Hearing him say that he wasn't for possessions made Hermione breathe easier, but only a little. He could be a liar, after all, even if she was inclined to believe that he seemed to be nothing but earnest in everything he said and did. Still, she'd been through enough wars to know that not everyone could be trusted just because of some so-called gut feeling.

But since he didn't seem to pose any immediate threat, she wasn't going to begrudge him a conversation, even if she hadn't really been in the mood for one. At least talking to someone so different from everyone else she knew here in Thedas would help take her mind of her recent troubles.

"I've heard the shards we bear sometimes referred to as an anchor," she revealed. "Perhaps something about the raw magic in your shard is making you more mortal, the same way mine is interfering with my magic. I'd recommend you not purposely sustain any grievous injuries to test that theory, though."