Chapter Text
Choices Made Last Chapter:
Background: Canon-ish
Elissa Cousland became the Hero of Ferelden and later, its Queen. She and King Alistair were heroes of the Fifth Blight who slew the Archdemon without dying themselves. It is whispered that the Queen made a bargain with a demon to save the Warden’s lives, and indeed she has been called a shrewd manipulator and strategist.
Garret Hawke, a mage from Lothering, rose from obscurity to become the Champion of Kirkwall. Though his sister died before reaching the Free Marches, his brother Carver joined the Templars there. A witty man, Hawke tended to befriend everyone he met, including the pirate Isabella, who he fell in love with and saved from the Qunari. A mage himself, Hawke sympathized with the Kirkwall Circle during the Uprising, his friends and brother fighting at his side. Has physically gone through the fade and survived.
Ellana Lavellan thought she would be her clan’s Keeper one day, until fate intervened. As the Herald of Andraste, she saved the mages and made them partners of the Inquisition. She made alliances and recruited where she could, including with the Grey Wardens. She also reunited Empress Celene and her lover Briala, ending the Orlesian Civil War. She is said to have acquired knowledge from the ancient elves with the aid of one of her companions, Solas. It is rumored that they were lovers, which makes the Inquisitor’s recent hunt for him all the more intriguing, especially without the might of the Inquisition behind her.
Protagonist: The Elven Thief (Lyra Valis)
“There’s always two truths to things. The one told by the powerful, and the one told by the ones down below.”
Though no longer a slave herself, her family has served in the Imperium since the time of Arlathan. Can go undetected in most lands but is more likely to be challenged or suspected when things go wrong.
Protagonist's Personality: Sarcastic
Can’t resist making a snide or humorous comment, even if it might make the situation worse.
It didn’t take much to awaken Lyra Valis. As soon as a hand touched her shoulder, her eyes snapped open. The hand she’d had under her pillow flashed out, a knife in its grip. From deep sleep to tightly coiled spring in less than a second. The boy who’d touched her now had a knife a hairsbreadth from his throat.
“Hey Lyra, it’s me!” The boy cried. “Old gods and new, you’re touchy!”
She blinked, glancing from the knife to the boy’s reddened face, and grinned. “Is that shave a little closer than you’d like, Sticks?”
Her partner in crime rubbed at the still baby-smooth skin on his chin and neck, grimacing. “Let’s say I’d like you to shave a crooked uncle of mine and leave it there, eh?”
Sticks was well-named; he had the look of an underfed scarecrow left out in the rain. His hair stood out from his head at odd angles, his eyes black and shiny like buttons. And despite being in his early twenties, his body still had the lean, angular look of a growing boy, all knees and elbows.
Lyra frowned, flipping her dagger over in her hand and tucking it into a sheath on her hip. “What’s wrong with your uncle, Sticks?”
“Might just be gossip, but...” Sticks ran a hand through his brown hair then stuck both hands in the pockets of his threadbare tunic. “Word on the street is, a foist got a present from Uncle Sek. New necklace, special delivery.”
“Who was it?”
“Cove named Cyren, I heard.”
She stilled. Sticks cocked his head to one side. “You know ‘em?”
Lyra nodded. “When I was freed, I was just a kid. Younger than you were. Cyren was my age. He showed me the ropes. Helped me survive.”
He’d been the one to teach her thieves cant, as well. The secret slang used by the criminal underworld across Thedas to discuss their less-than-legal business. Cyren had taught her everything a young elf needed to know to make it on the streets of Minrathous. And now, according to Sticks, he’d been sold out by his fence--their fence--and been hanged for it. Everything in her screamed to make the bastard pay.
“I suppose I should’ve thanked ‘em,” said Sticks, shaking her out of her reverie. “Since he trained up the best partner I’ve ever had.”
Lyra forced a grin back on her face, stuffing her emotions down deep. “Please, Sticks. I was born this good.”
She went over to the rickety table in the corner of the loft, the only other furniture in the tiny room. After tying her hair up in a bun, she cleared some space on the table’s surface, then grabbed a quill, inkpot, and spare scrap of parchment. The front was full of scribbles, so she flipped it to the back, which was still blank.
“Okay,” she said. “So we’ll need to find a new fence today on top of everything else. Got another uncle?”
Sticks shrugged, leaning over the table next to her. “There’s Tevir, never known him to tap you on the shoulder. But he only likes to visit neighbors in high places. Big risk, big reward. We’d probably be in for a pennyweight job if we play it smart.”
Lyra nodded. “Anyone else?”
“How about Aunt Milla? You can trust her...as long as someone isn’t offering more. But she would go to hell and back for her friends. Maybe we could do a few favors for her, buy some goodwill that way.”
After making a note, Lyra motioned for him to go on.
Sighing, Sticks scratched at his head. “I suppose there’s Decius. But he’s a filthy rat, still partners with Sek. You could count on him to turn you in to the City Guard for a bit of tin.”
“Hmm...” Lyra tapped one finger on the table. “Maybe I could use that.”
“What’s runnin’ through your head?”
“Something bad Sticks, I assure you. Let’s run down the jobs we’d planned.”
Sticks shook his head, exasperated, but recited the information anyway. Her partner could remember anything he’d ever heard, a useful skill for him considering he’d never learned to read. She’d caught him trying to pick her pocket years ago, and they’d worked together ever since.
“First there’s the Casterfero job. Magister Casterfero has some heavy items that could do with some lifting. Security’s probably gonna be tight, but there’s plenty of yellow tin for the taking.
“Next up is the medicine job. There’s some traders down by the docks hoarding scopolamine. Think they’ll make a killing selling it for a premium if the fighting with the Qunari heats up. Causing some real trouble for the sick here who need it and can’t find it. We pick up a few crates, and even selling it at a fair price will earn good coin.”
He paused, and Lyra looked at him. Sticks shifted from one leg to the other. “Look, I know you say not to get too personal, but...” Sticks finally met her gaze. “We could do a job to get back at Sek. For giving a shoulder tap to your friend, Cyren.”
Oh, that was tempting. Lyra glanced down at her notes, written in a cypher only she knew. (Never leave behind evidence someone can use against you. Cyren had taught her that.)
CHOOSE A FENCE AND A JOB
BE WARNED: FENCES ARE BEST PAIRED WITH SOME JOBS AND NOT OTHERS. YOUR CHOICES WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES LATER IN THE STORY.
Fence:
1) Tevir - Dwarven male fence, surface-born. Reliable and trustworthy, does not betray his contacts or business associates. Only deals in expensive merchandise. Very difficult to get information out of.
2) Remilla De Abagio - Human female fence from Antiva. Her loyalty must be earned through favors or gold. Can be bought by the highest bidder, but if you’ve done right by her or her family, she will defend you with her life.
3) Decius Igennus - Human male fence from Tevinter. Will sell you out at the drop of a hat but is easily manipulated and has contacts all over Minrathous. Will sell any merchandise brought to him, but you must be clever to deal with him successfully.
Job:
1) The Casterfero Job - The estate of Magister Casterfero is very well guarded. You can slip in disguised as a servant, and a simple pennyweight scheme should be enough to get away with it. The rewards would also be substantial with the right fence. However, crossing a magister is a dangerous proposition. If he discovers the theft, he will put a bounty on your head or worse.
2) The Medicine Job - Gogek and Beretek Derlak have been stealing scopolamine from other shipments for months now. Shipments intended for the local doctors, hospitals, and garrisons. They’ve been storing it at a warehouse in the docks, guarded by the usual thugs. This will likely involve a straight-up fight, but you’re skilled enough to take them out. The local population would be very grateful to have access to this medicine again.
3) The Sek Job - It will take all of your cunning to double-cross your former fence. To draw him in, you’ll need to set up a false job alongside a real one and arrange for Sek to take the fall. It will likely involve setting up another fence for trouble as well.