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...Tev decides not to interfere.

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A sharp-faced woman in a Chantry robe storms over. "Duncan! I want this girl pilloried! Look what she's done to my chapel! You Wardens are here on sufferance, and I will take this as high as it needs to go before she is punished!"




Duncan looks somber. "What evidence do you have of Sazann's involvement in this?"

"What? She's a bloody mage, she lit it on fire! I saw her set it on fire!"

"Did anyone else see this? Because I have two witnesses here, one an expert, who claim that the fire was caused by the will of the Maker. Are you, a woman of the cloth, prepared to challenge the Maker's will?"

"I don't have to challenge the fucking Maker, I-"

"Please!" Duncan cries out, covering his ears. "There are ladies present. Do make an effort not to blaspheme."
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Tev attempts to look pious and vaguely unsettled. He succeeds at the vaguely unsettled part.

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"I- rrrragh!" The Mother shrieks in frustration. "I'll have Loghain himself set on your tail, I swear it!"

"Good luck," says Duncan seriously. "I am sure he will treat this with the concern it deserves."

She storms off.



Duncan sighs. "Please make an effort not to set anything else on fire. If nothing else, the entire camp is made of wood, it could spread from... more to less acceptable targets."

"Please. Do you really think a fire I started would dare spread past where I put it? Hypothetically, of course."

"Of course."
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"Hypothetically," says Tev, "the Revered Mother looked about ready to hit you over the head and dump you off the walls, which would probably make it harder to control your hypothetical fire."

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"She would try."

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"Got it."

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"Fun and vague death threats aside, we should probably get down to business, yeah?"

Duncan nods. "Indeed. There is a ritual you must undergo to pass from recruits into fully fledged Wardens. You'll need-"

An unathletic-looking elven boy runs up to them, wheezing. "Am I- am I late? For the Wardens thing?"

"Ah. Yes, no, you're fine. I... apologize, I somewhat forgot that you existed. This is Mortan, who I recruited from the servants in Highever castle. He should join you, yes. As I was saying, you'll need to venture into the Korcari Wilds and kill tw- three darkspawn, and bring me back one vial of blood each. In the Wilds you'll find a ruined tower, once a Warden stronghold, which will contain extremely important documents. You are to retrieve them, and the blood, and return here; then, I will tell you what to do next. Jahenna will accompany you into the Wilds. Any questions?"

"Why the fuck am I on babysitting duty?" Jahenna inquires.

"Because I outrank you. Further questions?"
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"Is there a good reason we can't take multiple vials of blood from one darkspawn?" wonders Tev. This seems like a reasonable question to him.

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"Excellent question," nods Jahenna. "Yes. Don't do that. Any further questions?"

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"There are things about the objective of this quest you are not yet allowed to know, is what Jahenna means to say," Duncan says, rolling his eyes. "Rest assured that there will be no shortage of darkspawn."

"Ooh. It's a party! Don't worry Tev, I'll leave some for you. If only because I don't think you could get blood out of mine after I'm done with them."
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"And what if I want to know anyway?"

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Duncan sighs. "Then I request that you respect the traditions that our order has upheld since the First Blight, and that every Grey Warden before you has followed."



...Jahenna mouths Later. It appears that she may disagree with Duncan's judgment on this!
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Tev sighs. He does not openly acknowledge Jahenna's offer.

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"Then if there are no further questions, you may go off on your journey. I would like to see this done by tonight; I doubt the darkspawn will wait much longer."

"Come along, children," says Jahenna. "Auntie J is going to take you out hunting, won't it be fun."
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"I'm sure it will."

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They are led out into the Wilds and-

immediately attacked by wolves.
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The wolves find themselves suddenly incinerated.

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"Thank you, Zann. Could I talk to Tev alone for a moment?"

Not waiting for an answer, she drags him behind a convenient tree.
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Tev allows himself to be dragged.

"Well?"
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"The Joining is where you use the blood you've collected to essentially turn yourself into a little bit of a Darkspawn. It's got a few side effects, but none that are particularly prohibitive apart from a somewhat shortened lifespan, and it's the only way to end a Blight. And there's a death rate, but out of the three of you only Morty is at all likely to incur it, because you're a brick fucking house and Zann's a blood mage."

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"...Is there a good reason why Duncan doesn't want us knowing all that?"

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"For whatever reason, the recruitment rate goes down when you tell people they're turning themselves into monsters and they're a certain amount likely to die in the process. Fancy that."

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"I'm not sure I'd call that a good reason."

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