TEST DRIVE MEME!

[faderifting]

I ROLL TO SEDUCE THE BEAR

Tucked between the massive Lake Calenhad and the icy Frostback Mountains in Ferelden’s chilly, hilly south, the Hinterlands are a region covered in patchy forests, small farms, and a bustling fishing village called Redcliffe. The region was recently the frontline of a war between mages and Templars, but the Inquisition’s military presence has restored order and is now focused on helping the locals and influx of refugees rebuild their lives. Whether you’re a recent recruit or a hardened veteran, a Fereldan local or someone who recently fell out of a rift from another world, you may be asked to go lend a hand.

I. FLOODS

A burst of unseasonably warm weather (in no way inspired by real life events) is initially greeted with relief, gloves discarded and scarves unwrapped—but followed within the week by severe flooding across the region. Maybe you’re sent out to help debris from a road or collect the bodies of those swept away. Or maybe you’re less lucky and instead there when the waters come, shepherding refugees to higher ground, or caught riding in the flow on a dislodged roof or log. Maybe there’s a bear on the roof with you.

II. TREASURE HUNTS

Given the lack of banks and lockboxes, when the people here have something they value, they often hide it—under the ground, in a tree, behind a waterfall. So here you are, with a sketch of some landmarks found on a body, trying to find… something. If you find it, it might be useful: weapons, runes, a stash of supplies. Or it might be someone’s box of racy letters and a request to deliver them to a now-married woman who will slap you on delivery.

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.

Comments

1. Floods

[justice_is_blond]

[He thinks he hears something, over the rush of the water, but it takes a few moments for him to spot the source. When he does, Anders stops and blinks. How... It doesn't matter. There's swift-flowing water and rocks, and the guy can't get out of the situation by himself.

He frowns at the water for a moment. A rope will probably get the man more injured, but it's not the only option for a mage. After pulling the staff off his back, Anders casts to start creating an ice bridge out to the rock. Once it's nearly there he's bending and finding rocks, tossing them on top so there should be some traction.]

Try that!

[It's yelled as he hopes very much that this stranger doesn't hate mages.]

[justice_is_blond]

No, I'd not call you polite. Classifying an entire group of people like that is far from polite, and there's nothing evil about magic. A great deal of good can come from it, thank you very much. It's like any other tool; it can be used for good or ill.

[And now he's a little irate.]

You're clearly not from here and the first thing you do is judge? How can any good come from that sort of practice?

Crystals

[justice_is_blond]

That's... a great many questions. The simplest explanation is that magic comes from the Fade, the realm of dreams, spirits, and demons, and some people have a different connection to it. If you want to come by the healing tents in the middle of Skyhold I can show you a few examples of what can be done with it.

[firstminister]

[He's First Minister of France in the days leading up to the 100 Years War, people rarely rattle him.]

I will always judge witchcraft. It is part of my station in the Church to do such.

[gatheringstorm]

That gets her to laugh, as she gestures to Cabot to bring some over. "We'll see about that! And I may have horns, but I'm not a Qun-loving weirdo with a stick up my ass. 'Real' Qunari would never call me one of theirs and good riddance. They're all freedom-hating assholes, anyway."

She smirks as the tankards arrive. "The taste is....well, who gives a shit, you don't drink it for taste. But it's strong enough to destroy insides if you're not tough enough."

[justice_is_blond]

The church. Of course. Why am I not surprised?

[It's always the religious sorts. Anders exhales.]

Here. Let me pose a different question, not that I think it will make any progress where you're concerned. How can something someone is born with be evil and deserve judgement?

[firstminister]

The issue isn't whether someone is born with an ability or not. It is more whether those abilities are used and how they are used.

If a person is born with the ability to commune with the spiritual world, it is fine, as long as they are not communing with Satan.

Crystals

[romana2]

Doctor, you're not... actually entertaining the existence of magic, are you?

[There are some things that are event too much for Romana. But she's President now. She has certain responsibilities.]

[justice_is_blond]

I don't know who Satan is. The only person I commune with is Nathaniel. And you didn't start by saying that how they're used matters, you started by questioning working with us, an entire group of people who doesn't have choice in what we are.

Romanadvoratrelundar II | Doctor Who Universe

[romana2]

III Bears
Romana had been President of Gallifrey far too long. She's a bit out of practice with the whole 'running for her life' thing. (Spats with the Daleks not withstanding.) She had taken to exploring the forest, but had gone in deeper than she expected.

That was when she stumbled upon the bears. Well. Bear. One. And clearly a momma bear recently coming out of hibernation. Probably with cubs still in the den.

"Oh, this is very not good at all. Where's K-9 when I need him?"

She hadn't said that very loudly. But the Bear still heard her and roared at her. Romana gulped, did as much as she could to gather her robes into her hands so she wouldn't trip and started to run.

She found a type of pine tree and she tried to climb into it, hoping the bear would get confused and leave her alone. Unfortunately, it was now stalking the tree and waiting...



IV Crystals
I am Romanadvoratrelundar, former President of the Supreme Council of Gallifrey and all her Dominions. Holder of the Wisdom of Rassilon. Preserver of the Matrix. Guardian of the Legacy of Omega. Keeper of the Rod and Sash of Rassilon. But you may call me Romana.

If anything I just said makes any sense to you at all, please respond.

[And that's really all she has to say about that.]

[firstminister]

I do question working with you. If you use witchcraft, it is the work of the Devil and therefore best to avoid working with you.

[crowncitizen]

[Prompto almost jumps, having been speaking to himself and really not expecting anyone to have heard him. He barely manages not to, but his eyes are wide for a brief moment.]

Oh, ah, sorry! I didn't know someone was actually... there...

[He's hardly been here long enough to tell whether or not her accent is foreign. It sounds different than what he's heard so far, but for all he knows, he just is coming across it for the first time.]

I didn't even know they had bows for left or right hands. [Clearly he's more out of his depth than he realized.] Never used a bow before. I can say, when I aimed with my... weapon back home [Honestly, guns don't exist here and he's not sure if ousting himself as a non-Thedosian is wise. People tended to give you funny looks, and he knows all too well the dangers of being labelled as something foreign] I tended to aim with my right eye.

[crowncitizen]

[This is it, this is how it ends: as bear food. Or do bears even eat people? They didn't really have-

Oh there's a boulder hurtling into the bear. That's - wait, what?

He snaps out of his death-embracing stupor to realize someone's shouting at him, and to see a humongous dog charge at the bear. The beast stumbled back from the blow, snarling in irritation. She lets out a roar when the mabari clamps down on her.]

Coming!

[Prompto quickly scrambles and runs over towards the woman, stumbling to a halt when he's a bit behind her.]

Thanks! I owe you - wait, were you the one who threw that rock at it? How did you...?

[Meanwhile, the bear tries to swipe at the mabari to get it off of her.]

[justice_is_blond]

You've mentioned this devil before, but I've no idea who you mean. The Maker gave these gifts and while I'd not say I have any particular care for Him, I will do the work of the Maker sometimes and the work of my own at others.

[firstminister]

Not loving God is far worse than not knowing who the Devil is.

[What sort of bizarre place has he found himself? He calls out, as if speaking to someone at a great distance.]

All right, You Majesty. It has been a long time since you've played a trick on me, but this is really rather over-doing it. You know better than most that I have a great deal of things I should be doing.

[justice_is_blond]

...What?

[The rather British-sounding person sounds very confused as well.]

I... If the Maker gave a damn about his mage children I'd love him in return, but he abandoned us to the likes of you, religious sorts who believe in persecuting groups to build up their own power. None of this is a trick, not your misguided sentiments, not my existence.

[firstminister]

I don't care about power, save to protect France from a War that I cannot stop. But I am told I am no longer in France. And that is the trick.

[And he calls out again, clearly not actually talking to the other man.]

Really, Your Majesty, this has gone on long enough.

[justice_is_blond]

You believe your ruler has the power to do this, make the crystals, change where you are, have people speak with you through the crystals, and you follow them rather than condemn them? How can that be done through anything except magic?

[A beat.]

And I mean the religious sorts as a whole. There are plenty of individuals who seek power with in it, use it maliciously to those ends, but the Chantry, the Church itself, is what truly gains from oppression.

[mistifying]

Of which god you speak of I suppose it depends. From what I understand the people in this world have many dieties that they give praise to. My people give reverence to the wood and the wood speaks to them as though they were like beloved children.

[crowncitizen]

[He's afraid for a moment that the person won't see him and just keep walking. But relief floods him (ha ha) when they turn around and spot him. He waits to see what the good Samaritan will do to help (Hopefully he won't just leave him there, right?)

Of all the things he expected, an ice bridge wasn't one of them. His eyes widen in shock as it begins to form; he can't help but stare transfixed as it reaches out towards him. Once it's fully formed, with some rocks on top for traction, Prompto shifts into a crouch and slowly walks across the bridge. He doesn't dare stand up in fear of falling over. The ice makes him shiver harder, but he clenches his teeth to attempt to reduce the shaking, at least until he finally makes it over to the other side. He falls to his hands and knees in relief, glad to be alive and out of the water.]

Oh, man. Thanks so much. I thought I was a goner for awhile there.

[justice_is_blond]

[He breathes out his own sigh of relief once the man is safe and thanking him instead of anything else.]

Of course. I'd not leave someone out there. How did you even end up in that mess?

[Because this isn't the sort of stream to be swimming in, not with the warnings all over. As he asks, he's also busy pulling some branches out of the underbrush and trying to get them a little bit away from trees. Once that's done, he'll be piling them and making a small fire for the man to warm up at.]

IV

[justice_is_blond]

What if none of it makes sense to me?

[Because why not.]

[romana2]

Simple. Then it tells me you're not from my universe.

[Which, frankly is all she cares about right now. She wants to know how many people from her universe are here.]

II

[raas]

"Figure we'd just look down your greaves for that one."

And there's no way, no way in this world or any other that Tovi's getting paid enough for that. Still, he grins over. Too many stiffs in this grand shebang. Oghren's a welcome break.

As is the axe. He intends to stand far behind it if any action gets started. Tovi's here because he's good with navigating, and because someone's made the not-so-subtle suggestion that he get his ass out of the inn before it's handed back to him. People are so touchy.

"The fuck'd you get this map from, anyway? Looks like it was written by a drunk twelve-year old."

[justice_is_blond]

Has it worked? Are there others from where you are here?