First Report [Video]

[hawkejunior]

[By now, Carver and his sister have been frightened enough times by the bizarre, talking magical books that appeared in their possessions. They speak in voices and change every day, so it took some tinkering before they were able to figure out how, precisely, to work them.

But now they have. Sort of.

Carver's face appears in the image, glaring, focused in entirely too close for him to know what he's doing with it. He taps on it a few times and once he can see himself, tries to adjust so he's a little easier to see.]

Hello? Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me? [It statics, because he's yelling into it.] Maker! Damn this blighted thing...

[Giving up on trying to make the communicator work, he goes back to the subject at hand.]

If anyone can hear this, my name is Warden-Ensign Carver Hawke. My sister and I- I don't know how we got here, but we're here. We came out of that- that metal building back there.

We're holed up in a little shack not far from that metal building, on the south side of the mountain. I don't know if anyone else is out there, but if they are--

[He coughs, clears his throat, and his voice turns all business.]

I'm going to go ahead and assume this is somewhere in the Anderfels, so you'll probably know what a Grey Warden is. So in that case I'd like to request some food and supplies for both myself and my sister, who is not a Warden, but you're going to be damned bloody sorry if you refuse to her.

And if nobody else is out there... well, then we're in a pile of shit, aren't we...

Comments

[hawkejunior]

Sorry if that was rude. I just- well. I'm sure you probably understand, if you're around humans in that settlement... I thought you might be some kind of elf.

[Blue elves? Yeah, okay, Carver.]

[relicrebellion]

No, it is just - an entirely too familiar question for comfort.

[There's another brief pause, and she frowns slightly in puzzlement.]

I do not think I have ever met an..."elf", was it?

[hawkejunior]

Really? They're quite common. They're a little shorter than humans, thinner, pointed ears?

[It hasn't quite dawned on Carver yet that this isn't Thedas.]

[relicrebellion]

No...perhaps none have awakened here yet? They do not sound like any species I have ever encountered.

[hawkejunior]

Maybe not.

What kind of species have you encountered? I know elves, humans, dwarves and Qunari.

[relicrebellion]

Of those, the only species I have encountered is humanity. There are other species within the galaxy I am familiar with, of course, but they are not the same ones you are accustomed to, and none have yet woken here.

[hawkejunior]

Galaxy?

[Oh, whatever. He's not even going to ask.]

Never mind. I'm not going to get it, am I?

[relicrebellion]

A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of star clusters and interstellar clouds. Each contains a number of worlds.

I...am not certain how far your world's understanding of space extends, so I suppose you may not "get it".

[hawkejunior]

Stars... [A long, long pause.]

No. Definitely not going to get it.

[relicrebellion]

You...

[She hesitates, as though attempting to find some way to put this delicately.

Which doesn't really work.]

You do know what stars are, do you not?

[hawkejunior]

[Okay, he can't help but be annoyed at that one.] Yes, I know what stars are!

But "worlds?" As in more than the one we live on?

[relicrebellion]

You could, for all I know, be from a subterranean human tribe. I have not encountered any, but that does not mean there might not be a representative waking up tomorrow.

[She frowns slightly.]

There are many more worlds than the one you come from. This is one such - if you are familiar with the sky of your world, you will see it's not the same, if you look up at night. The differences are more than could be explained by merely venturing to a different sector of the globe.

[hawkejunior]

Well, I was busier huddling for my life in a shack last night than I was looking at constellations.

[Was he trying to sound so cranky or did it just slip?]

Anyway... I'll figure it out. We both will.

[relicrebellion]

[Yeah, she gets that sometimes.]

It would be safest if you figured it out from within the bounds of the settlement. The wildlife can be quite vicious. And incredibly large.

The road should be easy to follow, if you can find it. If you've gone too far afield, find a landmark you can describe, and someone will come for you.