faderift | OPEN: The Western Approach

OPEN: The Western Approach

WHO: Everyone!
WHAT: The Western Approach is a terrible place. You should definitely go there.
WHEN: Bloomingtide 15 onward
WHERE: The Western Approach
NOTES: This is open to everyone. Characters who would not happily go to the hell desert probably have to go anyway; it's a war, not a vacation.

Once these wastes were a land of plenty. Can you believe it? The rain came north over the Gamordan Peaks, turning the plains green and verdant for three months of the year. Eight hundred years ago, that changed. During the Second Blight, darkspawn spilled out of an enormous crack in the earth, corrupting it with their foul blood... and it never recovered, even after they were driven back underground. The Grey Wardens built Adamant Fortress to stand watch over that chasm, but eventually even they abandoned it to the wind and the biting sand.

What few of us eke out a living in this Maker-forsaken place do so knowing that any number of deaths await us: darkspawn raids, dragons, bandits—not to mention starvation from the lack of water and game. If we stay, it is because we know there are treasures buried in the bones of this place, ruins from the time when Tevinter ruled, and even earlier. We pass tales around our campfires of the things we have seen shrouded in the dust storms. My favorites are the ones about relics that could restore the Western Approach once more... but I don't believe them. Truth be told, on nights when the wind is calm, I can stand on a hilltop and see for miles in the moonlight over a stark beauty of which no other Orlesian can claim to know the equal. On those nights, I hope it will never change.

—From Lands of the Abyss by Magistrate Gilles de Sancriste

I. THE DESERT

When Scout Harding calls somewhere the worst place in Thedas, that's probably a bad sign. Even when nothing in the Western Approach is deliberately trying to kill you, there's nothing kind or forgiving about the landscape: bare and arid, carved through by sharp-dropped canyons, dotted with abandoned mines and signs of the deaths of lost travelers. Winds sweeping through to whip stinging sand into uncovered faces, and periodic dust storms obscure visibility entirely. It's warm enough to be dangerous but not so hot, at this time of year, that heat exhaustion and dehydration can't creep up on you while you aren't paying attention.

And at any given moment, something probably is deliberately trying to kill you. The food chain in the region is top-heavy, with quillbacks, phoenixes, hyenas, and varghests roaming hungrily and as likely to attack one another as the sparse local prey population. Compared to their natural competitors, the Inquisition's forces look like easy marks. The camps the Inquisition scatters at lookout points throughout the region require constant watch, and going anywhere alone is inadvisable. Not only because of the hostile local everything, but also because it is incredibly easy to get lost. One rock formation looks much like another after hours in the sun or bathed in shifting moonlit shadows, and good luck finding many other landmarks. There are a few: chunks of pillars or arches from some ruined structure, or the occasional odd pillar that might, if someone investigates, prove to mark a trail of sorts.

Plus: the only people who seem determined to survive out here are cutthroat bandits and stray Venatori. Double-plus: a high dragon makes occasional fly-bys, scouring the ground below for anything edible, armored or not.

Some reprieve comes at night, relief from both the sun and the area's primarily diurnal predators. But that's when the darkspawn come out.

II. GRIFFON WING KEEP

Bloomingtide 16-17: Taking the Keep

Only a small force of Tevinter cultists remains in Griffon Wing Keep when the Inquisition arrives, seemingly on their way out the door already, but the sight of Inquisition banners is enough to make them stay and fight. There's no need for siege equipment, but there is call for a little bit of patience. With it, a small battalion is able to evade the mages and archers on the walls and storm the doors with few casualties. Fewer than three dozen warriors wait inside. It's a quick, brutal fight; it only takes a night.

Bloomingtide 18 Onward: Home Away From Home

Once the Keep is cleared of occupants, it's ripe for the Inquisition to… occupy… But with implicit permission, at least. Those who aren't needed for fights elsewhere may be put to work clearing out debris and small animals and the remnants left by the cultists, and within a few days the fortress is a serviceable outpost, much more hospitable than the camps out in the sand. Barracks mean even those who don't have beds at Skyhold may have one here, and it takes less than a week for an enterprising merchant to arrive with ale.

III. THE STILL RUINS

Despite signs of recent activity, the lavish Tevinter palace tucked incongruously into the canyons is quiet and still, when the Inquisition discovers it—quiet, still, but not empty. The ancient ruin is brimming with demons and Tevinters in incredibly outdated fashions, all frozen in place, as they have been for hundreds of years. No one breathes or blinks, but their skin is still warm and alive to the touch.

Beyond the entryway and halls and through the courtyard, there are signs of research and experimentation, and one man stood unmoving with his hand clasped around something unseen.

Perhaps someone will discover the cause. Perhaps someone will undo the spell that's been cast over the palace. Perhaps, if someone does, someone will take the opportunity to not immediately murder all of these valuable sources of ancient information, and instead only murder most of them. In the meantime, however, it is unlikely that anyone will ever be able to get this close to a rage demon without receiving a face full of fire. Take advantage.

IV. CORACAVUS

Signs of the Venatori point upward: up the hills, up ladders and towers, and into the ancient Tevinter prison, Coracavus, that was built into the mountainside. The ruin is filled with sand now, with half-collapsed walls and anything not made of stone worn away by winds, and the Venatori are long gone, their hunt for relics from the glory days of the Imperium abandoned when an excavation attempt opened the prison to darkspawn, instead. The darkspawn have retreated as well, but there are signs of their presence. Namely the smell and the half-eaten corpses of slaves—primarily elven and dwarven—who were left behind to their fates when the Tevinters fled.

There's no sign of them now, but digging through their abandoned camps may turn up a name, if anyone would like to see that he pays.

V. ADAMANT FORTRESS

A day's determined walk from the nearest Inquisition camp, Adamant Fortress overlooks the vast chasm—dubbed the Abyssal Rift—from which darkspawn poured during the Second Blight. It stood abandoned for nearly 150 years before the Grey Wardens' recent reoccupation, and it's abandoned again now, emptied out well before the Inquisition's forces arrive. There are signs that the retreat was a hasty one: scattered belongings, opened doors, abandoned meals, and no fewer than fifty bodies left on a mass pyre that only half-burned without anyone to tend it.

The Veil has always been thin here, and it's thinner now, where demons have been pulled through from the Fade. Rifts hang over the battlements and in the corridors, and escaped shades lurk in the dark corridors, siphoning away the willpower of those who linger until they come close enough to attack. Those who visit the Fortress set up camp outside of it rather than within it, wisely.

There are clear signs of blood sacrifice, for those who look: the bodies, blood stains on the stone floors, neat lists of names systemically crossed through. Sorting through documents left behind may turn up vague notes in a mage's runic shorthand or the journal of a trepidatious new recruit (Lourde, a pickpocket, crossed through on the registers). Behind a locked door in the lowest rooms are the bodies of sixteen mages, still in their Circle robes, left lying where they fell when the Joining took them. Mages who were among the rebels in Redcliffe may recognize a face or two as belonging to the hardliners who left with the Tevinters.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Yes, I made sure to do both when I faced them." Her voice is serious, because darkspawn are far more deadly than normal enemies. Their final blow can happen long after they themselves are killed, as Felix nearly experienced himself. The brief thought causes her to miss him, since he stayed behind at Skyhold. Maybe she'll call to him on the crystals after she and Korrin return from hunting darkspawn.

"So we'll set out once the sun goes down?"

Satisfied that Ellana is taking their thread with all due caution, she nods. Korrin has no intention of losing anyone to their taint, not if she can help it. "I figure that's the best bet. They'll be active then, and you won't have the sun to contend with. Not that we have to be out all night, it'd just help to find out where they're coming from, if we can."

Edited 2016-05-18 02:35 (UTC)

"All right. Just remind me to check my potions' stash before we head out. Until then, I think I'm going to stick around inside, away from the sun."

And with that said, she does what she can for the rest of the day until the sun disappears behind the sand dunes and rocky outcroppings of the area. She finds Korrin and jiggles a health potion at her. "Look; I remembered on my own! Do you need one to carry with you?"

Though Korrin is well-adjusted to the heat and sun's glare, even she is somewhat relieved when it slips past the horizon. Having wasted no time in gathering what she needed earlier, the Vashoth woman shakes her head. "I made some earlier, just in case. Given all the crap we've seen so far around here, I'm sure they'll see use. Let's see where these darkspawn assholes are coming from, shall we? I'm itching to do more than energize debris again."

"All right." The potion goes into a pouch on her belt and she's ready to go. The desert at night is so much cooler, and the air feels better against her stinging skin, so she takes a moment to appreciate it before they're too far outside the front gate. Now is the time to focus and search these darkspawn out. Maybe if they can trace them back to the tunnel they came from, they can seal it off.

"Any thoughts on a direction?"

"I was told they were sighted east of the keep, so let's try that. If you want to get a bird's eye view, I wouldn't say no, either." This is the first major push from the Inquisition since Ellana learned those shapeshifting skills; Korrin can't blame her if she's eager to put them to use.

Ellana grins wide at Korrin and nods. "I won't be gone long. I don't want to leave you alone out here for very long." But she does very much want to try this scouting thing. Leliana's set her up with a stealth expert so she can learn those skills both along with her shapeshifting forms and in her natural elf form. She takes off in a puff of smoke and climbs up through the night sky, dotted with bright spots of light. Traveling east, she gazes out and down at the desert below, spotting a wild animal here and there, but mainly seeing nothing but the old Grey Warden monuments scattered about.

But then dark, moving dots appear before her and she flaps harder to see what they are. Sure enough, they're darkspawn, coming from that Tevinter prison and into the narrow area between the rock faces on the cliffs above the Abyssal Rift. She circles high over them, getting a sense of numbers, before returning to Korrin, hoping she's stayed safe in the meantime.

Korrin may not be the best at remaining idle for long, but she's not one to completely ditch common sense, either. She doesn't seek out anything that she can't handle, sticking to ridding the approach of some phoenixes. By the time Ellana's sighted above, a few of their corpses lay near the Vashoth mage, who will leave their good for the nearby soldiers to strip.

She circles around once before coming back to touch down and shift back into her true form.

"You've stayed busy," she jokes before turning and pointing towards the stairs and incline.

"They're up there. I counted eight, but they aren't all together. I think they're patrolling the pass, so they're in groups of twos and threes."

That first remark is met with a grin before she glances over to where Ellana's pointing, nodding thoughtfully. "Those are numbers we can easily take down together, without the need for backup. If we're smart, they won't even see us coming."

"Let's go," she replies, glad to be of use while the sun isn't beating down on her. As they make their way up, she adds, "We should probably try to avoid the wildlife. The darkspawn might hear us fighting them."

"Good point. If we keep far enough away from them, they ought to keep their focus on other targets." She gestures for Ellana to take the lead, since she saw what's up ahead for herself. "Let's get going, I'll watch your back."

"All right." Ellana is probably better up front because she can also see well in the dark. She's light-footed and doesn't have much on her armor that would make noise, so she creeps easily into the pass and takes a position close to the rock wall. When she sees two darkspawn walking their way, she then raises her staff, lays down a barrier, and starts casting spells at one.

Trusting in Ellana's senses and lighter form, Korrin nonetheless strives for as little noise as possible on her front. At least she's wearing lighter armor than usual, though her thread is still significantly heavier than the elf's. Pausing near the rock wall, Korrin is off as soon as the barrier is cast, blurring forward to be a big, loud distraction.

"Over here, bastards!" She closes in on the nearest one and swings at it with her glowing blade, that barrier absorbing its own vicious blows.

Ellana usually has her focused face on when she's fighting an enemy, but Korrin's exclamation makes a smile come to her face. Knight-Enchanter suits her perfectly; Korrin was made to be front and center in fights.

Working around her friend's attacks, Ellana lets loose with lightning strikes, fire, and places her barrier back over herself when she can. Soon the two darkspawn lie dead before them and Ellana moves to catch up with Korrin.

"Good job. They'll have heard that up ahead. Ready for more?"

Satisfied at the work they accomplish together, Korrin sets the bodies ablaze. Their taint needs to be kept from infecting the land further; it may be horribly corrupted anyway, but Korrin won't contribute to it. Straightening afterward, she nods.

"I'll try to trap them in a static cage when I'm close enough, to give you a stationary target." That and because she enjoys her magical roots; it's not all about swinging a spirit blade; storm magic will always have a vital place in her battles.

"Perfect," she says, before moving through the pass. Her mana is coming back and she'll probably assist with an energy barrage once they're all trapped. When they turn the corner, they can see the group up ahead, only they've all congregated here from further along. Obviously the shouts and sounds of magic through the air caused them to band together.

Five stand in a group, ready to charge, but one is off by itself, wildly swinging a sword at... what is that? It's a short, stocky creature with dark fur except for its back, where a thick strip of white runs down. And it's attacking a darkspawn?

Ellana doesn't have time to watch the fight, as she needs to focus on the group coming to assault them. But that creature obviously thinks it's very big.

Focused on fulfilling her goal, Korrin gets within range and then falls back on her storm affinity. Her conjured electricity field flares into existence, entrapping the darkspawn it surrounds. As soon as they attempt to leave, a lightning bolt streaks down, provoking shrieks of rage and pain. She falls back, preparing to cast another spell, though the lone darkspawn catches her attention for just a moment. Upon seeing what it's fighting, Korrin smirks. She'll have to tell Asher about this later, but for now the other four need her undivided attention.

Ellana assists by releasing an energy barrage, her fire staff causing the bolts to be flames. They strike one darkspawn and hurt it so badly that with a few simple spells added to it, it falls down dead. She moves on to the next, adding, "Wait when your cage expires. I can put up a new one." Long ago, she and Korrin bonded over their love of the storm spells, and Ellana knows how to make a static cage too. They'll make quick work of these foul things.

Meanwhile the lone darkspawn is getting his ass handed to him by a honey badger.

The honey badger is her hero. The only thing Korrin regrets is not giving it her attention, not until the others fall. She nods, fine with trading off that spell and bombarding the darkspawn with magic until they fall. The cage won't last much longer, but they've both cast it enough times to know its duration, so she isn't worried. Adding a lightning bolt, Korrin smirks as another darkspawn falls.

Ellana saves her mana and when she feels in her gut that the cage is about to expire, she raises her arm and sets a new one over top of it, finalizing the spell just as the previous one makes the tell-tale sign that it's fizzling out. Darkspawn aren't smart creatures. They roam the surface wanting to spread their Blight. So they continuously walk into the walls of the cage, getting zapped back. From there, it's easy to pick them off and takes hardly any time at all.

Once the last collapses into the sand, Ellana looks past to the darkspawn bringing its sword down on the honey badger's back. There are no spurts of blood on the sand. In fact, it looks like it didn't cut through its hide at all. The small but fierce animal has pried the darkspawn's metal armor from its kneecap and digs in its teeth, causing the darkspawn to fall to the ground screaming. Ellana moves closer to Korrin, as if they're watching some action-packed play. The animal is terrifying, but inspirational.

"What is that thing?" she whispers.

After the darkspawn fall, Korrin isn't taking any chances. She sets the bodies ablaze, not wanting their taint to seep into the ground or be ingested by some desperate animal. At Ellana's question, she turns back to enjoy the show at last. Leaning on her staff, she rests a hand on her hip and smirks.

"It's a honey badger. You should ask Asher about them, his grandfather's hold has one as a hold beast. They're tough bastards, as you can see. I'd help it out, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't appreciate us interfering."

"No, I definitely don't want to get too close." But as she watches, she's fascinated, even as she winces when the honey badger goes for the darkspawn's throat.

"Wow," she whispers, and suddenly her stare becomes a bit more intense. "What if I could shapeshift into one? That would give me a tough hide and a fierce attack."

Korrin's not exactly surprised at the honey badger's attitude and actions, but it is rather fun to watch, at least when directed at the proper target. She signals to back off and remain at a distance until it's done and departing. Given its badassery, they owe it some respect.

Ellana's suggestion has her grinning. "...yes. Maker, yes. Go for it. And tell Asher, he would absolutely love the shit out of that."

She breaks her gaze and moves back, but once they're in a good position she looks at the animal again.

"I just need to observe for a little bit. After the first form, it's easier to pick up." She had done a lot of book reading to understand the concept, and had done exercises to better clear her mind. Plus when it came time to take her first form, Morrigan had been with her. After that, observing the fennec in the Hinterlands had been a breeze. This too seems easy. She watches the honey badger's attack, getting a sense of who it is; what makes it the way it is.

And soon enough it's defended itself perfectly, as the darkspawn stops flailing and goes still. The animal hops off it and walks away like this was child's play. In a hushed voice, Ellana says, "I feel like I've got it. Let's wait until it's out of sight and I'll shift."

OPEN: The Western Approach

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