25 Solace (day 38) late morning

Not much to say about the wrap up from yesterday. A protesting Wynne got put down for a much-needed nap. The group did a quick sweep for any threats we might have missed and ended up taking down a couple more demons. We brought Levi in and showed him around. He wasn't too thrilled to hear about what his great-grandma had done, but we gave him a tour of the place with a guarded promise to let him speak to Avernus. And peaking of his GGM, we grabbed the armor and gave it a thorough scrubbing, although, to be fair to the demon, it wasn't really funky. We patched ourselves up, although Alistair and I needed the most attention. Whatever Avernus had done to repair the Veil had taken; with one exception I couldn't see any more tears or echoes of tears, and Morrigan and Wynne backed me up on that. There were a few corpses to clean up, but unlike the Tower, these were old, mummified things that weren't that bad to deal with when they weren't trying to kill you. It took a little while, but we built a pyre, piled the remains on it, and burned them. So now we had a creepy old and confirmed haunted (but probably not anymore) castle to ourselves. And we're sharing it with a semi-psychotic mad scientist.

No big deal. And, I guess, more than I thought there was to say.

On the plus side, however, we have a solid roof over our heads, fresh clean water to drink without worrying about what might be upstream, fireplaces to keep us warm and cook in, real (if creaky) chairs to set our happy asses on, and a real table to gather around for dinner and breakfast. We even had real lighting thanks to the glowstones. And praise Cloacina for something resembling a real bathroom; the drains are clean and demon-free, and there's even a tub to soak in. It feels almost homey. The only downside was Zevran complaining about having to open a half-dozen bottles of wine before finding one that hadn't gone bad. That's okay with me; I'm a beer guy anyway.

Well, there was another downside. Not breakfast; we actually gathered around a table and had a real meal that didn't involve balancing cups and bowls on laps and rocks. But during breakfast…

Neria looked up from where she'd been picking at her meal. "We have to figure out what to do about Avernus."

"Right now, mio capo bella? Can we not just enjoy a meal and each others' company and this surprisingly well-preserved vintage? For a short time, at least?"

Sten stopped his methodical attack on his breakfast. "The mage must be addressed before we depart. We should delay no longer than necessary."

"But surely a few hours-"

"No," Wynne said firmly, "we need to do this." But that didn't stop her from obviously enjoying her own sip of wine. "But," she added with a look at Sten, "a day of rest instead of traveling would be most welcome."

"I agree," Alistair said around a mouthful of something. "With both of you."

"So what do we do?" I asked. "Have a trial?"

Leliana finished her own sip of wine. "I think we know most of what he has done. He admitted it himself."

"So he's guilty? Just like that?" I know, but cultural conditioning and all that.

Leliana answered tersely. "He took actions forbidden by the Maker and the Chantry. And he shows little or no remorse for having done so."

Neria chimed in. "He summoned demons. He's used blood magic." She fixed me with her angry stare. "You said yourself you think he experimented on the other Wardens; the other survivors." Her voice was actually starting to get shrill.

I held up my hands. "You're right. You're right. I'm sorry." I just shook my head and didn't say anything more.

There was silence around the table except for Alistair's and Cullen's chewing.

Zevran finally spoke again. "A single-minded man, this Avernus. Perhaps, had he some scruples, he would have made a good Crow."

Alistair coughed. "Are you trying to tell us you have scruples?"

"Oh, I do, mio amico. It is the duty of an assassin to cleanly kill the target; to, if you'll pardon the play on words, execute the mission in the most efficient manner. Leaving a target to suffer is the mark of carelessness." He shrugged. "Unless, of course, the cliente has paid extra. Much extra."

"Maker! I do not believe I'm hearing this."

"Zevran is right," Leliana said. "It is-" She stopped and took a healthy drink of wine.

There was a short pause then Wynne spoke sharply. "Avernus has no conscience. He's conducted unethical experiments and consorted with demons, and has probably done worse things that we don't know about."

Levi spoke for the first time. "There are rumors about travelers gone missing around here."

"To be fair," Zevran said, "I have seen no evidence of such. At least not in this fortrezza, or anywhere during yesterday's journey."

"He summoned demons. Isn't that enough?" I thought Neria was going to cry. "Maker, demons! On purpose! He did as much to destroy the Grey Wardens as that nasty king did!"

Alistair looked troubled, and his voice was unsure. "I believe him when he says that was an accident, but then he started those experiments. He all but admits killing the other Wardens." He pushed his plate away. "I don't know if I can forgive that."

"He killed his family. Not on purpose, but he did it." Neria's voice was thick, and she leaned forward to rest her chin on her arms.

Leliana reached over to rub Neria's back. "I think he is sorry."

I caught Leliana's eyes. "I think maybe he did regret what he did, but that was a while ago. He's not that person anymore, but I'm not sure who he is now."

"No," said Sten. He was impassive as always. "He became angry when it was suggested his fellow Wardens may have sacrificed themselves in vain. He believes he allowed them to attain their destiny. But the point we are debating is whether his actions were correct."

Leliana scowled slightly. "If nothing else he cares for the memories of who they were," she said with an expression of distaste at saying something nice about Avernus.

"That's something, at least." Alistair still didn't sound sure of himself.

"And yet he is boss seraboss. Extremely so. But he is not just a dangerous thing; he is a cautionary example of why the Qunari tightly control our mages."

Morrigan finally spoke up. "You mean leash and enslave them so as to make the Tower appear a beacon of freedom?"

"That is exactly what I mean."

"Morrigan-" Leliana interrupted the brewing fight. "-you have not given us your opinion on Avernus."

The witch glared at Sten for a moment longer then turned to the redhead. "Avernus is a very talented potions master in addition to being a powerful mage. 'Tis a shame he's squandered his gift on blood magic."

Neria didn't lift her head. "But what about-"

Morrigan shrugged. "You have already determined his guilt. All that remains to determine is who among you shall execute him."

"I am willing." Of course Sten was.

Knowing the answer doesn't do you any good if you don't know the question. Neria and I got it out at the same time. "But should you/we?" we asked in unison.

"Yes." Well, Sten's answer was expected.

"No." So was Morrigan's.

"Why, Sten?" I asked.

"He is boss seraboss. He has been too long unchained, and he is dangerous to all he encounters."

"But aren't you dangerous? Didn't you…?" I left the past hanging.

A cloud crossed over Sten's face. "I am, and I did. But my kara [?] has grown stronger. And I have bound myself to the Warden. My arm is hers; I will not act ashkarasar [?] again."

"But you'd been sentenced to death, and now you're here."

"I am."

"Maker, Jeff! Again?" Alistair sounded frustrated. "Don't tell me you're defending Avernus!"

"I believe he is acting as ashkaraqun. A…an advocate for the accused. Or, in this case, the guilty. It is not an unreasonable act. Although it is beyond the responsibilities of a sten."

"It's an ideal of my homeland." I looked around the table as I spoke. "An accused man has someone to speak for him, or at least get him a fair…punishment if he's found guilty." I gave them a tight half-frown. "It doesn't always work out, but we try."

There were nods from around the table, but Alistair still didn't look happy.

"Alistair," Leliana said, "we are seeking justice, not vengeance. What Avernus has done is horrible, but we should judge him with both our hearts and our minds."

"Blind action is the-," Morrigan started.

Neria didn't lift her head. "No insults, Morrigan."

"Very well. We should not act blindly, or hastily, in this matter."

"I'm not a Templar; I do stop and think before I smite something. Usually. But I still think he should be punished. Somehow."

Quiet fell again and I considered the options. Death, ethical experimenting, and exile are the canonical choices, but this is reality. We've got infinite options. None of those are off the table, but what to choose? It's not like selecting a dialogue option then reloading if you don't like the outcome. Arg.

I sighed and spoke up. "Let's not decide anything right now. Let's just walk away, and think about it and meet back here for lunch and we'll make a decision then. But take some time to think about it. Everybody okay with that?"

There was a general air of assent along with an unspoken agreement that breakfast was over.

I grunted and shoved without success. "I don't care how much you pester me I'm not gonna talk about it."

Alistair tried shoving the jammed door but didn't have any luck either. "I still think he needs to be punished."

"I don't disagree with you on that, but we're supposed to be thinking about it separately. On three."

We shoved together and the door opened with a grind of splintering wood and a crack of a hinge giving way. Alistair held up our glowstone and we took a look at the room. It had a thick layer of dust over everything, but was reasonably well lit by the stone and the light from a couple of small, barred windows. The windows aren't glassed, though; there's a mossy puddle on the floor from the last rainstorm.

We found part of what we were looking for, though: the armory. Weapons, armor, shields. There was other equipment scattered about the keep but it's generally not in good shape after lying around for a couple of centuries. The problem was the gear here is in worse shape; the open windows let in the weather. Weather means water, and water means rust and mold. And of course more birds, which means more bird shit. No rodents or other vermin, though; I guess the demons kept them out.

"By the Maker!" Alistair said. "Who puts windows in an armory?" He kicked at a solid mass of rust that probably used to be chain mail.

"Well, I guess I'm not scrounging that." I bumped a somewhat more solid mass that had probably been plate. An old nest fell out of it.

"I assume it is safe for us to enter?" Morrigan strode into the room; the other mages were right behind her.

"Well, except for the bird crap." I pointed to a corner. "Our little Fade…blur is right there." That was the other thing we were looking for.

"I can feel it."

I shrugged. I think Morrigan gets bitchier the better she sleeps. But I let her examine the little tear that we'd found. She moved around it the way Monk moves around a crime scene; she even held up her hands the same way. But then she caressed the tear gently with a curious look on her face.

Wynne and Neria were slightly further back, but Wynne was simply holding her hand out. Neria's hand was right next to Wynne's and there was a faint glow coming from their palms.

"I'm…just…not…." Neria trailed off. She looked frustrated.

"Wynne, come closer." Morrigan didn't look up; she was holding perfectly still. "Can you feel it?"

Wynne's eyes closed and she tilted her head like she was barely hearing something. "Ah! Yes! It's like-"

"Like that which I told you. Does it make sense now?"

Wynne's eyes snapped open. They were bright and eager. "Yes!"

Morrigan gave Wynne one of her gentle smiles. "Shall we- Oh. Yes." She frowned at Alistair and me. "The Wardens here were cleverer than one would think. There is something concealed here; partially in the Fade it would seem." She turned to go but stopped when Wynne spoke.

"Morrigan. Let's at least wait until they've retrieved it."

Alistair frowned at Morrigan. "Can't you-"

"No." Okay, bitchier to Alistair, and maybe me.

Wynne sighed. "Neria, come here. Alistair, you, too. Now, both of you; concentrate. Can you feel the-"

"I think so," Alistair said. "It almost feels like another Warden, but…."

Neria shook her head. "I can feel the tear. I think, but not much else."

"I wonder if I should trying smiting it."

At that all three mages jerked their heads up. "No!" they said in a chorus.

"Sorry."

Wynne patted his shoulder. "The Warden who hid this probably wouldn't have had a Templar handy," she said patiently. "Jeff, you're good at puzzles…."

"Sorry. I'm drawing a blank right now." And I was. All I could remember was something about a painting. "Or maybe not. What about that…frame?" There wasn't much left of it. Just some tattered canvas and barely visible streaks in a wooden frame weathered to gray. But it was connected to the tear somehow, and there was a small tarnished plaque on it. "Can you read the plaque?"

"Too tarnished."

"I got nothin' else. Alistair?"

"No idea. Neria?"

"Maybe…if we put some blood on it? Warden blood?"

"Blood magic?"

"Neria, really?" Wynne's voice was scolding.

"It's just a drop. I'm not going to end up like Avernus."

Ding. I would have facepalmed but I was wearing my glasses. I settled for rubbing my eyes. "Why don't we just ask him?"

Alistair gave me a very skeptical look. "We ask him how to find the lost Grey Warden treasure? Right before we execute him? I'm sure he'll be very cooperative."

"Alistair." Another scolding tone from Wynne.

"No," I said, "he's got a good point. But it couldn't hurt to ask. Even if he-" Tells us to fuck off. "-says no we're no worse off than we are now."

When Avernus had said the keep and its contents were ours he meant it. Less than ten minutes later we were standing back in front of the frame. Alistair lightly touched the plaque and recited something. There was a shudder and a chest seemed to unfold from nothingness right at Alistair's feet. A very slight puff of displaced air washed through the room and we all stared at the chest that appeared to have been put in place just yesterday. The flickering of the Fade tear was gone.

Morrigan wasn't there to comment on it, but Wynne spoke up. "If what Morrigan told me is correct then this enchantment is very dangerous." She gave Neria a strong look. "Do not try this yourself."

Neria was just staring at it. "I wouldn't even know how to start."

Alistair had been reaching for the chest but stopped and looked at Wynne. "There's a story about a Warden fortress in the Anderfels. It just disappeared one day. Nothing left but a smoking crater. Could something like this have caused that?"

Wonderful. We'd been walking around on an armed potential energy bomb. I'll let you run the numbers.

Wynne shrugged. "I suppose, but you'd really need to ask Morrigan."

"I think I'll pass. Shall I open it?"

I drew my sword and backed up a couple of steps. "I'm ready."

Wynne and Neria followed my lead and readied their staffs.

Alistair gave us all a frown. "Don't everybody crowd around." He opened the chest and stared at the contents.

And stared.

And stared some more.

"What is it?" I asked. "Cheese?"

"Even better."

"Bello." Zevran reverently reached out to run a finger along the longsword Alistair had placed on the dining table. "Almost as beautiful as our ladies." For once it didn't sound like a line.

"If I may?" At Alistair's nod Sten lifted the sword and held it vertically. He examined it for a moment then returned it to the table. "A fine weapon. Those who crafted it should be proud."

Alistair was beaming like a brand new dad. He carefully, almost delicately, sheathed the weapon.

"'Tis not a newborn babe, and 'tis most certainly not made of glass."

"This is a piece of Grey Warden history, you know."

"Then ensure you honor it as such." Sten gave Alistair a hard look. "A weapon and its wielder should be worthy of each other."

"Errr, thank you?"

"No."

The sword wasn't the only piece of sweet loot we found. There was a matched pair of ornately forged knives; too short to be true daggers, but Morrigan claimed them for her own. Leliana was a little disappointed, but a few dozen enchanted arrows fixed that. There were two bandoliers filled with various potions; most of them are for healing and mana, but a few are labeled as protective draughts and ointments of various sorts. But the most important find were the money bags. We counted up the coins; the total along with little stashes we found around the keep the total came out to well over fifty sovereigns. And there was a small bag containing a few gemstones; nothing large, but hopefully worth something.

The interesting thing about the chest was that it appeared to be time-locked as well. The silver coins and other items you'd expect to be corroded weren't. The potions are supposedly over two hundred years old, but Morrigan and Wynne are pretty sure they're fresh and useable. We'll have Avernus look at them later (he might have even brewed them); for all his faults he at least appears to have been honest with us.

But we have another issue. We also found out the Warden armor doesn't quite fit me. Sophia was a fairly large woman, but she was still smaller than me. The armor's more than a bit tight through the shoulders and slightly so through the waist, and that's not something we can fix by loosening up some straps. So Alistair and I started poking around some more hoping to find some armor that actually stood up to time. We didn't have any luck; apparently having Sophia's memories prompted the demon to maintain its gear, but that was the only stuff it touched. The few things that Avernus kept in order outside his lab didn't include armor or weapons.

So when everybody was done admiring Alistair's new sword I addressed the group. "I know we were gonna talk about what to do with Avernus, but I think we've got another decision to make first." I rolled out our travel map out and pointed at it. "We're here, and here's Denerim. We're what? Three, four days away?"

Levi spoke up. "More likely four."

"Thanks." I could feel the groans spinning up from the others as I continued. "I think a side trip to Denerim would be in order."

Sten fired first. "This will delay our journey to Orzammar by at least ten days."

Neria's shot was a bit kinder. "The only reason we're here is because Levi asked for our help. I don't think any of us planned to go to Denerim."

Zevran hadn't even looked at the map, but had his own question. "Why do you wish to go to the fair city?"

Leliana chuckled. "I do not know that I would call Denerim 'fair'."

"Like any other city, it has its charms."

"If you can get past the smell of wet dog."

"That is a downside, mio amico grande. But if you were-"

"Ah-uhm!" I got the attention back to me. "First off: my armor's a wreck, and since Alistair wants me in this Warden armor so bad I've got to get it properly fitted. And that means we need an armorer who knows what he's doing. And I know there's a good one in Denerim."

Neria leaned forward to look at the map. "What about…Highever? That's a decent sized city."

I shook my head. So did Leliana, Zevran, and Alistair. We all started to object at once but my voice ended up winning. "Arl Howe of Amaranthine attacked Highever about month and a half, maybe two months ago. He razed the keep and sacked the city; I don't know how safe it'd be there for us."

Zevran spoke up. "Probably not at all. It was Arl Howe who hired the Crows-"

Alistair jerked his head around. "Wait. I thought Loghain hired you."

"No, mio amico. It was Arl Howe – a most unpleasant individuo – who contracted with the Crows. He took me to speak with Teryn Regent Loghain, but Loghain merely assented to the contract. I was in his presence for but un momento; I doubt he even remembers my face."

Alistair just looked confused. "But why would Arl Howe want the Grey Wardens dead? I mean, Loghain I can understand…."

"That I do not know, and did not ask." Zevran shrugged. "Perhaps you despoiled his daughter?"

"What? No!" Alistair started turning red.

"A pity for her, then."

Is this entire group ADD? "Ah-uhm! Focus people!"

Well, maybe not Wynne. "Please, Jeff, continue."

"Oy. Where were we?"

"Not going to Highever," Neria said. "What about Orzammar?"

"I have no doubt the smiths there could do the job, but that takes me off the line for whole trip. And you don't want me in the back trying to shoot a bow."

Leliana smiled. "Oh, you are not that bad."

I laughed. "Thanks, but my point stands. Second: Neria and Alistair may be the only Grey Wardens in Ferelden, but isn't there some way we could get a message to the foreign Wardens and ask for some help?"

Everybody turned to look at the Wardens. Neria looked at Alistair. He'd just gotten his color back to normal but started blushing under the attention. "Well, there is a Warden compound in Denerim-"

"It is- make that was - being watched. Part of the contract, you understand." Zevran looked thoughtful. "But the servants; they were in no danger, and it may be possible to approach them, and they may have a means to contact Wardens in other lands."

"I have…contacts in Denerim." Now everybody turned to look at Leliana. "I could certainly pass a message through them. It might be easier than going to the Wardens' servants."

Wynne spoke in her usual quiet voice. "Those are both good ideas, and might on their own be worth the journey."

I could feel the group starting to shift my way. "Third: we need money. Well, when we were counting out the stash we found I separated these out." I put a dozen almost flawless coins, gold and silver, on the map. "Alistair pointed them out to me. Look at the dates they were struck. I'm not familiar enough with Ferelden history to know how old they are, but some of these have to be valuable."

Neria looked confused. "Money for old coins?"

Leliana was looking at the coins. "Some of these date back over four ages."

"There are those who collect coins for their, uh, historical value. And these are in excellent condition." Now everybody was staring at Alistair again, including me. He turned a little redder. "The father of another Templar initiate had a coin collection. I heard him, the initiate, not the father, talking about it." He shrugged. "It seemed silly at the time, but if these are worth more than their value…."

"And Denerim's the only place I can think of to sell these. Even if we just end up doubling what we have now we're a lot better off. Some of the old books and other stuff here might be worth a bit as well, but if it's Grey Warden stuff I'd understand if you don't just want to sell it." I looked around at the group. "So that's three good reasons I can think of to go to Denerim."

"At the cost of how many days?" Sten asked. It's always time with him.

"That's the problem," I agreed.

Morrigan spoke. "Your reasoning appears to be sound. But this side trip would take at least ten days."

"Four days there, or maybe five-" I gave Levi a look. "-two days minimum to do what we need to do, and four or five days back to the crossroads. Then we get to go west again." I sighed. "You're right. At least ten days and probably more. I don't know…."

"Mio amico, you are forgetting something. Denerim has the finest port in Ferelden. I certainly did not arrive here via Orlais."

I looked back at the map. Actually, everybody looked at the map. Denerim sits at the southwest tip of a large bay. Well, duh. We go to Denerim, do our thing, get on a boat, and sail around the coast. Facepalm: apply directly to the forehead.

"Four days to Denerim. Two days for our errands. Four days aboard ship. No time lost. This is acceptable." Sten approves, and there was a general consensus of 'sure' going around the table.

Except for Zevran. "You make it sound simple, but things are more complicated than they seem."

I thought it sounded too easy.

Zevran continued. "I do not think it would be wise for all of us to go to Denerim. After all, neither Sten nor Morrigan are, shall we say, inconspicuous?"

"And I don't think we should give up the cart." Neria gave me a smile. "Jeffrey would be heartbroken if Bill wasn't around."

I glared at her. "Hey. I do like not having to carry all our stuff everywhere, and he – she! – doesn't mind."

Morrigan appeared a little miffed. "So I am not to be allowed to see the wondrous streets of Denerim?" Or maybe it was just sarcasm.

"Trust me," Zevran said, "you won't be missing much."

"So who does get to see the fair city?"

"I guess I do. I've gotta get the armor fitted."

"And me," Leliana said. "If I am to forward a message to the Grey Wardens."

"I will accompany both of you," Zevran said. "I have my own contacts, and should be able to obtain a fair price for those valuables we'll want to sell."

"So who else goes?" Neria asked.

"I think Wynne," Alistair said. "She's a good healer, and-"

Wynne interrupted him with a shake of her head. "No. I'd rather not walk all the way to Denerim. And Neria's never been there. She should go."

"But-"

"And I agree with Jeff. I like not carrying my things everywhere."

"So Neria won't be going with us?" We all turned to look at Alistair. "I mean, she doesn't have to, but-" Yet another blush rose into his face.

Neria had a gleam in her eye. "Oh, don't worry, Alistair." She leaned over and rubbed his arm. "It'll only be a few days. Besides, Wynne's right; I've never seen Denerim, and I'd really like to." She leaned in further and whispered something.

Sten narrowed his eyes and started to say something but I shook my head at him.

Alistair groaned, and he looked very unhappy. But he finally, with another groan, said, "Fine. Just…be careful, won't you?"

A/N: I think I'll start answering reviews in my notes. This'll give me a chance to let everybody in on my thought processes, and hopefully you will call me out if I've missed something canon or in story. I'll try to avoid posting any spoilers, but will warn you if I do. So with that in mind:

Sakura Lisel: There's a process to making the Joining potion, but Alistair doesn't appear to know the details, or at least all the final ingredients. And Neria probably doesn't. Avernus had better know. And at the risk of giving out a possible SPOILER: Jeff thinks he does, but he ain't talkin'.

Canonically, the potion consists of darkspawn blood, lyrium, and archdemon blood (but that's in short and closely guarded supply), and is designed to deliver a big enough dose of the Taint that one either survives or is killed outright. It doesn't appear that a mage is required to do anything to the potion, although that is hinted at by Duncan. It's strongly implied Grey Wardens can sense each other, but with only Alistair and Neria running around right now Jeff's Conscription (or lack thereof) isn't an issue.

Shinkansen: You're absolutely right. If you, or anybody else out there, knows of any male protagonist DA fics please pass them on in the reviews. And I'm looking for male SI fics to include in my Steppin' On It In Thedas community.

Lionheart77: Thank you!

Milestones: over 20,000 total hits! Thank you, everybody! And 75 alerts; special thanks to HandicapdHippo and Rodianer for helping me get there!