It wasn't long before Bellara returned and summoned Isabella to her workshop. Isabella had been sitting on the dining hall roof for a few hours when she saw the Veil Jumper return and read the note. She had ducked into her workshop for a while before coming out and waving her down. To know there was a development was good. Maybe they would be making a trip to Nevarra after all. After they found a suitable eluvian, at least.

Isabella walked across the courtyard towards Bellara's area as she straightened her gloves. She had a strange feeling like she was being watched, but it wasn't an unfriendly feeling. Just a strange one. She partly wondered if maybe Spite was involved, but she knew that this was something knew.

"Hey, Bel," she called out as she pushed open the doors. "Heard anything new… about…"

Isabella faltered as she saw two strangers standing in Bellara's workshop with them. One was a woman with long hair who held herself as if she were nobility. Isabella immediately straightened her posture before noticing the floating mass covered by a cloak and gloves. That was the source of the odd feeling she felt.

"Good evening," the woman smiled, bowing her head.

"GREETINGS," the cloaked mass bellowed as Isabella grimaced, turning to Bellara.

"Oh, Rook! Good timing. This is Lady Myrna and Vorgoth from the Mourn Watch," she explained, introducing the strangers. Isabella quickly did her customary bow, feeling like she had been quite rude. "They work with Professor Volkarin, and they answered my letter."

"It sounds like things are quite dire out here. How darksome are they?" Myrna asked as Isabella frowned.

"Pretty bad, I'm afraid. We're dealing with ancient, blighted mages who called themselves gods. They certainly have godlike power," the Crow informed honestly.

"That is unfortunate," Myrna lamented, holding her hands together in front of her. "Professor Volkarin, the one you requested, would be well suited to help you. He is currently on an expedition in the Shrouded Halls in the Grand Necropolis working on a few things there. Generally, outsiders aren't allowed in, but we will allow you access given the circumstances."

"Thank you," Isabella replied with another bow.

"There is an eluvian in the Necropolis that we are aware of, and it should take you close to where the Professor is," Myrna continued, turning to Bellara.

"Sounds good, we will head there right away," the Jumper informed.

"WARE THE DEAD," Vorgoth warned before both they and Myrna vanished. Isabella clenched her jaw before turning to Bellara.

"More Fade experts, I suppose. But we should head out and find the eluvian," Bellara reminded, trying to ignore the fact that the two necromancers just came and went without any issue. Isabella nodded before taking a deep breath.

"Alright, I'll grab Lucanis. I think everyone else is out," Isabella replied before turning to leave. "I'll meet you there in fifteen."

Finding the eluvian in the Crossroads to the Grand Necropolis was probably the easiest one to find out of all of them so far. It had been the one surrounded by tombs and gravestones, giving it away immediately. They walked over to it as Bellara checked the frequency to make sure it was as safe as possible before giving them the go ahead.

The Grand Necropolis wasn't exactly what Isabella had expected. She thought it would be smell of death and decay and have blood everywhere. Instead, it smelled of dust and stone without so much as a bloodstain. She was sure that the Diamond had more blood on the floor than the Necropolis did.

Bellara led the way as they descended into the depths of tombs as Isabella grew uneasy. She didn't love the fact that they were heading deeper into the building that almost seemed to be underground. Whenever she looked out the window, she couldn't tell whether they were on the surface. Without the sun or landmarks in general to go off of, it was hard to discern exactly where they were. One of the down sides of traveling by eluvian.

As they turned the corner, they could hear the sound of pickaxes against stone. It seemed that they had found the work area that Myrna had mentioned at least. However, as Isabella looked in front of her, she saw about a dozen walking skeletons with glowing green crowns holding the tools as they hacked at the stone. She froze for a moment, wondering if they had wandered to the wrong place.

However, Bellara continued forward, unbothered by the magical skeletons working on the wall. Isabella gave the skeletons a wide berth, afraid that they would notice her and turn their axes on her. She nearly ran into Bellara when she stopped, finding the person animating the bodies. Lucanis stood next to her, unsure of the situation either.

It was a tall man with a glowing skull for a head as he waved his hands about, as if he were a concert conductor in front of an orchestra. It was absurd, and Isabella nearly laughed in her nervousness. The skeleton in front of the man floated to its feet before joining the others behind her.

"Ah, visitors!" the necromancer greeted before magicking the glowing skull away to reveal a regular human face. Isabella relaxed slightly as Bellara stepped forward. "You didn't have any trouble with the lift, did you? Our last guests were stuck for hours, poor souls."

"No issues," Isabella answered as the necromancer smiled.

"Professor Emmrich Volkarin of the Mourn Watch," the necromancer introduced. Isabella sighed in relief as Bellara grabbed his hand to shake it. Emmrich looked a little startled at the woman's forwardness, but he smiled at her all the same. Lucanis glanced between them, waiting for Isabella to say something.

"It's so nice to meet you Professor. I've been writing to you. My name's Bellara," the Jumper explained as the professor grinned, shaking her hand back.

"Ah, Bellara, my dear girl. What a pleasure," he replied pleasantly. "What a surprise as well. Surely, you didn't come all this way just to see me."

"Actually, we did," Bellara mentioned, glancing at Isabella. The Crow stepped forward before bowing.

"It's a pleasure to meeting you, professore. My name is Rook," Isabella introduced before straightening again.

"Charmed, and please, just Emmrich is fine," he smiled. Isabella waited a beat to see if Lucanis would introduce himself. He did not.

"I'm sorry to bother you during your expedition, professore, but we are in need of a Fade expert. Bellara said you are one of the best," Isabella explained as Emmrich chuckled.

"A Fade expert, you say?" he replied before a distant scream echoed through the halls. The four of them turned towards the sound, surprised to hear it. Emmrich frowned before nodding once. "I would be pleased to continue this conversation after I've attended to some things here."

"I would be happy to assist if you would like," Isabella offered as the professor clasped his hands together.

"What a wonderful idea. It's been a while since I've shown anyone around the Necropolis," Emmrich replied, walking towards where they heard the scream.

Bellara happily followed the professor down the corridor, but when Isabella went to follow, Lucanis grabbed her arm. He held her back for a moment until Emmrich was out of earshot. Isabella glanced between the professor and Lucanis, surprised by the reaction.

"What's wrong?" Isabella asked as he let go of her arm.

"I didn't know that our recruit was going to be a necromancer," Lucanis answered, staring down the hallway.

"I didn't know either. Bellara happened to leave that part out, but we probably should have seen that coming. Nevarra has different customs then most of Thedas does," she countered as he exhaled irritatedly.

"The dead should stay dead."

"I don't disagree, but he seems nice enough."

"Nice means nothing."

"Alright, other than the necromancy, what do you not like about the professore?" Isabella asked sternly. Lucanis turned to her without an answer. "I hate necromancy as much as the next person, but we aren't swimming in Fade experts. We have to take what we can get."

"I don't hate necromancy," Lucanis rolled his eyes.

"Good for you. Now unless you're hiding your own Fade expert under your cape, then we need to catch up with the other two," she reminded as he frowned. "And if you don't hate necromancy, then what has you so riled up?"

"It's where he's leading us. Spite senses more demons and blood magic," Lucanis answered as she grimaced.

"That would explain the scream we heard," Isabella sighed. "Be on your guard, then."

"Next time, maybe don't offer to help at every turn."

"If we don't offer to help, then no one will offer to help us."

"It just seems like that we are always fighting something when you offer to help," he complained as she folded her arms.

"Are you tired? Is this what you're like when you're exhausted?" Isabella pointed out, earning a glare from him. She held up her hand, gesturing a small amount between her fingers. "I'm about this close to dosing your coffee with a sedative, ."

"You wouldn't."

"You know I wouldn't, damnit. I'm just getting tired of dealing with you not sleeping. And then you tell me not to worry. Then you complain about having to fight, which is what we do half the time anyway. Thedas is a dangerous place, Dellamorte, and it's getting worse by the day. We're going to have to fight a lot."

"So, I guess that means thatweget to argue a lot."

"I'm not the one who started this. We can handle a few demons and who ever is doing blood magic. If it's that bothersome, you should go back to the lighthouse," she reminded as he glared at her.

"They are not just some demons. Spite wouldn't warn me about a few common demons. Something deadly is waiting for us," Lucanis informed as she put her hands on her hips.

"Then lead with that next time."

"I didn't think I would have to clarify that I was worried about deadly demons."

"Okay, fine, let's just move forward, alright? Can we move on?" Isabella asked, gesturing down the hall where Emmrich and Bellara both waited. Lucanis rolled his eyes, folding his arms.

"Are they generally like this?" Emmrich asked as he stood next to Bellara at the edge of the corridor. He watched as the two Crows seemed to bicker between themselves. He was out of earshot, so he wasn't sure what, but he could tell that Rook was agitated at least.

"Sometimes. Lucanis tends not to sleep, and sometimes gets irritable if he goes too long without sleep," Bellara sighed, shaking her head. "Rook deals with the brunt of it."

"They've must have been together for a long time for them to argue comfortably in a tomb," Emmrich chuckled as Bellara hummed, glancing between him and the Crows.

"They aren't actually a couple. Rook thought maybe something was there, but he didn't do anything about her flirtations, and now I'm talking too much about it," Bellara groaned as Emmrich put a hand on her shoulder.

"Your secret is safe with me," he reassured, glancing back at the Crows. Rook had her hands on her hips as Lucanis folded his arms. It seemed that they had reached an impasse in their argument. "So, how long have they known each other then?"

Eventually, Isabella walked away from Lucanis, stating that she was going to deal with the monster demons and the blood mages whether he was coming or not. She heard his footsteps behind her as she approached the other two with a forced smile. She was sure that both Emmrich and Bellara could see right through it.

"Sorry about that. Sounds like there's some trouble up ahead that Lucanis sensed, and we discussed it. We should keep our guard up," Isabella informed as Lucanis stood behind her with his hands behind his back. He wouldn't make eye contact with anyone as he exuded irritation and frustration. Emmrich nodded once with a grimace.

"It must be something concerning if it warranted a private discussion," Emmrich remarked before turning to leave. "I'm sure whatever it is, we can handle it."

"I agree, professore," Isabella replied calmly.

Bellara glanced at her, but Isabella just shook her head. They could talk about it later. She wasn't about to admit that Lucanis didn't trust Emmrich for leading them towards the dangerous demons. Of course, if Emmrich was leading them into a trap, Isabella would take care of it personally. She was annoyed enough to handle it quickly.

As they left the main building they were in, Isabella drew her bow and prepped an arrow. There was indeed a demon lying in wait at the bottom of the stairs. However, Emmrich stood in front of them to keep them from going further.

"I think this is what you were sensing, Lucanis. You have a keen sense of danger," the necromancer commented. Lucanis said nothing as he drew his rapier.

"Is that a despair demon?" Bellara asked.

"They shouldn't be able to enter the Shrouded Halls. Something's wrong here," Emmrich informed before shaking his head. "Once we've dispatched it, we're going to have to check on the Sunken Star."

"Sunken Star?" Isabella asked as the necromancer nodded.

"Yes, it purifies the Shrouded Halls so it keeps entities like this out. If despair was able to get in, then we have a problem," he answered, brandishing his staff. "We'll have to make quick work of this."

"Here we go," Isabella muttered under her breath before charging in, sending her arrow flying.

The moment the arrow hit the demon, everything around her changed as quickly as a candle being blown out. She was in the dark instantly, and her colleagues were all gone. The noise of the Necropolis and the voices were snuffed out completely. There was a light ringing in her ears from the sudden silence. She held her bow at the ready, turning in place, waiting for the despair demon to attack. It had done this on purpose, even if Isabella didn't understand how. It wanted her to feel alone and isolated. Her fear would turn into despair. It was a clever thing; she would give it that.

Movement registered in her peripheral vision as she turned and attacked. The demon shrieked horridly as it sent large ice orbs towards her. She shot at them as well, taking them out well before they got to her. Now she could understand why Lucanis felt the need to warn her, even if he hadn't done a great job of it. This certainly was unlike any demon they had come across before.

After a few more arrows and dodging more ice orbs, eventually the despair demon lost enough of its power and the illusion dropped. The light and her teammates came back into view, and she never thought she would miss Lucanis's loud cursing. With a couple well-coordinated and timed moves, the demon dissipated back into the Fade, leaving the four of them to catch their breath.

Isabella put her bow on her back just as Lucanis ran up to her, patting her arms and shoulders. She instinctively tried to push him away, but he seemed a little out of it as he checked her for injuries. It also seemed like he was checking to see if she was real. His hand reached her cheek, and he froze for just a moment before taking a step back.

"I'm alright, Luca. It was an illusion to make us think we were alone," Isabella reassured, holding his upper arms. He nodded as he closed his eyes, slowing his breathing. "Are you alright?"

"Spite panicked. He didn't understand the illusion, and it was enough to make me question it," Lucanis admitted with a sigh. "But we're still here, and the demon is gone."

"Exactly," Isabella agreed with a half-smile. "And you can tell Spite that it will take a lot more than a despair demon to get rid of me."

"He can hear you," Lucanis reassured before he glanced over at Bellara and Emmrich, who were discussing the logistics of the demon existing where it shouldn't. "I've been making a terrible first impression."

"I'm sure if you explain yourself, Emmrich would be understanding. Necromancers tend to deal with spirits, right? Maybe he has a tip or two on how to work with Spite," Isabella suggested, lowering her arms to her side.

"I'll think about it," Lucanis replied, trying to be agreeable. She bit the inside of her cheek and nodded.

"I know this is hard, but I am trying to help," she reassured. Lucanis sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I know," he whispered. Isabella clenched her jaw, nodded once, and then walked over to Emmrich and Bellara. She really didn't want to argue, and if he knew that she was trying to help, then it would be better than him thinking that she was being argumentative.

Emmrich led them through the bowels of the Necropolis after discovering the Sunken Star had been magically sealed by none other than the Venatori. Isabella had let out an audible groan at that discovery, trying her best to remain professional otherwise. It seemed like most of her problems stemmed from the fascist cult wanting more and more power.

Unlocking the bell had proven to be tedious as they had to find a way back to the second floor of the area it was located in. Isabella wondered if it would kill the Mourn Watchers to invest in a ladder or two in case things like this happened. At least she was able to take out more Venatori to vent her frustrations on.

"Rook, am I correct in thinking that you and Lucanis are a part of the Antivan Crows?" Emmrich asked during their journey. Isabella turned to him, surprised by this line of questioning.

"Ah, yes. I'm a Crow of House de Riva," Isabella smiled with a small bow. "At your service, professore."

"Oh, how marvelous! You must tell me some of your adventures when we're above ground," Emmrich insisted as Isabella gave a half-smile.

"I can't imagine they'll be too interesting, but if you insist," she chuckled as the necromancer waved his hands.

"A life of an assassin must be fascinating! Especially to an old professor like me," he answered teasingly. Isabella raised an eyebrow at him before shrugging.

"I suppose I have one or two stories that are fun to listen to. I've tried telling a few to our scout, Harding, but she doesn't find them as funny as I do," she warned.

"And you Lucanis? What about your time in the Antivan Crows?" Emmrich asked, turning to the other Crow of the group. Lucanis grimaced before shrugging, not sure what to say.

"I get to travel a lot," Lucanis offered, earning a good laugh from the necromancer. The Crow cracked a grin before relaxing slightly. "I think the stories about Crows are infinitely more interesting than we actually are."

"I'll be the judge of that," Emmrich reassured before he perked up. "Ah, there we are. Come on, let's free the Sunken Star, and then you can tell me about why you need a Fade expert."