SATINALIA IX: DA4 EVE

[rowancrowned]

HAPPY SATINALIA 


 

'Twas the night before DA4, and all through the house, we found ourselves wondering, is a nug analogous to a mouse?

 

The writers were fired, Cullen’s VA got weird, ten years have passed, and most of us are still here.

So as our computers overheat, none of them upgraded since Inquisition, we say thanks to the mods, still here of their own volition.

Here’s to a near decade of waiting, roleplaying, and friends, through tags and logs and only a few dropped threads.

May we all enjoy Veil Guard, a Thedas unfamiliar and unknown, though ‘Fade Rift’ has the cooler name, if I may say so.

how to play:

1. tag with a toplevel for your characters. (possibly include division + projects for ease of identifying coworkers!)
2. reply to other's tags with what your character got theirs for satinalia.
3. rake in those approval or disapproval points. we support both friend- and rival- mances.

 

 

 

Comments

gwenaëlle baudin, forces, captain of the guard.

[elegiaque]

[aberratic]

presented somewhat abashedly after receiving ness's own gift, gwenaëlle receives a hand-sewn red handkerchief with an embroidered black trim, the mirror to which stephen will receive shortly thereafter. it is monogrammed with gwen's initials.

the next morning, there is also a sheaf of paper on her desk in the captain's office, held together with a leather cord. it's thicker and slightly less uniform than commercially-made paper, but no less useful.

[extortionate]

Someone's stuck a whole mess of dried apple rings on her bow whenever it's extremely briefly unattended. They already got holes in them.

[wythersake]

Anonymously, a miniature scroll has been left atop her papers one morning. It's sealed quite dramatically in red wax. Unrolling it reveals it to be an incantation of protection for use by those in unavoidably frequent contact with mages. It's drawn over extensively in nonsense sigils, and instructs the reader to recite it every night, to ensure that they don't catch magic.

(It was probably funnier before the wing thing.)

[portalling]

Presented somewhat sheepishly in person: a high-quality sewing kit from Orzammar in an organised case (fine dwarven crafts, care of co-conspirator Wysteria de Foncé). A wooden puzzle box by a Nevarran artisan, about eight inches by five inches, requiring nine steps to unlock the secret compartment. (For enrichment.) Once she gets it open: it contains two folded pieces of paper in his own hand, extremely slowly and patiently done; it took him a very long time to write it legibly enough. The first, a stanza of what he could recall of some very sentimental love poetry, credited to a particular Earth poet, for no one’s eyes but hers. The second: an I.O.U. promising: Cash this in and I’ll step away from work for an entire day, no questions asked.

[inmycare]

One small box of appropriate treats per animal in the household, delivered in person. Most of the tags read "care of Captain Baudin," though Small Yngvi's has (in small writing suggesting it was added later) "and Doctor Strange." He's not entirely sure what Bellerose will want, but his best guess is venison jerky.

[overharrowed]

A small lantern, tasteful but not especially eye-catching. The package, sent back with Guilfoyle if he'll agree to take it, comes with the short note: "I hope find use for this lantern, which is enchanted to glow orange when the weather will continue fair, and red when a storm is approaching within the next six hours. It's a relatively passive way of keeping your home safe, but ... old habits. Happy Satinalia. - Julius"

[wearyallalone]

A volume of Nevarran folk tales, mostly humorous, in the original language. The inscription inside is in Trade: "With gratitude for the reminders to be playful, from time to time. - V Orlov". In addition, for the household at large, a bottle of spiced Antivan wine and several oranges. All of these are delivered in person (though he gives the impression that he's ready to go away again immediately unless proactively encouraged to linger).

[dissolving]

After expressing surprise and delight at having four whole shirts, and pointing out this griffon's too small for her to jump off, Cedric will fish out a pouch made from repurposed sackcloth.

Within is a beaded cord, too long to make its likely purpose a necklace. A hagstone has been worked into the design. He'll explain that they're meant to ward off bad luck and ill dreams. Those are just too heavy to slip through the middle.

There's also a drawing, by a TONI age SIX.

[reparo]

Left in the mailbox (or whatever passes for a porch) of the boat house early in the morning is a stack of papers bound in leather and tied with a string. Inside, there are recipes for potions named Essence of Dittany, Draught of Living Death, Polyjuice Potion, Amortentia, Draught of Peace, Felix Felicis, Pepperup Potion, Murtlap Essence.

The instructions are detailed, but clearly written from memory, and quoting ingredients not found in Thedas. Explanations for what each potion does are included at under the title of each page.

The first page includes a dedication:

To my knowledge, none of these are appropriate for smoking to get high. Sorry!
Hermione Granger

[pathlit]

One of the first set of Griffon Rider Goggles Jayce has crafted based on the designs of a rebel Warden in the Anderfels. From here: The goggles will keep the wind out of your eyes in the sky, with an additional binocular layer that can be flipped down over your eyes to magnify your vision and allow a clearer view of the surface from great heights. The leather strap is embossed in a winding thorned rose stem with the flower itself on one of the ends closest to the lenses. It is accompanied by a spiced caramel and a note: For riding/flying. First set. Feedback welcomed. JT

[laruetheday]

Presented in person but shut up don't make a big deal out of it: a necklace that's obviously handmade and designed to look sorta like the falcon that lives on her boat. Or maybe it's one of the birds? Unclear. Anyway,
There's also a little bag of treats and a brush for Bellerose, who isn't a griffon but is... griffon-adjacent enough for Clarisse to include her.

[grindset]

Deposited on the stoop of Gwen's houseboat is a sizeable bronze weather vane, styled only as obnoxiously as Viktor could personally handle, in an occult sort of way, as to befit the boat's moderately menacing cottage vibe. A sharp-pointed feather quill marks the direction of the wind. Topping it off is a simple eye with lashes like sun rays and a pupil of thick gold-yellow glass.
The note:

To be installed on a calm day — if we can catch one.
V.

In her mailbox she'll also find a little marzipan nug.

[armd]

Left at Gwenaëlle's desk: a ship in a beautiful, sky-blue bottle, the ship of course being an approximation of Gwen's very own houseboat. Obviously Abby did not make this herself; she organised for somebody else to complete it. It is not extensively detailed but the silhouette is unmistakeable. The commissioned artist must have viewed it from afar.

A note: Thanks for letting me come over whenever I need a home away from home. Love, Abby

[sumptus]

On the night of Satinalia, Gwenaëlle is visited by a spirit of contentment. The dream itself may be difficult to distinguish from reality at first: she wakes in her own room on her own houseboat, with Stephen beside her, and everything else in her life just as perfect or imperfect as she's already arranged it (to a certain dreamer, it seemed pretty great already) -- except that both she and Stephen are completely confident they don't have anywhere to be for the next 24 hours, and also Gwen has a flaming sword. Just on her nightstand, in case she wants to do some sick flips or something.

Importantly, this is not a dream of Stephen, but a shared dream with Stephen, for both of them to remember or forget, as long as they're asleep beside each other that night. And while they don't have to go anywhere, the spirit adapts -- they can go anywhere that makes them happy.

[sprent]

Gela leaves the package with Guilfoyle to pass along: it is a beautiful hair pin, clearly sharp enough to be used defensively should the situation call for it.

A note: For your beautiful curls. Gwenaëlle you have been a good and important friend to me this year and I won't forget it. Thank you. Lots of love Gela

[cozen]

From Byerly and Bastien, a small basket indurably woven from reeds, containing two fresh figs, a handful of walnuts, and a fresh cookie with bits of dried fruit depicting Satinalis.

Additionally, Gwenaëlle is given the name, address, and gentle non-literal push toward Pavia Fleet, an elderly refugee from Starkhaven whose hands shake too badly for her to do her own mending. She used to ferry goods on the Minater River and has advice about navigation, avoiding dangers, what to do if you get stuck, etc., to impart to someone who might stitch over some holes in her clothes in the meantime. She wouldn't say no to some medical advice either.

(COWRITTEN BY HOPE)