The Warden recruits looked over at the noise.
"What's happening over there?" Ser Jory, a knight from Redcliffe asked curiously, his blood ringing at the battle cry of the Highevers.
"Lady Cousland must have told them about Howe." Cullen observed, he stood close by Lucia after the looks she'd been getting from the soldiers around them, she was quite pretty and he felt a certain duty to protect her not just as a mage but as fellow a Warden and because he cared about her a great deal.
"She can certainly raise a convincing call to war from the sounds of it." One of the senior Wardens, Stroud, smiled, "She's the one who kicked you on your ass right?" he grinned to Duncan.
Duncan chuckled, "The same."
"Probably a good thing you didn't conscript her, she'd be bloody well running things in no time at all." His orlesian accent was filled with mirth at the thought.
Alistair and the little elven mage were approaching, they appeared to be deep in animated conversation, Alistair grinning like a big kid at the enthusiasm of the little kid who'd never been out of the tower before and was asking questions about everything.
Lucia rolled her eyes at the elf but in good nature, "Seriously she's like a child."
"One who can knock you on your ass with a mere blink." Cullen grinned at her.
"Tried that on you did she?" Lucia returned the grin, she'd seen Ashana do it before and was not ashamed to admit that the elf was far more powerful than she was.
"Alistair." Duncan greeted him with a nod, "Finished sassing mages?"
Alistair flushed, "I was just passing on a message and he got all snappy at me."
Duncan was not smiling, "We need everyone to work together, antagonizing our allies is not the way to proceed."
"I-I understand, sorry Duncan it won't happen again." he sighed, his shoulders deflating a little.
Duncan nodded, "Now that we're all here, introductions are in order. I am Duncan, Warden Commander." he did not say where he was from for it was no longer important.
"Stroud, Warden." Stroud nodded. Though he wouldn't be staying for the battle as he had messages to take to the Wardens in Orlais.
"Alistair, Warden." he grinned happily.
"Ashana, Mage." the little elf grinned to match the human's beside her.
"Jory, Knight from Redcliffe." He hadn't caught on to the leaving previous homes out.
"Daveth, cutpurse." he smirked and received a few wary glances.
"Cullen, Templar." he shot a nasty look at Gaveth as he eyed Lucia over lecherously.
"Lucia, Mage." she didn't notice either looks as she was admiring Alistair.
"Kallian." she didn't have a profession as such so looked to Duncan for whatever he wanted to say next.
Duncan nodded, "For you all to become Wardens you must go through the joining ritual. The beginnings of which will take you into the Wilds. Each of you must collect a vial of darkspawn blood." he looked at the young faces grimly.
"What's the blood for?" Lucia's mind instantly reverted to a high level of concern about blood magic.
"You will find out in due time. You will also be required to perform a second task that is unrelated to the joining." Duncan turned to Alistair, "You will need to go to the old Warden tower and retrieve some vital documents that were left behind."
Alistair nodded, Duncan had shown him where to go on a map earlier, "The Treaties right?"
"Indeed." Duncan acknowledged, "You need to head out at once. I know the recruits I brought today have had little time to rest but with the approach of the horde the sooner this is done the better. Alistair will guide you." he crossed his arms over his chest and bowed, dismissing them.
As the group headed out it was clear that Jory was very wary of the mages and probably only kept his calm because of Cullen being a Templar. Daveth had no such qualms and seeing how the templar guarded the human mage he set his sights on the elven one, whom he thought was far prettier anyway being elven and all. Kallian scowled at him, knowing his type immediately and positioning herself behind so she could intervene if he did something stupid to Ashana, the only person in this group she actually liked.
They fought their way through the Wilds. At the first sighting of darkspawn it was Ashana who surprised them all and reacted first with a searing fireball. The dainty little mage turned out to be quite the little fury. Cullen's templar skills were more honed that Alistair's and were sorely needed as they encountered a magically skilled darkspawn emissary that without its magical ability was quickly cut down by an incensed Kallian.
By the time they reached the ruined tower everyone was filthy and all but the mages were covered in the thick, vile ichor of darkspawn blood.
"Well, well what have we here?" Morrigan purred at the rather large group that was clearly not a scouting party for the King.
Lucia, Ashana and Cullen were immediately aware that the woman was no ordinary woman.
"Scavengers perhaps? Poking amidst a corpse that has been long since picked clean?" she had been following them for some time, they were a rather fascinating group, especially the elven mage.
"Don't answer her, she looks Chasind and where there's one around there bound to be others." Alistair growled, looking around warily.
"Oh you fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?" Morrigan snorted, waving her hands in a swooping motion that had a couple of the men flinching.
"Yes, swooping is bad." Alistair glared at her.
"She is no Chasind, she's an apostate." Lucia clarified coolly, eyeing over the woman's barely concealing attire critically.
Morrigan shrugged, "Tis naught but a label inflicted on those not enslaved by the Chantry and I care naught for it." she smirked as all but one set of eyes turned hostile and wary at the thought.
"We should apprehend her and take her to the..." Cullen began but was quickly cut off by Ashana.
"We will do no such thing, Cullen." she snapped, "We are Wardens and as Wardens our only concern is the Darkspawn. Besides use your head, she wouldn't have shown herself if she didn't think herself capable of dealing with us." she reasoned quickly.
He backed down immediately.
"Trust you to take her side. Jowan's blood magic wasn't enough..." Lucia began to snarl at her.
"How many times must I... Argh! Forget it." Ashana walked up to the apostate, "I'd ask you to excuse my companions but they're not sorry so I can't really apologize for them. My name is Ashana, pleasure to meet you." she greeted politely with a nod.
Morrigan's smile widened, "Now that is a proper civil greeting even here in the Wilds. You may call me Morrigan. What brings Wardens to this desiccated corpse? Something in that chest perhaps, something that is here no longer?" she asked curiously.
"Here no longer? You stole them didn't you! You're some kind of sneaky witch-thief!" Alistair glared at her, pointing at her accusingly.
Ashana and Lucia both rolled their eyes.
Cullen grimaced.
Morrigan laughed, "How very eloquent, how can one steal from dead men I wonder?"
"Quite easily it seems. Those papers are property of the Gray Wardens and I suggest you give them back at once!" Alistair demanded furiously, crossing his arms and glaring at her.
"I will not for 'twas not I who removed them. You invoke a name that means nothing here, I am not threatened." Morrigan shrugged, still smirking at his childish attempt to intimidate her.
Ashana muttered under her breath, "What is it with bloody templars?"
Morrigan snickered having heard the comment.
"Do you know who might have removed them?" Ashana sighed seeing as no one else was willing to talk to the apostate.
"Indeed, 'twas my mother in fact." Morrigan smirked.
"Your mother?" Alistair growled.
Before he could say anything else Ashana piped up, "Could you take us to her please?"
"Now that is a sensible request, I like you." Morrigan chuckled and nodded, "Come along then."
"I'd be careful," Alistair muttered to Ashana, "first it's 'I like you'," he put on a girly voice that made Ashana smirk, "then zap, frog time."
"This may surprise you but you can't actually do that, turn people into frogs that is." Ashana shook her head at him, her smile fading quickly.
They followed the beautiful young woman through the wilderness until they came across a small hut with an old woman waiting for them outside.
"Gray Wardens, mother." Morrigan smirked as she strode up to stand slightly behind her facing the entourage.
"I see them girl." Flemeth looked at them shrewdly. She was not impressed, "You are missing one it seems."
Morrigan frowned, "This is all of them." she assured her mother.
"Hmph, then we are indeed in more trouble than I thought." Flemeth sighed.
"She's a Witch of the Wilds!" Daveth hissed fearfully.
"Quiet, if she is do you really want to offend her?" Jory snapped at him.
"Wise but sadly irrelevant. You are here for your treaties yes? And before you begin snarling your precious seal wore off long ago, I've been protecting these." Flemeth held out a bag she'd been holding.
Ashana moved forward to accept them.
"You've- you've been protecting them?" Alistair was clearly confused.
"And why not?" Flemeth chuckled.
"Thank you." Ashana smiled up at the woman.
Flemeth nodded, "Such manners, always in the last place you look. Hmph like stockings. Oh don't mind me." she smirked but the mirth didn't reach her eyes, this one at least had some spark to her.
"Why did you think we're missing someone?" Ashana asked curiously.
"The threat of this blight is greater than you realize. You are missing a crucial piece and unless you find it all will be lost to the winds." she waved her hand at them. "Now you have what you came for." she looked at them pointedly.
"Time for you to go now." Morrigan smirked, curious about what was going on.
"Oh but Morrigan, these are your guests." Flemeth glanced at her firmly.
"Very well then, I shall see you safely out of the woods." Morrigan sighed and walked away.
The others followed her quickly, casting wary glances back at her strange mother.
Morrigan led them until the gates of the Ostagar military encampment were in sight then she slunk away into the shadows leaving the Wardens to return and face their fates.