A Dragon Age Inquisition fanfiction - Chapter 3: We're still in the Hinterlands?!

Day 18. Location: Fallow Mire. Weather: Creepy.

"Why didn't we wait till the morning? Why do we have to come to this kinda creepy place in the middle of the night? Whyyyyyy?!?"

Ellana'ra counted to 10 under her breath to stop herself from snapping at Sera's endless rantings. She really liked Sera and didn't want to say anything to get Sera greatly disapproves. It was already not easy to get on her good side because for some weird reasons, Sera had no good opinion of elves. Despite being a city elf herself.

"EWWWWW! What did I just stepped on?! Why are we running around this mire in the dark? Ms Inquisitor! Why can't you ask Mr I'm-the-smartest-elf-in-Thedas to make that eerie green torch?!"

Ellana'ra turned in time to see Solas glared at Sera. The next thing she knew, Blackwall shouted "CORPSE!" and ran into the water to fight off a corpse archer. And then the next thing, 10 other corpse archers jumped out of the water and surrounded them.

"YOU IDIOT WARDEN! THAT BIG WEIRD MAN ALREADY WARNED US NOT TO GET INTO THE DAMNED WATER!" Sera shouted at Blackwall, while killing a corpse archer with her Long Shot.

Ellana'ra sighed and joined in the fight. It would be really embarrassing to be appointed as the Inquisitor and then to die in a mire the day after.

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Day 25. Location: Storm Coast. Weather: Stormy.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

"Boss, I'd hate to ask you this, but why do you carry a whole sack of rings wherever you go?" Iron Bull pointed to the sack of very noisy rings Ellana'ra carried at her belt.

"Bull, I hate it too, but I HAVE to carry these rings when we explore leh. Because we don't know when we might run into a dragon right? Then we also don't know what kind of dragon right? So I have to bring 4 fire resistant rings, 4 cold resistant rings, 4 lightning resistant rings, 4 spirit..."

"Er... guys, do we have any Giant resistant ring?" Varric cut Ellana'ra's grumble short and pointed at a Giant who was stomping towards their direction. Fast.

"Shit, Boss! I forgot to tell you the Giant in this area is very sensitive to sound!" Bull shouted and charged towards the Giant.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

So did Ellana'ra.

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Day 32. Location: Hinterlands. Weather: Sunny.

"What do you need me to do again?" Ellana'ra glared at the villager.

"Look for Lord Woolsley. He's a very special ram."

Apparently special enough to be called a Lord. And special enough to ask the Inquisitor to look for him.

"Yes, we'll help." Cassandra nodded her head to the villager. Ellana'ra gave her the "What the hell?" look and Cassandra returned with a "I said WE will help!" look. The look that will kill any demon within the radius of 1km. Defeated with a sigh, Ellana'ra turned and walked down the path.

So we need to find a ram now. While we help some guy put flowers on his wife's grave. While we help some woman look for her dead husband's ring.

"I believe it's on our way, Inquisitor. Cassandra patted Ellana'ra's shoulder and smiled slightly. "Who know, we might be so lucky, this ram can be found near the druffalo we're looking!"

Right. While we look for a run-away druffalo.

A Dragon Age Inquisition fanfiction - Chapter 2: So I’m the Herald now?

Apparently they were right and Ellana’ra could indeed close the rifts with her glowing left hand. With that confirmation, she was suddenly the Herald of Andraste, the leader of a new organization called Inquisition, and a very confused elf.

“Hello? In case my Vallaslin and pointed ears are not obvious enough, I’m an elf leh! I pray to old elven gods, not your Andraste leh! So how can I be the Herald of Andraste?!” Closing rifts was one thing. Changing religion was a whole different level.

“They saw how you close the rift with your mark! And they saw the green goddess holding out her hand to you! The people now believe that you’re the Herald and the only one to give them hope! For the Inquisition to succeed, we need to make them believe that!” Cassandra tried to shout and explain at the same time.

“It’s just branding. Don’t be too bothered by it ok?” Josephine patted Ellana’ra’s shoulder and smiled. In this new organization that Cassandra forcefully and hastily set up, three advisors would assist Ellana’ra. Leliana the pretty but scary looking Spymaster, Cullen the stern Commander, and Josephine the friendly ambassador. Which meant that every important decision would have to go through either one of them.

Well, at least I get to point finger if something screwed up.

According to the advisors, they needed to get support from the Mages or Templars to close the Breach, but for now, the Chantry had denounced them heretics and the Inquisition a cult.  Josephine reckoned that before they approach the Mages or Templars, they needed to expand their influence and prove to the world that they were seriously saving the world and not some new cult that recruits virgins to have orgy with the Herald.

What a shame.

Ellana’ra sighed as she was wandering around in the Hinderlands with a human warrior, an elf mage and dwarf rouge. Some Chantry cleric called Mother Giselle wanted to speak to her, and while they were there, they were also to help some refugees and spread some influence of the Inquisition. Shake some hands and kiss some babies if necessary.

After fighting off some rebel mages and templars at a village called Crossroads, the team planted their flag and Ellana’ra found Mother Giselle tending to some wounded refugees.

“Mother Giselle?”

“I am. And you must be the one they’re calling the Herald of Andraste.”

Mother Giselle walked with Ellana’ra and explained to her the dim situation the Inquisition were facing. There were sneaky clerics who were quick to condemn them so that they could move up the chain of command, and terrified clerics who panicked after so many in the higher management died in the Conclave. Mother Giselle felt the best way to resolve this conflict was to approach the remaining clerics and show that Ellana’ra was not the demon they heard of.

“I honestly don’t know if you’ve been touched by Fate or sent to help us. But I hope. Hope is what we need now. People will listen to your rallying call, as they will listen to no other.“

“But I’m just an elf leh…”

And then out of the blue and totally unexpected, Mother Giselle took a deep breath and… sang.

“Ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wild enough…”

“Okokok! I’ll see you in Haven ok? I should go!” Ellana’ra said and left quickly while Mother Giselle continued to sing and encourage the refugees to join her.

Ellana’ra and team continued to explore the Hinderlands and fought off some more rebel mages and templars. They could not decide whether to side the mages or templars, so they killed them both. Varric counted 38 bodies by the time they stopped to set up camp. Higher count than the 20 iron ores Ellana’ra collected along the way.

This task of collecting metal ores and plants really irritated Ellana’ra. She thought since she was supposed to be the almighty and respected Herald of Andraste, she would have people under her to do such mundane tasks.

“Ser, news for you.” The Requisition Officer at the camp saluted.

“What is it?”

“See for yourself, Ser.” The said officer walked off to look at some butterflies in the bushes. Ellana’ra sighed and walked over to the Requisition table to read the new request.

Then the Requisition Officer was back with a raven on her arm.

“Ser, you’ve got raven.”

“What is it?”

“See for yourself, Ser.”

Can I fire her?

Carefully, Ellana’ra detached and unrolled the little parchment tied to the raven’s leg.

“Dear Herald, while you’re out there, could you get some elfroots too? Get at least 20. See if you can get some blood lotus as well. With regards, Leliana.

P.S. You think I didn’t know you were staring at my behind whenever I leave the war room, is it? I only love one Dalish rouge and that is my Warden! If I catch you staring again, I’ll shoot arrows into your eyes! Don’t say I never say!”

Ellana’ra felt a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek and a shiver down her spine.

After the short break, Ellana’ra and team wandered around the Hinderlands to get the plants Leliana requested for. On the way, they picked up some shiny shards that produced eerie echoes. Solas had a feeling these shards were important and said they should start collecting them. 

Great. More things to collect. I should bring along a cart next time.

Something shiny along the cliff caught Ellana’ra’s eyes. Another shard. With a few jumps, Ellana’ra hopped over to the edge of the cliff and picked it up.

“KNNCCB~~!”

Damn. Solas fell off the cliff again. I hope he still have some healing potions left.

  

A Dragon Age Inquisition fanfiction - Chapter 1: Why is my hand glowing green?

Wah! Spiders! Big spiders! Big spiders with many eyes! Run… run… run… eh… why are I running uphill?! Wait… someone’s calling me!

“Hurry up! Come over here! Take my hand!”

A green ghostly woman figure gave her hand to Ellana’ra. Ellana’ra paused for a second. Running towards a green female ghost was not really the greatest idea, but she guessed it was still a better choice than becoming spider food. So she held on to Ms Green Ghost…

“Oui! Wake up!”

Ellana’ra opened her eyes in shock and stared into a pair of very angry eyes on a very fierce face.

“Walauz! I thought you’d never wake up!” The very intimidating woman shouted into her face. “You tell me! Huh! Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now!”

OK. So there IS something worse than gigantic spiders with many eyes.

“The Conclave is gone! Everyone who attended also gone! All dead! Except for you!”

Right… I was spying on some big event when something happened… but what was it? What happened? And why did Ms Fierce Face feel that I was responsible?

“What talking you? You don’t chibai think I did it…” rebuked Ellana’ra.

“Then explain this!” Ms Fierce Face held up Ellana’ra’s chained left hand and it glowed.

Wait. GLOW?!  Why is my hand glowing?! What did I touch?! Oh! OH! That green female ghost!

“AHHHHHHHHH!” Ellana’ra screamed and Ms Fierce Face actually had a shock and stepped back. “What the hell?! What did you do to my hand?! ”

“I didn’t do anything hor!”

“If not then how come like that! What did you do?!”

“I already said I didn’t do anything! How did YOU get that?!”

“Wah bianz! I also don’t know lah!”

“You’re lying!” Ms Fierce Face grabbed Ellana’ra in anger.

“We need her, Cassandra!” A pretty lady in hood held Ms Fierce Face back, and then walked over to Ellana’ra.

“Do you remember what happened?”

So it’s good cop bad cop now?

“I only remember running. Big spiders chasing me. Then got one green female ghost… she… reached out to me…” Ellana’ra tried to recall.

“Go to the Forward Camp, Leliana. I’ll take her to the rift” Cassandra tapped on Ms Pretty in Hood’s shoulder.

Oh. So her name is Leliana. Nice name...

Cassandra then unshackled Ellana’ra and pulled her up.

“So what did happen?” Ellana’ra tried to ask.

“It’ll be easier to show you.” Cassandra replied. In a kinder tone now.

Ellana’ra stepped out of the building she was held captive. When she looked up, to her horror, the sky had a big ugly green hole in it. Really big. Really green.

“We called it the Breach. Very jialat. This big hole is connected to the demon world. And it grows bigger and bigger some more.” Cassandra explained. “And then this is not the only rift hor! Still got some more somewhere else. But this one is biggest. The explosion at the Conclave caused these rifts.”

“An explosion can do that?” Ellana’ra asked. She could not comprehend how an explosion can actually put holes in the sky. And what explosion? She still could not remember what happened at the Conclave.

“This one did. And we better do something about it. Sikali the Breach grow until so big it makan the whole world then siao liaoz… ”

Then there was a pulse from the Breach and Ellana’ra’s hand glowed and a sharp pain spread from her glowing hand to the rest of her body. “AHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Every time the Breach expands, your mark spreads. Hmm… I think it’s killing you.” Ellana’ra stared at Cassandra unbelievably.

Please tell me you’re joking.

“Maybe. I said maybe hor. Maybe it is the key to stopping this. But there isn’t much time. We need to go.” Cassandra advised.

Ellana’ra knew then she did not have a choice. If she did nothing, the mark might kill her, like what Cassandra said. Even if the mark could not kill her, the rest of the people would think that she was the terrorist that bombed the Conclave and they would kill her. It appeared that the only chance to get out of this mess alive was to help close that Breach in the sky with her mark. If it will actually work.