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Annie is on her trike on her way to school.
This van labeled HAZARDOUS MATERIALS is also on its way to school.
The van hits a patch of black ice. It goes spinning, it turns over, it slices itself open on a wrought-iron fence with spikes, and it disgorges boxes which smash open on the pavement. Some of them skitter clear into the slush.
Some of them - along with most of the van - land on Annie.
There is a whirl of bewildering pain and confusion -
- and she falls to the ground, injured and in more kinds of discomfort beyond that and moaning.
She slowly starts to heal before the eyes of her sole witness.
six artifact pileup annie in thedas
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keep_busy
first-and-final
"Yeah, good idea." Stalas looks at Caridin. "Is there anywhere more comfortable than a tunnel floor for her to sleep around here...?"
"Something can be arranged." He looks at his golem friends.
"I'll see what I can do," says Hesta. "Where shall I make your bed, Annie?"
"Something can be arranged." He looks at his golem friends.
"I'll see what I can do," says Hesta. "Where shall I make your bed, Annie?"
keep_busy
"Anywhere safe and chilly and flat. I'm not going to be kept up if I'm near the hammering or anything."
first-and-final
"Very well."
Hesta attempts to construct a bed in an adjoining chamber, away from the open lava pit. Kador helps. The result is definitely more comfortable than a tunnel floor. Meanwhile, Stalas consults with Caridin about the design of his golem-suit.
Hesta attempts to construct a bed in an adjoining chamber, away from the open lava pit. Kador helps. The result is definitely more comfortable than a tunnel floor. Meanwhile, Stalas consults with Caridin about the design of his golem-suit.
first-and-final
When she wakes up, there is a sixth golem tromping around!
Stalas's prototype golem suit makes him look almost like a miniature Caridin, except for the brilliant white glow shining out through his joints, nothing like the standard lyrium blue. Also, he has something for Annie.
"Hi! Sleep well? Try this on," he says, holding out a gauntleted hand from which there dangles a frost-touched stone pendant. "I explained about your uncomfortable warmth problem and Caridin made you an amulet."
Stalas's prototype golem suit makes him look almost like a miniature Caridin, except for the brilliant white glow shining out through his joints, nothing like the standard lyrium blue. Also, he has something for Annie.
"Hi! Sleep well? Try this on," he says, holding out a gauntleted hand from which there dangles a frost-touched stone pendant. "I explained about your uncomfortable warmth problem and Caridin made you an amulet."
keep_busy
Annie can still tell it's him under there because she can "see" through things, but she doesn't bring this up. "Ooh!" She takes the amulet. "...Runes count as a language!" she adds, putting it over her head. "It says cold and oooooh it means it I'm almost comfortable."
first-and-final
"Good, that was the idea!" laughs Stalas. "Almost? Can it be improved upon?"
keep_busy
"It's like I'm in the sun on a hot day instead of actively toasting. I could get used to it. If you doubled it up I might actually have to put my coat on." As it is, she rummages for her shirt and pulls it over her head.
first-and-final
"If you talk to Caridin about how much stronger the next one should be, I'm sure he can help you out. Also, Hesta suggested that you should try giving her the darkspawn-disintegrating magic, since golems only get uncomfortably warm when they start to approach their own melting point, so it wouldn't bother them if it's set at the same level for everyone."
Hesta says: "I suppose I do feel noticeably warmer than usual, but it's not unpleasant. Why don't you see if the others want the same thing? I know Kador does."
keep_busy
"Sure!" Annie will poke any golems who want poking, and then go thank Cairidin and attempt to describe how much more powerful a cold amulet would need to be to get her to "pleasantly cool".
first-and-final
All four stone golems want to become darkspawn disintegrators.
Caridin tinkers a bit and presents her with a second amulet that matches her specifications exactly.
"So," says Stalas, "Annie, do you mind being carried while you sleep? We could make much better time back to Orzammar that way."
Caridin tinkers a bit and presents her with a second amulet that matches her specifications exactly.
"So," says Stalas, "Annie, do you mind being carried while you sleep? We could make much better time back to Orzammar that way."
keep_busy
Annie beams when she puts the replacement amulet on. "Um, that's all right, yeah. I guess it won't be as necessary to have me pointing out darkspawn."
first-and-final
"Good. In that case, we're all set to get going."
Stalas hefts his massive hammer up to his golem-armoured shoulder. Everyone else packs up a few things, mostly Caridin's tools but also some of Stalas's weapons and non-golem armour.
Stalas hefts his massive hammer up to his golem-armoured shoulder. Everyone else packs up a few things, mostly Caridin's tools but also some of Stalas's weapons and non-golem armour.
keep_busy
Annie just has her amulet and her backup amulet and her coat. She's all out of honey. Who's carrying her?
first-and-final
Hesta volunteers! One of the things she has found is a blanket, with which to make her a more comfortable Annie-carrier.
And off they go, Stalas in the lead, Caridin following, then Hesta with Annie and the three remaining golems as a rearguard.
They make really good time back to Orzammar.
And off they go, Stalas in the lead, Caridin following, then Hesta with Annie and the three remaining golems as a rearguard.
They make really good time back to Orzammar.
first-and-final
Stalas declines to sleep on the way. Apparently he can just do that now. He doesn't even need to keep inhaling lyrium fumes, although sometimes he does anyway. Going without dims his glow but doesn't make it necessary for him to eat or drink or sleep or put down his enormous hammer.
When they get to Orzammar, the guards at the Deep Roads gate call out, "Halt! Identify yourselves!"
"The Paragon Caridin, and retinue," says Caridin.
Whispers break out among the guards. One daring soul says, "Prove it!"
Caridin reaches back and unlatches Branka's shield from its place hanging from his toolbag. He sets it carefully on the tunnel floor, directly in front of the gate.
"A smith named Branka set out to find my anvil two years ago. She died in the attempt, and the Anvil was destroyed. Here is her shield. Do you doubt me still?"
"...no," the guard admits. "Welcome, Paragon."
"Who rules in Orzammar now?"
"That's... a complicated question," says the guard. "But I'm sure House Ortan will be happy to house you and your retinue while you, um, catch up."
The guards open the gate. Caridin leads his golems into Orzammar. Stalas picks up Branka's shield on the way. No one asks their names, or questions why one of the golems is carrying a blanketed human.
It's beautiful, in a very dwarven way. An enormous cavern, far vaster than Annie's sense-range, where successive terraces of stone avenues lined with stone buildings surround a central lava pit so deep she can barely sense the lava at the bottom even though the Deep Roads gate is on the lowest tier. It's a good thing she has her amulet, because it's warm down here.
They march from the lower gate toward the Diamond Quarter, on the highest terrace. A couple of guards break off from the gate squadron to accompany them. There is a slight delay when they realize that there is no way Caridin is going to comfortably fit into the covered stairwells that lead from one level to another - there's enough space for a normal golem if they step carefully, but Caridin is simply too huge. Eventually Pell and Kador give him a boost and he climbs up beside the stairwell rather than crawl through the interior.
When they get to Orzammar, the guards at the Deep Roads gate call out, "Halt! Identify yourselves!"
"The Paragon Caridin, and retinue," says Caridin.
Whispers break out among the guards. One daring soul says, "Prove it!"
Caridin reaches back and unlatches Branka's shield from its place hanging from his toolbag. He sets it carefully on the tunnel floor, directly in front of the gate.
"A smith named Branka set out to find my anvil two years ago. She died in the attempt, and the Anvil was destroyed. Here is her shield. Do you doubt me still?"
"...no," the guard admits. "Welcome, Paragon."
"Who rules in Orzammar now?"
"That's... a complicated question," says the guard. "But I'm sure House Ortan will be happy to house you and your retinue while you, um, catch up."
The guards open the gate. Caridin leads his golems into Orzammar. Stalas picks up Branka's shield on the way. No one asks their names, or questions why one of the golems is carrying a blanketed human.
It's beautiful, in a very dwarven way. An enormous cavern, far vaster than Annie's sense-range, where successive terraces of stone avenues lined with stone buildings surround a central lava pit so deep she can barely sense the lava at the bottom even though the Deep Roads gate is on the lowest tier. It's a good thing she has her amulet, because it's warm down here.
They march from the lower gate toward the Diamond Quarter, on the highest terrace. A couple of guards break off from the gate squadron to accompany them. There is a slight delay when they realize that there is no way Caridin is going to comfortably fit into the covered stairwells that lead from one level to another - there's enough space for a normal golem if they step carefully, but Caridin is simply too huge. Eventually Pell and Kador give him a boost and he climbs up beside the stairwell rather than crawl through the interior.
keep_busy
Annie elects not to disembark from the golem at this time; she doesn't like the look of all those stairs. Well, they're very pretty, but she doesn't fancy trying to climb them.
first-and-final
The guard's prediction was correct: House Ortan, once they learn that Caridin has inexplicably shown up at the gate as a ten-foot-tall steel golem, immediately offer him and his retinue their hospitality. They receive immediate housing in one of the House's lesser properties - still in the Diamond Quarter, but small and near the stairs. Since none of them actually need to sleep except for Annie, she gets her pick of bedrooms: small, small, medium, or gigantic-with-attached-bathroom-and-fancy-plumbing.
Stalas digs up a change of clothes from somewhere and disappears into the Attached Bathroom With Fancy Plumbing, emerging fifteen minutes later with absolutely no darkspawn blood on or near him and immediately climbing back into his golem suit. "Time for me and Caridin to go have a chat with my brother," he says. "Annie, will you be all right here without us?"
Stalas digs up a change of clothes from somewhere and disappears into the Attached Bathroom With Fancy Plumbing, emerging fifteen minutes later with absolutely no darkspawn blood on or near him and immediately climbing back into his golem suit. "Time for me and Caridin to go have a chat with my brother," he says. "Annie, will you be all right here without us?"
keep_busy
"Um, probably? At least I speak the language. ...I would really like some paper and something to write with."
first-and-final
"I'm absolutely positive there's something like that in the house," says Stalas. "And if there isn't, someone can bother House Ortan for you. See you later!"
And off go the steel golems, large and small.
And off go the steel golems, large and small.
Success! They totally have pens and paper here.