Chapter 6: Back to Basics pt2

Viscount's Keep-the Barracks

The Kirkwall City Guard is the official army of Kirkwall. Answerable to the viscount, it's responsible for law and order in Kirkwall and its surroundings. While the Templar Order concerns itself with apostasy and demonic possession, matters of crime and contraband fall to the City Guard who walk the patrols and undertake the investigations. Despite the racial tensions between the humans and the elves being commonplace in most human cities, the Kirkwall City Guards seems to recruit elves in its ranks. Ericks headed for Aveline's 'office' in the barracks, unlike some of her fellow guards, her area was impeccably tidy. A lot of the guard looked very bored or not very interested in doing their duties, Aveline explained that thanks to Knight-Commander Meredith presence, the Templars have been gaining more and more power to the point that the order were starting to encroach on the city guard's responsibilities.

And the new guard captain, Jeven is no help either as he simply refused to stand up to Meredith which made him unpopular with the men. Not to mention it was rumored that he that he had ties to parts of the criminal underworld in Kirkwall and that he might have had something to do with the removal of Ewald, the former captain, although there have never been any proof. Aveline took out some papers and shifted through them, unlike the Hawke family the former soldier had settled well into her new life.

"Seems like Kirkwall suits you" Ericks said.

"It has been a challenge. Lots of opportunity…if you're favorable to the locals"

"Are you?"

"Argue enough and you kind of convince yourself" Aveline said.

"So…it's been a year…" Aveline stopped looking through the papers; it's been a year since her husband Wesley died. The Hawke family had been worried that she's been working herself to the bone to distract her from her grief.

"I am where I am, how close I hold my memories is my own business" She then pulled up a case report filed some days ago and gave it to Ericks. "My patrols have come up empty but I can't help but feel something big is coming, and I can use you" she said. "An ambush, probably for a caravan but I can't find any shipment that match-up"

"Doesn't matter, though. Highwayman waiting for someone to rob? I'm putting a stop to it, my district or not"

"Got a name or anything else to go on?" Ericks asked.

"Not important, if we show up and they attack, they're bad, simple as that" she said. "I'll wager it's smugglers, maybe that group you joined up with last year"

"Nah, not Athenril's style, she's not going to risk the goods getting damaged"

"You never know, she could be getting bolder anyway it seems like an obvious trap for a caravan"

"How'd you find this out?" he asked.

"I have contacts and they're complaining about a lack of meat….thugs and such. Someone is hiring" Aveline said. "And, one or two were told to prepare for 'travelers'. You want to be good at this job; you pay attention to what's missing and when people arrange escape routes"

"Sounds like something you'd want to share with your fellow guards"

"And I will if you decide to refuse, I'll send my alerts and someone else will lead a patrol" she said. "But the coin is good and there's influence to be had, you're my friend, so I'm offering"

"You had me at good coin, alright Avi I'll play guard for you" Ericks said. "Just point the way"

"They're somewhere up Sundermount, it's remote and rough in terrain but I've been told there's a shortcut on Kirkwall's side" Aveline said. "Since I know where this shortcut is, I'll be coming with you and plus you're acting on behalf of the guard"


Lowtown sits in a massive cauldron-shaped pit that was once Kirkwall's first quarry. The district was constructed by slaves who carved the city and its harbor out of the rock. Today, Lowtown is a labyrinth of shantytowns, corridors, and hexagonal courtyards—"hexes" in the local parlance. Lowtown's poorest live in caves hewn out of the cliff face. The district is shoddily built and bears scars caused by collapsing walls. Foundry smoke smothers the area. Only a cold winter storm clears the air, but the icy wind howling over the mouths of old mineshafts hardly counts as relief.

Occasionally, these Darktown shafts erupt with gouts of foul air known as chokedamp. It's not uncommon to find whole slums silently suffocated, frozen in the midst of everyday activity. The walls surrounding Lowtown are highest by the harbor. Its busiest street leads up to Hightown, where the wealthiest Kirkwallers perch. When one stands in Lowtown, all one sees other than the rocky walls is Hightown. It glitters overhead, always in sight, yet always beyond reach.—From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi

Lowtown

Lowtown is one of the main districts in Kirkwall. Lowtown serves primarily as housing for the city's less wealthy residents as well as the city's industrial center. In spite of this it remains a source of major commerce with markets lining the streets of Lowtown peddling their wares to all who pass. The gang headed for the slums where Gamlen's residence resided, Ericks needed his concoctions and Bethany needed her staff. Gamlen's home was not what one would consider…comfortable, it had the bare minimum of the necessities, it was leaky, and it reeked of booze yet it was somehow better that living Darktown. Leandra and Gamlen were in the main room talking but the air was heavy with tension, since living with Gamlen, the man has made his resentment of his sister well know which was surprising since Gamlen gave Leandra his blessing when she ran off with her husband, Malcom.

"…hard to believe they left me nothing" Leandra said.

"Well, mother was pretty steamed when you ran off with your Fereldan apostate"

"I'm still their daughter, their eldest!" she said. "My children have been in servitude…servitude …for a year. They should be nobility!"

"So…is it like this all the time?" Varric asked.

Bethany sighed. "No, you caught them on a good day today…at least there's no spitting this time" she said. "Why don't you just wait outside? Trust me; you don't want to witness this"

Gamlen snorted. "If wishes were poppy, we'd all be dreaming"

"This is real? No wonder I can't wake up" Ericks said.

"And here I thought Malcolm was a mage, not a jester" Gamlen said. "Have your mother ever told you about the Comte de Launcet? Leandra was supposed to marry his eldest son for the good of the family. Instead she ran off with your apostate father"

"After that little debacle, you don't get to stay the favorite, dear sister"

"Where is Father's will? If I could just see for myself…" Leandra said.

"It's not here, all right! Once it was read, it went to the vault" he said. "No one needed to look at it again" Since they were children, Ericks and Bethany would always hear from their mother that her family, the Amells were nobility that stretched from the Fourth Blight but not much else. It was because the Amells had a legacy of magic thanks to the family's Tevinter heritage, the Amells were once the branch family of a Magister family until they lost contact. It had been a stain on the lineage, no family of good standing would ever marry into a magical line. When Leandra chose her husband, she brought more magic in the family not less. Leandra still remembered when her parents found out she was pregnant with Ericks, the look of shame and disgust on their faces still haunts her.

"Did grandda mention ma in his will at all?"

Gamlen glared at Ericks. "Our father died when you were still in short pants, lad. You can hardly expect me to remember"

Bethany frowned. "Sounds like a 'yes' to me"

"Touched a nerve, I see. What is it you don't want us to see?"

"Nothing!" Gamlen then regained his composure. "It doesn't matter because it's still locked up on the estate and that's been out of my hands for a long time"

"You didn't take your parents' will?" Bethany asked.

"It was old news. You think I would just sit here for twenty-five years waiting for Leandra to slink back?"

"Who bought the estate, Gamlen? Perhaps I could speak to them" Leandra said. "Was it the Reinhardts?"

"No one you know, get used to Lowtown, sister" he said. "That's where we're going to stay" Gamlen then walked out his house, possibly to drink his anger away. Leandra gave an angry sigh and went to take a nap while the siblings went and got their equipment. Taking care of bandits was much better than dealing with family. As they headed out of the city, Bethany spoke up.

"I hate thinking badly of family but…did Uncle seem slippery to you when he talked about Grandfather's will?" she asked. "If he, say, 'invested' Mother's money, do you think he would tell us?"

"Gamlen can't say 'good morning' without lying twice" Ericks said with a snort.

"Mother…she's been so melancholy since Uncle brought up our grandparents anger about Father" Bethany said sadly. "She wishes she'd died with Carver" Ericks was speechless for once and could only lower his head. "It's like coming here ruined every good memory of childhood. I wish we could get some of it back"

"That's one more reason to get on this expedition; maybe we can buy back the estate to whoever Gamlen sold it to"

Bethany frowned. "Uncle gave it to a slaver who beat him at dice" she said. "Apparently our ancestral home is now the base for slavers from all over Thedas"

Ericks sighed and palmed his face. "Of course he did that" he said dryly. "If only he saved us all the trouble and sold himself instead"

Bethany giggled. "Could you imagine Gamlen sweeping and scrubbing for some Tevinter matriarch?" she said. "Seriously, though. Those scum have no right to family's things. We should break in there, get the will for Mother"

Ericks raised a brow. "Who are you and what have you done with Betty?"

"Some things are worth the risks" she said. She showed a brass key in her belongings. "Mother still had her old; she once told me it should unlock the cellar. Apparently the sewers run right beneath the house"


Kirkwall is guarded by mountains to it north, the tallest of which is Sundermount. The mountain has a fearsome reputation. Legend says it was the site of the final battle between the Tevinter Imperium of old and the ancient empire of elves that perished with Arlathan. Both sides unleashed horrors into the waking world, and Fade creatures prowl the heights to this very day, unaware that the war for which they were summoned is long since over.

There is a tale in the Free Marches that Blessed Andraste, upon reaching Kirkwall with her armies, sojourned up the slopes of Sundermount alone. She stayed there three days. When she returned, she wept as if her heart were broken.I stayed two months in Kirkwall, and despite my best efforts, I never found a guide willing to take me up the mountain.—From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi

Sundermount

The group hid in the peaks of the mountain while observing the raiders down below. They had just missed the attack and the raiders were picking over any left overs while the seniors of the group had their top picks. "Varric, recognize these guys?" Ericks asked.

"Looks like the Coterie, damn looks like we're in for a fight" The Coterie is the principal thieves' guild of Kirkwall. Its activities range from extorting money from local merchants to assassination contracts. The Coterie has many associates throughout Kirkwall and the organization is composed of several groups, each with their own directive and leader.

Ericks then smirks as he opened a flask of green liquid. "Then it's a good thing we came prepared" He threw the flask at the raiders.

Taking care of business! Next Time! As Always Review and Comment!