Lost in the Castle

Lost in the Castle is a side quest in Dragon Age: Origins that occurs in Redcliffe. Owen, the village blacksmith will ask you to find his daughter, Valena, who works as Arlessa Isolde's maid and has been missing since Redcliffe Castle was attacked. Alternativelly, if the Warden didn't accept the quest from Owen, the quest will be activated after finding Valena.

Walkthrough[]

Owen[]

Owen, the Blacksmith, asks you to find his daughter, Valena. She is a maid in the Castle and he hasn’t heard from her since the attacks started. He only cares about her, which is why he won’t help the villagers. He can tell you a bit about Isolde and Connor.

1. If you tell him you’ll look for his daughter (whether you plan to or not) he agrees to re-open the smithy and make repairs for the militia. He makes you promise to find her.
2. Otherwise Owen says he has nothing to live for without Valena. You can take him up on his offer to kill him.

Valena[]

Valena can be found at the Main Floor of the Redcliffe Castle, hiding in a small room. The Warden may speak to her and tell her about the tunnel; tell her to simply run; or tell her to stay in the room until it is safe. Whatever the decision, Valena will run from the castle and can be found safely at Blacksmith's Store. If Valena is not found by the time the situation with Connor is resolved, she will disappear from the castle and be counted as dead.

Return to Blacksmithy[]

1. If you rescued Valena then you can return to the Blacksmithy immediately; you do not have to wait until Connor is met. Valena is here.
   1. If Owen is still alive he thanks you and offers you a reward. His inventory is restocked with new items.
   2. If Owen is dead then Valena thanks you and mentions that she is will move to her aunt in Killarney as there is no reason to stay here any longer.
2. If you did not rescue Valena and Owen is alive then you can return to the Blacksmithy after you have saved/killed Connor.
   1. If you say that she must be dead then he thanks you for looking and you get a helmet and some XP.
   2. Otherwise no matter what you say he thanks you but you don't get any reward.

Approval[]

Agreeing to find Valena:

• Morrigan disapproves (-5)
• Sten disapproves (-5)
• Wynne approves (+4)
• Leliana approves (+1)

Refusing to find Valena and killing Owen:

• If Alistair is in the party he doesn't like killing a harmless old drunk.
  • If you can use Persuasion to convince him that Owen wants to die Alistair disapproves (-3)
  • If you kill Owen anyway Alistair disapproves (-13)
  • Even if you let Alistair change your mind Alistair disapproves (-3)
• Leliana disapproves (-5)
• Wynne disapproves (-10)
• Zevran approves (+4)

Rescuing Valena:

• Alistair approves (+2)
• Leliana approves (+2)
• Wynne approves (+2), only if Leliana isn't in the party

After rescuing Valena and saying a reward for it is not necessary when he offers it afterwards (this is in addition to above):

• Leliana approves (+1)
• Wynne approves (+1)

After rescuing Valena and accepting the Shielded Dwarven Armor as a reward (if Oghren is in the party):

• Oghren approves (+1)

Rewards[]

Shielded Dwarven Armor - For finding Owen's daughter.

Owen's Remasterwork - Not finding Owen's daughter and choosing the dialogue option "Yes, I suppose it means she must be dead." when you report back to him.

• 250 XP if you returned Valena to Owen and you accepted his reward.
• 100 XP if you returned Valena to Owen and refused his reward.
• 100 XP if you rescued Valena but Owen is dead.
• 100 XP if you did not rescue Valena and told Owen that she must be dead.

Notes[]

• Saving Valena will cause Owen to restock his shop with more inventory, including the Boots of Diligence part of the Diligence Armor Set as well as a Grandmaster Hale Rune.
• If Owen dies, he is replaced by a new blacksmith who will give the Faulty Amulet to the Warden if the latter lies and claims that he was a relative of Owen. The new blacksmith, among other things, will sell the Far Song.
• If the player spoke to Owen about receiving a reward for rescuing Valena (assuming she is rescued) and then decides to decline the armor when it is offered, the player gains less experience (approximately 200 less) than if the armor is accepted, yet the player gains a small approval from Leliana and Wynne.

Bugs[]

• If Owen dies, and you talk to Valena back in the Blacksmith's Store, she claims to leave town immediately, but in the game she just stands there. It's a possible exploit because after the dialogue where she claims to leave, she grants 100 XP. Conversing with her can be done for an unlimited number of times.