Kitranna was officially the Arl of Amaranthine, and as such, she needed to meet with the surrounding nobles who had to swear fealty to her. However, the fact that Vigil's Keep was still reeling from the darkspawn attack meant that she simply could not spare the time to do so. Her priority was to find out more about the darkspawn problem, which required that she take a trip to Amaranthine and find out what Warden Kristoff had been up to.
“You'll just have to placate the nobles,” she instructed Varel, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I can't do everything at once, and we can't have another darkspawn attack on the Keep.”
“No, we cannot, Commander,” Varel agreed. “Is it not possible that we could send a scout or messenger of some kind to Amaranthine instead of you going yourself, however?”
Kitranna bit her lip. “We could,” she said slowly. “I just—I don't know the people here. The talking darkspawn is new—I wouldn't want just anyone running across something like that.”
“Maker,” Varel sighed. “This is a disaster. Were it anything else...”
“I know,” Kitranna grimaced. “The fact is—this thing with the talking darkspawn—I can't entrust anyone but a Warden to deal with it. The only Wardens here are me, Nathaniel, Oghren and Anders, and Oghren isn't exactly the best investigator.”
“And the Howe and the apostate are so new...”
“Exactly.” Kitranna sighed and shook her head. “I'll try and be back as soon as possible with some news, but meanwhile, do what you can about the nobles, and sort out the defenses. Don't get caught off guard again.”
“We will do our best, Commander.” Varel assured her.
Kitranna took Oghren, Nathaniel and Anders with her on her trip to Amaranthine. She felt there was no better way to field-test Nathaniel and Anders, and she also wanted someone she knew watching her back. Fortunately, Oghren was much the same as he ever was.
Nathaniel still wasn't very happy about having been roped into the Gray Wardens. He was quiet, and watched Kitranna intently at times, but didn't try anything.
Anders was flippant and rather excited to be out of the Circle. He was full of energy, talkative and loud. His control over his magic was the slippery grasp of a young spirit healer, the Fade around him was just the slightest bit warped and dented. Any time Kitranna was close enough she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, like the air was charged with lightning.
They all got along well enough. Oghren was generally offensive, as always, and Anders' snarkiness got on Nathaniel's nerves, but there didn't seem to be any serious problems between them.
They encountered few darkspawn on the road to Amaranthine, which was probably a good sign, but Kitranna didn't want to reach any conclusions just yet.
“This is no accident,” Lambert thundered.
“Lambert...” Nicolene pinched the bridge of her nose.
“All ten Orlesian Wardens, dead at the hands of a sudden darkspawn attack?” Lambert shook his head. “No—this is not possible.”
“Lambert, I am positive it is in the realm of possibility,” Cassandra said, with a slight frown on her face. “With everything we have heard of the darkspawn--”
“Ten full Wardens are killed by darkspawn attack, and Surana is conveniently the only survivor?” Lambert shook his head.
“It is worrisome,” Nicolene mused. “I would not think it our concern, but Surana is a mage.” she shook her head. “The overreach from the Wardens alone is a worry, but to give a mage and a Warden a noble title...it smacks of Circle interference.”
“She would be the second Warden to have a noble title in Ferelden,” Cassandra said, her expression troubled. “The Wardens have not been known for their interest in politics before...and this most recent incident just makes everything more suspicious.”
Lambert scowled and sat back in his seat. “We need to keep a closer eye on the Circle of Magi,” he said. “I do not think it is a coincidence that Surana and Warden Fiona both had such an influence on King Alistair, or that of the surviving Ferelden Wardens, one is a mage.”
“Surana has also recruited several replacement Wardens,” Cassandra pointed out. “One of whom is a criminal apostate from the Circle.”
Lambert curled his hand into a fist. “Who are the others?” he asked.
“The dwarf who accompanied her and King Alistair when they hunted the Archdemon, and one of the remaining Howe family.” Cassandra said.
“So, she draws her new allies from the ranks of those she's familiar with, and the Orlesian Wardens are dead,” Nicolene hummed. “I'm beginning to think you might have a point there, Lambert.”
“Lady Seeker?” Lambert said.
“This darkspawn attack kills ten foreigners, with no survivors or even any bodies--”
“The Orlesian ambassador to Ferelden was furious about that,” Cassandra muttered.
“--Leaving Surana the highest-ranked and only Warden there, with the ability to invoke the Right of Conscription on whomever she pleases, with no one able to contradict her. And then she conscripts one of her own friends, a mage, and...” Nicolene tapped her finger on the table. “A Howe. That's the one that makes the least sense.”
“Not all of the Howes agreed with the choices that Rendon Howe made,” Cassandra said with a shrug. “It is possible that the Howe was sympathetic to her. Still, I am uncertain of how wise the decision is.”
Nicolene sighed and leaned back in her chair. “This is becoming a problem,” she said. “This does not bode well.”
“What are we to do about it?” Cassandra asked. “We have no hold over the Wardens, and technically they have done nothing wrong.”
“About that,” Nicolene frowned. “No one has any hold over the Wardens—not the Divine, not the Empress, no one. It appears, however, they are perfectly happy to maneuver themselves into positions of power.” she drummed her fingers on the table. “When mages are allowed power, Tevinter results,” she said. “Is this not true, Lambert?”
Lambert nodded, his expression grim.
“And it seems that not only are the Wardens gaining power, but mages as well.”
“Warden-Commander Surana is credited with killing the Archdemon,” Cassandra pointed out.
“If there ever was an Archdemon to begin with,” Lambert muttered.
“What?” Cassandra stared at him.
“It seems very convenient to me that an Enchanter as inexperienced as Surana managed to slay an Archdemon in under a year,” Lamberts said. “With, at most, three other Wardens and a ramshackle army with her.” he shook his head. “In any case, Archdemon or no, Surana is still a Warden and, more importantly, a mage who has been given a noble title.”
“Exactly,” Nicolene nodded. “I don't believe there are any laws against a Warden holding the office of Arling, exactly, but there are laws against mages doing so. It is quite clear to me that King Alistair has used her status as Warden to bypass Chantry regulations about mages.”
“There is still a darkspawn threat,” Cassandra said. “I believe the Wardens are within their rights to do as they see fit, as long as it eliminates that threat.”
Nicolene drummed her fingers on the table. “The Archdemon is dead,” she said. “Adhering to Chantry regulations will not inhibit the elimination of darkspawn. There is no reason Surana could not simply have been assigned as Warden-Commander to the Keep, instead of making her an Arlessa as well.”
“What is it you suggest?” Cassandra said. “Is there some other solution to this problem that you can see?”
“We need to speak to King Alistair,” Nicolene said. “That, first of all. He needs to know that his actions are...inappropriate.”
“He is extremely sympathetic to mages,” Lambert said. “Likely he would hear our complaints and do nothing about them.”
“And in that case, we employ stronger methods.” Nicolene stood up and began to pace. “I believe the Ferelden Gray Wardens are no longer in trustworthy hands,” she said. “The Gray Wardens have long acted with no oversight, and it is quite clear that this is a misstep. If the Ferelden Gray Wardens saw fit to seize power in their own country, how long will it be before Orlesian or Anderfels Wardens do the same? Not to mention that this behavior merely encourages the unrest in the Circle and the Alienages.”
“Allowing the Denerim Alienage a representative in the Landsmeet hardly encouraged unrest,” Cassandra argued, referring to the fact that the Hahren of the Denerim Alienage was given a voice in the Landsmeet recently. “In fact, it seems to have improved things.”
“Can you say the same of the Circles?” Lambert asked. “More apostates than ever, from Calenhad to Ostwick, deserters from the Wardens' army, running off to the Dalish or the Avvar or some vashoth tribe—the Libertarians have certainly been causing trouble.”
“Mm,” Cassandra narrowed her eyes. “That is certainly true.” she looked up at Nicolene. “But—I cannot say this is the fault of the Wardens,” she said. “Nor am I certain that it is our duty to keep the Wardens in check.”
“We are the ones who bring order,” Nicolene said. “What the Wardens appear to be causing is disorder.”
“That is true,” Cassandra agreed. “But surely there is a way to work with them, not against them? It will only cause more chaos if we fight them—and chaos is the last thing Ferelden needs.”
Nicolene hummed in thought.
“It has already gone too far,” Lambert argued. “A mage is already in power—we must stop this before it goes any further.”
“Perhaps if we request that Surana go back to the Circle, or another Warden take her place...” Nicolene said.
“If the Circle asks for Surana to return, we would have to request that all mage Wardens return to their Circle of origin,” Cassandra said. “They would not agree to that, and it would be foolish to cut down the ranks of the Wardens.”
“Perhaps we should do that,” Lambert said darkly. “The Wardens have had no one keeping them in check for hundreds of years—perhaps someone should. Who better than the Chantry?”
“The Circles don't normally allow many mages to be conscripted into the Gray Wardens,” Nicolene pointed out. “There are only a few prominent mage Wardens as it is. There's Surana, Clarel, Fiona--”
“The apostate that Surana conscripted,” Lambert muttered.
“--him as well, and perhaps only one or two others. It is not as if it would be a great burden on the Wardens to return the mages to the Circles. And, according to Surana and King Alistair, there is no current active Blight, only the darkspawn problem in Amaranthine.”
Cassandra looked dubious. “Lady Seeker, I am not sure...” she admitted.
“You know as well as I the dangers that occur when a mage is given power,” Nicolene said.
“The Circles are already somewhat ill at ease,” Cassandra said. “Would this help matters at all? And what if another Archdemon rises?”
“If the Circles are ill at ease, then it is imperative that they know that no one is above the Chantry,” Lambert said. “Not them, and not the Wardens.”
“Alistair was made king without consulting the Chantry,” Nicolene pointed out. “As a matter of fact, no one knew he existed until very recently.” her expression darkened. “Or at least, none of the Ferelden nobility or the Wardens cared to tell us about it, even when he was considered for the Templar Order.”
“And the Wardens blatantly took him out from under Chantry authority,” Lambert said. “How convenient that several years after Alistair is conscripted, a Blight occurs which kills the Ferelden king, leaving the throne to Alistair. A Blight which just so happens to be ended within a year, by a mage.”
“That does seem very suspicious...” Cassandra said. “But I would do nothing drastic. Relations between Orlais and Ferelden are already poor, the Chantry overbearing would make it worse.”
“Then before we do anything drastic, we will look into what has been happening,” Nicolene said. “But I would hardly call it drastic to want to remove a mage from a position of power—if nothing else, the laws surrounding Surana's appointment are...vague.”
Cassandra nodded. “That is true. There are conflicts between the laws about Warden and mage appointment to noble positions—I believe it has caused trouble before.”
“It has,” Lambert muttered.
“So, we urge King Alistair to appoint someone else as Arl or Arlessa, allowing Surana to remain Warden Commander for now,” Nicolene said. “Then his response will judge what we do next.”
“Hm,” Lambert rumbled. “I believe we should be taking more severe actions. The situation is already getting out of hand--”
“This is not Tevinter, Lambert,” Cassandra cut him off. “We cannot afford to upend everything in the pursuit of destroying a threat that may not even exist.”
“Tevinter once had a Chantry of its own,” Lambert said. “If you will recall.”
“I do recall,” Nicolene said. “And that is precisely why we are doing this—to avoid their missteps. But the situation is already delicate—Ferelden could be plunged into a civil war if we go about this the wrong way.” her lips twisted. “And having the Wardens' ire would not do us any good in the long run.”
Lambert sat back, a dissatisfied expression on his face. “Very well,” he said. “If this is what you wish.”
The Orlesians were extremely unhappy to learn of the fate of the Orlesian Wardens. Not for the first time, Alistair wished that Kitranna could be here to field this mess herself. She probably would have made things worse, but she had a way of pushing through this kind of political thing.
As it was, Anora, Alistair and Fiona were currently meeting with the Orlesian delegates. Fiona was speaking in rapid Orlesian to the foremost ambassador, and Alistair only caught every few words.
In the end, Fiona managed to placate the Orlesians, and assured them that the entire darkspawn problem was being taken care of. The Orlesians weren't happy, but neither did they seem inclined to try and start a fight, so that was progress of a kind.
“Surana needs to deal with this as soon as she can,” Fiona said after the meeting, shaking her head.
“She's trying,” Alistair assured her. “She'd cleaned the darkspawn out of Vigil's Keep when I got there.”
“And conscripted three Gray Wardens,” Anora added, her expression troubled.
“And that, yes.” he looked at Anora. “Is that a problem?”
“Normally, no, but...” Anora glanced at Fiona. “Is infighting common between Wardens of different countries?”
“Not particularly,” Fiona said.
“Because at the moment, it looks as if the death of the Orlesians was very convenient for the Ferelden Wardens,” Anora said. “Considering that Surana conscripted two Fereldans.”
“Oghren is from Orzammar,” Alistair pointed out. “He's not Fereldan.”
“No, but he is a friend of Surana's.”
Alistair let out a low whistle. “That does look bad,” he said. “But the other Wardens'll understand. Right?” he looked at Fiona, who shrugged.
“The Wardens understand that disasters such as this happen at any time,” she said. “Warden Commander Clarel will not be happy, exactly, but I believe she will understand.”
“It is not the other Wardens I am concerned about,” Anora said.
“Then who?” Alistair asked.
“The Chantry is sending a Seeker,” Anora said, holding out a letter for the other two to look at. “This arrived this morning.”
“A Seeker?” Alistair took the letter from Anora's outstretched hand. “Seeker Lambert—don't know that one. Mind you, I don't know many Seekers at all.”
“Lambert?” Fiona snatched the letter. “Oh, enculer...” she swore. “I know of him. He is the Lady Seeker's second—he returned from Tevinter recently.”
“What are they sending a Seeker for?” Alistair asked. “We certainly aren't Templars...”
“They're concerned about granting Amaranthine to the Wardens,” Anora said. “And about Surana's appointment to Arlessa.”
“Why is that their problem?” Alistair asked. “She's a Warden, Amaranthine belongs to the Wardens, and that's outside Chantry jurisdiction. Or it should be, anyway.”
“It should be,” Fiona said. “But it is likely that the darkspawn attack and the deaths of the Orlesian Wardens put them on edge.” she rubbed her forehead. “And you know as well as I that the Chantry doesn't let mages go easily, even Wardens. Warden-Commander Clarel's appointment caused a few problems as well—but they did not care in the end because Clarel doesn't have the influence Surana does.”
“Will this be a problem for you?” Anora asked Fiona.
Fiona's mouth twisted. “It may be,” she said. “We will have to see.”
Amaranthine was a large city, almost the size of Denerim. Despite this, it wasn't hard to find where Kristoff had been staying—people tended to remember a man who had gone around that heavily armed.
It turned out that Kristoff had headed for the Blackmarsh, south of Amaranthine. They would have to double back to Vigil's Keep to get there.
When they arrived back at Vigil's Keep, Kitranna was informed that there was another problem she should look into—the only reliable trade route between Amaranthine and Denerim was getting attacked, by whom, no one had any idea. Kitranna added that to her list of things that needed to be done, which was lengthening by the hour.
On top of that, some of the missives form Denerim were starting to take a rather alarming tone. A Seeker of Truth was coming from Val Royeaux, for what purpose exactly wasn't quite clear, but it was pretty clear that the Chantry wasn't happy about the recent goings-on. The Seeker would go to Denerim first, but it was possible that he would visit Vigil's Keep as well.
“That's just the last thing we need,” Kitranna gritted upon learning this news.
“A Seeker of Truth?” Nathaniel looked troubled. “I think I've heard of that Order before, but never met one...”
“You wouldn't have,” Anders said. “You're not a Templar. Usually that's the only thing they care about—they're supposed to regulate them.” his mouth twisted. “They don't do a wonderful job, of course, but what can you expect?”
“What do they have to to with us?” Oghren demanded.
“Not sure,” Kitranna said, looking over the note Alistair had sent. “I think they just want to stick their nose in where it doesn't belong.”
“That, and you're a mage who's in charge of an Arling,” Anders said. “Don't think that'd make them too happy.”
“Yeah, probably not.”