"I think it varies from region to region. Some say they tempt sailors and drown them, others that they do the opposite and save them. You're not wrong about Thedas, so I'm always inclined to believe the darker versions of tales, or at least the more nuanced. Rivain and Antiva probably have more stories to share on the subject; what I found in my tower and elsewhere in the south wasn't much at all."

Inessa shrugs apologetically, as one of her greatest delights is going on and on about something she'd found in a book. If they were discussing dragons or the Fade or the history of the Chantry, she'd be all set. But mermaids aren't a known quantity, either in reality or in legend.

"It would be fascinating to see the cultural exchange between Ebeos and Orlais, considering...though the Empire's bad habits have spread far enough, as it is." And it wouldn't just be the Orlesian Empire but the Chantry, since the Grand Cathedral is in Val Royeaux. "I can scarcely imagine what it's like to share a name, let alone have a 'twin'. It seems rather intimate...and lonely, all at once."