Dragon Age Origins: Alistair Theirin

Origin of the Alistair Theirin

Alistair’s mother was a handmaid in the castle of Redcliffe who died when the boy was very young, leaving him only a small amulet as a memory. A few months after her death, Earl Eamon Guerrin, who, according to rumors, was the father of Alistair, took the little boy to his castle.

Earl married Lady Isolde a few years later, who was not pleased with the rumors about her husband. There was no basis for suspicion: Alistair was in fact the son of a very famous and influential person, but it was King Maric Teirin himself, not Eamon. Nevertheless, Earl Redcliffe sheltered the boy to protect the honor of Queen Rowan, Maric’s wife.

Alistair was sent as a ten-year-old to the nearest monastery by Isolde, where he was raised by the Church as a faithful servant. Alistair trained there for almost ten years, preparing to be a full member of the Order of the Templar.

An old friend and part-time commander of Ferelden’s Guardians, Duncan, noticed Alistair during a knightly tournament held in honor of the Gray Wardens. As Alistair stood out from the other templars, Duncan was deeply impressed by his character, tenacity, and kind and loyal nature. He was recruited into the Gray Warden’s order by using the right of summoning.

Story of Alistair in Dragon Age: Origins

Recently recruited into the Ferelden Gray Wardens, Alistair is the first to join the player’s team in preparation for the Initiation ritual in Ostagar. And when Loghain betrays King Kaylan and condemns both him and Duncan and the rest of the Guardians to death, Alistair without hesitation hands the leadership flag into the hands of the newly made Guardian player and intends to accompany him on all his travels. Taking seriously his duty to end the Fifth Blight, Alistair will not leave, even if the decisions made by the hero go against his personal beliefs.

Nevertheless, even realizing the whole difficulty of the path of a fighter against blight, the Grey Warden Alistair grieves the death of his mentor Duncan and the other members of the order who died at Ostagar. But although the Gray Wardens were a real family for him, and Alistair is very proud of his belonging to the order, he honestly talks about the sacrifices that the Guardians have to make in order to walk along the chosen path, and about the unenviable fate that awaits all those who have passed through the Initiation.

Deprived of parental warmth, Alistair is surprisingly sensitive to family values. Despite the fact that Lady Isolde made every effort to stop Earl Eamon’s castle from being his home, Alistair sincerely wishes to save both Earl’s wife and her son Connor. And if you take him with you to the chaotic Tower of the Circle, then the trap of the demon of idleness for Alistair will be the world of dreams, in which he happily lives with the family of his half-sister Goldanna, plays with her children and dines with his relatives.

The meeting with Goldanna can happen in reality, but it will turn out to be far from the expectations of Alistair, who dreamed of finding his sister: she considers her brother to be guilty of the death of his mother, blames him for her own poverty and does not particularly long for “family reunion”. Upon completion of a personal quest, during which a meeting with his sister takes place, you can toughen Alistair’s character. To do this, you need to leave Goldanna’s house and tell him: “Everyone thinks only of themselves. It’s time to know". Then in the camp, Alistair will return to this conversation, and if the player confirms his words, he will become much more confident in himself and stop putting the needs of others above his own.

One of the key events in Aleistair’s life will be The Landsmeet. As the only known surviving child of King Maric, he has the right to take the throne and rule Ferelden and may remain a simple Gray Guardian. But, despite his willingness to come to terms with other controversial decisions of the protagonist, Alistair will forever leave the player’s squad if he decides to save Loghain’s life and accept him as the Gray Guard. Having hardened his character earlier, the player can make a King Alistair, otherwise the failed heir to the throne will flee to the Free Mark and get drunk. 

In addition, it is worth noting that if Alistair kills Loghain with his own hands, without previously accepting the offer to marry Anor, the Teirn’s daughter will urge the aristocrats to execute Alistair in order to take the throne herself. In this case, the player can intervene and save Alistair or let him die.

Alistair Approval Tips

If you play as a kind character, then it will not be difficult to improve relations with Alistair. He supports any good choice or help to others.

Here are some basic tips on how to communicate with Alistair to get approval:

• Alistair does not mind talking about himself, although he often answers jokingly or lies. Most often, Alistair talks about Duncan and the Gray Wardens. If you speak well of Duncan and share the loss of Aleister, you can earn his favor.
• In conversations about the consequences of initiation, Alistair approves of an opinion similar to his.
• When you talk to Alistair Theirin about personal things (such as sex), the Templar admires answers that imply both strength and experience.
• You should not scoff at him for being gentle and inexperienced in a relationship – he perceives all this negatively, and his approval is reduced.

Additional Dialogue Locations

There are several locations where you can trigger special dialogues with Alistair to get extra points for the relationship:

1. Return to Ostagar (if Wynn is in the group)
2. Soldier’s Peak (if Morrigan is in the group)
3. Radcliffe (Alistair spent his childhood here)

Alistair Gifts

There are several certain gifts that Alistair prefers. Below you will find the list of the best gifts for Alistair.

All of the special gifts for Alistair will give you 10 approval points. As for other gifts he likes, you will gain 5 approval points.

Moreover, some of the special gifts may trigger exclusive dialogues, where you also can get approval.

After reaching the maximum rating of +100 with Alistair, approval for gifts is no longer awarded.

Romance with Alistair

You can have a romance with Alistair only while playing a female character. With a sufficiently high level of relationship, Alistair will give you a rose as a sign of his sympathy (and a signal to you that the romance is developing in the right direction).

Alistair can be invited to the tent of the main character, and depending on his location, he may refuse or not, but it is best to wait until he does it himself.

The relationship with Alistair has several endings:

1. If you are of noble birth and Alistair became king of Ferelden, you can marry him and become a queen (to do this, you need to have a leveled Persuasion).
2. If you are of any origin other than noble, and you have not toughened Alistair during his personal quest, he will break off relations with the Heroine of Ferelden, since state interests oblige him to marry a woman capable of procreation.
3. If you toughened Alistair during his personal quest, then with a sufficiently high Conviction, he will agree to the option where he marries for government reasons, but you remain his lover.
4. If Alistair did not become a king but remained a Gray Wardener, then he always stays with you.

If you do not want to be a queen and agree to remain just a sweetheart, then it does not matter whether Alistair marries Anora or not.

Personal Quest: Alistair's Family

After you visit Radcliffe Village for the first time, the Grey Warden Alistair will tell you about his family. If his approval towards you is high enough, then during the next conversation he will mention his sister and ask to visit her with him in Denerim.

The sister’s house will not be marked on the map. This house is the building next to Wade’s shop. All you have to do is get close to the house with Alistair in the group, and he initiates a dialog in which he points to the house as his sister’s residence.

Listen to the conversation with Goldanna and answer as you please. When you find yourself on the street, you will have a chance to “harden” Alistair’s character. This will not affect his behavior, except for some moments at the end of the game. The female protagonist, who is having an affair with Alistair Theirin and who wants to get a happy ending with him, is highly recommended to tighten it up.

To toughen Alistair after talking with Goldanna, choose in the conversation the option “Every man for himself … it’s time for you to understand this”.

How to Make Alistair a King?

After you have collected all the allies, Earl Eamon will say that it is time to convene The Landsmeet. Alistair will be a mandatory party member.

Before you go to The Landsmeet, you should complete several quests in order to choose the outcome that you need in the future.

• Save the Queen
• In captivity!
• Nobleman under torture
• The Lost Templar
• Elfinage riots
• Trial of the Ravens

Passing The Landsmeet

At The Landsmeet, you can convince the nobles to vote for you, or you will have to fight not only with Loghain but also with his guards. To win the vote, you need:

• Don’t be reminded of Kaylan and Alistair
• With a developed conviction, say that the main problem is Pestilence
• Report that Loghain has made a deal with the slavers
• Report torture if you rescued Oswin at Howe Manor
• Report Earl Eamon Poisoning
• If you saved Vaughan, he will cast his vote for you too

After that, you need to speak to Anore. If you spoke to Anora after your release and promised to support her power, she would not betray you. If you talked to Anora and agreed to marry Alistair Theirin, she would not betray you.

Anora will betray you if you:

• didn’t talk to her at all
• did not agree to support her
• told her that you only support Alistair
• if you said that Loghain must pay for his crimes

Possible Outcomes of the Landsmeet

Depending on the choice of replicas, the outcome can be completely different.

1. If you have spared Loghain, and Alistair is not tougher, he will deliver an ultimatum:

• either Loghain will be executed
• or Alistair leaves (you won’t see him again)

2. If you have spared Loghain, and Alistair is tougher, depending on the choice of replicas:

• Loghain may become your companion until the end of the game – in this case, Alistair will become king, announce that he is leaving the Gray Wardens, say that you have betrayed him (will leave the squad), and marry Anora.
• Alistair will execute Loghain himself if you can’t convince him to make Loghain the Gray Warden. Then he will postpone the coronation until the victory over Blight and remain in the detachment, leaving Earl Eamon as regent in Denerim. Anora will refuse to recognize him as king, and she will be imprisoned in a tower.

3. If Loghain is killed by Alistair in a duel and he is tougher, Anora will refuse to marry him. Thus, you can choose who will remain on the throne – Alistair or Anora.

• If you choose Alistair, this will lead to the previous option and Anora’s imprisonment in the tower.
• If you choose Anora, she will require that Alistair be executed or that he abdicate the throne for himself and his descendants.

4. If Loghain is killed by Alistair in a duel and he is not toughened, then Alistair will stay with the Gray Wardens because Anora will demand that he renounce all rights to the throne. In a conversation after the Meeting, he will thank you for not forcing him to become king against his will. Anora will rule alone.

5. A Cousland woman can become a queen, even if she did not have an affair with Alistair, but her conviction and his friendly attitude towards her are high enough. If you want this, then do not send Alistair to a duel – the dialogue will not appear.

6. If Alistair marries Anora and Loghain is killed by you, he will go with you to battle the Archdemon, and Anora will remain in charge of affairs.

Ending Options for Alistair in Dragon Age Origins

So, there are several endings for Alistair, depending on your choices during the game:

• Alistair became a king: With the help of Hero of Ferelden and his supporters, Alistair was recognized as the son of Maricand and declared king at The Landsmeet.
• Loghain was spared, and Alistair didn’t become a king: Alistair could not come to terms with the decision to spare Loghain, left, and no one else saw him.
• Alistair was executed: To avoid a civil war, by order of Queen Anora, Alistair was executed at The Landsmeet, thereby interrupting the Teirin family.
• Alistair killed the Archdemon: In the battle against the Archdemon in Denerim, Alistair sacrificed his life to save his friends.