As this story goes on, I will occasionally touch on subjects I've never written about before. So, every so often, you might see a different tag to what you would normally see regarding my chapters.
Chapter 5 - The Demon Knew Me Well
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To say the situation inside the tower was a clusterfuck would be an insult to every other clusterfuck I'd ever been part of. And, trust me, I'd seen plenty of clusterfucks before. The mages had risen up against their Templar overlords. Having learned a little about the Circle, part of me didn't actually blame them. Magic was practiced freely in Skyrim, yet it seemed magic was feared in Thedas, if life in the Circles was as it seemed to be.
The Knight-Commander in charge, a man by the name of Greagoir, was surprised at our arrival, but thankful that we'd be willing to assist. He told us about the Right of Annulment, but was willing to give us time to find the First Enchanter. If he lived, he would open the doors. If he didn't, then he warned that, with rumour of blood magic being practiced, he may have to annul the entire Circle. No-one had to ask what he meant by that.
Cerys and Alistair requested that we be allowed to try and save the Circle, explaining that we needed the mages for any future battle against the darkspawn. Showing the ancient treaty as proof, the Knight-Commander could do nothing but agree to our request, instructing the Templar guards to unbar the door. The giant block of wood took four men to lift, and I probably wasn't the only one thinking 'What the fuck is behind those doors?'
Once we passed the threshold, the Knight-Commander warned we would be stuck until we either had the First Enchanter with us, or all the mages were dead. None of us hesitated, even Morrigan, despite the fact she thought the Circles useless, and the mages within worse than useless. I probably wasn't the only one to bite my tongue.
Hearing the bar drop behind us, locking us in, made the situation very real. The silence was disconcerting. Unsheathing our weapons, we walked forward cautiously, glancing into rooms to see carnage. What were probably once neat and tidy rooms now had broken furniture thrown around, what looked like fire damage in places, and I'm sure I saw one or two bodies. I don't think any of us were expecting to meet survivors so early, rounding a corner to see a mage fighting off something.
"That's a fucking demon!" Alistair exclaimed. So I saw my first demon. I'm not sure if I should call it exciting or not, but the mage fighting it was talented, waving her staff in the air and the spell she used caused it to disappear. In an instant, she twirled around to look at us, ready to attack.
"Who are you?" she demanded to know.
"Alistair and I are Grey Wardens," Cerys replied, gesturing between the two, "With us is Leliana, Morrigan and Ragnar."
"Why are you here?"
"We're here to help."
The staff dropped slightly. "You are? I feared Greagoir would have asked for the Right of Annulment."
Alistair cleared his throat. "He has, but he's willing to give us time to solve this."
The staff dropped completely, the mage sighing with relief. "Thank the Maker. Please, give me a moment to deal with the others."
As the mage walked across the room, noticing another woman with at least a dozen children, Alistair mentioned he had seen the same mage at Ostagar, letting us know that her name was Wynne. After spending a few minutes in quiet conversation with the other group, no doubt ensuring the children were calm, she approached us. I could see she carried herself with poise and dignity. Silver haired, with a line or two on her face, I didn't want to guess her age, as I'd probably be wrong, but figured double my age. Her eyes, though, told everything. Kind, intelligent but also steely resolve. Introductions were made, and she remembered Alistair and Cerys. She didn't know me as we hadn't met. Leliana was polite, and she picked Morrigan as an apostate immediately, but didn't make a big deal about it.
Considering we were there to help, Wynne offered if not insisted she join us. All of us agreed except Morrigan, who was vocal in her opposition to the Circles and its mages. I just told her to shut up, and in the glare we shared after, she relented first. I have my faults, but the one thing I won't stand by and watch is innocent people suffer. And, although I had no evidence, I was sure that not all the mages were guilty of rebellion.
Wynne had established some sort of magic barrier, which she took down then reformed, and we moved on slowly. Investigating each room we passed, we found our first bodies. I had no idea we'd find those of children. I stopped by a couple of them, getting down on one knee, closing their eyes with my fingers as I kissed my amulet. "May Talos guide your path, young one. In the halls of Sovngarde, you will be welcomed."
"Sovngarde?" Wynne asked.
"It's a long story, but the Hall of Heroes will welcome all children. They are innocent and pure, and Mighty Tsun will allow them to cross the bridge without issue."
We ran into our first demons a little later. Alistair, Cerys and I worked together, mixing sword and shield, protecting one another. Leliana took out her bow and turned demons and other monsters into pin cushions. Morrigan's breadth of knowledge about magic was almost scary. Wynne focused on keeping us safe. The fight towards the set of stairs leading up was long and bloody. Alistair and I took a couple of beatings, though we were quickly healed by Wynne. Cerys, using her small stature and superior speed, managed to get through unscathed.
Next floor up, we ran into my first Tranquil, and that just pissed me off. Not the Tranquil, my heart went out to him and anyone else like him. To be stripped of one's emotions, to feel no joy in living life, it felt as if death would have been a better choice. Not that I said too much of that, but Wynne picked up the fact I was... displeased, shall we say. I kept my tongue, stating I did not understand much about magic in Thedas, which surprised her, and she offered to talk to me later about it, which I accepted.
Ensuring the Tranquil was at least safe, we moved on and ran into mages who were working with a man called Uldred, who was apparently in charge of the rebellion. They used blood magic, and were tough to take down. We killed five of them, the sixth one falling back in fear, her eyes wide as Cerys and I closed in one her. She threw away her staff and begged for her life.
"Wait, I know her," Wynne exclaimed, brushing past us, "Solona, what the hell are you doing?"
"Haven't you always wanted to fight back, Wynne? To finally be free from Templar control?"
"But like this, Solona? Blood magic? All your friends dead and dying? Is this the price you're willing to pay?"
She thought about it for a moment and slumped, shaking her head. "No. Not like this."
"Who is she?" I wondered.
"This is Solona. She has been in this tower since arriving as a young child. She has only recently passed her Harrowing."
"What's that?"
"I'll tell you later, but Solona passed with flying colours." Wynne crouched down in front of Solona, lowering her voice. "If the Templars hear you used blood magic, you will be made Tranquil, if they choose not to just kill you."
"Wait, surely there's another way?!" I exclaimed.
