Another chapter of Literal Dragon age Origins the Kobold Commoner. Please leave a fave and comment if you enjoy. Also note that the dialogue will be different due to having bad memory when playing the game.
Chapter 2 – Oskias
As Faren leaves his house, he is greeted by the slums of Dust town filled with other Castless Kobolds struggling to survive. Some are prostitutes while others are simply beggars. The sickness of Orzammar's perfect society they call it.
With a quick breath, Faren scans around the stony neighborhood and spots Leske, a pale purple Kobold leaning on a building waiting for him.
"About sodding time! I was about to bust an eye at that spicy sister of your ga-row", Leske purrs as Faren walks up to him.
"Dammit Leske, didn't I tell you to stop talking about my sister like that?" Faren frowns and crosses his arms. Leske might be his best buddy, but he just can't stand his sexual remarks to his own sister.
"Aww common. No hot blooded Kobold could help himself. I mean that little perfect snoot is just calling my name!"
Faren Rolls his eyes at that remark.
"You gotta have a few naughty thoughts yourself right?"
Faren blushes in embarrassment at what Leske just said. A flurry of thoughts of skimpy Kobold girls dancing flashes in his mind like getting off road with a wagon. He slaps himself on the face to clear his thoughts before giving Leske a glare and retorts, "Just tell me what the job is."
Leske sighs in disappointment and comments how Faren got his reputation as the grumpy one.
"Well then, there is a surfacer by the name of Oskias. He served as the boss's smuggler for Lyriam but word is he might be holding out."
Faren chuckles at the idea of some bold giving his boss a hard time and responds, "stealing from Beraht? I like him already."
"Then that will be a short relationship. Because the boss wants us to kill him" Leske tells Faren.
Faren gets a little uneasy. It did not feel right to just kill some bold. Most of his past jobs involves fighting Orzamar's guards but they are usually self defense. He is no murderer.
"Can we like speak with this Oskias first and hear him out? I don't really like the idea of flat out killing him."
"Whatever makes you sleep at night my friend" Leske assures him. "I heard that he is resting at the Tapster's tavern in the commons."
He points down the road in between the run down stone buildings where the commons is supposed to be. Faren gets wide eyed with a big grin as Tapster's is his favorite spot to drink. Perhaps, it is the only tavern he knows in Orzammar. "Well then buddy, lead the way!"
With a grin of his own, Leske pats Faren on the back and leads him out of dust town.
()
The Commons. The busiest and the most commercial place of all the city underground. Filled with Kobolds of other lower castes like the merchant caste who set up various shops. The smith castes tending to the weapon shops and many more. There are also a lot guards who are mostly warrior caste patrolling the streets keeping order. Sadly, as a Castless, Faren gets the usual treatment.
While following Leske through the streets, Faren would look around other Kobolds who just give the cold shoulder. Some would call him 'brand' as an insult or simply avoided him. Females especially ignored him due to not wanting anything to do with one who is rejected by the ancestors. He even tried hooking up with a servant caste girl only to be pushed off.
Faren wishes things would be different for Kobolds. He remembers Rica used to tell him about how their father told her stories about how living among dragons in the surface is way better. Makes him want to just leave. But that would mean his caste would be stripped if he had one and would be at risk of losing connection to the stone. It's what the shapers teach.
Speaking of Dragons, he never really met one. It is said they are way taller than them and are a very numerous and diverse species of all Thedas. Perhaps, there are more dragons than raptors and themselves! Due to living in dust town most of his life and restricted trade from the surface. It is why he never met or seen one. Maybe they are too busy fighting darkspawn from what he heard.
It is no secret the reason why there are not much darkspawn attacks in the deep roads because the bulk of the hoard are at the surface. Yet the army are still getting exhausted. He wishes he could join the army or the Legion of the dead and fight but as a Castless, that would upset them privileged noble caste and the stubborn warrior castes. He did hear rumors that a prince name Bhelen of the ruling house Aeducan is sympathetic to the lower castes. That is a story for another day. Right now Faren has a job to do.
Faren continues to follow Leske to his favorite spot. Tapster's tavern. It is where Oskiras is hiding hoping to leave Orzammar before Beraht finds out. He had already convinced Leske that they would speak with him before deciding anything.
()
Tapster's Tavern. It is filled with tons of Kobolds today having a jolly time as if they are celebrating something. Faren would ask but the Kobolds refuse to speak with him for being Castless. He did manage to overhear something about another Aeducan prince becoming Orzammar's newest commander of the armies. Lucky bastard that prince must be.
Enough of that, right now he and Leske just found the bold they are looking for. Oskira. A scared orange kobold with a big sack beside him having a drink. His brown eyes are wide open, keeping on the look out for any bold suspicious. "Is that him?" Faren points.
"that's him alright." Leske cracks his knuckles. "Lets show him what happens when he messes with the wrong Kobold."
The two friends approach the paranoid looking Kobold who in turn asks, "What are you two doing here?"
"We are here to make sure you are not making a mistake," Faren answers as he sit on the seat facing Oskira while Leske stands behind him.
"I don't know what you are talking about!" Oskira claims aggressively with fear in his voice.
"Pup, we know you have been stealing Lyriam from the big man." Leske gives Oskira an intimidating look. The poor young Kobold stammers, trying to make an excuses and looks around hoping any Kobold would be their to help him. Faren however did not like being intimidating to the poor guy.
"Easy their little pup, we just want some answers. Why are you stealing from Beraht?"
"You're not here to kill me?" Oskiras speaks.
"just tell us your story," Faren tells him.
With a deep breath, the young Kobold finally confesses that he was smuggling lyriam for the Merchant castes without Berahts permission hence why the boss believes he was being cheated. Once he finishes his story, Faren decides to make an important choice. He is going to let Oskiras go. Leske freaks out and shouts, "Are you blowing smoke!? Beraht will kill us if we let him live!"
"What about I give you some of the Lyriam I have been sneaking so you could use it as proof." Oskiras adds as he presents half of the lyriam to the pair.
"That sounds good! Deal!" Faren agrees as he takes the cut of the Lyriam. Leske however looks uneasy.
"I don't know about that my friend. You know the boss wants him dead."
"Look! Ill just go to the surface and never come back again!" Oskiras jumps up from his seat sounding desperate.
"You swear?" Faren raises a brow.
"I swear you will never see or hear of me again!" Oskiras promises. As agreed, the pair let the Orange go to the surface as promised.
"Are you mad! Beraht is going to fume at us!" Leske scolds Faren.
"I just can't fathom the idea of cold blooded murder," Faren defends, "And besides, we got enough Lyriam to make us a fortune!"
Faren shows the lyriam in his little claws to his best friend who in turn raises a brow.
"What do you mean we?"
"I thought I could share it with my best friend right?" Faren gets smug as he shows a lyriam ore.
"Really? In that case we better find a merchant to sell all this lyriam too. Beraht is going to have your hide if he sees this."
"And who would want to buy from us Castless?" Faren Questions his friend's plan.
"I know a Lass name Olinda. I've been smutting with her for awhile now."
"Really?" Faren gives Leske a brow as they approach one of the stands to see another common orange Kobold but a female this time.
"Why hello there Lesky! What brings you here? And whos your friend?"
"My name is Faren Olinda. And I see you and Leske are together?" Faren Asks the merchant caste Kobold lass who giggles in response.
"Not in that sense." She looks to Leske with her little arms crossed. "He should know that I am already married."
"Can't stop a bold man's heart from beating for yah." Leske grins making both other Kobolds roll their eyes.
"Well then boys, what brings you two here?" Olinda ask.
"Where here to sell this," Faren shows the merchant the Lyriam he got from Oskiras. Olinda's face is priceless.
"ANCESTORS! Where did you get this?"
"Lets say we got it from a certain smuggler," Faren answers giving his friend a wink.
Olinda inspects the ores for at least a minute. Then she offers thirty silver per piece. Wanting to sell it right away, Faren accepts the offer. Then Olinda tells them to keep low so she wont get any stares for trading with Castless.
With the Lyriam sold, both Kobold boys admire all the money they got. However Leske tells him, "You know we still need to confront the boss right?"
"I know, which is why," Faren takes out one remaining Lyriam ore that he did not sell. "I will use this to tell him that even though he escaped, we still manage to get the goods!"
With a big smile on his face, Leske pats him on the back and replies, "You my friend are so clever!"
The plan in motion. Both Kobolds make their way to were Beraht is waiting for them. Ancestors, they hope the big bold won't find out.