By sunrise I had made it to a coastal village of Marseille. It wasn't much, there where boast that would take you to a different city though and that is what I needed. I know it was rude to leave without any notice to the Empress, but Maker's breath did I need to leave. The faster I left the harder it would be to find me. The boat ride to Val Royeaux took a week, it was an uneventful week. I had a lot of time to think. I didn't get sea sick like the last time I got on a boat, but I still had time to think. I had spent enough time in Orlais that I had started to come up with a vague plan of where I wanted to go now. So far the plan was to get to Val Royeaux, get my things I had stored away. Then get to Cumberland, hopefully I could hide in Nevara for a while. I could feel my stomach turn at the thought of abandoning the people I had grown attached to while in Val Royeaux.
Once back in Val Royeaux I felt myself relax just a little. I didn't think I had been that tense over leaving the Winter Palace like I did. I moved through the streets to the woman's shelter. My first stop in this city among others. On the rooftops I noticed a platoon of Templars marching down the street. One Templar was not a good thing, let alone twelve like I was watching march down the street. Curious I followed them.
I cursed to myself as they began to search Jaque Garcon's studio. Why in the world where they tearing apart the place? I sighed heavily and climbed down from my spot on the roof tops. I needed information, I walked up to one of the neighbors. Jaque had a few of them, and I kept myself as kind as I could be to them, even helped a few bake cookies or muffins. This particular neighbor was a horrible gossip and loved any rumor she could spread.
"Excuse me, but perhaps to you tell me Templars are searching this building?" I was glad L'orage for the most part didn't sound like me. He blended in a little better with the clothes that Mélissa was hell bent on making for L'orage, he needed to fit the part of an Orlisian and what better way than to have a tailor make you clothes, though I also didn't have much of a choice in the matter.
"Oh, you haven't heard? It seems like Jaque was killed by a blood mage. The Templars suspect that it was sweet Paul, his apprentice, that was the blood mage. I don't believe it to be him in the slightest, the boy might have fought like a cat with Jaque about art all the time but he wouldn't have wanted to kill him." I felt my blood go cold, I let Jaque's neighbor continue to gossip and talk as I fell into my own thoughts. Jaque died, fuck, he died by the Baron's blood magic and I was being pegged for it. I didn't do anything and Jaque died because of it. "Oh but you should see the art that Paul can make."
"Thank you good lady. I will take my leave." I spun and left ignoring the humph from the old woman. Back on the roof I mourned Jaque, he might have been old and refused to use my name but the old woman was right, I didn't want to wish death on him. I sat myself on the roof across from the studio and cried. I couldn't let the Baron do this again.
Night fell and many of the templars left the studio. One remained in the studio and one stood outside. I needed to get some things from under the floorboards in the bedroom that I called my own for the better part of my time in Val Royeaux. Most of it was gems and the like, I had a small fortune at this point under those floorboards, I couldn't just not take it back and fund for me to get out of the city let alone a different country. I needed clothes so that I didn't look like Paul leaving the city. I needed a lot of things and none of them I could get if I left with half the money I have saved.
I found a young urchin in the street behind Jaque's home and paid them fifty silver to make as much noise as they could, nock over bins and barrels it didn't matter what they did and run as soon as they saw me leave their sight when I got to the roof top and away from their vision just that happened. I had a few ideas on how to deal with the templars but this seemed the most effective, I didn't know how well using magic would be on putting a Templar to sleep, and that would have been my goto method if I had not been facing a Templar. Regardless, the noise the kid made was enough to get the Templar's out of the house. I slipped into the house through the window leading to my room and found my hidden stash of gems and coins. They had made a disaster of my bed room, paints smashed canvases ripped and the bed destroyed. What were they looking for contraband? I cursed to myself as I heard the Templars come back into the house. I placed the floorboards back and scattered the mess on the floor back over it, leaving was nerve racking. I was very glad they didn't notice me leave.
With my small chest in hand I made my way to the women's shelter. I knew these women and that they could hide someone for a few days and get them out of the city unnoticed. I was my best option at this point, they also had the other half of my savings stored away in the roof that they so kindly let me save here. I knocked on the door and was welcomed by Annabelle being eccentric as always and giving me a hug while pulling me inside.
"L'orage it is always so good to see you! Tell me what brings to here today?" she busied herself will pouring us both cups of wine. I took the cup and made myself home next to the fireplace in the parlour.
"I am afraid not good news Lady Annabelle. I have angered the wrong people and I do not want to see their wraith fall on anyone I have gotten close to."
"Then you will leave the city, but not before staying here for a few days. I will arrange for transport out of the city and someone to help you with a cover." I could feel my shoulders lift as if a great weight had been taken off them.
"Annabelle, I owe you one darling." She waved her hand as she drank from her wine and sat across from me.
"No such thing! You got those donations to us from a Marquis of all people and we are still floating pretty with that money. Consider this us paying you back for all you have done for us. Now I think I know what to do for you."
I stayed for three days at the shelter. Annabelle did in fact have a plan. She happened to know a wealthy merchant whose son I could pose as while leaving the city. He was about to go on a venture to Val Chevin and then Cumberland from there. He had agreed to have me pose as his son to get out of the city and to Cumberland. I was forced to pack up L'orages clothes and put on some very rich clothing fitting for a merchant prince. L'orage wasn't colourful enough apparently. By the time the ladies where done, I was shaven, dressed and make up was on my face. I looked like a merchant's son and not out of place for Val Royeaux.
I got to meet the merchant before arriving at the boat. Josué Leclair Sr was his name. Mr Leclair was a portly fellow and I was to address him as 'Papa.' I did my best to play the part of his son. Though it seemed his son was more spoiled and more than glad to not have to go with his father on this trip to Cumberland. I worked with what I was given about the Josué Leclair Jr.
I spent a week pretending to be Josué Leclair Jr while we sailed to Val Chevin. The city wasn't all that different from Val Firmin. It was smaller than Val Royeaux, still rich and beautiful. It felt lackluster now that I had spent so much time in the grand city and the Winter Palace. We didn't spend too much time in the port city, it was after all just a pull over stop before getting to Cumberland.
Cumberland did not in fact have a city of the dead. That was purely the capital city Nevara, not to be confused with the nation. It was a little disappointing, but the city was still grand and they still manages to revenerate the dead here as well. Statues of heroes long past lined the streets and decorated their buildings. It was massive in scale and rivaled Val Royeaux in beauty. Val Royeaux had colour, gold leaf and art everywhere. Cumberland on the other hand had architecture, most of the stone buildings were made of marble forms including the column and round arch, the tunnel vault, and the dome were commonplace and the main streets were wide and made of cobblestone. Enough to fit 4 carts across for traders to move their goods around the city.
I got myself in a room to a decent inn in the merchant's area rather than the lower end of town, I had found a tavern and Inn in the dwarven quarter of the city I didn't want to stay there far to flashy but I was greatly impressed with the enchantment, they had cups enchanted to keep the liquid cool in your cup. I spent a few hours there talking with the dwarves their about their crafts and skills. I silently thanked my education while at the university. I had a deeper understanding of what the dwarves were talking about. I had some ideas swimming in my brain on how to improve L'orages equipment now. But those things would have to wait. I did now have contact information of a few dwarves here in the city if I ever wanted to express an interest in being an inventor. I did some shopping as well, like selling trading some gems for coin. I even got a map of Cumberland and the free marches here. Nevarren maps had been extraordinarily expensive in Orlais but while I here I was going to buy one damn it. I wanted to know how to get to the Free Marches. What was the best way? I was going to hide in the most un-mage friendly city there was and get away with being a mage. Kirkwall was infamous for being hateful to mages because it was templar-central. Now if that wasn't the place to hide I didn't know what was.
I looked at the map carefully once in my room Even in Nevarra I still had to pay a large amount for the most detailed map I could find from here to Kirkwall. There was in fact a road from here to Kirkwall, it lead along the coast. I could take it, it would be easy enough to do. I wasn't incapable of traveling that distance on my own, but without magic it would take longer than I wanted. I also didn't want to arrive at the city by magic because of the massive number of Templars in the city. Going full speed with fade step was a sure fire way of gaining their attention. I would have to get a boat from Cumberland to Kirkwall.
A new day came around and I couldn't help myself in this city, I gotten myself a small bag of cocoa powder and a rather large amount of tea, stored in the form of tea cakes. I promised myself once in Kirkwall that I would make myself cookies and drink some damn good tea and maybe relax for 10 minutes. I also found myself some new clothes. I returned the mask I had been using to Josué Leclair Sr the day before. I found these new clothes far more comfortable. Leather Pants that I had become used to as L'orage so I thought perhaps a lighter colour would be good for my everyday life, the leather was doe hide, soft and supple and once broken in would fit wonderfully. L'orage on the other hand wore bear hide. Much darker. I got myself a white undershirt and a dark blue vest to go with it. I also got myself so decent leather boots that would last me a lifetime if I treated them right. I didn't look extravagant, like I had most of my time in Orlias, but I looked put together. And most importantly I felt comfortable. I ran my hand threw my dark hair moving it away from my face, Looking in the mirror that the tailor had just for customers I thought for a moment I looked rather dashing.
I had spent two days in Cumberland and the city was wonderful. The game didn't exist here like it did in Orlias and everyone just seemed a little more friendly than in Val Royeaux. If I didn't have a plan all ready I wouldn't be able to resist staying for more time. The city had its own life to it that contrasted with Val Royeaux. They were both massive in scale and beauty but both had different lives and a different treasure hidden around every corner. I leaned on the railing on the deck of the ship that was sailing to Kirkwall and watched as the city disappeared into the distance. I would have to come back to Cumberland one day.
Kirkwall, the city of chains. I had to say, Kirkwall's chains were not all that intimidating. However, the massive statues of men sobbing into their hands carved into the stone face were a different matter.. It was a sight that chilled me to the bone. I was dropped off at the gallows, the iconography here was shocking. I knew the city was once a slave city for the Tevinter Imperium, but this was horrifying. They really meant to put fear into the hearts of the slaves that came into this city. Getting into the city was easy enough to do, there were no restrictions on getting into the city but I could feel the tensions with the guard, I decided to do a little eavesdropping, and listen into a conversation that a couple guards where having.
"I'm not saying that the refugees are right in that there is a blight in Ferelden, but there are a lot of them coming and there very well might be more coming soon."
"Maferath's balls, we won't be able to fit any more people if this keeps up."
A blight, that wasn't good. I didn't not need to be in Thedas while there was a blight happening. That would have to be the ultimate worst thing to ever happen right now. I cursed to myself and moved on. I needed to find a place to stay and not worry about a blight.