The war, as it happens, is still ongoing—but the tide has turned, and everyone is in good spirits about it. Your work, whatever it is, has turned out to be vital to the efforts against Corypheus. Down to the lowliest servant, each and every member of Riftwatch has contributed in some major way to the near-complete downfall of their enemies. It's a matter of weeks until Corypheus and the Venatori are defeated for good, but until then, work and purpose remains.
The Gallows is recognizable as such due to its layout and not much else, though you'd swear you've never known it different: the cobblestone courtyard, the ashlar stone walls crawling with ivy, diamond-paned windows set in dark wooden frames are as they have always been. The interiors of each tower are lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves, as they have always been. This mix of Thedas and Faerûn, Kirkwall and Candlekeep, reflects its dreamer and her priorities perfectly: every book you could ever ask for can be found on these shelves (whether they are legible, gibberish, or in any way accurate depends on if you've read the book before and remember its contents). "Dark academia" eat your heart out.
There are some things that immediately and deeply distinguish this dream from Thedosian reality, chief among them being: there is no taboo or restriction on magic of any kind for any purpose. Blood magic is just another way of accessing magic, and holds no stigma. Templars act only to suppress magic that cannot be contained, and do not need to use lyrium to do so. Additionally, elfblooded humans look like proper Faerûnian half-elves, with the attendant pointy ears and other uniquely elven features.
Ness herself has reverted to her normal Faerûnian appearance: lavender eyes, white streaked hair, distinct purple cast to her skin, pointed ears. She remains Quartermaster, but she doesn't work alone—her drow father Vazeiros has arrived in Thedas via rift as well. His dark amethyst skin, stark white hair, and red eyes set him immediately apart from native elves, but no one's weird about it. He loves his daughter, and has forgiven her for the hideous sin of (checks hand) ever having become his problem.
When the dream begins to turn, once-familiar hallways turn into labyrinths and mazes, preventing you from ever reaching Ness. Every door you open brings you to a different room, each one pleasantly quiet and filled with bookshelves, all filled with books that attempt to tempt you, personally, from your goal, with whatever information would do that. If that doesn't work, the stacks begin to close in, slowly but surely doing their best to squish and smother you entirely.
ness tavane | candlewall? kirkeep? faedas?
The Gallows is recognizable as such due to its layout and not much else, though you'd swear you've never known it different: the cobblestone courtyard, the ashlar stone walls crawling with ivy, diamond-paned windows set in dark wooden frames are as they have always been. The interiors of each tower are lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves, as they have always been. This mix of Thedas and Faerûn, Kirkwall and Candlekeep, reflects its dreamer and her priorities perfectly: every book you could ever ask for can be found on these shelves (whether they are legible, gibberish, or in any way accurate depends on if you've read the book before and remember its contents). "Dark academia" eat your heart out.
There are some things that immediately and deeply distinguish this dream from Thedosian reality, chief among them being: there is no taboo or restriction on magic of any kind for any purpose. Blood magic is just another way of accessing magic, and holds no stigma. Templars act only to suppress magic that cannot be contained, and do not need to use lyrium to do so. Additionally, elfblooded humans look like proper Faerûnian half-elves, with the attendant pointy ears and other uniquely elven features.
Ness herself has reverted to her normal Faerûnian appearance: lavender eyes, white streaked hair, distinct purple cast to her skin, pointed ears. She remains Quartermaster, but she doesn't work alone—her drow father Vazeiros has arrived in Thedas via rift as well. His dark amethyst skin, stark white hair, and red eyes set him immediately apart from native elves, but no one's weird about it. He loves his daughter, and has forgiven her for the hideous sin of (checks hand) ever having become his problem.
When the dream begins to turn, once-familiar hallways turn into labyrinths and mazes, preventing you from ever reaching Ness. Every door you open brings you to a different room, each one pleasantly quiet and filled with bookshelves, all filled with books that attempt to tempt you, personally, from your goal, with whatever information would do that. If that doesn't work, the stacks begin to close in, slowly but surely doing their best to squish and smother you entirely.