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

[theexile]

"If I am to gather then you will gather too." After all, he might be a Templar but she had no qualms about putting him to work. Still, they had been given this paper for a reason. Besides, she wasn't familiar lowlander texts to be able to tell if anything might be important in this cache they were locating. Assuming that was what was in it. The treasure had been rather vague with just the knowledge that it was something to do with supplies.

Kattrin studied a tree near her, frowning some before walking past it as she spoke again.

"Have you never gathered plants before? Is this something beneath the path of a Templar?" Honestly she was just curious. It wasn't as if she was overly familiar with Templars aside from what she'd been taught as a child. Namely that they were to be avoided, something not possible in the moment.

[paladingus]

Maybe he'd been a bit of an ass to imply that she ought to do the lion's share of the work just because she'll inevitably be far better at it, but he looks taken aback nonetheless. He doesn't think he'd been putting on airs.

"Well, not...beneath it, as such, but there's just no call for it, beyond picking a bit of elfroot if you get hurt on the road. If a Circle tower needs herbs, someone grows them. It's not as if the mages there are going anywhere. Or like they've got any shortage of time." In an ideal world, anyway.

"Does everyone really gather in an Avvar clan, then? Even the thane?"

[theexile]

The look on her face said what she thought about the statement of 'not as if the mages there are going anywhere.' It was no wonder really that the Avvar didn't allow the Templar near them with that sort of mindset. There was no freedom to be had. Still, she didn't comment on the fact, aware her face said enough about the matter. Besides, they weren't here to argue and he wasn't trying to think he could put her anywhere.

At another tree, she ran her hands over some moss then looked at him. "Find another tree with this moss on it."

She assumed he could accomplish that much. At least if his eyes were working correctly. Lowlanders could have such terrible observation skills sometimes from what she'd seen.