The Names We're Given | Dragon Age

[0023567467]

"I'll help, it would be quicker if two people prepared it instead of one. Do you want me to go and find Arod before he wastes all his energy on trying to catch an animal when we already have one?" Maybe someone has a knife or dagger that I could borrow. Certainly the way to go instead of a sword. "Well first we would need to get all the gizzards and intestines out before we do anything else. That is, unless you want to eat them." She got onto her knees and looked at the cow. It was a fairly good size. She patted one of the war hounds on their head absent mindly.

[Misty-Shroud]

Jared stood near the edge of the camp, looking around. He counted only two people, but they had mentioned another. His stomach growled and yet again a frown formed on his face. The idea of asking for them for some of their food seemed... weak to him and that was one thing he didn't want to do. He turned to walk away, he could find food somewhere else... he hoped. He froze as he came face to face with on of the dogs with its lips pulled back to snarl at him,"Just my luck..." he murmured to himself. He took a step backwards, looking around. There was no way he could outrun the dog or even climb a tree before it pulled him back down. He glared down at the dog, thotoughly irritated at this turn of events.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kyndra sighed, grabbing her staff and standing. She looked towards the two war dogs that were lying near the edge of camp and walked towards them, giving them each a pat on the head. Pulling her hand away she looked at the trees near the edges of camp and back at the dogs,"How about you two go for a hunt." she suggested. She knew they wouldn't be able to understand the words, but they understood enough to know what she wanted. She smiled, watching them as they stood and started walking into the trees. Looking around the camp she noticed Jarrett wasn't out of his tent yet. She shrugged, sitting down by the fire again.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Arod

 

Arod was wandering the forest when they came. A large bear, with red eyes, and three spiked wolves. He turned and drew his warhammer, frowning and grinding his teeth. His head was still wheeling from the hit that Shane had given him, but... This was his life here.

 

[bed.]

[0023567467]

Tammora stopped looking at the cow, she had heard some rustling among the trees. "Stay here." she said to Shane. She went to the edge of the camp and looked into the depths of the forest. I swear that I saw someone. She walked even further away from the camp, then she heard barking. A war hound! Tammora ran towards were the barking had come from and found the dog barking at someone. She nocked an arrow to her bow and said, "Who are you? What do you want and why are you here?" The human looked pretty helpless but she wasn't taking any chances.

[Misty-Shroud]

Jared wheeled around, pulling his second dagger out as he did so. He recognized her as one of the two from camp and let out a curse under his breath. Nothing was going his way today. He looked her straight in the eyes, his own greyish blue eyes reflecting his anger,"My name and business is not something I give out freely," He snapped at her. He looked over his shoulder at the dog for a moment, almost having doubts about how he had acted towards the elf.

[0023567467]

"Your temper could use you your life. Think about what you say before you say it." Tammora thought she had a pretty good chance of killing this human before he could attack her. She pulled back the string on the bow even further. "Either you come with me or I'll kill you."

[Misty-Shroud]

Jared glared at her, his anger flaring again. He kept it under control this time, instead sheathing the two daggers,"Do not expect me to answer a single question." He said as he walked towards her. He stopped, turning his head towards her slightly as he waited for her. He knew where their camp was, but he doubted she would want him leading the way.

[RainDash]

Jarrett was vigilant, he was heroic, he was... currently fast asleep. He woke suddenly from a nightmare, and angrily glared at the roof of his tent. Maybe if he just pretended that nothing was wrong and at the end of the day, he'd just be a single Grey Warden among many, then he'd be right. Yet... if he didn't carry on, one fourth of them would be completely giving up. He couldn't do that... too many lost to just blow it all over and pretend nothing happened. So he rose and headed out of his tent, and noticed Kyndra near the fire. "Hey! I hope you weren't waiting for me..." He joked. "I tend to sleep a lot. I'd probably sleep a whole day if fate would let me." He smiled and sat down by the fire with her. "But, what's our next move Kyndra?"

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Arod

 

The blighted bear roared at him, and Arod desperately searched for his warhammer with his fingers. He cursed when the wolves closed in behind him, snarling and growling. Arod knew that this was bad, very, very bad. Not only were these animals, but they were darkspawn, and darkspawn are not good. The bear roared again, and raised a paw to swat at him. Arod dodged and smacked the warhammer against the bear's head. It groaned, and reared back, swaying before coming back onto him.

 

The bear's weight came crashing down on him, and Arod grunted as he was thrown to he floor. The warhammer clattered out of reach. Drawing his short sword, he stabbed the bear in the stomach. It collapsed on him and Arod worked his way out. Now it was time for the Blight Wolves... As one leapt at him, snapping and biting, he sent the sword through his neck. The other two were harder to take care of because when he was focused on one, the other would bite at his hamstring, and he was getting tired.

 

Soon, though, the four beasts were on the floor, bleeding... And so was Arod. A long scratch protruded from his armor, and he was drenched in both darkspawn blood and his blood. He staggered back to the camp, and leant against a tree... Maybe, maybe he should just rest a bit.

[Mousia]

Shane looked up to see Arod in bad shape. "****ing idiot... I'll be right there...," she murmured as she set down the bit of skin she had been working at. Her step was fast as she reached him. "I'm not even gonna ask..." She forced one of his arms over her shoulder and put both of hers around his torso. He was heavy, so she had to half-drag, half-carry him to his tent. Once they were inside, she laid him down on his makeshift bed and kneeled down to look at him better. Sighing, she stretched out her arms and used the first spell that would be useful. Heal. It worked on some of his wounds, but she knew that he was poisoned by the darkspawn blood because it had been running in his wounds and mingling. Well, technically they were immune to it, but it would still be painful and taxing on them. "You're really stupid," she muttered.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Mousia

[Saika]

Wiping her tears, the young woman scowled down at her shoes. She wouldn't cry, not now, not over something so petty. There were many things to cry about in her life, and she had cried a great deal this past year, but she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry over this! She could still feel their hostile glares on her back, and suddenly conscious of her stance she straightened her back, lifted her gaze from her shoes, and looked ahead determinedly. They might have chased her away, but they wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing her defeated.

 

As she walked further away from the city and their small-minded humans, the Keeper allowed her thoughts to wander. She had been on her own for a month now, struggling a little to get by now that she no longer had Maeve to rely on. She had spent more time sleeping under the stars than in a bed lately - but then again, she supposed that trend had started way before Maeve passed away. That night... No. Her mind shied away from the memories, and started another track of thoughts instead.

 

What would she do now? Not being able to sleep in a bed was fine, really, as it seemed like it would be a clear day with a clear night following it, but more importantly was food. She had hoped to trade some of her belongings for something to eat, but that was out of the question now. Perhaps she would have to hunt... She frowned. She was quiet enough to sneak up on an animal, she knew that, but she had never been particularly good at the rest of what hunting entailed. As a child her talents and education had gone in other directions, and she had only seen someone hunt when Maeve, who'd turned out to be an old huntress, had shown her skills. Even so, it had always been Maeve who hunted when they needed to, and all she did was prepare the meal. To actually kill an animal...

 

She stopped for a second as her mind processed the thought. To kill an animal... To kill a living, breathing, innocent being... She paled, before she shook her head. No. She wouldn't do it. She would find something else to eat instead, something vegetarian. Plants, berries. She knew a bit about herbs, so she should be able to find enough to get through today, at least.

 

Spotting a couple of trees ahead, she continued walking. A forest! Remembering all the eatable plants she could find in a forest, she walked off the road, following a path in between the green vegetation. As she walked further into the forest, her eyes searched around, looking for anything to satisfy her hunger. Berries, herbs, mushrooms, plants... Her eyes settled on the shrub a couple of metres in front of her, and her face lit up. Blueberries! Perfect! While those alone wouldn't sustain her for long, there were bound to be more, and with a lighter heart she continued her search.

 

'Blueberries and raspberries, though not much of either...' Having walked further into the forest than she planned, she slowed down, hesitant. She still didn't have enough for the day, as her promising start had been a little misleading, though she figured it was better than nothing. Even so... She could walk just a little further. It wasn't as if she had somewhere to be, anyway. Besides, maybe there was something wonderful just a little further? If she walked out now, she would miss it...

 

Just as she was deciding whether to continue or not, a sound made her freeze. Was that... A voice? She held her breath as she listened closer. Yes, yes it was! It sounded like a male, though she was too far away to be completely sure. Packing the berries carefully into a cloth and putting them in her pack, she walked as quietly as she could towards the voice. A voice meant people, and people meant... Food. A place to sleep. Company. If they didn't chase her away, that was, but... If she let that kind of mindset control her, she would never get anywhere!

 

"...next move, Kyndra?" She stopped when she was so close that she was able to make out the words spoken, almost right outside what turned out to be a camp with two people present. Pressing her back to a tree so it hid her, she debated whether to enter or not, though she knew... She knew that she would enter unless they did something to scare her away.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Arod

 

Before he knew it, he was being hauled to his tent. Arod was set down on his bed and coughed, raising a hand to his stomach and pulling it back to see dark blood and his blood mingled together. If he hadn't taken the blood to drink when he joined he Grey Wardens, he'd be dead. "I'm... Not an idiot..." he groaned when Shane cast a spell on him. Some of the pain ebbed, but he still felt the burning of the darkspawn blood. Yet, his body could not be damaged from it. "Darkspawn... Bear and wolves attacked when I was looking for food... They were too quick... I killed all of them, but not before... Getting all of these wounds..."

[Mousia]

Shane sighed slightly. "This is gonna hurt really bad, but it'll help you heal. I promise." She conjured a small fire and began to burn his wounds shut. It would kill the bacteria and keep his wounds from being infected too, but he'd have to be strong as she worked, because the was no margin for error and it was hurt, even if she did it perfectly. After closing a few wounds, she pulled her hands away to give him time to rest from the pain. If she inflicted too much on him, he'd go into shock or have a heart attack and die. She felt a sharp stab of pain in her heart for him. He could die at any time. If the pain was too much for him, he'd die. If she didn't do anything to help him and his wounds got infected, he'd die. If she did something to help him and failed, he'd die. It was all in her hands. Especially because she'd not allow anyone else in his tent. It was too risky. It wasn't as if she didn't trust the others, but...she didn't want them messing around with a man near death. "Alright, rest time's over. I'm gonna burn you again. 'Kay?" She didn't wait for answer before starting the process again. As the skin shriveled and closed, she almost lost the will to keep going. It hurt a lot, she knew. It hurt and would probably leave bad scars. But keeping his wounds clean and closed was important, and sewing was just an invitation to bacteria to make it unclean and dark with disease. Burning him was the best alternative, though she felt bad about it. "Tell me if you need me to stop..."

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Arod

 

Now it was time for them to burn shut the wounds. Shane's magic had that covered, but the burning of the wounds was excruciating. Arod clenched his jaw every time she shut one with the fire. "... No, no, it's okay. Just... Just keep on burning them. They'll stop... Stop hurting eventually..."

 

[Din din!]

[Misty-Shroud]

Kyndra smiled, shaking her head at Jarrett. He always acted like a joker, which made most days easier to endure. She shrugged at his question her eyes going distant for a moment,"We do what we did yesterday. We find villages and make allies." She paused, picking up her staff and twisting it in her hands,"If we're lucky we'll find a tribe of Dalish elves that could help us." She murmured. She set her staff down, turning her head completely towards him,"For now we'll wait for the war hounds to get back from hunting."

[Mousia]

(D'aww! He's so adorable... *is weird*)

(I had nearly forgotten about your early dinners.)

 

Shane shook her head, smiling slightly. For once. "If you think it will, then you really are brainless." She closed another and sighed. Her mana was almost out. She used the last of it on using Heal again on him to ease the pain. As she rested and she could feel her mana regenerating, she again called upon her flames. "I swear, if you die because of you pride, I'm gonna curse your grave." Sealing another wound, she sighed. Only a few more were left. As she sealed the last of them, she sat back, sighing. It was kind of tiring to use her magic for that long at a time and control it so much, but it was nothing when compared to the pain that Arod was going through. So she used her healing spell on him one last time and looked around. Water. Water. She couldn't find anything, though some might have been there. Missing it in her haste was a very real possibility. Sighing, she conjured some ice in a cup and exposed it to a short flare of fire to melt it. Setting it down beside her male counterpart, she sighed and put her head down, secretly praying to Maker that he would be just as good as new afterwards.

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Arod

 

The man winced as the woman shut about her wound up with her flames. It... Was painful, but he could manage...

 

Arod started to think about how he met Shane. She had come to then, the Grey Warden... And then he insulted her. Called her 'knife ears'. Even then, he let out a chuckle, but it came out as a harsh cough. And then he choked on his own spit. Wincing, he reached toward the cup and tipped it against his lips. The cool water ran down his throat and into his beard.

 

"... That... That was refreshing... Thank you..."

[Saika]

"We find villages and make allies." She stood completely still as the words from the camp reached her. "If we're lucky we'll find a tribe of Dalish elves that could help us." The words tumbled around in her mind before she managed to make proper sense of them. When she did, though, she wasn't standing still because she chose to anymore, but rather because she couldn't move. 'She considers finding Dalish elves lucky?' If that was true, then... Then they might allow her to share their camp, at least for the night! They might be friendly towards her, even if she wasn't a whole tribe...

 

Blinking away the tears in her eyes, she shook her head violently to clear it. First things first. She needed to introduce herself! But... If she came out like this, what would they think? They would surely think she eavesdropped on their conversation on purpose, even though that wasn't her intention at all... Well, she would just have to set them straight sooner rather than later, then. No time like the present!

 

Her mind made up, the young elf straightened, squared her shoulders, and stepped purposefully out from behind the tree. She was just going to introduce herself, apologize for eavesdropping when she didn't mean to (even though she didn't think she'd heard anything of importance), and ask if she could maybe be allowed to share their camp for today...

 

Her steps faltered a little when her eyes fell on the two inhabitants of the camp, a man and a woman, both humans. Humans... Her mind flashed to the incident earlier in the day, but she shook it off. Whatever the elders used to say, surely not all humans were like that! And the woman had said finding Dalish elves would be lucky...

 

"A- Andaran atish’an! I apologize for interrupting your conversation... Um..." She trailed off, suddenly unsure of what she'd been planning to say, before her years experience mediating between the elders in her clan showed themselves and she continued. "My name is Arlana Rhuviel. I was walking through the forest when I heard your voices, and they led me here. I am afraid that I unintentionally heard fragments of your conversation, and for that I apologize. It was not in my intentions to eavesdrop, I..."

 

She paused a little, suddenly unsure of what she wanted to say again. Would she... Would she place herself so in these humans' hands so easily? She looked at them again. They didn't seem like normal humans, though, certainly not like those in the city... And she had showed herself and given them her name. She didn't know for certain whether she could trust them or not, but for now she would have faith.

 

"I was simply curious as to who were in these forests, and... And I was wondering whether you were opposed to company?"

[Mousia]

Shane looked at him, smiling slightly. "Yeah. You're welcome." She stood and looked around for no particular reason. "You should get some sleep, Arod. It will help you heal." With that, she walked over to the "door". "Holler if you need anything, ignorant one." Going to the cow, she took up a sharp rock and started again at the skin. After some time of sawing and working at the animal, it was skinned. After she'd taken out all the unwanted parts (like the bladder, stomach, intestines, etc.), she gathered the firewood that they had gathered before and lit it with her magic, then proceeded to drag the largish animal to the fire to cook. She'd have to turn it in a little while, so she just watched it cook.

[RainDash]

"Why Dalish? We could try and find those other elves... Whatever they were called, and besides. What about us humans, eh? We shouldn't be passed over either." He teased, smiling. Someone was out there, watching them. The presence didn't feel evil, but you never knew for sure out in the woods, alone. Then, out of nowhere, an elf appeared. She was asking to join them. "Well, Kyndra, here's your elf. I wonder if I ask for a human to show up they will. I mean, the knife-ear here practically fell into our laps!" He laughed and turned to Arlana. "Well, I guess I wouldn't mind, but I'm gonna call you Lana. Elf names are always too complicated for me." With that he stood and moved to the elf, holding out his left hand. His right was firmly planted on his sword, ready to attack if this was some mind of trap. His smile was even fake, the same one he'd used everywhere. Smiles tended to disarm those who were foolhardy enough to believe them.

[0023567467]

"Come on, I'll take you to the camp." Tammora lowered her bow and set of toward the camp. "You know we should know who you are and what you're doing here. Just in case you decided to murder us in the night or try to slip some poison in our food." The war hound followed them close by.

[Saika]

Knife-ear... She felt her heart sink as the man used the derogatory term to refer to her. Perhaps she had been wrong in showing herself... Perhaps she should have just turned around and tried to find more berries instead. After all, what would a couple of humans want with a single Dalish elf like her? From what she'd experienced, humans didn't treat the elves living with them very well, so she supposed she shouldn't be surprised that they didn't think much of an elf who suddenly showed up out of nowhere. Maybe she should just excuse herself before they chased her away...

 

Her increasingly negative thoughts were interrupted by the man's laughter as he turned to her. "Well, I guess I wouldn't mind, but I'm gonna call you Lana. Elf names are always too complicated for me." Wait... He was going to let her stay? He wasn't going to say angry, mean words to her, or chase her away?

 

A tentative smile showed on her face as the man walked towards her and held out his left hand. He was going to let her stay! It was a bit weird that he wanted to greet her with his left, but... Her eyes located his right hand, and she felt her heart sink again as she mentally backtracked. No, it wasn't weird at all. But then again, he was entitled to his suspicions - she would have been suspicious as well, if a stranger suddenly walked into her camp and asked to join her. She supposed she should be grateful that he even agreed to let her join them for the day.

 

Shifting her staff from her left to her right, she took his hand, shaking it slightly. "Thank you." Her smile came back in response to his, lighting up her face. "And Lana's fine - it's what I'm used to being called, so I'll probably respond easier to that than Arlana. Um... What may I call you?"

Edited July 16, 2013 by Saikachan

[TwilightMoonDragon]

[Dunno what to do now. :<]

[Mousia]

(Anything, TMD. Perhaps you could have Arod try to get up or something and hurt himself/open up a few wounds.)

[TwilightMoonDragon]

Arod

 

Arod lay there for a while, staring at the roof of his tent. His eyes narrowed and his teeth ground together. He could feel the darkspawn blood coursing through his veins, burning, scalding. Even though he was immune, it was still extremely painful, his body fighting the infection. Disgusting beings... Perhaps he should put his blood in their bodies.

 

The smell of food was tantalizing. Arod heaved himself to his feet, groaning as he felt the wounds gash open once more. Blood seeped from them, fresh, red, and new. Staggering over to the fire, he sat on his rear next to the cooking cow.

 

"Smells delicious." he tried to make his voice less pained, but he reached toward the cooking cow, ripping off a piece of somewhat cooked meat.