when they tell you you are made of stars, tell them you know.

[elegiaque]

WHO: Gwenaëlle Vauquelin, Petrana de Cedoux, Benevenuta Thevenet & Galatea Lourdes + SPECIAL GUEST: YOU.
WHAT: A Wintermarch catch-all.
WHEN: Wintermarch.
WHERE: Kirkwall.
NOTES: Somewhere for me to put planned, closed threads! Hit me up on keanuleaves or libbitybibbit#8828 if you desire one.

Comments

[ipseite]

“It never would have worked,” she observes, after a moment, “pursued thus. He was undone already by his own methods—even had he succeeded. Such methods would not be secret long, and such a Circle—such a mage—could naught but expect to be a target. A symbol, in being put down.”

Whether that might have galvanized a different sort of rebellion or put paid to it entirely, they can only guess. Done is done, and none of that happened.

Still.

What it puts her in mind of doesn't bear thinking about too closely.

“One Circle. No, that would not have stood.”

[overharrowed]

"No," he agrees, "it wouldn't have. Even if he'd not turned to blood magic, even if he'd convinced the other enchanters... I can't imagine that the Chantry would have sat by and allowed Ferelden's mages independence, regardless of what Ferelden's crown had to say about it. But I suppose that evaluation is also much easier to make in hindsight."

Julius isn't entirely sure he would have seen the templars' decision to split off coming, either. Perhaps it was easier to imagine a bloodless sea change with powerful enough allies, years ago.

"It is a complex affair, as you surely know. For years, the Chantry assumed most if not all apostates used blood magic; it was a convenient excuse for putting them down on sight. That, clearly, I cannot excuse either. It is just difficult for me to be cavalier about warnings against blood magic when I saw firsthand the damage it can do to a man's character, even before the rebellion's violent end. Uldred was not always power-mad, I am reasonably sure."