Chapter 129
Research Outpost, Frostback Basin
Only a day after making the surprising decision to aid the University of Orlais in their investigation of the Frostback Basin, the Herald dispatched an advanced scouting force to the region, consisting of Varric, Harding, the Iron Bull and his Chargers, as well as any spare soldiers they could scrape together in Skyhold. The Herald himself together with Bethany and Dorian remained behind to await the return of the larger Inquisition force under the command of Knight-Captain Briony, on their way back from Nevarra. As soon as Briony's forces returned and rested up for a day or two, most of them were to be sent out again on this new assignment to the Frostback Basin, joining up on their way there with the scientific expedition that had only just left the capital.
Maxime and his group still hadn't left Skyhold when the first messages from the Frostback Basin began to arrive, reporting that work on establishing a fort of the Inquisition was well underway. Clearly, the basin was not the most forgiving place on Thedas, made up from thick forests and dark swamps, the forward scouts deciding to build the fort on the shore of a large body of water, Cloudcap Lake, where the humidity and heat was more tolerable than in the very midst of the forest. The wildlife was predictably dangerous and aggressive, while their first encounters with the Avvar seemed to have produced mixed results. An Avvar hold built into the steep cliffs above the Cloudcap Lake had sent traders to meet the Inquisition scouts, and some of them had even stayed to help build the fort. However, another Avvar group was not quite as welcoming, daring to attack the Inquisition scouts who were exploring north along a river emptying into the lake, only the presence of the Chargers helping to rebuke the attack of a group known as the Hakkonites.
While the Inquisitor was forced to wait for the science expedition from Val Royeaux to catch up with them, more and more uncomfortable questions continued to flood in regarding the disappearance of Lady Vivienne. The voice of Grand Cleric Marcelline was particularly loud, riling up both the College of Clerics, as well as the Imperial Court, through her own influence and that of her nephew Laurent de Ghislain, now a full-fledged member of the Council of Heralds. Together, they were putting more and more pressure on Empress Celene, demanding action, and a letter had arrived in Skyhold from the empress herself, informing the leadership of the Inquisition that a group of formal investigators from the capital were on their way, accompanied by a suspiciously large garrison of imperial guardsmen, supposedly to provide safety for the investigators.
At these news, Maxime had decided to order his troops to depart Skyhold, deciding to wait for the expedition of Professor Kenric on the road, even if it meant that nearly three hundred men and women ended up living in a campsite of countless tents in the middle of nowhere for almost four full days until the university scientists caught up with them. The Herald was by now already sick of hearing all these questions about Lady Vivienne over and over again, starting to feel increasingly nervous about the tone of messages coming from Val Royeaux, publicly maintaining a claim that the envious established powers of the capital were simply seeking for a way to eliminate competition, concocting these lies to discredit the heroic vanquisher of Corypheus.
The situation understandably grated on Bethany's nerves a great deal. The Herald was forcing them to camp a few stone's throws away from Skyhold where Josephine and Riona waited on her, needed her, and yet she was not allowed to leave the Inquisition camp. She spent most of her time digesting all the books on Inquisitor Ameridan and the original Inquisition, as well as on the Frostback Basin. Bethany shared her larger tent with Dorian, who appeared just as eager and desperate to consume as much of the lore as possible, the pair spending hours upon hours in discussing everything they had read.
One of the two main sources on Inquisitor Ameridan was Letrec's 'Precursors to the Chantry', and older book that had long balanced on the edge of being censored by the Sunburst Throne, having been classified as forbidden during different times and in different regions of Thedas. The second source was a very recent book called 'Finding Ameridan', written by Professor Bram Kenric himself and published by the University of Orlais. Between these two books, Bethany and Dorian concluded that there were only a few facts that were undisputable. Inquisitor Ameridan was a dragon hunter and a close personal friend of the first emperor of Orlais, Kordillus Drakon. The Nevarran Accord that brought the Seekers of Truth into the ranks of the Chantry was signed between 1:22 and 1:24 Divine, and this was also the time period during which Inquisitor Ameridan disappeared from the annals of history. Some accounts placed his disappearance shortly before the signing of the accord, while just as many insisted that it had happened shortly after the signing, and there seemed to be no way of knowing for certain.
Before they had managed to consume all the available research, however, the expedition of the scientists finally arrived and the combined group then swiftly proceeded on their arduous and dangerous journey deep into the Avvar lands of the Frostback Basin. There was not much time to read during the travel as the Inquisitor pushed them very hard following the long wait, but at least Bethany managed to personally introduce herself to Professor Kenric and spent some time discussing Ameridan with him, the man utterly convinced that Inquisitor Ameridan's final resting place was somewhere in the Frostback Basin. Professor Kenric was a rather likable and seemingly eternally optimistic man, probably the most pleasant Starkhavener she had ever met, especially compared with the late Prince Sebastian, like most scientists always happy to discuss his research, especially with an attentive and intelligent listener.
After several days of a rough journey, the Inquisition force finally reached the thick forests of the Frostback Basin, following the directions provided by Varric and Harding to find a path to the Cloudcap Lake and then tracing the lakeshore to eventually come across the fortified research outpost, a remarkably solidly built encampment, surrounded by a high wooden fence and featuring several defensive structures, making use of some of the massive trees that grew within the encampment to support erected platforms for their scouts and archers. Aside from plenty of room for setting up tents, a comfortable log house had been erected to serve as a research and command center.
"Impressive, right?" Varric stood at the front of the welcoming committee as the Inquisitor and his group passed through the gates of the research outpost, everyone happy to finally put the exhausting journey behind them.
"I'll give you that much, Varric," Maxime replied with a satisfied smile. "Job well done, my friend."
"Thank you, Your Inquisitorness," Varric nodded. "Also, we have quite a bit of news to discuss share… and a lot of artifacts for our scientist friends to dig through," he pointed towards the research center, chuckling at how Professor Kenric and his colleagues immediately broke out in excited muttering.
"Let's get straight to it then," Maxime said, proceeding straight for the command center, where the scientists immediately jumped on a pile of various artifacts spread across the surface of a large table, leaving the Inquisition leaders to discuss issues directly unrelated to the research. "Well, let's hear it, Varric," the Herald urged, having taking a few long gulps from an offered wineskin.
"It's definitely been… interesting so far," the dwarf said, exchanging stares with Harding next to him. "It's a blessing that some of the Avvar are actually friendly to us, or else we'd be completely screwed. Lace already wrote to you about their hold nearby on the lakeshore cliffs, Stone Bear Hold. If both them and the Hakkonites were to join forces against us, we'd be wiped out in a heartbeat."
"Have you learned anything else about these Hakkonites?" Bethany asked.
"Jaws of Hakkon, to be exact," Harding spoke up. "They're big on this Hakkon Wintersbreath, who's also the Avvar Lord of War and Winter. So they're all about fighting anything and anyone they deem worthy."
"Great, just great," Maxime rolled his eyes. "I suppose we should feel flattered that they consider us worthy. I expect us to not have any difficulties in dealing with these goat-skin wearing clowns."
"Well…" Varric began, exchanging uncomfortable stares with Harding. "They learned early on that trying to take the outpost wouldn't go well for them. But the thing is, Inquisitor, they know the region like the backs of their hands. Out there, they have all the advantage. We're fine as long as we stick close to the shoreline, but when we push further north, these Hakkonites start harassing and ambushing our people. Even so, we were managing to keep them in check until an incident yesterday. Lost a group of six to their ambush."
"That's brutal," Maxime frowned. "I'm not happy," he added, shaking his head. "How many people have you lost overall since coming here?"
"Just those six," Varric shrugged, then snapping his fingers as he remembered something. "No, wait, there was another of the soldiers… say, Your Inquisitorness, did you happen to notice some of those huge red mushrooms growing under the trees?"
"Yes, what about them?" Maxime narrowed his eyes at the dwarf.
"Well, this one soldier decided to give eating one of them a try," Varric explained helpfully. "Cooked it nicely brown in a delicious beer batter. Swore it tasted just like the best druffalo steak he's ever had. Fell dead as a doornail ten minutes later."
"Oh, for the love of…" Maxime groaned. "Right, Briony, make sure none of the children under your command decide to snack on the mushrooms," he told the templar Knight-Commander, a small but energetic woman with an old scar bisecting her upper lip.
"So yes, at some point we'll have to find a permanent solution to those Hakkonites, if we want to investigate the region to the north of here," Varric said.
"A permanent solution to some Avvar freaks sounds just fine with me, especially now that we have the manpower," Maxime shrugged. "But we're here to find the final resting place of my predecessor, so we'll pick our direction according to what the professor decides," the Herald said, pointing at Kenric, together with his colleagues and his elven assistant Colette working swiftly to divide the artifacts, most of them ending up discarded in a big wooden bucket nearby. "Why are they throwing some of that stuff away?" Maxime wondered, frowning at the busy researchers.
"Because they are not relevant to the time period of Ameridan, Inquisitor," Professor Kenric replied without tearing his eyes away from the artifacts.
"How can you just tell that so quickly at a glance?" Maxime didn't relent.
"Buckling," Bethany said simply, having read a great deal on the subject at hand and also having discussed these matters with Professor Kenric on their journey to the basin.
"Lady Bethany is correct," Professor Kenric nodded. "It's all down to period-specific buckling. What we see here are three specific time periods and styles of craftsmanship, all of them easily identifiable. These are the historically most recent pieces, made by the Avvar," he said, pointing at a large, unwieldy looking buckle before throwing it away. "These can be safely discarded, along with the ancient Tevinter pieces," he said, presenting a much more delicately crafted buckle with intricate dragon design within the clasp. "Beautiful as they are, they are irrelevant to our research… everything non-Avvar and non-Tevinter, however… that's what we're after!"
"Tevinter pieces this far south?" Dorian wondered. "I know we saw plenty of them in the Western Approach, but this is almost four hundred miles further south."
"As I understand they had some kind of an outpost here in the times of Ancient Imperium," Professor Kenric shrugged. "My friend Professor Jace Turbot can tell you more, he has visited the Basin before," he pointed at one of his colleagues, a tall, wiry Orlesian man with a thick black beard and small narrow eyes that made him look like a disagreeable mole.
"I only saw it from distance," Professor Turbot replied, sounding a little annoyed at the interruption. "Couldn't even say if it was a military outpost or a research site."
"Maker's grace, what's this?" Professor Kenric exclaimed suddenly, fishing out an elegant looking dagger from the pile of artifacts. "Silverite alloy, clearly Orlesian styled dragon pommel… and if that wouldn't be convincing enough, look at the inscription here!" he held the dagger out for his colleagues. "An inscription reading 'Kordillus'!"
"As in the first emperor of Orlais?" Maxime asked.
"None other!" Professor Kenric nodded excitedly. "This dagger had to be a gift from the emperor himself! No one would just lose such a thing, so something must have happened to make Inquisitor Ameridan discard it. Perhaps it happened during a battle? Where was this item found, Ser Dwarf?" he asked Varric.
"Actually, we didn't find it ourselves," Varric replied. "I saw it in the trunk of one of the Avvar traders and bought it from the man. Had to spend almost a third of our coin on it, too, but I thought it looked important."
"And a good judgment call it was," the professor spoke gratefully. "Alas, it would have been very helpful to know where this dagger came from. Perhaps we can seek out this trader…"
"You won't have to," Harding shook her head. "We asked him about it. The dagger, and most of the artifacts here come from the shore not too far to the south. That's where we got all our finds as well."
"Shore to the south… perhaps the site of some ancient battle?" Professor Kenric wondered at himself.
"Professor?" the comely elven assistant spoke up, passing another of the recovered items over to Kenric for closer inspection. "I think you will find that this corroborates your theory about a battle."
"Ah yes, a clasp common to armor links," Kenric nodded, having taken a closer look at the item. "And it's clearly torn in a way that can happen only from a heavy shearing blow, like from large claws, or an ax. This is very fortunate, my friends… I expected that it might take us months to find even the smallest of clues, but to have these critical leads already in place upon our arrival? Unthinkable! Do you think it would be safe for us to visit this southern shoreline ourselves, my dwarven friends?" he asked of Varric and Harding.
"It seemed safe when we were there," Harding shrugged in reply. "There's an Avvar fishing post right there, belonging to those friendly Stone Bear Hold Avvar. But their fishermen looked a little upset when we collected some of the items washed ashore and also did a bit of digging. "
"If we want to go digging around the Avvar lands, we must send representatives to the hold and ask their thane for permission," Professor Turbot said, clearly speaking from experience. "Also, I'm starting to remember something about a small island off the shore to the south which they specifically forbade me from visiting."
"It might be important," Professor Kenric nodded. "Perhaps the thane could be persuaded to allow us travel to the island. There must be a reason why it's off limits to visitors."
"The Avvar fishermen mentioned the island, but with the constant fog over the lake you can't even see it, even if it's supposedly there," Varric said. "I think it's a holy site to one of the Avvar gods, that's why they don't want anyone going there."
"Yes, and it might be considered a holy site because of some important events of the past," Professor Kenric stated. "Which is why we would very much appreciate if you could persuade the thane to allow us to explore the island. You can assure the thane that we would be deeply respectful towards their holy site."
"Well, then I suppose we have a goal," Maxime shrugged, looking partly tired, partly bored. "Once we have rested we shall travel to this Stone Bear Hold and charm their thane into letting the professor and his friends dig around in the sand. Just let me do all the talking and everything should proceed smooth-like."
At that, Bethany had to slap her palm across her mouth to prevent an audible groan escaping her lips.
~***~
Skyhold
"Alistair!" Josephine exclaimed joyfully as she watched the Grey Warden entering her office with a serious expression on his face. "Goodness, I'm so glad you haven't left already. I am so awfully swamped with all manner of tasks that I was worried about missing out on bidding you farewell!"
"We decided to postpone our departure until tomorrow," Alistair replied. "Evangeline… she was feeling a little poorly this morning."
"Oh… oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that," Josephine's face fell. "Is it serious, what do the healers say?"
"She'll be fine, don't worry," Alistair allowed himself a small smile. "And it was actually fortunate that we hadn't left Skyhold. I happened to walk into two of our soldiers who were busy discussing something that you will find of great interest. Unfortunately, once they noticed me, they stopped talking and would not speak any more of the matter, denying any knowledge of the incident."
"What incident?" Josephine blinked, unsure of what Alistair was talking about.
"I checked with the guard roster, and these two were patrolling the battlements in the wee hours of the morn when Lady Vivienne went missing," Alistair said. "I believe they saw something important. Perhaps they even witnessed Maxime doing something. But I can't get them to talk, no threats will open their mouths, they believe the Inquisitor is a divine figurehead that can do no wrong."
"Hmm… challenging," Josephine nodded to herself. "Could I see these two men? I believe I can make them talk."
"I will be forever impressed if you can manage that, Josephine," Alistair smiled. "But yes, I ordered them to come with me, knowing that you will want to interrogate them yourself. They are waiting outside your office, I'll send them right in." Josephine nodded briefly, Alistair walking up to the doors to open them and then beckon the two hesitant looking guardsmen to step inside, the men remaining standing at the doors and shuffling nervously as Alistair made his exit.
"Welcome, fine soldiers of the Inquisition," Josephine smiled disarmingly, rising from her seat and approaching the two men by the doors, the soldiers appearing stunned that the elegant and much beloved ambassador would deem them worthy of a private conversation. "Allow me to personally congratulate you both for your fine service to the Inquisition," she said, shaking hands with the two mesmerized looking men, then welcoming them further into the office and asking them to sit down by her desk, an invitation the two guardsmen accepted with some hesitation. "Now, let us introduce ourselves. I am, as you might know, Ambassador Josephine Montilyet. I would like to know more about you and how you came to join the Inquisition."
"There's not much to tell, my Lady," one of the men replied, sounding overwhelmed. "The name's Hedrick. Used to serve in the garrison of South Reach, but with nobody in Ferelden acting like they cared about Corypheus or the Breach, I left South Reach and came to Skyhold as soon as I could."
"And I'm Francois," the other man spoke up. "Used to be a dock worker in Jader, but after the Inquisition settled in Skyhold I knew I had to come and join up. Barely knew which end of a sword to hold, but Commander Alistair and the others taught me everything I needed to know."
"And such fine work they have done too, for it was the combined effort of us all that ultimately allowed us to prevail," Josephine offered them the kind of smile that seemed to melt what little resolve these two guardsmen had left. "We are all very grateful towards the Inquisitor for having guided us all this way to success. So I understand that perhaps seeing the Inquisitor doing something… odd and hard to explain might feel… very confusing. Don't look so worried, my friends," Josephine spoke to placate the pair, noticing how quickly they became alerted at her words. "Remember, I am on your side, and on the side of the Herald and the entire Inquisition. Whatever may have happened, you must know that I will do what is best for the Inquisition… you do trust me when I say that, yes?"
"Yes, my Lady. Of course, my Lady," the two men repeated as if hypnotized.
"But to best defend the Herald and the Inquisition, I must know the truth of what has happened," Josephine spoke softly. "I understand that you are frightened and confused, and I would feel the same way if I had seen what you have observed. I would be asking myself… how is it possible that the Herald of Andraste, he who speaks for the Maker, does something like that to his closest ally, one who is so pious that the College of Clerics have all but approved her as the next Divine. Why would the Herald do such a thing?"
"How… how do you know, my Lady?" gasped Francois, the Orlesian.
"It had to be something truly faith shattering to frighten two valiant defenders of Skyhold who never flinched even when facing the Elder One himself," Josephine replied with a gushing compliment.
"I… we had to be wrong, surely," Hedrick shook his head, appearing conflicted. "The Herald wouldn't have done something like that! We were mistaken… it had to be someone else."
"I don't know, that sure looked like the Herald," Francois shrugged. "Besides, they were in the Herald's private quarters… could someone sneak onto his balcony? I doubt that."
"What do you think you saw, my friends?" Josephine asked softly.
"I… we shouldn't say, my Lady," Hedrick managed, beads of sweat pouring down his brow as his resolve threatened to crumble. "We could get the Herald into trouble. If it was him, then he surely had some reason to… do what he did."
"Of course he would have a good reason, Hedrick," Josephine smiled, calling the man by his name, hoping that it would do the trick. "The Herald is the instrument of the Maker's will, we know it to be true. But the will of the Maker should never be kept secret, should it? The Maker has always protected his Chosen. If the Herald was doing the Maker's work, then neither you nor I should have to lie about it. We should always speak the truth about the Maker's work. What if this is the Maker testing his Chosen, and withholding the truth would defy the Maker's work?"
"Umm… I'm confused," Francois admitted, giving his Fereldan friend a confused stare. "But I think we should tell Lady Montilyet the whole truth."
"Yes, I think so too," Hedrick nodded. "It happened like this, my Lady. Francois and I were patrolling the battlements and suddenly we saw the Herald appearing on the balcony, barely wearing anything, but carrying this large bundle in his arms… looking like something wrapped in a bed sheet. Then he walked up to the railing and threw the bundle right over, deep into the gorge."
"We didn't think much of it at the time, my Lady, other that it was a little odd," Francois echoed his friend. "But later we heard that Lady Vivienne had gone missing, and some of our friends told us that she had spent the entire night in the Herald's quarters, never emerging. We started to put two and two together, and…"
"And you could not arrive at any other explanation that it was Lady Vivienne's body wrapped in the sheets that the Herald cast into the gorge," Josephine finished, trying not to lose her cool and appear overexcited. "I cannot fault you for thinking that, my friends, I would have made the same assumption."
"What will happen now?" Hedrick asked worriedly. "Have we gotten the Herald into trouble?"
"I will do my utmost to prevent that, I can assure you," Josephine lied with practiced ease. "Doesn't it feel better to have this burden off your chest, my friends?" she smiled at the two men, who did indeed look very relieved. The Antivan knew that she would still need to get the two men to sign written testimonies, but she was confident of being able to work these two like putty in her hands. Persuading two gullible and easy to impress guardsmen was a task that shouldn't be difficult even for a junior attaché, and certainly not for an experienced diplomat such as herself.
"It does, my Lady," Hedrick replied with a sigh of relief, Francois nodding in agreement.
"So, you can stop worrying about all this unpleasantness," Josephine offered the relieved and blissful pair another shining smile. "Your troubles are over. I will take care of everything from now on." Unlike the Herald's troubles, which have just began, she thought to herself as she escorted the two soldiers back out of her office.
~***~
Cloudcap Lake, Frostback Basin
The plan to visit the Stone Bear Hold following a brief rest was swiftly discarded in favor of a proper good night's sleep, and the group of Inquisition agents set out only on the following morning, feeling properly refreshed. Maxime decided to follow Varric's suggestion and settled on bringing a smaller group instead of the entire Inquisition force, agreeing that the concern of the Avvar reacting badly to large numbers of Inquisition soldiers suddenly arriving on their doorstep was a very valid one. Thusly, a group of eight departed from the research outpost in high spirits, Maxime accompanied by Varric, Harding, Bethany, Dorian, the Iron Bull and his two remaining top lieutenants, Krem and Dalish.
Early in the morning, the weather was pleasantly cool and less humid, largely because they chose to travel alongside the lakeshore for the sake of convenience and for easier navigation, the water in Cloudcap Lake appearing surprisingly chilly, almost unnaturally so considering the warmth of the Basin. The mist that rose above the lake looked somehow wrong as well, uneven and concentrated in large thick caps of white fog, almost like clouds sinking into the water, thus giving the lake its name. Bethany briefly wondered whether the concentration of the mist was hiding the islands in the lake, quietly hoping that the thane would allow them to use the Avvar boats to reach one of these islands.
The journey would have been highly enjoyable and scenic, if not for the large quantities of water plants that had been washed ashore, forming a thick green and brownish coat on the lakeshore rocks, quickly decomposing in the rays of the sun and emitting an odor that was not the most pleasant to a sensitive nose. Still, the sights were spectacular, not just of the lake itself, but also the cliffs that rose and fell along the shore as they walked past them. One had to be careful not to become too distracted while enjoying the view, however, for the wildlife of the lakeshore could easily take advantage of an unwary traveler, the aggressive gurguts fighting the sturdy bogfishers for dominance, with the plentiful tuskets caught in the middle.
"So, Bethany," Dorian spoke, having caught up with the other mage after spending the first part of the journey walking with Bull and the other Chargers. "Did you find the time to finish the professor's book? A charming fellow, if I do say so myself, but awfully long-winded, wouldn't you agree?"
"True, though I believe we all can get a little rambling and long-winded when speaking about a subject that is very dear to us," Bethany replied with a smile. "But yes, I did finish the book and I also managed to discuss parts of it with Professor Kenric… especially all those wild theories about the old Inquisitor's disappearance."
"I would love to hear what Professor Kenric had to say about some of those theories," Dorian said, giving Bethany an expectant stare. "Please, do share."
"Well, one of the most popular theories is that Inquisitor Ameridan did not cede his power willingly," Bethany began. "Drakon forced the Seekers of Truth to disband upon pain of death and then removed the Inquisitor, rather than risk suffering rebellion in the new Chantry's ranks."
"I suppose I could see that happening," Dorian shrugged. "But I think we found a powerful counterargument yesterday." Bethany gave him a curious glance at that. "The emperor's dagger! If Drakon had betrayed his friend like that, do you really think Ameridan would have kept that memento?"
"Oh… that's an excellent point, actually," Bethany conceded. "I hadn't considered it, but you may be right, Dorian."
"I usually am," the Tevinter mage replied with a smug grin before moving on to the next theory to dissect and debunk. "What about the opinion that Ameridan was forced to retire due to the still-young Chantry's restrictions requiring celibacy, as he was involved in a relationship with a mysterious 'lady-mage' that the Chantry has erased from history."
"I don't know. It's certainly possible that he may have had a mage lover that the Chantry disapproved of," Bethany shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time when the Chantry censors something that doesn't fit its narrative considering magic-related issues."
"I've never been a particularly diligent student of the Chant, but I honestly don't know where these restrictions requiring celibacy even come from," Dorian mused. "I mean, how many children did Andraste have? Five, unless I'm wrong!"
"Only two daughters, actually," Bethany corrected him. "The three sons she raised were conceived in a relationship between Maferath and his favorite concubine, as Andraste was thought too weak to bear children."
"Hmm, I didn't even know that," Dorian admitted. "But this just proves my point. Andraste and her people had no such restrictions. They drank, feasted and fucked like the wild southerner savages that they were. Whoever came up with the idea that the Chantry should enforce celibacy amongst its servants?"
"I don't know. I think it's probably just one aspect of our lives that the Chantry felt the need to control, as if they didn't already control enough," Bethany sighed. "As I told the representatives of the College of Clerics, I hope that the next Divine abolishes this requirement of celibacy."
"Well, then let's hope that Lady Vivienne doesn't miraculously show up again and you can step right into her shoes," Dorian winked at her.
"Over my dead body," Maxime muttered coldly, having been listening in on them as he walked ahead of the pair, Dorian and Bethany exchanging uncomfortable stares at that.
"Anyway…" Bethany hesitantly picked up a thread of the conversation a while later. "I believe there's something that kills this theory outright. It is the fact that Inquisitor Ameridan was universally acclaimed as a powerful warrior, and given that the Second Blight had been terrorizing Thedas for fifteen years at the time of his disappearance, I find it frankly absurd that Ameridan would have simply… retired at the height of his physical prowess. Even if he could no longer be the Inquisitor, he would have stood against the darkspawn pouring out from Anderfels and into northern Orlais."
"That's probably true," Dorian admitted. "And I can't even bring the last of the theories up with a straight face."
"Which one was that? The one claiming that Ameridan was a rowdy noble who cared more for raucous entertainment than the Seekers?" Bethany asked, her fellow mage nodding swiftly. "I think it also claimed that Ameridan held the position only because Drakon wanted a loyal friend commanding the Order, and when the Seekers became a part of the Chantry, Ameridan retired to a life of hunting dragons and chasing women."
"Your previous argument destroys this as well," Dorian said. "We know he was an accomplished combatant. There's no way he would have just retired and fled from the Second Blight."
"Exactly, and there's more," Bethany said. "We know that Emperor Drakon was a very pious man who molded the Chantry into the organization that we know now. He was deeply committed to the Andrastian principles. This is a known fact, as is Ameridan being a close friend to Emperor Drakon. Certainly, it's possible that Inquisitor Ameridan was more pragmatic than pious, but it just doesn't seem likely that Drakon would have befriended someone who was actively practicing something that the Andrastian principles clearly opposed. He certainly would not have elevated someone like that to a position of power in his expanding empire."
"Yes, like I said, this theory is just ridiculous," Dorian nodded, looking like he wanted to add something, but the Herald's insistent hand waving stopped him.
"Quiet, you two," he hissed as the group of eight approached the Avvar fishing outpost, a small pier with several fishing boats moored at it, a low drystone wall with many smoking racks next to it, a couple of sturdy wooden shacks further in. Inside the small courtyard between the two buildings, the approaching agents of the Inquisition could see a pair of differently dressed Avvar gesticulating angrily at a Stone Bear Hold fisherman.
"Hakkonites," Varric whispered as the group of eight tried to approach as quietly as possible to overhear what was being said in the courtyard.
"What is this?" one of the Hakkonite women asked accusingly, stabbing the fisherman's chest with her finger. "Are the fishers of Stone Bear Hold too rude to share a meal with friends?"
"Can the Jaws of Hakkon not catch their own fish?" the fisherman shot back, refusing to be intimidated. "Or are those jaws only good for flapping?" he laughed.
"Mind your tongue, bog-walker," the other Hakkonite, also a female, threatened. "Stone Bear Hold may not always be able to shelter you… and you will need shelter when the cold winds come!"
"Yet I feel only hot air," the fisherman chuckled derisively, further enraging the two Hakkonite women.
"When the Jaws of Hakkon rule, you will wish you had been generous… if your weak Lady has not already picked your foolish bones clean," the first of the women scoffed, then with a corner of her eye noticing the approaching group of the Inquisition agents and quickly assessing their odds in a fight of two against eight, deciding to turn their tails and run.
"They've killed our men!" the Herald barked when nobody in his group responded to the hastily retreating Hakkonites. "Repay them with the same!" Harding and Varric reacted after a moment of hesitation, arrows and bolts whizzing through the air, hitting one of the women in her thigh and calf, slowing her down and Harding's arrow in the back finally dropped her on the top of a small hillock. "And where were the rest of you?" Maxime barked at the mages who had not bothered to expend their spells on a retreating enemy.
"Sorry, Inquisitor," Dorian shrugged. "My staff must have jammed."
"Where, in the Iron Bull's ass?" Maxime growled, then turning around and stomping over to the amused looking Stone Bear Hold fisherman, not looking particularly bothered about what was going on around him.
"You're back, I see," the man chuckled, looking at Bull and the two dwarves, recognizing them from an earlier visit. "And this must be the lowlander you call the Inquisitor?" he mused, extending his hand to Maxime for a firm shake. "I am Arvid Rolfsen. Have you come to dig some more in the sand searching for follies of the past?"
"I am the Inquisitor, and yes, our scientists would love to come over and do some digging," Maxime replied. "I have been told that we should get permission from your thane before they do any digging, though."
"You would do that if you were wise, yes," Arvid nodded nonchalantly. "If your people stick to themselves and let me do my fishing, I have no problem with them, but it is still respectful to ask the thane first."
"We've also heard of an island just off the shore," Maxime said, nodding at the mist-covered lake. "We are hoping to explore it as well, so we might need a boat."
"You want to go to the Lady's Rest?" Arvid frowned, appearing uncomfortable. "That island belongs to the Lady of the Skies. The spirits warn us to leave them be."
"I don't give two fucks about your heretical pagan gods," Maxime scoffed. "What's stopping us from just taking one of your boats and going there now?"
"How about common sense?" Bull spoke up sternly at the back of the group. "We don't want to piss off both groups of the Avvar. As far as I'm concerned, the Stone Bear Hold folk are a good sort. Pissing them off would be incredibly stupid."
"Listen to the big fellow over there, Inquisitor," Arvid nodded at Bull. "If I give you the boat and you anger the spirits and die, the rest of your lowlanders will come for our blood. That's trouble for my hold, and not my trouble to take. Go to the Stone Bear Hold and speak with my thane. If Svarah Sun-Hair orders me to give you a boat, I will."
"Svarah, hmm?" Maxime wondered. "Your thane's a woman?"
"And a mighty fine one at that, lowlander," Arvid laughed back at him.
"Excellent," Maxime smirked, rubbing his hands eagerly. "Let's go and speak with this lady thane. Time to yet again put the old Inquisitor's charm to good use."
The others behind him exchanged bewildered stares without snickering or saying anything. By now, the Herald's exaggerated and unfounded confidence in his nonexistent diplomatic skills had simply stopped being funny.
