[CLOSED] PLAYER PLOT: The Ashes Underneath His Nails

[amygdalae]

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.

Comments

[fleurdesel]

"I'll make certain to ask for another bottle when my family sends the next crate and reserve it for you." Greasing the palms of her fellow councilors wasn't entirely unethical- especially if it was done out of commiseration rather than to earn similar votes. She'd prefer the honest arguments but this? They all needed to drink after this.

[apostafuckyou]

That, at least, put a little smile on Raylan's face. "Much obliged," he said, tipping the glass to her and drinking again.

He took a moment to let the grimace pass, holding the glass up and still peering into it. "Still not votin' for that project." There was some small thing that Adelaide had proposed and Raylan was voting against, not anything particularly important. He shot her a sideways little look and a little boy's mischievous smirk.

[fleurdesel]

"If you were so easily swayed I'd be disappointed in you." The rough shape of the larger things- the vital things? They tended to see eye to eye. But the nuances, how such vital things ought to be implemented, when they ought to be implemented, printed, etc-

Those were where they argued. Unlike most petty bickering in the council- Raylan's point of view made for interesting conversation and worthwhile debate. "We shall have to see what you think of my next revision."

[apostafuckyou]

Raylan had a lot of respect for Adelaide as a person, even if he found her views to be a little...optimistic. Really, he respected everyone on the council, even those with views wildly different from his own. Everyone on the council could stay basically respectful and try to understand where he was coming from, and he afforded them the same courtesy -- hence the bulk of the difference between most of them and Anders. His mood soured a little, thinking of their argument.

"Suppose we will," Raylan agreed, bringing himself back to the present. "Although I'm pretty sure it's still going to have the words 'safety' and 'pamphlet' in it, and no, I won't be fooled if you change it to 'leaflet' or 'flyer.'"

[fleurdesel]

"If you can think of a better way to explain a harrowing in simple terms without frightening the knowledgeable apprentices, be my guest. Word of mouth has done quite a bit but when passing along what they learn things become...skewed." And odd questions asked. There was a reason the ritual was a secret, a reason it never truly made it to print: A great deal of a harrowing was personal and subjective. No one was alike. Describing individual experiences only did so much-

"A collection of personal anecdotes, perhaps? Not to be taken as law but in consideration while undergoing the fade training."

[apostafuckyou]

The individuality of the experience was most of the source of Raylan's opposition. His own Harrowing had been easy -- demons had been offering him shit for years by that point, and Raylan was the exact type of oppositional asshole that had no problem doubting them and saying no every time. The only ones that ever came to him were weak and small things; the demon at his Harrowing had barely even been trying. He'd seen Harrowings where mages had to be put down, because they were on the verge of becoming abominations that destroyed the tower. He knew he was lucky.

How could a pamphlet help with that? "You learn about your Harrowing from the person who prepares you for it," Raylan said. "That's when you get questions answered and myths debunked. And also..." He trailed off, staring vaguely into space, then squinted at Adelaide. "I might be too drunk for this."

[fleurdesel]

"A rough overview of the standard procedure can't hurt. Half the problem is thrusting them into it unaware, being taken from your bed in the dead of night to this mysterious test." She took another deep draught, pouring them both another glass. "Apparently in Tevinter they are something of a joke."

Which- well that was a valid experience for all that it wasn't all that relevant. "Give me a moment to catch up and we might speak of more pleasant things, yes?"

[apostafuckyou]

"By all means," he said, gesturing with the glass. He sipped, then set it down. He probably ought to slow down a bit. Who knew how strong this fancy shit was?

[fleurdesel]

She tossed back the remainder of hers, and once more before topping herself a third time. Her skin flushed and eyes bright- the mission hadn't gone well but they will do better in the future. It was all she could focus on. "That ought to do."