The Perfectly Safe Search
Merrill doesn't know why Nelyafinwë had given her a look like she was planning something crazy when she told him what she was doing this week. All that is happening is she and Ranger are going out of the forest to track down a darkspawn. Well, she would have started in the forest, but thanks to recent events, Nelyafinwë believes there aren't any left there.
So, she thinks that Nelyafinwë was being a little overcautious when he insisted on an escort. That the escort turned out to be the entire fifteen strong contingent of light cavalry that do the scouting is only further proving her point.
"The last time you and Ranger attempted a scouting expedition, you were ambushed and captured." The 'Noldo' replies to her concerns. "I merely wish to ensure that such events do not transpire again."
"I'm a Dalish mage, and he's a hunter who's lived in these woods for years. I think we're able to take care of ourselves." Merrill argues.
"Perhaps in most cases, yet if time has taught me anything, it is that all that might go wrong will, so I ask you to humour my concerns." He asks.
"Fine! You're such a mother hen." Merrill grumbles.
The corner of her teacher's mouth turns up into a small, sad, smile. "You should be grateful that I no longer have an army at my beck and call, I would never have allowed my brothers to depart with so few guards."
Though Merrill has already agreed, she finds it hard to complain in the face of that response.
Their group moves through the forest at a speed that few Dalish would be ashamed of. Ranger decides, in conjunction with the scouts, that the likely source of the darkspawn in the forest was a nearby tunnel that led into the deep roads.
"Pretty unusual for one of those to be outside the mountains." Ranger opines. "I reckon we're dealin' with a cave in somewhere."
"Ursular came up out of wherever it is though." Anneth argues.
"Smart money says she's Carta. Probably built some kind of lift." Ranger explains. "It'll be the cave in, which means somewhere with soft ground."
"Didn't Nelyafinwë build his road to that entrance?" Merrill asks.
The scout and the hunter give Merrill a disbelieving glance. Then memory supplies that she is in fact correct, and they look sheepish.
"Or we could just follow the road." Ranger agrees.
Entering the Deep Roads is something easily said. Yet as the elf stares down into the enormous cavern, her throat is dry and fear grips her heart.
"Ok. We'll be fine." She reassures herself.
There is, in fact, a lift that leads down into the depths. The entire ride, everyone is on edge expecting the darkspawn to leap out of the walls to attack them. That no such attack emerges only ratchets the tension up ever higher.
At the bottom of the lift, the scouts begin sending out pairs to examine the ground around them. Meanwhile, Merrill begins to plan out what she needs to do while she is down here.
"Ok. Here's the plan." She explains to Ranger as they reach the bottom. "I'm going to see if I can come up with something to immobilise the darkspawn, from there you're going to need to come up with a way to get it to them."
Ranger raises a single grey eyebrow. "Sounds like a risky proposition. Ain't ya takin' a little too little of the risk of this plan of yours?"
Merrill swallows nervously and babbles, "Um, well it looks that way, I guess. Mostly, I just don't really know how to capture something alive, and I thought you might know more. Never mind I'll do it myself, it can't be that hard right?"
"Easy girlie." Ranger rumbles. "I ain't sayin' I won't help ya, just askin' ya to be fair. I don't want to die any more than you."
"I see. Well, the main problem is that I'm not sure what would work best for the darkspawn yet." Merrill pauses, taking a deep breath and speaking slowly. "If it's a spell then obviously it makes sense I do it, but I'm thinking that I'll end up with something like a drug, and I have no experience administering those to the unwilling."
"Tell ya what." Ranger says. "You pull together your drug, then I'll make the plan how best to use it. Fair?"
"Uuum, yes?" Merrill says.
An awkward moment passes as Merrill and Ranger look at each other in silence.
"Um, I should get started." Merrill says, unable to think of a polite way to end the conversation.
"Yeah. Good, I'll uh, go stand over there." Ranger replies.
Almost immediately, Merrill runs into a problem; she is unsure how much biology will serve her here. She's brought her potions kit and as many herbs as she could carry, one of the rangers had been complaining of having to carry the pack all the way here. Yet, now that she's actually trying to plan this out, she's suddenly struck by doubt.
Are darkspawn even affected by poison? She doesn't know for certain and the crisis of confidence its causing her now that lives depend on the answer is causing her to lock up, struck by decision paralysis.
Desperately the young First wracks her memory for everything she knows about darkspawn.
Energy and blood.
Right, Avernus' research had discussed this. He had found an alchemical concoction that could amplify the effect that darkspawn blood had on the body. The details of what that would do exactly were unclear, but he believed it would grant Wardens abilities beyond the usual.
Could she reverse the effect?
Lavender, yes that was used in sleep remedies, oh and she could add some brucite, Elindra swears by it. Now she'd need a binding agent…
Oh. Blood, that would work. It would also provide the attack angle for the potion itself.
"Girlie." Ranger calls carefully. "Are you messing with blood magic?"
Merrill pauses. "No."
Not technically.
Right, where was she? Ah yes, onto the infusion. Right, there shouldn't be much in the way of magic needed here, some relatively simple spells of activation and filtration to ensure that the correct elements of the ingredients prevailed in the mix. Add in an accelerant[1], water would be best, then boil.
Inspired, Merrill then begins mixing up a second potion. A vaporant that would disperse the potion into the air. It would work thanks to the need for activation energy, which she would supply in the form of lightning, just like Avernus' experiments.
Ranger looks at the cackling elf as she stirs cauldrons and mutters about being a genius with a great deal of concern.
When Merrill explains what the potions she's brewed do, his concerns are somewhat mollified. Which leaves him in the position of making a plan. Admittedly, having a gas grenade that will, according to Merrill, 'induce intense lethargy akin to a hibernating state in darkspawn after they are struck by sufficiently energetic mana' makes his job very easy.
"Um, Ranger." Merrill says.
"What." Ranger sighs, recognising the wheedling tone.
"Since I did such a good job with the potions, do you think it might be possible to get me an ogre?" She asks with a wide eyed expression.
Ranger gives her a flat look.
"Pleeease?" She tries.
For a long time the old man stares at the elf. The elf widens her eyes yet further. The old man glares at her. Merrill displays a knack for this kind of manipulation by making her expression somehow more pitiful and soul wrenching.
"Fine. Ya can have yar ogre." Ranger sighs.
"Yes!" Merrill exclaims, thrusting her hands into the air in celebration.
Ranger grumbles. "Stupid girls and their manipulative faces."
Quietly Ranger pushed memories of another young woman skilled at getting him to do what she wanted. Those memories won't help him at this point, better they be left in that old, ruined house where they belong.
The old man turns his attention to the plan for capturing an ogre. Just saying it in his head makes him groan. An ogre is as tall as a tree and strong as an ox. Why did he agree to this?
Merrill continues doing a happy dance.
Right, because he's a sucker. So, how to capture something that's an unholy mixture between a tree and a man. Nets are out, leaving aside the lack of availability the ogre would just throw it off. Then there's the group of darkspawn that tend to cluster around them. That makes it more complicated.
Ranger shakes himself and sighs. He'll just have to make do.
"Are you sure this will work?" Anneth asks.
"No." Ranger replies grimly.
The plan he has settled on is not his best work. The idea is essentially to dip arrows in Merrill's poison and shoot the ogre until it's overwhelmed and collapses. It's a plan filled with questions. Does the poison apply through arrowheads? How much do you need to knock down the creature?
Merrill has no answers because the potion is experimental. Worse still they only have the one batch available. So if this didn't work then they were out of luck. Hence why Ranger was worried, but the problem was he couldn't think of a better method of capturing something like an ogre.
"Get ready. It's coming." Anneth mutters.
There's no more time for second guessing.
Things go wrong almost immediately, one of the small darkspawn spots one of the Rangers. As a result, more than a few of the poisoned arrows are wasted on other targets. Said targets tend to die so it's impossible to tell if the poison is even working.
To the credit of Nelyafinwë's rangers, they don't panic. A small number cover the rest and they manage to target down the ogre, who has mercifully not yet been drawn into the fight. Bowstrings crack like whips and arrows hum through the air. They stick into the ogre's hide like pins, and the creature roars in pain.
For a moment, they hope that they have succeeded, but then the ogre charges at their line. Nobody believes that the rangers can hold it back, but shouts and orders from Anneth see them attempting to prepare to receive the charge.
It is at this point that Merrill steps in.
The elf has been watching things go wrong and wracked her brain for any method to help while doing so. She's been reviewing Avernus' notes in her head, everything she knows about her spell, trying to alter it on the fly.
At the point she steps in she's got nothing concrete planned, half formed ideas fighting for dominance as she raises her staff.
'Oh Eru let this work.' She thinks desperately.
She gathers as much mana as she dares, she composes her spell and casts.
Memory is a fascinating thing. Merrill is attempting to reconstruct a spell designed to target the darkspawn and destroy them, simultaneously she is thinking of Avernus' notes. As a result, she ends up casting a spell that is equal parts her attempt to cure the Taint and Avernus' to enhance it.
Which, by sheer coincidence, exceeds her wildest expectations.
The electrical energy is etherealised in a manner not dissimilar to creation magic, targeted by the elements from Merrill's original spell and then fulfils Avernus' original intentions. Avernus' original spell, however, contended with the fact that the subject's body impeded much of the electrical energy, and when more precisely targeted, is far more than anything physical could possibly sustain.
The forms of the darkspawn twist and mutate as the Taint rages out of control within them. In seconds, it becomes too much and one by one they dissolve into a puddle of murky darkness.
Silence hangs over the deep roads for a moment.
"Um. Don't touch the puddles, they're probably toxic." Merrill says weakly.
Then she passes out.
No-one hear the loud clatter of a large, armoured creature crashing on rocks in the distance.
Gryphons in the Forest
With your rangers, and Ranger, off doing other things, you do not get the warning of guests that would usually arrive. Instead, the first you know of the visitors' arrival is when one of the new recruits (who are on watch for training reasons) calls out that they can see someone coming.
You mentally make a note to address proper watch protocol, as it was only Eldarin hearing that alerted you to what was happening. Still, you walk out to assess the situation and make plans for how to accommodate these unexpected guests.
You can see two men approaching, one is a dark skinned and haired man you do not recognise, but the other is more familiar to you. Alistair's blonde hair stands out in the forest, catching what little light pierces the canopy, and you are easily able to see his lips moving as he speaks to the other man.
It seems the Grey Wardens have come to you for aid. Earlier than you expected, yet still within the bounds of what you are prepared for.
With this information, you set Karla to preparing two rooms and making some extra portions for dinner. Beyond that, you send word for your warriors to prepare themselves, you might need them for whatever it is they need.
You hear the man you do not recognise call out to the watchmen, introducing himself as Duncan. You inform the guards that they can open the gate. This leads to a somewhat amusing pause as they struggle to figure out how to do so. You allow them to take their time, as you doubt that yelling at them, even if you yell advice, will help them act faster and learn.
"I don't like this." You hear Alistair says to Duncan. "It feels like a trap."
"Calm yourself Alistair." Duncan replies. "He is a noble of Ferelden, there is nothing to worry about."
"Oh, if he's a noble." Alistair replies sarcastically. "Look, we don't know this guy. He came out of nowhere and started to get involved in our business. He could be anyone for all we know!"
At that moment the gate creaks and begins to open. Inspired by the timing, you decide to take a course of action the twins would approve of.
"Alistair! It's been too long!" You cry loudly, extending your arms as though to embrace an old friend.
Alistair's face goes through a variety of amusing expressions until he buries it in his hand. "Never mind, this is worse."
"Your words wound me Alistair." You reply glibly. "I thought we were such good friends."
"Are you completely incapable of keeping out of things that are none of your business?" He asks.
"Of course not. We simply disagree on what is and is not my business." You correct the human.
"Forgive us, your lordship, I wasn't aware you and Alistair had met." Duncan interjects cautiously.
"He's the elf who badgered me into revealing that there was a Blight then walked off mysteriously." Alistair explains.
"I take it that you have not come to enlist the aid I offered at our last meeting then?" You ask.
"No. In fact, we have not come for any specific purpose." Duncan confesses. "Rather, we were in the area recruiting, and we thought we might stop and discuss the recent actions you have taken on our behalf."
"Then by all means," You say, stepping aside and gesturing through the gate, "please enter and be welcome in Endataurëo."
You lead the two men on a brief tour of the grounds, enough so that they will not get lost if they wish to explore. Then you lead them to the not-technically-a-throne-room and sit down on your chair.
"Now, what was it that you wished to speak to me about." You ask as the two men settle onto their own chairs.
"Firstly, lord Russandol, can I confirm that it was you who went into the fortress of Soldier's Peak?" Duncan says.
"I was." You reply.
"May I ask why?" He continues.
As tempting as the answer 'yes' is, you instead choose to say, "I sought to understand the Blight in more detail by seeking the records I assumed were present in the castle."
Duncan nods a few times. "While you were there you met the Grey Warden Avernus, correct?"
The question does not deserve an answer, but for the sake of politeness you give one. "Yes."
"Would you be willing to support our attempts to get him returned to his rightful place within the order?" Duncan asks. "I understand that you may feel he has committed crimes that must be punished, but given our desperate need for Wardens, I think it is fitting that he aid us against the coming Blight."
You do not trust Avernus, and you are unsure why it would even be necessary to free him. For all that people say that Grey Wardens are vital for defeating a Blight, no one has been able to explain why.
The word no hovers on the tip of your tongue. A number of compromises, other things you could offer them flit through your mind too quickly to truly register. However, you do not voice any of it. Instead, with an internal sigh, you sit forward and interlace your fingers.
"I could be persuaded." You tell Duncan. "It would depend on why exactly he is needed, and what safeguards would be put in place to prevent him from repeating his actions."
"I understand your concerns lord Russandol, and I shall do all that I can to lay them to rest." Duncan's ability to hide his emotions is passable, but you can already tell he is tired of playing political games.
"Shall we begin with the safeguards then?" You ask innocently.
"Of course, my lord." Duncan says, "Avernus shall not be returned to his previous position of trust, nor shall he be dedicating his time to research. Instead, he shall be accompanied by either myself or Alistair at all times."
"Are you certain that is wise?" You interject. "I mean no insult towards Alistair, but he seems to lack your experience, and I suspect he would be vulnerable to the manipulations such individuals pride themselves on."
"Oh, you absolute bastard." Alistair says quietly.
"I assure you that your worries are unfounded." Duncan says conciliatorily. "Alistair trained as a Templar, and is uniquely suited for dealing with any magical opponent."
"Is that so?" You say, looking at Alistair with new eyes. "Then it seems I must extend an apology to him. I severely underestimated him, and for that I am deeply sorry."
"Well, that's a surprise." Alistair says. "Uh, you're forgiven? I'm not really sure how to respond to that."
Duncan clearly decides that this is an opportunity for him to seize on. "Then I take it that your concerns are assuaged? Can I count on your support?"
"I confess, while I am confident that you are more than capable of responsibly guarding the blood mage if he is free, I remain uncertain as to why it is necessary." You counter calmly. "As skilled as Alistair no doubt is, surely if a Templar is best suited to guard him, the Circle with its many Templars is ideal."
"Well, there is the argument that in the face of the coming Blight, we need everyone to be doing their part." Duncan replies, equally unperturbed. "Avernus is a skilled mage and experienced Warden, you must see his use on the front lines of the coming battles."
"I would be a fool to disagree with you." You state. "However, unless I am grossly mistaken, I suspect that we can count on the support of the Circle in the coming conflict, so having Avernus in their care achieves the same end."
"Unless they decide he is a threat and make him Tranquil." Duncan argues, a faint note of alarm creeping into his voice. "Which would make him all but useless."
You swallow back your rage at the reminder of that barbaric practice. "An excellent point. Then let us compromise. I happen to be on cordial terms with two of the Teyrns who are most invested in the coming war, MacTir and Cousland. I shall use all my leverage to ensure that the Circle is named as custodian, but authority over the prisoner shall remain with the crown."
Duncan gives you a long, considering look. You can tell that he is taking your measure, trying to figure out what you want.
"I would prefer," He says cautiously, "Avernus to remain in our custody. There are some things that only a Grey Warden can do, and specialist knowledge we possess. I cannot tell you what exactly it is, as it is a guild secret."
"If it is a guild secret then there is no need to share it." You say, reeling him in. "Without full information I am not confident enough to throw my weight behind your proposal."
You wait for your words to land before you continue. "Although, I suppose I could lend you my aid on faith. In the spirit of friendship."
Understanding blooms in Duncan's eyes. "The Grey Wardens do not forget their friends."
"Excellent!" You reply.
The two of you clasp hands, and the deal is struck.
From there you and Duncan exchange pleasantries, he is not exactly happy with you, but he has not reached his position without being willing to compromise. For your part, though bargaining like a fishwife makes you feel ill, you are satisfied that you have something of a leash if your worst fears for Avernus come to pass.
Suddenly the door opens and Merrill staggers in looking like she hasn't slept in far too long. She fixes her eyes on you and stumbles across the hall.
"I have very important news." She manages to say tiredly. "So, the expedition didn't go the way I planned, I have no idea if the Cure Taint spell works. Good news, I might have found a way to complete Avernus' research. Incidentally, doing so allowed me to kill a whole room of darkspawn."
You blink a few times in surprise. "Forgive me, but I fear I misheard you."
"Well, things were going wrong so I decided to try and create that spell we discussed where we could target Darkspawn. I don't know what exactly happened but I cast it wrong and instead I massively enhanced the Taint inside them, but it was too much for their physical bodies and they all melted!" Merrill rambles breathlessly.
"That, might be better than our original intentions." You muse. "A wide level lethal spell that affects a whole group is likely more of a force multiplier than a restorative."
"It knocked me out after one cast." Merrill slurs. "'Cause of laws of equivalence, can't empower without giving. Probably, I don't really understand the spell."
You narrow your eyes. "Merrill, when was the last time you slept?"
"What day is it?" The elf asks blearily.
"I think it is time for you to go to bed." You state firmly.
"Excuse me." Duncan interrupts. "Much as I don't want to cause the young lady any discomfort, I am very curious about those spells she's mentioned. Might I prevail upon you to share the details of them."
"Happily!" Merrill exclaims manically before you can say anything. "So we studied Avernus' notes and then it turned out that he'd had lots of interesting ideas. Then I studied Nelyafinwë and I remembered what Solas said about spirit tags. Did you know there's markers on people's souls that tell the soul what the body should look like?"
At this point Merrill pauses for breath. You could intervene, but you decide not to. There really is no downside to the Wardens hearing about your work, as long as you make its experimental nature clear. Besides, much of the work is Merrill's and from the sounds of it, she has been longing to share it with someone for a while.
"So I managed to find a way to 'clean' the taint. The problem is it's like a conceptual parasite, it quickly attaches itself to whatever it's part of and makes it a part of itself. You could probably use it to track them actually." She observes hazily. "That's what I was trying to test."
You can tell that Duncan has roughly a thousand questions, so you interrupt. "The other spell is even newer, as you just heard. So I think it might be best if we allow Merrill to rest now."
"Can't sleep, must understand spell." Merrill protests weakly.
"I have worked with Merrill on making of her spells and studied the same source as her, so I am sure to be able to answer your questions." You finish, before turning to Merrill. "Merrill, you are too tired to be of any use. Go. To. Bed."
It only take another five minutes of cajoling to get Merrill to do so, then you need to field Duncan's questions. No, you cannot cure darkspawn, did he miss the part about being a conceptual parasite? The destruction spell is very early days and may be something of a 'suicide attack' he will need to wait until you understand it better.
The other questions are all variations on those two. You explain a lot of technical jargon that clearly goes over his head. Finally, Alistair mentions that they need to go.
"Two more questions." Duncan says. "Are you a Grey Warden?"
"No." You reply. "I have no idea where people get that idea."
"The elf mentioned that she studied you to help create her spell, given our links to the darkspawn it was a natural concern." Duncan defends. "Speaking of which."
He meets your eyes with a firm gaze and says. "Will you hand over Avernus' notes to us?"
You meet his gaze calmly, thinking. There is still knowledge to be gleamed from Avernus' work, and a part of you is uncomfortable with the possibility of it being reunited with its master.
On the other hand, you have already gained more than you hoped from them than you had hoped. It will not be a problem to return the notes to the Wardens, and it will likely win you some favour with them as well.
"Of course." You reply with a smile. "Do you wish to accompany me to fetch them, or are you willing to wait for a servant to fetch them?"
Duncan's choice to accompany you is a poor move politically. The mistrust it implies would have caused no small amount of offence in most nobility. It annoys you too, but you are at least mollified by the thought that he takes the security of this dangerous knowledge seriously.
He is still not getting a gift though.
[1] In this case, a substance that accelerates the intake of the potion into the body, alcohol is another popular choice as is food.