OPEN ↠ HEART LIKE ICE

[faderifting]

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.

Comments

[iceblade]

That comment about 'riding wild beasts' gets a snicker from Skadi, even as she urges their ursine friend onward. "That's one way of putting it, aye. And good, get ready then!"

She grins fiercely as the behemoth starts lumbering in range, and she stands up to jump off the bear, yelling wildly as she brings down her sword in an overhead arc.

[lyriumcarved]

Fenris isn't quite as assured as her when it comes to bear-dismounts but he still manages to not fall over completely. He's pretty steady on his feet, after all, and ready to go on the offensive alongside Skadi, swinging his large sword in to slash heavily at the behemoth. He grunts with satisfaction as it strikes, the behemoth already swinging at them to counterattack with its oversized, claw-like arm.

[iceblade]

Between Skadi's and Fenris' combined blows, they've definitely put a dent in the powerful moving cluster of red lyrium. Skadi adds to that with a Fade Burst, trying to angle it to keep Fenris out of the way. The behemoth isn't going to go down so easily, of course, and that swing knocks back the Avvar woman a short distance. She scrambles back to her feet with a wince, then runs over in time to see it sprout a ring of red lyrium from the ground.

"Watch out!"

[lyriumcarved]

She shouts just in time, as Fenris phases out again while the lyrium bursts forth from the ground. His ghostly glowing form charges forth from there, yet again to make an assault on the behemoth. Their foe is quite the mess now, with broken spots where their weapons have hit. Now, as he comes in at the behemoth, a dark energy starts to pulse around Fenris, surrounding him and then bursting out to strike its monstrous form. The behemoth shakes from the Spirit Pulse's impact, but then goes on the attack again. This is definitely the type of enemy that'll fight to the bitter end...

[iceblade]

That's just fine with Skadi; in her mind, the fight is only as epic as their opponent is fierce. Besides, it gives her more reason to beat the foul being with everything she has at her disposal. Leaping around the ring, she tightens her grip and lets out cry as she spins her blade around in a whirlwind motion.

[lyriumcarved]

It's more than fine with Fenris, too, who always welcomes an opportunity to vent his anger on a deserving target. And abominations always deserve to be beaten and broken in the worst way possible. He's glad for such a competent battle comrade too. While he readies another attack, she spins in, and then he follows immediately with a heavy downward blow of his sword. Between their attacks, that behemoth is seriously weakening now.