All three elven ruins were in the middle of the same forest. They would take the time necessary to visit them all, or all the necessary ones at least, in the same expedition, which meant they had to make greater preparations. And there was the matter of the necessity of elven blood.
"There are elven…ladies…here at the bordello," Githa said. "I'm sure one of them wouldn't cringe at selling us a little blood. Not with everything else they're selling."
"But how much do we need? I mean, if you have to do this ritual at all three ruins, we need three samples of blood, right?" Maric said.
"True, and it may take more than a few drops at each ruin. Maybe we should ask one of them to come along with us."
"That might be a tough sell. 'Can we pay you to come along on a potentially dangerous journey with us so that we can prick your fingers and use your blood in a magic ritual?'"
"It…may not be necessary," Loghain said after a pause. "Would half-elven blood be sufficient for the purpose?"
"Um…yes. Yes, I think it would. Might need a bit more of it for the ritual than if it were pure, but it should work. But where would we get half-elven blood? They're not always all that easy to spot, by my understanding," Githa said.
Loghain cleared his throat uncomfortably. "We'd get it…from me."
They both stared at him. Then, in unison, they burst out laughing. Affronted, he squared his shoulders.
"I do not see what is funny about that," he said.
"It isn't funny. It's delightful," Maric said, controlling himself with difficulty. "Don't you agree, Githa?"
"Oh, it is a little bit funny, too," she said. "I mean, it's hard to imagine someone less elven-looking."
"Oh, I don't know. I can kind of see it now that it's been pointed out. Your mother, then? Because your father certainly wasn't an elf."
"My mother, yes. She was Dalish. This really doesn't bother you?"
"The bare fact of it? No, it doesn't. The fact that you came down on me for my dalliances with elven women? Yes, it does."
"I didn't come down on you because they were elven, I came down on you because they were Orlesian."
"Oh. Of course. But why am I only hearing about this now? Were you really afraid I'd…what? Be prejudiced against you for it?" Maric asked.
"No. Not…not really. But my mother took great pains to ensure I was never known as a half-blood. Keeping it a secret was rather…ingrained. And now, of course, there's Anora to consider."
"Your daughter?" Githa asked.
"Yes."
"Does she know?" Maric asked.
"No. And I'd prefer she did not. And you'd better be damned certain it doesn't bother you, Maric, for she's married to your son, now."
"It doesn't bother me. But Anora should know her heritage. She has the right."
"She can't know her 'heritage.' I know nothing of it myself. My mother lived the life of a Ferelden freeholder from before the time I was born, and never let slip so much as a word about her life as a Dalish."
"She has the right to know who her grandmother was, Loghain," Maric insisted. "What makes you who you are is a part of what makes her who she is."
"I'd prefer not to discuss it further. I regret having told you, but I could think of no other way to get out of having to ask some elven whore for her blood."
"All right, all right, I'll leave you alone. For now. But you know I'm not letting this go so easily. We've got our blood; what else do we need?"
"Assuming it's a free forest I can hunt in, not a whole lot more," Loghain said. "We need to check that out. If we have to pack in a lot of food this is going to get bulky."
"What, you're going to shrink from poaching if it's a Crown's Preserve?" Maric said, and smiled.
"I'd prefer not to be arrested in Antiva. Again."
"All right, fine. The Duenna will know if hunting is allowed. I'll ask her."
It was some days later that found them on the road to the ruins. Each of them carried a pack, with camping supplies, bedrolls, and some foodstuffs. Loghain had his bow.
"Are you sure you can find this place?" Githa asked.
"Of course Loghain can find it. He never gets lost," Maric said. He turned and mouthed silently to her. "It's the Dalish in him."
"We keep heading northeast, we'll come to it before dark," Loghain said.
"How can you tell we are heading northeast?" Githa asked.
"Years of practice."
"Loghain is an expert woodsman, Githa. There's no fear," Maric said. "He kept me alive all the way through the Korcari Wilds, and that is no easy feat."
"Well, I have to admit, this forest makes me nervous. I feel like we're being watched," Githa said.
"That's a common feeling in a forest. There's always a sense of presence."
Loghain had other ideas, but kept his silence.
"So…tell me again about this Varterral thing that's supposedly haunting these ruins?" Githa asked.
"It's some sort of wood spirit," Maric said. "According to the scholar it takes the form of a giant insect, like a stick bug or something like that."
"Oh, wonderful. I love bugs," she said, sarcastically.
"Don't worry about it. It's probably just a myth. It's never been seen here, only rumored."
"That doesn't mean there aren't other dangers here," Loghain said. "If this were Ferelden I'd know what to expect. I am unfamiliar with the local fauna."
"Looks like squirrels and chipmunks, mostly," Maric observed.
"There are bears. Black bears. And wolves. I hope we don't see any of them," Githa said.
"We'll be okay, bears or no bears," Loghain said. "Wolves tend to be wary of humans, unless they're mad."
"Marvelous. So we don't have to worry about the wolves unless they're rabid, eh?"
"I said they tend to be wary. It's not a universal truth."