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]

"The Storm Coast. I know, right? Constant rain, and I return here to this." Danae gestures to persistent rain outside the barn, already forming large puddles. "There's been darkspawn activity on the surface and Red Templars have taken an old dwarven port, so it's been...busy. I'm really glad I picked a wren, you know. Ravens are suspicious these days, but a tiny bird like that? No one notices."

[serannas]

"Oh no, what a disappointment to come back now and see this." Ellana turns and shakes her head at the rain still steadily coming down on the fortress, as it's been doing across the mountain all day.

"I agree completely. People look out for ravens for messages or ill omens, but wrens and sparrows? No one would think twice." She then shivers and lets out a chuckle. "Want to change and meet up at the tavern for a drink? Before I left this morning, I heard they'd be serving spiced wine."

[enasalin]

"Spiced wine sounds lovely." Danae nods eagerly, preferring such wine if she has any at all. She's not typically a heavy drinker, though will stay at the tavern until the wee hours of the morning if there are people to talk to and play with. "I'll meet you there and buy a round, and you can catch me up?"

[serannas]

"I'd love to. See you soon." And with that, Ellana makes her way up to her room, where she dries off and dresses herself in several layers to keep warm. She dons a hooded leather coat on her way out, lifting the hood to keep her hair from becoming any more soaked than it already is. Then she jogs down to the tavern to keep from getting too wet again, entering to find it pretty packed with patrons wanting a warm drink.

She looks around, wondering if she's beaten Danae there or if she's claimed them a spot.

[enasalin]

Dry clothes are as welcome as they are unfamiliar, at this point. Danae's glad she remembered to keep a fresh stash available in Skyhold, as infrequent as her trips to the fortress have been. Days like this make it worthwhile by far.

She trails in a bit later, waving as she notices that Ellana's already staked her claim. Good. The spiced wine for them both, Danae then flops down into her seat with a grateful sigh. "Dry and warm, or getting there. This day's already looking up."

[serannas]

"I think you could find reasons for any bad day to suddenly look up," Ellana replies with a laugh, wrapping her hands around the mug to warm them through before taking a sip.

"So tell me about the Storm Coast. You faced darkspawn and Red Templars?"

[enasalin]

Danae grins at that first part, then settles in with a more serious expression after she takes an appreciative sip. "Not both at once and not directly, but yes. An earthquake opened up a fissure in the mountains and broke some tunnel seals below, so darkspawn took advantage of that. They're coming up from the Deep Roads...not in numbers to make it a true Blight, but it's still enough to be concerned about. The Red Templars are actually the lesser hassle at the moment, as they're just sticking to that one area."

[serannas]

"I faced darkspawn in Emprise du Lion," she says, expression grave. "It wasn't pleasant, and it's good there are people willing to stop them before they get too far on the surface. But it shouldn't have to be the average person. Despite some of the more negative opinions on Wardens, they're needed, so others don't have to risk catching the Blight sickness."

[enasalin]

"Naturally." Danae raises an eyebrow, a little puzzled at that. She hasn't been entirely out of the loop, but the recent controversy isn't any reason to disparage them as a whole, in her opinion. "There was a Blight just ten years ago; are memories so short that it's been forgotten? At any rate, I'm pretty certain we'll need them to team up with the dwarves below to put a proper end to this. It's not something they have the manpower or resources to handle on their own."

[serannas]

Ellana smiles sadly and shakes her head. "Just a lot of talk about the Wardens having too much power and the like. It sometimes leads to things like 'Why do we need Wardens anyway?' and other ridiculous things. Obviously, they want the world to be overrun with darkspawn and Blighted creatures."

Her head bobs in agreement. "The dwarves have always had to deal with them, but next to Wardens, there are no people better suited for the task."

[enasalin]

"Better them than me." Danae's smile is fleeting and uneasy. She's never felt comfortable underground, no matter how far above the ceiling is located. Something about all that rock overhead has her stomach tying into knots. "Though now that I say that, I've likely cursed us into accompanying them. At least the fissure means that the surface isn't quite so far above."

[serannas]

"I would hate to be underground and never see the sun. Of course, with the way the weather's been acting, I'm beginning to wonder if the sun is ever coming back from behind the clouds." She sips her drink, wanting to be warmed through. Without the sunshine, she's one cold little elf.

"At least I've dealt with them before. I know what precautions to take, so if a party is needed, I can go." Not that she wants to, but she will.

[enasalin]

Taking a light sip, more interested in keeping her hands warm than draining her cup, Danae nods. "At least the Legion of the Dead would have the lay of the land, which is helpful since I doubt wrens, fennecs or sparrows would have a low profile underground. Maybe we should go for nugs or deepstalkers next." She flashes a smile, clearly kidding. If that happened, Leliana would want her scouting underground regularly and...no thanks.

[serannas]

"Oh!" she exclaims with a laugh. "Nugs are sweet, but completely defenseless. Wouldn't that be a funny one to try? And deepstalkers? I would respect the person who managed to study one's soul without getting their face ripped off. Nasty little things."

[enasalin]

Leaning back in her chair, she giggles. "Leliana would probably love it if we could transform into them. The nugs, not the deepstalkers. But it won't be me, either. I've been thinking, maybe it's time to go for something bigger." Something more capable of depending itself than a wren, fennec or halla.

[serannas]

"We would be fed very well if we stayed nugs in her company," she agrees.

But she's intrigued by Danae's statement and gestures towards her with a hand so she'll continue.

"Any ideas yet?"

[enasalin]

Danae tilts her head, frowning in thought. "Mmm...perhaps a bear or a wolf? Both are common enough that they wouldn't stand out at all. A wolf seems more likely, since it has less bulk, but we'll see. I'm not married to either idea. What would you go for?"

[serannas]

"A wolf sounds like a very good idea. I hesitate to become any animal that can be hunted for its pelt, but there seem to be more animals that are than aren't, so I would need to set that worry aside." She takes another moment to think, sipping at her drink with thoughtful eyes staring at the middle distance.

"Maybe a quillback? They're tough creatures."

[enasalin]

"Hm...they're mostly desert creatures, aren't they? Those quills are definitely a solid defense. Roam as that and you won't have to worry about the sun roasting your skin, either." Danae smiles wryly, knowing her usual fate whenever she takes in too much sun. Maybe that's why she's not too upset about all the rain to be had around the area.

i'm just gonna match you icon for icon

[serannas]

Ellana can sympathize there! Why, it's almost as if they're related or something!

"Yes, and rather tough to kill, as I hear it. I want a fierce attacker for my next too. It's something to think about, at least. What do you say to heading to the library after this to look up some animals?"

gasp!

[enasalin]

Those poor ginger/fair-skinned elves. At least life is easier in the mountains, in that respect.

To that suggestion, Danae raises her cup and then has another sip. "I'd love to, Ellana. Perhaps something else will give us inspiration. Has your teacher given any suggestions or is she having you take the initiative on everything?"

boo, i have no icon of this moment uploaded!

[serannas]

"She will point things out to me, just to make sure I'm aware, but overall, she just lets me pick," Ellana explains. "When I said I wanted to be a bird, she mentioned the different kinds and what pros and cons they had, but she accepted it as my choice."

[enasalin]

Danae nods in approval, a smile curving her lips. "So she isn't coddling or commanding you, good. I admit, I'm a little curious about her. Who wouldn't be, with all the stories? A Witch of the Wilds, working with the Inquisition. It sounds so incredible, and yet here she is."

[serannas]

"She is a singular person," Ellana agrees. "Her confidence and wisdom is inspiring. She never holds back on giving her opinion either. I've been trying to approach situations wondering what Morrigan would do in my place."

[enasalin]

"Make everyone fear her, probably." Danae flashes a grin, taking another sip. "I prefer a less antagonistic approach, but I suppose that has its place. At least it's not directed at us; from what I've heard, her interest in our lore seems genuine."