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

DarkRawen

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"Hm, either they aren't seeing it or none of them know the code, we've slowed ourselves a bit to try and give them a better chance of seeing the signal and I daresay they're gaining on us now."

Ash looked towards the sky. Having his own magic blend in with the weather would definitely be possible like it was now, with thunder rumbling in the dark distance. It would probably even be easy. However, he never got the order to do so, and they were getting closer.

"Andraste's tits, they're Qunari, or at least Qunari are among them, I can see the horns, odd that their ship doesn't look like a Qunari vessel, not any I've seen at least, hmm, Vashoth maybe? Either way the Admiral is not going to like this."

Uhuh. I don't like this. Either we kill them now, or I don't want to be standing around.

"If they are Qunari we should get out of sight, they will mistrust us."

Ash gave Tenaraad a nod, the other's perspective appealed to his. Besides, Ash was a mage as well, which couldn't make it any better. He dressed like a mage now too, and that certainly had its flaws, one of them being that he was easily identified as such. He knew that his abilities could be a useful tool as well, though.

Of course, I don't particularly mind hiding right about now.

Kari however, didn't seem to agree.

"Is that an order, Sir?"

"I want to get out of the way," Ash said, his hood up to avoid some of the rain. "I don't want to interact with Qunari, especially not if they follow the Qun. They're not going to like a Vashoth mage," he said, nervously, and grabbed the staff on his back. "I'll be ready to fight if they try to hurt you guys, though, I promise. I'm not hiding, I'm just..." he chuckled. "Concealing myself for the benefit of everyone else."
 

Protocol95

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[b ] "Mm, we've some semaphore flags in the hold, I'm not sure the signals will be visible through the rain but its a better idea than letting your friend drown himself." [/b]

"For the record, no ocean can be more fearsome than the bays and sewers of Kirkwall." He said unironically but accepting the criticism. For now at least he'd listen to the captain's orders.

"Andraste's tits, they're Qunari, or at least Qunari are among them, I can see the horns, odd that their ship doesn't look like a Qunari vessel, not any I've seen at least, hmm, Vashoth maybe? Either way the Admiral is not going to like this."

"...Qunari? Oh today tastes ripe with nostalgia." Contemplating all he remember of the Qun and Tal'Vasoth Jarrett turned his Kari, Ash and Tenaraad but addressed everybody. "The giants didn't care for the greedy, thieving and lying scum of Kirkwall. I get hidin', really I do, but if they're Qun proper, my bet is they'll like a bold and honest approach." Not that ever could give anyone there that. He mumbled into his hood.
 

sage42

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Nola closed her eyes as she listened to the captain, muscling her way through the seasickness to think. She had to admit, being open to the air was helping. Qunari wasn't good, Tal Vashoth wasn't either. Both possibly spelled trouble for everyone.

"If you lot have a better way of signalling to them we can attempt it, otherwise we could try to hold and let them catch up to us then hail them, or make a run for it, Qunari don't tend to attack without cause and we haven't given them one yet but Tal Vashoth can be unpredictable."

"Is that an order, Sir?"

"I want to get out of the way. I don't want to interact with Qunari, especially not if they follow the Qun. They're not going to like a Vashoth mage. I'll be ready to fight if they try to hurt you guys, though, I promise. I'm not hiding, I'm just...Concealing myself for the benefit of everyone else."

"The giants didn't care for the greedy, thieving and lying scum of Kirkwall. I get hidin', really I do, but if they're Qun proper, my bet is they'll like a bold and honest approach."

She listened to everyone's thoughts, Berund was silent on the matter but that wasn't a surprise. His training helped him to stay silent when he wanted to be. "We all hide." She said clearly, opening her eyes. "Sorry Kari, I hate it too, but frankly, if we were on good terms with the Qunari, we wouldn't have needed the good Captains services in the first place. " She looked at Rumsfeld. "If they are Qunari, they might not like seeing Inquisition soldiers on here, honest about it or not. If they see you as just a merchant vessel they should let everything go with little fuss. If they cause trouble, or if they are Vashoth Pirates, send out a call to arm, we'll leap in and assist." She said before turning to the group. "Below decks everyone, but stay at the ready, should things go sour we're gonna make sure we pull our weight in the fight."
 

Athol

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Kari acknowledged Nola?s order with a nod and an annoyed grunt, as she didn?t trust herself to speak right then. Heading below deck, she positioned herself close to the passageway she?d just come through and didn?t best not to fidget as she waited impatiently. She hated hiding and waiting, it reminded her far too much of the Blight; hiding from Darkspawn patrols so they didn?t bring greater hordes down on the town.

The only reason the place even survived was that it was far enough off the beaten track that the bulk of the Darkspawn forces never got to close. The makeshift barricades, and the terrified townsfolk that had manned them, had barely held against a small group with a single ogre; heck it was only by chance that her company had been passing through the town when the warning about the ?spawn had arrived. If the Iron Hand company hadn?t been there, those townsfolk probably wouldn?t?ve made it.

Without realizing it, Kari began to nervously drum her fingers on her thigh.
 

DarkRawen

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"We all hide."

That's... not what I meant.

However, upon listening to the other, he understood what she meant. The Inquisition wasn't on the best terms with the Qunari, and though he doubted certain members would be recognised as part of it easily, being careful was still the best.

"Below decks everyone, but stay at the ready, should things go sour we're gonna make sure we pull our weight in the fight."

Ash nodded and went downstairs as well, making sure to stand somewhat away from Kari. He didn't want to know what she thought about what he'd said, especially not if she thought he was part of the reason why Nola had chosen as she had, which was possible. Not that Nola had decided everyone should go down because of Ash, of course not, but perhaps Kari thought so. Instead, he started treating his clothes with a soft fire, drying the clothes almost instantly and humming some song he'd heard at the tavern to himself. He doubted anyone else could hear much of it, and no one would be able to hear it above deck. He kept going over his clothes.

This feels great.

The small fire didn't take a lot of effort to create at all, but it was warm in his hand and he was getting dry, and that was a really nice feeling. It made him feel more at ease. And more prepared. A lot of the magic was, after all, in your head, and feeling better made it easier to fight. At least that's how he justified his somewhat vain use of magic to himself.
 

Tortilla the Hun

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May 7, 2011
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The Legionnaire nodded at Nola's orders, making his way down below the deck. He used a rag to dab at all the water droplets he could. It likely wouldn't matter if they were needed above again, but he couldn't stand the wet armor. It also acted as something he could do while he waited. Waiting was always the hard part. Being still, his weapon stayed. But he knew it was necessary. With any luck, they would get out of this with undue bloodshed and be on their way.

The dwarf looked to Ash and hmm'ed as he watched the mage conjure a fire to dry himself. Seemed they were like-minded, at least when it came to the rain. If anything gave him hope for a peaceful resolution, it was Ash's nature. A stark contrast to the loud and crass Kari. With Qunari so vastly different, there was a chance the two vessels could depart amicably. However small that chance may be.
 

IFS

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The group and Tenaraad made their way belowdecks, down there little could be heard over the stomping of boots and the pounding rain. Indistinct shouting could be heard, and after a time those with sharp hearing could make out the sound of a board hitting the deck, the ship lurched with the waves sending an unsettling motion through the groups stomachs.

"Shanedan!" Rumsfeld could be heard shouting over the storm, accompanied by heavy footfalls stomping onto the deck.

"Yes, you will," a deep rumbling voice could be heard, it was not overly loud but it seemed to resonate such as to be heard through the storm "We have been tracking an Abaan-ataashi, it may be drawn to the surface by the asaaranda."

Rolling thunder blocked out Rumsfeld's reply, save for the words "-y're a myth."

"The Qunari do not chase myths."

"Well whatever the case I don't care about your snake," Rumsfeld said "seems we've no quarrel."

"If we did we would not be talking," the Qunari said "the Sten merely wished to warn you, the Aban-ataashi is ours."

"Then why have you been tailing us for so long?"

"Your ship is small, it may attract the Aban-ataashi's attention."

"Ha, well if your snake tries to make a lunch out of the Golden Halla she'll not find it an easy meal," Rumsfeld paused "if we happen to kill this myth of yours how much would it be worth to you?"

"You are blind with greed, someday your kind will all know the weight of the Qun."

"Thanks, but I like the weight of gold just fine," Rumsfeld said, one could feel the grin in his tone.

"If the creature attacks and you manage to survive and triumph over it, then perhaps a figure could be reached."

"Excellent, now how do you say it? Pandara?"

"Panahedan."

"Right, now get off my ship."

The heavy footfalls could be heard again, and soon enough the hatch creaked open once more. Rumsfeld grinned down at the group.

"Well it seems we've traded one problem for another," he said "how much of that did you all catch?"

Qunari language for those who think their character might speak enough to understand the few words thrown around: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Qunlat
 

Athol

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While she was gratified to see that she?d been overly pessimistic about the Qunari ship?s intentions, she was still of the mind that it would?ve been better to just sink it with a surprise attack for safety?s sake. She was still mulling these thoughts over in her head when the hatch opened, and she found herself looking up at Rumsfeld.

"Well it seems we've traded one problem for another, how much of that did you all catch?"

?Most of it.? Kari replied. ?I understand Qunlat better than I speak it.? Turning about, she looked at the rest of the party. ?For those of you that don?t, it seems the other ship is out here hunting a Cetus of all things.? She grimaced, not overly thrilled at the possibility of meeting one of those monsters.
 

DarkRawen

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Ash followed the conversation above, though only half-heartedly so. The moment he had realized that all the Qunari wanted was to use the boat for bait to catch an abaan-ataashi, he had relaxed a bit more. He doubted one would actually try to get them, and that meant the Qunari would leave them alone. No fighting, no need to stand outside in the storm, he could go right back to his books and wait for the ship to reach the shore. Still, it was kind of interesting that the Qunari sent people out to hunt sea-monsters at a time like this.

Abaan-ataashi. A sea dragon. What was the equivalent in common tongue again? The name we call it... Cetus. Still feels more right calling it a sea dragon.

Ash remembered the times before his magic had started surfacing, back when his mother spoke as much Qunlat as common language to him, if not more. She'd spent the rest of his childhood making sure it was no longer native to him, but a lot of the words were familiar, terms he knew the idea of, but not the translation for. Back during those blissful days before of his nightmares, his mother would tell him tales about creatures and ideas. Once, when they had been hiding on a large ship, much larger than this, she had told him the tales of the sea dragons, told them about those who were sent out to hunt them. Back then, it had seemed fantastic and exciting, with Qunari heroes, stoic and determined. At some point, his young mind had admired such traits.

Now he just wished they'd drown and leave him alone.

"Well it seems we've traded one problem for another, how much of that did you all catch?"

All, I think. All I paid attention to, that is.

"Most of it. I understand Qunlat better than I speak it. For those of you that don't, it seems the other ship is out here hunting a Cetus of all things."

"Well, to the Qunari it's a sea dragon," Ash chimed in. "So are they chasing for some sort of honour thing? It is supposed to be drawn to the storm, so I don't think they're lying at least. What does this mean to us, though? Nothing, I hope," he said, not stepping closer to the hatch. He'd hate to get wet again, after all.
 

Protocol95

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Listening into the conversation above him, Jarrett rolled his eyes in annoyance, losing track of what they discussing because of the Qunari language. His grasp on the language was basic at best, mostly knowing only a few terms in military and respect from Kirkwall. When the Qunari left Jarrett eagerly stretched, almost frighteningly loud cracks coming from his bones. With that done he hoped one of his Qunari allies could fill the group in.

"Most of it. I understand Qunlat better than I speak it. For those of you that don't, it seems the other ship is out here hunting a Cetus of all things."

"Do we need to be "proactive" in dealing with it? Luck dictates it'd either sink us or the red lyrium, so while I'm willing to gamble, are the rest of you?" Jarrett stood with confidence. So much he didn't bother facing the others discussing the danger, just continuing to stretch.
 

sage42

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Nola strained to hear Rumsfeld and the Qunari. She wanted to hit the man for taunting the giants, but she had known what she was getting into when she left him to talk. She didn't really understand most of what they were talking about, but she picked up enough to know that the Qunari wasn't after them.

"Well it seems we've traded one problem for another, how much of that did you all catch?"

"For those of you that don't, it seems the other ship is out here hunting a Cetus of all things."

"Well, to the Qunari it's a sea dragon..."

"Do we need to be "proactive" in dealing with it? Luck dictates it'd either sink us or the red lyrium, so while I'm willing to gamble, are the rest of you?"


She would be the first to admit she was grateful to count a couple of giants of her own as companions. She hadn't understood a word of Qunlat, and even the Cetus wasn't something she knew much about. Ash's description told her enough though. "No, we do not need to be 'proactive'. We let the Qunari have their hunt, if they want to commit suicide by sea monster, let them. If it does come for us, we'll drive it away." She said, climbing out of the the cramped room. "We should move as quickly as possible Captain. I have no desire to fight this creature on the open sea." She said taking a deep breath. The rain felt good against her face and the air helped quell her rolling stomach. Now if she could bare to look at the steel grey waves over the railing. "You're all free to keeping doing whatever you were doing. Ugh, I'm going to find a bucket again." She said miserably, her face going a little green again.
 

Athol

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? What does this mean to us, though? Nothing, I hope."

She had to grit her teeth, as Ash spoke, and resist the urge to slap him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was being unfair to him; after all, due to the fact he was a mage, he had lead a somewhat sheltered life?but even so, his tone of voice and general attitude on this voyage so far had reminded her far too much of a spoilt Orliseain fop. The leather of her gauntleted hand creaked as she made a fist; taking a few deep, quiet breaths, she turned to look towards him. I?m sure you?ll be able to get back to your reading soon, princess. The edge in her own mental ?voice? caught her off guard.

What the fuck?who pissed in your oatmeal? She thought bitterly; maybe the rough seas were getting to her more than she thought. ?We should be fine.? She said out loud. ?With any luck we?ll be far away before the horn-heads find their dragon.? With any luck it?ll win.

Letting out a small sigh of relief as Nola agreed with her sentiment about leaving the Cestus to the Qunari, her mood improved a bit; she was all for a good fight, and had no qualms about going after a beast that big?she?d just much rather do it from dry land. It was a lot easier to kill a beast like that when you didn?t have to worry about it drowning you because it?d just smashed your footing.

"You're all free to keeping doing whatever you were doing. Ugh, I'm going to find a bucket again.?

?Shouldn?t be too much longer until we get ashore.? She said sympathetically to the rather green looking dwarf. Silently she thanked both Ghilan'nain and the Maker for not being subject to such queasiness; she hated to think how bad it would?ve been trying to use her father?s old contacts and try and operate out on Antiva City if she got that seasick every time she went out. Focusing back on the present, she stowed the bits of her fighting gear that she?d grabbed when the other ship had been spotted, and were no longer needed, before heading forward. Now that that bit of excitement had passed, she was sure to find a game of Wicked Grace or Dead Man?s Trick going on up in the crew?s quarters in the bow of the ship.
 

IFS

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"Well with luck the beast will never surface," Rumsfeld said "I'd rather not risk my ship against it. I'd wager that our ballistae wouldn't do quite as much damage as the Qunari cannons might."

"Shouldn't be too much longer until we get ashore."

"We've got another day before we'll reach our destination," Rumsfeld said "maybe less, though I doubt the storm will be breaking anytime soon, we're in the wrong season for that."

He turned and shouted at his crew, giving instructions to pick up the pace. The storm winds were strong but for now they were pushing the ship along, speeding it towards its goal over the rough waves. The mast creaked overhead as the crew ran about in the rain, which had begun to pick up again.

The tattooed dwarf approached Rumsfeld, handing him a scroll case sealed with wax.

"Ah excellent, I can't believe it took so long to find," Rumsfeld said.

"Storm disorganized things," the dwarf said with a shrug "now, if you had it carved in stone it wouldn't be so easily shaken about."

"I'm not lugging a ton of granite on my ship just so you don't have to worry about losing your page," Rumsfeld said, shaking his head before turning to the group "I knew I had a map of the cave systems we think the Venatori are hiding out in, took a while to find them but if you'd like to look over them to formulate plans well, here you are."

He passed the case to Nola. The maps were for three different cave systems, though each was suspiciously similar with a single obvious entrance fit for a larger vessel and a smaller hidden entrance (or perhaps exit) fit for much smaller craft. The Golden Halla was too large to enter the hidden opening though it had some rowboats on board that could be used to access the hidden entrance. The main entrance for each cave had a trap of some sort to repel unwanted vessels. It seemed that if someone were manning the traps they could drop rocks or something else onto a vessel, and there were positions were men could keep lookout or take up firing positions. The hidden entrance meanwhile was only accessible at certain points in the tide, which could change quickly enough to leave one trapped. Beyond that it had no traps in place, though the passage leading from it to the rest of the cavern was narrow enough that a group would likely have to proceed in single file.

"To be honest I'm not sure why we keep multiple maps," Rumsfeld said "all the caves in the Free Marches look too much alike."
 

DarkRawen

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"You're all free to keeping doing whatever you were doing. Ugh, I'm going to find a bucket again."

Ash looked at her with an empathising smile. "Would you like me to use some healing magic? It could help with that," he offered, waiting on her to reply and possibly helping her out before he went back to his book. He was eager to get underneath the blanket and keep reading about plants in the southern parts of the Free Marches. However, regardless of what she did answered, his attention was drawn to the captain and his men as he heard talk about caves and maps and Venatori.

"I'm not lugging a ton of granite on my ship just so you don't have to worry about losing your page,"

Wait, what? Wouldn't you have to use some sort of spell to get a granite ship to float?

The suggestion puzzled him a little. Wouldn't the ship have to be extraordinarily built to be made out of rocks and not sink?

Perhaps it was just a joke.

He honestly could not tell.

"I knew I had a map of the cave systems we think the Venatori are hiding out in, took a while to find them but if you'd like to look over them to formulate plans well, here you are."

He bent over to look at the maps, following the paths with his eyes and making note of all the little details.

"To be honest I'm not sure why we keep multiple maps, all the caves in the Free Marches look too much alike."

Ash raised an eyebrow at the thing with several maps, but only kept looking towards the maps. He saw several possible places where he could be standing, hidden yet close enough to cast spells. The traps could be well used if timed correctly and he already had some ideas in mind for the water. However, he wasn't the boss, and instead he just looked at the map, then at Nola, and then back to the map, saying nothing.
 

sage42

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"Would you like me to use some healing magic? It could help with that."

Nola thought on that for a moment before nodding. "Yeah Ash, go for it. Can't hurt to try at least.. She said, letting the magic wash over her. She heaved a sigh as she felt her her stomach settle, she didn't feel like she was going to lose her lunch now. "Thanks Ash, dunno why I didn't ask for that sooner." She said with a smile.

"I'm not lugging a ton of granite on my ship just so you don't have to worry about losing your page,"

She chuckled when she hard that. The dwarf was right of course, having the map carved into a stone would make it much easier to find, but it certainly wasn't travel friendly.

"I knew I had a map of the cave systems we think the Venatori are hiding out in, took a while to find them but if you'd like to look over them to formulate plans well, here you are."

"Thank you captain, this will help greatly." She said taking the scrolls. She rolled them out over the table, looking over the sketched out caves systems. That captain was right, every cave looked nearly identical, from the maps at least. How the smugglers were able to hide anything was beyond her. "Hmmm....the Veantori are smart, not your average bandits. They'll have sentries posted. And mages to set of the traps, and through whatever else they can at us." She mumbled, her finger tracing over the line that marked the cave entrance. "But the side entrance..." She traced of the little tunnel. "Too small for us to go as a group, let alone let Kari, Berund or Jarrett to fight properly...." She frowned. Thinking of the best course of action. "We should go through here." She said pointing at the hidden opening. "I don't want to risk the Halla unless we have to, once the cave is clear we can either carry the smaller vessel through the cave, or wait till the tide allows us out. If the Venatori haven't found it, we can sneak in behind and catch 'em with their pants down. If they have...." Well if they have it wouldn't matter, it would be just as difficult through either entrance. She looked up at Ash and the others who had gathered around her. "Unless anyway one else has any ideas?"
 

Athol

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?Ha!? Kari exclaimed, sweeping the pile of silvers, crowns, pennies and bits towards herself. ?Four Angels.? The crowd of off duty sailors she was playing Wicked Grace with groaned as she collected her winnings, while some of their companions who were merely watching laughed.

?[small]Bloody Maker-damned Qunari?[/small]? She heard one of the loosing sailors mutter. ?[small]Horn-headed ****?[/small]? The rest of his quiet tirade devolved into unintelligible mutterings. ?Easy there ?friend?,? She said out loud as she organized her winnings. ?If you couldn?t afford to lose the coin you shouldn?t ?ve bet.? A few of the observers laughed, while offending sailor just glowered. It was her deal, so she scooped up the deck and began shuffling. ?Alright, who?s in for the next hand??
 

Tortilla the Hun

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"Well, 'f ye don't mind me sayin', I think there's few tunnels to small for me to tussle in," the Legionnaire remarked, a brow cocked as he looked over the map. Though depending on how accurate the maps were, it would be tight nonetheless. He was confident, but he preferred not to be overly so. The dwarf set his helm on the table and leaned over the splayed maps, his hands flat on the wooden surface as he thought. He hummed audibly and chewed on his lip before muttering his thoughts aloud.

"Through the front or the back, we go one way in full we'll have the numbers," Berund remarked, a gloved finger idly sliding across the marked passages of one of the maps. "But say we take both? Jarrett an' I slip through the narrow, the rest comin' in the front? We'd be divided, but so would their attention. Dunno what sort of forces we'd be dealin' with. Might be they're not expectin' unwelcome guests. Might not. Whichever it is, I think it best we take 'em split."
 

Protocol95

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"To be honest I'm not sure why we keep multiple maps, all the caves in the Free Marches look too much alike."

"At least it makes them easier to, ahem, 'clear out'." Jarrett casually said, reflecting on his time working in the free marches. The average person spent their daily lives hoping for consistency so as to have easy peace of mind in their lives. Loved ones and work contributed to this effort. With only the latter involved in his life Jarrett believed reassurance in his path in life came easier. Having his system of work be made easier by the simplicity of navigation was a plus. But still...

"Even if isn't the most exciting thing." He frowned before falling into the background.

"But say we take both? Jarrett an' I slip through the narrow, the rest comin' in the front?

"I actually agree. Berund and I are fairly self sufficient and the other group would share a fair balance. Things take a turn for the worse, we should be able to retreat easily. Relatively."
 

DarkRawen

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"Unless anyway one else has any ideas?"

"But say we take both? Jarrett an' I slip through the narrow, the rest comin' in the front? We'd be divided, but so would their attention. Dunno what sort of forces we'd be dealin' with. Might be they're not expectin' unwelcome guests. Might not. Whichever it is, I think it best we take 'em split."

"I actually agree. Berund and I are fairly self sufficient and the other group would share a fair balance. Things take a turn for the worse, we should be able to retreat easily. Relatively."

Ash frowned. He didn't like Berund and Jarrett's idea at all. "Is that a good idea though? To just approach them from two directions and allow their placement to decide where we end up fighting? They have mages too, right? And rogues... they could easily surprise us if they know the area better than us, they'll be able to easily drive out the ones entering from the main entrance. Besides, by going to their position, we could end up somewhere none of our close range attackers can fight, or where I cannot use magic effectively." Ash looked at the maps, leaning over and taking another look at it, pointing towards the areas Nola had mentioned.

"I think we should take the secret entrance as a group, then split up and part into the smaller caves and tunnels, find a place where a fight is better for us, that we can use for our own benefit, and then have someone lure groups into that area."

Ash started going over the map. "There's traps as well. We should at least try to take them, given that there could be someone manning them. And I'm better off in a lookout area where I can cast spells over a wide area, and then the wider areas we could..." he trailed off, realizing that he had started muttering.

"My point is that by trying to surround them, we're still letting their group decide where a fight happens, and we'll fail to take any traps into account. And we're not gaining that much from having two people surprise them from behind, you only get some hits in before they know you're there. However, by taking the entrance they won't expect, and moving in a group, we have the time and opportunity, as well as numbers, to pick our positions and lure them in a few at a time. There is the downside of us not being able to retreat, of course, or they surprising us while using the hidden entrance."

Ash crossed his arms. "I don't think I could do anything about the retreat, but if I go first, I'll be able to handle whoever comes our way, we'll see them from a distance and my magic can be very potent indeed, especially against individuals. And don't worry about me and the caverns, I spent a depressing amount of my childhood hidden in cupboards and crates, so I know I'm very flexible."
 

IFS

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"We should go through here." She said pointing at the hidden opening. "I don't want to risk the Halla unless we have to, once the cave is clear we can either carry the smaller vessel through the cave, or wait till the tide allows us out. If the Venatori haven't found it, we can sneak in behind and catch 'em with their pants down. If they have...."

"Hmm, it sounds a bit risky," Rumsfeld said to Nola "And it sounds like your fellows have some suggestions of their own, but it'll be your call in the end. If I might make one of my own perhaps some method of signalling the Halla would be ideal, that way if you get caught in a bind you can hail my crew and we can try to swing in to pull your arse out of the fire."

Rumsfeld grinned at the suggestion "The Halla's got a fair bit of firepower with the ballista after all, though I have to say I agree with you in that I'd rather not risk her if possible."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Alright, who's in for the next hand?"

"I'm done," one of the sailors said "won't have anything left to spend at the Rose at this rate."

"As if you had enough to begin with," another sailor teased.

The first shrugged "A man can dream."

"I'm done too," another sailor said "ought to get some shut eye before we reach the cave, anyone who wants my seat can take it."

"Please I'm not nearly drunk enough for that," a sailor who had been watching said "I already lose enough money to Tenaraad, and I've nearly figured out his tells."

"Tennie doesn't have any tells."

"Just shows what you know."

The other sailors trailed off, debating among each other how you could or couldn't read a qunari or simply making their way to their cots to catch some measure of sleep before landfall. When the table had too few players for a proper game Tenaraad approached.

"You aren't of the Qun," he said pointedly "nor have you ever been."

He was silent briefly then spoke again "But you have purpose, I can see it in how you hold yourself. Mad purpose like all Bas but purpose all the same. I wish to know where your purpose comes from, what keeps you from being a simple beast."

Another pause.

"I will elaborate. I was of the Qun once, it provided me purpose and without it I struggled to be anything," he said "the small one, he said his people keep records to retain purpose. I have thought to try the same."

One of the few lingering sailors spoke "I think that is the most words I've heard out of him in ages."

A glare from Tenaraad quickly shooed him away.