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]

Of course Sulahni sports the same vallaslin. Her father was the halla keeper before her and she's proud to follow in his footsteps. Ellana has always said that people like Sulahni and her father are born with the ability to read a halla's mind, and though she always laughed it off, she knows she does have a special connection to them. She senses things in the halla that others in the clan can't.

"Ma serannas, da'len." Sulahni can't help but notice the bit of green glow coming from Sina. That's a bit unsettling, but mostly she just feels sorry for the young thing. She looks so fragile, and Sulahni has always gravitated towards the ones who feel that way to her. It's why she often asked Ellana to help her feed the halla: to watch over her.

"May I ask what drew you towards Ghilan'nain and honoring her with your vallaslin?"

[eolasemah]

Sina feels more fragile than usual, but she's reluctant to show it. Having the rift so close by has made her shard more aggressive, not popping and spitting like it does when she's too close, but just... thrumming more loudly, something that only she can perceive. She has to tread carefully to not aggravate it.
"She was one of us," she thoughtfully replies, "...and only by the grace of the Creators was she made eternal." She smiles to Sulahni. "I relate to that. We can be no more than mortal without the Creators to guide us." Approaching the fence, she holds out her hand for a halla to sniff. "...and as First, my task is to lead the clan, as best I can. I would not embark on such a journey without a worthy navigator."

[serannas]

That answer more than satisfies Sulahni, but she's really not hard to please. Sina could have said Because it's pretty and she would have accepted that as a valid answer. In Sulahni's humble opinion, their vallaslin is the prettiest of all.

"A wise response, and just the sort of thing a Keeper should believe. You will do well when it's your turn to lead."

She stoops to gather some grasses and flowers in her hand. "Would you like to feed them?"

[eolasemah]

It's true. It is the prettiest.
"Serannas," she says quietly, with a flattered smile. "...yes, of course." She extends her hand for some of the feed, and goes about holding it flat to their mouths so they can nibble away.
"We only have a few," she remarks, "no sense in keeping a whole herd, there are barely enough of us to pull."

[serannas]

"That is a shame, Of course I see the sense in it." She reaches out and strokes the back of the nearest halla. "It's good to have our brothers and sisters so close to us. They're more than just animals. We protect them, care for them, and they give us a sense of peace in return. Whenever someone in the clan is troubled, I ask them to help me feed the halla."

Maybe Sina recalls Ellana telling her she often helped Sulahni feed the halla; maybe not. But Sulahni believes it soothes the soul and sets a person's mind at ease.

[eolasemah]

"It's good of them to stay by our side," Sina agrees, feeding the last one and stroking its fuzzy nose. "And nice to know not all has been lost."

[serannas]

"The halla will never be lost as long as we remember who they are and what they mean to us. They are here because they came from Ghilan'nain: one of us. The way we care for each other as elves is the way we should care for the halla." Sulahni would obviously give her life to protect even one halla. She grieves when they die of old age or illness, but that's the cycle of life, same as with the People. Anyone who wants to hurt a halla, however, will have to get through her first.

"Tell me, da'len. Do you do work for the Inquisition, or are you a guest there?" Because she can guess she's there to have her shard studied, but she knows nothing else about Sina really.

[eolasemah]

Still petting the halla, Sina shakes her head. "A guest," she replies, "I cannot swear myself to an organization that I don't fully understand, and that might ask me to put it above my clan." She bites her lower lip. "I need their expertise, so I lend mine in return. But I am not beholden to them."

[serannas]

"That is a wise course of action, but unsurprising for a First who will one day lead her clan." As for those in Clan Ashara who have joined the Inquisition, Sulahni knows their hearts aren't completely here with the clan, to varying degrees. Gavin is the furthest removed, followed by Ellana. Merrick probably as well. Beleth and Cyril probably hold enough fondness for the clan that they are split in their loyalty. Sulahni is good at observation. It comes from watching others all the time without making her own opinions known. Without her own bias, others tend to reveal themselves more.

"And what have you taught this Inquisition?"

[eolasemah]

"I work the garden." Sina's answer is quick, and a little proud. "I have much knowledge of herbalism, as well as the magic passed to me by Keeper Thalia. I like to think the garden was suffering for lack of a Dalish." A little egotistical, perhaps, but she doesn't mind.

[serannas]

"Oh?" Sulahni lets out a throaty laugh, her eyes practically sparkling with amusement. "Good. Those shemlen probably couldn't tell arbor's blessing from rashvine." Poking fun at humans and their lack of wilderness knowledge is usually as far as she goes when speaking of humans. She knows full well they pressure the clan off of land, but there's no sense moaning about it. It's the way things have always been.