When Miri had finished the base of the concoction, Arrahel sequestered himself as he took the chalice from his satchel as well as the vials of blood from their special pouch, and began adding them to the base that now rested in the chalice to prepare the ritual. After some time, the Warden-Commander pulled out a black pouch from the satchel, within which was a heavily fortified vial with a metal casing containing a crimson back substance within the hidden glass- the blood of an Archdemon. With the greatest caution, the elf opened the vial, and allowed precisely one drop of the foul substance to join the elixir before letting it settle and storing all the equipment he had used away after they were cleaned. And then, when he saw that the sun had begun to set, he felt it in his bones. Quite quickly, he called over one of the Dalish, telling them to fetch the three Warden-Recruits and the Circle mage, informing them to go to a specific spot outside while Arrahel waited with the concoction for a moment long, taking deep breaths and readying himself for what might come. But, after a quick bout of preparation and setting up his tent, he returned to take the chalice.
The time had come.
The moon now gleamed brilliantly in the night sky, full and with little clouds to obscure it as the stars stood in their celestial vigil. Arrahel walked slowly to the small grove outside the main camp, where a marble stone pedestal and a few marble slabs stood upraised, the remnant of some fallen elven structure, as the three Warden-Recruits and the Circle mage awaited him. Arrahel was in his full garb, but his cloak was set aside in tent along with his staff and his shield, his sword remaining at his hip as his hands carried the silver chalice with the greatest care, moving so as not to let the dark liquid within spill. Before the marble pedestal was a small fire that he had set up earlier before giving the recruits time to talk among themselves. Now the Warden-Commander stood before the fire, setting the chalice comfortably in the center of the pedestal before moving to the side and taking a few steps forward, ensuring he could be seen well and was far enough away he wouldn't knock the chalice over as he began to speak.
"'Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you.' These words are spoken at every Joining across Thedas, and have been spoken at every Joining since they were uttered at the very first ritual during the First Blight. In those times, all the peoples were desperate, seeking a way to survive. Men, dwarves, and elves pooled their knowledge together and crafted the first Joining ritual. They took the blood of the darkspawn and used it make an elixir and drank it, taking the taint upon themselves and mastering it. This concoction, containing the blood of the darkspawn your slew in battle and a single drop of an Archemon's blood, stands before each of you in the silver chalice. From this concoction do we Grey Wardens receive our abilities. And now as I and each of my predecessors drank of this ancient elixir, so shall each of you."
With no small amount of weight in his heart, Arrahel then took the chalice back into his hands, standing beside the fire as he gave the call.
"Kahra, come forward, and drink."
The young assassin stepped forward, every ounce of determination in her expression. She took the chalice offered to her and drank the metallic liquid. Kahra handed the chalice back and waited for a moment. Everything seemed fine before she stumbled back a little and leaned forward on her legs to catch her breath. Her hand went to her forehead where she must've felt the most excruciating agony. She screamed and fell to the ground, choking on the blood.
Kahra gripped her throat, fingernails digging into dirt below as she tried to speak, and a few moments later, the assassin fell to the ground like a doll, eyes closed and silent. It wasn't quite clear at that point in time whether she'd simply passed out or died.
Watching Kahra choke out and drop to the ground Sep covered his mouth with his hands imagining the worst. He turned his eyes towards Miri as if expecting her to do something. Turning back towards Kahra he was about to go to her to see if she is alive when he saw Arrahel beat him to it. He awaited eagerly to find out his heart pounding against his chest rapidly. He was excited to join the Wardens before but now most of that enthusiasm had started to wane. Seeing someone he just spoke to a few hours ago had that kind of effect on him.
Seeing the sight, Anselm put the Chalice onto the pedestal, kneeling down to examine Kahra's form. He put his fingers to her neck to find a pulse, and then put his hand near her face to try and catch her breath. A small smile came across his face as he stood up, gently grabbing the woman by her shoulders and moving her to rest against one of the marble slabs, allowing her to be somewhat up right as be began to move towards the pedestal as he spoke up.
"Do not worry, my friends- she is well and alive. She is merely unconscious. She has passed the Joining."
Arrahel then took the chalice again, stepping forward as he spoke reverently.
"Septimus, come forward, and drink."
Taking a deep breath Septimus exhaled through his lips as he stepped forward and took the chalice into his hands. For a moment he felt a tremble build up in his body the lingering fear growing as he waited. Looking into the concoction of blood he realised something and chuckled. "If I die, don't tell my folks I died choking on blood. They might take it the wrong way." With a faux smile on his lips and nothing but bravado in his gut he brought the chalice to his lips and took a sip of the vile fluid.
The taste, if one could even call it that, was easily equivalent to rotten meat and even that was overpowered by the burning sensation in his mouth and throat as he downed the gulp of the liquid. He imagined drinking chemical alcohol would feel this way. Within seconds his eyes watered and his vision blurred as he got a sudden sense of vertigo and stumbled to one side then the other trying to compensate. He landed on all fours barely bracing himself from slamming his head into the ground. He tried to cough up the burning sensation in his throat but it only made the situation worse as he hacked and eventually fell into the blackness of his mind, body going limp.
Oskar assured himself that it looked worse than it was. That this was how things worked for the Wardens, that the rite was a test of strength more than anything and if the woman - Kahra, yes, he remembered her name - survived, then surely he could do the same. He swallowed thickly as she laid motionless, seconds stretching into minutes and minutes becoming like hours. His anxiety faded when the Warden-Commander crouched down to check and help her to her feet.
The other initiate followed suit, and drank from the cup. He suffered the same consequences and collapsed like a ragged doll, no different from the first. Oskar almost regretted his eagerness and optimism, seeing how easily these two had succumbed to the rite. He breathed in shakily, preparing himself for what was to happen next.
As he did with Kahra, Arrahel took the chalice and set it aside before turning the Tevinter onto his back to check for vitals. First he checked for a pulse at the neck, and then another at the wrist before seeking his breath. After a moment, Arrahel let out a great sigh of relief before dragging the mage to a separate slab and spoke up again before reexamining Kahra and ensuring they were both upright.
"Do not worry for them, they will be fine. Kahra will likely return to consciousness in a few minutes, but it will likely be longer for Septimus. You will learn as you continue in the Wardens, my friend, that the Joining takes the heaviest toll on mages despite the fact that they are usually strong in their survival rate."
With this done, Arrahel went over to the pedestal and picked up the chalice for one final time, although he also placed down three empty pendants afterwards before he slowly approached the bard for the final and last of the three Joinings as he spoke with the same true reverence he had for the other two initiates.
"Oskar, come forward, and drink."
That was him. Though his worries grew exponentially, he couldn't back out now, not after the trouble he'd gone through to get to this point. He had already bound himself to this order and had no intentions of sullying his image with cowardice. He took the chalice from the Warden-Commander and brought it to his lips. He steadied himself.
It burned. Slick, hot oil slithered down his throat, more akin to a foul poison than blood. He gagged on the wretched taste, trembled as his blood boiled in his veins and his stomach turned with fire. He choked and collapsed to his knees, fingernails pressed hard enough into his scalp to draw blood.
White heat flooded the space behind his eyes, and for a long moment, he kneeled, shocked and exhausted beyond belief. He gathered what strength he could before shakily looking up to find the Commander.
Upon setting down the chalice, Arrahel quickly grabbed Oskar's hand, assisting him to stand. As he pulled him up, he clasped his hand firmly, shaking it with a proud smile as he spoke up.
"You've done it, all three of you have passed even if those two are unconscious. Come, Oskar, help me with this before the others wake."
Arrahel then took the Orlesian, having him hold the circular amulets that had the phrase "I remember you." inscribed on the back of it. Into each of the three silver amulets, the Warden-Commander poured a bit of the Joining concoction into a small opening that would remain sealed afterwards, with the Grey Warden's seal emblazoned on its front. Arrahel then used light fire magic to seal each opening, not to be opened so long as their owner lived. Once this was done, Arrahel poured the remainder of the Joining concoction into the fire, causing it flare up greatly before returning to its previous state.
Kahra winced, squeezing her eyes shut and opening them as an attempt to regain her surroundings. She pressed her hand to her forehead, the sharp sting echoing like a phantom. The world was blurred, she couldn't quite remember what'd happened, but slowly, she'd regained consciousness. It took her a moment to reassess her situation before she stood up, caution at her heels, and silence at her lips. Septimus was laying down nearby, or better, maybe he was dead and didn't survive the joining. Kahra glanced over at Arrahel and Oskar and approached them, watching as Oskar passed over three pendants to Arrahel.
"I passed out," she noted in a blunt tone.
Much to Kahra's imminent disappointment, Sep grumbled and held his arms across his chest as if hugging some imaginary plushy. He was very much alive albeit stuck in a terribly uncomfortable almost dreamless sleep. If he was just sleeping he'd be in the Fade and that would be calming but instead all he felt was hours going by as his body tried to fight off the taint he ingested. Nothing but an occasional grumble would come from him for almost fifteen minutes until he inevitably shook himself from this suspended state and returned to his senses dull and his body aching as if he woke up from a fever dream. Using the slab to help him stand up, there was a weak smirk on Sep's face.
"And here I thought dwarven ale was strong." He joked though his legs still seemed to shiver a bit and he kept holding onto that slab of rock like his life depended on it.
Arrahel gave a calm smile and sighed slightly, crossing his arms as he gave an open calm as the other two emerged fully conscious. He then spoke up, his voice rather calm.
"You've all survived the Joining- this is a rare and prosperous sight. I hope all of you understand that events like this are nothing short of blessings from the Maker Himself. Now, each of you, step forward and bow your heads."
As they did so, the Warden-Commander draped one of the amulets around each of their necks before motioning for them to stand, pulling his own identical (if not slightly beat-up) amulet from under his armor and tunic for the others to see as it rested around his neck, the man speaking up once more.
"These amulets are known as 'Wardens Oath' pendants- they are symbols of your new rank and office. Within each pendant is a small amount of the Joining concoction and on the back is the phrase 'I remember you.' As such, they are not only our symbols of office, but a way to honor and remember our fellow Grey Wardens who have died, as well as the Warden-Recruits who have failed the Joining."
Arrahel then turned his amulet around to reveal the names of his kith who had failed the Joining and had died in his company carved onto the back as he continued to speak, setting it back after a moment.
"When you die, the seal on the amulet will be broken and the concoction remnant will be poured into a fire. Keep this amulet on you at all times, and speak no details of the Joining to anyone you do not see here. From now own, you join me in living by our ancient motto; 'In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice.' It is with no small amount of pride that, by my authority as Commander of the Grey, I hereby grant all three of you the rank and the title of Grey Warden. Congratulations!"
It didn't take long for the others to come too, thankfully. Oskar took the amulet in his hand, the pad of his thumb brushing almost reverently across its smooth front. It would serve as both a reminder of what had happened, and a warning of what was to come. What he had walked into - willingly. He did not regret it, but he wondered if he'd taken the offer on any other day.
With a smile, Oskar looked up to his companions once the ritual was complete. "I believe this is an event worth celebrating." He turned to Arrahel. "I don't suppose the Wardens have a tradition following the Joining, do they?"
"We should drink," Kahra suggested, a grin on her face. "Drink and eat to our heart's content. I still haven't the opportunity to drink another bottle of wine after Saal turned me away."
"If you plan to drink a whole bottle you might have a problem." Septimus said offhandedly as he inspected his Oath. "That said, I wouldn't be opposed to some food and drinks. Haven't had a bite since this morning and I could use something to wash this stench out of my throat, the stronger the better." He faced the others expectantly but mainly the Warden-Commander. "So? Any such tradition or should we start one right here and now?"
Arrahel chuckled, crossing his arms as he spoke up. "My old commander's tradition for the Warden-Recruits to refrain from eating beforehand not only to make the Joining more potent- at least, so he believed- and to allow for a large feat afterwards. Come, my friends- I do believe it is more than time to have your first meal as Grey Wardens! After all, Dalish fare is rather delicious. Let's go and dig in!"
