heaven, a gateway, a hope

[byblow]

WHO: Grey Wardens & You
WHAT: A daring and not at all ragtag group of Grey Wardens has walked all the way across Orlais to inform the Inquisition--just in case it hadn't already realized on its own--that everything is terrible.
WHEN: Harvestmere 22
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: This post has: (1) A single group "we just got here, we're freezing, who is in charge, what do you mean you haven't decided yet" starter that we'd like to keep to one chronological thread. (2) Open starters for individual Wardens set later in the day/week.

OOC Note: Regarding the first starter--threadjack away! Anyone is welcome to wander onto the scene to see what's going on and wander back out at their leisure, to fall silent for a while, etc. No tagging order. But let slower taggers get a word in edgewise!

Comments

[gatheringstorm]

(*can't have been)

Grimmer and grimmer. Korrin's lips form a thin line, not liking the sound of any of this. "You wouldn't leave lightly, I know that. I remember you as having a good head on your shoulders, and I doubt that's changed in all this time. If you say it's a terrible plan, I believe you."

She sighs, staring up at the rookery. "Andraste's ass, it's contagious. First the mages in Redcliffe fall back onto servitude to Tevinter of all things, then this. The world's in danger enough as it is without adding a plague of horrible decisions."

[paperwing]

"Thank you." She's not sure why she says it, but she means it. Maybe it's the relief of having someone believe in her, even without all the facts. It would be wrong to say as such, but it's not an incorrect statement to say she was raised to be a Warden. She believed in them. She still does.

It was easier, when it was their lives they had to think about, when they just had to survive. But here, she thinks on all those that didn't make it out, even the ones that wanted to, but couldn't.

"When people are afraid, they make the worst of decisions." Mage or Warden, it doesn't matter. "Especially if moulded that way."

[gatheringstorm]

"Of course." There's no hesitation in Korrin's voice. Once she's made a friend, she'll back them up completely. And it might have been a while since last they met, but time's passage matters not at all to Korrin when it comes to such things.

"I bet. Wardens are meant to stop the Blight at all costs, aren't they? Do whatever it takes to get the job done. Not that there's a Blight now, but with all of you hearing that...Maker, I don't want to think about what will happen when there is one again."

[paperwing]

"I have," Sabriel says, quietly. "If there's anything to be done... the Wardens have to survive. We're the only ones that can." Just because it's ten years and it seems too recent for another Blight, it doesn't mean there can't be one. Darkspawn always tunnel. There's no guarantee when they'll strike lucky.

"We had few other options, but it's poor timing for the Inquisition." She means the loss of the Herald; some of the mages were saved, as were some templars. The breach was sealed. But the Herald didn't come back from Haven. She can see it, see how some wander directionless, how those at the top try to keep things as they always were. But it's a familiar floundering, and she can see it plain as day.

[gatheringstorm]

While Korrin doesn't quite understand why it always has to be a Grey Warden who ends the Blight, she can't dispute the fact that it's how it's always happened so far. It was true ten years ago, and every time before then. So she accepts Sabriel's statement without question, trusting the word of her Warden friend.

Mention of the timing provokes a deep sigh as Korrin can't help but nod. "It's not a great time, I'll give you that. Skyhold still has a long way to go in terms of reconstruction and morale is shit. I keep dreaming about Haven and bringing my staff everywhere I go, just in case he ever comes here. That isn't to say you're unwelcome, though. Just because we don't have a lot to offer at the moment doesn't mean you'd be turned away. I'm glad you're here, even given the state of everything now."

[paperwing]

Sabriel sighs. Corypheus would be mad to attack Skyhold as he had Haven, but he's no simple darkspawn, if that's what he is. He's much more than that, a much bigger threat; he could be gloating over his victory over the Herald and leave her forces alone, no longer a threat to him or his plans, or in turn, come back to finish them off, crushing the last shreds of hope Thedas had. Both are as likely as the other.

The only consolation is that the Wardens will be the first to know if he arrives. If that's even a 'consolation'.

"I'm glad for it. I just feel as though I should be giving, rather than taking. Or asking for help; our troubles are large, but they seem petty compared to more important things. Food, protection, loss." She's not blind, and never self absorbed. If there was any cause she would be hard pressed to pull away from, just like out on the road, it would be in helping the Inquisition rise up again. "What's it like, truly? Being a part of the Inquisition?"

[gatheringstorm]

"I wouldn't call your troubles petty, at all, but I know how it helps to distract yourself through helping others. And there's a lot the Wardens can do here, no doubt."

Korrin's silent for a moment, mulling over how to answer that question. "It's strange; I've never been part of something this big before. The only substantial connection I had was with my mercenary company, the Valo-Kas. There's nothing wrong with mercenary work, I'd never say otherwise, but...this is more than a job, it's a cause. I can live with that."

Her smile is a little melancholy when it returns. "It goes back to the Valo-Kas anyway. I wouldn't be here if they hadn't been hired to send some people to the Conclave, for security. I was backup, in case they needed more. They did, but I never got close before it all went to hell. Now it's as much about avenging them as it is the cause itself."