Hi Everyone!
Having only recently discovered the Dragon Age series (Shocking, I know), I found myself taken by the world Bioware had built. I was very impressed with the characters each game had developed and felt inspired to write a reinterpretation of my own.
I am a big fan of an author here by the name of LogicalPremise and would recommend his stories to anyone who enjoys Mass Effect. I very much liked the darker, more fleshed out world he envisioned. While "Realistic" is probably not the exact word, the characters, their choices and the consequences seem more realistic to me.
With that premise in mind I began to draw up a story of my own in the Dragon Age world, a darker setting where I hope to flesh out the inner workings of the various characters I have come to love.
With that in mind, prepare for a larger, more threatening mage rebellion, dark designs from world leaders and a world at war while the fabric of reality threatens to collapse down around them. Timelines will differ slightly from cannon as will estimated populations and such, the scale of the Dragon Age world from what little official works I can find is woefully small.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated, writing is a hobby of mine but by no means a developed skill.
Prologue
The world was dying.
At least it seemed that way to the Divine's right hand. Viridescent streaks of lightning tore across the midday sky, large stony chunks of undefined matter fell to the earth as if besieged by the heavens itself, and all because of… It.
How could she describe the sickly green tear in all creation, the Maker's heavens torn asunder. What possible justice could she do to the near overwhelming sense of dread that struck as a hammer when she turned her gaze to the growing rift in the sky, breached by magic unlike any their world had ever seen.
"Aodahn Trevelyan." Came a voice to her right, and bare steel had left its scabbard before she could recognize the voice.
"Leliana." She finally replied, a stressed sigh and the click of a sheathed sword accompanying the name. "Must you step so quietly among friends?"
"It keeps things interesting." The smirk that followed the reply was forced, but she appreciated the attempt at levity all the same.
"Our Prisoner is one Aodahn Trevelyan." Leliana continued. "First born son of Bann Trevelyan of Ostwick."
She felt her brows furrow at the name. "I recognize the name; they are distant relations of the Nevarran royal line."
"Yes, also a very pious family with a long history of service in both the Chantry and the Templar order."
Impossibly, her brows furrowed further. "The worst of traitors then, how could he have been turned so strongly against the Chantry?"
Her friend was silent for a moment. "How? Why? Questions I cannot answer right now. I know he was at the Conclave, ostensibly as an attaché to the Templar delegation. My agents had assumed his true purpose was to watch over his sister, who was part of the Mage's delegation."
"His sister?" She mused, mind reaching for an answer she lacked the information to find. "If they had been in contact during the rebellion, could he be an agent of the General? Could all this be his ploy?"
"It would be…unusual." Came Leliana's slow reply. "The General is not in the habit of sacrificing his people, let alone the caliber of mage that were present at the Conclave. That being said, I can't imagine anyone else with the motive or anything so much as approaching the power to do it."
She felt her grip tighten on the hilt of her sword. Too many unknowns, too many factors and not nearly enough drive to find answers and solutions. Three days had passed since the Divine had been killed, three days of non-stop fighting against a ceaseless demonic horde, three days in which the breach in the heavens had continued to grow, and in those three days there had been nothing but chaotic in-fighting among the Chantry and a complete withdrawal of both Mage and Templar negotiations.
Snow crunched under her booted feet as she moved to view the increasingly neglected sea of tents surrounding the Haven township, too many were leaving for battle, too few returning, empty tents stood half collapsed as the daily accumulation of snow proved too much for their hastily assembled supports.
Their world was dying, and she did not know what to do.
"The apostate." She began. "The tall elf, he speculated yesterday that the prisoner may be able to close or contain the breach. Has he said more of it?"
There was no crunch of snow or flutter of cloth as Leliana followed in her wake. "He is certain that the magic of the breach is the very same magic burned into his hand, he seems more certain as time passes that it is possible."
"I hear a 'but' in your tone." She huffed.
"Indeed." Her friend sighed in return. "The breach is growing, and it is growing at a faster rate. The prisoner's mark becomes more volatile as it does so. If he does not wake soon, the mark will kill him before we have a chance to do anything."
"Could we force him to help us even if he wakes? What was done to the Conclave…it is the work of fanatics."
"We have no choice but to try." She replied quietly. "I have methods to make one talk, but forcing action is another story entirely. Regardless, I have my agents working on acquiring any and all information on him, a surprisingly difficult task considering he is the first-born son of a lord.
The Seeker's gaze turned once more to the snow-covered camp. "And in the meantime? Our soldiers are at their limits. The Valo-Kas were all but destroyed in the Conclave, the remaining Templars and Mages are as likely to fight each-other as the demons, and the rest of the solders are not trained for this type of battle. It is all we can do to hold the road to the great bridge."
"Guerilla tactics are not effective; my agents cannot infiltrate or sabotage our enemy. Even darkspawn were not so frustrating." Leliana said.
She quirked a brow at her light-footed friend. "A sentiment I doubt you would have ever thought was possible during the blight."
The slight smile returned to the woman's face. "At that point I considered precious little outside of our rag tag group of heroes…I wish very much that Suranna was here, or even Morrigan. The power those two could bring to bear was awe inspiring.
The Seeker scoffed. "While I agree they would help immensely, I think I have had my fill of powerful magic." She sighed. "On that note, what news is there of the rebellion?"
Leliana face hardened. "Resumed in earnest. The Templars used the Conclave negotiations to maneuver several cohorts into the hinterlands, attempting to surround the civilian mages at Redcliffe."
Her mind whirled at the information, over a thousand Templars closing in on a major Ferelden city would be disastrous. "If they can cut off the Redcliffe township then they could force a surrender very shortly. But the Ferelden lords would be incensed."
"Indeed." Leliana hummed. "Arl Teagan is furious, enough that he attempted to divert the relief force Alistair had sent to us. But the Mages have not been idle either, their forces are striking the Templars wherever they go."
"The Hinterlands are largely open, surely the templars hold the advantage there?" She pointed out.
"Perhaps in theory." Leliana conceded. "But in reality, the general himself is in play. And I'm sure I don't need to explain how ill that bodes for everyone."
"Indeed not." She replied tightly.
She definitely did not need to be told how much danger the enigmatic military mastermind behind the rebellion posed. Responsible for every victory and horror in the war thus far, he had taken a scholarly group of refugees with nary an idea as to surviving outside a Mages Circle and forged them into a army that has torn the invulnerable image of the Chantry asunder.
"And we know this for certain?" The Seeker asked.
"Arl Teagan himself sent word; he is sympathetic to the Mages, but he does not want the Hinterlands to become the next Wailing Plains."
She felt her teeth grind at the name. A dozen seekers had accompanied the four thousand strong army of Orlesian and Templar forces to what would become the most horrifying defeat the Chantry had ever suffered, what should have been a quick surrender to a vastly superior force too quickly became a massacre that history would not soon forget.
"The heavens seem set to fall on us, demons are tearing their way through the veil and we are too busy fighting ourselves to prevent it." The gnawing sense of despair she had shoved away for the passed three days threatened to break free.
"Cassandra." Came her friends soothing Orlesian tilt. "We will find a way through this. I know it."
She did not understand how her friend could have such confidence, but the steel look in those storm blue eyes was a soothing balm to her fraying will.
The breach crackled ominously overhead.
"How was your rest?" Her friend prompted.
"Poor." She admitted. "In light of the circumstances, more than I thought I'd get. But it may be a long while yet before I sleep a night through."
"You had been fighting for nearly two straight days, you need to take some care my friend." Leliana said firmly, reaching up to brush a finger below her eye. "Kohl shadow is supposed to help protect from the sun, not to hide the bags under your eyes."
She weakly slapped the intruding hand away. "I am the right hand of the divine, the sword and shield of the Chantry, we cannot afford that I appear weak at this time. And don't think I do not notice your own."
The comment brought a slight smile to her friend's face. "Ah, but I am the Divine's left hand. I'm not supposed to be seen at all."
She allowed herself a brief moment to bask in the near normalcy of their conversation before her gaze shot back to the road leading towards where the Temple once stood.
"Has anything noteworthy happened while I slept? Knight Rylen was supposed to bring word once I woke but I am told he left with the remaining Templars to reinforce Cullen?"
"Yes, Cullen is the only one worse than you when it comes to caring for himself." Leliana frowned. "Nothing of particular note has occurred, Varric took a scout party to investigate a new rift close to the main Temple road, Solas left not an hour ago to provide assistance."
"The mage left?" Cassandra questioned, frown returning to her face. "And what of the prisoner then? We need him alive."
"Solas has done all he can to contain the prisoner's mark, he claims that any further tampering would just aggravate the mark now. I asked him to find Varric, we need to know if there are more rifts along the road."
"And if he simply leaves?" She demanded.
"What is the alternative, that we force him to stay?" Leliana challenged. "You and I both know he is far stronger than he allows himself to appear, we'd need Templars to stop him and that would risk our remaining mage allies we desperately need for the healing tents."
She was right, Cassandra knew it, she was allowing her frustration to take ahold of her mind. She would die before she abandoned her duty, but she needed to remember that few shared her dedication.
"You're right. I'll set out to find them briefly, but first I have some miracles to pray for." She said Wirily, turning towards the Chantry.
"I have prayed much in the last months." Leliana said as she followed. "I know that all happens in the Maker's own time, but I can't help but wish that his timing and mine would align a little more often."
A mirthless chuckle bubbled out of her mouth without permission at her friend's words. If that wasn't the one common sentiment of all believers, then she doubted one existed at all.
Any reply she may have made was cut off as the doors of the chantry flew open to release a huffing soldier, his helmet sat crooked as his eyes searched the courtyard before falling on the two women.
"Madam Seeker, Lady Nightingale." He said between harsh breaths. "The prisoner has awoken!"
The Right Hand of the Divine turned to face the Left, feeling her countenance darken as the full weight of her duty settled in.
"Ask and ye shall receive, Leliana. Our time has come."
A/N
And there we go, a taste of what is soon to come. Hope you enjoyed it!
I look forward to expanding on the rebellion, the Templar order and the far reaching plans of the Elder One.