OPEN ↠ FALSE GODS, GREAT DEMONS (PART II)

[faderifting]

WHO: Everyone in the Dark Future
WHAT: Doom and gloom
WHEN: ALTERNATE FUTURE, 25-28 Cloudreach 9:48
WHERE: The Thaigs, Jader, the Frostbacks, and Haven
NOTES: This is the second open log and second plot log, combined, for False Gods, Great Demons.

ORTAN THAIG has been buzzing since the time travelers arrived—with gossip, skepticism, resentment, hope. The Herald traveled through time once before and brought back a blueprint for victory that might have worked if she’d lived. Maybe they can do the same. The now-Tranquil Dorian seems to think so, passing along an amulet and spells to a group of mages. If they can return to Haven, if they can recreate the magic—

Discussions of strategy and timing are underway when reports arrive from Orlais that Tevinter is on the move. Units of mages, corrupted Red Templars, and Tevinter foot soldiers are cutting east toward the passes through the Frostbacks; more are swinging north to cross through Jader without braving the mountains.

A dragon is with them.

There’s one day to wonder what’s happening, to try to plan or prioritize, and then the decision is made for the Inquisition: they have to leave. They have to leave because the passage of the dragon over the Deep Roads brings with it an underground wave of darkspawn, nearly crawling over one another as they swarm over the barricade and toward both the thaigs. Ortan will fall first. Then Orzammar. There is no if. And there are Tevinter troops blocking the main doors.

Get out alive. Get the time travelers out with you. Take one of the narrow tunnels that opens up into the mountains or woods outside of Tevinter's reach. Or stay behind to hold the line.

Elsewhere, in JADER, Tevinter forces march through the city streets on their way south. They have somewhere to be. But they also have to sleep and eat, and the Inquisition has people in the city—spies, traveling scouts, maybe a ship nearby—and this one last chance to cut their numbers. Burn bridges. Burn inns. Slip poison into what glasses you're able. Every man you kill here is a man who won't make it to the mountains. In THE FROSTBACKS there are fewer options, a larger force, and a dragon overhead. But dropping an avalanche on them worked once. It might be worth it to try again. Anything to keep them from reaching HAVEN.

If you’re unlucky, no one will remember that you died a hero. If you’re lucky, this will never have happened at all.

For their dreams had been devoured
By a demon that prowled the Fade
As a wolf hunts a herd of deer.
Taking first the weakest and frailest of hopes,
And when there was nothing left,
Destroying the bright and bold
By subtlety and ambush and cruel arts.
Exaltations 1

Comments

if anyone in this thread wants to start it earlier on/this needs editing for ya just lmk ❤

[limier]

"Shit."

The horn blares, bodies come running. It’s not so heavily-defended as it might be, and that's either a blessing or a bad sign, because it means there's still room for something about today to get worse.

Any forward rush will be met with force: They can bull through it, or they might manage a split, attempt to use some of their escort as a diversion to sneak the travelers through. No matter how they choose to move, there’s no time to argue. There’s really no time for much at all.

Wren yanks at the nearest body, shield lifting to brace the two of them against the fist of stone that punches down from one quick-thinking mage above. The impact sends her staggering in a spray of rock.

Cover won’t last long: Sparks are collecting about his fingers for a strike. Maybe someone should take care of that.

There’s a fallen flask to the left, shining with Antivan fire. It’s not apparent who tossed it, but what’s rapidly very clear is that it’s cracked and ready to leak. A grenade that they need rid of — and quickly —

[doneisdone]

MAGES

Teren isn't used to being manhandled, at least not so egregiously and by someone on her own side, but desperate times, etc. She makes a noise not unlike an angry cat as she's dragged behind Wren's shield and subsequently shielded from the stone fist, then has no time to offer thanks before noticing the flask.
Lightning quick, she ducks from the Templar's side to give the flask a delicate yet well-supported kick that sends it flying away from them, to explode in midair.

[not_the_question]

The Doctor hated fighting. He was used to using his sonic or his TARDIS, or even his spoon. But not in this place. Much to his chagrin, he was fighting with a sword. Mostly, because he didn't feel sure enough with a bow and arrow in this body yet.

Still one of the advantages of having fought in the Time War was he had a multitude of skills: both offensive and defensive. And it was startling to him how quickly it all came back. And how quickly he was able to adjust to use them in the body he currently has.

Since Teren had taken care of the flask, it was time to focus on the attack from afar. The Doctor saw the sparks collecting about the mages's fingers. While he had no way to know if his shard would do anything in this instance but attract attention, it was all he had. He raised his left hand and focused to aim at the mage's hands.

The shard glowed brighter for a moment, but then nothing happened.

"Well, that's worthless. We have to do this the old fashioned way."

He dug into his pockets. He knew he had a small Swiss Army-type knife around somewhere. When his hand gripped it, he grinned. Perfect. Bless his wife for telling him he should carry a few 'multi-purpose tools' around with him at all times. He had argued that was why he had his sonic and she pointed out that was why he trowel had been soniced.

He aimed at the mage's hand and flung the knife towards it. He shouldn't have, but he did smile a little when he heard the yelp of pain when the tool met it's mark.

He quickly moved back to where Teren and Wren were gathered.

"So what are we supposed to do now?"

Because the instruction of 'get to this place' seemed less than helpful at this juncture.

[youwonscience]

If Cosima lives through this, she swears she's going to get better about regular cardio.

She has a couple knives, but they're a last resort; her main plan is to run away from anyone trying to kill her and to keep with the group. After all, anyone with any sense can see she's not much of a threat - those who still have enough presence of mind to evaluate targets, at least. Unfortunately, part one has made part two a challenge. She comes dashing up from having fallen behind, bruised and dirty but in one piece.

"Keep moving," she says, off the question she heard. "Yeah?" she adds to the others. "From the description, we still have a way to go and the quicker the better." Less time for the inevitable reinforcements to arrive.

[wontforgetyou]

"Aye, she's right," comments Jamie, as he comes running up behind Cosima. He's been trying to keep the way open for the others, but he's not about to let his friends get too far ahead of him. There's an awful lot at stake here, and he's determined to see the group that needs to go back through to the very end - no matter what the cost. And to him that means sticking close and being ready to react when the enemy comes for them.

And not staying in one place for too long, if they can help it. The longer they dally, the greater the chance the forces that are here will be able to put together a more organized fight, which'll make it that much harder to get everyone to the spot they need to go in one piece. His fingers tighten their grip on his sword, and he gestures with his free hand in a direction that's not really all that defined, but is still roughly "forward". It's better than nothing, for now.

"We've keep going and not give them the chance to close in on us. The rest of it we'll figure out as we go. Come on!"

[extramural]

"Keep moving," the Outsider agrees, sword in hand. He's been using his ability to move very, very quickly in a blink of an eye to try and keep those who can't fight safe. It's important that those who came to this future return to a time where they can change it. Whether they can truly make it better remains to be seen, but they will try.

He promised that they would, and it has been- a very, very long time since he has made a promise. For Thranduil and Corvo, he intends to keep it.

"Fight when you must, but remember our goal. Do not focus on this battle only to lose the war, so to speak."

[bookish_lioness]

While Hermione had always been reserved in using her magic, now is definitely not the time to continue doing so. Even if it gets a little out of hand, they're far beyond the point of keeping things simple and neat. The best she can hope for right now is to limit the amount of friendly fire she might incur.

It's a little difficult, owing to the fact that the shard in her hand has been throbbing, but she'll take that over having it cut clean off, which she only narrowly avoids more than once as she struggles to cut through the worst of the fighting. Stunners and other defensive spells are taking more out of her than they should, and so she's not going to go on the offense until she absolutely has to.

Seeing the knot of people up ahead, she fears that she might have to do just that until she gets close enough to hear the Outsider's word. "Now is hardly the time for a pep talk," she mentions, catching up and waving them forward even as she presses on. She's not about to get too far ahead, of course, since she knows her limits and so isn't about to lead the charge when she's only slightly more confident in her magic than she is in the bow and arrow at her back.

"A stationary target is an easy one. Keeping going, into the temple."

[limier]

Wren finds her balance again, throws it forward once more. It’s the wrong moment for gratitude, but a relief to find steady hands and sharp eyes around her. Everyone is managing their part, even if that part is staying alive.

Hermione’s right, Cosima’s right, the Outsider’s right (they’re all right and Maker help her if anyone goes at it over a mutual agreement just now) best to keep moving, to carve a path ahead. This... Donald has their backs, and that’s a true luxury, means they needn't watch their own.

Sharp light and blunt force wherever she cuts first through spellwork, then flesh. Keep moving, keep moving, sure. It really is great advice. Better still if there weren't quite so many people trying to stop them.

Half these men are researchers, soft, untrained — but there are still dangers strewn across this hillside, those Venatori hardened by confidence or combat, and every academic is a shield before them; additional cover and chaos that the Inquisition must wade through.

Perhaps there's another way. Perhaps some of these scholars, they might scare.

"If anyone has something flashy," Ragged, half-shouted over the din of the battle around them. "Do it."

"You —" She points to the nearest of them, "— Eyes on the temple; be ready to tell us how to get in."

Too soon to know whether they've barred the entrance, but if they have, they'll need a way through. They have resources. They must be ready to use them.

"Any sign of reinforcements?"

A muffled curse, and Wren drops as fire blooms sudden and hot above their heads. A wild shot: misaimed. The ends of it catch a framework nearby, soon jump to a blaze that engulfs the wooden structure.

[wontforgetyou]

Flashy Wren wants, flashy he can do...sort of, anyway. Jamie hesitates only as long as it takes him to shift his sword, yanking one of the gloves off of his hands and letting the shard he'd gone to such pains to hide become visible once more. There's no point in hiding it now. Either they'll be able to send the group from the past back again and none of this will have happened, or they'll all die trying and it won't matter anyway.

With one smooth motion he lifts his hand, the mark sparking and flaring to life as he aims and shoots at one of the enemy - not aiming for the man himself, but the small flasks he can see dangling from the man's belt. From here he has no idea what they might hold, but if they're lucky they'll have something combustible inside, and with luck the results will be flashy enough that they'd at least give the others pause.

He doesn't have the time to wait and see if it works, though, as the structure that's now on fire sends out a gout of flame that's entirely too close for his liking. The mark flares again in response, this time generating a shield of green light to stand between him and the crackling timber, just in case it gets any bright ideas about falling on his head.

"Think that's a sign they're coming!" he yells back. "Can anyone see what's going on at the temple yet?"

[doneisdone]

Too flustered to answer The Doctor, Teren instead turns her attention toward the temple, still standing but looking a bit worse for wear. How to get in? She spots a less healthy-looking section of it that stands unguarded, around the back, with a wall cracking and no doubt wood splintering from the damage within.
She races ahead of the group, more quickly than any sentries at the temple door would be able to stop in time, and jams her foot into the weak spot. Praise the Maker, it gives, and she beckons frantically to the others. Make it quick.

[not_the_question]

The Doctor had fallen behind, battling those who were coming up behind and trying to gain ground.


[ooc: Just stating this in case anyone was waiting for him to post, his tread will continue below for a bit.]