faderift | closed: compelled to forge on

Entry tags:

closed: compelled to forge on

WHO: Grey Wardens.
WHAT: Post-Weisshaupt discussion.
WHEN: Vaguely backdated to after everyone returns.
WHERE: The Valley, near the river, out of earshot of everyone else. Eavesdroppers will be electrocuted. Maybe.
NOTES: No set tag order, but try not to boomerang too much and leave everyone else out. Feel free to add your own discussion topics.

This is not a party, or really planned at all beyond we need to talk; there's no spread of food, no seating except chunks of ice or stones or leftover building materials dragged over by those passionate about sitting down, and no liquor except what anyone has the foresight to bring for themselves. (Alistair has a bottle, and if someone grabs it from him he'll only whine a little at having it passed around.) It isn't that late, but it gets dark early in the valley, everything cast blue-gray when the sun disappears behind the peaks.

And there are only nine of them--some gone, some stationed elsewhere, Maja unwilling to leave the griffons--so it's more of a huddle than anything. Easy to keep their voices down. Kaisa.

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The gist of it is common knowledge by now: the Wardens have deposed the royal family in the Anderfels, which arguably hasn't changed the balance of power there so much as made a formal announcement of it in a very unsympathetic way. "You know," Alistair says, "the First Warden lectured me about Orzammar and the Landsmeet." Hopefully no one was expecting any sort of formal call to order or topic-setting. "Personally. He didn't even get the High Constable to do it for him."

And it wasn't even his fault, let alone his arse on any throne, and so on, and so forth. Underneath the complaining, what he means is what is he thinking, or he can't be in his right mind, or someone please make sense of this for me.

"Could it be Corypheus?" Nathaniel is frowning. "Directly or not? What could make the leader of the largest military force in the Anderfels take over the country when they'd been happy roommates for centuries?"

Herc sits with his arms crossed, slouched rather than with his usual straight back. Strain is written into his features, but its just everything that's happened-- probably.

After a heavy pause, "Corypheus makes a damn sight more sense than the First Warden getting political all of a sudden."

Anders is frowning as he scratches behind Purrelden's ears, listening and not happy with the likely answers here. "One of the Wardens we met said that Corypheus was on the way. He'll want a powerbase, and where better? He can control Grey Wardens, most are there..." It seems to follow.

"If he can control the Wardens up that way then we're gonna need a lot of people who aren't Wardens to help straighten it out."

Quiet, that, as he pensively rubs his jaw. There's a permanent kind of stubble there that never quite makes it into being a beard, but seems to be inching closer to it at the moment. Ultimately, though, his hand just drops and he shakes his head. "Maker."

Bethany was silent for a long, long time, before she said something that she knew the rest were not going to like. "If the First Warden is being mind-controlled - we are going to need Clarel to break it. She is the only one who knows the spell, outside of ... well. The other one."

She had nothing kind to say about the Tevinter mage down in the dungeon, outside of the fact that she hoped he rotted there for all eternity.

"He doesn't need a spell. That's why they couldn't kill him, why the seals used your father's blood instead of any Warden's—any Warden who got too close wound up trying to help him escape."

Trying to help him escape, trying to help him take over a country. Not too different. But whatever the prohibitions on political involvement, the First Warden's head has always been up the Anderfels' arse, too. Maybe he didn't need that much of a push.

Alistair kicks a bit of ice, moodily, and then makes a wincing apologetic face at whoever is opposite him that gets hit by it.

Despite her angry lashing out at Weisshaupt itself, Teren has been quiet since then, the sort of quiet that is more likely to put someone on edge than convey any docility. As they talk, she listens, the gears in her mind turning, a knife glinting subtly as she cleans her nails with it.

Max looks up at Alistair with reproach, snow sliding off his nose.

Wait for it:

[ whines sadly ]

There's a flash, fire disintegrating another part of the ice kicked (accidentally) in his direction (because they move between this thread and the next,) since he doesn't feel like being hit by it and he's a mage.

"Basically, mind control is the likeliest culprit whether it's by Corypheus or a blood mage. Or several blood mages. Weisshaupt's been quiet for some time; he could have had people infiltrating it for some time. I still don't understand how the attempt to renew the seals failed."

Bethany looked down at her hands, before she spoke quietly, "Are we talking about the seals that kept Corypheus there? Because I am fairly certain I know what happened with those."

Their fault, it was their fault that this was happening. Marian, herself, Carver ... if they hadn't gone to that damned temple. If they had just left it well alone.

Alistair pauses the very important task of looking heartbroken and apologetic in the dog's direction, how could he, he'll slip him a treat later--

pauses that to raise his eyebrows at Bethany. He wasn't going to assign any blame--beyond what he's already said, divulging a few details to Seeker Pentaghast in particular to make sure she understood that Corypheus looking dead wouldn't be the same as Corypheus actually being dead. Marian is his friend, too.

Max goes from looking at Alistair (betrayed) to looking at Anders (awestruck; so cool) to making a pensive grumbly sound at Bethany, and ultimately contributing to the conversation by propping his drooling self against Ander's leg with a dramatic huff. Anders is now the coolest person here.

Herc, less dramatic than his dog, keeps his arms crossed, frown deepening a little as he glances Bethany's way.

"What do you mean, Bethany?"

"I mean ... we didn't set the seals back up after we left. We thought he was dead - and we didn't want to invalidate our father's sacrifice. We didn't want to give the Wardens any more of our blood." She looked around at them, "The Wardens already had me, after all."

Like Teren, Blackwall was also silently listening to the discussion. He didn't have much to add, but he was keen to hear what everyone else had to say. Even if he did have anything, it still felt like it wasn't exactly his place to interrupt.

"How were you supposed to know, Bethany?" Kaisa wasn't usually quiet, but talking about politics, talking about all this complicated, frustrating stuff? She hated it. And there were plenty of Wardens her senior to do it for her. Maker's ass, this wasn't what the Wardens were for. But she can try to be a comfort, at least.

"Usually, when people die--even weird darkspawn magisters--they stay dead. That's kind of how dying works. And it's not like Corypheus really looks like an archdemon or anything."

"It's our fault," Alistair says, meaning our in the very general sense--the Wardens, and not even the Wardens presently alive--"for sealing him down there and hiding it." From Thedas, from one another. It took him months to get any answers, and even those are vague and incomplete. "Maker knows what else we've buried."

"It doesn't matter now who did what, just that we have to deal with it somehow," Velanna pipes up, a little annoyed. She's been mostly silent, but that's more because it's a lot to think about.

"Perhaps we should try to get in touch with the Architect. He might... know something."

"The who-now?" Kaisa blinks, glancing at Velanna, then around to see if anyone else knows what she's talking about, then back to Velanna. "Are you thinking about getting someone to build us our own castle? Because, I mean, that'd be cool, but where would we put it."

Anders grimaces, and not just at Max now drooling on his boot. Really? Ugh.

"Considering the drawings I've seen of Corypheus at Haven, I'd not be surprised at all if the Architect knows something." Anders sounds very displeased as he shifts where he sits and exhales. "For those who don't know, the Architect was presumably just a sentient Darkspawn, but I don't know if I believe that anymore. He lead a faction of Darkspawn and was making them intelligent at the same time another sentient Darkspawn was, the Mother. When both attacked... Jonas chose to spare the Architect so that we could take out the Mother and still possibly save city and Keep."

He hadn't agreed then, he still doesn't. "He's out there somewhere, being quiet, and it's not a good thing. Especially not when there are definitely parallels in the way both Architect and Corypheus look. Maybe it's a Darkspawn thing, but I don't know that we can afford to put stock in that."

Purrelden chooses this moment to drop from Anders' shoulder to lap... and then the down to the back of the mabari.

"Oh," Alistair says. "That's what else we've buried. Fantastic."

"... All right, I have to ask, have we buried the Dread Wolf around here somewhere as well? Because I am honestly starting to think we've put every bad thing in our back pantry, and just hoped no one noticed." Bethany stated, her lips pressing together into a thin line.

"It was the right thing to spare him," Velanna replies, a little too quickly. She's had years to think it over, to contemplate what her sister must now be going through, at his side.

She regrets pushing for it. But she'll stand behind that choice.

"He's helped in the past. Pockets of intelligent darkspawn that were insane, similar to the Mother, he would get notice to us and we wiped them out. But it has been... a very long time since we've heard anything from him." She's inclined to agree with Anders about his assessment that the drawings of Corypheus and the Architect look suspiciously similar.

"..."

Kaisa stares, with alarmed eyes, from Anders, to Velanna, as they reveal yet another Warden secret. It's not really that surprising, all told, because being a Warden, you get used to constantly discovering secrets about Wardeny things, because that's what Wardens did. But as her eyes turn to the ground, she's puzzling over a mystery that has been gathering dust for years and years.

And finally, it clicks into place, and she jumps up, clapping her hands together.

"Amaranthine! There was a talking darkspawn there! I knew it! Gillan told me all the smoke had gotten to my head and I figured well yeah that was probably a better explanation--but! I wasn't going crazy! There was a darkspawn! And it talked!!"

This is Very Exciting News, everyone. Why aren't you excited.

"So," Alistair says. And a quick disclaimer first: this is not actually his top concern. But he has a role to play, particularly when other people have the whole somber and to the point thing covered already, and it's the least he can do to play it well. "I assume we're not getting paid anytime soon."

"We do the right thing. Funds or forces or no. The first Wardens had to start somewhere, from less than what we have now. We need to end Corypheus and rebuild the Wardens. Starting by cleaning up ourselves. We can't remain a satellite fully dependent on the Inquisition. We need pursers. We need money."

"We could always go after bandits along the way back, get the bounties and their goods." The suggestion is a joke, but he sobers up right after. "Are there any Warden-loyal nobles in Ferelden or Orlais? Would they switch their support... Mm. No, they wouldn't. Better the possibly-has-Corypheus group rather than the definitely-has-Anders one, likely."

He frowns and sighs. "Suddenly bandit hunting seems a decent side-job."

Alistair (who I've decided is standing on one side of Anders, thank you) twitches an elbow out to knock his arm, a friendly cursory attempt to stave off any serious self-blame. Not that he disagrees. They have Anders, they have the same uniforms as men who are apparently now in the business of conquering kingdoms, and those among the nobility who don't balk at the idea of supporting extra-national military forces have probably already pledged what they're willing to spare to the Inquisition.

Maybe if Cousland hadn't run off—

"There might be something left in the vault at Vigil's Keep," Alistair says to interrupt his own irritating thoughts. "I know Clarel didn't take everything in Montsimmard."

Edited 2016-06-21 12:17 (UTC)

"Maybe we can start selling some of that Grey Whiskey."

Dry, quiet, and he shakes his head even as he says it. Strain marks each movement, distraction in the way he tilts his head, trying to stave off some gnat or fly buzzing about his ear. (Not a song. Not that song. Obviously not that.)

"You want to start from nothing, you can't get nobles to fund you, then there's hiring yourselves out as mercenaries," (no) "taking on debts," (difficult, and no) "or setting yourselves up as having some skill no one else as got. We've got that, but we've got a reputation as well." It's an unfortunate reality, but not necessarily a new one. With a nod to Alistair, "Vigil's Keep might be worth a look, but Ambassador Montilyet might be able to work some magic. She seems to have her head on all right."

Bethany now let out a long, long breath -- before she lifted her hand once more. Honestly it was all just going to be things that were going to get her stared at for now.

"I ... can ask some friends. For the money. If you all don't mind being in debt to the Merchant's Guild. At least until we find something at Vigil's Keep." She paused for a moment, frowning, "And what about that other fortress up in the mountains - what was it called? Soldier's Peak?"

She waved her hand, "Regardless - if we are rebuilding the Wardens -- then we have to start with Weisshaupt. And for that we're going to need military help." And now, she was not going to be looking at Anders or Alistair, but right at Hercules. "And I only know of about two or three branches of military service right now that are currently out of work."

Edited (editted for proper plotting) 2016-06-21 23:26 (UTC)

"Do we actually need Weisshaupt? Yes, eventually, when we've more numbers, but right now..." He gestures at the gathered group. "Taking the fortress for ourselves, when there are still a great many demons in the vicinity in all likelihood, abandoning the Inquisition who has lent people for this errand, abandoning a position that's somewhat defensible, for something that large far away from anyone who would back us at this time, seems a little hasty."

Purrelden, who has been contenting herself by batting at a fraying thread on the bottom of Anders' robes, starts scooting forward, looking around as if searching for something, someone. She fixates on Max's tail and wiggles her butt as if about ready to pounce. Anders doesn't notice, he's a little more focused on matters at hand.

"Ambassador Montilyet might be our best bet, with searching, searching Vigil's Keep for any remnants as a second. Nate, Velanna, and myself know the Keep and its secrets. We can certainly look around."

"Fuck Weisshaupt. That place is creepy as all fuck, and it's a million miles away from where we're needed." Kaisa makes a face, wrinkling her nose. "We aren't going to be be getting any of our reputation back by squatting in that demon-infested castle while Corypheus is tearing up Southern Thedas. We need to be where the trouble is, and we need to help solve that trouble. That's what'll get us back into being respectable." Not that Kaisa was overly worried about money.

"I say, if we're going to do this rebuilding thing, we ought to start from somewhere that isn't all cursed and shit. Vigil's Keep would be a good one." Not that Kaisa is BIASED (she is). "Or, I don't know, our cozy little camp for the reprobates and troublemakers. No one could accuse us of being pretentious, at least." If there were anyone accusing them of that, at least.

Alistair raises his eyes toward the silhouette of the house that's being slowly constructed nearby--massive, apparently there will be fountains, people could probably find a way to call them pretentious whether it was their idea or not--but he only says, "I have to stay here."

If they're going to reclaim Vigil's Keep. He doesn't precisely stay out of Ferelden, but there's a difference between poking quietly around the Bannorn and taking up permanent residence in a fortress near a major city, and that difference is probably the difference between being arrested or not.

"I think we should all stay here," he goes on. "They already have the manpower, the infrastructure--the goodwill. More than us, anyway. Given what we apparently do when we're left to ourselves, I think we could stand to be a little dependent on someone else. For a time."

"I agree with Alistair," Velanna speaks up, her arms crossed in front of her while she's processing all the information in front of them. "We are weak, and striking out on our own just makes us targets, for Corypheus or otherwise." The last sane Wardens in Thedas probably shouldn't get wiped out in the event of another Blight.

"Once things have settled down, we should try to find Jonas. He should be here, with us." He might be a jerk but there's no denying he'd been a decent leader.

Bethany shrugged; if her idea was shouted down then it was shouted down. Beyond that, her friends had made good points on why not to take Weisshaupt -- but .. "We can't leave the Anderfels in the hands of that monster. We just ... can't. I don't care if we do it from Weisshaupt, or Vigil's Keep, or Camp Shady Fucker, or from a hole in the ground filled with ghasts -- but we can't leave those people up there. It is our fault -- " And yes, she will take this one personally, "And we need to fix it. Sooner rather than later. I am less worried about money and more worried about more innocent blood on our hands."

She looked over at Velanna, and nodded, "We should find Marian as well. She was the one who faced Corypheus, one on one. Maybe she knows something we don't."

"I'm assuming that the Inquisition will continue to feed us if we continue to help them. And, you know, let us squat here with this camp and all. That's something." She shrugs. "I think Alistair has the right of it, more or less. I don't want us to be dependent on the Inquisition, but it'd be mutually beneficial for us to stay here for now. The more we help, the more goodwill we'll gain back. If we can say that we helped fix the problems Corypheus caused, they can't throw us entirely under the wagon for it."

She hums thoughtfully at the suggestions to find Jonas and Marian--she was pretty sure if either of them were coming back, it'd have been before all of this. But she's not that rude. "King Cousland is a leader, but he's also the leader of Fereldan." She points out instead. "He's probably going to have a mountain of problems when he gets back, from every direction."

The mention of Jonas makes Alistair's nose wrinkle, an involuntary reflex, but he doesn't say anything. His face smooths out for Hawke, who they should find, and then brightens a bit at the proximity of his name and the word right. That doesn't happen terribly often.

But then back to Jonas. Ugh.

"If he hasn't shown up already, I'm sure there's a reason," Alistair says. Whatever he thinks of Cousland, he cares about Ferelden. And it isn't like him to vanish during an international crisis instead of sticking his fingers into everything. He's busy or he's dead. Alistair refuses to care which. He shifts, and drinks, and says, "Someone should talk to the Inquisition before we get to ahead of ourselves, anyway. We may have worn out our welcome."

"Let Jonas, and Marian, have what peace they can find. They've carried enough." If they're even still alive. He rather hopes they are. "Marian's likely with Carver, and likely taking a break from everything messy. ...Or rather, Marian's likely with Carver, and getting into smaller trouble than usual."

"And that sounded like volunteering, Alistair." There's a faint flicker of smile on his lips that fades a moment later. He'd been about to add that Alistair had a friend leading the Inquisition, but he remembers how Zevran had been isolated from Morrigan at the very least when it came out he'd known Anders was here. Alistair could be paying for that. Anders should probably not crack jokes about it. "Half of them are in love with Templars, you're halfway like one, they may like talking with you. Take Doghren and threaten them with drool if they don't want to see you."

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closed: compelled to forge on

TOPIC: What happened??!??!?

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~ignore me~

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TOPIC: What now???!!!!??!!?!

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