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railagraceart · 8 years ago

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A Noble Tale.

So before you read any farther, know that writing isn’t usually my thing. This is just something I wrote sper of the moment. I haven’t really looked over it either so just ignore the many errors I’m sure are there. However, feel free to share what you think about it. -------------------- DragonAge OC - Elbona Lavellan. A few things to know about her. - Elf, Dalish, rogue, hunter, spy, primary archer. - Lightly tanned skin, very slight showing of freckles on face, shoulder length white hair, bright teal eyes, simple light purple Mythal vallaslin (blood writing) under eyes. - Introverted, friendly, warm hearted, protective, firm, inquisitive/curious, learner, wisdom seeker, loyal, driven, hard worker, wanderer.

I was a solitary child growing up. My parents had a tendency to take in orphaned elves during our travels. Some of them were older than I was, and others younger. It’s not that I minded, our clan became my family more than just my parents. But because I hadn’t grown up with many of the elves my parents took in, I tended to feel disconnected with them. So I would often wander, hoping to find a place to be alone. Few of the other elves my age had a way of thinking similar to mine, and that led me to have very few friendships.

I often got along with the older elves best; any that were willing to impart knowledge with me, to teach me. Because of my interest in knowledge, I would read anything I could, doing my best to understand everything it had to give. Most of the information shared among the Dalish however, was given orally by the hahrens; so I became a patient listener, even more than I was naturally, and persistent in my questions until I gained an understanding.

At a young age I was given a bow and arrow, and they soon became my most trusted companions. I took to hunting quickly, and because of my natural stealth I became a master of treading unnoticed. At the age of 18 I received my vallaslin; I chose a simple design under my eyes for the goddess of protection, Mythal. The pain was harsh, but the silence was welcoming, and no matter the pain I forced myself to keep that silence. Despite how the ritual hurt I found comfort in letting my mind wonder what it would be like, now that I would be given the responsibility of an adult. I became an experienced hunter in my young age and was soon considered a respected protector and provider.

Despite my lack of social interactions, I think I may have been considered fondly by my clan; though I never truly connected with them. I loved them, but I felt I had little place among them. So I did what I knew was good for them; I became greatly skilled in the arts of knives, archery, and stealth, that way I could at least provide for them. Through our time traveling, we often encountered other races. And often my curiosity would lead to a great number of questions toward them. Some were happy to share, merely increasing my interest in the world around me. And all the vast differences on Thedas. Other travelers were less inclined to questions, and thankfully I could usually tell if it would lead to hostilities.

My clan became restless when the recent mage rebellion started disrupting our way of life. Because of this, our clan Keeper Deshanna Istimaethoriel Lavellan gave me the task of spying on the meeting at the Temple of Sacred Ashes between the Divine and the feuding factions. Given my particular skill set and mostly unbiased opinion of other races(even humans), I was seen as the perfect choice to quietly observe and bring back news of the outcome. But no one could have expected the outcome given.

I saw many people at the conclave, high ranks from both sides were housed in the temple. I don’t know how long I was there before the explosion, and I don’t remember anything else that happened that day. I remember finding myself in a place I believe to have been the fade, giant spiders chasing me, and a glowing woman figure taking my hand. When I awoke again, I was in shackles and surrounded by soldiers pointing swords at me. And a painful, flaring green mark was on my left hand. A woman warrior with short black hair greeted me harshly, bombarding me with questions and believing I had caused the explosion that I didn’t even remember. I found out through the array of questions from the warrior, Cassandra, and another woman with red hair named Leliana, that I had been found stepping out of a rift with this green mark upon my hand. I also found out that I was the only one to survive the blast…. All those people... dead

I managed to convince them that I truly didn’t remember what happened, and Cassandra took me outside, then showed me what they were calling the breach. An extensive hole in the sky above a massive rift, where evidently demons had been pouring out for the past few days. I saw the hole expand slightly with a thundering rumble; and my mark flickered with piercing pain in response. I stumbled into the snow as the pain gripped me. Cassandra bent to my level, her eyes looked into mine; she told me that the mark expanded every time the breach did, and that it was going to kill me. But there was a possibility, however faint, that it could help close the breach. That I could help save these people.

She seemed a little surprised when I told her that I would willingly help. As though she thought the shackles on my wrists, the harsh words to my face, or the swords to my throat would change my moral standing. If there was a chance I could save innocent people, I would take it. Her demeaner softened slightly towards me as she helped me to my feet, and guided me through the camp. Even without being told, I could tell that every person we passed thought I was guilty. It’s not that I could blame them for thinking it. Their holy leader and many others ripped away from them, and I survived? Looking in their faces I could see their terror, their utter lack of hope. But were they not more afraid of losing what they had left? A hole in the sky dropping demons who demolish everything in their path, and in their fear they looked for anyone they could blame, so they would see me executed that moment if they could.

When we made it through the main gate, Cassandra released me from my shackles. A decision she would be glad she made. We pushed through the roads toward where the temple once stood and she told me what had happened as we went. The path dropped onto a thickly frozen lake and a couple demons charged towards us. Cassandra told me to stay behind her as she went to face them on her own. Luckily I found a simple bow and arrows among the dead. I aided Cassandra until the demons had fallen, then she pointed her sword at me as if I would strike her down with the very weapons I just used to save her life. But by her demand, I offered to leave them behind. She paused, then pulling her sword away told me to keep them. “I should remember that you agreed to come willingly” she informed me, and that she didn’t want to leave me defenseless. So we marched on.

A little farther on a small rift hovered above a fight between four demons, a dwarf, and an elf. Cassandra runs to their aid and I shoot the demons from a short distance away. Once the demons had fallen, the elf grabbed my wrist and forced it toward the rift. A strange link formed between the rift and my mark, and when he pulled my hand back, the rift sealed. I glanced at my hand a moment before looking back at the male elf, asking him what he had done. He just gave me a slight smile as he replied “I did nothing. The credit is yours”. He then informed me he had theorized that because the magic that opened the breach also placed the mark on my hand, it might be able to close the rifts left in the breach’s wake. Being that he had been correct, they believed it might even be able to close the breach itself. “It seems you hold the key to our salvation”. And suddenly, I felt like a heavy weight had just been dropped on my shoulders.

The dwarf approached me, with what I found to be best described as his own kind of swagger. He had half of his red hair pulled back behind his head, a friendly face, and moderate amount of chest hair he seemed fond of putting on display. “Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong”. He finished his sentence with a wink towards the warrior who stood behind me. She only scowled at him and turned in disgust. He seemed somewhat pleased at her response. I smiled at his introduction and asked him if he was part of the Chantry, which earned a chuckle out of the elf and a light hearted comment as to whether I was serious. The dwarf hardly glances at him before giving me his attention once again, and informing me that he was technically a prisoner, like myself. Cassandra stepped forward in defense, saying she had brought him to speak with the Divine; though clearly that was no longer necessary. He then commented on how it was lucky for them that he was around to help with the current circumstances.

After that I complimented him on his intriguing cross bow, and he gave me a wide, prideful grin. “Ah, isn’t she?” he glanced around at the beloved weapon rested on his back as he told me her name was Bianca. I made an amused question of him naming his crossbow Bianca, and he just nodded “Of course. And she’ll be great company in the valley”. Cassandra objected to him being involved any farther, but Varric reminded her of their current state in this fight. And the truth of the matter was, no matter what she thought, he was right. She needed him. Cassandra merely turns once more in disgust. I didn’t mind the thought of him tagging along, I believed him to be a rather amusing addition.

Once the short argument between the two made its abrupt end, I turned to greet the elf at my side with a smile, and he greets me in kind. His delicate ears pointed back more than they did up, much like my own. His head was cleanly shaven against his long jaw line and tall thin frame. His eyes and brows narrow, but in a way that was almost welcoming. “My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I’m pleased to see you still live”. Varric piped up beside me “He means, ‘I kept that mark from killing you while you slept’”. I asked him about the mark and Cassandra let me know that Solas was an apostate who was well versed in such matters. “Technically, all mages are now apostates, Cassandra” he then told us that through his travels he had learned much about the Fade, more than that of any Circle mage. And that he came to offer his help against the Breach, being that if it was not closed, everyone would be doomed regardless of origin. When I thanked him for his help with the mark he told me I could thank him if we were able to close the Breach without killing me in the prosses. I commended him on his actions, and he simply informed me that it was the sensible thing to do, though sense seemed to be in short supply.

He then turned to Cassandra, informing her that he had never seen magic like that which had branded my hand. And that he found it difficult to believe that even a mage could have such a power as that lodged in my palm. She acknowledges his statement and implores us to move onward. Solas and Cassandra took up the front and Varric looks up at me “Well, Bianca’s excited”, then we followed after the other two. Climbing over rubble left behind from the blast Solas warns of demons ahead of us, and Varric called up to Cassandra “Glad you brought me now, Seeker?”. She made little effort to reply her annoyance before rushing at one of the four demons. I found it strange just how close Varric liked to be to the fray; while Solas tried to stay at more of a distance, standing only a few feet in front of me. Cassandra, as expected, kept herself right in the middle of it.

The demons fell and I subconsciously checked the wellbeing of my new comrades, who seemed relatively unscathed. I found myself leading the odd group when Solas spoke up from behind me; “You are Dalish, but clearly away from the rest of your clan. Did they send you here?”. I could tell when we met that he was not Dalish, but somehow it still felt strange having an elven companion that was not of my clan. I inquired of his knowledge regarding the Dalish, and he told me he had wandered many roads and crossed paths with my people more than once. My people? The way he spoke of them was as though he did not connect the Dalish with our kind, like we where not all elves. I told him we were both of the same people, and his response was almost hesitant, as if he did not quite expect such an answer. “The Dalish I met felt… differently on the subject”. Varric quipped asking why elves can’t just play nice for once. In all honesty, I wondered the same thing. I respected my history, but I didn’t hang on it’s every word like some elves did, and I certainly didn’t hate other elves just because they saw things differently. Dalish, City elves, apostate elves, we are all elves, even though we have been raised differently. But Solas seemed to see the Dalish with a particularly harsh distaste. And I wondered why.

About that time my mark flared, I muffled a short cry as I gripped my hand and took a sharp breath. The three eyed me with some concern and Solas tells them that we must hurry, before the mark consumed me. So I grit my teeth and moved on. As we trudged up the snow covered hill, I heard Varric ask me if I was innocent. I still didn’t remember what had happened, and I told him as much. “That’ll get you every time” he told me, then added how I should have spun a story. Cassandra spoke her disapproval saying how that’s what he would have done; Varric shrugged back at her and told her how “It’s more believable, and less prone to result in premature execution”. Despite how they disagreed, I found myself entertained by their banter.

Cassandra voiced a concern for Leliana as we fought off more demons, Varric assured her that with Leliana’s resourcefulness, she would be fine. A little farther on and we reached the gate to the forward camp, which of course was blocked by a rift and more demons. We helped the soldiers overcome the demons and I used the mark to close the rift. Cassandra called up for them to open the gate and after some passing comments on how I did well and how that stupid mark was good for something, we walked in. Supplies and soldiers were scattered around the long slender camp. I saw Leliana arguing with a man from the chantry and found, much to my annoyance, that I was once again the topic of discussion. Leliana looked relieved at our arrival, this other person, Chancellor Roderick I was told, eyed me with disgust. It took less than two seconds to know that this man was going to be trouble for me for as long as he could manage it. Leliana attempted an introduction, but then this Roderick fellow cut her off with an “I know who she is”, and as this great authority I order this criminal to be bound and sent off to be executed. Like we didn’t have bigger problems. Cassandra scowled at the man, informing him through an array of insults that she did not take orders from him. He sent his own insults back in kind on how she supposedly served the Chantry. Leliana reminded him that they served only the Divine, and after he brought up how Divine Justinia was dead and how a new Divine would be elected, I knew the conversation was going nowhere. And we didn’t have time for that.

I tried to bring the conversation back to the current threat by reminding them that closing the Breach was a more pressing issue. Which just turned him back on me and how I was obviously the one who caused the problem to begin with. He told Cassandra to call a retreat, that the position they held was hopeless. I stood as they discussed how there was still a possibility to close the Breach, and the best path to reach it. But again, they couldn’t agree. I flinched as I felt the pain of the mark jolt through my arm. I could almost feel the slight concern from the elf and dwarf behind me. Though I was yet to decide if that was for me personally, or because if I died, we were all dead. Then suddenly Cassandra turns to me, “How do you think we should proceed?”. And all I could think at that moment was, are you serious? So I asked, if they were really asking me my opinion on the matter. I heard Solas comment on how I had the mark, and Cassandra nodded. She told me how I was the one that they had to keep alive, and since they couldn’t decide, they thought it best that I did. So I betted for Cassandra’s plan of a charged assault, which I gathered with leave us with less casualties. I knew it wasn’t likely I would live through whatever was happening, and if I was going to die, I would do anything I could to keep others from doing the same.

Cassandra set the plan in motion and we once again headed onward for the temple. Soldiers ran ahead of us as we headed up a stone stair case. My heart ached as we reached the camp above; exhausted fighters were trying to rest, tend to the wounded, sharpen weapons, or cover the dead. To think that they could fight so bravely, yet still be lost. The weight on my shoulders just grew heavier. Solas warns of another rift and moments later a soldier’s body is flung down our next flight of stairs. I heard Varric ask something about the number of rifts as we assisted those in the assault; Solas comments on how we must seal it if we are to pass, and Cassandra just rushes me to do so. Once the demons fell, I pulled back and closed the rift. Solas commended my efforts, saying I had become quite proficient sealing the rifts. Varric simply states what we were all thinking, on how he hoped it would work on the big one.

I saw a soldier approach us from the side, one that I assumed to be a commander. An assumption Cassandra soon confirmed. He had short blond hair, a thick fur collar, and a heavy set of Templar armor. He congratulated Cassandra on closing the rift, which she graciosity led him to give me the credit, that it was my mark that completed the task. I gave him my full attention as he turned to me, “Is it? I hope they’re right about you. We’ve lost a lot of people getting you here”. I felt a hollow in my stomach at the last of his statement. And all I could tell him was that I couldn’t promise anything, and that I would do my best. He nodded his approval of the statement with a simple “That’s all we can ask”. Then he informed us that our way to the temple was clear, and we quickly continued on.

We dropped from the broken road down toward the ruins of the temple and I heard Solas in slight awe from behind me, “The Temple of Sacred Ashes” and Varric soon after “What’s left of it”. The ground was heavily scorched, fire still clinging to wooden objects and statue like corpses. We walked through what was left of the great stone building until we reach an open space. My heart drops as I see the true size of the rift. I heard Varric comment on how high up it was and I wondered if I would even be in range for the mark to work. Leliana broke the momentary silence as she came up from behind us, glad that we made it. Cassandra told her to direct her archers around the walls of the temple, she nodded her acknowledgement and started putting the archers in position. Then Cassandra turned to me “This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?”. All I could think was no, but it’s not like that really mattered. So I told her I would try, even though I wasn’t sure I would be able to reach it, much less close it. Solas told me that this rift was the first, and if we could seal it, we might seal the Breach as well. I could only hope that I managed to seal it.

With archers filing around the edge, we made our way towards the stairs. Suddenly a loud voice sounded from the fade “Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice”. Cassandra asked what we had heard, and Solas guessed that it had been who created the Breach. As we continued, I saw some sort of unnatural spikes of red substance I had never seen growing from the rock. Then I heard Varric speak to Cassandra, and I got an explanation. “You know this stuff is red lyrium, Seeker”. Even though it was a substance to help magic users, I had come into contact with lyrium previously. But this stuff? This stuff was wrong. The lyrium I had seen was always blue, and I believe it only had an effect on you if you ingested it. This red lyrium though, it practically radiated some sort of unstable magic. That alone was enough to keep me from wanting to touch it; but between the tone in Varric’s voice, and his uneasy body language, I didn’t even want to get close. Varric asked why it was there, and Solas informed him that magic could have drawn on the lyrium under the temple and corrupted it. Varric just shook his head “It’s evil. Whatever you do don’t touch it”.

Another echo from the Fade sounded out as we hurry down the steps. The person from before spoke again, saying to keep the sacrifice still. Then a woman calls out for help, and Cassandra recognizes it to be Divine Justinia’s voice. I stepped down onto the floor of the open space, the others close behind. My mark flares again and farther echoes of the scene played out in visual form. I heard my own voice as my figure stepped into the vison, Justinia called out to me, told me to leave and warn the others. But the strange, shadowy figure before her acknowledged me by complaining of an intruder, and telling someone I should be slain. With a flash of light the images vanish, and Cassandra once again sees fit to bombard me with question I could not answer. I told her I didn’t know, and Solas told us that the Fade was bleeding in, what we had seen were echoes of what had happened here.

“This rift is not sealed, but it is closed… albeit temporarily”, Solas let us know that he believed with the mark the rift could be opened again, and closed properly. But of course, that meant we would probably get the attention of demons on the other side. So we prepared for a fight, and I opened the rift. Though I had never seen one in person, I recognized the huge creature that came out as a Pride demon. It was easily the size of a house turned on its side. The archers fired, the people on the ground charged, but the demon didn’t seem anything more than agitated at the attack. They continued wearing it down, and I pulled away from the group to disrupt the rift. After doing so it seemed to daze it temporarily, and a few smaller demons appeared. I did what I could to help take them down, and keep my allies alive; but it was a lot to take on. I could feel myself waning, so much was going on, and I had never been prepared for something like this. Eventually the smaller demons were taken down, and the Pride demon fell. And I gave the rift all I had, praying that it would be enough to finish this. I felt my body fall back as I pulled, sealing the rift. The remnants of it shooting up towards the Breach, and releasing large burst of energy when it reached it. I felt my body collapse as my mark flared, my vision darkened and I soon found myself unconscious. I didn’t remember anything after that.

I woke up in a cabin, raising up to find an young elven girl with a package of some sort. When she saw that I was awake, she suddenly looked afraid, dropping the box she had been carrying. She franticly apologized saying she hadn’t known I was awake. I was utterly confused, but I tried to calm her, telling her it was okay; but then she just dropped to her knees, and begged me for my forgiveness and blessing, that she was just a humble servant. I had begun to wonder what I had done to cause such a reaction from the poor girl, until she spoke again, and it started to make sense. “You’re back in Haven, my lady. They say you saved us”; she told me how the Breach had stopped growing, as did my mark. And how it was all people could talk about for the past three days, while I was unconscious. I had hoped the danger was over, but she told me the Breach was still in the sky, so I supposed it wasn’t. I felt bad for her, the way she nearly tripped over her words, and commented on how she was just telling me what other people said, as though I would be offended by her speaking to me. She told me that Lady Cassandra would want to know I was awake, “at once!” she said. I asked her where Cassandra was and she informed me that she was in the Chantry with the Lord Chancellor, ending her sentence with a reiteration of “at once!”. She had hardly finished speaking before she scurried out the door.

I sat on the edge of the bed a moment to observe the room, then rose to examine some papers on the nearby desk. “Vain hope: Someone better at this than me takes over before the survivor expires. Notes in case”, this was followed by series of notes that I assumed pertained to my well being from the past few days. Evidently the person who had been charged to care for me, was either replaced or accompanied by a mage. That didn’t surprise me given the magical nature of the mark, which was probably the cause of my illness in the first place. Observations on my condition and some treatments that had been used were listed. Apparently I had muttered things in my unconscious state, something about to many eyes, and something called the grey. I didn’t remember making any sort of movements or sounds while I slept, that somewhat disturbed me. I was happy to see that the healer chosen was kind enough to see me as a patient more than a prisoner and seemed to care what happened to my life. Especially under the context that two locals had tried to kill me already. I looked in the box the young elf left behind to find a set of clothes, which I changed into shortly after.

Satisfied with my knowledge of the space I grasped the nob of the door, my since of surroundings prickled at what lay beyond. I opened the door and instantly became thoroughly unnerved at the sight before me. Two soldiers guarded my building, and just past them a path was carved out between a thick gathering of people who watched my every move. As I made my way through the crowd I could hear them whispering, though it wasn’t quite what I had expected. Listening I found out that they no longer thought I was guilty of the explosion, but that Andraste had sent me. I couldn’t understand these people. One moment they would kill me for a crime I didn’t commit, and the next they whispered reverence just short of worship toward me, giving me the title Herald of Andraste. I felt a little better once I got away from the large group; seeing only a few people here and there as I made my up to the large, stone structure at the back of the camp. I stepped through its over sized doors into the main room. Candles lit the sides of the thick hall until I reached its end, stopping just before the door.

I could hear Cassandra arguing with Chancellor Roderick over what should be done with me. The Chancellor still wanted me executed, but I was pleased that Cassandra believed I was innocent. He brought up how I had failed to seal the Breach, trying to convince her of my guilt. Cassandra, however, would not be swayed. And she did not seem like the type to change her mind easily once it was made up. The conversation then turned as to who served who and I decided I had no farther reason to eavesdrop, so I made my entrance. I opened the door and it was like my mere presence offended the man. He ordered the guards inside to chain me and prepare me for transport. Cassandra just told them to disregard the order, and leave the room. They gave her a respective salute and closed the door behind them. The Chancellor scowled at her and told her she was walking a fine line. Her response to him was that the Breach was still a problem and that she wouldn’t ignore it. I tried showing my support for her statement, telling him I had done what I could to close the Breach and nearly died in the process. He looked down on me and simply commented on how convenient it was for me that I had lived through it. My frustration level with that man, was becoming rather high. And by the tone in Cassandra’s voice, I wasn’t the only one. “Have a care, Chancellor. The Breach is not the only threat we face”.

With that the whole conversation suddenly turned on its head. Leliana, who had been quietly listening by Cassandra’s side, spoke up. She mentioned how the Divine didn’t expect such an attack from whoever set the explosion. That the person responsible could have died in the fire, or that they could have allies who still lived. I watched his face twist at her implication, and seemed awestruck that they considered him a suspect. Particularly since they had ruled me out as one. Leliana let him know he was not the only one to be considered, but he turned it back on me. Again trying to persuade them otherwise, asking if they really thought that the fact I lived and I had a magic mark on my hand was just a coincidence. Cassandra told him she thought it was providence, that The Maker had sent me when they needed it most. Even I felt the need to ask if she really felt that way. That I was some heaven sent savior, even if I was a Dalish elf. She just told me that she was not one to question The Maker’s will, and that humans were not the only race who had a concern for the fate of the world. Leliana reminded me that my mark was their only hope of closing the Breach. The Chancellor objects that it isn’t for them to decide, and I saw the look of complete frustration on Cassandra’s face. I watched as she turned grabbed a dense book with an embellished cover, and slammed it on the table in front of him. She asked him if he knew what it was, but clearly didn’t intend to get an answer from him. She informed him that it was a writ from the Divine that gave them authority to act, and as of that moment she declared the Inquisition reborn. I hid a smile as she continued, jabbing him in the chest as she forced him back towards the door. “We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order with or without your approval”. I was rather happy to see the displeased look on his face as he silently left the room.

Leliana let me know that rebuilding the Inquisition was the directive of the Divine. To find those who would stand against the chaos. But that we weren’t ready, we had no leader, no numbers, and no Chantry support. Cassandra stepped up, saying we had no choice, it had to be done. And that they needed me by their side. I could tell she didn’t want me to feel forced into the responsibility, which I appreciated. But she was right, without me they didn’t have the mark, and without the mark, they were doomed to fail. I asked them what the Inquisition of old was, and they explained that it had preceded the Chantry. That it was made to bring together people who would restore order in a world gone mad. And after that it became the Templar order, but the Templars had lost they’re way. We needed people who would do what had to be done all under one banner once again. Being a little confused I asked if they were still part of the Chantry. Cassandra snorted at that thought, Leliana explained that the Chantry would take time to choose a new Divine and wait for her direction. But we could not wait, we were on our own, and would probably stay that way. I told them that if they were truly trying to restore order, that I would willingly help them. Cassandra shook my hand with an approving smile, and everyone stepped away to start putting the Inquisition in motion.

I wandered through the high bordered camp, Leliana was sending off her messenger crows, and Cassandra walked past, inspecting the work around her. I also saw the Commander I had met on the field nailing posters up for the Inquisition. I paused at the Chantry building as Leliana and the Commander joined me, Cassandra not far behind. And we watched as the largest of the Inquisition’s banners unfurled its full length from its high placement. ------------------------ I have a little more written, but this seemed like a good cut off point, and I’m not sure if I will complete it. I hope to add a picture of Elbona at some point though.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #inquisitor #Elbona Lavellan #oc #fanfiction #my story #my fanfiction #a noble tale

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