This one starts with another time jump, but this is due too walking to Lothering. It's 80 miles from Ostagar to Lothering. You can not walk that in a day, even a forced march will take 3 days. All time jumps are in accordance with travel time.
/
/
/
/
/
Do not own Dragon Age.
/
/
/
/
20 Frumentum, 9:30 Dragon, Lothering
Finding, then walking along the Imperial Highway, the group finally came to the outskirts of Lothering, in the early evening. Just outside the village proper, the companions came across a band of highwaymen, a total of fifteen men.
"Look here boys, more refugees." one of the bandits said.
"These don't look like refugees. And that one looks armed." another stated slowly, pointing to Alistair.
"Wow." Sereda says, astonished.
"Be nice." Faren retorts at a whisper.
"We are not refugees, as your friend says. We are travelers, just passing through." Solona explains.
"No difference. There is a toll, you see." the first man returns.
"Yeah! Even if you're not a refugee, you still got to pay." the second man adds.
"Have you been here for long?" Elissa asks.
"A few days. Pickings been good." the first bandit answers.
Solona makes a gesture with her hand, Darrian slips away, unseen.
"Do you have any news?" Sereda inquires.
"The horde is heading for Lothering, so everyone is scrambling to gather their belongings and heading north. The Bann has taken all his soldiers and headed to Denerim, by orders of Regent Teryn Loghain. Only the Templars for the Chantry remain." the first man replies, obviously the leader.
"I thank you for the news." Solona says, then walks forward.
"Whoa there. There is still the toll to pay." the leader vocalizes, putting his arm out to stop Solona.
"Oh, it must have slipped my mind. How much is it?" Solona questions, making another movement with her hand.
Faren disappears, quiet as a mouse.
"Ten silver each, but, I'll let you go for free, if you agree to keep me and the boys company for awhile." the leader suggests, lewdly.
"How...!" Lyna shouts, stopped by a raised hand from Solona.
"As temping, as that offer is, I am afraid I will have to decline." Solona retorts civilly, one more signal sent.
Elissa walks behind Alistair, vanishing into thin air.
"That's too bad. I was really hoping to get to know you better. Boys, let's show them why they need to pay the toll!" the leader calls out.
The highwaymen attack, although, five are dead, before the charge is shouted out. Faren and Darrian reappearing behind the bandits, their daggers red. Solona sends a stone-fist to the leader, knocking him down. Alim freezes him with a cold spell, trapping him. The companions make quick work of the rest of the bandits. The spell over the leader releasing just as his last cohort dies.
"Do we know each other well enough now?" Solona asks sarcastically, a wicked gleam in her eyes..
"Yes, my Lady." he replies, terrified.
"Death here, or with the Templars?" Solona inquires.
The man closes his eyes, then sighs.
"Here." he returns, resigned.
After waiting a couple moments, the man opens his eyes, the party, walking past him. Alim standing over him.
"She has shown you mercy, shemlin. Be grateful. Ar lasa mala revas." Alim explains, leaving to follow the others.
/
"Ah, Lothering. Pretty as a painting." Alistair's voice cheerful.
"So you finally decided to join us? Did your navel get boring? Are you done sulking?" Morrigan inquires, her tone harsh.
"Leave him alone. He just lost his friends." Elissa defends.
"Do you think they would encourage his blubbering?" Morrigan retorts, defensively.
"Are you alright now Alistair?" Solona asks gently, ignoring Morrigan.
"Yes. I think I will be." he answers calmly.
"Now, we need to gather supplies, but our funds are non-existent. Alistair and Elissa, you two are the most experienced with villages like this. What are our options?" Solona queries.
"We can check with the Chantry. If there are any inns, sometimes folks post small jobs there on community boards. We can go back up to were those bandits were and check if they left anything behind." Alistair explains.
"Leave the stuff from the bandits, we will inform the Chantry. You, Elissa, Darrian and ..." Solona begins.
"Me, please? I want to see one of these Chantries." Sereda expresses, excitedly.
"Very well. And Sereda, go to the Chantry, see if they can offer us any aid. The rest of us will look around the inns and in the refugee camps. We can meet back up at the Chantry, let's say, two hours. " Solona orders, grinning.
/
After splitting up, Solona and the others head toward a bridge separating parts of the village. Lyna stops to talk to an elven family, who walk off a few moments later. They were one of the victims of the bandits, they are going to collect their things, then heading out.
Solona sees a little boy, calling for his mother. She offers to take him to the Chantry, to wait for her there. He declines the escort, but agrees to go to the building, and thanks her for being nice and trying to help.
Faren sees a woman gesture to him, who steps to her. She asks he is familiar with traps and making them. She wants to place some around her farm, to protect it from the darkspawn. Faren smiles, then tells her to hold on a sec. The others step up behind him, while he sits down and rummages in his pack. He pulls out some wires and metal shards, quickly working on the devices she asks for.
Lyna, and Morrigan stay with Faren while he works. Alim points to a small group of people behind them, gathered near an older woman. He and Solona walk over, the woman is the Elder for the village. She is trying to get everyone seen too, as she coughs hard. Solona moves next to her, placing a hand on the womans chest, releasing a healing spell. The woman breathes easier and thanks Solona. She asks if Solona has any experience with herbalism, their stores of poultices is running low. Between Alim and Solona, they are able to make three batches, showing the Elder how to make more, if she has the supplies. The woman thanks them, handing them 50 silvers. Faren earns the group another 50 silver from the trap lady.
The group heads to the inn, a villager outside tells them, the mabari are not permitted inside the establishment. Lyna and Morrigan volunteer to wait outside with the hounds. Solona, Alim, and Faren head inside, the one that has picked Solona whines a bit.
The inn is crowded, but manageable. They are heading to the bartender, when a man shouts out.
"You there! Stop!" he calls harshly, heading toward the companions. "I recognize you. You were with that Grey Warden named Duncan. You're a traitor!" he exclaims.
"You are mistaken, sir. I am no traitor." Solona returns calmly.
"Liar! The Grey Wardens let the King die, and you're a Grey Warden!" he counters.
"Are you stupid?" Faren interjects, disbelieving.
"What!?" the man responses, outraged.
"I wouldn't bother anymore. It's obvious he follows his master blindly." a Chantry priestess intercedes, with an Orlesian accent.
"Stay out of this sister." the man orders, three more men coming to stand behind him.
"I will not. You are frightening these people." she adds, gesturing to the crowd around them.
"Outside. Now!" Solona orders, leaving for the entrance.
The companions walk outside, Solona sends a signal to a Lyna, who is leaning against a wall of the inn. Lyna draws her bow, the mabari braces itself, Morrigan seems rather uninterested.
"You will surrender yourselves to me. Loghain will..." he starts, the words dying as he sees the mabari.
Faren already has his dagger out, his stance ready.
"Hush now." Solona says softly, like soothing a child.
"They will just run back to Loghain." Faren states.
"I know. But we are not murderers." Solona returns, gently.
"You would let us go?" the man asks, unbelieving.
"Yes." Solona answers, a weariness to her voice.
The people inside the inn watch from the door, surprised by the turn of events.
"I would not have let them live." Morrigan confesses.
"Then we become the monsters that they fear." Solona returns.
"You showed them more compassion then a lesser would have." the woman with the accent commented.
"Thank you for trying to help." Solona says.
"I didn't do much, but you are welcome. I am Leliana, a lay sister for the Chantry here in Lothering. Is it true what he said? Are you and your friends Grey Wardens?" she inquires.
"Yes." Alim answers, suspicious.
"Wonderful. I would like to come with you. To stop the darkspawn. I had...I had a vision, about the Blight. I know that sounds absolutely mad, but it's true. I can not tell you why or how. All I know is that I am meant to help you." Leliana expresses.
"Is there something in the water up here on the surface, that turns people crazy?" Faren queries at a whisper..
"No offense, but we don't need prayers." Alim retorts, skeptical.
"I can fight, I can more than fight. I wasn't always a lay sister. I put that life behind me when I joined the Chantry, but if those skills can help you, and help Ferelden, then I will gladly take them back up again." Leliana explains, confident.
Solona stares at the woman, thinking.
"Very well. I will not turn away help when it is offered." Solona relents.
"Thank you so much. My things are in the Chantry, as long as we stop off before you leave the village." Leliana expresses.
"This is Alim, Faren, Lyna, Morrigan, the handsome hound is Loki and I am Solona." she introduced.
The companions returned inside the inn for a bit, no one else harassed them. They talked to a man selling supplies, but he didn't have what they were looking for. He did ask if anyone in the group knew about poisons, him wanting them for some traps he had put up around his farm. Leliana explained she could make some, but would need ingredients. Solona just raised her eyebrow at the sister.
The party left, turning west, towards a small open grassland, with a windmill in the distance. They saw Chasind, a couple Ash Warriors, and more refugees. At the edge of a fence they saw a cage, with a man inside. The group approached, the man was chanting in language they were unfamiliar with.
"Hello?" Solona asks.
"Leave me. I will not amuse you, just as the others before you." the caged man declares.
"Who are you?" Solona tries again.
"A prisoner." he replies, literally.
"I mean your name? My name is Solona." she continues.
"Sten of the Beresaad." he answers.
"This is a noble Qunari. They hail from far to the North." Morrigan informs.
"He is responsible for the slaughter of a farm hold, including the children. One escaped though, and ran to the Chantry. When the soldiers arrived, he was just standing there, amongst the carnage. He did not resist his arrest." Leliana supplied.
"Why? Why would you do something like that?" Solona queries, aghast.
"Either you have an enviable memory, or a pitiable life, to know nothing of regret." Sten answers sorrowfully.
"Would you wish to seek atonement?" Solona inquires.
"Are you mad!?" Morrigan retorts.
"You would free me? For what purpose?" Sten returns.
"To stop the darkspawn." Solona replies, ignoring Morrigan.
"You are Grey Wardens? I have heard for your order. Peerless warriors and great strategist. I suppose not all legends are true. If you wish to free me, you must seek the head of this villages Chantry." Sten tells them.
"Very well." Solona agrees.
/
Alistair, Darrian, Elissa, and Sereda walk to the Chanters board. They see a posting about the bandits outside the village. Darrian runs back, finding the proof they need to claim the reward. He also sees a body, not one of the highwaymen. On closer inspection, it appears to be a knight, from Redcliff. Darrian takes a locket and a scroll. He returns to the others quickly, with the proof of the bandits demise, earning 1 gold and 50 silvers. They scan the board for other jobs, a couple stick out amongst the others. Some bandits in the northern part of the village, harassing the refugees fleeing, and another about finding a missing woman. They memorize the posts, before heading into the Chantry.
Alistair talks to the Knight-Commander of the Templars for Lothering, he tells them of the ban on Grey Wardens, but also doesn't believe the story Loghain has told. He offers them some supplies from a closet in the back of the Chantry. Alistair sees a familiar face near a bookshelf, and heads towards them.
"Ser Donall?" Alistair inquires, drawing the mans attention.
"Alistair, is that you? Maker! I thought you died with the other Grey Wardens." he returns.
"If not for a friend, I could very well have. What are you doing here?" Alistair questions.
"It's Arl Eamon. He's gravely ill, poisoned. The Arlessa has tried every know cure, even magic. Nothing has helped. She sent out a dozen knights to look for clues about the Urn of Sacred Ashes. She is hoping that we can locate the Urn. It is legend to have miraculous healing powers. I fear we are chasing a myth." Donall explains.
"When did the Arl fall ill?" Elissa asks.
"About a two days after the defeat at Ostagar." Donall answers.
"That seems a little too convenient." Sereda remarks.
"What do you mean?" Donall queries.
"This Arl is poisoned, who is the Uncle to the King, who dies at Ostagar. It just seems purposeful." Sereda elaborated.
"That may be something to look into. I am waiting for my fellow knight to meet me here. We are to journey back to Redcliff with our findings." Donall
"Was his name Ser Henric?" Darrian asks.
"Yes." Donall replies.
"Then I am sorry. I found these when I went to get the proof for the bandits we killed." Darrian explains, handing the knight's locket and scroll over.
"Thank you. I will ensure they reach his family." Donall adds, taking the items.
The two men said their farewells, Ser Donall departing. The others continued to the Revered Mother, who reconfirmed the order from Loghain, about the Grey Wardens. The group returned outside, deciding to go investigate about the bandits at the northern edge of the village.
They passed the inn, seeing Lyna and Morrigan outside, the companions nodded to each other, but continued on. The last bandit fell, Sereda's axe lodged in his chest. Darrian noted a couple crates stashed behind a few shrubs. Looking inside one, it was three tents, which were pulled out and inspected, all in good shape. Next they found a cache of food and a coin box, inside was 5 gold, 73 silver, and 22 copper. Everything was packed into or onto their packs.
On the way back to the Chantry to collect the reward, the party found a womans body, matching the description from the Chanters board. Elissa finding a ring, a possible keepsake for the woman' family.
The companions reunited in front of the Chantry, briefing each other on what was discovered. Solona introduced Leliana to everyone and asked for Alistair's group to escort her to the Revered Mother. Leliana would be going inside to collect her things. Elissa acted as host between the Mother and Solona, handling the greetings.
Stens cage key in hand, the group waited for Leliana to finish getting ready. She emerged in leather armor, a bow slung across her back, and a dagger at her hip. The companions stopped at the Chanter to turn in the proof that the northern bandits were dealt with, and the news of the woman along with the keepsake ring, earning 2 more gold. Returning to the cage, Solona explained about Sten and introduced everyone. The group found the northern bandits camp, setting up there for the night.
/
/
/
/
/
The translation for the Elven that Alim says to the Highwayman 'Ar lasa mala revas' is You are free, or I give you your freedom.