Fun fic fact: In the AHSiG world state the Fereldan Grey Wardens specifically do not go to Orlais because Clarel's letter sounds sketchy as fuck and Senior Warden Nathaniel takes them into hiding and also thinks to ask a certain shady old blood mage "Hey what's going on with all of us hearing the Calling at once." So I guess my hot take for this story is that the Orlesian Wardens doing a blood magic was not the problem; the problem was they didn't keep a shady old blood mage on retainer and had to outsource that shit. They could learn something from Ferelden tbh.
@redwayfarers tagged me to make some OTPs in this picrew (thank you!) and so I had to make Them (Ariane and Urianger, FFXIV)
I had to put Urianger on the right so his archon mark wouldn't be missing, but he is definitely taller than Ariane, so just assume he's sitting in a chair or something. ;)
Also made the gorls (Talith and Briala, Dragon Age). In this one, Talith actually is the taller one. :)
Tagging: @rosella-writes @nirikeehan @dreadfutures @chocochipbiscuit @warpedlegacy @fivekoboldsinacoat @a-song-in-the-stillness @ineedmyknightcommander and anyone else who wants to share!
My word count has gone to pieces over the past week, but oh well. Here's some Tabriala! Get you a creepy old blood mage uncle. CW: mad sciencey blight experiments. Taint taint taint. Etc.
Talith's voice echoed off the stone walls when she spoke. "Avernus?"
The man did not turn around. "One moment, please. I'm in the middle of something quite precise."
They had a rather long wait while the mage finished his task, and Briala took the opportunity to survey the laboratory more thoroughly. She noticed that the walls were lined with maps as well as other notes, and examining one of them more closely she found it to be a very detailed map of a portion of the Deep Roads—not as they were in the height of the empire, but as they were in the present, noting tunnels, cave-ins, and darkspawn-controlled areas.
At last, the old mage left his table and came down the short set of stairs to meet them, gesturing impatiently as he moved to another table. "Twenty-three minutes that mixture needs to rest. Now then. Your Wardens' Calling has been unnaturally induced."
Talith shook her head, cracking a smile as she followed. "Hello, Avernus."
"That is why you've come, isn't it, Commander? I've little patience for pleasantries in my advanced age, so you and your companion will have to forgive me. To the blood—" He flipped through a few pages of the book of notes before him. "Fortuitously, I've studied specimens from Wardens at every stage of the taint's advancement, and that data I have been able to compare with the samples provided by the Senior Warden and several volunteers. Blood and tissue samples…" He waves a hand. "Unimportant. What you must know is that the taint has not advanced naturally."
"What's natural about the darkspawn taint?" Talith said dryly.
"There is a typical progression," the old mage replied impatiently, "which I have observed in many subjects, over two centuries—" Briala raised an eyebrow. "These latest samples are anomalous… inconsistent with reported symptoms… unnatural, in a word."
"Avernus," Talith said urgently, leaning forward on the table, "What does it mean?"
Avernus looked up at last, meeting the Warden-Commander's eyes. "As I told the Senior Warden, without further data I cannot say. The advancement of the corruption is inconsistent with that of a Warden reaching their Calling—in short, they should not be hearing it Therefore, I propose some outside influence. The Senior Warden has been reticent to authorize field tests, and though he suspects the Wardens in Orlais may know more, he declines to make contact with them, thus making it impossible for me to draw any further conclusions." The old man paused, and for a moment Briala thought she saw a flicker of sympathy on his face. "I have abided by Nathaniel's wishes—as I have yours, Commander. Do not think me unconcerned. I would… not wish to see the Order depleted."
Talith cracked a smile. "Don't tell me you're getting attached."
"I am content to work in solitude," Avernus replied stiffly. "However, I shall confess that the recent company has not been… unwelcome."
"The Drydens don't come to the tower much, I suppose."
"They are sociable enough. Nonetheless, it has been… many years since I regularly had the company of fellow Wardens. Do not concern yourself, Commander. As I said, I am quite content."
"As you say, Avernus." Talith's brow furrowed in thought. "So… externally induced or not, is it… a real Calling? Will it… progress as a real Calling would?"
Avernus shook his head. "I lack the information to say. I am sorry, Commander."
I'm going to shamelessly cheat and pull these directly off my Tabriala/A Hero Sleeps in Gwaren playlist so they are Talith Tabris songs but they're also ship songs. Also I'm including lyrics snippets because I feel like it.
Breath of Life by Florence + the Machine
I was looking for a breath of life
A little touch of heavenly light
But all the choirs in my head sang no
Guns and Horses by Ellie Goulding
You're so quiet
But it doesn't faze me
You're on time
You move so fast, makes me feel lazy
Let's join forces
We've got our guns and horses
Summerday by Dar Williams
From the ship, we could see it in the distance
As the fog was finally lifting
We had come to the shores of Summerday
Gently landing, we jumped out on the sand and found our way
Where the dirt was soft and black
We started digging a garden
And soon we found the woods that we'd call
The forest of Arden for to play
I'll Hold My Breath by Ellie Goulding
Force quit on your losing streak
Solve a riddle in a magazine, be tongue in cheek
Tell me that we're still too young,
That we're still too young, and I'll hold my tongue
King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men
Taking over this town, they should worry
But these problems aside, I think I taught you well
That we won't run, and we won't run, and we won't run
Tagging @rosella-writes @ammoniteflesh @queenaeducan @rakshadow @dreadfutures @warpedlegacy @ialpiriel @ladyswillmart @crackinglamb @ir0n-angel @skyeventide @inquisimer @nirikeehan @exalted-dawn @darethshirl @noire-pandora and anyone else who wants to play (and if you find yourself double tagged please take it as an invitation to post about more than one character 😉)
Thanks to getting sick this month, I did not get as much done this month as I'd hoped, but all things considered, I'm not unhappy with what I did get. I did some work on Harsh Light early in the month, wrote various FFXIV snippets throughout, and as February approaches, I have been writing a bit of Dragon Age again! This is the first week I've been back to my writing routine in earnest, but I'm feeling very energized and ready to do more.
I had been tossing around the idea of working on A Hero Sleeps in Gwaren in February (I may not end up with anything ready to post for Femslash February, but I can at least work on some femslash!) and as January comes to an end I've found myself excited to get back into that fic, and to work on an established project in general, so I think that's what's happening.
Here's a little snippet from this week!
Context: While Teyrn Tabris and Briala were in Denerim getting married, her human vassals have attempted a coup, and Castle Gwaren is currently under seige. With the help of an already-organized elven resistance, our heroines must find a way back to the castle to take command and put down the coup.
The first hitch was that the wagon would be inspected upon entering the town. There was no way around this. Bribery was not an option; if the guards were humans in the service of the banns, there was a strong chance they would simply pocket the gold and turn the elves in anyway. The resistance had a handful of people on the inside—elven knights sworn to the nobles' service, hired by necessity, Talith had explained, as the population of Gwaren had shifted more and more toward elves. They were trusted, reluctantly, to wield the sword for their liege, but they would not be trusted to guard the gates during a coup against the elven ruler. Unless there were an unexpected change of guard rotation, perhaps due to sudden illness.
Talith had visibly perked up, to Briala's amusement, at the mention of poisons. "What will you be using? Not deathroot, I assume."
"Nay, too bitter, easily detected," Alys had replied, briskly taking down phials and jars from a high cabinet she had unlocked with a large steel key. "I prefer a strain of deep mushroom for such applications… a moderate solution, we don't want them dead immediately, just taken ill, which is going to arouse suspicion as it is, so our agents will be administering the poison at the last possible minute, and your timing will be narrow, as it's likely to be discovered quickly. Our scheduled guards will sit down to lunch, fall ill within the hour, and our people will step in to replace them, just long enough to get your wagon inside. As soon as the commander discovers them, their cover will be burned, so Farron's got someone to extract them… hopefully." She had removed several strips of dried mushroom gingerly with a pair of tongs, crushing them to a powder with her mortar and pestle, then looked up to regard Talith and Briala gravely. "That spends two of our agents, and there's a chance they may not make it out. So, with all due respect, my ladies, do make this one count."
Talith had swallowed. "Thank you, Alys. This means everything to me."
"To us as well, my lady. It's our future hangs in the balance here, and we'll do what we can to restore you as our rightful ruler. There will be casualties, and I know you won't spend those lives lightly." Her eyes had dropped to the floor. "Still, I know nearly every elf in the resistance by name… I'd be remiss if I didn't say it. I pray the Maker give you swift and decisive victory… for us, as well as for you."
@v-arbellanaris tagged me this week and @nirikeehan tagged me uhhh three weeks ago 😂 so thank you both! I've been on a writing hiatus but I'm working back up to it so here's a snippet.
Tagging @chocochipbiscuit @rosella-writes @delicatefade @ammoniteflesh @ziskandra @dreadfutures @inquisimer @ell-vellan @kiastirling @skyeventide @crackinglamb @ir0n-angel and anyone else who'd like to share!
~~~
"How… does this work, exactly?" Briala asked, with curiosity as well as some trepidation. They had retired early and arisen before dawn, eating quickly and packing up their things into the wagon for the journey. Lanaya's aravel was one of the larger ones Briala had seen, all painted wood with intricate carvings and designs. It appeared much too wide to pass through even much of the outskirts, never mind the dense forest into which they ventured. The back, which featured long covered benches that could function as seats or as beds, was entirely covered. The front was open to the air; a wooden frame allowed draperies to be hung over this part as well, but Lanaya had pulled them down so they could see all around them as they traveled. "I have heard about Dalish magic, but…"
"It's simple, really." Lanaya had taken the front seat in the wagon, with Briala and Talith seated behind her. "You've seen that the trees often move of their own accord. The forest lives and breathes, and as Keepers we learn its rhythms, until it moves for us as well."
"But the trees are possessed by spirits. Is that how…"
"We do not use spirits, no. Spirits have a will of their own, and can present a danger to us even if they do not intend to. Keepers study the natural world as well as the power of the Beyond, and the how the one can be reshaped by the other. It is the manipulation of primal forces, not possession or blood magic."
Gheyna and Cammen had finished hitching up the halla, now and they tossed their elegantly-horned heads, eager to get on the move. There were only three, which seemed insufficient to Briala; a carriage of this size in Val Royeaux would have been drawn by at least two large draft horses, and the halla were considerably smaller. Perhaps this too involved magic. Briala climbed into the open front, and Talith sat beside her. Still feeling a bit nervous, Briala welcomed the comfort of her wife's hand in hers. She wondered if Talith felt the same.
Lanaya stood before them at the head of the aravel, and spoke some words in Elvish to the halla. Briala could not make them out, but the creatures seemed to understand, quieting their restless movements and standing ready and attentive.
Gheyna and Cammen, having finished tending to the halla, stood aside, hand in hand, and Gheyna waved. "Dareth shiral, Keeper. Talith, Briala, dareth shiral. Sylaise ma ghilana vhenas."
Cammen added solemnly, "Dareth shiral, Talith. Elgar'nan ma ghilana, lasa mala enasalin."
At that, Talith's expression grew solemn as well. "Ma serannas, lethallen. Dareth shiral."
Briala recognized a few words. Dareth shiral, "Safe journey." Vhenas, enasalin. And the names of the elven gods. Gheyna had bid the Hearthkeeper guide them safely home. Cammen had wished them victory—in the name of Elgar’nan, the god of vengeance.
She was still unsure whether she believed in the elven gods—if she believed in any gods at all—but Briala sent up a silent prayer of her own anyway.
Lanaya raised her staff only slightly. Her back was to Briala and Talith as she began to weave the magic that would aid their journey, and Briala could see only a soft green glow emanating from the crystal set unto her wooden staff. With her off hand, she seemed to weave the magic into form; the glow grew before her, and then dispersed like a cloud, sinking low to the ground and seeming to disappear into the earth.
The halla moved, and the wagon with them, and where they ventured east into the trees… the trees parted.
They did not walk, as the angry sylvans had. Their roots did not tear from the ground, not did their branches take the form of reaching arms. They hardly seemed to move at all—Briala truly could not tell whether the trees were sliding aside, or the ground itself had swelled beneath them, forming a path between them.
Lanaya took a set on the bench in front of them, though it was clear she was maintaining the spell through concentration, and Briala kept quiet to avoid disturbing her, instead looking in wonder as the trees slipped past on either side. The halla picked up speed, and the aravel glided smoothly through the forest where it parted for them. Its movement was incredibly, impossibly smooth, smoother than a carriage over packed dirt.
She was awestruck. It was the closest thing to her childhood dreams of a magical elven paradise that she had ever experienced in real life.
From in front of them came Lanaya's voice, gently amused. "What do you think, my friends?"
"I've never seen anything like this," Briala said, finding her voice. "I've never… in truth I had thought much of the legend of Dalish magic to be just that."
