Chapter 10
The Grey Warden and The Tevinter Mage
I would have probably uploaded this sooner but I got covid and it knocked me out for a while and I could barely type on my laptop on the couch as I was sick.
There is an unapologetic Paesyn bashing in this story because he was the one Tera npc who annoyed me for his harassment of Zolyn. In the game, he has you help him make a "relaxant potion" for Zolyn, which ends up numbing her mouth. While comedic to some and he represented the stereotype of pursuing the girl until she finally relents in this Asian game, I was not happy with any of it and felt like Zolyn caring for him suddenly was forced. I left him in the fic but took some liberty with how Zolyn is with him instead.
This flashback, which is a bit longer than the others, covers part of the Northern Arun Expedition expansion of Tera, which I played heavily. I had joined the game during the end of the Argon war where you defeat the Argon Queen, Shandra Manaya and then the following months after is when the next expansion was added. The other expansions added after, I didn't play as much of because I really wasn't endgame quality, which sucked because much of the game's story was behind many difficult dungeons I had trouble doing. I was able to do the solo Apex quest which unlocked my girl's special skills.
The devs decided to then swap around quests and make the Argon war AFTER the Northern Arun expedition, which irritated me to no end. This story follows the original timeline of the game before the devs switched stuff around.
I will give credit to the Tera Online wiki cataloging all the game quest transcripts, including NPCS. Should any of you readers who know nothing of Tera and are curious, you can though some of my lore knowledge follows not the English translated version of certain pieces, but of the Taiwanese translated version. What exactly, I will not reveal right now. The pages of Elins and Zolyn are not specific to say if Zolyn was a Princess, as this is a headcanon of my own. As I said, the lore of Tera had a lot of holes, so I did my best to fill them up when I could and take a few extra liberties from it
I will say, in these flashbacks, Zyllian does not have a mask. I wasn't quite sure how to specify that when these flashbacks are written as if everything is happening then and there and she hadn't started wanting to wear a mask until the present part of the story
I hope it's fine I use some of the word-to-word dialogue from the game itself. I do my best to write things said in my own words, but looking at the transcripts from the Inquisition game is alright.
Arborea. Highwatch. 278 VC. A few months ago.
The Vault of Oriyn's Will was a room made entirely of stone, some blocks having a singular glyph etched upon it. The entire area oozed heavy magic as a series of square blocks made up of a large tablet floated in the middle of the room itself. Usually, the blocks would float around randomly, but the Baraka High Elder Verikam used his magic to help keep the movement stabilized so the tablet's words could be legible. Beside the tablet were Erune and Eruno, trying to make out what it said. Eirai and Zyllian stood back beside the four other companions to watch over them.
The other companions were a puppy dog Popori engineer named Paesyn. He was a couple heads shorter than the Elins and bumbling around carrying all of his tools where he went. The two Khirian tribe humans, Rhodos the huge and muscular mostly shirtless warrior leader and Madat, one of the tribe's elders who had insisted on accompanying the group to the Vault. The last companion was the Elin named Zolyn. Like Zyllian, she was also a Reaper with her scythes strapped to her back.
Zyllian forcibly stood between Paesyn and Zolyn, giving the dog Popori a snarl with her teeth at him to back off from the former Elin Princess. Meanwhile, Rhodos crossed his thick arms in contemplation as he asked Madat if they were alright. Madat seemed to still be shaky long after the Fae Sisters helped Rhodos rescue him, but Madat kept brushing it off as the old bones of an old man and swatting the warrior away with his cane.
Verikam, the Baraka with thick heavy stone skin spoke. "So Oriyn's Will said this Dakuryon is now disguised?" He glanced down at the two Elins.
Ever since the end of the Argon war with the help of the Fae Sisters, the storm barrier that had sealed off access to the northern region of the Arun continent during the Divine War had finally disappeared. The Federation had sent a small exploratory expedition led by Elin Princess Syona, her Sight telling her that information about some sort of spring was there. When contact with the group was lost, strange mutated blue-gray like creatures of nightmares burst forth and started attacking those near the border. The Federation put together a second expedition group–this time calling in the Fae Sisters to aid. Zolyn, wanting to search for her twin sister, joined, serving as head of the group.
The Federation assigned Paesyn to work with the group. He had literal puppy eyes the moment he met Zolyn on the airship for some weird reason–even though Zolyn herself did not care to even reciprocate the over-the-top crush. Despite all the Fae Sisters' warnings to Paesyn, the Popori refused to leave Lady Zolyn alone.
The strange creatures attacked their airship, causing them to crash land near Rhodos' tribe. He explained that the strange creatures had probably been Archdeva and Demokron and offered to bring the group to Highwatch, the city of Baraka who held vast knowledge and history to find out more. Madat had immediately coined the Fae Sisters as the "Chosen Ones" the moment he had met them before a tribe of monsters later kidnapped him to which the group came to the old man's rescue.
Verikam had brought the group to the vault of knowledge to consult the codex that was said to know all but only would reveal as needed to the reader.
"Yes," Eirai tapped her finger on her crossed arms. "The leader of the Archdevas, and the cause of them and those Demokrons attacking our people down south."
Erune tilted her head in confusion. "But I don't understand. It started to speak in riddles after: All truths are found herein — for good or for ill…But truth is meaningless if you cannot accept it… And knowledge is useless if you do not act upon it…"
"And honestly, I don't like what it's asking us to 'give up' in exchange for the information…" Eruno murmured, arms also crossed like her older sister's in frustration. "The life of a stranger…the life of a mentor…and the life of a friend…" She gnawed on her lower lip while her tail visibly flicked around.
Suddenly, Madat spoke up behind them all. "Busy bustling around in circles, are we? I don't have all day!" The old man hunched over with his cane, then made an ugly laugh, confusing Rhodos while Eirai, Zyllian and Zolyn snapped their attention to him, sensing something off.
As the old man waved his arm out casually, a sudden blast of energy knocked everyone off their feet. Half of them fell back to the ground like rag dolls–only Zolyn and the older Fae sisters landing on their feet with trained skill. The only other occupant who wasn't flung around because of his own heavy body weight was Verikam, who stood stunned.
Madat no longer hobbled, instead walking upright as his body began to morph and change, becoming taller and bigger. Losing the beard upon his face, his tanned skin became a pale gray instead, while large curved horns grew from his head. The chest of his robes had an embedded red gem, and dark red crystals jutted from his shoulder pauldrons. The cruel smile on his face had grown as his form changed to something that looked like an Archdeva.
Zolyn and Zyllian drew their scythes immediately while Eirai whipped her throwing star from her back. Rhodos and Eruno rolled to their feet, the human's gauntlets on his hands while the squirrel Elin had her axe at the ready. All five of them rushed at the unknown man who was walking closer to the Baraka. This was no time for questions. This man was clearly Dakuryon.
Just as the surrounding five were about to make contact, the Archdeva scoffed and slammed the butt of his staff on the floor. Each of the five came to a sudden halt as the mysterious man immobilized them inside individual energy balls. Erune struggled to her feet, but she found herself behind a lightning energy barrier that blocked her way to the other. Her spells were also no match for this man clearly and if she tried anything, he was now holding her sisters captive.
"You beast!" Rhodos grunted as he struggled against the magic bonds. "What did you do with Madat?!" The four Elins gritted their teeth as they tried to fight through the bindings as well.
"Oh, the old man?" Chuckling once more, Dakuryon lolled his head towards Rhodos with a grin. "That old fart made a lovely live meal for my Demokron pets." His smile grew as he felt everyone's eyes widen at him and those words. "They don't even have a gag reflex to cough him up even though he was mostly skin and bones!" Erune nearly choked at hearing that as she brought her hand to her mouth in shock.
Rhodos began to shout and fought harder against the energy bubble, only for it to counter back, shocking the human inside as he started to scream. Dakuryon barked out another laugh at the man's suffering, turning his focus away from the others.
Zolyn took her chance, summoning and quickly releasing a shockwave of her shadow energy in a large amount, destroying the bubble holding her within before dashing towards Dakuryon. Just as she tried to slash at the Archdeva, he snapped his attention back to her in time to dodge her scythes. Missing her aim at him, she landed on the other side of the room, getting back into a battle stance while glaring at Dakuryon, her weapons at the ready.
"Oh, most intriguing that you could break my prison hmmm…" Dakuryon now kept his eye on the freed Elin as she stalked the room, trying to find an opening while also making sure to stand between the Archdeva and Erune. Hopefully, this man knew not how 'Chosen' the Erune and Eruno really were. "But no matter." He moved closer to Verikam and the floating tablet. "I got what I came for." Laying his staff out, first the tablet disappeared, followed by Verikam in absolute shock, and then Dakuryon himself. The energy prison orbs around the four dispersed, leaving them to stumble as they regained movement once again.
Madat had been dead and gone and now the Baraka High Elder and the Tablet were taken too. Everyone stared dumbfounded at the empty spot in the room now.
Almost everyone. "Miss Zolyn!" Paesyn squealed, having stood back before the entire time as he was only a lowly mechanic. The moment the threat was gone though, he rushed as fast as his little legs would take him to the Elin, who was sheathing her scythes now. "Did he hurt you?" Ignoring everyone else, the Popori tried to look over Zolyn, but she turned away, clearly annoyed by the fur ball when so much more was at stake right now.
"Shit…" Was all Eruno could say.
xoxoxo
Zyllian found Zolyn on one of Highwatch's walls, overlooking the valley and mountains in the distance. After running all around trying to deal with other tribe groups and monsters before making it to Highwatch in one piece, this was their first opportunity to be alone. Paesyn's focus was diverted by helping build a gate portal for the Federation to fly through. This was the perfect time for Zyllian now to talk to Zolyn.
It had been so long for them both since…the last time…
Zyllian began to speak. "My Lady-"
"I'm not a Princess anymore Zyllian. Not since we came back as Reapers." The fox Elin corrected, turning to look at her while her platinum blonde braids swayed.
"But my Oath-"
"Your Oath had ended when we both ceased to be Zyllian. And since I'm no longer a Princess, invoking it once again is pointless…" Seeing the hint of a pained look on Zyllian, she sighed and smiled. "I'm glad you're well though."
When the two first came back, they immediately went to work helping Princess Rida take back Pora Elinu from the Orcans. As soon as they dealt with the threat, Zyllian had to depart with Eirai to meet her younger sisters. After that, the Fae sisters had no time to come back to Pora Elinu. They occupied themselves trying to take down Thulsa and then immediately got dragged into the Argon war itself. By the time they finally returned, Zolyn had become busy herself, awaiting Princess Syona's return from her expedition. The life of a soldier seemed to be a busy one.
"And you." Zyllian took a moment to smile back softly. "How do you fare though?" She was implying the shadows. Every Reaper tapped into such dark powers from the Dream. Many had lost their lives from giving in to it too much–even after Pora Elinu's liberation. Zyllian was very much worried how Zolyn handled it as she herself struggled every day.
"I'm able to handle it, thanks to Syona." She took out a locket hidden under and opened it. Within it was a picture of the twin Elins, a most recent image of them together.. "Her heart changed the darkness in me." Zolyn clutched her free hand to her breast as she spoke fondly. "It brought me tranquility and peace."
Zyllian's own heart ached at that. If only she could feel that way with her own sisters. She tried, but she didn't have enough. There wasn't enough of her to hold on to the love. It couldn't be helped sadly, she was too damaged. Mentally shaking her head, she smiled back at Zolyn, hands aching to reach out to hold the Former Elin Princess' own.
Zolyn opened her eyes, but they were now downcast. "I hope we can find Syona. I pray she is still alive."
Pursing her lips, Zyllian moved closer to Zolyn. "We'll find her. I promise you." Giving in to the urge, she slowly started to raise her hands to clutch at Zolyn's, something she always hoped to do. Perhaps now she could finally tell her how much she meant-
"MISS ZOLYN!" The nasally high pitch squeal had Zyllian dropping her hands immediately and Zolyn snapped her locket shut as the Popori quickly waddled over. "There you are! These Highwatch residents have really yummy food and I wanted you to try them! I chose the ones I thought would be your favorites!" The platter he held up had a pile of unrecognizable foods, and it looked utterly disgusting to be quite honest. It was as if he had picked the ones meant for scraps for the compost.
Zolyn rolled her eyes and put her locket away before proceeding to walk past Paesyn and away from him, to which he quickly followed despite her saying to go away. Zyllian watched them and clenched her fists while blinking away her wet eyes from frustration. She was going to kill that Popori at this rate.
Present
Josephine looked over her notes one last time before addressing the group (consisting of Quen, the advisors: Cassandra, Leliana, Josephine, and Cullen, and Eirai who was at this point an advisor too) at the table in the War Room. "Horsemaster Dennet just arrived this morning,'' she began. "He has brought along quite a handful of horses useful for the Inquisition, and our growing connections with the nobles will allow us to have more in the future. Thanks to our efforts in dealing with some of the local problems in the Hinterlands, Ser Dennet's farm is in safer hands in his absence.
"Back to the main topic on hand though, closing the Breach." Josephine flipped her papers around to find the ones she needed. "The Templars have closed themselves off at their main headquarters and refuse to see anyone; even our scouts cannot infiltrate their high walls and around-the-clock security. If we want to appeal to them, we need to gain more political influence to gain the favor of high-ranking nobles who have the authority to enter the Templar grounds."
"How long would that take?" Quen asked, to which Leliana immediately answered him.
"We can spend more time helping out the rest of areas that need assistance to slowly help spread the Inquisition's reputation, but it will take some time before we have enough allies to help us persuade any other nobles to join our cause. Madame de fer and Mother Giselle's presence has already caused a few politicians to send their support, but it isn't enough."
The Mark on Quen's hand ached. He would need to head back to be by Erune's side soon to help alleviate the pain. Even with the Elin's help though, he could feel it slowly growing on his palm every single day like the Breach in the sky. "What is the situation with the Rebel Mages in Redcliffe then?" He spoke.
Cullen rubbed his temples and avoided looking at Quen, the two still slightly on awkward terms since the confession and rejection. "The Arl of Redcliffe, Teagan, had taken in some of the rebel mages as refugees, along with Grand Enchanter Fiona. After the explosion of the Conclave, though, it appears chaos erupted amongst the rebels and Arl Teagan has been having some difficulty with them. He's been doing the best he can with them, but the situation doesn't look good…"
Eirai looked down at the map on the war table with Quen. "So these are our two options, then." She began to summarize. "Troubled Templars who will not see us unless we take time to get more political influence, or the Rebel Mages who seem to be having some troubles of their own."
"Whichever one we go to, there will be repercussions from the other side," Josephine added. "Neither choice is better than the other. As I have discussed with Leliana, Cassandra, and Cullen, whichever group we choose, we have ended up arguing about the reasoning for choosing the other." The four humans looked to Quen and Eirai as Josephine continued. "Perhaps either of you could give your opinion? Especially you, Quen, since you are our 'Herald'."
Eirai shrugged and awaited Quen's choice. The elf furrowed his brow in thought.
Choosing to meet one group meant opposition from the other. Basically, his choice would be saying what side the Inquisition supported in the war. Quen was a pro-mage himself in every aspect, partially because of his sister and his father, but he also knew the risks that came with it.
The Champion of Kirkwall, Varric's friend, Hawke, had supported the mages against the abuse and cruelty of the Templar rule there (Cullen had been part of the Templar organization there but then turned on his Knight-Commander. She had gone mad with power, partly influenced by a weapon made of an evil substance. Cullen had realized the error of his ways greatly, for not seeing the torture his own colleagues would inflict on innocent mages; his servitude to Cassandra and Leliana and later, Commander to the Inquisition was his was of redemption for his naïve and foolish actions), but it had turned out that there were some monsters amongst the mage resistance group itself. Kirkwall's Mage Enchanter, Orsino, had allowed a blood mage to get away with deadly human experimentation and the Champion's mother paid the ultimate price of being turned into a body puppet made up of various human parts (that passage of Varric's book was always the most chilling for Quen to read). Orsino himself regretted his actions of letting the blood mage commit these heinous crimes, but it was too late and the damage had been done.
And then there was one of Hawke's lovers, a mage who had been possessed by a spirit. That spirit abhorred Templar rule so much that when the man had become angry from the many years of the Chantry turning a blind eye, he caused an explosion at the Church, killing the head Mother and inciting the beginning of the Mage-Templar war.
After the death of the Templar's commander to the destruction of Kirkwall, Hawke had fled, his support for most mages shaken. Before Varric had parted ways with the Champion, his book entailed about Hawke going off with both of his lovers, including the one who had caused the destruction, though it appeared their relationship was strained at this point. In the end, one could not be solely pro-Mage or pro-Templar without taking into consideration the problems from both sides.
From what it came down to in the end for Quen, though, it was time. Time they needed and didn't have enough of. The Mark twinged again as if to remind him how pressed they were.
"Grand Enchanter Fiona had invited us compared to Lord Seeker Lucius, who had treated us with disdain in Val Royeaux. I say we go to the mages." Quen finally said
Before Cullen could object to this decision, Eirai interrupted him. "I just remembered something. Even if the Templars could do just as well at suppressing the magic from the Fade, Solas had said that the Breach's magic is intertwined with the magic from my world. As we have seen before, none of your wards worked against the magic and Willpower from mine. The best we can do is to counteract the power of the Breach with more power from this end. Sort of like how Erune is relieving the power of the Mark on Quen with her own magic."
Cullen gave a frustrated look before he sighed in defeat. Cassandra blinked in response to the Elin's explanation. "We hadn't considered that." She said as she turned to look at the map. "Perhaps you are right. The mages are essentially our only option for this matter."
"Then it is settled," Josephine finalized her notes on her clipboard with a stroke of her quill. "I'll let Master Dennet know to prepare the horses for you and whatever supplies you may need." Nodding, she then left.
Cassandra, Eirai, and Cullen said they would let the rest of Quen's traveling company of the news and also emptied the room. Quen then felt the sudden unease of being left alone with Leliana. "I should get ready as well." He quickly said, turning to make his way to the door.
"Quen wait." The Nightingale called back, her voice calm and unwavering, though stern enough to halt Quen in his escape from her presence. Seeing him tense, Leliana tried to give a kind smile of assurance. "This is something else, a different matter. Several months ago, the Grey Wardens of Ferelden vanished. I sent word to those in Orlais, but they have also disappeared. Ordinarily I wouldn't even consider the idea they're involved in all this, but the timing is… curious. The others have disregarded my suspicion, but I cannot ignore it."
Now Quen's attention was piqued. "What sort of suspicion?" He asked.
"With the chaos going as to who is responsible for the Divine's death, some fingers have been starting to point to the Wardens themselves, mainly from their disappearing en masse so suddenly right before the Conclave." Leliana answered.
Quen hadn't thought of that. And now, there was one more mystery needed solving. Who could best do it than the Inquisition themselves? "Alright. Do you have any information for us to start our investigation?"
Leliana nodded. "Two days ago, my agents in the Hinterlands heard news of a Grey Warden by the name of Blackwall. If you have the opportunity, please seek him out. Perhaps he can put my mind at ease." She marked on his map where her scouts had found where Blackwall was last seen.
"And if he can't?" Quen quirked a brow with a stern look.
"There may be more going on than we thought…"
xoxoxo
While much of the group voiced their general acknowledgements of the slight detour they were making right now before heading straight to Redcliffe, Zyllian showed the most enthusiasm of meeting the Grey Warden out of them all, which was quite a surprise.
"A Grey Warden?" Zyllian had perked up on her horse. Quen nearly balked, whipping his head to the Reaper Elin. She barely spoke at all except the occasional annoyed noise like Cassandra and Vivienne at Eruno, Sera, and The Iron Bull's antics. Hearing her to show such interest piqued his curiosity indeed.
"Into Wardens huh Sweet-pea?" Varric chuckled to himself, moving his horse closer to Zyllian to see if she was up for conversation.
Ignoring the nickname behind her mask, Zyllian continued. "They are honorable people. The Oaths and rituals they must take to defend your people from Darkspawn. And it being a redemption path for criminals–for those who want to atone for what they've done. The weight they carry from being Wardens. Like the dwarven Legion of the Dead." She then turned her head slightly to Varric. "My sympathies that your world has this underlying Darkspawn problem." Before the dwarf could say anything, she moved her horse away to be by herself from the group.
xoxoxo
"Warden Blackwall?" Quen called out to the dark bearded man in black (how fitting for his name). The man had been busy instructing a few farm boys some battle techniques when Quen and the others approached.
"Why do you know my name? Who are you?" Blackwall raised a brow in curiosity, though his eyes widened when he took in the sight of the entire group and, notably, Quen's gear. "You're Inquisition." The farm boys and Blackwall nearly jumped the moment they noticed the Fae Sisters. "Maker's Balls! So those are the 'Elins'..." He turned to send the farm boys that combat practice was over and to head home. Once they had left, he brought his attention back to Quen. "So, what can I do for you lot?"
Cassandra took the honors of stepping forward. "We're investigating the Grey Warden disappearances and if they have to do with Divine Justinia's murder."
The Warden swore aloud at that. "I had no idea they were all missing–but that's common after a Blight. Archdemon and Darkspawn invasion gone, Wardens are forgotten soon after. But one thing I'll tell you: no Warden killed the Divine. Our purpose isn't political." He glared at all of them, clearly uncomfortable with what the Seeker said.
"We aren't accusing you." Eirai said. "We need information about the situation and came to find you."
Blackwall looked Eirai over, arms crossed. "I haven't run into any Wardens for months. I've been traveling alone, helping out where I can and recruiting those who can fight."
Quen looked at Eirai and Cassandra. It didn't look like there was much else they were going to get from Blackwall about the Wardens. "Apologies for bothering you. Thank you for the help." Quen said before nodding and turned to go.
"Wait." Blackwall stopped them. "With the Divine dead and the sky torn, with events like these, thinking we're absent is almost as bad as thinking we're involved. If you're trying to put things right," He thumped a fist against his chest. "Maybe you need a Warden. Maybe you need me." Seeing the unsure looks, he added more. "I got some treaties on me as well. Maybe this isn't a Blight, but it's bloody well a disaster. Some will honor them. Being a Warden means something to a lot of people so doing something to help save the damn world is important."
The group took a few seconds before Zyllian spoke up to them. "We need all the help we can get in this Inquisition. I am in support of this." Quen blinked at that.
Cassandra and Eirai also voiced their agreements to Quen. The rest of their companions were either indifferent or fine with it as well. "Alright then," Quen headed back to Blackwall. "You have most certainly made your point. The Inquisition accepts your offer." He held out his hand, which the Warden took and shook. Zyllian seemed to do a bow towards Blackwall to show her respect, which had him chuckling.
"Good to hear. We both need to know what's going on, and perhaps I've been keeping to myself for too long. This Warden walks with the Inquisition."
"Excellent. We are heading to Redcliffe village right now as our next mission. We can fill you in on the details on the way."
xoxoxo
Before they could even enter the village, a rift had shown up suddenly, which puzzled them all. Not only were the rifts supposed to have appeared when the Breach did, this one happened in front of their eyes. And as they were eradicating all the demons that spewed forth, time would sometimes seem to slow around those within the vicinity of the rift itself. This weird time flow made the fight even harder for them all.
Quen and Erune were panting as she held his left hand after the rift was closed. This one required more of her healing mana to help stabilize the energy Quen needed for it. "What…" Quen breathed. "Something was different with that rift…"
"Places where the veil is thin can be affected by hefty amounts of magic." Solas said as he looked over the rest of the party before putting his staff away. "Redcliffe has had magic related problems in the past. Whatever powerful magic is here has ripped out a hole, making the rift."
Vivienne huffed. "Considering there are mages there right now, one of them is throwing their magic around to cause such a rip–one that affects time flow no less." The Enchanter was clearly unhappy about this.
"Augh. First demons and weird magic, now more weird shite?" Sera whined as she retrieved an arrow. Eruno tried to pat her on the back to reassure her.
Blackwall chuckled. "Wow. I assume most rifts you close are not like this, then."
"Let's be on our guard then everyone." Eirai said, taking the lead of the group to Redcliffe. Once the rift was closed, soldiers opened the wooden gates.
As soon as the group entered Redcliffe, one of the Inquisition scouts that had been stationed there came to greet them. "Inquisitor! We've spread word that the Inquisition was coming, but you should know no one here was expecting us."
Eirai tilted her head at that. "None? But didn't Grand Enchanter Fiona invite us?"
The scout shook their head. "If she was, she hasn't told anyone. We've arranged the use of the tavern for the negotiations." They pointed at the building in question in the distance. "The Arl has also been missing. We sent ravens to Leliana about this change in events.
As the troupe walked through, the villagers whispered heavily. Truly it was a sight to behold, the Enchantress Vivienne, a Qunari, the elvhen herald with a couple other elves, a Grey Warden, a Seeker who was also the right hand of the Divine, and the four Elins.
As they headed over, Varric gave a quick synopsis run-down to the Elins at what happened in Redcliffe during the Fifth Blight of the Viscount's son possessed by a demon and had summoned a bunch of undead that terrorized the village. Thankfully, the Grey Wardens had shown up and dealt with the problem. Walking through the village square, there was a statue honoring the Hero of Ferelden.
Quen paused to look at the statue for a moment. It wasn't of any shape of a person or creature, just generic jutting pyramids. The base of the statue had a placard reading:
[In Honor of the Hero of the Fifth Blight: Veranda Maharial, who died dealing the final blow killing the Archdemon. Statue commissioned by King Alistair and Queen Ilena Cousland. "May our dear beloved friend find peace in her Creator's arms."]
A nice enough touch that the King and Queen respected the elf's beliefs. Quen was pleased at that. He had remembered learning a few years later after the Blight that the hero was a Dalish elf, later finding it was the same woman he met all those years ago. Taking a moment to grace his fingertips along the placard before heading to the tavern with the others.
The tavern had been emptied out with only the Grand Enchanter herself waiting by an empty table big enough for a small group. She nodded to the group, to which Erune and Quen were the only ones to properly bow back. "Greetings, agents of the Inquisition." She then turned to Vivienne for a moment. "First Enchanter Vivienne."
"My dear Fiona. It's been so long since we last spoke. You look dreadful! Are you sleeping well?" Vivienne's voice was laced with heavy sarcasm in it while she had a fake smile.
"Well, I was until you arrived here." Fiona lightly snapped back with her own small fake smile. The tension between the two was heavily palpable. Bull chuckled to himself and elbowed Blackwall not to anger women like them, while Erune looked absolutely nervous seeing such a thing go down. Cassandra rolled her eyes and cleared her throat to get the attention of Fiona. "Ah, pardon me. What has brought you to Redcliffe exactly?"
"You," Quen started, utterly confused. "Didn't you invite us personally?" He could see the confusion crossing Fiona's face. "At Val Royeaux?"
Fiona furrowed her brow at that. "I have not been to Orlais since before the Conclave. Surely you're mistaken."
"It was no mistake." Eirai spoke up. "A majority of us can affirm who we saw, and Cassandra herself confirmed it was you. You talked to us after the Lord Seeker left with the Templars." Taking a moment to examine Eirai's rabbit ears, the Grand Enchanter became even more puzzled by the Elin's words.
"The Templars left? Where did they go? Why does all of that…" The elvhen woman brought her hand to her chin in thought. "Sounds so strange?" She then shook her head. "Whoever or what brought you here, the situation has changed. We free mages have already… pledged themselves to the service of the Tevinter Imperium."
The entire room went dead silent after that, everyone trying to process the information.
"You did…what?" Eruno cocked her head. It seemed she and her sisters did quite a bit of research on Tevinter since they got here to know it was bad news.
Vivienne shook her head with a sigh while one hand rested on her hip. "Fiona dearie, your dementia is showing. Erune, do be a dear and take note that this is an example of what NOT to do." The poor Elin darted back and forth between them nervously, unable to find the right words.
"Andrastes' ass…" Varric himself swore. "I'm trying to think of a single worse thing you could have done. And I've got nothing."
Solas was the only one really trying to sympathize with Fiona. "I understand you are afraid, but you deserve better than being slaves for Tevinter."
"Do you not fear all of Thedas turning on you for this alliance?" Cassandra finished for the group, to which Fiona could not look at any of them anymore, sitting down in a wooden chair by a table.
"As one indentured to a magister, I no longer have the authority to negotiate with you." Fiona lamented as she looked down at her hands.
All of this frustrated Quen. Not only did it seem the mage option was no longer available-but servitude? For such an alliance, he didn't expect the rebel mages to go to such lengths. It felt ironic to be quite honest. They escaped the slavery of the circles only to become slaves for another country.
Quen stepped over to Fiona to get her attention. "Why? What drove you to do something like this?" He said, anger dripping in his voice. Surely if the mages had waited just a few days for the Inquisition to arrive. Quen never understood what lengths people would go. Even Bull's own conversations about the Qun did little to persuade him of the society helping. Why were so many people so difficult? Erune tip-toed close to hold his left hand in hers, having him stop himself and realize his hand was hurting again. He took a few breaths to calm down.
Fiona looked up at them both. Quen could see the guilt in her eyes and despite Vivienne's rude remark, it was true; the Grand Enchanter looked exhausted. She honestly looked like she hadn't been eating much lately either. The elf woman barely kept her dark hair anymore, with multiple strands falling in front of her face as she spoke. "Most of Thedas blame us for the Divine's death. The templar attacks grew worse, and we mages had no allies. Either my people made a last stand here in Redcliffe, or we took the only offer of help extended to us. I had to save them. I had no other choice." The tired wrinkles on her face seemed to grow more.
As Quen stood up, the tavern door opened and two men entered. Both were wearing the telltale attire of Venatori, like back at the storm coast when they picked up Bull and the Chargers. Their faces were similar though one looked far older than the other. The younger one also looked pale, as if he was ill.
"Ah! Pardon for being late here!" The older Venatori laughed. "Welcome my friends!"
Fiona's lips curled into a small frown. "Inquisition Agents, allow me to introduce you to Magister Gereon Alexius." She could not look at the man as she gestured to him.
Quen instinctively moved to stand in front of Erune to protect her. Just really what they needed, a Magister. He really didn't trust Tevinters–especially their magisters.
Alexius noticed Quen's movements and chuckled once more. "Ah, you must be the survivor from the Fade, along with those girls from another world, yes?"
"What about it?" Quen growled back. Everyone in the room was on edge now except for Alexius, who seemed to be taking it all in stride.
"Oh nothing, nothing, just very interesting is all." The Magister clasped his hands behind his back as he strolled to get a better look at them all, including at Quen's left hand. "Anyway," He stood up straight, putting on a picture perfect smile. "So the southern mages are under my command now. After your poor Divine met her untimely demise, I daringly came to their rescue.
"How very…convenient…" Eirai drawled with her arms crossed. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Alexius smirk at her. "And where is Redcliffe's Arl? Strange for him to leave so suddenly during all of this."
"Ah, Arl Teagan." Alexius took a moment to swipe away some dirt from his pointy attire. "I wanted to avoid an incident with all the tensions growing and all, so I had to ask him to leave."
"Asked?" The rabbit Elin wasn't buying his excuse for a second.
"More like, 'tossed him out on his ass'..." Varric muttered while Sera, Bull, and Eruno nodded in unison.
Alexius ignored them all and settled down in a chair. "Such things aside, I heard you're wanting the mages and since they are now under my command, let's talk business! Come, sit!" He gestured cheerfully for Quen to have a seat. As the elf sat down, Cassandra and Eirai joined him. The rest of the crew stood nearby, whispering quietly amongst themselves. "One moment, Felix, can you get us a scribe?" The younger Venatori bowed and walked out of the tavern to leave them. "Apologies for my manners, that was my son, Felix."
Taking off his leather gloves, he folded his hands together, taking a bit of a sigh before rubbing at his temples. "I must admit, I'm not surprised you're here. Containing the Breach is not a feat that many could even attempt." His eyes glanced at Quen's left hand. "You're also trying to counter it alongside the magic from the other world. There is no telling how many mages would be needed for such an endeavor. Ambitious, indeed." Looking back at Quen, he gave off a hearty business smile.
The table creaked a little under Quen's weight as he leaned on one arm with his own counter smirk. "Well, when you're fighting a massive tear in the sky, you can hardly afford to think small–Especially if the subject is tearing into another world." His left hand sparked a little green as he schooled himself not to flinch in front of the Magister.
"So I see," Alexius remarked, eyeing Quen's hand once more. "There will have to be—" He stopped as he noted the tavern door opening once more for Felix.
Erune noticed something was wrong with Felix, the man's stride wobbly as if he was about to fall over. "Sir? Are you alright?" She asked. The man appeared to clutch his head with one hand while stumbling to the point of falling toward the Elin. Erune nearly squeaked as she rushed into his space to hold him. Her much smaller and frailer frame wasn't enough, and they both fell to the floor, Alexius and the others rising as he shouted his son's name in alarm.
"Felix!" The magister and Quen knelt on the floor by their side. "Felix, are you alright?"
Holding onto the Elin's hand, Felix struggled to sit upright, Erune and Quen noticing the heavy sweat on his brow. "I'm…I'm so sorry my Lady." He wheezed out before looking to Alexius. "I'm fine, father." Despite his words, Erune, being a trained healer, could evidently tell the Tevinter was most certainly not. As Felix drew his hands away from Erune and leaned into his father's, she felt a piece of paper slip inside her sleeve.
"Come, let's go get your powders." Alexius helped his son to his feet. As he looked at Quen, there was a faint bit of distress in his eyes. "Please excuse us my friends. We will need to reconvene another time. I'll send word to the Inquisition when we can conclude this business at a later date." Patting his son on the back, he gestured for Fiona to follow him, the three leaving the tavern.
"That was…odd." Eirai stated to break the silence once more.
"Frustrating that the mages are now in servitude to Tevinter. We'll need to talk to the others back at Haven." Cassandra sighed with a groan.
"That aside," The Iron Bull stepped over to Erune. "Mind showing us what Felix gave you?" He looked down to pat the blue Elin on the shoulder. Eruno was flabbergasted that the Qunari could catch that, so Bull made sure to remind her that he was a Ben-Hassrath.
Erune, a little nervous of the attention being on her, pulled out the folded piece of paper and opened it to read. "It says, 'Come to the Chantry. You're in danger.'"
Sera snickered to herself. "Someone's being all secretive."
"I'd be on guard my dears." Vivienne expressed, heading to the door, staff in hand at the ready should it be necessary. "That boy is from Tevinter and all."
"Even so," Erune handed over the note to Quen to hold before moving to heal his hand. "He seemed sick. Very sick."
xoxoxo
"Good, you're finally here! Now help me close this would you?"
Were they expecting there to be a rift in the middle of the Chantry? No. Sure, it was no surprise to see a Tevinter waiting for him (No it wasn't Felix). It was quite a surprise though to see said Tevinter mage fighting off a bunch of demons that had poured out of the rift. While Quen could have stood there trying to gauge who this Tevinter mage was, there really were more important things, like defeating the demons to keep them from escaping the Chantry into the village, and closing the rift itself. Thankfully, the Chantry was spacious enough for the group of them to spread out to take down the demons.
Already Blackwall was joining in well with the crew, at least with Sera, Eruno, Iron Bull, and Varric (possibly Solas, but it was difficult to read that man). The group of them had started making a game of how many demons they could each land the killing blow on. Even as time seemed to slow weirdly in the rift's presence, they were making the most of it (and to be quite honest; it was amusing hearing one of their voices slowed down as they called out the current kill number they were on.)
Quen at first was avoiding the Tevinter's side of the room, but once he saw the man running low on mana struggling against a despair demon, he ran over to draw the howling creature's form to him. In the midst of another strange time slowdown, Quen looked at the dark-skinned mage to make sure he was alright. The man seemed to be now thanks to Quen's intervention and noticed Quen's glance, which slowed down into staring because of the rift being weird. To which he winked back at the elf with a smile. That startled Quen as time around them turned to normal, causing him to quickly divert his attention back to the fight at hand before the demon before him started to howl a wave of ice breath in his direction.
Once they had dealt with all the demons, Quen and Erune immediately went to work, closing the rift together. The poor blue Elin avoided much of the combat to reserve her mana solely to heal others. Vivienne said she would try to figure out something to help, but she hadn't found anything just yet.
Rift mended, back to the task at hand, Quen turned his attention to the Tevinter mage while Erune finished healing his hand. "So, Quen Lavellan, huh?" The man's suave voice rolled his name as if it were honey, while leaning against his staff in a flirtatious, idle pose. "Fascinating Mark there. Made quite a name for yourself. The little miss too. Does the shiny scar do any other neat tricks?"
Quen crossed his arms, quirking a brow to the mage. "Not that I know of yet. To be honest, I haven't had much chance to see what it can do besides closing those rifts." He wondered what this was this Tevinter's intentions were.
"Speaking of which, it's strange how one was open here." Cassandra noted while sheathing her sword and shield.
"I do say!" The mage spoke up. "It appeared so suddenly as I was waiting for you. Pesky little thing it was. Though I suppose it allowed me a chance to show off!" He straightened his stance and winked at Quen.
Definitely flirting. This mage knew what he was doing in being flamboyant in his speech and movements. Quen was quite taken in by the man's handsome appearance, but while his emotions and hormones thought one thing, his tactical mind reminded him to get a grip.
"How very convenient," Zyllian murmured dryly, keeping a watchful glare on the mage.
"She's right. The people of the village could have noticed demons running about," Varric agreed with the reaper.
"Perhaps the presence of the Mark caused a rift to open? Redcliffe has always had history in the past, involving demons due to the veil being thinner here." Solas remarked, to which Vivienne nodded with his observation.
It was still odd. In fact, everything here was odd. The timing of the mages being recruited just before the Inquisition arrived. First Enchanter Fiona not even remembering her conversation with them back in Val Royeaux. And then this man? As friendly as he may have seemed, things just weren't adding up. In addition, this man was a Tevinter mage-a magister. Quen pushed down his thoughts of being impressed by the pretty man's motions and kept his hands on his daggers at the ready, should the mage attempt anything.
The moment Erune finished healing his hand enough, Quen made a defensive step forward. "Who are you?
The Tevinter made a flourishing bow to him and spoke. "I am-"
"Ah, Dorian!" Felix came into the Chantry through the side door near the altar. Walking up to the mage's side, he bowed to Quen. "Apologies for the delay. You and my friend Dorian are now acquainted, yes?"
Dorian straightened himself with a cough before smoothing out his curled mustache and straightening the collar of his white robes that looked fancy but had shown the wear of the road of travel. Despite his current rugged appearance, he definitely had the air of a noble like Vivienne and Josephine. "Quite. Dorian of House Pavus, most recently of Minrathous, and an Altus but not a Magister. How do you do?"
Eirai walked over and bowed back. The mage–Dorian gave an incredulous look for a moment, finally able to see the Elins in person and out of combat. "Felix gave my little sister a note, calling us here." Eirai said, before looking at Felix. "Though it is a surprise to see you managed to get away from your father."
The Venatori man still had a sickly pale complexion, but he managed to chuckle at that. "I shouldn't have played the illness card. I thought he'd be fussing over me all day."
"Vishante kaffas, you have been ill for months and Alexius is like a mother hen about it all!" Dorian snorted while reaching out to shove Felix's shoulder playfully. The two of them chuckled for a moment before focusing back on the group with serious faces. "I had Felix call you all over to tell you that what Alexius is doing is a trap. He was my mentor some time ago before he joined the Venatori–a Tevinter cult that arose recently. Now tell me, have you all been experiencing something odd since you arrived here, specifically with time yes?"
The rabbit Elin crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at that. Even Cassandra stepped forward to show her displeasure. "You are correct. What of it?" Quen answered for all of them, not knowing where this Tevinter mage was going with this.
"Alexius has been meddling with time magic. It's how he managed to arrive here at Redcliffe after the Divine's death to claim the rebel mages out from under you and the Inquisition: by distorting time itself."
This time Vivienne chimed in. "Manipulating time itself? Many have attempted over the ages, but never once succeeded."
"And such a thing would be incredibly dangerous if it were true." Solas added.
"Well, it all is," Dorian continued before he was cut off. "The rift that you closed in here? A mishap from Alexius' unstable magic. It'll keep increasing, unraveling the world as we know it."
"And why should we trust you? You may say you are not a magister, but you are from Tevinter." Quen hissed back with apprehension. Granted, he learned to trust Shems like Trevelyan, he had known to be wary of Tevinter overall. It was ingrained in him and his clan.
It was one thing to be wary of Shem nobles; it was another thing with Tevinter Shems. Ones who kidnapped elves back to their lands to enslave them.
Dorian scoffed, seeing that Quen wasn't one to joke around at this moment. "I'm not from the Magisterium, so even though I'm a mage from Tevinter, we are not one and the same. As for why you should trust me, I was the one who helped Alexius develop that magic itself. Though it was pure theory when I was still his apprentice. He could never get it to work." Putting his staff away, he put his hands on his hips with a frown. "What I don't understand is why he's doing it? Ripping time to shreds just to gain a few hundred lackeys?"
"It wasn't for them," Felix said. "It was for the Venatori itself." He looked at Quen and the Elins from under his hood. "Whatever he's done for them, he's done it to get to you five."
The Elins all snapped their attention to Felix. "Us?" Eirai's rabbit ears twitched at that.
"I have no idea why the Venatori are obsessed with not just the Herald–but you Elins as well. My guess it would be because he," He gestured at Quen. "Survived the Temple of Sacred ashes and the fact that the Elins are from another world." His hand moved to address them. "I'm not sure what connection the Venatori have with the Breach and the rifts, but if they're behind them, they're worse than I thought."
"Why are you telling us this, him being your father and all."
"For the same reason, Dorian is working against him." Felix looked down in shame, wringing his hands. "I love my father, and I love my country. But this? Cults? Time magic? What he's doing is madness. For his own sake, you have to stop him." As he looked back up to Quen, he had desperation in his eyes. "Please. You have to stop him, whatever trap he's planning for you."
Quen glanced at Eirai and Cassandra with concern. Dorian, who saw the look on the elf's face, spoke up with his telltale charm and smile. "Here's my suggestion on what to do. You now know about Alexius' trap, so best you all head back to where your Inquisition headquarters are to plan accordingly when he calls upon you again. He doesn't know I'm here either, so I would request if you will allow me to come back with you to help with your next move, whatever that may be." Dorian smiled assuredly, despite all the looks of concern from the others. "There is only one of me and multiple of you if you're worried about a dashing Tevinter prancing around your encampments!"
Eirai tapped her finger on her arm in annoyance before glancing at Zyllian with a look. The wolf Elin walked over and took off her mask as she stood in front of Dorian, who looked down at the white-haired Elin with curiosity. "Ah, you have a face under there! Thought you were like those Orlesians who like to mask themselves and all-" His sentence was cut off as Zyllian grabbed his robes and tugged him close, her amethyst eyes glaring back into his surprised gray ones. As she sniffed him for a moment, she let go of him and stepped back.
"He smells of fancy spices, typical magic like the mages here, and wet dog." She grunted before putting her mask back on.
Dorian looked absolutely offended. "Now, now, I would rather have you take me to dinner first–And I don't smell that bad…do I?" Felix snorted at that to which Dorian playfully shoved him again. "I've never traveled on the road on my own before alright! Bathing is absolutely a necessity, and I do wish to finally have a place to do so!" Ducking his head in embarrassment, he sighed.
Quen watched the man, hiding his amusement at this Tevinter floundering around (Though he did notice most of the others ended up laughing or chuckling at the scene before them). Letting out a soft huff, he laughed a bit, too. Once the amusement period was over, Quen got serious once more. "You can come along, Dorian of House Pavus. But should you try anything, I will have you know, we will be watching your every move."
The Tevinter smirked back. "Perish the thought of me doing any sort of blood magic and other evil Magister ways. Now, I don't mind being watched while I finally scrub the stink of the road off me. I love providing a bit of eye-candy!" With that, he winked.
Said comment and winking startled Quen, making him blush furiously. Which led to Sera snorting aloud and the Iron Bull. Eruno held back her snickering, cheeks puffed up behind her closed fist while Cassandra made a disgusted noise, looking aside.
Erune blinked in curiosity, looking at everyone before tilting her head. "What does eye-candy mean? I've heard Finnoe use it a few times, but she won't explain it to me."
A loud, exasperated sigh was heard from Eirai. "It's an adult thing, Erune."
Felix coughed awkwardly. "I better head back before I worry my father any further. It was a pleasure meeting you all." He bowed once more before the group before turning to leave from the door whence he came.
"Felix." Dorian called out. "Try not to get yourself killed."
Hand paused on the door handle, Felix looked back, the smile on his face forced. "There are worse things than dying, Dorian." Without another word, he left the Chantry.
"Is he," Erune turned to Dorian. "What is he ill with? His whole body's energy felt weak when he landed on me."
Dorian's eyes looked pained at the Elin. "Perhaps we can discuss this later? Truly don't want to stay here for too long. I hope you all don't mind giving me a lift back to the Inquisition and all."
Cassandra made an annoyed noise while moving to leave. "We should have enough horses. Though one of the Elin sisters will have to share with another one of us." She observed the four girls.
"I can share with you, Cassandra. Dorian can take mine." Eirai answered.
xoxoxo
Felix watched from Redcliffe castle down at the village, watching the Inquisition leave. He could pick out which one was Dorian, the only one with a hood on to make sure Alexius didn't recognize him. Dorian was trying to stick close to the elven Herald, trying to chat him up. Typical of his friend to try to flirt or charm his way around, Felix shook his head. "Good luck Dorian." He murmured. "I'll do what I can here, but it's up to you and the Inquisition to stop my father…"