Dragon Age: Prelude to Chaos

[Deleted6317247User]

Illadriel glanced at the woman somewhat suspiciously. "Looking for one, why?" She asked. The elf was uncertain if it was safe for her to reveal that she is in fact one of the Wardens.

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"This bounty won't be easy to collect." Lianna said as she watched the bounty hunter who seemed all to confident about this.

 

I don't think so, little Crow." She said grinning. Lianna at first couldn't tell why the bounty hunter was so smug until she heard footsteps coming from the second floor of the Foundry. The elf looked up and saw several mercenaries armed with crossbows.

 

"Sod it..." was the only thing she said as bolts pierced her body.

[AurianaValoria1]

Danae noticed the suspicious look and squinted at the elf, "I have..."

 

She trailed as she her eyes caught the familiar sigil on the elf's tunic...it was exactly the same as what was on her father's amulet...

 

Eyes widening, the warrior took the slender elf by the shoulders, "Maker's blood! You're...er..." she glanced around and quickly amended what she was about to say, "I need their help, that's why! I've come all the way from the Brecilian Forest following the smallest speck of a lead to this damned hole because it MIGHT - just MIGHT - be where my father disappeared to nine years ago!"

 

The warrior could feel herself flushing with frustration, which rapidly turned into embarrassment. She backed away from the elf awkwardly, "Er...I'm Danae, by the way. And I guess since you're...one of them...I can show you this."

 

She pulled the silver amulet out of her pack and proffered it to the elf, "That's all that I've got left of my father. Please...help me find out what happened to him. I know he's probably dead by now, but I at least want to know....how..."

[SteffiSyndrom]

"No!" Ruth shouted from the top of her lungs as she saw Lianna get pierced by several crossbow bolts. She dashed right into it, trying to catch the red haired elf she only knew so little and yet had hoped to get to know better.

Lianna was heavy in her arms, her body limp and the last bits of life draining out of it. Ruth knew it was nothing special, Lianna didn't die in the arms of a friend or a loved one, just some crazy woman she had met at The Hanged Man, but still Ruth thought it had to be better than dying alone. She shuddered and then snapped back to attention, remembering the bounty hunter and her minions all around her.

She wondered if Wind had followed all the way. Probably not. He seemed smarter to just dash into a situation like that. Ruth gulped loudly.

"Friend of hers I take it? Well, whatever. Just hand her over so I can drag that filthy elf's body to the ones who wanted her dead and you're free to go, we have no business with you."

Ruth looked at the woman and calculated her chances. Even if Wind was to jump in to help they were still utterly outnumbered. Also, the bounty hunter had several men with crossbows pointed at her, ready to get rid off her as quickly as they had of Lianna, too. Ruth slowly lowered Lianna's dead body to the ground and stood up.

Yup, she was surrounded. Yup, she was outnumbered. Was it smarter to just drop this? She had barely known Lianna and yet, nobody deserved to be shot in the back like that.

But before Ruth could decide what to do and what not, the bounty hunter woman stepped up to her, a dagger raised. Ruth immediately got her sword out and was ready to counter-attack. To her surprise, however, the woman showed no interest in the Pirate whatsoever. Instead, Ruth heard the woman's dagger cutting through something soft and fleshy - Lianna's head.

Ruth stood with her mouth open and watched the woman gesture towards their men and disappear. As quick as all this happened it was over and Ruth was by herself again, Wind watching not far away.

She turned around, pulling a face as she saw the puddle of blood that was gathering under the elf's dead body, her arteries still gushing out one fountain after another.

Ruth shook her head and squatted down, figuring she might as well try to find something of the dead woman that might be deliverable to someone she had been close to, or just anything. In fact, maybe even some coin. After all, Lianna wouldn't need it anymore, right?

"A note," Ruth mumbled and unfolded the piece of paper.

Go to Starkhaven. The Circle of Magi there has been burned down and is said to contain possible artifacts that would be of great value to the Crows.

Don't fail. Don't bother trying to get away. We're watching. Always.

Ruth blinked and read it a second time, then another. She waited for Wind to come up to her, lifting the note she asked "Can you make anything of this?"

Edited July 31, 2013 by SteffiSyndrom

[Macman253]

Wind dropped from the roof of the warehouse and landed behind the men with Crossbows, He drew his Crow-Blades and sunk one into the stomach of the closet man, he twisted the blade and with a savage roar he sliced it across the mans stomach to spill his innards all over the metal cat-walk. The man fell onto his back but before he did Wind stuck his foot under the crossbow he was using and popped it into the air, he slid his dagger into it's sheath and caught it and dialed down on the shocked assassin as he fumbled with his own crossbow.

 

'Hola... ' Wind said with a slight smirk as he fired the quarrel right into the man's eye.

 

Wind dropped the crossbow and let out a loud whistle, as he did the large warehouse doors shattered into a cloud of wood fragments. In stepped a tall Qunari with a massive curved two handed sword. His body was covered in countless scars and his horns had been cut down to just a few inches from his skin and were black from the fire that prevented them from growing again.

 

His sword rested on his shoulder as he walked in nonchalantly and looked at Ruth and the Bounty Hunter.

 

Wind bound across the Catwalk, the last assassin raised his crossbow but Wind jumped up onto the handrail and swung around on a chain, he planted both feet into the man's chest and he fell screaming to the earthen floor of the warehouse, his screams were silenced by the sudden and loud crunch as he fell into a large wooden crate in a cloud of wood fragments and dust.

 

Two more fired at Wind from the ground while another two fired at Ven. Ven swatted the bolts aside with his large sword, he handled the blade as if it was a stick. Ven charged with a loud roar that shook the warehouse. He brought up his sword and it came down on the first Crossbowmen and bisected him from shoulder to waist. Ven turned and hurled his sword, the blade sang as it twirled in midair, the Crossbowmen that had attacked him was trying to load his weapon when he looked up to see the sword come at him.

 

He screamed loudly just before the blade parted him down the middle and stuck into the wooden crate behind him. Wind flipped off the catwalk and landed on a crate with a solid thud, then back-flipped off the crate and landed on the soft earth of the Warehouse floor. Ven pulled his bloodslicked sword from the crate and stuck the tip in the dirt and laid it out and a 45 degree angle, Wind jumped on the blade like a spring-board and went skyward, he spun in the air like a top and collided with the last two assassins, his blades stuck to the hilt in their hearts.

 

Wind stood with a wide smile and dusted off his hands like had just finished cutting wood for the fire or plowed a field.

 

"Well... that was easy." He said to Ven as the burly Qunari wiped his massive scimitar clean with a scrap of one of the assassins tunics. They both turned to face the now alone Bounty Hunter.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Macman253

[Alaylyne]

The ginger arrived at the docks, surprised to see them lacking the redhead woman whose crew she joined. She wasn't completely sure about the whole becoming-a-pirate plan, but right now it was the best way to get two things she needed: to get out of Kirkwall and get some money. Starting to think the captain'd already set sail and left without her, the elf clenched her backpack tightly, leaning on her staff as she tried to seem normal and stay out of sight. Damn it, she even gave the captain her name in that letter and acted all friendly to try to get her to agree on taking her as a memeber of her crew. If the captain does show up eventually, she'll have to ask her not to address her with her name. Elf, knife-ear, healer, whichever, she didn't care, just as long as she didn't call her Alaila.

 

Thinking about her poor herbs closed in jars, the woman leaned against the nearest wall with a sigh, looking down the street in hope of spotting the readhead.

 

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Fletcher woke up in the morning to find the two girls from last night still lying in his bed, sleeping. Waking them up when he moved the thin blanket to half-reveal their bodies, he got up out of bed and pulled on his pants, throwing a bored look towards the girls. The blonde one with quite the assets was followed his example and picked her dress from the floor, throwing a few more glances in the man's direction. He may have been at least 10 years older than both her and her brunette friend, but the number of scars he had backed up his experience and the lacking loss of mobility.

 

"Come on, Sarah, up you go." The blonde woke up her still sleeping friend and threw her dress on her while she searched for her shoes, resisting the urge to throw them on her dumb friend, as well.

 

Despite having the reputation of a blonde, she wasn't the dumb one here. He was a mercenary of some sort and had quite a reputation in the inn, since all the employees knew better than to provoke him, including the old and ill-tempered bartender. And he was that kind of man that wanted to be left alone after he got what he wanted.

 

"Sarah, come on. You really are the dumbest of them all, not to mention the slowest." The brunette finally got out of bed and dressed up, being dragged away by her blonde friend who was still eying the Anders when she tried to say something to him.

 

Fletcher patiently waited for the two women to leave, glad the blonde had enough brain not to let her friend speak with him. He may have been in a good mood and interested in the job he was about to get, but he never did have patience to speak to women without slitting their throat after becoming bored and/or frustrated. So when the women left, the assassin let Ouray in, knowing the hawk prefered to stay outside during the night and never leave his side during the day.

 

The Anders got another message from his employer and was about to head out today, to the old meeting spot. If this job was paid so well, there also was a catch as large as the sum he will be paid once the job is finished. So hiring a few mercenaries to serve as cannon fodder would be a good idea, since they'll all die, one way or the other, so paying them won't actually be necessary. But that can wait...details, first.

[Deleted6317247User]

Illadriel was reaching for her daggers when the woman suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders but after the woman explained herself it seemed that she meant no harm and was desperately searching for some answers but even then she felt much more relieved once Danae let go off her.

"And I'm Illadriel, nice to meet you." She said as she watched Danae pulling something out of her pack. She took the amulet from the woman's hands and the moment she laid her eyes on the amulet she recognized it.

"Warden's oath," she said quietly and pulled her own amulet from underneath her armor, "your father was a Grey Warden then." She said and handed Danae her father's amulet back. "Every Grey Wardens receives an amulet like that." She explained not wanting to go into further details as she knew how vigilantly Wardens guarded their secrets.

For a moment she thought over Danae's plea for help as well as her own situation. "Perhaps we'll be able to help each other out," she finally said and started walking back to the Commons of Orzammar, "please, tell me more about your father and this... quest of yours."

[AurianaValoria1]

Danae smiled sheepishly and half-bowed, "A pleasure, Lady Illadriel."

 

Putting the amulet away again, she followed the elf, "Yes. He was. He...was the only family I ever had. My mother died in childbirth, you see, and I really had no friends to speak of, growing up. Father kept most people away from me...he was very protective. He raised me to be a fighter...none of that girlish nonsense for me. As for his duties, he told me very little about the Wardens - only that he was one, and he had to be away sometimes. He was gone more than he was home, but when he was, I always knew I would be completely safe.

 

"And then he disappeared for good. A few days after I turned fifteen, I found this amulet on the dresser, with no sign of him anywhere. No note. Nothing. He was just...gone. I was on my own after that."

 

The warrior fell silent for a long time before finally adding, "I always thought he left it behind for me because he thought he might not come home again. I guess he was right..."

 

Shaking her head, Danae sighed, "Anyway, I've never known what became of him. Nine years, and I've heard absolutely nothing. I know it's probably foolish of me to try and find out, but I can't stop this nagging feeling that I should know. I need to know. I can't..." she trailed, "I can't put him to rest in my own mind if I don't."

[SteffiSyndrom]

Ruth turned her head as she heard noise. The Bounty Hunter who had actually been about to leave found herself facing Wind and a Qunari.

For a moment she thought that it was the Qunari they had met at the Hanged Man but she figured it couldn't be. It seemed like he and Wind knew each other.

Ruth let out an annoyed sigh over having had her question ignored and stood up. She had wanted to get even with the Bounty Hunter, sure, but she had also figured since they had left her alone she could also have returned the favor. But if Wind had the need for some action, who was she to deny him. And the woman had it coming, anyways.

 

Ruth still stood at Lianna's dead body, figuring since Wind and his Qunari buddy have done everything so far already, might as well let them finish.

It was bad manner, after all, to take away someone's kill.

 

She put the little note she had gotten off Lianna's body in a side pocket on her belt, crossed her arms before her breasts and watched the pirate.

She had to admit, he was really good at that. And a nice, dirty fighting still had something very alluring after all, didn't it?

[Deleted6317247User]

Illadriel listened to Danae's story, feeling sorry for the girl. She could not remember if she ever saw her father but if he was gone for nine years it was more than likely that he's really dead. Went to his Calling perhaps? The elf only wondered how to share her opinion without giving away the order's secrets.

 

"I'm sorry," she said, "it is most likely that your father died fighting darkspawn. We all go down fighting."

[AurianaValoria1]

Danae sighed again, looking down at her toes, "Yeah...so we do. Better than lying up in a bed waiting for your hour, I suppose." The woman was, of course, entirely clueless about what the elf Warden really meant - she had chalked up Illadriel's statement to meaning anyone who led a warrior's life.

 

Glancing around at the Commons, Danae added, "Anyway, you mentioned something about me helping you out. I suppose if you help me, it's a fair trade-off. So, what do you need...milady?"

Edited August 2, 2013 by AurianaValoria1