Author's Notes
I found a really good spot to end halfway through the chapter on and decided to end halfway through the chapter, just because it's been waiting a while for release. Second part should come sooner, maybe.
Or maybe not.
Leggings sounds suitably more medieval than pants, and that's why I use it extensively in the place of the word pants. Same with the word tunic. Hopefully I won't have to deal with clothes much more this story.
Multi-person conversations are hard to start writing. My newly-educated opinion after a week of being stuck on a sentence.
I forgot to mention before, Hawke's appearance is main female canon with a very big scar along the left of her jaw, based on my Inquisition character's scar (it was a great day when I stumbled across the exact positioning of the best possible scar in the character creator), minus the obvious bloodstripe. I'll probably detail it later.
It also came to my attention during research that Templars are mainly recruited from lay brothers/sisters of the Chantry. Let's have that be Thedas-usual but Kirkwall also recruits from wider sources.
Chapter 3 - 9:27 Dragon - Acclimatization 1
I shifted in irritation. We'd all been waiting and standing still in a single line in the inner courtyard for every passing Templar and even a few mages to giggle at for at least an hour now.
My legs were almost done, no matter how I felt about it.
Repressing a sigh, I surreptiously glanced right again, rechecking my count of the recruits. It still looked like about twenty, including me. I was sitting on the very left end of the line.
What was the - ah - Maker curse the bastard watching from the staircase making sure we didn't move or speak at all. Why would he even...ugh.
To try and distract myself, I decided to review everything that'd happened in my head. First, I spent a week unconscious and in extreme pain, apparently. Then I spent a week conscious and in dull pain. Now, a week after that, I was in twingy pain but could move however I wanted, after walking down and up and down and up and down and up these very, extremely, onerous staircases.
Please, dear - Andraste or Maker? - one of you, please tell me I'm not going to have to run them now. Not after all this standing. No.
"INITIATES! Your trainer has arrived!"
Thank the Maker. Thank Andraste. Thank anything at all.
He was striding down the staircase, clad in full - dented and pockmarked - armour, wearing his shield on his back with his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. He was bald with extremely large pale blonde sideburns and an almost ridiculous moustache to match. We didn't care. We would finally be moving.
He stopped in front of us, sweeping his gaze across us and ending in me, before looking away again. He coughed once before starting. "Initiates! I am Ser Roderick. That, and 'Ser' is the only name you will call me by. Know this! You are not Templars! You are not Templar Squires! You will never have Templar Squires! There is indeed no such thing as Templar Squires! If you cannot manage your armour, your weapon, and yourself, by yourself, you will never be able to attend the duties of the Templars! You would indeed not amount to anything at all, but most importantly, at this very moment, you are not Templars!" he bellowed. "Right now, you are completely unworthy of our title and our duty, but by the Maker, I will make you worthy! Now, I require introductions. Begin from left to right, you." he said, looking at me. Ah.
"Hawke!" I shouted. "Agatha!" shouted the woman next to me. "Moira!", "Erin!", "Mettin!", "Adrian De Lauret!", and so it went on to "Dwaine!", and "Berkley!" to finish. Turns out I'd been right, there were exactly twenty of us. Ser Roderick took a second look over us, and seemed fairly satisfied.
"Now! What you are wearing is worthless to me, just as you yourselves are! Follow me, and I shall see you properly attired! You on the leftmost, lead the left ten in a line! You on the rightmost, lead the right ten right next to them! Now, Follow!" he ordered loudly, spinning off and marching back up the central staircase. I wasn't exactly sure what to do, but I stepped forward anyway and felt the stares of my group almost instantly. Looking to them, I noticed the man on the right - Berkley - simply walking off with his group trailing and decided to copy him. Waving my group to me vaguely, I stepped off and walked quickly to catch up with our trainer.
As we haphazardly marched through one of the inner gates of the Gallows structure following the blade of flames on the shield Ser Roderick hung on his back, the people behind me started talking quietly amongst themselves. They were far enough back that I couldn't hear exactly was said, but in my distraction I almost walked into Ser Roderick when he stopped on the spot and turned around as the person behind me bumped into me.
"Initiates!" He yelled, silencing everyone else. "You are not to speak unless it is necessary or you are spoken to! Gossip is for housewives and I will not train you to become so, so remain silent!" he berated before spinning around again and continuing on his path through the corridors as we started following again, moving into the Templar Quarter I'd been shown before on my exercise walks. We passed barracks-rooms, a hallway with the promise of food, and as we passed Templars they almost always stopped and turned to watch our passing.
As we came to a large door at the end of the corridor, Ser Roderick stopped and turned to us again. "This is the Armoury." he stated. "Here you will be issued the preparations for true attire in the armour worn by us in the service of Andraste and the Maker" he said rapping his gauntlet against his breastplate "rather than those ponsy fancy dresses those Hightown sops love to wear. Can't take a blade, any of them." he said, snorting derisively. "Now, Come!" he ordered, turning back and pushing the door open into a new hallway with a desk stretching almost completely across it but for a gap on one side to walk past. A helmetless Templar sat on it and barely looked up at us from whatever he had in his hands.
As Ser Roderick walked up to the desk with us in tow the man finally looked up. "Greetings, Ser Roderick. Are they the recruits or are they street rabble you've found?" he asked blandly. Our trainer chuckled. "Both, Ser Quartermaster." What? His name - "I have brought them here to receive their armour robes and to be fitted for the first parts of their armour." he detailed. Armour robes? I looked down to the robe around our trainer's legs. Ah.
Ser Quartermaster (such a strange name) left the desk and walked off to one of the rooms behind him. Ser Roderick turned back to us again. "Now, recruits. You will be issued your robes two by two in the lines you are in. Once you have received them you will don them in those rooms, women in that one-" pointing to a door to our left "-and men in that one." pointing to a door opposite that. Ser Quartermaster came back out of the room he was in carrying two stacked crates full of what were probably robes. As he walked to us Ser Roderick spoke up again. "When you have donned them return and reform these lines. Now. These robes are made up of thick cloth, and will protect you from the pains that will occur when wearing plate without them. If you cannot fit the leggings, be they too tight, or too loose, wear your own until you are fitted for new ones." he said, turning back to the quartermaster who had dropped the crates behind his desk with a huff. "Ready? Good." Ser Quartermaster stated. "You two, forward." as we stepped forward, he gave Berkley next to me a searching look. "You look standard size. Here." he said, opening one of the crates, pulling out and handing a thick bundle to Berkley beside me, who took it and started walking off, as the quartermaster turned to me and repeated the look-over. "You're female...you look standard...here." he repeated, repeating the process with the other crate and handing me a bundle which I took quickly, and left for the room to the side.
Hearing him continue as I pushed the door open, I walked through until I turned a corner and came to a room full of benches. Dropping my bundle on one of them I started sorting through it.
The robe was large with short sleeves and a big front and back split halfway down, there were full hardened leather leggings with cloth parts behind the knees and string bundles set down the legs, and a red sash ending in a thicker part with the starburst. Remembering it on every Templar I've seen, I think it's pretty obvious where it goes. Not sure how to put it on, though, but I'm fairly sure it goes last anyway. No boots, though?
May as well start with the leggings, I guess.
As I sat on the bench next to my table and started unstrapping my boots, someone else came in and set her things next to mine. "Greetings, I am Agatha." she said suddenly. "Ah - Greetings, my name is Hawke." I returned, taking a look at her as I pulled my boots off. She had long black hair and brown eyes, and was wearing what were probably Hightown clothes. I noticed she hadn't moved since I'd looked at her and glanced up to catch her staring. She quickly broke eye contact with a mumbled apology and sat down. I suddenly realised what she'd been staring at, and rubbed at the heavy scar on the left of my jaw. We changed in silence for a time, and I'd managed to change my leggings to the new ones which turned out to fit - the leather is annoyingly hard, and what are all these strings on the outsides for anyway - when someone else came in. Turning to look, I noted her shoulder-length reddish hair and grey-blue eyes before speaking up. "Greetings, my name is Agatha." the obvious said. "Mine is Hawke." I added. The newcomer's gaze flicked over us for a second, flicking back to me for a second longer with a start. "I'm Moira." she finally responded before she sat down on a bench next to us.
I looked back to my new robe. I'd probably have to take off my tunic before putting it on. May as well get on with it, I guess.
"What's this, and how 'mi supposed to wear it?" Moira asked, holding up the red sash. "That? That's worn around your hips and the end with the gold starburst looking thing left hanging in front of your legs. It goes on last, over everything including armour." I told her. I have been living around Templars for weeks, now, after all. Admittedly I still couldn't figure out how I would make it stay on, but she didn't need to know that. "Thanks." She replied, and I nodded before turning back and pulling off my tunic. Looking over the robe it didn't open in the front so I'd have to put it on overhead, and as I was pulling it on I heard the others greeting someone new. I finished pulling on the robe and gave it a quick check to make sure I had it on right before taking a look at the new one. Her hair was dark brown and her eyes a bright green, and a few scars cut over her nose and across her right cheek.
"My name is Hawke." I added to the other two's greetings. She looked at me and grinned, to my surprise. "Mine's Erin!" she declared as she dropped her bundle on a bench. I looked back to the sash I still didn't know how to put on. It might have a catch or something? Unfolding it completely, it turned out that the flared part with the starburst was actually hard leather sewn inside cloth and it was actually sewn into the cloth part of the sash sideways so that it formed an L-shape. On the sides at the top of the main part were two leather loops...which it seemed the long cloth part would feed into very well.
I suppose they've had over eight ages to make it easier to figure out how to wear.
Shrugging to myself, I held the main part to my front and pulled the cloth around and through the loops once, and then twice before pulling it completely tight and stuffing the remaining cloth under the sash. Pulling at it to test, it held firm enough. Time to put my boots back on. "You figured out how to wear that?" Agatha asked, already done with her robe and leggings. "It's made to be surprisingly easy to put on, actually, turns out it's a lot like a belt." I explained as I pulled the boots on and started tying them up. "Just feed the cloth through the loops and stuff the rest under and you'll be fine." I added. "Thanks for that." both Agatha and Moira replied as I finished, collecting my clothes into a new bundle and carrying them underarm. "Bye." I called as I started walking out, hearing more 'bye's coming after me. Walking back around the corner I spotted someone coming into the door, and gave her a short wave as I passed.
Coming back out into the hall I noticed the lines were much shorter now. "Hawke! Back of your line." Ser Roderick called out. Nodding, I walked there and stood silently as Ser Quartermaster continued sorting through the lines and Ser Roderick sorted them back. "Hey." Agatha called from behind me, obviously done with the short-sleeved robe and the sash. "Hey." I returned, turning back to the Quartermaster. A Half minute later there was only one more recruit before I was the front of my line again. "You, male, bit small. Here." The quartermaster issued and I was the front of the line again.
"Alright, you two. Leggings fit well?" the Quartermaster asked. "Yes, Ser Quartermaster." I said, as Berkley said something similar. He gave me a droll look. "Call me Ser. Now…" he said, arranging writing paper on his desk, and standing up. "You will now be fitted for helmets, your leggings can be changed for a better fit, and you will receive spares of everything you're wearing now. When more of you come out of the changing rooms, pass the word." he dictated to the group. He then jerked suddenly and looked down at our sashes, before facepalming. "Damn. Forgot the belts. I'll be back soon, Roderick." he said, turning and walking off into one of the rooms behind him.
Everyone had come out of the changing rooms by the time he came out again, now holding a crate. He walked over to his desk, placed the crate close to the side, and looked over the lines. "They all back? Good." he said, quickly opening and digging through the crate and pulling out a belt and pouch, both of which he handed to Berkley. "Send this to the back of the line." he said, taking another pair. "Same thing." he said as he handed them to me, and I turned and passed them along. "Drop your clothes to the side, put the pouches on the belt and put the belt once you get it, pass to the back of the line." he yelled, handing more out to Berkley and I to pass back. We'd passed back nine pairs before the Quartermaster handed us ours with a 'These are yours, put them on.' Threading the belt through the pouch belt until the pouch sat where I figured my right hip would be, I put the belt on and cinched it tight over the sash and through the sash's loops. It'll probably help keep the sash from slipping down, actually. Ser Quartermaster took the time to walk around the edge of the desk to stand next to us, placing a book he'd gotten from somewhere and quill with inkpot next to him, as well as a leather strip with evenly spaced markings on it.
"Right, now. I'll be seeing to your leggings if they don't fit, fitting you for Helmets, as well as handing you spares of your robes and leggings. You, come here." he said, pointing to me and picking up the strip as I walked closer. "Here, stand still." he said, holding one end of the strip to my forehead, bringing the other around and pulling them tight for a second, before taking it away. "Alright, I have your fit. What's your name?" he asked, dropping the strip on the desk and picking up the book. "Hawke." I said, as he opened it and flipped the pages, stopping on one, picking up and inking the quill before starting to write in part of it. "Alright, good, now…" he said, looking over at the crates over the desk, before looking back with a grimace. "Ser Roderick, would you mind bringing the robe crates around while I do this? I keep forgetting things lately." he said, his grimace not leaving his face for a few moments as our trainer agreed, and walked around. "Right, name?" he said to Berkley, picking up the strip again.
As he did the same thing with Berkley as he did with me, Ser Roderick brought around both of the crates, dropping them next to the large desk. Why is it so big, anyway? It doesn't have anything on the top except for where he sat. Once the quartermaster finished writing in his book he walked over to the crates, and picked out a bundle from each before walking back to us. "You both fit well so no changes, these are your spares. Pick up your clothes and go to the back of the line." he said, handing us the bundles before turning back to the desk. I dropped the bundle on top of my old clothes and picked both up before walking back. Time to stand around even more.
When the last of us had been fitted, refitted where necessary and given our spares (luckily the crates hadn't quite run out), Ser Roderick brought us back into the hallway towards whichever barracks we would be living in from now on. As we passed the branching hallway again I caught the scent of something that promised dinner, and my stomach gurgled quietly. Thankful we were walking loudly enough to drown that out, I continued on.
Eventually Ser Roderick stopped in front of two doors and turned around, eyeing us. "Eleven men and nine women. Surprisingly high amount of women this group. You are assigned two barracks rooms. Women this one." pointing to the door to our right. "Men this one." pointing to the opposite on the left. "Pick out a bed and chest. The chests will all have their keys in their locks. Don't lose them. Be back quickly, go." he dictated, and we split off to our respective rooms. I took a quick look around to try to memorize where we were before going inside. There were actually nine beds, and a space where another obviously used to be on the right side of the door. Passing a few beds that had already been picked I found one unclaimed right in the middle of the room on the left side. Dropping my bundle on the bed I ducked down to the chest at the foot of the bed, testing the lid and finding it already unlocked. I pulled it open and dropped my bundle in before closing and turning the key to lock it, taking the key out.
Where to keep the key, though? It didn't have a string. Probably my new pouch?
Checking the pouch which turned out to be string-tied closed, I put my key into it before pulling it closed again, and left the room. Ser Roderick stood with his arms crossed in the middle of the hallway, recollecting his lines. "Hawke, front of your line." he ordered, noticing me come out. I walked around and assumed my spot quietly, as he raised his brow and then mumbled "Soon." to himself. I had no idea what he was talking about.
We waited half a minute with Ser Roderick recreating the old lines in the direction we came from - probably just for something to do, honestly - before everyone was out and back in line. "Alright, Initiates! Before we return to the armoury for helmets, we shall visit the commons to eat." Ser Roderick declared, turning and marching off. I wholeheartedly approved and followed quickly.
The commons, it turned out, was very, very big. The room was filled with a mix of oversized tables with matching benches, smaller tables surrounded by chairs and many, many Templars sitting in groups both large and small, all of whom spared us at least a glance. I heard a few of them saying 'Bare-arm recruits'. Cutting into a wall to the side were two large serving benches, and straight over them was a direct view into the also very large kitchens. On top of these benches were some very interesting and also very big pots, almost all with steaming contents.
This whole room and everything about it is still really, really big. Staircases linking to all different levels of the building connect right to it. The hallway branch between our barracks and the armoury turned out to be one of the many ground level entrances. I counted nine support columns reaching into the arching ceiling, the centre column the tallest of all.
After I'd been forced out of my star-struck meandering by Ser Roderick stopping right in front of me (and almost walking into him), he pointed a table to us, said 'You will eat there', pointed at the pots in front of the kitchens and said 'That is what you will eat', then he flicked his hand away at us and said 'Get to it.' before walking in that direction. When I'd obtained my meal - an unusually heavenly smelling stew compared to what I'd had for weeks now - and brought it to the table, I found myself surrounded by the three I'd briefly met in the changing room as I tried to savor the rich food but still eat fast enough to be done and ready when we had to go.
"Almost can't believe I'm really here, joining the ranks of the Templars!" the tawny one - Moira - said, her eyes almost glowing looking at one of the closer bunches of Templars. "Dad always said that if he still had both hands he would've come here; said it was one of the best callings known to anybody, except for the Grey Wardens." she continued, before taking a few more bites of her food as Agatha (with the black hair) looked over. "The sisters in the chantry said so too, that I would be happier here than if I took the vows and became a sister myself. I'm not sure why, exactly." Agatha said, with a slight frown. "There's not anywhere I'd rather be, myself. If I weren't here, I don't know where I'd go." Erin (the brown haired one) added. Interested, I kept paying attention. "Where're you lot all from, anyway?" Moira asked us.
I started feeling very uncomfortable. Thankfully she wasn't looking at me specifically.
"I became a lay-sister in the chantry when they took me in after my parents...vanished...on a road somewhere out of Kirkwall. A while after that everyone kept suggesting I become a Templar as I said, and here I am now." Agatha told us. "You, Moira?" she asked quickly. "Well, I've lived in Lowtown with my Father all my life. Dad makes little things and sells them, and I don't remember Mum. Dad doesn't like to talk about her, either." she said with a quick scowl. "How'bout you, Hawke?" she asked, turning the focus to me. I felt ill about the topic. "I...don't have a past. I don't remember anything, and nobody came to the Guard looking for me." I stated, dully. "All I know is that the Templars saved my life from...what they were hunting, then I wake up here." I explained. The mood had visibly taken a dismal turn in their faces.
"Oh, ah, Erin? What about you?" I asked quickly, trying to divert the attention, only half succeeding as she jerked slightly. "Ah, me? Well…" she half-started, now staring into her food. "I was...born in Darktown. Always lived there." she stated joylessly, before her face brightened with a sardonic grin. "But I made it out, and here I am. Never going back." she said triumphantly. "Templar or Bust!" she added before laughing to herself. I smiled lightly in response, before Ser Roderick caught my eye.
He was done with his food and looking over the recruits.
"Hey, Ser's done with his food. If we don't finish, we might not get to." I said urgently, before digging in quickly. "Ah, damn. You're right." Moira responded, all of us now eating quickly.
We actually managed to finish ours before he stood up suddenly. "Alright Initiates! You're done! Stand up!" he ordered. A few had eaten slowly. "What!?" one exclaimed, and was fixed with our trainer's glare. "I said, Stand Up! Up, you idiots!" Ser Roderick repeated, until all of us were up. "Take your bowls now, and follow." he said, picking up his own and marching back to the serving benches. While his back was turned I noticed some were frantically tipping back and trying to drain their bowls of broth before they lost it. I stifled my amusement. "Alright now, stack them up here. Let's be moving now. Back into lines." he said, placing his bowl on top of one of the stacks already there.
After we put away the bowls and formed back into our lines - Ser Roderick was still making sure we were placed exactly the same as the first time for some reason - we left the Commons moving towards the armoury again. As Ser Roderick pushed through the doors he shouted "We have returned, Ser Quartermaster!", attracting the same droll look the Quartermaster had given me before. "Good, good." he said as we came to a stop in front of his desk. He flipped a few pages in his book and read a bit, before standing up.
"The first piece of armour you were fitted for, is the easiest to wear, and right now the most important part of your armour. It will protect the place that would be the most likely to be badly injured without it during your training. A Helmet." he set out loudly with a grandiose wave, before turning to a new, already open crate pulling out what was obviously a helmet and turning back to me. "See if this fits properly." he said, handing the helmet to me, turning to pick out another helmet. I held the helmet up - it was the same helmet all Templars wore, but this one without the wings I'd seen on others - It had the large evenly cut T-shaped opening in the front, with the heavy spike on top and the small flared out edges at the neck. Turning it over to see into it, there was a padded leather strap hinged into the sides - for the chin I guess - and padding bound to the top and the sides.
Shrugging to myself, I pushed the strap forward out of the way and pulled the helmet over my head, pushing and pulling to fit it properly, before putting a finger through the T-visor and pushing the strap down hard from over my mouth to under my chin. Now that I was actually wearing it I started experimentally moving my head around while trying to see through the visor. It didn't move around too much - the chinstrap was fairly tight - I could see forward and sideways fairly well (but had to tilt to look down) and I had no problems breathing. My breath sounded louder, however.
"Fit well?" the Quartermaster asked quietly - no, normally, the helmet was making him sound quieter.
"Yes, Ser." I said louder than usual. "Good. Go to the back of the line." he responded, looking away to Berkley. For a while after I wandered around to the back while banging the side of my helmet (ow, my hand), the lines steadily crept forward again as before. I heard the Quartermaster having to refit a badly fitting helmet a few times.
Helmets are nice and warm, I noticed, as more people went to the back of the lines and we moved forward until once more, I was at the front of the line.
Author's Notes
I will gladly admit to having given up and searched through irish baby names for (nineteen) character names in case I'd need them. Kirkwall was more irish inspired, wasn't it? They sounded right anyway. There were a few coin tosses. I did forget to find any last names, however, and just gave up and added the only two Kirkwall names I could find, changing one slightly. Good thing Dragon Age has a thing for single names.
Also: If you take a look at DA2 Templar Armour (see all via Templar Armour - Dragon Age Wiki), you see the bottom robe is actually four(five) parts and the top(black) parts are held on just by a sash and nothing else. The bottom part(tan) is a complete wrap-around dress that restricts mobility with the last part(s)(red) resting on top of it with the sort-of-starburst. This is dumb and I'm going to run by the DA:I armour pictures where the robe is three mostly non-overlapping pieces and the big part begins under the armour plate. The robe is a normal robe under the plate, except it is short-sleeved. It is double-split, front and back.
The starburst part is more DA:I Templar Commander styled, except it is properly red and only has DA2 style gilding. It is made out of thick leather to maintain the shape covered in the gilded cloth, and extends from the red sash over the main-robe. Additionally, a belt with as many pouches as will fit can be worn over the sash, because people need storage space and it helps keep the sash on tight.
All visible leather parts begin at the cuirass collar; the long leather sleeves as in the DA:I Templar Commander picture are completely attached to the cuirass and end in the gauntlet glove. I disagree with DA2 Light's lack of proper shoulders and all Templar armour will have the heavy-style pauldrons because Templars dress to impress.
The Chestplate is DA2 standard, with the addition of an actual backplate (Front and back plates have two visible and large easy-to-reach straps on each side) and ending under the sash. The collar is connected to both parts, the rear part is hinged to the collar to be easy to put on and remove.
The under-robe has always been a trap where people may think there isn't any armour (and end up swinging at it). The legs are in fact low-profile plate over leather leggings.
Higher ranked Templars will have the Winged Helmet and the extra hip-plating as in DA2 Heavy, to make them more recognizable as originally intended.
I almost missed the mail coif in the DA2 pictures...but chainmail is actually surprisingly rare in Dragon Age (except for Ferelden Templars/Ferelden) and would otherwise supplant a lot of leathers, it's just not well known enough. And I've already wrote the helmet in with padding, so bad luck chainmail. (Maybe raise the collar gorget front/rear to block the neck from attack more (sides pauldron restricted). Probably a good idea.)
I maybe shouldn't have spent so long detailing the armour changes, but eh. Turned out to sound surprisingly easy to put on by yourself and can be worn horseback.
Materials are less 'This metal is always sharper than this metal and this leather is always better than this leather.' in my little DA world, by the way. Because gamey gimmicks like that have always been really, really irritating to me.
Legendary materials such as Dragonbone are still worth their tales, though, because Thedas is a world full of magic and magic does incredible things.
On that note it'd probably be a good idea to have mage's staves produced using a variety of metals for a variety of effects, however. Because magic.