Inn-stinct

Unlike Maddox, Tatsoo was rather curious as to the room situation, "Ah wonder, Calmanda, why we share a room. Most keep male with male and female with female for sharing rooms. Maddox has da right of it, ah also wander where da keep will be."

"The warden quarters in the palace are being renovated so we have limited space within the palace. The rooms I have arranged for the two of you does not have shared sleeping quarters, only a shared lounge. You go inside and there is a lounge then two doors, one for each bedroom."

Where was the keep to be? That was a good question, "I had originally worked out for it to be in Lothering but there has been a request that we take a keep within the Armenthine for this purpose. We will be going north to see this keep which is already made first and deal with some issues there. If it is to our wishes we will make it our keep. If not then we will have production at the Lothering location continue, use the current keep as a temporarary location and move there once it has been completed."

"The keep in Amaranthine? You mean Vigil's Keep? It has a reputation and was the home to Rendon Howe until his family was disgraced. All things considering, it would be fitting as spoils of war, at least for the Couslands. Lothering's position however may make it a more appropriate however. Amaranthine is to the north, while Lothering is almost right in the center of Ferelden. Although, I guess it would a matter of convenience." Maddox replied.

Vigil's Keep or Lothering. Both have some bad memories associated with it. Lothering was first to fall in the Blight and Vigil's Keep was Rendon Howe's home and his slaughter of the Couslands is equally horrible.

"It was?" Eyes closed and Nygozy shook her head, "Nice to have that little bit of knowledge left out of the information sent to me. Then that settles it. Lothering is the choice, I do not care how much people believe the other will do. I am not about to have my people live in a place where the thought will make them ill with anger. My wardens will not be subject to such personal horrors. Lothering may have been the first settlement to fall but it was not the location of traitors."

The idea of living where that "man" had lived made Nygozy ill to her stomach. She certainly did not need Maddox, Macha, Alistair and some others to be affected by the place as well, "We will stay there only as long as it takes to get everything settled out. Let us get you to your rooms."

Tatsoo stood with her hands behind her back waiting. She saw nothing to be said in this situation so decided it was best to listen and analyze.

"Not all of the Howes were traitors. But I fear their family will be forever smeared by his actions." Maddox commented. As much as it pained him, he couldn't blame Nathaniel, Delilah, and Thomas for their father's actions. He personally knew Nathaniel was in the Free Marches for at least eight years before the blight. Delilah wouldn't have been involved and he had found that Thomas knew nothing of his father's intentions. "I have no love for the Howes, but they don't deserve what their father had left them."

"I'm just voicing my opinion. There is no need to get into it. I'm ready to go now."

Nygozy wondered at what Maddox was saying, "Are you saying their home was taken from them for what Rendon Howe did?" If this was so it made even less of a reason for her to want to take that location, "What one traitor does is not something anyone should put on the family if they are innocent of the actions themselves. If this is so it makes it another reason I would wish not to take that keep."

"It appears so. It is unfortunate, but that is what happened. That little wretch of a man was fortunate for his death for he did not have to deal with the aftermath of what he did. Hopefully one of them will try to wipe that smear from their history, but it will take time for the wounds to heal." He looked away for a couple of seconds before looking at Nygozy again. "It would be for the best if we stuck to Lothering. A good deal of the bannorn in Amaranthine were loyal to Howe and may still hold resentment for his death. The last thing we need to worry about is someone trying to remove us from Vigil's Keep."

It was a normal thing to be done, taking everything away from a traitor, but in the same case if Howe and Loghain had won it would have gone the opposite way around, except they probably would have just killed off the families instead of driving them out.

"Sooner or later the Howe supporters will become an issue but I do not wish to bring it in sooner. Some stability before having to deal with too much of that kind of problem would be good." She started to walk and Tatsoo took up her stride beside the hero who seemed to appreciate that the larger woman had made sure to walk according to the dwarf, "We do have to go there for a bit but anyone who does not feel comfortable can go to the temporary barracks in Lothering until the rest return. I believe I forgot something to tell you."

A paige came up to Nygozy and handed her a message, causing her to stop and thank the youth then send him on his way. She opened the envelope, breaking the seal carefully then closed it back up, "It appears that we already have everything we require for the joining now. We will have it tomorrow afternoon. A paige will be sent to you then to bring you for your joining." She said as they got into the wardens' wing. It took only a moment from there to get to their rooms.

"Here you go. I will see you tomorrow."

The news that their joining would be the following afternoon felt like a relief. By tomorrow night they would either join the ranks of the Wardens or the ranks of those who had failed to be Wardens. A difficult prospect but one every Grey Warden had to face themselves.

"Good, I hate waiting. Until tomorrow, commander."