Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Dragonage or anything else I may reference
Magic and the Inquisition
Chapter 12 Theories, Problems, Concerns
9:41 Dragon
Haven
"Ahh here we are Seeker home sweet home" Gazing upwards along the dirt trail, Varrick swung his arms as he moved forward giving them some exercise.
"It has been some time hasn't it" Cassandra commented a small smile on her face as she took in the sight of the tents up ahead blowing in the wind.
"We've been gone a month" Valeyna replied to the Seeker. She too was also enjoying the fact that they were finally back. "Still it's gotten quite loud hasn't it" Cassandra chuckled as she heard that comment smiling towards the Herald as they advanced forward. As they did so, startled expressions appeared on some of the soldier's faces as they took their first look at the legendary woman who had shut the breach.
"This is the sound of a military encampment, it's good to know that Cullen and Leliana have managed to swell our ranks whilst we have been gone. With more troops by our side, we can accomplish more of our goals." Varrick smirked at Cassandra as he heard that, raising an eyebrow he sought for an opportunity to try and annoy the woman.
"Looking forward to training the new recruits Seeker, You're going to have to have early mornings now, no more waking up late." Cassandra groaned at the news her hand instinctively going to pinch her nose as she realised just what was going to be ahead of her.
"Don't remind me, training new recruits is always a challenge especially when they had no experience in holding a weapon." Varrick laughed at the upcoming coming misfortune of the Seeker.
"Just remind me when you start, I want to be there to watch the new blood get beaten up as they take on their "fearless commander" Cassandra rolled her eyes, she was about to reply when a cold breeze hit her suddenly. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her moving them up and down to try and warm her up. Varrick chuckled once more seemingly fine with the cold winds blowing. "Cold Seeker"
"We are getting close to winter" Valeyna responded, despite the warmer coat and scarf wore; she could still feel the biting frost nip at her constantly. "Normally around now my Clan would head north, we can still hunt animals when it gets cold, but we get into more conflict with cities if we start taking what they consider theirs. Berries and fruit are far easier to find the more north you go in winter "Cassandra blinked at that news. Looking at the Herald in a questioning pose, she silently asked for her to continue explaining. "Berries and fruit are what we eat the most of, occasionally we may have a dear or whatever we can hunt to supplement it, but it isn't possible all the time. Although it is easier to make money during winter compared to the summer."
"How so," Cassandra asked curiously as to how the Herald had spent her days before joining the Inquisition.
"Well in Winter very few humans go hunting because it's so cold which leaves a shortage of fur. My clan would often take advantage of this and sell whatever spare fur we had to the markets. After a few trips, we normally have enough to last us through all of Winter and the beginning of spring if we're careful." Varrick was the first one to understand what she meant and could easily see past any small confusion she might have caused with the others. As a merchant, he was more used to than the others of how such things worked.
"Forgive me Herald, but I thought you said that your clan tried to stay away from animals because the humans considered them theirs" Valeyna sighed loudly as her feet crunched heavily in the snow, some of the white stuff had even stuck to the top of her boot nearly encasing her entire feet with the stuff. Another cold wind brushed past her sending her wind dancing in the air as it did so forcing her to shiver.
"Stupid Fereldan cold, couldn't we have had the Inquisition position itself somewhere warmer." Turning her eyes to Solas, she felt envy for the man who while seemingly dressed in a set of rags, looked unfazed by the windy chilly conditions of being at the base of a mountain. "The sooner we get inside the better" She muttered.
"I couldn't agree with you more, I just hope that Leliana has some warm food for us when we arrive. I've had enough rabbit for the last few days to last me quite a while" Solas smiled good-naturedly at the woman. If there was one thing that all of them had been sick and tired of during their trip, it was having rabbit for dinner.
"I'm sure there will be something for us once we return Seeker, I've got a good feeling that Leliana is not going to let anyone approach this camp without having a warning first. By now the cooks are probably running around in blind panic as they make some type of meal for us. Anyway, Herald you going to answer Chuckles question" Darting his eyes back to the unusually knowing elfish mage, Valeyna smiled doing he best to keep her face warm as she felt the chill once again press against it as if she was falling into a freezing lake. If they were still approaching winter when she was not looking forward to when it hit.
"Sorry, Solas. Anyway, it depended on the year and where we were. Some years we needed extra coin because a few of us got sick and our Keeper needed to purchase some supplies that we couldn't find in the forest. Other times there weren't enough berries so we had to buy some bread. Some places are better than others and would give us higher prices for Fur whereas other places were really protective of their animals. One time my clan was forced to defend itself from an attack by humans because we had killed a few bears and took their pelts to stay warm. Apparently, the humans were also hunting the bears and were angry that we got to them first so they weren't happy."
Moving her clothes to wrap herself up more warmly than she already was in a rather pitiful attempt to fight the cold, Valeyna did her best to resist the urge in her body to rush towards the blacksmith as they finally made it to the outside of the wooden palisades. From her new position, she nearly missed an amazing sight.
Past the wooden palisades were seemingly lines of never-ending white tents dancing left and right as a sudden powerful wind burst once more into the valley. There was an awful lot of them she noticed, far more than when she and the others had left for Val Royeux over a month ago. In the distance, a tent had even come out of the ground where she was then able to watched amusedly as a couple of soldiers began to rush after it in an attempt to try and catch their only shelter from the wind. In other places, she watched as glowing red and orange flames dotted occasionally different areas of this new enlarge encampment where smaller blacksmiths got to work creating and repairing armour. Centred in many different areas of this encampment where there were breaks in the rows of tents, were clearings that nearly of which were occupied as soldiers stood in a line and moved backwards and forwards with swords in their hands.
"Cassandra you weren't lying about stating that it was a military camp" Following the Herald, Cassandra marched up the hill and took in the sights of the banners of the inquisition twirling all over the place, horses and donkeys moved precious cargo of swords shield and armour alongside food and clothing. Further off in the distance of this line of tents she frowned as she saw a rather opulent looking tent far larger than the rest and not white as were the majority, but rather blue with patterns of gold where servants were currently racing around doing their best to serve what orders were given.
"Well, it looks like our Orlesian mage has arrived. Wish I had something like that when Hawke and I went to the deep roads. Its creepy down there makes it hard to sleep at night. You know now that I think about it, we could have used some horses in there. I recommended it to Bartrand but he was adamant that he didn't want to pay any extra for some stupid animals as he called them." Looking down, Cassandra didn't comment about how the man hadn't commented on the very rich chance for certain people to gain precious information or goods. The last thing she needed to do was put things in his mind.
"I hardly doubt that horses would do well in the Deep Roads Varrick" The dwarf shrugged his shoulders in return his eyes darting across all the rows of tents hoping to find something or someone that would catch his attention. Soon enough he found someone several tents away talking to a set of Templar's. He grinned.
"I simply told him that it could speed up transportation of any treasure we found. You know, make sure we carry enough with us on the way back to confirm that we did actually find something." Cassandra didn't but the excuse for a second instead she raised her eyebrow while her tone of voice changed.
"Yes because you wanted to showcase that you had actually found treasure, not because you wanted to keep as much of it to yourself and not pay anyone who had to do the hard work of carrying it up from the Deep Roads" In response Varrick smiled at the woman neither denying or agreeing to the accusation that she had just made about him and Hawke. Behind them, Solas shook his head not at the conversation itself, but rather at the lack of seriousness that Varrick had about such a conversation.
"I would suggest that we make our way back to Cullen and Lelliana, once that is complete we can then get to other concerns" At his words, Valeyna's stomach grumbled at the unspoken mention of food, with a grin she grabbed it and quickly led them from their position and into the main encampment itself.
"Is it just me or do the Templar's seem more... jumpy" Following Valeyna's words, the other members of the Inquisition took the time to start observing the Templar's in the local area to understand what she meant. Much to their surprise, they saw a very different set of attitudes with the Templar's compared to when they had left. All of them had their hands on their blades and all of them were more still, not moving their heads. It was very odd, it was almost as if something had happened.
"What do you suppose happened Chuckles" Stopping so he could lean against one of the still remaining buildings, Varrick gazed up and down one of the Templar's trying to work out what was wrong with them. Despite their more stiff posture, there was a sort of desperate feeling to them, as if they were battling themselves over something.
"I'm afraid that I have no more answers than you, perhaps something occurred with the mages" Taking a look at one of the Templars, Solas walked closer only a sudden jolt of movement occurred. The Templar took a shocked step back as if he hadn't been fully aware. Unbeknownst to them, at this movement, Cassandra's eyes widened as she realised what the situation was. Wanting to confirm it, she gently grabbed Varricks shoulder and moved him away so she was standing front and centre between herself and the Templar. With her dark eyes piercing through the small metal slits of his helmet and into the Templar's, she gave an order.
"Remove your helmet" There was a bit of reluctance at first Cassandra saw, most likely the man was concerned that he may be attacked by the two mages with her. If this Templar did have the affliction she believed he bared, then it was expected behaviour for him to be more paranoid.
"Templar I am Cassandra Penthagast a member of the Seekers and I order you to take your helmet off." Snapping into action immediately, the man removed his gauntlet covered hand from the hilt of his blade and instead combined it with his other hand to grip the bottom of his helmet and quickly lift it over his head revealing his face to her. Cassandra sighed her eyes closing briefly as she considered the situation that had befallen the organisation. Not desiring to showcase others what this man was going through she then ordered him to put the helmet back on. This time the man was far quicker in following out her orders.
"Cassandra, what's the problem?" Gently, Valeyna looked at the woman. Cassandra's face was one of slight distress, her eyes had bunched up and her face had become far more serious than it usually was. As she spoke, she inspected the Templar herself. As the others had noted they were more stiff than usual, but nothing else seemed to be wrong with them. Their legs and arms were straight, their uniform was polished or at least the best it could be, with what she assumed to be limited supplies and capital and finally, while she hadn't inspected it, as a Templar she would also assume that the man's sword was in a decent enough condition.
"This way" Rolling her eyes, the group followed so they were once again weaving in and out groups of servants and other soldiers, mages, blacksmiths, carpenters. There were far more people to try and get around and at one point, Valeyna was nearly smacked in the face as a rushing servant raced down the stairs tripped up and sent a number of swords flying through the air smacking into people's backs. Finally, once they were out of earshot, Cassandra began to explain what had her so concerned.
"Lyrium withdrawal? What's that?" Valeyna unlike the other two companions who's face also darkened slightly as they recognised what the term meant, asked for the meaning.
"Templars require large amounts of Lyrium to carry out their duties. By ingesting it, they are able to prevent a mage from using magic but it takes a toll on the body. After enough doses of Lyrium, the body starts to crave and need it on a regular basis, if it doesn't, then..." Valeyna nodded understanding now.
"Then they go through withdrawal. If that's the case, why are they standing outside then, aren't they a threat to the mages if they don't have enough Lyrium, couldn't they just snap". If there was one thing that Valeyna didn't like when she looked at Cassandra, it was the dark and unspoken nod of agreement with her own viewpoint on the matter.
"Cullen must have told the Templars to stay stiff to try and keep their mind off things, relax while standing on duty. If they were left to their own devices, then they may start fighting one another to take their minds off things" Solas nodded at the assessment of the situation. With his eyes still lingering on that Templar that Cassandra had inspected, he could understand why Cullen would leave them out to guard even with such a precautious situation.
"Perhaps the Commander believes that if they are kept in the cold, it will keep their mind of Lyrium. Even so, there must be problems for such an occurrence. Perhaps a problem with trade routes, shouldn't there be deliveries of Lyrium to fuel the potions for the Mages as well as to keep the sanity of the Templars" Ignoring the cold shiver that ran down her spine, the Seeker took another look at the camp, inspecting its numbers, the amount of soldiers and recourses they had.
"It can't be an attack on supply routes, Cullen would have sent people to deal with that." With the constant bustling of the people in the camp, it was almost like Valeyna was back in Orlais, only it was far less fancy and far colder. Still, it was a highly impressive sight, to see what had once been a small little encampment to now take on the appearance of an actual army encampment. It was just annoying that they had to be at the bottom of this stupid mountain, surely it would be better if they moved to the coast.
"My guess is less with the safety of routes, but more with the availability of Lyrium." Catching her off guard, Cassandra whirled around to face Varrick her eyes narrowing as he spoke with that dammed smile on his face.
"Explain Varrick"
"Relax Seeker" Varrick chided as his eyes went back to those interesting people he had seen before with a mark of respect. "Look Seeker basic economics is supply and demand. The more people want something and the less of it there is the more expensive that thing is. In the case of Lyrium, tell me how many people do you think to want to get their hands on it"
"The Templars and mages I would imagine, but I suppose there are two different groups of both mages and Templars, as well as Tevinter and whoever we are facing, the Chantry will also want supplies as would the Inquisition and Tevinter." Discerning potential buyers was easy for Solas, Lyrium was a very valuable thing desired by a great many people and there was only one source for that previous light blue magical lifeblood.
"See Chuckles gets it" Cassandra wasn't impressed. "Fine Seeker, let me put it this way. Most likely the Inquisition can't get Lyrium because everyone's buying it. As chuckles said, with everyone buying Lyrium Orzammar can charge whatever they want for it and anyone who can't pay will have to go without as everyone else will just buy their shares." Cassandra looked horrified, her face showing clear disbelief that the dwarves would take such action in a time like this.
"The dwarves would still sell Lyrium to other people in a time like this," Cassandra asked surprised, she turned her attention back onto the mountains that overlooked their base. While they weren't near Orrzamar, the mountains were where they made their home. "Don't they know what's at stake"
"Lyriums the main trade for Orzamar Seeker, all they care is that they are able to sell it. And when was the last time you heard a report that the demons were threatening Orzammar." Cassandra felt anger start to grow inside of her, how could the dwarves do so little when the entire world was threatened by an army of demons who wanted to take over the entire world. With their control of the Lyrium trade, they could easily strangle any opponent who may face them and require it to attack them. It would give the Inquisition an edge.
"But to not worry about what happens on the surface?" Varrick shook his head at Cassandra's naiveté, she meant well but she was directed too much by her human sense of nobility.
"And when was the last time you worried about the Deep Roads Seeker." Varrick countered as he began to stare her down. There was just something in that hard iron stare of hers that was both amusing and also slightly terrifying.
"I don't," Cassandra said confused, she didn't entirely get what Varrick was trying to get at. How did the Deep Roads relate to an army of invading demons that desired to do nothing other than ravaging the world and very likely enslave everything there was. "The Deep Roads only matter when there is a Blight, the Darkspawn use them to get to the surface and the Grey Wardens might follow them down after a Blight"
"Exactly Seeker, humans and elves only care about what happens with the Deep Roads and Dwarves when the Darkspawn come up for a Blight. I wouldn't be surprised if Orzamar doesn't care what happens up here, for them this Breach is like the Deep Roads for them. If they interfere, it will only be due to the demons threatening them." Gritting her teeth in frustration at the thought, worry settled in the woman's stomach as the consequences of these actions began to sit in. How many Templars were going to have to suffer because they couldn't get a hold of the Lyrium that was needed? She had seen Cullen before in moments of utter turmoil as he struggled to cope with the addiction that he faced.
"It would appear that unless we solve this problem, that our small supply of Templar's will be out of the fight. I heavily doubt that many of them will want to try and get rid of their dependency on the substance" Cassandra gritted her teeth even more at Solas's words, this had to be solved, it was too dangerous to leave Templar's in a state where they could not clear their minds.
"I'll speak to Cullen, see if we can spare any recourses to deal with this problem" Interjecting, Valeyna hoped to relive Cassandra of the concern she was showcasing. It was to be expected she guessed, she only had to think back to when she was younger to remember the harsh times that her own clan had faced. Even now she could still remember the face of one of those children who didn't survive the winter because he was so cold. Even if she didn't agree with the Templars, she would help them if she could.
"Thank you, Herald, however, I'm sure that Cullen has some sort of plan in place to try and deal with the situation"
"If you insist Cassandra, it really wouldn't be that much effort to go and see what the problem is, Orzamar is to the north after all. " Nodding in acceptance of the offer, Cassandra gave a light smile before then shivering in the cold again, now she knew why Orlesisans hated Ferelden, it was as cold as they said it was.
"Don't worry Seeker, if you need it I can always speak to my contacts, see if anyone's willing to sell Lyrium to us for a decent price." Even with his kind words, Cassandra shook her head. One of the last things he needed was for the Inquisition to be related to criminal activity, if Varrick started inviting members of the Coterie, then things would likely escalate. Still, she appreciated the gesture.
"I will consider it, thank you. For now, though, we need to speak with Lelliana, Josephine and Cullen, see what they have been up to in our absence"
"Some warm food wouldn't be amiss" No one disagreed with Solas on that point all of them hungrily looking forward to when the meeting was finished and they could fill their stomachs with warm hot food. With how cold this place was now compared to when they had left, it certainly felt as if they needed to pour boiling hot water down their throats. With all of then silently agreeing on the matter, they quickly marched up the rest of the hill until they came across the old stone building and made their way inside quickly brushing off whatever snow had landed on them as they did so.
"Lady Herald" A soldier approached the two, pleasantly, Cassandra was happy to see that unlike the majority of the other soldiers they had seen around the camp so far, this soldier was wearing thicker heavier plate armour. With the symbol of the Inquisition emblazoned on the front, it meant that either the blacksmiths were getting better at their job or they had managed to recruit someone with actual military training. At this point either one was welcome. "Lady Nightingale has arranged a meeting between you and the rest of your inner council, they await you in the war room." With a quick bow, the man then returned back to his post, standing vertically to one of the pillars with his head faced forward and hand kept on his hilt. So still was the templars movement's, that the man appeared to be a statue rather than a person, what didn't help with this was that the man had entirely covered himself in armour preventing a person from recognising him until he spoke giving his gender away with that deep baritone voice of his.
"It appears then that we were spotted on the road, at least this way we do not have to wait for everyone to be gathered"
"Good" Cassandra replied hastily to the elf's comment her steps quickening as she marched over the cold stone floor to the large room in the distance. "That proves that we will be alerted before a possible assault" Valeyna frowned at that, the idea of an enemy attacking them here at Haven seemed counter-intuitive, this was where their base was kept and their largest amount of forces as well as most powerful members. If they wanted to attack then wouldn't it be best to do so when they were out in the field?
"Come now Seeker, your scaring the poor Herald". Flushing at being caught, Valeyna averted her eyes from Varrick as he grinned up at her. In response, she gave him a playful glare. "Oh come on Herald you can do better than that. We're about to enter the war room you need to act all sharp and leader like" Before either Varrick could continue or Valeyna rebuff him, a loud bang echoed through the halls catching their attention focusing it forwards towards the now open doorway that Cassandra quickly rushed inside.
"Leliana, it is good to see you again" Like a beacon, Cassandra rushed to the side of her friend, wrapping her arms around her in a friendly greeting. Soon followed in by the rest of the group, Cassandra released the hug moments later and looked around to see who was there.
"Well this is unexpected" Varrick muttered his eyes widening as he took in the image of a large piece of hulking grey flesh and pure muscle towering above him with large thick horns. His eyes quickly darted towards the eye patch covering the Qunaris one eye and then to the scars surrounding it, whoever this man was, he had some very interesting stories. "So what's Tiny doing here" Bull chuckled at the nickname from the dwarf as did the older man with a full beard on his face,
Already Bull had observed each of the members of the Inquisition which had been present, the Redhead, the commander, the Ambassador with the nice ass. He'd gotten used to being around Vivienne who was currently stony-faced her eyes like that of the elf woman's occasionally moving over to the kid dressed in black who was situated beside the door.
"Tiny huh, that's an interesting name. You must be Varrick, Leliana told us about you" Making way for everybody else to come in, Varrick shuffled to the side looking at the man who was currently in thick steel armour with the symbol of none other than the legendary order that was the Grey Wardens on the front of his breastplate. As for the man wearing it, Varrick could definitely say he had seen others who looked more like a Grey Warden then this man did.
"Oh did she, and who would you be Hero"
"Warden Constable Blackwall at your service My Lady, I would offer to shake your hand but there's a table in the way" Valeyna blinked; there was a Grey Warden here in Haven. Quickly she looked the man up and down trying to work out as to why one of the members of such a respected order would join the Inquisition so willingly. What she didn't notice was the very brief but suspicious look Leliana gave the man as he gave the title or the slight narrowing of Solas's eyes.
"There's a Warden here" Valeyna spoke surprised but at the same time her eyes startled to sparkle with excitement, all kinds of questions came to mind. "It's an honour to meet you Blackwall, may I ask why you decided to join us" Blackwall nodded his head in respect to the comment, he too had been curious in the mysterious Herald of Andraste. Who this woman was, however, was not what he had been expecting.
"Your advisor came to ask me if I knew where the other Wardens might be found, unfortunately, I didn't but with their disappearance, it makes people wonder if the Grey Wardens had anything to do with the events at the Conclave. I desire to put an end to those rumours. What we face may not be a blight, but it is the duty of the Wardens to protect the world from danger and a giant hole shitting out demons certainly counts as a danger" By this point, everybody had managed to find a place around the table in the middle each occasionally sharing glances at one another as they introduced themselves.
"It will be a pleasure to have you with us Blackwall, my clan has heard the stories of the Grey Wardens and your accomplishments. I hope that you prove them true" Solemnly, Blackwall nodded his head but more slowly this time. Curiously, Valeyna noted that there was a pained look on the man's face, had she reminded him of a bad moment in his past. She would have to ask about it later, for now, she had other questions.
"You give me too much credit my lady"
"Please don't call me that, it feels weird" Bull chuckled as he saw the woman role his eyes at the title.
"Well it's good to know my new boss isn't going to be a stick in the mud" With her conversation with the Grey Warden over, Valeyna took this time to inspect the appearance of the other new arrival.
"Oh wow" Her breath escaped her as she saw the man in front of her, his size, those powerful muscles, those legs and those abs. This man could easily just pick her up and pin her down doing whatever he wanted to her leaving her an unintelligible mess. Then there was those long thick dragon looking horns, she didn't know why but those really excited her. Again her eyes danced all over the body of this giant hulking grey beast of a man. Where had he come from and who was the one who had gone to collect such a ... fine handsome specimen?.
"The name is The Iron Bull, leader of Bull's chargers. Like Blackwall here, I was recruited by your advisor" Bull grinned as he took in the young elf, it wasn't the first time he had seen a person look at him that way. When he spoke about her advisor, he made sure to gesture towards Nat who was currently leaning against a wall his head directed down towards the map. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the Chargers later, but for now you just need to know that I can handle myself in a fight"
"Of that Iron Bull I have no doubt." In a sultry tone promising more than just words Valeyna then redirected her attention back to the gathering of people all around the area. For a brief time, she locked onto the form of the young wizard who she had left all alone a month ago. He seemed fine, though he wasn't speaking at the moment and he had the elf girl Sera by him who... what was that black stuff on her mouth.
"Herald" Interrupting the conversation, Leliana grabbed her attention of the Herald and those who had accompanied with her to Val Royeux and then directed it towards Sera who now with a closer look was currently restrained by a strange set of handcuffs "Before we continue, I need you to confirm that this woman is who she says she is." In her eyes, Valeyna saw that Sera had a look of hope asking that she be let loose of her confinements.
"Yes, she's with me" Nodding, Leliana sent a look to Nat who uncharacteristically slowly began to undo the cuffs which had held her hands tightly in place. The moment the handcuffs were undone, Sera brought her first as quickly as she could towards the wizard. Nat caught it quickly and before anyone had a chance to blink had brought his wand out with it pointing directly at Sera.
"Stay still you magic bastard and let me hit you" Growling in frustration, the blonde elf went to slam her knee into the area between Nats to legs. Again it was too late as before she could, chains appeared out of nowhere and entangled her again before then locking her in place against the wall. "Not fair you magic git, let me go." Struggling desperately against her new set of constraints, Sera locked eyes with the Herald silently asking for silence. "Let me go fuck face, you heard the Herald I'm with her so you can't touch me" Sticking her tongue at disgust, Sera continued to wriggle futilely while Nat turned his attention back to the group who looked slightly amused.
"So how you been kid" Varrick interjected laughing at the way Nat simply ignored Sera.
"Fine, I'll tell you about it later, but for now we need to figure out how we're going to deal with little miss decorum here" Glaring at him from behind, Nat then gave a silent nod to the other members of the Inquisition who had returned, most likely he knew he was going to have to explain things later.
"I believe it's obvious, if members can't behave in a civilized manner, then they should not be allowed to attend. Therefore I suggest Herald that you expel these two troublemakers out of this room until they behave like grown adults" Smiling sweetly at the two people, Vivienne directed her gaze towards the Herald. Already a brilliant opportunity had presented itself to boost her standing with the woman.
"Nathanael can hardly be faulted for defending himself. If anything the girl should be sent out" Sera glared at the bald elf only much to her annoyance he simply grinned back in amusement taunting her with that smile of his.
"That's not true; this shit head put me in chains the moment we met. I've been in the dungeons ever since I arrived." Attention turned to Nat who continued to stand still quietly his eyes focusing on certain points of the map mentally ticking them off one by one.
"Did you wrap Sera in chains Nat" Sighing in annoyance, Valeyna looked at the two of them. It reminded her of a brother and a sister who didn't get along, always the two were either annoying one another or trying to get eachother in trouble.
"I politely asked her to state why she was here when she arrived; instead she insulted me and refused to answer the questions on multiple accounts. After the third transaction I took action to hold her in the cells in the case she was an enemy spy." The reaction from the elf woman was a roll of her eyes and to shake her head like she was a mother who was used to such antics with any such children she had.
"Either way, let her go. And Sera once he does, do not attack, understand"
"Perfectly"
"Not until he apologises for chaining me up" Valeyna turned her head towards Nat a silent pleading look on her face.
"No, she comes down and that's final"
"Well excuse me Mr I've got magic so that makes me all powerful, but I don't even understand why you're in this meeting in the first place. I mean like who even are you, the Heralds boy toy. So why don't you let go of these stupid chains and get out of here and I won't consider throwing a pie in your face, doesn't that sound fair" Scrunching her eyes up, Valeyna couldn't help but laugh at the very idea of Sera's comment on Nat being her little toy. Had she even seen how he behaved around women?
"Mr Tempest is a respected member of the Heralds inner council Sera. He has been helping us since the Breach opened, he can be trusted" Sera glared at Nat daring him to try and attack her and start some type of altercation however much to her annoyance and pride, Nat ignored her and focused on the rest of the group.
"With all respect" Nat intoned as he gave the people around him a stern look hoping to get them to focus on what was important right now. "We need to focus on the matters at hand, exchanging information and coming up with a plan, the longer we wait to strike the more we give the enemy time to hit us again" All bar, Leliana, Cullen and Josephine blinked at surprise, shocked looks were sent to Nat not entirely believing their ears however a small look of hope came about on Cassandra's face at the implication.
"You know who the enemy is?" Valeyna asked.
"They're called the Venatori, it's a group emanating from Tevinter with the goal of overthrowing the current regime and implementing the politics of the old Empire before the Magisters stepped into the Fade. They desire to take over the entire continent and while not yet confirmed, we believe that they created the Breach so that their leader could walk into the Fade". Valeyna's eyes widened, the implications instantly became aware top her what would happen should the enemy succeed in their plans. Her people like all other who lived on the surface of Thedas was well aware of the crimes of the Imperium.
"By the Maker" Swearing loudly as she pinched her nose, Cassandra turned her gaze to the one woman she trusted above all the others hoping for some kind of comment that would deny such a statement. Ultimately when Lelliana's face only remained hardened, a seep sinking feeling started to take place in her stomach. "The Imperium, they want to bring back the old Imperium. Are they mad?"
"Well, shit this just gets better and better. Next thing kid you'll be telling us that one of the Old Magisters is leading the army"
"Theoretically it's possible" Nat stated calmly. He didn't need to look around him to know what the expressions of his companions were. "According to what's known, Darkspawn regenerate quite quickly, therefore it may be possible that they do not age. If one includes the fact that nothing is known about what happened to the four Magisters infected with the Blight when they came back, then one can assume."
"You're telling us that we're going to be fighting one of the Magisters from old kid, as in like the big powerful type of magisters, not the modern day ones" Ignoring the part where Bull had also seemed to copy Varricks use of his nickname, Nat still concentrated on the map looking over the areas where the Venatori had put plans into action to destabilise areas. So far they had only concentrated on major areas, but that was bound to change especially if they were to head to Red Cliffe.
"It's doubtful such an individual would be our opponent. If such an indiviudal had managed to remain alive for so long, then their mind would likely have been lost. If not, then why attack now. They've had thousands of years to strike. Not to mention, when was the last time anyone would have seen such a Magister, by now there should have been a few reports of where they might have been holed up" Immediately both Varrick and Cassandra's faces went ashen their eyes flickering to one another having a silent conversation. Quickly Varrick's face went through a multitude of faces indicating that he was trying to confirm or deny that such a thing could have happened.
"Varrick you don't suppose"
"I hope not Seeker, Hawke killed him, I'm certain of it I was there after all."
"But remember what I told you, that the Grey Wardens were unaware of what had happened" At the mention of the order, Blackwall's interest was piqued as were the others, however, Vivienne had quite enough of the conversation.
"Would you two please care to elaborate to those of us who are not privy to this conversation please" With a quick glare directed to the woman, Cassandra and Varrick shared a few quick looks seemingly debating on who was going to have to tell the story before finally, Cassandra surrendered throwing her arms in the air with a loud ugh.
"Very well" Cassandra replied her face turning stony as she remembered the odd tale that Varrick had spoken of back when they were Kirkwall. "According to Varrick, during her journeys, Hawke travelled to an abandoned Grey Warden Fortress. Apparently, she then undid a barrier that surrounded a strange creature. If what that creature said to Hawke and Varrick was true, then it was one of the original Magisters that had violated the Golden City of the Maker".
"Impossible, such a creature could not exist. Your stories are more made up then they first appear dear Varrick" Chastising the dwarf, Vivienne gave the elf woman a look of disdain. Unlike her, Valeyna had taken the news very seriously, her head was now fully concentrated on the dwarf a small look of fear prevalent on it most assumedly due to the history that her barbaric peoples had with the Tevinter Empire.
"Varrick is it true, did you actually meet one of the original Magisters" Hesitantly Varrick nodded.
"We don't know, whatever the creature was it was certainly a Darkspawn. When it came to it spoke of us being slaves to the dwarves and that we should bow before it. It also made a rather large point that it had visited the golden city." Flashes of tales told to her by their story keeper went through Valeyna's mind, of what Tevinter had done to her people of how they had conquered Thedas and sacrificed countless elves so that they could open a breach to the Beyond. If such a man was back, then the danger to elves was beyond anything imaginable.
Interrupting the conversation, Nat focused his attention on Varrick but also insured that those who had been with him at the time were also on the same page "When we first arrived at the Breach, besides the ominous voice, there was a faint image of what had happened. I can clearly remember what the perpetrator looked like. Varrick if you could describe the appearance of this Magister, then we can confirm here and now what we're dealing with."
"Image" Valeyna blinked confused as to what Nat had meant. "There wasn't any image when we attended the Breach, there was just that voice and the divine" Solas shook his head in rebuttal.
"No he is correct, it was very faint but there was an image left behind at the Breach. I'm surprised you were able to catch it, I was barely able to catch it myself and only for a small amount of time" Nat doubted that knowing how familiar Solas with the Fade, he had likely seen the image in far better detail then he had. Most likely the elf wanted to try and make him feel good or was just generally surprised that he had been able to notice such a discrepancy when everyone else had been staring at the charred husks of dead people and rows of red lyrium lining everything.
"You can hardly forget a face that ugly."
"Varrick just explain"
"All right Seeker I'll tell you what the ugly man looked liked again. He was tall, several feet tall likely taller than tiny here except without the muscle. His skin looked like it had melted as if some type of dragon had set him alight leaving his chest to mould with this spiky black armour in the centre and those black shoulder capes that you mages like to wear."
"What about his face" Varrick rolled his eyes at the speed at which the other people wanted him to speak at.
"Calm down Seeker I'm going just give me a second alright. Anyway, his face was a mess, three chunks of metal on one side with more melted flesh covering it, half a black mouldy hood on the other, there were scars all over the place and his entire head looked deformed and his skin was a strange type of pale. Not normal pale, you look like fucking snow kid, I mean like it had gone grey in places. Is that enough for you"
Once more all eyes locked onto the form of the young kid who by this point had stopped moving from different locations and had now squarely focused on Redcliff city his finger tapping it as he started to think of multiple plans in how to deal with the situation. After letting things stew for a bit, he raised his head and looked back once again to who he believed the leader of the Inquisition was and answered the question that was on everyone's minds.
"Well, I have good news, better news, and more good news, and a lot more news. The good news is that we're fighting against a several-thousand-year-old Darkspawn Magister who wants to turn the world back to how it was "In the good old days"
"That's the good news," Blackwall asked incredulously. "what's the better news"
"He's likely immortal" A sudden bang erupted from their left, all eyes turned to Cullen who was currently beating a fist against his chest in an effort to clear his airways from whatever had been constricting it. Nat rolled his eyes and then turned back to Blackwall with a sarcastic grin.
"The news gets even better, we have no way to kill him"
"Uhm Nat, I think you don't understand the meaning of news, this isn't good news this is bad news" Hoping to explain to Nat that he shouldn't be speaking in such a peppy tone, Valeyna looked at the others to see the reactions so far as to the knowledge that had been given. Bull was mostly still in a good mood, he had a slight smile although about what she didn't know. Blackwall was frowning deeply his mind was likely buzzing around the very idea that the Grey Wardens had managed to capture one of the original Darkspawn before it released. The Grand Enchanter also held an annoyed look on her face obviously irritated by the fact that Nat was not seemingly shaken by the slightest by his own words. Solas for his part was staying quiet while Varrick and Cassandra constantly gazed at one another asking each other more questions silently. Sera for her part didn't seem to concerned, more along the lines that she was just finding it difficult to comprehend that this magister was immortal. As for Leliana, her face was also stern and she could see her eyes darting all over the map likely considering where she needed to send her agents next and where to strike. Cullen was doing something similar, he had gone straight into commander mode and was looking for the best paths and locations that could be taken and held.
"What do you mean we have no way to kill him?" Nat looked up and gave her a slight grin.
"Oh, it's quite simple, if Varrick said Hawke killed this Magister then I believe him. If that's the case then that implies that compared to the normal run of the mill Darkspawn, this one has extra powers. One of those extra powers allows him to survive after being killed. Now there is only one other type of Darkspawn that can do this little trick, can you guess which" Valeyna sighed it seemed that things were just getting harder and harder the more Nat spoke. Honestly, she was tempted to whack him so he would shut up, at least then she wouldn't have to hear him explain just how bad the situation was.
"Archdemon" Nat nodded.
"Yep, the only way an Arch Demon can be killed is if a Grey Warden does it due to their connection to the Blight. Otherwise when an Arch Demon is killed by anyone else, then their spirit just goes to the next Darkspawn and comes back. I assume that if this magister that Hawke killed is back, then that must mean that the Magister can hide in those corrupted with the blight even Grey Wardens. Combined with its life and knowledge of old Tevinter, it's likely got to be knowledgeable enough to know how to manipulate the Blight itself to some degree which explains the Calling all the Wardens have been hearing since the attack on the Conclave"
"Wait I thought Blackwall was a Warden" This time eyes were then directed to the lone Grey Warden whos posture had become very defensive. From his position, Bull easily saw that the man had just been called out when the man hadn't expected it and therefore had no way to defend himself. This was going to be fun to watch
"He's a fake, his true name is Thom Rainier but that isn't important right now" Nat carried on casually ignoring entirely the shameful look that appeared on the bearded man's face. "In that case, if this Magister acts like an Arch Demon, then we have the added little bonus of having to possibly face another blight and perhaps more of these ancient magisters and archdemons, another blight, and an army of demons". Nat stopped but didn't lose his smile "Well let's just say that we have a slight problem on our hands.
"Slight, slight. You're saying that all kinds of shit are about to happen and the normal people are going to die but it's only a slight problem. What wrong with you, and what are you even on about, there can't be another blight there was one a decade ago. Why don't we just put a whole lot of arrows into them" Odd Nat thought, Sera had actually managed to string a coherent sentence together, it must be the presence of Valeyna he thought.
"Just what exactly are we facing kid, an army of demons, an army of Darkspawn, an army of Tevinter mages"
"All of them. On the other hand, it could be worse"
"And how could an army of demons, Darkspawn, mages and other followers be worse then it is now" Cassandra inquired. By this point, she was attempting to stare holes into Nat most likely because unlike the others Nat had seemingly no care at all by the fact that they were facing some of the most dangerous enemies that Thedas had seen al at the exact same time as one another.
"They could be vegans" The group blinked, and then blinked again. Finally, Valeyna shook her head, it seemed that Nat hadn't changed in the slightest since she had been gone if he was still using strange terms from his home that they couldn't understand.
"I don't know what that is, but I'll assume it's bad" Nat nodded at bulls idea it was probably best if he didn't have to explain the concept of food Nazis.
"Unfortunately, we do have bad news" Oh dear Maker Cassandra thought if what Nat had stated before was the good news, what could possibly be taken as bad news. Maybe the Chantry had been destroyed or perhaps the Qun was going to invade the first moment they got.
"What is it, Nat?"
"We have to go house hunting, there isn't a chance that we can face against whatever army a Darkspawn Magister can throw against us now. That means we need to pack up quickly and find a defensible location, preferably away from one where the Venatori can drop an avalanche on our heads."
"He is correct Lady Herald if what we are facing is truly indeed an old Magister, then we are in a very exposed position here. We have neither the army nor enough mages or Templar's to stand against the Venatori or the number of Mages we suspect fill their ranks already. If possible, I would send scouts out to search for a suitable location however it might take time. I hardly doubt that any kingdom will just allow us to take over one of their castles." Having seen the situation that their growing army was in, Cullen had no desire to leave them in such an exposed position if they were going to fight an ancient magister. Nothing had to be said out loud about the power that such a creature would have at their command, far more powerful than any of the mages at their current disposal. According to the legends, Tevinter mages had sunk the elven city of Arlathan using blood magic. Haven wasn't a city and certainly didn't hold any of the defences that a city was bound to have.
"I will ask around on the political front, perhaps we can borrow a castle from either Ferelden or Orlais. I'm sure that if we explain the situation to them they may be willing to help. If not then we can always try to see if we can find the funds to purchase one ourselves or perhaps if are in real need of one, we could take some type of action to favour either Celene or Gaspard in return for such fortification. This won't come cheap, however, there is a very real chance we may be given a dilapidated old wreck if we are even given a castle at all."
Even if Josephine was volunteering her assistance to such an endeavour, Nat didn't think it would amount to much. Despite it being a fantasy medieval place, he doubted that there were going to be many spare castles just laying around for anyone to take whenever they wished. There was also the case that there had to be a decent amount of land nearby for the forces of the Inquisition itself.
"I will also send scouts out to look for a more suitable location. In the , however, we will have to fortify Haven in the case of an attack. I'll speak to the engineers and have some trebuchets created, it's not perfect, but it should help". Speaking quietly, Cullen began to think of other possible ways that could be used to fortify Have. Unfortunately, anyone with a decent amount of intelligence could look at Haven and see that the defences of the Inquisition were rather lacking.
"I would recommend that we don't go entirely down the theory that we're facing a dead Magister. For all, we know it may be an illusion and by focusing our efforts on such an enemy, we could give the advantage to the enemy." Speaking suddenly, Nat gestured towards Redcliff gathering the eyes of those in the room to focus on the small icon on the map. "All the same, that leads us to our next stage of action, we need to secure allies and remove the ability of the Venatori to gain them"
"What would you suggest Nat?" Out of the corner of her eye, Valeyna blinked confused as to why Vivienne scowled all of a sudden. She knew she had only just gotten back, but did she and Nat not get along well or was there something else at play.
"Winter's going to set in soon when that happens the continent is going to be in deadlock preventing any major action. However, that does not mean that the enemy will not try to gather forces in this time which is why we have to direct our focus on to Redcliff. With all the panic that the mages are under, I wouldn't be surprised if the Venatori didn't attempt to recruit them under false promises. This has to be prevented"
"Wait you want us to walk into the place where all the mages are hiding and stop other mages from using these mages to attack our mages here in Haven right" Blackwall blinked a few times as he tried to understand what Sera said, it wasn't so much as what she said as it was the thick accent and fast speed at which she conversed.
"If the Venatori gets their hands on the mages at Redcliff, it could prove disastrous. The troops here can barely fight as it is now, put them against mages and they'll be burnt to a crisp" Slightly offended by the comment, Cullen sent a light glare to the grey man with horns as if somehow that would get the infamous mercenary to suddenly apologise about the level that the current soldiers of the Inquisition were at.
"He's right, I saw a couple of mages fight whilst I was in the Hinterlands. The soldiers of the Inquisition stand no chance in a proper fight now let alone if these Venatori bastards wield all the rebel mages in Thedas. They need a good few more months of training and preferably a few years fighting for real before we throw them to the mages"
"And why should we listen to the words of one who pretends to be something that he is not. Whoever this man is, obviously he has shown so far that he cannot be trusted if he is willing to lie about who he is" Sensing a potential argument, Valeyna quickly knocked on the table focusing everyone on her as she addressed the group on what they were going to have to do in terms of handling the current situation that faced them.
"When we were in Val Royeux, we met with First Enchanter Fiona" Unsurprisingly, Vivienne sneered at the name of the one who led the rebel mages. "She invited the Inquisition to Redcliff to talk about a possible alliance. Now if we truly are facing against an old Magister, then we cannot allow such a man to recruit the help of more mages to his cause. I will leave in a few days to speak to Fiona, in the meantime, are there any other things that needed to be sorted".
Nat had to give it to the Herald, she certainly knew how to grab people's attention and pull them out of what they were doing. If things had continued, he was sure that there would have been a very loud debate between everyone on what had to happen. At least now they had a plan of attack it was simply a case of knowing who would go with her to this meeting with the Mages. If Valeyna was intelligent then she would avoid bringing Vivienne, already the tension was high with her and the current mages present. Should she attend an alliance meeting, he had little faith in her not to keep her mouth shut when it needed to be.
"There is the problem of Darkspawn attacks occurring at the Storm Coast" Cullen reported. "If we want to move troops through that area, then we need to make sure that the paths are secure for any of our soldiers that may have to travel in that region." That wasn't good Valeyna thought, on the other hand, it did have the advantage of lending more credit to this theory that they could possibly be dealing with one of the living Magisters.
"Cullen what have you been doing about the Lyrium supplies" Shocked by the sudden question emanating from Cassandra, Cullen stepped back before finally walking forwards once again a reluctant look marring his usually handsome face as the man felt the concern for his colleague.
"I have sent a note explaining our situation, but it doesn't seem to have done much. I'm afraid that unless we get supplies within the next two weeks, we will be completely out"
"As I said before, we can solve this problem as soon as we get the mages on our side. The moment they join us, we can reduce their Lyrium intake. For the most part, their buying it to prevent the Templars getting hold of it and for defence, if we offer them protection, then that will open up the Lyrium trade again". Not surprisingly to Nat, he had witnessed the First Enchanter of the loyal mages actually seem to have emotions when she heard what the consequences were going to be if they could not recruit the mages. Of course, most likely she was far more concerned that without the Templars getting hold of Lyrium, then their order would collapse resulting in the rebel mages having an easier time.
"So is there anything else or can I just go now" Smiling, Sera tried to move closer towards the door hoping to escape what she believed to be a boring unimportant meeting. If it was up to her, she would have just gone and done something already, make it up as she went along not some type of elaborate plan that people needed to speak around a table for.
"We have also received reports of rifts opening up in other places, the Hissing Wastes for example as well as other places. These will need to be handled if we wish to improve the reputation of the Inquisition and help the people who live nearby" Speaking softly, Josephine managed to push herself to the front of the table and directed her finger towards the left part of Orlais before the mountains located in the west towards where there was an area made of sand. Instantly Valeyna shook her head at the suggestion.
"We can't go there, it's too far and as Nat said with Winter setting in, it's not exactly going to be easy for us to move soon. Should we head to the hissing wastes, then we are going to get trapped there.
"Very well Herald I will leave it into the weather improves. Dear Maker, I wish we hadn't had to start this so close to the cold, we haven't had any time to prepare for the weather." There were two different reactions from the group assembled about the onset of the coming Winter, everyone bar Nat was not looking forward to Winter in the slightest. Winter was cold dark, slippery and people had a tendency to die at any time and food quickly became a scarcity if not handled correctly and that was just for a normal small family. For a group like theirs, they would require substantial amounts of capital to ensure that they could still feed their troops as the winter months came and past.
Nat, on the other hand, was quite looking forward to the idea of heavy snowfall and blizzard temperatures. With magic, he had no concerns about struggling in what to many was likely a snowy apocalypse. Winter for him was going to be a time of large amounts of relaxation by the sounds of things, yes he still had to train soldiers and exercise, but with a lack of troop movement, there was a high chance he could stay in one place and enjoy the snow.
"That is a problem, we need to act as quickly as we can and start preparing for the winter. I grew up here in Ferelden, the winters here are far colder then what anyone else is used to" Leliana shot the commander a sympathetic look, they both know how just cold it could get in Fereldan and that was just in the warmest areas typically centred around some city or other.
"If we have our plans, then we need to know who will be covering what. Valeyna would you care to assign the teams" Nat spoke gently pushing the conversation along, he alongside a few others in the rooms would rather be in different places than a tight room with strangers constantly looking at you as you spoke or the odd glares that were given mostly by the First Enchanter.
"Blackwall, Bull and Sera you'll accompany me to Redcliff. Cassandra will take Varrick, Vivienne and Solas to investigate the storm coast. Nat, stay here and help Leliana, Cullen and Josephine in looking for a new place for the Inquisition" Nat hid his sigh at the fact that he was going to be left at base again, it wasn't so much as the fact that he was being left behind as it was the fact that he had lost an entire month of speaking to Valeyna because she had wanted him to stay behind. Now that he was staying behind again, he was now going to lose even more time in gaining influence perhaps even to the point that he could lose it to Vivienne. Speaking of which, that woman was smiling far too much in his opinion.
"Valeyna with respect wouldn't it make sense to have another mage with you when you visit the rebel mages, another one who wields the power of magic will likely be seen in a better light." With a quick shake of her head sending her long blonde hair gently through the air, the Herald gave Nat a light friendly smile.
"If the others are investigating the Darkspawn, then they need to have mages with them in case anything happens," Valeyna smirked hoping to try and lift that stoic expression their youngest member was currently sporting as he broke down her plan. "Besides while we're gone, I'm going to need someone to act in my place, with Cullen, Leliana and Josephine busy somebody has to represent me." Now it was murderous glares from Vivienne that were directed towards the young wizard while Varick held back his laughter as well as a slight amount of concern over the kid. That Enchanter certainly didn't look too friendly in general, let alone after the Herald had decided to make the youngest member in her inner council her representative.
"If that's what you want, I'll play homes under the hammer" Confused blinking followed.
"Right. Anyway, shouldn't be too difficult, just try and find a new base and do any missions that Josephine, Cullen or Lelliana need you for" With a polite nod of his head, Nat walked backwards from the table and began leaning back on the wall with his arms crossed as he waited for the rest of the conversation to carry on. A diplomat he swore internally, he was going to be a fucking diplomat.
"So boss any reason we're not leaving tomorrow if the weather is such a problem"
"Well Bull, I and the others have to eat first not to mention we want to sit down and rest for a bit. Don't worry, we'll be leaving in three days"
"Not to mention that there are other key issues that you need to be made aware of Lady Herald, one of those being the status of Thom Rainier" Gulping quite loudly, Blackwall could feel the atmosphere of disapproval getting thicker and thicker as most of those present stared at the man harshly for what the crime he had committed to pretending to be another person. Seeing as there was no way he was going to keep this hidden, he turned to the kid unable to look the beautiful Josephine in the face for both embarrassment and shame of who he was.
"How did you know I wasn't a Warden, when did you know"
"I spoke to King Alistair when I visited Denerrim. I wondered if he might know what's happening with the Grey Wardens. He informed me that he had been struggling harshly ever since a new powerful calling had come out. When one figures that every other Grey Warden has gone to accompany this calling, then it makes it perfectly clear that those who haven't been either not in range or had other issues so important that they could not leave. Therefore I realised your story was fake as otherwise, you would have shown clear symptoms of suffering from the calling and as you didn't"
"I see. Well, I guess if it's out there, yes my name is indeed not Blackwall but rather Thom Rainer."
"Save us the sad back-story Blackwall, if you want to make a difference then help the Inquisition fight and once we save the Wardens we'll give them to you for them to sort out. If you try to mope around the base complaining about your past actions and it affects your performance in the field, then I'll hand you over to the Wardens or Orlais depending on which one you would prefer personally".
"What is he talking about" Unable to meet the Herald eyes in shame, Blackwall turned his head down onto the floor hoping that nobody would just see how guilt-ridden he appeared. All these years he had spent trying to run away from what he had done to hide who he was and then without even knowing it, his secret had been revealed casually in a conversation with strangers as if it was like talking about the weather. He wondered if the Herald would ever let him talk to her once she was told what happened, he shook his head, he didn't deserve that honour.
"That's his story, but for now if we are all quite clear on what we are going to do, then I believe I can say that everyone is dismissed. If we need to speak then I'm sure Leliana will send a runner to find you" Not wasting a second of her now free time, Sera slammed open the door and raced outside of the stone building into the chilly cold weather with a smirk on her face giggling incessantly. Down in the valley, a lot of people suddenly felt a chill go up their spines. Following after, nearly everyone else exited beside Nat, the Herald, Blackwall, Josephine and Lelliana.
"Kid come speak to me when you get free time, I have a story to tell you" Making his way out, Varrick groaned as he came to the realisation that he was going to have to go back out into that weather. "Hey Seeker want to help me find something to eat, what about you Chuckles, Tiny?"
"I'm afraid I will have to decline your generous offer Varrick, I would rather find somewhere to relax before I eat". With that said, Solas moved past the slower couple of the dwarf and Seeker, his clothes starting to ripple as he approached the now open door that Sera had not bothered to shut as she likely went to begin a rain of unsuspecting chaos on the denizens below.
"Sorry, Varrick was it, I and the rest of the chargers have a couple of drinks ready in the tavern. You're welcome to join us if you like, you as well Seeker it'd be great fun"
"Perhaps later Tiny, I got some things I need to sort out first"
"Fair enough, just swing by when you fell up for it" Patting the man harshly on the back, Bull then like all the others braced himself for the cold winter snow of Fereldan and pushed himself outside. "Damm it's cold, fuck this Fereldan weather" Varrick laughed once more and looked over to the short-haired warrior. Despite her apparent averseness to him, she was still perfectly content to join him in going to grab some warm food. Vivienne in an angry march soon followed them out.
"Now that's over, Valeyna as the Herald of the organisation, it's your job to decide on what we do here with Mr Rainier. The gist of his crime is that back when he was a soldier working for Orlais, he led a group of men and attacked an Orlesian noble and ally of Empress Celene. That attack turned into a massacre resulting in the depth of not only the noble but also of his wife and children. When his activities were discovered, Gaspard disavowed their actions, his commander killed himself, his men were captured and executed as traitors and he ran."
Valeyna stayed silent as she listened to Nat quickly explain the situation. She would have preferred a more in-depth version, but she guessed that Nat must have been short on time. As for Blackwall himself, the man hadn't made a single attempt to escape instead he had lost the flush on his face. Seeing as he was apparently unable to look her squarely in the eyes, Valeyna snarled.
"Children, he killed children?" Disgust filled her, this man had been responsible for an attack on an innocent woman and child resulting in their deaths all in the name of some noble. And now this man had decided to disgrace himself even further by donning the armour and weapons of a noble organisation and prance around as if he was a member of that group himself.
"I did." Seemingly out of nowhere, Blackwall had managed to muster up enough courage to speak out or perhaps he realised that there was very little point in lying now that they knew who he was and what he had done. Angry, Valeyna's eyes pierced Blackwalls searching intently for any type of guilt that may be present, in all honesty, she was proposing killing the man this instant for such a crime. "I will face up to my actions," He said bluntly. "And I will also not allow another to tell my crimes when I can do so myself"
"Then please Mr Rainier explain to us why you felt the need to kill innocent children and their mother. If you refuse then I will have the guards escort you out where I will take your head personally" As a very prevalent gesture that he meant exactly those words, Cullen actually drew his sword the sound of the metal clashing against the hilt making it loud and clear just what may happen. When she looked over, Valeyna was horrified with what she saw.
Cute sweet innocent Cullen had entirely changed. An angry scowl stretched from one side to another while his eyes burned furiously, even his foot stance had changed to one where he would likely go to attack another person. The rest of his face also showed the man's anger as creases in his skin appeared where his eyes constantly twitched as the speed of something like a hummingbird.
"Commander" Nat spoke quietly, but there was an underlying tone of finality to it, one that demanded to be listened to, less those who refuse to do so be punished for their insolence. Valeyna couldn't help when she heard it if this was some type of magic his people had, the way it almost compelled her to listen to do what he wanted was both surprising and concern yet also interesting. "Lower your sword"
"He committed to the crimes, if Orlais was to learn that we had such a man, then there could be consequences". With his sword approaching the neck of the bearded man, Blackwall sensing defeat closed his eyes and prayed silently to the maker to forgive him so that when his life was over he would not be left to forever wander the Fade lost and alone even if he deserved it.
"Thom Rainier must be given the right to explain his actions and defend himself if he so chooses. Once complete, he should be brought before the court to have this case examined and a verdict dealt. Unless you know otherwise, the Inquisition does not have an Inquisitor and therefore is not able to pass on punishments without one." Cullen strained at the words. As he did so, he didn't lower the sword, instead of keeping it very close to the neck of the individual he wanted to pass a sentence on. Nat understood why people who messed around with children were disliked in general by others so for a man to have led an attack that had killed a child was bound to boil the blood of many who had a stronger moral compass then he did.
"He killed children, in cold blood"
"This isn't a battlefield Cullen, you can't go round chopping everyone's heads off even if you are that desperate to give a donation to the local football team" More blinks and stares, Nat shrugged his shoulders before getting back to point. "The man has the right to explain his actions, I suggest we allow him to do it. Then the verdict shall be left to Valeyna" Nat gestured to the woman, with things coming to ahead and Vivienne here, he had to start making moves to cement his position with her not to mention the rest of the Inquisition.
"Why do I need to decide?" What was Nat up to she wondered, she wasn't exactly the right person to call judgement on a man so why did he want her to make choose the action that had to be taken with this man. She was hardly unbiased, the very fact that this man would lead an attack on innocents resulting in the deaths of children sickened her to her core. Just who was this man, that he would do such an act and then pretend to be a member of the most honourable group on the continent.
"Because you are the Herald, and I believe that no one would oppose me in stating that it is best if you make that decision"
"I concur, as a symbol of the Inquisition Herald, the responsibility of such judgements must also be placed in your lap. Starting with this man, will you allow him to explain his actions or would you like to give your sentence now" Nobody counteracted Leliana's statement. Carefully like a predator stalking their prey, her eyes sharp Leliana moved subtly from her position so that she got closer to this child killer. She was ready to slit his throat Valeyna realised.
"Let him speak, if we start executing such people without hearing them, then we're no better than our enemy" A simple nod was all Valeyna needed from Leliana to know that the spy was ready to strike should Blackwall try to escape.
"I suggest you speak quickly Mr Rainier, I doubt that the Wardens are going to be too kind about the fact that you've been impersonating them. I also believe that Empress Celene would like to enjoy punishing the one responsible for the death of one of her more loyal supporters" Cullen frowned at how easy he believed Leliana and the others were going on this case. The man was responsible for the deaths of innocent children, the man had even admitted to it and now Leliana and the others wanted to question the man. It didn't feel right
"They said that you killed a man, why what happened?"
"I was a captain in the Orlesian Army, respected but it wasn't enough. My employer was a chevalier, Robert Chapius and my target was a general called Vincent Cailler. Ser Robert believed that Grand Duke Gaspard was the rightful ruler of Orlais and would eventually take the throne. He thought that by eliminating one of Celenes loyal supporters, he may endear himself to the true emperor. I can't say if Roberts plan would have worked. I didn't care. There was good coin on offer, and I took it. By the time Ser Roberts involvement was uncovered, I was long gone. Of course, the Grand Duke disavowed any knowledge of the act and publicly condemned it. Robert killed himself. Poison in his wine. Another victim of the Great Game."
The mood in the air changed as Blackwall spoke, it wasn't the happy type of story or the sad type of story that Valeyna was used to hearing if anything it just sounded pathetic to her ears. The man had killed children because of a handful of gold, not because he was attacked, not because he was attempting to defend the lives of others but for nothing more simple than a bag of shiny metal. Revulsion ran through her mind, any thoughts of perhaps sparing the man were easily falling by the wayside.
"Why did you have the man's entire family slaughtered," She intoned loudly her fingers playing with the shaft of her staff. What would be the best way to deal with such a man, perhaps send him to Orlais. If that happened, then it may improve the reputation of the Inquisition in that country. Then again, for the crimes that he had committed she couldn't help but feel that something worse should befall this man.
"I didn't know Callier would be travelling with his family. I assumed only soldiers, armed guards. My men had been told to eliminate everyone. They'd seen war, they thought they were defending their country. No one wants to think about that, but it's names that carry weight in this world. Bloodlines, heirs. No matter how leaders like Celene or Gaspard pretend the Game is played, that's how real war is waged."
There was a certain callousness to his words, there wasn't any room for soft sweeter words to soften the blow with how the man impersonating a Grey Warden believed things out to be run, just how they were like he was defeated. Yet it wasn't enough, the man ad actively taken the job and led others alongside him to go and take the life of an innocent man. Even though she believed Blackwall when he stated that he had no idea that the man's children would be there with him, Valeyna still struggled to see this man as innocent. She glanced over at her apparent "advisor" hoping that he could give her information on what she should do. While she wasn't able to tell what exactly needed to happen, she had a strong nagging feeling in her gut that despite the revulsion that swelled within her like a small wooden ship in a storm, that there was another choice for this man than death. The question was what did he want to ask and what choice did want her to make? He had helped her before so why not now.
"That shouldn't be how wars are fought, there's no need"
"War is unfair, and the sky is blue." Blackwall rebutted the woman a scornful look on his face at the sheer naiveté that this woman displayed towards how the war worked. She was the Herald of Andraste; she had fought and killed before so surely she must understand. Ultimately as he stared into those beautiful bright eyes of hers, he saw only innocence. The Herald he realised had witnessed barbarity, but she had never witnessed war and would never understand, not yet but as time went on she would. " But you're right there was no need for what I did"
"You got your men to help you. What did you tell them?"
"They didn't know who they were attacking. I told them it was an important mission. They trusted me without question. Just as your men trust you"
"My men" Valeyna spoke quickly not entirely sure as to what the murder was on about. "I'm not in charge of the Inquisition nobody is." Blackwall coughed.
"Those men in the valley follow the Inquisition because they believe you to be their saviour, the one who will end this madness. The commander may lead the armies of the Inquisition, your Spymaster its spies and your ambassador it's politics, but ultimately it is your name that the people whisper, it is your name that the people toast to. These men follow your orders because they trust that you are what people say you are."
"That's not true, I've not led anyone into battle. I'm not even the Herald of Andraste, I'm just a person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Blackwall shook his head vigorously. Jabbing his finger towards the others four members in the room with them, he drew the Heralds gaze onto the four individuals who stood at the wayside their faces partially obscured by the shadows cast of the warm glowing torches that dotted around the room.
"Everyone here looks to you for leadership, it is your word that commands the Inquisitions forces. Whether you desire it or not, you are the leader of the Inquisition by default. If you order it then men and women will throw themselves against your enemy".
Desperate for some kind of backup, that one of the four with her would support her in her claims that she was not the leader of the inquisition and was instead just the Herald at best, Valeyna desperately searched towards the three older advisors first believing that with their age that any rebuttal would prove useful. After a few moments of silence, it became increasingly obvious that none of them was going to speak up and tell her that she wasn't the leader of the Inquisition. Finally, she turned to the boy that was apparently her advisor silently asking him for help on the matter. Slowly Nat spoke.
"What he says is true Valeyna, whether or not you hate it, the people consider you one of their great prophets. When people whisper the name of the name of the Inquisition, they do not mean it's army or its politics or its spymaster, neither do they think of their soldiers. What people think when they hear that term is the Herald of Andraste and that false or not is you and therefore people will flock to the Inquisition for you. The fact of the matter is, you are the leader of the Inquisition. You are the Inquisitor." Stepping back so that the shadows covered his face again, Nat through the corner of his eyes observed the reactions of his fellow advisors.
None of them said a word instead allowing the room to fall quiet besides a drone of constant tapping as water managed to sneak in and hit the floor in regular intervals. None of them was in outright disagreement, Josephine he saw was very likely considering the pros and cons of having Valeyna as the Inquisitor and how it would affect the Inquisitions relations with the rest of Thedas. Cullen it seemed was concentrating more on military matters, what exactly that pertained to he could only guess. As for their red-headed spymaster, he would assume she already had a long list of people that her agents needed to meet and "enjoy a nice cup of tea" with.
"Why me, I'm not a leader. Who would listen to an elf let alone one of the Dalish"
"We need to concentrate back onto the matter at hand before we discuss internal politics" Nat chided the woman bringing her attention back onto the man who stood accused of murdering innocents in cold blood. With a sigh, Valeyna relented and acquiesced to Nat's suggestion and went back to questioning Blackwall.
"Tell me about Blackwall, the Real Blackwall"
"We met in a tavern when I was on the run. I was nothing, a waste of life, but he wanted to recruit me. We headed to Val Chevin for the joining, but Blackwall insisted on making a stop along the way. An old ruin from one of the previous Blights. He said it led to the Deep Roads. I was to go down, alone find a Darkspawn, and fill a vial with its blood. When I returned, I found the Warden ambushed by more of the creatures." Almost as if by magic, Valeyna couldn't help but be dragged into the story that Blackwall told. It was short and not anywhere near the quality that Varrick usually regaled her with, but all the same, it was a curious one. Perhaps it was the lack of light allowing the small lights of the surrounding torches to bluster around continuously or perhaps it was the sound of the wind outside as it picked up speed and pressed against the old solid walls of this meeting hall. All the same, it helped to build the atmosphere of such a dark story. "He took a blow for me. He shouldn't have died. It should've been me.
"It was a heroic act stepping between you and a Darkspawn."
"I wasn't worthy"
"We rarely are, the Maker works in mysterious ways."Softly, like a feather, Leliana moved towards the murderer gently picking up the man's hand holding it in her own as she spoke in a sweet tone instantly brushing past any sort of defence the man may have held. Nat resisted the urge to slam his head against a brick wall. He needed a cup of tea, help calm himself.
"When the Breach opened, we believed that there was no way to close it but then the Herald appeared" At this point, Valeyna resisted the urge to slam her head into the table. "You have made a great mistake Blackwall, but I see in you a man who wants to change, a man who desires to do good by people to help them as you were once helped. You desire to assist the Inquisition, the Herald so that you can believe that you honour Blackwall's words do you not." Blackwall turned, his stoic expression destroyed by the former bard as she smiled soothingly at him. With his eyes downcast, the man scrunched his face up in sorrow tears threatening to fall from his closes eyelids and soak his black gambeson.
"I am not worthy, I never was."
"Then change. All are loved by the Maker, if you show him that you have changed, that you cast aside what you did and are willing to fight for his people that you are a better man, then you will find yourself worthy even if you do not think it so" Perhaps it was because he wasn't religious in the slightest, but quite frankly Nat was astonished that the very idea that such words would actually work in this situation. Blackwall, in contrast, seemed to be reacting just as Leliana hoped to her words, his eyes were once again thrown back to the floor and his heart weighed heavy with obvious guilt yet, all the same, he was finding peace in the red-headed woman's words. Nat said nothing, if the man wanted to take comfort in meaningless drivel then he could. So long as Valeyna kept the man with the Inquisition things could work out.
"I" Stopping himself mid-sentence, Blackwall closed his eyes his mind wondering back to when he had first encountered the original Blackwall, what he had wanted to do. "He... He would have wanted me to carry on to Val Chevin. I'm certain. But without Blackwall, there was no proof that I'd been recruited, that I didn't kill him. I couldn't go to the Wardens, but couldn't just walk away. So, Rainier died and Blackwall lived". Sensing that the conversation had now come to an abrupt end, Valeyna asked her advisors for guidance hoping to know what their opinions on this matter were. She currently held her own opinion of anger that welled up in her fort this man. The lies he had told the crimes he had committed had to be dealt with, there was no way she was going to allow the man to walk free from all of this.
"What do you four advise me to do?"
"What he has done is inexcusable, he lied to his men lead the slaughter of innocent children and impersonated a Grey Warden. His punishment is obvious, he should be executed for his crimes" Cullen spoke tersely his pale face snarled in anguish as he gave the bearded man a look of utter contempt.
"It is what I deserve" Blackwall agreed shortly.
"We could give him to Orlais. If we were to give Empress Celene the murderer of one other supporter's, then we could surely gain favour" Unlike Cullen who was actively sneering at Blackwall, Josephine didn't once even look in the direction of the man. Perhaps it was a political thing Valeyna thought, a way to show someone that you cared not for a single thing that they had to say. Despite this, Josephine's tone of voice was not the smooth pleasant one of a diplomat, but one of a harsher person who had seen the ugliness of the world and knew exactly was going to occur if Thom Rainer was sent to the capital.
"Leliana"
"Thedas is in a desperate struggle, only your council currently knows what the Grey Wardens are facing. It has scared the common people; they need evidence that protectors will assist them. Have Rainer continue to be Blackwall, if there is Blight then even his presence can relieve the minds of others." Valeyna sighed, she didn't have to ask why Leliana wanted such a thing to happen. She had travelled with the Hero of Ferelden during the last Blight if anyone knew the dangers that a blight possessed than it would be her. Still, did it really matter that much? Should a Blight come, then Blackwall couldn't kill an Arch Demon. When that was discovered, then the feeling of betrayal among the common people would take a heavy blow potentially devastating the Inquisition's reputation especially in Orlais where scandal was common.
"You would have me live the lie. If you do so then the Inquisition is just as corrupt as others." Silence resounded from Leliana as she stared him in the eyes with cold eyes of one who was willing to do anything that was needed to keep the Inquisition intact. Blackwall sighed, his stomach dropping at the idea of such a thing. Finally, Blackwall turned his gaze to the child saying nothing but still curious as to what the youngest member would say.
"May I ask some questions of my own" Valeyna nodded gesturing him to do so. "When we met, you were fighting off bandits and demons to save the lives of others. Why?"
"After all that I had done with the death of Blackwall, I came to the conclusion that the world is short of good men. Even if he was dead I did not want to tarnish a good man's name I decided to keep it going, to make sure that such a name would not be remembered for being killed by the shit that inhabits this earth"
"And afterwards?"
"I wanted to atone for what I had done, the crimes that I had committed will never but I thought that if I could help another person then it would be one less pile of shit in the world" Valeyna fluttered her eyebrows lightly, she had not been expecting such questions. Perhaps questions on why he had lied or why he had committed the crimes or was it worth it, but these questions she could sense had a different meaning. She frowned, he couldn't be that naive could he?.
"Tell me, Mr Rainier, what would happen if the Wardens were to fall to this old Magister. How would the world react, how would you feel if such an occurrence was to take place?"
"Your joking" He exclaimed loudly. While he had heard from the rumours that abounded around the camp that the kid was from some unknown place with a different culture, to not know the obvious repercussions of the downfall of the Wardens was ridiculous. All the same he realised it was a serious question. "If the wardens were to fall, then the world would be swallowed by the Darkspawn. Such a thing cannot be allowed to happen"
"I agree," Nat said slowly, once more his attention was gripped by the map in front of him. Covered in small trinkets and figurines, it made him think of someone trying to play some type of fantasy board game. The one that required dice and imagination, he couldn't remember the name of the thing neither did he care to, but the concept was the same. From what little he knew imaginary people would go on quest's typically in a fantasy world and stop the world from being decimated. The only difference was that very thing was occurring right now and it was up to the Inquisition to put an end to it. "As a man who had spent his time in the army and especially in Orlais, I'm sure you know well what the consequences of scandals are, how they can ruin a person entirely or worse."
"I am familiar with that yes, I hardly see how it has any relevance at this moment" Nat gave a fake sympathetic smile at the man.
"Hypothetically imagine that you were one of the children of the man you killed." Reluctantly Blackwall winced at the thought. "Now imagine that you have captured Thom Rainier the man who led the attack on your family, who lied to men who would then gut the rest of our family like fish leaving them nothing but dead pale corpses for the flies to land and feast themselves on." Josephine clutched her mouth fighting back the image to throw up as a gruesome image popped up in her head. "How would you punish him? how would you punish the brutal murderer of your family? What type of action do you think is justifiable in such an action?"
A look of guilty uncertainty was sent him from the man in question. Shaking his head vigorously, the man's eyes danced all over the room silently pleading with one of the many others for some kind of explanation about this question. None came forth. To the side, Leliana sensing what was about to come quirked the left side of her lip upwards as her eyes shone with a deep burning anticipation. That was something she hadn't considered.
"I hardly see why this is relevant, is it not up to this man to decide what his fate is. Herald, please make a decision" Valeyna said nothing, she trusted Nat. If he wanted to ask the man a few harmless questions then what did it matter, the man was still going to pay for his crimes nevertheless.
"As do I, the decision is in your hands Lady Herald. I will accept any judgement you may pass" the elf's eyes widened slightly, Blackwall was scared, something about Nat's questions was throwing the man off balance and forced to fight verbally.
"Answer his question" Blackwall grimaced. Scrunching his face up to the point that his beard was making odd movements, Blackwall tried to look directly into the kid's eyes so that he could face the accuser directly.
"Very well, If I were in such a position, then I would have Thom Rainier executed for his crimes against Orlais and it's empress" Cullen nodded in agreement.
"Oh is that it, It's not a very good punishment is it?" Nat replied gently taking a sip out of a cup of tea that appeared out of thin air. Valeyna shook her head. What was it with Nat and tea.
"I fail to see your point"
"Oh it's quite simple if you want to get revenge on a person, then the last thing you should do is kill them. No, what you do, is commit psychological warfare against the person who you are having a spot of bother with"
"Psychological?" Nat shook his head, oh the troubles with dealing with medieval people.
"Mental, mind, brain, fucking with a person's head" Nat explained quickly. "Anyway, if you want to torture a person, then you don't kill them as that gives them a way out and you lose out on the fun. Rather what you do is you torture them slowly, painfully for the rest of their life. And before you ask, I don't mean hitting a person's kneecaps with a hammer repeatedly, far too dull. No, what you do is you make them live, force them to live out their days in a way they would despise. For example, I would give a person who despises magic and fears it entirely a punishment of being forced to work with mages their entire lives subjecting them to it on a constant basis. Another example would be to force a human who hates elves to live in an alienage for the rest of their lives. It' not exactly as flashy as cutting their heads off or lining them up and shooting them and it certainly isn't as efficient for mass use like throwing them all into a concentration camp and gassing them. However, If done correctly it has a tendency to break them down more than the possibility of their death ever could."
All of a sudden, Valeyna felt as if the very air began to chill unnaturally. Life started to become still, and the sound of inside the room changed so that all that could be heard was the powerful wind blowing against the building in a constant strum as it continued to battle helplessly in its quietest to demolish the old structure. All inside the room noticed it, there as no indication that magic had been used in any sort of manner, yet things felt as if some type of dark secret had been revealed. Unconsciously she backed away from the table moving closer to the wall her eyes fearfully glancing towards the young man questioning Blackwall. She didn't know what it was, but even with his flat tone in regards of speaking, it felt as if some great threat had been made against the man's life. More questions quickly sprouted in her mind and likely the same occurred in the others,. She said nothing instead only watching as the conversation carried on with her breath held and a feeling that some sort of dire warning and horrific disaster had occurred scaring her to her very core.
"And what does this have to do with me?"
"Your guilt wracks you Blackwall, night after night you have nightmares at what you did, Every time you see children you breath is held and you are brought back to that scene of when you made that choice. No matter what you do, it is never enough is it. Every life you save every bandit you kill, every Darkspawn you slay and every demon you destroy does nothing but remind you of your failure. Day after day goes back and in the back of your mind you hear the whispers." Blackwall paled considerably, his once breath face turning to one of abject fear as Nat slowly like a predator stalking his prey approached step by agonising step bring the torture to the man every closer. "How does it feel Blackwall knowing that day after day that there is always that part whispering to you telling loudly that it doesn't matter, that you did what you needed to do. That their lives never mattered, that you don't care in the slightest as you remember the pale dead looks of those children's corpses lying in the dirt." Blackwall shook violently where he stood paralyzed by nothing but words. So lost was he in the memories of what had happened that he didn't notice that Nat was now standing directly in front of him staring him down with his arms held casually behind his back.
"Stop it please" The pleading carried ever on for Blackwall his eyes so scrunched up that it appeared that he was trying to crush them into a small white goo. In his mind all Black wall saw was that field, the dead man scattered on the ground slain in combat. His face was ashen with horror as he took in the sight that he had created, a line of corpses that littered the area.
"You killed them" A powerful high pitched scream echoed through the air. It was a child's. Rushing towards it, Blackwall ignored the aching burning feel in his chest, the lightness of his mind and the strain inside his limbs telling him that there was no point in carrying on. "You carried out an attack on innocent children" Suddenly the image of dead corpses was changed before Blackwall's eyes as the forms of your small humans appeared screaming and running in terror. Rushing to their flank was a group of soldiers weapons bared their intent to kill. "I bet you made sure that the father and mother were killed first, just to make sure that they couldn't fight back". Again the scene changed again only now instead of watching the children he was subjected to observe as the armoured men easily cut through the line of guards and headed towards the noble.
"No stop, this is a mistake" Calling out desperately, Blackwall focused his attention back onto the children. A cry rang out from his side the mother he realised, Not hesitating he dashed towards those children now cowering by one another by a tree trapped an frozen entirely with fear. Screams of fear combined in matrimony with tears and crying of tear terrified children as they looked on as their father had a sword thrust into his back and through his heart. With a thump, the father hit the ground ungracefully as a fountain of blood poured from the open wound his eyes wide open unflinching as they bored holes into his children. "Get away from them" Blackwall yelled drawing his blaze rushing towards the group his teeth grit.
"Not that it matters whether you killed the father first right, you and your men had no interest in whether the children lived or died. After all, you are a nothing but a coward, A waste of life, a good for nothing thug, a drain a society."
"Stop this at once" Blackwall's command failed entirely the troops ignoring every word he stated as if he wasn't there. "I told you this is a mistake, stop it now""
"And that is why you should be allowed to live," Nat stated calmly. "Death is too good for you, no what you need to do is suffer. Why should you be allowed the mercy of death? No, your punishment should be for you to continue wandering believing that you can be something that you aren't to believe that you are a better man then you are. You will forever run from your plans, a coward and nothing more."
Why wasn't it working Blackwall hissed, no matter how fast he ran the distance between him and the children only increased. Up ahead one of the helmet covered men advanced onto the children their sword bloody from the lives of those he had just killed. A brief few seconds passed as the man looked down at the small little bodies in front of him clinging onto one another for comfort their cheeks glistening with fear.
"Please don't kill us. Is that what they pleaded before they were gone? Did you even notice the expressions they made on their tear-stained faces as they cried out for mummy and daddy, did you tell them what happened."
"No stop they're innocent" Blackwall scrammed.
"You're a coward Blackwall, an impersonator using the bravery of others to hide your own cowardice." Uncaring for the sheer mental torment that he had placed on the man as Blackwall clutched his head kneeling on the ground so lost in his own word that he was totally unaware of the horrified looks that were passed around by the others in the room Nat pressed his attack.
"Their innocent" He pleaded.
"You can't stop it. To do so would require for you to actually care about anything more than gold" Out of nowhere Nat appeared before Blackwall leaning casually against a tree his eyes face entirely unbothered by the scene going on before him. "Oh, mighty brave Blackwall" He puffed his chest up and pretended to do a marching motion as if he were a soldier. "For you to even attempt to save them, then you would need to betray who you really are. After all, there is only one way to stop them if they won't listen to you but you'd never do that, it would finish your career. No more large money bags or respect, you'd be kicked out of the army."
"They are going to be killed" Nat shrugged his shoulders in response.
"What does it matter, they're only children nothing important" Blackwall was outraged by the comment. "Children are nothing but small sentient beings, they're weak defenceless pitiable, naive, time wasters and drains on people. What should it matter if these children die, they are going to do so at one point or another. You know what I mean, even if they survive they will live through constant pain and suffering until eventually later down the line they bite the dust. Besides, these children have watched their parents get slaughtered like pigs in front of them. They will desire revenge, they will hunt those killers down t the end of the earth forever scarred by what they saw" Blackwall didn't falter instead speeding up the pace of his running so that he could try and intercept the attack. As he got closer, he witnessed as the armoured man roughly gripped one of the children powerfully by their shoulder dragging them back as they screamed.
"Get away from them" Nobody heard him, with fury blazing in his eyes, Blackwall kept advancing but it was too late. Without a moment's hesitation, the sword of this armoured man shot through the back of the child appearing on the other side coated in their blood. Screams arose from the children. Uncaring about such pathetic emotions, the armoured man roughly tossed the child aside as if he was nothing but rubbish to be discarded and then grabbed another. This time that child only looked up fearfully at the murder sniffling as she clutched her now hoarse throat. "Leave her alone" A single blow was all that was required for the blade to pass through the neck of the child and clave directly through the bone decapitating the girl in a bloody display. The other two followed suit, both being killed quickly and without mercy.
Finally when the battle was done Blackwall managed to approach the corpses of the children. They were lying there, nothing more than clumps of flesh laying in dark crimson pools of blood. Marks of where tears had slid down their cheeks were still prominent their fear palpable for the whole world to enjoy if they so desired. Blackwall collapsed to his knees, splashing mud and blood all over his fancy Grey Warden clothes coating them in the blood of the innocent. Clumsily he gripped one of the bodies of the children dragging it close to his chest embracing it tightly as his own tears fell freely from his face.
"Why, they didn't have to die. They were children, innocents. They needn't have to die" Behind Nat approached his boots hitting the ground hard with a constant beat like a drum was playing, constantly and harsh. They kept coming and coming like they were some kind of monster raising Blackwall's heartbeat as sweat and fear filled him. Suddenly they stopped and that dam foreign voice spoke clearly to him.
"They were caught in something they could not prevent. The world is harsh and dictated by power, everyone wants it. Perhaps not all to the same degree, but all desire power. You desire the power to protect those children, to prevent their death; your employer wanted Gaspard to gain more power so he, in turn, would want more power. The Grey Wardens require power so they can succeed in their goal. The Inquisition also too needs it if they are ever going to fix the world. As for this Venatori, they want the power to do as they wish. Now think about it Blackwall, who should really have power?".
All around him, the scene changed. No longer were they in some open grassland surrounded by hills nearby and a dark sky with stars twinkling like jewels around them, the corpses of those four children had instead multiplied to more children and more children. The predominantly green grass was now permanently stained red as mangled broken shells of people littered the ground. There were all kinds, the young, old, men, women, elf, human, dwarf none of it mattered, they now stood in a mass grave. Horrified, Blackwall stood up again hoping to get a better view of where he was. It went on forever, the bodies of the dead from all places now nothing but pale and dead. A storm thundered above him and a crash of green light striking before him revealing the hulking grotesque body of a Pride Demon.
"How many did you kill Blackwall? How many could have been saved if somebody had been there to defend them against the tyranny that they faced." Not noticing him, the demon stalked forwards quickly snatching up one of the many dead before bringing it up to his mouth and then chomped down. Blood showered everywhere and in all directions, from his position, Blackwall had to fight every urge in his stomach that was trying to get him to vomit at the sight and scene. Another sound of thunder and then another, quickly this place filled with the bodies of the most dangerous type of demon there was and all began the same sequence of exploring the local area and then proceeding to eat everything in sight in a messy bloody gore.
"What happened" Blackwall yelled as he faced the casual child. Nat was standing there without a care in the world stepping over the lifeless as he paraded himself in a circle his eyes never straying once to meet the fake Warden.
"To think that so many people could be saved, if only there had a person to stand in the way between the demons and their feast?. Alas" Nat sighed shrugging his shoulders. "It was such a large defeat that the Inquisition was never taken seriously, people always mocked it considering it to be a useless organisation that had no other goal than to steal power. To think that failure resulted in the fabled Grey Wardens heroes of old and beloved by all would be the one who would lead the assault. Then again, if everyone is infected with the blight then the Wardens had no need to concern themselves with the Blight"
"The wardens would never allow this to happen. They would take up arms before they would ever allow such a thing to happen" Nat shrugged.
"Perhaps, but it's not exactly easy to do when you're under the influence of the Blight. A few tried to resist, but it was helpless against the call of the Blight. A few even managed to tell the Inquisition what was happening to the Wardens and other nations, but it was believed to be a trap. As the Wardens had vanished with the death of the divine, it was only natural to assume that they had been the ones responsible for her death in order to take control of what they desired."
"The wardens are heroes, they stand for what is right. They are the watchers of darkness, they will do what others will not and walk where others dare not tread,. They are not cowards"
"Maybe not, but only a handful are wardens, only a few know that burden. The rest of the world does not. Kingdoms play their games of politics and war, to them the threat is just as important as intention as is the image that they present. A frightful creature will always strike if they believe that is the only way they can survive. With no evidence to the contrary, the world believed that the Wardens are corrupt and have gone insane. They are nothing but slaves to the blight, lingering at its every word begging to be obeyed as they are corrupted by the blackness that they willingly took in. With their image ruined, who was going to fight for them, who was going to save the saviours"
"They would keep fighting, even if the rest of the world gives up. That's what Wardens do, they sacrifice so that others can live. Whether that means fighting on their own against the Darkspawn or against the rest of Thedas, the Grey Wardens will always defend the people".
"Perhaps if they had the trust of the people" Nat interjected his attention held by an entirely green swirling skyline. Constant barrages of green lightning shattered the nearby area as demons of all shapes and power congregated on the area and helped themselves to the large number of corpses available. "However without that trust, without a single Warden showcasing that they were willing to fight back against tyranny. That they would fight against themselves in name of the true Wardens... then they collapse."
"Then this is preventable? All the wardens have to show is that they will fight with the Inquisition?"
"All these lives gone, young innocent children who could have avoided death had there been a protector for them. If only a person had been willing to make a hard choice to defend those who could not defend themselves. If only there was one who would subject themselves to a life of torture for others, one who desired to do nothing other than help, to defend, to protect. Had there only been one?" Like ashes in the wind, Nat dissolved in front of Blackwall's eyes, flying into a million pieces and blowing away leaving him alone in this hell. With horror struck on his face, Blackwall redirected his gaze onto those demons feasting on the flesh of little children, one of them picked up a small girl and then bit a chunk out of her skull smiling in a demonic way before then complimenting the taste.
Was this what awaited the world? Was this the fate of all those innocent people's lives. Already they were tortured enough by the powers that were scrounging for food in a desperate bid to survive with harsh punishments should they fail. Some deserved such a fate he could admit, to make up for the crimes that they had committed the injustices that they permitted. Some yes but not all of them. Children were not what the boy said, they were not just small humans. They were hope, love a chance to do better and learn as well as a chance to improve the world. Children needed love and care, to be protected from the evils that plagued this world whether it was from corrupt tyrants, bandits, Darkspawn or demons they should not be forced to live through such harsh treatment, to be used as nothing but meat or slaves.
He remembered the words that the boy said, they were continuing to ring tirelessly through his ear like some recruit was continually banging a set of bells directly next to his ear almost deafening. Nathanael had said that he didn't care about the children that he had killed during the attack, that they were bound to die anyway and so killing them was merciful. He was wrong, those kids should never have been killed they had been innocent and it was his fault that they had died. It was on his hands that their blood loomed on like an overprotective lover who whispered never-ending about the stuff that they wanted to do with you. Only this was not a kind lover who would allow him to take her however he wished but rather the shrill voices of children jeering at him calling him a coward for running away.
He looked back at the faces of the children his heart aching with revulsion. He now understood, he was responsible for their death. His outburst at the spymaster had been wrong. Guilt struck him squarely in the chest like an arrow powering through the taut flesh of a target. How could he have been so selfish, the deaths of these children were because of him. All of it could be prevented, innocent people not slain and then eaten, children living on the streets begging for food until they were either thrown in a whore house or killed in the middle of some back alley with not a lone person caring about their withered husk of a corpse lying in the street.
In a seemingly burst of light in the man's head, Blackwall was then back to reality. The three advisors were all staring at him harshly, the Herald inspected his person like a Hawke waiting for dinner and the boy. Nat was staring at him directly his eyes assumingly staring into his unblinking as he stared him down as a hunter must do to a bear. Blackwall acquiesced, he now understood. Fixing his eyes on the lady Herald's face he bowed lowly.
"My lady Herald before you pass sentence on me, I would ask you of something"
"And that would be?"
"In light of the current troubles that the Wardens must now face, it is of the utmost importance that the people of Thedas see that the Grey Wardens are willing to fight and protect them. Therefore while I have no right to ask of it I respectfully ask you to allow me to maintain my position in the Inquisition as well as to allow myself to keep using the identity of Blackwall" Valeyna turned her attention to Nat her eyebrow quirked. Just what had he done to that man. A shiver ran down her spine like somebody had dropped snow or ice down her back during the freezing winter months. For a moment her heart beast faster as he turned to face her. Uncomfortable she returned back to the man on the floor.
"And why ever would I allow such a thing?"
"I believe in the Wardens and the cause they serve. To protect the weak and defend those who need their help is honourable. If what your advisor says is true then the Wardens cannot perform their duty because of this Magister. I owe them as does the rest of Thedas. I will happily accept any punishment they decide to give me however while they are crippled they require assistance. I want to offer my help. I may not be a Warden, but I can keep their legacy alive, ensure that should anything occurs that people will know that the Grey Wardens did not abandon them" Steely-eyed, Blackwall managed to push himself up to his feet glaring directly at the elf who held him. Valeyna felt shocked. This was a man who desired to help others in any way he could even if it meant his own death.
"And what of your punishment." Blackwall nodded.
"Guilt strikes him of every moment of every day. Give him time to live with it more, the longer he lives the worse it becomes. One day it will drive him mad to the point that he will want to kill himself. He can do that effectively if he were to become a Grey Warden." Nat interjected his calm tone silencing the rest of the room.
"You're not serious, what he did" Valeyna argued.
"Was horrific yes but being a Warden is a certain death sentence. Whether he dies in the joining or many years down the line, the man will die. Painfully. Besides the Inquisition needs good soldiers, as a former Captain Blackwall knows what he's doing and can help command troops when required"
"I will never allow such a man to command my troops" Faster than any of them could blink, Nat turned to face down Cullen. Rapidly the man stopped in his tracks all argument vanished as a certain primaeval fear born of his Templar training screamed at him to run and hide. Cullen's breath hitched, why did he feel as if he was a small mouse that had just gone up against a lion.
"We're fighting an army of demons, Tevinter terrorists and perhaps an army of Darkspawn. If the man died then so be it, if not then he spends the rest of his days fighting until he is no more. He will die, let the nightmares be his suffering"
"Very well" Slowly Valeyna approached the man her boots making a clacking sound as they struck the ground slowly agonising the man over his fate as the elven woman took her time to torture the man. Finally, she stopped her face so close to his that he could feel her even breaths lightly brush against his cheek while her eyes burned with hatred for the man. "Thom Rainier I sentence you to death"
Blackwall felt as if time had stopped itself. So this was it he thought, this was how he was going to end. He would have his head chopped off and the Wardens would be doomed to destruction because of the horrors being committed onto them by an ancient dead magister.
"Whether by battle or the taint, you will die" Blackwall slack-jawed looked up a hope blooming in his chest. "You are to retain your fake name and position, the Inquisition benefits greatly from the appearance of a Warden supporting us. You are not to mention who to truly are to anyone and neither will the Inquisition. Once this job of the Inquisition is completed, you will be handed over to the Grey Wardens where you will then describe who you are what you have done and will then attempt to undergo the joining. Should you succeed then you will live a harsh life. Should you fail, then the wardens can do what they will with your corpse".
"I understand my Lady. I... I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity. I am not worthy of such a thing, but I will give what little I can to assist the Wardens."
"Take your post, Warden Blackwall" Without another word Blackwall left the war room leaving the group of five alone together to carry on with their discussion on other more important matters.
"We shouldn't have done that" Cullen concluded a with a disproving tone as his eyes lingered on the door. "The Inquisition needs better men then him" Nat shook his head.
"The Inquisition also needs competent people Cullen. Blackwall has seen combat and has fought in a war, that experience is useful." Cullen disagreed but before he could voice his complaints Josephine interrupted the conversation before it could carry on.
"We should place our attention on other matters. Nathanael has a point the Inquisition is in desperate need of a leader, without one we could be easily paralyzed in the case that we are attacked. It is also important that the nobility has a name that they can parade around."
"Then it is a matter of finding the right candidate" Bored of standing still in one place, Leliana began to walk around the room pacing slowly to get her mind flowing more freely before she carried on addressing her colleagues. "None of us nor Cassandra can do it, we don't have the time to focus on such a task. That leads us with having to find somebody else. Any suggestions?" She asked softly. Already she had an idea of who should be their leader, however, it was of the utmost importance that the inner council agreed on such an important event. If there was large disagreement, then it could cause a political maelstrom hampering the ability of the Inquisition to act efficiently.
"Well if we're throwing someone to the wolves, then we might as well chuck them Valeyna. Although looking at her, I don't think she'd keep the wolves fed for long." "Furious at such a suggestion, Valeyna whipped around as fast as she possibly could planning on glaring at the kid to give him a message. What she got instead was for the kid to take a casual step and take a long drink preventing the eleven women from making eye contact.
"Will that even work? Politically at least" Quickly shooting the Herald a sorry look for anything he may have implied, Cullen was soon forced to give a sorry smile when he took in the glare and angry look that the woman had now directed at him.
"It will be a challenge" A spider fell onto Josephine causing her to quickly wipe the small insect of her dress before carrying on. "The nobility will find it difficult to see an elf as leader of the Inquisition. No offence lady Herald" She bowed to the woman.
"None taken" Valeyna held back the sarcasm.
"On the other hand as the Herald of Andraste, it does make a logical choice. Still, all the same, it will not be such a simple matter. Nobles, especially in Orlais, are very peculiar about elves and magic. As a Dalish mage, she is bound to face hostility because of who she is. With her rejection of the Chantry, she doesn't make it easy for us to gain allies" Even though she attempted to hide it, Valeyna watched the wince that Josephine gave when the topic of allies came up. She didn't blame the woman, but it was just normal that humans would not give her the time of day because she was an elf let alone a Dalish Mage and that was just with commoners. Frankly, when it came to having to deal with nobles and they're holier than thou attitude, she wasn't sure if she could make it in the political world.
"Good" Leliana interjected, "The Inquisition stands for all the people of Thedas, if only humans and non-mages are represented, it will look poor on us if we ever need to speak with others."
"I'm not so sure. The Herald is a brilliant woman, but she is young and she will be judged on that alone. I doubt she even has the political, military or spy training that she may need to lead" At this point, Nat walked away from his position silently moving over the old stone cobbled floor until eventually, he was standing side by side with the woman who was currently being discussed about by the other members of the inner council. They were quite close, having folded his arms, as Nat watched the three argue over in silent amusement. Bored of this and knowing that nothing he would say would bring them out of it, Nat approached Vaelyna.
"Welcome back" Valeyna smiled it was nice to actually have someone to talk to her without the typical crap about her being the Herald of Andraste. "I know it's not much, but once all this is done, I'll take you out somewhere quiet to relax. Enjoy a nice dinner in a calm environment, help you relax. We can catch up if you want, I'll tell you what happened here and you tell me how it was in Val Royeux" There were many things that Valeyna had been expecting the child to ask her when they got back, things like how was her day, what did she see, did she buy anything while she had been gone. She most certainly was not expecting for him to ask her to have dinner with him. She blinked as to why he might possibly want to commit to such an action.
Maybe it was a customary thing for his people to do when people came back from a long trip, perhaps he was bored and wanted to cook, then again it could just be that he wanted to speak to her alone about what her plans for the future were. With him being considered her advisor by the others and to Vivienne's apparent chagrin, there had to be an interesting story of just what he had gotten himself up top in the month that she had been gone. Briefly, she entertained the idea that he was attempting what humans called courting. She dismissed that theory pretty quickly, there wasn't a chance that the kid was going to do anything like that, he hadn't shown any idea that he knew how to perform such an action.
"Gladly" She replied quickly whispering to ensure that the others didn't recognise the fact that they were ignoring them entirely as they focused more trivial topics. "I haven't eaten anything but rabbit and rations, since we left" Nat shook his head in sympathy to the poor woman, being subjected to eating the same food day after day was a truly calamitous catastrophe that anyone had to endure. "What are you going to make?"
"Nothing fancy, just a Sunday roast." Again for what seemed the umpteenth time, Valeyna wished she could understand the strange words and terms that her youngest companion used. At the mention of the word roast she thought of something like a hog roast, but with the time and how hungry she was. She had serious misconceptions that Nat was going to go out and find a pig somewhere for them to east. That left her with the odder thing about this food, it had the name of a day before it. That was very peculiar, did that mean he ate this meal every Sunday or was it named after the day it was first eaten on. Either way, she licked her lips at the thought of having some type of roasted meat to sink her teeth into. She had gotten sick of eating rabbit.
"You can cook?" Nat resisted the urge to sigh. Of course, Nst knew that gender roles were far more pronounced here in Thedas than they were back home. Things were still different here, more traditional with a woman serving as the child raiser, cook, caretaker and other things which meant that for men who weren't soldiers, the ability to cook was likely limited due to early marriage.
"I can bake as well if required" Valeyna's eyes lit up at the mention of baking. A small amount of drool escaped her mouth as she remembered the taste from back in Val Royeux with all those small cakes that she had tried. She licked her lips, all those strange and amazing tastes had been an amazing experience it was just a shame that they had cost so much and she was unable to bring them home. "You have a sweet tooth I assume" Valeyna gave him an appreciative look. "If I get some spare time, I may consider baking you a cake".
"Thank you" She swung sweetly causing him to shake his head in amusement as if she was a small child constantly badgering on about wanting to have something more to eat. Promptly those thoughts turned darker as she recalled the number of times that she had asked for extra food when she had been starving. She still remembered the pained faces from the adults as they gave up a portion of their own food to the children. She wondered if they were doing okay, without her there was a higher chance that some of her clan would die of cold.
"I know you don't desire to be the Inquisitor Valeyna, but the fact of the matter is that you are the only one who is really in a position to take it. Cullen, Leliana and Josephine are far busier then they appear and all of them are experts in their craft should any of them be forced to take on the role of leadership, then it will diminish not only their ability but also the balance of power between them.
"Balance of power?" Valeyna said questioningly. "I know they're arguing at the moment, but I thought they got along?"
"They do get along, but part of that is because they all have their place and each one balances out one another. It prevents the Inquisition from becoming too heavy-handed in one field and prevents one of the others from gathering too much power."
"I'm not the right person to do this, I haven't learned about human politics or leading armies or spies. I've spent my entire life with my clan, struggling to survive. Besides I'm a female Dalish elf mage who's going to listen to me? Leliana would be better in charge" Nat moved his eyes over to the red headed woman. They were debating the pros and cons of having Valeyna as being the Inquisitor. Cullen's arguments against it were based predominantly on the fact that while he was perfectly okay with Valeyna being in charge, a great many others wouldn't. Leliana was focusing more on the fact that because she was an outsider that it would help keep her impartial.
"Hate to burst your bubble, but you're wrong." Trusting his judgement in the matter, Valeyna silently asked why Nat believed such things "Leliana is a good spymaster, but that's what she is. She thinks in the manner of a spymaster, soldiers and politics are secondary since why send soldiers to do a job when you can have an assassin put in place anywhere you need it. Then like you Valeyna, she doesn't know how to use an army effectively only its worse because she will rely on her methods of doing things which could cause calamity. It's the same thing with the other two. All three of them are specialised in their respective fields, they know them in and out, up and down. They can see future problems before others will and is exactly why they need to stay where they are."
"But they have more experience in matters and if Leliana is a bad choice, then why not Cullen."Nat tapped the table a few times in slight annoyance before rounding on the pretty woman to his side. She had serious doubts about her own leadership skills, most assumedly because what she had been trained to lead was a small group of elves in the forests. For that, she had been trained her whole life and as a result, likely knew how to lead her group of people to relative safety when the time came for her to take over. That was in contrast to the Inquisition which was not only a different type of organisation but also far larger with a set of military, political and espionage goals in mind.
"Let me put it in a simpler manner, would you tell an amazing warrior to lead an army of soldiers" Valeyna nodded. Nat resisted the urge to slam his head against the wall.
"Yes they've fought before and know what they're doing"
"As warriors, not as soldiers" Nat rebuked her slowly in hopes that it may make the woman think about his words in a bit more detail.
"What's the difference?"
"Warriors are individual fighters, most of the time they will take an enemy on one by one cutting them down, they're brilliant against single opponents, but they lack the discipline of soldiers." Seeing her still confused face Nat sighed once more in his head. He knew that Valeyna was not taught on these subjects, he didn't expect her to be seeing as the education of elven clans was far more about keeping their culture alive. Any fighting they did do was with their hunters which amounted to a few elves with bows running through the forest shooting at things they didn't like. All the same, it was still irritating that he had to explain it to her. "Soldiers are less deadly on heir own than warriors, and that is because they rely on their teammates to assist them in whatever goal they chose to take. Let's take a group of warriors and a group of soldiers and compare their tactics. Warriors will charge at an enemy attempting to fight the soldiers one by one where the advantage is with the warriors. In contrast, where the warriors will charge, soldiers with their discipline and training will raise a shield wall that the warriors will then slam into." As if a light bulb had suddenly gone if, inside her head, Nat witnessed the moment that Valeyna finally understood what he was saying.
"I understand now. A warrior is good on his own but when he strikes the shield wall, he will be beaten because if he tries to attack then another soldier will attack him forcing him to pull back" Nat nodded a fake proud expression on his face as if he had just been educating a child on the basics of war. Not that he could say he was an expert in war, as much as he pretended otherwise, he was not some Alexander the Great level genius. He himself was a warrior fighting by himself which meant that all his tactics were on a personal level when he fought. He did not think about how to defend the right flank of his army and the opening that had presented itself, rather what he thought about was turning the floor in front of him into a marsh to get this one particular enemy to make a mistake that he could take advantage of. If Valeyna did need to learn actual tactics and strategy, then it was best to refer her to Cullen for such training. That man had no idea about weapons from back home which clouded his judgement on matters.
"Exactly, a warrior is better used against an individual opponent rather than a group and a soldier is better at facing groups. Cullen is a good military commander, but he is a military commander, and by taking him away from that post and placing him into a context where military tactics don't always work will have drastic consequences which are why you are the best choice"
I was trained to be the next keeper of my clan, not to be the leader of a human religious order" Nat nodded in agreement subtly as he did so he began to spin his right index finger slightly as a gesture to get the woman to keep thinking so that she could finally get to where he needed her to be. "I told you before I'm not someone who should be leading this group, no one is going to listen to me, not the humans, not the Templars and not the mages". Okay never mind Nat thought. He wanted to leave this room before the eventual heat death of the universe, it was time for more direct measures.
"Valeyna you were trained for this. As the next Keeper, it would have been your duty to make sure that your clan moved forward that you kept a good relationship with who's ever land you were in to ensure that you had stocks of medicine, weapons, armour and food. If a member disobeyed an order then you gave punishment, if another did well you gave them a reward. That doesn't mean that you were the one who was personally responsible for making sure that food was brought in, what your job was to delegate that job. You would tell one person of your clan that this amount of food was needed after that, the one you told would then delegate in turn selecting the hunters who would go out on the trip. You do not have to be an expert in politics, war or espionage, what you need to be able to do is make a decision and tell others what you want to be done. If you want a castle seized then Cullen will ensure that it is done, if you need to get an agreement with a noble then Josephine will do what has to be accomplished and if you need someone six feet under then Leliana is your girl."
As he spoke, Valeyna wasn't entirely sure of his words. Being a Keeper and the leader of an Inquisition was too entirely different things yet Nat spoke as if they were the same job as if it was an easy thing to do. Already she knew that Lelliana and the others would help her make a choice, give her the information she needed, to know and why they assumed that a current course of action would be the best one suited. But still, the final decision as left to her. If she made a mistake, then people would die, if she made a worse mistake, then the entirety of Thedas would be lost to this Magister. As for her people? She shook her head, she didn't even want to think about it.
"And what will you do, if the other three are to advise me, what is your job?"
"If you desire it and believe it best, I can always give a second opinion. If you get stuck between Leliana and the others then you could ask me to determine what is the most urgent choice of action. As a neutral party, I won't be concerned about my department not getting the focus it needs, I can meditate if you need me to."
"That would be useful, thank you" Nat nodded in response giving the woman a warm smile to lower her defences and make her more relaxed around him. He could not afford to push Valeyna too much, she may be young by most standards, but she wasn't stupid just uneducated. As the leader of her clan in her future and having been trained for that, she likely had some ability to detect lies or when someone was trying to take advantage of her. At this point of time, the only reason he had managed to push himself into a position that he was allowed to attend these meetings, was because he had placed himself next to the elf and the other three when it was young and unstructured. Now, however, he wouldn't ever get noticed.
"If you ever need my help, just ask. I may not be one of your advisors, but I can still lend you aid when you are in need of it" Valeyna stopped her eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration then she closed her eyes as she thought back hard on the events up to now. Finally, after a minute, she pulled out and gave the young teenager an interested look.
"You're not a commoner" She stated plainly. "You know too much and can see things another cant not to mention that you seem to know a lot about things. Were you a noble in your people? Who taught you?" Nat gave a slight chuckle at the inquisitive gaze that was laid upon him. Valeyna's eyes were quite beautiful helping to accentuate the rest of her face. Behind her, Nat noted the slight movement of Leliana's stance, she had heard the question.
"I learnt at school" Nat replied calmly. Despite Valeyna being the one who wanted the answer, it was Leliana he knew that would get the most advantage of what he stated. The very implication of a school stated outright that his people had the infrastructure, buildings that were used for non-private affairs. Most assumedly Leliana would alert her people to look for large communal buildings for evidence of this claim.
"School" Valeyna stated softly as she wracked her head trying to remember what one was. She had never encountered one personally, but she had heard the term before and knew what it was. " I thought only the rich could afford to go there" Nat shook his head denying the claim.
"My people had free education up to the age of eighteen, this included reception, Primary and Secondary school alongside two years at college." At this point, Leliana was the most expressive one. The woman showed a very surprised look but that then turned to one of wonder as she could only imagine the opportunity for everyone to go to school.
"Eighteen" Valeyna nearly screamed "What about farms, your army, how did parents cope without having people to help them around? How many people died because they couldn't get food" Nat chuckled again shaking his head at the surprised woman. Oh, this next coming fact was going to blow her entire mind.
"It wasn't a problem, as time went on my people became very efficient in how they did things. Unfortunately, I can't give you any more details because I'm not a farmer" Behind Valeyna, Leliana gave a look of regret at the news. Most likely Nat thought the woman had wondered if he could bring such methods to the common people, doing so would likely mean that more people could have free time to do what they desired or to reduce starvation.
"In that case, what were you?" Valeyna wondered just what somebody of Nat's age would be doing. He had stated that he was a student, but that made her wonder just what exactly he had learnt in school.
"As I said, I was a student. I like everyone else my age, went to school five days a week from 9am to 3pm and learnt a multitude of subjects such as maths, science, English, geography, history, potions, charms, transfiguration, defence against the dark arts and a few other subjects. Depending on the student, they may take on other lessons such as art, I.C.T, ancient runes, Arithmancy, dance, music, performing art, photography, there was quite an abundance of things that we had to learn and others that we had a choice to educate ourselves on." Valeyna said nothing for a few moments instead she just looked at Nat as if he was some type of alien that had come from another world (both of which were true).
"You learned all of that?" She spoke astonished. "For free as in your people didn't have to pay for you to learn that?. I-" She gave a breath of disbelief at the sheer amazement of such a thing. If her people had that type of opportunity, she could only imagine how much of a better position that they would be in now. Like most others she knew how to count things, it was a basic useful skill but Nat was stating that he had been taught more than that. "Just how smart are you?"
"Smart is a pretty broad term, a person can be incredibly smart and able to use new tactics on a field of war, but they may not be smart enough to realise when a person is stalking them which is something along the line of street smarts. I wouldn't call myself smart, educated, yes but asking if I am smart is relative to not only which particular subject of study but also to other individuals. For instance, if I was to try and beat your clan's hunters searching for an animal without the use of magic, I wouldn't stand a chance."
"Right," Valeyna said slowly not entirely understanding why he was showing off his smartness with such words about the context of education rather than just stating that he was smarter than most people. "Well, it's good to know I have a smart person by my side." To the side, Leliana looked offended giving the blonde haired woman an amused look before it then increased as she realised that neither Cullen or Josephine had heard her comment. Nat shook his head. "So what do you think our next course of action should be?"
"Hitting Redcliff is a sensible move, if our enemy is an ancient magister from Tevinter, then I don't see the magister leaving a large disparate group of mages alone. As for attacking the Darkspawn, there's no point" Questioningly, Valeyna walked towards the map of Thedas that lay in the centre attempting to see where Nat's problem lay with her plan before she asked him to explain it to her. So far she could see nothing.
"What makes you say that the Darkspawn are just as much as a threat then demons"
"More so actually" Nat spoke unconcernedly with consequences of facing such an opponent as a darkspawn horde. His eyes moving again to Cullen and Leliana who were still debating whether or not Valeyna was the best pick as leader of the Inquisition. He shook his head, Cullen would come round to the decision soon enough. "Demons are somewhat easier, as soon as we find a rift you close it and we then deal with the rest of the enemy. In contrast, if we go searching for Darkspawn there is very little chance we can seal the pathways that they have been using to terrorise people. Should we divide our forces in some attempt to hold back the Darkspawn, then currently we leave both groups too vulnerable against an enemy attack."
"They would be cut down one by one" Nat nodded at the elf's reasoning.
"To give any proper defence against the Darkspawn hordes, we would need a strong army to kill any hoard and force them back to the Deeproads. Things like heavy dwarf doors will do the trick in the short term but they're expensive not to mention its not our job. Besides, the Inquisition is geared to fight an army of demons not Darkspawn and that has to be our focus on the matter. Once that is complete if it is truly a new blight we're facing then we can direct our attention on this new enemy."
"How would you deal with a possible Blight" Valeyna replied tersely not accepting Nat's opinion on the matter of what had to be their priorities.
"Before we can deal with any Blight, we need Grey Wardens. We can't get grey wardens because the Magister has set up a calling, therefore, any attempt to hold the Darkspawn back will be of no use. We hold the Darkspawn back and the demons will keep coming from the breach, if we fight the demons and close the rifts, then we can focus on only one enemy that is able to reproduce their numbers. Besides, we aren't going to be the only ones fighting. If we truly are dealing with both a Blight and demons, then the rest of Thedas is bound to raise their armies to confront the problem. In that scenario, it makes perfect sense for us to deal with the magister and for the Grey Wardens to deal with the Blight." Again Valeyna shook her head although far more harshly than this time. She still remembered the stories that the elves told when the clans met, she remembered how some of them had relayed the horrors of fighting those creatures for an uncaring human kingdom. They had told her how the blight acted like a disease spreading and infecting everything they touched, she knew just how dangerous such an enemy could be.
"And how many would die if we took such action? How many would you leave to the blight?" Unconsciously she raised her voice staring at him deeply silently challenging him as she stood straighter daring him to question her.
"Less than if we fight a two-front war," Nat replied shortly. "Yes the blight and the demons are connected by Red Lyrium, and yes the threat of another blight does exist in theory, and no we aren't entirely sure that an ancient Darkspawn magister is the one responsible for the attacks. All the same, we have to take action. If you've read anything about fighting the Darkspawn, then you will know that they are not easily defeated. How the Hero of Ferelden managed to stop the last blight in such a short time was a miracle for the nation, but that type of success is unrepeatable. If there is another blight, then there is the very real possibility that it could take years maybe even decades to quell. Combined with a possible demon army, and we have a small situation on our hands. Until we know more, our strategy has to be defeat in detail."
"He's right lady Herald" All eyes instantly landed upon Cullen who had seemingly overhead their conversation. He stared at Valeyna his eyes hardened as a million different thoughts raced through it. "If we do truly end up facing both a Blight and a demon army, then our first objective is to limit the size of their force to give us any breathing room. For that purpose, we need to focus on the Breach and the demon armies." Valeyna couldn't help but feel betrayed as Josephine and Leliana shared the same sentiments. She never for a moment doubted the logical movement of it, but she couldn't help but feel her body warm uncomfortably and her head felt light headed at the prospect of potentially leaving so many innocent people to die to the hands of such repulsive creatures. She could also see that all four of them perfectly agreed with her on the fact that they could be leaving thousands to be killed by Darkspawn, it showed on their faces that they held concern about such a thing. Well three of them did, Nat, as she had come to expect of him, was stoic in the thought of leaving thousands to die to face another enemy.
"I'm not entirely sure that there may even be a blight" Nat spoke quickly diverting the blonde elf back to him a silent hope glistening in her eyes before an indecisive look replaced them.
"But you said"
"There is the very high possibility that this new blight is all an elaborate ploy. These Darkspawn attacks and fake calling could be measures to try and cause fear among the Inquisition. If we fear another enemy, we may be forced to fight at a lower strength in the everlasting fear that another may appear. It would be a massive deception, a series of actions to make us believe that there could be another blight giving this Magister the time they need to gather strength by dividing recourses".
"That makes sense" Cullen looked at the map knowingly focusing his attention onto the storm coast where the Darkspawn had been seen. "It's not impossible to believe that the Darkspawn may have purely been coincidental in the first place. Besides, Darkspawn doesn't act that intelligently even when there is an Archdemon. By now we would have heard far more reports of attacks."
"I'm sure Orzammar would have reported if they were facing any sudden surge in Darkspawn activity in recent months, that could indicate the problem. Even if they haven't then we could still send an envoy just make sure. We could also be able to try and come to a conclusion about Lyrium at the same time, the question would be who to send." With an evil grin on her face, Leliana turned to the youngest member of the group. Nat resisted the urge to sigh, great he was going to go see the dwarves.
"What exactly are you expecting me to do?" Nat spoke incredulously making a pointed look to Leliana as if she was crazy. He was a politician, and a duellist not an ambassador not to mention the fact that he was still a child and would not be taken seriously. "Stand on a bridge and scream "You shall not pass" and hope everything goes well; or were you thinking along the lines of sneaking in and speaking in riddles". He spoke in a deadpan manner hoping that the current idea of sending him deep underground to meet short people and speak to the king would be thought over better.
"I'm sure you can keep them entertained enough" Leliana responded joyfully as she imagined the type of internal pain that Nat was feeling at the thought of having to present the Inquisition. If only he would squirm it would make for far better entertainment and blackmail. "You are educated which is more than most people could say and you are also the advisor to the Herald". It was at that point that Nat hated school more than he already had. Forget the annoying social bullshit that existed in school where you were forced to interact with people or the constant rumours that abounded faster than one could imagine or the constant threats whether political or social that constantly followed alongside a great other deal of reasons he disliked school. All of those points could easily be set aside, but not this, he was going to be an ambassador.
"You are" Josephine piped up in a merry fashion relieved that Nat actually knew how to win the social grace of others "That is great news. I wish you luck." Cullen also chuckled.
"Perhaps when this is all over, we'll have peace for our time" This time Nat audibly sighed before giving Cullen a look of utter defeat shaking his head. After a few moments, he returned his head so that it faced Cullen with an obviously fake smile that anyone could tell.
"Thank you, Cullen, on behalf of the entire world thank you for dooming us all. How would you like your reward, destruction of all major cities, minority groups to be placed in concentration camps, how about fighting to the death with no surrender or a sneak attack on a neutral nations naval base? Should I roll out the flags now and start sticking them everywhere or wait until vast amounts of people have died defending a lone city. Or would you prefer a mass set of famines, cities firebombed or just entirely erased off the face of the earth. All that can be arranged, just sign this form right here and we can have peace."
Slamming down the map that he had snatched up from the table, Nat stepped back pinching his nose and shaking his head. He had to say those fucking words. It was official now, everything that could go wrong was about to go wrong. Perhaps he should just leave in the night, board a ship sail east and never look back. That way he wouldn't have to deal with an army of demons and Darkspawn that were bound to take over the world since Cullen had the good tact to say those words.
"I don't understand, what's wrong with peace in our time?" Nat winced painfully. Quickly he turned to Leliana giving her a look that asked her to get Cullen to stop the shit he was attempting to do. Instead, Leliana did nothing likely also desiring to hear some more about the background of his people and how such a quote was taken in such a direction. Wanting to get any conversation over and done with, Nat explained the history.
"That phrase was spoken decades ago before the beginning of a major war with my people. Our leader at the time had been pursuing a policy of appeasement against one of the evilest tyrants in all of history. The man's intentions were noble, nobody wanted a war however nearly one year after, that agreement was null and void sending us on the path to a major conflict. With my people, to say such a phrase implies incompetence, naiveté, weak, and a prelude to mass death and destruction. You can say you want peace after the war, but never say what you did, doing so only tempts fate to bend you over and fuck you so hard up the ass that you won't ever walk again."
"This war" Valeyna spoke up her eyes burning with a morbid sense of curiosity at such a devastating war. "How bad was it?" How did one explain to a medieval person the sheer scope of modern war? He can tell them about modern weapons about the tactics that were used but it's simply incomprehensible to civilizations at this stage in their development. Roughly 60,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers had become casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, that was probably anywhere between a full army to more than what a nation of Thedas could muster. That was one day. By the end of the battle, the British and Commonwealth casualties were at 420,000 casualties, the French at 200,00 and the Germans over 500,000. How does one explain to a group like them that over a million people died in one single battle? It was only made all the worse when one remembered that the Battle of the Somme was one battle on one front of one war.
"Let's just say that at the end of it, the entire social order had been changed". It would be so much easier if he could say that he was from a different planet and history, it would allow him to put more detail into his answers to state just how dangerous he could make the inquisition if he was given the time and recourses. Valeyna wanted to press on for more, to seek new answers to end the constant nagging that plagued her about her companions back-story, however, she didn't.
Despite Nat's calm attitude, there was a prevailing feeling from him that he was not to be asked questions that he would prefer for her to drop this matter. For the sake of her friend, understanding that the pain of having fought in a war and losing all he had ever known was still lingering on his mind like a parasite, Valeyna gave that respect to him.
"Anyway, Cullen have you decided on whether or not to make this woman here our leader officially" Instantly Cullen looked down finding his feet interesting all of a sudden refusing point blank to meet the eyes of the elf woman. "The longer we dawdle the longer we allow this possible magister to gather his forces, to corrupt the mages and deal us a devastating strike. We have to act"
"I agree that she would make a good leader, however, our supporters have to be shown that she is strong enough to lead. Had she been human and not a mage, we would have an easier time of things but until we show the rest of Thedas that we have a victory on our side then they will ignore us". Seeing that Cullen was feeling guilty over not supporting her outright, Valeyna motioned for the man to smile more causing him to relax where he was standing.
"So we need to accomplish something" Valeyna spoke quickly. "Could we get any credit if we convinced the mages to side with us"
"Yes," Josephine answered quickly. "If are able to prevent the chaos caused by the Mage-Templar war, then people will give you the time to meet with them. They will see you as an effective leader who is able to negotiate with large groups. They will want to exploit that"
"Not to mention the fact that we'd have an army of mages at our beck and call. I hardly see many nobles refusing to meet with us less they find their home in ashes"
"Only barbarians would resort to such treatment nobles" Scandalised, Josephine quickly spun her head around constantly as she took in the constant approaching looks of the other five members. "If we kill nobles, then we will lose any ability to speak with the Chantry"
Unfortunately, that is correct" With a disappointed sigh much to the horrified expression of Josephine, Leliana moved towards the table this time taking her turn to stare at the map as she pinpointed areas that required agents to be sent there. One of which was the tower that Varrick had mentioned. "That is for the future, for now, we should move on with our current plan. That is unless Lady Herald you have anything to discuss" Sensing her opportunity to escape such a dreary setting, Valeyna wasted no time and quickly said a few goodbyes to the other members of the inner council before dashing off into the freezing snow. Finally, she would be able to take a bath after so long.
"When you go to Orzamar" Leliana continued pointing her attention on to Nat.
"I'm aware, speak to the King and see if there are any hints of a new blight. Don't worry Leliana I can handle myself. If something changes, I'll make sure that you get a letter explaining what's happened. Now if you excuse me I have dinner to prepare" With stated, Nat also gave his courtesy goodbyes to the groups before then joining the elf and others outside.
"I don't like this, sending a child even one as powerful as him to Orzamar is a bad decision" Cullen spoke solemnly
"You heard him, he's hardly a boy. If he is educated, then that makes him far more useful to the Inquisition then just another solder. As a diplomat, he can also help to weaken our enemies." Arguing back, Leliana stared at Orzzamar her mind replaying through the most recent spy reports that came from that area.
"It's also safer for him, away from the frontlines" With a word from Josephine, Cullen relented.
"Very well but if something bad happens don't blame me" Leliana smiled reassuring him. All that Nat was to do was go to the Dwarven city in a few days and speak about lowering the price of Lyrium. If he failed, then he failed and if he succeeded then things were good all around. After all, Nat would be speaking to business and merchants, there was no need to panic about him getting involved with the Deep Roads.
