Vaughan Kendells

"You can't do this to me! I'll have you all flayed! I'm the arl of Denerim!"

Vaughan Kendells is the sadistic son and heir of Arl Urien Kendells, the Arl of Denerim.

Involvement
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City Elf Origin
Before the player character's wedding, Vaughan comes to the Alienage with his lackeys to prey on the elven women. While he is speaking to the player, Shianni knocks him out with a bottle. Vaughan later returns with armed guards during the wedding ceremony and kidnaps the brides (including the player character, if female) and the bridesmaids.

When the player comes to rescue the women, Vaughan tries to talk himself out of a fight by offering a 40 bribe to the player if they leave, with the women being returned to the Alienage the next morning. If the player rejects this deal, they must fight and kill Vaughan and his lackeys. No matter how quickly the player fights their way through the Arl's estate to reach Vaughan's room, they cannot prevent Shianni from having been hurt by the time they arrive.

Rescue the Queen
If Vaughan is alive, he will be met (for a second time if playing as a City Elf who took his deal) in Howe's dungeon in Denerim. At this point in the game, Vaughan is a prisoner of Arl Howe, who officially came to Denerim in the wake of the Battle of Ostagar, which claimed the life of Vaughan's father, Arl Urien, to reinforce the garrison. Unofficially, Howe quickly locked Vaughan in the dungeons of his own palace and usurped his position as Arl of Denerim, planning on having Vaughan become "one more victim of the elven uprising." He begs for his life, offering in exchange his vote in the Landsmeet or the key to his locked chest, which contains 40. With enough persuasion, the Warden can get the key and leave Vaughan captive or kill him anyway. Zevran will lose for releasing Vaughan, while Morrigan will gain. There is no approval change from Zevran, Alistair, Sten, Leliana, or Morrigan for killing him.

Landsmeet
Vaughan can be seen during the Landsmeet if the Warden trades Denerim's vote for Vaughan's life. }}

Quotes

 * "Pfft! I always regret talking to knife-ears! Now I'll just gut your ignorant carcasses instead!"
 * "It's a party, isn't it? Grab a whore and have a good time!"
 * "Let's take those two, the one in the tight dress, and... where's the bitch that bottled me?"
 * "Ha! If you want to dress up your pets and have tea parties, that's your business, but don't pretend this is a proper wedding. Now we're here for a good time, aren't we boys?" (at the City Elf's wedding).

Bugs

 * If the Warden is of the city elf origin and killed Vaughan, the young noble can still be seen during the Landsmeet when the Warden will select their champion.
 * Some players report being unable to speak to Vaughan, who may just 'snore' when you click him. As with most NPCs in the dungeon, right-click on the cell bars (as if to open): this will begin the dialogue where you can choose to release Vaughan or not. Players also report working around this issue by reloading a save-game or exiting/returning to the dungeon. If none of the above are working it is also possible to stand near Vaughan with the cell door targeted, then cast an area effect spell on or near him. Once the spell has expired, it may be possible to interact with the cell door and start the dialogue.
 * Another trick that sometimes works to get Vaughan to talk is throwing Ice/Fire/Acid bombs at the NPC Templar in the cage next to Vaughan's.
 * Vaughan's lockbox will sometimes not be available to open even if you got the key from him, as of version 1.04. The cause appears to be leaving the dungeon before speaking to Vaughan, then going back and talking to him. The only known way to avoid this glitch is to remember not to leave the dungeon before getting the key.