Alistair

Alistair is a playful and compassionate Grey Warden and one of the companions in Dragon Age: Origins. He is a potential romance option for a female Warden.

Background
{{DAOSpoiler| Alistair believes his mother to have been a serving maid who died giving birth to him. He was raised by Arl Eamon Guerrein of Redcliffe. The arl's wife, Arlessa Isolde suspected the reason her husband took an interest in the welfare of a servant's child was that Alistair was Eamon's son. She insisted the boy be sent away to the Chantry. Isolde's suspicions were unfounded, however. Alistair was not Eamon's son, but King Maric's. Maric sheltered the boy to hide his existence from Queen Rowan, Maric's wife, on the advice of his friend Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir. Since Alistair's father was the last King of Ferelden, he is a possible heir to the throne after the demise of his half-brother King Cailan.

Alistair was trained to become a templar for many years by the Chantry, this being how he learned most of his skills. He was found to be ill-suited to a life of religious devotion, however. When Duncan, a friend to his father, found him, Alistair had not yet taken his vows and was desperately unhappy. During a tourney held to honor the Grey Wardens, Duncan decided to recruit him. Alistair was not the most skilled fighter, bested by acclaimed templars such as Ser Eryhn, a woman who wielded a sword and shield with unequalled grace, Ser Talrew, leader of many victories against the Chasind, and Ser Kalvin, one of the finest blades in Ferelden. Yet despite this, Duncan admired Alistair's character above the other templars present. Sensing that he had a good and loyal heart, Duncan used the Right of Conscription to force the Chantry to hand Alistair over to the Grey Wardens before he took the sacramental vows. The Grand Cleric did not wish to let him go, but could not supersede the Right of Conscription.

{{TCSpoiler| It is possible that there are inaccuracies in what the Warden learns of Alistair's background, and indeed in what Alistair himself believes about his background. Maric had an illegitimate child by Fiona, an Orlesian Grey Warden and elven mage, whom she gave to Maric be raised in ignorance of his mother. What became of this child is unknown. }}

Involvement
Newest of Ferelden's Grey Wardens, Alistair is the first party companion that joins The Warden when he helps them prepare for the Joining. He is proud to be a Grey Warden, and informs the Warden of several of the sacrifices that being a Grey Warden entails. However, even his knowledge of the difficult path that Grey Warden's travel does not stop him from being devastated when Duncan and the rest of Ferelden's Grey Wardens die at Ostagar. Alistair takes his responsibility to end the Blight seriously and will stand by The Warden to see this done, even if The Warden acts in a way he disapproves of.

Family is important to Alistair. Despite sleeping in the stables when under Eamon's care, and Isolde being responsible for his being sent to the Chantry, helping save them all is very important to him. Alistair also longs to be reunited with his half sister Goldanna. However their reunion does not go well. After his experiences with Goldanna you will have the opportunity to to permanently harden Alistair's personality by telling him, "Everyone is out for themselves. You need to learn that" after leaving his sister's home. If the Warden adheres to this advice in follow up conversations then Alistair will gain confidence and put himself first more often. This means he is more willing to become king, and to put his personal feelings above his sense of duty.

The Landsmeet is a critical event for Alistair. As the only known living child of King Maric, Alistair has a strong claim to the throne and he can become king, ruling by himself, with Anora, or with a female Warden with the Human Noble origin. However, despite his willingness to overlook other actions The Warden has taken, if The Warden accepts Riordan's advice to let Loghain undergo the Joining, he will leave the party for good. He can be persuaded to marry Anora, therefore becoming king, but he will not serve alongside Loghain under any circumstances. Also, if he has called for Loghain's death and does not marry Anora, she will call for his execution to secure the throne. The Warden can intervene to save his life, or allow Alistair to die.

After Morrigan's Ritual has been accepted The Warden can choose to involve Alistair by asking him to sleep with Morrigan. If Alistair falls in love with the Warden and Morrigan's offer is accepted, he will have sex with Morrigan, though this will not change his feelings for The Warden. If The Warden is a male, you can accept her offer or convince Alistair to accept it. Whatever is chosen, he will accompany The Warden into the final battle.

If Alistair falls in love with The Warden, and Morrigan's offer is declined, Alistair will insist on sacrificing himself to slay the Archdemon regardless of conversation option choice, admitting that duty alone is not the real reason for his actions. If told that his decision is crazy, Alistair will reply that it is the "sanest thing I've ever done" before kissing the warden one last time and slaying the Archdemon. If The Warden is a female, the only way to keep Alistair alive in the end is to convince him to accept Morrigan's offer, or to not select him in the final party.

In Awakening
Alistair is only seen in Awakening if he was elected king at the Landsmeet. He will appear at Vigil's Keep after the first attack. He arrives to observe the situation, and decide on what The Warden must do. If The Warden is Orlesian, Alistair appears as the king. As it appears the game assumes that Alistair was elected king at the Landsmeet.

Epilogue
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 * If he is not hardened and Alistair becomes King of Ferelden, he travels frequently during his reign, ruling with a "common touch".
 * If he is hardened, he will surprise many by studying governance, though he still likes to sneak out of the castle to visit local taverns. He will also be willing to continue his relationship with the Warden if it has occurred (if they are not of Human Noble origin). Spending time after with his love before leaving for Weisshaupt - promising to return shortly.
 * If Alistair does not become king, and is in a romance with The Warden, he can stay with the Grey Wardens, not leaving his love's side except to make a memorial for Duncan.
 * If Loghain is conscripted into the Grey Wardens and Alistair is not married to Anora, he leaves Ferelden and becomes a wandering drunkard.

Approval
The hero can increase Alistair's approval rating through gifts (covered below), dialogue, and plot decisions. Alistair responds well when you ask him to speak about himself. Typically, Alistair will try to deflect your question with a joke, which you can move past either by joking (often leading to humorous conversation) or calling Alistair's bluff. Neither approach will affect his approval. Alistair is, in a sense, shy and speaks often of Duncan and the Grey Wardens. In many ways, Alistair views Duncan as a surrogate father. Always affirm his emotional responses, and his approval rating will increase.

When speaking of one's post-Joining experiences, Alistair approves of responses that reflect his own. Admit to nightmares, increased appetite, etc. to slightly bump his approval. When the hero speaks to Alistair about other personal things (such as sex), Alistair admires answers which suggest both strength and experience. Do not mock him for his own softness and relative inexperience, however, as these will negate any approval benefits the hero receives through insisting on his own prowess.

Romance
Alistair is romantically interested in women. He doesn't like to take a relationship too lightly. There are various ways to begin a romance with him during his dialog. Compliment him; tell him you like him, essentially anything but openly mocking him will put you in his good graces. If propositioned before an appropriate approval rating he may turn you down due to his own inexperience. If continued approval built, he will eventually join you in your tent. He likes to feel wanted and needed, and will even respond to a little bit of bossiness. However, he doesn't like being mocked about intimacy.

Alistair will take the lead and invite you to bed if your approval rating is high enough after completing his personal quest (and you haven't already gotten him to go back to your tent). The conversation will be initiated the next time you go to camp.

When Alistair becomes interested in the female Warden, he will offer a gift of a rose. You may choose to accept it or not. If you have high approval with Alistair and high approval with Zevran or Leliana (adore or love levels), when you next speak to Alistair, he will force you to make a choice between the two of them.

If Alistair becomes king, unless the Warden is a human noble or Alistair has been hardened, the relationship will end. Even if he has been hardened the relationship can still end if the correct dialogue options are not chosen when he speaks to the Warden after the Landsmeet. Although there is some flexibility, be sure to choose "Nobody can force the king to do anything he doesn't want to" in order to convince Alistair to continue the relationship.

If you have already slept with Alistair, "hardened" him during his personal quest, and his approval is high enough, you can have a threesome with him and Isabela on her ship.

Quests Given

 * Alistair's Family

Gifts
Alistair has, despite being raised by the Chantry to be a templar, a deep interest in the arcane and occult, particularly for statues and rune stones. His plot item however is his mother's (repaired) amulet, found on the desk of the Arl of Redcliffe in Castle Redcliffe.

Initial Statistics


Relative Attribute Weightings on Auto-Level: Strength 1.5, Dexterity 0.8, Willpower 0.4, Magic 0, Cunning 0, Constitution 0.9.

Class: Warrior

Specialization: Templar

Skills: Expert Combat Training

Starting Talents:

Templar: Righteous Strike

Warrior: Powerful

Weapon and Shield: Shield Bash, Shield Pummel, Shield Block, Shield Cover

Plot Skills
As you befriend Alistair and gain his approval he will gain the following additional abilities:

Quotes

 * "You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."


 * "Well! He's not half as dead as he looks, is he?"


 * (meeting Morrigan) "Swooping is bad."
 * "Here I thought we were getting along so well! I was even going to name one of my children after you - the grumpy one!"


 * (When gossiping about Morrigan) "Well aside from the fact that she's a complete and utter bitch, no...I dont like her at all. Why? Do you?"
 * "You smell great; is that death you're wearing? It really suits you."


 * (About the statue of Andraste in Lothering) "You ever wonder if that's an accurate likeness of Andraste? Maybe she was ugly. Maybe she had buck teeth. How do you know?"


 * "You ever wonder why the mages built their tower out in the middle of Lake Calenhad? They have an aversion to practicality or something?"


 * (upon arrival at the Tower) "As I recall from my time as a templar, locking the door and throwing away the key was 'plan B'."


 * "We won? We did? Yay!" (after being knocked unconscious)
 * "Just so you know, if the king ever asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm drawing the line. Darkspawn or no."
 * "Ah there it is, Werewolf City, kinda like flea heaven, isn't it?"


 * "I tried dwarven ale once. I thought it was just something they tricked surfacers into drinking, as a joke." 


 * (After Redcliffe) "Now that the warm fuzzy part is over we can get back to the ritual dismemberments. Oh wait, it's not Tuesday is it?"


 * "There's nothing like a brush with death to make you... not like death much."


 * "Yes, fun. Tricking Morrigan... oh, who am I kidding? That does sound fun. I'm a bad man."


 * (After battle, heavily injured) "Injured! As in me, as in Ow!"
 * "Last thing you want when you're about to take down some maleficar out in the woods is to have him point and laugh at your taste in clothing. Am I right?"
 * "Have you ever licked a lamp post in winter?"
 * (falling in battle) "New strategy... bite... ankles..."
 * "Who's the cute and adorable puppy?"
 * (at The Joining) "Join us brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you."

Dialogue
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(If you initially refuse to allow Leliana to join your group when you meet her in the Dane and instead she stops you leaving Lothering)


 * Warden: "Alistair, she's one archdemon short of a blight."
 * Alistair: "Yes, but she seems more... "Ooh, pretty colors!" than "Muahaha! I am Princess Stabbity! Stab, kill, kill!"

---

(when Alistair presents the rose to The Warden) 


 * Alistair: "Here, look at this. Do you know what it is?"
 * Warden: "Your new weapon of choice?"
 * Alistair: "Yes, that's right! Watch as I thrash our enemies with the mighty power of floral arrangements! Feel my thorns, darkspawn! I will overpower you with my rosy scent!"

---

(when talking about eating birds)


 * Shale: "I think I'm going to be sick."
 * Alistair: "Oh! Golem vomit! This I have to see..."

---

(after confronting The Warden about the other group members and selecting the option about gossip)


 * Alistair: "I've got this nefarious plan to go around to each of them, and secretly tell them all the nasty things you said. That way they'll mutiny, and I shall become the group leader!" (evil laugh)
 * Warden: "If you want to lead, all you have to do is ask."
 * Alistair: "What? Lead? Me? No, no, no. No leading. Bad things happen when I lead. We get lost, people die, and the next thing you know I'm stranded somewhere without any pants."

---

(entering Redcliffe)


 * Alistair: "Look, can we talk for a moment? I need to tell you something I, ah, should probably have told you earlier."
 * Warden: "Let me guess: You're an idiot."
 * Alistair: "Yes, that's right. I stopped you to tell you I'm an idiot. Whew! Thanks the Maker you know already! Now I can stop worrying I'll be found out."

Trivia

 * When asked to compare a set list of NPC companions to food, BioWare employee Cori May said that Alistair was most comparable to "strawberries and cream, sweet and wholesome and delicious, and a little goofy." While writer Sheryl Chee says "Alistair is an apricot. Cute, sweet and just a little fuzzy."
 * Writer Sheryl Chee has said that when going out for a drink Alistair would "have half a pint and giggle uncontrollably for the rest of the night."
 * In writing Alistair, David Gaider was inspired by Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Malcom Reynolds from Firefly.
 * Alistair is David Gaider's favorite NPC.
 * Alistair has a fear of failing others which has lead to a fear of leading which is why he doesn't wish to be king or lead the party on their quest.
 * The name Alistair can mean "Defender of the People", or "One who holds off the enemies".
 * Amusingly enough, none of your other party member's are fooled by Alistair's irreverent and noncommital attitude as is alluded to in many of the ambient dialouges. They have a great deal of respect for him actually, though they still enjoy provoking him to use his inner strengths.

Fanclubs and Fan-Run Sites
Please note that some sites have sensitive content.
 * Alistair Fan Club - Facebook group with over 1,300 members
 * Swooping Is Bad - another unofficial fan community for Alistair
 * Alistair's Secrets: Unofficial Fan Shrine - media-based fan community
 * We <3 Alistair - BioWare social network group