Aneth Ara!
Asit tal-eb!
Valos Atredum!
Be welcome, dear reader, whoever you may be, and our many thanks, along with hearty congratulations for picking up this epoch and comprehensive guide to the Dragon Age's Inquisition!
It is my endeavor to provide a pleasant contrast to the meticulous digressions of my fellow scholar and collaborator, Scribe Caden Genitivi, and keep you, dear reader, enthralled and invested into the compiled anthology herein, collected over the past half century of this age to provide a comprehensive piece on the last Inquisition, and its direct effect on the War of Fen'Harel.
I will draw your attention to unknown variables that you see herein - that, until this publishing, have remained unknown and unseen by the vast throngs of Thedas, but have etched their dealings into the very fabric of this land, both magical and mundane.
To put it bluntly, our traditional understanding of the pivotal moments of that Age are skewed at best. The War of Fen'Harel left much displaced, if not outright destroyed, leaving events generalized & romanticized. Not that I would say no to an excellent ballad of a damsel and her savior - my family is Tethras after all - but history must be justified, not glorified, if it hinders our current way of life. Bear with me, dear reader, I am getting to my overarching theme.
Through immense undertaking that was at first a dive into our own family histories, myself and Scribe Genitivi discovered several startling facts.
The Second Inquisition was not a singular effort. By this, I mean to purport that the elevated position of Inquisitor, by which much of Thedas was reshaped into what we know today with an individual's mere word, was in fact not just relegated to one individual, but several. I understand this is a major upheaval of all we know.
Let me propose an...unorthodox way of explaining this, and many other earthshaking facts. In the ways of my own ancestor, Varric Tethras, who was instrumental in the Inquisition, I suggest a journey. Come with me on this journey - this ballad, this epic rendition of historical events, that contains so much more grit and heart than we are accustomed to hearing.
Let us be immersed in the people of the times - their heartache and despair, yet vibrant hope that was found in each other's company.
Let us examine the facts compiled - but do not forget the people behind them, and their flawed, yet courageous nature.
Let us not forget the meat of the issue is found when we understand the desperation of the time called for desperate, yet passionate measures.
My friend & colleague, despite his initial loud and insistent misgivings, has agreed that the best way to illustrate this vast picture, is through a narrative - one that any man, elf, dwarf, or qunari, not just two eccentric scholars, can relate to. This is how we shall proceed herein, to provide you with a sumptuous feast of knowledge that will make your heart soar, and then send it to the depths of despair in pain for those that have gone before us, and their excruciating trials of character.
I have wagged my tongue enough. Let us proceed with haste. Let me, and my colleague present to you a historical, epic, and definitive compendium accounting of the Tales of the Heralds.
NOTE by Scribe Caden Genitivi: Despite my continued objections, Scribe Tethras has sought to convince me this hereunto format is most desperately needed, but may I provide a disclaimer to my especially astute brothers & sisters of the Chantry that these accounts have been intensively scrutinized and pored over to the highest levels of academic professionalism, and are not a random gallop in the direction of a bard's tale. I stand by the precedent my own forefather established to maintain a high standard of veracity even in his extensive travellings of Thedas as he encountered fools and fights - and I shall not depart from it. A listing of all veritable scripts used to supplement our work will be found in the appendix of this work. Thank you for your patronage. Let us begin.