Nathaniel Howe

“My father often forgot that 'nobility' has another meaning.”

Nathaniel Howe
Title	Grey Warden (possibly)
Race	Human
Gender	Male
Class	Rogue
Specialization	Assassin
Family	Rendon (father) Delilah (sister) Thomas (brother) Unnamed nephew (by Delilah)
Voice	Simon Chadwick
Appearances	Dragon Age (Penny Arcade comics) Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening Dragon Age II Heroes of Dragon Age

Nathaniel Howe is the eldest son of Arl Rendon Howe of Amaranthine and one of the available companions in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.

Background

The Howe name was once great, known across Ferelden as honorable stewards of their lands and protectors of their people's freedom. But then Arl Rendon Howe betrayed his friend Bryce Cousland, the Teyrn of Highever, assumed a title that did not belong to him, threw his lot in with a regicide, and was slain for his deeds. And yet he was the lucky one. He did not live to see his surname dragged through the mud, his family stripped of titles and lands. It is Rendon's son Nathaniel who has suffered for the sins of his father. He has been left with nothing, a pariah forced to live by wits alone. All he knows is that the father he loved is dead by a Grey Warden's hand and that those murderers have now installed themselves in his childhood home.

Nathaniel has only recently returned to Ferelden after spending almost eight years as a squire in the Free Marches, one of which he spent in Kirkwall.

Nathaniel’s relationship with his mother isn’t explicitly stated; however there is a portrait of his mother in the Throne Room that acts as a dialogue point in which Nathaniel states that “she wasn’t that pretty in real life,” and requests that it be taken down, indicating that his relationship with her was most likely strained. He also states in this conversation that his father hated his mother.

Involvement

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

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

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Nathaniel as prisoner in Vigil's Keep

Upon returning to Ferelden, Nathaniel broke into his family's former seat of power, the fortress of Vigil's Keep which is now the Grey Wardens main base in Ferelden. Nathaniel had intended only to steal back a few family heirlooms but he was discovered by the Orlesian wardens who had come to rebuild the order's presence in Ferelden. Nathaniel was eventually captured, although it took four Wardens to subdue him and imprisoned in the keep's dungeon.

Nathaniel is first encountered by The Warden-Commander still locked in his cell after the Wardens regain control of the keep. The Warden-Commander then choose Nathaniel's fate; Nathaniel may be executed, released, or conscripted into the Grey Wardens. If he is released Nathaniel will leave but later decides that if the Wardens' spared him then perhaps the order is not what he thought. He subsequently tracks down the Warden-Commander as they return from their first mission away from Vigil's Keep and asks to be recruited.

Regardless of how he joined the Wardens, Nathaniel's Joining is successful and he becomes a fully fledged Grey Warden. If his approval is raised high enough, Nathaniel will eventually reveal his family already has some history with the Wardens as one of his ancestors, Padric Howe joined the Grey Wardens in the past.

Nathaniel will later encounter his family's former Groundskeeper still working at Vigil's Keep, who will inform him that his sister, Delilah, survived the Fifth Blight and is living in the nearby City of Amaranthine. If the Warden-Commander reunites Nathaniel with his sibling, Delilah will affirm that the crimes their father were party to during the blight were his own doing and that he was the architect of their family's fall. With Delilah's testimony Nathaniel finally comes to accept his father's complicity.

If he is brought along to the Blackmarsh, he will reminisce about how as a child he once dreamed of coming to the Blackmarsh and setting things to right. The Warden-Commander may point out that this is in fact exactly what he is now doing.

Epilogue

Nathaniel's ending depends on various actions you take during the game.

Note: In Awakening, Epilogue slides are also affected by whether or not the relevant companion quests were completed and how high companions approval has been raised.

• He may retire as a Grey Warden (for thinking it doesn't suit him), but his nephew will eventually become Commander of the Grey, by which the Howe name would once again be known.
• He may save Fergus Cousland from great danger and bring fame to the name of Howe once again. In gratitude, Teyrn Cousland grants some lands back to the Howes, and a statue of Nathaniel is built in front of the castle.
• If Nathaniel is selected to defend Vigil's Keep, he will die unless the Keep has been fully upgraded.

Dragon Age II

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This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

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Reunion of Anders and Nathaniel

If imported from an Awakening save where he survived the events, or if you chose either the "Martyr" or "Ruthless" saved profiles, Nathaniel is encountered in Dragon Age II.

Hawke encounters Nathaniel during the quest Finding Nathaniel, part of an expedition into the Deep Roads. He explains to Hawke, who was dispatched by Delilah to find him, that the Primeval Thaig is of great interest to the Wardens, being farther in the Deep Roads than anyone has ever been. However, the Wardens felt it too risky to contact either Hawke or Varric, so the Wardens contacted the latter's brother, Bartrand. If Anders is in the party, they will have additional dialogue with each other and even more if the imported playthrough contained an Awakening epilogue in which he was seemingly killed.

If Finding Nathaniel was completed, Nathaniel may later show up to assist Hawke in the final battle against Knight-Commander Meredith no matter what side was chosen by the Champion.

Approval

See the approval page for more information.

It is easy to raise Nathaniel's approval, especially if you are playing a Human Noble Warden. Consoling him, telling him that it was not his fault that the Howe name was dishonored, and basically any conversation choice that is open-minded will ensure that his approval increases dramatically.

Quests

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

The Prisoner

Nathaniel's Joining

The Howe Family

Dragon Age II

Finding Nathaniel

Gifts

Nathaniel has a preference for practical items and artifacts pertaining to his family.

Name	Notes	Description
Bronze Sextant	Located: Wending Wood - Corpse	An instrument used in navigation.
Delilah Howe's Letters	Located: Vigil's Keep - Basement	Correspondence between Delilah Howe and a friend in Denerim, providing great insight into Delilah's recent life.
Golden Vase	Located: Sold by Octham the Grocer in the City of Amaranthine	This vase, bearing the Howe family crest, was likely stolen from the keep at some point.
Howe Bow	Located: Vigil's Keep Becomes: Howe Bow Plot Item	An aged but immaculate bow, stamped with the Howe crest.
Locksmith's Tools	Located: Smuggler's Cove	Implements for defeating or repairing locks.
Whetstone	Located: Kal'Hirol	A whetstone to sharpen swords, knives, and daggers.

Initial statistics

Specialization

Assassin

Skills

Stealing   Poison-Making   Master Combat Training   Combat Tactics   Clarity

Talents

Assassin		Mark of Death
Rogue	Dirty Fighting	Dirty Fighting   Combat Movement
	Below the Belt	Below the Belt
	Deft Hands	Deft Hands   Improved Tools
Archery	Melee Archer	Melee Archer   Aim   Defensive Fire
	Pinning Shot	Pinning Shot   Crippling Shot   Critical Shot   Arrow of Slaying
	Rapid Shot	Rapid Shot   Shattering Shot

Equipment

Weapons	Antivan Longbow
Armor	Ornate Leather Gloves   The Bear's Embrace   Studded Leather Boots
Accessories	Buckle of the Winds   Shaper's Amulet   Worn Golden Ring   Dusk Ring

Restricted gear

Howe Bow
Worn Golden Ring

Plot skills

As you befriend Nathaniel and gain his approval, he will gain the following additional skills:

Name	Benefit	Requirement
Inspired: Minor Cunning	+1 cunning	25% approval
Inspired: Moderate Cunning	+2 cunning	50% approval
Inspired: Major Cunning	+4 cunning	75% approval
Inspired: Massive Cunning	+6 cunning	90% approval

Note: These bonuses are non-cumulative, i.e. the total bonus is +6, not +13.

Dialogue points

Below are the spots where you can initiate dialogue with Nathaniel. On the PC, it can be hard to find the correct spot to click; make sure to hit "tab" and rotate the camera if it's not letting you click on it.

• City of Amaranthine: statue in front of the Chantry, the spot is called "Statue".
• The Blackmarsh: Near the beginning of the area on the left, the spot is called "The Blackmarsh".
• Vigil's Keep - Throne Room near where Nathaniel usually stands, spot is called "Portrait of a Howe".
• City of Amaranthine near merchants: Delilah.

Quotes

Main article: Nathaniel Howe/Dialogue

Nathaniel in Dragon Age Keep

Penny Arcade comics

• "My grandfather was a Grey Warden. Would he even recognize what the order has become? Would he weep at its dereliction? Or would he draw his blade, point it towards his enemy's heart, and cry, 'Enough.'"

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

• (Upon first meeting him in the keep's dungeon) "If it isn't the great hero, my father's murderer."
• (To the Warden) "I came here to kill you. If you let me go, you might not catch me next time."
• "Curse my father and his idiot ambition. He lost everything for us, didn't he?"
• (To a Human Noble Warden) "Look, I don't know what happened to the Couslands. But from what I hear, it was horrible. The entire war was. But what my father did shouldn't harm my entire family."
• (If the Warden is from another origins) "Look, I know you're a hero. You fought a war and you won. But what my father did shouldn't harm my entire family."
• "The Howes are pariahs now. Those of us who are left."
• "When I was in Kirkwall, I thought I would return to Ferelden to take command of my father's garrison."

Dialogue

• Nathaniel: You like having Grey Wardens who want you dead?
• Warden: Some of my best friends have wanted me dead.

Dragon Age II

• (To Anders, during Finding Nathaniel) "There's no escaping you, it seems."
• (When asked about the Warden-Commander's "allies") "It's... complicated. Let's just say we live in strange times."

Trivia

• In Origins, Rendon never mentions Nathaniel, even though he mentions his other children, Delilah and Thomas.
• When you first encounter Nathaniel in the Keep's dungeon in Awakening, he is unimpressed by the Warden-Commander, and says "Aren't you supposed to be ten feet tall? With lightning bolts shooting out of your eyes?" This is a variation of a quote from the movie Braveheart in which the above is said when William Wallace rallies the nobles' armies. The difference being the lightning is said to have shot out of William Wallace's arse.
• When you find Nathaniel in the Deep Roads during Act 3 of Dragon Age II and if you spared the Architect in Awakening, you can ask questions that will make Nathaniel mention the Architect and that the Warden's "allies" said it would be safe. This implies that the Architect and his followers are helping the Grey Wardens, which is further solidified if you ask who the allies are which Nathaniel will answer, "No, not dwarves... it's complicated. Let's just say we live in strange times."
• Nathaniel's eyes are different colors between Dragon Age Awakening and Dragon Age II - gray in Dragon Age Awakening and light brown in Dragon Age II; this may be due to a mistake by the developers.
• In an interview, David Gaider confirmed the birth order for the Howe siblings: Nathaniel is the eldest, then Delilah, and Thomas is the youngest.
• Gaider said, in the same interview, that Nathaniel was his father's heir, and that he was sent to the Free Marches to be fostered with another noble family.
• It was confirmed by David Gaider that Nathaniel is 30 years old in Awakening.
• David Gaider said that if he could write another Dragon Age comic, it would be dedicated to Bethany Hawke starting with that scene in Lothering and ending as a fleeing Circle Mage. He mentioned that he wanted her to adventure with Sebastian Vael in Starkhaven, and maybe Nathaniel Howe.
• Based on a conversation that triggers in the Blackmarsh, Nathaniel was in Kirkwall when he heard of his father's death.

Gallery

Nathaniel in the Penny Arcade comic

Reunion with his sister Delilah during The Howe Family

Nathaniel in Dragon Age II

Tier progression of Nathaniel Howe in Heroes of Dragon Age

Promotional image of Nathaniel in Heroes of Dragon Age

See also

Codex entry: Nathaniel