Law and Order

See also: Smuggler's Run

Law and Order is a side quest in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.

Note: By completing even the first task from the Smuggler's Run, this quest will be marked as failed.

Background

Upon entering the City of Amaranthine for the first time, a city guard will approach you and want to search your bags for smuggled goods, for which he is quickly scolded by their commander in defense of the Warden. The city is having trouble with smugglers and thieves who have all but taken over the city. You will be approached by Constable Aidan who will tell you that, if you have time, the city guards could use your help with a particular problem.

There are two distinct paths that you can take with this quest line: you can help the smugglers, or you can help the city guards. If you choose to side with the smugglers, you get an extra person to fight at Vigil's Keep for you as it is the only way to get a key into the guard house in Amaranthine,(<-wut->) however the guards will call you a murderer and treat you rudely.

Walkthrough

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

Speak with Constable Aidan after the gate guard cutscene to initiate the quest. Aidan will direct you to a "Suspicious Character" in the market place next to Glassric the Weaponsmith. This character will greet you but soon identify you as the person who was talking with the guards before and will start running. This will then lead you in a clockwise chase around Amaranthine through 5 groups of "Hired Goons" that ends on the western part of town just outside the walls. You can take your time to clear them out as the "Suspicious Character" will wait for you by each consecutive group. After the last group the "Suspicious Character" will run to an abandoned house outside of the city. Afterwards, go back to the city gates and speak to Constable Aidan to inform him of what happened and initiate the last part of the quest.

Note: Nathaniel Howe's meeting with Delilah is close to Glassric the Weaponsmith and can interrupt combat until the cutscene is finished.

Constable will tell you to find the doorman and get his key to enter the smuggler's hideout in order to apprehend them. This will spawn a "Shady Character" outside the abandoned house where the chase ended. Upon talking to him, he will immediatelly attack and eventually drop the Smugglers' Key which unlocks the trapdoor in the abandoned house which leads to the Smuggler's Cove, the final area of the quest. The Smuggler Leader as well as the remaining smugglers will attack as soon as you approach. After they are killed, return to Constable Aidan who will thank you and give 10

. The quest will then be marked as completed.

Result

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

Nathaniel approves (+1), Sigrun approves (+1), Justice approves (+1) (after reporting the secret door)

The Smuggler Leader's chest contains various gems and gold, Trickster's Gloves & Feet of the Nimble.

The Smuggler Leader can have one of Gloves of Guile, Antivan Leather Boots, Spear-Thrower, The Felon's Coat or The Rose's Thorn as random loot;

Note: While all these items are valuable/quite useful, it might be best to avoid getting the Antivan Leather Boots to drop. There are two other ways to get this particular set of boots, outside of this quest.

10

and

Nathaniel approves (+2),

Sigrun approves (+2),

Justice approves (+2) (after killing the Smuggler Leader)

Notes

Both quests will be marked completed with disapproval from both the city guard as well as the smugglers if you have both Smuggler's Run and Law and Order in your quest log, and you enter The Crown and Lion while still in the process of killing the groups of "Hired Goons", and then you ask the Bartender to open the hidden passageway. You can enter the hidden passageway, and if you finish killing the "Hired Goons," a quest marker will show up on Constable Aidan, but he refuses to speak with you.

Bugs

If you start Law and Order and its counterpart quest (by either speaking to Constable Aidan or Shady Character), you will NOT be able to initiate Sigrun's Roguish Past. Initiate Sigrun's quest first before starting either of the smuggler's quest.