“Being a Grey Warden is not a cure. It is a calling.”
Stroud is an Orlesian Grey Warden.
Background
Stroud appears to hold a high rank, since he is first seen with two men guarding and following him. Stroud speaks with a heavy Orlesian accent and is a warrior, fighting with a two-handed sword. He later carries a longsword and shield.
Involvement
As Hawke returns to the surface after The Deep Roads Expedition, Bethany or Carver contract the darkspawn taint, if they are in the expedition party. If Anders is also present, he proposes searching for a Grey Warden in the area to ask him to let Bethany or Carver join the order. That Grey Warden is Stroud.
Anders negotiates with Stroud, who agrees to take Hawke's sibling to join the Grey Wardens, saying that Anders and he are even. Bethany/Carver leaves the party with the Grey Wardens.
If Alistair did not remain with the Grey Wardens, Stroud is seen again during the First Battle of Kirkwall. In Lowtown Hawke encounters Stroud, along with two other Wardens (and possibly Bethany or Carver) fighting a group of Qunari. After the battle, Stroud announces that he cannot stay to help because he must return to his mission, and that Grey Wardens cannot get involved in political struggles regardless. Stroud gives Hawke the Warden's Promise ring before leaving.
Stroud is mentioned in the Legacy DLC if Bethany/Carver becomes a Grey Warden. Janeka states that Stroud refused her request to take Bethany/Carver from his command in her efforts to free Corypheus.
Notes
- Stroud appears in Heroes of Dragon Age carrying a shield which uses the heraldry of the Commanders of the Grey.
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