Ferelden

Antius blinked a little when the same man that saved his life appeared offering him a lyrium potion. Judging from how easily he managed to sneak through the battlefield, the mage decided he must a rogue. With a nod of thanks, he sheathed his sword, took the bottle, and downed its contents.

"Thank you. This should make things easier," Antius told him, once more drawing his sword and scanning the battlefield. With a murmured incantation, he sent a bolt of lightning at a genlock emissary in the distance before freezing him with Winter's Grasp for good measure. Thanks to the renewal from Asmara's magic, he was able to parry a blow from another Darkspawn the slipped through and sliced its arm off before he took off the monster's head.

"It looks like we are going to survive, thank the Maker," he commented with a relieved grin as he saw that the Darkspawn's numbers had lessoned significantly and there didn't seem to be any demons left. None he could see or sense anyway.

Asmara Surana

Asmara was just as overshadowed by the man's towering height as Blysse was, and though it was unnerving, she was used to it. Almost everyone she had ever met was taller than her (excepting children...sometimes) and she'd never known a dwarf before. Even so, she noted that there was nothing hostile in his demeanor, and that was enough to make her forget that he'd been slicing through Darkspawn as though they were nothing (or at least that's how it had looked to her) but moments before. Chances were, this man was highly dangerous, but all awareness of such a fact faded in the face of his generosity.

"I thank you, Ser," she said with a wan smile, accepting the lyrium potion gratefully, though he was already half-gone by the time she said it. What an odd person. Nevertheless, she was not about to say no to the one thing she needed most right now, and she knocked back the potion quickly, grimacing delicately at the taste. She had never enjoyed lyrium, beneficial properties or not, and her exposure to it was actually rather limited. When one used magic only for oneself, one seldom had to worry about hitting the wall in terms of mana consumption.

Blinking after him, she turned to the archer who had taken up residence at her side. "Ma serrenas, falon," she tried in halting Dalish. She knew only the most basic of the words, but hopefully her meaning would be clear enough. It only seemed right to try and speak the same way she had earlier, after all, even if she did sound silly in the effort.

"Are you okay, Antius?" She asked her fellow mage. She'd seen him fall earlier, and was still a bit concerned even despite the spell she'd used. The battle was not yet completely over, as the rallying cry from the lady knight informed her, and with the restored strength from the lyrium potion, Asmara tried to find the best place to utilize the strength she had left. Summoning Winter's Grasp to her staff, she spotted a Hurlock large in size headed for the large cat, whose eyes had long since convinced her that it was a shifted mage. That would do.

Swinging her staff in a downward arc, she launched the frosty spell and was rewarded when the thing froze fast in its tracks. She'd have to rely on someone else to shatter it, though; she was far from strong enough to manage it.

Tiaryn Ormet

Tiaryn pulled the hood up over her head, relishing in the shadow it cast over her face. She was approaching civilization now, she knew from the increased wagon tracks. She had studied maps of Ferelden before, but she was not exactly certain what was out here. Redcliffe was a while to the west, and to the east, she'd find naught but the realms of the country's Dalish. Though she did not doubt her ability to go absolutely anywhere undetected, that was not the problem. She was in serious need of supplies, and while she was not above stealing, exactly, she'd rather obtain what she needs by more honest means. What was the use of running away from a corrupt life only to begin another, after all?

Of course, showing her face to another living being meant the risk of being recalled later, as she was rather distinctive-looking to say the least. Someone who knew the right questions to ask could easily get that kind of information, and then she would be that much closer to her recapture, or her death. Whichever; they were essentially the same thing. Tiaryn shook her head- such contemplations were useless in the face of necessity.

The terrain changed underneath her feet, and she was aware that she was now crossing a stone bridge. A small town could be seen off to her right, and she reassured herself that anyone who considered themselves important enough to be tasked with hunting a wayward Invisible would hardly think to stop in such an insignificant place. Oddly-colored eyes were drawn back to the path in front of her, though, when she spotted a block in the path. It would seem that bandits had taken up residence on this road. Sighing, Tiaryn removed her cowl again, deciding that to sneak around them would not be worth the effort.

"Hail there, miss!" called one of the bandits, the leader from the way the others fanned out around him. For a second, she was quite conscious of being given the once over, but she wasn't concerned. As usual, he got a better look at her face and reconsidered it. Whether the scars themselves were so disfiguring or merely the thought of what kind of person she had to be to have obtained them, she neither knew nor cared. In this case, she was actually able to use them to her advantage, which made it all mildly more tolerable.

She said nothing, but simply stared the bandit down. He shifted his weight into a more battle ready-stance, a slightly-strained smile plastered over his face, into a more combat-ready stance. She, much more conscious of her own body language, did not. "This is a toll road, you see."

"Is that so?" she replied flatly, Antivan accent thick, and the large one over the first man's shoulder nodded slowly. Resisting the urge to sigh again, Tiaryn reached for her purse, or rather the purse-like pouch on her belt that contained a knockout poison of her own construction. Coming back up with a few pinches of the stuff, she blew the powder out of her fingers and into the nearest man's face. He coughed and spluttered for a moment, before dropping like a stone to the ground. "I'm afraid I carry no currency."

The leader, poking his subordinate with a toe, cringed visibly when the man twitched, but did not wake. "Ah. I see. Well, then. I suppose we can't go demanding money from those who have none. That would make us poor bandits indeed, wouldn't it, men?" There were nervous murmurs of consent, and the bandits parted to let her pass. She did not entirely trust that they wouldn't attack her back, so she kept her senses trained. They seemed new at it, though, and probably likely to simply let her go and avoid the trouble.

(double post, ignore this one.)

Antius actually blinked in surprise when the man that saved his life before, who he decided must be a rogue judging from how easily he was able to sneak around the battlefield, was actually before him again, offering a much-needed lyrium potion. He nodded gratefully and sheathed his sword before drinking the potion, feeling its sweet, magical properties restoring his mana and stamina, if only slightly in the latter's case. He smiled at him, "Thank you. I'll have to find a way to repay you someday."

Soon enough, the mage felt the rejuvenating powers of Asmara's spell and he grinned gratefully at the elven Warden. He knew she was a good sort as soon he met her. Already, he felt his muscles relax and stress he felt from maintaining his Combat Magic throughout most of the battle ease by a large margin. Still, in his lapse of attention, a group of genlocks had taken advantage of the lull in the battle and were heading towards him and the other mage and archer. Quickly, he cast a Cone of Cold at them and smashed their frozen bodies with his staff with a grin. Thank the Maker for enchanted staffs and magic.

"It looks like we will live after all," he said in relief as he saw that the darkspawn were only few in number now and no demons remained, at least, as far as he saw and sensed. At Asmara's question, he turned and replied, "I'm alright at the moment. Combat Magic, though, opens one up to the raw energies of the Fade, giving you the combat experience of previous Arcane Warriors and possibly some combat oriented benign spirits. The energies of the Fade actually guide you and augment your muscles as needed. The downside is... Well, I'm going to be fatigued once I end the spell and my muscle will revert to normal in a most painful way. Luckily, I haven't had the spell active too long. If you have it active too long, say all day, then the Fade energies start burning you up."

He was about to continue but paused, blushing sheepishly, "I'm sorry. I was lecturing again, wasn't I?"

Arvin felt the fatigue gnawing at his strength. every swipe and rip of his claws seemed to fall slower. His maw dribbled with the blood of the darkspawn he'd bitten and tore at. Dozens of small wounds marred the sleek form of the lynx. Thanks to his night vision, he was very good at avoiding most blows that would have caused major wounds, but getting close to the darkspawn as he'd done to attack gave them time to cut at him with smaller blades, or try to slice with their longer swords. Though he was tiring swiftly now. The myriads of cuts and stings did little to help his fatigued body. Though he did not actively use his mana for battle, staying in one form for too long took a draw from his power. Arvin rose up on his hind legs for a moment to attack a genlock, claws flashing for its face, ripping and shredding skin. The creature gave a cry of pain, clutching its ruined face and giving Arvin the time to finish it off. The lynx gave a renewed growl as he felt the healing spell wash over him, closing up many of the tiny wounds he'd had, and stopping the bleeding from some of the larger wounds.

With renewed vigor, the lynx tore at the dying genlock. The thinning of the group of darkspawn, the retreating demons and the fact that they had a healer was enough to spur him back to ferocity, wishing to end this quickly. Though he hadn't expected a hurlock to try and sneak up on him. The cries of the genlock beneath him had distracted him enough to not hear the clumsy darkspawn raise a large weapon behind him. A white bolt of magic stole his attention, making the cat flinch and recoil from the burst of sudden light. He'd thought at first it was aimed at him, but when it sped past, Arvin turned to follow its trail. The hurlock was about to bring down an axe in a great overhead swing, likely planning to bury it in Arvin's spine. The great cat was panting still, though he found a quick moment to turn in the direction the spell had come, nodding his thanks, the lynx pounced upon the frozen hurlock, riding it to the ground and with a wet crack, its head shattered beneath their combined weight.

Arvin could make out the two mages' staves in the darkness. Falling back to the pair, Arvin swiped at any darkspawn that came near. One mage seemed to be talking during the fight. Arvin's ears tuned him out to a background noise, not really paying attention. It wasn't like he could answer back anyways. One of them might have been the healer, and the one that had saved Arvin's life. Deciding to stay with the pair to provide extra protection, Arvin circled them, swiping and clawing at darkspawn whenever they came to attack them. Trying to coordinate with the mage that held a sword in one hand, and staff in the other. Sleek form of the lynx able to weave in and out of combat like the great hunter that it was.

Ryuu felt weak, but then all the sudden his muscles weren't screaming anymore and his body felt renewed. He laughed at himself forgetting there were capable magi here amongst them. He smiled up at Severia and rested a hand on her's. "I'm fine, I've survived worse, and I should be thanking you, you saved me, I'd be a gruesome stain on that ax if not for you." He said as he rose, he felt better and with that he retraced his steps to his bow moving a few darkspawn corpses to get to it, but all in all it was returned to him as he strung it to his back. There were still quite a few stragglers, and most of them centered around the the pair of mages and their mostly lynx companion. He decided they could use a hand.

He moved to their aid, mostly genlock rogues seemed after them, and thanks to his own personalization he moved in removing several of their heads with swipes from his sword. He was almost thankful for the life of an assassin now, the talents taught to him had been coming in handy since the beginning of this battle. He helped clear the area near the magi and continued to keep his mind focused on any other point of attack. "You know Arvin, you seem to be taking to your Lynx form more and more, I don't know if i'll be able to resist the urge to cuddle you anymore soon" He teased; Ryuu had always had a love for adorable animals, and to him anything cat like was a weakness; unless it was a nug, a nug made Ryuu melt and have very feminine moments of pure admiration of the small bunny-pig creature.

Blodwyn Akritas

They bought slaves cheap, dressed them up and made them pretty, and then sold them for up to five times as much. Slave-trading was good business – money was steady and never had she been in want of something or other. Blodwyn had come to Ferelden alongside her brother and father, the former who was here with her in Lothering while the latter was in Denerim conducting other business deals. The whole Blight business had honestly been the best thing that has happened to business so far and Tyern Loghain had been such a dear to allow some black-market slave trading routes to be opened between Ferelden and the Tevinter Imperium. The diplomatic immunity was, of course, a cherry on top of the whole deal.

And here she was now, making a fantastic deal on a new piece of merchandise. The young elf man had come to her himself, asking if she would offer him any employment (he must have thought her and her brother as traveling merchants…which they were…of a sort). And so Blodwyn had asked him back to her tent in which they were making the last details of their deal. She had been in sore need of a new slave for herself and he was exactly what she had been looking for. Plus, he was tall for an elf, and visibly strong. Not as strong as her brother, but strong enough, and perchance also skilled in battle. Perfect.

She smiled as she watched him scrawl his name out across the parchment, using his own blood for ink. She waited for him to finish and took the parchment from him when he did.

“All is in order,” she said as she looked it over, nodding her head, pleased. “I will give you your payment now and you may run along to your kin and give it to them.” Ah, she did so much love a good blood-magic infused contract – they were so delightfully difficult to get out of – impossible, to be honest. Ah, what a silly thing he was - so eager and unsuspecting of what he had just gotten himself into.

She walked over to a large chest, around which her drake was curled around, fast asleep. Blodwyn unfastened the hinge and opened the lid with a huff of effort. She took out one of the larger satchels of money and closed the lid of the chest. Since this was her own slave she was technically buying and since he had made himself out to be quiet useful, she would give him more money. Blodwyn might have been devious, but she was not beyond common reciprocation. Plus, this was her own personal slave she was tending to.

“Here, come back to me when you have said your goodbyes,” she handed the satchel of money over to him, “and if you even think of not coming back, my brother will hunt you and your family down and take back what I gave you with added interest.”

And, just because she was feeling generous that day, she walked over to a table upon which stood a small crate of imported apples and grabbed a few of them from it, which she promptly handed over to him. “Take these to your kin; I doubt they have tasted such fine apples before.” She had plenty of fruit about. Plus, it was always good to mollycoddle a new slave for a little while before cracking down on them.

---

Valen Akritas

Valen had been preoccupied all morning going through paperwork and double-checking the most recent shipment of slaves they had sent out to their Father to Denerim – tasks that his sister had pointedly refused on doing. They had sent their guard and the horse-driven carriage out with the merchandise only last morning and it would be a while until they heard back from their Father.

He had told Blodwyn that it was most likely good time to pack up from Lothering and follow along to another place, but she had insisted on staying for a few more nights. Apparently she wished on obtaining a slave of her own.

Valen had, in fact, been so preoccupied, that he had been foolish enough to do a shoddy job of tying his warhorse to the post. And so, while the golden-haired man had been pouring over paperwork, the happy white stallion had trotted off in search of greener pastures, literally speaking. When he looked up from the paperwork and tucked it into his belt, only to find that his horse was gone, Valen quite naturally freaked out.

He set off at once; he what he figured was the direction Eira had wandered off in, as based upon a few hoof prints here and there…though he was not sure if that even was his horse or not. Well, he was bound to find out sooner or later.

It had taken Valen a good amount of looking around before he finally made his way out towards the edge of the trees, a good ways away from the spacious tent he shared with his sister. And there was Eira, happily trying to lick at the hair of a young elven woman. How…quaint.

“Ah, I see you have found my horse,” he said as he approached her, noting that she had a mount of her own – one of those strange white stag-creatures whose name escaped him. He looked over the elven woman with a mild interest painted across his visage. She was a pale, delicate little creature, with hair white like the moon. Where she a slave, she would sell for a fair price of money. Valen was not about to waste such an opportunity. He reached out and took Eira’s bridle, gently pulling the stallion over to him. Eira complied, happy to be getting about.

His lips spread into an easy smile. “I have to thank you for holding off Eira for me; else I believe I may have lost him. It was very good of you to entertain him, miss.” He stuck to his courtesies and played the role of the polite man, just as he had been taught many times by his father.

“Would you care to accompany me back? Ah, then you may even meet my sister, she would very much enjoy meeting with you. You would like her as well, I presume,” Valen said, flashing the elf woman another pearly white smile (he liked to keep himself clean and good-looking, thank you very much), “she is such a…ray of sunshine.”

Valen motioned for the elf woman to follow him. “I am Valen Akritas, by the way,” he said over his shoulder, “pardon me for almost forgetting my manners.” Her kind did not deserve his manners, but he reminded himself to be civil in the beginning. His father had taught him well.

Asmara Surana

Asmara nodded, glad to hear it (and having nothing against lectures) and noting that the cat-mage had circled in towards them as well. Everyone seemed to be climbing back onto their feet, and taking the heads or limbs or what-have-you off the few remaining Darkspawn.

The battle was over shortly after, and no more monsters moved. Asmara's shoulders slumped; she was dead tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep. It would seem, however, that there were other matters to be attended to first. Turning to the group of people who had surrounded and defended her over the course of the battle, the young mage flashed them a genuine smile and inclined her head. "Thank you... all of you." She was alive and they were alive, and a euphoria was beginning to wash over her because no more than an hour ago, she had been convinced they were all going to die.

But it was time for information, and she turned to the lynx first. "You must be one of the Wardens. It is nice to meet you. My name is Asmara- oh, but I should probably say this to everyone at once, shouldn't I? Heh..." She smiled sheepishly and headed over to the lady knight and the elven rogue, in both of whom she sensed the same taint she had. Crossing both hands over her chest, she bent at the waist. "I cannot tell you how glad I am to see you. My name is Asmara Surana, and I have spent the last two weeks searching for any who may have survived Ostagar..." t this point, the power of speech abandoned her for a moment, and she simply bowed her head. Truthfully, she'd never really considered what she'd actually do if she found anyone; she had been consumed with the search and naught else.

Tiaryn Ormet

Lothering, as she had gathered this town was called, was a rather quaint little place. Or it would be, if it didn't have the air of impending disaster hanging over it. She could not identify the reason, but that did not mean that Tiaryn could not smell it in the air. The place was crammed to the rafters with refugees, and few people seemed to have any space, packed together as they were. She doubted the Chantry would be willing to shelter a non-defenseless traveler like herself. Not that she was sure she would want such protection, mind.

She passed a few scenes more peculiar than others, most notably what appeared to be a most harsh clash of cultures. A Dalish woman (if the halla was any sign) was walking just in front of her, led (apparently) by a richly-dressed individual whose clothing and horse marked him as of greater status than the unfortunates seeking shelter here. Now here's an interesting sight if I ever saw one.

Nevertheless, it was none of her business, and the woman shook her head to herself, surveying the landscape in search of someplace to pass the evening. The roof of the tavern would serve well enough. Slipping into her shadow state, Tiaryn hunched her shoulders, bowed her head, and became better than unseen in the crowd... she became invisible. Ironic, how well these things worked out sometimes. Scaling the building was not a problem for one such as herself, and it was not long before she could see every movement the small town made.

Antius nodded at Asmara with a smile as, at last, he ended his spell. He groaned inwardly as he felt the Fade energies leave his body and his muscles contract painfully back into place. It was all he could do to remain standing by leaning upon his staff. He sheathed his sword and grinned at her.

"I think we can all agree that you're too pretty to be killed by Darkspawn," he told her with a grin. Normally, he wouldn't say such a thing to someone he just met, but he was exhausted and relieved that they were in fact, not dead. Besides, she probably wouldn't be offended by a little compliment. With that thought, he scanned the group they were in. It consisted mostly of humans, of course, as they were the current dominant species in this day and age, but there was a large number of elves, which was good to see. He disliked how elves were looked upon. What little he could find of their ancient civilization was awe-inspiring.

Shaking himself from that thought, looked over at the lynx and grinned. Shape-shifting? The Chantry had always disapproved of that. Made it easier to escape. He'd have to compare notes with the apostate, assuming he was one, of course. If he wasn't, he'd gladly keep his secret.

He looked over at the group and suggested, "Perhaps we should make camp together. Strength in numbers, right?"

Well, that was more fun than I've had in a while... Jasper could not help but think as much as he flicked his blades to send all the blackish Darkspawn blood arcing off them. He'd have to administer a proper clean-and sharpen later, but the great thing about dwarven steel was its sheer resilience. His one remaining potion, the poultice that the Dalish lass had refused, went back into his belt-pouch with no further protest from him, and his weapons to their sheaths.

There seemed to be a large gathering of people to his left, but he had something else to attend to for the moment. Letting out a low, trilling bird-whistle, he grinned when Valhalla responded immediately, swooping in and taking up her customary residence on his shoulder. Luckily, there was a layer of thick fabric and then a pauldron and some ordinary clothing in between her talons and his skin. He'd long since stopped feeling off-balance when the russet-gold bird settled there. Also at his bidding came the jet-black horse he'd recently purchased. He'd had to pay extra for one that would respond to such a call, but it was well worth it. He'd actually left the beast back here early in the evening, and had been fully intent on returning the next morning. Convenient, that.

Strangely, his steed was followed by another, smaller one that looked to be a bit lost. As soon as it saw the blond mage in the thick of people, however, it nickered and trotted straight over to her. Huh... suppose that works, Jasper thought to himself with a shrug. Accessing his saddlebags, he placed several of the pilfered items he'd gained from the battle within and patted the beast's neck before gradually joining the gathering of people. He said nothing at first, merely listening to the flow of conversation. Ah, so they are Grey Wardens. Figures.

Jasper spent a moment debating with himself, but the conclusion was easy enough. There was slim chance of him coming upon anything more interesting than this, no matter how many years he spent wandering Ferelden or the surrounding countries. It would seem that Fate had a way of smacking him in the face when she decided she wished something of him. For now, he chose to let them finish out their conversation. Each group would probably assume he was with the other, and that was fine for now.

---Valen Akritas---

Valen led the knife-eared Dalish over to the large tent he shared with his sister. He almost smirked as he considered the prospect of yet another good business deal for them. Blodwyn would be satisfied by this finding, he was sure of it.

But when he opened the flap of the tent and stepped inside, holding it open for Merle as well, he was faced by the sight of his sister speaking in a forceful, yet amiable, manner with an elven male. A frown passed over Valen’s face for the briefest of moments.

Is this the new slave she had been wanting for herself? He thought to himself as he ushered Merle inside.

---Blodwyn Akritas---

Blodwyn had been very pleased when Ceallach had returned back and in so little time. “Ah, it is most prudent of you to return! For perhaps a second I had feared you would not return,” she looked around the tent. They should get to packing soon…but Valen was not here yet.

And then, just as if he had been waiting for her to think about him, the tent flap was opened and her brother came inside.

“Valen, where have you been?” Her tone leaned towards being scolding. “Though we are here with diplomatic immunity, you know full well how much I hate to be left alone for long with Templars ambling about like swine in a pigsty.”

He crossed the distance between them and put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her in for a chaste kiss. “Forgive me, sister. Who will protect you, if not I?”

“Who indeed?” She reached out and briefly touched his cheek before turning back to Ceallach. “Ceallach, this is my twin brother, Valen. He is the sword which keeps me from harm. But, perhaps now that you are here, that task will be yours as well.”

“I brought someone for you to meet, sister.” Valen gestured behind himself at a young elven woman with hair the color of fresh fallen snow. Blodwyn knew exactly what this was about.

She smiled with utmost courtesy and beckoned the young woman inside. “Come; partake with us in food and drink. There is tea and honey-cakes and fruit if you so wish.”

“These are hard times for as all, are they not?” Blodwyn heaved a small sigh as she went over to the nearest chair and sat herself down upon it. “’Tis most difficult to be able to make a good living...and as I am a kind woman in need of aid, I offer you permanent employment. The initial pay is good and there is no chance that you will ever lose the job. What say you?”

It would be pleasant indeed to have another woman around. Blodwyn could really have used an extra hand when tending to her things. But…this woman was Dalish and Blodwyn inwardly doubted that she would comply into being a slave. Ah, but that would mean that she would merely have to be broken into it. Blodwyn could be kind when she saw it fit, but she could also dole out cruelty and discipline when and where it was needed. Never had she put up with a slave who did not behave.

“Ceallach, do be a dear and make me some tea. I can feel a headache coming on and it displeases me.” She rubbed her forehead and sprawled farther back into her seat. The day had been surprisingly tiring, though she had not been doing much at all.

They would have to be packing their things soon. They had collected and shipped off all the good slaves which they could find and place their hands upon and now there was nothing there for them left.

---Valen Akritas---

He took a seat on a chair opposite his sister and motioned for Merle to be seated as well. Though Valen was doing his utmost best to keep up his politeness around the knife-eared woman, he was never keen on bending himself lowers than he had to. Though his sister was more wishy-washy with her outlook upon other races, Valen was a proud believer that humans ought to rule above all.

“We came here from very far in order to offer job opportunities to both the more and less fortunate alike,” Valen pressed a hand to his chest, as if to reinforce his own point, “we would be most happy to help you as well. Out of the goodness of our hearts we will help you.”

“My brother has the tendency to get quite…wordy when speaking of helping others,” Blodwyn said and briefly raised an eyebrow at him. Apparently he had gotten a bit flamboyant.

“Yes, I beg your pardon. My intentions are ever good.” He grinned, showing off his smile, which he thought to be one of utmost perfection. “We sincerely hope you are interested.”

When Ryuu made contact with her she knew he would be fine. Over what they went through together at Ostagar she has considered him a friend. And he helps lighten the mood should Severia become too harsh on Arvin. Once the Crow moved Severia followed him. The area is clear of Darkspawn now as the last fall. She strides alongside the rogue in commradity, prepared to take a hit were it to come for Ryuu. Severia is instead met with the sight of an elven mage, another Grey Warden, coming to them. In turn she bows in response. Were this any other mage Severia would curl her lips in distaste. Yet this is a Grey Warden and another female Grey Warden! There seem to be so few.

"I am Severia Sorcha Cousland, 'Ser Sev'. So you have survived Ostagar and find yourself the last of Ferelden's Grey Wardens as we have." she uprights herself from the bow. If another Grey Warden detects their shared Taint it is fine. The lady knight smiles as she sheathes her sword. "Look no further Asmara. You are among kin now. We are here for you as we all are for Ferelden." and this is true; Grey Wardens easily form powerful bonds for their united cause. Perhaps another reason she so easily grasps the need to be close to Ryuu whom reminds her so much of her older brother. Although Arvin grates her nerves. Although another mage (without the Taint) approaches. Severia narrows her eyes when he flatters Asmara. To her this is not the place nor the time for such a thing.

With a glance across the muddled battle field she exhales through her nostrils. "...indeed. Come, we'll all regroup to a cave the others and I have warmed. To remain here with mottled body and spilled blood would call predators." they can speak more in the cave. While near the cave were a few corpses such a handful pales in comparison to the massacre strewn in this area. Severia has little interest in the male mage, the not-Raelnor Templar nor the...man (pirate?) with the sleek horse. Right now she must relay information to Asmara and most importantly get the others well rested. Although Severia does joyfully note the healthy brown mare perking at Asmara. Horses and dogs are perhaps the finest companions in the world, any Cousland will tell you that. Severia elbows Ryuu impishly.

"Don't cuddle Arvin. He'll give you more fleas than Kujo would." waving Blue Moon over she climbs into the azure stallion's saddle, pausing to wait for the others and seeking those Templars out with her outlined eyes, unsure if they are well enough to wander with the group. Sensing her wonder Kujo instead plods over to Bruce and Raelnor, whining and tilting his head at them. The Mabari shares the same concern.


(if anyone wants to shuffle the group to the cave, go ahead! Just left this for open filler.)

~~~

Blysse is ever so grateful the Darkspawn finally stop jack-in-the-boxing at them. And she had practically squealed in delight when Asmara was able to respond to her in Dalish. By the braked way the other elf spoke it, it clearly was not her language of choice. You never knew with mages of whom knew their heritage or were taken to the Circle far too early. Blysse toes the ground as everyone began to speak. She can only understand so many words. Wardens, Darkspawn, cuddle, camp, killed, pretty...eventually she stops listening, in the background now of the group. A golden flash catches her eye and Blysse inclines her dripping head to see the tall man now accompanied by a black horse. Oh! On his shoulder there...a hawk.

Animals and ones she has yet to meet! Light flares in her eyes as she strides over to the one eyed man fearlessly. "Ar lath na revas falon." (I love your freedom friend.) she smiles brightly, pointing to the raptor bird perched on the man's shoulder. Blysse doubts the shemlen will understand her but many have said animals understand Dalish to an extent much more easily than the human tongue. Perhaps the bird of prey is one of them and will understand the compliment. Behind her she is aware of movement from their lady knight friend. Blysse would move soon but not without a communicative glance at the damp hawk. Soon Dareth, her ivory halla, lightly prances to her side, bleating abrasively at the lanky man with his dark steed.

“Lend a hand to a fellow Templar. Never fall before the enemy of the Maker. Stand firm in the face of the demons of the Fade,”

The Templar offered Realnor a hand and he took it greatfully, hoisting himself up onto his feet and gripping his sword. He nodded back wordlessly to his Brother Knight, understanding his meaning perfectly and making it clear he would do the same.

Battle had ended and only the wounded struggled on the ground, clutching bleeding wounds or desperately trying to scrape their guts back into their bodies. Realnor took his time as he waded through the dead, ending any wounded Darkspawn he could find. Ser Sev and Ryuu had ended the General and Raelnor walked up to the two as Ser Sev helped Ryuu up.

"I am Severia Sorcha Cousland, 'Ser Sev'. So you have survived Ostagar and find yourself the last of Ferelden's Grey Wardens as we have.”

Grey Wardens? Even Realnor had heard the old tales of the Grey Wardens riding against the Darkspawn Blight on griffons of pure light. He had never expected to meet one, or the one that he met to be quite so… underwhelming. Was this the group who was supposed to save Ferelden from the most leathal enemy known to man? She hardly looked extraordinary.

"...indeed. Come, we'll all regroup to a cave the others and I have warmed. To remain here with mottled body and spilled blood would call predators."

Ser Sev was, in fact, quite correct. Dawn had not broken over the hills yet and even as they talked birds descended from the sky to feast on dead flesh. Realnor wondered if they would eat the Darkspawn despite the blood that had burned his skin like acid.

The walk back was uneventful. The group stuck together the entire way, refusing to let their guard down until they were mildly safe inside the cave. Raelnor and Bruce walked side-by-side, each carefully watching the darkness around the group for any signs of movement.

Now, back at the cave, the group visibly relaxed. Raelnor sheathed his sword and shrugged his shield onto his back and for the first time in two days removed his helmet, putting it under his right arm. He looked at Ser Sev and addressed her with stern eyes.

“Ser Sev, while I would like to discuss your claim of being a Grey Warden, we have more important issues at hand. If I’m not mistaken, and I might be considering my skills as a tracker, that group of Darkspawn was headed towards Lothering. We cannot rest long, for the city may be in danger and should be evacuated as soon as possible. We should leave within the hour.”

Arvin rolls his eyes slightly at Antius, an amused and very human gesture at the man's flatter of the female mage. He wasn't annoyed at the man, though, it was always nice to be around other mages. They at least understood and had common ground, no matter what race they were apart of. Arvin had come across more racism in his time out in Ferelden than he'd ever encountered in the tower. He followed Asmara to Severia, though he wasn't too fond of the way she treated him, Ryuu was alright in his book. Although Arvin did have a tough time figuring out if he was joking or not. Sometimes it was hard to tell with him. It didn't help that Arvin was sequestered in a tower for the better part of his life, and most of Ferelden, and his humor was quite different than what Arvin was used to.

Arvin bumped lightly against the new Grey Warden mage's leg. It was a simple greeting to her, as Arvin was also glad to find that more Grey Wardens had survived. Arvin remained close to the other Grey Warden's the rest of the trip, refusing to return to his elven form. More and more he seemed to favor a different form than his own. Arvin had figured that out sometime ago, but he reasoned it off at being more comfortable to sleep in fur than not. The lynx's sharper vision and senses were great assets at night, even in the rain! and Arvin felt more secure with the natural defenses the animal forms had. It was not at all for his own enjoyment and the feeling of freedom that not being a humanoid felt like. Not at all he'd tell himself.

Arvin shook off before stepping into the cave, hoping to get just a modicum more dry than he was. he paused at the Templar's words, shooting a glare Raelnor's way and giving off a low growl. Arvin did not like Templar. Not one bit, and insinuating that a companion of his, even though he wasn't exactly the best of friends with Severia, was still not something that he'd appreciate. Though the man's words were borne of logic. Would Arvin had believed that several strangers claiming to be Grey Wardens were what they said they were without much proof? Well, had he not lived through Ostagar, he might not have. Arvin did agree with the man's logic at where the Darkspawn were heading. Arvin padded deeper into the darkness of the cave and returned to his true elven form, hopefully out of sight of the group before returning.

Like it or not, Arvin was quite tired at the constant battle and moving that had come with the job. He could likely count the hours of sleep he'd gotten in the past few days on his fingers. Arvin slumped against the cave wall as the group spoke about their next move. Raelnor had given voice to a fear of Arvin's. Where had those darkspawn gone? "If you give me time to rest, I could return to lynx form and go scouting for their movements.." he offered. if the rain breaks, he did have the form of a falcon. Though Arvin had never been a strong flyer. It was difficult to learn on ones own. He didn't want to risk flying in the rain, however. Arvin flexed his hands, rubbing them together to work the soreness and pain out. All of the wounds he sustained while in the form of the lynx during the battle translated straight to his elven form, and slapping his paws against armor to claw at darkspawn hurt. "Raelnor has a point, we do need to warn them."

The battle was over and Lenwë back at his side gave him comfort on the way back to the cave. The words brought up by Realnor made Ryuu nod his head, and when Arvin spoke up about scouting Ryuu shook his head at this. "Arvin, you'll need more then your lynx form if they catch onto you tailing them so I'll go with you" He stated calmly, his face usually a smile was cold and empty; as if the assassin in him had taken over completely; even his eyes usually full of compassion and warmth were empty of all said emotion and were nothing but blank orbs. "I'm by no means leadership quality, but I believe that Blysse should come with us as well, her bow is by far the strongest here, I can barely hit a darkspawn at a hundred paces let alone what she can do" He said with a smile, alittle bit of emotion returning to his face.

He then looked to Severia for conformation, this was what he was good at scouting; and killing. He didn't know if she'd agree with him but he could feel the urgency in the words of Realnor, and he could feel something was amiss, something had to be done quickly, and with two rogues and a mage, there shouldn't be any problems in scouting out ahead. He also felt the urgency in himself; he did not want anyone to suffer from the darkspawn, for an assassin he had a large heart, and the massacre that had happened. He couldn't even return to that memory as he stayed his mind and locked eyes with Severia. his hand was licked though causing him to break eye contact and look down to his partner, who he pat and smiled. "You will stay here and protect the others, besides Kujo can keep you out of mischief, and I'd feel better if you'd stay behind and help out in case we missed anything violent." The hulking beast seemed to whine at Ryuu's words making him laugh alittle. "Oh you don't start with that, your not a pup anymore, grow up and show backbone I'll be fine there's nothing that could kill me, I'm much to stubborn to die when there darkspawn in need of slaying"

Well, as it turned out, Jasper had not gone nearly as unnoticed as he'd expected. Well, perhaps more to the point, Valhalla had not. The archer, judging from the language she was speaking in, was apparently Dalish, and apparently quite adherent to the slightly-touched nature-sort stereotype. Ah, well, there were worse stereotypes, and a good number of them were about pirates.

He shook his head to indicate that he did not understand the words, though the meaning of the gestures was evident enough. He whistled again, this time in a shorter, sharper pitch, and Valhalla responded by climbing onto his forearm bracer when he held it up. He extended the arm that she might touch the bird if she so chose, and Valhalla responded by preening herself, vain creature that she was, which only caused him to chuckle. "Her name is Valhalla," he informed the interested party, guessing that she'd probably be able to understand that much anyway, but before he knew it, the group was moving, and he turned back with an apologetic look and shrugged, trilling low and launching his friend skyward with his arm.

Once they reached the cave, Jasper settled himself into a corner, once again choosing to listen rather than talk. Their party seemed a rather odd assortment indeed, a free mix of Wardens, magi, Dalish, and oddly enough Templars. Not the flavors I'd combine for a harmonious brew, but 'tis not mine to make, I suppose, and Fate has had ever the odd tastes.

One of the Chantry soldiers piped up about Darkspawn attacking Lothering, and Jasper shook his head. How many of the damned things were there, anyway? Scratching his jawline absently, the pirate king considered for a moment. "Might as well get what rest you can," he replied to the new elf that had appeared upon the vanishing of the lynx. If his statements were to be believed (and Jasper so no reason not to) the two were in fact one and the same. "Valhalla is good about these things. If she spies any more Darkspawn, I expect we'll have evidence of it soon." One of the perks to having one's own trained raptor was that if she spotted anything her half-wild sensibilities didn't agree with, she'd find a way to make sure he knew about it. More than once had he been warned of an approaching vessel not by the man in his crow's nest, but a piece of clothing torn by vicious talon.

As for himself, Jasper decided to take his own advice and made himself as comfortable as possible against the wall of the cave. Healing spell or no, he still had a few sore spots, and napping in trees while it rained on you was not the best way to get your daily allowance of shut-eye, no matter how resourceful you were. He doubted he would sleep (he never could, in the company of strangers), but rest would be a welcome alternative, even if only for a moment.

(Feel free to have the bird return with whatever; I don't expect you to wait for me to keep anything moving :P)

Ser Bruce Le-Guy

With the hole lot gathered in a single spot, Bruce had to admit that either the Grey Wardens were skilled when it came to gathering followers, Are they exploiting us or do these people actually follow them for their own purpose? Bruce thought as he surveyed the people in the cave. He turned and looked at his Templar Brother as he addressed the crowd and nodded in agreement.

After the group had just fought against the Darkspawns Bruce understood that they were all tired and wanted to rest. Heck, Bruce could feels his muscles tensing as he stood up straight, though he refused to show any further weakness before these mages, he was a proud Templar and he represented the Chantry. “There shall be no apostate magic done whilst I am around,” Bruce addressed to Arvin with a commanding tone. Bruce was no fan of magic, he was suspicious about the common arcane spells, and while healing spells was something that he encouraged more than anything else but asides from those He saw the rest as apostate magic.

“Now, as Ser Raelnor has said. Lothering is near, however it is also in danger. You-” Bruce said and pointed at Ryuu-“ensure that the mage doesn’t use apostate magic.” Bruce said, still not sure about who was who in this party. He only knew that Asmara was a Grey Warden, however he didn’t know who the other Grey Wardens were. All that Bruce truly cared at, at the moment, was to ensure that the mages knew that they were not to command the Templars.

What couod Bruce say? Some habits died harder than others. Bruce viewed elves and mages as sub-classes of society. Those who broke the laws were to be punished by the law, and in this case the Chantry was to hunt them down.

“Now, as for the rest of you. You have half an hour to rest, then we will head for Lothering,” Bruce announced. To Bruce, he felt there was a lack of real leadership. No one, save for Raelnor and himself had really stood up and said what was to happen, well if they weren’t going to stand up for the hole group then Bruce would, and he’d gladly see to it that Ser Raelnor would have a suitable position within the group. That was, if there wasn’t someone that would openly stand up and challenge Bruce; Bruce knew he wasn’t a born leader but he was no fool on the other hand.

At the suggestion from Ser Sev that they regroup in her group's page, Antius nodded in relief before looking around his campsite. His tent was in tatters and so was his tea set, but luckily, his pack remained intact. He gratefully shouldered it, though it felt like a boulder in his weakened state, and took out a whistle, blowing on it. His horse, Bree, had probably ran off amidst the confusion, but the enchantment on the whistle always made sure Bree heard it if he was within a mile of Antius. Sure enough, the brown horse returned, snorting a little at the Darkspawn stench that pervaded throughout the camp. As they left, Antius had a feeling that Bree was more eager to leave than anyone. That was animals for you. Unnatural substances such as Darkspawn blood tended to disturb them.

On the way to the cave, Antius walked with both Asmara and the lynx-mage. It was wonderful to be in the company of fellow magi out in the world. He didn't hold anything against non-magical folk, but there was a special bond between magi, a bond that transcended gender and race as they each knew the burden of being a mage in a society that always regarded them with suspicion, fear, and sometimes anger along with the constant threat of demonic possession. When they reached the cave at last, Antius slumped against the wall. Maker, he was tired. He was impressed by Ryuu's and Arvin's resolve to scout ahead, but he felt a twinge of annoyance as Ser Bruce attempted to assume leadership.

"We are facing Darkspawn, Ser Templar. We do not have the luxury of limiting our magic," he argued, scowling at the very thought. Really. Apostate Magic? That was no School of Magic. It was a general term for any magic that was outside the Circle or that the Chantry was uncomfortable with, including his own Combat Magic spell. He continued, "We should use whatever we have as long as it's not Blood Magic. Besides, shouldn't the Wardens be in charge?"

Templars were always interfering with his life from their cold glares to his half-remembered memories of being torn from his family. He had worked to get permission to travel outside the Tower so he could study unhindered. He was not about to be commanded by a Templar when he didn't have to be.

She's faced all manner of Darkspawn, has led her father's soldiers into battle and commanded them by earning their respect, she's sung in the choir of Highever's Chantry before hundreds, and she's faced Kujo at his worst. Never has Severia felt as vulnerable as she did then as a Grey Warden. People were out to kill you, celebrate you, or simply let you pass without fuss. Which is exactly why she hadn't outright told Ser Raelnor of her lifelong duties shared with Arvin and Ryuu. It's simple to see her grimace when he brings it up. He had heard that conversation? She had not meant for him to. Not today, not ever. In fact she was hoping to keep it from him and hopefully get him dropped off at Lothering's Chantry although now that too is unlikely.

Still she meets his gaze, blinking once he removed his helmet. That scar. It's simply surprising to see someone's face after you've already given them one. His suggestion is lucid and as she hears the others pitch in she's nothing short of proud to have such fine people rearing to go after that gruesome battle. Even pirate man is offering his fine bird to which she bows her head gratefully to him. "Arvin, Ryuu, you both--" she's cut off by the other Templar. The lady knight's mouth firms into a less than amused line as she stares at him, appalled. He's just...just barking orders. He is not entitled here and she will not lose her place. "Ser Templar. You are out of line.", her noble heritage is shown through her voice which becomes strict but diplomatic, "Myself, Arvin and Ryuu are all Grey Wardens. We move to eliminate the Darkspawn. You have no power outside the Circle of Magi, no power over Arvin. He can use his spells as he sees fit for he is here with us to better the fate of Ferelden." she says no more to the Templar, neither of them, half suspecting Raelnor could be the same as this bigoted bully. A far cry for what she wants both out of this group and equally for them.

"Arvin, Ryuu, you both take Blysse and this man's Valhalla. Tread lightly and keenly. We cannot risk losing any of you at this point. Maker be with you." as much as she dislikes Arvin for his magic, she would never wish harm upon him nor the restrictive life set by Templars in the tower. Severia faces the rest of the group, still using that undaunted voice, "The rest of you, pack lightly. We're still headed for Lothering before daybreak. And if the scouting group finds anything we will need to move quickly." although from what she had seen they killed all of the Darkspawn in the area and the rest had slipped back inside of that...that rift thing. Whatever it was, better safe than sorry.

Her orders finished she turns and begins to work on her own pack with Kujo sitting beside her and wagging his stubby tail supportively. Although Severia does glance to the male human mage. She was impressed he berated the Templar before she did but is glad he recognizes the Grey Wardens for what they are. Once in Lothering and after the main ruckus dies down they'll all need names.

~~~

Blysse smiled knowingly when the man shook his head. She knows very few who know Dalish outside of her Clan. It makes Ferelden a bit more lonesome. Still her eyes widen appreciatively when the bird is presented and she reaches out to stroke its silken but damp feathers, cooing at the lovely thing. "Valhalla." she repeats with understanding.

On the way to camp she lingered in the back of the group, ears slightly drooping. There is still no sign of Cash. And while she has grown to adore both Arvin and Ryuu, their Dalish isn't all that wonderful. Chewing on her bottom lip the elven archer walks quietly with her halla into the cave. She sits down by her pack although she hears her name and lifts her head. Seeing someone motion for her over the Dalish bounces to her heels and nervously stands behind Ryuu and Arvin, seeing the Templars so near. Her heart aches with malady as she glances around the cave. Where is her baby brother?

"Valhalla." she suddenly mimes Jasper and walks over, simply taking the hawk, not minding the talons sinking into her wrist guard. She kisses the lovely bird's beak in thanks before walking out of the cave, knowing Ryuu and Arvin will soon follow shortly. Her bow is at the ready as she lifts her arm to let Valhalla take flight to begin leading them towards anything of interest.

(just to let you all know, I plan on having Lothering survive. As such there will be no Darkspawn found by the scouts.)

Asmara Surana

Asmara blinked. Pretty? She was covered in dirt and blood, drenched to her bones, and she had neither eaten nor slept properly in two weeks, to say nothing of bathing. She looked a proper wreck, and she knew it. Perhaps this was an attempt at humor? Well, she could appreciate trying to lighten the mood a little, and she smiled and shook her head. "Oh, I don't know. I bet I'm too skinny to be of any use to a Darkspawn, decoratively or otherwise." As usual, she had completely missed the gist of what was going on, so her comment might have seemed a bit left-field.

She said nothing else, though, as presently she spotted the man who had offered her a lyrium potion whistle, and the subsequent appearance of a large predatory bird, while impressive, was not what drew her attention. Rather, Asmara's eyes flew wide at the sight of the second of the two horses that responded to the summons as well. "Aliyah!" the mage cried delightedly, and wrapped her arms around the horse's neck. The whuffling sounds she heard over her shoulder were enough to confirm that her equine friend was glad to see her too, at least to her mind.

A bright smile on her face, then, she walked in the company of her fellow magi, surprised when the lynx-shaped Warden bumped her gently. Her instinctive reaction was to place her hand gently on his head and scratch behind his ear, but she abruptly remembered that he was not in fact a large cat and withdrew her hand sharply. "Erm... sorry about that..."

The group arrived at a cave, which she gathered to be the present camp of the other group of people, and the lot bickered amongst themselves for a bit. When the word 'apostate' came up, Asmara flinched slightly. She was about to gently remind Ser Le-Guy that technically, nobody here was an apostate (anymore), but both Antius and Ser Sev beat her to it, so she remained quiet. The shapeshifting Warden was apparently elven also, a fact which did not surprise her necessarily but was interesting. She then remembered that she had actually pet him and looked away with some embarrassment.

The scouting party took off, and the rest of them were told to pack lightly. This was not a problem for Asmara, as she did not have much worth note, and all of these items were already on her person. "Would someone please wake me when we leave? I just need a little rest..." With that, and trusting enough to believe they would not leave her behind, she put her back to the wall of the cave somewhere between the black-clad man with the eyepatch and Antius, curling inward on herself and pillowing her head with an arm. Within moments, she was fast asleep.

Ryuu bowed to the orders from Severia and walked over to his own pack removing a embroidered with several characters from the dalish stories. throwing it over his shoulder and lifting the hood up over his face, and then joining Blysse outside the cave. He watched the bird take flight and then placed a hand on Blysse shoulder. "You going to be alright? you seem alittle distracted" He asked softly looking down at her worriedly. He wasn't going to let his hatred for the darkspawn rule his emotions. He looked out into the forest. The words that came from the templar had him worried about Lothering, not so much about the darkspawn, more so about who they could trust.

His hand fell from Blysse's shoulder as he crossed his arms tightly over his chest. his mind focusing on their expected tracking of the darkspawn as he closed his eyes. "I wonder where Cash is" He thought this out loud as he pulled his own bow from under the cloak. He didn't see him in the cave, and grew alittle worried. He knew the male couldn't fight, and from how he acted he'd probably be terrified if he was in the forest alone. He turned towards the cave mouth, waiting for Arvin to come out. of the cave and join them.

Antius yawned a little as he sat down next Asmara, against the cave wall. He was terribly tired himself, though he did take time to consider Asmara's response to her comment. It was neither coquettish encouragement he often observed in the Circle Tower, nor outright rejection. Interesting, either she was trying to confuse him or she was oblivious to his attempt to compliment her. He'd have to give it further thought.

Yawning, he set his pack against the wall to use as a pillow. It was still nice to meet her and these other companions of his. He hadn't made a friend since... Jowan. Thoughts flashed through his head of his former best friend, of the times they spent together, studying and worrying about the Harrowing (well, he mostly did the former and Jowan, the latter), of wondering what it was like outside the tower, and then, Jowan's bragging about his secret girlfriend. He grimaced as images of the night of Jowan's escape flashed through his mind, particularly his memory of the instant Jowan shattered his phylactery and the moment he turned Blood Magic loose on the Templars, First Enchanter, Lily, and even himself. Then there was the punishment Antius faced for setting loose a Blood Mage.

Antius mentally shook off those thoughts. He was away from the Circle at the moment, free to study as he pleased, and he was certain his companions wouldn't betray him as Jowan had. With that thought, Antius then drifted off to sleep.

"Well, I won't turn away help, Ryuu." Arvin nodded, turning to Blysse and giving an encouraging look, he did agree with Ryuu's appraisal of her abilities. It would be much safer scouting with the other two along. And Arvin wasn't sure he trusted any of the newer comers just yet, save for the two mages. Arvin was going to settle in, but that was when the obstinate Templar whom Arvin hadn't been introduced to yet spoke out against him. Arvin flinched, just slightly. Remnants of the years of being beneath the Templar's rule in the tower. But it was not so these days. Arvin gave the man a stern look, as though challenging him to stop him. He figured he'd count Ryuu and Blysse and the other mages on his side. Though when Severia spoke up for him, Arvin was nearly floored. His eyes widened and he glanced her way, he half expected her to ignore the Templar's words, but how wrong he was. Arvin let the left corner of his lips curl upwards as he regarded the woman. Arvin would much rather follow her commands than some Templar. There was nothing more for him to say, Severia had summed it up a retort to the Templar beautifully. Arvin gave the man a small smirk before falling upon all fours, the transformation to lynx form was becoming quicker and more natural as he spent more time in it.

Arvin gave the mage that had pet him on the head an amused look, and with a flick of his tail, he began to stalk out of the cave with the grace of the hunting cat. Arvin would have preferred some rest, but after Severia had taken command and stood up for him, he was feeling more willing to go out then. The feeling of camaraderie with his fellow Grey Wardens drove Arvin to perform better for them, despite his fatigue. That and anymore time spent with the Templar in the cave were likely to stress things further. Oh, Arvin did not envy his two mage companions that stayed behind. His ears flicked at Ryuu's question, with the outrageous Templar's words, Arvin had forgotten all about Blysse's sibling. He gave his best at a worried look, and bumped lightly against her leg, the opposite side of Ryuu, they would both be there for her should she need it. Arvin moved past them and lowered his snout to the ground, trying to get a scent to follow. With the rain still hammering down around them, Arvin was having trouble finding anything to give him a lead. He was new to using the Lynx's senses for tracking, and just as it did with trying to fly as a falcon, the rain just made everything more difficult to the umpteenth degree.

Well, those three had gone out to scout with Valhalla, the two mages had gone to sleep, apparently, which left him with the Templars and the lady knight, plus of course the mabari. He didn't much fancy getting into a stimulating intellectual conversation with men of the Chantry, which meant he could either chat at the hound or introduce himself to the group's informal leader, whatever the holy men might think. Jasper had long since learned to recognize leadership when he saw it, and though it was in its early stages here, the Cousland lass had it.

Picking up his lanky self and redepositing it closer to the fire, he stretched his hands toward it for warmth wiggling his fingers in an attempt to regain some of the dexterity that the cold had killed. He sat like this for a moment, and then decided he might as well. Conversation to fill the silence alone was usually dull as dishwater, but this wasn't exactly an ordinary situation. "Well, that was a rather unexpected diversion, I must admit. I was unaware Darkspawn appeared in such numbers anywhere but the Deep Roads. Ah well, what's life without a surprise now and then?" He grinned as if to underscore the point. "Jasper Landis," he proffered, using his most common alias. No need for anyone here to know who he was until he had a bit more measure than a single battle. "I'd stand and bow, but that would be rather inconvenient at present, so you'll have to excuse me." Instead, he offered a hand for her to shake, if she so chose, and a nod to the Templars on the other side of the fire, who were a bit beyond reach.

The dog, however, was not, and Jasper's other hand was extended to allow the mabari to decide whether he was friend or foe. He'd always had a fair way with these things, though, and he patted the creature's head amicably.