‡1st Treasure‡

[totallytrustworthy]

[The video feed sparks to life as Chloe taps repeatedly at the screen, offering the net a view of a woman with shoulder-length dark hair and bright eyes, wearing a stylish biking jacket and a few layers of leather necklaces with various little charms hanging from their ends. The city's skyline is visible behind her from a particularly high vantage point, and it's likely that she's found herself a resting place somewhere atop the roof of one of the taller buildings. She wiggles a few fingers lazily in greeting before speaking up with a distinctly Australian accent.]

Evening, everyone. Chloe here. New arrival, in case you haven't noticed. All right, somewhat new. Got dragged into this mess a few days ago and decided to take my time getting settled; never know what's out there if you don't bother to look first.

I was a treasure hunter back home-- one of the best in the business, I might add. Problem is I'm getting the impression that there's not much treasure to be found here on Alcatraz, and I'd prefer to stay sharp while things are relatively quiet. So here's the deal: if you need something of value-- for a price-- I'm more than happy to lend a well-trained hand and fetch it for you.

[She moves to shut the call down before adding, thoughtfully]

And in the meantime, if anyone out there knows a place that serves good drinks, I'm all ears. After all this I could sure as hell use one.  

Comments

[totallytrustworthy]

[He earns a little smile for that comment. Not often you get to swap stories with someone familiar with the business.] Is that so? Glad I'm not the only one keeping things reputable.

I suppose those acquaintances were lost when you were dragged off to this cheery little place.

[birdhousesoul]

Most, yes. Not all. The Initiative pulls in conscripts from Thedas with alarming frequency. Most of my old friends here are from a slightly earlier chapter in my life, with rather more noble motives for their work, but they've got a similar skill set. Spent lots of time underground, hunting down darkspawn in a charming network of tunnels we call the Deep Roads. Chock full of ancient abandoned treasures.

Reputation's a funny thing, where Grey Wardens are concerned. Some treasure hunters learned I'd been a Warden, and Wardens know the Deep Roads. Six years of misadventure later ... well. I'd drink well on some of those stories, if I were a drinking man.

How'd you fall into the business?

[totallytrustworthy]

[Half of what's said flies over her head completely. Still, she makes a valiant effort and pieces together what she can. ]

Those roads sound like my kind of place, though I don't much like the sound of the word 'darkspawn'...

Some people decide they're tired of living the cozy life; stuck in one spot without much to do. So they pack their things, find a jungle somewhere and try to scope out the fortune that'll give their life meaning. Those are the ones that meet a very quick end.

The rest of us, myself included, learned what was necessary in order to get by. We stole as children, found anything remotely valuable and sold it off for what we could. There wasn't a turning point for me-- just a client in need of something that couldn't possibly exist willing to pay more than I could possibly imagine. I succeeded.

Been doing it ever since.

[birdhousesoul]

[Anders nods. It all makes perfect sense to him. Survival's the best and chiefest motivation to get involved in any dangerous job. The only Grey Warden he's met who sought out the job for fun was Oghren, and Oghren is an exception to every rule.

One thing puzzles him, though:]

If you don't mind my asking ... once you'd gotten that payoff, more money than you could possibly imagine, what kept you working? You could buy a comfortable life, retire while you still have the youth and looks to enjoy fabulous wealth.

[totallytrustworthy]

Yeah, well... [Chloe chuckles, shaking her head just slightly] Just because someone promises you something, doesn't mean they plan on actually giving it to you.

Still, I managed to get something out of it. Enough to figure out that it was better than what I'd been doing.

Now you've got me curious, though. What exactly is a Grey Warden?

[birdhousesoul]

How would I describe the Grey Wardens ... hm. We're a varied lot, from all sorts of backgrounds. In principle, we're an order founded to destroy archdemons and put down Blights. Blights don't come around terribly often, thankfully, what with the limited number of archdemons in existence, so between Blights we go rooting around in the Deep Roads quite a lot.

The Wardens recruit from all nations, races, and backgrounds -- they look for expertise, they don't care about pedigrees. Generally they'll only take people with some notable skill. Little wonder the Initiative keeps raking them in.

[totallytrustworthy]

Archdemons.

You fight archdemons.

[birdhousesoul]

Well, not me personally. I've never fought an archdemon. There are a couple of Wardens here who have, but I wouldn't advise asking them about it. Not the sort of story you recollect fondly over a pint or two with friends.

[totallytrustworthy]

Oh lovely.

And you chose this job willingly...?

[birdhousesoul]

When a Blight's on, you tend to want to stop the Blight. When darkspawn are still wreaking havoc after the Blight's ended, then something's really wrong. So, yes, I joined up willingly. More or less. If I hadn't been asked, I would have stuck around to fight darkspawn anyhow.

Of course, I left the Wardens after. Which ... you're not supposed to do, technically. Don't take me as an example of the Order.

[totallytrustworthy]

Is that so? I don't imagine they were very happy about it.

[birdhousesoul]

Their happiness wasn't my paramount concern at the time.

Now we're all in this together, we get along well enough. What about you? A lone wolf, hiring guides and muscle when you needed, or did you generally work in a team?

[totallytrustworthy]

I can't say I fault you for taking the quickest path out.

Oh I had my packless days, most everyone does. Recently I...well I decided to let those old habits go. Coming here, though, it changes things quite a bit.

Not really sure what you'd call me at the moment.

[birdhousesoul]

Besides beautiful?

[Yes, he's taken, and he doesn't have the idea she's interested. He flirts because he's Anders. It's like breathing.]

I'd call you what I call the rest of us. Unlucky. Else you'd be far away from here. I'm guessing you've gotten the standard explanation by now: who brought us here, what they want from us, the usual load of rubbish.

[totallytrustworthy]

[Forward. Very forward. Chloe approves, breathing out the slightest chuckle under her breath as she speaks.]

Yes, all of that. I'd be slacking off if I didn't snag as much information as I could manage right from the start.

Could be worse, all things considered. Could be much worse. I'm more than happy to get by with the hand I've been dealt, at least.