They pushed on forward, opening the blue door and another door beyond that, just as something exploded, jolting Alex. She looked up to see Samson in an area above them, looking like he blew up the ground, surrounded by demons and red templars. As they entered, Samson saw them, and pointed at his lackeys, "Hold them off!" he ordered, and red templars jumped towards them, just as more red templars appeared around them, surrounding them. Alex's fingers burned with fire as Solas casted a barrier on their party.

As the last of the templars fell, Alex shouted, "Come on, we might catch them!" She ran up the stairs, only to see a gaping hole in the ground where Samson had jumped. She was about to follow, but Morrigan blocked her path, "Hold! A moment" She said, raising her hand, "While they rush ahead, this leads to our true destination." She said, pointing at the door behind them, locked in a similar fashion as they one they had just entered. "We should walk the petitioner's path, as before."

Cassandra scowled at her, before turning to look at Alex, "An army fights and dies for us. The longer we tarry, the more soldiers we lose outside. Let's jump down and be done with this place."

But Solas shook his head and raised a hand at the Seeker in a sign of peace and calm, "In this case, I must agree with the witch. This is ancient ground, deserving of our respect."

Morrigan nodded, "You see the urgency. We cannot find the Well of Sorrows unprepared."

Alex blinked, noticing something in the woman's behavior, and she scowled at her suspiciously, "You're very eager to reach our destination."

"Are we not all eager to stop Corypheus from achieving his mad plan?" Morrigan retorted back, making Alex even more doubtful as she said, "It sounds like what you want is the Well."

Morrigan blinked, but soon her face hardened as she pointed towards the door and away from their companions, and Alex followed her as they moved away. "There is… a danger to the natural order." Morrigan told her, "Legends walked Thedas once, things of might and wonder. Their passing has left us all the lesser. Corypheus would squander the ancient power of the Well. I would have it restored."

Alex crossed her arms, "I wasn't expecting your answer to be so… romantic."

The witch smiled a little, "Trust me. Your surprise is matched only by my own." But her face became saddened, "Mankind blusders through the world, crushing what it does not understand: elves, dragons, magic… the list is endless. We must stem the tide or be left with nothing more than the mundane. This I know to be true. I read more in the first chamber than I revealed. It said a great boon is given to those who use the Well of Sorrows… but at a terrible price."

"What exactly did that altar say about the Well of Sorrows?" Alex asked, growing a little angrier by the minute at the witch, seeing that she had kept something as important as the message on the tablet.

"Like most elven writing, it was insufferably vague." Morrigan said, rolling her eyes, "The term I deciphered was 'Halam'shivannas'… 'the sweet sacrifice of duty'. It implies the loss of something personal for duty's sake. Yet for those who have served at this temple, a worthwhile trade."

Alex's frown grew harder, "Is your real goal the power inside this Well?"

"Yes!" Morrigan admitted, "If that is the only way to preserve it. My priority is your cause, but if the opportunity arises to save this well, I am willing to pay the cost."

"And gain what?"

Morrigan shrugged, "That is what we must discover. The rituals may point the way."

Alex huffed again before turning around, facing her party again, "Fine then. Let's do the rituals."

They went around the area, solving the rituals by stepping on the patterns on the floor, but as they did, Alex felt uneasy at the thought of Morrigan's plan. She said the Well could hold knowledge, and though she knew that Morrigan knows a lot from her studies, Alex felt… distrustful of her. Be wary of her, Solona had warned her before she left, and she understood. The woman was plotting something, and even though she didn't know what it was, the power of the Well could be involved in it.

They ran around the temple various areas, and she stuck close to Solas, as the elf told her stories of the various elven gods whose mosaics were present around the temple. She adored his versions of the legends regarding the gods than what Morrigan would tell her, after all, the man did study history far more extensively than her. Alex solved the puzzles with the help of Solas and Cassandra, and soon all the rituals were performed, and Alex felt a magical energy unlock the gigantic door that led up to the temple. After she had sent Sera to look around for any other materials they could use, they went up the stairs and opened up to door.

They walked forward to what looked like the temples foyer, and Alex felt a shiver up her spine at how ancient it was. The dust rose at their feet as they walked, and Morrigan looked up at the walls, " 'Tis not not what I expected. What was this chamber used for…"

They continued to walk forward, hearing the giant doors where they came from close and lock itself, but soon she felt the hairs at the back of her neck rising, "We're being watched." She told them, and she sneeked a peek behind her to see a row of elven archers, pointing their arrows at them. Sera let out a small 'eep' of alarm, and Solas touched the girl's shoulder reassuringly, while also stilling Cassandra's hand from unsheathing her sword.

Alex looked up to a grand staircast to see an elf with arms crossed by its landing, clad in a dark grey cloak with a hood on his face, where could see bright gray eyes and greenish vines on his forehead… the blood writing or as Solas called it, the vallaslin of Mythal, looking at them haughtily. "Venavis." The elf said, looking at them with suspicion, "You… are unlike the other invaders. You stumble down our paths at the side of one of our own." And he looked at Solas as he said so, before pointing down at her hand, "You bear the mark of magic which is… familiar. How has this come to pass? What is your connection to those who first disturbed our slumber?"

"I don't understand the 'slumber' bit." Alex told him, making Sera snicker, "Who are you?"

The elf looked at her for a moment, "I am called Abelas. We are sentinels, tasked with standing against those who trespass on sacred ground. We wake only to fight, to preserve this place. Our numbers diminish with each invasion. I know what you seek. Like all who have come before, you wish to drink from the vir'abelasan."

" 'A place of the Way of Sorrows.'" Morrigan translated for her, "He speaks of the Well!"

Abelas looked angrily at Morrigan, "It is not for you. It is not for any of you."

Alex looked up at him again, "So… you're elves from ancient times? Before the Tevinter Imperium destroyed Arlathan?"

Abelas scoffed and shook his head, "The shemlen did not destroy Arlathan. We elvhen warred upon ourselves. By the time the doors to this sanctuary closed, our time was over. We awaken only when called, and each time find the world more foreign than before. It is meaningless. We endure. The vir'abelasan must be preserved."

"What is this vir'abelasan exactly?" She asked again, and the elf seemed to have raised a brow.

"It is a path." Abelas said, "One walked only by those who toiled in Mythal's favor."

"He speaks of priests, perhaps." Morrigan told her, and Abelas scowled at her again, "More than that you need not know."

"Solas." Alex said looking behind her at her companion, "Perhaps he'll listen to you."

But the mage scoffed a bit, as he shrugged, "What shall I say, Inquisitor? Shall I sway him from a millennia of service by virtue of our shared blood? He clings to all that remains of his world, because he lacks the power to restore it."

Alex sighed deeply, So much for bringing the elven and arcane expert. I should've brought the twins with me, she thought as she looked up at Abelas again, "We did not come here to fight you, nor steal from your temple."

Abelas silenced for a bit, looking down at her and closing his eyes, as if he was listening for something, before nodding. "I believe you." He told her, lowering his guarded stance, "Trespassers you are, but you have followed rites of petition. You have shown respect to Mythal. If these other are enemies of yours, we will aid you in destroying them. When this is done, you shall be permitted to depart… and never return."

Solas looked at her, "This is our goal, is it not? There is no reason to fight these sentinels."

Alex nodded at him, "Yes, I guess that's the point of all this. We just need to stop Samson from getting into that well…"

But Morrigan shook her head, "Consider carefully. You must stop Corypheus, yes, but you may also need the Well for your own."

Her brows furrowed at the witch, You mean for your own. Solona was right, she's up to something. I can't let her drink from that Well. "I accept your offer." Alex told Abelas, who nodded.

"You will be guided to those you seek." He said, pointing to a door that led to the interior of the temple before turning around and leaving, "As for the vir'abelasan… it shall not be despoiled, even if I must destroy it myself."

"NO!" Morrigan cried out, disappearing into a puff of smoke, and Alex blinked when she realized that the witch had turned into a crow, flying away from them and up the landing to follow Abelas. "Morrigan!" Alex called out, but the witch was already gone, and she grit her teeth. "Damn it all… come on."

They looked at their left to see what looked like another elven sentinel… a female mage, from the looks of her, mentioning at them as the other sentinels lowered their bows. Alex headed towards her, "This would be our guide?"

The elf bowed, "Mythal'enaste." She muttered out, before turning to walk in front of them.

Alex sighed as they followed her, "That's helpful, since Morrigan chased off on her own."

"She seeks to protect the Well of Sorrows." Solas told her and she scoffed, Protect it or take it for her own? I believe it's the latter, she thought as they walked, following the elven guide into the temple. But soon she heard echoes through the halls, and as she glanced at what looked like a metal-barred door, she saw more of the elven sentinels fighting against the red templars. Well, thank the Maker for them, she thought as she continued walking, I just hope that they'll survive.

"Alex…" Solas muttered to her, and she slowed her walk to step beside him, with Sera and Cassandra walking ahead to follow the sentinel, "Is something wrong?"

"Solona told me to be wary of Morrigan." She confided in the elf, "She may not have known about the Well, but there's… something off from the way she wanted it so badly."

Solas silenced for a bit, "In truth, Inquisitor… I do not trust Lady Morrigan as well." He admitted, "She hungers for knowledge, true, but to what purpose? To what end? There seems to be an underlying goal to her desire for information."

"Yes, but what?" Alex asked, and Solas patted her shoulder.

"I do not know, Inquisitor." He said, scowling a bit as they continued to walk, "But I must agree with your sister, Lady Solona… be wary of the witch, Alex. I know very few people who wished to understand the world and gain knowledge for the improvement of everyone's lives… unfortunately, I do not think Lady Morrigan is one of them."