Sending Crystal; Locked to Grey Wardens

[pinprick]

FORM: Sending Crystal
SENDER: Nathaniel Howe
RECIPIENT: The Wardens
WHAT: Office meeting re: the Architect and whether to tell the Inquisition about him.
WHEN: Current
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: TW: Mention of broodmothers.

[A gruff but refined voice.]

I am Senior Warden Nathaniel Howe. I was one of the Wardens personally recruited by the Hero of Ferelden after the Archdemon was killed. The others here who can say the same are Velanna and Anders. We were party to something that deserves an explanation.

[A sigh that might as well say "this is going to be a long one."] After the Archdemon was slain, the Blight...continued more than it ought. It was no matter of clearing up stray patches of darkspawn. They were organized, and marching over Amaranthine in Ferelden. Most alarmingly, some were able to talk and order themselves like had never been seen before.

The reason... [he takes a second, figuring out how to make this as short as possible] The reason was a creature known as the Architect. He was...is a darkspawn magister like Corypheus, but his aim was different. He sought peace and enlightenment, and the awakening of the darkspawn to thought and purpose entirely free from the compulsion of the Old Gods. He...thought of them as his children.

He began to experiment. As we drink darkspawn blood to change ourselves, they drank the blood of Grey Wardens to awaken, to become thinking beings with conscience. Doing so did not always produce...good results. His experiments woke the archdemon Urthemiel and began the Blight. And they created the Mother.

The Mother was a broodmother he had awakened. She was driven mad by it. It was she who organized the darkspawn after the Archdemon was slain. That was the end of the organized darkspawn attacks after the Blight.

The Architect...we spared the Architect. More than that, we allied with him against the Mother. It is his desire to rid the world of all future Blights, and so he continues his work, trying to free the darkspawn of the control of the Old Gods.

We have kept him a secret from the world. Now, the world is threatened by Corypheus, a darkspawn of independent thinking, who wields power of the Calling like an Old God. I believe that if there is a time to share our secret alliance with anyone, it is now. The Inquisition fights against Corypheus for the fate of the world. The Architect may have answers we all need.

But I wanted to ask for your opinions before meeting with the Inquisition's leaders. Is there a good enough reason for us to keep this from the Inquisition?

Comments

[circleprodigy]

[Inessa listens in stunned silence for a long moment. There's a lot she could say, but the desire to keep the focus on the present and not the past is strong.]

I remember hearing of talking darkspawn before, but had dismissed it as Wardens trying to pull one over on a new recruit. That it had basis in reality....

If there is any chance that the Architect's knowledge can prevent the fate Corypheus would have in store for us, we should share it. This is not a time for secrets, not if said secrets could save us all.

[justice_is_blond]

He only helped us against the Mother because by sending us after her he could escape. I don't know that he'd do anything unless he was cornered, and I'm fairly certain we don't want to see what he'll do if he does get cornered.

[circleprodigy]

...then it might be a moot point, as it is. Do we even have an idea of where he might be now?

[failedfirst]

The Architect has had no contact with the Wardens as far as we know since before Corypheus made himself known. It seems unlikely they're working together, and would the Inquisition decide to hunt him as well, if they knew about him?

[Her voice is tight, she's trying not to say what she's thinking here and hoping that Nathaniel gets why she's got reservations on that front.]

[pinprick]

I...hadn't thought of it that way. [He has a little sister too, and can imagine.] But just because they aren't working together doesn't mean the Architect does not know of him. I think he will take steps to protect himself regardless.

[His children, including Seranni, are dear to him.]

[failedfirst]

Protect himself. We do not know what he'd do if he were truly cornered. [Which is to say, she doesn't think it'd be above him to throw Seranni at them as a meat shield.]

[justice_is_blond]

Is there a good reason to tell them? We could have some people start looking for signs, seeing if we can find him, but I don't know that there's been even whispers of him in some time. He's gone to ground, or Corypheus took care of someone who knew him in the past and could become a rival, or any number of things.

Without more information on him, I'm not certain telling people is relevant.

[byblow]

We-- [ by we he might mean Blackwall and Teren and I, or he might just mean himself, but he's trying to be inclusive! ] --promised to stop keeping big, potentially ass-biting secrets. Given our track record.

You know.

With having our asses bitten.

[ombranera]

Why are your asses being bitten? [ From where he's sitting, Lucci in lap, tea in hand. ] What have you done now?

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Does the Architect know anything about the Blight? With, perhaps, the taint itself?

[failedfirst]

He does. He knew enough to infect those who had been healthy and turn them into aware ghouls.

[pinprick]

One of his followers was a Grey Warden who had become a ghoul. She was utterly loyal to him. I couldn't say if she was independent or a thrall, not for certain.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

So it's possible that he might now know something about removing it?

[ichaer]

[ The most disgusted sound in existence. ]

Or he thinks himself cornered and decides to start another Blight with his 'experiments' as you say. This Architect might already be feeling such now that it is clear Corypheus' allies are infecting both Wardens and darkspawn with red lyrium.

[ A beat. ] Which, by the way, is not a joke.

[pinprick]

I don't think he would start another Blight. He doesn't want to lose more darkspawn lives, strange as it sounds.

[ichaer]

And that would be all well and good if the last time anyone saw him wasn't a bloody decade ago. We have absolutely no idea what the talking darkspawn might have decided was the best way to protect his horde.

[circleprodigy]

Maker, I hope not. The last thing Thedas needs is another Blight and personally, two in one lifetime sounds a bit much.

[ichaer]

I'm just letting you know that I'm packing my things now. That vacation is in order now more than ever.

[justice_is_blond]

What Nate said, and he started the Blight by accident if we believe everything the Architect said. I do believe that he didn't want a Blight and that he'll be taking far more care.

[ichaer]

And we shouldn't believe everything a talking darkspawn says because of the whole talking darkspawn bit. Because, again, it's been a decade. People change a lot in that amount of time so how can we be so sure that the same has not happened here?

[circleprodigy]

[Wait, what.]

...how does one start a Blight by accident?!?

[unbrokenoath]

Yanno, I was up in Amaranthine, and I was there when it was burning, and I was like oh shit is that a talking darkspawn talking to the King? Not that I went up and asked him, because, I mean, you don't do that to the King, and what if it wasn't a darkspawn? What if it was just a really fuckin' ugly guy? But I told some of my guard buddies, I was like, that's a fuckin' darkspawn. And they're like, what the fuck, Kaisa, you went and inhaled some smoke, didn't you? And I was like well, shit, maybe I did.

But I didn't inhale smoke!

Or, I guess, even if I did, I still saw a talking darkspawn. Who's laughing now, ya chucklefucks.

[ Small pause as she actually breathes. ]

...Anyway, I don't think we should tell 'em, but that's just me.

[justice_is_blond]

...Are you drunk?

[unbrokenoath]

Usually! But that's besides the point.

[pinprick]

Is "but that's just me" the full reasoning you have?