BREACH VALESKA'S WATCH

[faderifting]

WHO: Hercules, Ellana, Melys, Scipio, & Kaisa
WHAT: Checking on an old Deep Roads entrance to make sure everything is fine. Everything is not fine.
WHEN: Guardian 15
WHERE: Emprise du Lion - Valeska's Watch
NOTES: Closed quest log, featuring death and darkspawn.

For centuries, Valeska's Watch has been perpetually occupied by Grey Wardens who guard an entrance to the Deep Roads, which was used for the darkspawns' large-scale invasion of Orlais during the Third Blight. The Wardens collapsed the tunnel, but because of its size, concerns lingered that darkspawn would find a way through. The outpost was constructed on top of it so that the Wardens could, as the name implies, keep watch. Now, the Grey Wardens' withdrawal to the West has left Valeska's Watch empty and the entrance unguarded.

Comments

[unbrokenoath]

[ Kaisa takes the hand and shakes it, but doesn't it use it to haul herself up. He looks like he doesn't have it in him to try that, anyway. She uses the wall to get to her feet, giving a little groan at the protest of body parts that got smacked by the darkspawn. But she shrugs it off, and flashes a wide grin at him. ]

Shit, really? Man, it'd be sweet if I had a song written about me. I would land so much action--Anyway, that's the kind of stuff you do when you're a Warden. You fight hard, you live fast, and you die fast. But, that's what it means to be a Warden.

[ She brushes herself off, and starts walking down the stairs, gingerly knocking off any remaining darkspawn corpses. ]

I think we're lucky, in that way, to be guaranteed such a cool death. Like, shit, some fuckers die all old and wrinkly and smelling nasty, and we go all...well, you saw what I was doing. Imagine that, but, like, with a bunch more Wardens and Darkspawn.

[ She glances over her shoulder at Scipio, with a careless grin on her face. ]

Personally? I want to die killing an archdemon. You get your name on this special list and everything.

[bunko]

'Fight hard, live fast, die fast.'

[--He repeats, committing this to memory. The bit about dying fast--less attractive, when applied personally. But in a song? It will rouse sympathy, inspiration, pride--a complicated mix of emotions that will guarantee a remembering.

Less keen to dwell, again, on the 'dying', Scipio nods along anyways as he follows Kaisa down the stairs. He has never much considered his own death since, until recently, he had felt invincible. It is less easy to feel so when the song of old gods runs through your head every moment of your living. But his vague thoughts toward his own mortal end had involved a great deal of swashbuckling and action, so he can identify there, at least.]

You have thought very long on your death, I think. [No judgement. It's just interesting.] In some places of this world, it is ill luck, to speak at such length. Some little demon may hear the morbidity and come to make it true. This is what I was told, when I was still so small.

[He indicates how small, with his hand close to his knee.]

But I like this, yes? To die in glory. If there must be a death, let it be a death that will be a legend, a death that will be remembered! A list? Pah. For you, we will write a song, a song so tuneful and lively that they will sing it in taverns all over Thedas. Your name, repeated in such legend, will grow your legend. And I will write this song for you now, full of your escapades, your daring--and save the last verses for your death, when it comes. Maker forbid that it be so soon.

[unbrokenoath]

I dunno if anyone's told you this, but everyone dies. No point in fussing over it.

[ It's said with no harshness, just a lazy grin over her shoulder as she continues to descend the stairs. ]

But you might want to take that with a grain of salt, or five. This may surprise you, but I've been accused of being reckless once or twice. [ Or five times, or ten. ]

But I like that! [ She laughs with delight at Scipio's words. ] That's what I've always wanted. To make a lasting difference, to know that I left the world a different place than when I entered it. And I mean, having a kickass song about how cool I am wouldn't hurt.

[ She finally reaches the end of the stairs, and leans on the wall, waiting. ] Man, if you wrote a song about me--That'd be so fucking cool. I'll have to find a way to repay you. One that isn't, probably, alla...this. [ A casual gesture at the pile of corpses that awaited them at the bottom of the stairs. ] Or talking your ear off about my personal philosophies. I just like chattin' with the newbies, you know? Alla this shit can be overwhelming and a lot of you guys come to us 'cause you ain't got a choice.

But I strolled on up to Vigil's Keep and told those suckers to pass the chalice over, 'cause I'm going to be a Warden. So I figure, it doesn't hurt to know that it's not all glum and sad and shit, you know?