Volyn was sitting in a chair before the semi-circle of the Herald's personal companions and the Inquisition's leaders. After telling everyone of what had happened on their little journey into the future, everyone was now curious and demanding to know everything about him.
Velthorn was nervous, but endeavored not to show it. As he looked at Volyn, he remembered the other form he'd taken. The enormous wings, the glowing eyes, and the claws. What sat before him was a dangerous creature. He was docile now, but that could change in an instant.
Still…the vampire had been traveling with them for nearly two months now and what he'd seen in that awful future didn't change anything.
Except my perspective, Velthorn thought.
"What did you want to know?" Volyn asked, easing back into his chair.
"I suppose we'll start with the basics. Who are you and where do you come from?" the Dalish asked.
Volyn was still reluctant, but he knew the game was done. He let out a long breath, and began.
"I'm Volyn of the Imperial City. I'm an orphan with no last name who grew up raised by thieves and whores on the Waterfront District." Mostly true.
"What, exactly, is the Imperial City?" Cassandra asked.
"Let me explain in full, then you can ask questions," the dunmer continued, "This place is not my homeland nor my home world. I come from a place called Nirn and I work for a creature called a daedra. You might call it a demon."
Cassandra narrowed her eyes, but held her tongue. Velthorn had begged her to hear him out.
"It's more than a demon. It's a Daedric Prince. The Princes are like…dark gods, and there are sixteen of them in total." He paused, giving them time to process. "The one I serve is called Hermaeus Mora, the Prince of fate, memories, and knowledge. He especially loves hidden knowledge. Secrets. And this place is a great mystery to him.
"I'm here in this world because he felt the Breach before it happened. He felt its coming and sent me to the exact place where it would rip through my world. The Time-Wound, as my old mentor called it. The place where my world was already weak, where time and space had been cracked by an Elder Scroll; the knowledge of the gods."
"Gods?" Cullen asked, "What gods?"
"The gods," Volyn explained, "The Aedra of my world are very much real and supposedly the Scrolls were given to mortal-kind by these gods. The Scrolls have prophecies and can show the past and future, as well as many other things. But reading them often causes blindness, madness, or both."
Cassandra tried to say something, but Volyn raised a hand, asking for silence.
"I went to the Time-Wound and was pulled through as the Breach was created. I'm not entirely sure what happened. I remember the blinding light and horrendous pain, then blackness until I woke up here, in the dungeon."
There was silence from everyone. Except Sera, who burst into mad little giggles.
"Even I couldn't come up with a story like that," Varric said.
"See? Now this is why I didn't tell you," Volyn said.
Cassandra said, "If you are really from another world, working for this demon in a quest for knowledge, why are you still here? Why are you helping us?"
Volyn's hellfire eyes rested on her. "Where else should I be? The Breach is a mystery even to you. As long as you continue to explore it, you will learn more about it. And so will I. As you grow in power, the more knowledge you will obtain. And so will I. The farther you pursue the Divine's death, the clearer things become for you and for I.
"In short, I will start with this mystery and move on to another should one present itself."
Once more, the party was silent for a long while.
Solas asked, "How do you plan to get back to your own world?"
"My Prince has a tie to my world. A Black Book. It leads to his domain in Oblivion. I'm hoping I can get back to Tamriel through it, but it is not a guarantee."
"You came to another world with no guaranteed way back?" Solas said.
"I didn't have a choice," Volyn told him. "I watched Hermaeus Mora liquify his last Champion. I don't plan on dying anytime soon."
"Ugh!" Sera exclaimed at the word 'liquify'.
"Why would you serve such a creature?" Cassandra asked.
"I have learned much from Apocrypha. My Prince's library is…extensive. I have read texts from thousands of years ago. I know techniques which have been lost to the ages. I know truths the rest of the world has forgotten."
"Is knowledge worth the price this 'Prince' asks of you?" Solas asked.
"It always will be," Volyn answered, "My body may belong to Hermaeus Mora, but my soul belongs to Sithis. I know where I will return, even if I never see home again."
"That's incredibly grim," Dorian put in. "Also, can I write down the words I don't understand and get definitions later?"
"If you'd like," Volyn said with a small smile.
"Good," Dorian said, "Because I have many questions."
"You are here for your own gains. We can't trust you," Cullen said.
"And you could trust me before?" Volyn countered, "Trust that I will stay here until the mystery is solved, whether that be tomorrow or ten years from now. I am on this mission indefinitely, as much as I hate that idea."
"But this isn't all we're here to discuss, is it?" Velthorn asked. "Your future self said there was much more to you than being a…vampire. What else is there?"
Volyn looked over them. So far, many had been unusually quiet. Bull was leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his massive chest. Blackwall was looking at him with a hard gaze, standing behind the chairs. One hand rested on the hilt of his blade. Leliana's quiet, thoughtful gaze rested on him with complete focus.
"I'm…dragonborn," the vampire confessed.
"Which means…?" prompted Velthorn.
Volyn sighed. "I'm a mortal born with the soul of a dragon. When I kill dragons, I absorb their souls and gain their memories and their power."
"Dragonborn, huh? You don't look like a dragon to me," Bull said from the corner.
"A dragon in soul, not a dragon in body," the dark elf replied. "I can use Shouts and learn them innately. The Shouts are how the dragons breathe fire or frost, but there are a multitude of other types of Shouts that serve other purposes."
"Dragon are wild. No more intelligent than a cat," Cassandra countered.
"Not in my world. My mentor was a dragon named Paarthurnax. I have another as my ally named Odahviing." Volyn sighed. "Let me tell you the whole story."
Volyn relayed the legends about Alduin and about the great dragon's return. He spoke of how he'd learned he was dragonborn in the first place, as well as the major events that had transpired as a result. He told them about saving the world from Alduin's greedy soul.
The parts he didn't mention were the fact that he was an assassin who'd killed the Emperor. Or that he'd tracked down that piece of scum Maro, changed him into a vampire, and locked him in the Aetherium Forge to starve. Perhaps he was still down there, screaming curses. Or perhaps he'd thrown himself into the magma stream. It didn't matter either way to Volyn.
When he'd finished the tale, he looked at Velthorn. "So believe me when I say I understand what it's like to be thrust into the role of 'hero'.
"And what about the blood drinking bit?" Dorian asked, "How did that happen?"
"I've been a vampire for about two years," Volyn lazily explained, "Bitten along the way in some cave I'd been hired to clear out. I didn't notice until the disease had already taken its toll. I didn't find it to be a big deal, although people did wonder about the eyes.
"As for being a Vampire Lord…" Volyn paused to find the right words.
"A group called the Dawnguard was recently reform. They're vampire hunters borne of necessity, as attacks by large groups of vampires had become commonplace. I was following a few of them, wondering what they were up to, only to stumble upon some sort of plot.
"I followed them to a cave complex, where the Dawnguard members were killed. But my curiosity was piqued, so I investigated for them. The attacks had become a problem and by this point, I too was exasperated by the short-sightedness of my own kind. I killed all the vampires there."
"You killed your own kind?" Solas asked.
Volyn nodded. "They were ignorant and vile. Cave crawlers. They are the kind who bloat themselves on blood not out of necessity or hunger, but out of greed. It helps no one to drive our food source to the brink. As I said, I was tired of them.
"As it turned out, the cave was actually a tomb. It housed Serana, a vampire who had been asleep for something like a thousand years. And she had an Elder Scroll with her. Again, I was intrigued, so I took her home at her request. Once there, I was offered the power of a Vampire Lord and took it."
"Surely there's more to it than that," Dorian protested, "You called it a disease, but you also said vampires were created by one of these Daedric Princes. It's magical isn't it? A magical disease?"
"Yes, exactly. A magical disease," Volyn agreed. "To answer your question, yes, there was more to it. Har—He drained me of so much blood, I was sure I'd die. Then he flooded my system with his own blood to enact the change. When I woke, I was more powerful than ever."
Volyn still had a hard time saying his name. The dark elf had never felt so powerless than at the hands of that sadist. What had he been expecting when the rest of the Court had laughed at his acceptance of the 'gift'? What else had he been expecting from a worshiper of Molag Bal?
He was still angry and probably always would be. Had the pain and humiliation been worth it? Yes. But it didn't quell the fiery rage that burned in him every day. If he could kill the former Lord of the Court again, he would. A thousand times over.
Leliana notices this hesitation
"Now you know what I've been keeping secret," Volyn said. "Is there anything I've missed?"
"I want specifics on your condition," Leliana said, "We need to know we can keep our people safe from you."
"I understand. But I can point out to you the people I've bitten while I've been here. I promise you they're fine and they don't remember. I'm not like the one who made me."
"You will not victimize anyone else so long as you are here," Cassandra said sternly. "If we must work with you, you will not put our people at risk."
"I need to eat, Cassandra," the vampire replied, "What do you propose I do?"
"We encounter plenty of bandits on our travels. I'm sure you've done it before," Cassandra told him.
"I have. I suppose I'll simply spread out my meals," the vampire said agreeably. He had no intention of doing any such thing, but if saying so got the Seeker off his back, he'd say it.
"So now we have to share space with all those mages and a weird dragon-vampy thing?" Sera put in. "I think you're just asking for trouble."
Velthorn stood up and went to stand near the vampire, who watched him curiously. "Maybe we are. But he's been our ally this far and I think we can trust him to stay and not kill anyone we know."
"You are right," Leliana said, "So far, he has been an asset. A pushy asset, but an asset. I would like him to stay."
Besides, if they let him go, he would no longer be in their sight, which could be disastrous.
"I agree," Josephine said. As an afterthought, she added, "As long as we keep him out of sight of visiting officials."
"I'll do my best," Volyn assured her.
"I vote he goes," Cullen said. "He's a danger to our people and our reputation. Especially if anyone finds out about his true nature and intensions."
"Why should I ever tell anyone about myself?" Volyn asked rhetorically, "The only reason I'm telling you is because I'm working so closely with you."
"And you won't work with anyone in the future?" Cullen asked him incredulously.
Volyn almost sighed, but held it back. "This is an oddity. I very rarely work with anyone for longer than a few days."
Except for the Dark Brotherhood. But he wasn't going to tell them that now that he had their trust. Something told him they wouldn't like his profession or his Family. These people were working for the greater good and while that was usually fine, people like that tended to be rather…closed-minded to people like himself.
"We're three to one," Cassandra said, "What do we do?"
For the first time, Blackwall spoke up, "For what it's worth, I think he should stay. If only to keep an eye on him ourselves."
"Smart," Bull said.
"Well I don't like him!" Sera nearly shouted, "And he can stay on the other side of camp!"
"That's fair," Volyn told her.
"No! Don't talk to me!" she cried, clasping her hands over her ears like a child, "You'll twist my mind around until I don't know what to think! Some brain magic or some rubbish."
"I've never used magic on you," Volyn calmly protested.
"It's fine, Sera. He'll stay away from you," Velthorn said. Then he looked at the vampire. "Yes?"
"I swear," he replied.
"Sure, fine. But if I wake up missing something important, like my throat, I know who to blame" the elf said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Good," Velthorn said, "Anyone else have any problems they want to get out right now?"
"No problems, boss, just a question," Bull said. "How many dragons have you killed?"
"Oh." Volyn had to think hard on that. How many had he killed? "Perhaps…fifty? After a while, I lost count."
He gave a guttural sound in reply. "Now that's something I'd sign on to see."
Cassandra scoffed. "That's impossible."
"If you say so," Volyn said with a shrug, "Killing them isn't the most troubling part, though their scales are something to be reckoned with. It's the souls. I absorb their souls when I kill them and get their memories. Sometimes I wake from dreams and forget who I am for a few moments."
"There's always a trade-off for power," Bull told him.
"Very true," Volyn agreed, nodding.
"Is that it?" Velthorn asked. No one said anything. "All right. And not a word of this to anyone else, yes?"
There were various affirmative answers before they all began to file out of the room. The elf let out a long breath.
"That wasn't nearly as hard as it could have been," Volyn noted.
"It's still…a lot," Velthorn answered.
Dorian was the only one left now and he approached the two.
"What's on your mind?" Velthorn asked him.
"Well, I have a great many questions, but I wasn't about to hold the others up." He looked at Volyn. "Would you mind spending some time answering questions?"
"Not at all. So long as I get to ask a few of my own," Volyn replied.
"Deal," the human said immediately.
Velthorn watched the two leave with a slight worry in his gut. Who knew what those two could get up to together?