Fade Rift Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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allthisshitisweird2023-05-02 05:40 pm
faderifting) wrote in allthisshitisweird2023-05-02 05:40 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 9:49, and the war continues. An enemy force partially occupies Orlais and has decimated several Marcher Cities, while the Chantry, aided by the Inquisition, has marshaled 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. 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.) an organization, dubbed Riftwatch, that split off from the Inquisition several years ago. Riftwatch consists of these 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. Their goal is to do what the Chantry can't or won't do, to go more directly after Corypheus and the dark magic he employs, and to keep the Veil from coming apart entirely.
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 killing you. 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.
NOTE: This is a static test drive! We post them once per year or so and continue to use them for a long time, so you're never late. Current players are encouraged to track new top-level comments.
I. THE FREE MARCHES: Hasmal, Tantervale, and most recently Starkhaven have all fallen to the Tevinter incursion, leaving Kirkwall the largest city-state in the Free Marches to remain unoccupied. For Riftwatch, that means the war is closer to home than ever, and traveling anywhere north of the mountains runs the risk of running into enemy scouting parties. Perhaps you've been sent out to find these scouts before they find the unwary, or perhaps you're just trying to pass through unnoticed to Antiva or Rivain when you run into trouble. Or maybe you're more in the thick of it: joining the Free Marches armies in harassing the occupying army as best they can from outside the city, or slipping your way into one of them to gather intelligence or meet with an ally.
II. THE WAKING SEA: When Riftwatch isn't traveling by griffon or magic mirror, it frequently travels by sea, courtesy of a small assortment of allied pirate ships. So welcome aboard. The sea is choppy and frequently violent—violent storms, violent enemy ships, or both at once—and the crew may not have much patience for incompetence, so either make yourself useful above or try not to get sick below.
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 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. 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 9:49, and the war continues. An enemy force partially occupies Orlais and has decimated several Marcher Cities, while the Chantry, aided by the Inquisition, has marshaled 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. 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.) an organization, dubbed Riftwatch, that split off from the Inquisition several years ago. Riftwatch consists of these 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. Their goal is to do what the Chantry can't or won't do, to go more directly after Corypheus and the dark magic he employs, and to keep the Veil from coming apart entirely.
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 killing you. 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.
NOTE: This is a static test drive! We post them once per year or so and continue to use them for a long time, so you're never late. Current players are encouraged to track new top-level comments.
I. THE FREE MARCHES: Hasmal, Tantervale, and most recently Starkhaven have all fallen to the Tevinter incursion, leaving Kirkwall the largest city-state in the Free Marches to remain unoccupied. For Riftwatch, that means the war is closer to home than ever, and traveling anywhere north of the mountains runs the risk of running into enemy scouting parties. Perhaps you've been sent out to find these scouts before they find the unwary, or perhaps you're just trying to pass through unnoticed to Antiva or Rivain when you run into trouble. Or maybe you're more in the thick of it: joining the Free Marches armies in harassing the occupying army as best they can from outside the city, or slipping your way into one of them to gather intelligence or meet with an ally.
II. THE WAKING SEA: When Riftwatch isn't traveling by griffon or magic mirror, it frequently travels by sea, courtesy of a small assortment of allied pirate ships. So welcome aboard. The sea is choppy and frequently violent—violent storms, violent enemy ships, or both at once—and the crew may not have much patience for incompetence, so either make yourself useful above or try not to get sick below.
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 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. 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.
no subject
after all, no one had figured out that she worked for the 'good guys.' or as close to good as what existed in this particular Age.
she's impressed with his as well and grins at him because of it]
I can! They say the mushrooms used for the ale here are extra fresh.
[she left it to him to decide if she was being truthful or pulling his leg. easier to blend in that way]
whoops html messup on my part
I specifically requested mushroom-less ale. Perhaps I should switch to whiskey.
[To which he signals the bartender for two whiskeys.]
Are you new to Kirkwall? Or have I been out of the city for too long?
no worries!
Absolutely. In theory, you know what you're getting with whiskey, even the bad stuff. And even the bad stuff is still kinda good.
[she accepts hers with a gracious smile, holding it up so if he wants, they can toast]
No, I'm new. I travel wherever the coin is good and someone's in need for a little entertainment. My ex-wife gave me enough material for years. [and if she ran a few errands for the Riftwatch while she traveled, well, no harm in that] How about you? A newcomer or a veteran?
no subject
[River also raises his glass when Ari does. He clinks his glass against hers before taking a sip.]
And sometimes you can’t tell the bad stuff from the good stuff. So you might as well get the cheap stuff every time.
[He thinks they have the good stuff though, and he smiles over at his companion.]
Sounds like you will be able to tell stories for quite some time. Ex-wife and a fiancé. New to the Riftwatch. Got poisoned so I’m supposed to keep close to the healer involved with my recovery. I’m usually out in Orlais or the Free Marches.
no subject
[Ari drinks about half of hers in one long pull. no wilting flowers here]
Exactly! Unless you're in a situation where people would judge you for it, but why would anyone wanna be around people like that anyway?
[she grins back happily]
That's putting it mildly. My ex was Orlesian, she found me on a tour of Orlesian pubs and fell hard. Then she fell hard for a big busted blonde at the University she taught at and that was that. Josh is a lot more stable. And has a stable! We're both Fereldans from Denerim.
no subject
[River winces. Ari's ex sounds like a heap of trouble. He perks up at the mention of Ferelden as well.]
I'm also Ferelden. Seems hard to find more of us this far North. And Denerim as well? How is the city doing?
no subject
[and at that, she smiles though it's a little pained]
Well, you heard about the mess at the Alienage, right? Other than that, it's doing. Blight recovery isn't fun and Josh's dad died, so he's had to retire from going with me to taking over the kitchen at the family Inn. It's a really fancy Inn now.
no subject
[River takes a long swig of his whiskey, running his finger along the rim when he sets the glass back on the table.
I did, yeah. Makes me sick to think of what happened there. And sorry to hear about the death in the family. Nothing seems to stop the slow march of death, these days. Hopefully, you'll get back to Josh soon as you can and want.
no subject
[she sips at hers, wanting to make it last. there's no guarantee that more will be forthcoming]
Uh-huh. Makes me wonder how the other guy would've handled things. But oh well, no use in fussing over that again. And, it was rough. Josh and his dad hadn't talked for years, there was a lot of regret on both sides. And, hopefully! There's a lot to do, a wedding to plan and all that stuff.
no subject
If you're planning a wedding, what are you doing here?
[He gestures with his head toward the rest of the tavern, but means Darktown and the Riftwatch in general.</small.]
no subject
no subject
I can see that. Guilt can do a lot of damage.
no subject
[the sooner they got off the topic of her missing Josh, the better. Ari knew her duty, but she missed Josh more than she was willing to say aloud]
no subject
[Most people knew of his grandfather, so he feels it's a safe topic to explore.]
no subject