faderift | open: something grabs ahold of me tightly

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

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Cullen falls into step behind Cassandra and the others, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. While they were on the hunt for one apostate, there were plenty of other apostates and Red Templars lurking in the area.

He knows he doesn't have to warn anyone in the party to keep an eye out. They were all seasoned warriors, some of the Inquisition's finest. "Why anyone would hide in this place is beyond me."

"Perhaps because no one would expect him to," Cassandra suggests, leading the way through the town. She, too, is alert for anyone else that might pose a threat, but the residents of Sahrnia hardly qualify. They watch with interest and some wariness as the Inquisition soldiers march by, a few of them vanishing back into their homes. Hardly a warm welcome - but then, she supposes, they must have had more than enough of strangers invading their homes by now.

She frowns as they reach the other end of the town and the frozen expanse of the river meets their eyes. "Or perhaps he is punishing himself for his transgressions. We should be so lucky." She glances back at the small group, hand straying down to check the sword at her hip as she nods towards the tower. "That is our target, if my contacts are to be believed. Prepare yourselves."

'Perhaps he's punishing himself for his transgressions.'

Something about Cassandra's reply wins a glance from Alayre. The idea of an apostate repenting for his misdeeds is quite absurd at best but Alayre finds himself pondering it. "Maybe there's a chance to appeal to this outlaw's sense of reason if that's the case." He suddenly says after a moment of thought once his gaze rests upon the tower. "If so, would it be permitted to rein him in alive than dead?" He questions.

Now this is unusual. A Templar humoring the thought of bringing an apostate in alive? That's literally unheard of! Earlier, Alayre seemed more than eager at the thought of hunting down this fiend but now he's pondering if the situation can be resolved by other means. While he certainly expects this mage to put up a fight, Alayre is willing to seek a peaceful resolution in the end than a violent one.

That's quite unusual but definitely a nod to fairness.

"If we could, that would send a powerful message," Ellana reasons. Being on the Mage Council has been a good way to demonstrate her diplomatic nature, always weighing the pros and cons. "The Inquisition is willing to allow the chance for surrender. That might help others see us as a force that protects, instead of just punishes."

Who knows? Maybe other apostates will turn themselves in, if they know the Inquisition isn't going to just execute them. And if not, well then at least this word will spread to those who were unsure as to the Inquisition's motivations.

"All of this is provided he comes quietly, though."

Clearly Cullen was going to have to be the voice of dissent. "Reason has come and gone at this point," he starts. As much as he would like to appeal to reason, he knows Cassandra wouldn't let it happen. "The moment we are spotted near that tower our target is going to send everything he has at us. There will be no reasoning with him. For him, it is only life and death, and the possibility to live another day."

He looks to Cassandra at that point before continuing. "As it is, if Lady Cassandra is looking for this man, all other avenues have been exhausted. If a Seeker has to be sent out against a mage, then we should be wary. He will mean to kill us, and we should be ready to do the same."

Cassandra nods gratefully to Cullen. Mercy has its time and place, but this is not one of those times. "The Seekers have been tracking this apostate for some time," she explains. "He has done abominable things. I can assure you, he will not come quietly."

Just then, there's a movement near the tower across the water, and then a shout. She looks over, her entire bearing shifting into something tense and ready. "They have spotted us," she announces, unnecessarily. "We must hurry!"

She will not be struck down by arrows or spells before she even sees the apostate. The frozen river is impossible to run across, but Cassandra moves as quickly as she safely can, drawing her sword as soon as she reaches the island and charging headlong into battle with a cry.

They've already been spotted?! Alayre honestly could curse their foul luck in the King's Tongue and his native one. He didn't expect those motherless bastards to be so keen.

He follows Cassandra's lead in this endeavor halting any thought that this clash will meet a peaceful end. With both blades drawn, Alayre makes certain to follow the woman into battle with the others in tow. Running across the this frozen river is a poor choice but Alayre manages to slide along it without getting an arrow to an eye.

With no hesitation on his part, Alayre already tastes first blood when he jams the Iceblade through the torso of some nameless wretch. His adversary is partly frozen for a spell thanks to the sword's icy enchantment. He then finishes this foe with the help of its sisterblade before moving hastily towards the next target. Without the aid of a shield, Alayre is noticely faster than most Templars in terms of movement but this lack of defense leaves him exposed. The mage with them might need to be careful of how she wields her spells.

Edited 2016-02-11 18:28 (UTC)

Well, it was a nice thought anyway, even if the apostate has proven to behave just as the others predicted he would. Ellana follows Cassandra across the ice with Frost Step, quickly surged ahead of the two men to step foot on the island. Then she waits, a hand outstretched until everyone is in the same general vicinity before a blue glyph appears beneath their feet and the same color washes over them; a barrier in place over their bodies that the enemy will have to destroy first.

With that done, she stays in place, firing a few spells at the apostates. But the way Alayre is moving will make it difficult to set off spells as they could effect him too. She fires a lightning bolt at someone in the back, because the jolt will stay contained and not skip to others. Her fire spells will be too dangerous with the others she fights alongside using melee, and she doesn't know any ice spells beyond Frost Step. So lightning and simple spells it is, along with renewing the barrier when she sees fit.

Cullen's quick to stay to the side, fanning out so they can cover all parts of the battle. In battle he is focused, eyes taking in every part of the battle, making sure they aren't hit from any open side.

After the perilous cross over the iced river, Cullen's shield meets a spell directed for him. He ducks below its edge, then pushes forward once the spell dissipates. He hasn't met a mage in battle since Kirkwall, and he has to shove some painful memories to the back of his mind so he can continue. His blade meets with the mage's staff, and before the mage has a chance to cast another, he is kicked back.

Cassandra had been somewhat worried about their chances. The apostate is clever, after all - clever enough to have evaded the Seekers for some time - and while she does not doubt the valor or ability of any in her party, the four of them had never actually fought as a group before. They do not know each other's strengths and weaknesses. They cannot predict each other's actions and plan accordingly.

But Alayre brings down one of their foes at her side even as Cassandra dispatches another, while Ellana strengthens their defenses and attacks their enemy from a distance. On her other side, she sees Cullen fighting a mage, and tenses, but the templar quickly gains the advantage. Soon the first line of defense is no more, and Cassandra looks up to see the apostate himself, high on the hill. Her eyes narrow. This is why they had come.

"There he is!" she calls, and ducks, raising her shield as he sends a fireball her way. "Ellana! Barrier! Sauveterre, Cullen - he will have reinforcements. Watch for them!" And she charges forward, barely giving Ellana time to cast her barrier.

Once he hears the Seeker's call, Sauveterre readies himself for the true battle. "Will do!" He shouts over the roar of the incoming foes. The Knight-Commander doesn't dare lose speed here.

When Cassandra surges forward with her sword and shield at hand, Alayre keeps pace with her while watching for reinforcements. He quickly cuts down another apostate who dared to impede upon them. Before that mage could even wave his staff, the Iceblade rips through his abdomen with violent precision. He all cut carves out his foe's innards before testing his blade against another.

Unlike the last one, this mage actually finishes his casting and hurls bolts of lightning their way in retaliation. It's then that Alayre relies on his abilities as a Templar to dispell it. He crosses both blades before him and summons forth a surge of blinding white light upon the attacking mage. The incoming lightning quickly ceases and the apostate is left open for attack. Any beneficial shields and barriers the enemy had prior are gone.

Ellana is no military tactician, but she knows what she's capable of and knows how to manage her mana. For the most part, she's been getting hits on the enemy to weaken them and is letting the others finish them off. Big, flashy spells waste mana and she wants to have a barrier ready at a moment's call.

Which comes as Cassandra asks for it. Stretching out her hand, Ellana sets a glyph under Cassandra's feet, and if either of the men are close enough, they'll get the benefit of it too. Unfortunately, Ellana is too far away to have it cast across her, and the mages they're fighting will know that. And so as soon as the barrier is set, she takes off with Frost Step to momentarily hide behind a tree and reassess. Looking at what they're working with, she decides to focus on one of the apostates to the side. She could try to weaken the leader for her allies, but that might just switch his attention to her and she's the most vulnerable out of the group. So she shoots basic spells at her apostate of choice before she feels enough mana return to send an energy barrage at her.

Cullen's sword meets with the mage once more, and this time it meets with flesh and the mage goes down. His eyes go upward to the hill when Cassandra calls out, and he breaks away from what he had been doing to follow the line.

There's nothing good in taking down an apostate, but sometimes it's necessary. One of the reinforcements gets in close, his shield going up just in time to block a spell. It would have been easier if he still had his abilities, but it was neither here nor there at the moment. His sword comes down on the mage's staff, knocking it out of their hands before he's able to dispatch them.

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open: something grabs ahold of me tightly

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