9
Lothering
The men standing around were all dressed in leather armour similar to mine.
"Wake up gentlemen more travellers to attend to." The man who seemed to be the leader said.
"Um… these ones don't look like them other's. you know maybe we should just let these ones past." Said a balding man with a big nose.
"The toll applies to everyone Harmrick, that's why it's a toll and not say a refugee tax." The leader replied.
"Oh right, even if you're no refugee you've still got to pay." 'Harmrick' said.
"Yeah dream on," I said. "Attack!"
It didn't take long to kill the bandits, we looted just over ten sovereigns from their bodies and entered the village,
"Right," Alistair said. "I think we should talk about where we intend to go first."
"We should try to use these treaties I assume." I replied.
"Falling on your blade in grief was too much trouble Alistair?" Morrigan smirked.
"Give him a break Morrigan." I snapped.
"I could give you directions if you like." Alistair said to me.
"Maybe kind of as we go along." I replied.
"Ok then miss as-we-go-along."
Lothering was nothing special, the once green grass was now covered with white canvas tents, a Templar stood at the gate.
"You there!" He called. "If you're looking for safe shelter I'll warn you there's none to be had!"
We wandered through the tents to find a man who seemed to be a merchant.
"Ah! Would you care to take a look at my wares!" he yelled to us.
"Alright," Alistair said.
He looked at the things the merchant showed him whilst me and Morrigan slipped around the back. There was a staff Morrigan had been eyeing up, I looked at the price tag, way too expensive,
"It's a shame we can't afford it" I gestured to the weapon.
"Who said we cannot." Morrigan held up a cotton bag filled with coin at least fifty sovereigns and much more in bits and silvers. Somehow I imagined she hadn't got it lawfully, I put it in my pack.
We walked over to the merchant.
"That staff, how much is it?" I said.
"Ten sovereigns." He smiled as we handed him the money and he gave Morrigan the staff.
"Where now?" Alistair asked as we walked away.
"The tavern." I said "The hub of all gossip in a village."
We hadn't put one foot on the bridge spanning a stream when three men cam onto us.
"So this is the Grey Warden everyone's talking about." The man in front said.
"Didn't we ask almost everyone in the village after a girl of this very description and everyone said they hadn't seen her commander?" one of the others said.
"It seems we were lied to." The 'commander' said.
"Gentlemen I'm sure there is no need for this." A woman appeared, she had short coppery hair and big blue-grey eyes, she was dressed in a peach and bronze coloured robe, she spoke with a soft Orlesian accent. "This is no doubt just some poor soul fleeing darkspawn."
"They're more than that, now you stay out of this sister or you will get the same fate as them." Commander said.
"It seems he wants a fight," I said. "I'm happy to oblige"
They attacked, but they were no match for the five of us.
"Stop! No more!" The commander said.
"Good they've learnt their lesson and we can all stop fighting now." The Orlesian woman said.
I narrowed my eyes, she seemed to be honest. "Take a message to Loghain." I snarled at the commander.
"Wha- What d-do you want t-to tell him?" the commander was shaking.
"Tell him the Grey Wardens know what happened at Ostergar, he'll pay for what he's done. We're coming for him."
"I-I'll tell him, thank you for your mercy."
"I'm sorry for interfering but I couldn't stand by and not help." The Orlesian woman said.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am sister Leliana, a lay sister of the chantry. Those men said you were a Grey Warden. You will need help defeating the blight, that's why I'm coming along." Leliana said.
"But," I was stunned by her directness. "Those won't hold off much." I gestured to her thin cracked boots and chantry robe.
"They won't but these will." She pulled her robe off to reveal dark green leathers in Orlesian style, dark green held together with buckles and emblazoned with a pink rose on the chest and gauntlets and if they were the same as traditional Orlesian style like mine on the gloved dress-like under clothes.
"What about those?" I pointed to the boots.
"I have my ones in my bag." She replied.
"And I'm guessing you have weapons in there too." I said.
"Here," she pulled out two curved Orlesian long swords, the hilts and sheaths made from the same green leather as her armour, the blades made of obsidian.
"Nice," I said. "Why so keen to come with us?"
"I… had a dream. A vision." She said.
"So you want to tag along?"
"That and the Maker wants me to come with you."
"The Maker is on my side? Well welcome aboard then!" It seemed to be impossible to annoy Leliana.
"Perhaps you skull was cracked worse than mother thought." Morrigan said.
So we wandered off with Leliana next to me, we came across some cages near the exit of the village. In one of them there was a man leaning against the wall, he had nut-brown skin and snowy white hair, his eyes were white and had the palest pinkish hue, he seemed to be chanting some kind of prayer.
"Hello," I said to him.
The man stopped his chant, "You aren't one of my captors, I have nothing to say which would amuse you human leave me in peace."
"Touchy," Alistair remarked.
"The revered mother said he murdered an entire family, even the children." Leliana's expression of torture between wanting him to pay for what he did and sympathy for his situation.
"It is as she says." The man said.
"Who are you?" I asked him.
"Sten of the Beresaad, the vanguard of the Qunari people," Sten said, something told me he could help us. "If you aren't here to mock me I suggest you leave me to my fate."
"To be eaten alive by darkspawn? No chance." I said "If I could find a way to let you out could you help us?" I asked.
"What help do you seek?" Sten asked me.
"I'm sworn to defend the blight."
"The blight? Are you a Grey Warden then?"
"Yes."
"Very well, if you set me free I will follow you into battle," Sten agreed.
"How, exactly, do you propose to get him out of there?" Alistair raised his eyebrows.
I pulled out a small parcel of leather, a lock picking set Daveth had given me when I mentioned I had lost mine at home.
"No rouge is complete without a set of picks." I grinned at his stunned expression, it was easy to pick the lock, it wasn't like it was complex.
"And so it is finished, I will follow you into battle and in doing so I shall find my atonement." Sten said.
"Glad to have you with us Sten." Leliana said.
We wandered on thinking of visiting the chanter's board to see if we could earn some money when we heard a scream.
"Someone help us!" a deep voice cried.
Racing up the set of stairs to where the voice was coming from we saw a group of darkspawn mostly Hurlocks but a couple of genlocks and the skull-helmeted eight-foot tall things. Alistair had informed me these were known as alphas, apparently they were darkspawn and slightly more intelligent, able to lead small groups. Kind of darkspawn commanders.
I was taking no chances this time I didn't mess about just charged at it and cut its head off. Without their leader the rest of the darkspawn were easy to kill.
"Mighty timely arrival there friend I'm much obliged." One of the dwarves had a dark brown beard, he was older than the other who seemed to be his son. The other was clean-shaven with bleach blond hair, something about him made me think that he wasn't quite all there.
"You're welcome." Alistair said.
"Bodahn Fredic at your service, business man and merchant." Bodahn said.
"Do you have armour, weapons stuff like that?" I asked.
"Of course." Bodahn lead me to a wagon.
"Sten!" I called. "Which of these takes your fancy?"
We examined his wares and Sten was soon kitted up in heavy plate armour, a huge great sword strapped to his back.
We restocked a few things tent's and so fourth. We thank him and his son then continued along the path wandering how we would fight with these bulky things on our back.
A\N - Finally out of that awkward chapter eight at last! I'm definitely looking forward to the dreams bit, that will be a short one and then it's Shale and Honnleath! Then it's Redcliff which I am not looking forward to and I still have to figure out how to get to the most important part of my playthroughs, but I'm not giving everything away just yet, you'll have to wait and see.