Vampires Vs Elves

Chapter 5- New and old Friends

Blood.

Blood. Darkness.

Blood. Darkness. Fire.

That was what Velanna saw. Vigil's keep. Her home for almost a decade. The ancient fortress of her world's greatest heroes and worst villains, burning in the night. The only light in the world being the flames tearing it down. Its people, dead and dying. Mauled. Faceless and limbless. Its warriors, fighting for their lives.

The enemy? Monsters. Monsters no one had ever seen before. Leathery, greasy wings. Serrated fanged maws. Bulging bellies. Eyes dark as night. Black souls and red hearts. Endless thirst and bottomless hunger. Tearing life and limb apart with strength from nightmares. Cries of mercy, pain, and the bleeding of life filled the world.

Velanna stood there. Naked and afraid. Frozen in fear.

Confusion. Terror. Endless death- worse. All of it was coming for Velanna. She had never been so alone. But then... something else. A griffin. A creature Velanna had only heard stories about but never seen- it appeared above her. Its cry cracked the chaos. All went quiet. Suddenly, Velanna was not alone in the sea of monster- but they were not her kind. They were not elves. They were human. Humans and Dwarves. Men of iron wills and cold hearts. Duty for blood. Determined to the last.

Velanna stood in the center this orgy of blood and iron. Her skin a shell of steel. Her heart cold. Her eyes burning blue.

In war, victory.

In peace, vigilance.

In death, sacrifice.

In the haze of blood and darkness, two faces emerged. One was pale as snow and hard as stone. Hair as long and dark as night. Eyes as blue as the sky. Hope and home. Safety and strength. Leadership and loyalty- Faith and family. That was what the first face offered.

The other- the shine of copper and smooth as silk. Hair as short and black as the witching hour. Eyes were green as polished emerald. Hate and hunger. Clever and cruel. Betrayal and broken promises. Death and Devour. That was what the second face offered.

A woman cried Velanna's name in the darkness.

"Seranni!" Velanna cried back, raising her hands. Mage staff at the ready.

"Wake up." A shrill voice of a harpy spat. A hard callused hand struck across Velanna's face. Thrown off her balance and dropping her staff, Velanna tilted over. Falling. Thankfully, she was quickly caught. Falling in the slim, bony arms of a Dalish keeper. The stunned Velanna was set back on her cot. Gently- near gingerly.

"Wh-Why..." Velanna stuttered, rubbing a hand over her still throbbing face. It stung. Velanna glared green daggers at the older woman. "You hit me, you witch!"

The Dalish keeper, for her part, simply rolled her eyes, pointing down at Velanna's other hand. Looking down, the elvish mage could see she had gathered power in her fist. Glowing with magical energy. Waiting to rip apart her target with the very power of creation. That wasn't the only thing. Velanna still felt the impulse of fear and confusion from her dream. A cold sweat enveloped her body. Flashes of her memories faded in the back of her mind. The glow of her fist grew. The keeper coughed, nicely, at her. Velanna sighed, released her power. Relaxing her hand.

"To answer your question." The keeper sighed herself, visibly gathering her patience. "You were about to burn down my tent. All my stuff. Oh, and a good bit of our people's collective history. Possibly yourself included, but it's harder for me to be concerned about that last bit."

Velanna scoffed at this. The elven mage was born and raised by the Dalish. Even an apprentice to her clan's Keeper for years. She was not impressed. For centuries now, Keepers had been revered as some all knowing, unapproachable sage. Descendants of the Dalish Kingdom's nobility that survived the human's invasion. Each having the wisdom and power to force a dragon to lower its head and slink away in shame.

Really, they either worked in libraries or had book collections and just bothered to run away with a handful of scrolls as the humans defeated their armies and raided their cities. Velanna knew from first-hand experience that most Keepers were just snobby know-it-alls that lived to boss people around. Hoard all their books and knowledge to themselves. Never letting anyone have a peak.

Taking on only one student in their lifetime- usually the one in their clan who didn't even want the job. Even if other candidates could also do magic better than she did. All because the Keeper and her family knew- KNEW- that reading all day hurt her head. Their big words made her feel dizzy and stupid. When said student said those big words to the other kids, they all laughed at her. Whenever that student complained, the keeper would say it was her fault, stop bothering her, and keep reading!

The rare odd fun thing the student could research- wasn't allowed to read or even USE!

"Hello?" The keeper asked, literally snapping her fingers at the elven warden. "You drifted off for a moment."

"Y-You." Velanna stuttered, embarrassed. She looked away from the woman who allowed Velanna to sleep in her bed. The tent was bigger than half of the others in her clan combined. All of it filled to the brim. Half a magical lab was in there. A craftsman's table for her staff and artifacts. Stacks upon stacks of books. Velanna snorted, haughtily. "I-It always amazes me. Clan Keepers. Housing all of their 'great knowledge' in one location- the largest tent no less. Everyone knows where to steal the good stuff."

"I like having abundant outhouse paper on hand." Destinna deadpanned, her face bored.

"Uh, Gah... what?" Velanna blathered, utterly blindsided. "Wh-Why was I woken up?"

"The most infernal," Destinna conjured fire in her palm. The flame was low, but it was bright. "You were having a panic attack in your sleep."

"N-Now I wasn't..."

"Oh, so you were just summoning fire to fight invisible demons in a place with lots of paper and jar's of boom juice?" Destinna asked, her tone as dry as the Sun. She closed her fist. The flame gone. Velanna chose, wisely, to stay quiet. The keeper stood there, staring. As if she was waiting for the gray warden to say... something. Destinna shook her head. "I'm not going to ask if you're okay."

"Th-That's a sur-surprise." Velanna heard herself stutter, again. "Y-You're not as ov-overbearing as I was expecting. Most keeper's i've met are 'motherly'. Smothering."

"Do I seem motherly, to you?" Destinna asked, her face as sharp and hard as a cursed statue. Velanna stared at this woman, it was so absurd she snorted. It was genuine. Destinna smiled. "Ah, so you can smile. Not just sneer." Velanna frowned, horribly. Even pulling down the ends of her lips. Destinna rolled her eyes. "I see the signs. You're dreams. Like the one you just had. Are they about the blight? Darkspawn, at least?

"I joined after the blight." Velanna shrugged. There was no reason to keep it a secret. Destinna tilted her head at the warden, surprised at her answer.

"I know the dream was of a battle. A bad one."

The warden could not meet the keeper's eyes. "What do you know about it?"

"There is a reason my clan avoids everyone." Destina stated, her tone flat. "Even other Dalish. Best advice, the best way to get through it is to talk to someone who knows. Though, while your husband isn't here- don't look at me."

"M-Me and my... Commander, aren't married." Velanna mumbled, her tone so low even she could barely hear it.

"A human Commander and his elf second. A mage no less. Scandalous." Destinna laughed, with a mocking gasp. Velanna glared at the older woman, ready to yell- Destinna turned around and walked out the tent flap. "Get up. We have business."

"What business- and she's gone." Velanna sighed. Grabbing her staff and using it like a cane, the very pregnant mage forced herself to her feet. A hot and heavy burp forced its way up and out. The mage warden was happy it was just a burp. Velanna looked at her filled bucket next to her cot. Putting a hand over her inflated stomach, the odd angle of her warden chain-mail still felt strange to her. Velanna mumbled as she marched out of the tent. "Stupid pregnancy. Stupid Nathaniel Howe."

Sliding past the tent flap, Velanna found herself in the center of the Dalish camp. Well, one of them. Though, if you'd been to one Dalish camp, you've been to them all. A large half buried rock for a foundation and landmark. A wide clearing on one side for visibility. Hills or thick forest for cover and resources. A lake, stream, or river for water. Aravel's, or 'land-ships' as the shemlan call them, secured in a half-moon, circular formation for protection and easy escape. All of it built around a center fire place to serve as a beacon.

Well, that was how it usually went. This camp was a bit different. The large funeral pyre on opposite sides of the camp- that stood out. Such actions were not part of Dalish custom. Most Elven dead that could be recovered were buried in the ground. Rich, lush earth. A tree planted over the deceased to symbolize new life. The burning of the dead as standard practice was a Shemlan tradition. Even the dark and hardy children of the stone knew well enough to return their dead to the very earth that bore them. The one and only time it was acceptable for one of the people to burn their own hallowed dead would be-

Velanna rubbed her temple. Memories of... what drew her out here flashed through her mind. The elven mage took a deep breath, wishing she was smelling the blight instead of... whatever was in the ashes of those pyres. Turning to the closest pile of burned dirt, Velanna saw the families of the dead gathered around it. Mothers. Daughters. Sisters. Even long haired cousins and lonely friends of those had died in the battle. All red eyed and red knuckled, they gripped their grief so tight. Laying gifts and tears in the patch of black dirt and cracked bone.

There were so few men. The oldest son in the small crowd could barely hold a spear- he was trying. The creators bless his small heart.

Velanna chose to look at other things in the Dalish camp. The two additional half-circles of Aravals around their mound of rock was a good eye-catcher. The markings, leavings, and dress of the other clans contrasted and complimented nicely with the clan that offered Velanna shelter. To outsiders, the simple differences would've been too subtle to notice. But to a child of the people... much the same. Velanna shrugged, choosing not to dwell on it. Instead, she focused on the main pillar of rock that served as the foundation of the greater camp.

Truly, there was nothing special about it. Just a jagged stone sticking out of the uneven green earth of the forest. A squat tower of granite barely two stories tall. Round enough to hide, maybe, a few aravel. The smallest guard block at Vigil's keep would've out-classed it. But it served its purpose well enough. Allowing sight for miles for look-outs as it divided the camps. The clan that housed Velanna, Lavellan she thought, at its northern peak. The other two at its southwest and southeast.

The laughter of children woke Velanna from her thoughts as two young ones raced by. That was when she focused on the people, not the place. Velanna remembered when she was young- well, younger than now. Most Dalish clans consist of a few dozen members. At best. Any larger than that break off into their own. A camp that held three clans- maybe, a hundred people. A little more. A little less. Hardly mattered. Before Velanna joined the wardens, she would've been amazed at the sight. The number of elves in one location. That Velanna knew. But now... Such a gathering would barely be called a village by human standards. Compared to Amaranthine, the settlement Velanna had called home for a decade? The Alienage alone. It was...

Velanna of the Dalish. She who wore deer skin and leaves. Slept in the trees. Relieved herself in caves and bathed in cold rivers. Alone for days at a time. Saw new faces years apart. Velanna of the Grey wardens. She who wore hardened steel and enchanted leather. Slept in beds and military cots. Bathed in actual warm baths- or not at all. Was never alone, but rarely saw the same face twice in one day.

"It is official." Velanna sighed. "I am a city girl now."

"What are you babbling about now?" The shrill voice of a harpy chirped. Velanna turned to the voice. Keeper Destinna folded her arms at her. Tapping her finger impatiently on her forearm. Waiting. The warden waved a hand dismissively as she marched up to the keeper. A dull look on her face. Destinna tilted her head at that. "I had assumed you would've asked about your human- companion, once you woke up. You don't seem concerned. If nothing else, he is your leader."

"Its been days since they started their little search." Velanna rolled her eyes. "If there was any news- any trouble, it would've reached my ears before you even looked in my direction. What else is there to gossip about?"

"That... maybe true." The Keeper shrugged, admittedly. "Regardless, the man is the father of your-"

"The last thing I need to worry about is the Commander of the gray fighting monsters." The warden faced the Keeper head on, her face as certain as stone. A hand over her swollen center. "I'm much more concerned about your second. Key... something. The ginger. She has red hair but she's green as grass."

"Green as grass?" The elder elven woman snorted. "Not a common saying amongst the people. You've been around the humans too long."

"I picked up the phrase from a dwarf." The younger elven woman shrugged, admittedly. "Raised in dust and slept under rocks. Crops was currency. The poor girl can't get enough of it since she came to the surface. Even years later. She peppers her words with as much foliage as she can. 'Beautiful as bluegrass.' Maddening as it is humbling."

"A dwarf. Singular?" Destinna asked. "In the wardens or..."

"She was the second of several when I first joined." Velanna answered, in the same tone as talking about the weather. "Hundreds now. More. The merchant's guild competes with the Alienage in numbers- though much richer. Still surrounded by humans. No helping that."

"It-It doesn't bother you?" The keeper asked, a soured, confused look on her face. A face Velanna had seen many times. "Living with humans. Taking their orders. Even having their children? You could be doing so much more for our people."

"As what?" Velanna asked, indignant. Handing back that same look. "The only reader, bossing everyone around. Leading a pack of strays from one patch of trees to the next. Praying, we find some strips of parchment in a forgotten hovel on the way. Picking fights with people that just want to ignore us. Yes, I do feel shame for not contributing."

"Living amongst the shems is better?" Destinna glared. "Its no secret how they treat the people. The dirty looks, the thrown rocks, they spit in our food. We are always first to die in their wars. Say what you want, exile, but the Dailish live by their own terms."

Velanna stood there, silent. She would not take the bait. She knew the Keeper was testing her. That was what they do. Even to outsiders... and exiles. The keeper wanted Velanna to be angry. Yell. Lash out. Surrounded by people that would call her kin. Be embarrassed and ashamed. Easier to shut up and listen to the elder. Obey. Velanna of the Dalish would've hopped on that. Bit into it and rolled over. Show her belly. Like a trained dog. Velanna the gray warden? No.

"Respect." Velanna said, her tone simple and clear. "I have it." The keeper looked at the warden. Really looked at her. A flash of surprise on her face before it returned to her false anger. Velanna sighed. "Strength. Wealth. Friends. Some kind words- no. Just avoid harsh ones. That's all that's needed."

"For respect?"

"Acceptance." Velanna answered. "Respect. Authority. That requires action- or, at least..." Velanna looked at her Grey warden chain-mail and leather. "Good clothes."

"Humans. The more I hear, the less sense they make."

Destinna shook her head at Velanna's words- though, nodded at the woman herself. She passed her test. Truth be told, the discussion was entirely pointless. Destinna was the Keeper of her clan. Its leader, source of knowledge, and its most powerful member. Her role and views were carved in iron-bark years ago. Velanna was an exile that had made something of herself in the outside world. How they saw things weren't going to change from a quick chat.

"Now, onto business." Destinna said, turning to look at the funeral pyre. One of them. The small crowd thinning out.

"A bit..." Velanna looked up, the clear and blue sky above them. "A bit too in broad daylight for that kind of discussion, isn't it?"

"Not that." Destinna rolled her eyes as she grabbed her Keeper staff. The elder mage turned left and her clan's main Araval. Velanna fallowed her. Doing her best to keep up. The warden could tell the Keeper was annoyed. Peaking around her and the araval, Velanna spotted something. A few somethings. Something you don't usually find in Dalish camps. "We have guests- less blood thirsty than our last ones. Just a bit. A scout of the other clans came upon a merchant caravan. Instead of letting them go on their way, the scout decided to bring them here."

That was normally how it went. Most Dalish clans have a working relationship with the odd city Elf that made it as a merchant. The two groups don't like each other, but decidedly need each other. Dalish need materials that only humans, dwarves, and other city folk can provide. Elf merchants need raw goods only found in the forest. Instead of smashing their profit margins by hiring woods folk or rangers, they simply trade with whatever friendly Dalish clan the merchant can find.

"The merchant and his party know less than we do, but they are aware of the danger."

Destinna explained, leading Velanna round the Aravel and stopping center of the caravan. Really, just a small band of carts and wagons. Boxes and bags secured with rope and nails. Pack animals of donkeys and bulls attached to the front of each. There were few guards, if any, that Velanna could see. Though, the warden did spot more than a handful of dried blood stains on the goods and wagons. Velanna raised an eyebrow at that. Strangely enough, the cart in the center of the cadre had no goods or guards. Its cargo was a handful of people- a few humans, a pair of Dwarves, and... someone in the center. Velanna couldn't tell. She shrugged, deciding she didn't care or need to. What Velanna did care about, was that- of these merchants, only one was an elf. The rest were humans or Dwarves and...

"What?" Velanna mumbled, her eyes on the hulking brute stomping his way from the injured cart to the araval she and the keeper were standing next to. The man was a giant. Skin the color of bronzed copper. Chiseled and chipped- growths, on the sides of his head. They appeared to be chopped off at the base. Much like a bull's horns. "Wh-Why am I here?"

"Remind me again, Gray warden. Your order is still famous for taking in anyone, correct?" Destinna eyed Velanna. The warden grumbled. "As opposed to the Dalish, famous for... not that."

Velanna opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped when the giant horned man stomped before them.

"Greetings, Grey warden." The man of muscle announced, his voice was calm but his words were as deep and smooth as thunder. The two elven mages, the most powerful members of the Dalish camp, barely made it to the man's chest as he towered over them. Velanna gulped. "When I was informed of your presence in the Dalish camp, I requested to speak to you. I am Armaas. I lead this caravan."

"Hello, A-Armass." Velanna replied back. She honestly didn't know what else to do. "Why did you wish to see me?"

"We... Have much to discuss." Armass hummed, deep in thought. As if he was trying to put together a puzzle in his mind and put it into words. "But for now, I must focus on immediate concerns. I have wounded. I humbly request your aid and protection."

Velanna turned to Destinna. "You're not granting it?"

"He asked for you, not me."

"Merchant Armass." Velanna sighed. "I do not know If I can offer what you ask. My leader is occupied and might not return for days. I am the only member of my order here-"

"Then you must speak for your order." Armass said, interrupting her. His tone was the same dull monotone as before, but everyone around could hear his urgency. He sighed, turning toward the cart with the wounded. "I, apologize, for my... rudeness'. But time is- limited."

"Wh-Why didn't you ask the Dalish?" Velanna stammered, her body betraying her will. "They have supplies, people, and skills I can't match alone."

"One of our own asked for you." Armass raised a hand, waved.

"Oh, what fresh blight is this?" Velanna sighed. Destinna snorted.

"Hey, If it isn't the evil witch!" A gruff, slurred voice cheered. Stepping around behind the wounded cart was a redheaded dwarf. Well, red haired dwarf. His long beard was braided into a couple of stalks. But the top of his head was shiny and smooth. The short, stout man was clad head to toe in the same Gray warden plate and mail Velanna was, though it had much more stains. Only some of which were blood. A giant double bladed ax on his back. "You still sore about the rock baby story?"

"Ohhhh, no."

"It gets worse!" A second voice giggled. At the opposite end of the cart of wounded was another dwarf. Her hair was long and dark by contrast to her counterpart. Also in Grey warden garb, thankfully much cleaner. What few patches of her skin that showed were heavily tattooed and branded. A pair of hatchets at her side. Though, instead of a cuirass to cover her front, she relied on simple chain-mail. Which revealed she was heavily pregnant. The female dwarf reached down and grabbed a handful of dirt. The dwarf breathed in a long, deep, whiff of it. "The grass sniffer's here too."

"I... I'm going to die here."