Mumble Monday/WIPS and such. A no pressure day to share something you're not entirely sure about yet, if it'll stay in a WIP or it's just a fun one shot, or something you're just shy to throw out there and this is you doing it.
I got tagged in a few WIPs so I'm combinging them all in this. Thank you for the tags @fadetouchedlurker, @sh00kspeared, @topaz-carbuncle, @celesenova
This is a draft from a story I’m currently writing. In it, Saethre uses Cole’s abilities in a selfish and cruel way against the captured men who killed her clan. The story is set shortly after the events of Trespasser, as Saethre, Cole, and Cassandra travel together so that Saethre can begin to right certain wrongs - especially with Cole.
The excerpt below is a flashback as the present timeline follows Saethre’s journey with Cole and Cassandra. If you’re interested, there is a summary of the material this story is based on here.
*****
She had imagined many things on the ride here; the magic of the Fade leashed upon them and their screams. She conjures up the feeling she experiences when she tears open the veil, healing and ripping rifts - the surge of energy and power through her body. What would it be to tear four mortal men from the earth in the same manner? She had imagined the moment her eyes landed on them she would let loose her fire. The fire that had killed those closest to her, killed her own mother after all. Why not four strange men who murdered her clan?
But now, standing before them, staring at them, something stills her hand. There is something oozing from their eyes hidden behind posture and bravado, cowardice and shame.
Two of them - tall, broad-shouldered and bloody - met her gaze. One sneered, arrogance curling at his mouth, already rehearsing whatever litany men like him would use to plead for release.
The third man barely stood. A shadow of himself, his eyes twitching, body slouched in a way that spoke to decay of the spirit. There was no fight in him - only rot.
The last one stared at her like a cornered animal, eyes wide, trying to stand tall but trembling, muttering prayers under his breath.
She stared at these men, wondering - as she often did when faced with the aftermath of a bloody battle - what impulse could bind men into a single will and turn them toward mindless killing? What sentence would be equal to what they had done?
Then a thought came to her with cold clarity.
Killing them would be release. It would be over too quickly and there would be no reckoning.
She turned to Cole, who had been quiet since they arrived - she imagined there was a lot of pain in this place he was feeling. He stood a little apart from the others, behind her, his eyes distant, as if he were listening to something none of them could hear.
“Cole,” she said, her voice shaky, uncertain as the idea came fully to light inside her mind. “Will you help me?”
Cole moved immediately to her side. “Yes.”
She turned back to the men, a new intensity taking hold of her, an urgency to look at whatever lay rotting at their core. "Are they hurting?" she asked.
Cole nodded, “Yes. Fear like a fist, old shame curdled sour, anger into violence so no one sees the shaking underneath. Secrets no one should know.”
Saethre shifted her focus to the arrogant one - the man who had sneered at her - and held his cruel gaze. “I want to know what lives in them. The hurting parts. Reveal where their pain came from.” She lifted her hand and pointed at him with a steady finger. “Starting with him.”
I really like the Clan Lavellan war table op line in Inquisition.
I do agree with the criticisms about no one reacting to the outcomes (to either one, actually, though I mostly see people talk about that in the case of the clan being killed). But I love the quest line itself, the story of it, and the incredible show of solidarity and cooperation that is possible if it succeeds.
It is an incredibly precarious situation, for a variety of reasons that make perfect sense in-universe. From the perspective of Clan Lavellan, one of their own is in the hands of a militant organization they have every reason not to trust, and their clan is under attack. They have no desire to start trouble with anyone, but thanks to their position and their history, for their own survival they must assume the worst about any show of force directed at them by an outside group. The humans of Wycome are suffering under some sort of affliction they do not understand; people are sick and dying and frightened, and with enough provocation they will be quick to blame a historically scapegoated group within reach. The Inquisition is observing the situation from afar, trying to make decisions with limited information, where one misstep could have disastrous results.
Much of the op line is about listening carefully to the information given by your sources, evaluating it, and choosing who to trust. Can a ruling noble be relied upon to care about protecting a Dalish clan camped near his city? (Absolutely not.) Can Dalish elves, city elves, and human commoners be persuaded to see their common interests and work together? (Yes, actually.) When is the right time to send troops, and when will an overt show of force make everything worse?
The outcome if you succeed is truly remarkable. With some assistance from Inquisition spies, you have a Dalish clan, the alienage elves, and a coalition of human merchants banding together to not only save themselves and their city, but overthrow the corrupt Duke and end aristocratic rule in Wycome altogether with the formation of a City Council on which the elves both city and Dalish are represented. This new system is protected first by the Inquisition and later by an alliance with Kirkwall under the new Viscount, Varric Tethras.
This is incredible! This is unprecendented! In my opinion, it's up there with getting Briala a title and disbanding the Templar order as one of the most revolutionary things an Inquisitor can do—exclusive to an elven Inquisitor because of their clan connections, and hidden within this little line of optional war table operations.
I like to think that, since Wycome is progressive and inclusive enough to grant Clan Lavellan a representative even despite the clan living outside of the city-state's walls - they could've easily used that as an excuse not to - I like to think that the city elves are also treated better in general.
What I have so far, on Ducanverse Wycome, for flavour:
Like the rest of the Free Marches, Wycome once belonged to the Tevinter Imperium. During Tevinter's spat with Andraste, Maferath was bribed to betray Andraste, with the land, which he gave to his middle son, who then freed the marches when he learned of the deal. (<- Canon)
Like Kirkwall, Wycome was a hub for trade, including slave trade. When Wycome became independent, it sparked rebellions that lasted several years, which eventually proved successful. Old money nobility remained a problem, however. (<- Ducanverse)
Its oldest architecture is a Tevinter style, however Wycome's port areas and markets borrow more from Antiva and Rivain. It doesn't resemble Kirkwall or Starkhaven very closely, aside from its fortified walls, and its government buildings being built on the highest grounds.
This is a city where the working class knows everybody in it, and the politics involved. The old families, the city elves, the Rivaini migrants, the Fereldan migrants, the surface dwarves, and all of the ingroups they brought with them. The dwarves are split into traditionalist and progressive factions, with the latter outweighing the former. From Rivain there are families who fled the Qunari, but there are also Qunari Rivaini among them. There are two versions of Andrastianism, though Tevinter style is far less common. The city elves have a well-maintained sector, a representative in the (new) Wycome City Council, and a smaller council of their own; Dalish are a more common, if infrequent, sight than in alienages such as Denerim's or Kirkwall's.
It's not odd for people to casually frequent their neighbors' sectors - shops, taverns and brothels. Some places are even more popular with outgroups than their own sector. The Laidir family, who are anti-traditionalist surface dwarves, enjoy Antivan lounges and Qunari Rivaini market stalls, and they are not alone.
Wycome had a Circle, however it was much more lenient due to Rivaini influence. Opinions on magic vary, but certain people in Wycome were more lax about it even before the Mage Rebellion, a rebellion that Wycome handled better because it's Wycome and that's a rebellion. This is rebel city baybee
Really? Really? A muscat? You do realize that this is for Madame de Fer’s own table, do you not? I ask you for semi-dry white wine and you come back with a muscat? I don’t care if your uncle gave you a discount. This is either total incompetence or an attempt to promote your uncle’s business. You are fired.
Ingredients
Two pounds of lobster meat, cut into one-to two-inch pieces
One-half to one bottle dry or semi-dry white wine, according to taste
A quarter to half a cup of salted butter
Pinch of black pepper
A quarter to a full teaspoon ground nutmeg
Two pounds shredded carrot
Two pounds finely chopped celery
One tablespoon chopped mint
A large potato cut into one-inch cubes
Directions
Bring the above to a boil, then reduce the heat so that it returns to a simmer. Simmer for at least an hour, then serve in small dishes.
Notes
This recipe is the Hercinian version. In Wycome, lemon zest is used in place of mint. Debate between the two cities over where this soup was invented has not broken out into violence beyond the occasional tavern brawl. Yet.
(Adapted by Sarah’s mom from the early 17th century cookbook Ouverture de Cuisine by Lancelot de Casteau, translated here. The original recipe is titled “The same Lobster or Crab in pottage.” Thanks for the help, Mom!)
I got a Dragon Age ask and it got me thinking that I’ve never really read much fic that discusses the implications of a Clan Lavellan that survived.
Writing about Lavellans who have lost everything is super compelling because of the angst factor and that it makes Tresspasser punch that much harder but a Clan Lavellan that survives and manages to build a government with humans? A Lavellan who has a home to go back to? The reactions of a whole community of Dalish towards the revelations a Lavellan has about their culture, traditions and history?
Bad Children All Get Eaten:
A Marcher rhyme, originating in rural areas but common in some variation from Wycome to Starkhaven
“Now gather, all young ones, and hear what I say,
For good girls and boys know when to keep mum.
For silent politeness is simply the way,
And always be thinking of this rule of thumb:
Eaten, eaten, eaten!
Bad children all get eaten!
Boiled or toasted! Broiled or roasted!
Eaten, eaten, eaten!
And always give credence to elders and lords,
Respect all their titles and ranks of the guard.
And bow to your betters if you are their wards,
It’s never worth risking a loss of regard.
Eaten, eaten, eaten!
Bad children all get eaten!
Poached or basted, nothing wasted!
Eaten, eaten, eaten!
And when you complete all your work in the store,
Or stables or cobblers or fletchers or field,
It’s not just polite to wash off what you wore,
If giants can smell you, then your fate is sealed!
Eaten, eaten, eaten!
Bad children all get eaten!
In the fryer, dragon fire!
On a boiling kettle pyre!
Soup for six or maybe higher!
Eaten, eaten, eaten!”
Collected by Seer Agata, The Seer's Yarn: A Treasury of Tales for Children All Over. In Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 2. page 207.
I am the one
Who can recount
What we've lost.
I am the one
Who will live on.
I have run
Through the fields
Of pain and sighs.
I have fought
To see the other side.
