Chapter 27: Shepherding Wolves pt1

Wounded Coast Approach

The gang was out of the caverns to meet with Thrask and the mage Alain. Ericks gestures the rest of the gang to hold as a Templar came to meet Thrask. He had light brown hair and wore a stern look on his face. "Are you trying to tell me this boy is all that's left of the apostates?"

"I ran away when they began to use blood magic, ser" Alain said

"They are not in the caverns, Ser Karras. I have thoroughly explored…" Ser Karras then frowned when the gang exited the caverns.

"Who is this?"

"Alran Tethras, an honor to meet you ser" Varric said. "I'm astonished Ser Thrask didn't mention that Ser Hawke, knight-lieutenant of the Order in Ferelden, was here at the knight-commander's personal invitation" Ericks and Thrask looked at the dwarf. Templars had a history of recruiting elves and dwarves into their order, but it was incredibly rare occasion. Ser Karras looked at Thrask to confirm if what Varric was saying was true.

"Uh, yes. Yes, I was about to tell him"

"And the woman? She is obviously a mage"

"One of Ser Hawke's charges, he requested her to accompany him should magic be needed" the dwarf said. "We've completed our investigation of the mages in those caverns, no one is left inside"

"One of the cowards ran out the back, you should go after him" Ericks said playing along.

"Right" Varric said. "Their leader fled the battlefield ahead of us, bloody coward left his own people to die"

"I caught only a glimpse, but it looked like the back passages led out to the coast, I sent your men that way"

"We can still catch up if we go around the caverns, that's the faster route" Thrask said.

"The coast, you say? Men, fan out, search the shore. We will retrieve these corpses later" Ser Karras gave Ericks a bow. "I will commend you to the knight-commander, Ser Hawke" Ser Karras took his men and headed down the coast.

"Thank you, my friend" Thrask walked away with Alain as the other mages came out of the caverns.

"I didn't think you could do it, truly you must be able to charm a miser out of his last coin" Grace said. "I did not think any of us would leave those caverns alive"

"If it makes you feel better, officially you were 'killed during escape' Ericks said.

"I will do my best to seem cold and rotted, then" She gave Ericks her staff, with it baring the mark of Starkhaven on it; it would be a death sentence to carry it with her. "It should fetch at good price" she said. "Now, we must flee as far as we can before nightfall. Thank you friend" The apostates headed off to their freedom, by the time Ser Karras finished his search Grace and the other mages would be long gone.

"You could have warned me, you were about to do that, Varric" Ericks said.

"Yeah, sorry about that had to think up a good lie on the fly" the dwarf said. "But you handled it like I knew you would" The gang headed back to Kirkwall.


The Divine is the titular head of the Chantry, although since the schism split the Imperial Chantry into its own faction there are now in fact two Divines at any one time. One Divine, informally called the White Divine, is a woman housed in the Grand Cathedral in Val Royeaux. The other, known as the Black Divine, is a man housed in the Argent Spire in Minrathous.

Neither Divine recognizes the existence of the other, and the informal names are considered sacrilegious. No matter the gender, a Divine is addressed as "Most Holy" or "Your Perfection."

Beneath the rank of Divine is the grand cleric. Each grand cleric presides over numerous chantries and represents the highest religious authority for their region. They travel to Val Royeaux when the College of Clerics convenes, but otherwise remain where they are assigned. All grand clerics are addressed as "Your Grace."

Beneath the grand cleric is the mother (or, in the Imperial Chantry, the father). If a mother is in charge of a particular chantry, "revered" is appended to her title. These are the priests responsible for administering to the spiritual well-being of their flock. A mother or revered mother is addressed as "Your Reverence."

Brothers and sisters form the rank and file of the Chantry and consist of three main groups: affirmed, initiates, and clerics. Affirmed are the lay-brethren of the Chantry, those regular folk who have turned to the Chantry for succor. Often they are people who have led a difficult or irreligious life and have chosen to go into seclusion, or even orphans and similar unfortunates who were raised into the Chantry life. The affirmed take care of the Chantry and are in turn afforded a life of quiet contemplation, no questions those folk who take vows become initiates. These are men and women in training, whether in academic knowledge or the martial skills of a warrior. All initiates receive an academic education, although only those who seek to become templars learn how to fight in addition.

Clerics are the true academics of the Chantry, those men and women who have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of knowledge. They are often found in Chantry archives, sages presiding over libraries of books and arcane knowledge. The most senior of these clerics, placed in charge of such archives, are given the title "elder," although such a rank is still beneath that of mother. All other brothers and sisters are addressed simply by noting their title before their name, such as "Brother Genitivi."—From a guide for ambassadors from Rivain.

Hanged Man-Night

Ericks was at the Hanged Man for some drinking and for some business. "You're really on a roll, Hawke recapturing the Amell mansion, and now you have more than enough for the expedition" Varric said. "So any plans on what to do once you hit big?"

"Not too sure, to be honest…perhaps I'll do some nobley things" Ericks said. "Always wanted to try those fancy cheeses"

"You at a party with those pretentious nobles, now that I would pay to see" the dwarf said. "At least to see the looks on those nobles' faces" Ericks and Varric was talking and drinking some more until Anders came into the tavern. "Well look who came out of his hidey-hole"

"I had a friend like you once, he thought he was funny too" Anders said.

"Blondie has jokes, alert the chanters" Varric said heading up to his room for the night.

"Something you need, Anders?" Ericks asked.

"I wanted to apologize for putting my burden on you last time we talked" the mage said. "The fact that you haven't distanced yourself from me is…well, I'm thankful. With my life, you don't get too many friends"

"You'd be surprised how people just tell me their darkest secrets, I must look trustworthy"

"You look…something. True. Proud. Like even if you don't agree with me, you'll be honest" Anders said. "I just…I hope I didn't seem to selfish when I told you about Justice"

"So how did you come to your…predicament?" Ericks asked. It was during the siege of Vigil's Keep in Amaranthine, he and Justice, who was in the body of Kristoff a Grey Warden who died some time ago, they were task with protecting the eastern wall from the darkspawn. While they were focused keeping out the darkspawn in the east, they didn't notice the shrieks slipping in.

"It all happened so fast…the last thing I saw was the Keep's soldiers being slaughtered by the darkspawn" Anders said. "When I came to, I found I was miles away from Vigil's Keep and three weeks had pass"

"So Justice…saved your life?"

"Yeah, I was scared at first…I believe myself to be an abomination" the mage said. "But then I sensed it, the virtue of what the spirit embodies and my eyes were opened" Growing up in the Circle, everything was about order and rules and the Templars. The isolation of it all, the apprentices found ways to make it bearable. "Karl and I…he was the first, when we were together we could forget that out in the world we were nothing but Templar slaves"

"It's the bloody Templars" Anders said. "They don't see us as people. They don't care that Karl was someone's son…or someone's lover"

"If you're born with magic, they hear about it and then they search your rat-spit village and find you" he said getting increasingly angry. "They tell your parents they'll be thrown in prison if they ever ask about you, stripped of their rights in the eyes of the Maker"

"And if you run away, they hunt you down. Again and again and again" Anders started to glow.

"Oy! Keep it together!" Ericks said. "You don't want to cause a scene here"

Anders calmed down. "Sorry…just thinking about it angers me" he said. "That's why I want to change things, so nobody has to go through what I went through…so no one has to live in fear like your sister does"

"Noble, just make sure you don't frighten the ones you want to save" Ericks said. "There's a thin line between savior and monster"


Lowtown

Ericks and Anders were heading home for the night where they spotted a chantry sister out on the streets and alone. "Huh, you don't usually see people from the Chantry here in Lowtown…especially at night" Ericks said.

"What is she thinking? Does she think just because she's a sister she is immune to being mugged by the thugs here?" Anders asked.

"I have need of stout assistance. There is handsome money for those of skill" A dark-skinned man in light brown armor came up to the sister.

"Here, miss. Word is, you're looking for help and paying well"

"I need someone native to the dark places beneath Lowtown. If you claim as much, yes, I will pay"

"I am, I am. Let's just step into this alley and me and my fellows can have a look at the money on offer" Anyone with half a brain could tell the man was looking for easy prey, but it would seem this sister didn't have even that as she followed the man into the alley.

"Is that sister daft? She'll be done over and thrown out"

"Usually I leave stupid people alone, but the Chantry usually means Templars" Ericks said. "I don't need the Templars this close to home" Ericks and Anders headed into the alley where six thugs had the sister surrounded, for the sister's credit however she didn't seem to be afraid.

"Don't like interruptions, not when this mark is so promising! Get them!" The thugs charged Ericks and Anders. Ericks dodged the swings of the sword with carefree ease; the thugs' blows were so wild and sloppy that a child could easily dodge. With the flick of his wrist, Ericks took out a knife and the sliced the vital areas causing them to bleed out. Anders walked toward Ericks leaving behind three smoldering corpses. The sister came towards the two men unfazed by all the blood and dead bodies. She had short grey-blond hair and dull blue eyes that made her look cold and detached the very opposite of a typical image of a Chantry lay sister.

"Well, thank you for your timely intervention. I am…out of my element"

"Obviously" Ericks said. "They looked like they were going to do more than just pick your pockets"

"I had to come here to get the type of person I need. Someone of bloody skill, but also integrity" the sister said. "Perhaps the kind who might leap to someone's defense"

"I have a charge that needs passage from the city. If you are willing and capable, meet me at safe house"

"We save you in an alley and suddenly we're in business?"

The sister raised a brow. "You're in Lowtown. What grand scheme could I be interrupting?"

"Well she's got us there…" Anders said dryly.

"Varnell?" Behind them was a lone Templar, it would seem the lay sister was not so defenseless after all. "I hope you will come. This matter only grows more urgent with time" The sister walked away with her Templar bodyguard.

More than meets the eye…Next Time! As always Review and Comment!