( closed ) player plot: the stars go waltzing

[eviscerates]

WHO: Adelaide, Araceli, Avery, Bellamy, Bruce, Ciri, Cosima, Daenerys, Jamie, Korrin, Lexa, Martel, Merrill, Ruby, Sabine, Teren.
WHAT: catch all log; the capture of shardbearers, their rescue, and related shenanigans.
WHEN: Gently timey wimey for flexibility, Team Rescue arrives at the outpost on the 10th.
WHERE: Orlais/Nevarra borders (roughly halfway between the Fields of Ghislain and Trevis), and then a Creepy Place.
NOTES: Log for the missing shardbearers player plot; ooc here & here. Only the travel threads for teams one and two are going up for now, the rest will go up on Friday :]b And to clarify - when I say party style, what I mean is subthread to your hearts content!
WARNINGS: HORROR THEMES. Abduction, experimentation/torture, forced ingestion of lyrium, implied past deaths/murder, violence.

SPEEDY LINKS

• TEAM ONE: travel to Craintellier
• TEAM ONE: rift two attempt & Venatori attack
• TEAM ONE: dungeons
• TEAM ONE: escape attempt — Cosima, Jamie & Lexa only
• TEAM TWO: travel to Craintellier
• TEAM TWO: post rift investigation — Adelaide, Bellamy & Sabine, Bruce, Korrin & Teren, Ciri & Merrill
• TEAM TWO: take the outpost — Attack & Distract & Stealthy & Stealy
• TEAM TWO: regroup & into the dungeons — plus a Lexa-shaped guest star
• ALL: finding your shardbearers
• ALL: boss fight
• ALL: epilogue & return to Skyhold — tba

click for bigger version. full map of Thedas here.

East of Perendale and south of Trevis, next to a river's winding course, there lies the bones of a fortress. It is an old and almost forgotten place, a dramatic, clawed seeming thing reaching up into the sky, harsh against the the rolling hills.

It is an ancient place, dating back to 660TE, a testament to an Empire suffering after civil war and grasping to restore its wealth and influence after it had been so shaken. It stands as a memory of grandeur, rather than an icon of it, and bears the marks of devastation and scarring that so much of the land suffered during the First Blight. It was all but abandoned thereafter, host only to the desperate and the greedy, and never for long. Once ornate mosaics now only hold flecks of gold, flakes that stubbornly resisted the hands of looters trying to pry them away. Other colours, reds, whites, greys and blacks, they all remain.

The site was chosen for its riches, sitting atop a mine that once held immense wealth, seams of gold that would bring wealth back into the Empire and help restore stability. Opulence, the central Tevinter staple (aside from slavery and blood magic, some might say).

But they dug too deep, and when the First Blight came so too did the darkspawn.

It has a new master, now, and he serves the Elder One. Parts of this stronghold may be in ruins now, but remember: it is not what lies on the surface that counts, but what lurks beneath it.


AD VICTORIAM, AD GLORIA.

Comments

TEAM ONE: travel to Craintellier.

[eviscerates]

The most direct path to Crantellier requires a journey through the mountains, to the coast of the Waking Sea. The weather is mercifully clear as they cross to Cumberland by boat, and after landing at the rocks they resume their journey on foot, moving north without the benefit of the Imperial Highway.

Even so, it is fair weather, even if it is starting to lose the summer heat and drift into Autumn, and though they do not pass many merchants once they leave Cumberland, there is game to be hunted and elfroot to be gathered, to keep them well enough in stock as they make their way.

When they arrive at the village, it is a quiet sort of place, and very old. The people are polite enough, if understandably cautious given the rifts that are not an immediate threat, but are certainly uncomfortably close, and the party is welcomed by the requisition officer that alerted the Inquisition to the rifts, and Araceli, who arrived there from Tevinter rather than travelling with the group.

Ruby will ask about somewhere for them to sleep before they go to tackle the rifts in morning, and they are directed to an inn. Betraying their proximity to the border, the inn carries the influence of Orlais and Nevarra in its cuisine, and proudly boasts its own brewery.

They leave bright and early to close the first rift, and to teach their newest rifters how to close rifts, and it all seems to be going rather smoothly. How wonderful.


( OOC: This thread is party style! It can basically include anything prior to the attempt at closing the second rift, so travelling to Orlais, checking out the village near to the two rifts and patching each other up after rift one are all things that can happen. Feel free to do whatever :]b )

[wontforgetyou]

It's just as well that the weather is clear while they're on the boat. If the waters had been even a bit rougher chances are that Jamie'd have spent the entire trip looking green about the gills. As it is, there's still the occasional faint curl of nausea in the pit of his stomach, and while he is able to push past it, it leaves him quieter than normal for the trip across.

Or perhaps that quietness is due to something else, because he's quiet as well during most of the trip to the village itself. Still, during the times where they take a break on the way up, he seems content enough, standing just off the path and looking out into the heart of the mountains, not minding the breeze that tugs at his kilt and messes with his hair - and if anyone happens to come over to see what's going on, he's happy not only to move to provide them a bit of room, but strike up a conversation as well.

It's the same in the tavern. While he doesn't indulge too much - they've a job to do, after all - a pretty server at the inn seems to have caught his eye, and by the time he's done chatting with her, he has not only one tankard of ale from the inn's brewery, but two. Rather than keep that second one to himself, he looks around for one of the other people he's been traveling with, offering out the tankard once he manages to catch someone's eye. Maybe someone'll take it or maybe they won't, but it seems better to offer to share rather than keep it to himself.

[eviscerates]

"You've been quiet," Ruby observes, as she claims a seat next to Jamie at the tavern, and accepts the tankard with a little nod of gratitude. "Thanks."

Quiet didn't necessarily mean bad, but she'd come to associate Jamie with chatter and laughing, even if the laughter was more often her own. He was funny, and he was her friend, and she tilts her head slightly to the side. Ruby, for her part, as been the opposite of quiet; chatty, even. Sometimes humming, even, and the rosewood ring had made flowers bloom where her steps had fallen even when there had already been flowers growing there. It was a weird she was getting fond of, her flower ring. "Everything okay?"

[wontforgetyou]

He has to admit, the flowers appearing like that are definitely on the strange side...but maybe not as strange as they might have once been Deciding to accept that magic actually exists here has helped that part of things quite a lot, even if he's a bit curious as to what happened to have the flowers turn up in the first place.

Trust Ruby to notice that he's been quieter than usual, though. There's been a fair amount of things on his mind lately, to be fair, but some of them aren't things he's ready to talk about yet, even to a friend. When he is, chances are Ruby's one of the people he'll be willing to talk to about it...but for now, he goes with something that's a bit less specific.

"Ah, I was just thinking." His mouth twitches ever so slightly, a flicker of humor crossing his face just long enough to be noticeable. "Despite what you might've heard, I've done that a time or two, you know. What about you? You've been very chatty lately, so I could ask the same thing."

[thecookery]

It may not be immediately obvious, but Avery is actually sort of enjoying herself. This is her first time seeing anything green and growing outside of Skyhold's garden in months, and it's oddly refreshing. Not refreshing enough for her to smile, mind you, or to start striking up much in the way of friendly conversation as they travel, but she is a bit more approachable than usual and practically almost pleasant as she puts any game caught to good use and makes sure that everyone has enough to eat on the road.

...no, really. She's watching how much everybody eats, and if someone isn't having enough in her opinion, she's pestering them until they do.

[eviscerates]

"Thank God you agreed to come along." Ruby falls into step alongside Avery, smiling brightly as she does. "I mean, I can hold my own in the kitchen, but I was always more of a customer service kinda gal."

She brandishes, rather pleased, a small collection of rabbits she's managed to collect thus far in the day, holding them up. "Think you can come up plan for these, Masterchef?"

Okay, fine, she won't get the reference but at least it sounds respectable, by Thedas terms.

[thecookery]

Oh, yes. The title, the enthusiasm, and the term "customer service" all earn Ruby one heck of a raised eyebrow, but Avery's not scowling at least! Just looking mildly confused.

"Yeah," she answers slowly, eventually. "I can do something with that. Make a little stew or something, or just roast them up if you like." See? She's even giving her options to choose from. Something must be terribly wrong here.

[wontforgetyou]

Avery may not be smiling, and Jamie may be quieter than normal - but despite that, when they're settled and she's in the middle of cooking, it's not long at all before he's by the campfire, sniffing at the air appreciatively. Food is a sure-fire way to get him to come out of whatever thoughts he's gotten lost in, and now is no exception, even if he runs the risk of getting drafted to lend a hand with whatever needs doing. It's a risk he's willing to take.

"Hey, that's alright." He leans forward, trying to inspect the pot to see what's inside, although he stops just short of trying to sneak a taste. "Smells good, too. What'd you come up with this time?"

[thecookery]

Oh, he's lucky he's chosen today to pull a stunt like that! On any other day, he'd be getting such a rude comment and possibly a drubbing with a spoon for getting in her way.

Instead, Avery just gives Jamie a sidelong look as she stirs at the contents of the pot and huffs quietly, "Someone's managed to catch a few coneys, and I picked some wild onions I saw earlier, so I thought I'd make a soup out of that and some dried herbs I brought with."

[youwonscience]

Cosima has more or less decided that the upside of Avery's abrupt manner is that Avery will not hesitate to chase her away if she doesn't want Cosima around. Unless and until that happens, she spends more than a bit of time in the cook's company - not necessarily trying to make conversation, just walking with the one person besides Ruby she feels she knows even a little. (She's met a couple of them before but... even so.)

Now that she's feeling better, her appetite has gone back to normal, though this is more walking than she's strictly used to. It probably doesn't help that she doesn't eat any of the meat on offer, frankly, though she's quick enough to take a double portion of beans when they're available. It's not something she comments on, though someone watching her eating habits would definitely notice.

[thecookery]

Oh, she's noticed! And while it might be a bit of an inconvenience, especially out on the road where meat is just such a large part of their fresh food supply and preparing multiple dishes at once isn't so simple, Avery hasn't said anything about it yet. Just quietly started doing her best with the preservables they've brought with them and whatever fresh fruits and things they've managed to find along the way.

And Cosima had better appreciate it too! Because Avery is pulling such a face as she hands it over half the time. Picky eaters, man. Am I right?

[heda]

Lexa has never been on a ship before. She doesn't announce that fact, and instead does her best not to let on, but there's a certain keenness to her attention as she strides the length and breadth of the vessel, as she watches the sailors work, and especially as she stands up at the bow that might make an perceptive person guess. She spends most of the voyage up there at the front, with her arms folded against the small of her back and the wind and the spray lashing at her face and whipping her hair into a curly mess everywhere it's not tightly braided.

She still manages to conceal her surprise as they approach the dock in Cumberland, but it's harder to keep her fascination completely contained at the sight of the largest city in Thedas (or near enough). She'd love to look around, but they have a mission and so instead she spends her efforts on advocating that they hire horses rather than walking all the way to their destination and back. The matter is urgent after all, isn't it? Either way, she'll be silent for most of the trip--that's just her default--but helpful with hunting without needing to be asked, even if the terrain is somewhat different than the Frostbacks she's accustomed to. Rabbits, mostly, a couple of gamebirds. She mostly just goes without asking for assistance, but isn't secretive about it if someone wants to tag along.

At the town she keeps to herself still, doesn't drink much but seems quietly curious about the food--and a little skeptical, pushing it around with her fork in examination before chewing thoroughly. Except the snails. The snails get a more thorough poking-at with her fork. WTF.

[eviscerates]

She makes a sound of relief when they reach the docks in Cumberland, exhaling though her cheeks remains a little puffed up regardless, and she looks a little—

Well, not green, but not lacking in visible relief, either. "Boats," she says very simply, as if that's explanation enough. "I still haven't gotten my Sea Legs specialisation. I think maybe having a big hat helps."

Thank God for dry land, and she rolls her shoulders as they start walking. The sea air had been invigorating, but then it went past invigorating into not so great, and now she is really appreciating how the sea smells from the docks. Magical.

[heda]

Lexa's brows draw briefly together at the mention of a big hat, and she flicks a look toward Ruby, checking for signs that this is a joke, or maybe trying to picture her in a big hat. Hmm.

She wobbles a little when they first step off onto the dock, but it's not that different from the transition after a long day on horseback, and after a few strides and discreet shaking out of one knee, she manages not to embarrass herself. She heads up the docks at Ruby's side, leaning around her a little to peer up at the city walls, eyes constantly moving in an effort to take in every single thing without swiveling her head around like a loser tourist.

"You didn't like it?" she asks, a little absently, attention still clearly on their surroundings. "The ship?" She doesn't mean to be rude. Ruby's great and all, but Cumberland is amazing, and she doubts she'll ever get the chance to see it again.

[thecookery]

"Too right," Avery grumbles in agreement when she sees Lexa eyeing the snails so suspiciously. Judging by her own expression, these mollusks surely must have personally offended her somehow. "Maybe in a pinch you can keep yourself alive on slugs and nightcrawlers, but we're not lost in the wilds now, are we? So stick to proper meals, yeah?"

Clearly, they know how to make those too. There are real meats and things in the other dishes. So why this? Why are Orlesians so weird, you guys??

[heda]

"They seemed well-off," Lexa replies to Avery, voice low in murmured agreement. She has no desire to insult their hosts, but she definitely is puzzled and maybe a little relieved that the cook seems to be as well. She's not a picky eater by any means, and she'll chew her way through the snails politely, but this is odd. And a little worrying.

"Perhaps we've exhausted their stores that they need to replace meat with these. The rift will have scared away most game nearby."

[foxsays]

If everyone could kindly ignore that Araceli and Lux seem to be coming from the opposite direction to pretty much everyone else - that is the distinctly not Skyhold direction, the 'hmmm, you came from the north didn't you?' direction - then that would be absolutely grand by her. Since she can't talk about where she's been. (Unless you're maybe Martel because certain men are a law unto themselves, or the Outsider who will probably just know whenever she gets back to Skyhold.) The fox is miserably slung over the saddle of a 'borrowed' horse when she meets up with the group, quite glad to be down at the first available opportunity. But he has wee little legs, and a horse has big legs, so y'know, you need to shut up and suffer the indignities Lux because there's a job to do and Ruby summoned your mistress.

At the inn, since Araceli doesn't have a ruse to keep up this time, she will quite happily show any serving girls who happen her way (it's Araceli Bonaventura so serving girls will always just happen her way, this is pretty much a universal constant) as she fans out a deck of cards. If anyone else is up for a game to settle themselves, she'll deal them in. Tonight's not about money, or learning tells, or getting information. It's just about relaxing. Incredible.

The booze is still really, really bad. But that's fine, guess who still has rum from Rivain in her pack. Maybe you can have some if you ask her very nicely. Since she kind of had the more chill journey, just a girl and her fox and a big dumb horse out of Tevinter that she will sell to some merchant since no, she doesn't want a horse, look at this stupid thing.

[thecookery]

She hasn't said anything yet, but for a little while now Avery's been off-and-on watching Araceli's antics with the serving girls with a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

How people like her exist and function in the world will forever be an unsolved mystery to this awkward mess. All that charm and smoothness... How does she keep it up for so long without wanting to explode? It sounds like the exact opposite of relaxing to Avery.

[foxsays]

When one of the serving girls is sadly called away to actually do her job - what a cruel world, having to work instead of learning new card tricks to impress people - Araceli turns to Avery. Ruby was kind enough to give Araceli the names of everyone coming along but since she didn't come from Skyhold with the rest? She's behind on catching up.

"Fancy a game?" Sweeping the deck into one hand, she shuffles them easily enough, nodding to the now free seat next to her if Avery is in the mood.

[youwonscience]

"You mind if I watch a bit?" Cosima says, indicating the card game. She doesn't know the rules, and it's just one more thing someone would need to hand-hold her through. Maybe she can pick the game up by observation and not actually annoy anyone for one night. It would be a novel change.

[foxsays]

"Not at all." Waving Cosima over with a smile - and with her fox peeping out from under the table for a quick sniff - she holds out her other hand to the serving girl next to her who grudgingly hands over a card Araceli takes from her. "Araceli Bonaventura, at your service."

If she'd known they would've had a chance to really relax, she would've asked Ruby to go to her and Korrin's rooms to grab her dice too.

"If you want to be dealt it, let me know, we're not placing any bets. Alas, but I am travelling light. Unless I bet the horse and I might need him still."

[unsullies]

When they sail, she imagines, as much as she can, that they are on a ship bound for Westeros. She imagines that she is finally returning home with the Dothraki army at her back, ready to claim her family's rightful throne. Dany opens her eyes, though, and the salty air is as unfamiliar here as it would be crossing the Narrow Sea. This is neither Westeros or Essos and she is a woman without a country.

Nevertheless, the trip is enjoyable enough. Ruby is close by, who she knows as well as she knows anyone in Thedas (which is to say, not very well at all). Still, her presence is a sort of comfort, and the silver queen takes to shadowing Ruby every so often, asking questions and then drawing away again to think on it all.

Why had she come on this mission? Dany can't fight, which isn't a secret, but she's also one of their 'rifters.' She takes a deep breath, trying to quell the anxiety that blooms in her chest. She remembers well the demons that she'd seen upon her first arrival and isn't looking forward to seeing them again.

[thecookery]

Hey, hey. At least Dany isn't alone on team noncombatant in this party, right? I mean, not that Avery is completely incapable of fighting, mind you, but she's more used to punching out muggers on dark city streets than hunting monsters in the wilds. So, you know, if a demon ever decides to go for Dany's wallet in an alley, she knows who to call, but otherwise? No, thank you.

But yes, other than that she's a Rifter and no trained fighter, Avery knows next to nothing about this strange, pale girl coming along with them on their mission, so she watches her curiously for a little while as they stand on the deck of the boat. "Your first time?" she eventually asks, nodding casually out toward the sea and taking in a deep breath. "It's mine."

She sounds like she hasn't quite made up her mind yet if she ever intends to give it a second try.

[youwonscience]

"Hey, um." Cosima ends up walking beside her at one point, leaning a little on her walking stick but keeping pace. "I don't know if you remember from the snow fight. Cosima." Team Violet, hooray? "Ruby talk you into this too?"

It's a light joke - Cosima had volunteered, though Ruby's involvement had helped convince her it was a good idea. (That... held true for the snow fight too, now that Cosima came to think of it.)

[eviscerates]

Ruby, for her part, is glad to be shadowed. Daenerys is a very nice shadow to have. As they walk, Ruby bites her tongue and occasionally turns to pluck a flower from the path following her courtesy of her ring, or grab another, and eventually when Daenerys is deep in thought? Ruby deposits a flower grown of white and purple flowers on her head, before grinning.

"So, I'm hoping that maybe the more rifts we close the more we'll understand about them, even if we aren't mages. Any insight or thing we learn could be useful for figuring out a way home."

She would like to think she is not so horribly imperceptive as to miss the fact that Daenerys seemed— wistful? Something when they crossed the Waking Sea. Ruby, for her part, was slightly seasick, but that's because wolves are not sea creatures.