-Mahariel-
You were born amidst the Dalish elves. Noble wanderers who refused to join the society of humans that subjugated their homelands so long ago.
The Dalish travel the lands in tightly knit clans struggling to maintain their half-forgotten lore in a human world that fears and despises them.
You spend your time hunting with your clan-mate Tamlen in the forests and is sometimes the case, your quarry is not always the local wildlife.
Kasley smiled, lazing around in the heights of a tall tree. She was humming a song while twirling an arrow in her fingers. In her other hand was a bow, long and flexible, one of Kasley's favorites. In tree nearby lied Cain, Kasley's older brother. He was currently hidden by the foliage but Kasley could sense her brother in hiding.
Kasley turned her head towards her left, her long black hair falling softly to her right, bangs covering one of her eyes. She reached up, brushing her hair out of the way, before signaling her brother with a whistle. Almost immediately, Cain appeared out of nowhere. He silently dropped from a branch from above, landing on the edge of the branch. His hazel eyes matched hers, brow raised in confusion.
"It's Tamlen, he's found some humans." Kasley whispered to Cain, understanding dawned on his face as he slipped downwards into some lower branches. True enough, Tamlen had stopped a trio of humans. His bow raised at their faces, poised to fire. Their faces were pale like they had been running from something.
"It's a Dalish!" They heard one human cry; it was the one who had fallen.
"And you are somewhere you shouldn't be." Tamlen replied his voice although not angry but firm.
"Let us pass elf. You have no right to stop us!" The other human stated, his voice laced with anger. The other man proceeded to help his fallen comrade.
"No? We will see about that won't we?" Tamlen said, Kasley had appeared from his left, bow drawn and face neutral. On the inside Tamlen had to smile.
"Your just in time, I found these humans lurking in the bushes, bandits no doubt." Tamlen muttered to Kasley. She stood with her bow drawn, black hair flickering in the wind. Her hazel eyes glanced at Tamlen, then to the humans. She was dressed in a black overall, a brown belt outlining her slim waist. The front of her armor was etched with green symbols.
From the trees, Cain let loose a warning arrow, immediately making the three humans back off. Cain possessed black hair as well, though his hair slightly reached down long enough to touch his shoulders. He wore the traditional Dalish armor, his bow drawn and reloaded in an instant.
"We aren't bandits, We swear! Please don't hurt us!" One of them cried, the two others backed behind him.
"You Shemlen are pathetic, it's hard to believe you ever drove us from our homeland." Tamlen replied while he and Kasley circled them.
"We've never done nothing to you Dalish! We didn't even know this forest was yours!" The man behind the first cried out.
Tamlen scowled, "This forest isn't ours, fool. You've stumbled too close to our camp. You shems are like vermin—we can't trust you to make mischief."
Tamlen turned his attention to Kasley, "What do you say lethallan, what should we do with them?"
Kasley sighed inwardly before responding. "I'd like to know what these humans were doing here." She finally said. She only lowered her bow a fraction.
"Does it matter? Hunting or banditry, we'll have to move camp if we let them live!" Tamlen exclaimed. He was tired of having to move because of "situations." A few times they had to move because of near death incidents from humans. Just once Tamlen would like to settle for a solid week or two.
Kasley prompt the humans to speak however. "L-look…we didn't come here to be trouble. We just found a cave…" one of them began.
"Y-yes, a cave, with Ruins that ive never seen. We thought there may have been…" Another chimed in, he trailed off near the end.
"Treasure? So you're more akin to thieves then bandits." Tamlen finished for him flatly.
"I'd like to see these ruins, or at least some proof that these ruins exist." Kasley muttered, eyes piercing the humans, she was trying to discern more information. The humans seemed to be disturbed by her, backing off a little more. One of the humans held out his hand, a small stone resting in his palm.
"B-but we have proof! Take a look!" His arm shook as he extended it out, Tamlen reached forward and took the stone.
"Is this elvish? Written elvish?" Tamlen exclaimed, Kasley peered over to look. The stone was flat and smooth, covered with etchings.
"T-theres more in the ruins! We didn't get very far in though." One of the humans replied hastily.
"Why not?" Kasley asked, eyebrow raising. She finally lowered her bow, within the trees however, Cain had his bow still notched and ready.
"..There…There were monsters and a Demon, it was huge with black eyes! Thank the maker we were able to outrun it." They continued, still catching their breaths.
Tamlen scoffed, "A Demon, and where is this cave exactly?" he inquired.
"Just off the west I think, theres a cave in the rock face with a huge hole inside!" They finished hoping that would be enough to let them go.
"Well, do you trust them? Should we let them go." Tamlen asked Kasley. She turned back to the humans, they were frightened again. Kasley sighed, "Run, Don't come back until we Dalish have moved camps." She finally said.
"Of-ofcourse! Thank you!" One of the humans replied, they all turned and ran from whence they came. After they were out of earshot, Cain jumped downward from the trees landing near the base of the tree. He walked over to the other two, tilting his head.
Tamlen shrugged. "Well shall we see if there is any truth to their story? These carvings make me curious."
Cain shrugged his shoulders in return then pointed towards the direction where their camp was.
"I agree with Cain, shouldn't we tell the keeper first?" Kasley asked Tamlen, although for herself she wanted to see these caves.
"Well, she may be interested with these carvings, but let's see if there's anything more before we get excited." Tamlen replied, smiling. "Besides, were already here. Now, they said it was towards the west…" He trailed off, moving forward to get a better look.
Cain tapped Kasley on the shoulder, when she turned around Cain pointed towards the camp. He shook his head and urged Kasley to go with Tamlen. "I'll go back first." Was his intention.
"Alright, if you want to miss all the fun again." Kasley replied smiling, she was rewarded with a slight smirk from her brother, before his emotionless face came back on. He turned to leave, raising his hand as a farewell.
Kasley turned and jogged to catch up with Tamlen, he had already begun walking towards the west. The two of them walked in silence for a while. Unable to hold in the silence, Kasley started a conversation.
"How'd you know that those carvings were Elvish?" she asked, the question seemed to catch Tamlen by surprise.
"Oh, I read the Keepers scrolls once; they had markings just like them." He replied, not seeming to go anywhere deeper with his answer.
"Does this have anything to do with me helping you create that distraction 3 years ago?" Kasley asked, understanding the undertone of his words. She loved teasing him, it was too good to pass up all the openings he gives.
"…Perhaps." He replied, face reddening. Kasley laughed, their merriment was soon halted by unusual sounds.
Suddenly, a wolf pounced from nowhere, Kasley and Tamlen however, had bows drawn and at the ready. They easily shot the wolf down, a few more running towards them through the forest. All stealth was now sacrificed for speed, the pack lunged. Kasley and Tamlen however, were unfazed. They easily drew their melee weapons and attacked with precision and purpose.
After the battle ended, Kasley sheathed her weapons. "Abelas. We meant you no harm." She whispered. Tamlen had also sheathed her weapons, murmuring the same apology before forging onward. Eventually the opening of the ruins came into view.
Tamlen raised his eyebrow, "I'm absolutely certain there weren't any ruins in this part of the forest." He muttered examining the front of the ruins. He gathered nothing special, this was just ruins. An air of malevolence hung heavy however, it seemed as if the whole forest held its breath.
Kasley shrugged her shoulders, glancing around the opening. However the mouth of the cave proved far to dark to discern anything. She picked her way around the rubble, "Looks like it might go really far in, you sure you wanna do this?" She asked as Tamlen walked to where she stood.
"Of course, I'm curious to what we might find in here. I thought you were, if not then why'd you come with me, right?" Tamlen replied half shrugging, half-jokingly.
Kasley's face flushed red, she was grateful that Tamlen posed the ruins more interest than her at the moment. "R-right."
They walked into the ruins, Lighting a torch on the way in. Both kept their eyes peeled, awaiting for any enemies that lurked within. However it was not too far in that they spotted something of interest.
"I cant believe this, you recognize this don't you?" Tamlen asked in a rather surprised voice. He was pointing to a rather broken statue, it wore golden wings and carried a stone staff.
"Isnt this one of our gods?" Kasley replied puzzled. "Whats it doing here?" She continued, voicing Tamlen's thoughts.
"Maybe these ruins date back to when humans and elves co-existed?" he muttered out. Suddenly a arrow flew by and imbedded itself into the wall near them. They whirled around and faced a small group of corpses. Kasley's eyes flew open as she pushed Tamlen out of the way, drawing her bow and launching her arrows.
Tamlen was saved as another arrow flew where his head had previously been, recovering quickly he drew his sword and shield and made sure no harm came to Kasley. Glancing back he saw Kasley's determined face and had to smile.
"She looks so…" he nearly dozed off for a moment before he was awakened by her shouting.
"Tamlen! Look out!" She yelled as he whirled to face the opponent again, the corpse raised it's sword arm and brought it down. Thinking quickly he raised his shield and hacked the corpse apart with his sword. Soon they were surrounded by corpses of undead, Kasley shuddered at the scene while Tamlen sheathed his weapons.
"I owe you one." He finally said after a few deep breaths. Kasley seemed to shrug her shoulders and grinned.
"So whats new?" She replied teasingly. Tamlen flushed a little while realization soon hit him.
"Hey, weren't you supposed to be helping the keeper?" he asked with a puzzled face. Now it was Kasley's turn to flush red and look away embarrassed.
"I umm…wanted… to be with you of course." She mumbled, Tamlen smiled as he looked away.
"I'm…glad…" He replied softly. The two of the them walked deeper into the ruins neither of them speaking much to each other. They were content to allow the silence fill the embarrassing air between them. Soon they reached a rather large doorway, the air hung heavily around them as Kasley was the first to break the silence.
"Maybe… we should start heading back. Im starting to feel like were being watched…" She said nervously. Tamlen seemed to feel it too, he was compelled to look behind him…yet no one was there.
"Lets just check this last room. Then well go back, I promise." He smiled at her reassuringly as Kasley nodded her head.
"NO. DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR." A voice suddenly yelled inside her mind, causing Kasley to flinch and draw her weapon.
She spun around trying to locate the voice, although it seemed as if Tamlen could not hear it, only moving forward to open the door before them. Kasley opened her mouth but it was too late as the door creaked open. Almost immediately a large beast rammed through the door and slammed itself into Tamlen, causing him to fly backwards into a wall. The beast had glowing red eyes with many protruding spines, it seemed just like the "demon" that the humans described Kasley realized with a shock.
Infuriated, Kasley drew back her bow and launched several arrows, one that buried itself into the eye of the beast. She drew her daggers and charged unthinkingly, the beast swiped its claws at her as she sidestepped the clumsy move. She flipped onto the beast, stabbed its remaining eye out and proceeding to kill it. Tamlen could only watch in awe as she single handedly dispatched it.
"Kasley…that was amazing!" He managed out before gripping his head in pain.
Kasley breathed heavily but ran to his side. "Tamlen are you alright?" she asked as he nodded back weakly.
"Im fine… Really!" He stood staggering before a glint caught his eye, Kasley began to lend him her hand but recoiled a bit. After all Tamlen was always the type to not accept help from her, he always wished to be the one to protect Kasley instead.
"What…is that?" He whispered softly as Kasley turned her attention towards the room. Inside the cavern was a grand mirror, guided by twin statues. Although on closer inspection, the mirror seemed to pulse and the images began to move.
"Did you see that?!" Tamlen pointed suddenly. "I think there's something in the mirror." He whispered rather excitedly.
"Where? I don't see anything at all." Kasley replied in the same hushed tone.
"look over there!" He replied as he moved closer to the mirror, he reached out his arm to touch it, bringing it softly over the mirror.
"Wait I don't think you should touch..!" Was all Kasley had time to say, a brilliant flash of light burst forward from the mirror. She raised her arms up to shield her face and could barely make out the room. Suddenly Tamlens voice cut through the light as she widened her eyes and let her arms drop.
"Kasley! Help me! Something's got me! I cant…!" Tamlens screams could be heard close by, Kasley reached forward into the light, trying to grasp at Tamlen. She could only fruitlessly grasp at air as she tried to save him.
"Tamlen!" She cried out one last time, before everything went black.
/
"Are you alright?" A voice cut through the blackness as Kasley struggled to comprehend what happened. The voice was male and seemed to be asking more if she was alive then alright. It also seemed to be slurred in her point of view as the scene slowly came into focus.
"Hey, can you hear us?" Another voice called out. This voice was more feminine and carried genuine worry.
Kasley snapped up at once not worrying about her need to throw up and faint. "Tamlen!" she cried out trying to stand. Pairs of hands steadied her as she tried to stand, only serving to push her down again when she cried out in pain.
"Don't try to move! You've suffered too many injuries to be moving right now!" The first voice replied, it was firm and seemed to carry a slight effect, but Kasley paid it no heed.
"I have to save him! Tamlen needs my help!" She tried reasoning as her head slurred again from her movements.
A pair of hands grabbed her face and suddenly she could see a woman with blond hair, it was tied back in a long pony tail with her front bangs partly covering her right eye. Kasley froze at the sight of her eyes. They were blue and clear but reflected back worry and pity. However they also radiated nobility and duty, they seemed to burrow into Kasley's mind, freezing her moves.
"You will do no help saving your friend whilst you possess the strength of a forest leaf." The woman replied softly but firmly. Kasley could feel tears threatening to stream down her cheeks as realization hit her in the face.
"Tamlen… I'm so sorry…" She sobbed before passing out.
/
Kasley awoke slightly, the pains in her chest were very real, yet faded as she held still. She slowly lifted her upper body up and realized she was back at camp. She looked around quickly and saw fresh bandages and a bucket of water nearby. There were tables adorned with many scrolls and open papers.
"This is the keepers…tent…" She muttered before hearing a rustle nearby. The tent flap opened up and Cain stepped in, a small shock of realization knowing Kasley was awake.
"Cain…!" Kasley replied shocked to his entrance.
Cain seemed to blush as Kasley tilted her head, was he…crying? Kasley had to giggle a bit. She had rarely seen her brother act emotionally on anything. Since Kasley had known him, Cain never showed emotion to anything, never speaking or reacting surprised. It seemed he had shut off all his feelings in order to protect her, but Kasley had no idea. She merely believed there was nothing for Cain worth reacting too. Cain wiped his tears off on his gloves, then walked to Kasleys side and hugged her gently.
"Hey now…that hurts." She replied jokingly as Cain let her go. He gestured towards the outside, then extended his hand. Kasley took it as she rose from the bed, proceeding to walk outside led by Cain. Outside she was greeting instantaneously by another one of her clan members, Fenarel.
"Thank the creators your awake! How do you feel? You've been out for two days." He quickly said, bombarding her with questions. His worry reflected in his green eyes and seemed to warm Kasley's heart.
"Thank you for your concern, Im fine." Kasley replied smiling, her face morphed into confusion upon hearing the last line.
"Wait…two days?!" She nearly shouted with surprise. The thought of Tamlen soon dawned on her as she began to panic.
"Wait! What about Tamlen, if I was out for two days then what would have happened to Tamlen!" She started causing Fenarel to look away.
"we don't know." He muttered softly. "Most of the hunters have already left to go search for him…but we havnt received any word of findings." He continued, looking away from Kasley.
Kasley could feel tears threatening again, shaking her head and wiping them away. "How did the clan find me?" She asked, eager to change the conversation.
"We didn't." Fenarel replied to Kasley's surprise. "A shem found you, two in fact. One of them is here in camp. The other seems to have gone into the forest."
"Humans?" Kasley repeated, surprise creeping into her mind. "When did this happen?" She asked unable to recall previous events.
"The shemlens brought you back two days ago…You don't remember him?" he answered in a surprised voice.
"He was a Grey Warden and appeared out of nowhere with you slung over his shoulder. He was accompanied by another warden, I think. She seemed to be with him from his answers. When Keeper Marethari saw you, she knew instantly you were not alright. You were delirious with fever and he said that he found you outside a cave in the forest, all alone." He finished, hoping to incite some remembrance from her.
Kasley nodded thoughtfully, the situation clear in her mind. She sighed, not believing that this was real. However no matter how many times she told herself "it's just a bad dream. It'll be over soon." It would never come true, no matter what. Tamlen was gone, but she knew one thing, it was her fault.
"The keepers been using old magic to heal you in the meantime." He tried, hoping to change the topic for Kasley's sake. The act did not go unnoticed as she smiled in thanks.
"I should go speak with the keeper…" she murmured softly, releasing Cain's hand. She quickly left to go find somewhere private, without looking back. Cain watched as his sister left, crossing his arms and then changing his gaze to Fenarel. He jerked his head towards the forest and shrugged his shoulders. Fenarel smiled in response.
"Yeah, I get it, you want to go too. Let's go see if we can talk to the Keeper about it." He replied to Cain, who in turned nodded. They decided it would be best to leave Kasley alone for a while, after all the loss of another clan member was hard, but more so when everyone knew about the adoring gazes Kasley and Tamlen would sneak to each other when they thought no one was looking. Everyone in the clan agreed that Kasley and Tamlen were perfect for each other, yet it seemed the creators had decided another fate for those two. Perhaps one even greater then they imagined.
/
Kasley strode at a fast pace, content to allow the tears stream down her cheeks. She quickly rounded a tree, hitting her back to the trunk as she slid down and buried her face in her knees. She sobbed quietly, not wanting to alert any more members of her clan. The last thing she wished was to inflict more pain to others.
"…Hello to you as well." A friendly voice began. Kasley snapped her head up instantly, her eyes now red from her crying. Sitting across from her was a woman dressed in black studded armor, her blond hair tied back in a ponytail. Kasley gasped as realization hit her, she could not forget those cold blue eyes, although this time, her eyes seem to shine with relief and friendliness.
"I…Oh…! G-Good evening, Thank you for rescuing me …I am afraid I do not know your name." Kasley began, her voice full of gratitude. She, unlike some of her clan mates, did not fear nor belittle humans. She treated them with respect until they did something to betray that respect. This woman was no different, but she had saved Kasley's life and to be rude to the very person who did so…was unbefitting of a Dalish.
The woman's surprise could not be held in as she started laughing. "S-sorry" She said between bursts of laughter. "This is the first time a Dalish has treated me like this! I mean im not trying to be rude or anything but…" She trailed off laughing again before regaining her composure. Kasley was still staring at the woman strangely, after all most humans she had met were not as…friendly.
"Im Kaillen, Kaillen Cousland." She finally replied, coughing as if to hide her previous outburst.
"Kasley Mahariel. If I may ask, are all humans as humorous as you?" Kasley inquired, grinning.
Kaillen seemed to scoff then grinned in response. "Just the cool humans, like me." She replied laughing.
Kasley smirked, then started laughing. Kaillen stared at her with mock belief, the laughter infected her and they both began giggling themselves to death. Suddenly, Kasley coughed and her face turned a bit pale. Kaillen looked up from giggling, waiting patiently for her fit to subside.
"Are you alright?" She asked once Kasley had calmed down a bit. Kasley was resting her head against the tree trunk, taking in deep and heavy breaths.
"Y-yeah." She replied taking another breath into her lungs. It felt as if she had never breathed before as she took in more of the sweet oxygen that burned in her chest.
"Shouldn't you, ah… talk to your keeper?" Kaillen asked sheepishly. Kasley, to Kaillens guess, looked at her quizzically before Kaillen opened her mouth to speak again.
"I um…overheard your clan talking about it, sorry. Force of habit." She tacked on the last part hastily. Kasley seemed shocked and Kaillen flushed red with embarrassment. The last thing Kaillen wished was for others to view her thief skills. Even though she flaunted her rogue gifts she hated being viewed as cruel and unusual.
"Never thought I'd meet someone so much like me!" Kasley replied as Kaillen's head snapped up. Kasley had a grin on her face. "You and I are going to get along great!"
Kaillen smiled a bit. "Thanks. I'm sure we will." She returned with a nod in a gentle voice.
Kasley soon left the rogue leaning on the trunk of the tree. She couldn't help but remark how far away she seemed to be appear after she left. Kaillen seemed sad and looked very tired all of a sudden. Kasley turned her head away after a few moments, she wouldn't want to run into a tree or another clan member like before. Kasley couldn't help but feel rather dizzy for a bit until a voice broke her confusion.
"Oh keep your head forward elf, im doing the best I can with the blight! Now walk straight!" It was a rough male voice, devoid of any hint of caring. If Kasley didn't know any better shed assume it was mocking her.
"What?" Kasley suddenly blurted out loud. A few clan members turned to look at her, with a faint blush she realized no one had said anything. "Um…nothing, please do not pay me any heed." She waved them all off and they turned back to their work.
"Who or what said that…" she thought to herself pausing to stop. A cold wind suddenly pushed past her, causing her to hold her arms up to shield herself from the sudden breeze.
"Ah..." She looked up into the sky after it ended. Although it raided a bright blue, it seemed to hold its breath and gaze down on Kasley with a melancholy expression. This….was surely not a good sign.