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

"Really?" Newt says, vaguely alarmed. These tonics sound like drugs, of a sort. But then, he supposes, some of the potions from his home can work similar sorts of magic in aid of providing users with additional energy.

"So these tonics," he continues, "they function as a means of acquiring energy quickly?"

"Energy? Most tonics are for resisting various elements, but there is one that will make you swing your weapon harder in battle. If you need energy, though, regeneration and lyrium potions are more likely. Though...I'm not sure if a rifter mage needs or would benefit from lyrium, as such. Huh. That's something I've never asked, and now I want to find out."

"Lyrium?" Newt repeats, a tad wary. "Is this any relation to the red lyrium that is so prevalent?" He is curious, though, about that and the rest of these various potions and tonics. The use of them reminds him somewhat of the magic from home, though they don't have anything like lyrium that he can think of.

She nods, a bit hesitant since they're still in the process of defining just what red lyrium actually is. "Yes and no. How did Varric put it? It's like comparing a dragon to a lizard. They're both ingestible minerals that enhance your power, but the blue stuff is only really addictive to non-mages, and only a danger to them if they end up taking it long-term. The red stuff will fuck anyone up just by being near it; ingesting it at all is surefire way to an agonizing death, probably sooner than later."

"So the regular lyrium isn't without its dangers, either, then," Newt muses out loud. He shakes his head. "Are these lyriums come from nature or have they been designed by magic?"

He makes a note to himself to be wary of all lyriums, regardless. He is a wizard, and many might consider him a mage by the standards of this world. He doesn't know if that would affect him if he were to take this lyrium, which, at this point, given what he's heard, he has no intentions to do so.

Korrin shrugs; she's no loremaster, and cares far more about its practical applications than its history. "They're natural, yeah. It's always been around, as far as I know. All we've done -well, all the dwarves have done- is mine and refine it so that people can use its power without killing them."

"Fascinating," Newt murmurs. It makes more sense, for this lyrium to have come from nature. Something with the potential for growth and development of power, and, at the same time, the potential for addiction. Always, it seems, these sorts of things come with the other shoe waiting to drop.

"That sounds like it must take quite a lot of work, I would think," he says.

"I guess? I can't say I've watched the dwarves at work. Physical contact with raw lyrium ore kills mages outright, so I keep my distance. I don't know how different it is for rifters, but...it's not something I'd recommend testing." She can only hope that warning overrides anything fascinating about it, but at least lyrium isn't fauna. Hopefully that means it won't set his curiosity into overdrive.

"No, it doesn't sound like something I'd want to test myself," Newt agrees, shaking his head. "Though, I must say, I wouldn't mind observing, if I had the chance." He wonders what raw lyrium ore looks like, though, it isn't something he'd go off chasing, not like creatures. He does have some restraint, after all, or he wouldn't be alive.

Korrin frowns in thought. "You'd probably have to go to Orzammar for that. It's the only dwarven city left underground, though we have plenty of them on the surface. I think the Other Powers project deals with dwarves? Again, not my area."

"I'll look into it, when I have the chance," Newt says, nodding. "Thank you, for answering all of my questions. I really appreciate it." He offers her a small smile, all too aware of how exhausting he can be as a companion.

She smiles at that. "You're welcome and don't worry about it. I came here to fight demons and explain what I know about this world. If I didn't want to handle that, I wouldn't have come, alright?"

OPEN ↠ HEART LIKE ICE

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