The Source Of Red Lyrium - Island Plot - Closed

[judgemewhole]

WHO: James Norrington, Inessa Serra, Kain Ventfort, Christine Delacroix, Genevieve de la Fontaine, and Beleth Ashara
WHAT: Per the OOC post, James has tracked down the source of the red lyrium. Time to do something about it.
WHEN: During the Island plot
WHERE: Wrecked Antivan ship along the coast
NOTES:

Some light 'Great Makers' and other curses considering the crew that James is traveling with.



James had never really considered himself much of a scout, all things considered. Oh, he was an excellent tracker, but usually he was tracking people and not magical sources gone corrupt. He also wasn't exactly a shadow in the silence, considering how much armor he usually wore.

Today, however, he was dressed simply in chainmail, sword strapped at his hip, shield on his back, Interceptor sniffing the ground ahead of him as he carefully followed the tell-tale signs of red lyrium along the shore, then up the side of a hill, as a cliff took up a great deal of this side of the island. Red spikes of red lyrium were becoming more and more frequent, and when he walked out to the edge of the cliff, he could see it. A lone fjord, jutting out to the sea, and there was the shipwreck. Antivan, by the look of it, red lyrium spikes jutting out of the ship itself in every direction.

He frowned down at the fjord, then at the cliffs, before looking over at Interceptor.

"...Well unless you have a rope and some climbing skills you have been holding out on me?"

Interceptor chuffed at him, giving him a 'Come On Buddy' sort of look.

"Right." He sighed. "Back to camp we go."

(Starters coming up!)

Comments

Descending The Cliffs

[judgemewhole]

The ocean cut through the jungle, leading to this set of cliffs that looked out onto the fjord. There wasn't a straight path down, not that James had been able to find, and so here he was with his small band of fellow associates, looking down the nearly sheer face with pensive look at his expression.

"Well. I for one am open to suggestions. How do we get down there without breaking our necks?"

[aceso]

Christine feels her stomach roll looking over the edge, and she's not usually so intimidated by heights either. But they need to get down to that ship, so she gathers her wits and looks around.

"Inessa and I could energize natural materials to form stairs. But there needs to be enough lying around to accomplish that."

[circleprodigy]

Pausing by Christine, Inessa winces a little as she's just as unsettled by the steep drop. Clearing her head, the young Warden nods at Christine's suggestion. It's what she had been about to say, after all.

"I believe it's worth the attempt, at least. I'm ready to begin when you are, Christine."

[bouclier]

"Is that safe?" Evie wrinkles her nose almost involuntarily as she asks the question, peering over the edge of the precipice. She doesn't look particularly bothered by it, but she's been required to scale a castle wall or two as part of her training.

"I don't relish the thought of the magic giving out halfway down and being dumped into the ocean. Or onto the rocks."

[in_death_sacrifice]

"It looks like a fine challenge to me," Kain remarks wryly. At the moment, he might well be the only one without a nervous expression. He even seems rather excited, eyes gleaming as he steps right up to the edge. He leans over, trying to get a better look at the side of the cliff. He's always enjoyed heights, and this is no exception.

"I've scaled down similar cliffsides before. It's perfectly safe." Well. Relatively. "You just have to keep balanced, and go slowly and steadily. Though I have to admit, I wouldn't tackle a climb like this without better equipment on hand. The magical solution seems to be the best under the circumstances." He nods to Christine and Inessa.

[arlathvhen]

"Yes, it's possible to climb it," Beleth nods to Kain, peering over the edge and noting possible footholds and handholds, little paths that could be taken. "But perfectly safe is a substantial exaggeration. There's no telling how stable the rock will be, and all it'd take would be one handhold breaking off for you to fall. Even if you hit the water, at this height it'd kill you." Pause. "If you're lucky."

There's always the cheerful option of merely being paralyzed, to drown slowly and painfully.

"If there isn't enough material, you could try energizing the rocks in the cliffside to form a ladder of sorts...? That'd take less material, I think. And probably be sturdier." It's more of a question than a statement, as she glances at the two mages. It's not like she knows what the limits of that are. "How are you with nature magic? I know it's possible to grow vines up a side of a cliff--" She doesn't mention that she knows this because she had made a plan to potentially break a clanmate out of Inquisition prison. "--Which we could use for safety ropes. Possibly."

Too bad they didn't bring griffons with them. Maybe they should start taking at least one griffon with them on all important missions.

[judgemewhole]

James gave both Kain and Beleth a Look - listen adventure rogue junkies, let's not give everyone else a reason not to go down the cliff. With that, he sighed as he too, took a look at the rocks.

"Perhaps less of a ladder, and more of a ... gradual slope? It would take less magic and we would be able to use it going up and down."

A pause, as he shot another wry glance to Beleth. "And we should probably rope each other together, with Genevieve and I acting like anchors at the rear. That way if anyone starts to slip, we can stabilize them and keep anyone from going over."

He looks over at the mages expectantly. He knows how strong Inessa is, but he has no idea about Christine. He supposes it all depends on how powerful they are together.

[aceso]

"I am not in the habit of suggesting magical solutions if I believe there is a chance it will fail," she responds matter-of-factly. Between Inessa and herself, she knows they can create something sturdy, and all can make it down safely. Healers rarely take risks with people's lives, after all.

"If everyone would just stand over there, Inessa and I will start. You can plan out your rope tying system, because it will be a haphazard set of stairs. We can only place what is already loose, and not reshape the landscape." She raises an eyebrow at Inessa for confirmation of that, unsure if Fereldan Circles had a few tricks up their sleeves that Orlesian ones didn't. But Christine has certainly never learned to grow vines or create slopes.

[circleprodigy]

Inessa just shakes her head at Kain and Beleth, a wry smile on her lips. "Perhaps you could scale it without much difficulty, but that is quite beyond my own skill." They can do as they please, but she'll trust in her magic before she trusts in her physical strength.

"A gradual slope is quite possible, of course." Inessa glances over to James and then Christine, moving to stand beside the latter. "Nature magic is unknown to me, but I can reinforce it with ice. It will last long enough for our immediate needs, though the climate will ensure that I'll need to renew it for the route back."

The Ship Itself

[judgemewhole]

So they've made it down the cliff, huzzah, and now they have to ... try to climb the ship without touching any of the red lyrium. Adding to the fact that it was partially submerged, and James was already considering whether or not he wanted to take off his chainmail and swim inside of it, or try climbing it instead, considering what might be waiting for him in the water.

"We could try hooking one of the ropes to the mast -- but I'm not sure how well this thing is moored to the shore. I don't want to tip the damned thing over if it's unsteady."

[aceso]

Christine frowns at the wrecked ship, determined to get inside, but seeing a big obstacle in her way.

"I cannot swim. Whatever we choose as a group, my method of getting aboard must be to climb. What do the rest of you wish to do?"

[circleprodigy]

Pensive, Inessa crosses her arms. "I've taken some swimming lessons, but I cannot say I would place my trust in my own skill yet. And that's just for swimming unencumbered, let alone in armor." Her armor is lighter than a non-mage, it's true, but it's still armor.

[arlathvhen]

"I can swim, and climb, and I'm not wearing any armor." Beleth offers, with a shrug. "I could try swimming aboard and check to see how sturdy the mooring is, and if the boat can be safely climbed. Then I can probably tie the rope to the mast?" She glances at the ship again, and frowns. "But I can't use a bow and swim at the same time, so if there's anything nasty lurking in the water, it'll be you all who'll have to handle it."

Which...probably means the mages throwing spells from a distance, or the warriors having to wade into the water with armor.

[bouclier]

"I can use a dagger and swim, I'll go as well," Geneviève doesn't even wait for a response before she's unbuckling the straps holding her leathers in place. She'd opted for her lighter armor in case of an event such as this, but all the same, wet leather is much heavier than dry.

"It won't help you if something attacks and no one can reach it."

[in_death_sacrifice]

"All too true... it won't help much at all. I'm ready to climb when the time comes." Even with his heavier armor, Kain is always light on his feet anyway, when it comes to climbing around. Swimming, however... not so much. There's the armor that will drag him down, but he also wouldn't consider himself a strong swimmer. He can do it if it becomes absolutely necessary, but being surrounded by the wrong element always just feels all wrong.

And he'd rather keep the armor on, just in case.

[judgemewhole]

James looks at the others, and then nods, going to pull his sword and take out his shield. "Then it's decided. Beleth and Genevieve will go first to see if they can secure a rope to something. After that, Kain and I will climb and we can pull Inessa and Christine up after us. Agreed?"

[aceso]

"Agreed," Christine replies, privately glad that she's not the only one who will need assistance here. "Just let us know what to do to make that easier on the two of you."

Discussion about the Red Lyrium

[judgemewhole]

"Well clearly we're going to destroy it, yes?" James looked around at the others. "We cannot leave it here to continue to corrupt the very ocean itself. Can you imagine what it would do to maritime pursuits? The creatures that would be coming from every edge of the water? Oh no sirs and madams. Oh no. We should smash this now and be done with it."

[arlathvhen]

Beleth gives James a Look--see, she can do it, too--before crossing her arms and shaking her head. "Well, James, I was going to suggest we fill our pockets with it as souvenirs of our island vacation, but if you insist." She frowns at one of the nearest spikes of red lyrium, tapping on it curiously. "How do you destroy this stuff, anyway? Will bashing it into dust render it useless, or will it just make red lyrium dust?" Which sounded even worse than regular red lyrium, somehow.

[aceso]

"Enough sarcastic comments," Christine says, face serious as she looks around the group. "In case anyone else was thinking of adding to Beleth's commentary." Seriously, don't test her right now. This stuff has cost countless lives and she's not going to stand around joking about it. Studying it and destroying it has been the job of her team for nearly two years now, and they don't stand around it sarcastically joking that maybe they should wear it as jewelry instead.

"It can be destroyed into small pieces or dust with heavy force. Then the properties that cause its corruption to spread no longer function. The sooner we start, the better for everyone."

[circleprodigy]

No sarcasm comes from Inessa, who appears just as repulsed and disgusted with the substance. She keeps her distance until it's time to discuss the matter and even then, takes care not to stand too close.

"Indeed. We have other samples of red lyrium; we need not retain these for study. The sooner they are destroyed, the better." She lifts the staff from her back, its bluish light indicative of a cleansing rune attached.

[in_death_sacrifice]

"Good, I for one am glad to hear that it's not needed." He's still thinking back to that tentacle that Inessa had grabbed. He's still repulsed by the thought of it. He does understand the importance of studying it, but... well... his role on the red lyrium team has always been as a destroyer, first and foremost.

He raises his sword at the ready, eyeing the lyrium. "If there are no objections... shall we begin?"

[judgemewhole]

James paused for a moment, to pull a long scarf out from his belt bag, looking at the others. "As a Templar I am more suspectable, so I will keep my mouth and nose covered at all times. I do have one or two extra scarves, for anyone uneasy about inhaling red lyrium dust through their nose."

And with that said - he lifted his sword high, preparing himself to smash the tall points with great prejudice.

[arlathvhen]

Actually, Beleth was about to suggest they use the red lyrium to create corrupted runes and slap them on their weapons, but that's probably just as crazy as red lyrium jewelry, right? Nevertheless, Christine is favored with a lengthy, withering stare, but Beleth decides against any comments. Now is not the time nor the place to question a subordinate's conduct, and she can always bring it up with Val when they're no longer stuck on Murder Island.

Once the decision to destroy the red lyrium is reached, Beleth nods quickly, pulling out her bow and an arrow. A few vials at her hip are inspected, before she pulls one out, and coats the tip of her arrow in a foul-smelling substance.

Her own scarf that usually hangs around her neck is pulled over her nose, just in case, and she draws the arrow, pointing it at the spikes of red lyrium furthest from the group. "That's going to explode," She informs the group calmly. Which is...exactly what it does, though it's small and far enough away that the most the group will get is smoke tinged with the scent of that foul-smelling substance.

[bouclier]

Evie holds her hand out for one of James's scarves, a slight smile touching her lips.

"I'll accept one of your favors, ser," she teases lightly, although she does accept and want the scarf. She's just only capable of being serious when she feels there's physical danger and they're breaking a bunch of creepy glowing rocks. What's the worst that could happen, here?

Once she has a scarf and has secured it over her mouth and nose, she draws her own sword, brow creased slightly as she looks at the red lyrium in front of her, before choosing the most sensible angle to attack it from, where she already sees a crack.