From Humble Beginnings (PDF)

From Humble Beginnings
jankmaster98
http://storymaster.the-code-monkey.com/ (2015)
Tags: StoryMaster, FanFiction.Net

From the hills of the Redcliffe, a young farmboy turned Grey
Warden will endeavor to save his homeland from destruction.
With the aid of his fellow Grey Wardens from a variety of
backgrounds and brave souls from around the country, Arnor
Edain will have to fight darkspawn, abominations, and the
clashing personalities of his comrades to end the Fifth Blight.
Human Commoner Origin AU

From Humble Beginnings
by

jankmaster98

Produced By: http://storymaster.the-code-monkey.com
On: 6/10/2015
Retrieved For: thisseatiscold@ymail.com
Story URL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9480795/

Table of Contents
1. Origin Part I
2. Origin Part II
3. Recruiting Drive Part One
4. Recruiting Drive Part Two
5. Join Us Brothers and Sisters
6. And Should You Perish
7. Flight from the Fort
8. Family, Duty, Honor
9. All Roads
10. Choices
11. Discoveries
12. House Words
13. A Small Reprieve
14. Lead out of Lothering

15. Fair and ill Meetings
16. Climbing and Searching
17. Slothful Endeavors

1. Origin Part I
A/N For some reason I really just felt that the flow of the story
would work better if many of the short early origin chapters
were condensed into one chapter... Most of the stuff is still
the same, just all presented in one chapter. For those of you
Disclaimer: I don't own Bioware, Dragon Age, or the names
shamelessly ripped off of J.R. Tolkien's works. All I might own
is Arnor's character if not his name.
About six months before the Battle of Ostagar
The village of Redcliffe wasn't considered the most
prosperous or the most lively place in Thedas, but to Arnor
Edain it was home. Arnor was a tall, dark-haired, lightly
bearded young man with a decent strength built up from his
time spent in the fields and in the wilds on the occasional
hunting trips. It was during these adventures with his friend
Tomas that Arnor honed his skills with the bow and arrow and
put into practice the wilderness skills he acquired from a book
bought from that traveling dwarf. After all, you can't learn
something like rangering entirely from books. From time to
time Arnor also practiced with the sword his father used
against the Orleasian forces during the war. Loyal, honest,
and reasonably intelligent, the young farmer's son had no idea

of the role he was to play in changing Thedas forever.
Arnor had just finished working in the fields, now having to do
double duty after his older sister left to join the Templars.
"The Templars.." He thought, "The holy warriors of the
Chantry, the defenders of the Maker's people." To most of the
Edain family they were the greatest heroes that ever were,
aided by the fact that every generation at least one child in the
family was sent to the order as per an old tradition. To Arnor
however, they were seconded by the Grey Wardens. All his
life he had heard and read stories of the heroes who ended
Blights and saved all of Thedas. His hero was the black sheep
of the family, his uncle Drudan, who signed up to fight the
darkspawn as a Warden. Many times a young Arnor would
listen to the stories his uncle told him with great interest.
Stories of venturing into the Deep Roads to slay the foul
creatures at their source, of traveling to lands as far away as
the Anderfells, and of the brotherhood and sacrifice of the
Wardens both around and before him. All the time however, it
always seemed like he was not telling the whole truth when,
but this only added a layer of mystique onto the Wardens to
Arnor. It had been some time since his uncle's last visit, but
the dream of becoming a Warden still lingered in his mind, but
that type of thinking was useless, he was the one who would
have to take care of the land after his father passed, he
couldn't think leaving now.
The work of the day now finished, the Redciffer decided to go
to the tavern for a quick drink and maybe see some old
friends. It used to be something he did on a daily basis, not

always getting a drink but always going to socialize with
friends and try to hear news about the outside world.
Sometimes the world seemed so small with only the farm and
the village filled with only a handful of people. Walking at a
brisk pace amid the setting sun and red cliffs, he finally
reached the tavern and opened the door to a warm smile from
the waitress currently serving drinks.
"Hey there farm boy, fancy seeing you here! What can I get
you?"
"Bring me some ale, and Bella I come here all the the time,
you shouldn't be surprised to see me!" Arnor answered sitting
down in one of the empty chairs.
"Yes, but you rarely come this late into the day, and you used
to some more often. You also used to be here before the sun
started setting." Bella replied setting his drink on the table
after being tossed a few coins
"Well I've been working double since Morwen left," Arnor said
between sips "My father says we don't have the coin to hire
extra hands. That's part of the reason I'm taking that job from
the Chanter's Board. Although even if we did hire people
father says the extra work builds character. "
"Character isn't something you really build up working around
here, not with the customers and the boss."
"How has Lloyd been treating you anyway?"

"Truth be told," Bella replied sitting down after making sure
Lloyd wasn't looking, "It has been less than ideal. The man is
a pig who gropes me and pays dirt for my work."
Quickly pushing his drink aside Arnor shot up from his seat
only to be stopped by Bella
"What are you doing!?" She asked easing him back down
"I'm was just going to have a talk with your boss about
working conditions."
"I know that look in your eyes Arnor, it's the same look you
had when you had when Tomas "borrowed" you last cookie.
That look goes before a fight, and I don't think you'll hold back
like you did before."
"You can bet your soul I won't. What kind of friend would I be
if I just stood by and did nothing? You stuck up for we when
the mayor thought I was the one painting on the golem."
"You'd be a friend getting both himself and me into trouble,
and from what you've told me your parents can't afford you
finding yourself in a cell. And besides if it was you who
painted those things on Shale it would have been much less...
Vulgar."
"Fine, but are you sure you don't want me to get Tomas and
have a few words with him?"
"Thanks but no thanks, it's not a good job, but it is a paying