faderift | seeking knowledge [open]

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seeking knowledge [open]

WHO: Sansa Stark
WHAT: Settling in
WHEN: 11 Harvestmere - the end of the month
WHERE: Around Skyhold
NOTES: Feel free to find her around in another place that her log text doesn't mention, just let me know. Some implied mention of abuse/sexual assault in the Tyrion-Sansa thread but nothing explicit.

Sansa has settled into this place, so much as one can settle into a place where she's dropped from the sky. It's not a terrible one, really, and once she'd been brought to the keep called Skyhold, she'd felt a little better about things. She spends quite a lot of time in the keep. There's great libraries full of books and papers and letters and all of them have information about the place she's landed herself in; Sansa spends most of her days educating herself on the place she's wound up and reads for hours and hours until her eyes are tired and the candles have burned low.

The nights are a bit different. She has stuck close to Lord Tyrion since he's the only person she knows from Westeros, and they have found lodging close to one another. It makes her feel a bit safer, all told, and she just wants to keep close to him for the time being. If he minds it, he hasn't said anything to her, and she's happy to go on as they have.

Currently, she's curled up in a chair in one corner of the keep, one of the journals in her hands. She's trying to learn all about the politics of this place but the names and places keep running together and she doesn't know if she'll ever keep them straight. She wants, desperately, to learn them so she feels like she has a purpose but she knows it won't happen in just a few weeks or even a few moons.

"You have to be patient, Sansa," she mutters, diving back into her work.

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Yesss, right there and please never stop, Sansa. Garahel closes his eyes and lets out a truly contented sigh, ignoring his mistress in favor of this new best friend. Inessa nods, perking up a little at mention of rifts. It's always interesting to meet rifters and learn of their homelands. "I am Inessa Serra, of the Grey Wardens. I have seen these rifts and battled what demons have emerged, though I have no skill in closing them." Her small hands are bare, devoid of any shards. "I hope you're being treated well in Skyhold?"

"I am, yes. Everyone has been very kind," Sansa says, giving the woman a little smile. She is what she has learned is an elf, based upon her ears, and Sansa wants to know more about their culture. She simply does not know how to go about asking without being rude.

"My country has been at war for a long time so it is nice to be in a place where...where I feel safe. It feels very safe here in Skyhold."

Inessa relaxes a little at that, and Garahel pants happily, taking as much credit as he can for being a furry welcoming committee. "I hope it remains so, truly. My homeland, Ferelden, was at war a decade ago, and Orlais is embroiled in a civil war now, so conflict isn't a foreign concept in Thedas. But Skyhold is rather isolated, on the border. Few wish to reach the middle of the Frostbacks without a very good reason."

Sansa continues to pet Garahel as she listens, stroking the mabari's silky ears and enjoying the attention he's giving her. The politics are something she's slowly getting a grasp of as she reads through the books and maps and she wants to put names with places.

"I can imagine it would be hard to assail this place. In my homeland, it is difficult to attack the north from the south because there is a very narrow place called the Neck that is held by a strong defense," Sansa explains. "It is similar with Skyhold, in some regards."

She smiles a bit. "So what is Ferelden like, then?"

"Ferelden is a relatively young kingdom, often seen as 'backward' by the rest of Thedas...though we hold the distinction of stopping the Fifth Blight from spreading beyond our borders, something that no other previous Blight was able to manage. I was only a child at the time, but there are many here who lived through it and saw much." Inessa smiles as she glances down at Garahel's contentment. Her mabari is so very spoiled.

"As you might guess, we also have a fondness for dogs, particularly the mabari breed, which is why we're often called 'dog lords'. It's often meant in a derogatory manner, but we use it with pride. Keeping dogs is a tradition kept since before the kingdom's founding, and the mabari were introduced by Tevinter magisters, who brought the dogs with them during their invasion of the land; many of the dogs decided to remain in the occupied lands after their original masters were defeated. So mabari, magically bred for other masters, joined with us and have become the symbol of our kingdom. I rather appreciate the irony."

Garahel seems to agree, given all that tail-wagging.

"The sigil of my house is the direwolf," Sansa explains, thinking back on Lady and the other direwolves that are now long gone. Only Ghost lives, to her knowledge, and she misses them dearly. In response to that painful twinge of emotion, she gives Garahel another quick scratch behind the ears.

"I have always loved dogs and loved their loyalty. I am afraid I love yours, too, so he may have a new friend for a while," she says, laughing softly. "I think, if I spend more time in Thedas, I might want to see Ferelden someday. Do you ever get to go back there?"

"A direwolf? I haven't heard of that particular breed, but I'm glad to see you understand such bonds." Garahel certainly is and he nuzzles Sansa. See, he loves her too! His mistress chuckles softly at that. "Watch out, he will be especially loving if there is food nearby. If he proves to be too much of a pest, though, let me know and I will ensure that he behaves.

"And yes, actually. Inquisition business seems to be more needed in Orlais, these days, but a fair amount of attention is still directed in Ferelden itself. If you wish to see Thedas beyond Skyhold, I'm certain it can be arranged. We are mid-autumn, though, so it won't be long before there is little difference between the Frostbacks and the lowlands."

"I like winter," Sansa says, smiling a bit. "It's very cold where I am from, in the north. We have snows even in the summer and now that winter has come, we will have snow for a long time yet. I don't mind it at all."

In all truth, Skyhold reminds her of Winterfell just a touch. It's enough to make her feel comfortable, at least, and that is something that she sorely needs.

"As to my new friend being a bother, he never would. Would you? Oh no you wouldn't," she murmurs, gently talking to the mabari.

Inessa sighs in mock-frustration as Garahel wiggles delightedly, lifting his paw for Sansa to shake. "Sometimes, I'm certain he must be the most spoiled mabari in all of Ferelden. This isn't helping. Just wait until you see the pups, they're nothing but pure energy. I believe we have breeder working for the Inquisition now, though I've made no inquiries as one is quite enough.

And...snow in the summer? You must be quite far north, then. It's the reverse, here. The further south you go, the colder the climate becomes. To the north...hm, I should fetch a map, if you'd like. It's easier to explain with a visual aid such as that." The mabari shows no inclination of moving, however, so Inessa will just have to make it quick.

Sansa entertains herself with Garahel while she waits on Inessa's return with the map and wonders at this place where it seems up is down and south is north. How strange it is, that everything seems the opposite of what she knows.

"Well, the further south you go, the colder it is? How curious. I've never heard of such a thing."

Inessa doesn't take very long, as she's memorized where to best find what she needs long ago. Perhaps Dorian or the resident Tranquil researcher know the area better for that, but the Grey Warden mage wouldn't be far behind. Upon returning, she claims the next seat over and rolls out the map.

"The reverse seems curious to me, as well. This is the whole of Thedas, at least what has been explored thus far. Past the Donarks, the Korcari Wilds and the Sea of Ash, I can't say what lies beyond. Here is Ferelden, in the southeast corner. The Frostbacks make up the wester border and we are...here, I think." She points to a spot in the northern portionof the mountain range. "Skyhold's significance is a little too new for this map, I'm afraid, so I can only approximate a guess."

Sansa studies it, tries to make sense of it all. She thinks that Ferelden, then, must be rather like the North if it's in the southeast of this land.

"So does it get cold in Ferelden when the winter comes? Does the snow come thick and deep there? I'm just trying to get the measure of it, is all."

"Oh, it certainly can, especially the further south you go. It's the original reason why First Day, a holiday in our calendar, exists. In remote areas, this was once an annual check to ensure that everyone was alive and well. I never had to deal with many Fereldan winters, however. I was very young when taken to the Circle Tower -formally known as Kinloch Hold- to study magic--" To which she points, right by Lake Calenhad. "--and remained indoors until a few years ago. Thus I was spared the harshness of Fereldan winters, at least until my departure."

"How long do winters last here in Thedas?" Sansa asks. She's never experienced a winter in Westeros, having been too young, and she doesn't know if it will last for years or not. Likely it will, given the years of summer.

"Are they quite lengthy?"

Inessa looks up from the map, curious at that question since she hadn't though to speculate over the length of seasons before. "They can be. It varies, but typically, I would say perhaps five months. Snow will come to the lowlands sometime next month, and begin to melt around Drakonis, the third month of the year. Does that count as 'lengthy', or are you accustomed to longer?"

"Only five moons? Winters in Westeros can last years," Sansa says, a little shocked that a season could pass so quickly in Thedas. It seems it's a very different place from her homeland after all and she has quite a lot to learn.

"Has it always been like that? The seasons, I mean?"

"Years...." Inessa's eyebrows shoot up, stunned at the notion. She snaps out of it long enough to nod, however. "Yes, it has. The four seasons all occur within the span of a year, though the further north one goes, the less winter they experience until there is none at all. Conversely, in the mountains there is always snow.

I have to ask; how do you anticipate such lengthy winters? I imagine a great deal of preparation must take place, more than even what we manage." Garahel stretches and yawns, resting a little against Sansa though trying not to crush her.

"We spend all of the summer preparing for the long winter," Sansa agrees. "We store grain, we do what we can to ensure there will be enough food. In the south, it won't get cold enough to freeze over, so they will be all right. It is only in the north where it is dire that we must prepare."

The words of her house would always ring true: Winter is Coming.

That makes a great deal of sense and Inessa nods, still marveling at the thought of winters that could last so long. Even in Ferelden, that would be a challenge. "It seems much the same as in Thedas, then, only the time scale changes. Soon enough, most of our goods will becoming from what has been placed in storage or from the north." Glancing to the map again, she points north of Ferelden to the area just across from the Waking Sea.

"This area above is known as the Free Marches; it's a collection of city-states which all have their own traditions and methods of governing. They don't have a Marcher identity, as it were, save for invasions or the Grand Tourney. I haven't attended or visited that region beyond Kirkwall, but I've heard it's quite the spectacle."

"Grand Tourney? I haven't been to a tourney since I was a girl," Sansa says, curiosity mildly piqued. She's a different woman now than she'd been then but she still likes the idea of getting to see the joust or the melee. She wonders if tourneys are the same here in Thedas.

"What events are there in tourneys here in Thedas? Joust and archery and melee? That's what I'm used to."

Inessa can't help but smile as she nods, glad to turn the conversation away from more dire topics, at least for the time being. "Indeed, they are celebrations of martial skill, any kind. The victor is awarded a coronet of leaves and a trophy blade known as the Celebrant, which is inscribed with the names of every champion since the first Tourney."

There's a soft laugh after Inessa realizes she was quoting from a book, as she did so many times in the past. "For all that I've never seen it myself, much of my time in the Circle was spent among books. I read all I could, on any subject I could find. Lands beyond Ferelden intrigued me, even though I hadn't thought I would see any of them. The northeast--" She gestures to the portions of the map labeled Antiva and Rivain. "--I have not ventured, but whether through the Grey Wardens or the Inquisition, I can now claim passing familiarity with the other lands."

Sansa looks at the map and tries to familiarize herself with the names. Someday (soon, she hopes), she'll be familiar with them and they'll be common currency just as Highgarden and The Neck and the Twins are to her now.

"Such strange names to me now. One day, perhaps, they'll seem commonplace and my own home will be the one that seems strange. Is it like that for you, being away?"

That gets a sympathetic nod from Inessa. "A little, yes. When I first joined the Grey Wardens, it was at a time when just about everything outside was new and strange. It took some time to adjust, but I managed. I know the learning curve in your case is a bit steeper, but your willingness to change that will get you far."

Distracting Garahel with a treat from her pack, she looks to the map again, this time pointing to the country in the north central area. "Tevinter is...well, it has a contentious history with the rest of Thedas. Once, the Imperium stretched throughout its entirety after the fall of the elves. Now, most of those lands govern themselves while what's left of the Imperium wars with the Qunari in the north and answers to its own Divine. It alone is where mages truly rule, though it is not necessarily a safe haven as you might think. Corruption is rampant, and slavery is still entrenched, where it has been ended everywhere else." At least in name, though that's for another time. "Much of the Chantry's issues with mages and magic stem from the actions of magisters in ancient Tevinter. If Chantry lore is right -and I can't say for certain- then seven magisters caused the First Blight, which nearly destroyed Thedas. That and resentment about the Imperium's occupations of other lands has hardly helped."

"Slavery? How dare someone think to use another living creature as a slave," Sansa says, making a foul face at the very thought of it.

"What gives them the right? What makes them think it's all right to do such a thing?"

Inessa nods grimly, likewise disgusted though not surprised. Having grown up in Thedas, she's heard tales of Tevinter all her life, and recently seen the truth in some of them for herself.

"They would say it's always been that way and a dozen other justifications for it, when they bother to justify it at all. The first Exalted March was against Tevinter, the prophet Andraste allying with the former elven slave Shartan so that he could lead his people to freedom. He succeeded, but that only broke the hold Tevinter had over other lands, not their own."

seeking knowledge [open]

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