WARNING! there is loads of angst coming up, lots of Neria feels about her home being trashed.
"And I want two men stationed within sight of the doors at all times. Do not open the doors without my express consent. Is that clear?" the voices called down through the stones halls as they stepped into the main hall.
Templars stood around the as other were trying to barricade the doorway to the main floor of the tower closed. "Greagoir, what's going on?" Neria asked as her steps quickened to meet him.
"Neria? How did you get here? I told Carroll not to let anyone across." He fumed before he looked at her again, "Glad to see you're not dead." He added as an afterthought.
"Yeah, I missed you too big guy." She shot back sarcastically, "and poor Carroll wasn't left much choice, we here to enforce this treaty for the mages help against the Darkspawn, but I can see you're a bit busy…. What in the name of the Maker is going on?" she asked.
He sighed heavily resting his head in his hand before he began to explain. "The Circle is no longer under our control. Abominations and demons stalk the tower's halls." he bit out "First Jowan now this."
Neria swallowed heavily, not wanted to give away her friends location just yet, or that she had any knowledge of him. "What happened to Jowan?" she asked playing dumb.
"Ha, that's right you don't know what your little friends have been up to do you?" he laughed out with a harsh and ugly smirk on his face. "Well, Jowan decided he wanted to leave, runaway with the love of his life, roped your friend Dylan in to help him. When they got caught Jowan used blood magic to escape, leaving behind the other two to suffer the consequences."
"What- what happened to Dylan?" she could feel the bile lying thickly in her stomach and heat crawling down the back of her throat as she asked.
"Kept under observation." He replied evenly, "Not that it matters much now, the tower is over run, demons are hunting Templars and mages alike. When I realized we could not defeat them and told my men to flee-"
"Wait? So you just locked everyone in there!?" Neria cried out as she pointed to the door.
"I didn't have much of a choice, I had to keep the problem contained!" he shouted back his voice rising to match her own.
"There has to be something we can do to help." Kallian spoke up.
"I have sent word to Denerim, calling for reinforcements and the Right of Annulment." Greagoir dismissed.
"WHAT!?" Neria called out in horror. "You can't! There are innocent mages in there!"
"I'm sorry but what's the Right of Annulment? What does that mean?" Ruari asked.
"It means they're going to go in and massacre everyone!" Neria explained.
"This situation is dire. There is no alternative – everything in the tower must be destroyed so it can be made safe again." Greagoir tried to reason.
"We'll go in!" Neria stated, "We'll go in a clean out the tower for you."
"I assure you, an abomination is not-"
"We're killed countless Darkspawn, including ogres, and demons." Neria cut him off hotly.
"Very well," Greagoir sighed out "If you succeed, I would owe you much. I would pledge my Templars to your cause, but know this, once you cross that threshold, there is no turning back. The great doors must remain barred. I will open them for no one until I have proof that it is safe. I will only believe it is over if the first enchanter stands before me and tells me it is so. If Irving has fallen... then the Circle is lost, and must be destroyed. May Andraste lend you her courage."
"It would be better if she would lend us a sword…" Lyna muttered as they walked towards the great doors. The sound of the door closing and locking behind them echoed loudly though the tower, loud and harsh in the silence.
"O Maker…" Neria gasped.
They all followed her sight to see the bodies of mage's young and old, lying still and frozen on the stone floor, bodies framed with blood that blossomed from unseen wounds. "Clara…" Neria gasped as she sunk down on to the ground next to the first body, a young Elven woman with dark hair and vacant eyes.
"Lethallan emma abelas." Lyna whispered as she placed her hand on her shoulder.
She stood up from the ground, her eye's shinning she took a deep breath before she spoke again. "I need- I need to see-" she stammered out as she looked towards the apprentice quarters, "I need-"
Lyna nodded, not needing to hear any explanation, and watched as her fellow warden walked quietly through the dorms, Hati trailing after her loyally; she listened as her footsteps clacked against the stone, stopping for a while before moving on.
"Shouldn't we- shouldn't someone go with her?" Kallian asked with a concerned frown.
"If that is her wish, she will call for us, for now we will let her grieve." Lyna replied, when Neria returned to them, silent and glassy eyed her face pale; they continued on in silence, until the sounds of magic reached their ears.
They drew their weapons as they continued, they were meet by the sight of several young mages, crouching and hiding in the corner, while a few of the older mages fought with a fire demon and that forcing its way through a protected doorway. A older mage with white hair stepped forward, blasting it with ice until it fell. Lyna looked at the white haired mage and couldn't help but find her familiar.
"Wynne!?" Neria called out.
"Neria? You're alive? What- why have you returned to the tower? Why did the Templars let you through?" the mage- Wynne asked.
"Yes, we escaped Ostagar, we came here to get the mages help against the Darkspawn, but Wynne, what in the Maker happened here? There are demons and abominations crawling all over the place and the Templars have sent away for the Right." Neria rushed out.
"The Right? So Greagoir thinks the Circle is beyond hope. He probably assumes we are all dead..." Wynne let the sentence trail off "We have survived so far, but if they invoke the Right, we will not be able to stand against them."
"What happened?"
"Let it suffice to say that we had something of a revolt on our hands, led by Uldred, when he returned from Ostagar he tried to take over the Circle. As you can see it didn't work out as he had planned. I do not know what became of him, but I am certain this is all his doing and I will not lose the Circle to his pride and stupidity."
"Never did like the bald bastard." Neria spat out before she questioned, "Do- do you think Irving is still alive?"
"If there was one man who could survive this, it would be him."
"We we're told if we could bring Irving down, then the Templars would not destroy the tower." Ruari explained to the older mage.
"If you are here to save us, then I will join you. I placed this barrier over the doorway to stop the demons and protect the children. I will drop it so we can get through in to the tower."
"Well, what are we waiting for let's get going." Neria said with a look of grim determination on her face.
Wynne turned to look at the two older mages to speak to them, "Petra, Kinnon... Look after the others. I will be back soon." She promised before she dropped the simmering blue barrier that covered the door.
"Wynne... are you sure you're all right? You were so badly hurt . ?docid=36846696 Maybe I should come along." Petra, the red haired mage asked.
"The others need your protection more. I will be all right. Stay here with them... Keep them safe and calm."
"Wynne… Before we go, do-do you know what happened to Dylan?" Neria asked.
"I'm afraid I do not, he was already locked away when I returned. And the dungeons will have been warded shut due to the attack." Wynne explained with a sad frown. "I do not know how long he was locked in there for, but it has been five days since the attacked started… that is a long time to go without food or water."
Neria swallowed thickly and nodded, "I- I understand… We should get going." She croaked as she led the way through in to the tower.
Yay Wynne is here! the next chapter is quiet long and angst, you have been warned. I have also been like a writing machine these past few day, in 2 day's I've written like 6 nearly 7 chapters :O, tis amaz-balls tho I do want to put up all of the fade dream bits up together so i don't know if I'm gonna post all four chapter up and then take a break or just write and become a slave to my keyboard until my fingers are nothing but bone... don't forget to rate and review! :D