Test Drive Meme!

[faderifting]

You'll Never Leave the Hinterlands Alive*

Welcome to Fade Rift's very first Test Drive Meme! Use one of the prompts below or make up your own, and tag around! Have fun, try out the setting, generate samples for your app, coerce your friends into joining you.

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, early fall finds 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.

1. In the Deep Dark Hills of Western Ferelden

You have turned the wrong corner, forded the wrong stream, crested the wrong hill, entered the wrong cave. Maybe you are far from camp. Maybe you are in camp. Whatever has happened, wherever you are: you are being chased by bears. Did you provoke the bears? Are they huge? Babies? Fade-touched? Mage-controlled? What are they chasing you away from? What are they chasing you into? What do you plan to make out of their hide if you kill them? What do you think they'll craft out of your hide if they kill you?

2. There I Read on a Hillside Gravestone

The rebel mages and renegade templars have ravaged the Hinterlands, skirmishes breaking out all over. It looks like you've just missed one-- great spikes of ice melt slowly in the cool autumn sunlight and patches of grass and trees have been scorched away. Three bodies are scattered about, two templars and one mage judging by their clothing. You could bury them. Or search their pockets. Or track their friends. Or all of the above, if you're feeling industrious.

3. Won't You Walk With Me Out the Mouth of this Holler

Whatever task you were actually sent out here to do, you are going to be late. One-Eyed Jimmy asked so nicely for your help finding his prize ram, Lord Woolsley. It's been in the family for years, so smart for a ram, it's a good luck charm, their business has boomed with it around, and it's lived for so long, he just can't abide thinking of it getting eaten by some mangy apostate. And then he went and offered you money, too. How could you say no? Maybe you're still wandering, asking everyone you pass if they've seen a ram that looks like it's wearing an orangey-red sweater. Maybe you've found it and are chasing it around a lake or trying to lead it back to the village for your reward. Maybe you've gotten fed up and gotten out your sword to bring Jimmy a new sweater instead and discovered that lucky Lord Woolsley is a demon in sheep's clothing. Surprise!

4. Fill Your Cup With Whatever Bitter Brew You're Drinking

Just because the region's had a rough time lately doesn't mean the tavern at Redcliffe is any less crowded than usual. Bella behind the bar dishes out tankards to refugees and soldiers, scared villagers and angry farmers, merchants traveling through from Orzammar and Orlais and families fleeing the rifts in the foothills. It's packed, basically. The Inquisition has only recently extended its influence into the region, and while some have already seen the benefit-- demons killed, fighting broken up-- others are skeptical.

5. Spend Your Life Just Thinkin' of How to Get Away

Choose Your Own Adventure: hunt game, kill demons, gather herbs, track bandits, haggle over the price of armor, fall off a deceptively tall rock, 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, climb trees or abandoned towers, rummage around in empty homes, run from a dragon, cry over how cute that fennec fox you just shot was, set up camp and chat around the fire, knock yourself out (figuratively, or even literally if that's more your speed)-- the Hinterlands are your Frostback Mountain oyster.

*Yeah, I had this stuck in my head. It's a good song!!

Comments

[demonicbeauty]

Effortlessly, Ariadne followed after her, relieved by the narrow doorway. She liked to go into cramped, small spaces. Nooks and crannies where she could see without being seen. And where she could feel safe and surrounded. They reminded her of home, of family, of being born.

As soon as she caught her breath, she remembered her manners. After all, the stranger had saved her, in all likelihood.

"Thank you," she said politely and sincerely.

[aceso]

"You're welcome. I wouldn't have let you face it by yourself." And if this woman went on to tell her friends and family about how a mage helped her escape from a bear and their attitudes about mages changed for the better, then that was a bonus.

"My name is Christine Delacroix. And you are?"

[demonicbeauty]

"Ariadne," she replied.

Back home, she'd practiced, at first, using a fake last name, in order to better fit in with Humans. But she'd learned that Humans rarely used their surnames, unless they were important. Nonentities didn't bother.

The Elves, of course, were a different story. But she didn't look like one.

Anyway, there were other ways. "But you can call me 'Airy,'" she continued. "Everyone does."

[aceso]

"Very well." Now at the top of the tower, she looked over the wall to see the bear wandering around, looking confused, if the way it was lumbering was any indication. It wasn't everyday that a bear found itself frozen in place.

"Now we wait until he's gone away. Do you live nearby? I could escort you home." The woman may sound Orlesian like her, but she wasn't dressed as a mage, and so was most likely a resident if not a traveling merchant. After all, the former Arlessa of Redcliffe had been Orlesian. Christine's people could be settled here, whether the Fereldens liked it or not.

[demonicbeauty]

Frowns didn't suit Ariadne's features. They always looked out-of-place. Almost distorted. But she scowled nevertheless. "I live in North Castle City," she said. "My aunt serves as court interpreter." Not that there was much need for interpreters these days. No, only two words were ever uttered in court.

Red. Dragon.

A stray piece of hair had fallen out of the thick braid that fell over her left shoulder. Ariadne pushed it back behind her ear, the gleaming shard of green catching the light for a moment. "I don't usually get turned around in the woods," she commented.

[aceso]

"North Castle City," she said slowly, trying to recall if she'd ever heard of it before. It didn't sound Orlesian at all. Perhaps it was here in Ferelden, or farther north in the Free Marches? Christine wasn't well traveled, and not at all familiar with the world outside her Circle Tower. She'd merely followed the Grand Enchanter as she pressed for freedom, and that had led them to flee from Orlais.

"These woods are still somewhat dangerous, even now. I should return to Redcliffe. Would you like to come with me? Perhaps someone there has heard of your city, and can direct you back."

[demonicbeauty]

"Redcliffe," Ariadne repeated, her uncertainty growing. "I've never heard of a place called Redcliffe."

Considering how much time she spent pouring over maps and atlases, especially right after coming to Valeria from Deleo, it was a bit unusual. Ariadne had a good memory. And a name like 'Redcliffe' seemed difficult to forget.

"Please, my lady," she said, gray eyes turning up hopefully, "Is it in the domain of the Red Dragon? Or Princess Amanda?"

[aceso]

That left Christine wondering if this woman was like her: brought to this area with a group and with no idea what the local area was like. She really should look at a map, then she'd know more than the nearby village and the vague name of the Hinterlands.

"Red Dragon? I don't believe so. I've heard that to the east a High Dragon has come down from the mountains and the area is now abandoned, but this certainly isn't her domain. And that name is unfamiliar to me. Ferelden has a King and Queen, but they have no heirs."

[demonicbeauty]

"Ferelden?"

Now she knew with absolutely certainty that there was no such kingdom. Lysia kept a map in her quarters in the palace. It listed every kingdom in the realm and had notes pinned to each one, addressing its relationship to the Red Dragon and who--if anyone--still remained loyal to the work she was doing with Princess Amanda.

No. No, it wasn't possible.

"Are you joking with me? I don't understand most jokes."

[aceso]

"No? Why would I joke about where we are?" It seemed a silly thing to do. If she knew what Airy was speaking of, she would let her know so she didn't seem so lost.

"What I can't understand is how you don't know what country we're in."

[demonicbeauty]

"Because there's no such country as Ferelden," Ariadne replied. She didn't say it with any kind of malice or anger. Just a simple statement of what she considered fact.

Not for one moment did she believe Christine was in any way mean-spirited or manipulative. No, she'd just made a mistake, obviously. If she wasn't telling some kind of joke Ariadne couldn't understand.

It had to be.

[aceso]

"The people here would disagree." She worried that the woman was a bit touched in the head, but maybe if she had others confirmed where they were, she would come to believe it.

Now looking over the wall, Christine saw the bear slowly wander back from the direction it'd come, and she turned back to Ariadne.

"I'm afraid I can't help you find the city you're from, but I can at least take you to Redcliffe. Perhaps the bookseller there has a map and can better assist you? I think it at least worth a try."

[demonicbeauty]

It seemed like a reasonable way of going about the whole situation. And Ariadne loved books and maps. "All right," she agreed. "I suppose it would be ridiculous to assume that everyone was in on some kind of joke against me."

Sito threw elaborate pranks sometimes. And they could get out of hand. But he couldn't even dream up something like this.

Still, Ariadne found herself running through the names of all the kingdoms, trying to decide if it was possible she'd somehow forgotten one. Valeria. Calatia. Shaldani. Ruatha. Brennen. Sutherland...

The list went on and on. But for the life of her, she couldn't come up with anything even close to Ferelden.

[aceso]

Christine couldn't help but nod. At least Ariadne could see that it wasn't logical to assume everyone was out to play an elaborate prank on her. Descending the tower, she added, "It's not very far from here. Perhaps a ten minute walk?" Christine hadn't wished to stray far outside the village gates precisely because the Hinterlands could be dangerous, especially with the war.

[demonicbeauty]

"Oh, I don't mind," Ariadne said, trotting along after Christine. Her braid slipped over her shoulder, bouncing against her back like a filly's tail. "I like walking."

She liked running, actually. The feel of the wind rushing past her face reminded her of what it was like to fly.

"I can't think of how I could have ended up in a kingdom I've never heard of," she mused.

[aceso]

"Nor can I. But strange things have been happening of late. Perhaps this is just more of the same."

The war had thrown everything into chaos, and yet out of that came unexplainable things, like the Breach in the sky and Magister Alexius using some sort of unstable magic to try and kill the Herald of Andraste. Thankfully it hadn't worked and he surrendered, allowing her to bring the rebel mages into the Inquisition.

"How long had you been in the woods before our paths crossed?"

[demonicbeauty]

Ariadne had to pause to consider it. Which was funny because she was generally good at keeping track of the time. Just another set of numbers, after all. But after a moment, she shrugged. "A few hours. Right before I saw that thing that chased me, I was climbing a maple tree to the highest branch."

To take a nap.

But Ariadne knew of very few Humans who slept in trees, so she held her tongue.

[aceso]

"Hmm, a few hours journey shouldn't have even taken you out of the Hinterlands. This is strange." Christine set them on a cart path towards Redcliffe. On one side of the path, up a small incline was a ruined windmill and on the other side was an abandoned hut, with dried blood smearing the grass outside.

"You must not have heard of the mage-Templar war, then?"

[demonicbeauty]

Scowling, Ariadne took in the scenery. It certainly didn't look like Valeria. Too dirty, too ruined. There were plenty of other kingdoms in the realm that had been reduced to this level of poverty, but Valeria was the last kingdom standing.

Had the Red Dragon started renaming kingdoms?

That would be just like him.

"Uh, no," she admitted, turning her attention back to Christine. "What's a Templar?"