Blood Writings

The Path To Power

[ceryslavellan]

This...was fun. Enjoyable. For lots of reasons.

[ceryslavellan]

Day 149, 9.41 Dragon, Redcliffe, Hinterlands

With various distractions looming, and with Cullen and Leliana still pinning down exactly where Corypheus is headed in the Arbor Wilds, I have elected to take some of the inner circle back to the Hinterlands in the hopes of renewing their focus and finding some answers.

In a fashion, we have succeeded, though perhaps not in the way intially expected.

The more pressing matter; that of the source of the Red Lyrium. Varric's Bianca (the other one) met us at the entrance to the Deep Roads. It was being protected by Carta, whom had apparently been well paid by the Red Templars to secure their supply route.

The implication was that this route was being used to ferry the Lyrium from its original source in some ancient Dwarven Thaig that Varric and Hawke discovered some years ago, across the Waking Sea. As evidenced by the rampancy of the mineral, it appears to be able to...grow? Germinate? in flesh, and spread like some kind of contagion. Presumably then, this was either the original route they used or they still intent to bring more from the source.

Regardless, our plan remained the same - seal the Road and prevent its use. As we fought through the Carta and Darkspawn that had crept up it became obvious that Bianca knew more than she was letting on. Varric asserted that the only way that the source of the Red Lyrium could have got out was if one of a very small number of people had leaked it.

Given that Bianca seemed to know exactly where we were going, and what to do to close the doors (she apparently built the mechanisms) it really should have been more obvious that Bianca herself was responsible. Varric didn't want to accept it, until she admitted it. She said that she was so curious as to how the Red Lyirum worked that when a Grey Warden mage by the name of Larius offered to sponsor her work in return for her information she relented.

It transpires Larius was thought killed or...otherwise alongside Corypheus when Varric and Hawke fought him. It is increasingly clear that the Magister is not confined to one physical form - much as the Archdemons are said to.

To compound matters, Bianca's research (compromised though it is) indicates that the Red Lyirum is so 'infectious', so pernicious and can be used so readily by Corypheus because it carries the Blight. This has deeply profound and troubling implications - not least because our understanding of the Blight is that it can only infect the living. It does suddenly make a great many things make sense. The 'song' the Red Templars hear is the same as the ones Darkspawn and Wardens hear. It's how Corypheus was able to so easily corrupt the minds of Warden magi. How the Red Lyrium grows and consumes flesh. Varric and Bianca did not part well. Though Varric says they will patch it up, hinting at a long and somewhat tempestuous history.

On a related note, we also went to see the 'representative' that Dorian's father had sent. It turned out to be his father in person. It was...more than a little awkward, even by my standards. The implication is that Dorian's father - the man who taught him to despise blood magic as the refuge of the weak - was prepared to use it to ensure his son gave him an heir. He appears to be a classical Tevinter Magister then.

Against my better judgement I encourage Dorian to talk it out, reasoning that it would provide less distraction for him if he dealt with it. I don't believe the matter is in any way 'settled', but it is less of a splinter in his thoughts now. He seems more at peace, and has confided that the Inquisition is the only place he truly feels at home now.

For all my suspicion of him, he has proven himself steadfastly loyal and quick of word and wit. I'm glad to have him.

[ceryslavellan]

I don't believe you, Josie

[ceryslavellan]

I never thought I'd ever defend a Tevinter mage. You've proven yourself to me, Dorian. For what it's worth.

[ceryslavellan]

Day 145, 9.41 Dragon, Skyhold, Frostbacks

We got back from Val Royeaux only to have it intrude on the (relative) peace of Skyhold in visceral fashion. We'd been back for only a few short hours when a scream from Josie's office had us all running. It turned out that the House of Repose had infiltrated assassins into the serving staff, and only Leliana's covert agents stopped Josie from coming to a poor end.

We were all shaken. To have our foes strike at Skyhold is...unnerving, even if it is 'only' Orlesian political chicanery. I am reminded of something that Josie said before Winter Court. How these people burn towns and commit murder simply as a feint...

Varric's 'Bianca' has narrowed down the search for the Red Lyirum to a Deep Roads entrance named Valamarr, in the Hinterlands. Between that and Dorian's familial issues I foresee another journey to Redcliffe.

I...have also received a letter from Keeper Istimaethoriel. They have been embroiled in the politics of Wycome, in the Free Marches. We hae been supporting them in dealing with what we thought was a relatively minor Red Lyrium problem. The nobility of Wycome apparently took objection to 'dalish savages' being in the city, and things were getting tense. Cullen said that the time for diplomacy was passed, and he and Josie argued. In the end Cullen put his foot down. Said that he was unprepared to risk my...family , and sent troops. I thought it was...a little forceful, but touching in its way.

Of course, I got the mission report today, and if the House of Repose was not enough, it turns out that without Inquisitorial troops on hand it's almost certain that the Marchers would have assaulted and wiped out Clan Lavellan.

It...is an odd feeling. To know that my Clan - my home, my family - are all alive right now because of the actions of a good man. I...have tried to say as much to Cullen. To say thank you. But things are awkward.

It's a distraction I can't afford at the moment. I'll have to explain that to him. He'll understand.

[ceryslavellan]

Cerys' Starlord inspired/homage outfit, consisting of maroon half-jacket, blank under, grey pants and gold trim.

[ceryslavellan]

You lied to me.

I wish I could say I didn't understand. Get him out of there.

[ceryslavellan]

Day 140, 9.41 Dragon, Val Royeaux

A 'short trip' to Val Royeaux, they said. A few messages to deliver. Ha.

Leliana noted that Blackwall had, before he left, been interested in the trial and execution of a man named Mornay. We arrived in time for the execution, and I immediately had a bad feeling. Call it extensive paranoia from too much time in Orlais.

Is it truly paranoia if I am proved right? Blackwall marched up to the podium, and loudly declared that Mornay was only a solider following orders, and the real criminal was his commanding officer, one 'Thom Rainier'. I.e, Blackwall himself.

He was, as you might expect, promptly arrested. Cullen and Josie pulled some strings to let me get in to see him. I was unhappy. We talked, through the bars. He expalined how he had been a soldier on Gaspard's side, but was too interested in advancement. He took a payment to have a minor noble who supported Celene killed. Including his family. And lied to his men about it, and let them take the fall. All actions of a despicable, cowardly man. It transpires that Blackwall was a real Warden, and that Rainier had been picked up for recruitment, but that the 'real' Blackwall had died defending Rainier from Darkspawn on the journey to his Joining. He opted to take the dead man's name, reasoning that no-one - Wardens included - would believe that a washed up criminal was worth the sacrifice of a Warden.

I want to hate him for his deception - and for putting the rest of us in danger. He has not completed the Joining, and thus hasn't got the immunity to the Taint that it confers, nor has he got the Wardens' superlative combat ability. It also explains why he was able to resist the mimicked calling - he never heard it.

In truth, though, something he said rang true. That sometimes the lie matters less than what you do with it. By becoming Blackwall, he has done good. People have been saved. He asked what the difference between us was. Is it not true that we have...let people continue to believe that I am Andraste's Herald, despite the fact that we know it is not true? A 'true' Warden would have done exactly what he did. And he saved lies - Warden lives - at Adamant. The man he was - Rainier - seems to matter less than the man he is.

I have instructed Cullen and Josie to find a way to render him out of Orlesian hands, and into Inquisitorial ones. I won't leave him to rot in some dungeon.

We have also finally delivered the messages to the various pompous, self-serving nobles needed to begin to unravel the mess with the House of Repose and Josie's family. I fear it make take some time for the ponderous wheels of Orlesian bureaucracy to spin in her favor.

[ceryslavellan]

Breathtaking, even in it's destruction.

[ceryslavellan]

Day 132, 9.41 Dragon, The Storm Coast

Our agents continue to scour the south for information relating to the whereabouts of Corypheus, and what his next move is likely to be. Specifically, where he is massing his forces to attempt to secure another Eluvian.

Whilst we dig for clues, I have come back to Ferelden to secure our northern flank. We still need to further dismantle the Red Templar operations this side of the Frostbacks. Dealing their supply lines a blow in the Graves is a good start, but it also appears they are getting Lyrium in from the Marches via the Waking Sea and even through Deep Roads tunnels.

Starting in the north, we managed to pin down their base of operations and root out the garrison like the rats they are. Pushing through to the coast, we found boats and trappings, confirming their supply route. Curiously, we also found indications that they were very carefully avoiding a small island a little way off the coast. Naturally, we felt that this warranted investigation.

As it turned out, the island was home to a rather unhappy High Dragon, a Vinsomer, I believe. It breathed lightning and storms. The Iron Bull was entirely too happy to be able to face it. Cassandra and Varric were, at least, rather more prosaic. After a hard scramble we were able to defeat the beast, and take parts of its hide and bones which will serve to make armour and weapons of ferocious potency.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the upsurge in Red Templars, the Darkspawn had returned to the Storm Coast. I was able to seal their tunnels, hopefully preventing further tragedy from being heaped on this section of Ferelden.

[ceryslavellan]

We will, indeed, see who outlives their legacy, Tevinter.

[ceryslavellan]

That...can't be a co-incidence. Can it?

[ceryslavellan]

Day 128, 9.41 Dragon, Skyhold, Frostbacks.

Blackwall has vanished, leaving only clues to his whereabouts and a crypic message saying he was going to 'do the right thing'. I have sent some of the Nightingale's blackclads to track him down. After Adamant, perhaps unsurprisingly, he seemed intensely troubled by the revelations. We shared a drink and a long conversation in which, deep in introspection, he hinted that there was some crime that needed to be atoned for. And yet surely once a Warden all past crimes are annulled...

Cassandra and Leliana are both worried and concerned about our sojourn into the Fade. Dorian too, though he is rightly more concerned about how records of the events may unwittingly allow people to follow the same path - which could have dire consequences. I have encouraged Cassandra to...moderate the enthusiasm with which she records the story. They both wanted to know if it was Justinia or now. I could only tell them that I believed it could have been, or at least something that thought it was. That seemed to satisfy them. Leliana, it is obvious, is still haunted by her perceived failure to save Justinia.

Dorian's family have tried to contact him - via Mother Giselle. She has suggested I trick Dorian into attending a meeting with a familial representative - a course of action I have no intent of following. For his (many) imperfections, Dorian has proven to be an erudite and selfless addition to the Inquisition. Significantly more so than Sera, who continues to prattle on about her own selfish, childish pranks and chaotic retributions as if they actually held merit.

Varric is sad to see Stroud dead - he knew the man, but not well, and is sad to see Hawke gone to Weisshaupt. In a twist, a dwarf female by the name of 'Bianca' has arrived to see him, claiming she knows how the Red Templars got the Red Lyrium from the Thaig that Varric and Hawk discovered years ago. We will have to investigate. The Iron Bull has taken to a strange Qunari ritual where one seems to beat the fear out of each other. He asked for my help. It seemed rude to decline. Solas remains angry at the Wardens' failure, and Vivienne insists it is an example of why the Circles are needed, to prevent this kind of rampant magical abuse. She also is angling to secure Inquisitorial support for Cassandra as the new Divine - presumably because their goals and faiths align.

Cole has asked Solas to use a blood magic ritual to bind him to service, so that no-one else can - lest he become a monster in service to monsters. Solas has, quite rightly, refused to countenance such a path. We may be able to secure a Riviani seers-amulet, which would offer Cole some protection from hostile bindings.

Finally, my troops have brought the decidedly unrepentant Livius Erimond before me for judgement. He refused to recognise the Inquisition's authority, but it seems that many dignitaries and powers have ceded authority to us. To me. Not to mention authority is hard to argue against when we have a small, but well trained and loyal, army.

No matter how tempted I was to have the worm tranquilised, I could nto bring myself to do it. Some fates are worse than death. Given he loudly declared that death would send him to his master's side, I opted to lock him up and throw away the key. Good riddance. They brought in a Warden too, one of those who was seduced by Corypheus and Livius. She begged for death, no doubt to escape having to face up to her crimes. I sentenced her to public humiliation. Not even Wardens are beyond the Inquisition's reach. A painful lesson, but one that has to be learned.

Nightingale's agents have also managed to track down Mayor Derrick of Crestwood, and brought him in. I admit to a degree of sympathy for the man. His crimes were great, but he likely saved a lot of lives in the process. I gave him to the Wardens, so that if he survives the Joining he can continue to fight the Darkspawn.

I cannot decide which is more worrying. That the burden of command and judgement is passed to me, or that I am becoming used to it. No matter what, Corypheus must be stopped. This is the Inquisition's purpose. My purpose. The Inquisition is power, and powerful. I have an obligation to use it well, but using it well requires using it.

[ceryslavellan]

I'm...proud of the man you've become. We've all wasted so much time and grief.

[ceryslavellan]

What is this place of shadow and loss?

[ceryslavellan]

I know what it is. And I know what it can do.

[ceryslavellan]

Day 126, 9.41 Dragon, Skyhold, Frostbacks

We survived.

Most of us survived, to limp back to Skyhold to rest and rearm.

Justinia's spirit - if that's what it was - sacrifice itself in order to distract the Nightmare - a colossal, multifaceted thing made entirely of scales, eyes and horror - to buy us time to escape. We had to duel one of its manifestations. In the end the others managed to get back through the setheneran before Nightmare recovered. At the end, Stroud said that the Wardens had caused this. And needed to atone.

He stayed. Hawke and I managed to escape. The last I saw was a tide of Nightmare flesh engulfing him, and a silver sword, flashing bright.

We emerged into the courtyard we left, the remnant of the Wardens and the Inquisitorial forces struggling to keep the demons at bay. With a word and a gesture I sealed shut the setheneran and the demons fell.

With Stroud dead, the Wardens had no command structure left. Stroud died because they were seduced by power and fear. Livius Erimond may have been a wretched viper, but he was right. All they needed was the right push. They were supposed to be the best of us.

As such, the Wardens in the South will now fall under Inquisitorial oversight, in an attempt to atone for their failures. This will, at least, allow them to fulfill their purpose. My heart is heavy with the necessity of it.

If that was not enough, Morrigan has revealed that she has brought an intact - and functioning - Eluvian to Skyhold. She demonstrated its use. It is a marvel. I had assumed it was as the legends say, a device that could be used to speak messages between far-flung corners of Elvhenan. But it is so much more. It is not only a mirror, but a door. Upon stepping through we were hurled through to a grey place, littered with the artifacts of a fallen people. Morrigan called it the crossroads - someplace beyond Beyond where all the Eluvian'en of ancient Elvhenan met, and could be traversed. I could feel how thin the veil was, and she pointed out that if Corypheus was able to gain access to this place it would be simple for him to tear into the Fade proper.

It was...incredible. To see - to stand! - in the place where my ancestors, at the height of their power, had stood. To see the ease with which they had crossed continents. To feel the weight of unnumbered thousands of years of sorrow, heavy and leaden.

Morrigan claims knowledge and learning far in excess of my own. I admit she is possessed of a unique set of information. Leliana knew her, back when they traveled with the Hero of Ferelden, but only makes vague references to a 'disagreement' at the end of the Fifth Blight. I do not doubt her power, or ability, but I will not be lectured on the history and place of my people by some wild witch.

My people. It...our agents have sent a report indicating the situation in Wycome is deteriorating, and that Keeper Istimaethoriel has been forced to enter the city and secure it to deal with the infestation of Red Lyirum amongst the nobles. Word is that the Marcher cities are readying an attack. I have asked Cullen to send troops to reinforce the city, though I feel guilty for it. It feels like I should not be using the Inquisition for such an end, though I could not bear to see my home destroyed out of ignorance. I trust him. He seems to be winning the struggle with the lyrium. He says he has me to thank.

I...he has been through a lot. I admire his strength all the more for it. He said he was not proud of the man his anger made him. I told him I was proud of the man he had become. It is true.