bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
The mage found that she rather liked Signy, even after only a few minutes (or by now, at least half an hour's worth) of discussion. The dwarf did remind her greatly of her older cousin, and her interest and enthusiasm for wanting to know more was inspiring. To state the obvious, Bethen enjoyed talking and explaining things, but she also enjoyed receiving intelligent responses and thought-provoking questions. She shook her head slowly at the suggestion of using the Tranquility process on non-magi, "I must admit I've never really thought about using it on someone who wasn't a mage. As far as I know, it's only been done to those who have either proven themselves a threat, or can't pass our test." She paused. That was another thing she needed to explain, and it related well to the next subject that had arisen. "It's called the Harrowing. I'm not supposed to speak about it to people outside of the Circle, or those who haven't been through it yet, but..." Well, why couldn't she tell Signy? Firstly, what was the likelihood that anyone from the Circle would know she'd said it, and more importantly: "I don't think you're ever going to do it, frankly. Even if you did ever see the Tower, they can't just make you go through it. You're not part of the Circle, you're a Grey Warden. The Chantry can't touch you, unless they want to face the wrath of the Warden-Commander himself." She had no doubt that he could be ferocious as a lion when the situation called for it.
With that line of reasoning out of the way, Beth continued with her exposition, "There are ranks to the Circle. You have apprentices, those who are still learning, and then you have full mages, like myself. After that are Enchanters, who are the instructors, and then Senior Enchanters who-- Well, anyway, to become a full mage, you have to pass your Harrowing. Which means you have to be able to face a demon." She glanced around the room and the vast quantity of books that lined it. There had to be something in here that she could give to Signy, maybe even with illustrations, to better show her what to look out for the next time she walked alone in the Fade. Later, perhaps, she could ask to borrow something from here. Surely, Mona would understand how important it was that their only dwarven mage be educated and protected from dangers she didn't understand yet. "They're...bad spirits, I suppose. They're the ones who will try to hurt you, or corrupt you, or steal your body if you're not careful. When that happens, when a mage is possessed because their will isn't strong enough to fight against the demon, they become abominations. Demons warp the mind first, then the body. It's thought to be...irreversible, once it happens, and they have to be slain before they can harm others."
Clueless to what Signy had gone through, but recalling everything from her own childhood, Beth shivered and sighed at the memory, "I hope you never have to see one."