PROLOGUE
The Crow Is Calling
What will we do when the world it is ending
And time it is halted for friend and for foe?
Try to hold on to the time as it passes
I'll tend to the flame; you can worship the ashes
[ASHES by THE LONGEST JOHNS]
Leliana passed her favourite crow Madame Rouge a piece of raw coney meat. The bird sat on her forearm and greedily snatched the bloody shred from the spymaster's fingers so that she had lost one of them if it wasn't for the leather gloves she wore.
"Tendez lòureille, La Rouge," Leliana whispered, while the crow was devouring the snack. Prick your ears! – the first part of a command which no other errand bird in the Inquisition's flock had mastered. "The Hero of Ferelden has returned to lead the Grey Wardens once more and wash them free from the sins of their past. She calls the honest, the determined, the fearless; everyone who is willed to devote themselves to the fight against taint and darkness. Keep looking for warriors and mages, no matter of which origin and rank. Send every man and woman who wants to follow the Hero. She awaits them at Skyhold. And, let the people know that she has Lady Trevelyan's support. The blessings of the Inquisitor herself will back the rebuilding of the Wardens." While Leliana spoke, the crow didn't even blick. "Allez à répandre la bonne nouvelle." The second part of the command: Go and spread the good news.
La Rouge woke up from the torpor. She tilted her head from left to right, opened the beak and spread out her wings croaking. With vigorous flaps, the crow climbed into the sky. The draft from her wings stroked Leliana's face. The Madame's shadow circled around the master spy three times before she fluttered towards the brilliant blue at the horizon.
This morning, Skyhold and the mountain summits throned above the clouds. Madame Rouge soared over a sea of fog that covered the cliffs like a blanket of lambswool. The fluffy swaths glowed in the glistening sun, while the world underneath lingered in shadows. Freshly fallen snow sparkled on the tops of Frostback Mountains.
"Crows have the unique ability to mimic the human voice perfectly," Leliana explained. Her words were meant for the person who just entered the wall-walk. She didn't need to turn around to tell whose feet were drawing near behind her back. During her work for Marjonlaine, she had learned to distinguish people based on their steps. "It was hard to train the Madame to remember and repeat messages by command. It's a forgery-proof way to send messages. La Rouge will visit footholds of the Inquisition everywhere in Orlais and Ferelden. Soonly, entire Thedas will know you've returned, Narah. We will find volunteers to join the Wardens."
"That remains to be seen. The Wardens already had low support in Ferelden before the last blight and after the latest incident involving the Warden's mages in the Western Approach, the order lost backing in Orlais as well. Terrible stories are raging."
Leliana nodded. She thought about her spy's reports from the border area of the Western Approach. In the last weeks, they had witnessed the lynching of Wardens in three villages after they had revealed themselves as such. "Stories are developing a life of their own. Like cancer they grow and sprawl. The details gain cruelty with every mouth telling the tale." The bard turned around and interlaced her hands behind her back. "People believe what they hear, independently of what's true or not. By now, they fear the Grey Wardens but the day will come when the world needs their service. So, they shouldn't perish before."
Narah, the woman who stood on the wall-walk next to Leliana, stepped up to the parapet and leaned on it with both arms. "I meant what I said when you came to see me in Denerim the other day: I can't fight anymore." A padded cloak of blue suede hemmed with the fur of white foxes clothed her shoulders. Silver threads broided the crest of the Grey Wardens which flashed from Narah's back as the wind blew aside the long waves of her black hair. "It has been years since I've last touched a blade."
Leliana shook her head. "We are not facing a blight here. No one is asking you to fight. The Wardens don't need your sword, they need your legacy, your name. Use them to spark new hope. Inspire the people as you did ten years ago."
"The hero of the legend died years ago." Narah sighed. "There isn't much left of the women I used to be."
Leliana shrugged as she turned around to leave. "As I said, people believe what they hear; independently of what's true or not."
Do you want to enhance the immersion of this story and take part in the adventure 'personally'? Get creative and design your own character who will be one of the recruits that follow Leliana's call! Watch your character join the Grey Wardens and fight our heroes from the games. Will they fall in love and rise to be remembered as a legend? Or will they go astray and lead the Wardens in even more trouble. If you're interested send me a message (or let me know in a comment)!