TEST DRIVE MEME!

[faderifting]

What if there is no tomorrow?

Only more Hinterlands

Maybe the Inquisition sent you, maybe you came seeking the Inquisition. Maybe you fell out of a rift into this world last week and are still just trying to find your feet. However it happened, the first days of the new year find you in the Hinterlands. Tucked between Ferelden's massive Lake Calenhad and the icy Frostback Mountains, the Hinterlands are a hilly region covered in patchy forests and small farms trying to eke out a living between the boulders. Though somewhat remote, the area is rich with game and minerals and home to Redcliffe, a bustling town on a busy trade route.

Lately the Hinterlands have also been full of mages and templars and rifts, all threatening to turn once-peaceful countryside into a dangerous warzone. The Inquisition has set up several camps and sent personnel to try to restore order to the region, unwilling to let it slip into chaos. There's a lot to be done, some of it straightforward killing bad things, some of it weird and nebulous morale-building.

STILL WITH ADDED SNOW AND NOW ALSO ADDED KINDNESS TO ANIMALS (MOSTLY).

1. IF I GET SCARED, YOU'RE ALWAYS AROUND

You have turned the wrong corner in the snow, forded the wrong stream in the snow, crested the wrong hill in the snow, entered the wrong cave in the snow. Maybe you are far from camp, in the snow. Maybe you are in camp, which is also snowy. Whatever has happened, wherever you are: you are being chased through the snow by bears. Did you throw a snowball at the bears? Are they huge and snow-dusted? Babies burrowing through the snow drifts and coming for your ankles? Fade-touched in addition to snow-touched? Controlled by cold mages who are hiding in the snow? Popping up out of the snow like a game of whack-a-mole? What are they chasing you away from in all of this snow? What are they chasing you into, other than more snow? What warm things do you plan to make out of their hide if you kill them in the snow? What do you think they'll craft out of your hide if they kill you in the snow? P.S. It's still snowy.

2. THEY SAY WE'RE YOUNG AND WE DON'T KNOW

The Inquisition has, possibly, been a little too good at dealing with the Hinterlands' bear problem, and a group of concerned citizens--including young burgeoning naturalists, farmers concerned about the effect an unchecked population of rams may have on their crops come spring, and at least one woman who claims to be directly descended from bears--has taken issue. Maybe they're blocking your character's attempt to enter a bear-infested area. Maybe they've doused your character in bear blood. Maybe the bears they have been working so hard to save have cornered them in the wilderness and they're changing their tunes.

3. WITH YOU I CAN'T GO WRONG

The Inquisition's (cough Leliana's) habit of communicating by raven works out fine, usually, but this particular raven has gone a little rogue. It's not the raven's fault! She's young, she's trying. But she has very important information tied to her leg, and instead of delivering it, she's joined a flock of identical wild ravens to hunt for food in the snow. Recover her, somehow, without hurting her and making any spymistresses angry.

4. BEFORE IT'S EARNED, OUR MONEY'S ALL BEEN SPENT

The tavern at Redcliffe remains as busy as ever, filled with locals, travelers, and Inquisition members. But this month in addition to the usual free-flowing ale and rowdy conversation there is also a contest going on. Bakers have come from across the Hinterlands bearing their very best in an effort to win a coveted ribbon and the title of Best Cake. They pack the tavern and spill out into the surrounding courtyard when the weather allows, cakes sold off tables, out of packs, small chunks given away to whoever is passing and not paying enough attention to refuse. The votes are carefully guarded by several serious looking fellows in the back corner of the tavern. In addition to traffic issues, the cake madness has also caused an infestation of large local rodents, who have appeared out of their holes to devour the many crumbs. Legend has it that if they can be humanely eradicated from the tavern before the final vote is cast, spring will come early. No one in living memory has succeeded, but you are strongly encouraged to try anyway.

5. AIN'T NO HILL OR MOUNTAIN WE CAN'T CLIMB

Hunt game so you can rescue it before other hunters get there, kill demons or maybe just try to hug it out?, dig under the snow for herbs or plant some of your own to replace what others have taken, track bandits through the snow and see if they need a hand, deal with someone charging extortionist coat prices now that it's snowing and convince them to do the right thing, fall off a deceptively tall rock into the snow and admit it was your own fault, get lost circling the same hill ten times trying to find a way up to the weird glowing skull on a stick you can see is up there in the snow so that you can give it a decent burial, climb trees or abandoned towers covered in snow and be careful not to knock them down, rummage around in empty homes to get out of the snow but leave a nice apology note, run from a dragon in the snow and promise not to trespass on its territory again, definitely don't kill any fennec foxes, set up camp and chat around the fire about your feelings because it's snowy and cold, give yourself a pat on the back (figuratively, or even literally if that's more your speed)-- the Hinterlands are your playground.

Comments

[kremdelacreme]

Probably rude of him to immediately think it, but he had to ask, "are you another one of the Ashara?" After all, they basically had the Ashara clan coming out of their ears by now.

Don't worry small suspicious elf, he won't kill you. He has better things to do and Beleth would never forgive him if he did.

"Maintaining a patrol here, keeping the bandits in line. Inquisition interests," he explained, then glanced down at the dead bear. "Feeding people."

[doneisdone]

Teren watched her carefully, a small smile playing onto her thin mouth. She shook her head.
"I know a desperate apostate when I see one, child," she explained, "had that been the case, I would not have approached at all."

[doneisdone]

"Aye," Teren sighs, with an air of acknowledgment, "I understand your lot are few and far between." She takes a sip from her mug and seems to relax slightly, but her eyes continue to flick shrewdly towards the man.

"What brings you to the Hinterlands, then?"

[bookish_lioness]

"An apostate meaning... an unruly mage?" she asked, putting the proper definition of the word in context as best as she could. "Are they generally dangerous, or are they just anti-Templar?"

[writteninblood]

"Uh," for a moment he's once again taken aback, and then Sorrel cocks his head, shifts his weight, and smiles, "Yes, I am."

He was surprised, but when he thought about it, it made sense. Practically an entire generation of young Ashara had left to join the Inquisition: was it any great shock that they were known?

"I'm Sorrelean Ashara. You know my kin?"

5.

[nockpoint]

[ he's found in his time so far in this strange place that it is better to remain material than it is not. there's no shortage of mana in the air, water, plants, every speck of dirt and every living thing in this world he's found himself in, so it is no longer a concern that he will simply fade away, but each time he returns to a purely spiritual form, the world beyond the physical one seems to tug at his very core, trying to pull him apart and dissipate him into the void. normally, he would allow such a thing to happen, were he still a thrall to the counter force and not in command of his own faculties, but he is, definitely aware and in control.

so he stays in his physical body, and has to travel on foot from place to place, which is how he happens to be a scant 3 feet away from that snow bank terra just fell straight into. at least he's in bright red, so she doesn't have to worry about not seeing him, i suppose. as soon as she gets her head unburied she'll be able to see him standing over her, silently offering a hand to help her up, his expression bemused. ]

[iknowlove]

[ Maybe she should just say in the snow forever. It'd be a fitting fate, wouldn't it? Poor lost girl escapes servitude, dies in snow, body perfectly preserved until it all thaws. She shakes her head to clear the thoughts as she bursts free of the snow drift, gasping as though she had been holding her breath underwater. It's a moment before her vision clears and she sees a hand in front of her.

Oh. Oh, no, someone was witness to that.

Sheepishly she reaches out to take his hand but she stops, gasping in shock once they make contact. Her eyes lift, wide and surprised, as she stares at the man in red. ]

You aren't from this place.

[ And hello to you too. ]

[nockpoint]

[ its okay, he won't judge. much. can't expect all humans to have super elegant grace and miniskirts and whatever, you know? honestly probably the only one who can pull off elegant and miniskirts while jumping off cliffs at the same time is rider. ]

And what makes you say that?

[ still, her weird response to taking his hand doesnt stop him from gripping hers and easily pulling her out of the snowbank and to her feet. ]

[iknowlove]

[ Well now he's just showing off.

Terra rights herself once she has solid ground beneath her feet again, and despite the fact that she was now incredibly damp from head to toe, she wasn't shivering. Her focus was sharp, clear, and all centered on the hand she had yet to let go of. ]

The spirits are agitated by your presence. I don't think they appreciate having you around.

[nockpoint]

[ he is definitely showing off, yep.

archer glances down at her fingers clasped around his hand, expression distant, raising his eyebrows when he looks up at this girl's face. ]

Hm. Can't they recognize their own kind?

[ I MEAN, sure, he's in his own human body (or a version of it) but he's still a spirit at the end of the day. ]

[iknowlove]

That's just the problem. You're like them, but you're not them...

[ Her brow furrows and she finally lets go of his hand in order to bring it up to press against her temple. What was he? Who was he? He didn't feel like any of the spirits she had ever spoken to. He was... bigger, somehow, in his presence.

She wasn't sure how to feel about it. ]

Who... are you?

[nockpoint]

Archer.

[ he doesn't stop watching her, but adjusts his stance, folding his arms across his chest as the snowflakes stick to his shroud and invisibly in his hair. she asked who he was, not what, and for now his class is the only identity he has to give. ]

I imagine what they don't like is the human form.

[iknowlove]

Archer.

[ The word is foreign on her lips, strange to say. It doesn't sound like any name she's heard before, and it certainly isn't the name of a spirit of Thedas. Her lips purse together as she thinks on it, her eyes squeezing tight as she tries to block her surroundings. A spirit, but not a spirit. Human, but not human.

What was he? ]

That is no spirit's name. I've heard rumors but-- did you fall through the hole in the sky?

[nockpoint]

Technically, Archer is a Class — a title, if you will.

[ secrecy is the very core of the grail wars, but... there is no grail here, and she should not have been able to tell he was a servant in the first place, so it's not like it matters much. ]

Something like that, I think. This isn't a timeline I should be in, if it's a proper timeline at all.

[iknowlove]

[ There's a moment's hesitation before Terra takes a small step closer in order to peer up at him, eyes large and curious as she stares. He's so... strange. She's heard the word "exotic" be applied to people before, and she wonders if this is what it means. ]

You're so...

[ She lifts a hand, hovering it near his chest but not touching, simply... feeling. ]

You have a strength I've never felt. You'll need to be careful in these lands.

[nockpoint]

[ archer keeps watching her, grey eyes unreadable, all the color that was in them once burned out by his own magecraft, the same way it burned the color out of his hair, seeped into his skin. this is an odd turn of events, a simple act of consideration turning into a warning and unearthing new questions to be answered. ]

... Careful of what? [ even with his lower stats, he's still well beyond the majority of humanity's capabilities, and can defend himself well if need be from that. perhaps she's speaking of the spirits? it's true, this incarnation is only a copy of his true self, but... really, the worst that could happen is he'd die, and fade away, right? ]

[samahl]

"If you traveled through the Fade, then yes. Spirits as well." He frowns a bit at her questions. "I'm sorry I'm not the best at explaining the nature of spirits. There are people involved with the Inquisition who might be able to answer those questions."

[samahl]

"My harem? It sort of defeats the point of having more than one lover if they're jealous when I add one more, doesn't it?" he asks, teasing a bit. He's also careful not to deny that he has many lovers. He doesn't want to pretend to be anything else when he talks to Sorrel. "I know. She's protective. That's a good quality."

[writteninblood]

"Oh we're all doomed if you're using logic and planning, now. You have to tell me all about it, sometime," There's that relaxed sarcasm, come back again from under its rock, "Where is Beleth? I-- she was writing to me, for a while, but the letters slowed down. Then they stopped. I know mail's not always reliable, especially when we're on the move, but..."

But when you love someone unconditionally, you worry. If you're Sorrel, you worry regardless.

[samahl]

"Oh, she's around. We can try to look for her?" He'll have to go to an officer and see if she was given a particular assignment.

[iknowlove]

[ She can feel it, can tell he's more than capable of taking care of himself, but Terra still finds it in her to want to be protective. Because he's a spirit? From another world? Maybe just because he's different, an anomaly, and that speaks to her. She bites the inside of her lip as she brings her hand back to herself and she lets out a small breath. ]

There are people here, powerful people, who would love nothing more than to subdue you and use your abilities for their own ends. All because you are unique.

[ Speaking from just a little (aka 18 years of) experience. ]

[nockpoint]

[ ah. well, she's not wrong, and the concern is sweet, but... well. it would be unkind to simply brush off her warning with a dismissal. she hasn't tried anything like what she's warning against, and an explanation wouldn't be amiss either. ]

When a magus sumons a Servant like myself, that is usually their intent to begin with. I have dealt with their kind before, it's nothing for me to worry about.

[ after all, the only thing keeping him from letting himself die and fade away here is simple curiosity. ]

But you'll get sick, staying like this. [ he means the fact that she's absolutely soaked, and standing in more shin deep snow, soaking even more. without even waiting, he materializes more of his shroud, this time in a simple span of red cloth, and eases it over her shoulders with a fluid motion. it sinks over her, the magic in the material trapping heat and warmth underneath it, and pushing away the bitter chill of winter. ]

[lifeofendurance]

Not quite.

[To be honest, Aleron's not all that sure he should be announcing who he is. Or if the Seekers even truly exist anymore. He deduces if this man were likely to attack him for no reason, he'd have done so by now.]

Seeker Darton. And yourself?

[lifeofendurance]

Never let it be said that that the Dalish ability to shimmy up a tree like a squirrel isn't an impressive talent. Mildly frustrating to the Seeker in this moment, but impressive nonetheless. At least up the tree, the elf will be safe enough from the bear. Safer than on the ground.

Assessing the situation for what it is, Aleron reaches into his saddlebags and pulls out an apple to lob at the bear to get its attention. Yes the Dalish is treed, but if he can draw the bear away from a waiting snack, he can lure it a safe distance away then loop back. With any luck he'll startle up some wild rabbit or nugs to scatter into the creature's path as well.

[lifeofendurance]

That confirms it. The need to travel to where this Inquisition is headquartered is now vital. He cannot believe that a mage council is anything the Divine would have espoused. He realizes he's in no position or authority to take this woman in for investigation, having no idea where the Seekers even stand any longer. But this news troubles him deeply. Mages governing themselves flies in the face of Chantry teachings. Something is clearly not right here.

"And your Templars? Are they continuing to fulfill their duties to your Council?" Because there is a duty there and he'll be just as displeased to find them not executing it as he's heard is the case.