Whatever you have heard of Kirkwall's rebellion, the truth is far worse; I would spare you that. What remains of Kirkwall's Templars have been under my command for the past few years. We have done what we could to assist with the city's recovery—to restore some semblance of order—but my time here is done.
Seeker Pentaghast has approached me. She wishes to stop the war between mages and Templars. She has been recruiting men and women to the cause and wishes me to oversee the group's military concerns. If the Conclave goes well, then we will not be needed. If not, we stand ready.
I have decided to take Seeker Pentaghast's offer. The Circles have fallen. I can give no more to the Templar Order, nor it to me. The Maker has shown me a new path; I must take it.
Cullen
-oOo-
Cullen,
It is good to hear from you finally! Thank you for letting us know where you are this time! You might not be aware, but we do worry about you.
You wouldn't by any chance be talking about THE Seeker Pentaghast?! The one that killed a dragon and saved the Divine?
I hope the Inquisition treats you better than the Templars did. I know being a Templar has been your dream since you were 8, but maybe it wasn't just being a Templar you dreamed of. You have always been a defender of the just. Maybe this Inquisition will be more righteous.
Branson and Rosalie send their love.
Love,
Mia
P.S. Please don't forget about us again. Even if you can't bring yourself to tell me any of the details of what is happening to you, at least continue to let us know you are alive.
-oOo-
"Dear Mia, I'm still alive. Your loving brother, Cullen"
Honestly, is it so difficult? We thought you were dead. Again. If the Inquisition was not on everyone's lips, we would never have heard that their fine commander survived Haven.
We've been hearing strange things about the Templars lately. I am not sorry you left them. I thought your resignation was implied when you joined the Inquisition, but you meant something more, didn't you?
It's a fool's errand asking you to stay safe, but please try.
Your loving sister, (see how easy this is?)
Mia
-oOo-
Dear Mia,
I'm still alive. I'm sorry for not writing sooner.
I'm sure you have heard all about the destruction of Haven by now. We got as many people out as we could, but we lost so many. The Herald of Andraste miraculously survived again and has now been named the Inquisitor.
She has been an inspiration to the whole of the Inquisition, and is bringing in new followers by the day. So many people want to be a part of the good we are doing here. I am honored to be a part of this.
The Templar order has been corrupted, but they are not all bad. We have saved and recruited as many as we have been able to. There are not many left that have not been tainted by the red lyrium. I was lucky to have left the order when I did or I might have been counted in that number.
The mages and the Templars are trying to get along without the institution of the Circle. They are still unsure of the other, but at least they are trying. I find myself regretting more and more taking out my anger on all mages after the rebellion at Kinloch Hold. I am not ready to tell you of what happened there, but I am ashamed of the man I became after that. I feel like the Inquisition has helped me to become more of the man I was before.
I miss you all, and hope to visit once this is all over.
Your undeserving brother,
Cullen
-oOo-
Cullen,
I am so glad to finally hear from you! We would love a visit from you! Even if you are just passing through the area and are not staying!
We have seen Inquisition soldiers passing through South Reach. It is impressive to think my little brother is their commander.
I have heard many things about the Inquisitor, surely they cannot all be true! She was handed out of the fade by Andraste herself and then rescued the mages from a Tevinter slaver! Not to mention facing this Corypheus and his dragon and surviving! You are right, she does sound pretty miraculous.
I hope that someday you will tell me the full story of everything that has happened, but I am so glad that you have found a place where you can be who you want to be.
I know you haven't met my husband Brennen or our son Gaven, but I tell them stories of you all of the time. Gaven wants to be a hero just like his uncle. He made you a drawing of our family. He is the one in the armor. I see so much of the boy you used to be in him.
Branson's wife just gave birth to their first daughter last week. They named her Jenna. She is a precious baby with the prettiest blue eyes (obviously she got those from her mother since brown eyes run in our family!)
Rosalie still has her head in the clouds all of the time. She has at least half the men from the village in love with her, but is completely oblivious. Maybe someday she will settle down.
Speaking of settling down, I don't suppose there are any pretty girls in the Inquisition that have caught your eye?
Please keep writing! We all love you!
Your proud sister,
Mia
-oOo-
Mia,
Sorry for the length of time between my letters. The Inquisition has been very demanding of my time. I hardly even have time to sleep!
Sybill did walk through the fade, but was actually saved by Divine Justinia, though the Inquisition isn't circulating the trust. Even so, the Maker's hand was surely involved in her being the sole survivor at the conclave. As to the rest of the story's you have heard about her, the truth of what she has accomplished is likely greater. You can also now add dragon slaying to the list. She has tracked down and killed five now. I don't know why she feels the need to put herself in unnecessary danger, but she seems to enjoy the challenge.
She is a mage and a noble, but she also drinks at the tavern and plays pranks with her friends to keeps spirits up. She doesn't have much free time of course, but she has made this a home for all of us here.
We were able to save the Empress of Orlais from an assassination attempt so we now have Orlais as an ally as well. I will never understand the politics of these people, but thankfully we have a very capable ambassador!
We have tracked down the Grey Wardens and had saved as many as we could. Sadly, there are very few remaining that were not under the control of Corypheus. The surviving Grey Wardens have joined the Inquisition, but are still susceptible to corruption, so we are keeping a close eye on them.
Please tell Gaven that I have hung the picture up in my office so that all can see what a wonderful family and dashing nephew I have!
Please tell Branson congratulations from me, and as long as Rosalie is happy there is no rush to settle down. And I'm just going to ignore the question about my settling down!
Love,
Cullen
-oOo-
Cullen,
I was glad to receive your last letter. You sound happy. It's been-never mind. I just hope you are well. Which reminds me...
Sybill? Not Inquisitor? Not Her Worship, the Herald of Andraste? More details are needed right away before I take it upon myself to come visit you to see for myself!
Love,
Mia
-oOo-
Mia,
I will write you a longer letter when there's time. Stop prying and don't you dare drag your family all the way here. The roads are not nearly safe enough for that yet.
Cullen
-oOo-
Mia,
We have defeated Corypheus. We still have a lot of work to continue to do. There are still so many rifts and demons to clean up, but the biggest danger is finally defeated. Yet again, the miraculous Inquisitor has survived.
Our company will be passing through South Reach on the way to Denerim to attend a celebration with King Alistair and the Queen Consort Elissa. If it isn't inconvenient, I would like to visit for a few days.
Love,
Cullen