InsaneJournal

Solas checked the entire apartment and once he was sure it was empty, he returned to his bedroom and pulled his orb out of his jacket. He looked at it for a moment, a myriad of emotions flooding through him. It was severely lacking in power, even more so than when he’d woken from the Uthenera, indicating it had to date from shortly after he had locked the others away. It was frustrating but perhaps it was for the best. He had the Inquisitor’s description of the orb when Corypheus had attacked Haven and it had clearly been corrupted with red lyrium. The last thing he wanted was for red lyrium to get a hold here.

He set the orb down on his bed and stood straight. He drew in a deep breath and let himself relax. The change from Solas to Fen’Harel was not a physical one but it was a mental and emotional one. Solas was a quiet, studious, deferential man and while those were aspects of Fen’Harel, the god was so much more. He could have done this as Solas but it would have been difficult without drawing deeply from the Fade. Given the oddities in the Fade here, he wasn’t inclined to cause it too many upsets. Better to do this as himself. Also drawing so heavily from the Fade would undoubtedly draw Adaar’s attention. It would be noticeable to any mage of her kind of skill for some days afterwards.

Becoming Solas required locking up the more powerful parts of himself, lest they be detected by any mage passing by. Because any mage would know they were in the presence of something powerful if they met Fen’Harel. They might not know the specifics of who he was but they would know he was not a mere hedge mage. It was true that some beings could and would still know who he was. Cole had always known but of course a spirit would and his pain had drawn the spirit of Compassion like a moth to a flame. Abelas had known but that had less to do with his power and more to do with the fact that he had chosen not to disguise his face. A guardian of the Temple of Mythal would always know the Dread Wolf by sight.

He pushed all those thoughts aside as he let Solas slide away and became Fen’Harel in truth. Physically there was no change but if someone were to look into his eyes now, they would know this was no mere elf. Even the air about him had changed, becoming something ancient and yet… a touch mischievous. A touch rebellious.

Fen’Harel picked up the orb and lowered himself gracefully to sit cross-legged on the floor. He concentrated on the orb and magic began to swirl around him before sweeping down to circle the orb in his hands. He spoke low words in the ancient Elvhen language and power rippled through the room.

The orb hummed and glowed weakly as the power flowed around it but Fen’Harel did not allow it to absorb the energy, much as he wished he could. Instead he wove a protective ward around the orb and keyed it to his magical signature. He was very careful to use his - Fen’Harel’s - magical signature. It differed slightly but significantly from that of Solas and that would be the orb’s real protection. Even he would not be able to access what little power it had once he was Solas again. He would be able to study it, handle it, examine it but not use it. And nor would anyone else.

He continued speaking for a few more minutes as the magic swirled around the orb then it solidified into a glowing blue sphere before disappearing. Fen’Harel slumped where he was sitting and drew in several deep breaths. After a moment, he got to his feet and set the orb on his bed again. Once more he drew himself up and pulled the persona of Solas over him until Fen’Harel was hidden again and only the hedge mage remained.

He picked up the orb and put it in a drawer in his bedside table. He placed a ward on the drawer and finally relaxed. It was done and the orb was safe. He felt weariness flow through him and he willingly lay down on the bed. He needed to recover his strength and it would be a good time to explore more of the strange version of the Fade here to see what answers he could find.