OPEN LOG: Establishing a Base in Kirkwall

[faderifting]

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

Comments

[foxsays]

"Every angle has to be considered. They might overlook something and if you point out this terrible thing then they can already try to plan, to have the counterargument for it. There are people where I come from who argue against an education being made available to everyone because it will lead to all these terrible things, each time the person arguing back has to be quick enough to get to the root of it." Usually that person has been Araceli in some manner, on the queensguard or through Leandra's ear if it's a venue where she isn't permitted to speak but that isn't something she's going to just divulge.

She knows the fight. She hasn't lived it long enough for it to leave marks in her girlhood or to steal it away from her. She still has her enthusiasm and will to see it all done intact.

"Look, I honestly just want my pistols but I can confidently predict what happens if those or waterproof powder are even vaguely common knowledge among anyone in Thedas." Things blow up again, fingers point Araceli's direction, it looks bad on all counts. She'll mourn them quietly for the most.

It's practice at hearing insults hurled her way or others slipped on the sly as if she's stupid that keeps her from starting. "Conquered the known world?" She does have to clarify that part because that...well she might need to do some investigating at some point. She doesn't make it her business to plunge herself into rifter affairs but worrying about the reputation of the Inquisition is her business. "Is he styled and introduced in such a fashion to all?"

[kartereo]

Waver's face contorted in distaste when the mention of education came up. He'd be pouncing on anyone who tried to argue against universal education. "Well, if you'd believe it to be an asset, all you need to do is let me know when the discussion occurs and I'll come to it with pins in order to poke holes."

That sounded far better in Waver's head than out loud.

"Oof," waver cringed. Thedas definitely didn't need firearms, and really, really didn't need to scapegoat anyone for applied technology. "Point taken."

"No it's more, hm," Waver paused, trying to figuring out the best way to explain it. "After he died, other historians examined his military career and made this observation. How we met is odd, I confess." The man had been dead for over 2,000 years, and he and Iskandar only met in the 1990s.

[foxsays]

"You're saying that to the person who purchased a map of Thedas and three sits of actual pins to track where I've been, where Korrin's been, and where we've both been." It's not quite the same but Araceli believes in doing the actual work so that it's getting done. She appreciates that there are people who do it, who are willing to do it. Too many times in her life she's run into the mindset of it being someone else's problem that's lead her on a merry song and dance until you end up just dealing with it yourself.

But that's for another day. When she doesn't have paperwork chasing her everywhere. And more on the horizon since not everyone in the Inquisition is here yet. And they haven't really decided where everyone is going to live long term. And perhaps because Waver's just neatly taken the legs out from under her with that.

"Siento." A pause just to try and examine that, for the sake of politeness if nothing else. "He passed. And rose. And is living currently. I don't know if I've ever been so glad that understanding the rifts and how they bring any of us here isn't one of my jobs."

[kartereo]

"Hm, yes," Waver agreed, lightly touching his forefinger to his chin and tapping gently. "I'd say something about another point, but I'm afraid you'd take that as a very bad pun." Which wouldn't be intended, but now it just needed to be avoided. "I'd like to see that map one day though."

It sounded ;ike an impressive thing to see. Waver knows how pitiful his own map would look like.

"There was magic involved with it back home," he explained. No need to get into the nitty gritty of Grail Wars. "The rest is a story better told when I have had too many drinks."

[foxsays]

If there was a memory of the woman she had been in the time so few of them recall, there would be routes mapped out in black. (Araceli doesn't know. Would want to know because that's the trouble when you like a challenge and a secret. It's better this way.)

She'd say more but a runner clatters in through the door, haggard and harassed. One of her hands slips automatically to her rapier without thinking before they call out her name, a half-hearted apology with it. "Serah Bonaventura? Need you to come look over something."

"And I'll have to take you up on the drink another time but thank you so much for the herbs, I will take good care of them. And get advice to take good care. Stay and get some food here, everything is cooked well and it's warm, you can tell me the story perhaps when we're toasting living arrangements?" But she has to run because someone is tapping their feet by the door and the sooner she does it, the greater the chance she might an extra few minutes to sleep tonight.

[kartereo]

Waver watches the scene unfold with a small amount of unhappiness, but that was mostly because he was enjoying the conversation. But making the Gallows livable is far more important, and all the work that comes with it.

Knowing things are at the close, he nods understandingly. "I'll say yes to food and an even more enthusiastic yes to drinks in the future. If you have cause to take a break, I'll be in the garden areas for at least today and tomorrow."

Speaking of gardens, he should go clean up where he was working. He gives a brief wave farewell to both Araceli and the runner, then departs.