Tamlen is a member of the Sabrae clan. He is a childhood friend to the Dalish Elf and a fellow Dalish hunter. He is a temporary companion during the Dalish Elf Origin.
Involvement
Dragon Age: Origins
While hunting in the woods of the Brecilian Forest, Tamlen and the Dalish Elf meet three humans who claim to have discovered ancient ruins in a nearby cave. Once the fate of the humans has been decided, Tamlen and the Dalish Elf investigate the cave. In the centre of the ruins Tamlen finds a strange mirror in which he sees fascinating images of an underground city. When he touches it, there is a flash of light and he vanishes. The Dalish Elf passes out and is rescued by Duncan, only to awaken two days later to find that no-one in the clan knows of Tamlen's fate. While searching for Tamlen in the ruins, the Dalish Elf finds Duncan, who warns that there is no hope for Tamlen.
Tamlen as a ghoul
Much later in the campaign, the dalish elf Warden's party is attacked at the camp by a group of shrieks. After this attack, Tamlen reappears. He is suffering from the effects of darkspawn corruption and he pleads for the Warden not to look at him and runs away. The Warden can follow him to the edge of camp to question him further. He retains some of his memory and describes to the Warden how he hears the darkspawn song. He begs the Warden to end his pain. Any attempts to help Tamlen do not work. He attacks the Warden which causes the party members to attack Tamlen. Alistair questions the Warden about the incident. Tamlen does not carry any special rewards and his body disappears after the Warden's discussion with Alistair.
A spirit or demon assumes the form of Tamlen and will appear to the Dalish Warden in The Gauntlet during the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest.
If the Warden is female, there may be some indications that she and Tamlen are not merely friends. During the Origin story, if she encourages him to talk inside the ruins and says that she came along to be with him, he will say that he's glad. If this conversation takes place, a later conversation with Ashalle may hint that she hoped that the Warden and Tamlen would be together. When Tamlen reappears in ghoul form, before attacking he will inform a female Warden that he has always loved her. If, however, the Warden did not choose that option, or didn't initiate the conversation in the first place, he will treat her as simply a friend, as he does a male Warden – no romance is mentioned.
Dragon Age II
Initial statistics
Skills
Talents
| Warrior |  Precise Striking
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| Dual Weapon |  Dual-Weapon Training  Dual Striking
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| Archery |  Aim Pinning Shot may refer to:
 Rapid Shot
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Equipment
All tier 1.
| Weapons |  Longbow  Longsword
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| Armor |  Dalish Leather armor set  Small Shield
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Trivia
- If the Dalish Elf 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 Dalish Elf 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 Sabrae clan.
- 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.
- A possible dialogue option for the Dalish elf Warden in Witch Hunt DLC reveals that, after Tamlen's death, the clan named a new infant after him.
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