Well, I didn't expect there to be ambiguity there at the ending of the last chapter! It was nothing special guys: Templars can neutralize mages at close range, like in Asunder. Connor's 'fine'. Sort of.
Redcliffe Castle
Naturally, Isolde was incensed at Jowan's appearance, and Elissa's presumption.
"How dare you! He poisons my husband, corrupts my child, and you want to set him free!?"
"I'm not setting him free." Elissa corrected "We need him, and so we will watch over him. He deserves a chance to atone."
"Please, I know it looks bad!" Jowan pleaded "I did poison your husband, but I had nothing to do with Connor! I didn't summon any demons, I swear!"
Teagan dissaproved. To be honest, Isolde had some right to be upset. But it was just as much her fault as it was his.
"If you want justice for your husband, let him live. He can testify to Loghain's crime." Elissa argued.
It seemed to work with them both. Teagan finally relented "I expect him to be turned over when all is said and done. Now what are our options, regarding Connor?"
The first choice was presented: Killing Connor. It was a guaranteed way of ending the undead scourge in Redcliffe, provided someone had the stomach to kill a child.
The next option, Jowan represented to them. A blood magic ritual that would allow one mage to enter the Fade and kill the demon, saving Connor. One problem: the ritual required high amounts of energy. Someone had to die.
Isolde offered herself. It was a noble gesture, but arguing erupted between everyone.
"Enough!" Elissa gestured for everyone to calm down "Give us a moment, Teagan. Jowan, come with us."
The seven of them, save for her mabari Dagonet, all sat at a table in the castle.
"Parshaara..." Sten growled "This bickering achieves nothing. I will slay the child, if only to bring an end to his misery."
"But we don't have to do that!" Leliana reasoned.
Elissa was leaned over the table, listening to everyone speaking.
"I don't know if I should have brought it up." Jowan whispered "Maybe its a bad idea."
"It makes no difference." Morrigan shrugged "Someone has to die."
"What if they don't?"
"Content yourself with wishes, Alistair, if that is what you desire. We shall deal with reality."
Suddenly Alistair rose up from his seat "Well at least I care! You don't care either way, do you Morrigan?! I care! And I say there has to be a better way than killing a boy, or using blood magic! No, I'm not abandoning anyone, not this time!"
The two of them glared at eachother with a lot of intensity.
Elissa looked at Alistair with some measure of shock, and respect. Alistair had been angry with her earlier in Denerim, but that paled in comparison to this explosion.
"Do you have any suggestions? Any ideas?" She tried not to sound criticizing, because she wasn't. Her choice was made if he had nothing else. If she had to choose between killing a little boy and sacrificing Isolde, she'd save Connor.
He then slumped down in defeat "I don't know. I...I can't even think. I just wish I had more power in this."
Power.
"Power." Elissa remembered what Alistair had taught her about...Lyrium! In their training! "Power! Jowan, your ritual, does it HAVE to use blood?"
"Well, not exactly. The ritual is supposed to use lyrium, but it would take a lot of it."
"And where is the greatest stockpile of lyrium we can find in Ferelden, that is just over Lake Calenhad?"
His eyes lit up with hope "The Tower!"
"We have to go there anyway." Elissa rose from her seat. "Why not ask and give it a shot?"
"Unfortunately, there are some problems with this plan." Morrigan crossed her arms "One, as of right now, you are a target of the Chantry, a so called 'heretic'. What makes you to believe that they wont try to senselessly kill you like they did here? And two, even if they did agree to aid you, what is to stop Connor from burning the Castle here down into ashes when we are gone?"
Elissa ruminated over that argument "Good points. I can solve one of them."
As instructed, the Chantry templars were summoned to the Castle, and Elissa pounced on them with fury.
"I think we've established you're less than useless against me, so listen up! You're going to stay here and keep Connor under control until I get back! But don't kill him."
"W-we don't take orders from you!" the leader righteously retorted.
"You will take orders from me." Teagan coldly replied "Connor is not to be harmed unless I give explicit permission."
They were more hesitant to defy Bann Teagan. Elissa decided to help in her own, unique fashion, by seizing one of the men in her hands. Her spirit was summoned out, her body exhuding an aura of spiritual power.
"If I get back here, and Connor is dead, there will be no haven, no sanctuary, no barren wasteland that I cannot find you! I will hunt you down, and not even the Maker himself will save you from terrible vengeance."
Lake Calenhad
A boat was taken.
Jowan was left behind. That Elissa and Morrigan were going straight to the Circle was bad enough, they didn't need to provoke them further. Jowan could help in restraining Connor with magic, if necessary. Provided the Templars didn't run him through.
Morrigan wanted some sort of book from the Circle. Suited Elissa just fine. The more Alistair told her about Chantry secrets, the less respect she had for their institutions. She was never really religious, in the first place.
The Chantry never really did anything to help people. Before all of this, one town in Highever had been the target of a bandit raid. A dozen Templars had arrived when it happened, and instead of helping the villagers, they merely went on their way, claiming "their duty was to hunt down mages, not petty criminals". Serving the Maker's will, indeed.
And the lyrium addiction. It sickened her. That the entire order was forced to serve obediently or suffer withdrawals...Fortunately, Alistair had shown her that while lyrium was necessary to teach someone the templar arts, one did not need to digest it.
"What would you have done?"
Elissa snapped her head up "What?"
"Would you have killed Connor? Or sacrificed Isolde?"
She took a breath, thinking on it for only a second "If there was no other way, I would have sacrificed Isolde. She's a grown woman, she's lived her life. Connor has not. I'm sure Eamon would have preferred that his son survived."
"I thought you didn't like Eamon."
Elissa merely shrugged. She didn't want to talk about Eamon right now. Instead, she smiled "You really stood your ground back there."
"I just hated the situation, and wanted to do something about it." Alistair looked pained "I thought about what you said about your brother and... I thought maybe it could end differently, that I could do something. But in the end, I couldn't. It was you, you thought it up."
"Because of you."
Alistair looked up, back at her. She really was something else. "You're a good person. You helped save Redcliffe. You spared those templars lives when you didn't have to. And you're going to the Circle to help Connor, even knowing they might try to lock you up or kill you."
Elissa lost her smile, and looked away from him, closing her eyes.
"What is it?"
"You're wrong."
She sold her soul. No matter how noble Justice might have been in helping her, no matter how many good deeds she performed, nothing could erase that stain on her honor.
Dagonet whined, nudging her arm. He gave her a big kiss right on the face.
Elissa sighed, but scratched him affectionately behind the ear. Of course her loyal retainer would say otherwise.
"I don't think I'm wrong." Alistair softly replied "Duncan chose you for a reason. I'd like to think it's because he believed in you."
Lake Calenhad Docks
"Plenty of loot from those corpses. Sold one of those swords to that fella named Dwyn in Redcliffe. You shoulda seen it! Pulled it from the ground, belonged to one of them giant types."
Elissa and Sten stopped dead in their tracks. She took a moment to seize the opportunity, before Sten decided to pull the man apart.
She'd been moody lately, perhaps some softer words would work with this one "I don't mean to interrupt, but I couldn't help but overhear you. Could you tell me more about this sword?"
Dwyn. Redcliffe. The man described the sword in detail, and Sten straightened upright. The dwarf had fought for them in exchange for gold, so he could be reasoned to part with it.
She then decided to head into the taverns, hear the news.
"Aye, Howe was made Teryn of Highever. Arl of Denerim as well." the barkeep told her.
She wanted to throw something. How COULD they? Lords and knights sworn to her families service...only to cower in fear at the sight of a tyrant. Had the Occupation whittled away at their courage? Had they a shred of honor?!
And Loghain. He not only protected that murderer, he rewarded him.
"Loghain's tried conscriptions, but most of the Bannorn wouldn't have any of it. There's been a few battles already. A lot of people are trying to put themselves up as the next heir to the throne. With so many claims, there's not a lot of unity."
"Have they talked about the Blight at all?"
"Some concerns, but not from what I've heard, no."
Of course not. Lothering was a pile of rubble by now, and the Bannorn would be next. But that wouldn't stop those fools. Oh no.
She paid him a good tip, then stormed off, steeling herself for the worst.
I know! Seems ballsy and stupid of Elissa to just walk into a fortification full of Templars. She's bold like that, however: she surrendered voluntarily to Loghain, after all!
I'm not sure the developers have the best grasp of medieval history, not that I do, either. The constant use of nationalism, and selective use of marriage in different contexts (some marriages are political, others for love). It's stated Isolde married Eamon for love. We, a modern audience, can sympathize with that, but a medieval audience would not have seen it that way.
I'll go ahead and spoil some of my story: yes, Jowan is going to become a Warden. Let's break it down here guys: Avernus is fiddling around, making improved joining potions to enhance the Wardens. He's been experimenting on Wardens, but I find it hard to believe that he doesn't have stuff lying around all set for the Joining. Contrary to popular belief, you don't actually need Archdemon blood for the ritual. Concentrated darkspawn blood will do just fine. Which brings up something else I've thought about...
The whole 'recruit Loghain' thing is a cheap, contrived dilemma, made to make you choose between Loghain and Alistair. Riordan should have told you before the Landsmeet. As part of a story it makes little sense. In a real situation, even less: if one executes Loghain, why not recruit someone else? And in this case, it's now made utterly obsolete. So guess what: the Landsmeet won't be going quite canon!