- From the Journal of Eratus Riverwood
I did not dream of the past or long for better days. I woke up instead feeling an odd sense of fulfillment.
That was until my throbbing muscles and joints painfully reminded me of the exertions from the night before. Soft hay lay beneath me while voices murmured nearby. My eyes opened, and I glimpsed Flemeth seated across a squat figure. A gnome cast entirely in metal.
“Archivist, it appears your bearer is awake.” Flemeth glanced over to match my gaze. “Your estimate appears to be off.”
“I suspect the variation could be attributable to audio stimulus, although all conventional calculations have carried an unacceptable margin of inaccuracy…”
I rubbed my eyes, thinking this was some hallucination, only to confirm that the Lorekeeper, who had never revealed his presence before, now stood in plain sight.
“Hm?” Flemeth tilted her head like an owl. “He appears befuddled, although it wouldn’t be hard to guess why. A witch of the wilds and a magical construct. What dastardly ruminations could the two be partaking in? Certainly, no good.”
She cackled.
“Lorekeeper?” I said, massaging my skull. The Light began to work its power, providing a measure of relief, although it would take time. “What are you doing out here?”
“I have been exchanging correspondence with this entity, and it has resulted in an enlightening exchange of information.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Archivist,” said Flemeth, who then looked at me. “Well? You seem to have other questions in mind.”
I did, then any concerns I had about the Lorekeeper gave way as last night’s events came rushing back.
“The others. Kallian. Shianni. Everyone. What happened? Are they alright?”
“Everyone?” Flemeth sipped from her cup while the edge of her lip crept into a mischievous smirk. “Is there ever a case where everyone is alright?”
I stared at her unamused. She chuckled.
“They are safe.”
“Safe…” The word seemed to ring hollow. “How did I end up here? I was in the fishery then…”
Then I noticed the shattered remnants of a green stone beside me.
“The hearthstone,” I said. “That was your doing then?”
“Mayhaps,” said Flemeth. “I must say, the particular sorceries of your world are quite peculiar, but they served their purpose. Quite adequately, I must say.”
“You wanted this to happen?”
She cupped her hands in a practiced manner, gazing at me with weight.
“Yes.”
“You had the power to put a stop to this. Why not do it all yourself? Why involve me at all?”
“Even a being such as I is limited in what they can exert.” A smile flashed across her teeth, and I got a sense of something ancient behind the figure of this old crone.
“Prudence therefore dictates I delegate, not only when but also to whom.”
“So, this was a test?”
“You have seen a glimpse of the horrors of this world,” she said. “Now… knowing this, do you still fault me for attempting to take your measure?”
She made a fair point. “No.”
“Good! I find actions speak far more honestly than words, and I have found your acts quite pleasing to behold.”
“So… there are more of those things out there?” I thought of Gaxkang but also that horrifying visage afterwards. “It mentioned it was one of four.”
Flemeth pursed her lips thoughtfully.
“And worse to come, but such things are destined for others,” she said. “Our deal as we have bargained still stands, and I believe you will serve as a great boon for those who will face greater perils yet.”
She stood.
“Now, I have matters concerning a daughter to tend to. Rest well, Eratus, for you have earned it.”
I shuddered at the thought of a daughter this being may have, but as she stepped through the door, one lingering question remained.
“Why here?”
She turned, but seemed to look past me and at the room itself. I recognized the tell-tale sign of someone seeing something not as it is, but as it once was.
“Read the words of your predecessor.” She nodded toward the journal. “It will explain all things; in a way I never could.”
She departed without another word. It wasn’t much of an answer, but then the Lorekeeper piped up.
“This superstructure was originally constructed far above ground level, and there are several layers below which remain inaccessible.”
“Just what were you talking to her about?” I said as I stood to leave. “I thought we agreed that it was best for your presence to be kept secret.”
“She was already aware of our presence, and she has provided a wealth of information.”
“Such as?”
“The presence of corruption is concerning and warrants further investigation. A Titan archive is present, and its location is provided. We will simply need to access it.”
“And where would this be?”
“In an underground city by the name of Orzammar. I was informed it would be unwise to rush to it, and I believe your new trajectory will provide an opportunity to investigate.”
I wasn’t enthused with any travel for now, but made a note of it. Whatever this corruption was, it was a danger that had to be contained, especially if it was something that could find its way home; then I was duty-bound to investigate it at the very least and ensure knowledge of it could be shared with those who could act upon it. But that could wait for later.
Despite all the things that happened, rest was the last thing on my mind, regardless of what my body craved. Vanquishing a demon, stopping a slave trader, rescuing people… All of it was worthy of celebration, but there was still so much to do.
“We’ll visit it eventually,” I said. “But first, there are some errands to run. Food for starters.”
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“Understandable.”
The Lorekeeper’s projection vanished as he disappeared back into his disc as I stepped outside.
A blue sky greeted me past the door, with the sun cresting high above. Wind fluttered along my skin, carrying with it a fresh sea breeze, and for a moment, I was freed from the perpetual smell of city life. The way to the marketplace was as hectic as ever, and it seemed like any other day in the city. That was until I arrived at the market and saw a cordon of templars standing guard outside the Chantry, facing a growing and curious crowd.
That most certainly had to do with the night before, so I moved closer, eavesdropping on the scattered whispers and murmurs.
“Why is the Chantry closed?”
“Haven’t seen the Templars out in force like this before.”
“Not in a while. I heard they uncovered a demon’s barrow.”
“A demon? Here! In Denerim?”
“They’ve been bringing people here by the cartload at the edge of night. Nobody has left the Chantry since then.”
The Chantry doors opened, and a column of templars marched out, escorting a parade of seemingly ordinary folk. The mutterings of the crowd erupted into even more outlandish thoughts and rumors, but it seemed like Flemeth was right. Nobody appeared to have been harmed in the aftermath.
I recognized vagrants and homeless urchins among them with a spooked look on their faces. Some had tucked away pieces of bread, which meant the templars at the very least had been feeding them. However, one pair of faces caught my attention. A woman with hair dressed in Orlesian fashion and her little boy.
As the templars marched them to the perimeter and let them go, I pushed through the crowd to meet them. The boy caught my gaze and pointed at me with a smile, drawing the attention of his mother. The worn and tired look on her face gave way to a smile upon seeing me.
“Eratus,” said Madame Lebois. “It is welcome to see a familiar face out here.”
“And you as well,” I said, then innocently asked. “What happened?”
“I honestly don’t have the slightest memory… We awoke in the captivity of the templars. Supposedly, a demon had spirited us away in the middle of the night. Everyone you can see here.”
“That is horrible,” I said. “I take it nothing is wrong if they are letting you go.”
“Yes, we were released once the templars confirmed we were free of any taint or corruption. I thank the Maker we were saved before anything else could have happened.”
“Andraste’s Chevalier!” said her son. “Mama, we both saw him!”
“Louis!” said Madame Lebois, nudging her son with embarrassment across her face.
“A what exactly?” I asked innocently.
“It is a character from a nursery tale from Orlais. It… it is going to seem quite silly, but I had a dream or a nightmare… but there stood someone wreathed in light and wielding a hammer. I thought it was, but a fancy, if it wasn’t for the fact that everyone else who was taken shared the same tale.”
I said nothing, as she looked thoughtfully away before continuing.
“The templars claimed they did not find us, and that whatever demon was responsible had been vanquished long before… It sounds so fantastical, but I cannot help if the Maker or Andraste herself sent a champion to our aid.”
I nodded, knowing better than to reveal anything else. She seemed to show no sign that she guessed my identity; in fact, the only one who guessed was Shianni. Then I realized someone, or rather a particular group, was missing.
“Were there elves among you?” I said, noticing there were none of them among the crowd.
“I believe so,” said Madame Lebois. “But the Templars let them go earlier. A warden interceded on their behalf, although I do not know why.”
That had to be Duncan. At least I knew they were safe and in good hands. He seemed to be friendly to the alienage elder from my memory.
“But it is time we get going,” said Madame Lebois. “Thank you for asking after us. Mayhaps we shall see you visit again soon? We could use an extra set of hands to get things moving.”
“As soon as I can,” I promised, looking forward to something simple for once.
She departed with a bow, her son trailing along next to her, while I went about my business in the market, acquiring supplies before heading back. As I arrived at the abandoned street where my temporary abode was located, a familiar figure stood beside the doorway.
Her pointed ears perked up as she saw me, and I felt a flush of relief at seeing her alive and well.
“I was wondering if I’d ever see you again.” She stared blankly.
“I was going to say the same thing.”
“I thought you were gone forever, like some spirit that answers a wish then leaves.”
“Have I given you any reason to doubt that I am human?”
“After what you did last night?”
She did make a point.
There was a quietness between us and a gap that remained present, which I broke first.
“I didn’t mean to disappear on you so quickly. It was not my intention.”
“It’s fine,” said Kallian. “And it might have been better if you weren’t there. I think they’d question you a lot more thoroughly than they did me. And I’m elvhen.”
Point acknowledged.
“How are the others?” I said.
“Doing okay. They’re rattled, but we’ve been through worse, believe it or not.”
The sad part was that I did believe.
“And you?”
She grimaced.
“Maybe we should talk inside.” I stepped closer. “Not much in comfort, but I bought some cheese and dried food from the market.”
“It’s fine.” She sighed. “I can’t stay for long anyway. But long story short, the Templars saw the dead foreigners and thought I was partly responsible.”
“That’s preposterous!”
“You’ve seen how they take the word of our kind, and for someone with my history… they would have dug up something. Either way, they were about to clap me in chains, until Duncan, the warden, stepped in and bailed me out.”
She let out a deep breath.
“But not without… conditions. I’m conscripted into the wardens now.”
“I am so sorr-”
“Don’t be,” she interrupted. “Probably for the best anyway. This is a chance to get outside the city. I also haven’t ratted you out if you are wondering, they have no idea you were even there.”
I knew because otherwise they would have been scouring the city for me.
“Thanks.” I noticed the pack slung behind her. “Leaving soon, I take it?”
Kallian nodded. “Duncan says we’re leaving today to fetch more recruits. Turns out he was mostly here to check on some old artifact that kept something nasty locked up. I have a feeling he won’t need to worry about that anymore.”
She looked at me with a knowing look. I felt a pang of guilt for delivering it into the hands of the likes of Caladrius.
“I never intended to bring you or anyone else harm. If I had known-“
“It wasn’t your fault anyway,” said Kallian. “They only knew their way around the city because of me.”
Deverra’s words echoed from my memory, and it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt guilt.
“But I guess this is a way to start fresh. We’ll ultimately be heading south to deal with some big problem once we get a solid team to tackle it.”
“Sounds like the adventure you always wanted,” I said, trying to cheer her up.
“Could use better company.” Kallian rolled her eyes. “Duncan is as dry as you, and Alistair? For someone who grew up in the Chantry, he is the least serious man I’ve ever met. Man’s a mabari in human skin, and would have his tongue lolling out half the time if he could.”
“Maybe they’ll grow on you.”
“Now you sound like the Elder. For all that talk about not wanting my mother to go, the old man seemed awfully pleased to see me leave. At least when I broke the news to him. I think he is just happy I’m not going to be around to make a disgrace of myself. Again.”
“I can’t see why not,” I coughed.
Her eyes hardened for a moment, then she and I both laughed.
“Keep an eye on Shianni for me.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said. “It’s... been settled.”
“Truly?” Kallian raised a brow, and her lip quirked into a smirk. “That’s not what I heard.”
I raised a brow.
“Nevermind.” Kallian shook her head, but had a knowing smirk.
“But I’ll keep an eye on her,” I said. “If anything, I might be begging for a job pretty soon.”
“A job?” said Kallian. “Can’t you just conjure anything you want with that magic or whatever you have?”
“It is not magic,” I said. “The truth is hard to explain.”
“It always is. Your secret is safe with me, though.”
I nodded in appreciation.
“Then I guess I better get going…”
She leaned over, but then she walked up and embraced me in a hug.
“Thank you for everything.”
I was too stunned to respond at first, but returned the hug in kind before she pulled back and disappeared into the street, a hint of embarrassment on her face.
I smiled as I stepped into my dusty new “home”, wondering what her journey would have been like if we had never crossed paths, and I couldn’t help but feel she now trod a better road than if we hadn’t.
But now I had work to do. I sat beside the table, reaching to chew on some dried fruit from the market bag, and opened the tome that Flemeth gifted. I flipped to the first page and squinted at a familiar but antiquated script. Old Arathi. Whoever wrote this was from Azeroth. But just how long had it been? This was a language that hadn’t been used for centuries.
It wasn’t exactly easy to read, but it was legible enough.
“This journal logs my life in this strange land, which I have entrusted to a dear friend for safekeeping and to be placed in the hands of one deemed worthy.
It is my hope that if there be any good resulting from my actions, that it may be attributed to the Light which served as my guide through these trying times... and that if any action resulted in any harm, that you blame it on my lack of ability and not my lack of will.
For I gladly would have done better if I could, had such been within my power. But as it is with mortal lives, we can only do the best with what we are given.
These are the words of Mereldar of the Tirisfal Glades, Sister to Lordrain and Kelsing. In my world, I was but a humble priestess of the Light, but in this strange world, you may know me as Andraste…”
Andraste’s Chevalier Arc 1 End