Noalen (Companion)

""Life is not a corridor enclosed by stone. It is a winding lane through a field from which you are free to stray whenever you like.""

Noalen is a Dalish elf mage and a companion in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Background
Not much is known about Noalen's life before joining the Inquisition and part of it is only revealed through special dialogue options exclusively available to an elven Inquisitor. Noalen grew up in the same clan of the Free Marches as a Dalish Inquisitor. After his magical talent manifested during childhood, he was appointed Second to the Keeper.

From dialogue and banter it becomes clear that Noalen once took great joy in learning and practising magic but lost some of this enthusiasm for unknown reasons during adolescence. He states he frequently wandered off on his own and watched human settlements, being fascinated by their way of life and holding little appreciation for the prejudices of most elves. This is supported by a Dalish elf Inquisitor, who remembers Noalen as being 'solitary' and 'the odd one out', hence knowing little about him, aside from his evident interest in the clan's halla. A Dalish Inquisitor will also reveal that Noalen's father died before he was born and that he was raised by the clan's Keeper.

When not in the field with the Inquisitor, Noalen enjoys solitude and is found in front of his tent at Haven (near Varric) or in the Vault Library in Skyhold's cellar. Through banter and ambient dialogue it becomes evident Noalen is known as courteous and benign, yet reserved and withdrawn in the Inquisition and the latter raises some suspicion as to his motivation for joining the organisation. He became a member of the Inquisition as a healer and his skills with Creation magic are respected among the other healers and surgeons.

Noalen is a very studious individual; he is open-minded and always willing to embrace new ways of looking at life, which becomes apparent quickly through his dialogue with the Inquisitor and his banter with other companions. He has a tendency to ask many questions and enjoys a good argument whenever it presents itself.

He dislikes violence and has strong opinions on slavery, war, the class system of human society, religion and prejudice based on race, sex, gender or any other aspect one has little control over. He is not keen on sharing these opinions often but will usually answer with short, snide remarks when confronted with such.

Dragon Age: Inquisition
Noalen is first encountered in the Hinterlands during the quest Measuring the Veil. Upon first talking to him, he will claim that he is on his way back home 'up north' after spending time in the South 'on private business'. If the Inquisitor is an elf, it will be revealed he was sent to the Conclave to accompany the Inquisitor. While the Inquisitor went to spy on the peace talks, Noalen stayed behind at their camp. After the explosion, he suspected the Inquisitor to have died and decided to return home. On his journey back to the Free Marches however, Noalen encountered Mihris and decided to help her get into the Elven ruin and ward off demons in a bid to uncover what knowledge lay hidden there.

Noalen will express curiosity about the Inquisition and their goal to close the Breach and, after being informed the Inquisition is in short supply of healers, offers his assistance as a healer and nature mage if the Inquisitor agrees to help him and Mihris recover the artifact in the ruin. If the Inquisitor asks Mihris and Noalen to leave, he will become unrecruitable thereafter. If the Inquisitor is an elf however, they can ask Noalen to join the Inquisition regardless of whether they ask Mihris to leave or not.

After completing the quest, Noalen will state that he feels it wrong to 'simply go back to his old life and pretend nothing is happening' and the Inquisitor may choose to recruit him. After doing so Noalen will take up residence at Haven. He will reveal little about himself and his former life through dialogue, except that he felt his life was 'missing something' and that he thinks it could have been fate that put him on the Inquisitor's path.

He will express dismay at how minorities are treated all across Thedas and hopes the Inquisition might affect change in the social climes of the world. Therefore he will speak approvingly of allying with the rebel mages.

After arriving at Skyhold, Noalen will settle in the hold's Vault Library near the kitchens.

After the completion of Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, Noalen will express great interest in Morrigan and it is revealed through banter with Vivienne that he seeks her out frequently. He admits to some fascination for the Witch of the Wilds and states 'she has seen many things and has even more to teach'.

If Noalen is in the active party during Here Lies the Abyss, he will remark that being in the Fade physically feels 'different' than in his dreams as it 'won't answer to his whims'. After the conclusion of the quest, regardless of whether he was in the active party or not, he will reveal that he has taken special herbs to suppress his dreams since adolescence but ever since his supply ran dry, he has been experiencing increasingly realistic and frightening dreams in which his 'emotions take over and create things more real than the waking world'. This triggers his personal quest A Moment's Peace. Noalen will reveal that Dorian told him of an ancient Tevinter ritual which can transport another individual into someone's dreams and asks the Inquisitor to convince Dorian to carry out this ritual. At entering Noalen's dream, Dorian will be locked in the active party. After navigating the volatile environments of his dream to find Noalen and defeating demons drawn to his apparently unusual nature, Dorian will reveal to the Inquisitor and a highly frightened Noalen that he suspects him of being a Dreamer. Noalen is relieved he has finally come to know what it is that has made him feel 'odd' for most of his life and Dorian assures him that with proper training, he can learn to control these powers and become effective at keeping demons at bay. Afterwards, the Inquisitor can choose to either retrieve an ancient Tevinter tome on Dreamers through a War Table mission or - with high enough approval - ask Solas to mentor Noalen. Alternatively, the Inquisitor can ask Noalen to leave the Inquisition altogether and seek help for his unusual skills in Tevinter (Note: Choosing this option will net a 'greatly disapproves' from Dorian). Whichever option is chosen, the quest will be completed.

If allowed to stay, Noalen will admit to some dissatisfaction with the way he has been living life so far after completing What Pride Had Wrought. Regardless of whether he was in the active party or not, he will express regret for wanting to learn but not actively seeking opportunities to do so. He is deeply impressed by the existence of ancient elves and wonders if there are more sanctuaries like the Temple of Mythal to be found across Thedas. He will state that he would like to travel the world, much like Morrigan has done and unveil its secrets. He will however remain at the Inquisitor's side for as long as it takes them to defeat Corypheus.

Trespasser
Noalen will show up for the Exalted Council in Halamshiral regardless of Approval rating. With high approval, he will state that he has come to see his old friend again and reveal that he has spent much of his time since Corypheus' defeat roaming Thedas in search of lost knowledge. With low approval, he will instead tell the Inquisitor that he only came to the Council in the vain hope that Solas might show up at the Winter Palace.

In his epilogue slide of Trespasser, it is stated that he was devastated at finding out the truth about Solas and went back to his search of ancient knowledge in a bid to find out more about Elvhenan and the Evanuris, or - if the Inquisitor is an elf and Clan Lavellan was saved during the War Table missions - he took up a seat in Wycome's City Council in a bid to better the lives of the elves living there. Later on, it is however stated that after elves all across Thedas mysteriously disappeared, all correspondence the Inquisitor sent to Noalen went unanswered, implying he has disappeared as well.

Approval
Noalen enjoys lighthearted banter and well thought out arguments. His approval can easily be raised by exhausting his [Investigate] conversation trees or responding to grim situations with humour. He will also approve of an Inquisitor who shows kindness and charity in their actions; for example, he will 'greatly approve' if the Inquisitor chooses to have the cult residing at Winterwatch Tower help the refugees at the Crossroads.

He delights in philosophical and intellectual conversations and is appreciative of an inquisitive, open mind. This is reflected in his approval.

Noalen is the only companion with whom the Inquisitor has multiple opportunities to respond to his numerous questions with special dialogue options. Whenever the Inquisitor answers one of his questions with a special option only available to the Inquisitor’s race or class or with one of the Knowledge perks available through the Inquisition perks, he will almost always approve.

Noalen is one of the only companions whose approval is not directly affected by any major choices made during main quests. Instead, after each quest he will inquire about the Inquisitor’s motivations behind their choice. If presented with an explanation he deems sensible, objective and well reasoned, Noalen will always approve, regardless of the choice made (with the one exception being What Pride Had Wrought where he will only approve if the Inquisitor lets Morrigan drink from the Well of Sorrows; though it should be noted that an Inquisitor who chooses to drink will not affect his approval negatively). If the Inquisitor refuses to explain their reasons or if their decision was made based solely on preconception and/or prejudice, he will always either 'disapprove' or 'greatly disapprove', respectively.

Noalen will grant the Inquisitor an automatic ‘approves’ when he is taken along to Elven ruins such as the Lost Temple of Dirthamen.

Noalen will 'slightly disapprove' each time the Inquisitor tries to ask him something he considers personal or intrusive. This can usually be mended by backpedalling and leaving him be or - with high approval - stating they care about Noalen and would like to know him better (which will net a 'slightly approves' and, on occasion, will cause him to open up a little more). If the matter is pressed however, he will disapprove and if the Inquisitor continues to badger him, he will eventually 'greatly disapprove' and end the conversation. Noalen disapproves of every instance an Inquisitor states to have made a choice out of religious faith. He does not believe in the concept of blind following and a faithful Inquisitor might have a harder time gaining his approval. During the Sit in Judgement quests, Noalen will always 'greatly disapprove' of a death sentence or Tranquillity, instead favouring atonement; such as letting Mistress Poulin put her ill-earned money to use in helping rebuild the town of Sahrnia, letting Gereon Alexius carry out magical research or sentencing Florianne de Chalons to menial work on a farm. Noalen will also 'greatly disapprove' if Clan Lavellan is killed during the War Table missions only available to a Dalish Inquisitor. He will 'greatly approve' however if the clan is saved and takes part in the newly founded City Council of Wycome at the conclusion of that questline.

If Noalen’s approval gets too low, a cutscene will trigger at Skyhold during which he will reveal his plan to leave the Inquisition in the morning to return to his clan. He accuses the Inquisitor of being narrow-minded and inconsiderate and expresses his dismay with the course they have set for the Inquisition. The only option that will prevent him from leaving is the special dialogue option where the Inquisitor will admit to having done wrong but trying to do better.

Significant instances that garner ‘greatly approves’ from Noalen:

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts: Choosing to confront Florianne de Chalons in front of the court rather than fighting her or letting Celene be assassinated

A Moment’s Peace: Completing the quest

No Stone Unturned: Collecting all three ancient elven tomes

In Your Heart Shall Burn: Choosing the ‘A dwarf/elf/qunari will stand for us all’ option during the Inquisitor speech

What Pride Had Wrought: Choosing to complete the temple's ritual (If he is in the active party, this will be immediate. If not, he will 'greatly approve' at the start of his subsequent cutscene at Skyhold)

Significant instances that garner ‘greatly disapproves’ from Noalen:

All New, Faded For Her: Choosing to kill Solas’ spirit friend (If he is in the active party)

In Your Heart Shall Burn: Choosing either the ‘I’ll be a servant of faith’ or ‘I’ll do it for my own power’ option during the Inquisitor speech

What Pride Had Wrought: Killing the ancient elves in the Temple of Mythal (If he is in the active party, this will be immediate. Otherwise, he will 'greatly disapprove' when the Inquisitor first speaks to him at Skyhold after the quest)

Romance
Noalen is not available as a romance option. The Inquisitor is presented with multiple opportunities to flirt with him throughout the game but will be shot down quickly and monosyllabically when doing so. If the Inquisitor is male, has high approval with Noalen, has chosen at least three of his flirting options and decides to flirt with him during the conversation after his personal quest, Noalen will state that he feels flattered but does not 'consider it sensible nor fair'. After this the Inquisitor gets the option to ask Noalen further about this, at which point he will reveal that he has suffered hurt in the past which he carried with him ever since and he wouldn't feel it right to bring this into a relationship with someone he has come to care for as much as he does for the Inquisitor. He will refuse any further comment on the matter afterwards; indeed, if the issue is pressed it will garner the Inquisitor a 'greatly disapproves' from him.

Trivia

 * In Elvish, Noalen means "seventh child". It pertains to an old Elven children's story wherein 'Noalen' was the name of the seventh day of the week, which is revealed through banter between Noalen and Solas.
 * Noalen claims that the Dalish do not live by an exact calendar but rather the changing of the weather and the seasons. Hence, he does not know his exact age but suspects he is in his mid to late twenties.
 * Through banter with The Iron Bull who mentions Noalen has been talking to Krem extensively, it is implied he identifies as non-binary.
 * Noalen's initial tarot card represents 'The Page of Swords'. After completing Here Lies the Abyss, his card changes temporarily to 'The Moon' and will remain so until his personal quest A Moment's Peace is completed, after which his tarot card will change to 'The King of Cups'.
 * It is heavily implied by Cole that Noalen once loved a young man deeply but had his heart broken. This might be the reason he is not a romance option.
 * Noalen's greatest fear is abandonment.
 * Noalen frequently implies he can 'hear' magic and often refers to magical energy as 'songs'.
 * Varric refers to Noalen as 'Dimples'.
 * If in the active party during Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, Noalen will be announced as 'A Dalish shaman turned scribe for the Inquisition'. At the palace, he can be found on the balcony where the Inquisitor finds The Cylinder Seal.
 * As revealed through banter with Dorian, Noalen's favourite colour is green.
 * Noalen can speak basic conversational Orlesian.
 * Noalen tends to dress in rather muted colours and loose cuts which is commented on by both Dorian and Vivienne. He also refuses to cut his hair short and does not mind looking 'like a savage'.
 * Noalen is fond of horses and riding.
 * Noalen enjoys coffee and Absence, as revealed through banter with Blackwall and Dorian, respectively. He also has a fondness for Orlesian cakes, especially 'the purple ones with the black spots'.
 * Sometimes during banter, when Solas muses in iambic, Noalen will answer in kind if their relationship has developed to this level.

Quotes

 * (To the Hinterlands Healer in Redcliffe Village) "The flames of hostility will never be quenched if all sides do nothing but watch them grow ever larger."
 * (In the Emerald Graves) "To think this impressive forest grows on soil soaked in blood."
 * (Lighting the Veilfire torch in the Elven Ruin) "Fascinating. I've never seen this kind of magic before."
 * (Activating the Rune in the Elven Ruin with Veilfire) "The flames make the words whisper. Can you feel them?"
 * (Solving an Astrarium puzzle) "Shall we see where it leads?"
 * (Finding out about the origin of the Oculara) "What a monstrous atrocity."
 * (Forbidden Oasis - entering Solasan)
 * Inquisitor: "The feeling at the door - it's gone now."
 * Noalen: "A note of caution? A trial, perhaps? The chants in here are calm and curious. I believe they want to show you something."
 * (To Solas) “At times when you recount such tales, it almost sounds as though you sing a song I’ve heard before but can’t remember.”
 * (At entering the Fade during Here Lies the Abyss) “The songs are different here than in my dreams. They wail in sorrow, drowned in dread. I’d rather not linger.”
 * (At first talking to him at Skyhold) “There is a lot of magic pervading these walls. It flows within the stone and sings a different melody from every corner of the castle. I like this place.”
 * (To Blackwall) “No war is ever ended by being won.”
 * (If the Inquisitor chooses to kill the elves at the Temple of Mythal) “What a tragic waste.”
 * (At entering the Lost Temple of Dirthamen) “Be cautious. The songs here sound threatening. It’s… unnerving.”
 * (After defeating the High Priest at the Lost Temple of Dirthamen) “I would say I told you so, but fortunately I’m far too polite for that.”
 * (At entering the Cradle of Sulevin) “The People were here. I wonder what secrets they left behind.”
 * (To Solas) “It's a wonder frostbite hasn’t caught you, considering how much time you spend roaming the moral high ground.”

Dialogue
WiP