"And so is the Golden City blackened.

With each step you take in my hall.

Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting.

You have brought Sin to Heaven

And doom upon all the world."

Canticle of Threnodies 8:13

Fourteen years ago, the Cousland estate...

It had been seven years since the birth of Richard Cousland. The Reverend Mother who over saw the birth divined that the little tyke had great things in his future. With her blessing the child was born. Seven years later she was overseeing the boy's seventh birthday party. All had been planned out; Nan had been slaving away all day in order to make the boys favourites. Everything was going to plan, the guests were due to arrive shortly and then the festivities could really begin. The only problem at the moment was finding the younger Cousland. Ever since he had learnt how to walk he had been causing trouble and today was no exception. Today's foray had found Richard walking across the battlements, sword in hand. Normally Richard wasn't allowed any type of weapon, but with seven being an important year, the Teyrn had given him his first sword. So naturally the only place to practice was on the battlements.

The sword wasn't in itself heavy, but to the untrained man it was exhausting. So you can imagine what it was like for a child. In his own mind he was winning, if anyone else saw him they would have seen a simple child playing at being soldier. But for him he was battling demons of the fade, they were tricky demons. Not always staying in the same place, especially those that used the shadows to move about. They were hard to detect, every now and then one would touch his skin. But when visible they were easily defeated, the sunlight didn't help these shades. It was the fire that took the most out of him. It burned the skin and left him with minor burns, luckily his skin turned to frost in order to protect him. This only helped him stay alive long enough for his father to arrive and see him playing. The demons only visible at close range. The closer the Teyrn got, the more he saw of the struggle occurring on the battlements. The scattered remains of the fallen demons lay all around the young Cousland, his ice form was clearly visible at this range and the fire that was beginning to envelop him was burning bright. The Teyrn arrived at the right moment to save his son; he raised his voice and sounded the alarm amongst the castle. The guards arrived quickly enough to see Richard finish of the last demon. With a quick lift of his arm he called forth a forgotten power and froze the demon in place. As the flames died he was unveiled to the guards, his body still encased in ice. As he emerged from his ice form he was greeted by looks of horror by everyone including his father. Magic was a forbidden art; those who showed themselves with this taint were sent directly to the Circle of Magi.

It was the Teyrn who made the first move; he enveloped his son in his arms and took him away back into the castle and straight towards the Chapel. It would seem that in such an uncertain amount of time rumours would spread. Leading to the corridors to be filled with guards making sure the maleficar made it to the right destination. At the entrance to the Chapel, the reverend mother was already waiting; even she it seems was not immune to gossip. She hustled the father and son in and closed the door on the gathering hordes. Removing the son from the father's arms she moved him over to a cot and left him to sleep. Whilst the boy slept, the father argued with the Reverend Mother. The topic was the boy and his future. The Reverend Mother wanted him to be taken by the Templars to the Circle of Magi, whereas the Father wanted him to stay. He was a Cousland after all and should reside with the family. But the Reverend Mother would have nothing of it, it wasn't until the Teyrna arrived that the argument was cut short. As hard as it may be to make a decision under this situation the Teyrna spoke, it was her son and as it was she that nurtured him she would make the final decision. She knew what she wanted, she wanted her son with her, but she also knew that it could not be. Too many people had witnessed the taint making its mark; he had to go to the Circle. The Templars were sent for.

Fourteen years later. The Circle of Magi...

The night was dark and the temperature was below zero, but for the young Cousland this wasn't a problem. He found solace in the cold; it was his only real true friend. The only place he felt comfortable was buried within the cold and this was where the Templars found him. It had been decided that tonight would be the night that Richard would go under the Harrowing. But first they had to reach him, the Templars may have been able to block any magic that was being used against them, but for magic that wasn't being directly used against them was a different matter. In their steel encased bodies they soon found themselves battling hypothermia. The steel only helping to increase their discomfort. The closer they got to the young man, the harder it became to breath and move, leaving them to fall back and wake up an enchanter in order to break the boys frozen state. His internal clock would allow him to wake up when needed, other than that nothing could interrupt his state like sleep. The only enchanter so far that had managed to break his state was Senior Enchanter Wynne. So naturally that was who they brought. As soon as she arrived she cast an arcane shield around herself and made her way towards the source. The Templars stood waiting for her to complete her task, when they finally felt the cold disappear they knew that she had been successful. Soon enough she walked out with the young Cousland in tow. The now twenty-one year old Cousland had grown up into a fierce looking fellow. His eyes once green had turned to blue, due to his continuous usage of ice. His once curly brown hair had turned to thick brown locks that draped down his back and his brown beard made him look wiser than his years. This was the man that the young Cousland had become, no longer the little boy full of joy, but now a talented ice mage leaving to complete his harrowing.

The harrowing was to take place at the top of the tower under the watchful eyes of the Templar and First Enchanter Irving. The harrowing was the pivotal point in a mages life; it's what keeps them alive. To fail the harrowing was to die. If the Templars weren't happy with what they saw, it meant immediate execution. With this being such an important event in a mages life, they were never told when it was going to happen. Hence the reason why Richard was taken in the middle of the night. Waiting for the young Cousland were First Enchanter Irving and the Templars under the command of Knight Commander Gregoir. In the middle of the room lay a supply of lyrium, the task was simple drink the lyrium and enter the fade. Once there you were to find your way out, not knowing of the dangers that would lie ahead. The young Cousland was directed to partake of the lyrium and was then left to the fade.

"Where am I?"

"You are in the fade Richard; there is no need to panic."

The fade wasn't exactly what Richard was expecting. Since the beginning of his apprenticeship it had been drilled in that the fade was a horrible place. From all the books he had read the fade was apparently a desolate place where demons and the spawn of Tevinter lived, but from what was before him at the moment, he had to beg to differ. Before him stood a remnant of his past, his mother. He'd always wanted to go home, but Chantry and Circle law stopped him from doing so. His mother looked beautiful, it had been years since he had last seen her and age had only improved her beauty.

"Mother, how are you in the fade?"

"It is not a happy tale Richard and I cannot tell it. Only this, seek out Duncan Commander of the Grey, fade walker."

"Fade walker?"

"It is who you are; it is what the Maker has made you. You are walking the fade, more so than the others who have come before."

"Who are you spirit, you have the resemblance of my mother, yet you aren't her. You presume to give me advice, yet at the same time there's something more."

"You are correct. I'm not your mother, nor am I a demon. I am a spirit of faith. The council I have given you would do well to remember. You will come into your own soon enough fade walker; time for you to wake up."

For what had felt like only a few minutes in the fade had actually been a several days. The Knight Commander had been worried more and more about Richard becoming an abomination, if it hadn't been for the Senior Enchanter then Richard would have perished. When Richard finally came round he was still lying on the floor in the harrowing chamber surrounded by Templars, it wasn't the most comforting sight for a mage to wake up to. It was the Senior Enchanter that informed him of his success at passing his harrowing, upon hearing the news Richard collapsed back into a heap on the floor. It wasn't uncommon for a mage to wake and collapse straight away after completing their harrowing and then waking again in their new quarters, such was the case with Richard. Upon waking he found a face looking down at him, a rather beautiful face.

"Hullo Morrigan."

"Richard. I believe congratulations are in order, for what good it'll do you."

"Nice to see you to. How did you get into the tower?"

"Do you really think a few Templars are going to stop a witch of the wilds from going where they want? Besides I missed annoying you."

"And I missed you as well. How did you know where I was?"

"Truthfully, I followed you back from your last hunt. Your shape is most impressive, a direwolf yes. Have you considered other forms?"

"I have, how did you know it was me?"

"Think back Richard, what did I say the first time we met?"

Three years ago. Lothering.

It was the first time that Richard had been allowed out of the tower since he was taken by the Templars. The grass felt wonderful against his feet and the air felt fresh, every sense was magnified due to his confinement within the same stale environment. Even though he still had a Templar guardian with him he felt free, he was so grateful to the Senior Enchanter and Knight Commander for trusting him. Lothering had called out for a healer from the Circle of Magi to be sent immediately, and in their wisdom they had sent Richard along with the Templar Cullen. Cullen wasn't exactly an ordinary Templar, he wasn't controlled by the constant intake of lyrium and Chantry scripture, in fact he was still young and naive to the ways of the Templar, so much so that there was a rumour around the circle of him and another mage, Solona Amell.

They had reached Lothering within a few days and stayed in the local Chantry overnight, under the protection of the local Templars. The day after Richard spent healing the local people of their ailments, it had been a tiring day. Normally the people would have feared a mage coming into town, but knowing that they were being protected by Templars from the single mage, they tempted fate and had any ailment healed. As the sun set on the fourth day Richard was making his way back to the Chantry with Cullen and he had the urge to shift. He'd been doing it discreetly for several years in the lower levels of Kinloch Hold. He had found a book in the Senior Enchanters office that was instructions on how to change form, since then he had become adept at it. No one knew about his new magical profession and that was the way it had to stay. Once back in his room he waited until midnight to change, from his room the direwolf jumped out of the window and darted into the forest.

As Richard made his way through the forest in his new form, he could feel his new senses take over. The wolfs sense of smell picked up a unique sense, it wasn't quite wolf but it wasn't all human either and it warranted a looking into. With his nose guiding him he made quick time at discovering the source of the scent, in the clearing in front of him was another direwolf just sat seemingly waiting for him. As soon as he walked into the clearing the direwolf shifted form into that of a young woman. After shifting himself Richard moved closer to the woman.

"Hullo."

"I am Morrigan."

"Richard."

"How did you break free of your leash?"

"My leash?"

"Yes, your leash, the Templars that have been guarding you."

"Easily. No one at the circle knows about shifting. The book I found was hidden away in the Senior Enchanters room, I taught myself. And if you shift slowly enough the Templars can't detect the magic being used."

"Risky though yes?"

"Yes, but it was needed."

"What do you intend with your new found freedom?"

"Nothing. I can't escape, not with my phylactery still intact. The Templars would hunt me down."

"What if I told you that in your wolf form you cannot be tracked?"

"I would ask what the catch is."

"Wit in a Circle Mage, always where you least expect to find it. The catch would only be minor. I can teach you how, only one person will be able to trace you afterwards."

"I take it that would be you."

"Perhaps."

Circle Tower, Kinloch Hold

"Perhaps indeed."

"Say what you will. I have a purpose here."

"And here I was thinking you just came to see me."

"Would it surprise you if I told you that the whole world doesn't revolve around you? Although in this case, perhaps it does. I am in need of your assistance but you may not like it. You see in the vaults of this place, I'm led to believe that there is a grimoire that belonged to a relative of mine. I need it. You will help yes?"

"I take it this will be the favour returned?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps not. That depends what you consider the greater favour. In the vault they also keep your phylacteries I believe, this would be the most ideal time to take it."

"That would be the favour returned. When do you wish to do this?"

"Now."

"Very well, you'll need to..."

Whilst Richard had been addressing the situation Morrigan had quickly and silently shifted into that of a cat, which climbed up and settled itself nicely into the hood of Richards's robes. A soft purring could be heard coming out of the hood as Morrigan the cat made itself at home. The vaults weren't hard to find, Richard passed them every night he decided to shift so he knew his way. They got as far as the vault door before they had to stop, the door was hot to touch. Sealed by fire.