( closed. ) we are objects of contempt to our neighbours,

[dashing]

WHO: Herian, Pel & Sina.
WHAT: Following the death of Gwen's mother during a Dalish ambush on their party, the Inquisition sends a diplomatic party to the Clan to open dialogue. Everything is a bit terrible.
WHEN: Shortly after the events of this log, so the beginning of Harvestmere. Gently timey wimey for flexibility.
WHERE: somewhere suitably Dalishy and foresty, Orlais.
NOTES: Reference to violence, torture and murder; this diplomatic mission is going to badly, specific warnings to be updated as necessary.

Comments

[dashing]

The Second (First, now) exclaims with pain as she strikes his teeth and near doubles over with the strike to the side of his head. He is able to block the very worst of it, but when he whirls to look after Pel his mouth is bloody and his cheekbone already red and swollen. Pryderi draws a flask from his belt and throws it hard at her retreating form.

Pel receives the dubious honour of a pitch grenade breaking against her legs. It spills down her legs and across the ground before her. (Pryderi has to spit blood from his mouth. Get him harder next time so he loses teeth, too.)

From further away the two archers draw back their bowstrings, before each looses a shockwave arrow towards Pel - not aiming for her, but just far enough before her that the explosive burst of the arrow can inflict harm, and the shockwave throw her off course. The effect is stacked, though, so extra fun.



Sina’s staff is tossed back towards the lingering archers, and now the two rogues that have been approaching her hasten their pursuit. The woman holding the knife sprints past the other, past Sina, turning sharply to leave her between the two of them, even though there’s a more considerable distance between the woman and Sina - to make it so Sina cannot watch her pursuers, and serve as another line between Pel and Sina. Even with those two moving after Sina, archers remain waiting, and Aithne just watches intently, as a cat watches the desperate and futile efforts of a mouse.

With the woman rounded behind Sina, knife in her hand, the other rogue swings his rope, the end lassoed to try and hook it around Sina’s foot and whip it back to make her stumble further. It hooks around her foot - only just - and he sets his weight against the ground and jerks the rope back to pull her foot from under her.



The good news is that Herian’s strike meets flesh; the tip of her blade slices across the soft flesh of his abdomen. Her fire feels replenished, and she surges to her feet to plunge the point deep into his gut and rend him into pieces, belly to sternum.

The Keeper’s staff meets the point where the arrow still protrudes from her back, and then whips across to batter the side of her skull. The archers that remained close converge, one on each side of Herian to wrench back her arms and take her sword, as the Keeper draws back to see to Kelvyn.

Kelvyn is not dying, but he is badly hurt. From the look the Keeper gives the archers, it seems Herian is to be badly hurt, as well, even as she continues to surge and fight and struggle.

[eolasemah]

The electricity hurt only for a few moments, but Sina feels as though it's still coursing through her, a familiar tightness in her chest betraying that she won't be able to keep running for long. The hopelessness of it has her near sobbing between breaths, and her total inexperience ensures that she is herded into the trap as easily as a young rabbit pursued by seasoned hounds.
Indeed, anyone listening from afar might think some kind of baby animal is being tormented, her vocalizations as shrill and inarticulate as they are desperate.
Another breathy shriek as the rope loops her foot, and she lands hard on the ground, scrabbling for purchase against the dirt, though her strength is no match for the hunters'. Pel and Herian have been briefly forgotten, but Sina looks up in time to see the former being blasted with pitch as she herself is being dragged away.

[mythalenaste]

The pitch makes Pel's feet stick, and her progress is slowed. But it's taken care of when just enough of a gasp of mana returns that she fade-steps to Sina's side and hacks at the rope entangling her foot with the blade of her staff. It takes two strikes to cut it through. She doesn't even notice the moderately-sized splinters in her left forearm until she reaches down to help Sina up. She didn't feel them go in, but they will certainly have to be cut out if they are to come out.

CW (more intense) violence, threats, ref to torture & deliberate infliction of permanent paralysis

[dashing]

 As Pel reaches for Sina, the hunter curls his hands around Sina's throat and jaw, ready to snap her neck at the slightest motion, smiling up at Pel over Sina's shoulder. Another glyph of neutralisation taps into their mana as it forms beneath them, Pryderi's looking grim beneath the blood trailing from nose to his chin. Another motion and he casts paralyse on Pel; before he had resisted out of some sense of concern for using such a spell on an expectant mother, now he has no such concerns. The other hunter is approaching with knife in hand, reaching for Pel's staff with the other

"Stand down, if you want your friend to live," Aithne calls out. "Dorral is very precise. He could render her unable to walk, or unable to live. Ciara, now, she can make a knife sink in with hardly any feeling at all, or leave you screaming. Her mother is a great healer; they've a talent for reading the body."

Beyond Aithne, two more archers have their arrows aimed at Pel.



Herian's arms are twisted behind her, her head a little foggy from the blows delivered, when the Keeper takes hold of the arrow protruding from her back and forces it forward so the tip bursts out through the other side. Herian's yelll of pain is brief and strangled, surprise letting it tear from her throat before she shuts it down. Neasa breaks off the arrow head and leaves the snapped shaft in the wound. A nod to the archers indicates the shem'len is to be dealt with, as she walks towards Aithne and Pryderi. Herian's is held fast as Kelvyn lurches before her, and strikes her in the gut and and the head one, twice, three times before his hands close around her throat.

"Alive, Kelvyn," she reminds him, not looking over her shoulder. "You can see to retribution once you are healed."

Kelvyn's hands stay closed until Herian loses consciousness. Neasa reaches Aithne's side just as the lead hunter finishes speaking to Pel.

"Are you ready to comply?"

[eolasemah]

As is suited to one in her particular position, Sina goes still, watching Pel with her eyes large and terrified, still streaming with tears. The only sound she makes is the slight wheeze of her breath, her lungs protesting from their overexertion; and just like that, her shard spits again, causing her to jolt with a gasp of pain and surprise. What's wrong with it? Was it the electricity?
She'll worry about it when she's not about to be paralyzed. Or killed.
Still keeping her eyes on Pel, Sina's hand slowly creeps toward her belt, feeling for the small gardening knife she keeps on her at all times. It's not exactly made for slashing at enemies, but it's a blade, and its job is to cut things. She grips the pommel, playing at holding a stitch in her side.

[mythalenaste]

Pel sees that hand move and meets Sina's eyes. Love swells in her heart when she sees those wide eyes. She sees the fear in them, the desperation, the wildness born in every Dalish. That's when her own wildness stills, damped by the understanding of their situation, the love of this fragile girl, and what must be done now to ensure Sina's survival. For if Sina takes out whatever weapon she has, she might cut someone, it's true. But she wouldn't get far before they would cut her throat for the inconvenience she has been. This way, Sina will live for the next few hours. And during those hours, there will be hope of escape. But not now.

They must surrender.

Still looking at Sina, Pel shakes her head minutely. No. We are taken. We cannot defeat them now. Later, when they do not expect it.

"We will comply," she says breathlessly. "Don't harm her."

Onto the next thread!

[dashing]

A sharp nod, and with efficiency both Neasa and Pryderi cast sleep on Pel and Sina. Herian is unconscious.

Each are blindfolded, bound, with sleep periodically renewed on all three as they are moved to camp, and held with guards. Only once they are secured are blindfolds removed and sleep allowed to expire.