#ofthewildes.

[kinlochs]

Cassian does not miss the pointed question. It was true—he did not have to lay down so simply and willingly give up his life. Morrigan was right in that he did have a choice—even if it was an illusion—but he could not bear the thought of subjecting Alistair to making that final sacrifice. It wasn't purely an emotional decision, either: he needed Alistair to rule as king, as much as the man loathed the idea. Cassian thought the arrangement to allow Anora and Alistair to marry would be the best one for all parties.

It would all be for naught if Fereldan's King fell to Darkspawn barely a year into his reign.

"Perhaps," is all the Warden says afterwards, and he thinks that they both know that he is simply pretending to entertain the notion. Duty or no duty—Cassian would lay his life down for the others. One loss to prevent the deaths of thousands... It sounded a fair trade to him.

Crystalline blue eyes focus sharply upon Morrigan now that the tables were turned. In truth, he did not have an answer readily available. He hadn't had many opportunities to think about what he wanted. Up until his recruitment with the Wardens he expected to live a life somehow shackled to the Circle. It is this expectation that unleashes a flurry of things he had thought about.

"I want to explore all of Thedas," he says in earnest. "I want to dismantle the Circles completely. I wish to travel to the Imperium if only to see it—where mages have so much power and they do not cloister us like the abominations they think that we are." The words tumble out clumsily, not pre-meditated, just existing the way they had been conceptualized. "I want to research more about the Fade. About spirits—like the one helping Wynne. How? Why? Or even about the Taint, how to somehow devise some sort of cure to kill the price that Grey Wardens have to pay."

Cassian pauses, long and silent, resisting the sudden urge to deflate. "I want to indulge in many things. To have friends, take lovers, just experience life. I feel I have not done enough. I always crave more."

A light hum of agreement, most pleased his commentary is a sensible one. He understands. Morrigan does not fault her mother for the lesson, either. ❝ Flemeth taught me well. I learned my lesson and was all the better for it. Beauty is trivial — survival has meaning. Power has meaning. I would not have learned, had she coddled me instead. ❞

'Twas not the only such lesson imprinted on her; one of the most significant, nonetheless. Her mother had not spared her necessary harshness; nor had she cushioned her teachings with love. 'Twas but another worthless thing, love. Irrelevant, in the grand scheme of things; vulnerability, in the worst of scenarios. There is no love between them, and they are better for it.

❝ 'Twas her, too, who taught me not to cower in face of others' demands. Why collar myself because the ignorant do not feel safe in light of my power? Why make myself a willing sacrifice because others think it my duty? ❞ A pointed question; a seed of rebellion. She can understand his pessimism; their odds, overall, are indeed grim. 'Tis her task to see them through to the end, however, and Morrigan has no intention to fail. ❝ I would not dismiss the two of you so readily. Flemeth did not — elsewise she would not have saved you in the first place. ❞

❝ Perhaps you will celebrate in the streets of Denerim and debauch yourself however you see fit, ❞ She concurs, the glint of amusement in her yellow eyes. ❝ Or perhaps you must simply stop denying yourself every want on account of 'we have the fate of the world to decide' and content yourself with what you need not renounce along the way. ❞

❝ Many a request made to you is not truly relevant to saving Thedas, ❞ She points out, referring to the troubles they had found along the way as much as the troubles their party would bring to their leader, all of more personal nature than the Blight. ❝ 'Tis only right you be a little selfish and focus on what you want at times, is all. ❞

❝ Which makes me wonder, ❞ Feline interest, that of mild curiosity found in entertaining prey. If she is to be studied, 'tis only right to answer in kind. ❝ What is it you want? Not saving the world — this we know. If you were to indulge, Cassian, what would be your indulgence? ❞

[kinglywarden]

prompts ( accepting ) @ofthewildes: sure, i made a lot of mistakes, but so did you.

Skyhold's gardens offered a warm and comfortable respite from the stone battlements he usually stood on during times he wasn't conducting other business or dealing with shameful looks regarding the warden's intentions or secrets. Morrigan's presence had also turned out to be a strange comfort, having someone who knew him ten years prior almost anchored him to the earth, made him feel grounded in a way he couldn't explain, and especially not to her.

Was it so wrong that missed Morrigan's blunt nature? Leliana was around, but she was far too busy, and so different from the person he had known, Morrigan was just the right amount of familiar that he couldn't deny offering her what he hoped was a pleasant smile in greeting every time he took his walk amongst the elfroot and flowers.

Today however apparently the two of them decided to talk and while he liked how much she hadn't changed, he also marveled in the changes in her that were apparent, and how they mirrored the own differences from the young man he once was.

" I . . . yes, I remember saying quite a few harsh things to you during our travels. Times where I could have been more level headed, less lost in the emotions of whatever I was feeling. I wasn't perfect, I'm still not . . . but I hope you don't think I harbor some grudge against you? We fought a blight together, we . . . well, we did a lot of things together. "

His smirk returns in full force. " You broke me out of prison even. Mistakes are in the past, and now it seems we're both back where we began, trying to stop some horrific thing from befalling our hopeless little world. Worry not, Morrigan, I promise you I'm still just as immature and frustrating as I once was . . . sometimes. My humor and deflection have just unfortunately been stalled in favor of a constant song in my head, it's actually quite frustrating. I had hoped to have come to blows with you verbally today for old times' sake. "

[avrorean]

@ofthewildes. "that's why i don't take sides." ↳ AS SAID BY VARRIC || accepting!

If this were any other situation, Nanna may have protested in favor of what they had managed so far. But the particularly bloody display of dominance right inside the gate of Orzammar had the Warden blinking in unabashed shock at the witch. "They would not- That... would not involve us, right? That would not involve us."

[sulevein]

m. the world is full of fools. and they are never more foolish than when they smell eternal life. / @ofthewildes

how many stories warn against the pursuit of immortality? is the maker’s tale not rife with it? a city, once golden, now blackened by a hunger for eternity; for godhood. brynhild nods her head in agreement of morrigan’s words, but the reality of the why doesn’t make her feel much better. the venatori still want to take tevinter, a mayor was willing to sacrifice an entire village for power, and who knows what else other powers are doing with gods whispering in their ear? it doesn’t bear thinking about. either way, the task ahead feels impossible, like a never-ending chasm, as if she’s stood on one end and staring out, unable to see the other side. she has no idea where to begin.

“ they can’t get a hobby like the rest of us? ” she huffs, resting a hand on her waist. she looks out at the grand expanse of arlathan forest before them, a rich tapestry of ancient history, of her people’s history, that morrigan probably knows more about than she does. she feels that familiar twinge of anger rising in her chest as she thinks about the venatori getting their claws into this place, or the darkspawn. she can’t ever let that happen. “ why can’t they look for their immortality without dragging the rest of us into it? ”

[dcvium]

@ofthewildes asked:

❛ You’re not going alone. ❜

It was an unexpected statement. The Inquisitor turned towards Morrigan, looking up at her with soft brown doe-eyes. "Going alone keeps others safe." That was it. That was all. She didn't care if she endangered herself (perhaps she should, given her glowing hand), but she did care if she endangered others. "I'm quick, stealthy. I know I don't seem it, but I am a trained assassin."

[elliscousland]

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing, it’s just a scratch.” || @ofthewildes

" just a scratch?" ellis lifts a brow, his tone turning sharp. just a scratch was when one of them caught their foot on a twisted tree root & they skinned their knee. just a scratch was when ellis' boot slid in the mud & he fell on his ass. just a scratch was not the nasty gash on her side that was now spitting blood. it felt like it was grinning at him. the thought makes his stomach turn.

maybe he should be gentler about it. she had saved his life, afterall. but it was hard to keep track of who's blood was who's when magic was being thrown every which way on the battlefield. he hadn't even noticed her wound until they started making camp for the night. a large oversight on his part, he thought.

" you're bleeding, " that was an understatement. ellis wasn't much the caretaking type, but he did have something of use. he fishes his last health poultice from his pouch. applied to the wound, it would at least stop the bleeding... the discomfort following? well, that was another story, " at least let me close it up & then you can ignore it at much as you please. "

[thanflowers]

↪ memes / accepting!

@ofthewildes said: “So much we don't know, lingering in the furthest reaches of existence.”

        elspeth nods, positively enraptured by the witch's words. she has taken to joining morrigan at her distant fire, listening to her explain the way that magic works for her, hoping to garner some wisdom for working with her own. trying to learn from wynne had not panned out the way she hoped; something about the elder mage's teachings was too rigid and stale. too static. even fearful, it seemed, at times. the way morrigan speaks of magic is with such love and perhaps even a touch of reverence, too. elspeth admires that. “how did it happen for you?” the warden asks, head tilting, the firelight dancing in her green-blue eyes. “the first time your magic manifested, i mean.” 

[kinlochs]

❛ if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were jealous. ❜

Lake Calenhad is quiet for the night, though Kinloch Hold is ominous in the dark backdrop of it all. They did not know what was going to greet them in the morning when they crossed over on the boat, and it may have left an air of apprehension within the party. Cassian himself does not jump for joy at the thought of returning to the tower in any such capacity—but even he frets for the condition of his former peers. They had never cut themselves off like this.

Their party had dispersed quite shortly after speaking to the Templar guarding the docks. Cassian tried nearly to no success to worm them into the boat—but then their gatekeeper displayed a frightening infatuation with Morrigan and somehow that was what garnered them safe passage. The look upon his face must have been poorly hidden—surprise, plain irritation, amusement at his companion's quick-witted reaction—or else Morrigan hardly would have commented upon the exchange.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."

Well. Cassian has to imagine a steel rod keeping his spine straight to prevent any sudden twist of his body to observe the witch's expression. Rather stubbornly, he continues trudging along the quiet path back to the village in silence filled with a roiling tension.

"I cannot imagine what would have given you such an impression," Cassian finally replies dryly. He still very decidedly keeps his eyes on the way in front of them. Peering yellow eyes burn holes into the side of his head he is sure of it. "I—" The Warden begins, watching Alistair and Leliana's shadows retreat towards the Mages Collective to collect payment, "Damnation. He was just—I was not jealous." An odd irritation bubbles up within him that he tries to quash to no avail. "If he had spoken of any one of us in such a manner I would be equally as upset, Morrigan. Like an object—a barter."

Yes. That makes him feel better. That justified his reaction. Already there was much on his mind and this was the last thing that he truly needed to dwell upon.

[hoboblaidd]

@ofthewildes continued from here

"That you think me 'all-knowing' is flattering, Lady Morrigan," he dug, meeting her sarcasm with his own. "So-called cryptic references and vague knowledge are all one can glean from the Fade, unless you have somehow unlocked infallible truths in your wanderings of its ever-changing landscape of divergent paths and disparate thought and memory. Perhaps you have mastered the abilities of the somniari past what my humble research has unearthed."

Baiting her arrogance with his own was all too easy, but it was born from his increasingly desperate frustrations with the elven "legends" this world subscribed to. Perhaps it was because the end of this Inquisition was nearing, one way or another. Or it was because she and her deep knowledge of elven legend grated on his last nerves. Most likely a healthy mix of the two.

"But of course," he said, inclining his head. "What could I, a mere mage, hope to contribute that would not pale in comparison to the double-edged advice you dispense to this Inquisition? Certainly not my efforts to stabilize the anchor, or aid in closing the rifts and the greater rift at Haven. No, we should defer to you, whose experience on rifts in the Fade is - what, exactly? It's never been clear to me. I look forward to your instruction."

But, because they were meant to be working together to research eluvians and stop Corypheus, Solas relented enough to step towards the crumbling statue of June and burn away the millennia of grime and moss sticking so tightly to its ancient runes that they were nearly indecipherable. "Here is your answer. No preternatural knowledge is required to simply look at an object and read a rune. You are so familiar with ancient Elvhen, are you not? Why don't you decipher what it says for those of us without your extensive well of knowledge?"

[mochiwei]

THANK YOU SO MUCH @beedle-ofthewild !! 😭💕💕💕

I’m so happy you like the prints and they arrived to you safely! ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ Thanks again for supporting my art 💖

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[stylographic-blue-rhapsody]

so. how many of us are going to play kieran ofthewilds as the rook in dav

[fereldensheroesa]

@ofthewildes asked:

☤: Blood Magic for helena?

Muse Opinions (Dragon Age)

Answered a couple of days ago!

But, to expand, Helena doesn't mind most forms of magic, so long as they're used responsibly! While she may be wary of things like blood magic and necromancy, she also understands fully that it's how it's used and the intention rather than the magic itself.

[avrorean]

@ofthewildes. ❝ a less trusting person might think this all sounds very suspicious. ❞

Nanna hears the warning in the low tone of the witch's voice, but whether it was only a warning or was, too, tinged with the flavors of mockery, the mage couldn't fully tell. From what she had learned of Morrigan, it could very well be either.

"You believe he has reason to lie?" came the tentative question once what she hoped was out of the clan's hearing. Nanna glanced back over her shoulder once they reached the clearing's edge, the enigmatic Zathrian seemingly paying them no more mind now that they had taken up his hunt for the wolf.

It had all seemed rather dry and straightforward to her hearing, and though she did not want to dismiss Morrigans vaguely mocking wisdom, it were not as though their raggedy little band had a plethora of alternative options. Even if they were to leave the Dalish to their problems and seek the other Warden allies, it may still not be enough without the clan. And...

The sounds of a wet cough caught her attention, shifting her gaze from the Keeper to the healers' tents where the writhing cries of elves suffering from the curse softly cried a cacophonous agony over the somber air of the camp. Her frown deepened.

"Perhaps we shall find more information in the forest."

[still-gathering-roses]

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[dcvium]

@ofthewildes asked:

many that live deserve death. and some that die deserve life.

"I try not to deal out death without cause." But, gods, her blood screamed for it. Every nerve was on fire with want for death. Slow, tender death. Like a poem carved into another's flesh, written in the rivers of their blood. She would not listen.

The elf's jaw set for a moment and she gave a sigh. "I suppose I need to start thinking more on it. They expect me to deal out judgements and punishments to those who slight the Inquisition."

[elliscousland]

❝ i trust that you will continue to remember who is really on your side. ❞ || @ofthewildes

the magic that lingers on the air leaves ellis' hair standing on end. they had been ambushed on the road & made quick work of their assailants. watching morrigan on the battlefield was terrible & wonderful & made it difficult to focus on what he was doing.

even now, his heart beats heavy in his chest. it's waiting for the adrenaline to fade, though ellis hopes it never does. it was jarring to see her skills in action. he had only seen magic on a small scale, he had been taught to fear it. to keep as much distance between himself & mages as possible. now, his life was undoubtedly intertwined with a one.unfortunately, every anti-magic sentiment he had been taught had done very little to protect them so far. morrigan had.

" you make it difficult to forget, " though his words walk a sarcastic edge, it doesn't quite reach his eyes. ellis busies himself by kicking one of their fallen foes over. kneeling down, he digs through the dead man's pockets. he feels strangely like a prey animal, itching to dig a burrow somewhere & tuck himself safely away from her. he ignores his rabbit heart & continues, " i imagine i'd know quickly if you weren't. "