Player Plot: I will call you home

[arlathvhen]

WHO: Beleth, Cyril, Merrick, and Ellana Ashara, Thranduil, Sina Dahlasanor, Metaari, Sam Gareth, Kallian Endris, Alistair and Ruby i think??? whoever wants to go
WHAT: Keeping Up With The Asharas, the reality tv show
WHEN: Backdatedish, around mid-kingsway
WHERE: The Heartlands of Orlais
NOTES: OOC post

Tel'enfenim, da'len Irassal ma ghilas Ma garas mir renan Ara ma'athlan vhenas Ara ma'athlan vhenas	Never fear, little one, Wherever you shall go. Follow my voice-- I will call you home. I will call you home.

Clan Ashara currently resides in a small valley nestled into the mountains, that seems idyllic for a Dalish clan. A stream runs through the valley, descending into a waterfall with the steep cliffs on one side, and sheer mountain walls going straight up on two other sides. The only way in and out is through a gap big enough to lead several aravels through. It's a defensible position, safe from any threats. Except the fade rift that has opened up just a little ways from the gap. The hunters can handle the demons spewing from it well enough, and there are always a couple stationed there to pick off whatever appears. But it's too dangerous to lead the aravels and noncombatants through, and thus, they are forced to wait. To compound the issue, there's a village close to where they're currently staying, and while both sides have kept to themselves, neither are pleased with the current situation. They've helped get a message to the Inquisition in hopes that someone will come take care of the problem, and now both are tensely waiting for something to happen to change the situation, for better or worse. And so the members of Clan Ashara, with their friends in tow, return back to their clan.

Comments

[serannas]

Ellana wriggles her fingers in a wave at Sorrel. They grew up together, were taught magic together, but at one point Ellana's training ended and she was set loose to be the hearthkeeper while Pel and Sorrel were taught how to be Keepers. It's always stung a little, and Ellana can admit to a bit of jealousy too. In recent years she hasn't had much reason to hang out with Sorrel at all, but since she's here, she may as well reach out.

"Those robes suit you."

[writteninblood]

At some point, Ellana and he met the fork in the branch and went their own ways. When that branch diverged, it only put them further apart, put everyone further apart. He's too delighted, just to see the familiar faces, to care about time or distance, and he waves back, grinning. Playful Ellana is fun Ellana: this much, he's missed.

"Ma serannas, they uh..." It's awkward. After a moment, he stops dithering and just laughs at himself, "It's still kinda weird. I never thought it'd be me, this was supposed to be Pel's thing."

And where is Pel? He hesitates, and the question hangs for a moment, but he doesn't ask.

"You look good too. They must be treating you pretty good over there, yeah?"

[serannas]

"To be honest, I like that it's you. Keeping it in the family." Not a lot of clans can say that, with the way mages are often traded.

His question makes her smile, because she doesn't expect it. On returning to the clan, she figured everyone would be scoffing about how she's opened herself up to ridicule and harassment in the "humans' Inquisition." But it's not the case at all.

"It was a rocky start, and not everyone is kind, but I've found so much there that I could have only hoped for. So many are good to me, and I've made plenty of friends. Some of them are here. But how have you been? Beyond the whole rift situation, of course."

[writteninblood]

"C'mon, Ellana, give me a break," Keeping it in the family, he makes a face at that. Geez, "Don't remind me tha-- Don't remind me."

Don't remind him that his mother, and her impeccable reputation, will be looming over him until the day she dies, if not longer. But if she were to overhear that.... He risks a glance, but no, she's not listening, she's engaged in deep conversation with one of the strangers. Thank the creators.

"We've been alright. There was a Halla dropped twins this year, you shoulda heard the fuss. Hunting's been a little thin, but nothing we haven't got through before, it should be well enough. Same as it ever is-- it's just strange, being on my own I guess. But don't worry, the Keeper's keeping me in line."

[serannas]

"Oh, I knew about the halla." It's not that Ellana asks to be kept abreast of any and all news, but the two people she writes to in the clan are Atisha and Sulahni, and of course the latter told her of the twin halla in her letter back. "The Inquisition was gifted with halla for helping a clan up in the Marches close a rift and smooth things over with the local village. One of them took a shine to me, so I figured he wouldn't mind me giving him a name. I call him Mirthadra."

It takes Ellana a moment to understand how Sorrel must feel. Being surrounded by mages at Skyhold has been a wonderful experience, but here it's only him and his mother. Yikes.

"I hope it feels more natural to you in time."

[writteninblood]

"Natural must be relative," Ellana, after all, seems quite comfortable in Skyhold, surrounded by templars and shemlen and who knows what else. If that's what natural looks like to her... He shrugs, one-shouldered, "I'll survive. What else can anyone do?"

Case in point: Halla in the frostbacks. Will wonders never cease?

"That's a gift? Must've been some kind of mess you fixed. Imagine if you weren't there to help," Though the idea of a bunch of outsiders trying to cope with a sudden Halla residency was a little funny, now that he thinks about it, "Mirthadra's a good name."

[serannas]

"Well, I wasn't a part of that mission, but I'm happy to help care for them back at Skyhold." It takes up a good part of her day now and she doesn't mind at all. Sulahni may not have trained her to be a halla keeper, yet Ellana's picked up more from her than the woman realizes.

"Ma serannas. I think so too." She pauses, trying to think of something to say to keep the conversation going. "It must have been quite the journey here."

[writteninblood]

"Yeah, well, we might not be fancy Inquisition Dalish, running all over Thedas to save the world, but you lot don't have to pull a dozen aravels behind you or feed all the da'len along the way," He says, with a showman's false bravado, "I was surprised the Keeper agreed to come, to tell you the truth. But it was the easiest way we could've met with Clan Dahlasanor, and been somewhere convenient to the Inquisition, so... maybe I shouldn't be."

On the other hand, when was the last time Deheune changed her plans for the sake of anyone's convenience? Never. That would be, precisely never. Not even once, until now.

"Listen, though, these Rifts... Can the strangers really close them? I mean, does it work?"

[serannas]

"Anyone with a shard can close them," Ellana explains, her smile fading a little. "The rifts have been known to throw out shards at natives to Thedas, as well as bring people in from other worlds. But I've witnessed rifters close them firsthand. They're the only ones who can do it."

[writteninblood]

He listens intently, head cocked in that particular listening pose that meant he has focused all of his attention on what he was looking at. The effect was not inconsiderable.

"Good," He says, heavy-voiced, "I'm sure the world looks different, when you can count on these things going away. But it's not so easy, for us."

[serannas]

"There are many who still believe the rifters are demons since they fell through the Fade. The Inquisition is doing their best to protect them, but as you can imagine, the Inquisition doesn't speak up about them and what they can do often. It'll stir up those fears again. But that does make it harder to get this information out there, and to have reports of rifts given to us in response. No one wants so-called demons to come to the local rift. They probably think rifters will open it further." Thankfully the clan reached out to them. She doesn't want to think what would happen if the Keeper tried to keep this under wraps.

[writteninblood]

He snorts at that idea. If demons wanted to widen the rifts and bring all their friends through, they'd do it, not screw around making friends first.

"Demons do come out of rifts, you know," He's shaking his head, momentary gravitas gone with the wind, "If they could make them bigger too, we'd be up to our eyes by now."

[serannas]

"I know that, and I also know the rifters aren't demons. But the average person doesn't know or want to believe that."

[writteninblood]

"The average human you mean. And they see that lot all the time," The implication, being, that the Dalish are of course more rational about magic, and the working thereof-- but then, weren't they always? Sorrel certainly thinks so, "Well, if it works, then it works. And we can all stop sitting watch for flashes of green, when we could be doing anything else."

Few enough resources to spare without tying up additional hands for scouting. Few enough maps without making the few safe routes they could count on into impassable, demon-blocked nightmares.

[serannas]

"No," she replies evenly. "I meant what I said." And that was to use the word 'person,' not 'human.'

But moving on. "Thranduil will be able to close it. I've seen these rifts be closed before."

[writteninblood]

He rolls his eyes at that, but doesn't push it. If Ellana wants to be precious about the shemlen just because she's spending time among them, it's no business of his. This isn't the time for that discussion, if such a time even exists.

"Thranduil. He's..." Tall, elegant, slightly terrifying? "...Kinda intimidating. What can you say about him?"

[serannas]

Now, now, Sorrel. What would your mother say if she saw you rolling your eyes?

"That the world he's from has elven kingdoms, or at least areas of protection. He's the king of one of them. The elves there are highly respected, immortal, and have shaped the world in ages past. There are also humans, dwarves, and even a race called hobbits. But elves get along better with humans than they do with dwarves. I never really asked why that is." Something to ask him or Galadriel about someday, it seems.