"I'm sorry to hear Denerim is gone. Supposedly, when Denerim falls so will Ferelden," Nathaniel intones, gravely.

"Oh, do lighten up will you, it's only the end of the world," Anders says with a grin to Nathaniel. He does look curiously at Alistair, as if he knows him. Or at least recognises him.

Nathaniel ignores the mage. "It is good to see new faces. Proves that all is not lost."

"Not gonna write off the whole rest of the world just because my corner of it happens to be gone," she says. "We managed to recover some treaties from the wilds when we were there. Ancient ones. Apparently the wardens had treaties with the dwarves, the circle, and the Dalish. If we can get word to two out of three of those groups, plus get word to the Orlesian wardens, we'll stand a decent chance of getting some wardens close enough to slay the archdemon. Cut off the head and the rest of the darkspawn shouldn't be terribly hard to get rid of."

"We should also see about gathering whatever forces the arls can offer. Arl Eamon in Redcliffe should be willing to help us, if we can get to him." 

He makes a face at Anders. It's a little unclear what the face is intended to convey.

"I'll send messengers to the Orlesian borders, see if we can't get someone's attention. If this is a true Blight, a few hundred chevaliers might help too. I'll also send word to the knight I was squired to in the Free Marches, no doubt he could rally some forces of his own."

Anders seems to connect two-and-two with Alistair, and seems to straighten somewhat. He continues to flash concerned eyes at Alistair.

Zevran calmly and cooly slides himself between their views, flashing Alistair a saucy smile.

"More people is better, yeah. I figure I'll probably end up taking an expeditionary force and seeing if I can get the circle's or the dwarves' attention. - Alistair, should I go ahead and invite these guys along on that or are you about to tell me that one of them murdered your dad or something."

"It's nothing," he says innocently. "Thank you for the cheese."

"Come along?" Zevran seems surprised, though maybe he shouldn't be. Aria is a fellow elf, after all, and wouldn't look down on him for that, the way the soldiers here had.

Anders seems suspicious of both Alistair's innocence and Aria's offer, and makes a big show of side eyeing them both.

"We'd be honoured to have such stalwart defenders with us," Leliana says in her usual sweet tone.

Sten says, and does nothing. Noticeably.

The cooks interrupt for a moment to hand around simple lamb broth.

She cheerfully and sincerely thanks the cooks. "If you can fight and you haven't got anything more pressing to do than saving the world, sure. You're a mage, yeah? We'd benefit a lot from having a healer along. Alistair's not a real templar, he doesn't bite." She frowns. "I guess technically I can probably conscript random people into the order, but I feel like that doesn't work so well when the might of the wardens has been reduced to two people and a dog. 'S your call."

"Does it hurt? Like, is there some dark ritual I have to perform? Must I take a hurlock to be my bride?"

Nathaniel seems to have remembered something, and is staring about the walls like he can't believe they're there.

He startles back to life at Aria's words. "I...I will have to wait until my brother returns from...oh. I'm not sure I can leave."

"I'm something of a free agent, so to speak. A worthy cause to follow? Why ever not!"

"Hurts a lot, yes there's a ritual, and no, we try not to fraternize with the uglies. I'd just as soon you didn't join the order right this second, though, I don't think that's necessary for traveling with us. Leliana and Sten haven't. We're hurting for manpower at the moment, we'll take what we can get."

"Well, count me in either way. Nothing holding me here, except of course, the gooooorgeous Nathaniel."

"I probably shouldn't. Amaranthine needs an Arl, even if I'm not one in name, I-"

"You know that being here will just mean you'll die when Vigil's Keep falls, right?"

"When? Anders, you have no knowledge of this Keep or this place-"

"Denerim fell. You think here won't? Better to do some good up close with that bow and arrow you're so fond of."