“It seems I am again in your debt... and shadow.”
Carver Hawke (born 9:11 Dragon[1]) is Hawke's younger brother and Bethany's fraternal twin. He specializes in two-handed weaponry.
Appearance
Carver's appearance varies with Hawke's facial preset and skintone
Carver has one of several facial structures, depending on which preset the player picks for their Hawke during character creation. The same applies for Bethany, Leandra and Gamlen.[2]
There are three base facial shapes that each family member can have. Hawkes using the default Hawke appearance or any of the first three presets will get the first head shape, Hawkes using the second three presets will get the second head shape, and Hawkes using the final three presets (or any modded presets past that) will get the third shape.
Each of the three head shapes has three variations - one with a pale skintone, one with a medium skintone, and one with a dark skintone, and each with a different hairstyle. Which of these variations is used by the game depends on Hawke's skintone; the first four skintones will result in the light-skinned version of Carver, the second four in the medium-skinned version, and the final four in the dark-skinned version. All versions of Carver will have black hair.
Involvement
Dragon Age II
After his father died, Carver started down a military path and took part in the Battle of Ostagar. His fellow soldiers said Carver fought well, that they used him as a spear while they kept the darkspawn off his flanks. He had to be dragged from the fight when Loghain Mac Tir's betrayal forced the Fereldan army into a rout. Carver returned to his family though they had to flee once the darkspawn attacked Lothering.
If Hawke is a warrior or rogue, Carver is killed during the attack on Lothering when he charges an ogre in order to protect Leandra. However, if Hawke is a mage, then Bethany dies instead while Carver survives to accompany his family to Kirkwall.
Carver in Kirkwall
Carver spends a year working with his elder sibling to repay their passage into Kirkwall. Carver is particularly bitter once in the Free Marches city. He feels no real connection to the city and believes Leandra is trying to force a past on the family that she had long left behind. Even so, Carver cares deeply for his family and works for their welfare in Kirkwall. Carver and Hawke plan on joining The Deep Roads Expedition, in the hopes that enough wealth and influence will keep the templars from Hawke. As Hawke gathers money to pay for the Deep Roads expedition, Carver gradually comes to see why people fear magic. Having grown up surrounded by magic, Carver did not see it as something to fear (though he never truly understood it either) until he witnessed the darker side of it from Kirkwall's blood mages. He eventually shows more sympathy toward templars, particularly after learning he was named after the templar who freed Malcolm Hawke from the Circle of Magi. After amassing the fifty sovereigns needed to fund the expedition, Carver volunteers to join his elder sibling in the Deep Roads venture. His mother however, begs him to remain at home. Carver protests, but the final decision is made by Hawke.
Left home
If Carver is left at home when Hawke sets out for the expedition, he willingly leaves the Hawke family to join the templars. Carver believes that joining the templars is his chance to prove himself and escape his elder sibling's shadow. Though resentful for being left behind from the expedition, he tells Hawke he does not intend to reveal that they are a mage. His training and duties as a new templar prevent him from joining his older sibling throughout their time in Kirkwall. A letter reveals that Carver found his calling among the templars, though he is wary of the Order's extreme elements.
During the First Battle of Kirkwall, he is present with Knight-Commander Meredith as she leads a group of templars in Hightown.
As hostilities between mages and templars increase, Carver is kidnapped by Grace and Thrask who are inciting a rebellion to overthrow Meredith, believing that the Champion is working for the Knight-Commander regardless of their allegiances in the mage-templar struggle.
During the Kirkwall Rebellion in 9:37 Dragon, Carver supports the templars who are tasked by Knight-Commander Meredith to annul the Circle of Magi. In a last attempt to make Hawke join the templars, he asks if the Champion will fight their brother, giving Hawke the option of responding that Carver has been itching to fight them for a long time. Hawke can also ask him if he's willing to fight his sibling as well, to which Carver responds that it isn't what he wants and begins to express doubts. Meredith reminds him of his duty as a templar. If the Champion sided with the templars, Carver expresses surprise that it was the Templar Order which brought the siblings closer together. When the Champion goes to confront Meredith, Carver, and Cullen, side with Hawke, stating that he will not murder his sibling for her. Carver may help out Hawke during the conflict. He automatically joins his sibling if Hawke does not have a full party.
Taken on the Deep Roads
If Carver comes with Hawke to the Deep Roads, he contracts the Taint. If Anders was also brought along to the expedition, the mage reveals that a group of Grey Wardens are nearby. Should Hawke choose to find the Wardens, Carver is saved, at the cost of leaving his family to undertake the Joining. Hawke later learns that Carver survived the Joining to become a Grey Warden, but that the new recruit can't come back to the Hawke family. If Anders is not present, or if Hawke chooses not to seek out the Wardens, Carver must be killed.
During the First Battle of Kirkwall, Carver appears as a Grey Warden passing through Lowtown with Stroud or Alistair and other Wardens. However, he cannot join Hawke to save the city from the Qunari.
If Hawke is asked to find Nathaniel Howe in the Deep Roads, a Grey Warden Carver is seen fighting darkspawn. If Hawke has high enough friendship with Carver, Carver thanks Hawke for helping him; otherwise, he starts arguing about his sibling sticking their nose into everything, before being interrupted by Nathaniel who asks if they know each other.
As hostilities between mages and templars increase, Carver is kidnapped by Grace and Thrask who are inciting a rebellion to overthrow Meredith, believing that the Champion is working for the Knight-Commander regardless of their allegiances in the mage-templar struggle.
During the Kirkwall Rebellion in 9:37 Dragon, a Grey Warden Carver seeks out Hawke and ask them to let him fight by their side, thanking his sibling for saving his life. If Hawke sided with the templars, Carver expresses surprise that Hawke, who is a mage, is helping Meredith annull the Circle.
In the DLC Legacy, a deranged sect of the Carta tries to kidnap Carver due to his link to "the blood of the Hawke". Carver can travel with Hawke to a secret Warden prison in the Vimmark Mountains in order to find the source of the aggression and uncover the harsh truth about the Hawke lineage.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
If Carver is still alive, the Inquisitor can ask Varric Tethras about his fate.
Varric states that he is still in Kirkwall, helping the Kirkwall City Guard keep order. A conversation with Hawke reveals that they sent their associate Aveline Vallen to take him far away from the Free Marches when they heard about templars acting strangely.
Varric states that he was last seen on warden business near the border of the Anderfels. A conversation with Hawke reveals that they sent their associate Aveline Vallen to take him far away from Orlais when they heard about Grey Wardens acting strangely.
There is also a bottle of Conscription Ale with his name on it in Redcliffe Village, behind a masterwork locked door.
Either way, if Hawke lives after the encounter with Nightmare it is mentioned that they will likely reunite.
If Carver died in the Deep Roads Varric reminisces about it during the Keeping the Darkspawn Down side quest if he is in the party.
Friendship and rivalry
- See the approval page for more information.
Carver takes value in proving his worth to his family and comrades. Aggressive behavior impresses Carver, but on a similar note, a responsible Hawke that keeps his/her family out of trouble and allows Carver to make his own mark will gain friendship. He is adamant about an apostate Hawke avoiding the suspicion of the Order, thus supporting the Chantry's actions and siding with Templars over mages will net his approval despite his vocal disdain for the Templars themselves. In addition, choices which appeal to Carver's pride as a Fereldan or otherwise benefit other Fereldan refugees will garner friendship with him.
Carver despises being inferior to his sibling, as such selecting dialogue that makes Hawke "selfless" makes him dislike Hawke (with the sole exception of family matters). He also does not approve of mage-related options that would turn the Templars' eyes towards them.
Quests
Prologue
Act 1
Mark of the Assassin
Initial statistics
Attributes and the Friendship/Rivalry bar
Talents
| Available talent trees | Initially selected talents |
|---|---|
 Two-Handed
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 Vanguard
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 Battlemaster
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 Defender
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 Warmonger
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 Pommel Strike
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 Templar (from Act 2)
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Equipment
| Weapons |  Longbar Blade
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Carver specific gear
Armor
- See also: Companion armor
An upgrade for Carver's armor, Fereldan Man-at-Arms Issue, is available in Act 1:
Fereldan Girded Plating – in the Estate Vault during the Birthright quest. +(10%) armor
Other
Longbar Blade – initial weapon
Recruit's Band of Distinguished Service – requires Warrior Item Pack DLC
Lineage – requires Legacy
Copper-Bladed Star – requires Warrior Item Pack II
Amulet of the Enthusiast – requires Mark of the Assassin
Alternate
From left to right: Fereldan Man-at-Arms Issue, Knight-Corporal Plate, and Plate of the Warden-Ensign
- If Carver becomes a templar and re-joins Hawke's party during The Last Straw in Act 3 (or for the DLC), he wears Templar Knight-Corporal Plate, and use
Grace-Maker
- If Carver becomes a Grey Warden and re-joins Hawke's party during The Last Straw in Act 3 (or for the DLC), he wears Plate of the Warden-Ensign with the Grey Warden insignia on its chest, and use Seeker of the Gray
Quotes
Early concept art of Carver with blonde hair
- Main article: Carver/Dialogue
- (Defending his mother from an ogre) "You soulless bastards!"
- (After learning that Gamlen left the Amell will in the estate's vault) "What kind of daft bastard leaves that behind?"
- (To Fenris) "If you have a problem with my brother/sister, you have a problem with me."
- "It's like Mother, taking everything out on us. She was just scared. I don't have a place in the life she is trying to bring back."
- (About Carver's namesake in Family History) "A man who let him look ahead. It would always mean 'skill thoughtfully applied.' Not exactly 'master of all blades' but... Father actually thought there was worth to a swordsman."
- "A hundred ways to run, and we choose backward. Whatever you say, but chasing an old name isn't really starting over."
- (Templar Carver) "I'm a templar not a cleric. I'd prefer to stay in this world as long as possible. And if I can make it an ordered place without looking like a zealot, all the better."
- (Grey Warden Carver) "The world is a big place, but the faces are the same. We do right here, we make a difference."
Trivia
- Lukas Kristjanson wrote Carver for Dragon Age II.
- Carver was named after Ser Maurevar Carver, a templar who played an essential role in hiding his parents affair and helped them escape Kirkwall to Ferelden. Carver can find out during Family History.
- Carver is related to the human Warden from the Magi Origin through his mother Leandra Amell.[3]
- In Act 1, Hawke receives a letter addressed to Carver from a woman in Lothering named Peaches. If Hawke is male, Peaches has an obvious crush on him which Carver clearly disapproves of, as he refused to introduce them. If Hawke is female, the letter makes reference to an implied sexual encounter between Carver and herself in Barlin's barn.
- In dialogue at Gamlen's house, Hawke refers to Carver as the 'second child', implying Carver is the older of the Hawke twins.
- In the Dragon Age II Demo, Carver is wearing the recoloured armor of the Kirkwall City Guard which is also worn by Hugh, during the expanded intro if he is present during it, despite the fact that he never wears it in the game. When Varric amends his story, Carver will be wearing his normal outfit.
- During Act 1, if you take Carver to talk to the Arishok he sometimes says "we only had one Qunari in Lothering but that was enough", referring to Sten in Dragon Age: Origins.
- During party banter, it is hinted Carver may be romantically interested in Merrill.
- In Dragon Age: The Last Court a man claiming to be Carver Hawke may appear during a marketplace draw (a special feature of the text game which will take 24 hours to reappear after activation or by spending real world currency).
- Carver has a tattoo of a mabari that he can make "bark".
Gallery
See also
Codex entry: Carver - After the Deep Roads
Family Letters, the letter Carver sends to Hawke at the start of Act 2
References
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 152
- ↑ Mike Laidlaw. "Family Resemblance: Anything more than skintone?" . The BioWare Forum.
- ↑ Family Historyhttp://forum.bioware.com/topic/144385-is-hawke-related-to-the-mage-warden/?p=3817752. The BioWare Forum.
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