Chapter 31: Counterattack
Disclaimer: I do not own The Elder Scrolls Series or the Dragon Age Series.
Elder Scrolls belongs to Bethesda and Dragon Age belongs to Bioware
"Damn that Dragonborn! Damn him!"
"Inquisitor, calm yourself," Josephine said.
"Why should I? I have a right to be angry. I should have done something about it."
"None of us could!" Leliana shot back.
"We still should have seen it coming," Cullen said.
The sight of Evelyn cursing and raging to her advisors was a sight to behold. Even during their worst against Corypheus, she had still kept herself calm and collected. It would have been quite amusing to Solas, were it not for the fact that he agreed with her view.
"Unfortunately, it does not matter what we should have done or known," Solas interjected as he calmly interceded between the advisors and Evelyn. "We can't change the fact that what's done is done. The Dragonborn has once again outmaneuvered us."
"And now, nearly all of our elven allies have abandoned us," Cullen lamented, hanging his head low. "It's still hard to believe that they would betray us."
"Well, I don't Commander," Leliana retorted. "Not one bit. We haven't exactly done the best we could for the elves."
"This is different, Leliana," Evelyn said. "It's one thing to abandon us if you think we're not fulfilling our goals or if you wanted something different. I understand; that's why Sera left. But it's a completely different matter when you leave and join the enemy."
"We're not saying it was right of them to do so," Josephine said, "but yelling about is not going to solve our situation. Nothing is…"
Josephine drooped and spoke low on those last two words, nearly croaking.
Evelyn, however, plotted her finger onto the war table. "The Hero of Ferelden hasn't reached the Qunari yet. When she does, we can get the Qunari and Tevinter on our side. And Hawke is also close to getting the artifact. We just have to wait it out a little longer."
"That might not be possible anymore, Inquisitor," Leliana leaned over the table. "Several of my elven agents who were informed of the traps set for Empire have gone missing. No doubt, they left to join the Empire."
"What!?"
"Are you kidding!?"
Cullen and Evelyn looked rife with anger towards Leliana, baring their teeth for a second as they glared. Josephine was quick to stand by Leliana's side, opposing the two. An all too familiar sight to Solas.
"If I may," Solas said, "the loss of Leliana's spy, while a travesty, should not deter us in our goal. We can still find a solution."
"Easy for you to say, Solas," Evelyn huffed. "Besides, your spies were completely elven. You probably lost more than Leliana did."
"Once again, you presume too much Inquisitor," Solas said. "I had countermeasures put in place to erase the memories of anyone in my employ that chose to abandon me. I'll admit, some flocked to the Dragonborn but anything new they learned while in my service was erased."
"Without their consent, no doubt?" Evelyn questioned.
"You would have done the same to Leliana's agents," Solas replied, crossing his arms.
"Can you two stop with your bickering?" Josephine asked. "Please, we… don't need any more of this. Do you not understand what the Dragonborn's declaration means? For us and Thedas?"
"Josephine, I am not as skilled in politics as you are but I'm not ignorant," Evelyn replied. "Creating the New Dales allows the Empire to cast themselves as the savior of all elves and signals to everyone that the war is essentially near its end."
"And that second part is what worries me and Josie," Leliana said. "The nobles of Thedas were already hesitant to support a war against the Empire. Even with an Exalted March, there was only so much support we could muster. Now they'll be more inclined to abandon the fight like some of our elven allies have, supporting the new power of Thedas."
"Well, it hasn't panned out as you think," Cullen said. "The nobles in northern Orlais are now putting their full support. We'll have an additional 10,000 soldiers to reinforce our front."
"Which only puts our total to 55,000," Leliana showed, strolling to the map. "I'm not as versed in military strategy as you are Cullen but we're still outnumbered by the Empire's 100,000 soldiers in Orlais. Not to mention their dragons and golems."
"Being outnumbered doesn't mean the fight is over," Evelyn said with an expeditious tone.
"We've been losing steadily ever since the war has started," Leliana replied back with rival ferocity. "You and Cullen keep telling us we have to hold on, that eventually, we'll win through attrition. And I trusted that we would in time but…"
She paused, taking a moment to hang her head low until it turned to one of a long silence. Solas had never seen the spymaster look so visibly distraught with her shivering hands and quivering lips. She had earned some of his pity, more so than the Inquisitor who looked to explode in rage.
"It was never going to be easy, Leliana," Evelyn said.
"It also was never a guarantee," Josephine retorted, hurriedly marching in front of Evelyn. "In- Evelyn… I- we just don't see a way to victory anymore."
"What are you saying?" Evelyn asked.
Josephine refused to answer with words, merely glaring back to the Inquisitor. A small tear welled in the corner of her eye and she quickly turned away towards Leliana. Cullen exchanged a worried glance to the two, approaching Josephine. He was turned away as the ambassador scurried over to Leliana.
Evelyn balled her fists, red filing up her cheeks. "I can't believe you two," she gritted through her teeth. "Again, you keep doing this. You keep saying you're with us but every time we have a loss, you just want to give up. Why can't you just trust me?"
"We have, Evelyn," Leliana barked," for two years we have! But this is different. When we fought Corypheus, we steadily gained ground against him despite whatever setbacks we had. And now, just like how Corypheus became more desperate the more we won, we're doing the same."
"That monster was trying to destroy Thedas," Evelyn argued. "Don't you dare compare us to him!"
"We're trying to stop the Empire, you two," Cullen added. "We haven't completely lost yet and even if we wanted to surrender, you know we can't. The Emperor told you himself that he won't accept anything less than unconditional surrender."
"Then maybe-"
"Like hell, we will!" Evelyn countered, slamming her fists down.
"And why not! I can't see a way to victory."
Josephine confronted precariously close to the Inquisitor, throwing her clipboard off to the side. The veins in her eyes began to show beneath the watery surface they produced though no tears slipped out.
Leliana quickly strode up beside her friend in solidarity and uniting against the Inquisitor while Cullen did the same with the Inquisitor.
"We're not going to give up against the Empire," Evelyn said.
"This is not just about military strategy," Josephine said. "Everything is changing now with the Dragonborn's declaration and now our allies are abandoning us. We need to face the facts; we can't beat the Empire."
"We can," Evelyn replied, throwing her hands up as she walked to one of the windows.
"Why are so insistent on throwing lives away?" Josephine demanded. "We all want there to be peace, Evelyn but not this way. We can work within the Empire, change things-"
"I'll never work for the thing that killed Rainier!"
The Inquisitor's shout echoed with fury and grief. Her body flared with a green aura, her magic pushing everyone sans Solas back.
It was that brush of magic that garnered the elf's attention. It was a familiar feeling as he felt the sorrow carried within the mana she expunged. Exactly like his once.
"I won't let Rainier die in vain," Evelyn continued as her eyes watered. "An Empire that kills people for the sake of a better tomorrow is not my friend! And they'll never be!"
Everyone was agape in silence at her declaration, her defiant call to the Empire. No, to the Dragonborn. And while they seemed to look on with pity, the words tugged deeply at Solas' heart.
I won't let Mythal die in vain!
Those words... the grief and the anger. Solas remembered… remembered what it's like to lose a dear friend. To then lose hope and to want to give up. To forget the injustice for the sake of others. But even so…
Solas raised his hand and with but a gesture, a soft wind passed and softened against the others. All eyes laid on the elf, their faces suddenly turning from anger to surprise at his interjection to the conversation.
"Listen to yourselves," Solas said, "arguing and disparaging each other. You're doing exactly what the Dragonborn wants us to do."
"And what would you know about that?" Leliana asked.
"Because I had the exact same conversation with my own allies," Solas glared stoically. "We argued and debated incessantly after Mythal's death. Some wanted to submit that without Mythal, it was pointless overthrowing the Evanuris. Others argued we should keep fighting, no matter how many lives we lost."
"The Empire is nothing like-"
"Then we took too long to decide on anything," Solas continued. "To the point where none of the options we discussed were no longer feasible. Creating the Veil and sealing the Evanuris in the Fade was the only solution."
"You can't honestly believe there's a worse option than what we're arguing about?" Cullen questioned.
"There will be if you can't decide on a course of action anymore," Solas replied, walking to Evelyn's side and glancing out the window. "And as hard as it is for me to say this, I must agree with the Inquisitor. We can't surrender to the Empire."
"Of course, you'd say that. You want nothing more than to destroy the Veil and restore your world," Leliana said.
Solas shook his head at her belittling remark. "True but unlike others, I have revealed my intentions," he said as he turned to face the spymaster. "The Dragonborn has not."
"Solas, how can you know what he wants?" Josephine asked. "He has done nothing to indicate so."
"But there is," Evelyn interjected from her silence. She pursed in thought, exchanging a glance to Solas. The others raised a brow in question and Solas affirmed to Evelyn with a nod.
"What do you mean?" Josephine asked.
Evelyn sighed. "There's something I need to share with you all," she said to her advisors. "Something Solas and I discovered about the Dragonborn."
"Evelyn, the book-"
"The book is only a part of the Dragonborn's true intentions," Solas said. "The Inquisitor and I investigated the voices of the Well. I also searched through old records I had stored within the Crossroads in order to confirm our findings."
"And they are?" Cullen asked.
With one last look to Solas, Evelyn deeply breathed in through her nose and said, "We believe the Dragonborn wants to use the book, the Fea Opus, in order to control the Evanuris."
"What?" Cullen questioned, baffling his words.
Leliana and Josephine were rendered speechless, their bodies shuffled close to each other.
"That can't be true," Josephine rejected. "The Emperor hasn't shown any inclination to-"
"Josie," Leliana exclaimed, "you're forgetting. People have other ulterior motives beneath pleasurable facades."
"That's… true," Josephine relented.
"You believe us?" Evelyn questioned.
"Inquisitor, we've always believed you," Leliana replied.
"But that belief has to go both ways," Cullen told her, crossing his arms. "Inquisitor, how could you have kept such vital information from us?"
"What was I supposed to say," Evelyn replied as she exaggerated out her arm. "By the way, it turns out the Dragonborn seeks out an ancient evil. How do I know? Well, the voices in my head said so. Yeah… that sure would have gotten the Conclave's support."
"We believe you, Inquisitor," Josephine said as she penned a frown. "Did you not?"
"Do you actually honestly believe me?" Evelyn asked back. "Or do you still think this is all a ploy by Solas?"
Josephine shuffled in place, penning the same frown as she backed beside Leliana who made the same look.
Cullen then crossed his arms and said, "Every time you hide information like this, the more we think so."
Evelyn sighed, caressing her temple. "I know, just… I mean really, what would it have changed? Or will it change now? Josephine, Leliana, does this information really change what you both want to do?"
Her desire for an answer did not come quickly as the two female advisors made no motion or thought. They only looked to themselves and to the map, only to remain in silence as their answer.
It, Solas knew, was frankly predictable. And it would continue to be the same as long as the war continued on its current trajectory. They would need a win, something to slow the Empire down significantly. He would have to enact his plan much sooner than anticipated.
"Unfortunately, conjectures of 'what might' will not help to solve our indecisiveness," Solas said. "Josephine, Leliana. I understand that wanting peace with the Empire would help benefit the people of Thedas. In some way. But knowing what you know now, you cannot just give in. The Evanuris… are immensely powerful and exceedingly dangerous, much more than I am."
Solas looked down at himself then back as he continued. "We cannot take the risk of allowing the Dragonborn to free the Evanuris."
"Isn't that the same thing that will happen if you destroy the Veil?" Leliana asked.
"I had a plan," Solas replied. "One that would have allowed me to weaken the Evanuris and imprison them as I restored the elvhen. With an artifact that I and only I know of. Without, it is impossible to defeat the Evanuris."
"So what then?" Josephine demanded. "We can't continue the same strategy we've been doing for months. And we can't wait for Hawke or Kahari to complete their mission in time."
"I agree," Solas said. "Which is why we shall execute one of my plans."
"Going to confront the Dragonborn?" Evelyn asked.
"Not unless I can isolate him from his allies, no," Solas stoically replied without turning to face Evelyn. "It's a plan based on a strategy I employed against the Evanuris' forces. They like the Empire, severely outnumbered my force yet we took advantage of their confidence to severely cripple them."
Cullen huffed. "And I assume you didn't tell us because you thought it'd interfere with your plans?"
"On the contrary, Commander, I didn't tell you because the plan has one fatal flaw. Its unique structure and tactics are so complex that it can only be done once. Of course, there's also the fact that the Empire is much more clever than the Evanuris, at least in military strategy. This plan will only slow them down."
"What is this plan?" Cullen asked.
"First, we must determine where the Empire's next target is," Solas explained. "As Josephine deduced correctly, the Dragonborn's creation of the New Dales signals to Thedas that the war is over, politically speaking."
"But not militarily," Evelyn extrapolated further.
"Correct," Solas nodded. "And that means the Empire won't continue their steady take over of Orlais. It would make them appear not as strong as they claim to be or at worst, buy us time for our agents to complete their mission."
"So in order to do so, the Empire must finish Orlais in one fell swoop then," Cullen raised his point.
"Meaning they must break something so precious to all Orlais that they'll have no other recourse than to surrender," Leliana observed, walking back to the table as she observed the map.
"And that something has to be a source of all the pride of Orlesian nobility. Something they show to the whole world to prove why they are the best," Evelyn added.
"Then there's only one place they'll strike," Josephine concluded as they all looked towards the chosen prize.
"Val Royeaux."
To be quite honest, Gaius never expected his speech to go over that well with the elvhen. After centuries of enslavement and belittlement, he thought that at best only a few handfuls of the entire populace would follow under a human's lead.
But reading reports of elvhen slave uprising in small Tevinter towns and seeing hundreds of elvhen march to his banner, it brought nothing joy and hope for the future. Soon, he would crush the remaining foes of Thedas and finally bring his plan of peace to fruition.
"Generals," Gaius greeted as he entered a large meeting room.
The room the Emperor stepped forth in had an elegant marble design of tiles and lions on all corners. Unpainted splotches of the wall were printed, where once pictures of the royal family were displayed.
"Your Imperial Majesty," his generals bowed and said in unison.
Stacks of reports laid on the table the generals stood before, many of them scattered slightly. Glasses of water were half-drunk with a metal pitcher in the middle alongside a dwemer holographic device.
"Please take your seats," Gaius said.
Each did so in unison, scrambling to organize their papers as they awaited for Gaius' words. His mouth opened when the doors of the meeting room were burst through by a small young Bosmer.
He scrambled to the floor, papers crashing over the floor. He nearly hit his face while muttering the word 'shit'. Then he paused as if his muscles were paralyzed and slowly turned up with a sweat-beaded face.
"Uh… your Imperial Majesty," the Bosmer nervously smiled as growls and glares from the generals pointed to him.
"Agent Finroth," Gaius greeted back with a raised brow. "Having a bad day?"
"I… uh… no, your Imperial Majesty," Finroth said. "I was just… well… the Grandmaster asked me to come and…"
Finroth hissed on the last letter, tapping a finger to his head. More sweat beaded over his head as he quickly stumbled to his feet and gathered as many papers he could.
"I'll just sit in the corner," he said, gesturing his head.
Finroth handed all his papers to Gaius and hurriedly rushed to a lone chair in the corner of the room.
"Right then," Gaius carefully said as he turned back to face his generals, some still looking in contempt at Finroth. "Now then, friends. I'm sure you all have new reports for me on the status of the war. General Celanya, if you would please."
"Of course, my Emperor," Celanya nodded as she began to recount. "Since your declaration on the creation of the New Dales, morale has never been higher. Scores, hundreds of elvhen from all over Thedas flock to the new province you've created. Initially, we couldn't handle such a large influx but now it has seemed to peter out."
"Are there any problems concerning them?" Gaius asked. "Food, housing, medicine?"
"Our supplies are being strained but nothing we can't handle," Celanya explained. "We've talked with many town heads and local authorities about what we could do. Housing is a major concern however since it's not our specialty..."
"I'll communicate this with the Elder Council," Gaius answered. "We'll see if we can appropriate funds to help. What else?"
Celanya signaled to Suver. The Dunmer general activated the holographic map, displaying a topographical map of Thedas.
"Progress has been steady," Celanya said. "Initially, we suffered setbacks in Rivain as our Antivan allies faltered but thanks to the dragons, we've regained momentum. Now Rivain is split in half between our forces and the Qunari."
"In the south, however, it is different, my Emperor," Suver added as pointed to Nevarra. "Since your creation of the New Dales, every Orlesian noble from barons to Dukes has raised forces against us. Those that we haven't conquered that is."
"We have received reports that a large number of those raised Orlesian soldiers are now gathering in Nevarra City with the majority of the Nevarran army," Celanya said. "From what the Blades have found, this appears to be an army of the faithful. An Exalted March."
"Their destination? Strength?"
"Markham, we believe," Suver said. "Right now, they're about 40,000 strong but we estimate they may pick up more troops as they stop by Tantervale and Starkhaven. We estimate that by the time it gets to Markham, it will be between 60 - 70,000 strong."
"Though I must say, Commander Marius relayed to me that there is no worry," Celanya stated to which Gaius nodded cooly. "He is confident he can defeat this force in the field as quite a significant portion of it are simple levies and religious fanatics. But he has denied the assistance of the dragons or any of the dwemer automata."
"Why not?" Gaius asked with a note of dubiety.
"He wants to limit Thedosian casualties," Celanya noted. "While his force may be smaller, he predicts that the majority of the army will flee once the fighting begins."
"I can't say I fully agree with Marius' strategy but who am I to question his skill," Gaius said as he sat back in his chair and rested his arms. "Be sure to keep me regularly updated on Marius."
"I can do so immediately, my Emperor," Celanya said firmly as she got to her feet. "I believe General Heidkar can finish. That is if he is actually thinking of anything."
"Only if you still yearn to be on the Emperor's-"
"Heidkar!" Suver said with a glare.
The Nord general ignored his compatriots as he exchanged a menacing glance at Celanya. Celanya looked back for a small second, rolling her eyes before she bowed respectfully to Gaius and left.
"Is there something going on between you two, Heidkar?" Gaius asked, leaning his arms over the table.
"Only minor scuffs of words, your Imperial Majesty," Heidkar replied, crossing his arms. "It won't affect our work, I promise."
Gaius let out a private chuckle to himself, cracking a smile at the Nord's character of unabashed certainty. "I expect so. Now then, what's the status with the Orlesian campaign?"
"For the most part, it has been successful," Heidkar began. "Our soldiers suffered from guerrilla attacks in the Dales but it was nothing we couldn't deal with. I personally took down seven chevaliers with my own fists."
"You shouldn't be fighting on the frontlines, Heidkar," Suver chimed. "Our job is to lead our soldiers, not be like them."
"Maybe for the Legions of Morrowind," Heidkar huffed with a proud display of confidence. "Besides, I lead the troops better when I'm on the frontline. Helps me think."
"I hope at the very least you have healers close by, Heidkar?" Gaius questioned.
"Of course. I take those precautions," Heidkar said with a smile. "But precautions aren't what we need now, my Emperor."
Gaius raised his brow, cautious of Heidkar's statement. The Nord yet the same turned from his usual look of bravado as he leaned close to the map.
"We need to end this war with Orlais. Now," Heidkar stated.
"Worried they might turn this war around?" Gaius questioned.
The Nord general shook his head. "It's the honorable thing to do," he said as he exchanged a glance at Suver. "I'm not one for politics but Suver was able to explain to me what your declaration meant. When you created the New Dales, you challenged all of Thedas. You declared to their rulers that they were nothing but weaklings, not even worth your time. That's why we can't keep doing the same strategy as Commander Marius has requested. If we do, we- you'd go back on your word and bring great dishonor."
Gaius was… surprised those two were able to deduce such reasoning. Heidkar especially as he made clear his hatred of politics.
"So then, what should we do?" Gaius asked for their answer.
"As Heidkar said, we need to defeat the Orlesians quickly," Suver explained. "We need to strike a crippling blow to them. One that will make them lose the will to fight and to be utterly broken. And there is no more of a perfect target than Val Royeaux."
"Southern Orlais is not under our full control," Gaius mused. "How do you propose we besiege the city?"
"We've been thinking about this since your speech a week ago," Suver said. "Initially, we found remnants of a large bridge that stretched over the Waking Sea. Repairing it would give our troops the shortest distance to the capital. However, it is too much of a choke point to cross and several well-placed shots from the Orlesians would have all of our soldiers fall into the sea."
"And the same problem with a naval invasion," Heidkar noted. "Most of our galleons are fighting the Qunari, leaving only our lighter ships and transports. But most of the Thedosian navy is at Val Royeaux. We'd make it but we would lose too many soldiers to the sea."
"The dragons then?" Gaius suggested.
"I'm afraid we can't use the dragons, my Emperor," Suver said. "The Thedosians would spot them and alert our army's presence. And knowing that we need a quick victory, I'm sure they know as well. Thus they'll reposition and gather in strength."
"I see," Gaius noted. "You want to siege Val Royeaux when their defenses are at their lowest then. But to do so, you need a way to get past them unnoticed."
"That is why we have a plan in mind," Heidkar said as he stood from his chair. The Nord eagerly walked to Gaius' side, directing his attention to the map of the Orlesian Heartlands. "So far, we've taken most of Orlais up to the city of Verchiel and the surrounding area. The majority of the southern army will continue south to take Montsimmard but Suver and I will take a different path."
"We will bypass our forces through the Orlesian Heartlands," Suver continued, "by crossing the river northeast of Lake Celestine. There are patches of forest dotted along the coast to Val Royeaux which our army can use as a cover for our approach."
Heidkar chuckled a hearty laugh. "Those milk-drinkers won't realize what'll happen until they're too late. We'll take that precious city of theirs and their Chantry. They'll give up like the true cowards they are."
Suver also agreed with a grinning proudness. Gaius would have smiled too if doubts still didn't linger in his mind. The plan was smart, there was no question about it. Yet there was something about it that made it seem too easy.
As he hummed into deeper thought, his eyes then caught wind of the papers Finroth handed to him. For a second, it seemed as though the papers appeared out of nowhere as he nearly forgot of Bosmer's presence in the room. Upon close inspection of the paper, his eyes widened to a signature of Nilssa and a report on the artifact he's after.
"My Emperor? Your Imperial Majesty?"
Gaius veered up as Heidkar called out to him. Suver looked with an ire of intrigue to Gaius, though it then followed to the paper Gaius held.
"Are you alright, my Emperor?" Suver asked.
Gaius turned his paper over on a dime, standing to his feet. "Yes, of course. I simply spaced out," he said. "I think this plan of yours is a good one, Heidkar. When shall it commence?"
"In three days," Heidkar stated, "the soldiers shall depart from Lydes. In two weeks, Val Royeaux will fall and victory and glory will be ours."
"Then go with the Nine's blessing," Gaius said. "And may your victory be swift."
15th of Solace, 9:45 Dragon/ 15th of Sun's Height, 305 4E
The gentle green rolling plains of the Orlesian Heartland complimented the cool ocean breeze of the waking sea. A small stream trickled through one where forests flanked two sides of a concave hill. Common hares, squirrels, and the occasional deer passed by as gentle winds carried the pollen of bees. There was nothing simpler about it. Which is why it makes for an excellent ambush.
It's what Cullen and the various generals told Evelyn with unfaltering certainty. But now was the question if they could properly use it in their plan. Which was unconventional, to say the least.
It was hard to focus on anything else, much less eating. She looked like a child playing with her food. Luckily, none of the other generals had seemed to notice. Too busy chatting about politics and how they'll crush the Imperials.
"I'm not hungry anymore," Evelyn muttered to herself as she picked up her plate and exited from the tent.
The smell of fumes of iron and meat mixed in an incompatible mess in her nose. She has been among the Orlesians too long that her sense of smell might as well have been allergic to air. Wading through the camp as she clenched her nose, she found a lone spot far from the encampment.
Also adding to her interest in the spot was the Dread Wolf himself, staring out over to where the ambush would take place. He wore the same armor the last time she saw him at Exalted Council, this time added with a hood behind his neck. Beside him was an artifact of his, one that he claimed would prevent the Imperials from being to sense them. She didn't quite understand it but it seemed to work from what she could recall.
"Do you need something, Inquisitor?" Solas asked without even a glance.
"Thinking about life's greatest mysteries?" Evelyn retorted as she approached beside him. "You've been asleep for quite a while. Surely, you've figured out the answer."
"If I do, would you then be inclined to listen to my view?" Solas asked, continuing to look out to the forest.
"I might," Evelyn replied, crossing her arms. "That is if you're giving up on tearing down the Veil?"
Solas' dour expression was unchanged at the remark. He still presented that stoic face that was firmly imprinted to Evelyn. To what she wouldn't give to know what he was thinking?
"Are you certain the Imperials will be coming here?" Evelyn asked.
"Even with the number of my spies reduced, I can still receive accurate information," Solas stated. "Just an hour ago, I spotted a force of Imperials splitting off from the main army in the south through the eyes of one of my agents."
"Do you know what kind of force it is? Numbers?"
"From what I saw through the agent… 30 - 35,000 soldiers I believe. Mostly heavy infantry and 500 mages."
"5- 500!?" Evelyn exclaimed. "Just how many mages do they have?"
"I wouldn't worry too much about them considering the plan I have in place," Solas said. "The main obstacle I believe will be those large machines they possess. Three of the large ones that look like men are accompanying this force."
"I'll be sure to warn Cassandra then," Evelyn mused. "What about the dragons? Have you spotted any of them nearby?"
Solas shook his head. "I've found none within the immediate vicinity."
"I guess that makes things easier, huh?"
"This won't be like fighting against the Venatori," Solas remarked to her, swiftly turning to face her. "They are a well-trained fighting force unparalleled in organization and efficiency. Do not underestimate them."
"I don't plan to," Evelyn shot back at the accusation. "If anything, I overestimate this plan of yours. You're certain it will work?"
"Have your Templars done as I have asked of them?"
"They're not happy about it but they're ready. You should thank Cassandra and her Seekers afterward. Without them, I doubt the Templars would have gone along with it. Much less know what to do."
"I'll be sure to send her my regards."
Another silent rift between them took place as Solas continued on to his watch. His preference for short sentences somewhat annoyed Evelyn especially as a hint of snide rolled off his very tongue.
"It's not snideness, Inquisitor. My tone is simply what I speak in," Solas said, bewildering Evelyn as she widened eyes.
"Wha- what the fuck?" Evelyn questioned as she backed away. "Stop reading my mind!"
"I only inferred, Inquisitor," Solas answered. "There's no need for you to get upset."
"I'm not!"
"Then why are you still here? You know what my plan entails and you know to wait until the Imperials arrive. Were you expecting some sort of heart to heart chat?"
The question struck like a boulder to Evelyn, bending her mind from her anger. Then she looked into Solas' stoic eyes, his pupils fervently shook in the center. A hidden rage… no… utter disdain.
Evelyn sighed. "Nothing," she simply said as she began to walk back to the encampment.
She knew that he agreed with him. That there really wasn't anything to say to each other. Both were tools to be used for winning their ideal world. 'Win'? That word might seem possible depending on how the day would go.
As she began to arrive back, the sight of soldiers rushing past her blocked her view. No longer were they in their normal clothes but armor. The camp dismantled before her eyes as they rushed to pull down the wood and put away their tents.
Evelyn then felt a force chill down her spine. She peeked to where Solas stood, his hood now over his head, and an ancient staff planted beside him.
"They're here," she muttered.
The sun had set to its highest point, its shining light unveiling any shadows. A long deep column of Imperials marched out its light, glistening off their steel armor. From a distance, they looked to blaze through the meadow with purpose and speed. Rushing as fast as they could to get to their destination.
"But you're too committed, aren't you?" Solas asked atop from a hill.
The Dread Wolf's eyes beaded out from his hood as they glowed in a white hue. His own thoughts transferred out from his mind to the vessel of Mythal. "Use the templars now" he communicated to her and to which he was met with a slew of curses into his own mind.
He sighed as a sense of irony was bestowed to him. An impatient Inquisitor rushing to stop the impatient force. All while using a hastily made plan of his. Because he wanted to rush to stop them too.
"Maybe that's why we can't get along, Inquisitor," Solas said as he planted his staff. "We're too much alike."
"General Heidkar, our mages have updated that the information as before is the same. No enemy soldiers have been spotted."
"Carry on, Legate," Heidkar replied.
The Legate nodded and rode off back into the ranks. He along with many other officers rode on horseback beside the column of Imperial soldiers. For two days, they marched with few rests in between. And they would continue to do so until they reached Val Royeaux, with as few stops as possible.
Heidkar and Suver debated on whether they should have taken their time or not. Suver warned that the soldiers would become too tired from marching so much but Heidkar was able to convince him that the mages would regenerate their stamina. And so far, it has worked out.
"General Heidkar," Suver called as the Dunmer general rode up beside the Nord.
"General Suver," Heidkar replied back with a nod. "So then, I guess your worries about the mages were overblown."
"There's still a chance of an ambush," Suver replied.
"By whom?" Heidkar asked in a chuckle. "The mages have been using Detect Life ever since we split off from the main force. No enemy has been seen for a week and none today."
"I am simply acknowledging all of the possibilities. Our force isn't exactly discreet. And if a simple peasant were to even spot us from a distance, then we'll need to be prepared."
"They don't have the numbers," Heidkar countered. "Last the Blades checked, only 10,000 of their soldiers were up north."
"And how long ago was that information? A week?" Suver questioned.
Heidkar reined his horse to halt as Suver did the same. "Fine," he relented in a brisk tone. "If you're that worried, then call a mage and we'll ask one of the Blades."
Once finished, Suver called over to a Legate for a mage. The mage ran out from the column, lightly jogging to the generals.
"Yes, General Suver?" the mage asked.
"Soldier, contact the Blades liaison for me," Suver commanded.
"At once," the mage replied.
The mage held out his palm, walking alongside the generals as he activated his spell. But nothing happened, for a minute. The orb to communicate was non-existent.
"Are you not doing as I asked, soldier?" Suver questioned.
"Of course not, General Suver," the mage said nervously. "But… it's not working for some reason. The magicka… I can feel it but it won't come out."
"What do you mean it won't come out?" Suver again asked, stopping in place along with Heidkar.
"It's not working," the mage replied. He flicked out his wrist and snapped his fingers. "None of my spells are working."
Heidkar and Suver looked to each other with raised brows. They examined their hands as both casts the basic healing spell all Imperial generals were taught. Nothing. The mage was right.
"Soldier, go check the mages," Suver shouted. "Move!"
Heidkar rushed to the front of the column, stopping hard in front of the standard-bearer. "Soldiers, halt!" he commanded.
The soldiers nearly collapsed like dominos to the general's sudden command. They looked at him and to each other, dumbfounded as they chattered amongst themselves.
"General, what's going on?" a Legate asked.
"Check your mages, Legate," Heidkar said past the question.
"But-"
"Do it now!"
"Yes, sir," the Legate saluted as he rushed down the column.
"It's happening to all of them, Heidkar," Suver called, riding up to the Nord. "The mages… they can't use any of their spells."
"But that's not possible unless-"
Heidkar's voice fell apart as his horse neighed and rocked erratically. Suver's did as well as did others across the column. Legates and Captains were bucked off and they fell unto their soldiers. Without calm spells, they could hardly stop this panic.
"Calm down!" Heidkar shouted to no avail.
Something was bothering the horses, Hiedkar knew, but what? Not any enemies; they would be fine then. He looked to Suver for an answer when his hair shot up to its ends. The ceaseless rocking of the horse finally bucked him to the ground, distracted by his hair.
As he laid on the ground, the shot of his eyes widened towards the sky. A flash of seemingly infinite number of lightning burst from the air as if it were a Divine act and encircled into a large dome. He saw this large dome surround over his entire force as his soldiers helped him up.
"By Shor, what the fuck is going on?"
"A cage of lightning?"
That was Solas' big plan? Evelyn had thought it would have been more complex than something so simple as a lightning cage. Though considering the Imperials' penchant to plan out three steps, perhaps simple was the way to go.
"Cassandra, how are you holding up?" Evelyn asked.
The Seeker in question only hummed an affirmation to her as she knelt with her sword planted before her. She along with other Seekers and Templars who were in the same position were deep in concentration. Trying to keep the barrier above the Imperials and preventing their magic from being cast. All while the Chantry mages did the same for the lightning cage. And both groups tried to keep the others' dome from overlapping.
"They're not going to last long," Cullen said as he observed alongside. "Whatever else Solas is planning, he should do now."
"Well, it looks like he's about to do so now," Evelyn pointed out.
She and Cullen looked on as Solas raised out his hands and spheres of light engulfed over them. His magic, his power revealed to Thedosian and Tamrielan that spectacle it beheld. A blade of pure yellow energy, sharpened beyond all measure. Then another, and another. So many of them popped up that Evelyn couldn't count. Thousands of those 'light' blades appeared over the Imperial force and all they could do was watch.
"Inquisitor," Solas called back to Evelyn with bright glowing eyes. "Now!"
"Right," Evelyn stammered, breaking away from her awe. She turned back to the line of soldiers, they too were in awe of the Dread Wolf's magic. "Archers, nock! Mages, release the barrier over the Imperial mages!"
The soldiers took a moment to relieve themselves from their shock and followed through on her command. But as the mages lowered their dome, their shock was only a reprieve to witness a slaughter as they had never seen before.
The blades of light descended down on the Imperials like a raging storm of wanton destruction. The bloody screams of the soldiers from below were drowned out as the light blades tore through. Heads, arms, torsos, and legs were cut clean through. Their blood drenching the very ground itself into a pool and spilling into the nearby creek.
Then without a moment's notice, it stopped. The ceaseless magic from the all-powerful Fen'harel had left a festival of brutal gore. Every single one of the Imperial mages lied dead in a mound, body upon limbs. The ground itself caked in a darkened crimson hue of a slaughterhouse.
Evely was at a loss for words. It felt as if she too were impaled, her stomach empty of any contents. And as she looked at the scattered limbs, her only recourse was to hold her own stump.
"Inquisitor," the voice of Solas again called, drawing Evelyn back to the fight.
In her thinking, Evelyn failed to notice the large lightning cage had disappeared over the rest of the Imperial forces and were now retreating further into the woods.
"Inquisitor, snap out of it," Cullen told her as he tapped her shoulder.
The Commander rushed along with thousands of Inquisition, Orlesian, and Nevarran soldiers as they barreled past her to chase the fleeing enemy. Roaring with jubilation.
Evelyn shook her head and followed behind. "Right… right," she said as she pieced together back to reality.
This was war and there were going to be casualties, she knew that. All those dead men and women, they knew what they were signing up for. Just like Evelyn did. There would be time to mourn later.
Despite the jubilation she heard, her soldiers were now entrenched to hard-fought grunts. The Imperials were gallant scrappy warriors as they held their line within the deep forest. Despite losing all their mages, they stood as adamant as they could.
Yet the fact was that they had lost too many from Solas' barrage. Their flanks crumbled. No matter how well trained a force is, the fear of death overcame all senses.
One by one, the first line of Imperials was cut down and the rest completely shattered. Chevaliers ran down the fleeing Imperials with sword cuts as Inquisition warhammers broke down waves. As Evelyn ran along, she noticed that some halberdiers were struggling against one of the giant Imperial golems. The other soldiers were too concerned about capturing or killing any fleeing Imperials to help.
"Think of flames, think of flames," Evelyn muttered to herself as she rushed to the halberdiers' aid.
The mana coursed from her and without a wave of her hand, bolts of fire barreled against the giant golem. It was enough to stagger the hulk as she moved in. With a stroke, her arm loosed a spirit sword and sliced through its leg. Enough to topple it to ground with a big thud.
"Thank you, Inquisitor," one of the halberdiers said as they proceeded to carve the giant golem into scrap metal.
Evelyn gave a silent nod before returning back to the fight. Or what was left of it. Her forces were completely scattered over the battlefield chasing Imperials or collecting the bodies. The battle was over.
Or so it seemed as Cassandra ran up to Evelyn on foot. "There you are, Inquisitor," Cassandra said. "I didn't think you'd rush into the battle yourself."
"Well, I still have some fight in me, Cassandra," Evelyn replied as she leaned against a tree. "I managed to help take down one of those Imperial golems. Not by myself of course but it still counts."
"I'm sure it does," Cassandra said as she crossed her arms.
Evelyn smiled back at the comment, letting out a small chuckle. An Inquisition then approached the two, panting as he stepped in front of Cassandra.
"Inquisitor," he said as he straightened up, "you must come with me."
"What for?" Evelyn asked.
"Its… well, you need to see this."
Evelyn raised a brow as the soldier ran deeper into the forest. She exchanged a worried look to Cassandra, relenting to follow the soldier.
Her worry then turned to confusion as she and Cassandra came upon a circle of Inquisition soldiers surrounding the sounds of clashing swords. She shoved through to lay sight to two men dressed in a more unique style of heavy armor. More interesting were the wearers; a Nord and a Dunmer.
And what confused her was the fact that her soldiers were simply watching as the two fought off against several Chevaliers. Bloodied and wounded, they fought ferociously though it was more so the Nord who did the killing.
"What the hell are you all doing!?" Evelyn yelled.
The whole gave no answer, only giving a glance to Evelyn then back to the fighting Imperials as the Nord finished the last of the Chevaliers.
"Well come on then, milk drinkers!" the Nord proclaimed as he outstretched his arms. "I'll take you all on."
His bravado was met with silence as the circle of soldiers stood at guard. None made a move against the Nord or the Dunmer even as they stumbled to the ground with their weapons used as crutches. They breathed with heavy heaves as blood dripped down their armor, barely able to move until they laid eyes on Evelyn.
"Inquisitor Trevelyan," the Nord grinned with a dark smile. "We finally meet the fabled hero!"
"Stay back," Evelyn said. The soldiers raised their weapons out to the Nord, preventing him from approaching. "I take it you two are important considering you haven't been run down already."
"No, these soldiers are simply too scared to face a true warrior," the Nord answered, taking a moment to spit on one of the Chevalier's corpses. "Though my title is important, I guess. General Heidkar of Windhelm. The elf behind me is General Suver from Blacklight."
"Balmora," the Dunmer, Suver, said. He sneered to his comrade while he limped forward. "You must excuse my comrade, Inquisitor Trevelyan. As you can see, we're not in the… best position as we would have liked."
"Don't even try to talk out of this," Evelyn replied, narrowing her eyes. "Put down your weapons and surrender. The battle is over."
"It's not over until I say it's over," Heidkar declared as he stood tall to grip his claymore.
Suver pulled him back. "Don't be a fool," he said before turning to Evelyn. "Inquisitor Trevelyan, we surrender our forces to you."
"Get off me!" Heidkar shouted and shoved the Dunmer away. "I don't back down. Sovngarde is the only place I'll be going."
Once again, the Nord readied his claymore close to his chest. His legs struggled to keep him straight, wobbling in place. But still, he looked so full of energy.
Evelyn looked back to her soldiers, too afraid to fight the Nord despite their numbers. As for the Dunmer, he had backed off and raised his hands to surrender.
"What are you waiting for?" Heidkar asked. "Come to me."
"If that's-" Evelyn said when Cassandra's arm interceded in front of her. "Cassandra?"
"Let me deal with him, Inquisitor," Cassandra said.
"Are you sure?" Evelyn asked.
Cassandra blade unraveled from her sheath, an audible swing emerging as she pulled out her shield. "I'm sure," she replied, stepping forth in front of the Nord.
"Come on then!" Heidkar declared.
The Nord general broke into the ground and propelled straight towards Cassandra. A huge overhead swing slammed faster than Evelyn could see, flattening Cassandra beneath her shield. A howl of pain broke from her.
"Cassa-"
Evelyn's words were misplaced as Cassandra managed to stumble out. Her sword cut across Heidkar's leg, coating it in crimson. Then she followed up with a punch, knocking him to the ground.
But the Nord let out a loud cry for battle and swiped at her legs with his. Cassandra nearly toppled but rolled back into a standing position. All while the Nord was left panting on the ground, clutching his chest close.
"Is… that... all you got?" Heidkar asked.
He could barely raise himself up, his legs bleeding profusely. Yet still unwavering as he furloughed a dagger. The man had will, Evelyn would give him that.
He struck again with a thrust and was easily countered by Cassandra. Another swing of her backhand knocked the man to the ground and he laid panting.
"You… hit... like a… milk drinker," he said.
"Enough," Cassandra said as she called over to the soldiers.
They descended upon the two generals, clapping Suver in chains and bringing up Heidkar to bear. The Nord snarled as blood dripped even more down his face and he looked to Evelyn with contempt.
"What are you waiting for? Do it," Heidkar said. "Send me to Sovngarde."
"I don't know what that is but I'm assuming you mean death?" Evelyn asked. Heidkar simply glared. "Well, I can't do that. You're too valuable of a prisoner."
"What shall we do with all the prisoners, your Worship?" one of the soldiers asked.
"You know, since these soldiers were trying to attack Val Royeaux, why not let them go," Evelyn suggested. "Take them all to Val Royeaux and make sure to interrogate these two generals."
"You're going to regret that decision, Inquisitor!" Heidkar yelled, struggling to break free before being hauled off. "You should have killed me when you had the chance! Especially you, woman!"
He pointed with an unwavering finger to Cassandra. "When I get out, you're going to die. By Shor, I will kill you and regain my honor!"
His promise only brushed past Cassandra and she crossed her arms with a narrow gaze to the Nord. "Doubtful," she muttered.
"Never took you for the cocky sort," Evelyn commented.
"It's only bravado from a wounded soldier," Cassandra shrugged. "And he won't be able to enact his revenge from the White Spire."
"Just to be safe, we'll make sure those two generals are under high security," Evelyn said.
"I was about to say the same," Cassandra replied. "It seems like the last of the Imperials have been captured or scattered off. We should return to Cullen and regroup."
"Yeah, we should," Evelyn agreed as she sighed.
"Something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing," Evelyn waved back. "I'm just glad that we've won our first victory. Maybe now Josephine and Leliana won't make as much as a fuss."
"True though I know someone who will."
"Your Imperial Majesty! I have terrible news! General Heidkar and Suver have-"
"Been captured and their army captured and flown to the wind."
"I- yes, how-"
"The way you spoke, how you ran in as fast as you could," Gaius observed. "And the worries I had for them."
"Forgive me, your Imperial Majesty, but did you know-"
"I had a feeling, a chance that something like this would happen. It seems luck was not on our side today."
"What should we do, your Imperial Majesty?"
"A good question," Gaius replied, turning his head behind. "What should we do? I take it the other generals have all been informed?"
"They have. Commander Marius has advised not to take any further-"
"For this one moment, I do not care what Commander Marius has to say," Gaius said.
The air around Gaius instantly inflamed into a hard smoke. The messenger could barely breathe coherently, backing out into the hall. Gaius slowly approached him, his face in stark contrast from his aura. One of gentleness and compassion.
"Tell all the generals this: there shall be no more wasting of time with sieges and prolonged battles. They will attack with the full fury of the Empire."
"A- a- at once, your Imperial Majesty."
"And one last thing," Gaius said as he slowly rested his hand over messenger's shoulder. "Inform the generals that I shall be leading the Southern army, personally."
"Is that-"
"Orlais will know, as will the Inquisition, Thedas, and even Fen'harel; the true power a Dragonborn can wield."
Thoughts?
Battle Statistics
Battle of the Light Blades
Date: 15th of Solace, 9:45 Dragon/ 15th of Sun's Height, 305 4E
Location: Bay of the Heartlands, Orlais
Result: Decisive victory for Thedosian Alliance
Belligerents
Dragon Empire/ Grand Thedosian Army
Commanders and leaders
General Heidkar/ Commander Cullen
General Suver/ Inquisitor Trevelyan
Strength
8000 Nord Warriors/ 1000 Chevaliers
15000 Imperial Legionnaires/ 10000 Heavy Swordsmen
6000 Dunmer Swordsmen / 3000 Inquisition Halberdiers
500 Mages/ 150 Mages
1000 Imperial Light Cavalry/ 2000 Orlesian Cavalry
4000 Imperial Arbalists / 1500 Nevarran Archers
3 Dwemer Centurions / 400 Templars
Casualties and losses
10000 killed/ 500 killed
15000 wounded and captured/ 200 wounded
Imperial officers captured