I won't say much about the Deep Roads, except this: only the stupid or suicidal should visit them. If neither term applies to you, I recommend finding another way to make your fortune.
Hawke came out of that thaig a wealthy woman. She was able to restore her mother to her childhood home, the grand Amell estate in Hightown. But neither she nor Leandra thought it worth the price Carver had paid.
"Let's see. We're waist-deep in stagnant water, this appears to be a dungeon, and we don't know where or when we are. How does this rank with your worst days?" Dorian asked. "Because it's up there, for me."
Cecily sloshed forward through the water and shuddered as it soaked into her tunic, carrying an awful clammy feeling up her body. "I'd have to think about that. This could be the worst, but the day the Conclave exploded was also quite bad. Ask me again later. If we're still alive."
"Of course we'll still be alive," Dorian said dismissively, sloshing along beside her. "I'm much too handsome and talented to die."
His arrogance seemed almost sincere, but something told Cecily that he was as close to panicking as she was. Oddly, that made her feel better. "In that case, I'm glad I'm with you. It increases my odds of survival," she said flippantly.
"Indeed, you're most fortunate." Dorian made a disgusted noise. "Ugh, I don't want to know what I just stepped on. Let's get to dry ground and then figure out how to get out of here."
Haven, apparently, was going to be full of mages.
Unhappy, unstable, recently-allied-with-Tevinter mages, brought in as full allies of the Inquisition and housed right next to a massive tear in the Veil.
Cullen was already on edge, and Cassandra's report at the war table pushed him right over it. "What was she thinking, setting so many mages loose with no supervision? You were there. Why didn't you stop her?" he shouted.
Cassandra gave him a flat look. The do not raise your voice at me was implied. "We asked the Herald to secure the cooperation of the rebel mages. This, she has done. I may not entirely agree with her decision, but I will support it."
"And we cannot go back on the alliance now. We risk looking indecisive at best, treacherous and tyrannical at worst." Josephine shook her head at the predicament.
"We need their help."
Cullen started a bit. Cecily had entered the room, the Tevinter mage—Dorian—one step behind her. Cassandra had returned from Redcliffe looking none the worse for wear, but the same could not be said for the Herald. There was a burn on her cheek, her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was ash-pale. If Cullen had to guess, he'd say she hadn't slept—maybe not for several days.
"If I had conscripted the mages, if the Inquisition had been no better than Tevinter, they'd start sneaking out of Haven as soon as they arrived," she continued, rubbing a hand across her eyes as she stepped up to the table. "I need their cooperation, not their suspicions."
"The Templars were still a viable option," Cullen insisted. "I fail to see why we could not wait to …"
"We don't have time."
Cullen had never heard Cecily raise her voice before. It had the desired effect; the room went quiet. "You'll understand when I explain what happened at Redcliffe," she said passionately. "But …"
The door opened to reveal Leliana. "I heard shouting. Is everything—oh!"
Leliana's question was cut off when Cecily—reserved, quiet, formal Cecily—crossed the room in three fast strides and threw her arms around the spymaster. After a beat, Leliana returned the hug, looking over Cecily's shoulder with a puzzled expression.
Cecily stepped back. An almost silly grin lit her face. "I'm sorry. But—oh, Maker, you have no idea how good it is to see you, Leliana. This will make sense, I swear."
Leliana looked around the room, as if someone else might be able to explain what was going on. Dorian stepped forward and bowed. "Sister Leliana. You look much better than you did at Redcliffe."
The spymaster blinked. "At Redcliffe?"
"Oh, you won't remember. And thank the Maker for that," Dorian said. "You may want to sit down for this next part."
Cecily pressed her lips together. "No. Wait. Everyone needs to hear this. Leliana, Josephine, Cullen—can you gather the rest?"
An hour later, Cecily had told her story to the Inquisition's core group, with occasional additions from Dorian. She left out nothing—Connor's death, Leliana's torture, the effects of red lyrium on Alexius's prisoners, the massive rift in the sky.
"The Iron Bull and Cassandra were apparently captured after Alexius sent us forward. They'd spent the last year in that dungeon. We got them out of their cells and they—you—came with us to face Alexius. So did you, Leliana. We killed Alexius and took the amulet, but then demons started attacking Redcliffe."
She swallowed, wishing she didn't have to say this, knowing she did. They had to understand what she'd seen. "The three of you sacrificed yourselves, bought Dorian the time he needed to return us to our own time. Bull, Cassandra—I heard you both scream right before the demons burst into the throne room. They surrounded Leliana and tore out her throat right as we stepped into the rift."
She looked around the room, around this odd assembled group who had found the Inquisition. "I asked you here because you need to know what we're up against. We all knew the Inquisition was important in the abstract. But it is no longer abstract. If we don't move quickly enough, within a year it may be beyond our power to stop this Elder One. The Breach will grow. Every elf, qunari, human, and dwarf in Thedas will suffer. And then the world will end."
Everyone was looking at her. She crossed her arms, hoping the gesture would hide the shake in her hands. "Those are our stakes. Those are the consequences if we fail. So I strongly suggest that we … well, not fail."
She wished she'd thought of a better ending to the speech.
Dorian was the first to break the silence. "I think that sounds like a splendid plan. A bit light on the specifics, but we'll work on those. I'm in."
Cecily looked over at him. "You're staying? Truly?"
"Don't sound so surprised, Herald. We both saw what could happen. Besides, that was a very inspiring speech. Horrifying, but inspiring. I like the idea of not dying in unimaginable agony. So, I'll stay and help. If you'll have me."
Cecily reached out her hand and clasped Dorian's. The tension in her chest eased just a bit. "Gladly. I'm hoping I never get lost in time again, but if it does happen, I'd rather you were there."
"I'm in too, boss," The Iron Bull rumbled. "All in. Stopping this asshole comes first."
"And I will begin working with our new allies immediately. We will find a way to close the Breach," Solas said.
"You can count on us, of course," Leliana said. She stood and placed her hand on Cecily's shoulder, a brief, compassionate gesture. "Josie and I will look into the things you saw in the future. The assassination. The army of demons. The information you gathered may prove vital to stopping these Venatori."
Cullen, too, rose from his chair. "I am sorry I criticized your decision," he said. "Our priority must be doing everything we can to thwart this Elder One, and quickly. The Inquisition's armies will be ready. You have my word on that."
Cecily nodded. "Thank you, Commander—Cullen. I have faith in you. In all of you."
"Marvelous. Glad to see everyone being so productive. I will begin by getting our Herald completely and utterly drunk." Dorian threw a friendly arm around her shoulders.
Cecily smiled up at him, grateful for the thought. Getting drunk sounded awfully appealing, but … "I did just tell everyone that the world will end if we fail. I'm not sure a night off is in order."
"Sleep is in order," Dorian told her. "You haven't closed your eyes since we left Redcliffe, I'm certain."
"Whiskey will help with that," said Varric. "Come on, Herald. Humor us and have a few drinks. I'll tell you some Hawke stories you haven't heard."
"And after that, maybe take a nice hot bath," Dorian suggested. "Please tell me you take baths in the South."
"We do indeed. Occasionally, we even use soap," Cecily assured him.