MOD PLOT ↠ BLAZING LIKE STAR-SHINE

[faderifting]

WHO: All characters signed up to participate in the Battle of Ghislain
WHAT: The Inquisition faces off against the armies of Corypheus
WHEN: Covers most of the day on 11.28 (forward-dated)
WHERE: The Fields of Ghislain, Orlais
NOTES: This is Post #1, covering the battle itself and the retreat. It contains top-levels for each of the teams and an open prompt for the retreat. The OOC post with more information/explanation is HERE. If you're not sure which team your character is on, there's a LIST. POST #2 covers the aftermath of the battle.

Scouts accurately report the enemy's movements: after a slight slow-down believed to indicate that word reached the of the Allies' sudden appearance in their path, they have elected to remain on-course, and arrive almost precisely when and where they were expected. By sunset the night before they are making camp just over the rise to the northeast, easily visible from the hill, and as night falls their fires can be seen winking along the horizon, a close-packed glow.

The mood in the camp is tense, openly jittery rather than the tightly-wound nerves of the past month, but with a sense almost of relief that after so much preparation and so many weeks of anticipation, the day has finally arrived. Some corners of the camp, particularly the greener recruits and the Antivan veterans, are raucous around their campfires, singing and drinking, playful brawls breaking out, but commanders are strict about the wine rations, and even those who choose to take the edge of this way make an early night of it. A scattered handful of men attempt to quietly slip away during the night, mostly Orlesian conscripts, but a few Inquisition agents as well. Some succeed, but others are caught and imprisoned--the Inquisition's few held to be returned to Skyhold where it can be determined if they are traitors or merely cowards, the Orlesians only as long as it takes to find a tree and an audience to watch them hang and spread the cautionary tale.

It is expected that the enemy, hoping to make up for its surprise at finding the Allies prepared for their arrival, will attempt to catch them off-guard by attacking before dawn instead of waiting, as is traditional, for first light. They are all roused from their beds to form up in the dim grey as quietly as possible, moving into formation in the wet grass, a heavy morning fog lingering on the field ahead. It's cool and raw, the air still. But the ground moves: the shudder and rumble of hooves striking earth, felt before it is heard. The Orlesians raise their pikes, the front line braces, and it begins.

---

TEAMS 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • RETREAT
Team members can break off into smaller groups within their top-level prompts—it doesn’t need to be one 13-character thread—and the retreat is an open free-for-all.

Comments

[indissection]

Sidony recognises Venatori, at least; she is not entirely ignorant in this war, even if she might act otherwise. Spellcasters are generally bad news for her, unarmed and untrained as she is, and woefully she wishes her brother was here. Even as a Mortalitasi he would be of use, to protect her, to defend her, to make sure that she was safe once sunlight turned to dusk. She's not a child any longer, but she is not quite capable of defending herself.

It's the spell that catches her off guard, and the motion of Skadi moving forward. The ice surges out at the two of them and she gasps, eyes wide, almost dropping her things as she stares.

"Madame!"

[aceso]

"Merde!" Christine mutters under her breath, dropping the linens and pulling out her spirit blade before surging forward with an ice spell of her own to hold the incoming forces at bay. She reaches the Avvar's side and shouts, "Skadi?" to see if she's still cognizant of her surroundings. There isn't much time, but her spirit blade is charged should any more projectiles come flying their way. Hopefully that will be enough to extract Skadi back with them.

[iceblade]

Skadi tries to deflect the blast with her blade...but she's out of time, having spent it just to place herself ahead of Sidony. The swirling shards of ice mostly strike her armor and embed themselves there, but a large one strikes her head straight on, with a force that sends her flat on her back. Pain is all she can feel...and then her eyes roll back into her head, and she goes limp. She feels nothing more, her form chilled and unresponsive.

[indissection]

"No!" Sidony is quick to move, lurching forward and dropping down to Skadi's side. The fabrics are gone and her hands are trailing over the woman quickly, trying to search for some kind of pulse, some kind of sign that she is alive and breathing. It comes quickly and she tilts her head to look at Christine, frowning. Magical damage likely needs magical healing, so she is powerless here. "She is alive."

[aceso]

Christine nods, eyeing the forces headed their way. She quickly lays a new barrier across the three of them as she ponders their next move. Skadi is huge, and Sidony and Christine are decidedly not. Even working together, she doubts they can easily drag the woman back, but Christine isn't one to abandon her friends. Swallowing hard, her grip tightens on the hilt of her blade.

"Can you signal anyone on our side to help us move her? In the meantime, I can try to hold them off."