open: mabari crawl.

[cozen]

WHO: Open (with a closed starter)
WHAT: A team takes dog sleds into Ferelden's snowy southern reaches to procure an antidote to poison. So: a Balto knock-off and a game-canon body heat meme.
WHEN: Haring 9:46 (pre-dream plot, so no need to take it into account)
WHERE: Southern Ferelden
NOTES: OOC post. There's a closed starter for people who signed up to talk to the herbalist, but otherwise this is open to anyone, make-your-own-adventure style.

The team's journey takes them from Winter's Breath, in the southern foothills of the Frostback Mountains, to the even-more-southern foothills, just north of where the map they've been given fades into ambiguity and a few depictions of enormous, cold-hardy beasts that may or may not truly exist. There's a smaller village there—Talon Point, named for a jagged rock formation in the surrounding mountains, under the protection of the Bann of Winter's Breath—that serves as a waypoint for traders and travelers to and from Orlais during the few months a year the mountains are traversable and the rest of the year as a conduit for trade with the Avvar and Chasind.

Other than the map, their guides are the dogs themselves. The lead dog for each sled team comes from a locally-bred line of particularly fluffy mabari. They're clever and communicative—albeit a bit less affectionate and more stubborn with these strangers than with their currently-absent masters—and used to making this journey. They know the way to Talon Point; it's a cold, snowy journey that requires making camp in the woods at least once, but otherwise, it's a straightforward trip.

The local accommodations are not much to speak of. With the inn shut up for the winter, the only place anyone can offer them to sleep is a barn. But it does provide a place to come back to, between bouts of splitting up to seek out the herbalist, who lives to the west and further up the mountains, or fanning out to the east to gather eshimeric. It's a reddish lichen that can be found growing in small quantities in the cracks and crevices of rocks, if they aren't covered in snow or if the snow is knocked away. Scraping together enough to allow for one dose and one do-over will take several days of dedicated searching.

The landscape they're searching is inhospitable, to put it lightly: deep canyons with narrow paths carved into their walls just asking for someone to nearly fall off the edge, pockets of dense woods that are difficult to traverse and easy to get lost in, expanses of barren land with no shelter from the wind at all, and frozen rivers and lakes which, of course, may not fully support the weight of someone trying to cross them. The sparse wildlife is mostly typical of the region, but now and then there's something—maybe a wolf, maybe a rabbit—that's unusually aggressive and still showing lingering signs of the blight.

Comments

[acreage]

"Some of it was farmed." His voice is softer now, and if he notices Edgard's frown, he doesn't comment on it. "Safely, sustainably, to help the community. Most of it was set aside as a preserve. To protect the forest, the animals. The government had been planning on paving it over like they did nearly every other green space on the planet. My parents didn't want to let that happen."

[muckspout]

A small smile starts to creep on Edgard's face.

"So, are you saying your family took land from someone powerful to help commoners?"

Edgard never doubted him for a second.

[acreage]

His mouth twitches, like he's trying not to smile. His parents absolutely raised him on Robin Hood, fancied themselves doing much the same.

"Something like that."

[muckspout]

Edgard is lost in thought for a moment. This is the moment that were he no longer in Riftwatch, if he were back with the Invisible Hands, he would say some things to maybe recruit Holden. He is inches away from doing it before he remembers that it no longer exists and they are all gone. Instead all is left is him, the least of them, doing less. He is struck by that loss for a moment and chokes up. He coughs to try to cover it, frightening the cow. He speaks to her quietly again.

"Apologies." He say in reference to the cow. "Your family sounds like they were good people."

[acreage]

The cough gets him to look up, concerned.

"Are you okay?"

[muckspout]

Edgard blushes and tries to concentrate more on milking the cow.

"Yes," He answers. "Just some hay or something flew into my throat." He rubs the side of the cow again. "Looks like she's nearly all out. Ready to lose, my friend?"

A smile lights up his face, all signs of sadness gone.

[acreage]

"Ready as I'll ever be," he says, amused.

But when they line up their pails to see who got more milk — surprisingly, it isn't Edgard. Holden refrains from making any comments, instead glancing at Edgard for his reaction.

[muckspout]

"Now as you can see..."

Edgard stands tall, gives a broad gesture toward the pails when he notices that Holden's is more full. He blinks, drops his hands, astonished. For one moment, he is utterly disappointed and his whole body droops. But, then he blinks again and looks up at Holden with new respect.

"You won." He whispers. "You did grow up with cows. You are a master of milking. You are the new champion." He hoots a laugh, spooking the cow. He grabs Holden's arm and raises it above his head.

"JAMES HOLDEN, COW CHAMPION!" He shrieks. "I owe you a drink."

[acreage]

"I'll collect when we're back in Kirkwall," he says, letting Edgard have his arm for a moment before he's pulling it back. Mainly — for the purpose of reaching out to the cow, rub at its fur calmingly before it tries to run off.

But — he's laughing, so he clearly isn't too bothered by concern.