faderift | The Blood of the Dalish

Entry tags:

The Blood of the Dalish

WHO: Cyril Ashara, Merrick Ashara, Pel, Samouel Haines Gareth, Taashath, Galadriel, Kallian Endris, Bruce Banner, Eirlys Ancarrow, Anders, James Norrington, Beleth Ashara, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Iskandar
WHAT: Summary of content
WHEN: Sometime near the start of Umbralis
WHERE: From Skyhold to along the Serpentine River.
NOTES: OOC post for this plot is here.

The Inquisition has been here before. They visited to ease the tensions between Clan Frandruil and the human village Kaladoun. As they left, peace had seemed to be reached. The Clan's Keeper, Shoshanna, has not kept up her part of the treaty. The Clan was meant to leave and give the village space, but it seems there's always a good reason to stay in place. The Clan's First, Janna, has put aside her pride to reach out to the Inquisition for help. As she has been regularly communicating with the Dalish liaison for the Inquisition, Cyril has agreed to put together a team and help the clan vacate.

While they are there they will break into two groups, one will help the Clan pack up and the other will go into the village and ease tensions there. Once the Clan is ready, all members of the Inquisition who came will reunite and help the Clan move to a new location and settle, to help them get back into the spirit of the nomadic lifestyle.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"If you would not mind then yes I would enjoy some!" At least to try it. He hadn't really had any of the tea of this land yet so he was interested in seeing what it tasted like compared to the teas of Earth. Would the different plants lend different flavors? He imagined so anyway!

Taking the cup gently, he had a sip of it and savored it a little before handing it back. "Hmmm...what is the flavor? I've not had a kind like this before."

"Wouldn't have offered if I did," he says with a chuckle, watching with interest as Iskandar drinks and considers the drink.

"It's a Dawn Lotus and floral blend from the coast apparently. I like tea and sweet things, so this is a bit of both. With a bit of honey of course. I have some more in the bag if you wanted a mug of your own."

"I enjoy sweet things as well. Or spiced things. I have found my favorite wines are spiced actually." Iskandar really just had a fondness for wine in general. It was delicious and always made his body sing.

"I would enjoy having a cup with you." Really just spending time with Sam in general was going to be welcome in his opinion. He found the man attractive yes but he also just liked him in general. "What other sweet things do you like?"

Sam laughs at that. "Well I cannot say I share the same love of wine as you. It wasn't exactly something I grew up with and never got a taste for. Same with other alcohol, but I seem to tolerate spirits a lot more." Patting Iskandar's arm release him a bit, Sam uses his free hand to help push himself up onto his feet. Setting his mug off to the side he then rummages through his pack to find the pouch he had brought along.

"Pastries," he lists off right away, grinning widely, but from this angle it was mostly to himself. "Chocolates and fruit, particularly strawberries, are the things I like the most. And what about yourself, Iskandar?"

"I like to try anything new but my favorite has always been loukoumades. They are these little honey cakes. Small but delicious. As a boy I would steal them with from the kitchens while they were still hot with my dear friend Hephaestion. We would get in so much trouble for it."

He laughed a bit which said he had no regrets about his actions. And why should he? It wasn't like he felt he'd really done anything more than just a childish little bit of mischief. Honestly he'd likely still try to do such things.

"I have not had them in many a year though. They are not something made in the lands I have lived in since my days in Macedonia."

Iouko-what? Sam pauses to look over his shoulder at the Rifter, brow raising as he describes the treat and 'adventures' him and his friend went on to retrieve them. It's easy to smile at hearing such a fond memory, reminding him of his own time as a kid stealing a taste of something his aunt was making for a meal.

"I don't know if we have anything like that here. We have tiny cakes, and we do have treats made from honey. Perhaps you could request the cooks to try to make something like it?" Or perhaps Christine since she enjoyed baking.

"Loukoumades should be easy enough for someone to figure out. I think I shall have to look for people who are good at making things to see if they can figure out how to do it." He certainly couldn't tell them how. This was not something he'd ever done for himself. In all honesty he hadn't ever cooked for himself either. There had always been people for that just like there still was these days.

"Do you know people who enjoy cooking and baking?"

If he knew that Sam would be honestly shocked. Iskandar seemed like the sort that would kill a whole boar then toss it on the fire for a meal.

"I do. There are the chefs in the kitchen. Araceli is quite the cook herself, specializing in fish and spices. Metaari is more of a camp fire kind of cook. Christine has been learning to bake for a while now, but not as much now since she is a healer and also doing research." He could probably go on about various people just for this subject. "I suppose I know some things as well since I've been nosy and learning from all of them," he adds after.

Sam makes a noise as he finally finds the tea and takes out a package to put into a new mug.

"You can cook? Tell me what things you can make!"

His interest was growing by the second but the chance to try food made by someone he appreciated? Oh that was something he was not going to be passing up. Iskandar already knew he would love to try this food even if it was something that was likely the most basic of things. He was a surprisingly simple man to please, even thrilled with just being introduced to something like crackers.

That was not even a joke. It was a legitimate fact.

"Do you mean you can't?" he asks back, grinning at how excited Iskandar was getting by this information, while grabbing the pot of water off the fire and pouring it into the mug.

"I wouldn't say I'm a great cook, but yes, I can cook. I grew up in a fishing village by the coast so grilling a fresh catch over a fire wasn't unusual. I mostly know how to cook something over a fire and at least make it taste good, but I've been learning to bake. I suggested Christine learn to do so when we first joined the Inquisition and I sort of joined her in the kitchen... a lot. Learned to bake a pie and a cake at least."

"I cannot. I always people who were preparing food for my grand feasts that I would provide for my people. And when I was traveling I was often busy making plans with my generals so it was better for someone else to bring me my meals."

To him this was rather obvious. To others unaware of his history it likely wouldn't be. However it was easy for him to forget that not everyone just automatically knew everything about him. Certainly he didn't expect others to know everything but that didn't stop him from forgetting all the same.

"I'd like to try food that you make sometime."

"Were you a noble military type in your world?" The only people he knew of that didn't know how to cook were those who were of bloodlines, or rich enough to never need to do do such an activity. Course Iskandar knew of manual labor - just look at him - considering he mentioned having generals under his command. A leader of some type like Kirk was on his flying ship?

"You want to try my food?" he asks with an amused grin. He can just imagine Christine saying something about 'you want a Fereldan cooking your food?', even if it wasn't true - they weren't all bad cooks. "I suppose I could arrange that. Any special requests?"

"Surprise me! I want to know what you would want to make me." That would be the real selling point. Sam making what he wanted to make for him. Far better than a request because this way he had absolutely no expectations going into this. It gave Sam the chance to just surprise his taste buds. And wasn't that really the best anyone could do?

"As for your first question, I am a King." Which would likely explain...most everything beyond that point. Minus the part where he certainly didn't act above everyone like kings probably were meant to.

"I suppose I'll keep that in mind if I find myself in the kitchen again for any reason." Working the forges, taking care of patients, and going on missions pretty much took up a lot of time. Course he could probably cook something on the fire the next time they ended up on a mission together.

Sam is just about to ask if Iskandar wants anything to sweeten the tea, but promptly stops, brows raising as he turns to regard the other man. "A... king?" There are a couple of people from the Rifts that claim being something of the sort as well, but the news is always surprising. Guess that would explain generals and not cooking for himself. "Very different from how I imagine a king is." Or at least how royalty is here in Thedas.

"Am I? How would you imagine a King to be?" He knew that he did things differently from others but that actually tended to fascinate him. What did others see that he did not? What did they expect that he had no intention of being? Iskandar had forged his own path for a reason after all.

"It will be interesting to know what you expect of a King if I am so different from this image you have created."

"Perhaps it's the circumstances of you being brought here... but I didn't imagine someone going on missions like the ones we've been doing, and being so... down to earth?" Kings were people too, he knew, but they just seemed so above everything and far away from the issues. It didn't help that his experience with nobility was mainly that of the Orlesian kind.

"Also probably not sleeping with two people he just met, less so with one being a mage," he points out, getting up and handing Iskandar his own mug.

"I see you as a person who happens to be a mage. Being a mage does not dictate whether or not I will bed you." Taking the cup, he smelled the tea and sighed before having a sip of it. Then, with that done, he looked at him with a wide smile.

"I have always been one to join my men for missions or for battles. A King is one who joins his people rather than being away from them. What sort of man can rule over his people if he cannot join them and know what they face?"

Iskandar's response seems to take Sam by surprise, as well as bring a whole new patch of redness to his face. It isn't very often that he hears something like that, or any mage from Thedas gets to hear really. Simple enough words, but worth a great deal.

Smiling, Sam goes and retrieves his own mug before taking up his seat again next to Iskandar. "That is an interesting way to rule," he comments, taking a sip of his tea. Rulers here did not really join the battles. The previous king of Ferelden had, but only the once, and had ended his life because of it.

"One that worked well for me. My lands thrived under my rule. It was a time of great wonder that was filled with culture and knowledge and wealth." He sighed and had another sip of the tea before wrapping his arm around Sam again. Ever the affectionate one, that was Iskandar for you.

"That is the fascinating thing about being a King really. You are above others in rank but in the end you are no bigger than anyone else when a bird looks down on you from above. No matter how great you might be you will always be small. This is why your actions are what should matter the most."

Sam is ready this time when Iskandar puts an arm around him, holding his mug in such a way that there was no issue of spilling - not to mention he had drank a good amount of it by now. The mage even scoots over a bit to sit closer, basking in the attention really and how warm the other man seemed to be.

"Hm." That was a lot to consider, such a different view. "Doesn't sound like something that would work here," he says quietly, taking another sip from his mug. "Too many countries with different views. Just on magic alone."

He laughed softly at that. "You never know. Something like that very well could work here. For you right now it just seems to be impossible because of what you have lived to see. But really there is a beauty in countries and such having different views on things. It allows one, if they are willing, to step back and look at what others are seeing that they have missed."

He gave a wave of his hand then. "Ah but it matters little. My desire to conquer will not happen here anyway. My time here is for enjoyment until I can finish my ride where I was pulled from."

There is several moments that Sam is silent, considering those words. "Historically it's never worked out," he points out. "There have been individuals that have formed together with many people of different backgrounds, much like how our Inquisitor had done, but no one could rule over so many nations or people. Humans alone are so divided, so I can hardly picture someone getting the elves, qunari, and dwarves to get along." He likes how positive Iskandar is, and the idea is honestly an interesting one. As is the idea of the Star Fleet Kirk had mentioned, but that too didn't encompass everyone.

"Where were you pulled from?"

"Those people were not me." He gave him a wink before the next question came. Iskandar smiled a little bit as he looked down at his tea. Lifting it to his lips, he had a long sip of it before he answered the question to help Sam understand.

"I was King hundreds of years ago. I ruled over many lands and was so well known for the greatness of my rule that I became known throughout history for my methods. There are books on me now, I've read a couple of them. For you see, a mage summoned me as a Spirit to fight at his side to win a Holy object that would grant the heart's truest wish. Together we fought and when I was pulled here Bucephalus and I were on our last ride."

He turned that smile to him but it was clear there were no regrets to be found.

"That ride is to my end."

Sam rolls his eyes at those words and the wink, but he does so with a smile, clearly amused by the over confidence.

The amusement though slowly slips away from Sam's face when Iskandar starts answering his question. His answer never actually says 'where' he had come from - Kirk was from Earth, Galadriel was from Middle Earth (lot of places happening from this Earth place) - but it certainly brings to light a couple other things.

Mage. Spirit. Those two words certainly stick out.

"What do you mean... spirit?"

"Heroic Spirits are those infamous throughout history for accomplishing great deeds. They can be of legend or myth or true people. After they die their souls can be summoned with powers that represent these deeds they accomplished in life."

He looked over at him and gave him a bright smile. Of course he knew what Spirits meant in these lands but he wasn't about to hide himself away just because of that. This was who and what he was. People could accept it or they couldn't and that was all there was to it.

"Different from the Spirits here, no? At least that is what I was told when I arrived here."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject