Seeking the Warden (Honovi)

[Arley Voegeli]

Date: Before Templar's Bane.

The small fire dimly lit the forest around it, showing only a small tent. The fire crackled and popped as it started to sprinkle. Arley was asleep in the tent, he had been running from Templars, he had a Seeker after him, and it was only a matter of time until he was found.

He woke up before dawn to avoid detection if they where hot on his trail. The forest provided good cover but he would be found soon...he could feel it. He packed quickly and proceeded through the forest. He had miles to walk the Brecilian forest was vast, and civilization was hundreds of miles away. But in Thedas you never knew who or what you will encounter.

Arley started to think about his time as a Grey Warden, he saw his mentor slaughtered like a pig, and villages leveled and the people massacred. He was happy about what he was becoming. With no blight everyone is worried about the civil war going on, exactily why he was on the run.

The Templars tyrannical oppression was over but the Templars where relentlss and they would fight till every last one is in the ground. Thats why Arley fought for the mages, he killed Templars helping save mage lives, and now he was wanted.

Arley stopped, he heard something, someone was there but e didnt know who so he stayed silent, his bow and arrow at the ready.

[Honovi]

It had never occurred to Honovi when she was younger, but the rain never seemed to stop in Ferelden. Walking through the forest with Kachina tucked in her shirt and Makya watching from above, she stretched, aching joints popping as she moved. She was getting old, and she wasn't sure she liked it. She wasn't even sure how she'd gotten so old, the way she lived, but perhaps she was just unlucky. Between the Blight and ten years as an admittedly self-destructive mercenary Honovi probably should have been dead years ago, but it seemed she was destined to outlive everyone.

And somehow, somewhere along the way she'd managed to be sucked into this war between templars and mages. Perhaps it was only fitting - by the northmen's laws she was the property of the Chantry, and she had lost both of her parents to the templars before she ever got to meet them. Well, that was a bitterness long past, but if she believed in nothing else freedom still meant something to her and Honovi had yet to meet a templar who shared the sentiment. Not that she'd met many, but when you hide apostates some were bound along.

After a while Honovi caught sight of someone packing up camp in the darkness, and she was about to go around when she heard something. Kneeling and drawing her bow, she put arrow to string in readiness for a potential attack. The Brecilian Forest was a dangerous place to travel and everyone knew it, but the flash of silver in the trees caught her attention. No bandit had armour like that... There was a templar chasing the man in the clearing. Honovi didn't even stop to wonder why a mage might have a bow. Half a heartbeat later her arrow was sailing through the air so close to the stranger it stirred his hair and straight into the eye-slit of the templar's helm.

"I hope I did not startle you." she said, stepping into the light.

[Arley Voegeli]

With the Temlars hot on his trail Arley put his bow away and darted through the dense foliage, the chase has begun. He looked back and saw the glint of the Templars armor. Damn it all! Arley cursed to himself, it seemed to him that they would never stop chasing him.

It started raining harder and the downpour started to weigh him down, he could feel his speed decreasing, the Templar was catching up to him, he found it strange there was only one. A scoit maybe? Arley didnt know nor did he care he kept running.

The Templar scout was getting closer he was a big man with a big sword, and he had a helmet hiding his face. He was extremly fast considering how heavy his armor was. Suddenly an arrow flew right by his face and the Templar fell. He heard the voice of a woman asking if she startled him, in truth it scared him a little but he hid it.

He smiled "No...not at all, though thanks for the assistance I didn't feel like dealing with fighting him, but we should go there is always more," Arley stated

[Honovi]

"Indeed." Of course there were more templars - they were armoured wolves, always coming in packs. And always with claws and fangs bared, whether wisely or not. Honovi turned, expression impassive, and trotted silently through the trees. "Come."

There was no templar alive that knew this forest as well as she did, walking its natural paths near constantly. She was in her element here. As long as the stranger stayed close no one wearing as much metal as a templar would catch them - and she knew where to hide. The forest was riddled with ancient ruins, the remains of both human and elven empires long past, and most of them were uncharted. Among them were many that were impossible to enter without knowing beforehand how to manage it, and the templars would surely pass those by.

The trees rushed past, roots and stones and leaves reaching up to trip her only to be left behind undisturbed. Far too many years had gone by with her doing this very thing for her to do so much as turn a leaf, let alone snap a twig, and she could only hope the stranger was as good if he followed her to the ruins. Minutes ticked by as they evaded pursuit until finally, finally the had reached what looked to be little more than a great pile of rubble. She and the Dalish knew it was more than that, however - there was a crack in the stone beneath what was once the walls, made invisible by piles of crumbled stone and overgrown weeds. No one in heavy armour would fit down there, but she and the stranger could both squeeze through, dressed as they were.

"I am called Honovi. We can hide inside." With that she slipped gracefully through the crack, the slight swaying of some tall grasses the only indication that she had been there at all.

[Arley Voegeli]

Arley watched the woman run through the forest, she had a beautiful grace about her. She moved so naturally and Arley followed, he couldnt take his eyes off of her. She was definitely more used to the forest than him; as he had been losing his footing, though it could have been because he was watching her, he decided to focus on his footing.

They had past ruins from aeons ago, he loved the old ruins they gave the forest a uniqueness that was unmatched. He relished it that fact. The rain had to slow the Templar dogs down, but Arley was lucky he had light leather armor on. They kept treking until they had arrived at an overgrown pile of weeds over a big stack of rubble. He knew that it was more though.

She told him to hide inside with her as she slipped ever so gracefully into a crack, Arley didnt know what it was, and the fact she was much older ment nothing to him. Arley followed her in, he watched her as they walked through the ruin. "So, I assume that obviously you're from here seeing how beautifully you moved through the forest?" Arley asked, making conversation.

[Honovi]

The northman followed instructions well, at least. He did, however, have an odd habit of letting his gaze travel to interesting places on her own body rather than where he should place his feet. Interesting. Honovi decided to be amused rather than irritated by his wandering eyes, her expression yet unchanged. Indeed, it wasn't until they had dropped into a crack in the stone that led to the underground chambers of the ruin above them that her expression changed at all. Even then, it was only to arch her brow when the man asked if she was local.

"No," she said simply, not even turning around as they walked. Every so often she nudged a stone or bit of fallen statue with the toe of her boot to mark their way, leaving trail signs in the way of her people - far too subtle for any northman to even notice without looking for those specific signs, let alone decipher them without help. "You have my name. What is yours?"

For the first time since they'd met Honovi turned her attention to him as she extended an arm for Makya to land on until the broken, twisted passage opened up into what must once have been some form of feast hall. Finally. Reaching this room meant they were more than far enough underground to sit and start a fire without being discovered, and Honovi meant to get answers. He was being chased for templars - she knew that. And yet he did not appear to be a mage. That was... odd.

"Why are you being hunted?" Simple and direct, as always. Honovi had precious little patience for an overabundance of words, preferring instead to use her breath to feed the flame of the fire she was building. A few scraps of wood and tree bark later had a little fire merrily blazing away, and she stretched out gratefully on the floor beside it, letting the heat bake out the stiffness the weather had left in her joints.

[Arley Voegeli]

They walked through the old passages of the old ruin. They would be impossible to find, there are hundreds of old ruins in the Brecillian Forest, and for someone who isn't from Ferelden it would be extra difficult.

Honovi said she wasn't local and he wandered how she knew the forest so well. They walked a bit farther and she asked his name. "I am Arley Voegeli, nice to meet you by the way," said Arley happily. He liked meeting new people, and he was determined to get to know this woman. They had entered some sort of room that looked like a mess hall. She sat and started building a fire, he knew what was next, a question most people asked him.

He was correct she asked why he was being hunted. "Well I am a Grey Warden and since there is no blight I figured I wpuld make my standing in this civil war, I believe the Templars are wrong so I fight for the mages. I've killed many Templars, well I've killed a lot, and I've been on the run for a while, they finially sent a Seeker after me, and he tracked me here." Arley explained as he sat down by the fire.R

[Honovi]

Arley did a great deal of talking, Honovi decided. Acknowledging his explanation with a simple nod, she returned her attention to the fire to wait out the rest of the day. If there was a seeker after him their best bet to get away safely was to stay where they were until the light faded and leave under cover of night. Honovi didn't know how good Arley was at travelling through the forest at night - probably not very good at all, judging by the noise he made during daylight - but if he could stay close she could guide him.

When exactly she had decided to stay involved with the man's troubles she didn't know, but after a very long several hours she was smothering the fire and leading the way back to the surface. It was good she'd left herself signs, and better yet that Arley hadn't disturbed them, because was always had the rather spectacular ability to confound Honovi's otherwise impeccable sense of direction. Fortunately, her trail signs were intact and she led Arley out of the ruins and into the night without so much as a momentary pause.

"Stay very close and watch your footing," she said when they reached the narrow, hidden crack that would let them out.

Looking up she could see that the weather had cleared, the absent clouds letting the stars shine merrily down upon them. Honovi's eyes narrowed in irritation. Of course there would be no cloud cover when they actually needed it. Oh well, nothing for it but to head up anyway. At the very least there was less light now than during the day, and the moon was still less than half. Not by much, but never let it be said that Honovi was a pessimist.

"Come." With that she was off loping through the forest again, Makya flying low above her silent as a shadow.

[Arley Voegeli]

He wondered why Honovi was so quiet, she asked alot of questions, but no relpies just a simple nod. She was different than anyone Arley had come across. She seemed almost emotionless, he could see the faint glimmer of personality there, but she masked it well.

They sat there for hours without saying a word, Arley grew restless. He needed something to do. He started to fiddle with his armor, fixing the ties. He rummaged through his bag, sharpened his daggers, wiped them down. Finially he stopped and Honovi started to stomp out the fire. "We leaving?" He asked jumping up to his feet. She answered his question by telling him to mind his footing.

She led him through the ruin like she had been here before. He just followed as he was told. He was going to try to be a little quieter this time, it should be easier this time as it was rather dry. As they arrived to the crack Arley wondered why she didn't part ways with him already, was she just a nice person? He didn't know but he would find out. They climbed out and she proceeded through the forest, Arley followed.

She was much quieter than him but he wasn't doing bad. They treked fir a while and Arley looked up at the inconvineiently clear sky and he saw a smoke billowing in the sky in the distance. Arley wasnt good at running in the forest, but he knew how to ambush people. "That must be my Templar friends. Shall we go say hi?" Arley smiled and took off running toward the smoke.

They weren't far at all, he ran about a hundred feet and saw the fire. He snuck up not knowing if Honovi was behind him, but he would wait. He could hear them . "So why are we chasing a Grey Warden?" One asked, he saw the Seeker . "Because hes a mage sympathizer, and has killed many of your brothers." He said calmly. Arley got his bow ready, he only had four other with him, if he played this right he would be able to win this battle.

[Honovi]

Smoke in the very near distance had Honovi turning away, intending to give what must be the templar camp a wide berth. Arley, however, had a different idea, pointing out the smoke and running straight towards it apparently careless of the noise he made. Honovi frowned. That was very much not the way to escape a party of templars, and running like that Arley made as much noise as an ox in the brush, not that city-men like the templars were likely to know the difference between a man's noise and a bear's. Idiots.

That didn't mean Arley wouldn't get himself killed running straight after them like that, and at least one or two was bound to check out what was making the noise. Northmen. If she was smart, she'd leave him. She'd already helped Arley more than most people would, and certainly a great deal more than she had to. So why wasn't she just leaving him to his fate?

With a scowl, she followed Arley silently through the trees the short way to the camp and pulled herself into a tree a good way behind him. Not long after that, she was proven right - a templar, armour half removed but still armed made his own noisy way out of the forest towards Arley to investigate the source of his noise. More blood spilled, but so be it. Her hands were already stained with more lives than she could count, and this was why she'd come after Arley. She drew her bow.

An arrow nocked, an arrow drawn, an arrow loosed. There was only the faintest, briefest flutter of leaves as Honovi's arrow passed through them and the templar was dead even as he opened his mouth to warn his companions of Arley's presence, a long wooden shaft protruding from his eye. Another face for her dreams tonight, another accusing finger and stare. Another stain on Honovi's hands, and suddenly she felt very tired. Whatever she felt about templars, even they weighed on her.

Slithering back down to the forest floor, she approached Arley with her bow still in hand, expression neutral. "I expect we are to kill them all?" she asked softly, peering intently at the men huddled together around the fire.

[Arley Voegeli]

"Aye, thats the plan. But I would like to get the other four out of the way, it shouldn't be difficult." Arley was ready to fight, but he had to be practical. He didn't want to risk running out like a mad man and taking an arrow or worse. Those templars where ruthless, especially Seekers they where a vicious lot.

"This is what we'll do, see this? It's a combustion grenade. I throw it. Then boom," Arley whispered quietly taking the bomb out. He proceeded to watch, the talking died down, and they went to sleep. All but the seeker. He had a look on his face. A look of suspicion, he noticed the other one was gone. "Shit, we have to act now, hope you're ready," Arley smiled at the woman, he enjoyed her company eventhough she was a tad anti-social.

He realized he had nothing to light it with so he had to throwit in the fire. That was going to be dangerous...It would blow instantly and catch everything on fire. He threw it into the flames, and instantly it blew, he tackled Honovi to protect her from the shrapnel. The blast was bigger than expected and he could feel the heat of the shrapnel that stuck in his armor. He could hear the men screaming, he hated Templars but it always hurt him to hear them in pain.

He knew the Seeker would be searching as he knew Arley was there. Arley dropped his bow and and took out the daggers Delphine gave him, Rapture and Purgatory, and waited for a fight. This Seeker was known for his skill with a two hander, so Arley would be careful.

[Honovi]

A grenade. Wonderful. Honovi had no idea where he'd managed to get one and eyed the thing doubtfully, lips pursed, but made no comment. It was an ugly way to fight, throwing such a thing into the templars' midst while they slept, but it was Arley's danger and Arley's battle. Honovi still had no idea why she was still involved in it all, she'd already done more for Arley than he could have asked and it was none of her concern. Still, she stayed, her frown hidden by the shadows of a forest at night.

Arley gave only a brief warning before he threw the grenade into the fire and tackled her, leaving Honovi barely enough time to put up her arms and angle her body to keep him from crushing Kachina tucked beneath her her armour. The heat was intense, and even with Arley's protection a chunk of shrapnel bit into her cheek beneath her eye. That was... unfortunate. But if a cut on her face was the worst she came away with, she'd call it an easy battle. her greatest worry was for the forest - such a blaze could quickly get well out of hand.

No matter. It was done, and she pushed Arley off of her with a nod of thanks as she tried to tune out the screams coming from the camp. More noise to join her dreams. Honovi clenched her jaw, firing arrow after arrow to silence it. Better to die quickly with an arrow in your eye than to burn to death slowly, and it took only four arrows. The smell of burning flesh still assailed her nostrils, the thick, greasy smoke rising from the burning bodies billowing in great black clouds so heavy they clung to the earth for ages before rising. Honovi wasn't sure how she felt that she was too used to it to gag.

The only consolation was that it had rained so long and hard that day that the forest was too wet to burn. The fires burned out quickly, leaving charred but recognizable corpses behind them, but there was one corpse too few. Honovi narrowed her eyes. It had to be the Seeker. He was the only one awake, and so the only one who could have escaped. That was even more unfortunate than the hot piece of jagged metal still lodged firmly in her face.

Pulling the shrapnel from her cheek with a vicious yank, she ignored the steady stream of blood down her face to climb a tree. The bark was still hot from the fires, hot enough to burn her hands as she climbed, but she ignored that, too. Seekers were famed for their skill in combat, and she intended to have the best vantage point she could manage from which to shoot.

[Arley Voegeli]

He stood with his blades in his hands and was ready for combat. He saw the Seeker emerge from the billowing smoke, he was angry, Arley could tell from the look in his eyes. "We've been tracking you long enough Warden! Now it is time for you to meet the Maker, and your destiny!" The Seeker shouted. "Come and get me Templar pig!" Arley sneered.

The Seeker charged at him, his two handed sword came down on his head like an anvil. Arley blocked the explosive stike barely and was knocked to the ground. He jumped to his feet dodging another strike. With graceful speed he ducked and sliced his thigh, then threw a punch to his face and he stumbled back. "You will not last long Warden! I will kill you for your indiscretion," "Come and get it pig!" Arley yelled.

Suddenly he stopped and stared at Arleys blades. "Where did you get those daggers Warden?" Arley eas taken off guard by his question. "From my mentor. Why do you care?" Arley demanded, why would he care about where the blades came from? Arley didn't know, but he would find out. "Ah..So you are the boy Delphine spoke of in her letters, Arley right?" When he said that Arley froze. "How do you know Delphine?" Arley croaked as memories of her flashed through his mind. "She was my wife, but the fact you knew her does not excuse your crimes against the Chantry! I will destroy you!" He ran full speed at Arley and swung his giant sword hitting Arley's knee.

He screamed in pain as blood gushed from his knee. But still he stood, he barely dodged a few strikes but his knee gave out and he to the ground. He hoped Honovi could save him.

[Honovi]

It seemed Arley did a great deal of talking even in combat. Honovi snorted softly. Shouting insults at an opponent was a foolish waste of breath, but it was his fight.
It was odd, though. The Seeker's gaze kept going back to the daggers in Arley's hands, until he stopped. She expected Arley to end the fight right there, take advantage of the opening since he was clearly outmatched in such close quarters, but instead he chose to stop as well and discuss the origins of his daggers. Foolish, very foolish, but he would fight as he chose. Honovi might fight to win, but Arley seemed to have a softer heart. Not that such a thing was especially difficult.

Just as was to be expected, the Seeker took advantage of Arley's own distraction with their conversation to take an unexpected swing, though Arley was either quick or lucky enough to take the hit in his knee rather than his neck. That didn't make his scream any less difficult to hear, though, nor the fact that he managed to dodge the next blow any less impressive. His wounded knee, however, couldn't take the abuse for long and it gave out quickly - Arley was helpless, and the Seeker was raising his sword for a final swing.

It was a very large sword. So large that one blow would take Arley's head clean from his shoulders, but it's size had to very damning disadvantages. First, that it was slow. Second, that the slightest unexpected pressure at the tip would throw off it's aim. Honovi's mouth was pressed in a firm line and she let her arrow fly, catching the Seeker's sword as it came down and making the blade bury itself in the ground by Arley's head, rather than the Warden's skull.

Enraged, the Seeker looked around wildly, searching for the archer who had cost him his kill. Fool. A sharp shout had the man looking directly at her, and that was all the target she needed. Her next arrow found the man's eye and he was dead before he landed. Dropping gracefully to the ground, Honovi cast a disdainful glance at the mighty Seeker. He had not been so difficult to kill, she hadn't even needed Makya's help. The man was simply another northern idiot, not even worth another glance as Honovi knelt by Arley's side to examine his wound.

It was... bad. She could tell that much even without removing the clothes and armour covering it, but when she did the severity of the wound struck her. That had been a very large sword, and the Seeker had managed a direct hit to the joint. The blow had very neatly shattered the kneecap, and the cut was so deep Honovi could see that the tendons had been sliced nearly in half, hanging on by a thread. What he needed now was a proper healer, but all he had was Honovi and her ungentle, if experienced, hands, and the potions and poultices she carried with her.

"This will hurt," she warned, grasping his leg to clean it.

There was nothing she could do about the kneecap or tendons, but that wound needed to be cleaned, stitched, and dressed and that much she could manage. She set about quickly making a fire, setting some water on to boil and washing his knee as gently as she could manage. Which, in all honesty, wasn't very gentle at all. But by the time she was done washing the wound the water was boiling, and she threaded some cat gut through a needle and dipped in in, biting back a wince at the hot metal as she stitched Arley's skin back together. He was feeling a great deal more pain than the discomfort Honovi was dealing with from the hot, curved needle she used for fixing holes in her pelts.


"Almost done," she promised, finally pulling a poultice from her pack and bandaging the wound tightly. There, it was finished. Sliding an arm around Arley's shoulders to help him sit, Honovi pulled a health potion from her pack with her free hand and pressed it into one or Arley's. "This will ease the pain, and help you heal more quickly. Do not try to walk, I will make something for you to lay on." The potion would take care of what she couldn't, fixing the tendons and shattered bone along with everything else that needed to be healed. She only regretted that giving it to him before she started her work would have hampered her ability to tend to him, so she couldn't give it to him right away.

Giving his hand what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze, Honovi got up and collected a couple of long, sturdy branched and tied a few pelts between them for Arley to lay on. She didn't expect Arley weighed much differently than the deer she hunted, and she carried those around often enough. Dragging him on this should be a great deal easier, and she lay it beside him.

"I will help you lay on this, and then we can leave." Smiling softly, she touched his cheek. "It's alright, I can manage your weight and it will be better for you than walking." A long speech for her, but no matter. Honovi positioned herself at Arley's side to help him onto the stretcher.

[Arley Voegeli]

Arley's knee was crushed, and he was bleeding everywhere. Honovi killed the Seeker, she was and amazing archer she had masterful percision. The clear fluid bursted from his eye it had a slight red glint to it. She came to tend to his knee, he was losing a lot of blood and he started to feel woozy. 'Great, another scar to add to the collection.' Arley thought to himself. He couldn't help but wonder why Honovi still helped him, it didn't make any sense to him.

She took some supplies out and grabbed his knee, she said it would hurt and it did. As she started cleaning the wound with boiling water he winced at the pain, his knee was throbbing and his ligaments where hanging on barely. She had a hot metal needle and started stiching his wound back together. "By the Maker! That hurts like hell!" Arley chuckled, eventhough he was in pain he still stayed optimistic. She bandaged the wound tightly and helped him sit upright, she handed him a health potion. "Thank you for helping me," Arley said calmly as possible, he drank the potion and he already felt better.

Honovi went and got some branches and began making him a streacher, she lay it beside him and smiled she put her hand on his face. "You know, that is the first time I've ever seen you smile. You should do it more often, you have a beautiful smile," Arley told her sincearly. He tried his best to help her get him on the streacher, but he lost a lot of blood and was feeling weak. "Also would you mind collecting my daggers and my bow for me, I they are right over there," He pointed a few feet away from the dead Seeker. "I cannot believe that was Delphines husband....I wish I didn't have to kill him," Arley said to himself, though he hoped to start a conversation with the quiet woman.