NSWRPF Archive Rise of the Wardens: A Dragon Age RP

[image=http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/dragonage/images/3/3f/Grey_Wardens.gif]


It has been 10 years since the last Blight. The Grey Warden known as Alistair has taken his fallen half brother Cailen?s place his role as the ruler of Ferelden. His advisor and second in command, the man who inevitably saved Fereleden by defeating the Arch Demon, has been missing for quite a some time, having set out to find his lover Morrigan.

But their time was then. It was high time that they passed the mantle of responsibility to new heroes.

Grey Wardens from distant capitols had arrived a month after the Blight had been stopped. They left a small compliment of experienced warriors with Alistair to bolster the Warden?s ranks, and shared with him the secrets of the Joining. Since that time, the numbers of the Grey Wardens has been steadily increasing, but it is still a slow process of rebuilding. For every 5 candidates willing to sacrifice their lives for the wellbeing of Fereleden, only 2 or 3 survive the Joining. This fact is made all the more horrible with reports of the Dark Spawn growing in numbers once again.

Ferelden is once again in need of a savior. The land is slowly but surely being burned by the Dark Spawn. King Alistair is worried that they might not have done a thorough enough job in killing the Archdemon before. Perhaps something went wrong with the magic?s that Morrigan used to spare her lovers fate. But dreams of Dragons and Demons merging with the Dark Spawn have been becoming more and more frequent for the Wardens.

Whatever the reason, the Dark Spawn must be stopped. New Wardens must be made. New weapons and stronger armor must be crafted. A new age of battle has only just begun.



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Welcome to the Rise of The Wardens. This is, as you may have guessed, a Dragon Age RP. The Dark Spawn are on the rise again 10 years after the events of the game and it will be the job of newly created Grey Wardens.

You will start as a potential recruit for the Wardens, having answered the call of King Alistair for volunteers. Your opening post for your character will detail events leading up to their Joining ritual. From there the story will take off and it will be up to the players to shape what happens. People can be hurt, but player deaths wont be common.

Rules

Obey the rules of the forum
Remember to keep it clean, even though the game was a Mature rating, we are going to keep this game PG-13. So keep the swearing to a minimum and the graphic nature to a dull roar.
This is meant to be an adventure, treat it like one.
No Godmoding. If I see this in excess, you might just have an Arch Demon eat your face.
Word of the GM is law.
Keep OOC to a minimum as it clutters the thread.
Take all issues with other players to a PM please, if it can?t be resolved rationally with compromise, then the GM will step in and settle the matter.
It?s based off of the game, find better items, better gear as we go along. No one is going to start with Juggernaut armor or Dragonbone weaponry. If you want that stuff?. Go slay a darned Dragon or take a trip spelunking in a forgotten ruin somewhere.
BE CREATIVE!
All Character Sheets will be PM?d to me for approval. DO NOT POST YOUR SHEET BEFORE BEING APPROVED.
I will allow one character per player, Grey Wardens are on the rise, but not THAT much. Stay realistic.

Above all, Have fun. Dragon Age was one of the best games I have ever played personally. I want to make this a good experience for all parties involved.

Character Sheet

Please be descriptive and use detail
For anyone not familiar with the story or universe, refer to

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race: (Human, Elven, Dwarven)
Class: (Warrior, Rogue, Mage)
Background: (Nobility, Commoner)
Specialty: (Dual wielding, Two Handed weapons, Etc)
Physical Description: (Built, or some skinny little person, use your imagination)
Physical Appearance: (Hair, eyes, skin pigment, height, tattoos.. etc etc.)
Starting weaponry:
Starting Ar

 

GM APPROVED!!!!

Name: Behlim Sigmar

Age: 37

Gender: Male

Race:Dwarf

Class: Warrior

Background: Commoner

Specialty: Two Handed Weapons, Champion

Appearance: [image=http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb132/4umTroll/dwarf_by_shonensan.jpg]

Starting Weaponry: Great War Ax, Steel

Starting Armor: Dwarfern Plate (Steel) Armour

Bio:
Sigmar, a common last name among Dwarfs found among the Warrior Caste, one of many that serves under House Aeducan. It?s a running joke to many that House Sigmar is the warrior caste, if only because of their sheer numbers relative to the other houses in the Warrior Caste.

Behlim, then can be considered one of the two faces of the Warrior Caste then, along with his brother Baldur. Both as served as the right hand men of Prince Bhelen, Behlim as his general and Baldaur as his personal guard. For ten long years he has served in combat along human mercenaries to reclaim the former trade routes, mines, passage ways, farms, and other vital patches of Dwarfen territory that had once seemed to be permanently infested with the Darkspawn. For those ten years he couldn?t be more proud to be a Dwarf Warrior, hacking away at the parasites that stolen their land long ago and help bring in new Dwarfs to settle that land. Being one of the honored few to be allowed to help resurrect their dying race tends to kindle those type of emotions.

It was after a decade of fighting Behlim went from one of the King?s greatest supporters to one of his political enemies. After Bhelen dissolved the Assembly and declared he and his line of a caste of their own, the Royal Caste, Behlim joined himself with a large group of dissenters mainly comprised of Nobles and Warriors like himself, conservatives who thought although some change is good, certain values muse be upheld. Dwarfs are a people of tradition, and even if Bhelen might be a wise king and the Assembly might have been corrupt, reverence to traditions is the most important virtue a Dwarf could hold and MUST be up held no matter what the cost.

When an assassination plot was indirectly linked to the Behlim?s group of protesters, he was thrown out of his House for fear of being disgraced by him, and shunned by the other former dissenters, wanting to distance themselves far from the large black mark that promised to drag them and their Houses down to ruin if that continued the path they had once walked upon.

With no work as for him in the Warrior Caste, he saw he had only three options. One was to join one of the faceless Casteless and bring even more disgrace to himself, join the Legion of the Dead and hope to reclaim honor at the cost of life, or a third almost as dangerous as the second. Join the Grey Wardens.


Reason for joining the Wardens: Try and somehow reclaim the honor he lost when he accidentally threw his lots in with traitors, and possibly find a way to restore Orzammar to the way it once was.

 

Name: Daemon Maddigan

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Class: Warrior

Background: Nobility

Specialty: Two handed Swords
Physical Description: Strong build, very muscular, though also toned.

Physical Appearance: 6?3, Unnatural white hair that is shoulder length, dark brown eyes, Aristocratic facial features, very defined bone structure.

Starting weaponry: Greatsword (Steel)

Starting Armor: Chain mail, (Grey steel)

Bio: Daemon was born into a privileged life. He was the second son of a noble house in Orlais. When Daemon was very young however, he was sent away to Ferelden to visit relatives. He didn?t know about the very important things happening at that point in his life. Daemon had been sent away with a steward just before a planned assassination attempt on his family was carried out. The attempt was successful and from then on Daemon was alone in the world with his Steward. When the Steward broke the news of why they had left, Daemon was extremely angered. The Steward was actually a skilled warrior and taught the young boy how to manage his anger into a force to be reckoned with. From then until recently, Daemon trained, he fought, and he won nearly any fight or battle he was thrown into. The years passed quickly and found Daemon nothing more than a wanderer in Ferelden, settling in no single place but generally staying in the area of the province. Not once has he even thought about returning to Orlais, as nothing was really holding him there. He didn?t think that the life of nobility really suited him at this point in his life. He was more of a rough and tumble kind of person, albeit one with excellent manners.

Reason for joining the Wardens: Daemon was recruited by the Grey Warden that had saved Ferelden from the last Blight. They happened to have a chance meeting in the wilderness whilst both were traveling across intersecting paths. As they had done so, the two had been jumped by bandits. The bandits had been easily dispatched but the Grey Warden didn?t let Daemon leave quickly following. Daemon was an aimless spirit, and when presented with the opportunity to be a part of something greater than himself, he jumped to the challenge readily.

 

GM APPROVED

Name: Anvila
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Class: Rogue/Ranger
Background: Commoner
Specialty: Archery
Physical Description: Slim athletic build. A runner, swimmer or gymnast's body.
Physical Appearance: Short blond hair, fair skin, Green Eyes, Dalish tattoos down her right arm.
[image=http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/2146/anvila.jpg]
Starting weaponry: Dalish Long Bow, Elf-Flight Arrows (Dar'Misu short sword as a backup)
Starting Armor: Dalish Leather Armor

Bio: Anvila was born to Drasti and Rema, traveling merchants. She traveled with her parents and twin brother Froy as they roamed Fereldon buying, selling and trading. Anvila and Froy were only ten when the last Blight was fought, and while it failed to wipe out Fereldon it did wipe out her family. Her father was slaughtered and her mother taken by a random band of Darkspawn that came upon them in the night. Anvila only survived because Froy hid her from the Darkspawn and led them away from her and into the night.

That was the last she saw of her brother. She wandered the road for the next week, surviving on what ever she could find. She was found by a passing clan of Dalish Elves. Lilith, the Clan's Herd Master, took a liking to the girl. Anvila reminded her of the daughter she had lost many years ago. Lilith convinced the Keeper to allow her to adopt the human girl and raise her in the Dalish ways.

For the last ten years Anvila has lived, worked, and trained with the Dalish Elves. Lilith is very proud of her adoptive daughter, she has become a fine young woman, and an accomplished Hunter able to stalk the most wary of prey.

On one particular day, the day of her solo hunt, Anvila took great care in stalking and killing the Stag that was to be her first real kill. She observed the Stag, followed it, she came so close to it that she could hear its heart. A single arrow pierced that heart killing the animal instantly. She spoke to the spirit of the animal, thanking it for the nourishment and shelter its body would provide.

Upon returning to her Clan's camping site she was greeted by destruction. Tents, and wagons burned. Bodies littered the ground and blood ran in little streams of red. Her Clan had been slaughtered. She knelt next to a body and turned it over, and cursed as the face of a hurlock stared back at her blankly. Tears streamed down Anvila's face. Darkspawn had taken her mother, killed her father, her brother, and now her Clan.

Anger welled up in her grief, and hatred overpowered everything. She buried her Clan and burned the Darkspawn. Anvila stared into the pyres of twisted bodies and the flames that reflected off her eyes were the flames of vengeance.

Reason for joining the Wardens: Revenge

 

GM APPROVED


Name: Jaden Mastre
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Background: Commoner
Specialty: Primal Magic though he knows one or two healing spells.
Physical Description: While his years of study had made him quite proficient in the magical arts, he is not a warrior and thus possesses a bit of a slimmer build rather then a muscular one.
Physical Appearance: Jaden remembers that his jade-green eyes were the reason behind his parents' choice of name. At the top of his 5'8", the mage possesses shoulder length black hair which is kept in a low tail. His skin possesses a pale coloring due to his years locked away in the Mage Tower and is usually hidden beneath a set of green and violet robes.
Starting weaponry: Enchanter's Staff (Steel)
Starting Armor: Mage Robes
Bio: While the Darkspawn had been expelled in the end, one cannot forget what tragedy and destruction they left in their wake. From the ruins of Ostagar where the King was slain and the Grey Wardens of Ferelden slaughtered to the capital city of Denerim that was the center of the massacre that followed when the Ferelden army had mistakenly assumed that the Blight would continue it's conquest at Redcliffe. Jaden had been at the latter, a child of eleven years when the Darkspawn had broken down the walls of Denerim. Starting at the Market District where he had gone to several times to shop with his mother, the Darkspawn stretched throughout the capital city to satisfy their desire for death and mayhem. Fortunately, the army of Ferelden had arrived not too long after and the Darkspawn's attention of seeking out survivors that still hid - such as Jaden - was shifted to new force that wished to challenge them.

Once the Archdemon had been slain and the Blight having ended, time for reconstruction and a search for the survivors took place which is how the eleven-year-old, cowering within the Alienage, was found. But even with the end of the Blight, there was still the other blight; the disease that is spread by the darkspawn which twists and corrupts any living organism that it comes in contact with. Doctors and Spirit Healers had been brought in case of such a thing and it was one of these Spirit Healers that had tended Jaden. And it was when he was tending the child that the Spirit Healer discovered Jaden's magic potential that had helped him recover from the blight.

With his family having seemingly joined the ranks of the dead, there was no place left for Jaden in the ravaged Denerim and so he was sent to the Circle Tower to study the magical arts and help restore the numbers of the mages that had been lessened during the Blight and the demon outbreak that occurred within the tower shortly before. Jaden proved to be quite a bright student, eagerly taking in what lesson is thrown at him while spending most of his time within the library, pouring over tomes to further expand his knowledge and power. He was not much of a social character, too deep in his studies, but the results can't be disputed. When the time of his Harrowing came, he had been able to complete it in a short amount of time.

Despite possessing such potential, the call for volunteers to replenish the ranks of the Grey Warden cannot be ignored. The mages had responded to the initial call to arms with a very small number of mages for the Ferelden army but with the defeat of the Blight - and the fact that the Circle Tower's freedom was to be thanked by a Grey Warden - they had allowed Jaden to volunteer to become a Grey Warden.
Reason for joining the Wardens: Jaden would like to think that revenge is beyond him. Instead, his reasoning for joining the Wardens is to make sure that what happened at Denerim and so many others like him would never happen again.

 

GM NOTE!

Alright everyone, I have a couple sheets still on the way but we are gonna get started. Game will start tomorrow, Monday December 7th

 

IC: Mallek Terrus

Mallek Terrus strode calmly out in the wilderness of Ferelden. He was out on a mission. The Grey Wardens needed more recruits now more than ever. Their numbers were growing, but not fast enough. And according to the dreams that Mallek was having, the Darkspwan hadn?t wasted they last 10 years idly. They had found another Old God.

In the old days, records spoke of 7 Gods. The God?s took the form of Dragons, thus starting the Dragon Age. Eventually, the Gods fell into a deep sleep for reasons unknown to Mallek. He had never been one to be big on history. He knew the parts that mattered and that was all.

What he did know was that the Darkspawn actively sought out the Old Gods. Once they found them, the blight would infect the Ancient Deity?s with the taint of their blood. The mix of taint and ancient power would create a new Archdemon that would lead the Darkspawn to the surface of Ferelden in massive armies whose soul purpose was the destruction of the world.

That was Mallek?s interpretation anyway. His dreams had not yet shown an actual Archdemon, but he was getting the unsettling feeling that it was going to happen. If at all possible, the new order of Grey Wardens would have to stop it from happening, and should it come to it, kill the new Archdemon.

So there he was. Walking through the wilderness, deciding on which direction he would go first to seek recruits for the Order. One road would lead to the mountains, which would split into another road leading towards the Circle of Magi. To the East lay the woods commonly associated with the Dallish Elves. He could always go to other areas such as Highever or Waking Sea, Redcliffe, or the obvious of Denerim.

The question was.

Which fork in the road would Mallek take?

Tag, all players.

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GM NOTE!

Okay people, Game On! Put down your first post and tell how Mallek comes to find you, it can be a dramatic event that he saves you from (much like Duncan did) or something along those lines. If you want to go into the Joining, feel free to do so. I will allow each player to control as many NPC?s as they like for the purpose of the Joining, but make no mistake, if more than your character survives the joining, you will not have control of them any longer. So don?t type up about a character you really like because you wont have them for long.

Things to remember about Mallek are as follows;

He isn?t the wise man like Duncan was. He is more of a Doer rather than a Thinker. His methods aren?t exactly blunt but they aren?t as sharp as a razor either. He has a kind of transparent mindset to him. You either like him or you don?t.

He is a human male.
Though he isn?t as wise as Duncan, he does have ties to all areas of Ferelden, so leaders of clans, Kings, Teyrns and the like would all know him.

If there are any questions about mannerisms, please feel free to PM me. I would be more than happy to give more details.

Other than that, let the game begin! Enjoy!

 

IC: Daemon Maddigan

Home was something that Daemon hardly remembered. Some people said that home was where you lay your head at night. But Daemon slept just about anywhere he felt like it, and it never felt like what one would call ?Home?. He was an Orphan. But one that felt absolutely zero about losing his parents. He had been very young when his steward spirited him from Orlais. Now, Daemon didn?t even retain an Orlesian accent. He was just another wandering swordsman in Ferelden.

He had no destination. No inkling of what someone his age should be doing or going. He was indeed a noble of his own land, but in this part of the world, that title meant nothing. Maybe someday he would return to Orlais. But it wasn?t going to be soon, of that he was certain.

It was a day like today that made Daemon feel glad that he was alive. It was beautiful out. The sun was shining through the canopy of trees. The air was cool but not cold. It had that crisp smell that made Daemon smile contently. Today was different. Because unlike most days of Daemon?s life, today had meaning. Meaning and purpose.

Today, Daemon was going to test his meddle with the Grey Wardens. He had been selected by a Grey Warden he happened to pass by on the road a couple days back. The two of them had been attacked by bandits as they passed each other. Both men had sprung into action without hesitation and both men had come out none the worse for the fight. Daemon had then found out that this was the Grey Warden that had stopped the last Blight and lived to tell the tale. The Warden had sent him on his way with a letter of recommendation, telling him to head to the ruins of Ostagar. Daemon wasn?t sure what the ruins held for him but, it was a direction. He hoped that he had what it took to become a Warden himself. He knew that that was something to be proud of, living your life in servitude to the greater good. That was really all Daemon wanted.

Purpose.

It took the former noble a few days to reach the destroyed ruins of Ostagar. The fortress was being rebuilt, but it wasn?t half of what it used to be, not yet. Towers still lay in rubble. The Old Temple was in shambles. All around, one could see the signs of battle of ten years past.

The Grey Warden that had sent him along had told him to wait by the Old Temple for as long as it took for a man named Mallek to show up. When he did, he was to present his letter to the man and undergo something called ?The Joining?. Again, Daemon knew nothing of what it all meant, but he had a task and he would see it through. It was just as well, Daemon was the perfect kind of person for waiting. The last 25 years of his life had been nothing but wandering. His steward had been long since dead now, so he had had not direction to walk in, just which ever way the wind blew. He was prepared to wait at the Old Temple for as long as it took for this Mallek person to show up.

It wasn?t a bad wait, in Daemons perspective. He would wander around camp sometimes, imagining the huge battle on the field below him, the area that had claimed former King Cailen?s life. The last Blight had started in this place. It was the first stone cast. Daemon had been in another province at the time of the last Blight. His Steward had made sure he was not around danger, for as long as he could. While he had agreed to teach Daemon the ways of strength and steel, the Steward was still a man who was charged with the boy?s safety. They had only heard of the Blight in passing.

Daemon had come to Ferelden, ignorant of history and lacking in understanding of the real events going on in the world.

But not anymore. The Warrior could feel the strength of this place. It had seen battle after battle and yet still it stood. It may have been destroyed a hundred times over, but eventually it had resurfaced, having been rebuilt again and again, as it was now.

Some days, as he would wait, Daemon would help workers lifting heavy stones or tools. He wasn?t a craftsman so he didn?t holistically feel comfortable working on the stones

 

IC: Jaden Mastre
Ostagar, Old Temple

"Join us brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant."

Despite the mage's usual calm demeanor, Jaden couldn't help but fidget just a little as the words were spoken by the presiding Warden, Mallek he said his name was when he first arrived at the Circle Tower, looking for a "promising" young mage that had spoken out about joining the Grey Wardens to help refill their ranks. The recruitment had gone smoothly and easily. When the questions of why he wished to join the Grey Wardens and if he was indeed sure about joining were answered, that had been it. The Mages, despite wishing to refill their own ranks, could hardly refuse with all that the Grey Wardens had done within the last ten years.

Not that their accomplishments had been lost to Jaden. After all, it had been thanks to three Wardens that had saved not only Jaden but all of Ferelden during that final battle with the Blight and the Archdemon. There had been several other such feats that Jaden had quickly become privy to during the trip to Ostagar but his decision had already been set by then.

"Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn."

But was that decision wavering upon the sight that was before him? It seemed so ordinary, so innocent, but Jaden knew the terrible evil that was hidden within. An evil that had secretly haunted his dreams and drove him to his studies in the magical arts.

An evil that he was supposed to consume.

The grip that held his staff tightened as he beheld the chalice that sat on the pedestal in the middle of the gathering of recruits. When they had arrived at Ostagar after gathering the four other recruits, Mallek had assigned them the task of gathering vials of darkspawn blood. Five vials, one for each of them. That in itself should've warned the mage about the possibilities of what such ingredients could be used for.

Searching for the darkspawn had been easy enough. Ostagar had known it's fair share of Blight incursions starting at the very first. The most recent Blight had started here and should have been ended if not for some...setbacks. Despite the ten years that had passed since the darkspawn had retreated upon the slaying of their twisted, demonic master, one could still find the raiding parties here and there as always. Especially at Ostagar. Especially with the darkspawn numbers increasing once again.

Enough for an Emissary to be at the forefront of the group that Jaden and his party stumbled upon. Arguably the most deadly of the darkspawn, Emissaries were also the most intelligent. And it was this intelligence that allowed them to wield terrible magic. While his allies handled the genlocks and pair of hurlocks, Jaden took on the Emissary himself. It was his first time ever battling with another spellcaster to the death but fortunately his talents had not failed him. Before the might of his power the Emissary was petrified. Literally. It turned to stone and with another uttered spell it shattered, ending it's life as well as the threat it had poised to the group.

Without magical support, the remaining darkspawn quickly fell when Jaden turned his spells upon them. The two hurlocks found themselves being handed a similar fate that befell the Emissary, a blast of cold freezing them and allowing the mace and sword of Raynor and Kayl to shatter them as the Emissary did before them. Nyella, an elf that provided more mortal support, felled gemlocks with her arrows while Noghar, the armored dwarf, slew the last one by crushing it under the weight of his warhammer.

From their slain foes they collected the blood that they needed, the five vials that they had been sent out with quickly becoming full. And upon their return they gave the vials to Mallek. Even as he pondered their use Jaden wasn't expecting the blood to be used for consumption. Especially for them to be the ones drinking it.

The mage had been up against terrible things from when he first witnessed the atrocities of the darkspawn when th

 

OOC: A few things I need to edit. Anvila is an Archer/Duel weapons Specialist. And I have added another Dar'Misu sword to her weapons. This is of course Radiantly APPROVED.


IC: Anvila
Forest Road

Cold? she felt cold despite the warmth of the sun peaking through the trees. The beautiful day was all but lost on her as she followed the tracks on the road. She had been following the darkspawn for three days, ever since she picked up the tracks leading from her clan?s camp. There were eight darkspawn survivors from the raid; her clan had put up a vicious fight.

The clash of weapons caught her attention and she picked her way carefully through the underbrush. What she saw she did not expect. The six darkspawn were engaged in combat with a lone human, the seventh was a headless mess adorning the forest floor. Something nagged at the back of her mind yet she couldn?t put her finger on it. He fought with a relentlessness that she found herself admiring. But it was still six against one? Wait where was the eight?

She pushed the thought from her mind as the human warrior stumbled, not much but enough to give the advantage to the darkspawn. The creatures laughed with malice as they prepared to swarm the human.

Her first arrow took the lead Hurlock in the left eye, and before the arrowhead could punch through the back of the creature?s head, it?s twin blossomed in the Hurlock?s right eye.

Now that surprise was lost, Anvila stepped clear of the brush, another arrow already knocked. She drew and aimed in one smooth motion. The arrow took the Genlock in the throat, its beady little eyes widened in surprise and pain. It let out a strangled gurgle as it clawed at its neck.

The Human had not wasted the opportunity that her distraction had provided. His sword gutted a darkspawn that had turned towards the new threat. The human took another Henlock before the remaining two creatures tried to flee.

The human?s sword slashed across the hamstring of the slower Genlock, and he executed it as it writhed on the ground. Anvila?s arrow took the faster Henlock in the back of the head. It slumped to the ground like the sack of rotted meat it was.

?Impressive shooting.? The human had sheathed his sword and was looking at her with what could only be curiosity. She knew the look well, most humans looked at her like that, a human girl in Elvish attire with Dalish markings upon her face and arms was an unusual sight. The tattoo that adorned her left eye was a reminder to her that although she was physically human, she was an Elf in spirit. The Elvish Script that covered her arms were incantations asking for strength and sureness of aim and swiftness of blade.

She was about to answer him when she heard the crack of a twig behind her. The human?s eyes registered the threat at the same instant she drew her Dar'Misu blades, reversed her grips and drove both blades into the eighth and final Hurlock.

She wiped her blades clean on the dead darkspawn, sheathed them and picked her Long Bow up from where she had dropped it. Her face had not changed at all during the course of the battle. It still showed the cold, barely controlled fury that she had worn since finding her clan.

The human helped her pile the bodies for burning, during which he asked her questions. She ignored him for the most part? until she found out he was a Grey Warden, Mallek by name. She went from being standoffish, to standoffish but willing to answer questions.

Somehow, Anvila was not quite sure how, he got her to talking about how she came to live with elves, and for a while her fury was lost to the fond memories of her clan. Of course the ending of the store was enough to bring the fury back.

The story of how these darkspawn slaughtered her clan and how she had tracked them to this place came out with more emotion then she had shown since burying her Clansmen. Her face was red and her breathing was furious, and then?

It was amazing. One moment her anger was so heated

 

IC: Daemon Maddigan
Gnawed Noble Tavern

The coin that Daemon had had prior to arriving in Denerim was quickly waning. For reasons void of him, he found it difficult to not be hungry. And in the days he had spent waiting for Mallek to arrive with more Wardens, Daemon didn?t feel himself gaining any more weight, despite his new voracious tendency.

He sat at one of the many tables in the main dining room one day, trying desperately not to order another turkey leg. Instead he sufficed to listen about what was going on around him. The place was loud enough that most conversations were drowned out but catches of a few could be plucked out of the air if one listened hard enough. Daemon sat surprised as his interest was sparked on a man talking about the Darkspawn.

??coming back. The Hero of Ferelden didn?t do a good enough job it seems. Ten years later and they are already attacking settlements in the south. It isn?t enough to just stay away from those areas. They surge in every direction? And where are the Wardens in all of this? I?ve not seen a one!?

Daemon smiled to himself. The Wardens would be there to stop the new threat. Mallek was seeing to that personally. Short of orders though, Daemon really didn?t know what it meant to be a Grey Warden. Sure he was supposed to fight the Darkspawn, but he needed some direction. Did he find them? Or was he supposed to stay in Denerim on the chance that it got attacked. The numbers of the Wardens were growing surely, but one new Warden wasn?t going to be enough to stop an attack. Daemon simply supposed that it was his current task to once again wait.

Which was absolutely fine with him, if and when another Blight came, he would still be there. Currently speaking, the world wasn?t going anywhere, and neither was he.

He lost the conversation as his attention was diverted to a newcomer entering the tavern. Something stood out about the younger man. He was obviously a Mage, but there was something more about him. He had the robes, he had the staff, the stereotypical Mage. There was one thing that Daemon noticed that stood out about him.

He was wearing a small locket almost identical to the one that Daemon had tucked under his shirt.

Daemon made eye contact with his fellow Warden and reached in to pull his locket into plain sight. He motioned for the younger man to come and join him, and introduced himself, keeping his voice low enough to be heard by his new companion, but not loud enough to let his voice rise above the clamor in the room.

?You are a fellow Warden yes? My name is Daemon.?

Before the youth could speak up, another new arrival strode through the door. Daemon found that the new Warden recruits had some kind of demeanor about them, something strange about them that made them stand out in his eyes. It was strange enough to think about, let alone put his finger on what it was.

The woman wore markings like an Elf, but was most decidedly human. Daemon absently found the markings and tattoos pleasing to the eyes. The bow and weaponry adorning the woman was hint enough that she had been a hunter. Daemon personally, had not seen what a Dallish Elf looked like, but had to assume that the woman standing before the room was close to the mark. He didn?t make such an obvious gesture to her as he had with the Mage, if only for the fact that he gave her more credit to observation and situational awareness. Mallek had likely sent recruits here to meet up. Though a Tavern seemed like a strange place for a group of newly formed Grey Wardens to assemble. Daemon had hoped for some kind of fortress or temple like Ostagar. But a Tavern was as good a place as any. It meant that they had to identify each other early, or be lost to the thrall of patrons mulling about.

Daemon didn?t think they would have any trouble identifying each other.

He took off his Greatsword easily and leaned it against the fireplace behind and to the left of his chair. Daemon waited for the young mage and the strange woman to introduce themselves before speaking mo

 

IC: Jaden
Denerim, Gnawed Noble Tavern

?You are a fellow Warden yes? My name is Daemon.?

A white-haired man had seemed ready to greet him as soon as Jaden walked into the tavern, before he had even gotten a chance to talk about renting a room. By 'fellow Warden', the mage could only assume that this Daemon was a Warden as well. A glance downwards and seeing the similar pendant that the older man possessed like the one adorned around the mage's neck confirmed that theory. With a nod of his head to signal confirmation, Jaden walked over to the table where the man sat, taking his own seat and resting his staff against his shoulder.

The scent of food that was brewing in the kitchen caused the mage's noise to twitch while his stomach rumbled. Ever since the Joining, Jaden had noticed that it was difficult for him to satisfy his appetite. During his journey to Denerim that fact had been pointedly made clear to him. Despite having packed what should've been an adequate amount of rations for his trip to Denerim, he had to constantly force himself to not break from his careful rationing. And Jaden, like many others of his calling, was usually someone that could be considered as a light eater too.

He didn't let the smell of food distract him though. Refocusing his attention back to the man seated with him, Jaden had been about to return the introduction with a name of his own but paused when he noticed that Daemon was looking back at the entrance to the tavern. Curious, the mage turned to look.

For a visible second he froze upon seeing the getup and for half of that said second he wondered if Nyella had indeed survived the Joining and had been assigned to come to Denerim when she had recovered. But no. Despite the deceased elf having worn a similar attire - complete with the tattoos -, they were not the same as the ones that were worn by this woman that now strode towards them. And unlike Nyella, this one was human. The surprise gave way to mild curiosity at the sight of a human dressed up like an elf. While Nyella had mentioned leaving Denerim in her quest to become a warrior and that her getup was that of the Dalish, Jaden had never confirmed if she actually met one of the mysterious forest elves. He had assumed that she did but what was he to make of a human being dressed as one of them?

He kept the questions to himself and with a nod of greeting Jaden scooted over to make room for her to sit. Taking this moment, Jaden signaled for a serving woman, his hunger demanding that he eat something. The scent that he detected resonating from the kitchens - which smelled like some kind of stew - was good enough for him to risk ordering and hoping that would be enough to sooth his appetite.

While looking to see if any of the other two would wish to order, Jaden bowed his head politely before introducing himself simply as, "Jaden of the Magi", sticking to his decision to drop his family name.

TAG: Radiance, Anvil

 

IC: Anvila
Denerim, Gnawed Noble Tavern

Anvila looked in wonder at the tavern, in fact she had been in wonder since arriving in Denerim. She had never before seen a city, only read about them and the books did not do it justice. So many people jammed together... She couldn't see how they could live. She felt like she was wrapped in a wet blanket and she was just visiting.

The first thing Anvila noticed was the White haired warrior and the pale skinned academic who was probably a Mage judging by the staff that was propped up next to him. The warrior had a Greatsword next to him and he looked like he could use it.

They were Wardens. She would bet her bow on it. She picked out the pendents the two wore and smiled slightly at the accuracy of her instincts.

The second thing Anvila noticed was the smell of food, and her ravenous hunger returned. Ever since she had undergone the ?Joining? her appetite had been insatiable. She had never been grateful for her hunting skills so much in her life.

The white haired one saw her and recognition blossomed in his eyes, he knew what she was too. The academic turned to look as well and he looked stunned for a second, but he also recognized her for a Warden and moved his chair to make room for her.

He singled a serving woman as Anvila made her way to the table, grabbing a chair along the way. She settled at the table with the two humans and was a bit uneasy. It was the old tensions she had with her own kind. She had grown up with the Dalish and Dalish did not trust humans. Even knowing they were Wardens only helped a little. Until she got to know them she didn't think she would be easy with them.

Anvila asked the serving woman for a bowl of stew, and waited as the others ordered. Then the Academic spoke up. He introduced himself simply.

"Jaden of the Magi"

She nodded. A Mage, she knew it. Anvila decided to follow his example of a simple introduction.

?Anvila of the Dalish.?

Tag: Radiance, Sarge221

 

IC: Daemon Maddigan
Gnawed Noble Tavern

The hunter woman sat with him and the boy who he now knew as Jaden.

As the boy waved down the server, Daemon eyed his empty plate ruefully and wondered if it was really all that healthy to be packing away so much food. In response, his stomach showed up on queue. It rumbled loudly and Daemon looked up sheepishly at the server. He ordered another turkey leg, to which her response was rolling her eyes and walking away.

Jaden of the Magi, and Anvila of the Dallish

"Daemon... of... well, I guess I'm just Daemon of the Grey Wardens now. I don't particularly have a title per say. But it is good to meet you both. I have to assume that given your proximity to this location, that you showing up at nearly the same time is no coincidence. No one else survived my Joining, but I can't imagine that that is common enough to have happen each time. If I am right in that then I suppose that means since we are here and they are not, that we will be working together."

It was a new feeling. Having people around to talk to. Normally Daemon was the quiet one. Now he found himself talking more than he should. But then again, given his age difference for the current group, he may have naturally stepped into a leadership position in starting things, least of all conversation.

"Mallek told me that other Wardens would be showing up here in Denerim. He didn't tell me how many or when. Does anyone else know if there will be additional recruits showing up?"

He watched them both in turn. Sizing them up discretely. The hunter was a hunter in title because she was skilled at what she did. Under-confidant soldiers would carry the bare minimum of weaponry. This Anvila was armed to the teeth, which led Daemon to believe she could more than handle herself. She didn't need the tattoo's to be fearsome. All she had to do was walk into a room with her current gear to intimidate normal people. Lucky for Daemon, he wasn't easily intimidated, by women, men, elves, dwarfs, mages or what have you. Now being impressed was something else.

All the same, he was sure he would be glad some day that Anvila was on his side. Even if she did seem a bit standoffish.

And what of the young man Jaden?

The boy looked like he had literally just grown up. He was untested in the world. He looked small, almost frail. And yet when Daemon looked at him, he saw some kind of energy about the boy that he had never seen before. Simple as a mage may seem by outward appearance, it was probably impossible to gauge how powerful they really were. Daemon could see power radiating from Jaden even when he was so small in muscle mass and stature. The staff that the boy carried probably weighed no more than a stick to Daemon, but on the other hand.....

It probably packed more of a punch then Daemon did, and Jaden looked like he could use it comfortably.

It was going to be an interesting night of learning indeed.

tag sarge, anvil

 

IC: Jaden
Denerim, Gnawed Noble Tavern

Upon the woman's - Anvila's - confirmation that she was affiliated with the Dalish, Jaden couldn't help but have his brow raise in a slight arch. Odd. He was under the impression that the Dalish didn't take kindly to humans. Sure, they traded when they had to but the history that he learned of the Dalish had caused those elves to pretty much avoid humans like the plague...which he supposed they did indeed view humans as considering certain aspects of how they lost their former glory. Unless...he discretely tilted his head back just an inch. Nope, those ears definitely weren't elven. Interesting.

"No one else survived my Joining, but I can't imagine that that is common enough to have happen each time. If I am right in that then I suppose that means since we are here and they are not, that we will be working together."

"Only two others survived during mine," Jaden replied, momentarily looking back on that dark ritual. Kayl and Nyella's deaths were still fresh in his mind, the Joining having still been a recent thing, and it was still a bit sad when he thought of them, especially Nyella. "We were each sent to a different location to, as I was told, form our own separate parties with other recruits."

So Daemon was a new recruit as well? He seemed much older then him and Anvila; late thirties if the mage had to guess. Still, he was practically a giant compared to Jaden, both height and muscle-wise. Never mind the sword he could probably swing the mage around if he wanted to. Not that he would allow it but that wasn't the point. Despite the appearance of a veteran, however, Jaden thought he could spot more aristocratic features on the man.

His inspection of his new companions was put on hold when the serving woman returned with their orders. Taking a look at his stew, the appearance of the fresh-looking vegetables and meats along with the odor made the mage's stomach rumble again though he showed no visible signs of his hunger. He was ravenous and Jaden even wondered if he should've ordered something more filling such as the leg that Daemon ordered. Happy with this fare for now, the mage took the iron spoon that came with and started eating to finally satisfy his hunger, taking a spoonful, blowing on it lightly, and then putting the food on it's journey to his stomach.

"I don't know," Jaden soon spoke again between spoonfuls when asked if he knew anything about more recruits. There had been five in his original group before the Joining so maybe that was the standard number when it came to the Grey Wardens? Or were there to be less? The Ferelden Wardens had been all but decimated at Ostagar and even with reinforcements from other countries the mage wondered if they were anywhere close to restoring adequate numbers. Having to survive the Joining was something that could get in the way of such replenishment of numbers.

He was more worried about what they were supposed to do. While he had been told to group with other recruits in Denerim, Jaden had no idea what they were supposed to do. Just go out and fight darkspawn or was there something else being planned for them? The mage had to figure that they had been sent to Denerim for a reason.

"Did Mallek mention an assignment?" he asked to the other two. In all likelihood they didn't either if he had to guess but you never know.

TAG: Radiance, Anvil

 

IC: Anvila
Gnawed Noble Tavern

Anvila listened carefully to the white headed warrior, Daemon, as he introduced himself. He was quite a bit older then Jaden or herself, but still in his prime. She found herself admiring his strongly corded arms?. STOP IT! Her voice reverberated in her head. She was horrified that she had let those thoughts wander through her mind. She firmly placed her appreciation of the man into the professional range.

??but I can't imagine that that is common enough to have happen each time. If I am right in that then I suppose that means since we are here and they are not, that we will be working together."

"Only two others survived during mine?? Jaden seemed to withdraw from them for a moment, but was back quickly "We were each sent to a different location to, as I was told, form our own separate parties with other recruits."

Anvila looked at the table for a second ?The three before me died during the ritual. There was a woman that I was ahead of. I do not know if she survived for I was alone when I awoke. I declined to know her fate. If it is fated, I will fight by my friend's side at a future date.?

The serving girl had returned with their meals. The smell of the stew was inviting. She grabbed a spoon and a hunk of crusty bread and attacked the bowl with both ferocity and grace, somehow she managed to wolf down the stew without making a mess.

"Mallek told me that other Wardens would be showing up here in Denerim. He didn't tell me how many or when. Does anyone else know if there will be additional recruits showing up?"

Both Anvila and Jaden answered ?I don't know.? at the same time. She eyed the Mage with a bit of humor in her eyes as she mopped up the remains of the stew with the bread. With his smaller frame and short stature most would mistake him as a weakling next to Daemon, but Anvila could sense the power in the Mage. It was the way he held himself, the potental of all that magic at his finger tips. It didn't hurt that he was quite cute, with long dark hair and the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen...

Anvila muttered a soft curse and turned red as, again, her thoughts wandered through the gutter of her mind. It wasn't like she was naïve, her adoptive mother had been the herd mistress of the Clan. Anvila knew full well the mechanics of life. It was just that she had no interest in men... well she had had no interest in Elvish men. This would be the first time she had spent any amount of time with her own kind that didn't involve hard travel or battle.

The Mage finished his meal. She hoped that he had missed her embaressment. "Did Mallek mention an assignment?"

Interesting question. She had wondered what they were suppose to be doing here in Denerim when all the action was in the wilds south of Ostagar.

?He didn't mention anything to me. Only to wait at the Gnawed Noble Tavern for Wardens to join me.? Anvila set her bowl aside as silence started to descend upon the table. She didn't like the silence. The days alone since the ?Joining? had felt wrong and she now yearned for companionship. She turned to Jaden. ?You seemed surprised that I am of the Dalish. Is there a reason beyond the shape of my ears??

To Daemon she asked. ?Your accent is strange. Stranger then the other humans.? She winced, she had meant to say ?the other men?. The Elves wouldn't welcome her into their society. She was human, she needed to start accepting that.

Tag: Radiance, Sarge221

 

IC: Daemon Maddigan

Daemon listened to both of his new companions as they all began to tuck into their meals.

It seemed that Mallek had sent them here without telling one of them as to why, or what they were supposed to do. He silently wondered why everything in the Wardens was so secretive, even after the fact that they were now full fledged members of the Order.

His thoughts were broken as Anvila?s face turned scarlet. It was an interesting contrast to the markings she wore. He smirked to himself as his thoughts began to realize why she was getting embarrassed.

The only likely story is that she has somehow spent more time with the Dallish than with humans of her own age. Maybe she has never seen someone so striking as the young Jaden there.

He hid his smirk behind the thick turkey leg and took a huge bite.

"Did Mallek mention an assignment?"

?He didn't mention anything to me. Only to wait at the Gnawed Noble Tavern for Wardens to join me.?

Daemon shook his head slowly, still in curiosity that they knew so little about what they were supposed to do.

?Nor did he mention anything to me. Strange that none of us know why we are here.?

. ?You seemed surprised that I am of the Dalish. Is there a reason beyond the shape of my ears??

?I was actually curious about that myself.?
It was then that Anvila turned to Daemon and posed a comment he had not heard in years.

?Your accent is strange. Stranger then the other humans.?

Daemon smiled slightly.

?Though my years of wandering has all but stamped out the remnants of my past, I suppose a small portion of my accent does pull through occasionally. I was born in Orlais. But remember very little of the place, as I?ve spent most of my life here in Ferelden.?

He began to think about what kind of prerequisites the senior Wardens looked for in recruits. He had been chosen because he was a very competent warrior. It was a basis of skill around the board most likely. But it was strange to see so many backgrounds that normally never intersect, to come together for a common cause that they knew almost nothing about. What was the game Mallek was playing? Daemon had joined because he was being given a purpose, but now that he was here? what had that purpose evolved into? He was chatting up these two younger people, learning much about them and feeling good at having contact with someone but his own inner monologue. But at the same time, what was the point?

He came to the conclusion quickly that he was here because his purpose was to live his new life. He was no longer Daemon Maddigan of Orlais. He was Daemon of the Grey Wardens. His purpose was to fall into his new role as a warrior and defender of Ferelden, his cause was to join with these young men and women and defeat the Darkspawn and the threat they posed.

He was brought back to the present as his companions started talking again. Daemon absently tucked his pendant back into his shirt as he listened.

He tore his gaze from the two when the door opened behind them. Four men lumbered in, fully armored and armed as traveling mercenaries often were. These particular men, Daemon noticed, were obviously drunk.

They were better drunks than most, as they managed to walk straight and keep some level of coordination. But Daemon could see the bleary look in their eyes. They sat down at a table across the room and kept to themselves. Daemon simple glanced from them and then back to his companions, giving them a simple nod, that it was nothing important.

TAG sarge, anvil

 

IC: Jaden
Denerim, Gnawed Noble Tavern

His answer of "I don't know", had taken on a strange echo and Jaden glanced over at Anvila who had been responsible. Despite her seemingly more serious demeanor that the mage had detected when she walked into the tavern, he could detect the humor in her eyes. A ghost of a smile had appeared on Jaden's own face at that.

As they continued their meal, Jaden was a bit dismayed to hear that none of them seemed to have any idea as to why they were here or what they were supposed to do next. The mage had been hoping for some idea, some direction to be pointed out, but that didn't seem to be happening. Killing a sigh of exasperation that wanted to be released, Jaden just consumed another spoonful of his stew. The food, to the mage's hunger, was delicious and his appetite was slowly becoming appeased. Still, the mage found it surprising that he wished that he had ordered more.

?You seemed surprised that I am of the Dalish. Is there a reason beyond the shape of my ears??

Jaden turned his attention back over to Anvila, finding that the elf - no, human, not elf - was looking to him, the question obviously for him. He hid a wince. Guess his brief inspection hadn't been as discrete as he had hoped it was.

"I just find it a little unusual," Jaden spoke, trying to keep his mannerisms and questions polite. "I was under the impression that the Dalish kept their dealings with humans very brief. It is just surprising to see one such as you to be so affiliated with them." Thinking how that may've sounded he quickly corrected with, "Not that I have a problem with it; I'm just curious."

And why wouldn't he be? If his history lessons were indeed true, humans had done a lot of injustices to the elves. For some unexplainable reason, when elves first interacted with humans, they had seemingly lost their immortality. No reason behind it it was just that elves started to age and die like humans. And when they wished to sever any contact with humans, sealing themselves back in their homelands, the Imperium had taken it as a sign of hostility and invaded their lands. Where once they had been a glorious race, the elves were reduced to the scattered bands of the Dalish or prisoners of bigotry at the Alienage.

No, elves didn't like humans at all. Especially the Dalish.

Daemon seemed to reveal his own origins as well and, strangely, didn't seem to start within Ferelden at all. But rather Orlais. Ah, the accent that Anvila had pointed out did indeed make sense now.

Despite the revelations, Jaden hesitated, instead taking his time to finish the remains of his stew rather then reveal his own origins. Why? He didn't know. And it shouldn't matter now after all. It was ten years ago and that life of his was over. He had been a mage ever since the Spirit Healer had found him and sent him to the Tower upon discovering his magical potential.

"I was born in Denerim," Jaden finally revealed, though stopped when he noticed the drunks that Daemon was looking to. Glancing over his shoulder, the mage only watched them take a seat, seeing no trouble being made by them. He looked back over to the elder Warden curiously and received a nod that said that everything was alright.

"I was here ten years ago," he continued and the other two Wardens could probably figure out the importance of that time line. "I was found by the mages and sent to the Circle to study magic. After my Harrowing I volunteered and," he gestured to his pendant, "was accepted to join the Grey Wardens."

TAG: Radiance, Anvil

 

IC: Anvila
Gnawed Noble Tavern

"I just find it a little unusual. I was under the impression that the Dalish kept their dealings with humans very brief. It is just surprising to see one such as you to be so affiliated with them." Jaden seemed to think he might have insulted her, he quickly added "Not that I have a problem with it; I'm just curious."

Anvila heated a bit. ?No, I must apologise. I have not socialized with humans much. I am afraid my manors are a bit coarse. I understand you meant no insult, and I did not meant to say you implied one.?

Daemon turned to her then. ?I was actually curious about that myself.?

Anvila finished the piece of bread before speaking. ?My parents were killed during the last Blight. When the Dalish found me I was half dead from starvation. The Herd Mistress took pity on me, and convinced the Keeper to let me stay.? It was easy to relate this part of the story, it had happened so long ago that the pain was just a whisper in her heart.

?I left them almost a moon ago...? She hesitated. The hurt was too much. ?I came across Mallek battling a group of darkspawn. After we killed them, he invited me to join the Wardens.?

She turned to Daemon. ?Your accent is strange. Stranger then the other humans.?

?Though my years of wandering has all but stamped out the remnants of my past, I suppose a small portion of my accent does pull through occasionally. I was born in Orlais. But remember very little of the place, as I?ve spent most of my life here in Ferelden.?

She nodded, glad that the focus had turned from her. Jaden started to elaberate on his origins when Daemon glanced behind the Mage. Jaden turned to glance over his shoulder as well. She tilted her head a bit so that the door fell into her vision.

Four men lumbered in, fully armored and armed as traveling mercenaries often were. These particular men were obviously drunk.

They were better drunks than most, as they managed to walk straight and keep some level of coordination. But there was a bleary look in their eyes. They sat down at a table across the room and kept to themselves.

Daemon nodded as if he had regarded and dismissed them as a threat. Jaden seemed to take the older Wardens assessment of them and returned to his story. Anvila had a strange feeling about the men, something just didn't sit well with her... STOP! She shouted in her head. This distrusting of humans needed to stop here and now. She firmly put the men out of her head, and her prejudices out of the tavern.

Tag: Sarge221, Radiance

 

IC: Daemon Maddigan

Anvila seemed a bit put off by attention on her. It would take her time to adjust to their company, Daemon was sure. He just hoped she stopped calling them Humans soon. Eventually she would have to come to terms with the fact that she was one as well. It wasn?t as if Daemon didn?t understand, not at all. Having come from a country that most of Ferelden saw as evil was not easy. He found it all too easy to mix into the Ferelden culture to get away from the hurt of his past. It was not something he had spoken of to anyone, not even his Steward.

Daemon listened on. The small talk went back and forth for a while. His attention was being broken up slightly as the drunken mercenaries steadily descended into an inebriated stupor. They were becoming louder and a bit more crass. Daemon tried to ignore them.

?I am sure no one meant offense, we are just curious to get to know our traveling companions. On the flip side, I?m almost certain that there are things that each of us is not exactly willing to talk about on the first meeting. It will come in time. Trust will form between us eventually, as we spend more time around each other. I suppose..?

Daemon had to raise his voice to be heard above the drunkards.

?I SUPPOSE WE WILL JUST HAVE TO TRUST MALLEK FOR THE TIME BEING.?

His irritation was building. The mercenaries were becoming a nuisance. Most of the patrons were leaving due to the combination of the late hour and the absurd commotion that the mercs were creating. He looked up at the owner of the establishment who was eyeing the drunks warily. The owner walked over and greeted the group politely.

?Sirs, I think you all have had enough for the night, time to go home.?

One of the bleary eyed men looked up and smiled.

?Enough?! We aint even started yet ?ave we boys??

All of them roared with laughter.

Daemon was just about at his wits end. His concentration was effectively broken. His attention was now on the group again. He slowly pushed his chair out from the Warden?s table.

The owner was still trying to convince them to leave, but to no avail.

?Sirs, the hour is late and you are scaring customers away, I have to ask you to leave??

That was when things got bad. The leader of the mercs grabbed the owners collar and bodily flung him away.

?Just bring us more mead bar slave!?

The owner hit the floor and scrambled away, to the roaring laughter of the group.

Daemon strode over in an unthreatening manner.

?Good folk, I believe the owner of this establishment has asked you to leave, I ask also, that you honor that request.? He kept his voice even and calm, even wearing chainmail armor, and being as big as he was, Daemon could look unthreatening.

One of the men stood up and strode towards Daemon, looking up at him slightly.

?Well boys it likes like we have a hero! Why don?t you go back to your little dinner party with the whelp and that freak over there hero??

Daemon took a steadying breath.

?Sir, I must ask you to remove yourself from my personal space, your stench is a little more than my nose can bear at this range.?

The boys laughed from behind the merc. He turned and smiled at them. Then returned to Daemon, catching him off guard with a back handed slap. It snapped Daemon?s head to the side, but he didn?t move otherwise.

The merc had been wearing a steel gauntlet.

That had hurt.

Daemon turned his head slowly back to eye the merc who was standing his ground like a stupid man standing firm in front of a stampede. He had a false sense of security with his friends behind him, all watching the situation with utmost attention. They were ready to fight.

Daemon couldn?t see what Jaden and Anvila were doing, but he heard movement somewhere behind him. He craned his neck slowly over to look at the owner, who knew that he was a Warden. Daemon had told him as much when he had started renting a room here. The owner looked at him grim faced and shook his head.

?Minimal property damage please Warden.?

Daemon inclined his head in under

 

IC: Jaden
Denerim, Gnawed Noble Tavern

Upon hearing Anvila's story, Jaden nodded in complete understanding. Another one who had lost everything when the darkspawn had taken it all. And when left with nothing, another had come to not only save your life but give you a new home, a new purpose that you strove to attain. Yes, the mage could immediately understand her story.

He had taken note of Anvila's hesitation upon mentioning leaving the Dalish but Jaden didn't pursue on that. Despite born as a human, Anvila held herself more as a Dalish from what Jaden could see and not just her dress. As she mentioned, she did seem a bit "coarse" now that she was surrounded by a race that she had been out of contact with for...probably longer then when Jaden had been taken and studied under the mages. And at least he had not only humans but elves as well to socialize with...when he actually did socialize. And there had actually been a dwarf curiously enough. Though dwarves were incapable of wielding magic, there had been one that Jaden knew of that had taken residence at the Circle Tower shortly before he was taken. Dagna he believed her name was.

His stew finished, Jaden just rested comfortably in his seat as Daemon spoke again, speaking of how they should trust one another given time. The mage just nodded slowly, once again remembering his previous group that he had been with. He hadn't gotten a chance to really know the, and then there was the Joining that had killed half of the group while the rest were split up...

The thoughts were cut short upon noting Daemon's increasing volume of his voice. Which was the fault of the drunks that, having deemed as not a threat, were also increasing the volume of their own chatter.

?I SUPPOSE WE WILL JUST HAVE TO TRUST MALLEK FOR THE TIME BEING.?

Daemon didn't seem to take such irritation well. Well, Jaden had to admit that the drunks were quite a rude batch. When the owner came forward, requesting that they live, the mage added "violent" as well to describe them when they threw the owner off to the side.

This is gonna be bad, he thought to himself as he watched Daemon stand from his seat and make his way over to the drunks. Jaden looked over at Anvila, giving her a look of warning. The mage predicted that, with the antics of this group that he could see so far, they might not react as well to Daemon like they did with the owner-

And the slap soon proved him correct.

"Here we go," Jaden murmured as he stood up from his seat, his fingers curling around his staff in a tighter grip. A merc had his dagger drawn now which he slashed at Daemon, but the other Warden danced away from it like the warrior that he was before dispatching the drunk merc. But it didn't change the fact that the other Warden didn't have his sword, nor the numbers still.

Until now that is.

As Jaden took a step forward, he started muttering a spell and pointed his staff forward. Like the Emissary that he had faced off during his quest for darkspawn blood, he sent a spell of petrification forward, targeting one of the other mercenaries that still stood. He made sure it was one of the closer ones, not only so that the spell would be witnessed by his fellows, but also so that the turned-statue would act as a momentary obstacle to separate them from Daemon. And just like the Emissary, the spell took hold of the mercenary and spread. At first it would only seem like the mercenary's shirt had been turned to stone.

But then it spread. Stretching from the drunk's chest, pure stone started to encase him, transforming his clothing and armor into the heavy, immovable substance. And as the spell continued enveloping him, one could finally see how the stone not only spread among his clothes, but on his very skin. The alcohol must have dulled his mental capacities a bit too much because the merc only understood what was really happening to him when his head had just been about to turn to stone. It left a good expression frozen there, one of horrified

 

Anvila
Gnawed Noble Tavern

Anvila's patients with the drunken humans was wearing thin, apparently so was Daemon's. His last shout about having to trust Mallek almost lost to the racket the four in the corner were raising. The flying tavern owner was the last straw. Standing, Daemon approached them and politely asked them to leave.

?Well boys it likes like we have a hero! Why don?t you go back to your little dinner party with the whelp and that freak over there hero??

Anvila blinked... Did he just call her a Freak?

The slap across his face with a steel backed gauntlet was probably not the answer Daemon had hoped for. ?Here we go.? Jaden said as he stood. Anvila heard the Tavern owner say something about minimal damage.

The other thugs started to make their move as soon as the dagger was pulled. Daemon disarmed the man and then planted his face six inches into the table top.

At the same time Jaden started to mutter something and the next thug started to turn to stone. The other thugs watched in horror as their friend was petrified.

The thugs weren't the only ones to start moving when the dagger was drawn. Anvila, taking advantage of the distraction, slipped into the shadows. She moved like a wraith at midnight, quiet, unseen and deadly. In moments she was behind the rear most thug. Jaden's spell had just taken hold and the last two were gaping.

With silent speed Anvila darted forward. Her left arm wrapping around the man's neck and tightening. Her bicep and forearm pressed against his arteries cutting off the blood flow to his head. With her right hand she delivered a swift jab to his temple as her right foot connected to the back of his knee. She let the unconscious man fall to the ground and drew both of her Dar'Misu.

There was only one thug left.

?If I were you...? She said in a casual voice, though nothing in her stance or demeanor hinted at anything other then death if he so much as blinked wrong. ?I would think very carefully on my next course of action. A mistake now could have ?Freak? consequences.?

Tag: Radiance

OOC: I do hope that wasn't to much godmodding.

 

IC: Daemon Maddigan
Gnawed Noble Tavern

Things moved quickly. As soon as the fight had started, it had ended. The limp man in Daemon?s grasp was released as he fell unconscious to the floor, to one side of Daemon, there was a statue of stone, held absolutely still with Jaden?s magic. To the other side, another sleeping mercenary, swiftly taken down by Anvila. And now the only one left standing was stuck against the wall, having been trapped in by a semi-circle of Grey Wardens.

As it was, things had turned out pretty well. The drunken mercenaries were taken care of, nothing had been broken, and overall no one had been seriously hurt. Daemon looked down at the frightened merc who was now begging for mercy.

?Get up fool, we aren?t going to kill you. Just take your friends and leave. This could have been avoided if you would have listened to reason and simply called it a night. But think about this later when you realize how easily all of your friends could have been killed over something so trivial.?

The man nodded frantically and dragged two of his unconscious friends by the wrists, out the door, then immediately came back and dragged the statue with a loud scraping sound, across the floor and out the door.

Daemon did not sit back down until he was done and gone. He returned to their table and finally picked up his sword from the fireplace. He did not return it to his back, but instead hefted it to his shoulder and looked back at his companions.

?Thanks for the backup you two, that would have gotten bad if you had not of stepped in.?

As he finished his sentence, the door opened again and a familiar figure strode through.

Mallek had his head cocked behind him, looking after the retreating mercenaries. He turned back as he shut the door and walked over to the group.

?I don?t suppose you all had something to do with that??

Daemon shrugged innocently.

?I can?t leave you lot alone for a minute. Just as well, at least I can rest assured that you can take care of yourselves. Come, we need to discuss some things, and some matters should be spoken of away from prying eyes and ears.?

Daemon looked back to Jaden and Anvila and winked as he followed Mallek out into the night air. The air had a sharp bite to it as the wind blew against his face. It was almost winter in Ferelden, the crisp smell in the air spoke as much.

Daemon followed Mallek through a few alleyways to a house that looked abandoned. The door was deteriorating, the structure of the house was patched and falling apart, and yet Mallek walked in as if it were a home to him. When he put the key into the front door, the lock turned over and sounded pretty strong actually. It just made Daemon remember that looks could be deceiving.

The group followed Mallek through a cobweb encrusted foyer. They descended into the basement and things started to look different. The patchy walls started to look to be in much better repair. The stone looked polished and new. Dust no longer coated every surface. Before long they found themselves in a large, very well lit room. It looked like a grand chamber, as if it went on for miles. Many doors lined both sides of the room. In front of them was a large rectangular table, Mallek strode forward and sat at it?s head, inviting the others to join him.

Daemon was a bit taken by the whole thing. What was with the secret underground kingdom here? Didn?t the Wardens have a fortress or something in Denerim itself? Why all the secrecy?

As everyone sat down, Mallek laced his fingers together and placed them on the table.

?Welcome friends. You are now sitting in Haven Keep. The Keep was built centuries ago as a favor to the Grey Wardens by the Dwarves. It is as the name states, a safe haven for Wardens in need of some place to disappear for a while. You three were sent here for a reason, you know that others may have survived your Joining ceremony, but they have other tasks to take care of. You lot were hand selected because your skills are a bit more? definitive.?

Mallek looked ea

 

IC: Jaden
Denermin, Gnawed Noble Tavern

It didn't seem that the alcohol prevented the last mercenary from seeing sense. Upon a last warning from Daemon the mercenary, surrounded by unconscious and petrified friends, immediately picked up his fellows and retreated out of the tavern. Jaden's green eyes watched when the man came back for a second trip to grab and drag the statue of it's final fellow out the door. Waiting until he reached the door, the mage tilted his staff - which was no longer frozen by ice and frost - and uttered a single word of power. The sudden yelp and fall that was soon heard hinted to the mercenary statue reverting back to living tissue and causing him and his carrier to stumble and drop to the ground.

Despite the attitude that the mercenaries had shown, Jaden didn't want any of them to die, especially if one was to be killed just because his friend's hindered senses prevented him from falling to the ground and shattering into pieces. They had been drunk and hopefully, with this encounter no doubt going to stay in their minds, they'll learn from this. Maybe. If not then next time the mage may not be so kind.

Making sure that the mercenaries had fled and weren't coming back for round two, Jaden was already making his way back to the table where they had sat before their interruption. However, almost as soon as he sat down, he turned his head back upon hearing the door open again. Jaden blinked in surprise upon seeing the newcomer. Mallek?

?I don?t suppose you all had something to do with that??

Mimicking Daemon's action, Jaden just shrugged.

Upon the elder Warden's insistence that they follow him, the mage could hardly refuse. Especially, if Mallek's presence was any hint, that they may finally have direction on what they were supposed to do with their posts in Denerim. Another stroll through Denerim, now pitched in darkness, was in store.

The air was cold here but Jaden hardly seemed to mind. Despite his time in the Circle Tower, it had done nothing to deter Jaden's tolerance for the Ferelden cold that he had known when he had lived within Denerim. The green and violet mage robes he wore provided enough warmth for him. He was, however, not so resilient against the sights of Denerim.

Truly, the reconstruction of Ferelden had been done masterfully. As Jaden took in the sights, there would always be a sudden flash of a deeply ingrained memory from his childhood that would flash to his mind and seem to match up precisely which the current sights that were before him. The Wonders of Thedas still stood, a shop for magical and exotic items that the elven-year-old Jaden would stare in fascination and curiosity, not knowing how magic would soon become so deeply wound into his life. Maybe it was because of his hidden magical potential that caused Jaden to be so fascinated by the items unlike the rest of the kids who preferred taking trips to Wade's Emporiums to gaze upon the latest swords and armors while fantasies played out in their minds of fighting monsters. A fantasy that Jaden was currently playing out for real.

This was a life that he had given up, though. Despite the well done imitations that surrounded him, the mage actually felt a bit of shame for looking upon them with such memories of a life he no longer had. Bowing his head so that he would no longer look upon them, Jaden couldn't help but sigh.

He glanced at Anvila, wondering how the Dalish human - he didn't know anything better to think of her as - felt about this. Living within the woods, surrounded by elves that hunted and made a living in such expansive territory, a city like Denerim could easily throw someone like her off with it's close walls and buildings, And the people. Despite it being night time, with so many of Denerim's denizens asleep or taking shelter by now, it could probably feel crowded nonetheless.

Fortunately, his sight-seeing had allowed the trip to feel like it had gone much quicker. Following Mallek into an alley, Jaden had raised a brow u

 

IC: Anvila
Gnawed Noble Tavern

Anvila sheathed her Dar'Misu as the last thug dragged his companions out. Returning to the table she nodded to Jaden, he was indeed powerful.

?Thanks for the backup you two, that would have gotten bad if you had not of stepped in.?

She chuckled under her breath. ?Bad for them maybe, the only threat to you would have been if you had fallen laughing and hurt yourself.? A fair fight always left her in a fair humor, and an unfair fight in her favor left her in a good humor. She could hear Old Cedric her first Master of the Hunt 'There is no such thing as a dirty move in a fight, winners live and losers die.' The glib remark was the first from her lips in a month.

She heard the door open and a familiar voice sounded.

?I don?t suppose you all had something to do with that??

Anvila nodded to Mallek in greeting.

?I can?t leave you lot alone for a minute. Just as well, at least I can rest assured that you can take care of yourselves. Come, we need to discuss some things, and some matters should be spoken of away from prying eyes and ears.?

She followed with the group behind Mallek as they walked Denerim's alleyways. They reached an old house that had the air of abandonment about it. Mallek produced a key and worked the lock, a surprisingly well maintained lock. The door creaked open and they entered an entry way that had been the domain of spiders for far to long.

As they descended into the belly of the structure, the general appearance started to improve. They finally emerged into the grand hall. It was well lit and not a cobweb was in sight.

She listened to the history of Haven Keep and was impressed.

At the mention of a traitor her good mood shattered. She listened intently, making sure not to miss anything.

Mallek asked if there were any questions. Daemon voiced his, and Jaden stayed silent. Anvila thought about Mallek's account for a moment then posed... ?Who knew about the mission? Obviously the one who dispatched you, but who else??

Tag: Radiance, Sarge