TEST DRIVE MEME!

[faderifting]

WHAT A GLOOORIOUS FEELING

WE'RE STILL IN THE HINTERLANDS

How’s the weather, Inquisition? Terrible. Heavy rainfall pelts the plains and the mountains, four straight days of it! Dark clouds block out the sun. It may begin to feel like there’s no end to the storms in sight. When darkness falls, cold evening temperatures turn that rain frigid. Your boots, your socks, they’re soaked through. Everyone smells like wet wool.

And as if all that weren’t enough: the increased rainfall loosens patches of mud and shale, causing mudslides.

---

1. We’re not in Orzammar anymore…

A recent group of dwarven traders bearing fine crafts and goods were inbound for Skyhold, ready to flood the markets with their wares. Instead, they got flooded out.

Yes, word has reached the Inquisition that the traders have been unfortunately detained by the weather and they are now in need of a rescue. Dare you venture out into the lashing rain and sliding mud to rescue the traders?

If you do so dare, you’ll find some of the traders to be exceedingly grateful for your efforts, ready to bestow handsome rewards on you, O Brave Soul -- just as soon as you’ve escorted them safely back to Skyhold. Or you might find a cluster of more disagreeable traders, grumpy at the water in their boots and the loss of their goods. Some of those goods might still be rescuable, if you want to wade out into a mud field to retrieve a fallen chest, or tug an errant terrified donkey back onto what’s passing for dry road these days.

As you carry these treasures back to their masters, or back to Skyhold, you might consider helping yourself to a sampling of the wares on your way back. After all, your reward might not be adequate, and you are risking your life for these ungrateful sons of mothers. Just don’t get caught. These traders don’t look kindly on thieves, and frayed tempers snap easily.

Feel free to get stuck on your way to the rescue, too. Weather out the storm with a fellow do-gooder. These days, the rescuers might need rescuing just as much.

2. Are you mad? That’s twelve year old scotch!

In Skyhold and the surrounding tent towns, what with the confusion and the panic and the scramble for high ground, market stalls are left unattended and wares are ripe for the taking. For some, temptation proves to be too much. Where there’s disaster, there’s often looting! A few vendors defend their own wares, and those that can’t make desperate entreaties for assistance. Bandits! Thieves!

Are you a brave and hale friend to the Inquisition and to good honest trade, ready to defend the wares of the waterlogged merchants? Or maybe your sticky fingers spot a tempting treasure too great to ignore. If they didn’t want it stolen, they should have taken it with them! Watch out for that Qunari metalsmith with the mean right hook. He’s not to be trifled with, and his blow will leave you toothless in the mud.

3. I gotta go, Julia, we got bears.

The rainfall has disturbed more than the mud. Bears, resting in their caves, have found their caves to be too damp for their liking, and they’ve taken to the open air to vent their spleens. Some people say that the bears are as frightened as you are, but when you’re faced with a six hundred pound beast with huge pointy teeth, their innocence is a little harder to keep in perspective.

The tents surrounding greater Skyhold are especially worried by rogue bears. Make a stand against them, or else help evacuate a threatened campsite. Mudwrestling a bear is a great way to impress the ladies, or the gentlemen… but no one will blame you for beating a hasty retreat.

4. We got 12 skins of water, 56 ales, two vodkas, four whiskeys, six bottles of wine, tequila, hazelnut paste, cheese, bread, eggs, bananas, apples, bacon, steaks, pancakes, dry grain, milk, sweet tomato sauce, half a pudding, half-ounce Sour Wine, 3 1/2 grams Grand Inquisitor Kush, one ounce of 'shrooms, 15 ecstasy potions, a smutty woodcut, a bat…

TIME TO HUNKER DOWN. In the tavern, the barkeep is handing out free spiced wine to anyone who takes refuge behind her door. The din of conversation and lutesong makes a fine lullabye for the careworn traveler, and you might find yourself inadvertently dropping off to sleep. Or maybe someone’s fallen asleep on you.

Who can blame the slumberers, finally safe and warm and dry? In the tavern, the fires have been built up to ward off the chill and the damp, but relaxation is a little more difficult these days. You really have to elbow your way in there to get close to that warmth. Once you get close enough, you’ll find that the hearths are taken up with dozens and dozens of wet socks and wetter boots, steaming gently as they dry. Be disgusted if you want, or else peel off your own and go barefoot while you wait.

Hey! What’s going on over there? Someone’s taking one of your socks! Stop, thief!

If you can’t make it to the tavern, you might find yourself holed up somewhere a little more unlikely. The limited space within Skyhold means there aren’t a lot of free rooms. That door you shoulder open in desperation might have an owner already. Intrusions aren’t always unwelcome, but beware of what -- or who! -- you might find.

5. Lots of fish… and lots of weather.

WILDCARD. Whatever you do, just remember: there’s a lot of rain, you’re very wet, and if you’re feeling amorous, keep in mind that everyone smells like wet wool. We cannot stress this enough.

Comments

[enasalin]

That declaration from the parrot gets a giggle out of her, though she'll let Kain take care of the spoiling unless it comes closer. She turns her focus back to the dragoon anyway, smiling in approval at his words. "I'm glad to hear it. We need all the help we can get and there's no escaping the effects of this. Everyone's in danger, so we need to band together. Or as many of us as are willing to cooperate. The indifference some have to this situation baffles me."

Re: even tho I can't app him and have no icons, this needed to happen

[advancedbosoms]

Oooh.

She turned her head to look at the angular young man and gave him a brief once-over (her mental checklist gave a yes to brunette and male columns but a no to beefcakey). “That totally depends on who we’re casting as Noah,” she chirped. “I mean, no, I’m not eager to hike up my skirts and wade through puddles with Charlton Heston or anything, but this is 2002, who says Noah has to be old and scraggly? I can hope for a daring casting that rattles the Bible Belt from top to bottom.”

A thoughtful tap to her lower lip. “I wouldn’t kick Jude Law off the ark for eating crackers, but that’s a little too obvious. Taye Diggs, maybe? Noah can use the flood to get his groove back?”

Already, she was perking up. Celebrity chat gave her endorphins a boost the same as jazzercise did for her mother, and honestly, all the mage drama around here was way less exciting than any single edition of USA Today.

[hlif]

"You should see if you can start a trend, you and Korrin wearing shoes shaped like hooves and just booting folk that piss you off in the face or the crotch as you see fit. I'd support it," he replies, earnest as only he can be when he gets going but it comes from a good place. He's called a heathen barbarian and a wild animal most days anyway, and that's by his fellow countrymen, Orlesians have much less kind nicknames for him though none are quite so rude as oxman.

"Telling her, Korth as my witness it's my duty to tell her because we both know that if I said that you'd go running off to tell on me but...I mean maybe if it's the end of a battle and it's a big rift and it happens, and I'm bleeding out anyway then I can close the rift then pop my clogs and just go. Makes me worry a bit more about Mal though now." Look, Lena you can worry about Korrin and her girl but someone has to worry about Mal because Mal just has a dog so Asher will worry about Mal, even if Mal is probably shuddering and swearing to himself wondering what went wrong and why he feels faint all of a sudden.

[faithstarved]

"A name almost as lovely as the bearer," she replies easily, her own grip firm but deliberately gentle as she knows her own strength. Releasing Cosima's hand Andra nods, her smile soft as she looks out over the room.

"I don't think you're alone. The poor weather has most of Skyhold crammed in here, no wonder it's warm."

[faithstarved]

She watches the blade wink out and the motion of putting it away with alert eyes, silently filing that information away and trying to adjust herself accordingly. Letting out a slow breath she nods her head to the woman's statement about the bears.

"They have been more aggressive lately than ever, although the Hinterlands has always had a bear... problem." At least that was what she heard whenever passing through, innkeepers and the like always warning people to keep away from caves and stay on the roads.

[faithstarved]

"Mmm, yes. Though if it's deep mushrooms the smoke would kill us," Andra muses, a smirk touching her lips. She hands the wineskin back to Sera, taking a moment to pull her hair free of the clip holding it up, shaking it out in an attempt to facilitate some attempt of letting it dry.

Then she sets to pawing through her satchel in the vain hope that she'd packed something that could be burned.

"I'm never listening when they say it'll be a quick trek down the mountain ever again. Next time I bring a bloody packhorse."

4

[kallian_endris]

Kallian rarely lingers long in the tavern. Just time to get something to eat, maybe hear a song or two, but then back to her work. Often, she thinks the small wing beside the tavern would be a nice place for a proper infirmary instead of just healing tents in the sodden courtyard. At first, while she sips at a bowl of stew, she finds the dog an idle curiosity. Not many of those who come to the Inquisition can afford a mabari, though there are a number of dogs around Skyhold. But, no two mabari are exactly alike, and the longer she looks, the more the young elf is certain she's seen that mabari before.

She moves closer, under seeming pretense to pet the dog.

"Dar? Is that you?" she whispers.

[fightingdirty]

"Bullshit, I would," she growls out, glaring down at him. "That's shit I'm not kicking up. She's smart; she's probably thought about it enough as it is. Bringing it up is just rubbing salt in the wound." Her expression stays angry as she takes a drink, but as she swallows, it smooths out. Lena rarely looks worried, so it's just a vague, neutral expression.

"Yeah," she agrees after a moment. "I'd rather be wrong on this, or his hand's gonna explode or die or whatever too."

[extramural]

That fight with their... hair?

[ The rest makes sense. But that? That is new. ]

Perhaps I could assist.

[ If only it will make Alvin keep talking, at least. Well, and if the Outsider can be parted from his interesting donkey discovery. ]

He may refuse to pay you -- may fight you, should you argue.

[youwonscience]

"A little pungent too, but I'll take it over the rain," Cosima agrees. "Are you from nearby? Should I brace myself for regular torrential downpours?"

She's going to need better boots, if so. Hers are really more meant for style - a fashion statement that made much more sense in a grad school lab than in Thedas. One step at a time, though.

[dragoon_pride]

Kain pats the bird again and nods sternly. "I know that some may feel otherwise... it's not their world or their fight. But what choice is there, when we're here? I'd much rather put my all into a cause than go into it halfway. As long as I'm in this world, I'm a warrior for the Inquisition."

It probably does help he's used to this, having been a Warrior of Cosmos just before this.

[enasalin]

"That's what we need right now, dedicated people to help stop this world from falling apart. I'm sorry you can't see it in a better state, though with the Mage/Templar war, it wouldn't have happened anyway."

Danae raises an eyebrow, curious. "You must know plenty about Thedas by now, and its people. What are your thoughts on it?"

[thegreatestproject]

2002 got slotted away without so much as a blink. Time fuckery was nothing new.

"It's a role that needs gravitas," he mused, trying to come up with his own suggestion. Idris Elba? Maybe, but he was after her time. "Someone who can sport a well-trimmed beard." He stroked his own clean-shaven face. Hmm.

"Liam Neeson?" Older, maybe, but not fugly. It was a fine line to walk.

[hlif]

"Calm your tits Lena," he mutters, signalling for another drink when he knocks his back now that none of the crew are around to tell him off like he's a child that can't be trusted. "This is bloody depressing and I went to the hold to get my head screwed on straight so where the hell have you been then? Korrin was already at Skyhold when I got there and she said the rest of Valo-Kas were elsewhere but it's just your mug I'm seeing about these parts, has a man wondering what took you so long to decide to follow on after your kith."

[faithstarved]

"Believe it or not, I've smelled worse," she replies with a smile, before canting her head to the side and nodding.

"Ferelden, so not too close but not too far, and yes. You should brace yourself for regular torrential downpours. Although snow is a bit more common here specifically." Mountain, and all. But really, the weather in Thedas does not always lend itself to fashionable boots.

[youwonscience]

"Someday I'll think of something to trade for a cloak," Cosima says, ruefully. "My friend Scott would love that image. He always, um. He liked adventure stories."

It's a little less weird of a way to put it than trying to create enough context to accurately describe his collect of trade paperbacks and 20-sided dice. She misses Scott, sharply, for all that having Sarah or even Beth would be a little more practical in the help department.

"What brings you here? Before the rain, I mean." She gestures more expansively. "Here-not-Ferelden."

[dragoon_pride]

"I'm used to wars, at least. This is nothing new to me." Sure, Thedas seems worse than home ever was, but there are hardships to be endured no matter where one goes, and it's just something people need to bear, in Kain's opinion.

Hm, as for Thedas... "It's not too unlike where I came from in some regards. The basics of daily life and so on. But the way that mages are treated... even now, it's not easy to hear about. I've known plenty of mages, good and bad, and it's not worth punishing the good just because of those few who twist their power for evil ends..."

[fightingdirty]

Lena's posture stiffens and she holds off answering before having another drink. This topic is a sensitive one, but the words "Lena" and "sensitive" don't really mix. Unfortunately, she can't punch feelings into submission, so she has to drink more.

"All the Valo-Kas that got blown up at the Conclave? My brother was one of them." She pauses, unsure how to explain her mindset at that time. She's not sure she actually can. Not in words. Perhaps just guttural screams. But she'll hold back so as not to literally scare the piss out of everyone in this tavern.

"I needed to go away for awhile. I didn't want to hear about fucking noble causes or any of that shit. I just wanted to kill people. Nobody knew who blew up the place back then, except assuming it was that one woman with the shard in her hand. I didn't buy it, so there was no one to blame. I took off. Besides, Hissera's mother died there too. Wanted to keep an eye on her."

[enasalin]

Hearing that makes Danae smile and she nods, naturally approving. "Given that I'm a mage, I'm happy to hear that. Is it too much to hope that you have similar feelings on non-humans, then? Do you have any of those, where you're from?"

She's heard varying things about the origins of rifters; some from places with no magic, or no race other than humans or both. It's strange to think about, but the more she knows, the better she can relate to them. That he's not scowling and calling her knife-ear or rabbit is certainly a promising start.

[audacieuse]

"Well, it may reassure you to know it doesn't usually rain so much," she said, chuckling slightly. "A stroke of poor luck, I suppose. Maker knows we need more of this on top of the Red Templars, the Venatori, the bears..." The last bit was cheerful sarcasm. She was in a good mood, despite the weather outside and the crowd in the tavern.

When he extended his hand she reached out hers to clasp it, a light grip that didn't linger. "First names, is it? Call me Alysanne, then. It's a pleasure." To be honest, she'd rather that than Senior Enchanter, which, while a well-earned title, still made her feel... old. Alysanne looked him over, a brief examination; he wasn't quite dressed like the others here.

"Forgive me for being nosy, but are you a rifter?"

[blessedmaiden]

Sorry, it was a long, long week

"Well... we will have time? And you don't have to talk about it if you're not comfortable with it, really, we could start with, well, when you found yourself here. Even if a war betwee Gods certainly sounds impressive." She pauses for a moment "I'm glad you're no longer trapped in an endless war, thought..."

Poor Kain, he certainly had to endure his fair share of pain- not to mention he will eventually go back home only to find the maenads attacking and the planet being in danger once again. But him being in other worlds, that'd definitely explain where he has been for almost seventeen years, Cecil mentioned searching for him but no traces of the man until the second war. Oh, did it mean she was going to be missing from home too for an extended period of time? Rydia sighs and hugs her legs, Cuore is going to be fine, either someone in Mist will take care of her... right? To be honest the summoner should be more worried about the villagers considering the child's powers and how she still had to learn how to control them but-

"Mh-" she shakes her head and returns her attention to Kain, it's better think about different things, especially considering they're having one of the closest conversations they ever did "Silly you, as long as your heart is in the right place and you fight to protect those people it will be my honor to be at your side." There's an awkward pause "Doing whatever mages do in this world."
Oh... everyone already forgave him and even then Edge probably threatened of killing him out of grief and rage, their first journey had been everything but easy.

"The feeling is mutual, Kain. Even if you will probably have to teach me the ways of this place before I can actually be useful. I'm kind of used to feel a bit out of place, considering I was raised between monsters, but there are a lot of alien things here. Have you seen their..." Oh, what was that word again? "... horses?"

[dragoon_pride]

"There are dwarves, of course, similar to here, they favor the underground." He's never tried greeting them here with a Lali-ho! but so far he's pretty sure that wouldn't go over well. But otherwise they're the same. "I've nothing against them. Nor against hummingway or moogles, creatures that are like talking rabbits and cats respectively, they're very helpful, merchants usually." He'd think the hummingway related to moogles, if he hadn't met them in different worlds entirely... who knows, though? "Eidolons- summoned creatures- aid us in battle, and I can respect them even if they're turned against me. Then there are Lunarians... I've met both good and evil of those..." He trails off, realizing he's probably giving her more than she ever needs to know.

"But they're an entire world away. I'll say that nonhumans aren't so unlike humans, though, and I'd always prefer to let individuals' actions impact how I feel toward that individual. Not their kind as a whole."

[dragoon_pride]

No worries!!!! ♥

"So am I... and I'm glad my memories were restored. I knew very little about home, about any of you... It was only constant battle. Though I got used to being on another world, and meeting others from distant worlds as well..." There were good parts to the war, the group had bonded considerably. Too bad that the constant struggle had been hanging over their head. Too bad it had ended permanently for some of them... but he doesn't want to frighten Rydia with certain details just yet. There will be time to talk about it later, he thinks.

Kain looks at her and gives a solemn nod. "Then I promise, I'll do all I can to be a worthy comrade once more. I swear this time I won't fail you." His mind has been free of outside influences at least, but there is still that inner darkness, something he has to fight against a lot of the time. But his struggles are his own, nothing to burden her over. He winces a bit when she mentions that part about mages. "This world's views of mages is unlike anything you've ever known. You'll have to be cautious... they fear magic and mages here."

He smirks, thinking of those peculiar animals. "I don't see why they couldn't ride something more sensible, like chocobos... but a few adjustments and you should be fine on a horse." He'd managed after someone gave him some tips.

[enasalin]

"Talking rabbits and cats...." The thought gets an incredulous chuckle from Danae, though it's less amusing after a moment's thought. "The Orlesians call us rabbits and oxmen; Creators know what they'd make of intelligent creatures with an actual animalistic bent. And...Eidolons? I hope that has a different meaning from what can be summoned here." Because like everyone else in Thedas, her mind instantly goes to demons.

At any rate, she relaxes upon learning Kain's overall views. "That's good to know. Elves aren't exactly well-loved in Thedas and while I try not to judge humans as a whole, many aren't keen on returning the favor. At least the Inquisition is different."

[dragoon_pride]

"There's not much respect from those Orlesians, at all, is there?" He sighs, shaking his head. "The summoners are nothing like you're thinking, and Eidolons are hardly demons. They're powerful beasts, some of them appear rather monstrous... but many are quite respectful. They always serve the summoner, too, not the other way around." So of course, if someone evil summoned them... well, they'd all be in trouble.

"As far as I can tell, the Inquisition is one of the better places to be for a lot of these differing races of people. I'm sure it's not perfect, but even so..."