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

[ Aro watches with growing horror. The thought of these crystals growing out of a person in sufficient quantity to be mined from them, is horrifying. He's all the more worried about Iessa. If she touched any of it, even by accident...

He reaches to touch her head, and keep her close to him. Then he holds out his hand, and calls forth a spark to dance across his fingers. ]

So, destroy on sight, then. We can help.

[ The dragon perks up at the spark, and huffs some of her own out of her nose. Good. If she associates the crystals with something worth destroying, she's not likely to play with them. ]

Is it connected to the magic that brought us here, if it thins this...Veil? The portal I saw was green and not red, but I'm sure it can't be coincidence.

[That horrified expression is met with a sympathetic one, but Korrin doesn't regret her decision to tell him. Better that he be horrified now, than infected later. That conjured spark gets a small grin from her.]

A lightning person, too, eh? Good, you just saw that tends to work well enough against them. I'm glad for the help, since there's always more to find.

[She gestures for them to move onward; red lyrium tends to stand out, so they won't have to travel far.]

And...there's no easy answer to that question. Red lyrium existed before the Breach -the mother of all rifts- was created, but that was an isolated incident. After the Breach, it began popping up all over the South. We're still trying to figure out what exactly it is, aside from bad news. One of our mages, Christine Delacroix, leads the red lyrium project for the Inquisition. She might be able to tell you more, if you really want details.

[ Aro nods, following Korrin and beckoning Iessa to follow. The dragon, excited by the sparks decorating his hand, hurries after. She might have been interested in the crystals, but she'll be more interested in using her breath attack. If he can teach her to destroy the crystals, she'll be in less danger from them. ]

I'll ask her, I think. Thank you. Where did it come from originally? I mean, the isolated incident you're talking about. What created it in the first place?

[ Spying another crop of it, he casts Spark, throwing out a bolt that explodes on contact with the crystal. He frowns with distaste, watching the pieces burn. ]

Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall, discovered it in some ancient dwarven thaig over a decade ago. She found an idol made of red lyrium, and that discovery definitely bit her in the ass later. What created it is a good question, but we honestly don't know...and yes, that thought does keep me up at night.

[She glances sidelong at the dragonling.]

Just so you know, when we get to more populated areas, your friend is going to be an issue. Dragons, dragonlings, whatever...they aren't tame in Thedas. People see one and they'll freak out, because high dragons don't fuck around. Sure, they were hunted to near extinction some time ago, but this age is known as the Dragon Age. They've made a comeback and plenty of people aren't happy about the idea that something huge and winged might wipe out their village.

[ That catches Aro's attention. He turns a sharp stare on her, while Iessa looks curiously between the two of them. Dragons would be feared in Faerun as well, and for good reason. Hunting to near extinction is a different matter, though. He pauses in his search for crystals, tension rippling across his shoulders. ]

I can't have them hurting her, she's just a hatchling.

[ But she'll get bigger, in time. She's the size of a small wolf now, and that's a baby as far as dragons are concerned. ]

We'll stay outside the city. I'm used to that anyway. If she's not in their way, they can't complain about her. But I will defend her, if it comes to that. Dragon or no dragon, she's still just a child.

[Since the young dragon isn't hostile, Korrin isn't going to take action. That said, she still eyes the creature with a mixture of interest and wariness, the latter winning out for the time being.]

Even dragon young can be a threat; those dragonlings I talked about can be a dangerous, fire-breathing swarm. Not that I know what a rifter dragonling can do, but keep that in mind for how people will perceive her. Strangely enough, you're not alone. Another rifter -Adalia- brought over a dragon egg with her and it hatched; they live in the Gallows, which is set apart from the city. There haven't been any major incidents yet, but it's still early to tell what will come of that.

[ That makes Aro's heart lift for more reason than one. That there might be a place they could stay feels like a lifeline of itself, but the thought that there's another? He has to find them. He has to meet this Adalia and her dragon.

But later. For now, he feels this is a situation he has to navigate. He decides honesty is the best policy; he doesn't want to be accused of hiding things from anyone. ]

She can't breathe fire. She's a bronze dragon; she breathes lightning, like my own spells.

[ That's because his magic had come from Iessa's mother. He doesn't go into that, at least not for the time being. ]

But her kind take no joy in hurting people. She won't, unless they hurt her first, and if they did then I couldn't blame her for defending herself.

If there's a dragon in this Gallows place, do you think Iessa could stay there too?

[She looks the bronze dragon over, thoughtful.]

We have dracolisks -draconic mounts- in the stables, so I think the stables could accommodate her up to that size. Past that, there will be space issues but that's something you can talk to whoever's leading Base Operations these days. That's not my project, so I can't be more specific than that.

[ Iessa, aware of the scrutiny, rears back a little, standing taller to meet Korrin's eyes. She might be young, but she's not intimidated.

Aro speaks softly. ]

It'll be a long time before she's that size. But thank you, I'll...well, I'll investigate, once we get to where we're going. I couldn't bear for her to get hurt.

OPEN ↠ HEART LIKE ICE

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject