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

Team 2 - Kitty, Lakshmi, Teren, Thranduil

[laurenande]

(OOC: Feel free to start threads as you like. This is a catch all for your adventures.)

Breakfast Chat

[doneisdone]

One look at the Rifters' rooms was all Teren needed to put her on her guard (to be fair, it never takes much), and she hardly slept a wink the previous night. She's sitting at a table in the main hall with a wooden mug of black coffee, her bread and cheese already eaten, her spindly fingers wrapped around the cup as though it's the only source of warmth in the whole world: she lost some weight in Nevarra and looks more than ever like the sort of thing that walks out of the swamp in the Fallow Mire. Telling her that is inadvisable, but not unheard of.

"You'll want to keep your sparkly hands to yourselves," she grunts to her tablemates, noting that all three of them look considerably better-rested and bear the telltale marks. "I've seen this sort of thing before. They'll be wanting those."

[rathercommon]

"Wanting - what, our hands?" Kitty is certainly on her guard as well; she doesn't trust any institution that seems positively disposed towards her or her kind. This level of kindness - of solicitousness - is really creeping her out a lot.

That said, that pillow was really nice.

"When'd you see that?"

[shri]

"I wondered when someone would," it's muttered between mouthfuls, her hand hovering over her mouth between bites, leftover courtly habits even now, "we're not treated with so much kindness anywhere, seems strange that we would be here for no reason."

She reaches for her cup. Taking a deeper mouthful. "I suggest we try not to go anywhere too far out of anyone's sight if we must go anywhere alone at all."

[rowancrowned]

"Warden von Skraedder," he says, without a hint of reprimand. "Are you, perhaps, jealous?"

Thranduil has no breakfast in front of him, perhaps given that everything on offer is cold, or perhaps because he's just a big weird elf, but looks utterly put-together, suggesting a lovely, restful sleep and no ill-effects from the sail over here.

"I know the welcome for Wardens is often poor, but I assure you, kindness to guests is not unheard of."

He reaches for the pitcher to refill Lakshimi's glass, his manners to match hers. "They are hardly Venatori. They are too devout to even light a fire."

[doneisdone]

Ohhhh shit. It's brought now.
Teren slowly turns to look at Thranduil, eyes narrowed-- really? Really? "I suppose you didn't hear of the lot of rifters who went missing? Only to be found weeks later, half-dead, tortured to madness, more than one of whom disappeared for good not long after?" She hardly thinks it coincidence.
"Venatori or no, there are those who would have your anchors for their own purposes. If you think there's only one organization in Thedas that wishes ill on the Inquisition and its charges, perhaps you ought to tug your pretty blond head out your arse." She takes a sip of coffee, meeting his gaze squarely.

best friends

[rathercommon]

"All right," Kitty says, pitching her voice to carry. She shoots a severe, chastising look at Teren - one that would be a bit more effective coming from someone a little older, but which is decently intimidating considering her age. Then, pitching her voice to softness, so that it doesn't go beyond their little group: "If they do intend ill, we mustn't be at each other's throats. And if they're decent folks, well, then let's still not be at each other's throats, 'cause I've still got a bit of a headache from all that sea travel."

Then, with a little sigh - "But you're all right. We ought to stick together." She tilts her head thoughtfully to the side, then suggests, "We could set up shifts, maybe? At night? So someone's keeping watch while the others sleep."

[doneisdone]

"I do keep watch," Teren snaps, unfazed by Kitty's tone, "while you sleep." As in, already has been, will continue to do so. Amateurs.

[rathercommon]

Another look. "And you look exhausted." A little jerk of her chin. "Let us take over a bit."

[shri]

Lakshmi helpfully, keeps her mouth shut for once as she sips her water. A polite little nod in thanks to Thranduil for filling it up. Then goes back to eating - at least until there's a space to speak.

"I do not sleep deeply and prefer to do so in short bouts and if you would like to trade places for my bed so we can throw them off of our patterns, by all means. Working out a shift is probably in all our best interests." Is the even response at least on that concern. "Nor do I think do many of us who bare these marks can forget we are a curiosity to be used at best and a demon at worst to many that meet us and our humanity ever in question, Warden." Let's that point sit, dig in, we are the one's that will be tortured, after all. "Do you not agree, Master Thranduil?"

She gives him, well, a look. Somewhere between, please, and for the love of all that graces us, we ought to work together.

[rowancrowned]

"I think," said delicately now, for the sake of respecting all the ladies at the table, and perhaps sufficiently admonished by Lakshmi, "that we should refrain from accusing our hosts of nefarious behavior where they can hear before we have any proof of them being inclined to act so. It would only be polite."

And now that he's said all he feels he ought, he settles back in, docile as a lamb.

[doneisdone]

Teren watches Lakshmi evenly, but doesn't disagree with her. It's true, they are the ones who will suffer most, which is why the insistence on polite and docile acceptance grates on her so terribly.
"Fine," she agrees, with regard to the taking of shifts, although Teren suspects she'll be up at strange hours either way-- it's just the way things are. "And the last thing I'd do is accuse a soul of bloody anything. There's no swifter way to get them onto you." She takes another gulp of coffee and makes a face. "But should you sit idly by and allow the slaughter, you'll have none to blame but yourself."

[shri]

"We should keep our peace, for all intents and purposes, and be consummate guests. But playing our parts does not mean losing our heads." Lakshmi nods, and it's in no small part in thanks, for Thranduil's good manners and Teren at least a little, relenting. She takes another mouthful before carrying on, "So with that sorted - " There, done. Peace restored.

"I plan on seeing what help I might give in the infirmary." Which is to say, listen to every little thing, but that probably doesn't need to be gone over. "And yourselves?"