faderift | Project Sashamiri: Peculiar Weather We're Having

Entry tags:

Project Sashamiri: Peculiar Weather We're Having

WHO: Alais, Sawbones, and Aleksei, guest starring Julius
WHAT: A team resumes looking into the freak weather for going on five years in Emprise du Lion.
WHEN: Various points in August
WHERE: Mostly Emprise du Lion
NOTES: OOC post here; no warnings for now.

Julius is apologetic, when he briefs the group, that he is giving them relatively little to go on. Whether it was a sparse report or simply the lack of anything relevant to include in it, earlier attempts to get at what is keeping Emprise du Lion's weather unnaturally frosty have turned up nothing actionable. He gives them a fair amount of leeway, with the gentle reminder that Riftwatch is currently trying to shore up its reputation for helping Orlais. It's hard to say what will constitute success when even the project leader isn't quite certain what they're looking for, but he suggests that even a solid idea of where to look will be appreciated.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When they arrive to investigate, the team finds that few people in the area have been there longer than a few years. The original residents have moved on, largely because their livelihoods depended on trade that used a now largely unnavigable river. A few were just sick of the ongoing deep freeze, or of the bands of Red Templars that still occasionally sweep through. A few hardy (or stubborn) locals still hang on.

This doesn't mean there is no one to talk to, however. Hunters have moved in to take advantage of the changing fauna that can weather even the slight thaws of summer. And some creative entrepreneurs are making a tidy profit through a system that lets them transport ice down the mountain to hotter areas where it is in high demand.

A bit of asking around identifies one of the men involved in this enterprise the longest; Roger Deschamps has been in the area at least four years, and possibly longer, depending on who the team asks. When they find him, he's not far outside the village proper, receiving a report from a more junior man. He's maybe 40 or so, dressed warmly and sensibly, with the air of someone busy but not stressed.

They cut an odd picture, a motley crew even by Riftwatch standards. Sawbones stands very tall in her Chantry habit and robes, which doesn't do very much for her height to begin with, without considering how far she sinks into the snow.

Her tone is all crisp business when she says, "Thank you for agreeing to speak with us, Monsieur Deschamps, we won't take too much of your time."

"Of course." There's a brief moment when he turns in which they can see him register the three of them, potentially comparing them against his expectations, and diplomatically filing whatever reaction he has away. His Orlesian accent is on the light side, suggesting a man who has spent a long while traveling, speaking Trade, or both.

"I'm not sure how much I'll be able to help you, but it does no one any good to have the red lyrium cropping up all over. I admit, the ice isn't so much a problem for me personally," with a smile, "but it's increasingly apparent we cannot have the one without the other. And the Red Templars are getting bolder too, which serves none of us. What do you want to know?"

He glances at Aleksei out of the corner of his eye, as if subtly trying to place someone he'd met before. Still, his question seems relatively genuine, if direct.

Aleksei is thriving in the cold. He hasn't said so aloud, but it seems to him there isn't very much to fix in this situation. Alas, being useful means appearing sympathetic to such matters. And smiling warmly in response to that glance, even as he immediately tries to calculate whether or not he could be known to this man. Has he ever thieved from this particular merchant...

"We are hoping for any information that could help us to end this snowstorm," Aleksei says smoothly. "Of course, I am no researcher but my colleagues here are very interested."

Okay, maybe not Sawbones. Alais, it's all on you.

"You've been here four years?"

Tevene is seldom spoken, but continents carry patterns; though swaddled in Southern coats, Alais' speech is as plainly foreign as it's uncertain. She hangs back a step or two behind the pair.

"Did anyone tell you about when this came on?" People brag, people talk. "Did winter simply not end, or -"

Or what? A snowball? An explosion?

"- All at once?"

There's gold in their pockets, should anyone clam up. There's not a lot of it.

"On and off, four years," he agrees. Her foreignness doesn't seem to put him off particularly. "I was not here to see the very beginning for myself, but when I first came, there were more of the original residents still holding on. Mostly the stubborn ones; a lot of people were shaken up by being captured or having family captured by the red templars. The ones who were here from the beginning say the cold was sudden, but not everywhere at once. It seemed colder in some places than others, and the cold reached more areas over time."

He is clearly trying to place Aleksei while not seeming rude, which results in mainly eye contact with Alais and a few furtive glances.

Aleksei's smile widens. Maybe inappropriate, maybe not. No one's dead of mostly unending winter, so what's the harm in enjoying this man's struggle? It doesn't matter very much to Aleksei.

"Well, we can tell you are very well established, so who better to speak to?"

As he continues to make direct eye-contact.

"Can you recall if there was any type of pattern to the storms? Or perhaps areas that were more affected than others?"

"Particularly those temperature differences," pipes up Sawbones, only a mildly curious glance passing from Deschamps to Aleksei.

He glances to Sawbones, whatever his train of thought is momentarily breaking. "Some places still thaw a bit; some practically never do. This time of year it's easier to tell. If you're looking for the colder parts they're largely southeast from here, I think. We're mainly working up the mountain; stays cold up there too, but fewer rougue groups of Red Templars wandering around making trouble."

Suddenly, with the visual equivalent of an ah-HA, he turns back to Alexei. "I know, we've met before. Your clan was out here to trade about a year ago, yes?"

"Of course. I had wondered if you found us so forgettable."

Was it his clan? It might have been. A little thing like fact isn't going to stop Aleksei from immediately seizing upon an opportunity presented to him.

"I'd been telling these fine ladies just how steadfast and trustworthy you were, after our last dealings. Don't let me down now."

With a wink.

This is less fun when Doki isn't present to enjoy the joke with him, but still, it's a little bit fun.

Aleksei winks, and Alais glances slowly from the Trader to Sawbones. Did they fuck? Should the two of them go?

Sawbones' glance tracks from Aleksie to the Trader to Alais, eyebrows raised. She tips her head slightly to suggest that it definitely seems like they fucked and maybe the two of them should start inching their way out of this conversation.

"Not forgettable at all," Deschamps assures him. "I only didn't expect you in a smaller, more cosmopolitan group." Look, he's Orlesian. "But I would be delighted to do business with your clan again, if you are inclined to further trade. In the meantime, unfortunately my men can't spare me to show you myself. But if it would help, I could sketch you a map, from here to the places it nearly never thaws? I'm not sure if it will help you, but I'm happy to do what I can."

Alais tugs once — insistently — at Aleksei's sleeve, before politely edging out. Get that map, hot stuff.

Ah, so he is being left to his own devices. Aleksei crowds in closer in, smiling as if delighted to be left in charge of the proceedings.

And he is, somewhat. It's just strange that the proceedings are not "rob this man blind."

"I will have to reconcile myself to the disappointment. I remember you as being good company."

Aleksei gestures sweepingly towards the battered table. There is a small pouch at the edge that might be promising, and more easily lifted than the one on Deschamps' hip. But no, no. He must restrain himself.

"Please, if you would be so kind. Your help in this would be most appreciated when next we come to trade."

Sorry, future avvar clan.

Sawbones likely edges out politely, although she lightly kicks Aleksei's boot in a way to communicate don't steal anything we gotta sleep here still.

Deschamps moves to fetch some paper and ink. "Well, I expect to be here for some weeks; perhaps your business will bring you back this way. Regardless, I expect there will be other chances, in the future."

His tone is businesslike, though warm enough. Whoever he thinks Aleksei is, it's not enough for him to entirely abandon his earlier manner, apparently. He starts to sketch a bare bones map, labeled mainly with landmarks in neat lettering.

"I'm not a cartographer, unfortunately, so this won't be precisely to scale. But if you start off following the river, it should be straightforward enough. You'll be able to feel in the air if it's getting colder, after all." He glances up at Aleksei, and adds, "I suppose you're not totally unfamiliar with the area, either, which should help."

Stoically pretending not to have noticed the kick to his boot, Aleksei edges just a little bit closer to Deschamps. The pouch is still in his sightline, though he has tipped his head attentively towards the sketching.

"Yes, my familiarity with the terrain is why those charming ladies consulted me. I was, of course, happy to help once I heard they'd planned on stopping here."

With a meaningful look at the end of the statement.

"And here, are there any markers past this point?"

This is at least a more serious question, even if Aleksei's hand bumps Deschamps as he reaches to tip the map towards him to better indicate the area in question.

Once it's clear that the cold is not uniform across the area, the trio start looking for places where nothing has ever thawed. As it's summer, it's easier than it might have otherwise been to compare areas where bits of greenery boldly poke through the dusting of snow to those where it might as well be the depth of Wintermarch. They eventually come to a rock face that, on closer inspection, seems to be the mouth of a cave. The cold is more intense here; unfortunately, getting into the cave may prove challenging, as a rockslide has covered most of the entrance. A small opening remains at the top, too narrow for even a dwarf to wriggle through at present. Locals have mentioned avoiding the area, which means the Riftwatch agents are effectively on their own if they want to try to get in.

"So it seems that is where we must go," Aleksei says after a moment, their examinations of the area coming to a close. The cold is bracing, but he seems undaunted by it. "Do you suppose our hosts have explosives they'd part with?"

But they do have a mage. Aleksei's gaze shifts to her expectantly from his perch at the top of the rock pile. If it were him and Yevdokiya here, the course of action would be much more straight forward. But they are representing Riftwatch, and maybe large explosions or giving up on the entire venture are both frowned upon. Surely Sawbones is here to guide them on that front.

Alais pushes the hair from her eyes, peering to the top,

"If there's lyrium in there," Thoughtfully. Explosives aren't a bad idea. "We might not like the results."

"Do you have rope?"

"Reckon if we stand farther back, it'd be fine," Sawbones says, squinting up at the hole and then turning to set her pack down and rummage through it. She produces the rope, neatly coiled, and holds it out to Alais saying, "Worse that could happen is triggering another landslide, I think."

Which was reasonably bad as these things went, but it was cold enough that the prospect of being buried under rock seemed appealing.

"What are you thinking to do with the rope?"

Aleksei is still comfortably stood atop the rubble, idly kicking at the opening. The force doesn't much widen it, but it's some kind of minor progress.

"I would think we'd need the rope only after we used the explosives."

There's a brief, calculating look at Alais. Can she make an explosion? Mages are usually good for that sort of thing.

“If you set off lyrium explosives,” Rubbing the rope between her hands, considering. “Next to a cave full of lyrium, I don’t think we can stand far back enough.”

And spells, being enhanced by lyrium —

“But we can find out first.” Probably. Somehow. “It gives off a lot of heat, right? Even here. We rope some ice and dangle it in. See how quickly it melts, and if it doesn’t, then boom.”

A hopeful look to Sara, as if seeking approval on this totally definitely sound idea.

"If it's a big exposed vein, probably," Sawbones says, a little dubious. She's never been around enough raw lyrium to notice if there's any particular heat, "We don't have to blast the whole mountain side, just a hole big enough for the three of us oughta work."

"It does," Alais insists — a bit more primly (the know-it-all's assertion of dominance). "Who'd like to fetch the explosives?"

And who's helping her rope some ice. She spreads her palms apart, and the cord lifts, coiling between them as a snake.

"I will lower the ice, if you toss it up to me."

Which leaves the Chantry sister to get the explosives. If the picture is strange, Aleksei doesn't seem to register the humor in it.

"Maybe we try for a very small explosion. Are we able to control the size or is it all or nothing?"

The real question, Aleksei realizes, is whether or not they're concerned with salvaging whatever is inside. Perhaps they aren't going to transport the lyrium, but if there is anything in with the lyrium, Enchanter Julius might wish to look at it.

Aleksei has some mild curiosity, but that's neither here nor there. It sounds like nothing they'll find is going to be easy to sell.

"Reckon they won't give us enough for a large explosion. We just need to make the hole big enough for us to get through anyway."

Which will be easier for her rather than the other two, but she'll still high off to get some explosives. Because this is a reasonable enough plan considering it's freezing and they don't have the time to make a production out of this.

Julius was expecting, at best, a few names of people to talk to or some samples to send along to the Research division. Their actual results are something else again. "First things first: None of you were hurt, I trust." A question, though he doesn't state it that way.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Project Sashamiri: Peculiar Weather We're Having

A frozen heart worth mining

no subject

no subject

no subject

yikes sorry i was starting ac

I had a moment I was worried I broke the plot somehow

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

You're getting colder

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Collaborate and listen