Some of my friends have not played the game of awesomeness(I know, they do live in boxes) so bare with me again as I explain the background in these beginning chapters.

The Painful Truth

For the next few days Tanin treated me and taught me about the world I was now in. He told me of the Imperium, the long ago empire that had mages ruling over its people, but now the country to the north was but a fraction of its predecessor's glory. He told me about the religion that most of the human population went by. That a being called the Maker had created Thedas long ago and turned his back on it when the Imperium had risen up. That one day he had chosen a female human as his mortal wife, and she had spread the word of his teachings across the land to take down the dangerous empire. That she had died to do so, and her victory meant the rising of the Chantry, the religious ruling body.

That brought us to the mages, whom, by the instructions of the Chantry, were placed into locations called Circles to control their population and to protect the rest of the world from them. The Fade was where the mages got their power. But the Fade is a dangerous place, filled with all kind of spirits, and hateful demons. Mages could become possessed by these demons, and if that happened became dangerous to everyone. That's why the Chantry had created the Templar Order, to protect the magi from themselves and the world.

Next was the dwarven history. They once had a grand empire deep beneath the earth, but now it was only the grand city of Orzammar that was left of it.

"I confess I know little of them or the Dalish elves that wander Thedas. But I know more about the elves living in the Alienages," he said.

"Why won't you tell me about them?" I asked suspiciously.

Tanin bit his lip. Lodan looked over to us from his stew, watching us carefully.

Tanin took a deep breath before answering, "I would not be an able teacher about the Dalish."

"But you were willing to say what little you knew about the dwarves," I narrowed my eyes. Lodan tried to look busy cooking, but I could tell that his head was tilted towards us.

"Each race deserves better than my descriptions could ever do. Even to the most imaginative student," his tone ended the conversation.

The days were also filled with my rehabilitation. I was unsteady on my feet and could barely go to the washroom, which by the way, was in the bush, without falling a few times. But I was too stubborn to let the men help me.

"Bones are the hardest to heal, but I am confident that you will have full capabilities once again," Tanin said one morning, after I had fallen over again after walking.

But true to his word, I walked for longer periods each day. Then I was running and jumping. I felt so free. That bed had become my prison.

But among all this was the harsh reality that I would never see any of my friends again, or my loving aunt and her brothers. On some of my walks I would lean on a tree and cry. The men knew, but they never said anything. I was glad for it. I needed to deal with the problem myself, and they had no idea how to relate to me. Or so I thought.

After a month, Tanin announced he was leaving.

"You will be running around the forest for hours upon hours soon Abigail. You hardly need my potions anymore."

Lodan looked like he couldn't get the mage to leave fast enough.