Dearest Father,

Sometimes things never go according to plan. Sebastian and I met with Aveline and Varric at the Hanged Man to discuss our annual clearing up the streets at night of gangs and would-be thieves. But when we sat down at the corner table to begin preparations, the barmaid informed me that there was someone who wished to speak with me upstairs. Varric, being the Hanged Man resident, hadn't heard anything about this, which concerned us all. Cautiously we approached the room we were directed to, and upon entering, there were two Templars waiting for us.

Immediately I was on the defensive. Had the Templars finally come for me? Sebastian must have felt me tense beside him; his gentle hand on my back calmed me enough to enter the room and face whatever was about to happen.

Mettin and Agatha were their names, and no, they weren't there to haul me off to the Gallows. Quite the opposite in fact: they were seeking my aid. Apparently there was yet another group of blood mages within the city that were causing problems for the Templars, and turning to the citizens of Kirkwall for refuge. They thought it best to come to me with this rather than have the Templars start harassing everyone in the city.

I wasn't going to help at first, but Aveline convinced me it was probably within my best interests to do so. Clearing out more blood mages within Kirkwall would appease Meredith, and hopefully prove to her once again that I am not a part of that world. If what Anders has been saying is true, and she is growing more paranoid, then this could only benefit my continued freedom within Kirkwall. Varric remained silent during the discussion, but Sebastian agreed with Aveline. So we followed Mettin's directions to an underground sewer below Darktown to see if we could find these mages.

We found them, along with some mercenaries they had hired for protection. They attacked us on sight without a word, and unfortunately they all lost their lives at our hands. I despise this constant death that surrounds me, especially when it comes to fellow mages, but as Sebastian reminded me, it was their choice to turn to blood magic. Still, it's difficult.

We searched the underground hideout for clues as to where the others may be hiding.

"I've found something," Sebastian said, holding up a note he had retrieved from one of the mages. The others joined him and he read the note aloud. "'We narrowly escaped Meredith's hounds. The city just isn't safe, Bancroft. We must get five out through the gates tonight and get to the caves. It's that, or risk capture and interrogation.' The letter is signed MS."

"I've never heard of Bancroft," Hawke said. "Sounds like they have taken shelter in some caves, but there are so many in the surrounding area of Kirkwall, it'd take forever to check them all. Look around for more clues."

The group continued searching, and Varric came upon another letter. "This one is also from that Bancroft. 'We can't trust the raiders promise of passage; the Templar's bounty on us is far too tempting. Press on every contact you have. We must leave Kirkwall before the knight-commander does something drastic. Each night, more of our brethren make it to the coast.' Sounds like they've already had a run-in with Meredith a time or two," Varric said. "He continues on to say that the other site they discussed is clear, and to be prepared to leave at a moments notice."

"They must have someone in the inside," Sebastian suggested. "How else would they know about the bounty? Or the movements of the Templars to avoid being captured?"

"I'm more concerned with how many have already escaped," Aveline stated. "Between the Templars and my guard, how has no one noticed several apostates leaving the city?"

"All just lingering outside Kirkwall," Varric said. "I don't know about you, but an army of blood mages gathering on the coast makes me nervous."

"I agree," Hawke said, uncovering another note. "And innocent people are getting caught in the middle. Listen to this: 'The hounds nabbed Franke the Cobbler tonight; no one knows where he is now. Thom Beshcal and his wife were killed three days back. They're no longer just hunting us; they're hunting our friends and family. To the Void with the consequences! We must strike back while we still can.' Signed with the initial A. We have to find them and put a stop to this."

"Let's head to the Gallows and find Mettin, show him these letters," Aveline suggested. "Maybe he has some more information for us."

And he did. The next day I received a letter from Mettin, telling me that his men had found the location of the blood mage's hideout. The cave they had mentioned was on top of Sundermount, and Mettin said he and a few of his men would wait there for us to arrive. I gathered the others and we headed out to the home of the Dalish.

I had hoped to arrive before the Templars, maybe give these mages a chance to explain themselves and their actions. I didn't want to believe that they had all turned to blood magic, but when we entered the cave and were attacked immediately, I feared there was little I could do to save any of them. As we went further into the cave, Agatha informed us that their reports mentioned some of the friends and family of these mages were also within the caves. This was going to make our fight harder, because I in no way wanted any innocents to be harmed in our fighting.

Mettin however disagreed, saying that their families should also pay for helping the blood mages. I reminded him that his duty was toward mages and mages alone, and Aveline added that the guard would handle any who had assisted with the mages fleeing Kirkwall. Even Agatha tried to convince Mettin to stand down, but he was determined to slaughter everyone within the caves. Mettin turned on us when we refused to agree with him, and now we were killing Templars to protect the innocent.

We found the rest of the blood mages and their families further in the cave. Once again the mages did not wish to talk; they attacked us the moment we found them. We had no choice but to kill the blood mages. More lives lost for no reason other than the desire for freedom.

Agatha assured me that only her, Mettin, and his men at the caves knew they had come to me for help in this matter. She would report to Meredith that the Templars were killed by the blood mages, and keep my name out of the reports. Aveline agreed to do the same, and she escorted the families back to Kirkwall. Having just lost their loved ones, Aveline did not arrest any of them; they had suffered enough.

More and more the mages of this city are turning to blood magic. I wonder now if Justice is the only reason Anders hasn't gone down that dark road. I also wonder what my breaking point would be; how long until blood magic seems like the only option to survive? What makes me stronger than all those that have already made their deals with demons?

I'd like to think it's because of the friends I surround myself with, knowing that if I ever did go down that dark path, they'd be there to save me before I went too far. I also know that doing so would disappoint you Father. No matter what life threw at you, the choice to turn to blood magic was never an option. I shall rely on your strength if I ever feel as if I have none.