[ OPEN | PLAYER PLOT ] This is how it feels to take a fall

[illithidnapped]

WHO: Tiffany, Barrow, Astarion and...you??
WHAT: an assignment gone terribly wrong
WHEN: week 5, segueing into week 6 of the plot, just after dragon tracking concluded with a terrible, literal bang
WHERE: the most silent portion of the Silent Plains, nearer to Hasmal, and not far from Tevinter's very nicely constructed base
NOTES: cw for injury, darkness, being stranded, absolute idiocy | OOC POST: here

Previously: having successfully scouted Primus Taxarchis’ base in the Silent Plains, Tiffany, Barrow and Astarion make an unsuccessful escape under the fully alerted watch of the base’s active forces— provoking a near lethal counter attack that sees them crash landing not far away, and forcing the stranded trio to desperately petition for help.

That’s where you come in.




The ravine runs like a crooked gash throughout desert sands, deep and layered, sloping inward at an angle too steep to safely (or reliably) climb. Easy to spot from above, not as easy to get into without breaking an ankle or an arm, and impossible to freely clamber out of once inside: the stone is brittle and flaking to the touch, lean too much on it, and you’ll drop right to the earth along with it.

The caverns connected to it are far more accessible— the only downside is they’re labyrinthine in their knotted nature: it’s easy to reach an end too narrow to be traversed, or so broad that it loops back on where you’ve already been, descending downward in steeper layers, becoming a near honeycombed network at points.

Of course, you also might not be alone in the dark. This territory isn’t as unclaimed as appearances might otherwise suggest, factoring in proximity to the base the three had been previously scouting. Luckily no overwhelming force has been sent to give chase and comb the desert in pursuit, but that’s not to say there aren’t still eyes to be found in the depths of lightless pathways. Armor-clad agents working for the exact same reasons you are, their noses to the trail.

Well. Not the exact same reasons.

The temperature is freezing cold at night, and in the fuller depths of the caverns where light doesn’t reach, that’s a near consistent constant. Firelight might draw attention, for better or worse. Magic, too, and— despite earning the label of Silent— there is wildlife occasionally to be found. Proof of life’s perseverance even in the harshes of places, fleeting and skittish.

Or dangerous.

Whatever approach is taken, one thing is clear throughout: none of this is going to be easy.


[ooc notes:

-The trio rest at the very bottom of those lightless depths where they’d initially fallen, in varying states of wellness and action.

-they’re lacking in supplies, warmth, healing, mounts, protection, a way out— you name it they need it.

-time is a given: none of this will go quickly, so feel free to handwave or assume anything you need to to make your dream threads come true.

-this timeline wise takes place at the end of week five segueing into week 6, when Riftwatch forces are free to head home if they care to, but given that this is technically hostile territory between Primus Taxarchis’ base and Hasmal, it’s probably going to be a deliberate choice if your characters decide to come here.

-pls just don’t do anything to officially alert the nearby base in full, that would be Bad— and super difficult to do from a hole in the ground but mostly just Bad. Otherwise chase your bliss and make your wildest spelunking/survival/heroic fantasies a reality.

-ooc post is here, for all your delving needs and details.]

Comments

a kind of a wildcard, starting with; crystal

[kantikoy]

Well. That would depend.

[ That is... someone's death gurgle, surely, but not Adrasteia's. Her breath comes out a little short from exercion. ]

On what your view is at this moment.

[illithidnapped]

[Ah, the little dove herself. A welcome thing to hear compared to howling wind or the drag of armored boots.]

The same bloody scrap of pitch-dark nothingness I’ve been soaking up for days now.

[His own voice is stiff, suffused with stubborn tensity where it prevails against the urge to sink down and sleep away whatever remains of his vengeful life.]

And no dying Venatori— so already you’re faring better... [A beat, before:] ...unless those are the final, desperate gasps of one of our own.

[Which, for the record, would be bad.]

[kantikoy]

Well considering this one called me knife-ear in Tevene and then tried to set me on fire I feel rather certain they were not with Riftwatch.

[ Just saying. There's a small curse from Adrasteia and the sounds of leather gloves patting fabric. ]

Or with some non-Corypheus aligned forces, seeing as how I'm in my resplendent Warden best.

I'm hoping I'm not that far from you. Is it always dark, where you are?

[illithidnapped]

Mm. Well. At least you're watching him die, darling. So it's not all bad.

[But enough sweet talk.]

Always and ever. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I'll see a speck of sunlight trickling down from...somewhere up above.

It isn't glorious, but it's better than nothing I suppose.

[kantikoy]

I don't like it when enemy combatants make last-ditch efforts to kill be from behind.

[ So she watches them die, and she says a prayer to Andraste, and moves on with her life. ]

Do you remember anything of where you fell? Seeker Hart was able to give me some direction, but...

[ But. She'd like to find her friend, sooner than later. ]

[illithidnapped]

[And he'd like to see his friend, sooner rather than later, if he's being honest.

But honesty's for chumps.]

Well. First I was atop a tower culling our enemies with relentless fervor, then I was shot, and then I blacked out and woke up incapable of seeing anything but my own fingertips at the bottom of a ravine so— no, my love, I'm afraid I won't be much use at all to you aside from keeping you company as you and I simultaneously try not to freeze to death.

Or bleed to death.

Or be captured.

It's really quite the roulette wheel, isn't it.

[kantikoy]

I've never enjoyed roulette.

[ Just... putting that out there. Adrasteia sighs, continuing through the winding passages of the crevasses, hoping against hope that she's heading in the correct direction. ]

Since you're just going to be keeping me company let's play a what-if game. You are back in Kirkwall, what's the first thing you're doing?

[illithidnapped]

Retiring. [said sourly, though insincerely.

Chased shortly thereafter by a more legitimate answer:]

Visiting my newly purchased home— and probably laying low for a time, thanks to all this mess.

[kantikoy]

Oh? Congratulations.

[ Said earnestly, honestly. She can't help but be excited for him. ]

Where is it?

[illithidnapped]

I’d love to say Hightown, of course, but...

Well, we both know exactly where people like us can find a plot of our own.

[Answer: the opposite of Hightown, in fact.]

[kantikoy]

[ It's starting to get darker where Adrasteia is walking, both by virtue of the rapidly receding light and the narrowness of the pathways. She's hopeful that she's at least walking in the correct direction, judging by the lack of light, but there are no guarantees.

At least they're all spread out. ]

Well, I'll have to bring you a housewarming present when we get back. [ Don't argue with her, Asterion, she's going to do it. ] Sidony and I had a lovely picnic, by the way.

[illithidnapped]

[The gift is a given: he'll take anything he can get— greed has always been his forte, after all.]

Tell me everything. [A quick, eager demand. Too quick, in fact, as he aches terribly for the trouble of it, straining the next few words just so:]

...did she agree to your arrangement? Are you her beloved now, officially speaking?

[kantikoy]

She did, and we are. [ Happiness colors Adrasteia's words, coming out a bit rushed. ] I still need to go to Val Royeaux to purchase a perfume, but I found a small necklace with an open pendant that you fill with cotton soaked in the scent of your choosing. It's very nice, I think, and I think she'll like it.

We had a picnic, and kissed. It was lovely.

[illithidnapped]

[Shivering and spent, dropped from on high and left in a lightless chasm with a pair that need him just as much as he needs them, Astarion still can’t help but divine amusement from her story.

It’s more entertainment than he’s known in days, after all.]

Consult me, when the time comes. No point in giving her basil or peppermint when what you really want to convey comes from amber and roses. Gardenias, perhaps.

—if we ever escape this place intact, that is.

[kantikoy]

[ There's a quiet snort. ] I'm not so much a fool as to give someone basil; surely you think better of me than all of that.

[ She knows, at least, what is for cooking and what is not. ]

We will escape this place, [ she promises. ] I imagine that you've survived much in your time, after all.

[illithidnapped]

[Somewhere across the line Astarion works up the effort to snort something that might normally equate to the start of a laugh. As it stands, it’s all he can give her. Pitiful, but fair.]

I think the world of you, darling. Though I’d think more than that if you were here already.

[still]

But you’re right about the rest. I’ll always survive.

I just...

I just thought it might be nice to let you all feel useful for a change. Let you stretch your wings. That sort of thing.

[kantikoy]

[ Adrasteia's footfalls slow, and she takes a breath. This is not going as quickly as she needs it to. She needs to think of something else. ]

It is rather nice of you to allow us all the chance to stage a great big rescue. We'll be feeling even better about ourselves, once it's all said and done.

[ She closes her eyes and begins to chant under her breath.

Blessed are they who stand before
The corrupt and the wicked and do not falter.
Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just.
Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow.
In their blood the Maker's will is written.

She feels the pull of a spirit on the other side of the Fade and reaches for it; a small spirit of faith, but a spirit nonetheless. It can light her way towards finding Asterion, and that's what she needs right now.

He might notice the glowing trail on the ground nearby. At least now she knows which direction to start running in. ]

[illithidnapped]

[When all is said and done, that faint light makes him certain he's hallucinating more than anything else.

And considering how utterly out of sorts he is, that's...likely not beyond the pale.]

Starting to feel as though I'm dreaming this, you know. That you're not really here.

...in the relative sense, I mean. Metaphorically here, speaking to me now.

[kantikoy]

[ Adrasteia is in a full clip at this point, turning corners as fast as her short legs can take her. The pathway glows beneath her feet, light diffusing in the dark as she runs. ]

Can you see the glow on the ground?

That's a spirit, showing me the way to you.

And as much as I love speaking with you, I'd rather continue our conversation in person, when I'm sure you'll be alright.

[illithidnapped]

Magic, you mean. [It's a drowsy correction. A mild one besides. He sounds almost amused, though everything comes in waves ever since the unfortunate end to their flight from the nearby fortress.] Flattered you're wasting resources on me.

—and more importantly, that you love speaking to me.

Pity you fancy someone else.

[kantikoy]

It's not a waste.

[ Her voice is firm on that fact. ]

Besides, we're friends. Friends take care of one another. And I can 'fancy' more than one person at a time, you know. [ Can you hear the eyeroll? It's in there, Asterion. ] Why, do you fancy me?

[ It's very dark, now, and she's still running. But if he's awake to answer her, all the better. ]

[illithidnapped]

[He tries and fails to laugh. What a shame, this is an otherwise pitch perfect conversation suited to his own wicked whims.

His eyelids are so woefully heavy. He shuts them, though still manages to exhale:]

Darling, who doesn't?

[kantikoy]

Oh, plenty of people, I'm sure.

[ Honestly, she can't imagine that there are many people who do fancy her. She's an elven mage from an Alienage with limited formal training. That Sidony likes her is some small marvel in and of itself. ]

Who do you fancy? [ Is it Fenris, she wonders. ]

[illithidnapped]

Then they’re blind and— [And he can’t think clearly enough to play games, withering in defeat only a half-breath later.]

...get me out of here, and I’ll tell you all the filthy little secrets you like.

[kantikoy]

[ Adrasteia makes a soft sound. On a better day it could even be a laugh. ]

I'm holding you to that.

[ Does she care about secrets? Not usually. But she cares about Asterion.

She turns a corner and there he is. She doesn't stop running until she's at his side. ]