inquisitorialness | teleios Memory Theater

Edited 2015-05-12 22:18 (UTC)

First two minutes - WARNING: spoilers for Blackwall's personal quest!

The house is clearly a fine one, even shrouded in darkness as it is now, in the middle of the night. Stone walls with fine tapestries, thick rugs on the floors, and a large bed, much larger than the child which occupies it, as the embers in the fireplace glow dully. She's sleeping, but her sleep is disturbed, as she tosses a little, a frown creasing her young brow.

But there's something different about this nightmare - the girl whimpers, thrashes, and then, without warning, a spark erupts from her hand, setting the bedding alight with magical fire. It doesn't take long to wake the girl, who panics, screaming in terror. Before long, there are servants bursting in, dousing the fire as the girl cowers in a corner, knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped tight around them, her face tear-streaked.

Nadia is young, but she's old enough to know exactly what this means, what this is, and how her life is about to be changed forever. Soon enough, her parents arrive, her father stone-faced and her mother visibly upset even as she forces her daughter to wash her face and dress - the Templars will be coming soon.

The last thing the viewer sees is two men, imposing in their armor, swords and shields at their sides, arriving to escort the frightened child away in the pre-dawn gloom.

Nadia looks a little younger than she is now - she's perhaps eighteen, being led quietly through the halls of a sedate-looking building by two Templars. Her face is still and calm, only her eyes betraying her anxiety.

The introduction is brief - the First Enchanter of the Ostwick Circle quickly explains what this is all about, surrounded by Templars, swords at the ready. Lyrium, the Fade, a demon. She'll have to face these things and survive, to become a fully-qualified mage. The First Enchanter gives her an encouraging smile, but that's about all before Nadia slides her hand into the diluted lyrium and slips into a Fade-trance.

The Fade is a strange and twisted realm, and Nadia walks it with care. She knows better than to trust anything she sees or hears in this place, and when a voice speaks to her, she turns and faces the pride demon with determination.

It offers her things - freedom, most of all. "You are more powerful than all the insects who call themselves Templars combined. Even now, you could squash them all. But with me at your side, you can do anything. All you need do is free me."

It speaks to her darkest desires, her innermost thoughts, the ones she has only in the back of her mind whenever she's feeling slighted, or particularly stifled. But Nadia draws herself to her full height, tiny in the face of the frightening creature, her face and voice stern.

"I don't make deals with demons," she says, her voice as icy as the cold blast of magic she hurls at the thing. The fight is intense, but short, waves of ice flowing from her hands while the demon attacks with streaks of lightning. Nadia is young, but powerful, full of resolve and she defeats it, only for her mind to be tossed back into the physical realm, exhausted as the First Enchanter helps her up, leading her to her quarters.

A small handful of adults are escorting a group of children carefully through a building, the sounds of fighting echoing through the halls. They all look frightened, the children blatantly so, the adults attempting to hide it. One of the youngest of the adults is Nadia, herding the apprentices with an older woman, well into her middle age. One of the others hisses, "this is madness! Why the Divine hasn't stepped in by now, I can't imagine."

Nadia, solemn, her mouth a thin line, shakes her head a little. "We just need to get the children out. Follow Lydia, everyone."

The middle aged woman waves them forward, and as she turns a corner, a mage emerges from the shadows, his face a mask of anger, the smell of lyrium and magic all around him, and blood, too. Nadia has come to know the smell of blood magic very quickly, the past few weeks.

Lydia puts out her arms, a shimmering wave of protective magic surrounding the children and younger mages. "Griff," she says calmly, even in the face of the man's obvious anger.

"Chantry puppet!" he hisses, pointing his staff at her heart. "You taught us their lies. Now you want to side with our murderers!"

"I want the killing to end," she corrects, grimly, standing her ground even as Nadia and one or two others try to move quietly around to help protect her.

"No, you want us to remain caged forever. Well, I've been freed, and I'm not going back," the man says, a flash of light emanating from his staff.

The fight that follows is short, brutal, and bloody. Lydia is confident in her abilities against her former student, indicating that Nadia and the others should focus on herding the children away from the violence. It's only when Griff erupts into a horrific abomination that things get really bad. The children are screaming, the adults move forward to face the creature, and with one swipe of its claws, Lydia is cut down.

Nadia cries out in rage, and throws enough power at the creature that was Griff to lift it off its feet, sending it careening into a wall with a crash. What's left of the abomination is encased in ice, before she shatters it, her face etched like a stone. Her mentor is dead, and now it is up to her to be the voice of reason for what is left of Ostwick's Circle.

One, Two, Three.

It's the dead of night, and in the middle of a forest, there's a cottage. It looks like something out of a fairy tale, with a thatched roof and cute little latticed windows, the whole shebang. One would never know that atrocities took place here.

After a while, a shadow detaches itself from the deeper shadows of the forest, and reveals itself to be Snow White. She's wearing old timey breeches and a shirt, and carrying a sword as she slips silently up to the cottage. The door is easy enough to jiggle open - it's not even locked, and she slips inside.

There is very little sound as she meticulously finds the seven little men, each in their beds, and kills every one of them. There is no struggle, none of them even wake before the blade pierces their hearts. Snow remains impassive, stone-faced, the whole time, and when it's finished, with no witnesses nor anyone alive who can place her at the scene, she simply slides back out into the gloom, cleaning the blade on the underbrush and making sure the door is latched behind her.

By the time the bodies are found and word spreads that the seven dwarves are dead, Snow White is safely ensconced in the palace and, as far as anyone knows, never left.

One, Two, Three.

Nice! Dorian's for Nadia is here.

Not sure how it qualifies under the description cute and adorable but tiny!Dorian is a cutie.

Edited 2015-05-12 23:42 (UTC)

In Your Heart Shall Burn - WARNING FOR SPOILERS! Feel free to just pick one or two to have seen, or all in sequence.

Assault on the Breach | Haven Under Attack | Confronting the Elder One | Song of Hope | Finding Skyhold | Becoming the Inquisitor

Other:

Smooching Cullen

In the Fade with a Nightmare demon (pretend Hawke is a woman)

Morrigan joins the Inquisition

Dancing with a Grand Duchess

Judging an Avvar chieftain

Checking really quickly (Sorry! Should have done this sooner, but this trip has been... difficult.... ) Do you want me to have Kaylin crash (litter ally) into your OTA post, or do you want to find her in hers? (she's just crashed into a tree....)

I don't really have a preference, honestly. Whatever works best for you!

Then if you could post into Kaylin's post, I'd love that. Do you need the link?

A link would be great, thanks!

http://teleios.dreamwidth.org/380447.html?thread=64427039#cmt64427039

Sorry that took so long, my aunt has issues with the laptop out at the table....

teleios Memory Theater

NADIA

For Neria: Assault on Adamant and Warden-Commander Clarel

For Dorian: Halward Pavus

For Bo: Judgment of Thom Rainier

For Kaylin: 10 year old Nadia discovers her magic

For Cullen: the Harrowing

For Cassandra: The fall of the Ostwick Circle

SNOW WHITE

For Cora: The Secret Seventh Baby

For Charlie: Murder Most Foul

For Henry and Ammy: Babies!

Re: For Dorian: Halward Pavus

OTHER MEMORIES OTA

Re: For Kaylin: 10 year old Nadia discovers her magic

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