Prologue
"I failed the test, I don't see why they have me here at all; spare parts?" The speaker was a wiry elv'han woman with delicate lines tattooed across her face. At a distance the facial marking looked like a stylized arrow which started from her chin, climbed her nose and ended just before her hairline with and some sort of vine or animal horn pattern framed it on her brow and either cheek. It declared her Dalish heritage for all to see. The woman she was addressing could only be her twin, though she lacked the decorative tattoos of her sibling.
"There is always three: Mage, Hunter and Warrior, the eluvian never works, and then we go home and have a big party anyway; quit your bitching, Faelwen, and try to focus on beer and cake when this is all over," The mage groused at her sister as she adjusted the straps on her backpack for the millionth time.
"I'm already thinking about you, naked," The man behind the twins purred salaciously.
"Gross, Thion." Faelwen growled as she jabbed her elbow into the man's stomach, he dodged the blow easily with a laugh.
"Keep dreaming, Wen. You know I was talking to ma vhen'an, Fainariel."
"Tawarthion, Faelwen," Fainariel hissed, "Stop, it's time." In the distance, a bell rang out and the massive, intricately carved doors the trio stood before fell open. The chamber revealed was dominated by a dias which held a massive mirror in an intricately carved frame. The walls were lined with solomon elves, many sporting tattooed faces; all were holding candles. The watchers stood in silent vigil as the trio approached the mirror at a ceremonial speed.
Magic had been fading from the world for millennia, wars were fought over it, selective breeding came to nothing, eventually, genetic experiments had been conducted, and banned as abomination after twisted, destructive abomination had been born. No one had attempted to activate the eluvian in centuries, but every time a dreamer was born, they tried. The small group was armed for battle, kitted with enough gear for a three month journey into the harshest and most extreme of environments and lead by the first dreamer and strongest mage born to the Elv'han race in living memory.
Many had tried to stop the Fainariel from going, unwilling to risk her abilities and most importantly, her potential to breed more like her. Eventually, as it always does with the Elves, tradition won out and she and her sister were sent to be tested. The world was astounded when Fainariel passed, and now, the eluvian stood before the miracle girl.
The mage, the hunter and the warrior placed their hands reverently on the chill glass of the ancient mirror as the mage sent out a tentative tendril of her magic. Nothing happened and Fainarial's companions began to relax, then the mage's hand began to glow against the glass and in an echoing call she inexplicably cried, "Fen'Harel enansal!" The glass rippled and the trio fell through.
For a moment, soft, chilling energy pressed them in on all sides, and then it popped, like a coming to the surface of a pool into humid air. What lay before them looked like a nightmare landscape and oozed wrongness in green tinted light. A small, ornately carved, obsidian box stood before them on a low pedestal. Fainarial took a step towards it, mesmerized. Her first foot fall landed on the dark soil to the sound of glass shattering behind them.
They turned as a unite to find the eluvian behind them had become nothing but a large frame and a pile of broken glass. Faelwen, cried out in despair, Tawarthion swore. Their way back was gone. Something in the distance roared to life and the earth beneath them quaked. "We need to go," Fainariel said urgently as she rushed forward and took the box from hist display.
"Where the fuck are we, Riel?" Faelwen demanded as they began marching, moving for movement's sake.
"We are in the fade, I think physically in the fade. It should not be possible, but we need to find a way out quickly." Her sister answered.
"And, you have a plan to do that, please," Tawarthion pleaded.
"Maybe, think brave thoughts."
"Brave thoughts?" He mumbled confused.
"Inspiring, heroic stuff you remember from movies, or books or something, anything you can think of as brave."
" Are you fucking serious? Think goddamned brave thoughts! How the fuck will that help, Peter Pan!" Faelwen yelled at her sister.
"Hopefully it will attract a spirit of courage who can help, but if we don't focus on positive emotions we are more likely to attract demons of rage, terror and creator's know what else which would only make matters worse." Fainariel answered calmly drawing her staff out, and her pronouncement caused her companions to follow suit. Weapons ready they continued deeper into the fade, following the only path they could find.
There was a green glow on the horizon, like the aurora at home, but localized at a point. It didn't seem far, though distance in a dream is irrelevant, they needed a goal. Time passed, though again it was hard to gage in the fade. The green rift in the sky drew closer, but the black city seemed just always out of reach and looming on the horizon.
Then, the terrors came, and the elves were fighting and running. The terrors took the shape of spiders, beast, black oozes, other demons, anything hellish and ugly the group was afraid of. They ran, they fought for hours, days, it seemed endless and exhausting. As they finally came to the aurora edge they heard voices, a woman with an Orlesian accent and booming, cultured, deep man's Tevinter accent drawled over the defiant woman's outbursts, "Bring forth the sacrifice."
"Go to the glow! I think it might be a rift, hopefully we can use it to escape!" Fainariel yelled as she sent a blast of fire at the terrors chasing them. they climbed a wall of jagged rocks have running have crawling to escape the monsters. Faelwen was the first to the light and hesitantly jumped. Fainarial was next, she could hear her sister's distorted yells and cries of battle on the other side of the shimmering green curtain, but then, Tawarthion screamed in pain and the mage turned her attention back to her lover.
More time passed, the duo managed to fight the terrors back and reach the top of the wall again, but an explosion shook their precarious perch. The resulting blast threw them back into the fade and destroyed any access they could have had to the exit. They were cut off, once again, trapped in the fade, without Faelwen and pursued by demons.
