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[Bardox9]

Anyone else wonder about this in the various origins? Some of the reasons for his being there made sense and others... not so much.

 

Human Noble: Coming to Highever castle to test a single candidate while in the midst of fighting off a Darkspawn horde... Huh? The enemy marches but he's going to the other end of the country for one dude??

 

Human/Elf Mage: Coming to the tower to get more mages for the army. Ok, I'll buy that one... even though he only leaves with one?

 

City Elf: Roaming around the slums of the capital for no particular reason while the horde in the south grows ever larger... 0.o

 

Dalish Elf: Comes across you as he is hunting a rouge Darkspawn group... ok. Little weird, but ok.

 

Dwarven Commoner: Visiting an under ground city watching a "Proving"?? Huh? Horde... threatening the world and he's taking in the sights of dirt people? Are you kidding me??

 

Dwarven Noble: You meet him in the palace dining hall just before he and his men head out to investigate Darkspawn movements in the deep roads. Ok, sure. Why not? Put him there. Ancestors be with you.

 

I can't be the only one who thought about this at one time or another. It does make sense for some of the origins to have Duncan pop up, but others...  WTF WAS HE DOING THERE?!?!

[Taki17]

Human Noble: Warden recruits are desperately needed and people are don't exactly lining up to fight the darkspawn, so if Duncan was suggested a suitable candidate, he'd want to check him out.

 

Mage: I don't think the Templars would agree if Duncan tried to recruit too many mages - similar to not recruiting nobles as it would upset them and they could withdraw all of their support given to the Ferelden Wardens. Also, mages outside the Tower are technically apostates - and the Templars are not fond of them.

 

City Elf: I think Duncan was looking for recruits in all of Denerim, and he states that it would be stupid not to consider the elves for joining; especially that the Warden who put down the last archdemon was also an elf himself.

 

Dalish Elf: OK, you've got me, no idea on that one.

 

Dwarves: Dwarven Noble is self-explainatory, they are planning an expedition to the Deep Roads. The Proving you fight in the Commoner origin is the same you could watch/participiate in the Noble origin, so they are still there for the expedition, but after finding a recruit, I imagine Duncan returns to Ostagar and one of the other Wardens takes command and leads the squad into the Deep Roads.

[Bardox9]

Human Noble: Warden recruits are desperately needed and people are don't exactly lining up to fight the darkspawn, so if Duncan was suggested a suitable candidate, he'd want to check him out.

 

Mage: I don't think the Templars would agree if Duncan tried to recruit too many mages - similar to not recruiting nobles as it would upset them and they could withdraw all of their support given to the Ferelden Wardens. Also, mages outside the Tower are technically apostates - and the Templars are not fond of them.

 

City Elf: I think Duncan was looking for recruits in all of Denerim, and he states that it would be stupid not to consider the elves for joining; especially that the Warden who put down the last archdemon was also an elf himself.

 

Dalish Elf: OK, you've got me, no idea on that one.

 

Dwarves: Dwarven Noble is self-explainatory, they are planning an expedition to the Deep Roads. The Proving you fight in the Commoner origin is the same you could watch/participiate in the Noble origin, so they are still there for the expedition, but after finding a recruit, I imagine Duncan returns to Ostagar and one of the other Wardens takes command and leads the squad into the Deep Roads.

 

Human Noble: I agree recruits are desperately needed, but with the enemy on the march that was not the time for the Commander of the Gray to go on a recruiting drive. That is something better left to a warden of lesser rank. In the hierarchy a "Constable of the Grey" or one of the Senior wardens would make more sense. The Commander leaving his men on the field to go look at one random guy because some noble wrote him a letter, does not make sense.

 

Mage: I don't question why he's there. His reason for being at the Tower was that he needed more mages for the kings army. "When the King sent out the call, the Circle sent only seven mages... I cannot do with just seven." He wasn't specifically recruiting for the Wardens. Conscripting your character was just done in response to the Jowan thing. I just don't know why there weren't more mages with you when you leave the Tower.

 

City Elf: Again, something for a lesser warden to be doing at that particular time frame. There is every reason in the world to think there would be quality candidates in the alienage, but with rising horde in the south THAT was not the time for the Commander of the Grey to go walk-about.

 

Dalish Elf: It seems a bit hinky, but with some imagination you can come up with a reasonable motive for him to be wondering around the woods. That particular clan of Dalish may have been on the outer edges of the wilds somewhere. Who knows. I won't contest that one.

 

Dwarves: I get the Noble origin. That one is fine, but the commoner origin? A horde of monsters moves on the surface yet he stops to check out the local sporting events? With the events going on at the time, Commoner origin placement just doesn't make sense.

 

There is nothing wrong with Duncan showing up at those places... IF there was not a blight starting up. Given the events at the time, this was not the time for the Commander of the Grey to humor a Human Noble, stroll through a city slum, or catch a UFC fight.

[Kenshen]

I always thought that Duncan had been informed of the soon-to-be warden PC's skills and was there to check them out.  In the HN he first says he is there to test Sir Gilmore but he already had eyes on the young Cousland and was quick to offer the deal to get them out of Highever.  Considering the PC ends up a mega hero no matter what their background is he was right to be in those places at the right time while a blight is starting to take root in the south.  Maybe it was Duncan's sixth sense to spot GW talent.  Tis a good question that I have thought about before.

[Riverdaleswhiteflash]

City Elf: Roaming around the slums of the capital for no particular reason while the horde in the south grows ever larger... 0.o

 

Dwarven Commoner: Visiting an under ground city watching a "Proving"?? Huh? Horde... threatening the world and he's taking in the sights of dirt people? Are you kidding me??

In both cases, he was there hoping to find Wardens. And while the Alienage is a questionable place to look (though not as questionable as you seem to imply, since Duncan knows you can train a certain strain of street thug into a badass) watching the best dwarven knights in Orzammar duke it out knowing you can grab the best one with no legal recourse (and knowing that they probably wouldn't be fighting in that tournament if they wanted legal recourse) is probably one of the more practical ways to recruit. (The fact that he got a street thug instead might be a bonus as far as he's concerned.)

[luna1124]

Pup and Ser Gilmore were promising recruits. He must have sent Ser Jory and Daveth on to Ostagar before he stopped at any of the other places.. Maybe he had a fast horse...

[thats1evildude]

Have you guys never played through the CE origin?

 

Duncan didn't just decide to wander into the Alienage on a hunch. He had attempted to recruit the Warden's mother Adaia years ago and was blocked by the elder, Valendrian, who organized Adaia's wedding on the same day of his visit. (As there was no Blight, he let the matter drop.) He was investigating whether Adaia had passed on her skills to her child.

 

 

Dalish Elf: It seems a bit hinky, but with some imagination you can come up with a reasonable motive for him to be wondering around the woods. That particular clan of Dalish may have been on the outer edges of the wilds somewhere. Who knows. I won't contest that one.

 

He was tracking darkspawn drawn to the eluvian. He even says so.

[Krypplingz]

Mages: Duncan starts his Warden journey in the tower, but alas, Mage warden dies while fetching the phylactery/runs off with Jowan. Well no matter, Duncan knows that the Dwarves know how to Tango with Darkspawn.

 

Dwarven commoner: The Dwarves hold a proving for Duncan and he becomes enarmoured with the Dwarf Commoner. DC gets discovered and kidnapped by Jarvias Boss, but doesn't manage to break out of the prison.  (Must remember, Bhelen does not rule the Carta...)

 

Dwarf Noble: Duncan stays as long as he can, waiting for DC, but no such luck. He sees no promising candidates, so he goes on the expedition with the king before leaving for the surface. DN is delayed in the Deep Roads and by the time DN reaches the cross roads, Duncan is long gone, heading for Denerim, but stops briefly at the Highever estate.

 

Human Noble: There he hears of Gilmore and the second Cousland child. Alas Cousland dies before he/she reaches the kitchen and Gilmore dies as the great doors open and Elenor refuses to be a warden. So Duncan sneaks off to Denerim.

 

City Elf: Duncan remembers the elven lass he tried to recruit sometime back, so he heads to the Alienage and is ecstatic to hear that the lass spawned a promising fighter. Alas the fighter is lost in Vaughan's pleasure palace, killed by Vaughan or his guards. Defeated, Duncan returns to Ostagar, taking a short-cut through the Brecillian forest.

 

Dalish Elf: On his short cut Duncan finds a wounded elf, stumbling deliriously by some ruins. Sensing the taint in the air, he subdues the elf and returns him/her to the clan, then goes off to deal with the tainted mirror. Alas, the elf dies from the taint and Duncan finds no promising recruit amongst the other elves. 

EDIT: Duncan walks past (but doesn't see) a delerious, wounded elf in the Brecillian forest. Merrill says that they never found the two hunters and Duncan has a habit of returning his lost elves and kittens. 

 

So he returns to Ostagar and the Darkspawn Chronicles begin. 

[Maverick_One]

CE is easy.  He came specifically for the CE. Remember he wanted his or her mother but Valendrian wasn't keen on the idea. It is foreseeable that her daughter or son would be every bit as skilled if not better than their mother. Dwarf Commoner actually took place a week before I believe Dwarf Noble. That particular proving was for Duncan. To showcase the best and brightest of Orzammar. If I was to fight Darkspawn the best fighter of the Dwarves would be my pick.

 

Edit: Almost forgot the in Dalish he was hunting Darkspawn I believe. Perhaps he thought they might lead him to the Archdemon, remember the Archdemon had not shown itself.

[Bardox9]

I will concede on the idea that Duncan was in those places looking for a new recruit into the Wardens. In a year prior to the beginning of DA;O, that would have been perfectly fine. My problem is that at the time, the Wardens where attempting to hold the Darkspawn horde in the Wilds. As Commander of the Grey, That should have been his priority. Traveling the country side looking for new recruits should have fallen to a Warden lower in the hierarchy at that time.

 

Mage origin, dalish origin, and the Dwarven Noble origin all factor into preparing for the big fight at Ostagar. Those three are perfectly fine. Human Noble, City Elf, Dwarven Commoner... these make no sense. The Blight has begun... the horde is marching...the Arch-Demon is rising....Duncan is the Field Commander of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden and instead of commanding his troops in their fight against the Darkspawn he chooses this moment to go on a recruitment tour???

[Kenshen]

Well at that point the AD had not shown itself and when it does it is a surprise (if I recall correctly) that it had done so so early in the blight.  If that is all true then I am sure Duncan thought he had more time and that the battles at Ostagar were not as dire as it would quickly become.  Duncan is well known and maybe it would be easier for him to recruit than a lower ranked member.  

[Bardox9]

The AD may not have shown itself, but the Wardens can sense the AD just as the Darkspawn do. That is how Duncan knew it was a Blight and not just a large Darkspawn raid. As Alistair put it "The Arch Demon, it -talks- to the horde and we feel it just as they do." Whether or not Duncan understood what the AD was saying I can't say, but he didn't have to see it to know it was there and commanding the horde.

 

Duncan having name recognition doesn't supersede his responsibilities as leader of the Wardens in Ferelden.  Not during a Blight. Between Blights, recruitment should be a priority. But that is not what we find when we click "NEW GAME". The Blight is on. The Horde is marching. Your army is rallied. It makes no tactical sense for Duncan, as the Warden Commander, to leave the field once the enemy is engaged just to look for new recruits.

 

Imagine that if at the cut scene before entering Denirum with your army, where Alistair/Anora gives that rallying speech, that your Warden raises his/her hand  and says "Sorry, but I think we need three more people. I'll be back in a week. Good luck everyone. You're all doing very well!" @_@

[thats1evildude]

I don't think you can condemn Duncan's decision to find recruits when his actions ultimately resulted in saving Ferelden and ending the Blight in only a year.

[Kenshen]

I can't really say what pushed him to go on a recruitment trip at that time.  I have always thought it would have saved a ton of time and travel to just get volunteers from the kings army and others already at Ostagar.  Duncan was a strange cat that walked to his own drum I suppose.

[Bardox9]

I don't think you can condemn Duncan's decision to find recruits when his actions ultimately resulted in saving Ferelden and ending the Blight in only a year.

 

Unless Duncan had visions of the future and didn't tell anyone, from a military stand point, I can very much condemn his actions in the cases of HN/CE/DC origins. He didn't know if any of his recruits would survive the joining, much less go on to defeat the Blight. He just left his men, seemingly, on a whim.

 

I can't really say what pushed him to go on a recruitment trip at that time.  I have always thought it would have saved a ton of time and travel to just get volunteers from the kings army and others already at Ostagar.  Duncan was a strange cat that walked to his own drum I suppose.

 Dats what I'm sayin'!

 

He had a whole army to choose from for warden recruits. Going out across the country purely to recruit (as is the case of HN/CE/DC) makes no sense. So what was he doing there? He just appears for no reason. The other origins, there was a purpose to his being there.

[thats1evildude]

But a Grey Warden is not a common solider. It takes only a single Warden to end a Blight, but without them, the Archdemon can't be slain. So yeah, I can see why Duncan wanted to bolster their numbers. Considering that Ferelden would now be a smoldering crater if he had stayed at Ostagar, I repeat my earlier statement: Duncan did no wrong.

He had a whole army to choose from for warden recruits. Going out across the country purely to recruit (as is the case of HN/CE/DC) makes no sense. So what was he doing there? He just appears for no reason. The other origins, there was a purpose to his being there.

But you're not adding to the total number of people fighting the darkspawn; you're potentially subtracting X soliders from an already outnumbered army.

[Auztin]

Human Noble- The King could of sent Duncan to highever to check on Bryce Couslands Army or something when your character leaves the starting room,they start talking about something in private plus the fact Bryce called Duncan a hero means they knew each other before hand.
One thing you are forgetting is that they could of waited for reinforcements & not have the battle for another week during Ostagar.

[Krypplingz]

With the Dwarf Commoner, Duncan is attending a tournament in which the competitors have all faced Darkspawn at some point and made it out alive. 

If the Dwarven commoner hadn't entered, he'd probably have picked the other dwarf that made it to the final round. (The Dwarf commoner enters the proving, no matter which origin you pick, you only help the fellow getting out of his/her prision). But Duncan just had to pick that day to have morals about his mission. 

There is a week between the Origin, so he probably used the time to negotiate with King Endrin, did the expedition to curry favor and then left. 

 

Duncan drafted Jory from Highever, he might have heard of Gilmore/Human Noble at the tournament, but decided not to press it then. But now that time was slowly slipping away from him, he might have swooped in for an easy recruitment. He probably figured he'd have an easier time with Bryce since Bryce was already heading for Ostagar. 

 

City Elf, he might have heard about Adaia's child when he recruited Daveth, maybe even went to scope out the situation. Valendrian sped up Adia's wedding to keep Duncans recruiting paws off her and he managed to speed up the City Elfs wedding as well. Duncan said he's heard of you, he probably sounded interested enough that Valendrian got worried and asked the Highever elves to hurry. 

[Maverick_One]

Maybe it wasn't about being tactical at all. Perhaps Duncan knew, and Calien knew that Ostagar was a lost cause. Perhaps he knew he would most likely die, and he was looking for the Warden to lead after he had fallen. As much as he loved his men perhaps he knew not one of them was capable of stopping the blight if he should fall and they live. Especially when I take into the account Alistar and the PC getting sent to Ishal. Seems them two were protected. Alistar I can understand, but the New Grey Warden, especially if he was Bryce's son, or from Ozammar being removed from the fight? How wise is that? Then Duncan knows full well what the CE did to Vaughn and his men. So he or she is a formidable opponent so why remove them from the fight aswell? What makes this new recruit so important that he would be sheltered from the worst of the battle? Perhaps the answer to your question Bardox9 lies in the answer to that one.

[Bardox9]

Maybe it wasn't about being tactical at all. Perhaps Duncan knew, and Calien knew that Ostagar was a lost cause. Perhaps he knew he would most likely die, and he was looking for the Warden to lead after he had fallen. As much as he loved his men perhaps he knew not one of them was capable of stopping the blight if he should fall and they live. Especially when I take into the account Alistar and the PC getting sent to Ishal. Seems them two were protected. Alistar I can understand, but the New Grey Warden, especially if he was Bryce's son, or from Ozammar being removed from the fight? How wise is that? Then Duncan knows full well what the CE did to Vaughn and his men. So he or she is a formidable opponent so why remove them from the fight aswell? What makes this new recruit so important that he would be sheltered from the worst of the battle? Perhaps the answer to your question Bardox9 lies in the answer to that one.

So your theory is that the King of Ferelden and the Warden Commander knowingly sacrificed not only themselves, but all of their men in the hopes that the two rookies would defeat the worlds ultimate evil? That the ultimate end of DA:O was the plan all along from their perspective??? What exactly are you basing this assertion on?

[Taki17]

I was thinking, what if the recruitment of the Warden in each origin happened at different times? The dwarven and dalish origins seem to take place early in the Blight, probably at a time even the Grey Wardens were not sure that they are facing a true Blight - that's why did they organize a Deep Roads expedition and track groups of darkspawn on the surface. Ostagar is quite far from all these locations (at least one or two weeks of travel) and there could be many other factors (weather, terrain, bandits, beasts etc.) that could hinder Duncan and the would-be Warden on their journey to the king's camp.

 

Mage, noble and city elf origins take place later, as the darkspawn horde became a real threat and the preparations to battle them are already begun. That's why Duncan is willing to recruit almost anyone who shows slight promise or goes after those who were considered for recruiting but weren't recruited at first for various reasons (marriage, in fear of losing noble & Chantry support).

[Riverdaleswhiteflash]

So your theory is that the King of Ferelden and the Warden Commander knowingly sacrificed not only themselves, but all of their men in the hopes that the two rookies would defeat the worlds ultimate evil? That the ultimate end of DA:O was the plan all along from their perspective??? What exactly are you basing this assertion on?

For Cailan to have knowingly sacrificed himself in battle with the intent that Alistair take the throne makes a facepalming amount of sense in the context of his confidant in RtO saying Cailan knew he was screwed and his deciding apparently on a whim to put Alistair in the relatively safe Tower. (Especially since Cailan quickly shuts down a Warden who tries to get Alistair onto the field.) I don't see where the evidence for the Warden being saved for the specific reason of his/her potential is. From all I could tell the Warden lives because Cailan wants to make protecting Alistair look less like blatant favoritism on his own part.

[Mykel54]

Mage: Duncan told Irving he wanted a recruit, Irving pointed to one mage better than average, you, the one who just passed the harrowing easily. Mages are really good for the wardens so this is a no brainer.

 

Dalish Elf: Duncan comes across you accidentally, which is very weak. What was Duncan doing wandering the woods? He also recruits you simply because you survived the taint, not because he saw you fighting with great skill or anything. This whole story is basically that "fate" decided that duncan found you before you died. I guess that it makes some sense if you imagine that Duncan was searching for a dalish recruit on purpose (maybe he wanted a good archer), then accidentally came into you.

 

City Elf: Duncan wanted to recruit your mum but he could not, so now that he needed recruits he came for her son. I really doubt that city elves are that good at fighting (they are not even allowed to posses weapons!) so Duncan coming here feels a bit odd. It could be justified by thinking that after Duncan got Daveth, he went to the alienage to check out for you. He saw you were capable by defending the women, and recruits you. It also makes sense that no one will care if a warden conscripts a lowly elf, plus as you are fereldan, you have great motivation to save ferelden for this incoming blight.

 

Dwarf Noble: Duncan just happened to be there in the deep roads the moment your pc was exiled, this is another case of "fate" deciding your recruitment. Bhelen is shown as a master politician, yet he allows Gorim to see you and feed you vital information. The dwarf noble is also a pompous prince who has been treated all his life as royalty, he has just received his first command due to being of royal blood (not because of military exploits). It also makes no sense that duncan is hanging around in the dining room instead of looking for recruits, in all other origins he is doing it, so this feels disconnected, like here he is like: "nah i´ve got all the wardens i need, i am just chilling here and i will go the deep roads later to search for stuff".

 

Dwarf Commoner: Duncan went to Orzammar explicitly to find recruit, so the king calls a proving and duncan (being a former thief himself) decides to recruit the casteless who won it, because the casteless has just proven that he is a skilled fighter and very bold to commit such impersonation knowing the punishment. Then you fight your way out and kill the gang boss, showing Duncan that you are even more resourceful. Duncan says literally: "You are a survivor, fighting the darkspawn is something we can teach, the rest must come with yourself". It also makes sense that Duncan searchs for recruits outside ferelden, because you know the whole order was expeled and just came back thing, he also could use the dwarf stone sense ability as an asset to have (the guard in ostagar reports that all other wardens in the kings camp are HUMAN), so the only non-human is the PC.

 

Human Noble: Duncan already got ser Jory from Highever city, so now he went to the castle for another similar warrior-like recruit? Then he goes and try to recruit the teyrn´s son, even when grey wardens are supposed to avoid harassing nobles for their own good. He settles up for Jory, but he never really sees if Jory is any good first hand. Neither he sees that the Cousland is any good firsthand, he just goes by rumour because you won some tournament.

 

All in all, Duncan already has:

- Several wardens in the king camp, which all are human. They could be rogues, mages, and warriors.

- Alistair a warden already, who is a warrior (templar), so he is useful when dealing with emissaries but also in case a mage warden falls into abomination. It is useful to have him around in the wardens.

- Jory a recruit who is a warrior

- Daveth a recruit who is a rogue (lorewise more of a dagger user, ingame an archer)

- the PC who is a recruit as well. If Duncan already has one warden warrior in Alistair, plus a warrior-recruit and a rogue-recruit, it makes sense that he would look for:

1. Anything but a warrior. So he should look for a mage or a rogue.

2. Something with skills that humans do not have, so he could have went to the dalish to find a great archer, or to the dwarves to get a warden that can guide them through the deep roads easily due to stone sense.

 

As far as i am concerned, the ones that make most sense to me, in this order, are: mage, dwarf casteless and city elf.

[WarriorOfLight999]

The Human Noble Origin was not exactly Duncan's brightest moment. Let's put aside Howe for a second, and pretend there was never a sack on the castle. What was Duncan going to do? Alienate one of the most powerful men in Ferelden by attempting to conscript their youngest child? Foolish. Very foolish. The Wardens already have a tenuous position, as Loghain is already suspicious of them. This could have erased all of their support.

[Riverdaleswhiteflash]

The Human Noble Origin was not exactly Duncan's brightest moment. Let's put aside Howe for a second, and pretend there was never a sack on the castle. What was Duncan going to do? Alienate one of the most powerful men in Ferelden by attempting to conscript their youngest child? Foolish. Very foolish. The Wardens already have a tenuous position, as Loghain is already suspicious of them. This could have erased all of their support.

Doesn't he back down when Bryce makes clear that he's not okay with Duncan trying this, and content himself with Gilmore?