29 Drakonis, 9:32
To the Lady Maeve,
From the Lady Elowen,
My friend,
The Qunari finally realized what happened. A ship of theirs arrived this morning, and bore away a fuming Arishok. The entire city was ready to rejoice when they realized that you and Mother Petrice were right: the rest of them did not leave.
Dumar attempted to negotiate, only for them to refuse to listen. Meredith's attempt saw the new Qunari leader tell her to attack or leave them be. She told me that she would have, even allowed the Mages to participate, if not for Elthina staying her hand, supporting Dumar's call for peace.
I dislike that Grand Cleric more with each passing day.
No one is sure as to what is going to happen, but we're expanding the Night's Watch further, along with the militia. The Deshyrs are arming us, and doing the same for their own Guard. Whatever the ox-men are up to, we'll be ready.
I hope you're doing well,
Elowen
16 Cloudreach, 9:32
From Captain Isabella,
To Dearest Maeve,
It's done. Castillion has his damned book, and his fortune from Tevinter for selling it to them. I'm free of the debt, and free to find a new ship and crew. That'll take more time than I'm happy with, but these things can't be rushed.
Kitten says you're doing good not drinking anything that's not mostly water. I'm proud of you, sweet thing.
As soon as I have a new ship I'm doing to make a sweep of the northern seas to earn proper coin. Make sure those fat merchants up there haven't forgotten who the deadliest pirate is. Once I've announced my return appropriately, I'll be down to pick you up for a cruise. Would you prefer to capture a few fat Orlesian galleons, or finally come up where it's warm to prey on 'Vints?
Also, you'd better not have let Hawke seduce you. I know what she's like, and I still intend to win those bets.
30 Cloudreach, 9:32
To Elissa,
From Greg,
Don't come to Orzammar. The King has decided we're not worth the political coin to protect any longer. Officially, he's already trying to arrest us. Unofficially, he let us slip back to the surface as a favor to his best advisor. I know what you're going to say, and yes, I tried to get Carlos to come with us, but he wouldn't hear of leaving the city.
Don't go anywhere near Ferelden either. Maeve of Kirkwall is still in Amaranthine, waiting for any word of us with Hawke, and Maharial and Zevran are on their way back if they haven't arrived already. Bethany and I are heading west, heading for the Oasis. We'll meet you there, and we can move on to the fortress together.
Be ready for Bethany to lecture you until your ears bleed. Neither of us is happy that you put our emergency plans into motion in Kirkwall without an actual emergency, but only one of us had to leave our family.
Greg
01 Bloomingtide, 9:32
To Captain Isabella,
From Arlessa Hawke
First of all, what exactly am I like? You're the harlot in our relationship, and don't you dare forget it.
Second of all, I've tried every line I can think of. None of them worked. Even let her walk in on me bathing, and all I got was her admitting that I'm 'a nine and a half without the clothes'.
It did get a few real smiles out of her though. First ones I've seen in quite a while. She's still hurting, will be for a while, but I think she's coming to accept the pain. Mother is helping, she's doting on all of them like they're her new favorite children. Charade is teasing me about being replaced.
They say they'll be a bit busy for piracy this year. Apparently they need to go off with Maharial this summer, something about doing a task for a Dalish clan in exchange for some tool that they need for their secret magical project. Next summer they'll be ready and waiting, and Maeve's exact words on your options of who to raid were "Why not both?"
I have to stay in Amaranthine while they're off frolicking in the trees, duties and such, but I'm going to send Charade and Carver with to keep them safe.
~ Hawke
P.S. Maharial and Zevran will be here by August. I'll give you the blow by blow of how those two meeting Maeve goes.
Neuma
It learned how to track time by necessity.
It could still remember that first occaision in which it was summoned into the mortal realm. The first time it felt the tendrils of a spell fueled by the sacrifice of life reaching out for it. Grasping it, encoiling it, dragging it. Forcing what should have been formless to assume a shell against the shock of crossing the Veil, finding its perspective agonizingly limited as it stood in a cirlce of power.
A new breed of mortal stood before it. Broader, taller than an Elvhen, with wild hair growing from its face.
"You, spirit." The mortal had sneered. "Are now mine. You will fulfill my desires, empower my magics. Failure to do so would be most unwise."
To provide desire was what it had always done, what it would always do. It did as it was bid for the mortal, and it gained power from the man's emotions, from his longing for power. For wealth. Respect. Prestige. The mortal desired it all, and it did it's best to assist.
And yet... and yet it found itself... displeased.
It found itself learning concepts it had only barely considered in the days before the Veil.
It learned boredom, forced to sit idle, entrapped by the mage's power.
It learned disgust, forced to watch as lesser mortals were bled to uphold the spells. Their desperate desire to live going unfulfilled.
It learned pain, that first time it refused to give the mortal further influence over the dreams of others. To teach it how to walk in what the mortal mage called the Fade, what it called home.
It learned... patience.
Those lesser mortals, many of them the pathetic shades of what had once been Elvhen, taught it much. How to tell time. How their master's magic differend from its own. How the mortal race of Men had created a Tevinter Imperium atop the ruins that the Dread Wolf's Veil had left behind.
How they answered to ancient spirits, bound to dragons.
It could not reach those mortals through the wards the master's magic had created. Could not read dreams sip from their souls. Could not see their memories, their raw desires. Instead it was forced to... speak. To listen.
It learned.
It plotted.
It convinced.
It smiled when the lesser mortals drove their blades into their master's back. When he screamed, desperately desiring for her aid.
It felt something within it shift when it felt that desire...
...when it did nothing but smile until the last blood fell.