OPEN - Rooks, Pawns, Bishops and Knights

[madame_de_fer]

WHO: Vivienne and OPEN
WHAT: Catchall post for Madame de Fer to get to know the players great and small in the Inquisition.
WHEN: Wintermarch, all month
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: There's a specific bit for the Council members, but the remainder is open to everyone. Anyone who's been wanting CR with Viv, feel free to assume your character got one of the vaunted invites and tag in!

For the Council
Early in Wintermarch, all members of the Council receive a gilded paper invitation. No impersonal sending crystal for this message. The contents invite all the Councilors to join Madame de Fer at the hot spring for a day of relaxation and massage. To her mind, this is no frivolous social gathering meant to impress or irritate the others. (Though if either of those become true, that is useful as well.) There needs to be a dialogue enough amongst them that they do not dither away precious time and resources having to renegotiate their relationships upon meeting. That and none of them are any use to the Inquisition if they are tired, weary, and not well taken care of.

Some of her most comfortable chairs and lounging couches have been brought to the hot spring, and tables set with with a full tea service, both sweet and savory, and a few bottles of champagne. There's even imported Antivan cheese wheels, for the eyes, not for snacking. She is determined not to be caught out letting any of the others languish behind in attending to the important business of self-care. Anyone who brings up anything of a political or divisive nature, however, will find that they are most unwelcome. Relaxation and learning more is the point, not to posture and jockey. Not today.


For the Advisors and Companions
All the advisors and previous companions of the Herald likewise receive Spa Day invitations, albeit the day after the Council. Thank the Maker Sera is not around to make a mockery of such generosity. Knowing that Cullen is most likely to be the most stubborn about leaving that musty office of his, Vivienne plans to drag him along by the ear like an errant child if he dawdles too long in arriving.


Open to All, All Month
Before everyone can scatter to the four winds on business following the start of the new year, Vivienne sets out to some business of her own. She needs to know as much as she can about anyone within the Inquisition who might be a considerable piece in the Game, whether they are aware of such or not. Invitations to join her at her balcony begin to go out to anyone of interest: mages, templars, second sons of minor nobles, people from out of the rifts. For those whose invitation falls in the mid-afternoon, it is to join her for tea. Others receive invites for drinks, well after the dinner hour, but clearly with the intent of having uninterrupted time for getting to know the other better. As much as anyone is allowed to learn more about the Iron Lady.

Comments

[serannas]

Ellana doesn't wish to take off her clothes in front of the other councilors, even though she has no problem seeing them undressed. It's a personal preference of hers, and so she's seated on a cushion with her legs dangling in the hot springs, pants rolled up over her knees. She holds a glass of champagne, but she really doesn't like it. The bubbles tickle her nose. So she just holds it, pretending to drink it and every so often she covertly lowers the glass to pour a little into the hot spring. She figures it would go to waste anyway, the way this spa day is filled with excess.

"So, Korrin," she begins, searching for a topic that isn't about politics. "Have you chosen a specialization yet?"

[gatheringstorm]

There's no pressure from Korrin's end, either to disrobe or imbibe. Whatever everyone actually enjoys during spa day is exactly what they should do, end of story. Having given the cheese wheels a try just to say she did, Korrin misses any addition to the hot springs, as it is. But she prefers actually seeing the people she's talking to, so who knows how long that might last.

"I think so? Watching Knight-Enchanters at work is getting my interest. Half the time, I tend to fight up-close anyway. If I'm going to do that, I might as well learn how without accumulating more scars." She has plenty of those, anyway. "What about you?"

[serannas]

"Mmm, I'm no good close up," she muses, gently swishing her legs through the water. "There's been talk of harnessing the power put out from these rifts to do a specialized magic. Mainly using it to move things around or weaken enemies. Something about conjuring Fade energy into a stone projectile too. I like the idea of it."

She glances over her shoulder to where Pel sits before looking back. Ellana's been considering the Keeper specialization too, but isn't sure it would be right to learn that without the blessing of her Keeper. Maybe she should just forget about it and go with this rift magic.

[gatheringstorm]

There's a soft hum of consideration as Korrin stretches again, careful not to accidentally bump into anyone in the process. "That sounds pretty promising, now that you mention it. Imagine, the power of the rifts working in our favor for once instead of just spewing more demons. Is there anyone around to teach that kind of magic? It sounds like the sort of thing the Inquisition should be looking into."

The idea of harnessing power from the rifts is an intriguing one and Korrin can't deny that she's a bit tempted. It could work with her fighting style as well, or she'd find adapt. But her heart is set on that other path just a little bit more.

[serannas]

"I think so. People are studying it, so there must be." And honestly, Ellana's felt very un-mage-y at times. Here she is on the mage council and she doesn't even know any specialized magic. This could not only help her in combat, but with gaining confidence in herself.

"It's something to look into. While we're here in Skyhold, it feels like we're made of time."

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin's lips curve in a wry smile, slightly nodding though reaching up to adjust one of those cheese wheels before it slides into the water. "That's very true, and one of the things I hoped would be possible when joining up was to learn from other mages. It does't seem right for me to just sit on my ass and hold onto my talent with storm magic. The Council needs more specialists, anyway."

[serannas]

"Yes. To represent so many different mages, we need a good mixture of specializations too." Except for blood magic, but that goes without saying.

"I suppose we shouldn't get too deep into it, or we'll get dangerously close to talking about politics, which we aren't supposed to do." A little more champagne is poured into the spring as she speaks.

"I should learn more cold spells. I'm lacking there. I can only fade step through and freeze."

[gatheringstorm]

"No, no politics. Those just bring headaches and this is for soothing them. If only we ended our meetings like this, hm? Or began them; everyone would be too relaxed to argue." Including herself, if this session is anything to go by. "And I'd help you out with the cold spells, but you just listed the two I know. Now, if you ever need help mastering lightning...."

[serannas]

"Oh, no, I know all the lightning spells. I know most of fire too." It helped with her job as hearthmistress back in the clan.

"But it would be good to learn some new spells. Mix things up. I definitely think specializations are the way to go."

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin smiles smugly, making the water ripple as she sinks in further, up to her neck. "A girl after my own heart. Fire and ice will do when they're needed, but...well, I'm biased. Zapping wolves that were trying to ambush me as a kid will do that.

I'll look forward to seeing what you can do, when you're ready. Rift magic has me curious."

[serannas]

"Oh?" Ellana asks, perking up. "We have that in common. I wasn't a child, but I came across wolves in the woods while collecting firewood. I tried my best to fend them off, but it was such close combat that I wasn't doing well. I would have been overwhelmed, but then Merrick appeared to even the odds." She isn't sure where she and Merrick stand now, but ever since that time, she knew she could depend on him no matter what.

[gatheringstorm]

Hearing about Merrick's involvement, she smiles. "He never told me about such thrilling heroics, but I'm not surprised. I have kithmates like him; prickly on the outside, but they'll walk through the Void for you if need be." Then a thought provokes a soft, amused snort. "I wonder what would happen if he ever meets Kas. Would they cancel each other out, or flare up?"

[serannas]

"He wouldn't. It's not like him to brag about the things that really matter." Just the thought of him and the distance now between them causes a pang in her chest. He was so good to her, in his own quiet way, and she managed to ruin it and destroy any trust he had in her. She understands that he must have felt so betrayed, but Ellana can't help thinking with frustration that it was an accident. If he hadn't been literally freezing to death, she wouldn't have disobeyed his wishes.

Ellana dumps the rest of the champagne in the spring and sets the glass aside. She doesn't want to talk more of Merrick. It would just hurt.

"Have you been in contact with your kithmates lately?"

[gatheringstorm]

"Aside from that 'care package' consisting of far too much maraas-lok, not too recently. The last letter was just before I left for Emprise du Lion, but I'm not surprised. They're on assignment up north again, so it might be a while." Korrin shrugs, her tone casual...but thinking about them does bring an odd pang of nostalgia. "They'll be alright. If the Inquisition needs them, they'll return south."

[serannas]

"I think it would be wonderful if they did come work for the Inquisition. You could reunite with them, and they would have steady work." And if they were anything like Korrin, Ellana would be happy to meet them.

[gatheringstorm]

She chuckles softly, finally removing those cheese wheels and reaching up to rub at her eyes. "You might reconsider when the noise pollution deafens Skyhold. The Valo-Kas aren't known for their indoor voices. Or their moderation. But with them around, you'd never be bored."

[serannas]

"All the more reason for them to come, isn't it?" Ellana says brightly. "We wouldn't want Skyhold to get boring, would we? Then we'd end up volunteering for missions in practically inhospitable places just for the change in scenery." They both know how dreary the Fallow Mire was, and Korrin was in the freezing cold of Emprise du Lion too. Reports have come in from the expanse of desert known as the Western Approach. Will the Inquisition ever go anywhere that isn't one extreme of weather?

[gatheringstorm]

"As long as it's not the Fallow Mire again, I can manage." Korrin hated that place far more than Emprise du Lion, at least environment-wise. There's nothing redeeming about a plague-infested swamp. "Though you're not wrong, after Skyhold calms down again I know I'll be getting restless. Staying put in one place for so much time...I don't know how humans do it."

If there's one thing she's glad to have in common with the Dalish, it's their nomadic way of life. Granted, hers tends to be more violent but still. At least she's not alone in viewing life on the road as normal.

[serannas]

"They probably take solace in the familiar," Ellana says. "I wish I could have grown up in a home that always stayed in one place, but I would want to travel too. As long as home was there when I got back, it would be fine." So even though she does know the feeling of restlessness, it's not exactly the same as Korrin's.

[gatheringstorm]

That gives Korrin something to think about, though the notion of where home would be located still stumps her. "Where would that one place be, if you could? When I try to think about where I'd narrow it down, I only get as far as the Free Marches. There's no one place I'm more attached to than any other, which would seem a prerequisite."

[serannas]

"I've been around plenty of the Free Marches with my clan, so it would probably be there. I haven't seen enough of Ferelden yet, and with Orlais's history with elves, I can't see myself having a permanent dwelling there." Ellana swishes her legs through the water, a pensive look on her face.

"After seeing all this, I'm not sure if I'd be happy going back to the clan and staying there for the rest of my life. I'd still want to go out and see things."

[gatheringstorm]

"And now it'll be easier for a mage to live openly. Well, at least in theory. It's not like they can rush you off to a Circle anymore, after all." Korrin might have thought of that, as well. It hasn't been too difficult on her, always on the move and often working in the wilderness or barely-populated areas, far from Chantry reach. She doesn't resent the life she's had, but the notion of having more opportunity than ever before is intriguing.

She glances over at Ellana, not entirely surprised about her statement from the last time they talked. Being the extra mage without a defined role couldn't be easy. "That'd be pretty brave of you, carving a life of your own outside the clan. It won't be easy, but then I think you'd have a lot of contacts and support by the time you leave Skyhold. Hell, the Valo-Kas could always make use of another mage."

The grin says she doesn't expect Ellana to take her up on the offer, doubting the she'd want to deal with a rowdy bunch of Tal-Vashoth and Vashoth most of the time. Still, it's not entirely a jest. Shokrakar always appreciates new talent.

[serannas]

"Let's hope. It's frustrating that that will be decided by the Divine, but I'm not about to submit to the Circle system regardless of her plans."

She shrugs at Korrin's comment. Ellana has never felt brave. If she had, she probably would have left the clan years ago. But Korrin is right about things being different now. The friends she makes here could be with her the rest of her life, no matter the distance between them.

"I'll keep that in mind." There's laughter in her voice, since she doubts she'd join up.

[gatheringstorm]

"Nor am I. I'll go with the Valo-Kas, whatever happens. We know where to go and who will accept us. But I doubt the issue of the next Divine is going to be decided any time soon. Who would that even be, at this point?"

Korrin just shrugs, not expecting Ellana to know any more than herself. The only Chantry people she knows well enough are with the Inquisition, and they're not exactly in favor with the Chantry right now. Maybe they'll never be.

[serannas]

"You're asking the wrong person," she says, even though she knows Korrin isn't expecting an answer from her. "But I will say that I don't mind if they wait some time to decide. More time for us to focus on more important things than whether we'll have to disappear again."