SKYHOLD CONVERSATIONS

(Greeting : See Disposition)

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: So you're the Hero of Ferelden…)

INQUISITOR: So, I'm surprised that the Hero of Ferelden actually joined the Inquisition.

COUSLAND: Well, Leliana said you were doing good work. I wanted to see it for myself. Contrary to what others say, King Alistair can be rather capable of running the country by himself without me beside him. After what we've done with the Blight, to see my country fall like this… the explosion at the Conclave *sigh*, let's just say that disasters like these are hard to ignore. I may have saved Ferelden once, but if I am needed here, then this is where I'll be.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: So you're the Hero of Ferelden… Companions)

INQUISITOR: If you're here, then maybe your friends might be able to help us.

COUSLAND: Well, you already have Leliana here. That's one companion of mine you are lucky to have. (If Morrigan is recruited after Wicked Hearts) Morrigan is here now too, and she's one of the best mages I know. Alistair is, as you can imagine, busy running Ferelden. He'd want to be here, with me, but we both knew he belongs in Denerim. My dog, Barkspawn, acts as head guard for Alistair, even if he does complain about the slobber. My Qunari friend, Sten, is now the Arishok. He is just as busy as Alistair in running Par Vollen. Zevran… is too busy running from the Crows to be here, but I get the feeling we'll be hearing from him. I have not heard from Oghren, my dwarven friend, but if he is a good Warden, he'll be at Weisshaupt along with his fellow Wardens, and away from whatever corruption the Orlesian Wardens are suffering. Wynne is… gone. She died a few years ago. And our companion, Shale, disappeared from the face of Thedas after her death, as she was travelling with Wynne. I hope she's okay.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: So you're the Hero of Ferelden… Ferelden Wardens)

INQUISITOR: How about your Wardens?

COUSLAND: My Wardens? Anders played the host to a spirit of Justice, corrupted it into a demon of Vengeance, and blew up the Chantry in Kirkwall. You'd think he'd want to be here? Velanna disappeared a few years ago, before I even left to investigate the Calling, so I don't know where she is. Nathaniel and Sigrun are in Weisshaupt, with Oghren I hope. I don't want this fake Calling affecting them.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: So you're the Hero of Ferelden… Family)

INQUISITOR: What about your family?

COUSLAND: If you are familiar with me, then you know that Arl Rendon Howe murdered my family. But I still have my brother, Fergus. As I understand, he pledged his allegiance to the Inquisition. He will be a valuable asset, if he is.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: So you're the Hero of Ferelden... [Nobility Perk] King Alistair)

INQUISITOR: If you're the Queen of Ferelden, shouldn't you be by the King's side ruling the country?

COUSLAND: I should be, but I am here, fixing the world with you. *chuckles* Like I said, Inquisitor, Alistair is more than capable running Ferelden. When we heard of the explosion at the Conclave, we argued that somebody should be with the Inquisition to make things right. And when we heard of the involvement of the Wardens in the murder of the Divine, well, we couldn't ignore it any longer. I am, after all, still the Warden-Commander of the Ferelden Wardens. If my men are involved in this, then this is where I should be.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: The Fifth Blight)

INQUISITOR: Tell me about your life during the Fifth Blight.

COUSLAND: Leliana composed a song about that, as I remember. "The Ballad of the Hero of Ferelden". I think there's a copy of it in the library.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: The Fifth Blight ... [Special] I want to hear it from you)

INQUISITOR: I wanted a first person view of everything that had happened.

COUSLAND: You sound just like Varric. "The stories are somewhat lacking", he said. Very well. Ten years ago, there had been rumors that a Blight was occurring. My father had ordered my brother to fight for King Cailan's army, but when his troops left, Arl Rendon Howe laid siege to my home, Highever, and killed my family, including Fergus' wife and child. The Warden who recruited me, Duncan, was a guest of honor that night, and he saved me, took me to Ostagar, and made me a Warden. He and King Cailan died at Ostagar, after Loghain's infamous betrayal, including many of the Ferelden Wardens. Alistair and I escaped, through the help of Morrigan and Flemeth, the Witches of the Wilds. From there… well, we rallied the armies of Ferelden, exacted my revenge on Arl Howe, killed the Archdemon and made Alistair king. *chuckles* It all sounds so glamorous and heroic, but it was far from it.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: The Fifth Blight... How does a Blight happen?)

INQUISITOR: But how does a Blight start?

COUSLAND: The Tevinter Imperium tells of how they used to worship the Old Gods, spirits that took the form of dragons. If you're into the Chantry rhetoric, however, they'll tell you that when the Maker turned his back on the spirits, some of them grew jealous, and they whispered to the living in their dreams, claiming they were true gods, and the mortals summoned them through the Veil. They took the form of dragons, and in his anger, the Maker banished them, imprisoning them in underground tombs. But when the darkspawn find them, and hears their call, they unearth them, and they surface in the form of Archdemons. Through their will, the darkspawn will rise with them, killing and spreading the Taint through the lands.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: The Fifth Blight... The Old Gods)

INQUISITOR: You said 'Gods'? How many of them are there?

COUSLAND: Well, if you'd spoken to Varric, he would say Corypheus used be a priest of Dumat… he was the Old God that started the First Blight. There's also Zazikel, Toth, Andoral and Urthemiel… he was the Old God that we killed during the Fifth Blight.

INQUISITOR: But there are still more, isn't there?

COUSLAND: Yes. Razikale and Lusacan still have not surfaced. And I hope they never will. Don't worry, Inquisitor, it might take decades before they would resurface… I hope.

INQUISITOR: And if they do?

COUSLAND: *chuckles* Then I hope that somewhere out there is a brave person willing to round a band of miscreants up to defeat them, as I have.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN The Fifth Blight... [Arcane Perk] Urthemiel)

INQUISITOR: I went with Morrigan into the Fade. You told me you killed Urthemiel, but he lived inside Morrigan's boy, Kieran.

COUSLAND: *sighs* So you know. Yes, Inquisitor. The Archdemon is dead, but the Old God lives.

INQUISITOR: But how did it happen?

COUSLAND: [Negative to low approval] Sorry. I cannot tell you. It is a trade secret of the Wardens. I'm afraid.

COUSLAND: [High approval] Only Wardens can kill Archdemons, Inquisitor. That is the reason why we are needed when a Blight arises. When A Warden kills an Archdemon, the Old God's soul leaves its body, and latches on to that of the Warden's. But the body cannot exist with two souls within it, and hence, the Warden who lays the killing blow also dies. It was the fate that awaited either me or Alistair. "In death, sacrifice". The night we were to battle the darkspawn horde, Morrigan came to me and told me that she knew a way of saving us, and it involved having a child with a relatively new Warden, and as they were only two of us and I am female…

INQUISITOR: King Alistair.

COUSLAND: Yes… King Alistair lay with Morrigan to create Kieran. When the Archdemon died, its uncorrupted soul got absorbed into Kieran's body, saving us. Morrigan left us after that, disappearing after the battle. I followed her trail a year after, but she entered an Eluvian, raising Kieran away from prying eyes and ears.

INQUISITOR: But, that would mean Kieran is the heir to the throne.

COUSLAND: Yes, he is. And with me and Alistair being unable to reproduce, he might as well be next in line. But Morrigan has told me that she had no desires to let Kieran become Alistair's heir. *chuckles* That's too bad, though, there are a lot of perks to being the King.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN The Fifth Blight... [Arcane Perk] Urthemiel...[Special] Why?)

INQUISITOR: But why did you allow him to lay with Morrigan? I thought you loved him.

COUSLAND: *snorts angrily* You think it was easy for me, letting him lay with another woman, and one he hated as it were? It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. It still haunts me to this day, Inquisitor. But he is alive. And I am alive. That is enough for me. Should the Taint overcome us, and Alistair and I head into the Deep Roads for our Calling, if Morrigan pushes Kieran to become King of Ferelden, then I won't care. Wardens live a relatively short life, Inquisitor, but if that life means I get to spend it with him, loving him, then that's all that matters.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: Wardens)

INQUISITOR: So how does one become a Warden?

COUSLAND: Why? You thinking of joining? *chuckles* You're already the head of the Inquisition, why join us? It's going to make your title even longer… Warden Inquisitor (last name). It's a mouthful. I should know, it's hard to shout out "Warden-Commander Cousland!" during an emergency. At any case, the Joining Ritual of the Grey Wardens is a heavily guarded secret. We cannot speak of it, unless the one who asks is selected to do it.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: Wardens... After a Blight)

INQUISITOR: But what do Wardens do when there is no Blight?

COUSLAND: Whatever is needed to be done to ensure our numbers. We travel Thedas, looking for recruits, killing rouge darkspawn, keeping an ear to the ground in case there's a new Blight coming, filling out paperwork. *laughs* Well, maybe not that last one. But we stay active, in one form or the other.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: Wardens... Organization)

INQUISITOR: Do the Wardens have an organizational structure? Levels of command?

COUSLAND: We do. Our highest ranking official, the First Warden, is permanently stationed in Weisshaupt, with his second-in-command, the High Constable, and the Chamberlain. The High Constable is our ambassador, of sorts, and the Chamberlain records our activities. Every country has their own branch of Wardens. I am currently the Commander of the Grey… or Warden-Commander, of Ferelden. [After Here Lies the Abyss] Clarel is… or was the Warden Commander of Orlais. Every Commander has their Constable as well, their Second-in-Command whenever we are away. Nathaniel Howe is my Constable. There are also Senior Wardens, who command smaller groups of Warden Ensigns on missions.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: Wardens... Divine's Murder)

INQUISITOR: We believe that there is corruption among your ranks. That the Wardens are involved in the murder of the Divine.

COUSLAND: And that's the reason why I am here. *sighs* This is troubling, even for me. Wardens are not allowed to interfere in politics, Inquisitor, not after what happened with Sophia Dryden ages ago. If the Wardens are involved, particularly my Wardens… it bodes ill for us. Whatever we find, I hope we can stop it before it is too late.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: Wardens... [Special] The Calling)

INQUISITOR: Leliana told me that the Orlesian Wardens are experiencing a Calling. What is it?

COUSLAND: Wardens are tied to the Taint, Inquisitor. Eventually, this connection corrupts us as the years pass, we hear things… songs from unknown places. These songs are the Calling, the sign that say that we… are to join the Maker's side soon.

INQUISITOR: You hear songs that speaks of your death?!

COUSLAND: The songs do not speak, but they are… melodious. When Wardens hear it, we are to head for the Deep Roads, to die in its tunnels, fighting. It is a much better end than just dying in bed and letting the Taint stain our bedsheets and spread to our families.

INQUISITOR: So… you can hear this? Just like the Orlesian Wardens?

COUSLAND: I do. Alistair does, too. So softly but insistent. It is… hard to ignore sometimes. That's why I stay in the Tavern most days. Listening to the Chargers and Varric during card games make it disappear. The noisier it is, the more I can ignore it. When I heard that the Orlesian Wardens could hear it all at the same time, I found it curious, as the Calling happens depending on how many years you have been with the Wardens. Something is wrong, I can feel it.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: Wardens... [Special {After Here Lies the Abyss}] Corrupted Wardens)

INQUISITOR: [If brought along Here Lies the Abyss] You were there. Clarel gave her Wardens to Corypheus, and he corrupted them. [If not] When we were in Adamant, Clarel gave her Wardens to Corypheus, and he corrupted them.

COUSLAND: Yes, I know. It is… hard to see my brothers-in-arms like that. We are only human, Inquisitor, and we fear death just as much as anyone. Clarel believed Erimond's lies… she believed that she was saving her men, freeing them from the Calling. But it is not that easy. It is never that easy. I wish she could've seen that.

INQUISITOR: Would you have done the same?

COUSLAND: Honestly, I do not know. I love Alistair, I wish to save him and myself from the Calling, but I am not as desperate as to believe the whisperings of a Tevinter Magister. No, I will find the cure for the Calling on my own if I have to, when this is done.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: [Special] I think you should leave.)

INQUISITOR: I think you should leave.

INQUISITOR: I think you should go.

Hostile (-75 to -30):

COUSLAND: Oh, THANK THE MAKER! I can leave! Good luck fixing this shit, Inquisitor.

COUSLAND: No need to tell me that. Fuck you, and fuck your Inquisition.

Cold (-29 to -5) or Neutral (-4 to 34):

COUSLAND: *snorts* Thank the Maker I didn't bother unpacking then.

COUSLAND: I should have realized… fine then.

Warm (35 to 74):

COUSLAND: Oh… that's… well… if that is what you wish.

COUSLAND: What?! Really!? But wh… oh fine then! See if I care!

Friendly (75 to 125):

COUSLAND: What?! Why?! What did I do?!

INQUISITOR: Just go.

COUSLAND: Why you… you can't just… FINE! But mark my words, Inquisitor, you are going to regret this.

COUSLAND: But I didn't… fine then! But if this shit gets worse, Inquisitor, your nights will never be safe ever again.

(DIALOGUE CHAIN: Leaving)

INQUISITOR: I should go

COUSLAND: (See disposition)