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

Obi-Wan Kenobi | Star Wars: Clone Wars

[obi_wanmanshow]

(1 | Don't look a Rift horse in the mouth)

Obi-Wan had no idea what he was getting into, this morning. It had been a nice, hot cup of tea, a little bit of paperwork and then-- then he'd been falling. And now, he found himself rather more in the center of a circle of... creatures? He might have called them people, but for the attire. People tended to have some, for example. In any case, they were very much trying to kill him.

For the innocent eyes watching, it must have seemed something of a turnaround, one man alone, unarmed, dressed in nothing more protective than a traveling cloak, and then...

"Very well, if you insist," The lightsaber ignited with a distinctive snap-fizz, startlingly bright and very blue against the right-green glow and the demonic screeches as Obi-Wan moves, rolling to his feet with the same motion that drew his weapon to hand, "Come on!"

(2 | Xfox Live)

Witness the humble Jedi master, and his little game-hen on a stick. He's got a very small little camp set up, a fire off on his own, and-- is that a Fennec? It is!

Carefully, the fox edges its way closer, closer yet... Cloooser. Obi-Wan snorts a chuckle, and throws a scrap of offal to it, which is quickly snapped up and carried away. It'll be back.

Come say hello. It's a lovely day.

(3 | Wildcard Three: Return Of The Random Scenario)

Re: Obi-Wan Kenobi | Star Wars: Clone Wars

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Demons. Why was it always demons? Honestly, Bethany would be delighted to deal with bears. She saw the Rift opening and sprinted towards it, calling out to the others where she was going.

Bursting through the underbrush, she gasped as she saw the lone man stand there, demons closing in on him. She lifted her staff and -- suddenly there was a lightblade swinging through the air. The spell stuttered off her lips as she stared.

Almost as startled as the demons, she would wager.

[obi_wanmanshow]

Defense, that's the name of the game. They must kill you to win, when all you have to do is not die. It's easy, when you think about it. Obi-Wan had spent his entire life not-dying, and it had become quite the habit.

Step one, assume you are going to win. Seize that confidence; the future holds only your continuing life. Trust that feeling, and let it flow through you, let the living Force add power to your own will, and know, without knowing how, exactly what to do.

Trust yourself.

Obi-Wan's blade moved in sharp, graceful arcs, like a dance, intersecting each enemy as if the demons were trying not to strike Obi-Wan, but instead his shining blade. Wounds cauterized, and the creatures screamed and thrashed, but the smell was worse than either. He backed away from-- oh hell.

"Get clear! They're--" And then the hooded, hunched-over form he'd been facing turned it's own head....and bullrushed past Obi-Wan towards the supposedly softer target, "-- Kriff."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

How did his sword - how was he able to move - what in the name of the Maker

She would have continued to gape at him like a slack-jawed yokel, if she wasn't a Warden first and a battlemage second. The second the cowled figure floated towards her, she already knew precisely what it was about to do. Her hand went up, reaching for the sky, grabbing the demon with it, before she brought it down with a single gesture.

Slamming it into the ground so hard, it created a crater as the creature screamed in surprise. Which was just fine, it was about to scream more, as Bethany's hands formed a blast of fire that roasted the creature in front of them.

[obi_wanmanshow]

For a moment-- only a moment, really, Obi-Wan did a little gawping of his own. Well, that was. That was certainly a new application of the Force. Another Jedi, then? Or merely...

No time to inquire. Swiftly he turned to face the latest wave, and let the natural rhythm of the fight move him back and away. Perhaps proximity was the answer? Certainly the... creatures seemed to come from that central point. The green gap in space seemed to pause, like it was taking a breath, and he risked a glance at his mysterious friend.

"They just keep coming! Any ideas?" She seemed not to have died, at least. That was something, "Or shall we try running?"

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany swung her staff around, moving to take care of the demons that were trying to corner them in by using a cone of cold around them, freezing them out in a wave. Then she followed it up with a Maker's Fist, shattering them into a million different bloody fragments.

She called out to the man, holding her staff as she looked around at the demons, "I'm not sure if you're powerful enough -- but hold up the shard to the Rift. Concentrate on it, and try to close it with your mind!"

[obi_wanmanshow]

For a moment he looks at her, utterly confused under his furrowed eyebrows, and then-- Ah, "Right."

He does as instructed, focusing his mind on closing the shuddering, crystalline light. It seems to shudder, but he's no novice: the trained will of a Jedi Master is not a trifling thing. The Rift resists, shifts, then closes all in a rush.

The silence falls like a blow; the trees are silent, no birdsong, no singing insects, not even the breath of wind.

"Well," Obi-Wan thumbs the handle of his lightsaber, and the blade vanishes, "That was exciting."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

She ... honestly hadn't expected it to work, truth be told. It hadn't before. This man had to have a superior kind of focus, connection with the magic in the world around him. She gave him a faintly impressed look, before she laughs in answer.

"Oh trust me, this is just the start of the fun. Welcome to the Hinterlands, where every moment means something might jump out behind a tree and try to eat you. Welcome to Thedas, by the by. I take it you are not from around these parts."

[obi_wanmanshow]

"No, I'd say not," Obi-Wan drawls, taking in the hills, the snow, the trees and general palatial aire about it all. Is that a fox? "Although if you could point me towards the nearest starport or jump-station, I'd be grateful."

And then, as if remembering himself, he offered his hand in greeting.

"Forgive my manners; I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Now, Bethany is going to give him something of a puzzled look, before she speaks more slowly, "I ... apologize, ser, but I've never heard of either one of those things."

A pause, before she offered her hand in turn, shaking his firmly.

"Grey Warden Mage Bethany Hawke, it is a pleasure to meet you, Jedi Master Kenobi."

[obi_wanmanshow]

"Please, Obi-wan will do. Or, Master Kenobi, if you'd prefer to be formal," How far out from the Core must they be? Obi-wan has a bad feeling about this, and not just the jangling sense of wrongness that his Force-sense is feeding him.

This is not a place he belongs. Or perhaps, that's just the lingering effects of that... that wound in the air.

"Very well, since you certainly know this place better than I, we'll follow your lead," And he caps this pronouncement with a wry little smile, crinkling at the corners of his eyes, "After you, 'Grey Warden Mage Bethany Hawke.'"

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Oh, I rarely decide on staying formal." Bethany flashed a grin at him that was warm and dimpled, before she waved her hand. "But only if you call me Bethany. The full title is only to get me free drinks at the tavern."

She grinned again, before gesturing for him to follow her. While they walked, she started to explain, "I don't think you're in your world any more -- we have been having this issue, where people are falling through Rifts -- that is the green tear in the sky -- from all over. I apologize, but I don't know when we'll be able to get you home either."

[obi_wanmanshow]

Interesting turn of phrase: in your world, rather than on. Obi-wan decided not to press the point; regardless of syntax, or reality, he was trapped. Whether he was trapped by these... rifts... or by the simple lack of functional transport was academic: the result was the same.

"I'm sure we'll think of something, eventually," They always do. And anyways, hadn't he been wanting a vacation? No time like the present, "Bethany, you handled yourself very well, back there. I've never seen anything like it."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Well, honestly, she had yet to have to grasp the concept of 'planets' yet. Different worlds, yes, but she saw them more as different slices of different dimensions than anything else. Either way, she would agree with him. The result was the same.

"Eventually, absolutely. For now though ... there is a war on, and we are in desperate need of the help of the Rifters." She looked over at him, smiling once more, "Thank you! Years of training, finally paying off. I must say though, I have never seen anything like your fighting before. It was like you knew all the movements before they happened - and your sword? I ... I have never seen it's like."

[obi_wanmanshow]

"Ah, this," He unhooked said weapon from its belt-loop, and held it out for examination. It was unassuming in his hand, just a tube of metal, corrugated by the grip, "A lightsaber is a Jedi's weapon. Elegant, yes, but very dangerous in untrained hands. More to its user than anyone they're attacking, I'm quite sure."

A blade forged from live, looped plasma was asking for trouble. Unless you were guided, as so few were, by the Force.

"To answer the rest; I'm not without a few hidden talents of my own. My own years of training paying off, as you say."

2.

[chainlightning]

The fox quickly but happily trotting off makes Merrill giggle as she rounds the hill, pausing on top to watch it scurry. The source of the food, she imagines, is the campfire just below and the man sitting there; friendly enough to feed the local wildlife, and so Merrill decides it's worth taking the risk to say hello.

Even if she is an elf, and Dalish, and a mage. She's not attacking first -- that tends to count for something, right?

"What a lovely gift for that fox." All smiles, even as she leans a little on her staff. "Especially in all this snow."

[obi_wanmanshow]

It's going to take more than a tattooed face and pointed ears to make him presuppose hostility. For example, if she were dressed all in black. That might indicate something to be worried about.

"Hello, there," he seems unconcerned about her sudden appearance, "Would you care to join me?"

[chainlightning]

What if she whips out a knife and uses her own blood for magic? Not that she's going to do that right now. Probably.

"Oh! Well, if you don't mind..." Plenty would probably warn her about the possibility of a trap, but Merrill isn't really the suspicious sort. Not without reason, at least, and so she finishes her way forward. "Ma serannas, Rifter." A pause. "Oh, though that's probably very rude! I'm sorry; my name is Merrill."

[obi_wanmanshow]

The Galaxy is wide and full of stunning variation. Obi-Wan's not going to begrudge a few strange, esoteric, slightly alarming local customs-- provided he isn't going to be obligated to participate, of course.

"Not at all; I'm pleased to meet you, Merril. I am Obi-wan Kenobi," Obi-wan gestures to a convenient seat by the fire, and the roasting bird, indicating the lot with one simple wave, "I'm a poor host at the moment, but what I have, you're welcome to share. You're familiar with the concept of a-- Rifter?"

Strange world, strange place, strange vocabulary. He'll get used to it, eventually. Even if he doesn't necessarily want to.

[chainlightning]

Luckily for Obi-Wan, Merrill is a nice, non-sacrificing-of-innocents blood mage. Also, prone to dressing in greens, not all black.

"Oh, not at all! I had a house for years and never even had food to offer when someone would drop by, so you're doing quite well." And so she sits, legs folding under herself with perhaps surprising grace for someone who seems to have her head a bit in the clouds. "And- well, a bit, yes! I have a few friends who are Rifters. People from other worlds -- who some people think may be demons, so be careful -- who can close tears in the Veil with the marks on their hands."

Which... is maybe quite a lot of information to dump on someone from another world, and so she backs up, tries to explain. "The Veil is like a barrier between this world and the world of dreams and spirits, which most people call the Fade," she explains, then pats her staff. "Mages tap into the Fade to cast spells, too. But having a hole in it -- or multiple holes -- is rather dangerous, since demons just keep coming through them. Actual demons, not Rifters thought to be demons. No one is quite sure how it's pulling people from other worlds through."

[obi_wanmanshow]

"Having experienced a bit of that myself, I can't reccomend it. Ah, Demons notwithstanding," Obi-Wan isn't sure what he feels about demons, really. They were... very intense. Very singular. It warranted further study, "I assure you, I'm quite human."

Anakin would have told him just to kill the demons and be done, of course. He missed Anakin, at times like these; adventures in an alternate dimension would have been just his style, somehow.

"I'm very impressed with these mages, really. Before arriving here, I'd never seen anything like it."

[chainlightning]

"Well, you're certainly not an elf or a dwarf or Qunari," Merrill jokes, though it may be difficult to tell -- especially if Obi-Wan has no idea what any of those things are. Still, what she means is that he doesn't seem to be a demon to her.

Not that she'd necessarily attack a demon if they weren't attacking her first either way, but most people would.

"There's no magic in your world? I keep hearing that about places... I can't imagine. The dwarves can't use magic, or even dream, but they say that all of my People -- the elves -- could use magic, once. I can, but I'm not every elf."

[obi_wanmanshow]

"I'm not a Wookie, or a Togruta, either," His smile has a chuckle in it; if they're going to go on listing all the things neither of them are, they'll be here all year, "Although I suppose it all depends on your perspective. I've heard what a Jedi can do called 'magic,' before, though that isn't the word I would use."

[chainlightning]

"People do like to call things that they don't understand 'magic', don't they?" Though to be fair, in Thedas... it usually is. "Though I've never heard of a Jedi -- or a Wookie or Togruta -- or what they can do, myself."

But then, that's hardly surprising, considering the green on his hand.

2

[unbrokenoath]

"If you don't watch out, you're going to have a little beggar at your heels." Kaisa strolls up to the strange man's camp like it was hers, and Obi-Wan was the visitor, though the smile on her face is friendly and genuine. She sinks onto the ground carelessly, her dog at her side. He takes a moment to snuffle her hair, now that she's on his level, then moves to Obi-Wan, sniffing at him, then leaning towards the food, until Kaisa grabs his collar and drags him back.

"See what I mean? This is what that little fox is going to look like if you're not careful. And he'll get fat." But it's said with affection, as the dog gives up on food in favor of sprawling across Kaisa's lap, belly up.