Disclaimer: I own none of this. The ideas are mine, though.
Just a quick note. I have been doing some lore digging, and research into the history of some of the things we hear barely mentioned in the games. If you have lore questions or want to correct me, feel free to send me a message or leave a review if I got something wrong.
I also may skip some of the 'filler' dialogue and interactions at Ostagar, so that the chapter doesn't drag on too long. I figure we've all played Ostagar a few times, and everyone knows the basics.
In Dragon Age, there is a 'common tongue', or just 'common'. Other languages will be shown in italics.
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Canticle of Threnodies 8:21
"In the absence of light, shadows thrive."
Aedan Cousland
After having broke the news to Fergus, Aedan left him with his men to process all that had happened. He had requested space to grieve for a family he would never see again, but had vowed vengeance against Howe. Fergus had run off to go find Alistair, giving the brothers some time alone. He had left Daf over by the kennels when she saw a few other mabari. She was smart enough to find him again later.
'Howe has dug his own grave, and now his whole family name may end if Fergus has his way. I really hope Nathaniel had nothing to do with this plot of his fathers… there's already so few of the original families left after the Orlesian occupation…'
Passing by the medical tents, he was surprised when he saw a pair of men from the chantry bandaged up and hovering nearby, the watchful eyes of a revered mother on the two men.
"I think you may wish to postpone any further excursions, Jogby. You know there's darkspawn about! Your mission of bringing the chant to the Chasind is an admirable goal. But do not throw your life away right now."
"Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter." The younger man replied.
"I do not think, my son, that there is any verse in the chant of light that will persuade her to let us out of her care. Just be glad that Dalish woman saved us."
Approaching them, Aedan spoke up.
"Dalish woman? You wouldn't happen to be talking about the Dalish grey warden recruit, would you?"
"Let us not fall into the jaws of the wolf together." Rigby replied, nodding.
Rolling his eyes at the man, he looked to the amused father.
"Yes, she fought off a group of darkspawn that had been after us. Are you seeking her out for a reason, if I may ask?"
"I would merely like to meet one of my fellow recruits. Assuming we all get out of here, I'd rather our first meeting not be on the battlefield." Aedan explained.
"I believe she was over by the kitchens earlier, dropping off some game she managed to find that was untainted. Beyond that, I am unsure where she deigned to head to next."
"Thank you, you have been most helpful."
As he turned away, he smirked when he heard the man turn back to the woman and try to escape once more.
"Now, Mother Giselle. If I promise to keep my wayward son out of the wilds, could we move on?"
Lyra Mahariel
Having heard from one of the lookouts that more Grey Wardens had been spotted entering the camp, Lyra met up with Alistair.
"So, I hear that more of us have arrived. Apparently, it's a man named Duncan?" She asked.
"Oh, great! Duncan should be here with the last of any recruits we'll be getting before the battle. With him here, we can perform the joining soon. He was to procure most of the final ingredients."
"Finally. I was getting bored of just hunting and saving humans from their own stupidity." Lyra deadpanned.
Alistair laughed, before replying.
"We're not all quite as bad as that father and son out in the woods, you know."
"They were chasing Chasind trail signs, Alistair. With no prior experience tracking. They're lucky they found the first one, even if they were going the wrong way and tracking them wrong."
Laughing again, the duo walked towards the quartermaster area. Along the way, a dwarf stopped the two.
"You wouldn't happen to be Alistair, would you? I've been run all over this whole sodding camp looking for him."
"I am. May I ask your name, and why you're looking for me?"
"My name is Faren Brosca. Duncan brought me here to join the wardens, and mentioned that you were around here somewhere."
"Ah, well it is a pleasure to meet you. This is Lyra, another recruit who will hopefully be one of us soon as well."
Nodding at the dwarf, she smiled.
"It's nice to not be the only non-human here. I swear, if one more uppity human tried to get me to fetch something for him or her because they thought I was a flat-ear, I would've made sure they remembered me."
Laughing, Faren smiled at the elf.
"I think you and I are going to get along just fine."
"So, where are we off to now?"
"We're off to go meet with Duncan. There's one final piece to the joining ritual, and then we can induct you all properly into the Grey Wardens."
-line break-
"So, any last wishes I can help you fulfill before you head into battle? Life is fleeting, you know. That pretty face could be decorating some darkspawn spear this time tomorrow. Shall I take that quiet glare as a no? Ahhh well. Too bad."
Lyra rolled her eyes at the man, while Faren and Alistair outright laughed at the rejection.
Turning to see them all, Daveth smirked.
"Well, if it isn't the lovely miss Mahariel, and friends. I assume this is one of the other recruits, then, Alistair?"
Nodding at the man, Alistair turned towards Faren.
"Faren, this is Daveth, another one of the recruits. There's five of you in total."
"Miss Mahariel?" Faren asked with a smirk.
"That's all he gets to call me if he likes his tongue where it is." Lyra said simply.
"Definitely not letting me live that one down, are you?" Daveth winced.
"Well, when someone gets drunk and acts like a beast in heat, there are certain consequences."
Laughing again at the man, Faren shook his head.
"You remind me of someone from back in Orzammar. Leske never could control himself when he got too deep in his cups."
"Anyway, any previous mistakes aside..."
More snickers.
"Anyway… It's about bloody time you came along. I assume with the last of the recruits here we can finally do this properly. I was beginning to think they cooked this ritual up just for our benefit. When can we get out to the wilds, then?" Daveth turned towards Alistair.
"The wilds?"
"You Wardens need to remember an army camp is packed to the gills, so nobody's conversation is ever truly private." Daveth smirked.
"Well, Duncan has instructions for you all. Once we collect our final two recruits, we can all get on our way."
"Well, in that case I'll head back to Duncan. I can grab Jory along the way, if you want to hunt down our mysterious fifth recruit."
"We'll see you later. Don't cause too many problems, Daveth." Alistair said.
Waving him off, the man walked off towards a column of smoke in the center of the camp, where the other Grey Wardens had set up their camp.
"Aedan was over by the kennels last I saw him. He can't have gone far from there." Faren said.
Faren Brosca
Seeing the human he had escaped Highever with, Faren pointed him out to the other two. As they approached, the man spotted them.
Nodding his head slightly at all of them, he introduced himself.
"Hello there, my name is Aedan Cousland. Am I to assume that you are the other recruits, then?"
"Well, my two companions are. My name is Alistair, Grey Warden." He replied with a smile.
"Cousland… you wouldn't happen to be related to the Couslands of Highever, would you?"
Faren winced at the question, while Aedan's face darkened slightly.
"There are no more Couslands in Highever. Only traitors and corpses." Aedan replied darkly.
Seeing the other man's anger, Faren changed the subject.
"The other recruits are already on their way to meet up with Duncan if you want to come with us. May as well get to why we're here. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get to killing some darkspawn, right? And that's one step closer to getting out of here."
Seeing the other two give him questioning looks, Faren waved them off for now. He's explain later once Aedan was out of earshot, assuming he didn't explain it to them himself.
"That would be nice. The sooner we're done here, the sooner I can hunt down that traitor." Aedan replied darkly.
Alistair led the way back towards the grey warden encampment, Faren quietly filling he and Lyra in on the events in Highever as Aedan trailed behind them. Passing by the two Wardens standing nearby, Duncan greeted the group of them.
"Good, you're all here. And it is nice to meet you, Lyra Mahariel. I heard that you had been brought here by Warden Blackwall?"
"Yes. It is quite the tale, but it ended with me having to leave my clan and join your order."
"You'll have to tell me more once the battle has passed. For now, we are ready to begin preparations for The Joining. Assuming you're done riling up the mages, Alistair?"
"What can I say? The revered mother ambushed me. The way she wields guilt, they should stick her in the army."
"She forced you to sass the mage, did she?" Duncan asked with a sigh.
"We cannot afford to antagonize anyone, Alistair. We don't need to give anyone any more ammunition against us."
"Any more? They already have it?" Faren asked.
"It is only recently that our order has been allowed back into Ferelden. A group of rogue wardens a few centuries ago attacked the king, and we've been barred entry to Fereldan ever since." Duncan explained.
"Why did they attack him?" Aedan asked in surprise.
"Nobody knows, quite honestly. Any that were captured were executed and the fortress they were in was shrouded in a veil of magic so thick nobody could enter. I can only assume they all died inside from starvation or through their own trap."
"I apologize, Duncan. I will try to stay out of the chanty's business with mages in the future."
"Thank you. Now then, since you're all here, we can begin."
Leading the group towards a large bonfire, Daveth and Jory awaited them.
"Now then, you six will be heading into the Korcari wilds to complete two tasks. The first is to retrieve five vials of darkspawn blood, one for each recruit."
"Why do we need darkspawn blood? That poison only leads to problems." Faren said.
Lyra winced, not going unnoticed by the others.
"It's required for The Joining itself. I'll explain more once you've returned."
"Surely we've all had plenty of opportunities to acquire some before now?" Aedan asked.
"Of course. You must work together to collect the components, however. It's as much a part of the joining as what comes after."
Nodding, Lyra spoke up.
"You mentioned a second task?"
"There was once a Grey Warden archive in the wilds, since abandoned when we had to vacate Fereldan. It has recently come to our attention that some scrolls and other artifacts may have been left behind, magically sealed to protect them. Alistair, I want you to retrieve this cache if you can."
"After this, we will be inducted into the Grey Wardens properly?" Jory asked.
"Yes. This is the final task laid before you, and assuming you are all successful, we can conduct The Joining tonight."
"What if this cache is no longer there?" Lyra asked.
"It's possible the magic may have faded, although the strength of the seal should have been sufficient. Only a Grey Warden can break such a seal, which is why Alistair will be going with you."
"What's in this cache that's so special?"
"Scrolls that detail alliances and agreements for aid between us and various groups. Mostly formalities, but with so many having forgotten their commitments to us, I suspect it may be necessary to have something to remind them with."
"Why leave such things in a ruin if they were so valuable?" Alistair asked.
"It was assumed that we would someday return, and the betrayal of Sophia Dryden as Warden-Commander ensured that we could not enter Fereldan again until recently. A great many things were assumed that have not held true."
"I think I know the outpost you're talking about, although it's little more than a ruin now." Lyra said.
"Find some poison, and some old relics. Got it." Daveth said, summarizing their mission succinctly.
"Watch over your charges, Alistair. Return quickly, and safely. It's not wise to stay in the wilds after dark with the horde so close by."
"We'll make sure to get back as soon as we can."
"Maker watch over you."
Alistair led the group off, passing by the kennels once more. The group paused a moment as Aedan went to collect his mabari hound.
Aedan Cousland
"Oh, is this your Mabari?" The Kennel master asked.
"Yes, I raised Daf myself." Aedan replied.
"Just a word of warning if you plan to take her into battle with you. Make sure she washes her mouth out. The tainted blood can cause them to suffer greatly before they pass."
"Is there no way to combat it if they become affected?" Aedan asked in worry.
"There is a flower, called Vivial's Grace. It grows in the wilds, but most of the men don't have the time or need to collect it. If you can collect some and bring it to me, I can ensure your hound, as well as the others here, all will survive any of the blood that they ingest." The man explained.
"I'll be sure to keep my eye out. Can you describe it to me?"
-line break-
The group had not been in the wilds long before they encountered a soldier near death. Quickly aiding the man with a poultice and some bandages, the group helped him to his feet and send him back to the camp. Not further past that, Lyra took the lead. Having been scouting and hunting in the wilds for several days while waiting for the others, she had a basic idea of where the Grey Warden outpost was.
"You wouldn't believe what the humans I ran into the other day were doing out here. They had a pouch of someone's ashes, and were going to try to use it to summon an ancient spirit. Like we don't have enough problems with the darkspawn, they wanted to bring ancient legends and fairy tales into it." She complained.
Laughing, Daveth replied.
"I don't know… some of those tales end with the heroes finding a whole bunch of treasure. Maybe they had the right idea?"
Before anyone else could reply, Alistair stopped the group.
"Watch out, there's a small group of darkspawn up ahead."
Lyra raised her eyebrow at the man.
"How do you know?"
"It's an ability that the Grey Wardens possess. We can sense them. And it goes both ways. They'll be here any moment, prepare yourselves."
Holding his shield the way a templar would, the man charged around the boulder, taking a genlock by surprise. Aedan and Jory followed swiftly behind him, leaving the others to catch up. Lyra let an arrow fly, striking a Hurlock archer in the back of the group. Daf jumped in with her master, pulling a genlock down and leaving it vulnerable to a swing of Jory's blade.
Daveth and Faren went around the other side, flanking the group a minute later and fighting to meet their other group in the middle. Before they knew it, the dozen or so darkspawn all lay dead on the ground. Alistair pulled out a few vials, and passed them to each recruit.
After collecting the blood, they pressed on.
Encountering a few other groups, Aedan stopped them when he noticed a small cluster of bright yellow flowers.
"Give me a moment. The kennel master was asking about these flowers. Apparently, they can be mixed with a few other more common ingredients, and give mabari and other animal companions a resistance to the poison in darkspawn blood. Long enough to get it out of their system, at any rate."
After collecting the flowers, they pressed on, the ruins of an archway coming into sight. Rushing forwards again with Daf at their heels, the melee fighters all quickly closed with the darkspawn.
Lyra Mahariel
Pulling her bowstring back, Lyra frowned when she felt her arm tremble. It had been almost two weeks since she had left her clan. Two weeks since Tamlen's disappearance, and her contracting the taint. She'd been careful to hunt in the northern wilds so that she wouldn't run afoul of the horde, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could hide the weakness in her bones.
Every day she felt herself grow weaker, and she hated it. She knew that if she didn't find a cure soon, she would waste away until all that was left was a hollow shell of the proud Sabrae Clan Hunter that she used to be.
She had been having a harder time keeping up with the others than she would have, and she knew Alistair had his eyes on her with worry. She had confided in him the previous night about how she came to be at Ostagar, as Blackwall wasn't supposed to be anywhere near Ostagar. His presence had surprised and worried Alistair, only made worse by his cryptic words and swift departure.
Hearing an arrow hit the tree she was using as cover, she let out a breath of frustration. She just wanted to go back to when her life was simpler… easier. When her biggest worry was if Tamlen would ever notice her feelings, and if Ashalle would ever tell her more about her parents.
'I guess I'll never really know what happened to them, huh? I'm glad the clan isn't seeing me like this, but I wish I had never gone into that cave.'
Struggling to stand back up, Lyra walked back over to the others now that the fighting had passed. She had used the last of her arrows in that fight, and so drew her twin dar'misu in its place.
"Lyra… are you alright? You look rather pale. You weren't wounded, were you?" Aedan asked with worry, having not seen her for the second half of the fight.
"I'll be fine, don't worry. It's nothing any of you can help with." She said bitterly.
She stormed forwards, focusing on reaching the ruined outpost in the distance.
"She isn't injured, although I didn't realize she'd gotten worse." Alistair said softly.
"What do you mean?" Faren asked.
"From what I understand, she ran afoul of an ancient artifact and some darkspawn a few weeks ago. In the process of fighting them back and destroying the artifact that had become blighted, she contracted the taint. She's honestly lucky she can still stand, let alone fight.
Usually, it kills you in three to four days, but some magic her clan's keeper worked, combined with the aid of a warden there at the time, managed to delay its effects. But nothing can stop the taint indefinitely." Alistair said solemnly.
"Are we really sure she should be out here, then? Especially leading us?" Jory asked.
A darkspawn arrow landed right at his feet, causing him to backpedal.
Lyra put down her bow, glaring at the human.
"I assume you all are done talking about the worst experience of my life while I'm still here? Or would you like me to describe it?"
Shooting a glare at a now red Alistair, she stormed forwards again, the others following in silence. Leading the group around a bend, there was a large group of darkspawn across the hill. This last group was all that stood between them and the outpost.
Running forwards, the others said nothing as they quickly passed her. Slashing out at a Hurlock that was attacking Alistair's left side, she swung up with her other blade, quickly removing the creature from the fight. Nodding in thanks at her, he shoved the Hurlock in front of him away with his shield before stabbing forwards.
Bringing his shield back up, he deflected a fireball from the genlock emissary further ahead into the face of his injured opponent. Stepping past the charred corpse, Lyra pulled a quiver of arrows from the genlock she had killed.
Frowning at the quality, Lyra moved back and switched back to her bow. Pulling back, she took care of another one of the beasts that was going to hit Aedan's mabari. Looking over at the others, her eyes widened.
"OGRE!" She called out in warning.
Aedan and Alistair moved closer together, forming a shield wall quickly enough so that instead of being killed, they were merely knocked over by the large creature. Jory and Daveth quickly started hacking away at its side, leaving the mabari and Faren alongside Lyra to defend the two downed warriors.
Alistair and Aedan scrambled up, quickly joining the other two in the fight against the ogre. Together, the four of them managed to bring it down, Daveth driving a dagger through its face after it had fallen. Pushing onwards, the whole group mopped up the rest of the darkspawn on the hill.
There were only a few more genlocks and one Hurlock archer left, and soon it was just them on a hill covered in corpses.
"Andraste's tits, that was a big one!" Daveth exclaimed.
The others stayed silent, merely taking a moment to catch their breathe now that the fight was over. After a long moment, they all grouped back up, and began to advance towards the front of the ruin.
"Should we post a guard?" Jory asked warily.
"No, I don't sense any more darkspawn in the immediate area. We'll be fine as long as we don't linger." Alistair replied.
Entering the outpost, the first thing they all saw was a crumbled wall, as well as a statue long worn down by the elements. It was clearly some kind of animal, although unidentifiable. There were little protrusions on the back of the animal, almost like there used to be something on the back.
'Maybe one of the fabled extinct griffins I saw on Blackwall's chestplate?' Lyra wondered.
"Alright, go ahead and look around, but do so in pairs. We're looking for a chest, as well as if there is anything else of value in these ruins." Alistair said.
Jory and Aedan quickly broke off, as did Faren and Daveth. Lyra shrugged and walked over to Alistair. Together they wandered off towards the eastern portion of the ruins.
"The one good thing about having so many of you; we can get done a lot faster." Alistair said with a smile.
Looking over at Lyra, his face fell.
"I wanted to apologize for earlier. You were right, I had no right to tell them about all of that."
Lyra sighed, staying silent for a minute.
"I… I probably shouldn't have snapped at you. I know I've been steadily getting worse, and all this fighting with the darkspawn hasn't exactly helped. It's like the closer I get to them, the worse I feel and the stronger this taint inside of me gets."
"Joining the Wardens will strengthen you, although I can't explain the specifics. Once you've been fully inducted, Duncan can answer any questions about the process you may have. I'm sorry I can't tell you more."
"It's alright. The Joining is tonight, and if that means I have to get worse to get better, then I'll push on until then." Lyra said, giving the man a small smile.
The pair stopped when the rubble they were sorting through revealed a chest, although it's top was caved in, and the contents were missing.
"This is the chest they were supposed to be in, although it could've only broken like that if the magic on it had been dispelled. Let's go find the others then get back to Duncan. No use in wasting more time out here than we already have I suppose." Alistair said with a frown.
They met the others in the middle of the ruin, seeing they were also empty-handed.
"Anyone have any luck? All we found were a few snakes and spiders." Faren said.
"We found a small dagger, but beyond that nothing of any real value." Jory scowled.
"We actually found the chest they were supposed to be in, but it seems someone beat us to the cache." Lyra explained.
"Well, well, what have we here?" A voice called out.
Turning, the whole group went for their weapons before seeing it was a strange woman at the top of the ruined staircase.
"Are you a vulture, I wonder? A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder, come into these darkspawn filled Wilds of mine in search of easy prey? What say you, hmm? Scavenger or intruder?" She said, stopping in front of the group.
"I would first know who you are, and where you came from. We all just searched these ruins thoroughly, and none of us saw you anywhere." Aedan replied, resting his hand on the pommel of his sword.
"We are neither, the Grey Wardens once owned this tower." Jory said while glaring at the woman.
" 'Tis a tower no longer. The Wilds have obviously claimed this desecrated corpse." She said with a laugh.
"I have watched your progress for some time. 'Where do they go?', I wondered, 'Why are they here?'. And now you disturb ashes none have touched for so long. Why is that?"
"Don't answer her. She looks Chasind, and that means others may be nearby." Alistair cautioned.
"You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?" She said, laughing at the man.
"Yes, swooping is bad." He said with a deadpan.
"She's a witch of the wilds, she is! She'll turn us all into toads!" Daveth exclaimed, taking a step back in fear.
"Witch of the Wilds? Such idle fancies, those legends. Have you all no minds of your own?"
Taking a step forwards, Lyra moved her hands away from her weapons.
"Let us act with more civility than the men over there. My name is Lyra, may I ask for yours?" She said, smirking at the other recruits and Alistair.
Faren learned over to Aedan.
"You know, my half-sister did things like that. Don't rise to the taunt." He muttered with a smile.
"What a pleasure to meet someone with manners around here, and another woman at that." She said, joining in on Lyra's joke.
"You may all call me Morrigan. Shall I guess your purpose here, then? You sought something in that chest you two found, something that is here no longer?"
"Here no longer? You stole the contents? Like some kind of feral… with-thief." Jory said, taking a step forwards.
"How very… eloquent. How does one steal from dead men, I wonder?" Morrigan said.
"Easily, I'd imagine." Faren muttered.
"Would you be willing to return the contents of the chest to us? They were the property of the Grey Wardens, and we had been sent to retrieve them." Aedan explained.
Frowning at bargaining with the witch, Alistair remained silent.
"Your companion does not agree with your diplomacy?" Morrigan laughed, gesturing towards Alistair.
"I just don't want to waste time. I can sense more darkspawn approaching, and the more time we spend here, the more of them we have to cut through to get back to our camp."
Nodding at him, she turned back towards Jory.
"I am no thief, be assured of that. Invoke a name that means nothing here any longer if you wish; I am not threatened."
"Who removed them, then?" Faren asked.
" 'Twas my mother, in fact."
"Your mother?" Alistair asked.
"Yes, my mother. Did you assume I spawned from a log?" She replied.
"A thieving, magic chasind log, maybe." Daveth said, less worried since nobody had been turned into anything yet.
"Not all in the wilds are monsters. Flowers grow, as well as toads." She said, looking right at Daveth.
Paling slightly, the man stepped back again, causing her to laugh.
"If you wish, I will take you to my mother. 'Tis not far from here, and you may ask her for your papers, if you like." She offered.
"We should get those treaties, despite her rather… convenient… appearance." Alistair whispered.
"We would be happy to meet with your mother and discuss the return of the contents of the cache. Thank you, Morrigan." Lyra said, smiling at the woman.
"Why are you interested in helping us?" Jory asked.
"Why not? I do not meet many people here. Are you all so mistrustful?" She spoke.
"No, there's just a few of us that don't know when to keep their mouth shut." Faren said with a laugh. He only laughed harder at Jory's glare.
"Follow me then, if it pleases you." Morrigan said, before turning and leading them deeper into the forest.
Moving up next to the woman, Lyra looked over at her.
"Sorry about Jory and Daveth. I get the feeling they're used to living behind walls… they've been a bit on edge for the past few hours now."
" 'Tis naught to worry about. Simpletons will be simpletons." She smirked.
-line break-
"Greetings, Mother. I bring before you six Grey Wardens-"
Daf barked at this, causing Morrigan to roll her eyes.
"…six Grey Wardens, and a beast, who-"
"I see them, girl. Mmm. Much as I expected. It has been a while since I have talked with one of The People." The older woman said.
"Are we supposed to believe that you were expecting us?" Alistair asked with a frown.
"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight or open one's arms wise… either way, one's a fool!" She laughed.
"She's a witch, I tell you! We shouldn't be talking to her!" Daveth said.
"Quiet Daveth! If she's really a witch, do you want to make her mad?" Jory glared at the man.
"I don't know, maybe if he gets turned into a toad, he'll shut up." Faren said with a laugh.
"There is a smart lad. Sadly irrelevant to the larger scheme of things, but it is not I who decides. Believe what you will."
Turning towards Lyra and Aedan, she spoke up again.
"And what of you? Do you possess a different viewpoint? Or do you believe as the others do?"
"I believe you have something we need, and that we should be polite and respectful even if you didn't." Aedan said evenly.
Lyra merely nodded, agreeing with him.
"A statement that possesses more wisdom than it implies. Be always aware… or is it oblivious? I can never remember. So much about you all is uncertain… and yet I believe. Do I? Why, it seems I do!"
"So… this is a dreaded 'Witch of the Wilds'?" Alistair said.
"'Witch of the Wilds', eh? Morrigan must have told you that. She fancies such tales, though she would never admit it! Oh, how she dances under the moon!" The woman laughed, causing her daughter to blush.
"They did not come to listen to your wild tales, Mother." She said with a scowl.
"True, they came for their treaties, yes? And before you begin barking, your precious seal wore off long ago. I have protected these." She said, handing them to Aedan.
"You… protected them?" Alistair asked in confusion.
"And why not? Take them to your Grey Wardens and tell them this Blight's threat is greater than they realize. Urthemiel's rising and corruption must be stopped before it is too late."
"Urthemiel?" Daveth asked in confusion.
"The archdemons are supposed to be the fallen gods of the Ancient Tevinter Imperium. Corrupted by darkspawn. Although how she knows the name of this one is a question I find myself with…" Alistair said, looking at her in suspicion.
"I merely know what to look for, and how to listen when the world sings." She said cryptically.
"You are… Asha'bellanar." Lyra said in realization.
Nodding at the hunter, she replied.
"Yes, one of the names I have. One of many. Although you all may call me… Flemeth." She revealed.
"Flemeth… I know that name from somewhere." Aedan said, merely causing her to smirk.
"I thank you for your aid, Asha'bellanar. You have always been a friend to The People." Lyra said, bowing her head.
"You are very welcome. Now! You have what you all came here for."
"Time for you to go, then." Morrigan interjected.
"Do not be inhospitable, girl. These are your guests. See them back to their camp, or at least close enough to not run afoul of the horde." Flemeth chastised Morrigan.
"Very well. I will show you out of the woods. Follow me, then." Morrigan sighed.
-line break-
Following behind the others, the group quickly split up into two. She, Aedan, and Jory all went towards the kennels, the other three all heading directly to Duncan. After giving the flowers to the kennel master, and giving Daf enough to let her survive any further contamination and combat what she'd already had, they moved to join the others.
"Finally ready to join the Wardens then…" Jory said.
Aedan and Lyra stayed silent, ruminating on what had led them both here, and why they had been forced to join the Grey Wardens to begin with.
Quickly, they arrived back at Duncan's bonfire.
"The others were just briefing me on your trip through the wilds. While worrying to hear about this 'Flemeth', it is good that you all completed the tasks I gave you. With the blood you all retrieved, we can head to the nearby temple to Zazikel and begin The Joining. Please, follow me. I must give you all a warning, however. We pay a heavy price for what we are, and fate may decree that you pay your price now rather than later." Duncan explained.
"Are you saying this ritual can kill us?" Jory asked with worry.
"As could any darkspawn you might face in battle. You would not have been chosen, however, if I did not think you had a chance to survive. It is, while certainly a dangerous ordeal, not impossible. Every Grey Warden has gone through it, including myself and Alistair." He said, nodding to the younger man.
"This sounds a lot like the Legion of the Dead, if you ask me." Faren said.
Nodding, Duncan did not reply.
"Will this cure me?" Lyra asked quietly.
"This will restore your physical and mental strength to how it was before you encountered that artifact, yes." Duncan said, picking his words carefully.
"Let's go, then. I'm anxious to see this Joining now." Daveth announced.
Aedan merely grunted and followed the others as Duncan led them away, Alistair taking the rear.
-line break-
"At last we come to The Joining." Duncan said, walking forwards from the darkness.
"The Grey Wardens were founded during the first Blight. When Thedas stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their taint." He said solemnly.
"We're… going to drink the blood of those… those creatures?" Jory said in fear.
"I know you're the boss and all… but isn't that stuff poisonous?" Faren said, taking a step back.
"As the first Grey Wardens did before us, and as we did before you. This is the source of our power and our victory."
"Those who survive The Joining become immune to the taint of the darkspawn. We can sense it in them, and use it to hunt them. It's also what allows us to slay archdemons, and why only we can." Alistair said.
"So, this is why you avoided saying that this would cure me… once this is done, we can never go back to how we were." Lyra said, feeling something inside of her die as she realized she would never be the same elf she was before.
"Yes, although you will find that the empowerment from it will make most wardens able to hit harder, last longer, and move just a little faster than a normal warrior. There is a reason why our order has historically been host to great warriors. Many of them drew on this strength to accomplish their goals." Duncan said, finally offering more details.
"I can see now why this would be withheld from Orzammar. The idiots in the Shaperate would try to get half the city to go through this so they could retake ancient thaigs we don't have the numbers to hold." Faren commented.
"Whatever it takes to stop the blight. That's what you said, right Daveth?" Aedan asked.
The man gulped, before nodding. Duncan looked around at them all, before continuing.
"We speak only a few words prior to The Joining, but these words have been said since the first. Alistair, if you would?" Duncan said, turning towards the younger warden.
"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows, where we stand, vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn."
As Alistair spoke, a heaviness came over them all, as if the weight of the moment were being shared amongst them all.
Shadows moved along the edges of the ruin, before stepping into the light, revealing the other 3 wardens that had been at the camp. They stood silent, sentinels watching over the induction of new recruits to their order.
"And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day we shall join you." He finished.
"You are all called upon to submit yourself to the taint for the greater good." Duncan said.
"Lyra, step forward." Duncan picked up the chalice of blood, holding it out to the Dalish hunter.
Lyra reached out, feeling weaker than she had ever felt. She wanted nothing more than to feel strong again. To feel like she did. And then her mouth was full of blood and her eyes were dark.
Daveth
He watched as Lyra took the chalice and drank, her arms shaking when she passed it back. Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed, seizing slightly before growing still.
"Is she…" Jory asked.
Alistair leaned down, before smiling.
"Welcome to the order, sister."
The other four relaxed, seeing one of their number already through the ritual.
"Daveth, step forward."
Suddenly, any sense of calm or reassurance from seeing Lyra's survival disappeared. There was an armed man holding out a cup of poison, and only now Daveth noticed how the other wardens were positioned.
'If I don't drink this, that archer is going to make sure this stays secret. Well, it's a long way from stealing horses… I never did show Lokir how to untie the stable master's knots back home…'
Taking the chalice, Daveth took a mouthful of the thick blood and had to fight back the urge to vomit. Swallowing, he handed the cup back to Duncan.
Suddenly his throat started burning. He felt his legs give out and heard someone scream. He felt the stone floor rise to meet him, and suddenly it all went dark.
Aedan Cousland
"Maker's breath!" Jory exclaimed.
"I am sorry, Daveth." Duncan said simply, before turning towards Aedan.
It had been a relief to see Lyra survive, but now he saw Jory and Faren pale slightly. He himself felt a bit sick, and wished he weren't next in line. The lack of reaction from any of the Wardens besides their eyes moving on to him had to be the worst thing. It was like they had forgotten he existed. Like he didn't matter.
"Aedan, step forward."
Taking the chalice, Aedan hesitated for a few seconds. Seeing his pale face reflected in the dark liquid, he sighed and steeled himself.
'I'm a Cousland. I am better than this, and I will do my duty.'
Drinking, he shivered as it went down, thick like the dough he would see Nan working with for the meals. Thoughts of home filled his mind as he collapsed.
Jory
Jory felt his hand twitch towards his sword, before forcing it back to his side. He was more terrified than he had ever been. He had only recently attained his knighthood at Redcliffe, and before he could be sent out on anything more than guarding local merchants, he had won a tournament in Highever and come to Duncan's notice. He was regretting ever entering, and wished he'd stayed content with his small responsibilities.
He had not missed Daveth's eyes darting to the other Wardens, and had reached a similar conclusion. It didn't mean he didn't want to run all the way back to Helena, however.
"Jory, step forward."
Feeling himself trembling slightly, Jory felt like a wreck. Taking the chalice from Duncan, he felt like he was going to drop it. Taking a small sip, Jory nearly spit it out. Forcing himself to swallow, he handed the chalice back.
"Is that al-" was all he managed to say before he felt his blood burn.
He felt like he was on fire, collapsing to the stone floor.
"I wish…" Before he could finish, all went dark.
Faren Brosca
"I am sorry, Jory." Duncan said, looking down at the man in his final moments.
They all turned towards Faren, and suddenly he didn't feel like a strong warrior who fought through the entire proving and won. He didn't feel like one of The Carta's enforcers. He felt like a casteless duster in way over his head. Half of the people he was to join the Grey Wardens with lay dead, the others impossibly changed by drinking from the chalice.
"Step forward, Faren."
Reaching out, Faren took the chalice from the man who had saved him from the guards back in Orzammar.
'Well, I suppose an uncertain death here is preferable to a certain death if I had stayed in Orzammar. At least this death will be over shortly if I die.'
Taking the chalice, Faren saw the blood pooling at the bottom of it.
Taking a deep drink, he handed it back to Duncan.
'At least it doesn't taste as bad as that time Leske tried to brew his own ale…' was Faren's last conscious thought.
Alistair
"From this moment forth, you all are Grey Wardens." Duncan intoned, before placing the cup down and letting his shoulders sag.
"I wish it could be better, and that more could survive. I wish this weren't necessary." Alistair said with a scowl.
One of the other wardens who had been standing guard chimed in.
"It could be worse; Clarel conducted mine, and she had to kill one of the recruits. He tried to run…" the man trailed off, looking down at the five bodies.
The other two quickly came over and, with Alistair's help, carried the two corpses over to the bonfire. Laying them on the pyre, the group all stood in silence for a few minutes.
"Be sure to send their names back to Weisshaupt. I want it sent tonight, in case the battle goes poorly. All five of them are Grey Wardens, even if only three of them can go on to serve our order further." Duncan said, looking to the others.
"Now, why don't you all help me move them away from this area and back to the camp. We can wait for them to awaken there."
Wow, that was a lot. I know.
I wanted to get all the way through to the Joining, but somewhere along the way I let the story take control. I tried to get more into talking from the perspective of the characters, so feel free to let me know which style you prefer. I tried to make a few references to other characters or lore, as well as one reference to something non-Dragon Age related. Bonus points to anyone who can spot it!
I've always had a few problems with Ostagar. I get why it's rushed, since they want you to get to the main game, but I always felt like there should be more wardens. I figured 3 more wouldn't be too crazy, and it's plausible that they travelled with Duncan and were sent to Ostagar with Daveth and Jory.
I also tried to characterize Jory a little differently, and throw a reason in there for why he's so nervous all the time. I figure an experienced knight wouldn't act like he does, but a recently knighted soldier who is still unused to it all felt more plausible.
I also decided to leave them unconscious until next chapter. I wanted to give the wardens a minute to talk about their thought on the joining.
Work has been a little crazy, so writing this has been very relaxing.
Happy to be here, and to be able to entertain you all! (I hope)
Ameridane