Chapter 17: Blackpowder Promise
Being lost in an ancient Tevinter ruin in northern Rivain is highly overrated. And then I found myself beset by several bands of Qunari, apparently working in concert. I fled and managed to hide in a little village by the name of Vindaar. The people there, mostly humans and a few elves, were devout followers of the Qun.
It was the most organized village I ever laid eyes on. The houses were identical and arranged along perfectly orthogonal lines. The fields were well tended and apparently communal. But there were signs of damage everywhere, as if the town had suffered repeated sieges: buildings shattered, fields burned, and a great many empty houses. I spent the night in the home of Vindaar's matriarch, who introduced herself only as, "Seer." When I tried to regale my hostess with the tale of my Qunari assailants, I discovered something.
Qunari, Seer said, are people who follow the Qun. Her people. Those born into Qunari society who rejects the Qun are called Vashoth, which means "gray ones." These gray ones must leave their homes, for they have no place among the Qunari. Sadly, many turn against the society that cast them out. These outcasts call themselves Tal-Vashoth, "the true gray ones." Often, they have no skills to make an honest living, so they sell themselves into service, usually becoming mercenaries. Even the most inept fighter among the Qunari race possesses prodigious size and an intimidating visage. These, she informed me, were my attackers in the countryside, the same band that wreaked such havoc on Vindaar.
The Tal-Vashoth wage a bitter war against the Qun, the Qunari, and sometimes against order itself. They are no match for the Qunari army, so they generally strike at farms, travelers, and those who stray too far from Qunari protection. I was lucky to escape with my life.—From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi
The Wounded Coast
After leaving the slaver's cavern, the gang could see that dawn was about to break. They had spent the entire night looking for Feynriel and were incredibly tired. Unfortunately it was also a long way back to Kirkwall meaning the gang may have to make temporary camp to regain their strength. As they were heading down the mountain, they heard sounds of fighting.
"Protect me! Do your job!" Down the path they saw two sellswords fighting off giant spiders, they were protecting a dwarf in red and gold clothing. The gang joined in on the fighting, helping the sellswords fight off the spiders. The spiders soon ran off when their numbers dwindled, the dwarf came out from behind his hiding spot and berated his bodyguards.
Ericks crossed his arms. "Out of your element, dwarf?"
"No thanks to this lot, that's what I get for trying to get a blade at a bargain" The dwarf then looked at the gang and grinned. He rubbed his hands as he approached. "You though, you're what a man needs…skilled enthusiast"
"You can start making sense any time now"
"My manners! Javaris Tintop, merchant and investor" the dwarf said. "I need forward thinkers to help court the Qunari" Recently, the Qunari had settled in Kirkwall due to being shipwrecked by a storm at sea. The Qunari practiced the Qun, a code of honor based on the writings of the Ashkaari Koslun. The Qun is a philosophy, a set of laws, a legislative guide, and a social architecture governing the Qunari. The Qun defines the role of everyone and everything in the society of the Qunari, regardless of whether it is spiritual or mundane. Fanatical in this devotion, the Qunari are prepared to wage war throughout their entire lives as part of their attempts to "enlighten" all other races in regards to their philosophy. This has cause a bit of nervousness among the citizens as back in the Steel and Storm Ages the Qunari came close to conquering most of Thedas. Viscount Dumar allowed the Qunari to set up base in the docks as a peace offering but that has done little to ease the concerns of Kirkwall's people.
"Court the Qunari? You would have a better chance at courting a brick wall" Aveline said.
"Those horn-heads in Kirkwall have a powder that explodes. And it's just dust, no lyrium, no demons. Anyone can use it"
Aveline frowned. "I've heard of this, it's why everyone fears another invasion from them" she said. "That dust can obliterate a troop of men in minutes"
"Something that powerful, I doubt they were eager to sell" Ericks said.
"Their leader, the Arishok said I wasn't worthy, that only their outcasts, the Tal-Vashoth are that mercenary" Javaris said. "I said, 'Great, I'll go talk to them', didn't go over well"
"But I had a thought, if I get rid of something that bothers him more than, well, me perhaps he'll bargain"
"Let me guess, the Tal-Vashoth"
The dwarf grinned. "The Tal-Vashoth, are you up for some paid hunting?"
"But don't the dwarves have something like that already?" Bethany asked. "They use it for mining if I remember"
"Bah, small things, shaped to crack faults, not shatter the earth. Plus they're mostly lyrium" the dwarf said. "Not to mention they're expensive to make, poisonous even to dwarves. The Chantry control it topside and the glow makes you a target: problem after problem"
Ericks snorted. "Sounds like you've made a bargain you can't keep"
"Humph, no one has vision anymore. All right, I'll go sweet talk a giant by myself" he said. "Ugh, I hate being cod-level with those oxmen. Makes me wish I was stone-blind"
"If you do change your mind in collecting Tal-Vashoth heads, well, I'll be all smiles in their compound" Javaris and his guards walked away and the gang went on their way back to Kirkwall. However their trip back was impeded, the Tal-Vashoth had set up camp near the exit and the gang had to fight through them to get out of the Wounded Coast. As they were getting close to the exit, the gang could hear a voice echoing from the cliffs.
"You endanger yourself, human! Do not say you were unwarned!"
"The Tal-Vashoth are polite I'll give them that, most would just attack without warning" Ericks said. They turned the corner and could see the road heading towards Kirkwall, as they continued onward a pike dropped from the sky to their feet. A silver skinned horned man came from the cliffs and appeared in front of them. He confronted the gang alone, the horned race that makes up the Tal-Vashoth and the Qunari were well known for their large stature and their incredible strength. They were also incredibly durable and resilient; the horned giants were practically immune to most known poisons and the muscle structure was denser then even dwarves, making them difficult to cut.
Not to mention fighting long term against them were a nightmare as it was incredibly difficult to starve them out as the horned giants could without food and water for months at a time. Combine this with the fact that their natures were unknowable, it was no wonder the rest of Thedas trembled at their sight. "No further, human! Tal-Vashoth control these passages"
"Ambushes are usually quieter, Qunari"
"I did not intend to ambush. I expected to warn a caravan, but you are not helpless" he said. "The path ahead is littered with my kind. If you are as skilled as you look, it would please me if you killed them" The gang looked at one another shocked, the giant wanted his own kind to be killed off but then again the nature of their kind was hard to understand.
Ericks raised a brow. "And I should trust you?"
"I have no history of betraying your people, only my own" the giant said. "I did not like my role, so I left the Qun. I do not wish to be a murdering thief, so I left these Tal-Vashoth to warn their victims"
"You are no victim, so now I will leave"
"If they have offended you so much, why not stop them?" Aveline asked.
"But I am worse, they don't want to raise their swords for coin, so they murder and steal" the Tal Vashoth explained. "The cling to the honor they held under the Qun"
"My sword means nothing; I will sell it, and myself, as mercenary. Qunari would say I am worse" he said. "I have already done more than was demanded, by my own choice. You have my word of caution, human, heed it or do not"
Aveline shook her head. "As long as I live, I will not understand the Qunari" The gang headed for the exit where the Tal-Vashoth camp lies.
"More victims for the slaughter! Get them!" The giants attacked, Merrill and Bethany cast their spells to scatter the Tal-Vashoth. Ericks struck hard and fast, but it felt like he was hitting a boulder…a large horned boulder that wanted to kill him. Aveline charged into the giants and stabbed one of them into the gut; she swung around and bashed the other with her shield. Bethany used a horror hex to make the Tal-Vashoth panic while Merrill shook the ground making the giants fall off the cliffs. More came from the north from some caverns to attack the gang, Merril slammed her staff to the ground and lightning surged through the ground and shocked the giants in its path. Bethany summoned a hail of ice to freeze the Tal-Vashoth allowing Aveline and Ericks to shatter them. Eventually the Tal-Vashoth stopped coming much to the relief of the gang.
"Done for better or worse. I'm sure the dwarf will be happy we did his job for him" Aveline said.
"I wonder how much this will pay, it better be good for all the trouble we've been through" Ericks said. "I can't wait to sleep in…" The gang left the piles of Tal-Vashoth bodies for the buzzards to have and headed back to Kirkwall.
Kirkwall Alienage
Once back, the gang headed to the Alienage. Ericks knocked on the door of Arianni's home; the elven woman came to the door. She had bags under her eyes; the elf was not sleeping well due to worrying about her son. "You're back! Whe…where is Feynriel?"
"Your son decided he'd rather be an elf than a Templar prisoner" Ericks said. "He decided to join the Dalish"
Arianni blinked. "What? But he is human. They did not even wish me to raise him among them" She then went quiet into deep thought. "But…they do value magic more than the men of Kirkwall" she said. "Perhaps he can have both safety and freedom…" The elven woman went to her finger and pulled off a ring on her finger.
"I have little money, but this is a Dalish ring that has been in my family for generations. Please accept it with my thanks"
"We couldn't possibly take such a thing" Merrill said.
"It is fine, you deserve it. Most people in this city would even give us a second glance because we are elves" Arianni said. "But you did, and you saved something more important than a ring" She gave Ericks her ring and smiled.
"Then I will take care of this ring as if it were my own" Ericks said. She went back inside and the gang scattered. Ericks walked Merrill back to her house while Bethany headed home. Aveline headed back to Viscount's Keep to fill out some paperwork which probably piled up a lot from her absence.
"Well, that was…a fascinating experience" Merrill said. "How does anyone keep it all straight?"
Ericks chuckled. "I don't think anyone does…except Varric and he's probably full of it" The rogue then started to yawn. "Well I'm ready for the bed in the worse way, I'll see you later"
"Goodbye Ericks, we should do more walks around Kirkwall…" Merrill then blushed. "When we have time I mean"
Ericks smirked "Sure, I would like that" Ericks headed home.
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