Part 26: Kids! Say No To Blood Magic!

PART 26: KIDS! SAY NO TO BLOOD MAGIC!


They're probably symbolic of something.

Someone's here!



Please, refrain from going into the stockroom. It is a mess and I have not been able to get it into a state fit to be seen.

What are you doing here?

I was trying to tidy up, but there was little I could do.

Why are you cleaning at a time like this?

The stockroom is my responsibility. I must keep it clean.

Give this man a raise.

I tried to leave, when things got quiet. That was when I encountered the barrier. Finding no other way out, I returned to work.



Owain, you should have said something! I would have opened the door for you.

The stockroom is familiar. I prefer to be here.

How can you be so calm?

He is one of the Tranquil. The Tranquil do not have emotions.

I would prefer not to die. I would prefer it if the tower returned to the way it was. Perhaps Niall will succeed and save us all.

What's this Niall trying to do?



I do not know, but he came here with several others, and took the Litany of Adralla.

But that protects from mind domination. Is blood magic at work here?

I do not know.

Niall was in the meeting. He would know. Blood magic... I was afraid of this.

We'll be able to handle it.

We should find Niall. The Litany will give us a fighting chance against any blood mages we encounter.

I wish you luck. Perhaps this will be over soon and things will return to the way they were.

Goodbye.



So, ah, what is blood magic anyway?

Magic fuelled by life, whether the caster's own or that of a convenient sacrifice. It is tremendously powerful. It also attracts demons like wasps to jam.





What's with the glowing graffiti?



[Right on cue, you get attacked by two blood mages. They have some seriously hard hitting spells, but fold like damp paper if you can close in on them.]



[Barkley leveled up at the end of this fight, hence the heavenly light.]



Please, please don't kill me.

The people you killed didn't want to die either.

MURDER BAD.

I know I have no right to ask for mercy, but I didn't mean for this death and destruction. We were just trying to free ourselves.

Uldred told us that the Circle would support Loghain and Loghain would help us be free of the Chantry.

Thanks, Loghain.

You don't know what it was like. The templars were watching, always watching...

And so you fought back.



The magic was a means to an end. It gave us... it gave me the power to fight for what I believed.

Fighting for what you believe is commendable, but the ends do not always justify the means.

You don't really believe that, do you Wynne? Change rarely comes peacefully. Andraste waged war on the Irnperium; she didn't write them a strongly worded letter.

She reshaped civilization, freed the slaves, and gave us the Chantry. But people died for it...

We thought... someone always has to take the first step... force a change, no matter the cost.



Nothing is worth what you've done to this place.

And now Uldred's gone mad, and we are scattered, doomed to die at the hands of those who seek to right our wrongs...

And all you do is wallow in self-pity. Pathetic.

What else can I do? I'm trapped here.

You're too sad to kill. I will spare you, but I will not help you escape.



Thank you. The Maker will surely turn His eyes on you for your mercy!

Make me regret this, and I'll feed you to my dog.



R-right.



What a mess. Oh, hey, another creepy note.



The tower was here long before the Circle. It was always unlikely we were the first to bring magic to its halls.



Ew, this one's covered in blood.



[Finding all these scrolls is another document-based sidequest.]





Looks like the note we took off that corpse in Lothering was accurate.

I never pass up an opportunity for free loot.

[The cache contains some potions and a lightning bomb.]





The walking dead!

Aim for the head.



[Animate corpses are dead bodies being driven by a weak demon. They are the puniest enemies in the tower, and are generally used as meatshields and distractions by more powerful monsters.

There are three varieties, defined by which type of demon is in residence- Shambling Corpses (sloth demon) can cast Weakness, which temporarily reduces our stats; Devouring Corpses (hunger demon) can use Drain Life to restore their health at our expense; and Enraged Corpses (rage demon) can use Berserk to up their damage.

Weirdly, the Abominations we fought also come in various flavours depending on the demon in control, but they all fight the same and have identical skills.]



They came from this room...

I do not think we are alone in here.



Boo!



I really wish they'd stop doing that.



Phew... Hey. Anyone else notice anything odd about that closet?

Besides the crying?



(This closet seems to be trembling slightly. You can hear soft whimpers coming from inside it.)

Wynne, does the Circle have any magical, living furniture?

No, I don't think so. Although, there were rumours about a dancing armoire a few years back...

Right. Is someone in there?



H-hello?

What are you doing in there?

N-nothing. P-please, I don't want to die.

You don't have to be afraid of me.

But the demons...

Stop whining and come out.

If... if you're sure it's safe, I could take a peek outside.

*creeeak*



Ooh. Ow. Ah... yes.

What's wrong?

I have a crick in my back and my bum's gone numb. Oh, holy Maker... look at this. Those demons didn't know what hit them, did they?

They knew, briefly.

Who are you, closet boy?

Godwin, mage of the Circle of Ferelden, at your service.

How you end up in that closet?



There were demons everywhere, blocking my exit. I decided that the best thing to do in that situation was to hide and be very, very quiet.

I just really want to be somewhere safe. I think I might stay here for now. Maybe go back into my closet for a little while.

I've killed most of the demons. You could escape.

And go where? The templars have locked the door. I'm just going to stay here and see what happens.

You can't stay in the closet forever.

Ugh, you sound like my mother.

Fine. Do what you wish. Your life is your own.

Thank you again, for saving me. May we meet again, in happier, less life-threatening times.





_{There's nothing here!}



Is this stealth? Are we stealthing right now?

Ssh, I want to listen.

Uldred said--

Uldred's not here, is he? Keep your mouth shut and we'll be right as rain.

Raargh!











Lucky this didn't get burned up.



This story isn't going to have a happy ending, I just know it.





Nice try pal, but I grew up in a land that uses magma for interior decoration.



[With a two handed sword Sten is a killing machine, but he takes by far the most damage in fights.]





Such wanton destruction. Even Andraste's statue has been torn down.



(A statue of Andraste lies defiled. There is a small glass phylactery in the base, somehow sealed within the otherwise solid stone carving.)

(The area is unnaturally cold. Dark shapes swirl around a slip of paper within the vial.)

I don't know what this is.

Let's find out. C'mere, you. (Take the vial)

(The glass fractures at your touch.)

*hsssssss*



Yesssss.

Oops.


NEXT TIME: We get served. Repeatedly.

NEW CODEX CONTENT:
Corpse
Revenant