faderift | Our aspirations are wrapped up in books

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Our aspirations are wrapped up in books

WHO: Hermione Granger and Open!
WHAT: There's a new ~~witch~~ mage wandering around Skyhold. Come say hello?
WHEN: Backdated to her arrival near the end of Guardian and onward throughout Drakonis.
WHERE: ~~The library.~~ All over Skyhold. ~~But mostly its library.~~
NOTES: Feel free to run into her pretty much anywhere, or have her run into you. And be prepared for all the questions about your character and Thedas/their homeworld and everything in between.

If not for the fact that Hermione had spent so many of her formative years in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Skyhold might have been overwhelming

As it was, the sprawling fortress was a little hard to get used to, since the academic environment that had given Hogwarts some sense of structure amidst the chaos wasn't present here. There was a library, thankfully, and she spent much of her time there, though it was so small that she was certain she'd end up reading every book in there in two weeks' time if she didn't actually go out and explore the rest of her surroundings.

And so every so often, she pried herself away from the cold little corner she'd set aside for herself and wander the rest of the area, though granted, she more often than not was carrying at least one book with her. Usually it was one of the books that had survived the trip through the Fade; anyone who might spot her in the garden or tavern or a safe distance away from the sparring going on in the training grounds might notice her engrossed in such unfamiliar titles as Hogwarts, A History or occasionally digging through Spellman's Syllabary in the vain hope of finding recognizable runes on various inscriptions throughout Skyhold.

After all, just because she was endlessly fascinated by all the new people and cultures and history and magic, it didn't mean she didn't occasionally need a bittersweet reminder of home. Especially when her other major reminder was her wand, which - despite the fact that she'd taken to finding the most solitary places she could find and practicing with it harder than she ever had the night before an exam - still wasn't behaving properly at all. Apologies to those of you who end up slipping on some wayward ice or getting sprayed with pebbles from a spell gone wrong.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's as much the 'race' thing as it is the 'mage' thing; both mark Korrin as distinctly 'other' in the eyes of Thedosian society. At least human mages only have to deal with one form of discrimination, harsh though it may be. Those like her, visibly non-human, only have their issues compounded. "Healing potions can be made by anyone, so they're not strictly speaking a mage thing. Get some elfroot and flasks and other ingredient and bam, instant healing or whatever else is needed. Dwarven runes aren't made by mages either, obviously, since no dwarf is a mage. But there are some things that can't be done without magic, and that's where they need us. It's not always bad, though. I had acceptance in my mercenary group, and was never made to feel anything less than equal to them. If the Conclave hadn't happened, I'd still be leading that life, without a doubt."

There's definitely a touch of nostalgia and wistfulness in her smile. Thinking of them is bittersweet right now, cut off from those who might as well be family. But she turns her attention to other things and shudders at mention of what guarded Azkaban. "They sound like Despair demons, cloaked and awful...though they can't draw out a soul, thankfully. At least your world has moved on from that particular horror. I wouldn't wish that upon even my worst enemy."

Hermione has a good point about understanding Corypheus' magic, of course, and Korrin hasn't stopped wanting to learn about it ever since Haven. It was ignorance that led them to that fiasco, and it couldn't be allowed to happen again. Mention of that particular book gains her -understandably wary- interest, and she raises an eyebrow. "I wouldn't mind taking a look sometime, just to see what you were up against. And you're right, we definitely need more information on Corypheus and his magic. He's a being from another age, from the before the First Blight in fact, so he's bound to have a lot of tricks up his sleeve that have been forgotten in time. The one I'd be most interested in learning about is how he's controlling or has the allegiance of a dragon, of all things. If he didn't have that, maybe the battle for Haven would have ended differently. Maybe we wouldn't have needed Skyhold."

The idea of potions being made by anyone makes Hermione give Korrin a quizzical look. "But... it's a potion. Or is it little different than a herbal remedy? Wouldn't the herbs be considered magical, if the result is instantaneous?" Maybe the definition of magic varies a little more between their worlds than she would have thought. "Dwarves can't be mages? Why not? And what do you mean by 'mercenary', exactly?" It had been a while since she'd been spouting off question after question like that. A whole five minutes, give or take.

"I thought I might have seen something that looked vaguely like a Dementor when I'd came here," she muses softly. "I should really learn the names of the different types of demons here. I'm sure they each have their own distinct set of weaknesses and risk factors."

The idea of dealing with another Voldemort is not the least bit appealing to Hermione, but she manages to hide the dread from her features. More or less. "And the First Blight was...?" It doesn't sound good, whatever it is, but it doesn't really serve as a reference of time or anything else. "It sounds like the Imperius Curse, or the nearest equivalent to it, but I've never heard of it working on a dragon. Though I don't suppose why not; I've seen it work on spiders before, so I suppose no one's ever thought to use it on one. Thank goodness for small favors.

"But yes, you can borrow the book; if you'd like, I can help you back to the library and get it for you now. Oh! Or leave you here so you can...." At that, she holds up the letters she'd collected in her hands, having forgotten about them in the midst of their discussion.

Taking the letters, Korrin smiles in thanks though she shakes her head. "It can all wait another time. So, your help would be appreciated and I'll tell you about the First Blight on the way. It's pretty important, since it all ties into the current state of things." She pushes away from the wall slowly, carefully. The throbbing in her back isn't as bad as before, though she's still left feeling a bit tender. "Backtracking a moment, dwarves can't be mages because they have no connection to the Fade, at all. No connection, no magic and no dreaming. It's the way it's always been, as far as anyone knows. Given the way mages are treated, I can't exactly blame them for not jumping to 'fix' that.

And 'mercenary' just means hired muscle, in my case. We guard caravans, rescue people, bring back rare supplies from place X...basically, we do whatever needs doing. Sometimes that involves battle; usually against some nasty creature that we'll wish later we could forget, but we've been tasked with stopping bandits or raiders before. And I know about blood mages because I had to deal with them, too."

She'll elaborate on her personal tales some other time, when Hermione hasn't had a ton of information -mostly awful- thrown at her. "As for the First Blight; in a nutshell, a group of magisters wanting to gain even more power decided to physically enter the Fade and opened a gate into the Golden City -seat of the Maker/the Old Gods- with blood magic. Their pride resulted in the City turning Black, and the mages came back twisted and corrupted, devolving into monsters – the first darkspawn. Said darkspawn went underground, located the Old God Dumat and corrupted him, turning him into the first Archdemon.

Lead by him, they wiped out most of the dwarven kingdoms before taking to the surface. The Blight went on for about two centuries, weakening Tevinter and causing chaos eveyrwhere else, until it came to an end with the Grey Wardens. They're an Order dedicated to stopping Blights and kill darkspawn, and this is what spurred their formation. They managed to kill Dumat and end the Blight, though more Old Gods were found and corrupted later on. We've had five blights so far, and according to legend there's still two more Old Gods out there. The good news that that we -well, the Grey Wardens- are getting better at ending them. The most recent one lasted just a year."

Edited 2016-03-09 02:14 (UTC)

"Of course it does," Hermione murmurs dryly when Korrin mentions hat the First Blight is connected. "Everything seems to be connected to the current state of things.

Frowning a little at the information about dwarves, Hermione thinks about it for a moment before replying, "Well, at least I know that whatever the source of my original magic is, it certainly isn't the Fade. We have dwarves in my world who can use magic. Actually, dwarves are specifically a type of magical being, like elves or centaurs, but we don't know much about them, as they can be very private. But then, the Muggle world has also come to use the word 'dwarf' to mean little people in general, even without any magical status. I wonder if there's a direct connection." She'd never really thought about it before, to tell the truth.

A little relieved at the explanation about mercenaries, Hermione breathes, "Oh, good. It usually means something much less ethical in nature back home. Not that it's good that you've had to deal with all those things, but I suppose, if you're capable and think the work worth the money, it couldn't have been all bad."

Hermione is always getting awful information thrown at her. It's been the case even before she's ever arrived in Thedas, so at this point, she's just assuming that it's her lot in life. "What exactly is meant by magister? In my world, it's a teacher of sorts; are you saying magic teachers had gone power hungry? Is that what it's like in Tevinter?" She only asks because she's heard the term thrown about whenever Tevinter is mentioned, and just wants to make sure she has the semantics right. After all, she already knows that she means something different from most Thedosians when she talks about elves. "So then, when people talk about the Maker, they're not referencing a single god in a monotheistic religion, but just the Creator god of a pantheon? I thought elves were the polytheistic ones...."

Which, really, just leads her to another point as she tries to digest all of this information. "How much of this is actual history and how much is just religious legend? Not that religion isn't a perfectly valid thing to have belief in, if that's what a person feels, but there's usually a clear division between fact and myth, and I don't know that there is one, in this case."

It's beyond weird to think of dwarves as being inherently magical, and Korrin wants to get back to that at some point. Learning more about the people of Hermione's world is bound to be interesting, and she's curious to see how much -or how little- they have in common with her own. She smiles a little as Hermione doesn't pass judgment on her line of work, not about to apologize for it.

"Magisters are members of the Magisterium, the Imperial Senate. I don't know all the details, but basically they rule Tevinter. So, it's a political thing, but in Tevinter anyone with political power is also a mage. As for the Maker, they're absolutely talking about a single god; mention anything else to the Chantry and you'll probably see their faces turn purple. But in the time of the First Blight, the Chantry didn't exist then. Tevinter worshipped the Old Gods; some still might, though you can be sure that's kept secret. These days, even Tevinter is subject to the Chantry, though their own version."

Which, again, is not Korrin's forte. She's never been to Tevinter, so everything she knows about the place is secondhand information. Given how they'r at war with the Qunari and how she'd undoubtedly be treated, the Vashoth mage has no desire to see it for herself

"Honestly, I can't tell you where legend ends and history begins. The First Blight was so long ago and destroyed so much that we might never know for sure. What we do know is that the Blights have been part of this world for that long, and that mages are blamed for that ancient act of pride. Yes, some of their reason for imprisoning mages is due to what I said about abominations, but they also fear us screwing over the world again. Nevermind that we suffer the Blights just the same as everyone else."

"So... Tevinter is essentially what my world would be like if Voldemort had won, from the sound of it." That doesn't really make Hermione at all eager to visit the place anytime soon. Or to talk to any of the people from there, but she'd give them the benefit of the doubt. Because Korrin said so.

"But does the Chantry recognize this event that hinges on the idea of pagan Old Gods being the cause of these Blights? Or do they claim these darkspawn came from somewhere else?" People make all sorts of claims in the name of religion back home, but they can usually be disputed by facts and logic. If there are actually darkspawn running around, though, and there's known magic at work and historical evidence of magisters who'd actually gone to this Golden City, it seems like there's more than faith at work here. Hermione just likes to be able to parse out the fact from the fiction.

"So before the Blights," Hermione asks, "does that mean that mages and non-mages got along? That we've been feared ever since, despite the fact that was so long ago that it's likely no one even remotely related to those magisters is even alive?" Not that it would matter if a distant relative of such a person existed, unless he or she was guilty of some sort of crime. It's telling, though, that Hermione is already beginning to use the word "we" while discussing the plight of mages.

It is telling, and Korrin's lips curve into a small smile upon hearing that. Witch or otherwise in her world, here Hermione is counted as a mage, and thus their plight is essentially hers. Not that Korrin would wish for the latter, but at least Hermione will come to understand it better than most rifters.

"I'm no scholar, but before the First Blight, Tevinter was the dominant force on Thedas. The magisters ruled Tevinter and so everyone else. I doubt that generated a lot of goodwill, though whether the hatred was as rabid as it became later, is a good question. I wish I could answer it. What I do know is that the First Blight weakened the Imperium, to the point where Andraste and her cult of the Maker gathered enough strength to challenge it.

The Chantry claims that darkspawn are the result of the tainted magisters; originally human, but since then they're the tainted copies of all races. I can't say how that's possible, and something tells me I'll sleep better at night not knowing. No darkspawn were mentioned before the First Blight, though; that every source which comes to mind is very clear on that."

Edited 2016-03-09 23:48 (UTC)

"So this is all based on Chantry claims?" she asks, trying to get it all to make sense. "And I'm assuming that the Chantry is comprised of mainstream religious leaders. So is there proof that what they're saying is true, or is there a chance that they're simply promoting propaganda against mages?" She wouldn't ask such a question of someone who gives off the impression of being religious, but luckily, Korrin seems like she's perfectly all right with giving her straightforward, unbiased answers.

After a moment of silence, she asks, "Just how dangerous are these darkspawn? I've seen demons at work - big masses of flame and stick-like creatures who can jump out of the ground - so comparatively speaking, how much of a threat would they pose if I just happened to stumble across a group of them?" They don't sound particularly pleasant just from name alone, and Hermione's already fairly confident that she'll just never leave Skyhold until it's time for her to go home, at this rate.

While Korrin definitely has her own biases, and she won't even deny that, it's true that given her outsider status she has a different perspective. If nothing else, it'll give Hermione one more angle to consider other than the usual Chantry dogma. "That's the thing, no one's quite sure what is the truth. Corypheus claims to be one of the ancient magisters, but he could be lying, or mad or whatever. Still, it's true that he broke open the Fade and that's not something just anyone with magic can accomplish. There's more to it that we're not seeing, I'm sure.

As for other sources...I think the dwarves don't have a darkspawn origin story, other than that they just appeared and wiped out most of their holdings. Anything that could shed further light on that is in the Deep Roads, and no one really goes there unless they have a death wish. Tevinter denies that the magisters are responsible for the Blights at all, and that they have no connection to each other. But whether or not that's true or them just covering their own asses, who can say."

Just how dangerous are these darkspawn? Korrin isn't fazed by much, but having seen that danger firsthand, she winces a little upon remembering. "Darkspawn are extremely dangerous, not just because they're numerous and unrelentingly hostile. They have one purpose; to kill or corrupt everything in their path. The taint they spread through their blood warps people and animals alike. Death is considered a mercy, because even if they survive, they grow deformed and rabid, ultimately becoming beings we calls ghouls. It's...gruesome. There's nothing left of what they once were, when it goes on long enough. At that point, the darkspawn see ghouls as one of them. And no, healing magic does nothing against the taint. If it did, Blights and darkspawn wouldn't be as feared as they are."

So it is just like the religion at home, wherein no one can positively prove - or disprove - all of the claims made by the people in charge. She supposes it makes sense, given how long ago it had happened, but it still sounds awfully convenient. It always sounds convenient whenever people wave their chosen faith around to explain away why they hate for no reason and otherwise make poor choices.

"There's always more to it," she mutters softly, though she tries not to sound too annoyed. It's particularly irksome, being part of a group that's discriminated against for reasons that may or may not be unfounded (or even if they are founded, that have little bearing on what kind of people mages are today). She can't even blame Tevinter for their possible part in this, since again, there's no proof one way or the other aside from what has become local legend.

"So these darkspawn... they're contagious, in a way?" She makes a face, thinking about werewolves, only with the human aspect of them taken away. It's not a pretty thought. "They're feral monsters, then? Or do they have some kind of intellect?" All things considered, she isn't sure which would be worse.

"Most of them just have a simple animal cunning and don't speak other than roars or grunts...or that grating laughter. But that simple cunning can take them a long way, as they've been known to stage ambushes and will retreat if they're in a fight they can't win. A few -emissaries- are intelligent enough to draw upon their taint somehow, to cast spells. They're the ones you have to watch out for, though fortunately I haven't seen or heard of them being that numerous, or of them being spotted above ground. Either way, they'll never surrender and if they can't retreat, will just fight to the death."

Korrin just shakes her head in disgust at everything about them. She knows more than most thanks to that trip into the Deep Roads some time ago, but none of that knowledge is the kind that helps anyone sleep at night. "What also makes them a threat is that they don't need to eat, the taint gives them fast healing and they can see better in the darkness than anyone else. That's another reason to avoid the Deep Roads; all you're doing is pitting your weakness against their collective advantage."

"But they can die?" Hermione asks, just to be certain. She isn't one for killing, but if it becomes a necessity, she'd rather know all about a potential opponent's weakness. After all, even Harry had had to kill in order to bring the war to a close.

"The taint may not be curable, but is it preventable? I don't know if anyone has been able to study them extensively, but perhaps a vaccine of sorts can be developed, in the event that anyone needs to travel somewhere they're known to frequent."

"Oh, they can definitely die. I've killed more than I can count, during that Deep Roads trip that is the reason why I can say that place is a fucking death trap." Seriously, don't do it unless you're a trained mercenary and getting paid a huge amount and even then, don't do it.

Korrin arches an eyebrow at mention of the word 'vaccine' but she tries to elaborate. "Avoid their blood; that's one of the best ways to contract the taint, after all. That or be a Grey Warden. I can't say how, because they keep that knowledge to themselves, but that Order has been fighting darkspawn forever and they don't succumb to taint like the rest of us do. On the other hand, their life expectancy isn't what you'd call high."

Hermione nods at the assertion that darkspawn can be killed. It's a grim sort of comfort, but at least she knows she won't have to rely solely on outrunning these things if she ever encounters them.

Frowning a little at the mention of these Grey Wardens, Hermione asks, "If they know how to avoid being infected, why wouldn't they share that knowledge with others? Even if it's a matter of utilizing a rare herb or dangerous magic, at least let people know why it's kept such a secret. There have to have been cases where someone too important to lose has been been infected, so surely someone must have been willing to find all they could about antidotes and such."

"Grey Wardens tend to keep a lot to themselves; often the only way to find out is to join them and that means a lifetime of fighting darkspawn. You could try asking them, but I don't know what they'll tell you, if much of anything." Korrin shrugs, not pleased with that but she hardly has the authority to do anything about it. "If it was a strings-free cure or prevention, I'd think -or hope- that it would have gotten out. So, I can't help but suspect there has to be a downside somewhere."

"And... being a Grey Warden is a lifelong venture?" It certainly sounds that way, given the way Korrin talks about them. "Are there any of these Grey Wardens here at Skyhold? Perhaps I can try my luck at attempting a conversation with one of them. Even if I don't find out anything new, it would at least be new for me."

Korrin nods solemnly to the first question. "It is, and there are several. There are two which come to mind; Sabriel and Alistair. Sabriel has been a friend since childhood, and so she's the one I know best. I'm sure she'll tell you what she's at liberty to share. As for Alistair, he's one of the veterans of the Fifth Blight, which happened in Ferelden about ten years ago. So, he can tell you all about archdemons and whatnot since he was right in the thick of it. Zevran isn't a Warden, but he's well-known for being a companion of Alistair and the Hero of Ferelden. The would be Jonas Cousand, Prince-Consort and the guy who killed the archdemon in the end."

"That's... a lot of names," Hermione replies, chuckling a little bit. "I suppose you can introduce me to Sabriel sometime, since you know her. There's no rush, of course; I'm sure I might come across the others at some point, but if you've a personal connection, at least that makes it a little less vague."

"I know, and I'm fine with helping. I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't, alright? Most of them will be attending that soiree Ambassador Montilyet and Madame de Fer have created, which ought to be soon. I can't say it'll be a great time, if you're allergic to all that formal nonsense, but...it'd be a learning experience, I can say that much."

Korrin still smiles a little, not completely hating the upcoming event...but only because she'd promised to dance and with one person in particular.

"There's a soiree?" Hermione asks, this having been the first she'd heard of it. "Is it one of those affairs that people have to be invited to? I really don't know that a foreigner who can't even wave her wand around without inadvertently causing people to trip over themselves would be particularly welcomed at such a thing."

"You shouldn't need an invitation, no. I'll double-check, but you should be fine." Unless they start barring rifters from parties now, which...given the current climate, would not surprise Korrin. "So, don't bring your wand. You shouldn't need it, not when it's bound to be well-protected. The Ambassador needs this soiree to form more alliances, so she's not going to have anything risk it."

There's a pause before Hermione asks, "Would they search me?" She doesn't like breaking the rules, no, but she doesn't feel comfortable not having her wand. It might not be doing her a lot of good at the moment, but it's better than being caught in something bad and having to rely on whatever horror show wandless magic would be like.

"It's not that I intend to turn myself into a risk. I just... we don't go anywhere without our wands. If there was a place I could securely lock it up, it would be fine - not that I assume strangers would root through my things! But... it's a precaution, you understand."

Korrin nods, sympathetic. "Oh, I understand. I'm not used to going anywhere without my staff, especially in times like these. I don't know what specific security measure they have in mind, but I'll check ahead of time. Whatever they decide, I'd rather know than be surprised about it."

She glances down to her spirit blade hilt thoughtfully. Would it even count as a weapon, if she doesn't activate it? There probably isn't much room in the way of loopholes, but still....

"If I'm right, though, the only danger will be from weird-tasting Orlesian delicacies and boring stories from nobles. That is, when they aren't being condescending or racist. They don't treat my kind as badly as they do elves, but we're still 'savage oxmen' to them. Then again, those willing to give the Inquisition a chance might not be as terrible as the usual sort."

"I should do that, too. I can't expect other people to hold my hand in all this." All this, meaning assimilating to life in Thedas. She can only ask so many questions before she should really go out and attempt to take charge of her life again, such as it might be while she's here.

She bristles a little at the description of the sort of people she might run into at this event. Korrin might be biased, but then, Hermione's heard enough about the people of Thedas to know it might not be that far off the mark. "Maybe I shouldn't go, then. I can't promise I wouldn't give someone an earful if they say the wrong thing to me." Or punch them. Punching could well be a distinct possibility.

Hermione's initiative is met with an appreciative smile, and Korrin is increasingly certain that she'll adapt well, after the shock and horror wear off. Still, she'll offer to do what she can because arriving in another world has to be overwhelming enough. There will be plenty to juggle later on, too.

The image Hermione provides gets a chuckle out of her, and she shakes her head. "Those are more or less my thoughts on the matter. If the Inquisition didn't need them, and if the mage council wasn't required or my girlfriend attending, I wouldn't bother. But all three are happening, so I'll deal with it. The best revenge when those things happen is to have a wonderful night showing them that you clearly don't give a nug's ass about their opinion anyway."

Our aspirations are wrapped up in books

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so much teal deer

the tealest of teal deers o/

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