Blackwall

## Background

Nothing is known of Blackwall prior to his recruitment into the Grey Wardens from the city of Cumberland in 9:17 Dragon, but he is said to be one of the few who chose, of his own accord, to undergo the Joining. He is proud of the lives of isolation and valor those of his order lead. In that isolation, he counsels that you have become something more than yourself. He prefers the life of the Warden to any other.

Blackwall was a close friend of then Warden-Constable Alisse Fontaine and succeeded her in the position when she became Commander of the Grey in Orlais in 9:28. He was put in charge of Warden operations in northern Orlais and stationed in Val Chevin.

During the Fifth Blight in 9:30 Dragon, Blackwall was strongly opposed to Teyrn Loghain's decision to close the Fereldan borders, and exile of the Grey Wardens while the Fifth Blight raged. Shortly after the Blight, on a mission to secure all known Deep Roads entrances in Orlais, he was awarded the Silverite Wings of Valor for rescuing seven fellow Wardens when a tunnel collapsed. He managed to free himself of the rubble and navigated a crumbling darkspawn-infested cave system alone to reach and free his fellows.

Blackwall's duties also include recruiting new Wardens. His goal is to help others and act as a shield to his comrades, and this reflects his view of the Grey Wardens as an order of protectors.

In 9:36 Dragon, Warden-Constable Gordon Blackwall journeyed to Montsimmard to see Warden-Commander Fontaine and confer with her about who would succeed her when she went on her Calling. Blackwall sent a message north announcing his intention to return to Val Chevin, but recruited a man named Thomas "Thom" Rainier during his journey.

Thom Rainier originated from Markham in the Free Marches. He won the melee of the Grand Tourney in his youth, albeit with the crucial aid of a fellow competitor—a chevalier called Ser Geoffroy de Bordelon. The chevalier put aside his own ambition to help Rainier win the tournament, and even offered to mentor him, but Rainier refused him out of pride. Many years later, he came to regret that decision.

Thom quickly squandered his winnings from the tourney and took up mercenary work for two years. Several years before meeting Warden Blackwall or the Inquisition, he was part of a group of mercenaries sent to recover a man who had gone missing in the Silent Plains, along with an eager and able-bodied but inexperienced man named Wilfred. However, a violent storm overtook the group and forced them to flee to higher grounds due to flooding, which washed away their equipment and supplies. With no food, they tried to subsist off some berries Wilfred had found, but the berries induced madness and hallucinations in the men, leaving them vulnerable to Ghasts, which stole their armor and attempted to drag them away as well. Rainier survived this, and a wyvern stalking the group, as did Wilfred and some others, but Wilfred was killed after attempting to steal water from another man while sleeping; Rainier and the others left Wilfred's body where it lay, and eventually managed to return to civilization.

Eventually, Rainier enlisted in the Orlesian imperial army. For the next few years, Rainier campaigned in Perendale and the Dales. He learned strategy and honed his martial prowess. Despite his Marcher heritage, Rainier's skill and dedication allowed him to become a well-respected captain in the Orlesian army and his charisma made his men very devoted to him. On the surface, Rainier safeguarded his men's interests, but behind the facade his primary concern was with his own advancement and profit. Despite this, his men followed him loyally and obeyed his orders without question.

An ally of Grand Duke Gaspard, Ser Robert Chapuis, hired him to attack one of Empress Celene's allies, Lord Vincent Callier. Enticed by the coin offered, Rainier took the job. His soldiers were simply told that they were on an important mission that was essential to the security of their country and that they were to eliminate everyone. Rainier's men saw the ugliness of war and believed that they were wiping out a dangerous aristocratic bloodline that threatened their country; only Rainier knew that they were attacking innocent civilians as a part of a chevalier's scheme to ingratiate himself with Gaspard.

In the spring of 9:35, Lord Callier and his family were traveling to their summer home on Lake Celestine when their caravan was ambushed. The attack turned into a slaughter, as they massacred not only Callier but Callier's wife and preteen children (who were accompanying Callier at the time). Despite not initially expecting the children in Callier's carriage, Thom knew they were present with enough time to call off the attack—but chose not to do so, for fear that he would be disgraced in the eyes of his men if they learned the truth, and so he had them follow through with the attack to save face. When word of the massacre got out, Gaspard disavowed their actions, Chapuis committed suicide and Rainier ran. Most of Rainier's men were arrested and sentenced to traitors' deaths while only a few were able to escape. Rainier once again took up mercenary work. In 9:36, Rainier was visiting a tavern near Churneau and saved the barmaid from rowdy village militia harassing her. This was what brought him to the attention of another tavern patron, Warden-Constable Blackwall.

Blackwall saw Rainier's potential and resolved to recruit him into the Grey Wardens. On their way to the Warden stronghold in Val Chevin, they stopped by a Deep Roads entrance on the Storm Coast and Blackwall sent Rainier to retrieve Darkspawn blood for his joining. They were ambushed and Blackwall sacrificed himself to protect Rainier from a fatal blow.
Rainier was inspired by Blackwall's nobility and belief in the Warden's cause, but he had no proof that he had been recruited and feared the Wardens would think he had murdered Blackwall. So he assumed Blackwall's identity and used his status as a wandering Warden recruiter to try and do good in honor of the Warden's memory. He resurfaced as Blackwall in Ferelden in 9:41.

## Involvement

### *Dragon Age: Inquisition*

When the Breach opened, Blackwall kept the people of the Crossroads safe from demons with no expectation of reward. While Blackwall kept the demons at bay, the villagers fled with supplies from their farms as they fled the danger but were eventually robbed by bandits. Once Blackwall discovered that the bandits robbed the fleeing innocents, Blackwall became furious and rallied some of the farmers in order to hunt the bandits and recover the stolen supplies. Blackwall told the farmers that while demons and Blights were his responsibility, the farmers would need to learn how to defend themselves against such thieves on their own. Inspired by his leadership, the farmers willingly followed Blackwall into battle.

Should the Inquisitor choose to find Blackwall in the Hinterlands, they arrive to find Blackwall training a trio of conscripts to fight off bandits, who attack shortly after. After fending off the bandits, Blackwall sends the conscripts off and is questioned by the Inquisitor over the disappearance of Ferelden's Wardens. He admits that he knows nothing about other Wardens, as he has been on the road without contact, but refuses to stand idle if his order was involved in Divine Justinia V's death. Believing his aid could make a difference in restoring the peace, Blackwall offers to join forces with the Inquisition.

If Blackwall accompanies the Inquisitor in the siege of Adamant Fortress, he can reason with the Warden warriors by reminding them of their duty.

Back at Skyhold following the events of Here Lies the Abyss and Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, Blackwall will take the Inquisitor out for a drink at the Herald's Rest. As they drink, Blackwall solemnly tells the Inquisitor the tale of how as a boy, he ignored a bunch of urchins abusing a stray dog begging for food. He expresses his guilt about how he ignored the dog's suffering and allowed injustice to be done. He tells the Inquisitor that they could make the world better but people choose not to out of expedience. Blackwall then concludes "There's always some dog out there. Some fucking mongrel that doesn't know how to stay away."

When the Inquisitor returns to Skyhold following the previous scene, it is revealed that Blackwall has disappeared. An Inquisition messenger shows the Inquisitor a crumpled note, suggesting that Blackwall intends to attend the execution of a man called Mornay in Val Royeaux, accused of taking part in a massacre at the order of his captain, Thom Rainier. At the execution, as Mornay stands before the noose, Blackwall steps up to the platform, admitting to have given the order to Mornay, revealing his true identity as Thom Rainier and impersonation of Blackwall. He is arrested by the guards and brought to the Val Royeaux prison.

If the Inquisitor visits him in prison, they have a chance to question Rainier. He reveals his true past as a captain in the Orlesian army, his part in the massacre of the Calliers, the circumstances of the real Blackwall's death and his assumption of his identity. When he learned that Mornay had been captured, Rainier couldn't let him take the fall for his crime.

If the Inquisitor chooses to free Rainier, the latter is judged back at Skyhold. The Inquisitor has the decision of either setting him free, making him serve the Inquisition against his will or turning him over to the Wardens once Corypheus has been defeated. If pardoned, Rainier decides to atone by dedicating his life to the Inquisition. If pardoned or sent to the Grey Wardens, Rainier will prefer to be called "Blackwall" since he has become accustomed to being called by the name and now thinks it more of a title that he should live up to.

It is revealed in Blackwall's companion quest that he did not actually complete the Joining and is therefore not truly a Grey Warden. Should the Inquisitor choose to send Blackwall to the Wardens, however, it is implied that he will undergo the Joining.

#### *Trespasser*

Two years after Corypheus' defeat, the Inquisitor can meet Blackwall (who is now calling himself Thom Rainier again) before meeting the Exalted Council. He is found throwing knives at a target and after catching up with the Inquisitor, tells the Inquisitor that they have his support.

*If the Inquisitor sent Rainier to the Grey Wardens:*

Rainier eventually survived his Joining and went on to become a Grey Warden stationed in the Vimmark Mountains. He reports to Warden Stoudenmire who is conducting an ongoing investigation of the Vimmark Prison. He is expected to return to the Wardens after the events of the Exalted Council. After the events of the Exalted Council, Rainier goes to Weisshaupt fortress to pledge himself to the Grey Wardens for good. In the years that followed, he was seen faithfully carrying out the duty of the Wardens and helping others along the way.

## Approval

Blackwall approves of helping and protecting others and Inquisitors who spur people to do the same. He is not fond of conscripting, exiling, or disbanding famed organizations dedicated to service. He also despises aiding self-serving power-hungry tyrants or those who punish for cruelty. He is fond of those who speak highly of the Grey Wardens and those who ally with them.
Slight approval from Blackwall can be gained by killing groups of darkspawn wandering throughout the areas and during quests such as The Trouble with Darkspawn and Keeping the Darkspawn Down.
Approval gains from specific events and quests are usually low to moderate; however, there are three instances that will yield Blackwall Greatly Approves:

## Relationships

If neither Blackwall nor Josephine is romanced, banter between Blackwall and other companions suggests that he has feelings for Josephine.
Both Josephine and Blackwall acknowledge that they both have feelings for each other but cannot consummate it as it would be inappropriate since they are of different stations. Blackwall admits that he doesn't see a future for the relationship. Even so, they seem content to flirt in subtle ways - such as exchanging romantic tokens or looks to express their fondness for one another, yet always in secret. Blackwall can be asked about his flirtations with Josephine, to which he responds that it has been years, and they both knew it was a momentary infatuation and nothing more.

In conversation with Cassandra, Blackwall reveals that he had a younger sister who died when he was very little and that he often thinks of her. In another conversation, Cole glimpses into Blackwall's thoughts and speaks about a girl named Liddy who also died. It's not confirmed whether Liddy is the name of Blackwall's late sister or some other girl he knew.

## Trivia

He is described as "The Resolve."
He is described as "dedicated, almost mentor-like figure, but he's also a man alone; he's been on the road for a very long time, and it wears on him."
According to Sheryl Chee, Blackwall likes dogs.
Blackwall's greatest fear is himself.
One of his hobbies seems to be woodworking, as he is sometimes seen making wooden objects, such as griffons in the stables.
It is unknown how much of the information presented about Blackwall in Inquisition is true, as most of his time on-screen was spent under his false alias.
Thom Rainier implies that he grew a beard to look more like Warden Blackwall.