The Winter's Queen [Magus AU]

[Tethras Clan]

"That's up to her," Wynne says, cutting Zevran off before he can 'volunteer' her.

[Helene Dakesh]

"I--" Helene swallows, looking... well, frankly, terrified. "This one will help. This one will serve."

[Tethras Clan]

"Only if you're sure, dear," Wynne says, just as firmly as before. "This is well beyond anything I suspect any of us have dealt with and... there's no shame in staying out of it."

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene shakes their head. "This one is-- This one is responsible. This one did not serve well enough. This one is... It would be regrettable if this one lost the remainder of their identity as Bright Helene, but this one would continue on. This one is dedicated to Alydra. This one will serve. This one will always serve."

[Tethras Clan]

Wynne pauses a moment, then nods. "Of course- samsaran. Still, your courage does you credit, Bright Helene," she says gravely.

"Right, so, are we ready to get moving?" Zevran asks impatiently.

[Carver Amell]

Carver throws back the rest of his tea as if it were a mug of ale and stands. "Let's." 

[GamesMaster]

Things nobody bothered to mention to the group before they decided to infiltrate:

1. It's begun raining since Varric left. It's strange; it's been warm all week, a late summer bloom, so they'd expect the rain to be a constant, dreary, muggy shower of water from the heavens, like the weeping of a widow. Instead, it's chilly, like the sporadic rainshowers they get in spring: a drizzling of nearly frozen water, interspersed with sporadic hailstorms. As they approach, a roll of thunder is heard from the distance, yet another sign of unseasonable weather, as if the gods themselves are muttering about the recent turn of events. 

2. The undead are numerous. They half expected this; what they didn't expect is what they're doing. Rather than mill about aimlessly, they seem to be working with purpose: dragging timber, everything from rotten planks to barrels to wagon wheels, all toward Preacher's Way. When interrupted, they'll fight, and the few ghouls they see are attacking everything, dropping wood in the meantime, but they otherwise seem intent on their work. Odd.

3. When they reach the temple, they can see what the wood is going toward. Around the old temple of Mileen were other shrines, smaller ones, to gods less worshipped than the main pantheon, or shops selling offerings for those who have come empty handed. These are being reinforced, and the streets between them blocked off, to make an outer perimeter for the temple that extends a ways out from the epicenter of the spell. 

4. Impaled upon a broken quarterstaff, just outside the new perimeter, is the head of Johan Edwardson. The twitching, struggling head of Johan Edwardson. 

[Tethras Clan]

~That's the asshole that started all of this,~ Varric reports grimly. ~Actually... maybe we should snag that and pull back. See if it can... talk, maybe we can get some answers out of it.~

[Carver Amell]

It's an odd look from the outside; for no discernable reason, Carver raises an eyebrow, knits his brow, and mouths, 'w t f?'

Then he sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose, and moves forward, unsheathing his sword. He reaches out, trying to use the tip of his blade to slide the head off the pole. 

[Tethras Clan]

A small part of Zevran supplies the words 'feeling lonely Carver? You could have just asked, 'bela or I would have been happy to give you a little head' but they're dim. Faded and bleached of meaning or worth.

Wynne, however, does speak. "Bright Helene, do you have any talent for necromancy? The ability to question the dead, specifically?"

[Helene Dakesh]

"This one can read blood, and this one could animate that one's eyeball to lead us to its controller or creator. This one cannot get answers from a corpse."

[Tethras Clan]

~That second one sounds pretty handy,~ Varric notes. ~With Wynne able to give us warning, Zevran and Isabela as scouts and Helene as guide, we might be able to get to the lich without too much fuss.~

[Carver Amell]

Carver reaches out to catch the head as it tips off the pole, then yelps as the head chomps down on his finger, bobbling it again. 

[Tethras Clan]

~Huh. The animated zombie head is dangerous. Imagine that,~ Varric notes dryly.

Without a word, Zevran catches the head deftly by the hair. He glances at it, then moves towards Helene. "What do you need for your spell?"

[Carver Amell]

"Fuck you," says Carver venomously. Lest anyone think he's swearing at Zevran, he adds, "At least I'm still breathing."