Uprising

Posted on 28 Feb 2021 @ 7:49pm by Mage Kalian Winter & Warrior Martin Josceran & Warrior Rhiannon Cadash & Rogue Elinowy Ursulas

4,520 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: Lore's Labour's Lost
Location: The Mine
Timeline: Cloudreach 17th - evening

OOC: After 'Breaktime and Other Fictions'

Pickaxe in hand, Martin shuffled across the cave, head hanging low and obsequiously staring at his feet, the very picture of dejected defeatism. He glanced discreetly around as he walked, noting that most of the guards avoided going too deep into the dark, cramped tunnels and stuck close to the main cave and the main entrance, where the air was fresher and less stuffy. Obviously they were confident that there was nowhere for the workers to go and therefore nothing much to watch. Martin fully intended to put this laxity to good use.

The worker he'd picked to free first was a tall, surly looking man who was digging into the wall as if it had personally offended him. Like the others only his ankles were shackled, leaving his arms free to work. He was probably imagining Roxa's head spiked on one of the rocky outcroppings. A woman, also shackled, was gathering the ore into a basket, long uncombed hair hiding her face as she worked tirelessly.

"Looks like a good spot," Martin said as he got near them, hefting up his pickaxe and eyeing the wall speculatively.

"Eff off," the man growled without even glancing at him. He was muscular - the ragged remains of his shirt did not hide that fact - but his hipbones jutted out in a way that suggested he hadn't had a filling meal in a while.

"Come on," Martin said agreeably. "I'm nothing but a companion of infortune."

"You think no one's tried this before ?" The man looked at him this time, if his scathing glare could be counted as such. "You're just trying to get credit for my work and take the food I earned. So, eff off. You look like you can earn your own bread."

"Huh." Martin eyed the wall, hefted his pickaxe and struck. Shards of rock flew. "Working your butt off all day for a slice of bread ? Doesn't sound exciting."

"Like you're doing better !" the man snapped.

"What if I told you there's a way to make it better ?" Another hit, digging a slightly deeper hole in the stone.

"What do you mean ?" the man sounded guarded but marginally less hostile, and the woman, though she kept working, was listening to the conversation.

"What's your name ?"

There was a brief silence as the man swung his own pickaxe. "Geoff. Why ?"

"I'm Martin. Just got here this morning."

"I know. I saw. And I don't care." Geoff shrugged. He was a good head taller than Martin, with short brown hair and a beard, and a nose curved like a hawk's beak. The sweat on his skin streaked through layers of dirt. "Now tell me what you're on about or scram."

"Alright, listen. We want out, and I'm pretty sure you do too. We all outnumber the guards, four to one if not more. Even with pickaxe against longsword, I'm pretty sure we can take them. If I break the padlock on your chains, will you join us ?"

"We tried that before," the woman interjected, speaking for the first time. "That's how we ended up in chains in the first place. If we pull a stunt like this again they'll probably kill us this time."

"Is that worse than being worked to death ?" Martin mused out loud. "Bit more dignified, if anything, I suppose."

"He's right, Sorrel," Geoff said, exhaling a long breath out of his nose before he struck the wall again. "I'd rather take my chances than wait until we're too weak to even fight back."

"They don't gain anything in killing us," Sorrel said. "We can keep our head down, get the job done, and..."

"And then what ? Work here for the rest of our lives ?"

"You are witnesses," Martin said. "I honestly don't think Roxa will just let you go."

Sorrel bit her lip, clearly conflicted, though she never stopped working.

"So..." Geoff dropped his tool and knelt beside her, rubbing a hand on her back and whispering in her hear.

While they conferred in a low voice Martin glanced back at Roxa's party, trying to spot Kalian. Time was of the essence and he hadn't anticipated that he'd need to spend so much time convinving the workers to fight. He needed more time.

"Look, make up your minds," he said, turning his attention back to Geoff and Sorrel. "I need to talk to the others and we're running out of time."

They paid him no heed. The two of them were looking at each other, so close they must feel the other's breath on their faces, until Sorrel lifted her head and kissed Geoff softly.

"It's a promise, then," Geoff whispered, then looked back at Martin. "We're in. If you can get rid of those chains I'll take you to Sofia. She was our leader... before everything went wrong. If anyone can rally the people here, she can."

Martin exhaled a relieved sigh. One battle won, a dozen more to go. "Okay then. Get back to work before anyone gets suspicious, while I work on your chains."

Geoff stood and pretended to hack at the stone again with feigned enthusiasm, while Martin pretended to be sifting through the rocks on the ground. While there was some movement in their vicinity, the guards would probably not bother to check. He squinted at the padlock in the semi-darkness, gratified to see it looked as crudely made as the rest of the equipment. Cheap iron was brittle, he knew that from experience, and just looking at the blunted tip of his pickaxe he could tell how cheap this iron was. Still sharp enough to break skulls, mind.

"Don't move your feet," he commanded.

The padlock was a very basic one. It looked impressive because it was big, but that actually suggested that it was less sophisticated and intricate than a smaller lock would have been. Inserting two fingers in the shackled loop, Martin pulled it away from the top of the lock. Once he was sure there was no slack left, he used his pickaxe to hit the side of the lock, careful not to hit his own fingers in the process. The quick, short strikes were meant to shake the pins off to allow the lock to open.

"Are you sure you know what you're - " Geoff stopped abruptly when the lock suddenly sprang open. "Doing. Obviously. You've... done that before, haven't you ?"

"Only once," Martin said, feeling quite smug. They had lost the key to a prisoner's shackle. To this day Martin suspected Audrey of having misplaced the key on purpose, to get back at the petty thief who'd spat a glob of green mucus into her face. The keys certainly had turned up suspiciously fast once the man had been broken out of his chains. They'd still had to wait two days for the locksmith to return from a visit to a relative, and to show them how to properly smash a lock open without smashing the prisoner's arms in the process. Two days was a long time to spend chained to a wall.

"Are you some kind of thief, or - " Geoff sounded entirely too impressed by that small trick - or maybe by the thought of Martin being some kind of high-profile thief.

"Later. Your turn," he nodded at Sorrel. Working on her lock took only marginally longer than Geoff's and the young woman kicked away the chains with savage bliss. When she stood, Martin realized that she was just as tall as he was.

"I'll show you where Sofia is," she whispered. "Geoff, you get Andrew."

"Sorrel - " Geoff began in protest, but she shushed him with a fierce look and he closed his mouth, subdued.

"Let's get this done," Sorrel said. "This way." She pointed him to a short elven woman, with short spiky hair, who was working on the other side of the cave.

They pretended to carry baskets of ore as an excuse to move across the main cave. As they did so, Martin looked surreptitiously around, trying once again to pinpoint Elinowy and Kalian.

---

Elinowy made her way around the edge of the mine floor passing the message to any workers she came upon. In a short time whispers would be traveling down each of the tunnels of the mine. She soon found herself back to the lift they had come in on. The rickety device was high overhead, and likely closely watched by Roxa's guards while their boss was moving about the mine itself. She had to find a way to get near Roxa's group. Certainly there was a way to resolve this without blood shed. Violence of the magnitude about to transpire, and the profitable operation of a mine were antithetical no matter how profitable the ore extracted. This was just a matter of allowing fairness and mutual prosperity. If everyone could just sit down together, this could all be worked out.

She saw Roxa and her entourage peering in on the ore dumping carts. Roxa was saying something about percentage of output. Elinowy mad her way forward and was stopped by a guard.

"You there! Get back!" the guard snapped, unhitching the whip from his belt.

The Chantry sister put her hands in front of her to show she was unarmed and not a threat. "Please sir, I need to speak with the administrator."

"Hah! The Administrator? What... oh you mean Boss Roxa. She's got no need to speak to the likes of you." the guard responded. He unfurled the ship as Elinowy got closer.

"I implore you, sir. It is of the Highest priority that I speak with Roxa. A terrible mistake is being made." she pleaded.

The whip retorted with a snap, the sting of its end ripping into Elinowy's shoulder. Her hand quickly moved to cover the open tear. "The only mistake being made is you." the guard snarled trying awkwardly to be clever and failing. He pulled back the whip preparing to strike again.

"What is going on here." came the icy voice of the Qunari.

The guard froze in mid strike. A hint of terror creeping into his voice. "Nah...No boss, sir. Just getting one of the workers back in line."

"This is a guided tour for a distribution partner. We are not to be disturbed." the Qunari hissed back quietly.

"Aye... I got it boss. So sorry. I'll take this care of this little bint real quick and quiet like." the guard stammered.

"See that you do, and allow no more disturbances. Or I will take care of both of you personally." The Qunari stated with finality before turning back to catch up with Roxa and her guest.

The guard grabbed Elinowy by the collar of her shirt and drug her away to a side tunnel. "You are going to regret that sister. You got the boss upset with me. That comes out of your hide." He shoved her down the passage out of the light of the central opening. Throwing her against the wall of the mine, he curled up his whip.

Struggling to get back to her feet in the rubble along the mine wall Elinowy fought to speak calmly. "What I have to say to your boss will get you rewarded. You just need to take me to..." her sentence was cut off by a hard slap across her face.

"Ain't nothin you can say she's gonna wanna here. Fact is, you probably wont be able to speak much in a minute." he said marching up to her and lifting her up to press her against the wall. "Shame, you actually got a nice face for a tunnel rat. Maybe once you have healed a bit I can get you assigned to a more comfortable duty." he sneered directly in her face.

She closed her eyes. Teaching her sisters to defend themselves was part of basic instruction. She had practiced this scenario at the Chantry. It was just a matter of leverage, pressure and timing. She felt the man's breath on her face. Her thoughts turned to Andraste, and what she would do. The verses cam to her.

...The Maker is the rock to which I cling.

"I cannot see the path.
Perhaps there is only abyss.
Trembling, I step forward,
In darkness enveloped."

What began as a mere hum grew to her full voice. The guard looked at her confused.
Her heartbeat bent into conformance of the cadence of the verse.

"Though all before me is shadow,
Yet shall the Maker be my guide.
I shall not be left to wander the drifting roads of the Beyond.
For there is no darkness in the Maker's Light
And nothing that He has wrought shall be lost."

With a shift and a twirl and the impact of a high arching heel the eyes of the guard shifted from a confused threat, to a dilation born of extreme pain. With a groan the man collapsed to the mine floor. A final twirl from the sister knocked him into the realm of the unconscious. She quickly bound his hands and feet with his whip, leaving wrist strap to secure the handle in his mouth. She left him in the dark of the tunnel and rushed out to find her companions. The wouldn't have much time.

---

Kalian returned to the first tunnel he and his friends had worked, found Costard, and explained their plan.

Costard nodded gravely. "I would rather die bravely today, fighting to return to my beloved Jaquenetta, than go on living this half-life separated from my love and our child."

"Pass it on. Tell everyone," Kalian urged. "If we all work together, there aren't enough guards to stand against us. Be ready."

As Costard went deeper to approach a group of workers, Kalian exited the tunnel and saw Martin walking into another tunnel with a woman as tall as him. He strode forward as though under orders, and caught up to the Martin and the woman just as they stopped next to a short, elven woman with dark spiky hair, whom Kalian at first thought was stocky for an elf until he saw the muscles in her arms bulge as she swung her pickaxe. She was in chains.

Martin and Sorrel had emptied their baskets in the cart before shuffling onwards to the elven woman, who was working only just hard enough to avoid a rebuke from the guards. Clearly she was trying to save her strength. As they reached her, Martin noticed Kalian approaching. It was lucky that Roxa was still speaking with Rhiannon, and the guards otherwise preoccupied. Otherwise a group of four might have garnered unwanted attention.

Sofia didn't look up but had clearly seen them. She kept working, neither increasing nor slowing her pace.

"Sofia ?" Sorrel said tentatively.

This time the elven woman paused, glancing at them over her shoulder through dark bangs of hair. "You're unchained," she said, as if making a casual observation. Her accent suggested she was not a native of Jader, though she didn't sound Fereldan either.

"This man freed us - " Sorrel glanced around, suddenly wary, hesitant when she spotted Kalian who was now close enough to hear them.

"It's alright, he's a friend," Martin said. "Listen - Sofia, right ? We don't have much time. We need to put an end to this before people start dying. Roxa's never going to pay any of us, and she's never going to let us go either. I freed Geoff and Sorrel from their chains. Our friends are passing the word among the workers, but they need someone to follow. Someone like you. We're almost ready now. Are you with us ?"

Sophia's smile was equal parts burning anger and icy revenge. "By the Black City's gates, I'm in. Turn me loose, handsome." She shoved her shackled foot toward Martin and addressed Sorrel. "So. You and Geoff believe the others will support us this time?"

Martin set to work immediately. It was easier the third time as he knew exactly where to hit the lock to dislodge the pins.

"Yes, I think so," Sorrel said. "Roxa kept none of the promises she gave to appease them. Double rations ? Didn't see the hint of them. Longer breaks ? Pfft. And she promised to pay us soon, and we've yet to see a copper from her. Empty promises won't be enough to save her this time. Anyway, I'd rather risk it than work myself to death. The way I see it, we don't have much to lose."

"We don't even need everyone to join us," Martin said, still squinting at the lock as he worked. "If two thirds, or even half the workers join us, we still stand a decent chance."

"Really. And who are you, exactly ? Some kind of soldier ?"

"You could say that." The lock clicked open, much to Martin's satisfaction. "Okay, listen. Surprise is in our favor. We need to act in a coordinated manner. When I attack, everyone goes for the guard closest to them." He looked up quickly enough to see Sofia doing a quick hand signal, and Geoff on the other side of the cave signaling back.

"Wouldn't it be better to wait until Roxa and her cronies leave ?" Sofia asked, still signaling.

"No time. The guards are going to notice something any second now." The atmosphere in the mine was building into something heavier, and deadlier. Martin could see the miners glance at each other, some of them moving subtly - or not so subtly - to a better position. "Plus, there's a chance Roxa's guest will side with us, so don't attack her party unless they attack first. The Qunari's mine." It was going to be a tough fight, but Martin was in better shape than most of the workers, so it made sense for him to pick the toughest opponent. He just hoped he wasn't going to live to regret it.

"Some of our people are still in chains." Sofia finished signalling and picked up her pickaxe.

"We'll have to free them after this is over. They can still throw rocks at the guards, if they feel confident they'll hit the right targets."

"Fine. Give me a minute to move into position and give the signal. Sorrel, with me." Sofia moved, following the wall to keep away from the main sources of light.

"Uh, Martin?" When it came down to fighting, Kalian knew he would need to use his magic openly. It was the right thing to do, anything to improve their chances of getting the workers out alive, even if it meant losing Martin's friendship. And Elinowy… well, a Chantry sister might not be able to forgive an apostate. "I, uh… I was thinking that uh… a mage in a situation like this could be helpful. Not all mages are bad, right? Quite a few of them are just well-meaning folks, doing the best they can to do the right thing… Using healing magic and defensive spells to help people. Do you, uh, know what I mean?"

So Kalian had noticed Sister Elinowy's little manigance, too. Martin had had time to mull over what had happened, and he'd come to the conclusion that she must have used magic, and somehow he hadn't picked up on it. That was the only thing that made sense. After all, he'd never been fully initiated as a Templar. He'd always been able to tell when someone used magic, before, but if Sister Elinowy was an apostate in hiding she must have had practice using her magic on the sly.

And Kalian, ever gallant, was awkwardly suggesting that Sister Elinowy may not be evil, for all that she was an apostate - and, presumably, a usurper of the Chantry robes.

"I know exactly what you mean," Martin agreed. "Do you think a mage, in a situation like this, would help ?"

But then, to Kalian's relief, Elinowy found them.

The sister's appearance was rather messy, the braid of her hair had partially unraveled and her shirt was clearly ripped at the shoulder with some bleeding. "We are short on time. The word has been passed down the tunnels.

"Good job," Martin said. He glanced about the mine. The workers had stopped moving and changing places, and now they were waiting, only barely pretending to work. The deception would not hold much longer.

"I'm taking the Qunari. Kalian, think you can get to Roxa ? Elinowy, you, er... help however you think you can. And, hum, maybe pray for us." That was as obvious a suggestion as he could make that using her magic now might be a good idea.

"I never stop praying." she responded not quite picking up on the suggestion.

Kalian glanced in Roxa's direction, and saw that Rhiannon and her two dwarf guards were still with her. "I can. And I'm pretty sure Rhiannon will fight with us."

Martin picked up the basket of ore. Though it was nearly empty he pretended to make a big effort to heft it up before heading towards the cart. It was close enough to Roxa's party for his purpose, and fortunately Gangue was hanging back from the rest of the group. Martin just hoped the miners did rise to the occasion, otherwise he was going to spend a very unpleasant moment.

Kalian hefted another nearly-empty basket of ore, and followed Martin. His stomach churned, and he chided himself for feeling more nervous about using magic in front of his friends than worried about trying to fight a dangerous dwarf and her hulking qunari. As the three of them got closer, Kalian winked at Rhiannon just as they attracted the attention of a guard.

"Hey, get back to work you lazy sods - " one of the guards shouted.

"Now !" Martin yelled and, dropping his basket, he swung his pickaxe at Gangue's head.

Elinowy took a balanced stance, as she did starting her morning prayers. She couldn't quite believe it was coming to this. But here she was. The Maker's will be served. She closed her eyes, focused on the cadence of her heart and she sang.

"Though I am flesh, Your Light is ever present,
And those I have called, they remember,
And they shall endure.
I shall sing with them the Chant, and all will know,
We are Yours, and none shall stand before us."

She sang loud and strong. Her voice echoing through the caverns. As the sound bounced from the walls of the mine, it created an eerie harmony that resonated. There was power, not of magic, not of arms, but of hope and the call of men to band together for good.

Kalian cast a barrier spell on himself, Martin, Elinowy, and Rhiannon. Without a staff, he had to concentrate to focus his magic, and even then his range was limited. He would need to stay close to be effective. Elinowy's song was so inspiring, he felt bursting with courage. With Gangue's attention on Martin, Kalian tried to flank the qunari.

Rhiannon heard Elinowy song and felt a surge of hope of run through her. She has fought with mages before, her mother has hired apostates over the years to help protect the ship while they were out. So she felt the familiar magic as the barrier spell had been cast. She pulled her rapier and stepped forward. She had no idea which of the three had cast the spell. At this point she didn't care.

That Qunari had inhuman reflexes. Martin's hit would have been strong enough to knock him out, if he hadn't turned his head so fast that the pickaxe ripped along one of his horns, digging into the flesh of his face and leaving a gaping wound all the way down to his chin. Gangue howled in pain as blood spurted. Though the wound was not life-threatening, like all head wounds it bled profusely, and it must hurt. A lot, judging by the profanities that followed. Martin swung again but this time Gangue was ready, already pulling out his greatsword from its sheathe as he deftly evaded the hit.

"Ashkost kata !" he snarled, lifting the greatsword with only one hand as if it weight nothing.

Martin had no knowledge of Qunlat but he could venture a guess as to the meaning. He said nothing, saving his breath for the fight ahead, looking for weaknesses in his opponent's stance. Gangue wore little armour, but Martin's main advantage was his enemy's bulk. It made it harder for him to move. Up to a point. Gangue wasn't bothering with finesse, he swung his great sword at Martin like a hammer. Behind the blood, he was smiling.

Kalian touched the qunari's hip from the side and cast winter's grasp. Gangue's side froze, partially immobilizing him for a few moments. Around them, workers were fighting guards. But also, guards and workers were running for the mine's entrance. Kalian cast barrier on his close-proximity allies again.

Rhi shifted out of the way as the Qunari swung. She was about to take a swing with her rapier yet Kalian slipped in and touched Gangue's hip. She watched as a layer of ice froze the Qunari.

What the...? Had Martin just seen Kalian of all people use magic ? Kalian ?!! He gaped. The shock and surprise froze him as surely as Kalian's spell had frozen the Qunari, and he lost the opportunity to strike. Already Gangue was shaking off the spell, the thin layer of frost on his skin glistening as it melted, and he flexed his muscles, attention shifting onto the bigger threat - Kalian. Kalian the Mage, Kalian the Apostate.

Elinowy had remained focused on the gathering battle as she sang her song to inspire the courage of her allies. She kept her attention toward the big Qunari and Martin. Surely the apostate's magic would come out shortly. And then it did, but it didn't. Martin seemed as caught off guard by the sudden frost spreading up the Quanari's side. It was then that she noticed Kalian tucked in the fray. He looked like he was casting magic. The electrical feel of the air around them screamed that magic was being unleashed... by Kalian. Elinowy's song stopped in shock. The sister looked at the young man with surprise, disappointment and sadness.

Kalian stumbled back at the sight of the giant oxman turning toward him. Martin had not swung his pickaxe. Elinowy's song had stopped abruptly, taking his courage with it, to be replaced by the slimy crawl of fear along Kalian's spine. He risked a glance at the Sister, and at Martin, saw their expressions, and realized in that moment that his failure to admit that he was an apostate might have doomed them all.

Rhi had always been good around magic and magic users, whether they were apostates or not. With out looking at anyone of the three she yelled at them. "Don't stop! Keep it up!"

OOC: Continued in 'The end is near'

 

RSS Feed