sixthiterationlogs | one | Dorian and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

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one | Dorian and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

WHO: Dorian Pavus
WHERE: Fountain Park
WHEN: 29th
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: None as of yet. Will update.

Fountain
Dreaming of drowning wasn't uncommon, especially when one was facing an ever-increasing threat with nothing less than the fate of the world hanging in the balance. One could almost say it was expected, even, given the vast pressure all of the Inquisition was under, but it wasn't merely a dream, was it? Even when they'd physically walked the Fade, it was less real than-

Fasta vass! The water burned his eyes as he kicked toward the surface, or at least what he hoped was the surface, as it was far lighter there than behind. He gasped in a relieved breath as he broke free of the water, hands instinctively finding the edge of the fountain and pulling himself free. Having grown up in a port city had its uses, it seemed. The meager clothing he was in clung to his drenched form as he simply took a seat on the edge of the fountain and pulled the weight from his shoulders...a pack it would seem. Then a breeze blew through the square and a deep shiver rippled through his body. The water didn't stay long in his oiled hair, but it ran freezing troughs down his back, forcing him to his feet, the squelch of his water-logged feet in some of the most atrocious boots he'd ever seen pulling a groan from the Tevinter mage. He turned his attention to the pack he'd removed, one thoroughly unfamiliar and certainly not something he'd choose, trying to shake a strange almost hollow feeling that was flooding his limbs. He felt hollow, listless.

Perhaps this was all a terrible nightmare, he'd awaken in his freezing room in Skyhold to the realization his fire had burned too low. That would explain the chill, but that didn't quite feel right. For one, he'd never dreamed this vividly, and even in his nightmares...this was all far too...mundane. Don't mind the dripping man in violet scrubs with the fancy mustache and the moistened but clearly quite stylish hair. He's just going to systematically remove all the items in his pack on a nearby bench until he finds-

"Maker's Breath, a coat!" He wastes no time sliding into that, at least. It wasn't much, but it did something. One step at a time. Marginally warmer, but no closer to answers, he begins to repack that bag he's been provided, though his olive eyes look around regularly, alert to anyone approaching. Something still doesn't feel right, after all, and that hollow, missing feeling was beginning to breed unease.

Inn (South Village) | A bit later
Very few answers to his multitude of questions having made sense, Dorian would like nothing more than to find this library others have mentioned and ready every bit of literature it provided until some clue connected to some other one and so on in the same fashion until the who affair made sense. That adventure, however, would be for another day. His mind was still reeling from the foreignness of it all, and the numb shock of learning his magic was held at bay from him still left his nerves raw. He felt powerless (as he was), exposed, vulnerable and weak. It was unacceptable that whoever or whatever had pulled him here had such a hold over his wellbeing.

Following some sort of routine seemed best as he found a vacant room in the inn, changed into a dry pair of those strange pieces of clothing, violet in color, he'd been provided in the waterproof sack, and made his way down to the common room to dry the rest beside the fire. The slight shake of his hands as he worked, the tenseness in his shoulders, could almost be mistaken as a fault of the chill in the air if it weren't for the way he looked about, jumped at shadows or unexpected sounds. Perhaps the weather had a hand in it, but more than that...Dorian was afraid. Even at his most secluded, hiding for weeks in the Hinterlands hoping for some opportunity to subvert the efforts of his former mentor who'd seemed to have fallen off the proverbial wagon, he'd had his magic with him.

He was dealing with powers beyond his understanding. That was unacceptable, and he didn't have a way to protect himself from them if it were necessary. It was possible the library would provide more answers, and he'd have them, but tonight, he was just hoping to find enough peace of mind to relax a bit, and he'd welcome a friendly face to ward away the gloom, or at least a bit of the fear.

No. Not fear. It's the cold, by the Maker. Just the cold.

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"Well, I've never heard of this 'Rome' either, but...I'll not deny the coincidence. Is this Rome, by chance, an Empire?" After a while coincidences piled on coincidences, and they stopped being happenstance. "The Tevinter Imperium used to hold sway over much of the land of Thedas. Though we no longer hold such claim, we do like to cling to our fancy names."

It seemed an odd sort of thing, sitting in an alien inn surrounded by strangers from supposedly multiple worlds, to sit about and discuss similarities...but perhaps it wasn't strange at all. If there was some sort of common thread that bound them, it may go some distance to explaining how they've come to be here, and better still: how to return.

"It was," he said, "many years ago. It left its ruins far and wide. Roads. Aqueducts. Crumbling fortresses and statues. Now, the land is called Italia with the city of Rome at the center. They are famous merchants and traders. I welcomed some into Masyaf not long ago. Niccolo and Maffeo." And now, he had to hope that they, and Darim, would be successful in their efforts.

Just thinking of Darim put an ache in his heart, his eyes closing for the few moments it took for it to pass. He would never see him again, his beloved son. But he had known that when he'd closed the door. Now, with his youth once more in his grasp, it felt unfair. But a breath and he brought himself back to the conversation at hand rather than wishes that would remain nothing more than wishes.

"I was right to believe you a thinking man, I see. I had hoped as such."

"Not quite like Tevinter, then, though you've got the right of it with all the ruins my countrymen have left scattered about. Many of them lay nearly undisturbed and unexplored. Who knows the knowledge waiting in those old crumbling buildings...?" He, for one, never thought he would have the opportunity to explore them, and yet here he was, with his dearest friend, exploring them while they sought to save the world.

It was stunning, really, learning the truth of his own homeland, beautiful and potentially deadly. "Due to a bit of conflict over a line of religious script, my homeland is frowned upon in lands beyond its borders. Well, that's one of many reasons Tevinter is bastardized by outsiders, and often with good reason." It wasn't a topic he wanted to dwell on too much at the moment, of course. It was already making him homesick.

"Oh yes, quite. I rarely stop thinking."

Edited 2018-10-31 14:16 (UTC)

Good. Good, he was curious, thoughtful, intelligent. All things Altaïr had hoped to find. Physical ability was one thing, but the body was a blunt instrument without a keen mind to guide it. He had no doubt he could find fighters. He needed thinkers as well.

"To think is to live," he agreed. "I am only recently arrived and, to take in your appearance, so are you. I am uncertain who to trust, but I would like to begin somewhere. To begin with someone of a similar frame of mind, as well as a somewhat familiar face, would be welcome. I am a curious man, Dorian, and there is much in this place that requires investigation." But there was something in his expression that said more than investigation. He dared to let it show that this was a place he wanted to pick apart, to understand in the entire. Not from greed or malice but something greater. He knew his own loss. He thought he saw something similar in Dorian as well.

"Oh, I rather like that." He smiles, playing the idiom through his mind a few times. To think is to live, indeed. He watched Altair with renewed curiosity as he spoke, declared his motive and hinted at something more, something deeper, and he nodded.

"You don't simply mean to understand what is known of this place. You want to explore what has yet to be discovered." He smiles. "Splendid. I've already thought of something, an off-handed comment made by a friendly resident brought something to my attention." And he'll leave it at that for the moment, meeting Altair's eyes more directly. Dorian was only serious when he wanted to be. Apparently, this was one such time.

"I like to think myself a trustworthy man, and we do have similar goals in mind. There are, for instance, many things I find...odd about this place. From whence do these initial care packages arrive? How is it they have thoroughly disabled the abilities of all these brought here? To what end are we held here? How have we been brought, and I think I may have a way of finding out, but that may be best postponed. We should learn what is known before we waste time re-exploring, don't you think?"

Edited 2018-11-01 03:38 (UTC)

"I agree." Simple. Easy. "One must learn before they can teach. Here in this inn, I've been shown a place where they've posted some things they've already learned. I see it as a place to start."

He knew he had no hope of leaving - or, if he did, it would likely be to return to his tomb beneath the citadel. No, he would work to help others find their way and not worry about his own. This went against what the Assassins fought for - but before he began fighting, he wanted to know what was happening and why. If there was a reason for it all. And if there was, then he would be able to judge.

But he went on to admit, "I do, however, intend to investigate on my own. You mention abilities being lost - I have lost one in particular that I think is telling. A way to find what others cannot see. Even in my home, it was a rare gift. Only one of my sons inherited it. Whatever reigns here keeps careful secrets that, now, I cannot see."

Oh, yes, Dorian fully intended to explore everything that census and the collected information had to offer before he made his way to the schoolhouse and the library to devour the rest of it. He had nothing but time, after all, and if one thing had made itself clear it was the fact that that was the case for all of them. People had been here for quite some time, after all.

This ability Alair described, through, was intriguing and he didn't try to hide, that fact, either.

"Well, then. I suppose we'll have to glean secrets the old-fashioned way. I was told we travel through underground tunnels from a bunker, off-site, and are funneled into the fountain as a means of delivery. Another man informed me there is a village identical to this one to the north, and noted none have arrived via that fountain. If There are underground chutes connected to the fountain here, and those passages originate at a facility whose location is known, we may find an identical bunker near the north village. Our answers may be there."

That, he hadn't known - none of it But the supposition made sense. As Dorian spoke, he nodded, a hand stroking his short growth of beard in thought. "A sensible thought. In the upcoming weeks, I intend to begin working to regain some other skills I've lost over the last decades. I can use this as a reason for exploring to the north." He'd begin the following day. Running, bringing himself back into a condition to do what had once come naturally. He had retained much of his skill, but little of his constitution, having grown short-winded and easily tired. Now, he was at his prime once more. He needed to remember that.

"I will also see about gathering resources - a way to note our findings as we gain them. I've grown used to having books and ink at my disposal. Perhaps, at the least, I can find chalk or some similar material."

Several things in Alaïr's explanation caught his attention: he had skills he'd lost over decades (which seemed impossible given his appearance; that he believed those skills would afford him some sort of advantage in exploration; Alaïr was also a 'thinking man' as he said. Dorian nodded.

"And what skills are those? I'm not incapable myself, magic or no. Besides, I'll not stand for you having all the fun."

It was reassuring to hear those words - that it seemed he wouldn't have to act alone. He had lost at least six decades, but he had learned the values of working with others in things like this. "In my youth, I was taught many skills - fighting, investigating, climbing - and as I aged, I learned curiosity. How to ask questions, and how to find the answers. I retained my mind in my old age, but less my body."

And then, with a hint of a smile, he went on to add, "Before my arrival here, I had seen ninety-two years. It seems I lost many of them somewhere along the way."

That was certainly an age beyond what Dorian had expected, and what's more, intriguing beyond measure. Altaïr had no reason to lie about his age, obviously, and that in itself was enough to give the mage pause. "And so, this place not only changes time or origin, but rewinds it? That remarkable!"

And something he would have to delve more deeply into on his own. The bunker might be a place to start...but that was a line of thought to be had after a night's sleep at least, and not in another's company. "Curiosity has always been a curse for me. I learned to fight from a young age. It's absolutely necessary to train a young mage, lest his powers rule him rather than the other way 'round...though climbing? Perhaps a tree or two."

"Then perhaps that is something I can do for you. Climbing quickly has saved my life ten times more often than I have fingers at the least." And he'd not precisely hidden the fact that he was missing a finger on his left hand. There was no way to - it was simply a part of his life and he didn't think twice about it. "It's something I will have to become practiced in once more. At ninety-two, I could move at a walk and little more. I coughed anytime I moved more quickly, my lungs burning. I have much to regain."

He had already decided to begin running, to explore, to build himself back up to where he had been. He would climb, balance, jump. In time, he would fight, spar, and bring back movements that had been instinctive, muscle memory more than conscious thought. And before long, he thought, he would feel like his old self again.

"More than ninety times, then?" He smirks slightly at his jest. Dorian isn't unobservant by any means, and rather often people assume otherwise, which he takes advantage of. Even under normal circumstances, he makes it a habit to be aware of his surroundings. In an alien place with no access to his abilities it's even more imperative to do so.

"I can see how it could prove useful. I wouldn't mind being show a thing or two. I have no other way to evade enemies at the moment." Something he has ever intention of changing as soon as possible. He may not be able to call forth fire to his fingertips, but he does know his way around a certain weapon.

"Are you skilled in staff fighting at all?"

Altaïr lifted one shoulder, unflinchingly displaying his four-fingered hand as Dorian continued. "I have used halberds, as the English call them, which are similar. A staff with a spear and blade at one end. Is it similar enough?"

With the topic on such things, Altaïr cast a glance over Dorian in general, taking in the build of his shoulders and arms. What he saw was promising. Strength, if more latent than active. Capability. Something he could teach from beyond the first steps. The man was not a rank beginner. Good.

Dorian nodded at the description. A weighted and bladed staff were similar in function. He was almost certain he could adapt. "Yes, I believe I could, though...if that is how you lost your finger, I believe I'll seek out a different teacher, if it's all the same."

He smiles,at ease with the conversation regardless of direction.

At that, with a faint smirk, he held up his four-fingered left hand. "Look more closely. This was intentionally done. Part of a ritual - my coming-of-age in my Brotheroood. An oath that cannot be forgotten."

And there was no lie. The wound, old as it was, was clean, well-tended, well healed. There had been no infection, no raggedness of the scar. It had been done neatly, quickly, and had healed as well as such an amputation could ever be. And he was far from shy about it. Why hide it, after all, when it was on such a public part of his body.

A good bit of information to be sure, and rather...dour and grim as well. It sounded a bit cultish if Dorian were honest, and that just set him off his cider. And so, Dorian treated the news with a bit of flippancy, to lighten the mood. "And a joke that cannot be noticed." Smiling, he nodded all the same, accepting Altaïr's explanation.

"Oaths are all well and good, but I'll not be taking any. The last time someone offered me membership into their club, they turned out to be warmongering zealots."

He shrugged one shoulder. "More than once, it has been said that I lack a true humour. You are not the first - and likely will not be the last." Not much of an admission, but true. "And that is unfortunate - but have no worry. We fought to end a war against zealots. And membership into our Brotherhood no longer requires such a sacrifice. My own learnings made certain of that. I do not regret having made it, but I am glad that those who follow will not have to. It is too public a mark."

And if they were to operate in the shadows, remaining unremarked would serve that goal much, much more easily.

"A member of a secretive group who until recently practiced initiation by way of disfiguration tells me not to worry, that they fought against zealotry and oppression. There's a trustworthy endorsement."

But he isn't assuming either way. It's just as possible Altaïr is completely right about his little group as it is he is under whatever misconceptions his forebears thrust upon him.

"You are not the first or last to think that, either." But he shrugged again. "Our Brotherhood saw much. We were surrounded by a religious war, Christian against Saracen. Each side either courted our allegiance or threatened us if we did not give it. We had to fight to maintain our independence. And once I was named mentor..."

He exhaled. He had never had that sort of ambition, but he had inherited the title all the same. Because he had killed Rashid - but if Rashid hadn't betrayed them...

He'd had no wish to lead. He'd just had to.

"I understood the contradiction. We wished for peace, and yet had to fight to gain it. We wished for all to have the freedom of choice, and yet demanded perfect obedience. It was a great irony that we had to embody such opposing ideals - and yet, that is mankind in so many ways."

"Indeed. walking contradictions, the lot of us." He shook his head, not hiding the lack of recognition from his face. "I know neither of those religions, by the way. I feel if I did, this conversation would seem more weighted."

He rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Few who lead well seek the titles required, and many who have them are unfit to bear them. That is also the likeness of mankind."

All of it was worth nodding at - agreeing with. Though he did have to wonder. The Christians and the Saracens. He wasn't sure if it mattered so much. He saw the similarities in them and the differences, and he didn't see enough reason to start a war to say the least. But mankind believed things with a wholeheartedness that disturbed him. After a point, they stopped questioning. And what would that mean in the end? An entire species of people who refused to think for themselves?

A shake of his head and Altaïr broke out of his momentary reverie. "My apologies. My thoughts turn to the nature of mankind and how belief makes them cease to question their world. I lament of such things more often than I should."

"Nonsense." And to illustrate his belief on the matter, Dorian shook his head. "One should question more. Adherence to belief and the denial of inquest begets a cessation of thought. Nothing changes if no one tries to see what may be wrong."

There was a faint smile on his lips when he looked up at Dorian. The man was a kindred spirit indeed. "If only more thought as you do. I fear for the futures of those who cling to a single deity instead of investigating the workings of the world."

Dorian shrugs slightly. "I'm certain there's always someone who thinks outside their box, Altaïr. The universe is, quite clearly, far larger than we knew."

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eaglesonofnone - 2018-12-18 01:30 (UTC) - Expand

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