TEST DRIVE MEME!

[faderifting]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Maybe you’ve been around for a while, or maybe you’re new to the Inquisition. Maybe you’re new to Thedas, having recently fallen from a tear in reality and been collected by uniformed rescuers. Whoever you are, you’ve been sent to Kirkwall, to an outpost where many of the Inquisition’s members and allies work on some of the biggest mysteries and problems the organization must solve if it’d like to keep the world from ending, where “ending” means “falling under the power of an ancient powerful corrupted being who wants everyone to bow to him as a god.”

And just to be clear, it would like that. It would like that a lot.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS TDM FEATURES SNOW.

I. THE GALLOWS: The Gallows is an island fortress in Kirkwall’s harbor. It’s been home to, in order: Tevinter slaves, a Circle of Magi, a lot of creepy red lyrium, and now the Inquisition, which has occupied the fortress with the provisional Viscount’s blessing. There are walls that still need rebuilding and corners that still need dusting, but for the most part the Inquisition has gotten down to business. There’s space in the stone-floored courtyards to train or spar, currently covered in snow and ice; or, if your skills don’t lie in the realm of hitting things, there’s a large library and several offices supporting the Inquisition’s areas of research and diplomatic efforts, currently very cold. If you don’t know what to do with yourself, then by all means, ask; someone will definitely be able to put you to work. In the snow!

II. KIRKWALL: A quick row across the near-freezing harbor will take you to Kirkwall proper. The city is built into the cliffs, from exclusive and wealthy snow-dusted Hightown at the top to impoverished Darktown in the abandoned mining tunnels below, where discarded waste is presently frozen into slushy brown ice. In the middle is Lowtown, home to taverns, merchants, and plenty of trouble to keep anyone looking for it happy. And a lot of snow. You’re welcome to spend your free time and your money here—but try not to annoy the locals too much, please, in case the Inquisition's welcome runs out. It’d be a shame to have to pack up and leave in all this snow.

III. QUESTING: Barely had time to make yourself at home, did you, before you were sent away from Kirkwall again—but this time on a mission. There’s a rift outside of Denerim, in the snow, pouring demons into the snowy fields, and the Inquisition has been asked to lend a hand. Maybe literally. If you have an anchor embedded in your palm, you’re needed to close the damn thing. If not, maybe you’re here to fight demons or guard against bandits on the snow-covered road, or to gather samples out of the snow and take notes on the rift’s location once its closed, or to speak to prominent locals (in the snow) afterwards to make sure that they fully appreciate the Inquisition’s efforts. Regardless, it’s a long trip, so we hope you like campfire cooking and sharing a tent. And snow.

IV. SENDING CRYSTAL: Joining the Inquisition gets you access to the very latest in barely-understood magical communication devices—namely, a crystal, small enough to wear around your neck, that will allow you to communicate verbally with anyone else who has one. Or everyone else who has one. Say hello.

There is no snow on the crystal, unfortunately.

V. WILDCARD: The whole of Thedas is yours to explore, from coast to uncharted wilderness filled with bears, and did we mention that there is snow? Anyway: choose your own adventure!

Comments

[letoldthingsdie]

He could feel power from him even as this man approached. It put him on edge almost immediately but he forces himself to relax. The way the Force aligned itself was always loud and clear between people. If this man was powerful in the Force then surely he sensed Kylo Ren's own power, just as any other Force sensitive individual might and flinch away in fear from the darkness in him. This man was either brave, or very powerful in his own right. It made him sit up straight when he made eye contact with him.

"If you're asking, I can only assume I'm obvious about it?" He didn't know the clear relations between rifters and natives, but he had some semblance of awareness to know that the locals were uneasy with his presence. This man was not. "Are you a Rifter?"

[obi_wanmanshow]

"I am," Obi-Wan replies, non-plussed, seemingly at ease. Even his hands were evidence of that, folded in an unconcerned manner, "I don't believe we've met. May I ask your name?"

It could so easily sound like an interogation, but he asks so persuasively, politeness practically like a blade, well-honed. He's sure the name won't mean anything to him-- but even if it does, the way it's given or not, will say much.

Ah, but perhaps that's still a step too much; it won't do to antagonize him in a crowd, where someone might be easily hurt if the conversation suddenly shifts to something less civilized. A consolation then, giving ground:

"It's been some time since someone so strong in the Force came to Thedas."

[letoldthingsdie]

"Kylo Ren." Ben Solo had been his name once. It was a name he discarded without a second thought. He mirrors the man's attempt to be relaxed. Though his intentions were often less than pure, Kylo could be charismatic when he wanted to. He'd inherited such a trait from his father, though he was loathe to admit it.

"I've never seen a place like this before, so I can't say for certain whether it's uncommon or not to find someone strong in the Force." However, he's well aware just from the smallest contact with his presence that this man is not a Sith. That could pose a problem should he deem him an enemy.

"What is your name?" It wasn't so much a question he was asking, but a clear demand. A clear "get to the point" of this exchange.

[obi_wanmanshow]

Kylo Ren.

The name Ben Solo might have bought him a pause. The name Skywalker would have given Obi-Wan a reason to question. The name Kylo Ren was someone he already knew, or at least, knew about. He of course did not stiffen, nor anything so crass as to square his shoulders or make any other overt gesture. Obi-Wan didn't need to posture, he knew where he stood, the firmness of the ground under his feet, and the deep calm well of the Force within him.

"I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," He replies cooly, watching Kylo as if from a slight remove, "And in Thedas, there are only three, so far. You'll find you're quite alone."

cries i am so sorry for this tag *hugs your face*

[letoldthingsdie]

"If being alone bothered me, I'd be trying to make allies. Instead I am speaking to you - a Jedi Master whose legacy has come and gone along with the rest." He was absolutely playing with fire, insulting Obi-Wan and rubbing in the fact that the Jedi were long dead. Most of them, anyway. Rey still lived and his old mentor Luke Skywalker had only recently perished.

"I'm sure you'll find men of your ability are not exactly abundant here either." Instinctively Kylo does square his shoulders, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists. That old anger in him bubbled up to the surface like water that had just begun to boil, hot and angry.

Once upon a time he would have been overjoyed to meet Obi-wan. He'd been named after him, after all. His mother and uncle had told him stories. Having to live up to such greatness made him aspire to it, prompting him to train to be a Jedi. That had only ended in failure. To him the legacy of the Jedi was always failure. He would not fail. He would not succumb to weakness and he would not follow his grandfather's footsteps.

[obi_wanmanshow]

"You're new at this, aren't you?"

He's not insulted, not really. Obi-Wan's been spat on by the best, insulted and called out in a thousand different ways, on a thousand different planets. His former apprentice had been the one to furrow a brow and react with anger. Patience was ever Master Kenobi's first weapon.

"I'm quite used to dealing with Sith. Given the circumstances we both find ourselves in, I'd prefer not to fight, but if you insist..." A one-handed gesture, an invitation as polite as it was casual: this way sir to the duel, if it pleases you, "Whoever you've been learning from has done you a disservice, apprentice."

[letoldthingsdie]

He feels baited and is struggling not to take the bait. He feels as if he's speaking to Luke all over again, his old mentor trying to push him to reason where anger had found its home in him. He recalled that damned apology he'd given for everything he'd done.

"That's only because you have no affinity for the Dark Side of the Force. You know nothing of true power." His brown eyes, so much like Leia's, blazed with fury that rolled off of him in waves and grew stronger by the minute. He was the one who felt insulted. Obi-Wan was a fool to think him anything but powerful, he thought. Snoke had been the same, calling him a child in a mask. It made him angry that these older men who claimed power but were too weak, in his mind, dared school him like he was some petulant boy.

"I have no need for teachings - from anyone. I've surpassed that long ago." He rises to his feet from the crate he'd been sitting on, though he still doesn't try to use his lightsaber or the Force to begin an altercation. The last thing he needed was drawing attention to himself. His temper might make it harder for him to avoid such trouble.

[obi_wanmanshow]

No, they weren't Leia's eyes, to Obi-Wan, who had never met the woman called Leia Organa, nor her brother. Those weren't Skywalker eyes, those were the eyes of Naboo, inherited from his mother and grandmother, and while much of Kylo Ren was owed to Tattooine's Skywalkers, his eyes were pure Padme Amidala.

"You're wrong," He says, only softly, given pause by those eyes, watching thoughtfully, "All true Jedi must contend with Dark Side, all our lives. It's a part of the Force, and therefore part of all of us. My own Master taught me that, long ago."

He had power, there was no denying it. Anger rolled off the boy like a pulse, caustic and hot. Oh he was powerful, yes, but all the power in the world meant nothing if you could not control it. Obi-Wan's feet were flat on the ground.

"Perhaps I misspoke; it's clear that whoever you learned from, did you a disservice. You're unbalanced."

[letoldthingsdie]

If he got to punch anyone today it would hopefully be this man. He was that angry. He felt like he'd heard this speech before, only slightly different. Luke had been his master then. That clearly hadn't been a lesson Luke had learned for himself when he tried to kill him in his sleep for showing darkness in his heart.

"Am I? It's foolish to claim that you contend with the Dark Side and yet deny it from your being with your every breath. You don't accept it within yourself. You fight your very natures as part of your teachings." As for who he learned from - experience had been his teacher. Luke's betrayal had been his most important lesson that he would never forget as long as he drew breath.

[obi_wanmanshow]

Obi-Wan's eyebrows made a brief but pointed journey towards his hairline. They were beginning to attract attention, or at least Kylo was-- busy day in the marketplace, after all, and no entertainment quite like two Rifters having a conversation. Well, a shouting match? Half a shouting match, at least.

"Well, I'm sure you know best," Obi-Wan replied, when the length of the pause had made clear his skepticism on that front. Usually people offer to buy him dinner before claiming to know his very nature, after all, "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

i keep coming back to this tag and laughing please app obi wan back to faderift lmao

[letoldthingsdie]

"No." Though the fact that Obi-Wan clearly doesn't take him seriously leaves him feeling angry and somewhat embarrassed for himself. He felt like a kid all over again. "Why does it matter to you to begin with? You're a Jedi Master and I am a Sith. Why approach me at all?"

Had Rey said something to him? The thought makes him annoyed. Rey seemed so intent on finding the good in him. It was frustrating. He didn't want to be that person.

[obi_wanmanshow]

No, he says, and then continues speaking regardless. Obi-Wan sighs quietly to express his complete lack of surprise.

"From that question, I'm forced to assume you don't know much about the Sith," Obi-Wan's voice was dry, bemused both by his vehemence and the topic, "Or the Jedi Order. We're famously nosy."

[letoldthingsdie]

His brow raises at the sigh, not really caring that Obi-Wan was annoyed. He was the one who wanted to talk to him, after all.

"The Jedi are all dead in my time, so no. I only know what nonsense my former Master learned from you and the imp, Yoda." 'Nonsense' he says, but it's all true factual history. Clearly even the bits about them being nosy as Obi-Wan says.

[obi_wanmanshow]

Obi-Wan glanced away, and then back, as if to indicate that Kylo was yet to discern either the point, or the answer to his unspoken question. But then, he called himself a Sith, and yet made no argument that he knew his own Order, or his enemy's, or indeed why it was in no way unusual at all for Obi-Wan to have approached him.

It was like being part of some strange joke.

"You keep throwing that in my face, as if you think I don't know," Obi-Wan told him, eventually, "But I'm afraid I have other obligations this evening. So I'll be going, now."

[letoldthingsdie]

"He's just like you, you know! Your beloved pupil, Luke Skywalker. You should thank me - I'd be doing you a favor if I got rid of Rey too, just like I did him. The Jedi are outdated, sentimental, and pathetic. Only the Sith have ever persevered through the ages." He's mostly just fuming and saying whatever words come to mind by this point. Why the hell was Obi-Wan so calm? Why wasn't he getting angry at him or trying to fight him? It was infuriating and it made him feel belittled almost worse than the years of abuse Snoke had put him through.

"To think anyone thought you great enough to name a child after you. You're just as pathetic." Is he done slinging insults? Is he done being angry? No, not really. He'd be happy to fight him if his saber worked.

[obi_wanmanshow]

Obi-Wan's first impulse was to say something cutting and unkind. But he'd had a lot of practice quelling first impulses, indeed it was that kind of stern self-control that likely led to Anakin's surviving to attain the rank of Knight.

"Now, that's very interesting."

He quirks an eyebrow and lets Kylo wind himself down, lets him shout his piece. Why is he calm, Ben? He's calm because he's a Jedi Master. It takes more than angry young men to ruffle these feathers.

"I don't know anyone named Luke Skywalker. But I do have a former apprentice by that name-- Anakin?" He says it lightly, as if innocence could have anything to do with that tone, "As a point of order, I never claimed to be great. After all, I'm no Master Windu, or Grandmaster Yoda, or even Anakin; he can be quite heroic, when he wants to be."

Which is usually. Because he's Anakin.

"You're related to him, aren't you."

[letoldthingsdie]

"I am his grandson. My mother, Leia, and her twin Luke, are his children from his tryst with the deceased Senator Amidala." Interesting he has to be the one to tell Obi-Wan all this given he had put himself into exile in the first place. It had been to keep Luke safe while his mother had been raised on Alderaan by a friend of his grandmother's. While he was generally disrespectful when speaking of his uncle, he actually shows a slight bit of respect to his grandparents. After all, without them he would not exist. Without Darth Vader's greatness, he wouldn't have the aspirations he does.

"You took Luke under your tutelage years after my grandfather became Darth Vader." He speaks almost reverently the name - Darth Vader. It seemed Obi-Wan might actually get a glimpse of some genuine child-like joy from him, though it was buried under layers of hatred and self loathing.