Cloudreach 9:44 Rifter Arrival

[faderifting]

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.

Comments

[the_cleric]

"I have never worked in a stable." Jester sits back on her heels with a frown. No more demon, no more money. What a crappy day. "Well, actually, I have never really worked at all. I collected gnoll ears and we exchanged those for money, and we rescued a bunch of villagers from being sacrifices. That was kind of like a job. And we rescued my friends Molly and Yasha from going to jail. We got a little bit of money for that. And we killed these really really gross undead rat balloons and solved a murder, but that was a one-time thing, we don't work for the Crownsguard."

She counts each of these off on her fingers as she goes. It makes her feel a little better, before she is reminded yet again on how they just missed out on some loot. "But the best and easiest way to make money is to take it from people! Only very bad people. And sometimes okay people, if they deserve it. But I am not a thief. Just an opportunist. What about you?"

[zombra]

There is just... so, so much to unpack here. Gnolls? Sacrificed people? Rat balloons?

"I, uh--" she starts, blinking in surprise and wondering if Jester's made this shit up or really has had that eventful a life. "I guess I'm a survivalist? Like we really didn't have a use for money anymore. We were just scavenging for shit. Breaking into abandoned homes and holing up for the night, eating what hadn't gone bad."

Who knows how society was functioning behind the quarantine fences? She was whisked away to the hospital straight away so maybe there was some bartering system going on, but there probably wasn't money.

"Um, sorry about the thing disappearing, but maybe someone will reward us for killing it?"

[the_cleric]

"We-ell, I like money... But scavenging is kind of the same as what I do," Jester says, cheerfully. "You see? I am an adventurer kind of, you are a survivalist. But we are both opportunists. How cool is that?"

She beams up at her comrade in scavenging arms. They are basically in a club together now. Well--besides having shards of green glowy magic stuck in their bodies. That is also like being in a club, sort of.

"Heyyy, you're right about the reward! Usually when there is a monster harassing people, they are so grateful if you stop it, and they reward you for your help. There were so many monsters that our reward should be pretty good. I don't know how we will prove how many we killed though."

[zombra]

"Huh. Can't argue with that. it's pretty cool, yeah." Tessa cracks a smile. This whole situation is still weird as can be, but she's starting to embrace it. What else can she do, really?

"Yeah, I don't know either. But those people just standing back watching should notice we killed at least one, right?"

[the_cleric]

"Right!"

It's so enthusiastic that it's basically a cheer. No longer as visibly disappointed by the loss of her obvious kill, Jester stands up again and dusts off her skirt.

"What's your name, anyways? I'm Jester."

[zombra]

Tessa lets out a laugh, which honestly feels good after the crap they've just gone through.

"I'm Tessa. Jester's a cool name. Sounds like a superhero."