PLAYER PLOT: The Least of His Children

[pinprick]

WHO: Nathaniel Howe, Felix Alexius, Anders, James Norrington, Kaisa Daesun, Fenris, Araceli, Inessa.
WHAT: A quest to rescue a slave.
WHEN: August 26
WHERE: Tevinter
NOTES: Will update. Plotting post is here.

The Mastermind: Nathaniel Howe
The Game: Green Goods
The Grifter: Felix Alexius
The Mark: Magister Leo Valerius is an ailing old man, but his mind is sharp. His main concern of late has been to leave his sons a good inheritance, though he isn't exactly straight-up greedy.
The Prize: Alavda Endris is a slave to Valerius. The bad news is that she almost never leaves his side. The good news is that that makes her easy to find.

The Plan: One team is sent in, with Felix dressed as a minor lordling and his entourage trying to climb the social ladder by schmoozing an old magister. Felix claims to be staying as a guest of a nearby lord (technically true) and only visiting for the day. Valerius must believe this boy is an upstart with no political value and too much money.

Another team performs a heist and gains the money Valerius keeps at this estate by pretending to be contractors hired to work on the floorboards in the room with the vault door (an appointment Valerius set up months ago and our team hijacked). Planting bees in the floorboards will clear the room of guards. Felix pretends to fall in love with Alavda and asks to borrow her from Valerius. If Valerius hesitates, Felix offers him more and more money until he consents. He has loaned Alavda to other lords before, and Felix's show of being petulant and stupid should help wear away any suspicion that this is a set-up. In that way, it's a basic hustle. Once Valerius consents, Felix then sends an attendant outside to fetch that amount from the money stolen from Valerius' vault. The entourage departs, claiming to be returning to the local lord's house. They leave with Alavda and return to Skyhold.

MAJOR OBSTACLES:

Alavda is wearing an enchanted collar which allows Valerius to locate her. If it is cut away or in most any other way removed, it sends a massive and lethal shock through her system. The team will need to find a way to remove the collar without killing Alavda.

If/when the collar is removed, Valerius will send people to find her.

Valerius has about twenty guards on his property.

The vault door operates on reacting to a specific keystone which cannot be found, but aside from the magical lock, the mechanism is still a mechanism. A good thief can crack it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is vital that the members of this team keep their involvement and mission details secret before and after the mission. It must not get out that Inquisition members and affiliates were involved in hustling a magister.

Comments

[circleprodigy]

"Mine was slightly over a year and a half ago, now. When the Circles fell, I sought them out. The mage rebellion...just wasn't the place for me, and I owed the Wardens." Inessa shrugs, not certain she wants to cover why she didn't join in on the fighting. "The only thing I regret was...well, everything about Weisshaupt. If I'd known beforehand about Clarel's plan, perhaps Ciri and I could have met up with Alistair and his people."

[blightedson]

Felix doesn't prod for more information. If she wanted to share why she owed the Wardens, she would, but it's not impossible to guess why a girl of her age would. The Blight was only 10 years ago and it's survivors were all over. "I was dying, and the Wardens saved me. I can't say that I regret that choice either." Even with everything going on, it was still a chance to live a bit longer.

"That was a brave choice," he added after a moment. "A way to take the chaos of the war and choose your own path. That type of mentality might serve you well in Tevinter."

[circleprodigy]

Inessa listens in sympathy, having heard some of his story by now or at least the 'magister's son was dying of taint' part, if not much more than that. "It's a hard life, no doubt, but it's one of purpose. I take comfort in that, Blight or no Blight."

She nods at mention of Tevinter, brow furrowed. "I would like to know how to prepare for that, if you have any advice. I've never been that far north, and there aren't many reliable -and accurate- sources of information. All the available books I've found have a...heavy slant to them." Chantry bias runs deep and while she's sure it's not all wrong, it can't be the entire truth either.

[blightedson]

"You mean they paint all Tevinter mages as magisters and all magisters as monsters?" Felix asked. There wasn't really any hint of malice or bitterness in his voice, it was said lightly more than anything. "I wish I could say that sort of person was rare in my homeland, but that would be a lie. Even more, the man we'll be dealing with is very likely one of the very type of men that your books would be based around."

[circleprodigy]

That question is met with a simple nod, as Inessa's sure he's had the time to read those opinions for himself by now. "That's a shame, but I can't say I'm surprised. Did you know of that particular magister, from before? Or the area where he is located?"

[blightedson]

"I know a bit about the area, but I've never met him. Which is good, this wouldn't work if he knew my face." Felix's lip curled up a bit at stating the obvious, but he still seemed to think it a little amusing that he was going to pretend to be the exact type of person he felt had destroyed his homeland.

"I know enough about the area that we should be able to make an escape if needed, and the friend who is offering us their second home has been very generous about providing us any information we need."

[circleprodigy]

Holding her hands out to the fire, Inessa listens with a soft frown on her lips. She certainly can't blame Felix for feeling disgust over those who tainted the reputation of his homeland. "That's reassuring to hear; I've already spent too much time in captivity, and I'd rather not waste any more."

She offers a thin smile, then straightens. "I won't deny having a personal stake in all this. I don't know the woman in question, but...she was from my alienage. I was in the Circle tower in Ferelden when it happened, so I couldn't provide any help then. At least now, I can."

[blightedson]

Felix nodded a bit at that, accepting her reasoning. "I can understand that. Everything I've heard about Southern Circles..." He trails off then, not really wanting to make many comments on Southern culture. "But that's over now, I suppose. For this mission, I felt it was important to help. It's easier to do so with someone who knows the country and my countrymen took advantage of the chaos of the Blight to prey on the elves of the alienage. There should be a Tevinter to help put it right."

[circleprodigy]

Inessa darts a startled look at Felix, realizing he'd misinterpreted her. "I meant Weisshaupt, not the Circle. Kinloch Hold was my home for almost all my life, but I didn't resent it." She smiles a little self-consciously, shaking her head. "I must sound defensive, but I hear so much about how the Circles were terrible for all. They were for some, but it was not my experience.

In any case, I appreciate the sentiment. Tevinter needs more like yourself, who don't just speak such words but take action." She's not expecting that to happen, but even so.

[blightedson]

"There are a few of us around," Felix replies. He is a little surprised by her opinion of the Circles, but he doesn't exactly feel like he has the right to comment on it. He can talk about Tevinter though.

"Our allies just have to be careful. Showing you support change can put you in danger. Some can be open about it, but only after they make themselves invaluable."

[circleprodigy]

"That must take a lot of time and planning, to reach that level of security. Or the closest thing to security one can attain in such circumstances." Inessa glances around, until her eyes spot a certain tattooed elf. "Fenris said that magisters are often both allies and rivals. It sounds as precarious as the Game in Orlais."

[blightedson]

"It can be." He responds after a moment of thought. "I went to school in Orlais. The students there spoke of the Game as if it were sport, something amusing to do that might kill you. For magisters, it's... It's more insidious than that."

"That and all of the magic, that's probably the main differences."

[circleprodigy]

"Yes, I can imagine that making quite a difference. Perhaps a better equivalent would be Orlesian Circles, but I don't feel qualified to speak on those." Inessa only heard about them second-hand, and as disinterested in the Game itself as she is, can only be grateful she was placed where it was nonexistent.

"...would it be grossly exaggerating to say that it involves much blood magic, or does that stereotype hold weight?"

[blightedson]

"Oh, if you ask around everyone will tell you that there's no blood magic," Felix said after a moment. "But there is some weight to it. There is a lot that happens between closed doors, and privately held slaves make easy targets." His frown deepened. "No one checks to make sure they are healthy and well."

[circleprodigy]

Mention of slaves involved doesn't seem to surprise Inessa, who sighs and frowns at the sheer callousness of it all. "Of course they don't.

I've seen blood magic before, the work of foolish mages who thought it would bring them power during a rebellion. It brought corruption and horror, instead. I can only imagine the depths one can reach if one is trained for most of their life in a society which quietly condones its use."

[blightedson]

"Which is why there are so many men and women within Tevinter's upper houses who work to undo the corruption that permeates our homeland." He sighs. "It's not an easy task, but it must be done. There is too much at stake."

After all, they're right now struggling against the doing of an ancient Tevinter with ideas of how the world should be. They can't keep creating men like that to destroy the world in the future.

Then, after a moment, he adds with some weight and grace to his voice, "I'm sorry for what you went through. That must have been terrible." It's an acknowledgement of what she must have faced without a demand for detail. If she wants to share, she can, but he isn't going to force her.