Adventurers of the Inquisition: A Dragon Age RP (started)

[sage42]

Nola let the hot blade sink into the barrel oil, smiling as the hot blade hissed in the cooler liquid. She grabbed a near by rag and wiped away sweat from her forehead. When she heard the heavy footsteps behind her, she turned to see Kari, a sack in her arms. "Hey giant." She returned with a smile. "Sure whatcha need?" She asked stepping closer as Kari bent to reach into the sack.

She nodded as Kari asked hr to patch up her armor. She had heard about the dragon slaying mission a group had gone on. Clearly Kari had been on it too. And when she brought out the dragon tooth, Nola laughed. "Ahh good woman! I can make you a dagger sharp enough to pierce steel and tougher besides. Ohhh this'll be fun." If that had been all Kari asked of her, Nola would have been a happy dwarf. But there was more. When Kari pulled out a busted horn, Nola did a double take at the giant's head. "Huh, Thought something looked different." Now this wasn't something she hadn't tried before. She motioned for Kari to have a seat so she could get a better look at the damage. After a few minutes of examining and measuring the break she stepped back. "Hmmm, the process it's self shouldn't be too tough. It actually shouldn't be too different from working with the dragon tooth. You uhh....might wanna go get a few drinks in ya though. Dunno if the whole process is gonna hurt." She said thinking, already piecing together how to make artificial horns.

As she started to get thing prepared, Kari mentioned Payment. "Nah don't worry....about..." She began only for her jaw to drop. Watching the scales tip to the floor nearly made the smith fall back herself. Drake scales was something most smiths aspired to work with. Some got a chance to work with them, others wouldn't. But Dragon Scale were a totally different beast. Only a handful in an age would ever get to work with Dragon Scales. And Kari just waltzes in with a sack full. Her lips split into a grin as she began to laugh grabbing up the sack happily. "HA! Ohhhh Kari you don't know just how much this is worth to me! I should be paying you! The dagger, the armor, even the sodding horns. Whatever you need I'm yours! All of it and more!" Even the impending doom of the world wasn't enough to bring down The smiths mood now. She was back in the memories and she got to work with Dragon Scales. She could die a happy woman after today. She took the sack of scales and tucked them by her forge, away from the flame. "Go, go get some drink in ya while I get to work on these! I give you my word as a smith, you're getting my absolute best on this order!" She said hurrying to get the metals together.

 

[Athol]

Kari laughed at Nola?s obvious delight, and was glad the little smith wasn?t sore at her for nearly fucking things up with Orzamaar. ?Well any excuse to go for a drink works for me; but if you?re worried about hurting me, don?t.? Reaching up she tapped her remaining horn. ?These are like hair or fingernails?no sensation in them. I?ve met Tal-Vashoth that?ve had their horns removed entirely, I think in an attempt to blend in?because that?ll happen when you?re a head taller than everyone else.? She added with a wry grin.

With that she left Nola to her smithy and headed for the Herald?s Rest. After picking up a pint she was corralled into a game of Wicked Grace by ?Dalish? from the Bull Chargers; it seemed that they were down a body for a good game of card, what with ?The Chief? off wrecking shit with the Herald and a few of the other Chargers off on a job. Kari had shared more than a few drinks with members of the Chargers since joining, but she was glad Bull was elsewhere; he seemed nice enough, but there was a persistent rumour that he was a Ben-Hassrath agent, which given what she?d heard of the organization, made her a bit nervous when he was about. Enough of that, there?s drinks to be had and money to make.

[hr]

She pushed through the door to the smithy with a scowl on her face. ?Sodding dwarf.? She muttered darkly. ?Bastard must?ve stashed those cards in his moustache.? Kari let out a huff as she sat on a bench nearby where Nola was working. ?Nola, if you?re even invited to play cards with the Bulls Chargers?don?t. Maker damn him, there is no way Rocky is that lucky. I don?t know wither I want to strangle him, or taking him on a tour of the gambling houses of Orlais so he can fleece the nobles??

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

If Berund were a crass man, he would've spat on the ground before Kari for her blatant disrespect. But the dwarf held his tongue and thanked the Orbans for their consideration. He knew they'd make good on their word. Even as reluctant as Anso was about the whole ordeal. He felt an old chapter of his life had finally reached some form of closure. It wasn't clean, it wasn't painless, but it was done.

Berund was mostly at peace for the trip. Mostly only because he was still irked by the revelation that his dwarven companion had slain someone from under his house's watch. He couldn't say he was fond of that particular Orban, but it hurt nonetheless. For better or worse, there would be plenty of time along to way to collect his thoughts on the matter. And likely build some steam to vent once they arrived...



"C'mon, you sodding half-pint," goaded the hefty man in the pit. His fists were raised, skin peeling from his knuckles, the folds packed with drying blood and dirt. He circled the inside of the pen, taking broad sidesteps. He spit out a mouthful of blood and phlegm into the middle of the foot-traced ring. "Have you not half as much fight to boot?"

"Oh, I've got quite enough for ye, I'll wager," Berund huffed. He circled the pen in the opposite direction, mirroring the man's step. His fists were just as bloodied and caked with earth. The grit would've stung atop his raw knuckles but they were already numb. "Now quit yer talkin' and swing!"

The man lunged forward and delivered a swift jab. Berund blocked the punch to his nose but was swiftly clipped when the man threw a left hook across his temple. The dwarf was rocked briefly before throwing several straights to the man's sides. There was a soft pop as a rib dislocated.

The man coughed forcefully, a spray of blood erupting from his pursed lips. In a snap reaction, he threw a hard punch into Berund's eye. The dwarf was almost floored, he reeled to the side but held himself upright with a widened stance. He turned his body, arm out, balled fist, and practically punched through the man's jaw. His opponent was spun on the ball of his foot and fell, face first, into the dirt.

Once Berund's ears stopped ringing, the cheers of the small crowd that gathered reached him. He looked around and raised his hands, his left clasped over his right, then gave them a brief shake. He winced as the feeling flushed back into his hands. The exposed flesh of his knuckles were raw and hot. He followed a pair that had taken it upon themselves to haul the unconscious man to the healer, looking to get himself patched up while they were at it. Then a strong drink after that.



Bandaged knuckles, swollen temple, and an eye blacker than the blood of darkspawn, the boxed dwarf sat atop a stool at the bar in Herald's Rest. Pouring a tall flagon of black mead was a dwarf that introduced himself as Cabot. And as much as Berund's wounds were smarting, the server seemed smarter still.

"Have you tried not getting hit?" Cabot offered.

Berund chuckled."Tried. I find it easier to just to make sure I'm the one getting hit the least."

"Then I'd really hate to see the other guy," said the bartender. "But in case you don't like having the head of a newborn Qunari," Cabot remarked, pointing at his own forehead, denoting the large lump on Berund's. "I suggest learning how to dodge."

"I'll take that under consideration," Berund replied with a nod and a wink. The bartender smiled in good humor and went back to work. The bandaged Brower sat and drank, taking long draws from his flagon as he considered the bit of advice. He knew he wasn't the most agile. He was quick, but there wasn't a great deal of grace or finesse about his movement. It didn't help that he was far off from his peak physical condition.

Time had been too kind for the dwarf. Or rather, food and drink over time. He had a feeling there'd be a fair bit a time before another call to duty. Perhaps it was time to regain some of his lost deftness. It didn't take long for the matter to be settled. Starting immediately, he'd push himself harder than he had in years. After he was finished with his mead, of course.

 

[sage42]

Nola held the iron cup full of molten metal with a pair of calipers. She moved quickly and carefully as she poured the molten iron into the molds steadily, not even flinching when she heard Kari storming in. She smirked as she lifted the googles from her eyes, grabbing the mold with a pair of tong and dipping it into a barrel of water with a violent hiss. "Count yourself lucky then. You know what humans say about playing cards with Dwarves. Course...they also say to never play with Qunari or elves either. The former are so stoned faced no one can tell if they're bluffing. The latter never pay off debts." She stepped back and pulled her gloves off, turning to Kari. "Course I only killed people who cheated to win a game, but that's just me." She said with a laugh.

She stepped behind Kari and pulled over a stool. Even sitting the woman was still taller than her, and she needed to be at the right height to set these things correctly. She grabbed a measuring rope and quickly wrapped it around the base of the taller woman's broken horn. "Hmmm 3 marks around and...." She held the cord against the intact horn and compared it to the broken one. "4 from the point." She mumbled marking the intact horn with a knife before hopping off the stool, nodding. "Alright, should be ready to cut this thing off." She hopped off again and grabbed a small saw, prodding the blade gently with her thumb, checking the sharpness. "You sure you wanna go through with this? I can always just attach the metal one and save the other in case the other one snaps off." She asked eyeing the giant.

When the giant gave her a nod, she responded in kind. "Alright then." She said climbing on the stool again. "Now...this might feel weird." She said before beginning to saw at the horn. Within a few minutes, the horn was off. With a quick puff of air, Nola blew away the remaining dust and hopped down. "There, that should help the balance at least. Now for cool bits." She said reaching into the barrel with a pair of tongs. The new horns were cooled and ready to be attached. "Now if the saw felt weird, this is gonna feel REALLY weird. And hold still, wouldn't want these things on crooked." She said grabbing a bag of screws. The process took a long time, but Nola was taking her time, she wanted to make sure this was done right. She didn't want to be reattaching these damn things every other day. After about an hour, Nola was done. "There, now headbutting poor slobs will kill 'em instead of knocking them out. Just ya know....keep it the the idiots tryin to kill us."

 

[DarkRawen]

Ash's day had gotten exhausting as he took the chance to join some of the other mages in one of their training sessions. He figured he could return the interest and help he had received. However, along with a more vibrant world around him, he felt the presence of magic in a stronger way. Just trying to focus on it made his head turn. The demon had dulled his senses and brought his mind into the fade when it suited the demon, but Ash realized that the keen presence of the fade still remained, in some ways it felt stronger, though mostly in the way it was used in magic. Quietly, he had approached one of the senior enchanters, and asked about how expelling pure mana worked, and why the fade always felt as if it was present. Gregor, the enchanter had just smiled and explained some of it, asking him details about both.

But I can't mention anything about the demon.

Instead he went into detail about how he had found out he was a mage, and his sensitivity to the presence of the fade. The senior enchanter had been curious about it, and explained that it was different for everyone, before thoughtfully adding that Ash seemed to be on the more sensitive side, having a strong connection to the fade.

"Come and see me some time. I know you just had your harrowing, but you've never had any teachers, as far as I know. Is that correct? If so, I'd like to see what you can do, and perhaps give you a few pointers, explain the things you don't know. We're all part of the inquisition, after all, and I would feel bad if I knew you went on missions without knowing the basics."

Ash would very much have liked to do that as soon as possible. However, it would have to wait. Despite the fact that the chance to learn about magic in a way one couldn't from simply reading a book, was interesting, there was no doubt in Ash's mind what the first priority was now that he could no longer be fooled by the demon.

I should see her as soon as possible.

Spoiler: Mommy

He had someone he needed to see, someone he felt he had neglected during his time with the inquisition. Ash knew she was fine, or had been, the last time he had received a letter. However, he needed to see his mother, now he could know for sure that she was fine. He could stay there without fearing the demon's influence grow stronger in the sensitive veil around the small village, now, which made it easier as well. Happily, he asked and got the permission to borrow a horse and head home. He spent the night feeling anxious and excited, taking in every sound around him, the sounds vivid and the darkness around him slowly growing brighter as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. At some point, he fell asleep, waking up the next morning.

The trip to his mother's village had taken several days on horseback, but he knew it would be. He hadn't sent her a letter, but he knew the area well enough to find the village, and it was quite odd getting looks as he entered. They knew who he was, called out his name and waved, but they seemed to be confused about something. It wasn't until someone asked him how he had gotten the clothes, he realized that he looked a lot different from the last time he had been there. Healthier, prouder, with a robe and light-colours rather than dark. He wondered if it was as much of a difference for them as simply being without the demon's influence was for him. Ash had stopped to talk to one of his mother's students, Eli, a woman a few years younger than him. Suddenly, he felt warm hands touch his cheeks from the back of his head.

"Ashtalan," his mother's voice called out fondly, and he smiled as he turned around.

"Hi, mommy." Ash embraced her -she really was alive- and she laughed at his words. It was a warm laughter filled with joy and love.

"Mommy? Are you still a child?" For a moment, she simply held him, and Ash felt no need to talk either. When she let go, she simply traced her hand along his horn. "But you look so much happier now. Bright, and clean, and... you're standing so tall, it's like you've grown in only half a year. And your eyes..." she smiled. "My son's all grown up, huh. And a mage too, you even look like a proper mage now," she looked towards the staff on his back. "Fire, is it? Be careful, okay? Magic is dangerous."

"I know," he said, and smirked. "I've always been a mage."

"And ashkaari as well, right? You're not just throwing magic at all your problems, I hope." Ash stuck his tongue out.

"That's not how it works, mom," he replied. "But no, I've done more than just being a mage. I've read much more than I've been able to before. The inquisition has a lot of books, I borrowed some for you to have a look at too. And I've found some plants that I've never seen before, mushrooms and plants with odd names. I bought some other ones too. And..." he trailed off. He had never told her about the demon, so mentioning it now would only make her feel bad. "And I've gotten to know people. I told you about them, right? Kari, and Nola, and Berund, and Jarrett, and Calien, and... uhm, Von. Also, I'm getting closer to the mages." Ashkaari raised an eyebrow at the hesitation, but didn't comment on it.

"It sounds like you've found a home too, then," she commented, and Ash nodded.

"Yeah. Only... this will all end, right? One way or another. Either we get rid of the threat, or... well, either way, then I'll be alone," he said, solemnly. She shook her head.

"No, that's not true. Even if you'd end up not going with one of your friends, or the mages, you can always return here. Even if it's difficult to sleep at night, you could always live nearby, and travel back and forth. It may not be your home now, but it can be, Ashtalan." He looked at her, not sure how to reply, but she simply took his bag. "Come now, I'm sure travelling must have made you hungry." She looked at the horse. "And the horse too, of course."

Three days passed far too quickly. Part of Ash wished he really could stay, and another part of him knew he always had the option. They would accept him, even if it meant going away from the Inquisition. It was a calm area, and he could spend time with his mother and the important people in her life. It would have been nice. However, Ash had seen darkspawn, he had seen the dangerous lurking outside. It was vital for the Inquisition to succeed, and that meant he had to pitch in his abilities, even if it was just a tiny fragment of what needed to be done. At one point, he had considered asking if his mother wanted to come to the Inquisition and help out, she had no magic but she was still a very knowledgeable woman, and they always needed healers who relied on other things than magic.

He had decided not to. It would be disrespectful for him to ask her to come with him, when he knew she loved the village so much. Besides, hadn't he left to protect the bonds she had built up? In the end, he did ask her if she wanted to help the Inquisition, make medicine and make sure the villagers informed the Inquisition if anything happened. She had said she would do as much as possible, before asking him if he really had to go. Ash had replied that he did, but that he would come back as soon as he could, and even try to bring some cocoa. His mother had embraced him, whispering into his ear that he had to take care of himself, that the cause was important but that to her, he was more important. Ash had almost teared up, he would miss her soothing presence.

Several days later, Ash stretched as he got back to Skyhold. He had already reported that he had returned, and had taken his stuff back to his bed. Luckily, no one had decided to occupy his place when he got there, though that was probably because it would have been quite disastrous, had they made him angry. At least it seemed like some people thought of it like that. Besides, Ash would have gotten really upset if someone had done that, he had found a comfortable place to sleep, where he could put his hot milk on a nearby shelf and drink it in bed. Losing that would have been a tragedy. Idly, he wondered where the others had gone. He had tried to look for Kari, but he couldn't find her where he expected to find her. Jarrett was impossible to find, while Von he wasn't sure if he should be looking for. Berund he had an inkling of, but he decided that Nola was the safest bet. She was predictable in where she spent her time, though it was a good kind of predictable.

That was why he headed for the forge, only to open the door and be faced with a confusing situation. Something had happened to Kari's horns, something Nola did. Best case scenario, they had been dipped in metal, and worst case... turning pale -as pale as he could turn anyhow- he looked at them. "What happened to your horns?!" he asked, horrified. Then he saw the sawed off piece of horn, and added; "Oh no! Why would you do that?" He felt at his own horns, holding them without really realizing it himself. However, Ash knew this wasn't very nice, and decided to try to be a little more considerate about it. "Uhm, no, I'm sorry, it looks good, and I'll just be on my way..." he said, turning around and leaving through the door.

Oh maker, did I really see that? And shouldn't I have I been more polite?

He sat down not far from the door to the forge, sighing. He really had messed up, hadn't he? But it had just been so shocking, seeing Kari's horns like that.

I wonder if something happened...

 

[Athol]

"Course I only killed people who cheated to win a game, but that's just me."

?Andraste?s tits,? Kari chuckled. ?Best keep you out of Orlais then; you?d break your axe before you ran out of asshats to hit.? Once Nola set to work, Kari kept her mouth closed, as to not risk distracting the dwarf while she worked?Kari had a vested interest in things going smoothly after all. Sitting stock still while Nola took her measures and made her cuts, Kari let out a breath she hadn?t realized she?d been holding when Nola declared she was finished.

"There, now headbutting poor slobs will kill 'em instead of knocking them out. Just ya know....keep it to the idiots tryin? to kill us."

?I?ll do my best, but if another drunk Orlesian fop tries to grab my ass again, I make not promises.? She grinned. Reaching up tentatively, she ran a hand along the smooth metal of her new horn until she reached the tip. Testing it lightly with the tip of a finger she was glad to feel that Nola had kept the fairly broad, like the end of a framing nail?less chance of it bending or breaking. I need to find a mirror! ?Oh Gods thank you so much!? She exclaimed, lifting the smaller woman off the ground and hugging her. She?d just set Nola on the ground, when she heard another voice behind her.

"What happened to your horns?! Oh no! Why would you do that? Uhm, no, I'm sorry, it looks good, and I'll just be on my way...

Turning about, she saw Ash standing there with a rather shocked look on his face while he clutched at his own horns; and before she even begin to explain, he disappeared back the way he?d come. Looking back to Nola, Kari shook her head with a bemused grin. ?That boy is a bit to high strung?must be a mage thing.? Reaching up to touch her new horns again, she beamed at Nola. ?Thanks again for fixing my horns, I?m going to go see if I can calm Ash down.? Stepping out of the forge she spotted Ash, and made her way over to him. ?So, how?ve ya been?? She asked. ?Have a good trip home??

 

[sage42]

Nola chuckled at Kari's comment before jumping to the ground to give Kari enough room to examine her new horns. At least she was pragmatic about the whole thing. She shook her head with a smile when Kari thanked her. "Eh it was no trou..." She began to say before she felt herself lifted from the ground and pulled into a tight hug. She certainly wasn't expecting that. She laughed all the same "Alright, alright put be down ya over grown goat." After she felt her feet touch the ground again, she heard a new voice.

"What happened to your horns?! Oh no! Why would you do that? Uhm, no, I'm sorry, it looks good, and I'll just be on my way...

Nola raised an eyebrow at that, shaking her head. "Gotta be a mage thing..." She said agreeing with Kari. "Say hey to the guy for me though. He probably wouldn't want to see me till after your done talking with him. 'Sides, I still got work to do on the rest of your stuff." She said turning back to the forge. First on her list was the armor, new horns and a new knife would just go to waste of Kari died before she could use 'em.

 

[DarkRawen]

"So, how've ya been? Have a good trip home?"

"Yeah, it was great," he looked at her, smile quickly changing into a more embarrassed expression. It still looked rather odd to him, he remembered all the stories his mother told him about qunari with broken horns, how she'd always thought it was as if breaking an arm or a leg, only it couldn't be fixed. She had told him of how the Saarebas had their horns removed to show they were dangerous, and it made him even more afraid of losing his horns. Still, Kari's horns were her horns, and he didn't know why she had done it anyways.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to get so... shocked. Really, it's not an issue, and it shouldn't be either, it was just unexpected. It was very rude of me to react like that." Of course it wasn't only that, but he didn't want to explain it further, because then he'd just seem childish or at least cowardly.

"Oh, and does this mean you've done that thing? The dragon thing?" He had only heard some of it before leaving. "Did that go well?"

 

[Athol]

"Its fine," Kari replied with a chuckle as Ash got all flustered. "The hunt went well, though it did lead to this." She added, reaching up to tap her new horns. "We were wearing the beast down, when I ended up directly in front of it. It decided to try and eat me, but I guess between my size and the others hacking at it, it couldn't down me in one gulp." Pulling open the side of her tabard [http://image.rakuten.co.jp/fuwari/cabinet/00609014/img59376677.jpg], and revealing she was only in her small clothes under the simple garment, she showed Ash a relatively fresh scar on her midsection.

"Instead, I ended up half way into its mouth, and Nola makes some damn fine armour, but getting chewed on by a dragon is a bit much of any armour." Letting her covering fall closed, she sat back and stretched. "Well since I wasn't exactly keen on play the role of 'lunch', I started to head-butt the inside of its mouth...you know, jam the tips of my horns into the top? Well any ways, the dragon wasn't a fan of that as you can imagine, so it spat me out. Broke my left horn on the landing. Once I got back, I figured I may as well get Nola to do the both of them to keep the weight even. Oh and Nola say 'Hi' by the way."

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

Berund, with a considerably reduced forehead and fading black eye, was found just coming back after a long run. He made for the well and drew a small bit of water. He removed his shirt began to splash himself with the cool water. He sighed contently and appreciated the respite. And the respite would be brief.?The dwarf had more training to look forward to today, even more vigorous than the previous days. He certainly wasn't kidding himself when he'd work harder than he had in many years.

Lately he'd been on the training grounds more often than not. He finished his days sore and started the next even sorer. But he refused to lose his momentum. And it was paying off very noticeably. He was lighter on his feet, more agile, and quite a bit smaller around the waist. Even at his age it was apparent he wasn't beyond mastering the art of Evasion.

The dwarf trained with fists, sticks, and poles, all to learn how best to avoid being hit by them. Each day ended with fewer and fewer welts. It was a less conventional means to gauge his progress, but it was nonetheless effective. If only he could say the same for his armor, which fit loosely, the plates clacking against each other when he moved. He was due for another refitting. But at least this time it wasn't because he was growing...

 

[DarkRawen]

"Its fine. The hunt went well, though it did lead to this. We were wearing the beast down, when I ended up directly in front of it. It decided to try and eat me, but I guess between my size and the others hacking at it, it couldn't down me in one gulp."

Ash simply paid attention as Kari told her story. It made his trip to the fade to face the demon so much less dramatic, though he had to admit he quite liked to keep it as it was.

It was dangerous enough.

Still, fighting a dragon. He wondered if it had made her a lot stronger, if something had changed within her.

She doesn't look-- oh.

She pulled the tabard she wore open on one side and showed him a scar that seemed to have resulted of a deep gash. She didn't wear anything underneath, but Kari was just a friend, so Ash didn't really think much of that part. Instead, he looked at the scar. It was fresh and very visible still.

I wonder if I could do anything to that. A healer must have looked at it, but I know of something else that could help.

"Instead, I ended up half way into its mouth, and Nola makes some damn fine armour, but getting chewed on by a dragon is a bit much of any armour. Well since I wasn't exactly keen on play the role of 'lunch', I started to head-butt the inside of its mouth...you know, jam the tips of my horns into the top? Well any ways, the dragon wasn't a fan of that as you can imagine, so it spat me out. Broke my left horn on the landing. Once I got back, I figured I may as well get Nola to do the both of them to keep the weight even. Oh and Nola say 'Hi' by the way."

"Oh, I should've said something more to Nola too, shouldn't I?" he started, looking towards the door. "I didn't really think about that..." he sighed, but then he looked at Kari's horns again. "I suppose it's better when they're like that. I mean, you could have kept that one short, or even just cut off both, but then you'd look like Saarebas. And that's not a good look." He chuckled, then thought of something else and chuckled even more.

"You know, it's a little funny that I find it disturbing that your horns are different now. I have faced nightmares that not many could even imagine, I've gone days in a haze of horrible events all around me, to the point where I've felt numb and cold inside. But now the demon's out, and I get freaked out over your bloody horns!" Ash laughed again, as if it was some sort of punchline, not even expecting Kari to laugh with him. When he dried his eyes of laughter-tears, he looked towards the place where her scar was.

"To be slightly less of a fool..." he pointed at her tabard. "If you want the scar to heal more cleanly, I know how to make a salve that allows it to do so. I should have all I need for it too. Of course, if you want to keep it for bragging rights, I also know how to make it more visible, though that's not very fun. Requires you to keep opening it every time it starts healing again for like, weeks."

 

[Athol]

"Oh, I should've said something more to Nola too, shouldn't I? I didn't really think about that..."

?Well you were a bit flustered, and anyways, she?s probably got her head buried in her forge right now. If you wanted to wait until she came up for food and drink I don?t think she?d be offended.? As Ash started to talk about her horns, and first chuckle, then dissolve into laughter, she couldn?t help but join him.

?Well to be honest,? She replied once she could actually speak again. ?I?ve sort of been planning on doing this since I started mercenary work. I mean, chances were good I?d break one in a fight someday, so may as well have an idea for when it happens.? As he mentioned ?options? for dealing with the scars on her midriff, one way or another, she simply shrugged.

?The thought of it leaving a scar doesn?t bother me; I have plenty of others. On the other hand, I?m not one of those knuckle draggers that need to show them off to prove how much of a badass I am. The healing potion took care of the most immediate damage, and that Dalish that came with us?Arrya?turns out she?s a fair hand with healing poultices, so those helped too.? As she said that, she made a mental note to go talk to the elf and see if she could teach her some of what she knew. By necessity Kari knew a bit about stuff like that, but it was obvious Arrya knew much more. Most be a Dalish thing?

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

Spoiler: OOC

This post was written in part by sage42.

Berund approached the smithy with his armor packed and slung over his shoulder. He gave a heavy sigh. He approached each day of training eager and determined, as demanding as they were. But he couldn't help but hesitate now, knowing he would have to speak to Nola. He hadn't spoken to her since he arrived at Skyhold. And he'd unconsciously avoided it with his training. However, the time had come. It was unavoidable.

The dwarf walked to the smithy door. He paused to give to pair of Qunari a nod. Then he stepped inside.

Nola was working with the leather on Kari's armor, toying with the idea of studding it too. If the woman was gonna be running around fighting Dragons, she was gonna need all the help she could get. She took less care about her self when it came to leather, after all, a small cut wasn't nearly as bad as a burn from hot metal or a crushed hand.

That was why when the door opened and she heard footsteps, she jumped a little and then grunt in pain as she felt the tip of the knife prick her thumb. "Ow! Sodding..." she grumbled shaking her hand before sucking away the drop of blood. She looked up and raised her eyebrows in surprise. Berund was the last person she expected to see walking into her forge. The dwarf was looking good all things considered. Must've been training extra hard since coming back. She set the the armor aside and grabbed a clean rag, wiping away the grime from her hands as she spoke. "Hey Berund. Need somethin?" She asked cautiously. She figured the other dwarf probably still held some animosity towards her, best do this slow and business like.

"I do," he answered succinctly. "A couple of things, actually." There was a pause. He walked over to a nearby chair, set his armor down beside it, and sat down. "There was...when I was young, years away before the first hair on my chin, there was this boy. A mite younger than I. We weren't close as kin, but ye could say we were good friends.

"We'd laugh an' play, chase each other around the markets, lookin' fer trouble where we could find it. I remember in particular the time we had our first taste of plum pie. Old Mama Leja, she was a witherin' widow. She'd sometimes look after little ones. She was good at that. But she was even better at makin' pies. Nug an' mushroom, brandied bronto...sweet, savory, you name it she could bake it. We caught wind that she was cookin' up the sweetest pie she ever did. She got her hands on some plums, just came in to the markets. So we sat an' waited while she cooked up a storm. The scents were extraordinary, we were mesmerized. Then the time came for her to take pie out from the oven an' leave it on the sill to cool. An' that was our time to act.

"So this boy, he goes up to the window, an' I'm right behind him with a burlap sack," Berund paused, grinning as he tried to keep a fit of laughter at bay. "An' he was so excited he tried to grab the pan with his bare hands! He was yowlin' and dancin', wavin' his hands like a madman trying to cool 'em off...I'm standin' there, tryin' to get the pie into the sack an' keep my sides from burstin', when all of a sudden the door swings wide open an' out comes Old Mama Leja. She had a wooden spoon in her hand an' it wasn't the one she used for cookin' 'cause this one was much bigger. We scrambled, I grabbed him by his collar an' threw him ahead of me. Don't know how he kept on his feet but we ran. Ran so frantic, by the time we stopped the pie was practically a cobbler. We knew we were in a mess of trouble but it was well worth it. That was the sweetest pie we ever had."

Berund was looking at the floor. His eyes were starting to mist but he blinked them back. He looked at Nola smile faltering as he did. "That boy. He grew to be the man ye killed. I'm tellin' ye this because I want ye to know he wasn't a bad person. There was goodness in him. An' it waned as he grew, I could see that. Though I know it was still in him. But I also know he wasn't entirely undeservin'. He made a series of unwise decisions that would turn him into the man you saw. An' he payed for it dearly. That doesn't make it hurt any less. But I understand ye did what ye felt ye had to. To protect yerself. An' I won't hold that against ye."

Nola set the rag aside with a sigh. "I understand Berund. Again I'm sorry. I...." She spread her hands on a near by table. "I wasn't a warrior when I came to the surface. I knew enough about weapons to not stick myself with the pointy end. I barely survived my exile. When I killed him...." She shook her head. "I was horrified. I acted on instinct but I still regretted my actions. After years to get used to it, I stopped regretting. Knowing this now though...." She was quiet for a moment as she thought. "I still don't. But I do regret taking the life of your friend, of the boy he was before his life turned him into what I killed. I am sorry I killed him Berund, and if there had been another way I would have taken it." She stood up to her full again. "Chances are that'll be somethin I take to the stone with me. But it makes me feel better knowin ya don't hold it against me." She sighed again and sat back down again. "Now I hope ya don't mind me sayin, but let's get to what I can do for ya with my hammer. All this mushy stuff was never my thing." She said with a weak smirk. "I already got a bit o' work ahead of me as is after all."

"Right, couldn't agree more," Berund began, sighing with relief. He felt like a big weight had been lifted. He got to his feet, grabbed his packed panoply, and presented it to Nola. "My armor. It's, uh. Well, it's gotten a bit roomy for my likin'. Just needed a refitting. Shouldn't be much trouble, I'll wager." He set?a pouch of coins on the table. "I believe that should cover everythin'."

Nola nodded and took the armor setting it on the able before her. She looked over the armor, noticing a few weakened spots in the plate. Things she could easily fix, especially if she were adjusting to make it fit better. She looked back to Berund, eyeing the other dwarfs new figure. "Hmm yeah that shouldn't be too tough. I might have to do some quick adjustments next time you put it on though, just to make sure I get it right." She said with a smirk and a nod. She looked at the bag of coins, and was half tempted to turn it away. Then she thought better of it and came up with a compromise. "Well, judging from everything it wouldn't feel right takin your coin, but somethin tells me you'll insist. So how about this? After I'm done, part o' this'll go to a few rounds between us." She said tossing the bag in the air and catching it again. "I feel like I owe ya at least that."

"Adjust all ye need," Berund welcomed, briefly putting his arms out wide for emphasis. "Won't do much good without a proper fit. And I'll hold ye to those rounds. I feel I'll be needin' a cool drink after today's regimen..."

 

[IFS]

As the weeks went by and the group underwent their training, studies, and personal ventures the Inquisition also made progress. It was steadily expanding into various regions of Orlais now, according to some preparing to arrange a meeting with the Empress as well as investigating into the Warden's involvement in the Western Approach. While the group had their time to rest and improve themselves the time had come for the Inquisition to set them to task once again.

They were called to meet in the upper levels of Skyhold's tavern, as they trickled in one by one (save for Von, who had been dispatched along with some other Templars to Tevinter to provide aid to one of the few political allies the Inquisition had there) they began to notice that Calien was suspiciously late. Once they were all gathered an unfamiliar member of the Inquisition, a tan elf woman with a nasty burn scar on one arm.

"Calien won't be coming," she said brusquely "he's currently working on an assignment elsewhere, you'll be expected to select one of your own as leader, Calien left a list of recommendations but I don't know him or you well enough to decide for you."

She cleared her throat "that can wait however, before that we should address your mission," she pulled out an envelope and placed it on the table "We have reason to believe that the Venatori are smuggling Red Lyrium across the Waking sea. We were courting an alliance with the Qunari to handle the issue but the Inquisitor made a botch of that so now it'll be your job. You're to travel to Highever, there you'll meet with a captain, or rather smuggler, he'll take you across the sea. We don't have the naval power to hunt the Venatori ships so you'll be looking to track down the holds and hideaways the Venatori are using to offload and store the lyrium."

She took a deep breath, having talked without pause for the entirety of her explanation "The letter contains these instructions, a writ of passage you will give our smuggler contact, and our most recent reports on the matter. I'd recommend deciding on who will lead before you depart Skyhold, were it up to me you'd just be given proper ranks but as it stands you fall a bit outside the organization of our rank and file."

She paused for a moment, taking in their reactions and then added "Any questions?"

 

[DarkRawen]

Ash felt as if he had matured a little during the break between missions. He had certainly gotten more cheerful, humming songs and even drinking a little, trying to socialize more without having to be distracted. Everything felt great, and even when he got sad, that sadness at least felt better, it flowed out of him as quickly as it appeared, allowing him to feel better as opposed to just feeling less. And everything should be great, he had done a lot. He had gotten rid of the demon -his greatest achievement by far-, visited his mother and even gotten time to talk more with Gregor. The senior enchanter helping him understand his own abilities a little better.

Comparatively to other mages, Ash had a stronger body with a stronger tie to the fade, which could be both good and bad. The elf had admitted he had never seen a qunari mage, and he was unsure of if Ash's abilities was tied to that. Ash had been unsure, though noted that Qunari were supposed to dream less than humans and elves. Without telling the other about the demon or the blood magic, somehow, the enchanter seemed to know something. But he never held it against Ash. Instead, Ash learned more about what he had used in the fade, the Mana Clash, where the trick was to expel just enough mana without spending all of it. It was a rather ideal spell for Ash, all things considered. He thought of this as he walked towards the place they had been called too. A new mission, for sure. A chance to show what he had learned.

I almost hope I won't have to use it against a mage, just... something magic.

He wasn't working under the illusion of that there was no bad mages. There were plenty of them, he was sure of it. However, a lot of them had been like him, and that made it a little too easy to empathise to his liking. Especially now that everything seemed so much real.

Then again, I've killed people who probably were worse off. I've always had to fight to survive, but that doesn't mean they didn't have to as well.

It was with a confused expression he entered the room and saw that Calien was nowhere to be seen. He had expected Von to be gone, the Templar had been sent to be with the other Templars on missions -though there was a rumour about the unofficial reason being that he had become insane and the Templars were better at dealing with that, a rumour Ash was inclined to believe- but Calien? Perhaps he was just late.

"Calien won't be coming, he's currently working on an assignment elsewhere, you'll be expected to select one of your own as leader, Calien left a list of recommendations but I don't know him or you well enough to decide for you."

Or perhaps not. Ash wondered if Calien had wanted to go elsewhere, he couldn't really blame him after what had happened, but he had hoped they got along well enough for that to be okay. Especially now that Ash was fine, and Von was gone. No more crazy people. He held back a chuckle at the thought. Perhaps he should've told more people, so Calien was sure to know.

I'll see when we get back. He'd be happy for me, right?

The lady had mentioned that they would have to find their own leader, and Ash glanced over at Nola for a moment, not sure why. Probably because she was the calmest person there. Well, the calmest person who actually spoke to someone, Jarrett didn't seem like a people's person. He then felt a pang of guilt, and awkwardly looked towards Kari, was he a betrayer for not wanting her to be the leader? She was so... well, she was a little intense, and didn't seem like the planning type. Besides, if she wanted something done, who would contest her? Who'd tell Kari to calm the fuck down, and actually choose something sensible?

Not me.

Now he felt even more guilty, thinking something like that about his friend. He went back to listening about the mission, not wanting to get close to red lyrium. It sang so loudly, he wondered if it would mess with his mind the same way the demon had, if he let it.

But we're probably going to destroy it, right? Then... then we'll not have to actually touch it.

That was good.

"Any questions?"

Ash looked at her, surprised. She allowed questions? He smiled, friendly, more confidently than he had. "Well, perhaps... who are you? And why don't we have a rank? I mean, I'm a mage, right? Don't they have a rank? Isn't a mage a mage?" He wasn't sure he wanted the answer, he'd probably be something different because of the blood magic.

Maleficar, isn't it? Is that how they see me too?

The mages had been welcoming enough, though there were those who didn't talk to him, either out of fear or prejudice.

 

[Athol]

Kari picked her way through the tavern, humming softly to herself. The past few weeks had been good for the most part; she'd gotten a formal reprimand from Commander Cullen after she'd gotten a bit too enthusiastic in a 4-on-1 sparring match with some troops which ended with her putting two of them in the healers care with badly broken limbs. She still felt pretty bad for getting that carried away, but other than that hiccup, her ongoing training was going quite well.

Greeting the others, she was surprised to find that Cailen was absent, though the woman that was there in his stead quickly sorted things out. As they got their mission, she sat forward propping her elbows on her knees. She wasn't exactly heartbroken that the Inquisitor had ended up cancelling an alliance with the Qunari, the less of a toe hold they got outside of Par Vollen the better.

"Any questions?"

"One big one leaps to mind." She said. "How reliable is this 'Capitan' considered? No smuggler is going to be as pure as Andraste's virgin cunny, but can we at least expect him to not drop us off right into an ambush?" The idea of throwing her hat into the ring, so to speak, for lead of the group echoed in the back of her mind; but she decided to hold her tongue until, or if, somebody else spoke up about it.

 

[Protocol95]

Without a sound, Jarrett made his way to the tavern for his group's briefing. As his party made their way one by one, Jarrett considered not bothering to reintroduce himself until the briefing itself. However that felt inappropriate for a reason he wasn't sure of and made and effort to at least approach some and shake the hands of his closer friends. He dismissed his worry about being inappropriate, telling himself that he was maintaining friendly relationships so he could stabilize the group various eccentricities. To his disappointment Calien and Von did not show up, despite already knowing the latter wouldn't show. Giving out a sigh he turned his quiet attention to the woman briefing

"Any questions?"

"I want you to tell us every advantage and disadvantage relating all parties known by you, even if they seem miniscule. That's not a question, but I don't wish to deal in uncertainties ma'am." No holding back, no waiting for an opportunity to dig for information. Jarrett had a feeling this mission would require delicate hands and he made it a priority in the past that when a mission was like what this one would likely be, you don't skip details.

 

[sage42]

Nola made her way to the upper floor of the tavern, whistling happily. She had finished putting on the finishing touches on her Dragon Scale Armor this morning and she couldn't be happier. It felt light as leather, but her own tests with a few scraps proved it was just as good as her old plate. By the Ancestors she loved Dragon Scales. She was going to have to talk with the Reaver Elf at some point to see if she could get more, maybe set up a little reward system with her and her students. She happily greeted everyone who was already there, taking her own seat.

When Calien didn't show she began to grow curious, but the elf who came to meet them instead relieved her worry. She leaned on the table, listing closely to what their new job was. From what she had heard of the Qunari, missing out on their military might was going to be a problem, but if they would cause major rifts in moral, it was probably for the best.

"Any questions?"

She shook her head as other's chimed in. They had asked anything she could have, so until she heard answer to theirs, she didn't have any herself. Instead she turned her thought as to who could lead their group. She wouldn't nominate herself, on top of being incredibly rude she wasn't sure she was the best to lead.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

Berund took a seat in the tavern, dressed in his plainclothes with a cool, wet rag around his neck. Even more refreshing than the rag was the cold ale sitting before him. He was halfway through it when the scarred elf began to speak up. The dwarf wondered what reasons were for Calien's reassignment. He couldn't help but consider that the dust-up Kari made might have shaken the man.

His pondering aside, she made it clear they were without a leader and needed to put someone forward. Berund felt he could comfortably say he had the most military experience of the group. But he was tentative to put himself forward. For the time being, he considered the mission. "Are we to destroy the holds when we find'em, includin' the lyrium inside? Be best to leave no cracks for'em to slip through, wouldn't it?"

 

[IFS]

"Well, perhaps... who are you? And why don't we have a rank? I mean, I'm a mage, right? Don't they have a rank? Isn't a mage a mage?"

"You may call me Neira," she said "as for the matter of rank you weren't a member of any circle and you were recruited as adventurers not as soldiers or even members of a mercenary company, so you have no formal rank. While this does cause difficulties as in this case it also means you are a more adaptable and flexible force than a military squad."

"How reliable is this 'Capitan' considered? No smuggler is going to be as pure as Andraste's virgin cunny, but can we at least expect him to not drop us off right into an ambush?"

"I'm told he's a friend of a friend of one of the Inquisitor's companions," Neira said, raising an eyebrow at the colorful language "apparently he comes recommended by some sort of pirate admiral, take that as you will. If it helps he volunteered for the job, apparently he's got no great love for the Vints."

"I want you to tell us every advantage and disadvantage relating all parties known by you, even if they seem miniscule. That's not a question, but I don't wish to deal in uncertainties ma'am."

"Neither do I, but unfortunately I don't have much to offer," she said "the captain should be as reliable as any pirate, though given his background its fair to say he'll have a fast ship and a solid knowledge of the hideaways you'll be looking for. For defenses on the holds you can expect to see venatori, likely in small numbers and possibly in disguise to maintain secrecy. Mages are a certainty, and given the Free Marches you can expect to be closer to Kirkwall than say Starkhaven. I doubt the red lyrium will pass into the city itself though, these hideaways will be tucked away on coastal caves most likely. I doubt your captain will be eager to fight on the seas, but it might do to be prepared for a naval battle all the same."

"Are we to destroy the holds when we find'em, includin' the lyrium inside? Be best to leave no cracks for'em to slip through, wouldn't it?"

"Our... resident arcanist has requested that samples be gathered if at all possible," Neira said, clearly uncomfortable with the thought "but you are only required to destroy the lyrium, and if possible the Venatori's ships and operations. The lyrium itself is the priority though, its far too dangerous to be allowed to make it back to Tevinter."