Dragon Age: Origins ~ last of the Couslands

As a Bioware fangirl Dragon Age is one of my favourite series. Unfortunately, the first game — Origins — doesn't run that well on modern hardware but I've done a bunch of stuff that'll hopefully help it out a little and allow me to play through this again for the first time in a good... ten years. 😱

Curious as to what I've changed?

• modified the file with the LAA patch, which allows more RAM usage in-game and also helps with a memory leak issue that has always been present.
• set the affinity so that the game only launches on one core.
• have my game priority set to 'High'.

Other than that, I've only installed a few texture and appearance mods, and a couple of weapons and armours. Because I want to do a proper playthrough and share it, I won't be using the Skip The Fade mod, which is going to be annoying, I hate the Fade. xD But, gotta do what I gotta do.

I prefer the mage playstyle, but I prefer the Cousland story arc and how it affects more things in the game; so I will be playing a noble human.

Let's begin!

Meet Caelyra Cousland, daughter of Bryce Cousland, Teyrn of Highever. Snarky, quick-witted, eager to fly into combat, she's everything that the Cousland's did not want in a daughter.

This day started out like any other, ignoring the fear of old enemies that lingered overhead. She practiced her combat skills with the men, but her training was interrupted by a call from her father. He, her brother, and Howe — a noble who's family she didn't quite care for — were preparing for battle and her father wanted her in charge of the castle in his absence.

Howe tried to weasel suggestion of a marriage alliance between her and his younger son, but she shut him down quick and was then introduced to a member of the Grey Wardens.

Duncan the Grey Warden was there to keep eye on Ser Gilmore and possibly recruit him into the Wardens, also to fight in the upcoming battle. Caelyra and Gilmore had trained together often through the years and so she knew him to be an excellent fighter. Duncan would be impressed.

Apparently he would also be impressed with her as a candidate to join the Grey Wardens, but her father wouldn't allow it. Which was disappointing.

Sent off to speak with her mother about the upcoming role she was going to take being in charge of Highever, she was quickly accosted by Ser Gilmore. Caelyra's faithful Mabari warhound was in the kitchens, trying to eat all the food and thus annoying the cook.

Caelyra rolled her eyes and followed Gilmore to the kitchens to retrieve her dog, Xander.

With the cook yelling and screaming at their backs, Caelyra and Gilmore went into the pantry to get Xander, only to be attacked by two dozen rats.

Her faithful dog had been in there, eradicating the beasties, not eating all the food as first suggested.

With the rats dead, Caelyra quickly told off the cook for daring to berate her wonderful hound, Gilmore disappeared to perform his other duties, and Caelyra and her pup went to look for her mother.

They soon found her mother speaking with another noble woman, her son, and her lady-in-waiting. Once again Caelyra was forced to listen to possible marriage arrangements and quickly shut them down, again.

She could handle her own affairs, thank you very much.

Once the nobles had gone elsewhere, Caelyra asked her mother about possibly joining the Grey Wardens, since she wasn't allowed to go off fighting with her father and brother, Fergus. Alas, her mother wouldn't allow it either.

Annoyed that she was going to be stuck in the boring castle while everyone else was going to be fighting, Caelyra grudgingly said goodbye to Fergus then turned in for the night so she would be well-rested and ready to be a proper, distinguished noblewoman on the 'morrow... instead of the warrior she desperately wanted to be.

A few hours after falling asleep, Caelyra was awoken by Xander's aggressive barking. He was growling and snarling at the door — someone was out there.

A servant burst in screaming about being under attack, then died in a pool of blood on her bedroom floor.

She flew into her armour and stalked outside, Howe's soldiers were in the hallway, bursting down doors, attacking everybody. She and her dog had to stop it.

When Howe's men had fallen, she raced to her mother's room. She was alright. Together they raced to Fergus' room... his wife and child lay dead.

Caelyra's blood boiled while her mother howled in despair. Howe must die.

Cooler heads prevailed and Caelyra's mother convinced her to hold back on vengeance; they had to find her father and get the hell out of here. Live to fight another day.

They fought Howe's men through the corridors, in the mess hall, in the study, and outside the treasury. They were everywhere!

Caelyra's mother sent her into the treasury to retrieve a sword and shield with their Cousland family crest on it. The weapons that would one day sever Howe's treacherous head.

They fought their way to the castle entrance, only to find Ser Gilmore and what little remained of their forces fighting back more intruders. Her father wasn't there. Gilmore said that he and Duncan had gone to the kitchen, to the secret servant's entry and were waiting for them there.

Bidding one last goodbye, aware of his certain death, Gilmore and the remaining soldiers held back the door and allowed Caelyra and her mother time to escape.

Racing to the kitchens, where just hours ago her dog had been protecting the pantry from giant rats, Caelyra and her mother found her father, near death on the pantry floor.

Duncan had helped him to get there, but time was running out. He was at death's door.

Duncan offered to get Caelyra and her mother to safety, away from Howe and his men, to the King so that he knew what had occurred, but on one condition: that Caelyra joined the Grey Wardens.

She accepted, as long as she could obtain justice for this despicable act.

Her mother refused. She would stay with her husband until both their dying breaths, and would fight to the last allowing Duncan and her daughter time to flee the castle.

Leaving her parents on the dusty pantry floor, Caelyra fought back tears and raced away into the night with Duncan the Grey Warden by her side.

If her brother had already been accosted, out in the wilds, then that meant she was the last Cousland to exist. She would exact vengeance upon Howe for his treachery and would have everyone know what she, a mere female who wanted to play soldier, could accomplish. She would do the Cousland name, and the Grey Wardens, proud.

 

Until next time! ⚔️🐲

 

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_{All screenshots in this post are courtesy of me, @kaelci and are from the game: Dragon Age Origins.}