OPEN: Justinian Rifter Arrival

[faderifting]

WHO: New rifters & helpful Inquisition volunteers
WHAT: Welcome to Thedas!
WHEN: Justinian 7
WHERE: On the outskirts of the Exalted Plains
NOTES: This log is slightly backdated, so it's safe to assume safe arrival at Skyhold and begin RPing there as soon as you're ready OOC. It is open to any characters who would have volunteered to go welcome the rifters, whose arrival sites can now be predicted, thank you Solas. Reaching this rift, as well as returning to Skyhold, will require passing carefully through the active and ongoing battlefront for the War of the Lions. Don't get stabbed.

You were asleep—deeply or fitfully, for the last time or just resting your eyes for a moment—and then you were not. And wherever you were was not, anymore, replaced by nothing but the sensation of falling, tumbling into endless, bottomless nothing. If this were still a dream, you would wake before you hit the ground. You can't die in a dream, they say. In some worlds.

But there's no waking here, just a flare of green-white light and a jarring impact onto cold dirt and long grass. When your breath returns and the light's after-image fades from your eyes you will find yourself lying flat on stone, squinting up into sunlight and a shifting, blinding green tear in reality.

You are also not as you were: in the palm of your left hand there glows a narrow splinter of light the same sickly green as whatever brought you here. It aches, a bone-deep pain that gnaws even through all the distractions. Like the fact that you're being attacked. There's a massive, monstrous horned giant stomping toward you, electricity crackling over its purple-gray skin, flanked by ghostly wisps of green light that rear back to hurl bursts of pure magic in your direction.

Your options for escape are limited. To one side, a river; to another, a rock formation too tall and steep to scale. But there's cover behind you in the form of a ruined home—burnt out, missing half of its walls, but still able to resist some damage—and, on the other side of the rift, people coming to help.

Comments

Cosima - ota

[youwonscience]

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," Cosima is muttering to herself as her adrenal glands helpfully make sure she didn't miss the giant-ass whatever it is stomping toward her. Thanks, hypothalamus, I hadn't noticed.

She gropes around until she can lay her hands on her glasses, lost in the impact. They're mercifully intact, and she scrambles to her feet, glancing around. Cosima is fairly certain she's not still dreaming, but she doesn't really have time to think about it now because the giant is still headed for her and the handful of other people who are also getting to their feet with varying degrees of urgency. (Her hand hurts, that's... worrying, but she doesn't think it's the biggest problem for now. So to speak.)

The electricity effect is interesting, but she's less inclined to try to observe it when it's being hurled her way. She takes off for the ruined home; it's not much cover, but better than nothing at all, and she figures at least a few of the others will do the same.

[arcaneadvisor]

Owing to her travels, Morrigan knows the Exalted Plains well enough though since the start of the civil war she's taken care to the avoid them. Fortunately, when you can change your shape as you desire, flying high overhead means you go very much unnoticed especially when the air is thick with crows and ravens with the many dead left to rot where they fall.

She lands a little away from the young woman in a puff of something like purple smoke, her staff in hand; an odd looking girl to be sure but Morrigan at least is accustomed to rifters though she's never watched their arrival before.

"Hurtled into the chaos," she greets because a Witch of the Wilds can give the introduction and she should give it with some sort of style. "Aside from your hand, are you unhurt?" She glances around and behind, prepared for demons and wraiths from the rifts, and more from how thin the Veil will be here from the history of the Plains, and the recent battles.

[youwonscience]

Cosima is keyed up already, but someone arriving in a puff of purple smoke would probably startle her under much calmer circumstances too. Still, she swallows the immediate impulse to ask how the new arrival did that and answers the question.

(If this is somehow connected to Neolution, she's going to have to give Leekie more credit.)

"Don't think so - maybe some bruises, but nothing bad enough I noticed it when I was running." That could very well change when the adrenaline wears off, but no good worrying about that now. She's functional, for all Cosima is in no way a fighter.

"What the hell is that thing?" she adds, because of all her many questions, that seems the most urgent.

[arcaneadvisor]

Better a mage than a soldier; by this point the War of the Lions is ugly enough that the men and women fighting aren't likely to be friendly to new arrivals. One has to wonder if any of the rumours of rifts have truly reached them or if they've been too preoccupied with fighting their war and trying to keep themselves alive.

"You are fortunate, to be certain." Recent events mean that she does offer a smile, small and sharp, giving her a look as she glances up to the sky then back again. "As for what you speak of, tis a rift, one of many that now litter Thedas since a great tear in the Veil dividing this world and the Fade. Wherever you have come from, you have passed through one. And somewhere, you will bear a mark. Does that hurt?" She pauses again because it's a lot to take in, she knows that now from experience with rifters, from how much she's had to explain to them though there's little enough she can do for her hand, least of all here.

[youwonscience]

The smile is... vaguely reassuring, though Cosima takes a minute to parse the answer - she'd meant the creature stomping toward them rather than the the giant green rip in the sky, but now that the woman mentions it, that's also kind of worrying. She also registers the question.

"Uh, some, yeah, but I can handle it." Or the immediate throb in her hand, at least, she can handle that. She flexes it, idly, now that her attention's been drawn to it. "Do we need to be, like, running away? Or..."

[arcaneadvisor]

"If that changes, then I am afraid there is little I can do." Healing isn't really her speciality and Solas is the only one (conveniently enough) that knows much at all about how the shards function. "Your arrival is less fortunate than others - what you see about you is the midst of a civil war fought in the Exalted Plains - that terror demon and the wisps might draw walking corpses from the battles too."

Pointing her staff at the ground behind them, she lays an ice mine, ready to freeze the demon should it choose to follow them. It'll buy them time, if nothing else, since the wisps won't move so quickly or unpredictably as the demon might. "Unless you wish to strike the terror demon down? Then I suggest we make for somewhere safer with haste."

[youwonscience]

"Uh." That's a lot, and Cosima is trying to catch up, but does agree with at least one thing. "Yeah, I'm not much use at striking anything down, let's get out of here."

Between the total stranger and the 'terror demon,' Cosima will go with the total stranger.

[arcaneadvisor]

"My name is Morrigan." A name might be good, if they get separated, and some people here might even know her by reputation. "We shall have to run, if I stop then tis to cast a spell - such things must be done standing still." Either that or the terror demon will have exploded under their feet or she might have changed her shape into something more suited to tackle it but bridges to cross when they come to it. "You are able to run, yes?"

[youwonscience]

"Yeah, running I can manage." She's still in fight-or-flight, that should get her a ways. Hopefully far enough. "I'm Cosima. If you stop, should I stop too or keep going?"

[aceso]

Christine is far from an experienced fighter, but what she is, is a healer. And being such means she will have to come near battlefields to heal those who are injured before it's too late. Unfortunately, it often means getting caught up in the thick of it too. Such it is today, as she heads towards the rift that has just opened not far ahead. Racing forward, she extends a hand and makes a sweeping motion towards the woman running for the house. A blue glyph appears briefly under the woman's feet, before blue light washes over her: a barrier now keeping her protected from harm for its duration.

"Come on!" she calls, making for the house too. It might not be the best idea if what's left of it isn't sturdy enough to withstand a pride demon, but hopefully they can run back out quickly enough if need be.

[youwonscience]

"Whoa," Cosima says, under her breath, at the light emanating from the glyph. There will be time for questions later, though. (She hopes.) For now, she doesn't question the encouragement to keep running.

When they make the ruins of the house, she says, "Where are we?" It's maybe not the most useful question, but it's the first one she can blurt out. It's obviously not Toronto.

[aceso]

"The short answer is Thedas. The long answer is too long for right now." Christine's voice is slightly distracted, because naturally she's focusing on the pride demon slowly walking its way over.

"Do you have a weapon, or are you a mage, by chance? Or have magic?" She's come to understand that those from other worlds who possess magic don't always call themselves mages.

[youwonscience]

"Okay, uh, fair enough, and three no-s on that." She winces at the ground-shaking noise of the giant getting closer. "My skills are definitely not really aimed at giant creatures throwing lightning, or whatever it is. In general."

'Magic is real?' is also probably a conversation that's too long for right now.

"I'm not much of a runner, either, though apparently life-threatening danger is a hell of a motivator."

[aceso]

"It is lightning," she confirms, her face focused. Not much can counter a pride demon's powers, but she knows one thing that makes it vulnerable. She casts a spell that initiated fear in her target, and the pride demon immediately turns and moves the other way when hit.

"That will not last long," she says. "Stay here. Myself and the others will take it down. If Wraiths--" No, that won't do. This woman is brand new to this world. "If green floating creatures follow you here, run away."

[youwonscience]

"Um, okay, will do." Cosima is nothing but a liability in a physical fight, and staying hidden sounds like the best course of action. "...thanks," she adds, belatedly. "And sorry."

She can't imagine her rescuer is especially thrilled to find that Cosima is essentially helpless, either.

[aceso]

The apology has Christine turning to look at the woman, and her expression softens. She is no great fighter herself, and would be a liability if not for her skill at healing spells. Before the Circles fell, Christine had never had to defend herself like this. In those early days when the rebel mages fled the Templars across the country, she depended on others to protect her too.

"Do not be," she says, hoping to reassure the woman. "You have been through much."

That said, she turns and leaves the house, joining warriors, rogues, and other mages from the Inquisition as they work to take the pride demon down. However, they will still need a rifter to close the rift.

[youwonscience]

Cosima is scared, that's true. But she also would always rather know what she's up against, which means cautiously peering out what's left of a window at the battle. It's... impressive, and utterly foreign, and she has a moment where she wonders if vivid delusions are a previously unreported side effect of her disease. (Surely it would have turned up in at least one other patient.)

She watches, but she's also aware of her own limitations and stays put. She does spot one green floating creature (a Wraith, she assumes), but it's far off and mercifully doesn't seem to notice her. She's right where Christine left her when the battle ends.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Church...is not fighting that thing, thanks. There aren't as many people in such a small space like last time on the bridge, though, so he feels safer bringing along his crossbow to bean the green spectral shits with some bolts. (Or, he would bean them with bolts if his aim wasn't comically and perpetually The Worst. Still, they're close enough to serve as a distraction, and one even bounces off the rocks a few improbable times before actually striking one in the back. He'll count that as a hit that he totally did on purpose. Because Wash isn't here to argue otherwise.)

When he's reasonably sure he won't get picked off by Tall Dark and Horny, Church makes a dash around the small battlefield, splashing through the water and already regretting it because fuck his feet are gonna be soaked on the whole trip back, and leaps over a hole in the wall of what was obviously once a house.

"Hey!" he gasps, a little breathless. Man, this is way better cover than 'some rock' or 'actually nothing'. "Sup. Um. Sucks that you're here. Really long story. Don't suppose you can fight? Like. With medieval weapons, not like...punching someone in the teeth."

[youwonscience]

"...hey," she says, and she would be startled except that on the list of "weird shit that has happened to Cosima in the last 15 minutes," this doesn't even break the top five.

"Uh, no, I decided against a minor in LARP studies." It's not a joke she expects him to get. She's just frustrated. "Dude, is that an actual crossbow?" she adds, half incredulous to find he wasn't kidding when she registers it.

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Ouch, what do I look like, some kinda nerd?" Nobody answer that, please. But he hoists up the crossbow at the question, grinning. "Hell yeah it's an actual crossbow! I'm still learning the finer points of it. Not exactly a sniper rifle, but hey, it means I don't have to run up to any of those things. Watch your head."

Which means stay down and out of sight when he pops out the doorway to let loose a couple of bolts. (Which, okay, look, let's just call it suppressing fire and call it even, okay?)

And when he pulls back to lean against the wall and cover again: "So this is all kind of a long story that's better left for when those things are more dead than not, but, cutting it short: fell out of an otherworldly portal, welcome to a D&D world called Thedas, you've got a creepy painful glowy green shard in your hand, we can make crazy otherworldly portals to demon hell open and close with them. And occasionally do other neat tricks. Crash course complete."

[youwonscience]

"Um, given that you know what D&D and LARPing is, I'm gonna declare you at least nerd-adjacent, dude." Jokes, they're a coping strategy. "As a biologist, I do feel I should note for the record organisms that have evolved to shoot lightning, while cool on paper, are extremely unlikely."

Not as if she disbelieves it; more as if she is registering a complaint.

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Well, creepy green afterlife-y places where the laws of physics don't apply that are filled with spirits and demons also are extremely unlikely, and yet..."

A bolt of magic, or perhaps the force from the pride demon's whips, or who knows what shakes the remaining walls, crumbling as they already are. He holds up his hand, a flash of green light seen through, and a small green-ish translucent wall forms above them, letting crumbling cement or stone or whatever they used to make these buildings however long ago skitter off the shield and not, say, fall on top of their heads. It disappears the second the job is done, and he shakes out his hand a little, quietly cursing.

"Anyway, look, this place isn't gonna make a whole lotta sense to science-minded people. I mean, maybe you'll think it's great to study how horny giant people evolved along with humans and elves and I swear to god dwarves. ...And I mean horny as in...they have horns, not horny as in--yeah. Like, if you can figure that out, I'm sure you'll get super famous. Or be burned at a stake? I can't honestly say."

[youwonscience]

"Okay, well, I'm just going to throw out there = that I'm not actually going to be able to study anything if I die in the next 15 minutes, so I'm going to follow the lead of the people who have any idea what the hell is going on. I'm just..."

She angles to look out what used to be a window without making herself too much of a target.

"Is this a bad time to admit I've never been in a fight before at all?"

If it's afterlife-y, in an unspecified way, she could really use Beth right now.

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Y'know what? Now's actually the perfect time to admit that. Means I get to play protector for a while so the big guns can take out tall dark and electrifying." Means he gets to look moderately good to a new person!!! "So. Um. So this isn't a good time for small-talk, but whatever, what's weird about your world? You know LARPing and D&D, so I have to assume you're at least from a world I'm familiar with. I was talking Bowie and vinyl with someone else. She's kind of a fairytale character, though. So I have to assume your world's got a weird twist in it, too."

Church is the best welcome party, what are you talking about.

haha where did that equal sign come from, oops

[youwonscience]

"I don't have a lot of context for comparison, though I know Bowie and vinyl. Dated someone who owned a lot of the former on the latter, in fact." She slides back down the wall, wincing a little at the sound of the battle outside.

"I'm from Earth, 2013, if that helps?" She thinks a moment, then offers: "Scientists 3D-printned an ear back in February, that was pretty cool. And it turns out the government is eavesdropping on us in a huge way, which is less cool."