[Player Plot] Protecting Val Gamord from Darkspawn - Pt 1

[sunshinethroughgrey]

WHO: Bethany Hawke, Teren von Skraedder, Ciri, Merrick, Inessa Serra, Kain Ventfort, Aleron Darton, and Amelie Durand
WHAT: The Marquise of Val Gamord has called to the Inquisition for help, and the Inquisition has answered.
WHEN: Last week of Harvestmere, first week of Frostfall
WHERE: Val Garmond, in Orlais.
NOTES:Based off the war table mission. OOC details are here

Val Gamord is a small village in rocky hills, surrounded by walls, and presently very cold. Outside the walls, a sizable and semi-organized force of darkspawn has gathered. Reaching the village without passing through the darkspawn requires traveling along a narrow path to reach a small opening in its gates. The main road and entrance to the town are blocked and being battered by darkspawn on a nightly basis.

As noted in the original War Table Operation from DAI, Marquise Bouffon has already committed her handful of personal soldiers to the Inquisition's cause, so the town's only defenses at the moment are its walls and the efforts of the farmers and merchants who have taken refuge there. They'll all be exhausted and incredibly grateful for help. Several will be quarantined and suffering from blight sickness. (Note: They can't be saved; if the team does attempt to put through the Joining, they'll die during the ritual.)

Marquise Effiloche Bouffon will be a gracious host and very thankful for the team's efforts. She will call everyone involved noble a lot, and refer to herself as humble and devout; there will be some apparent truth to that, as her personal home is small and sparsely decorated, for an Orlesian noble's estate. She'll allow the team to stay there if they desire and feed them well. Once the darkspawn have been driven away, she will be particularly eager to see the team leave the town without lingering or asking any further questions. She will permit them to stay at most an additional day before insisting that they leave.

Comments

[ichaer]

Behind Bethany, Ciri follows without much in the way of noise. Her focus is on whatever might lay beyond the village, underground and waiting to strike but so far there is nothing that stands out to her which is concerning. She tries to shake it out of her head for now and watches as the woman, the Marquise, raises to meet them.

Her eye flicker to the food laid out and notes the simplicity out of it before greeting the woman with a nod of her head. No doubt due to the restless attacks by the darkspawn. It was good they arrived when they did... she could only wonder how long they would have lasted.

[circleprodigy]

Inessa accompanies Ciri, automatically falling into step beside her as they walk. She leaves Garahel in their quarters, not wanting to offend their host and make the mission more difficult, though of course she softened the blow by leaving some treats with him, certain they will be long-gone by the time she returns. As the Marquise rises to greet them, she meets her gaze and nods politely. However, as she's not the ranking Warden, the mage will defer from taking the lead in the discussion.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Good evening, Inquisition. Thank you, for joining me for supper. I apologize for the simple fare, but as you might imagine, supplies have been ... thin." The Marquise gestures them into chairs, and has her single servant pour them a glass of wine. "I trust you have found some way to rid us of these vile creatures?"

Bethany nodded her head, gesturing to the others around her. "We believe we've come up with a plan, your Grace, that should see us not only clearing the darkspawn here, but finding them at the source."

[in_death_sacrifice]

Kain stays near Inessa and Ciri, of course, and likewise doesn't speak up until Bethany opens up with the explanation. He's tense in a different way from how he gets in the midst of battle. It's the way he always feels while back in a noble setting.

"It's a strategy that our forces are prepared to handle," he finally adds. "Although we know better than to underestimate the darkspawn." They have quite a challenge ahead of them, but the plan has come together well, at least.

[lifeofendurance]

This is Bethany's mission, and thus Aleron is content to wait while she conducts what he considers Warden business. It's not his place at present to comment beyond banal pleasantries. But his hackles are up, a little. Not that he gives it away with so much as a twitch of a frown or a squint. And certainly it could be no more than his natural (and trained) distrust of people. But something seems off.

At least, given his own Orlesian mother's behavior, his late wife and her family, and having spent the majority of his childhood years in Orlais... something is off. It's absolutely unlike anyone of noble station to openly admit to having fallen on hard times. Something he will bring up in quiet later, assuming there will be an opportunity to do so.

Thus, he contributes nothing beyond a polite nod of greeting, a formal bow to their hostess, and an unreadable bulwark of an expression. Though, it's not hard to realize he's managed to position himself quite near his sweetheart without directly hovering.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Ah, good. I knew I could count on such noble souls, at our time of peril." The Marquise clapped her hands together, before looking around the table, "And then we can send you on your way, so we will not use any more of your valuable time."

Bethany's eyebrows raise at this, but she merely responds, "We shall be pleased to return to Skyhold, but are you certain you would not like one or two of us to stay behind, to make sure that the creatures do not re-emerge?"

The Marquise shakes her head, "No, I could not possibly ask such a sacrifice of such noble souls, not when the enter world is at risk from that ... magister creature. I shall see you well supplied, and out on your way, Maker Willing that we survive all of this."