Another chapter for the story. Thank you to all those who have liked this story and i hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Spells and Spirit abilities are in Bold.


Chapter 4

"There it is….Kinloch Hold, and the Circle of Magi."

"Interesting. You keep your mages in a prison, ours is not so grand." Sten stated.

"Where do you keep your mages then?" Aedan asked.

Sten simply grunted and crossed his arms "We bind them on leashes and sow their mouths shut. You humans are always trying to overcompensate"

"How very fitting that they would build a tower in the middle of a lake in the middle of nowhere and look like a giant phallus." Morrigan stated quit scathingly towards the tower.

"I remember reading that the tower was built by the Avvar with the help of the dwarves before the Tevinter Imperium drove the Avvar out." Harry stated looking at the tower in wonder.

"So this is where your mages are kept. Are all your building so large?" Luna asked. Harry chuckled and shakes his head.

"No Luna dear, not all the buildings are so large." He answered.

Arriving at Lake Calanhad in the early afternoon, the group had quickly asked the dock master for a boat to the Circle Tower, only to be told that he could not do so due to the Knight-Commander locking down the Circle for unknown reasons and that the only way across was to convince the Templar, Carol, to allow them to cross. Walking toward said Templar, Aedan stood in front of the Templar and asked him to let them pass.

"Hold there stranger, I am told to keep everyone out of the Circle Tower." Carol stated.

"Please, I am a Grey Warden and I seek the assistance of the Circle of Magi for the Blight." Aedan stated. Carol simply looked at Aedan and crossed his arms.

"Right, and I'm the Empress of Orlais, get out of here." Carol stated.

"Let me try Aedan, maybe I can reason with him." Harry stated moving passed Aedan to stand in front of Carol. "Look there. A monster in the lake!" he cried in fake alarm.

Carol turned around only to fall into the lake himself, luckily the water was shallow enough that he didn't drown. All the while everyone except Sten who simply nodded, was laughing at the poor Templars misfortune. "Oh look there it is. Come on everyone in to the boat, and Alistair, that could have been you if you didn't become a Grey Warden" Harry stated.

Soon after reaching the other side, Aedan and the others opened the front doors only to see a dozen Templars standing in front of a barricaded door. They could see off to the side, injured Templars on bedrolls and hear some of them reciting the Chant of Light. In the middle of the chaos was Knight-Commander Gregoir, who was organizing the other Templars, walking towards him and telling of their situation and their need for mages to help with the Blight. Sadly, they could not have them due to the Circle falling to abominations and demons alike.

"This is precisely why we keep our mages on leashes and their mouths sowed." Sten said, to which Gregoir nodded in agreement.

"Your friend is correct. Maker knows the Qunari would not have problems with demons and abominations." Gregoir said with a sigh. "I've called for the Right of Annulment and have sent word to Denerim calling for reinforcements."

At this Harry seemed too exploded into fury. "YOU'VE WHAT! To call upon the Right of Annulment means you're going to kill every single mage in sight, down to the last child."

Nodding at his explanation Gregoir continued on. "I do not know how you would know such a thing but yes that is correct. If you truly wish for the mages help, then I'm sorry but you won't receive any. The Circle has fallen, there is nothing that can be done."

"You mean not willing to do so" Harry snarled.

"There is nothing that can be done. The Circle has fallen and as Knight Commander I have a duty to do." Gregoir argued back.

"YOUR duty is to keep safe the Mages and that means defending them should they be attacked, whether from ordinary folks or from demons. You have failed in your duty Knight Commander and the blame lies solely at your feet." Harry shot back, eyes narrowing.

"And who are you to speak to me like that, boy." Gregoir sneered.

"Someone who has seen what happens when Templars are given free reign to slaughter innocents." Harry answered.

Realisation soon dawned on the Knight Commander and he widened his eyes. "Your a Mage aren't you. And since I do not know your face, you must be an apostate." he stated.

"I am more than an apostate Knight Commander. I am a man who will do what is right, whether you like it or not." Harry said. Knowing that the argument could escalate to Harry having to fight the Templars, Aedan quickly steeped in.

"Surely there is something that can be done." Aedan asked. Gregoir continued to stare at Harry before turning to Aedan, sighing he nodded.

"Not unless you help us rid the demons and abominations from the Tower and bring me back First Enchanter Irving alive. Him being alive will convince me that the Circle is safe and order has been restored."

Nodding at the suggestion, Aedan had Sten, Alistair, Dane and Morrigan stay and help the Templars in case they fail, while himself, Leliana, Harry and Luna would fight their way up. Barricading the doors behind them, Aedan and the others headed down the corridor until the came across a room full of children and teenage mages alike with an old woman finishing off a Rage Demon with a Winters Breath. Turning around to face the group, Aedan immediately recognized the old mage as Wynne, the woman who he had met prior to the Battle at Ostagar.

"Wynne you're alive, thank goodness" Aedan exclaimed.

Wynne simply smiled. "You, you're the young man I met at Ostagar. Might I ask what brought you to the Circle Tower?" she asked.

"We need help with the Blight, now that we have no army to combat against them. These treaties here says that we can count on your assistance whenever a Blight is concerned." Aedan explained. "We also came to save the mages and that Gregoir would call off for the Right of Annulment if we bring First Enchanter Irving to him alive."

"So Gregoir has sent for has he. He believes that we are beyond saving and that we are all dead." Wynne said. "They abandoned us to our fate. Yet even in our abandonment, we have endured, but if they have indeed invoke the Right, then we will not survive."

"What happened here Wynne? Why are there Abominations and Demons everywhere?" Aedan asked.

"Uldred is what happened." Wynne answered. "After he had returned from Ostagar, Uldred had called a meeting declaring that if the Circle was to have any autonomy that we would have to side with Loghain and help him in his war."

Shaking her head Wynne continued. "He nearly succeeded, had I and a few others not spoken of Loghain's treachery at Ostagar. Naturally Uldred tried to convince the rest of Loghain's actions but they would have not of it. Not liking this he started to summon demons, and before we knew it, we were over run and so had to flee."

"I will not have the Circle, the place I have called home for years, be destroyed by a man's pride and utter stupidity." Wynne declared

"That is why we are we're here, to make sure that doesn't happen." Harry said. "Now if we are done talking, I suggest that we continue up the Tower if we are to have any chance of saving the First Enchanter before the Templars get impatient." Wynne nodded at the statement and led the three of them to the entrance where a light blue magical barrier marked the entrance to the library.

"I can't believe I held the barrier for this long, what with my age and all that." Wynne stated before dispelling said barrier.

Going through the archway and into the library, they were immediately attacked by a few Abominations and Rage Demons. Striking them down with ease the group continued to make their way through the library until they came across a flight of stairs. Climbing up the stair the group entered a large storeroom with two doors on either sides of the room, one of which was barricaded and at the opposite side of the room stood another mage, only he didn't seem to be afraid at all rather he seemed to be absolutely calm, serene almost. Walking up to him, Wynne recognized the mage to be Owain, a Tranquil, he had a balding head and wore the customary mage outfit but the most distinct feature upon him was his blank expressionless eyes, and the seal of the Chantry Sunburst branded on his forehead marking him to show others that he was Tranquil.

"Please refrain from entering the storage room. It's in a mess and I have yet to finish cleaning it up." The Tranquil said in a monotone voice.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Aedan asked him.

"I am called Owain and I manage the Circle's magical storage room. I was trying to tidy up but there was little I could do." Owain answered.

"Well why are you still here? Didn't you try to leave?" Aedan asked.

"I tried to leave when things had quieted down, but then I came across the barrier the barrier and could not find a way through. As for why I am still here, it is because the storage room is familiar to me and my responsibility." Owain answered.

"Owain you should have said something, I would have opened the door for you." Wynne said.

"And you didn't come across any Demons or Abominations at all?" Aedan asked bewildered, not believing that the Tranquil could move through the Circle without encountering any Demons or Abominations.

"No, I did not. I suppose I should count myself lucky then." Owain answered "I would prefer not to die, I would prefer it if the Tower returned to the way it was. Maybe Niall will succeed and saves us all."

"What is this Niall trying to do?" Harry asked.

"I do not know. All I know is that he and several others came and took the Litany of Adralla." Owain answered, which surprised both Wynne and Harry.

"But that protects against mind domination. Could blood magic be involved?" Wynne asked

"Not exactly, mind dominations does not have to come from blood magic specifically, there are other ways that it can be done. Such as spells, potions and even hypnotism are some others." Harry countered, to which got him a curios look by Wynne and a nod from Aedan.

"Well we're going to have to find Niall and help put an end to Uldred's coup. The Litany will give us a fighting chance" Wynne said.

So Aedan and the others continued through the only other door and came into contact with three other mages, seeing the newcomers the group attacked them. Thinking quickly, Harry used a Holy Smite on them, throwing the mages back and killing two of them. Looking up in fear at the group the last mage, a woman, whimpered.

"Please don't kill me, we were only trying gain our freedom." She pleaded. Wynne was visibly upset and it showed at what she said.

"While a commendable goal. It does not excuse what you have done to this place, nor the fact that you had to use Blood Magic to do so."

"You know that's not true Wynne, any cause worth fighting for requires bloodshed." The woman argued back. "But this…this is not what I had fought for. Blood Magic, Demons, Abominations….no, not like this."

Thinking on what to do with the woman, Aedan turned to the others for their opinion. "What do you think we should do with her?"

"On one hand she seems awfully sorry for what she did, but on the other she used Blood Magic to do it." Harry said "If there is one thing I hate, it is the use of Blood Magic to justify a cause. Turn her over to the Templars is what I say." He concluded.

"I agree with Harry, while she seems to be sorry, the woman has used something The Maker and The Chantry has deemed forbidden." Leliana agreed. Wynne and Luna simply nodded at the idea.

"Very well, you are to go downstairs and wait there with the other mages. Once this crisis is settled, you are to turn yourself over to the Templars." Aedan stated to which the woman nodded solemnly and left.

With the verdict cast, Aedan and the others continued onward through the hallways killing any Abominations and demons they came across. Until they came into a large office with a writing desk at the end of the room, two bookshelves at either side of the room with a chest against the wall near the desk.

"This is Irving's office. I had hoped to find him here, but alas he isn't. If he isn't here then he could be upstairs in the Harrowing Chamber at the top of the tower." Wynne said.

While Wynne was speaking, Aedan had opened the chest and found a leather bound book with a tree on the cover. Morrigan had told Aedan of how the once belonged to Flemeth, but had been stolen many years prior. She hoped that Aedan could find and retrieve the book. Taking the book and keeping it in his bag, Aedan closed the chest and told the group to move up the nearby stairs. Walking up the stairs and into another hallway finding more Demons and Abominations, killing them quickly the group fought their way through the hallway until they came into a chamber with a Sloth Demon in it. Near the Demon was the dead body of Niall, holding the Litany of Adralla in his hand. Seeing that it had more guests the Sloth Demon cast a Sleeping Spell to knock them out and sent their conscious mnd in his realm of the Fade.


Longest Chapter so far, hope you enjoyed it. Leave a comment in the review section, it would really help me to improve. Have an awesome day.