So...first bit of updating in the near year. This is an entry I did for Bioware's writing competition to do with Dragon Age:Asunder. A lengthy A/N will be at the end (for those few who loyally read my stuff) but to everyone else, enjoy.
"What happened to make this beautiful world put on a mask of chaos and misery?"
The fire burned brightly from the centre of dry logs that made up the less than comfortable campsite. The crackling flames cast an orange hue on the nearby surroundings setting on a sitting figure near a large, thick tree-trunk. A staff propped up next in-between the figure's legs and over its shoulder would have told any passer-by that the person was a mage and was to be avoided at all costs due to their powerful and deadly magical abilities.
To Karin Silvers, the general stereotype of a mage did not apply. Yes, she was a mage and yes, she had powerful abilities, but she loathed them to the point of hating her own existence. For fifteen years since she was five, she had to endure the claustrophobic feel that the tower imposed on her, who wouldn't take the chance to escape? She shouldn't have had to in the first place; if only the Chantry had just said yes to the King's demand that the Circle in Ferelden be allowed to practise magic without oversight then maybe things would have happened differently.
"Where did the world go so wrong?" Karin asked herself quietly. Her hazel coloured eyes bore at the flames with a dying will behind them. A black robe covered her body in a feeble attempt to ward off the bitter cold from the wilds. Her arms wrapped around her legs, keeping them close to her chest, her chin rested on the fold of her robes between her knees. Her long, aqua coloured hair, once straight and clean, was now a mess, stained with the dirt with the strains sticking out at odd ends. The life of an apostate was a harsh one.
She only wanted to close her eyes, just to feel sleep's warm embrace and dream sweet dreams but she knew it was not going to be possible. No doubt that the Templars were on her tail using her Phylactery to find her, hunting her down like a pack of Mabari War Hounds. She would have to move again soon. With a heavy sigh, she leaned over to her bag and pulled out a map from all the food she had stolen from the tower before she ran from the tower, and crawled over to the fire, unrolling the parchment and placing a few scattered rocks in the corners to flatten out the parchment.
"Alright, I'm here in the wilds…" Her finger tapped the location on the map and then moved towards to ruins of Ostagar. "I can't head to Ostagar and I have to avoid any large cities and towns like Denerim. I might be able to hide in Lothering but then…" She trailed off and let out a sad sigh. "The entire thing seems hopeless…and all because of a tiny glass vial full of blood."
"We know you're here, mage! Surrender now and we promise we won't harm you!"
Karin stiffened for a moment and quickly examined her surroundings. She knew that the Templars were efficient at tracking and she would have a few hours at best but being THIS efficient during the night? It seemed humanly impossible. she hastily scrolled up the map, threw it in her bag then picked up her staff and clipped it to her back via a belt that went diagonally around her torso over the black robe. She wouldn't have time to extinguish the fire before she was found, instead she did the only thing that a person in her situation could do:
She ran.
The twigs snapped as her brown, shin-high boots slammed on the ground. The sound being a dead give away to her position, not that being quiet would matter. She had to put as much distance as she could from the Templars. The sound of barking did nothing to reassure her chances of escape.
"We found her camp! Search the area"
Karin stopped and looked behind her for a moment. She hadn't even moved ten steps before the Templars had found her campsite. Fear paralysed her legs. Maybe she should stop this folly attempt of an escape, if they caught her now chances are she would just be punished and be sent back to the tower. If she kept running however, she would be slaughtered.
"Look over there!" A Templar shouted and pointed in her direction, drawing his sword with his other hand.
Karin looked at the Templars and then at the night sky. She couldn't go back to the tower to live a life of a circle mage. She wanted excitement and adventure and to do that…she must use her accursed gifts of magic. Reluctantly she unclasped her staff from her back and held it in-front of her, channelling her power into her staff. She envisioned the ice cold feeling of snow and ice in her mind while drawing her staff back. "I call upon the divine power of Ice and cold, freeze my opponents in their tracks!" She brought her staff around and forward. A dust like cloud of blue and silver shot forth from the tip and immediately slammed into the Templar, freezing him instantly from head to toe.
"She's over there! Get her and release the hounds!"
Karin's heart skipped a beat and she turned tail and fled the scene. She shouldn't have done that. It would buy her some time as the other Templars would no doubt stay behind to help their friend while the Mabari's pursue her, which left the current problems of the Mabari's to deal with. She could hear them barking and growling behind her as they rapidly closed the distance between her. She jumped over a large tree trunk and in the same motion swung her staff, another dust cloud erupting from the staff. She didn't look at the results, but a loud thudding noise told her she had hit her target.
She hit the ground hard, her ankle twisting awkwardly on the landing, pain lanced up her leg and she rolled in the mud. Her staff rolled out of her hand and clattered next to a tree trunk. Her heart thudded thunderously in her ears as she scrambled to get up despite her twisted ankle. Leaves and dirt clung to the black robe she wore.
A large Mabari jumped over the trunk and slammed onto her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. It bore its large white, sharp teeth at her, growling menacingly as it pinned her to the floor.
Karin froze as the Mabari's claws cut through her robe, a tiny whine emitted from her lips from the pain. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes and her arm moved down towards her boot and in a singular motion, brought a hidden blade out and across into the Mabari's neck.
The Mabari let out a pained howl and slumped to the floor, shuddering violently on its side, letting out quiet whines as it looked up to the mage.
Karin blinked back the tears and knelt down next to the Mabari, placing a hand on its nose and stroking its side gently. "I'm sorry little one, I know you were only following your masters' orders…but I can't go back, not yet." She placed her hand around the dagger and closed her eyes. "Hamin Atisha." She took the blade and pulled it out. Silence soon enveloped around her.
"Where is she? She has to be nearby! Fan out and search the forest!"
Karin let out a shaky sigh and slowly stood up. She couldn't dwell on this any longer. She limped over to her staff and picked it up, not bothering to place it in its holder, she limped-ran from the scene as fast as her legs could carry her.
VVVV
The sun burned brightly the following morning, a red sky filling the heavens with the ominous colour. To Karin, she knew that it meant that blood had been spilled last night. The sound of rushing water usually had an effect on her, calming her down and taking away the troubles of the world, but the more she stared at it, the more guilt she felt about the previous night. Many people would call her an idiot for dwell on killing an animal but Mabari's were different. She had loved her own Mabari before she was sent to the tower. She was her best friend and someone who could comfort her with a look from her cute puppy eyes. Her Mabari was her only true friend, but it was also the fact she took a life…she resented violence and bloodshed, it was just unnecessary.
She was sprawled out on the waters surface, the small stream was hidden from view from prying eyes from Lothering nearby. She could hear the children playing happily with their friends and parents, the soft laughter of a child's happiness and the harsh yelling of tradesmen selling their wears to the town. She didn't want to go through with her plan, to enter the town to grab supplies and then continue her flight from the Templars but she was out of options. She was running out of food and if she wanted to make a long journey, she would have to get some more.
With a loud sigh she self-righted herself in the water and waded out to the edge where her folded clothes lay next to her shoulder bag, a cream coloured towel ontop of her clothes. She pulled herself out from the stream and quickly dried herself down before placing her undergarments on and then a dark purple dress; it had no sleeves and had two triangular cuts around the legs and a hood to go with it. The front part of the dress was cut short, part way down her thighs with the back end reaching down to her ankles. She wore a pair of navy blue boyshorts and a black pair of knee high socks with a pair of brown boots that came up to her shins. Her previous outfit was more mage like, but it was hard to run in robes and she would have stuck out like a sore thumb. No doubt she still would, but at least she could look slightly normal.
With a heavy heart and a reluctant sigh, she packed up her things and placed her pack over her shoulder. The Templars would be on her trail again soon, she had to make her move now.
VVVV
Since Lothering was destroyed by the darkspawn, the large village had dwindled into a shadow of its former self. Only a handful of farmers risked the fields to tend to their crops as rumours had spread across Thedas that the village lands were 'cursed' due to the amount of blood, both innocent and darkspawn had been spilled on the lands, it had made the lands infertile. Yet despite the rumours of a curse, life went on in Lothering.
Karin had slowly walked into the village, using her mage staff like a walking stick. Her hood was covering her eyes, being careful to avoid any eye contact with some of the villagers. She spied a man selling his wares nearby and went up to him, looking at the person's neck she spoke quietly. "Excuse me sir, I need some supplies to be able to travel to Gwaren."
The man looked at her for a moment, examining her attire and stick closely before digging behind his stand and taking out some of his wares into a small brown bag. "May I ask why you are heading to Gwaren?"
Karin pulled the story she had constructed a millions of times in her head and smiled sweetly; making sure the hood covered her hair and eyes. "My brother is getting married in Starkhaven, I'm hoping to get a boat to the free marches to attend."
The man nodded and smiled. "Congratulations…mage."
Karin's heart skipped a beat and she looked at the man with horrified eyes. She didn't know how he knew she was a mage but she couldn't let him alert the Templars. "Please, I just want to get away from Ferelden, I just want to see the world and find my family, that's all."
The man smiled and slipped in a small bottle into the sack. "Don't worry, I don't agree with the Chantry or Templars. You should dye your hair as soon as you can. Have some on the house." He glanced to the side and looked at the pair of Templars that were on their way to the Tavern. He raised his voice, trying to sound normal. "That'll be one sovereign please."
Karin risked a quick glance behind her, saw the glint of the two armoured figures and shot her head back around to face the man. She dug into her bag, picked up a single gold coin, and handed it over. "Thank you, have a pleasant day." She took the bag and nodded at the man. She then turned around and walked briskly past the two Templars. Praying to the maker that they weren't the ones looking for her.
"Sir, the phylactery...it's responding…"
Karin let out a quiet sob. Why couldn't she catch a break? She dropped her staff and spun on the spot, her hands glowing blue and her hood dropped, showing her aqua blue hair. "Freeze!"
The same blue, dust-like cloud shot from her hands, freezing the Templars legs in place. The two men struggled against the ice and started to hack at it with their swords.
"Go! I'll hold them off!" The man yelled and drew his own sword, walking up to the Templars with a limp.
"Why are you helping me?" Karin shouted at the man, walking backwards away from the Templars.
"Because no person should be forced to live a life they did not chose, but do not think of your magic as a curse, it is a gift from The Maker himself, he will trust you to use them in the right way."
Karin smiled and bowed. "Thank you for everything." She then turned and fled the scene, hearing the clashing of swords behind her.
VVVV
Rumours have surfaced that an aqua haired woman was seen sight-seeing the capital city of Orlais - Val Royeaux, unburdened by the need to escape the wrath of the Templars. More reports became known that she also helped many mages struggling with the shackles of modern Thedas, taking to heart that her gifts were not a curse, but something that the Maker had given her for a reason. Because of her efforts, many mages who were considering blood magic had become important members of society and they themselves passed on what they had learned from the Aqua haired woman.
This is one of few stories that shed to light the real dealings of the Templars and the Chantry with many more yet to be told.
I really enjoyed doing this. I mean REALLY enjoyed it. Karin was originally created to be my Skyrim's novelization main character and only for that purpose but the competition really did help in making me mold another character to the same degree that I do with my main, Flynn.
Thanks to the competition. Karin Silvers has been properly born as a magic wielding female. While she in general needs some tweaks, expect her to appear in many of my future works.
Thanks for reading! And let's have a great 2012 of writing!