[SpringsSong]

Nanyanirnë.  Human form.

It had been a long hike up into the mountains, but fortunately for the mage, these were not Ferelden's Frostback Mountains.  They were more temperate than the Frostbacks, and required less inner fire (or thick robes) to keep oneself warm.

Nanyanirnë had been hiking for a couple of days now, stopping to make camp when necessary.  She was still adjusting to life on Evelon--no, that wasn't quite correct; she was adjusting to a life where her abilities as a mage didn't have her branded as a danger to herself and others.  She could use her magic to light a fire freely, instead of pretending she lit it with flints, and she could also extinguish it with either a blast of cold, or a wave of her hand, drawing the fire back into her.

The best part about this world, however, had to be the lack of the Fade.

[SpringsSong]

Now, whenever Nanyanirnë dreamed, they were honest dreams--not her fighting against demons in some twisted dimension as she slept.  Ever since her Harrowing, the mage had spent her nights fighting off the demons that wished to possess her, to use her to get out into the world and wreak havoc; proving that, even in slumber, her will was stronger than theirs.  The first night she'd spent in Evelon, she'd been afraid to sleep--afraid that the same rules of magic in Thedas applied here, as well.

Now, she gathered up her things and made sure that her fire was out.  She took her staff--merely a tool to focus her powers; in reality, she did not even need it, but it helped direct her powers more efficiently (and it made an excellent walking stick, too).  Looking about the land one more time, she continued up the mountain.

[SpringsSong]

Being up here alone made life easier for Nanyanirnë.  Even though she was no longer a danger to herself or others, there was still part of her that doubted.  It was this doubt that caused her fire to waver from time to time, or her ice to thaw just a little too quickly.  Once she realized it, she knew what was happening--back in Thedas, if a mage's resolve wavered, it was an open invitation for demons to come and invade their minds.  While it was unlikely to happen here, it still had an affect on her magic.

This trip will do me some good, she had told herself.  A secluded mountain peak somewhere,
where I can push my abilities to their limits...

[SpringsSong]

And so, Nanyanirnë had made her way to these mountains, finding somewhere secluded where she could practice without anyone around her--except for maybe the occasional resident of the area.  After hiking for another could of hours, she found a spot that seemed decently secluded, and she drew in a deep breath as she set her pack down, taking her staff and readying it.

Before she did too much, she set off a single bolt of fire.  It traveled for some distance in the air before it dissipated, and once she had verified that, she let a few more firebolts fly from her staff.  She made sure that each bolt dissipated in the air, and she drew in a breath as she prepared another bolt of energy.

[SpringsSong]

Aesoma.  Elf form.

Unbeknownst to the mage, another being was nearby, and seeing the fire streak across the air had caught her attention.  She'd packed up her campsite and began to make her way to where the fire was coming from, and when she came to the clearing where the mage was, she stopped and merely watched for several minutes.

Nanyanirnë seemed to be in her element now.  There seemed to be a glow of fire around her, and she was unaware of anything else around her--at least, for a few minutes.

The other person watched for several minutes, and finally, she straightened her posture and approached carefully.  She cleared her throat, which caused the mage to throw up a ward around her and turn on her heels quickly.

"Nanyanirnë?" she asked.

[SpringsSong]

"...Warden Mahariel?" the mage asked, slowly dropping the ward around her.  While the elf was not wearing the armor, there were other features about the elf--her lack of vallaslin, her pale-blonde hair, and her pale gold eyes--that were recognizable to the mage.  "How... how did you end up here?  And... Warden Theirin...?"

"When I defeated the Archdemon, I ended up in this world," the elf said.  "Alistair ended up coming through an eluvian.  I'm assuming you know where Leliana is, since you didn't ask about her?"

"Nightingale is the spymaster of the Inquisition back in Ferelden," the mage said.

[SpringsSong]

"An Inquisition?" Aesoma asked.  "Has the situation in Thedas really escalated so far that it has reached that point..." she half-asked, half-wondered to herself, and Nanyanirnë nodded as she frowned.

"There was a mage back in Kirkwall--a Grey Warden by the name of Anders," she said.  "He... blew up the Chantry in Kirkwall.  That was but one of the tipping points; the Knight-Commander stationed in Kirkwall basically took over, and was corrupted by a form of lyrium that was red.  She wanted to call for a Rite of Annulment in Kirkwall."

Aesoma felt her stomach drop.  There was a Templar who had begged her and Alistair to call for a Rite of Annulment at Ferelden's Circle Tower when they came there to secure the aid of the mages against the Blight.  In fact, during those days, Nanyanirnë had been just an apprentice, huddled in one of the rooms that had demons prowling around.

"...Warden Mahariel?  Are you listening?"

[SpringsSong]

"--yes, sorry," Aesoma said.  "I'm sorry... I was just recalling being at your Circle during the Blight, and how one of the Templars wanted me to call for the Rite of Annulment there, too."

"You mean Commander Rutherford," Nanyanirnë said, which caused the warden to do a double-take.

"Commander Rutherford?" she echoed.  "You can't possibly mean--"

"Cullen Rutherford, yes," Nanyanirnë confirmed.  "He was in Kirkwall, and stood with the Champion against the Knight-Captain when she called for the Champion's head.  While he still maintains that there need to be safeguards in place to protect both mages and everyone else from the dangers of magic, he's not as against magic as he was then."

[SpringsSong]

"Having a Desire Demon ravage your brain will do... unspeakable things to a person," Aesoma said grimly, shuddering.  "A Sloth Demon is almost worse, but it was easy enough to convince my party that they were trapped in an illusion."

"I've heard that Envy is worse," Nanyanirnë said.  "The Herald of Andraste--an elf from Clan Lavellan--was hunted by an Envy Demon who sought to take her place at the head of the Inquisition, bringing ruin to Thedas."

"Maker, that's awful," Aesoma said.  "At the same time, it's almost ironic.  Ten years ago, they turned to an elf to help them purge the Blight from Thedas.  Now, another elf leads them against Maker-knows-what."

[SpringsSong]

"So, Thedas has pretty much been in turmoil since the Blight," Aesoma said after a few minutes.  "This... Evelon seems like a much better place to live in.  I trust you've discovered the lack of connection of magic to the Fade here?" she asked.

"Not only that, people aren't afraid of me simply because I'm a mage," Nanyanirnë said.  "They actually... accept me here, without question.  It's like I can start over here, actually be my own person," she said, and Aesoma nodded.

"I'm not looked down on for simply being an Elf," she said.  "Fenedhis, I was looked down on by some of my own people because I'm bare-faced.  But being anything other than a human--and no magic--earned you Thedas' scorn, it seemed."