Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it? I can't tell you how many times I ended up revising this chapter. Some days, it felt like every single sentence came out wrong, and I frequently found myself rewriting them over and over again, never content with what was on the page. I hope all that extra time and effort paid off, but to be frank, I'm just frustrated with my general lack of productivity, and I'd like to move on to the next chapter, especially since you've all had to wait far too long for this as it is.<br /><br />I had a couple narrative goals in mind for this particular chapter. Besides building upon Merrill's characterization and strength of will, as in the previous chapter, I did want to examine the ethics surrounding blood magic and the pragmatism of the Wardens. Let's be frank, in <i>Inquisition</i>, the Wardens were turned into strawmen, torn down to prop the Inquisition up, and the intriguing moral dilemmas surrounding how they fight the Blight and how far they're willing to go (as illustrated in <i>The Calling</i> novel and the Soldier's Peak DLC) all stripped away so that the Inquisitor could get on her high horse and condescendingly lecture them for daring to live in a world that isn't black and white. Blood magic suffered similarly. For all its issues, <i>Dragon Age II</i> at least raised some interesting possibilities about how "evil" powers could be used for positive ends with its portrayal of Merrill, and this was likewise expunged in favour of a blanket condemnation (beyond some handwaving from Morrigan). Having the characters grapple with these subjects in a more substantive manner felt like a good opportunity. It also gave me a chance to have the various members of Sagramor's team in conflict without it coming across as forced, or having any of them act out-of-character for the sake of drama (let me know how that worked out).<br /><br />So moving forward, Chapter 30 will wrap up Merrill's time with Sagramor and company, and from there on, we'll be in to the Denerim arc proper. Hope you enjoyed this installment (as unconscionably delayed as it was), and thank you all for your continuing support. All the best to you, and stay safe!<br /><br /><span>As ever, the preview image was done by the awesome Poly-M and used with her permission (Source here:&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.deviantart.com/poly-m/art/BiowareClub-contest-prize-512593800">BiowareClub contest prize</a><span>)<br /><br /></span><span><b>First Chapter:</b></span><span>&nbsp;A Day For Celebration -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.deviantart.com/thephoenixking/art/The-Grey-Path-Chapter-One-A-Day-for-Celebration-311164927">The Grey Path - Chapter One: A Day for Celebration</a></span><br /><br /><b><span>Previous Chapter:</span></b><span>&nbsp;</span><span>Mahariel's Calling, Part Two -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.deviantart.com/thephoenixking/art/The-Grey-Path-Chapter-Twenty-Eight-Part-Two-823993685">The Grey Path - Chapter Twenty-Eight, Part Two</a><br /><br /></span><b>Next Chapter:</b>&nbsp;The Cost of Honour, Part One -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.deviantart.com/thephoenixking/art/The-Grey-Path-Chapter-Thirty-Part-One-887141401">The Grey Path, Chapter Thirty - Part One</a>