Senior Enchanter Ophelia,

We were too naive. When news broke that the Herald of Andraste was a Dalish elf, we thought that she would be sympathetic to mage freedom. Landless and displaced, it was natural to assume that we were natural allies with those who were similarly oppressed by the Chantry. Even I believed that she might reject the notion that mages are monsters to be feared. Instead, she conscripted our kin into the Inquisition military.

All those war casualties, all that bloodshed, and the rebellion simply traded one master for another. The irony is so bitter that it makes my heart ache.

You know that I am loyal to our cause. The very basis of our friendship lies on the shared belief that mages could be trusted with independence and responsibility. But we should have foreseen this outcome when the Grand Enchanter sold the rebel mages to the Tevinter Imperium. The world loathes the magisters for their forbidden magic and their slavery, and Fiona proved that mages would choose tyranny in order to save their own lives. Whether or not I believe this is the nature of mages is irrelevant. What matters is what ordinary people believe.

All of this puts us into a very difficult situation. As long as we remain free of Chantry control, mages will never be trusted. And mage children will continue to be born into a world that is even more hostile to magic than before. You don’t want to hear it, but isolationism is not a sustainable plan for the long term. We must choose powerful allies who can protect us, and soon.

I’ll speak to the First Enchanter about all of this. In the meantime, please ensure that Dana is internalizing her lessons. She likes to take naps when she’s left alone for self-study.

Sincerely,

Senior Enchanter Tahren

Thank you for your interest, everyone!!! As a teaser, please enjoy some story/background/lore drops courtesy of seven letters from Kirkwall.

Dearest brother,

I heard that you're joining up with Raleigh's group. I'm not, and you shouldn't either. If he has enough lyrium to supply most of the Order, then you should think about where that money even comes from. Or do you simply not care anymore?

I’ll never forget the day that we took our templar vows. We went to father’s grave together, remember? We swore to him that we would protect people from mages. So that children like us wouldn’t have to bury the charred remains of their parents. The skies were so beautiful then, and the swallows in the graveyard were singing obliviously. I thought that it was so cruel that the world could just keep going after it took everything from us. I thought so, at least.

You used to be so hopeful about the future ahead. As long as the nights kept cycling into days and days into nights, we could work towards a more peaceful world together. That suit of templar armor was everything to you. It calmed your heart in the face of demon flame and mage-frost. It assuaged your doubts when a gentle enchanter told you that she deserved to be free of the Chantry's laws. I was never strong like you, brother. But following your path made me think that I could be.

Where is that man now, Victor? Where is the man who taught me to overcome fear and to form my own convictions? I don’t see him in the person you’ve become—a zealot who would renounce his sworn duty and abandon his brothers and sisters. All for a man who can’t tell you who his true masters are. You’re smarter than this. Come back to Kirkwall and honor your sacred vows. I say this not solely as your sister of the Order but your sister of the blood.  

[Completely scratched out]

Don’t leave me behind.

Your sister always,

Mallory