Authors Note:

So I was looking at my profile and I realized I hadn't published anything in quite awhile. Not to say I haven't been writing, but it's all sort of a big messy pile of text files waiting for me to finish them or polish them or whatever...

Anyway, since I picked up DA2 and became rather enthralled by a certain new painted elf (apparently I like those, who knew), I've decided to tweak things a bit. If you've read any of my previous DA stuff, then just pretend that the whole time, there was ALSO a male human mage warden tagging along with them. It always seemed a little strange to me that unless you chose that origin story, all the other possible THE WARDEN's end up dying or something. So yeah, here it is. This is going to tie in to a DA2 story I'm working on. Also, I haven't ever (unfortunately) played Awakening or the other bits that apparently come after Origins, so I will endeavor not to reference them. At all.

Usual disclaimers apply, bioware owns the stuff, etc etc.

ps, the document editor seems more... uppity then I remember, and is refusing to let me double space between letter-text and stuff-happening-text, so I put in line breaks instead.

edit: fixed a few grammar bits, no major changes

They had been in Kirkwall for a little less then two months when the letter came in, she and Carver still in servitude for quite awhile to work off their (and Gamlen's) debt. Lilith strode wearily into the small house and leaned her staff up against the wall; it had been a long day, working with the mercenary group, and Carver was still out on his own assignment. Usually the siblings worked together on their jobs, but this time Meeran had separated them for his own reasons.

Gamlen glanced up from where he sat brooding by the fire, snapping, "A letter came for you. It's on the desk."

She sighed, moving over to find a surprisingly thick, slightly battered envelope sitting there as promised. The tired mage picked it up and moved into the room she shared with Carver and their mother without sparing a word for her 'favorite' uncle...

Plopping down on her sleeping pallet and kicking off her boots, Lilith examined the letter, her eyes going wide. This was from Ferelden! Who would be writing her from home, and so soon? She pried it open eagerly, brushing short black hair impatiently from her eyes, and pulled out the stack of parchment, settling in to read the startlingly long letter.

Ser Lilith Hawke,

Allow me first to make my introductions, as, if you are who I believe you are, you probably weren't expecting to hear from me any time soon (or ever). I am Daylen Amell. Your cousin, I think it works out to be... Your grandfather and mine were brothers, if I've got this family tree worked out properly...

Let me say now, please forgive any sloppiness of this letter. While I did a fair bit of writing growing up, I never had much cause for writing letters...

Anyway, you're probably wondering how I knew where to send the letter, among other things, and I shall endeavor to anticipate and answer your questions. Why I am contacting you, instead of, say, your mother, or siblings, is because from what I understand, we are the same age. And if I am going to reach out to distant, unknown family members, why not have them be my age, right?

First things first. I am, as you may (or not) know, a mage of the Circle in Ferelden. Also, more recently, I have become a Gray Warden. I was at Ostagar. It was... not pleasant, to say the least. I'll explain more of Ostagar later, I think, but for now let me say that I, along with two others, are the last Wardens in Ferelden, and it is indeed a true blight. I can't explain how I know that as fact, but trust that I do.

As for how I knew who you were, well... I don't. Not really. Not for sure. But I knew that my Aunt Leandra had run off and married a mage, of all things, and that his surname was Hawke... So when we met some refugees who were talking about the Hawke family who'd just barely made their escape from Lothering (you'll understand my chagrin later), I immediately set about to discover if you were related to the Amells, and if so, where you'd all gone.

Why am I writing at all, when I'm one of three people standing between the kingdom and the blight? Well... to be honest, I want someone to have a record of what we're doing. Our plan is... outrageous, to say the least. We'll probably fail. But I want someone to know our story. How we're trying. About our strange travelling companions. About our intent. Because if we fail, you may end up one of the few who knows what really happened. I'm sorry to lay such a burden on you, cousin, but I have no where else to turn...

I want to describe my travelling companions first. As I said, they're a strange group.

First, we happened across Morrigan, in the wilds outside of Ostagar. We actually met her before the... betrayal... that happened there. Before I was even a Warden. She's a mage. A so called 'witch of the wilds', if you want to believe it. Not much of a healer, though, but that's alright. I'm pretty good at the healing magics, so we balance out the group pretty well.

I'm only going to say this once, just in case she somehow manages to read this before I send it... but by the Maker that is one beautiful woman. She has pale, strangely perfect skin (she lived in the wilds her whole life, which is why the perfection seems a bit odd), shiny black hair, and the most enchanting golden eyes I've ever seen. And I mean that. Golden eyes. Not brown, not hazel. Like a hawks eyes, almost (perhaps you two would get along?). She has a fierce gaze to match, and a sharp tongue. I regret to say that she doesn't seem to like me or Alistair (one of my fellow Wardens) very much. Alas... perhaps I will grow on her with time?

Then, after the betrayal (I promise to explain this a bit more later), we four (plus a Mabari) headed out of the wilds into Lothering, just a few days ahead of the blight. Now you can understand my distress. Had I but known, perhaps we could have met face to face...

Anyway, we met Leliana there, in the tavern. She was a lay sister of the Chantry, but she claimed to have had a vision sent by the Maker, that told her to help us. I know. We thought she was crazy at first too, but, as Alistair says, "she seems more... "Ooh, pretty colors!" than "Muahaha! I am Princess Stabbity! Stab, kill, kill!""

Yes, that is a direct quote. He is a droll sort of fellow, for a templar. Ok, he's not a real templar... but he'd been in training when he was conscripted into the Wardens.

Leliana is actually quite pretty as well, though not in such an exotic fashion. She has the brightest red hair I've ever seen, and her eyes are a clear, light blue. (Not the brilliant Amell blue, though. Do you or any of your siblings have the Amell blue eyes? No reason I'm asking, really... just curious.) Leliana is from Orlais, where she was a minstrel before somehow ending up in the Lothering Chantry, and she has a lovely singing voice. I know this, as by this point we've been travelling together for a few weeks, and she sings when she cooks. She took over the cooking the second day out of Lothering, thank the Maker. If I had to try to stomach Alistair's burnt attempts at a meal one more time, I was going to throw myself off the next cliff...

Being a minstrel, she's got all sorts of useful skills, especially in a fight for some reason. She's good with knives, but she excels with her bow, if I'm being honest.

Next, who we also, strangely enough, found in Lothering, is Sten. He's a qunari. He's... smaller then most qunari, from what Alistair tells me, and he doesn't have the horns. I guess they come in different varieties?

Lyna (that's the other Warden who made it out of Ostagar) found him on the outskirts of town with Morrigan and Falon (the mabari) while me and Alistair went looking for supplies. He was in a cage, strangely enough. I'll be honest... I find Sten to be more then a little unsettling. He's so quiet. I've never met a qunari before, I don't know how to bridge that cultural gap... Apparently, he murdered a bunch of people, then just stood there and let himself be captured and caged, left to die a slow death on the edge of town without protest.

You can understand why I have trouble relating to the man... Still, after talking it over with the ladies (Alistair and I had stumbled across Leliana at this point), and then discussing the situation with Sten, he agreed to come help our sad little struggle against the blight. He's really good in a fight, I'm sure you can imagine, so I guess that's good...

Last, but (according to him) not least, we come to Zevran. Honestly, after the last one, I imagine you think we're all completely mad, having an (alleged?) murderer traveling with us... but it only gets stranger.

Zevran is an assassin. An elven one. Something called an Antivan Crow. And get this, he was hired by Loghain to kill us. Well, just us Wardens, technically, though I'm sure he wouldn't have balked at killing the others as well...

I don't know how Loghain organized so fast, or how he knew we'd escaped, but not long after we left Lothering, we (and by we, I mean Lyna, Morrigan, Leliana and Sten) fell into an ambush, set by the Crows. Somehow or another, Zevran swore himself to Lyna's service. I really think that one is going to turn around to bite us in the ass later (and I don't only mean that figuratively, if the Antivans innuendo is anything to be believed), but alas, I am not in charge.

And now, finally, I come to my fellow Wardens... I'll start with Alistair. He was, as I said before, training to be a templar before he became a Warden. And let me tell you, that has given him more then a few useful skills in a fight. I should probably mention that, despite the fact that he's been in the Wardens longer (if only by a few months) then either Lyna or myself (we joined the same day, same ceremony, even), he is also not in charge of our little... expedition. Which is fine. Alistair isn't really the leading type. He's good in a fight though, and he lightens the tension rather easily... and you should hear him and Morrigan snipe at each other. It's completely amusing.

Anyway, he's, you know, normal looking. I realized just now that I went into more then a little detail describing the ladies, and now I'm at a bit of a loss to describe the men, and then I went and skipped over poor Zevran. I imagine he'd be hurt by my neglect. Or at least he'd pretend to be. I can never tell with him. Anyway, Alistair has short, blondish hair that he fusses over far too much considering our situation. Zevran is... how to describe Zevran... He's very... goldy. Blonde hair, tan skin, amber eyes. As I said, goldy. And he's got this rather nifty tattoo the left side of his face, sort of wavy lines along his cheek. I imagine that hurt quite a bit, having that done.

Did I mention I have a tattoo myself? Mine is also on my face, sort of hard to describe... but it didn't hurt. I had it done in the Circle Tower, of course, so we used magic to numb the area first.

Then there's Lyna. Lyna Mahariel. She's dalish, and she slipped rather effortlessly into the role of leader, once we realized we'd lived through Ostagar (I'll tell you how later). I just realized that a strange number of our group have tattoos on our faces, though hers is special or something. And way more extensive, a bunch of curving, almost wheel-like markings across her forehead in faint purple ink, and more on her chin, interspersed with faint flame like patterns. Leliana tells me most dalish have symmetrical markings, but our Lyna doesn't. She's got another... wheely thing on the right side, going right across her eye and down her cheek.. Some sort of dalish thing, I guess. I can't even imagine how much that hurt having it done.

Anyway, it just occured to me that she is also quite beautiful, though, being an elf that's not surprising. I personally find most elves to be rather pretty. Anyway, she's got really long ebony hair, but she keeps it pulled up most of the time, pale skin, and she's got violet eyes. Now, I know most people who say 'violet eyes' mean some sort of blue... but I do not. I mean purple. Though, now that I think about it, that seems to depend on her mood more then a little. Maybe that's an dalish thing, or maybe that's just Lyna... I know not all elves have eyes that shift color with their mood. I knew a lot of elves in the Circle... Lyna's eyes seem to vary from their normal violet shade, to a slightly darker, bluer purple, and then the other way to a pale lilac. Very strange.

Lyna fights with a bow too, like Leliana. Though she's a much better shot (if you're snooping, Leliana, and you read this, don't come crying to me, you know it's true), and she uses a bow that's longer then she is tall (she's rather short, even for an elf, and slender like they all tend to be). I don't know how we three Wardens ended up with the fate of Fereldan on our shoulders, but I'll tell you right now, we'd be doomed if not for Lyna. She keeps us focused, keeps us on track. She always seems to have a plan. Right now, we're heading towards the Brecillian Forest...

And now, it's time for me to explain the 'important' things. To me, the really important things are the people. They're the ones... we're the ones who are (hopefully) going to end the blight, save the world... But I said I wanted someone to know our story, and so I should probably tell it, right?

Before the Joining, (that's the ritual that makes you a Grey Warden), me and the rest of the recruits were stuck waiting for Duncan (he was our leader) to get back. He'd made one last recruitment run before the battle that changed everything. I'll name them here, the ones who didn't make it. There was Jory. He was a knight from Highever. He was a bit thick, not as brave as you'd expect... And Daveth... now there was a rogue worth knowing. He'd been a pickpocket, apparently, and he'd tried to filch Duncan's purse one day. He was clever, and fast with his blades. And he was braver and more noble then you'd expect from someone who grew up on the streets... And he was so much fun to play cards with...

And Faren Brosca, a dwarf from Orzammar. He'd been a commoner. A criminal of some sort. He'd fought in something called a proving, and won, only to have his status revealed. Apparently only nobles and 'warrior caste' can fight in provings. He ended up in some crime bosses prison, only to escape and run into Duncan. He was sharp, and a good warrior, and clever, so very clever. He and Daveth got along amazingly well.

The last was Elissa Cousland. I imagine you might recognize the name. She was a noble, the last of the Couslands. Her whole family was murdered, killed by Arl Rendon Howe. Well, except for her brother, Fergus, who was at Ostagar and is probably dead now too. She was... somber. And pretty, with bright green eyes. But she didn't socialize with us much. I think she was still grieving, to be honest.

They all died in the joining, though. Everyone died, except for me and Lyna. I don't know why. They were all strong, all determined. All brave... well, except for Jory. You might get the idea that I didn't get along with him, and you'd be right. Jory tried to forsake his oath to undergo the joining, he drew a sword on Duncan.

Anyway...

Once Duncan arrived, with Lyna in tow (she reminded me a bit of Elissa at first, being very reserved), and we were sent into the wilds with Alistair to kill a bunch of darkspawn and collect some things. Also, to find an ancient cache of the Wardens, which was supposed to hold some treaties. The treaties, if invoked, would require those they referred to to give the Warden's any and all assistance. Treaties for everyone, from the Dalish elves to the mages of the Circle, the Dwarves off Orzammar, and the very armies of Fereldan itself...

If you're clever, I imagine you've worked out our crazy plan, at least a bit.

The treaties. We did find them, and they said exactly what they were supposed to. So that's our plan. Go around, use the treaties, gather an army of our own to replace the one lost at Ostagar, and use it to push back the blight and kill the Archdemon.

Easier said then done, right?

We're heading for the Dalish first. Lyna says if we don't find them quickly, the clans will have all moved north, to avoid the coming blight, and we won't be able to call upon their assistance. I hope this works, cousin. If not, Ferelden will be lost. I wish we had time to send for more Wardens. More experienced Wardens... but even if we could reach them, Loghain has control of the throne now and I doubt he'll be letting any new Wardens into the country. Not after what he did...

Oh yes. I did promise, didn't I?

Well, the very next night after our Joining, it was the eve of the battle. Alistair, Lyna and I were given the task of lighting a signal beacon on the top of the Tower of Ishal. The idea was, King Cailan and Duncan would lead the entirety of the Grey Wardens and a number of other forces in a frontal assault on the darkspawn horde, then, once they were engaged, we'd light the beacon and Loghain would sweep in behind with his troops, crushing the horde between the two armies.

Well, we did our job, difficult though it was, what with the tower being overrun by darkspawn before we even entered the thing. Loghain ignored our signal. He ordered his troops to quit the field, leaving Duncan, the Wardens... the King to die. The only reason me, Alistair and Lyna are still alive is because of Morrigan's mother. She's a mage too, a powerful one. She can shapeshift, if you believe it, and apparently (I'm not sure how much of this I believe) she swooped in and plucked us off the top of the tower in huge, birdy talons. See, after we lit the beacon, we were overrun again. I don't remember much, but I got shot full of arrows. Lyna was mobbed by genlocks and I think Alistair might have tripped on a rock and hit his head.

Ok, no, he probably went down same as the rest of us, but it's hard to give him credit when the blighter managed to dive out of the way while I got shot.

Oh well, he's still a loveable sort.

Anyway... I want to explain a bit more about Lyna, I think, before I sign this and seal it, hopefully before anyone gets a chance to read it. If they haven't already. I mean, we're travelling, so I've been writing this in stages...

Lyna, she's... she's like a force of nature. For example, Morrigan. Morrigan doesn't seem to like anyone. She's sharp-tongued, sort of broody, and she keeps to herself. But Lyna and Morrigan always seem to be chatting, whispering to each other. And the mabari! I forgot to tell you about Falon. He was sick at the camp at Ostagar, but the kennel master had us look for some plants in the wilds when we went out before the Joining to help him. Lyna was the only one who'd go into his pen, the poor dog was half-mad from darkspawn blood.

But in she went, murmuring in some language I don't know. Elvish, I guess. And he calmed right down, letter her muzzle him so the kennel master could work on him. And then, after it all, the crazy dog survived through the battle, and after, and found us on the road on our way to Lothering. I don't know how he found us, but he apparently imprinted or whatever on Lyna. You have to be pretty impressive for a mabari to choose you, you know...

And the assassin... Lyna is the only one who will talk to him. Maybe it's because they're both elves, or maybe it's something else, I dunno, but he's less... threatening when she's around. Not that he's actually threatening. He's not made a single threat since he joined the camp, and he doesn't even have his weapons back as of this writing... but him being an assassin still makes me nervous.

And then there's Alistair. After the battle, when we were recovering at Flemeth's place in the wilds (she's Morrigan's mother, the one who saved us), Alistair sank into a depressed funk. But by the time we were well enough to travel, Lyna had pulled him out of it, more or less.

I want to say, though, that Lyna is not perfect, though I realize I may be making her seem that way. She's... sad. She was so reserved at Ostagar, and she never talks about what happened to have her join the Wardens. We all had our little stories of how we'd ended up there... My best friend turned out to be a blood mage, and I'd only just passed my Harrowing when he tricked me into helping him escape, into destroying his phylactery... But that's a story for another letter, I think.

Back to Lyna... She seemed a little sick when she and Duncan got there, but after the Joining she was fine... I think she's thrown herself into this... outlandish task to distract herself from whatever happened back with her clan.

And that's another thing. She calls us her new clan. I guess that's important to the Dalish. It's like we're her new, adopted family. She was quite clear that her old clan was just fine, perfectly alive and all... but she could never go back.

So here I am, Warden Circle Mage Daylen Amell, clan mate to a pair of elves, one of which is an assassin sent to kill me, a sharp-tongued witch, an Orlesian minstrel, a Qunari murderer, a former templar, and a dog. I'll tell you, cousin. As we wander through these forests looking for elusive elves, I find myself strangely hopeful of our success.

I hope to write to you again. We're heading for Redcliffe next, after we find the dalish. Alistair says he knows Arl Eamon, that he's a good man who would stand with us against the blight, against Loghain if need be.

So, if it turns out that you are the Lilith Hawke I think you are, related to the Amell family, and you want to send a response (if not, I won't be offended), send it to Redcliffe I guess, via the Chantry. If you're not, though, maybe send me a note letting me know? I'll probably keep sending you letters, hoping to leave a record of what we're doing, though, regardless.

Sincerely,
Your cousin (?),

Daylen Amell of the Grey Wardens