THE ORLESIAN COUNTRYSIDE - MUCH LATER

They had been lucky this cabal had been caught unawares, a family of four blood mages; they could all be dead, or worse. But thanks to the blessed Andraste they triumphed, and lived - unlike the slaughtered blood mages. Maker be praised - It had gone so... effortless.

The Templar Captain turned to their invaluable informant; a man who had personally led his squad to this affluent families home on the outskirts of the quaint Orleasian village. He had said how they would decry their innocence, beg, even fail to use magic at all as a ruse to play with their minds, to save the others he would lead them to. They had not faltered to follow his lead,nor hindered him as he had drained their tainted blood into jars to prevent them becoming demons - a true servant of the Maker.

They were about to light the house, and go in search for the last member of this cabal... the most powerful - the child, when SHE appeared from the woods, like a spectre.

The poor girl was clearly the innocent, wealthy, victim of blood mages; possibly the three they just killed. The only word for her was unforgettable: captivatinglly beautiful; all of eighteen; with her big blue, terror filled eyes; pale as moonlight skin; with her long black hair, and black, Orleasian silk robes drenched in blood. A perfect example of the chaos these mages have made of things, and the correctness of their cause. "Who did this to you miss?," The Templar Captain demanded.

"Monsters, Maker help us. Please, please help me," she looked over her shoulder at an imposing approaching figure in robes.

The 'invaluable informant' took the terrified girls hand, and moved toward the woods.

The Templar's surrounded the robed figure. "Remain still mage," the Captain ordered as they pulled the hood back.

The Templars were made aware of two things: firs, they needed more men, as the man was as physically imposing as the Arishock killed by the Champion of Kirkwall; and the mage giant was clearly related to the lovely young 'victim' their informant ran off with: shoulder-length, raven-black hair; light blue eyes; and the same attractive, lean facial features.

"Yup," the giant said with a smirk, "You fools are entranced; looking at me, not at Lilith."

"Just kill him you fools!," the informant shouted.

One of the Templars pulled out his sword.

The giant palmed the Templar's helmeted head in one fully extended hand, lifted him effortlessly, and squeezed. His eyes almost glowed bright blue as he crushed the Templars skull with as much effort as a Kunari crushes a hollow seashell.

The Templar shrieked, his body twitched wildly, and his blood flowed from under his helmet as it and his skull became one.

"Going somewhere?," the giant asked the informant with a malicious grin.

The Templar went limp.

The informant, the terrified girl in his grip, ran.

"Where do think your master,the Tevinter blood-mage, is going with my sister?," the giant asked the nervous Templar's, "You worthless pack of broke Mabari?"

"How do you... blood mage!?" the captain asked with a sneer, drawing his sword.

"Because my sister's been draining his friends for information for weeks. She really likes blood-mages,so much in common."

"DRAINING?"

"Yeah," the robed man sighed, "look, Id love to chat and get to know you, but unless you can enjoy life, alone in a hole under the Chantry, I gotta kill you all and get to the Office of Cassandra Pendergast."

"The High Seeker?"

"Yeah," he said with a licentious sneer, "I have high hopes of giving her real satisfaction; by telling her how you all died heroically slaughtering the murderers, instead of being them."

"What makes you think you can kill twenty Templars single-handedly... Mage?"

"I'm no mage - for starters: I once, how to say this delicately... Tore apart and ate thirty Templars - I don't recommend it - and oh yeah... I led the great army in the Blight."

The Templar captain laughed, "You are not the Hero of Ferrelden!"

"I never said I was, I'm his son Cormack, and since you won't be around to repeat it, just call me - the arch demon."

His smile widened as he watched them, some laughed genuinely, some nervously, but none took him entirely seriously. Had this been Tevinter... maybe they'd have reacted differently - not that it would alter the outcome for them than it had the High ... ah good times.