OPEN: Cloudreach Event

[faderifting]

WHO: Anyone at Skyhold
WHAT: Cloudreach showers bring weird shit.
WHEN: Cloudreach 15 onward
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: For information about the illness, its effects, and its cure, please make sure to also read the OOC Post.

This high in the mountains, snowstorms are to be expected. But this one is large and lingering, hanging over the valley and the fortress for days. In Skyhold, with its eternal spring, the snow becomes rain before it hits the ground, leaving inhabitants and visitors to wade through puddles and mud in the courtyards. In the valley, snow and ice accumulate under cloud cover—and worse, when the clouds finally thin, a whole winter's accumulation of snow begins to melt in the sunlight.

Within a day, the ground is sodden and mucky enough to give the survivors of the Fallow Mire (or Ferelden in general) unpleasant flashbacks, and those who live in tents are issued additional hastily-constructed wooden pallets to raise their floors above the mud. It is worse outside the fortress: streams and rivers have overflowed their banks, rapids run twice as fast as normal, and flash flooding has made even road travel treacherous.

On Cloudreach 17 a mudslide buries the pass into Skyhold from the west, and on the 19th a sheet of snow loosened from a mountainside collapses into the shadowed passage from the east. An Inquisition supply caravan is caught in the latter, scattering wagons and goods across the hillside and leaving a dozen people and horses in need of rescue and medical care.

Healers may find themselves stretched thin, as in addition to the usual rash of blisters and sniffles that come from days of rain and flooding, an illness begins to sweep through Skyhold's ranks from around the 16th onward. It's marked first by climbing fever, then by flashes at the edges of vision—green light and jagged formations that aren't there, beings of light and shadow gathering around people or clustering in corners—and distant voices, coherent for brief moments if you're quiet and still and not trying too hard to listen.

Comments

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Camp Shady Fucker

The fever came on fast, for Bethany. She felt fine one moment, and then the next her headache was raging and her entire body was racked in heat and sweat in equal measure. She managed to lie down for a little while, but her dreams were disjointed, nightmares and dreamy dreams all together.

She finally sat up, and began walking towards Skyhold, perhaps to get something from the healing tents, when the world began to ... shift, when she closed her eyes for a moment. She stood in the middle of camp, staring out at wonder at Fade all around her, hearing the whisper of spirits as they clung to the trees, and the passerbys.

Standing at the edge of the camp, she was tilting her head, brown eyes glazed over in wonder.

Rampart - Closed to Fenris

At some point, she had managed to pull herself into Skyhold before the fever grabbed her again and the Fade melted in around her. She found that while she could see the Fade, the spirits and the demons, they could not see her. Like she was a ghost in their world, as they were mere whispers in her.

Above all that, the Black City loomed. In her more lucid moments, she knew she had to get to the healing tents. Now though ... now it was close enough to touch. If she could just get high enough, she could do what Corypheus could not. So up the stairs she stumbled, until she was standing on the edge, reaching out with her fingertips.

So close, so close ... " ... to the Maker's seat..."

Bridge - Closed to Anders

She had managed to make it to a Healer's tent, who gave her more water, which was fine until the fever spiked again as she headed back towards the camp, wavering back and forth as she moved. Around her, her vision swam again, and the bridge faded back into the vision of the Fade.

Around her, wisps curled around her, tangling in her hair, and she reached towards them, trying to follow them, and right off the bridge itself.

The Courtyard

Anytime over the next few days, when Bethany has managed to get herself to Skyhold for treatment, you might find her in the courtyard itself. Staring at something in front of her, or just to the right of someone. Sometimes she will coil away, other times she seems to be trying to hear something only she can hear.

Once or twice, you might even find her curled up in a rain-swept corner, hands over her ears, saying quietly, "Too many voices, too many songs, you just all need to shut up ... just shut please ..."

COURTYARD

[arachnophobe]

He'd been trying vainly to avoid coming out from the Undercroft; demons and Fade bullshit is absolutely something he's trying to dodge as best as he can, because fuck that nonsense and everything that comes with it.

But unfortunately, nobody is going to deliver lunch to the Undercroft, so not much he can do about it.

With his teeth gritted, Alejandro is making his way through the puddle-filled, muddy courtyard, stopping only when he hears Bethany's soft voice. He glances over his shoulder, spotting her.

"Shit," he mutters before approaching her. Hesitantly, he crouches down in front of the Warden. "Bethany, hey."

Re: COURTYARD

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany's flushed with fever, eyes glazed over and her hair bound up and away from her face because she's just too damned hot. She looks at Alejandro and recoils a little, there's a rage demon sitting right by his shoulder, and she glowers at it.

Knows it can't see her but still. Hmph.

"Alejandro." She states in a firm voice that only quavers a little. "You really do need to let go of your anger."

[arachnophobe]

Not that she's wrong, but it seems like an odd statement to make; he can't recall arguing with anyone recently, but then it probably is just her kindness reaching out to him. Alejandro, alas, cannot see the rage demon.

But it is quite appropriate.

"That's hell of a lot easier said than done." The blacksmith holds out his hand to Bethany, offering her help up.

"C'mon. You're only gonna feel worse hanging out here like this."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

She wavered for a moment, before she took his hand and squeezed it tightly. Her skin was dry, hot to the touch, and her eyes were clearly glazed over.

"You can do it though. I know you can. Any man who can tell the story you told me has the ability to survive, to learn how to move forward."

She wavered as she straightened, her voice going soft as she put a hand to her forehead, "It wouldn't be so bad, if it was just the demons and the spirits whispering, but the Calling is on top and it's just ... noise."

[arachnophobe]

As gently as he can, Alejandro pulls Bethany to her feet, holding her hand to ensure she can have him as physical support as needed. He isn't certain exactly where to bring her; maybe the Undercroft after all. The furnace is warm, and he'd been meaning to meet her there anyway.

Alejandro snorts softly and turns his head away. "I dunno about that." There's too much weighing on what happened. To put it to rest? He wouldn't even know how to begin.

"I can't assume what the hell you're goin' through like this." Being a mage and a Warden? Sounds more like a curse than a blessing. "C'mon. Let me get you somewhere dry."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

She squeezes his hand tightly in hers - she knows he's on this side of the Fade but she wants to make that damned demon go away. The less angry he is, the smaller the rage demon becomes, before he starts to wander off again.

She exhaled, in relief, before she looks directly at him. Focusing on him makes the whispers softer, the Calling less of a shout and more of a murmur. "Yes, please ... I just need someplace quiet for awhile..."

[aggregiopavali]

No matter how much he might pretend that he didn't care for Bethany, that he felt betrayed by her, there was still a part of him that cared deeply for his friend. He hated it. Hated that someone could get under his skin so much. Hated that it made him feel weak - but it didn't. Friendship could be good, he realised that over the years. He'd never had that before Kirkwall, and Bethany had been a huge part of it.

He'd caught sight of her as he'd been headed to the tavern, and she was not behaving as she should. Making sure she didn't see him, he padded along behind her, trying to work out what she was doing. Stretching out at the edge of the battlements had him hurrying over to her. Something definitely was wrong, and if he let anything happen to Bethany, Hawke would find her way back from wherever she was to kill him, he was sure. "Bethany?" he asked gently, trying not to spook her. "What are you looking for?"

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany turned around, wavering slightly at the the edge of the rampart. She put one hand to her flushed face, frowning against the Calling atop the soft whispers, before she looked over at Fenris. Then her eyes widened a little, and she whispered at him, watching as the Fade worked around him in waves and flutters. "It bends around you - they don't want to be near you."

She smiled a little, "You're an anti-Fade shield ... except ... not." She turned around again, reaching her hand out, "I'm trying to get to the Black City. I can see, right there. And if I get there ... maybe I can stop him. Maybe I can stop all of this, and we can go ... we can go on with our lives."

[aggregiopavali]

The Black City? What on early had happened to Bethany to make her so convinced she could reach the Black City? "Bethany. You can't get to the Black City. This is Skyhold, not the Fade." If he was an anti-Fade shield in her eyes, maybe he could help. He held out his hand to her, something he'd never done before. "Take my hand, Bethany," he said, his voice gentler than she'd probably ever heard it. "Please."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

An extremely high fever, that's what. She tilted her head at him, faintly confused, gesturing to the sky above. "But ... can't you see it? It's ... it's right there."

She put one hand to her face, staring at him. He was ... he was offering her his hand. He'd never done that, ever. And his voice was so soft. She looked around again, "I must be dreaming. Impossible things happen in dreams, don't they, Fenris?"

Still, if dream-Fenris wanted her to take his hand ... she reached out to grab it, giving him a watery smile, "I miss you."

[aggregiopavali]

He looked at where she was pointing, but turned back to her frowning. "I don't see anything there," he admitted, wondering just how close to the Fade she was walking.

The sense of relief that flowed through him when she took his hand was immeasurable. She felt warm though, far warmer than she should. "They do," he agreed as much to get her to focus on him instead of this Black City she saw. "I... I miss you too." It was true. He hated fighting with her, even though it was for good reasons to his mind. Anders could never be trusted.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

She had to be dreaming. There was no way any of this was real. So if this was a dream, she at least could say what she wanted to say, and do what she wanted to do. She took both his hands, her hands like an inferno in his as she met his worried gaze with her own fevered one.

"You have to know ... you have to know I just wanted to protect you. I knew what would happen if you killed Anders - Nathaniel would kill you, or the Inquisition would put you in prison, and I couldn't ... I couldn't let them cage you again. I'm so sorry, Fenris."

She swallows against the lump in her throat, trying to keep the tears away. "I hope you forgive me someday."

courtyard

[chainlightning]

The spirits are converging, reaching; the Veil isn't any thinner but it feels like it, and for those who are sensitive to it, it's too much at times. For her part, she's doing her best to ignore the spirits following her. It's easier said than done, and it's only when she begins to tire, that her mind begins to wander, that she hears something from some of them.

-the song, singing, hear, listen-

-pain, fear, despair, in waves-

-help-

Only snippets, but Merrill snaps her head up and sees Bethany, curled up in a corner. She nearly drops her staff in her unsteady rush to get to her.

"Bethany- Bethany, look at me, are you...?"

It reminds her, too sharply, of red lyrium madness.

Re: courtyard

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany whimpered a little, as another voice called out to her, but she knew this voice. Merrill. She reached out without looking, holding out her hand, "It's ... it's too loud again, Merrill. Too many voices -- my head hurts..."

She looked at Merrill, and then let out a scream, dragging Merrill with her, and then behind her. "Maker, no! You can't have her!"

For the Pride demon looked at Merrill with hungry eyes, oblivious to Bethany, but there - still there.

[chainlightning]

There's a startled yelp as she's grabbed and dragged, Merrill nearly sliding and falling in the mud. She ends up gripping Bethany by the shoulders, digging in with her fingertips more than she intends to as she regains her balance.

"Bethany- it's okay, it won't take me, it's just watching to see if I'll let it. And I won't. Focus on me instead of it, don't let it know it has power."

And, in order to distract Bethany from the demon and get her to look at her, Merrill starts loudly whistling.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany shivered, mostly from fever but a little from fear, and around her, Merrill might see wisps of spirits gathering close. Compassion, Hope, Valor cling around Bethany like a cloak, but float away when Bethany twists around to look at her.

Really look at her, and the world bleeds back into reality again. She swallows, hard. "It doesn't have power. Because you don't want it, and I don't want it. It can't even get through." She exhaled, shakily, "Merrill ... why didn't you tell us it was there?"

[chainlightning]

"Well, I didn't know," Merrill protests, huffing. "It's not like one specific spirit comes and talks to me every time I sleep or anything. They usually don't, actually."

Probably because Merrill in the Fade isn't quite attention-grabbing enough, since she mostly spends the time not getting upset about being lost and just seeing what she finds.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Yes, well, how did it find you now?" Bethany wrapped her arm through Merrill's, as if they stuck together they would be able to get through being this sick. Or perhaps she could leech the sickness from her friend.

"I don't get many offers from demons myself -- but I think that's mostly the Warden blood talking." She murmured, her steps wobbly.

CSF

[doneisdone]

"All right, none of that."
Firm, clawlike hands grip Bethany's shoulders and tug her back in the direction of her tent, Teren's worry masked by her expertly cultivated brusqueness.
"Whatever you're seeing, it's not going to help you get better. Now be a good girl and get under this blanket." She directs her to sit down and tugs a wool blanket around Bethany, pausing only to rest the back of her hand against the woman's forehead.

Re: CSF

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany jerked a little under Teren's hands, but relaxed the moment she heard that voice. "Oh, Teren, thank the Maker it's you."

She laughed weakly, letting the other woman guide her back to the tent without any fight. "Yes, all right .... a blanket sounds like a good idea, actually."

She flopped, looking up at Teren with fever-bright eyes, her forehead burning under the other woman's touch.

[doneisdone]

"Who else would it be, that's got you lot so on-edge?" Teren asked, pulling her hand away and then returning it with a damp, snow-soaked cloth. "No one's succumbed yet, but the bunch of you all look like you've gone half mad."
Her bedside manner was perhaps not the best, but she never claimed to be a healer.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

She wrapped the blanket completely around her, sighing softly as she closed her eyes. The visions still danced there, though.

"It's the Fade, for me at least. I'm seeing the Fade - hearing it as well. Spirits and demons." She sighed out, "But they can't see us - we're not actually there."

[doneisdone]

This sounds like a bunch of magey bullshit to Teren, but she'll endure it. As long as Bethany isn't possessed. Then she will... quickly find herself far dead.

"Sounds like a bad reaction," Teren guesses, "stay right there a moment." She goes out to pull the kettle off the fire, pouring some boiling water (boiled from snow) into a nearby cup filled with leaves. Mostly she's just using remedies for sleeplessness, since it doesn't seem there's much else to be done for this.

She hands the tea to Bethany on her return. "Drink up."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

It was, in fact, a whole bunch of magey bullshit but it was true bullshit. Bethany should know. Possessed? Not a daughter of Malcolm Hawke, Teren.

She nods her head, shivering despite the blanket, and trying to ignore the soft whispers all around her. She goes to take the tea, carefully cradling it in both hands.

"Thank you ..." She sighed, sipping it deeply, feeling some of the heavy oppression begin to lighten. "This is good, what's in it?"