Minrathous Circle
Elowyn met Aminia at the Circle the next day. The building had to be at least ten times larger than the Circle Tower of Montpellier. She had to tilt her head so far back to admire the glittering mosaics that she almost fell over. Aminia grabbed her arm to steady her.
“Whoa there! Don’t go all country bumpkin on us.”
“It’s just so amazing! I could pinch myself – I never thought I’d see this!”
“Just wait until you see the library.”
“To think of all the time I’ve wasted, not being here, so many things I haven’t read or seen or even done.”
“You really are like a person who’s just gotten out of prison, huh?”
“I suppose it must feel similar. Everything looks better, tastes better – it’s a little overwhelming.”
“Well, take a deep breath – you’re about to see more books than you knew existed.”
They headed through a colossal set of doors into the library. Shelves of books and scrolls stretched many storeys up to a domed ceiling. Circular staircases connected the balconies around an open area in the center filled with desks and tables.
“Let me introduce you to the Librarian.” Aminia had to practically drag her along, Elowyn was so busy looking at book titles and trying to read snatches of texts as she went by.
They approached a table holding a towering stack of books. Aminia spoke as if to the books, “Librarian Smaragdus, I’d like to introduce you to Magistra Caracalla’s new apprentice, Elowyn.”
“Umm, hello there?” said Elowyn to the pile of books.
The books seemed to be mumbling. Elowyn bent her head closer to listen. “paradosial ablagation of crystalline structures inherent…” she heard the books say.
Aminia broke in, “Librarian!” She disappeared behind the books.
“Wot? Oh,” mumbled the books. Then a head poked itself out from behind the stack.
“Hello?” said Elowyn tentatively.
“Caracalla you say?”
“No, I’m Elowyn Adaran.”
“Don’t know her.” The head disappeared again.
Elowyn heard Aminia say, “Librarian, Elowyn is with House Caracalla. She’s here to do research.”
“Well, get on with it then!” Elowyn heard the books say irritably. Aminia laughed and returned to Elowyn’s side of the stacks.
“There you go! Our Librarian.”
“I take it I won’t be seeing much of him?”
“You might not want him to take a personal interest in you. He only does that if he feels you’re threatening the books. Come on, let me show you the labs.”
Aminia led her down a circular staircase to another circular corridor with many doors leading off it in all directions. Elowyn felt completely lost and hoped she wouldn’t lose sight of Aminia, or she’d never find her way out again.
Aminia stopped and unlocked a magically-sealed door. “This is my lab!”
Inside were all sorts of arcane devices: twisty tubes, alembics, flasks, and strange machinery. There was a curious medley of smells emanating from the equipment.
“So what is it you’re making here?” she asked Aminia.
“I’ve been working with Dio on spirit bindings, using processed lyrium. Can’t handle the raw stuff, of course.”
“That’s why the Circles in Orlais use the Tranquil – since they’ve been cut off from their magic, the lyrium doesn’t affect them.”
“I still don’t understand why they need to do that!” said Aminia. “It’s cruel, and they could surely employ dwarves to craft runes for them.”
“The Orlesians don’t have a wonderful relationship with dwarves,” said Elowyn. “So, how do the Circles here handle mages who aren’t strong enough to survive a Harrowing?”
“Oh, we don’t have such a trial. Since it’s taken for granted that children from the altus families will have magical abilities, they learn to enter the Fade at a young age, accompanied by their mentors.”
“But don’t you have at least some Tranquil? I had read that Tevinter also uses the rite for those too weak to resist demons.”
“We have it, but it’s strongly discouraged. Tranquil are really looked down upon here. It’s not a life anyone would wish for their child. Learning to resist demons is simply part of a mage’s education here and in the other places where magic is practiced freely. It’s not a big scary problem the way it is in territories under the influence of the Orlesian Chantry. I think that all the issues your people have with possession stem from your Chantry’s suppression and avoidance of magical education. Haven’t they declared many texts to be heretical?”
“It’s true – there are many books we weren’t allowed to read. Our First Enchanter in the Montpellier Circle kept some of them locked up in his office, though there were rumors that the most dangerous ones were burned by the Chantry.”
“Outrageous! To think that ignorance is the road to salvation.”
“I suppose it works for them. Well, it did until recently.”
“Are you a Believer then? I’m sorry, I spoke without thinking. I didn’t mean to insult your Chantry, but, well, it’s hard for us to understand how mages live under those restrictions.”
“I’m not exactly a typical Orlesian. I was born in the Montpellier alienage, but my father and uncle were Dalish, so I learned about Dalish gods and elven history, moreso than the typical alienage elf. I’m not sure if I believe in the Maker, truthfully. There’s so much we don’t know, and history has been written by the victors, not by my people. How can we know what to believe when the Chantry destroys books? But what about you – did you grow up here in Minrathous?”
“You may have guessed from my accent that I’m from Rivain. But my parents felt I’d get a better education in Minrathous. They had trading contacts with House Varazes and negotiated a contract with them for my position.”
“So you’re a slave, too,” observed Elowyn.
“Most of us are. It’s not what you’d think of as slavery, as I’m sure you’ve discovered.”
“It’s much more complicated than I’d thought! The stories I’d heard about Tevinter all depicted a terrible life for slaves, especially elves.”
“And some of that is true, although those are extreme cases. Slaves are expensive – it doesn’t make sense to sacrifice them or work them to death. Still, there are deranged, vicious people everywhere.”
“I’m still not sure what I think about it though. I mean, slaves don’t have freedom, they don’t have agency over themselves – isn’t that an evil in itself?”
“This is the way I see it: in practical terms, no one is ‘free.' Look at your Magistra. She has a fancy house, lots of property, she goes to parties all the time. But is she free? There are constant threats on her life. She’s responsible for hundreds of retainers and slaves. Her time is not her own – she’s subject to her schedule. And those parties? Those are work! She has to be making deals, flattering people, gathering information so she can backstab someone before they backstab her. She had to marry the person her parents picked out for her, and she can’t be seen with the person she loves in public. Let me ask you this: would you want to be her?”
“No, actually. I just want to do research. It’s bad enough that I have to learn about all the crazy politicking that goes on – who’s allied with whom, whether to trust someone or not.”
“The rule is: Trust No One. Not even me.”
“It’s so sad though, not to have any real friends.”
“Does one ever have real friends? How about back where you came from?”
“I had a friend. I… had to leave him behind. He tried to warn me, too, not to trust anyone.”
“Just be aware. I like you, and I want you to survive.”
“Isn’t that friendship then?”
“Of a kind, yeah. But steal my research, and you’re a dead mage!”
“Hey, same goes for my research!” Elowyn laughed, hoping it would never come to choosing between a friend and her own survival.
***
After she’d spent time admiring Aminia’s lab equipment, Elowyn met up with Dio. Though she’d worked with spirits a little and certainly encountered them in the Fade, her main focus had been on elemental magic. But she was eager to learn. Using fire and lightning was like wielding a sledgehammer: perfect for certain specific occasions, but not something you’d use in polite company. Elowyn loved wielding magic and wanted to be able to do it more often, in more places. She wanted to learn the practical magic Aurelie had mentioned.
“Hey Dio, how are you?”
Dio’s face brightened, “Beautiful lady! My day just got better when you graced me with your presence.”
Elowyn laughed at his flattery. “Good Ser, you are too kind!” she replied, playing along.
Dio took her hand and kissed it. “I trust your Mistress is well?” he asked.
“Very well, indeed. And your Master?” Two can play at this game, she thought.
“Oh, keeping busy. Big rally coming up. Patriotic songs, lightshow, that sort of thing. Inspiring the public, bread and circuses.”
“Sounds fun – can I come?”
“Of course! You haven’t grown weary of the entertainment yet.”
“It’s all new to me. We didn’t have any parties or political rallies in the Circle Tower.”
“My lady, I would be honored if you would accompany me to the rally.”
“It would be my pleasure, good ser! Now, show me how you summon all those pretty wisps, please.”
Outside the Dwarven Embassy, Minrathous
The next day, Aminia had scheduled a meeting at the dwarven embassy to introduce Elowyn to the lyrium trade. The gondola set them down on a grand plaza fronting the building.
“Aminia, before we go in, I wanted to ask you something about what you said yesterday.”
“Okay, was it about the laboratory glassware? Because it’s all hand-blown.”
“No, though the glassware is fantastic. It’s about slavery. I’m still trying to wrap my head around how it can be better to be a slave than to be free. Magistra Aurelie told me that the Varazes didn’t treat you well. I don’t understand why you agreed to stay and spy on them.”
“Shhh! Not so loud.” Aminia glanced around. “Look, Magistra Aurelie offered to buy out my contract. But I wanted to stay so I could help her gut that house from the inside. The salary she’s paying me means I can buy out my contract sooner, too.”
“Will you stay in Minrathous after you’re free?”
“I’m thinking of heading back to Seere and taking on some apprentices, forming my own little mage school.”
“That sounds interesting! I never knew you could do something like that. I’ll miss you though.”
“I need to finish my work here, so I’m not leaving anytime soon.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, why do you hate the Varazes so much?”
“You know those rumors about blood magic? Well, the Varazes practice it, and not using willing donors. Not only that, they wanted me to participate and punished me when I refused. I’m bringing them down. There will be no House Varazes when I’m done with them.”
“They killed people?”
“Slaves. Elves like you, only these elves didn’t have magic, so they were expendable.”
“But I thought slaves were expensive? Didn’t you say that?”
“Look, the legal slave trade is in healthy adults, right? But there’s an illegal trade that goes on. Smugglers go into the alienages in Southern Thedas and snatch kids, old people, sick people. They grab Dalish if they can get their hands on them. No one stands up for those people, so they’re easy targets. The Chantry’s not going to protect a bunch of elves. They take other races, too, but elves are easiest. A reputable house, such as yours, isn’t going to buy these people, because they can’t work, right? So what are they good for? Blood sacrifice. Unless they’re mages, in which case, they can sell them for breeding.”
“What?!”
“You heard me. I’m surprised no one’s mentioned that to you yet. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Wait – you said ‘breeding?’ As in, using elf mages for…”
“Just what I said. It’s like this: magical ability is everything in the Imperium. Only some houses, the heirs are disappointing. They don’t have enough magic. They can’t make strong marriage alliances, because nobody wants to dilute their bloodline with weak mages. Sometimes, for whatever reason, even a powerful house will have an heir whose magic isn’t strong enough. So they bring in some ‘fresh stock,” right? And who has the most magic? Elves. Just works out that it’s easy to enslave elves, because elven society is broken. Elves live on the fringes, where it’s easy to pick them off. Mark my words: someone’s going to ask you to do the deed. If it isn’t Magistra Aurelie, she’ll do a deal to sell your womb.”
“She wouldn’t do that!”
Aminia looked at Elowyn skeptically. “You sure? House Caracalla has no heir. The Magistra’s daughter-in-law can’t produce. But they can’t set her aside, because that would break their alliance with House Domitia.”
“I just can’t believe… it’s too strange! Is that why the Magistra treats me so well? I thought she wanted me for my research, not my body.”
“I’m sure she wants that, too. She got a good deal with you, huh?”
“I feel sick! I need to sit down.” Elowyn plopped down on a stone bench. Aminia sat beside her.
“Look, it’s not so bad. Aurelie’s son is a knockout – he takes after her side of the family. He’s not so bad.”
“I just can’t… I haven’t even met him. Maker! I’m supposed to be a broodmare?”
“Maybe. If she hasn’t introduced the idea, maybe she has other plans. But forewarned is forearmed. Mother of the heir is nothing to sneeze at, even if they try to pass off the baby as his wife’s child.”
“This just gets worse and worse!”
“Hey, you weren’t going to have kids anyway, right? No kids for mages in Southern Thedas, got to stop people having mage kids. So this way, you have a child and don’t even have to raise it yourself.”
“That’s horrible!”
“So when’s your contract up?”
“Ten years,” Elowyn said gloomily.
“Huh, yeah, prime childbearing age. Maybe your red hair will save you.”
“What’s wrong with my hair?”
“Son of a red-haired woman is trouble!”
“Maybe they need some trouble! This system is just so messed up. It’s bad for mages in Orlais, and it’s just plain weird for mages here.”
“Pick your poison. Anyway, better to be a mage than a soporata. Come on, we have an appointment!”
Retour en haut
. Though Vel is a persistent fellow, he´ll be back. 
