faderift | Eyes black, big paws and

Ah yes, the near-disastrous mission in Serault that somehow hadn't exploded in their faces given everyone involved in it at the time. And the Venatori. And the Red Templars. She fixes Kain with a look when she pauses in her work, mouth pursed for a moment before she sighs.

"Would it surprise you to know that I have? A token of gratitude. Naturally the Inquisition may do with it what they will, I have even less desire to return there than I did previously." The gushing tones of the letter had left her in no doubt that this is for some sort of party she has no desire to attend but if people want to experience the charm of Serault, they can go on her behalf. "Eager to return are we Warden? You might find bandits or pirates without Venatori or Red Templars on the way."

"Not as eager as you might think. To return, that is. Now, to go and fight more Venatori or Red Templars... I'll gladly go anywhere I have to for that." There's just something all too satisfying about slicing his sword through one of those freakishly twisted warriors. "But good, I'm glad they showed their appreciation, anyway, after all that we had to face..." He sighs, though, taking a stray glance at what she's drawing. "So then I take it you're not planning to commission one of these mirrors from them?"

After the Winter Palace, Morrigan has had her fill of Red Templars for the moment. Seeing them crashing through the walls when she and Alan were without their staff, a bleeding noblewoman between them then Alan with a shard of red in his hand? Memories likely to be tucked close to those of the Blight. "Mourning that this is not a true Blight then Warden?" True, she never knew so many of them but sometimes she wonders at the mood.

All of them in the one camp, so little to truly fight compared to the norm? Some must seek out new foes to unleash themselves upon instead of darkspawn.

"I did not commission work from them." It's haughty, offended. Her throat ruined from the forging of the eluvian in the smoke and heat, one chance that would have slipped through her fingers had all gone wrong. "The forging there was done by my own hand, I am no Circle mage, ignorant of how to accomplish anything besides bleating and wringing my hands."

"Not that I wish such a horrible fate on us... I never would... but I would be ready for it, if and when the time of another Blight comes." It's what he's trained for as a Warden, what he considers to be his most ultimate purpose in life. But what they're up against is definitely enough to keep him occupied for the moment. They have such a wide variety of enemies to deal with.

Kain sighs, shaking his head. But he's used to Morrigan by now, anyway, at least from the times he's interacted with her so far. He may disagree when it comes to the abilities of Circle mages, but... he's not going to get into that now. It's not his place. "Forgive me, I meant nothing by asking. I'm unaware of the process that goes into crafting such things... it sounds as if it's more personal than I'd realized. You seem to be planning to create another?"

"Brave words." The words of a warrior, ready to plunge headlong into the abyss. "But shall the world be ready for any of you when the next Blight comes? Ten years and Ferelden's Blight scarce remembered unless one was there to live it, and now all that has happened with Corypheus. There are things the world forgets quickly, that pass out of memory in the blink of an eye yet others...others linger. An echo that might be heard for generations to come."

Dark words to come from her but Morrigan was there when Cousland and Alistair were hunted as they were, branded as traitors same as all the rest. Morrigan remembers those days in Ferelden. An order sworn to secrecy might not survive until the last Archdemon rises.

"An eluvian is not a thing that can be created, tis magic that has passed from this world for there are none living who remember it. They are gone from this world, dead or in the Beyond, and Arlathan is gone, Tevinter grew fat upon them and what came after picked over the bones. This is study, what might have been had the Venatori accomplished their goal in Serault, what might have been if they find one elsewhere." Tevinter could have knowledge of eluvians, the Venatori must know something about them when they've come for them twice and tried to go a different route for the third and the prospect is unsettling, to say the least.

Kain is always ready for a fight, always seeking the next one at that. He's thought about that, the long term of things... who knows what the future will bring? "Even if the world forgets, we'll still be here, still ready to fight the dark threats that await us. We'll just have to make them remember again. That's the way of things, though, isn't it? People like to forget the worst times when it's peaceful for once... they like to forget why we Wardens are so important..."

He's probably not as worried as he normally might be. But if there's anything he believes in, it's the Wardens.

Huh, so it sounds like it's more than just enchanting some normal mirror... "They won't stop until they get their hands on one, will they... and I'm almost afraid to ask about what might have been, though I think I can guess. So do you think we can succeed in keeping them out of their hands?" They probably have to, or else the consequences will be horrible.

"Will you now?" She sounds sceptical, one slender brow arched, given the mess the Wardens have been in ever since she arrived in Skyhold and almost certainly before then since they were an established presence prior to her arrival. "The world shall be much changed, I believe, when all of this is said and done."

Mages and Templars will be decided, will Celene's new gesture stand, who will seat the Sunburst Throne and what will she ordain? It will be interesting to see from wherever she happens to be in Thedas at that point.

Sighing through her nose, she sets down her work for the moment since she'd rather not accidentally stab straight through it even thinking about that. "That they will go to such lengths is...concerning. This is third attempt that has been successfully ended before they were able to succeed yet we were told of it, we cannot know what they will be able to achieve on their own. The Inquisition has a long reach though not long enough. The Venatori have the knowledge of Tevinter though not the official backing." To say nothing of the Red Templars though their role in this has always felt more limited to threats and a show of strength than the brains behind it.

"We will. There are few things I believe in as strongly as I do this order... and its ability to get through times of hardship." Even given the mess with Clarel and everything to do with that. Recent events may not have been great for their reputation, but the order has survived this long. They'll keep on surviving.

But, he can't help but wonder what will happen to the world once this is all over... "Though, of course, we'll have to adapt to the changes that befall the world, we all will."

They have a lot ahead to face, though, including the threat of the Venatori. "And undoubtedly they're planning their next move already. Let's hope they never do get any official backing, and thus become even more of a threat... what we're dealing with is bad enough. We have so many enemies, but at least some of those aren't so organized..." But that could always change, something could easily shift the course of their battles against them.

"Yet you are all very content to linger here, are you not? Little regard for what your presence might do for reputations beyond your own." Not everyone is overly fond of Wardens at the best of times and Morrigan isn't above prodding with someone she doesn't feel any great ties to the same way she would with Alistair. Alistair is the one she'll give credit to, the one she's likely to cut some slack. The least useless of them all, the only one she can say she trusts.

Still the wait for a new Divine will be a long one. Her own time with the Inquisition is likely to have come and gone before the next one sits herself upon the throne with whatever her new title shall be.

"Tevinter has the threat of the Qun as well as their own reputation to be concerned with. I am certain they watch all of us with interest yet if they were seen to support the Venatori it would bode ill for them. Some mostly certainly will, some must already. Yet one war ends and another begins. They could not hope to fight on two fronts." Tevinter isn't what it was in the earliest of days but that's equally what makes them dangerous because they remember what they were, when they controlled so much, when they have ruins across Thedas same as the elves of old. Former glories that some must hope to recapture. "Tis the Freemen now, those who were present in the Winter Palace alongside the Red Templars that are the unknown now."

"Where else should we go? Being with the Inquisition is surely our best option at the moment, and perhaps a way to restore our reputation. We may not be facing a Blight, but this enemy and his own allies are just as much of a threat. It's still within our duty to destroy such threats." It may not be darkspawn, but it's close enough, and terrible enough. Maybe other Wardens have other motivations, but Kain still believes in their true cause, ultimately.

Kain nods, from what he knows of the situation up there in Tevinter, it certainly seems about right. They do have enough to contend with. "Yes, these Freemen... it would be better if we could destroy them before they grow into even more of a threat. Anyone who would ally with Red Templars is completely mad... desperate as well, perhaps. But they cannot be allowed to gain momentum."

"Your reputation." Morrigan allows the words to land as they will because they are said carefully, clipped and precise, cutting through the air. Her gaze is unflinching as she looks up at him, both brows raised slightly. "Not the reputation of all others but your own. None of you have thought to return to Weisshaupt or wherever else you had a presence to restore order there?"

A typical warrior's attitude, to wish to destroy from the start and she doesn't bother to disguise the roll of her eyes. "You do not think we might be better served in learning of their motivations? Where they have come from, why they have joined them as they have?"

"But we're needed more here. This threat may not be darkspawn but it's still a terrible one... still something which we can help to destroy. We can return when Corypheus and his allies are defeated." Still, he maybe gets what she's saying. It's just that he's much too centered on the Wardens first and foremost to see much wrong with that, with caring about preserving their reputation in the world.

Kain shrugs, not too bothered by the differences in approach. He just finds it important to act, rather than take so much time that it comes to be too late. "Of course we must learn their motivations, and anything else that may prevent a situation as what happened at the Palace... we must learn of them, so we can soon afterward finish them off. We just shouldn't take too long to discover what we need to know."

"Such a lofty opinion you hold of your order!" She puts a laugh in her voice, all the better to speak of it later to someone else who'll no doubt find it most interesting. "You do not think you could well be the very key to our undoing once again? We have only your word to go upon these days. A Warden's word holds as much weight as wind after all that has been said and done since your arrival here."

To say nothing of the viper harboured in their midst. A Warden matter they said, as if the world did not set itself aflame for a man deciding he would make the choice for all others.

"Charging in blindly to learn all that we might is not without risk itself. You do not face mindless creatures driven by the taint in their blood now." Her voice drops as she speaks for who truly enjoys remembering darkspawn or travels through the Deep Roads? "You face men of flesh and blood, far darker and more cunning creatures compared to what a Grey Warden is usually accustomed to."

It's one of those things Kain just believes in, wholeheartedly. He's more devout in many ways to the order than even Andraste herself. He knows of its faults, but... the good it does outweighs that, to him. "Then we must work to redeem ourselves, if that's what it takes. I know something about this sort of matter, on a more... personal level. So I'm willing to do whatever it takes to aid in that task of making amends."

Though... it's no easy path, and it may take a long time. He's prepared as he'll ever be for this.

"I wouldn't risk such a thing. A blind charge, that is... we must have a strategy to it. We must be deliberate. But we must act, whatever may happen." He sighs, feeling weary at the moment. "That's... true. Sometimes it really is much easier to face darkspawn than anything or anyone else."

"Can you all agree on what redemption is? Would all the Wardens agree that redemption is necessary, even those who make their home in Skyhold I wonder. I believe that there are words said, about defeating a Blight, what is done when there is one." But will Kain say it, she wonders, or will she have to let it hang instead.

Not all in the world can agree on what is good or evil, what is better or worse. In a time such as this Morrigan can hardly believe that all the Wardens can share that camp without tearing themselves to pieces. One day whatever keeps them working together will end and the result will not be a pleasant one to see.

Dealing with Corypheus after what he's done to them (and yet they have only the word of the Wardens to take in this instance, how can anyone be sure if the Wardens are free of his influence for certain) and they are not in their element. "Does all this make you wish for a return to simpler times?"

"Maybe not all of us will agree... but can any large organization ever be in complete agreement at all times? Can the mages all agree, for instance? We must move forward anyway despite that. We have no choice." If nothing else, he'll do his best as one individual representing them. Even if he fails, he'll have fought his hardest to achieve that redemption. "There will always be some other threat to fight, even between times of Blight. Our order always has a place."

Though the fact that Wardens are susceptible to corruption and being controlled is... definitely something that still deeply unsettles Kain. He's been through blood magic control, he doesn't need to experience this sort of thing again. "Sometimes, I wish we could... Though I also wonder if things were ever that much simpler."

"The mages are fools who willingly place themselves within another Circle, playing nice with the Templars. They make their beds and learn not a single lesson from the past." Morrigan scoffs, venom colouring her words for the few she has met who take no part in it any of it all are just that: few. "When all Blights are ended you will have no place but the tales and pages of history. To become memory. We know how many Old God's there are, how many Blights there have been." Relics they will be, sooner rather than later she thinks if their ways do not change.

"There are not records?" She asks not for herself but Kain doesn't need to know that.

"I agree that it shouldn't revert back to exactly how it was, and that the mages ought to maintain control over their fate... but that's for the mages to work out for themselves. You don't think they're capable of making a good decision that gives them both freedom and discipline?" He's still never sure what he thinks on the question of Circles. In theory, it's a good idea, but one which needs to be seriously overhauled. He knows a mage or two who actually benefited from them, and his best friend is one of the rare good-hearted folks in the Templars with noble intentions. But he also knows it's not so simple, that some Circles are just full of horror stories and Templars abusing their power. Difficult. It really can't be as it was before though, that much is certain.

"I'm prepared for that. I only hope to do something worthy of making my story fit among the other legendary Wardens. If it means my sacrifice... so be it. What other choice do we have? That's the role we fulfill." Here's Kain and his ever-fatalistic view of the world.

"Yes, of course there are records. But I meant that more in a... general personal sense. Many people pine for the 'good old days', when I doubt it was ever so good or easy. Many just wish for something they know... the future is always so uncertain by comparison."

"History has proven that they are not. As you are not a mage and I am, a mage who has known no restrictions upon her life, taught to fear what they are able to do instead of reveling in them. You are a warrior, tis not a thing you can ever claim to truly know. If history is not heeded, history shall repeat itself. Look to the elves. Arlathan was lost and the elves were no longer their own masters. The Dales were lost and the elves are still no longer their own masters." Wynne is likely furious somewhere by the Maker's side at Morrigan using her own words from years ago like this but Morrigan had turned them against her anyway so she wins old woman. The Circles revolted and Morrigan is here, alive, watching it all, and Wynne is not.

It takes a great deal of effort not to roll her eyes though her mouth straightens into a thin line. "Shall it be Garahel or Cousland then?" By the way, fucking Cousland. Ask any of them that actually had to be around him during the Blight.

"The future is there, though the world does like to haul itself closer to the end every so often as some of us drag it back by the scruff to tell it not today. You will do as any Warden does and go where you all will go if battle above ground does not take you first. A great many would yearn for such simplicity and knowing."

"I suppose it's hard to think of it being any other way, with the Circles having been such a fact of life for so long, for so many... but I promise you, I don't mean to step into this matter any more than speculating. I don't know what's best for the mages. It's for all of you to decide. I certainly wouldn't want some non-warrior trying to tell me how to hold a sword, after all." The Circle question is more complicated, of course, but the comparison is close enough. He'd not really want to poke his head into that business... other than perhaps supporting Inessa in particular, in whatever decision she prefers. "Is there no hope to learn from the past at all?" It doesn't sound too good, though, and he probably should know better than to expect much positivity from Morrigan.

Kain shrugs. "Even making a name at all in the tales of Wardens somewhere is enough, though... I certainly wouldn't mind dying a true hero as Garahel and his griffon did..." He raises an eyebrow. Yes, he is curious. "What was it like, fighting beside Warden Cousland?"

"Death in battle or death of the Calling... I do like knowing it's undoubtedly going to be one of those options. I guess that does make my future pretty certain." Though it's just a matter of time, of when exactly it'll happen.

Eyes black, big paws and

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