- See also: Capturing Suledin Keep, Call Me Imshael
Codex text
Do we know anything about that Imshael fellow? Where did he come from? Why are we to defer to him? He's not from the Order, so far as I know, and there's something about him that makes me uneasy.
Hayden
Hayden,
Everyone makes you uneasy. Calm down. What I hear is: Imshael was sent to help oversee red lyrium growth in the quarry. He supports the cause, and that's all that matters.
Keep your nose down, do your job, and don't antagonize him.
Conall
Excerpt from the journal of a red templar:
Writing has become difficult. There is a sharp pain in my hands when I move them, like shards of glass in my knuckles. When I look in the mirror, I don't recognize myself. I remember when Lieutenant Erasmus got this way. He looked like a living corpse, his complexion a facsimile of the blush of life. Instead of blood, it was pulsing red lyrium. It killed him and kept him alive at the same time.
I don't want this anymore. It gave me power, but it goes against everything I was taught. Sometimes I am swept along with the fervor, but in quiet, I remember what I was, and what I believed.
Some say Imshael can cure us. He can pull the red lyrium from our bodies, if we ask him. But there's a price. No price would be too high. I just want to be myself again.
From the writings of Knight-Captain Fornier:
We arrived in the Highlands at night. I was immediately given the task of overseeing the acquisition and staffing of the Sahrnia quarry. I asked the general why we needed a quarry, if the crystals will grow anywhere. Apparently the Elder One believes the composition of the earth here will ensure that it grows more rapidly and abundantly. I didn't ask why he believes this. The general doesn't like questions. He probably doesn't know.
Some of my men feel we should take the quarry by force. The general did not specify how I was to secure the land, so I am considering a more subtle approach. Any suspicions we raise will increase the chance of a military investigation, perhaps even the newly formed Inquisition. We must operate in secret as long as possible.
I scouted the quarry yesterday. It is quiet. With the war raging, I expect demand for luxury granite has decreased significantly. A thought occurs to me: so much is gained through commerce. Why not exploit that?
Someone has made notes about the red lyrium in Emprise du Lion: I was in Kirkwall when Meredith died. She drew upon the red lyrium in her sword, and was consumed by it. Yet here we are, taking power from the lyrium and still alive. Fornier says in the early days, many were lost to the madness too quickly. We must use it enough so that it changes us, but not so much that it destroys us. He thinks Imshael is the key. He knows something about red lyrium; with his help, we can keep the corruption at bay longer.
He called himself a gardener. Is that how he sees it? He tends the red lyrium, keeping it well-fed and growing. Not too quickly, not too slowly.
My lord Imshael,
There is a soldier in Sahrnia who calls himself Michel. He arrived last night and has been asking about the keep, and you in particular. He told people you are a demon. Shall we have him retrieved?
Conall
Demon? What a frightful thing to call someone.
No. Leave Michel alone. He made his choice; I look forward to his attempts to follow through... although I suspect he'll trip on his good intentions and fall down a well inside a week.
Imshael