Alerts and Alarms
Merrill was excited to meet the new mage. There was so much they could talk about! Xandar was her student, and his enthusiasm was always welcome, but his knowledge was lacking. But this was a Circle trained mage! Whatever you could say about the Circle as an organisation, they knew how to train mages.
Unfortunately, said mage proved difficult to track down. She spent a lot of time in her room with her boyfriend. Merrill definitely didn't blush when she thought that. She was an adult and can handle adult topics like, like what lovers do in their rooms together.
Even when she wasn't, fraternising, with the male human, the mage didn't want to spend time with Merrill. The human had taken one look at Merrill's tattoos, stammered an excuse and fled the room. Since then, she hadn't managed to have a conversation with the other mage. The Dalish had gotten used to the way most people in Endataurëo ignored her tattoos these days, it was almost like being home. Seeing someone new flinch wasn't exactly unexpected, and some of the others had done so when they arrived.
But to have another mage, someone she was excited to talk to, someone who was fully trained, who she could share her passion with, someone who, in her more honest moments, she could admit she felt kinship with avoid her because she was Dalish? It hurt more than she was expecting.
"Merrill! I've had an idea!" Xandar exclaimed with exaggerated hand gestures.
Merrill stared dumbly at the human, shocked out of her thoughts by his sudden exclamation.
"What if we create an alarm system to warn of future attacks on Gladesville?" The young man continued. "That way we can help teacher and make sure that nothing bad happens to people and it will be a fun magic project!"
Merrill looks at her beaming student, red slowly creeping up her cheeks. "Why are you in my room!?"
After she has hurried Xandar out of her room, gotten dressed and fiercely scolded the young human for his impropriety, Merrill actually considers his proposal. It did sound like a fun project, though it might be one that needed Lyrium, or maybe enchantment. Still, the exercise would be interesting.
"Ok Xandar, what did you do wrong?" She asks.
"Entered a woman's room without knocking." The human recites.
"And next time you will…"
"Knock." Xandar hangs his head.
Merrill nods. "Ok, then, if you promise to keep that in mind in future, we can try to work on that spell together."
Xandar takes a few moments to process what she said. When he does so, his eyes widen in glee.
"Yaaaay!" He exclaims, waving his hands above his head.
The two of them retire to one of the many halls that dot Endataurëo. What exactly it's for is a mystery to her, but it's got lots of desks, so she uses it for research sometimes.
The two of them begin with simple ideas. Can they detect hostile creatures? No. Reading minds might be technically possible, but it dances dangerously close to blood magic, and is simply something Merrill does not have the expertise to do. Can they detect any living creature? Yes, in theory, they could also do motion.
"Is that a good idea though?" Xandar asks.
"What do you mean?" Merrill replies.
"Well, forests are pretty busy places." Xandar explains with a frown. "Lots of things move about, especially at night. Are we going to have alarms going off whenever a rat scurries out of a wall?"
Merrill facepalms. "Yes. Obviously. Eru, I get way too into my head sometimes. Right, what other options do we have?"
Xandar rubs his chin thoughtfully, "Maybe we could still make use of the idea though."
"How?" Merrill asks.
"Well, what if we change what we're watching?" Xandar asks. "Like, something moving across the road probably isn't doing anything, but something moving down the road might be a concern."
Merrill thinks on the matter for a while. "It could still be a coincidence, and the last thing we need is false positives. Besides, what if they avoid the heavily patrolled road?"
Xandar pouts. "I still think that we should consider where we're setting the alarm. It'll decide what kind of alarms would even work."
Merrill once more considered his proposal. "Alright, where do you think we should be watching?"
"Well, obviously, in an ideal world we'd watch everywhere. The forest, the roads and the village. However, we can't do all of those, so I say we just watch the village." Xandar suggests.
Merrill frowns. That does sound reasonable, but she thinks there's a better way.
"Merrill?" Xandar asks.
"Shh. I'm thinking." The elf replies distractedly.
Mercifully Xandar does in fact stop talking. It does involve some rather dramatic hand gestures however (what on earth is moving his hand along his mouth supposed to represent?). Using the silence Merrill reflects on her thoughts. She recalls the time she spent in the Alienage.
"We might be overthinking this." Merrill says slowly. "What we need isn't necessarily a way to spot threats magically, but rather a way to sound an alarm when they are spotted. Maybe we could do some kind of paired amulet thing, have one glow red when the other is activated?"
Xandar doesn't react the way she was expecting. Instead of excitement, he frowns and looks thoughtful. After several moments of silence (which she does not interrupt because she has manners) he shakes his head.
"What if people attack at night?" He points out.
Merrill chews her lip. "Shouldn't they already have night watchmen? If they have one then they can sound the alarm."
"I don't know." Xandar replies. "Isn't the point of this to give us something to supplement the current defences? These amulets seem more like regular communication tools."
"Maybe, but I think that trying to supplement the defences is the mistake. We're making it too complicated. What we really need is a way to know that Gladesville is in trouble so that we can help." Merrill proposes.
"But can't they do that with messages and stuff?" Xandar asks with a frown. "I mean, the guards change every five days. The whole point of walls and a garrison is to stall long enough for people to find out what's happening and respond. Plus, there's those scouts that probably go by every day. I think the bigger problem is something small that the guards might miss."
"Fair, I suppose." Merrill admits. "But I think the idea has merit."
"Ok." Xandar says. "So, you propose we make a Sending Stone for Gladesville. In a way that will not make either the Chantry or the Circle of Mages try to have us all killed."
"What?" The elf asks.
"You don't know?" Xandar sounds surprised. "Every Circle has a magic stone that can communicate with all the others. They're fiercely guarded and not used lightly."
"Uh, well, that's not exactly what I'm proposing..." Merrill meets Xandar's gaze, he looks as sceptical that the Chantry would care as she feels. "I suppose we can put the idea aside for now."
"Ok, so an alarm for Gladesville?" Xandar proposes.
Merrill nods, and the two get to work.
The first hurdle is the triggering mechanism. It's complicated even before they start trying to differentiate friend from foe. Eventually, Xandar stumbles onto a breakthrough when he asks how effects like Flame weapons work.
"Well, they define the area around the caster and apply the effect to everything inside." Merrill explains. "We might be able to use the walls as the boundary, but we'd need a constant power source, besides what would we even make it do?"
"Well, we could use Lyrium." Xandar proposes.
"We're not infusing Lyrium into anything, there's a reason only Dwarves and Tranquil do that." Merrill states sharply.
"Not in the walls, just to power the spell." Xandar clarifies.
"Don't be ridiculous, there's no way that would…" Merrill trails off. "Actually, I don't know any reason it wouldn't."
"Then we just have the spell make anyone who enters while it's up make a loud noise." Xandar proclaims proudly.
"Wouldn't that trigger on literally everyone in the area?" Merrill notes.
Xandar flushes. "Maybe the idea needs some work."
The two continue plugging away at the matter, but with the primary problem of how to create a sustained spell over a wide area theoretically solved, they could actually continue the work.
"So, I had another idea." Merrill begins.
"Oh? What is it teacher?" Xandar asks eagerly.
Merrill frowns. "What really? You want to hear my idea?"
"Of course, teacher, you have great ideas!" Xandar exclaims, with his characteristic arm waving.
"It's just that you were awfully down on my last idea. I just thought that maybe…" Merrill trails off, feeling slightly foolish.
"Oh! Don't worry teacher, everyone has bad ideas sometimes." Xandar says comfortingly. "Even I have bad ideas. That's why it's important to really argue with people when they think their idea's right, but you don't. Either you're wrong or they are and arguing is the only way to find out!"
Merrill looks at the human in surprise. "That's, a surprisingly robust thought."
Xandar nods. "Yeah! Sister Tiania is so smart! Though I don't know why she felt the need to say that after I told her about the Maker's messages."
"That makes more sense." Merrill mutters under her breath.
"What was your idea, teacher?" Xandar prompts her.
Merrill shakes her head and brings her focus back to the conversation at hand. "Right. Nelyafinwë and I were trying to work with the Lady of the Forest to create some kind of field of protection. He said that some kind of spirit of knowledge created a barrier that prevented 'anyone with hostile intentions' from entering. I was thinking that we could roll this project into that one. Maybe focus it on the village or something."
"That's a great idea, Merrill!" Xandar exclaims. "How'd the spell work."
"Uh, well, that is to say." Merrill mutters. "I did say we tried, not that we succeeded."
"Oh." Xandar deflates.
"I mean, I managed to work out how to invest the Lady into the spell, but we hit a bit of a snag when it came to working out how to actually identify people with ill intentions. Which is, the same problem, we're having, now." Merrill deflates entirely.
"Don't give up teacher!" Xandar exclaims, perking back up. "We can work on that together. I'm sure between us we can do it!"
Merrill meets the young man's earnest gaze and laughs. "Sure Xandar."
The two throw themselves into the research with gusto. Merrill examines spells she has learned, examines the various things she has learned from Nelyafinwë, all looking for a way to detect 'evil intent'.
The more she tries, the more problems she runs into. How does one define evil? What if it gets something wrong. Again and again she will select a trigger mechanism for some kind of protective barrier and end up tearing it apart.
Triggering based on a list of likely foes? Racist barrier that bars elves from Gladesville. Some kind of actively created defence akin to a mage barrier? Vulnerable to infiltration and decay.
One hour passes, two, and she is no closer to an answer. It honestly feels like she is asking for something magic is simply incapable of. Maybe she should try one of the other options she proposed.
Or, a bitter part of her mutters, go back to her original idea of just some communication stones. Even if she can't do the permanent network without angering the Chantry, there's those crystals. They're rare sure, but how hard could it be to recreate them?
So, on the verge of abandoning the whole endeavour, she turns to Xandar.
"How're you going?" She asks.
"Nearly done!" The human exclaims. "Then you can check it over for mistakes."
"What?" Merrill exclaims. "What? How?"
Xandar blinks in surprise. "Uh, well I thought about it, and I was like 'well, how do spirits sense people's thoughts?'. Then I realised I didn't know, and promptly figured out that we need to leave that part up to this Lady. After that I was just trying to figure out how to create some kind of barrier."
"Ok, and how do you do that?" Merrill ask.
Xandar shrugs. "There's like a whole book full of them. I just chose the strongest one and figured out how it could be cast by a spirit. The tricky part is getting past the Veil, but there's a bunch of artefacts and stuff that do that."
Merrill looks over his notes, looking for a hole in his logic. "There's no way it is that simple."
Yet, it was.
The Free vs The Chained
As you are returning from the Sabrae clan, you notice a flicker of red from the corner of your eye. It would be easily dismissed were it not for the way it moved. With your attention now upon it, you slowly realise that you are seeing the cloak of one of your rangers. Curious, you approach.
To your secret pride, the rangers notice your approach. Anneth gestures for you to be silent. You slip off Orundómë and sneak closer as best you are able.
Your officer directs your gaze with her hand, pointing further into the forest. There, on the edge of human sight, a line of tall, armoured warriors march. Their skin seems tinged grey, though it does not have the unhealthy quality you associate with such skin. Many have pale or even white hair, and most strangely many of them have horns.
Horns that bear a striking resemblance to those of the trolls you fought among the darkspawn.
Around you your rangers tense, arrows put to bowstring and hands resting on swords. For a moment you are confused, and then you realise that your own hand has come to rest upon the hilt of your blade.
You take a single calming breath, then lean close to Anneth and whisper, "Be ready, I will speak to them. If they prove hostile, I trust you to do what is necessary."
The human woman nods firmly, and you begin to creep towards the figures. In this situation there is a strong argument for announcing your presence to prevent any mistake born of surprise. There is an equally strong argument for not allowing them time to prepare in case they are intending an attack. You are erring on the side of your safety for now.
You are drawing closer to them, and mentally revise your height estimates up somewhat. Many of these beings would be of a height with Eldar, though none quite reach your height. They are also much broader of shoulder, almost like a dwarf upscaled to Eldarin height.
Judging that you will get no closer without discovery, you call out, "Greetings gentlemen, might I ask what you are doing in my forest."
The strange group react with admirable discipline. Weapons are drawn and a formation has formed facing in all directions in a short span. Given their heavy armour you judge that they might even weather the opening volleys of an ambush.
They really should invest in some shields.
"What business is it of yours?" One of the group, on the shorter side and hornless, challenges you.
You raise an eyebrow in his direction. "You walk within my woods, dressed for battle. As lord of the forest, I would say that makes it my business."
The creature gives you a long, measuring look. "We are the Beresaad of the Qunari people. We seek the one called 'the Wizard of the Woods'."
"You have found him." You reply with a smile. "Nelyafinwë Maitimo Russandol. Who are the Qunari, and what do they wish with me?"
Slowly, the 'Qunari' relax from their combat stances. The one who has so far spoken speaks once more.
"I am Sten. It is said that you are a Grey Warden." He states.
"You have been misinformed then." You reply. "I am no Grey Warden, though I have experience against the beings you call the darkspawn."
Sten gives you another considering look. "You have proof of this claim?"
You raise an eyebrow. "None that you would recognise. It is deeply unwise to keep darkspawn corpses about, the danger of the Taint you understand."
"There is no purpose in continuing this inquiry, Sten." One of the horned Qunari states suddenly. "If he is not a Grey Warden, then we must seek those who are."
You tilt your head in thought, as Sten seems to find his comrade's suggestion agreeable. You could say something to prevent them from leaving, or offer to aid their quest, but do you truly have a reason to?
Then again, you are curious about them. Do you need another reason?
"It seems rather rude of you to intrude upon my land, make demands of me and then simply leave when you do not find what you desire." You state idly. "Surely you will not depart so suddenly without first explaining what it is you seek?"
"We have already done so." Sten replies.
"I disagree." You state with a smile. "You see, while you have told me that you were looking for me, and that you wish to talk to a Grey Warden, however that tells me little of what you are attempting to do. Are you assassins? Do you wish to join their order? I am dying to know."
You admit, you might be playing the 'eccentric Vanya' a bit. However, you would argue that it is appropriate given they were seeking a 'wizard' and that you are actually making subtle threats and implications.
You are definitely not digging to get some kind of reaction out of the stone faced creatures. That would be petty.
"I see no reason to inform you of such matters." Sten replies emotionlessly.
You let the smile and pretences drop. "Then I will speak plainly, you are potential threats and I would know what business you have in my lands."
The 'Beresaad' tense once more, weapons coming to bear. Some are levelled at you, but most are still in their assigned positions. Their discipline is only revealing itself to be more admirable, if annoying.
Sten finally breaks that emotionless mask of his to look thoughtful. He is silent for a while, in that time you hear the quiet scrape of wood on wood. If one of your warriors is drawing their bow at this point you will have them drilling until their arms give out.
Eventually Sten speaks. "We are seeking information on the Blights. Our records show that Grey Wardens are the mightiest warriors who fight it, and thus we seek them to learn."
That gives you pause, and you examine the group once more. They certainly appear to be skilled warriors, and their discipline has already impressed you. You sense an opportunity here.
"Well, if you seek knowledge on Blights, I can help you." You state. "Come, join me in my hall and enjoy my hospitality. Take a night to rest, and in that time we can trade questions."
"I see no reason to do so." Sten replies. "We will be on our way."
"In that case, might I ask where you are going and where you will sleep?" You ask.
Sten has not looked away from you, but you realise that you have given him pause. It seems you are slowly learning to read these creatures.
"Our destination is secret, as is our lodging." He states at last.
"Then, if you will permit the speculation, I assume you will continue east towards the sea. Do you plan to stop at Lannerch?" You ask.
"That is a secret." Sten replies firmly.
You immediately change tack. "I see, incidentally, do you have Lanaya's permission to move through this part of the forest? Her clan has been belligerent of late, and it is unwise to travel without it."
There is a pause before Sten asks, "Lanaya?"
"The Keeper of the largest of the two Dalish clans in the area. Their territory is the more northerly, so you are most likely to run into them." You explain.
You can see the gears turning in the Qunari's head. "You are familiar with these 'Dalish'."
"I do not claim to be on especially good terms with her, but she is at least wary enough of me not to attack." You reply.
"One, whatever you are, is hardly going to dissuade a Dalish clan." One of Sten's companions notes.
After a few short moments of weighing the risks, you call out. "Rangers! Sound off!"
"Here!"
"Here!"
"Here!"
Fifteen identical calls ring out one by one from the surrounding forest. The Qunari visibly flinch, weapons being clutched tighter.
"I am not as alone as I appear." You reply with a grin.
Sten grits his teeth, likely furious at himself for allowing his force to be surrounded. "How do we even know that the information you provide will be useful?"
"You will not." You admit freely. "However, you are more than welcome to corroborate with the Grey Wardens when you find them. I will even direct you to them."
Sten frowns. "We have a great distance to travel. We should not get sidetracked."
"My hall lies on the main road in the area, you will not lose any time. In fact, you might even gain it." You reply.
There is a pause. Sten makes none of the usual signs of conflict, but based on how he has acted so far, you would guess that hesitance is in fact that sign. You think, based on long experience, he is close to agreeing and he just needs a push in the right direction.
"The day draws on, it is near noon already." You point out. "There is more than a day's travel through the forest. You will not make it out before dark. Do your warriors not deserve a night in beds that will fit them? A hot meal they did not have to cook themselves?"
Sten sighs. "Lead us to your dwelling, but know that if this is a trap, you shall die first."
As the Rangers and the Qunari form up in two lines that are glaring at each other most of the way to Endataurëo, you quietly hum under your breath.
Nëal í anmára hí[1]
Your internal celebration dies down as the march continues. The trip back to your hall is a short one as such marches go. With the relatively small force and the quality of your roads it only takes an hour or two.
You send a messenger ahead to warn Endataurëo of what is coming, and to see to the preparation of rooms and meals. You would go yourself, but remaining as a pseudo-hostage is more likely to put these Qunari at ease. Though given their apparent tendency towards stoicism, you would not be surprised if you could take your entire force ahead without them blinking.
Though you hope they would be wise enough to march away instead of heading into a likely trap.
Once within the walls the Qunari react oddly. They are not ill at ease exactly; in fact, they seem to expect a certain degree of care from your housekeepers. However, they also act as though the questions and options being provided them are some unnecessary luxury that they had not expected.
Your personal favourite reaction is the expression Sten has when Karla not very subtly commands him to have a bath. The strange combination of complete incomprehension, surprise and slight excitement is the kind of thing you wish you could preserve forever as an image[2].
Whilst this is ongoing, you consider what you wish to learn from your guests. A small part of you wishes to ask after their interest in the Blight. However, you quickly judge that a pointless question. Anyone sane would wish to know more of the Blight, it is an existential threat to life in Thedas.
No, you will instead ask after these creatures themselves. What are they? Who are these individuals, and how do they live their lives?
You wait until everyone is gathered for dinner, taking a seat among the Qunari rather than at your usual place. The tall creatures have withdrawn to a table separate from the majority within the main hall, and you notice a number of your followers watching you from a distance.
"Well, I suppose this is as good a time as any to start exchanging our questions." You state.
Sten does not reply, focused on wolfing down his food. You allow some time to pass, as you too have known the desperation of hunger.
When you think you see a chance you speak once more. "I take it has been some time since you last ate?"
Again, you are greeted by silence. Your expression is creeping past irritated and towards thunderous, matching your mood nicely.
"Among my people it is traditional to share conversation at meals, is that not the same with yours." You try, only somewhat chidingly.
"No." Sten replies.
You glare at the Qunari but wait until he has finished. There are unfortunately some situations that you simply cannot win.
When Sten is finished, he pushes his utensils aside. "You have experience with the Blight. Explain."
You lean back in your chair and meet his gaze. "Why should I?"
"This was your idea." Sten growls.
"Yes." You agree levelly. "But that was before you demonstrated that what I am interested in, the questions I have, are not important to you in any way. Now I am wondering if there is any reason for me to say anything at all, if I cannot be sure that I shall receive the same courtesy."
Interestingly, it is not just Sten, but the entire group of Qunari who look uncomfortable at that. You had expected the warrior to leap to defend his honour. Instead, he looks like a child who has been asked to build a house. Vaguely aware of the task but unable to work out how.
"I will answer your questions." Sten says at last.
"Excellent." You reply with a smile. "But, to soothe my paranoia, we shall enter into an agreement. For every question you answer, I shall answer one in turn. Does that sound agreeable?"
Sten nods immediately. Which once again takes you by surprise, usually this is where there would be arguments over who gets to go first…
"As I have now answered your question, I wish for you to explain your experience with the Blight to me." Sten states gravely.
You hold back a sigh. You had let your guard down as Sten was not a spirit, you should have been more careful with your wording. A Noldo of your word though, you launch into a short description of your time fighting Morgoth. No details, merely the bare bones.
"Tell me." You ask when you are done. "What are the Qunari?"
"The Qunari are those who follow the Qun." Sten replies. "How does the Blight fight?"
Irritation surges, and with it an idea. "With weapons usually."
"That is not an answer." Sten growls.
"Neither was what you said." You point out.
Sten is silent for a time, before he finally speaks. "The Qun teaches that there is an order to all things. Each individual has a place within that order."
"What if people disagree with what their place in that order is?" You ask.
"That is a different question." Sten grumbles.
You incline your head, as that is true. "The Blight takes two forms generally. Without a leader it is little more than a wild horde without direction. With a leader, then they will develop strategy, though their tactics will rarely improve as their lack of discipline precludes much beyond 'everyone go that way'."
Sten nods. "If one wishes to fight their nature, they will find only suffering. If the Blight is so ill disciplined, why are they a threat?"
You raise an eyebrow. "They are without number and possessed of a certain low cunning. They have a natural aptitude for ambush, and their constant infighting instils a degree of instinctive awareness of the weaknesses of their foes. Underestimate them at your peril. What is the Beresaad?"
"We are the vanguard of the Antaam, if the Arishok has questions, we find the answers." Sten states gravely. "What are the best tactics for engaging the Blight?"
You explain in as much detail as you can, given your ignorance of the Qunari's fighting style. It takes much time, but you would give this information freely. Every blade pointed at the Blight is a blade well used in your opinion.
"Tell me, what is the life of a Qunari like?" You ask.
"That would depend on what they do. I can only speak for Antaam, but my day is simple. I wake, I eat, I train until I am given orders. Then I follow my orders until they are complete. Then I return to training." Sten states. "Where are the Grey Wardens?"
"Denerim, in the castle. Their names are Duncan and Alistair, and another named Avernus, but I do not recommend speaking to him." You reply. "I can probably arrange a letter of introduction if you like."
Sten nods. "I have no further questions.
That is not the end of your conversation, but it is the end of the useful information you extract from the short spoken being.
[1] You are the best here
[2] Primarily to share with others. You can of course enjoy it whenever you wish thanks to your memory.