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WHO: Mac Journey and you there!
WHAT: Exploration of Skyhold, self-educating and existential dilemmas.
WHEN: The duration of Kingsway.
WHERE: Everywhere in Skyhold he can get access too, really.
NOTES: No warnings as of yet. Several prompts inside but feel free to bump into him anywhere! He's bound to stick his nose where it doesn't belong at some point.

Mac made it to Skyhold safely, accompanied by the lovely Miss Ellana. He learned most of the basics along the way, accepted his new palm and head accessories and decided sometime during the journey that he wanted to be part of the Inquisition, formally or otherwise. Anywhere people were in need, Mac was supposed to be there, and as far as Ellana said, the Inquisition was the choice to make. Fine by him.

Besides, they have a castle fortress and he's not about to pass up that opportunity.

Throughout the days following, Mac spends most of his time trying to learn about the world he's landed in and the people inhabiting it, both through literature and personal experience. As with all social efforts it's a bit touch and go; it's not made any easier for him being newly minted as a Qunari - or Rifter equivalent - and he certainly stands out with gold-plated ram horns, lime-colored eyes and long, undercut hair he painstakingly dyes a rich purple color.

Library

While terribly excited about the innumerable prospects available to him upon arriving at Skyhold, Mac is infinitely more intent upon the library, mentioned to him in brief. If is meant to be in the strange new world he has to do what any self-respecting Warlock would do: educate himself.

Back home the Guardian had scoured every library available to him and even gone on countless missions for the colleges to recover lost knowledge from the Ishtar Academy. He has a voracious appetite for knowledge (though a good many that knew him would say he wasted that motivation on his obsession with fiction and fantasy) and speed-reading is a talent he happily indulges. Thedas, as it turns out, is everything he had ever dreamed of and if he's going to inhabit the land for any length of time, being poorly educated is simply unacceptable.

Though certainly availing himself of other amenities available in the hold, Mac is most often found sitting on the floor surrounded by books, flipping through page after page, pale eyes scanning written words so quickly it's a wonder he can retain anything at all. His curiosity isn't limited to the written word, however, and anyone passing within range of him gets stared at without a hint of apology. He isn't trying to be rude, of course, but he's quite in love with everything and everyone he sees at present; that includes all those from the flashiest of Orlesian courtiers to the blandest of wool-wearing scullery maids.

Tavern and Kitchens

As it turns out, getting spit out of a green sky means you don't always come out the other side quite the same. Never actually having to eat or sleep back home was more of a dull fact than a boon and the novelty of needing to do both is unlikely to wear off anytime soon for Mac. As such he's always eagerly poking his head around corners and following the smells of local vittles.

There is nothing he's unwilling to try, however vile it might first appear, and his new appetite happens to be curiously large; he accounts it to his magic likely needing to be supported more by his metabolism and personal health now than the physics of his former home.

He's also never been able to enjoy the effects of alcohol and he's easily seen spending more time at the tavern during evening repast observing the effects on others while obviously longing to join in but being too unsure to try.

Healers

Injuries are a new thing for Mac, and they aren't at all welcome. While adapting to sleeping and eating regularly has been immensely enjoyable, having to actually heal from wounds is forcing him to question his usually more reckless approach to things.

Paper cuts, scrapes and bumps have been accepted as badges of newfound potential mortality, odd but harmless. The first time he endured a solid bruising left him bewildered but largely unmoved. The day he decided to hop down the battlement steps instead of walking the distance resulted in a tweaked ankle and limping. That was far more alarming. As a result Mac has endeavored to be more careful with his actions and person, but years of blindly barreling onward are difficult to change.

Due to his inevitable learning curve, Mac shows up at the healers regularly enough, pouting and holding new bruises and cuts as he seeks aid for ailments he's never had to deal with. It's about the most sullen he gets, having to put his fun on hold to treat a cut or burn. On the upside, he's certainly garnering a lot more respect for medicinal arts.

Main Bridge

When the library gets a bit crowded - as it sometimes does with all the mages, intellectuals and other curious Rifters - Mac likes to sneak a book off to the bridge and tuck himself against the stones jutting from the parapets, feet dangling over the side. Often, however, when he goes here he spends more time looking out across the frozen valley than actually reading, lost in thought or lost in the view.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"That's a rule I definitely try to live with." Inessa smiles, glad to see that all this upset hasn't crushed him yet and with that mindset, isn't likely to do so. Even so, she'll make a note to look out for him. Such a combination of practical and idealistic is rare, and she would like to see it continue to flourish, if at all possible.

About to ask questions regarding his 'big bad', Inessa is temporarily distracted by the question. "Oh--yes, absolutely. And I'm the same way when it comes to processing information, so I quite understand. Having it in writing to peruse at your leisure aids quite a bit. Let's see, I would recommend anything by Brother Genitivi. He's a scholar who has written about many aspects of life in Thedas. You should read the Chant of Light as well. Not that I expect you to convert, but for context. The Chantry will come up quite often in conversation...."

Ignoring her remaining books that she can shelve later, Inessa places them aside to begin plucking out others for Mac to read. "Here are some tomes about the Circle of Magi and the Templars, though the recent Mage-Templar War is rather recent. I doubt you'll find anything extensive in the stacks, but you have plenty of mages and Templars who have lived through it in these walls. My duties were elsewhere, so I cannot give details about the war itself, though I know some of what lead up to it. As for the Qun, there is considerably less information in writing. However, we do have a Qunari in the Inquisition. His name is the Iron Bull. I only know of him, but if he's willing to share what he knows, that is likely to be far more accurate than anything written about them here."

"I'd like to speak to this Iron Bull person, if you can set something up, maybe? No pressure, though. I just need to talk to as many people as I can about this stuff. I don't think I'll ever blend in completely, but with enough booksmarts you can arm yourself with enough knowledge that people overlook the obvious," Mac relates, reaching out and taking each book she hands him, setting them into a pile near where he'd been camped out for reading.

"Brother Genitivi? Got it. I promise I'll read everything by him that you guys have." And he means it. He reads quick enough to plow through the entire Inquisition library in a matter of weeks, provided he does nothing else. Alas, Mac is terribly good at getting himself into mischief and falling prey to distractions. Might take him a couple months.

"Religion is almost completely gone in my time. There's still some pockets, but there were so many wars caused by it that most people avoid organizing anymore. Conversion is kind of...not very likely. But it's good to educated yourself, so I'll read up on all of that, too. If nothing else, so I can be respectful towards other people and their beliefs. I'm pretty disrespectful about everything, universally, on accident, so it can only help!" Silver lining.

"I don't know Iron Bull personally, though I believe he can be found in the Herald's Rest a great deal of the time. Or you can attempt reaching him through the sending crystal. For a private conversation, you simply state his name and it will be for him and him alone."

Glad to see someone so eager to learn, Inessa piles on a few more books she thinks he might consider interesting, one about dragons and their 'return' to Thedas, and another about the Fifth Blight. "Respect will get you far, if you can manage it. I can't say it will always be enough, but at least you can assume that as a 'qunari' expectations won't be terribly high. They are 'barely civilized' after all." She rolls her eyes at such nonsense, looking for more books to shove his way without breaking his arms in the process.

"In Thedas, the Chantry's rise to dominance and its fight to maintain said dominance have caused several wars. They are called Exalted Marches, crusades on behalf of the Chantry against whoever they deem as enemies; Tevinter, the Qunari, and the Dales, among others. This is not to say that the Chantry has nothing of redeeming value, but the gulf between what should be and what is can be rather wide. Not all wars can be traced back to the Chantry, however. People can find many reasons to massacre each other; religion is only one of them."

"I am pretty uncivilized, though," he admits happily, completely unfazed by the prospect of being seen as lesser in any way. It hurts, of course, in his home setting, but in a world where he's entirely out of touch? He can't fault people for looking down on him yet. Once he's proven himself, however, they'll have to apologize.

"Don't I know it. Geez, I could tell you alllll kinds of crazy history from back home that would just make you shake your head and write us off as hopeless. But we made it out the other end okay, so I usually assume everyone else can, too. Provided they want to enough and have the helping hands necessary. I can't say we would have done as well without the Traveler, but there's no denying that we've hung on very tightly even without him. On the whole I think most people want to be good and do the right thing. Get enough people thinking that way and you usually end up alright."

"Perhaps, but there's no need to give them fodder for criticism." If he wants to, well, that's on him. Inessa's just giving advice that she at least hopes will make a smoother transition to Thedosian life and culture.

"In my experience, most people want to be left alone to live their lives peacefully. Whether or not they get that outcome is another matter entirely. But yes, those who are more proactive can indeed influence matters for the better. And...the Traveler? Who is he and what has he done to aid you? Do you think we might see him here?"

"Probably not." He pauses, looking over his shoulder at Inessa and frowning slightly. Sighing and shrugging, he sets the remaining books down, turning back to the task and arranging them alphabetically while he speaks.

"The Traveler is...I don't know. Not a person. Maybe not a he. An entity...an intelligence beyond mortal understanding, I suppose. Best as I can explain, the Traveler is...was...this benevolent intelligence that took our crumbling world and shaped it anew. It came from the skies bearing knowledge from worlds beyond imagining, taught us to wield the Light - another word for magic, really - taught us how to cure diseases and largely just broke the shackles of ignorance. But where there is Light, so to must there be Darkness. Whatever the Darkness is, it followed the Traveler. Came at us. The Traveler sacrificed itself and saved our world. Not really a God or anything, though there are plenty of cults that worship it. It just hangs there in our sky now. Dead, I think. No one really knows for sure."

He clucks his tongue, shrugging and picking at the spine of a book before rising to his feet and offering a smile.

"The Traveler is the only reason I'm alive and exist, though, so I guess it's as close to a God as I've got."

Listening intently, Inessa nods as she tries to absorb all this information. The flood isn't unwelcome; she loves learning as much as she can, especially when it comes to information she can't get anywhere else. Otherworld knowledge certainly counts, in this respect.

"I think I understand. You owe this Traveler much, in many respects. The library is not the appropriate place for a demonstration, but if you would be willing at another time and place, I would be interested in seeing what magic you possess. So that it's fair, I can demonstrate my own."

"Oh yeah, absolutely!" Mac agrees, nodding once and patting a hand against his side idly.

"It'd probably be a good idea, just to figure out what my limits are, now. I get tired doing my magic, where before I didn't, really. There was always a recovery period where I had to gather more energy before doing something really serious again, but here it's more involved. Sorta spooked me, initially, but I think I get it. More like inner forces here instead of ambient energy." He's not always dumb.

Inessa nods, patting Garahel absently, who's watching them both. "I've been told that otherworld powers best 'translate' when they're closest to what mages can accomplish here. They closer your powers are to our magic, the easier it will be to use them. Perhaps watching and learning from our various mages will give you the insight you need. A staff could be most beneficial, as well, help channel that energy properly."

She holds up a finger, needing just a moment, and returning with her own, propped up against a library wall nearby. "This is mine, a lightning-based staff that used to belong to ancient Tevinter. The irony of it being in my hands now is not lost on me."

"That's pretty awesome...definitely awesome. But I don't...really want to give up my sword," he mumbles, a bit stricken by the thought. He had worked so hard to fight the creatures required, get the pieces, the artifacts and earn the honor of having it assembled.

"It's kind of important," he adds, reaching over his shoulder and gripping the hilt to pull the weapon forward, turning it out in his hands and offering it up for Inessa to hold, if she likes.

"I specialized in solar - or fire - magic for a long time. Now I mostly focus on arc abilities - which is lightning, basically - but the sword is from my days as a Sunsinger.

Peering at the weapon, Inessa nods slowly. She'll lean her staff against the bookshelf to hold his, turning it around to see it from all angles. "A beautiful weapon, to be sure. Though you may not need to give it up to work with a staff as well. Knight-Enchanters use a staff in one hand and a spirit blade in the other. Using their techniques or at least approximating them might be more beneficial in terms of channeling your magic."

"Knight-Enchanter? Oh man, that sounds so cool!" Mac exclaims, instantly excited by the prospect. Though usually thought quite fascinating by others simply for being a Warlock, being called a knight is the stuff of his more biased fantasy. And getting to use a staff and a sword just sound like the most badass thing ever. Then again...

"Yeah but, I don't cast through things like a lot of people write about in your books. Warlocks don't channel through objects...the magic channels through us," he explains, raising his hands up his sides before thrusting them out, gesturing as best he could the idea of pulling magic into his body, then pouring it out - without actually casting, of course. Outside he could show her more, later.

"Maybe I should explain. See, Warlocks sort of...tame the elements. We reach out, in the earliest stages of learning, for sympathetic energy and kind of...I don't know, ask permission to use it?" he laughs, grasping for a good way to describe what he and his ilk tend to do.

"But when you do the really powerful magic later on, you allow the element to consume you completely. Like, if I were to summon a storm, the spirit of the storm, so to speak, courses through me and out of me at my direction, but in order to be able to do that I had to go out, stand up to a massive tempest and pretty much tell it off until it thought I was badass enough to run around with. Now a storm always lingers behind me, unseen until I call upon it. Boom," the Guardian finishes, gesturing casting with one hand.

"I used to be a Sunsinger, but mostly I stick to Stormcaller on the field. Way more efficient in combat. I studied to be a Voidwalker, too...but...I don't like using the dark forces. Not sure that's bias because of being a Sunsinger for so long or because it's legitimately bad magic, but I've know some pretty awesome Voidwalkers. I just leave that to them, though," the man remarks, hunching slightly and reaching out to run his hand over the flickering stone set against the blade of his sword; it always looked as though a fire perpetually burned inside.

"The Light is where we ought to walk."

For a moment, Inessa stiffens when it seems he's going to use magic, since she's very protective about the library and its contents. But as no arcane energies burst forth, she relaxes. Garahel simply watches the display with interest, utterly calm. As Mac explains how his magic works, Inessa listens intently without interruption. Her brow furrows as she takes all that information in, definitely wanting to see it at work now.

"That kind of bond with the elements is...well. I can't say it's something that we have here, and that might be just as well. People fear mages enough without the notion of a constant, literal storm within. When it comes to element, ice is my affinity. However, I can't say I harbor a blizzard in the manner you mean. I can summon one, yes, but that's all. And I've yet to use lightning or fire for myself, though there's nothing stopping me. It's just that my focus is elsewhere, for now.

I can't say without us going elsewhere, but I suspect that the more powerful the magic is and the less it conforms to Thedosian magic, the harder it will be to bring forth and maintain. More spectacular results requiring more effort, and whatnot."

"We have that kind of connection with the elements because we have space, I think. When you become a Guardian, everything you were before is just gone. Poof, nothing there," Mac explains with a little flourish of his hands to imitate something puffing out of existence.

"So you're a vessel that can contain the immeasurable, or whatever it was they kept saying. I don't know. I ask questions and I tinker a lot, but I'm not like the deeper thinkers in my sect. I kind of regret it, sometimes, but I'm also more fun than they are. Sooo, fair trade off, I guess?" the Guardian remarks cheerily, perking a bit and wiggling his fingers at Inessa.

"I dunno if I can teach anyone to do what I do, but I'd definitely like to see if I can learn magic here. Adding more subtle elements to my repertoire would be pretty awesome on the field back home. If I could freeze an Archon Priest or blind an Ogre with a snow storm, that's be tops."

Her brow furrows at mention of 'space', and what this becoming entails. "You mean, you do not remember? Nothing from before? If that's consensual, it's quite the sacrifice." If it's not, the prospect is even more horrific, but Inessa's trying not to get ahead of herself.

"As for magic, I honestly don't know if you would be able to learn. No one in Thedas just becomes a mage, it's an inherent ability that you hone through years of practice. Perhaps your powers will translate to such, but I don't want to be the bearer of incorrect news, so please take that with a grain of salt. At any rate, it's more likely you would begin with something small and move up from there. A blizzard -or tempest or column of fire- take a lot of focus and discipline."

"I don't know if the dead can consent," he quips, smiling that crooked smile and shrugging with a shake of his head.

"It's kinda complicated, maybe. I don't know how it sounds to someone outside that kind of life. Basically we had wars - lots of them - and a lot of people died. The Traveler made the Ghosts and the Ghosts can find the fallen and bring them back for a greater purpose. Namely protecting all life. But they can't bring the original person back, they just bring back a person. Just a body and mind with nothing in it from before other than a will to fight. It's way more involved than that, obviously, since we all have our own personalities and such, but we don't have a past. Just a future."

In the midst of handing him back his sword, Inessa's eyebrows raise in shock. "You...your body was dead? This almost sounds akin to the necromancer order in Nevarra, but such mages can't return any life to a body once it's departed, only summon spirits to inhabit them. They're never anything you would mistake for a living person." Her curiosity gets the better of her manners and she regards him with new eyes...though the rift has obviously changed him already, so it's probably pointless. Still, though. "It seems a noble purpose, protecting all life. Does it trouble you, having a preset role, or does it give you comfort?"

"Yeah. Really dead. Ghost brought me back in--well, nevermind, you wouldn't know the place. But he brought me back and I was just charred bones sitting in a dump heap," he snorts, not one to overthink his origins. Though Inessa's remark brings a possibility to light and he nods lightly.

"Well, realistically, that could be what the Ghosts do. Most beliefs where I'm from say that when you die, whatever little mystical, intangible thing inside that makes you who you are goes somewhere else, permanently. Heaven, Hell, Nirvana, Shambhala, Xibalba, Elysium, Hades...everyone believes something different. Or that we just cease to be. But either way the body is empty, so maybe Ghosts stuff spirits in there, and we're just not self-aware. Who knows?" he shrugs, not terribly worried about it, but filing it away for later questioning. If he ever went home, it would be worth going to the different colleges of thought with any new insight.

That and the archivists and cryptarchs would probably toss some money his way. That never hurt.

"Sort of both," Mac admits, shrugging again and reaching up to rake a hand through his hair. A habit impeded by new horns, which he briefly gets tangled in.

"Having a role makes it easier not to be so confused when you come back. Without Ghosts to guide us and a purpose already written down I think we'd all be a lot more...I don't know, afraid? Though we're rarely that. It isn't often that a Guardian questions their role in things, but it does happen. Usually that just leads them to do something even more impressive or important, but sometimes...sometimes it makes them turn away from the Light and then it can get really bad. Mostly it's just kind of lonely. You still think about and want things like normal people, but you're not normal anymore, so you can't really have it. That sounds more gloomy than I intended. Sorry. Usually it's fine."

The habit gets a wince of sympathy from Inessa, who can't imagine having horns to deal with on top of an entirely new world. She shakes her head at said gloominess, even as Garahel reaches up to gently paw at him and bump against him for comfort. "There's no need to apologize, not to me. I'm a mage and a Grey Warden; I know well what it is to be separated from the rest of society. For good or ill, it's not my lot in life and I know it. Some would say just being an elf does that as well, though I'm not certain I would.

Regardless, I hope you find purpose and comfort here, among the Inquisition. Everyone needs a path, even if -perhaps especially when- all else is unfamiliar." It's the only way she could keep going, at times. Focusing on issues greater than herself has managed to put things into perspective, reminded her not to despair. She has to stop herself from rambling, though, not wanting to override his own experience.

He pauses, chuckling softly and arching a brow with a lopsided grin, nodding in understanding.

"Yeah I can imagine. Just from what I've read and what people have told me, mages got it rough, elves got it rough, Wardens got it rough. You're battin' a thousand, lady," Mac laughed, shaking his head and lowering his hand to smooth across Garahel's head.

"So really all I learn from that is you have to be a bland, poorly educated, small-minded human with no special talents to get any respect around here? Well, shucks. Guess I'm boned," the Guardian grins, lofting both brows and shrugging with a serene expression.

"Screw 'em. I think you're all lovely, so far. Haven't met anyone I couldn't like at least a little. But then I've been accused of having poor taste in people, so can't really base anything on my stellar assessments," he remarks with a wink.

That expression is unfamiliar to Inessa but she gets the general tone of it and responds with a dry chuckle while Garahel pants happily at all the petting. He'll never move away or get tired as long as there's someone to even partially pay attention to him.

"Well, I admit that even human commoners don't have an easy life. To truly be someone of influence and respect, you must be nobility or clergy...or both, preferably. Away from those areas, the path toward respect is decidedly steeper. You have to be twice as good to get half the respect and even then, if you make a mistake, you'll fall twice as hard. I'm not saying it's impossible, but very difficult." It's a good thing she's not really after respect, personally. The general respect afforded to Grey Wardens is enough to do her job mostly unharassed and so she'll take it.

"And...thank you, you're kind to say so. I'll refrain from spreading word of your poor taste." She smiles again, a glint of humor in those eyes.

"Yes yes, do that. I have a very important negative reputation to keep and being in a new world doesn't change that at all," he replies cheerily, pausing to place his sword across his back once more. Returning to the task of coddling the massive hound, Mac makes a point to scratch behind both ears at once. The wolves back home seemed to like it, at any rate.

"Frankly the only people that get my respect are people who work for what they have. So nobles can stuff it. Unless they're standing on the front lines of their fights and providing for their people - then they get a pass. But rich jerk-offs that grow fat off the little guy? Nah, that's not what I respect. Probably not going to be much into politics here..."

"We do actually have some nobles of that temperament here, thankfully. Joining the Inquisition, recently reborn, is a risk and yet some see past that and recognize the need to counter the threat to us all. Those unwilling to cooperate or only seeking their own gain are unlikely to risk the wrath of the Chantry to begin with. And I can't blame you for avoiding politics as much as you can. Grey Wardens are supposed to be apolitical...but that is increasingly ironic, these days. Would that it were otherwise."

Glancing down at Garahel, she shakes her head, a smirk forming. "Now you've done it. He'll expect that sort of spoiling every library visit, instead of seeing it as naptime. If he becomes too feisty, I'll have to take him down to the courtyard."

"Politics are pretty simple back home. At least for people like me. the answer is always 'Let the Speaker handle it' or 'the Vanguard has this'. You can get involved in politics if you want but our history is a cautionary tale and frankly, I'm not likely to be any good at it anyways. I'm not a very good liar," he laughs weakly, clearing his throat and glancing off to the side before patting the top of Garahel's head.

"It's alright, I don't mind. I would have liked to have pets back home, but...I couldn't, really. It's nice being able to enjoy a little in passing."

Garahel looks back up, panting happily at the patting. "That's the thing, it's never just 'a little' with him. He needs more and more and more. Such a greedy thing." The mabari whines at this teasing, don't make him look back to new people!

"But if that doesn't deter you, you're welcome to pester him at any time. Mabari are war hounds and need a lot of exercise. Don't you, boy? And many, many games of fetch?" He wags his tail, though knows better than to bark in the library. "Speaking of animals: if you've time, you should consider familiarizing yourself with the mounts at the stable. Some of them, are more...interesting than others, and they might need some adjustment if you're to rely on them in the field."

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