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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
[ she gestures at the jewelry as she takes a seat in the suggested spot, tucking her feet up underneath her. ]
If I went into the field like that I'd come out with so many fewer fingers it wouldn't be worth it, but not to worry: I shall live vicariously. [ a light rotation of the shoulders wherein she seems to recenter herself, even if talking about jewelry for several hours kind of seems like fun; the only piece in her possession is a shard of pottery about the size of a sovereign, edges polished smooth, worn on a cord around her neck and thus usually hidden. ]
Way too new myself to be able to give you a tour of the Gallows, but like I said: I lived here and the alienage is probably in the same state it was then. You know how it is when you're Viscount and have to placate the nobility before you can get around to stuff like repairing the homes of fourth class citizens.
[ That's got to be the same everywhere, surely? Meanwhile Argent proceeds to basically outline the plot of DA2 Acts 1 & 2, which I won't be repeating here because if there's one thing I know about Emmrich's player it's that they truly do not need me to refresh them. ]
The Veil has always been thin here - I didn't know that 'til I got my magic, but it has - since before the city even. So when the Qunari left there was this power vacuum for blood mages to slot into nice and easy. [ her eyes flick downward, drawing them back to meet Emmrich's once she realizes that's what she's doing ] Humans don't really miss elves when a handful of them disappear--not that they miss their own, either, not if they're poor.
[ did the nice man want his information with a side of political commentary? maker's breath, he'd better. ]
no subject
For what it is worth, as little as that may be, I am sorry.
[Emmrich knows how he looks, dressed well, wearing an amount of jewelry that appears ostentatious outside Nevarra and Orlais. He won't ask her to overlook that.]
Is there still an issue there? With blood mages in the city? And if you need a lesson on how to keep jewelry on in the middle of chaos, I can perhaps give you some tips.
no subject
Thanks.
[ Propping her tiny elbows on the table, she rests her tiny chin in her tiny hands and looks at him intently, cornflower blue eyes focused. she's smiling, though it's still clear in her posture and voice she really wasn't expecting any of this. ]
You're weird, you know. What with your valuing elvhen lives and all. Lucky for us weird is my wheelhouse: it's a compliment.
[ another of those little shoulder rolls, a practiced centering technique. ]
Maker, we've got to get off this subject immediately or I'll have a feeling and those are a pain in the arse at the best of times. I don't know if blood mages as a gross clotty group are still a problem - at least not more than usual - but with Venatori around...
[ Argent pulls a face remarkably reminiscent (and oddly specific) of a person who has not only bitten into a lemon, but discovered by doing so it contains a live grub. To the best of her knowledge there's basically nothing those dorks don't try to exploit--although she knows the Wardens with them now, if there's anything left of them, have the same mindset. She wriggles her fingers and straightens her arms out in front of her; with the cloth sleeves of her uniform pushed up the edges of inked wings flicker into view on their tops. Apparently moving from that pretty serious subject to strategies on jewelry maintenance is easier; she hasn't talked about what those years were like in--well, years. ]
All right. You've got tips? Teach me, professor.
no subject
[His voice is hushed, and not just because they're in the library. It is a true shame that so many are so quick to categorize beings as 'other.' But he knows he's an outlier.
And he knows that she's right that other topics are much easier. He needs to find out how much of an issue the Venatori are here in Kirkwall as soon as possible, what with the Veil's thinness, but at least now he knows that it's not thinning at a steady rate. And they have a lighter topic to focus on.]
Perhaps let's step outside first, so we can swing staves around without causing issues?
[Emmrich tilts his head to indicate the nearby doorway which he's fairly certain leads to outside.]
no subject
trolltroublemaker in her simply never dies, only occasionally goes dormant.Also, it's childish and Emmrich is too nice to be dragged into such things. Though she knows even the goofy ass flight of fantasy already qualifies as deflecting a little, simply unsure what to say in the face of all this optimism and care for other for other people. So bizarre. ]
That one I'll have to see six, seven hundred times before I believe it, but--
[ A one shouldered shrug accompanies standing and the gesture equivalent of BRB as she heads a few feet away to retrieve her own staff from where it's been leaned up against a bookshelf. It is hilariously, much taller than she is, an effect sort of like a shepherd's crook, assuming a shepherd's job was to like, electrocute the sheep.
She finishes her thought as she follows Emmrich to the door, the tail to his kite:]
It's a nice thought, anyway.
[ The door opens onto a moderately sized stone courtyard; Argent doesn't know if she'll ever get used to traipsing around the Gallows when it represented so fear and corruption in her youth, but this spot, at least, looks both suitable and empty of demon. ]
You seem like a guy who can multitask - I mean, everyone thinks they can do that but I bet you actually can instead of just getting buried up to your neck in stuff kiiiind of started and then forgot about - so can you teach me about Nevarran magic and how to level up my battle stylishness at the same time?
no subject
They reach outside and he wonders, not for the first time, how many of the mages formerly held here got to do something so simple. Her question draws him out of that with a laugh.]
I can multitask, but I've found that attempting to focus on one thing at a time actually leads to more being accomplished, should one have the freedom to do so. That being said, those two topics run in parallel to the point that one will not detract from the other. First, however, here.
[He takes off the ring on his pinkie finger and offers it out. It's the only one that might be small enough to fit her.]
For the purpose of this lesson. I will require it back afterward. The glove helps with grip, of course. But the point is where you hold the staff in relation to where the ring rests.
[Emmrich demonstrates, and while she puts on the ring and shifts her hold he launches into the other topic.]
By Nevarran magic may I take it you mean necromancy, as magic is generally magic. For me, the foundation of it all is the respect in which I hold others. It means the spirits are more inclined to work with me, which in turn means that it's easier to guide them to temporarily puppet dead bodies. Many among the mortalitasi unfortunately assume that being good at forcing control over spirits is an acceptable route, but the Mourn Watch knows better.
[Or should. Even in the Mourn Watch some still choose cruelty. It's bewildering, quite frankly.]
How is your grip feeling?
no subject
[ Her expression is so seamlessly somber she must be joking as she slides the ring onto her thumb; as a mage who favors her staff but still makes use of orb and dagger the muscle in Argent's dominant hand is a little thicker, meaning the ring fits with much less danger of sliding off. She experiments with different holds as she listen to him speak, pausing a moment when a way to at least even out the wild disparity in their heights occurs to her. ]
Here: [ If Emmrich will oblige her, she holds her staff out to him to take in his own grip at first. ] It's mostly in how it's weighted. The quartermaster at Weisshaupt just adored me.
[ The quartermaster thought she was a pain in the ass, but not more difficult than adjusting his specs to work with dwarves. ]
Right. I guess I mean necromancy, but I've seen enough Southern magic to know we think of it differently--it's not just making evil undead to eat whole villages and that kind of dastardly thing. I get it, I think--grinding little people - live ones, dead ones - under the heels of the mighty only works so long. Even little people have a breaking point.
[ If Emmrich's had enough time to familiarize himself with the material differences of their respective staves, she takes it back and wraps the ring-bearing hand around about three-quarters up. ]
From here? Good! But we'll see what happens once I start swinging this beautiful lady around.
[ Yes, she is referring to her staff. Its name is Princess Von Zappenkirk. Esquire. ]
no subject
Did he?
[he asks with continued amusement as he takes her staff and weighs it in his hand. The way she said 'adored' leads him to believe that too is a joke. He passes it back, and much of the amusement fades away as she keeps talking.]
It should never be making evil undead eat villages, or be about grinding anyone under a heel. Necromancy should involve respect for the dead, living, and otherwise. There are always those who will strike out with whatever fragments of power they can obtain, but that is not unique to corrupt necromancers.
[Emmrich knows he has a higher ideal of necromancy than many in the mortalitasi, but the Mourn Watch is different. Or it at least should be.]
Let that be your first lesson regarding necromancy. Respect is key. If you respect the spirits and the other beings you work with, they will, for the most part, respect you. And the first step in stylishness should be your stance. Stand stably, with clear confidence. You are magic. It is yours to wield, and with it we show the world what it can be.