Bodahn works for the Warden
He appears in Dragon Age II when a big expedition far in the deep roads is being organized, a subject of great interest for the Wardens. Chances are that the Warden him/her self sent him to Kirkwall to have an agent in the expedition so she can have first hand account of what is found there. After the expedition, among Bodahn's reports are notes about Hawke which awake the interest of the Warden who then order Bodahn to stay close to Hawke. This explains why Gray Wardens turn up during the Qunari Crisis and why the sibling comes back if a Grey Warden at the end of Act 3: Bodahn was warning his boss of the looming crisis each time, who reacted by dispatching available troops to aid Hawke. That would also explain why Bodahn says that he's going to leave Hawke soon: after the current crisis, the Warden is going to send him on another assignment. Finally, it makes sense from Bodahn viewpoint: he specializes in rare, costly, lost artifacts, and Wardens have a knack at finding those, plus, he knows he's not getting younger and he needs someone to take care of Sandal, and the Wardens would have a big vested interest in taking care of a master enchanter who can kill single handedly Darkspawns by dozens.
But Bodahn is leaving not to go with the Wardens but to have a place in Celene's court. And why is this particular Deep Roads expedition of more interest than the countless ones that take place in Orzammar but the Wardens don't see fit to spy on? It's not like anyone expects them to find what they find. And just how long was it being planned that the Warden has time to hear about it and send Bodhan over from Ferelden which, if Hawke's journey is any indication, takes two months? And why in the world would they be particularly interested in Hawke of all people? At the end of Act 1, Hawke is just an immigrant who managed to get rich in an expedition and who can fight well. Hardly a person of interest. Also, there are no Grey Wardens stationed in Kirkwall and though things had continued to deteriorate, the Qunari invasion and the Rite of Annulment really took people by surprise. And considering that the Grey Wardens basically ignored the invasion and only your sibling would help with the Rite of Annulment, why would they bother to make sure to be present if they aren't actually going to do anything?
Bodahn is leaving not to go with the Wardens but to have a place in Celene's court
Bodahn is going to Celene's court to spy for the Wardens: even if he is getting older, this does not means that he is retiring yet
why in the world would they be particularly interested in Hawke of all people?
The Warden was not interested in Hawke, s/he was interested in putting someone in the Dwarven merchant guild of Kirkwall: Kirkwall and Amaranthine being rivals in the Waking Sea trade; even if Dwarves do not directly take part in the seafaring business, they do have vested interest in a lot of the city's activity, which probably includes its merchant fleet as well, and the First Warden made it clear in Awakening that he wanted Amaranthine to prosper as much as possible since such a success would create a precedent usefull for the order political clout.
At the end of Act 1, Hawke is just an immigrant who managed to get rich in an expedition and who can fight well
At the end of Act 1, Hawke is in good terms with the captain of the city guard, with Varric who took over his brother business after his betrayal and disappearance and became an influencial member of the merchant guild, the Viscount and his son as well as with fellow Warden and former comrade in arm Anders: there is plenty of reasons for the Wardens to consider Hawke a person worthy of their attentions by the end of the first act.
And just how long was it being planned that the Warden has time to hear about it and send Bodhan over from Ferelden which, if Hawke's journey is any indication, takes two months?
Hawke takes a boat in Gwaren, at the southern tip of Ferelden and his boat was delayed by storms; Bodhan would have taken a boat at Amaranthine, which is a the opposite shore of the same narrow sea than Kirkwall, with probably no more than a week of travel. Plus, Hawke spent one full year working as a mercenary/smuggler before trying to become part of the expedition, wich means that he would have met Bodahn at least 14 months after Ostagar, and probably more, in you take into account the trip between Lothering and Gwaren and the Blight lasted less than a year and the Warden arrived in Amaranthine 6 months after the Batlle of Denerim, so it is coherent with the timeline: The Warden might have proposed Bodahn to keep working for the Wardens right after the last battle, and sending him to Kirkwall would have been one of her first decision as the Arl of Amaranthine, with those event not shown in Origin and Awakening because they were not relevant those two games plots.
why is this particular Deep Roads expedition of more interest than the countless ones that take place in Orzammar but the Wardens don't see fit to spy on?
Who said the Warden did not spy on those as well? s/he already has plenty of allies in Orzammar, and as said earlier, Bodahn main task might be to inform him/her of what happens in Kirkwall as a whole, and upon arriving, he find that a prominent member of the merchant guild is trying to organize an expedition that would go in part of the Deep Roads that have remained unexplored since the Darkspawn conquered them, which makes it interesting to the Wardens even before the discovery of the primeval Thaig.
Also, there are no Grey Wardens stationed in Kirkwall and though things had continued to deteriorate, the Qunari invasion and the Rite of Annulment really took people by surprise
Bodahn is sent to Kirkwall because there are no Grey Wardens in the city: he is acting as their proxy. Plus Wardens are close enough to save Hawke's sibling during the expedition in act one, they lend a hand to Hawke during the invasion and if s/he joined the Wardens, the sibling comes back to Hawke's side for the end of Act 3, so there is plenty of Warden involvement in Kirkwall. As for why they don't get directly involved, well, the order wants to keep its appearance of neutrality, and Bodahn might have spent the six years he spent with Hawke sending repports telling the Warden that Hawke was enough to deal with wathever crisis was coming. This does not mean that there was no more Grey Warden close back: their plan A being letting Hawke do the heavy lifting and remaining in the shadows, the plan B being going at full strength in Kirkwall should Hawke fail. Hawke was successful, allowing the Wardens to remain in the shadows, which fit them just fine.
Modifié par KENNY4753, 15 octobre 2012 - 03:56 .
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