Lothering and the Imperial Highway

“'Tis a small place of little consequence called Lothering. No more than a stop along your Imperial Highway where travelers purchase goods from local farms and smiths. I would go more often were it not for the town's chantry. It makes the village particularly intolerant and unpleasant for a stranger such as me.” ―Morrigan

Lothering and the Imperial Highway
Location	Deep in the Wilds, Lothering
Start	Enter Lothering
End	Reach other side of Lothering
Previous	The Tower of Ishal
Next	Arl of Redcliffe Broken Circle Nature of the Beast A Paragon of Her Kind
Appearances	Dragon Age: Origins

Lothering and the Imperial Highway is a main quest obtained at the conclusion of the prelude to Dragon Age: Origins. It is necessary to complete this quest in order to access the wider World map.

After Flemeth rescues the Warden and Alistair from The Tower of Ishal, Flemeth's daughter Morrigan joins them and suggests travelling north to the village of Lothering to gather news and supplies. Lothering stands on the Imperial Highway: the gateway to the other locations across Ferelden to which the Warden must travel to gather allies against the Blight.

Walkthrough

• Leave Flemeth's home Deep in the Wilds and access the World map for the first time.
  • pcYou can only select Lothering or the Party Camp at this stage.
  • ps3xbox360 You can only select Lothering at this stage.
• Selecting Lothering on the World map will trigger a cutscene of the Landsmeet in Denerim, where Loghain is addressing the assembled nobles. Bann Teagan Guerrin challenges him on his withdrawal from Ostagar, prompting Queen Anora to defend her father. (This scene unlocks Codex entry: Bann Teagan Guerrin and Codex entry: Anora.)
• (Only if the Warden saved The Mabari Hound and is not a human noble:) On the way to Lothering is an encounter with Dog and some darkspawn, after which Dog will join the party, unlocking Codex entry: Dog. If Dog dies during this fight, he is dead permanently (patch 1.03 fixes this).
• Just before entering Lothering, the party will be approached by bandits (see Bandits on the Road). Conversation with their leader can reveal that Loghain is blaming the Grey Wardens for King Cailan's death and the defeat at Ostagar. (This may be repeated (with varying degrees of credulity) by several Lothering NPCs.)
• Once this encounter is complete, walk down the ramp towards the village proper. Alistair will initiate a conversation about what to do next, and can give directions to the various factions to enlist against the Blight. (The relevant map locations will be added after this quest is completed, even if you don't ask Alistair for any directions.)
• Lothering contains a number of side quests you may wish to engage in and Companions you may wish to pick up (now or during a future visit). If you make no stops and head directly for the 'Wide Open World' marker at the other end of the highway (and keep to the west side of the northern field and hills to avoid bandits), the only occurrences as you cross the map will be:

- An in-party dialogue or two;

- A Templar in the road advising the party to "move on";

- An altercation between an outraged Farmer and an insulted Chasind, which is cut off by a Templar in the interests of keeping the peace (merely passing near them unlocks Codex entry: The Chasind); and

- Overhearing a (recruitable) Qunari reciting something in his native tongue as he stands locked in a huge cage.

- You may also loot most of the containers in your path (barrel, chest, crate, sack, plant and pile of rubble or filth alike) without any interference (excepting bandit territory, the occasional lock, interruption by a nearby Doomsayer, or a confrontation with a merchant).

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.

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Keep in mind that immediately upon completion of one of the Blight quest lines (Broken Circle, Arl of Redcliffe, A Paragon of Her Kind, Nature of the Beast, or The Urn of Sacred Ashes), Lothering will be overrun by darkspawn and destroyed (and cease to exist as an accessible map location). Whatever the Warden wishes to accomplish here must be done prior to this eventuality, though not necessarily during the party's first visit.

• In the northwest corner of the map, climb the ramp back onto the Imperial Highway. Here are two dwarves under attack by darkspawn; once the darkspawn are dispatched, Bodahn Feddic will introduce himself and his son Sandal. If you ask for a reward, Bodahn will pay you 1 (2 if Persuaded). He is easily discouraged against traveling with Grey Wardens... but you'll see him and Sandal again soon enough.
• Head north along the highway; just before you reach the exit, Lothering and the Imperial Highway will be moved to the Completed section.

Result

• On leaving Lothering, a cutscene finds The Warden having unpleasant dreams at Camp. Alistair will volunteer further details on the consequences of the Joining.
• As it turns out, Bodahn Feddic and Sandal find themselves headed in your direction (and hoping for safety in numbers).
• If the Warden's Keep DLC is installed, a merchant named Levi Dryden has finally caught up with The Warden, whom he hopes will fulfill a promise made by Duncan.
• It is also possible to start any one of the next four main story quests:

The Arl of Redcliffe

Broken Circle

Nature of the Beast

A Paragon of Her Kind

• ... and any Premium Content (DLC):

Sulcher's Pass (quest)

Soldier's Peak

A King's Confidant

Lothering