faderift | OPEN LOG: Establishing a Base in Kirkwall

OPEN LOG: Establishing a Base in Kirkwall

WHO: Many People
WHAT: Cleaning up Kirkwall
WHEN: Cloudreach 1-21
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: This log post is for characters who go early to Kirkwall to assist in preparing it for the rest of those assigned there. We strongly encourage IC discussion of things left to character discretion—someone should definitely do a crystal post to discuss what to do with the personal belongings left behind in the Gallows or what new form the statues should take!

Kirkwall once lived on the edge of the Tevinter Imperium and was home to nearly a million slaves. Stolen from elven lands or shipped from across the sea, all slaves fed the Imperium's unquenchable thirst for expansion. They worked in massive quarries and sweltering foundries that produced stone and steel for the Empire.

The city's complicated past is not easy to forget, history having earmarked many corners of the stone city. A ship approaching the harbor spots the city's namesake: an imposing black wall. It is visible for miles, and carved into the cliff side are a pantheon of vile guardians representing the Old Gods. Over the years, the Chantry has effaced many of these profane sentinels, but it will take many more years to erase them all.

Also carved into the cliff is a channel that permits ships into the city's interior. Flanking the channel are two massive bronze statues—the Twins of Kirkwall. The statues have a practical use. Kirkwall sits next to the narrowest point of the Waking Sea, and a massive chain net can be erected between the statues and the lighthouse, closing off the only narrow navigable lane. This stranglehold on sea traffic is jealously guarded by the ever-changing rulers of the city as the net trolls taxes, tolls, and extortions in from the sea.

—From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi

Establishing a presence in Kirkwall is a delicate matter. First, there's Provisional Viscount Bran Cavin—a man so used to batting back friendly offers of entirely harmless occupation of the battered city-state that his first three responses to the Inquisition's leadership appeared to be slightly personalized form letters. Proving that the Inquisition is here to work and not to conquer will be a process. The first step in that process is the second reason the move is delicate: the only building the Provisional Viscount is willing to part with is the Gallows, left quarantined and unoccupied since Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard's famous crystallization into red lyrium in the courtyard. The Gallows have since overgrown with red lyrium. If anyone is going to live and work there, there's a lot of work to do.

↠ Cloudreach 1-3: The Journey There
↠ Cloudreach 3-4: Arrival
↠ Cloudreach 4-14: Haunted
↠ Cloudreach 14-21: Spring Cleaning

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Hearing the embarrassment has Sam shaking his head slightly and giving an amused huff before holding Christine a bit tighter to quietly enforce that she was safe, not just from ghosts but from judgement. This place was creepy on principle, but with the red lyrium, spirits and their own familiarity of Circles... any mage would be on end.

When he feels Christine pull away he releases her in turn, taking a step back to give her a bit more space. "Good thing I decided to bring some tools with," he says with a small smile of his own, looking down at the door - that should be able to be put back up. "We should probably stick together for a bit, seems like the spirits are getting more restless as we clear the lyrium. Unless you need to get out and get some air."

"Air would be good right now." Just get her outside and away from all these walls and ceilings that are closing in on her. She almost feels ashamed for acting this way. Montsimmard hadn't punish mages nearly as severely as they had been here. The Templars there had preferred mind games, and the Senior Enchanters too. Orlais excels at destroying people through words, not actions. At least she was never beaten or anything like that.

Drawing in a steadying breath, she wraps an arm around Sam's. "You will walk with me, will you not?"

"Yeah. I think all of us could use from fresh air," he says, patting Christine's arm as he leads them out, stopping momentarily to gather his tools. After that he leads them to where the rest of the group was, explaining that they were taking a break and that the rest of them should consider doing the same since they were already drawing near to the time limit set for all of them.

Sam is slow in his pace, still getting used to the twists and turns of the stone corridors and stairwells, but familiar enough with it all that he doesn't falter. He's quiet for a time before turning his eyes towards Christine, checking to see if she was doing alright.

"Didn't think I'd find myself willingly walking into a Circle again anytime soon."

Christine hates the twists and turns. It's just another way to trap them in here. The Gallows is a place of hopelessness and despair. Slapping a new coat of paint on it and putting up new statues will do nothing to erase that image since its history is known.

"It is cruel," she replies, eyeing every door they pass with suspicion. There doesn't sound like there are any people trapped behind those doors, but she'll keep an ear out. "Cruel of the Inquisition to force its mages here."

Sam sighs lightly at that. "It's making us all come over here, Christine; mages aren't the only ones unhappy with the move. I think when we came back with news about the future... the Inquisition knew it needed to start getting footholds outside of Skyhold." To start getting influence out in the north and making sure there were places besides underground to go to if something did happen.

Even as Sam says it though, it is clear in the way his lips thin and jaw locks that he didn't love being here either. He's trying to keep calm and neutral about it since in-fighting wasn't going to help them any. "... Someone had to come in and clean this place up though. Letting red lyrium grow isn't very smart."

His response has Christine drawing her arm away from him, her lips set in a firm line. She's in no mood to be corrected, even if her logic is flawed. She merely wants to complain because she's frustrated, upset, and hanging on by a thread. So what if others are too? All she can do is deal with her own feelings on the matter, not anyone else's.

Tears prick the corners of her eyes, and so she finds it best to stay silent, face turned away from him as they walk. Within moments, they exit the central tower and are greeted by the sight of those ugly statues, the stairs, and the Waking Sea beyond.

What he's said is perfectly reasonable, of course. Knowing what the future could hold means doing all they can to prevent it from happening, and it's not like many would volunteer to take up a position in Kirkwall. Hence why they've all been ordered here. The spikes of red lyrium still being carted away before them reminds Christine of her own fate in the future, and she tucks her arms in against her chest, knowing that she's at high risk for such a thing still coming true. The only difference seemed to be that the Red Templars had spread the red lyrium so much that it added to her already higher than average exposure. Removing the lyrium from the Gallows should hopefully reduce her risk.

"Will you continue your work as a blacksmith here?" she finally asks, not acknowledging what he's said. Hopefully he notes the tremble to her voice and forgives her for not continuing the conversation in the direction he had been.

He knows she doesn't want to hear it that way, hates that she pulls away because of it, but he gets why she does and allows her the space that she wants without leaving her side as they walk. He gets it, he does, but after the things he's seen/heard in the future - all the sleepless nights once he got back - this seemed like a small price to pay to see it not come to fruition.

The change in subject comes as no surprise, but the question does have him letting out a breath of relief, glad that Christine was talking to him again. "Yes. I went too long without being able to do it, I don't plan on stopping now. Going to be pretty busy the following weeks I think. A lot of stuff they want broken down and rebuilt. Unless there are a lot of serious injuries and people getting sick, I'll probably be spending more time with the forges when I'm not on clean up."

"It will probably be quite some time before you can make the things you wish to make, or take commissions." At least that's what she assumes. It gives her time to think up what she might want him to make her, since he did such beautiful work on her spirit blade hilt.

"I think once the lyrium is gone, there will be no greater need for us as healers than usual." People are always returning from missions, or getting into everyday accidents, but it's not like it was after Haven. There is plenty of time now for other interests, and she's taken full advantage of that. But here... she isn't sure what she could pick up here as a hobby.

"Mm," he hums in agreement. Most of his time will probably be spent melting down the statues and helping with making them into other things, and more then likely fixing anyone's weapons that were damaged while fighting said statues.

"What about you Christine?" Sam raises a brow, and slows in his steps so he can properly look towards her. "Besides healing, are you going to be busy with your research?"

"I suppose I will have to be," she answers quietly, eyes on the water and the pattern of waves it creates. "After what you told me of the future, I thought perhaps I would pull back from it, but now we are here where it all started. I cannot turn aside now. No one knows as much about red lyrium as I do, and I believe I am the best person to study it." Christine has never shown modesty when it comes to the things she excels at, but she reminds herself not to get too prideful about it. No need to let Faith observe that too closely and cause a change in her.

Shifting her weight, she turns to look Sam in the eye. "I can assure you, I will take extra precautions against exposure." No one wants the dark future to become a reality, and she certainly doesn't want to become a twisted monster in constant pain, waiting for death to release her from her madness.

"Please do," he pleads quietly back when she looks at him, inhaling deeply as he's reminded of the conversation he had with her in the future - he didn't want that to happen. Sam knows Christine doesn't take her work lightly and that she will keep her word, but even so he's still concerned. All he knew was that Christine had become infected, no exact details on how it had occurred - there was never a straight answer.

"The information we brought back... hopefully it helps prevent such a future from happening." Sighing lightly he reaches out and tentatively touches Christine's arm. "I don't want anything like that to happen... especially to you."

"It must, or all this was for nothing." A little dramatic, to be sure, but she needs their being in Kirkwall to prevent that future from coming true. Yes, yes, it's good to get the red lyrium out and have a presence here, but this has to cut off that path that ended with so much of the world a terrible, dark place and so many of them dead or dying.

Christine places a hand over Sam's and gives him a weak smile. "I will be around for many long years to bring joy into your life." Which she means as a joke, but she hopes she makes him happy. It's a goal of hers to see all those she cares for safe and happy.

"And many more years of teasing, hm?" He smiles lightly, turning to give her a small smile. Their relationship wouldn't be what it was without the little jabs, or the scowls Christine gave him when he teased her about her 'relationships' - or just making a mess with the flour. He was very happy with his sort-of sibling feud with her.

Speaking of relationships- "So.. bringing joy into anyone else's life at the moment?" Hinting heavily towards a certain rifter - he had mentioned having not seeing Church in the future, but hadn't gone into specifics or detail.

"If you'd like," she says, not even denying that she would. They know what their relationship was built on.

Christine's brow lifts and she knows full well what he's asking her. Taking a moment to cross her arms and shift her weight onto one hip, she says mysteriously, "Perhaps. I suppose to get a completely accurate answer, you would need to ask this someone else."

[OoC: Sorry I'm so late with this. Please feel free to ignore or count this as wrapped up.]

Sam returns the raised brow, weighing Christine's words. "So... is that permission to go ask him?" And possibly not sit on him again while he's a dog?

"I suppose so." Christine is at the point where she feels she has nothing to hide regarding Church. The two of them are together, and happy, and everything else like the future is something she's decidedly not thinking about. There is no room for what ifs in this relationship.

"If you are that curious, that is how you would find your answer."

[ ooc: it was too good to not tag back! but we can wind it down. ]

"Or you could save me a trip and just tell me. Or... you know, give me a half complete accurate answer about this someone else." He's pretty damn sure he knows who this someone else is, but you know, to be sure, it was always good to get it right from the source.

"But why would I deprive you of the interaction, Sam? You should have more friends." Christine says this as if Sam doesn't have a great deal of friends already. Besides, what does he want her to say? That she brings joy into Church's life daily, and especially at night? She's quite sure he doesn't want her to go that far.

"Anyway, I shall leave you with your wonderings now."

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OPEN LOG: Establishing a Base in Kirkwall

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