Changes: Alistair

Revision as of 13:03, 8 May 2020

“That's what I'm here for. To deliver unpleasant news and witty one-liners.”

Alistair is a Grey Warden and a companion to the Warden. He is a romance option for a female Warden and also teaches the Templar specialization.

Background

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.

Alistair was born in 9:10 Dragon, possibly in Redcliffe Village or nearby.^[3] Alistair was raised by Arl Eamon Guerrin of Redcliffe, brought up to believe that his mother was a serving maid who died in childbirth. As a child Alistair worked as a stableboy.^[3] 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. Though her suspicions were unfounded, Eamon acquiesced when she demanded that Alistair be sent away to the Chantry. In 9:20 Dragon Alistair was sent to the monastery at Bournshire.^[3]

Despite the Arlessa's speculation on Alistair's parentage, he was in fact the illegitimate child of King Maric and the elven mage Fiona. In order to protect the honor of his sister, Queen Rowan, Arl Eamon had agreed to Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir's suggestion that Alistair should be sheltered in Redcliffe.

Alistair was trained to become a templar for many years by the Chantry, this being how he learned most of his martial skills. He was found to be ill-suited to a life of religious devotion, however. When Duncan, Commander of the Grey in Ferelden and a friend to King Maric and Fiona, found him in 9:29 Dragon,^[3] Alistair had not yet taken his vows and was desperately unhappy at the monastery. Alistair competed in a tourney held to honor the Grey Warden, being bested by acclaimed templars such as Ser Eryhn, a woman who wielded a sword and shield with unequaled grace, Ser Talrew, leader of many victories against the Chasind, and Ser Kalvin, one of the finest blades in Ferelden.^[4] Despite this, Duncan sensed that Alistair had a good and loyal heart, and so recruited Alistair into the Wardens. Alistair's recruitment was met with considerable resistance from the Grand Cleric, though she was forced to relent when Duncan invoked the Right of Conscription compelling the Chantry to hand Alistair over before he took the sacramental vows.

In 9:31 Dragon a royal inquest was held to determine Alistair's true parentage, but it proved inconclusive.^[3]

Involvement

Dragon Age: The Calling

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Calling.

“I want him to be fully human and not in line for your throne, not competing with your other son and tied to this royal blood that has brought you nothing but grief.” ―Fiona

As an infant, Alistair is presented to King Maric by his mother, the elven mage Fiona.^[1] As an elf, a mage and a Grey Warden, Fiona is unable to raise Alistair and asks Maric to see Alistair raised away from court and ignorant of his elf-blooded heritage. Duncan vows to watch over Alistair and to bring news to Maric of Alistair's life.

Maric's promise to Fiona is fulfilled and Alistair is raised in Redcliffe by Arl Eamon, believing himself to be the bastard son of King Maric and a human serving maid, and half-brother to Goldanna.

Dragon Age: Origins

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.

As the most recent recruit of Ferelden's Grey Wardens, Alistair helps the Warden prepare for their Joining at the fortress of Ostagar. He accompanies the Warden into the Korcari Wilds as part of their pre-Joining trials, encountering the apostate, Morrigan there along with her mother, Flemeth, both of whom Alistair distrusts.

Following the latter's successful Joining, Alistair and the Warden are given the task of lighting the beacon atop the Tower of Ishal. The tower is crawling with darkspawn by the time the pair reach it, and though they successfully fight their way to the top and light the beacon, Loghain Mac Tir, teyrn of Gwaren and leader of King Cailan's armies, abandons his king and retreats. Alistair and the Warden are overwhelmed by darkspawn and would have perished, but are saved by the intervention of Flemeth.

Alistair is nursed back to health by Flemeth and Morrigan and is utterly devastated to hear of the defeat at Ostagar and Duncan's death, laying the seeds for a passionate hatred of Teyrn Loghain. Following their recovery, Alistair and the Warden set out to rebuild the army lost at Ostagar and defeat the Blight. Upon their approach to Redcliffe, Alistair reveals the truth concerning his parentage. With the downfall of King Cailan at Ostagar, Alistair's bloodline means that he is the last of the Theirin bloodline, and a claimant to the throne.

Alistair longs to be reunited with Goldanna, the woman he believes to be his half-sister. With the aid of the Warden, Alistair eventually tracks Goldanna down, discovering that she is living as an impoverished washerwoman in the capital. Alistair's familial affection for his half-sister is not mutual, with Goldanna harboring a deep resentment toward what she perceives as Alistair's privileged upbringing and her belief that he had killed their mother.

If Alistair remains unhardened:

Alistair's hopes of a joyous meeting with Goldanna are quashed, leading him to put thoughts of his family aside and continue in his quest. Alistair's experience with his half-sister does not dramatically affect his personality, however, remaining relatively idealistic and passive.

If Alistair is hardened:

Following his disastrous encounter with Goldanna, Alistair is chastised by the Warden for being too passive in his interactions with others. This leads Alistair to become much more assertive, taking a considerably more pragmatic approach to problems, in contrast with his formerly idealistic outlook. After finally reaching the Landsmeet, Alistair participates in laying the cause against Teyrn Loghain before the nobility of Ferelden. Loghain is finally defeated by force of arms and is about to be executed, but the execution is halted by the intervention of the senior Grey Warden Riordan, who suggests that instead of wasting his life, Loghain should undergo the Joining ritual and join the ranks of the Wardens. If Alistair was chosen to duel Loghain, Loghain is content that there is still some of Maric in him after being defeated. Alistair dismissed Maric's relevance to him and performed Loghain's execution to avenge Duncan without hesitation.

If Alistair is executed:

Riordan's compromise is accepted by the Warden, Queen Anora and Loghain himself, though Alistair refuses to countenance it. After being declared queen by the Landsmeet, Anora orders Alistair's execution.

If Alistair becomes a drunk:

Loghain's admission to the Wardens' ranks is agreed to, though Alistair becomes enraged at this suggestion. He issues an ultimatum, threatening to leave the Wardens if Loghain is not executed. Though Queen Anora demands Alistair's life, he is allowed to leave the Landsmeet alive. He abandons the Grey Wardens and becomes a roving drunk, wandering from tavern to tavern and eventually travelling across the Waking Sea to Kirkwall.

If Alistair marries Anora and Loghain lives:

Alistair is infuriated that Loghain has been permitted to join the Wardens, prompting him to leave their ranks. He nevertheless fulfills his birthright and accepts the crown, marrying and ruling jointly with Queen Anora.

If Alistair marries Anora and Loghain dies:

Alistair's wish is fulfilled as Loghain's execution is carried out in the Landsmeet. Alistair and Anora had reluctantly agree to marry, and so are declared co-monarchs of Ferelden by the Landsmeet.

If Alistair marries the Warden:

Loghain is beheaded for his crimes, though the issue of Ferelden's vacant throne remains unresolved. The Warden takes up the role of kingmaker, crowning Alistair king and unexpectedly announcing that the Warden will rule beside him as his wife and queen. Alistair is surprised at this conclusion but does not object.

If Alistair is made sole king:

Following the execution of Teyrn Loghain, The Warden resolves the issue of the vacant throne of Ferelden by declaring Alistair to be king, his Theirin blood giving him the strongest claim. On the advice of Arl Eamon, Alistair imprisons Anora after she refuses to swear an oath of fealty to him. His first act as king is to appoint The Warden as leader of the Fereldan Coalition but he will continue to serve the Grey Wardens until the Fifth Blight is defeated.

If Alistair remains a Grey Warden:

Loghain is executed during the Landsmeet though the crown passes over Alistair as Anora is declared queen. Alistair is content to remain a Warden and not be burdened by royal duties. Alistair participates in the relief of Redcliffe, which has been attacked by a host of darkspawn. He later makes preparations with the Warden, Arl Eamon, Bann Teagan and others to march on Denerim and vanquish the Blight at last.

If Alistair makes the ultimate sacrifice:

Atop Fort Drakon, Alistair plunges his blade into Urthemiel, giving his own life to end the Blight. He is remembered as a hero by the people of Ferelden.

If Alistair became the sole King of Ferelden he will still offer to make the ultimate sacrifice calling it "His first and last act as King". If King Alistair dies, Anora will become the new Queen and in her speech will mention that the Theirin bloodline died with Alistair.

If Alistair completes the Dark Ritual:

Following the revelation that the sacrifice of a Warden's life is necessary to slay the Archdemon, Morrigan offers an alternative: by participating in a mysterious ritual, a Warden could father a child with Morrigan and thus kill the Archdemon without making the ultimate sacrifice. Alistair is persuaded to participate in this ritual despite the animosity between him and Morrigan. This saved both his and The Warden's life, and they defeat the Archdemon and are hailed as heroes.

See Epilogue for the full details of Alistair's potential fates.

Dragon Age: Awakening

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.

If Alistair is king:

Alistair arrives at Vigil's Keep with a regiment of troops and the templar, Rylock, to inspect the newly established Warden stronghold in Amaranthine. He wishes the Warden-Commander luck, charging them with the rebuilding of Vigil's Keep and the restoration and administration of Amaranthine. He also approves the conscription of the apostate, Anders, into the Wardens' ranks, despite Rylock's protestations.

If Alistair remains a Grey Warden:

While the Warden is appointed as the new Warden-Commander of Ferelden, Alistair is assigned to the Warden parties that are in charge of the Thaw Hunt across Ferelden.^[5]

The Darkspawn Chronicles

This section contains spoilers for:
Darkspawn Chronicles.

See The Darkspawn Chronicles for for the full details of Alistair's journey.

Alistair gathers allies independently and enters into a romantic relationship with Leliana. He was declared king at the Landsmeet and battles the Archdemon alongside Morrigan, Leliana and Dog. He is cut down by the Hurlock Vanguard and the Blight subsequently consumes Ferelden.

Dragon Age II

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

The three fates of Alistair: King, Drunkard, and Grey Warden.

If Alistair is king:

Due to the immense volume of Fereldan refugees who settled in Kirkwall, King Alistair makes a visit to the city, accompanied by Bann Teagan. He invites Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall to an audience in the Viscount's Keep, but is in the midst of a dispute with Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard regarding the freedoms afforded to mages. Following the Knight-Commander's exit, King Alistair discusses the Champion's thoughts on returning to Ferelden and also mentions that many Orlesian nobles are hoping to seize upon Ferelden's weakened state in the wake of the Blight to reconquer lost territory.

If Alistair is a Grey Warden:

Alistair is on a mission for the Grey Wardens which takes him through Kirkwall just as the Second Qunari Invasion of Kirkwall occurs. He encounters Hawke while battling Qunari and gifts them with The Sacred Heart. Eager to avoid involving the Wardens in the Qunari-Kirkwall conflict, he leaves the city shortly afterwards.

If Alistair is a drunk:

After abandoning the Grey Wardens, Alistair washes up as a pitiable drunk in the Hanged Man, lamenting his lost birthright. After remaining in Kirkwall for a few years, Bann Teagan retrieves Alistair and takes him back to Ferelden.

Dragon Age: The Silent Grove

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Silent Grove.

The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning that Alistair is king of Ferelden in the comic's story.

Alistair arrives in Antiva City where he enters the headquarters of the Antivan Crows along with the pirate Isabela and Varric Tethras. They are ambushed by Prince Claudio Valisti, though Claudio realises who Alistair is. The pair exchange a hushed conversation, where Alistair is asked whether he "is convinced". They also speak briefly of an escape from Velabanchel, a prison run by the Antivan Crows before parting ways.

He later makes his way into Velabanchel, where he encounters a wizened prisoner within a cell, who, when Alistair utters, "King Maric?", tells him that he is "too late".

Alistair escapes Velabanchel with his companions and the prisoner they found. The old man tells him that Yavana, a Witch of the Wilds rescued Maric. Alistair goes to the Tellari swamps and is attacked by a high dragon. Yavana then appears and calms the beast.

Alistair discusses his father with Claudio in the Crows' camp. Claudio prepares to reveal who his patron is - the one who ordered Alistair's kidnap - though Isabela and Varric attack the camp before he continues. As Isabela prepares to kill Claudio, Alistair orders her to stop, but she does so anyway. He then explains that Claudio had information about Maric that is now lost.

However Yavana mentions that Claudio's spirit is still lingering in the Fade, so she casts a spell which brings his spirit back to his body. Claudio's spirit mentions that his master is Aurelian Titus before Yavana destroys Claudio's lifeless body. She then invites Alistair to follow her under the Silent Grove. Alistair follows her into a large breeding lair of dragons. Yavana reveals to him that her quest was to preserve the existence of dragons from those who couldn't understand and were just killing them. Despite her efforts, she never managed to awaken a great one.

However Alistair's father, King Maric, was able to because the blood of Calenhad the Great was running in his veins; but before he could awaken all the great ones and fulfill his oath, Aurelian Titus took him from her. Yavana then asks Alistair to help her fulfill his father's oath in exchange for her help in finding him. However, Alistair refuses while he drives his sword through Yavana's stomach. The High Dragon approaches Yavana's dead body but doesn't attack Alistair. Afterwards, Alistair returns to the surface and informs Isabela and Varric of what happened. Alistair says that he will find this Aurelian Titus, kill him, then find his father and return to Ferelden to be king.

Dragon Age: Those Who Speak

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Those Who Speak.

The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning that Alistair is king of Ferelden in the comic's story.

Alistair continues his quest by going to Qarinus in order to find Claudio's master, magister Aurelian Titus. They attend a ball that the magister is also expected to attend. There, they also meet a friend of Varric; the magister Maevaris Tilani and also Lord Devon who seems to know Isabela from the past.

When Titus finally arrives at the ball, Alistair asks him if he knows who he is, to which Titus says no. When Alistair reveals to him who he really is, he demands to know where his father is. Titus then tries to use blood magic in order to control him but Alistair uses his templar skills in order to resist. As soon as Titus realizes that Alistair is a templar, he orders his minions to seize him while he escapes.

When the brawl finally ends, Isabela captures one of Titus' men alive whom they bring back to her ship. Varric interrogates him and tricks him into revealing the location of the Magister's stronghold in Seheron. However, before they reach Seheron, two Qunari dreadnoughts attack Isabela's pirate ship and after a brief fight, Alistair and his companions along with Isabela's crew are captured by the Qunari and are kept as prisoners in a Qunari war camp named Akhaaz.

After three weeks, a Qunari guard enters the locked room of Alistair and Varric and tells them that the Arishok is waiting for them and orders them to follow him. Alistair quickly realizes that the new Arishok is in fact Sten who addresses Alistair as kadan, showing unprecedented respect for him, not apparent from their past conversations. Sten informs him that Titus seeks him because of his blood and he says that it is foolish to follow him into his lair and for that reason he will be held prisoner until Sten deals with that threat. When Alistair demands more answers from Sten, the latter responds aggressively and tells him not to seek him again.

Stenlap — Sten in the duel with Alistair

In the meantime, Isabela manages to escape while the Qunari were trying to convert her to the Qun. She reaches the cell of Alistair and Varric, releases them and tells them to get away from the prison while she goes to free her crew as well. Alistair and Varric fight their way out of the prison but in the end the Arishok was waiting for them. Alistair tries to stop the upcoming fight but Sten attacks immediately. Since Varric is unable to assist effectively without his Bianca, the fight becomes a duel.

In the end Alistair manages to defeat Sten but he refuses to give the final blow and instead he invites Sten again to help him against their mutual enemy: Titus. Sten agrees to it so Isabela takes back her crew and ship. Along with Alistair, Varric and Sten, they all start sailing again to Titus' lair while accompanied by two Qunari dreadnoughts. In the final scenes, Sten reveals to Alistair that Titus seeks him because the blood of dragons runs in his veins. Isabela reaffirms her determination to complete Alistair's quest.

Dragon Age: Until We Sleep

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Until We Sleep.

The plot follows BioWare's own canon, meaning that Alistair is king of Ferelden in the comic's story.

Qunari dreadnoughts attack Aurelian Titus' fortress and Varric infiltrates the building while Isabela and Alistair assault the fortress directly with the Qunari. Prior to this, Sten/the Arishok tells Alistair and Isabela the Qunari version of the myth of King Calenhad, and how he made a deal with a mysterious witch to drink dragon blood, become a Reaver and create Ferelden.

Varric's attempt to free King Maric from the Magrallen causes everyone to be pulled into the Fade. Varric, Isabela, and Maevaris were able to reunite and tracked Alistair and King Maric in a fantasy where Alistair was Maric's acknowledged son, and Cailan still lived and was the heir apparent to the throne of Ferelden. Varric reminds Alistair of his mission to kill Titus, find Maric, and then become a proper king in order to convince Alistair to not live a lie. Varric asks King Maric if he agrees, to which he concurs with Varric that Alistair must face the reality of the situation and turn away from this fantasy. Alistair then concedes and is briefed of their predicament: Titus was pulled into the Fade with them and is hunting them with demons. Alistair desires to take the fight to him. Alistair and his band tracks Titus to his own dream fantasy in the Fade and launches an ambush on him. Eventually Titus is slain in the ensuing battle by King Maric and his schemes to take over Thedas for Tevinter was foiled.

In spite of their victory, Maric elects to remain in the Fade, commenting that everyone dear to him has seemingly passed on now. Alistair however persuades Maric that he should return with them. Upon returning to their physical bodies, the party finds Maric still connected to the Magrallen in the Ath Velanis laboratory. Unfortunately, King Maric's health has deteriorated and it is speculated that the Magrallen is all that's keeping him alive. Realizing that there is no other way to end his father's suffering after all, Alistair destroys the Magrallen, finally ending Maric's life. With their adventure over, Alistair returns to Ferelden to be a good and proper king.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

If Alistair is king and the Inquisition recruits the rebel mages:

Alistair allows the rebel mages to take refuge in Redcliffe Castle. However after the rebel mages are aggressively taken over by the Tevinter Magister Gereon Alexius, Alexius begins to have rebel mages displace the people of Redcliffe. Having enough of the mages' abuse, Alistair (alongside Queen Anora if they rule jointly), arrives in Redcliffe with a contingent of soldiers shortly after the Inquisition's ousting of Alexius to inform the rebel mages that they have outstayed their welcome and recommends that they take whatever deal that the Inquisitor offers, informing them that he has no intention of offering a better deal.

Later Alistair will request the Inquisition's aid with foiling a Venatori plot against his (and Anora's if she reigns with him) life. Alistair also asks the Inquisition to serve as mediators in the peace talks with the ruler of Orlais, following the resolution of the War of the Lions.

If Alistair remained a Grey Warden:

Alistair1 — Alistair as a Grey Warden in *Dragon Age: Inquisition*

Hawke contacts Alistair to help them investigate Red Lyrium. Alistair however is concerned about corruption in the Grey Warden ranks and goes into hiding. Hawke and the Inquisitor rendezvous with Alistair in a smuggler's cave in Crestwood to see what his investigation uncovered.

Alistair explains that he was investigating if Corypheus could have survived fatal wounds just like an Archdemon can. Yet in the middle of his investigation, every Grey Warden in Orlais began to hear the Calling which Alistair believes is being elicited by Corypheus. Believing that their end is near, Warden-Commander Clarel plans on using a blood magic ritual that supposedly will end all Blights before they all perish. Alistair is branded a traitor for protesting Clarel's plan and goes into hiding. Alistair, Hawke, and the Inquisitor scout the ancient Tevinter ritual tower in the Western Approach to investigate a Grey Warden congregation.

At the tower, the party witnesses Grey Warden mages sacrificing their fellow Wardens to summon demons. They are being led by Lord Livius Erimond, a Venatori Magister who convinced Clarel to use their blood magic techniques to raise a demon army to invade the Deep Roads and kill the Old Gods before they wake. The demon binding rituals Erimond taught the Grey Warden mages however has the side effect of enslaving them to Corypheus, who will use them to conquer Thedas. Erimond escapes to Adamant Fortress while the Inquisitor's party confronts the enslaved Wardens of the tower.

Hawke and Alistair join the Inquisition as they lay siege to Adamant Fortress. They confront Erimond and Clarel about the truth of the demon binding ritual and attempt to sway the Wardens against Erimond. When Erimond summons Corypheus' dragon to deal with the Inquisition, Clarel has a change of heart and betrays Erimond. The dragon attacked and a massive battle ensue. After which, the Inquisition pursues Clarel. Clarel inflicts her wrath on Erimond but is killed by the dragon he summons. Clarel's last act is casting a spell that subdues the dragon but its crash causes the ground beneath them to crumble, resulting in the party to fall off the ramparts. The Inquisitor uses their mark to open a rift to transport the party to the Fade.

The Inquisitor finds some kind of spirit that poses as Divine Justinia V who briefs the Inquisitor that they are in the realm of a Nightmare demon and that the Inquisitor must recover the memories it took from them. As the Inquisitor recovers these memories, they remember how the mortal Divine was bound by Grey Wardens and sacrificed to power an orb--an orb which the Inquisitor picked up and gave them the mark, and how the spirit in the Divine's form was the one who led the Inquisitor out of the Fade after the creation of the Breach. Once Hawke realizes that the Grey Wardens had a hand in sacrificing the Divine to further Corypheus' schemes, Hawke becomes incensed and accuses the Grey Wardens of being out of control and need to be checked. Alistair is defensive about the accusation, and argues that the Wardens were most likely mind controlled by Corypheus and that Hawke themselves have caused much chaos by causing the mage rebellion.

The spirit leads the Inquisitor's party to a rift but the Nightmare is preventing their escape. The spirit sacrifices itself to weaken the Nightmare and the Inquisitor's party defeats the Aspect of the Nightmare blocking their escape. The party reaches the rift but either Hawke or Alistair must stay behind to distract the Nightmare for the party to leave. Hawke can sacrifice themselves to atone for freeing Corypheus or Alistair can sacrifice himself to atone for all the harm the Grey Wardens have done.

If Alistair survives he will take command of the surviving Grey Wardens. After deferring judgement of what the Grey Wardens should do next to the Inquisitor, he will travel to Weisshaupt to brief the Grey Wardens of what had transpired.

Approval

See Alistair/Approval for more information.

The Warden 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

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.

Keep Alistair detail — Alistair's romanced tile in the Dragon Age Keep

Alistair is romantically interested in women. He doesn't take relationships lightly. There are various ways to begin a romance with him during his dialogue. 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, saying that he wasn't raised to take that sort of thing lightly; continued propositioning after this point will lead to disapproval. If continued approval is 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 choose one of them.

If Alistair becomes king and the Warden is anything but a human noble, or is a human noble but is not going to marry Alistair, their relationship can only continue if Alistair has been hardened. If he has not, 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. 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.

Note: A human noble must pass a Persuasion check in order to marry Alistair when choosing between him and Anora at the Landsmeet, though it is not necessary to be in a relationship with him or even to have high approval. With a hardened Alistair, this option only becomes available if you did not accept Riordan's proposal to make Loghain a Grey Warden; if you accepted the idea then the hardened Alistair takes the throne directly and executes Loghain, thus avoiding the whole dialog where you could choose between Alistair and Anora and would have had the option to rule beside him.

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

Leliana's Codex entry in The Darkspawn Chronicles DLC states that she is rumored to be Alistair's lover. This is not directly addressed in Origins, however, even if the Warden does not romance either character.

If Alistair's approval rating reaches a high enough point, Wynne will engage in conversation on this topic, saying that she disapproves of the relationship and that she does not wish for Alistair to be hurt. However, if his approval rating reaches Adore/Love, the Warden can speak to her about the subject a second time and she will apologize for her earlier comments.

After Alistair's approval reaches Adore/Love, if the Warden talks to Leliana she enquires about his 'performance'. If this takes place outside camp with Alistair in the party, he'll interrupt, asking why Leliana is giggling. The Warden may respond:
- "You. And your performance." Alistair will be confused at first, then Leliana will say that you are discussing how he 'treats her in bed'. Alistair will finally cotton on and say "Maker... What is wrong with you women?"
- "Uh.. Darkspawn." Skeptical, Alistair will respond, "Right. Yes, you're giggling about darkspawn. So funny, them darkspawns!"
- "Nothing, just girl talk." Alistair will decide not to enquire further.

Bug!

When romanced, the final conversation with Alistair, in which he declares to the Warden "You're the first woman I've ever spent the night with, and if I have my way you'll be the last," is glitched and may not trigger at all, or not after the first time the player romances Alistair. Any playthrough in which Alistair is romanced will not have this conversation trigger.