faderift | open: something grabs ahold of me tightly

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"No." That earned Korrin something like a laugh - if they could die and come back as ghostly memories of themselves. "There's a story - it's similar..." She looked at Korrin for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly, then shook her head. "But no, I can't say that I have."

Still, her mind turned over it, the old Greek legend, wondering despite herself.

"I'm Lara." She paused a moment to try and sift through everything Korrin had said. "When you say 'mage'... do you mean magic?"

It was the only word she immediately recognized and so she latched onto it as a sturdy starting point. Somewhere to put her boots before she jumped into the unknown.

Korrin nods, not about to disrupt the tavern full of beleagured people by demonstrating then and there, but she'll confirm it later if need be. "Magic, yes. Mages are people who draw upon the energy of the Fade, the place where you stepped out of...and with it, we can defend ourselves, heal, and so on. It's not something anyone can learn; either you're a mage or you're not. They tend to find out around puberty, though some much earlier.

People thinking you're a demon from the Fade is a death sentence but up until recently, it wasn't much better to be revealed as a mage. People tend to fear that kind of power, and the dangers that come with it. For the longest time, most were imprisoned upon discovery, but a war broke out when mages rebelled. Now, many of those work for the Inquisition...at least in part because they don't have anywhere else to go."

She listened, trying to accept everything the woman was telling her without argument despite the little voice in the back of her mind yelling "This isn't possible!" But her brow furrowed, twitching with an incredulity she couldn't help.

She shook her head, knowing that everything she'd seen and done in the past few hours were equally impossible, but this... She shouldn't have asked. Not yet.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just - a lot to take in."

Korrin nods sympathetically, a wry smile forming. "Oh, I know. Not from personal experience, but I've never met a freshly-arrived rifter who wasn't overwhelmed. It's a hell of a lot for anyone to deal with. You don't have to endure a long lecture about all things Thedas right now, if you're not up to it. I can show you the way to camp, however. We're just outside town, and it's an excellent spot to get supplies and rest. You won't find either in town, not in the state it is."

"Not that it isn't fascinating," Lara said, with a small shake of her head. "And later,... when I've decided whether or not I'm actually going crazy, I'll certainly be interested in learning more, but for now - yes, I think that would be a good idea."

She offered Korrin a greatful look.

"Is there anyone else I should - meet at the camp?"

Korrin had said she was a member of a council.

Downing the rest of her drink before pushing the tankard back, Korrin moves to stand. At least her clearing the way for them is no problem, as no one wants to be in a qunari's path. "Scout Harding is the first person that comes to mind. She's in charge of the scouts and knows all about the surrounding area and beyond. And she directly serves one of the higher-ups, the Inquisition's spymaster. That probably makes her sound intimidating, but Harding's one of the friendliest people I know. She'll find a place for you, no doubt."

Lara initially tried to walk next to her, but the tavern was simply too crowded (and Korrin's legs were simply so much longer) so she ducked behind her and followed behind.

"They'll just take me in?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at the back of Korrin's head. "I don't have anything..."

Once they're outside and Lara doesn't have to weave around people, Korrin automatically slows her pace to allow the human to catch up. She's used to working with and walking with smaller races by now, so it's no strain on her part.

"That's not true. You have that mark on your hand. With that on your hand, you can seal rifts. No one who doesn't have that mark can do anything about them, but you can. That makes you more important than you think, so don't think you have nothing to contribute."

Lara glanced down at her hand, finger flexing over the mark. It still tingled unpleasantly, it not painfully.

"...If this is all real... I need answers. I need to go home," she said, looking back up at Korrin. "But if I can help, I'll do what I can."

Korrin's smile is understanding if melancholy. She has no good news to give about such things. "Everyone needs to go home. I'm sorry...and thank you. That someone has their own problems and is still willing to pitch in means a lot. Maybe we can solve this mess together, rifter and native."

"Let's hope so," Lara murmured. "For all our sakes."

Especially if this was all real. It would be hard enough, without having to do it alone.

open: something grabs ahold of me tightly

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