Maas cut down the last overhang that crowded over his path. He had been in the Korcari Wilds for about three days now, and he was only just starting to get used to the smell. Though he could have stayed with the others in the Tower, he had insisted on doing survival training while they waited for the Joining to begin. After all, sitting idle was not something he preferred to do. "Your body is like your blade," his instructors had taught him. "Let rust accrue, and it will break when most needed." Maas had lived for 58 years, and he had never let a speck of rust accrue, either on his sword or on his body. Maas wiped the leaves and splintered bits of bark from Orn and resheathed it. As he continued on his path, his mind began to wander to the past couple of days.

He had been searching for the Grey Wardens for eight weeks in Ferelden, travelling as far as Redcliffe and Orzammar - or rather, the most assuredly sealed entrance to Orzammar - before finally hearing rumors of a Warden being sighted en route to Ostagar, the ancient ruins to the south. Normally, Maas did not rely on mere rumors to find what he was looking for. However, after eight weeks of fruitless searching, he decided that, at worst, he would be no further from them than he was now. After traversing a quick path through the Korcari Wilds, he came across a large tower - and sure enough, there was the Warden: a human who introduced himself as Commander Levine. There had also been others there: a dwarf and a half-elf. To say that the meeting was unorthodox would be the greatest understatement of the time: Maas stepped out of the wilds covered in leaves, splotches of wolf blood covering his armor, and his massive two-handed sword drawn and ready. The Wardens had had quite the reaction to that sight. After introducing himself properly, Maas was (cautiously) welcomed to the tower. As Maas continued his walk through the wilds, his memory and his mood significantly darkened; that was when he had met [i]her[/i].

At first Maas had been thrilled to see another of his kind. Then he realized what she really was: [i]Saarebas[/i]. Worse than that, she had apparently broken free of her Arvaraad (though Maas still very much suspected that she had killed her Arvaraad herself) and had her stitches removed. He had been entirely unwilling to tolerate her presence in the group; even having discarded the Qun, Maas was still very much aware of how dangerous a renegade Saarebas could be. It was only after the weapons had all been drawn that Maas was willing to calm down. He had since excused himself to the Korcari Wilds, undertaking his survival training for as long as he possibly could.

It was then that he heard the horn's note reverberate through the air. Turning to look, he realized that it had come from the Tower. "The Joining," he said to himself. Despite Commander Levine's offer, Maas had no intention of partaking in the ritual; "My fate was once chosen for me," he had told Levine. "It will not happen again." Still, he was curious about what this ritual entailed. Turning back toward the tower, Maas made his way through the now-familiar areas of the wilds and headed back to the others. He would deal with the Saarebas only when he was required.