O2 ♚ I'M A LONG TIME TRAVELER HERE

[slaveking]

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.

Comments

[wontforgetyou]

[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.

[lennethvalkyrie]

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?

[slaveking]

[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.]

[wontforgetyou]

[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.

[lennethvalkyrie]

[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.]

[slaveking]

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?

[wontforgetyou]

[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.

[lennethvalkyrie]

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.]