Ryuu continued to enjoy his foot rub, though at Cash's actions and words he felt like he had pushed to hard on the male. Once he left though Ryuu let out a soft sigh his shoulders returning to their tense posture, and he rolled onto his stomach digging through one of the saddle bags. He pulled from this a decorated wooden box, of rather moderate size, and well hidden under folds of cloth and purses of coin. Ryuu kept this safe and away from eyes even friends, not even Sev knew of what was in the box; or that the box existed. Ryuu unleashed a soft sigh as he opened the box, and inside rested two well crafted daggers, but not ordinary daggers these were forged and enchanted purposely for him. The day he became a crow these daggers were given to him as the weapons that he would wield in their service.

Though they brought back the horrid memories of what he had done, they were still just as much a part of him. The daggers were finally crafted the blades curving and the hilt ending with another blade. These daggers were his, and his alone no one could handle them better; and the people he watched try usually lost their own hands in the process. Both daggers sharp, and shining dully in the light as if they had just been polished the day before, but in honesty the daggers hadn't been removed from this very box since he had joined the wardens. He closed the box, sighing softly as he looked to the sword and dagger that rested on the other side of his tent. He slowly slipped the box back into the bag; and placed everything back on top of it; one day he would wield those daggers again, but this time not for the cause of assassinating, but for the cause of ending suffering. He shook these thoughts, and memories from his mind as he crawled out of his tent stretching his limbs and taking in the scene. Tiaryn, Blysse and Zephora off on their own; while the rest of the camp seemed to gather towards the fire to eat. Ryuu turned, his head tilted slightly, as he moved over to join them, though he kept quiet and minded his own. He stayed to the back, rather enjoying the thought of being a ghost, though with a Qunari running around, he figured it wouldn't be hard; waaait. He blinked and tilted his head, when did a qunari join their group, he must have missed alot while getting a foot rub. Though questions would have to come later, at least for now he'd keep his peace and just enjoy the fact, everyone was getting along as best as possible; such a motley crew of misfits, and yet even when all of them had different reasons for what they were doing, they were all here now; enjoying (If as much as the word can be used in this sentence) each other's company.

Tal’Vashoth

"I do not fight for sport," the horned humanoid replied to Connall, but nevertheless he accompanied the majority of the group over to the fire at the persistent tug of his Kadan. She seemed friendly towards these people, though e was hardly surprised at this. She was friendly towards people who wanted nothing more than to kill her, or at least she had been before. He wondered why this Templar had not shown any signs of hostility towards her.

Clearly, there was more at play here than he could see, at least yet, and he let all conversations in which he may or may not have been involved drop. The Templar's threat, he had dismissed as the howling of a leashed dog; it was clear that he did not hold authority here, or at least not as much as he would like to. That said, no actual leader jumped out at him from amidst the others either- the group of three was far too secluded over there, a Tamplar from what he new of them would not consent to be led by a mage, which ruled out the chatty one. The careless fur-clad one was as new here as Tal'Vashoth himself, and the elf wandering the periphery of the group did not draw enough attention to qualify.

Perhaps the leader was one of these other people that Kadan mentioned- this 'Ser Sev' or the one called 'Jasper.' That made some sense, anyway, though why the leader would be out scouting and leaving the main body of the force to fend for themselves was not something he could not claim to understand. The Qunari had the berasaad for this purpose, and though an Arishok was expected to lead his men into battle if need be, he was not the kind to do the scouting work- as Tal'Vashoth himself had once been constantly reminded.

Dwelling excessively on the past was not his nature, though, and so he ate his proffered food in silence, for the most part attempting to avoid intimidating anyone unnecessarily with his vivid violet stare; a rarity in the Qunari, as gold was the usual color. Still, it was not unheard-of.

While he may have simply tolerated the presence of the others, he had to admit it was good to see Kadan again. He knew himself to be a serious sort, and she was of a kind not found on the isles he hailed from. He doubted very much that people like her were common even amongst the elves or humans, either. Whatever the circumstances, she had made him her friend, and forever so would he remain, with the same steadfast solidarity that he had resolved to remain Tal'Vashoth, to shun his place as a warrior of the Qun.

Zephora sighed contentedly as Blysse settled down, easing onto her haunches as she adjusted to the large creature. Settling in next to her, Zephora rested her head lightly against Blysse, enjoying her presence and touch -- it had felt like so long since she had last seen the Dalish woman, she missed her. Sitting so close to her, Zephora noticed a new scent that she carried -- she seemed more earthy... thinking now, it would be understandable. Zephora's grin spread as she continued to sit next to Blysse; she hadn't gone running off into the woods yet and that had to be a good sign. Perhaps, with her act of protection for the group, she could feel more at ease with them in her newly exposed form.

Zephora was content to watch the rest of the group gather around the fire and enjoy their meal, though remnants of tenseness remained they seemed to have been pacified for now. She noticed that Tiaryn had settled by them as well, still sipping on the broth that Cash had delivered earlier, while she flitted through a journal of some sort -- making notations with a piece of charcoal. The Crow seemed to have calmed down from the earlier encroachment of her space, still seated quite close to the transformed Blysse. Zephora beamed a smile in the woman's direction, though she was now uncertain to what the smile was for... to be honest, it was probably due to her overall happiness. She had failed to notice the disappearance of Ser Sev and Jasper, hardly noticing many other party members beyond Blysse, Cash, and, now, Tiaryn. All was well in the mind of the Chasind Battlemage -- she found someone that spoke her language and her friend had returned.

Orik mused. The Crows? Yes it made sense, he had been told she had two of them with her. He did not recall seeing either of them himself, but they were probably elven, given his experience with them in the past. Ironhide stirred beneath him and he quieted the beast with a touch. She made an interesting proposal. He thought on it for several moments, while Severia watched him coolly, and Jasper eyed him with an equal amount of nervousness. Finally Orik raised his ashanderei and slammed it to the ground. Once.

"I believe I will join you. I'll 'ave to send this lot back, though. Och, that's right. I apologize, but I 'ad an ambush set up. Jest in case. I'm not sure where this wee journey will end us, but I'll take up with you and yours..."

Orik spurred Ironhide and cantered back to the mage.

"Tell them that the situation 'as changed. We will na be capturing them today. Everyone is ta go on there way. If you plan on living through the week, 'owever, none of you should take employment with the teyrn's estate anytime soon."

The Karashok broke from cover and walked over to him.

"Are you sure you wish to do this, kadan? They will hunt you."

The dwarven duelist grinned. "Come now, Karashok, where's your sense of adventure? At least this way I'm na in danger na more. And it'd be nice to eat something other than your own cooking for a change." Karashok looked mildly offended at that, if a Qunari could be offended.

Orik clapped Karashok on his shoulder, only in reach because the dwarf was mounted. " Good bye, my friend. May you live the rest of your years in glorious battle."

Orik turned his bronto around again, seeing the guards leaving cover as he did so. Several started heading Northeast, towards Denerim. Orik then cantered the surprisingly agile beast back towards Severia. The look of surprise on her face told him she had not expected so many guards.

"Well, my lady knight. You 'ave caused me ta break my vow, something I thought not possible. I will follow you for a time. But know this: If you do something I disagree with, I'll probably leave. Don't know where I'll go, but I canna travel wit someone I canna trust.

He rested his ashanderei on his shoulder. He smiled softly. This was not what he had expected to happen when he taken the commission for guard captain at the teyrn's estate.

"I trust we understand each other?"

[Hey Scythe keep in mind; you can't make someone else's character form any sort of expression or do anything as minor as fidgeting. I noticed you puppeted both Sev and Jasper in that way. I'd rather you not do that again; if it isn't mentioned in the player's post it shouldn't be mentioned in yours. Please and thank you. o3o]



Sev in fact had not shown her surprise. As a trained knight and soldier one easily learns to conceal such things. And Sev is not that naive as to be shocked by a group of guards stumbling out of the foliage. She'll show surprise to many a number of things but nothing that involves life or death such as this. The young woman inwardly muses that this just may have been a streak of luck for the dwarf to decide to join them. She blinks at the huge...whatever it is, leaning down somewhat to pat Kujo's rump. The mabari jumps somewhat and ceases his growling, looking over his shoulder at his Lady and Jasper as if to ask 'Are you sure?'. He stares as the Qunari escorting Orik agrees to take his leave before Kujo moves aside himself.

Orik's terms of service encourage a nod from Severia. "I wouldn't expect any less. If I do something to disturb you though, please tell me so. We could have some friendly banter. You may call me Ser Sev if need be, Orik." she again finds her eyes drifting down to the impressive mount the dwarf has. The lady knight most likely would have introduced Kujo and Jasper if it weren't for the alarming (sensation? emotion? What is this?) something causing her to take a few steps back. Famished realization blooms and Severia's face changes from genteel to inured. "We need to head back to the camp. I sense darkspawn."

Before she had turned to begin a hasty trip back however, she did manage to cast a grateful glance at Jasper. His words helped in a sense (although as always stirred up more unnecessary questions) and it felt as though he was sincere in what he said. Pressing onward towards camp she allows Kujo to barrel forth. The hound sensed his Lady to be uneasy but more so he could smell dinner! Kujo ran around the camp for a moment, shoving his nose against everyone that he could before springing away and running in circles around the fire. Severia raises a brow, not knowing whether she should be embarrassed because of Kujo's behavior or because she may possibly have been paranoid about darkspawn.

She would have gotten to some manner of introduction but was again distracted by the sight of something new to the camp; a werewolf formed Blysse and a qunari. They've always been an impressive breed and Severia...well. There isn't a heterosexual woman alive who could resist that dark, mysterious muscular type. She hopes her tattoo is enough to disfigure the blush in her cheeks as she hears the voice of an old naughty friend whispering in her head. Oh look Sev, horns. Something to hold onto! Not that she would ever regret her time getting to know the Black Templar. "I...I could have sworn that--" Severia began sheepishly before disaster struck.

(Jasper +3 for the srs talk)
(Orik +2 for joining)

[boo I need to do disposition journal updates at some point o_e]

~~~

Blysse is equally happy, if not more so than Zephora. Tail wagging behind her a potent maw parts as she begins to pant to work off any lingering stress, forgetting it all. When Asmara neared, thanking her and giving her a bowl of the soup Blysse's bushy tail wiggles and accelerates into a blur. She licked at the mage's hand before leaning down and sloppily lapping up the offered meal. The golden werewolf had obvioiusly calmed down with a good recovery on the way from her prior terror of the man-thing, Asmara's falon. He is easily three times her size (or anyone here for that matter) but he obviously isn't aggressive towards any of them without reason. However Blysse knows Asmara is good, she can just smell that on her, and it means they can trust man-thing.

Finishing the soup too quicly she yawns, teeth gleaming as she shuffles over to drop her haunches by Zephora. Slowly as she regains herself she is starting to feel a bit anxious about being as she is around the others. So far none of them made it apparent that it upset them. Although she's yet to be faced with the Templar Bruce, Ser Sev or Jasper. Her animal mind has linked this group as her new pack. This is both good and bad; good because now she will not wander away to find other werewolves but bad in the sense that...well. Say they're in town and someone is yelling or upsetting one of the others. She'd feel the need to drive them into the ground for threatening one of her newfound packmates.

As the Dalish rested next to the Chasind her long ear wriggles at an odd scratching sound. Blysse rolls her head on her neck, chuffing softly in wonder. Seeing the forest spin she finally stares at Tiaryn holding some sort of parchment and doing something with her other hand. This is new to her. Head tilting she blinks and ceases her chuffing, faintly aware of Cash and Ryuu not too far off. Everyime Tiaryn's head is down Blysse inches towards her, scooting on her bottom and stopping whenever the Crow glanced up. Within reach she had leaned forth to snuffle curiously at the bizarre new hobby.

Kujo abruptly blazes past her, making Blysse roll on her hind legs and start yapping exuberantly before turning to see Ser Sev with Jasper and a strange little man astride a strange looking halla-buffalo. Blysse's joy is short lived at this point as she sits down on her haunches, meekly licking her lips with a nervous ear drawn back. Diving between her thighs that elongated tail waggles anxiously. Like a spurned dog she tucks her nose downward while skittishly rotating her head away from the sudden appearance; making eye contact could only upset them at this point and she doesn't want to upset anyone, honest!

Although while she does Blysse can see a pair of unknind eyes staring at her from the depths of the forest. A snarl rips through her as its arrow flies past her, ducking to miss it pegging her against a tree. Fur bristling up again she sheds her demure nature for something much more primal. Lunging on all fours she tackles down the fleeing genlock and despite its screeching wails rips into it with her gnarled claws, pinning it down with her weight. Once it stops moving she uses her jaws to shake it as one would a sock in need of unraveling from its knot. She feels finished after its body is dislodged, mangled from where she grips it. The she-wolf drops the genlock and inhales the air, ears at work as she hears a frantic cry further ahead. With an explosive howl out of instinct to rile her "pack", Blysse takes off into the woods with Kujo frantically at her heels.

[whoever decides to make their next post; basically Blysse and Kujo are leading everyone to a cave nearby that leads down into an outstretched part of the Deep Roads. Darkspawn abound!]

Asmara Surana

Asmara had only just set down her dishware, intent on waiting for everyone else to finish and collecting theirs for a wash also, when something behind her causes her ears to perk up instinctively. Turning, she catches sight of Ser Sev, Jasper, and a strange short man (Asmara has heard of but never seen a dwarf before) on a large creature. She blinks in surprise for a moment before her customary smile lights her face. Obviously, the ebony-bearded man is another ally, or perhaps an old friend of someone's. That's how things seem to work around this group, and she has no protest to it.

"Ser Sev, Jasper, welcome back," she greets amiably. "There's still some dinner left if you want it." She gestures back to the pot and the seated group, but whatever she might have said next is interrupted by a commotion from the far corner. She catches the distinct sound of an arrow hitting wood, and watches with apprehensive eyes as Blysse and Kujo run into the woods, and Tiaryn disappears from sight as well.

Turning back to her fellow Warden, Asmara furrows her brows. she can sense them now, but why not earlier. "Darkspawn," she murmurs softly, suddenly intent on the sensation of the Taint in her blood acting up. Biting down on her lip, the elven wisp of a girl dashes to her tent, grabbing her staff from amongst her tings and following after the more canine-inclined members of the group. If there are Darkspawn about, she knows it's her duty to hunt them, and she refuses to let Blysse run straight into them without her assistance. She knows that at the very least the other Wardens and Tal will not be far behind.

Tiaryn Ormet

Tiaryn might not admit it, but she is highly amused by this creeping game that Blysse is playing, and when the werewolf's attention is elsewhere, she shoots Zephora a smile, with just a hint of mischief. Despite having the appearance of being nothing but solemn, there is a slight hint of the trickster spirit in Tiaryn, though it might well have just been Ryuu rubbing off on her.

All plans go abruptly elsewhere, however, when her ears, trained for years to catch the smallest of sounds, catch the characteristic tensing and drawing of a bowstring. Tiaryn dives to the side, though the arrow was not meant for her. As soon as Blysse runs after what must be a Darkspawn, she activates her stealth, and abruptly becomes unnoticeable, ghosting through the trees, knowing that Blysse will likely be able to smell her there.

It is not long before the group reaches a cave, outwardly no different in appearance from any other, but this impression of ordinariness is swiftly shed by the Darkspawn emerging at a rapid rate from its mouth, and Tiaryn quietly swears in Antivan, drawing her blades and trying to decide how best to make use of her stealth. There are far too many here for the three of them to handle on their own, and though she senses that some of the others are close behind, she does not know how many that is.

Jasper Bryland

Jasper, as it turned out, was hardly the sort to be nervous, though he was highly prepared for a fight. It seemed, though, that in the end this wasn't necessary, and the bronto-mounted dwarf ended up agreeing to accompany them, or rather, Ser Sev. He was quite certain that none of it had anything whatsoever to do with him, and quite frankly he preferred it that way.

The three of them, with Kujo of course, arrived in camp to find the rest of the group, plus a transformed Blysse, a musclebound man in furs, and what appeared to be a Qunari. Blysse seemed apprehensive at their appearance, and that troubled him somewhat. He would have thought it was obvious enough what he made of the situation when he sent Valhalla to keep her company. Still, this was apparently not the case, and so he managed his usual rakish smile and a wave before a number of things happened in quick succession.

First, he sensed that they were not alone. Then an arrow fired, and Jasper followed its trajectory back to the Darkspawn. Blysse made to pursue, and out of the corner of his eye, he observed Asmara running to her tent, presumably to obtain a weapon to do the same. It looked like he might get his fight this evening after all, and he chuckled darkly to himself as he took off on long legs after the bounding werewolf and stealth-cloaked ex-Crow.

They reached the cave, and the Darkspawn that spilled out brought the ever-so-slightly sadistic grin to the pirate's face, and he gripped his uneven blades, flicking them out of their sheaths with relish. Ah, how he did love a good challenge, and stacking the numbers thoroughly against oneself was rather a decent way to go about providing that. So was blinding yourself in one eye, for that matter.

One of the spawn, a hurlock, roared and charged him, swinging a pair of knives for his head, and Jasper bent backward, letting them whistle harmlessly past his nose, snapping back upward and pivoting neatly on one foot, bringing himself to the creature's flank, his longer blade slicing smoothly into the chink in armor between the chestplate and the lower abdomen covering. His opponent tried to stab at his exposed back, but the pirate had already twisted out of reach and shoved his knife into the vulnerable juncture of flesh at the base of the skull.

The creature fell, and the pirate moved to engage the next, the picture of unruffled precision.

Tal’Vashoth

When Kadan stood, Tal'Vashoth turned to look at the people she was speaking to. A dwarf, a dark-clad human man and a woman with short-cropped hair, it would seem. The woman seemed to be looking in his direction, and he met her gaze steadily, not really sure what she was trying to establish by this. Perhaps she was the leader? He did not understand much of what humans did; so much of it was without discernible purpose.

When Kadan ran off to help the werewolf and the dog, Tal stood as well and followed. He did not fully comprehend Kadan's actions all the time- she quite often seemed inclined to help people that he would leave to their own foolishness, but he was inclined to help her, and that was enough. It was at a steady jog that he covered the distance between the camp and the cave, never far behind Kadan, who had to take about three strides for every one of his.

Once they arrived though, he stepped in front of her, hefting his massive, two-handed axe from where it was slung across his back. Tal for a while simply waited; he was not the sort to fight because he in any way enjoyed it, but he was a frightening sight to behold once his berserker fury was unleashed. There were few things more daunting than an enraged Qunari, especially one as large as Tal'Vashoth. But it would take a bit to get him there in the first place, and for the moment, he was content to beat back anything that came Kadan's way with an almost detached indifference to the presence of the Darkspawn doing anything else.

Ryuu had slowly began to relax again when everything went to the pits. First his ears picked up the same thing that Tiaryn did, the archer letting fly it's first and last arrow, as the genlock is pounced upon by Blysse and killed. Then without much time to react he watches as the she-wolf barrels off into the undergrowth with Tiaryn, Asmara, Jasper, and the Qunari, close behind. He jumped to his feet, first off to his tent to grab his weapons. He paused though for the briefest of moments, looking between the saddle bag, and his already sheathed weapons the sword and the dagger he had earned from the wardens. It didn't take long for the choice grabbing the sword and dagger from their sheaths and charging off in the direction he had saw them all run off in.

He made his way through, until he came to the mouth of the cave and the darkspawn's that poured from it, already seeing Jasper fighting as well as the Qunari taking up a defense position in front of Asmara, though he couldn't see Tiaryn right off, he figured she was being sneaky. His thoughts were cut short by a charging genlock, Ryuu found it insulting that the small creature thought he'd be easy enough prey for it. He threw the dagger in his right hand with enough strength to pierce it's skull, watching it fall onto it's back dead before the ground met it, the whistling of a blade slicing through the air cut his ears and he rolled, just in time to miss having his head cleaved from his shoulders by a hurlock. Once his roll came to a stop he ripped the dagger from the genlock's skull, turning and readied a parry for the second attack by the hurlock. Though before long his ears caught the sound of a familiar charging creature.

He didn't get the chance to react as his Warg made it into the battle tackling the distracted hurlock, and knocking it into two genlock's with bows drawn. Ryuu was bewildered by Lenwe's charge his last sight of the beast charging off to hunt for it's meal. His surprise, and confusion didn't last long as the warg took off again, at the same hurlock now just beginning to stand, pouncing upon the creature. Ryuu had to turn away, though his stomach wasn't weak the way Lenwe dismembered a body, wasn't a very pretty sight and Ryuu didn't feel like losing the only meal he had eaten during the day. He moved off into the distance, deciding to try his luck at getting behind distracted darkspawn, succeeding with a hurlock, both blades in the elf's hands piercing through the weak areas of the armored torso of the creature, driving a dying scream from it as it struggled before falling lifeless to the ground. His thoughts at the moment were, of jokes at how the rest of the party wouldn't get any of the fun if they didn't hurry up and get here. Though then again, that was just a way for Ryuu to keep his mind from the grim truth of being outmatched, even if two of the group here were big enough to handle more then their fair share of the spawn.

Arvin had honestly meant to go hunting for food for the group, but backing up Severia and Jasper if needed took precedence. As soon as the little meeting was over, and it was obvious that the group wasn’t going to be attacked, Arvin winged himself away. He was a bit surprised the resolute dwarf had decided to come with them, still used to people believing the propaganda that Loghain had been spouting about the Grey Wardens. One more party member wasn’t a bad thing, however. The falcon’s eyes spotted a skitter of movement in the brush below, and the bird of prey dove instinctively. Arvin fluttered back to a tree branch after a few moments, clutching a bleeding mouse from his talons. Just a quick snack, then he’d go back to hunting for the group, Arvin promised himself, until he was nearly knocked off of the branch by a sickening sensation.

If the falcon could sigh, it would have. Why did it never seem to end? Darkspawn, and lots of them were near. Arvin quickly took flight once again, aiming towards the Darkspawn that he sensed. There was no way that the other Wardens wouldn’t have sensed them. A howl split the air in the direction of their camp. The shifter suspected Kujo as the culprit of that one. The falcon was quick to reach the scene of the battle, where already darkspawn had been engaged. What better way to introduce himself to the battle? Arvin dove at a Genlock, pulling up with talons outstretched to rip into the creature’s eyes. There wasn’t a safe place to land or transform, Arvin noticed as he tried to gain a little altitude. He weaved around a polearm that was jabbed his way before he was out of sight. Arvin turned about in the air, close to the ground and began to revert to his elven form.

Knowing he’d draw attention from transforming, Arvin quickly began a spell. Aiming to create a momentarily safe spot for himself to transform, the mage had landed a little ways off from the nearest member of the party. His fist clenched, he wound his arm back as if to throw something. A little glowing mote of flame arced lazily from his outstretched hand after the toss. It was easy to miss the pea of fire in the heat of battle, but Arvin had chosen where to throw it well, away from any of his party members who might get caught in the blast. The fireball exploded a few yards away, knocking any nearby off their feat and incinerating the closest Darkspawn to its epicenter. This gave Arvin a little time to chug a small lyrium potion he kept in his robes, giving him the mana he needed to shapeshift.

This little used form was his strongest at the moment, but difficult to maintain in the long run. Arvin felt his body thicken with muscle as he fell down to all fours. Course brown fur sprouted over his hulking form. A large brown bear soon stood in the elven shifter’s place. The green eyed beast trumpeted a loud roar before charging the nearest darkspawn, knocked silly by the blast of his fireball. It was a simple matter of swinging one great paw to rip the creature from life. Where his lynx form was for speed and precision, Arvin’s bear form was needed for pure savage strength. Hopefully his other party members would recognize the bear for what it was, and not another enemy.

Zephora muffled her giggles, watching as Blysse attempted to near Tiaryn and her drawing stealthily -- she responded to Tiaryn's amused smirk with a wink and a half-nod and watched the game with open enjoyment. Everything felt normal -- it was if the past events hadn't happened, though the blemish to Blysse's appearance nixed that idea without a second thought. Zephora frowned slightly, eyes lingering on the damaged nub where Blysse's ear had been, but was pulled from her melancholy thoughts as Blysse turned to greet Ser Sev, Jasper, and some strange short-man that they had not left the party with. Zephora's head tilted up in greeting -- it went unnoticed, as Zephora expected it to, and returned to watching Blysse.

There were traces of Elf-Blysse in the she-wolf -- her playfulness, carefree attitude, the want to please and be pleased... The more Zephora thought about it, the more Werewolf-Blysse became to look like an untethered Elf-Blysse. She was freed from the sense of being a fully conscious being, driven by instinct and emotion. This was not to say or imply that Werewolf-Blysse was incapable of conscious thought, more so that she could turn those thoughts off -- the thoughts that controlled one's actions and emotions, that implied correct and incorrect. It was almost enviable, that kind of freedom. She was pulled from her thoughts again as an arrow whizzed by her, Zephora's hair shifting with the breeze caused by the unsettling of the air. The Chasind stood quickly, responding to Blysse's howl with utmost urgency.

She placed a firm hand on the hilt of her sword, confirming its position at her side, while the other hand raised. She placed two fingers in her mouth, letting loose a shrill whistle as she began to run into the wood, following after Blysse and Kujo. Dubhradh noted Zephora's call with alerted ears, stamping his hooves as he watched his lady disappear into the thicket of trees. He knew not to enter battle until called again, settling instead to stamp and snort impatiently. Tiaryn had seemingly disappeared and others were following after. Drawing closer and closer to the cave she could make out in the distance, she began to see things fleeing out from inside of it. At first she considered the possibility of bandits, but it soon dawned on her that these were nothing close to humans. She stopped, once reaching a small clearing, and drew her blade -- she bent her knees, entering into a more balanced stance, and let out a battle-cry. The effect of said cry was the activation of her Heroic Offence, targeting herself and boosting her confidence in battle.

She was vaguely aware of her teammates entering the clearing or having been already present -- Ryuu was there, as were Asmara and the large man-thing Blysse had been so scared of. It was not too long, however, until Zephora was engaged in battle. Two approaching creatures caught her eye and she faced them -- they seemed small and harmless enough and she decided to conserve her mana, aiming to disfigure them with her blade. As they drew closer, she charged them -- her blade was dropped to the level of her hip and, as she rushed at them, she would draw it slowly up in a diagonal direction, hoping to deal considerable damage to them both. They seemed to be quick on their feet, however, and while one absorbed the brunt of her attack, the other dodged to the side and behind her. As opposed to turning, as some may, to face the side-stepping enemy, Zephora pushed herself forward and ducked into a roll, barely dodging a dagger swipe from behind. It didn't take long for Zephora to come out of the roll, swiveling to face the second creature. It took only a little blade-work for the creature to meet its end. Zephora then turned her attention on the, still emerging, creatures from the cave.

"Shouldn't we try to form a plan or," Antius began vainly, only to watch as first Blysse in her werewolf form, then Asmara, Tiaryn, Jasper, the Tal'Vasoth, Ryuu, and then Zephora take off after one another, "Attack together?"

He sighed, shaking his head as he picked up his staff from the ground and ran after his companions, thanking the Maker for him keeping his sword strapped at his side. In retrospect, he was fortunate for having traveled the last couple years. Otherwise, he could never have kept up with the grueling pace the ex-qunari had set in their pursuit of the Darkspawn. He smiled in grim relief as they reached the cave. Soon enough, Arvin joined them and Antius decided to cast Arcane Shield over himself, Arvin, and Asmara as all three were Mages and were liable to more damage. Even Arvin, despite his bestial form, wore no armor.

He nodded gratefully at Tal for guarding Asmara. As their healer, she was particularly vulnerable, though he had a feeling that she was far from helpless. As a group of three genlocks broke rank to head for himself and Asmara, he raised his staff to cast a Cone of Cold, chuckling a little as they fell to the ground, two shattering while he shattered the third with Tranquil's Touch. Thank the Maker for the Tranquil. They might not be good conservationists, but they rivaled the Dwarves in enchantment and no one could make staves like they did. As more and more of the beasts poured from the cave, Antius continued to fire magical bolts of energy, liberally adding bolts of Lightning, Arcane Bolt, and Winter's Breath. As he reached for a vial of lyrium, he heard an angry roar.

Connall Dale grinned savagely as he joined in the fight, forming a Shield Wall with his shield and slashing at the creatures, laughing as he removed the head of one particular hurlock before Shield Bashing another in the face and stabbing its gut. He roared, pummeling a genlock with the pummel of his longsword. He had been missing this sort of fight. Mere guard duty for a lowland noble never provided such a challenge, such euphoria.

From the entrance of the cave came a loud roar of a creature; it was no Darkspawn, but something bigger. From the shadows of the mouth of the cave, charged a deep red drake, lunging forward and tackling the nearest Darkspawn that was unfortunate to be standing near by. It tore through the creature's armor and quickly delivered a death bite to silence the Darkspawn. When it lifted its head, it was noticed by the fallen ones companion, and quickly went into action, roaring and staking its claim on the cave entrance.

At just the entrance a flash of gold emerged, and in seconds, a fire ball knocked one of the Darkspawn that charged the drake, flat onto its back, being burned alive. Circe wouldn't enter the battle field just yet, keeping in the shadows and giving the drake the ranged support that he would need. She whistled sharply and the drake lifted its head, turning back towards its mistress for a moment. As a ring of Hurlocks came towards the cave, a wave of fire exploded from the depths, sending the monsters back wards. The drake bound out once again, easily tearing through the already burning enemies before crushing one of them with his massive weight.

Thats when the drake saw the others that were fighting those who would dare enter its territory. The creature reared up and let out a loud roar of annoyance. It paced, venturing farther out into the field as it would keep an eye on the strangers it did not recognize. Any Darkspawn that dared to approach it would be ripped to shreds in moments because of the drake's berserker mindset. It would keep a careful eye on the others, and let out a higher pitch roar, head turned towards the cave, notifying something within that something else existed outside the shadows of the cave.

Circe's eyes glowed almost in the dim light as she climbed up on a stone to look out. She could see other human like figures, but what were they doing there? She frowned slightly and gave out a responding whistle to the drake that called to her; a warning whistle to be wary of the trespassers. If they were friend or foe, they would soon know after they had ripped their way through the Darkspawn. In the shadows she would remain, watching as Arum would take on another hurlock that engaged him, trying to get towards the cave in retreat. She could hear the beats cries as the male would rip into its arm and tear it limb from limb. The drake would guard the entrance of the cave with a ferocity that would rival any creature, and he made it known as he tore into the soil with his claws, marking it as his.

Bruce narrowed his eyes as he peered into the darkness of the tunnel. He had to admit that although he wasn’t a lot into poetry and literature, he did acknowledge the atmosphere and tension that that darkness created. In this situation, he could feel the small hair on his neck rising; despite not being a warden and sharing their tainted bloodline, he could sense the evil that lurked within, he couldn’t pinpoint where it was (like the wardens could) however being a man of a strong faith it didn’t require tainted blood to tell such a thing.

“Darkspawns…I’m curious, Antius, the Dwarves, haven’t they been in war with the Darkspawns for centuries? Or have the never truly send actual armies into the Deep Roads to cleanse the world from these abominations?” Bruce had never really been in contact with the Dwarves; thereby he knew little of their culture, religion or their whole lifestyle.

Bruce didn’t really manage to get an answer from Antius before they were under attack by the Dawkspawns. Personally, Bruce found Antius’ question rather ridiculous; whether the group was to spend precious seconds to form a battle plan or if they were to let their instincts take over. Bruce normally favored the later and thus drew his sword and lifted up his shield as he ran along with the others.

A well placed Shield Bash knocked the first Hurlock off its feet, and then stabbed through it’s groin. Sidestepping another attack, Bruce’s sword was inside the belly of a dwarven sized Darkspsawn. Ripping the sword out, the inner organs spilled out, much to Bruce’s disgust. The almost black blood and the sight of the organs made his stomach turn in distaste.

Looking up, he saw another Darkspawn was upon him, and the circle continued. Dodge, sidestep, faint, attack, kill, and repeat. The circle of battle was broken as a roar was heard, swiftly followed by a golden light that set one of the darkspawns afire. Bruce turned and was about to yell at Antius for keeping his spells in check, however he was cut short as he caught a brief glimpse at a figure that moved through the shadows. Quickly as a dog, yet silent as a snake; it showed no mercy to the darkspawns as it bit, scratched and…Breathed fire?

Maker be with us, Bruce quickly prayed as his mind raced as for how they would possibly stand against a small dragon while fighting darkspawns. Bruce, though his years of dedication to the arts of the Templars, he had never, ever received any form of instructions as for how to stand face to face with a dragon.
“Antius…Asmara, I hope that you have some form of tricks up in your sleeve for this,” Bruce called, slightly nervous.

Full of ire and contempt the enraged she-beast snarls at the offending creatures. The only denouement in sight is utter massacre to keep her pack safe. In this state Blysse cannot maintain the capacity to fret over what the others must think of her. Back in the clan she was born into with Cassius, werewolves are a disgrace. Revolting hybrids that defile Nature's Law. From her upbringing, unfortunately, it's the only way she can think of herself in the eyes of others from her clan's "wisdom". In feral defense the Dalish werewolf's individual concern is to keep everyone safe. As natural weapons, both claw and fang, shred open a charging hurlock, Blysse howls shrilly from a row of arrows pinned into her right shoulder. Blood begins to trickle amidst her flaxen fur and she whirls around to take down the bold darkspawn who made a remarkable volte-face by trying to flee instead of confront the beast.

He wrapped some of his sister's leftover armoring around his torso and legs before taking up her forlorn weapon; the bow and arrows she left behind after fleeing the camp. Panpipes at the ready Cash followed the others. It comforted him to have the group all on the offense as well as his sister's wild form taking on anything nearby. Readying the pipes he played a song to boost everyone's reflexes, giving them better defense. And in good time as a drake slithers into view. Cash has never seen one in real life but he has indeed heard the stories.

Blysse arches her back and rears up at the sight of the drake. It's perhaps as threatening as Asmara's man-thing. With her young kin in sight her aggression is only heightened tenfold as she displays her teeth to the thing, bristling and inhaling suckled growls. She is not about to let Cash get harmed at the expense of a fire demon.

~~~

Severia had thought it ironic that Antius had hastily expressed wanting to plan something with the group. Perhaps it is because he is not a Grey Warden; when it comes to something as ghastly as darkspawn there simply isn't time for planning during an ambush. Or really any other form of enemy. All she knows is she will use sword and shield to defeat this small group. As she struggled to fend off a few rancid genlocks an earth quaking roar threatened to split the sky open. The noblelady's eyes round in shock at the sight of such a beast. "Drake!" she shouts in alarm.

Few times has she encountered the male species of dragon. Though wingless they do have fire breath and are far more likely to attack than a larger female counterpart. All around the group the darkspawn appear to be falling until only a handful remain. The cave must be a small branch off of the Deep Roads for so few to linger. Severia studies the drake as Blysse unfurls her outward beckoning to the reptile. As she does so she sees a dark blur rush for the drake. "Kujo! Stop!" her voice gives way to a note of panic. She has all the faith in the world for her mabari but not even a wardog could take down a drake.

Kujo, on the other paw, has other plans. He heard his mistress call for him but chose to have selective hearing. The canine barrels for the drake and forms a stocky wall between Blysse and the drake. Staring up at the drake his ears quiver as a faint (too faint for human ears to detect but not for beasts) but anxious cry is sounded from the cave. Kujo stares imploringly at the drake, smelling it has a two-legged companion. He barks gently at the drake, head tilted politely and a paw raised. The mabari is trying to communicate with the drake to calm down and let them through to help those in need.

~~~

The dwarfette shivers lightly in the hovel the darkspawn had abruptly left her. For a few hours they had been forcing the meat of their fallen into her gullet after finding her in the Deep Roads. Until recently they were all around her, some tugging on her hair and others wrenching their claws to open her mouth. Freya made sure to bite a good deal of them to the bone before being drugged by their blood. Now struggling for breath in the dark she shuffles uncomfortably in the metal crate they locked her in.

It stands about three feet high and perhaps two feet wide, forcing her to kneel as a rounded circle at the top allowed her head to be out of the crate. Ankles and wrists chained inside of it she had severely limited range of motion. And for hours she endured their despicable abuse as they attempted to turn her into a brood mother. Freya's body is drenched in aged darkspawn blood and her own cold sweat. She can see her belongings in a chest across from her. The darkspawn left it there to mock her, remind her of what she will never obtain after they turn her. And for some reason they simply ran up one of the tunnels.

She had heard battle; clanging steel, severed flesh, beastly voices and a deep barking. Shivering and exhausted the dwarfette licks her chapped lips. Wincing at the aftertaste of darkspawn blood she collects it in her throat, spitting it out harshly on the ground. "Hhe...", her voice is hoarse after screaming at the darkspawn when she had been captured. But she heard voices, didn't she? She no longer heard the darkspawn. There has to be someone out there, "Hehh...help...help. Help! In here! Guh...get me out!"

Jasper Bryland

The battle raged around him, but Jasper was cool as an icicle, for the most part. He noted the Drake emerge from the cave, and was instantly on his guard. Still, Kujo's reaction was enough to put him somewhat at ease, and he gradually fought his way in that direction, seeking to stem the tide of Darkspawn at its source. Of course, this was much more easily said than done, and he was caught up in an engagement with multiple spawn before he had the chance to make much headway.

But ah, this was what he lived for. The singing of steel meeting steel, the clang of blades on armor and shields, the erratic rhythm of footfalls on the ground, the staccato sound of breaths passing gustily to and from lungs- this was the sweetest kind of music of all. Cash's song echoed over the clearing, and Jasper frowned slightly. Yes, a sharpening of reflex was always to be welcomed, but he disliked winning his engagements on anything that wasn't his own skill. Still, he supposed, in the end it was still his arms and blades that were doing the work.

A hurlock's head went flying, and Jasper grinned heedless of his blood-spattered visage. It was something a little intimidating, really, and he was known to play it up for the sake of inducing fear when his opponents were slavers or smugglers or bandits. It was a fine line to walk, between surrendering to the sheer revelry of a challenge and maintaining one's dignified composure and rational mind. It was a line he had been tightrope-walking since he was too young, and the delicate finesse required was a demand all its own.

Tal’Vashoth

Tal'Vashoth knew no such line, nor such finesse. Upon a battlefield, the Qunari was concentrated, enraged destruction. As soon as the first Darkspawn had made a lunge for Kadan, the head of his axe had buried itself deep in the genlock's skull, splitting it gruesomely in two. Positioning himself to block her view of this, he kept cleaving for as long as they kept coming.

The red haze of berserk and bravery scarcely allowed for identification between friend and foe, but he tried to keep away from Kadan's friends, and assuming they kept well away from him as well, he would pose no danger to anything that was not a darkspawn. He saw the drake appear, but it was too far away from him to do anything about. Instead, he swung his weapon with extreme prejudice, and it solidly connected with a Hurlock Alpha's chest, crushing the creature's armor and ribcage alike.

Consumed in his misty hatred for all things that would presume to stand against that which he cared about, he bellowed and placed more force behind each swing, making his strikes shattering blows. No Darkspawn would slip through to the mages behind if he had anything to say about the matter.

Asmara Surana

Asmara activated her healing aura, which meant she wouldn't be able to sling any offensive spells anytime soon, but with Antius's arrival and Tal's diligent guarding, she was not too worried. The sustained ability meant that anyone (excluding Darkspawn, of course) who got within some twenty feet of her would feel a regenerative effect, but the better part was that her other healing spells were strengthened.

From across the battlefield, she observed Tiaryn wink in and out of visibiity, very close to the mouth of the cave. Unsure what the former Crow was doing, she cast regeneration on the quiet woman before turning back to the battle at hand. Tal was accumulating a few nicks and cuts here nd there, but nothing that had her worried quite yet. Her old friend was a force unto himself in situations like this, and though it had scared her the first time she ever saw it, she knew by now that he would not hurt herself or her friends.

She saw Blysse take some damage, and tossed her a heal spell, noting the drake appear from the cave. Asmara's eyes went wide;what was a drake doing here? They did not occupy the same places as darkspawn often, as far as she knew, and the two certainly did not cohabitate peacefully. Which meant.. there was someone there, someone that had the drake as a companion. Maybe another Warden? No, she didn't sense the Taint, so it must be someone else.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked Antius beside her, well-aware that he was hanging back like this to help her and feeling a little guilty about that.

Tiaryn Ormet

Tiaryn skirted the edges of the battlefield, taking out the occasional Darkspawn here or there, but mostly trying to get to the cave. Something was off about this whole situation. As far as she had heard, Darkspawn did not appear in these numbers in the middle of nowhere, which meant that something was definitely wrong here. The former Crow had a feeling she'd find her answer in that cave, and she was uniquely able to undertake this little mission.

She stabbed a shriek, which temporarily resolved her into visibility again, but she faded again into stealth shortly after, hoping that the drake nearby would not think her worth going after if it had in fact spotted or scented her. She felt the beneficial effects of a long-term healing spell, and silently thanked the diminutive elf that tended to fling those around.

She managed to get into the cave proper in enough time to hear someone calling out- or at least that's what she thought she heard. Hoping that this was not a trap and she wasn't about to do anything too stupid, she hastened her steps deeper in and replied. "Where are you?" The cave forked in several directions here, and she'd have to hear the voice again to know which direction to take.

Ryuu continued to move along the battlefield trying his best to pick off any leftover darkspawn. feeling his weary body relax and his strength return thanks to Asmara's spell. Though his eyes widened abit at the sight of the drake. "woah...last time I saw one of those...it was dead already" He commented, though as the scene began to unfold and Kujo seeming to try and converse with the drake. He retreated back a ways to Cash's side, he figured he'd watch over the young elf seeing as his sister in this form was all about charging into battle without her head. Then again instinct was instinct. He kept his guard up, still able to sense darkspawn though, not as many as before. He watched everything, the drake; his head turned to the side as he watched the Qunari watch over Asmara and Antius; Bruce close by them. Blysse confronting the Drake, though it seemed there'd be no reason too, if Kujo had his way. He looked the other way now, taking note of Zephora; Sev and Jasper, though Arvin (in bear form of course) muscling his way through his own darkspawn.

The handful of spawn left, would be nothing for the group. His head suddenly noted someone, namely a friend of his was missing Tiaryn, he groaned alittle; she always had to sneak around everywhere. He then noted that she was trained for stealth assassinations him just not getting killed after an assassination. He shifted in his spot, the blood of the darkspawn on his blades, and some of it stained his armor. He looked down at Cash and smiled some; he was surprised to see the male here now, usually when a battle took place he stayed farther back; but to Ryuu's surprise he was close enough to be targeted. He was worried, though not to much about Tiaryn more worried about whatever she found down there; He hoped Kujo could persuade the hulking mass of scales, so he could get down there and help out his fellow ex-crow. He really doubted she needed it, but on missions he always watched her back, and this was no different then any mission; except they were here to save lives not end them.

Arvin had manuevered himself closer to Asmara and Antius, hoping to slow down or give pause to any darkspawn looking to rush the mages. Also thankful for the bost in defense from a spell. Arvin clawed and swatted at darkspawn, either killing or staggering individuals enough to let them be easily killed by a party member. The arcane shield seemed to be holding rather well. What made it through the shield didn't have enough strength to penetrate the course, thick bear fur that covered the bear's muscled form. It didn't stop everything though, and a few arrows made it through, piercing the hide of the beast. Arvin was successful in keeping himself free of most damage from melee weapons, until one of the darkspawn got wise and came at him with a pole arm. The spear's tip jabbed at his shoulder, piercing flesh before a paw batted it aside. That angered the bear, how dare the little beast attack the mighty predator! Letting the bear's instincts take over, Arvin rose up on two legs, swinging himself up to bear the bulk of the bear's weight. He unleashed a roar into the darkspawn's face before swatting it aside, tearing the life from its body.

And then Arvin's roar was completely overshadowed by another. It wasn't hard to tell what. There weren't many creatures that grew as large as a dragon. Though why one was here Arvin had no idea. Why does the world seem to be against us? Arvin thought to himself, charging past the dwindling ranks of darkspawn to join Severia and any companion close by to the cave. Of course Arvin wouldn't let his companions stand without him. While the darkspawn threat was neutralized, he noticed they'd picked up a new addition or two. A werewolf and a Qunari. Hopefully one or both didn't turn on them when the fight was over. Kujo seemed to be attempting to communicate with the drake. The dog hadn't been mauled yet, so Arvin assumed it was going well. Though why a drake decided to listen to a Mabari, Arvin couldn't tell. His ears perked when he heard a faint echo coming form the cave however. Taking a few steps closing and tilting his head in the direction of the voice, Arvin gave a quiet rumble beginning in the base of his throat. Someone was in there! Someone needed help! Glancing back to his party, Arvin took a few more steps closer. Slow but deliberate, so as not to anger the drake there, still staying behind Kujo, however, until something happened to let them know it was safe to pass by.

Zephora had found herself driven on by memories of her recently destroyed home -- the Darkspawn, expanding out from the defeated defenses at Ostagar, had overrun the small settlement deep in the Korcari Wilds that she had called home. Soon into the battle she activated her Draining Aura, finding relief in the healing it provided her. It sucked the life away from those around her and kept her running, in turn however, she avoided most of her allies as well. She would not like to sit idly by as she drained the life of her comrades away to feed her own health. The Darkspawn surrounding her, however, received no mercy as she charged into the folds. Pulses of energy resonated from around her, weakening the Darkspawn that chose her as their target. She sustained damage, of course, as anyone in battle would -- her aura, however, allowed her to continue without assistance from the healing mage on hand. Zephora was thankful for this fact, as others in the party needed her attention much more than she.

Blysse's call alerted Zephora to the beast she had failed to notice before, drawing her attention from the enemies at hand to locate the frightened she-wolf and what it was that had frightened her. A drake stomped his way across the entrance to the cave, claws digging into the earth around him as he torn the enemies down. He seemed to eye the small party warily, though he didn't fully attack them as he did the Darkspawn. She was drawn back to her personal battle as she received a rather harsh slash across her front. She tumbled backward, tumbling to the ground, as blood began to spill from the wound. She cursed, kicking up at the nearest Darkspawn to send him back into the others, as she shuffled backwards on her behind -- taking the time to find a safer spot to stand. As she moved to her feet, she cast Winter's Grasp at a nearing target, swallowing it in ice, as she grasped at her middle. The wound was going to slow her down, but she was determined to make the best of it. She deactivated her Heroic Offense, but activated her Death Syphon allowing her to draw residual power from freshly fallen foes. From this point on, she began to regain some magical strength as well as continuing to suck the life out of the rest of the enemies. Ignoring the pain in her chest, Zephora charged forward, taking on the rest of the small group of Darkspawn before her. As any Battlemage, Zephora thrived in the heat of battle -- most of her auras and powers pulling energy from enemies she attacked with her blade.

The Darkspawns' numbers were dwindling, though Antius refused to allow himself to relax. The Darkspawn were monsters, after all, and he wouldn't be surprised if they tried to at least take someone with them to the grave. Nonetheless, he had to look up when he heard a roar. His jaw almost dropped. A Drake. A real live, Drake. He had noticed Blodwyn's previously, but his mind had been on other matters then. He grunted as genlock got through Tal's, and Ryuu's defense, paying him back with a stab that barely missed him for his lack of focus. He quickly allowed lightning to bust through his staff and sword, taking it down. He'd have to be careful, he reminded himself. At Bruce's words, he spoke.

"If this is a wild Drake, then it probably views the Darkspawn as a greater threat. As long as we don't attack or provoke it, we should be fine. If it's a mount, then his mount isn't from the Circle in Ferelden. Knight-Commander Gregoir deemed raising dragon-kin too dangerous, even for Templars!" he shouted before dodging a blow from another Darkspawn and impaling it with his sword. There weren't many now. The mage grinned grimly as he unleashed a Cone of Cold on a small cluster of Darkspawn that were attempting to flank the Templar. As soon as the battle was over, he was definitely going to get a closer look at that Drake, with all the proper precautions, of course.

At Asmara's question, he smiled over at the elf. It was true that with all the spells he was casting, he was quickly running out of mana faster than it could be replenished, even with the Grey Warden's spell replenishing him as the battle prolonged itself. He spoke, "I'm okay. As long as the Darkspawn keep dwindling and the battle ends soon, I should be able to make it through this. This is what I get for refusing to eat fish back at the Tower. Irving always said that fish increased your mana, but I didn't believe him. I hate fish."

*

Connall, for his part, was having the time of his life. These creatures were tough, but they were no match for him. Their attacks lacked subtlety, finesse. These fiends were poorly trained and poorly armored. He'd have been disappointed if there weren't so many of them for him to practice on. He roared and decapitated one before bashing another with his shield and impaling it with his sword. Rusted iron was no match for the Wrath of the Mountain-Father.

He was disappointed as the Darkspawn's numbers began to dwindle. So this was a small cache of them. Pity. He had fought such warbands before back home in the Frostbacks along with the other warriors of his tribe. Still, he grinned at the roar of a Drake and turned around to gaze upon it. Now that was a beast worthy for combat. Still, it made no move to attack them and the Mabari looked like it was trying to communicate with it. The Avvar groaned.

"Even the Mabari down in these lands are civilized," he said in disappointment. With that said, he plunged ahead, taking blows to his shield and lashing out at the remaining Darkspawn. Perhaps if he killed something, he'd feel better.

The drake seemed to rage on, tearing through what few remaining Darkspawn were left; as fewer and fewer charged the drake, Arum turned his head upon hearing a bark. The massive red drake set its eyes upon Kujo and let out a roar, louder than the first. However, the creature did not attack the mabari, instead, drew closer to it, and leaned its head down towards the other creature. It seemed to be that the drake was acknowledging Kujo. After a few moments, the drake lifted his head, and seemed to have calmed itself, turning towards the cave slowly. It would let out a strange rolling growl, directing it towards the cave. Indeed, it did know something was within, and Arum turned fully to walk slowly back to the shadowed entrance.

Circe had watched the entire battle from her post on the boulder. She didn't need to do much in this battle it seemed, Arum had charged just as the strangers had arrived on the scene. The two of them had been hiding in the caves, and at the first sounds of Darkspawn leaving the cave, she and Arum had flanked them from behind. Circe's ears caught a cry, and she turned her head. Her golden eyes strained in the darkness, trying to catch where the sound came from. Had the Darkspawn taken someone without her realizing it? She swallowed hard, and was about to go off in search for herself, but Arum's call distracted the apostate. She turned, just to see her large companion enter the cave. "Are they safe?" She spoke softly to the drake as she dismounted from her position.

Arum only nodded, he understood her words and would lean down slightly to allow the red-haired woman to climb onto his back. Neither were aware of Tiaryn already sneaking into the cave, right past Circe's guard. Circe would give the cave a quick glance before Arum would turn, taking her out into the light of day. She held her arm over her eyes a moment to adjust before she could see what remained of the dwindling Darkspawn forces. Arum would enter a trot of sorts, bounding back out into the field in a few steps. Circe was used to his movements, and would keep held onto the drake's neck with arm, her bladed staff to the side, ready to impale any attacker from the side.

The drake reared slightly, slamming his claws back into the ground and landed on a Hurlock that was trying to crawl away. Circe only looked down a moment to see her companion rip into the monster's flesh. She grumbled and tapped the drake on the side with her staff. "Let me down, Arum!" She hissed, and the drake stopped his well deserved snacking. He gave a soft growling sound, displeased he had to stop a moment, but knelt, letting the golden clad woman slide from his back before rising again to stand ever so protectively beside her. But even so, Circe seemed to have her own idea in mind. An Emissary stood not too far away, and was one of the few remaining enemies. Without a hesitation, she pointed her staff towards the creature, and casted her virulent walking bomb. She'd only watch in amusement as the creature seemed confused, and started to run off before it exploded into bits and pieces.

The suffocating darkness misquemed the dwarfette to no end as she cried out for help. All around her livid blobs drifted to form malice memories, out of the corner of her eyes she saw nothing but gleaming danger from every shadowed shape in the dingy chamber. And in the background she can hear matured brood mothers down in the Deep as they culled their favorite spawn. Freya could feel the sinister concoction forming in her gullet, churning and sticking to her insides. If she consumed too much of what was forced down her throat...is it too late? Will she become one of those things that the stuff of nightmares are born from? No. She can't allow that to happen to herself. It was a despaired eternity as she paused every few seconds to crane her neck, hoping for an answer.

When she heard it she wasn't confidant she wanted it anymore. In the dwarven civilization there are all sorts of tales that encircle the looming fear of darkspawn from the Deep Roads. Some fabrications warn of intelligent darkspawn which are gifted the capacity to a true voice. In one story a darkspawn learns to mimic a farmer's daughter and lures many young men to damnation and inevitably the entire family. Another grotesque tale warns young dwarves of darkspawn that will kill you in order to have your voice. And still the overwhelming paranoia that has been passed down in generations that very rarely a darkspawn will keep voices in memory, using them to draw out wary wanderers. These are the very ones who have been able to conceal her in this cramped feeding cage.

To hell with it. She wants out of here and away from dwarven civilization once and for all! "...here. I-I'm in here! It's pitch black!" as if that would help. This entire cavern is pitch black as it narrows away from the sunlight. The abrupt sound of something heavy slapping on the ground and feeling something wet touch her cheek sends the dwarfette into a spurred hysterical fit, screaming and rocking in the cage. "B-bloody dog! Get the hell away from me! I'll bite your damn nose off!"

~~~

Their battle has ended and has left Severia feeling thrilled. Another small victory for the Grey Wardens. Still she watches anxiously as Kujo addresses that ruby drake...whom deems the mabari worthy and allows passage. The bonded noble bites her lower lip, nearly wanting to call Kujo back away from the dark cavern for fear of what may lie within. Yet a dog's senses are accute (especially more than a human warrior's) so perhaps someone or something important caught his senses. Hoisting her shield across her back, weary eyes scan over the collection of faces. Before Severia confronts the outlandishly armored woman her concern lies with the wellbeing of the others.

Many were left untouched by severe danger save for perhaps senticous Zephora and Blysse. And Bruce who was no where to be found while Asmara cast out a refreshing healing spell (the only good magic!). The lady knight exhaled shortly, satisfied to see the others still intact and impressively so. Her focus now honed in on the mage who recently made a darkspawn explode. Years of training kept Severia's knees from knocking together violently. Magic has always made her so very nervous. Not that she shares the same views as templars per se but...there's a reason Ser Sev prefers to keep mages well away from herself. "A most outstanding spell, mi'lady. You and your companion appear more than capable of handling yourselves. Was that the first time darkspawn have disturbed you in that cave?" maybe the cave was this [strike]apostate's[/strike] mage's training lair of sorts.

Kujo meanwhile had dangled his tongue in gratitude to the drake. With a sharp nod the determined pooch plodded into the cavern, sniffing out Tairyn and wiggling his stubbed tail at her scent. Although the confusion of not seeing her made the spurned hound whimper he quickly recollected himself to focus on the task at hand. Numerous openings split off from the main entrance chamber of the cave. Ears quirking this way and that he inhaled deeply as that voice cried out. There, there! Kujo shakes his rump to signal his unseen companion before bounding off down the tunnel. With his eyes adjusting he makes out the trapped dwarf and approaches her to lick her cheek...only to recoil with hurt eyes as she began to berate him.

~~~

If there's anything more dangerous than a bloodthirsty werewolf, it's a bloodthirsty werewolf who can see her friends and baby brother are in peril. Blysse tore through whatever she could, mustering unfathomable rage untold in books. Her wounds only helped to infuse that savagery along with the thought that she must protect her pack despite the knowledge she cannot feel accepted. The Dalish ripped out the projectiles biting into flesh as Asmara cast a healing spell. It felt like a cool hand touching her forehead and ears, aiding the lycan's fury to cool down as the battle dwindled to their triumph. From being in a hyped body she is extremely fatigued. Wary jaws scissor the air with distrust towards the vibrant drake, tail fluffing up as she used it to form a furry wall around those nearest; Zephora, Jasper, Cash and Ryuu. Blysse's hind legs buckle and force her to crouch as she pants raggedly, waiting for the fury of the wild to leave her veins.

Cash meanwhile had taken an opportunity towards the end of the battle. He saw Ryuu glancing at him and blushed furiously, tossing a stone over his shoulder in a direct arch. Not that he knew where it would land. Or more importantly whom it would hit. Cash tucked away his pipes when Blysse's tail flagged along the ground. She was weakened and needed to rest her feral form. The pompous Dalish took it upon himself to scoot close behind his lupine sibling and hug her waist, rubbing at her back to soothe her nerves. He does his best to make it a point to ignore the others save for Zephora, hoping the healing spell had reached her. If Blysse continued to remain cross and smelled blood no doubt she'd lunge for the drake. And right now the group most certainly does not need that attention.

Asmara Surana

Asmara let out a sigh of relief as the last darkspawn fell before Tal's massive axe, and noted that the others seemed to be managing to finish off the last dregs as well. When at last the final one was down, she sent out one last spell to catch anyone she had missed earlier and replaced her wooden staff into the leather loops at her back, careful not to slice them with the bladed end.

She hadn't really known how to respond to Antius's comment about fish; she had eaten them on occasion in the past, but was not fond of meat generally. Which honestly was probably part of the reason she was so slight. Being an elf alone couldn't account for everything- just look at Ryuu. She picked her way over dead darkspawn to the group at large, smiling at the still-a-tremble Blysse (she figured it was probably adrenaline) and those she had gathered about herself. "Is everyone okay? If you're injured, just let me know."

She could not pick out any injuries that her earlier spells had missed, but sometimes these could be hidden, as in the case of cracked ribs, for instance. Certainly, none of them looked like they were in that much pain, but it never hurt to be sure. She noted the-bear-that-was-Arvin at the edge of the cave entrance, looking intently inward at something, and she tilted her head to one side and flitted off to approach him. "Arvin? there aren't still darkspawn in here, are there?" She had been fairly certain Tiaryn had been headed in this direction, and it would be rather unfortunate if she were to meet with too many more spawn.

Tiaryn Ormet

Tiaryn saw Kujo come up beside her, clearly alert to her presence, and the flicker of a smile touched the corners of her mouth. It was nice to know that she wasn't going this completely alone. At about the same time, though, the voice sounded again, and she was fast behind the mabari in rushing to the source. The voice had been correct; it was rather dark in here. This in truth played to the Shadow's advantage, but not perhaps the benefit of the person she was supposed to be rescuing.

It was almost absurd to think of herself on a rescue mission, she decided, but in this case she might be just the person for the job. Years of training in pitch-black darkness were enough to ensure that she could see fairly well most of the time, and make up for it with hearing and touch when she couldn't. Apparently, Kujo had found the person, because she- and the voice was assuredly female- started yelling at him.

Sighing softly, Tiaryn decided to do this as quickly as possible. "Please do not shout. I know not of there are yet more darkspawn in here. I'm here to help." Flickering back into visibility (not that it would do anyone much good, but it did make it easier for her to concentrate on other things, Tiaryn followed the sounds of two sets of breathing until she reached where the person was tied up. She reached out and felt a forearm, tracing downward until she reached a rope-covered wrist. Removing a knife from one of the sheathes at her back, she spoke again. It wouldn't do to have the woman startle and accidentally get cut.

"I'm going to cut you loose and take you to my comrades. There is a healer among us, if you are injured, and Grey Wardens, should you be tainted." She didn't know why she bothered with the last part, but whoever the woman was, she had been here, imprisoned by darkspawn, so it was probably a legitimate concern. True to her word, Tiaryn sliced through the person's bonds, assisting her in standing free. Judging from the angle this left her in, she was dealing with a dwarf. Not that this meant anything in particular to her; it was simply an observation.

She had no way of knowing how coherent the dwarfette was, so she took one end of her scarf and handed it to her. "Don't let go of that, and follow me." Taking the other end so as to guide the woman from the darkness of the room, Tiaryn started forward, watchful in the case of an ambush.

Brunhilde Gruenwald

"And I'm telling you that I don't care how they do things in Anderfels, I am not letting a mage wander around Ferelden!" The Templar's face was flushed red and angry, and Brunhilde sighed. So troublesome, these Fereldans...

The Black Templar, a Knight-Captain in her own right and clearly far outranking this man, considered her options. She would admit that she didn't look much like the typical knight in shining armor (because really, who wanted to make themselves that much of a target on a battlefield? Black was much more stylish anyway) and she knew that these backwards people did not make women Templars, much less high-ranking ones, but surely someone in this prison of a Circle would have a scintilla, the barest iota, of intelligence.

Well, even if they didn't, she had her ways of dealing with that. So instead of pulling the force of authority on the man, she used a much more... compelling tactic. A slight adjustment to her body language, a softening of her facial expression, a half-lidded look that could only be described as dangerously lurid, and the imposing woman in night-colored armor was replaced with a very svelte figure with come-hither silvery eyes and the sort of thick, silky hair that begged you to run your fingers through it. "Surely a little mercy could be spared for foreigners like us. If only we had known that things had gotten so grave, we would have been certain to inform the Ferelden Circle beforehand."

Now he was red for an entirely different reason, and Hilde smirked internally. Men are so simple. "I, uh... really don't have the authority-" he was abruptly cut off by the entrance of another man, this one clearly older and in charge. Finally, she was getting somewhere.

"But I do. Knight-Captain Gruenwald, yes? I am Knight-Commander Gregoire." he saluted, a gesture which Hilde returned, back to the stern visage of a Templar and a soldier once again. "Your reputation precedes you, Black Templar." He sounded unsure how to deal with what had doubtless been a number of contradictory tales of Hilde's manner and ability; she was something of a divisive figure in the Chantry, mostly because she could care less.

"Does it?" she returned, unable to keep the faintest traces of coyness from her tone. "All good things I hope." Granted, most of them would be. "But I digress," she continued, waving a hand. "I would like my partner back, if it's all the same to you."

Gregoire looked troubled, and Hilde fought not to roll her eyes. She knew that look. It was what happened when men who liked to be in control were no longer in control. "and I would be happy to give him back. But unfortunately, there has been a problem. A mage has summoned a demon, and many of my men are trapped inside with the rest of them. I cannot let anyone in. I've had to send for the Rite of Annulment."

"You what?" Hilde enunciated with great deliberateness. "Forgive my presumption, Knight-Commander, but I am not allowing you to make that decision for my partner. He is an ordained member of the Anderfels Chantry, just as I am, and just as you belong to the one in Ferelden. Do you have any idea what would happen if I were to tell them that you condemned him, a valuable and trained demon-hunter, to death, just because you and your men were too incompetent to deal with a single demon. If you won't go in, let me."

Her words were intended to lash, and the Knight-commander bristled. "No. I cannot allow one person to attempt this on their own, no matter who they are. You may be trained for this, but you have no idea what you're up against." Hilde ground her teeth together. There was no way she was going to allow this to stand. She would be getting through that door, one way or another.

Efriel...

Antius gasped for breath, finally realeasing his Arcane Shields. He wiped the sweat of his forehead. That fight had certainly drained a lot of his mana, but he hadn't sustained any injuries. That was good news at least. He smiled over at Asmara when she asked her question, "No. I'm a little tire,d but that's nothing a little rest without casting spells won't cure. Are you alright, Asmara?"

He smiled and sheathed his sword at his side before strapping his staff on his back. He was getting the hang of this fighting thing, it seemed. That came with traveling with the Wardens, he supposed. Funny. He never thought he'd experience such things outside of a book, but he was glad he was. How many Mages got this much field experience when it came to casting Primal Spells. He could hardly wait to tell the the others at the Circle.

Connall frowned as he sheathed his sword. He shook his head, "This was only a small group of the Darkspawn. We didn't even get to fight an ogre."

He sounded rather disappointed, causing Antius to raise an eyebrow. Well, he read that the Avvars were a warrior race. It seemed that they hadn't grown complacent in the last few hundred years or so. Still, the warrior seemed to perk up at the sight of Drake. He smirked slightly, eying the beast up and down approvingly. There were no physical defects to exploit if his experienced eye were any judge.

"You have a fine beast," the Avvar complimented, "Too bad it did most of the battle for you. I'd have liked to see how an Apostate fights."

Jasper Bryland

Jasper swept low, driving his elbow into a shriek's ribcage, causing the thing to remind him shrilly why they were so named. When it staggered under the impact, the pirate deftly slid one of his blades into the juncture between chin and throat, removing it only when the tip scraped against skull on the other side. Flicking the knife sharply to rid it of excess blood and brain matter- interesting, darkspawn had reddish brain matter- he looked around for something else to engage-

-and was sorely disappointed. The last spawn fell beneath the blade of another, and Jasper took stock of himself. A few bruises as one would expect, but nothing so minor as a cut. Perhaps it was time to consider another handicap. Would it help them hear him coming if he wore bells around his wrists and ankles? Oh, that idea had merit. It brought to mind several jokes and puns on he word 'fool.' As far as he was concerned, the more people thought of him thus, the better. Who was it that said that bigger lies were more believable to the populace at large than small ones? Not a pleasant individual, in all liklihood, but he might have been on to something, whomever he was.

Resolving to properly clean the things later, he stabbed both his knife and his sword hilt-deep into the earth to clean them enough for now, then sheathed them, only to find himself part of a small conglomeration of people being held in place by the more territorial version of Blysse. He had missed her earlier entrance into camp, being with Severia and dealing with Orik at the time, but there was little doubt in his mind that this was she.

Jasper's face betrayed absolutely no shock or revulsion at this, rather quite the contrary. "Emma reth, Blysse," he offered reassuringly. The words Asmara had told him were not an exact translation of 'I'm fine,' but the sense of them was apparently close enough. He was inclined to lay a hand on her shoulder (though she was now taller even than he, he could still have reached), but decided that this was both unneeded and rather ungentlemanly besides.

When the healer approached and asked if everyone was okay, he simply nodded. Though he would never say it out loud for fear of being called tactless (and this was one negative adjective that had never applied to him), he was actually rather disappointed. What he wouldn't give for an emissary or an alpha or something to duel... now that would be fun. But the battle was over and everyone was still alive. He supposed he could ask for little else.

Tal’Vashoth

Tal'Vashoth took the few minutes of the battle's wake to bring himself down from his berserker fury. This was considerably easier when Kadan was around, but he did not wish to interfere with her other duties. It was clear that she had a place here, and that others had come to rely upon her as he had. He hoped she could rely on them just as much; she involved herself in grave matters that should not be hers.

It was not that he did not think her capable, but rather that he simply did not wish to see her harmed, especially not for the sake of a world that condemned her on more than one front. But those events were not the direction to move his thoughts if he wished to calm himself, and thus he turned from them to ones only slightly more pleasant. The former Qunari had not had much cause for happiness in his life; indeed, there was only one cause for it. It was perhaps only fair that his greatest fury derived from the same source.

Slinging his large axe over his back, Tal kept his distance from the others. There was no mistaking that not a few of them were uncomfortable around or intimidated by him. He did not begrudge them this, it was simply the way of things. In another time and place, their survival may have depended on such wariness, but he was a conqueror no more.

Efriel Gruenwald

Efriel cradled the child close to his chest with one hand, and felt little hands wrap about his neck. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions for either party, but he needed at least one free arm, and she needed a way to keep a grip on him. With his other hand, he gathered magic to him and, hesitant to unleash an earthquake in the middle of the Circle Tower, went instead for a shock, releasing the charge only when his gauntleted fist met the flesh of the desire demon.

She shrieked and fell, and he took the opportunity to leap over the body and dash for where he knew the doorway to be, having entered it only a few minutes before, in search of this very same little girl. The child whimpered into his shoulder, and he murmured something consoling under his breath in Ferelden. It was not his native language, but he was good with all of them, so it scarcely mattered.

The two reached the barrier separating the surviving enchanters, mages, and children from the rest of the demon-infested tower, and Efriel spoke through it. "Senior Enchanter? I have returned. Isabelle is here as well." He spoke quietly, as was his wont, but not enough so that he was inaudible. Sightless eyes were for the moment closed, as he did not see the point in continuing the farcical imitation of blinking which he usually assumed.

The response was a while in coming, and for a moment, he assumed the worst. At last, though, a voice came through. "Ser Gruenwald? We thought... we rather thought we had sent you to your death." The voice was laced with regret, but Efriel simply offered a small smile and shook his head.

"I am sent to my death almost daily, Madam, but it seems he is even more blind than I, for he has not found me yet. Please, let us through."

There was another silence, and patient as he was, Efriel was growing concerned. Chances were, Isabelle would need some kind of medical treatment, and that was something he could not provide. "I'm sorry, Ser, but... how are we to know you have fallen victim to no demon?" The battlemage sighed; he had feared as much. Fereldens, even the magi, were so misinformed about what demons truly were, it was scarcely a wonder that they fell prey to them in the worst ways.

"Madam, if you wish, I could recite for you then entire Litany of Adralla, but we have not the time. This child is in need of assistance. Subject me to whatever test will satisfy you or keep me out here, I care not, but please. You must assist her." That at least seemed to get him somewhere, for his sharp ears could make out the sound of conversation going on behind the barrier, and then he felt it dissipate.

A pair of hands attempted to remove Isabelle from his arm, but she clung stubbornly to Efriel's neck, half-choking him in her attempt to remain where she was. Gently, he reached up and pried apart her little hands, smiling warmly and reassuring her that she would be fine. She still didn't seem to like it, poor thing, but she went along because she had to. Efriel remained on the wrong side of the barrier, though, for he did not know if he was going to be allowed across. He stood like this for a few moments until the enchanters remembered him.

"You may enter, Ser Gruenwald," one of them informed him hurriedly, and he nodded, stepping over the threshold and selecting a spot against a wall a bit of distance from most of the others. Crossing his legs, he settled into a meditative posture, at last deactivating stoicism and allowing the emotions of battle to process. He examined each, including his awareness of the child's fear, the unmistakable allure of what the desire demon had promised, and the wretched twisting of his stomach that he felt every time he took a life, no matter the nature of the opponent.

Efriel was not by any stretch of the imagination a violent man. Quite the opposite: there were few milder people around. Of course, that had not stopped the people here from being wary of him. He was a foreigner, and oddity for more than one reason. And ordained member of the Chantry (thought neither priest nor Templar and thus without an equivalent here in Ferelden), he was accorded the title 'Ser,' but he was also a mage. He was a professed demon-slayer by trade, and a blind battlemage by mechanics. Built like a rogue or a speedy warrior, he nevertheless hummed with magical energy to those who could sense such things. Quiet and unobtrusive, but the first one to volunteer when someone had said there was a child still missing from the group of apprentices here. Twin brother to the rather unconventional Templar that accompanied him, and yet in so many ways her opposite. Seemingly at peace with the world, and a force to be reckoned with when the time for such things was upon him. It was little wonder they did not quite know how to take him.

Sometimes, he didn't quite know what to think of himself either. Right now, though, he did not bother doing any such thing. Instead, he meditated to clear his mind and restore his tranquility, aware of but not bothered by the fact that several of the children and for some reason the younger enchanters and mages gravitated in his general direction. He answered any questions directed at him patiently and kindly, and did his best to set everyone at ease. Truthfully, though, he also prayed to the Maker that somehow, Hilde would find a way to get all of them out of here. There was little more he could do from this side.