faderift | you don't own the green pines

Entry tags:

you don't own the green pines

WHO: Merrill and open!
WHAT: An open log.
WHEN: Justinian 20th - mid-Solace
WHERE: Skyhold and the surrounding area
NOTES: Some talk of violence, injuries, death.

late justinian through early solace | healing tents
[ Justice is dead, but he nearly took many others with them -- Merrill included. She's in a bad way for a few days, especially after; her cheekbone is broke, her ribs mostly intact but her internal organs badly bruised, along with various and sundry scrapes, cuts, bite marks, bruises, and burns.

Still, she's a decent patient. She stays put in the tents, at least, though they can't quite get her to stop talking when she's feeling well enough to sit up and do so. Visitors are allowed at the discretion of the healers, but Merrill isn't going to turn anyone (or anything) away. ]

early solace | around skyhold
[ When she's allowed to leave the healing tents, it's not full-time. They don't want her going down to the Warden camp to sleep, but she's allowed to wander Skyhold as long as she's careful. As a result, Merrill mostly relaxes -- visits with friends or with potential new friends, sits in the garden, watches the birds.

She likes to go visit the griffons, when she can, though she has to be careful. They're less good about watching for injuries. ]

early-mid solace | camp shady fucker
[ When she's allowed to move more, when she's more patched up between a combination of time and magic, Merrill gets to work. Sleeping in a tent isn't new, but the events at Weisshaupt have shaken her. If they need to get out, she wants to be able to move quickly.

She starts to gather supplies. Wood, mostly, but any who know much about the Dalish may recognize what begins to take shape or the plans that Merrill checks every once in a while: an aravel. ]

wildcard
[ you know what to do ]

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[Kieran is the one to tell her of griffons because well, he's a boy and what boy does not love griffons? (She is to blame, she is the one who found the the sigils to stitch to his garments but he loves them too much for her to stop, and perhaps she wanted him to have a thing of Alistair's, not knowing their paths would ever meet.) So off she goes, hoping to take her mind off everything that's happened with Leliana of late as well.

Spotting Merrill, she's about to call a greeting when she spots the injuries, frowning instead as she approaches with an eye on the griffons just to be safe.]

I trust none of them inflicted the wounds you're recovering from?

[ Some of the hatchlings are more bold than others -- that's always been true. There are plenty of new and different sights and smells that they've been introduced to in the past month, but Merrill hasn't always been present for them. She looks up to smile at Morrigan before the words fully register, but even then, half her attention is on the tiny predators rustling their feathers and clacking their beaks. ]

Oh, no. I mean, Slobbaface got some spit right in my eye the other day, and they nip, but that's about it.

[ And no, she did not name the griffons. ]

This was all- well, we pulled Justice out of Anders and he never liked me that much.

[Had it been Alistair, this whole conversation would be headed in a very different direction already. Something about how it's a shame their saliva isn't corrosive or harbouring something that devours the flesh, or that they don't all shriek at the sight of him, something like that. Because well, Alistair would probably be shielding their eyes lest she turn them all to stone should they look upon her.

Funny that the thought makes her smile rather than scowl.]

And I had thought Leliana the worst offender when it came to naming animals.

[Spend the better part of a year with a Schmooples traipsing around after you and see how it feels. Mention of Anders freezes that smile in place, sours it and she shakes her head.]

He is very fortunate but I did not seek you out to speak of the abomination. [Because that's what he is and always will be, because he's a Warden and that posed far too much of a risk to Kieran.] I wondered if you wished to speak of the eluvians? There are none to overhear us and I would prefer to do so in person; a letter can be intercepted.

There is also one called Burp, [ Merrill informs her, nodding toward the hatchling in question. Those are probably, in her opinion, the most ridiculous names.

She loves them anyway.

Eluvians, however, nearly has her pulling her attention away from the griffons. ]

Oh- goodness, yes, of course! I'm so sorry, everything just kept happening and... well. Yes. I'd definitely still love to talk about them.

I don't suppose you've read the Tale of the Champion?

Now I have to wonder if Oghren had a hand in any of this. [Still, she bends slowly to offer out a hand for it to sniff with her fingers tucked in so she doesn't lose them. She'll definitely pester Alistair regarding Kieran. He should get some good out of the Warden dad deal instead of the potential risk from Weisshaupt Wardens.

Actually killing an archdemon while they all sat about doing nothing should mean he has some actual sway.]

I have read it yes. [It's a careful sort of phrasing because it's expected that everyone's read it by now.] Twas not to my tastes, however, and I would hardly trust his word of the eluvian over your own when there is speculation enough as it stands. [After all, most of the Dalish within Skyhold only think they're for communication and nothing more.]

From what I know of Oghren, I think Maja would have pushed him off the battlements. [ Granted, from what else she knows of Oghren, he may have just bounced all the way down or been so drunk he didn't feel it.

Watching Morrigan with the hatchlings, Merrill hums slightly in thought. She's content to keep her hands to herself for now, considering the topic of conversation. ]

Well, Varric definitely exaggerated a great deal of things. The core of it is true enough; I brought the eluvian with us across the sea to Kirkwall, and my work with it had me exiled from my clan. But beyond that...

It was found in some ruins in the Brecilian Forest. Two of our hunters, Tamlen and Mahariel, went in to investigate the ruins and found elven artifacts. There were also undead -- not uncommon, of course, for ruins -- and a Bereskarn. They fought it and discovered the eluvian.

[ There's a deep breath. ] According to Mahariel, Tamlen saw something move inside the eluvian. He could have sworn it knew they were there, and went to take a closer look. He said it was showing him places, that he saw some sort of underground city and a "great blackness" -- and then he panicked, saying that "it" saw him, that he couldn't look away. There was a flash of bright white light and Mahariel was knocked unconscious. When we found them- Tamlen was gone. Mahariel had contracted the Taint it all and didn't live much longer, but told the Keeper and I what had happened, first.

We never found Tamlen.

Edited (STUPID TOO-SIMILAR NAMES) 2016-07-13 16:13 (UTC)

Believe me, little pushing would ever be required with Oghren, he tips over quite readily. [Some of them are likely still scarred by the rump roast and she was the furthest from those despicable scenes. Jonas why did you encourage him?

Who knows, choosing a new form is long overdue. Last she did it was when she went to Orlais and had to blend in with the wildlife there on her travels. (A new way to scare the shit out of Alistair, it'd be interesting to see the varying approvals rolling in over Skyhold.)]

I have been to the Brecilian Forest, with the Hero, thought I do not believe it would have been your clan we encountered. The Keeper was named Zathrian. He bound a Spirit of the Forest to the body of a wolf, and thus there were werewolves to be dealt with. Twas vengeance for the humans that captured and killed his family, still, it lasted many generations until we arrived so Jonas could use his treaties. [Perhaps not the same ruins at all but once they have covered the eluvian she notes that she will have to speak to Merrill of the spirit they encountered trapped there, and that strange ritual, the many shades. Even now - or when this is at an end - returning might be worth their while. She would still know the way if Merrill wishes to seek it.]

There is a place between. [One of the griffons attempts to cling to her when she rises, her fingers are gentle when she dislodges claws from her belts.] Others who came to speak with me of my eluvian asked or spoke of what it could do, to confirm the rumours that the ancient elves used it to speak over great distances though you and I? We know better.

[It...it's a big admission, to speak of the Crossroads but they have both agreed that silence is best. That of the two of them they understand the danger posed by the eluvians. What good would it be if everyone were clamouring to use them? To find more, to restore them, to draw the gaze of the enemy or countless others that are currently unaware upon them? She considers Merrill quietly as she always does. The bereskarn might simply have been the Blight but who truly knows when so many mirrors lie darkened?]

I have been to the place between, where all eluvians meet. Tis not the Fade though very close, thus I called it the Crossroads. Twas created by the ancient elves. There are many mirrors there, some left unlocked though most left sealed behind the ancient elves to prevent attacks, I wonder...there are ruins in so many corners, we cannot know where they all are even now. Who might be watching. I am sorry for your loss, I suppose that is of little comfort now.

[Not that she's giving any comfort with what she's said but well Leliana's poisoning has brought so much into sharp focus when most of her days lately have been spent in her bed with her, willing her to get better, watching her so weak but still so furious from it.]

No- we were gone, by then. I doubt those would have been the ruins, either; these ones were in a cave. Though maybe they were connected, once?

[ The ones they found could have been an outpost, apart from the main building. Without seeing the other ruins, having only heard rumors, Merrill couldn't say for sure either way. ]

But- a city? A city with something that watches, that lashes out? Whatever is there, whatever it is- it's dangerous. Possibly even corrupted, and it could do the same to more eluvians and try to do the same to others who stumble across them.

I wonder- would it be worth it, to try to search? Perhaps it's all the Andrastians I've been around lately, but I almost wonder if he saw- well, it just, it reminds me too much of the city in the Fade, the Black City. But perhaps that's a coincidence... but with the Taint there, I just... It's enough to make one wary.

[ An eluvian couldn't reach through to the Fade- could it? Could darkspawn activate such a thing? ]

I appreciate it, still. They were good hunters, and Mahariel one of my only friends, as a child.

The ruins we encountered were in the East of the Brecilian Forest. I still have notes and sketches of what we encountered there, should you wish to look upon them.

[Speaking of this does remind her of something she has kept tucked away, since the Inquisition doesn't have the resources to reach what she sought long ago, thoughts she has had since she first ventured through the eluvian a decade ago.]

Tis difficult to say when so many records are utterly lost. There might be more that remain in Tevinter but the likelihood of getting hold of them? Unlikely. Even to one such as myself. Within the Court there was much I was able to accomplish, things that Celene was happy to provide. We cannot say what the elven gods truly were, what happened to them in the tales; Mythal's murder, their imprisonment by the Dread Wolf - where might they be now, I wonder? [She shakes her head, stepping carefully away from a griffon intent on nibbling at her boot.]

The place I speak of is not the Fade, but it is close. If one had the power to tear down the ancient barriers put in place there, whatever magic that constructs that place...

[Well, she will allow Merrill to draw her own conclusions, it's a lot to digest after all since Morrigan has been through, has sought sanctuary there for so long. She watches her carefully though, to see how she takes it since there's more to tell after that.]

I've love to. Perhaps I'll be able to see them, someday.

[ Elven ruins seemed so difficult to find -- so many had been destroyed completely that even dangerous ones were a treasure. Perhaps especially dangerous ones.

But there was a difference between seeking danger yourself and knowing danger was out there, lying in wait, and not doing anything about it. Merrill takes a sharp breath, one hand coming up to run through her hair. ]

Power like being able to rip apart the Veil, [ she murmurs, shaking her head. ] Do you think- could Corypheus know?

The Inquisition goes to many places, who knows where we might turn to yet. I certainly never imagined that it would venture to the Anderfels at all.

[Who can say what the future might hold after all, there's so much she didn't see coming, she who thinks herself so very wise. It's humbling.

She isn't always sure if she likes the taste of all of it.]

He sought my eluvian. The ancient elves let no roads but their ruins are in far-flung corners; the eluvians were how they moved. There is an eluvian I sought once, long ago, but twas too well guarded for me to reach so I turned elsewhere. A place known as the Arbor Wilds. But if Corypheus knows of this place, of an intact, unspoiled eluvian...

Edited 2016-07-16 16:59 (UTC)

Even if he doesn't know. He could learn, and then- [ well. Then they're fucked, basically. ]

Do the advisors know? And- er, what do you think the chances of Corypheus having read The Tale of the Champion are? I mean, mine is mentioned, and...

[ There's a slight groan, Merrill resting her face in her hands for a moment. Ghostface helpfully tries to headbutt her. ]

I think we may have to make a bit of an expedition to Kirkwall.

No. At present we have no support to reach the Arbor Wilds, even were I to discuss it with Leliana? [She sighs. She's doing it a lot these days but life was a great deal simpler during the Blight when no one but Loghain and his cronies could deny there was even a problem, when they had treaties to brandish for support. So many wish to bury their heads in the sand at present.] There is too great a chance we would be unable to claim it before him. He has not moved that way, not yet, and we do not have the forces. The Arbor Wilds are dangerous enough themselves.

The thought of Corypheus ploughing through the Tale of the Champion is enough to make her crack half a smile, and she shakes her head.] And no again, though his followers might. Red lyrium was present in Kirkwall, and there are a great many red Templars now, some of them were with the Venatori in possession of my eluvian.

If you return to Kirkwall, I would accompany you there.

And I suppose picking random eluvians and jumping out would not work well. [ Or be advised. At all. ] At least these little guys are with us and not him.

[ Merrill reaches out, scratching Ghostface under the chin. He coos and flutters his wings, making her laugh slightly. ]

Do you think- maybe we could get there before, to bring it back? Because, I mean- that eluvian I could point out, out of others. Even if it was just the two of us and we met with others at the docks...

[ She's already running through the possibilities. Those she knows in Kirkwall would be willing to help, alienage elves and likely Donnic, if not any other guards. Varric's people, who would likely know who she was, though he could always send her with a letter -- or come with -- would be watching. They could do this, get it out of Kirkwall and somewhere safer. ]

Many require a key, but yes, even if they could be opened? I would not recommend it. [Even Morrigan has exercised caution in that regard.] Wonder of wonders, griffons alive after being thought extinct. Perhaps it is a sign.

[Watching Merrill with them as they discuss such ancient things, it's nearly impossible not to take it as one, a nameless hunger older than her yet common to so many surfacing in her as she thinks it through. Is this not proof that it can be accomplished? This in the same Age when dragons returned after being thought gone too?]

If you are able to describe your eluvian to me, I would be able to see if we could reach it from the Crossroads. That would shorten part of the journey and allow us the element of surprise for a change. If you are able to make suitable arrangements? It could be done. One more safely beyond his reach.

[One more headache for the advisors but at this stage that's really just a drop in the bucket.]

I can do that. I could draw you a picture as well, if it would help? [ She's actually a pretty decent artist. Better when she has a reference, but she has the lines of her eluvian memorized. ]

I think I might be able to. I'll have to speak to a few people, of course, and see if the advisors will let us use Inquisition resources -- but even if they don't, it is still mine, as far as any human is considered, so they shouldn't stop me from bringing it.

[ Especially since it really will be for the best. ]

Certainly. [Morrigan keeps a journal anyway and she lured Ellana down that road. Keep journals for the future kids so the next few generations aren't wondering if a fork was a dinglehopper and if you used it to comb your hair.]

We know the Venatori and thus Corypheus seek such things, they would have very little reason to say no. [After the way Cassandra handled the entire Galadriel debacle, could the advisors afford to be seen to slight the elves again? She doubted it.] Still, you have friends, I am sure, and both myself and my eluvian if they withhold support. It would not be overly difficult to accomplish.

[Even if Kirkwall is predictably going to be Kirkwall, right?]

[ Those darn millennial elves. ]

Perhaps- if you can find my eluvian, we could go through to it directly want wait for the others? If not, then we'll just have to go to Kirkwall as soon as possible.

[ Kirkwall is always Kirkwall. ]

While we're there- I wonder if we might be able to stop at the Black Emporium. Hawke was invited, and so the rest of us went, sometimes. I think it could be useful.

Come to my study when you have time to spare, planning there...well, no one can hear.

[And no one can get in, not with the spells on that door.]

What, pray tell, is the Black Emporium?

[Kieran is going to inherit the way her eyebrows slowly travel and the very precise inflection of 'I want to know but I feel I'm going to regret this' that she sort of reserves for Alistair generally.]

We could go now?

[ Even as she gives Ghostface another scratch. ]

Oh! It's a shop. Most people think it doesn't exist, that it's just a tale, but it's run by an immortal man called Xenon. He sells all sorts of fantastic things, though he doesn't sell everything; some things are just amazing, part of his collection, I think.

[ Merrill pauses, humming slightly. She rubs at the back of her neck and adds: ] Others are also just... odd. There's a basket full of lost socks.

If you are willing to leave your new friends.

[Seriously Butterball if you eat her laces she's going to inflict Alistair on you.]

Immortal? How is such a thing possible in Kirkwall of all places? I understand the history of the place, yet the Templars and the reputation they have. Surely they would have swooped in. [But then you say odd socks and the magic is gone.]

I think the better question is whether or not they'll try to follow us out.

[ They might like Alistair. ]

Well, he didn't get eternal youth with it, so he's kind of... very very old and stuck in a chair. But the Black Emporium is very well hidden down in Darktown. Besides, I don't think Xenon actually does magic himself.

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you don't own the green pines

around skyhold;

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