Dragon Age: Origins ~ the Circle of Magi

After setting up camp for the night, after their eventful day in Lothering, Caelyra fell into a fast, exhausted sleep. Unfortunately, that sleep was plagued by more nightmares, hushed whispers, strange voices, and more visions of grotesque monsters and dragons than she ever could have imagined.

Caelyra snapped awake, never wanting to close her eyes again. Alistair calmed her and told her that what she was witnessed in her dreams was nothing but the darkspawn. She was sensing them now, hearing them, seeing them.

It was but another burden of the Grey Wardens.

Unable to get back to sleep, Caelyra roamed around the camp and talked to everyone. She wanted to know more about Leliana the Chantry sister who had joined them and about Sten, the qunari who didn't speak much. She learnt that Alistair was a bastard who had been raised by the Arl of Redcliffe before being sent to the Chantry to become a Templar, and she learnt a bit more about Morrigan and her mother, Flemeth, and the "truth" about the old legends regarding the woman.

Surprisingly, the two dwarves they had rescued outside of Lothering had arrived at the camp also, deciding that it was far safer to be around such fighters than off by themselves in the darkspawn-filled wilds.

After speaking to them a while, she bought some goods from them. Mainly gifts to give to her new companions; she would thank them all for for their aid, and maybe Sten would become more forthcoming with his words.

Wide awake and with morning almost upon them, Caelyra thought now was as good a time as any to set forth for the mage tower.

(Breaking the fourth wall: I chose to come here first mostly because I wanted to get The Fade over and done with.)

At the docks, a templar stood by a boat with his arms crossed and a mage stood by a table. He waved them over and said that he had clients who would pay good coin for some tasks done. After all, they were stuck in the mage tower and couldn't do these things themselves. Caelyra looked over the jobs and didn't see anything bad, so agreed to help these mages.

They spoke to the templar guarding the boat by the docks but it took every ounce of Caelyra's persuasion to convince him to allow them across the lake.

It seemed as though something serious was happening at the tower... Caelyra demanded as a Grey Warden to be allowed passage; she might be able to help, and besides, she needed those mages! Finally, the templar conceded and rowed them across.

When they entered the tower, they were accosted by an older, grumpy templar. Caelyra soon realised he had good reason to be grumpy. Abominations had taken over the tower, it was likely all the mages were dead, and they had to do whatever they could to keep the evil contained while waiting for permission to perform a ritual that would eradicate everything within.

Surely there were still some mages alive in there. Caelyra convinced the man, Gregoir, to let them in and allow them to help.

Once the doors had been sealed behind them, Morrigan pulled Caelyra aside. Apparently a templar had once stolen a grimoire that had belonged to Flemeth. Morrigan was certain that it would've been delivered to the Circle for the mages to study and wouldn't mind studying it herself. While the tower was in disarray, perhaps they could find and retrieve it?

Caelyra shrugged. Why not? She didn't see any harm in that and it did belong to Morrigan's family, after all.

On the off-chance that they might fail their quest to garner the mages help and possibly be killed by the abominations that were allegedly roaming the tower, Caelyra thought she'd flirt with Alistair and told him that he was handsome. He blushed and told her that she was quite handsome herself, oops, he meant pretty, not handsome, okay, he'd stop talking now.

Caelyra hid a smile and pushed forward. After avoiding such things for so long as a noblewoman with constant demands upon her, and possibly to simply spite her family, she thought that maybe it'd be nice to care for someone, to be cared for... something to bring happiness before she likely inevitably died to this madness too. Before she joined her parents in the void.

Wandering further into the tower, there was a sudden bright light, the sizzling of fire, then a squeal of anger, of rage, as a great orange demon vanished into the void.

Wynne, the mage Caelyra had spoken to back at Ostagar, was there shielding a few other mages and some children. Protecting them from the demons and abominations that were hunting them.

Caelyra informed Wynne that they needed to find First Enchanter Irving before Gregoir would open the doors and trust that all was well, and Wynne told Caelyra that all this had happened because of a mage named Uldred, who, after coming back from Ostagar, decided to try and take control of the tower for himself.

Wynne asked to accompany them in their search for the First Enchanter and Caelyra agreed, leaving Xander her faithful warhound behind to help look after the mage-children.

After they fought a few demons and abominations in the libraries, Wynne told more of her story. Of how Uldred had run to the circle as soon as the battle at Ostagar had ended, and tried to convince the mages to assist Loghain, the man who had betrayed Ferelden, the Wardens, and their King.

Wynne arrived back at the tower just in time to inform the First Enchanter of Loghain's treachery. He decided to talk to Uldred himself, to interrogate him.. and that's when all had fallen and abominations had taken over the tower. It was all Uldred's doing, Wynne just knew it. Caelyra just thought it was typical this Uldred fellow was clearly working with Loghain... just how far did Loghain's influence reach?

Fighting their way through to the second floor of the tower, they came across one of the Tranquil in a storeroom. He said that a mage named Niall had taken a Litany scroll, to protect against mind domination.

Wynne was stunned... was blood magic at work here? Had Uldred truly fallen that low?

Further into the tower, they discovered that blood magic most certainly was at play as they dispatched a group of blood mages. One of them begged for mercy. She was just following Uldred and Loghain, she wanted what was best for her and her fellow mages.

This was not the best for her and her fellow mages. Caelyra put her down, and endeavoured to put down all future blood mages.

There were so many blood mages, allowing demons into the tower and turning fellow mages into abominations, allowing the dead to rise as shambling zombies... it was horrible. Disgraceful. Unholy.

They continued to cut through all the evil until they finally made it to the First Enchanter's office.

He wasn't in there.

What was in there, however, was a distinctly curious grimoire, very much like the one Morrigan had described when they had first entered the tower.

Caelyra immediately called Morrigan over and handed her the grimoire. Morrigan was stunned, and grateful. She couldn't wait to settle in back at the camp and get to reading the secrets she was never meant to know.

Well, first they had to survive this tower and whatever evils would be thrown at them as they hunted for the First Enchanter, but then Morrigan could get to reading all the secrets of other mother.

They fought past several more groups of demons, abominations, and even some bewitched templars who were being guided by demons. Sadly they had to be put down. Then they arrived at the next set of stairs, a creepy set of stairs covered in entrails, blood, guts, and stank like an abattoir.

It did not bode well. It was becoming less likely First Enchanter Irving was actually okay.

They cautiously crept up the stairs, but no amount of caution could hide them from the sleepy gaze of a sloth demon.

Before they could react, the creature's droning voice sent them into a deep sleep, leaving their earthly bodies vulnerable upon the mage tower floor.

 

Until next time! ⚔️🐲

 

---

 

_{All screenshots in this post are courtesy of me, @kaelci and are from the game: Dragon Age Origins.}