open: something grabs ahold of me tightly

[faderifting]

WHO: Inquisition Forces
WHAT: Inquisition forces cross the mountains into Orlais to deal with Emprise du Lion
WHEN: Wintermarch 25 onward
WHERE: EMPRISE DU LION
NOTES: This is a mingle-style log for the Inquisition camps, local tavern, and general/open Inquisition work, etc.

This time they hike down to the west, but the trip through the mountains is no easier. The snow is heaped up about the road where wagons have pushed it aside, stomped into slippery pack beneath the feet and hooves that have gone before. Of the main track it is ankle deep at best and in places it drifts, waist-deep on a tall man and enough to bury a dwarf who hasn't come prepared with snowshoes. Everywhere the wind howls, biting cold, and the sky hangs low, a pale flat grey that makes it difficult to judge distances. Those who know winter weather call it a snow sky, and near-daily squalls prove them right.

They set up camp in Sahrnia, across the broad expanse of frozen river that has trapped the villagers here upstream. Tents pop up in rows and in the shells of tumbled-down buildings, fires blazing and thawing the ground to mud. When the supply wagons roll in they re-open the local tavern, brightly lit with flaking paint on the walls that might once have been colorful and patterned tiles on the floor that seems to swim like an optical illusion after too many glasses of the cheap red wine that fills the cellars.

Even deadlier reds hold the hills: Red Templar sightings have been frequent and it is said they are operating in several locations in the region in significant force. Some of these men and women have become hulking, crystalline beasts. Many others are in the earlier stages of corruption: red-veined and -eyed, aggressive and superhumanly strong, but still visibly human and coherent if spoken to. Red lyrium is even easier to find, jutting out of the ground or cliffsides, filling caves-- the Tower of Bone, a fortress that has stood for centuries, now threatens to split from the inside out. The area's wildlife was none too friendly before, but now the wolves and bears have begun to be corrupted by the lyrium and many will attack on sight, without provocation. (The snofleurs that bumble harmlessly around the river seem unaffected.)

Everywhere there are ruins: broken bridges, crumbling colosseums, and the great hulking mass of Suledin's Keep tucked between the distant hills. Scouts reported that Red Templars hold it as well.

RIFTER ARRIVAL - SAHRNIA - THE HILLS - TOWER CAMP - A HANDY MAP

Comments

Kaisa Daesun

[unbrokenoath]

Open-Tavern

It was cold. It was really fucking cold. Kaisa is Fereldan, they can handle the cold, but her Fereldan pride in the face of chilly weather has been blown to shreds in the constant snow and chill of this sinkhole of Orlais. It's little surprise that she winds up in the tavern a lot of her time, her dog cuddled up on one side, and a drink on the other. She's open to chewing the fat with anyone who wants to talk, and friend or stranger alike will be greeted with a smile and a lift of her mug if they come near her.

Garris-Skinning snofleurs

You can't skin animals with a giant sword. This is an unfortunate truth of life that Kaisa has learned after many years of traveling the countryside, having to provide for herself. So a dagger is procured, and she takes it with her to the pile of dead snofleurs, giving it a rather irritated stare before sticking it in her belt, and grabbing one of the stupid beasts, dragging the dead body onto the tarp provided for the grisly task.

Still, it could be worse. It could be dead people she had to handle.

Snofleurs!

[middle_of_calibrating]

Working on the bodies in this cold was terrible. First off the carcasses were getting cold and stiff which made skinning much harder, and needing to wear gloves made it all that more difficult. In the middle of cutting up his own carcass, Garris looks up from his work when his skinning partner comes dragging another one to the tarp.

"These are certainly ugly things aren't they?"

[unbrokenoath]

"They're ugly, in a cute kind of way." Kaisa gives the one she's working on a discerning look. "Like really big nugs." Or maybe she just felt kind of guilty for insulting something she was going to spend the day butchering. Ugh.

But she starts making the initial cut anyway, because she isn't a wimp and she can handle broodmothers, and no amount of dead snofleurs are make her shy away. Complaining, however, is entirely different. "This really is kind of nasty, though. Everything looks ugly when you peel its skin off." She paused for a moment, then turned to the man, nodding her head to him.

"Hope you don't mind if I don't shake hands. Warden Kaisa Daesun. Do you even know why their pelts are so important...?"

[middle_of_calibrating]

The comment has Garris stopping in his cutting to raise a brow at the woman. "Big... nugs?" Turning his gaze down to the one she just started on - his own was already half skinned - he gives a bit of a shake of his head. "I don't think so. I'll even say nugs are cuter than these and I think those are pretty disturbing."

He gives a nod back, returning to his skinning and giving a bit of a shrug. "None taken though it's only snofleur blood and guts that we both have. Garris Vakrie." He gives a slight smile before giving a thoughtful hum. "The color. The hide is also pretty thick and smooth so it'll probably make for good leather goods. Not much for warmth without the fat though."