faderift | MOSTLY CLOSED: Weisshaupt Fortress

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MOSTLY CLOSED: Weisshaupt Fortress

WHO: Anders, Herc, Ingrid, Kaisa, Mal Reynolds, Merrick, Merrill, Nathaniel, Samwise, Sera, Teren, Varric
WHAT: A friendly visit to Weisshaupt Fortress that will go very smoothly and involve zero bloodshed.
WHEN: Bloomingtide 29-30 for the closed portion, with travel time on either side.
WHERE: Weisshaupt Fortress, the Anderfels.
NOTES: This plot is 90% closed to the above-named characters, but there are open comments for before and after the main quest that are open to any characters who might travel to the Anderfels to serve as back-up without going to Weisshaupt.

No one has ever claimed that 'the Anderfels' is a particularly pretty name for a place, but it is somehow still too nice for the land itself. Bone-dry and blasted by hot, dusty winds for most of the year, the steppeland of the Anderfels has been harsh and unforgiving country since long before the Blights began. It is barren in every sense of the word: all greys and browns and blood-rust reds, the monotony broken more often by black outcroppings of rock than by greenery, with settlements few and far between. Even where blight has not turned the ground dark and toxic, it feels like a place people are not meant to live. Not anymore.

↠ The Walk There (Open, Mingle)
↠ Arrival at Weisshaupt (Closed, GMed)
↠ R&R&Demons (Closed, Mingle)
↠ Everything Goes To Shit (Closed, GMed)
↠ The Sprint Back (Open)

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Oh. So not her type at all. Not like it's really a loss when he's got someone. ...Actually, it might be more of a gain because then he truly could tease someone with complete safeness. That's a thought for another time, though.

"So if it is magic shit then I should be silent?" He smiles, not sure if it's too dark to see or not, but at least there's a little amusement in his voice. "I don't know that anything is trying to kill us. It's simply a change. And it's Warden shit. It's... There's noise sometimes, from Darkspawn, etcetera, that we hear. I've been hearing it for the whole of our time out here, and it's stopped. I don't know why."

He's been hearing it for far longer than that, but that's Warden business.

"Yeah, still sounds like magic shit."

Sera had great respect for the Wardens, but she knew how things were. Where there were a bunch of Wardens, something bad was about to happen. Where there were a bunch of Wardens with their magicy shit going weird probably meant really bad, giant darkspawn dragon bad. Or something.

"So, what? The darkspawn figured how to go all stealthy like? I don't like that change. Switch it back on."

"No, I don't think they did. They don't have the mental acuity for it." In general. They still don't know where the architect went, and that's a thought he wishes hadn't crossed his mind.

"The ones nearby may have... gone elsewhere." Except that can't be what's happened and he doesn't have any idea of what's going on. Anders shakes his head. "I don't like hearing them, but I don't like the suddenness of the change either, and I've no way to simply hear them again. I don't know what's happened."

At least there isn't currently any screaming. And he can't even feel much in the way of a Darkspawn presence. What's around isn't very near the surface. That also tells him absolutely nothing. Anders crawls out of his bedroll and folds it back up, picking up his staff a moment later.

"I'm going to take a look around outside. You're welcome to join. More than welcome. I'd like the company of someone with sharp blades just in case."

"Yeah, well, blight still bites regular people, yeah? So you go hit it with your stick, I'll stick it with arrows."

She's quick to slip out of her own roll and leave it were it is. If there's nothing, she'll come back to sleep. If it's something, she doesn't want it slowing her down.

"Which way'd you...hear them last?"

"I rather prefer to do magic shit than hit things with my stick." It's dry, not grudging. She's... not friendly on the topic of magic, but she's not been an asshole to him or any other mages so far as he's heard about. And she's coming to back him up. He can't be upset about that.

"And you're not going to like the answer. Everywhere. Not immediate-vicinity everywhere, but everywhere nonetheless. Before you ask if it might just be in my head, which, granted, is a fair question, I'll assure you that every Warden has been hearing it."

He steps outside, staff in hand, and peers into the darkness, looking for anything that might be lurking or approaching.

"Knew your lot were loons."

Wardens not mages, but she doesn't specify. Could fit both, really. But she gets an arrow notched and ready and takes point, relying on him to tell her where to go. She'd fought by Dorian and Vivi enough to know how to cover a mage, even if seeing magic still made her skin all creepy crawly.

"Just no using anything on me without saying so first, yeah?"

"Says the one who somehow managed to chase Twisted Fate out of his rooms. If anyone's a loon..."

The dry comment is quiet, because most of his attention is directed outward. Nothing untoward is stirring. He sees people on watch, and not much else. Anders exhales. It's a relief to have nothing evident, but it's also worrying. What changed? How? Has Corypheus suffered some sort of defeat? He pushes back some of his bangs and shakes his head.

"I can't see anything that needs magic applied. Or anything awry. I'm sorry. It seems I've woken you up for nothing."

Sera gives the area a long once over anyway, arrow notched. Wardens losing some of their woogie couldn't be good, had to be something messing with it. Something bad enough to bother the grand heroes of legend.

"Not nothing, is it. If quiet ain't right in your head, something's gone wrong. Not gonna be napping when it comes along."

Someone was now Up. And going to bring the fire back to life to better huddle around it.

"Quiet, or this quiet, rather, is supposed to be what's in my head. It simply hasn't been quiet like this for... a while, for any of us."

But he's not anywhere near relaxed, and after a moment he shakes his head again.

"Let's do a quick patrol around the perimeter of camp, in case? I've no desire to nap again yet either."

She still pokes the fire a bit more, wanting it to be ready when she's back. Then stands up with a nod.

"I'm tossin' any darkspawn shits at you."

"The real question of the night is why you'd even be picking up Darkspawn shit in the first place. Far better to simply avoid it, maybe kick some dirt over it so some unfortunate soul doesn't step in it."

They're probably not about to be murdered. That means this is the perfect time for jokes. ...Then again, he's made jokes while about to be murdered too, so it's possible he simply doesn't have a good sense of when they're appropriate. Or he has the best sense of it ever.

His staff stays in his hand as they walk, and every now and then he'll send a small wisp into the darker areas to light them up, see what can be seen.

She's been working with mages for a bit now, but she still keeps a close eye on that little wisp. The the point it's defeating the things whole life purpose, Sera's eyes now adjusted to that bright light and less able to see into the darkness.

Magic.

But he still was funny, and even though she doesn't take her eyes off the little ball of magic she grins.

"Or set it on fire outside some arse-face's tent."

He sees her watching the wisps as he sends them, but at least she's grinning and not talking disparagingly about magic again. It's a change he appreciates.

"Watch them frantically try to put out the fire and get it on themselves? Very satisfying. ...Moreso when they don't know exactly which apprentice did it and where to find them. At least that bit's in the past. Being sneaky may be easier now."

He flashes a smile at her as he continues. Darkspawn have better night vision than humans, and he's... not sure he should ask her about hers. It doesn't seem the sort of thing elves would want humans to know.

Her eyes are glowing in the darkness, a very non-human trait. And as the wisps are just...wispy instead of soul-stealing, she looks away from them. Mostly. She is still very aware of where they are in her peripheral vision.

"Tch, if you go and got caught don't matter where you are. Circle, city, castle. You're good or not."

"I would fall under the not good category. I get caught a lot." Failing at stealth is the direct implication, but it's not all he means. He's not quite sure he falls into a good category at all anymore.

"Are you saying you're good?"

"I'm brilliant."

It's not even- well, okay. It is a boast. But it's a factual one. Thief and all.

"Survived this long long with this mouth, damn well have to be, don't I? Why? Got someone needs poking at? Breeches stolen?"

He's heard stories, rumors around the camp, but there are always so many of those that he hardly knows what's true. The way she says it, though... He stops peering out into the darkness and looks at her, head tilted.

"I can't say I had someone in mind when I asked, but if there's anyone who needs their breeches-equivalent stolen, I'd say it's Vivienne." He can't make any serious moves against her. He can't even work to sway his semi-adopted-daughter against her, for fear of alienating Kallian. But little things, harmless things, if Sera is willing and if he gets creative, could be very satisfying indeed."

She cackles. Not laughs, not giggles, but cackles.

"Vivi? Yeah, guess a weird apostate'd have troubles with her. Pretty sure she's got a hat under her hat."

Sera bites her lip, not really willing to admit she'd been trying since the start to get that one. But...

"What else? Just want to get her for being so snugly with the Chantry?"

"It's mage shit, you might not understand." But he's smiling now. Her cackle has made the worrying issue with the false Calling ending seem a lot less serious.

"She's not just snugly with the Chantry. She wants the Circles back, and yes, that means a weird apostate has huge issues with her. I'm not a fan of someone who is fine with others suffering for the sake of getting back to her own comforts."

Okay, maybe there's a little bit of bitterness mixed in with the joking around. He reaches up to rub the back of his neck for a moment as he glances back at the darkness.

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MOSTLY CLOSED: Weisshaupt Fortress

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