The Winter's Queen [Magus AU]

[Carver Amell]

I can't imagine having to kill my friends like that. "Good. This way." This is insane. We're going to fall to bits if we keep pushing on. I should bring them all back to Lelldorin, slip away while they're asleep. Take her down alone. Just you and me, eh Dwarf?

[Tethras Clan]

~...as much as I'd like to spare them fighting her corpse, even if I had my own body, the two of us wouldn't be enough alone,~ Varric says with a sigh. ~We do need to work on our approach though.~

[Carver Amell]

I don't suppose she has a paralyzing fear of, I don't know, spiders or something we can use to stun her long enough to take her head off? he wonders, morbidly. 

[Tethras Clan]

~...not sure if it'd transfer over to the corpse but... she... she was afraid of sceleratii," Varric says soberly. ~And... this is more likely to get rage than fear but losing her loved ones. If... if we can prove that corpse me is actually, well, a corpse, that might knock it off balance for a moment or two. Or, hells, if someone kills it in front of it. It'll put everything into killing whoever did it though.~

[Carver Amell]

Sceleratii? Hard to imagine she'd be afraid of demons, given the lengths she went through to ensure she could master them. Sounds like our best bet is -- any chance you can talk her down? I mean, seeing your ghost is a pretty dead giveaway you're dead, and all.

[Tethras Clan]

~She can't- For Astea's love, do you really think every wizard, mage and caster summons sceleratii?~ Varric demands.

[Carver Amell]

They all can. And I've seen how power turns heads. 

[Tethras Clan]

~So can you,~ Varric says bluntly. ~Summoning sceleratii is actually pretty simple. It would take me ten minutes, tops, to teach you have to summon an imp or quasit. Don't need much either. Knife, some salt or sand. Even sugar. That's it.~

[Carver Amell]

Carver visibly shudders, almost dropping Isabela. Why would you -- Don't do that! Ever!

[Isabela]

"Hey-- easy!" mumbles Isabela. 

[Tethras Clan]

"What's wrong?" Zevran demands. "Can you carry her or not?"

~It's truth. Sceleratii want to be summoned, why would they make it harder than it has to be? Mages find it a littler easier, there are spells that make it a matter of seconds instead of minutes, but that just means it's not fit for use in combat.~

[Carver Amell]

"Varric," he mutters with a scowl. "I can carry her." If that were true, why is anything in all of Aldis still standing?

[Isabela]

"Varric, stop teasing the boy, it's my ass you're risking," she mumbles softly. 

[Tethras Clan]

~Because a lot of very smart, very dedicated people that want to live make it a point to gather up and limit the ways people can learn about that sort of thing,~ Varric replies. ~The caster version is actually safer, when it comes down to it. When a wizard uses a spell, the sceleratis summoned vanishes in two minutes, tops. Or when the caster dies. A summoned one can stay around for ages, even after killing the summoner.~

[Carver Amell]

I noticed. They killed my twin, in case you forgot.