If Hawke is a warrior or rogue, Carver is killed during the attack on Lothering when he charges an ogre in order to protect Leandra. However, if Hawke is a mage, then Bethany dies instead while Carver survives to accompany his family to Kirkwall.
Carver spends a year working with his elder sibling to repay their passage into Kirkwall. Carver is particularly bitter once in the Free Marches city. He feels no real connection to the city and believes Leandra is trying to force a past on the family that she had long left behind. Furthermore, part of Carver resents being overlooked and having to give up opportunities in order to protect his mage sibling from scrutiny. Even so, Carver cares deeply for his family and works for their welfare in Kirkwall. Carver and Hawke plan on joining The Deep Roads Expedition, in the hopes that enough wealth and influence will keep the templars from Hawke. As Hawke gathers money to pay for the Deep Roads expedition, Carver gradually comes to see why people fear magic. Having grown up surrounded by magic, Carver did not see it as something to fear (though he never truly understood it either) until he witnessed the darker side of it from Kirkwall's blood mages. He eventually shows more sympathy toward templars, particularly after learning he was named after the templar who freed Malcolm Hawke from the Circle of Magi. After amassing the fifty sovereigns needed to fund the expedition, Carver volunteers to join his elder sibling in the Deep Roads venture. His mother however, begs him to remain at home. Carver protests, but the final decision is made by Hawke.
Left at home
If Carver is left at home when Hawke sets out for the expedition, he willingly leaves the Hawke family to join the templars. Carver believes that joining the templars is his chance to prove himself and escape his elder sibling's shadow. Though resentful for being left behind from the expedition, he tells Hawke he does not intend to reveal that they are a mage. His training and duties as a new templar prevent him from joining his older sibling throughout their time in Kirkwall. A letter reveals that Carver found his calling among the templars, though he is wary of the Order's extreme elements.
During the First Battle of Kirkwall, he is present with Knight-Commander Meredith as she leads a group of templars in Hightown.
As hostilities between mages and templars increase, Carver is kidnapped by Grace and Thrask who are inciting a rebellion to overthrow Meredith, believing that the Champion is working for the Knight-Commander regardless of their allegiances in the mage-templar struggle.
During the Kirkwall Rebellion in 9:37 Dragon, Carver supports the templars who are tasked by Knight-Commander Meredith to annul the Circle of Magi. In a last attempt to make Hawke join the templars, he asks if the Champion will fight their brother, giving Hawke the option of responding that Carver has been itching to fight them for a long time. Hawke can also ask him if he's willing to fight his sibling as well, to which Carver responds that it isn't what he wants and begins to express doubts. Meredith reminds him of his duty as a templar. If the Champion sided with the templars, Carver expresses surprise that it was the Templar Order which brought the siblings closer together. When the Champion goes to confront Meredith, Carver and Cullen side with Hawke—Carver stating that he will not murder his sibling for her. Carver may help out Hawke during the conflict. He automatically joins his sibling if Hawke does not have a full party.
Taken on the Deep Roads
If Carver comes with Hawke to the Deep Roads, he contracts the Taint. If Anders was also brought along to the expedition, the mage reveals that a group of Grey Wardens are nearby. Should Hawke choose to find the Wardens, Carver is saved, at the cost of leaving his family to undertake the Joining. Hawke later learns that Carver survived the Joining to become a Grey Warden, but that the new recruit can't come back to the Hawke family. If Anders is not present, or if Hawke chooses not to seek out the Wardens, Carver must be killed.
During the First Battle of Kirkwall, Carver appears as a Grey Warden passing through Lowtown with Stroud or Alistair and other Wardens. If Hawke tells Carver about the death of their mother, he tells Hawke that he already heard the news and he's sure that they did their best for her. However, he cannot join Hawke to save the city from the Qunari.
If Hawke is asked to find Nathaniel Howe in the Deep Roads, a Grey Warden Carver is seen fighting darkspawn. If Hawke has high enough friendship with Carver, Carver thanks Hawke for helping him; otherwise, he starts arguing about his sibling sticking their nose into everything, before being interrupted by Nathaniel who asks if they know each other.
As hostilities between mages and templars increase, Carver is kidnapped by Grace and Thrask who are inciting a rebellion to overthrow Meredith, believing that the Champion is working for the Knight-Commander regardless of their allegiances in the mage-templar struggle.
During the Kirkwall Rebellion in 9:37 Dragon, a Grey Warden Carver seeks out Hawke and ask them to let him fight by their side, thanking his sibling for saving his life. Carver is now content with his life as a Grey Warden and believes his actions can make the world a better place. He thinks he can start making a difference by aiding his sibling deal with the crisis at hand. When asked about how his role as a Warden could allow him to intervene when Grey Wardens are supposed to be neutral, Carver replies that Hawke saved his life and gave his life meaning by making him a Grey Warden; he won't thank his sibling by doing nothing while they start a war. If Hawke sided with the templars, Carver expresses surprise that Hawke, who is a mage, is helping Meredith annull the Circle.
