It was decided that Morrigan would enter through Irving's window once she saw Olorin enter. Olorin landed in front of the Spoiled Princess Inn and headed towards the ferry, where the ferryman was waiting, and agreed to row Olorin across. It took ten minutes to get across the lake where Olorin was met by Petra, now wearing the robes of a Senior Enchanter. They chatted amiably until they reached Irving's office where Irving greeted Olorin in a rather flustered manner, clearly not expecting him to be back so soon.
"Olorin. To what I owe the pleasure?" Irving said, before taking a startled a breath when a bird flew through his window and landed on his floor, before transforming back into Morrigan.
"By the Maker! I have heard of shapeshifting before but have never seen it."
"Indeed? I'd imagined not many circle mages have even heard of it. Are you to call your Templars?"
"Goodness no. I imagine you are with Olorin? That is good enough for me that you are no threat."
Morrigan nodded her head in acquiesce, before motioning to Olorin to continue.
"We've travelled to Redcliffe where we encountered a problem, First Enchanter. Corpses were attacking the village."
"Corpses? As in plural? It must be a powerful demon controlling them. Are Redcliffe's Templars unable to help?"
"They all perished protecting the villagers before we got there. Ourselves, some Redcliffe knights and Bann Teagan have defeated the corpses."
"But you need help to tackle the source?" Irving enquired.
"Yes. We know the source. It is Connor Guerrin."
"The Arl's son!? You'd best explain."
"Connor is a mage. The Arlessa hired an apostate to teach him magic under the Arl's nose in order to keep him out the circle. In fact she hired Jowan, who poisoned the Arl on orders of Loghain."
"Jowan acting on orders of Loghain? By the Maker I'm getting a headache."
"Indeed. Anyway when the Arlessa found out she naturally threw Jowan in the jail cells. At which point Connor made a bargain with a desire demon to save his father."
"I presume you wish to enter the fade in order to save Connor?"
"Yes, we do. Alistair, a fellow Grey Warden, is a former Templar trainee and Wynne is still with us, so they are standing guard for now."
"Of course we will help. Greagoir will want to come as well in case things go wrong though. Though why not use your dreamer abilities?"
"Yes I had wondered that as well." Morrigan interrupted, with Irving making a sound of surprise that Morrigan knew of Olorin's dreaming.
"Simple/ When you use Lyrium to enter the fade you guide us to the exact part of the fade we need. While it is likely the demon is in close proximity to the castle, it's not definite. When I enter the fade I need to know I'm going to the right part of the fade and my dreamer abilities simply do not guarantee it."
"Right. I think that makes sense" Irving said. He had never truly understood Olorin's abilities, despite his best efforts.
With that decided, Morrigan again transformed into a raven and flew out the room, leaving to get a message back to those at the castle. After filling in Greagoir, Olorin left with the five mages he needed, plus the First Enchanter, along with ten Templars, including Greagoir.
o-0-o
The group arrived at Redcliffe before nightfall and marched from the village up to the castle, to many stares from the villagers. Arriving Alistair gave a report to Olorin and the Templars while the mages prepared the ritual.
"Its definitely a desire demon. Sensing Wynne was more powerful it tried to bargain with her. She obviously didn't fall for it."
Greagoir laughed. "Wynne is far too experienced to fall for a demon when she knows its there."
"Yes, that's what she said. Anyway, Connor's been in his room the whole time. I've had a Wrath of Heaven ready for if he came out but he hasn't even tried. I think the demon knows it wouldn't stand a chance if it did."
"That's good. It's not often a demon gives us chance to try this ritual to be honest. Its why we tend to have to kill the host when there's an abomination." Greagoir spoke as Irving came over to speak to Olorin.
"Olorin, the ritual is nearly ready. Are you confident in what you must do?"
"I am, Irving. Find the demon in the fade and try and get it to relinquish its hold over Connor. Its unlikely to do so and as I won't be willing to strike a deal, I'll probably have to defeat it in combat."
"Yes, that is correct. After you have emerged from the fade Greagoir here will perform the Litany of Adralla to make sure you are not being controlled by the demon."
Olorin just nodded his ascent and made his way to the centre of the ritual circle. He heard the mages around him chanting, as is needed in all rituals and powerful spells before they banged their staffs on the floor in unison, and Olorin felt blackness engulf him as he entered the fade
o-0-o
It did not take long for Olorin to awake from his trance like state. Indeed it took barely ten minutes before Greagoir was performing the Litany of Adralla. The demon had been persistent in offering him deals, as desire demons often was, but when the fight happened, the demon was not much of a fighter and went down easily. After confirming he was not possessed, Greagoir nodded and the Templars put their swords back in their sheathes.
"How did it go Olorin?" Irving and William asked simultaneously.
"Quite well. The demon offered me the normal things, power, sexual favours, to teach me blood magic. None of it was particularly tempting or inventive. I get the feeling this demon prayed mainly on newly discovered mages as she was not powerful."
Irving nodded at that and turned to Greagoir, who was discussing the issue with the other Templars and Alistair when Isolde interrupted.
"What is going to happen to now?" She asked, her Orlesian accent heavy under tiredness and stress.
"We will head back to the circle with Connor and Jowan. Connor will live with the other apprentices and learn his craft. He will not be punished for this incident, nor will you." Greagoir added, his voice stern, knowing full well he had the power to take Isolde into custody for harbouring two mages.
"Thank you Knight Commander." Isolde said, clearly disappointed at losing her son, but thankful that she was not to be punished further.
"What's going to happen to Jowan, Greagoir?" Olorin asked.
"He will be taken back to the circle and tried for blood magic. It will be pretty straightforward as I'm sure you remember."
"Can you do me a favour Greagoir? For old times sake, can you offer him a choice between Tranquillity and execution?"
"I cannot offer that choice. As I was a victim of the attack I cannot lead the trial so the sentence must be decided by the Revered Mother. However I will pass on your request."
Olorin just nodded at that knowing it was the best he was likely to get.
He looked around then saw Connor, hugging his mother goodbye before approaching him.
"Mother says you saved me from that nasty lady?"
"I did Connor, she was a desire demon, praying on your desire to save your father."
"I never meant any of this to happen, I just wanted save father."
"I know Connor, many mages have done worse than you. The circle will teach you to control your power and recognise demons."
"What is it like there?"
"It's a magical place, I loved my time there and if you behave once you pass your final exams you may not be in there forever. And as a noble, you will be able to have your parents visit."
Connor looked a lot happier at the thought of his parents visiting as he was marched off by two Templars and a circle mage as four other Templars brought up Jowan from the cells.
"Olorin, I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry its come to this too my friend, but you caused this yourself by turning to blood magic."
"I know. I wish I'd never listened to Uldred now." Jowan said as he was dragged away.
"Well done Warden." Greagoir said. "I half expected you to invoke the Right of Conscription."
"Not for what he's done. If he was a simple apostate I may have done, but not for using blood magic to assault people."
Greagoir just nodded at this as Wynne came downstairs from seeing the Arl.
"There's nothing I can do. He is in a deep coma. I questioned Jowan before the Templars took him away and he doesn't know what poison he was supplied with. He will either wake up in his own time or die."
"Fuck." William cursed. "We can't afford for him to die. How long until we know?"
"I don't know. Could be a matter of days, could be months." Wynne replied, causing William to curse again.
"The urn!" Isolde pipped up with. "The urn of Sacred Ashes could help him."
"But the urn is just a myth. Surely it is?" William said.
"My husband hired a Chantry scholar to find it and he claimed he had, but disappeared before he could report back."
"Did he offer any proof?" Olorin asked.
"No he didn't, but he is a well respected scholar who probably wouldn't lie. Brother Genitivi."
Olorin whistled at that. Brother Gentivi was perhaps the greatest scholar of the modern age. If he had written to the Arl to say he had found the urn, he certainly believed he had, as Olorin said to William with Wynne backing him up.
In short it was decided the group would head to the Brothers home in Denrim. The Arlessa, thankful for the life of her son and hopeful for the life of her husband was generous indeed. They had a filling meal to set off on, as well as new armour and weapons from the armoury. Olorin was quite taken with his new Red Steel sword, and William and Alistair looked every bit the resplendent knights in their new plate armour.
o-0-o
Olorin had never been to Denerim before. It was a bustling city with the market place especially busy. A dwarf could be heard selling his wares over the noise, and his weapons did look fine indeed. So fine Olorin picked up a dagger, knowing it could come in handy in tight situations.
Soon they were inside Brother Gentivi's house. Oloirn knew immediately something was wrong. His 'assistant' was a mage. No way would a Chantry scholar such as Brother Genitivi employ a mage as an assistant. Employing his force mage abilities he immediately pinned him up against the wall.
"W-w-w-what are you doing?" Genitivi's 'assistant' stuttered.
"Olorin, what are you doing?" William asked.
"Alistair, smite him, he's a mage."
"Are you sure?" Alistair asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. Anyway if you smite him and he isn't there's no harm done."
Alistair smote him and sure enough, the 'assistant' collapsed with a moan of pain.
"Who are you? Why are you here in Genitivi's house?" Olorin demanded.
"Go to the Spoiled Princess. There you shall have you answers." The 'assistant' spoke, before reaching into his tunic, bringing out a dagger and attempting to slash his wrist, no doubt to perform blood magic. Attempted that is until Alistair separated his head from his shoulders in one clean swipe of his blade.
Searching the house they found references to a village called Haven, near the Orlesian border. Nobody had ever hear of the village but its location was hand drawn on one of Genitivi's maps. After a discussion they decided to head to The Spoiled Princess and trigger the obvious ambush and then head to Haven.
o-0-o
The fight was short but bloody. The six ambushers were soon dead, horrific injuries inflicted on them, Sten fighting with a particular rage. After a discussion with William, it turned out this was where he had lost his sword, which confused William, until it turned out to Qunari the sword was like their soul. After talking to a patron at the inn and receiving a small reward from the inn owner for ridding him of 'those pesky cultists' who was threatening him, the group found out the majority of the pickings from the battle was at the market at Orzamar. Handily, Orzamar was on their way to Haven.
So it was the group tracked to Orzamar where on the path to the markets they were ambushed, this time unexpectedly by bounty hunters. Olorin brought the group time by blocking the arrows with a hastily erected shield, otherwise Morrigan, Wynne and himself would have been impaled. A quick assessment saw a small group of melee fighters heading towards them with a mage and a few archers.
"Morrigan, Wynne and Leliana take out the archers, Olorin deal with the mage." William bellowed, with Olorin immediately moving to the side and casting a Winters Grasp, which was blocked with a shield. Olorin himself was forced to cast a shield to block a bolt of lightning sent his way. Spells were traded back and forth until Olorin hit the mage with a mana clash, draining her of all her mana before stopping her heart with a lightning bolt.
Carrying on closer to Orzamar they spoke to the weapons dealer who confirmed he had sold the sword to a collector. Coincindentally the collector was a dwarf they met at Redcliffe, Dwyn. Sten was impatient to get his sword back, but agreed as they were heading back to Redcliffe anyway, he would wait until then.
o-0-o
Reaching Haven, it was an odd village. The guard at the gate tried to get them to turn back, but was mollified by the thought they were just there to trade for goods. The village was nearly dead until they headed up the hill to a Chantry. Which was nothing odd, most villages had a Chantry. What was odd was this Chantry was headed by a Revered Father, Eirik. And what was even odder, was he obviously a mage. It did not take long for the 'father' to turn from them, with a dozen troops coming from a side room. Olorin gulped, as he drew his sword, knowing the group was badly outnumbered.
The first thing he did was deal with Eirik, as he saw from the corner of his eye William dealing with 4 fighters on his own, and managing quite successfully. He sent a fireball at Eirik, which was dodged. This was no problem though, as the fireball was only a distraction. He ran his sword through Eiriks heart, killing him instantly. Turning round he saw Wynne was in trouble, having to fight off two melee fighters herself. Olorin soon reduced this to one with a stonefist, distracting the other long enough for Wynne to kill the other with a Winters Grasp.
By this point there was a pile of bodies around them. But the noise hadn't stopped.
"Hello? Hello? Is anyone still there?" Rushing into a side room, Alistair and William with their shields raised leading the way they came across a man, with an obviously broken leg lying on the floor.
"Who are you?" William asked, not entirely sure if he trusted the man.
"He's Brother Genitivi." Olorin answered for him.
"Yes your companion is right. How do you know my name?"
"I'm a mage. In my last year as an apprentice you gave a lecture on how Rivani Hedge Mages helped heal your wounds after a bandit attack."
"Ah yes I remember that lecture. What are you doing here though?" He asked, looking round and seeing Morrigan and Wynne, obviously wondering why a group of three mages were out of the tower. William stepped forward.
"I'm William Cousland…" he started before he was interrupted by Genitivi.
"Cousland? As in of Highever?"
"Yes, Bryce was my father. I'm a Grey Warden now."
"What? Why would Bryce Cousland let his child become a Grey Warden and why would Grey Wardens be here?"
It was soon explained to Genitivi about The Blight, the Civil War and Arl Eamon's illness. After Wynne had healed his leg as best she could he stood and then explained the knights or Redcliffe had all been ambushed and killed by the obvious cultists.
"Shit. That's a lot of knights gone" William cursed.
"Yes. Including those still at Redcliffe I reckon Arl Eamon must only have a dozen or so left." Alistair confirmed.
"Yes well we can worry about that later, the Urn is at the top of this mountain!" Genitivi exclaimed, to gasps from the deeply religious amongst them, Wynne and Leliana. And even a small expression of awe from Zevran.
"Are you sure?" William asked, not quite able to believe it.
"I'm as sure as I am that these cultists are mad." Genitivi said.
"Well then." Olorin stated, "What are we waiting for?" grasping his staff and moving to the door.