get the Joining over with

eventually Aedan managed to navigate his way to where Duncan, Alistair and his two fellow Warden recruits were patiently waiting for him.

"At last, we come to the Joining" Duncan said as he saw Aedan and his faithful mabari hound arriving. "The Grey Wardens were founded during the First Blight. When humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood. And mastered their taint" Duncan poured the blood of all three vial's of the darkspawns blood that Aedan and the other's had been sent to collect.

"We..we're going to drink the blood of those...creatures???" Ser Jory said, aghast.

"As the Grey Wardens did before us, as we did before you" Duncan informed the worried knight "This is the source of our power, and our victory"

"Those who survive the Joining become immune to the taint" Alistair added "We can sense it in the darkspawn, and use it to slay the archdemon"

"All who survive?" Aedan asked, curiously.

"Not all who drink the darkspawn blood will survive it, but those who do are forever changed. This is why we keep the Joining a secret. It is the price we pay" Duncan replied "I'm sure many consider it deceptive, but we do what we must to destroy the darkspawn so that the entirety of Thedas can sleep peacefully at night, knowing that there are warrior's out there who are sworn to defeat the evil of the darkspawn" Duncan continued "We speak only a few word's prior to the Joining, but these words have been said since the first" Duncan turned to Alistair "Alistair, if you would?"

Alistair nodded "join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you"

"Daveth, step forward" Duncan held the goblet of darkspawn blood to the scoundrel as the elder Grey Warden looked at the young man expectantly.

Daveth took a deep breath in fear before taking a sip of the blood without a word. The scoundrel suddenly clutched at his stomach in pain before he let out an unearthly scream as Aedan saw Daveth's eye's go completely white to which Daveth promptly fell to the floor clutching his throat before dropping down dead.

"Maker's breath!" Ser Jory watched terrified as he watched Daveth's grisly fate unfold.

"I am sorry, Daveth" Duncan said sorrowfully as he watched one of the potential Warden candidates perish. He turned to Ser Jory as he held out the goblet of darkspawn blood "step forward, Jory"

"But I have a wife. A child" the knight protested "had I known...."

"There is no turning back" Duncan said, ominously.

The terrified knight quickly grasped his greatsword and brought it to bear in front of him, his grip on the sword shaking "there is no glory in this!" he protested.

Aedan watched as Duncan suddenly went for his dagger as he watched Ser Jory attempt to defend himself as he backed himself into a pillar. Ser Jory went to lunge at Duncan with his greatsword to which the elder Warden quickly parried and after a few strikes did Duncan's dagger quickly find home in an opening in Ser Jory's armour and did promptly plunge said dagger into the knight's gut's, swiftly killing him. "I am sorry" Duncan stated as he removed his dagger from Ser Jory and the knight promptly dropped to the floor, dead.

Duncan approached Aedan with the goblet of darkspawn blood that had already proven to be the death of two possible candidates. "But the Joining is not yet completed. You are called upon to submit yourselfto the taint for the greater good"

Aedan sighed "well I guess I drink this and I become a Warden, or I go to meet my parent's by the Maker's side" Aedan took a glance at the swirling black blood "no going back now" he muttered and brought the goblet to his lip's and took a gulp of darkspawn blood.