Dragon Age : Elissa's Diary

[Fiach]

I still cannot believe what happened, after all the betreyal, I still cannot come to terms with horror I have escaped, thanks to Duncan, I am so numbed, I do not even fear the ceremony to induct me into the Grey Wardens, like every child, raised on stories of warriors, Battles and Blight, the stories of the trials faced by prospective Grey Wardens, were the ones to make me pull the bed covers over my head as I awaited the dawn.

We arrived in Ostegar, as King Cailin's troops, prepared to engage the Blight Spawn, as the troops massed and drilled among the rows of tents, Duncan arranged for me to meet the others of the Grey Wardens, Alister being the most senior one. It was arranged that we would go into the wilds and retrieve some vials of spawn blood for the ritual, I was eager to go, not for any blood thirst, but to take my mind off the previous travails......others of the group were less enthusiastic, now I know why.

The wilds were infested with Blight spawn and wolves, but that was not all, as we headed towards the ruins, to search for the ancient treaties, we met the witches, the daughter was a cheeky wench, her mother more graceful, but I did sense a purpose to her grace, she was driven by purpose more than altruism as she handed us the treaties.

The irony was not lost on either myself or Alister, we survived the ceremony only to witness the enormous betreyal and even our survival was no accident, but a jest made by the gods, for the gods! How could this have happened, everything seemed so clear, even ordained, only to be destroyed by the craven cowards for their own gains. Our only hope now is to use the old treaties, to regain the support of the old races, regroup and rebuild, try to overturn this calamity, but will the old enmities prevail, or will the older races help us, but demand a quid pro quo, that may be worse than the certain future we face, if we do nothing.

Flemeth, the witch mother who saved us from the burning tower, insisted her daughter, Morrigan, join us on our journey, but I do not trust her...When asked how we were saved, she replied that, her mother took the shape of a dragon, flew up to the tower, took us in a talon each and swooped down to safety, she smiled not at this jest, I do not know if this is just her black humour, or a truth buried in such an unbelieveable story.

We arrived in Lothering, refugees crammed the roads, a harbinger of what to expect when we reached the town. We sought help from the Chantry, but they were too afraid to get involved the cowards, we will not stay here long, our need for haste is too great, we have aquired a new companion, her name is Leliana, she hails from Orlaise, she told me that, The Maker spoke to her and insisted that her path lay with me, the poor girl had nowhere else to go and she was passing fair with a bow. She insisted on praying before our departure, while we waited, we met a Templar an old friend of Alisters, he searches for an urn of sacred ashes, he asked us to see his friend in Denerim, Brother Genetivi as he was worried about him. As Denerim was on our path, it would be no great hardship and Alister was anxious to help his old friend.

We met a traveller today, when he heard we were Grey Wardens, his whole demeanour changed, he offered to guide us to Soldiers Peak and old bastion of the Wardens, now fallen into disuse and disrepair. What we found there brought such a deep sadness to our hearts, how the wardens suffered under the hands of Logain and their response was to unleash this retribution that cost them their lives...yes... and their souls!

We heard of a Golem in Hornleath, Knowing the arcane power that created these giants, we endeavoured to seek it out, to see if this science could be used to help us in our time of greatest need, but alas, the beast seemed dead, if such can be said of a Golem, it was surrounded by dead villagers, I think, if we search diligently, we may find more clues.

We went to Orzammar, the dwarven capital, the place was a hotbed of political unrest without a king, they could offer us no succor, its two main contenders offered little choice, I decided to help the prince, even though his title does not guarantee him his inheritance, he was no worse than that backstabbing cur Harrowmount. I did my best and it proved fruitful to the extent, that it helped the prince gain the councils favour, but before I could search for The Paragon, to cement his ascent to the dwarven throne, I was summoned to the Circle of Magi.

The Mages and Templars at each other throats, nothing new under the sun here....well apart from the Darkspawn and Blood Mages, The only person that made sense was the elder mage Wynne, a renowned healer, she had an idea of what had caused the outrage, Once we had persued the problem to the end, it was too much for her to stay within the Circles walls, when she asked my leave to accompany us, I agreed wholeheartedly, she has such dignity and honour in the face of what heppened to her brother mages, I knew she needed to leave that place and after what we had experienced together, we knew that a bond of friendship had been struck between us.... Unlike Morrigan and Alister, they bicker so among themselves as we travel, if our predicament was not so dire, I would derive great amusement, listening to their squabbles.

I met Zevran today.... or rather, he met me! A paid assassin, someone fears the grey Wardens, I think our survival has ruffled a few feathers, not least the Black Crows, the assassins guild that was hired to hasten my demise. Zevran was the one chosen for the task, but he had not counted on the friends I had made on my journey from the devestation at Ostegar, his defeat prompted a swift realignment of his loyalties... I still do not trust him, but the sight of his whirling blades in combat, inspired me to offer him a place in our company, it would be a shame to waste such talent....if he proves false, then  waste it will have to be.

Finally Denerim! The first thing we did was seek out Brother Genetivi, Alister would not settle, until he fulfilled his promise to his old friend, but to his dismay, what we chanced upon, filled us with a terrible dread, we left immediately, to follow the trail to the old village of Haven. A dark dank fog slunk across the town moving languidly, like a thick smoke, we found the villagers in the Chantry with their priest....