faderift | OPEN ↠ HEART LIKE ICE

WHO: New Rifters & Inquisition Members
WHAT: A journey south to make new friends and kick some ass
WHEN: Drakonis 15-25
WHERE: Sunless Lands
NOTES: Violence and language assumed. Warn for anyting else. OOC post.

The Sunless Lands are not, in fact, sunless. This time of year there can be as many as eight hours of daylight, some of it blinding where it reflects off of snow and ice that stretches from the southern edge of the Kocari Wilds as far as anyone can see, broken only occasionally by rocky masses of land jutting out of the snow cover or barren tundra peeking out in patches where constant, unforgiving wind has pushed it aside. You'll be traversing this span primarily on foot—there are sleighs, too, pulled by hardy dogs, but they're carrying essential supplies rather than spare people. The only way to get a ride is to successfully feign passing out.

Beyond the dogs, the area isn't devoid of native wildlife: white fennecs hunt rodents underground, and a herd of excessively fluffy wild druffalo is seeking out whatever vegetation it can find. But hunting down a meal or two early and preserving rations for further south would not be a bad idea, because the further south the team travels, the more inhospitable the terrain grows, and the less life can be seen. And sometimes not much of anything can be seen, when clouds roll by and burst with snow thick enough to halt progress entirely for hours.

The nights are cloudy as often as clear, but when they are clear the sky is split by green and purple ribbons of light.

I. THE RESCUE

Two days' journey south, the monotonously icy horizon is broken by something new: smoke rising in interrupted puffs, an intentional signal. Someone is out there. Chances are, it's the rifters, with or without their first group of intended rescuers. But there's no way to be sure. And approaching with caution is wise either way. Rifters have strange powers (and strange personalities), and they've been out here for days now, dealing with demons and Maker knows what else on their own. For all anyone knows, they could be the reason for the rescue team's disappearance. Orders are to approach carefully.

Then, once contact has been made and initial concerns have been allayed, make sure those poor people have something to eat, and try to figure out where their original rescuers disappeared to.

II. THE STORM

After the rifters are recovered, there's still the matter of the red lyrium mine to address. Another two days' journey south will put the group within good range of the mine: not so close as to be seen, but close enough to be able to get there in a couple of hours as needed.

Halfway there, however, in the middle of the day, progress comes to an abrupt half when the darkest clouds yet gather suddenly on the horizon and barrel down on the group, bringing with them a glut of snow that reduces visibility to only a few feet and wind that roars so loudly you have to shout to be heard. Magic can help some with heat, but the storm shows little sign of quickly abating and with hours of deadly cold conditions to deal with, digging in and getting cozy for a few hours might be the most feasible solution for everyone.

III. THE VILLAGE

Shortly before the point everyone is aiming for—one marked by an enormous stone carving of an owl, several times taller than a man, that's inexplicably been left by the ancients in the center of the tundra—something else appears not far to the west. On closer inspection, it turns out to be a circle of low-sitting animal-skin tents pressed down into the snow to protect them from wind, rocky fire pits, and abandoned sleighs. Overall, it's a cross between camp and village indicative of a nomadic group that's staying a while but not forever.

It's empty now, with a coating of snow on most of the structures that indicates it's been at least a few days since anyone was here. Closer inspection reveals personal belongings inside the tents, including toys and clothing belonging to children—and, in many tents, chunks of red lyrium in the center or beneath the skins that form the beds, each piece emanating heat. They probably thought it was safer than fire.

Wherever they went, they don't come back while the Inquisition is there. But the activity does get noticed. A few hours after arrival, enormous white bears apparently moving in a pack come within a hundred yards of the camp and pace at a distance, watching the interlopers with wary interest. Some of them are wearing collars or harnesses decorated in the same style as the tents. For enough food, they may come closer, and they'll turn out to be abnormally tame.

IV. THE BATTLE

The red lyrium mine that Corypheus' followers built when their operations were crippled in Emprise du Lion is nestled in an icy canyon, with massive scaffolding built up the sides of the cliff and too many cages to count, though few of them hold living prisoners anymore. It's a massive operation, but one that's been crippled by its distance from civilization. It's sparsely guarded compared to its size, and other than the cliffs, it has minimal natural protection. The enemy has magic-silencing Templars, enormous behemoths, and a chained white-furred giant, but they are clearly not prepared to be attacked.

Ahead of the onslaught, traps are set and any surviving prisoners are evacuated under cover of darkness. Everyone else sent to fight either creeps down shortly before dawn, rappelling quietly to avoid notice in the dark, or waits at the top for the first surprise strike to provide enough distraction for them to descend more openly. If anyone has been particularly nice to the bears (see above) then it is entirely possible they'll allow themselves to be ridden into battle.

Once their presence is known, their orders are pretty simple. Destroy it all. Leave no one behind and nothing worth returning for.

Fire is a good strategy. Red lyrium doesn't do well in heat.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ellana isn't sure she should voice her thoughts aloud. He's only just arrived and this is a heavy topic to toss into his lap. A theory she has going is that their leaving had something to do with the red lyrium they were hoarding. Perhaps it had gotten to them and started to drive them mad; maybe even change them like it does to Templars. If that was the case, maybe they left to find more, or maybe they were tricked into going to the Red Templars' mining operation to work for them. But it's all just a theory. It might turn out to not be true, and hopefully these people haven't been exposed to the red lyrium long enough to do lasting harm.

"It's hard to say, really. I hope they're okay. But the fact they didn't take their camp or bears seems to suggest something's wrong." She sighs, offering the bear a sad smile. "If only you could tell us, huh?"

Aro nods. That's his worry too. He knows from the look of these tents that they're not a truly permanent encampment. They'd be unlikely to move every day, as he would, but the tents could be packed away and moved. People who live like that wouldn't just leave their belongings behind without thinking about it. What little they had would be important, and not easily replaced.

He feeds the bear carefully, and then moves his hand to pet its head. It lets him, snuffling closer for more food and seeming to settle a little.

"They're so used to being handled," he murmurs. "They wouldn't have left without the bears. Not by choice, not when they clearly reared them. I'm worried about leaving them here when they're used to having caretakers. They might not do well if left to the wild."

"That's true, but I'm not sure what the people in charge will think. If we don't end up finding their owners, it becomes a question if we can afford to feed them from our supplies. Maybe we could ride them through the snow and that would get at least a group of us back to civilization faster, and to a decent food source for them. But in the end, I can't say if the Inquisition would want to keep a bunch of pet bears. They might have to be distributed elsewhere." And all this talk means nothing if they aren't permitted to take the bears in the first place. A hard call, either way.

"For now, I just hope their owners are still alive." But the longer they stay away, the dimmer that hope becomes.

With a frown, Aro runs his hand over the bear's head. More than just tolerating the petting, it seems to like it, and nudges in closer the way Iessa does when she wants to be near him. That tells him they're more than used to affection. It also gives him more cause to worry about how they'd survive without their keepers.

"They'd need a climate they like, too," he says, nodding at their white fur. "Look at them. They were born for these snowy lands. I have to say, I was hopeful you were leading me away from them. Poor creatures. What does the Inquisition normally do if people go missing, what happens to any animals they own?"

"We're far south, at the edge of known lands. Up north it's much warmer than this." Of course there's no telling what the Rifters will think of Kirkwall. For most people, they consider the city sort of a shithole, but maybe it's actually better than where some people come from. Only time will tell.

"When we're informed of missing people, we send in a team to find them. Sometimes it leads to their rescue, but others we just find their remains. I'm not sure about the finer details, like animals. I'd assume they'd go to whatever faction the missing belong to, but these people are living separate from anyone else. I'm not even sure if there are other camps of people like this one out here."

"Colder in the south, warmer in the north. I've much to learn about this world."

Aro smiles at her, though it's a sad smile. These animals are probably going to die, unless they can very quickly adapt to living in the wild. After having been domesticated, he doubts that will be an easy task.

"They'll have to stay here, won't they. There isn't any other choice."

"Not really one I can see, I'm afraid," she answers quietly. "I'm not in charge of these kinds of decisions, and while I think bears could be an asset, feeding them on the way back would prove difficult." And if they didn't feed them, the bears would probably turn on them.

"I'd better head back to the fire, before I start getting attached to this one."

"Yes," Aro says, though he sounds a little distant. "I suppose we both should."

Still, he doesn't look like he's moving. He finds more food, instead, since at the very least he's going to help them while he can.

OPEN ↠ HEART LIKE ICE

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