CLOSED | the perfect stormrider.

[poleaxed]

WHO: Erik Stephens, Gabranth, Diana, Benedict, Edgard, Tiffany, Dick & Jone.
WHAT: The Gang Fights A Dragon.
WHEN: Cloudreach.
WHERE: The Thenuviet estate on the Exalted Planes.
NOTES: if something looks wonky or is misspelled, please know I’m typing this on mobile & have mercy.

GETTING THERE isn’t a short journey, and they’re hardly traveling in comfort. Most of the horses are carrying equipment, armor, weaponry, and anything else those volunteered for this expedition thought to include. And there’s camping equiptment. Anyone who said the travel overland involved staying at inns was lying. Inns are notoriously stuffed with murderers, anyway.

Every night, there’s a campfire and food. Sometimes it’s fresh caught, but if it is, Jone certainly didn’t catch it. Just as likely that it’s rations, salt pork and jerky and whatever dried fruits and nuts Riftwatch can spare.

There’s a STOP AT A BATHHOUSE in the town near the Thenuviet estate, however. It’s stupid, they’re just going to dirty themselves up later, but presentation is important to these people.

Surely all of you brought fancy dress and masks, because IT’S TIME TO SCHMOOZE. There’s a small party of Orlesians dressed to their finest, having a cozy little soirée on the edge of a cliff. Literally on the edge. Don’t indulge too much in the fine wines and cheeses, because there’s a dragon waiting, but for now? It’s never a bad idea to look good in front of rich people of influence. At least, not these days.

Eventually, it’s time to move forward, which means PREPARING FOR BATTLE. Climbing down the cliff is easy stuff, if you’re good with rope or have basic upper body strength. But now is probably the time to set up any traps, get in good positions... because it’s not long before the party on the cliff above begins to cheer.

...Because a few dead swine are unceremoniously kicked off the cliff to fall into the ravine now filled with you and yours.

The cheers from the cliff face only increase as loud thrashing, howling sounds start and become increasingly closer. How long have they been feeding the dragon like this?

But then it’s DRAGON KILLING TIME. You probably know how that goes. Stormriders are huge, dark scaled, and shoot thunder instead of fire. This one is angry you’ve interrupted lunch time.

AFTERWARD, it’s time to heal, take a breath, poke around the dragon bits for fancy heirlooms, and climb back up that cliff.

Comments

[altusimperius]

"Yes," he replies frankly, "...though they like the metaphorical ones too. It's called The Game, what they do, social machinations. Everyone talks about it like it's very clever, but it always struck me as a massive waste of time."

[truthtied]

"Political maneuverings as well, I would imagine," Diana says with a disapproving hum, "I wouldn't call it a waste of time, but I can not hold with referring to something like this as a game. These people are responsible for the lives of others, they're hardly children playing with toys."

[altusimperius]

"You're in for a treat," he remarks under his breath.

"Hopefully you won't get the worst of it, in this case. At least, if it's not enough that they're congregating just to watch us risk our lives for bloodsport."

He can be cavalier about it, presently, because he's braiding someone's hair in a bath house; no doubt his attitude will change when they're closer to the fact.

[truthtied]

She makes a sigh that's almost a laugh. "Well, so long as our part in their entertainment makes them look favorably at Riftwatch, I suppose it will be worthwhile."

She doesn't sound particularly convinced. "And it would be bad if the dragon destroyed any villages."

Which is obviously more important.

[altusimperius]

"I suppose so, as long as they decide to put their money where their mouths are. I imagine Jone knows what she's doing, petitioning them for an audience like this."

He furrows his brow.

"...do you have dragons, where you're from?"

[truthtied]

"I'm sure. She's a very capable woman." Said with an easy sort of confidence.

"Not many, as far as I know. Certainly not enough to act as a menace to general populations. They live mostly in legends and stories. I was under the impression they're not unheard of in this world?"

[altusimperius]

"Not only not unheard of, the whole age is named after them." He smirks, tying off a braid and moving on to another.

"They had vanished, for a while. But the first sighting of a High Dragon in centuries heralded the Dragon Age. Now they're as common as... I don't know. Brontos."

Maybe not that common, but the point stands.

[truthtied]

She has to assume that means they're common, given she's only a vague idea of what a bronto is.

"That's strange. You don't often hear about such large creatures vanishing and then reappearing suddenly." Unless there's gods involved. "Are they magic?"

Which is the next best question since Thedas seems rather invested in appearing monotheistic.

[altusimperius]

"I think so. They're... I don't know." He pauses, realizing he actually doesn't know.

"They're magical somehow. And when the Old Gods awaken, and come out of the earth during a Blight, they manifest as dragons. But not all dragons are Old Gods. I think most of the time, they're just animals."

[truthtied]

"Old Gods?" Diana startles a little. She perhaps shouldn't be surprised, but well... It has been oddly peaceful without also constantly worrying about the gods.

[altusimperius]

"Yeah, but. Don't worry."

Benedict pauses his braiding momentarily to wave his hand in dismissal.

"We'd know if one were thinking about surfacing."

[truthtied]

"That is..." Not comforting, because it isn't. "Good to know." She changes direction, more curious now: "Are there not still people who worship these old gods?"

[altusimperius]

"Oh, there are." And most of them are from my homeland, hooray, he does not say.

"Corypheus, the man-- the-- thing we're fighting against, um, he was a high priest of Dumat, the Dragon of Silence."

He pauses, with a sigh.

"...it's a Tevinter thing. Some people think they're still around, instead of the Maker, but it's controversial."

[truthtied]

Well.

"Such is to be expected. Gods rarely disappear so easily, even in the face of a more widespread faith." Olympus certainly proved that much. "So long as we're fighting a priest and not the god himself. War is complicated enough."