faderift | OPEN: The Nightmare's Domain

OPEN: The Nightmare's Domain

WHO: Everybody present for the effort to draw out the Nightmare.
WHAT: Oh no.
WHEN: 28-30 Bloomingtide
WHERE: THE FADE as it exists, approximately, in an incomprehensible nongeographical way, alongside the Western Approach.
NOTES: You can only participate in this plot if you signed up in advance. (Not really, this is a joke.) For driveby GM taunting or to have the debris of personal nightmares appear in the Fade sign up here. Check here for notes on crystal functionality, which will not be normal. (GIF source.)

The plan is simple enough, on paper.

Lord Livius Erimond, locked in Skyhold's dungeon since his capture, finally cracks when he learns that the Grey Wardens have moved on and no one is coming to negotiate for his release. There's no mind-control driving the sacrifices, he says, only fear. Corypheus has an arrangement with a demon to amplify it and extend the reach of the song that's driving the Wardens to desperation. Handle it, and maybe they'll see that they're being manipulated.

In practice, it's a little fuzzier. Some guesswork. Some optimism. Approximating the demon's location takes time and effort from the Fade-fluent. There's a rift nearby, but it's small, nondescript. Making it bigger, drawing attention and drawing the demon out onto solid ground where it can be fought, calls for every anchor shard on hand, mages and Templars to assist, archers and swordsmen at the ready. The Herald did it before, at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. It's feasible. Just wiggle your fingers, and--

--and the sky opens up wide, then wider, too wide, green light flooding out like water finally cresting over a bank, and the ground beneath your feet turns from sand to stone. In some places it becomes vertical. In others it stops existing at all. The rift sprawls and spiders out with almost sentient aim, encompassing everyone it can reach. It takes two seconds, maybe three.

Then it closes.

I. THE NIGHTMARE

The good news is: the Inquisition pinpointed the Nightmare's location correctly. The bad news is: the Inquisition pinpointed the Nightmare's location correctly.

So if you find a second to to wonder where you are, there are two possible answers. The first is the raw Fade, where few have trod since the ancient magisters entered the Golden City and began the Blight. The City is Black now and it hangs in the distance, always on the horizon, always visible, but never within reach. The light is sickly green and seems to come from everywhere and nowhere, creating shadows from any and all directions. What direction is up and what direction is sideways is open for debate anyway. The ground--if it can be called that when it is only sometimes below you--is dark and rough, all crags and cliffs and spires. It's wet, too, with puddles and stagnant streams wound through the rock.

The second possible answer to the question of where, and the one that might warrant even more attention than the first, is right on top of a damn demon.

The Nightmare is massive, as large as a small fort. It has a dozen legs and at least twice as many eyes; a warm, civilly sinister voice that knows your deepest and darkest fears; and a seemingly endless supply of minions. Terror demons spring out of the ground around you with creaking screams. Fearlings take the shape of your simpler phobias: here a spider, there a snake, or roaring flames, a lyrium-encrusted Templar. Fighting through the flood of demons and bringing down the Nightmare will take every sword, every staff, and several hours. Pick a leg.

And when it's over--when the Nightmare is dead and only straggling Fearlings and occasional Terrors present an immediate threat--try to figure out what's next.

II. SEARCHING

Attempts to tear a new hole in the Veil from the inside will produce no results. But those sensitive to the Fade may be able to feel something--not quite like a draft guiding you out of a cave, but there's no closer analogy in the common tongue. A faint whiff of reality, somewhere in the distance, straight away from the distant Black City. There's no sunrise or sunset, and an hour can feel like a day or feel like a minute, but time is passing, and the walk is long by any measure.

While it's in your best interest to stay with the rest of the Inquisition's forces, this region of the Fade is a twisty, treacherous thing that seems to actively conspire to separate and mislead its visitors. More Fearlings slither out of crevices to menace anyone who lingers alone or tries to sleep. There's a marshy expanse that does its best to trap feet, and a field of memorial stones with the names of visitors etched into their surfaces, each with a cause of death marked below. Everywhere you step the ground is littered with evidence of terrible dreams, worked into the landscape like they were there first and it has grown up around them. There are skeletons in the stone, rock formations that twist into the shape of gallows, lost toys underfoot, an entire home tucked down a winding path, achingly empty.

III. ESCAPE

The Nightmare is dead, but its absence creates new reasons to fear. It begins slowly, things crumbling: the edge of a stair giving way unexpectedly, a towering hunk of rock a ways off collapsing upward into the open air and reforming there. The path rearranges as it's walked and takes wanderers in different directions, leaving them to fight their ways back to the main group. It was the concentration of fear and willpower embodied in the Nightmare that held this domain of the Fade intact, and without it, there's a power vacuum to fill. The spirits drawn here are drawn by lingering fear, and warped by it.

The forms they take may not be those you're familiar with from outside the Fade--less deformed, more malleable, more insidious, the things you most or least want to see. Those who long for safety may find a gentle Desire demon willing to offer it. Those whose fears stem from insecurities may hear the whispers of lurking Envy, mimicking their voices from its hiding place, cautiously testing for a foothold. If fear only pisses you off, be prepared to face your Rage. And if you refuse to be afraid--if you have this under control, if you know you'll be all right--a smiling embodiment of Pride may appear to praise your prowess and ask you to put those skills to other uses.

Whatever form your demons take, they are distractions from the larger issue: this part of the Fade is collapsing, unstable, and not meant for creatures like you to survive in. As important as it is to face your fears, it may in the end be more important to run from them. Regroup, keep moving, take head counts. There's a rift ahead, small enough to slip through one at a time, out into the desert, with its bright sun and relatively solid ground--and however long it feels like you've been walking, days or weeks, Adamant Fortress is visible across the sand.

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I. NIGHTMARE CALLING
[Bruce isn't supposed to be here. That much is obvious from the panicked expression on his face, the fear that's clearly written there as he scrambles back and feels too overwhelmed to be able to stand, at least at first. Next to him, the dracolisk that had been sticking with him during his time in the Approach wickers loudly.

He isn't supposed to be here. He had been around, yes, in order to handle the injured and attempt to bring them out from the area of battle. But then the rift had cracked, expanding outward, getting big, bigger, too big--

And now he's here. And its definitely Not Good.

He has no idea what is the giant ass thing so close to them but its clearly something that is bad news. Bruce can only watch at first as it looms over them, countless other things beginning to skitter over towards them. There's so many shapes and figures and he can't make out all of them but the ones he can see bring a chill up his spine.

Bruce forces himself to move as the battle begins and even as it heats up, darting around to get out of the way and to try and help anybody who's injured. There's nothing he can do specifically in the heat of battle itself, but at least he can try to get the injured to safety.

At some point much later in the battle one can instead see Bruce actively joining the battle as well, a staff he had managed to acquire in his hands as he fires off fire-based spells to fend off approaching enemies. It's certainly quite the sight, especially considering the fact that he had never publicly shown any signs in the past at all about being a mage.]

II. LOOKING FOR A WAY
[The Fade is a terrible place to be in.

He already knew that before, of course, but this just cemented it for him if it hadn't previously.

Even with the Nightmare now gone there's still danger everywhere, from the remnants of what it once was to... wherever they were at right now. Everything is a mess and if Bruce can recognize anything from the mess of items and things that litter their surroundings, he makes no mention of it at all. The dracolisk looks unnerved as well, sticking close to Bruce as they travel with the rest of the Inquisition that was stuck here with them.

Underneath his skin he can feel the demon inside of him shifting restlessly, trying to push against the bonds to return to its own home. It's not a great feeling, and its a struggle to simply keep himself under control. The Nightmare had already shaken him up and this was just making it worse, and the fact that he had burned through so much of his mana was another issue.

For the most part he trails behind the main body of the group, dracolisk providing him support as he attempts to keep up with them. The exhaustion is clear on his features, his body still recovering from the burn of extended constant mana and magic usage. After all, its been a while since he had to do something like this.]

III. GETTING OUT OF THIS SHITHOLE
[It's hard to say if its a blessing or a curse that the demons ignore him for the most part. Probably because they recognize him as one of their own. Here and there he sees a Pride or Desire demon or two smirking at him, but they seem content on not disturbing him. Even as demons, nobody wants to invoke the wrath of Rage.

Bruce keeps himself focused on the task at hand, doing his best to help anybody who requires it. He's riding the dracolisk this time, somehow having found some sort of partnership with it, and with it he's much faster, galloping around to try and pick up any stragglers at the back as well as the injured and ferrying them over to where the exit is. It's a dangerous gamble he's doing, but Bruce can't just leave them behind either.]

Edited 2016-05-29 17:33 (UTC)

[While Hermione has seen all sorts of odd things even before arriving in Thedas, the Fade isn't like anything she's ever experienced. While she'd never had a problem with her concentration, she finds it hard to focus on the task at hand. Distractions, after all, are everywhere.

She resolves to turn away from the tombstones, finding more familiar names among them than she'd like to think about. When she does that, though, she catches sight of some sort of four-legged creature trailing alongside a man who has clearly been worn down by everything that's happened. A scream begins to build in her throat, but she lets it die away upon realizing that he doesn't seem to be in danger, and in fact seems to have some sort of familiarity with the creature.

When the pair pass her by, she allows herself to be distracted by the animal and falls into step besides them, since it seems to be the least threatening thing in the current vicinity. She wants to ask after it, but this hardly seems like the sort of place for small talk.]

Sorry, but were you injured? You're looking a little haggard.

[Not that the same couldn't be said for everyone else here, but it's worth noting and keeps her from talking about the animal she's warily eyeing.]

[Bruce doesn't pay much attention at first when somebody apparently starts to walk beside him; there's a good number of them here in the Fade, after all, and even if the space around them is immense dangers lurk everywhere. Keeping together is a good option, even if Bruce privately thinks he's the last person anybody should stick close to.

He's content to keep the silence between them and keep on moving, but then she speaks, and Bruce finally glances over to her.]

No, I'm just--a little bit tired. [A small, somewhat strained smile, mostly in order to try and disguise just how tired he does indeed feel. It's been a long time since he's actively fought using his magic.] It's been a long day for all of us.

[Bruce's foot hits something solid that clatters forward across the stone floor. It is a long piece of cast iron at first glance, cold and black against the dim light shining on the ground. If he steps closer to it, the design at the end is put in proper perspective: a Chantry sunburst.]

Edited 2016-05-30 23:15 (UTC)

[Hermione can't help feeling as though there's more than just exhaustion at work, but then, paranoia has a way of festering in the Fade. So she doesn't say anything; he's a grown man, after all, and having a woman half his age fretting over him probably won't sit well with him.

She hesitates for a moment before gesturing towards the animal besides him.]

Is that a-... forgive me, what is that? It doesn't look like a wild creature from the Fade, so if that's the case, maybe it can carry you?

[She could well be making a ridiculous suggestion, but it bears mentioning, if it can help him.]

[Bruce doesn't mind so much about people worrying over him, although privately he thinks that their concern should be better placed elsewhere. Of course, he can't blame them for their worries and concern, but there were simply other people who needed that more than he did.

But at least she isn't asking about him, even though he can see the worry in her expression, her attention instead focused on the dracolisk. Bruce manages a wry smile at the question and the subsequent suggestion, finding some amusement in spite of the situation.]

It's a dracolisk. [Another Rifter then, he assumes, considering the fact that she didn't know what a dracolisk was.] It was... in the area when the rift brought all of us over into the Fade. [Along with Bruce himself, but he doesn't say that out loud. No need to make the situation any worse.

He continues to walk while he speaks, though he stops when his foot hits against something very metal. He winces at the impact but the pain quickly goes to the sidelines when he sees the metal piece skitter across the floor from the force. Even lopsided and somewhat battered however Bruce can still make out the metal piece for what it is, and its confirmed when he moves closer to see - a metal piece in the shape of the Chantry sunburst.

There's a frown as he looks at it. No doubt this came from the Fade, but why was it here? None of the Inquisition members currently here had something like this with them, so it clearly couldn't have been from any of them.]

[First, Hermione needs to make sure that he isn't at risk of being eaten by the creature by his side and is simply too tired to realize it. After she ascertains that he's in no immediate risk, then she can express some concern for his general well-being.

A dracolisk. Fascinating. Even here, in this place so filled with darkness and horror and pain, she can still find it in herself to be inquisitive over something. That's good. That means she's not entirely lost to the panic yet.]

It sort of looks like a thestral. I don't suppose you know what those are, do you? They look similar, but the only people who can see thestrals are those who've seen death. But I guess that would cover most people in Thedas, so they might well be one and the same.

[Not quite, though, but close enough. For now, she's distracted when he seems to stumble a bit, instinctively reaching out a hand in case he needs it to keep himself from falling.]

Are you all right? [And then, upon noticing that he's looking down at something, she looks down at the object, frowning a little at the vague familiarity of the symbol upon it.] What is it?

[Bruce has no idea what a thestral is, and it probably shows as much in his expression - though it doesn't last too long, since he's quickly distracted by the debris that he had kicked earlier.

He doesn't take his eyes off it, too surprised to really register anything else, and its only when she asks does Bruce finally remember that there's somebody with him.]

It's, ah--the Chantry. [...here it sinks in that it's a bit hard to explain something like the Chantry to somebody who has no idea of Thedas at all.] The Chantry sunburst. It's more or less the symbol of the Chantry.

[Rifter or not, Hermione's read enough books to be familiar with several aspects of Thedas, including the Chantry. It isn't her favorite topic, and the writing is usually more than a little dry, but she still peers around Bruce to look down at the symbol in question, vaguely recognizing it now that she has a frame of reference.]

Yes, but... what is it? Part of some sort of weapon or decor? Did there used to be a temple here? In the Fade? Is that possible?

[Bruce takes another step closer, crouching down so that he can examine it closer, although he doesn't quite dare to touch it, either.]

These tend to be more decorative. [He says, more for her benefit, glancing up to study the sky around them - or a parody of one anyway. The sickly green tinge surrounds them, the ground around them is littered with debris, and if he listens hard enough he can fear what feels like the howl of... something. Like the sound of wind that blows into a cave.

He glances back down to the Rifter and lifts a shoulder in a shrug.] I can't say for sure. The Fade is where most of us go when we sleep; this is where we dream, usually. Its entirely possible these are all just fragments from those dreams.

[She doesn't like the way he looks around, as though expecting to see something swoop out of the air and attack them. She's had more than her fair share of attacks for the day, thank you, and by the time they get back to Skyhold, she'll consider it the absolute lap of luxury. For now, though, she just wants to get out of here with as many people as what they'd come in with, and not have to worry about some strange surprise attack.]

Dream fragments can't be tangible, though, can they? After all, what would happen if someone picked something up from the Fade and took it back across a rift? Would the thing cease to exist, or would some sort of spatial paradox occur?

[Deep questions, perhaps, and now isn't the time nor place for deep questions.]

Is it worth trying to pick it up, or shall we avoid it?

[To be fair, they're all good questions - ones that Bruce would have asked himself, once upon a time. When he was still in the Circles, still trying to prove himself. Trying to be somebody he knows he never could be now. Another him, from ten years and a lifetime ago.

He lets out a breath and nudges the metal piece with a boot.] Nobody's entered the Fade physically before - not since a very long time ago. Even all of this is new to me. [It's not really an answer, not really, but it is the truth and there's no reason to hide that.]

But to your main question... I think its best if we leave it. Its not like it'll be of any help even if we take it out. [If they even could--but that is something for another time.]

[At this point, she's just happy enough when people don't snap at her for asking too many questions. Considering everything they've been through, most people would be perfectly within their rights to just tell her to shut up and keep moving, but at least this man has been trying to be informative.

Speaking of which, she realizes she doesn't actually know who he is. She doesn't know how likely it is that they'll ever see each other, but manners aren't remiss even if they are in some sort of hellish dimension with no clear way of getting out.]

Then let's not touch it. Come on, let's keep moving before we risk losing the others. I'd rather not get separated, even if you seem like a decent enough person to be stranded with, if there is such a thing.

I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger. Just in case we get out of here in one piece and find our way towards some semblance of civilization.

[It's hard to say how Bruce should exactly take those words - on one hand its nice, in a way, to hear that his company is appreciated. But on the other he reminded himself that she probably had no idea how dangerous most of anything in Thedas was. Especially in regards to himself. If she knew, he was pretty sure she wasn't going to think the same way any longer.

Though he supposes its not entirely relevant right now. Bruce nods and starts to move again, gesturing for her to do the same - no sense lingering around. It's hard to say what could happen, but either way staying in the Fade for long didn't seem like a good idea.]

Bruce. [A simple return of names - no last name, though, since its simply... easier that way.] And I'm sure between everyone here right now, we'll manage to find a way out eventually.

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bookish_lioness - 2016-06-08 11:40 (UTC) - Expand

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amygdalae - 2016-06-08 14:18 (UTC) - Expand

_{[ Kirk would agree with Bruce - none of them were meant to be here. This place wasn't meant for human minds, or elvish, for anything mortal and sane. Whatever this place was... well, he never wanted to come back if he could help it. But they would have to survive it first. Fighting off the creatures is instinctual, human fear rising and forcing him to act. Perhaps because the creatures are so far from human, it makes it easier to strike at them with lethal force.

So many though, so many. Where could they all be coming from, pushing him around the battlefield, no place to get control.

Maybe that was a good thing, though. It brought him close to Bruce in his retreat. He skid to a stop, using the momentum to keep coming around with a swing to his staff. ]}

Bruce, duck!!

[When the call comes Bruce responds immediately, literally throwing himself down onto the ground as the dracolisk darts away in time for the staff to swing past uninterrupted. He can feel the ichor from the Fearlings when the staff meets its mark, splattering over his clothes. Better then the alternative, though.

Bruce gives a few moments before he glances up and to the side, making sure that the danger has passed (for now) before slowly getting back onto his feet.]

_{[ Kirk swung the staff back into defensive position, holding ground in front of Bruce while he recovered and the dracolisk too, though he wondered how that creature had gotten in here with them. Not that it mattered now. ]}

You okay?

_{[ He glanced back at the other briefly, but not long. Taking his eyes off these things would be dangerous, and he wanted to see everyone get out of this place alive if he could help it. ]}

[Bruce takes a moment to try and brush himself off the best that he can, although with the gunk and ichor already on his clothes its probably a lost cause. Still, better to just be dirty than whatever else that could happen instead.]

Yes. [He returns once he's done his best to dust himself off, glancing over to the other and giving him a thankful smile.] I owe you.

_{[ Kirk had given up on it awhile ago. His clothes would be ruined, and
he was glad he had not brought his uniform on this trip. It would have been
unsalvageable. He brought his staff around in the defensive position Sam
had taught him, risking a look back at Bruce and giving him a tight smile
in return. ]}

Don't think anything of it. I'm just glad I got to you in time. You have any idea what's going on?

Well-- [Bruce pauses and casts a glance in the direction of where the giant demon looms over.] --there's a really big demon who probably wants to kill us all, and its got a whole bunch of little demons that seem to take different shapes for some inexplicable reason in order to do just that.

[Brief pause.]

Also, we're in the Fade.

[It's hard to keep off the wryness in his voice but Bruce is trying his best. It hasn't been the best day so far, for obvious reasons.]

Edited 2016-06-02 16:13 (UTC)

_{[ None of that sounded pleasant, Bruce. Absolutely none. This world
was just getting crazier and crazier, and god but he hated giant
spider-like creatures. He had experiences when it came to creatures like
that, literally without fail. They did not like him. ]}

Does knowing what the Fade is have any immediate important effect on how we beat the thing trying to kills us, or can that explanation what?

_{[ He shifted his weight, doing a quick scan to see if anyone else
needed immediate help or if another of those little creatures was trying to
sneak up on them. ]}

And have I mentioned I really hate arachnids? Because I do.

_{[ He spotted a small demon trying to rise up and swung like hitting a
baseball, not at all sorry for the splash of ichor. ]}

[It's hard to say if being in the Fade is exactly helpful or not, but perhaps a better understanding of what exactly it is to somebody not familiar to Thedas might be good. Bruce huffs and takes another moment to catch his breath before he begins his explanation.]

The Fade is what gives mages their power, in the most basic terms. They're born with an instinctive, aware connection to this place where most have little to none. It's the place where spirits and demons come from - their domain, more or less.

[He watches as the Rifter - Kirk, he vaguely recalled the name - smashes another spider like creature. Bruce himself isn't afraid of spiders but then there's so many of them here - he supposes they could just as easily take the shape of anybody's other fears.]

The Fade - nobody's entered it physically in the last thousand years or so. [Pause.] And now suddenly here we all are.

_{[ Well that was all very interesting, and something Kirk would be far
more interested in later when they were not under immediate threat of being
eviscerated or worse. He found it a curious thing that mages could draw
power from what, to him looked like another dimension, but - focus, Kirk.
Fearlings and demons and other unpleasant things were still around. ]}

Gee, I can't fathom why not - it seems like such the relaxing vacation spot.

_{[ He motioned for Bruce to move with him, wanting to get them back
towards more of the group. Being to isolated here didn't seem like a good
idea. ]}

[Bruce, at least, manages out a small laugh from that, even as wry as it is. He takes the cue and follows Kirk as they attempt to rejoin the rest of the main party some distance away from them.]

It's certainly more exotic than Tevinter, at any rate. [He remarks, continuing to push forward with Kirk. There isn't as many enemies around now that the one on them earlier is more or less cleared out, and Bruce hopes that it stays that way.]

I'll have to trust your word on that.

_{[ He grunts as he swings, bringing down the smaller creatures, and
thankfully not yet running into the more dangerous breeds. They seemed
concentrated closer to the Nightmare, but they were edging closer to the
creature, so Kirk wasn't sure how long their luck would hold. ]}

Maybe next time you take me to Tevinter though, huh?

OPEN: The Nightmare's Domain

Bruce Banner (OTA)

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ayyyy herrrrrmonineeee

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been wanting to tag Bruce for a while now! o/

\o\ and now you have

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~o~

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1 - early on

\o/

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