allthisshitisweird | TEST DRIVE MEME!

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TEST DRIVE MEME!

Surprise, Beartch

Bet You Thought Etc.

Maybe the Inquisition sent you, maybe you came seeking the Inquisition. Maybe you fell out of a rift into this world last week and are still just trying to find your feet. However it happened, early fall finds you in the Hinterlands. Tucked between Ferelden's massive Lake Calenhad and the icy Frostback Mountains, the Hinterlands are a hilly region covered in patchy forests and small farms trying to eke out a living between the boulders. Though somewhat remote, the area is rich with game and minerals and home to Redcliffe, a bustling town on a busy trade route.

The Inquisition has set up several camps and sent personnel to try to restore order to the region, unwilling to let it slip into chaos. There's a lot to be done, some of it straightforward killing bad things, some of it weird and nebulous morale-building.

I. DRAGONS

There is a dragon in the Hinterlands. Everyone knows this. It's difficult not to notice when a dragon flies overhead with a mouth full of screaming sheep (alas, the poor dead sheep) or scorches your fishing boat and makes you swim for it (alas, the poor soaked fishermen). But she's only rarely sighted, and her lair is as of yet unknown, if "yet" is defined as "the moment before this exact moment, right now." Because you've found her. She is, at this very moment, screeching so loud it rattles the cliff sides that are trapping you in her territory and raining fire down over the only clear path of escape. She and her two dozen children don't care if you only wanted some elfroot and spindleweed. They also don't care if you have a sword. You look way more delicious and less woolly than a sheep.

II. CROSSROADS

In the year since the Inquisition's formation, the Crossroads have changed. Most of the refugees from the Mage/Templar War have moved on--if not back home, to new places--and there's been some progress rebuilding the homes and fortresses ruined by the war. Very few people are still living in caves. But rather than quieting down, the Crossroads have begun to bustle. Between the Inquisition's locally stationed forces and the increasing number of travelers and merchants now that the roads are safer, there's enough business to support a tavern with a few rooms for rent, and the Crossroads are becoming a trading post in their own right rather than a dot of houses on the path to Redcliffe--a great place to stop for a drink, to buy basic weaponry, or to unload all of the bear skins you've collected.

III. BEARS

You have turned the wrong corner, forded the wrong stream, crested the wrong hill, entered the wrong cave. Maybe you are far from camp. Maybe you are in camp. Whatever has happened, wherever you are: you are being chased by bears. Did you provoke the bears? Are they huge? Babies? Fade-touched? Mage-controlled? What are they chasing you away from? What are they chasing you into? What do you plan to make out of their hide if you kill them? What do you think they'll craft out of your hide if they kill you?

IV. CRYSTALS

Members and trusted agents of the Inquisition are given access to one of the Inquisition's stores of ancient, mysterious sending crystals, allowing them to communicate instantaneously by voice. It's magic. And a magical excuse to ask everyone what their favorite constellation is in the middle of the night.

Or to call for help because you've been treed by bears.

Either way.

V. MISCELLANEOUS

Choose your own adventure! Hunt game, kill demons, gather herbs, track bandits, haggle over the price of armor, fall off a deceptively tall rock, get lost circling the same hill ten times trying to find a way up to the weird glowing skull on a stick you can see is up there, climb trees or abandoned towers, rummage around in empty homes, run from a dragon, cry over how cute that fennec fox you just shot was, set up camp and chat around the fire, knock yourself out (figuratively, or even literally if that's more your speed)-- the Hinterlands are your Frostback Mountain oyster.

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Waver breathed out, finally picking his head off of Rider's shoulder so that he could look the man in the eyes. It was a wonder, seeing that face again, knowing it wasn't just another dream. He'd probably flop back against it soon, in a few minutes or an hour, but there had been something that caught his attention and curiosity.

"How long has the passage of time been on your end?"

"Let me think. I believe I have been here a little over a month? I had just seen you before that and you had sworn yourself to me."

Which meant his last memories were moments before his own death, something that he was so very aware of. Iskandar knew what that final ride towards Archer meant for him but there was no sign of regret or distress on his face. Just a warm smile that showed how pleased he was with how he had lived his life. Even this second chance at it.

"Bucephalus and I were riding toward him and then we were riding out of water to find ourselves here. It was quite the surprise!"

"So you didn't--"

The words may have fell flat, but Waver knew he could trust Rider to fill in the blanks. Rider hadn't gone through his death yet, a death that Waver had seen and had replayed far too many times in his head over the years.

He wasn't sure how to feel about that fact either. It was a good thing that Rider hadn't gone through that, truly, but where did that leave them? Waver had emotions attached to something Rider hadn't even experienced yet. All the grief, all the hurt, all the low, background heartbreak for ten years, and now this.

In front of any other person at Clock Tower, Waver's reaction would have been a carefully blank face and a simple huh. In front of Rider, Waver simply let his mouth hang open for a few moments before he said, "Time works weird here then."

"Yes. I know what I am to face. I know how that ride ends for Iskandar, King of Conquerors."

No one had to tell him the answer to that. He knew what the result would be. It was something he'd embraced the very moment he'd told Waver to live, the very moment he'd galloped forth. There would be no winning that battle because a number of circumstances had ensured he wouldn't be strong enough for it. That was just how things were and he'd decided to see it to the end with a smile on his face.

What better end for him than with a smile after all? It was how he wanted to be remembered.

Yet here was this boy who was now a man. One who had lived with that final memory weighing so heavily in his heart. It could have broken him but instead he'd kept his word and had lived. Perhaps he knew little of all the details but the fact that he'd lived at all said so much to this Spirit.

"It does. So we could spend our time dwell on what is and what shall be or we can focus on what we have currently. Which shall you do, Waver Velvet?"

Waver wanted to be able to give a reply with some level of wit. Get another drink. That'd be a good response, wouldn't it, making light of so much while acknowledging how heavy things felt. But he couldn't do it, not without the words ringing false. Rider would pick up on it too.

"As much as I know you don't dwell on the past, I think I'd at least like to know what you've been doing for the past month," he said finally. "Perhaps in a quieter space."

"Well I suppose I might have to let you off my lap then."

He laughed softly before finally unfolding his arms so that way Waver could get up. There were a number of places they could go here but the best was one that only he could provide for them and would be all too familiar for the mage. So once he was free to stand, he left the tavern to head out to where his horse was. That same black horse that he'd been riding on when he'd been pulled here, his dear friend Bucephalus.

Mounting him, he reached down to hold out his hand so that Wave might take it and he could pull him up onto it to ride in front of him as he had when he was smaller. In truth he was still a good deal shorter than him which meant this should still work nicely enough.

"We will go riding and talk."

Waver slid off Rider's lap with ease, pausing only to finish his wine. He had already paid at the bar, but left a few coins behind just in case someone questioned if he had paid for what he consumed.

Seeing Bucephalus again was strange, but not as disorienting as seeing Rider had been. Horses existed that looked like Bucephalus, that acted like Bucephalus. Still, he gave the horse a friendly hello pat before taking Rider's hand.

It was a smoother motion than before, thanks to Waver's longer legs and better control of his great long limbs. No half falling over the saddle, just a smooth hop up and settling against Rider. This was far more leisurely than the last time

"Don't go too fast then," Waver said. "I'm not going to be screaming over galloping hoofs."

Trusting Waver to stay on was easy enough as he set off on a slow walk away from people. They did not need to linger when they were in the search for privacy. What better location than nature itself? That was this man's opinion anyway.

"I will not ride fast. We are not in a hurry to reach locations just now and I know you will want to hear my voice."

Smiling as they went, Iskandar let a hand settle on the man's leg. Just to enjoy the comfort of being together like this.

"Now, where shall I begin for you?"

Medical doctor?

[This is, in fairness, the first real spark of interest she's shown that wasn't laughing at him.]

"What happened after you initially arrived might be good," was the suggestion. An unkind thought, one that wanted to protest the unfairness of Rider departing before anything could happen to his person and yet Waver still had to witness it all threatened to bubble up.

He placed a single hand atop Rider's, like that was the thing steadying the bits of anger that wanted to come through rather than Waver's own self control.

Wait, wait, back up a bit. Drakonis?

[ he looks absolutely confused. So yep, that drink's a good idea. ]

I think I'll need more than one drink.

Technically I'm a surgeon but I ended up doing a lot of general practice work—small towns and all that.

[ And he notices that spark of interest ] Know anybody who needs patching up?

Usually Regina's a good bet.

[ said with a roll of his eyes and a little frown. ]

But then again, she'd curse more of us.

No, no - I mean, there are plenty of people who could probably use it, but I'm more interested in a conversation with someone who knows what an antibiotic is. It's hard out here for a biologist. Especially when someone waves their hand over you and then it friggin' works, it's crazy. Amazing but totally bonkers, you know?

[Yes, yes she is a giant geek, hi.]

I kinda went native. ( Apologetic, just a tiny bit. ) Drakonis is like March, roughly, and people here are very tense about magic and there's a war going on, but the Inquisition are definitely the side we want to be on.

( She still laughs a little though )

I think I can handle shouting you a few rounds. Come on.

"I arrived here to find myself in the middle of a battle with demons. Quite the surprise! Once that was done I was moved to Skyhold where I have been spending time learning about the histories of this world. The people here are rather fascinating too."

He held up the hand that had the shard buried in it. Like the one that Waver would have buried in his own since they were both Rifters. It ached for him but his pain tolerance was so high that he barely noticed. He had to wonder if it was the same for the mage before him.

"These have proven to be a link or an anchor that binds us to this world."

Waver paused, his attention going to his other hand, the one lightly holding onto the saddle. Truth be told, he had barely registered the shard and any level of pain because he had been so distracted and overwhelmed by well, everything. Now that he was actually paying attention to it though, Waver could feel the thing smarting.

"Right," he said faintly, turning his attention back to Rider.

"Have you managed to get anyone to follow your lead in world domination yet, or has learning world history been your primary occupation?"

"Far better to gain allies and friends. I am not human yet so conquest currently would bring no satisfaction to me."

As badly as he might want to conquer, he wanted to do so as a human with all the limitations that came with that. Not all could understand him throwing away powers but it was his wish. To be fully human so that it took intelligence and charm to win the lands he desired.

"Besides, knowledge is a powerful tool."

"If you're still in Heroic Spirit form, how are you remaining manifest?"

It was a nicer way of asking if he had contracted with someone else. Truth be told, it was a question Waver didn't want an answer to. Any response that wasn't 'no one' would be too devastating to hear.

"Likely because my powers and form have adjusted to suit this world. For example my dear friend who we ride seems but a horse now. I cannot send him away."

There were still some adjustments he was making to how his abilities worked now. However he had but one conclusion. He was not human. He was very much still a Spirit but in another form. Still a dead man walking.

Waver breathed an internal sigh of relief at that. Of course there were more questions now, questions that only a mage would ask and only a mage would care about, but those could all wait. Waver knew himself. He'd be diving into magecraft and this world soon enough, burying himself in books and refusing to come up for air until forced to do so.

"Interesting," Waver said faintly, his back relaxing from the tension that had suddeny shot up it moments ago.

"And you've made friends, I take it?"

Exactly. And she wouldn't start with Ruby.

( Emma, maybe - but that doesn't explain how she's here and her parents aren't. )

We fell through a rift.

( Which ranks as entirely believable to Emma, because it's not exactly her first time having luck that bad. )

ii. the crossroads

( the journey this far hasn't, all things considered, been that bad. margaux doesn't like farming, but camping is just fine, and better than the prospect of overstaying her welcome in val royeaux. having said that -

she is looking forward to the 'getting to skyhold' part of things, but the inquisition has such a strong presence down here. maybe she can have already joined when she gets there. maybe there's someone besides the merchants she's been traveling with that can take her the rest of the way - make herself useful right away.

a bit of trade, a bit of listening, and keeping an eye out for an inquisition uniform. a nice afternoon, probably. assuming no demons, red templars or apostates bust it up. )

iv. crystal.

( the orlesian accent that comes over the crystals is - educated, but belatedly. there's a bit of polish on it, but it's a haphazard job and the product of picking up the way people talk around her rather than actively trying to sound a particular way, currently. )

( a beat. )

( man, they can probably hear this. )

"But of course! This is myself we speak of!"

He laughed and rubbed the top of Waver's head. He would have to look into getting Waver some friends as well. The boy might be a man now but he had a feeling he was just as hopeless as he'd always been. Some things just were not likely to change without him around. Of that he was certain.

"I am friends with mages as well. I shall have you meet them so you can see what differences there between you."

[ Surprise: an apostate.

Although it might take some guesswork to assume this about Benji. There's no staff at her shoulder and no Templar seems to be actively oppressing her in this exact moment, so what other tells can there possibly be? In her hands, half-wrapped in roughspun cloth, are tied bundles of herbs -- elfroot, dried spindleweed, and one drooping curl of crystal grace -- and she holds them to her chest as she takes a moment to sit, perched on wooden fencing defining the main road through the Crossroads, and people watching.

(She has no voice for haggling, but suspects the prices being asked of her wares are too low. The only solution is to do nothing.)

It's rude to stare. This is probably something Benji has been told and something she has experienced for herself, and yet, the furtive study she gives the remarkable looking elven woman has a way of looking pronounced on her face, even if she doesn't mean to.

Margaux barely has to do anything but accidentally make eye contact for Benji to blush from the ears across. ]

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TEST DRIVE MEME!

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margaux | native original

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ii. the crossroads.