everybody loves the HINTERLANDS!

[byblow]

WHO: Anyone
WHAT: A brief detour through Ferelden prior to the Kirkwall move
WHEN: Late Drakonis/early Cloudreach
WHERE: The Hinterlands & Redcliffe
NOTES: A lot of people were interested in stopping by the Hinterlands, so that's what this is! Everyone who might be assigned or would volunteer to go work here is welcome. Treat it like an open plot log. Just without a plot. (Also please note that the dragon mentioned here can't actually be found or hunted.)

They say that no one can take Ferelden without first taking Redcliffe, whose eponymous castle guards the mouth of the largest pass through the Frostbacks to Orlais. Maybe that's why the Inquisition is still here, well over a year after the last skirmish between rebel mages and renegade Templars. Making sure it doesn't fall again. (Or that if it does fall, more skeptical locals whisper, to make sure it falls to them.)

Whatever the cause, the green, hilly country around the village remains dotted with manned Inquisition camps, and there's plenty of work to justify a trip down out of the Frostbacks. The Hinterlands are overflowing with elfroot and other useful herbs, which is good, since the healers never seem to have enough. Hunting spring game serves the dual purpose of feeding the locals and supplying the Inquisition with leather for armor and weapons. For a different kind of hunting, there are still bandits and highwaymen taking advantage of travelers on the King's Road and in need of periodic reminders that the rule of law has been restored, sort of, mostly. And for all the progress that's been made toward rebuilding homes and replanting fields, there are still some locals struggling to regain why the war took from them—which isn't at all helped by a dragon that's taken up residence nearby, stealing livestock and scorching fields.

Not glamorous work, any of it. But on the upside, it's an opportunity to thaw out. The flowers are in bloom. The skies are clear. The water flowing through the rivers and creeks into Lake Calenhad is brisk, not too icy, and when the sun is out it's warm enough to swim. And the village sports a tavern and a number of merchants—many of whom are just there to sell fish, but not all of them. Not only fish.

Comments

[in_death_sacrifice]

"Right... no matter where they send us, we'll deal with it. We always did as Wardens." Kain nods agreement, before Garahel distracts him. He gives him a pat before the mabari runs off, enjoying his run through the scenery.

"You never heard this from an Orlesian, but I'm going to miss Ferelden." Many of its landscapes had really grown on him, over time, and well... the people too. Certain ones. "We'd best take Garahel's advice and make the most of it while we're here."

[circleprodigy]

That particular comments gets a soft snort from Inessa. "Oh, really? Even if you won't admit to it in public, I can't allow you to forget it in private. It's my duty as a Fereldan, you know."

[in_death_sacrifice]

"I should have known you would never let me live this down..." Kain even manages a bit of an amused smirk for her. While he still even now has a strong sense of pride in his homeland, he isn't above such comments. Especially because he knows how much it would annoy the stuffier of the nobles. Ha. "I'm so glad you take this duty so seriously. Your country has the most remarkable landscapes, though... I'm partial to the mountains, of course."

At least there are mountains in the Free Marches, anyway. He has it in mind to go exploring there the moment he gets up there.

[circleprodigy]

"I suppose we can make a slight detour on the return trip to Skyhold, if you wish to see more before we move northward? I can't guarantee what we'll find, but it could be a worthwhile venture nonetheless." For her part, she wouldn't mind some time to mentally prepare for the sudden shift to less-than-ideal surroundings. As she's leaving first, there isn't too much time to spare, but still....

[in_death_sacrifice]

"I'd like that, of course. I enjoy this region a great deal, and I want to feel that I've made the most of my time here. It would be worth it to me." He knows that's how it goes often, the same in the Wardens... it's never worth getting too comfortable in any one location. But it's still easy to form attachments if you aren't careful.