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My friends, we accept as fact that more powerful and intelligent demons select more complex aspects of our reality to observe and interact with. A demon of pride may gravitate to the corrupt hubris of nobles, the bloodthirsty arrogance of soldiers, or sadly, the blind confidence of mages. A demon of desire may focus on lust, greed, or even the desperate wishes of those with no recourse in the waking world.
Whether demons are naturally inclined to such specificity, or made so by observing a confluence of specific events in our world, is a subject of much debate, and not the question my experiment would answer. Instead, I turn to the question of fear.
We think of fear demons as lesser creatures, powerful but simple, like those common beasts of rage or hunger. But fear has many faces, from the absurd phobias of the pampered nobility to the very real threats of magic, demons, dragons, and perhaps especially, the Blight.
What event has shaped the course of human history more than the Blights? Had the First Blight not weakened it, the Tevinter Imperium would have crushed Andraste's rebellion; we would have no Ferelden, no Circles, and indeed, no Chantry as we know it. The Blight is unequaled as a force of devastation and terror, hated and feared by peasant and king alike from the northern hills of the Anderfels to the southern reaches of the Korcari Wilds.
I know of nothing else that inspires such universal and specific fear. Dragons and demons, yes, but both have found respect and fascination in cultures across Thedas. Only the Blight is an unadulterated source of horror. If there exists a demon of fear who has shaped itself into a more intelligent, more specific mold, it will be a demon focusing on fear of the Blight.
This is the experiment I undertake. By the time you read this, my friends, I will be asleep, traveling through the Fade to find such a creature. If I am correct, it will yield an unparalleled source of information on the history of our world; wisdom hidden since the time of ancient Tevinter. I have instructed the scribes to write quickly upon my return. I will have much to impart.
—A letter found beside the sleeping body of Senior Enchanter Jessimerre, her last known communication before her subsequent possession and then death, along with twelve mages, nine templars, and uncounted apprentices and Tranquil, at the hands of Knight-Captain Hewlgarre