Quest 3 Group 1: Don Your Mask, Enter The Game Who: Emil Asmundr, Einarr Gulbrand, Declan Gallagher, Kore Asena, Caius Dukas, Ingrid Kief, Rhone Marrok, Black Matthew, Eligia Milagros, Ariadne Notaras, Lucressia Peron, Janeya Rahim, Lillie Tharelle, Ser Urban, Eileen Wyland, Various NPCs Where: Val Royeaux, Orlesian Empire When: Starting 20 Parvulis, 9:45 Summary: The Wardens need answers, so they have sent people of their own to find them. Those in the Chantry outside of Orlais also have concerns, but seek more information before making the next move. To both these ends, a group has been sent to Val Royeaux from Amaranthine. The Wardens and Templars are tasked with their own missions while their companions are out to seek additional information. And hopefully not start a war in the process.
Val Royeaux, the shining capital of Orlais. A place of white stone walls where the Chant rang out often during the day. Where the streets seemed cleaned and well-guarded. Where Templars patrolled more than just the Chantry and its surrounding streets. Where the Alienage was comfortably hidden away behind high walls and turned heads. Where everything looked like it was beautiful and perfect. Where little was as it seemed.
It was a fine and sunny day in the city, a morning that broke away the last of the night chill and dew. The Chantry bells filled the air as people went about their business, setting the market to bustling. People went to work, the dock already in a flurry long before the sun had fully lifted in the sky, unloading and loading ships, passengers departing, merchants claiming their wares. In the city proper the shops opened their doors, ushering out the smells of fresh-baked bread, or displaying sale items in their windows.
In the Trocadéro, Val Royeaux’s most wealthy quarter, the servants were setting out to run their daily errands while their patrons remained tucked behind walls with their morning meals, or enjoyed the pleasant morning in their well-tended yards.
The Chantry sisters were already out, posting jobs on their boards or welcoming the early-arriving pilgrims to the Grand Cathedral; where the sun shone off the stone square and the massive building, painting it white as if glowing with the Maker’s power.
At one end of the city, the White Spire rose up into the sky, magnificent and aglow with the fire of magic. It shone eternally, they said, and all who lived in Val Royeaux would tell you this was true. The magic maintained by the mages housed within its walls. This early in the morning, none of the Enchanters seemed to have left their home, though a few Templars stood guard outside and milled the square before it.
The small cluster of buildings that made up the Warden’s temporary quarters in the city were situated not far from the Alienage itself, in one of the less-desirable areas. Perhaps because that was where they could do the most good, or perhaps because the Empress didn’t see fit to grant them anything better. Though most of their time would be spent in the main base in Montsimmard, these buildings seemed busier than usual. But despite the presence of the Wardens here, there was a sort of somber mood over the place, in the wake of the loss of their fellows.
The gates to the city were open, welcoming travelers, though well-guarded. Out on the roads some merchants had rolled up in their carts, selling items to those coming and going, or perhaps waiting for permission to enter the city and set up in the open-air market. Even here, a Templar milled, checking the wagons and packs of those who passed through the gate. The sort of presence one might not see in just every city, but here it assured the citizens. They were safe under the arm of the Chantry.
All this beauty and grandeur, with secrets hidden just beneath the thin veneer. What more was happening in Val Royeaux? What could be waiting to be found?