A/N: This story takes place before my primary Origins story, and introduces the major characters. I made this a separate story for a few reasons, the first of which being that I had already typed them up before I realized that I really didn't want them as a part of my main story. The reason I didn't want them in story is because these first few chapters disrupted the flow of the story I had in mind, and I thought that if they were a part of it I would have to change how I wanted it written. But, I already had started and put a descent amount of work into these first few chapters, so I just thought I'll upload them as a short story consisting of the character's origin stories.

Warning: This story is rated T for slightly violent scenes of action and language.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Dragon Age universe. This was created purely for fans by a fan. Read and enjoy!

Gathering Heroes

Chapter Five: Crime Isn't Easy

"Still, a small segment of the elven community remains dissatisfied. These troublemakers and malcontents roam the streets causing mayhem, rebelling against authority and making a general nuisance of themselves."

Nyra huddled down against the shingles, trying to make herself as far out of sight as possible. The guards rushed by her position, shouting the usual things of "after her" and "find that knife-ear". Smiling to herself at their stupidity, she silently rose and turned about, darting along the rooftops in the opposite direction.

She had made out well tonight, snatching a silver necklace encrusted with all manner of jewels. Tomorrow, she would break it apart, and distribute it the next night, and she would be set for another two weeks. Yet before she did any of that, she had to finish her rounds tonight.

Every week or two, she did the same thing. Finished a job, broke apart the goods, and distributed it to her people. The blacksmith who broke apart what she managed to steel was content to look the other way, so long as he got a piece of whatever she was moving. He did the same thing with much of Denerim's solo thieves, even the elven ones.

How many hoops she had to jump through after every job all went back to one simple thing: the shems viewed elves as worthless. She had to have the items she stole broken apart, because any elf bringing in anything with worth would be arrested on sight, because of course they must have stolen it. So, she had to find someone willing to break apart these expensive items into smaller, cheaper bits that, if questioned about, the elves could believably say they found and salvaged.

The city guard appeared to be catching on to the blacksmith's operation, because lately they were paying him regular visits, checking up on what he had in his shop. She could only hope that they didn't start to figure out that most of his clients were elves, and then take it out on the Alienage.

Those were thoughts for another time, though. Instead, she focused on the task of navigating through the maze of back alleys and slums. Moving along the rooftops was quickest, so she kept above ground, agilely leaping from building to building. As she darted along the stone roof tops, she passed those few people who were still out at this time of night, most likely heading back from whatever job they had.

She let herself perform a showy flip off the shingles she stood upon, landing lithely upon the cobblestones of some faceless alley. Now that she was sufficiently within the heart of the city's network of alleyways and slums, she was content to move along the ground, moving along the familiar path to her hideout.

As she moved, she felt a familiar pang of longing for her home within the Alienage, with her father and cousins, Shianni and Soris. How she wished she could see them again, wished she could be with the tattered remnants of her family. The shems took that away from her, however, and now she could never return to the Alienage. One day, that bastard would pay for what he did to her.

Shoving aside those turbulent thoughts, she made the final turn before she approaches her new home. It's little more than a hole in the wall, the door hidden behind piles of crates. Yet despite the dreadful accommodations it was the closest thing to a home she had, and that was enough. As she approached, however, dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

The dingy, rotting door that barely hung on its hinges was open. Only a crack, but that was more than when she left it when she had departed in the morning. Slowly, she moved the crates and silently climbed up them, pulling herself to the roof of the building. Moving quickly, she crossed to the other side and dropped down, approaching the second entrance.

It was a small trap door that opened up to a small crawlspace of appropriate size for an elf of her build. Reaching up, she retied her tangled brown hair, and then checked her daggers before moving forward. Silently, she crawled through, emerging behind the tent of fabric she had placed before the crawlspace. Peeking out through the gaps in the tattered material, she observed her intruder.

It was a large shem, dressed in simple, nondescript chain-mail. He was seated on a crate behind the door, no doubt waiting to jump her as soon as she entered. Really, he expected to get the jump on her with something as basic as that? It would appear she had underestimated the stupidity of humans. With a cry of fury, she emerged from the fabric construct, charging across the room before he could even rise from his seat.

Spinning around, she lashed out with her foot, catching the man in the side of the face and throwing him into the wall. He shouted in pain, and struggled to rise from the ground, fumbling for some kind of weapon. Quickly, Nyra drew her dagger and lunged forward, aiming the blade for his throat.

Before she could reach him, pain erupted in her back, and she felt herself flying sideways, smashing through the door to her hovel and flying out into the street. Groaning in pain, Nyra pulled herself up from the broken pieces of her rotting door, cursing that her dagger had been flung from her hand.

"Damn it!" She snarled, trying to shake off the pain as the one who struck her emerged from the house. It was a second shem, lighter built than the first and dressed in leathers. He must have been on the other side of her hiding place, and she cursed for stupidity for not looking in both directions.

"I suggest you surrender, knife-ear. Our boss would like to have words with you." He growled in some foreign accent, drawing his sword and angling it for her chest. Nyra drew her remaining blade, lowering herself into a crouch.

"Well your boss can kiss my ass, 'cause I'm not going anywhere with you!" She snarled. The man roared in rage and leaped forward, slashing his sword through the air. Nyra ducked low under his strike, shooting her leg out and kicking his feet out from under him. As soon as he slammed to the ground she was on top of him, her dagger itching to slash his throat.

Just as her blade reached his neck, a pair of arms hooked under her shoulders, hauling her off the shem. The arms twisted up and down, pressing her head down while keeping her arms twisted up uselessly above her head.

"This one's a fighter, eh?" Said the second shem to the first, his accent slightly thicker. The smaller shem rose from the ground, giving Nyra a feral glare.

"She wouldn't mind if we delivered the elf a little banged up, now would she?" Said the small shem, cracking his knuckles menacingly. Pathetic.

"Sorry shems, but that's not happening." Nyra growled, and then flew into action. Since she couldn't ram her head into the man restraining her, she instead drilled her foot into his knee, snapping it backwards with an audible crack. The shem screamed in agony, and began to topple sideways. As they fell, Nyra raised both her legs and hooked her feet around the small shem's head, dragging him to the ground as well.

Free herself from the shem's weakened grip, she pulled her legs over her head and rolled backwards into a crouch, snatching up her dagger and clutching it tightly. The two shem's were recovering, so she acted quickly. Moving forward, she slammed her knee into the smaller one's face, then pinned the larger one to the ground, kneeling down on his chest.

"Say good-bye, shem." She snarled, before drawing her blade across his throat, releasing a spray of crimson. One shem down, one to go. When she turned to the other shem, she found him clutching at his broken nose, trying to stem the tide of blood.

"Maybe you should focus on the person who's gonna kill you, rather than your broken nose." She scoffed, stalking towards him. Suddenly, a cry sounded from her left, and someone crashed into her side, tackling her sideways and to the ground. They tumbled across the stone, and her assailant somehow flipped over as they rolled, for as soon as they stopped moving he was already perched on her chest, raising the pommel of his dagger to strike.

Reacting quickly, she gripped the attacker's wrists, holding his arms away from her face. The small, wiry elf snarled viciously, struggling against her grip. With no other alternative, Nyra pulled him forward and herself up, slamming her head into his. The elf groaned in pain, and Nyra used his lapse in focus to wrench him sideways, now holding herself over him.

"An elf? Why are you helping them?" Nyra shouted, pressing her knee hard into his groin, the only sensitive part of him she could reach. The elf simply growled in fury and struggled against her, trying to free his hands. Nyra was about to strike when a foot suddenly appeared in her vision, flying into her face before everything went black.

Trapped.

The thought repeated itself over and over again in her mind as she struggled against the ropes binding her hands and feet. She was gagged, her eyes blind-folded, and bound like an animal waiting for the slaughter. Nyra was terrified, cold sweat dripping down her brow and fear clutching tightly at her racing heart.

This couldn't be how she died, couldn't be how her short life came to an end. She still had yet to find love, to have children to teach the way her mother had taught her, and to kill the fucking shem who stole her life. She had so much left to do, this couldn't be her end.

Nyra struggled against her bonds, pulling her arms and legs till her muscles screamed and her skin was rubbed red and raw. Her breaths came in short, jagged gasps, and her whole body was one tight mass of pain and fear. Her face still ached painfully from where the shem had kicked her, though her nose had stopped gushing blood before she awoke.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps. Many footsteps, all around her, surrounding her. Nyra began to struggle even more fiercely, unable to accept that she was about to die.

"Oh, calm down, my dear. I'm not going to hurt you." The voice was female, high and clear, lightly touched with the same accent she had heard from her attackers. This must be the mistress they spoke of. "Bartan, if you would?" At her words, the blindfold was wrenched from her face, and she took in the person in charge.

She had to admit this was not at all who she had pictured. She had imagined hardened, fearsome shem crime boss, who had spent years killing off any competition. Instead, what she got was some pretty young noble woman.

For that was what the chestnut-haired, emerald-eyed woman before her had to be. Elegantly curled hair, shimmering silk dress, and glittering jewels, all of the signs of the self-entitled, arrogant human nobility. The shem smiled at Nyra, as if mocking how powerless she was.

"You are quite the interesting young woman, Nyra Tabris." At the sound of her name, Nyra went rigid, staring in shock at the human woman. How in the name of Andraste's flaming tits did this shem know her name? No one outside of her family knew Nyra Tabris had done anything other than die in the Arl of Denerim's estate.

Seeing her reaction, the shem let out a laugh. "Oh, I know quite a bit about you, Nyra. How's the family doing these days?" Rage burned through Nyra's body, and she struggled against her bonds, trying to force her words out around the gag. "Bartan, the gag as well."

As soon as the gag was removed, Nyra spit in the shem's direction, her face twisting into a venomous sneer. "Fuck you, shem! You don't scare me, and you might as well just kill me now!" She snarled, glaring at the human woman with feral rage.

The shem curled her lips in disgust at the splash of spit that had fallen just short of her. "Truly Nyra, such vulgarities are unnecessary. I am simply here to speak with you." Nyra scoffed at her words.

"Is that why you had your thugs attack me, knock me out and tie me up? So we could talk?" This shem was out of her mind if she thought Nyra would believe such obvious lies. The human waved a hand in the direction of the hulking shem standing beside Nyra.

"Very well, if you object to the bonds so much, then they will be removed." The huge human man reached down, slicing her bonds away. As soon as her hands were free, Nyra reached around and gently rubbed her wrists, trying to get the blood circulating again.

"What do you want from me?" Nyra asked slowly, looking at the crazy human with wary eyes. This shem had to be out of her mind. Even with her hulking guard, with her limbs free Nyra could easily end her life. It was this curiosity that managed to hold back the overwhelming urge to kill and run.

"To make a business proposition." The shem smiled conspiratorially at her. "You see, dear Nyra, I am new to Denerim, and I am in need someone like you."

"Someone like me?"

"Someone unattached. Skilled and knowledgeable of the area, but not attached to any other crime syndicate." A cunning smile split her face. "Even better, you're not selfish, so I won't have to kill you later on when you get greedy. Perfect qualities of an assistant, in my opinion." So this shem actually was some kind of crime boss. But how? Nobility like her were air-headed twits that worried about if the color of the dress matches their eyes, not gang leaders.

"So you're hoping to set up shop in Denerim? Why? There isn't much room for newbies around here." Nyra spoke slowly, keeping her eyes focused on the woman who was steadily becoming more than she seemed.

"Because, I hear things are about to get wild here." At Nyra's confused look, the shem let out a little laugh. "Have you not heard? Darkspawn amass in the south, and the King is gathering his army for war. War brings discord, and discord brings profit for people like me." She smiled wolfishly. "My husband and I are interested and getting what we can from this war and pulling out, but to do that I need someone to help show me around."

"Your husband? Is he the one in charge?" Nyra asked, putting the pieces together. This was just the pretty wife of the real crime lord, who was keeping his identity a secret from the help. However, the human woman laughed again, throwing back her head.

"Oh, he would like to think that. However, it is we women who hold all the power, Nyra. I was the one who suggested coming here, and here I am, alone and in charge of our operation." She laughed again, fanning her hand in front of her face. "Goodness that was a funny one, my dear. No, he is far away, and it is I who you will answer to."

Nyra quickly decided she had experienced enough of this shem. "Sorry, but I'm not answering to anyone." She quickly rose, hooking her leg under the chair and flinging it into the face of the woman's hulking guard. He stumbled backwards with a cry, and as he went she reached out and plucked his dagger from his side.

Whirling about, she raked the blade across the throat of the second guard, who fell spluttering to the ground. The third shem was prepared for her strike, and parried her blow with enough force to send her reeling. He pressed his advantage, advancing on her while she was still stumbling away. But as he slashed his sword at her head, she threw herself forward, rolling down in between his legs.

The shem tried to follow her movement, but before he could finish turning she sprang up, stabbing her blade for his throat. Problem was, her arm stopped moving just short of its target, as a slender hand shot out and gripped her wrist.

Snapping her eyes sideways, Nyra was shocked to discover the noble woman gripping her arm, holding her dagger back from the guard. Was the shem bitch out of her mind? Nyra twisted her arm out of the woman's grip and slashed for her throat, her dagger singing as it cut through the air.

Impossibly, the noble easily twisted around the strike, gripping Nyra's wrist and squeezing the nerves so painfully that her fingers released the blade of their own accord. Snarling in rage, Nyra lashed out with her free fist, but the shem flicked her arm up and swept aside the blow.

Who in the name of the Maker was this woman? Nyra went into full attack mode, her body a frenzy of lashing legs and fists. If there was one thing Nyra prided herself on, it her was skill as a brawler. Yet despite her brutal skill, the woman dodged and deflected her every strike, her body weaving with liquid grace around her attacks.

Nyra kicked for the woman's knee, hoping to snap it backwards, but the shem again dodged. She spun around Nyra leg and then reached out, grabbing the back of Nyra's neck and pushing her forward, the shem's leg kicking Nyra's feet out from underneath her. Nyra managed to convert her fall into a flip, her feet flying over her head as she kept herself from crashing face-first into the floor. Springing up to face the human, she ground her teeth, sizing up her surprisingly skilled opponent.

"Do you really want to play this game, Nyra?" The shem smirked, her emerald eyes glinting. This bitch was going to die, Nyra resolved. Throwing herself to the ground, she rolled over her dagger, snatching is up as she went and pulling herself into a crouch, gripping the blade tightly.

The woman altered her stance, leaning back and relaxing her posture. "So be it. Let's play, little elf." At her words, Nyra slowly advanced, swinging her dagger wildly through the air, trying to throw her enemy off guard. Yet when she reached the shem, she ducked weaved around Nyra's slashes, not a single one even grazing her.

Altering her grip, Nyra stabbed for the shem's chest, but the human ducked sideways and gripped her wrist, wrenching the blade from her hand and spinning her aside. Using the spin to her advantage, Nyra whirled about and gripped the woman's arm with her left hand, pulling the limb across her torso and leaving Nyra's right arm free to attack.

She punched the shem hard in the stomach, sending her reeling backwards. Before the bitch was out of reach, Nyra wrapped her arms around her legs, lifting her up and tossing the shem to the ground.

With a snarl of fury, Nyra spun on her heel, raising her leg up and over her head. Using the momentum of her spin to add to the strength of the blow, Nyra brought her foot crashing down with enough force to crush the woman's chest and grind her into the ground. Only thing wrong with that thought was that the shem wasn't under her heel when it slammed down.

She had already rolled away, and was crouched just out of Nyra's reach, smirking at her. Nyra panted with exertion, her muscles screaming at the effort of her attacks. Slowly, the shem reached to the ground beside her, plucking up Nyra's blade and twirling it around.

"That was a good one, Nyra. Almost had me there." She grinned maliciously. "Unfortunately, you are going to have to pay for that shot you got in." Fast as a snake, her arm shot out, releasing the dagger and sending it soaring towards its previous owner. Nyra ducked sideways, the blade singing past her shoulder by barely an inch.

When she turned about, it was to a fist smashing into her face, driving her backwards into a table. Snarling, she lashed out at the shem, but her arm was swiftly gripped and wrenched forward, pulling her into another blow to the face. She was then pulled forth again, and Nyra cried out in pain as she was slammed into the ground, a foot pressing down on her back and a hand pulling her head back by her hair.

"Well, that was more than one hit, but everyone is allowed to get a little caught up in the moment." Came the bitch's floaty voice from above, mocking her. "Now, I think this game has gone on long enough. Bartan, if you would?"

The shem stepped off of her, and then hands gripped her arms tightly, wrenching her up and throwing her into another chair. The shem bitch settled down opposite her, exhaling dramatically and smoothing her hair and dress. For the first time since laying eyes on her, Nyra began to feel fear coiling in the pit of her stomach. Who was this human?

"Really, Nyra, were such dramatics necessary? All I wished to do was make a business offer." Her voice was smooth, as though she hadn't been soundly beating Nyra mere seconds ago.

"And what happens if I refuse? You kill me?" Nyra spoke with fire, but inside she fear tightened her heart. This woman was very capable of killing her, and probably would, once she was done playing with her.

"Of course not, my dear." The human's voice was shocked, as if such a thing was unthinkable. "You are fully capable of refusing, and walking out of here unharmed. However, it is not a choice I would recommend."

"If you won't kill me, then what can you do? I have nothing else to lose." At her words, the shem smiled cunningly, like a cat peering down on a cornerd canary.

"I wouldn't quite say that." What was this shem talking about? She couldn't mean... "Wouldn't it be such a shame if all the elves you help suddenly found their lives more difficult? Especially your dear family."

Nyra lunged forward, her attack only halted by the larger shem's hands. "You wouldn't! Those people have nothing to do with me!" How typical of the shems. Always taking out their petty anger on elves doing no more than getting by.

"Oh, but I would." The human bitch's voice was mockingly victorious. "You see, my dear, I am a business woman. Sometimes, my kind are forced to make the more unscrupulous decisions in order to achieve our goals." Her voice hardened, and she leveled an icy glare on Nyra. "You will do as I ask, or see those innocent people suffer for your own foolish stubbornness."

How could their kind do this? How could they be so willing to harm elves to achieve their goals, to spill the blood of her people simply because it suited their desires? If she agreed, she was trapped in the employ of this cunning and extremely dangerous human woman, yet if she refused, she brought suffering down on people undeserving of it. It appeared her path was laid out before her, and she could feel chains settling around her, pulling her forward.

"Fine! I will do what you want."

"Excellent!" The shem exclaimed, clapping her hands together in joy. "Well, my dear, Bartan will escort you out, and then I will call upon you when I am in need of you." The larger human gripped her arm and yanked her from her seat, pulling her towards the door. "Oh, and by the way, I don't think I ever told you who I am."

He twisted Nyra about, forcing her to look at the shem who would be her new master. "My name is Erisa, and you had better remember it, for we are going to be seeing a lot of each other." The shem smiled, and waved as Nyra was wrenched away. "Goodbye, my dear Nyra."

Nobody ever said being a thief was easy, but Andraste's flaming tits, what had she gotten dragged into?

A/N: And here we have Nyra, my City Elf rogue. Now, I went down a bit of a different road with her, as her origin story has already happened. As you may have read, Nyra escaped the chaos of the Arl of Denerim's estate, and without Duncan there to rescue her, was forced to flee the Alienage. Really, she isn't even going to appear in my main story till later on, and thus she really doesn't need her own chapter in this little story introducing my Grey Wardens. But I just couldn't resist a nice action-packed introduction to her and a future problem for Denerim, Erisa, so here is what I wrote up.

If you read this, thank you so much, it really means a lot to me. If anyone has any suggestions or criticisms, please leave me a review and I'll see if there is anything I can do. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you will enjoy what I write up in the future. Who exactly is this mysterious woman so easily capable of besting a skilled fighter like Nyra? What does Nyra's future hold with her, and inevitably the Grey Wardens in their quest to defeat the Blight? You'll have to wait and see...