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allthisshitisweird2018-02-21 08:03 pm
faderifting) wrote in allthisshitisweird2018-02-21 08:03 pm
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE MEME
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.
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; 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. 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.
II. KIRKWALL: A quick row across the harbor will take you to Kirkwall proper. The city is built into the cliffs, from exclusive and wealthy Hightown at the top to impoverished Darktown in the abandoned mining tunnels below. In the middle is Lowtown, home to taverns, merchants, and plenty of trouble to keep anyone looking for it happy. You’re welcome to spend your free time and your money here—but try not to annoy the locals too much, please, in case their welcome runs out. It’d be a shame to have to pack again so soon after arriving.
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 Markham, pouring demons into the 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 road, or to gather samples and take notes on the rift’s location once its closed, or to speak to Markham’s nobility 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.
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.
V. WILDCARD: The whole of Thedas is yours to explore, from coast to uncharted wilderness filled with bears. Choose your own adventure!
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.
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; 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. 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.
II. KIRKWALL: A quick row across the harbor will take you to Kirkwall proper. The city is built into the cliffs, from exclusive and wealthy Hightown at the top to impoverished Darktown in the abandoned mining tunnels below. In the middle is Lowtown, home to taverns, merchants, and plenty of trouble to keep anyone looking for it happy. You’re welcome to spend your free time and your money here—but try not to annoy the locals too much, please, in case their welcome runs out. It’d be a shame to have to pack again so soon after arriving.
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 Markham, pouring demons into the 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 road, or to gather samples and take notes on the rift’s location once its closed, or to speak to Markham’s nobility 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.
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.
V. WILDCARD: The whole of Thedas is yours to explore, from coast to uncharted wilderness filled with bears. Choose your own adventure!
Clifford Norman | Wilde Life
Cliff had spent the last week feeling out of place.
For the better part of the last half of a year, he'd been having to adjust to the new shit he'd learned since being found on the doorstep of Oscar's house. Witches, ghosts, giant....whatevers, all of it. But he'd been managing because there'd been some semblance of normalcy, and he realized now that that was what had kept him sane through it all. This place? This place was his home on crack, where there was no facade of normal, just...
This. All out in the open. It was a lot.
And they knew. They knew about what he could do, and he was pretty sure they were considering him something that could be helpful, maybe, to their cause, but the warnings from Eliza of 'do not bite humans' echoed in his head. If he was to do whatever the hell they were going to ask of him, he knew he needed to figure out more than just shifting into a wolf to be helpful, since it sounded like they were dealing with more than just monsters he could sink his teeth into. Cliff wasn't big on cooperation, but he also wasn't big on getting thrown out on his ass and left to fend for himself.
It was why he was in the sparring area, eying the weaponry. He had seen more of this shit over the last week than he had all his life, and admittedly it was the one thing that felt like it might be interesting. Picking up a shortsword, he tested the blade in his hand and, after checking no one was near him, took a swipe, trying to mimic the shit he'd seen in movies.
His stance and technique were, unsurprisingly, terrible. That didn't stop him from trying again, because, honestly? This was more fun than he expected.
III. Questing
It'd been meant to be an easy job. A training job. Go out with the group, gather supplies, return. Cliff hadn't even kicked up much of a fuss about having to trudge along to do it, because Kirkwall? Kirkwall was so big he was legitimately starting to feel like it was stifling a bit. Fuck, if you told him he'd miss Podunk a few weeks ago, he would've called you nuts.
He felt more at home on the road. He made it crystal clear what he could do with the people he was traveling so they didn't go after him in fear if he needed to do it, and honestly, it felt weirdly good that it felt like most of them were more curious than anything.
(It probably helped that this place had...he guessed some magic users could shift into animals, so he's honestly been explaining it like than instead of being a werewolf. From what he read in the books in the library, they had the same reputation in this world as they did in his. Saying he could use magic somehow made things easier.)
And he did shift, in fact, as they got near the area they were gunning for. Walked along side them as his wolf form (which still startled some of them, much to his amusement, and he just casually kept the conversation going as he walked), because he knew his senses were sharper this way. Being a guard also meant while people did shit, all the heavy lifting and picking through remains or whatever, he could get away with literally only keeping eyes and ears on the perimeter for anything that might come at them from the treeline.
Not a bad gig, honestly.
V. Wildcard
[want this big red wolf somewhere? go for it]
Gallows
This kid looks pretty out of place, waving that sword around in a way that doesn't give Daniel the impression he knows what he's doing. Not that Daniel is all that great with a sword, but at least he knows a thing or two about fighting technique.
He is, admittedly, about twice the size and age of this kid, and might look like a rather intimidating opponent, so he makes sure to smile and look as non-scary as possible when he asks.
Re: Gallows
Few minutes of just trying to at least learn the weight of the sword and he's probably not doing much better than when he first started, especially if he went by the slightly awkward smile on the face of the guy he just realized had approached him said anything. He instantly reminded him of Oscar, and Cliff reacted in the same way he did to him and anyone else - with a marked indifference and obvious bravado only a teenager could have in the face of, well, everything.
"Me and you?" he asked, raising a brow. "Yeah, okay. I don't usually fight with these, but - shit, why not, right?"
no subject
"That's alright, neither do I, but I suppose we have to learn," he answers with a shrug, testing the weight of the sword in his hand. It's not that he's never held a sword before - it's just that it's usually in a slightly more archaeological context.
"I'm Daniel, I'm new around here," he introduces himself.
no subject
Not that he cared or anything (he did, of course).
"Cliff," he said in response, motioning for him to lead. Like hell he knew how this all worked. He shrugged then, adding, "I just showed up last week. This place is...a lot different than what I'm used to. Didn't really see people running around with swords back home unless they're crazy."
Or Eliza, who, well - yeah, she fit that bill, actually. Of course, she also was using that thing to deal with his town's monsters, so maybe it was appropriate that was the only time he'd seen any kind of weapon like this outside of an antique store.
no subject
"If you wanted to kill people, guns were a lot quicker," he says. He personally doesn't care for them, but that doesn't mean he hasn't used them. Rather a lot more than he's ever wanted to, really.
"Where are you from?" he asks, stepping forward and swinging towards him rather slowly, warming up and getting used to the movements.
no subject
"Did you have one when we you got here and it got bricked somehow? My phone's a damn paperweight," he said, looking mildly annoyed at that (he'd saved up so long for that stupid thing). Eying his stance, he wordlessly followed his lead, adopting a similar one. It felt like he was more stable with the weapon already, which was a good indication this is how he was supposed to be standing.
It also helped him block the swing coming at him when he got close enough, replying in kind with his own, probably easy to dodge swing. It was actually pretty satisfying already, all things considered. "...Oklahoma. 2015, if that matters."
It did, from what he'd seen so far, among people actually from Earth. Some people weren't, and he had a hard time guessing sometimes which was which. It was like this place was aiming to fuck with his head a little.
no subject
"Huh. 2004 for me. Colorado technically, but I was a bit all over the place." All over the galaxy technically, but he usually saves that for later in a conversation.
They're actually doing something that could qualify as sparring now, trading swings, blocking and dodging. Still fairly badly, admittedly.
Questing
The red wolf walking beside him, for instance, as they venture out to gather supplies.
But surprised though he might be, mostly, Newt is fascinated. The magic here sometimes resembles his own and sometimes not. Getting to witness and study the differences has proven one of the most exciting aspects of being stuck here.
But also, there's a young man who's shifted into a wolf and still seems capable of human speech walking beside him.
"Is it more comfortable to walk as a wolf?" He can't help but ask. He has many questions he'd like to ask, but this seems like a good place to start.
Re: Questing
Yeah, it made him uneasy. He huffed out a breath at the question, which sounded awful like a dog version of a sigh. At least this guy wasn't being like Darcy.
"It's not really better or worse. Not when I'm walking," he replied, trotting along at an easy pace. "Running is a different story. But right now I'm just making sure we don't get jumped by who knows what the hell is out here so I don't need to worry about everyone keeping up with me."
It was only then he glanced over, just to shoot him a look that was legitimately could be called a wolfish smirk. Just because it was weird as hell being asked questions didn't mean he wouldn't brag.
no subject
"Good plan," he says, nodding. "Does it hurt, shifting?" He knows, for Animagus and werewolves in his world, the process is painful and unpleasant to the extreme.
He arches an eyebrow at the smirk, wolfish, obviously, but Newt also thinks there's something of adolescence in that grin as well. But perhaps adolescent and wolfish smirks have always been the same.
no subject
"No, not at all," he replied, honestly. How little he understood the workings of it all himself was frustrating, and now he wondered if he was ever going to find out without Eliza around, as much as he hated to admit he needed her. "...Fuck, it's kind of hard to explain, honestly? I want to become it and it happens. And when I want to be human, I can do that too."
He nearly said it always was this way, but wisely doesn't. He still was trying to keep up appearances this was magic, not some innate part of him, after all.
no subject
He listens to the young man explain his situation, utterly fascinated. To be able to change at will, like an Animagus, takes practice and studying, lots of it. From what his companion says, he can manage it with relative ease.
"That's a very particular sort of magic," he observes. "Did you study it long to be able to change at will, or is it something that comes naturally?"
no subject
"I don't really know much about why I can do it, just that I can. Runs in the family, I guess," he shrugged. He helpfully omitted the fact the only person who could've taught him fucked off somewhere and he figured it out himself, that probably sounded too much like absolutely no magic was involved. "I know people here can turn into other stuff, spiders and whatever, but this is it for me. No pain and I can change when I want - only issue back home were normal people didn't know shit about people like me. There was the normal world and then there was the shit I saw happening. It's...easier here."
People were more open to the point people at least knew magic existed. Even if they were treated like shit, at least most people weren't completely in the dark about it.
no subject
There is so much variety to be found among the magic in this Thedas, both from the mages here and his fellow rifters. Newt finds that he wants to study all of it, as much as he can, when he has the chance, in between his work for the Inquisition itself.
"I can imagine," he says, softly. Back home, he had to contain the use of his magic so that non-magical people wouldn't be exposed to their secrets. Here, he can be open with his magic, but he's still considered strange, at the most polite by some, and worse by others.