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."
Dinner that night was interesting. Considering the dwarves had no farms, they did rely on food imports from the surface world, so they did have food we recognised, but there were some strange things on the table, that a few of us were willing to try. But it was the alcohol that took your breath away. Literally. It matched if not exceeded the strong ale I used to get in Skyrim, and made any other beer in Ferelden taste like water.
Solona was very excited in bed that night, babbling at length about everything she'd seen. Probably more excited than me, in all honesty. The drink had clearly gone to her head, though, as she quickly passed out, much to the amusement of Leliana and I. It had been a long day, so all we did was cuddle and eventually go to sleep. I would tell Cerys the next morning, just to prove I didn't need to have sex every night.
They both escorted me to the city doors the next morning after breakfast, Solona by one hand, Leliana with the other. Dagna saw me approaching and waved. Solona hugged me first, whispering that she'd miss me, before Leliana hugged me too. Then she said something that confused me. "Have fun."
"I'll be as quick as possible, but..."
"Ragnar, have some fun."
I noticed the look in her eyes, on her face. I felt my jaw drop, which made her giggle. "What?"
"I am saying, if the opportunity presents itself, do what you always do. You're going to be gone for a few days and we won't be around."
I glanced between her then Solona. "You're serious?"
"Look, I could be misreading this, but she's excited for two reasons. One, she's going to the Circle. Two, you're taking her. Trust me, I know how she feels."
I looked at Solona again. "Cerys is talking about recruits, Ragnar. Leliana and I already know you're going to have at least one dwarven lover."
I couldn't help but start to laugh. "My two girlfriends are now organising my love life!"
"I like the sound of that," Solona smiled.
"What? Girlfriend?"
"Yes."
I hugged them both at once, giving each a soft kiss, earning a kiss on my check in reply, before I let them go, said farewell, and heard them call, "Bye, boyfriend!" as I walked towards Dagna.
I offered to carry her things, surprised at how heavy her bag was. She then surprised me by saying no-one knew she was leaving. I wanted to ask why, but I figured she might tell me on the way. Dagna started babbling immediately about everything she wanted to do as we walked through the Hall of Heroes. We hadn't even left Orzammar yet, and I was thinking she was going to wear herself out just through talking. Still, she was a sweet girl and obviously excited. As I said, her enthusiasm just for life was infectious, and she was clearly looking forward to seeing the world. The gates had closed since our entry, so we stood and wait for them to open. I felt my right hand taken by a much smaller hand, glancing to see her suddenly nervous.
Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, I said, "You'll be fine."
"I know. It's just... actually leaving. I've wanted to for so long, but now that I'm doing it." She looked up at me. "Am I making mistake?"
"Is this what you want to do?" She nodded. "Then it's not a mistake. Don't live life with regrets."
"Hmmm. Good advice."
The gates opened, and sunlight filtered in. All other dwarves stepped back and didn't look out. I'd learned that if a dwarf saw the sky, their life could be over in Orzammar. Their society had all sorts of strange rules, but they lived lives by the stone. Looking down at Dagna, she nodded and we strode out together, stopping outside the entrance as she looked up in wonderment.
