Entry tags:
- ! open,
- { alistair },
- { anders },
- { bellamy blake },
- { bruce banner },
- { cassandra pentaghast },
- { clarke griffin },
- { gavin ashara },
- { inessa serra },
- { ingrid kief },
- { isabela },
- { jehan mercier },
- { jim kirk },
- { josephine montilyet },
- { kallian endris },
- { korrin ataash },
- { lexa },
- { martel },
- { maxwell trevean },
- { nerva lecuyer },
- { sabine },
- { samouel gareth },
- { siuona dahlasanor },
- { vivienne }
OPEN: Halamshiral
WHO: Everyone
WHAT: The Inquisition Does Orlais, Pt. 1: Masks, Charity, and Tension
WHEN: Solace 15 onward
WHERE: Halamshiral
NOTES: Please note that your character's conduct and actions in this log or in other private logs set in Orlais, if observable by the public, may influence local opinion of the Inquisition and/or the balance of power among Celene, Gaspard, and the elves.
WHAT: The Inquisition Does Orlais, Pt. 1: Masks, Charity, and Tension
WHEN: Solace 15 onward
WHERE: Halamshiral
NOTES: Please note that your character's conduct and actions in this log or in other private logs set in Orlais, if observable by the public, may influence local opinion of the Inquisition and/or the balance of power among Celene, Gaspard, and the elves.

It is a smaller force that the Inquisition sends to Halamshiral than has been sent in the past; not yet able to interfere directly in the civil war, and still attempting to determine what is happening in the Anderfels, the organization is moving in not as a military force but as a stabilizing one, with cautious cooperation from the Chantry and endorsements from several among the nobility who were suitably impressed by Madame de Fer's soiree in Skyhold, to assist with the local unrest while better assessing the political situation. What is known is that a leaderless and unstable Orlais is part of Corypheus' grand scheme. What is not known is… everything else.
I. THE ESTATE
Duc Hugues Pelletier is not himself in residence when the Inquisition arrives. He was here only yesterday, they will be told, but left on urgent business, leaving behind his welcome and best wishes for helping restore the Maker's peace to Orlais. (He fled on news of their approach, gossipy staff members will later reveal, overcome with nerves at the notion of residing under the same roof as the incomparable Seeker Pentaghast.)
The Inquisition has free use of the mansion--under the watchful eyes of the duke's house staff, who will step in to politely prevent any destruction of his property or excessive raiding of his wine cellar--with his library available as a work space for those who require desks, books, and quiet, and his study serving as a makeshift office for the Inquisition's highest ranking officers. The cook does his best to feed everyone. That still means porridge and stew for most (something he offers his apologies for, as well as his personal disdain, but with this number of mouths to feed it's a matter of practicality, surely you understand) but those who seem important or are particularly good at sucking up to him might be given something special.
Day use aside, there's not room in the building to house everyone. Only the high-ranking (which the duke's housekeeper interprets to mean leaders of the Inquisition, Orlesian nobles, and non-Fereldan nobles, in that order, and absolutely no non-humans) will be allowed guest rooms in the chateau itself, while the majority will still need to pitch tents on the expansive and well-manicured grounds to sleep in. But all are welcome in the chapel, the largest and most ornate wing of the house.
II. HIGH QUARTER
Dear Inquisition, imagine music--alive and market placey--and violins taking a break up in the air with non-threatening amblings and a wreath of tambourine just lightly jangled… Imagine the shuffle of slippers on well-kept cobblestones and the pleasant murmur of voices as servants negotiate prices for their masters, who stare opulent and bored stares over the wares spread out for their perusal and consideration. Deals are struck, coins exchange hands, wares are wrapped in crisp paper or bleach-white linen for transport, and taken away to their new homes.
Have you the coin to spend in this place? Then by all means: select a souvenir. Make sure you can actually pay, for the shopkeeps and stallhands do not take kindly to a deal broken, once it has been made. And do not even think about stealing. Looking is free, but hang around too long and someone might begin to get suspicious.
The polite thing to do is to wear a mask. A supply of simple ones is made available to the Inquisition, carved over one eye with the symbol--not enough for everyone to have one to keep as a souvenir, but plenty enough for anyone to borrow before venturing into the High Quarter.
It is inadvisable for elves or Qunari to wander the High Quarter alone, period, but particularly inadvisable for them to do so out of Inquisition armor or without human company, and orders to this effect will have been passed through the ranks. The Inquisition is not here to start any riots or revolutions, and prefers its agents intact and un-arrested. Should any venture there alone and in plainclothes despite this warning, they will find themselves at the very best the subject of points and stares and rude remarks, and denied service by any local merchants or taverns.
III. ELVEN DISTRICTS
Orlesian cities do not easily come by their reputation for opulence. At some point, streets must be cleaned, bricks must be brushed, marble must be buffed, and flowers must be tended. In fact, Comte Pierre has hinted that the Inquisition's generous offer of assistance might be of use in the elven district. Unique among major cities in Thedas, Halamshiral doesn't have an alienage--or, rather, most of the city is the alienage, populated by elves and elf-blooded humans who are kept out of the High Quarter rather than kept in their shabbier streets. There are taverns and shops and a market here, too--one with fewer silks and more bruises on the apples, but cheaper and kinder to those without rounded ears--and in many ways, in most places, it looks to provide a better and freer life for its inhabitants, who are not packed in quite so tightly or watched quite so constantly.
During the day, at least. There's still a curfew--one inapplicable to members of the Inquisition, if they're wearing their armor, but at night the streets empty save for the occasional dart of someone trying to make it home undetected by guards or Chevaliers. And at all hours there's an odd tension in the air, a combination of simmering resentment and pervasive defeat, the kind of feeling best encapsulated by quick, sullen glances up from an obediently bowed head.
If one needs evidence of the root of that tension, it isn't difficult to find. A large, unmissable area of the city, once the center of life there, has been burned down.
This is the area where the Inquisition's help is needed, according to Comte Pierre, who loves Halamshiral itself more than he cares for Celene, Gaspard, or the feelings of the local elves. It isn’t anything a lot of elbow grease can’t fix, but the state of these city streets is sorry indeed. Everything is streaked with ash that's been blown about and rained on but never cleaned. The few trees in the streets have been burnt black, and their bare limbs twist up toward the sky like desperate claws. The houses, the little market stall tucked into the corner of the main square--even the grass growing up between the cobblestones--everything has been burned. The bodies were collected, but you may still find a fingerbone or teeth knocked loose in the battle among the cobblestones or old rust-brown blood stains on wood. Gaunt windows stare down at you, watching your every move.
There are supplies waiting. But the work is mostly conducted alone. The elves, what little are still hanging around, keep to themselves as they pass by. Some may even look to resent the progress being made there, though they know better than to say why. The upstanding citizens of Halamshiral don’t seem inclined to come down this way, or even make casual use of the nearby alleyways.
A woman, selling worn steel scrap some streets over, is happy to tell you why, whether or not you ask her. The elves deserve what they got. They should have kept their heads down, just like everyone else. Even before the fire, she says, no one much wanted to hang around down there, on account of the crime. A notorious band of thieves were hidden among the elves of the alienage, a group of rough elves known for stealing anything from anybody. She’ll warn you to keep any valuables close while you’re working down there: “Poor souls need the help, but you can’t let yourself be robbed while you’re fixing their problems.”
It’s hard, perhaps, to imagine what she means. The destroyed blocks, as you work them, will be largely deserted. An eerie calm hangs over the place, almost as if the secluded wreck has become unmoored from the city proper and drifted away across a still and dead river.
IV. THE COUNTRYSIDE
All the wealth of Orlais can’t save them from some of the more common problems around these days. Even in the country, the tension of the city is palpable, like a current that runs through the air.
Of these tensions and worries, first and foremost are the rifts, a threat that plagues the outskirts of Hamalamadingdong far worse than the central spaces. Demons of varying strength can be found wandering and unless they are stopped, they will become a worse threat.
Whatever your political leanings, you have been asked to protect the people of Orlais. One small cluster of homes in particular has been complaining most bitterly about this threat. Worried and harried by demons, they have finally made themselves heard enough, and the Inquisition has dispatched aid. But as you arrive, you and your party will find the homes to be quiet. A little… too quiet.
The roar of a demon soon puts an end to that, and a chorus of screams follows.
Elsewhere, you may notice part of Orlais’ defensive problem: there are no brave young men to step in and fight off demons. In the High Quarter, a few callow young noblemen lounge around sipping from goblets of wine and laughing at their own jokes, but every able-bodied soldier who's not found some way out (or publicly refused to care, at their own risk) is presently occupied with the War of the Lions. Of those who remain, the young are very young and the old are very old.
Even among the gentle country gentlemen and their ladies, elves and Qunari will find themselves to be points of interest. No attacks are likely, but expect to weather gossip, whispered comments, and frank open stares. No one is foolish enough to turn down aid, but they can still be wary of these… others among them.

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He can hear Sam saying one thing, but he know it's not true. Sam was not so inattentive as all that, especially considering they needed to put on a good first impression. He was grateful, though, that Sam had listened to his request and given him no frills. He wasn't sure he could have stood those. As it was, the layers were making him itch.
"Well, I can't blame you. I think it was the only one that didn't have them," he chuckled, playing along with him. "I was almost scared to step out of the manor this morning, but so far I haven't been stared at to much, so I thought I had done it right. What would you have done if I had done it wrong?" he asked him, smirking.
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"I suppose I would have had to take you someplace private and have you redo it until you got it right. Clearly a man who doesn't know how to dress himself will bring about gossip," replies, a smirk pulling at his lips as well.
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That response makes him smile, his own laugh melding with Sam's. "Oh? Perhaps I should have been a bit more careless this morning then. That sounds like a much more pleasant way to spend the afternoon."
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He figured Jim would enjoy that answer. Chuckling at the man's amusement, Sam pats his shoulder, leaning in a bit to whisper something privately before he goes to look at the table Kirk was browsing. "Can always fix that, give you a reason to look a bit disheveled." He cannot pull off that sound Kirk makes when he talks - like a purr - but his tone was a bit more sultry with the way he lowered his voice.
Smiling at the merchant, as if nothing was going on, Sam inquires about a certain piece of jewelry.
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He turns his head slightly when the other speaks and it is entirely unfair, that tone. Sam was learning and he had a feeling he was creating a wicked sort of creature, but he didn't care. Even worse when Sam pulls away like he had not just poured warm honey and chocolate in Kirk's ears.
Very wicked creature.
"And how exactly do you plan to accomplish that, Samouel?" he asked, keeping to where he was and inspecting a bit of jewelry himself for a moment before beginning to meander towards the next stall, brushing his shoulder across Sam's back as he did so.
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Sam grins to himself as he browses, having seen the way Kirk's head turned at his words, and feeling that he was being watched. He learned rather quick, and considering they've been sharing a room for months now, it was obvious that he would pick some stuff up. Course Sam was comfortable with Kirk which was half the reason.
The shoulder against his back does draw his attention away from the jewelry, following the man to the next table with his eyes. After a moment Sam pulls out some coin and pays the merchant, before following after. For a time he's quiet, but letting the question hang, pretending to be looking at wares again. After a time though he hums before grabbing Kirk's arm and pulling it to himself.
"Oh I suppose I could do it many a way," he replies, making Kirk hold out his wrist before securing a bracelet to him. "Charm you with gifts and then give you directions to where I'm staying." Kirk already knows where he's staying while they're here, but it's still fun to say, continuing to pretend just a bit.
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The sudden motion and weight of metal on his wrist makes him blink, looking down. He touches the pretty thing, surprised and touched at the gift. His lips turned up in a soft smile, brushing his thumb across the cooler metal.
"Oh, you think I am so easily bought?" he pursed his lips, playing their game, turning slightly into him. "What's your back up plan, hmm, if it doesn't work?" He brushed his fingers along his wrist. "Though I will take those directions."
It doesn't have Vokaya in it - just saying
Seeing the surprise on Kirk's face brings a bigger smile to Sam's face, softening just a bit at the way the man is peering and touching the gift. He knew Kirk didn't need fancy gifts to be pleased, but it was a physical one that he could eventually take with him later on - to remember all this by.
The smile eventually gives way to a smirk at the questions, the pursed lips, and how Kirk is trying to call his 'bluff' in this game. Instead of saying anything Sam looks down slightly and gives a hum before bringing his hands up towards Kirk's neck. Ever so slightly he fingers some of the material, pulling it this way and that until it sat just a bit more correctly. Of course he takes every change to let a finger slide against skin, or press hard enough against the fabric to be felt.
"I suppose I would probably let slip that the bed in my room is much bigger than the one in the armory." And a door, which was a bonus. "You just go down that street, take a right. Then you go up the stairs and around the corner. Can't miss it."
Kirk would ask what that is, but he's sure he doesn't want to know
Yes, yes it was a good reminder, wasn't it? One day he would would leave this place, even if that time was years from now, and no matter how far he would be he would have this gift and that was something. Memories might fade, tarnish around the edges, but at least this way the process would be slowed.
Oh, Sam was getting very good at this game wasn't he? What with the way his fingers teased like that, cruel man, and he suppressed a shiver. His teeth flashed for a beat against his lip, the only indication that Sam had an effect on him in that moment.
"Oh, I shall have to keep that in mind," he nodded to the woman at the table as he looped his arm with Sam's and meandered them down the market path in the direction he had indicated. "But, you know, there are many shops and doors here. I might just get lost."
A light squeeze, the faint pressure of his shoulder against Sam's before he grins and suddenly ducks them into a nearby shop with a pink-red sign.
"Is it this one?" he asked, not actually looking at the interior of the shop just yet.
The stone that's in Uhura's necklace in Beyond :P
The smirk only grows when Kirk starts to drag him away, falling into step quickly as he was led away. To where he's not sure. Well he's sure where it might end up eventually, but with this 'game' of theirs it would go many places before that.
His mind is a bit elsewhere as he tries to guess what Kirk is planning so he's easily taken by surprise when he's suddenly pulled into a shop. Sam stumbles for a moment, immediately starting to chuckle at the question. Was he planning on dragging him through every door on the right down this street?
"You forgot about 'up the stairs' and-" Sam pauses as his eyes catch something a little past Kirk. It's only at that moment that Sam starts to look around at where they are. "Actually where are we?"
Oh yes. See, this is why I need to go watch it again, lol
He opens his mouth to reply to the teasing before he realizes Sam is looking beyond him around the shop. He turns to look too, finally paying attention to the wares on the shelf. At first it seems an odd collection, but then he recognized the jars of salve they use as lubricant, soft ropes and ribbons, unique rings...
Oh.
He laughed, picking up a brilliant blue colored scarf that was delicious soft and smooth but he was sure was quite strong. "This, Sam, would be a sex shop."
"Quite right," smiled the owner, a rather voluptuous woman with an equally full mouth. "Let me know if you men need any help."
"Oh, trust me, you'll be the first to know," he winked at her as his fingers toyed with the scarf, moving to brush the material over Sam's cheek.
Great moment with Spock and McCoy when it comes up
Sex shop.
It takes a moment of him staring at Kirk for a moment, processing the words, and then being rather thankful that he was wearing a mask - at least one that covered his cheeks for the most part. Course it doesn't hide his eyes going a bit wide, turning his head to look around the shop a bit more critically.
He's listening to Kirk talk to the shop keeper as he continues to look around, finding a couple things he was familiar with, but for the most part not sure why certain items were there. Feeling something brush against his cheek though snaps his attention back, blinking at the silky smooth scarf being toyed against his face. "Exactly what's this for?" Orlesians just wanting to look fancy in bed?
lol, i remember the scene, just not what the mineral was called
He slipped the silk down Sam's arm and around his waist, quickly knotting the fabric - not the sort he would use in the bedroom (when he did use it, it was one of his rarer forms of bedroom play), but just wanting to give Sam an idea of it. And maybe it was a small return gesture for the silver that now flashed on his own wrist.
"See anything else interesting?" he inquired, moving to a small cushioned display that glittered with rings in various shapes and metals.
I remembered but had to look up the spelling
He's doing just that when Kirk walks away, stopping for a moment to glance at everything around the shop when he's asked about anything 'interesting'. He notes that the woman behind the counter is smirking at them, though tries not to pay it any mind - for now.
"Besides the bottles... I'm not sure if I know what any of this stuff is," he says, walking over, scarf now in hand, and leaning in curiously to look at the rings a bit better. "And what are these?"
LOL, A+ for effort
Kirk reached down and picking one up, turning the silver band over in his fingers. This one was rather plain, but others sported jewels and intricate carvings. Nothing said Happy Birthday like a bejeweled cock ring, right?
"I believe they are cock rings," he twirled it on his finger. "You, uh, put it on your cock and it helps you keep it up longer and delay orgasm." What? It wasn't like there was a more polite way to say it, and Sam was a big boy (as Kirk well knew).
Sweet an A+!
The jeweled rings are what have Sam's eyes at the moment, figuring what you could use such big rings for, certainly not for hands - too big to fit on a finger and too small for a wrist. His attention is quickly grabbed though when Kirk lifts one up.
Cock ring.
The words have Sam's brows raising high, and eyes widening perhaps a bit. Oh. "That's- You know quite a lot about this stuff." Or was it that he just knew so little? "Keep it up longer?"
/pins a star to you/
He watches as Sam's eyebrows rise, examining the way his face shows how his brain works through his explanation of the little piece of jewelry. Really, sometimes Sam was to adorable for a full grown man.
"This stuff isn't exactly new in my world," he chuckled, putting down one ring and picking up another - silver, this time, with a touch of blue. "Yeah. It helps keep your erection longer and delay orgasm by effecting the blood flow." He twirled the silver ring on his finger and leaned in to him. "Basically it makes it feel good."
He smirked and turned way, going to the women at the counter and handing over the coin for the ring and the scarf he had tied around Sam's wrist. Returning to Sam, he tapped the ring against his lips.
"I'll show you how to put it on, sir, when we find your particular door."
His grin is wide and teasing, eyes bright.
The highest grading of them all
With the way Kirk is handling the items, leans into him, and the tone of his voice, there is no way that his mind isn't in the gutter. Less so when said items are being purchased and Jim is triumphantly pressing the metal to his lips. That is in no way subtle, less so with the man telling him they'll be using it right away.
Sam sticks his tongue out a bit to wet his lips, eyes darting between the metal at Jim's lips - that smirk - and the gleam in his eyes. "Right now?" They should be out and about for a bit longer, but honestly if that is what Kirk was planning then he wasn't against calling it an early day.
/golf clap
"Well, we shouldn't be attempting anything on an empty stomach, right?" he grinned, nudging him and making for the door, waving a cheerful little goodbye to the proprietress.
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Sam bids a hasty farewell to the woman, though hardly paying her much mind or waving since he was moving to catch up to Kirk. So pretty much Kirk had plans that he didn't want interrupted, even by hunger. "You have a place in mind?"
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"I thought I smelled something good that way," he motioned with his hand, falling into step with Sam, new purchases safely tucked away, not that they were things to cause immediate raised brows or embarrassment. What he did head for was a stand selling something sweet and warm, which was giving him new ideas.
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He's rather thankful that Jim has put away their purchases - at least for his benefit because it made it easier not to think about them while out of sight.
Now that Kirk mentions it, there was something in the area that smelled rather good, his head turning as he tried to help locate the source. Sam makes sure that he keeps close as they search, brow raising when the smell leads them to an average sized stand. It was obvious that the items were fresh.
"Excuse me what are these?" he asks, pointing to the food.
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The seller of the confection spread a smile, sensing a sale (probably because Kirk was already rifling around for a bit of coin). He gave some flowery speech about his wears, but it essentially came down to this: chocolate. Other bits and pieces wrapped in chocolate, or just chocolate on its own. Kirk bought a fair handful and slid it into the pocket with the ring and looked to Sam.
"If you don't want anything else, lead the way to our particular door, sir," he said with a sparking twinkle in his eye.
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It certainly has Sam purchasing a few pieces himself, popping one into his mouth and offering another to Kirk, even if he had gotten some - they were being put away immediately which probably meant for later. He's finished putting another piece into his mouth when Kirk suggests they head to the room, a brow raising as he licks the bit of melted chocolate off his fingers.
"Nothing at the moment." Though he might have to come back for more chocolates before they left for Skyhold. "It's over this way."
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He leaned forward to take the piece right from Sam's fingers, savoring the sweetness. He wasn't usually one for sweets, but this particular stall had a nice mix (and he couldn't quite resist another opportunity to potentially make Sam blush). Though it was rather mesmerizing, for a second, watching him lick his fingers clean.
Kirk moved to follow Sam towards said door, checking to make sure the chocolates did not fall out or the newly purchased ring. He brushed shoulders with Sam, looking around them as they walked even as he brushed his fingers along his back subtly, wanting to entice him, make his heart beat a little faster as they played their game.
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