Origins

There are six origins—background stories for player characters—that are playable in Dragon Age: Origins and a seventh in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. These playable backstories will allow the Warden to put themselves in a specific role within the social structure of Ferelden and will help explain motivations for the Warden joining the Grey Wardens.

The origins are open to both genders, but they are dependent upon both race and class. Dwarves cannot be mages. In Thedas they are unable to interact with the Fade (i.e., dream) and are therefore incredibly resistant to magic. In order to become a mage, and use magic, players must go through the Magi origin and choose to be an elf or a human. The other two classes, (warrior and rogue), are available to all other races and origins.

All of the origins have set surnames. Depending on the character's identity, this surname could be very important to the origin plot, later plots and subplots, and even the epilogue, or it could be almost totally inconsequential from a plot standpoint.

Possible combinations
Since players will be able to choose gender, race, class, and then origin for their Warden in that order, the following combinations are available for both genders:

Human Noble
"Brave of you sir, to so openly cast an envious eye towards me and mine. I suggest you look elsewhere, lest I consider removing your sight in a more permanent fashion."

Surname:
 * Cousland

Given names (default):
 * Male: Aedan
 * Female: Elissa

Born to wealth and power second only to royalty, you find your training in both diplomacy and war put to the test when your father's castle is betrayed from within on the very night your elder brother leads the family's forces to war.

Description: "Some lands are ruled by men and women who believe that they have been elevated to their rank by the Maker Himself, but in Ferelden it is believed that a ruler must earn their place. The nobility is not suffered gladly, as the Orlesian Empire once discovered to its dismay when it attempted to occupy the land only to be overthrown by its people.

''The Couslands have stewarded the lands of Highever for many generations, dating back to less civilized days before the crowning of Ferelden's first king. They could only have done so by earning the respect of its people through their reputation for justice and temperance, as well as their willingness to lead his men into battle. With the rise of the darkspawn horde in the south it thus falls on the Teyrn of Highever to send out the call once again: duty demands that an army be assembled and sent to King Cailan's aid at once.''

''As the Couslands will quickly discover, however, the darkness in Ferelden does not only lie in the heart of the evil horde in the south. Treachery stalks the halls of Highever Castle, as there are many men who would use even the occasion of a Blight to further their own ambitions.''

''As a young scion of the Cousland family, the duty of carrying its banner will fall to you. Will you live up to your family's proud heritage? Or will you forge your own path, and damn the consequences?"''

Unique Origin items:

City Elf
"Take another step, human, and I guarantee it shall be your last. My friends are dead and my life is in tatters because of you and your kin. I have nothing to lose, but you still possess your other eye."

Surname:
 * Tabris

Given names (default):
 * Male: Darrian
 * Female: Kallian

You have always lived under the heavy thumb of your human overlords, but when a local lord claiming his privilege with the bride shatters your wedding day, the simmering racial tensions explode in a rain of vengeance.

Description: "They planted a tree in the middle of the alienage long ago. Today it stands tall, healthy and green in sharp contrast to the city around it. For we are the poorest of the poor, the unwanted and the unwelcome huddled on the other side of the wall that separates us from the human part of the city. We are allowed to go there, to work on the docks or in their taverns and in their homes, but when dusk comes we must return. Any elf caught outside the alienage at night is likely to be mistaken for a sneak-thief or a pickpocket and let us be honest, the ones that stay out there at night probably are.

''Our elder tells us that the tree is called the vhenadahl, and in the ancient elven tongue that means tree of the people. Its roots are deep and the elder says that as long as the vhenadahl lives so shall we. But he also says that there was once a time when our people lived in their own lands. He says that we were once ageless and strong, that it was the humans who took all this from us.''

''Is it true? Have we fallen so far? We are not unhappy. As poor as we are, we have a home. The alienage is no prison, it protects us, just as the vhenadahl shelters us. We dance and sing and make merry, stealing what moments we can to enjoy what little we have and I believe we appreciate it far more than the humans do. They have everything and appreciate nothing.''

''And perhaps the day will come when the humans come and try to take the alienage from us, too. If that day comes, I swear they shall regret it."''

Unique Origin items:

(during Unrest in the Alienage)

Wedding Clothes (female City Elf only)

Dalish Elf
"What a wonder it is to see such stalwart bravado in one such as yourself. It is heartwarming, truly, to see that there are yet humans willing to risk a slow and torturous death in pursuit of our most sacred treasures."

Surname:
 * Mahariel

Given names (default):
 * Male: Theron
 * Female: Lyna

Proud of your role as one of the last 'true elves', you have always assumed you would spend your life wandering with your clan... until a chance encounter with a relic of your people's past threatens to tear you away from everything you've known.

Description: "'We are the Dalish: keepers of the lost lore, walkers of the lonely path. We are the last of the Elvhenan, and never again shall we submit.'

''This is the oath the Dalish elves hold close to their hearts. In ancient times the elves ruled over Thedas alone, ageless and beautiful, until the humans came. Enslaved for a thousand years, the elves lost not only their immortality but their very identity. The Dalish are those elves who proudly refuse to live in human cities, proudly wandering the most remote corners of the wild lands in small clans that rarely meet. Their wagons are welcome nowhere, and more than one tale is told of the Dalish clashing with remote villagers who attempt to drive them away by force.''

''Much has been lost, but the Dalish will find what has been lost and keep it safe. They will re-learn the elven tongue, rediscover the ancient crafts and practice the old magics. They will spurn the human god and instead cleave to the ancient pantheon of the elves, praying that one day their own gods will return and lead their people to a new homeland. There the Dalish will await the return of those elves who have forgotten what they were, they will teach them to remember.''

''And until that day comes most importantly they will stand fast. As long as the landships are seen on the horizon there will be hope, hope that what was long ago shattered by the touch of mortal man may one day yet be restored."''

Unique Origin items:

Magi
"Tread carefully, friend. If you intend to cross the path of one whose soul is so tightly woven into the realm of the arcane, I would not suggest you do it lightly."

Surnames:
 * Human mage: Amell
 * Elven mage: Surana

Given names (default):
 * Human male: Daylen
 * Human female: Solona


 * Elven male: Alim
 * Elven female: Neria

Gifted with a power considered dangerous by most, you have spent most of your life secluded in the remote tower of the Circle of Magi to be trained and watched closely by the dreaded Templars. Now your final test is upon you -- succeed and prove your strength or be slain.

Description: "The Circle of Magi exists to protect mages from a world that fears them, or so the young apprentices that are brought there are told. In truth, it exists as much to protect the world from the mages themselves. A time once existed when mages ruled the known world, bringing down ruin upon their enemies until at last they were overthrown. Now they are watched carefully by the Templars, mage-hunters aligned with the Chantry priests who would not hesitate to strike down any mage at the first sign of corruption.

''For the temptations offered to mages are many. Their power draws demons to them from the Fade, demons that will attempt to wrest control of a mage's body and transform him/her into a vile abomination. What these demons cannot take by force they will sometimes attempt to take through deceit, offering knowledge of forbidden blood magic that allows a mage to control the minds of others and use their very life force to fuel his/her powers, leading him/her down a dark and destructive path.''

''All apprentices are taught to resist these temptations in the Circle of Magi, and the day comes when they must pass their final test: the Harrowing. They are literally thrown to the wolves, given over to a demon to either summon the willpower to defeat it or be possessed and die at templar hands. If the apprentice refuses they are made Tranquil, cut off from all emotion and magic and rendered unable to be possessed for their own good. There are no other options, save to flee and be branded an apostate and thus hunted by the templars forever.''

Welcome to the Circle - the power to command the forces of magic is yours, for a price.

Unique Origin items:

Dwarf Commoner
" I suggest you reach for your purse swiftly friend. Ale may have dulled my senses enough so that I merely maim your pretty features, but should I become sober I will be in a mood to show you a new realm of pain and violence."

Surname:
 * Brosca

Given names (default):
 * Male: Faren
 * Female: Natia

Born casteless in a land where rank is everything, bound as the lackey and thug of a local crime lord, you have spent your life invisible... until chance thrusts you into the spotlight, where you can finally prove whether you will be defined by your actions or your birth.

Description: "There was a merchant come by Dust Town the other day, some poor sod who's had his skin burnt by the sun up on the surface lands once too often I'd say. How he gets let back into Orzammar I can't rightly say; he claims that he has a deal worked out. Who am I to argue when someone has an angle?

''Point is, he tells me what them cloudheads think of us dwarves down here. It isn't even just the humans, there's surface dwarves who're born and bred up in the sun who think the same things, don't know any different. He says they say dwarves are smiths. Proud, noble warriors who like nothing better to mine a vein of ore or forge a decent sword.''

Had us a good laugh, we did.

''What would them humans think if they came to Dust Town and saw how the rest of us really lived? The ones that are casteless, the ones who aren't even considered worthy of being servants in the homes of the wealthy or pure enough to work the forges in the Shaperate. The nobles make sure we casteless get tattooed so they know who we are when they see us. That way they know who to spit on, right? Helps us, too. Makes it easier to figure out whose pockets are worth picking.''

''That's a joke. Not all of the casteless are criminals. Some of us are beggars, nug-catchers, street sweepers, and noble hunters. We do what we can to survive."''

Unique Origin items:

Dwarf Noble
"What I have seen and done to achieve my position defies belief. What I am capable of and will be party to in order to retain it would chill your soul."

Surname:
 * Aeducan

Given names (default):
 * Male: Duran
 * Female: Sereda

The favored child of the dwarven king, you proudly take up your first military command... only to learn that the deadly intrigues of dwarven politics can pose a greater danger than even that faced on the battlefield.

Description: "It is said that when the dwarves die, their spirits return to the Stone. This is not a reference to some mythological entity but rather to the actual stone that surrounds them. It is the roof over their head, the ground under their feet, the very basis from which their statues and architecture all are drawn from. Is it any wonder that they would apply such a reverence towards it?

''Those dwarves who are strong and who do their duty are said to make the Stone stronger when they return to it. They add to the foundation's strength. Those who are weak, who are unlucky or criminal weaken the foundation or are rejected by the Stone altogether. Thus the struggle to prove one's worth is central to dwarven culture. Their noble houses connive and plot to eclipse each other in the Assembly, often resorting to intrigues such as assassination and blackmail to increase their own prestige. So long as the appearance of honor is maintained, the end always justifies the means.''

''House Aeducan has been prominent ever since its founding Paragon rose up to lead the defense of Orzammar against the darkspawn horde during the First Blight. With Endrin Aeducan the currently elected King, the House has been ascendant and thus is watched carefully by the envious and ambitious alike. Endrin is old, however, and the time has come for one of his children to make their move: they will prove their worth in replacing their father or fall to treachery from within their own family.''

The halls of Orzammar run deep, they say, but the blood runs deeper."

Unique Origin items: (given to the Warden by Gorim in Denerim) (found on one of the corpses near the end of the origin.)

Orlesian Grey Warden
In Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, a newly created character (i.e., one that was not imported from Origins) must choose the Grey Warden origin. The character will be an experienced Warden of Orlesian nationality sent from Orlais to take charge of rebuilding the order in Ferelden as its new Commander of the Grey. The Warden-Commander will begin at level 18 with a few potions, grenades, 15, the Grimoire of the Frozen Wastes, and a few extra traps if the Orlesian Warden is a rogue.

Description: The Grey Wardens were once exiled from Ferelden for attempting to overthrow the king. They were permitted to return twenty years ago by King Maric, Cailan's father.

Given names (default): Male
 * Human: Gerod Caron
 * Elven: Elyon Andras
 * Dwarven: Eram Kader

Female
 * Human: Leonie Caron
 * Elven: Sidona Andras
 * Dwarven: Nika Kader

Starting equipment
Warrior:

Rogue:

Mage:

Trivia

 * Originally, the human race had three origins; Noble, Mage, and Commoner. However, the Commoner origin was cut due to the story not fitting the tone of the game, as well as time constraints. The Human Commoner was from a farm in Redcliffe and some dialogue for this origin can still be seen in the first narrated gameplay video. At one time, there was also a barbarian origin.
 * According to BioWare telemetry, 80% of players chose Human origins, 15% - Elven origins (with the Elven Mage being the most popular) and 5% - Dwarven origins. This accounts for all registered playthroughs ever started, but not for playthroughs on unconnected consoles.
 * The Dalish Elf and Dwarf Noble origins are the only ones in which the Warden encounters darkspawn prior to setting out into the Korcari Wilds.
 * The mother of Hawke in Dragon Age II shares the name Amell with the Human Warden Mage. In some dialogue options of the game, providing the Hero of Ferelden is a Human Mage, Leandra reveals that the Human Mage Warden is actually the son or the daughter of her cousin (Revka), and a cousin of Hawke.
 * The homes of the Human Noble and Dalish Elf origins are the only ones in which the Warden is unable to return to after arriving in Ostagar.