TEST DRIVE MEME!

[faderifting]

Guess.

go on, guess.

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 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. BEARIED ALIVE

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. NICE PLACE FOR A SPOT OF CAMPING

If there were an inn, which there's not, there wouldn't be room for you in it. Traveling with the Inquisition means carrying your own bedrolls, putting up your own tents, and sleeping alongside whoever you've been told to share with--no matter how much you hate them or how loud they snore. If you really can't stand it, the alternative is sleeping outside. On the ground. With the bears.

3. A BIG CRAZY LIGHT IN THE SKY

Not everyone thinks the Breach was a bad thing. In the southeastern mountains, a burgeoning cult has taken up residence in Winterwatch Tower to wait patiently for the Maker to reach through the tears in the veil and gather the faithful to his bosom. They're a little kooky, maybe, but harmless, and they're happy enough to share their wine and lager with travelers in the area. The demon-spewing rift behind the Tower, on the other hand... Too bad the Herald didn't close that thing before she bit it. Watch your step.

4. TROUBLE IN THE DEEP

The Carta is everywhere, but it's here in force, occupying dwarven ruins in a chasm behind a waterfall. Inquisition forces have already cleared most of the smugglers out of the hold, but there's still a vault to break into, bodies to loot, and old texts to search through for anything worth adding to the Inquisition's growing archives. Also: darkspawn. Sorry.

5. 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.

Comments

Karl Thekla - Yes, THAT Karl Thekla - Survived via a spirit of Mercy

[fadefractured]

2.

He tends to keep to himself whenever possible, mostly because sometimes he has difficulty with facial expressions and he can see the way that bothers people. He has access to his emotions because of Mercy, but after years of pretending it's difficult to break the habit.

That urge to be solitary means that when he sets up camp he's by himself. He wears a long cloak with the hood pulled up over his head. His hair is long and hangs low over his forehead, hiding the brand.

He uses a bit of magic to start a fire and then focuses on making himself something to eat. He can handle any bears that smell the food and want to investigate. It's people he's a little more wary of.

sorry karl people is what you're gonna get

[truestheart]

He's been searching for days for other mages. Why? Perhaps to try and speak with them. Talk them down from the horrible atrocities that some have done in this pointless war. He may only be a teenager, a child by some, but he wants to believe he can get through to others.

Maybe if he could just find mages, convince them that the Inquisition will lead to happiness for all he can at least quell the bloodshed.

That's how he happens upon this. This hooded figure by a campfire, which Henry had saw being lit. No tinder, no flint, it was magic.

Henry's slow to approach, deciding to go around the man so they can see him in plain view as to not sneak up on them. He's outwardly calm but his heart is pounding. He never knew when he'd encounter a hostile mage. "Hello? Ser, I was hoping I could speak with you?"

but Henry is good people!

[fadefractured]

Karl looks up and is surprised to see a boy standing there alone. The only sign of that surprise is a couple of blinks. After a moment he reaches moves over a bit and leaves a space for the boy to sit.

"Have you eaten?" he asks. His voice is a little harsh for he coughs and clears his throat. "There's enough stew for two."

dawww

[truestheart]

Oh. This was...well...an interesting turn of events. He was expecting fear or at worst a fire ball to the face. But, nope. An offer to sit an eat. 'That's good,' he tells himself, 'it means there's still hope.'

He walks over with a smile and takes a seat, deciding to relive himself of his heavy travel bag. "No I haven't. Thank you." But, he won't go taking it for himself quite yet. It's this man's food. Best be polite first. "My name's Henry." And there it is a hand offered out in sincerity.

Please, don't burn it off.

<3

[fadefractured]

Karl takes the hand carefully and shakes it before moving to fill one of his bowls with the stew. He hands that over to the boy along with some bread. As his hands move, he responds. "I'm Karl."

"Is there a reason you're out here all on your own, Henry?"

[truestheart]

Gratefully, he takes the bowl and bread and readily devours it. He may have gone a couple of days without real food. There's another nod of thanks, but the question makes him stop almost immediately.

He lowers the bowl from his mouth and thumbs it as he holds it on his lap. He's contemplative at that. He has to phrase it just right, say the right words, and be earnest enough to not scare the other. If they could be frightened by his answer.

Now came the answer. "I'm looking for other mages to help the Inquisition."

[fadefractured]

Karl spoons out some of the food for himself and then gestures to the pot to let Henry know that he can take more. "The Inquisition, hm?" he asks, seems to think it over for a moment.

"They took in both the mages and the templars, didn't they? That seems to be a dangerous combination."

[truestheart]

He looks back to the pot and offers for seconds is tempting but he resists. It wouldn't be right to gobble up all this man's food.

"Maybe, but the Inquisition is proving something because of it. Showing that Mages and Templars don't need to hate each other." A hope he holds onto with all his heart.

"At the very least they can work together for a common good."

[fadefractured]

"Hn," Karl sort of makes a soft noise, acknowledging that he heard it but not really agreeing or disagreeing with the statement. He holds out his hand to take Henry's dish, acting as if he's going to clean up, but if the boy hands it over he just dishes out the rest of the food and hands it back.

"That's an interesting idea and I believe you'll be hard pressed to find people to agree with it."

[truestheart]

The noise is enough to for henry to assume the meaning. On the bright side it's possibly the most positive.

He did not expect another refill though. A small nod and a "thanks," Henry gives.

He takes another sip of the stew looking at it's contents as he hears Karl's words. "I know. Not many people believe it can happen. But, I think it still can."

[fadefractured]

Karl is quiet for a moment, as he thinks that over. His face is very blank as he forgets, yet again, to put emotion into it. It might be mistaken for being thoughtful though.

"When I was a boy, likely a little older than you, I fell in love with someone. We became inseparable, even passed our Harrowings around the same time as one another. I thought I could spend the rest of my life with him." There's a pause, as he lets those memories knit themselves in his mind, lets the ache there settle in his chest. "Love was something the templars forbade, however, even when there was little risk of offspring. So they sent me to another Circle that claimed it needed more senior mages."

Another pause as he busied his hands by picking up a bit. "Kirkwall."

He doesn't expand further, expects the boy will understand enough what his opinion on the subject might be. He doesn't sound bitter or accusatory though. His voice is not completely emotionless, but it's more a quiet, personal pain.

[truestheart]

Henry listens to the man's story attentively. He's not about to shrug it off, saying it wasn't needed or he didn't need is mind changed. But, it would allow for some perspective in on the situation.

The ending does get something of a reaction. Wide eyed and somewhat horrified. He heard of the abuses the Kirkwall circle faced, what happened, everything that led up to it.

"I can see what you mean." Someone from there would have a very hard time believing things. But, it was just one place, right? Surely things could be fixed...

Then again...

"I was from the White Spire."

[fadefractured]

"Then both of us are from places where important events took place," he says. He looks up at Henry then, curious about him. "Yours is much more secretive, I'm afraid. Likely because there isn't a book written about yours. Are you able to share anything about what happened?"

[truestheart]

Henry takes a moment at the question. It's true that things went down at the spire but none he's very clear on. "I'm not sure I can tell you much. But, I know there were unexplained deaths happening. People said they were murders." What else was there...what else...

"I know some of the first enchanters came to talk about how to run the circle of magi. But, that's about it. I was taken out of the spire just before all the fighting started."

[fadefractured]

"That's probably a good thing. You seem too young to fight in a war." That was part of the tragedy here, that so many were just children trying to survive. But then, it felt like that was the way things were in Thedas. He couldn't imagine that the Orlesian Civil War as only displaced adults.

[justice_is_blond]

He catches sight of the fire after he's gotten a little separated from the group he'd been with. Something about large bears charging seemed to cause a great deal of chaos. Something about a second group of bears charging in once the group was already scattered meant that there was no real hope of keeping together.

He'd killed the massive bear that wanted to eat him, used the crystals to make sure everyone was all right, and then simply kept walking to see what herbs (and hopefully no more bears) he could find.

One person alone could be a trap. If it is, they'll find him a much more difficult target to deal with than they anticipated.

"Ho there, by the fire. Would you mind sharing it for a short time?" Just long enough for Anders to warm up, and then move on. He doesn't intend to be a bother.

[fadefractured]

That voice and Karl is a teenager again, finding small corners of the tower with less eyes watching. He stiffens a bit and looks up. Things were so complicated, too complicated to explain in just a few moments.

He reaches up and pulls the cloak hard around his head, making sure his face is still pretty hidden. His beard is more stringy than it had been in Kirkwall's Chantry, and there's no reason for Anders to think he's still alive.

He just sort of shrugs and gestures somewhere near the fire. Welcoming the man to sit but not too close. He's a little lost in pieces of memory and emotion and it's almost too much for him to maintain control.

Thankfully Mercy is there, calming him, holding tight on a heart that might break all over again.

[justice_is_blond]

"Thank you." No comment from the person, but no attack either, so Anders is satisfied enough. "I won't be too long. It's cold out here, and I could use a break from the bears."

When all else fails, keep talking. Especially if the other person seems disinclined to speak with him. There's a part of him that's always straining for attention even though he's one of the people in Thedas who could most use less of the spotlight.

"Have you encountered many of them? I'm a healer. I could assist." There's no hiding it when he's in robes with a staff on his back, really. He's never wanted to hide it. It shouldn't be a cause for shame.

[fadefractured]

He wants to feel annoyed at having to listen to Anders, but he can't bring himself to be. Not when it's so much like the boy he remembered when he was able to piece together more of his past.

The Rite had left so much inside of him broken, but after Mercy came it was easier to put the pieces together - even with the years of solitary in the bowels of The Gallows. Listening to that voice, though, brings too many memories to the forefront. In a few seconds he feels like he's sixteen again, then older, pining and writing letters, then stuck in the night that the templars came to tell him that he would be bait. Bait that couldn't fight back.

Instead of letting himself get lost in those flashes - because being lost meant too many emotions which meant lack of control - he lowers his hand next to him and picks up his own staff, standing it up in front of him. His fingers grip at the steel handle encasing the wood, using it to steady himself.

"I know who you are," he says, with a voice that is too rough from disuse. He still doesn't look up, eyes focused on the fire but still seeing the edges of his past.

[justice_is_blond]

Fuck.

Anders scrambles back to his feet with well-practiced haste, staff coming off his back and into his hand. The other mage isn't up to his feet yet, but there's rarely something good that follows a proclamation like that. The man's voice is hoarse. Emotions, probably. He truly chose the wrong fire tonight, but it's not like that's anything new.

"I don't want a fight. I'll walk away and be gone, and maybe be eaten by a bear. That would be a nice thought, right?" What he'd done, he'd done to save mages. He really doesn't want to kill another.

[fadefractured]

Karl's eyes narrow a bit as he realizes the motion was taken the wrong way. "No," he protests. "That's a terrible thought. You helped break the Circles. You proved we don't have to allow abuses. Your actions encouraged the vote which lead to the rebellion." His voice is still coarse and he doesn't clear it. He's too much of a coward to expose too much of himself.

"Without you Meredith would have been able to kill every mage in the Gallows without a fight. I was there. I had a cell. There were no windows. For days I'd hear nothing but my own thoughts and the scraping of the food they shoved at me..." His voice fails then and he has to cough to clear his throat.

[justice_is_blond]

He hesitates for a moment, but the man's continued explanation, along with the cough, have Anders taking a seat again.

"I'm sorry. I'm glad you're out, but I'm sorry. Can I help? Because your throat and that cough don't sound that good." It's hard, after being in a cell, alone. He knows that well, and it explains the way the man's bundled up and withdrawn; anything could be a trap or a hallucination.

"Or I've some herbs that can be used for a throat-soothing tea." Despite the pain of the man's situation, there's some joy to be found from his words. Here's evidence of another mage who made it out of Kirkwall, someone who was saved by Anders' actions and the blocking of the Rite.

[fadefractured]

You aren't doing him a kindness by hiding, the thought comes to him without him conjuring it and he realizes that so much of him agrees.

After a moment, he chuckles very softly. The sound of it driven by just how endearing it is to see that Anders can still fuss over someone who might as well be a stranger. The thought that even after everything he has faced Anders can still manage to care is wildly comforting. "No, thank you," he says. His voice is clearer now.

He's quiet for a moment, thinking things over. When he speaks now his voice is much more himself, not hoarse or low. He's able to speak without coughing.

"Do you remember how many Tranquil there were in Kirkwall?" And there were so many, especially towards the end. "They let some out to sell their wares, but many more were kept in the Gallows, out of sight. They thought that Tranquil couldn't get bored or suffer so they thought nothing of keeping us locked up. When the chaos started, they didn't come for us right away, mostly because they thought we wouldn't escape on our own. They couldn't imagine we would have the will to survive." He knows using 'we' gives a lot away, but he can't help but still group himself in with with the Tranquil. Even if Mercy gives him back his connection to the Fade and his emotions, he still has the brand. His mind is still fractured in so many ways. He'll probably never be the same again.

"Once we were out, the chaos took so many. Templars attacked indiscriminately. Even if you were sundered you were still considered a danger. People want to blame you for that. Never mind that it wasn't your hand holding those blades. It wasn't you who took that time not help the citizens of the city but to hunt down any mage. And it certainly wasn't you who put us in those cells to start with."

[justice_is_blond]

He goes still as the man resumes talking, knowing the voice and struggling to place it because the only context he can put it in is impossible. Not only did he end the life of the man speaking, there were no emotions left to him. The chuckle is impossible.

It feels like time has frozen and driven cold claws into his chest and his throat. Breathing is hard, thinking is hard, talking near impossible. A list of cruelties rattled off, in the voice of someone he'd felt more for than he'd ever dared say. He'd left Karl for dead. Stabbed him and left, and if he hadn't killed him he'd doomed him to more Tranquility, and that hurts.

Several moments pass before the man with Karl's voice stops talking and Anders realizes he's done. His ears are deceiving him, he knows. It's just similarity. That doesn't make it hurt less.

"It's easier to blame one single person." His voice sounds strange to his own ears, and he can't take his eyes away from the covering over the man's head. He's wrong. He's very, very wrong but Maker what if he could hope one single time? Except hope what? Somehow Karl not just survived a mortal blow but then overcame Tranquility? Just how many impossibilities did he expect Karl to perform?

"Makes it, makes it mean you can, concrete." Apparently coherence is another impossibility. Anders takes a breath and tries again. "A concrete target means you can easily pin the blame and rouse anger in the direction you want. I'm convenient. If they focus the populace on one mage, they're not upsetting those very few who support mages in general, and they're still stirring against mages anyway. And I..." He trails off, unsure if he wants the answer to this question or not. There's a great mess of emotion in his voice when he continues talking. "You know my name. But I haven't heart yours."

[fadefractured]

Karl looked up then, and then reached up to pull back his hood. "Anders..." he says after a moment. "I know this has to be hard for you, but it's me."

He watches Anders carefully, worried that this might be too much for him. He knows there's a lot to explain, but for now they have to get this part over with. He has to finally face what happened to him a bit more, instead of letting himself hide in the dark.