faderift | [OPEN] a fieldtrip for the Wardens and friends

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[OPEN] a fieldtrip for the Wardens and friends

WHO: Loghain, Teren, any other Grey Wardens who feel like participating + anyone else who would have some excuse to be down in the Deep Roads (or at least can come up with a reason to join)
WHAT: Wardens & co. respond to reports of darkspawn activity in the Deep Roads beneath the Vimmarks, and encounter another surprise.
WHEN: Early May.
WHERE: The Deep Roads beneath the Vimmark mountains, close-ish to Corypheus' tomb.
NOTES: There may be a spot of violence. For prompts 1 and 2, feel free to thread with each other rather than just Loghain. For prompt 3, please keep all replies to one thread. Also, while this log is really of interest to Wardens and those who care about them, literally anyone is welcome to join. Honestly, just make up an excuse for your character and hop in.

I. Traveling

What the Deep Roads lack in visual variety they make up for in the variety of different ways the environment can kill you. Death by ancient dwarven trap or consuming the wrong type of mushroom is as real a danger down here as getting murdered by darkspawn, which is likely responsible for Loghain's frequent refrain of, "Mind where you step."

When navigating through the roads, he seems inclined to keep to himself, either leading the way through the dark or bringing up the rear. Yet he isn't adverse to company, should someone choose to join him and strike up a conversation.

II. Fighting darkspawn!

The first sign of trouble comes in the form of a genlock scout who escapes into the darkness of a narrow cave crevice before he can be killed or apprehended. This is enough of a portent of things to come for Loghain to quickly issue some marching orders; any non-combatants in the group in the middle, kept guarded by those with combat experience who haven't undertaken the Joining. The Wardens, of course, will be the first line of defence against the oncoming assault.

It's a short-lived skirmish, with enough genlock and hurlock opponents to keep the Wardens busy, and perhaps a few to sneak past the line and engage the other armed combatants. Any injuries will need to be tended to quickly, however, because no sooner does the group have a chance to catch its collective breath...

III. Fighting... other Wardens?!

...then the sound of armoured feet clinking against the stone ground signals the approach of someone new. Several someones. When they come into view, it is clear immediately that they are Grey Wardens, given they sport armour identical to Loghain's and any other Wardens in the party. (There are six of them in total, if anyone is inclined to count: three warriors including one sporting a great sword; an archer and a mage, and a dual-wielding rogue who looks like she used to slit throats for funsies before her conscription.)

It's unclear precisely how this encounter might have gone had Loghain not been in the party--but as it is, one of the newly arrived Wardens points right at him, shouts something in Anders, and then the fighting begins again in earnest.

"Someone take out that mage!" Loghain has time to shout, before he's otherwise occupied parrying a heavy blow from the largest warrior's greatsword.

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I.

Inessa is rather quiet as they proceed through the Deep Roads, less unnerved at what she's seen before and more interested in remaining alert. The same goes for Garahel, who grows less playful and more protective as they continue on their way. He often takes point, sniffing around and backing up Loghain's words by showing people where to step, making sure they all proceed safely even if they aren't the elf he imprinted on.

Though Inessa doesn't initiate conversation unless it's warranted, focused on their current task, she isn't unwelcoming either. Those that choose to walk beside her will be acknowledge with a small nod and murmured greeting, even Loghain.

II.

The moment a darkspawn is sensed, Inessa immediately casts Barrier over everyone in range. Garahel stands firmly before her; any darkspawn trying to reach his mistress will get a ferocious bite for their troubles. While that happens, she takes advantage of the cleansing rune embedded in her staff and fires it at the nearest targets.

"I feet where I step," Anders replies as he kneels down to take a closer look at the mushroom he's just been warned about. It doesn't look familiar, which means he's pulling out his knife and carefully slicing off a piece to slip into a vial. "If I minded where I stepped it would get messy and painful."

Loghain gets a smirk that says yes, Anders is slightly proud of his really stupid joke as the vial is stoppered. He stands back up, slips the vial into his belt pouch and the knife back into its holster before dusting off his hands. "I could start watching where I stepped, but I'm old and it's hard to learn new things at my age."

It's no secret that Teren is protective of the younger Wardens, but even moreso lately she's kept an eye on Inessa, who had the misfortune of collapsing twice in her presence. Phylacteries or no, Teren is here to make sure the little elf has more than her dog watching her back.
She keeps a perimeter, shredding through the defenses of any darkspawn who venture too close and aren't already torn down by Garahel.

"Fucking typical," comes an angry squawk, and Teren surfaces behind the warrior attacking Loghain with her dagger embedded to the hilt in their back. The other one goes in as she tries to kick off and remove them both, with some difficulty considering how heavily armored the person is.

"You'd think there'd be a shred of loyalty among the bloody lot of us," she grumbles, almost conversationally. Like she's really one to talk.

"Apparently not. It would almost be disappointing, had it not happened before." Inessa's lips form a thin line as she prepares her magic, preparing a golden shell that expands as her Haste spell takes effect. Hopefully it will give her warrior and rogue companions enough time and speed to make a difference against their fellow Wardens. There's no hesitation on her part; any anguish and rage is buried, leaving behind only calm, cold resolve.

Right, the mage. Inessa focuses there next, casting Winter's Grasp in hopes of encasing said mage for someone else to shatter.

The darkspawn remain as persistent as they are gruesome, but Garahel and Teren's aid prove to be effective and buy Inessa some much-needed time. Realizing some area of effect spells are what's needed more than cleansing runes, she concentrates on her rift magic. After some careful targeting, she creates a small rift to draw in the darkspawn toward it. Their low, guttural laughs become pained grunts as they slam into each other, only for Veilstrike to slam them into the ground. Some still move, but they should be easy pickings for Teren.

Teren dispatches them with the precision and ease of a butcher, slitting throats one by one as she strides through the mound of disoriented, lurching bodies. Mages are frightening, even friendly ones, but they do have their uses; as she passes, with a quick slash of one hand, Teren casts Inessa a little nod of recognition. Nice work.

I.

Travel is not something new to Six; she had been camping and hunting for herself since she was barely old enough to hold a weapon and had been truly, completely independent from the age of fifteen. This is familiar territory now, trekking through places and settling down in the evenings, pausing to take watch, to breathe, to enjoy company that you would not have even considered before. Even now, with people that she thinks may well be like-minded, she feels on edge and uncertain, constantly reaching for the amulet that lies around her neck, constantly wishing that her prayers would be answered.

They never are.

Much like their leader, Six does not go out of her way to make conversation with anyone. She keeps her greatsword strapped to her back unless it's needed, she keeps her head high and her hair out of her face and she only seems to pause when they really do stop to rest at any point in time. When she can she kneels and prays to a God that cannot hear her, but is always quick to offer to help, to do something, to aid anyone who might need it, careful and gentle in her movements. Anyone speaking to her is also given a reply, but it's clear that she's not entirely used to being spoken to by anyone, especially not here.

II.

The order to stay back is one that Six seems to take with great frustration - she knows her skills are good, that she can stand up for herself and fight where necessary, but she's also well aware that the others have something that she does not. Without her powers, without her gifts, she is weaker than she has ever been and it is a good job to give her, defending those who cannot care for themselves.

She is stalwart in her defence of anyone who cannot care for themselves, greatsword drawn and eyes alert. Anything that comes near her - foul rather than friend, of course - is taken care of with quick, heavy strikes of her blade, either tearing through whatever limb she can reach to disable them or cutting through their spines and necks for a quick, painless kill. Torture, even killing those that are a risk, is not something that Six can abide.

When the fight is over she hands over the scarce supplies she has for healing and, while everyone else is being taken care of, spends a little time cleaning off her blade and tending to it before she turns to have a closer look at the Darkspawn. They're nothing like the fiends she'd seen at home and yet... She thinks if she still had her powers she would be able to sense the same energy from them.

"I have seen nothing like this before."

"Loyalty," Anders snorts. How many times have they been betrayed by Wardens now? And him especially. He'll trust their little Kirkwall crew but others? This betrayal seems par for the course, though he wishes they didn't have a mage among them.

...At least the mage looks encased and busy, though. To be sure, Anders tosses up a wall of earth in the way, blocking him off. Whether he dies or not is his decision to make if and when he gets out of the ice and sees the wall. For now, Anders turns his attention back to their group, ready with healing should it be needed.

Inessa nods back, then straightens again as she senses some stragglers nearby. Setting down some ice mines before them, she'll hold her position. When they cross the glyphs, ice will encase them and leave them prone for the others. Any who somehow aren't caught up in it will get a Stonefist for their trouble.

Kain tenses up when that familiar sensation of the darkspawn's presence strikes him. He's already gotten his sword drawn before the first of them come into sight, ready and willing in his reaver way to take the hits that come. Then he leaps into action- quite literally, in this case. Eager to keep putting his newly perfected skills to use, Kain jumps, flipping around in the air to come striking downward at his first target. It's a pretty athletic feat of tumbling, and seems to be effective so far, as he ends up with an opening to stab at the downed creature again. Of course, the other darkspawn nearby disagree, one of them hissing as it turns its next attack on him.

Kain says nothing, but his expression darkens as they all bring up that unfortunate truth. Traitors. He wishes it weren't a word so closely linked to the Wardens. But it's there, and it hits him deeply, for many reasons. But, well... that's not the immediate concern. There's nothing to be done now but to fight. At least for the time being, he can turn off all else and simply focus on the battle at hand.

The mage is out of range for him, at the moment, so Kain goes for one of the warriors for now, his sword clashing with theirs. He growls as he slams into the warrior with a mighty blow, the opponent briefly staggering, before coming back at him with a counterattack.

After the brief battle, Inessa is checking in with everyone, particularly the non-Wardens of their group. Garahel accompanies her, the mabari uninjured. He wags his tail at Six as Inessa pauses nearby and follows Six's gaze.

"Now you see what we fight against, why the order persists even between the Blights. Darkspawn are our eternal enemy and if their numbers are left unchecked, this world will suffer for it."

Though Inessa would love to watch Kain at work, particularly employing those newly perfected techniques to use, this is on the time to be a spectator. As the darkspawn shift their focus to him, she concentrates and a set of glittering ice mines form just beneath her targets, promptly erupting to encase those unfortunate enough to be close. She'll follow that up with Stonefist at one of them, leaving Garahel and Kain some targets as well.

...Maker save him. At his side, even Primrose emits a low whine of distaste.

(the dog is judging you, Anders.)

"...I could start watching where I stepped, but I'm old and it's hard to learn new things at my age."

A snort, and, "at your age," muttered under his breath in a decidedly 'if you're old then what does that make me' tone of voice. He holds his torch up to better illuminate the path ahead of them. "We'll be sure to put you out to pasture once we get back to Kirkwall," he rejoins dryly, catching Teren's eye briefly before he forges on ahead.

The warrior bringing the full might of his weight to bear against Loghain's sword emits a wheezing grunt of pain when Teren's knife finds its home in his back, and then staggers backward. In short order he has gone to his knees--and mercilessly, without passion or commentary, Loghain drives his sword straight into his opponent's throat.

(he's definitely dead now.)

"Less talking," he grunts as he yanks the weapon free, "more fighting!"

It's at about that point that the archer, who remains as yet unengaged, lets loose an arrow that strikes home, piercing the sturdy fabric of Loghain's tabard and sinking into his shoulder. He stumbles backward soundlessly, gritting his teeth, and somehow manages to jerk up his shield to deflect a second one.

There's a quiet that makes her settle as she stares out over the battlefield, drinking in the sight of the dead bodies. She has never seen anything akin to them, and her eyes are wide and unsure, thoughtful as she tries to commit the sight of them to memory. They're deadly, dangerous things, she can tell that already, and to think...

"Only Wardens may fight them?" It seems so strange, to have one small army to fight something so deadly and dangerous. "Are there no more who can help?"

Having been called a traitor herself by other Wardens, and then raising hell in the fortress of Warden traitors, this has gotten all too usual for Teren.
"Do you mean to tell me what to do," she growls at Loghain, but with a glint of amusement in her eyes, as she withdraws her daggers just in time to whirl around and slash the throat of a second approaching warrior. He can't even quite process what happened, pawing at his neck and stumbling off to the side.

Eyes moving from the arrow to its source, Teren starts to prowl her way toward the archer, dodging as needed and unexpectedly sprightly for someone her age.

"Less getting shot!" Anders calls back to Teren. At least Loghain doesn't have the issues with mages she does, and he darts around behind his allies, using them for a sort of cover so he can reach Loghain's side and support the warrior. The arrow looks buried to his eye, even in the dark, and it's going to take time they don't quite have yet.

He exhales, frustrated, and casts a very low level of healing to try to help with some of the pain without really mending anything just yet. What he can do to help right now, though, is send a bolt of fire from his palm at the nearest warrior, striking them in the face and making them scream.

...That shouldn't be satisfying, but it is.

I.

Newt jumps at the chance to travel and explore more of Thedas. He dislikes being cooped up in one place for too long, and so he volunteered eagerly when he learned that a group were making plans to travel to a place called the Deep Roads.

The change of scenery is refreshing; he feels as though he's back in the field back home, making more progress on the work for his book. He takes the chance to observe as much as he can as they make their way through the Deep Roads, making a note to come back when he has the chance to better study the environment proper.

He keeps to himself, mostly, feeling happier than he has in awhile to immerse himself so thoroughly in nature once again.

"Magnificent," he mutters to himself, smiling slightly.

II.

Newt remains in the middle of the group as the attack commences, but that doesn't mean he's entirely helpless. He casts spells where and when he can, making sure to aim carefully and to choose among the less powerful in his arsenal more often than not. Every so often, he takes a chance on a Stunning Spell. Some hit while others miss, but he's at least aiding in the battle, and even with the spells that miss, he manages to feel slightly accomplished, at least.

Carver's kept to the middle with the squishier non-combatants and non-Wardens. Someone ought to keep them alive, and he's got plated armor. And a big sword. With Loghain often leading or taking up the rear, that rules him out. So Carver trods along with them, ever alert for any danger.

...or any signs of slightly batty rifters admiring the scenery.

"Did you just call this all magnificent?" Surely he heard wrong...

Oh well isn't this just typical. Even though Carver missed out on the Weisshaupt shenanigans, it's still not his first time fighting Wardens. The second time's not easier than the first. Both sides see each other as traitors, so there's no getting around this.

At the moment he's dealing with the stabby rogue, who's dancing in circles around him. Carver's not known for his speed. But he makes up for it in strength, and when the rogue finally missteps, she gets the brunt of it as he slams his sword straight into her ribcage. The blow's powerful enough to send her colliding against the wall. She coughs painfully, and Carver goes for the killing blow. Before he does, she throws some kind of smoke bomb, obscuring his vision and making him cough. She disappears within it.

"Knife wielder's disappeared! Watch your backs!"

"Oh, some help." Inessa's pats Garahel's head; the mabari looks rather pleased with himself. "But they have to take precautions not to let darkspawn blood into their body; only Grey Wardens are immune. All others risk a painful death or ghouldom, fates which I wouldn't wish upon anyone." Her mabari concurs with a soft whine.

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[OPEN] a fieldtrip for the Wardens and friends

Inessa Serra

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Newt Scamander

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