{ OPEN } We lie beneath the stars at night

[serannas]

WHO: Ellana Ashara and anyone at Skyhold
WHAT: Back from the Fallow Mire, Ellana spends time researching in the library, helping in the gardens, watching weapons be made in the armory, and stargazing up on the battlements. I'm also up for any scenario you guys would like!
WHEN: End of Firstfall when more people have returned from the Fallow Mire.
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: n/a

{ in the gardens }
Ellana makes a valiant attempt to learn more about medicinal plants, but she's in a bit over her head. While she doesn't yet have the recipes memorized, she can follow instructions easily enough, and when she asks one of the healers if they need any help, she's directed to pick some leaves from the potted plants. Kneeling down before a group of pots, she does her work for only a few minutes before she starts sneezing. At first, she brushes it off, trying to carry on and raising the back of her hand to her nose to try and stifle each sneeze, but then her eyes water and she has to admit defeat, returning with what she's gathered so far.

"I think I'm allergic to this one. I'm sorry. I could gather something else?" With a second assignment, she goes to collect the leaves off a new plant, but she pauses to pick the butter yellow flowers it produces, nestling them into her side braid after stripping it of leaves. She can be found gathering a collection of leaves and flowers. Maybe Beleth can make a flower crown out of them.

{ at the armory }
The Fallow Mire wasn't the best first assignment, but Ellana is pleased to be contributing to the Inquisition however she can, and she can actually see the fruits of her labor firsthand. The summer stone and blue vitrol she helped collect is being made into swords, mauls, shields, and armor. On the upper floor of the armory, she stands with her arms crossed on the railing, looking down below as the metal is heated and hammered into shape. She's up for chatting with anyone else who may wander up there. Eventually she gathers the courage to head down and ask if she could have a staff blade added to her staff. She's told to fetch it and they'll take measurements. Therefore, she can be seen with an excited expression as she leaves the armory to retrieve her staff and bring it back.

{ in the library }
The elven runes in the Mire have Ellana curious about other elven ruins scattered throughout southern Thedas, so she goes to the library to do some independent research on the subject. The clan had few books, but what they did have, she read over and over again. As long as the book is written in the common speech of the land and the language isn't too academic, she can read it without issue. She sits alone at a table with numerous books spread out before her, because she's trying to cross reference information from different sources to see what information overlaps and what is different. At one point she stands, leaning a hand on the table so she can run her finger under a line in one book before moving to another book and doing the same. When she sees feet stop beside the table, she looks up, a bit startled and coming out of her own little world.

"Am I taking up too much room? I can move my books." She hastily draws several books closer so this person can have the other side of the table.

{ up on the battlements }
Once the sun has set, Ellana takes a blanket up with her to the battlements and lays out under the stars. Being away from the clan has been an adventure so far, but even she misses things about them. Like after supper it was always so quiet. Here the voices from the great hall or the tavern seem to reach most corners of the stronghold. It's so different, and it's taken some time to get used to. She's not far from the tavern now, and she can hear laughter from within. It makes her smile to herself, but she doesn't move to join the revelry. Instead, she picks out constellations that the elves made for their gods. She's been teaching them to Galadriel, and in return, she's been learning of the stars from Galadriel's home. If anyone passes who isn't an elf, she calls out to them before pointing up.

"Do you know the constellations well?"

If it's a fellow elf, she says, "Aneth ara. Falon'Din is bright tonight, isn't it?"

{ wildcard }
Ellana could be anywhere around Skyhold doing any number of things. Where will your character find her next?

Comments

[fortheloveoffalondin]

There aren't enough trees here, not enough space, not enough room to move around without running into at least ten new people. So, as per most times he's feeling overwhelmed, Salem heads up. The highest point he'd been able to find was up on the battlements, overlooking the valley. It's barely visible under the barely-risen moon, but the snow on the mountain peaks glittering faintly in the starlight.

Wrapped in a blanket stolen from the room that he now shares with his sister and the human that he hasn't been introduced to yet, Salem walks along the stonework, on the edge of it rather than the walkway, staying perched there until he hears the voice of another, yet another that he doesn't recognize. He might have ignored it and wandered on to find another place to stay, except for the constellation named.

Looking upward and scanning the stars, he smiles faintly. They're clearer up here where they're closer.

"Aye," he replies quietly, hopping down from his perch and approaching the blanketed figure, stocking feet silent on the stones. He crouches down beside her, keeping his blanket pulled tight around his shoulders, eyes pointed upward still.

[serannas]

"The mountains are a perfect place to stargaze, especially on nights like these." She rarely sees big, puffy clouds blocking the view, probably due to the winds in the mountains. "And Elgar'nan is easy to see, too." Her gaze shifts to a constellation that several cultures interpret as a sun.

Though she doesn't know this elf, it's nice to sit and gaze at the stars together. It reminds her that no matter where she goes in life, she can look up and know that other elves -- especially those in the Ashara clan -- are gazing up at the same sky.

[fortheloveoffalondin]

He points off over the mountains, at a dimmer constellation. "Andruil." It was so much harder to see that one in the lowlands. Salem puts his chin down on his knees, looking upward and getting lost in the expanse of stars overhead. Being able to sit with another one of the elves here was making him a bit homesick.

"The Keeper told me a story once, about the people that came before, the ones that had named the stars. They were beautiful, immortal. They had magic at their fingertips and they all lived together. They offered their rites to the stars skyclad and walked with the evanuris."

[serannas]

"Our Keeper told us the same," she replies, smiling sadly at what the People used to be. It isn't a way of living that she thinks they can recapture now; not with the world as different as it is from the ancient days of Elvhenan. But back then they weren't scattered, and they had homes to live in, with walls and a roof to keep out the wind and rain. Ever since her parents and so many others died in a plague, she's believed that if they had had houses, it wouldn't have spread so far. It's what she wants the Dalish to have now. She knows it won't be easy, with humans claiming so much land, but if only there was a place they could stay permanently, then she would feel safer.

"To which clan do you belong?" she asks curiously, turning her attention to him. He carries Mythal's vallaslin too, and what's more, he chose the minimal version as she did. She loves Mythal, but she didn't want the vallaslin to be all people saw when they looked at her. She wanted Ellana to shine through.

[fortheloveoffalondin]

Salem was the same, in that he wanted what the first elves had had, real homes and no separation of the clans. He smiles some knowing that the same stories were told by the other clans; they all retold them at Arlathvhen, but sometimes, with new Keepers, the tellings changed. It was always subtle, barely noticeable, but it happened.

The question draws his attention from his thoughts. "Clan Ghilan," he replied easily, sitting up with his arms crossed between his stomach and his legs. "Is everyone else here from Ashara?"

[serannas]

"Not all, no. I know of... four so far who aren't. But most are. I am." She moves to sit up, crossing her legs and sticking out her hand to him.

"Ellana Ashara," she says with a friendly smile.

[fortheloveoffalondin]

"It's my great pleasure, Ellana. My name is Salem. You've ah...probably already heard of me through aggravated grumblings by now." He takes her hand briefly, touching the backs of her fingers to his lips then letting them go again.

So maybe he's flirting a little bit. It certainly can't hurt. Except where it can. He's surprised Merrick hasn't materialized just to berate him for even looking at another one of the Asharas.

[serannas]

"Oh," she says, recognition coming to her eyes. "Pel's brother, of course." And maybe there's a small bit of jealousy there, but that's no surprise. She has no siblings, no parents, but here in the middle of all this chaos, Pel gets to have her brother.

"You haven't been an easy patient," she adds quietly.

[fortheloveoffalondin]

The way she says that, that little oh, is a bit disheartening. He folds his hands together in his lap and looks back out over the mountains instead.

"I s'pose not. I'm not exactly accustomed to so many people around me at once, and waking up surrounded by shemlen was...well. Shocking, to say the least."

The Armory

[el_tybs]

It's been a while since they've actually had a sizable shipment of ores, but now that they have a steady supply, orders for new weapons and armor have steadily been coming in. The ore is still common, but after the Mire people were looking to get replacements or something completely new.

Honestly, Sam welcomed the work, finding it to be a bit stress relieving after everything that had happened in the Mire and having to chase down a stubborn, shem hating Elf. It was also a nice change of pace from spell casting. It required a completely set of concentration and patience, and it was something he could literally see and touch throughout the process.

It's when he's taking a break that one of the others calls him over, something about measurements. All of them should have been able to do that, but seeing as it was a staff he supposed they figured he was better suited to doing that particular job. Obviously he's expecting to see a Mage when he comes over, but he's honestly a bit surprised when he sees that it is Ellana standing there.

"I do hope you aren't here to wrangle me into finding more undead bog horses," he teases, a grin spreading over his face as he wipes some of the sweat and soot from around his neck.

[serannas]

Ellana didn't expect to see Sam either. It never occurred to her that mages from Circles had practical skills, but that's because she's always been taught they were locked up for having magic and lived as prisoners. She's glad to see otherwise here.

"What makes you think I'm ready to repeat such an adventure?" she replies. "Once a lifetime is enough. No, I'm here to have a staff blade added to my staff." She holds it out to him, trusting a fellow mage with it over anyone else.

[el_tybs]

Once indeed was enough for that kind of adventure. As it was, since the creature had been put into it's own pen at the stables, it would bump him if he managed to get too close. It always seemed like it wanted something and often friendly, but it still was odd to look at.

"Ah, I see," he says as he takes the offered staff and leisurely inspects it from top to bottom. After a few moments Sam nods his head towards a table, silently signalling Ellana to follow him. "And which ore were you thinking of using for the blade? We have plenty of both at the time."

[serannas]

Following Sam to the table, she gives it some thought.

"What benefits can I get from each type of metal?" she asks, knowing that each type added a little something extra to weapons. She wants something that boosts what she can do, as opposed to something that just looks stylish.

[el_tybs]

"Benefits from those two metals?" he questions, though he doesn't look up from the staff, pulling up a measuring rope to see how big the staff already was. "Well considering these are pretty common ores and this is an addition, not the staff itself, the benefits aren't going to be outstanding."

Sam hums for a moment after taking the measurement. "I'd probably go with summer stone. It's a bit more useful against physical defenses, and going to be more sturdy against a physical attack done on you," he says, picking the staff up a moment later and holding it up against Ellana. "How much taller are you comfortable with the staff getting with a blade?"

[serannas]

Anything that can lessen physical attacks on her is something she's interested in having, so she agrees with a brief nod of her head. She isn't built to take a beating, and definitely prefers to stay back at range where mages belong.

"Hmm, about this much?" She holds her hands apart, scrunching up her nose in thought. It's not like she's an expert on these sort of things, so she doesn't know if her request is silly or not.

[el_tybs]

The amount that Ellana indicates is a reasonable amount, which he nods his head to in understanding. "Just making sure. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it does change how you handle your staff afterwards."

Returning the staff to the table, he grabs a few pieces of paper and starts measuring out and making a rough sketch of the length of the blade. "I'd suggest practicing with it for a while after to get used to it. I made the mistake on not doing it enough and caught my calves quite a number of times," he says with a chuckle as he looks back at Ellana.

[serannas]

"Oh," she says, giving a brief giggle at his story. "I'll be sure to do so." Hopefully Ellana can find a quiet spot to swing her staff and jog with it attached to her back. She knows the atmosphere around here can be tense, and openly practicing magic by herself may invite unwanted attention or just make others uncomfortable.

"Did you learn magic in a Circle?" she asks, assuming it must be so.

The Garden

[eolasemah]

Sina was right where she usually was, though she had arrived a bit later than normal to find Ellana there. Her face broke into a smile as she approached her fellow Dalish, eyeing what Ellana was holding before she meekly greeted, "aneth ara! Good to see you back."

[serannas]

Ellana glanced up and smiled at Sina before patting the grass beside her.

"Thank you, lethallan. I'm glad to be out of that cold and damp, at least for now. I'll probably return later if they're still looking to rescue people from the plague, but when I left, they were making progress." Setting her gathered leaves aside, she continued. "How are you?"

[eolasemah]

Sina took the invitation, seating herself next to Ellana and pulling her knees up to her chest. "I'm well," she said idly, "...I've been restless waiting for everyone to come back, but here you all are." With a sheepish smile, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What was causing the plague, did anyone know?"

[serannas]

"Not yet. The healers found a body that had the plague, but these red crystals too. I heard it was lyrium, but I really don't know anything else about it. Maybe by the time I go back, they will have learned more."

Though honestly, Ellana's not sure yet if she'll be needed back in the Mire. She enjoyed feeling useful and being a help to the residents in some small way, and working for the Inquisition has given her a purpose that she's felt she lacked living in the clan. Hopefully she can do more in that place, even if it's not the most cheerful spot in Thedas.

[eolasemah]

"A plague of lyrium?" Sina repeated, and took a moment to puzzle this out. It wasn't that lyrium couldn't be dangerous, but she had never heard of it affecting people in this way. And red?
"I imagine we'll find out soon," she said, looking at Ellana and trying her best to sound reassuring. She could sense that the woman's mind was wandering, and felt anxiously compelled to assist with whatever was causing it.

[serannas]

"Yes, that's what I'm hoping. The healers should be able to figure it all out before long." Ellana gives a small smile, being hopeful of that.

"Things seem to be going well around here. People finally settling in everything. It seems calmer too, maybe because it's not so crowded now."

[eolasemah]

"I suppose we're all finding our purposes now," Sina agreed, meeting Ellana's smile. "Though I miss my clan every day, I'd be lying if I said I'm not interested to see how things pan out with the Inquisition."

[serannas]

"Do you write to them often? I have a few people in my clan who I write to." For her, it helps, but she's also very different from Sina. Ellana's wanted to go out and travel for so long, and now that she is, she wants to stay on good terms with the clan so she can come back.