Fade Rift Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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faderift2022-04-24 03:06 pm
faderifting) wrote in faderift2022-04-24 03:06 pm
Entry tags:
- ! mod plot,
- abby,
- bastien,
- benedict quintus artemaeus,
- byerly rutyer,
- cosima niehaus,
- derrica,
- ellie,
- ellis,
- gwenaëlle baudin,
- james flint,
- john silver,
- julius,
- kostos averesch,
- loki,
- mobius,
- obeisance barrow,
- tsenka abendroth,
- vanya orlov,
- wysteria de foncé,
- { aleksei ar waslyna o bearhold },
- { astarion },
- { dante sparda },
- { fenris },
- { fitcher },
- { glimmer },
- { mado },
- { river tam }
MOD PLOT ↠ Wings of Death
WHO: Everyone (more or less)
WHAT: A trip to Rialto, in pursuit of convincing Antiva to give up its famed neutrality, just this once, pleaaaase.
WHEN: Cloudreach/Bloomingtide 9:48
WHERE: Rialto, Antiva
NOTES: OOC post here. Remember to use warnings in your subject lines for gore, sexual content, or anything else people might not expect to find while casually reading this log on a work computer.
WHAT: A trip to Rialto, in pursuit of convincing Antiva to give up its famed neutrality, just this once, pleaaaase.
WHEN: Cloudreach/Bloomingtide 9:48
WHERE: Rialto, Antiva
NOTES: OOC post here. Remember to use warnings in your subject lines for gore, sexual content, or anything else people might not expect to find while casually reading this log on a work computer.
YOUR DESTINATION
Rialto is Antiva's second city in importance and in population, but in many ways it is first in sheer Antivanness. When foreigners imagine Antiva, they often conjure images of graceful bridges arching over turquoise canals, lovers on a romantic gondola ride serenaded by a soprano's aria, fiery young men in vibrant leathers dueling for the honor of their houses in the piazza while down at the docks pirates share tales over bowls of seafood pasta. All of this is to be found in Rialto. While Antiva City is a teeming, bustling center of world commerce, with all the clamor and diversity that creates, Rialto is popular more with the city's uppermost classes than its vast mercantile middle, particularly the old aristocracy who prefer Rialto for its relative peace and its proximity to King Fulgeno's favorite residence. This is not to suggest that Rialto is a Hightown without any Low—like all major cities, for every palazzo-lined canal where the wealthy rest are ten more waterways packed with delivery boats and shops and taverns of every degree and description, from the broad spans edged with rows of fashionable tailors and jewelers to narrow, winding alleys of water overhung by leaning buildings of smoke-stained stucco. The docks, though neither as large nor as busy as the capital's or Kirkwall's, are still large and busy by any other measure, packed with merchants and sailors and fishermen, along with some who—uniquely common in Antiva, a kingdom founded by pirates—skirt the line between honest seamen and buccaneers.
Antivans will argue it's always a good time to visit their country, but everyone else agrees that spring is the ideal. The weather is consistently mild and pleasant, warmer than Kirkwall but without yet edging into the heat of summer the way it is in Tevinter to the north. In the city's parks and piazzas, flowers and shrubby add a few splashes of greenery and warm breezes send occasional showers of petals down from the cherry and citrus trees just finishing their blooms. Climbing flowers and arbors of grapevines are common adornments.
For the king's birthday celebration the city's elegant pale stone buildings are all decorated, with public buildings and bridges hung with bunting in the crown's favored purple and banners depicting the arms of Antiva and the royal house Campagna: a golden ship, sails unfurled, beneath a crown, the shield supported by a seahorse on one side and a stallion on the other. Along the grand canals every palazzo is bedecked in some combination of the occupant's colors and the kingdom's purple, and the theme continues throughout the city, every district finding some means to demonstrate its festive mood. The effect is only slightly diminished by the few areas where graffiti conflicts with the decorations, and Riftwatch, at least, will be pleased to see it mostly takes the form of anti-Tevinter sentiment, ranging from a scrawled FUCK THE VINTS to a few choice quotes from certain popular pamphlets and puppet plays, to a large and surprisingly skillful mural of a dragon and a caricatured merchant prince sitting together on a heap of gold playing with toy ships and dolls while behind them a fire rages.
The king's birthday is always an extravagant occasion, even more so when he hits any age ending in a 0 or a 5, as he is this year. A full week of revelry has been decreed, with each day marked by pageants and parades and games of all sorts, and every night new and fabulous parties in his honor hosted by various houses, guilds, and societies. Knowing the king's love of masquerades, many of these balls are masked, with themes ranging from House Campagna's most celebrated ancestors, to sea creatures, to all gold everything. (While fancy dress is of course always encouraged, many will simply attend in their best finery, with the intention of visiting multiple parties in the same night.) The city is lit with lanterns, torches, and even the occasional bonfire, as the bacchanal spills into the canals and piazzas each evening and continues long into the night.
YOUR MISSION
Riftwatch arrives on this scene by ship, which garners a few approval points from the merchants and pirate-descendants populating the city. The ship remains anchored in the harbor for the duration of their stay, reachable by tender and doubling as a temporary home for the selection of griffons who have accompanied them north.
Griffon riders will make the trip back and forth from the ship most often, as they'll be assigned to shifts that keep one or two of them in the air at all times, day or night. The outward justification for this is to entertain the Antivans below them; they're encouraged to fill some of the time with acrobatics over busy squares or particular parties, at times with banners and streamers to trail behind their mounts. Those with griffons who don't startle easily might be entrusted with a few fireworks to set off from the air. But the real purpose is surveillance, of course, and to serve as emergency back-up or ambulance for anyone who finds themselves caught in a tight spot and calls for help. Riders will be equipped with vials of antidotes to some common poisons, and particularly at night, anyone with healing magic or medical skills might be asked to ride along.
Meanwhile, down on the ground, a steady stream of influential merchants and socialites will want an interesting Riftwatcher or three at their dinners and private parties, each presenting an opportunity to impress upon influential people the importance of the war. These gatherings will range from stiff, formal affairs to wild bacchanals, depending on the host. Of note: a moonlit evening with a chamber quartet on Antonio Luppi's pleasure yacht, famously large enough to have a croquet pitch on the upper deck, a days-long Wicked Grace tournament with rising stakes where Marco "il Calabrone" Molinari defies anyone to beat him, and a race through the canals on gondalas owned by Antiva's who's-who. There are no rules, so finding ways–even magical or new-technological ways–to improve the odds of the more invested racers may win some favor, and a number of competitors are eager to see if Riftwatch has some arcane way to give them an edge.
Outside the city gates, on a grassy cliffside that overlooks the Amaranthine Ocean, there's a faire for the workers and peasantry. There's dancing, a series of field games (tug of war, footraces, horseshoes, wrestling, hammer throwing, blindfolded stick-dueling, mob football, and whatever the heck wallop is), a bonfire each evening, and young people goading one another into cliff diving and climbing back up, sopping wet, using stairs and handholds carved into the cliffside. While no single one of the participants is as influential as the better-heeled set hosting gathering elsewhere, it's still good politics to put in an appearance, play some games, and dispel any lingering perception of Riftwatch as a weird heretical sect or pack of wild demons.
They'll find similar opportunities scattered throughout the streets of Rialto: full tables at taverns who might listen raptly to their accounts of the war further south, minstrels and players who might be persuaded to change their tunes to whip up sympathy or anger for Corypheus' targets, and lower-level independent tradesman who might be persuaded to stop doing business with Tevinter or push for such an agreement within their guilds.
Riftwatchers who are especially active in outreach in these working-class quarters may find themselves approached quietly by representatives of I Figli Della Brace, an underground network of agitators that sprung up in the wake of Riftwatch's prior propaganda efforts and has been wreaking minor havoc by destroying Tevinter goods, carrying on the tradition of vandalism, and hassling those who do the most business with Tevinter and the Anderfels. They're loosely helmed by Vieri Fontana, who already trusts a few members of Riftwatch, and in exchange for Riftwatch's assistance with a few sneaky favors and quick but rowdy demonstrations of disobedience, they'll promise a strong showing of angry common folk outside the palace when it's most needed.
And through all of this, Riftwatch members will need to be looking over their shoulders, watching their drinks, avoiding dark alleys, keeping an eye out for snipers on rooftops, and staying wary of alluring strangers, because an untold number of Antivan Crows are out for their lives and/or anchors.
The purpose of all of this hobnobbing and sneaking around and dodging of murder attempts awaits at the end of Riftwatch's stay: King Fulgeno the Merry and all of the Merchant Princes have agreed to give a contingent of Riftwatch diplomats a moment, the day after the king's largest birthday feast, to plead their case against continuing to trade with Tevinter and the Anderfels. Winning them over would strike a significant blow to the enemy, already cut off from trade with much of the rest of Thedas, and bring Antiva that much closer to actively assisting with the war effort.
Should this meeting involve the support of a few more Merchant Princes, the dramatic unmasking of a traitor among the Princes and a conspiracy among the Crows, and shouts of support from people in the street echoing in through the windows, there's a good chance they'll pull it off.
YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS
The canal-side palazzo where Riftwatch is residing during its visit is the summer property of Merchant Prince Amancio Vivas. Unlike some questionable accommodations provided to Riftwatch in the past, Palazzo Vivas is roomy and lavish, brimming with expensive decor and labelled artifacts and comfortable seating. Anyone needing space to work or plan will find multiple nooks and tables in the library, and Riftwatch has collectively commandeered a secondary dining room (there are several) for meetings.
For those needing a break from work, actually, Palazzo Vivas is well-stocked with books and all of the necessary equipment for parlor games, plus an echoing ballroom equipped with a pianoforte. There's a cabinet of decent wine and spirits available, or a locked cellar full of the very good stuff for the particularly enterprising. The palazzo encircles a central courtyard garden with enough tall hedges and trees that someone might disappear into it. Currently it's in full bloom, including some rare night-bloomers, and at all hours bustling with some combination of insects, birds, and bats. Also featured: two small fountains and a canal-fed wading pool.
The beds, unlike most of the Gallows', involve feathers rather than straw. The sheets are soft. Everything smells like lavender. Everyone can have a bed if they're willing to share with at least one other person; those who are unwilling will find themselves on the floor or a settee.
Everyone will be asked to take on some additional tasks in the palazzo. Most important is guard duty, including some overnight patrols to make sure there are no intruders or disturbances. But as only a skeleton staff is present in the palace, idle Riftwatchers might be sent out to Rialto's bustling markets for food and supplies and/or pressed into making vats of porridge, pasta, or seafood stew to keep everyone else fed while the single cook is attending festivities elsewhere.
YOUR LEISURE
Between assignments, Riftwatch members may find moments–or even several consecutive hours!--to enjoy Rialto. Cautiously, on account of the assassins. But still. In addition to partaking in the merriment, entertainment, and games purely for fun, there are street performances to watch, gondolas to hire for leisurely floats, markets and shops stuffed with goods from throughout Thedas, bath houses, and, only a short hike or shorter griffon ride away from the city, a pristine white sand beach on a calm cove, littered with sea shells, without a single decomposing shipwreck in sight. It's not something they're going to find in Kirkwall, so no one can be blamed for wanting a peek.
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"Doubt it. She's probably gone off to share a room with one of her men." A catty thing to say to a close friend of Ellie's, but she's past the point of caring. "Doesn't bother me. Means I get to have a room to myself."
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"Pfft. Sorry--" She bends over and coughs for a moment later.
"Sorry, that's just--that's hilarious. One of her men."
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All these men that she's very close with. Kinda funny, right.
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"Like, girls only."
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Or rather, she was about 99.9% sure and now Glimmer has completely confirmed that for her. There are some very cheeky things she could ask here, her mouth curling as she thinks of them. Mostly, she's just interested in the gossip... "She seeing anybody?"
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"I'm not sure, actually. I don't, uh... I don't usually ask her about that stuff," Glimmer admits. The reason why is pretty obviously written on her face--the mild blush and the disgruntled tone tell the whole story.
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Abby shuffles in closer on her bench, conspiratorially. Interesting. "Yeah?" Her voice is light, innocent.
But yeah it is suddenly very obvious that something's happened between them before now, especially when Glimmer makes that face at her from across the table. Abby has a sip of her orange juice, "D'you wanna talk about it?"
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"...Then we had this whole thing where we got shoved into an alternate reality and like... she was one of my only real friends in the Aerie. We kind of... hooked up before we got shunted back into normal reality?" Glimmer's cheeks flush and she stares down at her breakfast.
"So I have two sets of memories about her and this lingering crush, even though we've had the talk about how it's better for us to stay friends like twice. So I don't really talk to her about that stuff just because it digs at me in a way I don't like. If she gets a girlfriend, I'll be happy for her but my head's still a mess."
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Abby can't pretend she hasn't been darkly curious about Ellie ever since she got here, but it still turns something over in her stomach to hear Glimmer talk about her like that, like she's a normal fucking person. Just a girl, one you could have a lingering crush on.
Really, it fleshes Ellie out even more and whenever that happens, whenever she learns something new about her, and how she interacts with the people that she's close to, Abby has to reconcile all over again with knowing the part of Ellie that she still hates is... just that. A part of her.
She kind of regrets asking. Her expression shutters. Thankfully, Glimmer is staring down at her breakfast, and moving things around with her fork.
"Yeah," she says eventually. She's got her arms crossed and elbows up on the table. Her dad used to tell her off for doing that when she was a kid, all the time. She's trying to get back into the silly mood she was in earlier, but it feels like she's been tripped up, and blurts, "My– ex started dating one of my best friends right after we broke up. So..."
She gets it??? Kinda? It's not really the same thing at all, but she's trying to relate. And trying to get off the subject of Ellie, specifically. "It's weird having to pretend you don't feel anything when you do."
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"Sorry. I... Probably shouldn't have talked about that. I just... I don't have anyone else who's ever asked," she says, looks up at Abby at last.
"I think if my ex started dating a friend of mine I'd probably just about die, honestly. Not... that I have an ex? Unless you count the alternate universe Ellie as an ex...? I dunno. Ugh." She shoves her plate aside and drops her head onto the table, pillowing it with her folded arms.
"It's stupid. Stupid and confusing."
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"It is."
Stupid and confusing, that is. Abby hasn't spared a lot of recent thought for OwenandMel, the unit, not the two separate people. When she remembers them she thinks of their punctured bodies, and Mel calling her a piece of shit, her face twisted up. Owen, leaning in too close out on the boat.
She clears her throat, refusing to let that thought trail along any further. She mutters, "I'm the one who broke up with him, and it still bothered me. Stupid, right."
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"Even if you broke up with him, you still cared about him, right? It's not like you just stop caring just if you don't work as like... lovers or partners or whatever? So of course you'd still feel bothered by it," she says with a shrug.
"I don't think it's stupid. Or that you're stupid." How did she end up being the most emotionally intelligent person in this weird friend group?
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"Yeah," she says eventually, and is surprised to find how good it feels hearing that. Maybe because she didn't get to bitch that much about it; kinda hard when it all happens in one friend group, you know? Her and Leah gossiped a bit at the time and then Abby had to carry it around with her in silence, ignoring it, and put on a face, and say all sorts of dumb shit just to get by. 'Congratulations', and 'I'm really happy for you', and 'are you gonna move in with him'.
God, it fucks her off that she still cares. That after everything that happened between them, she still misses him. She breathes out, and realises she's got her hand in a fist on her lap, and the moment she realises, she relaxes.
"Thanks." It comes out a little hoarse, but she immediately starts shoveling eggs into her mouth so she doesn't have to say anything else.
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"...There was someone at home I was into, too. Except the last time I saw him I said some really awful things to him and--and it's been like two years and I don't know if I'll get to tell him I'm sorry. So..." She trails off. "It wasn't a breakup, exactly. But I still care about him. So I get it," she says quietly, takes another gulp of tea because if she talks about Bow much more she might get a bit misty-eyed.
"...You wanna like, explore the city today?"
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Everybody here, they've all lost a lot.
"I'm sorry." She feels subdued.
... Glimmer's suggestion is actually a really good one. "Yeah. That'd be fun." And, while she's thinking about it, "Do... you want to come be my roommate while we're here?" Since Ellie's gone and evicted herself.
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"You... need one?" Right, Ellie probably found someplace else to stay. And if people are trying to murder them, Glimmer can't imagine anyone much safer to be around than Abby.
"Uh, sure. That'd be fun."
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And Glimmer does, so.
"Cool."
It's sorted then. They can go out exploring for now, and Abby doesn't have to worry about somebody she doesn't know getting newly assigned to her room in Ellie's absence. Win-win scenario. She finishes her last bit of food, and stands up, collecting her plate. "Wanna meet back down here in five?" Gives her time to go grab her stuff.
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"It'll be a good time."