The moon rose high above the Brecillian Forest as the wind rustled the trees. The five mages quietly made their way through the underbrush their robes flowing in the breeze, each gripping a magical stave tightly and wearing similar looks of concern. One of them, a young elven woman with blond hair yelped as she stumbled over a tree branch. "Silence fool, lest we draw the attention of every foul beast in this accursed jungle" snapped one of her companions. "Now now Pierre, no need to be rude" chided the tallest mage, a bronze skinned man with silver hair pulled back and wearing Senior Enchanter robes. "My apologies Enchanter Rolund" mumbled Pierre. Rolund smiled gently at his charges. "It wont be further now till we reach the edge of the forest, then we can make camp for the night."
"Will we be able to really begin a new life in Tevinter Master Rolund? Will we really be free?" inquired the young mage that had fallen. Rolund regarded her with his dark eyes, flashing a momentary lapse of concern before relaxing into the kind smile he now bore. "Lina my dear, you know as well as I that the life of a mage is difficult. We spend our entire lives being persecuted by the Chantry and feared by our fellow man. I plan on joining the Tevinter mages and studying under them. So yes we can." Lina grinned, her ears drooping as they did when she was excited about something. She began walking ahead of the group, turning and walking backwards to speak to her fellow escapees. "I suppose anything will be better than living in the Circle" she considered. "I plan on-" Lina was suddenly blasted off her feet. She flew over her friends' heads, landing hard on the ground. Rolund backed away from the area, raising his staff. "Its a glyph of repulsion! Everyone staves out, and to me!" The group quickly drew their staffs, each looking around fearfully. "Wh-wh-who's out there?! Show yourself templar!" shouted Pierre, gripping his whitewood staff so tightly his knuckles were as white as the staff itself.
"I am no templar, maleficar scum" a voice, almost as soft as the wind uttered. Rolund mumbled an incantation under his breath and raised a spell shield around himself and his charges. His eyes darted around the dark background of the forest, straining to see anything that moved. "I, Rolund, Senior Enchanter of the Ferelden Circle of Magic, order you to show yourself at once!" The voice laughed mockingly, coldly. "You gave up that title when you defied the Chantry's laws maleficar scum. It does not move me."
Suddenly from the darkness, two eyes appeared, glowing brightly as lyrium. A tall muscular man stepped forward from the shadows. He wore a black battlemage's hood with golden glyph symbols etched into it. His armor and boots appeared to be made of drakeskin, dyed black with more golden glyph symbols. His gloves were leather, but had a glow around the hands as if they had lyrium woven into them. On his back he carried a sword of Qunari make, its blade solid at the bottom and splitting into two at the halfway mark, its edges serrated. The blue lyrium glyphs carved into the blade shone brightly in the night, giving the blade an ethereal glow. His arms, legs, and neck had long blue marks that glowed like his sword, the mark of lyrium branded into his flesh.
"Who are you?! Why do you hunt us?!" screamed Pierre as he helped Lina to her feet. The figure regarded them coldly, the lyrium in his eyes giving his gaze a surreal chill. "Do you not know me maleficar?" he asked. Rolund raised his staff. "You will not threaten these children Spirit Hunter! Your quarrel is with me alone. Let them go" The Hunter regaled the Enchanter with his ice gaze. "I do not allow apostates to escape from me. You know this well Rolund. You remember what happened to your lover when she tried to escape me." "YOU WILL NOT SPEAK OF HER!" yelled Rolund. He waved his staff and sent a lightning bolt at the hunter. He quickly drew his sword and swatted the bolt into the sky. He sent a chilling smile towards the group of runaway mages. "If you shall not go peacefully, I will be forced to slay you"
"Attack!" shouted Rolund. Two of the mages drew their staves and sent fire and ice towards the Hunter. He raised his left hand and moved it in a circular motion, the magical energies disappeared into the fade. He then sent a purple bolt of spirit energy towards the mage that cast the ice spell. It blasted him backwards, he slammed hard into a tree and crumpled to the ground. The mage who cast the fire spell swung her stave towards the hunter, launching into a much practiced routine with her stave twirling it around with all her strength trying to land a blow. The Hunter expertly parried all of her attacks with his sword. He forced her back with a counterattack, then leapt into the air, twirling into a swing. His momentum sliced her stave in half, then leaned forward as he ran her through with his sword.
He grunted as an ice shard pierced his shoulder, he turned and saw Rolund, Pierre, and Lina casting their most powerful elemental spells at him. He cast a Crushing Prison on Pierre, he screamed as the telekinetic energy crushed his ribs. He dodged a stonefist attack from Lina, rolling along the ground. He traced a glyph in the air with his sword and sent it toward Lina. The ground around her glowed blue, and she collapsed as she starting bleeding from her nose and ears. Rolund screamed in fear and anger, and slammed his staff to the ground. A blast of telekinetic energy blasted the hunter backwards. He stumbled a few steps backward, and Roland moved in. He swung his staff and caught the hunter in the stomach. He twirled again and caught him in the knee with a followup blow. As he raised his hand to perform a killing curse, the hunters arm tattoos glowed brightly as the thrust it forward into Rolund's chest. Rolund dropped his staff as the Hunter grasped his heart inside his chest. The Hunter stood up and stared into Rolunds eyes as the life drained out of him. "Find Peace at the Maker's side apostate." Rolund spit blood as his eyes clouded over. "Maker...curse...you..."