Authors Note: Hey guys, as I promised I am rewriting this story. I hope that you all actually will enjoy this reboot, and let me know what you think. Especially because I'm hoping to do better this time around and make the most of this.
To get some things straight though, you all should know that the main character will be different this time around. This means a different name, different personal history with family, relationships, and amount of skill. What I mean by skill, is that unlike with Sebastian, the new main character isn't going to be so incredibly OP that he can take on a horde of Grimm in the Emerald forest for hours of end. No, instead this main character is going to have a harder time in the RWBY-verse.
The reason that Sebastian was OP? Well, at the time I had been doing a sort of 'no deaths' run through on Nightmare. That meant that outside of the opening of the game, the main character couldn't 'die'. If he did, I had 10 save reloads, and when those were used up, I had to stop that play through. Those same rules applied to the companions, in that if they were defeated then they would be considered 'crippled' and couldn't be in the party anymore. It made the entire game more intense than usual, especially the Dragon fights; those became the stuff of my nightmares. Needless to say, by the end of the game virtually none of my companions survived. I recommend it for any of you that are masochistic or want a good challenge.
Any, I've rambled on enough. Let me know what you guys think of the new story!
DISCLAIMER: I own neither Dragon Age or RWBY. They each belong to their respective owners.
Skyhold, Ferelden
"Based on the reports I've been getting, it's safe to assume that the remnants of the Venatori and Red Templars have barricaded themselves inside the Elven ruins in the area." Cullen told the others gathered in the War room.
"What do we know about these ruins?" Leliana asked him. The war table in front of them currently held small figurines, red and black to feature the Venatori and Red Templars, while the gold and white pieces represented the inquisition forces.
"Not much. All that my scouts have been able to tell me is that it will be nearly impossible to take without suffering heavy casualties. Even then, it's entirely possible that they may be able to repel our assault." Cullen replied as he stared intently at the board.
"Perhaps we could contact the local lord of the lands? If we could bolster our forces with his and bring siege equipment, we would have better chances of breaching their walls." Josephine informed them.
"Perhaps less straight forward tactics will work; the chances are high that these ruins have tunnels underneath them that we could use, or secret packages that could lead us directly inside of it. All it would take is a little scouting and a guide or two that know the area." Leliana moved a few chess-like pieces forward resembling panthers.
Cullen sighed in frustration. "In the time it takes us to scout the area, they will likely dig themselves in even more, or move on from the area. We need to move now and commit to a full scale siege."
"Maybe so, but sieging old elven ruins would do no one any good. Think of all the artifacts or records within it that could be ruined." Leliana argued.
"Perhaps we could request the aid of the Dalish in the area? They have had somewhat positive relations with the local villages, and if we promised them anything held within the ruins of elven origin, then I'm sure they would be willing to lend us their aid in finding a passage way or assaulting the ruins." Josephine offered.
The three of them all turned their attention the Inquisitor, who had been mostly quiet ever since they had all met.
After a few more moments, the Inquisitor hummed and began moving some pieces around the table. "Josephine, contact the noble lord in the area and the Dalish; Either one of them will be a big help in the coming siege. Leliana, have your agents search the area as well for any secret passages. Cullen, send word to our forces in the area to prepare for the siege."
"I'll send word right away." Cullen replied, while Josephine and Leliana nodded their heads in agreement.
The Inquisitor stared down at everyone from his balcony. Everyone was milling about their daily business as though nothing was going on in the world that could threaten them; the stable hands and servants didn't worry about a thing as they worked; the merchants did business freely and with a smile on their face as they sold things at unfair prices; even the soldiers practiced their drills and training without any real worry.
Perhaps that was their arrogance of the power of the inquisition or just plain obliviousness; either way, they'd be right. The final cataclysmic battle had been fought nearly a year ago to the day, and since then the inquisition had only grown more powerful and stopped threats that had the potential to be just as big.
This didn't mean the upcoming battle would be easy. Despite the fact that the upcoming battle wouldn't be the toughest he'd ever fought, far from it actually, facing an unknown amount of Venatori and Red Templars that had banded together and were cornered was not something to take lightly.
"Didn't expect to find you looking so serious."
The inquisitor glanced over his shoulder at the sound of the voice. "Hey Varric. What're you doing here?"
"I came up here to see what our glorious leader was doing of course. I've gotta say, I half expected you to be celebrating and drinking when I walked in, not staring down at everyone below with that look on your face."
The inquisitor chuckled. "Before the battle has even started? No, I'm not one to do that. Besides, we already celebrated our victory a long time ago. At this point, it'll just be one more battle for us to fight and win."
"Maybe so, but these are likely the last of what used to be our greatest enemies. It's only right that we celebrate our victory over them now that we have them penned in." Varric patted the Inquisitors back. "Come on down to the tavern later tonight. The rest of us all plan on a small celebration to commemorate the occasion."
As Varric left the Inquisitor could only stare at the mountains in the distance. The view he got every night was beautiful, even more so when the sun was setting or rising. But he enjoyed gazing out at it in the middle of the day even more so. While some would consider it dull, he enjoyed it for one simple reason: it was normal. Nothing special happening around them, nothing special about them, just plain old mountains that managed to reach the heights that they did naturally.
The Inquisitor sighed. Sometimes he wished he was like those mountains, like Hawk and the Hero of Ferelden. The former was as plain as could be and reached his position based on pure skill with his magic. The latter meanwhile was incredibly skilled and only had his status as a Grey Warden separating him from everyone else, even then only earning it through his skill. Both achieved their positions based on pure skill or strength and were legends even now.
But the Inquisitor? As he kept telling everybody, he wasn't chosen for anything or special at all; as far as he knew, anyone that was at the Conclave could have stumbled upon what he did and gain the curse he now had on his hand, which was the only reason he had even survived and in turn gained leadership of the Inquisition.
Still, at least it was him and not some warmongering psychopath who'd have gone down the same path as Corypheus, or someone who'd have made the Inquisition into a glorified mercenary company.
Looking back at his desk, the Inquisitor sighed when he saw the amount of paperwork he had on it but sat down anyway. At least if he got it done now he wouldn't have to worry about it later.
The Inquisitor could hear the laughter and shouts from outside the door of the tavern. It was late now, everyone had mostly retired for the night except for the few guards patrolling the walls. Sighing, the Inquisitor reach for the door handle.
Before he could grasp it however, the door opened, and a few of the serving girls walked out and bumped into him.
"Sorry there sir," the girl hiccupped and giggled to herself, "me and my friend here were just leaving." She began to walked away but her friend pulled on her arm.
"Wait, he's kind of hot." The girls friend giggled to herself and leaned up against him. He could smell the alcohol in her breath clear as day, and the way she wobbled just slightly gave away the fact that she was drunk.
The original girl just giggled some more and pulled her friend along, laughing as the two of them went on their way. Chuckling to himself and shaking his head, he walked into the tavern.
Shutting the door behind him he was greeted by the sight of Iron Bull and Sera having a drinking contest.
"Come on Bull, I put a lot of money on you!" People were gathered around the two of them cheering them both on. From the looks of it, both of them were dead even, though he had the feeling that this had just started.
The Inquisitor walked up to a pillar and leaned against it to watch the contest unfold. A few more rounds a drinks went by and by then it was fairly obvious who the winner between the two of them would be.
Sera dropped her mug and fell backwards onto the wooden floor beneath their feet. An onset of joyous cheering or exasperated groans resounded throughout the tavern, followed by the sound of coin being slammed on a table or taken off of it.
As everyone went back to what they were doing, Varric finally noticed he was here.
"Inquisitor! Good to see you decided to drop by." Varric walked over and handed him a mug of something as everyone else said their greetings, ranging from people raising their mugs to outright bowing down to him.
"Well I couldn't miss this now could I, Varric?" The inquisitor chuckled and took a sip of whatever was in the mug. Varric then led him over to a table near the bar. "So, Inquisitor, how's it feel?"
"How's what feel?"
"You know, the fact that soon you'll have completely defeated Corypheus and crushed his followers. Me? I'll be absolutely thrilled that I can finally have a good ending to my book that doesn't leave so many unanswered questions about them."
"Do you even have a name for your book yet?"
"Not quiet yet. Though the title 'This Shit is Weird' is seriously being considered at this point." Varric replied with chuckle.
"How about tales of the Inquisition?" The inquisitor suggested.
"That would be a good name, if it weren't for the fact that I'm also writing a book called 'Tales of the Inquisitions Agents'; you know, to honor those that went where we couldn't and made things easier for us." Varric told him.
The Inquisitor hummed. "Well then if that's the case, 'This Shit is Weird' is the best title to call our particular story."
Varric laughed. "Well then it's settled. Anyway Inquisitor, I won't take up anymore of your time, so go enjoy yourself."
The Inquisitor took another sip of his mug and looked around. When he saw that Sera was back up and drinking, he walked over to her. "You alright Sera? That looked like you took a pretty hard fall."
Sera began laughing. "Sir Lordybloomers, good to see you out here!" Sera spoke in such slurred and drunken speech that it was a wonder she was ale to even hold up that mug. All the Inquisitor could do was stare at Sera. "I'm fine, ya? No reason to get all pissy."
"Alright Sera, just try not to drink yourself into a coma." All the Inquisitor received in response was 'beh'.
"Hey, Boss, over here." The Inquisitor turned around and saw Iron Bull sitting at the bar.
"Hey Bull."
"So, final fight's gonna be happening soon. You ready to finish this Boss?" Iron Bull asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be Bull. After all, I've already faced down a would-be god and his pet dragon. Defeating the last of his army of fanatics should be a walk in the park compared to that."
"Heh, good to see you're optimistic about our chances of winning boss; always good for the men to know that their leader is confident about their chances."
"So, how're the Chargers doing Bull?"
"Well, when we're not doing the work you have us do, we're pretty good. Just recently we travelled to the Brecilian Forest to handle a few of the supposed werewolf sightings in the area."
Werewolves, now there was a surprise. Not much had been heard of them ever since the battle against the Archdemon, so it was a big surprise to hear this.
"Really? What happened?"
Iron Bull took a long sip of his drink. "Well, most of our trip was uneventful; for most of our time there we couldn't even find a trace of those damn werewolves. Most of what we fought were just wildlife and the occasional Sylvan. Though we did happen to find the remains of a few that had been killed by the Hero of Ferelden."
"So, you failed then?"
"Huh? No, we did find one of them. It was completely feral though and nearly killed a few of my men before we could put it down. Damn thing nearly bit me as well, Krem thankfully managed to lob it's head off before it could though."
"Really? Something actually managed to get past your weapon close enough to pin you to the ground? Wish I could've been there then, if just to see that."
Iron Bull laughed. "Hey, you try fighting something that appear and disappear into thin air without getting nearly bitten." Iron Bull took another sip of his drink. "Anyway, if you wanna hear more of the details, go ahead and talk to Krem. I'm sure he'll love to tell you more about how I nearly ended up as dog food."
The Inquisitor chuckled. "Maybe I'll do that. Anyway Bull, I'll talk to you later."
"Talk to you later Boss."
The Inquisitor looked up at the second floor and was greeted by quiet a surprise: Cole and Vivienne sitting at the same table and actually talking to one another. As the Inquisitor walked up the stairs and got closer to them, he could overhear their conversation.
"I don't understand why everyone is being so loud tonight." Cole stated as he looked down at everyone.
"It's simply because they are celebrating the coming end of the Venatori and Red Templars, dear. Foolish to celebrate before we even succeed, but the odds are stacked so heavily in our favor that I believe they are allowed this."
The Inquisitor came to a stop at the table and sat down. "So, what're you two doing?"
"Ah, my dear, me and Cole were simply chatting while you and the others were celebrating below."
Well this was a surprise. From almost every time he'd been around the two at the same time, Vivienne conveyed utter contempt for Cole, but now she was calling him by name? "Really? You and Cole are having a civil conversation?"
"Is that so hard to believe my dear? Cole has proven that he isn't so much of a danger to the rest of us, and shown a willingness to be human." Vivienne replied.
Cole just laughed at this and stared down at the people below them.
"Swords sharpened, armor polished, men all confidant that they will win and slaughter the filthy apostates; should be done before the hour is over." Cole said. Despite the fact he'd done less of that when he became human, he still occasionally did it.
"What's that, Cole?"
"That was what a Templar captain who was hunting a group of mages fleeing the circle and was confidant he could kill them. He and his men didn't survive." Cole informed them both.
"Just because an arrogant Templar is killed by a mage, doesn't mean that we'll be defeated by these remnants. You'd do best to remember that we are not a small group of arrogant Templars, and instead an organization with the power to topple a kingdom."
"Even the strongest of fighters and hunters can be killed by a weaker enemy." Cole responded.
The three of them sat in silence for a moment before Vivienne decided to break it. "So, how are you feeling my dear? Are you as confidant that you'll win as the others?"
"That we'll win? Without a doubt. That this coming battle will be in any way easy? No, it'll likely cost us a lot of men. Still, defeating the Venatori and Red Templars once and for all will be worth it in the end."
"Agreed. No matter the cost, ridding the world of those fanatics is vital to achieving peace." Vivienne then turned to Cole. "Cole,, what do you think?"
Cole didn't even seem to hear a word that Vivienne said. When the Inquisitor turned to see what was keeping his attention, he saw Cole staring intently at Maryden. In fact, it almost looked as though he was admiring her and hanging on the sound of her voice as she sang.
"Oh dear, it appears as though Cole has a gained a liking of our resident bard." Vivienne said with a chuckle and the Inquisitor couldn't help but do so as well.
"Agreed. I wonder how this happened."
Cole shook his head and turned to them when he realized they were both speaking. "I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Could you say that again?"
"Oh, it was nothing my dear, simply admiring our dear bards lovely singing voice." Vivienne replied.
"Yes, her voice is beautiful, and it helps people feel better and happier. She doesn't have someone to do that for her though, which is sad." The Inquisitor and Vivienne could only look at each other and chuckle.
"Don't worry Cole, I'm sure that someone very nice will bring her happiness." The Inquisitor then stood up. Anyway, I'm going back downstairs. Have a nice night you two."
"You as well, my dear."
"Have a nice time Inquisitor."
For rest of the celebration, the Inquisitor celebrated with everyone. He laughed, went up against Bull in a drinking game and lost, him and his companions even danced to Maryden's singing.
The Inquisitor felt that there was only one way to end the night right.
The Inquisitors room
A woman giggled as the Inquisitor led her into his room and to his Orlesian silk bed. He walked right by his desk beneath a mountain of paperwork and felt two hands clumsily push him onto his bed.
"Now now, no need to be so forceful. Just let me light a fire, and then we can get to the fun part of the night." The girl giggled and laid down in his bed as he got up and walked towards the fire. Ditzy as the girl may have seemed, the Inquisitor suspected that she was putting on this act for some reason unknown to him. Still, he wasn't about to turn down what she offering, not after how many drinks he'd had.
As the fire was lit and he walked toward his bed and the giggling beauty currently on it, he noticed a few letters on his desk. Most of them were unimportant from the looks of it, but he recognized the seal of a few of them; letters from his friends who couldn't be here most likely, unless he was mixing them up with other seals.
None of this was on his mind though when he climbed into bed and toward the beauty before him.
Nothing could ruin this; not the coming battle, an attack on Skyhold, a dragon attack, or even the next blight if that were to happen.
No, he was happy and living a good life, and nothing could take it away from.
Not a soul.
Authors Note: Well guys, that ends this first chapter. What did you think? I know that it didn't have any action at all and focused more on the Inquisitors companions, but I can promise that action will be in the next one. I can also promise you that the Inquisitor will only be in Thedas for so long, and by the end of the prologue he'll end up in Remnant. So I do hope that enjoy everything thus far and until then.
I especially enjoyed writing for Cole and Vivienne.
Oh yeah, as for the companions not here, well avoiding spoilers for those that don't know, Solis has a very good reason for not being here, and the other absent also had good reasons to be gone.
Anyway, let me know what you guys in think in the reviews(Hopefully), don't forget to follow/favorite, and I will see you guys next time.