The Fade Knight

"I was very young. At first I was afraid, and then I was not," he replied, setting the artefact he had been studying gently down on his desk. "When I lost my fear, the spirit spoke to me."

Josephine gave Solas a soft smile before setting down her papers on the desk and sat down into the chair in the corner of the room. It had been many years ago but she still remembered that day that changed everything she knew about magic and the Fade.

"When I was still a knight in the Order," she started off, "I had been assigned to track down an apostate who had been suspected of dabbling in blood magic and demon bindings. It took us a few days but we eventually caught up with him just outside of a little village called 'LeRaine'. There was a struggle, of course, and the demon he had summoned trapped all of us in the Fade."

"The warped spirit, one of Desire, had taken my brothers-in-arms one by one until I was the only one left. That... creature attempted to break me and give myself over for possession, promising that it would help me free my brother from the Circle. Sadly, I almost gave in until she came to me. My now patron spirit, Hope, had... wrapped her essence around me and shielded me. She gave me a... survivor's hope I suppose, one that urged me to fight back. Eventually the demon had been banished and awoke. I was the only one to live that day. Without Hope, I would have failed and died that day."

"When I returned back to the Spire, I became restless. I wanted to know more about the Fade beyond what the Chantry told us. Digging through the Circle library, I found nothing except a few mentionings of spirit healers. All of the references I found only told me that the Fade was nothing more than a land of demons. Of course, I knew better then. Something good was in the Fade and I was determined to learn more. I suppose I felt empty inside, wanting to meet that spirit again."

"It wasn't until my brother was free in the Hunterhorns that I learned more. Once I left the Order, I began researching more outside of Orlais and even delved into Tevinter and elven lore. It took time but I found evidence of mortals who weren't mages that could pierce the Veil through sheer will. Long ago, they had been hunted down like mages and slaughtered by the Chantry. I found a document that said that all Spirit Warriors were dangerous 'mages' and ordered them to be killed on sight. "

"Due to this, there was very little for me to work with. I attempted to use every method I could think. I believe I even used lyrium at one point but that did not work either. Three months of fasting and mediation. That's what it took to finally pierce the Veil. It may seem simple but it was... the most trying time in my life. When I was finally in the Fade, she was there, almost waiting for me."