Here's some more fun. Thanks to everyone for your help and support. Y'all are awesome! Enjoy!
000000000000000
Damien stood before the man Teagan had introduced as Murdock before returning to the chantry. The mayor was not a massive man, but he was obviously strong. However, his exhaustion was more than apparent on his face. Dark circles colored beneath his eyes like shadows in a dark forest. Damien could almost smell the hopelessness emanating from him and the rest of the villagers.
"Well Warden-Commander, I'm not sure what help you can give us, but I'll take anything I can get. Our armor and weapons are in serious need of repair and my people need decent training if we are going to survive another night. There is Dwyn and his men and they would be perfect for reinforcements, but they have been barricaded inside that damn dwarf's house since this whole mess started and refuse to come out," Murdock explained glancing over his shoulder at a small grouping of buildings near the lake.
"I see a forge over there. Was your smith killed?" Damien asked pointing to a building with all the tools and supplies needed for repairing their weapons and armor.
"No, Owen is simply being a stubborn pig. He's shut himself up in his home. He says it's because we won't go get his daughter from the castle, but for all we know she's dead," Murdock explained.
"I see. Looks like I have some work to do. Leliana, work with the villagers standing in as archers. I want them to be able to launch tightly grouped volleys by tonight. Alistair, work with the warriors and train them in shield defense. All they need to be able to do is form a shield wall. Can you two handle that?" Damien asked.
"I think I might be able to, but the problem is going to be getting the archers to a point where they can fire at a set distance together," Leliana said pinching her chin as she thought.
"If we set things up the way I'm thinking. They will just have to be able to fire straight ahead at the same time. We're going to need quantity over quality from them. Work on speeding up their shots without sacrificing the power behind them," Damien answered patting his friends on the shoulder before heading toward the smithy.
All he needed was for the villagers to be a defensive line near the chantry. The more seasoned fighters would set up a front line closer to the bridge with a small force for a counter attack. The whole idea was to hold out until dawn with the chantry as their last fall back position. If the enemy pushed them back that far, they would not survive.
Of course, if they did not get the villagers' armor and weapons in better shape, there was no way they would have a prayer of surviving anyway. He had to get this Owen fellow out of his home and back to work. Damien knocked on the door only to be growled at.
"What do you want? Go away!" someone snarled from behind the door.
"Owen, I need you to open the door. You and I need to talk," Damien said looking down at the latch and lock. They were simple in design. He had picked harder locks hundreds of times, but would picking the smith's lock and bursting into his home be the best move if the man refused to let him in?
"What could I possibly have to talk to you about?" the man shouted back through the door.
Damien had to think fast. Getting the man's door open would be fairly easy, but getting him back to work would be a different story. Suddenly, Damien remembered what Murdock had said about Owen's daughter. He had a bargaining chip now, maybe that would be enough.
"I want to discuss the possibility of launching a rescue mission into the castle to save anyone left inside," Damien replied. It was true. His plan was to launch an attack on the castle as soon as they were able so that they could save Arl Eamon if he was still alive, but defending the village had to come first, but Owen did not need to know that just yet.
"Oh, wait, I'll let you in!" the man shouted. Damien could hear the clicking of the lock being undone as the latch lifted.
The door opened and a cloud of a pungent odor engulfed him. Damien had not smelled anything so strong except in a tavern when half the men inside were drunk. He could hear Alistair's voice in his head doing his usual routine of stating the obvious. 'Someone's been drinking.' That stupid sing-song voice he used when being snarky made the urge to chuckle at his situation stronger than his urge to gag. He was so thankful for his scarf at that moment.
"So, you are going to save my Valena?" Owen said motioning for Damien to come inside.
"That's the thing, my friend. I want to launch a rescue to the castle, but the defenses here need to be able to hold while I'm gone. With the state of everyone's weapons and armor, I'm afraid a rescue mission is unthinkable at the moment," Damien said. He paused hoping his words would find their way through the alcohol soaked air and into the smith's ear.
"What's that supposed to mean?" the smith slurred.
"I noticed that your smithy is very well stocked and your forge still has some embers burning. If you were willing to help equip the villagers with better weapons, or at least repair the ones they have, I would feel better about leading my people to the castle as long as defenses hold tonight," Damien said crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.
"You mean, if I help fix the villagers' weapons and armor, you'll rescue my Valena?" Owen said taking a step closer to Damien. His breath nearly smothered the warden as he waved his hand in front of his face.
"You have my word. If the defenses hold tonight, I'll launch a rescue mission into the castle myself tomorrow morning," Damien said extending his hand.
"Alright, you got it. I'll get to work," Owen stated letting out a hiccup as he made his way toward his forge.
Damien nodded and took a quick swig from his canteen. Getting Owen on board would definitely be a boost to the villagers' morale and that was probably worth more than any repairs the smith made to their armor and weapons. Next he needed to get the dwarf, Dwyn, on board with defending the village. Fighters with experience were going to be the backbone of Damien's strategic defense. Although, experienced fighters like Dwyn would not be persuaded just with words. A little intimidation would probably help and when he needed someone intimidating, there was only one person that came to mind.
"Commander, I had Bodahn stow the wagons behind the chantry then take Sandal inside. What are your orders?" Daylen asked.
"I need you to go and relieve Sten and keep watch on the bridge leading to the castle. Send him to meet me in front of the chantry. Lyna; you, me, and Sten are going to talk with some... um... reluctant volunteers," Damien said smirking.
"Maker, I always miss out on the fun," Daylen said smiling as he jogged off toward the castle bridge.
"Why Sten? He's not very good with diplomacy," Lyna said following Damien over to the stairs of the chantry.
"Sten is going to be with us purely for intimidation. No offense, but you and I are not exactly scary looking," Damien said turning back to look at Lyna.
"I don't know. With that scarf and hood, you look pretty terrifying. Well, at least until you start talking," Lyna said smiling.
Damien chuckled as he took a seat on the stairs. He looked out at the groups of villagers as they trained. They were working hard, despite their exhaustion. The basic tactics Alistair and Leliana were teaching them seemed to be taking hold. The archers were able to fire volleys together every few seconds but after four or five volleys, they were too tired to continue for a few minutes. He would have to keep that in mind for when the fighting started.
"You sent for me?" Sten said stepping in front of him.
"I need you to look scary for me," Damien said causing Lyna to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"I do not understand," Sten replied.
"Come with me and look angry. We need to convince a stubborn dwarf to join the fight with his men," Damien stated.
"I will simply tell him to join or die," Sten stated sternly.
"Sten, we can't kill him. We need him. As much as I would love to see you beating the crap out of a stubborn dwarf," Damien replied holding back a laugh. He stood quickly and waved for them to follow him. Murdock had pointed out Dwyn's house while they were talking. Damien was a little more worried about the number of men the dwarf might have with him.
Damien knocked, but there was no answer at all. Three times he slammed on the door to try and get them to answer but nothing. He could hear some voices inside, but nothing else.
"Sten, you mind knocking for me?" Damien said smirking. "Knock hard."
"Very well," Sten said stepping forward. He reared back and kicked the door with all his might sending it flying inside.
"Nicely done," Damien stated smiling and walking casually inside.
In the main room, a dwarf with four humans stood with their weapons at the ready. Damien could tell they had plenty of fighting experience. The dwarf was especially tough considering the way he held his dual-blade axe and his fighting stance.
"Who in the Void are you!?" Dwyn shouted taking a step forward.
"Just your friendly neighborhood recruiter. Congratulations! You've been drafted," Damien said crossing his arms.
"By the stone, get out of my house before I kill you," Dwyn said as his men lifted their weapons.
"Asala. Why do you have it? Give me back my Asala," Sten snarled taking a thundering step past Damien. The young warden followed the qunari's gaze to a sword hanging in the wall. The design was rather unique. Damien had never seen a blade like it, and the fact that Sten said a name, it must have been his sword.
"What are you talking about?" the dwarf answered standing his ground.
"Well, you see, it seems you purchased a stolen sword. A stolen qunari sword to be precise and it belongs to my large friend here. I really hoped that I could convince you to help us defend the village but I suppose eliminating a weapons thief is a nice consolation prize," Damien said gripping the handles of his daggers.
"Wait, I was told the owner of the sword was dead," Dwyn protested.
"Then someone lied to you. Hand over the sword then report to Murdock with your men for assignment. Do that and I promise to make sure my qunari friend doesn't rip your arms off," Damien said motioning the the steaming Sten next to him.
"Sod it, fine. Take the damn thing. It's not like we could stay in here anymore anyway after you broke my door down," Dwyn stated motioning for his men to follow.
"Glad to be fighting with you," Damien said grinning as the dwarf passed him.
"I can't believe it. Asala has returned to my hand. I am whole once more," Sten said taking hold of the grip and raising his sword.
"She is a beauty. I'm glad we happened to stumble across it like this. I was planning on talking with a few old contacts to see what they knew, but here she is and in beautiful condition too," Damien said stepping closer so he could see the sword better.
"Are you sure you are a Grey Warden? For I believe you are an ashkaari to find a single sword in a country at war," Sten said pressing his forehead against the flat of his blade.
"We just happened to stumble on it, Sten. I'm glad you have it back and all, but seriously, I didn't do much," Damien confessed looking over his shoulder at Lyna.
"Still, you sought after it. You have my gratitude. I had almost forgotten what completion felt like," Sten said gripping his sword tightly.
"Now that you have your weapon back, what do you say we get ready for the upcoming fight?" Damien said tapping his own blades.
"Agreed," the qunari replied laying the blade against his shoulder as they headed out the door.
Sten continued on to the village square as Damien leaned back against the wall taking a deep breath. His chest might as well have weighed as much as a drake with as difficult as it was to get a breath. The second that Sten had started shouting at Dwyn, Damien thought he might have to defend his companion and slay their much needed reinforcements.
"You look like the Dread Wolf is on your heels," Lyna said leaning against the wall next to him.
"I don't mind if he's willing to help us fight," Damien responded glancing over at his companion. As much as his group was doing, he still had doubts that they would survive the coming battle.
"You will figure things out. You always do," Lyna stated patting him on the shoulder.
Damien nodded and adjusted his scarf. He needed to stop worrying about things that were not happening right there and then. If he kept worrying about things that did not happen or had a slim chance of happening, he would not have the energy to fix what needed to be fixed right in front of him.
"I'm going to go talk to the knights, see if I can get them to get some sleep. Scout the bridge and any other path that the enemy could use to get to the village. We'll need to put up some barricades and set traps all along them," Damien said pushing off the wall and heading back toward the stairs.
"You got it," Lyna replied jogging away ahead of him.
Damien spent the rest of the afternoon examining maps and discussing defense options with the knights and Bann Teagan. The knights would take shifts building the palisades to help defend the main route into the village which would then be soaked in oil that Alyssa found in a store that had been boarded up. With the palisades set a blaze along with the other traps and magic wards everyone had set up, the enemy would lose many of their horde before ever reaching the village.
After inspecting the defenses, Damien sat down with his back against the windmill near the main gate of the village. As he caught his breath, the young warden found himself feeling almost at peace, forgetting about the impending battle, and allowing himself to rest his body and mind. The sky looked bluer and calmer than any ocean or lake Damien had ever seen. There was something about it that made him feel safe. The cool, Fereldan air encircled him and penetrated his armor cooling his skin. He even pulled the scarf away from his nose and mouth to let the fresh wind caress his face.
"Enjoying yourself?" someone asked. Damien jumped slightly and instinctively pulled his scarf back up over his nose and mouth, but upon seeing that his visitor was Kallian, let the fabric fall back to his neck.
"What's the situation?" Damien asked leaning back once more.
"The traps are set and Morrigan is finishing up the wards, but I found something that seems... off," Kallian reported.
"Off? I might be a mage, but I'm not a mind reader. Care to elaborate?" Damien said pushing himself back up onto his feet.
"There's a tavern up the road and I wanted to see if it might be a good place to stash some of the wounded, but the owner is a shem asshole. But anyway, there's an elf there that looks way too well armed to be in the militia and won't talk to anyone. The waitress told me he hasn't been fighting either," Kallian reported. Damien crossed his arms looking down at the ground. He was already starting to come up with possible scenarios that would fit what Kallian had told him, but none of them really fit.
"Sounds like I might want to make a new friend," Damien said smirking. This elf could be only one of three possible things; a sibling of one of the castle servants waiting for his chance to get into the castle, a traveler who got stuck in town during the attack, or he was a spy for someone keeping an eye on Redcliffe.
The tavern could not have been described any differently than a pisshole. The smell of the air reeked of booze, vomit, and old blood. Damien could see a few militiamen in a corner trying to drown their sorrows, but the sorrows were too numerous to submerge in their mugs. The youth thanked the Maker for the scarf over his nose and mouth so that he could stand the smell.
"Where's our new friend?" Damien asked scanning the room.
"Far wall, next to the window," Kallian said. Damien spotted the elf she was talking about. His armor looked to be of high quality and the bow on his back would have fetched a small fortune from any weapon dealer. If the man had the skills to be trusted with such quality equipment, he would have been a great help to the villagers. Why wasn't he fighting?
"Kallian, how do you feel about making a friend while I see what he has stashed in his pocket," Damien said smirking at his companion.
"You and Soris really are a lot alike. He would use me as a distraction too," Kallian said crossing her arms and looking rather perturbed.
"I would do it but I really don't have the curves to make it work. Tell you what, if he gets grabby, feel free to break his nose," Damien said flexing his fingers and concentrating on finding any paper or object in the elf's pockets that might explain his presence in the village.
"Fine, but if I have to punch him, I'm gonna punch you too," Kallian snapped.
"Noted. Let's get to work," Damien said nodding to her.
Kallian sauntered up to their target and gave a smile that nearly distracted Damien as she slipped into the chair next to the elf. Damien made his way across the tavern and focused his mind on the objects in his pocket. He reached out with his magic and took hold of a letter in the man's pouch and slipped it out unnoticed. Kallian was doing her best to keep the man's attention on her but the mysterious elf could not have been more cold. Damien was sure Kallian would have been the perfect distraction, but then again, maybe the elf was more into people of Damien's gender. The warden shrugged. No use worrying about it. What was done was done.
Using a small lamp at the bar, Damien quickly opened the letter and did his best to read through it. Luckily, the words were fairly simple. The letter contained orders for the elf to keep an eye on the castle and report any changes while keeping his head down. It even referred to him by name at the top, 'Berwick'. Maker knew who this man was working for, but at least Damien had a name and a purpose for the elf.
"Berwick! It's been a long time. How have you been?" Damien shouted tucking the letter in his pocket and pulling his scarf down. Keeping his hood up would keep his face hidden from the others in the tavern and possibly suggest that they were in the same line of work.
"Who are you? How did you know my name?" Berwick snapped jumping to his feet.
"I'm hurt. It's me, Daveth! From Denerim!" Damien said. I hope you can forgive me for this, Daveth. I need your ghost to protect me. Damien had used fake names before, but Daveth's was the first that came to mind when Berwick asked who he was and posing as his old, fallen friend left a sour taste in his mouth.
"I don't know you, so leave me alone," Berwick snarled as his hand gripped the handle of his dagger.
"No need to be unpleasant. I was just wondering how your current job was going. You know, your scouting position," Damien said pulling a chair up to Berwick's table. He looked over at Kallian and nodded to her hoping that she knew to play along.
"I... what do mean by that?" the man replied lowering his voice and returning to his seat. He obviously was trying to keep to his orders to remain unseen despite Damien's announcement of his name to the whole tavern.
"I mean, what changes were you supposed to report, because I think monsters attacking the village every night is a pretty big change. What do you think, Kari?" Damien said looking over at Kallian.
"Sounds like a pretty big change to me," Kallian responded smiling over at the warden-commander. Damien smiled back. Thank the Maker she understood what he was doing.
"Shut up, how do you know about my job?" Berwick growled looking between Damien and Kallian.
"I should have told you. My partner and I are thieves," Damien said pulling his letter from his pocket.
"When did you take that?" Berwick exclaimed opening his pouch.
Damien stood and tapped the grips of his daggers. "Perhaps I should reintroduce myself. I'm Warden Commander Damien. If you value your life, you'll sit there and answer my questions. If you don't, I'll order you hog tied and left on the bridge as a distraction for the enemy we'll be facing tonight," Damien stated lifting his scarf up over his nose and mouth again.
Berwick looked completely dumbstruck by the statement. He started to move like he was doing to get up, but Kallian suddenly slammed her knife down into the table catching the sleeve of the elf's tunic.
"Kalli, you should really watch your temper," Damien said returning to his seat.
"Just making sure he's cooperative. I plan on collecting what I'm owed," Kallian responded. Damien smirked as he crossed his arms. She didn't seem to have a problem with him calling her 'Kalli'. It was certainly faster than saying Kallian.
"Now that we have your attention, who do you work for?" Damien asked leaning forward slightly.
"I... um... I was hired in Denerim by Arl Howe, but I think I'm indirectly working for Teyrn Loghain,' Berwick confessed.
"Looks like Loghain might have been behind Arl Eamon's illness after all. Do you have any proof other than your testimony?" Damien asked standing up and walking behind him.
"I have a pass from the Arl to get into a side gate of the Arl's mansion in Denerim, but that's it. They didn't give me anything with an official marker," Berwick said turning his head trying to see where Damien was. The youth leaned forward so he was right next the the elf's ear.
"Too bad," Damien whispered causing the elf to jump and look at him with fear nearly spilling from his eyes.
"Commander, what are you doing?" Alyssa asked from the door with Brax in tow.
"Talking with a spy from Howe and Loghain who will be joining us in the fight to keep the village safe tonight," Damien said patting Berwick on the shoulder hard enough that he almost knocked the man out of his chair. "Oh, Kalli, if our new friend tries to run away, break his legs and leave him on the bridge."
"Consider it done," Kallian responded pulling her knife from Berwick's sleeve and sheathing it.
Damien nodded and headed for the door waving for Alyssa to follow. Brax bark happily as Damien rubbed the mabari's ears as he passed.
"What did you mean in there when you said that elf was a spy for Howe?" Alyssa asked. Damien could hear the anger boiling up inside her. Her voice had a slight quiver to it as she spoke. Damien could only imagine what the girl wanted to do to any of Howe's lackeys. Void take him, he wanted to rip the elf's throat out himself to avenge his friends, but for the moment, the elf was a larger asset alive rather than dead.
"He was sent here to spy on the castle and report changes back to Howe and Loghain. We might be able to use this later, maybe even prove that Loghain had something to do with Arl Eamon's illness," Damien said as he headed back toward the mill.
"I guess I can understand that," Alyssa stated reluctantly.
"Good, as wardens, we have to put fighting the Blight first but if our own plans for vengeance mix in with that, I don't see a problem with killing two rats with one arrow," Damien said sitting down in the grass and laying back against the building.
"Isn't the phrase 'two birds with one stone'?" Alyssa asked sitting down next to him.
"Yeah, but when you're talking about traitorous rats like Howe and Loghain, even implying that they are close to being birds is insulting to all bird kind," Damien responded smiling as came over to him and laid his head down in the young commander's lap.
Alyssa laughed as she nodded. "I certainly agree with that."
"So, while you were searching the town, did you find anything we could use?" Damien asked.
"Well, I found an old sword locked away in a house. Sorry to say but I paid the children of the former owner of the sword so that I could take it. It's a very strong blade and apparently belonged to a dragon slayer not long ago," Alyssa said.
"I would have paid for a blade like that too. Something like that might come in handy when we face the archdemon, but what about supplies, armor, traps? Anything else we could use?" Damien asked.
"There is a general store in town with a few barrels of oil. We could soak the slope leading from the bridge with it, or set it on fire," Alyssa suggested.
"I like it. Gather up a few volunteers from the militiamen in the tavern and get those barrels up here. I doubt we have much more time before sunset," Damien answered.
"On it Commander," Alyssa responded standing and jogging away. Brax quickly jumped back to his feet and chased after his master as she ran.
A fire trap with palisades and a strong, defensive line might be able to hold for a few hours, but if the enemy were to attack from any other direction, the troops he stationed near the bridge could get flanked. He would need to keep a strong defensive force near the chantry along with the force at the mill with the traps. Having a fast moving group of strong versatile fighters would probably be a good call too. He had his plan. Now all there was to do was complete their preparations and wait. That second part would be the most difficult to handle.