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You don't care for the mages, you just bow to the Chantry's every whim!”


Jowan is an apprentice mage in the Circle Tower, where he had lived ever since his father left him at the village chantry at the age of five or six. His mother thought of him as an abomination. He is a friend of the Magi Warden and a temporary companion during the Magi Origin.

Involvement[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.


Jowan has been having a forbidden affair with an initiate, Lily. To further compound his problems, he is suspected of dabbling in Blood Magic, a crime that is punishable by death. Lily has also found proof that Jowan is to be made Tranquil. In the Magi Origin quest Bound in Blood and Magic, he asks the Warden to help him find and destroy his phylactery so that he may flee with Lily without having to fear capture by the Templars. Whether or not the Warden chooses to reveal Jowan's plan to First Enchanter Irving, Greagoir and Irving will be found waiting for Jowan once the task is completed. When Greagoir sentences Jowan to death and Lily to Aeonar, Jowan will use Blood Magic in order to protect her. Yet once he reveals he really is a blood mage, Lily will reject him forcing him to escape alone.

Irving later says that Jowan's troubles came from unmet expectations, that he was disappointed in himself and believed the First Enchanter to be as well. Irving says that he wasn't, and that there would have been no cause to make him Tranquil if he hadn't turned to blood magic. During the Magi Origin however, Irving never contradicted that Jowan was going to be made Tranquil; only that the plans to make Jowan Tranquil—whether true or not—was leaked to Lily so that she would be connected to Jowan's scandal when he inevitably attempts to destroy his phylactery and flee the Circle. Irving justified his ploy by stating that Lily is just as guilty as Jowan, and if he is destined to suffer, then Lily should as well.

Jowan claims he originally turned to blood magic because he could never match up to his more competent mage friend and he thought blood magic would give him the power and control to be a better mage. The practice always felt wrong to him though, and once he met Lily, he thought he could leave blood magic behind him. When he was told he was planned to be made tranquil however, Jowan continued to dabble in blood magic because it seemed the only way he and Lily could escape and also the only way he could avoid being made tranquil.[1] Jowan thought once he and Lily were free of the Circle, he would give up all magic. Many believe that Jowan was one of those Uldred introduced to blood magic and later betrayed to further his own advancement.[2]

Jowan was eventually cornered near Redcliffe Village by Knight-Lieutenant Irminric Eremon but Teyrn Loghain's men took Jowan into their custody while Irminric was imprisoned in the dungeon of the Arl of Denerim's Estate.[3]

Blood Magic

Jowan uses blood magic to escape during the Mage Origin

Jowan can be found later imprisoned in the Redcliffe Castle - Basement during the Arl of Redcliffe quest. He was employed by Arlessa Isolde to tutor magic to her son in secret without him being taken to the tower, which led Valena to believe Jowan was having an affair with Isolde. However at the same time Jowan was working for Loghain Mac Tir with the task of poisoning Arl Eamon, which he eventually achieved. Jowan says he was recruited by an agent of Loghain;[4] that he was told Arl Eamon was a threat to Ferelden and if he helped poison him, then Loghain would help settle matters with the Circle of Magi on Jowan's behalf—possibly even help him return to the Circle Tower.

However he was suspected by the arlessa of being behind the worse disturbances that followed (i.e., the multitude of undead corpses hunting the living), which were in fact caused by a demon possessing Connor. Arlessa Isolde—thinking that Jowan summoned a demon to torment her family and destroy Redcliffe—demanded that Jowan put an end to the undead attacks. She and her men apprehended Jowan and had him tortured in an effort to coerce him to end the demonic hostilities. However, since Jowan was not the source of the trouble, there was nothing Jowan could say or do that would appease her. Eventually, they gave up on coercing Jowan and left him imprisoned in the Redcliffe Dungeons.

Jowan seems remorseful for the damage he caused and wishes to make amends if he is allowed. The Warden can choose to kill him, free him or leave him in the dungeon.

  • If he is freed and not told to "Run. I never want to see you again" or is left in the dungeon, he will offer to perform a blood magic ritual to send someone into the Fade to confront the demon possessing Connor (if Jowan is told to run, Morrigan or Wynne will mention the ritual instead).
  • If the Warden elects to seek the help of First Enchanter Irving to enter the Fade instead, Jowan can be chosen to go into the Fade and will confront and kill the demon.
  • Jowan will be imprisoned by Bann Teagan after offering his help. Bann Teagan cannot be persuaded to free him, and will insist that Arl Eamon must make the decision on his fate. If the Warden suggests that Jowan should be executed, then Teagan will not wait for Eamon to recover and has him executed immediately. If this option is taken, Jowan will be removed from the dungeons and is never seen again.
  • Bann Teagan can grant permission to the Warden to be Jowan's executioner. If the Warden is a mage and executes Jowan, he'll reveal that he started to practice blood magic in order to become more powerful, because he always felt inferior compared to the Warden.
Note: If you intend to execute Jowan, you must not complete the Urn of Sacred Ashes prior to the Arl of Redcliffe. If the Urn has already been discovered, then the cutscene where Teagan grants the Warden permission to execute Jowan will be immediately followed by Eamon's healing and his own judgment of Jowan. In this case, the Warden never has the opportunity to visit the dungeon and carry out the execution.
  • Once the Urn of Sacred Ashes has been found and used to heal Arl Eamon, if Jowan is still alive and in custody, Arl Eamon will ask the Warden whether they have anything to say in Jowan's defense. If the Warden defends Jowan, Arl Eamon will send him to the Circle Tower - he will not free him. If the Warden does not say anything in defense of Jowan, Arl Eamon will have him executed.
  • pcpc If Jowan was freed from the basement and told to "Run. I never want to see you again," then a new quest called Jowan's Intention will appear in the Chanter's Board section of the journal on the conclusion of the Urn of Sacred Ashes. Jowan can be encountered protecting a group of refugees and the Warden can elect either to kill him or let him go on to a new life under the alias "Levyn". This quest can currently only be completed by PC players due to requiring the console to fix the broken quest line.


Quests[]

Magi Origin Magi Origin
Bound in Blood and Magic Bound in Blood and Magic
The Arl of Redcliffe The Arl of Redcliffe
Jowan's Intention Jowan's Intention (conditional)

Statistics[]

Initial skills[]

During the Magi Origin

Herbalism HerbalismCombat Tactics Combat Tactics

During the Arl of Redcliffe quest

Improved Herbalism Improved HerbalismImproved Poison-Making Improved Poison-MakingImproved Combat Training Improved Combat Training

Initial spells[]

During the Magi Origin

Arcane Arcane Bolt Arcane Bolt
Primal Flame Blast Flame BlastFlaming Weapons Flaming Weapons
Entropy Weakness Weakness

During the Arl of Redcliffe quest

Arcane Arcane Bolt Arcane BoltArcane Shield Arcane Shield
Blood magic Blood Magic Blood MagicBlood Sacrifice Blood Sacrifice
Primal Flame Blast Flame BlastRock Armor Rock ArmorStonefist StonefistWinter's Grasp Winter's GraspLightning Lightning
Spirit Mana Drain Mana DrainMind Blast Mind Blast
Entropy Weakness WeaknessParalyze ParalyzeDisorient DisorientDrain Life Drain LifeDeath Magic Death Magic

Initial equipment[]

Clothing Apprentice Robes Apprentice Robes
Armor Leather Boots Leather Boots

During the final stages of the Mage Origin storyline, you don't have to worry about future statistic/skill allocation with Jowan but be sure to make the most of what you're provided with. The player should be able to equip Jowan with a staff and potentially a Charm of Flame (that adds 5% Fire Damage, assuming the player is not a primal mage and is using it themselves). Take advantage of Jowan's Flaming Weapons spell, as the player will also be accompanied by Lily (who has Dual-Weapon Training). Be careful, however, Flame Blast causes friendly fire.

When he is encountered again during the Arl of Redcliffe quest line, his skills will have advanced considerably (but he will only be accessible as a temporary companion if chosen to enter the Fade to face off against the Desire Demon).

During the quest the Arl of Redcliffe, Jowan's level will match that of the Warden (which typically is at level 14 by this point).

Quotes[]

  • "They'll take everything that I am from me-- my dreams, hopes, fears... My love for Lily. All gone..."
  • "Am I not allowed to have regrets?"
  • "Ambiguous rubbish, it could mean anything. I can do it too: 'The sun grows dark, but lo! Here comes the dawn!'"
  • "I've been here longer than you have. Sometimes I think they just don't want to test me."

Trivia[]

  • When playing as a female Warden and discussing "the plan", the dialogue option "Why haven't we ever...", implies pursuing a romantic and/or sexual relationship could have been explored in the future. Jowan appears to be oblivious as to how the Warden felt and states that they are "like a sister" to him. The Warden can then admit that they do have feelings towards him or reveal that they were just joking. Either way, Jowan will remain confused as to why they would mention this to him now, and will simply drop the subject entirely.
    • Jowan was originally scripted to be a temporary party member that the Warden could take around within Redcliffe castle. Eventually this role was expanded into becoming a full party Companion to the Warden. The Warden would have used the Right of Conscription to recruit him after healing Arl Eamon. According to David Gaider, his role as a full party member was never fully completed while his role as a temporary party member in Redcliffe castle was only cut late in production.[5]
  • Jowan does not appear in the Dragon Age Keep.

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.


  • When talking to Greagoir, after the Arl of Redcliffe quest, you can mention Jowan's fate (if you are a Mage).
  • Jowan will appear as the form of a spirit in The Gauntlet and give the player an item if the Magi Origins is chosen. Like all the spirits therein, this Jowan is a reflection of the Warden's doubts, not the actual person, and therefore will still appear if Jowan is alive.
  • During Witch Hunt, if the Warden is a mage and tells Finn that they recall seeing the Tevinter statue, Finn will remember about how the Warden helped Jowan escape, and will mention that Jowan's name is now a slang used by the mages meaning "a dangerous plan with little or no chance of success", which is "technically a misnomer", as he points out.
  • In Awakening, a Wanted List with Jowan's name is found on a templar's corpse during a random encounter.


Gallery[]

References[]

  1. According to Jowan's dialogue when The Warden finds him in the dungeons of Redcliffe Castle and also if the Magi Origin Warden punishes him for his crimes with execution
  2. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, pp. 109-111
  3. Lost Templar
  4. According to Isolde's dialogue during The Arl of Redcliffe
  5. Gaider, David https://web.archive.org/web/20151105102945/http://forum.bioware.com/topic/22210-dlc-idea-recruit-jowan/page-3
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