war table: mending rifts

[tender]

WHO: Riftwatch + Showdown closed to lucky winners.
WHAT: Rift-closing, damage control + a Scooby Doo heist.
WHEN: Solace
WHERE: Picturesque Antivan farming communities, The Weyrs
NOTES: OOC POST, GENERAL OOC INFO + Reputation Building and Clue claim sheet

MENDING RIFTS - THE WEYRS, ANTIVA (ALL DIVISIONS)

The Antivan countryside is lovely, even in the heat of midsummer. Here, visitors can find all the expected trappings of the pastoral scenery: rolling green fields, well-tended vineyards, the lowing of cattle being driven out to graze, dusty roads cutting between swaths of farmland leading travelers to small hamlets and bustling villages, guiding them past farmers tending their crops and livestock.

Except as Justinian comes to a close, the sky tears open. Not once, or twice, but over and over again. Instead of thunderstorms, the countryside finds itself weathering a storm of demons. Rather than sending word south to appraise merchants of crop estimates and trade, letters are dashed off to Kirkwall and Riftwatch pleading for a remedy to the rapidly escalating appearance of new rifts surrounding their land.

Upon arrival, the most pressing of tasks needs no explanation: the fresh rifts dotting the countryside must be closed up.

But closing rifts isn't the end of the work. There is damage done to farm and field, to townships and Chantrys. Barns and homes will need to be rebuilt, scorched fields cropped and resown, ruined infrastructure reconstructed.

And most importantly: the demons that clawed through those rifts must be located and dispatched before they can do any further damage.

While all this work is arduous and time-consuming, no one can say it's not what Riftwatch does best. The locals in most of the affected villages are cautiously welcoming, and by the time two or three days have passed their initial wariness has thawed and given way to genuine appreciation.

Which is why it is so disastrous when Mother Sveta marches her way into the cavernous barn Riftwatch has been occupying as their central base of operations to lay an accusation at their feet.

Mother Sveta claims to have witnessed a member of Riftwatch open a rift over her chantry. Her fellow sisters and their congregants were forced to flee, and the building destroyed. She lays the blame for this at Riftwatch's feet and demands the offending agent be brought to justice swiftly and without any attempts from Riftwatch to shield the guilty party, or else she will publicly share her testimony throughout the region.

As if Riftwatch doesn't have enough to do, now it is imperative to seek out (or put together previously gathered) clues and track down the sabotaging Riftwatcher before their reputation in the Antivan countryside (and maybe beyond) is completely tanked by Mother Sveta's account of events.

Comments

GENERAL OOC INFO

[katabasis]

Riftwatch will receive news of rifts popping open around The Weyrs region of Antiva in late Justinian (that's fantasy June), and members of the company will be sent to deal with the ongoing issues throughout the region for the month of Solace (that's fantasy July) and into August (that's fantasy August…weirdly enough…). The affected area covers a broad swath of incredibly idyllic farmland primarily known for its vineyards, citrus, tobacco and grain (but sure, livestock too).

Riftwatch will be establishing a temporary base of somewhat centralized operations in a farming community called Sannita Baro, but will be traveling East and West of it to various villages, townships, and communities to close rifts, hunt down stray denizens of the Fade, assist with repairing the damage wrought by the rifts, and generally reassuring the locals.

Because of the time it's taken to scramble Riftwatch to the region and the widespread nature of the work, it won't be immediately apparent that the spread of rifts has any directionality. But as Riftwatch works and rifts continue to open, it will become slowly evident that the rift appearances are moving from West to East through the region. Due to the abundance of work, whether this is the Veil weakening along a particular 'seam' (so to speak) or something else won't be immediately apparent until a Chantry Mother claims to have witnessed a member of Riftwatch opening a rift—at which point, the meddling of a rogue agent will clarify itself and necessitate a manhunt.

Feel free to assume your character(s) is participating in the hunt for the would-be imposter (or, who knows! Interrogating their fellow Riftwatchers; this wouldn't be the first traitor in our midst), but if you didn't sign-up for the closed portion of the plot then they won't be the group that actually finds the imposter.

OOCly what this equates to is a free for all space for closing rifts, hanging out with farmers and traders, and generally getting to clamber around usually picturesque farmlands currently having a less than great time. Members of Riftwatch (all divisions - there's work here for everyone) will come and go throughout the month as the needs of the area waxes and wanes, so don't feel like participating in this traps your character for the duration of the plot.

During their work in the region, characters will have an opportunity to build Riftwatch's reputation with the locals and/or to gather clues that may uncover the whereabouts of the rogue agent. To quantify this, you can find a list of Reputation building accomplishments or Clues up for grabs HERE.

Reputation building accomplishments can be claimed by multiple people in multiple threads, but clues can only be claimed once. To make a claim, just make sure you have your thread with the relevant accomplishment and/or clue (feel free to combine!) linked in the spreadsheet by no later than August 6th. You can make a claim before the reputation building accomplishment and/or clue actually appears in your thread, but can't link a thread before it shows up in the text. Anything without a link by 8/5, we'll assume wasn't accomplished/discovered when it comes to writing the report recap and results of the plot.

Note that the clues are written purposefully broadly so that they can technically be found at any time during the plot. Maybe your character found a clue, but only connected the dots after Chantry Mother made her accusation; maybe they find the clue while actively combing for the region for a saboteur; maybe they've been growing suspicious all along! The world is your oyster.

SHOWDOWN ➼ (CLARISSE, DERRICA, ERIK, FLINT, LOXLEY)

[katabasis]

They're not the only members of Riftwatch to be searching the river bank for potential signs of the imposter's egress; they're merely the group which happens to spy the missing fishing boat hidden deep in amongst the reeds in some mostly unmuddy inlet. Any footprints leading from the river up into the scrubby lowlands have been smeared away, but from careful study of the region on paper and general gossip from the farmlands upriver suggest an obvious direction for the imposter to have traveled in: the village of Ardea lies nearby, presently preparing for the annual midsummer drive of livestock from the grazing fields to the main trade road and beyond. Likely, their target will be making for some vantage point above the village and the surrounding area from which to mark his new targets.

Which is exactly the case. It's evening when they discover the imposter's encampment on a ridge studded with black poplar and stony oak trees, sighted only due to the tiniest scrap of firelight. Were they approaching from the road rather than trailing the imposter through the backcountry, they never would have spotted the glimmer of light.

Carefully shielding his campfire from easy observation isn't the only precaution against pursuit their quarry has taken. A well hidden series of trip-wires has been rigged at various intervals near the margins of the camp. Assuming they navigate gingerly around or over those, a coordinated direct assault on the camp returns—

Nothing.

Except a green cloak carefully arranged over their imposter's traveling kit, disguised as a figure lying prone in the mostly dark. And here! The snap and catch of brush as a figure makes to scramble away into the dark, and the sudden sear bright crack! of the Veil splitting like a ripped seam as a rift shears open above the hunting party's heads.

[clawings]

"Fuck."

Did Erik expect it to go down as easily as it appeared it might, for those first few moments between spotting someone possibly laying down in the center of the camp and the following crack of the Veil splitting open above their heads?

No.

He is not, however, incredibly thrilled at the idea of coming this far, fighting demons, and having this fucker get away in the end. Which is why, right before a bolt of green lightning more or less lands in front of him, drawing him up short from a proper pursuit, Erik throws a fairly basic knife toward what he hopes is the fleeing person's legs.

Hitting the upper body would probably be an easier attempt (and having a balanced throwing knife would be better, certainly) but someone with an injured shoulder could still run.

Ideally, this person doesn't get too far while they're dealing with whatever horrors are about to be unleashed upon them all.

Sword out. Fighting stance. Hopefully someone else in the group can close this rift: he's here to battle and keep everyone alive as best he can.

[laruetheday]

If their group were larger, Clarisse would suggest splitting off into two, one to go after the fleeing target and the other to deal with the rift. With just five of them, she's not sure that wouldn't be more trouble than it's worth.

Erik threw a knife at the guy, but clearly dealing with the imposter is his second priority, which... is fair, considering what just happened. Clarisse likewise holds her spear at the ready, but still, she's not too sure about dealing with the rift first.

"Shouldn't we grab him first? Deal with this after?"

She looks to Flint as she says it, but she's addressing everyone.

[tender]

The figure staggers, yelps, but doesn't drop. Doesn't quite slow either, though it is hard in the dim, shifting light to discern where exactly that thrown dagger landed.

"Yes," Derrica answers immediately, pitched loud over the crackle of rift energy roiling through the clearing. "We can't let him escape."

Though the sweeping entirety of this (newmade rift, the nightmare working spindly limbs through the gash in the sky, the swirl of wisps eddying overhead) is no small thing either. The stamp of her stave against the ground sends a wash of energy outward, barriers coating Erik and Flint as the air around them grows heavier with the spark of ozone, the thickening of clouds overhead moments from giving way to a storm.

Two shards are needed to close a rift, this she knows. Derrica and Flint possess no shards of their own, and of the three shardbearers in their midst, who is fastest? Derrica's eyes flick towards the Commander, return to Clarisse and past her to ask, urgently:

"Loxley, can you catch up to him?"

[charmoffensive]

Loxley's remaining eye (where his other's absence is covered by matte black patch) gleams like a dull penny in the evening shadow, the golden reflective substance that absorbs light and renders the indistinguishable shadows into coherent shapes. He can, point being, clearly see their quarry rabbiting his way through the brush and the trees.

"Certainly," he confirms at a clip, already moving.

That there is no glance to Flint is, perhaps, forgiven for the speed at which he must move for the action to have worth—that, and adventuring doesn't lend itself so well to a coherent chain of command. So he goes on Derrica's prompt instead, stowing his rapier, drawing two daggers from inside his coat. Launches himself away from the green-lit encampment, a thump of foot hitting the ground following the somewhat preternaturally predatory leap out of sight, in the path of their scrambling villain.

[katabasis]

Already, dark shadows are moving to slither free of the glowing gash in the world—dark, curious smears sloughing in from the Fade too weak to manifest into anything more substantial than the glinting suggestion of figures, and easily dismissed with little more the the blunt sweep of a sword. Out from under the sinewy magic of the barrier, Flint's hacking falchion sword cleaves a shadow in two nearly as an afterthought. Where there are wisps, there will be shades and more. A clock is ticking. Maker only knows how long it will take for something substantial to notice the gap in the seam between this place and the Fade.

"Leave it," he barks, even as a milky white limb thrusts out through the Veil's tear, black clawed digits plucking at the air as if reality has a texture that might be felt against the fingertips. "We'll come back for it."

His turning from the rift and the demon pulling itself free of it, Flint's feet already moving in the direction of pursuit, is punctuated by the sudden electric green flash of a concussive blast—their quarry having raised his anchor hand and detonated some offensive attack in Loxley's direction in order to buy himself more ground.

mobius - ota

[favoriteanalyst]

No, they can't say it's not what Riftwatch does best. Would Mobius prefer things to calm down and take care of maybe one thing at a time? Sure. But needs must.

This area of Antiva is beautiful, if one can ignore the rifts wide open, and at least it's under better circumstances that they're working. Being on boats when one has barely started to learn to swim properly, not super fun, even if necessary. The destruction is less beautiful, but it can be fixed. Unlike the razing of Starkhaven.

Okay. Fine. Focus. He did a lot of odd jobs while he was in Starkhaven, and building and rebuilding was certainly a big one. He's not any kind of expert, but he's done walls and roofing enough times to be able to direct others in what to do. In the summer heat, it's hard work, but putting someone's home back together, or a barn, or a anything that's got several walls and something overtop, is oh so satisfying. Fences are easy, just annoying to make certain they're properly closed with no holes to meander through. It's likely he comes out of some of these days of rebuilding with bruised up hands, never feeling any pain if he, say, misses a swing of a hammer for instance. But it's good work, and honest work.

It's also not the only thing he's good at. Demon hunting is a good sport when his back just can't bend or shoulders can't lift anymore. He can still swing his sword just as well. And there's plenty to go around. If someone's particularly eager to take care of those problems, he lets them go ahead, but rest assured he's pulling his weight to bash back the Fade's resident nasties with his shield and lop them in half otherwise. Some of them are much easier to track down than others. Odd lights and haunting noises and frightened animals all tend to be dead giveaways after all.

He doesn't argue with the Mother when she makes her claim. Rifts are dangerous to be around, and he wouldn't accuse a Mother of lying about the destruction of her chantry; it's a thing that can be easily proven, even if it's less easy to prove it's the rift's fault. But it's clear that no member of Riftwatch would actually do what she says. Not deliberately, and if anyone had slipped off in the night to go gallivanting through the countryside, someone surely would have noticed.

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us." Said with a wry look to a compatriot.

There will also be his own attempts to endear Riftwatch to the locals, but like, consider that a wildcard options my dudes shh.