Perpetually Bored

I made a new character in Dragon Age Origins today, starting on my second run through the game. Dragon Age has lost none of it’s charms, and the I was amazed and taken in as much as if it were my first. The experience of starting out as a mage apprentice under the rule of the Circle of Magi was nothing liked that of my previous character, a human warrior and noble of House Cousland.

Previously, when Calreth the human warrior visited the tower where the Circle was housed, it was already in ruins. Valreth the mage on the other hand, had the opportunity of experiencing the tower in its full glory. Its corridors were bathed in the warm glow of torches and its halls were filled throngs of students. Valreth even managed to blush when he overheard two girls whispering in admiration about how he was the quickest mage to complete the trial of Harrowing. First Enchanter Irving was especially proud. Valreth seemed well-poised for a quick ascend up the hierarchy  of the Circle.

It was not obvious to anyone, but deep within, Valreth harbored a secret discontent for the life in the Circle. He despised how the leadership bowed down to whims of Templars. Although Valreth was firm believer in Andraste’s words that, "Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him”, he felt that the Templars’ fear and mistrust led to him, and his fellow mages, being shackled by the fact that they had magic in them, living under the threat of annulment each day, rather than being able to utilize that magic to serve man.

When friend and fellow student, Jowan, approached Valreth for help to escape The Circle and live a life of freedom with his forbidden lover, Lily, who was an initiate of the Chantry, Valreth felt that it was a noble cause. As with any plan remotely resembling one of a military operation, it went horribly wrong. They were all arrested, and Jowan was forced to use blood magic, a highly forbidden art, in order to escape. Lily was disgusted, and chose the Aeonar, a former proving ground of the Tevinter Imperium turned prison, over her love for Jowan.

As for Valreth, branded a criminal and with no alternative in sight, he turn the French Foreign Legion of Ferelden, the Grey Wardens. He would live out the reminder of his life fighting for the Grey Wardens from today on.

I finally completed Dragon Age Origins today. Being only able to play on weekends, my first run through of the game took over a month.

I romanced with Morrigan, chose Anora to be queen, and had Alistair executed. I smiled when Anora announced Alistair’s execution. In my opinion, both Alistair and Leliana were whiney sods that annoyed me to no end. Pity I did not get to wed Anora though.

I stayed away from game guides, following  the story along and making my decisions without knowing their consequence.  The result was me killing Wynne and gimping my group by not having a pure healer. It bothered me initially since it was quite an issue early game, but once I had Morrigan pick up the Spirit Healer specialization, it became a non-issue. It even worked out better, because I didn’t have a waste a precious party slot on a pure healer. Instead, I have a hybrid that can deal massive area-effect dps, yet still fall back on healing when needed.

My party set up would freak out min-maxers, but it turned out to perform very well in the long run. With Morrigan as healer/dps, Shale as a meatshield, Leliana as an archer and myself as dual-wielding fighter, my little party when around and making darkspawn whimper.

The Archdemon was a long fight, but in terms of difficulty, Flemeth was probably the hardest fight in game.

It would probably be sometime before I attempt a second run and, letting my obsessive-compulsive personality run free, explore every single dialog option and it’s consequence.