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 kept a fragment of the Eluvian to cleanse it of its taint.

On February 14th on a post announcing Dragon Age II's love interests, the following short story, written by the development team, was put up on the Bioware forums.

Merrill

“Watch your step, da’len.”

The Keeper’s warning comes too late -- as usual -- and I trip over the rock, bruising my knees and losing the skin on my palms to the jagged mountain rock. Mythal’enast! Someday, I’ll learn to watch where I’m going. I struggle to my feet, hands covered in blood, and look around.

We’re here.

The cave mouth is unbearably spooky, even for Sundermount, which you’d think was trying for some sort of spookiness medal. Most Terrifying Mountain in Thedas, maybe. Mist swirls out of the blackness as if it’s breathing, and the hillside around it is barren. A gaping maw, devouring all the life within its reach…

Not a good mindset, Merrill. Think positive! At least the weather’s fair.

“You feel it too, then.” The Keeper’s voice snaps me back to reality. She’s looking at me expectantly. .. which means I’ve forgotten something. I try to smooth my tunic and succeed in smearing blood down the front. Wonderful. And I still don’t know what it is she’s waiting for—oh! Answer. Right.

“Yes, Keeper. The voice is much louder here.” The whisper tugs at the edge of my thoughts, and I can make it out if I concentrate. In the camp, I could only hear it in my dreams, and the words were lost upon waking. Only a memory of terrible loneliness remained. Even the Keeper woke sobbing the second night.

Come to me.

I shiver. This is definitely the source.

“Follow me, da’len. And keep your wits about you.” The Keeper vanishes into the hungry mouth of the cave. I take a deep breath and go inside.

The dark is a shock after the sun-drenched mountainside. Like jumping into a pool of icy water on a hot day. My eyes adjust to the dimness, we pass through a narrow passageway into a grand chamber and I see… ruins. Light shines through cracks in the ceiling, broken by the shifting of time and tree roots. Not a cave after all then? A temple or a tomb or… I don’t know what this is. Strange.

“It doesn’t look elvish, does it, Keeper? Tevinter, maybe?” I look to the Keeper, who is peering silently at some sort of archway with a disapproving frown that I know all too well. Poor archway. It didn’t do anything.

“If this place was part of the war, then it doesn’t matter who built it. It is dangerous.” The Keeper turns from the archway, apparently dismissing it. “If it isn’t from the war, it is unknown, and probably still dangerous.” I’m certain there’s a flaw in her reasoning somewhere, but it seems like the middle of the creepy tomb-cavern is a bad place to argue the point. She descends a short stairway into the temple below.

I trail after her, giving the archway a reassuring pat as I pass.

Come to me.

The voice comes from the far end of the temple, from an ugly statue of a big squatting… thing with too many arms and legs. Well, that’s not promising at all.

“Who calls us?” The Keeper demands, drawing herself up. She looks the way I imagine the elves of Arlathan did, regal and wise, and the timbre of her voice says, I don’t care if you are a spirit, I will thrash you if you give me a reason. She scolded a wild sylvan with that voice once, and it stumbled off looking ashamed of itself. Well, as ashamed as a tree can look, anyway.

Help me.

Oh, that was not the right answer at all.

Keeper Marethari seems to grow taller, becoming a towering pillar of angry Dalishness. “Name yourself! Or be left to your silence.”

I am One Who is Trapped. Help me.

“Your name!” I have never seen the Keeper this angry. Not even when Tamlen disappeared.

Three seems to be the magic number. Audacity. The voice is like a winter wind, bitter and ragged.

“A demon.” The Keeper spits the word as if it tastes foul. She nods at me, “Bound to the statue. It will not threaten the camp.” She turns to leave, satisfied.

Wait! I have been trapped here for time beyond counting. I bore witness to the fall of your kingdom. Help me, Keeper of the Dalish, and I will give you knowledge of all I have seen. For a moment, I see visions of the world as it once was. An empire that spanned all Thedas, glittering cities of the elvhen…. All this could be yours.

“Come, da’len.” The Keeper beckons. The vision fades.

I turn and follow her out into the light.

Learn more about Merrill when you play Dragon Age 2.

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.

In the epilogue Varric will state that due to circumstances after the fight between the Templars and Mages they all had to leave the Champion's side, "Except Merrill of course."

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 II, 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. (+40 health)
 * Act 2: Top of Sundermount's Graveyard Path Sundermount: Silver-Threaded Dalish Embroidery. (+20 health regeneration rate)
 * Act 3: Found during her quest A New Path: Halla Horn Buckles.

An alternate armor is automatically equipped after romancing Merrill with either full friendship or rivalry, possibly referencing the fact that with Hawke's assistance she is now able to afford new armor and clothing. It is a set of silver/white chain-mail with plate shoulder and elbow pads and leather robes with a light blue sash around her waist.

Initial statistics (Origins)
Class: Mage

Specialization: N/A

Starting spells/skills: Herbalism, Combat Tactics

poep: 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 a mess 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)


 * Merrill: (to Aveline) That's silly! A dowry only matters if you're courting him!
 * Aveline: 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"?


 * (Upon entering the Qunari Compound) "They're so big! And grim!...What do you suppose would happen if I tickled one of them?"


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


 * Merrill: "Pol... what was he thinking. He acted like I was a monster."
 * Fenris: "You are a monster."
 * Isabela: "You're not helping."
 * Fenris: "Good."


 * Merrill: "...I keep hoping this is all a bad dream."
 * Hawke: "Then this should be the part where I look down and discover I'm not wearing any pants."
 * Merrill: *giggles* "The Champion of Kirkwall, going into battle naked. Why don't I ever have that dream?"

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.
 * Merrill's bisexuality may be due to Isabela, because Merrill can be heard asking her "what it feels like sleeping with another woman" in party banter.
 * In comparrison to the other Dalish elves in Dragons Age II, whom speak with Irish accents, Merrill speaks with a pronounced Welsh accent.
 * Merrill and Fenris often argue during party banter due to her curious nature and Fenris's reluctance to be considered as one of the people. He often tells her to mind her own business among other harsh lashings.
 * Merrill's talent, stone's throw may be related to Velanna's ability to disapear and reapear.

Bugs
In the PC digital download, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 version of Dragon Age II, at the beginning of Act 2, a bug can occur in which Merrill's companion quest "Mourning" appears in the journal as complete and none of her quests are available for the duration of Act 2.

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... A fix is to overwrite the lock by another lock quest such as Sebastian's "Faith".

EDIT: An alternative fix for Merrill becoming locked is to go to Hawke's mansion in High Town. This will remove all NPC's from your party. When you leave the mansion, you will be able to add to your party as normal and Merrill will no longer be locked in.