Zevran Arainai

"Planning has never been my strong suit. Now, killing...killing and love-making. Killing and love-making and witty retorts. Those I am better at."

Zevran Arainai is an elven Antivan rogue and accomplished assassin. He is a possible companion and romance option for the Warden of either gender in Dragon Age: Origins. He gained his surname Arainai after being brought into House Arainai as a Crow recruit.

Background
Zevran is the son of a Dalish woman who fell in love with an elven woodcutter. His elven mother abandoned her clan and moved with the woodcutter to Antiva City. Zevran is unsure whether the woodcutter is indeed his father. After the woodcutter died suddenly - presumably from disease - Zevran's mother was forced into a life of prostitution in Rialto to pay off the woodcutter's debts, and died soon after giving birth to Zevran. In fact, the woodcutter was a contract kill by the Antivan Crows in 9:04 Dragon. Along with other elven orphans, Zevran was raised communally by the prostitutes in the brothel until the age of seven, when he was sold to the elite guild of assassins called the Antivan Crows for three sovereigns in 9:12. His cunning and skill in stealing had brought him to the attention of Guildmaster Talav of House Arainai who paid the remainder of the debt his mother had being forced to repay. As such, he was considered compradi (purchased). He and Taliesen were both purchased in 9:12 and out of eighteen recruits bought that year, they were the only two to survive. Despite a promising start, however, neither boy showed any real talent until Rinna (also called Rinnala) was introduced into the House. The trio complemented each other well, Rinna overseeing planning, Taliesen providing the physical strength and Zevran handling both poisons and seductions. Indeed, they worked so well together than Eoman Arainai trained them together as a unit within House Arainai. This eventually led to the trio becoming romantically involved. Following the murder of Rinna, the heart seemed to go out of Zevran. Indeed, it appeared that during later missions, Taliesen was covering for Zevran in order to keep up the appearance that Zevran was still a loyal member of the Crows. His later bid for a contract to kill the two remaining Grey Wardens in Ferelden was interpreted by some in the Crows as an attempt to attain the rank of master, but was in actuality a suicide attempt.

Dragon Age: Origins
{{SpoilerDAO| Zevran is hired by Loghain and Arl Howe to assassinate the Warden and Alistair. The Warden's party will eventually be lured into an ambush by the Crows during the plot-based encounter The Long Road.

The ambush begins with a lone, desperate woman approaching the party and begging their aid after an apparent attack on her wagon. When you follow her, Zevran and numerous other assassins appear and the party must then fend off both the Crows and the woman they met on the road, who proves to be a mage. If Zevran is defeated in the battle, the Warden is presented with an option to either kill him immediately or allow him to speak in his defense. Should he be kept alive for interrogation, Zevran will ask to join the group, offering to protect and serve the Warden in exchange for his life.

Note that in order to trigger the encounter with Zevran, the Warden must have passed through Lothering and completed one of the major story lines: The Arl of Redcliffe up to reaching Arl Eamon, Paragon of Her Kind, Nature of the Beast, Broken Circle or The Urn of Sacred Ashes.



Confident and eager to put his abilities to good use under the Warden's employ, Zevran is easygoing by nature. Though many of the party members have their doubts about whether or not he is trustworthy, he takes their suspicions in stride and deflects their accusations with wit. He has no reservations about what he does for a living, nor does he try to dress up his role as a Crow. He acknowledges freely that he is a killer and that he cannot picture himself doing anything else. Even so, he does possess a somewhat slanted sense of morality that guides his actions.

Zevran is among the least judgmental of the Origins companions. The Warden's decisions, for good or ill, rarely affect his disposition by more than a few points (if at all), though there are some exceptions. Zevran will object should the Warden opt to destroy the Anvil of the Void, arguing for the anvil's value to their war effort. He will also protest the decision to slay the mages in the Tower in Broken Circle, questioning why his life was spared while those of the mages are so easily disregarded. If he is in the party when the Warden proposes slaughtering the Dalish, Zevran will plead with them to spare the lives of the elves, although the Warden can overrule him and persuade him to go along with no drop in approval. If asked about the Dalish elves after the Warden has completed Nature of the Beast by siding with the werewolves, he will snap that it is a ghoulish thing to bring up after everything that has transpired - even if he has not joined the party until after said events. Zevran will, however, concede that the werewolves deserved their revenge, and the Dalish fell because they were weak. If Zevran's approval is 27 or more, he will teach the assassin specialization.

If you have Zevran in your party when entering the Fade during Broken Circle, you will later find him being pulled on the rack during his own nightmare. He seems to be reliving a past experience of being tortured by two fellow elves in order to prove that he can endure pain, apparently a necessary step to join the Crows. While in the Fade, Zevran is oblivious to the fact that he is already an Antivan Crow, and has to be reminded of this by the Warden. Once convinced, Zevran will disappear, re-appearing before the final battle against Sloth.

Despite his Dalish lineage and the fact he briefly lived with a roaming clan, Zevran thinks of himself primarily as an Antivan. He claims to feel no collective kinship to other elves, those in alienages least of all; Zevran believes that too many of his kind have accepted being considered inferior as a fact of life, and thinks they have to fight to earn a higher level of respect. Regardless of what he says, Zevran will approve the Warden's actions if they benefit elves in general. For example, he will approve of freeing Soris from Howe's prisons during the Landsmeet and disapprove if the Warden frees Vaughan, but only if the Warden brings up the topic of the elven uprising in Denerim (around -5 approval).

In time, if the Warden has garnered a sufficient approval rating with Zevran, he will reveal the specifics of some of his missions as a Crow. The last job he performed in Antiva was to be carried out with the assistance of his fellow assassins, Taliesen and Rinna. Zevran explains that he had become genuinely smitten with Rinna in a way that directly conflicted with his assassin training. But as the trio planned their attack, Taliesen learned that Rinna had accepted a bribe from their mark and was planning to betray them. Zevran watched Taliesen kill her, callously mocking her pleas of innocence and dying declarations of love for him, and the two men carried out the mission on their own. Only after their target was dead did they discover the real source of their victim's information, which in turn proved Rinna had been telling the truth. Heartbroken and disgusted by his actions, Zevran returned to the Crows and made a bid for what many believed was a suicide mission: kill any remaining Grey Wardens in Ferelden. He took the job hoping to die at the hands of legendary heroes, only to have his would-be killers show him the mercy he had not given Rinna. This is brought up by the Guardian, who will ask Zevran if he feels remorse for her murder.

Within Dragon Age: The World of Thedas volume 2, the truth of this final mission is revealed. Rinna, a bastard daughter of Prince Estefan, was working with the Rosso Noche (Red Night), an organization with the goal of presenting Rinna as a legitimate heir to King Natale of Antiva. When a member of House Valisti, Claudio Valisti, discovered this, he bribed Eoman Arainai to have Rinna killed to allow a member of the Valisti family a better chance of royal succession. Zevran and Taliesen were informed that killing Rinna was a test of their loyalty but the act left Zevran feeling wracked with guilt and self-loathing.

After the Landsmeet quest has started, and while traveling through Denerim, Taliesen approaches the party and offers to take Zevran back to Antiva. If his approval rating is not high enough, Zevran (regardless of whether or not he's in the active party) will betray the team for the Crows and permanently die in the following confrontation. If this happens, his codex entry will be updated with details regarding his death. If he has high approval (+26, or at least at "warm" or "interested"), he will deny the Crows. If he is in a romance with the Warden and at least "interested" but below +71, he may refuse to fight, depending on how the Warden answers Taliesen. If this happens, the Warden will have the opportunity to question Zevran about his relationship with Taliesen later. Zevran expresses regret over killing Taliesen as, despite everything, Zevran had feelings for his fellow Crow. If he is in a romance with the Warden and the approval rating is high enough, he will fight alongside them against his fellow assassins. Afterward, Zevran states that the Crows will have assumed he rejoined Taliesin and subsequently died with him. This gives Zevran an opportunity to disappear before they learn otherwise, and his disposition will determine if he then asks for his freedom or to remain with the group and continue to fight the Blight.

Romance
A supposed master of seduction, Zevran will blatantly flirt with the Warden, in addition to some of the other companions, even if only in jest. He is typically undeterred by anything short of a firm and clear rejection of his advances, thus making it easy to start a relationship with the Warden, regardless of gender. Almost immediately after being recruited into the team he will reveal his attraction to the Warden, and from there the Warden can drop unsubtle hints that the thought is reciprocated.

It is a simple enough matter to get into Zevran's good graces. He enjoys playful innuendo and being asked of his exploits, and as long as the Warden can accept his sexual history, the romance will continue. He can be asked to accompany the Warden back to their tent with a moderately high approval rating, which he happily accepts. Afterward, he explains that he holds no claim on the player character and it is their choice to either continue the relationship or end it there. Conversely, if Zevran has a high approval of the Warden and they have not yet asked him to bed, he will offer his company for the night. Asking Zevran about love afterwards will result in a loss of approval, though telling him it's a one night stand will result in a significantly larger approval loss as well as ending the relationship. Zevran is just as faithful as the other romance partners once in a relationship.

Indeed, according to David Gaider, Zevran finds himself quite surprised by a stable romantic relationship with the Warden. Though his reputation as a laughing lover is not undeserved, Zevran had--until meeting the Warden--assumed his life would consist only of "shallow encounters and jobs to be completed," and that he himself was undeserving and in fact incapable of love. A blooming romance with the Warden forces Zevran to confront and admit his own deep feelings. As much as the Warden benefits from Zevran's company, it is fair to say as well that their love is literally life-changing for the assassin.

If the Warden is concurrently romancing Alistair, Leliana, or Morrigan, Zevran will eventually ask if that relationship is going anywhere. He will offer to step aside to avoid complications down the road, stating they have "had their fun" but the Warden should pursue the path of lasting happiness, though there is some indication, as noted above, that his feelings run quite a bit deeper than he is letting on. Choosing to stay with Zevran will result in a significant approval boost while dumping him will produce a corresponding approval loss.

While Zevran and the Warden can become very close quite soon after starting the romance, Zevran's approval rating won't switch to "love" until after the calling of the Landsmeet. The party encounters and slays Zevran's old friend Taliesen, and with that Zevran is given a reprieve from being hunted by the Crows. In gratitude, he offers the Warden an earring. Upon being asked if the item is a token of his affection, Zevran will give an awkward response that should make the answer obvious. However, pushing him to actually say so will result in a refusal to hand over the earring and a minor approval drop. Another alternative is to refuse the earring altogether, which will also cause disapproval. Later, he will offer it to the Warden again (if the the right dialogue choices are made when pressing Zevran on why he no longer accepts their sexual advances -see below-). There is an option to suggest that the earring represents a proposal, which Zevran will agree to if it is the Warden's wish that it be taken as such. This apparently is what Zevran wishes as well. If the Warden decides a proposal is too much after suggesting it, however, the relationship ends as Zevran wants some promise of a future together.

After he has offered the earring, Zevran will refuse sexual encounters. If prompted to give a reason why, or asked if he wants to end the relationship, he will snap at the Warden and end the conversation with a small gain of approval. When asked about his change in behavior he explains that he is confused about his feelings, and from here the Warden will have to either express love or end the romance. If the conversation ends well, Zevran will again take the Warden's bed and, more importantly, their relationship will continue.

If the Warden survives the fight with the Archdemon and elects to rebuild the Grey Wardens, Zevran will assist with recruitment and training though he will never actually join. The Warden electing to remain in Denerim, return to their clan, travel, or other such options will result in Zevran staying around for a time. A Cousland Warden is also able to keep Zevran as a consort if his approval rating is high enough, even if they choose to marry Alistair or Anora and becoming a co-ruler of Ferelden. There is an additional conversation with him regarding this once the engagement is announced, where he will ask about where he stands and whether or not the romance will continue in spite of the upcoming nuptials.

Finally, if the Warden makes the ultimate sacrifice in the final battle, the Epilogue notes that Zevran, despite frequent offers of bed partners, never loved again.}}

Gifts
Zevran enjoys leather items and bars of gold or silver. When given the Dalish Gloves, he will initiate a brief conversation that may lead to an extra approval bonus, for a maximum of.

He also enjoys a Rare Antivan Brandy (Feastday Gifts and Pranks DLC) for.

Initial statistics
Zevran starts out as a Rogue one level above the Warden.

Attributes
Relative attribute weightings on auto-level:

Dragon Age: Origins

 * (When first introduced) "The Antivan Crows send their regards."
 * "Can you smell that? Like rotting flesh. Just like back in Antiva City. Now if only you could find me a prostitute or two, a bowl of fish chowder and a corrupt politician, I'd really feel like I was home!"
 * "We all do our share of murdering around here, don't we?"
 * "You tend to get up to interesting things. You meet interesting people and then you kill them. I'm game to tag along, if you are."
 * "Let's see... when was the last time I slipped my hand into some dark hole? Hmmm... I remember. Long story, that."
 * "In truth, for the chance to be by your side I would storm the Dark City itself. Never doubt it."
 * "What we are doing here... stopping the Blight. I can not think of anything I have ever done which is so worthy."

Dialogue

 * Warden: Care to answer some questions?
 * Zevran: (If Zevran is in love) If they're dirty ones, certainly.
 * Zevran: (If romance is active, pre-love-making scene) All right, but I get to stare at you luridly while you do so.

Dragon Age II

 * "Killing my former brothers-in-arms is oddly satisfying."

Trivia

 * In conversation with Oghren, Zevran jokes that the sarcastic insults and slight tension between them is the result of a "typical dwarven/elven rivalry", though Oghren denies it. This references the fantasy trope that elves and dwarves do not get along (most notably seen with Legolas and Gimli from The Lord of the Rings), though ironically this trope does not carry over into Dragon Age.
 * The quote during one of the possible endgames - "You meet interesting people and then you kill them" - is a nod to the movie Full Metal Jacket in which the lead character mentions that he wanted "to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture... and kill them."
 * Zevran is mentioned in Dragon Age: The Silent Grove, as he put Alistair in touch with Prince Claudio Valisti.
 * Initially Zevran was intended to take the place of Varric Tethras in the Dark Horse comic series but his appearance was cut due to concerns about party dynamics. Zevran was also to make a cameo appearance within the comics but that too was cut from the final script.
 * In Awakening, when recruiting Nathaniel Howe, the Warden-Commander (if imported) can say, "Some of my best friends once tried to kill me." This is likely a reference to Zevran. If present in the team when recruiting Nathaniel, provided that he was released earlier and is approaching an imported Warden-Commander of his own will, Oghren will comment that the others should be on their guard, should Nathaniel "pull a Zevran", referencing the latter's failed ambush that introduced him to the Warden in the first place.
 * After the Blight ends, Zevran begins to kill off his fellow Crows and becomes known by them as the "Black Shadow."

Bugs

 * You can loot Zevran's invisible corpse even after he has joined your party so long as he is not one of the active four teammates.


 * If you romance Zevran as a male Warden, the epilogue may refer to you as "the woman he loves".
 * When in a romance with Zevran and the conversation allows the choices "I want to discuss something personal" and then "Care to join me in my tent", there is a chance to gain an infinite amount of approval from Zevran. Invite him the first time and choose options that end the conversation without the love-making cut scene playing (i.e. "I was only joking, really. Just forget it.", "Fine. Get in my tent. No more questions.", "That's... not what I had in mind.") After the first invitation has failed, you can repeatedly ask him again and give the answers "Enough with the coy bit. Get in the tent," and then "That's... not what I had in mind." Each time you do you'll gain . However, if you ever trigger the love-making cutscene, you will lose these conversation options, though subsequent tent visits always net so it's really not necessary to use this cheat.
 * There is one pivotal conversation which can end with Zevran initiating a kiss (this kiss can happen publicly — it has nothing to do with tent time). However, his romance will never update to love.
 * (v1.04) It is possible for Zevran to disappear from your party for good. This can happen during the confrontation with Taliesen. If you skip through the dialogue too quickly, he will not join the fight and will disappear forever. There is no way to fix this and you'll need to reload your save.