Skyhold

[faderifting]

WHO: Anyone & everyone
WHAT: Open post for business as usual around Skyhold
WHEN: The first couple weeks of Harvestmere, 9:41 (aka October)
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Please mark any necessary content warnings in thread subject lines. Also, make sure to check out the other log posts already made!

Far from the glamorous adventurous world-saving people signed up for, most of the hustle and bustle in Skyhold at present is cleaning. The Great Hall is a disaster, and crews are assigned to haul out the cracked and rotting planks fallen from the wide-open roof, and tear down the vines covering the walls. Ivy encrusts the main staircase outside and many of the fortress walls and is cleared in section while other groups assess or begin shoring up the stonework as it's revealed. There are scaffolding to build, materials to sort, crates to unload, tents to stitch together or set-up, and on and on and on, endless mundane chores vital to the survival of the organization.

When not hard at work, people cluster around fires across the courtyards. Many mingle freely, going about their business, running errands and messages, planning scouting missions, tallying up supplies, distributing or playing with the sending crystals that were found in a basement vault and which a group of mages have just today finished preparing for use. Once a good number have been passed around and the first Inquisition-wide transmission made messages start being broadcast; maybe you can help someone out.

The rebel mages and renegade templars mainly keep to themselves at opposite sides of the complex given the choice. Mages assist with healing and research and bicker amongst themselves about their options and their fate. Templars help train recruits in swordforms and basic combat techniques or spar with the more advanced and bicker amongst themselves about their options and their fate. Despite having all pledged themselves to the Inquisition, they still feel like separate factions and tension between them is palpable wherever they cross paths.

Like at meals, or the communal message board in the courtyard, or at the Herald's Rest. The mess hall/tavern is so new it still smells of sawdust, and its stock has been limited to one type of strong ale until today, when a shipment of West Hill brandy has finally arrived. The mood in the place is convivial in celebration of that, but there's still plenty of muttering, especially as the night drags on and the discontented get further into their cups.

Comments

[gatheringstorm]

That gets Korrin to chuckle, and she grins at the offer. "Warning you now, I probably will. And thank you in advance. I'd rather go with that than wake up to find out some random ass has drawn on my face." Not that many people here would dare, probably, but with alcohol all things are possible.

[kremdelacreme]

"Your face is safe, trust me," Krem replied with a laugh of his own. "Long as that's the worst you can expect around here from people, I think you'll be fine."

[gatheringstorm]

"Hopefully it is, that and some lost coin at Wicked Grace. It can't all be grim stories and people staring into their drinks, not if morale's going to improve." And even for her, used to all the hardship and violence that comes of being a mercenary, there has to be more to life than that.

[kremdelacreme]

"The Chief and I have been discussing how to improve morale, we just have to get a few more men in on it. Not hard, considering how many are here." Krem turned on his stool to lean his side against the bar and face Korrin. "If you're good with siege equipment, I'll have to ask you to help out."

[gatheringstorm]

That causes Korrin to raise an eyebrow after lowing her mug, undeniably interested. "Oh? I can manage well enough. Just how does siege equipment factor into this?" It sounds like something they'll end up regretting, but she doesn't care at this point. You can't just say something like that and not share details.

[kremdelacreme]

"Optimal flinging of multiple small, light objects," Krem replies simply. "Maximum coverage of an area at short range, preferably over one of the courtyards, aimed from the battlements. If you can keep a secret until supplies are gathered, you can have details."

[gatheringstorm]

This sounds more amusing and intriguing the more she hears about it, so Korrin's quick to nod. "Naturally. This sounds far too interesting not to want in, Krem." And after long stretches of tedious work, she's in dire need of something that isn't that. Whatever silliness he has in mind, it's perfect.

[kremdelacreme]

"Nugs." Krem grins and pats around his armor briefly, then digs into the belt around his waist, pulling a folded page from a pouch, a rudimentary plan scribbled on it, with a diagram of a catapult, a sketch of a winged nug with a note beside it to add about a hundred more in various colors. "Bull's already agreed with me that it would be an efficient way to distract people from how miserable it is around here."

[gatheringstorm]

Leaning in, Korrin has a look at the diagram and sketches. It's such a strange, wonderful, ridiculous idea that she can't help her laughter, though tones it down after a moment so that said secret can be kept.

"Okay, this...this is worth it. And yes, I'd say that would be very effective, more creative than requisitioning more ale or whatnot, too. How far along are you with those? Do you make them yourselves?"

[kremdelacreme]

"Less work for the ones running this little army," he adds, then nods some. "I haven't had time to make many just yet, but they don't take long to put together. It's just a matter of getting the materials in the first place." He's confident enough that he'll be able to get it, with how much stuff gets scrounged up while their people are out on assignment. "They won't even have to be all the same colors, just similar cloth and stuffing. Easy enough."

[gatheringstorm]

Taking a sip from her mug, she looks it over again with a smirk of anticipation. This will be fun, and fun that's less damaging than what some of these people might come up with if restless enough. "I'll see about sending what I find your way, then. I can't sew worth a damn, but I can do that much. And at least falling nugs are less likely to cause bruising than falling elves...which was actually a thing, more than once."

[kremdelacreme]

"I don't think anyone would appreciate falling elves. Least of all the elves," Krem snorts and picks the page up to fold and tuck back into his belongings. "Debating on getting proper squeaking bulbs for them so when they hit the ground it'll be noisy, attract more attention."

[gatheringstorm]

That causes her to chuckle all over again. "If it's not too much trouble, I say do it. We might as well have a little fun in between assignments, right? Besides, you know it will annoy some of the more stodgy sorts, which is all the more reason for it."

[kremdelacreme]

"Well, if you're collecting materials to help it'll certainly go along faster. Annoying the nobility will be absolutely worth the hand cramps." Krem laughs in kind and raises his drink to Korrin. Damn glad he's found a qunari with a sense of humor that doesn't include his name in the proceedings.

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin flashes a grin and raises her drink in turn. "And the Chantry folk, don't forget them." Mother Giselle is alright, for a Revered Mother, but the rest...eh. "It helps that I know a fellow Vashoth whose job is essentially collecting materials." Herbs, mostly, but still. He can make exceptions, right? "I wouldn't tell him what it's for, though. He might not disapprove, but I'm not sure he's capable of keeping a secret."

[kremdelacreme]

"I want to see a Chantry sister with one. I'll consider it a success when one of them picks one up and hugs it," Krem decides, giving Korrin a serious little nod, then chuckled at the idea of having other qunari working with him on this, even if they're not sure why they're doing it in the first place. "Remind me, and maybe we can bring him into this when we're ready to set up. He can draw them into the open."

[gatheringstorm]

That mental image of the Chantry sister almost has Korrin snorting out her drink, and she thankfully manages to stop herself. "Will do. That shouldn't be difficult, I'd think. At the rate he's going, he'll gain a reputation as the world's friendliest qunari. Tsk, soon he'll have people thinking that we're not that scary. Traitor."

Her tone is nothing but fond. Gorse is weird, but harmless, and if there's anyone she thinks would appreciate something like this, it'd be him. But as far as she can tell, he's also an open book, so better play it safe.

[kremdelacreme]

"You're not exactly terrifying either, y'know," Krem points out with a grin up at Korrin, nudging her arm with the bottle in his hand. "The Inquisition is gonna undermine all of Par Vollen just because we have all the nice qunari to ourselves."

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin pretends to pout as she's nudged. "Wow, thanks. Guess I should wear vitaar or practice glaring." But she's inwardly pleased to hear that, glad to have someone around who doesn't give a wide berth just because she's an extra foot taller. "I'd channel in some more from my company for that, but 'nice' isn't their defining feature. 'Never boring', though...."

[kremdelacreme]

"Can't imagine 'boring' and 'qunari' fitting in the same sentence anyway." Krem might have actually started looking forward to the potential meeting of the rest of Korrin's company, if they ever showed up. For now, he's fine with his one new friend here. "I've seen some pretty interesting vitaar, you could pull it off well."

[gatheringstorm]

That brings out a smile, despite Korrin not usually bothering with vitaar in the first place. "You think so? I tend to wear it more for major skirmishes than day-to-day. I won't deny it has its uses, though; battle, intimidating idiots who try to trash the tavern or harass people I care about...."

Okay, maybe she hasn't done the latter yet. But it's tempting at times.

[kremdelacreme]

"If it wouldn't kill me on contact I'd see about wearing it on the field," Krem points out with pursed lips. "It'd open my field of vision more, wouldn't have to worry about a helmet. Wonder if I'd be able to talk the herbalists into making something like that."

Great, now he's legitimately considering human-friendly vitaar. Korrin may want to stop him while he's ahead.

[gatheringstorm]

But it would be interesting! ...if it worked and Krem survived. Mindful of the latter part, Korrin glances sidelong at him.

"I'm all for doing something that would piss off the Qunari -and that would- but it'd take more than herbalists to make that usable for anyone else. Maybe some sort of enchantment? But I've never had the incentive, so I don't know beyond that."

[kremdelacreme]

"Good point. Not sure Bull would appreciate it much, even as practical as it would be. Would be nice to stick it to the qunari in general, but that's just me." Ok so maybe he did carry a tiny bit of bitterness over the state of his homeland. At least he could express it passively with the idea of wearing their own warpaint. "Present company excepted," he added with a glance up at Korrin.

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin flashes a grin at his sentiment, not minding it in the least. The Qunari aren't her people. "No offense taken! I completely agree. You know what they do to their mages, right? If my parents hadn't left before I was born, I'd be...that. So, fuck 'em." Any people that try to take her freedom away from her deserve nothing but eternal contempt.