Dragon Age: Origins City Elf Origin Preview

IGN continues to profile each of the six origin stories in Dragon Age: Origins, with the city elves being put under the magnifying glass this week.

Regardless of your choice, the story begins the same; you’re awakened by your female cousin on your wedding day. It’s an arranged marriage and you don’t know the groom/bride, so the dialogue choices give you some options to express how happy or reluctant you are about the whole affair. As you walk around the alienage there are some conversations to be had; old friends of your deceased mother want to offer some money as a gift, which is useful because there’s another elven family that could use a little bit of charity, if you’re willing. Then again, you can also tell them to blow off.

Events start coming to a head when you meet up with your male cousin who is waiting for his bride; apparently it’s a double wedding. As you go off to meet the prospective mates a bunch of boorish human noblemen crash the party. It’s not clear, but the situation seems similar to primae noctis, the feudal right of the lords to sleep with brides first. Just as things get rowdy, your female cousin smashes a jug on the snootiest (and highest ranking) nobleman. They retreat, but vow revenge. Sure enough, just as the wedding ceremony is starting up, they reappear with armed guards and take all the females of the wedding party away.