OPEN: The Loyal Shield

[lifeofendurance]

WHO: Aleron and YOU
WHAT: General Catch All while the Seeker settles in
WHEN: Guardian 24-Drakonis 14
WHERE: Skyhold (varies)
NOTES: Prose or brackets fine. Can also use for any scenes wanted.

It barely takes any time since his arrival for Aleron to resume what has been his daily habits for years now. Being relocated inside the Inquisition fortress has made little difference, beyond a change of scenery. He knows of no other way than the one he's followed most his life. With everything outside the walls in sheer chaos, finding order within his personal habits provides a rock solid foundation to face those challenges.

Chapel
Every morning and evening, before he breaks his fast, before he commits himself to rest, Aleron can be found inside the Chapel, knelt in prayer. He is as earnest in his devotions as he is with the remainder of his life and spends no less than an hour each time praying through sections of the Chant of Light. It is familiar. It is the base of his faith. It is his faith that holds him up, and to neglect it would be unjust in his mind.

Courtyard
During the day, Aleron commits himself to practice and training his weapon skills, though he prefers light leathers to full armor for the exercise. A particularly sharp eye or veteran combatant will note something unusual. He executes moves with precision, clearly well studied, with years of practice. However, he does not excel with the sword, not like a true master or exceptional talent would. Still, every day, he is present in the yard, working on his form, his stance, his skills.

Stables
Most days, he finds his way to the stables, to check after the welfare of his horse he rode into Skyhold. Valiente is a lively mount, but not too aggressive, nor does he seem to mind being quartered with so many others. Weather permitting, Aleron saddles him for a short ride through the mountain passes, enough to keep the horse hale and hearty, but never so much as to risk his health or a broken limb on treacherous footing.

Library
Every afternoon, the Seeker abandons physical pursuits for academic ones. Anyone who's made note of his somber default expression will find him different when engaged in scholarly reading and research. His eyes light as he peruses the shelves, smiles and looks of surprise manifest when he stumbles across some new tidbit of fact or history of which he had previously been unaware. Peculiar to some that a man could become so animated reading titles such as Tales of the Destruction of Thedas or The Essays of Divine Ambrosia II, but his excitement over the material is present and palpable.

Tavern
Of an evening, there is a solitary man seated with a single ale which he nurses slowly. Aleron doesn't engage in games of chance, flirt with the servers, or join in any more raucous singing that happens once the patrons are well in their cups. He sits, listens to the bard, sometimes reads a book, other times a letter. The letters often sit on the table for a considerable length of time while he stares off into the distance, as if deliberating if he wants to open them or not. If the place is crowded, he makes no objections to others joining him.

Comments

Library - Guardian 25

[mythalenaste]

People don't usually get this animated about libraries. It's rare enough that Pel sort of has to speak up, and connect with a fellow nerd.

"Got a favorite subject?"

[lifeofendurance]

"History," he replies easily enough, eyes still shining as he browses the titles on the shelf, trying to decide which one to select next. Realizing it's rude to hold a conversation without looking at his companion, he turns, and looks down to see a Dalish elf. It's not lost on him that he's speaking to someone else who could well have a vested interest in history as well. At least to his understanding. What he knows of them has been gleaned from books more than actual exposure.

He plucks one such history book off the shelf and begins to thumb through the pages, looking for something. Meanwhile, he breaks the search by looking up while conversing. "Histories are always more than what is on the page. They are a reflection of the culture and times in which they were written. What a historian does not include in their writing is just as telling as their selection of written content."

[mythalenaste]

And Pel's heart skips a beat.

"It's true!" she says emphatically, drawing closer. "So much is written in a way that coddles the points of view at the time. An Orlesian who writes about how well his emperor dances compared to his Antivan bride..."

She can't finish that sentence. She's too deeply moved.

[lifeofendurance]

Aha! Someone who gets it! And even appreciates the prospects a good history can provide. It animates him in ways that few ever get to witness. So much of his day is spent in attending to what is expected of him, that there's never an opportunity for his true interests to bring him to life. In fact, a genuine smile breaks on his face complete with a soft chuckle. "I believe I read that one."

The volume in hand is remarkably old, from around the time of the founding or Orlais. He points to one of the pages. "Note this passage. The historian is very cautious not to directly name Tevinter, though there is little doubt the Imperium is being referenced. There is a caution present that they might have retaken Southern Thedas. Later historians would never be so concerned with offending a potential conqueror."

[mythalenaste]

"It must have seemed like a close call." Pel slides one hand under the book and spends a moment reading the passage. "How frightened they must have been. And how different from the way the Dalish remember things. Our histories contain so much self-serving bias, it's hard to know what really happened without another point of reference."

[lifeofendurance]

Now he's excited. Someone who's not just willing to suffer an academic debate on histories but actually engaging in the discussion with keen observation. It's like offering a puppy a meaty bone.

"Not everyone has the discernment to recognize the bias present in their own history." He's impressed! "If I may, how do the Dalish preserve their histories now? I've yet to encounter a text that wasn't written by an outside observer. Of those available, I have read what I could, but I suspect no scholar or historian could provide an accurate account of daily practices." At least not without coming across as a complete prig doing field research like the Dalish were some sort of migratory beast. Yes, he's read that horrible book too. "I wouldn't mind a parallel reading of anything you know of contemporary to this time."

[mythalenaste]

Be still, her heart.

"Well, which two societies can you think of who are obsessed with returning to the way they used to be in the long-irretrievable past? Tevinter, and the Dalish. It's not a similarity I like. And you're not likely to find much written by the Dalish that's available. We had our history stolen twice. We keep it close, afraid it will happen again if we don't guard it close. But that's not really how it works. And anything the Dalish have published is going to be banned into obscurity by the Chantry. Anything involving Halamshiral and the Second Exalted March is a very touchy subject for the victors."

Realizing she's been hanging close to him even though she's finished reading the passage. She steps away with a blush.

"My name is Pel. Of Clan Ashara. I'm an arcane researcher for the Inquisition."