faderift | OPEN: Cloudreach Event

OPEN: Cloudreach Event

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There is always work to be done in Skyhold, within the Inquisition. Just because the most of the recent things are finally dying down doesn't mean that Bruce can relax. If anything, he'd thrown himself into his work more than ever, doubly so with this sudden... whatever that's happening. The Veil is still there, he can tell, but the whispers and the things he sees at the corner of his eye--

The only comfort he gets is the fact that at least he doesn't need to hide most of what he's experiencing.

Its not something he lets himself dwell on, especially not now; there are people who need medical attention and Bruce gives it the best that he can. One by one people are pulled out of the mess of snow and splintered wood - whatever that is left of the caravan that had been caught underneath the avalanche. Seeker Pentaghast is giving out commands from nearby, although she doesn't seem to look very good either--

--he'll deal with that later. First, the injured.

It is a relief when the healers arrive. Cassandra notes them out of the corner of her eye, hurrying to where the injured huddle against the cold, but she is busy coordinating the rescue efforts themselves. She kneels in the snow to talk to those who had been on the caravan, attempting to account for everyone. The thought of someone being overlooked, buried in the avalanche and only discovered months later, when the snow melts away -

It haunts her, voices of fear and of determination whispering in her ear, arguing among themselves, and Cassandra pushes the thought away. One wagon is accounted for. Another, all of its passengers present. The third -

A woman grabs her arm, panicked, and Cassandra leans close to hear, pales, and tears herself away, running for the wreckage. She digs, disappearing for a time (too long) behind the upturned form of a carriage -

When she emerges, she scans the scene, her eyes locking onto Bruce almost immediately. They are not acquainted, but she recognizes him from the healing tents, knows at least vaguely who he is. She marches over, cradling the pale, unconscious form of a little girl to her chest.

"Please." She stops before him, gathering the girl's freezing body close. "Can you help her?"

After going through the people who needed immediate help Bruce finally let himself take a moment's rest before continuing on his work. Despite the mess at least it didn't seem that the damage was too great, although he wasn't going to be certain until all the rescued could be brought back to Skyhold proper. How long that would take, he couldn't tell.

He's taking a drink of water when he notices Seeker Pentaghast looking over in his direction, and he's confused for a moment until she approaches closer and he can see the young child held against her chest. Bruce is instantly switching gears then, putting down his water and gathering his equipment, ready to help once she came over to him.

"Of course," he returns, not missing a single beat, and gestures to the space near him where all the injured were being treated. "Lay her down here."

She does, laying the girl gently down and kneeling beside her. Her hands twist before her; she is anxious, and does not know how to help.

"Her mother is very worried," she says quietly. "They were separated, she - she was buried in a snowdrift for some time."

The girl's lips are blue, her skin pale. Cassandra swallows, glancing up at Bruce with pleading eyes. "Is it too late?"

Yes, someone whispers, and Cassandra's head whips around, looking for the source of the voice. There is no one there.

She definitely looks bad. Probably some initial signs of frostbite - an actual mage healer would be of better use here. But that didn't mean Bruce wasn't going to try.

From his bag of items Bruce rummages through and pulls out a flask of potions that were used to heat up the human body. Nothing fever-inducing, but just something that could try and keep a body warm in cold conditions. After a bit of effort he manages to have the girl ingest some of it; with luck this would help the child.

"She's going to need some care, but for the most part she'll be--" Bruce pauses in his response when he sees the Seeker glance away, as if trying to find somebody else. Confusion crosses his face for a moment; is there somebody she was looking for?

"What?" She looks back, distracted, and in her distraction she hears more voices. Such a kind heart- -But such anger in him!

Cassandra furrows her brows, trying to follow the conversation, but as soon as she tries to listen, both voices dissolve into incomprehensible murmuring. She shakes her head, glancing down at the girl.

"She will be well, then. She will live?"

Her responses were... strange, which makes Bruce consider it for a moment. There was that illness that had started to break out across everyone within the Inquisition - was she affected too? It would be rather bad if that was the case...

"...yes, she will, with some care and effort." Bruce glances back down as he says that, taking a blanket from the pile he had with him and draping it over the girl. She was going to need some attention from the mage healers but for now, this would do. "It's good you brought her over now. It would have been harder the later she was attended to."

"Good." Cassandra slumps in relief, the taut tension dissipating, but the woman it leaves in her place doesn't look much better. Without the girl to focus her energy on, it seems to drain out of her entirely, leaving her pale and shaky. She slides down to sit on the ground, leaning heavily on one hand. "I should tell her mother." But she makes no move to do so.

Bruce glances at her with something of vaguely wary expression. He doesn't want to cross any lines, obviously, but looking at her and recalling all the people he had been attending it was clear that something was up. Her exhaustion was more than apparent.

"I can do it," he offers, giving her a way out if she needed it. "Just let me know where she it and I'll go look for her."

Her immediate reaction is to protest, to keep fighting, and she shakes her head. "I was the one sent to look for the child. I should - " She should, but as she shakes her head she's overcome by a wave of dizziness, and she leans forward, pressing a palm against her forehead and closing her eyes. "Ugh. I will - give me a moment - "

Something is clearly wrong. Bruce is instantly up the moment she leans forward, going over to her side. He doesn't reach out to try and touch and handle her, but he does stay close.

"Are you alright, Seeker Pentaghast?" ...he's pretty sure she will say 'yes', but he has to ask anyway. And it'll help him to better gauge exactly what is wrong with her.

She can't answer right away. Not with the world swaying before her, the sudden lightheadedness and the chills that unexpectedly shoot through her body. She shivers, keeping her eyes closed and her head bowed, seeking stability. There are whispers, there in the darkness behind her eyelids, and she makes a frustrated noise, trying to drive them away.

And so when she does answer at last, ever so carefully raising her head and opening her eyes, her response is less than believable. "I am fine. It was - a momentary spell, nothing more." She has to prove it, she thinks in a strange, detached sort of way; he will not believe her, and so she must show him the truth of her words. To that end, she takes a breath, pushing herself up to her feet -

- and immediately sways, pitching forward as the land shifts unfairly beneath her feet.

If he was already skeptical before then now he certainly couldn't take her words for granted. Bruce quickly darts forward with his arms outstretched in order to catch her before she could actually fall or--well, anything, really. There most definitely was something with her.

"You are not fine," he says as such, doing his best to have his words come off as stern as he could - which probably isn't much, considering that he's talking to the Right Hand of the Divine herself. "You should at least sit down somewhere warmer. It'll do you some good."

She grabs hold instinctively as he catches her, her hands grasping his upper arms and holding on tight. She stares for a moment, shocked and wide-eyed, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Even Cassandra can't claim that everything's all right now, not after that. She stays as she is for a moment, just breathing and trying to regain her sense of balance, before reluctantly nodding.

"...Yes. I...all right." She opens her eyes, blinking at him, before casting her gaze to the little girl still lying on the ground. They can't just abandon her - and it's difficult for Cassandra to ever ask for help, in any case. But the thought of stumbling through the snow, finding someplace safe and warm to sit on her own - it's overwhelming.

Bruce would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit startled himself. Nothing to set out anything beyond a temporary increase in heartrate, but it was still a bit of a shock, nonetheless. He blinks a couple of times himself in order to reorient his bearings, though he keeps his hold on her just so that she's wouldn't actually fall if he did let go.

But at least she finally agreed to rest. Bruce doesn't miss the way she glances at the girl, still pale and shaken and cold, and Bruce can understand her worry but Cassandra as she was right now was not going to help anybody in her current state.

"The other healers will look over her," he assures her as he starts to guide her in the direction of the main tents. "I'm certain her mother should be in the main camp with the other refugees; we'll both go and look for her, and then you can rest once the matter is settled." Hopefully that could give her a peace of mind.

She nods, frowning, but not fighting as he leads her away. Her first few steps are slow, nearly hesitant as she finds her footing, but the dizziness has passed, for the moment, and before long she's able to walk normally, straightening her spine and lifting her chin proudly as she does.

She keeps her hand on Bruce's arm at first, grateful for the reassurance of support if she should need it, but as they approach the tents she gently detangles herself. She has a reputation to uphold, after all, and she cannot be perceived as weak.

The girl's mother spots them first, rushing over to them, and Cassandra reassures her and points out the location of her daughter, gracious if somewhat quieter and more reserved than usual in the face of the woman's profuse expressions of gratitude. She waits until the woman has hurried off to find her child before she slumps, letting out a heavy sigh and looking suddenly as tired as ever.

At least she doesn't try to fight against the support. Bruce does his best to guide and provide the support that she needs, though he doesn't stop her from pulling away once they get close to camp, even if he's not exactly one to agree. He does make sure to stay close, however, in the event that she might fall down again or should something else happen to her.

He stays quiet as the mother rushes forward, letting the Seeker handle it, though he does put in his own reassurance that she will be alright--with the required care and supervision. He watches the mother as she goes to check up on her child herself, then glances back to Cassandra who clearly looks a lot more exhausted now that the matter has been settled.

He gestures in the direction of where the campfire would be. "This way, Seeker Pentaghast."

"Of course."

She forces herself forward, and while she doesn't reach for his arm again, she does stay close enough to easily grab hold if she needs to. The mountain wind seems to bite against her face, and she huddles in on herself, shivering with a sudden chill.

"Ugh." She makes a face, both at herself and at the situation, and shakes her head as they make their way towards the campfire. "This is terrible."

The accident, the fevers, crisis upon crisis - and most of all, her own apparent helplessness in the face of it all.

The weather doesn't exactly help with the situation - not that it has ever been of much help, but right now its even less of a help than usual. At least there's more than enough people around and nearby to be able to help rescue the caravan, though whatever could be salvaged was another story entirely.

Still, that was something to dwell on later. Bruce glances over to Cassandra when she makes as well-known 'disgusted noise', only giving a pause before he nods in agreement to her words.

"It hasn't been a good few days." With everything piling upon one another things had been pretty hectic; it was almost as if there was some outside force that was intent on making the Inquisition's way harder than it already was.

She makes a noise of agreement, concentrating more on putting one foot ahead of the other than on making conversation. The last thing she intends to do now is stumble and fall in the snow.

Luckily, they've drawn near the campfire, and a few more steps brings them up to the makeshift seating surrounding it. Cassandra lowers herself carefully onto an overturned crate, sitting with obvious relief and immediately drawing close to the fire.

"Thank you." She glances up at him, and frowns. "...Forgive me. I - do not know your name."

It only takes a while more before they do get to the campfire, and Bruce feels some sense of relief as he sees Cassandra set herself down on a crate. He had almost been sure she would have been those 'needlessly pushing herself' types even against everything else and its nice to not have to... attempt to do anything drastic or something just as discomforting.

When she apologizes for not knowing his name Bruce quickly waves it off, hardly bothered by it - why would she know? He was just a surgeon, after all, nothing unique or special about that. "It's Bruce, ser."

"Bruce." She frowns, not liking having only his first name, without a family name or a title to address him by. It seems too familiar, for a stranger. But it is what he has offered, and she accepts it. "Thank you. For your assistance. And your - discretion." In the way he had not insisted on helping her walk when she had eased away, the way he had allowed her to keep her dignity when addressing the girl's mother.

And for his comforting manner, the way he had set her mind at ease and made it easy for her to accept his help in the first place - but that is more difficult to express gratitude for.

It's easy to see Cassandra's discomfort, although there's not much Bruce can do to relieve it - he doesn't want to risk any chance of his true identity being discovered and his family name could easily be a key to unraveling it. He could fake one, perhaps, but that was a lot harder than most would think of it to be.

Either way, it was too late for that now.

He bows his head slightly at the gratitude, even though honestly he doesn't need it at all. "You don't need to thank me, Seeker Pentaghast. I'm merely glad to have been of help." She had some share of her own thanks too, for being mostly cooperative and not trying to do anything too rash. That was almost rare to see now, these days.

"All the same. You were of help. And I thank you for it."

She sighs, pressing a hand to her forehead and closing her eyes briefly. The dizziness had receded, but not entirely dissipated. A few minutes' rest, perhaps, and then she should be able to make it back to Skyhold.

She hopes.

"I should not take up any more of your time."

Well, when she put it like that, it was more or less impossible to turn down the display of gratitude.

"I do whatever I can," is what he does say after a pause, carefully watching her as she presses a hand against her forehead. He's pretty sure she would be alright with a bit more rest, but he could never be too sure...

Although its not like she'd appreciate anybody hovering around like this, he's sure. Bruce nods at the words and inclines his head once more.

"If you are feeling better, I will take my leave then."

OPEN: Cloudreach Event

Caravan

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