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

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Cinnonym

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Thaedrin's gave Ulrin a look of disgust. "Get back. You aren't needed."

The Constable nodded to Sulahn'nehn, and then turned to lead her down the corridor, past the chapel, into the eastern wing of the fortress. It was an area the elven girl had never been in. Once they were well beyond earshot of the Great Hall, he spoke again.

"You are to receive proper training before you will be permitted to return to the field. Your magic left your control this morning. You could have killed someone. Your strength will grow while you are with us, and your magic will become more potent." He stopped outside a closed door, and turned to look at her. "So, do you understand why you must learn discipline?"
 

ShadowFolk

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The further away the pair traveled from the rest of the Wardens the more uncomfortable she became. Things never seemed to end well when elves with magic were taken away by blood mages. Elves in general really. And the mutual distrust did not aid her feelings.

Sulahn'nehn shrunk listening to him. Of course he would not so easily forgive or forget her mishap. "Yes, Ser. I'm sorry, Ser. I understand, but-"
 

Cinnonym

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Thaedrin didn't wait for her to finish. He opened the door and waited for her to enter before stepping inside himself and shutting it firmly behind him. He locked it, as well, and the reason he did so was because within there was an elderly elven man tied to a chair, heavily sedated. He did not want to risk her attempting to flee.

"Sulahn'nehn, they call you. Is that correct?" The Constable gestured to the man in the chair, "I know you will fear for him now that you've seen him in such a state. He is of your ilk, after all. Don't be. The healers have assured me that he would have died within the month, regardless. And it is better to give one's life to a matter of importance than to a disease, or to the taint." He slipped his dagger out of its sheath and stepped behind the old elf. "I promise he feels no pain."

The blade sliced open his throat and his blood spilled in a red curtain down over his front, soaking into his clothes. A powerful aura surrounded the three of them and pulsed within the room, the very rock shuddering. Sulahn'nehn's blood surged in response to Thaedrin's sorcery, the pressure and the pain immense, until all of reality was swallowed up by blackness.

"Ah... I see it, now."

When Sulahn'nehn was next aware, she would find herself within a familiar place. The Fade. Brown crags floating in a wild green nothingness, a black fog obscuring whatever sun was offering its light. It seemed heavy, like ash. The Black City hung above, distant. Thaedrin was near, looking at something just behind her.

"I would have expected near anything but Sloth."
 

ShadowFolk

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Her distrust was well founded, as soon as she'd laid eyes on the poor man she whipped around to face Thaedrin and demand an explanation. Those words, however were caught in her throat when she saw the exit being barred from her. What did she do that brought this on? It couldn't have just been a misfired spell. He meant to kill her, it must be the only reason to bring her so far away.

She screech, "No! Don't!", but it was far too late and the poor man's blood gushed forward. As quickly as she'd seen it happen, she was doubling over in pain, and when it subsided she was not where she was before. It was Fade and in front of her was Thaedrin. But if she was there, there was only so long before he would discover he'd been correct. As it turned out, it was not very long at all. There was no need to look behind her, the feelings was there and she knew the demon was there.

"L-Leave him be. He means no harm."

The lanky demon reached forward and drummed its bony fingers gently on the elf's shoulders, "Ah, it seems we have a visitor. Why do you disturb my lady? I can make you happy. Why not relax, would that not be better?"
 

Cinnonym

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"Do not waste your breath trying to turn me, demon." The look on the blood mage's face was neither fear nor anger... Perhaps resignation? "I have no intent of severing you from your host. Unless she desires it. Rather, I must do what you have not. Train her, teach her discipline. If you take issue with the girl gaining control over the power in her, then we must resolve it now."
 

ShadowFolk

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Sloth's fingers curled, grasping onto Sulahn'nehn's shoulders as to protect her. "Oh?" quizzically, the demon tilted his head, studying the blood mage. It was hard to ignore the tension his host felt, but she made no move to attack what seemed to be a threat. Nevertheless, the demon kept it's eyes on the human. He spoke calmly and slowly, in no rush to reach the end of each sentence he spoke. "My lady wished to keep her power hidden away, quiet, forgotten. Happy to normal, everyone happy to eat, drink, and enjoy. You would take this from her."

"You slaughtered that man."
 

Cinnonym

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"I did." Thaedrin was in no mood to argue the ethics of his decision. His eyes flicked from the demon to the elf girl. "Would you have the death be a waste?"

The Constable stepped closer, crossing the hunk of rock towards them. "Hear me, for I will only say it once. I came here with a task, and we are not leaving until it is complete. Sulahn'nehn's life belongs to the Grey Wardens now, her talents are no longer a secret. I assume that the deal you made with the girl was one of symbiosis, correct? You hide her, and she lets you share in her earthly experiences? ...So, what I intend to do holds no ill benefit for you. I'm not telling you this to negotiate with you, mind. But I want you to be aware of what you'll be risking, should you attempt to interfere. Get in my way, and I will destroy you."

Thaedrin held out a hand to Sulahn'nehn, to help her stand. "And you, you must consent to my methods."
 

ShadowFolk

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The demon laughed heartily. If anything, it was a treat to see a human with no fear behind their threat. But as expected of his kind, he preferred to avoid fights, finding them a waste of energy. He tilted his head once more, curious. "What does the lady wish?"

Ignoring the question, she spat out her words and wanted nothing more than to slap Thaedrin away. "You do not deny that you murdered that man and in the same breath you tell me not to waste his death before his blood can even cool! You-", she bit her tongue, not knowing if the blood mage bluffed or if he could trouble destroy them both and she did not want to find out what dying in the Fade meant for her mind and body.

The demon himself tensed. Not from fear, but in readiness to strike.

"No," she started. "I believe this was his intent. This...this-," there were many words that she wanted to call Thaedrin. All of them bitter and rude, but they stayed bottled up. "You are wicked. But I will not let his death be in vain."

"As you wish."

It was Sloth who then helped the elf to her feet. He then drifted away from them, never too far, never too close, simply watching.
 

Cinnonym

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?I promise you will hate me even more by the end of it.?

Thaedrin?s hand withdrew, since she was making a point of not accepting it. He nodded toward the demon, then gestured for her to follow him toward the center of the island.

?You must wonder why we came to the Fade, why you couldn?t be trained classically. Time works against us in the waking world, it would have taken weeks to teach you restraint under duress. Here, you will know no fatigue.?

As he led the elf further in among the crags, the world around them shifted at blood mage?s coming. The rock flattened to the ground and became black marble floors veined with gold, the fog grew even more dense around them and became walls, a vaulted ceiling, paneled in rich woods. The décor was not unlike that of Sulahn?nehn?s master. The same extravagance was prevalent. Even the Constable?s appearance changed, from the blue and silver of his Grey Warden?s uniform to robes befitting an Altus mage. His carriage and his disdainful expression, however, remained unchanged when he turned back to face her.

?The Fade has long been a tool of the magisters, to watch and control their peoples. The terrain is shaped by us, by our emotions and our memories. Your dreams, your essence, your soul?? Thaedrin pressed his palm to the elven girl?s forehead, his power wrapping around her mind with a cold grip, ??all are on display.?
 

ShadowFolk

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She had seen the Fade transform around her before, but never in such magnitude. It had never taken the shape of anything that did not feel peaceful and now she just felt watched. Everything about it reminded her of her need to be cautious in the home of her master. Seeing another person warp was new to her and even more so was the feeling of her mind releasing hold of itself as memories flooded out.

The door to an room far too under decorated to belong to a magister flew open; A tall, bearded man in finery appeared to be walking towards an elf who sat before a looking glass. "The incompetence of the men here is staggering. Come here, sweetling. The fortress has been breached and I don't favor staying here to watch it fall." There was confidence in the man's voice as he beckoned her to follow him out. A white fog rolled over their images and they dispersed, causing a new scene to unfold. The same man who held his head high at the thought of darkspawn invading was now knackered and losing hope for victory. Almost all able and ready soldiers had fallen and the man could barely stand without leaning on his staff. The elf cowered behind him, nearly unscathed. The last of the spawn fell. A small break in waves or was it finally over? He turned to tell the young woman that the danger had passed, but there was something wrong. The way she looked at him had been different, a mix of things he could not read. But something shifted in the air a feeling he recognized as magic. Question rang in the few syllables he was able to speak. "Sula-"

Valathian was no more than a mass of flesh and jutting bone. The elf's face changed again. Was it right to do? She fled.

The fog appeared again, brightly shifting to a grand party, typical of the social class. She stood by her master, entertaining the social elite with well spoken words, manner, and beauty. They complimented her as if she were not standing there as one would a show hound. "Oh, isn't she darling?", "I wish mine were as precious.", "Isn't that the cutest little thing? She'd be nearly human if it weren't for those ears." The men and women laughed among themselves. She was later seen being guided towards an outlandish bedroom and instructed to wait.

The images distorted, a flash, and something new played out. A frustrated Sulahn'nehn paced the floor. She'd had to sit through yet another lavish party and listen to magisters brag. Her master in particular was rather proud of his family name, haven taken part in crossing the veil. So many of her kind slaughtered like cattle and for what? A curse. And the things he did? Despicable. She wanted to do something, anything to see him brought to justice and her inability to take action made her scream out her frustrations. As she did such, a shockwave erupted from her, destroying much in her tiny room. She panicked. Was that magic? How could she be a mage? She was passed the point where magic normally made itself apparent. The noise of course called for an investigation, a lie about a tantrum, and a punishment for destroying what was given to her was in order. That night she wept. She would be found out and then never seen again. She begged inwardly for someone to help her. Her call was answered.

It was the third person to have gone missing. Shortly after his magic flared and caught the attention of Valathian the male elf stopped being seen working the fields. Sulahn'nehn could hear the screams. Every time someone disappeared there were screams every night until one night, the sound would stop abruptly. She knew their life had ended. A terrible fate for being born with magic. She prayed they would be guided to the Beyond.

Valathian called on a girl to fill his cup and Sulahn'nehn obliged. He looked her over, not sure if she was a new girl or he'd always had her around. Surely he would have noticed someone like her before. He asked for her name, what her duties were, how long she'd been in service to him. The magister nodded his head dismissing her only to call her to his room that very night.

The flashes of memory stopped abruptly, Sulahn'nehn only just able to close her mind for whatever good that did. She remained silent. There was nothing that would fix what her mind revealed.
 

Cinnonym

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The images flashed past him in a blur, the landscape around them changing wildly between scenes, but he did not fail to comprehend. Thaedrin watched everything, felt everything. When the last memory faded, he could feel her hate for him, too, shining like a beacon. He struck her across the jaw with an open hand.

?Now we begin.?

The blood mage vanished.

Around them, the splendor of the Davinius manor became the fortress at Ostagar, Sulahn?nehn left alone in the magister?s bedroom. Just as before, the horde was flooding up the stairwell, bristling with weapons and thirsty for blood. This time, Valathian was not here to protect her.

?Defense,? came Thaedrin?s voice over the noise of the Darkspawn?s ascent. ?This is where you must begin. You will never cease to feel fear, or pain. So you must use it to your advantage. You have the power to move matter with a thought! Why should you let anything touch you??

The swords and the axes and the spears could do no harm to her physical body beyond the veil, but the pain was substantial. Every time she experienced a false death, the backdrop would change and the danger would begin anew. The forest where she was found, Weisshaupt?s halls, the burning watchtower. If her spells went wild or she failed to obey, lightning coursed through her body. Thaedrin would make success a habit if it took him all day.

?Meek little thing, go back to your gilded cage if you want to hide!?
 

ShadowFolk

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She held her face where he struck her, she glared at the spot he'd been standing before he vanished. Her hatred deepened into loathing and she was sure he felt the same for her.

The elf was shocked to find herself going so quickly from feeling such malice to fear. As soon as pain came by the hands of the darkspawn she was sent elsewhere. Each time seeming to only do minimally better until she actually managed to stand her ground and defeat a handful before failing once more. If Thaedrin stood before her she would let loose a string of spells, however, he remained unseen. The bastard.

Sulahn'nehn rubbed her hand over her arm, certain that the wounds she received you be real at any moment. "You are the one who hides here!"

Sloth maintained his distance from the frequently shifting Fade, awaiting a change in his hosts mind.
 

Cinnonym

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When Sulahn?nehn was finally able to force the hurlocks to keep their distance, to knock them back, the forest dissipated around her and became Valathian?s manor. Thaedrin was there; he slapped her across the face again, to gain her attention.

?You?re still too wild. So, you can handle multiple enemies. How about just one?? His magic lashed out violently, throwing her back across lush rugs and into hand-carved furniture. The blood mage crossed the corridor quickly, as another spell surged around his hands. ?Focus. When you battle the darkspawn, they will overwhelm you unless you can think clearly through your fear. Do you understand??

He took a fistful of her hair and dragged her around the corner, down the stairs. He knew the elf had no memories of Valathian?s laboratories, but it made no difference. He knew what his father?s looked like. Thaedrin threw her down onto a stone altar, surrounded with trays of tools and jars of strange substances. Samples, perhaps. His hand gripped her by the throat and kept her down, his power slapping away her spells with no more effort than when he struck her earlier.

?Focus! Is this what you were afraid of!?? The blood mage shook her in frustration; he grasped a scalpel from the tray of tools, the weight of the metal so real in his hand. He showed her the blade, bringing it slowly ever closer to her lower eyelid with the intent to cut it loose. ?Come on, whore, how will you strike me down if you do not focus!?
 

ShadowFolk

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If Thaedrin wanted to make her blindingly mad, he succeeded. Funnily, getting slapped about after dealing with waves of darkspawn grew old very quickly. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind did she find herself across the room. She whimpered, pulling herself up from the broken bits of furniture. She didn't know if her vision was blurred, if it was a trick of the blood mage, or he simply deflected her attacks, but none seemed to land.

The elf cried out, grabbing at Thaedrin's hand as he dragged her along. As soon as they entered the room, she screamed and began to sob. "No! No, please!"

Sloth rose his head from a slumber, again ready to come to her aid when he felt the surge of distress from his host.

The mage thrashed against the altar, pleading to be let go. None of it was real, but she'd lost track of that fact. It became reality to her. Her struggle continued for a few moments more. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and for a moment, she stopped moving.

Sulahn'nehn's hand shot up and pushed against Thaedrin's chest and a pulse launched him through the equipment. As soon as his hand left her, she got up to send down a great force to press him into the floor. "Do not touch me!"
 

Cinnonym

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Thaedrin?s first thoughts were of alarm. Sulahn?nehn?s magic threw him across the room, and he collided with the stone of the wall before falling to his hands and knees on the floor. There wasn?t time for quips between her first spell and her second. Her force shattered what was left of his defenses and laid him out fully. The blood mage?s shout of pain swelled into a scream as the pressure increased on his frame. He felt his bones shatter.

The magister?s laboratory warped and dissipated as his consciousness slammed back into his physical body; he could no longer maintain the spell to trap her in the Fade. With sharp, gasping breaths, he stumbled backwards to support himself against the wall at his back. When he opened his mouth to speak, blood dribbled from his lips and over his chin to stain his collar.

?Get. Out.?

He tossed the key to her feet and slowly sank to sit.
 

ShadowFolk

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It took her some time to realize she was back. So filled with anger all she could focus on at first was why Thaedrin wasn't on the floor bleeding out of every orifice he had.

A key clanking against the floor brought her back to her senses. She looked at it, then to the blood mage, and then to the elven man still strapped lifeless in the chair. Sulahn'nehn knelt to pick up the key, but did not rise again until she'd completed a prayer for the poor man's spirit. "May the Creators guide you to your resting place in the Beyond."

Without another word, she unlocked the door and stormed away.
 

Cinnonym

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Thaedrin stayed on the floor, maybe for hours, before he was able to stand well enough to get himself to his room in the barracks. Ghil, meanwhile, had spent Sul's training hours testing Ulrin's unarmed skills and drinking. Still, she had retired at an appropriate hour. Now, but for the men on watch, the fortress was quiet and empty.
 

ShadowFolk

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She would not have wished that experience on anyone. Anyone who wasn't Thaedrin. He could suffer as many horrific nightmares as she could dream up. Even with the aid of a demon, she did not think it would be easy to lay still long enough to close her eyes just yet. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs until she lost her voice. But the halls were empty and upset as she was, she could not rob so many Wardens of the sleep they so deserved.

Instead, the elf wandered the halls until she found a nice, good place to sulk and have a cry. The training hall was empty and that would do. She sat in the middle of the floor, shuddering. The laboratory was still so fresh in her mind. A dummy snapped under the weight of her magic. The Wardens would be lucky to have equipment come the morning.
 

Cinnonym

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Ghil slept, as the night before, upright and in her mail and breastplate. Sleeping, actually, might not have been the most accurate term. It had not been restful. In her dreams, and underlying them, was the Archdemon's call. Dumat's orders ranged from simple destruction to disturbing darkness. It was typical, she felt, of a magister-caused catastrophe.

'Damned Tevinters.'

When she slid down, she noted the elven girl's absence with a frown. After a quiet pause for wondering, she shook her head and strode out of the barracks towards the mess hall.
 

Rosen2012

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Ulrin's time spent with Ghil left him perhaps more sore and bruised than their time fighting the darkspawn in the burning tower. He had hoped that the day's events and the extra training with the barbarian would have worn him out enough to sleep soundly. However the elven rouge found himself awake to odd hours wondering what happened to the other of his kind that had been taken away by Thaedrin. He already didn't trust the blood mage, and wondered if she would still be with them in the morning, or if the Constable had done with her as all humans do. When he did sleep the only thing that came to him were images of the Darkspawn bearing torment and destruction.

When the call to rise came Ulrin stumbled up form his bed wondering if perhaps Sulahn'nehn was right. He had thought death was an appropriate punishment for his crime, but the Creators must have granted him life to endure this sentence.

'I hope she is still alive...' He dressed and made his way to the dinning hall expecting to see the two women together as usual.