Nathaniel Howe

"My father often forgot that 'nobility' has another meaning."

Nathaniel Howe is the eldest son of Arl Rendon Howe and one of the available companions in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.

Background
The Howe name was once great, known across Ferelden as honorable stewards of their lands and protectors of their people's freedom. But then Arl Rendon Howe betrayed the teyrn of Highever, assumed a title that did not belong to him, threw his lot in with a regicide, and was slain for his deeds. And yet he was the lucky one. He did not live to see his surname dragged through the mud, his family stripped of titles and lands. It is Rendon's son Nathaniel who has suffered for the sins of his father. He has been left with nothing, a pariah forced to live by wits alone. All he knows is that the father he loved is dead by a Grey Warden's hand and that those murderers have now installed themselves in his childhood home.

Nathaniel has only recently returned to Ferelden after spending almost eight years as a squire in the Free Marches, one of which he spent in Kirkwall.

Nathaniel’s relationship with his mother isn’t explicitly stated; however there is a portrait of his mother in the Throne Room that acts as a dialogue point in which Nathaniel states that “she wasn’t that pretty in real life,” and requests that it be taken down, indicating that his relationship with her was most likely strained. He also states in this conversation that his father hated his mother.

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
{{SpoilerDAOA| As the protagonist of the Penny Arcade Comic, Nathaniel is first seen breaking into Vigil's Keep. He is eventually caught and imprisoned in the keep's dungeon. When they first meet during Awakening, the Warden-Commander has the ability to choose his fate. He can be executed, released, or conscripted to the Grey Wardens. If he is conscripted, he will survive the Joining and become a companion. However, if he is released he will return and ask the Commander to become a Grey Warden when they return from their first trip away from Vigil's Keep.

If recruited he will later encounter his family's own Groundskeeper still working at Vigil's Keep, who will inform him that his sister, Delilah, is living in the nearby City of Amaranthine. This will begin The Howe Family.

If he is brought along to the Blackmarsh, he will reminisce about how as a child he once dreamed of coming to the Blackmarsh and setting things to right.

Epilogue
Nathaniel's ending depends on various actions you take during the game.


 * He may retire as a Grey Warden (for thinking it doesn't suit him), but his nephew will eventually become Commander of the Grey on which the Howe name would once again be known.
 * He may save Fergus Cousland from great danger and bring fame to the name of Howe once again. In gratitude, Teyrn Cousland grants some lands back to the Howes, and a statue of Nathaniel is built in front of the castle.
 * If Nathaniel is selected to defend Vigil's Keep, he will die unless the Keep has been fully upgraded.}}

Approval
It is easy to raise Nathaniel's approval, especially if you are playing a Human Noble Warden. Consoling him, telling him that it was not his fault that the Howe name was dishonored, and basically any conversation choice that is open-minded will ensure that his approval will increase dramatically.

Gifts
Nathaniel has a preference for practical items and artifacts pertaining to his family.

Skills
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Dialogue points
Below are the spots where you can initiate dialogue with Nathaniel. On the PC, it can be hard to find the correct spot to click; make sure to hit "tab" and rotate the camera if it's not letting you click on it.


 * City of Amaranthine: statue in front of the Chantry, the spot is called "Statue".
 * The Blackmarsh: Near the beginning of the area on the left, the spot is called "The Blackmarsh".
 * Vigil's Keep - Throne Room near where Nathaniel usually stands, spot is called "Portrait of a Howe".
 * City of Amaranthine near merchants: Delilah.

Penny Arcade comics

 * "My grandfather was a Grey Warden. Would he even recognize what the order has become? Would he weep at its dereliction? Or would he draw his blade, point it towards his enemy's heart, and cry, 'Enough.'"

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

 * (Upon first meeting him in the keep's dungeon) "If it isn't the great hero, my father's murderer."
 * (To the Warden) "I came here to kill you. If you let me go, you might not catch me next time."
 * "Curse my father and his idiot ambition. He lost everything for us, didn't he?"
 * (To a Human Noble Warden) "Look, I don't know what happened to the Couslands. But from what I hear, it was horrible. The entire war was. But what my father did shouldn't harm my entire family."
 * (If the Warden is from another origins) "Look, I know you're a hero. You fought a war and you won. But what my father did shouldn't harm my entire family."
 * "The Howes are pariahs now. Those of us who are left."

Dialogue

 * Nathaniel: You like having Grey Wardens who want you dead?
 * Warden: Some of my best friends have wanted me dead.

Dragon Age II

 * (To Anders, during Finding Nathaniel) "There's no escaping you, it seems."
 * (When asked about the Warden-Commander's "allies") "It's... complicated. Let's just say we live in strange times."

Trivia

 * In Origins, Rendon never mentions Nathaniel, even though he mentions his other children, Delilah and Thomas.
 * When you first encounter Nathaniel in the Keep's dungeon in Awakening, he is unimpressed by the Warden-Commander, and says "Aren't you supposed to be ten feet tall? With lightning bolts shooting out of your eyes?" This is a variation of a quote from the movie Braveheart in which the above is said when William Wallace rallies the nobles' armies.
 * When you find Nathaniel in the Deep Roads during Act 3 of Dragon Age II and if you spared the Architect in Awakening, you can ask questions that will make Nathaniel mention the Architect and that the Warden's "allies" said it would be safe. This implies that the Architect and his followers are helping the Grey Wardens, which is further solidified if you ask who the allies are which Nathaniel will answer, "No, not dwarves... it's complicated. Let's just say we live in strange times."
 * Nathaniel's eyes are different colors between Dragon Age Awakening and Dragon Age II, gray in Dragon Age Awakening and light brown in Dragon Age II; this may be due to a mistake by the developers.
 * In an interview, David Gaider confirmed the birth order for the Howe siblings; Nathaniel is the eldest, then Delilah, and Thomas is the youngest.
 * Gaider said, in the same interview, that Nathaniel's reason for being in the Free Marches was that he was fostered out as a squire and that he was his father’s heir, not Thomas.
 * It was confirmed on the Bioware Social Network that Nathaniel is 30 years old in Awakening.
 * David Gaider said that if he could write another Dragon Age comic, it would be dedicated to Bethany Hawke starting with that scene in Lothering and ending as a fleeing Circle Mage. He mentioned that he wanted her to adventure with Sebastian Vael in Starkhaven, and maybe Nathaniel Howe.