Shartan and his group entered the courtyard and were surrounded at once, the duchess strode out into view on the upper balcony with a gloating smile on her face. A rift sat in the center of the yard pulsing violently, Venatori were surrounding them on all sides with weapons drawn. Shartan kept his focus on the duchess, trusting his Halla to watch his back and the rest of his friends to guard her.
"Corypheus has had enough of your interference elf." The duchess called, Shartan rolled his eyes.
"Really that is the best you could come up with, I mean I have heard that kind of speech so many times it just has lost all impact." Shartan taunted, Solas snickering behind him.
"She does sound quite like the priests of Andruil doesn't she?" Solas playing along, Shartan barked a laugh.
"Enough! I will end you here for my master!" The duchess yelled, before throwing something into the rift making it open. "Farewell inquisitor, I will give the empress your regards!" She taunted before fleeing.
A large pride demon leapt from the rift and roared, Shartan snarled at the demon and began glowing with magic. Solas and Cassandra moved to cover his flanks as he engaged the demon, Sera and Cole vanishing into the shadows while Bull and Krem charged the Venatori. With a roar the demon swung at Shartan only to lose the hand that swung when Shartan cleaved it off with a single swing, Cassandra darted in and drove her swords into it's knee bring it low.
Bull and Krem crashed into the lines of human, the archers were about to shoot them when they fell dead from arrows and blades of sera and Cole. Solas froze the demon in place with a crushing prison and with one last swing Shartan sent the head flying into the lines of humans. With a gesture the rift snapped closed, the remaining Venatori took one look and ran, leaving the group alone in the yard with a human who was tied up.
After learning the human was a source of blackmail Shartan could use, he sent him to Cullen for protection and they made their way to the ballroom. Shartan slowed their pace to ensure that they would get there just in time to capture the duchess but still let the empress die.
###
The Duchess thrust her dagger into her cousin and felt the warm lifeblood flow out and over her hand, the ballroom doors blasted off their hinges with a massive boom. Standing there greatsword coated in the blood of her demons and agents was the inquisitor and inner circle, the Duchess smiled broadly at the snarl on the man's face.
"Your too late inquisitor!" The Duchess gloated, as she threw her smoke bomb leaping out of the smoke in her rouge armor and out into the garden.
"Cullen protect the guests, chargers deal with the Venatori!" The inquisitor yelled as the Venatori began pouring into the room
Florianne leapt atop the fountain in the garden just as the inquisitor and his inner circle arrived, her Venatori harlequins sealed them in with her. Florianne readied her bow as she faced off against three elves and human. She frowned as she counted them.
"Where are the rest of your puppies' knife ear?" She taunted, the elf just coldly laughed.
"My 'puppies' are dealing with your rats Florianne, my group here is more than enough to make sure you survive this fight." He taunted, Florianne snarled and launched an arrow at his face only for the archer elf to knock it out of the air with her bow.
"Take her alive, I have many questions for this bitch!" the inquisitor ordered, glowing faintly as he leapt at her.
###
Cassandra dodged an arrow as she and Shartan danced around the Duchess harrying her, around her she heard Sera and Solas dealing with Harlequins that kept leaping into the garden to help their mistress. Cassandra locked eye with her soulmate for a brief moment and a plan wordlessly passed between them, Cassandra lashed out with her twin blades forcing the Duchess to backpedal from them and right into the swinging spine of Shartan's greatsword.
As the Duchess crumpled to a heap on the floor Shartan stepped over her. "Ma Halla you always did dance better in battle than the dance floor!" Shartan purred as he embraced her.
"Ew! Enough with the flirting, let's get back to the party!" Sera yelled as she and Solas arrived and tied up the Duchess.
###
It did not take long for the ball to calm down, Gaspard was named the new emperor and Briala named his right hand advisor and was given the land of the dales and graves emptied by the civil war. Shartan was awarded a small section of the graves as well, Cassandra asked why he wanted that place, only to receive a sly smile and promise that she would see.
Shartan and Cassandra spent the rest of the night fending off well wishers for their recent marriage, many ladies of the court lamented the lose of the inquisitor as a potential marriage option. Morrigan was given the inquisition as part of the support Gaspard gave them, Shartan welcomed her and Morrigan glared at him.
"I know not what game you play hart, but I will be watching you!" She warned before leaving, Cassandra glaring after her.
"Leave her be Halla, she has issues with her mother Flemeth and I am an old friend of her mother's so she has problems with me. It is nothing to worry about, the girl just does not understand what her mother truly is, in time she will." Cassandra sighed and dropped it.
###
Deep in the Arbor wilds a small group of elves dressed in strange armor watched shem fools blundering around the ruins of an elven home from long ago. The elves had been watching the shems get ever closer to the temple, they had awakened to the call of the temple when the outer reaches of the ruins had been breached.
[They are seeking the temple, we must wake the others!] one of the males hissed to the leader, a female elf who was young by their standards.
[Agreed, we must wake the others, but something is wrong about these ones. Some of the others report large giant blood corrupted creatures working with them. We will send word to the other guardians, I fear we will need them.] She responded, signalling the group to retreat back to the temple.
[Should we also send a request to the one who does not sleep?] her second asked, the group watched their leader think hard over calling one who was no longer sworn to protect the remnants of her lady.
[Yes send word to the black hart, this foe might be too much for our limited numbers.] she agreed, the rest bowed and the group vanished at once into the woods leaving the leader by herself for a moment.
[Will you make it in time father?] Nehra wondered aloud.