Morrigan had shown Iselia the world within the eluvian and proclaimed that Corypheus was searching for another of these things. They had to stop him. With the army still recuperating after the assault on Adamant though, Iselia worked on helping her friends finish their personal business until they would be physically and emotionally ready to deal Corypheus once more.
In the meantime, the Warden Blackwall had disappeared and taken one of Leliana's reports with him. As he was a Warden and susceptible to Corypheus, Iselia felt it her duty to track him down as soon as possible.
The report Blackwall had taken was in regards to a man being hanged in Val Royeaux.
At first they were confused why he would've taken this particular report and come to the city for this hanging, but it was soon made clear.
Before the platform could fall beneath the man's feet, Blackwall hurried beside the executioner and told them to stop. That this man should not die for another's crimes... his own crimes.
His name wasn't Blackwall and he wasn't a Grey Warden. He was Thom Rainier, formerly of the Orlesian military, and, persuaded by coin, had his men kill the entire family of one of Empress Celene's greatest supporters.
A gasp rose up from the crowd, the man to be hanged was freed, and the guard took Blackwall Rainier away.
In the city prisons, Iselia went down to speak with him.
He promised her that he had not killed the real Warden Blackwall. He had been recruited, hadn't even partaken in the Joining yet, when they got jumped by darkspawn and Warden Blackwall died. He had been a good man who hadn't deserved death, so he had taken on his mantle and acted as him for years. Trying to do better.
That did not excuse his crimes though. Years of acting as a good man — a better man — had weighed on him, and he felt more shame than ever for what he had done.
Cullen and a few of their soldiers had come to the city with another of Leliana's reports, this one about the man Thom Rainier.
Cullen suggested that they convince the Orlesians to allow the Inquisition to judge this false Blackwall. He personally despised the man for what he had done, but acceded that he, in his own way, had tried to atone.
Iselia nodded and told him to arrange for their men to be allowed to take him for her own judgement.
Back in Skyhold, the House of Repose had at last tried to pay Josephine a visit. Leliana's people had stopped the attack before it was too late. They had to work on getting that contract finished and finalised soon. The affair was almost in order... but not quite "almost" enough.
Leliana's people were doing good though. Josephine would remain safe until they got it all worked out.
Gathering Josephine and her people, they prepared to judge the former Blackwall.
Iselia decided that the Wardens would have him. The original Blackwall had recruited him for the Wardens, and that's where his fate would lie. Whether he died during the Joining or lived a life as a Warden, a death sentence in its own way, would be up to his own body's will.
He accepted his fate. And promised himself to the Inquisition for now, until such time the Wardens could prepare his Joining.
After that very difficult trial, Iselia went and spoke with her friends in an attempt cheer up a little.
She busted Cassandra reading one of Varric's very smutty books. This one was a serial that she was desperately waiting the next chapter for... she then glared at Iselia and told her not to tell Varric and to pretend she didn't know that she read these things.
Obviously Iselia ran straight to Varric and asked if he had finished writing the next book.
He had not, and had no intention to. It was the worst thing he had ever written and no one was buying it. She told Varric that Cassandra had bought it, and was very very interested in how it ended. Varric was surprised. Cassandra of all people was actually reading and enjoying his worst literature?
He had no intention of continuing the story, but for Cassandra... he agreed to write it, as long as he could be there when Iselia delivered the book to her. The fact that the story was absolutely terrible made it worthwhile somehow.
He got to writing immediately and within the hour they were speaking to Cassandra and offering her the book. She was embarrassed, of course, but very quickly took the work off of his hands and immediately started reading.
She was so eager, it was adorable. Varric was very satisfied with her reaction and so was Iselia; this had truly made her feel better after all the unpleasantness earlier.
Iselia thought now was the perfect time to go and investigate Varric's lead on just where the red lyrium was being mined and sold. An entrance to the deep roads in the Hinterlands led to the distant part of the deep roads near Kirkwall where the red lyrium had first been discovered...
Although it was distant, it was a safe route and when one found a safe route through the deep roads, it didn't matter how long the journey was. They would need to stop this red lyrium trading operation.
They went to the entrance and found Carta dwarves all over the area, protecting their route and also fighting against a few groups of darkspawn that came up from further down within the deep roads.
After taking care of both, Iselia used her magic to barricade off a few unnecessary holes in the area that the darkspawn were coming through. That would make it safer for them to investigate.
In a room full of red lyrium chunks was another door, after killing all the dwarves that stood around it, Bianca grabbed a key off of one's body, locked the door, and dusted her hands of the situation. The way to the thaig was now closed off. May it be closed off forever.
Varric was suddenly suspicious of his friend. She had been the leak, hadn't she?
Bianca lowered her eyes and admitted that she had been. After Varric told her of the thaig, she went and looked for herself so she could study the red lyrium and try to help his brother, Bartrand. While investigating it, she discovered that the red lyrium had the blight... that meant that lyrium was alive! Because it had the blight, she sought help from the Grey Wardens and a man named Larius helped her study it.
Larius... Varric winced. That had been the Grey Warden he and Hawke had met back in the Grey Warden prison where they had first found Corypheus. He had thought Larius had seemed different after the death of Corypheus. He must've taken the body over... that was how he had escaped... and Bianca had led him straight to the blighted source.
He told her to just go.
Despite Varric's glumness, their trek into the deep roads didn't end there. There had been word from the Storm Coast that darkspawn had been seen on the surface. They would need to go there, take care of the beasts, and find any deep roads entrances they might be coming through and block them off.
Luckily the entrances were easy to find, especially with the darkspawn helpfully roaming just outside of them.
All were closed up and they could return to Skyhold to work out their next plan of action.
Until next time! 🐲⚔️
All screenshots in this post are courtesy of me, 