WINTERMARCH RIFTER ARRIVAL

[faderifting]

WHO: New rifters & their rescuers
WHAT: People fall out of a rift and get attacked by stuff. This time, not everyone makes it.
WHEN: Wintermarch 11
WHERE: The foothills of the Vinmark mountains, somewhere between Ostwick and Markham.
NOTES: The arrival log is open to all. Solas was (as always) able to alert the Inquisition to the general area where the new rifters would be arriving so people could be sent to pick them up.

I. ARRIVAL

You were asleep--deeply or fitfully, for the last time or just resting your eyes for a moment-- and then you were not. And wherever you were was not, anymore, replaced by nothing but the sensation of falling, tumbling into endless, bottomless nothing. If this were still a dream, you would wake before you hit the ground. You can't die in a dream, they say. In some worlds.

In this world, you wake with a jolt when you hit the ground, though at least it's reasonably soft. You tumble down onto a grassy knoll, a grey and chilly day in a piece of countryside that would be entirely unremarkable were it not for the rift that brought you here, and you, and the other beings that have accompanied you. There are other people finding their feet after a similarly sprawling exit, and there's a monstrous, horned beast with too many eyes and electricity rippling down its arms, tall, spindly creatures with gasping mouths and too many eye sockets that immediately advance on you and the people lying around you, and beyond them, flickering, ghostly wraiths that begin to throw bursts of green magic that saps anyone hit of energy and strength.

If that all weren't enough there's also a narrow splinter of light in the same sickly green as whatever brought you here, now glowing out of the palm of your left hand. It aches, a bone-deep pain that gnaws even through all the distractions. Given how many other things there are to take in, it may take some time for anyone to notice that one of the people to stumble out of the rift has not gotten back up. But nothing can be done for him until the demons are no longer trying to kill everyone present.

II. AFTERMATH

With the demons dispersed and the dust settled, there's time to regroup—for the new arrivals to collect their scattered belongings, for anyone who was injured to seek a healer or healing salves as needed, and to deal with the man still lying where he fell from the rift.

He isn't moving at all, in fact, just lying face down, and it's strangely difficult to focus on him. If you look away you may find your mind skimming over him entirely, no time at all required to simply forget that he's there until you look again or someone else calls your attention back to him. Which is especially strange because he should be a very striking fellow, extremely tall and quite broad, with gaudy gold and purple attire, some sort of robe fringed with fur that looks metallic but is soft to the touch. When he's turned over there's also the way his bangs and his eyebrows have been braided together into an elaborate netlike pattern over his forehead, which really ought to be more memorable. It's currently matted to clammy skin, as is all of his dark hair, drenched in droplets of bright pink sweat. His eyes are closed, and he will remain firmly unconscious despite your best efforts.

[ ooc | No attempts at healing the unconscious rifter, magical or otherwise, will have any visible effect. What's done with him is up to your characters. But we assume they'll bring him back with them instead of leaving him in the wilderness to die, so please make sure to let us know if that's not the case. The rifter is not an apped character or a canon character. We'll provide more information in a few days, but if you have questions in the meantime, you can ask here. ]

Comments

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin looks as though she's heard all that before and while her expression is sympathetic, she's not going to sugarcoat the truth. "That tends to be a common thing, but...I'm sorry, no one's been able to figure out how to send people back. Going through the rift doesn't take you back, only to the Fade, and that just means tons more demons. If it makes you feel any better, there's always chance someone you know was brought over, too."

[tagartist]

"It doesn't." She presses her hands against her head for a moment, like that'll help the growing headache. Of course she can't go back - that wouldn't make for a good plot line, would it? Shittiest script she'd ever heard of. Except this isn't a movie and she prefers her life without all these stupid plot twists that she's been getting lately. There's a deep breath and, for someone who's probably having an internal panic attack, she at least does a pretty good job of keeping herself together on that new bit of information. "But thanks for trying."

[gatheringstorm]

"Being outside in the cold doesn't help, either. We'll get you all inside where, if you want to get drunk of your ass to cope, that can happen. Our base is in Kirkwall, to the west, but I'm pretty sure we'll hoof it to Ostwick and then just take a boat." Korrin pauses, realizing how that might sound. "You don't have to come with, but since the Inquisition's trying to figure out how to help people with glowing hands, it's probably your best shot. If that doesn't work for you...well, Ostwick's not a bad place."

[tagartist]

It's a lot of unfamiliar names of places to take in at once, even if it's really only two. Maybe the processing part of her brain is just slowly breaking down at this point. She's glad to hear that she's not required to go anywhere, but the idea of trying to make it on her own in a place she's never heard of or even be able to imagine before, especially after seeing those things, makes her feel a little less than good. "As long as the drunk off my ass part is an offer no matter where we dock, I'm sold. Someplace warm'll just be all the better."

[gatheringstorm]

"Can do, as soon as everyone's healed up and whatnot. The rift's sealed, so there's nothing else we need from here." And there's the inert rifter guy to deal with, too, but as she isn't facing him at the moment, her mind easily slides over that fact. "I'm Korrin, by the way. Don't worry, as soon as we're set up I'll spot the first round for whoever wants it. After what you've all been through, you deserve a better welcome than demons."

[tagartist]

There's a sigh of relief at the idea of someone else covering at least the first drink. Somehow she doubts she'd get very far on the eighty six cents jingling in her coat pocket and she doesn't think that they take plastic. "Thanks, Korrin." It's the most sincere thing to come out of her mouth the entire time. Whether it's for the drink or the information, or maybe the reassurance, the thanks is still meant.

"I uh - don't think that that guy's gonna appreciate the booze as much though." Her eyes flicker back to the unconscious rifter, her stomach tying in knots at the fact that he still hasn't woken up, and the strange color of his sweat. Not that pink sweat is the weirdest thing she's seen today. "Is he gonna be okay?"

[gatheringstorm]

"You're welcome." Korrin smiles, though it promptly fades as she's reminded of the inert man by their side. That prompts a frown; it's not like her to just ignore/forget about someone in such a state right by them. That goes double for the pink sweat and...everything else. "I have no idea, to be honest. We've never had anyone arrive already unconscious before, though that's not to say that the local rift demons didn't do their best to make that happen. We'll get him to the infirmary; our healers are awesome, and if there's a way to help, they'll find it.

[tagartist]

Maybe he just hit his head or... something and the sweat is from drinking too much KoolAid or eating too many ring pops, like her mom always joked would happen to her with all the crap she ate. That's got to be it. Totally make sense. Think on the bright side. It's all she's got, because she's seen too many dead bodies this week for her to do anything else. He's still breathing. Just focus on that, Chloe.

She forces herself to look away from him, crossing her arms over her torso somewhat protectively. "... Cool. I guess."

[gatheringstorm]

"I'll get a stretcher for him, then hopefully we can leave this place. Hold on, Chloe." Korrin flashes a sympathetic smile, then heads over to direct the healers once they're done patching up anyone worse off.