The First Blight: Curse of Dumat [RP/Closed]

[ShadowFolk]

It was not her intent to strike the Warden and she could scarcely believe she'd made that much of an impact. She stood, about to shout an apology when all the air she had escaped her. There was a sudden, sharp pain in her in her abdomen. The elf rose a hand to feel the area when she hit the wooden shaft, causing pain to erupt once more and she cried out. Perhaps looking at it was a bad idea.

She'd never been injured like this before. Stumbling backward she dropped her staff as she once again shot a spell forward. if it hit the Genlock, she didn't see it. There was only pain and fear.

 

[Cinnonym]

Thaedrin saw the last genlock draw an arrow back and used his powers to strike the bow from its hand; Ghil finished it off with another fearsome blow, black blood splattering her face and uniform. It was wet enough as it was. At last, the assault was finished. They were left standing, while the watchtower burned behind them. The Constable cursed again, feeling a fool for having left the horses unattended.

"Get the elf. We must return to Weisshaupt and warn the Commander."

 

[Rosen2012]

When the genlock fell to Sul's spell, Ulrin turned his head ready to give the female elf a friendly nod, probably the first genuine one he'd give since they met. However, he instead saw her falling clutching at the arrow in her gut, and he was finally able to loosen his jaw.

"Sulahn'nehn?"

 

[FortyThree]

Diocles slung his bow over his back without a glance back at the darkspawn-He could sense the life leave them. Not wasting time, he rushed to 'the elf's' side, examining her wound. The arrows fletchings were made of uneven feathers, so it would have went in with no spin-That was good, atleast. He was more accustomed to creating arrow wounds than healing them-But..

"Constable! Can you make her blood clot as I pull this loose?"

 

[Cinnonym]

Thaedrin only looked at the archer bitterly, "Are you saying you trust me to do so, Komnenos?"

 

[FortyThree]

Diocles looked up at Thaedrin, his eyes narrowing, his bow fingers tensing in the air. Perhaps not all his battle furor had left him, and he spoke through closed teeth.

"I trust you to act in the best interest of all wardens."

The unspoken threat hung in the air.

 

[ShadowFolk]

She tried to bring herself to her feet again, but each time she made the attempt her middle ached. She could not muster the strength on her own. The only bright side to it all was that she was still breathing, though it seemed like that brightness was dimming or was it just that her eyes were fluttering shut.

The small elf looked forward to her fellow Wardens, "...Help...please..."

 

[Rosen2012]

Ulrin came to kneel beside her with Dicoles. When she tried to stir he pushed her back down. "Do not move. Just lay there..." He didn't want to promise her help from the humans. He was sure it would not come, no matter what Diocles said.

 

[Cinnonym]

For a moment, as he advanced with careful steps toward the archer, it seemed as though his raised hand might be used to suck the life right out of him. Instead, he stood at the elven woman's side and nodded, her blood beading from the cloth of her uniform and hovering strangely in the air.

"Pull it out."

 

[FortyThree]

Diocles nodded at his reluctant comrade, his expression calming. He took the arrow carefully in hand, and shifted it while it was still penetrating her. He'd do less damage if he took it out at the same angle it went in. Once he was confident he had it just right, he pulled it straight out with a look of grim determination.

"You're fine, it's a fleshwound. You're a warden now. We don't die so easy."

 

[Rosen2012]

Ulrin looked on silently, his eyes darting back and forth between the female elf and the blood mage. Was he really going to help her, or was he going to finish her off. He kept his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it subconsciously as Thaedrin stood over her.

 

[Cinnonym]

Thaedrin's magic coursed through Sulahn'nehn's blood, filling her with a queer sort of warmth; the blood she lost seemed to knit back into the wound like so much red thread, and fresh scabbing formed.

"She still needs proper healing magic, or her recovery will be slow. Hurry, it will be a long walk back and the flames may yet spread."

As the Constable began to lead the way back toward the fortress, in the hopes that one of his mounted Wardens may find them swiftly, Ghil watched the group with a blank expression. She left the arrow where it was for the sake of stemming blood loss, and followed them on the hike back to Weisshaupt.

 

[ShadowFolk]

She yelped, feeling the foreign object pulled from her body. Those were comforting words, she would live. Just a flesh wound. She would not have used the same phrase, to her, her life had been draining away. Sulahn'nehn smiled faintly at Diocles and passed a glance to Ulrin, thankful the two men came to her aid.

What she had not expected was Thaedrin's support and the use of his 'talents'. The weakened elf looked up to him, trying to find a way to thank him though his power disgusted her. "I...was not aware that blood magic could do anything but take life." she'd get to a thank you sooner or later.

 

[FortyThree]

Diocles returned the smile for just a moment, then he was back on his feet, helping Sul get to her feet and giving her a shoulder to lean on as they went after Thaedrin.

"Ghil-I trust you don't need any immediate medical attention?"

 

[Cinnonym]

"This is nothing," Ghil muttered, ignoring the shaft sticking out of her shoulder. She seemed distracted with other thoughts. "That was a trap we just left. I did not think the Darkspawn were clever."

"It's the Archdemon that guides them. That... hum, in the back of your consciousness. What links us to the Darkspawn is the same connection."

The barbarian's face twisted in disgust. "You are saying that thing is in my head?"

Thaedrin didn't answer. His lips pursed tightly as he continued, and when he spoke again the topic had changed, "Someone will see the smoke and come to investigate. We will not be abandoned for long."

 

[ShadowFolk]

There were many things on Sulahn'nehn's mind. The attack they'd just survived, a not too long ago removed arrow, the humans who helped her, the fact that a blood mage was once again her superior, how Ghil could practically shrug off an arrow, and now this. It was a difficult concept to grasp though she'd been told before that they are all connected. It could have been due to the things swimming through her mind or she genuinely did not understand how an archdemon who is physically in their world could whisper to them as a demon from the Beyond could. If they could spring traps and find the Wardens, how did they expect to beat them if they were always on their trail?

Too many things, too many things. Help getting back to the fortress could not come soon enough. At least for now, she had support.

 

[duckflesh]

A screech rends the air as something appears in the sky, gliding gracefully in for the Wardens. The Griffon lands in a cloud of dust before the group of riders, Trajan Vorenus standing upon its back. He tosses the reins aside and jumps down, landing from the substantial fall in a crouch.

His gauntlets are coated in blood, and more of it is splashed across his helmet and breastplate. He is breathing heavily, and his expression, revealed by the pulled-up visor of his helmet, is one of deeply set chagrin, unusual for the unflappable man.

He strode forward and took in the recruits with his eyes. His frown deepens.

"Casualties?" he demanded of Thaedrin.

 

[Cinnonym]

Thaedrin looked alarmed. He'd expected anyone else to turn up but Trajan, and not in this state. "Commander," he gave a stiff salute, "None among the recruits, but I have men who are absent. They may be engaged, or... worse. We've still no clues of the whereabouts of the men assigned to the tower." There was a pause before he added, "...and we've lost several horses."

 

[duckflesh]

A fraction of the stress dissipated from Trajan's face.

"Fine. Reinforcements are on the way, they'll find the others and clean this up."

He stared for a moment at the burning watchtower.

"The tower empty, I assumed they had all marched on to Weisshaupt, and some had... but why would a group of them turn back merely to burn down a wooden building?"

Appearing troubled, he muttered something sounding like "Dumat" as he was climbing back aboard the griffon.

When he looked back down to them, he appeared almost his regular self.

"Well fought, all! I am very impressed. I can take one more on Magister Talons here if anyone would like a ride."

 

[ShadowFolk]

Sulahn'nehn very much wanted the lift back and there was an internal struggle on whether or not she should mention such. If her wound had been what Diocles said, merely a flesh wound, wanting a ride back to the fortress may have seemed a bit selfish. What if Ghil was in more pain than she was or the others? She had accidentally struck them. She was also unsure just how equal Wardens were, could evles ride on the same back of a griffon as humans did? She made no mention of it in case someone other than herself needed it.