Purification

Meetings and greetings

After joining the wardens, your life is signed away, sworn to protecting the world from the blight. Your mind corrupted, linked to the hive of the darkspawn. After the victory of the first blight, leading his allies to the slaughter of the archdemon Darrian was named Commander and eradicated the darkspawn in the city of Amaranthine. But his last few years had seen little of the blights corruption, he had spent the last eight years raising his son far from Ferelden's harsh coldness. Kieran was everything Darrian had ever wanted in a son, he had never seen himself being a father and after the questionable circumstances of his birth he was left uncertain. But watching him grow had proved more rewarding than any darkspawn he could have ever slain. The boy was the spitting image of his mother, her human genes had all but completely washed away his elvhen heritage. But when he looked into his cool blue eyes there was no denying Kieran was his. They shared the same eyes and the same smile. Laughing together with him was the happiest times in Darrians life. But that happiness would never be enough, the corruption still ran deep through his veins, nearly ten years had passed since he was put through the joining. Watching the other recruits consume the darkness, only to fall before him. He had been the only one to survive the process, the thought left a sour taste in his mouth. This life that had been chosen for him sat heavy on his shoulders, but for all his sacrifices he had one thing that shed light into his corrupted soul. His family, the only purpose he felt was worth defending. He had promised them he would return, to see his sons smile again and hold Morrigan tight once more. Family life had made Darrian forget what it was like to be alone. A sense of urgency stung the back of his neck. He had been walking for miles, the trek through the Ferelden country side took him back to his time during the blight. It had been years since he saw many of his close companions, his mind wandered to thinking how they may be right now. Alistair was the king of Ferelden now, a title he held well, Darrian wondered if he had begun to hear the whispers of the calling as well. But his journey would not take him to Denerim instead he marched toward the mountain side. Morrigan's research had pointed him in the direction of a potential cure, nothing was certain. He was suppose to have 20 more years left before the corruption overtook him, and he too would descend into the deep roads like many wardens before him. But the archdemon's whispers came to him in the night, filling his dreams first, until the song played continuously through his mind at all hours of the day. The sound was maddening, the nightmares were worse, they had become as frequent as they were during the blight. Many nights he spent lying awake, terrified of what he may see when his eyes closed. He had tried to conceal it, but nothing got past Morrigan. And before long the corruption of the taint had begun ravaging his mind.  He rubbed his fingers together, the cold had left his fingertips slightly numbed. The sensation was comforting, having been born and raised in the capitol the cold was nothing to him. And it would only get colder as he ascended into the frostbacks.  The path he followed led into a small village, this would be a good place to rest, and possibly get information. He past by multiple wooden shacks huddled together in groups, with fields of agriculture surrounding the backside and enclosing the village in a circle. Faces began peering out, curious to see who had stumbled across their hidden hometown. Some of the children looked from afar with stiff suspicion. It was not something that surprised Darrian, many thought an elf in his position was an oddity, but within the wardens your race meant little to nothing. Any man or woman who can take up arms against the darkspawn were welcome within their ranks. Darrian stood silently for a moment, studying his surroundings. There were about eight or nine homes he could see, many were shacks, built simply with wood and mud. Baskets lied around some filled with furs while others contained various foods like wheat and leafy vegetables. These people may have lived simply but it didn't seem like they went without, no doubt they had established this close knit community years back. Finally a cluster of faces approached him, they motioned Darrian to come closer, near the center of the village where a fire and cooking spoke was going. The first to speak was an older man, his face painted with white stripes that covered his eyes and mouth. He was adorned in crystals, which hung from his neck and dangled down to his torso. "What is your business elf? I grow weary of your kind pestering my people." Darrian found himself puzzled, "Another elf has come through recently? I assure you they were not in my company, I seek entrance to the mountaintop." The man stood like a mighty tree planted in the ground, he was older but towered Darrian by at least a foot. Not that Darrian wasn't used to having humans loom over him. "You lie, the woman bore the same symbol that you carry on your chest. You seek to deceive me elf? Your body will feed our young for days, we will scatter you limb from limb. Yours will be a fine addition to our collection of knife ears!" The man let out a maniacal laugh, holding his sides as if in a fit. The other men who had gathered behind him chuckled and snorted as their chief finished out his amusement. Though news of another warden through the area was a surprise. "I do not lie, I am in search of another warden yes, but he is a human man, old beyond our years combined, if this elf you speak of was with me we would have entered your village together, no?" Darrian had no desire to cross blades with the village folk, and by the softening expressions he caught, he knew they did not wish that either. "Perhaps it is coincidence, the hermit you seek its atop the peak, he has not been down in many months. Your sister in arms left our village quietly, will you do the same?" The chiefs expression hardened once more. "I will, I seek no quarrel with you mighty chief." Darrian bowed his head showing respect to the primitive Avaar in an attempt to convince the folk to allow his passage. "This is acceptable, you may trade goods before the way is shown." The chief stated, looking pleased with himself. Darrian sat close to the fire, and laid bare some of the items he was willing to trade. A young man covered with furs, with a similar white stripe painted down the middle of his face sat close and began examining the items. He chose two shining rubys, the gems sparkle had caught his attention, he said nothing and only a look that signaled satisfaction. In return Darrian received a fur hood, no doubt to protect his face against the cold mountain air. He was also given a bundle of meat jerky. He stared at the meat, thinking back to the chiefs threat, wondering if he was looking at the remnants of some poor sod who had less luck with the Avaar as he had. He hoped for the best, ignorance is bliss eh? He sat by the fire a moment, soaking in its heat before being shown the path that would lead him to the mountaintop. He had a long journey, and with news another warden had left before him, he knew he had to make his way quickly. He nodded a goodbye to the village and their chief and began his climb into the unknown.