amygdalae: a ghost on your shoulder. (passing specters.)
Bruce Banner ([personal profile] amygdalae) wrote in [community profile] faderift2016-09-01 01:02 pm

[CLOSED] PLAYER PLOT: The Ashes Underneath His Nails

WHO: Jim Kirk, Hermione Granger, Adelaide Leblanc, Herian Amsel, Anders, Inessa Serra, Raylan Gibbs, Ciri
WHAT: The Inquisition sends a group of agents to uncover the truth behind a string of mysterious disappearances.
WHEN: Kingsway 1st - 8th
WHERE: Emprise du Lion
NOTES: Plotting post is here - feel free to post in there still for queries and concerns and further stuff where needed. Warnings for blood, violence, talks about death, experimentation horror, abomination-related stuff etc and eventual on-screen child death. ALSO no tag order - just respond when you feel like you should and I'll try to hit it back if it feels appropriate!!

QUICK JUMP LINKS
  • TRAVELLING TO FROMAGE & FROMAGE GENERAL THREAD
  • ROUTE INVESTIGATION
  • SEEKRIT CAVE ENTRANCE
  • INTO THE SEEKRIT CAVE
  • CAVE INVESTIGATION - LEFT TEAM
  • CAVE INVESTIGATION - RIGHT TEAM
  • KID ABOMINATION THREAD
  • BACK TO SKYHOLD

  • (—he remembers the chill of the frost and snow biting at bare skin, its usual pure white now tinged a horrid pink from the blood on his hands. He's far away from them now, the danger and the pain and everything else, but the blood will forever be on his hands no matter how much he tries to wash it away.

    His father had been right all along. He truly was a monster of the greatest kind.)

    QUEST: THE ASHES UNDERNEATH HIS NAILS (PART I)

    The message had come swiftly, the letter itself hastily written with a shaky hand. The request itself was simple; a plea for help from a village at the outskirts of Emprise du Lion, whose people have been mysteriously disappearing over the last few weeks. Considering the ongoing civil unrest that's still transpiring in Orlais the Inquisition made its decision to send out a team of agents to look into this message and see exactly what was going on.

    The eight agents tasked with the mission were given enough time to prepare for the trip ahead. They would all meet up first at the Inquisition camp set within the Emprise and from there travel for about a day until they reached where their destination was - Fromage, a quaint little village that rested at the outskirts of the area.

    From that point on, it was up to the agents of the Inquisition to solve this ongoing mystery. The mission: to discover the truth behind these disappearances - and to stop it, if possible.


    justice_is_blond: (Wouldn't that be something)

    [personal profile] justice_is_blond 2016-09-07 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
    There's a flash of pain in Anders' expression as he stops where he is. Slowly, carefully, he holds his hands out, palms up, not glowing and empty. All of his attention is on the boy; he can't really pay attention to the movements around him right now.

    "I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you. If you hurt in places, or if you're ill, I can make that better. I won't cause you pain." His voice is calm, level, the same voice he'd use with an injured cat. "Will you please let me look at you?"

    Maker, what's been done to the boy? Did they claim to be some sort of healers? He'll likely know the answer to the first one sooner than the other, and he has a feeling it's not going to be a happy answer.
    ichaer: (past)

    [personal profile] ichaer 2016-09-07 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
    There is a distance that Ciri continues to keep away from where the boy sits upon the table. Her hand has not left the hilt of her sword and she has not moved from her protective stance in front of Inessa but watching the boy's reaction to Anders causes her to go back to those cell.

    It makes her think about the one that contained empty vials of lyrium and a childrens' story book. It makes her think about the red shard she pulled from a hole in a man's chest where his heart had been.

    Offering Inessa a quick glance, she lowers her hand from the hilt and steps forward. The boy shows no signs that typically come with ingesting red lyrium -- no glowing eyes or engorged veins but there's truly no telling. This wasn't something they knew a whole lot about. There's still distance between herself and the boy, she doesn't want to spook him and makes sure to carefully reach into her side bag to remove the story book she had found earlier.

    Slowly, she leans in and sets the book along the table within his reach.

    "Those red men did something terrible to you, didn't they? To everyone they brought down here." She says it softly to try and take any edge out of her voice. "... Did they make you drink the red liquid too?"
    universal_charm: (Lecture Face)

    [personal profile] universal_charm 2016-09-07 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
    This was not going so well. Kirk almost made a motion for Anders to simply back away, but the boy did look like he needed medical attention. Kirk knew field dressing, but little else, and if the boy had to travel with them, the sooner he realized Anders was not a threat the better.

    And then Ciri came forward - forward with her children's story book and a question of red liquid. It took him a moment to realize what she meant. Red Lyrium. The stuff Korrin had warned him away from. He wondered what it was her group had found, but now wasn't the time to for such questions. The focus was the child, seeing him safely out of this mess and all of them back home.

    Even so, his attention shifts more away from the boy and more to Ciri, not having forgotten that just a moment ago she'd had her hand on the hilt of her blade.
    apostafuckyou: (brood)

    [personal profile] apostafuckyou 2016-09-07 07:54 am (UTC)(link)
    Raylan stayed close, ready to back off at any moment if the kid seemed to want him to. But he was, so far, the only one the kid had seemed to accept, so backing off might also make him feel unsafe or abandoned. He was doing his best to take his cues from the kid, internally cursing the others now crowding in.
    bookish_lioness: (Painful longing)

    [personal profile] bookish_lioness 2016-09-07 11:38 am (UTC)(link)
    Hermione seems startled when Herian approached her, jarred out of her thoughts and also surprised that someone she'd barely spoken to had been the first to try and comfort her. But the others are clearly occupied with something much more important, and until she can fight back the urge to be sick all over the floor, she won't be much use to anybody. So she accepts the offered handkerchief with a nod of thanks that looks more akin to a tremor, holding it close to her but not covering her mouth and nose with it just yet.

    Unlike Kirk, Hermione doesn't piece together the question about the red liquid. She'd heard of red lyrium, had been told about its connection to those creatures she'd seen with the Red Templars far too frequently, but it still doesn't come together for her. This is a child. No one would do such a thing to a child, surely. There's simply no feasible benefit to it.

    But for once, she bites her tongue and doesn't ask questions. Now isn't the time for it. There are enough people here surrounding the poor thing, confusing him, frightening him, and as much as Hermione would like to try and comfort him, any attempt would probably have the opposite effect. She almost wishes there was a rift to close nearby; at least then she'd feel a bit more useful.
    circleprodigy: (feels)

    [personal profile] circleprodigy 2016-09-07 02:04 pm (UTC)(link)
    Inessa stiffens as Ciri approaches the boy; he may have no sign of the usual effects of red lyrium, but none of this can bode well for anyone. Garahel, letting out a soft whine, seems to agree. She keeps her distance, not wanting to crowd the boy and provoke that strange hum, but keeps a tight grip on her staff. If Ciri's endangered, she'll have no choice but to act.

    Which isn't to say that the boy doesn't have her sympathy at all. Hearing his voice and what happened to him has her wincing and hating the Red Templars all the more. That they would do this to a child...well, of course they would. They seemed to have no moral boundaries whatsoever. All the more reason to eradicate them.
    justice_is_blond: (I am truly sorry)

    [personal profile] justice_is_blond 2016-09-08 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
    The book, the words, it's all piling together into a whole Anders doesn't like. He reaches into a belt pouch slowly and pulls out the stuffed nug he found earlier and holds it out.

    "Is this yours, little one? We won't make you drink anything we wouldn't drink, water. We won't make you listen to screaming. I promise." But if there's red lyrium in the boy, he needs to deal with it sooner rather than later. If he'd gotten to Bartrand earlier...

    "What they gave you hurt you. I've helped someone hurt by it before, in a way that didn't hurt." If he could back away he would. But red lyrium made this urgent, and so all he can do is give an apology with his voice and eyes.
    fleurdesel: right, serious, sad, angry (Thoughtful)

    [personal profile] fleurdesel 2016-09-10 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
    Adelaide lingers to the rear of the group, eyes flickering over the child. Considering everything they have seen, everything they have found? That he is here and alive and visibly unharmed is something of a boon. But she cannot trust that it is so simple as that-

    No one is so fortunate. Until they know how he is injured, until they know what has been done to him? They cannot hope to treat him.
    justice_is_blond: (A small atonement)

    [personal profile] justice_is_blond 2016-09-10 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
    The moment the boy's voice starts changing his heart starts sinking. He's heard his voice do the same thing enough times though he manages to hold out hope that he's wrong until the change in the boy's skin. Another abomination, just after Kain, just after they failed to save him when they even have a ritual that works.

    Anders casts a barrier quickly, but he's still staying where he is, holding out the stuffed animal. He can't give up on another abomination this quickly.

    "You can still have Nuggins, you can have your life back, but you need to calm down, please. We didn't hurt you, and hurting us won't help you."

    If this is Rage, it's not going to listen. But there are perhaps others who might. Like Vengeance.
    circleprodigy: (well shit)

    [personal profile] circleprodigy 2016-09-10 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
    Kain also comes to mind, as well as all the abominations Inessa saw as a child. That voice makes her shudder and she automatically falls back into a more defensive stance, grip tightening on her staff. She doesn't want to hurt a child, at all, but the demon inside might give them no choice.

    Please, Anders, talk it down....
    dashing: (♛ cruaidh.)

    so much for my theory on her wanting to spare the child

    [personal profile] dashing 2016-09-10 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
    Lingering at the doorway is no longer an option. In a moment Herian is back inside the room, placing herself in front of Adelaide. She would do whatever was necessary to protect all here, but before all of them she would protect Adelaide's life. They had come to far from the Spire, even if it was separately, for her to stand by and let harm befall her.

    "An abomination. You all know what must be done."

    Her hand goes to the hilt of her spirit sword, her staff in hand, though she does not yet attack. Not in these close quarters, and not when the apostate is still trying to communicate. "We cannot show mercy in this. We cannot show mercy to demons."
    universal_charm: (Serious Blue Stare)

    [personal profile] universal_charm 2016-09-10 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
    Kirk looked to Herian, shifting his own position to be more between the child and her and anyone else who wanted to do immediate harm. His gaze flickered to Anders, remembering what they done to try and heal him. While the time Kirk had been involved failed, there had been success after. It was possible with him, surely they could help this child. The child, if not else, deserved for them to at least try.

    "It's a child!" he snapped at her. "An innocent child. Before you go drawing your sword, we should at least try to help him. After all he has been through, all the atrocities done to him, he is owed that much."

    He wasn't beyond saving. He wasn't. Anders hadn't been. No one was, if you just tried. That was his belief. And life was to precious to give up on so quickly.
    fleurdesel: left, stern, serious (A waste of magic)

    [personal profile] fleurdesel 2016-09-10 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
    "An abomination that might be cured Herian. The proof of such a procedure stands before you." Adelaide rests a hand upon her student's shoulder, tipping her chin in Anders' direction. It had been risky, it had been dangerous- it had been an unproven theory and experiment untested until it finally worked. But it is a viable cure.

    And while Adelaide would rather a second attempt not be made on a child? It is far better than leaving the boy like this.

    Eyes narrowed and power coiling, she flicks out a precise dispelling, spirit energy coiling about the child, an attempt to lessen the demon's influence to some degree. It is not the best she can do on the whole- but the most she can do without risking the demon's ire and the boy- or their- safety. "We can show mercy to a child. To someone that had no choice in this."
    dashing: (♛ taise.)

    [personal profile] dashing 2016-09-10 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
    "You are not of this world. You do not understand what they can do." Not snapped, from her; it is the same calm she always offers, that same control, though her muscles shift and strain under her skin.

    When Adelaide speaks, though, she looks to her with a shock that cannot be easily matched. It takes her a moment, gaze flicking between Adelaide and the abomination. "A demon is no longer a child, no matter what face it might show to us."

    Knights are merciful. They show compassion and kindess and they protect those that have need of it, but a demon is not a child in need of succour. The kindness would lie in releasing the body from what has taken it.
    apostafuckyou: (keep it together)

    [personal profile] apostafuckyou 2016-09-10 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
    Raylan didn't speak, but he backed up several steps in surprise. He turned and took his staff back from Herian (or wherever she'd left it), protecting his teammates becoming more important than not spooking the child. He waited tensely to see if the child would calm, listening to the others discuss the boy's fate.

    Were it anything else, he'd already be casting a spell to kill it, before it could get too powerful. But this was a child, and that stayed his hand.
    ichaer: (confused)

    [personal profile] ichaer 2016-09-10 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
    Ciri is, at first, glad for the response. It hurts to know that they would as far as to hurt a child but they could do something for him now, right? They could at least save someone from this hellhole. She almost gives her tension away, almost smiles but then it goes all horribly wrong.

    She remembers the abominations of Weisshaupt. The mages there, years more experienced than a child vanishing underneath whatever demon had called to them. The scar on her face is proof than more times than not? There was no coming back from this once a demon had latched onto them and dug into their skin.

    Her movements are careful as she steps back, sword drawn and trying to reach Inessa. Until Kirk speaks at least and Ciri levels a glare on him. Where Herian does not snap, Ciri does.

    "Do not speak to us as if we're children who have not faced these sort of dangers before. It's a demon, an abomination and it will tear us apart if we forget that for even a moment."
    universal_charm: (Defiance)

    [personal profile] universal_charm 2016-09-10 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
    "You heard Adelaide," he reasoned, turning his gaze to Ciri. "This condition has been cured, Anders is proof. Just because something has always been, does not mean it always will be. Sicknesses once thought a death sentence can be cured. If anyone deserves to have that chance taken on them, it is a child. He deserves better than us giving up on him so quickly."

    He turned to look back at the child, hoping that whatever Adelaide was doing would work. If the kid started rampaging, even he might admit that there wouldn't be an option. But until there was no other choice, wasn't it their responsibility, their duty, even, to try and help him? All other options needed to be exhausted first, to give this child a chance to live the life stolen from him. That was his belief anyways.

    "Come on, kid, I know you're stronger than this," he said as he watched. "Don't let the people who did this to you win. You survived up to now, don't give up just yet."
    justice_is_blond: (I am truly sorry)

    [personal profile] justice_is_blond 2016-09-10 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
    "And do not act like all abominations are the same."

    He's not looking around, but he's tense, as is his voice.

    "As Kirk says, I was this. I am not any longer. We can do something about this rather than condemn him when it is clear he did not even make a choice of this. He had no chance, he was taken, this was done to him."

    This is all too personal. Some might count that against him here, but if anything, he thinks it helps his case.

    "You are not children, you are not inexperienced. But there is a possibility here and just because the Chantry and Circles never allowed for that does not mean it should be ignored. Please."
    circleprodigy: (well shit)

    [personal profile] circleprodigy 2016-09-10 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
    Inessa draws a deep breath, not able to calm herself at all and it shows in the slight tremor of her voice that she can't hide. She knows what the boy is now, fears it with all her heart, but the fact that a successful ritual has been made is a solid argument to try it. If they'd had the time for Kain, maybe he would still be alive. "If we can save him, then we should try. But we dare not bring him back to Skyhold. If he--"

    And then that demonic voice causes Inessa to go rigid, any slight hope sinking fast. They have to do something before it burns everything around them. Garahel begins to growl, staying put but tensing and getting ready to act if the demon threatens his mistress in any way.
    Edited 2016-09-10 05:48 (UTC)
    dashing: (♛ greann.)

    [personal profile] dashing 2016-09-10 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
    Her spirit blade appears in an audible surge of magic, and she starts to move forward.

    "Your claims are meaningless if he cannot be controlled long enough for your cure to be enacted," she starts, moving toward the child with no hesitation. It must be done. It would be done, even if no others have the stomach for it.
    fleurdesel: right, serious, angry (You're late. Honestly.)

    [personal profile] fleurdesel 2016-09-10 05:53 am (UTC)(link)
    "Herian!" Her hand tightens on Herian's shoulder, staff snapping out with a more focused, more powerful dispelling. If the boy burns there is no hope for him. He must be subdued, he must be taken somewhere isolated-

    And they can debate the point after he is no longer an active threat.
    apostafuckyou: (hurt)

    [personal profile] apostafuckyou 2016-09-10 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
    Well fuck this. Raylan took two strides toward the child and pointed his staff at it, silently praying to the Maker that this would even work. Who knew how a demon would react?

    "Sleep."

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