As you enter the room, the pungent smell of medicine hits your nose--similar to what you dealt with on the ship ride over. It's definitely an unpleasant nostalgic feeling, but you forget almost instantly.
Dorokor looks exhausted, but freshly fed. Carcasses of rabbits lay in a pile by the bedside, as does a very tired and drained Etny. You immediately smell her sweetened human blood, and notice the bruising bite marks along her forearm--given willingly, it seems.
"A...Atriox-dugairon...," Etny's words are slightly slurred in her exhausted delirium, "welcome to the party!" She attempts a chuckle, but runs out of breath too quickly. "I did...my best to...help. She fed...on good blood...Andrayan blood," Etny's smile is weak but humored.
She rests her head back against the wall, and strives to stay conscious.
Atriox laughs slightly and pats Etny on the arm
“You did good huntress. Rest now before you hurt yourself.”
Dahlia, working as carefully as she can with one arm, motions Oxious over to help her with heating up water and cleaning the towels again--one of his specialties. When Kora notices you, there is almost a pleading look on her face. An apologetic look.
Atriox gives her an awkward smile and walks over to her slowly. He stands there awkwardly and itches behind his head
After a moment he awkwardly laughs and simply says
“Hi there”
"Hi." She cracks a small smile, much more aware today. Dahlia urges her to focus, but in between the bouts of intensity Kora manages a very quiet and sincere voice. "I'm sorry, Atriox..."
He turns to Kora and try’s to reassure her.
“Everything is alright Kora. I know it wasn’t really you saying those things. I’m here for you.”
She takes your good hand and grips it tightly, to the point you think she might crack some bones there too. With a warlike yell, she digs her claws into you and you hear it. A cry.
The first of your progeny.
Oxious carefully handles the newly birthed child, but Kora does not let go of your hand. Relief floods over her. Oxious works quickly, wrapping the baby with a curious expression on his face.
The crotchety old tiefling can't help his slight smile as he turns to you.
"Congratulations, Atriox. You have a son."
Atriox can’t speak and he realizes he’s been holding his breath the whole time
He releases it and speaks up
“Can......can I see it ....?”
Oxious hands the little boy to you, who wriggles in the cloth swaddling him. He fusses, but doesn't cry.
The child, being a little early, is only somewhat smaller than you'd imagined. With paleish skin, pointed ears and patches of scales along his brow, clawed hands and dragon-like feet, to little nubs along the skull where horns would likely grow... it seems a beautiful mix between your Dragonborn heritage and Dorokor's orcish ancestry.
He opens his eyes. Bright blue orbs as rich and cold as the snowy caps of Skyhold. Kora quietly watches the two of you.
Atriox smiles at the little boy in his hands. He examines his new son, trying to be careful, mor careful then he ever has before.
Etny, breathless and exhausted, begins to sing a lilting, melodic Andrayan lullaby. She petitions the All-Mother to bless this child with strength and health, good fortune and happiness. Her song is quiet and full of richness. She does not sing loudly, but softly and gently.
As Etny begins to sing Atriox holds it gently in one hand and lifts its upper lip carefully with one nail on on his free hand. He’s looking for fangs or other signs
You oddly... Don't see anything. There is a strange lacking of fangs, except for the nubs of little tusks. This strikes you as odd, as is the lack of the red eyes you expected.
Kora yells out again suddenly, startling Oxious and Dahlia. They scramble to check on her as she's wrought by another contraction. The boy in your arms pulls away from your fingers, letting out an uncomfortable cry from the noises.
Atriox holds on to his song gently but tightly trying to keep the little thing under control
He looks between Kora, oxious, and Dahlia worriedly
“Wha.....what’s going on ?!”
Dahlia cries out in surprise, and suddenly there's another noise--a childlike whimper echoing the first one. Oxious steps over to her quickly, looking back at you both before hurriedly helping the healer with something.
Kora collapses back on the bed in a cold sweat. Dahlia manages a sheepish smile as Oxious holds up... a second child.
Dahlia laughs, as if she can't believe it. "Apparently... you also have a daughter."
The little girl cries piercingly, showing no signs of fangs either. She's smaller and more delicate for sure, but otherwise almost identical to her twin brother.
She has a simple shock of black hair on the crown on her head, and when she breathes to cry, you see caramel brown eyes; dark like her mother's true color.
"Halalu arata magara, Atriox-dugairon," Etny attempts to speak as clearly as she can. "E halalu arata magara, ylar an orhinau," she says, praising the newborn children. "What...what shall...you name them?"
Atriox smiles and grabs his daughter in his other hand. He begins to cradle them in his arms. He’s overcome with a sort of pride and happiness as he looks at his twin children
He looks to there amazing mother with a smile
“I think.....”
Looking to Etny and everyone else
“I think we will wait to decide that. Names are powerful things and I think that warrants a discussion between me and Kora.”
Etny nods, and strives to stay conscious just a little longer. She attempts to call to Oxious or Dahlia, her voice quite hoarse, and her mouth dry. "May I have...a bed...? I think...I need to....sleep for...a time." She breathes slowly, her eyes shut. "Dorokor-dera," she breathes out, "you are strong and very brave! Keep it...--"
Everything goes black, and Etny passes out completely, slumping over in her seat.
Dorokor carefully reaches over and caresses the nearest one on the head. She glances up at Atriox.
"Let me hold them... You get her to a room."
Oxious, finishing up what he needs to, whispers something to Dahlia and then steps forward. He seems eager to go. "I'll help. Come."
He makes his way to Etny, checking the injuries on her arm and testing her pulse before attempting to move her.
Atriox grunts at the old goat before turning to Kora with a smile as he puts there children in her arms. He knows they are beyond safe with there mother
He grudgingly walks over and pushes oxious away.
“Let me old man."
He picks Etny up attempting to be gentle. Even though her weight hurts his ribs he’ll live.
“After you oxious”
He rolls his eyes and follows, bringing along some magical ointments and any of her things she'd left.
***
Finding another adjoining room, Oxious finally speaks his mind.
"Your children aren't vampires, Atriox... And I don't know why."
He paces the room. "They're... Something else."
Atriox grunts
“I figured that out oxy. No fangs, no red eyes, no signs of anything but innocent children. But that’s impossible “
"Not just innocent children. Far from it."
He lets that hang in the air a moment and motions for you to place Etny on the bed so he can tend to her wound.
With a quiet voice he continues. "Somehow, you both created a pair of dhampirs."
Atriox looks at him oddly
“A damp....what ?”
The tiefling sighs, kneeling by Etny. He places a clean towel beneath her arm and pours a glowing, blue tincture over the top. It makes the wounds bubble and froth, but seemingly without pain.
"Dhampirs. Hybrids..." He hesitates, dabbing away at the healing punctures. "...between a vampire father and a human mother. I'd never thought... well," Oxious gestures vaguely at you with a snort, indicating your condition.
"Those children have a magical aura, beyond that of a Dragonborn's innate power. I can sense it keenly." He turns and sits on the edge of the bed, looking at you.
"Often vampires will kill any dhampir they find... They have all your powers: Your speed. Your strength. Your tenacity. But they can eat normally and feast on blood. They need not fear the sun. They can touch holy relics without pain. And... often grow up to hunt and destroy vampires and other creatures they deem evil."
He pauses in reflection; something in his memories that he's pulling from. The knowledge he is sharing of this is starkly different from his book-read ways. It's much more personal.
"Perhaps... from being force-fed holy water during her capture by that orc...?" He looks up at you, confused and serious. "That may have affected the children. I don't know in what other ways, yet... we will have to wait and see. It's a miracle it didn't kill them... or her."
Atriox just shrugs looking slightly helpless
“This all over my head oxious. I’m just thankful Kora and the babies are alright.”
He rubs a hand on the back of his neck sighing loudly
“ without you and Dahlia this would have been a disaster Oxious. Speaking of......would you come with me for a walk ? There’s something I want to show you.”
Oxious stands up from tending Etny, wiping his hands on his vest. He chuckles. "Yeah... I can't imagine you at the bottom end of a birth. I don't like parting with money, but damn... I would have paid a fortune to see that."
With a really goofy smile he turns to look at you. "I'm glad they're all okay. Go ahead and lead on. I need a smoke after all of that."
Atriox nods at him with a smile
“Come on then this way. It’ll take a bit and we will see if I remember the way.”
Atriox leads him out of the room and through some hallways. They are no longer in the castle but in the mountain heading somewhere. Atriox speaks up while they walk
“I’ve decided that the Royal living chambers will be transferred down here in the mountain. A whole section carved out. The court will still be up in the castle as the throne is there , along with grand events and so on. High ranking members of the court other than you and visiting dignitaries will stay and live there. It’ll be more secure this way, more private, most importantly.....new.”
Atriox gives him a sideways grin
Oxious looks around, letting out a low whistle. "Lots of work. But doable. I can see it being quite grand in the end, depending how you handle it."
As the walk continues, he pulls out his pipe and lights it up, the soft glow catching his face and the walls. He seems to relax quite a bit, looking a bit older than you've ever seen him before.
"You said other than me... do I not get a new place?" He looks at you, mockingly hurt.
Atriox winks at the teifling
“You get a special place come on, I’ll show you.”
They keep on walking through a series of hallways and tunnels. There’s things down here but not to the scale that there will be under Atrioxs rule. Finally they see light at the end and emerge onto a impressive sized bridge connecting the mountain to a single massive tower. It’s almost as big as the mountain where Skyhold sits upon. The tower is in need of some definite repairs but it’s mostly intact just from it’s sheer size. It goes all the way down to the base of the mountain and there’s a smaller tower hugging the side of this one.
The wind whips around there hair and Atriox looks over at Oxious to see what he thinks so far
Oxious slowly lowers the pipe from his mouth and utters a quiet curse under his breath. He glances over at you, then back at the tower.
"Where are we?" He looks overwhelmed at what he's seeing. No where else has there ever been a building marvel such as this, and it makes him immediately think of magic.
Atriox pats him on the back
“You’ll find out soon my friend I promise “
They walk across the bridges length and into the tower using another secret door activation. There’s dust everywhere and several rooms and stairs that lead down but only one that leads up. They take that way and ascend the stairs
Finally they arrive on the top floor. It’s the biggest of the floors until the bottom of the tower. It consists of lavish living apartments connected to a huge round office. Atriox leads Oxious to the large office. Upon entry the office has thousands of books on walls shelves all around the tower, a large fireplace, a second story around the the top with a outdoor balcony on each level with large Stained windows in one spot with a impressive desk in front of the windows. This is where Atriox heads over to picking up a box off of the desk
“This will be were you live my friend , do you want to know why ?”
It almost looks like Oxious doesn't hear you. This place seems... feels untouched, even. Kept safe out of happenstance or otherwise, it's an absolute marvel. He walks carefully around the room, gently running his hand across the spines of the books.
"Even if I said no, I'm sure you'll tell me anyway." He looks up, gazing at the rows and rows of books and the large, gorgeous stained glass with an almost childlike expression. His snark is half-hearted, and you can tell he's utterly overwhelmed.
Atriox chuckles to himself. Still holding the box he asks a question first
“Do your remember how we met Oxious?”
He's stirred out of his revere. Blinking to clear his mind, he looks at you. "I remember... A fire. Having to put out some mess you'd gotten mixed up in." The tiefling glances at the box you're holding, then back up.
"And me taking Dahlia back to the Fang, since around you she--and everyone else--seems to get into so much trouble." He snorts, a small smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Why bring that up now?"
Atriox keeps his smile on and snorts
“ I mention it because my first impression that day was that I wouldn’t like you. At all. But here we are probably nearing a year later. I would name you amongst one of my closet friends now Oxious. You’ve saved me, provides helpful,wise and shrewd council, and helped birth my children now. I am eternally grateful to you Oxious and that today’s events simply solidify what I’ve been thinking. You are the only one I trust to do this job. To be my right hand.”
Atriox walks forward and stops in front of him. The box is made out of wood with a glass lid inside resting on a cushion is a badge. The badge is in the shape of a hand holding a dragons head with a crown upon its head
“Oxious I name you Hand of the King. From this day on you are my chief advisor. This tower is yours to live in, hold meetings. You are in charge of my diplomats and at the head of what is called the Small council which is made up of the masters of laws,coin, ships, whispers, and the head of my kings guard. “
The tiefling doesn't react for a moment. He simply stares at you, perhaps wondering if this is real or not. The words and the heavy, important meaning behind them slowly sink in. He looks up from the ornately beautiful box, the badge inside, and back at you.
"I don't need to conjure up another circle of truth here, do I?" He pauses, the joke fading away. "You're... you're serious, Atriox? Me?"
Atriox snorts and raises an eyebrow
“Yes I’m serious. I’m not repeating that touching speech. Your qualified and and my friend. So I know I can trust in you.”
Oxious sinks down into the nearest chair. "Friends... Blessed grace on the seven layers, this... I don't know what to say. I mean," He hesitates, words he doesn't usually say bubbling up to the surface.
"Thank you... Thank you for the honor."
He looks around, still in awe. You can see the gears in his head turning, planning, a new spark of excitement in his eyes. It masks a deep emotion, and barely under his breath he whispers, trailing off, "Oh how I wish..."
Atriox clears his throat
“ I should mention that Skyhold has a prison. A very large and nightmarish construct at the bottom of this tower under the earth.”
He blinks, looking back over at you. "Well a castle without a prison seems stupidly optimistic..." His brow furrows. "A nightmarish construct, huh? Fun thing to be aware of as a child." He teases slightly, an eyebrow raised.
Atriox tips his head back and forth in thought
“I was only aware of it because they wanted to scare us away from ever sneaking down there. Someday we must look into it, but not today. That will need to be handled with care and guards”
He nods, realizing the seriousness of it. "Of course. I understand. I'd rather stay alive long enough to enjoy this new office, so I won't go poking my nose where it doesn't belong."
Atriox nods gladly
“Good. I only hope it remains Undisturbed. It’s name is the Elder Prison and I was once told it was made to hold gods and demons if need be.”
Atriox looks off for a moment but shakes his head
“But enough. This is a happy day. Enjoy getting aquatinted my friend. You’ve earned this. Now I must get back to my kids and Kora.......... god damn that’s so odd to say.”
He leaves chuckling.
***
You leave Oxious to his new home, pondering on all that's been shared between the two of you on this long walk. Heading back to the main castle gives you much time to think.
Handling a few delegations in the main courtyard on your way in, you finally make it back to the lesser quarters. Pushing the door open, you see Dahlia sleeping in one of the chairs in the corner, cradling her bandaged arm and out like a light.
Kora is only slightly startled by your entrance, but calms immediately. Even now in the state she's in, she is still first and foremost a fighter.
"Welcome back." She sneers a little, a teasing, tired look on her face. "You were gone so long, I thought perhaps you took your chance to get out while you could." Kora moves to the side a little, and you see the two infants swaddled and sleeping soundly by her chest.
"Nursed them. They were ravenous... as expected." With a glance at the sleeping healer in the corner, Kora brushes their backs with a tenderness that belies her. "Dahlia and I noticed they had no fangs. Odd..." She glances at you, as if wondering your opinion on this.
"I also noticed something else..."
Pulling away the blanket on the little boy, he squirms slightly from the cold; but not before you see his back.
There is a strange birthmark, faint against his pale skin. Markings of a unique shape, they take up a substantial area overall.
"The girl... she has the same. I don't know what these mean. Nor their more..." She pauses. "...Their more natural features."
Atriox grunts and kneels down by Kora. He looks at her and then at there children
“I have no idea what those are but Oxious said our kids here have strong magical auras. He also told me why are kids don’t have the signs like fangs. Turns out they’re not Vampires. They’re something called damphirs ?”
Dorokor looks worried by that, wrapping up the little boy again snugly. She grunts. "I suppose they will have an easier time blending in, at least... Being more normal, especially around here, will probably be a good thing for them."
She does not seem to quite understand what a damphir is, but appears more concerned with the fact she might have done something that caused this condition. She looks moody, stroking the girl's hair absentmindedly.
Atriox nudges her playfully and takes one of his children to look at
Kora grumbles but relents. She lays back, watching you pick up one--the first born, the boy.
Somewhat larger than his sister, he stirs slightly. Amazingly calm, he peers at you with his piercing blue eyes. Studying your face, your horns. You're surprised at his strength already, being as small as he is; you can feel him push against the blanket, wanting to get out. Wanting to move, to grab, to cling.
You can tell he will grow to have black hair as well, like his sister. It's a rather charming mix, seeing Kora's orcish ears and facial structure on the little child. He is rather humanoid overall, with small, elegant graces of a dragon. A very beautiful child indeed. There's something about holding him that touches you in a way you haven't experienced before. Especially here, in the home you grew up in, so long ago...
Atriox holds the child up proudly looking at it. This is the beginning of everything changing. He’s a father now, Koras a mother. What could possibly be next he wonders as he holds his son close.
Looking at Kora he smiles
“Still have doubts or regret this Bonebreaker?”
Tired still, she shakes her head slightly. "No. Not at all."
The infant nuzzles against your chest, surprisingly warm and tender. He yawns wide, his little tusks protruding just slightly.
Kora smiles a little. "I recalled that you told the others we would discuss names. Thoughts? Who is this young warrior you hold?"
Atriox looks from his son to its mother
“They will be of your heritage, as well as inheritance. I will love and fight and die for our kids Kora but I also can’t give them this throne. That is why I think you should name them. You are an orc leader. You know your people.”
She nods, accepting of that fact. Cradling the girl beside her Kora quietly explains.
"Our people... Our tribes, usually give names after great deeds. Feats and power are revered, and strong names are more than just meaningful."
"As such," She looks down at the infant. "The One Who's Power Sings... Shaavra."
Looking at the boy in your arms, she smirks. "And... Darzal. The Survivor and Shield. May he always protect those around him."
Kora looks up at Atriox again. "What do you think?"
Atriox repeats the names out loud to himself and gives Kora a nod
“Sounds great to me. It’s decided then.”
He sets the child back down carefully with its mother with a smile and kneels back down to watch them sleep with her.
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