On the Trail

Forgive me, I didn't mean to say that you stink, per se. It is simply who you are. Avorra began looking around the inn. She spotted a mage who was in deep conversation with a woman seated before her. For example, that one smells of fire and ash. A potent pyromancer. Just as the words escaped her lips, the mage did a trick of lighting the top of her alcohol with a brief flame. She looked for another mage. That one, She cut her eyes to a mage in a far corner. smells like a wet dog, a dank cave of insects, and some type of rodent. A Zromancer with a knack for shifting. Avorra turned her eyes back towards Tiberius. And then there is the hefty stench of iron throughout this place. I hear Blood Magic is common in Tevinter. You, on the other hand, have a different type of smell about you. Rotten to the core. It is not your magic, however. Something lives inside of you. That, however, I cannot discern what exactly it is. Avorra had never been so honest with someone, least of all a stranger, but there was a calming aura about this one. Something told her to trust him, but she wasn't sure why. Perhaps by being so honest, the stranger would come to trust her?

No healer in this land will fix my problem. I have been honest so far, but that is an issue I am not willing to delve into just yet. Believe me, it is a lot more complicated than you think. I am certain I know of a cure, I just need to find where it is hidden. Avorra asked for a refill of her raspberry tea as the Magister made a play on words about the Houses. Avorra looked the Magister dead in the eyes with the straightest face she could muster, but once the Magister lost composure, so did she. First, a smirk. Then a laugh disguised as a cough. I- Before Avorra could get the words out, she broke out into a fit of laughter. She couldn't hold it in any longer. By the Gods, she hadn't had a genuine laugh for a long, long time. Minus her brief frenzies of mania. Alright, I will give you that one. That was good. Avorra procured a genuine smile. Was she feeling happiness?

I have to admit, I was not quite expecting to get along with a stranger so well. Then came the question of legality. I could be here legally. And I could not. Does it truly matter? She lacked her usual snap. The question was a genuine one. Ah, I see. A House is your lineage, basically? Interesting. I suppose, in your cultures terms, I do not belong to a House. I roam rather freely. The place I hail from is far, far away from here. Bastards, the lot of them. It is no place I wish to return to.

Avorra pondered for a moment. Say, I have an offer for you. I have made many connections throughout Thedas, and while I am doubtful that they will be of help here, perhaps I can make some new connections here. If you help me find what I am seeking, perhaps I can help you and your House? You say your House is lower, so I take it you wish for its status to be raised? If you need rivals eliminated, or nobles persuaded, consider me your aide. I have just the skillset for political machinations.