Changes: Tamlen

Revision as of 09:11, 28 July 2013

Tamlen is a member of the Sabrae clan. He is a childhood friend to the Dalish Warden and a fellow Dalish hunter. He is a temporary companion to the Warden during the Dalish Elf Origin.

Involvement

Dragon Age: Origins

Template:DAOSpoiler

Dragon Age II

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.

Tamlen appears briefly in Act 3 of Dragon Age II during the fight with the Pride Demon in Merrill's companion quest "A New Path". He fights against Hawke's party as a ghost along with the other Dalish elves who were lost because of the Eluvian, and warns that Merrill's curiosity will be the end of her.

Initial Statistics

Class: Warrior

Specialization: NA

Starting Skills: Improved Combat Training

Warrior: Precise Striking

Dual Weapon: Dual-Weapon Training, Dual Striking

Archery: Aim, Pinning Shot, Rapid Shot

Equipment: (Tier 1) - Dalish Leather Armor Set, Longbow, Longsword, Small Shield

Trivia

If the Warden speaks to Tamlen after entering the caves and suggests that he talk if that will calm him down, Tamlen will say that he thought The Warden was meant to be helping Master Varathorn. This could well be a slip, as Varathorn is in the clan met later in the campaign and Master Ilen appears to be his counterpart in The Warden's clan. Otherwise it may hint at some connection between the clans or simply that Varathorn is a common name amongst the Dalish.
Any items equipped by Tamlen during the Origin story will disappear along with him, so it may be wise to take all his equipment before examining the mirror.
When the Shrieks attack the party camp, Tamlen is named "Tormented Shriek", despite being technically a ghoul. After speaking to him, he runs and will attack you if you try to speak to him again, claiming that "the Song told him to". Alistair talks to the Warden and comments that Tamlen's death was a mercy killing, considering how far along the taint was.
Tamlen is an anagram of "lament" as well as "mental," though there is no real indication that this is intentional.
Another possibility is that his name comes from the story of "Tam Lin", a hero of Scottish folklore. Many characters have names derived from folklore.
A possible dialogue option for the Dalish Warden in Witch Hunt reveals that, after Tamlen's death, the clan named a new infant after him.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 |affiliation   = [[Dalish]]
 |voice       = [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0249283/ Chris Edgerly]
+|quests      = [[Dalish Elf Origin]]
 |appearances = [[Dragon Age: Origins]] <br> [[Dragon Age II]]
 }}</onlyinclude>