Lady Elissa,
My dear friend, it has been entirely too long since we last spoke. I hope that this letter finds you and the other Grey Wardens in good health and the ongoing reconstruction of the keep moving along smoothly.
I would like to extend an invitation to you and those of your order who plan on staying in Denerim for the upcoming Landsmeet and King Alistair's wedding. I understand that neither the Grey Warden compound nor the Amaranthine estates in Denerim have been restored yet, understandably so since you have been tirelessly working on rebuilding Amaranthine City and Vigil's Keep. Rather than have you spend weeks in an inn, I would be honored if you and your men would consider staying as my guests at the Redcliffe estate. I have ample space, as you are well aware, and it would truly be my pleasure to offer it to you and yours.
I plan on arriving at the estate about a month before the wedding in order to be prepared for the numerous meetings and social gatherings that this momentous occasion calls for, so please feel free to join me there at your leisure. I look forward to your response and pray that you will accept my humble offer.
Sincerely,
Teagan
-0-0-0-
Hello, love.
It seems that I will be delayed in Amaranthine. Nothing is wrong – you have no need to worry. I have chosen to aid Constable Aidan in his investigation of the attack on Delilah and her family, and as these things often do, the investigation is taking a little longer than expected. I will be delayed only by an extra day or two, but I knew you would want to know of my change in schedule.
Please tell Delilah that I have been able to pack all of the things that she wanted the most. Our good friend, Ser Wolfe, has agreed to pack the rest and send them to the keep over the next week or so. I will bring the most important items when I return.
Oghren and Anders are up to their usual idiocy as I write this. Oghren has promised to teach Anders some dwarven drinking songs. Apparently, in order to learn the songs one must first become falling-down drunk. Or perhaps that is the only state in which Oghren will remember the songs. Either way, I am reminded of why I prefer quiet evenings with you. Enjoying good conversation and a bottle of wine with a beautiful woman is infinitely preferable to being subjected to this inane caterwauling.
I will be home in a few days, love, and when I arrive I plan to demonstrate how much I have missed your company. See you soon.
-N.
-0-0-0-
To the Warden-Commander of Ferelden, Warden Elissa:
I have received your report on your encounter with the darkspawn known as the Architect. While I understand that it was a difficult decision to make, I question the wisdom of your decision to allow such a creature to go free. While the Architect shows some measure of intelligence and states that its goals are the same as ours, it is still a darkspawn and it can cause complications in the future. If you encounter this creature again, I strongly encourage you to deal with it as you would any other darkspawn. I have also begun to send out groups to the Deep Roads to attempt to intercept and neutralize this emissary.
I have also received your current roster of members, and while I understand your caution in recruiting, you must supplement your numbers at a greater rate. A handful of Wardens in an entire country is not enough should, Maker forbid, another Blight begin in Ferelden, even with your apparent and uncanny ability to escape near-impossible situations intact. I am certain that you do not need to be warned of the potential disaster should you face problems with the Architect, another Archdemon, or the child conceived at the end of the last blight. Should you face any combination of the above, given your controversial decisions on those matters, you must be well aware of the potential devastation should there be insufficient Wardens to combat the problem. To that end, I strongly encourage you to work toward having your numbers doubled, ideally tripled, in a year's time. Your popularity in your country at present and your political sway need to be leveraged in order to bolster the order as soon as possible. You have done an excellent job thus far of endearing yourself and the Grey Wardens to the population of Ferelden, which is the primary reason you were given the position of Warden-Commander, and you must take advantage of that while it lasts.
Lastly, about your personal inquiry: It has long been Grey Warden policy that should an active Warden conceive a child, that child needs to be given away when born to the non-Warden parent or, failing that, to a caretaker who will not be distracted from Grey Warden business. It is necessary to avoid taking away from the focus of fighting the darkspawn and remaining vigilant in case of darkspawn emerging on the surface. I understand that you are unable to personally conceive a child, but taking care of children while acting as the Warden-Commander would only serve to distract you from your greater duty to build your numbers and fight should the need arise. Therefore, your request to adopt a child is denied.
Maker watch over you, Warden. You have much to accomplish. I hope that you have sufficient time in which to achieve your goals before the darkspawn threaten again.
Sincerely,
Warden Gustav,
First Warden, Weisshaupt Fortress
-0-0-0-
To the Warden-Commander of Ferelden:
Thank you for informing me of Ser Eric Bryant's recruitment into the Grey Wardens. I appreciate that you made a point to directly tell me that he is a member of your order now.
I must confess, I would rather you had met with me to discuss his recruitment before allowing him to join you. I might have suggested other candidates who might have proved more suitable to your ranks, although I understand you are quite pleased with his conduct thus far. In the future, I would greatly appreciate if we communicated the appropriateness of potential candidates before you recruit them.
Regarding Ser Bryant's needs, I can not stress enough that your discretion in his medical needs is paramount. I understand that you are aware of this already, and I am quite glad that you are taking appropriate and necessary steps to ensure his continued health. Accordingly, I have allotted Ser Bryant medical supplies which the Chantry will send to you directly each month, based on the length of time since he took his oaths as a templar.
I view this arrangement as a test, Commander. While I am not pleased that I was not informed of these occurrences beforehand, I will be interested to see what comes of this partnership between our holy knights and the Grey Wardens. That you have, multiple times, had to personally defeat abominations and maleficar has been noted, so having a templar among your ranks may prove beneficial to keep Warden mages under control. Also, having a templar to combat darkspawn magic does have its merits, at least in theory. Provided you continue to pursue the Maker's work, this situation may work to both of our benefit.
I will reserve judgment on how this all works for now. I pray to the Maker that this benefits both the Chantry and the Wardens. Maker watch over you, Warden.
Sincerely,
Mother Colleen,
Grand Cleric of Ferelden
-0-0-0-
To Lady Elissa, Warden-Commander:
Greetings, my lady. I am writing you on behalf of King Alistair to inform you that he intends to hold a meeting to discuss the upcoming Landsmeet. He would like for you to attend this meeting, as your recent experiences and travels through the country can, perhaps, shed additional light on the political climate in Ferelden at the moment. Also, your continued popularity with the common folk of Ferelden and your unique position as both acting Arlessa of Amaranthine and Warden-Commander dictate that yours continues to be an important voice in Ferelden politics, and so His Majesty would like to meet with you and other important persons to prepare for the Landsmeet. He would like to avoid any unnecessary surprises.
If you would be so kind as to send word to the royal palace when you arrive in Denerim, we will set up a meeting between yourself and King Alistair, Teyrn Cousland and Arl Guerrin to work through the Landsmeet agenda. Thank you, and Maker bless you, my lady.
Sincerely,
Eamon Guerrin,
Chancellor of Ferelden
-0-0-0-
My lovely Warden,
Our friend Ser Wolfe sends his regards. I have been staying with him recently, as you know, and his business has increased incredibly of late. He has has even hired new assistants because his business has improved. Marvelous! Amaranthine is a city second only to Denerim for its opportunities, it seems. Ah, to prosperity!
Ser Wolfe is still looking to increase his influence, however. He seems to think you could use his goods at Vigil's Keep, and so has decided to send you some of his finest craftsmen to you in the hopes that you will find their work agreeable to your high standards. They are very good at their work, and Ser Wolfe hopes that you will be able to utilize their skills as you rebuild the keep. If they are as good as I think that they are, you should find that your job is considerably easier. At least, that is what I told Ser Wolfe.
Alas, my dear, I will not be able to return to you immediately - I have already promised Ser Wolfe that I will help him to try to find work opportunities in our country's capital and will be heading there shortly to evaluate his chances of success in the city. After all, if one can expand business in Denerim, one is guaranteed to be successful! I also have some merchants with whom I need to do business, and they stay in the capitol this time of year. Therefore, I will attempt to catch up with you there. At least your fellow Wardens have returned to you already from Amaranthine, so you will not be too lonely without me.
I hope to see you soon in Denerim, my lovely friend. Please make sure to bring your most flattering dresses and save some dances for me.
Ever yours,
Z.
-0-0-0-
To the Warden-Commander and Hero of Ferelden:
I wish to warn you, my lady. There are evil plans afoot. I can not say more, or who I am, for fear of discovery and retribution. My position is tenuous at best, and even as I write this I risk persecution for wanting to see the right thing done.
Please be careful, my lady, especially as you enter Denerim for the upcoming events with the other nobles. Not everyone remembers your heroism during the blight, and some would have you fall to advance themselves. To have the person who saved our country and who aided in its restoration harmed in any way makes me ill.
I pray for you, my lady. Maker watch over you.
-0-0-0-
Lady Elissa,
My dear friend, while I appreciate your concern about aligning myself with you politically, I am sure that you are aware that I do not concern myself with petty political grievances. I am far more interested in the truth. It is true that we are friends, is it not? As you have proven to be a friend to myself and my family in the past, so I will stand by you now as your friend.
My brother said, with my full agreement, that you and your people will always be welcome at any of Redcliffe's estates, and I intend for you to always, always feel welcome in my home. In fact, I insist that you stay with me while in Denerim – after all, you are the Champion of Redcliffe in addition to your many other titles and it is only right that you feel at home as I do at the estate.
Just let me know how many people you intend to bring with you and I will make all the necessary arrangements. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
Teagan