faderift | Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening

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Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening

WHO: Katniss Everdeen, Samoel Gareth, Korrin Ataash, Christine Delacroix, Cremius Aclassi, Kain, and Merrick Ashara
WHAT: Various missions in the Emprise du Lion
WHEN: Second week of Haring
WHERE: Emprise du Lion - Saharain, The Bone Tower, the Mines, then lands surrounding.
NOTES: Warning for Violence, Death, possible NPC

death, and grumpy elves

Enjoyed the trip from Skyhold to even colder Emprise du Lion? Good, because now, it's time to get down to work.

1. He will not see me stopping here - The Bone Tower

The lay of the land is important here - the Inquisition Forces need proper mapping and a good idea of where the Red Templars might be dug in like ticks. The best place to get a vantage point? The Bone Tower.

Which ... just happens to be crawling with Red Templars, but luckily for this scouting party, they have their own fair share of rogues. Merrick and Katniss plan on climbing the tower, undetected, so they can better map the area. With Sam as back-up, what can possible go wrong?

2. To watch his woods fill with snow - The Mines

Yet the Bone Tower is not the only place with a heavy concentration of Red Templars. There's been speak of them in large numbers in the local mines -- and many a family member has disappeared through those wooden gates and not returned. Korrin is off to see what she can find there, and she's going to drag along some protection as well. Will you be joining her, to see just how far the Red Templars have gone?

3. My Horse Must Think Me Queer - The village of Sahnaria

And in the midst of all this, the snowy little village of Sahnaria, with what few survivors there are to the suddenly harsh weather, and those who are traveling to the mines, and never returning. Should you travel here, information is key. Who knows, you may find yourself beset with demons, who have been preying on the survivors here. Perhaps you should speak to Mistress Poulin, about their recent troubles.

4. To stop without a farmhouse near - The Red Templar Camps

Yet the road beyond the village is beset with dangers - of the red lyrium kind. Red Templars have camped up the entire road, all the way to Suledin Keep itself. It is important not to be seen, as to not give away the mission. Christine believes she can get close enough to get a better idea of what they are doing here - but she cannot do this alone. Who will go to find out the Red Templar's secrets?

5. Between the woods and the frozen lake - DRAGONS

The name says it all. Are you trying to keep hidden from the winged beasts? Are you staring up at them in wonder? Are you wondering how they would taste in a stew? Consider talking to your other teammates about the winged threat...

6. The darkest evening of the year - Attack at the Camp

They have all been as careful as they can be, but even 'peaceful' looking camps get curious eyes on them. Especially ones with an eye for violence. There is a crunch of snow behind them, and the sound of a branch breaking. Arm yourselves, scouts. Something is out in the woods, and it is coming for you...

7. The woods are lovely, dark and deep - Sulevin Blade

Katniss and Merrick now spend a great deal of their time together, trekking through the snow and setting traps, so they can get a better idea of the scope of the forces here. Their defenses, and their like. That doesn't mean that they don't find the interesting side journey, now and again ...

8. But I have promises to keep - The Warden Fortress

This particular ruin is right between the Bone Tower, and one of the largest camps of Red Templars. Still, the Inquisition Command would like to know what is inside. Do you dare find out?

9. And miles to go before I sleep - open slot for whatever!

See the description! For camping nights, for talks on patrol, for shenanigans. Post it under the heading of 9.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

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After visiting the village and learning of the missing people, Korrin feels justified in continuing the search. She knows where the quarry is, roughly, having passed through some time ago. Attracting too much attention would be suicide and she knows it, but even so, she can't walk away from this situation. They have to find out what the Red Templars are doing with those missing people, and soon.

Anyone's welcome to argue about it, but Korrin's stubbornness will see her going regardless. She won't say no to company, especially those who can provide protection or stealth. More than once, she can be heard muttering under her breath that this is a scouting mission. But who knows whether or not her resolve will truly hold once she learns the truth.

{ 3 }
The houses of Sahrnia give Christine a pang in her chest. The small buildings in bright colors remind her of her own small village from when she was a girl, before her magic manifested and her parents gave her over to the safety of the Templars. The narrow streets, the barking of dogs, it's all very similar. But the destroyed homes with burning debris, a caved in roof here and there, and refugees scattered around? That is entirely different.

Dressed in the clothes Krem made for her as well as a cloak, Christine goes about acting as a merchant, asking what the people need. It's so strange to be seen without a critical eye, as her mage staff is hidden back at camp. She nods along to the requests, knowing she will turn this information over to the Inquisition in the hopes they can drop off supplies. It seems the people here are without hope, trapped between fade rifts and Red Templars. As she walks away, she addresses her fellow scout.

"What do you think about this missing people business? Where are they ending up?"

{ 4 }
It won't be easy, and it's incredibly dangerous, but after examining that body in the Fallow Mire and seeing the red lyrium crystal growing along the man's bones, Christine has needed to know more. And it seems they're in the right place, as there are literally shards and spikes of red lyrium everywhere. She refuses to pass close by it on the off chance she slips and her body touches it, but that doesn't mean it's safe to be around. She needs to see these Templars who are infused with the stuff to see what its done to them.

Carefully, she picks her way up the rocky passes of the area, accepting a hand from one of the Chargers or anyone else along with them. Once they reach a good vantage point, they hunker down to watch.

"Maker, those archers. Is that their skin glowing? Does it effect them differently from the warriors, or will the lyrium erupt from their skin too?"

The first time he glimpses a dragon, it's so far away that Kain is almost certain he imagined it. But he knows the sort of things to watch for, so he stays in place, watching, until... yes there! The movement of the wings and the overall shape are unmistakable. At once, he feels a new sense of determination. There really are dragons in this world and he wants, no needs to get closer... to face it and most likely, end up fighting it.

So now he's very seriously considering parting from the group to go after the creature. He hurries to start packing up his things, making a rushed plan in his mind to be done with the dragon battle before anyone notices...

Korrin's noted that glimpse, and remembers well how Kain has spoken of dragons. She sighs, guessing where this is headed. So much for hoping that on top of everything else in the area, they might manage to avoid dragons. When he hurries away to packing, Korrin just waits near his tent, arms crossed and her staff strapped to her back. He'll emerge at some point, and then they can have a talk about their scouting mission and how that's supposed to be a priority.

Edited 2015-12-13 16:04 (UTC)

1.

The best time, the three of them had agreed, would be just before dawn. Early morning guards were never the sharpest after being roused, and there would be enough light for them to easily see the entire area. Katniss herself had changed into her brown leathers, to better fade into the stone work as necessary.

They were taking the long way around to the Bone Tower, carefully (well as carefully as they could help Sam be) trying to leave no tracks. Katniss paused, frowning as she could see the distant green gleam of a Rift, and put her hand up.

She nodded towards the hint of the fade, torn here, and then nodded towards the opening of the cave. If they hurried, they could make their way across without being noticed.

7.

Going around to the traps was a way for Merrick and Katniss to get a better idea of the numbers of the Templars in Emprise, and Katniss for one liked stretching her legs. She had never been outside of Fereldan, and looking out into the wide valley, where Orlais beckoned, seemed to be a dream.

She was looking out while Merrick was checking a trap, when she caught sight of something dark in the snow. She frowned, moving down the slope, before she let out a soft noise. "Ah .... no. Merrick! Merrick, come here. There's a dead Dalish here ..."

Merrick and Katniss could have probably covered ground more quickly on their own, but after some discussion everyone had agreed that it was safer if they brought another with them. The choices had quickly been between him and Christine because they were healers, and in the end they had chosen him since he would have an easier time in a small group to defend them without the use of a staff.

While it was a bit frustrating that he was not as good as the other two at this, it was obvious that Sam was trying his best and slowly picking up on how to do things. At least he was good at following the silent commands and movements they were using to make decisions.

Sam nods back his understanding, ready to move for the cave. It would figure that a rift would be around here.

"They went to the mines for work, didn't they? What if they never left?"

Korrin frowns, having hung back and let Christine do the talking so she wouldn't intimidate anyone out of giving information. She paces, ill at ease without a staff on her back even though the reasoning for leaving it behind was sound.

"I want to investigate. Between that and the Red Templar domination of the area, it can't mean anything good. This might be the best chance to bring back substantial information."

"That does seem to be the simplest answer, doesn't it? Otherwise surely someone would have seen something." The crisp air has Christine pulling her cloak tighter around herself, looking much the same as Korrin does right now, a frown pulling at her lips.

"I'm no master of stealth, but I want to get to the bottom of things too. Surely there must be someone who knows more than the rest. Of course, it may be that that someone is involved in the disappearances, so we must use caution."

"More complications. Wonderful." But she nods at Christine, approving of her caution. At this point, their primary mission is still to scout and she's doing her best to keep that in mind.

"You're better at talking to people than I am, less likely to arouse their suspicion, too. Keep that up. I can scout a bit ahead and meet you at the edge of town?"

"I'm glad you think so. It's been so long since I've lived in a village like this." Thankfully she's been gaining plenty of experience talking to people outside of a Circle since coming to the Inquisition. Otherwise her social skills would be far worse, and that isn't the impression she wants to give while pretending to be a merchant.

"All right. Let's meet in say... an hour?"

"An hour, then. I'm supposed to be a hunter, so I suppose I ought to appear as though I'm doing just that." At least Korrin knows how to fire a bow well enough to fool the average onlooker into thinking she uses one for a living. She nods, ready to see this through. "Alright, good luck and be careful."

Words that perhaps Korrin should also live by, but probably won't. She departs to have a look at the path ahead, and a bit further. As long as she keeps those red lyrium spires in sight, the Vashoth mage doubts she'll be that far off-course.

"Thank you. And you, as well." And with that, she walks around the town, questioning people under the guise of wanting a new location to set up shop. She's warned away by many, called mad by some, but the story is all the same. They're trapped in this place by the fade rifts that have appeared since the Breach formed, and even if they managed to sneak past the demons, there are red Templars around -- monsters, the people say.

Eventually she is directed to Mistress Poulin, the leader of the town. Christine is a little surprised to be told to meet with such a person, but once she enters the woman's home, she sees that she's suffering just like everyone else. Most of the furniture is gone, probably burned as firewood. While Christine learns that Poulin owns the nearby quarry, she can offer no insight into where the missing have gone. When asked why she hasn't sent anyone after her village's citizens, Poulin reasons that they would likely never return too. It's a conversation that gains little and sensing it's time to meet back up with Korrin anyway, Christine takes her leave.

As she heads towards the outskirts, the spikes of red lyrium from the ground increase, and she can see why the villagers are so terrified. It seems as if red Templars will spring out of these spikes, reborn, at any moment.

Korrin's search is hindered by dodging rifts and Red Templars, not wanting to take on either without her staff and doing her best to adhere to the main mission. She knows the general direction of the quarry, though, and makes her way south until reaching its edge. What she can see from the best angle that can be managed without giving herself away is frustrating; guards and more guards, blocking her view. There's a glimpse of a cage but that's all she can get before realizing that some Red Templars are patrolling too close and it's time to beat a hasty retreat.

Arriving slightly late thanks to the need for a detour, Korrin returns somewhat out of breath. Likely she's been racing all the way back to compensate for extra time spent scouting. Upon spotting Christine, she smiles briefly, though her mind is too distracted for it to linger. "I saw the edge of the quarry. There are far too many guards for me to get a decent look, but I know I saw a cage not far from the entrance. Were the townspeople able to tell you anything more?"

[Kain is so wrapped up in what he’s doing that he looks startled when he realizes Korrin is watching him, giving her the guilty expression of a kid being caught in the midst of something bad.]

Ah. I was just… [Well, nothing he says can make this any less problematic. This is why he always made sure to sneak away when the party slept, back home whenever he had to leave them.] I don’t plan to be gone long. I promise. There’s just… something I must do.

Kain does argue at first, but then he sees the sense in it. "Remember, we must avoid drawing any attention to us." That means they have to leave when the time comes to leave, with or without any freed prisoners. Not that Kain is against trying to help people... but they have to be realistic here.

At first, it seems to be going well enough, they manage to get close enough to finally find where they're holding the captives... Good, this should give them some insight.

It definitely is a dangerous mission to go for, but climbing along treacherous mountain passes is something that he was made for... so Kain agrees to come along to see what they'll find. Kain doesn't know a whole lot about this world yet, though he's learning... and what he's finding out about red lyrium in particular is all awful. Something about the way it looks, coming out of their skin like that, is incredibly repulsive to him.

He keeps his eyes trained on the motion below, watching carefully for signs of trouble. They're at a good spot, though, unseen for the moment.

"I almost don't want to know... but I would think it would be the same for them. I wonder how long it takes before it... worsens noticeably." Is it all at once, or over time before the crystals burst out of them? How painful it must be too...

Korrin sighs, not able to argue with Kain but uncertain of her ability to 'blend in' to complete the mission without any hitch. If she's going to be terrible at that anyway, can't she put that to good use? But first things first. They need to see what's happening before they act.

Upon spotting cages past the entrance, Korrin scowls and grips her staff tightly. It takes all her willpower not to start something right then and there. "Under cover of night, we might have a better chance. I just hope they can last...."

Edited 2015-12-16 02:13 (UTC)

[Korrin just crosses her arms and stares down at him for a moment, because sometimes people need a giant horned woman to eye them disapprovingly.]

You mean you want to chase after the dragon and fight it, right? Watching it is one thing, but what you want is going to attract more attention than we can afford. Typical hunters don't go after dragons, in case you haven't noticed.

"Not really. They directed me to the owner of the quarry, but she was remarkably vague. She sounded properly sorrowful over the missing people, but acted like searching for them was hopeless. It's as if she's fine with letting them go. Such a thing is suspicious, is it not? Those were her workers. She should not consider them a lost cause."

Christine looks the way Korrin came from, as if she could see what Korrin is talking about instead of it being a distance away.

"What kind of cage? To hold dogs, perhaps?"

Christine shakes her head. "There is so much we don't yet know about this. I hope observing them will give us more information." For the moment, the red Templars seem to just be milling around, possible on guard or awaiting orders.

"I wonder if the red lyrium in the ground springs up just from their presence, or if they are consciously doing something."

"I don't know, but I don't like it. I'd like to return under cover of night and have a closer look. What good is a scouting mission if we can't give real information on what's happening? Vague just doesn't cut it."

And Korrin's gut is telling her there's more. Just what, she isn't certain, but since it involves Red Templars in any way, it can't be good. Inaction isn't her strong point, so whatever she can do will have to happen soon.

8. The Ruins

Red lyrium. Just seeing the stuff made his skin crawl, and actually being near it made his head spin and his stomach clench. As much as he would have preferred to go a different way, this was the only clear path through; just don't touch it right? Hard though with how it was jutting out of the walls, the ceiling, and the ground.

The lot of them go through it without issue, but it is clear that they're all a bit disturbed to see the stuff and in such quantities. Eerily beautiful along the pristine snow.

While the red lyrium isn't an unusual site for them - just a cautious one - the large double doors placed into the side of the hill, beneath a jutting slab of earth, is. As is the camp to the other side, everything - including the inhabitant - burnt to a crisp.

"What do you suppose happened here?"

9. Camp [Two parts]
First arrival:

They had been getting ready for a meal when some of their communication stones had gone off. The sound of rushing water was a bit amusing - were they teasing them about all the frozen water they were surrounded by? The smiles are short-lived though when a calm, but obviously disturbed voice comes through with the words 'The Undercroft is holding.' and then something screeching in the background.

Korrin is the first to respond back, finding out for the lot of them what was going on. A battle? Were they under attack? Sam isn't sure whether the answer is better or worse.

Abomination. The meal is forgotten for the time as they all hang onto Korrin's and the voice's words.

At the sound of more crashes, Sam shares a look with Korrin and Christine, feeling a sinking sensation in his stomach. When the communication finally stops, the camp is eerily quiet. Not able to take the news standing up any more, Sam finds himself a boulder to sit on, putting his face in his hands.

Another time in camp [Feel free to throw in #6 here if you want]

Mornings were rough - unless he had the last night shift- not wanting to really get up from the semi-balance of warmth he had found during the night. The only things that probably made it bearable was being able to find game for their meals and the sun slowly rising in the sky, warming you if you stayed in its rays.

Evening were also pretty rough, what with the temperature dropping drastically once the sun left the sky. While they did have a couple fires to cook and to warm up by they still had to be careful of making sure they weren't seen - thankfully they were behind a snow bank which blocked their camp from view on one side.

Katniss had gone pale, listening to the voices through the communication crystal. Her mind leapt to all those she had left behind - and Maker Be Damned, why she let herself begin to care? She folded her arms tightly over her stomach, staring off at the distance until the noise stops.

Then she looks around at the others.

Sam is the closest to her, and without a word she walks over to him and puts a hand on his arm. This has to be worse for the mages - one of their own had fallen and taken out more of their friends. She herself was worried for her mage friends, her non-mage friends ... about any of the common folk - the servants that might have been caught in the crossfire...

She was scared. They were all scared. So she squeezed Sam's arm gently again, to let him know he wasn't alone.

Edited 2015-12-16 14:11 (UTC)

Stealth isn't Korrin's strong suit, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that night would give them more cover during their investigations. When it's dark enough, she's gathering whoever is willing to join in and reading back toward the mine entrance. They stand no chance of reaching the heart of the mine itself, but they can at least investigate the outskirts. Not content with merely observing this time, Korrin brings her staff. Battle seems likely, and she's not going to be caught without an effective weapon.

As the entrance comes within sight, Korrin slows her approach to observe as much of the guards' movements as she can before they attempt anything. Her voice is pitched low, quiet so as not to attract attention. "We need to get in there and find out what's happening in the mines. If anyone has suggestions, now is the time. Let's not waste this chance."

Katniss volunteers because, well, perfect opportunity to teach the mages a little stealth. She doesn't want to get caught and she most certainly does not want to die because they do not know how to get around without keeping silent.

She's not pleased that Korrin brought her staff, and she kneels near her as she peers out into the darkness, counting the guards. Then she looks at the stone outcroppings, and nods.

"Up there. Best vantage point. We can see down into each area of the mines." She gives Korrin a stern look, "Remember, the deaths have to look like accidents."

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Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening

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Re: 8 and 9

2/3 merge, at nightfall?

Volunteers as First Tribute ... haaaaaah....