Post by Macha on Mar 9, 2015 20:55:33 GMT -6
Denial and perseverance had carried her through Thedas's midlands on Damon's back, but now that they neared the end of their journey, Macha's nerves were beginning to get the better of her. She had gone to Nygozy in Lothering at Alistairs request with a letter, and had distracted herself from that weighty parchment in her satchel by simply putting it completely out of her mind. She had delivered it to Nygozy, her friend and her commander, with all the dignity such a message deserved. It was good news, glad news, perhaps some of the best news the Wardens in Ferelden had received in a century, and yet she disdained every word on its page, and was happy simply to be rid of the message when she gave it into Nygozy's hands at last.
The Order of the Grey Wardens had been given rightful ownership of Vigil's Keep, and all land connected to that ancient stronghold, for now and for all times to come, to do with as they saw fit, so long as the Order wished to hold it.
Alistair had pulled many of his newly-made kingly strings in order to seal the deal. Many Ferelden nobles continued to be wary of the Wardens, not the least because many of their number were Orlesian. In fact, the skeleton force that sat at Vigil's Keep even now were Orlesian Wardens, waiting for the new Ferelden Commander to arrive and take the Keep officially from their hands. They had given their word that they would return to Orlais immediately afterward, in accordance with the terms set by the Ferelden Nobility in return for their agreement to sign Vigil's Keep over to the Wardens for good. Still, many nobles had been dubious, some even a little mistrustful. That Alistair had managed to sway them was one of the first indications Macha had seen that made her truly feel Alistair would blossom into his kingship someday (and someday soon).
But Macha could find no joy in this victory, because she would never find peace encamped within Rendon Howe's walls.
She would find no rest sleeping in beds where Howe's guests had laid their heads; would not eat her fill eating at tables where Howe had eaten; see no beauty in the gardens that doubtlessly failed to move Howe's shriveled, treacherous heart. The approaching halls of Vigil's Keep breathed discontent and hate in her heart, and she was still a league away from it. So far, she'd tried to hide her agitation from the rest of their party, and for the most part, she thought she'd succeeded. After all, the incident between the Couslands and Howe might be public knowledge (thanks to the Landsmeet), but not many people outside of court were overly interested or concerned with it. Besides Nygozy and Gareth (still a surprising addition to their group) she doubted anyone else even knew or cared.
The fact still remained, however, that she had been all-but cast out of Nygozy's company mid-quest because she'd been unable to temper her rage towards Howe, and it had festered and interfered with her ability to focus on their goal. Between then and now, Macha felt like she'd grown a bit, like she'd come to better terms with what had happened and how it had hurt her. But seeing Vigil's Keep loom in the distance, she began to wonder just how much she'd come to accept after all.
The last leg of their journey had turned into a dark and soggy one. With the Keep a mere mile or two up the long road, it should have been towering above them, and yet the mist and drizzling rain made it almost impossible to distinguish from the gloom. Macha had kept to the front of the train since the beginning, but she'd been fighting the urge to drop back for the last few miles now. She didn't want to be the first to see it, but duty made her hold her place.
And now she was glad of it—something in the air felt wrong, and it wasn't just her loathing of the circumstances.
Macha held her hand up, a signal for those riding beside and behind her to hold. The feeling was growing stronger now, and she knew just what it was—Darkspawn. For the other Wardens in their company, she knew they would be feeling it as well too, and for those among them who hoped to join the Wardens . . . it seemed that their first test was coming sooner than they had anticipated.
This was not good. She bit her lip, squinting her eyes to try to see further ahead. The feeling was clear, and it did not lie—she could sense the darkspawn looming ahead in the direction of the Keep. From what she knew, Vigil's Keep currently played host to a sparse reserve of servants and staff, its Seneschal, and the Orelsian Wardens who had come with Macha to see the end of the Blight. But if she could feel so many Darkspawn on the surface now . . . she didn't want to think what had happened to them.
Eyes hard, narrowed on the distance, Macha reined up her horse and looked to the group nearest her. "Do you feel that?" It was clearly meant for the Wardens in the company—non-Wardens might have been confused about why they were stopping at this point.
Kicking Damon forward slightly, she brought herself to turn and look at the party that had been at her back. "Look out. It looks like we're not the first to arrive to the Keep today," she said with a grim twist to her smile. There was no mirth in the expression. "There are darkspawn ahead, and a lot of them. They-"
But Macha was cut off by the sound of hurried, booted steps coming through the fog. Damon pranced his feet slightly, turning to Macha could look back down the road, and a few moments later, a figure in armor came stumbling through, finally visible through the mist and rain.
The soldier's face was hidden behind his or her helmet, but the way they stopped short indicated that they were surprised to see the host stopped on the road. But that surprise lasted only a moment—just long enough for the soldier to see the standards they held.
"Wardens!" It was a woman's voice, and she sounded sick with relief. "Oh thank the Maker! We are besieged! The Darkspawn . . . they just appeared, out of the aether! The Orlesian Wardens—they won't hold much longer, if they still hold the Keep at all!"
And with that, all the urgency Macha had felt a moment before doubled in its force. "Go to Amaranthine," she ordered, hoping that the soldier would know the harshness in her voice was not directed at her. "Put out an alarm—if they don't hear from another messenger from the Keep within the next two hours, the people should move to safety."
Wheeling Damon around, she turned to address the party before them, sharing a distressed, meaningful look with Nygozy for a moment before rising her voice. "All of you! The Keep is overrun with Darkspawn! It is your duty as Wardens—and for some of you, as Warden-hopefuls—to see that the Keep survives! I want groups!" She started motioning with her hands through the air, drawing imaginary lines in the assembled party to draw up groups. "I need one group in the main hall, fighting the Darkspawn! Your job is to keep them from leaving the stronghold! I don't want a single one escaping! I need one group searching the first and second for survivors! Servants, staff, soldiers, guards, Wardens—I want everyone who's still alive accounted for!" She moved her hand to motion to another section of the host. "I need another group to go down into the cellars! You need to find the breach where the Darkspawn are coming in, and I need you to close it! The team fighting in the main hall will help cut you a path to the cellars! And last, I need a team fighting the Darkspawn in the courtyard! Defend the walls!"
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Groups
Main Hall
Nygozy - Party Leader
Bowen
Wolfram
Damien
[This party will come across Caterina, who is among the last of the Orlesian Wardens left alive in the Keep]
Under the Keep
Griffinhart - Party Leader
Gareth
Maddox
Robert
Ianto
[This party will come across Nathaniel eventually, locked up in the cells just the night before, on the way to find the breach.]
Survivors
Lithwen - Party Leader
Margaid
Jezarine
Charrick
[This party will come across Anders eventually, where he’s fighting off the Templars chasing him]
Courtyard
Calliara - Party Leader
Macha
Bryant
Edwin
The Order of the Grey Wardens had been given rightful ownership of Vigil's Keep, and all land connected to that ancient stronghold, for now and for all times to come, to do with as they saw fit, so long as the Order wished to hold it.
Alistair had pulled many of his newly-made kingly strings in order to seal the deal. Many Ferelden nobles continued to be wary of the Wardens, not the least because many of their number were Orlesian. In fact, the skeleton force that sat at Vigil's Keep even now were Orlesian Wardens, waiting for the new Ferelden Commander to arrive and take the Keep officially from their hands. They had given their word that they would return to Orlais immediately afterward, in accordance with the terms set by the Ferelden Nobility in return for their agreement to sign Vigil's Keep over to the Wardens for good. Still, many nobles had been dubious, some even a little mistrustful. That Alistair had managed to sway them was one of the first indications Macha had seen that made her truly feel Alistair would blossom into his kingship someday (and someday soon).
But Macha could find no joy in this victory, because she would never find peace encamped within Rendon Howe's walls.
She would find no rest sleeping in beds where Howe's guests had laid their heads; would not eat her fill eating at tables where Howe had eaten; see no beauty in the gardens that doubtlessly failed to move Howe's shriveled, treacherous heart. The approaching halls of Vigil's Keep breathed discontent and hate in her heart, and she was still a league away from it. So far, she'd tried to hide her agitation from the rest of their party, and for the most part, she thought she'd succeeded. After all, the incident between the Couslands and Howe might be public knowledge (thanks to the Landsmeet), but not many people outside of court were overly interested or concerned with it. Besides Nygozy and Gareth (still a surprising addition to their group) she doubted anyone else even knew or cared.
The fact still remained, however, that she had been all-but cast out of Nygozy's company mid-quest because she'd been unable to temper her rage towards Howe, and it had festered and interfered with her ability to focus on their goal. Between then and now, Macha felt like she'd grown a bit, like she'd come to better terms with what had happened and how it had hurt her. But seeing Vigil's Keep loom in the distance, she began to wonder just how much she'd come to accept after all.
The last leg of their journey had turned into a dark and soggy one. With the Keep a mere mile or two up the long road, it should have been towering above them, and yet the mist and drizzling rain made it almost impossible to distinguish from the gloom. Macha had kept to the front of the train since the beginning, but she'd been fighting the urge to drop back for the last few miles now. She didn't want to be the first to see it, but duty made her hold her place.
And now she was glad of it—something in the air felt wrong, and it wasn't just her loathing of the circumstances.
Macha held her hand up, a signal for those riding beside and behind her to hold. The feeling was growing stronger now, and she knew just what it was—Darkspawn. For the other Wardens in their company, she knew they would be feeling it as well too, and for those among them who hoped to join the Wardens . . . it seemed that their first test was coming sooner than they had anticipated.
This was not good. She bit her lip, squinting her eyes to try to see further ahead. The feeling was clear, and it did not lie—she could sense the darkspawn looming ahead in the direction of the Keep. From what she knew, Vigil's Keep currently played host to a sparse reserve of servants and staff, its Seneschal, and the Orelsian Wardens who had come with Macha to see the end of the Blight. But if she could feel so many Darkspawn on the surface now . . . she didn't want to think what had happened to them.
Eyes hard, narrowed on the distance, Macha reined up her horse and looked to the group nearest her. "Do you feel that?" It was clearly meant for the Wardens in the company—non-Wardens might have been confused about why they were stopping at this point.
Kicking Damon forward slightly, she brought herself to turn and look at the party that had been at her back. "Look out. It looks like we're not the first to arrive to the Keep today," she said with a grim twist to her smile. There was no mirth in the expression. "There are darkspawn ahead, and a lot of them. They-"
But Macha was cut off by the sound of hurried, booted steps coming through the fog. Damon pranced his feet slightly, turning to Macha could look back down the road, and a few moments later, a figure in armor came stumbling through, finally visible through the mist and rain.
The soldier's face was hidden behind his or her helmet, but the way they stopped short indicated that they were surprised to see the host stopped on the road. But that surprise lasted only a moment—just long enough for the soldier to see the standards they held.
"Wardens!" It was a woman's voice, and she sounded sick with relief. "Oh thank the Maker! We are besieged! The Darkspawn . . . they just appeared, out of the aether! The Orlesian Wardens—they won't hold much longer, if they still hold the Keep at all!"
And with that, all the urgency Macha had felt a moment before doubled in its force. "Go to Amaranthine," she ordered, hoping that the soldier would know the harshness in her voice was not directed at her. "Put out an alarm—if they don't hear from another messenger from the Keep within the next two hours, the people should move to safety."
Wheeling Damon around, she turned to address the party before them, sharing a distressed, meaningful look with Nygozy for a moment before rising her voice. "All of you! The Keep is overrun with Darkspawn! It is your duty as Wardens—and for some of you, as Warden-hopefuls—to see that the Keep survives! I want groups!" She started motioning with her hands through the air, drawing imaginary lines in the assembled party to draw up groups. "I need one group in the main hall, fighting the Darkspawn! Your job is to keep them from leaving the stronghold! I don't want a single one escaping! I need one group searching the first and second for survivors! Servants, staff, soldiers, guards, Wardens—I want everyone who's still alive accounted for!" She moved her hand to motion to another section of the host. "I need another group to go down into the cellars! You need to find the breach where the Darkspawn are coming in, and I need you to close it! The team fighting in the main hall will help cut you a path to the cellars! And last, I need a team fighting the Darkspawn in the courtyard! Defend the walls!"
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Groups
Main Hall
Nygozy - Party Leader
Bowen
Wolfram
Damien
[This party will come across Caterina, who is among the last of the Orlesian Wardens left alive in the Keep]
Under the Keep
Griffinhart - Party Leader
Gareth
Maddox
Robert
Ianto
[This party will come across Nathaniel eventually, locked up in the cells just the night before, on the way to find the breach.]
Survivors
Lithwen - Party Leader
Margaid
Jezarine
Charrick
[This party will come across Anders eventually, where he’s fighting off the Templars chasing him]
Courtyard
Calliara - Party Leader
Macha
Bryant
Edwin
