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Fade Rift Mods ([personal profile] faderifting) wrote in [community profile] allthisshitisweird2020-04-24 01:58 pm
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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.

kantikoy: (rn039)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-11 07:58 am (UTC)(link)
Sometimes, since the rifts, they end up with a moment of invulnerability. [ A sigh. ] Hopefully we can avoid triggering that happy little reaction.

[ She gathers her hair out of her face, tucking stray strands away with fingers and a few well-placed pins. Darkspawn are much easier, honestly. A lot less unpredictable. ]

But they're as vulnerable to lightning as most anything, and there is the matter of a spirit sword that can be summoned. So you're not doing all the heavy-hitting.
heorte: (167)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-12 02:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Typical.

In hindsight, Ellis has been lucky so far in what's fallen out of the rifts when Wysteria, Tony and Fitz are making their observations. Tony isn't helpless by any means, but weighing up all the things that can potentially go wrong now highlights for Ellis exactly what may or may not present a problem in the future. (He isn't going to raise this to Wysteria or Tony who will probably be interested in the odds more than concerned by the danger.) ]


How close do you need to get to use it?

[ Cutting to maybe the most important question, rather than considering the mechanics of magic swords.

As he speaks, he draws out the makeshift map they've been passing between them and sketches the corridor they've passed through, marks "demons" across it in a tight scribble. Good news for the Scouting Division. ]
kantikoy: (the second time around)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-13 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
It's a long sword but still – fairly close. Maybe a step or two further back than you, but perhaps not even that far, considering, well. [ She gestures between them; he's taller than her. ] I can still cast protective barriers too, keep us from getting smashed around too badly.

[ She watches him write on the map, tilting her head a little to the side and feeling apprehensive, to say the least. ] What do you think, honestly? [ Should they even try this? ]
heorte: (76)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-13 04:52 pm (UTC)(link)
I think there's a fair chance we find a dead end or a mess of smaller demons around the corner from that thing.

[ Which isn't a decision either way, just a small light shone onto Ellis' thought process.

The Crossroads are endlessly frustrating. For all the pitfalls and horrors contained in the Deep Roads, at least they were finite and somewhat predictable. The Crossroads, not so much. ]


We can come back with a few more people to clear this out. No one would hold it against us.
kantikoy: (that it doesn't hurt me?)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-14 05:22 am (UTC)(link)
I think you're right.

[ Puffing out her cheeks a bit. She hates to turn away when they've gotten this far, but she'd feel better about an ice flask, or something more likely to put a sizable dent into a rage demon than what's in her repertoire. Even just one other bruiser to take things on with them would be preferable. ]

Okay. Let's head back, then? [ She points with her thumb over her shoulder. ]
Edited 2021-01-14 05:23 (UTC)
heorte: (88)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-15 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ The frustration of it is mirrored momentarily in Ellis' face. Walking away and leaving the job half-done in a way rankles, but they're outmatched. He nods, swinging his mace up and shifting his grip over the leather-wrapped haft. As habit dictates, he moves slightly ahead of her, ranging a few steps ahead and to the right. ]

Cross your fingers for an uneventful return.

[ Ha.

Is it preferable to have a quiet walk back where conversation might occur, or would it be preferable to fend off some new form of obstacle? Hard choice for Ellis. ]
kantikoy: (in the garden)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-15 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
I'd cross my toes too, but that'd pinch in these boots.

[ Alas.

Adrasteia would rank 'conversation' slightly above 'obstacle' but then again that probably wouldn't surprise a rank stranger. As it is, her staff is double-checked so it won't go falling off her back and she blows in frustration at newly-escaped strands of hair in her eyes. Speaking of conversation it takes roughly fifteen paces before she pipes up with: ]


Have you been with Riftwatch this whole time? [ Since they last saw one another; since Adamant. ]
heorte: (158)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-15 03:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Adrasteia is unchanged. Ellis says nothing for a moment, nothing but the odd, murmuring quiet of the Crossroads and the fall of their boots filling the space in the wake of her question, before he dredges up an answer. ]

No. I've been with them near two years now.

[ Which leaves a gap of time unaccounted for still. Ellis doesn't assume it'll go unnoticed, but he doubts very much she'll want any clearer accounting of where he's been than Vance had. ]

They're disorganized, but they're capable of doing good work.

[ Doesn't that sound familiar. ]
kantikoy: (a new state of mind)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-15 11:44 pm (UTC)(link)
What about before?

[ Herein lies the difference, one imagines, between her and Vance: she isn't angry at him. Saddened, definitely, and disappointed, once, assuredly, but angry?

No. She wants to understand. What do you do when it turns out you were so wrong in a conviction? One you were willing to die for?

At 'disorganized but capable of doing good work' Adrasteia snorts gently. ]


I should hope so. Have they sent you to the front lines at all?

[ Has he seen the war up close? Their brethren in Grey Warden armor, fighting for the wrong side? ]
heorte: (122)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-16 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ Before.

Ellis glances back at her. He could tell her, I followed orders. I went to Weisshaupt. I watched everything fall apart.

He could tell her I did this work by myself until I couldn't stand it anymore.

He says neither of those things. There's a second question. He sidesteps the first. ]


No. They're too limited in their numbers.

[ This outfit isn't made for open warfare. They're made for mopping up smaller messes, to the best of their ability. ]

We joined the Inquisition in the Fields of Ghislain, but it was only to clean up what the Tevinter forces had left behind when they fled.

[ Tevinter forces. It's ambiguous, these days. Ellis hadn't even known if they'd had Wardens occupying the land with them or not. ]
kantikoy: (I won't forget)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-17 08:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ He glances back; she raises an eyebrow in a query, but then he picks his answers carefully and her question of what came before is set aside. She could honestly sigh about it. Could, but doesn't.

Sometimes she misses the straightforwardness of her childhood when people would just say they didn't want to answer her questions. ]


I've been as far north as Perendale. Seen some familiar faces across the field in small skirmishes.

[ Adrasteia sucks her teeth. ]

I never made it to Weisshaupt.
heorte: (100)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-17 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Familiar faces catches him like an arrow. A tightness closes like a fist in his chest, thinking of people he hasn't seen since everything came apart at Weisshaupt, since he fled in the ensuing chaos.

Did you come across Cathán, Ellis doesn't ask. ]


I was at Weisshaupt, [ Ellis tells her instead, words falling like stones. ] I was there when we got word of the coup.

[ And the subsequent chaos. ]
Edited (html no) 2021-01-17 21:28 (UTC)
kantikoy: (if I only could)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-17 09:58 pm (UTC)(link)
The what?

[ Adrasteia almost stumbles in her walking in some sort of shock. She's heard strange things from the Anderfels but this is the first time the word coup has reached her ears.

It can't be, but she doesn't believe Ellis a liar either. She bites her lower lip and continues on. ]


This is the first I'm hearing of it.
heorte: (14)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-17 10:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A brief, tired smile tossed back to her. Ellis has no desire to linger in the Crossroads, but he slows to fall into step with her rather than range ahead. The vast stretch of crumbling, green-tinged corridors is maybe a fine spot to discuss this. ]

It's been a few years since it happened. And at the time, nothing was clear other than it had happened and everyone fell to arguing, and then...

[ A pause, marked by the scrape of their boots on the stone while Ellis gathers his thoughts. (The scuffles turning to violence, fights breaking out in the dark, demons screeching while Warden mages struggled to keep hold of the tether binding them.) He shakes his head, letting that silence stand in for any description before his thoughts turn to the present. ]

But Vidal was killed in Orlais, from what I hear. His successor as First Warden is Tevene, and she doesn't wear the crown. Tevinter appointed someone else to hold authority in the Anderfels in Vidal's stead.

[ The grim smile widens a little. It's a bare bones explanation, but it's still a lot to take in. ]
Edited (refines details) 2021-01-18 00:04 (UTC)
kantikoy: (looking forward)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-18 08:01 am (UTC)(link)
Andraste's bones, [ Adrasteia blows out, face darkening with anger, arm sweeping out in front of her in a sharp, cutting gesture, ] what is wrong with people?

What about what happened at Adamant, what about being a Grey Warden means ruling the Anderfels? How is that better? How is that sane? [ She puts her hand on her face over her eyes but keeps walking, putting her hand down in the next moment. ] Helping Tevinter take over Thedas by the sword? Helping Corypheus?! How is this any different from...

[ She stops. Swallows and takes a breath. How is this any different from being the worst of the worst. The evils they are supposed to die to prevent. ]

Why is it always power they want? Isn't it enough that we are what we are?
heorte: (12)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-19 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ Adamant punches like a knife between his shoulder blades.

This is not an argument for him, not really. He cannot claim to know what First Warden Vidal had wanted. He cannot claim to understand the decisions of First Warden Vedrix. (Or if she can be trusted.) Whether or not he understands the motivations of the other Wardens, well. ]


Adrasteia.

[ Ellis sounds tired, voice flattening over her name. He remembers the fractured pieces of this argument coming from Cathán's mouth. ]

What do you want me to say? It's not so simple. We wouldn't have fractured so badly if it were.
kantikoy: (keeping my head up)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-19 07:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ It isn't. It's an argument for the stone that the dwarves are certain is listening, for the Fade that has been rent and torn in several places.

It's for herself because she doesn't often allow her anger to become a real thing.

Ellis calls her name and her face snaps towards him before closing her eyes and looking away, feeling chastened. ]


You could lie and tell me it won't get worse.
heorte: (88)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-19 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I could.

[ But they both know it gets worse. Isn't that the way it goes for Wardens?

A lie doesn't come after. There's quiet for a time. A pair of wisps zip past Ellis, circle Adrasteia's head and continues on past them, uninterested. The distant wink of the mirror at the far end of the passage is a relief. Every time he enters the Crossroads, he considers the possibility that leaving this place won't be as easy as promised. ]


We can still do our duty. Whatever that looks like now.
kantikoy: (for the ones we love?)

[personal profile] kantikoy 2021-01-19 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A small huff of a laugh. ] There really isn't much else to do, is there?

[ She sounds tired. Resigned that she'll have to be reactive instead of proactive but it's impossible to know, right now, what is going to happen to the Wardens in the aftermath of Corypheus and this new (to her) information.

Instead of lingering on that she touches Ellis' arm, briefly. ]


I'm glad we came here together.

[ She's glad to see him again, despite Adamant, and glad that he's put his faith in the Riftwatch. She's glad to have gotten the chance to speak with him, too. ]
heorte: (32)

[personal profile] heorte 2021-01-19 09:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Now there's the a familiar sentiment. A grin flashes across his face, breaking through the seriousness of what they were attempting to navigate. What else is there to do but what they've always done, any way they could? It's what kept Ellis moving forward for years.

The single, light press of her fingers is unexpected enough as to be startling, though maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise. She's kind, kinder than Ellis might deserve. His hand lifts to her elbow briefly in turn before he shifts away. ]


It's good to see you, [ he tells her. That sentiment is honest, simple in spite of everything else complicated and tangled that Adrasteia brings with her. (It had been good to see Vance too, for different, less complex reasons.)

Whatever else he might say catches in his throat. He is glad she's here, glad she's alive. As long as that's said, surely the rest can wait. ]