Chapter 3) Origin of the Shadow Assassin, Hero of the Dales – Eluvian

Cleon Maharial POV


"Never again will we submit." That is the creed of my people. We hunt and keep the lost lore, staying apart from the rest of 'society'. That is because we opted for the lonely path. Welcomed nowhere, we simply wander the lands, desperately searching for what has been lost for thousands of years. It is a hard struggle, but we are proud of it. We hope for the day we have a homeland again, a day when our Creators can find their way back to us. At least, that is the opinion of my people.

I'm not so certain I want the mythical homeland, though. I've always known this life, and it's the only one I've ever wanted. I'm content here in the forest, and I'm content with wandering. But I also want my people to thrive again, to soar, so I suppose I must keep my own wandering spirit in check.

My greatest dream is to somehow open the gate to my people's paradise and guide their weary souls there. Of course, a simple hunter probably can't do anything like that, but it never hurts to dream. For now, though, I take my duties as hunter and eldest child of a former Keeper seriously. One day, what was stolen from we elvhen will be found and replaced. I know it. I'll do it with my own two hands if need be.


This was one of the moments where I truly felt alive. Racing through the trees, relying on my instincts to keep from tripping as I kept my eyes on the prize. Tracking the prey as it stumbled through the underbrush, through the brambles. Hunting was truly an amazing thing, a wonderful combination of athletics and strategy.

And when the prey happened to be some stupid shem'len getting far too close to the camp? Well, I certainly didn't mind.

"And just where do you think you're going, shem'len?" I asked with false politeness as I leapt from the shadows and appeared in front of the group. Three of them, fat and lazy. Stupid of them to venture so far from home.

"You… you're a Dalish!" one of them yelped, showing the same intelligence as a three year old.

"And you three are somewhere you shouldn't be," Tamlen noted calmly as he stepped out from the trees with an arrow aimed at them. The three were now trapped between us. Perfect.

"Let us pass, knife-ear," another said, showing as much sense as a three year old. "You have no right to keep us."

"No?" Tamlen smirked and nodded at me. "We'll see about that, won't we, falon?"

"Oh, no doubt," I agreed. The three shem'len were skittish. "So, what do we have? Bandits? More pathetic souls wandering about?"

"Can't believe they ever drove us out of our homes, huh?"

"We never did nothing to you!" one squeaked. "We… we didn't even know the forest was yours!"

"The forest belongs to no one, idiot," I snapped. "But you shem'len are like vermin, really. There's enough mischief nowadays without the rodents getting into it."

"So, like all vermin, they need to be dealt with," Tamlen agreed. I could tell he really wanted to loose that arrow. "So…"

"W-wait, we didn't mean to make trouble!" I was losing track of which shem'len was talking already. They were all alike. Only the faces and colors changed. "There were just these caves, with ruins like we'd never seen. So… uh… well, we thought…"

"Treasure. Of course." Both Tamlen and I rolled our eyes. Thieves, just like all the other shem'len. But this lot? Well, they were adding 'liars' on top of it. "There aren't any ruins in these parts, though, so I'm curious what you're going on about."

"No, we're not lying!" One of the shem'len stumbled to me, tossing a small carving my way. "We… we found these outside!"

I frowned as I studied the piece. I recognized some of this from Merrill's studies. "The carvings are elvish," I told Tamlen. "Written elvish, I think."

"And… and there's more in the ruins!"

"You didn't go deeper? Surprising."

"Well, we… we heard something, so we ran. And then kept running." Ah, must've been when we caught them, if they were telling the truth. Which I doubted.

"And… ah… where is this ruin?" Tamlen asked, obviously bored and having written them off as liars.

"To the west. There's a cave in the rock face. You'll find it there."

"Hmm… interesting." Tamlen focused on me. "Well, what shall we do with them, falon?"

Honestly, I was tempted to kill them, but there was something wrong with killing something so obviously scared. Besides, there was a very important reason to not be moving on so soon. So… "Go," I ordered them coolly, stepping out of the way. I kept my daggers out, by my side. "Tell your people to stay away, shem'len, and we'll let you go with your lives."

"Oh… oh, thank you!" All three of them spouted the same words of false gratitude as they raced away. They tripped about ten times each. Pathetic.

"Why let them go, falon?" Tamlen growled once they left sight. I could tell that he'd really wanted to fire at least a warning shot.

"Something about my twin sister being nearly six months pregnant," I retorted easily. "I don't suppose you know anything about that, eh?"

"…Yeah, Lyna would skin me alive if I made her run about just because I couldn't keep from purging the world of a few shem'len, husband or not." He sighed, but grinned. "Six months… it won't be long before our da'len is running about."

"Creators help us all!"

"Yeah, laugh it up. Just wait until you and Merrill get it going." I flushed at the implication, but that was mostly because… "Wait, why are you… no way, when did you two find the time? I mean; you're always running around and Merrill's busy with Keeper stuff!"

"That's not your business, falon." How was this nosy busybody my best friend? "So, what should we do about those supposed ruins?"

"Sure, change the subject." Tamlen, I was going to punch the grin off your face. "Well, I guess we go verify. If they were talking lies, can we go after them again?"

"Of course not."

"Fine, fine. Seriously, live a little, falon. You're too serious. Although, I guess Merrill doesn't mind."

For the record, it was not my fault he somehow tripped and landed face first into the mud. …Okay, not the landing face-first into the mud part. I did trip him.


Well, wonder of wonders. Shem'len who weren't lying. Still, I didn't much like the look of these ruins. Something was off about them.

"Well, this must be the cave," Tamlen commented, pointing out the obvious. "Were these here before?"

"Not to my knowledge," I replied. Yes, my instincts were to run screaming. Something was definitely off. "Let's go back and tell Keeper Marethari."

"Always the careful one." He chuckled. "However, I don't intend on going back until we find something definitely worth making a fuss over."

"Tamlen, we found ruins and a carving. I think that's enough."

"I just want to look around. How dangerous could it be?"

"Now I know Fen'harel has a trap in here for stupid elves like you."

He flashed me a grin. "Come on!" He jumped inside, not even bothering to check for traps.

"Oh, sure, let's ignore the elf with just enough magic to have sharper instincts than normal," I grumbled as I followed him inside the strange looking ruins. These structures... they were not elvish. "That's always smart. How did you not die as a da'len, Tamlen?"

"You looked after me," he replied cheekily. Of course he'd heard me, even though he was far ahead. Tamlen had some of the best hearing in the Clan. Shame he didn't have sense to go with it.

"One of these days, I'm not going to be able to pull you out of trouble. And I mean real trouble, not prank trouble."

"Yeah, but not today!" He went through a door and yelped as an arrow flew out of the wall and clipped his arm. "What the-?!"

"You were saying?" I hid my unease in my driest tone. "Since you're already there, hit the switch."

"Where?"

"Above your head. Falon, look before you leap for once, please."

"Oh, okay." He pulled the lever and there was an audible click. "I hope that means it's off."

"Same. Come on; I'll bandage your arm as we explore."

"So we are exploring."

"You won't shut up otherwise. Let's get moving."

"All right!"

Not that there was much in these ruins. Broken doors. Crumbling walls. Twisted trees. It honestly looked like any other ruin, aside from the... strange choice in architecture. Completely gutted and cleaned out. There really was no reason for my instincts to be screaming at me to run away. But they kept on screaming. They kept screaming even as Tamlen and I ran into a simple statue. Well, actually, it wasn't all that simple at all. Mostly because it confirmed just how weird this place was. "Why is there a statue of one of the Creators here?" I asked as I studied it. "The place shows signs of shem'len architecture, but the carvings and the statues… these are ours."

"Do you think these ruins might date back to Arlathan?" Tamlen asked breathlessly. It was certainly a startling conclusion, but the only one that would make any sort of sense, unless there were kindly shem'len after the fall. Which I highly doubted. "This place is amazing!"

...He just used that word. He really just... "Okay, that's it. Real reason for wanting to explore, now."

"What?" He stared at me for a moment. "Where did that come from?"

"Tamlen, you only use the word 'amazing' when you're getting out of trouble. It's been that way since we were da'len. Now talk."

"…Well, won't lie. I was sorta hoping this might get Keeper Marethari to, you know, forgive me for that."

Well, couldn't really fault him. She'd been absolutely livid at him over the incident. "Seriously, you get into too much trouble."

"And you, too little. You're too focused, falon. Live a little."

"Father was the Keeper before Marethari and Mother was a skilled hunter. I have expectations to live up to."

"Liar. You just want Hahren Paivel to praise you once." …I couldn't deny that. Hahren Paivel was literally the only person in the Clan to never praise me, no matter how hard I pushed myself. He'd been a good friend of my father's, and had befriended my mother before she left. Of all those in the Clan, I wanted to hear a simple 'good work' from him. Just once. "Anyway, there's a door here. Let's go through it!" Wait, what?

"If you trigger another trap…" I sighed as he ran into the room and ignored him to study the statue again. I thought I recognized it as Falon'Din, the Creator who protected the dead and gave out fortune. He was a kind god, who discovered his abilities while helping an old doe find rest in the Beyond. A place this… this wrong should not be his, but perhaps this was a place where many people died, so the statue was erected in hopes they did not become lost. Perhaps this place was truly setheneran, and that was why it felt wrong to me.

Wait, if this place was truly setheneran, then that meant the Veil was thin and spirits could slip through and my idiot of a brother-by-marriage just wandered into a room alone and was being quiet.

"Tamlen?" I called, stepping into the room he went through earlier. I found him standing at the foot of something. A mirror? Yes, a mirror guarded by two warrior statues, all far larger than anything. What sort of person would use this? A giant? Tamlen looked so… small in front of it. "Tamlen."

"Hmm? Oh!" He turned to face me with a grin. "Hey there," he greeted. "Sorry, got distracted. Isn't this beautiful? And look at the writing! I wonder what it says."

"Well, that's for Keeper Marethari to decipher. Let's get back."

"And look at it! All shining and clean! There's not a smudge or crack on it!" …Did he just ignore me for a mirror? Tamlen's vanity strikes again. "Hey, did you see that?"

"See what?"

"I think something moved inside the mirror."

"Inside the mirror. Right. Tamlen, let's get going. I think the air is addling you worse than usual." He didn't answer me. "Tamlen?" When he still didn't reply, I sighed and walked up behind him, intending to hit him or something for being an idiot. However, when I got close, I caught sight of something that wasn't my reflection. It… it was a city. An underground city. Covered in blackness. At least, it looked like a city. But what sort of city? Why was it there? Could I reach it? I wanted to go. I wanted to… to see… something was there. Calling for…

A howl started me right out of my thoughts and I whirled to see a wolf sitting right there in the doorway. Right in front of the statue still watching the area serenely. A strange wolf with snow-white fur. No, not completely white. There was brown too, right on the legs. At least, it looked brown from here. It was a very odd pattern, twining up its legs like branches or vines. What? Who?

Okay, that's it. This place was too strange and dangerous.

"Tamlen, we're leaving!" I snapped. He didn't react to me at all, just kept staring at the mirror. "Tamlen, come on!" I snatched him by the collar. "We're leaving!"

"I… I can't…" Tamlen gasped out. What was going on? "I can't look away, falon!" What? "It saw me!" What saw him? "It's pulling me in!"

"Then I'm pulling you out!" I tugged him back. It was much harder than it should've been. "Tamlen, I need you to grab my arm so that you don't slip from my grip." It took him a few tries, but he managed. He was still staring at the mirror, though. "Now, whatever you do, don't let go. I won't either. Keep calm, falon. I'll drag you all the way to camp if that's what it takes!"

"Cleon, I'm… I'm scared. It keeps sucking me in. No… no, there's… there's something clawing at my head! Cleon, help!"

"I'll get you to the Keeper. Calm down." In his head? Spirits. There were Spirits about. Had to be. Spirits had taken advantage of the weakened Veil and were not trying to... "Tamlen, falon, listen to me. Listen to me. I'm right here." He started flailing despite my words, reaching for the mirror. Dragging us both back to it. "Tamlen! Tamlen, if you keep this up, you're going to hurt yourself."

"Get it out!" he shrieked. Was he even hearing me? "Get it out of my head! Cleon… Cleon, help me!"

"I'm trying! Falon… Falon, I'm right here. I have you. Just stop flailing and let me help you!" He kept fighting, though. "Tamlen!"

He hit the mirror and something flashed across the surface before a pulse of magic slammed into both of us. Tamlen was ripped from my hand as I hit the wall and felt something crack as I slid down. Everything was blurry. Everything hurt. Could I breathe? Where was Tamlen? He was just here. I just had him. Where was he? I had to get to him. I heard screaming. Terrible screaming. It sounded like Tamlen. Why? Why was he… what else was… I had to get up. I had to help him. He was my best friend. He was my sister's husband. I had to help him!

"Stay still." There was someone here. No, something. This woman who appeared in front of me was not human. Her eyes were black and her skin was green. Brown branches twisted about her arms and hands as she brushed my hair out of my face. "All will be well." This was a Spirit. One should never trust a Spirit.

"What… what did you do?" My voice was weak. The words were slurred. But I had… I had to get… Creators, please, make the screaming stop! Please! It sounded like someone was being ripped apart!

"I got here too late to save you completely." What? Why would…? "Stay still and sleep, da'len." Did she just… why would she… "I will get you to safety."

I tried to protest, but when I blinked I was in a completely different area. The sun was shining. I was outside. The Spirit was nowhere in sight. Instead there was a young girl. Red-gold hair and brown eyes with very pale skin. Did she never see the sun? "Oh, you are conscious!" She spoke oddly and she had a faint accent. I could see now that she was shem'len, though. Was I at her mercy? How pathetic of me. "Commander Duncan, come quick!" There was another? It was… it was so hard to stay awake, so hard to focus. "You are very badly hurt, mister." Oh, she was talking to me again? "I will heal you up as best as I can, though. I hope you do not mind magic very much." Magic? She was a mage? But the shem'len locked up their mages! They never let them free! Not willingly, at least. "You have a concussion, so you might be better served closing your eyes. I imagine things are quite dizzying for you."

"Who… who are…?" I tried to speak anyway. What was going on?

"I am Layla Amell, though I am not certain you will remember that!" She had a strangely calm and sweet smile. It reminded me a lot of Lyna's. "Oh, Commander Duncan, there you are! I was just about to heal him."

"Good, then we can see about getting him to his people. I knew there was a camp nearby." That voice was low, calm and authoritative. It reminded me a lot of Keeper Zathrian's, somehow. A voice that spoke of wisdom far beyond the years lived. The speaker's eyes also reflected great wisdom and pain. I could see that as he leaned over me. Who was he? Who was this strange man with dark skin and hair on his face? "I'm sorry, child." Was he talking to me? "I am so very sorry." For what? What was…?

Creators, what was… going… on?


Author's note: All right, part one of the Dalish origin! Argh, random elf words thrown in at random points. Feels off, and I kept wanting to throw in Tolkein's elvish. Oh well. Here's Cleon Mahariel, our 20-year-old Ranger (which I'm defining more as a good with animals and wood stuff than actual summoning of animals as it is in game) who dual-wields knives. I think, like Layla, you can take a guess at one of his future specializations, though, based on his title. Lyna is the default name of a FEMALE Dalish Elf. In game, as the female dalish, you can express interest in Tamlen, with the implication that the two were together or getting together. Here, I have it where Lyna exists, and she's already married to Tamlen. I'm sure I don't have to explain who Merrill is, but I find myself liking the interpretation that she and a Male!Mahariel were involved! And uh… another layer to the reason why Merrill is so obsessed with the eluvian.

Next Chapter – We're going to take a short break away from the Origin to see just what Layla and Duncan are up to~ (If you're wondering why I'm happy about this, it's because I realized it was a way to split up the super long chapter I was originally planning on posting)