Nethra woke up, her hand throbbing as she attempted to sit up, despite the fetters on her wrists making it a little more difficult than normal. She looked around. The room she was being held in was entirely made of large stone bricks, decorated humbly with minimal chantry symbols here and there. Heavy doors in front of her opened to reveal two women; one bearing the sigil of the Seekers of Truth, and the other hooded and armoured.
"The Divine is dead, and it's all because of you! What do you have to say for yourself?" The Seeker yelled in a Nevarran accent.
"I…what?" Nethra whispered, confused as anyone could be if they happened to wake up in a strange place, shackled and interrogated.
"You heard me. What did you do?" The Seeker pulled out her sword, pointing it at the small, freckled elf.
"Cassandra, we need her!" The hooded woman pushed her partner back in an attempt to calm her. "Please, if you know anything about what happened to the Divine, you must let us know." Her voice had a strange accent. It was something of a mix between Fereldan and Orlesian.
"I'm sorry but I really don't remember. First, I was invited to the Conclave with my Enchanter, and the next thing I knew, I woke up here."
"You're lying." The woman called Cassandra said, eyes squinting. "The sky is torn, and that mark on your hand must mean that it has something to do with you!"
Nethra glanced at the green glow coming from her left hand. "The sky is torn? What do you mean?"
The yelling woman sighed, turning to her friend for help.
"Perhaps it is better if we show you." The hooded woman stepped forward, pulling Nethra's shackles up, coercing her to follow.
As the doors opened and they led her outside, Nethra looked up and gasped. The sky was glowing a bright green, and a large funnel formed at a higher point of the mountain, large rocks floating around it like some sort of magnetic field.
"This happened shortly after the Conclave. No one knows why." Cassandra spoke from behind her.
"We must inform Solas that the prisoner has awoken," the hooded woman spoke to what Nethra assumed to be one of her agents, "He will know what to do."
"At once, my lady." The scout said as the two jogged off into the mountains.
"We must go into the mountains to find Solas and the soldiers. If there is a possibility that your mark could help with the Breach, we must try." Cassandra unlocked Nethra's shackles and began to lead the elf through the gates of Haven and up through a path. The two were halfway across a stone bridge when comets of green light shot out of the sky and landed on the bridge, causing it to explode and crumble. Nethra and Cassandra tumbled onto the frozen river underneath.
"Watch yourself!" Cassandra shouted as a demon began to spawn from the comet's shrapnel. The Seeker pulled out her sword and began cutting the creature down.
Another demon began to form in front of Nethra. She looked to Cassandra for help, but the woman was distracted by the first demon. The elf glanced to her side, spotting a cheap staff in the rubble. She firmly grasped it and began shooting electricity at the monster. It screamed, collapsing into a pile of goo. Cassandra stared at her with a frown.
"Put your weapon down." She said slowly.
"But the demon was attacking me!"
"You don't need to fight."
"Are you telling me it won't happen again?"
The Seeker sighed in defeat. They continued through the mountain pass, battling more fade monsters on the way. Finally, they came to the rubbled remanence of a building. Several people were fighting off demons while a green tear in the Veil floated over their heads.
A voice shouted out as the freckled elf-mage defeated the last demon, "quickly, before more come through!" someone grabbed her hand and pointed it towards the green hole. A beam of light shot out of her hand, attacking the gap in the sky. Her wrist was then pulled away, causing the green light to collapse on itself and disappear. It was then that she turned to the hand-grabber.
There stood a bald elf. He bore no vallaslin. She could only assume he was a city elf of some kind.
"How did you do that?" Nethra whispered, glancing between her hand and the bald elf.
"I did nothing. The credit is yours." He spoke.
"The mark did this?"
"Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake – and it seems I was correct." He smiled.
"Meaning it could also close the Breach itself." Cassandra walked toward them.
"Possibly," He nodded to the Seeker, then turned his head back to the brunette elf, "it seems you hold the key to our salvation."
"Good to know! Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever." A familiar voice sounded from behind Nethra. She turned around.
"Varric! It's so wonderful to see you! If you're alive, then that means Hawke-"
"Glad to see you survived Kirkwall too, Jailbird! But now isn't quite the time for catching up," He smirked to the elf. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"Jailbird?" Cassandra's eyes narrowed, "I would question you now, Varric, but…We must go to meet Leliana."
"What a great idea!" Varric smirked.
"Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated, Varric, but…"
"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me."
"Ugh." Cassandra huffed, trodding off to lead the way.
"My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live." The bald elf smiled.
"What he really means is, 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept'" Varric chimed in.
"Do you study magic like this?" Nethra asked, wide-eyed.
"I study the Fade, mostly. But I am well-versed in what there is to know about the connection between the Fade and this world." He nodded, "Cassandra, you should know: the magic involved here is unlike any I have seen. Your prisoner may be a mage, however I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power."
"Understood," Cassandra nodded intently, "we must get to the forward camp quickly."
The two marched forward. Nethra hesitated for a moment before following them.
"Well, Bianca's excited!" Varric chirped.
"So…are you innocent, Jailbird? This isn't the first time you've been sought after, after all." Varric the dwarf chuckled as he, Nethra, Cassandra, and Solas climbed the mountain path toward the forward camp.
"I don't remember what happened."
"That'll get you every time. Should've spun a story!"
"That's what you would have done." Cassandra spoke, irritation peaking in her tone.
"It's more believable - and less prone to result in premature execution."
They cut through demons along the way. Nethra thought they may never find the camp. They eventually came across several soldiers fighting off demons that were spawning from another rift. Behind them stood a locked gate. The group quickly executed the demons and Nethra sealed the rift.
"You are becoming quite proficient at this." Solas smiled at Nethra. She smiled back. She couldn't help but get the feeling that she knew him from somewhere, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"The rift is closed! Open the gates!" Cassandra shouted. Soon enough, the doors were opened.
The group trodded up to the hooded woman from earlier arguing with a man of the chantry.
Leliana, Nethra had heard them call her.
"You made it," Leliana looked up, "Chancellor Roderick, this is-"
"I know who she is." The old man held a stern expression. "As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution."
"'Order me'? You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!" Cassandra retaliated.
"And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!"
"We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know." Leliana stepped in.
"Justinia is dead!" He yelled, "We must elect a replacement, and obey her orders on the matter!" He then turned toward the freckled elf, who jumped at his angry stare. "You shouldn't even be here! Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position is hopeless."
"Why did I have to get yelled at?" Nethra whispered while Varric chuckled behind her.
"We can stop this before it's too late." Cassandra stated.
"How? You won't survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers."
"We must get there! It's the quickest route."
"It's not the only route. We can take the mountain path. It's faster in the long run." Leliana chimed in.
"We lost a whole squadron up there." Cassandra argued, "What do you think we should do?" She turned to Nethra.
"M-Me? Why are you asking a prisoner about her opinions?"
"You're the one with the mark. If you feel safer using one route, I will see it done."
"The mountain path, then. If we can get to the temple quicker that way, then we should do it."
Cassandra and Leliana both nodded.
"Leliana, bring everyone left in the valley. Everyone."
Leliana nodded, running back down the path toward Haven.
As the group of four climbed through an old mining path, they came across a group of demons. They defeated them rather quickly, eager to get to the Temple of Sacred Ashes.
"You know, I'm kind of glad you didn't choose to go with the soldiers." Varric pondered while following Nethra.
"Oh? Why is that, Varric?"
"Well, you might not be too fond of their leader." He chuckled.
What's that supposed to mean? Nethra frowned. The dwarf knew something she didn't, and that didn't make her very comfortable.
thanks for reading! Sorry I haven't updated in a while - the holidays were brutal for me lol. Let me know what you'd like to see, or tell me what you wan to see more of! I appreciate reviews!