Chapter 1. Dalish?
When I arrived in Kirkwall I figured I could just nip off to Sundermount, kill a few bandits or undead via fireball and make good friends with the Dalish. What I'd failed to realise is that to get to Sundermount I had to pass through Kirkwall!
That was something they'd failed to mention in the game, I mean I'd just assumed I could get to the city walk around the outside and get to the mountain area pretty quickly (well hours walk anyhow). First I'd have to enter the gallows, luckily for me the Magic Knights were about as oblivious of me as they are of Hawke whenever he/she uses Magic to kill people in broad daylight outside where the Kirkwall Circle is kept.
Still the guards weren't keen to let anyone into the city without money, I considered handing over my gold but then I got a more practical idea. I used two burst-fireballs combined with two lighter fire-torrents and pushed myself up. I have to say I was expecting to fly up and over the wall with little problem, I was not expecting to fly a little over 4 meters in the air before the spells ended and I plummeted painfully back to earth (well stone).
Still I feel vindicated that after a dozen or so tries I could successfully hover at a 3 meter standstill, even if I couldn't get any higher. I had stopped to rest and replenish my mana when I was interrupted from my efforts by an amused sounding cough.
"errchem." Followed by a tap on my shoulders with one metal plated finger. I have to admit I winced; I had got a bit distracted in my experimenting and forgotten that there were Magic Knight patrols circling, some of which might be more competent than the majority of Kirkwall's occupants. Turning my suspicions were confirmed by the amused collection of Magic Knights standing right behind me.
"You know in all my years as a Templar, I have never seen an Apostate trying to break their way into the Gallows." A chuckle followed his statement, "Did you think we wouldn't notice when we found we had an extra mage one day?" I was a little miffed at that but then I had a brilliant idea.
"Er.. kinda?"
Okay so the idea seemed brilliant at the time, the Magic Knight seemed to be impressed though – well that or he thought the situation was hilarious – he beckoned his surrounding comrades to move and gestured to me to follow them. Hey if the idiots want to escort me safely inside Kirkwall who am I to oppose them, besides I can always escape later. Escaping from Ferelden's Circle wasn't too difficult, and I didn't have a chance to knick very much maybe I'll have a better chance here?
The Gallows was pretty depressing, so I decided to paint it pink and yellow before I escape. The Dalish can wait for a few more weeks anyway, still I was introduced to Meredith who went on about how good it was too see an Apostate turning herself in because she realised the danger she was in. I spent the entire meeting looking at her with star-struck eyes with my hands clasped together and sitting forward on the seat that had been provided.
I think 'Operation: Pretend to Have a Crush on Meredith' was working because the Knight Commander was blushing a great deal by the end of her speech that had been getting more and more heated as it progressed. When it was time for me to leave and head to my new quarters, and the Magic Knight who'd brought me in hear asked if I had any questions I hesitated cocking my head to one side in a puzzled expression, secretly waiting until Meredith was picking up a cup of water, before asking "Are you single?"
Exactly as I predicted the water went the wrong way and she was thrust into a coughing fit, I was hurriedly exited from the office by a now rather nervous Magic Knight and escorted to the Gallows commons to be introduced as a new mage, of the Kirkwall Circle.
I was greeted with much more enthusiasm than I expected, I suppose it was because they'd heard of me trying to break into the Gallows already, the grapevine had probably distorted the facts a tad and my real purpose of testing my ability in flight hadn't been known obviously but the general gist had gotten through. I was asked my name and I figured that rather than giving Sol's name I should stick to my own, then I realised that giving her name would cause even more chaos so I gave that instead.
Apparently the Amell's weren't remembered all that well as a noble family but Gamlen's ways were, thus prompting a few queries as to my parentage. Obviously some thought that Gamlen had been hiding me and using me in his various money making ventures. Still after the shock of a new Mage (adult sized) had worn off the queries about the outside world came and the Magic Knights conveniently appeared to break up the conglomeration of attendees.
Still I was escorted to my room – a single cell - filled with a quadruple of beds, my roommates were all chatty at first but when the bell for lights out sounded they started getting quieter, then whimpering and silent sobbing started. One of them whispered to me, "..don't resist, it'll hurt more." Well that sounded a mite discomforting, I'd heard the rumours while playing the game and it was implied that the Magic Knights took liberties with the Mages under their care but I hadn't ever thought I'd be on the receiving end of it.
The jokes I'd made about Ser Rylock and the implications I'd shown my new Knight Commander suddenly seemed a little more worrying and a little more serious than simple pranks. What if the Magic Knights on patrol tonight didn't think it was a joke, what if they thought I was 'open-for-business' if you'll excuse the vernacular.
Sighs of relief came from my rooms companions as the sound of the gate door next to our cell opened and the sobbing from there intensified. Well I don't mind telling you I'd had enough, I got up and with one stone-fist spell opened a hole in the wall. I was just in time to see a group of Magic Knights holding down one of the mages while the others cowered in the corner of the cell. I don't think I have any real reason to go into greater detail as my disgust (and I'm sure yours too) took hold but let's just say when I was done and had to escape the Gallows a little earlier than was planned, I was not only exhausted but the Magic Knight population had been reduced by ¾ of its original size.
This didn't seem so fun anymore, when I wanted to fix the issues of this world I forgot that all actions have consequences so felt by me and some by others. Dream or no I felt I needed to make a differences, just siding with the mages was a recipe for disaster, it would just bring the Tevinter Imperium one step closer to Thedas domination. Siding with the Magic Knights would allow the practises of depravity that had been escalating since the founding of the Chantry to continue.
I was stuck between a fireball and a sword.
What I needed was to relax for a bit, so I went out and killed some Coterie thugs, that got me some coins which I went to a supplier in Lowtown and traded my bronze pieces into silver and then silver into gold. In the game once you get a certain amount of silver pieces they magically turn into a Sovereign so you don't have to carry around an increasing number of little coins, for me I had to go and get them traded, apparently there is also a 20% interest rate on trading though by making my eyes glow red and growling I ended up with a 2% interest rate, which I was a lot happier about.
Still I wasn't exactly a rich man – or woman considering who's body I was in – so I needed a little more coin before heading off, just because I was planning to get an in with the Dalish didn't mean I wanted to live somewhere with no toiletries. Anders clinic was currently the main base of operations for the slavers that Gamlen was going to sell off his estate to, so sadly I couldn't just kill them all, didn't stop me setting a few on fire lightly though as I robbed the lot.
My next stop was the mage underground by the docks; I needed to get some Intel on what my less than favourable activities towards the Magic Knights had caused. Apparently I was recognised immediately and welcomed with open arms. I wasn't sure what I had done to deserve this until level of praise until I was brought into a room below and was greeted with what looked like the entire congregation of the Kirkwall Circle, apparently I had killed a lot more Magic Knights than I thought (I had been chucking Burst-Area Fireballs about like they were candy).
I had also blown quite a lot of holes in the wall and thus had been instrumental in the greatest mage escape in Kirkwall's history.
Oops.
Still the few remaining Magic Knights had been the ones off duty that weren't allowed on Night Duty because their morals might lead them to intervene if they caught one of their fellows teaching one of the freaks a lesson so there were at least 30 ish remaining protectors for the 1 remaining mage (not including those with their souls ripped out [Tranquil]). The First Enchanter Orinso had stayed because no one had trusted him enough to tell him that they were breaking out.
Hopefully my actions wouldn't cause a great deal of change in the plot as it would make things harder to predict as the years progressed (provided I was still alive to enjoy my endeavours). The tranquil still around had apparently been assigned to the quarters of the mages that escaped and The First Enchanter of Kirkwall was making sure to move them around constantly (with head-coverings off course) to try and make it look like there were still lots of mages in the Gallows.
Good luck to another incompetent blood mage I say, which on that subject should I try and off the blood mage that was helping 'O' with his research? Oh well other than White lilies I couldn't remember his exact location other than it was under dark-town somewhere, I could leave that till later. After a few more thanks and praises I manage to slip away from the huddle of congratulatory remarks and celebrations to go and acquire a residence for my stay in Kirkwall.
House shopping was a lot easier than I imagined it would be. For starters there was a lot of space available, apparently all that talk about how full the city is and how little space is available is mostly bullshit as other than the barracks for Templars and Guards (separate from each other of course) the majority of space in Hightown is devoted to people whom are either running gangs or visiting once a year.
I picked out the house right next to the current Slavers mansion (Amell Estate), I could have picked somewhere less strategically sensitive but I wanted this location for three reasons; firstly it would keep the slavers toned down in their activities, secondly it would let me develop a separate relationship with Hawke's group and give Merrill a place to frolic (my garden was huge - I hated the greenery personally, but needs must) and finally if Hawke wasn't a mage then Bethany had a good chance of surviving and thus eventually being forced to the circle.
Well unless hearing the disturbance I came to investigate and out of habit accidentally slaughtered all Magic Knights involved.
Another distraction presented itself after I moved in. My new home was satisfactory enough but I had no readily available food supplies and unlike playing Skyrim 5 it wasn't as easier shopping for groceries and carrying them back up. Apparently the magical technology that lets anyone hold many items in their backpacks did not work on carrying food? Don't know why nor do I care but it was implied that I would need servants to fetch things for me and cook my meals.
Now I like cooking but I've never had to use an age old antique stove before (to me it was an antique to them state-of-the-art) so I had to plan another excursion tracking down a source of gold to pay for my servants to make me food; it didn't take long as I had annoyed a lot of criminal elements in the city (faster than Garrus from ME2), so I was soon counting out my coins after extracting them from the many corpses surrounding me.
I found a selection of female elves in the alienage looking for work (managed to hire Athenril interestingly enough) and while a lot of them looked nervous about the expressively female selection I think they were happy for both work and the lack implied human male attentions, upon arriving at my new estate.
My servants had finished cooking a meal for me by the time I had finished writing up my most recent notes in my Journal, now some of you might be thinking; what happens if someone from the Dragon Age verse discovers my Journal and reads it? Well firstly the most obvious reaction would be thinking I'm some kind of prophet, the second most likely that I'm a Demon manipulating everything to suit my desires (pretty close to the truth) or three (most unlikely) a pre-industrial scientifically based community realising that I'm from another dimension. However all this is mute considering I've been writing this in German, yeah I bet your're amazed you didn't know you were all so good at reading German, it's amazing isn't it?
Still I was just about to enjoy my lovely meal when I realised something rather bad, I hadn't eaten or drunk anything since I got here.
Oh Bugger, I forgot all I'd been doing was to drink Health Poultices or use blood magic to suck up the life energy of my attackers when they got too close to damaging my host. Damn my faulty memory, which had nothing to do with me possessing a body not-my-own but more my deficient genetic template. Which now meant I'd have to either risk consuming the food prepared for me or send all my servants away at meal times and dispose of the food secretly, which I have to day seemed a real waste to me.
Wait Avernus the blood mage from Dragon Age Origins (Wardens Peak) had still been able to consume supplies and sustenance after the Peak had been reclaimed, he'd even joined the Merchants for meals occasionally. This means that unless he was lying and just used blood magic to control them I should be able to do the same. Hesitantly I picked up a fork and bit into the nearest carrot, it seemed perfectly fine. With more enthusiasm I consumed my plate slowly and then nodded appreciatively to my new servants whom several of seemed to sigh with relief.
Well anyhow let's just say by the time I got to Sundermount I was a tad irritated from all the distractions, thus when I climbed the friggin mountain, killed all the bandits and undead in sight I happily awaited the arrival of the Dalish. I waited for an hour before I got bored and stomped over to their camps main location to find… nothing. Apparently the reason that Hawke had to wait a year before bringing the Horcrux… er I mean amulet to the Dalish is that they (the bloody elves) hadn't actually arrived yet.
If I'd known that I'd have spent my time in Franc – er.. I mean Orlais, where Orlesians live, not French people, perish the thought. I could have helped the blood mage plot succeed in assassinating the Grand Divine. Not waste a few months of my time on a pointless time consuming endeavour! AHHH! This plotting thing is so much harder than it looks in fiction.
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