centuries been the Big Good of all Ferelden.
* Blade Enthusiast: The PC always uses the same knife to murder people in dialogue scenes. Examples include some off-duty guards in the City Elf Origin, the hungry deserter in Ostagar, the Elven Messenger, Brother Genitivi, Avernus.
* Blatant Lies: A female Warden can claim to be “Winnifred” from “just outside Highever” no matter their actual name and origin, while conversing with the Mad Hermit.
* Blessed with Suck/Cursed with Awesome: Congratulations! You've been selected as a Grey Warden recruit — the highest honor to which you could ever aspire! It means any birthright or title you had is now forfeit. But wait, you have yet to become a Grey Warden - first you have to drink darkspawn blood, which will often kill you right away. If it doesn't, congratulations on becoming a Grey Warden! You can now sense the darkspawn and destroy archdemons at the low cost of obliterating your soul if you try the latter. Of course, they can sense *you* just as easily as you sense them. Oh, and you have about thirty years to live until the taint starts turning you into a darkspawn, at which point the Grey Warden instruction troubleshooting manual tells you to go on a suicide run against the darkspawn hordes. Oh, and good luck ever having children, especially if the other parent is also a Grey Warden.
* Blue Blood: If of the Human or Dwarf Noble origin; in fact, the Human Noble's origin icon even depicts a drop of blue blood. The Human Mage comes from a wealthy family which is part of the nobility of Kirkwall, in the Free Marches, but this has no effect on the origin story and they are probably not even aware of the fact; it doesn't get mentioned until the sequel game.
* Boxed Crook: In *five* of the six origins, no less.
	+ At the end of the Human Noble Origin, they are the last known surviving member of their family, the rest of whom were massacred on trumped-up charges of treason, and there's most certainly a bounty on their head if they ever come anywhere near their home region again.
* Brutal Honesty: Every background has a brutally honest response option for when you meet King Cailan. For example, when meeting a City Elf, Cailan apparently thinks of the Alienages as a somewhat poor but fair chance for the elves to rebuild themselves after an age of slavery. A City Elf PC has the option to exercise this trope to correct him: King Cailan: Do you come from the Alienage? Tell me, how is it there? My guards all but forbid me from going there. City Elf Warden: I killed an Arl's son for raping my friend. King Cailan: You... *what*?
* But Now I Must Go: If they survive *Origins*, the Warden abandons his or her life and party members in pursuit of a mysterious mission (or woman) at some point in the decade between the end of the first two games. We finally learn why in *Inquisition.*
* But Thou Must!: If the protagonist doesn't join the Grey Wardens voluntarily during the origin story, they'll be conscripted.
* The Cameo: If they're alive, the Inquisitor will write to the Hero of Ferelden for help. The Hero will apologize they can't help directly, but do send vital information about what's going on.
* Canine Companion: Regardless of your origin story, you get a dog - specifically, a giant mabari warhound, whose loyalty to you is absolute. If playing as the Human Noble, the dog has been your pet since childhood; otherwise, there's a quest in Ostagar where you can save the poisoned dog's life, and he imprints on you and tracks you down when you first leave for Lothering.
* Canon Name: Each Warden has a default namenote .
	+ Human Noble: Aedan/Elissa Cousland
* Celibate Hero and/or Really Gets Around: As with the hero/anti-hero status, the Warden can be anywhere in between these two. The Warden can have a foursome with Zevran, Leliana, and Pirate Queen Isabela. And then taking the edge off by sleeping with male hookers, female hookers, nugs, a transvestite *dwarf*, or having some rather unusual things done to you using some rather interesting tools. The tragic turn in the Human Noble's origin prologue can happen in the afterglow of a tryst with the son or servant girl of a visiting vassal noble.
* The Chessmaster: At the Landsmeet, it's possible to manipulate every single lord but one into supporting you over Loghain, including Queen Anora, *his own daughter.* You can then execute Loghain in front of her, and she'll still go along with marrying Alistair and lending her support for the Warden. An even better show of mastery of Fereldan politics is to still turn the Landsmeet against Loghain even without the heavy support that his daughter the Queen curries.
	+ Lampshaded by Loghain during the Landsmeet, who suggests that while Arl Eamon might believe that putting Alistair on the throne would guarantee him a Puppet King to control, in reality even *his* strings are being pulled by the Warden. Loghain: Ah! Here we have the Puppeteer!
* Chick Magnet: Aside from various party members (male and female for both genders), serving girls and a few elves are smitten with the male PC, and Bann Teagan seems to be considering proposing to the female PC after a few days of knowing her, explicitly stating that it doesn't matter one bit that she's a dwarf, an elf and/or a mage. Oghren points this out in a conversation with Wynne.
* The Chooser of the One: The Warden decides who ends up on the thrones of Orzammar and Ferelden. They can even choose themselves as a royal consort if they're Human Nobles (and the crowned is gender-compatible).
* Chosen Conception Partner: Played with.
	+ Discussed at the Landsmeet. If Alistair is romanced and becomes King, he'll express doubt over whether he and the Warden can be together. The whole point to this event was to prevent a Succession Crisis, but Wardens have extremely low fertility, and two have an extremely poor chance of conceiving together. If he becomes king, the female Warden would be a very poor choice for a mate because sooner or later, Ferelden will be back where they started. Of course, *Inquisition* shows that neither Alistair nor a Warden who marries Anora have much success at producing an heir with her either.
	+ Invoked by Morrigan, who wants to give birth to a child with an Archdemon's soul and offers it as a way to avoid the inevitable Heroic Sacrifice. If the Warden is male, she'll come to him first, and depending on your Relationship Values, it'll either be out of love, respect on some level, or simply acknowledgement that he's in charge and makes the decisions. If you're female, you'll be the one doing the picking (if any). However, if Morrigan was romanced, she is very happy that you'll be the one to give her a child.
	+ Also invoked by Mardy, a casteless woman whom the Dwarf Noble may have a child with. She and the other noble-hunters like Rica are specifically hoping to conceive sons with higher-caste men so that they can be raised out of Dust Town.
* The Chosen One: Averted, as the Warden in each origin is merely the Right Man in the Wrong Place. Further averted with the *Darkspawn Chronicles*, which depicts a non-canonical Alternate History where the Warden died during the Joining and Alistair was forced to step up. It didn't end well.
* Clear My Name: All Wardens go through the entire game knowing that Loghain is doing his best to convince the entire country that their order betrayed the king to his death.v fffffffffffffff
	+ Subverted for the Human Noble as well, though for different reasons. While you can prove that the Cousland family is innocent of the crime of being Orlesian spies, which Howe used as an excuse to slaughter your family and usurp your lands, it's eventually revealed that almost *none* of the nobles believed him anyway - so there was really nothing to clear. One of the nobles, Bann Alfstanna, even urges you to call on her for help when you're ready to take back your family's lands.
* Comes Great Responsibility: An honourable Mage Warden under the tutelage of Wynne. While their remarkable self-confidence is one of their greatest strengths, Wynne reminds them that mages should *never* indulge in *pride* because of their abilities, lest it corrupt them.
	+ To a lesser extent, Wynne tries to impress this lesson to all Wardens. You are a hero, and heroes have to make hard choices, but as a hero, it's your duty to make the best choices you can. You serve the people, Wynne says, and must put their benefit before yours. Whether you take this lesson to heart or not is entirely up to you.
* Commanding Coolness:
	+ The Warden becomes "Warden-Commander of Ferelden" in *Awakening*. They also are called the "Commander of the Grey" by some characters.
* Continuity Snarl:
	+ The conclusion of *Dragon Age II* has Leliana claiming that the Warden and Hawke's disappearances are no coincidence and Cassandra says in *Inquisition* they thought they were connected after they couldn't find either of them. This is all well and good unless a Warden who romanced Morrigan goes through the Eluvian with her eight years ago at the end of *Witch Hunt*. So why did Cassandra and Leliana expect (or even bother trying) to find someone who had been missing for almost a decade, and why would they think their disappearances were connected if they'd have been five to eight years apart from each other?
	+ During a King Alistair's visit to Kirkwall in Act 3 on a side quest, Teagan will claim, "The Hero of Ferelden should be back in Denerim by now." But at that point, they should be five years missing.
	+ Their codex in *Inquisition* if they survive the Fifth Blight is they served as commander for several years rebuilding the Order in Ferelden before disappearing, even though they pretty much left the Order and Ferelden altogether to be with Morrigan after holding the title for six months.
	+ The after-mentioned also applies to a Warden who romances Zevran, as they left to reunite with him in Antiva and join him in his personal war against the Antivan Crows, taking them to places far outside of Ferelden. It is very unlikely the Warden would have had the time or means to have led an organization in another country.
* Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Some dialogue options, if they're not to be considered snarky, can come across as... loony: Chantry Priest: We are all sinners. The fire symbolizes our hope that forgiveness is possible. Thus, we all serve by feeding its flames. Warden: So if I sin, I should just set myself on fire?
* Cool Uncle: Or Cool Aunt.
	+ The Human Noble is very clearly seen as this by their nephew, Oren.
* The Creon: If you are a Human Noble, your entire family is this. Despite being the most powerful nobility in all of Ferelden beside the King, they have no desire for more power, and are rumored to have turned down the crown.
* Curb-Stomp Battle: Among all the Player Characters, the Warden is the more proclive to this and his/her reputation of The Dreaded is mainly for this reason. The best examples is the Mage Tower's one (Gregoir, the templar in charge here, mentions that the demons and abominations are *all* dead) and the Carta headquarters' one (this one is even mentioned in the codex from the sequels, saying that the Warden pretty much decimated the entire branch in Orzammar).
* Deadpan Snarker: The player character has 100% more snarky lines than in previous BioWare games. It's especially notable if the Warden is given the Violent voice; Suave (for males) and Sultry (for females) are also fairly snarky.
* Death Seeker: A potential interpretation of the Dwarf Noble and Human Noble Wardens, particularly if these Wardens make the ultimate sacrifice at the end of the game.
* Defiant to the End: The Warden can be played as this.
	+ The Human Noble definitely is this, much to the chagrin of Arl Rendon Howe. Its possible to play them as being willing to go down fighting with their parents, up until Duncan basically makes it an order that you have to join him.
* Determinator:
	+ The Warden is forced to become this in order to unite Ferelden and defeat the Blight, even know the odds are impossibly against them at the start of the game in being one of the only Grey Wardens left in Ferelden.
	+ The reason the Warden isn't seen in *Dragon Age: Inquisition*? They're looking for a way to avoid the Calling. The tone of the letter they send suggests they see the impossibility of this as a mere *inconvenience*.
* Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: There are a number of powerful horrors that The Warden can take down before, and after slaying the Archdemon and end of the game. Unless you disagree to Morrigan's Dark ritual, then The Warden will be dead. In *Origins* there are two Optional Boss Fights that take place before the Point of No Return, specifically Flemeth and Gaxkang the Unbound. In *Awakening* you take down the The Mother, (potentially) The Architect, and (again potentially) The Queen of the Blackmarsh. In *Golems of Amgarrak* there's the Harvester, and in *Witch Hunt* there's the Varterral.
* The Dreaded:
	+ The Warden becomes this to Loghain and Arl Howe, the latter *particularly* if they're the Human Noble.
	+ During "Unrest at the Alienage", when the Warden runs into a bunch of Tevinter slavers and tells them who they are: Guard: Oh no! I've heard of *you!*
	+ In *Awakening,* simply informing a group of kidnappers that you're the *Commander of the Grey* is enough to reduce one into to a gibbering wreck that he's dealing with the one to slay an *Archdemon*. Further intimidation causes half of the bandits to run away, and one decides he'd rather *jump off a cliff to his death* rather than have to face the Warden.
	+ In *Awakening,* many nobles dread the Human Noble Warden's retribution after Howe's treachery against the Cousland Family. Is especially lampshaded in how Lord Eddelbrek is quick in mentioning that he had nothing to do with Howe's actions.
* The Drifter: For the Grey Wardens, it's practically their *raison d'être*.
* The Dutiful Son:
	+ The Couslands taught the Human Noble to *always* do their duty.
* Empowered Badass Normal: As a warrior, you can gain access to the slightly mystical Templar and reaver specializations, and even more in the expansion. Avernus' blood draughts also give a warrior or rogue upgraded abilities.
* Even the Girls Want Her: The women who love/lust after the PC are not limited to love interests or even her own race, which is somewhat uncommon in Ferelden nowadays.
* Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Despite having established surnames for every origin, only two of these ever seem to get used: Cousland for the Human Noble and Aeducan for the Dwarf Noble, since both are tied to the main story. The other names - Amell for the Human Mage, Surana for the Elf Mage, Brosca for the Dwarf Commoner, Tabris for the City Elf, and Mahariel for the Dalish Elf - appear only in the character creation screen.
	+ However, if you play *Dragon Age II* and import a save with a Dalish Warden, both Merrill and Marethari talk about Mahariel, since they are from the same clan, and were involved in the events of the Dalish Origin.
	+ Similarly, if the Warden in an imported game was a Human Female Mage (an Amell, Hawke's second cousin), Cullen remembers her fondly. If the Inquisitor in the third game is a mage, Cullen may speak to them about Amell as well.
	+ In *Awakening*, Sigrun is amazed to meet the Dwarf Commoner, as apparently Paragon Brosca has become a Folk Hero among the Dusters.
	+ Lampshaded in the second game, if Teagan says that "the Hero of Ferelden" is back in Denerim, Alistair mutters, "S/he has a name, you know!"
* The Exile: The Human Noble is also effectively this, since returning to Highever would almost certainly be a death sentence while Howe is running the place.
* A Father to His Men: The Warden spends almost as much time guiding their followers through their *personal* demons as they do fighting *actual* demons.
* The Fettered: Can be played this way.
* Fighter, Mage, Thief: Your class options via Warrior, Mage, and Rogue.
* Fighting for a Homeland: The Dalish Warden can be granted the Hinterlands for their people to settle, as their boon for stopping the Fifth Blight.
* Figure It Out Yourself: The Warden can be played as doing this with companions. Particularly noticeable with Alistair; if you convince him to take the throne, despite his reticence, he proves to be a *great* leader.
	+ Also noticeable with a romanced Morrigan, where the Warden's dialogue implies that he has been aware of her feelings for a *long* time, but has patiently waited for Morrigan to notice the penny drop.
	+ The Warden says this verbatim when Loghain openly asks why you didn't take him with you to kill the Archdemon, since he assumed this was the Warden's reason for making him go through the Joining.
* Folk Hero: According to Sigrun in *Awakening*, the Dwarf Commoner apparently became one amongst the Casteless, being the lowly Duster who defeated Orzammar's finest warriors in a Proving, became a Warden, then was even made into a *Paragon*.
	+ By the second game, the Warden is commonly referred to as "the Hero of Ferelden."
	+ One of the epilogues reveals that Bevin, the little boy in Redcliffe, grows into a famous adventurer and often regales his companions with the tale of how the Warden came to Redcliffe, took up his grandfather's sword to fight off an army of undead, then returned it to him.
	+ If Lloyd dies in the fight against the undead, Bella inherits his tavern and renames it "The Grey Warden's Rest," though in the years to come, travelers find it hard to believe the "tall tales" of the Warden's exploits recounted there.
	+ In *Awakening,* you meet an individual calling themselves the "Dark Wolf" in Amaranthine. If you did the very quests in *Origins*, you get to call him out that he's *not* the real "Dark Wolf," because *you are!*
* For Want of a Nail: The Warden surviving the Joining is a pretty crucial nail. If the Warden survives the Joining, the story plays out as normal. If the Warden doesn't survive the Joining, Ferelden loses to the Blight. This is illustrated by the DLC *The Darkspawn Chronicles*, in which the Warden does not survive the Joining and Alistair has to run the show.
* Friend to All Children: Depending on the player, the Warden can be this. There are a few opportunities to do things like give money to orphaned children and protect a child from a demon who wants to possess her.
* Friend to All Living Things: The Warden can also be played this way. They have the opportunity to save the lives of several mabari warhounds during the battle at Ostagarnote , and in the Dalish camp they can resolve a life-threatening situation with one of the halla.
* Gaydar: The Warden's functions with 100% accuracy, ensuring that they will never hit on a member of the same gender unless such an individual would at least potentially be receptive.
* The Ghost: What the Hero of Ferelden becomes if they survive the events of the first game.
* Girly Bruiser: A female Warden who beats the snot out of darkspawn in hulking armor who then turns around and fawns over shoes and hairstyles with Leliana definitely counts.
* Glory Seeker: The Human Noble, likewise, can be played as wanting to go to Ostagar with their father and brother, either because of misgivings about them being able to take care of themselves or finding it unfair that Bryce and Fergus get to ride off and fight for honor and glory beside the King while they're stuck home tending to the castle.
* Good Bad Girl: Can be played as such. One response to Alistair's "licked a lamppost in winter" query is quite vividly phrased in a manner to declare that she decidedly *has,* many times.
* The Good Chancellor: Depending on who ends up on the throne, a particularly honorable Warden can become this to Alistair and/or Anora.
	+ In *Awakening*, the Warden can become this as the new Arl of Amaranthine.
* Good Is Not Soft: More Heroic Wardens, in particular, seem to excel at delivering Cruel Mercy to people.
	+ A good example is Nathaniel Howe in the *Awakening* expansion. He tried to break into Vigil's Keep in order to kill the Warden. Moreover, if the Warden is the Human Noble, Nathaniel is the son of the man who massacred the Warden's entire family. The Warden can decide that the most fitting punishment of all for him is... to make him become a *Grey Warden*.
	+ Also from *Awakening*, you are required to pass sentence on a man who stole in order to feed his starving family. The best result comes if you make him join the army.
* Handsome Lech: Potentially. A frightening amount of possible interactions with members of the opposite sex (and even a few of the same sex) allows the Warden to hit on them, if not outright sleep with them. Heck, a female Human Noble can even hit on *Duncan*, though he demurs.
* Happily Married: Heavily abundant in the Human Noble origin story. Your parents are this, as well as your older brother Fergus and his wife Oriana. Unfortunately, the Origin doesn't end well for most of them.
	+ This is the fate of a female Human Noble who romances Alistair and becomes Queen during the Landsmeet. An ending slide shows that the people of Ferelden are utterly charmed by their happy marriage.
	+ Surprisingly, *Awakening* shows that Anora and male Cousland seem to have developed an amicable relationship, and the final epilogue slide states that when he returns to Denerim, even Anora is glad to have him back.
	+ While not technically married, the Warden and a romanced Morrigan develop this kind of relationship, complete with the Warden receiving a ring from her, although at first both are quick to ruthlessly deny it. Lampshaded in *Witch Hunt*, when Ariane comments that the Warden often idly plays with the ring Morrigan gave him when he thinks no one is looking, before asking if her knowledge about couples in Thedas exchanging rings is accurate. By the time of *Inquisition*, if they reunited at the end of *Witch Hunt*, they've pretty much given up pretending.
* The Heart: Can be played this way.
* Head-Turning Beauty: Everyone wants the Warden. Seriously. No matter how long you spend beating your character with the Ugly Stick in Character Creation, he or she (especially she, and especially if she's a human) will constantly be referred to as drop-dead gorgeous.
* The Hero: In the job description for a Grey Warden, and during a Blight that goes double. You'll one-up even the great accomplishments of the other Wardens, ending the Fifth Blight so quickly and so effectively *people outside Ferelden doubt there even was a Fifth Blight!* The most common epithet the Warden is known by in post-game content is "the Hero of Ferelden."
* Hero with Bad Publicity: Played with. Despite Loghain's claim that the Grey Wardens are responsible for the King's death, the only people who really believe that, and subsequently antagonize you, are either Loghain's men or mercenaries/desperate refugees with their eye on your bounty. There are some people gossiping in various settlements, but their opinion seems to fluctuate from moment to moment.
	+ Subverted for the Human Noble. Arl Howe also attempts to tarnish the Human Noble's family name by claiming the Couslands were killed in a failed rebellion to seize the throne for Orlais. However, if the Human Noble Warden speaks to other nobles prior to the Landsmeet, it becomes clear that almost *no one* actually believes this.
	+ Played straight in *Awakening* if you start off fresh as an Orlesian Grey Warden. Everybody in Ferelden will hold your Orlesian heritage against you. It's understandable, since Ferelden just freed itself from a brutal occupation at the hands of the Orlesians a scant few decades ago, only for an Orlesian to become the new Arl of Amaranthine. Depending on how you play the game, their mistrust can be justified.
* He Who Must Not Be Seen: The Warden's actions had a very notable impact on *Dragon Age II*, and they will get brought up directly by Varric and Cassandra, indirectly by Flemeth, and by mention on the loading screen. Depending on your playthrough, they can also be mentioned by Anders, Merrill, Isabela, Bethany, Cullen, Nuncio, Bodahn Feddic, Zevran, Alistair, Leliana, Nathaniel Howe, Sophia Dryden, a letter found in the Wounded Coast, an ex-werewolf, several Codex entries, and Hawke themself. Despite this, the Warden never shows up in that game.
	+ In *Inquisition*, the Warden is occasionally referenced and, if a certain sidequest is done (and the Warden is alive), even writes a letter to Leliana, but never actually shows up in person. They are on a quest to cure the Wardens of their Calling.
* Hope Bringer: All you have to do is flash the Grey Warden credentials to get most people to listen to whatever you have to say. Of course, it's up to you whether or not you want to fulfill the spirit of this trope.
	+ By the time of Dragon Age: Inquisition, it's quite possible for Dagna the Arcanist to describe the Warden in such a way. Dagna: It was a dark time. There was one light.
* Hypercompetent Sidekick: More or less ends up as this at the end to either Alistair or Anora. They lead the kingdom and deliver the Rousing Speeches, the Warden leads the armies.
* I Did What I Had to Do: Ruthless but well-meaning Wardens will find themselves adopting this as their creed.
* I Will Find You: At the end of *Origins*, a male Warden who romanced Morrigan can state his intention to set off in search of her, although this gets interrupted due to the events of *Awakening*. He finally succeeds in catching up with Morrigan during *Witch Hunt*.
	+ If romanced, it adds an interesting subtext to the fact that one of his first acts as Warden-Commander was to send scouts to watch over the Korcari Wilds for a year. While officially it's because they were hunting down the last darkspawn stragglers on the surface, it's mentioned the scouts were *also* given Morrigan's description and told to closely watch Flemeth's hut on the off-chance she might return.
* Informed Attractiveness: Even if you make a Warden that looks like the uglier cousin of The Phantom of the Opera that fell down in a vat of acid and has mismatched hair and eyebrows, everyone you ever meet will find them especially attractive.
* In-Series Nickname: Nearly everyone refers to the PC as "the Warden." It's a logical enough nickname, but it comes off a little bit strangely given that they aren't *the* Warden - there are two.
	+ Dialogue with Wynne implies that the Human Noble is known as "the last of the Couslands."
		- Which is about the same as above, because Fergus is still alive.
	+ In *Dragon Age II* and *Dragon Age: Inquisition*, the Warden is known as "the Hero of Ferelden".
* It's All My Fault: Every origin has an event happen for which the Warden can blame themself. During the "Urn of Sacred Ashes", the Warden undergoes the Gauntlet, where they can confront these feelings of guilt or deny having them.
* It's Personal:
	+ The Human Noble vows revenge on Arl Howe for the brutal murder of their entire family.
* Knight in Sour Armor: Can be played like this. A natural fit in particular for an elf - even if you're a Dalish who regards the Grey Wardens and Ferelden as an Enemy Mine situation at best, every human assumes you care about their kingdom.
* Lady of War: Again, the female PC.
	+ The Female Human Noble first gets lightly scolded about this by her mother, who wants her to get married and thinks this might be getting in the way. She later gets this lampshaded, albeit mockingly, by Arl Howe: Howe: Well, well. Bryce Cousland's little spitfire. All grown up and still playing the man!
* Large Ham: The Warden never outright chews the scenery, but there are some dialogue options that teeter on the edge. This is only exacerbated by some of the voice sets (such as Violent) whose lines can range from snarky to completely hammy.
* Last of His Kind: While there are other Grey Wardens in the world, they and Alistair are the only ones left in Ferelden and thus the only ones close enough to end the Blight in a timely and decisive manner.
	+ The Human Noble Warden becomes the last member of House Cousland. At least until their brother is revealed to be alive after the final battle, and may become it himself if his sibling performs the Ultimate Sacrifice.
* The Leader: Can run the entire gambit.
* Like a God to Me:
	+ Some of the bits of party banter show that with high enough approval rating, the other party members feel this way about the Warden. Zevran calls them "an object worthy of worship."
	+ In *Awakening*, if Alistair is king and married to the human female noble, he fondly notes that "I married an indestructible goddess."
* Like Brother and Sister:
	+ The relationship between any Warden and a non-romanced companion of the opposite sex can be played out this way.
* Like Parent, Like Child: The Human Noble and Dwarf Noble are heavily implied to greatly take after their fathers.
* Living Emotional Crutch: Various epilogues and the *Darkspawn Chronicles* DLC show that the group falls apart after the death of the Warden. They drift apart rather quickly even if the Warden survives to the end, but it's just because they each have things they want to do.
* Living Legend: The Warden becomes one during *Origins*, and the extent of their fame can be seen as part of the landscape of *Dragon Age II* and *Inquisition*.
	+ Also subverted if Zevran is romanced. The Warden pretty much runs off to Antiva to reunite with him not long after defeating The Mother and joins him in his effort to dismantle the Antivan Crows.
	+ Further subverted if they're the queen, prince-consort or chancellor of Ferelden as they'll permanently return to court to resume their duties after *Awakening*.
	+ Even more subverted with Leliana. By *Inquisition* not only are they still in a loving relationship but if Leliana becomes Divine, she'll remove the restrictions surrounding priesthood, allowing anyone in the Chantry to be in romantic relationships so they can openly be together. Though, it's not like they weren't already open about it before she did this.
	+ Completely averted if Alistair is romanced and remains a Grey Warden.
* Magic Knight: Mage Wardens can become *Arcane Warriors*.
	+ Warriors can become a *Reaver* and inverted as a *Templar*.
* Manic Pixie Dream Girl: A female Warden can come off as this if the player tends towards the more snarky and quirky dialogue choices and goes out of their way to do things like break Zevran and/or Alistair out of their shells.
* Magnetic Hero: You can also be this.
* Meaningful Name: Quite a lot of the Warden's default names and they can be remarkably appropriate.
	+ The Human Noble's last name is Cousland, which is derived from the Gaelic form of *absolom*, meaning "Peace." The Couslands have been the Big Good of Ferelden since before Ferelden actually existed. The female default name is Elissa, meaning "Oath," so her default name is "Oath of Peace"; alternately, Elissa can also mean "Wanderer", thus making her "Wanderer of Peace". Whether the name suits her is up to the player, of course.
* Mistaken for Gay: Possibly for a female Warden. Gossips in *Witch Hunt* seem to think that the female Warden is gay/bisexual and something happened between her and Isabela, even if no such encounter took place and the Warden was played as completely straight or asexual.
* Modest Royalty: The Dwarf Noble can be played like an amiable person who doesn't look down on people below them, and who only plays along with the dwarven caste system and all its restrictions because dwarven society expects it of them. Younger brother Bhelen is this way as well, having a surprising lack of disdain for the casteless. Older brother Trian, on the other hand...
	+ The Cousland family counts as well, as seen with the Human Noble. While they are the most powerful and respected noble family under the actual royal family, they still frequently talk to each other and allies informally. The Human Noble often has the option to ask other Nobles to just use their given name in lieu of a title when they recognize you as being a Cousland.
* Morality Pet: The Warden can be this for the more morally-dubious characters (like Morrigan and Zevran) should he or she befriend or romance them.
* My Significance Sense Is Tingling: The Joining allows all Grey Wardens to sense Darkspawn. Warden: Warden-senses tingling.
	+ If the Warden has the Templar specialisation, a conversation with Ser Otto reveals the Warden also has the ability to sense demons.

* Never Accepted in His Hometown: The Human Noble's home was seized by Arl Howe.
* Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Depending on your options, this can definitely occur more than once.
* Noble Fugitive: If of the Human Noble or the Dwarf Noble origin.
* Not So Stoic: The Warden, who generally is given no expression in cutscenes, looks absolutely horrified after Duncan stabs Ser Jory, and will be visibly surprised at seeing Wynne collapse. In both cases, however, facial expressions are largely limited to the mouth, which can come off as Dull Surprise for the player.
	+ A Human Noble Warden looks completely heartbroken upon finding the dead bodies of their sister-in-law and nephew during the origin story, and any Warden looks genuinely distraught when the party finds Cailan's body in the *Return to Ostagar* DLC. Both of these are done much more believably than the above examples.
* Occult Detective: While the darkspawn are their primary concern, the Wardens do train themselves to be able to deal with *any* threat.
* Odd Friendship: With *everyone* in the party, aside from your fellow Warden and your dog. When your closest friends include a Qunari Warrior, a Stone Golem, the daughter of *Flemeth*, a member of the Antivan Crows, an elderly Mage kept alive by a Fade Spirit, a Femme Fatale Spy who had a Heel–Faith Turn, a constantly drunk Dwarf, and potentially the Fallen Hero who left your King to die and blamed your fallen comrades for it, it's worth considering the possibility that *you* are the odd person in this friendship. The Warden can lampshade it when recruiting the dwarf: Warden: Don't I have enough armed lunatics following me around already?
	+ The trait carries over to the Ragtag Bunch of Misfits recruited in the *Awakening* expansion. This includes a Howe who tried to murder you to avenge his father, an apostate mage on his seventh escape attempt from the Circle, a perky female Dwarf from the Legion of the Dead, a rather prickly Dalish First searching for her kidnapped sister, the corpse of a Grey Warden inhabited by a Spirit of Justice, and the return of the constantly drunk Dwarf.
		- Nathaniel Howe is a particularly Odd Friendship for a Human Noble Warden (or, to a lesser extent, the City Elf Warden), as he's the son of the man who murdered their entire family (or purged their alienage and sold their family into slavery). Giving the Howes a chance to redeem themselves seems to be a Cousland trait. However, unlike his predecessors, Nathaniel's actually a very deserving fellow and, if befriended, grows quite fond of the Warden-Commander, leading to arguably the least odd of the odd friendships.
	+ In *Golems of Amgarrak*, the party includes a Dwarf Beastmaster who is searching for his brother and the secrets of Amgarrak, his brother who went mad from what he found there, and a salvaged Runic Golem.
	+ In *Witch Hunt*, the party includes an impish Dalish warrior searching for an Ancient Tome stolen from her clan by Morrigan, and a bookish Circle Mage Afraid of Blood and dirt, as well as the return of your faithful dog, who's finally finished repopulating Ferelden's Mabari kennels.
	+ The recruitments of Zevran, Nathaniel, and potentially Loghain fall into this. As the Warden can casually remark in *Awakening*: Warden: You'd be surprised how many of my closest friends have tried to kill me at some point.
* Old Hero, New Pals: Imported Wardens in *Awakening* trade in one Ragtag Bunch of Misfits for another, with Oghren only staying due to his lack of screentime in the main game. It happens again in *Witch Hunt* as well, with just the Dog still around from the original group.
* One Degree of Separation: The Warden to the other "potential" Wardens from the other Origins.
	+ Additionally, every Warden has one degree of separation from every other "potential" Warden in the form of Dog. Canonically, Dog is/was the loyal companion of the Human Noble; however, in the other five origins, Dog imprints on the Warden in question after the Human Noble died during/after the trek to Ostagar with big brother Fergus. This is implied by the kennel master, who observes that Dog formerly belonged to a young noble who died.
* Only Sane Employee: Given that the only other Warden in Ferelden is *Alistair*, the Warden frequently comes across as this. Or not, if you play your Warden just as snarky as Alistair.
* One-Man Army: The tales of the First Blight say that every Grey Warden is able to fight ten or twenty darkspawn at once. The Warden is The Dreaded because of this. Duncan states, if you ask about the danger of the Joining, that he wouldn't have recruited you unless he thought you could handle it, implying good Warden recruiters look specifically for people who have the rare fortitude that affords them a chance at surviving the ritual. While this doesn't directly translate into combat prowess, it certainly would help. All the potential Wardens were superlative badasses before they were recruited.
* Only Sane Man: Dialogue choices can have the PC repeatedly be the voice of reason amidst selfish political infighting and other craziness happening during a Blight.
* The Paragon: The Warden can be played as one.
* Parental Abandonment: With only a few exceptions, really bad things tend to happen to the Warden's parents in every origin, if they were even present at all:
	+ The *Human Noble* origin is the only one that starts out with both of the player character's parents alive and well; they are both likable, genuinely good people who clearly love their children and each other very much. Naturally, they both end up being brutally murdered by Arl Howe's forces.
* Parental Favoritism: Actually on the *receiving* end if playing the Dwarf Noble Origin. In this case, it turns out the PC is actually favored child of the king, which leads to its Cain and Abel plotline.
	+ The Human Noble is also implied to be Bryce Cousland's favorite child; but unlike the Dwarf Noble's brothers, big brother Fergus doesn't seem to be remotely distressed by this fact.
* Pragmatic Hero: The Warden can be played as such.
	+ A good example of this is the "Trial of Crows" questline. While the Warden still has a price on their head and the Antivan Crows *never* abandon a contract, by agreeing to carry out assassinations on disreputable individuals for them, they will have earned enough favour that if the Guildmaster after them calls for aid in performing the hit, the other cells will be less inclined to agree.
	+ In *Awakening,* if the Warden decides to ally with the Architect, a difficult speech check allows them to justify their decision as being this, depending on whether any of the companions present objected. The epilogue reveals that while many of the other senior Grey Wardens also question this decision, they do notice the mysterious drop in darkspawn activity all across the Deep Roads as a result.
* Princess in Rags: The female Dwarf Noble and Human Noble origin. The Dwarf Noble is the exiled daughter of the King; the Human Noble's family is slaughtered and their lands and titles usurped.
* The Quest: The Warden's quest is to end the Blight by destroying the Archdemon, and to unite Ferelden using the Grey Warden treaties so that there's an army to do it with. Along the way the player can complete this quest in whatever way, and with whatever kinds of companions, they choose.
* Rags to Riches: In the Human and Dwarf Noble's cases, it's riches to rags and back again. For the Human Noble, it's especially so you become queen by marrying Alistair or prince-consort by marrying Anora.
* Refusal of the Second Call: Even if they survive, the Warden is never seen again after *Dragon Age: Origins*, despite the fact that the plot of Inquisition seems right up their alley. The Inquisitor can send them a letter asking for help, but they will reply that they are busy on their own unrelated mission.
* Retired Badass:
* Revenge Before Reason: The Human Noble may invoke this numerous times when discussing Arl Howe.
* Riches to Rags: The Human Noble and Dwarf Noble are former royalty/nobility who lost most of their family members and became exiled. The Human Mage (and, as revealed in the sequel, their siblings) is also revealed to be this in the sequel, as their magic caused the prominent Amell family to lose political favour in Kirkwall.
* Right Man in the Wrong Place: All possible Wardens begin as well-trained but (mostly) unimportant figures, and rise to their station through skill and pure luck.
* Roaring Rampage of Rescue:
	+ The mission to rescue Anora is a big one of these for the Human Noble or City Elf, in no small part due to the main bad guy of the mission being none other than Arl Rendon Howe, the bastard responsible for massacring the Couslands in the Human Noble origin, and leading a violent purge against the alienage for the City Elf.
* Rookie Red Ranger: Becomes the leader of the Grey Wardens of Ferelden one day after joining. Granted, it's just because the only other surviving Warden doesn't want the responsibility of leading, but still.
* Royal Brat: A Human Noble can be implied to be this too, but has fewer opportunities to show it.
* Royals Who Actually Do Something:
	+ As a scion of House Cousland, second-highest in precedence among the noble houses of Ferelden, the Human Noble is just one step under being a prince(ss) (and can actually become royalty by marrying Alistair or Anora). The Dwarf Noble *is* royalty, the second child of King Endrin Aeducan of Orzammar and the exiled former-Commander of Orzammar's Army.
* Schrödinger's Player Character:
	+ Generally averted. No matter which of the origin stories you choose to play, you'll come across hints in the main storyline that the others played out, with only the fact that Duncan happened to be around during your chosen origin story determining which of the potential player characters became the protagonist. Probably the most obvious example of this is the existence of Dog - unless you are playing the Human Noble origin, the kennel master in Ostagar will say that Dog used to belong to a young noble who died.
* Seen It All: In *Awakening*, when Anders and Nathaniel bring up the strangeness factor of getting into fights with dragons, demons and darkspawn on a semi-regular basis, the Warden's dialogue seems to suggest that they really *have* stopped being fazed by it at this point: Warden: Stick around, this happens all the time!
* Shut Up, Hannibal!: The Human Noble's defiant response during their final confrontation with Arl Howe. Human Noble: You lie, Howe. To yourself most of all. I am a Grey Warden! Howe: There it is, right there. That damned look in the eye that marked every Cousland success that held me back! It seems you have made something of yourself after all. Your father would be proud. I, on the other hand, want you dead more than ever.
* Silent Protagonist: Inconsistently played straight; you can select your PC's voice from a short list, and sometimes hear comments in battle and exploration. But in any cutscene where the player has dialogue choices, the lines go unvoiced.
* Sink or Swim Mentor: Often can be seen as both this and Trickster Mentor in regards to Alistair, keeping him from falling apart after the loss of Duncan and the Wardens at Ostagar, as well as if they put him forward as King during the Landsmeet.
* Spare to the Throne: The Human Noble in their origin. While Bryce doesn't come out in say it, the reason he leaves the Human Noble in charge of Castle Cousland is to leave an heir behind if the worst happens at the Battle of Ostagar. Both Bryce and older brother Fergus plan to fight in the battle. This would also explain why Bryce is reluctant to have his younger child join the Wardens *before* Ostagar, but is willing to entertain the notion after he comes home.
* The Squadette: The female PC. Alistair even lampshades it by wondering why there never were very many female Grey Wardens.
	+ The Warden herself lampshades this too at one point, when Daveth and Jory are fretting over the Joining. Female Warden: I swear, I'm the bravest one here and I'm a woman.
* The Stoic: Due to the lack of any facial animation, you *will* come off as this whenever the camera switches to you in conversation.
* Tragic Keepsake: Morrigan's ring for male Wardens, though she's not dead and you can throw it away if you like.
	+ The Cousland family sword and shield can be this for a Human Noble.
* Tranquil Fury:
	+ Implied to be the case when the Human Noble Warden finally faces off with Arl Howe.
* Try to Fit That on a Business Card:
	+ If you are playing as the Human Noble, your full titles and styles could be, if you play your cards right: "His/Her Royal Majesty, King/Queen \_\_\_\_\_\_ Cousland/Theirin, King/Queen-Consort of Ferelden, Teryn/a of Gwaren, Arl/essa of Amaranthine, Arl/essa of Denerim, Warden-Commander of the Order of the Grey Wardens, Hero/ine of Ferelden."
	+ You're also first in line to the Teyrnir of Highever. Though, as the heir presumptive of your elder brother, you may be pushed down by his issue if he remarries.
* Undying Loyalty: The Human Noble is from a family of ardent royalists, with Bryce Cousland being rumored to have turned down the throne when it was offered to him, in favor of the *true* heir to the throne. Their loyalty is such that the only time we ever see Bryce even get remotely angry is when Arl Howe *insults* their King. Historically, they've only ever turned on tyrants, but fought to the death to defend their true king and/or homeland.
* The Unfettered:
	+ The Grey Wardens encourage their members to be this, and you can choose to fully embrace this mantra.
* Unscrupulous Hero: The Warden can fall into this, particularly if you're attempting for 100% completion. Doing every sidequest will mean having to engage in murder, blackmail, assassinations, coverups, bribery and petty larceny. On the other hand, most of the people to whom you do all those things had it coming.
* The Unwanted Harem: Saying nice things to your party members can be enough to convince them that they are becoming your Love Interest. This can lead to awkwardness when one of the Betty and Veronica pair forces you to choose between them; sometimes, being forced into making that choice is the first time you'll even be aware of the situation.
* Walking the Earth:
	+ The Grey Wardens go where they are most needed.
* Warrior Prince: Or Princess; this applies to the Human and Dwarf Nobles. The Dwarf Noble is the daughter of the dwarven king, and thus rightfully a princess; the Human Noble's father rules what the codex states is actually a principality within Ferelden, though the Couslands don't refer to themselves by princely titles. And a female Warden from any background ends the game by becoming Warden-Commander of Ferelden, which also makes her Arlessa of Amaranthine.
* Warrior Therapist: If you want your party at maximum effectiveness, the Warden will exemplify this trope.
* Well-Intentioned Extremist: Particularly ruthless Wardens tend to exemplify this, seeking to end the Blight at any cost. Even a heroic Warden will fall into this in *Awakening*, if choosing to ally with the Architect at the end.
* The Wise Prince: The Human and Dwarf Noble can be played as this.
	+ It's also mentioned by an NPC during the Human Noble origin story that, although big brother Fergus is technically next in line to be Teyrn of Highever, many of the people would be pleased to see the PC in that role because of their popularity, intellect, and battle skill. This same NPC notes that many of the nobles wanted the PC's father, Bryce Cousland, to be named king - suggesting that it may well be In the Blood. Said NPC is an Optional Sexual Encounter, though, so their flattering words should be taken with a grain of salt.
* World's Best Warrior: The Warden is legendary by the time of *Dragon Age: Inquisition*. Even as early as *Awakening*, several distressed characters immediately feel that their horribly bleak situations are going to be okay simply because the Warden has shown up. Because of this exalted reputation, s/he was Divine Justinia's first choice to lead the Inquisition. By that point, however, the Warden has disappeared to whereabouts unknown to try and achieve something most believe to be impossible (curing the inevitable corruption every Grey Warden will eventually endure). Every person who knows him/her shows absolutely no doubt that they will find a way to succeed at this seemingly insurmountable task.
* You Can't Go Home Again:
	+ the Human Noble never returns to Castle Cousland once the origin story is completed.