Being a human in Orzammar made you an immediate sideshow attraction. People would stop and stare, point, whisper. It was mostly good natured. Young children would approach, looking up from far below, just to say hello. Walking the markets resulted in vendors yelling directly at me, wanting me to peruse their wares. I did find their weapons were exquisitely designed, testing one or two, asking plenty of questions about the metal used in its formation. I wasn't as interested in their armour, though they still did their best to sell me some.
It was while walking around by myself, just strolling along without a care, as Orzammar did feel very safe, that I heard a voice calling out for me. I noticed a dwarven woman, or girl, waving in my direction. The fact she was calling out 'Dragonborn' was a surprise. I guess word filtered through fast about who I was. I approached her with a smile. "Hello."
She was rather excited. "Hello. Are you the one they call the Dragonborn, here with the Wardens?"
"I am. How can I help?"
"Do you have any mages with you?" I figured that was a strange question. Even I knew that dwarves didn't practice magic, and told her as such. "I know I can't practice magic, but I can learn about everything else. It's application. The use of lyrium. The study of the Fade. Everything except actually casting spells."
She was certainly enthusiastic. "What are you suggesting?"
"I was hoping I could visit the Circle Tower in Ferelden, and maybe they'll accept me as a student. I know they'd think accepting a dwarf would be strange, but trust me on this, I'm a scholar. They'll definitely want me."
So confident and enthusiastic. It was certainly infectious, as it made me smile. "Well, I mean, I could ask a couple of people and see what they say. I can't promise anything though."
"Oh, could you? That would be great. I'd really love to go. Any reason to get out of here." I blinked in surprise, and was ready to ask her what she meant by that, but I guess I could always find out later. I went looking for Wynne and Solona, walking past Zevran, who pointed me in the direction of something called the Shaperate. Wynne was in there at least, and I asked her about a dwarven scholar being allowed into the Circle.
"It would be highly unusual, but if she's willing to learn, I could write a letter of recommendation. What was her name?" I slapped my forehead. "You didn't ask?"
"No. But I'll be able to find her."
"Give me half an hour. I'll write a letter and you can just fill in her details."
I left the Shaperate thirty minutes later with a letter, detailing what a dwarf could bring to the Circle, and what the Circle could do for the dwarves. Wynne whispered one or two things the dwarves could do for us in return, particularly in regards to lyrium. She then had to explain what lyrium was and how it applied to mages.
I found the dwarf where I had left her. The first thing I asked for was her name. "I'm Dagna."
"I'm Ragnar," I said, holding out my hand. Hers was far softer than I imagined. She noticed my curious look.
"I'm a scholar, not a smith. It's why I want to leave. If I don't, I'll be stuck in my caste forever."
"I don't really understand."
"An outsider wouldn't." Then she smiled. "But I guess I can tell you later. Did your mage friends help you?" I handed her the letter. She got a little more excited with every sentence. "This is perfect! Your friend practically demands I be accepted!" She got so excited, she stepped forward and hugged me. She quickly realised and stepped back, her cheeks glowing red. "Um... Sorry."
"Don't worry about it. It's good news."
"How do I get to the Circle tower?"
"Why don't I escort you there?"
"You'd do that?"
"Sure. It's a bit of a journey, and if you've never been out of Orzammar, it'll be a shock to the system. And considering what is going on here at the moment, I don't think my friends will be doing a whole lot nor miss me if I were to disappear for a couple of days."
She thought for all over five seconds. "Okay! Um, let me get my things organised. When should we go? Tomorrow?"
"How do you tell time in here?"
"We have clocks. We live by surface time simply to ensure our society manages to function."
"Okay, why don't you meet me in the Hall of Heroes tomorrow morning, and we'll go from there?"
"I'll just keep my eye out for the very tall human."
She excitedly wandered off, practically skipping away. I chuckled to myself as I found myself wandering aimlessly until bumping into Leliana. I explained what was going on, and then asked where we would be staying. She grabbed my hand and led me to the royal palace. The guards already seemed to know who we were, walking inside to see Cerys and a couple of the others. She explained that negotiations had only just begun, but that Prince Bhelen had opened the palace to the Wardens and their allies. We would be given a section. I explained I was helped a dwarf head to the Circle tower. "So you'll be gone around three or four days, I guess? It probably won't matter. I have a bad feeling this is going to take a long time to sort out."
I shrugged. "Probably. How does a dwarf cope with leaving Orzammar?"
"Some are happy to leave. Others struggle."
A guard overheard our conversation. "Warn your dwarven friend that once she leaves, she cannot return."
"I think she's aware of that, and I don't think she minds. She mentioned something about caste."
"It's how our society operates, Dragonborn." Yep, everyone already knew who I was, it seemed. "Many dwarves leave Orzammar if they are unhappy in their caste."
"Can't they move between castes?"
"No," he replied bluntly.
"Little wonder she wants to leave," I muttered.
"It is how our society has worked for thousands of years. However, Prince Bhelen does have plans. Change might be slow but he wants progress."
There were a couple of chuckles. "You're well informed for a guard," Cerys stated.
"It's amazing what people will say in front of us, thinking we're not listening. Trust me, we hear everything."
