Merrill

"It’s a Keeper’s job to remember, even the dangerous things."

Merrill is an elven mage and a temporary companion to the Dalish elf Warden during the Dalish Elf Origin and a companion and romance option for a male or female Hawke in Dragon Age II.

Pre-Game
Merrill was born to the Alerion clan, which wandered the hills of Nevarra. She was the third child of the clan with the ancient gift (magic) born to her- when the next Arlathvenn (gathering of clans) occured, she was given to the Sabrae clan to be the First to Keeper Marethari. Merrill was just four years old.

Dragon Age: Origins
Merrill is the First, or apprentice, of the clan's Keeper, Marethari. She is interested in recovering the elves' lost lore and possesses some knowledge of the elves' old magic. You first meet her during the Dalish Elf origin story.

Dragon Age II
The Keepers of the Dalish are the masters of ancient lore and guardians of old secrets. Merrill can recite all of known elven history and navigate the Fade… but has very little experience with the world or even her own people. Now in a foreign land, surrounded by dangers on all sides, Merrill must find help for her clan. Whatever the cost.

Following the events of the Dalish elf origin, Merrill will keep a fragment of the Eluvian to cleanse it of its taint.

Romance
A Romance with Merrill will require 50% friendship/rivalry by act 2, also like every other romance flirting is important, flirt at least once before or during the Questioning Beliefs mid-point relationship conversation in Act 2. You may not get the flirt option if you do not have enough friendship/rivalry. After the Questioning Beliefs has finished, Merrill will visit the Hawke Estate in the evening if her friendship/rivalry level remains at least 50% or more, Flirt with her to initiate the romance and invite her to move in with the PC. Then max out her friendship/rivalry to 100% and do her companion quest and give her both gifts to complete the romance.

If there is a successful romance, she may end up being kidnapped by Grace, assuming you let her live, in Act 3. Provided she survives everything, she does give Hawke a kiss during the final battle.

Note: There are Chronological Bugs with Merrill's Romance in Act 3 during the questline "A New Path" where the dialogue after killing the demon-possessed Marethari plays before the "A New Path" line starts.

Armor
In Dragon Age 2, you cannot change what armor your companions wear but you can upgrade it. Armor is upgraded by purchasing the upgrade item from a vendor or finding it in your travels, your companion armor will automatically upgrade as soon as you receive the item. You will find companion armor upgrades that can be purchased at shops in the tab designated by the Gem Icon. Her armor has four slots available for upgrades.

Merrill's armor upgrades can be found at the following locations:
 * Act 2: Robes By Jean Luc Hightown: Samite Lining. Gives Merrill an extra rune slot.
 * Act 2: Ilen's Crafts Sundermount: Carved Ironwood Buttons.
 * Act 2: Top of Sundermount's Graveyard Path Sundermount: Silver-Threaded Dalish Embroidery.
 * Act 3: Found during her quest A New Path: Halla Horn Buckles.

An alternate armor is automatically equipped after romancing Merrill with full friendship. It is white in color and lacks covering for her neck.

Initial statistics (Origins)
Class: Mage

Specialization: N/A

Starting spells/skills: Herbalism, Combat Tactics

Mage: Arcane Bolt

Primal: Flame Blast, Flaming Weapons

Entropy: Weakness

Quotes

 * "It’s a Keeper’s job to remember, even the dangerous things."


 * "Why do they call this a brothel? Does it have something to do with broth?"


 * (To Hawke) "If you were Dalish, our people would have a kingdom by now. ... And half of Thedas would be attacking us. So maybe things worked out for the best."


 * Hawke (to Fenris): "Merrill's quite capable of handling herself."
 * Merrill: "I am? I mean - yes, of course I am!"


 * "By the Dread Wolf! Why is my house always messy when people are here? It's clean sometimes, I swear."


 * (Isabella): "Aveline. If you shove your thumb up his ass, I win."
 * (Merrill) "Ew!"


 * (Miner): "...but don't go that way, there's a huge dragon!"
 * (Merrill - to Hawke): "Are we gonna go that way? I've never seen a huge dragon before."

(If you brought Merrill along the "Finders Keepers" quest at the dock and Hawke is more sarcastic and you have chosen the "Fire!" option when confronting the warehouse guards)


 * Guard: Shit! A fire could destroy the loot. We have to check!
 * Merrill: But there's not really a fire, is there?
 * Hawke: No, Merrill. It's a trick.
 * Merrill: Oh! That's very clever, then!
 * (the guards attacked the party)

(party banter with Fenris and Merrill)


 * Merrill: Did you step on something sharp?
 * Fenris: No.
 * Merrill: Smash your fingers in a door?
 * Fenris: No.
 * Merrill: Hit your head against a ceiling beam?
 * Fenris: No. Why all this questioning?
 * Merrill: I just want to know why you're so cross all the time.
 * Fenris: Maybe because of all the constant prodding!


 * Merrill: (to Aveline) That's silly! A dowry only matters if you're courting him!
 * Hawke: Merrill...
 * Merrill: Oh! You're courting him! (giggles)


 * (inside the Hanged Man tavern) Isabela said that next time we're here, she'll show me how to do something called... "body shots"?


 * Varric: Daisy, you've got to stop cutting through the alleys in Lowtown at night!
 * Merrill: Why? Nothing's happened to me so far.
 * Varric: I know, and that nothing is costing me a fortune!


 * Merrill: If you hadn't come to Sundermount that day... I can't imagine where I'd be now.

Trivia

 * Mary Kirby wrote Merrill for Dragon Age II.
 * According to David Gaider, Eve Myles was last on the list of "actors I specifically asked for and got on the first try".
 * Merrill means shining sea in Irish Gaelic.
 * If you compare Merrill's face from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, you can see there is a slight difference in her facial tattoos and eye color.

Bugs
In Dragon Age II after her personal quest The New Path, it may happen for the sad ending that she is stuck to your party, being locked forever...