DAI: Becoming The Inquisitor

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Solas, always the observer, said nothing, but his eyes never stopped scanning the horizon.

Cassandra's horse fell into step beside Daniel's as they rode through the mountain pass, the rhythmic clop of hooves against the frozen earth the only sound between them for a long moment. The wind howled through the peaks, sharp enough to bite, but the Seeker's gaze was sharper still.

"You've been quiet," she said at last. "What are you thinking?"

Daniel exhaled, his breath fogging in the cold air. "I'm thinking we're being forced into a choice that shouldn't exist."

Cassandra's brow furrowed. "Explain."

He tightened his grip on the reins. "The templars have the strength and discipline we need to seal the Breach. The mages have the raw power. But we're acting like we can only pick one."

Varric, riding just ahead, twisted in his saddle with a wry grin. "Well, from the looks of it, Lord Seeker Lucius and Grand Enchanter Fiona are at each other's throats. So are the templars and mages. You really think you can get them to play nice?"

Solas, the quiet observer, spoke without turning. "They were once part of the same system. The Chantry bound them together, however uneasily."

"And now the Chantry's in shambles," Daniel muttered. "Which means we're standing in the middle of a feud that's been brewing for centuries."

Cassandra's jaw tightened. "The templars are the logical choice. They are trained for this—to combat magic, to stabilize the Veil. Their order was founded to stand against such threats."

"And yet," Solas interjected smoothly, "they have just abandoned their posts. Whatever discipline they once had, it is now under the command of a man who openly defies the Chantry. Can we trust that?"

Daniel rubbed his temple, the mark on his hand pulsing faintly. "Fiona didn't strike me as someone who'd waste time with games. She wants something from us, but she's not hiding it."

Varric snorted. "Yeah, she wants you to pick her side. Same as Lucius, just with less shouting and more 'I-told-you-so' smugness."

Daniel shook his head. "What if we don't pick a side? What if we ask both?"

Cassandra stared at him. "You cannot be serious."

"Why not?" Daniel pressed. "The Breach is a threat to everyone. Templars, mages, nobles, commoners—it doesn't discriminate. If we frame it as a united front, not an alliance with one over the other..."

Solas tilted his head. "An interesting thought. But you would need leverage. Or at least, something both sides want more than they hate each other."

Varric whistled low. "Good luck with that. You'd have better chances convincing a nug to sing the Chant of Light."

Daniel ignored him, his mind racing. "The templars want order. The mages want freedom. But what they both want is survival. If we prove that neither can afford to stand alone against the Breach..."

Cassandra's expression was skeptical. "You are assuming both will listen to reason. The Lord Seeker made his stance clear. And Fiona's rebellion has spent years fighting templar authority."

"Then we don't give them a choice," Daniel said bluntly. "We make the stakes too high to ignore."

A silence settled over the group, broken only by the crunch of snow under hooves.

Finally, Varric sighed. "Well, if you're going to try the impossible, at least let me take notes. This'll make a great chapter."

The wind howled through the mountain pass, carrying with it the scent of pine and the distant, metallic tang of snow. Daniel exhaled sharply, watching his breath curl into the frigid air before dissipating. The weight of their situation pressed down on him—not just the Breach, not just the war between mages and templars, but the sheer impossibility of it all. They were supposed to be fixing the sky, not untangling years of hatred and mistrust.

And yet, here they were.

"Before we came here," Daniel said slowly, "we had planned to make Haven a neutral ground. A place where templars and mages could meet under a truce." He glanced at Cassandra, whose expression remained guarded but thoughtful. "But now..."

"Now we don't even know where the templars are," Varric finished, rubbing his gloved hands together for warmth. "And Redcliffe? Something's off about that place. You felt it too, didn't you?"

Solas, the observant, nodded. "The air was thick with magic. Not just the ambient kind—something deliberate. Controlled."

Cassandra's grip on her reins tightened. "Which means Fiona's people are not merely hiding there. They are preparing."

"For what?" Daniel muttered.

Varric smirked. "Nothing good, if history's any indication."

Daniel clenched his jaw. "When we reach Haven, we'll need Leliana to send her people out. Find out where the templars have gone, and what's really happening in Redcliffe."

Cassandra exhaled sharply through her nose. "Assuming the Lord Seeker hasn't taken them somewhere even the Nightingale can't find."

"Leliana's spies have infiltrated worse," Solas remarked mildly.

"Yeah, but have they infiltrated a bunch of paranoid templars who think the world's out to get them?" Varric countered. "Because I've met those guys. Not exactly the welcoming type."

Daniel ignored the banter, his mind already racing ahead. "We'll need to move fast. If the templars are regrouping, they could be planning something drastic. And if the mages are up to something in Redcliffe..."

"We could be walking into a war on two fronts," Cassandra finished grimly.

The thought settled over them like a shroud. The Breach was bad enough. A full-blown conflict between templars and mages, with the Inquisition caught in the middle? That could shatter whatever fragile hope they had left.

The sun dipped below the Frostbacks, painting the snow in hues of violet and gold as they made camp in the shelter of a rocky outcrop. The wind had died down, leaving an eerie stillness in its wake—the kind of quiet that made the back of Daniel's neck prickle. Too quiet. Like the mountains themselves were holding their breath.

Varric tossed another log onto the fire, sending up a shower of sparks. "You know what this trip needs? A decent bottle of wine. Or at least something stronger than boiled snow."

Cassandra, sharpening her sword with methodical strokes, shot him a glare. "We are not here to indulge. We rest, we eat, we move at first light."

"Ah, Seeker, you wound me," Varric said, pressing a hand to his chest. "I was merely suggesting we take the edge off. You know, before we walk into whatever fresh chaos awaits us in Haven."

Daniel sat cross-legged near the flames, staring into the flickering light. His fingers absently traced the outline of the mark on his palm, the green glow pulsing faintly in time with the Breach above. It ached, a constant, dull throb—a reminder that time wasn't on their side.

Solas, ever the silent observer, crouched beside him, offering a strip of dried meat. "You should eat."

Daniel took it with a nod but didn't bite into it just yet. "Do you think it's possible? Getting the templars and mages to work together?"

Solas considered the question, his pale eyes reflecting the firelight. "Possible? Yes. Likely? That depends entirely on how desperate they become."

Varric snorted. "Oh, they're desperate alright. The templars are following a man who sounds one bad day away from declaring himself the next Archon, and the mages are holed up in Redcliffe doing Maker-knows-what with their magic. If that's not desperation, I don't know what is."

Cassandra's grip on her sword tightened. "Which is exactly why we cannot afford to gamble on the impossible. We must choose. Templars or mages."

Daniel tore off a piece of the jerky, chewing slowly. "Or we force them to see that they don't have a choice."

Silence fell over the group, broken only by the crackling of the fire.

Then Varric let out a low whistle. "Well, shit. When did you get so ruthless, Herald?"

Daniel's smile was thin. "When I realized playing nice won't close the Breach."

Later, when the others had bedded down—Cassandra taking first watch, Solas meditating in that strange, distant way of his, Varric already snoring lightly—Daniel found himself staring up at the Breach. It pulsed like a wound in the sky, tendrils of green lightning lashing out now and then, a constant reminder of how little time they had.

A rustle of fabric announced Cassandra's approach. She stood beside him, arms crossed, her gaze also fixed on the sky. "You should sleep."

"So should you," he countered. "You've been on watch for hours."

She didn't deny it. "I've slept less for worse reasons."

Daniel exhaled, his breath fogging in the cold air. "Do you ever wonder if we're doing the right thing?"

Cassandra was quiet for a long moment. Then, grudgingly: "Often."

That surprised him. He turned to look at her. "Really?"

She scowled, but there was no real heat in it. "Do not look so shocked. I am not blind, Herald. The Chantry is fractured. The templars have abandoned their posts. The mages are out of control. And we are... what? A handful of strangers trying to hold the world together with nothing but hope and stubbornness."

Daniel huffed a laugh. "When you put it like that, it sounds even more impossible."

Cassandra's lips twitched—almost a smile. "And yet, here we are."

Here they were indeed.

Sleep, when it finally came, was anything but restful.

The next morning, they broke camp quickly with the morning air sharp with frost. The mountains loomed ahead, their peaks lost in swirling mist, and beyond them—Haven. Answers. More problems.

Varric fell into step beside Daniel as they mounted up. "So. What's the plan when we get back? March straight into Redcliffe and demand Fiona explain herself? Send Leliana's spies after the templars? Or just collapse into the nearest bed and pretend none of this is happening?"

Daniel tightened his grip on the reins. "All of the above, in order."

Varric chuckled. "I like your style, Herald."

Cassandra, already astride her horse, shot them both a look. "Focus. We do not know what awaits us in Haven. The Breach has grown worse in our absence."

She was right. The green tear in the sky had expanded, its malevolent glow staining the clouds.

Daniel exhaled. "Then let's not keep it waiting."

The Frostback loomed ahead, their jagged peaks cutting into the sky like the teeth of some ancient beast. The air had grown thinner, colder, each breath stinging Daniel's lungs as they ascended the winding mountain path. They'd been traveling for days, the tension between them thickening with every mile. The question hung unspoken in the air, heavy as the snow-laden clouds above: Templars or mages?

Cassandra rode beside him, her posture rigid, her gaze fixed on the horizon. She hadn't spoken much since dawn, but Daniel could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

He broke the silence first. "If we had to pick a side—which would you choose?"

Cassandra didn't hesitate. "The templars."

Daniel arched a brow. "Even after what Lucius did in Val Royeaux?"

"Because of what Lucius did," she corrected, her voice sharp. "The templars are fracturing. If we do not intervene, they will become a rogue force, answerable to no one. At least with the mages, we know where they stand—Fiona may be reckless, but she is not hiding her intentions."

Daniel chewed on that. "So you'd side with the templars to control them?"

"I would side with them because they are the surer option," she said. "Their abilities are designed to suppress magic. If we must seal the Breach, their training could stabilize the Veil long enough for us to act."

A gust of wind howled through the pass, sending a flurry of snow skittering across the path. Daniel pulled his cloak tighter. "And if the mages are the only ones with enough raw power to close it?"

Cassandra's jaw tightened. "Then we pray we are not making a mistake."

That night, they camped in the lee of a towering cliff, the rock face offering scant shelter from the biting wind. Varric had somehow procured a flask of something strong-smelling from his pack and was passing it around with the air of a man who knew exactly how much they all needed it.

Solas declined with a polite shake of his head, but Cassandra took a measured sip before handing it to Daniel. The liquor burned its way down his throat, a temporary reprieve from the cold.

Varric stretched his legs toward the fire. "So. Let's say we do pick the templars. How do we even find them? Lucius isn't exactly sending out invitations."

"Leliana's people will track them," Cassandra said.

"And if they're holed up in some fortress with a hundred pissed-off templars between us and the Lord Seeker?" Varric pressed. "You really think they'll just listen to us?"

Daniel stared into the flames. "We'd have to offer them something. Something Lucius can't."

"Like what?" Varric snorted. "A better hat?"

"Legitimacy," Solas said quietly.

All eyes turned to him.

He continued, his voice calm but deliberate. "The templars have abandoned the Chantry, but that does not mean they no longer crave purpose. If the Inquisition can offer them a new cause—one that does not chain them to a corrupt system—they may yet be swayed."

Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "You speak as if you know their minds."

Solas met her gaze evenly. "I know what it is to follow orders blindly, only to realize too late that the ones giving them were unworthy of loyalty."

A beat of silence passed.

Varric whistled. "Well, that got heavy."

Daniel exhaled. "So we'd be asking them to trade one master for another."

"Not a master," Solas corrected. "An ally."

The next morning, as they packed up camp, Daniel found himself walking beside Solas. The elf moved with an easy grace, as if the treacherous mountain path were nothing more than a garden stroll.

"You didn't say much last night about the mages," Daniel remarked.

Solas glanced at him. "You did not ask."

"I'm asking now."

Solas considered for a moment. "The mages are desperate. That makes them dangerous—but also malleable. Fiona would not have approached you if she did not see value in an alliance."

"And the magic in Redcliffe?"

"A concern," Solas admitted. "But not necessarily a threat. If they are experimenting with a dangerous magic, it is likely out of fear, not malice."

Daniel frowned. "You sound like you're defending them."

"I am stating facts. The templars would see magic shackled. The mages would see it unchained. Both extremes are flawed."

"So what's the alternative?"

Solas's lips quirked. "Balance."

Daniel snorted. "Easy to say. Harder to do."

"Most worthwhile things are."

By midday, the path began to slope downward, the air warming slightly as they descended toward the valley where Haven waited. The sight of the village's smoke curling into the sky should have been a relief, but Daniel's stomach twisted with unease. Too many decisions waited for them there. Too many lives hanging in the balance.

Cassandra reined her horse beside his. "You are still troubled."

He didn't deny it. "If we choose wrong, people die. Maybe everyone."

She was quiet for a long moment. Then: "There is no perfect choice, Daniel. Only the one we can live with."

He glanced at her. "That's not comforting."

"It was not meant to be."

Varric, trotting up behind them, groaned. "Andraste's ass, you two are depressing. Look, here's how I see it—no matter who we pick, someone's going to be pissed. But if we don't pick, the Breach kills us all anyway. So why not roll the dice and see what happens?"

Daniel couldn't help but laugh. "That's your grand insight? 'Flip a coin'?"

Varric grinned. "Hey, it's kept me alive this long."

Cassandra rolled her eyes, but even she looked faintly amused.

The sun dipped low behind the Frostbacks, casting long shadows across the snow as they made camp one last time before reaching Haven. The village was visible now—a smudge of torchlight against the darkening horizon, still too far to reach before nightfall, but close enough to stir something restless in Daniel's chest. Almost there.

Varric kicked snow off a flat rock before dropping his pack onto it with a grunt. "You know, I've had warmer welcomes in Antiva. And that's saying something, considering how much Antivans hate outsiders."

Cassandra, already gathering firewood with brisk efficiency, shot him a look. "If you are cold, you could help gather wood instead of complaining."

"Ah, but then who would provide the evening's entertainment?" Varric quipped, though he did push himself up to help.

Daniel crouched by the beginnings of their fire, coaxing sparks from his flint. The wind had died down, leaving an eerie stillness in its wake—the kind of quiet that made his skin prickle. Too quiet. Like the mountains were holding their breath.

Solas appeared beside him, offering a handful of dried twigs. "You are troubled."

Daniel didn't look up. "Aren't I always?"

"More than usual, then."

The fire caught, flames licking hungrily at the kindling. Daniel sat back on his heels, watching the light dance. "We shouldn't be the only ones wrestling with this decision. Leliana, Josephine, Cullen—they've been at Haven this whole time, watching the Breach grow. It's not fair for us to spin in circles out here while they're not even thinking about it."

A sly grin tugged at his lips as he said it, and Solas huffed something that might have been a laugh.

Varric, returning with an armful of branches, raised an eyebrow. "What's this? The Herald of Andraste, shirking responsibility?"

"Not shirking," Daniel corrected. "Delegating."

Cassandra dropped her own pile of wood with a thud. "A sound strategy. The war council exists for a reason."

"Exactly," Daniel said, brushing snow from his gloves. "We'll present what we know—the templars' disappearance, the odd magic in Redcliffe—and let them argue for a while. Maybe one of them will even have a good idea."

Varric snorted. "And here I thought you were the one supposed to be divinely inspired."

Daniel tossed a snowball at him. It missed by a mile.

Dinner was a quiet affair—hardtack, dried meat, and a shared waterskin of something vaguely alcoholic that Varric had been hoarding. The fire crackled between them, casting flickering shadows across their faces.

Cassandra broke the silence first. "Do you think they've learned anything new in our absence?"

"Leliana's spies are thorough," Solas said. "If there were developments, she will know."

Varric stretched, wincing as his back popped. "Yeah, well, let's hope those developments don't include 'the Breach doubled in size' or 'the templars declared war on ducks.'"

Daniel choked on his water. "Ducks?"

"Stranger things have happened."

Cassandra pinched the bridge of her nose. "I regret allowing you to accompany us."

Varric grinned. "No, you don't."

She didn't deny it.

Daniel leaned back, staring up at the Breach. It pulsed lazily, like a sleeping dragon's heartbeat. "Whatever they've learned, we'll deal with it tomorrow."

"Spoken like a man who's gotten very good at ignoring problems until they're right in front of him," Varric said approvingly.

Daniel flipped him off.

As the others had bedded down, Daniel found himself taking the last watch. The fire had burned low, leaving embers glowing like eyes in the dark. The mountains loomed around them, silent sentinels in the night.

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Name : Daniel Carter

Race: Elf

Level 5 : 2475/2500 EXP

Professions: Mage

Gold Coins: 2289 coins

Weapon: Staff of the Dragon

Armor: Light Armor of the Dragon and Templar Scribe Scowl

Accessories: Token of the Packmaster and Belt of Health

Inventory: Acolyte Ice Staff, Morning Star, Stiletto, Hunting Longbow, Fire Resistance Cowl, Mercenary Coat, Acolyte Fire Staff, Disciple Lighting Staff, Apprentice Armor, Qunari Battleaxe, Raider Hatchet, 2 Disciple Fire Staff, Apprentice Mail, Qunari Buckler, Medium Adventure Armor, Mindleech Staff, Soldier's Nemesis, 2 Recruit's Dirk, Reinforced Dagger, Sledgehammer, Disciple Lighting Staff, Apprentice Armor, Exacting Longbow, Barbarian Lord Maul, Lifeward Amulet, and Grenade Belt

Crafting Materials: 37 Elfroot, 62 Iron, 2 Blue Vitriol, 1 Dawn Lotus, 11 Silk, 17 Lambswool, 3 Royal Elfroot, 10 Ram Leather, 23 Drakestone, 4 Fire Essence, 3 Blue Vitriol, 11 Canine Leather, 4 Plaidewaive, 2 Frost Essence, 1 Fade-Touched Iron, 4 Blood Lotus, 5 Embrium, 10 Spindleweed, 16 Onyx, 3 Ironbarks, 2 Crystal Grace, and 1 Serpenstone

Upgrades: Sigil of the Gamordan Stromrider and Sigil of Deathroot

Valuables: 2 Shadow Essence, 1 Ram Horn, 1 Dreamer Rag, 5 Weapon Fragment, 2 Bowstring, 8 Mysterious Shards, Nevarra Skull, 1 Wisp Essence, and 1 Wolf Fangs

Potions: Lesser Health Potions x8, Lesser Regeneration Potions x5, and x5 Lyrium Potion

Skills: Chain Lighting, Flashfire, Barrier, Winter's Grasp, and Energy Barrage

Armor Schematics: Shokra-taar Schematic, Antaam-saar Schematic, Avvar Armor Schematics Acquired, Stone-Bear Armor Schematics, Vanguard Coat Schematic, Sturdy Defender Coat Schematic, and Scout Mail Arms Schematic

Weapon Schematics: Curved Dagger Schematic and Hunting Bow Schematic

Potion Recipe: Lesser Regeneration Potion recipe and Lyrium Potion Recipe

Bottles of Thedas: Vint-9 Rowan's Rose and Carnal, 8:69 Blessed