Tug

“Some of us don't match the bard-spy fetish. Like me, pretending I know the lute.”

Tug is a male surface dwarf and a companion in Leliana's Song DLC for Dragon Age: Origins.

Background

The dwarf is brash, cunning, uncomplicated making an excellent frontline thug who doesn't ask questions and knows when he should leave the planning to someone else. He is also fiercely loyal to his friends, Leliana and Sketch. A strange fit to follow a bard, although he'd claim there's no better view.^[1]

According to Leliana, Tug is not simple and he always keeps his word but he is secretive and does not share his past or maintains links to it. The only clue she found was two dwarven phrases hidden on the handle of his weapon. The first says "The Stone lives beneath Orlais" and the second and more telling "Mathas gar na fornen pa tot isatunoll" which according to Leliana could be translated to "I regret the sacrifice of my kin, but it means we will find our way home".^[2]

Tug bears a casteless brand but is unlike other casteless dwarves. His family was in Orzammar; it is untraceable whether he has any left, since Leliana cannot find Tug's family name.^[2] He also sees a girl in Orlais who is married to a chevalier.

Involvement

This section contains spoilers for:
Leliana's Song.

Tug is ultimately tortured and killed by Harwen Raleigh and Marjolaine. According to Sketch, his early death was a result of his constant talking as a diversion to protect Sketch from having his hands cut off as the guards believed it was the only way they could trust the mage. After his demise, Leliana can gift Tug's axe to Sketch as a memento which will inspire the mage or to Silas who will wield the axe alongside Leliana and Sketch when they go to avenge Tug.

In memory of Tug, every year Leliana drinks a bottle of distilled Antivan plum brandy and pours a glass onto the stone while saying "Astrast tunsha, salroka". In 9:41 Dragon the Venatori find a letter that Leliana sent to Sketch inquiring about Tug and asking for his assistance in tracking down more of Tug's former life. The letter however is recovered by Charter and returned to Leliana.^[2]