I don't own Dragon Age or the mods listed.

Chapter 1: Ostagar

We will be traveling south through the hinterlands to the ruins of Ostagar, on the edge of the Korcari Wilds. The Tevinter Imperium built Ostagar long ago to prevent the Wilders from invading the northern lowlands. It's fitting we make our stand here, even if we face a different foe within that forest. The king's forces have clashed with the darkspawn several times, but here is where the bulk of the horde will show itself. There are only a few Grey Wardens within Ferelden at the moment, but all of us are here. This Blight must be stopped here and now. If it spreads to the north, Ferelden will fall.

Ostagar

As the group walked on the bridge, they saw a group of three men walking in their direction. The two flanking men wore Silverite heavy chainmail armor with a sword and shield on their backs, who Malcolm didn't recognize, while the middle man had a golden color armor with a greatsword on his back, who Malcolm instantly recognized. The middle man held out his arm as he approached saying, "Ho there, Duncan!"

Duncan walked up and grab the other man's arm as he said with surprise in his voice, "King Cailan? I didn't expect-"

Malcolm and Goliath kneeled down at the mention of the name. Cailan replied with, "A royal welcome? I was beginning to worry you'd miss all the fun!" Malcolm told Halia with his head to kneel also.

Duncan gave a small chuckle. "Not if I could help it, your Majesty."

"Then I'll have the mighty Duncan at my side in battle after all! Glorious!" Cailan walked up to the kneeling trio. "The other Wardens told me you've found not one, but two promising recruits. I take it this them?"

"Allow me to introduce you, your Majesty."

"No need, Duncan. You both may rise." They did. He looks at Malcolm. "You are Bryce's youngest, are you not? I don't think we've actually met."

"No, your Majesty. I never had the honor to meet you directly. But I bring news."

"Is it about your father? We have been waiting on him and Arl Howe's troops." Even Goliath notice that Malcolm's fists clenched at the mention of Howe. "Is something wrong?"

Halia spoke up, "You shemlens betray everyone, apparently! Even other humans!"

Duncan quickly tried to apologize for the elf. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. This is the other recruit, who has a bad history with humans."

"I understand, Duncan." He turns toward Halia. "Please, miss, I would like to know your name, and what you mean."

"My name is Halia. And what I mean is that Malcolm and his brother are the last of their lines."

He turns toward Duncan. "Do you know what she is talking about?"

"Teyrn Cousland and his wife are dead, your Majesty. Arl Howe has shown himself a traitor and overtaken Highever Castle. Had we not escaped, he would have killed us and told you any story he wished."

Malcolm butted in angrily, "His men, you mean. His cowardice gave him borrowed time."

"I… can scarcely believe it! How could he think he could get away with such treachery! As soon as we are done here, I will turn my army north and bring Howe to justice. You have my word."

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! I WANT HIM DEAD NOW!"

Duncan was just about to speak up, when the king cut him off. "I'm sorry. But the darkspawn must be defeated first. That is the best I can do. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I should return to my tent. Loghain waits to bore me with his strategies."

Duncan speaks up. "Your uncle sends his greetings and reminds you that Redcliffe forces could be here in less than a week."

"Ha! Eamon just wants in on the glory. We've won three battles against these monsters and tomorrow should be no different. Besides, I'm not even sure this is a true Blight. There are plenty of darkspawn on the field, but alas, we've seen no sign of an archdemon."

"Disappointed, your Majesty?"

"I'd hoped for a war like in the tales! A king riding with the fabled Grey Wardens against a tainted god! But I suppose this will have to do. I must go before Loghain sends out a search party. Farewell, Grey Wardens." He gives a small bow. All but Halia returns the bow. The king and his escort walk off.

Duncan walks up to the two. "What the king said is true. They've won several battles against the darkspawn here."

Halia replies, "He seems not the take them seriously."

"True." He motions to start walking. "Despite the victories so far, the darkspawn horde grows larger with each passing day. By now, they look to outnumber us. I know there is an archdemon behind this. But I cannot ask the king to act solely on my feeling."

Halia speaks up again. "You could if he were not such a fool."

"You must not speak of the king so. He is… over-eager, perhaps, but he is one the few Grey Warden allies. Our numbers in Ferelden are too few. We must do what we can and look to Teyrn Loghain to make up the difference. To that end, we should proceed with the Joining ritual without delay."

Malcolm speaks, "Wait what? What ritual?"

"Every Grey Warden must go through what we call the Joining. The ritual is brief, but some preparation is required. Feel free to explore the camp, but when you are ready look for a Warden called Alistair. Malcolm, your hound will stay will me for now." (bark) "The Grey Warden tent is on the other side of this bridge. You will find us there, should you need to." With that Duncan and Goliath went to the tent that Duncan mentioned.

Halia and Malcolm walked together looking around at Ostagar. Their first stop was the Quartermaster, for some supplies. The Quartermaster immediately yelled at Halia. "You! Elf! What are you doing in that armor? And where's the other girl? I swear that you elves need to learn your place."

As soon as he finished, Halia brought one of her daggers up to the man's throat. "I swear that you shems need to watch your tongues! I am a Grey Warden recruit, and will not be talked down to by a fat shemlen! We clear?"

"C-C-Crystal."

Halia put her dagger away, and stepped back. Malcolm walked up. "Sorry about that. She has a bad history with humans. Now let's talk business." He looks at the inventory. "Let's see that crossbow." The Quartermaster hands him the crossbow. Malcolm looks it over. "How much?"

"Twelve silver pieces."

"For an elm crossbow? Two silver."

"Ten."

"Three."

"Come on. I have to make a profit. Six."

"Okay. Throw in a quiver of bolts, and I'll pay five silver."

He hands over a quiver. "Deal."

Malcolm fastens the quiver on the back of his waist, along with the crossbow. When he's done, he shakes the man's hand and hands over some coins. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Thanks. Miss?" Halia looks at him. "T-To show that there's no hard feelings. I'll give you a new quiver for that bow for free."

"Throw in some cooking supplies, and we'll call it even."

"S-Sure. Here." He hands the stuff over.

"Thanks." They walked away. "So, should we find this Alistair?"

"There's only one problem with that. Where do we find him?"

"Well, I did see someone in some Grey Warden armor walk up those steps. Maybe we could ask him where this Alistair is."

"Good idea."

When they reached the top, they saw the Warden that Halia talked about, talking with a mage. Angrily, the mage pushed past them muttering, "Get out of my way, fools." Halia was just about to throw a dagger at him, when Malcolm grabbed her arm.

Then the Warden walked up and said, "You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."

Halia replied with, "You are a very strange shem."

"You're not the first to tell me. Wait, you two look familiar. You must be the new recruits that Duncan brought. It's not every day, you see a human and a Dalish together."

Malcolm points at Halia. "This is Halia, I'm Malcolm."

"Well, I'm Alistair. And you have just met my new friend, who just walked off. In case you didn't know I was once a Templar."

Malcolm asks, "So, just out of curiosity, can you sense mages?"

"No. Templars can sense when a mage is about to use a spell, but that's it. Why?"

"Oh, just curious," Malcolm lies, relieved that his secret can stay a secret. "So, can you lead the way to Duncan?"

"Of course."

When they got back to Duncan, he sent Alistair, after getting on to him for what he did with the mage, to find the other two recruits. After brief introductions, they got their task, get four vials of darkspawn blood, and retrieve ancient Grey Warden treaties.

Sometime later in the Wilds

Malcolm ducked and put his shield over his head. The Hurlock Alpha swung its battleaxe and caused Malcolm's shield to fly off his arm. Without missing a beat, Malcolm drove his sword through the darkspawn's heart. Unfortunately, as Malcolm was pulling his sword out, a Hurlock fell on top of him, with an arrow in its head.

"Halia, next time, kill it before it gets to me. So, THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN!"

"Come on, Malcolm. You look good."

"Says you. Now will someone help me out, please."

"Alright." The dead Hurlock body gets pulled off. Malcolm gets up and turns to the person who pulled the body off and gave him back his shield.

"Thanks, Jory."

"Anytime."

The group of five made their way into the ruins they just fought in front of, with Halia leading the way. Inside is a chest, which, upon closer inspection, is broken open and empty.

"Well, well, what have we hear?" The group turns around. This woman had appeared out of nowhere. She walks slowly down some stairs as she continues, "Are you a vulture, I wonder? A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned?" Malcolm puts himself in between the witch and the group, as Halia pulled her bow out and readied an arrow. "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 asks as she looks at Malcolm.

"Stay back, witch."

"Ha. You are a brave one. But you should have no fear of me." She starts walking. "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?" she asks as she turns around on a ledge to face the group.

Daveth, one of the other recruits, says out of panic, "She's a Witch of the Wilds, she is! She'll turn us into toads!"

Smirking, the witch replies, "Witch of the Wilds? Such idle fancies, those legends. Have you no minds of your own." She looks at Malcolm. "You there, handsome lad. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine. Let us be civilized."

"Promise no harm will come to us."

"Very well, you have my promise."

"You may call me Malcolm."

"And you may call me Morrigan, if you wish. Shall I guess your purpose? You sought something in that chest, something that is here no longer?"

Halia speaks up an arrow still drawn, "The papers are Grey Warden property. Return them or face the consequences."

"I will not, for `twas not I who removed them."

Malcolm asks, "If it was not you, then who?"

"`Twas my mother, in fact."

"Can you take us to her?"

"Now there is a sensible request. I like you."

Alistair walks up to Malcolm. "I'd be careful. First it's, 'I like you…' but then 'Zap!' Frog time."

Daveth, still being whiney, says, "She'll put us all in the pot, she will. Just you watch."

Halia, who put her bow up, says, "Daveth, shut up."

Morrigan turned as she says, "Follow me then, if it pleases you."

They followed her to a hut and after some brief talks, and more whiny comments from Daveth, they got the treaties and followed Morrigan back to Ostagar.

Ostagar

Once they were back in the ruins, they went straight for Duncan's tent. After more talk, Alistair led them to where Malcolm and Halia first met him.

"The more I hear about this Joining, the less I like I like it," Jory was mumbling.

"Are you blubbering again?" came from Daveth. Halia and Malcolm looked at each other, confused. In the Wilds, it was the other way around.

Halia spoke up, "Will you two stop. I swear, I'm a woman, and I have more courage than you two. So will you shut up."

Duncan comes out of nowhere as he says, "At last we come to the Joining. They Grey Warden were founded during the first Blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation." He walks towards the table which has the vials of darkspawn blood, along with a goblet. On each of the vial is the name of who gets it. When he got to it, he turned and continued, "So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their taint."

Ser Jory pipes up in a terrified voice, "We're… going to drink the blood of those… those creatures?"

Duncan walks up to him. "As the first Grey Wardens did before us, as we did before you. This is the source of our power and our victory."

Alistair continues, "Those who survive the Joining become immune to the taint. We can sense it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the archdemon."

Malcolm asks, "Those who survive?"

Duncan answers with, "Not all who drink the blood will survive and those that do are forever changed. This is why the Joining is a secret. It is the price we pay. And fate may decree that you pay this price now rather than later. We speak only a few words prior to the Joining, but these words have been said since the first," he looks to Alistair, "Alistair, if you would?"

Everyone but Jory bows their head as Alistair begins. "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. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day we shall join you."

Duncan had the goblet in his hand. "Daveth, step forward."

Daveth stepped forward, grabbed the goblet as Duncan handed it to him and drank from it. A few seconds after he handed back the goblet, he doubles over clutching his head, screaming. Then he lifts his head, his eyes are pure white, and everyone except Duncan takes a few steps back. Then Daveth clutches at his neck as if he's choking.

Duncan simply says as he watches as Daveth falls on the ground dead, "I am sorry, Daveth." Duncan then refills the goblet as he says, "Step forward, Jory."

Jory steps backwards as he draws his blade. "But… I have a wife. A child! Had I known…"

Duncan steps towards him. "There is no turning back."

Jory backs into a wall. "No! You ask too much! There is no glory in this!"

Duncan then draws on of his own blades. After some fancy blade work, Duncan sunk his dagger into Jory's stomach, saying, "I am sorry." He pulled the dagger out and dropped it onto the ground. "But the ritual is not yet complete." He held the goblet out to Malcolm.

Malcolm took it, muttering, "I have nothing left to live for," before he drinks from it. After he hands it back, he puts a hand on his head as if he has a headache, but it looked like to Halia like it was nothing like what Daveth went through. He then falls down to the ground.

Duncan went to check on him. "He lives, so from this moment on, he is a Grey Warden." He then stands up and hands the goblet over to Halia, saying, "You must submit yourself to the taint for the greater good." She then drinks from it and hands it back. The pain was not unbearable, but it still hurt. She started to lose consciousness, then she saw a giant black dragon, then nothing.

So that is the end of the first chapter. Sorry it took so long for the prologue took so long and about that big gap. I think Ostagar is a bit slow especially the Wilds part.