In the northern region of the continent of Selenus lies the mystical land of Eostia. Home to many different races including High Elves and Dark Elves, Beast Men, Dwarves and Halflings, Orcs, Humans, hundreds of different monsters and beasts and so many more. But like many others, Eostia was built by a history of blood, death and destruction.
Let's start with the arrival of the Great Tribes.
The Great Tribes of Fé, Auros, Gyfos, Ræðos and Thurs, and the lesser tribes under them, arrived from the south of Eostia and entered the region that was previously unknown to them. There they found numerous fertile lands and several mountainous regions. A perfect place to settle their tribes and give their people a place to call home. During that time, the homeland of the tribes was swallowed by the earth, fire rained down from the heavens and a sea of flames flooded their valley, forcing them to flee and search for a new land to call home. They travelled for years until finally, they came upon Eostia. But their arrival into the region was not a peaceful one.
The Great Tribes were not ruled by benevolent chieftains. They were ruled by violent and power hungry Warlords. The Warlords saw a land waiting to be conquered and conquer it they did. They fought a bloody and brutal war against the Beast Men. Eventually driving them out of their own lands and claiming it as their own. As soon as the tribes settled into their new home, the Warlord of the Fé tribe subjugated the lesser tribes as well as the native humans before declaring himself as King and his land as the Kingdom of Feoh or Kongeriget Feoh in their native tongue.
Seeing this, the Warlord of the Auros tribe did the same and declared himself as King of Ur but instead of challenging the King of Feoh for territory, he secured an alliance with him as well as trade agreements and other various treaties. For the years to come, the two Kingdoms would maintain strong relations. The King of Ur named his realm the Royaume d'Ur.
But the King of Feoh wasn't satisfied with that. He wanted more but they were not the only ones who rose to Monarchy.
The rest of the Great Tribes mirrored his actions and declared themselves as their own Kingdoms. The Kingdom of Geofu, or the Königreich Geofu, was the closest to Feoh and the two fought a war that ended in a stalemate. Despite having an ally in the conflict, both Feoh and Ur combined were outnumbered by Geofu. The three sued for peace and Feoh moved on to attack the Kingdom of Ræð instead.
The Kingdom of Ræð didn't stand a chance against the Kingdon of Feoh and became vassal known as the Principality of Rad. But ambition finds a way as one of the Princes of Rad, Yegor, declared himself as the Grand Prince of Rad. Feoh didn't have a problem with that at first until the newly declared Grand Prince started ruling and giving out orders that didn't align with Feoh's interest.
Feoh decided to take action and began a campaign against Rad but the conflict ended with Feoh's army being driven out of Rad's land and retreating back to their Kingdom. The Grand Principality of Rad or Velikoye knyazhestvo Rad had earned their independence. Naming their capital Yegorod.
The Kingdom of Geofu, meanwhile, remained neutral after coming across the Elves from the realm of Cen'aina. The people of Geofu established good relations with the Elves of Cen'aina and were the first humans to step foot in to the city of Elenath as well as the first humans to convert and worship the Goddess Eos. It wasn't long until the entire Kingdom converted and in the coming years, the most devoted would establish the Order of Knights of the Divine Temple of Dawn or the Dawn Templars.
The Kingdom of Thorn remained silent throughout the conflicts and kept to themselves. They were the second to convert and were the first to establish contact and trade with the Dwarves and Halflings of Ansur and Anvil.
Soon all four Human Kingdoms converted to the Goddess Eos and only a few still held on to their old beliefs.
Then the Orcs arrived.
The Orc Tribes were an exact mirror of the Great Human Tribes. They too had lost their home and searched the world for a new one. They found Ur to be suitable and settled into their lands without the Kingdom's permission. Things took a turn for the worse as the people of Ur began harassing the Orcs and fueling their anger. It came to a breaking point when the petty King of Ur during that time killed an Orc in front of their tribe and had the corpse quartered.
The consequences of the King's actions set off what would be known across Eostia as the Carnage of Ur. The Orcs raged across the Kingdom and brought them to it's knees. Stating that they will stop only if the King of Ur is dead. Had it not been for Feoh's help, Ur would've been burned to the ground long ago.
The conflict ended when Philip Fiorire killed his brother-in-law, King Henry de Rais, in a duel for the throne. As King, Phillip sent Henry's body to the Orcs and the Orcs stopped. They returned to their tribes but refused to leave Ur. Philip didn't want any further hostilities and so let the Orcs be. Many still held resentment towards Orcs but fear of another Carnage kept that resentment at bay.
Phillip's ascension ended the rule of House de Rais and began the rule of House Fiorire which ushered the most prosperous era in the history of the Kingdom of Ur which was also renamed Regino di Ur under Phillip's reign. Yet the people still call the realm Royaume d'Ur and only House Fiorire use the new name.
The Southwestern and the Southeastern Kingdoms, however, had problems of their own.
Vladislaus, a Prince from the Grand Principality of Rad, was afflicted with the Vampire curse. Rather than fight it, Vladislaus learned to control the powers that came with the curse. He gathered his growing kin from all across Eostia and formed a Vampire Coven. Calling themselves the Highborn. Numbering in the thousands, they laid waste to Rad and brought about the near annihilation of the Grand Principality and set them back a hundred years.
The Highborn then set their sights on Cen'aina or Ken'aina, shortened to Ken, in the Common Tongue. Unfortunately, the holy land of Cen'aina prevented them from entering so they turned to Geofu instead.
They attacked the towns and villages in the borders of the Königreich. Gathering more Vampires and feasting. Soon, Vladislaus attacked the capital city of Geofu, Stadt der Morgen. The Highborn struck at the dead of night. Feeding to satiate their lust for blood or afflicting their victims with the curse to further grow the numbers of their coven.
Fortunately, Geofu was saved by the most unlikely of people. Gabriel, the First Vampire Hunter, managed to fight the calling after being inflicted with the curse and drive the Highborn from the city with the help of other Vampire Hunters. People who had been afflicted with the curse but overcome it's calling through sheer willpower or unadulterated rage.
Vladislaus and the Highborn were hunted down by the Order of the Vampire Hunters before being driven out of Eostia and settling on the continent of Helios west of Selenus and taking over the region of Lupercalia and renaming it Dragulia. The Vampire Hunters, however, were not far behind and began a crusade against their nemeses. Swearing to hunt each and every single one of them down, to the ends of the earth if they have to, and protect the world from the Vampires.
Then came the Lycan Incursion.
Lycans, having gathered their own strength while the Vampires caused chaos, started popping up all over Eostia and indiscriminately killed and turned the people of the region into Lycans. But Eostia was saved by the Dwarves and Halflings of Anvil and Ansur. The Lycans came from their land and they saw it as their duty to rid the world of Lycans. Much like the Vampire Hunters with the Highborn, the Dwarves held a special hatred for the Lycans and began a crusade to end their kind.
When the Dwarves and Halflings killed off leader of the Alpha, the Lycans scattered across Eostia but many of them joined the ranks of the Beast Men. Bolstering the numbers of the Beast Men who had been gathering their strength since the Great Tribes stole their home.
What followed was a century of peace with the occasional Beast Men raids and minor skirmishes were the only things people had to worry about until the Exodus of the Dark Elves.
The Dark Elves, having had enough of being slaves and seen as lesser than their High Elven counterparts, rebelled and Origa Discordia, an Arcane prodigy and Free-Elf or a former slave that has earned their freedom, led the rebellion and have taken her people north away fron the Kingdoms that enslaved them. Passing the Frontier Lands where the remaining native humans of Eostia reside, the Dark Elves established the Discordian Kingdom in the land of Garan which the people of Geofu took to calling the Land der Königin der Schwarzelfen or the Land of the Queen of the Black Elves.
She then declared war against the Eostian Kingdoms before razing the Kingdom of Thorn to the ground and leaving nothing but ruins as a show of strength.
Origa also turned to Dark and Forbidden Magic. Creating abominations as well as raising the dead to wreaked havoc across the Frontier Lands and the Eostian Kingdoms. She also convinced the Beast Men to join her, playing their mutual hatred against humans as well as tainting them with Dark Magic to further fuel their rage and making them more beast than man.
The Dark Queen also managed to secure the allegiance of half of the Orc Tribes in Ur and tainted them as well. Turning them into Feral Orcs. Larger and more savage than normal Orcs. The remaining untainted Orcs, however, were angered. Seeing the clans that joined the Dark Queen and used Dark Magic to gain strength was an affront to them and so they refused Origa's offer and declared the Feral Orcs as outcasts and enemy of the tribes.
Centuries passed, the Eostian Kingdoms and the Discordian Kingdom were still fighting their long and gruesome war with both sides gaining an advantage over the other. Another civilization soon arrived in Eostia and settled on the ruins of the Kingdom of Thorn yet stayed neutral from the war. Declaring themselves a sovereign state and not a part of the Eostian Kingdoms.
These wandering people, after learning the name of the Kingdom that settled before them, called the realm 'Ibara no ōkoku', the Kingdom of Thorn, and the people were known as the Ibara minzoku. They were ruled by the Tsukuyomi Shogunate and lands inside Thorn were given to the Daimyōs who answer to the Shōgun.
They rebuilt what was lost and maintained good relations with the other Kingdoms yet mostly kept to themselves. Only defending their borders from the Discordian Kingdom but not actively setting out to the Land of the Dark Elves. They were plagued with constant civil war as the Daimyōs fight one another to either defend or overthrow the Shōgun. The most loyal of the Clans was the Shimazu Clan and the most ambitious was the Ichimaru Clan.
Whenever some lower Daimyō decided to rebel and overthrow the Tsukuyomi Shogunate, the Shimazu Clan would always be there to defend the Shōgun while the Ichimaru Clan would always find a way to manipulate the court and support the rebels. Proof of their involvement was scarce. The Ichimaru Clan hid their tracks well and no one had sufficient evidence to have the Clan exiled or destroyed.
As the war progressed, the Eostian Kingdoms and the Discordian Kingdom had beaten one another bloody and the people suffered. Especially the natives of the Frontier Lands. Both belligerents soon fell into a stalemate and neither side gained a significant victory over the other.
It wasn't until the Battle of the River Thane did the stalemate between the Eostian Kingdoms and the Discordians ended when the Discordians struck a massive blow to the Eostians with the help of Origa's latest abominations.
The Eostians retreated from the Frontier Lands with what was left of their armies but their escape was not an easy one. King Alister Arcturus VII of Feoh saw that the Discordians wouldn't stop until they reach the Eostian Kingdoms' lands so he ordered Feoh's army to remain in the Frontier Lands to hold back the Discordians and keep them from entering Eostian Lands. He fought valiantly and managed to drive the Discordians back but at the cost of his own life and the majority of Feoh's already bloody and beaten army.
With the loss of their King who had taken no other woman after Queen Freyja and Prince Faust died, the Princess Knight of Iris, Alicia Arcturus, who was eighteen at the time, was left to rule the Kingdom with the help of the King's advisors, the Jarls. Unfortunately, only three Jarls remained as the others fell alongside their King in the Frontier Lands. Those who replaced them were not as close to the King or his family. For the next three years, Alicia ruled the Kongeriget Feoh as her father did before her but also focused on rebuilding Feoh's army. Not to attack but to defend.
Another tragedy struck the Western Kingdoms as King Robert Fiorire V and Queen Astrid Fiorire were ambushed by bandits nd slain. This left their only daughter, the young Prim Fiorire, to rule over the Royaume d'Ur. But since the Princess was too young to actively rule the Kingdom, the Council of Ur ruled in her stead. Many of the nobles loyal to the Fiorire were suspicious to the circumstances of the King and Queen's death. Lord Edward Blackmoore, the King's spymaster, even more so. The Council of Ur, however, governed the Kingdom in a way that only their chosen nobility would benefit. Nobles who don't condone to their way of ruling as well as the Common Folk gained nothing.
In the Frontier Lands, the charismatic and ambitious Vult Pravus formed the mercenary company, Black Dogs, and began driving out the remaining Discordian forces occupying the Frontier Lands. His skills with the blade and prowess in battle against the Discordians had earned him respect and admiration from his fellow men of the Frontier Lands. Word of his exploits soon reached the Eostian Kingdoms and many joined the mercenary company. Seeing it as an opportunity to get rich or famous or enact vengeance against the Discordians or enslave the Dark Elves once more. What the world didn't know was that Vult committed atrocities worse than what the Dark Queen's abominations had done.
Unbeknownst to the people of Eostia, the Goddess, Eos, had seen the fate that awaits Eostia and pitied Eostia's people. So the Goddess Eos decided that an outside intervention was needed and threw an unknown into the mix.
Now when I said she threw someone into the mix, I literally meant she threw someone into the mix. Eos grabbed a Hero from a world she had stumbled upon thousands of years ago and threw them into Eostia. But she didn't stop at one Hero but we'll get to that later because the focus of our story centers around two of these Heroes. The Champion and the Warden.
(Line Break)
Our story begins with-
"AAAGGHHH!"
That.
"AAAGGHHH- OOF."
Ouch. That looked like it hurt.
Marian Hawke. Mage Champion of Kirkwall. Well. Former Champion actually. After the whole incident with the Chantry getting blown up and the First Enchanter turning into an abomination and Meredith going crazy, Marian feared the Divine was planning an Exalted March on Kirkwall so she and her friends left to spare the people and also to divide the Divine's forces should she send them to hunt for them.
She had been on the run ever since. That is until a portal appeared and a giant hand emerged from the portal and grabbed her before throwing her to... wherever or whatever this place was.
Marian stood at 5'8 with short black hair that ended just above her neck. She has a pair of bright blue eyes and freckles around her nose and a bit on her cheeks. A red streak of paint ran across the bridge of her nose. Why? Because she thought it was cool. Deal with it. Marian wore the complete Mantle of the Champion set but had the hood pulled back. It consisted of mostly leather with a pieces of spiky armor made of Silverite that covered her right arm but not her left. Underneath the leather, she wore a red tunic with only one sleeve covering her right arm while wearing a short sleeve mail shirt underneath and left her slightly muscular left arm exposed.
The Champion groaned as she rolled to her back and glared at the sky just as the portal vanished. Marian sat up and grabbed the Staff of Parthalan beside her before getting up her feet. She brushed off the dirt on her trousers before planting her sword staff on the ground and looked at her surroundings. By the looks of it, she was in the middle of a road.
"Okay. So I'm in a road... and that's it. Not really much to go on. Hm."
She crossed her arms and placed a hand on her chin before looking up at the sky and figured it was probably mid day or so judging by the sun's position. Marian looked away before pulling her sword staff off the ground and travelled down the road heading north.
It didn't even take five minutes before she was suddenly surrounded by bandits.
"Why do people always pop up out of nowhere just to kill me?"
"Shut your mouth, bitch. Hand over your coin or me and my boys will take it by force." One of the bandits, the leader she presumed, demanded. Pointing a sword at her as if it to intimidate her but didn't so much as faze the Champion even as the man eyed her body.
"On second thought." The Bandit Leader licked his lips "Forget the coin. We hadn't had a good woman in weeks. The last bitch we nabbed looked like a fucking horse. You on the other hand. Hehehe. I'm gonna have fun with that pretty little face of yours."
In fact. Marian, rather than glare at the bandits, simply gave them a bored, almost annoyed, look. She planted the Staff of Parthalan on the ground and leaned on the sword staff before crossing her arms much to the confusion of the bandits.
"Are you done?" Marian absentmindedly checked her nails " So. What's it gonna be? You try to rape me and I kill you and loot your corpses or you drop your weapons and valuables and run away to rethink your lifw choices? If I were you, I'd pick the second one. Saves me the trouble of having to loot your corpses."
She stopped looking at her nails and raised a brow at the Bandit Leader as if expecting him to answer. What she got was the bandits laughing at her before slowly approaching the Champion from all sides. Marian rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Alright then. I guess we're going with the first one."
Marian stopped leaning on the sword staff and popped her neck before pulling the Staff of Parthalan off the ground and spinning the weapon around her to show off a little. The Champion then slammed the weapon on the ground and a pillar of flame shout out from underneath of one of the bandits and the man screamed in agony as he was engulfed in flames.
The bandits stared in horror as their comrade recieved a slow and painful death before turning to the Champion only to see her hand glowing and small tendrils of lightning sparked around her hand. Marian smirked at the bandits before she threw out her hand and tendrils of lightning shot out of her fingers. The lightning struck the bandit she was aiming for and he screamed as the lightning hit him square in the chest before the electrical arc lanced out into six more bandits.
"She's a fucking Mage!"
"And she's alone. She can't fight us all at once. Come on!"
Three tried to rush her while her back was turned and she quickly spun on her heel while swinging her sword staff in a wide arc. Ice froze over the ground in front of her and spikes of deadly ice shot out from the ice, impaling the three and their bodies became coated with ice as well. Marian then swung the Staff of Parthalan and destroyed the trio of frozen bandits. Scattering their bits of frozen body parts to the ground.
Another bandit rushed her and Marian swung her sword staff upward. Smacking the orb of the sword staff right underneath the man's jaw and sending him staggering back. She then flipped her sword staff and thrust the bladed end forward. Impaling the man before pulling the Staff of Parthalan free from his abdomen then smacked the staff's orb to the side of his head. An audible crack was heard when the staff connected to the man's temple.
A bandit screamed as he charged at the Champion. Wildly swinging his axe at Marian who bob and weaved to avoid getting hit before her left arm glowed. Pieces of the ground cracked before floating towards her and coated her arm with stone. Marian dodged the man's next attack before punching the bandit straight in the abdomen with her stone covered fist. The result was the man spewing his lunch and falling to his knees while holding his abdomen in pain. He looked up at the Champion and the last thing he saw was a stonefist smashing into his head.
Marian spun around and placed her hand the bandit's forehead. Her hand glowed purple and burned something into the man's forehead before kicking him towards a trio of other bandits. She then sent a blast of cold that froze the cursed bandit. His death activated the curse and his body exploded, taking out the three bandits around him.
"And that just leaves..."
Marian turned away from the bandit and faced the last man standing. The Bandit Leader who was staring at her wide eyed and mouth hanging open in shock and fear. His hands were shaking and he lost the grip on his sword. Dropping the weapon to the ground. Seeing this caused, Marian gave the Bandit Leader a lopsided smirk.
"You."
The Bandit Leader took a step back as Marian strutted closer to the man and he tripped on a rock before falling on his ass to the ground.
"Merciful Eos. Save me!"
"How ironic. I can only imagine how many of your victims said the same thing before you killed them."
"Please." The Bandit Leader begged "Please let me go. I'll- I'll change. Yeah. I'll leave Feoh. Start a new life in Ur. You'll never see me again."
"Soil yourself later after you're done answering my questions. Now."
The Bandit Leader whimpered as the Champion's smirk turned into a mischievous grin. Marian made sure to tap into a little bit of Blood Magic to make her eyes glow red and intimidate the man further.
"Let's see if I can get some honesty out of you."
"That won't be necessary."
Marian spun around as she heard the voice, a woman's, and readied her sword staff for anything.
"Please don't point that thing at me. I come in peace."
Standing, well more like floating, a few feet away from Marian was very tall woman. Not as tall as the High Dragon she killed in the Bone Pit but she was the same height as the Mature Dragon she killed in the Bone Pit Ledge. The one that scared off the miners.
The woman had long, flowing scarlet hair and a pair of amber eyes. She wore a saffron colored robe and a tiara adorned her head. It was not the pair of large white-feathered wings that caught Marian's eye but rather the two large mounds of fat attached to the woman's chest called breasts.
'Andraste's flaming tits. They look like they're about to pop out in any second.' She thought.
"Am I correct to assume that you know something about where I am?"
"I do and I'm also the reason why you are in this world. A world not of your own."
"What?"
Marian narrowed her eyes..
"I have foreseen the future of this land I could not stand by and let it fall to such a fate. I cannot directly intervene but someone from outside of this world can. I have stumbled upon your world thousands of years ago and decided to see who would be the Heroes I choose to save Eostia."
"So let me get this straight." Marian rubbed the bridge of her nose "You're telling me that you took me away from my world and placed me in Maker knows where so I can stop this Eostia place from falling?"
"Yes."
Marian let out a frustrated yet resigned sigh before looking up at the giant.
"So is there anyway for you to get me back."
"No." Was the immediate answer.
"Great. What have you gotten yourself into this time, Marian?"
"Worry not for you are not alone here, Champion. Another Hero is about to arrive."
High above them, lightning flashed and thunder roared as a portal opened up in the sky before a, figure fell out of said portal. The two watched in silence as the figure fell in the distance.
"There he is now."
"Right." Marian muttered. Slightly weirded out by the situation "Is there anything else I should know about?"
The Goddess looked down at the Champion and Marian realized that if she wanted to, Eos could just end her right then and there.
"In one year, the events that would plunge this region into utter chaos would take place. I cannot say what or when exactly will it happen. Doing so would mean I'm directly intervening. The only thing I am permitted to do is give you is a single blessing."
The Goddess' rosy-fingered hands glowed before placing her hand on the top Marian's head.
"And what does this blessing of yours do exactly?" Marian asked as the Goddess' hand glowed brightly.
"Now you have the chance to change your face."
"Pardon?" Marian raised a brow and slightly tilted her head.
"New world, new face." Eos answered "What do you wish to look like?"
"Pass." Marian held up her hand and shook her head "I actually like the way I look."
"Very well. Then I shall give you a different blessing."
Eos snapped her finger before a blinding light shone over Marian's chest. When the light subsided, Marian could see a golden amulet around her neck and looked up to the Goddess. Waiting for an explanation.
"This amulet will protect you from magic that aims to control your mind. Such spells are rare and only a few can actually perform them but there are Mages in this world who can do it. It also signifies you as my Champion."
"So a mind protecting amulet? What else?"
"I'm afraid that's all I can give you. Good luck, Champion."
A portal suddenly appeared behind the Goddess. She turned around and stepped into the portal before vanishing from sight. Leaving Marian alone to contemplate on what just happened. She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard muttering behind her and turned around to see the Bandit Leader muttering to himself while curled up into a ball. His entire body shaking.
"The Goddess is real. She knows my sins. The Goddess is real. She knows my sins. The Goddess is real- "
Marian sighed and shook her head. So much for getting any information out of him. Looks like seeing who she presumed to be their deity had broken the man's mind. She was pretty sure that seeing her massacre his fellow bandits was another reason why his mind broke. Oh well. Looks like she'll just have to find the closest settlement or town or anything and ask for information. After she meets up with the other Hero the Goddess mentioned.
But first things first...
Turning away from the pitiful sight of the Bandit Leader, Marian started whistling as she walked over to the nearest corpse and crouched down before checking the corpse for anything valuable to loot.
Ooh. Is that a map? Perfect. And look at that. A coin purse as well? Must be her lucky day.
(Line Break)
When Aedan woke up, the first thing that came to his head was what in the Andraste's name just happened?
He sat up and tried to remember what happened to him. He was off killing Darkspawn while accompanying Warden-Commander Solona Amell and Warden-Lieutenant Leonie Caron in the Deep Roads in search of a way for the Wardens to resist the Calling. He was in the middle of killing an Ogre when a portal appeared in front of him and a large hand grabbed his entire body before pulling him inside.
Then he blacked out and woke up here. On his back on the ground and his Greatsword, Ageless, planted on the ground a few feet away from him.
Aedan groaned as he stood to his full height which was an impressive 6'5. He has brushed down dark brown hair that ended just above his neck and a heavy beard as well as a scar across his nose. His eyes were a shade of brown but would glow silver whenever he was under dim light or the dark or whenever Darkspawn where nearby. A useful trait of the Grey Wardens. They could sense when a Darkspawn was nearby but their glowing eyes would also signal their untainted allies of the Darkspawn as well.
The second son of Bryce Cousland wore the standard plate armor worn by Grey Wardens consisting of a helmet, a chestplate with the crest of the Grey Wardens on the front, multiple pieces of plate armor, a blue gambeson, a blue and white tabard and a pair of black trousers along with a set of greaves and a pair of steel-toed boots.
Aedan walked over to Ageless and grasped the weapon's hilt and pulled the blade off the ground before resting it on his shoulder. He then looked around his surroundings and found himself alone in a clearing surrounded by trees. He looked up at the sky and guessed it was about mid day or so. Even with these observations, Aedan still had no clue where he was.
"Not the first time I got lost." He began "If the others could see me now... "
The Grey Warden shook his head before freezing as he heard a twig snap from behind him. His grip around Ageless clenched before turning around to face the person who arrived only to see a raven-haired woman wielding a staff with an orange orb on one end and a glaive on the other. There was a red streak of paint running across the bridge of her nose but what caught Aedan's attention were her eyes.
They were the brightest pair of blue eyes he had ever seen and he couldn't tear his eyes away from them.
The woman stopped beside a tree and leaned on the trunk before crossing her arms.
"Well. Well."
Huh. Wasn't that familiar? He remembered another raven haired woman saying the exact same thing years ago.
"What do we have here? A Grey Warden. My brother's a Warden. Tell me. By any chance, do you know a Carver Hawke?"
"Carver Hawke?"
Aedan tried to remember if he knew anyone named Carver Hawke and a memory surfaced in his mind. A Warden-Lieutenant Jean-Marc Stroud arriving in Vigil's Keep with a Warden-Ensign who was to be transferred from the Free Marches Order to the Ferelden Order for personal reasons.
This was a few weeks after King Alistair returned from Kirkwall. News of the destruction of Kirkwall's Chantry as well as the death of the city's Knight-Commander, First Enchanter and Grand Cleric two days later arrived in Ferelden. They had asked if Carver was involved with the incident but Stroud told them he wasn't and was there because Carver turned out to be a distant relative of Warden-Commander Solona.
Solona eagerly allowed Carver to join the Fereldan ranks. Happy to discover that she still had family left. A sad thing, really. She had lost contact with her parents and siblings when she was brought to the Circle and when the Blight ended, she tried to find them but they were long gone. Died trying to escape the Blight.
To know that she has a distant relative that's alive made her day... even if said relative was a tit. Though he wouldn't let Solona hear him say that out loud in her presence.
"I've met your brother." Aedan answered "He's a good Warden. He fights well and follows orders... most of the time. A little bit of a tit though."
Instead of being angry or anything like that, the woman laughed instead.
"That's sounds like Carver. My dear brother has always been like that. A good punch to the head usually sets him straight."
"If your brother is Carver, is it safe to assume that you're the Marian he's always been grumbling under his breath about?"
"That I am."
The woman, Marian, removed herself from the tree and walked over to Aedan before holding out her gloved hand.
"Marian Hawke. Champion of Kirkwall. Pleasure to meet you."
"Warden Aedan Cousland." He grasped the offered hand and the two shook on it "And the pleasure is all mine. Now."
Aedan let go of her hand before scratching the back of hid head with a sheepish expression.
"You wouldn't happen to know where we are?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Marian answered with a smirk "I can even tell you the reason why we ended up here."
Somehow. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. And like it, he did not.
By the time Marian was done telling him everything, the only thing Aedan could say was...
"Fuck."
(Line Break)
Princess Knight Alicia Arcturus of the Kongeriget Feoh watched from the top of her mount as the two strangers conversed. Behind her, thirteen Falcon Knights were watching the two strangers interact while waiting on the Princess Knight for orders.
Alicia is a young woman with long blonde hair that reached the small of her back and a pair of purple eyes. She stood at 5'7 and wore a silver circlet and an open brown collar with a red falling band draped over her chest. She had on a set of silver spaulders with golden accents, couter and vambraces. She wore a pair of brown covered gloves that reached up to her bicep and had a blue steel chestpiece that barely held up her breasts. Below, she wore tassets with a blue skirt and a white cloth in the middle. The blonde also wore lace thigh-high socks and a set of silver poleyn, greaves and sabatons. All with golden accents.
Attached to her belt was the sword that has passed down from the First King of Ur. Angurvadal. A sword enchanted with runes that would glow brightly during times of war.
The Princess Knight had set out and accompanied a group of Falcon Knights, a sub-branch of the Knights of Iris that made up the entirety of Feoh's cavalry force, on patrol. While making their way back to the outpost, they witnessed the sky rage with thunder and lightning as a portal opened up in the sky and a figure fell from said portal. They rode their mounts to find out who or what fell from the sky and found these two strangers instead.
Alicia was sure this was where the portal would've dropped the person or thing so she had to assume one of those strangers was the one that fell from the sky.
"Your Highness. Orders?"
Before she could say anything, she spotted the two strangers suddenly dropping into a fighting stance. She narrowed her eyes and wondered what provoked them only to see a group of Feral Orcs walking out from the forest. The Feral Orc in the middle, who was wielding a massive cleaver, roared at the two before the others followed.
The Feral Orc Leader ran towards the two strangers and Alicia was prepared to intervene but stopped when she saw the stranger with the greatsword move. She watched with wide eyes as the man dashed forward and slashed the Feral Orc across the abdomen. The result was immediate. The upper half of the Feral Orc fell backwards while the lower half fell to it's knees before falling forward.
'How did he- '
A series of small fireballs sped past the man's head and struck the Feral Orc that was running towards him. Alicia saw that the small fireballs came from the glaive the woman was wielding. Specifically, the glowing orange orb on the other end of the glaive.
'She's a Mage!'
As the war between the Eostians and the Discordians raged on, Magic in Eostia had started to die out. Everyday, Mages dwindled in number until barely a handful were left in the Eostian Kingdoms and those very few were now the Archmages of the Magi Academy in the realm of Cen'aina. They had been trying to find the cause of this yet they found nothing. Many of them accepted that Mages in Eostia would soon be wiped out of history. Yet there were creatures in the region that had the ability to cast spells like the Behemoths. There are those who still manifest their powers of the Arcane at an early age but you can count on one hand how many of them there are.
Some theorized that the phenomenon was a result of the war. That the Goddess Eos has deemed Eostia unworthy of the gift of the Arcane.
Alicia was shaken from her thoughts when the woman conjured a dark cloud above the Feral Orcs before a series of lightning bolts struck the tainted greenskins and stunning those that didn't die as soon as the lightning hit them. Amazing enough, the man with the greatsword was not struck by lightning as he cut down the stunned Feral Orcs with massive swings of his weapon that cut through the greenskins with ease.
"Looks like they're handling it pretty well, Your Highness."
The Princess Knight nodded at Knight-Captain Fiona's comment before noticing something from the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw more Feral Orcs coming out of the forest. Alicia was beginning to fear that what the two were facing was an entire clan of Feral Orcs. If so, it also meant that the tainted greenskins had managed to enter Feoh's borders. How did they go unnoticed? Feral Orcs weren't exactly the most subtle of creatures.
She noticed that despite their skill in battle, the two strangers were outnumbered. The man had managed to kill off a number of the Feral Orcs but now he was struggling to defend himself as more of the tainted greenskins started to gang up on him. In response, he spun in place with the greatsword outstretched and cut down the Feral Orcs surrounding him in one sweeping arc but it also appeared to tire him out.
The Mage had stopped throwing spells and was engaging the Feral Orcs in melee with the glaive of her staff. She targeted the limbs of the Feral Orcs until they dropped to their knees before slashing open their throats with the glaive of her weapon.
Alicia would've left them since it wasn't her problem but a voice in her head, which eerily soundly similar to her father's, told her that she couldn't turn her back on the two when she had the means to help. Besides, she had a gut feeling that those two were related to the portal in the sky.
"Fiona." Alicia faced the Knight-Captain "Rally the Knights. Flying wedge formation. We're getting them out of there."
"As you wish, Your Highness."
(Line Break)
"There's no end to the filthy bastards."
Aedan bared his teeth at the surrounding greenskins while gripping the handle of Ageless tightly. His eyes were glowing red as he tapped into his inner rage but he was growing tired. Marian, on the other hand, was down to the last of her Mana. She had been casting spells left and right and, unfortunately, she didn't have any Lyrium Potion with her to replenish the Mana she had lost.
The Champion was contemplating on using Blood Magic but she wasn't sure how Aedan would feel about that. Plus, she didn't need the only ally she has to suddenly stab her in the back because she used Blood Magic. Still...
"I have a plan but I don't think you're gonna like it."
"Let's hope it works then."
Marian was about to kneel and dip her fingers on the puddle of blood in front of her but stopped when she heard the sound of hooves in the distance. Aedan heard it as well and the two turned to the direction of the sound to see a line of half-naked women on horseback while wielding lances. The riders formed a V-formation while they were riding towards them before the young woman in the middle, a blonde with purple eyes, let out a battle cry.
The Feral Orcs saw this and one of them roared before running towards the riders. Many of the Feral Orcs followed suit and only a few stayed while never taking their eyes off of Aedan and Marian. One of the Feral Orcs roared and Aedan bared his teeth before letting out a deep bellow and ran towards the Feral Orc.
Aedan raised Ageless over his head and blocked the Feral Orc's axe. He then deflected the next attack before thrusting Ageless forward and impaling the Feral Orc in the abdomen. Aedan pulled his weapon free and the tainted greenskin fell to it's knees before Aedan severed it's head in one massive swing.
On the other hand, Marian was having a bit of trouble dealing with her opponent who wielded two axes. She bob and weaved and ducked underneath the Feral Orc's attacks and she barely managed to land a few cuts with her sword staff. Marian jumped back and spun the Staff of Parthalan before smacking the side of the Feral Orc's head then smacked the tainted greenskin up it's jaw with the orb of her sword staff.
Before the Feral Orc could recover, Aedan bashed his shoulder against the tainted greenskin. Unfortunately, it didn't so much as move the larger creature and smashed it's head against Aedan's in retaliation. The move causes the Grey Warden to stagger back and barely managed to block the Feral Orc's twin axes. The strength of the attack forced Aedan to drop on one knee.
Marian saw her opportunity and leaped into the air before driving the blade of her weapon deep into the back of the Feral Orc. Impaling the tainted greenskin. The Champion grit her teeth and twisted her weapon before violently wrenching the Staff of Parthalan free.
The Feral Orc dropped it's twin axes to the ground before falling to it's knees.
Breathing heavily, Marian walked over to Aedan and held out her hand which the Grey Warden gratefully took before he was helped up his feet.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
The two then turned to the sounds of battle as the riders drove off the remaining Feral Orcs. One of the riders, the blonde one who lead the charge, approached the duo before looking down at them.
"Are you alright?"
"We're fine thanks to you." Aedan replied "May I ask the name of our savior?"
The blonde climbed down the saddle of her horse and a bit of red dusted Aedan's cheeks as he noticed her attire. It looked like something that a brothel wench would wear to fulfill a customer's fantasy.
"Princess Knight Alicia Arcturus of the Kingdom of Feoh." The blonde, Alicia, answered "And who might you be?"
"Senior Warden Aedan Cousland, Your Highness."
The Grey Warden bowed low. He still remembered what his parents taught him when meeting with foreign royalty. Marian, on the other hand, wasn't as formal.
"Marian Hawke. Champion of Kirkwall. Thanks for saving our hides back there. Usually it's the other way around for me. It's a nice change of pace."
Aedan turned to her and raised a brow as he crossed his arms.
"We were just surrounded by those things and would've been killed and all you can think of that it's a nice change of pace?"
"What can I say?" Marian shrugged before folding her arms under her chest "People usually come to me to solve their problems or save them from something or someone that's trying to kill them. Like I said, being the one to get saved is a nice change of pace for once."
"As fascinating as this is."
The two turned their attention back to Alicia as the Princess Knight spoke.
"I have some questions I need you to answer."
"Let me guess." Marian cut in "Your questions wouldn't happen to be about the portal thing in the sky, would it?"
"As a matter of fact, they are." Alicia nodded and placed her hands on her waist before cocking her hip.
"Well, Your Highness." The Champion let out a grin.
"Funny story... "
AN: So. The thing is. I didn't like the setting of The Heroes of Eostia so I decided to make a reboot. This one has a little more lore for Eostia than the original Heroes of Eostia. Added some things here and there. Changed the name of the Goddess from Laurentia to Eos to fit the story. Changed some backstory as well. I'll see how this one compares to the first fic. If it does good, I'll continue it. If it doesn't, I'll put it in the trunk until further notice.