[OOC] The Sixth Blight

[MMGiru]

Whoo! Well, hopefully Dredigan returns from wherever before too many days, what with the plot being stored in that vessel.

Unrelated: finally caught up to where I was before restarting Pokemon Reborn. Only took me... 50 hours. Yay for adulthood.

[Dredigan]

Wow guys I'm glad so many people just posted interest. I've got one Cs in my pm's and one on here to read over now. I'll be busy tonight and I'm donating blood tomorrow but later on in the day I'll read over both of those and any others that are posted. Sorry I was away I just had some stuff come up it's not important.

I'm very excited about getting this going. I'll be working on an introductory post soon and a joining ritual for you guys who are going to go through it. :D See you all tomorrow.

[LetterE]

As a side note, I'm leaving for a 5 day trip tomorrow on which I probably won't be able to post. Sorry about that. :( But I'll be back asap.

Name: Glandivalis “Val” Ruarc
Race: Human (Elf-Blooded)
Age: 19
Faction Loyalty: The Chantry (currently) Circle of Magi (formerly)
Appearance: Val is by all means human, but bears some subtle evlish traits because of her parentage. Her ears are slightly pointed, her eyes are quite large, and she is very thin and lithe. Her skin is lightly tanned, her eyes are a dark brown, and her hair is jet black; usually cut neck long and stylishly unkempt. She has no other distinguishable markings, not that are readily visible, anyway.
Class: Mage (Spirit Healer)
Class Description: Val was taught in the Circle Tower before its destruction, and studied the school of spirit. This, accompanied with her uncanny ability to traverse the Fade, led to her becoming accustomed to many benevolent Fade Spirits, who are ready to lend her their energy for use in restorative spells on herself and her allies.
Weapons: A rudimentary magic staff, given to Val upon completing the Harrowing; the initiating ritual for mages in the Circle Tower. It is fashioned from oak wood.
Armor: Val wears a set of Imperial Chantry robes, given to her by her father, a former Father in the Imperial Chantry. The tunic is red and the outer robe black, with a black belt around the waist.
Special Skills: Dreamer
Val is an incredibly rare individual capable of entering the Fade at will, without the use of lyrium. This makes her exceptionally dangerous as she can enter the dreams of others (and to some extent, control them), and is highly susceptible to Fade spirits and demons.
Personality: Val is a curious and studious soul, with a love for learning and reading. She tends to be quiet and introverted, but comes alive when talking about or using magic, the Fade, dreams, or spirits. She has a vibrant passion for mystical things, but can appear disinterested in anything else.

Biography: Val was born in the Tevinter Imperium, the child of a Revered Father (for the Imperium allows male priests) and a Liberati Elf. The Liberati are a social class of freed slaves, and Lathabel, Val’s mother, had found favor in the eyes of her master’s wife, and was set free. Val’s father, Josephus, was smitten from the moment he met Lathabel, and didn’t care about social castes enough to refrain from marrying her. The pair enjoyed life together for a year before conceiving a child; the father suggested the name Glandivalis, which is the name of the weapon of Thane Shartan; in honor of said elf who marched for freedom alongside Andraste, and made it possible for his wife, an elf, to be free.

Unfortunately, their happiness would not last. Within the first few years, the couple realized their child was exhibiting magical abilities. This caused an immense strain on the usually clear lines of social status in Tevinter. A Soporati father marries a Liberati elf and has a mage child, but could an elf-blooded child of an ex-slave really be allowed become a Laetan? The family was looked on with disgrace and even hatred by some upstanding members of Imperial society. Amidst the turmoil and many court hearings to settle the matter, things took a turn for the worst. The child entered her parents’ dreams one night, without any experience or aid of lyrium. Fearing the outrage that would ensue, and fearing the child would be taken to be studied (or worse, weaponized) Lathabel and Josephus fled the Imperium. They fled through the Free Marches, where they stayed for a time, before crossing the Waking Sea into Ferelden. There they settled in Elmride, in the arling of West Hills. Val was sent to the Circle Tower to be raised and taught, but not without frequent visits from her parents, who traveled there to give sermons in the Tower’s chapel. Because of this, Val grew up with Loyalist ideals, and was one of few mages in the Tower who supported both the Circle and the Chantry.

In the Tower, her talents flourished. She overcame her harrowing with ease, already having been accustomed to traversing the Fade. It was there, during her harrowing, that she first encountered Vigor, a benevolent Fade Spirit that taught her how to use spirit energy to become a healer. Val gave herself to study the school of spirit and the ways of the spirit healer. And this was perhaps the reason she was sought out.

A pair of Grey Wardens came to the Circle Tower that fateful day; whether it was chance or destiny or they simply sensed the coming attack, Val didn’t know. What she did know was that when she learned they were looking for aid, she put her abilities on full display, coming into the wardens’ dreams that night as they slept in the guest quarters. The following day, however, her abilities were put to the real test as a horde of darkspawn burst up from beneath the Tower. Val did her best to keep the mages alive, but the archdemon itself tore at the Tower walls, and many died all around her. She had taken life in the Circle for granted for so long, that as her world came crumbling to dust around her, she just froze with shock. One of the wardens took her by the hand and led her to freedom, tossing her into Lake Calenhad to swim to safety.
On the shores of the lake, they gave her the choice: Join them, and take revenge against the creatures as a warden, or brave the world on her own.

It wasn’t much of a choice.

[Dredigan]

Alright guys like I said I wouldn't be on until late tonight. I'll review the CS's here quickly and post the accepted statuses as well as feedback if need be.

Also a question came up in a private message, what do you guys as a group feel should have come of The Architect?

[Dredigan]

Alright. I'll be making a list on the first post of accepted CS's.

WolfsRose your CS for Maas is accepted, however if you wouldn't mind elaborating on how he found the wardens that would be great.

LetterE I want to accept yours however there is a detail you need to change for continuity sake. My character was traveling around Ferelden and recruiting people on his own not with a group. And he was the only warden recruiting in Ferelden as, before he gathered the player characters, he sent them all out of the country to serve under his generals. If you want to do the story that way you'll just need to say it was Levine who got you instead of a group of Wardens I said the same thing to MMGiru with his CS. Other than that you're good.

We're going to have to make some group decisions about some things (like the Architect as I mentioned) and I'll just put the decisions in hiders on the front post that way everybody can see it as they please. I just say this because I've forgotten to write a few things down and this feels like it's getting disorganized to me. Once we decide on what's happened as a group I can clean up the first post :P.

[Pyro V]

I think it would be interesting if the Architect was still alive and had his army of followers once more, and he could be his own little side plot at some point.

Also, have you reached a verdict on my CS?

[MMGiru]

Hmm.... Wouldn't wanna tread on what anyone did with their particular Warden. Personally I let him go and research.

He helped enlighten Darkspawn, yes? That's a trend that would probably spread, so unless we want a drastically different climate with high-sentience Darkspawn running around, maybe it'd be best to have his group either have gone off somewhere or been exterminated a century or so previously.

Maybe they went through the torn Rift in the Inquisition to find the Black City and puzzle out their own existence? Or maybe they sailed off to find a continent/island they could own? In either case, they still have descendants who can come back and try to influence the Blight to their will. The alternative being they were killed, either by the Warden in Amaranthine, or someone else.

I'm curious to hear everyone else's thoughts on the issue.

Other things: Perhaps Levine and Scout were the ones at the Circle Tower, after the last batch of recruits died, including the mage who healed Scout? Would add to the reasoning for their visit, and still be compliant with LetterE's CS for Val. Granted: she couldn't enter Scout's dreams, since that's not a thing for dwarves.

Also, Pyro, is that adorable-ass thing a bat? I've been curious.

[Dredigan]

You're accepted.

[Pyro V]

Character Sheet

Name: Issala
Race: Tal-Vashoth
Age: Thirty-Four
Faction Loyalty: N/A

Appearance:

Issala

Issala stands at a mere six-foot-three-inches, a moderate height for her people. Her shoulders are broad and her muscles thin and lithe, though she seems to slouch slightly forward. Her skin is the common grey color, while her hair compliments it by being a bright silver in color, reaching just to her shoulders. Golden irises peer out from behind a cracked, broken mask that covers the top half of her face, the lower half marred by scars, the most prominent being the ones left by the stitches that bound her lips shut. Her horns seem to be broken off halfway out, leaving the ends rough and jagged.

Class: Saarebas
Class Description: The Qunari treat the Saarebas like war hounds; though, at least the latter is allowed moments of respite. Teachings emphasized with pain have aided the Saarebas in their combat prowess, but their skill in any magic other than combat magic is limited, if there at all.
Weapons: A curved steel dagger that she is adequately skilled with, and a metal staff with phrases in Qunlat etched in it.
Armor: Reinforced Saarebas robes. The metal from her collar has been expanded into her robes, armoring her previously bare chest in an iron breastplate, her shoulders with pauldrons, and a set of gauntlets that cover most of her forearms.

Special Skills: Fairly skilled at etching runes.
Personality: N/A

Biography: The Saarebas that later became known as Issala was always one that questioned the Qun. Other Saarebas, like most of the Qunari, were devout in their beliefs. And it was not uncommon for her to see them set themselves ablaze to keep themselves from the "corruption" that they were susceptible to. It all disgusted her, but her thoughts were her own. It would only invite reeducation or death upon her.

Her time came when she, her Arvaarad, and the group of Karasaad they were escorting was jumped by a group of particularly violent Tal-Vashoth. As was her duty, Issala fought alongside the Karasaad and her Arvaarad, but in the end, only Isala and one of the Karasaad remained. Rather than allow herself to be slain for a religion she did not believe in, she electrocuted the Qunari, grabbed the rod that acted as her leash, and hijacked a boat run by human traders to get as far away as possible. Which is how she turned up in Fereldan.

The moment Issala touched foot in Fereldan, she was on the run from the Chantry. Not only was she an apostate in their eyes, but a heathen that would spread the Qun amongst the Maker-fearing populace of Fereldan. Even if she thought she could convince them otherwise, she would not have tried - her brief time on the ship had allowed her to hear of many rumors about how brutal the Templars could be to mages.

However, she found refuge amongst a group of apostates that had escaped the Templars through one mean or another, and had congregated in the Brecilian Forest. The hodgepodge of human and elvish mages, among sympathizers from both races and some dwarves, were keen to bring a Qunari into the fold. It was them that cut the stitches that had kept her mouth shut all those years, and healed the wounds as best they could. Issala was grateful, and remained with them for some time. However, the moment she heard the words "blood magic", she excused himself from the conversation and never returned.

Through much eavesdropping and more than a few close encounters with the Chantry, Issala was able to hear about the Grey Warden meeting in Ostagar. Everyone had heard the legends of the Wardens. And it was a shame that no Qunari or Tal-Vashoth had ever been one. So, she stole a few supplies from a tavern and headed down south to drop in on the meeting, and convince them to let her tag along. Or, at the least, die trying.

---

It is indeed a bat.

[Dredigan]

I like MMgiru's idea about scout coming to the circle tower.

[WolfsRose]

The simple story is that Maas traveled around Ferelden looking for rumors of Grey Warden activity. Whenever he heard that a Warden had been sighted somewhere, he went there to try and track down the Wardens. When he finally caught up to them, he was surprised to discover that they were reduced to such an extremely low number. He volunteered his services, and he's been travelling with the group since.

[Dredigan]

Okay well keep in mind we're starting at Ostagar during the Joining.

[WolfsRose]

Can do.

On the other hand, a Qunari and a Saarebas. I will tell you right now that Maas will not approve of Isala.

[Pyro V]

So, we currently have: Dred the party leader and human warrior; MM the dwarven scout; E the half-elf mage; the Qunari warrior; and a Qunari mage. Kind of diverse in skills and races, so it seems fine.

I like the idea of the Architect's followers being let go by The Grey Warden, and later being hunted down and killed by other Wardens once s/he's gone, so that their numbers are lowered and the Architect has to replenish the numbers some other time, possibly during this blight, since there will be a surplus of Grey Knight corpses.

---

Regardless, I think it would be interesting to see how Maas and Isala act, since most Tal-Vashoth treat Saarebas the same way Qunari do. And if he approved of the half-elf mage, it would only be because the Wardens would be like her Arvaraad, whereas Isala's Arvaraad was killed. Will make for good first impressions, especially when Isala comes stumbling out of the Korcari Wilds and into Ostagar.

[MMGiru]

I am also interested to see the whole 'bas saarebas' dynamic play out, but bear in mind the Sten from DA, and how he did not go ape-shit and kill Morrigan, Wynn, or mage!Warden. I could see the Wardens-as-avaraad dynamic, and it does jive with both a military order and their Right of Conscription.

Also, I believe I get to donate some of my blood too, tomorrow. Amusing irony if that's when we get this started.

[WolfsRose]

Maas has been around long enough to respect the need for and abilities of Saarebas. However, he has an inherent distrust of them, and since Isala is a Qun-blooded Saarebas without his Arvaraad, that's going to be a major sore topic with him. However, he's calm and level-headed enough (when he's not berserking) to not beat him to a pulp on sight. ...Is it wrong that I keep wishing Isala was a girl? I feel like that would be pretty excellent.

[Pyro V]

Well, Issla does sound like a pretty feminine name, and we only have one girl in this sausage fest, so I mean I could change it if I wanted to. Let's see how all this turns out.

And Isala likely just won't like Maas on the fact that he's Qunari/Tal-Vashoth.

[WolfsRose]

I'm good with that.

[Dredigan]

Alright. So we've decided that the Architects people have been set free and hunted down so now there are very few of them and the Architect is re-building.

For the sake of time I'm going to say that the Archdemon is currently underground and that should be all that I need to know unless I think of more later. I'll get cleaning up the front page and placing some hiders to make it easier to navigate, then we can begin the story. I also have one more person applying so I'll wait until they're ready and everybody else is good with it too.

I ask that you do not include parts of your backstory in your introductory post as all of your CS's can be found here and all of your information along with it, I'd like to not waste time and just get into the plot because I know it can be dangerous for a new roleplay to move slowly but things aren't going to really pick up until we hit Redcliff. I don't plan on waiting long to get us there but the first little while will be without much action.

Also I like it when there is a danger dynamic in these roleplays so in my opinion I would like to say that your characters can be killed if they mess up badly in a fight, but if you're all against that then I will not force it upon you.

[Dredigan]

Alright there we go. If you don't see your CS on the front page please pm it to me and I'll get it up there.