warden robyn cousland (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
heroica) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
entrancelogs2015-08-31 03:57 pm
heroica) wrote in entrancelogs2015-08-31 03:57 pm
( open ) in peace, vigilance
Who: Warden Cousland and YOU
Where: Outside (various)
When: 08/29
Rating: PG...?
Summary: The day Robyn arrives to Wonderland is very busy and very confusing.
( morning ; arrival )
[ It isn't Ferelden, that much she can tell. Robyn has spent her entire life in the place, knows its trees and air and people like the back of her hand. Not once has she traveled outside its borders (she's been to the Deep Roads, for Andraste's sake, but has never stepped foot outside of their fair kingdom). Well... that is, until now. Until they'd been discussing what would surely be the final battle, the clash against the Darkspawn hordes, against the fearsome Archdemon itself, and then...
This. She'd been alarmed, to say the least, but not panicked. After everything, it's hard to lose your cool at a simple change of scenery. All the same, she notices the plants, catches voices in the air that are distinctly foreign, and has to wonder.
Where am I?
She spends no time trying to figure that out, of course. The Warden, bow slung over her back, but dagger at her hip, moves quietly through the grounds. It'd be easiest to just speak with one of the natives and she's always favored a non-violent approach, when possible, but these are extraordinary circumstances. She hasn't felt this upended in a long time and it has to take some preparation. Not the usual (traps and such), but stealthy observation of the land around her and, if she's lucky, whatever people may be camped nearby.
"Camped," she thinks, until she comes across the mansion. The brunette stops dead, eyes wide and shocked; it hadn't seemed like any part of a town or city, but here is someone's estate, clearly, a bizarre structure that rises up from the grass like a jarring behemoth. ]
Maker's breath. [ But perhaps she's gaping for a moment too long... ]
( afternoon ; danger )
[ There is a wolf in the field beyond the gardens. It isn't just any wolf, however; the Blight Wolf will likely be alarming to anyone who is unfortunate enough to see the monster-like animal as it wanders through the grounds. Oddly, perhaps, the wolf doesn't seek out prey or attack and of the local animals or horses. It pants, sniffling around, exploring, but seems mostly without interest in anything living.
When someone crosses its path, the wolf lowers its head, bears its teeth, and growls. Watching. ]
( evening ; settling )
[ It isn't long before she makes camp. Well, a semblance of it, anyway; the young Warden rolls a log from the forest with some effort and leaves it on the outskirts. Following that, she arranges a series of stones, moving into the trees to gather firewood which she promptly deposits. Though a mage would make the entire process easier, she is alone at present, and lights a fire with a flint so that flames crop up between the twigs in bright shoots.
The mansion seems tame enough, her fears quelled for a time by the other she'd spoken with. It isn't her country, her world, even, or the Fade; that has anxiety prickling inside her like she hadn't felt in a while. It's so strange how easily the others seemed to accept it, too... and Robyn thinks, I've made it through worse, much worse, and contents herself with a short sigh, stretching out her legs before her. She's still sitting in full armor, though it's light enough not to be uncomfortable and, frankly, she finds it a great comfort to have the leather garb keeping her safe in completely uncharted territory. ]
Hmm. [ When darkness begins to fall, she wonders if she'd be better off inside the walls of the manor. She'd been told that it was safe, that there was food and warmth and a room for her, somehow. Well, they did bring me here. But something about it makes her uneasy and she's not in any hurry to leave the simple familiarity of the lonely camp she'd made in the grass of the very-foreign Wonderland. ]
Things can't ever be simple, can they?
Where: Outside (various)
When: 08/29
Rating: PG...?
Summary: The day Robyn arrives to Wonderland is very busy and very confusing.
( morning ; arrival )
[ It isn't Ferelden, that much she can tell. Robyn has spent her entire life in the place, knows its trees and air and people like the back of her hand. Not once has she traveled outside its borders (she's been to the Deep Roads, for Andraste's sake, but has never stepped foot outside of their fair kingdom). Well... that is, until now. Until they'd been discussing what would surely be the final battle, the clash against the Darkspawn hordes, against the fearsome Archdemon itself, and then...
This. She'd been alarmed, to say the least, but not panicked. After everything, it's hard to lose your cool at a simple change of scenery. All the same, she notices the plants, catches voices in the air that are distinctly foreign, and has to wonder.
Where am I?
She spends no time trying to figure that out, of course. The Warden, bow slung over her back, but dagger at her hip, moves quietly through the grounds. It'd be easiest to just speak with one of the natives and she's always favored a non-violent approach, when possible, but these are extraordinary circumstances. She hasn't felt this upended in a long time and it has to take some preparation. Not the usual (traps and such), but stealthy observation of the land around her and, if she's lucky, whatever people may be camped nearby.
"Camped," she thinks, until she comes across the mansion. The brunette stops dead, eyes wide and shocked; it hadn't seemed like any part of a town or city, but here is someone's estate, clearly, a bizarre structure that rises up from the grass like a jarring behemoth. ]
Maker's breath. [ But perhaps she's gaping for a moment too long... ]
( afternoon ; danger )
[ There is a wolf in the field beyond the gardens. It isn't just any wolf, however; the Blight Wolf will likely be alarming to anyone who is unfortunate enough to see the monster-like animal as it wanders through the grounds. Oddly, perhaps, the wolf doesn't seek out prey or attack and of the local animals or horses. It pants, sniffling around, exploring, but seems mostly without interest in anything living.
When someone crosses its path, the wolf lowers its head, bears its teeth, and growls. Watching. ]
( evening ; settling )
[ It isn't long before she makes camp. Well, a semblance of it, anyway; the young Warden rolls a log from the forest with some effort and leaves it on the outskirts. Following that, she arranges a series of stones, moving into the trees to gather firewood which she promptly deposits. Though a mage would make the entire process easier, she is alone at present, and lights a fire with a flint so that flames crop up between the twigs in bright shoots.
The mansion seems tame enough, her fears quelled for a time by the other she'd spoken with. It isn't her country, her world, even, or the Fade; that has anxiety prickling inside her like she hadn't felt in a while. It's so strange how easily the others seemed to accept it, too... and Robyn thinks, I've made it through worse, much worse, and contents herself with a short sigh, stretching out her legs before her. She's still sitting in full armor, though it's light enough not to be uncomfortable and, frankly, she finds it a great comfort to have the leather garb keeping her safe in completely uncharted territory. ]
Hmm. [ When darkness begins to fall, she wonders if she'd be better off inside the walls of the manor. She'd been told that it was safe, that there was food and warmth and a room for her, somehow. Well, they did bring me here. But something about it makes her uneasy and she's not in any hurry to leave the simple familiarity of the lonely camp she'd made in the grass of the very-foreign Wonderland. ]
Things can't ever be simple, can they?
no subject
[ They're an interesting bunch, without question, and each from different parts of the world. ]
Not similar, I hope; I wouldn't wish the Blight on this place so soon.
[ She smiles faintly; she wouldn't wish the Blight on anywhere, of course, but the word itself is used as a curse more often than not... and she's heard questionable things about Wonderland in the short time she's been here. ]
no subject
[He has yet to experience any truly awful events; he may change his tune then. His encounter with Brennan's Mirror had been violent and jarring, but he'd managed to survive it, slip away-- and so long as he avoided the other side of the glass, he hoped it wouldn't be a concern again anytime soon.]
Well. Similar in the development of affections, if there are any to be had. [He's not sure Morrigan is the 'friendship' type either, but he thinks he sees the potential there.] I wouldn't wish a Blight on this place, either-- nor a true Breach, though it did see its share of rifts shortly after our arrival.
no subject
Fair enough. [ The Breach, though... she frowns, peering curiously at him across the fire. ] I did hear of the rifts across Thedas... and you all managed to close them? And stop the one responsible for the death of the Divine?
[ Well done. It puts her more at ease, anyway, all that Brennan has told her. ]
no subject
[That mark on his hand had been the only thing capable of keeping the Fade and their own world from colliding with catastrophic results. Even with all their efforts, with every rift they'd closed, every foe they'd slain, Thedas had suffered. The war had brought countless casualties, as wars did, but Corypheus had been stopped. Dorian preferred to focus on their victory rather than all of the unfortunate things they'd seen along the way, if he could, but sometimes it was difficult.]
He filled you in, then, I take it?
no subject
Not with every detail, but enough to understand. It's strange to hear about your own future from another who knows it better, to say the least.
[ And about those of your friends and lover's, too. ]
He mentioned that Leliana worked with you all and became the Divine; we were very close, during the Blight.
no subject
[He and Brennan had encountered something similar when they'd been transported to Redcliffe's future, although that had been exceptionally grim. There would be no forgetting it anytime soon-- even now, every detail stuck with him as vivid as they'd been the day it happened.]
I'm happy to tell you as much or as little as you wish to know. I'm certain there are some things you would rather leave a mystery. Knowing every detail of what's to come-- potentially-- can be more unsettling than not.
[He pauses, a smile pulling at one side of his mouth.]
Leliana speaks very fondly of the time she spent with you and your companions during the Blight. She's an unparalleled spymaster now-- frightening, almost.
[He means that in the most affectionate way possible, really.]
no subject
I don't think there's- Oh! [ She presses a hand to her heart, fingers curling slightly into the fabric. ] ... Do you know, by any chance, if my brother Fergus survived Ostagar? I... think he and his men were killed, but they never found him.
[ And she's, understandably, upset about that fact. ]
She can be that way, can't she? [ Robyn has to smile at that, at remembering her closest friend. ] She was a very talented bard, for all that I know of the field. [ A beautiful singer and deadly assassin, one who played the Game with ease. ]
no subject
[It takes him a moment, but the name is familiar, despite what little he knows of the intimate workings of southern nobility. He'd heard enough recounting of Brennan's days dealing with delegations and potential allies and spent enough time lurking around Josephine's office while trying to lure her into a game of cards to know who Lady Cousland's brother was.]
Fergus Cousland, Teyrn of Highever. Yes-- very alive, last I checked.
no subject
Thank the Maker. [ Robyn sighs heavily; he may be saying it for her benefit, may have fabricated it entirely, but she's endlessly grateful to hear. ]
I haven't seen him since the attack at Highever. [ The slaughter in their home. She sobers a bit, face wrought with the memory. ] But that he's alive and back home... it's more than I could have asked.
no subject
[For as many problems as their disparate timelines have the potential to cause, he's glad to be able to offer her something. Peace of mind was often more valuable than people gave it credit for.]
He's alive and doing quite well, by all accounts. I'm only sorry you aren't able to see that for yourself at the moment.
no subject
[ At least one Cousland had made it out alive. Brennan has told her she survives the final fight, but she's still dubious. There are so many things that could go wrong... ]
One day, I hope. Wardens don't stay in one place for very long, and our home is meant to be with the order. I'm not sure I could ever really return to Highever.
[ Of course, it isn't her place to be there. She might have been married with children by now, had things not worked out the way they had. ]
no subject
[He smiles a little, encouraging-- even if she didn't return to Highever full-time, that didn't mean she wouldn't have the chance to at least see it again.]
You want to restore the order in Ferelden, then? A noble goal.
no subject
[ She smiles in return, then has to wonder, distantly, if Fergus had started a new family. Found another lady wife, had a child.
The smile is tempered, not as bright, but still there. ]
I'm told that I've been on a very secret mission in the Deep Roads. [ By Brennan, who knew all about the Calling... though, she doesn't know what Dorian's been told, so she leaves that detail out. ] And then we might work toward that end, yes.
no subject
Ah, yes. Not quite so secret anymore, I'm afraid, though I think we all wish for you to find success.
[An end to that particular mission still seems to be a ways off, but the matter is an important one.]
I apologize-- it must be unnerving, to hear a stranger claim to know so much.
no subject
[ It's what waits for her, too, unless, as Brennan's suggested, she can go out to find a cure. ]
Unnerving... yes, but I don't hold it against either of you. I would be much worse off without the direction you've both given me.
no subject
[Opinions of the Grey Wardens tended to vary, but it was impossible to notice the way they were treated when there wasn't a Blight on-- as though they didn't exist, or as hindrances rather than the great help they'd been when Darkspawn had been erupting from every corner of Southern Thedas. His own stance tended to be a touch more neutral, and though he'd disapproved of the actions those Wardens at Adamant had taken and the path they chose to follow-- still, he understood.
Power was a tempting thing in most circumstances, and moreso when you were desperate. Desperation made people willing to believe all sorts of lies.
He doesn't go into it now, it's not fair to heap any of that on her, and instead he smiles, cautious.]
I assure you that Brennan will do whatever he can to make certain you feel at home here, at least as much as is possible. He's just that sort. I promise you, my lady, we are friends, not simply harbingers of an ominous future.
no subject
[ She smiles a crooked smile. It's that exactly which brought her into the Wardens; her dying father had promised her in exchange for Duncan saving her life. At the time, she'd thought it not much of a deal at all, would have rather died with her family than lived alone (with the Wardens).
Now? After everything? She has to be grateful. And she is, despite the disparaging truths of being in the order. ]
He's done as much already. As have you. [ Robyn smiles brightly at Dorian. ] Though it's been hardly a day since I've been here, I feel already much more at ease.