OPEN - Rooks, Pawns, Bishops and Knights

[madame_de_fer]

WHO: Vivienne and OPEN
WHAT: Catchall post for Madame de Fer to get to know the players great and small in the Inquisition.
WHEN: Wintermarch, all month
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: There's a specific bit for the Council members, but the remainder is open to everyone. Anyone who's been wanting CR with Viv, feel free to assume your character got one of the vaunted invites and tag in!

For the Council
Early in Wintermarch, all members of the Council receive a gilded paper invitation. No impersonal sending crystal for this message. The contents invite all the Councilors to join Madame de Fer at the hot spring for a day of relaxation and massage. To her mind, this is no frivolous social gathering meant to impress or irritate the others. (Though if either of those become true, that is useful as well.) There needs to be a dialogue enough amongst them that they do not dither away precious time and resources having to renegotiate their relationships upon meeting. That and none of them are any use to the Inquisition if they are tired, weary, and not well taken care of.

Some of her most comfortable chairs and lounging couches have been brought to the hot spring, and tables set with with a full tea service, both sweet and savory, and a few bottles of champagne. There's even imported Antivan cheese wheels, for the eyes, not for snacking. She is determined not to be caught out letting any of the others languish behind in attending to the important business of self-care. Anyone who brings up anything of a political or divisive nature, however, will find that they are most unwelcome. Relaxation and learning more is the point, not to posture and jockey. Not today.


For the Advisors and Companions
All the advisors and previous companions of the Herald likewise receive Spa Day invitations, albeit the day after the Council. Thank the Maker Sera is not around to make a mockery of such generosity. Knowing that Cullen is most likely to be the most stubborn about leaving that musty office of his, Vivienne plans to drag him along by the ear like an errant child if he dawdles too long in arriving.


Open to All, All Month
Before everyone can scatter to the four winds on business following the start of the new year, Vivienne sets out to some business of her own. She needs to know as much as she can about anyone within the Inquisition who might be a considerable piece in the Game, whether they are aware of such or not. Invitations to join her at her balcony begin to go out to anyone of interest: mages, templars, second sons of minor nobles, people from out of the rifts. For those whose invitation falls in the mid-afternoon, it is to join her for tea. Others receive invites for drinks, well after the dinner hour, but clearly with the intent of having uninterrupted time for getting to know the other better. As much as anyone is allowed to learn more about the Iron Lady.

Comments

[el_tybs]

At seeing the beckoning wave, Sam slowly, but purposefully makes his way over to where she's standing. There's a moment of hesitation when she mentions that she's been wishing to talk to him for 'some time', his feet bringing him to the door leading out onto the balcony before stopping.

"What were you interesting in meeting me about?" It's a bit hard for him to believe that anyone would specifically seek him out, especially someone of her stature and skill.

[madame_de_fer]

He's direct and she actually respects that. In fact, Vivienne can appreciate that most people will find her invitations mildly suspect and would be right to do so, given her reputation at large. He's not rude in questioning her motives, however, so she doesn't turn peevish herself.

"I'm attempting to acquaint myself with all the mages we have present in the Inquisition. I fear there's so many I don't know and that I'm neglecting them terribly. A problem that I intend to remedy. Though that does make me wonder, are your needs being sufficiently seen to?"

There is an admission in there that Vivienne has more or less appointed herself with the responsibility of seeing to the welfare of every mage in Skyhold, be they loyalist, rebels or outright apostates. Her own beliefs lie firmly in the necessity of the Circles, but that is in line with her desiring the best for every mage.

[el_tybs]

Was his needs being seen to? The question catches Sam by surprise, having not expected such a thing to be asked. Then again he didn't come here expecting anything in particular. Seeing as she has asked and making it a point to find out, Sam gives it some serious consideration, hands lifting up to rest on his hips as he does so.

"I would say they are. The Inquisition makes sure there's food and is trying to get roofs over everyone's heads." Those were important, and anything else Sam made sure to see to himself. He was one that never liked to be overly reliant on one thing in particular. "And yourself, Madame de Fer? Is everything up to your expectations?"

[madame_de_fer]

Honesty is not always the best policy. Or more precisely, almost never a good policy when playing the Game. Although in this particular instance, some truth but not the whole of it is not out of line to share. It's not the lack of refined furnishings, musical salons, or lengthy enlightened discussions on matters academic or theological that troubles Vivienne as one might expect.

"I'm pleased with the progress being made seeing to the base needs of our people: shelter, food, adequate attire for the cold. I simply fear we are not doing nearly enough to provide for the training and educational needs of our mages. A young mage without care or knowledge is so vulnerable and there is a shocking lack of qualified or willing mentors among us."

It does not help in the least that many who would have been qualified either abandoned their Circles or were killed in the rebellion.

[el_tybs]

For the most part, Sam can agree with the woman, but one particular word sticks out to him. "Vulnerable?" He has a pretty good idea in which Madame de Fer is referring to, and in some way it probably would have been better just to leave it where it was if he guessed right. Even so he does ask, wanting it to be clear on what they were talking about.

[madame_de_fer]

"Indeed." There is no point, in her mind, to belabor the point that all mages enter the Fade and risk possession in their sleep. Nor that the young and untrained are the most vulnerable to possession among them, not having the tools with which to protect themselves. "It goes beyond matters of possession. Thedas fears mages, with good cause now more than ever, and would lash out against them. Our youth must be given adequate training to avoid becoming a casualty of the fearful masses."

Nothing is so horrific than watching a mob demand the death of a child for having inadequate control over their magic.

[el_tybs]

She's right and makes an excellent point about the fear of magic. Clearly there are exceptions, but for the most part the majority of Thedas did fear anyone with such abilities, especially now that the Chantry had no leader.

"I can see that there would be a lack of willing volunteers to mentor, but also a lack of qualified? Exactly what do you need to have or show to qualify?"

[madame_de_fer]

There's matters of opinion, and then matters of facts. Vivienne would quite prefer that no one be mentoring the young who were going to fill their heads with anti-Circle bile. She is, however, all too aware that such a requirement in her opinion is quite unlikely to be the standard in these days. Not until the Circles are rightly restored as they were meant to be. That is her opinion. Facts have a different impact and it is these which she addresses.

"In the Circle, no one would be asked to mentor the apprentices until they had passed their Harrowing. We now find ourselves in a position not to enforce that as a minimum standard of magical proficiency. My greater concern is that our children have survived the most horrific of times and are frightened. And that a great many of the men and women who should have been available to them for solace and guidance have been far too busy making their malcontent known to pause and consider how to aid anyone but themselves."

She does not hold a terribly high opinion of the rebel mages, clearly. But there is a point there. Anyone too absorbed with their burning need to violently throw off shackles -perceived or otherwise- to consider people dependent on them, cannot be trusted in a place of responsibility.

"If we are to talk qualifications, we need upstanding men and women who are capable of seeing past their own nose, with a respectable demonstration of their own magical capabilities, and a delicate hand dealing with our traumatized youth."

[el_tybs]

If it was a matter of opinion that was brought up Sam would be first to mention that even if she wanted the mentors to not fill young heads with anti-Circle 'bile' the same could be said that they shouldn't be brainwashed to think that the Circles were the only way to learn. It's good that they're just dealing with facts.

Reluctantly Sam has to nod that that seems to be an issue, many concerned about themselves or rather concerned about how mages should be treated and the like, but too occupied with fighting about it. They were important issues, but that did leave some left in the dark.

Still the qualifications do have Sam raising a brow feeling that she is trying to suggest something. "Has there been no one that meets the qualifications?"