After their days in the deep roads hunting broodmothers Caelyra just wanted to go back to Vigil's Keep and have a small rest before heading off to the black marshes in search for Kristoff. It had definitely been long enough now to go out on a search party.
The people of Amaranthine had other ideas, however.
They yelled and screamed and could not be brought to order. The Seneschal looked relieved as Caelyra walked in and said that the people had been rioting all day, demanding to be heard. The Seneschal wanted her to try and talk with the people, but her captain of the guard suggested they fight them to remove them, that no one could talk to an uprising.
Caelyra had a fairly diplomatic tongue and chose to talk to the people. They were hungry. They were without food. They demanded access to the grain stores.
She tried to talk to them some more, to promise them that they would be fed, that there was no need to riot, but they would not listen. They drew arms and attacked.
They were no match against trained guards and Caelyra and her group. It was a pity that they wouldn't listen.
The Seneschal suggested that this was likely to have something to do with the conspiracy against her. That he'd eat a boot if the commoners rose up all by themselves with no coercion. Caelyra was inclined to agree.
They walked into the Keep together and got stopped by some well-armed people... one of the nobles who had sworn fealty to her just a week ago at the head of the pack.
A man hiding behind a pillar shot at Caelyra, but the Seneschal leapt infront of her and took the arrow. It grazed his arm, he would live.
This noble was the head of the conspiracy, still loyal to the Howes — Caelyra and her group, Nathaniel Howe included, leapt into battle and killed the nobles and the assassins they had hired.
She was surprised that Nathaniel fought at her side... perhaps he truly didn't want her dead. Maybe she needn't fear a knife in the back, after all — from him anyway.
With the revolt put down and the throne room back in order, Caelyra spoke with Sigrun. She was amazed at the all the books she would be able to read — not many of her caste knew how to read but one of her Legion friends had taught her, but he only had one book that she read over and over. It would be nice to read a lot more.
Caelyra nudged the dwarf over to the Seneschal, mostly recovered from being grazed by the arrow. There was plenty of time for reading later.
They prepared for the Joining and Sigrun drank from the cup... and survived. The Warden ranks were slowly replenishing.
With a new Warden by her side, now it was time for Caelyra to search for an old Warden. He had been missing for far too long with no word. Kristoff. After speaking with the barmaid at the inn a few days back, they had determined him to be at the Blackmarsh.
Off they went to search.
They arrived in the dark, gloomy marshes that night, though she was certain it would've been dark and gloomy during the day too.
Nathaniel told them a bit about its history. How one day everyone in a village nearby vanished and the people of Amaranthine consider this place to be horrifically haunted.
That didn't bode well. Caelyra braced herself to face many ghosts, spirits and demons.
Stepping further into the marsh and towards the abandoned town, they got attacked by packs of wolves, but no spirits... not yet, anyway.
As they walked into the village they came across the long-dead remains of a man who had been spurned by his lover, a cryptic note speaking of a merchant's suicide as he hated himself for giving girls to a witch, town records talking about how the villagers thought their baroness may be a witch but they didn't care for she had rescued them from a great dragon... and darkspawn corpses.
Maybe Kristoff had been here and had dealt with these darkspawn.
There were some areas of the village they couldn't explore unless they backtracked through the marsh and went around a different away. As they walked through the marsh, they came across several areas that almost looked as the Fade.
A nearby book, a journal belonging to the baroness, spoke of these as proper tears in the veil, where one may physically walk through the fade. That would require great magical power. Caelyra was suddenly very, very on edge.
Further through the marsh they discovered the remains of an abandoned camp. A locket in a chest proved this camp to have been Kristoff's... just where was he?
They turned through more twisted, gnarled trees and found themselves face to face with a dozen egg sacs. Inside each sac one of the bizarre darkspawn 'children' emerged and attacked.
Caelyra had only fought a few of these things, but she already hated them. Ignoring the archdemon, they were the worst of the darkspawn, truly.
Wet with the blood of the children, the burst past the egg sac-filled clearing and into another... a man lay, dead in the centre. Caelyra leant by his body and looked at his face. It was Kristoff. They had been too late.
Suddenly several darkspawn stepped out of the bushes and walked towards them. The one at their head one of the talking darkspawn. He proclaimed himself The First and they had killed the Warden to make Caelyra and her group come. His 'Mother' had told him they would come.
Caelyra tried to talk to the darkspawn, to ask him just who this Mother of his was, but he didn't answer. He said that the Mother was sick of her working with the Father and she was going to be stopped.
A great green power manifested from the talking darkspawn and shrouded Caelyra and her companions with its light.
The world wiggled and wavered before their eyes and Caelyra was horrified to see the world become as that she had seen back in the Mage Tower whilst she had been stuck in the sloth demon's dreams...
They were in the Fade. Again.
The talking darkspawn also seemed horrified. He wasn't meant to be here, the Mother told him that he would send the Wardens into the Fade but not himself. She had betrayed him.
Angrily, he set the other darkspawn upon them and disappeared into the Fade, trying to find a way out.
Caelyra and her companions took care of the darkspawn and then looked around themselves.
Oghren was absolutely appalled that he was here. This was the Fade and dwarves don't dream. That was a human thing! He didn't want to be here and he needed to get out — now.
Caelyra tried to calm him but didn't succeed very well. She wanted to get out of here too. There was nothing worse than being in the Fade, except, perhaps, being eaten by an archdemon.
Gathering her people, they prepared to wander about the fade and hopefully find an escape. This really was most dire.
Until next time! ⚔️🐲
All screenshots in this post are courtesy of me, 