in death, sacrifice. (greywardens) wrote in thedas, @ 2010-02-19 17:35:00 |
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Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant.
Who: The Grey Warden recruits
NPCs: Alistair Theirin, Allan Maivia, Mona Seward, Aedan Maivia, Rudyerd Franklin
Where: Vigil's Keep, Amaranthine
When: Evening, 13 Molioris, 9:45.
Summary: The Joining ceremony commences.
Rating: T.
As the sun fell past the visible horizon of the Amaranthine Ocean from the highest turret in Vigil's Keep, Alistair departed from his pensive perch to head for the meeting chamber several levels below. By the time dusk had fallen and the summer evening's twilight was settling in, all of his recruits were expected to gather in the wide room that had been set up for the event everyone had been waiting to occur for months now. His right and left hand man and woman were already present when he arrived -- Allan was chatting quietly with an equally tall and dark-skinned man by the door; it was hard to believe that someone of the brothers' size could be a very good rogue, but Aedan somehow managed to be a master of stealth. At the entryway on the opposite side of the room stood Ruddy, grinning impishly when he saw his Commander enter; Alistair wondered just how much coin he'd placed on certain prospective members of their order, even though he'd already been told off for his impertinent behavior the last time this ceremony was performed. Alistair strode toward the mage at the center of the room, her slim figure illuminated by the crackling hearth behind her. Mona was intently focused on the vials of ingredients set around the engraved silver chalice that rested on the pedestal. She was the potions mistress of the Keep, and so it was by her hand that the mixture inside the cup would be concocted. It didn't hurt, either, that she literally had the magic touch to further enhance the ingredients that were being put together. He didn't want to disturb her, so he watched and waited a few steps away. But Mona broke the silence first, a lightness in her tone in spite of the gravitas of the event, "You look nervous." She glanced at him sideways for a second before resuming her work. "I usually am at these things," replied Alistair, sighing as he ran a hand through his short hair. He'd looked in the mirror just that morning and was certain he had seen a grey patch that wasn't there the evening before. "Especially tonight. We've never tried to recruit this many people at once. What if they--" "It will be fine, Alistair," said Allan softly, coming up from out of nowhere and nearly startling him. There were too many shadows in this room. He stared at his friend, one brow sharply arched, "You do not really think that we can't handle things if the situation...gets out of hand." It was a statement, not at all a question, and he was entirely right. They were more than equipped to control a group of twenty-four people. But that wasn't the real reason why he was so anxious, and everyone knew it. He had already seen so many people into this room before and never leave it alive. Tonight would be no different, and that was the most difficult fact to accept of all. It would have helped if he hadn't already spent so much time traveling with several of them, and hadn't developed a fondness for some that made him want so badly for them to make it past this final hurdle. He was still trying to steel himself against his emotional involvement when Mona's voice echoed ominously through the room, "It's done." Minutes later, there was a heavy knock on the door. The first of their recruits had arrived, and soon enough, all of them were assembled in the space and lined up in two semi-circular rows. The doors locked shut as soon as the last person had filed in; Ruddy and Aedan positioned themselves in front of these exits. There would be no turning back from this point. Alistair took a second head count, making sure that everyone who needed to be there was. He wasn't uncertain if he was pleased to see that they all were, from the first person on their list to the last, including the young dwarven girl, Falina, though her small stature made her almost easy to miss in the line up of primarily human men and women. As soon as the group had stilled, Alistair stepped forward, with Allan and Mona flanking him on each side. "Welcome to the Joining," spoke the Warden-Commander, perhaps in the most serious voice any of these people had ever heard him use, his expression equally solemn. "While I don't know that it's necessary to explain the history of our order, this ritual has carried on for centuries to shape the greatest force the world has to combat the corruption of the darkspawn. But in order to end the first Blight, our predecessors found that we had to master the Taint. The only way to do this was to drink the blood of our sworn enemies." "The source of our power comes from imbibing an elixir made with their blood. As the first Grey Wardens did then, so shall you now drink from this chalice," said Mona, picking up quickly after her Commander. Her voice was steady and confident, as if delivering a lecture. "This is the way of the first of our order, the way we have done before you. And now it is your turn." "If you survive the process," said Allan calmly, though this was typically the moment that agitated the recruits the most. "You become one of us. You will be immune to the effects of the Taint, and you will be able to sense the darkspawn. We will be able to find them, to fight them, to slay the Archdemon, and be victorious in this war." Though no one had made any verbal objection yet, Alistair could see some of the people twitching and fidgeting, and from the edges of his vision, Rudyerd and Aedan were standing at alert, just in case this went awry. "I understand this must be a difficult thing to ask of you," Alistair said in a softer tone than before, allowing his sympathy to show through for just a moment. He inhaled deeply, before launching into the voice of a leader rallying his people to a cause, reminding them of why they were there, "But all of you have already sworn to dedicate your lives to this cause. You all knew the risks. But know this: whether you to fall now, or even later, you will be doing a great service to your people, all people of Ferelden, and of Thedas." He paused, holding the eyes of each of his recruits for a few seconds, allowing the words to sink in. Finally, the moment passed, and he turned to the mage at his side, "So let us begin." "Join us brothers and sisters," began Mona, reciting the words the way a priest would summon a passage from the Chant of Light. But this was a very different set of vows. "Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn." "And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall will join you," finished Alistair automatically, having said those words so many times, each time after the next feeling heavier and sadder coming from his mouth. It should have been the opposite; he should have become more hardened against the possibility of loss, but he found it quite the opposite. Undoubtedly, Alistair was proud to bear the symbol of the griffon and the title of Warden-Commander, but the growing number of spirits who passed on to the Maker solely from this process was a sobering burden. But, he reminded himself, the Grey Wardens did what they must. This was as it had been, as it would always be, until the final Blight came to pass and the darkspawn were finally defeated -- that is, if that was even possible. He did not know what would happen then. It didn't matter, though. He lifted the chalice from its resting place. "Conlan Delaine," announced Alistair, holding out the filled cup before him, "Step forward." |