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{{SpoilerDAI|* [[Memories of the Grey]] - After each artifact collected, if he is in the party.
 
{{SpoilerDAI|* [[Memories of the Grey]] - After each artifact collected, if he is in the party.
* [[Here Lies the Abyss]] - Have the Grey Wardens join the Inquisition
+
* [[Here Lies the Abyss]] - Have the Grey Wardens join the Inquisition.
 
* [[Revelations]] - During Blackwall's [[Sit in Judgment|judgment]], pardon him or give him to the Wardens after the Inquisition ends while spurring him to atone.
 
* [[Revelations]] - During Blackwall's [[Sit in Judgment|judgment]], pardon him or give him to the Wardens after the Inquisition ends while spurring him to atone.
 
}}
 
}}

Revision as of 12:36, 31 July 2015

“At the heart of it, all a Warden is, is a promise. To protect others... even at the cost of your own life.”


Gordon Blackwall[2] is a Grey Warden and a companion in Dragon Age: Inquisition as well as a potential romance for female Inquisitors.

Background

Nothing is known of Gordon Blackwall prior to his recruitment into the Grey Wardens from the city of Cumberland in 9:17 Dragon, but he is said to be one of the few who chose, of his own accord, to undergo the Joining. He is proud of the lives of isolation and valor those of his order lead. In that isolation, he counsels that you have become something more than yourself. He prefers the life of the Warden to any other.[3]

Gordon Blackwall was a close friend of then Warden-Constable Alisse Fontaine and succeeded her in the position when she became Commander of the Grey in Orlais. He was put in charge of warden operations in northern Orlais and stationed in Val Chevin.

During the Fifth Blight in 9:30 Dragon, Gordon Blackwall was strongly opposed to Teyrn Loghain's decision to close the Fereldan borders, and exile the Grey Wardens while the Fifth Blight raged.[4][5] After the Blight, he was awarded the Silverite Wings of Valor for rescuing seven fellow Wardens when a Deep Roads tunnel collapsed. He managed to free himself of the rubble and navigated a crumbling darkspawn infested cave system alone to reach and free his fellows.

Blackwall's duties also include recruiting new wardens. His goal is to help others and act as a shield to his comrades, and this reflects his view of the Grey Wardens as an order of protectors.[6]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


In 9:36, Warden-Constable Blackwall journeyed to Montsimmard to see Warden-Commander Fontaine and confer with her about who would succeed her when she went on her Calling. Blackwall sent a message north announcing his intention to return to Val Chevin, but recruited a man named Thom Rainier during his journey.

Thom Rainier originated from Markham in the Free Marches. He won the melee of the Grand Tourney in his youth, albeit with the crucial aid of a fellow competitor―a chevalier called Ser Geoffroy de Bordelon. The chevalier put aside his own ambition to help Rainer win the tournament, and even offered to mentor him, but Rainier refused him out of pride. Many years later, he came to regret that decision.

It appears Rainier had a sister named Liddy, who is presumed deceased now.[1]

Thom quickly squandered his winnings from the tourney and took up mercenary work for two years. Eventually he enlisted in the Orlesian imperial army. For the next few years, Rainier campaigned in Perendale and the Dales. He learned strategy and honed his martial prowess. Despite his Marcher heritage, Rainier's skill and dedication allowed him to become a well-respected captain in the Orlesian army. An ally of Grand Duke Gaspard, Ser Robert Chapuis, ordered him to attack one of Empress Celene's allies, Lord Vincent Callier. His soldiers were told that they were on an important mission. The attack turned into a slaughter, as they massacred Callier's family. When word of the massacre got out, Gaspard disavowed their actions, Chapuis committed suicide and Rainer ran. His men were arrested and sentenced to traitor's deaths. Rainier once again took up mercenary work. In 9:36, Rainier was visiting a tavern near Churneau and saved the barmaid from rowdy village militia harassing her. This was what brought him to the attention of another tavern patron, Warden-Constable Blackwall.

Blackwall saw Rainier's potential and resolved to recruit him into the Grey Wardens. On their way to the Warden stronghold in Val Chevin, they stopped by a Deep Roads entrance on the Storm Coast and Blackwall sent Rainier to retrieve Darkspawn blood for his joining. They were ambushed and Blackwall sacrificed himself to protect Rainier from a fatal blow.

Rainier was inspired by Blackwall's nobility and belief in the Warden's cause, but he had no proof that he had been recruited and feared the Wardens would think he had murdered Blackwall. So he assumed Blackwall's identity and used his status as a wandering Warden recruiter to try and do good in honor of the Warden's memory. He resurfaced as Blackwall in Ferelden in 9:41.


Involvement


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


Blackwallb

Blackwall tarot card

Should the Inquisitor choose to find Blackwall in the Hinterlands, they arrive to find Blackwall training a trio of conscripts to fight off bandits, who attack shortly. After fending off the bandits, Blackwall sends the conscripts off and is questioned by the Inquisitor over the disappearance of Ferelden's Wardens. He admits that he knows nothing about other Wardens, as he has been on the road without contact, but refuses to stand idle if his order was involved in Divine Justinia V's death. Blackwall offers to join forces with the Inquisition.

Note: Blackwall must be recruited before meeting Hawke and the Warden at the Tevinter ruins in the Western Approach. Following this exchange, he is no longer available.

If Blackwall accompanies the Inquisitor in the siege of Adamant Fortress, he can reason with the Warden warriors by reminding them of their duty.

Back at Skyhold, Blackwall will take the Inquisitor out for a drink at Herald's Rest. As they drink, Blackwall solemnly tells the Inquisitor the tale of how as a boy, he ignored a bunch of urchins abusing a stray dog begging for food. He expresses his guilt about how he ignored the dog's suffering and allowed injustice to be done. He tells the Inquisitor that they could make the world better but people choose not to out of expedience. Blackwall then concludes "There's always some dog out there. Some fucking mongrel that doesn't know how to stay away." If the Inquisitor is in a romance with Blackwall, he does not bring up the story in this scene.

Blackwall tarot

Blackwall Alternate tarot card (With the Inquisition)

Blackwallq

Blackwall Alternate tarot card (Exiled)

After completing missions at Adamant and Halamshiral, Blackwall disappears from Skyhold. An Inquisition messenger shows the Inquisitor a crumpled note, suggesting that Blackwall intends to attend the execution of a man called Mornay in Val Royeaux, accused of taking part in a massacre at the order of his captain, Thom Rainier. At the execution, as Mornay stands before the noose, Blackwall steps up to the platform, admitting to have given the order to Mornay, revealing his true identity as Thom Rainier and impersonation of Blackwall.

If the Inquisitor visits him in prison, they would have a chance to question Rainier. He reveals his true past as a captain in the Orlesian army, his part in the massacre of the Calliers, the circumstances of the real Blackwall's death and his assumption of his identity. When he learned that Mornay had been captured, Rainier couldn't let him take the fall for his crime.

If the Inquisitor chooses to free Rainier, the latter is judged back at Skyhold. The Inquisitor has the decision of either setting him free, make him serve the Inquisition against his will or turn him over to the Wardens once Corypheus has been defeated. If forced to serve the Inquisition against his will, Rainier will be ordered by the Inquisitor to continue masquerading as Blackwall and as a Grey Warden in order to give the Inquisition a more advantageous facade- much to Rainier's disgust. If pardoned, Rainier decides to atone by dedicating his life to the Inquisition. If pardoned or sent to the Grey Wardens, Rainier will prefer to be called "Blackwall" since he has become accustomed to being called by the name and now thinks it more of a title that he should live up to.

If you have low approval and side with Gaspard and let the Empress die, Blackwall will leave your party when you talk to him back at Skyhold.

Blackwall will greatly disapprove of banishing the Wardens at Adamant, but he will opt to stay with the Inquisition and will not leave so long as his approval remains at a respectable value.

It is revealed in Blackwall's companion quest that he did not actually complete the Joining and is therefore not truly a Grey Warden. Should the Inquisitor choose to send Blackwall to the Wardens, however, it is implied that he will undergo the Joining.


Approval

Main article: Blackwall/Approval

Blackwall approves of helping and protecting others and Inquisitors who spur people to do the same. He is not fond of conscripting, exiling, or disbanding famed organizations dedicated to service. He also despises aiding self-serving power-hungry tyrants or those who punish for cruelty. He is fond of those who speak highly of the Grey Wardens and those who ally with them.

Slight approval from Blackwall can be gained by killing groups of darkspawn wandering throughout the areas and during quests such as The Trouble with Darkspawn and Keeping the Darkspawn Down.

Approval gains from specific events and quests are usually low to moderate for Blackwall, though there are a couple of instances that will yield "Greatly Approves". These include:


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.



Romance

Blackwallr

Blackwall Romance tarot card

Blackwall can be romanced by a female Inquisitor of any race.


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


The Inquisitor can commit to his romance following the completion of his companion quest, Explanations. He arrives at her quarters at night claiming that, while he couldn't stay away, he will never be the person she deserves. He then asks the Inquisitor to end the relationship. If you choose not to, Blackwall remarks that they will end up regretting the decision, and the two share a passionate kiss. By choosing the option to end the relationship, the Inquisitor points out that the decision shouldn't all be left to her, to which Blackwall agrees, saying that "this was always [his] burden to bear." He walks out of the room, hoping that she will be able to forgive him one day.

Following the events at Halamshiral and Adamant, speaking to Blackwall leads to a scene at Herald's Rest. He solemnly reminisces about the time they found the Warden-Constable's badge during the events of Explanations, and admits that, with the Inquisitor standing by him, he felt like he could have achieved anything. At this point, the Inquisitor can choose to either remain in the tavern or go to a more private area. If she chooses the former, Blackwall credits the Inquisitor as being the one good thing in his life, and gives her the Warden-Constable's badge. When she looks back up from the badge, she finds him gone.

If the Inquisitor suggests going to a more private place, the scene transitions to the loft in the stables. They share a kiss and Blackwall hands her the Warden-Constable's badge, lamenting that there will be no future for them for as long as he remains a Warden, but eventually agreeing to cherish the moment they have at present. This leads to them making love and the scene fades out. Later, the Inquisitor wakes to find Blackwall gone and the badge left behind.

Following Blackwall's reveal as Thom Rainier, when the Inquisitor visits him in prison, he confesses that he had planned on telling her the truth during the events of Explanations, but "lost [his] nerve" at the last minute. He also admits that the Warden-Constable's badge belonged to the real Blackwall.

If the Inquisitor chooses to free Rainier during judgement, he approaches her throne and asks what is to become of them. She can then choose to end the relationship or continue it. With the latter, Blackwall confesses that he's unsure as to how to act as "Thom Rainier" with her, to which she can give various suggestions (depending on the dialogue option chosen). The two share a kiss and the scene ends.

If neither Blackwall nor Josephine is romanced, banter between Blackwall and other companions suggests that he has feelings for Josephine. Both Josephine and Blackwall acknowledge that they both have feelings for each other but cannot consummate it as it would be inappropriate since they are of different stations. Blackwall admits that he doesn't see a future for the relationship. Even so, they seem content to flirt in subtle ways- such as exchanging romantic tokens or looks to express their fondness for one another, yet always in secret.


Initial statistics

Ability trees Initially selected abilities
Weapon and Shield Weapon and Shield
Two-Handed Weapon Two-Handed Weapon
Battlemaster Battlemaster
Vanguard Vanguard
Champion Champion (specialization)

Equipment

Weapons Mercenary Lord Blade Mercenary Lord BladeReinforced Shield (Blackwall) Reinforced Shield (Blackwall)
Armor Defender Armor Defender ArmorGriffon Helmet Griffon Helmet

Quotes

Main article: Blackwall/Dialogue
  • "Sometimes you have to figure out for yourself what the pledge to protect others really means. It's not always just about Archdemons and Blights."
  • "You know I hate the aristocracy as much as you do. I hate that they sit in palaces sipping wine while people starve outside their gates. I hate that good soldiers die in senseless wars over who gets the fancy chair. Still, it's better to have the nobility on your side than not. They're dogs, all of them, and even the primped and powdered ones have teeth."
  • "'You are who you choose to follow.' Someone told me that once. Took me years to understand what he meant."
  • "You may have Andraste's favor. But wars are won by men. Soldiers."
  • "One thing I will say about your men: they're passionate. Devoted. You inspire them. Build on that foundation, and you will have an army that makes nations tremble."
  • (Why he joined the Grey Wardens) "Because they remember honor and sacrifice, words that have little meaning to the rest of us. Because they lay down their lives for those they have sworn to protect. We all need to believe there are such men in the world. I needed to believe I could be one of them."
  • "We could make the world better. It's just easier to shut our eyes."
  • "It's not right... to want to do good, to be good, and have that turned against you."
  • (What can one Grey Warden do?) "Save the fucking world if pressed."

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


  • (Addressing the Wardens at Adamant Fortress) "You don't know me, but you may have heard my name. Like you, I've given my life to the Grey Wardens. The first time I put on this armor, I felt like I belonged, like I was part of something honorable, something with a purpose. I know how good that feels. How safe. But fighting and dying here today won't stop the Blight. If you want to stop the Blight, kill that bastard up there. His master is the living embodiment of its corruption."


Codex entries

Codex entry: Blackwall Codex entry: Blackwall

Trivia

  • Blackwall was written by Sheryl Chee.[7]
  • He is described as "The Resolve".[8]
  • He is described as dedicated, almost mentor-like figure, but he's also a man alone; he's been on the road for a very long time, and it wears on him.[9]
  • According to Sheryl Chee, Blackwall likes dogs.[10]
  • Blackwall's greatest fear is himself.

Gallery

References