MidReal Story
Shadows of Ferelden: Castle of Whispers
Scenario: Galen Amell hadn't been in Ferelden for very long. He'd arrived in the bustling city of Denerim, which was also the country's capital earlier in the day by ship from Antiva. After leaving the city, Galen started his long journey to Redcliffe to attend to some personal business there. He'd left Denerim around midday, and had been traveling on the Imperial Highway for hours. Soon, the sun began to set, and the sky began getting dark. As the moon rose in the night sky, Galen was growing tired from his trek. Unable to find local tavern, he grew concerned that he would have to sleep out in the open. That would prove to be dangerous considering that Galen wasn't familiar with the terrain. He didn't wish to become a snack for a bear or a pack of wolves. Just when it seemed that Galen would be left with no choice but to make camp for the night, he spotted what seemed to be a castle in the distance. Relieved, Galen hurried towards the castle, hoping that the lord or lady of the castle would be generous enough to let him stay there overnight.
Create my version of this story
Alistair Theirin
castle guard with a hidden past, friend to Elara, broadshouldered with a kind face, loyal and brave.
Elara Trevelyan
castle resident and secret keeper, potential ally to Galen, long dark hair, pale skin, secretive and resilient.
Galen Amell
traveler seeking shelter, no prior relationships, rugged with sharp features, determined and cautious.
Chapter 1
It was a dark and stormy night.
No, really.
It was.
I’d been traveling for days and had just about given up hope of finding shelter when I saw the castle on the horizon.
The rain was coming down in sheets, and the wind was howling like a pack of wolves, but I spurred my horse on anyway, desperate for a dry place to sleep.
As I got closer, I could see that the castle was perched on top of a high cliff, with nothing but jagged rocks below.
I could see the gates, big and iron-bound, just waiting for me to ride up to them.
The rain was cold and my saddle was wet, but I didn’t even feel it as I urged my horse forward.
I could see now that the castle’s defenses were still working, even after all these years.
There was a line of arrow slits along the top of the gatehouse, and murder holes in the ceiling.
I couldn’t see any guards, though - in fact, I couldn’t see anyone at all.
Surely someone was home?
"Hello?" I called out as I got close enough to be heard over the howling wind.
"I need shelter! Hello?"
There was no answer but the sound of my own voice echoing off the walls.
I rode forward until I was right in front of the gates and pounded on them with a mailed fist.
"Please!" I shouted.
"Open up! There’s a storm coming. Please!"
Again, there was no answer except for the sound of the wind rattling through the turrets.
It almost sounded like laughter...
I shivered as another gust whipped my cloak around me and plastered my hair to my forehead.
This was ridiculous!
Why wouldn’t they let me in?
It wasn’t as if they were being attacked - it wasn’t as if anyone would be crazy enough to attack a place like this anyway!
The only thing worse than being out here in this storm would be trying to breach these walls...
As if sensing my thoughts, something rumbled above me, making me look up in alarm.
Was that… thunder?
No way…
There wasn’t supposed to be any thunder until tomorrow evening!
But that definitely sounded like thunder…
Alright then, so maybe it really is coming from inside…
I felt a shiver run down my spine and tried to shake off the feeling that I was being watched.
With another look at the gates - still resolutely shut - I decided that maybe I’d try my luck with knocking one more time.
"Hello?" I called again, trying to sound brave.
"I don’t mean any harm. Please open up."
There was no laughter this time - there was nothing but the sound of my own voice echoing back at me from inside the gatehouse.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering what kind of castle would leave its gates unmanned in such a storm…
But then I made up my mind and raised my voice once more.
"If you don’t open up right now," I yelled, "I’m going to break your stupid gates down!"
There was no response for a long moment… and then very slowly, very creakily, the gates began to swing open.
I was caught in a fierce storm, rain pummeling down on me as I rode towards the looming castle.
As I approached, I could see that it was still in very good shape despite its apparent age.
The portcullis creaked ominously as it swayed back and forth, but it was still solidly locked in place.
There were arrow slits along the walls, and I could have sworn that I saw movement behind one of them…
It was some kind of old-fashioned murder hole, designed to rain arrows down on any poor fools who tried to approach without permission.
But there wasn’t anyone there… was there?
Despite what my eyes were telling me, there wasn’t anything moving beyond those stone walls except for shadows cast by flashes of lightning.
Surely it was just my imagination running wild after so many days on horseback…
I kept riding towards the gates even though every instinct in my body told me to turn around and run away as fast as I could go.
There had to be somewhere else nearby where I could find shelter from this storm - a cave, or an abandoned farmhouse?
But all I could see was forest, stretching out for miles in all directions…
As if sensing my thoughts, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the castle’s towers with an eerie blue light.
One of them was taller than all the rest, and had to have a dozen or more windows.
I could see that most of them were dark, but not all - in one of those windows there was definitely a light shining…
I rode closer so I could get a better look at it, but as I did I heard something that gave me pause: The sound of a woman’s laughter, carried on the wind.
Something about that laughter made my skin crawl.
It sounded… wrong somehow, like it was being played backwards on an old record player.
There was something wild about it, too - feral and predators, like a fox caught in a trap… or a wolf stalking its prey through moonlit woods.
I shivered again as another gust of wind tore through my clothes, but this time it wasn’t from the cold.
What in Thedas was going on here?
I rode up to the gatehouse, my heart pounding in my chest - and I’ll admit, I let out a relieved sigh when I saw that there was still a light shining from within.
The stone walls blocked most of it, but the soft glow crept through the darkened windows like a pair of eyes watching me from the shadows.
I dismounted and tied my horse’s reins to the nearest rail, then I led him through the open gates and into the courtyard beyond.
"How did you get in?" came a voice from behind me, so suddenly that it made me jump in surprise.
I spun around, one hand flying to my staff as I searched for its source… only to find that it belonged to a young woman who had stepped out from the shadows of an alcove in the gatehouse’s side wall.
She wore a dark cloak with the hood pulled over her face, so that all I could see of her was a pair of bright green eyes - but they were wide with surprise as she stared at me, as if she couldn’t believe I had somehow appeared out of nowhere before her very eyes.
I can imagine how she must’ve felt - it’s not every day you hear someone calling for help and then suddenly find them standing right in front of you!
She stepped forward, holding up a lantern to see me better… and for the first time I got a good look at her, and saw that it was no wonder she had been so surprised.
The woman couldn’t have been much older than I was, though her face seemed a bit more weathered than mine - probably from spending too long out in the sun and rain, judging by the number of freckles that dotted her pale skin.
Her once-beautiful gown looked like it had seen better days, too; it was torn and tattered, and dirty from being dragged through the mud…
"We get few visitors here," she said after a moment, as if I hadn’t spoken at all.
"You must leave. Now."
"But why?"
I asked, frowning.
"Surely you aren’t going to turn me out into the storm? I’ll freeze out there!"
"You don’t understand," the girl said, shaking her head vigorously.
"It’s not safe here - not for either of us. You need to leave! Now!"
"My name is Galen Amell," I told her quietly, trying to put her at ease.
"I’m just a traveler passing through this way. All I want is some shelter for the night."
"I…"
