Simple Gifts [Closed]

[laurenande]

WHO: Galadriel, Thranduil, Solas, Myrobalan, Merrill, Kitty, Lakshmi, Teren, Marcoulf, Jang, Obi-Wan, and Anders
WHAT: A trip to a perfectly normal Chantry in the middle of nowhere.
WHEN: Current.
WHERE: The Island of Alamar, Ferelden.
NOTES: Current warnings, to be updated: Graphic Descriptions of Gore

The Abbey on the White Cliff

Travel to the Abbey on the White Cliff is no easy matter. While it stands not far from Amaranthine, the waters between the mainland and the island shores are a wicked confluence of eddies and razor sharp rock. The rain is ever-present here and the wind moves unpredictably at the best of times. Ships of size cannot travel easily to the island of Alamar and small boats are rarely steady through the choppy water. Fortunately, as the Inquisition approaches, the world takes some pity on them and the waters seem to still and calm. The clouds linger but, at the very least, they don't open above them until they have reached the land.

The island is a grey affair, all rocks and scrub and damp. The village, an austere looking outcropping of buildings, is entirely made from the local stone and, were it not for the red clay roofing, would blend into the landscape seamlessly. Very few people have strayed into the rain to greet the Inquisition and, without the voices to echo off the stone, most sound is drowned in the lapping of waves and the heavy fall of rain. As a result of the weather and the lack of citizens, the town has the general quality of a graveyard.

The merchants who work the docks are affable enough and, after unloading their haul and securing it somewhere a bit drier, offer to take the Inquisition up to the Abbey proper. The rain slows before long and the merchants lead the Inquisition to the main roads and, let them on their way. Fortunately, the Island is not terribly large and, even walking, it will take only a few hours to arrive at the far side of it.

As the party leaves the village and the shore, the island landscape opens before them. Sloping moors give way to periodic outcroppings of rock and, against the horizon and the far end of the island, there rests a dark forest of pines. The Abbey on the White Cliff stands at the far side, at the top of the hill and overlooking the waves. The road they travel is an easy one, well worn, and the buildings come into view long before they reach them--they stand several stories tall, made of the same stone as the village. They are moss-covered and have the look of an old building that has been questionably kept--at least, from a distance.

The closer one gets to the buildings, the more obvious the additions and repairs become. Windows that have no business holding glass have had colorful windows inset to them. The doors are heavy, wooden, and new. The ironwork on the walls is polished and unworn by the rain. There are no torches lit but, once the Inquisition members have reached the doors, they open promptly.

They are greeted by a Chantry Sister with a bright smile and rosy cheeks and, without hesitation, the lot of them are welcomed into the Abbey.


OOC:

Hey guys! So I plan on aggressively GMing this one. Basically I want to run this like D&D, or as near as I can manage.

The location threads below are available for single player/two player exploration, I will be tagging you with information based on where you go or what you do, but if you want to do a bigger thread please just use the team threads at the bottom. That way if you all decide you want to check out the [INSERT LOCATION HERE] and it leads you to [DIFFERENT LOCATION] I can move you along without changing threads.

Because of your proficiencies, different characters will have advantages in different areas/while talking to different people, so groups are best. I will also be PMing your character journal periodically with any information that your character may have picked up on that nobody else would.

The NPCs are available for talking to or questioning by any number of people. Their general locations are in their thread headers so you can travel there as a crew or ask me to send them at you, if you so desire.

Feel free to do new top-levels if you guys really want, I am just here to try and make this fun.

Comments

The Denizens of the Abbey

[laurenande]

Scattered throughout the Abbey there are a great number of the faithful, come to praise Andraste and the Maker. Their numbers are far greater than anything this Abbey was meant to maintain, but still they come. There are many who have traveled quite a distance to be here, and many who live in the village by the shore; they are varied in shape and size but each and every one of them is in good spirits.

The Sisters and the pilgrims go about their business, surrounded by the damp and grey of the island, engulfed in the cold of the Abbey, and not one of them seems to care one whit about any of it. The dreary garden and dim archways might as well be lit with streaming golden light for all that the people of the Abbey beam and smile.

(OOC: For questions to any specific NPCs, drop them here in their threads. If you want to converse with them in a different location, just put the preferred location in the header. Multiple PCs in a thread is fine.)

Sister Brigette - Found In The Main Hall

[laurenande]

Sister Brigette is a young woman with a round, rosy face and bright, happy eyes. It was her who invited the Inquisition into the building and she has made herself ever available to anyone who might need help. She can be found in the Main Hall at nearly all hours, helping the pilgrims, reading from the Chant, or standing by the locked doors at the very back of the building.

She is not an intimidating person, nor exceptionally stern. Her voice is warm and pleasant and made for singing simple songs.

Re: Sister Brigette - Found In The Main Hall

[whiskeyandbrimstone]

Jang wanders up to Sister Brigette and gives her a smile. "So...Nice place you have here. Very warm and accepting. Always nice to see religious types doing good for the community. Seems like you got a recent influx of new pilgrims as well, all that new construction. Very nice stained glass as well, what happened? Did some new trade route open and you were in the right place at the right time?"

[laurenande]

When Jang approaches, Sister Brigette is chatting with an older woman with a heavy marcher accent. Their conversation concludes quickly enough and, all at once, Brigette's full attention is on Jang. Her smile is bright and persistent, even as she listens, and she refrains from interrupting until she is certain Jang is done with her questions.

When she speaks, her voice has a delicate quality to it, nearly mousy, but with quite a lot of vigor.

"Thank you; we are so delighted to have you here," Sister Brigette assures her. "The renovations are a grand gift, aren't they?"

She sighs almost wistfully as she glances up at where there are new beams reinforcing the ceiling and the new hanging platforms for candles. They are all unlit, sadly, but they are ready should there ever come a need.

"Our Abbey heals the sick and injured, it is our primary purpose, what Andraste and the Maker have tasked us with," she adds and looks back at Jang. "The pilgrims who have been healed often send gifts, grand or small, and some remain with us.

"The carpenters who built these things, who have been repairing the disarray of the Abbey, were once pilgrims. They have stayed because they are grateful and we are so very happy to have them here."

[faithlikeaseed]

The evening of their arrival, Myr makes a point of seeking Brigette out. It's fortunate indeed she spends most of her time in the main hall; that's easy enough to find by following the flow of traffic through the Abbey's drafty halls, though he does once get turned around on his way. A question to one of the pilgrims and a hand at his elbow shortly see him right by the sister's side where she reads to the assembled; and of course it's only mannerly for him to wait through all of it before trying to get her attention.

(Not that that's any hardship: Her voice is pleasant and it's the Chant, after all. He'd listen to it gladly even in tones like nails on a chalkboard, and this is a long way from that.)

"Sister Brigette? A moment of your time, if I may?"

[laurenande]

The evening reading went well, as it often does, and Brigette is warm with the glow of it. When she is stopped, there is no hesitation to her. Her smile is immediate as she regards Myr, even if he cannot see it, and there is a pause before she speaks.

"Oh--yes," she begins, her voice hitching just slightly and a note of something in the undercurrent of her cheer. It fades gradually, is subsumed by her speaking tones, and she perks up again. "Of course, I will gladly give you my time. What may I do to aid you?"

[hello_there]

Obi-Wan finds Sister Brigette in that lovely, peaceful moment when dinner has just been cleared away, but before the nightly rounds need attending to. It's a moment like the bend of an elbow, a soft place in the armor, a crook where one can rest the weight of the day. Or so he remembers it, from his own regimented time in the Jedi Temple— surely some things, small things like this, run constant even between worlds?

"Excuse me, you're Sister Brigette, is that right?" He says, by way of greeting, "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I've been wondering, may I ask you a few questions?"

Obi-Wan felt sure that the only safe thing to ask Brigette were things he didn't mind everyone knowing, should they perhcance to ask. But then, he felt equally sure that Brigette would at least answer, even if her answers might not contain any particular depth of knowledge. Still, better to start at the beginning:

"Nothing untoward, I promise."

Brother Morely - Found In The Main Hall and Various Other Buildings

[laurenande]

There is a Brother who wanders the Main Hall at odd hours. His comings and goings are only remarkable in that he carries with him a lit lamp and a long stick. He travels through the Main Hall and, in fact, most rooms in the Abbey and lights each of the candles. They are often extinguished long before he has finished but, for a brief period, there is a glow of candlelight through the Chantry.

Though he wears the robes of a lay brother, he is not precisely a friendly fellow. His dark hair rests long, nearly to his shoulders, and his expression is rarely welcoming. It is, perhaps, the frustration of his task...or perhaps it is his personality, but he will help when he can and it is possible he will answer questions if asked politely.

Found on the fringes of the hall with the serfs lighting candles, also outside the meditation basement.

[doneisdone]

A notoriously bad sleeper, odd hours are Teren's bread and butter. Back in Kirkwall, and in the Warden camp before it, she would pace the halls or rows of tents at night, looking in on the sleeping Wardens and staying awake with her thoughts until she'd doze off in the grey of early morning. Changing location doesn't put a stop to the behavior, and seeing no reason not to be up and about, Teren makes her rounds.

They bring her to encounter this unfriendly-looking man with his lamp and his stick, and at the sight of him Teren feels an immediate kinship. Resting against one of the walls, she waits for him to pass before addressing him: "why not wait until the room isn't empty? Seems a waste."

Early day 2-ish. Like real early.

[faithlikeaseed]

The Inquisition's sent a bunch of insomniacs on this mission.

Or so might someone conclude if he's seen not one but two or three of them wandering the halls at odd hours, out of their quarters. For Myr, though, this disconnection from the rhythms of the waking world's perfectly ordinary since he'd been blinded: With no light to guide him in sleeping or waking, his schedule simply drifted like an unmoored boat.

So: It's early the morning after the Inquisition's arrival that he's lurking around the halls, setting the glyphs he'd won permission to set. (Glyphs he wouldn't need in a few days' time, mirabile dictu. He's yet to wrap his mind entirely around it.) At the tread of someone approaching from down the hall--and quiet hsst of a flame lighting--he lifts his attention from scribing magic on the wall, head turned toward the noises of another presence. "H'lo," he calls cheerily enough. "And good morning, if it's morning yet."

Brother Estmond - Found In The Infirmary Hall or the Kitchens

[laurenande]

The Infirmary Hall is a terrible place, dreadful and unwelcoming, but the man who works there is neither of these things. He has a kind face and ashen blonde hair that he keeps very short. He dresses neatly and wears his vestments, but is often covered in fluids that are best not spoken of in polite company.

He can be found easily, assuming one is willing to travel to the Infirmary Hall to do it. If one is very lucky, they can stumble upon him in the garden or crossing into the kitchens, but such instances are rare.

[shri]

When in doubt - work. Proved true not only in life but in investigating things that seemed too good to be true. Sick and injured people did not watch their words so well, and places that cared for them were always run off their feet to not want to turn down someone's help. So she picks her time, careful, watching Estmond in an offhand way and -

"Brother! A moment, if I may."

Her hand lifted to catch his shoulder as he goes past, blood or otherwise.

[justice_is_blond]

Chantries haven't been comfortable places since he was taken. The prayers feel hollow, the decor is often paid for by the work of Tranquil mages or herbcrafting mages or basically enslaved mages, and even with the Circles broken Anders isn't entirely comfortable. But there is one place he might feel a little less ill at ease, the Infirmary.

Anders taps on the door before coming in. "Um." It's hard to use titles for Chantry people until he knows a little bit about them, but he's also a guest here. "Brother? I've some experience around an Infirmary, if you could use a healer for a time."

Here maybe he can catch his breath and figure out a bit more of what's going on.

third day, after a yell with Anders;

[faithlikeaseed]

You won't go looking.

Even if not said straight out, the words were implicit in Anders' scorn. Poor blind credulous Myrobalan wouldn't ever go chasing after something that would challenge his faith; he'd not deign to consider evidence that contradicted his rosy image of the world, not even when it was left out plain for someone worldly and cynical and wise like Anders to see.

Left out plain to fucking invent mountains of corpses from whole cloth upon, then claim he didn't need to produce the extraordinary evidence the accusation demanded when challenged on it. Take it on faith, Myr, he's a Warden. If only you'd believe him now and again he wouldn't have to sink to being absolutely vile to get everyone's attention--

Myr's thoroughly soured his own mood by the time he tracks Estmond down--not in the infirmary that Anders seems to have claimed as his own haunt, praise the Maker--but he does everything in his considerable power to keep that from his face. (And begs the Maker once more for patience, for some shred of forgiveness, to take the anger from him.) "Brother Estmond? I'm sorry to interrupt..."

Not knowing, entirely, what the man might be doing but suspecting--they're in the kitchens after all--and feeling a sudden surge of guilt that he's let this stupid vendetta take him this far.

But he won't let Anders' accusation stand.

He won't.

The Carpenters, Merkle and Herkle of Alamar - Found Everywhere

[laurenande]

There are two very large men who travel the halls of the Abbey--to say they wander would be incorrect as neither of them has ever wandered in all their lives. They are older men, with impressive facial hair, and are often carrying wood, tools, or large buckets filled with fastenings. They are carpenters by trade, but they can be seen fitting glass to the windows or repairing the ironwork around the Chantry.

Clearly every addition or repair done to the Abbey was orchestrated by them and, frankly, it is a challenge to avoid them.

The elder of the two is Herkle of Alamar, and he is nearly seventy years of age. His snow white hair and near toothless glower precedes him. His son, a middle-aged man with a matching glower and considerably stronger countenance, is Merkle of Alamar. One would not be out of order if they guessed either of them were of Avvar descent.

[rathercommon]

If there's something going on here - which there may or may not be; it's possible that this church is just uncommonly friendly and prosperous - it seems like the people in the Chantry hierarchy won't be likely to provide many answers. The workmen, though? They might have something to say.

And so Kitty approaches them with a sweet smile as they're working on setting glass. Oh, sure, yes, they look grouchy and impressive, but who can resist her when she's got her cutest expression on? No one. That's who.

"D'you need help?" she offers, voice bright and cheery. "I've been trained a bit in carpentry. I can hold some nails, at least."

Sister Luca - Found Passing Through

[laurenande]

Sister Luca is a young woman with a long braid of blonde hair that she wears over her shoulder. She has a sharp face and an unforgiving air about her. Her voice is strict, but not unkind, and she moves with purpose. She is often carrying books or papers, or carrying trays of food to and from the building to the north of the Main Hall.

The other Sisters treat her with deference as she passes and, if asked, any one of them will state that Sister Luca is going to be the Reverend Mother soon.

[hello_there]

The very first time Obi-Wan sees Sister Luca, he does not speak to her. Rather he steps back and allows her to pass him by, with a respectful nod in service to the equally deferential attitude of those around her. The second time, later that very same day, he is better prepared.

"Excuse me, you're Sister Luca, is that correct?" Walk-and-talks are a common Jedi mode of operation. There is a time for meditative stillness, and a time for purposeful action; Sister Luca seems like a busy woman, "May I presume we have you to thank, for our kind invitation?"

One does not openly thank individuals for money. That would be crass. In addition, concerns of budget are so far below Obi-Wan's personal concern that they might as well not exist; all the better not to offend with greed.

[doneisdone]

"Sister Luca?"
The voice is low and brusque, and belongs to a very tall and thin woman who looks like she could kill a person by scowling at them. At her side, the younger but still world-weary blond mage, both clearly visitors from the Inquisition.

"If you've a moment."

sometime on Day 2, later

[faithlikeaseed]

Myr needs to know these people better.

It's obvious to him now why the Maker might've gifted them so richly with miracles: This is how the Chant should be lived, completely and with joy in the face of all adversity, all prejudice, all strife. They've accepted him as he is--elf, mage, blind--without a qualm; accepted their rifters with considerably more than a simple lack of qualms. Everything the abbey has is freely given, freely shared--no one man claiming anything, that the others might have lost--down to those miracles that cost the Revered Mother so dearly.

Thinking of that--has led him to seek out Mother Alvar's successor, in part to calm the little serpent of dread gnawing at his own heart. She hadn't sounded well; it's very likely healing him will take all she's got left and he needs to know--that this strange and precious little oasis will be able to continue what it's about, without her. And so--when once he hears someone address Luca in the halls, hears her reply to know she's there, he makes his approach.

"Sister Luca? I'd walk with you to wherever you're bound next, if you don't mind the company. I've a question or two."

Reverend Mother Alvar - Found in the Cloister, Infirmary Hall, or Garden

[laurenande]

Reverend Mother Alvar is a woman who appears to be well on the other side of a century old. She is bent and wizened, her limbs thin and her skin loose and creased. Her hair is a stark white and she is bald in patches--she keeps it braided, insofar as it can be, and it rests on her shoulder. Her gowns are not the vestments of the Reverend Mother, they are far too heavy for her frail shoulders, but the cold does not bother her despite her wearing only a light dress and a knit shawl.

She shuffles more than she walks, bent as she is, and is almost constantly attended by a younger sister with a thick braid of long blonde hair. During the times when Luca is not at her side, occasionally she seeks out Brigette, but she usually meanders on her own or sits a while. She has a kind air about her. Her face is creased deeply and the whole of it seems to shift as she looks about a room. Her eyes disappear entirely when she smiles.

Despite her great apparent age, she carries herself with dignity and poise, moving without fear of injury or pain. She goes slowly, but she does not seem to concern herself with the effort of it.

[rathercommon]

"Hullo."

Kitty had seen the Reverend Mother at a bit of a distance, had her pointed out to her. For the most part, Kitty's sticking with the others, but she'd passed by the Reverend Mother coming back from taking a pee, and so she's definitely not going to miss the opportunity to chat with her a bit. Especially not when she looks so - well - sweet.

"You're Reverend Mother Alvar, right? I'm Kitty. It's really lovely to meet you."

sometime before THE END, but not so long before,

[faithlikeaseed]

Eventually, even for all his energy, Myr's got to take a break from chasing leads about the abbey.

(Too much, there's too much of it; it's too dire, too frightening with parts of the Inquisition team vanishing from beneath their noses. There's an awful, slipping feeling in his head like they're losing hold of what chances they had to fix things without anyone coming to harm, and he can't do anything about it but dig his heels in and endure.)

He is on his way to the dormitories to take that break--and perhaps catch an hour or two of fitful sleep; his schedule's been completely blown--when he catches sound of Alvar's voice. Without thinking, he bends his steps toward her, stops by her side.

"H'lo, Your Reverence." There's something a little shy, and a little sad, about the greeting.

[hello_there]

Obi-Wan is a man accustomed to approaching seats of power with a particular mix of informality and polite respect. It is the Jedi's role in all things to act as an outsider, not held under the reigns of power, beholden to only as an equal would be. But here he is somewhat moreso; one might consider, in their own way, the Sisters of this Abbey some kind of contemporary.

And besides, it gives you much, much more snooping time, if you're polite.

"Reverend Mother Alvar," He bows to her, having come upon her seat by the window. It overlooks a typically miserable sky, but then, what window doesn't? "May I join you for tea? I'd like to take the opportunity to have a chat with you."

It is, after all, just about time for tea. But then, when isn't it?

Lay Sister Elonwy - Found In The Cloister and Laundry

[laurenande]

A young woman who looks to be around sixteen. She has a round, bright face, expressive brown eyes, and wears her hair covered by a span of white fabric. Her arms are near-constantly pinkened and chapped to her elbows, but she doesn't seem to mind it at all as she comes and goes at all hours with a quick smile for any who pass and her arms full of sheets, vestments, and other cloth goods.

She moves with the energy of youth and the purpose of the genuinely faithful.

Sometimes accompanied by her younger brother Gwydion, an exuberant and good-natured boy of about six who has a child's predilection for being underfoot.