"Open your eyes, mage. Some villagers still live." Tarn said gruffly as they went up the wooden steps to the town hall. He was surprised to see a group of Elves in conversation with an older man. This was Hemming, if Tarn remembered correctly. Tarn spoke with the man on several occasions. He was a good leader. Kind, wise, just. These Elves, however, Tarn didn't know. Judging by their facial tattoos, they were Dalish. That much was clear. Once the Elves left to assist the villagers, Tarn approached Hemming. "Hemming." Tarn stepped forward.<br/><br/>"Knight-Commander? My, but you are early." Hemming gave Tarn a broken smile.<br/><br/>"One of my scouts reported your situation. We got here as soon as we can. I already have my Templars helping your people." He gestured to Masarizan. "My charge and I are here to see if there is anything in particular you need." The old man let out a small chuckle.<br/><br/>"Where do I begin?" His smile faded and he sighed. "The man leading the Chevaliers that plundered the village... he carried a writ allowing him to "requisition supplies" for the king. It was signed by our Bann, Ceorlic. This is a personal request, my friend. One of my sons died today and I want to know why."<br/><br/>"I understand." Tarn turned to leave when Hemming spoke again.<br/><br/>"You may have seen the Dalish Elves up here. Try to get at least one of them to go with you. Should things turn sour, having a Dalish archer at your back would be indispensable." Hemming walked over to Tarn and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "My answers are not worth your life, my friend. Come back safely."<br/><br/>"Aye. I'll see that I do. Come, mage." Tarn briskly walked through the village. It was small and primarily human, so he had no trouble finding the group of Elves. He came across the man who called himself their leader, Malzahel. He had many reservations about going to a major city full of hostile "shems". Malzahel only agreed to come after he was told that in exchange, the Knight-Commander would hand over a few secrets about the location of Chantry-protected ruins that were thought to be Elven. To a Dalish Elf, this seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. Tarn ordered his Templars to continue dealing with the aftermath of the attack before continuing on with their original mission. After that, he was quick about getting the group on the road. Commerce wasn't really a concern in Goldfield at the moment, so they had to pick up provisions at a town a day's trip away. From there, they went north through the Bannorn and up towards Denerim. A day and a half after they set out on their journey, they saw it: Samson Keep, named for Bann Ceorlic's ancestor. It wasn't far now. The remainder of the journey would be the work of hours.<br/><br/>----------------<br/><br/>It was nightfall now, so Tarn decided to look for a spot to set up camp. He found a spot that was fairly defensible-- as defensible as one could get in the Bannorn. At least if they were attacked, they'd be on higher ground.<br/><br/>((At this point, i'd like Fain to give me a Perception (Hearing) test. Tarn and Malz will be making one as well.))<br/><br/><br/>Tarn:<br/><div>Theorist rolled 3d6+2 and got a total of <b>12</b>:<br/><b><span title="1 on a d6">1</span>, <span title="5 on a d6">5</span>, <span title="4 on a d6">4</span></b></div><br/><br/>Malz:<br/><div>Theorist rolled 3d6+3 and got a total of <b>13</b>:<br/><b><span title="4 on a d6">4</span>, <span title="3 on a d6">3</span>, <span title="3 on a d6">3</span></b></div>