Chapter 7
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The Conclave would have worked, but Corypheus, the dark spawn Magister who triggered the conflict to begin with, showed up with enslaved Grey Wardens and murdered Divine Justinia before a Qunarri Mage and I could stop him. The explosion that resulted from the ritual killing of the Divine threw me and the Qunarri Mage, named Herah, into the Fade where a mysterious golden figure branded Herah with a mark before throwing both of us out of a rift into the destroyed ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ashes where the Conclave was held. We are found by Seeker Cassandra Pentagast before the surviving Templar are forced to retreat to Haven. Despite the retreat of all Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Qunarri, the Temple is not entirely lost to the Demons pouring out of the rifts opening all over the place thanks to my Zerg troops consisting mainly of Stealth Raptor-Swarmlings.
Once Herah recovers consciousness, Cassandra briefly interrogates her before leading both of us to the forward camp. On our way, Herah obtains a replacement for the staff she lost at the Conclave (and I offer to help her create a wand for greater versatility) and we encounter two rifts in the Veil that Herah's mark seals. At the first rift, we meet up with Varric Tethras who aided the Hero of Kirkwall with me and the rest of the Zerg Wardens though amusingly, Cassandra didn't realize Varric was one of my people. Once we reach the forward camp, another Zerg Warden and close friend of Cassandra named Leliana argued with Chancellor Roderick and Cassandra over how to handle the death of the Divine and the Breach located deeper in the mountains at the former Temple of Sacred Ashes. Roderick wants a full retreat and the swift execution of Herah as the supposed murderer of the Divine (completely overlooking the fact that the Zerg Wardens and I are just as guilty of any crime Herah may have committed and unlikely to die easily), Cassandra wants a full assault using a valley route filled with the bulk of the invading Demons, and Leliana wants to use the Zerg in the Valley as a diversion while taking a mountain route to the Temple. When asked her opinion, Herah decides to take the side of Leliana and the other Zerg Wardens.
Climbing high into the mountains, we find the mining tunnels that bypass the bulk of the Demons, but unfortunately we find a rift pinning down the missing scouts mentioned in the earlier argument. After rescuing the scouts and sealing the rift, we descend into the ruins of the temple where fade energy replays the last moments of Divine Justinia. When we reach the alpha rift, Herah is forced to open it before she can seal it. As soon as the rift is reopened, a Pride Demon emerges but I react faster this time and skewer the Demon on a bolt of psionic lightning so Herah can instantly seal the rift.
Due to the backlash of sealing such a powerful rift, Herah is knocked unconscious and fails to seal the Breach above the temple that is causing the rifts. On the plus side, the Breach has stabilized and Herah is in no danger of being consumed by her mark. Unfortunately, I must constantly deal with Chancellor Roderick who still wants Herah tried and executed for the Divine's death. Once she recovers, Herah asks that I fill in for her as much as possible while she becomes a Zerg Warden. After a moment's thought and mental consultation with the Zerg Wardens, I infest Herah and begin doing minor tasks around Haven while analyzing and integrating the genetic signature of the mark Herah now uses to seal the rifts.
Over the two months that Herah is being infested by the Warden strain, the many tasks I and others complete include restarting the Inquisition, gathering healing herbs for the injured, mining ore for smelting into armor and weapons, training more troops, and sending battalions to contain demons at the various rifts appearing within travel distance. Thankfully, Roderick is unable to travel where he wants or even send a message thanks to the demons between Haven and Val Royeaux. After Herah hatches from her chrysalis, the next month is spent adapting to her Warden abilities and closing rifts while Chancellor Roderick slips off to Val Royeaux and turns the Chantry against us. Our first order of business, thanks to Roderick, is to make contact with Mother Giselle in the Hinterlands so we can start to sway the Chantry to at least not be openly hostile towards us. Meanwhile, our scouts locate more rifts throughout Ferelden lands.
When we reach the Hinterlands, we find a number of rifts and learn that a famous horse master has gone into hiding to escape the war between Mages, Templar and the local Zerg brood. While Herah seals the rifts and gains the trust of the people, I lead a small team in meeting Mother Giselle and help the people find more supplies.
With the help of Mother Giselle, we gain enough influence to safely address the Chantry in Val Royeaux, but the top Chantry Mothers remain hostile until the Lord Seeker leads the Templar in rebellion against the Chantry. Over the next few months, I develop Fadelings to aid in quickly sealing rafts until we track down the Templar following the Lord Seeker and receive a request for a meeting from the Mages headquartered in Redcliffe. The only possible problem at this point is that we have a narrow window to confront the Templar while the Mages want to meet with both the Herald and the Demon of Andraste as they have come to know me. Taking a gamble, we split up with Herah leading a team to the meeting in Redcliffe while I confront the Templar at the Therinfal Redoubt. Despite the use of time magic by a Tevintner Magister, Herah secures the aid of the rebel Mages and a Tevintner Mage named Dorian while I discover the Lord Seeker has been replaced by an Envy Demon and secure the aid of the Templar after killing it and the Templar that have been infected by red lyrium.
Using the combined power of the Templar, Mages, and Zerg Broods, we seal the Breach a month later and everyone celebrates until a red lyrium infested army appears ands lays siege to Haven. Just when it seems we will crush the invaders, a Dark spawn Magister named Corypheus appears alongside an Archdemon and destroys our defenses. While Chancellor Roderick leads the inhabitants of Haven through a hidden passage to safety, Herah and I lead the Zerg Wardens in combat against Corypheus and his Archdemon. After battling for half a day, Haven is empty of all non combatants and I use my strongest attack to destroy not just Corypheus and the Archdemon, but all of Haven so there is no chance of Corypheus returning. With all of Thedas united in peace, I open a portal back to Hogwarts and invite Herah to come with me and meet Harriet and the rest of my Swarm at the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
AN: Thanks for reading and please review. The story will continue in Independence Day: Broods of Liberty once I get around to typing it.