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allthisshitisweird2020-04-24 01:58 pm
faderifting) wrote in allthisshitisweird2020-04-24 01:58 pm
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE!
TEST DRIVE MEME
While in some alternate, tidier timeline, the War against the Elder One ended years ago, you're not in that timeline. It's 9:45, and there's a war raging in northern Orlais, where the Chantry, aided by the Inquisition, marshalling Orlais and the faithful of Southern Thedas into a new Exalted March against the army of demon-bound Wardens, Red Templars, Venatori loyalists, and darkspawn Corypheus has amassed over the last four years. Rifts are still scattered across the continent, periodically spitting out strangers from strange worlds with green-glowing anchors embedded in their hands. There's no Herald of Andraste to save Thedas. Someone else is going to have to do it.
You're part of (or allied with, recently hired by, imprisoned by, etc.) a new organization that's an offshoot of the Inquisition, dubbed Riftwatch, that consists mainly of the otherworldly new arrivals, rebels and Wardens, and other people who want to prevent the apocalypse without necessarily marching under the Chantry's banner to do it. Their headquarters is an island fortress called the Gallows—formerly a Circle of Magi, more formerly a prison for slaves, but its new occupants have done a good job removing the more grotesque reminders of that past and making the place livable.
Maybe you're here because you want to help. Maybe you need the money (though there isn't much of it). Maybe you acquired an anchor and sticking around is the only way to prevent your hand from falling off. Maybe you've been sent by the Chantry or some other entity to keep an eye on everyone—they're rumored to be a lot of weirdos and troublemakers. Or maybe you're a new rifter and just going where the nice people with swords tell you that you need to go.
I. THE CROSSROADS: This month, Riftwatch members are spending most of their free time in the Crossroads, a pocket of magic-infused reality that connects a network of magic-mirror portals, called Eluvians, that are scattered across Thedas. The roads between them have mostly crumbled, but sometimes the magic can be manipulated or a series of interconnected eluvians can allow reaching one of the ruined buildings or bridges that now hang like floating islands in the distance. The portion being explored now is also densely populated by spirits trying to fulfill some ancient purpose—which apparently largely entails annoying or embarrassing everyone they come across.
II. THE WESTERN FRONT: Riftwatch is no longer part of the Inquisition or directly engaged in the war that it, the Chantry's faithful Exalted Marchers, and Orlais are fighting against an invading Tevinter and Ander force in northern Orlais. But frequently enough, Riftwatch's business—delivering helpful intelligence, spending quality time with prisoners of war that might have information, assisting soldiers with a rift they've found too close to their camps, or passing through on the way somewhere else—requires spending time in camps. After a year, with the weather turning cold and a dragon occasionally hurtling overhead to breathe a few bursts of chaos onto the army in its sleep, morale is middling at best. But there's space around the campfires if you need it.
III. KIRKWALL: Even when enormous evil darkspawn are trying to take over the known world and you and your colleagues might be the only ones who can truly stop him, you can't work all the time. And when you aren't working, Kirkwall is there for you with its dingy Lowtown taverns, its flashy Hightown establishments, its market stalls and street musicians and cellars hosting gamblers. Or maybe you can work all the time, and you're in the city to do some official shopping, try to spy on a suspicious character, or show a potential financial backer a good time.
IV. SEND A MESSAGE: Each member of Riftwatch (or rifter, or ally) is assigned a blue crystal, small enough to wear around the neck, that can transmit voice messages, as well as an enchanted book tied to that crystal that can be used to exchange written messages. They're secure enough to discuss the war, if you'd like to get down to business, but loosely controlled enough to ask a question or play a game with only a few rolled eyes from people who hate fun.
V. BANTER: Sometimes the walk is long, the herb-cutting is dull, or the watchtower is quiet, and there's nothing to do but talk to the person next to you. So say something.
VI. WILDCARD: From the Gallows' library to the pirate islands off the coast, from Hightown's high-priced market stalls to the bloody frontlines of the war, Thedas is yours to explore.
While in some alternate, tidier timeline, the War against the Elder One ended years ago, you're not in that timeline. It's 9:45, and there's a war raging in northern Orlais, where the Chantry, aided by the Inquisition, marshalling Orlais and the faithful of Southern Thedas into a new Exalted March against the army of demon-bound Wardens, Red Templars, Venatori loyalists, and darkspawn Corypheus has amassed over the last four years. Rifts are still scattered across the continent, periodically spitting out strangers from strange worlds with green-glowing anchors embedded in their hands. There's no Herald of Andraste to save Thedas. Someone else is going to have to do it.
You're part of (or allied with, recently hired by, imprisoned by, etc.) a new organization that's an offshoot of the Inquisition, dubbed Riftwatch, that consists mainly of the otherworldly new arrivals, rebels and Wardens, and other people who want to prevent the apocalypse without necessarily marching under the Chantry's banner to do it. Their headquarters is an island fortress called the Gallows—formerly a Circle of Magi, more formerly a prison for slaves, but its new occupants have done a good job removing the more grotesque reminders of that past and making the place livable.
Maybe you're here because you want to help. Maybe you need the money (though there isn't much of it). Maybe you acquired an anchor and sticking around is the only way to prevent your hand from falling off. Maybe you've been sent by the Chantry or some other entity to keep an eye on everyone—they're rumored to be a lot of weirdos and troublemakers. Or maybe you're a new rifter and just going where the nice people with swords tell you that you need to go.
I. THE CROSSROADS: This month, Riftwatch members are spending most of their free time in the Crossroads, a pocket of magic-infused reality that connects a network of magic-mirror portals, called Eluvians, that are scattered across Thedas. The roads between them have mostly crumbled, but sometimes the magic can be manipulated or a series of interconnected eluvians can allow reaching one of the ruined buildings or bridges that now hang like floating islands in the distance. The portion being explored now is also densely populated by spirits trying to fulfill some ancient purpose—which apparently largely entails annoying or embarrassing everyone they come across.
II. THE WESTERN FRONT: Riftwatch is no longer part of the Inquisition or directly engaged in the war that it, the Chantry's faithful Exalted Marchers, and Orlais are fighting against an invading Tevinter and Ander force in northern Orlais. But frequently enough, Riftwatch's business—delivering helpful intelligence, spending quality time with prisoners of war that might have information, assisting soldiers with a rift they've found too close to their camps, or passing through on the way somewhere else—requires spending time in camps. After a year, with the weather turning cold and a dragon occasionally hurtling overhead to breathe a few bursts of chaos onto the army in its sleep, morale is middling at best. But there's space around the campfires if you need it.
III. KIRKWALL: Even when enormous evil darkspawn are trying to take over the known world and you and your colleagues might be the only ones who can truly stop him, you can't work all the time. And when you aren't working, Kirkwall is there for you with its dingy Lowtown taverns, its flashy Hightown establishments, its market stalls and street musicians and cellars hosting gamblers. Or maybe you can work all the time, and you're in the city to do some official shopping, try to spy on a suspicious character, or show a potential financial backer a good time.
IV. SEND A MESSAGE: Each member of Riftwatch (or rifter, or ally) is assigned a blue crystal, small enough to wear around the neck, that can transmit voice messages, as well as an enchanted book tied to that crystal that can be used to exchange written messages. They're secure enough to discuss the war, if you'd like to get down to business, but loosely controlled enough to ask a question or play a game with only a few rolled eyes from people who hate fun.
V. BANTER: Sometimes the walk is long, the herb-cutting is dull, or the watchtower is quiet, and there's nothing to do but talk to the person next to you. So say something.
VI. WILDCARD: From the Gallows' library to the pirate islands off the coast, from Hightown's high-priced market stalls to the bloody frontlines of the war, Thedas is yours to explore.
daisy johnson (agents of shield)
crossroads.
[ At least she's heard enough about spirits not to be terrified of them. Or if she is, she's hiding it well enough that Derrica can't tell. That's something. ]
But they might not bother us. There was one that just followed us for a while, crying. [ Bleak. ] They don't all want to fight.
no subject
[ offhanded. she gestures with the sword as if it were a rolled up magazine or a yard stick. like 'one [...] just followed us for a while, crying' is reassuring and not extra creepy, like it's not gonna haunt her well after they step back out of the mirrors and into real life again. ]
I bet some of them want wholesome things. Like a body to ride out of here in.
[ she hasn't ruled out possession. she's seen it happen, back home, so she's not ruling it out period. no matter what any native of this place says. ]
no subject
[ True of most people, really. ]
You might not have to worry. I don't know if a person who came out of a rift can be possessed. Some people think you're a spirit.
[ And Derrica is uniquely positioned to deal with possessions, though she doesn't care to volunteer that information. Discussing it with Kostos once had been enough of a start, and she isn't going to start considering whether or not it would be safe to commune with a spirit in a place like this. Reaching back, she adjusts her staff lightly as they walk, trying to ignore the wisps that circles up around her arm to hover close to her ear. ]
no subject
[ it could still be daisy.
if the ghosts wanted to possess someone, anyway. given the fact that on her next step, daisy gets tripped up and careens onto her face, it doesn't seem like the ghosts have terror in mind. ]
no subject
The short oof and clang of the sword as Daisy falls brings Derrica up short, though as she looks back she gets a face full of wisp and takes a few spluttering steps backwards. ]
Are you hurt?
[ As a flurry of wisps break off from Derrica's knees to investigate Daisy's sprawled figure. Derrica follows are a moment, crouching to reclaim the sword before going to offer Daisy a hand up. ]
I've heard the floor is crumbling in some parts, so we'll have to add that to our map.
no subject
[ she tosses hair out of her face, huffing out a breath. well. it's been worse. she swats away the wisps near her, then reaches out to grab derrica's hand and pull herself upright. she's not one to turn down good help, and as long as she's here, riftwatch is the closest thing to shield she has to collaborate with on getting home. better to treat these people like shield agents.
daisy dusts herself off. there's no sign of anything concerning around her ankle where she'd gotten snagged, and she doesn't feel different. probably not possessed. she holds her hand out for the sword. ]
I don't think we can blame the floor for that one. Just some dead guy with a sense of humor that died with him.
no subject
I've heard some of the stone is...well, maybe we'll come across an example.
[ She'd heard thirdhand about staircases that formed themselves and hallways that abruptly ended in yawning darkness. ]
Here. [ Derrica waves her map a little. ] If this branch makes any sense, we should be coming to a fork in the road.
[ A handful of wisps bunch up around the sword in Daisy's hand, apparently board with the map Derrica's explaining. ]
no subject
This would be easier with technology. [ Why hasn't Thedas considered undergoing the industrial and digital revolution in the span of a single year? Much easier. ] If Riftwatch would just get Fitz the stuff to build a drone, I could write the mapping software, and we could send in DWARFs to do this for us.
[ This ignores, of course, the total lack of infrastructure for electricity. She knows this. But she's peering up ahead for the fork because she has her doubts about the reliability of mapping this place. ]
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kirkwall!
She's just obsessed with the little buggers.
[ The fond tone and scrunch of his nose is either a) overacting or b) intentional cheek. But it's good enough for the vendor (or maybe that's just the coins), who pockets the payment and picks up one of the palm-sized rodents before holding it out for Daisy to take, expectant. ]
no subject
[ which has all the firmness of what are you doing here? she reaches out and reluctantly takes the miniature rabbit-guinea pig-monster out of his palm, closing it in her own. she holds it up with a tighter smile at the vendor, then glances around for her mark.
gone. long gone.
she steps away from the stall. ]
You distracted me. [ accusatory. ]
no subject
From what, [ He projects just enough to speak over the noise of the market, tone casual. Not overly hushed, even when he continues with: ] Looking like you were casing that poor man's stall? They don't take kindly to idling here.
no subject
[ obviously. maybe he should have thought of that before he stepped on her game. she holds the nug aloft between two fingers, squinting at it. this is her way out of getting called on her skills translating dubiously to thedas, where 'getting lost in the crowd' doesn't work because the crowd is like ten people. ]
What the hell is a nug? It looks evil.
[ when you're a hammer, everything is a nail. ]
no subject
[ Just like that, any whiff of tension is swept away by genuine incredulity at her terrible nug profiling skills. Fitz glances at the figurine — big ears, small eyes, adorable (if naked) bunny proportions — then skips a dubious look back to her. ]
It's a nug.
[ Said with perhaps undeserved finality before he... well, doesn't elaborate. ]
Suppose you think the capybara's a menace, too.
no subject
[ it's not fair for him to drop the names of esoteric animals that she can't immediately google on her phone. god, what's a world without cat videos? is it even worth living in? she hadn't even considered that before now.
she pockets the statuette. maybe it'll bring good luck or something. ]
I thought Game of Thrones critter lore was all cool animals, like dragons and redcaps. I didn't think I'd have to relearn field vermin.
no subject
Yeah, well, [ A short nod towards a nearby offshoot, one of the wider alleys, before he makes to leave the small market behind. The alley's well lit and not particularly ominous, stucco colors and a few spare boxes and barrels lining the walls, some laundry hung out to dry across the windows above. ] You'll prefer the nugs after you've seen a griffon up close.
[ He thought horses were bad. He's dodged any actual griffon-riding lessons thanks to it being more delegated to forces and stealth, but he's watched a few. ]
no subject
[ daisy would prefer the griffon. at least it's determined to be unfamiliar, not a weird mutated guinea pig cum rabbit that veers into the territory of the uncanny valley.
she glances up around the alley, vaguely startled by the closeness of the sky, the simplicity of the clotheslines. this is the biggest city in thedas, from what she's been able to gather, and it still feels rustic. ]
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kirkwall.
[ The prim and proper diction, dripping with a certain insincerity if you know to listen for it, comes from an unexpected source. The woman it comes from is dressed in worn leathers. There is a bristle of feathered bows visible over her shoulder, mud on her boots, and a half-cocked smile on her face.
There is also a massive grizzly bear about five feet back, sitting on its large rump, sniffing the air with a giant saliva-flecked muzzle. Don't mind him.
Vex'ahlia steps nearer. ]
But-- oh, my. [ She inspects an apple, probably more dotted and marked up than Daisy is accustomed to in her world, but fits in with most of the produce available around them. ] I hope I misheard and that you're not looking for silvers for these?
[ The merchant says something about being out of season, something Vex hardly listens to, as she sets the apple down, talking over him. ]
Yes, I completely understand. But we've a rather large order to fill, unfortunately, you know how it is. Darling, [ she pivots to Daisy ] I think I saw what we're looking for around the corner. Shall we?
no subject
daisy's eyes slide back to the bear, then back to vex'ahlia. no one else seems to be overreacting to its presence, so she smothers her initial panic, and leaves it to the whites of her eyes showing.
vex'ahlia handles it with the grace of someone familiar, so by the time she turns to daisy, all daisy can do is nod. ]
You're the boss. [ she says, decisively. then she shrugs her goodbye to the apple seller and heads around the corner. ]
no subject
[ With a bear-ish groan, Trinket rolls to his feet, following both women away. Apparently he's enough of a feature in this corner of the market so as not to incite alarm, but plenty of people move to give him a wide berth.
Neither he nor Vex'ahlia give it much thought as they go. ]
Kirkwall's a hard task, [ she says. ] I'm finding, anyway. Everyone's constantly suspicious of everyone else fucking them over, but I expect you weren't looking to pilfer some apples.
Vex, by the way. I think I might've seen you around?
no subject
[ not trinket. ]
You're with Riftwatch, right?
[ she doesn't actually recognize the face, but there've been a lot of new faces. surely, she's not alone in that. whoever she is, she'll forgive daisy for that. ]
I was just trying to get the lay of the land. Which you seem to have done no problem. [ she looks back over her shoulder then and opts to ask point blank. ] That bear ... it's following you, right?
no subject
The bear is Trinket, and he certainly should be. Come here, buddy, [ is more directly towards the bear, slowly enough for him to catch up and amble up beside her. She puts her hand down on his big head while he peers around her at Daisy. ]
He's harmless.
[ She skritch-skritches his head. ]
But yes, I am with Riftwatch. Not that some of us had very much say in it.
no subject
[ He might choose to be harmless, but he is not really harmless, right? That's an important distinction. Daisy surveys him with some considerable suspicion and discomfort. As much as it might also draw some gawkers with cell phones, a bear like this in LA could clear out a building. The market still moved with ease. ]
Did he ... Is he a person? [ It seems more believable than the Disney princess alternative. Some poor guy who transforms into a bear and couldn't get back. That's logical, right? ]
@ crossroads
[ She lifts her eyebrows slightly at her question. ]
But, I'm fresh out of Šljivovica to offer them, so I guess we're doing it the hard way. Yay.
[ Two deadpan sarcasm champs, right here. ]
no subject
Let's round to an even ten and call it good. [ Just in case she's missing some. ] What's Sliv — Silj — [ She makes a face, shakes her head. ] What's that?