“The first time we headed into battle, I was so frightened I wet my tunic. After the battle, I was called Puddle. The name stuck.”
Nicolas is an Orlesian Grey Warden warrior. He had shoulder-length, blond hair and no beard, but wore a burly mustache typical of Orlesian fashion at the time.
Background
As a teenager, he was driven away from home by his parents. He also lied to the Seneschal in Fortalan in order to enlist into the army. Julien is the lover of Nicolas.
He is part of the Grey Warden detachment led by Commander Genevieve, and one of the few to believe her visions regarding her brother Bregan and the coming Blight.
Involvement
He enteres the Deep Roads along with the Grey Warden detachment and Maric Theirin. After a major skirmish with the darkspawn they stumble across the lair of a high dragon. The group manages to kill the dragon but not before Julien's death. Nicolas is devastated and blames Duncan for Julien's death as the latter saved Duncan from certain death only to be killed by the dragon soon afterwards.
Once the group reaches Ortan Thaig, Nicolas is trapped in the Fade along with the other Wardens and King Maric by a demon. Maric, Duncan, Kell ap Morgan and Utha found him dreaming of a life with Julien in the Arbor Wilds in the southeast of Orlais. Nicolas reveals that he was considering of leaving the Wardens to spend what time they had left before they were forced to leave for their Calling together in the Arbor Wilds. Nicolas decides to stay in his dream, claiming that he had in-essence died with Julien and wanted to have this one last thing. The Wardens and Maric agreed, with Duncan being the sole dissenter. After their return from the Fade, they find Nicolas' body soulless, his spirit still trapped in the Fade. They build a grave for Nicolas in front of the palace in Ortan Thaig, unable to burn his body as Chantry tradition dictates, or carry it back to the underground lake to rest with Julien's, for fear of encroaching darkspawn.