In the uneasy silence after the fall of Kirkwall, a Dalish elf immune to red lyrium’s corruption and a Qunari warrior bound by duty are thrust together by forces greater than themselves. Tasked with uncovering the origins and purpose of the red substance spreading like a blight across Thedas, they must navigate distrust, forbidden magic, and the fragile alliances left in the wake of war. She walks too close to the fire; he is the only one who can pull her back. Together, they may be the only hope to understand the madness—and destroy it before it consumes everything.
The red lyrium is different, darker. Daggers under the skin. It eats you inside until you're nothing.— Cole
The explosion at Kirkwall's Chantry had definitely set things in motion that the world of Thedas had been trying to keep from spilling out since the influx of refugees from Fereldon, thanks to the Blight. For some time, the Circle Mages had found unrest within their walls, largely in part by the Templar hold that had gotten much tighter over the last months.
The Right of Tranquility had become a widely used punishment for more than just those who could not pass their Harrowing's, and it had bordered on abuse if it had not already crossed that line. Once those rumours had reached the Seekers of Truth, the Divine Justinia sent out her Right Hand, Seeker Cassandra Penteghast, to uncover the truth of the rumours and put it to right before any more members of the Circle were harmed unnecessarily. The real truth of the matter was that they did not wish to let the truth of the Right of Tranquillity could be...
Reversed.
Questions led to more questions, and none of them managed to have
e any answers, even when pressed. Though, where there is a Right hand, there is also a Left, and the Divine Justina had both of her Hands outstretched and put to work. While the Seeker tried to get answers of the Champion's whereabouts, Leilianna had been sent to Val Royeaux to collect a mage who had been sent to the Circle there to be tested by Vivienne de Fur, First Enchanter of Montsimmard Enchanter to the Imperial Court of Orlais to eventually be made Grand Enchanter.
"One more time, girl, with feeling!"
The dark-skinned human barked orders to the silver-haired elf that stood opposite her, dusting off her backside after finding herself pushed back with the Circle mage's spirit blade. The Dalish-trained woman stood with a scowl clearly written on her usually kind face, a staff in one hand and her other, left sparking with what had been the blade the human held in hers.
"Enough," the human named Vivienne said as she straightened from her defensive pose. The shining blade vanished in mid-air as the mage released the hilt, and sighing heavily, she reached down and retrieved her staff. "You are tired, and you will only hurt yourself or me if you continue on."
"I just need a moment," the Dalish replied as she shook her hand, attempting to gain some of the feeling back into her fingertips. "Both blade and spell drained me a bit more than I had expected."
"The blade is a spell, Elindra," Vivienne scoffed, turning towards the door and ending the sparring lesson. "I will see you in the morning."
Leaving the young elf standing by herself in the large training room with her thoughts. A strategic move as the reason the session had ended when it had revealed itself as the hooded redhead, anyone worth their weight in gold would know before the introduction would ever need to come.
"I see you have mastered the Spirit Blade," the ginger-haired woman said quietly, breaking the silence that lingered heavily after the exit of the First Enchanter. "That is good to see as you will be needing it where I will be sending you."
"And just where might that be, Lady Leiliana? I was not fully briefed by my clan's First, and I am unsure of why I would need such skills," Elindra asked, closing the distance between them. Though she had been grateful for the experience to train alongside a renowned Circle Mage as the famous Madame de Fur, the elf was still keen enough to know that most in the Game do not grant favours without expecting something in return.
"You are too observant for your own good, Miss--"
"Just El," the elf interrupted with a bit of a bow. "I might be Dailish, but I am familiar with how the rules of the Game are played. I hope that we can dispense with the tricks and just get straight to the point. What is it that you want from me?"
"Very well, just El," the Left Hand of the Divine said with a heavy sigh. "I am sure your clan has heard the rumours of Red Lyrium and that you, yourself, had an encounter with the material, yes? That is why your assistance is needed."
"I was unaware that you knew of my exposure to the lyrium," the elf answered, her head giving a bit of a shake, most likely in an attempt to shake those ill feelings of the way the lyrium had made her have. "Though, it does not surprise me that the Left Hand has learned of what had happened."
"Well, it had been your Keeper who had told me what happened," Leliana corrected with a bit of a huffed chuckle. "Truly, it had been she who had reached out to me. Don't look so surprised. I have ties to the Dailish, thank you very much."
Realising that her jaw had dropped with Leliana's comment, she quickly closed her mouth and gave a slight bow. "I only meant that most sh- humans are not too fond of the Dailsh."
"A common misconception your people have on humans, but that is not something we can fix at the moment. I brought you here to learn those skills because you will need them, as I have said already. I have another who will be meeting you here as you will need his help for the task you will need to take."
"And just what makes you believe I would be willing to go on a mission for you, for your Divine?" Elindra was not sure if the Left Hand was thinking clearly, as she had not even proven herself with her Keeper, much less the Fist Enchanter, Vivienne. "I think you might wish to find someone else for this task. I am not the on--"
"You are the one I need for this," she interrupted, smashing away all thought of an argument from the defiant elf. "This isn't just for humans. This is for all of us..."
Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
