I’ve had this ridiculously long chapter 95% complete for months… and then today I was like “it’s 3am, I can’t sleep, I haven’t done hardly anything useful today… FINISH IT”. So I did. Now I can do the Circle Tower chapter, which has some interesting bits that I’m looking forward to! In fact, despite the length of this chapter, it’s mostly exposition and other stuff that I can’t skip but am not quite as interested in. But next chapter… I know everyone hates the Fade portion of the game, but I think it’s gonna be pretty great this time.

Stuff has happened, including the end of the school year (and finally some time to relax, in fact so much time that I get afflicted with ennui and then days like today end up happening : P ), the national organist convention (still need to do a write-up over on my professional(…ish) blog), and a visit to BC (didn’t want to leave, it’s so much more humid over here : P ). I’ve been playing SWTOR steadily, and finished watching Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig, and I’m hoping to get back into the art/writing side of things over the next month or so. Hopefully I can finish this particular story by the end of the summer perhaps? *fingers crossed*

I promised to tell you how Zevran did some impossible things, so let’s see if I can get those thoughts back in order after 4 months and at 4am. Hmmm… How did Zevran 1) learn about Howe’s Grey Warden assassination job in time to 2) volunteer for it back in Antiva, and then 3) sail over to Ferelden, where he 4) met with Howe and Loghain before 5) figuring out exactly where the Warden was to set an ambush?? Now, in some tellings of the tale, this could work – for instance, if you go to visit the dwarves first. But in this telling, which is the most logical telling (imo), that just plain requires game-breaking logic. So when we meet Zevran in this story, his recounting of what events brought him to Liz’s side will be slightly different.

Another thing that is a little bit odd is the secret passage into Redcliffe Castle… The windmill is on a cliff, overlooking the village, so the passage goes… down the cliff, under the village, under the lake, and then up into the castle… That’s REALLY impressive medieval engineering. : D

EDIT: added some Sten lines that were too good to pass up.

Previous chapter: Lothering, next chapter: The Circle Tower

Redcliffe

Leliana saw them first. “Two dwarves against… I count ten darkspawn!”

“Let’s even those odds,” Alistair growled.

Elizabeth was out in front, charging to the rescue as fast as she could. Huan was already there, getting between one dwarf and his darkspawn attackers, barking furiously. The dwarves were backed against their cart, and their ox was lowing unhappily. She knocked a darkspawn to the ground with her shield and blocked the attack of another with her sword.

Sten had charged into battle as well, despite only having his armour, but he had seen there were weapons on the cart, and, seizing a two-handed maul, swung a powerful blow towards their enemies.

Elizabeth felt anger fill her again. It was easy to hate the darkspawn, easy to strike more strongly against them. She did not forget her training, which stood her in good stead against their brutal assailants, but as she killed one she felt a sense of satisfaction that she had never felt fighting against anything else. Continue reading →