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Questions: The Amell Warden and Jowan
I never liked Jowan in Dragon Age: Origins. From the very first run I looked on him with distrust. Everything he did proved me right. In part it was that greasy-looking hair; in part it was asking his supposed closest friend to help him do something dangerous and illegal then making her do all the work.
Factor into that his unwillingness to piss or get off the pot as far as the Harrowing was concerned, add that nasal, whining voice, and you get nails on a chalkboard. Jowan was precisely what the ritual of Tranquility was designed to control: a weak-willed mage who would turn to blood magic because he wasn’t talented enough to do anything useful. His only saving grace was that he turned out to know the ritual to get the Warden into the Fade to save little Connor from the demon that was raising the dead all around Redcliffe’s castle. I found him to be a weasel of the highest order.
Thus, I’ve written the sort of conversations my Amell Warden would have had with him, had she been able. This is, of course, tongue in cheek. First, a short conversation during the Templar confrontation at the beginning of the mage origin:
Amell: What the hell are you playing at?!
Jowan: Shhh! I’m busy. [slashes wrist]
Amell: You bastard! You’re a blood mage?
Jowan: Seriously, you’re my best friend and I love you and all but shut up and let me concentrate. I’m going to slaughter all of those Templars and then Lilly and I can escape.
Amell: The same Lilly who’s throwing up and crying over there in the corner?
Jowan: Yeah…what? Damnit! Stop distracting me. I’ll smooth it over when we’re gone. You, uh, might have to come with us.
Amell: I’m not going anywhere with you, you lying sack of...[shakes her head] Maybe you should quit before they kill you.
Jowan: I can do thi…ow! Smiting hurts. [falls over]
Amell: Idiot.
Later, in the dungeons of Redcliffe
Amell: You, again. I should have known.
Jowan: My best friend! Let me out of this hole.
Amell: You’re no friend of mine. What did you do this time, blood mage?
Jowan: Nothing! I might have sort of poisoned the Arl a little while I was doing some freelance work teaching an apostate child to control his power but I totally didn’t summon any demons or raise any corpses.
Amell: It looks like you failed pretty spectacularly at your teaching job, doesn’t it? And poisoning Eamon? What the hell is wrong with you?
Jowan: It’s not my fault! Loghain said he’d put me in a position of power and influence, free of the Circle, if I just did this one little thing for him.
Amell: [scoffs] And you believed him?
Jowan: Well, yeah. He’s the regent; he can do it. Besides, it was that or Aeonar. What would you have done?
Amell: I wouldn’t have tried to kill half a dozen Templars in the first place, blood mage. I wouldn’t have lied to my best friend and the woman I said I loved. I wouldn’t have…
Jowan: Okay, I screwed up. I’m really, really sorry. Now will you let me out?
Amell: What kind of blood mage can’t blow this door open? [waves her hand dismissively] Are you going to help me fix the problem you created?
Jowan: Hell, no! I’m out of here the second you open the door. If you had any brains you’d be right behind me.
Amell: Then you can rot. Some of us care about more than our own skins. [gains +700 Approval from Alistair as she walks away]
Jowan [calling after the Warden’s party]: I…I’ll be right here if you need me.
Amell [from the corner of her mouth to Alistair]: Yeah, hold your breath, buddy.
Alistair: [snickers]
Several hours later, upstairs
Teagan: If only there were some other way. I don’t really want my nephew to die.
Wynne: Well….
Amell: What? Is there something else we can do?
Wynne: [curses under her breath] Get Jowan up here.
Amell: [curses as well]
[Teagan sends the last few guards to get him]
Jowan [cringing and peering into the shadows]: Is it safe?
Amell: I should feed you to a zombie, idiot. Now tell me how we can get the demon out of the kid’s head.
Jowan: Uh, yeah, about that… [shifts uncomfortably]
Amell: [throws up hands] Will no one tell me what in the Maker’s name we need to do?
Jowan: You’ll need blood to do it. Rather a lot, actually.
Amell: Andraste’s knicker weasels! I should have known. I suppose the double-dead guards I just put down won’t do?
Jowan: No, it, uh, it has to be somewhat fresher.
Amell: Of course it does. Let me guess: the donor has to die?
Jowan: Well, yes, actually. We’d sort of need all of it.
Amell: Good, then you’re volunteered!
Wynne: I’m afraid that won’t work, Warden. He’s the only one who can do the ritual to send one of us into the Fade.
Amell: [curses more] And what do you suggest, some “disposable” servant?
Isolde: [with excessive drama and snuffling] Please, kill me. This is all my fault. I will give my life to save my son. [half-swoons until she realized no one is going to catch her]
Teagan: Gee, I don’t think Eamon would like that. If you insist, however…
Amell: [grins cheerily at Teagan who winks back] Suddenly my day is looking up! Wynne, how about a round of rock, parchment, murder knife for dibs on going to the Fade?
Wynne: You’re on!
Jowan: [perks up] Did someone say murder knife?
Alistair: Wait, what just happened?
Factor into that his unwillingness to piss or get off the pot as far as the Harrowing was concerned, add that nasal, whining voice, and you get nails on a chalkboard. Jowan was precisely what the ritual of Tranquility was designed to control: a weak-willed mage who would turn to blood magic because he wasn’t talented enough to do anything useful. His only saving grace was that he turned out to know the ritual to get the Warden into the Fade to save little Connor from the demon that was raising the dead all around Redcliffe’s castle. I found him to be a weasel of the highest order.
Thus, I’ve written the sort of conversations my Amell Warden would have had with him, had she been able. This is, of course, tongue in cheek. First, a short conversation during the Templar confrontation at the beginning of the mage origin:
Amell: What the hell are you playing at?!
Jowan: Shhh! I’m busy. [slashes wrist]
Amell: You bastard! You’re a blood mage?
Jowan: Seriously, you’re my best friend and I love you and all but shut up and let me concentrate. I’m going to slaughter all of those Templars and then Lilly and I can escape.
Amell: The same Lilly who’s throwing up and crying over there in the corner?
Jowan: Yeah…what? Damnit! Stop distracting me. I’ll smooth it over when we’re gone. You, uh, might have to come with us.
Amell: I’m not going anywhere with you, you lying sack of...[shakes her head] Maybe you should quit before they kill you.
Jowan: I can do thi…ow! Smiting hurts. [falls over]
Amell: Idiot.
Later, in the dungeons of Redcliffe
Amell: You, again. I should have known.
Jowan: My best friend! Let me out of this hole.
Amell: You’re no friend of mine. What did you do this time, blood mage?
Jowan: Nothing! I might have sort of poisoned the Arl a little while I was doing some freelance work teaching an apostate child to control his power but I totally didn’t summon any demons or raise any corpses.
Amell: It looks like you failed pretty spectacularly at your teaching job, doesn’t it? And poisoning Eamon? What the hell is wrong with you?
Jowan: It’s not my fault! Loghain said he’d put me in a position of power and influence, free of the Circle, if I just did this one little thing for him.
Amell: [scoffs] And you believed him?
Jowan: Well, yeah. He’s the regent; he can do it. Besides, it was that or Aeonar. What would you have done?
Amell: I wouldn’t have tried to kill half a dozen Templars in the first place, blood mage. I wouldn’t have lied to my best friend and the woman I said I loved. I wouldn’t have…
Jowan: Okay, I screwed up. I’m really, really sorry. Now will you let me out?
Amell: What kind of blood mage can’t blow this door open? [waves her hand dismissively] Are you going to help me fix the problem you created?
Jowan: Hell, no! I’m out of here the second you open the door. If you had any brains you’d be right behind me.
Amell: Then you can rot. Some of us care about more than our own skins. [gains +700 Approval from Alistair as she walks away]
Jowan [calling after the Warden’s party]: I…I’ll be right here if you need me.
Amell [from the corner of her mouth to Alistair]: Yeah, hold your breath, buddy.
Alistair: [snickers]
Several hours later, upstairs
Teagan: If only there were some other way. I don’t really want my nephew to die.
Wynne: Well….
Amell: What? Is there something else we can do?
Wynne: [curses under her breath] Get Jowan up here.
Amell: [curses as well]
[Teagan sends the last few guards to get him]
Jowan [cringing and peering into the shadows]: Is it safe?
Amell: I should feed you to a zombie, idiot. Now tell me how we can get the demon out of the kid’s head.
Jowan: Uh, yeah, about that… [shifts uncomfortably]
Amell: [throws up hands] Will no one tell me what in the Maker’s name we need to do?
Jowan: You’ll need blood to do it. Rather a lot, actually.
Amell: Andraste’s knicker weasels! I should have known. I suppose the double-dead guards I just put down won’t do?
Jowan: No, it, uh, it has to be somewhat fresher.
Amell: Of course it does. Let me guess: the donor has to die?
Jowan: Well, yes, actually. We’d sort of need all of it.
Amell: Good, then you’re volunteered!
Wynne: I’m afraid that won’t work, Warden. He’s the only one who can do the ritual to send one of us into the Fade.
Amell: [curses more] And what do you suggest, some “disposable” servant?
Isolde: [with excessive drama and snuffling] Please, kill me. This is all my fault. I will give my life to save my son. [half-swoons until she realized no one is going to catch her]
Teagan: Gee, I don’t think Eamon would like that. If you insist, however…
Amell: [grins cheerily at Teagan who winks back] Suddenly my day is looking up! Wynne, how about a round of rock, parchment, murder knife for dibs on going to the Fade?
Wynne: You’re on!
Jowan: [perks up] Did someone say murder knife?
Alistair: Wait, what just happened?
I liked Jowan.
Jowan was caring at least, a coward, but a caring one. I liked Jowan.
He came off as craven and desperate, to me. I understood his fear but his betrayal came too soon for me to get attached to him.