Party Banter Meme

[faderifting]

In the Dragon Age games, as you travel Thedas with your best pals, they have a lot of short conversations about politics, the weather, butts, etc. So this is the Fade Rift equivalent, in four easy steps!

1. Imagine your characters are on a very long walk toward a mission objective, or on a very long walk back after kicking ass, or standing guard together, or gathering herbs, or working in the library late at night, or something. Anything sort of boring that might make people want to have a dumb conversation just to break things up a bit.

OPTIONAL CONTEXT: Over the course of the month, many/most members of Riftwatch will be sent into the mountains around Kirkwall to deal with some local issues. Details and action scenes will be available when the plot goes up, but feel free to use snowy mountain trekking as a starting point for banter—complaining about or admiring the snow, fighting about whose fault it is the fire kept going out overnight, debating whether those were really bear tracks you saw, etc.

2. Post a few remarks your character might say (similar to TFLN, except spoken out loud and less ridiculous and sexy, maybe. maybe not. we don’t know your life) while passing the time. If you did the gossip meme, feel free to include a link to that here to help people think of things to bother your character about. (If you didn't do it...do it now? If you want. It's not too late.)

3. Tag around to reply to those general remarks or to start new/wildcard conversations! Threads should be pretty short and involve minimal action; there’s no need to turn anything into a big production. Multiperson threads are encouraged. Series of conversations between the same two characters occurring on different days are also encouraged.

4. Gather up all of your little conversation snippets like a bouquet and keep them forever, because they’re game canon. Banter threads can't be used for Base AC, but do count towards AC Rewards points.

Comments

4

[cozen]

Will you be offended if I tell you I have asked after your ship?

[staysail]

Not offended. Surprised, maybe. What's it you asked about?

[cozen]

Only what people had heard, around the docks. The gossip was bloodier than I expected, I have to say—but I am sure that was just my naivety. You are a pirate.

[staysail]

[Boy would his wife not like hearing this but also his wife knows. It's complicated. Darras, for his part, doesn't quite smile. It's not like he's proud. But--]

Fooled you by talking about all the smiling on board. [But, again--] We're fair. There's worse out there, whatever gossip you had. If that doesn't sound too much an excuse for you.

[cozen]

No, no—I do not doubt it. But what do you mean, you are fair?

[staysail]

Do my best to give chances. If we raid a ship, let the crew join up, if they've a mind to and seem trustworthy. 'Course they're kept under close watch, and I don't put my back to 'em if I can help it. They can swim for it, if they think they can make it, though that's a trip that ends in drowning most cases, I'd say.

I made it. But I've a powerful luck on my side. I don't s'ppose you heard that of me, did you?

[cozen]

No, but I would love to hear it now. You made the swim?

[staysail]

I was fifteen, more or less. Didn't have a choice but to swim for it. I'd nearly died fighting for the safety of--well, myself, but I was working sailing as an escort for merchants sailing through Rialto Bay. Beset by pirates, we were. I'm aware of the irony. And I found myself up against their captain, this madman called Iakovos. Painted himself gray every day 'cos he'd had it off a Chantry brother that demons were really gray at their skin. Or maybe it was a slight against the Qunari. Anyway, he'd bit my arm, nearly strangled me, I put a knife in his eye--took with a fever the next few days, 'cos I think there was some sickness in Iakovos' mouth, or maybe a poison painted on his teeth. Woke up half-fevered in the night and these bastards were trying to rob me. And I didn't see any way out of it but to defend myself, again--only when it was done, I realized how it would look--so, I jumped overboard.

Which was idiotic. But I was fifteen, still had a bit of that fever. And anyhow, I wasn't alone out there in that water.

[cozen]

[ He's an attentive listener, eyes narrowing and widening in concern and surprise, mouth occasionally moving as if about to start some mildly alarmed interjection that never comes, until: ]

I hope this is not about to involve sharks.

[staysail]

[He opens his mouth to reply, or at least to go on, but then a thought stops him.]

Are dolphins related to sharks?

[cozen]

Perhaps if their families have intermarried.

[staysail]

Yeah? I could see where that'd get confusing. They look more'n a bit alike at a glance.

Anyhow, I've given it away. No sharks. Just dolphins. Didn't know what they were at first, thought the same myself--sharks--or else something with my fever and blind panic, but turns out they were as solid and as real as anything. Three of 'em.
So I started swimming. Chose to swim to the left, 'cos that was always my lucky side. It was clumsy work at first, with me half-fevered. And as I went, I realized that the dolphins were keeping pace with me, swimming along beside me. At first I thought maybe I was dreaming, or else mistaken, that they were truly sharks and I was losing my mind, but no. And eventually I washed up ashore--hours, and hours later, mind--and my luck had held, 'cos I was on Brandel's Reach. And then I met a smuggler with a knife, lied my way to the Black City to be vouchsafed by my brother called Gareth, a brother I didn't have, mind, what was working on a ship...

It's a whole tale. The point of it being, I've always afforded anyone that same courtesy. If they think their luck will hold, they're welcome to test it. Or join up. Don't take officers, can't trust 'em, but anyone else might have a go of it and--lucky again--might work out.