faderift | Cloudreach 9:44 Rifter Arrival

WHO: New rifters & their rescuers.
WHAT: Welcome to Thedas.
WHEN: Cloudreach 10, 9:44
WHERE: Amaranthine
NOTES: This is the arrival log for all new rifters, open also to current characters who would participate in their recovery. New players can also assume everyone survives and arrives back in Kirkwall within a couple of days, but please note there will be a brief quarantine period when they won't be permitted to leave the Gallows, to get them up to speed while ensuring they're not diseased or otherwise going to kill anyone, before they're set loose on the city.

You were asleep—whether deeply or fitfully, falling unconscious for the last time in a pool of blood 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 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, bathed in the light of a flare of too-bright, greenish light you will find yourself hitting mossy cobblestones with an unforgiving smack. You're alive, and you're fine, except for the narrow splinter of light the same sickly green as whatever brought you here that now glows out of the palm of your left hand. It aches, a bone-deep pain that gnaws even through all the distractions.

Above you is a shifting, crystalline tear in reality; beyond that, gray clouds and a sea breeze, framed by the high walls surrounding the city you've landed in. There are people on the walls, some of them armored and armed, all of them briefly and collectively paralyzed by the sight below.

Don't let their terror go to your head. It's not you that has them intimidated, nor is it any of the humans (or Qunari) who are sprawled out on the ground around you, nor is it the assortment of unfamiliar—to them, not to you, perhaps to you it's very familiar—junk that's spilled out as well, most notably some flaming metallic debris and a giant wooden cross.

It's the beings that are coming out after you, almost as if in pursuit. Two are drifting, spindly things with six spidery limbs in addition to grasping skeletal arms, eager to grab hold of anyone who comes too close and fill their field of vision with swirling darkness and corner-of-the-eye glimpses of whatever frightens them. Several more most closely resemble trees, perhaps, with half-melted squids for heads—which might not sound particularly scary, fine, but their ability to dive into the ground and resurface anywhere with rasping screams helps on that front.

All of these things would like to kill you, and the people around you, and the people on the walls, and perhaps the other people screaming and scurrying into taverns and shops for cover. But you're not alone. Out of those same taverns and shops come people who do seem to know what they're doing; many are wearing a symbol that looks a bit like a hairy eyeball being pieced through by a sword, and at least a couple of them seem to know what they're doing. Almost like they've been waiting for you. In fact, exactly like they've been waiting for you.

AFTERWARDS, the grateful citizens of the City of Amarenthine might provide a drink, a meal, or a place to tend to wounds before everyone sets back toward Kirkwall. It's not a long trip, but one that requires boarding a ship to cross a narrow sea. It will be a rough, stormy journey, but there won't be any demons.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I had the same problem when I got here. Fell through a rift with a koala and not a bloody gum tree in sight."

Her accent is broadly Australian, and she is... well. Not sober. She holds up a bottle of whiskey in offering. "Need to take the edge off?"

From inside her coat, a koala peeks its head up. "Not you, Beauregard."

The demiguise remained as quick as ever to simply disappear at the new voice-- alerting the woman to a new presence. Her brow shot up curiously at the similarity, eyes turning to the drink only to be distracted from... Well, that certainly was a koala.

"At least you know what it eats," She offered wryly, forcing an uneasy smile onto her lips. Her gaze darted back to where she knew the demiguise was before she breathed out. "I don't think it's going to do much, but thanks for the offer."

Drinking she found didn't fix the situations she was in-- And that's what she really wanted. A way out.

"Yeah, that's a real treat when you're in a frosty wasteland." Wry, rather than acidic, as she sighs.

Though she does look between the stranger, and her glass, and stranger again. "What are you talking to, but? 'Cause, if there's something there, this whiskey is either a lot better or a lot worse than I thought. Makes your sensible decision either very sensible or a little tragic."

A shrug - apparently she likes the sound of her own voice enough to just keep talking. "Anyway, you could always take a look at the teeth. Shape of them might give you a hint about the diet, what they need."

"Well, that would cause trouble," She agreed with a wince of her own. She was still new to creatures, not with her future experience, so she can't say too much on them-- But she knew it was difficult for anyone to live in a 'frosty wasteland'.

Tina can't help the look of amusement that shifted onto her features, as if it was a quiet sort of joke. There's no immediate answer, however, and she merely waited until the other woman finished speaking. This time it was her turn to sigh as she pressed her hand to her chin.

"The problem with that," She answered after a moment, "is the most experience I have with animals is my grandfather's owls. Didn't even have a pet in school." She shrugged her shoulders in partial defeat before warily adding-- a wariness that comes with time in a haunted society, despite today's present predicaments.

"Let alone magical animals. She's a demiguise and they have a penchant for going invisible," She added hastily, in explanation, "unfortunately. I know they don't eat meat, but that's about it... If Newt were here he'd be able to help her." The last part is an aside, to herself, something worried and lonesome in her voice. Well, she had gone to him for help-- in the odd dream she'd awoken to here on. Fat lot of good that did, it seemed.

She's had enough whiskey that the aside is a little missed, as she peers into her glass. Otherwise she might put together the mention of magical creatures and the name enough to gleefully announce that she knows Newt. Five drink Alex, however, can be a little hazy, no matter how solid her liquor tolerance. She thinks for a second that she might have heard Newt, but then she shakes it off. That would surely be an absurd coincidence, right? Absurd.

"Lucky for you," she starts, tipping back the last of her whiskey, "I'm a veterinarian. Animal doctor," she offers as clarification, because she's gotten into the habit of it, here. "I'm still learning about magical creatures, mind, but maybe I can muddle my way through it."

Although she does hold up a hand. "Once I'm sober. Which I ain't." Animals, however, are more important than her ego.

Her brow knits together at the woman. Veterinarian isn't an odd word-- but it's a no-maj one and given what she'd heard of no-maj medicine on humans she's not inclined to believe an animal doctor is much better. But any experience is also better than no experience she supposed.

"She's not hurt, thankfully," Tina considered, glancing down at the space she was sure the demiguise still occupied-- though she wondered for a moment if she could control her invisibility any better than Tina had control over her magic right now. She huffed a breath, a sound that could even be a laugh before she tucked a strand of hair away.

"Right now she seems content on eating my bread," Tina answered mildly, watching as the silver-furred creature returned to visibiity, "so I suppose as long as I don't make it a permanent diet she'll be fine until then."

Alex laughs, warmly. "Good. That's the main thing."

Far as she's concerned, the world could bloody well burn all people out of existence, so long as animals were alright. They'd probably do a better job. They'd be decent, they'd take what they needed without being selfish bastards; yeah, humans would do a better job.

"Seems reasonable," she agrees, "but it might be worth figuring out before then. I know plenty of animals who'd be heaps happy eatin' shit that ain't good for 'em."

She holds out her hand in offering. To shake, I mean, not like some sort of ritual sacrifice kind of offerin', or something. "Alexandra. Karahalios. Doctor."

"Well," Tina responded, brow arching in mild amusement, "I imagine by the time that she needs to eat again you won't be drinking. So I'd say we have time since I don't imagine as an animal doctor you wouldn't want one getting sick." At least if she was anything like Newt, who was somewhat like one she supposed. It's also an implication that she'll go looking for her later, when not drinking, to help with the creature.

She didn't exactly expect to be caring for a magical creature on top of arriving on another universe today, but it is what it is.

At least though drinking she didn't forget manners, Tina supposed but she looked partially amused at the doctor comment. "Tina Goldsein," She answered in kind, taking her hand before adding, "of the animal variety, yes." Maybe she's just a bit hopeful they didn't make her a people doctor here as well. Maybe.

Oh, Tina. Tina, bless. She's already helping out with people medicine, and she is mad about it. Just give her time. It will only get worse.

There's a bright grin at the shaking of hands. "Nice to meetcha, Tina Goldstein. Whereabouts in the States are you from? I mean— assuming you're from America. I'm kinda confused about how accents work here. People sounds like they're from all-bloody-over."

A little roll of her eyes. This place, man. "And yeah, don't worry. For an animal I will gladly practice temperance." If a person asked her to sober up, well, she'd be rather less enthusiastic. "But since I already paid for it, I may as well finish this whiskey, ey?"

"No, you got it right," Tina answered with a mite of surprise before she withdrew her hand, "I'm from New York." Which was more obvious the more she talked. "Though I suppose different places can have similar ways of saying things." Even if they're worlds apart, as they were.

She nodded, but didn't add that if she was drinking when asking to look after the demiguise she wouldn't let her (maybe she was more protective of it than she let herself believe). "Of course," Tina added quickly, "I'm not gonna stop anyone from whatever takes their edge off after today's events."

Cloudreach 9:44 Rifter Arrival

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sorry for my slowness!

you're all good c:!!

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