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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kitty shakes her head, smiling back at Alvar. Admittedly, being called clever can be a good thing - but it can also be very, very bad. It all depends who's saying it; some people have very little love for clever girls. But Alvar seems so sweet - it's hard to expect bad intentions from her.

"I've stayed inside, mostly," she says. "I don't do so well with a chill."

"You must be having a time, then," she says and a little bit of worry creeps into her tone. She looks Kitty over, her eyes lingering on her extremities, and takes her hand. Alvar, unlike the rest of the Abbey, is very warm and her hand helps heat up the chill that has doubtless taken hold of Kitty's fingers.

"I can send someone to fetch you an extra blanket or a cloak if you need."

"An extra...?" That certainly hadn't been Kitty's intent. She'd just been complaining in a generic sort of way, because one can always make conversation by complaining about weather. She'd certainly not intended to try to get something out of it. Nice as it is, having her hand held by someone that warm. Alvar's got to be the warmest old lady Kitty's ever encountered.

"No, no, I don't - definitely not," she says, a little flush coming into her cheeks. "Save that for one of them who've got to be here through the winter, too. They deserve it more than me." Then, because she can't restrain the question that's been on the forefront of her mind, she asks - "Why are you all being so sweet to us, anyway?"

Alvar doesn't let go of her hand, leaving that warmth wrapped around it, and reaches over to pat the top of Kitty's hand with her other one.

"How could we be anything but?" Alvar asks gently, her face nothing but sincere. "You are gifts, sent here to help us in our most trying times.

"We all adore you."

Kitty lets out a breath, shaking her head slightly. "It's really lovely," she says - and honestly, it is. It really is. Her warmth, both figurative and literal, is such an antidote to the anger and mistrust from others. But that's the issue, isn't it? After all -

"It's just that other people...you know. There are lots of other folk, even Chantry folk, who think we're wicked. Demons, even. What convinced you that we weren't?"

Alvar chuckles again but this time something in it catches and she is sent into a sputtering series of coughs. She withdraws her hands, if only to bring them up to her mouth. It takes a few moments before she can speak again, and when she can, she says:

"No demons here--" she says between coughing and gives herself a sharp rap on the chest. She draws a deep breath afterward and sits up, her eyes watering a bit. "There are only miracles here, my dear, and you are among them."

She shakes her head and makes to stand, but as she does, she shoots Kitty a curious, almost conspiratorial look.

"You've made friends with those burly carpenter fellows," she accuses gently. "Have you talked them into letting you help?"

At first it's not clear what she's speaking of but, after a pause, she leans her head toward the large doors at the end of the hall. They are the same ones Brigette has been standing before for days, preventing all entry save Herkle and Merkle.

"I've - helped them a bit," Kitty answers. She casts a curious glance at those doors. She hadn't really thought much of what was beyond the doors - after all, it's not that out of the ordinary for spaces to be closed to all but workmen - but now that Alvar is drawing attention to it... "But I haven't helped them back there."

She meets the old woman's eyes, trying to discern her intentions. Honestly, as much as she wants to be cautious, it's really hard to imagine this sweet lady wishing her any harm. "Should I make that offer to 'em?"

"You're a clever one," Alvar reminds her. "I'm sure whatever you do will be interesting."

She adjusts her shawl and gives Kitty's hand a farewell pat.

"Come find me if you need me, and try to stay warm."

"All right," Kitty says faintly, looking after the old lady as she goes. Hesitantly, after that, she goes over to that door - approaching it, eyeing it, but hopefully in a subtle way. A way that won't arouse anyone's suspicions. But - they're waiting for her, back at the dining hall - and so she turns, and files that away for later. To remember.

Simple Gifts [Closed]

The Abbey on the White Cliff

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