faderift | PLAYER PLOT: The Least of His Children

WHO: Nathaniel Howe, Felix Alexius, Anders, James Norrington, Kaisa Daesun, Fenris, Araceli, Inessa.
WHAT: A quest to rescue a slave.
WHEN: August 26
WHERE: Tevinter
NOTES: Will update. Plotting post is here.

The Mastermind: Nathaniel Howe
The Game: Green Goods
The Grifter: Felix Alexius
The Mark: Magister Leo Valerius is an ailing old man, but his mind is sharp. His main concern of late has been to leave his sons a good inheritance, though he isn't exactly straight-up greedy.
The Prize: Alavda Endris is a slave to Valerius. The bad news is that she almost never leaves his side. The good news is that that makes her easy to find.

The Plan: One team is sent in, with Felix dressed as a minor lordling and his entourage trying to climb the social ladder by schmoozing an old magister. Felix claims to be staying as a guest of a nearby lord (technically true) and only visiting for the day. Valerius must believe this boy is an upstart with no political value and too much money.

Another team performs a heist and gains the money Valerius keeps at this estate by pretending to be contractors hired to work on the floorboards in the room with the vault door (an appointment Valerius set up months ago and our team hijacked). Planting bees in the floorboards will clear the room of guards. Felix pretends to fall in love with Alavda and asks to borrow her from Valerius. If Valerius hesitates, Felix offers him more and more money until he consents. He has loaned Alavda to other lords before, and Felix's show of being petulant and stupid should help wear away any suspicion that this is a set-up. In that way, it's a basic hustle. Once Valerius consents, Felix then sends an attendant outside to fetch that amount from the money stolen from Valerius' vault. The entourage departs, claiming to be returning to the local lord's house. They leave with Alavda and return to Skyhold.

MAJOR OBSTACLES:

Alavda is wearing an enchanted collar which allows Valerius to locate her. If it is cut away or in most any other way removed, it sends a massive and lethal shock through her system. The team will need to find a way to remove the collar without killing Alavda.

If/when the collar is removed, Valerius will send people to find her.

Valerius has about twenty guards on his property.

The vault door operates on reacting to a specific keystone which cannot be found, but aside from the magical lock, the mechanism is still a mechanism. A good thief can crack it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is vital that the members of this team keep their involvement and mission details secret before and after the mission. It must not get out that Inquisition members and affiliates were involved in hustling a magister.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Because this is important.

Norrington was not a great con-artist, nor was he a thief. However, he was something of an ace in the hole - magisters had little to no experience with real templars. If things when horribly south, he was there to bring down the wrath of the Maker.

Until then however, he had to practice being just another bored guard. So in that case, that meant on the trip there, he spent a long time standing still and staring off into the desert, looking blank-faced and bored. He had to learn how to ... well, swagger, not something that his upright upbringing had really allowed him before.

He also couldn't wear his armor, so at the manor he made sure to buy some second rate stuff - the usual guardman's swag, and banging the hell out of it or rolling it around in the dirt.

If you're looking for him to practice that straight face impression? You'll find him practicing it already, or wearing in his second rate gear to make it look like he's had it for years.

"So do you miss wearing a skirt?" It's been suggested that he might need help keeping a straight face. Anders also could use practice... but he's the healer, and a mage. He gets to be more like a person rather than have to stand around looking serious.

"I'm sure we could find you a light, lacy one in Tevinter if we make a short detour."

"I find that fairly ironic coming from someone who wears a dress with feathers on his shoulders." Is James's dry reply, his expression completely flat, as he kicks in his second-rate armor once more, to give it a believable kick to the chest look.

He arches one eyebrow at the other man. "Unless you're offering to share your wardrobe."

"Robes and a skirt are very different. Robes are fashionable. Skirts... Well." He shrugs, voice light enough to make it clear he's teasing while still looking down on skirts. "And I don't trust a warrior in my clothing. You sorts always charge in when it's a very bad idea to do so, which means I'd have to spend time mending my robes. You're out of luck."

Anders reaches up and fluffs the feathers on his current coat - peacock, thanks to Isabela - before smirking a little at Norrington. "I could offer my services in a different way. You could put the armor on and I could hit it with my staff."

"Then you should know it's not a skirt - it's an over-tunic. For someone who is so fashion-savvy, you don't know much about warrior clothing." He smirked again, before arching an eyebrow.

"If you really want to try that - I can only take it as a sparring match, serah. Which means I get to hit you in turn."

"Sorry. I've never had any desire to undress a Templar. Everyone else..." He waves a hand, leaning against a wall. That's one smirk from Norrington, and one point for Anders when it comes to breaking his straight face. Or is it losing a point, when they need to manage to look serious? He's not sure.

"Though to be slightly more serious, I'll not be sparring with you. No offense meant, but your training is given with the intention of taking mages down. It would never be equal footing."

"Don't look at me. Do you know how many Templars take vows of chastity?" Kaisa slouches on over, thudding against the wall near Anders and making a face. She heard about practicing keeping a straight face. It sounds entertaining, and probably helpful to not dying. "Like, Andraste's ass, they deal with so many staves, you'd think they'd want to use their own a little more." She elbows Anders, a smirk on her face. "Ey? Eyyy?"

Damn, was he not allowed to smirk? Apparently not. He sighed and got his expression back to bored once more, as he answered Anders, "That's fine - my desire to undress you is probably about at the same level of disinterest. In fact - 'anyone else in the world' comes to mind ..."

A pause, then a thoughtful look, "Fair enough. Here, blast that armor then while I'm not in it. It needs to look real - "

Another pause, a glance back at Kaisa, and then he really has to fight this smirk this time. "No worries, I am a Templar with no such vow, so don't concern yourself with the status of my ... stave."

He is getting better - he managed to keep the bored tone as well. Ah-ha!

Anders casually gives Norrington a rude gesture. He's not upset, there isn't anger behind it, but no one has to go that far. Not being interested in Templars isn't like saying he'd be interested in anyone else more than Norrington.

At least there's Kaisa here.

"Say please, and I will. And," turning to Kaisa, "I think it's staff envy, really, as to why they chase after staves so often. They see it, and they wish they could carry them too."

"I happen to be a member of anyone else in the world," Kaisa points out, helpfully, in case there was some kind of confusion on that part. She wiggles her eyebrows at Norrington, then shoots a smirk at Anders, rubbing her chin. "I don't know, I can't help but wonder. Maybe it is envy. There's something to be said about a nice, solid stave, thick enough to hold in one hand, but sturdy enough to have some real thrust behind it."

At this, she (gently) elbows at Anders, clearly struggling to hold back her own set of giggles, because she's hilarious, damn it.

"Oh, well, there you have it. I could sleep with you - if I was not courting someone." Norrington stated with a straight face, even though the rude gesture made him want to smirk once more.

"I prefer a sword." He stated simply, "More thrust. Definitely more angles, and always more versatility."

He looks over at Kaisa. "That sounds the opposite of sexy. Edges and pain. That may be why he's courting them and not sleeping with them. Enough appeal to the heart, and lack of technique in bed... No, it still matters. Perhaps we should recommend Zevran as a coach."

A beat. "Then again, this man may be beyond even Zevran."

"Hey, some people are into that kinda shit." Kaisa pointed out, rubbing her chin. "Andraste's tits, a poor soul that had to listen to you would think you're into it." Not that Anders seemed to MIND the ENTIRE CAMP hearing him.

Not that Kaisa couldn't be just as loud.

"Still," She continues, thoughtfully turning to glance Norrington up and down carefully. "I wouldn't mind watching Zevran give it a try, if you know what I mean. Do you think he'd allow audiences?"

James kicked the armor once more, giving it one more dent, and eyed it critically. Perfect. After a moment, he went to hang it on the armor stand went to pick up the helm, to hit it with said sword.

"Zevran would ask permission before." He stated simply, before he banged the helmet again. "He's quite courteous that way."

"In other words, Norrington would say no. But it's not like it's a loss. The Inquisition has plenty of people who would be appealing to see like that."

Anders leans against a nearby tree, relaxing a little. "Alistair, for instance, even though he'd turn down the chance. Iron Bull? If half the rumors are true, he'd be into it. Even you and Zevran could put on a show, Kaisa."

Zevran and Nate could, too, but Anders would prefer to keep that sight to himself.

PLAYER PLOT: The Least of His Children

Everyone Helping Norrington Practice Keeping a Straight Face

I heart you also Norrington owns line-face.

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