Second half for today. Of course I'd come up with a kickass demon name now. Oh, well. What are you going to do? Hint: read and enjoy.
BioWare designed, built and sold the pool. I am only a fish living in said pool
Untold
Uldred
What we gonna do tonight, Brain? We gonna take over the world, gonna take over the world - Take Over the World ~ Your Favorite Martian
He reaches through the Veil. He easily finds the demon on the other side. It has been waiting for him. He pulls it through as he's done several times before. This time the demon will be bonded to the mage writhing on the floor.
The blood mages focus their mana on the helpless man. They converge their power as Uldred coaxes the demon into its new form. He pushes it into its host and steps back.
The abomination stands. It makes a few experimental slashes, then slowly stalks away.
"Uldred." He turns to Irving. The old man is very weak. He will break soon. "Uldred," the First Enchanter croaks again.
"What old fool?" he sneers at Irving.
"You weren't always this way."
No, he wasn't. Once, Uldred was a nice little boy. He had a mother, father, older brother and younger sister. But they died in the fire Uldred had started before he could control his power. He had arrived at the Tower a quiet and obedient child. He pulled decent marks in all his classes. He made good friends.
Then his Harrowing came. He had nearly given in to the demons. He began to have worse nightmares than most. One by one, his friends had died. One failed his Harrowing. Another took her own life, still another became deathly ill. Then it was only Uldred and the girl he loved. They met as many young mages did. One stolen secret moment that became many.
Then she too, disappeared. Days turned into weeks. Weeks became months. Uldred withdrew. He became the subdued man he was when he first arrived. When the templars sound her remains hidden away in the repository, a favourite place of theirs, they knew who was responsible.
Uldred hadn't done it. His pride had. The demon was the cause of each death; Uldred hadn't known it at the time. Whenever the demon took control, it shut him out. Uldred went into a stupor and would never remember what Zeylyn did. When the pride demon finally told Uldred what went on, Zeylyn was all he had left.
He studied long about abominations and possessions but never found anything that might help him. Zeylyn would creep up inside and whisper why Uldred had sought it out in the beginning. He was smarter than Enchanter Iwan, stronger than Myrna and more skilled than Kale. Wynne was frail and old, Irving was not halting the rumors about him stepping down in the near future. All Uldred needed was a little help and support.
He never fought hard against Zeylyn during these times. The demon had the means to rid the Tower of the templars and the Chantry rule. It knew how to free the mages.
"No, Irving. I wasn't always like this," Uldred answers finally. "I used to be weak."
He motions for the next mage for treatment. The young woman is shoved roughly to the cold stone floor with a squeal.
He calls Zeylyn up inside, feeding off its power. It warns him enemies are nearby. Someone the pride knows. The face flashes before Uldred's eyes. Amell. Irving's little pet.
Zeylyn still wants to thank her for making Sloth teach it how to shift into a bereskarn.
Uldred shoves the demon down. She could be converted. If she refuses, Zeylyn can have her. It coils like an impatient viper deep inside. It sulks as it feeds Uldred's mage conversion.
Amell, Wynne, a raven-haired woman with wild, lyrium-free magic and a templar stride into the Harrowing Chamber. Uldred chose this as the conversion place for irony's sake. The place where mages once resisted demons became the room the two were bonded.
"Uldred, this ends now," challenges Amell in a growl.
"Would you like to play?" Flanked by abominations, blood mages and a supply of mages who haven't yet been converted, Uldred is at an advantage. Plus with Niall trapped in the Fade, the Litany of Andralla lays forgotten in his robe pocket. Even if these four got past Sloth, they can't have it.
Amell draws her staff. "You can't offer me anything but your death."
Zeylyn laughs as he rises inside. Uldred gives in to the pride demon. Zeylyn takes on his favourite form, a towering beast heavy with muscle. Long claws stretch from thick fingers and toes; fangs drip with poison. Uldred pushes up enough to see through its eyes and not annoy the pride.
Zeylyn laughs again, a deep sound loud enough to rattle the ceiling and reverberate in the humans' chests. It knows if it wins this battle, the last person to stand against it with any threat will be gone. It can unleash untold horrors then. It will have enough power to destroy Uldred forever. It knows it will stalk these haunted halls until every last being is slaughtered mercilessly. Then it will turn its violently green gaze upon Thedas.
Uldred shivers inside, wondering what he has done. Then the pride crushes him down. It sneers at his former imprisoner. Zeylyn twists Uldred's face in the dirt of his soul. It cackles with delight as Uldred screams in pain. Zeylyn knows it has already won an important battle as Uldred's essence spins away.
~Uldred