Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Carver Amell]

Carver nods slowly. "So what are you proposing? We go back to Varric's house, we keep going to temple, but someone drops by from the healer unit... or lives with us? or what?"

[Tethras Clan]

"I have to run the idea of her receiving lessons from a guard-associated healer, but more or less, yes. You and your sister will live at Varric's. Bethany will get lessons for a few hours each day with a healer, or, if she turns that down, you'll both be escorted to and from the temples each day." Hopefully she takes the offer about the healer, that would make me a lot more comfortable. Too easy to slip in or out of the temple, it's not a private building nor military in the slightest. 

 "In addition, I'll have someone come over either for breakfast or dinner each day, which won't be told to you in advance. They'll provide you with a weekly stipend for food- anything else you might need, you'll have to tell them to purchase- it's a budget thing, not about either of you, sorry. If you have problems with either the teacher or the minder, you can come to me and I'll work things out. Agreed?" Vallen pauses a moment, then adds, "and if you want, I can ask around to see if you can get enrolled at the Vangalite temple, start getting you caught up on the dogma and principals. You look well enough on the physical side of things, though I'd suggest more drills and less exercise, but the other sides of a paladin's skill set need work."

[Carver Amell]

Carver nods. "Alright. That doesn't... that doesn't sound too bad." If it goes badly we can run for it. "Wait, weekly?! How long do you plan to have him?"

[Tethras Clan]

Vallen winces a bit. "That's... murky at the moment," she confesses. "There are a lot of... things are still be investigated and given the severity of events, things have to be done very, very carefully." His being immune to all of our truthings doesn't help. Even if he says he's allowing them to work, the fact that he can trick them as he can...

[Carver Amell]

Carver gives her a flat look. "I just told you he didn't do it. Even if he wanted to, he was away at the mine when it happened. Otherwise we'd have been at his place and maybe--" he cuts off, not quite willing to admit Marian might have lived if Varric had been there. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Unfortunately, a single character witness isn't enough, Carver," Vallen replies gently. "Nor two, for that matter. Demons could be summoned ahead of time, then ordered to attack on a cue. That's why this is so hard to disprove or prove." Well, one of many reasons, his family reputation isn't helping either.

[Carver Amell]

"Look, he's not a witch, alright?" Carver scowls. "Does he even know how to summon demons?"

[Tethras Clan]

"He does," Vallen says simply. "Then again, that's not that as uncommon as most people think- the rituals to invoke a pavirta, tulwath and sceleratis are all the same until the last three steps. Ah, those are good outsiders, neutral and evil, respectively. Well, for the weaker types anyway." She frowns. "As a note, the word you want is maleficar, not witch. A witch is just a magic user that derives their magic from a pact with a non-mortal entity via a familiar- they can be with fae lords, powerful dragons, minor deities and other things, not just sceleratis. Maleficar is a name used to describe any magic user that gains a significant portion of their power from sceleratis, suffering, external blood sacrifice or souls."

[Carver Amell]

He scowls. "Yeah, Varric said," he mutters, clearly not intending to update his vocabulary.

[Tethras Clan]

"Is there a reason why you prefer to sound ignorant?" Vallen asks curiously.

[Carver Amell]

"I went to school," he argues. "It's just, nobody ever accused my si-- anyone of being a Maleficent. They all say, 'witch, witch, burn her'." He may have mispronounced the actual term, but his snide mockery indicates a history of painful bullying much more familiar than the proper terminology.

[Tethras Clan]

"Well, they were wrong- in more ways than one," Vallen points out. "Doesn't mean you should act like them or let them set the labels. According to our expert, Miss Hawke is a...faith sorceress. Or wait, no, sorry- she's primarily divine, not arcane, so she's an mana cleric. It's not a very rigid school or practice, but it's very, very different than witchcraft. Thankfully, it's more a... joining than a blending, so she just needs at least one teacher from each side of the fence, rather than having to muddle through herself."

[Carver Amell]

"Look, if I say, Varric's no Maleficent, nobody will know what I'm talking about."

[Tethras Clan]

"In Nyra? You'd be surprised," Vallen counters. "If you say 'Varric's no witch' then most of them will assume he's a wizard or sorcerer. Those are the most common methods of using arcane magic so most people default to them."

[Carver Amell]

Carver scowls. "Look, what if I find out who did it and get them for you? Would that work?"