Blood Magic - 101

[judgemewhole]

WHO: James Norrington, and YOU.
WHAT: Norrington gets ambushed, for information.
WHEN: Currently
WHERE: Norrington's 'office' (aka the table he's secured outside his tent to write reports)
NOTES: Warnings for blood magic, irritated Templar and probable Mage and Templar politics abounding, as well as people asking silly questions

Honestly, he really should have seen this coming. He was a known Templar Knight Commander - he had been hunting blood mages for nearly fifteen years now. His name were on several papers on Maelficarium, and he had trained Knights all over the Free Marches and even as far away as Orlais and Fereldan on how to properly hunt and kill blood mages.

Certainly, people were going to know of him. Certainly people were going to ask him about his past experiences. It was inevitable.

What he did not expect that was after coming in at the tail-end of an abomination attack to be bombarded by questions about blood magic - from soldiers down to the common folk. They crowded around him now, and you could just hear his voice over the fray of questions, stern and sometimes even caustic.

" -- NO I am not here to execute all the apprentice mages! One of them slipped - one. That does not mean the rest of them are suddenly going to start slicing open their wrists! They are children, they are learning. Is there a danger? Yes, but I sincerely doubt any of the mages here is blatantly teaching them ancient mind control rituals... "

There was a fast murmur of questions and then Norrington's voice could be heard again. "... No. You cannot do blood magic simply by cutting your finger and cursing. If that was the case every cook in the history of Thedas would be a blood mage. There are practices that someone must follow to use blood magic. If not, that is how we get abominations and demons from those failed spells."

Another fast and loud rat-a-tat of questions, and Norrington could be seen rubbing his face, "... No, not every blood mage is a Tevinter. Nor are they all Dalish. No, the Dalish do not practice sacrificing babies with Tevinter magisters -- do you know what the majority of the slave trade is? Yes, then it stands to reason that the Dalish and the Tevinter Magisters are Not In Cahoots. And NO the Dalish are not aiding Corpheyus with their tattoos -- their tattoos are not blood magic!"

Clearly, this is going well. So if you wish to help Norrington -- or just add more fuel to the fire -- please, feel free to stop by.

Comments

[mythalenaste]

She breathes easy again, though her eyes aren't quite meeting his. Not guilty, but definitely anxious. Worried he's going to judge her for asking these things.

"In the future, you can say the Dalish don't sacrifice babies," she says with less of an edge. "Because those people are just as likely to kill me for being an elf as for being a mage."

She's afraid, that's all. Being confronted with all those ignorant statements, those harmful slanders, brought back to her how close she and her kin really are to being hurt for no reason.

[judgemewhole]

He continues to look at her, as she avoids his gaze. He wonders what she is thinking that she does not want to accuse him of such things, and she must ask to be sure of him. Therefore, he is going to answer as truthfully and bluntly, as possible.

Although he was going to have to be a little dry, "Yes, I thought it was safe to assume the Dalish didn't sacrifice babies. Unfortunately that was not the question I was asked - idiot." He glowered at the back of one particular worker, before he sighed again, "But his ignorance is why such things are allowed to take hold. That must change, for all our sake."

He looks back at her, his mouth thinning a little, "Are you afraid of me, now?"

[mythalenaste]

"No." Rather, she's thinking about that impossible force in the universe that would see all elves dead, and strives to correct the matter when they insist on living. Corpses littered about before her eyes, people she loved; or, that mysterious void, negative space at the Arlathvhen where a clan simply never came, and was never heard from, and nobody knew why. Demon possession? A raid? A plague?

People growing in fields like wheat, hacked down in sheaves and bundled up for the harvest. People who reap death, who go in search of it instead of flying from it, or protecting others from it. Pick up a fallen stalk that hasn't quite been cut away, give it a good yank till it snaps, and move on. The dead fall like rag dolls and it's easier to pretend they're only dolls and not people. She's only a doll, though her hands and arms used to embrace Pel like she was her real daughter.

Her mood grows fey, cold and morbid like black steel.

"I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry."

The words are cold, and she turns away after to depart.

[judgemewhole]

He can see it, gathering across her face, dark clouds going into a storm. Whatever is going through her mind right now, it is tearing her apart. He should know, he's seen that face in the mirror, after a long night and too little lyrium in his veins. Which is why he knows he cannot let her go like this.

Not alone.

So he reaches out, and touches her, because he is not afraid of her either. Just a light touch, on the shoulder.

"You have every right to ask." He states simply, "I just want to make sure that my answer is enough. It ... hurts me, to think that I have hurt you. To see you hurting. Can I do anything?"

[mythalenaste]

She draws away from his touch.

"You haven't hurt me," she says bluntly. "I wanted to know if you're a butcher. That's all."

[judgemewhole]

He pulls his hand back, as if she's burned him. In a way, she had. He looked away from her then, jaw tight.

"I see. Well, I trust you find me ... less than murderous, Lady Pel."

[mythalenaste]

"I find you...really confusing, to tell you the truth." She wraps her shawl around herself and swallows. "You're kind and you treat me like a lady and I keep...waiting to find out what the catch is. The last man who used such pretty words with me was an assassin. The one before that, the only other one, changed his mind spontaneously and so vehemently that he ran away the night before we were to be bonded and hasn't stopped running since."

And both of those men are here, and Creators help her, they are both her friends. If this scares Norrington off, so be it. Better now than later.

[judgemewhole]

Aaaaaaah ... well. James blinks, as his mind switched tactics. Relief that she did not consider him a murderer then put him before in immediate competition.

"... Well, the catch is that you will honestly have to deal with the fumbling attempts of a human Templar trying to court you, my Lady." He thought about it, "My catch is apparently I have to outcharm an assassin and outlast an idiot boy. The first might be tricky, the second is easy. You seem to be someone worth waiting for."

[mythalenaste]

She stares at him for a moment, so disbelieving that she doesn't react until she has had time to process the words twice. It's hardest of all to believe he hasn't judged her. Someone worth waiting for.

"If you mean that," she breathes, "there are a few things you need to know. First, I have brothers. And clanmates. And also the assassin. Here. They'll threaten to kill you when they find out, but don't worry. They're more frightened of me than they are of you. Second, you'll gain no favors from the Council through this--not least because I share my seat and my vote with another Dalish elf. But if you're the kind of man I think you are, you wouldn't have it any other way."

[judgemewhole]

Well it would be utterly rude for him to judge her when she did not judge him for what he did. He is many things - hard, cold, proud ... but he hopes to the Maker he is not a hypocrite.

He knows he's not a coward.

So when she lets him know her few things, he very calmly starts counting off his fingers, "One, that is to be expected. I would be offended for you if they did not rise up to smite me. Please let them know that I wear full plate armor, am faster than I look, and yes, I will answer all challenges. If I must fight, I will fight - but I will not kill them. Two ... I am not looking to 'gain favor' with the Mage Council, and frankly, hang them. This is about you and I, not political connections. However, most importantly, Three."

He points at her, "You have not told me if you actually wish for me to court you, and if so ... what in the name of Andraste is the first step for courting a Dalish lady?"

[mythalenaste]

Pel hesitates for a moment, unsure how she should answer this question of wanting. She does and doesn't. She hasn't waded into this pool for years, and that's for a reason. It's so much easier when the object of affection doesn't reciprocate. There's no hurt there.

"Normally, we'd have known each other quite some time already. You'd have proven you are an adult and no longer an apprentice, or you'd be about to prove it. We'd take things slow. So...I don't know what's going to happen. This is as strange for me as it is for you. But I wouldn't be telling you how to do this if I didn't want to try. I don't toy with hearts."

[judgemewhole]

"Hmm." He rubs his chin thoughtfully at that, green eyes narrowed in thought. Honestly it sounds a great deal like human courting - including the part where they did not know each other well.

"Well, for humans ... there is a period, before serious courting, where one asks if one may call upon the young lady first. Typically such meetings are walks, usually chaperoned, where the couple can speak at length and see if they are truly compatible. Would that suit?"

[mythalenaste]

Chaperoned. Heheh. Who would chaperone them? Salem? Or Cyril. Salem would growl the whole time, Cyril would shout advice from the sidelines. She smiles at the thought.

"It sounds perfect. Although I'd like to keep it discreet for a time. Till we know if it's going to be something. I don't want to cause a fuss among my clanmates over something that might not last."

[judgemewhole]

He has no idea who would chaperone them but he's already got a suggestion if she would like to.

That she smiles, that she agrees? Perfection. He nods, folding his arms behind him and trying not to smile like an idiot. "Good .... then, ah, which member of your family would you prefer?"

[mythalenaste]

A slight helpless widening of her eyes.

"Nobody. Cyril and Merrick keep no secrets with each other, and Salem...Sylaise help me. The closest person I could trust to be discreet is Krem."

Actually, that's a good idea. A really good idea. Damn.

"Krem is my roommate. He's quiet and I trust him completely."

[judgemewhole]

Hmm. All right. He nods his head slowly at that. "Very well. I would like to meet the young man before I allow him to dictate my behavior. Do you think he would be amenable to meeting me for a drink beforehand?"

Just so they could get a good feel for one another -- wait. Wait a moment.

"He is ... your roommate?" Another pause, "... Does he prefer men?"

[mythalenaste]

"I've never asked. He's with a man, though. But James...I'm an elf and a mage. Krem is a mercenary. He keeps me safe. There's nothing between us, if you're worried."

[judgemewhole]

"Well, if I am being completely frank -- I was. However, if he is there to keep you safe, then he has my gratitude instead of my jealousy." One corner of his mouth twisted up, "As fledgling as it is."

He bit his lip for a moment, a little uncertain here because honestly he did not expect to feel anything like this -- perhaps ever. "Now ... I ... was going to tell my people. Will that be acceptable?"

[mythalenaste]

She looks instantly wary. "Who are your people?"

[judgemewhole]

"My ... well. My troop." He nods over at his camp, where Burns was making Giselle and Mullory burst out into laughter. The others were off taking care of their mounts. He smiled, a little, before looking back at her.

"I want them to know they should stop trying to find me 'a nice lady', as I have found one on my own. I ... well. I do not have any blood kin, as you do. They are my family."

[mythalenaste]

She follows his gaze and shifts a bit.

"Is there harm in letting them continue? They need something to cheer them up."

[judgemewhole]

One corner of his mouth lifts up, as he looks over at her, "Just as long as you are all right with them tossing strange women at me, certainly. I have a feeling you'll all have some amusement on my behalf."

[mythalenaste]

She bites down on a smile, a gleam coming into her eye. "We'll have our own little prank in the works to pay them back. But it has occurred to me that Krem won't be back at Skyhold for some time. So it's probably my cousin Cyril we want for a chaperone. Blood family, by the way, isn't...really how it works for me, either."

[judgemewhole]

"My lady Pel ... I like the way you think." He can't help the wicked edge to his smile, before he arched both eyebrows, "I see ... well. Then that is another thing we have in common. I would be delighted to meet Cyril."

A pause, "Provided he doesn't try to stab me for trying to call upon his cousin."

[mythalenaste]

"Cyril's the least likely one to do that. I'll have words to see he doesn't spill to Merrick too soon, but even if he does, Merrick's off on a mission.

"I...grew up a long way from most of my family. My magic manifested when I was younger than normal." She remembers how Adelaide reacted. "Much younger than normal. I don't remember living with Clan Ghilan at all. I was sent to Clan Ashara. My mother had a cousin there who took me in till she died. Cyril's her son."