Alistair (Theirin) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fatherlesskind) wrote2015-11-28 08:48 pm
fatherlesskind) wrote2015-11-28 08:48 pm
Entranceway Application
Name: Kaiya
DW username: N/A
E-Mail: failedprotagonist@gmail.com
IM: Do it in vitro
Plurk: N/A
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name: Alistair (Theirin)
Series: Dragon Age
Timeline: Immediately before the Landsmeet in Dragon Age: Origins
Canon Resource Link: Wiki page
Character History: Alistair was born the bastard son of King Maric Theirin of Ferelden and an elven mage named Fiona. His existence was problematic for a number of reasons, not least being that the king already had a legitimate heir from his then-deceased wife. The fact that both elves and mages were less than well regarded members of society in Thedas (the land in which the series takes place and in which Ferelden is but one nation) were also not points in his favour.
In the interests of protecting Alistair from the difficulties of a life at the royal court and, presumably, to prevent him bringing any scandal to the royal family or coming into conflict with the king's true-born son, he was raised by Arl (a kind of lord specific to Ferelden) Eamon, brother to the late queen. Eamon treated Alistair with enough kindness that he regarded the Arl as a substitute father-figure despite being no more than a stablehand in the Arl's household and being made to sleep with the dogs both while still a boy. He was told his mother had been a serving girl in the Arl's household and had died giving birth to him. It was also made clear to him, presumably by the Arl himself, that he was a commoner and not in line for the throne.
Few people outside of the Arl and Alistair himself knew of his parentage, causing friction with the Arl's wife who feared that Alistair was her husband's bastard. She unsurprisingly made him unwelcome within the household until she convinced her husband to turn him over to the Chantry, Thedas' main human religion when he was ten years old. Alistair was schooled at the Chantry and trained to become a templar, one of the warriors that fought for them and helped control magic which was viewed as dangerous. He hated it there and hated the idea of becoming a templar as the loyalty of these soldiers to the Chantry was held hostage through their usage of lyrium, a magical substance that granted them unique abilities to fight magic but was highly addictive. However, shortly before he was to take his final vows as a templar and so dedicate his life to the Chantry he attended a particular fateful tournament.
The tournament was held to display the skills of the templars and to allow a Grey Warden named Duncan to pick the best warrior to join him. The Grey Wardens were a legendary order who existed to fight creatures called darkspawn who mostly dwell deep underground in what was known as the Deep Roads. The darkspawn were inhuman, bestial monsters that corrupted everything they touched. On their own they presented little threat due to their lack of intellect but every few centuries they would unearth and corrupt ancient dragons known as Old Gods that slept beneath the earth. The Old Gods were intelligent and under their direction the darkspawn became a great army that would attack the surface world in what was known as a Blight. Previous Blights had nearly destroyed all human civilisation several times in the past. The Wardens were the only ones capable of stopping a Blight and so were regarded with some respect. Less so when the story takes place as the last Blight was centuries passed and it was widely believed there would never be another.
Regardless, the Grey Wardens were allowed to take new recruits from time to time, thus the tourney. Alistair was originally not intended to compete due to his irreverent attitude having done nothing to endear him to the Chantry leaders however Duncan requested he be allowed to participate. It's worth noting here that, while it was never revealed to Alistair himself, Duncan was friends with both his parents and had promised to keep an eye on him when his mother gave him up. So Alistair was allowed to fight in the tourney and... did pretty OK. Average really. Not the best fighter nor the worst, the only thing exceptional about him was frankly his inability to hold his tongue.
Still, Duncan chose him as his new Warden recruit and Alistair happily departed the templar order. He had only been with the Wardens for about six months when darkspawn began to show up on the surface in great numbers. It was believed by the Wardens that there was another Blight coming, however most others dismissed such claims as no one had seen an archdemon. There were enough darkspawn to warrant concern though and King Cailan - Alistair's half-brother - called on the nobles of Ferelden to gather their forces at Ostagar to battle the threat. As far as Alistair saw things, the king was more interested in glory, leaving the strategy to his father-in-law Teyrn Loghain who would be responsible for any victories.
Shortly before the main battle several new recruits to the Wardens were brought in. This is where Alistair first appears in the game and from here on the events can play out in different ways depending on the player's choices so I'll be going with the version of canon I've chosen to use here.
One of these new recruits was Aedan Cousland, a young nobleman who's family had recently been all but wiped out by Arl Howe, a lord thought to be their friend. Alistair was given the task of helping the recruits prepare for the Joining, the often fatal ritual that would make them Wardens. They were also to retrieve some old Warden treaties that had previously been abandoned in the wilds near Ostagar. Whilst doing so the group encountered a woman named Morrigan, whom he recognised as an apostate or a mage living outside of the control of the Chantry. He was immediately mistrustful of her both due to her not being bound by the Chantry's rules and her less than friendly demeanor but with the battle close at hand there was nothing to be done about her, much as he might have liked to report her to the Chantry.
Of the new recruits only Aedan survived the Joining and he and Alistair were given the job of lighting a signal beacon during the battle so that Loghain and his men knew when to join the battle. Duncan and the other Wardens would be fighting alongside the king, and while Alistair disliked being kept out of the fighting he obeyed Duncan's commands.
As is nature of such things, everything went wrong during the battle. The signal was lit but Loghain's men did not take to the field, abandoning the Wardens, the king and his men to the darkspawn. Alistair and Aedan were badly injured by darkspawn and passed out, only to awaken later in the hut Morrigan shared with her mother Flemeth out in the wilds. He was distraught to hear that Duncan had been killed during the battle, along with all the other Wardens and the king. Flemeth healed the two surviving Wardens and they made plans to use the treaties they had previously retrieved to enlist help from the various races of Ferelden to end the Blight. Flemeth insisted Morrigan accompany them, something Alistair was less than happy about, the two of them having taken an instant disliking to one another. But off set the valiant trio. And then they got a dog and Alistair was still the dumbest member of the party according to a certain witch.
Despite being the senior Grey Warden, Alistair deferred to Aedan's leadership, lacking the confidence to take charge and not desiring the responsibility of such a role. It's worth noting that there's DLC that's an AU of the game where Alistair is the only surviving Warden and is forced to take lead the group against the darkspawn. A job he seems to perform rather well so he's certainly not a bad leader even at this point if forced into the position. But with someone else to pass the responsibility off onto and caught up in his grief over Duncan's death, he passed that job to the person who's been a Grey Warden for a few days at best.
The group recruited a number of other party members as they go about recruiting forces to fight the darkspawn but for the most part they're not hugely important to Alistair's story and so I'll gloss over them. During this time they found that the Wardens had been blamed for the king's death and Loghain had seized control of Ferelden by claiming to act as his daughter, Queen Anora's regent. Many of the Ferelden nobles protested Loghain taking control and a civil war broke out so in addition to gathering an army the group would eventually need to sort out the matter of Ferelden's leadership. Alistair himself was mostly interested in getting revenge on Loghain for Duncan's death with the question of succession being of less importance to him. Still, as a result of the conflict, Alistair was forced to reveal his parentage to Aedan though he avoided doing so as long as possible as he was used to people treating him differently once they knew. Even with the king dead he had no interest in the throne, quick to claim that, as Cailan's uncle, Eamon himself had a better claim to it.
In no particular order, the group enlisted the help of the Dalish elves - those who have chosen to live a nomadic life preserving as much as they can of the old elven culture that was mostly destroyed by humans - the dwarves and the mages. As they travelled onward Alistair became increasingly unhappy with Aedan's ruthlessness and cavalier attitude towards those in need. He protested the man's choices on numerous occasions, such as when he chose to help a dwarven woman named Branka regain the knowledge required to make golems, a process that required the sacrifice of an living dwarf in an agonising procedure, but his opinions were generally ignored. After a time he confronted the other Warden, angry that he didn't seem to value the legacy of the Wardens as much as Alistair himself did. They argue, Aedan brushing aside his objections with a reminder that Wardens were sworn to do whatever it takes to end a Blight, no matter how unpleasant. Alistair insisted that it was possible to stop the Blight while still being a decent person but eventually gave up. He stayed with the group despite his feelings as he couldn't stop the Blight on his own but remained sullen and resentful of the group's leader.
During this time he met a woman named Goldanna that he believed to be his half-sister from his mother's side, the daughter of the serving girl who he was told was his mother. He tracked her down hoping to find a family for himself, something he'd never really had before. Goldanna rejected him, only interested in if he could offer her money and turned him away. Hurt and disappointed, Alistair was given a harsh life-lesson by Aedan who informed that most people are only out for themselves and he should stop being so naive. A lesson that was ultimately good for him as he began to assert himself more as a result.
After the party healed Arl Eamon of a deathly illness by retrieving a holy relic no one quite believed was real, Eamon agreed to lend them his help in stopping the Blight. He insisted that the civil war must be ended first and suggested that Alistair had a strong enough claim to the throne to challenge Loghain. Alistair was less than happy with this suggestion but agreed to consider the possibility as his first duty was to end the Blight, regardless of his feelings and this could help achieve that goal.
In the capital city of Denerim they were called upon to rescue Queen Anora who had been taken hostage by an ally of Loghain, unbeknownst to the man himself. Anora and Alistair didn't get along at all, as he saw her as being untrustworthy and too much like her father and she saw him as too childish and immature to make a good ruler. Adding to the tension was the fact that Anora wanted to keep her throne while Eamon wanted to crown Alistair, a descendant of the first king of Ferelden. As for Alistair himself, he was still not eager to become king but his self-confidence had grown to the point that he believed he could do it and he mistrusted Anora too much to want to leave her in power.
The question of succession would be decided at the Landsmeet, a meeting of all the major nobles of Ferelden. The Wardens garnered as many supporters among the nobility as possible, using whatever means were available. Finally the day of the Landsmeet arrived and Alistair, Aedan and several others from their party set out for the palace where it was to be held.
Abilities/Special Powers: Alistair is well-trained in combat and primarily fights with a sword and shield. He is also trained in the use of two-handed weapons such as greatswords, polearms and battleaxes. He presumably has some unarmed combat skills as well though he's less practiced in these.
He is also trained in the use of templar talents, abilities designed to block and suppress magic. He's able to resist magic to some degree and to drain it from magic users as well as disrupt spells. The specific abilities he has access to are:
Spell Purge: All hostile magic is dispelled from the surrounding area. This may also cause damage when purging beneficial effects from enemies.
Wrath of Heaven: A blinding pillar of light stuns nearby enemies and damages magic users. This may also partially heal the user.
Righteous Strike: Each of the templar's melee hits against an enemy spellcaster drains a small portion of its mana.
Silence: The templar surrounds a foe in negative energy, preventing the enemy from using magic for a short time.
All these abilities are reliant on lyrium, a highly addictive source of magic that templars take to allow them to utilise these abilities. At least to begin with he'll retain access to these abilities due to the lyrium lingering in his system but as time passes in-game his ability to draw on these will diminish until they are gone. Unless he can gain access to more lyrium which will start the cycle anew.
Furthermore he possesses certain abilities as a Grey Warden although most of these relate to the darkspawn and won't be apparent without them. He can sense the presence of darkspawn and other Wardens and is resistant to the corruption of the darkspawn. Grey Wardens also have mildly increased physical attributes - greater stamina, increased appetite are both mentioned in canon but given the Wardens are famed for their prowess as warriors it seems likely there might be increases in strength and other areas. None of these are to a superhuman level so much as peak physical ability.
Annnd he's also dragon-blooded. Look don't ask how, it seems to just mean his blood is magic which will only matter if someone tries to use it for a spell or whatever. In which case it will just be more potent than normal human blood. He's a sparkly magical snowflake and I am sorry.
Third-Person Sample:
So. Strange grounds, strange manor house off in the distance and no one around but him. This wasn't looking good. About the only bright-side he could see was the absolute lack of darkspawn - he couldn't sense a single one anywhere nearby. But he hadn't sensed any of them - or anything amiss at all - when the demon had him trapped in the Fade. And that hadn't been good. So still not looking good.
"Helloooo? Anyone out here?" He was almost certain he'd been in Denerim just a moment ago, the city as busy and full of people as ever. And he'd been right behind his fellow Warden along with several of their other travelling companions. But nothing. No reply except from a nearby bird that eyed him suspiciously before taking flight.
"Right then." He wasn't going to get anywhere just standing out here waiting for something to happen. And his companions could have been captured - if he'd been captured although this was a very strange prison in that case. Or it really was a Fade dream which was the only explanation he could think of that made even a little bit of sense. Though he didn't know where the demon to create it might have come from. There had been no strange mages around in the city that could have summoned one. He might have forgotten something then - a trap maybe, to stop them from reaching the palace and putting a stop to Loghain's schemes?
Try as he might he couldn't remember anything like that. It was unsettling to say the least.
Well, whatever the case he'd just find his way out. And then find his companions and set them free if they were trapped too. And then go to the Landsmeet and make Loghain finally pay.
Mind made up, Alistair squared his shoulders determinedly and set off towards the manor he could see nearby, searching for any signs of people he could question on his way or anything that looked like a demon.
First-Person Sample: [Video]
So this is new.
[The video feed begins with a close-up of a thumb and then twists nauseatingly around until there's a giant eyeball... that gradually diminishes in size as its owner pulls back from the device. Alistair frowns down at the thing for a moment then shrugs and begins to speak.]
Somebody told me I can use this thing to talk to people. People far away. Not sure I believe them but I do like to talk and this way it doesn't look like I'm crazy and talking to myself. Maybe.
I don't talk to myself normally of course. That would be crazy. But I do talk to myself - and little... boxes - when I get lost and wind up in a strange place I've never seen before. Especially when the whole place is nowhere I know at all. I've travelled a lot - more than usual recently, what with being on the run and all - and this doesn't look like any part of Ferelden I know. I suppose I could have gotten whisked off to some other country...
Ooor, I could be in the Fade again. That would be bad. If it is the Fade there aren't any demons pretending to be... certain people this time. That's good. I think.
What do you think box? Am I lost in the Fade? [His voice turns high pitched and squeaky and the video judders about as the device is waggled back and forth.] 'I think you're right Alistair, you handsome fiend you, you must be in the Fade! Now we just have to go find the eeevil demon that trapped us here and make it let you go!'
[And back to a normal voice, the video steadying again.] I'm glad you agree and I am looking rather handsome today, aren't I? Now, let's go find that demon!
[And left to his own devices the broadcast will go on. And on. And on. As he strides boldly off in search of something that looks like a demon, keeping up a running commentary until he finds someone else to talk at. To. Someone else to talk to.]
DW username: N/A
E-Mail: failedprotagonist@gmail.com
IM: Do it in vitro
Plurk: N/A
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name: Alistair (Theirin)
Series: Dragon Age
Timeline: Immediately before the Landsmeet in Dragon Age: Origins
Canon Resource Link: Wiki page
Character History: Alistair was born the bastard son of King Maric Theirin of Ferelden and an elven mage named Fiona. His existence was problematic for a number of reasons, not least being that the king already had a legitimate heir from his then-deceased wife. The fact that both elves and mages were less than well regarded members of society in Thedas (the land in which the series takes place and in which Ferelden is but one nation) were also not points in his favour.
In the interests of protecting Alistair from the difficulties of a life at the royal court and, presumably, to prevent him bringing any scandal to the royal family or coming into conflict with the king's true-born son, he was raised by Arl (a kind of lord specific to Ferelden) Eamon, brother to the late queen. Eamon treated Alistair with enough kindness that he regarded the Arl as a substitute father-figure despite being no more than a stablehand in the Arl's household and being made to sleep with the dogs both while still a boy. He was told his mother had been a serving girl in the Arl's household and had died giving birth to him. It was also made clear to him, presumably by the Arl himself, that he was a commoner and not in line for the throne.
Few people outside of the Arl and Alistair himself knew of his parentage, causing friction with the Arl's wife who feared that Alistair was her husband's bastard. She unsurprisingly made him unwelcome within the household until she convinced her husband to turn him over to the Chantry, Thedas' main human religion when he was ten years old. Alistair was schooled at the Chantry and trained to become a templar, one of the warriors that fought for them and helped control magic which was viewed as dangerous. He hated it there and hated the idea of becoming a templar as the loyalty of these soldiers to the Chantry was held hostage through their usage of lyrium, a magical substance that granted them unique abilities to fight magic but was highly addictive. However, shortly before he was to take his final vows as a templar and so dedicate his life to the Chantry he attended a particular fateful tournament.
The tournament was held to display the skills of the templars and to allow a Grey Warden named Duncan to pick the best warrior to join him. The Grey Wardens were a legendary order who existed to fight creatures called darkspawn who mostly dwell deep underground in what was known as the Deep Roads. The darkspawn were inhuman, bestial monsters that corrupted everything they touched. On their own they presented little threat due to their lack of intellect but every few centuries they would unearth and corrupt ancient dragons known as Old Gods that slept beneath the earth. The Old Gods were intelligent and under their direction the darkspawn became a great army that would attack the surface world in what was known as a Blight. Previous Blights had nearly destroyed all human civilisation several times in the past. The Wardens were the only ones capable of stopping a Blight and so were regarded with some respect. Less so when the story takes place as the last Blight was centuries passed and it was widely believed there would never be another.
Regardless, the Grey Wardens were allowed to take new recruits from time to time, thus the tourney. Alistair was originally not intended to compete due to his irreverent attitude having done nothing to endear him to the Chantry leaders however Duncan requested he be allowed to participate. It's worth noting here that, while it was never revealed to Alistair himself, Duncan was friends with both his parents and had promised to keep an eye on him when his mother gave him up. So Alistair was allowed to fight in the tourney and... did pretty OK. Average really. Not the best fighter nor the worst, the only thing exceptional about him was frankly his inability to hold his tongue.
Still, Duncan chose him as his new Warden recruit and Alistair happily departed the templar order. He had only been with the Wardens for about six months when darkspawn began to show up on the surface in great numbers. It was believed by the Wardens that there was another Blight coming, however most others dismissed such claims as no one had seen an archdemon. There were enough darkspawn to warrant concern though and King Cailan - Alistair's half-brother - called on the nobles of Ferelden to gather their forces at Ostagar to battle the threat. As far as Alistair saw things, the king was more interested in glory, leaving the strategy to his father-in-law Teyrn Loghain who would be responsible for any victories.
Shortly before the main battle several new recruits to the Wardens were brought in. This is where Alistair first appears in the game and from here on the events can play out in different ways depending on the player's choices so I'll be going with the version of canon I've chosen to use here.
One of these new recruits was Aedan Cousland, a young nobleman who's family had recently been all but wiped out by Arl Howe, a lord thought to be their friend. Alistair was given the task of helping the recruits prepare for the Joining, the often fatal ritual that would make them Wardens. They were also to retrieve some old Warden treaties that had previously been abandoned in the wilds near Ostagar. Whilst doing so the group encountered a woman named Morrigan, whom he recognised as an apostate or a mage living outside of the control of the Chantry. He was immediately mistrustful of her both due to her not being bound by the Chantry's rules and her less than friendly demeanor but with the battle close at hand there was nothing to be done about her, much as he might have liked to report her to the Chantry.
Of the new recruits only Aedan survived the Joining and he and Alistair were given the job of lighting a signal beacon during the battle so that Loghain and his men knew when to join the battle. Duncan and the other Wardens would be fighting alongside the king, and while Alistair disliked being kept out of the fighting he obeyed Duncan's commands.
As is nature of such things, everything went wrong during the battle. The signal was lit but Loghain's men did not take to the field, abandoning the Wardens, the king and his men to the darkspawn. Alistair and Aedan were badly injured by darkspawn and passed out, only to awaken later in the hut Morrigan shared with her mother Flemeth out in the wilds. He was distraught to hear that Duncan had been killed during the battle, along with all the other Wardens and the king. Flemeth healed the two surviving Wardens and they made plans to use the treaties they had previously retrieved to enlist help from the various races of Ferelden to end the Blight. Flemeth insisted Morrigan accompany them, something Alistair was less than happy about, the two of them having taken an instant disliking to one another. But off set the valiant trio. And then they got a dog and Alistair was still the dumbest member of the party according to a certain witch.
Despite being the senior Grey Warden, Alistair deferred to Aedan's leadership, lacking the confidence to take charge and not desiring the responsibility of such a role. It's worth noting that there's DLC that's an AU of the game where Alistair is the only surviving Warden and is forced to take lead the group against the darkspawn. A job he seems to perform rather well so he's certainly not a bad leader even at this point if forced into the position. But with someone else to pass the responsibility off onto and caught up in his grief over Duncan's death, he passed that job to the person who's been a Grey Warden for a few days at best.
The group recruited a number of other party members as they go about recruiting forces to fight the darkspawn but for the most part they're not hugely important to Alistair's story and so I'll gloss over them. During this time they found that the Wardens had been blamed for the king's death and Loghain had seized control of Ferelden by claiming to act as his daughter, Queen Anora's regent. Many of the Ferelden nobles protested Loghain taking control and a civil war broke out so in addition to gathering an army the group would eventually need to sort out the matter of Ferelden's leadership. Alistair himself was mostly interested in getting revenge on Loghain for Duncan's death with the question of succession being of less importance to him. Still, as a result of the conflict, Alistair was forced to reveal his parentage to Aedan though he avoided doing so as long as possible as he was used to people treating him differently once they knew. Even with the king dead he had no interest in the throne, quick to claim that, as Cailan's uncle, Eamon himself had a better claim to it.
In no particular order, the group enlisted the help of the Dalish elves - those who have chosen to live a nomadic life preserving as much as they can of the old elven culture that was mostly destroyed by humans - the dwarves and the mages. As they travelled onward Alistair became increasingly unhappy with Aedan's ruthlessness and cavalier attitude towards those in need. He protested the man's choices on numerous occasions, such as when he chose to help a dwarven woman named Branka regain the knowledge required to make golems, a process that required the sacrifice of an living dwarf in an agonising procedure, but his opinions were generally ignored. After a time he confronted the other Warden, angry that he didn't seem to value the legacy of the Wardens as much as Alistair himself did. They argue, Aedan brushing aside his objections with a reminder that Wardens were sworn to do whatever it takes to end a Blight, no matter how unpleasant. Alistair insisted that it was possible to stop the Blight while still being a decent person but eventually gave up. He stayed with the group despite his feelings as he couldn't stop the Blight on his own but remained sullen and resentful of the group's leader.
During this time he met a woman named Goldanna that he believed to be his half-sister from his mother's side, the daughter of the serving girl who he was told was his mother. He tracked her down hoping to find a family for himself, something he'd never really had before. Goldanna rejected him, only interested in if he could offer her money and turned him away. Hurt and disappointed, Alistair was given a harsh life-lesson by Aedan who informed that most people are only out for themselves and he should stop being so naive. A lesson that was ultimately good for him as he began to assert himself more as a result.
After the party healed Arl Eamon of a deathly illness by retrieving a holy relic no one quite believed was real, Eamon agreed to lend them his help in stopping the Blight. He insisted that the civil war must be ended first and suggested that Alistair had a strong enough claim to the throne to challenge Loghain. Alistair was less than happy with this suggestion but agreed to consider the possibility as his first duty was to end the Blight, regardless of his feelings and this could help achieve that goal.
In the capital city of Denerim they were called upon to rescue Queen Anora who had been taken hostage by an ally of Loghain, unbeknownst to the man himself. Anora and Alistair didn't get along at all, as he saw her as being untrustworthy and too much like her father and she saw him as too childish and immature to make a good ruler. Adding to the tension was the fact that Anora wanted to keep her throne while Eamon wanted to crown Alistair, a descendant of the first king of Ferelden. As for Alistair himself, he was still not eager to become king but his self-confidence had grown to the point that he believed he could do it and he mistrusted Anora too much to want to leave her in power.
The question of succession would be decided at the Landsmeet, a meeting of all the major nobles of Ferelden. The Wardens garnered as many supporters among the nobility as possible, using whatever means were available. Finally the day of the Landsmeet arrived and Alistair, Aedan and several others from their party set out for the palace where it was to be held.
Abilities/Special Powers: Alistair is well-trained in combat and primarily fights with a sword and shield. He is also trained in the use of two-handed weapons such as greatswords, polearms and battleaxes. He presumably has some unarmed combat skills as well though he's less practiced in these.
He is also trained in the use of templar talents, abilities designed to block and suppress magic. He's able to resist magic to some degree and to drain it from magic users as well as disrupt spells. The specific abilities he has access to are:
Spell Purge: All hostile magic is dispelled from the surrounding area. This may also cause damage when purging beneficial effects from enemies.
Wrath of Heaven: A blinding pillar of light stuns nearby enemies and damages magic users. This may also partially heal the user.
Righteous Strike: Each of the templar's melee hits against an enemy spellcaster drains a small portion of its mana.
Silence: The templar surrounds a foe in negative energy, preventing the enemy from using magic for a short time.
All these abilities are reliant on lyrium, a highly addictive source of magic that templars take to allow them to utilise these abilities. At least to begin with he'll retain access to these abilities due to the lyrium lingering in his system but as time passes in-game his ability to draw on these will diminish until they are gone. Unless he can gain access to more lyrium which will start the cycle anew.
Furthermore he possesses certain abilities as a Grey Warden although most of these relate to the darkspawn and won't be apparent without them. He can sense the presence of darkspawn and other Wardens and is resistant to the corruption of the darkspawn. Grey Wardens also have mildly increased physical attributes - greater stamina, increased appetite are both mentioned in canon but given the Wardens are famed for their prowess as warriors it seems likely there might be increases in strength and other areas. None of these are to a superhuman level so much as peak physical ability.
Annnd he's also dragon-blooded. Look don't ask how, it seems to just mean his blood is magic which will only matter if someone tries to use it for a spell or whatever. In which case it will just be more potent than normal human blood. He's a sparkly magical snowflake and I am sorry.
Third-Person Sample:
So. Strange grounds, strange manor house off in the distance and no one around but him. This wasn't looking good. About the only bright-side he could see was the absolute lack of darkspawn - he couldn't sense a single one anywhere nearby. But he hadn't sensed any of them - or anything amiss at all - when the demon had him trapped in the Fade. And that hadn't been good. So still not looking good.
"Helloooo? Anyone out here?" He was almost certain he'd been in Denerim just a moment ago, the city as busy and full of people as ever. And he'd been right behind his fellow Warden along with several of their other travelling companions. But nothing. No reply except from a nearby bird that eyed him suspiciously before taking flight.
"Right then." He wasn't going to get anywhere just standing out here waiting for something to happen. And his companions could have been captured - if he'd been captured although this was a very strange prison in that case. Or it really was a Fade dream which was the only explanation he could think of that made even a little bit of sense. Though he didn't know where the demon to create it might have come from. There had been no strange mages around in the city that could have summoned one. He might have forgotten something then - a trap maybe, to stop them from reaching the palace and putting a stop to Loghain's schemes?
Try as he might he couldn't remember anything like that. It was unsettling to say the least.
Well, whatever the case he'd just find his way out. And then find his companions and set them free if they were trapped too. And then go to the Landsmeet and make Loghain finally pay.
Mind made up, Alistair squared his shoulders determinedly and set off towards the manor he could see nearby, searching for any signs of people he could question on his way or anything that looked like a demon.
First-Person Sample: [Video]
So this is new.
[The video feed begins with a close-up of a thumb and then twists nauseatingly around until there's a giant eyeball... that gradually diminishes in size as its owner pulls back from the device. Alistair frowns down at the thing for a moment then shrugs and begins to speak.]
Somebody told me I can use this thing to talk to people. People far away. Not sure I believe them but I do like to talk and this way it doesn't look like I'm crazy and talking to myself. Maybe.
I don't talk to myself normally of course. That would be crazy. But I do talk to myself - and little... boxes - when I get lost and wind up in a strange place I've never seen before. Especially when the whole place is nowhere I know at all. I've travelled a lot - more than usual recently, what with being on the run and all - and this doesn't look like any part of Ferelden I know. I suppose I could have gotten whisked off to some other country...
Ooor, I could be in the Fade again. That would be bad. If it is the Fade there aren't any demons pretending to be... certain people this time. That's good. I think.
What do you think box? Am I lost in the Fade? [His voice turns high pitched and squeaky and the video judders about as the device is waggled back and forth.] 'I think you're right Alistair, you handsome fiend you, you must be in the Fade! Now we just have to go find the eeevil demon that trapped us here and make it let you go!'
[And back to a normal voice, the video steadying again.] I'm glad you agree and I am looking rather handsome today, aren't I? Now, let's go find that demon!
[And left to his own devices the broadcast will go on. And on. And on. As he strides boldly off in search of something that looks like a demon, keeping up a running commentary until he finds someone else to talk at. To. Someone else to talk to.]