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

Afternoon

[nofury]

Templars on one side of the fortress. Mages on the other. Despite her Templar plate, Maria has made it a point to walk both sides of the (still nearly painfully maintained) divide. Not, honestly, to the joy and approval of the mage side of camp, but she hadn't caused trouble and could certainly survive a few glares and bitter words snapped her way.

Even as more or less accustomed to working alone or in a pair as she was, Maria could see this could be trouble. No unifying leader, divided camp. She paces around the complex again before making her way to the ever harried commander in the lower courtyard.

"Sir? When you have a moment."

[perseverances]

Mages on one side and Templars on the other is the only way to maintain the peace sadly, and Cullen is almost grateful for that dividing line. They had enough arguments while both camps were in Haven, and the Commander had hoped that the Inquisitor would unify both sides, but they all know how that turned out. Everyone was still on edge, and rightfully so.

He looks up when she speaks, and Cullen nods, send off the few scouts that he had been speaking to with their orders. "What can I help you with?"

[nofury]

"Maria Hill, commander. I have a training proposal I'd like to put forward. For after critical repairs have been made."

Priorities had to be made, after all. No point trying to improve anything within rotting walls. But while A tense history was understandable, an organization split at the seams wouldn't do. A unifying figure would be better, yet life rarely was kind enough to care what was better. They'd just have to figure it out as they went along.

[perseverances]

"By all means, I'd love to hear it."

And he does mean it. While Cullen does have the troops doing what they need to do, with Leliana and Josephine doing business elsewhere in Skyhold a lot of other planning has fallen onto his plate and he hasn't had a lot of time to do what he should actually be doing.

[nofury]

She pauses, because most sane Templars would simply shoot her suggestion down. She'd dealt with enough apostates to know how to handle real battle, but much of Templar strength came from mages not fully understanding their abilities. But rational, traditional Templar policy had been left behind when a hole appeared in the sky. Surviving was the goal, rebuilding the Circles simply a dream at this point.

"Carefully observed training of the mages and Templars together. Sparring overseen by commanding officers, essentially. The enemy has too many of both for members of the Inquisition not to be familiar with actual battle between the groups."

[perseverances]

"The idea is sound, and would hopefully give way to better relations among the factions."

He likes the idea, Maria. It's simple, it's sound, and it's not 'keep the templars and mages away from each other.' Any plan that doesn't involve that is good in his book. "I'll pass along the idea to the other Advisers, but I don't see it being refused."