faderift | O2 ♚ I'M A LONG TIME TRAVELER HERE

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O2 ♚ I'M A LONG TIME TRAVELER HERE

WHO: Character(s)
WHAT: Several Rifters and native drop-ins congregate at the Tavern as advertised via messenger crystal.
WHEN: Late January (forward-dated for recentmost app approvals!)
WHERE: The Tavern, private room
NOTES: OOC plotting here! Feel free to treat this like a general mingle log, but I will be making empty starters below for specific topics for group threads/conversation. An infodump/glossary link may also be pending from Araceli/Church.

It's past dinner time. This provides a reasonable excuse to drink only out of the ale pitchers set up for the expected guest, although there's a little bread and salt pork set up on the one bench along the wall. Dozens of chairs and a few less tables are loosely organized into groups. There's no dais or marked center for the room, the bar room version of the principles of the Arthurian round table, all being equal in the private room. Which, granted, is only as private as the public announcement and common courtesy might enforce. In other words, that can't be a real expectation.

However, the other Tavern workers are watching the door and main floor discreetly, multi-tasking with running the usual evening business. It's not so different from any other night, not even for the involuntary immigrants gathering on the second level. Drink, talk, and get to know.

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How willing are they to take us?

[Jamie has his attention. Marcel is standing a little ways back from Lenneth, but off to the side slightly, his arms folded across his chest. His expression is thoughtful as he studies the other man, who definitely seems like he's already gotten started.] With our reputation being demons, I was wondering how we'd be treated out there. In my time, people are worried about double-agents during every war.

Granted. Most of us don't have horns or a blood-curdling roar. [That's been his experience with demons so far, anyway. Landing on malicious monsters in the midst of a fetid marsh had been a rather unpleasant introduction.] And a mark. [He nods at the glowing seam in Jamie's hand, where he'd been tapping.] Is that enough to get in with the Inquisition?

Not everyone thinks we're demons.

[Not anymore, anyway, although he's well aware there's still plenty of people out there who likely do. But the people in charge - at least the ones he's met - don't think it, and they've seemed more than willing to give them a chance. And a spot in the Inquisition, if anyone wants it.]

Commander Rutherford doesn't, for one. And the others who're running things around here, although I'll admit I've not talked to all of them. They've still not had any problem with letting folk join who want to join. And this-

[His finger drops away, and he turns his hand so the green glow from the mark shines out for a second or two before he lets his hand fall back to his side.]

This isn't a problem. You'd not even need that, far as I can tell, so long as you're willing to swear an oath that you'll serve. But...I think it actually might help, in this case. Right now they don't have any other way to close rifts. Even if you kill all the demons at one, if it's not closed, they'll come back. Even if there's still people who aren't sure about us, it seems like most of them in the Inquisition itself are willing to give us a chance.

They must be. [Lenneth interjected briefly, curling her fingers against the glow in her palm.] If they have any hope of continuing the work their Herald did before her death. Any hope of saving their world.

It is a double-edged sword, however. If we do not come to them amicably and offer these abilities in good faith--if we attempt to leverage their need of us from the very beginning, we may find ourselves chained hounds rather than allies. [She lifts her shoulders in a slight shrug, face firm. To save the Aesir, she would do such a thing in war. She could find little to blame if any recalcitrant Rifter were to be forced to use the power they'd been given. A short pause, then--]

Do any of you know the true scope of the battle we face?

[Marcel's eyes stay on the man's face while he talks, the corner of his mouth curling a little at the kinds of experiences that Jamie is talking about. Commander Rutherford sounds like he's worth talking to. Further, the other man's optimism is a refreshing departure from the flinty wariness that most of their fellows have exhibited. It doesn't seem like it's all roses, but even so.

His attention is on Lenneth again the next moment. And here it is, the note of pragmatic cynicism that he knows so well. He nods thoughtfully.] I've heard a little, [he says.] From the Tevinter mage, Dorian Pavus. It seems that political parties diverge pretty sharply about the exact history and origin of the war we see today. Some are gonna argue that the-- 'darkspawn' were always a phenomenon. [he gestures vaguely into empty air. always is an amorphous and pointless entity, but he thinks this way about earthquakes and hurricanes too.] And the favored term for awhile was the Blight. Seems like they'd come on in hordes.

But other parties blame the Tevinter Imperium. There were said to be seven Magisters from that nation, who tried to take great power. The source they were after was the Golden City, something incredible, located in the Fade. Their methodology was a massive sacrifice of slaves to open a gateway. [His face hardens a little, but he doesn't seem to notice. Blood and death are commonplace topics to a vampire, and the subject of magical sacrifice as well. He's too distracted by his companions to dwell on the implications further.] I don't know if that's the same thing as a Rift. But these people believe that the blood sacrifice corrupted that which they were after. The seven became the first of the darkspawn. [Marcel sits back in his seat.]

Supposedly, Corypheus is one of these seven. I think this is how they say the conflict between mages and non-mages touched off, a long damn time ago.

[Marcel drums his fingers briefly on the table.] But these days, he's a real threat still, and people seem to be uniting forces. I don't know how demons and darkspawn are-- the same or different. But they both do seem to come from the Fade, along with the power that the native mages wield. Guess it makes sense, mages are regarded with suspicion like we are. Seems people think not a lot of good ever came from the spirit side.

[Optimism may be too strong a word for Jamie's take on the situation. He's well aware that everything's not going to be fixed by closing the rifts, that there's still the matter of Corypheus that'll be needed to be dealt with - and by joining, the rifters will wind up being a part of a war they'd never asked for. But he's never been one to back down from a fight, even in a case like this, and to him helping here is the right thing to do.

When it comes to the scope of what they're facing, on the other hand - well, he's heard some things, but without the extra information that the other man's been able to find. As he listens, his head winds up tilting ever so slightly to one side, and a slightly thoughtful expression crosses his face.]

I know there's something called an "archdemon" that turns up when there's darkspawn involved, so maybe they could be the same thing. Sounds like no matter what way you're looking at it, though, it's no wee battle. And if you ask me, I don't think trying to leverage anything'll work very well at all, given that.

And these 'darkspawn'... what are they? Demon? Undead? Corrupted mortal? [If their current foe is one of the original darkspawn, this last one seems less likely. Led by an 'archdemon' suggests the first, but no-one has been speaking of darkspawn despite the rift demons they've fought.] I have neither seen nor heard of them yet, nor much of Corypheus. [It chafed at her, to not know the shape of the planned campaign or her place in it. Given a duty, she would fulfill it. To spend much time at the fortress when there were front lines... She was worried that eventually she would split a practice dummy.]

If it is settled then that the best course of action is to offer freely what help we can, in what manner should we do so? Form a regiment of our own, or a Council like the Mages? Remain only vaguely organized and volunteer ourselves moment by moment so that it does not seem as if we wish to form our own power structure, which may be seen as threatening?

[Those poor practice dummies. They certainly can't have that.]

Seems the darkspawn used to be human, [Marcel says.] Some of them, anyway. I don't know how contagious they are at this point, or to us from different worlds. But the story has it Corypheus used to be a human, even if he was one who wielded magic. Demons on the other hand, [he nods at Jamie thoughtfully. Archdemon has a special arch in front of it, and he's going to keep that in mind. Apparently demons have Pokemon tiers. That's worth knowing.] My sense is they never were.

If it turns out that's wrong, I'd appreciate you two letting me know. [For one thing, it might change the way that vampirism is eventually looked upon. Marcel is certainly going to keep that under wraps for as long as possible, but he isn't under very powerful illusions. His attention cuts to Lenneth again, and he nods his head.]

That is a good question. Obviously some people have joined up of their accord, as individuals or with friends. And they ought be free to do so. [His eyes shift to Jamie, acknowledgment, and respect. And then to Lenneth. After all, she's brought up other possibilities of her own volition-- and she's certainly not the first to make such implications.] But it seems some of us would like a little more structure. Minimally, I'd like to keep these meet-ups going. Exchange intel, make sure we all know what the global threats are to Rifters as a whole.

We might not have a lot in common, but some elements seem to bind us. [He opens his hand, the one with the glowing mark.]

[There's a faint shrug on Jamie's end. While he doesn't have any particular problem with passing along information like that if he comes across it, he's not entirely sure it's anything he needs to worry about - not if what everyone's said is true, at any rate.]

From what I've been told, demons are just spirits. Unless a mage lets them in and then you've got one of those abomination-thingys to deal with, but that's not the same thing as a demon being human to begin with.

[Although it would make sense as a reason, everyone keeps telling him demons are spirits, so he's just going to with that. As for the rest of it...well, group or no group, keeping the meetings going would be a good way to pass along information, even if he's not certain about forming something more structured just yet.]

Passing along information's not a bad idea, I'll admit. But I don't know if we need one any sort of formal group right now. Like the lass said, if we form up something like that might give the indication that we're trying to get some power of our own and I'm no so sure that won't make us seem worse. We might need to at some point, but lets see how things fall out first before we decide that.

[Lenneth nods in general agreement as the two men discuss. She hasn't much else to add to the conversation at this point, and isn't one for speaking just to speak.]

Sounds wise to me, [Marcel says, nodding his head.] There's preparing for trouble, then there's starting some. And this seems to be working out well enough. [He gestures a large hand at the rest of the gathering. In reality, he means more than the energetic chatter going on at the various tables. The fact that no one has burst in, skeptical, or with holy water (??) is meaningful.]

Hey. [he juts his chin abruptly, switching topics-- sort of.] You know, you've taken to this life pretty well, Mr. J. I've heard a little bit of Lenneth's story. But I gotta ask. What were you in your past?

[As they talk, his eyes flick between Marcel and Lenneth, taking in both their reactions. It seems like they're in agreement on that part of things, so that's one thing settled. Finding out a little more about each other seems like a it's not a bad idea, given that. But figuring out how to explain what he was is a bit tricky, and he winds up hesitating long enough to moisten his lips before he actually answers.]

Aye, well, before I left Scotland I was a piper, and a solider. After...I suppose you could say I became more of a traveller. Or an adventurer, maybe. Not sure how else you could describe going to different places and getting mixed up in whatever trouble happened to be there, to tell you the truth.

I have found that it depends what motivated you to do so. If it were simply of a desire to help, adventurer is apt enough. Mercenary, perhaps, if mainly for recompense. [There's no judgement in her tone. As long as there was strife, and those who could deal with it better than others, mercenaries were a fact of life. They were no better or worse than other soldiers, simply motivated more by a slightly disillusioned practicality.

After all, leaders betrayed. Money did not.]

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O2 ♚ I'M A LONG TIME TRAVELER HERE

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