Dragon Age 2

Dragon Age II is a role-playing video game developed by Bioware's Edmonton studios, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the second major game in BioWare's Dragon Age franchise. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Mac OS X on March 8, 2011 in North America, and March 11, 2011 in Europe.

Set in the same mythical world introduced in Dragon Age: Origins, the player assumes the role of Hawke, a human mage, warrior, or rogue who arrives in the city of Kirkwall as a lowly refugee but becomes its legendary champion over a turbulent decade of political and social conflict.

Characters in Dragon Age II

Protagonists

Hawke

Voiced by: Nicholas Boulton (Male)

Voiced by: Jo Wyatt (Female)

The main protagonist of Dragon Age II, a human who lived in Lothering during the Blight in Ferelden. Hawke escaped the darkspawn invasion by fleeing north to the Free Marches, eventually rising from impoverished refugee to become the Champion of Kirkwall, and "the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age".

Varric Tethras

Voiced by: Brian Bloom

A surface dwarf rogue and known associate of the Champion of Kirkwall, who acts as the narrator for Dragon Age II. He was captured and interrogated by a Chantry Seeker named Cassandra, who is interested in information about Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall.

Bethany Hawke

Voiced by: Rebekah Staton

Hawke's sister and an apostate mage. She fled Lothering to escape the Blight with her family. If player chooses to be a mage, Bethany will die instead of Carver. If taken to the deep roads, she will be infected by the taint and will die unless Anders is in your party. If You do have Anders with you, he'll save her life by making her a Grey Warden. If left behind Bethany is found out by the Templars shortly before you return, and is forced into the Kirkwall Circle of Magi.

Carver Hawke

Voiced by: Nico Lennon

Hawke's brother and a warrior. He fled Lothering to escape the Blight with his family. If the player chooses to be a warrior or rogue, then Carver will be killed. If taken to the deep roads, he will get the taint and die unless Anders is in your party. If You do have Anders with you, he'll save his life by making him a Grey Warden. If you do not take him into the deep roads, he will join the templars.

Aveline Vallen

Voiced by: Joanna Roth

A warrior and daughter of an exiled chevalier from Orlais, and wife of a Templar named Ser Wesley. The Hawke family would encounter Aveline and Wesley, who had been wounded by the darkspawn, as they were also fleeing Lothering from the onslaught of the Blight.

She later becomes a city guardsmen of Kirkwall, and is promoted to Captain of the Guard after exposing the former one of corruption. She later falls for a guardsman under her command, Donnic, and can end up marrying him. In the last act, the former captain plots revenge by denouncing Aveline and stirring up unrest for her position, in which he is later killed by Aveline and Hawke after they confront him.

Isabela

Voiced by: Mika Simmons (Dragon Age: Origins)

Voiced by: Victoria Kruger (Dragon Age II)

The captain of the pirate ship The Siren's Call, and a minor character in Dragon Age: Origins. She returns in Dragon Age II, now residing in Kirkwall after being shipwrecked. She is a potential companion and love interest for both a male or female Hawke.

Isabela plays a major role in Act II, when it is revealed she stole the artifact from the Qunari, stranding them in Kirkwall until the artifact is retrieved. Depending on the players relationship with Isabela, she may return the artifact to the Arishok, but after the Arishok demands that she be taken prisoner as well, the player can hand her over, duel the Arishok, or attack the entire Qunari group as a party.

Merrill

Voiced by: Erin Matthews (Dragon Age: Origins)

Voiced by: Eve Myles (Dragon Age II)

An apprentice to the Keeper of her Dalish clan, who first appeared in the Dalish Elf origin story in Dragon Age: Origins. The Dalish Clan travelled north to escape the Blight shortly after, and they have since settled down at Sundermount, a mountain to the north of Kirkwall. She is a potential companion and love interest for male and female Hawke.

She is first recruited by Hawke by the Dalish Keeper's request, as Merrill's use of Blood Magic and her plans to restore the ancient mirror seen in Origins have caused a rift between her and her clan. She later requests that Hawke help her finish the project, and needs help getting a tool from the Keeper. The Keeper, through tradition, grants Merrill's request as long as she does a task for the clan, kill the Varritel that has killed the clans hunters. Once done, after witnessing the death of her friend that was killed by the creature after he ran from her fearing her blood magic, Hawke can decide whether or not to give her the tool. In Act III, she requests that Hawke help her contact the demon that gave Merrill her powers in order to finish the mirror, however, the Keeper intervened. Unable to contain the demon, who plotted to use Merills mirror to escape his prison, she is possessed by it and is killed by Hawke and Merrill. This leads to a confrontation with the clan outside, looking for the keeper, and through Hawke's dialogue, can end up either Merill becoming an outcast for good or the slaughter of the clan by Hawke.

Anders

Voiced by: Greg Ellis (Dragon Age: Origins-Awakening)

Voiced by: Adam Howden (Dragon Age II)

An apostate mage and Grey Warden who returns from Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening. He is first seen in Kirkwall giving aid to refugees. He is also the host for the spirit Justice, also fromAwakening. He convinces Hawke to help rescue a friend from the Templars, but finds him turned Tranquil. In his anger, Anders turns Justice into a spirit of Vengeance. As such, Anders now struggles to maintain control of his own body and mind. He is a potential companion and love interest for both a male or female Hawke.

However, during the climax, with or without Hawke's assistance, he destroys the Chantry, killing the Grand Cleric. This in turn leads Meredith to invoke the Rite of Annulment, sparking a war between the Templars and the Mages. Hawke has an option of executing him for his actions. However, choosing to spare him will enrage Sebastian who demands justice for the slain Grand Cleric. He will leave the party to return to his home city of Starkhaven, vowing to return with an army to exact revenge on all of Kirkwall.

Fenris

Voiced by: Gideon Emery

A Tevinter elf and former slave who lost his memory due to lyrium being infused into his flesh, rendering him averse to physical contact but also giving him strange powers. He escaped from his master, a Tevinter magister, and has been hunted ever since as his former master refuse to leave him alone. He is a potential companion and love interest for both a male or female Hawke.

In act III, Fenris finally finds his sister (who was told of her existence by one of his master's pupils in Act II), but was a trap set up by his former master. After killing him, he can either spare or kill his sister. It is later revealed that he asked for the lyrium markings to save his mother and his sister from slavery.

Sebastian Vael

Voiced by: Alec Newman

A character only available through "The Exiled Prince" downloadable content, who is an archer of noble birth. Sworn to the priesthood as a child, Sebastian is forced to re-enter the viper's nest of princely politics when his family is brutally murdered, leaving him as the sole surviving heir determined to exact revenge. Sebastian is only available as a companion with 'The Exiled Prince' DLC. Sebastian is a romantic interest for a female Hawke only.

Antagonists

Knight-Commander Meredith

Voiced by: Jean Gilpin

Meredith is the Knight-Commander of the Templar Garrison in Kirkwall and the main antagonist of Dragon Age II. She is the ruler of Kirkwall in all but name as the Viscount of Kirkwall, Marlowe Dumar fears her police-state clutch on the politics of Kirkwall. Following the Viscount's death at the hands of the Arishok, she will assume control over the city. As the game progresses, her prejudices and brutality towards mages becomes more pronounced: she is shown to evolve from having extreme views on controlling mages, to paranoid delusions that all mages are blood mages, and any who defy her are under their influence. Near the end of the game it is revealed that Meredith is the woman Varric's brother Bartrand sold the lyrium idol found in the Deep Roads to and has fashioned it into a sword that grants her super-human abilities. Like Bartrand, the pure lyrium has distorted her sanity and shown to be the cause of her insanity. During the climax of the game, the rogue mage Anders blows up the chantry in a statement that mages will never truly be free under Chantry rule. This causes Meredith to invoke the Right of Annulment, which will give her the authority to kill every mage in Kirkwall, though they had no involvement in the destruction. At this point, Hawke must choose whether or not to side with her or the mages, sparking a war between the two factions that during the epilogue is revealed to be on the verge of full scale world war. Meredith ultimately becomes hostile regardless of the player's decision, serving as the final boss.

First Enchanter Orsino

Voiced by: Jim Ward

Head of the Circle in Kirkwall, who clashes consistantly with Meredith's treatment of mages and her growing power in the city. During the final battle, Orsino reveals that he had links to the deranged blood mage Quentin, who murdered Hawke's mother, and in desperation from the advancing Templars, uses blood magic to transform into a mindless Harvester. He is finally killed by Hawke, regardless of the side he or she chooses to fight for.

The Arishok

Voiced by: Rick D. Wasserman

Leader of the Qunari stranded in Kirkwall after their ship was wrecked in a storm chasing after Isabela, who stole their relic. Despite the Qunari's history as foreign occupiers, he states he has no intention of conquering Kirkwall, as he has a demand to satisfy of their religion, the Qun. He is sickened by the people who inhabit Kirkwall and after tensions between his people and the residents boil, he attempts to take Kirkwall by force, killing the Vicount. During the climax of the invasion in the Viscount's Keep, If Isabela returns after leaving the party earlier with the relic, she will hand it over to the Arishok and thus resolve his reasons for staying in Kirkwall. He will demand that Isabela be taken with to be punished. If Hawke refuses to let him take her, the Arishok will challenge Hawke to duel in single combat to the death. Refusing the duel will result in Hawke, Isabela and the rest of the party battling the Arishok as well as the Qunari soldiers in the throne room. Either way, he is killed by Hawke or peacefully leaves in return for the relic and Isabela herself. Varric will comment later that Isabela escaped with the relic shortly after their departure, and is continuing to adventure in another nation.