The Orlesian occupation of Ferelden lasted almost a century, marking a dark period in Thedas.
Vigil's Keep was the first fortress to fall. Twenty years after the invasion began there, Orlais finally sacked the city of Denerim, claiming victory and drove the king into hiding. Though routed, the king now known as "Brandel the Defeated" continued to rebel against the Orlesians... but his efforts have proven inefficient, as most nobles believe that Ferelden is truly lost.
August has just ended and the cold and rain are starting to show, on-and-off, in the southern parts of the continent. The northern half is experiencing only minor changes.
All skins coded by Dani, graphics made for them a collaboration between Dani & El.
Dragon Age and all its assets belong to Bioware and EA, we're just borrowing them. Images used for banners are either art from World of Thedas, or found on Zerochan/Google Search - we do not claim to own any of the artwork used. All characters belong to their rightful creators.
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NOV. 24th Happy belated first month anniversary to us! A few things to be noted. We are currently taking nominations for our first ever site spotlights. The nomination period will be over by the 30th, so feel free to take your time as new members and threads roll in. Just don't forget about them. Secondly, the advertising contest is still going strong, but it slated to wrap up at the end of the month. If you want to earn some extra gold and help promote the site, best to get on that now, while the rewards are higher than usual. Thirdly, the site lottery is still going, and the drawing period will be over Friday. Lastly, we should be getting that multiplayer thread soon. Sorry it's been delayed so long--as you can imagine, I've been busy with single player for Inquisition. Once I'm done, I'll put up the threads and we can hopefully get some games going.
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Post by Veras Atlassan on Oct 31, 2014 18:34:18 GMT -5
Veras narrowed his eyes against the glare of the sun, turning his face aside as a gust of wind picked up and sent a spray of sand lashing against him for a few seconds before it died down again. Sand was everywhere. It stuck to his skin, it nestled in his hair and it lodged in the open spaces in his armor. He hunched his shoulders and shook his head wildly, sending up a cloud of grit. Just perfect. His agitation gave way begrudgingly to amusement as the black dog at his side mirrored his actions, shaking sand and grit from his fur in a pantomime of what Veras had done. He glared balefully down at the mongrel, but was met with a wagging tail and a cold, wet nose prodding at his hand as the dog asked to be petted. He shook his head reproachfully and gave in, scratching the dog behind the ears as he once again turned his attention to surveying the landscape ahead of him. He was perched atop a high ridge of red stones, giving him an elevated view of the desert. Rocks and sand, scrubby, sparse foliage and the rusting iron pillars that marked the passage through the desert.
Same boring, lifeless view.
The sun was at its zenith in the garishly blue and cloudless sky; even in autumn the weather here was uncomfortably warm. More so for a man in plate and chainmail. He wiped sweat from his brow as he looked apathetically around him, seeing little to hold his interest. The landscape was nearly the same in all directions, barren and desolate, a view at odds with the lush forests the warden was used to traversing. Patrolling this stretch of blighted landscape was one of his least favorite duties, but it was a necessary one. Darkspawn activity had been reported recently, and the Grey Wardens were scouting for any sign of a more significant problem. As they were merely scouting for now, Veras had elected to go out on his own. Typically he didn't mind company, but the heat of the blasted desert made him irritable, and the old man wanted little more than to be left to his own devices just now.
Veras leapt down from his perch and landed with a dull thud in the sand, beginning to follow the usual course he took through the desert. The dog fell in step behind him, making little sound as he followed his master like a living shadow. The two of them continued on that way for a time, moving quickly over the sand and heading steadily toward the distance horizon. They would head out a few more kilometers and then regroup with the others- if there was anything to be seen by then, they would see it.
He hadn't been walking long when he realized that something was amiss, however. The azure blue of the sky was suddenly marred by a pillar of thick, black smoke. His view of what lay ahead was obscured by the undulating terrain and the large, red stones that littered the landscape, and he had to circumnavigate them to see what lay ahead, drawing ever closer to the pillars of smoke. He already knew what would await him, close enough now that he could sense the darkspawn that lay ahead, his lip curling in distaste, knowing they could sense him now as well.
“Alert,” he said grimly, and the dog raised his head and sent up a loud, baying call that would carry for miles in the desert, alerting any wardens nearby to the threat. They were spread out, but perhaps some of the others had seen the smoke and were already on their way. One way or another, they would hear the dog's familiar howl and know what it meant. Darkspawn. It was all the warning Veras could give them now.
Moments later, he stepped around a ridge of red stones and spotted the caravan that lay in ruins ahead of him, and around it, a group of darkspawn prowled around the crippled wagons like hungry wolves. There were at least a dozen of them, as far as he could see, and the caravan wasn't going anywhere- half of their horses were dead or dying, and several of the wagons were on fire. He didn't know how many of the caravaners were alive. Hopefully he'd arrived in time to make a difference. Eyes turned to him immediately, spotting him and the dog, and the demons raised their own call, a cacophony of taunting shouts and unintelligible snarls and growls. They'd known he was there, the same way he had sensed them.
“Away wi' you now, dog,” he said calmly, and the dog whined and then circled away from him, far behind him to the safety of the rocks. Veras was ambivalent; the darkspawn had a few archers with them, and there was little cover between him and the wagons. He wasn't particularly keen on feeling that particular pain again, so decided not to rush right into the conflict. An arrow whistled by him and shattered on a rock half a dozen feet to one side of him. A tight lipped smile crossed his scarred visage as he disappeared behind the rocks, waiting for the monsters to come to him.
Post by Valkyrie Rase on Nov 1, 2014 2:21:49 GMT -5
Everything had gone to shit so fast Valkyrie could barely tell her head from her ass. It had only been sheer luck that the first wave of arrows the darkspawn sent did not hit her, but others were not so lucky, and things soon exploded into chaos. Civilians ran for their lives as the creatures descended upon them, and some of the...less reputable mercenaries hired quickly joined them, not that she could entirely blame them. If Valkyrie had thought it'd save her, she just might have joined them, after all the Qunari really wasn't that honor bound, especially at the wages she was being paid. The swordswoman knew better though--the darkspawn would just hunt them down and kill them anyway, so might as well die standing her ground. Better than being killed a coward, or worse, captured.
With that in mind, her sword was drawn in an instance, ready to meet the wave of monsters with a heavy swing of the blade, taking at least two out in a single go as the wretched back and gurgled in what she hoped was agonizing pain. A woman nearby shrieked as the monsters advanced on her, but Valkyrie was too far away to help and she was soon silenced brutally. She forced herself to focus ahead, cutting down any darkspawn that dared get too close, grunting with each swing of her sword. The blighting heat was not doing her any favors, and the sandy terrain made it harder for her to get a solid foothold, but at least she wasn't facing a small army of darkspawn virtually by herself.
Oh, wait.
"Andraste's tits! I am not being paid enough for this," the Qunari cursed aloud as she sliced through the nearest darkspawn, though it was quickly replaced by another. She ran her sword through it, pushing forward, carving out a path so she wouldn't be stuck right in the middle of this shitstorm. Blades glanced off her armor, but she rarely gave any of her enemies an opportunity to strike twice, her movements slower than some but powerful enough that she didn't need to worry about them getting back up.
The men that hadn't fled, a grand total of three, were doing their damnedest to keep the enemy at bay and not let themselves be pinned down while several men and women coward behind them. It wasn't long before she joined their ranks, for once not having to deal with any dirty looks from the humans, which would have been nice if it wasn't for the fact they were probably just relieved to have a giant Qunari-shield on their side. She may have even thrown a smart remark at them if she wasn't already out of breath.
She wasn't sure how many civilians had gotten away at this point and how many were still trying to escape, but there was still a lot of screaming going on. From the darkspawn or otherwise though, she didn't really know, and as callous as it sounded, she didn't care either. There was little she could do to help them, but she would focus on getting the people out that she could, while hopefully not getting herself killed in the process, which was seeming more and more unlikely. Valkyrie only half-noticed that something else had caught the monsters attention, but she was more than happy to take advantage of the situation, pressing the them back even harder. Still, things weren't exactly looking good for them, the mercenary beside her crying out as an arrow pierced through his chest and he stumbled back, their line of defense beginning to crumble. "Fall back!" she barked out, not liking the sudden gap they now had in their ranks, but it did not seem like the others were keen to listen to a Qunari.
"Oh, Blighting morons!" she cursed them as another fell to the darkspawn.
Post by Avery Mondivarius on Nov 1, 2014 2:42:34 GMT -5
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The sun felt good on his bistre skin. Maybe it was the Rivaini and Tevinter heritage that flowed through his veins. Both his mother and his father hailed from a much warmer climate than that of Val Royeaux, maybe that was why he thrived under its harsh rays. There were only two downsides; his armor and his weapons, save for his bow, were damned uncomfortable to touch. And the sun was relentless. It wasn't just the brightness of it hanging in the sky, but the barren land was cracked in places and sand was in abundance, both of which reflected the rays. There was no comfortable place to rest his eyes.
And being an archer, having so much glare limited his ability.
Heading off, the Commander of the Grey stopped at the peak of a large dune. The sand beneath his feet seemed to devour him, slowly but surely until he was up to his ankles in the ruddy stuff. Squinting out over the horizon, he combed the land as best he could. Nothing seemed to be anywhere on the Blighted land. The foliage was too sparse, too scrubby to hide anything, even where it was thickest. And though the sand shifted to cover their tracks, even the darkspawn couldn't comfortably hide in it for long. But who knew what caverns lay beneath the shifting sand. The darkspawn always came from the depths, and they would be familiar with the lay of the land, more so than the Wardens.
But he didn't see anything. Unless the large boulder in the distance had a cavernous opening beneath it, the stretch of land didn't yield anything.
He was already turning back around when a dog bayed in the distance. Familiar with the hound, he twisted in place and bolted in the direction, moving as quickly as the sand would allow.
He was a good ways away from Veras, but the sound carried far, and the desert allowed for decent visibility, even if the sun seared into his eyesockets. The sand dispersed only slightly toward a shelf of red rock, which overlooked a cracked valley below. From there he was able to make the same plume of smoke, and cleared a greater distance more quickly. Going down the massive hill was easy.
A handful of minutes behind, Avery was the first Warden to arrive to Veras' location. The beset caravan didn't seem to much faze the veteran, who blinked stoically at the carnage. It was unfortunate that the people had to die, but it was fortunate that they found the raiding party before they found civilization, and there was still civilization to be found in the Western Approach. Just not any civilization the great and opulent Orlais liked to acknowledge.
Finding another patch of stones, Avery caught a glimpse of the very familiar Veras, and made for his location with quick, serpentine movement. From here the darkspawn were close, close enough for him to put his bow to good use, and for them to do the same.
Glancing over to his long-time companion, Avery grinned broadly. "Y'think I can scalp 'em with an arrow? Five sovereigns says I can." The flesh around the Hurlock's skull clung tight, and was stretched thin. But with proper angling, he was sure he could get a solid strip of it. Aiming to answer his own question, he peeked out from behind the rocks, two arrows tucked between his fingers. The first he nocked and loosed with every intention of grazing the darkspawn's scalp. Unfortunately, it pierced through the very top of his forehead and killed the Hurlock instead.
Shit. Maybe he didn't take the wind and downward angle into great enough consideration.
Grimacing in frustration of his aim, he aimed the second arrow, this time managing to skim off the top of a genlock's head and into the throat of the hurlock behind it. The genlock yelped in surprise, and Avery's grin went full force. It wasn't a full scalping, but he was pretty sure it counted.
Ducking back behind the rock face, he readied his arrows again and peeked back around, seeing a rare sight: a Qunari. And if a Qunari weren't rare enough it itself, it happened to be a family Qunari to boot. Watching her handle herself for a moment, his brows rose. He had to admit, he was a little impressed, and though he didn't make that entirely clear, he did help her out by sticking an arrow in the heart of the genlock he'd scalped.
Post by Veras Atlassan on Nov 1, 2014 11:38:57 GMT -5
Veras drew sword and dagger both as he moved behind the cover of the rocks, leaning his back against one of the stones as he waited for the darkspawn to reach him. As much as he wanted go and join the fray, he wasn't willing to risk an arrow through his throat on the way over to them. The genlocks were decent enough shots to manage it even if he was mobile, and though he knew he would eventually meet his end in one of these skirmishes, today was not the day he wished to die. So the elf waited patiently, hearing the sounds of rage and carnage out beyond the rocks and feeling strangely like a cowering rat as he stood safely behind cover. Pragmatism won out over pride and concern, however, and so the warden continued to wait.
The genlocks were as impatient as he, however, and likely thought that slaying a lone warden would be an easy task. Two of them approached the rocks at different angles, aiming to flank him to make him easier to take down. Veras was disappointed that only two had come to engage him, but told himself that they were two less than the caravan wold have to deal with. Not that it likely would have done much good, but he'd take what he could get.
He threw his dagger at the first darkspawn that showed itself off his left shoulder, watching with grim satisfaction as the dagger pierced the monster's throat. It doubled over, choking on its own blood and grasping at the blade stuck in its neck. Veras did not have time to make sure it died then and there- he whirled around and went for the other with his sword, using the first slash to knock away the axe that had been meant to cleave in his skull, the sword clanging against the haft of the weapon and knocking it away. He avoided two more swings of the genlock's wicked-looking axe, feeling the second glance off of the plate on his shoulder as he moved in closer, simultaneously drawing his arm back in a powerful swing that separated the monster's head from its shoulders.
It was the quickest way to kill the heavily armored beasts, and Veras had no time to play around with them. Dark blood spilled out of the genlock's grievous wound, and Veras's lip curled in disgust as some of it splashed on his armor. The melee had taken only seconds. When he turned, the first genlock was still wheezing and choking, glaring hatefully up at him. It had enough life left in it to rise and swing its axe clumsily at him, but Veras stepped almost lazily out of its reach, and when it showed its back to him at the end of its swing, his own blade flashed out, again aiming its neck. That one didn't quite go through all the way... but the darkspawn was dead one way or the other, its head hanging on by a few scraps of skin and muscle. He picked up his dagger and made his way back to where he had been standing before, gritting his teeth in apparent anger as he noticed movement off to his left, turning to meet the threat with an alacrity he had not possessed even when fighting the other two monsters, but he calmed himself when he realized who it was. Veras's scowl shifted into a sly grin at the sight of the Commander, and he barked laughter at the man's almost playful inquiry.
“I'll take you up on that,” he said gamely, and moved to peer around the rocks to watch. The first shot killed its mark, which left Veras shaking his head and tutting in mock disappointment, but the second not only took off a scrap of the genlock's scalp, it killed the one standing behind it as well, and left the first grasping at the wound on the top of its head.
“Ah, lucky, that,” he said with a toothy grin, obviously jesting. “But I s'pose it counts...”
He trailed off, his brows raised in an expression of genuine surprise as he beheld the warrior that he had heard fighting before. A Qunari. Veras had only ever seen one or two of them in his lifetime, and both of those had been men. Female Qunari were a rare right to behold... it was a damn shame, now that he actually saw one. She wasn't a slightly more feminine version of the brutish men he had seen. She was really quite lovely... not that he could see much of her from where he was, beyond the obvious skill she had with the blade she carried.
“That is one bloody large woman,” he said with awe and respect in his voice as well as he watched her lay waste to the darkspawn. He turned to look at Avery with a curious little smirk. “I'm goin' t'say 'ello. Would y' kindly make sure I don't get shot on the way over?”
Veras didn't allow much room for response before he took off, confident in Avery's abilities. The Qunari was fighting alone, and now that Veras had some support on his side- and a highly competent archer at that- he was almost certain the archers wouldn't have a chance to pick him off while he was making his way over to the battle, sword and dagger drawn as he advanced, making no attempt at stealth or subterfuge as he sprinted toward the caravan. There were precious few to fight alongside him, but he had every reason to believe that he and Avery would make the difference in this fight. They had turned the tide of battle before. They would do so again now.
He crossed swords with the nearest genlock that stood in his way, knocking the blade out of the way and using his momentum to shoulder the beast in the chest and send it toppling to the ground, where he dispatched it with a stab to the back of the neck. The elf continued forward, using sword and dagger to cut a bloody swath toward the mercenaries and their charges.
Last Edit: Nov 1, 2014 14:49:10 GMT -5 by Veras Atlassan
Post by Valkyrie Rase on Nov 2, 2014 2:43:34 GMT -5
It seemed fortune was favoring her for once, or at the very least toying with her. Someone was starting to shoot the darkspawn, which meant either the other men were not cowards and had just tried to find a better vantage point, or someone else had come along to help. At the moment she didn't really care either way, appreciative of any help she could get, although she wasn't sure how much damage one lone archer could do before the enemy found them. Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth though.
Her sword clashed with another, pushing the darkspawn away with a rough shove and then slicing their throat open with another swing. Valkyrie's body twisted to block a strike to her side, side stepping around the enemy before bringing her sword down upon his back, and though his armor took the brunt of the force it had still been enough to send him toppling to the ground, giving the Qunari plenty of time to run her sword through his skull. This was really getting ridiculous, the sweat pouring down her face and stinging her eyes, making it harder to see. The female didn't even have time to wipe her own forehead, lips parted as she sucked in air, though she regretted every breath. It tasted vile, whether because of the darkspawns presence, the corpses that had caught fire, or a combination of the two she wasn't sure.
The swordswoman must have been a sight fending off these things. Sone of them barely reached past the Qunari's waist, making it difficult for them to get any good blows in, and awkward for her to swing at, but the hurlocks were a little more her size. They actually had a chance of managing to slit her throat or mar her pretty face.
She had just gotten done kicking a genlock in the face (he flew farther than expected) when she finally noticed she wasn't alone anymore, and it wasn't the other mercenaries, either. Her violet eyes caught a new figure fighting their way through the horde, seeming to carve a path toward her, or at least in her general direction. It wasn't exactly like she had the time to get a good look, though she couldn't help but wonder who was crazy enough to purposefully get involved in a fight with these things. She had more or less met all the other hired help already, and none of them had armor like that. Besides, whoever was fighting seemed much more competent with his weapons than any of them had.
"Tell me, am I the luckiest woman this side of Orlais, or are you just suicidal?" she managed to bark over the noise of battle when the male was close enough. She could now identify him as an elf, though he was stalkier than most she had seen before, but there was no hiding those ears. "I don't suppose you have an army lying in wait just beyond those rocks, do you?" Valkyrie questioned thickly, her tone surprisingly good-natured considering the circumstances. Arrows continued to fly and pick off darkspawn, which meant he at least had someone as backup, but two people weren't exactly much of a threat--though she supposed it would be four, counting herself twice naturally. Could be worse odds.
Post by Avery Mondivarius on Nov 3, 2014 2:15:35 GMT -5
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There were worse people he could be stranded in the desert fighting off darkspawn with.
Veras was a damn good man, and made for one hell of a brother-in-arms. At forty-something he was one of the older Wardens. Between the Joining, the Taint and the lifestyle that came with the job, most Wardens were lucky to make it to their mid thirties. At four decades, Veras was practically a fossil, and that kind of age and skill earned you respect. Respect that extended just as easily to the Warden-Commander, who'd worked side by side with the elf more times than he could count, sometimes even on solo missions. The two were close in ways most people weren't, but there was a special camaraderie that was born when you were one of two people crawling through darkspawn infested deep roads.
"Good, I could use some extra coin." The tattooed man gave a roguish grin, Rivaini-accent rounding out his Orlesian. Seeing the partially-scalped darkspawn do a little panicked, shocked and pained dance was just the cherry on top of a brilliant day. Even if most people wouldn't consider trekking the barren wastes for homicidal maniacs brilliant. "Damn right it counts. You renege an' you'll be doin' double duty in the roads." Avery threatened, although he wasn't entirely serious, there would definitely be some form of punishment if Veras backed out.
"Think'a how strong she must be twixt the nethers." Avery remarked with a barking laugh. Woman that big, that muscular, the Qunari had to have some serious tone where it counted. If he were younger and more lustful he might've had to go put the moves on her after the whole ordeal. As though deciding that he himself were going to go flirt and find out, Veras insisted that Avery remain behind and thin out the darkspawn while he schmoozed. He had no idea how the elf had so much energy at his age. "Yeah, yeah. Be quick 'bout it. Ya flirt too long an' I'll stick an arrow up your ass." He could appreciate looking impressive and fearless to a comely and exotic lass, but they did have darkspawn to kill at some point.
And people to save. Assuming they weren't already long dead and skullfucked.
Just to fuck with Veras, Avery was slow on the draw a few times. Not enough to let the elf get in anything close to real danger, but just enough to keep him on his toes, otherwise the Commander of the Grey put arrows in anyone that got close, or any archer that was aimed the elf's way. Utilizing the cover, he just kept popping out from behind the rocks, fired off an arrow, and then went back into cover.
What the elf ended up saying to woo the lady, Avery couldn't be sure. He was too far away, and to boot, the sounds of battle were drowning most everything out. Not that he was curious enough to drop eaves--he was perfectly content killing every darkspawn in sight.
((Let the ho-yay commence! Also Avery's kinda terrible, but I still laughed.))
Post by Veras Atlassan on Nov 3, 2014 22:20:17 GMT -5
“Oh, aye? Ye goin' t'charge me five sovs for tha' as well, Commander?” he shot back over his shoulder in response to Avery's cheeky comment, baring his teeth in a sneer. The two of them were professional-level hecklers at this point in their long relationship with one another, and Veras thought nothing of the bickering between them as he raced toward the heated battle ahead of him. As interested as he was in the exotic woman fighting almost singlehandedly against the darkspawn raiding party, Veras intended only to kill as many darkspawn as he could. If they survived the fight- and he was confident that he would- perhaps he could turn his eye to the Qunari woman then.
It was true that a man could not watch everything at all times in a battle, especially one half blind, but Veras was not as concerned about unseen threats as he might have been without Avery watching his back. The Commander did a more than adequate job of making sure that none of the darkspawn got a shot off at him, and many who might otherwise have moved to engage the elf fell to arrows, eliminated before they even had a chance to pose a threat. Veras smirked all the while as he cut his way through to the mercenaries, though his attention was on the fight rather than the bit of fun that his superior was having at his expense. It didn't matter at the time, as long as Avery didn't actually let him die. He might be a little miffed, in that case. And besides, he was already thinking of a way to get back at him for his little jest.
Veras was alert for any sign of hostility from the Qunari as he neared them, watching a genlock sail through the air and land in a crumpled heap several meters from where it had been kicked. He wouldn't want her to whirl on him, thinking he was a darkspawn, and kick him so hard that stem met stern and he went the way that poor bastard of a darkspawn had done. He was almost certain she could do it if she put her mind to it, and the thought nearly made him shudder. The woman looked squarely at him as he approached her, and he noticed right away that her eyes were a startling shade of violet, a stark contrast to her dark skin. She seemed almost cheerful as she spoke to him, her voice a rasp that seemed to suit her large and muscular frame more than the gentle and dainty cadence he was used to hearing from the fairer sex.
“Per'aps a bit'a both, miss,” he said amicably, his demeanor at odds with the carnage around them. The corner of his mouth twitching up into a smirk as he moved so that he stood at an angle to her right side. Loathe as he was to willingly put someone where he couldn't quite see them, he held his dagger up and ready... for the darkspawn, of course. It was much more advantageous to have the enemy on his right where they could be seen and dealt with, and an ally covering the side he might have trouble with.
“No army yet, but there are others not far behind. My friend there wanted me t' ask ye somethin', if y would oblige us with an honest answer,” he hazarded, his features stoic and his voice serious. Veras paused to slash his blade at another genlock that got too close, but the sword glanced off the beast's armor. He dashed forward to seize the opportunity presented when the genlock stepped back to avoid another thrust of the sword, keeping his momentum going forward and lashing his dagger across the monster's throat. He didn't achieve a killing blow, but the genlock backpedalled away from him and the others.
“'e was just wonderin' 'ow strong y'are twixt the-”
The elf ducked beneath the wide swing of an axe, and drove his dagger up under the attacking genlock's chin, ripping it savagely backward and tearing a messy, gaping hole in the genlock's exposed throat. Blood splashed on his chest and face, and Veras's features contorted into a mask of disgust. The sooner they were done with this battle, the better. Damn the darkspawn and damn the heat. How many more of the monsters were left?
“...twixt the nethers,” he finished, tossing a glance back at the Qunari. Perhaps it was crass to say such things to a woman... but then he doubted she would cut him down while he was trying to help her. There was little time for levity, however. Veras had noticed that the other mercenaries were not doing quite so well... and there were civilians who had not fled, but remained where they would be cut down by the howling, rampaging monsters more quickly than those who had chosen flight. Veras twisted out of the way of a darkspawn's attack, gritting his teeth as he felt the axe glance off of the mail on his arm. His attention was not on that one, however, but a genlock who advanced on one of the civilians- a woman, too afraid and confused to do much more than cry. He had enough time to toss his dagger at the monster who advanced on her, hitting it in the back of the neck and watching it stumble and then fall. He didn't know if he'd killed it or not, too busy with avoiding another strike from the genlock who was doing its best to kill him.
“Run, ye thrice-damned fool!” he barked at the woman. She and the others might have a decent chance of getting away, now that the darkspawn had more warriors to focus on, and less archers to pick off the runners.
[ lemme know if this font is too small. xD ]
Last Edit: Nov 3, 2014 22:24:18 GMT -5 by Veras Atlassan
Post by Valkyrie Rase on Nov 8, 2014 3:20:42 GMT -5
She could believe that, no one with a sound mind would want to fight these things. She had once believed them to be all dead, at least that's what tended to be rumored in Ferelden, but now that she was older she didn't put much stalk into rumors. Besides, she had run into the nasty things before, though never in such a large number. It was eerie how they managed to just show up, the only warning usually being an arrow to the chest or a blade to the belly. The thought made her want to shudder as she slashed her blade across one of the hurlock's throats, the blood spattering across her armor.
The elf was at her side now, speaking again, and she had to resist the urge to look at him. "I suppose that's something," she mused, glad to know there was a chance they wouldn't end up corpses by the end of this. "And why not, it's not like I'm busy or anything," Valkyrie said with a hint sarcasm, though her tone was still light and friendly. Most people tended to have a lot of questions about the Qunari, though she wasn't exactly a prime example of one—she had no idea how her race functioned anywhere but her small village, and their customs were just as much of a mystery to her as the next person.
Valkyrie had not been expecting the question that came forth though, even daring to take her eyes off the battle for a moment to look at him, before swinging her head back around while it was still attached to her neck. "Can't say—" she began, pausing to drive her sword into the nearest genlock's chest. ”—anyonesbeen quite that interested in my nethers in'a long time," she admitted with amusement, impressed by the males audacity.
"You can tell your friend if he's that interested in knowing, he'll have to find out for himself," Valkyrie replied in good humor, though if he was easy on the eyes and helped her get the hell out of here, maybe a little romp would do her some good. Right now probably wasn't the best time to be talking about these sorts of things though, not that it ever stopped the Qunari before, but she could work out whether or not her nethers would be getting even more attention later.
As the elf twisted away from one of the genlock's, she lent a helping hand by swiping her sword along the creatures back, vaguely satisfied as it let out a piercing yowl of agony, though it was cut short by another thrust through the throat. The civilians were still doe-eyeds, terrified for their lives and unsure, though the male's prompting seemed to do some good as they moved together, panicked and sheep-like. "When you said there are others "not far behind", did you mean that as'n they should get here before we're all run through, or after. Just curious, since it'd be a shame if your friend never got his question answered."
Post by Avery Mondivarius on Nov 9, 2014 17:19:40 GMT -5
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With a few more well-placed arrows, the group of them had thinned. Between Veras' use of daggers, the giant woman's use of strength, and his bow, they'd killed a score of the darkspawn raiding party. There were still hurlocks and genlocks mucking about, eager to kill because they were mindless morons that didn't know any better, but it was safe enough. Keeping his bow at the ready, Avery moved down the sloping hill towards the caravan in the valley. He was only halfway down when he caught the eye of a genlock archer, who gave him a savage, shark grin as it fished for its arrows. Avery was just barely quicker on the draw, putting an arrow in the side of the genlock's neck, toward the base. It was hard to tell whether or not he hit an artery, and the damn thing was still moving so he loosed another, confirming the kill as it fell backwards in a heap.
From there he was able to safely make his way to the foot of the hill and head towards the others.
One Hurlock closed in fast. Drawing back his bow, an arrow found its way between the seams of the Hurlock's armor, staggering it. Snarling ferociously, it continued charging and closed the distance so fast Avery only got another arrow in. Smashing the Hurlock back with his elbow, he ducked and swerved to the side, flanking the Hurlock quick enough to wrap the window of the recurve bow around its throat. Pulling back on the upper and lower limb, he started choking the thing to death. It reached behind itself, knocking and clawing and thrashing, sinking its claws in the side of Avery's armor to no avail. Raising up his knee, Avery pushed the thing's spine and body deeper into the bow until it finally gave.
Lifting up the bow from the thing's head, he placed it on his back and closed the remaining distance between him and Veras.
Only instead of going to him and the Qunari woman, he beelined straight for the civilians. There was a brief, brief break in the battle, just long enough for him to start bending his bow back into shape. The enchanted thing hadn't gotten too bollocksed after the choking incident, but he didn't want to take any chances and have to recalculate the damn thing's distance.
He'd just enough time to finish when one darkspawn popped out from under the corpse of another. Not even reaching for his arrows, he instead found the knife at his side and flung it. He wasn't nearly as good with the knives, but it hit the thing in the leg, causing his run to get awkward and staggered. That made it easy for Avery to drive a second knife through the base of his skull and severe the spinal column. Quickly wiping the blood on the darkspawn's body, he turned back around to the group of civilians.
"The lot of ya! Stand back t'back! Watch every which way so nothin' comes sneakin' up on ya." It shouldn't be necessary, anyway. They'd thinned the darkspawn numbers and even they were considering fleeing at this point. But in the event that he was wrong, it was better safe than sorry. "Give us a shout if any of the bastards closes in." He was going to stay near to the lot of sheep and get back to his arrows.
"So," his eyes snapped over to where Veras was for a brief moment as he nocked an arrow. "Ya have any luck smoothin' her over?" It wouldn't surprise him if she was quivering beneath that massive armor of hers. Veras had a way with girls. It was just a shame that he'd get to find out what a Qunari's warmest parts were like before he did.
Post by Veras Atlassan on Nov 14, 2014 0:48:55 GMT -5
They might have been anywhere, judging by the woman's demeanor. She seemed amicable, even friendly, despite being beset on all sides by bloodthirsty monsters and destruction. He didn't know how much her heritage had to do with it. Steadfast warriors, the Qunari, though he had heard that their women typically did not engage in combat. Perhaps that had simply been conjecture, which seemed to be the most likely case, considering the prowess and alacrity that the woman now displayed as she hacked darkspawn to bits. He really should have chosen his words better, or at least the moment in which to say them, but tact was merely an infrequent acquaintance of his, and he thought little of the jest as he said it. If she was offended, he was absolutely certain she would let him know, though he thought he had a decent chance of amusing her if she were in the right mood. She went on to surprise him when she responded with levity in kind, though he wondered if she was truly as nonchalant as she seemed or if she planned to show him exactly what she thought of his crass inquiry when she had a moment.
Well. Perhaps later, then.
Still, she seemed willing to play along for the time being, and he found himself chuckling at her statement. “I am confident that he is equal to the task,” he said, flashing a lopsided smirk at her, though he didn't have much time to stand there and ponder the details of her social life; before he could toss another quip her way, he was off and fighting once again, attention consumed by the civilians and the darkspawn he was fending off. The woman put an end to the one who was currently attacking him, thrusting her sword through its throat.
“Thanks,” he said, glancing back at her as she made her inquiry. "I would say they shouldn't be long, but then, there's a lot of territory to cover, and we were all spread out... just keeps gettin' better, aye?"
His head turned to trace the movements of another figure moving toward them as he spoke. Avery, after killing a darkspawn with his dagger, had made his way over toward the civilians. Since they seemed reluctant to run, and were no use in the fight, he instructed them to stick together and call out if they were being attacked. Veras scowled at them, but it seemed the best course of action. There were still enemies about, but they were fewer in number. Less of them to fight, now. He snorted incredulous laughter at Avery's question; as though that were the only important thing in the world just now. Never mind the enemies around them.
“Aye, Commander- she already knows you're interested. I reckon y'might have a chance with 'er now.”
He hadn't envisioned his day, or this skirmish, taking on an amusing tone. He couldn't say he was glad all of this had occurred, not at all... but he'd been in worse fights, with poorer company. All in all, this wasn't so bad... not for him, or for those left alive. Had to take what you could get in these situations. He was about to say something more when a scream caught his attention, and he looked up sharply- but he couldn't see who'd cried out beyond the rocks and the burning caravan, which obscured the view of what lay beyond.
“Got it,” he said, and moved around to the opposite side of the caravan. The darkspawn seemed to be retreating back the way they had come... and one of them at the back was dragging away a straggler with it. Veras launched himself across the sandy terrain like an arrow loosed from a bow, breathing heavily as he crossed the sand- the heat, and the stress of all the fighting he'd been doing were beginning to wear on him. He should have waited for the others, perhaps, but they had their own tasks to perform. Avery was guarding the survivors, and the Qunari woman likely still had darkspawn to engage. Most were retreating, true, but it seemed like the others had remained to cover their escape. They were heading in the opposite direction that he and Avery had come, moving through rocky territory. Avery's arrows wouldn't find them easily here. No help, then, unless someone had come after him.
The genlock heard Veras as he approached, and was turning around to face him when he buried the edge of the blade in the monster's face, nearly hacking off its bottom jaw. Shame- the blow would have bit into the back of its neck and killed it quickly, but now it would be a prolonged death. The genlock let go of the woman at least, spraying blood from the injury it had been dealt and squealing like a wounded animal. Something moved on his left side, and he turned in time to see another swinging an axe at him, which he was just quick enough to avoid. If he were fresh, he might not have had any trouble- as it were, the darkspawn put him on the defensive, and he received a rattling blow on his shoulder that made his left arm go momentarily numb. He moved outside the genlock's reach as it swung the axe, and as he moved forward to slash at it, the beast struck him on the side of the head with a heavy fist, opening a gash on his brow and sending him reeling backward.
Stupid. He should have seen that one coming. Veras did not fall, but appeared to be disoriented and unable to completely regain his balance, swaying like a drunkard. That was when the genlock moved to finish him off, drawing its axe back for a powerful blow... a mistake. Veras's sword flashed out, burying deep into the genlock's leg and causing it to double over in pain. He brought his knee up and smashed it in the face, knocking it onto its back. Scowling, he raised his boot and stomped down on its throat quickly, before stalking around the genlock's supine form, looking around to make sure there weren't any others close by. Fortunately, the rest seemed to have moved on.
“Not today,” he snarled through gritted teeth. “Not by your hand, y' ugly sack of shite.”
He was angry, and would have loved to stomp the monster's skull into the dirt until it was nothing more than chips of bone and ruined flesh, but Veras was efficient and rarely cruel, even to these monsters that certainly deserved it. The blade finished it quickly, then put an end to the one with the split jaw. The elf turned to look around, to see where the woman had got to, but she was gone. She'd made her way back to the others while he was fighting, evidently. Veras spat on one of the dead darkspawn, left eye closed against the blood that streamed from the gash on his brow. He turned to head back as well, moving at a swift jog and slowing down when he drew nearer.
“They've retreated,” he said simply, his voice low.
Last Edit: Nov 14, 2014 1:00:26 GMT -5 by Veras Atlassan
Post by Valkyrie Rase on Nov 19, 2014 5:56:40 GMT -5
She heaved a heavy, dramatic sigh as the elf answered her question, looking more put out than anything else. Her sword was starting to feel heavy in her hands and she found herself wishing she had taken up archery instead—then she could be sitting pretty behind some rocks and picking off the darkspawn while everyone else charged in. Though now that Valkyrie thought about it, she would probably get bored if she had to hang back, not to mention it didn't look nearly as impressive in her opinion. It was still useful though, and she didn't (metaphorically) look down upon anyone who choose to use a bow, but it just wasn't for her.
The Qunari was drawn out of her idle thoughts when she noticed an armor-clad human making his way toward them, but she didn't get more than a glance before her attention was turned back to the fight. Valkyrie cursed quietly as a genlock jabbed a blade at her, nearly managing to slip through her armors plating before he was batted away quite brutally with a horizontal swipe, the creature yowling in pain as the blade dug into his flesh. "You started it," she tutted at the thing, unsympathetic to it's plight even as it stumbled to the ground, where it would most likely stay and bleed to death. She might have been inclined to put it out of its misery, if only so she didn't have to listen to its squealing anymore, but she was preoccupied with enemies that weren't currently trying to put their intestines back inside their body.
A panicked scream pierced through the air, but before she could even look for its source the elf was gone, apparently speeding off to go help the damsel in distress. He seemed good at that, though she wouldn't have considered herself a damsel by any length, and her distress was also a bit questionable.
Valkyrie felt a pang of relief now that the darkspawn seemed to be fleeing, only stragglers that were either too slow or too dumb to follow the others staying behind. Her boot crunched into a nearby hurlock's knee and he crumbled slightly, letting out a choked noise that was cut off as the Qunari swung her weapon, though her aim was a bit off. She had meant to just decapitate him, but instead accidentally went a bit too high and got him around the jaw, essentially knocking the top part of his head off and leaving only a lower jaw and waggling tongue connected to the rest of his body. Valkyrie made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat.
The remaining darkspawn were taken care of quickly enough with the help of the archer, and it looked like the fight was over, at least for now. Hopefully the enemy wasn't about to surprise them with reinforcements, although with how her luck seemed to be, she wouldn't be entirely surprised. Still, the female allowed herself to relax, the tip of her sword digging into the sand as she leaned on it slightly, breathing deeply and trying not to gag at the smell of tainted blood and burnt flesh. "Well," she said slowly, craning her neck toward the human (and to a much lesser degree, the still terrified civilians) and grinning slightly. "I s'pose you may have a chance at my nethers yet," the Qunari stated matter-of-fact, assuming this had been the friend the elf was talking about earlier. It wasn't like anyone else was around, at least no one that was still alive, so it wasn't exactly a big leap.
"Who knows, maybe if'ya both play your cards right we can have some real fun," she mused suggestively, both eyebrows raising for a moment before allowing her gaze to drift ahead again as she watched the elf make his way back toward them, alive but a little worse for wear. He seemed more serious now, apparently not very pleased with whatever had transpired when he ran off to play hero. "Don't sound so thrilled about it," Valkyrie replied in mock scolding.
Post by Avery Mondivarius on Nov 24, 2014 16:32:39 GMT -5
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Avery barked a boisterous laugh that finished with a scoff and abruptly ended. "What? Pull it out the other one." His eyes snapped over to Veras and then back over to the mighty tall Qunari woman. Veras was a decent liar, that much was for sure every time they played Wicked Grace... but Avery'd learned most of his tells over the years. He didn't seem to be lying. And that massive horned woman didn't seem to be in on any kind of elaborate, mid-battlefield prank. "You bastard! I thought you was smoothin' her over for yourself." He snorted. "Now it looks like I ain't even got the stones t'say it to her face."
Turning back towards the Qunari woman, the bold Commander of the Grey decided to press his luck. "I was figurin' ya had t'be good an' tight twixt the thighs. Big an' strong as you are." Mostly he was more curious for curiosity's sake, but it was hard to take she'd take that in stride. She was already primed and receptive, which was certainly surprising. Backtracking and claiming he wasn't interested was bound to sour her mood. Might as well take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity.
"Might have t'use that line more often." The Rivaini grinned roguishly.
Veras was quick to respond to the scream. The pointy ears of his practically twisted over to the sound before he broke off. Avery had half a mind to follow, but his priority was with the civilians he was currently guarding. If things got tense over by the scream, he'd split off and have Ms. Horny guard the folk. He wasn't fixing to see a man killed for a handful of civilians.
Thankfully, the elf seemed to handle himself well, and only returned with a relatively minor injury, all things considering. He and the large woman managed to pick off the few of the stragglers on their end without leaving the civilians exposed.
"Another scar." Avery scoffed. "As though you need more luck with women." He always seemed to get the slight cosmetic ones girls were so eager on. "Good. Try not t'leap in head first next time, eh?" Knowing that all the blighters cleared out lifted a weight off of his shoulders. Mostly the weight of all of the incompetent, sheepish and frankly dull civilians he was protecting.
"Right." He turned back around. "You lot. Which'a you got injured? Anyone?" His eyes sharply swept over the civilians, trying to separate ichor from blood. At long last, someone stepped forward, revealing a deep gash on his arm. But as though the split to the muscle weren't bad enough on its own, ichor covered the spot. The darkspawn's taint was in his veins already. There was only one way to fix that.
"You're comin' special with us. The rest of ya--we'll see ya back t'the nearest town." Not all of the camels were slain, thankfully. "Gather up what things ya still got left. We ain't wastin' anymore time 'round here."
Turning back to the woman, he laughed at her suggestion then looked back over at Veras, before fixing on her again. "I'd be game if he is. S'not like this opportunity'll happen more than once. Long as he keeps his distance."
Post by Veras Atlassan on Nov 29, 2014 3:19:15 GMT -5
Veras was obviously pleased with himself as Avery expressed his momentary confusion and disgruntlement, though he knew the man wouldn't hold his bit of meddling against him. He only offered a wink before going on his way, leaving the two to their own devices. The elf half expected the two of them to be chatting like new lovers as he returned to them, cozied up to one another rather than fighting the darkspawn, but of course they had had their own demons to deal with. Veras smirked as the woman spoke to him, but did not otherwise reply. His attention was elsewhere, besides. The man stopped a short distance from Avery, his gaze settling on a darkspawn that seemed to have been partially beheaded, though the execution had gone awry in a most unusual manner. The result was almost humorous, seeing the tongue sticking out like that. He wondered if it had waggled around while the body flopped to the ground.
“That's a new one,” he muttered in a rather impassive manner as he looked down at the darkspawn, his brows raising as he nodded in a rather approvingly. He'd never seen someone cleave a skull like that. Veras had seen his fair share of women warriors in his lifetime, and there was nothing half so pleasing as seeing a woman who knew her way around a fight... at least in his humble opinion.
Ahem.
He turned to look over at Avery when he spoke up, and reached up to prod at the gash on his forehead. As far as head wounds went, it wasn't the worst he'd ever had. Little more than a love tap, all things considering. Head wounds bled an alarming amount, but he was reasonably adept at treating his own injuries these days, though he had seen men die from little more than scratches. He would be careful with this one, as he was careful with all of them, but he wasn't too worried about his chances.
“I can' make any promises,” he said with a toothy smirk, and watched as Avery dealt with the members of the caravan. He would take a blow to the head if it would prevent the woman from being dragged off by darkspawn to a fate worse than death, aye. The man was was perfectly happy to step back now that the fighting was done, however. He looked around the sandy battlefield, wiping his sword clean on a genlock's body before sheathing it, looking around curiously for the dagger he had thrown... but now, where was it? Which one had he thrown it at? He began to walk amongst the corpses, looking for his blade, but looked over as Avery picked out one of the civilians to come with them. That could only mean one thing. Veras looked over at him grimly, but he didn't say anything. He did not envy that man.
As the others began to go and gather their belongings, Veras cast his eye around the battlefield, noting the number of bodies lying around. He wondered where the other wardens were- had they perhaps been caught in another skirmish? The fight had only lasted about ten minutes, all told... perhaps they'd ranged too far out to return so quickly? The man was torn out of his thoughts at the warrior woman's suggestion, and he turned to look at her with an expression of mild amusement and surprise. So she was still on that, was she. He'd almost forgotten about their banter. All in good fun, as far as he was concerned- such inane talk in the middle of a fight could be a source of encouragement and helped to raise morale, as far as he was concerned.
Avery was the first to respond, however, and Veras snorted, smirking, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“...Now, y'know I am as optimistic as the next man, Aev, but there are times when ye 'ave t'wonder if ye, ah... measure up to a task. Think I'll sit this one ought, then, if it's all the same t'ye.” Bloody large woman, indeed. Someone was going to be unhappy in that particular union.
He whistled a couple of times to call Cabal back to him, looking back toward the rock formations where he and Avery had first entered the fray, eyes searching for his dog.
Post by Valkyrie Rase on Dec 3, 2014 16:56:45 GMT -5
Valkyrie let the men converse between each other as she occupied herself with other things, like getting the gore off her sword now that it looked like the darkspawn weren't coming back for a second go. Idly she wondered if she would still be getting paid, after all it hadn't exactly been her fault they got ambushed, and she had stuck around to help them. That was definitely more than some of the others could say, assuming they were still alive. Granted, the ones that did stay behind weren't exactly very useful anymore either, but she hardly knew them anyway. Not many appreciated her presence, whether because of her heritage, her personality, or a combination of the two she did not know, nor did she particularly care.
The Qunari glanced around at what was left of the caravan, people meandering around to gather what they could, most of them still looking like they were in shock from what had just happened. A few stopped to mourn fallen friends or family, and one woman was practically in hysterics being lead around by a young man who was trying to calm her down. It was decidedly not the best time to ask about her payment, so she kept her mouth shut and turned back toward the two men, sheathing her sword.
The swordswoman laughed heartily at the elf, who didn't seem quite so keen on her suggestion. "Don't worry, I'd be gently," she joked, offering the male a wink, but wasn't going to push the subject if he wasn't interested. Typically men didn't take her up on that particular offer unless another lass was involved as well, which was a shame if you asked her, but that was their loss. In general she had a tendency to intimidate elves as well, which wasn't surprising. She was usually equally afraid of accidentally hurting them—they didn't quite have the bulk to them like dwarves did, and she always expected them to snap in half. The warrior before her looked beefier than most of his race though, but even that wasn't necessarily saying much.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she shielded her eyes from the suns glare, wishing she had brought something to keep the heat off her face. The Qunari was hot and tired, but despite that she was ready to leave as soon as possible, not wanting to stick around longer than necessary. Under this heat, it wouldn't be long before the bodies really started to stink.
"So, what do you plan on doing with him?" Valkyrie piped suddenly, nodding toward the wounded man who was currently cradling his injured arm, looking to be rather uncomfortable and a little nervous. She wasn't entirely sure how the taint affected people, but she did know once it had, there really wasn't much anyone could do. Maybe run a sword through 'em out of mercy, but aside from that the end result tended to be even more unpleasant. If that was their plan though, she figured they wouldn't want to do it in front of a bunch of scared people, not after they had already seen so much death and blood.
Post by Avery Mondivarius on Dec 5, 2014 1:25:29 GMT -5
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"Right. Well next time y'do it have the balls t'follow all the way through, yeah? Seein' you with a cleaved skull'd really brighten my day." At least more than a gushing wound over an eye would. He didn't need Veras fighting half blind just so he could look more weathered and rugged to all the pretty little lasses. Or, perhaps not so pretty ones, given Veras' taste in women.
Avery's mouth stretched a little sideways at seeing the mother in hysterics. Damn shame, that. Losing a kid had to be the worst thing one could suffer--it went against all the natural laws of kids reaping what their parents sewed. Still, he did not dwell too long on it. He'd seen far worse, and today was mostly a victory. It didn't hurt that he didn't have any kids of his own to worry about. At least any that weren't bastard sons and daughters of whores and the like he'd carried on with before the taint.
The best distraction came from Veras again, and the large woman. "S'all 'bout how ya use it. 'Sides, if she's good an' tight as we suspect, won't hardly be an issue, will it?" It was as though he hardly cared that he was speaking on her most private bits while she was very much present.
Looking over at the woman, he grinned, and then grinned even broader seeing the kind of state she was in. "Ain't your kind supposed t'thrive in the heat? Can't imagine this is worse than Seheron or Par Vollen. An' there you'd have t'contend with the moisture." The Anderfels was significantly worse than the Approach, but at least it had the privilege of also being dry. He'd never once set foot on his ancestral lands of Tevinter and Rivain, but he imagined both were closer to the climates her people hailed from.
Taking the injured man with him back the way they came, Avery paused when the Qunari asked of his fate and what was to be done with him. Much as he'd taken a liking to her already, that wasn't her business or anyone else's outside the Wardens. So he kept it vague and somber, figuring that'd put an end to the curiosity. "What needs t'be done." And it was the truth. Poor bastard was in for one hell of a night, even if he survived the Joining.
Post by Veras Atlassan on Dec 12, 2014 23:13:01 GMT -5
[ he /is/ half blind. xD ]
"Why, don't say such awful things, Commander," he said, feigning dismay. "Y' might 'urt my feelings."
His voice was low, however, and had lost much of its levity. Veras was all for having a bit of banter while the fight was underway, but it become considerably more difficult in the quiet, agonizing moments afterward. He hadn't lost any friends in this fight, and hadn't lost life or limb, nor had he taken on any serious injuries, which was a victory, at least in his humble opinion. Some others were not quite so lucky, however, and for many of the people in the caravan, he and Avery had arrived too late to make much of a difference. The dead were still dead, after all.
The woman's cries cut into him as mercilessly as any blade, and he looked grimly in her direction before turning his head away, looking back toward the Qunari woman, smirking at her reply. He just shook his head and up his hands in a gesture of surrender, and then went back to looking for his dagger. It occurred to him that, even if this had been started all in good fun, she might not have been joking exactly, and that she might have expected... something to happen between them. It had been a long, long time since he'd been so impulsive. Such trysts usually didn't lead to anything good, in his experience. Regrets, mostly. And occasionally, itchy nethers. He didn't particularly look forward to either.
He was looking well away from the weeping mother.
"Don't tell me I've lost another one," he muttered to himself as he looked amongst the corpses, listening in a cursory manner to the exchange between Avery and the Qunari woman. He was down from four, one snapped clean in half some weeks ago, one stolen well before that, one bent beyond all repair after a foolish bet he'd taken with a self professed strongest man in Thedas. He didn't now what that dwarf had been on at the time, but it must have been some pretty sweet stuff, because he'd cost Veras a good dagger and a good chunk of change in the process of proving him wrong. Bastard.
“Well, even if she does like the 'eat- an' it don't look like she does, wherever she came from- I'm about to fuckin' cook in this armor, and the sooner-” he suddenly darted forward, plucking his dagger from a dead genlock as though it had been trying to make off with it, “-we leave this sand-blasted, sunbaked slice of ''ell be'ind, the better. 'less one of ye wants to carry my unconscious body all the way back.”
He squinted over at Avery, wiping blood and sweat from his brow. A black shape appeared in his peripheral vision, and he watched as Cabal came racing across the sandy field, and skidded to a halt a few paces from him, panting and looking imploring up at him, tail wagging behind him. Apparently he wanted to get out of the heat as well. Veras couldn't blame him. He listened absently as the two spoke of the tainted fellow. It was a brief conversation, with Avery cutting off any inquiries the woman might have quickly. Veras spoke up then as he walked after Avery, but his eyes were on the woman. He staunchly ignored all of the other survivors around hi, leaving them to finish gathering their things, leaving still others to stay behind and mourn the dead, perhaps to bury them if they were able. Veras had had enough of digging graves, and he didn't intend to stick around to help.
“We came through this mess alive t'gether, I think that puts us all on a firs' name basis, aye? Name's Veras. This mutt 'ere is Cabal. An' that swarthy lookin' devil's none other than the big boss of the Grey Wardens 'imself, Avery Mondivarius. Y' wanna take a bow, there, Commander?”
Post by Valkyrie Rase on Dec 29, 2014 19:19:08 GMT -5
If the swarthy males tactlessness bothered her, the Qunari didn't show it, hardly even reacting to the talk of how tight she may be. When she was younger, she would have been scandalized at the mere mention of anything remotely sexual, but now they might as well have been talking about the weather for all she cared. So long as the conversation stayed positive it didn't much bother her, in fact she found amusement in it, only vaguely aware that anyone else listening in might've been disgusted at how seemingly callous they were to the situation at hand. It hadn't been like she lost anyone though, and if she stopped to mourn everyone's death she'd be in for a very somber existence indeed. Better to keep things light.
The human spoke up again, and his words and assumptions made her give a derisive snort. It was a common mistake, after all Thedas wasn't exactly bustling with Qunari, but it was one that got old explaining fast. "Maybe it's all this talk of my nethers that got me sweatin'" she offered with a joking grin. "But naw," she started with a shake of her head, some hair loosening from the bun and sticking to her sweaty forehead. "I dunno about the ones that do come from there, but I was born in Ferelden. The heats nothin' like this there," Valkyrie replied, though the summer months could be somewhat merciless, it wasn't quite as bad as this sandy expanse.
"Although, I don't much like the cold neither," she admitted, but it was slightly more tolerable. Personally, spring had always been her favorite time of the year, though that might've been because all the animals started to have their young around then. That was probably one of the only things she really missed about the farm, well that and her family, but she wouldn't trade the life she had now in for it. It'd feel to bizarre now, the female having gotten used to her life on the road and the violence she often saw. How her father managed to adjust she would never understand, though it wasn't exactly like he had much of a choice.
The elf seemed to share the same sentiment about the heat, looking just as sweaty as her. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to catch ya if ya faint. It wouldn't be the first time I've had'a man swoonin' over me," The Qunari smirked, though the thought of actually having to carry someone in this heat was unpleasant. If it came to that, she would leave the carrying to the human.
When her inquiry was finally answered, it was a vague reply that sounded foreboding more than anything else. Being as forthright as she was, Valkyrie didn't particularly like it when someone didn't outright answer her questions, but at the same time she didn't really care enough to press further. Maybe if it had been someone the swordswoman knew she would have insisted, but the poor sod was just another face she barely recognized from the caravan, and not really worth potentially irritating the man over. Besides, Valkyrie was just glad it wasn't her problem.
The conversation shifted though, the elf taking the initiative to introduce himself and the apparent Grey Warden Commander. Maybe if she had been from Orlais the title would have carried more weight for her, but as it was she only knew the bare minimum about the Wardens. Namely, that they fought darkspawn, but that had already been made obvious by the dead creatures around them. Instead she just smirked, not looking any one particular way about the new information. "So you aren't just purely suicidal," she mused aloud, the comment directed more toward Veras than the Commander. "The names Valkyrie," she added.
Post by Avery Mondivarius on Dec 29, 2014 22:27:24 GMT -5
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"You'n yer damn rose bud feelin's." Avery snorted, continuing all in good fun, even if the gruffness of his deadpan voice made that hard to tell. If he was more considerate of the civilians, he might not have envied them trying to figure out how serious the Wardens were. But he wasn't. Apart from trying to save as many as he could, he couldn't give three shits about the lot of them. As long as they didn't start murdering each other or dropping like flies, they could have a merry blood magic ritual for all he cared.
"Don't look t'me," the Commander grunted. "I ain't slippin' ya'nother dagger unless it's 'tween the ribs." Avery was generous with his men. But his generosity only went so far, and Veras had a nasty habit of losing his stabby implements. First few times around, Avery was happy to lend his. After that, it became varying degrees of reluctant until finally he was ready to ram a dagger through Veras' hide in the hopes that he might actually hold onto one.
"Good thing. I'd prefer gettin' ya good 'n' slippery before we do the deed." He continued, deadpan as ever. "Huh." Well, guess she and he differed that way. He'd never set foot on anywhere outside of Orlais until late in life but thrived in the heat. The Tevinter and Rivaini must've been bred strong. Or maybe the Qunari in her was weak. Maybe her family had been puttering about in the land of turnips for a couple generations, rather than coming from immigrants or direct sons of hot, northern nations. Still, at least they both hated the cold.
"Ye know I'm always down fer luggin' yer ass back t'home." Though the entire line was sarcastic, it was pretty damn hard to tell. "Maybe this time I'll cradle ya tenderly, like a blushin' bride." His snort segued into a hearty roar of a laugh. Rolling his neck and shoulders a few times to work out the kinks, Avery started to get going and motioned for those that wanted to follow to do just that.
Avery wasn't too keen on introductions. The Kestrel part of him would probably dog him to his dying day. Most times someone asked he usually got coy, evasive, quiet, or a little defensive. Luckily Veras knew that well and made the introduction for him. "What, no last name fer you? 'Re ya tryin' t'be the next Andraste?" Of course, plenty of people only had a given name, but those that had two usually made good use of both.
"Valkyrie?" His eyes snapped over to the Qunari as he continued on. "Yeah. I could see it." He was half surprised that she wasn't given one of those Qun names. But maybe she adopted a Common one for her clients. Or maybe he was right about her parents not being immigrants.
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