[ He's silent for a long moment, as if gathering his thoughts. ]

How should I describe it? Faerghus was a rugged land; harsh in many ways, but beautiful. Cold. Rich in natural resources, poor in arable land. But we were a loyal people. A good people.

[ The way he has to say "were" makes him wince a little. ]

We had an academy of magic in our capital. One the envy of all of Fodlan. So we weren't backwards. We had our art, our music, our legends... and I cannot quite believe it is gone.